India square off against underperforming West Indies in first Test

KINGSTON ( Jamaica): In the last four years of their journey to conquer the Test world, India have won a Test in 2006 at Sabina Park, Kingston; in 2007 at Trent Bridge, England, in 2008 at Perth, Australia, in 2009 at Hamilton, New Zealand; in 2010 at Durban, South Africa.

And yet, when they arrive for a major cricket assignment overseas, the talk of Indian batsmen being suspect against quality bounce and effective fast bowling keeps coming to the fore.

Express pacer Fidel Edwards, who last played a Test in 2009 before being sidelined with a back injury, says India will have to face some 'chin music' at Sabina Park, where the action begins on Monday. He is very sure that the visitors are susceptible to quality pace and bounce.

This whole notion of India not being able to handle pace comes as a surprise. Especially when we're talking about a team that has played Lee, Johnson, Clark and Tait in Perth; Steyn, Morkel, Tsotsobe and Kallis in Durban; Martin, Southee, O'Brien and Franklin in Hamilton. And all of this in the last three years. Therefore, Edwards can rest his case. Regardless of the doubts that the opposition may like to bear in mind, the fact remains that India have been there and done it well.

When you look at the Sabina Park wicket for the first Test from a distance, it appears less threatening than how Edwards feels it will behave. The pitch lacks any shine and grass and seems to have been smoked out. Both teams believe that there'll be good bounce and carry. However, that in turn should worry the West Indies if Harbhajan Singh finds his rhythm.

After the renovation of most stadiums in the Caribbean, none of the tracks at most historic stadiums here retain the old flavour any more. The need to protect and facilitate exciting Twenty20 matches, the pressure to have bigger scores in the 50-over format - to attract television viewers - have simply 'accommodated' factors that were alien to conditions here years ago. It is not India's fault, as a touring team, if host countries have failed to consolidate their cricketing strengths over a period of time.

Frankly, the talk of India not able to handle pace is now almost a 'joke'. At least as long as they're busy proving everybody wrong.

The focus in this Test, instead, is likely to be on how well can the West Indies live up to their own batting expectations. Only if they show the determination to hold on to their wickets and put runs on the board more frequently than they have in the recent years, will the hosts be able to make a match of this series.

India go into the Test without Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag - two batting stalwarts who've been unmatchable. The prolific Gautam Gambhir is also missing and so is the bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan. In the absence of these names, the tourists will depend on relatively newer faces to show them the way.

Captain MS Dhoni expects these circumstances to provide a competitive atmosphere in the Indian team ahead of important assignments later this year. "It will be a good competition for the batsman. This is an ideal opportunity for everybody and that's how I want them to look at it," he says.

Dhoni, of course, is wary of the West Indies pace attack. "They have good bowlers and the turn here (at Sabina) is likely to be lesser than the venues for the one-dayers," he says. He sums up that India have to be wary, but not in the manner in which oppositions like to think. They have to be wary of the standards the team has set in the last few years.

India's fitness worries were yet to be sorted out until Sunday night and therefore, chances are that the final eleven will be decided as late as possible. Dhoni will not rush any of his players into the game if even there's a slightest doubt over fitness. Given the flurry of assignments coming up in the near future, the skipper believes fitness will remain the most important ingredient for success.

Swot Analysis

World No. 1 India take on 7th-ranked West Indies in the Test series from Monday. TOI presents a swot analysis of both teams

INDIA

Strengths: The Indian batting line-up has pioneered the team's surge to the top spot. With experienced campaigners such as Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman back in the fold, the West Indian bowling will surely be tested. Also, with regular skipper MS Dhoni coming back fresh from a break, the youngsters in the team will feel at home.

Weaknesses: Without Zaheer Khan, and Sreesanth, the pace attack looks way short on penetration. And there are doubts over Munaf's fitness too. The onus will be on spinners Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra to get the wickets.

Opportunities: With the likes of Dravid, Sachin, Laxman and Zaheer nearing the end of their careers, the series will provide a serious platform for the youngsters to prove their mettle at this level. India will be hoping that they will grab the chance.

