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Andrew Leipus has announced that he will be replaced by John Gloster as physiotherapist for the Indian team within a week’s time, but the BCCI denied this, saying that a couple of names were up for discussion, reported.”Yes,” said Leipus, “my replacement is ready. I will be handing over the charge to John within the next week and then go back to Australia to start my post-graduation studies.” Gloster was formerly the Bangladesh physiotherapist. He was one of two choices for the board, Leipus said. “Alex Kontouri and John were the people in mind. But since Alex was unavailable, John was the logical choice.”But SK Nair, the BCCI’s secretary, said he didn’t know why Leipus took names. “He is going and must have said something on the basis of the discussion we had with him.”The office-bearers will be meeting in Kolkata over the next couple of days. We have a couple of names in mind, but we will make a decision only after discussions.”

Ray Jennings and the South African team he coaches may arrive in India with the motto “Love and care”, but they will leave few stones unturned as they bid to become the first side in modern times to win back-to-back Test series on Indian soil. “It’s funny what you can do when there’s love and care around,” said Jennings, quoted in . According to him, the players’ love for the game and care for their performances would dictate their fortunes in India.Graeme Smith, the captain, was also full of confidence after his squad spent five days at the High Performance Centre over the past week. “We know there are sceptics out there who don’t think this team are capable of performing well,” he said. “We know we have a young side and most of the squad have never been to India, but we’re looking forward to the challenge. There are guys here who want to become heroes.”Smith is one of 10 players in the squad who have never played in India, and he can expect a barrage of questions about the absence of Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje, both of whom were unavailable to tour after the Delhi Police failed to guarantee that they wouldn’t be subjected to questioning in connection with the match-fixing scandal that overshadowed South Africa’s last trip to India.”I don’t want to be protected from anything we have to face in India,” said Smith. “We want to go over there and experience the culture and embrace as much of the place as we can.”The inexperience in Indian conditions didn’t worry Jennings either. “The lack of experience in this side does not scare me. If the public and the media are writing us off that’s okay too, because it’s up to us to prove everyone wrong.South Africa’s News24 website had more fighting talk from Jennings. “Nothing and no-one will get in the way of my players and an opportunity to be successful in India,” he was quoted as saying. “If doors are closed, I will kick them open. Nothing must stop the process to bring about energy into South Africa’s cricket.”Jennings promised that he would have no time for those who shied away from what is perhaps the harshest experience in Test cricket. “We are ready for the challenge,” he said. “The hotter it becomes, the more pleased we will be.”We want to bring the message across to as many people as possible that we are going to fight fire with fire on the tour to India and we will not stand back one centimetre.”Smith echoed that fighting talk ahead of the team’s departure when he said, “I play to win – if it is beach cricket, a club match or anything else. To win is all. We are going to India with a well thought-out gameplan. Obviously I do not want to say too much about it, but our strategy has been carefully worked out and I think we have a plan to beat India.”He admitted that there would be leaves taken out of the Australian book, after the world champions succeeded in neutralising the considerable threat posed by India’s batting order. “They have a strong batting lineup and that is their strength,” said Smith. “They do not like to be curtailed in front of their own supporters and they like to score runs quickly. One of our plans is to stop them making runs and make it as difficult as possible for them to keep the scoreboard ticking over. We can force them to make mistakes by frustrating them.”And if he needs further tips on that, a phone call to his old pals, McGrath and Gillespie, might do the trick.

Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain, termed Pakistan’s latest defeat “deplorable”, and said that the entire system was in need of an urgent shake-up. Imran’s comments came in the wake of Pakistan’s humiliating 491-run defeat in the first Test at Perth.”We will continue to blame coaches and captains for each defeat and sack them,” Imran told AAP, “but the real remedy is to develop batsmen technically by overhauling our faulty system. Until and unless we correct our faulty system, and that I have been saying for the last 25 years, our batsmen will not be technically and temperamentally equipped to face a quality bowling side like Australia.”Imran said that there were only two ways approach the problem. “Either correct it by improving the system or send the batsmen to play in county cricket,” he said. “Batting has always been Pakistan’s bane on tours of Australia – our batsmen thrive against lack-of-quality bowling, but when they come up against the world-class bowling of Australia they are exposed.”He added that the captain was solely responsible for the team’s fortunes, but sympathised with Inzamam-ul-Haq’s predicament. “I think the coach can make a marginal difference and it’s the captain who makes the team fight, but how can he make a team fight whose base is weak?”Imran said that Australia did brilliantly to fight back from a perilous position on the first day. “The hallmark of a champion team is that they hung in during bad times and when they got an opportunity showed the killer instinct,” he said. “Pakistan should have been a pack of wolves once they caught Australia, but they weren’t.”

