The Headlines for May 96

APR96 news items moved to ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/APR96

Thu 16

India begin a three-day match with Sussex today. Azharuddin, along with Prasad, Kumble, and Manjrekar will rest out. Vikram Rathore is expected to be the 12th man.

Sri Lanka`s first ever three-Test series against England has been tentatively fixed for year 2000, a period by which Sri Lanka has targeted to become the best Test nation in the world.

Sri Lanka has never played a Test series against in either home or abroad. All its previous meetings against England in Test cricket have been one-off Tests since the 1982 inaugural match. Also in year 2000, Sri Lanka will tour Australia for a three-Test series in January before hosting England in December. Sri Lanka will host Zimbabwe in early 1998 for the first time since gaining Test status.

Sri Lanka will play at least seven cricket Tests against Zimbabwe, Pakistan and England in 1998. Sri Lanka will host Zimbabwe in early 1998 for the first time since gaining Test status. Sri Lanka will soon finalise the dates for these Tests.

Sri Lanka has toured Zimbabwe once, but the latter has never played Tests here. On their maiden Test tour of Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe will play three Tests and an equal number of one day internationals. Also in 1998, Sri Lanka will host Pakistan for a similar tour after their One-off Test against England in Lord`s in August.

Sri Lankan-born former Australian Test cricketer Dave Whatmore who is on a two-year contract as coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team since June 1995, will return to Colombo by May 22 to join the team, a senior Cricket Board source said on Thursday.

He denied Wednesday`s press reports which said Whatmore`s return is in the balance as he is being offered a contract to coach an English county. During his first year in this capacity,the country`s cricket was elevated to the position of becoming World Cup champions of one-day cricket. Whatmore, who is currently is in Australia on a short holiday with his family, has indicated to the Sri Lanka Cricket Board that he will return to the island before the end of this month.

Sri Lanka have finally succeeded to the extent of convincing the ICC`s Cricket Council to form a panel to review cricketing controversies like ball tampering and chucking. The Cricket Council has recommended to the ICC for the formation of such a body. The final approval will be given at the annual meeting of the ICC at Lord`s in July. Sri Lanka were at the receiving end of allegations of ball tampering (for which they were later exonerated by the ICC) and throwing, when their leading spinner Muthiah Muralitharan was called twice during the last tour of Australia.

At the height of these controversies, Sri Lanka did not have anyone to turn to for help. The ICC could not take a decision and said that it required the consensus of all member countries before taking any decisions. As a result, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board had to get the services of a lawyer from London to clear the team off ball tampering charges.

The former Kerala Captain Ananthapadmanabhan has been banned as a disciplinary measure for an year from playing the domestic cricket. This was announced by the KCA after considering the report filed by Abdul Jabbar, the Kerala Ranji team`s manager. This would mean AP`ban will not be eligible to play in the next years Duleeps and other tournaments.

Ananthapadmanabhan last year had refused to play in a Ranji match against Tamil Nadu, pulling out in the last minute. He had apparently not liked KCA`s method of getting players from Tamil Nadu and including them in the Kerala Ranji team and thereby denying chance to the local cricket players.

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board plans to find future material as forty teams will clash for honours at the Under-24 Inter-Club tournament which will be worked off from July. The tournament give a good opportunity to national selectors to find talented players to form a strong Sri Lanka `A` pool.

The participating teams are from division 1, both in segment `A` and `B`, and the most outstanding division 11 clubs on invitation. The 40 teams have been drawn into five groups and the preliminary round league matches will commence on July 27 and is scheduled to end in mid-September.

ACB`s decision on Sri Lanka tour known by next week

Australia`s decision on their scheduled three-Test tour of Sri Lanka in July/August will be known by next week after the executive committee meeting of the Australian Cricket Board.

Prior to the ACB Ex-Co meeting, Sri Lanka will make another effort to convince Australia. The president of the Board of Control Upali Dharmadasa and secretary Tryphone Mirando will leave for Australia on Monday to hold discussions with the ACB officials regarding future tours between the two countries. Australia`s tour of Sri Lanka, which also involves participation of the four-nation Singer World Series, is still in the balance.

Tue 07

India beat a National Cricket Association XI in a one-day match. The scores: India 290/4 in 50 overs (Azharuddin 119, Rathore 103); NCA XI 176/8 in 50 overs.

Australia will launch a eight-a-side cricket tournament in Kuala Lumpur from July 12-14 along with an Asian Invitational side and South Africa, New Zealand, and India. See article in news/.

Australia`s decision on the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka will be known later next week. The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) is scheduled to meet next week and a decision on the tour of Sri Lanka in July/ August will be taken at this ex-co meeting. Informed sources said in Melbourne that the ACB has been closely monitoring the security situation in Colombo. With the improved relationship after the Wills World Cup final, the ABC should take a positive decision, the sources said. Australia are scheduled to play three Tests against Sri Lanka from July and participate at the four-nation Singer World Series with India, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in September.

Sri Lankan-born former Australian Test cricketer Dav Whatmore who is on a two-year contract as coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team since June 1995, will return to Colombo before the end of this month, according to sources in Melbourne. Earlier there were British press reports and rumours that Whatmore was going to give up his job as coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team as he is being offered a contract to coach an English county. During his first year in this capacity, the country`s cricket was elevated to the position of becoming World Cup champions of one-day cricket. Whatmore is currently in Australia on a short holiday with his family.

