Miscellaneous

Indian great Kapil Dev has expressed interest in coaching Victoria next season.

Kapil is yet to apply officially, but a representative of the former all-rounder has contacted state officials about the job.

News of Kapil's informal approach comes as speculation about Zimbabwe star Andy Flower intensifies.

Flower, the world's top-ranked batsman for much of last year, has been linked to the vacant Tasmanian job.

With Flower keen to shore up his post-playing career, it would not surprise if he is an applicant for the role in nearby Victoria.

It is believed Kapil has also shown interest in the Tasmanian job, which insiders say has attracted almost 50 applicants.

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Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has indicated a desire to play county cricket for Glamorgan this summer.

The Welsh county are the only club without an overseas player for the 2002 season, although they have opened talks with Shoaib's veteran teammate Wasim Akram.

The 26-year-old believes he would be a better bet, however, following his successful return to international cricket in the Test series against West Indies in Sharjah.

"I would love to play for Glamorgan and there are a number of reasons why it would be a good move for me," he told the Western Daily Mail newspaper.

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Leg-spinner Shane Warne is at the centre of a police inquiry into an alleged attempt to blackmail the Australian Cricket Board.

Victorian state police are questioning a man who was arrested at Melbourne airport last Friday, but no-one has yet been charged.

News reports claim an attempt was made to obtain money from the ACB over claims that a player kissed a teenage girl at the Gold Coast resort last month.

The Board declined to name the player at the centre of the allegations.

"Clearly this is an issue that we take very seriously. We reported the incident to the police when it occurred and have been co-operating with its investigation since this time," said chief executive James Sutherland.

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New Zealand have been threatened with a boycott by all four Asian Test-playing countries if they refuse to tour Pakistan in April.

The tour was originally scheduled for October, but the players were called home in the wake of the 11 September attacks on New York.

Team manager Jeff Crowe is to travel to Pakistan to check on safety issues before the Black Caps will be given the go ahead.

And New Zealand say they have decided to accept Pakistan's invitation provided concerns about player safety can be satisfied.

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Zimbabwe will be without star teenage batsman Hamilton Masakadza when Australia tour in April, as he begins a university degree course in South Africa.

Masakadza has received a cricket bursary from the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, to study for a three-year Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) degree.

And, while the university has agreed that his first priority will be to play for Zimbabwe, he will be allowed to settle in during the university's second term, which coincides with Australia's visit.

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Mark Waugh admits feeling the strain from his last three troubled years in cricket but has insisted he was playing well enough to avoid the selectors' axe.

In a frank interview, Waugh said he would not be "totally" surprised if selectors cut him from the national one-day team after an indifferent home summer.

But he said he would keep playing until he knew it was time to end a career which has been dragged through controversy by poor form patches and the revelation in December 1998 that he took money from an Indian bookmaker for providing match information.

"I've played so much cricket now that it does start to wear you down - the travelling and even the media," Waugh said.

Australia vs South Africa

South Africa captain Shaun Pollock is doubtful for next weekend's first Test against Australia because of a side strain.

Pollock was named in the team on Monday but selection convenor Rushdi Magiet said his fitness would have to be assessed before the Johannesburg game, which starts on Friday.

Pollock was unable to bowl in the second innings of a first-class domestic match for KwaZulu-Natal's this weekend because of the injury.

Vice-captain and wicket-keeper Mark Boucher will lead the side if Pollock cannot play, while fast bowler Andre Nel is on standby.

England in New Zealand

England practiced in Napier on Monday looking to solve a dilemma over their wicketkeeper after last weekend's embarrassing defeat to New Zealand.

The tourists took the radical step of dropping James Foster, who has struggled behind the stumps since arriving in New Zealand, for Saturday's 155-run defeat in Wellington.

Instead, they entrusted the gloves to opening batsman Marcus Trescothick, who had previously been regarded as nothing but a stand-in.

Foster's omission opened up a spot for an extra batsman in Owais Shah, but none of England's middle-order performed as they were bowled out for 89.

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