India in West Indies

Former West Indian bowler, Joel Garner, says he finally feels the decision to bring Carl Hooper out of retirement to skipper the Windies has been vindicated.

Times Garner said, "I'm happy that the team under Carl is performing well.

"When we picked him, there were too many views. And what I told then, I am repeating now - We picked Carl on the basis of performance and he is a performing captain."

Sri Lanka in England

Glamorgan fast bowler Simon Jones has been named in England's squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.

The 23-year-old's name has been added to the 13 chosen for the opening match of the series, which ended in a draw.

England squad: N Hussain (capt), M Butcher, A Caddick, D Cork, J Crawley, A Flintoff, A Giles, M Hoggard, S Jones, A Stewart, G Thorpe, M Trescothick, A Tudor, M Vaughan.

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Sri Lanka's build-up to the second Test was severely disrupted as their visit to Wales reached a soggy conclusion.

Their hopes of giving their support seam bowlers some competitive action came to nothing as rain prevented any play at Sophia Gardens for the third successive day.

The outcome was particularly frustrating for Dilhara Fernando, who joined the squad late because of back trouble and has yet to bowl a single ball in the middle.

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Sri Lanka are looking to Daryl Foster to help paceman Ruchira Perera erase the flaws from his action. Bowling 'guru' Foster arrives back on Monday after making a trip home to Australia for family reasons. And his main priority will be to work with left-armer Perera, who was reported to the International Cricket Council by the umpires following the first Test against England at Lord's. "Physically he needs to get the idea of being smooth and fluid.

Miscellaneous

Sir Vivian Richards has been appointed the new chief of selectors by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

The Windies' leading Test run scorer of all time and former captain is joined on the three-man panel by former opener Gordon Greenidge.

The pair were contemporaries in the dominant sides of the late 1970s and 80s.

Joey Carew, a former captain of Trinidad and Tobago who played for the West Indies between 1963 and 1972, was the only member of the previous three-member panel retained.

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Australian cricket vice-captain and the world's number one ranked Test batsman Adam Gilchrist says he believes Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is a ‘chucker’.

Interviewed by Carlton AFL president John Elliott at a luncheon where he was a guest before the Blues took on Adelaide at Optus Oval, the gloveman said he is in no doubt that Muralitharan doesn’t comply with the laws of the game.

“Yeah, I think he does (chuck). And I say that, because if you read the laws of the game, there’s no doubt in my mind that he and many others, throughout cricket history have,” Gilchrist said.

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