Threats: The young batsmen will have to contend with some disconcerting pace and bounce. If the untested opening duo fails, their job will be much more harder. Raina and Badri's form too does not inspire confidence.

WEST INDIES

Strengths: The bowling attack has sheer pace at its disposal in Kemar Roach and Fidel Edwards who will love to revel on bouncy tracks.

Weaknesses: An unstable and inexperienced team. And the batting looks fragile barring Sarwan and Chanderpaul.

Opportunities: The team has a chance to resurrect its dwindling fortunes and its sorry Test record over the last several years. It has a chance of doing so against an understrength Indian line-up.

Threats: The team has a history of disintegrating in a jiffy. Unless the new ball yields wickets, containing a solid batting line-up will be tough.

TOI

Murali Vijay fit for Test opener against West Indies

KINGSTON ( Jamaica): The injury-hit Indian cricket team heaved a sigh of relief after opener Murali Vijay was declared fit for the opening Test against the West Indies, starting on Monday.

Vijay, who was hit on his right forefinger in his first practice session on Friday, has suffered no real damage.

Vijay was back in the nets and batted with intensity at Sabina Park on Sunday.

The Indians, unhappy with the practice facilities, chose to send their batters to a faraway location while the bowlers bowled alongside the main pitch at Sabina Park.

Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh bowled for a long period in trying to work out the right length for the Test match. They also had a fair idea of the bounce the pitch would offer over the next five days.

The batters though returned to the venue once it was known that the repairs had been done and the practice pitches were fit to be used.

Even though Vijay is fit, there is still uncertainty over the fitness of pacer Munaf Patel.

Munaf, who is battling an elbow injury, was again out of action on Sunday.

It is ironical that on a pitch which offers a great deal of bounce, India would be forced to go with just two medium-fast bowlers in the match.

Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar will be sharing the new ball but there is no other fast bowler on whom skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni can fall back upon.

Replacement medium-pacer Abhimanyu Mithun is expected to arrive on Monday, well after the first day's play is over.

Mithun thus has ruled himself out and with the team unlikely to take chances on Munaf, it appears certain that India would go into the Test with two pace and an equal number of spinners.

It seals the place for leg-spinner Amit Mishra who, despite his one-day heroics, must have been praying for his inclusion in the side after being out for 10 months.

Harbhajan Singh will be keen to do well as well since he needs only seven wickets to reach the magical 400-wicket mark in his 94th Test.

TOI

Munaf doubtful as Team India sweats out ahead of first Test

KINGSTON ( Jamaica): Clouds of uncertainty continue to hover over medium-pacer Munaf Patel's availability for the first Test against West Indies at Sabina Park starting next Monday.

The gangling medium-fast bowler from Gujarat was reduced to a spectator as his team-mates, including Test arrivals from home notably Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, put themselves to a vigorous work-out on Friday.

Coach Duncan Fletcher has refused to shed light on the reason for Patel's inactivity in the last two team sessions, as well as on missing out on the final one-day international on Thursday.

The only word the Zimbabwe-born coach has said is that "Patel should be fit for selection for the Test."

Patel was hugely impressive in India's World Cup campaign as well as in the one-day series here where he picked up eight wickets from three matches at 17.75 average.

However, he has not played a Test for India for over two years now and if the trend continues it would most likely pave the way for Praveen Kumar's inclusion in the Test team.

In the practice session, coach Fletcher appeared keen to pick up the brains of Dravid and Dhoni.

Fletcher had said earlier that he was looking forward to learning from men with such wealth of experience.

Dhoni was among the early bats to pad up but then sat in the shade for long while others took their turn under a scorching sun.

The arriving Test specialists were impressively intense even though it has been less than 24 hours since they landed in the Caribbeans.

Openers Murali Vijay and Abhinav Mukund, particularly the former, spent a long time in the nets against both spinners and pacers alike.

The hosts, on their part, afforded good net bowlers to the visitors as all Indian batsmen had an extensive work-out.

VVS Laxman was the centre of attraction with his graceful strokes, while Vijay made some rasping drives.

Later Dhoni, alongwith the spin cordon of Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli latched on to some sharp catching practice organised by fielding coach Trevor Penny.

