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Brian Lara: To get my first hundred against South Africa, away from home after 12 tests was very pleasing and the team needed it. The bowling was good but the pitch played very good. I struggled to get set but batting withGanga reminded me of batting with Jimmy Adams and had a very steadyinginfluence on me. Once set I am an attacking batsman and try as hard as I canto get as much as I can.When Peterson came on during the second-last over the field was all up and Iplayed every ball on its merit, the players were up and I went over the top.I did not know that 28 was a record and just did what I thought was right.Today you saw a different Brian Lara, From what I learnt from Jimmy [Adams]and Carl [Hooper] I have become a more determined player and a bettercaptain.I woke up early this morning and watched the Indians play against Australia.Australia and South Africa are teams that the rest of us want to do wellagainst and I took the impetus from Dravid, Laxman and Patel and playedtoday from their strength.Eric Simons: It was a hard day but I am really happy with the way we bowled, especially in the first and last session. It is two good teams and a good contest. On another day we could have bowled worse and come away in a better position. The Nel vs Lara contest was a good experience for the bowler bowling at one of the best batsmen in the world. He has picked up a lot of pace after some technical changes and losing some weight.

Steve Waugh has rejected the call from Geoff Boycott to cut Tests to four days and says the format should not be tinkered with. Boycott suggested the alterations because “the pace of life has changed”, but Waugh said people enjoyed watching a contest evolve over five days.”It’s like a game of chess, it’s a great game of tactics, it’s a battle mentally as well, so to cut it short would be to change the game of Test cricket,” he said in the Australian. “And that’s the essence of cricket: Test cricket.”Waugh said players were judged on how they performed in the longer form. “So let’s not tinker with that, you can tinker with the other forms of the game, but Test cricket should stay the way it is,” he said. “If someone can win a Test match in three days then that provides entertainment, but some of the best games I played went right down to the wire in five days and there wasn’t a result.”Richie Benaud, who was with Waugh at the SCG to unveil a painting of the best New South Wales team, said there was no reason to change. “As soon as you push Test cricket to one side and concentrate only on limited-overs cricket, then people will get jack of it very quickly,” he said.Waugh said it was important in the current climate to encourage the “culture of Test cricket”. “There’s a real danger of Test cricket not having many spectators watching it,” he said. “Australians are lucky, they’ve got a very successful side and I think success brings in the spectators.”In some of the subcontinent countries they’re really focused on one-day cricket. Let’s get back to focusing on Test cricket, to tell people great stories about Test cricket, to get families to go and watch the game again because it has such a great history and tradition.”Waugh expected there would be large crowds during India’s four-Test series, which begins in Melbourne on Boxing Day. “It will be a good contest, they’ve got a very experienced side and they’ll take it to Australia a bit,” he said. “As Sreesanth has shown, they’re not going to back down, so they’re going to be aggressive, which is good. Australia responds to that type of cricket and plays really well. Australia want sides to challenge and India have the capability of doing that.”

Ricky Ponting has urged the ICC to reconsider the new rule that forces a ball change after the 34th over in ODIs. Ponting believes the early change gives the batsmen too much assistance and replacing the ball later in the innings would be more sensible.”It’s a very big advantage for the batting team to get a new, harder ball that early in the innings,” Ponting told . “They should try this rule somewhere else before trying at the international level because some day something like this is going to cost a team a game and that could well be the difference in a series.”It’s unfair on a team that does everything right. I think the commonsense [solution] would be to change the ball after the 41st over.” Earlier this series Ponting called the mandatory change “fine” but criticised the umpires’ decision to switch balls in the 28th over of India’s run chase at Hyderabad and again at the pre-determined point seven overs later.Brett Lee believes the new rule makes the already difficult task for bowlers in ODIs even tougher. “The newer balls we’ve been using have been pretty shiny and still have the Kookaburra writing on them,” Lee said. “It makes it harder for the bowlers because you’re trying to work with a ball that is as old as possible and you come on at the 34th over and you’re bowling with a new ball again.”Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, said run-rates were escalating after the balls were switched. “We’ve been going on at four or five an over and it’s got up to seven or eight a couple of times,” Nielsen said. “The different ball is harder and comes on to the bat better.”

