India Pistons experienced little difficulty in romping to a 112-runvictory over Andhra Cricket Association at the NFC ground in group B.Batting first, India Pistons scored 206 for nine in 50 overs. SkipperVikram Rathour (29) and Anand George (15) put on 44 runs for theopening wicket off 11.3 overs.Two partnerships in the middle order bolstered the India Pistonstotal. First, JR Madanagopal (49) and R Satish Kumar (24) added 43runs for the fifth wicket off 12 overs. Then Madanagopal andShahabuddin (24) put on 36 runs for the seventh wicket off 5.1 overs.Madanagopal, who was run out for 49, faced 66 balls. N Madhukar, with3 for 36, was the most successful bowler.In reply, ACA started badly, losing wickets at regular intervals andwere never in with a chance of reaching their target. Medium pacer KShahabuddin struck both at the beginning of the innings and towardsthe end to finish with 3 for 23. Leg spinner WD Balaji Rao and leftarm spinner Muthu Pandi captured two wickets each as ACA were shot outfor 94 in 43.2 overs.

A large first innings total, the backbone of which was a brilliant ninth first-class century by Craig White, has put the balance of play in England’s favour.At stumps, the Pakistan Cricket Board Patron’s XI, having scored 49 for one in their second innings, were trailing by 147 runs.The highlight of the day’s play was the entertaining innings by White. He had excellent support for the sixth and eighth wickets, each yielding 83 runs.Earlier, the day began with the loss of Graeme Hick’s wicket in the second over. He had added only four to his overnight score of 77 and the total was 223 for five.The stand between White and Paul Nixon then took the total past the 237 runs of the opposition’s first innings. England continued to build a substantial lead with White playing attacking strokes on either side of the wicket.Nixon was more patient during his hundred minutes at the crease, compiling 31 from 84 balls before the leg spin off Shafiq Ahmed found a gap in his defence.The bowler then struck again in his next over, bowling Dominic Cork for the seventh wicket, without an addition to the total of 306.Shortly before the fall of the last two wickets, White had reached his half-century from 79 balls with 36 of his runs coming from boundaries.White and Ashley Giles then scored at a little over a-run-a-minute before Giles went for 39. White progressed rapidly towards his hundred taking 14 in one over from off-spinner Munir Ansari.Two consecutive fours took him into the 90’s and the next ball was sent over the long off boundary to take him to 97.In the next over he reached his hard-hitting century with a drive to the extra cover boundary. It came from 168 balls with fourteen fours and a towering six.When he finally fell for 120, caught behind off Mohammad Akram, the England total had reached 433 for nine and the next ball ended the innings on the stroke of tea with England taking a lead of 196.The Patron’s XI wicket that fell in the final session went to Ian Salisbury. He had Imran Abbas caught behind for 12 with 26 on the board. England are now in a position to force victory on the final day.

At the end of the second day’s play, Maharashtra were in a strong positionagainst Karnataka in their Cooch Behar Trophy pre quarterfinal encounter atthe Nehru Stadium at Pune on Saturday. Resuming on 301/7 the home team’sUnder-19 side managed a healthy 381 as the tail wagged merrily. KP Adhav,coming in at No 9, made a valiant 39 (94 minutes, 69 balls, five fours)while No 10 MS Palkhede made 28 with four boundaries.The home side then reduced Karnataka to 182 for eight at theend of the second of three days. The wickets were shared around equally,with Adhav, Kashinath Kadkikar and SM Kamathe scalping two wickets apiece.For the visitors, only opener DV Krishna (39) offered the only opposition.Wickets fell at regular intervals, the highest partnership being 64 for thethird wicket. When tailenders SV Lazarus (19 not out) and M Dharmichand (12not out) come out to bat tomorrow, they will have to perform a miracle ifthey want to avoid conceding the first innings lead.

