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India’s cricketers won’t be lacking for advice when New Zealand tour travel there next month for a Test and one-day series.With the Indian team scheduled to arrive in Bangalore ahead of their preparatory camp, Kapil Dev – their former captain and coach – echoed the words of John Wright, warning them not to take New Zealand lightly.Kapil said the conditions would be tough for New Zealand, but that had always been the case. The New Zealanders are used to playing on green pitches, that have recently proved to have more bounce as well.India has rarely provided those sorts of conditions and after the problems experienced by New Zealand’s groundsmen last summer, it was always likely that India’s pitches for the return visit would be low on the user-friendly scale for the New Zealanders.Kapil said New Zealand had a reputation for rising to an occasion, and that was what made them dangerous. He also said that he didn’t think New Zealand were convincing winners over India last summer – it was just that they exploited the conditions better.Wright said the New Zealanders were “under-rated”. They had performed well on the recent tour of Sri Lanka, and Wright said it was up to India to perform better, and to build on their good home record. Both Kapil and Wright were happy with the depth emerging in the pace bowling department.Wright added he had no problems with the fact that the Board of Control for Cricket in India had chosen 36 players for the conditioning camp. The exercise would be good from a fitness point of view, and he was confident he could handle the numbers.

Tamil Nadu hold a slight advantage going into the third day of their five-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group semi-final against hosts Delhi at the Feroz Shah Kotla. The visitors, who made 327 in their first innings, had reduced Delhi to 127 for 4 when play ended on Saturday.Tamil Nadu, who resumed the second day on 252/ 5, added a further 75 runs before being dismissed a short while after lunch. Overnight not out batsmen, Hemang Badani (63, 9X4) and Vasanth Saravanan (39) put on 55 runs for the sixth wicket before being separated (299 for 6).The lower-order batsmen, who followed, though, could not make similar headway against the Delhi bowlers and the final four wickets fell for the addition of just 28 runs. For Delhi, medium-pacer Amit Bhandari and left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi claimed three wickets each.The Delhi reply got off to a decent start with openers Akash Chopra (30) and Gautam Gambhir (31) putting on 58 runs for the first wicket. But the dismissal of Virender Sehwag, castled by medium-pacer MR Shrinivas for a duck, saw Tamil Nadu fighting their way back into the game. At stumps on the second day, Mithun Manhas (20*) and skipper Vijay Dahiya (19*) were holding fort with the hosts needing another 201 runs to earn the all-important first-innings lead.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has released the itinerary for the England Senior team’s tour to the West Indies in 2004. The team will contest a four-match Test Series, followed by a seven-match One-Day International Series.The international matches, as detailed below, are confirmed. A full itinerary, including other tour matches, will be released when available.In the 2003-4 winter, England will also tour Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In October / November 2003, England will play two Test Matches and three One-Day Internationals in Bangladesh, before traveling to Sri Lanka to play three One-Day Internationals and finally three Test Matches before Christmas. Full details to be announced in due course.England’s 2004 tour to the West Indies

March11-15           First Test Match, Jamaica19-23           Second Test Match, TrinidadApril1-5             Third Test Match, Barbados9-13            Fourth Test, Antigua18              First One-Day International (ODI), Guyana (19 – reserve day)24              Second ODI, Trinidad25              Third ODI, Trinidad28              Fourth ODI, GrenadaMay1               Fifth ODI, St. Lucia2               Sixth ODI, St. Lucia5               Seventh ODI, Barbados

