NatWest series (India, Sri Lanka and England)

NatWest Series, Headingley
England 241-7 (31.2/32 overs) beat Sri Lanka 240-7 by three wickets

England held their nerve to beat Sri Lanka by three wickets with four balls to spare, despite a brilliant century by Sanath Jayasuriya in the NatWest Series match.

Early morning rain at Headingley delayed the start and reduced the competition to 32 overs per side.

England captain Nasser Hussain won the toss and elected to field, but Sri Lankan captain Jayasuriya made him regret the decision from the outset.

Matthew Hoggard's woes continued and he was taken off after conceding 28 runs from his first two overs.

Ind in Eng | Scorecard | Match report | Slide show

________________

England captain Nasser Hussain has moved to defend seamer Matthew Hoggard in the wake of criticism of the bowler's performances.

Hoggard is lacking confidence after a disappointing NatWest one-day series, but Hussain wants to keep the faith so Hoggard can rebuild his confidence.

That is despite Hoggard suffering badly at the hands of Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya. Hussain believes that Hoggard can still play a valuable part in England's bid to win the 2003 World Cup.

"If we're going to have a World Cup squad we're going to need players who can take wickets with the new ball - and he's done that in the past," Hussain said.

________________

India's batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar is one of the sport's "all-time greats" and even the likes of David Beckham, Ronaldo and Tiger Woods, who have a huge fan following, can hardly match the master blaster's global stardom, according to British daily.

Stating that in India, where cricket is nothing short of a religion, The Daily Telegraph, in an article titled "talking sport" maintained that "Tendulkar is the anointed leader and there are few sportsmen who can match his global stardom.

"Beckham? Ronaldo? Tiger Woods? They don't even come close - Tendulkar is in a different league.

"Where Tendulkar is concerned, think Muhammad Ali or Pele. I've met both and Tendulkar is equal to their stature. All three possess that indefinable 'something extra special,'" wrote Sybil Ruscoe, in her article.

"Tendulkar has an immense physical skill and a litany of statistics as indisputable proof of his status as one of the all-time greats," she wrote.

But greatness really comes down to how the man handles it.

New Zealand in West Indies

2nd Test, Grenada, final day
New Zealand 373 & 256-5; West Indies 470. Match drawn

Test newcomers Scott Styris and Robbie Hart shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 99 to ensure New Zealand drew the second Test against the West Indies.

The tourists were assisted by occasional interruptions for rain at the Queen's Park Stadium to secure their first series win in the Caribbean after winning the first Test.

New Zealand began the day 139 for two, but found themselves in dire straits early on when they lost three quick wickets.

But Test debutant Styris, who scored a centruy in the first innings and Hart, playing only his third Test, dug in to deny the hosts.

Miscellaneous

Ehsan Mani A Pakistani financial czar, whose business acumen helped fill the coffers of the International Cricket Council (ICC), was on Wednesday picked to head the sport's world governing body.

Ehsan Mani, a London-based chartered accountant, will take over as ICC president from Malcolm Gray of Australia next June for a two-year term, an ICC release said.

In the run-up to the presidency, Mani will serve as ICC's vice president for a year during which the limited-overs World Cup will be held in South Africa in February-March, 2003.

"I was honoured on behalf of Pakistan cricket to be nominated for this prestigious position and delighted to be formally installed as Malcolm Gray's successor at last week's annual conference," Mani said in a statement.

________________

Bangladesh is bidding to host the three-Test series between Pakistan and Australia in October this year.

The series is unlikely to be staged in Pakistan due to the Australians' security fears. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is anxiously awaiting the final decision of Pakistani and Australian authorities on the matter.

"The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has contacted us about hosting the series in Bangladesh and we have shown our enthusiasm on the prospect," said BCB chief Ali Asghar.

Asghar has held initial negotiations with PCB director Munawwar Rana on the issue.

________________

Former Australian captain Allan Border will add some spice to the Ashes rivalry when he emulates England legend Ian Botham on a charity walk from Sydney to Brisbane later this year.

Border has announced he will walk 1000km from the SCG to the Gabba to raise money for sick and disadvantaged children.

He will leave Sydney on October 8 and arrive at the Gabba during a break in play at the first Test between Australia and England on November 7.

Border said he had wanted to embark on the journey for some time but had not been able to during his cricket career and now was the perfect time.

"With the Poms being in Australia and maybe with Beefy (Botham) coming along and helping out in some way, shape or form, it's finally being brought to fruition," Border said.

________________

To make the Pakistan cricket team a more fit and competent fielding side, like their Australian and South African counterparts, the Pakistan Cricket Board has hired Australian Dennis Waight as one of the team's three coaches.

Waight would provide training to Pakistan players, who often break down during important series, to improve their fitness level, ahead of next year's World Cup scheduled to be held in South Africa and Zimbabwe.He has been hired the national side's coach alongwith former Australian players Trevor Chappel and Daryl Foster, a PCB spokesman said.

"Waight is going to train and improve the fitness level of the senior players. Foster is being engaged as a bowling coach and consultant for the National Cricket Academy (NCA)", the spokesman said in Lahore.

Yesterday's News .........................  News Roll archive