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The Stanford 20/20 tournament, which has fuelled a wave of excitement in Antigua over the past two weeks, should be spread across the Caribbean next year. That suggestion is coming from Andy Roberts, one of 14 West Indian legends acting as ambassadors for the lucrative tournament.Roberts, chairman of the competition’s technical committee, endorsed a bigger tournament to make it possible for teams to play more matches. “This is the first time. Nobody knew how successful it was going to be. We may look at a different format next year,” he told The Nation. “One format I would like to see is that you don’t play all the games in Antigua. You take the 20/20 to the Caribbean and then you can come back to Antigua for the semi-finals and final. If you’re taking it to the wider Caribbean, then you might be able to play on a round-robin basis instead of a knockout. We would like to get more of the West Indies involved.”The tournament, created and financed by Texan billionaire Allen Stanford who is pumping US$28 million into the competition, started on July 11 with 19 teams vying for a top prize of US$1 million in a single elimination knockout format. Ever since Stanford launched the tournament last October, there were several observers questioning how the competition would benefit the development of the game in the region.Another of the tournament’s legends, Gordon Greenidge, was not surprised by the initial lack of endorsement. “We in the Caribbean don’t warm to something new very easily. We tend to wait and see what has happened,” Greenidge said. “Before we see what is happening, we tend to criticise it without giving it a chance to work. I am not really surprised. [But] a lot of people have taken this on board and see it as something that can benefit West Indies cricket even though it is the one-day version of the game.”Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd was also of the view that this form of the game was growing on fans around the region. “A lot of people never like change. The world has changed. Cricket is evolving,” said Lloyd, another of the tournament legends. “We have to move along. It’s a different type of cricket. It’s just like when 40-overs came in. People didn’t like it either. Like everything new, there are going to be one or two doubters, but I’m sure we’re winning.”While the popularity of the 20/20 version of the game is growing globally, the common feeling is that it will not reach the stage where it will rival the traditional 50-over game.”I don’t see it replacing, but complementing the 50-over game,” Greenidge said. “It is offering an opportunity. Most of the time it is played in the evening and under lights where you are trying to bring back the viewers to cricket and in so doing, you are offering a chance that the fans can bring the small kids and so on.”

Bangladesh fought bravely, but were no match for a South African team that is gradually getting its act together. South Africa batted with commitment to put up 261 on a pitch that aided the spinners, and then restricted Bangladesh to just 168 to win by 93 runs.Jacques Rudolph anchored the innings superbly with a well-paced 81, and late-innings impetus from Shaun Pollock and Neil McKenzie took South Africa past 250. Pollock and Makhaya Ntini, sharing the new ball for the first time in this tournament, then picked up some early wickets, and at 29 for 4 the game was effectively over. Alok Kapali made an elegant, combative 71, but the chase was never on.South Africa looked a cohesive unit in the field today, playing with the grim professionalism that so epitomised them once upon a Cronje era. New captain Graeme Smith seemed to be learning his lessons as well – he finally allowed Pollock to share the new ball with Ntini, and the game was decided before their first spells were over.Pollock was his usual accurate and parsimonious self, while Ntini obtained significant inswing and troubled the batsmen with his bounce and pace. The first two overs were maidens – and as the runs began to come, so did the wickets.Mehrab Hossain (6) was caught behind off Ntini while flashing outside the off stump (16 for 1). Pollock then passed Allan Donald as South Africa’s highest ODI wicket-taker, with two consecutive lbw decisions. Habibul Bashar (1) was hit high on the pad, and there appeared to be an inside edge as well (19 for 2). But Mohammad Ashraful (13) was trapped plumb inside his crease by an incoming ball (25 for 3).Alan Dawson then struck with his first ball, as Akram Khan (3) reached out for a widish one and only managed to edge it through to Mark Boucher (29 for 4). But though the match was effectively over, Bangladesh didn’t roll over and die.Kapali and Khaled Mahmud added 55 in 80 balls, batting with resolve to prevent the kind of collapse that had become so routine in the World Cup. Mahmud (24) was caught behind off a wild slash off Andrew Hall in the 27th over, and Kapali then played a lone act. He played with immaculate technique with some lovely strokes before he slapped Hall’s slower ball to Paul Adams at mid-off for 71 (157 for 9).Earlier, Bangladesh had bowled with zest to make South Africa