West Indian fans may not see or hear a ball on the tour of Zimbabwe. Two days before the start of the five-match one-day series, uncertainty surrounds live television coverage and no radio commentary appears to be available.SportsMax, the Jamaica cable company that holds television rights for West Indies overseas tours, is trying to finalise last-minute arrangements to facilitate the broadcast, and managing director Oliver McIntosh said yesterday a decision would be made today. In his estimation, it stood at a “50-50″ chance that the matches would be shown on their channel which is beamed to 18 islands across the Caribbean.”The issue that we faced is extremely short notice. If we carry it, it will be more for content and less for commercial purposes. It is essentially a cost to carry it,” McIntosh told the Nation from his office in Kingston. “There are also issues picking up signals from Zimbabwe that we’ve experienced in the past and we’re trying to make sure that if we do carry it, there are no issues. The video satellite and link-up is not as easy from Zimbabwe as it is from say Australia or South Africa.”While the tour of Zimbabwe was always part of the ICC’s calendar, there were doubts over whether it would have proceeded on the grounds of safety, security and food integrity in the African nation. The West Indies Cricket Board finally provided confirmation of the tour on November 6 when it also said it would continue to monitor the situation in Zimbabwe.”It’s about 50-50. The problem is the lateness of the tour,” McIntosh said. “The announcement of it was very late. It is tough. We already have our content and spending set for the year. This is a cost venture.”Radio coverage also seems a no-no for the tour in which the other matches against Zimbabwe are on December 2, 5, 7 and 9.Caribbean Media Corporation CricketPlus producer Adriel Richard said itwas not in a position to provide coverage because it does not hold rights for either radio or television.While uncertainty hinges on the Zimbabwe tour, SportsMax will carry live television coverage of the West Indies’ tour of South Africa that includes three Tests and five ODIs from December 26 to February 3, while CMC will also have live ball-by-ball radio coverage from the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation.

Andhra 116 and 133 for 4 (Pathak 59*, Kulkarni 4-32) trail Mumbai 515 by 266 runs
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Andhra hurtled towards defeat as Nilesh Kulkarni helped Mumbai into a strong position at the end of the third day’s play. Andhra were 133 for 4, following on, and were still 266 runs adrift of Mumbai’s first-innings score. Kulkarni, the left-arm spinner, picked up all four second-innings wickets. Andhra began their second innings well, with Amit Pathak and LNP Reddy defying the bowlers. Pathak was unbeaten on 59, while Reddy made 33, the only other meaningful contribution of the innings. But an outright loss was still the strongest possibility for Andhra, who have one more day to bat out just to secure the draw.Madhya Pradesh 296 for 4 (Dholpure 107) trail Karnataka 619 for 5 dec by 323 runs
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Sachin Dholpure’s century kept Madhya Pradesh’s hopes up at the Chinnnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. At the close of the third day, Madhya Pradesh had reached 296 for 4 in response to Karnataka’s mammoth 619 for 5 declared. While Amay Khurasiya, the captain, fell to Chandrashekar Raghu without adding to his overnight score of 45, Dholpure cashed in. He scored 107 with 18 fours before being caught behind off Stuart Binny. With one day to play, the game is heading for a draw, and all honours go to Karnataka.Uttar Pradesh 132 and 163 for 2 (Raina 89*, Yadav 51) beat Assam 184 and 107 by 8 wickets
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Uttar Pradesh completed an 8-wicket win over Assam at the Kamla Club ground in Kanpur. They began the day on 77 for 1 needing a further 82 runs to secure victory. In the end Suresh Raina ensured that there were no hiccups. He scored 89 not out with 15 fours and 1 six off 11 balls in the company of Jyoti P Yadav (61) and steered Uttar Pradesh to a comfortable win.Bengal 161 for 3 (Gavaskar 68*) and 298 lead Gujarat 361 by 98 runs
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Having conceded the crucial first-innings lead to Gujarat at the Kanchanjungwa Krirangan ground in Siliguri, Bengal restored some pride with a healthy second-innings reply. They reached 161 for 3, and have an overall lead of 98 runs. Rohan Gavaskar did the bulk of the scoring, reaching 68 not out batting at No. 4. Deep Dasgupta kept him company on 36.Hyderabad 231 and 170 (Sanclecha 5-46) beat Maharashtra 83 and 233 (Jadhav 124, Singh 6-87) by 85 runs
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Hyderabad clinched an 85-run win against Maharashtra inside three days. After they were skittled out for just 83 in the first innings Maharashtra struggled to catch up. A fighting 124 by Dheeraj Jadhav, the left-handed opening batsman, delayed the inevitable, but was not enough to stave off defeat. Narender Pal Singh, the medium-pacer, was the most effective bowler claiming 6 for 87.Delhi 216 and 101 for 1 (Dhawan 55) lead Railways 201 by 116 runs
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Delhi’s bowlers did a fine job in bowling out Railways for just 201, thereby taking a slender 15-run first-innings lead. Railways, who began the third day on 147 for 5, were in with a good chance of overhauling Delhi’s poor score of 216. However, Amit Bhandari (3 for 55) and Sanjay Gill (3 for 48) bowled well enough to knock Railways over for just 201. Then, Delhi piled on the agony, reaching 101 for 1 at close.Punjab 175 and 370 for 4 (Mongia 108, Dharmani 92*, Kakkar 90*) lead Baroda 155 by 390 runs
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Punjab rode on the high of securing the first-innings lead and clattered 370 for 4 in their second dig. The Baroda bowlers were first sent on a leather hunt by Dinesh Mongia who scored 108. Pankaj Dharmani (92*) and Ankur Kakkar (90*) were both on the verge of reaching three figures when the day’s play ended. Punjab now have a big lead of 390 runs with one day to play.