Bowling coach Eric Simmons appears to have taken over the job of former coach Gary Kirsten who threw down countless ball at the batsmen. Simmons gave a good work-out to Raina, Mukund and Laxman with his throw-downs.

The first Test starts on Monday.

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BCCI considers DRS unreliable in its present form

NEW DELHI: Unfazed by the criticism it has drawn for opposing the Decision Review System, the Indian cricket board on Saturday stuck to its stand that it does not consider DRS reliable in its present form.

The BCCI, which has opposed DRS since its very inception, has been facing flak from several countries for refusing to use the technology in Test matches. Recently English players such as James Anderson, Graeme Swann and Chris Tremlett criticised BCCI for rejecting it for next month's Test series.

In fact, Swann went on to suggest that India was intimidated by the prospect of losing out on close calls due to DRS but the Indian board seemed least concerned.

"The DRS, and the BCCI's stance on the same, has been the subject of several media reports over the past few days," the BCCI said in a statement.

"The BCCI would like to reiterate that it does not accept the reliability of the ball-tracking technology, which is an integral part of the DRS. The BCCI's position has been consistent," it added.

Earlier, senior Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar had stated that he was not against the system as such but would want it to be more consistent by incorporating Hot Spot and Snickometer for close LBW and caught-behind decisions.

"I am not against DRS, but I feel it will be more effective with the support of the Snickometer and Hot Spot technology. This will give more consistent results," Tendulkar had said.

However, neither Hot Spot nor the Snickometer, is part of the ICC's list of minimum technology requirements for the DRS.

BCCI president Shashank Manohar added, "I have even told the ICC that we have no problem with Hot Spot. Our objection is to ball tracking. It becomes just a case of someone else's imagination versus the umpire's imagination."

Australia and England are among the cricket boards which are backing the DRS.

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Dravid is still motivated by Tendulkar

KINGSTON ( Jamaica): He has spent 15 years in international cricket but senior India batsman Rahul Dravid says he continues to be inspired by Sachin Tendulkar, with whom he has starred in 19 Test century stands.

"He's been phenomenal, has had terrific last 2-3 years and possibly done the best batting of his life," said Dravid in his ever-earnest manner in his first practice session in the Caribbean on Friday.

"When I came he had already been around for seven years; he was my captain in West Indies (in 1997) and was a source of great motivation. That motivation has not changed," he added.

India will play three Tests against West Indies starting from next Monday and four against England spread across next two months this summer.

Dravid is the third highest run-scorer of all time, scoring 12,063 Test runs in 150 matches at an average of 52.44. He is also the only batsman to have hit at least one century in all 10 Test playing nations. That's not all, he is also a world-beater with 200 catches.

Yet all this greatness sits lightly on a modest man who still is anxious to compete well for himself and his country.

"I had a seven month time off (from Tests). But I knew about these seven Tests in a row and was ready with my preparations," he said.

"You know you have done enough but there is still a certain pressure; you still feel nervous and there are butterflies (in your stomach). These things never change. It would be nice to get runs early on and keep the form going."

Dravid expects great things from this largely young side which is being led by an extremely capable captain in Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"He (Dhoni) has led very well and done a great job. He exudes calm and his records, be it in Tests, in IPL or in one-day cricket has been phenomenal. His ability to remain calm under pressure is a priceless ability. (The team is) lucky to have a guy who has this kind of quality," he said.

The 38-year-old cricketer is aware that the transitional phase of Indian cricket is at hands and is hopeful that a few of the younger guys would carry the torch forward.

"Over the next year or two, young batsmen should be coming through -- like Ganguly, Laxman and I did. Sooner than later, similar young boys would come through and two or three would have similar long careers for the next 15 years. Then the team is going to be in good health," he said.

Dravid hoped he would play a role in this learning curve, sharing his experiences with the younger kids.

"Young kids love to chat and you are always open. There would be opportunity to share this experience over the next seven Tests. It would be great to pass on this knowledge.

"Unfortunately, today it's not the nature of cricket to have a lot of practice games ahead of a series. I remember I had six or seven practice games in England and there was so much to learn from the Tendulkars, Manjrekars and Azharuddins of the side.

"Tests are always so stressful but practice games allow you to relax and interact. I don't know any solution; its tough on kids," he added.

