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Close Sri Lanka 81 for 1 (Atapattu 29*, Sangakkara 16*) trail Australia 220 (Lehmann 63, Muralitharan 6-59) by 139 runs
Scorecard

Muttiah Muralitharan burst out of the blocks in the race to 500 wickets, ripping through Australia’s formidable batting order to leave Sri Lanka in pole position in the opening Test in Galle. Australia, wasting a crucial toss on a bald, sun-baked pitch, were bowled out for just 220 in 68.3 overs. Muralitharan snapped up 6 for 59, his best figures against Australia. Marvan Atapattu finished off the day with a brace of elegant cover-drives, and Kumar Sangakkara smashed Stuart MacGill for a magnificent six in the last over as Sri Lanka closed on 81 for 1 from 22 overs.It was the 40th time in his 86-match career that Murali had taken five wickets in an innings – extending his own world record – and it wiped out Shane Warne’s six-wicket lead as he extended to his career tally to 491 wickets. The chances of Murali reaching 500 in this game remain extremely remote, but Sri Lanka’s cricket board is taking no chances, speeding up the production of souvenir T-shirts and a commemorative award.Darren Lehmann, back in the side after an Achilles-tendon injury, used his experience and prowess against the spinners to hold the innings together with a battling 63. Lehmann added 72 with Damien Martyn (42) for the fourth wicket, and then 52 for the seventh with fellow returnee Warne (23), who was playing his first Test for 12 months after a drugs ban.The Australian innings, though was dominated by incendiary passages of play. First, midway through the afternoon with a small crowd tiring under a fierce sun, three wickets fell for 15 runs to bring the Martyn-Lehmann recovery to an abrupt halt. Then, straight after the tea interval, the last four wickets tumbled for just five runs in the space of 13 balls.Sri Lanka’s dream day continued as Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya added 53 for the first wicket. But Warne’s return to the bowling crease gave Australia something to cheer. There was no wonder-ball to relaunch his career, as eight runs were scored off his first over, but an innocuous straight one accounted for Jayasuriya (35), who missed an attempted sweep.Earlier, Sri Lanka opened the bowling with Chaminda Vaas, their only fast bowler, and Kumar Dharmasena, one of six slow men in the XI. Vaas found a smidgin of swing in his first couple of overs, but the pitch was back-breakingly slow from a fast-bowler’s perspective and, although Hayden offered a difficult return chance on 19, the spinners were always going to hold the key.Justin Langer was the first spin casualty of the series as he rocked onto the back foot and tried to punch Dharmasena through the off side. He was deceived by the low bounce of the offbreak, and Sangakkara took a juggling catch off the toe of the bat (31 for 1).Ricky Ponting, who had finally assumed the Test leadership from Steve Waugh, showed his aggressive intentions immediately. He had batted superbly in the one-day series, clocking up four consecutive fifties, and he started in an equally business-like manner here as 31 runs were added in 39 balls.Muralitharan was drafted into the attack with immediate success, courtesy of an athletic, full-stretch catch by Upul Chandana, sprinting around from a deepish square leg. Hayden, who had top-edged an attempted sweep, had scored 41 from 46 balls, with six fours. The introduction of Chandana was equally successful, this time accounting for the prized scalp of Ponting, stumped by two metres after being lured down the pitch by a flighted legbreak (76 for 3).Martyn and Lehmann steadied the innings for a while, adding 72 in 131 balls for the fourth wicket either side of lunch. Like their colleagues back in the dressing-room, they endeavoured to be positive whenever given an opportunity to score. Lehmann was the bolder, shuffling down the wicket to the slow bowlers as often as he could, even to Muralitharan, whom he lifted for six over long-on.As the partnership started to reach sizeable proportions, Sri Lanka slipped back onto the defensive. Dharmasena operated with a 7-2 field against Martyn, who hasn’t scored a Test century for 25 months. The ploy worked, as he paddle-swept an offbreak straight into the hands of Mahela Jayawardene at leg slip. Martyn had scored 42 from 81 balls and hit three fours (148 for 4).Muralitharan, called back into the attack for a second spell, then spun Sri Lanka firmly back into the driving-seat: Andrew Symonds was adjudged to have edged a fizzing offbreak via his pads to Jayawardene at slip for a debut duck, and Adam Gilchrist’s poor run continued as he toe-ended an awkward sweep to Dharmasena, running in from deep square (163 for 6).Sri Lanka were firmly in charge now, as three wickets had tumbled for 15. But Lehmann, dropped at silly point when 30 off Muralitharan, battled hard, along with Warne. Lehmann chugged past fifty for the fifth time in his career while Warne, riding his luck against Muralitharan, smacked four meaty fours in a valuable cameo.They carried Australia within sight of a competitive score by tea. But Muralitharan ensured that was never achieved after Lehmann fidgeted too far across his stumps, leaving them exposed. Vaas’s offcutter feathered Warne’s outside edge, and Murali mopped up the rabbits: Kasprowicz was bowled through the gate, and Stuart MacGill made a complete hash of a straight one, to leave Murali on a hat-trick in the second innings.