The information carried by the second scoreboard which is situated next to the old Stragglers Pavilion at the County Ground, is to be substantially improved before the start of the new season.Chief Executive Peter Anderson told me, “Improvements are being carried out on the second scoreboard at Taunton which will be able to give more information than last season, especially regarding the number of overs.”He continued, “The moving message which was installed over the main board for 2001 will also move across to the second board so that more people can see it.”The changes to the scoreboard will be funded by money raised by the Taunton Area Committee of the club.The Chief Executive said, “The improvements have been made possible by the dedication and fund raising of the Taunton Area committee, who stood for many days in the cold and wet collecting car parking fees at the County Ground in the pre Christmas period. This raised over £3000 which will fund the improvements to the scoreboard.”

The ongoing debate over Steve Waugh’s future as Australia’s captain surfaced again at the weekend with comments from two former players turned commentators, Jeff Thomson and David Hookes, that the time is right for him to step down.Thomson and Hookes said that with the Australian middle-order aging and with a series against Bangladesh starting in July, Waugh should go in the interest of the team. “It’s time to move on and it’s a good time to do it when the opposition isn’t that good,” Thomson argued. “When he [Waugh] got the hundred in Sydney, I thought that was enough. What’s he going to prove if he plays Bangladesh? Who cares if Steve Waugh gets a hundred?”Hookes, a long-standing critic of Waugh, agreed. “I can’t see any point [him] playing against Bangladesh. He won’t get a hit for starters. Look at the batting,” he continued. “You’ve got him, Lehmann, Ponting and Martyn to come back – they are not young blokes.Thomson went one step further, suggesting that Glenn McGrath should be relived of his new-ball duties in favour of Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie. “If the wicket’s got something in it, you may as well use Gillespie and Lee,” Thomson said. “Lee should be opening the bowling, get the choice of ends. To bowl Lee into the wind is not on any more. McGrath wouldn’t have to wait long. They are only going to bowl five or six overs.”