The Konica Queensland Fire face a must-win series against Victoria thisweekend if they are to feature in this season’s Women’s National CricketLeague Finals.Queensland is fourth coming into the final round of matches but couldsnatch a spot in the Final later this month if they can win both oftheir games against second-placed Victoria in Geelong this weekend.Third-placed NSW play the winless Western Fury and could potentiallyfinish ahead of current competition leaders Southern Scorpions.The Queensland selectors have omitted Jodie Purves from the team andrecalled allrounder Kelly Klibbe in the only change to the team thatlost both of its matches to NSW before Christmas.Queensland will hope that the Konica Queensland Under-19 trio of KaseeMarxsen, Belinda Matheson and Kirsten Pike will bring with them some ofthe form they have displayed at the Australian Under-19 championships inCanberra this week.The unbeaten Queensland combination will meet NSW in the Final tomorrow,with Marxsen, Matheson and Pike all producing outstanding performancesso far in the championships.Marxsen has scored 261 runs at 65.25, including a championship record126 off 118 balls, while off-spinner Matheson and pace bowler Pike areamong the leading wicket-takers for Queensland.This weekend also represents one of the last chances for the Fireplayers to press their representative claims with the Commonwealth BankSouthern Stars team and Shooting Stars Youth teams to be named after theWNCL Finals from January 17-19.The Southern Stars will play a four-way international series in NewZealand at the end of January and next month featuring New Zealand,England, India and Australia.Australia will then play England in an Ashes Test series, with the FirstTest being held at the Gabba from February 15-18.Konica Queensland Fire v Victorian Spirit, Geelong, January 11, 12:Julia Price (c), Belinda Matheson, Melissa Bulow, Joanne Broadbent,Sally Cooper, Tricia Brown, Kasee Marxsen, Megan White, Kelly Klibbe,Cindy Kross, Renee Lee, Kristen Pike. Coach: Richard McInnes.

South Australia has surged to a powerful innings and 40 run win over a bruised and battered Tasmania on the fourth and final day of the teams’ Pura Cup clash here in Hobart today.After their batsmen completely outwitted the Tasmanian bowlers yesterday, it was the turn of a depleted attack today to impressively secure the Redbacks’ first outright points of the season.The home team was murdered one day and buried the next.In skittling Tasmania for a paltry second innings total of 167, the South Australians defied the forecast of grim weather that never materialised and longstanding perceptions about the placid nature of Bellerive’s pitch. Accordingly, they emphatically reversed the result of an equally crushing defeat in the corresponding match last season.Darren Lehmann, the chief architect of the Redbacks’ already powerful position by the end of the third day, declared his team’s first innings closed at the mammoth overnight score of 5/589, leaving Tasmania with the exercise of accumulating 207 runs before the visitors would even be required to bat againIt was a task that quickly began to overwhelm them.Opener Dene Hills, still nursing a strained abductor muscle from yesterday, was unable to bat as the Tigers’ innings began.Worse news was to come as their customary mainstay, Jamie Cox (0), fell to an lbw decision when playing well forward to Mark Harrity (5/65) on just the second delivery of the innings. Though it took a while longer for the second victim to succumb – makeshift opener Michael Dighton (15) failing to remove his gloves from the line of a delivery that steepled from a good length – it set an ominous tone.On a day when the Tasmanian Cricket Association had thrown open its doors to the public to show off its new grandstand, its batsmen subscribed to a revolving door policy instead.In taking each of the first four wickets to tumble and splitting the most meaningful partnership of the innings when he forced top scorer Shane Watson (58) to play a delivery back into the stumps, it was Harrity who instigated a stunning collapse that saw seven wickets crash for the addition of a mere 25 runs in mid-afternoon.Harrity was an immensely promising left arm tearaway when he first entered first-class cricket in 1993-94, but his career has been stalled by a series of cruel injury blows in each of the eight seasons that have passed since. In the absence from the attack of Jason Gillespie on account of international duty, and the injured Paul Wilson, Brett Swain, Mick Miller, Ryan Harris and Greg Blewett, he chose a propitious time to rediscover some of his old fire today.Paul Rofe (3/24) complemented Harrity with impeccable accuracy and similarly produced career-best figures, and spinner Brad Young (2/71) also snared two vital wickets amid Tasmania’s crumble.Though Watson and Daniel Marsh (31) stood firm with a 75-run stand for the third wicket, and last pair Sean Clingeleffer (28*) and Shane Jurgensen (7) defied the inevitable for a plucky 61 minutes, they were the only three bowlers needed.”It’s been a long time coming,” said Harrity of his triumphant performance.”I haven’t managed to get through a full season in nine seasons so that’s the main aim this year and hopefully to live up to what’s been expected of me for nine years.”Darren Lehmann turned the game for us (yesterday), along with Greg Blewett. It was some of the best batting I’ve ever seen. That put us all on a high and I went to bed last night thinking ‘if we stick at it here today, you never know’.”What Harrity scarcely needed to add was that, throughout this match, his team far better understood the imperative of pitching the ball in the right areas on a pitch that offered consistent and sometimes menacing life.Because, amid the ruin of the last two days, the message had already been etched firmly on Tasmania’s tombstone.

