NatWest series (India, Sri Lanka and England)

NatWest Series, Edgbaston
India 188-6 (48.1 overs) beat Sri Lanka 187 (48.2 overs) by four wickets

Sri Lanka lost their fourth straight NatWest Series match ending their hopes of qualifying for the final after losing by four wickets to Sri lanka at Edgbaston.

Sri Lanka can equal England's total of 10 points if they win their next two matches with maximum bonus points, but England would still go through having beaten Sri Lanka twice in the tournament.

India's bowlers took advantage of some early moisture in the pitch to bowl Sri Lanka out for 187 and Rahul Dravid saw his side to the brink of victory with a half century.

Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan conceded just four boundaries in the first 15 overs after Indian captain Sourav Ganguly won the toss and elected to field.

Scorecard | Match report | Slide show | Stats

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Contrary to the theory that wicket-keeping would put unnecessary strain on him, Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid feels the extra job behind the wickets was helping him in his batting.

Dravid, who hit a match-winning 64 against Sri Lanka yesterday to help India move into the final of the triangular one-day series, said he was enjoying his dual role as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

"It (wicket-keeping) probably helps (in batting) because you are in the best position to see what is happening," David said after India won their third match in the tournament.

"I was worried initially how it would go. Its been a challenge but so far it has gone well and I have enjoyed it.

"I have worked hard at it and its always nice to hold a few catches," said Dravid who been outstanding behind the wickets too. He has so far taken six catches and effected a smart stumping.

"It has been satisfying, more so because we have been winning. To play a big part in it is always nice," said the stylish Karnataka batsman who has scores of 73 not out, 8, 82 and 64 from the four matches.

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It was on July 13, 1974 at Headingley, Leeds that India played their first One-day International, posting a healthy total of 265 in 53.5 of their allotted 55 overs before being beaten by four wickets by England.

Now 28 years later at Chester-le-Street on Thursday, India became the third country (after Pakistan and Australia) to complete 500 ODIs, the landmark match against England declared a 'no-result' after being abandoned due to rain. The match was the 1,851st played since the first at Melbourne on January 5, 1971 between England and ustralia.

India's record stands at played: 500; won: 230; lost: 238; tied: 3; abandoned: 19 for a success rate of 47.8%.

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James Kirtley will miss the rest of the NatWest Series match after sustaining a hand injury. The pace bowler was ruled out for between four and six weeks after breaking his right hand attempting to take a catch off his own bowling off Jeremy Snape in the nets.

He was taken to a nearby hospital where x-rays confirmed the extent of the damage.

Kirtley has been an ever-present in England's four matches of the triangular series.

He was recalled after having his action remodelled in the aftermath of being reported to the ICC over its legality during October's tour to Zimbabwe.

England are unlikely to call-up a replacement to the squad.

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England coach Duncan Fletcher wants Nasser Hussain to stay on as captain beyond the 2003 World Cup.

Hussain has previously hinted that he might stand down following next year's tournament in South Africa.

But Fletcher, whose own England contract expires in September 2003, said: "I would be keen to persuade Nasser to carry on.

"He's done a great job and I enjoy working with him and we pair off well because we have different ways of working."

Triangular series shifted to Kenya

The tri-nation one-day competition involving Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand, scheduled to be held in Pakistan in August-September this year, would be held in Kenya in the wake of security concerns expressed by the participating teams.

"The one-day triangular series has been shifted to the mutually agreed venue of Kenya," Pakistan Cricket Board chief Lt Gen Tauqir Zia was quoted as saying by the official APP news agency.

Also the three-Test home series against Australia, scheduled to be played in October, is likely to be shifted to Bangladesh, he said.

Miscellaneous

Breaking the 100 miles per hour barrier may be one of his targets, but Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar is more keen to have another go at his greatest rival - Sachin Tendulkar.

Shoaib is looking forward to another duel with the batting maestro but has no idea when he will get the chance since cricketing ties between India and Pakistam have been suspended.

"India's got great batsmen like Sachin. They have a lot of great guys playing for them, I'd like to bowl to them. I haven't bowled to them for the last couple of years, so its no good for me," the gangling paceman said.

The world's fastest bowler has played the Indians only once in the highly charged Asian Test Championship in Kolkata three years ago. Pakistan won that game by 46 runs and Akhtar claimed four wickets in each innings, including the prized scalp of Tendulkar for a duck.

"Playing against India is definitely more exciting, more passionate. I hope we get to play each other again," Akhtar said.

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Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne could return for a second season of county cricket with Hampshire in 2003.

Director of cricket Tim Tremlett told that there was a "60-40 chance" that the 32-year-old would return.

One of Wisden's five cricketers of last century, Warne has 450 career Test wickets at an average of 26.52.

He took 70 first-class wickets at 23.14 for the club during a one-year stint in 2000, and was back in Southampton last week to attend a benefit event for off-spinner Shaun Udal.

New rules will allow two overseas players per county allowed next season. And Warne could join former Zimbabwe all-rounder Neil Johnson, currently in the last season of a two-year contract, in the line-up.

"His plans with Australia will have to be looked at carefully," Tremlett admitted. "If he did return it would probably be for more than one year."

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Owing to "space constraints," icon Steve Waugh's next project for daughters of the leprosy-afflicted won't be at Barrackpore's Udayan.

His involvement, though, will be just as passionate. Steve, it may be recalled, single-handedly raised funds for Nivedita House at Udayan - which was formally opened by him in April 2000. Till then, the 'home' was exclusively for boys.

While it's a fact that Dominique Lapierre was a patron even before Steve came into the picture (thanks to an interview published in these columns four years ago), it's the Australian Test captain's association which gave Udayan a truly international profile.

[Once Steve lent his name, the Japanese, for one, did their bit by helping build a school on Udayan's premises.]

Now, Steve will be involved with yet another all-girls venture - either at The Philanthropic Society of the Orthodox Church complex in Nepalgunj (South 24-Parganas) or the Ramakrishna Vivekananda Mission centre at Rajgarhia House (North 24-Parganas).

The Nepalgunj facility, incidentally, is a girls orphange.

"Steve and the project's eventual sponsors will have the final say… The options, of course, have already been placed before Steve," Ms Shamlu Dudeja, chairperson of the Calcutta Foundation and the one instrumental in getting Steve associated with Udayan, told.

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