Dravid was particularly keen to do well in Sabina Park, and generally in the Caribbean, for the great charm the region held in his mind while growing up.

"You remember as a kid listening to radio and hearing about Sabina Park; Gavaskar hitting centuries; those fearsome fast bowlers and you dreamt of playing here," he said.

"I have now been involved in four Test matches at this venue and I know when I sit back I will be happy about it."

It was at the Sabina Park where he last came as a captain in 2006 and his two half centuries was instrumental in India winning their first series in Caribbean after 35 years.

Dravid rated those two innings of 81 and 68 in a low-scoring game as one of the better knocks of his entire distinguished career.

"It was a very difficult pitch. In the context of the series, it was one of the better Test match innings I have played. In a low-scoring game, anything could have happened. It was most satisfying and in terms of quality, I rate it one of my better innings," he said.

Dravid believed the pitch here for the first Test is going to be extremely testing too.

"This generally has good bounce. Looking at this wicket, it would be a good challenge. They have a good pace attack. We have the bowling and hopefully the guys will make a difference."

Dravid claimed he didn't feel bad he wasn't part of the team which won the World Cup earlier this year and indeed took delight in the achievement of his mates.

"I knew I wasn't playing, I haven't been playing one-day cricket for the last two and a half years. So I didn't feel bad in that sense. I was happy for the team, for Indian cricket as it took 28 long years," he said.

"You feel good for the guys, that you have played with some of these guys and that men like me, Ganguly, Kumble were involved in the system in the past, have had some role to play in this onward journey," he added.

Dravid was evasive in his views on the controversial Umpires Decision Review System (UDRS) which is not being supported by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

"My views really don't matter. In the past I have said that UDRS is going to be used at some stage. Obviously Indian board wants it be consistent, really this is between the ICC and BCCI to sort it out."

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Opportunity lost for India's new faces

KINGSTON ( JAMAICA): The land of Bob Marley, to put it in the words of the Reggae king, gives the Indian selectors the right opportunity to pluck some weed.

The five-match one-day series against the West Indies saw the wise men picking the best of India's young talent in the absence of senior cricketers. Having seen them put their brand of cricket on display, selectors now have the chance to pick the best from the lot and mark them out for the future. The rest will have to simply take it into account that as much as they've earned a reputation for themselves in India's vast domestic circuit, the temperament to do equally well at the international level is not quite there.

There's no shame in accepting that. Not every good cricketer is necessarily good enough to play international cricket. And it becomes all the more important to realise this when you're discussing a World Champion team.

Tamil Nadu's S Badrinath – certainly a batsman of considerable talent and with a lot of runs to back that in the domestic circuit – is a case in point. At 30, Badrinath managed to make it to the Indian team on two separate tours and has played seven one-dayers and batted in six innings so far after making his debut in 2008. Three of those innings have come on this current tour of West Indies.

In all these outings put together, he's aggregated a mere 79 runs and a highest of 27 not out. His one-day average thus stands at 15.28 and the strike rate has been a dismal 45.93.

Now, before one goes any further, it is important to note that Badri made it to the Indian team in the first place only because of the massive number of runs he's stacked up in domestic cricket and most importantly in all formats.

He averages a whopping 62.41 in first class cricket and 32.44 in Twenty20. Those are impressive figures.

Then why exactly has a man of such talent – he underlines it when he cuts fast bowlers through point and gully with immense ease and plays spinners with a lot of heart – not been able to convert it all to the international level?

In the series against West Indies, Badrinath batted at No 4 in all the matches he played and every time he walked out to bat, circumstances presented him with an opportunity to make it his own stage. He missed thrice before being dropped for the final one-dayer.

Was it lack of temperament?

Opener Shikhar Dhawan, the Delhi batsman, is another example – but certainly not in Badri's league even when it comes to the domestic circuit.

On slow batting wickets where seeing off the new ball can be the easiest thing to do instead of walking in late in the batting order and managing situations, Dhawan made a mess of his chances too. With the exception of a 67-ball 51 on an eased out batting track in Port of Spain in the first one-dayer, Dhawan has failed miserably in other games, only to be rested in the fifth and last match. As an opener, which is Dhawan's regular batting position, he had absolutely no shots to show in the 'V' and entirely got his runs playing square off the wicket.