Canterbury set Wellington a target only three other teams have achieved in domestic cricket history in New Zealand when leaving them 410 to score to win their State Championship match at Rangiora tomorrow.Wellington were 71/1 at stumps, still 339 from their goal.Canterbury and Wellington have played some fantastic cricket matches over the years, and if Wellington can get up, or even close, another thriller may be on the cards.Given the batting collapses both teams have suffered at various stages of the game it would be a minor miracle if it was that close at the end.The only previous successful chases ahead of what Wellington require in the record books are: 475 by Wellington in 1994/95, 473 by Canterbury in 1930/31 and 453 by Northern Districts in 1995/96.Wellington’s batsmen will have their mettle tested fully by a Canterbury attack which offers all the bowling possible from the right-handed side of the bowling spectrum.Canterbury declared at 288/6 today after the provision of an example of the batting riches contained in the pitch for those prepared to build an innings in the manner achieved by Chris Harris 117 not out and Aaron Redmond 101 during their record Canterbury sixth wicket stand against all comers of 209 runs. The stand was the third-best stand for the wicket among inter-association teams.For Redmond it was a maiden first-class century that was richly earned and which followed five previous half centuries and a highest score of 92 which was achieved playing for New Zealand A against Sussex last year.Harris was outstanding. The whole exercise was a mere continuation of the batting paradise Rangiora has become for him. In matches on Dudley Park his scores now read: 14, 0, 29, 251 not out, 33, 13, 46, 79, 70, 117 not out.His total is 652 runs in seven matches for an average of 81.50.It is a fine record and his batting today bore all the hallmarks of the experience he has accrued on the first-class scene. By comparison with his first innings which had four sixes for his first four boundary shots, he was much more subdued today, hitting 11 fours and a six.Sitting on two overnight, he rebuilt his innings sensibly, especially after losing skipper Gary Stead when the score was 59. At one stage Redmond was threatening to outscore Harris but the arrival of off-spinner Jeetan Patel eased the pressure the medium pacers had been exerting.Harris cashed in and posted his 50 off 85 balls in 120 minutes while the 100 partnership came up with a lovely Harris off drive to the boundary from Matthew Walker’s bowling. It took 123 minutes and 193 balls.Redmond scored his 50 in 129 minutes off 108 balls. The only chance either gave was when Harris was on 65 and offered a chance back to bowler Patel which he wasn’t able to hold as he dived to his right.The second new ball slowed proceedings down, but only briefly as the pair carried on with Harris reaching his century in 248 minutes off 187 balls with 11 fours and a six and when Redmond cover drove a ball from Walker for four to go to 98 and placed the next ball backwards of square for two, he scored his century in 233 minutes off 177 balls.At the same time he brought up the 200 stand off 360 balls.As has happened so often in this game, a break in play produced a wicket and it was Redmond’s misfortune to be bowled by Ash Turner for 101 straight after the tea break.That gave Wellington its solitary delight from the day as Turner achieved the notable milestone of a five wicket bag, at a cost of 66 runs, on debut.Wellington lost Phil Chandler for 11 with the score on 16, but a solid recovery was made by skipper Richard Jones and Selwyn Blackmore, who scored 40 and 16 respectively, knowing that they must get Wellington through the first hour tomorrow, while also getting the score over the psychological barrier of less than 300 to get as quickly as possible.It has turned into an intriguing contest with the prospect of two Canterbury spin bowlers in off-spinner Paul Wiseman and leg-spinner Redmond looking to carry their side home to a rare victory in recent times.