Jonty Rhodes, the former South Africa Test player, has turned down an offer from India’s National Cricket Academy to be a fielding consultant, according to the Press Trust of India.Rhodes, 35, who was one of the world’s most exciting fielders during his 11-year international career, had been asked to take up a two-week coaching assignment, but declined. Rhodes’s priority after retiring have been his family – he has two young children – and he is currently working for a bank in South Africa. But Rhodes did admit that cricket was his first love, and that he may become a coach later on.

Scorecard

The feel-good factor of India’s start to their tour evaporated quickly as Pakistan A’s young batsmen launched a murderous assault on the hapless Indian bowlers, achieving a stiff target of 336 with ridiculous ease. Taufeeq Umar, who boasts a Test average of 46 over 19 matches, hammered 104 (89 balls, 13 fours, 2 sixes), and along with Imran Nazir (65, 32 balls, 9 fours, 2 sixes) gave Pakistan A the kind of start that made it possible for them to achieve victory with six wickets and four overs to spare.Just after the 20-over mark of their innings Pakistan’s run rate dropped sharply to 10 an over. That people even noticed this was a reflection on Pakistan’s domination. Zaheer Khan’s return to international cricket began in the worst possible manner – his first over went for 17 runs. But, that figure was left in the shade later in the innings, when Irfan Pathan and Murali Kartik were left dazed and confused. Pathan went for 24 while Kartik’s first over read: 4, 4 byes, 4, 4, 1, 6. It was just that sort of a day. The Pakistan A batsmen came out with a clear plan: they would not let the bowlers settle. The introduction of each new bowler into the attack was greeted with great relish.Sourav Ganguly rotated the bowling as well as he could and tinkered with the odd field setting but there was simply no stemming the onslaught. At the end of 10 overs Pakistan A were 136 for no loss and by 20 overs they had reached 199 for 1, as Umar settled in for the long haul while Imran went hell-for-leather.The opening stand was worth 127 from just 8.3 overs and virtually settled the matter in favour of Pakistan A. Imran was fooled by a clever slower ball from Zaheer, and lost his stumps attempting a big shot (127 for 1). At this stage the Indians were pumped up and had a whiff of a chance of getting back into the game.Naumanullah, tall and strong, walked confidently out to the middle and made sure that the fall of one wicket did not herald another. He contented himself with working the ball into the gaps and picked off the easy runs on offer. The bowlers had wilted and the fielding was anything but sharp. His 35 from 45 balls pushed the score on to 220 before the next wicket fell. By this stage, the Indians had been shut out of the match. Faisal Iqbal applied the finishing touches. He simply toyed with the bowling for his unbeaten 50. He batted with total freedom and rubbed salt into India’s wounds with two sixes and a four.The bowling analyses did not make for happy reading – Zaheer went for 78 from nine overs, Lakshmipathy Balaji for 60 from 6, while Pathan conceded 49 for five. They all lacked the discipline needed to succeed on a good batting pitch, and strayed too often onto the pads. They were full when they needed to be just short of a length and provided the batsmen with the chance to hit through the line.