sweat while they batted. Herschelle Gibbs went early on for a duck, inside-edging Tapash Baisya onto his stumps (5 for 1). Baisya and Manjural Islam bowled with verve and made the batsmen play and miss, but they let the pressure slip with a fair amount of loose balls. While Rudolph looked tentative, Smith was severe on anything short or wide.They added a solid 101 before Bangladesh broke through; as expected, it was spin which did the job. Sanwar Hossain had Smith stretching out to play him with minimal footwork, and getting another inside edge into the stumps (106 for 2). Smith’s 67 was solid and well-constructed, and his dismissal was against the run of play.At the other end Kapali bowled his legspinwith guile and variation, giving the ball a fair bit of air. But though Kapali picked up the wickets of Boeta Dippenaar and Boucher, Rudolph made sure there was no mid-innings collapse, milking the singles and pacing his innings well. He was finally caught behind off Sanwar for 81 in the 42nd over, trying to turn one down to third man (192 for 5), and it appeared that South Africa might be restricted to less than 250. But Pollock and McKenzie added 69 in the remaining time, with Pollock making 38 not out off 20 balls, with two huge sixes off the hapless Mahmud.Bangladesh walked out of the tournament with more pride than they had brought into it, having displayed that they still had stomach for a fight. South Africa had a useful practice game, and their real tests still lie ahead.

Shoaib Akhtar, Moin Khan and Abdul Razzaq will appear before a medical commission at the National Cricket Academy on Wednesday morning (April 28). The five-member medical panel began its inquiry on Sunday to review the fitness of the key players, like Umar Gul, who were involved in the series against India. The commission, headed by Dr Abdul Wajid, who is an orthopaedic surgeon of the Aga Khan University, was appointed by the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan.According to a PCB official, Moin and Razzaq will be interviewed by the commission and during the process the doctor’s panal will also examine the MIR reports of the injured players.Shoaib, who was in Mumbai for the last week to shoot a commercial, is scheduled to return today and has informed the PCB that he would be available from Tuesday.The dates when the commission will meet Mohammad Sami and Shabbir Ahmed are yet to be announced. Both players are currently playing in the English domestic championship. An official said that the commission will now consider the medical reports of the two players in their absence.

Somerset County Cricket Club will not tolerate mediocre performances, the club’s recently elected chairman Giles Clarke told the annual general meeting of The Friends of Bath County Cricket Festival held at Bath Cricket Club earlier this week.He said: “Clearly we need to perform on the field this summer. We are not a second division team. It’s time we won the county championship.”Outlining a strategy which would achieve this, Giles Clarke singled out two priorities: improving Somerset¹s performance on the field, and securing the club’s financial position.He said: “We must have outstanding county players, not just journeymen. Foreign players are an important part of this, and we have to see what overseas players we can attract, but we also need outstanding English players. For that we have to have outstanding coaching and outstanding facilities. These all require financial support.”He told members there is increased interest in sponsorships despite the difficult economic climate. Somerset was not a rich county — 80 per cent of companies have fewer than 10 employees — but the county manages to maintain and support a top class cricket team. In this context, the annual week-long Bath Cricket Festival provided vital and unswerving support for the county cricket club.”I would like to say there is no doubt that Bath Cricket Festival is a vital part of the Somerset CC year. When I was a boy, the county team played in Frome, Street and other places, but that is just not possible today, and we now have only the two county venues, Bath and Taunton.”He said he was optimistic that a lot more firms would be coming from Bristol to support the Bath Festival and he had made it his personal mission to “wake up” large Bristol companies and regional companies and get them to support the event.”As you may have heard, Ian Botham has been enlisted to help with our membership drive. Our membership levels remain at what they were last year at this time.”Among the players Somerset would be using this next year wasNixon McLean, the West Indian bowler who has played at Test level for the West Indies, Tasmanian Jamie Cox who captained the team last season,James Bryant, a no. 3 batsman who plays for Eastern Province who was said to be the finest fielder in South Africa, possibly even better than Jonty Rhodes and Neil Edwards, the best batsman on the U19 tour of Australia.In addition, Somerset had the services of county coach Kevin Shine — “one of our greatest assets, without doubt the best bowling coach in the country.”Giles said: “The club is not just about success on the field, it’s about