Mon 06

India beat The Duke of Norfolk XI in a one-day match yesterday. The scores: Duke of Norfolk XI 168/9 in 48 overs; India 173/1 (Tendulkar 108*)

Wasim Akram, in an interview with The Dawn, has stated that he has been retained as Pakistan Captain for the forthcoming series against England. The Dawn also cited PCB chief executive Arif Ali Abbasi as saying that Akram had been retained as captain for the full 1996/97 season.

A top Sri Lanka Cricket Board official said that there was no truth in certain p ress reports and rumours that Davenall Whatmore was going to give up his job as coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team. He said the Cricket Board was in close touch with Whatmore and added: "Dav is very much still with us". Whatmore stopped over in England after the Los Angeles leg of the tour to visit relatives in England. He is expected to join his family in Australia before returning to Sri Lanka. While in England he was quoted in the `London Times` of being offered a contract to coach an English county, probably Yorkshire, where his wife has relatives.

Sat 04

The Indian touring team made a bright start to its summer tour of England by registering a comfortable win by 96 runs over the Indian Gymkhana local side, at Osterley, in Middlesex, west of London, in the traditional friendly game of 40 overs each side on Friday. The tourists won the toss and elected to bat first to make 184 runs in 39.5 overs. They initially lost wickets rather quickly against some mediocre bowling. The home team lost wickets regularly and was all out for 88 runs in 35 overs to give India a comfortable win by 96 runs.

The former Indian women`s cricket captain, Purnima Rao, has responded to requests from English cricketers and accepted an offer to play for a Kent-based amateur club, Invicta, in England from the first week of May till September. Last season, she was declared "Eve of the Match" for her performance against England in the deciding one-dayer at Chepauk, Madras, when she scored 46 runs, picked up two wickets and effected a run-out which helped India clinch the five-match series.

A century old world record is broken in Zimbabwe. Wayne James, captain and wicketkeeper of Matabeland held 11 catches in a match, along with two stumpings. He now holds the record for the most dismissals behind the stumps in a first-class game.

Sri Lanka will host the three-nation Masters over 35 cricket tournament from July 17-21. Cricketing stars of yesteryear from India and Pakistan will join those from Sri Lanka in the competition which will be held in conjunction with Star TV. The Sri Lanka Masters team will also participate in the World Masters tournament to be held in Bombay in November this year.

Team Manager and chairman of Selectors, Duleep Mendis has said the only difference between Sri Lanka and other top Test teams in the world is lack of two good pacers. In his Manager`s report on the recent Australian tour, Mendis has stressed the need to find quality fast bowlers. "This is the only department where we lack when compared to all the other test teams. We have the batting, the spinners, but the two fast bowlers will make a big difference," said Mendis in his tour report to the Sri Lanka Cricket Board. The report said; We have to strengthen our bowlers. The bowlers will have to be given specialised training in fitness. If we could send our fast bowlers either to India or England, not only the ones in the team, but also those on the borderline, then we can have the stock going for sometime. He says if Sri Lanka finds two good pacemen, they can match any top Test team in the world.

Fri 03

Chris Cairns admits that he is not at speaking terms with coach Glenn Turner. See article in news/.

SABC Radio 5 sports news announced this morning that flood lights will now be turned on during first class domestic matches if the natural light declines sufficiently. It was not mentioned whether or not this is being done at the behest of new sponsors M-Net Supersport This also suggests that a lot of money is going to be spent upgrading flood lighting at some grounds (The Wanderers, for example, no longer has flood lit International fixtures) and installing lights in others.

Thu 02

West Indies clinched the two-Test series against New Zealand 1-0 with the second Test ending in a draw. The scores: WI 548/7 declared & 184; NZ 437 & 130/5.

Sachin Tendulkar was the star of the first practice session in England at Lord`s in London on Wednesday. It had nothing to do with his batting although his whirling pick-up was on exhibition when he had a 20-minute net -- it had more to do with his gracious press interview. He said he did not allow the commercial side to intrude into the game. "I know that I have the contracts which bring me about $ 7 million a year because of my success on the field. Therefore I know that I have to continue to perform well in order to maintain these contracts".

Indian skipper Azharuddin was brimming with confidence and after a practice session told journalists that his side was strong enough to beat England and might win the series. "Anil Kumble and Srinath both learnt a lot in their county season in England but we cannot rely on them entirely and we are also looking to our younger bowlers" he said.

World champions Sri Lanka are due to play in three major one day international tournaments before the end of this year. The first of the three will be the four-nation Singer World Series in Sri Lanka with India, Zimbabwe and Australia in September. This will be followed by Kenya`s first ever one day international tourna- ment with Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa in Nairobi.

Sri Lanka team is also scheduled to play in Sharjah in November and the details of this tournament have to been finalised yet. It is expected to be a four-nation tournament. Sri Lanka has already played in three limited over tournaments so far this year - The Benson & Hedges World Series in Australia, Wills World Cup in the subcontinent and Singer Cup in Singapore.

Leicestershire plan to make retiring Test umpire Dickie Bird an honorary life member of the county. Bird, who completes an illustrious career in the game this summer when he stands in his final Test against India, played for the Grace Road club from 1960 to 1964.

Sachin Tendulkar said yesterday that he would like to make a comeback to English domestic cricket but also admitted that he had not received any offers since his season at Yorkshire four years ago. See article in CURRENT/IND_IN_ENG/ for further details.

There are three significant changes to the regulations for this year`s County Championship in England. See article in CURRENT/ENG_LOCAL/.

Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie will succeed Sir Oliver Popplewell as president of the MCC this October. See article in CURRENT/ENG_LOCAL/.