Yusuf Pathan is another batsman to make it to this unwanted list and stands thoroughly exposed with each day in international cricket. While there's little doubt that he can hit the ball harder than most of his ilk, the belligerent right hander can do almost nothing if the delivery doesn't get pitched in his zone. Anything on good length, just outside the off-stump and he'll smash it into the stands. Anything else will leave him in big trouble.

It doesn't take bowlers in international cricket long to figure that out.

Among the three, Badri may find it the hardest to digest that getting another chance at this level for another time will be difficult, especially because he is a very good batsman who has earned his runs with sheer display of talent.

However, like his two other teammates, he has to realise that international cricket is a different ball game altogether. No disrespect meant.

TOI

West Indies beat India by 7 wickets in fifth ODI

KINGSTON (JAMAICA): Darren Bravo hit a career-best 86 as West Indies comfortably defeated India by seven wickets in the fifth and final ODI on Thursday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Chasing a target of 252, Bravo's clean hitting helped West Indies reach the target in 48.4 overs to reduce the series score to 3-2.

Interestingly West Indies had lost the first three ODIs against Pakistan in the earlier series before winning the last two.

Cheered by local hero Chris Gayle from the stands, Bravo (86, 99 balls, 3x4, 6x6) who many believe is a 'Brian Lara clone' launched into Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra hitting as many as five out of his six sixes off the two.

The Batting Powerplay proved to be the turning point for Windies as Indian bowlers gave away 57 runs between overs 43 and 47. When Bravo was finally out in the 46th over with 39 still to get, Kieron Pollard (24, 13 balls, 3x4, 1x6) and Marlon Samuels (28, 25 balls, 3x4) plundered 42 runs in only 3.3 overs to seal the issue.

Credit should also be given Ramnaresh Sarwan (75 retd hurt, 94 balls, 5x4, 1x6) who anchored the innings to perfection before he couldn't carry on due to cramps. Sarwan and Bravo added 103 runs for the third wicket before the right-hander retired hurt.

Bravo took his time to settle down but with wickets in hand, he waited for the batting Powerplay to explode. The other turning point was India losing seven wickets for 62 runs despite Virat Kohli's solid 94.

Leaden-footed Darren Bravo sprang to life with two successive sixes off Ashwin as he scored 15 runs in the 43rd over.

Mishra, the most consistent Indian bowler in the series met with similar fate as he too went for couple of sixes with 15 runs coming off it.

Vinay Kumar who had a good first spell went for 11 runs, the target was reduced to 23 from the final three overs.

West Indies openers Lendl Simmons (6) and Adrian Barath (17) fell cheaply before Sarwan and Bravo began their rescue mission.

Earlier, when India batted it was a case of poor shot selection by the middle and lower order batsmen after Kohli (94, 104 balls, 10x4) along with Rohit Sharma (57, 72 balls, 2x4, 1x6) laid the foundation with a 110-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Coming in to bat in the fourth over, Kohli stayed put till the 36th over to help India overcome early jitters although a fantastic piece of fielding by Sarwan from the deep robbed the batsman a chance to score his sixth international hundred.

Andre Russell was the pick of the West Indian bowlers, grabbing four for 35 and his spell at the death earned him the man-of-the-match award.

Indian openers Parthiv Patel (6) and Shikhar Dhawan (11) were gone by the seventh over as West Indian quicks took full advantage of the bouncy strip that was on offer.

Patel was hurried onto a pull shot by a Russell bouncer and was holed out at mid-wicket. Dhawan was done in by the extra bounce as he was caught in the slips off Kemar Roach.

Kohli started by clipping Russell delightfully to mid-wicket fence off the eighth ball he faced.

The next boundary was rather a streaky edge past slip off Darren Sammy but he made it up with a delightful cover drive in the West Indian skipper's fourth over.

Manoj Tiwary (22, 22 balls, 1x6, 1x4) looked in good nick during his short stay and a six off Sammy which hit the wooden roof of the club's bar was a breathtaking sight.