Russel Arnold, Saman Jayantha and Nuwan Kulasekara are due to return toSri Lanka at the end of the five-match one-day series againstZimbabwe after the selectors trimmed down their Test squad to 16.The Test specialists – Thilan Samaraweera, Ian Daniel and PrasannaJayawardene – arrived in Harare on Tuesday. They are expected to play a three-day practice game against a Zimbabwe A team at Takashinga CC Ground in Harare, which starts on May 1.Meanwhile, Kumar Sangakkara and Chaminda Vaas have picked up nigglinginjuries and will be rested for the final ODI on Thursday. Sangakkaratwisted his knee while wicketkeeping on Tuesday and and Vaas is recoveringfrom a slight ankle strain. Both are expected to be fully fit forthe first Test.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Led by a fluent century by Upul Tharanga, Sri Lanka started their Champions Trophy campaign in fine style beating Bangladesh by 37 runs in the first qualifying match at Mohali. Tharanga’s 129-ball 105, coupled with vital contributions from all the Sri Lankan top-order batsmen, lifted them to an imposing 302, a target that was well beyond Bangladesh, who lost early wickets but managed to lift themselves to 265.Bangladesh’s only triumph against Sri Lanka in ODIs came earlier this year, but from the start it was apparent that another upset today was highly unlikely. Habibul Bashar’s decision to field first was based on the unusual amount of grass on the pitch and the dew factor later in the evening, but none of the Bangladesh bowlers made much impression in the afternoon, though Mohammad Rafique kept the runs in check. Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers, on the other hand, extracted plenty of bounce and movement under lights, and though Aftab Ahmed and Farhad Reza biffed 30s and Saqibul Hasan, the left-handed batsman, managed his maiden ODI half-century, there was never any doubt about which way the match would go.The key to the Sri Lankan innings was regular partnerships for each wicket, with Tharanga being the common factor: with Sanath Jayasuriya he added 67 for the opening wicket in 13 overs to get the innings off to a brisk start; with Mahela Jayawardene, who scored an utterly delightful 35 off 24 balls, he added 63 more in a mere nine overs; Kumar Sangakkara then came in for a 63-run third wicket stand; and Marvan Atapattu, returning from a back injury, put together 51 for the fourth. These partnerships all came in quick time, and ensured that Bangladesh never got a look-in.The batsman who held it all together was Tharanga, who creamed his fifth century in 28 ODIs. When the ball was new and the field in, he boldly chose to go over the top, twice creaming Mashrafe Mortaza over mid-off for fours in an over. Then, when the field spread out, he chipped and nudged it cleverly into the gaps to keep the board ticking over constantly, but also managed to find the fence whenever the bowlers dropped it short and wide. The only blip in his innings came when he played out nine dot balls when on 49, but once he reached his half-century, he motored along smoothly till he finally missed a slog across the line off Mortaza.Tharanga’s was the most substantial innings, but the rest of the batsmen all played vital roles. Jayawardene played with exceptional fluency in his entertaining cameo, cutting, flicking and driving with aplomb. After he was undone by overconfidence, Sangakkara kept the momentum going and then passed on the baton to Atapattu, who returned to international cricket in impressive fashion. Showing plenty of urgency with his strokes and running between the wickets, he farmed the strike around, and biffed seven fours, not all of which were off controlled, conventional strokes.Bangladesh fought back towards the end, grabbing four wickets as batsman after batsman fell in an attempt to force the pace, but Tillakaratne Dilshan and Muttiah Muralitharan whacked 28 from the last two overs to take Sri Lanka past 300.If substantial partnerships for each wicket characterised Sri Lanka’s effort at the crease, then Bangladesh’s reply was stymied by a lack of significant contributions from the top order. Aftab and Reza did their bit, and though it was entertaining while it lasted, the risk factor in their strokeplay was so huge that there was little chance of either batsman being able to sustain it. Aftab charged the fast bowlers and clipped Dilhara Fernando for a magnificent six over long leg, while Reza played a stunning lofted straight-drive off Muralitharan, prancing down the pitch with complete assurance. However, once they were done, the result was never in doubt: Saqibul battled hard for an unbeaten 67, but needed 108 deliveries to get there, and though the lower order all got among the runs, it only helped to the extent of reducing the margin of defeat.Among the Sri Lankan bowlers, Lasith Malinga was the most impressive: though he finished wicketless, he consistently clocked more than 145 kmph and troubled all the batsmen with pace and bounce. Farveez Maharoof helped himself to two wickets in an over – including that of Bashar for a second-ball duck – and with the fast bowlers striking the early blows, Muralitharan’s relative lack of success hardly mattered. Sri Lanka’s effort in the field was out of the top drawer too – Sangakkara pulled off a one-handed stunner to dismiss Shahriar Nafees, while Jayawardene and Dilshan were terrific in the field – and in all, they did enough to suggest that they could be in contention come the first week of November.