But, it was not all bad for the Indians. It was merely a familiar story. The bowlers struggled while the batsmen succeeded gloriously – every top-order batsman save Ganguly made runs. Virender Sehwag was his usual carefree self. He smote the bowling to all parts, including a trademark uppercut six over third man, making 75 off 68 balls. Sachin Tendulkar was excessively watchful to start with, and he appeared more keen to get a feel of the ball in the middle of the bat than to dominate the bowling. Eventually he played a few gems, but in all it was an innings that lacked fluency. He too, however, ended with a substantial score – 76 from 82 balls.The real gem of the Indian innings, however, came from Rahul Dravid. He came to the wicket with the team scoring at a hectic pace, and settled down to a quiet half-century. After that, though, he opened his shoulders to play some fine flicks, pulls and cuts in a 69-ball 92. India managed 335, but it turned out to be woefully inadequate.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India had approached the Delhi Police asking for its stand on the thorny issue of questioning Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje should they come on South Africa’s tour of India in November.Both men are considered key witnesses in the match-fixing case that was investigated by the Delhi Police, and the South African team has reportedly threatened to abort the tour unless they’re given assurances that Gibbs and Boje won’t be questioned. The BCCI has now written to KK Paul, the Delhi Police Commissioner, asking for a clarification.”We have received the letter and are examining it,” said Paul, when contacted by the Press Trust of India yesterday. The Delhi Police have yet to decide on their course of action.It may be recalled that it was the Crime Branch that unearthed the scandal which led to the fall from grace of the likes of Hansie Cronje and Mohammad Azharuddin, when they eavesdropped on conversations between some players and bookies. According to Delhi Police, the case has not been closed.

Roddy Estwick, the West Indies Under-19 coach, has said his team are looking forward to their short tour of Pakistan, which starts tomorrow with a one-day match at Karachi. The trip acts as preparation for the squad ahead of the World Cup, in Sri Lanka next month.”We have got good team spirit and good ethics and five one-dayers against the Pakistan Under-19 side would provide us with good preparations for the World Cup,” he told Pakistan newspaper the .Estwick said his team was picked on the basis of the player’s performances in the inter-island U-19 competition, adding that they had some talented players in their line-up. Commenting on the decline of the West Indies senior team, he maintained that “all the teams of the world go through this kind of periods.”West Indies squad Leon Johnson (capt), Jason Mohammed, Richard Ramdeen, Gajanand Singh, Andre Fletcher, Nelon Pascal, Kemar Roach, Javon Searles, Sharmarh Brooks, Andre McCarthy, William Perkins, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Richie Bachan.

Traditional dances, callisthenics and spectacular fireworks lit up the opening ceremony for the Under-19 World Cup in the Dhaka. A full house of around 30,000 people packed the Bangabandhu National Stadium.Sixteen countries, including the 10 Test-playing nations and six associate members of the International Cricket Council, are participating in the biennial tournament that started in 1988.Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia formally opened the tournament, which runs from February 15 to March 5 and will be played at six venues. “Bangladesh is now ready to host World Cup Cricket and we are committed to cricket,” she said. “I hope our youth and organisers will strive to turn this pride into success.” Ehsan Mani, the ICC’s president, and Malcolm Speed, its chief executive, also attended the ceremony.

Some 5,000 performers of Bangladesh Army, Navy, Rifles, Ansar, Shilpakala Academy and Rifles School took part in the two-hour-long opening pageantry. It also featured a march past by the 16 teams.The teams now have five days to acclimatise with warm-up matches, before the tournament opens on Sunday with hosts Bangladesh playing New Zealand at the Bangabandhu.

One big defeat at Karachi was all it took for the critics to sharpen their knives but Rahul Dravid, the India captain, has insisted that the players are capable of brushing it all aside and concentrating on the five-match one-day series. He was confident of Sachin Tendulkar “bouncing back” to form.