England’s batsmen will have a definite chance for exoneration if the weather gods are kind to them on the last day of their National Bank tour match with Otago at Queenstown’s Events Centre tomorrow.Due to the extended hours caused by loss of play today, there could be a minimum of 105 overs to be played, and with Otago finishing day two only three runs behind England’s first innings total there is every chance of, at the best a lively finish and at the least, a lengthy batting display from England’s Test contenders.England were dismissed for 153 and by stumps, Otago were 150/6, the main note of satisfaction being the bowling of Andy Caddick, Andrew Flintoff and Craig White.Caddick especially, after being dropped from the one-day side after the first match against New Zealand, made the most of his chance.He took four for 42 from his 18 overs.He bowled seven overs before finally finding his rhythm, a significant step in the side’s preparation for the first Test starting next week.”It took me about seven overs to really hit my straps and get myself going but it finally came through and in the last few overs I got myself back into rhythm,” Caddick said.”I was struggling to get my rhythm going, trying this, trying that to get it clicked in,” he said.”I’m looking forward just continuing bowling for the next couple of days,” he said.Conditions would be better for England batting a second time as the pitch had dried out and wasn’t moving as much off it, although there was still some swing in the air.”I missed out on the one-dayers and that was my sort of training ground for the Test matches coming up but that happens,” Caddick said.”Matthew Hoggard did a great job in the one-dayers but not it is my turn to get stuck in for the Tests.”You can bowl in the nets as much as you want but when you are bowling against the opposition and totally different batsmen than your team-mates, it does help to get out there and bowl against them,” he said.The start to England’s day which saw 75 overs bowled, was notable mainly for some lower order substance to their batting, provided by Warren Hegg and Richard Dawson.They added 43 runs for the eighth wicket before Otago’s man of the moment, Craig Pryor had Hegg caught at second slip by Simon Beare for 32, and the dismissal was repeated next ball when James Ormond produced a copy cat shot.Dawson hit out with Caddick as his last batting partner and 22 runs were added before Caddick was finally out, caught at second slip by Nathan Morland for six while Dawson was not out 24, scored off 39 balls.Pryor proved the destroyer for Otago and ended the innings with the fourth five wicket bag of his career, taking five for 45 from his 12 overs.Caddick said the benefits to England of his missing the one-day games had been Hoggard’s acquisition of experience that would be put to use in the side’s future.”My spot was taken by a young man who’s come in and he’s experienced one-day cricket against two very good sides.”Matthew did very well, he knows what is required in the future and the way I view it is, that OK I missed out, but in hindsight you can turn it around and say the guy has learnt a lot and he can push his way into being a regular in the one-day series.”You need that little bit of competition and that doesn’t bother me whatever, I’ve been there and done that and I know what I’ve got to do to get back into it. It’s good that somebody’s there learning from the experience,” he said.The real test for the English attack now was to learn to work together, especially in the absence of frontline bowler Darren Gough who returned home after the one-day series.”It’s going to be an experience for everyone to learn how to bowl with each other,” Caddick said.

Yet another big partnership between Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden put Australia in the driving seat at the end of an absorbing and ill-tempered second day of the fourth Test in Antigua.