Sri Lanka
Sanath Jayasuriya lbw b Rasel 31 (67 for 1)
Mahela Jayawardene c Aftab b Razzaq 35 (130 for 2)
Kumar Sangakkara c Mortaza b Rafique 22 (193 for 3)
Upul Tharanga b Mortaza 105 (244 for 4)
Marvan Atapattu c Reza b Rasel 40 (260 for 5)
Farveez Maharoof run out (Reza) 0 (1 (262 for 6)
Chaminda Vaas c Reza b Razzaq 4 (273 for 7)
Muttiah Muralitharan run out (Mortaza) 11 (295 for 8)
Bangladesh
Shahriar Nafees c Sangakkara b Vaas 5 (22 for 1)
Mohammad Ashraful c Sangakkara b Fernando 18 (55 for 2)
Aftab Ahmed c Sangakkara b Maharoof 33 (78 for 3)
Habibul Bashar c Jayawardene b Maharoof 0 (78 for 4)
Farhad Reza st Sangakkara b Muralitharan 34 (141 for 5)
Khaled Mashud run out (Jayawardene) 8 (155 for 6)
Mohammad Rafique c Vaas b Jayasuriya 12 (177 for 7)
Mashrafe Mortaza b Vaas 30 (226 for 8)
Abdur Razzaq b Maharoof 21 (264 for 9)

According to Tuesday’s edition of The Guardian, Ed Giddins, the former Surrey and England seam bowler, is thought to be the man at the centre of gambling allegations, after it was revealed on Monday that the England & Wales Cricket Board is investigating claims that a player placed a bet on a county match.Although the ECB refused to name either the player or the match concerned, The Guardian has pointed the finger at Giddins, who retired from county cricket at the end of last season. It is suggested that he stood to earn £7,000 after allegedly betting that Surrey would lose a Norwich Union League game against Northamptonshire in August 2002.In the event, Giddins did not actually play in the match, although Northants nevertheless won by 102 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method. Surrey had fielded a weak team because most of their first-team players were at Headingley, preparing for a C&G Trophy semi-final against Yorkshire.”An allegation of betting has been made against a player,” said Andrew Walpole, the ECB’s media relations officer. “That matter is now in the hands of Gerard Elias, chairman of the disciplinary committee, and it is now up to him to make a decision.”ECB rules state that “no person may bet, whether directly or indirectly, for reward on any match, matches or series of matches, or any aspect of any match, matches, or series of matches”. In the wake of cricket’s match-fixing scandal, all international players, and all English county players, are required to sign an agreement to that effect. Rule-breakers face a ban of up to five years and an unlimited fine.Giddins is no stranger to controversy. In August 1996, he was sacked by Sussex and banned for 18 months after traces of cocaine were found during a routine blood test. He later joined Warwickshire, and played four Tests for England between August 1999 and June 2000, taking a remarkable 5 for 15 against Zimbabwe at Lord’s.

Ahead of their County Championship tie against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham, Yorkshire have dropped Yuvraj Singh from their middle order, bringing in Gavin Hamilton instead.Yuvraj has struggled in the County Championship, making only 137 runs in 10 innings. His big knocks for Yorkshire came only in the Twenty20 Cup.Geoff Cope, director of cricket for the county, said: “Yuvraj has come over here and has not found it easy. Pressure has been coming from the second team, with Gavin Hamilton in good form and scoring runs, and we felt the time had come for a change.””Yuvraj is struggling,” Cope added. “He has accepted the decision and we all hope that he will find his touch and show everyone what he is capable of.”Yuvraj Singh in county cricket

Alton will clinch the Southern Electric Premier League, Division 3 championship tomorrow – provided they avoid their 13th match of the season proving unlucky on Southsea seafront.Leaders all season, Alton have swept to 12 successive wins, but are unlikely to find Portsmouth II much of a threat.The city club has lost its last six matches and are probably favourites to go down, alongside Flamingo, who host Hungerford at The Holt.If Australian Chris Baumann shines, fellow strugglers Waterlooville could end their relegation worries with a win over Hook & Newnham Basics.Also in the mire, but ten points clear of Waterlooville, are South Wilts II, who visit Southsea.Ventnor will all but clinch the runners-up spot behind Alton if they win at Leckford, but Trojans plan to battle it out until the end and need to beat Havant II at Stoneham Lane in order to stay up.Nigel le Bas returns to the Stoneham side.Paultons, aiming for a top five finish, visit Bashley (Rydal) II, with all-rounder Tony Richman in peak form.

