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Finding the menacing form of yesteryears that made them one of the most celebrated bowling attacks in world cricket, left-armer Wasim Akram (4-19) and Waqar Younis bowled to shoot out Leicestershire for a paltry 96. Waqar's 5-23 included a hat trick. For the home team, opener Iain Sutcliffe was last out for 55. At close on the first day of the three-day game at Leicester, Pakistan were at a comfortable 201-3 with the youngster Faisal Iqbal unbeaten on 81.
A confident sounding Indian team embarked on yet another foreign tour looking to break a 15-year jinx of wins out of the sub-continent (India last won in England in 1986). The team management comprising of Rahul Dravid (in Ganguly's absence), coach John Wright and manager Chetan Chauhan briefed the media and sounded confident that they could beat the hosts in the two Test series and in the one-day triangular to follow, that included West Indies as well. India play their first tour match against a Zimbabwe A side starting from May 28 at Mutare.
The team psychologist of the West Indies cricket team has resigned from his post after criticizing the attitude of the players. The Barbados born Joe Hoad had joined the West Indies team during their last year's miserable tour of Australia, which they lost 5-0. Hoad, 64, who also works with the South Australia Cricket Association, said the complacent attitude of the players was the reason for their current situation. He said the players would do anything to miss a practice session and go out partying. The Sri Lankan sports ministry has given a green signal and has agreed to raise the necessary money to finance the tours of India and New Zealand to the island's cricket board. The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has been prevented from operating its bank accounts by the former president of the board, Tilanga Sumathipala, through a court order. Prathap Ramanujan, a secretary in the sports ministry said as cricket was the most important game in the country he would do everything to make sure it wasn't disrupted. Former Indian captain and coach Kapil Dev is believed to have made a generous contribution to the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF). Indian sports minister Ms Uma Bhatati has revealed that Kapil was one of the major contributors along with Naptha Jhakri Power Corporation Limited and Power Finance Corporation. The contribution of these two totaled nearly Rs 1.25 crores (approx. US$ 250,000). The lawyer of the former South African skipper Hansie Cronje has filed a complaint against the South African Cricket Union for withdrawing an invitation issued to him to speak at a benefit dinner for his former team-mate and batsman Gerry Liebenberg. An affidavit has been filed about a month ago over the withdrawal of the invitation. Cronje is facing a life ban from cricket after having admitted to accepting money from a bookmaker in India.
The Zimbabwe Cricket Union has formed a ten-man Integration Task Force in an attempt to launch an aggressive campaign to improve and facilitate racial equity and integration within cricket at all levels.
Yesterday's News
News Roll archive
Compiled by: Mohandas Menon
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After being left out of the contracted players that play in the Test matches for England, batsman Graeme Hick is likely to face the axe from the one-day side as well. Hick had an inconsistent run in the Test matches that were camouflaged by the team's success. However in the one-day series in Sri Lanka that England lost 3-0, Hick was the top scorer with 46. Meanwhile another cricketer who faces an uncertain future in the one-day side is keeper-batsman Alec Stewart, although it is likely he will continue as England captain in the absence of Nasser Hussain.
Australian skipper Steve Waugh in a surprise statement claimed that his team would enter the first Ashes Test against England as `underdogs'. He was speaking at a farewell party, for the Australian one-day team, which leaves for England tomorrow for the NatWest tri-nation tournament. He said he expected a close Ashes contest after England's recent run of success. It seems the Aussies have found another way to put pre-series pressures on their opponents. Before their last tour of India, Steve Waugh had spoken like a captain of a champion side but now this statement from him comes as a complete turnaround.
The BCCI secretary JY Lele clarified that there would be no `one to one' meeting between India and Pakistan when the countries meet for the two-day Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Lahore. Only matters relating to Asian cricket would be discussed. There will not be any separate meetings between the BCCI president AC Muthiah and PCB chairman Tauqir Zia, he clarified.