Zimbabwe’s two Test match series against India will be refereed by SouthAfrica’s Denis Lindsay, the former Springbok wicketkeeper batsman, the ICCsaid in a press release on Monday.International panel umpire Daryl Harper of Australia will standwith Russell Tiffin in the first match in Bulawayo (June 7 to 11).Sri Lanka’s Asoka De Silva will officiate with home umpire IanRobinson in the second Test in Harare (June 15 to 19). This willbe Asoka’s first overseas match since joining the ICC panel duringthe recent series in Sri Lanka against England.Lindsay, 62 will also referee the seven One Day Internationals inthe triangular series which follows the Test series. India, WestIndies and Zimbabwe are the competing teams.

The probe Committee, who were appointed by the Sports Minister, LakshmanKiriella, to investigate into alleged financial mismanagement of theoutgoing Executive Committee, claimed in a six-page press release today,that there was, in their opinion, sufficient suspicious evidence to launch acriminal inquiry into the activities of the dissolved board.Moreover, the probe Committee – which was not supported by ThilangaSumathipala, the ex-President, who pointed out that some of the committeemembers were likely to be hostile to him having supported his opponents inthe last two cricket board elections – revealed that it could find noevidence to confirm that the Sri Lankan cricket board (BCCSL) had obtainedlegal ownership of the land upon which the Rangiri Dambulla InternationalStadium had been built.The five-man Committee, which was headed by Hemantha Warnakulasuriya,commenced the 15-day inquiry on June 1st and handed over the report over tothe Sports Minister on Friday. A press release was handed over to the mediatoday.The release states that they were able to “investigate and inquire into fourmajor acts of malpractice, corruption, misuse and abuse of power, breach oftrust and/or misappropriation of funds.” Having done so they arrived at”tentative” conclusions.”The Committee found that the evidence was sufficient to warrant furtherinvestigations being carried out by the Police and/or the CriminalInvestigations Department (CID), as it involves embezzlement of funds ofover one million Rupees.”The press release is, however, short of details and admits that, “theculpability of the persons involved in this massive fraud, can only bearrived at by a thorough investigation.” The Committee also accuses theoutgoing board of, “violating the BCCSL’s constitution.”The currently contested issue of the ownership over the land on which theRangiri Dambulla International Stadium was constructed takes up most of thesix-page release. The Committee states that on the basis of the evidenceprovided to them, “the BCCSL did not possess in its office a single documentor piece of paper which bears the right, title or interest the BCCSL has tothe land on which the stadium is built.”Upon examination of the lease agreement the Committee reveals that it haddiscovered that the agreement, though signed in front of an Attorney at Law,’bears no date, has no stamps affixed and has no attestation certifying thatthe deed had been attested.’ Moreover, there is, “no evidence that the deedhad been submitted for registration to the relevant Land Registry.”The 36-acres of land was leased to a ‘Trust’ by the name of ‘RangiriDambulla International Stadium Trust’ but the committee confers doubt uponthis trust, claiming that it had, “no legal existence.”The press release accuses the dissolved cricket board of constructing thestadium in defiance of the Buddhist Advisory Board and the Commissioner ofBuddhist Affairs, who had refused to sanction the stadiums development, onthe basis that the stadium would be used for activities (consumption ofalcohol and advertising) which may be opposed to the principles of Buddhism.

Kent dominated the second day’s proceedings at Canterbury to build an overall lead of 211 at the halfway point of their CricInfo Championship match with Lancashire.The hosts reached 77 for one in their second innings by the close, this after taking nine Lancashire wickets in the mid-session to dismiss the visitors for 214 and a first innings deficit of 134.England all-rounder Mark Ealham was the man to uproot the Red Rose middle order with figures of six for 64 – his best in Championship cricket for nigh on two years.Using sultry conditions to obtain swing and seam movement, the burly medium-pacer started to wreak havoc with his fourth ball after lunch when visiting skipper John Crawley pushed at an away-swinger to edge to David Fulton at slip.Mark Chilton went leg before to Ben Trott for 35, then Ealham removed Andrew Flintoff and Joe Scuderi in the space of three balls as the rot continued.Warren Hegg’s stubborn stay ended when Martin Saggers found the shoulder of the bat for another Fulton slip catch and when John Wood fell to an Andrew Symonds slinger the follow-on appeared likely.Gary Keedy and Mike Smethurst also succumbed to Ealham leaving Neil Fairbrother and last man Muthiah Muralitharan to score the 24 required to avoid following on.They achieved that courtesy of Fairbrother’s obdurate 39 and a Championship best 21 by Muralitharan, who was last out to Symonds.In the 34 overs remaining in the day Kent lost Fulton, the country’s leading run-scorer, for 17 but Ed Smith (30) and Rob Key (28) batted calmly thereafter to leave Kent in command going into the third day of four.