Dravid wasn’t too perturbed by the media backlash after the 341-run defeat in the third Test and said they had come to expect such “extreme reactions”. Asked about cheeky headlines like “Endulkar?” and “Goneguly?”, he spoke about the on-field pressures cricketers regularly endure:”Players like Tendulkar and [Sourav] Ganguly have achieved so much because they have handled the pressures both on and off the field.”It’s not only about scoring runs or getting wickets, but also about how you react to criticism and come out stronger. I think Tendulkar and Ganguly are masters at it. We hope Tendulkar will bounce back here. Thankfully we haven’t been reading much of the criticism or seeing much ofit on television. Having played for so long, one expects it and gets used to it.”The addition of four new players to the squad, Dravid felt, would pep up the rest of the side, with fresh legs adding a bit of sting to the fielding. “They’ve been playing domestic cricket and are keen and excited. They’ve done well before and a couple [Mohammad Kaif and Murali Kartik]have tasted success in Pakistan.”With the pitch expected to suit the batsmen, Dravid, like he had done during the first two Tests, repeated that bowlers needed to set “realistic goals” and learn something from bowling on these wickets. “It’s hard on the bowlers,” he continued, “but it’s usually the team that bowls betterin these conditions that does better. We need to learn from it.”Dravid admitted that the Supersub rule tended to favour the team winning the toss, but was quick to add that it was an innovation that was worth trying out. “The ICC have decided to try it out for 10 months and we probably need to try some different things with it.”

The committee appointed by the West Indies Cricket Board to review the tenure of Bennett King, the West Indies coach, and his staff has been unable to determine whether the Board are getting value for money. However, they have recommended that King and his men stay put.The WICB issued a media release on the report submitted on February 15 by the committee headed by Jackie Hendriks and including the WICB directors Deryck Murray and Enoch Lewis were the other members.The evaluation of King, David Moore, the assistant coach, Stephen Partridge, the physiotherapist, and Bryce Cavanaugh, the trainer, had been prompted by a request by Chetram Singh, the Guyana Cricket Board president and WICB director, for the Board to determine whether King and his colleagues were worth the collective sum of US$1m they are reportedly receiving. Since his tenure began, King, who has been given full responsibility for the team, has presided over just one Test victory in 12 matches, the latest defeat being Monday’s 27-run loss against New Zealand in Auckland.However, in the release, the WICB said: “The Hendriks Committee noted that there was not sufficient evidence to work with in determining whether the investment in the coaching staff had paid dividends and suggested that the coaching staff be given more opportunity before a further evaluation is made.”Specifically, the Hendriks committee had been asked to:1. Review the conditions of employment which relate to the imported coaching staff and to evaluate the results which have been achieved to date and2. To advise whether, in the view of the committee, the results achieved have justified the investment.However, while failing to come to a firm conclusion on the success of King and his men, the committee commended “the obvious commitment of the coaching staff toward moving West Indies cricket forward”. The committee noted further that ” King and his support team appear to be keen and resolute in their determination to ensure that the West Indies team shows a marked improvement in both one-day and Test matches, and they realise that their future employment with the WICB depends very largely on an improvement of the team’s performances over the next 18 months.” It also concluded that strides had been made in fitness and technical areas.The committee also said King was “in complete charge of the West Indies team in accordance with his mandate and the results achieved by the team must be taken as an indication of the effectiveness of his tenure to date”. “However, off-the-field issues over which the head coach had no control have led to a negative view of his performance, including the lack of funds available for him to carry out certain of his plans and, too, the very unsettling industrial impasse that has existed before and during recent home and away series. The delay in implementing retainer contracts for players was also a cause for great concern by the head coach in working on achieving the goals and objectives set by the coaching staff.”The committee also found there was a need for several changes to be made in the running of regional cricket. These changes included the structure of West Indies first-class cricket, which they said needed to undergo considerable change so as to maximise its effectiveness; the need to adopt and implement the Regional Cricket Development Plan; the reintroduction of a central cricket academy with a vastly improved structure, and the establishment of satellite academies within the territories which would greatly enhance the effectiveness of the central academy; the need for a process and a system to be put in place to raise the standards throughout the region; and the need to appoint a West Indian understudy to the head coach to provide for succession planning.In addition, the committee urged that a consistent and uniform coaching policy throughout the region be established and that leadership training continued to be pursued.