financial success. With this in mind, we have begun a process to get closer to the business community and we are confident our sponsorships will exceed a six figure sum, which will go some way towards ensuring the future of our club.”Of particular concern was the fact that for 319 days a year the County Ground at Taunton was not fully used. Giles described this as “a wasted opportunity” and said several ideas were being explored for using the ground when it was not needed for cricket.Bob Holder, chairman of the Friends, told the meeting: “It is a tribute to the Bath and Wiltshire area committee that the Bath Festival is currently firmly embedded in the playing plans of Somerset. It is only three years ago that doubt was seriously felt about the financial viability of the club coming to Bath, even though there is over 100 years of history.”The result of an excellent fund raising year is, as you have heard, that the Friends donation to area funds is £2,500. I referred last year to the financial turnaround in the profits earned here in 2001 — £17,000. In 2002 the figure is over £20,000.”This year’s Bath Cricket Festival begins on Wednesday, June 4 with a four-day championship match between Somerset and Worcestershire, followed by a one-day match on Sunday, June 8 between Somerset and Northamptonshire.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Sunday denied it had madeany offer to former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin to lift thelife ban imposed on him.”Why should the BCCI have any truck with the banned players. I denythat the board has any private understanding with Azharuddin. Thematter is in the court and let the courts decide,” BCCI president ACMuthiah told PTI in Chennai reacting to a media report.The ‘Daily Telegraph’ of London in a report on Saturday said “TheIndian board have made a face saving offer to Mohammed Azharuddin byoffering to lift the life ban imposed on him if he is willing to givea voluntary pledge that he will never again be involved in cricket.”Azharuddin has challenged the life ban imposed on him in a Hyderabadcourt, the next hearing of which is due on August 29.As a fallout of the match fixing scandal, the BCCI had bannedAzharuddin and Ajay Sharma for life and imposed a five-year ban onAjay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar and former physio Ali Irani.

Trinidad and Tobago lacked fight in the Carib Beer Challenge final and the nine-wicket loss to Jamaica was a “real blot” on their season, according to their board president Deryck Murray. The team was skittled for 121 in the first innings and their second effort of 241 left Jamaica a target of just 70 to secure the title.”It’s easy to say this from 100 miles away but it didn’t look as though there was any real fight,” Murray told the . “That was the disappointing aspect.”You look back at the whole season and, yes, from the KFC Cup, the Carib Beer Series, the Stanford 20/20, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica dominated those series but they [Trinidad and Tobago] just didn’t look like that in the final. The final itself was the real blot.”However, Murray said the team’s season should be viewed in context and reaching the decider was a promising sign. But there was still significant work to do for Trinidad and Tobago to be consistently competitive, he said.”We played some very good games throughout. We in Trinidad and Tobago are enjoying success but that must not be allowed to mar the fact that there is still a big gap between the highest standard of Trinidad and Tobago’s cricket and what is expected at international level. We are aware of it. We need to keep working with the players.”

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Taposh Ghosh and Mahmudul Hasan put in all-round performances and ensured a 43-run win for the Bangladesh Under-19 side against their Sri Lanka counterparts in the Tri-nation U-19 tournament in Colombo. The two made useful contributions to Bangladesh’s total of 204 and then picked up five wickets between themselves as Sri Lanka were bowled out with 28 balls to spare.Hasan, the Bangladesh captain and middle-order batsman, kept the scoreboard ticking with a 47-ball 32 after Ashraful Aziz and Nasir Hossain had added 53 for the fourth wicket. Ghosh, coming in at No. 9, threw his bat around for a 20-ball 27 which included two fours and a six. Tissara Perera, Sri Lanka’s right-arm medium-fast bowler, took 3 for 38.Fifteen-year old Ghosh, bowling legbreaks, then proceeded to put a dent in Sri Lanka’s run-chase by removing opener and top-scorer Dinesh Chandimal for 36. Ghosh ended with figures 2 for 21 from his 10 overs. Hasan, 16, picked up 3 for 20 with his offbreaks. Along with Hossain and Ghosh, Hasan ensured that there was no possibility of the middle order staging any sort of recovery. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 161.The previous encounter between the two was washed out and while Bangladesh now have a win from two games, Sri Lanka have none. India won both their matches and are leading the table with six points. Sri Lanka next play India on Wednesday, July 25, at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground.