West Indies, largely thanks to a spirited 68 from Brian Lara, had battled their way to match Australia’s 240, but then Langer and Hayden undid all their hard work with a flying and match-turning stand of 171. And with the wicket slightly deteriorating, Australia ended the day firmly in control of the match.On a day of anger, aggression and temper, Lara showed his frustration late in the day after he dropped Hayden at slip when the stand was worth 122, and he could do little to stem the flow of runs as Hayden and Langer’s imperious driving and cutting.Relations between the two sides throughout the day were hostile, triggered first thing when David Shepherd turned down what Australia thought was an edge from Lara through to Adam Gilchrist off Jason Gillespie.The normally cool Steve Waugh showed what he thought with a curt and frank exchange of views with Lara, and that was followed by a barrage of verbal taunts from Australia’s bowlers. But Lara remained aloof and let his bat do the talking as he passed 8000 Test runs.He hit a first-ball six off Brett Lee over third man, and then while Ramnaresh Sarwan was with him at the crease, he continued to play only the way he can. The expansive back-lift, the shuffle in to line, and the execution of another drive or square cut. It was thrilling to watch. And Sarwan too took his captain’s lead and enjoyed some dashing cover-drives – and some exchanges with the Australian fast bowlers.But, as so often, it was Andy Bichel who did the job for Australia just when it mattered. He only picked up two wickets during the day, but they were those of Lara and Sarwan. Sarwan went first in the morning, Bichel superbly clinging on to a sharp caught and bowled chance.But the celebrations really got underway when Bichel got Lara midway through the afternoon. In one enthralling over, Lara crashed three fours with identical pull shots, but Bichel had the last laugh when Lara got too carried away and mistimed a cover-drive straight to Langer at mid-off for 68. Bichel was delirious, Lara was fuming.

Once Lara, Sarwan and the hapless Ridley Jacobs – who needlessly ran himself out – had gone, Omari Banks continued his impressive allround display with a crucial 16 not out, and with the help of a cameo 14 from Jermaine Lawson, West Indies, for the only time in the series, were on an even keel with the mighty Aussies. But, thanks to Langer and Hayden – that didn’t last long.

England will be without Graham Thorpe for the rest of the Test series in India.The Surrey left-hander is flying back to England today to sort out personal matters at home.The decision to let Thorpe go home for the last fortnight of the six-week tour was taken last night. Thorpe, 32, has been replaced in the side for the second Test by Yorkshire’s Michael Vaughan.An England and Wales Cricket Board statement read: “The England team management today announced that Graham Thorpe is to return to England and consequently will play no further part in the Test series with India.”Pressing matters of a personal nature have arisen that required Graham’simmediate attention.”The team management request that Graham’s privacy and that of his family berespected by all.”Michael Vaughan will replace Graham in the second Test.”

Veteran batsman Aravinda de Silva, on the verge of retirement after hisrecent omission from the national squad, blamed Sri Lanka’s bowlers andfielders for their seven-wicket defeat by India in the second Test Kandy.De Silva, writing for the wicket.com, said: “Sri Lanka’s bowlers were unableto disrupt the Indian batsmen’s concentration and delivered too many fourballs, which enabled them to score far more freely than should have been thecase.””The Sri Lankan bowling also failed to respond to the challenge, with themain attack force, especially Muralitharan, failing to get as much turn outof surface as he normally does in the fourth innings,” he said. “The seamerswere just as disappointing in their length and direction.”De Silva, not the sharpest in the field, went on to criticise the home sidesfielding: “Sri Lanka’s patchy fielding effort did not help, with too manycatches being dropped at crucial stages of the innings. It was so unlikeMuttiah Muralitharan to drop a catch at a crucial moment.””It was also disappointing to see Russel Arnold, one of the more brilliantfielders in the side, dropping an easy catch which could have changed thewhole course of the match,” he added.De Silva pointed out, however, that Sri Lanka were unlucky: “Sri Lanka alsohad their moments of misfortunes. There were several confident appeals forleg-before decisions, which did not earn the umpires approval.”He did, though, comment that: “Compared to the previous match in Asgiriya inMarch against England, the umpiring was of a far higher standard in thisgame.”