Tiwary though was unable to build on his start and edged one from Pollard behind the stumps just before the first drinks interval took place. His partnership with Kohli yielded 58 runs.

India now had the best batting passage of the innings as their two best young batsmen put their wares out on display.

Both looked to hit down the ground and picked up runs with ease as the 100 runs of the innings came in the 22nd over.

Kohli was careful in his shot selection and hit fours off leg-spinner Anthony Martin and Andre Russell in successive overs.

Kohli first bisected Martin through the backward point fence and then punched Russell through the covers.

The Delhi lad reached his half century in the 23rd over with a single off Martin having faced only 63 deliveries. He celebrated it with a cheeky steer for four off Lendl Simmons.

Man of the series Rohit having settled into a nice groove at the other end, slammed returning Roach over midwicket for an effortless six in the 36th over.

Kohli departed in this very over when he flicked one to fine leg and hurried back for a non-existent second. Sarwan's throw was hard and accurate to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh who found the batsman short of his crease.

Once Kohli was dismissed, there was virtually no resistance from the other batsmen.

Skipper Suresh Raina played an ill-advised lofted shot to be out in the deep off Pollard. He has often tried this shot in the series with disastrous results. The stand-in captain could manage only 74 runs in the series.

Rohit completed his third fifty of the series but was cleaned by Martin trying an ugly heave. He hit two fours and a six during his 72 ball knock.

Yusuf Pathan (30, 29 balls, 2x4, 1x6) looked confident for the first time in the series but again his undoing was a short ball that lifted from short of good length to kiss his edge.

Russell blew away the lower order as Amit Mishra (0) was bowled trying a big hit and Ishant Sharma was castled by a yorker as India missed a chance to play 15 more deliveries.

TOI

I wish no cricketer goes through what I have: Mishra

JAMAICA: He has had the West Indies batsmen in knots in the ongoing ODI series but not so long ago, Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra was considering hanging up his boots out of sheer frustration at being dropped despite decent performances.

The affable spinner's nine wickets at an average of 17.00 in the ongoing series exceed the value the figures can ever suggest. Yet, Mishra lives with the dictum of his day-to-day philosophy.

"I once took seven wickets and scored a 50 against Bangladesh in a Test - and was promptly dropped in the next game," recalled Mishra.

He could have also mentioned his dramatic first year in Test cricket in 2008 when he took 20 wickets in five games against Australia and England and yet was sent to cool his heels for the entire next year.

It is not as if he has been compensated in one-day internationals. He made his ODI debut in 2003 and after just two games was banished for more than six years.

He did have his shoulder injury to contend with but he was still picking wickets by bucketful in domestic cricket.

"I wish no cricketer goes through what I have in my career," says the 28-year-old cricketer.

"But for my family who egged me on and Mr Ranbir Mahendra (Haryana cricket supremo) I would have hung my boots long ago."

Mishra is mindful that during this spell of 2008-09, Anil Kumble made a mighty return and Harbhajan Singh was still on top of his craft.

Also only one spinner is usually preferred in Tests abroad. Yet the feeling lingered that he was being unfairly treated with.

"I just let out my frustration on a cricket ball. I bowled and bowled and bowled. During matches, in nets and many a time alone. I worked on my leg-spinners, drifters, googly, variations in pace, degree of spin, everything," says an eager-faced Mishra who has nearly 400 first-class wickets to show for his 11-year toil.

Mishra was finally thrown a lifeline in the form of IPL. He was picked up cheaply by Delhi Daredevils in the first year auction in 2008 but his impressive hauls, including two hat-tricks, have ensured he could no longer be ignored so brazenly.

Yet it hurt him immensely that he wasn't part of India's World Cup squad as Piyush Chawla was preferred to him.

However, he got his break in the present series and has been impressive to the extent that legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar feels he ought to be on plane to England later in the summer.

Having learnt the bitter lessons, Mishra now believes only wickets can give him a good run in international cricket.

"Economy is alright but wickets matter more to me. There's no point in going for 0 for 45, it's better to have 3 for 50. It's good for you, it's good for team."

Says Eric Simmons, India's bowling coach, "Mishra is very confident, very aggressive. He gets a lot of drift which is always a very good sign for a leg-spinner."