Aravinda de Silva, the vice-president of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), has made it clear that .Marvan Atapattu is in line to inherit the Test captaincy from Hashan Tillakaratne."Marvan knows that it is only a matter of time before he is handed over the Sri Lanka Test captaincy," said de Silva, himself a former Sri Lanka captain and the country’s leading run-scorer in both forms of the game. "He is aware of it and he has been told that he will be Hashan’s [Tillakaratne] successor.""We want to make the transition as easy as possible for Marvan and the best time to hand the captaincy over to him is when the team is performing well and when the batsmen are in good form. This way there will be no extra pressure on Marvan," added de Silva. "We have identified that Marvan is the best player to lead the country to the 2007 World Cup and we don’t want to burden him with the captaincy too early.""Marvan has been told what our future plans are and to make our intentions clear we have always invited him to all selection committee meetings so that he is aware of what is happening," said de Silva."However strong a personality you are, captaincy affects you in some ways. It may even affect your individual performances. Our main worry was that it should not affect Marvan’s batting because he is our premier batsman."The reason why we decided on two captains was to give Marvan enough time to establish himself as one-day captain before taking over the Test captaincy. We thought one year would be sufficient.” The 33-year-old Atapattu was appointed as Sri Lanka’s one-day captain in May last year following the resignation of Sanath Jayasuriya. After a disappointing beginning in the Bank Alfallah Cup triangular against New Zealand and Pakistan, in which his team failed to qualify for a home one-day final for the first time, he has led Sri Lanka to series wins over West Indies (2-1) and England (1-0).De Silva refuted accusations in some sections of the media that he was siding with Tillakaratne for the Sri Lankan captaincy, because of their common background of school (D.S. Senanayake) and club (NCC). "I will be the last person to favour anyone. To me individuals don’t matter. The best team should play for Sri Lanka. We cannot allow such loose talk to divert our attention from carrying out our responsibilities as selectors.""My opinion on certain individuals may not necessarily be shared by the other members of the selection committee," said De Silva. "There are four of us including the chairman and we discuss what is best for Sri Lanka cricket and take a collective decision. We also invite the coach John Dyson who gives us a lot of input into selections."

The International Cricket Council has announced a relaunch of its Test Championship in the light of South Africa’s elevation to top spot last year at a time Australia were universally regarded as the best side in the world.Whereas the old calculations were based on simple series win/draw/loss points, the new Championship relies on a complex weighting system, and each Test will count rather than just the series result.”The original ICC Test Championship was launched in May 2001 and we stated at the time that we would monitor its application,” Malcolm Speed, president of the ICC told reporters at Lord’s for the relaunch. “That process has now been completed and the revised points system provides a fair reflection of the achievements of all ten full members.”England’s two-match npower series with Zimbabwe is the first to count towards the re-launched Championship. England need to win the series 2-0 to improve their rating, while a 1-0 win will keep them unchanged on 97 while a draw will cause them to fall to 95.If England lose 2-0 they will narrowly hold on to fifth place in the table. That outcome would give Zimbabwe’s rating a massive boost to 67, and even a drawn series would extend their lead over Bangladesh by four points.The ICC Test Championship table, 21st May 2003

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Explanation of the ICC Test ChampionshipThe new ICC Test Championship takes into account the result of every individual Test Match with a bonus awarded for winning a series. It also recognises the strength of the opposition in calculating the points awarded.The system means that there are no longer any `dead rubber’ Test Matches and that in any series both teams have the opportunity to improve or worsen their rating.The ICC Test Championship reflects performances in all Tests completed since a given date (currently 1st August 1999), in contrast to the previous system which included some series played in 1996/97 yet excluded some more recent series. More recent matches have a stronger weighting and the rankings are refreshed every August.A rating of 100 reflects average performance, so a team winning and losing a similar number of matches and playing a broad mix of opponents will have a rating close to 100.For the up-to-date ICC Test Championship table plus full scenarios for forthcoming series and details of the formula for calculating ratings visit the official ICC website www.icc.cricket.org.