Winless in the series so far, a young but talented Indian side willhave to get their act together when they take on New Zealand in theirthird league match of the Coca-Cola Cup tri-series in Colombo onThursday to stay in the reckoning for the final.With Sri Lanka winning their match against New Zealand by five wicketstoday, India’s cause has been helped and they must now win at leasttwo of the remaining four league matches to hope for a place in thefinal. The hosts, with three consecutive victories under their beltand six points are almost assured of a final slot ahead of New Zealandwho have two points.”It is a do or die situation,” Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly summed itup aptly on the eve of the crucial match.Coach John Wright confirmed that Ajit Agarkar and Debasish Mohantyhave been ruled out and named the same 13 that lost to Sri Lanka bysix runs in the previous outing for tomorrow’s match.Losing their opening encounter against New Zealand by a huge margin of84 runs and then fumbling at the winning post by six runs against SriLanka in the next, India have been quite unpredictable which makesweighing their chances a dicey proposition.The bowlers have done a commendable job, sticking to a tidy line andlength but the batsmen have been a huge disappointment, gifting awaytheir wickets to unnecessary shots or being unable to rotate thestrike in crunch situations.It defied reason to see a batsman of the calibre of Rahul Dravidstruggling to get a boundary off even a full toss when India needed 12runs in the last over for a win.India’s case has been one of a huge gap between potential andperformance so far and the coach and the skipper must do a bit ofsoul-searching to find match-winning solutions before it is too late.Ganguly is finally among the runs and there is no reason why he shoulddemote himself down the order. He should not repeat the mistake hemade in the previous match against Sri Lanka, promoting HarbhajanSingh ahead of himself only to see the plan backfire.With all-rounders like Yuvraj Singh, Hemang Badani, Virender Sehwagand Reetinder Singh Sodhi in their ranks, the Indians must open withGanguly and Amay Khurasiya for a solid start to the innings.The task for the Indian batsmen has been made tough by the absence oftheir mainstay Sachin Tendulkar but India must get over their overdependence on the maestro and play as a well-knit team.The participating teams have shrugged off threats from LTTE guerillasand looked largely unaffected by the politically volatile situation asthey have continued with their regular practice and scotched rumoursof scrapping off the series midway.

As the Indians seek to leave behind their 10-wicket mauling in thefirst Test in Galle, recent history is what they must be looking at toprovide them confidence for making a come-back into the three-Testseries.Going in to the second Test starting in Kandy on Wednesday, theIndians would be boosted by the fact that only recently they haveeffected one of the greatest turnarounds in history – and against oneof the greatest teams of all times. The 2-1 win against Australia mustbe a reassuring thought and giving them the confidence required torepeat that performance.But more importantly, the Indians realise that it would be the hostswho would be under pressure despite their thumping victory in Galle.The Sri Lankans have lost their previous two Tests in Kandy – in theseries against South Africa and England earlier this year – and onboth those occasions, they had come to the city having taken a 1-0lead.In a similar situation this time, the Sri Lankans would be on thedefensive to put their record straight and that provides the Indiansthe breathing space.But history can never be an excuse for non-performance. The Indians,without some of their top stars, were outplayed in every department ofthe game in the first Test. It was only through an unexpectedly heroicninth wicket stand between Rahul Dravid and Venkatesh Prasad thatsaved them the ignominy of a first-ever innings defeat against SriLanka.And a similar fate could await them here if they do not rise to theoccasion and play to their potential.Captain Sourav Ganguly had said after the first match that his teamwould come roaring back the way they did against Australia. “We mustfight back. We have to,” he said.Despite the wide gulf between his words and deeds, he must get itright this time if he has to save his captaincy and probably his placein the team.”Captaining India is an extremely difficult task,” Ganguly said aheadof the second Test. What he probably left unsaid was that he wasfinding it even more difficult to regain his batting form.Once famous for his fluent and artistic off-side play, Ganguly hasbeen woefully short of runs and has not touched fifty in the last 12Test innings. Coupled with his frequent courting of trouble withumpires and match-referees, he has attracted a lot of criticism withdemands for his head growing with each failure.He has been outsmarted by the opposition in his own forte, having beenrestricted in his natural play by a packed off-side field and forcedto make mistakes.If he is hoping for any respite in Kandy, he won’t find any with rivalcaptain Sanath Jayasuriya saying on Monday that Sri Lanka wouldcontinue to play with four fast bowlers.”We have our strongest pace attack in recent times and I think thatwould be vital for the team’s chances,” Jayasuriya said.Coach Dave Whatmore agreed with the captain. “Right now our fastbowlers are on top and we will continue with them,” he said.