Mishra's approach has helped India as many a time in the past, the middle overs were passive periods for the team. Most opposition could recover from poor starts only because there was nobody to pick wickets in the middle overs.

"Even though I can bowl three variations of googly, my stock bowl is leg-break. I feel my strength is the loop and the drift and dip which accompany it," remarked Mishra.

His 36 wickets from 10 Tests compare favourably with his idols Shane Warne (25 wickets), Muttiah Muralitharan (40) and Harbhajan Singh (38) at the same cut-off point.

Kumble alone is markedly superior at 53 wickets from 10 matches.
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Years with Chappell as coach worst of my career: Zaheer

NEW DELHI: Indian pace spearhead Zaheer Khan considers the two years with Greg Chappell as national coach the worst of his decade-long career as the controversial Australian made him feel unwanted in the team.

Zaheer said he and other senior players were constantly worried about their place in the side and were unable to perform during that tumultuous period between 2005 and 2007.

"It was as if you've been framed. It was like 'we don't want you in the team. It's not about performance, we don't like your attitude, you're stopping the growth of cricket in the Indian team'. I felt it personally because I was dropped straight after the Sri Lanka tour, even though I had not performed badly," Zaheer said.

"I was fortunate enough to go to South Africa to represent the Asia XI (in the Afro-Asia Cup). I got about nine wickets and I was recalled for the next series. In that phase it was always a struggle. When you're fighting within the team, when you have a war to fight in your own camp, it is always difficult to win," he said.

Chappell took over as India coach in May 2005 but his tenure was marred by serious differences between him and senior players, including Sachin Tendulkar. He also had a public spat with the then captain, Sourav Ganguly, who was dropped from the team but later recalled.

At the end of his tenure, following India's first round exit from the 2007 World Cup, Chappell decided not to seek an extension of his contract.

Zaheer said, in contrast, former South African batsman Gary Kirsten's tenure as India coach was "amazing".

"He has given everyone their space. He's understood the Indian culture and how we do things. He's taken that step of coming closer to us rather than dictating. He was our friend, not a coach," Zaheer said.

Kirsten took over in tumultuous circumstances but left the job on a high, guiding the Indian team to a historic World Cup triumph after a hiatus of 28 years besides taking them to the pinnacle of Test rankings.

Zaheer said the only positive of Chappell's tenure was the inclusion of youngsters in the team but felt that sacrificing experienced players was not the only way to give opportunities to youth.

"A youngster coming in is a good sign but not at the cost of a cricketer who is doing his bit."

The 32-year-old Baroda pacer said the county stint with Worcestershire came at the right moment for him when things were not going his way.

He signed up with Worcestershire for the 2006 county season and finished as the highest wicket-taker in Division Two of the County Championship, taking 78 wickets at 29.07.

"Worcester taught me the reason I'm playing this game. Sometimes when you play at the highest level, especially in India, the whole country is so passionate about the game, so whether you do well or do badly it affects you in many ways. So when I went to Worcester, it was just me playing cricket."

"I was just enjoying cricket and not thinking about other pressures, about the pressure of performance. Everything was falling into place. I was taking wickets. Even though I was not in the Indian side, I was actually happy," Zaheer said.

Talking about the historic World Cup triumph, in which he was the joint-highest wicket-taker with Shahid Afridi with 21 wickets, Zaheer said he is now a calm and composed player as compared to the emotionally-driven youngster in the 2003 final against Australia.

In the 2011 World Cup final, he bowled three consecutive maidens at the start of the innings.

"It was only a couple of years into international cricket; the World cup journey itself was something special in 2003. That time my thing was to bowl quick. I wanted to be aggressive.

"It was a World Cup final; there were a lot of emotions. As soon as the national anthem finished, there was this rush of young blood. I wanted to do really well, wanted to just blast the Australians apart," he said.

"This World Cup I was aware of the fact that there will be a lot of emotions, I have to deal with it. I have to maintain my calm and focus on the process. I was telling myself just go there and bowl," he added.