Sri Lanka’s improved showing in England has impressed Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s coach, who has been observing their progress ahead of his team’s tour of Sri Lanka in August.Under the leadership of Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka dispelled the myth of being poor tourists by squaring the Test series 1-1, winning the five-match ODI series 3-0 with two games remaining and the one-off Twenty20 international. Arthur expects some tough competition when South Africa visit for two Tests and a tri-series also featuring India. South Africa haven’t won a Test series there since 1993 and struggled in their last tour in 2004, which included a 5-0 whitewash in the ODIs.”They (Sri Lanka) seem to have got it together and are playing really well”, Arthur told Supercricket. “Their confidence will be up, especially so when they’re back at home. The wickets will be tailor-made for Murali (Muralitharan) and they’ve also got Chaminda Vaas in their ranks. He gets really good swing early on and then mixes it up later. But he also runs down the wicket and creates a lot of rough for Murali.”However, Arthur pointed out that the success of the Sri Lankan side still revolves around a few individuals, even though youngsters like Upul Tharanga and Chamara Kapugedera have performed creditably.”They still rely heavily on Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara – they’re virtually the guts and soul of the team”, he said. “So, the first job for us is to neutralise them and really do our homework on them.”Arthur expects the pitches in Sri Lanka to be similar to what the South Africans would experience during next year’s World Cup in the West Indies . He made his observations after watching the ongoing third Test at St. Kitts between India and West Indies.He added, “A lot of the pitches in the West Indies are going to be relaid before the World Cup so nobody really knows what to expect. I’ll be flying over after the Champions Trophy (in October) to have a look.”

Pakistan’s legendary allrounder, Imran Khan, has backed England’s decision not to play a Test in Karachi during their tour of the country this winter.Imran, who captained Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992 before retiring to enter into politics, told AFP that the decision was justified, given Karachi’s recent history of violence.”Until and unless the law-and-order situation is restored such things will happen,” said Imran. “When England’s security team was in Karachi the city mayor was quoted in newspapers as saying that next month’s local elections next month would cause bloodshed, and everyone took notice of it.”You can’t blame the Pakistan Cricket Board,” Imran added, “because in such a situation if they press for a Test in Karachi the whole tour might get jeopardised.” However cricket officials in Karachi vowed to protest the decision and hit out at the PCB for failing to argue the case for the country’s largest city.”England’s refusal to play a Test in Karachi is disappointing and we would protest over it,” Karachi City Cricket Association secretary Sirajul Islam Bukhari told AFP. “The PCB has failed to plead the case of Karachi.”Karachi is a safe place and in a population of 15 million one or two incidents are common. Colombo in Sri Lanka staged international matches when there was unrest, so why not Karachi?”Bukhari added that Karachi staged the 1996 World Cup successfully even though there was a curfew in some parts of the city. The three Tests proposed for the tour are now likely to take place in Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan while Lahore will also stage two one-day internationals.England have agreed to play one one-day international in Karachi, and will decide in ten days’ time whether to play a second game as well. Two British security experts spent last week assessing security at various grounds in Pakistan, and two senior English cricket officials visited this week.Karachi has been rocked by a series of deadly shootings as well as a suicide bombing at a mosque and the burning-down of a KFC restaurant earlier this year. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Australia and West Indies have refused to play in Pakistan because of security fears. Karachi has been rejected as a Test venue by South Africa and India since a bomb blast outside New Zealand’s team hotel in May 2002, which killed 14 people including 11 French naval engineers.