The ICC has appointed South African Denis Lindsay Africa as refereefor the forthcoming One-Day and Test series between Pakistan and NewZealand starting with the first one-dayer at Karachi from Sept 19.The ICC also appointed David Shepherd (England), and Ashoka de Silva(Sri Lanka) who will stand with one Paksitan umpire in the Testmatches. Asoka de Silva will conduct Test matches to be held atPeshawar and Faisalabad while Shepherd is named for Karachi Test.Following is the schedule of the New Zealand tour to Pakistan withappointments of the referees and umpires for each match of the tour:Sept 16: One-Day warm match at the National Stadium, Karachi;Umpires: Islam Khan, Afzaal Ahmad; Referee: Taslim Arif.Sept 19: 1st One-Day, National Stadium, Karachi. Umpires:Saleem Badar, Nazir Junior. TV umpire: Iftikhar Malik. Reserve umpire:Islam Khan.Sept 22: 2nd One-Day, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Umpires: MianMohammad Aslam, Riazuddin. TV Umpire: Feroz Butt. Reserve umpire:Siddique Khan.Sept 25: 3rd One-Day, Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi. Umpires:Shakeel Khan, Z.I Pasha. TV Umpire: Sadiq Mohammad. Reserve umpire:Aleem Dar.Sept 27-29: 3-day match, KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi. Umpires:Ihteshamul Haq, Waqar Mughal. Referee: Azhar Khan.Oct 2-6: 1st Test, Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar; Umpires: Asokade Silva, Saleem Badar. TV Umpire: Sadiq Mohammad. Reserve umpire:Iqbal Butt.Oct 8-10: Three-day, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Umpires: NadeemGhauri, Asad Rauf. Referee: Sultan Rana.Oct 13-17: 2nd Test, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. Umpires: Asokade Silva, Mian Mohammad Aslam. TV Umpire: Nazir Junior. Reserveumpire: Iftikhar Malik.Oct 20-24: 3rd Test, National Stadium, Karachi. Umpires: DavidShephrerd, Shakeel Khan. TV Umpire: Feroz Butt. Reserve Umpire: AfzaalAhmad.

