Coca-Cola Triangular in Sri Lanka

India continues to stay alive in the Coca-cola triangular by hanging on by the slimmest of threads for a place in the final to be played on Sunday. Yesterday the Indians put on a fighting display after being at one stage 38-4 to put up a decent total of 227.
It was Yuvraj Singh's unbeaten 98 and his partnerships first with Dravid (47) and Sodhi (30) that brought a respectability to the Indian total. Later, it was some fired up and enthusiastic bowling from Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra that put the hosts on the back foot straight away when they lost 3 wickets for just 24 runs.
Sri Lanka never recovered and kept losing wickets till they were eventually bowled out for 181 leaving India victors by 46 runs.

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With this win both India and New Zealand have four points each and today's game between the two sides becomes a virtual semi-final. The winner of today meets Sri Lanka in the final on Sunday. However in the event of the match not being played due to rain, New Zealand will qualify to the final since they have a better head-to-head record, having beaten India twice in the tournament.

The Ashes Test tour

A feeble looking England side will meet Australia in the third Test of the Ashes series, which begins at Trent Bridge at Nottingham on Thursday. Plagued by injuries to most of their frontline players, England has been struggling to put together a team to face the formidable Aussies.
Meanwhile, Yorkshire paceman Chris Silverwood who was inducted to the side a few days ago withdrew after a back injury. Fellow fast bowler Alex Tudor too seems to be having a stiff side. Silverwood will now be replaced by Richard Johnson, who has had an impressive county season for Somerset this year while taking 37 wickets.
Johnson, incidentally had toured India with an England A side in 1994-95 after he had taken all ten wickets in an innings the previous season for Middlesex against Derbyshire.

India to Sri Lanka (Test series)

It seems Sachin Tendulkar is still not fit enough to play in the three match Test series against the hosts Sri Lanka beginning on August 13. The chairman of selectors Chandu Borde however said that his name would be included in the team and a replacement will be made only if his foot injury does not heal in time.
The selection committee is to meet on Thursday to finalise the team for the Test series. India is also likely to be without the services of Zaheer Khan and VVS Laxman both of whom are carrying injuries.

Miscellaneous

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble returned to competitive cricket today by leading a Karnataka State Cricket Association XI in the KSCA Diamond Jubilee All India Tournament currently being played at Bangalore.
Kumble said he was 80 percent fit and was looking forward to bowl 20-30 overs a day in a bid to regain his old form. Kumble has not played cricket since October last year and then later he had undergone a corrective surgery in South Africa in January this year.
Last month, he had turned up for his alma mater club, Young Cricketers, in a third division league tie while taking three wickets for 49.

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The Asian Cricket Foundation (ACF) has postponed the finalisation of the television rights and title sponsorship for the Asian Test Championship (ATC). The reason given for the postponement of the meeting, that was to be held yesterday, was that the ACF chief Jagmohan Dalmiya was unwell. However, insiders claim that the bids received so far have been far from satisfactory.
It is now learnt that General Tauqir Zia, who also heads the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), has instructed his marketing advisor Zahid Bashir to help look for clients to sell title sponsorship and television rights for the tournament.

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The interim committee of the Sri Lankan Cricket Board today cleared former cricketers Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda deSilva of all the match fixing charges leveled against them. The Board said the findings by one-man investigator Desmond Fernando had "categorically exonerated" the duo of any wrong doing.

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The two controversial letters written by late Sir Don Bradman to former Australian captain and batsman Greg Chappell have been sold at an auction in Melbourne for $ 9,500. These letters formed a part of the latter's collection which came under the hammer yesterday. Chappell's entire collection was sold for nearly $ 90,000. His two baggy green caps were sold for $ 9,500 each.

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Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne has come down heavily on former Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, while branding the latter as the player he dislikes the most. These sentiments were expressed by Warne in his autobiography, which is being serialised by an English newspaper.
According to Warne, it was Ranatunga's attitude on the field which seemed to act contrary to the spirit of the game. Warne was referring to the Muralitharan incidents during Sri Lankan tours of Australia in 1995-96 and 1998-99, when Ranatunga blamed the Aussies for the incidents and termed it as a conspiracy to stop the Sri Lankans from doing well.

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Australian skipper Steve Waugh has rated Adam Gilchrist's 122 (in 162 mins, 112 balls, 15 fours, four sixes; 100 coming in 84 balls) against India at Mumbai in February this year, as good as former Australian Stan McCabe's famous classic when he scored 232 (235 mins, 276 balls, 34 fours and 1 six) against England at Nottingham in 1938.

SCORES AT A GLANCE

Coca-Cola Triangular in Sri Lanka SRI LANKA v INDIA (8th match)
at Colombo (SSC)
Toss:Sri Lanka
India:227-8 in 50 overs (R Dravid 47, Yuvraj Singh 98 not out, RS Sodhi 30; D Fernando 3-47)
Sri Lanka:181-10 in 45.5 overs (M Jayawardene 34, S Perera 30; A Nehra 3-35)
Result:India won by 46 runs
Man of the match: Yuvraj Singh (Ind)

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Points Table:
Team	P	W	L	Nr	Points
Sri Lanka	6	4	2	0	8
New Zealand	5	2	3	0	4
India	5	2	3	0	4

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