Standard Bank Triangular series in South Africa

Rain could dampen the spirits of the Indian team going into the final at Durban, which has been at the receiving end of heavy rainfall since Wednesday and showers have been forecast for both Friday and Saturday, which is the reserve day.
If the rain stops a delayed start and a shortened match is expected, just the recipe for a blockbuster of a match considering the batting form that the two finalists have been in leading up to the final.

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India go into a tournament final (involving three or more teams) for the 34th time. They have lost on 17 occasions, including eight final defeats in a row from April 1999.
India's last tournament win came on November 13, 1998 when it beat Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in the Champions Trophy final at Sharjah.

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The Kenyan skipper Maurice Odumbe hit out at the allegations in the media that his team's match against India was a fixed result.
He said India underestimated the Kenyans and fielded a rather under-strength side and were beaten outright by some good batting and unexpectedly good bowling.
The ICC's anti-corruption unit had asked for the tapes of the match to try and find out if there could have been any unfair play.

Cricket in Sharjah

The first cricket event in Asia after the September 11 bombings in the United States gets underway in Sharjah today. Zimbabwe plays Sri Lanka in the first match of the seven-match series. Pakistan is the third side in the tournament.
Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis said he was eager to play and eager for success after a long forced break from the game. With a full strength squad including pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar Pakistan are favorites for the tournament.

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Pakistan journalists looking to cover the tri-nation series in Sharjah have been miffed by the fact that many of them have been denied visas to the country.
Several Pakistani journalists who had applied for media accreditation forms to the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) through the Pakistan Cricket Board have been told by the CBFS it cannot arrange for their visas this time.
The CBFS informed them that since the UAE Interior Ministry has issued only a limited number of visas for the Pakistan players and board officials, the media should try approaching the UAE Embassy in Islamabad for their visas.
Interestingly reports say that the CBFS has arranged special visas of some Indian journalists to cover the tournament, even though the Indian team is not playing in Sharjah.
The CBFS is keen to have some Indian scribes in Sharjah so that they can project the venue and matches there positively in the Indian media for obvious reasons. While the PCB had applied for 52 visas from the CBFS they have been permitted only 30 visas

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The Sri Lanka coach has been lavish in his praise of Pakistan, who are also competing in the Sharjah tournament. He said Pakistan were a fantastic side and always played good cricket, promising his side would offer good competition as well.

The England tour

England fast bowler Mathew Hoggard is set to give his agreement to make the tour of India in November. Hoggard did well in Zimbabwe (10 wickets in 5 matches, avg 13.90) taking on the mantle of strike bowler in the absence of Darren Gough.
Hoggard said he was a cricketer keen to play for his country and a tour of India is an important event. The 16-man squad selected has been given until today to make up their mind about whether they want to tour or not.
It is believed that about six players, including senior players like Andrew Caddick, Graham Thorpe and Craig White, will opt out.

Miscellaneous

Australian skipper Steve Waugh has been put on a special diet after he was forced to forego training during the time he was treated for a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) injury to his calf.
After a sudden increase in weight due to the lack of activity Waugh has been put on a strict diet that include total cutting down of chocolates and snacks. Waugh claimed that he was not as strong willed about his food as he was about his batting and hence needed the assistance in dieting.

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The International Cricket Council is looking to recruit a Chief Financial Officer to strengthen and develop the way the game is managed. The financial officer will report to ICC's CEO Malcolm Speed.
His responsibilities include strong and effective control of all ICC financial interests, budget responsibility, analysis and accountability, building a finance team, identification, negotiation and execution of commercial contracts and close working liaison with the CEO and the ICC Finance & Marketing Committee.

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Australian Brett Lee and Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar may be soon playing club cricket together. The two are said to be personal friends and after Shoaib expressed his desire to play club cricket in Australia, Lee's manager arranged it for the Pakistani fast bowler. Shoaib Akhtar will be playing with Brett Lee's Sydney club side Mosman.

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The West Indies Cricket Board said that all the 16 members had agreed to go on the tour of Sri Lanka He said though they were initially uneasy about the situation they all agreed after they were briefed about the necessary security arrangements.
The WICB stressed that Lara never said he was unwilling to go, because of the political situation; the doubt was purely because of his fitness problems.

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