England today named a 16-man Test squad to tour India and New Zealand thiswinter, a 16-man One-Day squad to tour Zimbabwe this autumn and the inaugural National Academy Squad.Nasser Hussain will captain the Test squad which includes two uncapped players, the Essex wicket-keeper, James Foster, and the Yorkshire off-spinner, Richard Dawson. There is also a recall to the senior squad for Lancashire wicket-keeper Warren Hegg.Foster is also included in the Zimbabwe ODI squad together with two othernewcomers, James Kirtley of Sussex and Jeremy Snape of Gloucestershire.Announcing the squad, Chairman of Selectors, David Graveney said: “The retirement of Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart and Darren Gough’s decisionto make themselves unavailable for selection for part of the winter programme will create opportunities for other players to establish themselves within the Test side this winter.”James Foster peformed well on the ‘A’ side’s tour of the Caribbean last winter and is an outstanding prospect who is also being fast-tracked by Essex to be a viable wicket-keeper batsman at the highest level.”Ashley Giles has been included in the Test squad subject to him satisfying the selectors of his fitness ahead of the tour departure and he will be one of three spinners together with Robert Croft and Richard Dawson.”Richard Dawson has played a key role in Yorkshire’s Championship winning side this summer and we are excited by his potential.”As in the previous winter, the selectors have named a Test squad to cover both tours, but we will review the selection at the end of the India Test series and may make alterations to the squad to account for the different conditions we will face in New Zealand.”With regard to the Zimbabwe ODI series, the selectors intend to use this squad to explore various options. There are a number of senior players who have been omitted but they will remain part of the thinking for the next World Cup. The selectors will then review the performance of the Zimbabwe ODI squad before naming the party to go to India/New Zealand.”In picking the National Academy Squad, the selectors, together with HughMorris, chose a group of players that we believe will be very quickly pushing for places in the international set-up. This is an exciting opportunity for all concerned and there will be many benefits from attending the Academy and working with people of the calibre of Rod Marsh.”England Test Squad to tour India and New Zealand – 2001-2

1. Nasser Hussain (Captain) Essex 28.3.682. Usman Afzaal Nottinghamshire 9.6.773. Mark Butcher Surrey 23.8.724. Andrew Caddick Somerset 21.11.685. Robert Croft Glamorgan 25.5.706. Richard Dawson Yorkshire 4.8.807. James Foster Essex 15.4.808. Ashley Giles Warwickshire 19.3.739. Warren Hegg Lancashire 23.2.6810. Matthew Hoggard Yorkshire 31.12.7611. James Ormond Leicestershire 20.8.7712. Mark Ramprakash Surrey 5.9.6913. Graham Thorpe Surrey 1.8.6914. Marcus Trescothick Somerset 25.12.7515. Michael Vaughan Yorkshire 29.10.7416. Craig White Yorkshire 16.12.69

Coach – Duncan FletcherAssistant Coach – TBCOperations Manager – Phil NealePhysiotherapist – Dean ConwayPhysiologist – Nigel StockillMedia Relations Manager (David Clarke/Andrew Walpole)Scorer – Malcolm Ashton

England ODI Squad to tour Zimbabwe 2001

1. Nasser Hussain (Captain) Essex 28.3.682. Paul Collingwood Durham 26.5.763. Andrew Flintoff Lancashire 6.12.774. James Foster Essex 15.4.805. Paul Grayson Essex 31.3.716. Matthew Hoggard Yorkshire 31.12.767. Ben Hollioake Surrey 11.11.778. James Kirtley Sussex 10.1.759. Nick Knight Warwickshire 28.11.6910. James Ormond Leicestershire 20.8.7711. Mark Ramprakash Surrey 5.9.6912. Owais Shah Middlesex 22.10.7813. Ryan Sidebottom Yorkshire 15.1.7814. Jeremy Snape Gloucestershire 27.4.7315. Marcus Trescothick Somerset 25.12.7516. Craig White Yorkshire 16.12.69

Coach – Duncan FletcherAssistant Coach – Tim BoonOperations Manager – Phil NealePhysiotherapist – Dean ConwayPhysiologist – Nigel StockillMedia Relations Manager – Andrew Walpole

National Academy Squad – Winter 2001-2

1. Ian Bell Warwickshire 11.4.822. Stephen Harmison Durham 23.10.783. Simon Jones Glamorgan 25.12.784. Derek Kenway Hampshire 12.6.785. Robert Key Kent 12.5.796. Steven Kirby Yorkshire 4.10.777. Nicky Peng Durham 18.9.828. Chris Schofield Lancashire 6.10.789. Andrew Strauss Middlesex 2.3.7710. Graeme Swann Northamptonshire 24.3.7911. Chris Tremlett Hampshire 2.9.8112. Alex Tudor Surrey 23.10.7713. Mark Wallace Glamorgan 19.11.8114. Mark Wagh Warwickshire 20.10.7615. Matthew Wood Yorkshire 6.4.77