Cricket Focus (25 April 1999)

25 April 1999

Cricket Focus

Electronic Telegraph

ARJUNA Ranatunga, the Sri Lanka captain, renewed his war of words with Alec Stewart after the World Cup holders arrived in London yesterday to defend their trophy.

Ranatunga had a heated exchange with Stewart during the one-day series in Australia, with the Sri Lankan taking his side off the pitch after Muttiah Muralitharan was no-balled by Ross Emerson.

Stewart fuelled the row by claiming in his book A Captain's Diary that Ranatunga played one-day cricket to the edge of the rules.

"I don't know how he can assess Sri Lankan cricket - he doesn't know anything about it," Ranatunga said. "I can see he's worried, otherwise he wouldn't keep talking about it. My message to Alec is we're here to win the World Cup."

Meanwhile Trevor Chappell, the least successful member of one of the most famous cricketing families, has been recruited to help Sri Lanka's fielding. But will he be teaching them how to return the ball from the outfield by under-arm?

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BRIAN Lara has declared his fitness for the World Cup despite missing this weekend's one-day internationals with a hairline fracture of his hand.

"It is much better," said Lara yesterday. "There are no problems for the World Cup. I just need to rest for the next week or so." The West Indies captain was hit on the right hand by Jacques Kallis in South Africa in January.

In his absence yesterday West Indies lost the sixth international in Barbados when Australia triumphed by four wickets. Australia take a 3-2 lead into today's final match.

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CHANNEL 4 have signed up five leading England players to spearhead their presentation and publicity when they take over the televising of domestic cricket for the New Zealand series this summer.

Alec Stewart, Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, Dean Headley and Darren Gough will be at the forefront of the channel's attempt to personalise cricket coverage and involve the players in more interviews and features.

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NATIONAL GRID are to end their sponsorship of Test umpires when their three-year deal expires next March. They have made their decision because the company are now working in countries not associated with cricket.

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COLIN CROFT, one of Guyana's most famous cricketing sons, has joined the condemnation of the crowd invasion at the end of Wednesday's one-day international against Australia which led Raman Subba Row, the International Cricket Council referee, to question the Bourda ground's right to stage international cricket.

"This was as disgraceful a day as there has ever been in West Indian cricket, worse than the Jamaican pitch fiasco," said Croft. "It was shameful. There could easily have been loss of life or limb."

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NOTHING is going right for Adam Hollioake, who has not only lost his place in England's one-day starting line-up but also missed out on a lucrative modelling assignment at Harrods last week.

Originally believing the England squad would be unavailable for selection until the end of the World Cup, Surrey arranged for Hollioake to strut his stuff at a sports show in Knightsbridge on Tuesday, only to hastily re-book him for a rather less glamorous championship game at Worcester. It was a wash-out.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)