If there was any doubt that early 2002 is the time of a changing of the guard in Australian cricket, then today’s developments represent the most indisputable evidence of all.The decision of national selectors Trevor Hohns, Allan Border, Andrew Hilditch and David Boon to relieve Steve Waugh of the country’sone-day international captaincy is a clear statement of their determination to start rejuvenating a team that is showing signs of fraying at theedges.It also signals that no player is potentially immune from their axe. Because, if Australia’s most statistically successful long-term limited-overscaptain can be dropped, then no-one can assume their position in the team to be safe.This new year started with Australia looking as invincible as ever, its completion of a 3-0 series whitewash of South Africa a comprehensivere-assertion of its superiority over its rivals in the Test arena.But, in the weeks since, it has been impossible not to detect hints of deterioriation in the performances of the country’s limited-overs line-up.Nor to imagine that the decisions of the team’s selectors over the next few months will be anything other than crucial to its hopes of success inthe years ahead.In finishing behind both South Africa and New Zealand in the recently-concluded VB Series, Australia not only failed to qualify for a homeone-day international finals series for just the third time in 22 years. But its batsmen also struggled to produce large scores on a consistentbasis; a number of its biggest names endured lacklustre individual campaigns; and its policy of rotation – of which Waugh has generally been astrong advocate – did not work well.Against that background, impressive performances from a range of players pushing for inclusion in the team helped to foster the sense thatsome form of renewal might be required.Through this period, the symbolism of thumping wins by Australia ‘A’ – a collection of the nation’s second-tier players – over each of the twotouring teams was especially hard to ignore.Outstanding cricket at domestic level from youngsters like Shane Watson, Paul Rofe, Michael Clarke and Sean Clingeleffer, meanwhile,effectively poured cold water on claims from some quarters that Australia might not have the depth to effectively cover the eventual loss of itssenior players.The country’s unbeaten run at the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand has been another telling recent development.In itself, Waugh’s swift demise as one-day leader represents a major shock.He has been one of the world’s most distinguished players and it is not as though his recent performances have been in any senseunderwhelming. The second-most capped player in one-day international history, he has scored 387 runs at an average of 48.38 in his last 11innings; guided the side to 22 wins from its last 29 matches; and been far from the worst of its players.Waugh’s ruthlessness, his drive and his iron-willed determination were also crucial factors behind Australia’s World Cup wins of 1987 and1999 and the acquisition of its mantle as the world’s number one side over recent years.Yet pressure was always likely to remain centred on his team for as long as it even gave the impression of toying with decline. And, if theselectors hadn’t detected the message during recent weeks that at least some tinkering with the side was needed, then any ambitions of asuccessful World Cup defence might as well have been surrendered.It is likely that Waugh won’t be the only player to experience first-hand the impact of such changes. His brother, Mark, is another for whomhope of a sustained career at one-day international level must now be cast in grave doubt. The futures of all-rounders Ian Harvey andAndrew Symonds will doubtless also be carefully considered.But, as captain of the side, the buck has most immediately stopped with him.At some point in the early part of this decade, Australia’s selectors were always likely to have to confront the stomach-churning decision ofknowing when to end Waugh’s one-day international career.In attempting to determine exactly how Australia’s limited-overs fortunes will shape up without him, they have decided there is no better timethan the present.

Sanwar Hossain was cleared to play for Bangladesh against Australia in the three-match ODI series despite being reported to the International Cricket Council for having a suspect bowling action. However, he runs the risk of being no-balled if the umpires feel that he is throwing the ball.Hossain was reported by David Shepherd, Rudi Koertzen and SteveDavis, the three umpires at the second Test at Cairns, after they reviewed tape of his bowling action. The issue is now under the ICC’s jurisdiction and over the next six weeks Hossain and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will have the opportunity to work on any areas of concern.”Hossain will be able to continue to play during this time,” the ICC said yesterday. “But the bowler remains subject to being called on the field by an umpire in accordance with the laws of the game”. With Shepherd to officiate in all three one-dayers, and Davies to stand in the second match, Hossain will be under scrutiny. The on-field umpires can no-ball him for chucking and repeated offences could see him taken out of the attack.Hossain’s questionable delivery is a back-hander similar to one used by Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. Muralitharan, whose action has repeatedly been questioned, has been cleared on a number of occasionsbecause of his flexible elbow. But Hossain’s copycat delivery looks as if it involves a straightening of the arm as he flicks the ball out of his hand.Hossain is at stage one of the ICC’s process for dealing with suspect actions, which allows him to continue to play while working withadvisers to be appointed by his home board and a human movement specialist from an ICC panel. This stage will last up to six weeks.At that point a detailed report will be submitted to the ICC.If Hossain’s action is not remedied in the next six weeks and he isreported again, he could risk a formal hearing and could be banned for 12 months under the ICC guidelines.

Lawyers representing the Zimbabwe Cricket Union and the players sacked by the board have resumed talks, in an attempt to resolve the conflict that led to Zimbabwe’s temporary loss of Test status. The AFP agency reports that Alwyn Pichanick, for the ZCU, and Chris Venturas, for the players, are in talks following an International Cricket Council directive instructing the Zimbabwean board to make another attempt to resolve the crisis.The ICC gave the ZCU 14 days from June 30 to agree on a mechanism to solve the dispute, that began with the sacking of Heath Streak as captain.If an agreement is not reached on the process within this timeframe, Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, announced that he and Percy Sonn, the vice-president, will make a ruling on the applicability of the ICC’s own Disputes Resolution Process.The ICC’s legal advice is that this process can be applied in this case. This is a position not supported by the ZCU. Speaking after the ICC’s Executive Board meeting last week, Mani said, “We recognise that this is a Zimbabwean dispute and our clear preference is to have it resolved in Zimbabwe by Zimbabweans.””If there is no agreement on the process, the newly elected ICC Vice-President, Percy Sonn, and I will make a final decision on application of the ICC’s Disputes Resolution Process after this 14-day period. The ZCU is firmly of the view that this system has no jurisdiction but the ICC’s legal advice is clear in saying that it does.”