Russel Arnold and Upul Chandana have been included in a 20-man pool for four ODIs against India in February. Also included are Sri Lanka A players Malinda Warnapura, Gayan Wijekoon and Avishka Gunawardene, who will join the other 15 currently in New Zealand for a five-ODI series.Sri Lanka are expected to leave for India on February 3 and return on February 18. The tour itinerary also comprises a warm-up match against the Indian Board President’s XI.This series will be Sri Lanka’s final international engagement before they embark to the Caribbean for the 2007 World Cup. Sri Lanka and India are grouped together in Group ‘B’ of the 2007 World Cup along with Bangladesh and Bermuda.Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara (vice-capt, wk), Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Marvan Atapattu, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedera, Chamara Silva, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Ruchira Perera, Malinga Bandara, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Farveez Maharoof, Gayan Wijekoon, Russell Arnold, Malinda Warnapura, Upul Chandana, Avishka Gunawardene.

With just one day to go for the annual elections of the Board of Control for Cricket in India it is still unclear whether Ranbir Singh Mahendra will have any opposition or not. Sharad Pawar, the man who opposed Mahendra last year and lost by the narrowest of margins in an acrimonious election, has refused to confirm or deny his intention to stand for the post of president. The constitution of the Indian board allows for candidates to enter the fray even as the annual general meeting gets underway.”I know there are quite a few well-wishers in the cricket board, but I am waiting for them to meet me first,” Pawar is quoted as saying in the . Pawar, who was in Delhi meeting various heads of state cricket associations believed to be opposed to Jagmohan Dalmiya, former board chief, and therefore Mahendra, also said, “Till Wednesday I am busy with my ministerial work, but on Thursday (the day of the election) I may go to Kolkata.”In all this Pawar refused to give a clear-cut answer on the question of his contesting for the post of board president. “I have not decided yet. But that does not mean I am not contesting. I am waiting for the court cases to reach a solution, then we will see how things pan out.”At the moment there are several cases pending that could have a direct impact on the election. Netaji Cricket Club in Chennai, now more famous for the number of cases they have filed against the BCCI than for their cricket, had asked the courts to appoint a presiding officer to conduct the elections. In response, the Calcutta High Court has appointed Justice Suhas Chandra Sen, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, as the observer for this election.There are other cases where the validity of certain members’ representation of the state associations of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh are being questioned.In fact, Dalmiya told the Press Trust of India, “I am totally confused. Press reports say that elections are on. But the elections depend on the outcome of the cases” .In another development, the Madras High Court has restrained the board from holding the polls till 12.30pm tomorrow.Another factor that could give Pawar reason for pause is that the next year (2006 AGM) will usher in the turn of the West Zone to nominate a candidate for the presidency. At the moment it is the turn of the North. Mahendra, who will complete one year as president tomorrow, has a chance to extend his term by another year. In case he does win the election, he could also seek a 12-month extension at the 2006 AGM.Therefore, if Pawar is to contest, he has to be nominated by a state association from the North Zone. Last time around it was Punjab who put him up. “We haven’t yet received a request (for nomination) from Mr Pawar, but if he does seek our help our administrative committee is going to take a decision,” Inderjit Singh Bindra, president of the Punjab Cricket Association, was quoted as saying by . It has also been suggested that Pawar could seek nomination via Jammu & Kashmir. But Farooq Abdullah, the president of the J & K cricket association, is away in Scotland at the moment, and no concrete information was available on that front.The one thing that is certain, however, is that the term of SK Nair, who has served as secretary of the board for three years, has come to an end. He is likely to be replaced by either Gautham Dasgupta, if the Mahendra faction wins, or Niranjan Shah, if the Pawar camp comes through. Dasgupta is currently a joint secretary of the BCCI while Shah is secretary of the Saurashtra cricket association.