Australia 120 and 221 for 2 (Gilchrist 140*, Martyn 64*) lead Sri Lanka 211 (Vaas 68*, Warne 5-65) by 130 runs
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In a stunning contrast to the first day, the bat held sway at Kandy on the second and Adam Gilchrist swung the momentum Australia’s way with an unbeaten hundred, full of grit and character after an unlikely and hugely entertaining 79-run last-wicket partnership between Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan had helped Sri Lanka gain a 91-run first-innings lead. At the end of day, Gilchrist and Damien Martyn had taken Australia to 221 for two and a lead of 130.Gilchrist, who came into the match with four ducks in his last seven visitsto the crease in Sri Lanka, made full use of the opportunity to bat up theorder after Ricky Ponting sprained his back, and rescued Australia with 140from 175 balls. It was not one of his blazing lower-order assaults, but it was still aggressive and studded with three sixes and 19 fours.Gilchrist was supported by Martyn, who played a more subdued hand, scoring 64 from 140 balls, and provided the perfect counterfoil to Gilchrist’s aggression. The pair settled in on a pitch that had lost its menace, and added a record 195 for the third wicket, surpassing Australia’s previous highest third-wicket stand against Sri Lanka.Australia’s lead may already look imposing when compared to the first-innings scores, but this is a pitch that should get better and better for batting. Just two months ago a world record was set on a similar surface at the same venue when a team chased a 512-run target. Australia have their noses ahead, but Sri Lanka are by no means out of the game.Vaas led Sri Lanka’s morning recovery, carrying the attack to Australia’s bowlers with an unbeaten 68. But his innings was overshadowed by Muralitharan, who chipped, swatted and swung his way to 43 from 28 balls, whacking three sixes and five fours.Sri Lanka, starting the day on 92 for 7 with the match poised on a knife-edge, quickly wiped away the 28-run deficit and then secured a useful 91-run lead – a lead that would have been beyond their wildest dreams before the start of play. Vaas and Muralitharan played a large part, frustrating Australia with an entertaining 79-run stand for the last wicket, delighting a small crowd of locals as they swung the initiative back to Sri Lanka.Australia’s morning was made worse by an injury to Ponting, who sprained his back after his spikes got caught in the sponsor’s advertising mats. Ponting left the field for treatment immediately and received treatment throughout the afternoon.Australia went to lunch on 11 for 0 but lost Matthew Hayden (5) to the first ball of the afternoon, with Chaminda Vaas pocketing a simple return catch on his follow-through off the bat and front pad. Australia’s woes deepened five overs later when Justin Langer wafted airily outside off and nicked a thin edge off Nuwan Zoysa (26 for 2).Fortunately for Australia, Gilchrist batted himself back into form. He played edgily at the start, flirting outside his off stump without conviction, but gradually slotted back into his dangerous free-scoring groove. As the afternoon drew to a close, he slipped into top gear, sweeping with tremendous power and lofting down the ground.Martyn lived even more dangerously at the start as an edge flew low to Mahela Jayawardene at second slip before he had scored. He also came perilously close to being trapped lbw by Vaas a short while later. But like Gilchrist, he eventually bedded down and was then rarely troubled.Earlier, Nuwan Zoysa signalled Sri Lanka’s positive intentions early with a majestic cover-drive for four. But Zoysa did not last long as he groped tentatively at a wide delivery from Michael Kasprowicz and was caught behind. Lokuarachchi might have been dismissed off the next ball, but the inside edge just evaded Adam Gilchrist.Lokuarachchi, who was included in the side in place of Upul Chandana, showedsome class with a glorious back-foot cover-drive off Kasprowicz. But he wasless assured against Warne and eventually skied a simple catch to short fineleg as he tried to sweep (132 for 9).At this stage, considering their meltdown the previous evening, Sri Lanka would have settled for a handful of lusty blows from Muralitharan. But Muralitharan did that and more, as he indulged in an orgy of hitting – an innings that showed complete disregard to any classical batting theory.Most of the crowd collapsed in laughter at his antics, but Kasprowicz, who finished with 4 for 83, could be forgiven for not being amused after being hit out of the attack as Muralitharan clubbed 16 runs off an over, including one sweet blow onto the steps of the lime-green old pavilion.The carnage continued against the spinners too, as sixes were heaved overmidwicket off Warne and Stuart MacGill. But just then, on the verge of a fifty, Muralitharan skied a catch to mid-on. Warne, the wicket-taker, finished with 5 for 65 from 20.1 overs, his third consecutive five-wicket haul since returning to the national side in Galle.