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Summer of content for Rohit in the Caribbean

ANTIGUA: Even as the Indian cricket coach Duncan Fletcher joins the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne in heaping praise on batsman Rohit Sharma, the purists only hope that it's not again just a case of false dawn.

For a batsman of Rohit's calibre, it is surprising that he has had a roller-coaster ride so far in his career and has struggled to foment his place in the Indian national side.

Rohit has inspired India to two of its three ODI wins in the ongoing series against the West Indies with unbeaten knocks of 68 and 86.

But his success in the past have almost inevitably followed a string of failures, which explains why his career still flounders at average 30.63 after 64 games and why he is still not seen fit enough for Tests.

In 2008 in Australia, Rohit played two successive unbeaten knocks of 39 and 70 in a triangular series before his career fell in a mire and only 496 runs accrued over the next 33 one-day internationals with just two half centuries.

Left out in the cold in 2009, he made a roaring comeback in Zimbabwe last year with successive centuries against the hosts and Sri Lanka in a triangular before the almost inevitable rut hit him again - 290 runs from the next 17 one-day internationals with just one half century.

He has now yet again made screaming headlines with two purest of knocks and critics believe that this time it is for real.

"He's far more disciplined now," concedes stand-in-skipper Suresh Raina.

Rohit himself said that he "wants this tour to count" for him.

While Raine feels that "it's the time he has spent with Sachin for Mumbai Indians", Rohit feels missing out on World Cup was a catalyst and that he has worked "unbelievably hard on his cricket in the last three months".

Rohit actually never needed to work on his cricket, for many are convinced he is the most talented young batsman in the world. It's his mind which is said to have been his own worst enemy.

From the time he lazily walks up to the crease; languidly settles into his stance and stroke a few in the outfield; Rohit seems so superior to the mortals around him that he tends to get bored all too easily and throws it away.

He seems devoid of hunger; unmindful of the use he could be to himself and to his country. He has truckload of time and this rare combination of technical astuteness and innovation which Ramnaresh Sarwan concedes "allows him to sneak upon you and within no time he has 40 on the board."

Ironically, the region which saw him touch his nadir in 2009 - only 15 runs from four ODIs - could as well restore him to the one-day side and earn him a Test cap.

On Saturday, after he had sealed the game in India's favour with a winning four, Rohit turned around to pick up a stump as a souvenir. He finally might have begun to value himself, his talent, his team and his nation.

Almost every generation, India has produced a great, world-class batsman from Mumbai.

Rohit could be the next one, following on in the footsteps of Vijay Merchant, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.

If Rohit has indeed conquered the demons of his mind, Indian cricket can approach the moment of transition with hope and confidence.

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India aim clean sweep, Windies to play for pride

ANTIGUA: West Indies have oscillated between bad and worse against a young India side and now trailing 0-3, they've nothing to gain from the remaining matches except some pride. The fourth ODI between the two teams will be played at the Vivian Richards Stadium on Monday and the hosts will have to come up with something better than what they've dished out so far to stop the confident Indians.

Darren Sammy, it seems, has been lacking the vision of a leader and the authority that comes along with it. For someone who has to lead by way of example, Sammy's own performance in the field and his ordinary bowling has not helped the team's cause. Last week, the skipper spent most of his energies signing press releases that said how local media had been showing him in poor light for not attending a particular awards function recently.

Cricket, somehow, doesn't seem to be the primary focus and that's been showing in the team's performances.

There have been flashes of brilliance, like that of Andre Russell's 64-ball 92 in the last game, Devendra Bishoo's attacking leg-spin and Ramnaresh Sarwan's two timely half-centuries. However, the players have not been able to convert these good performances into match-winning ones.

India, on the other hand, have stuck to their gameplans well, and maybe the West Indies will have to take a leaf out of the India's book. While India intend to go into the game with wholesale changes in the squad, it is unlikely if the West Indies will try any such thing. Instead, they'll want the Pollards and Sarwans and Bishoos to come forward with something extraordinary.

Chris Gayle's participation in the ODI series now is completely ruled out, especially because he's yet to meet with the officials of the West Indies Cricket Board. The home team will have to make do with the resources they already have and come up with something special.

India's captain Suresh Raina, meanwhile, lauded India's bench strength and hinted that now that the series had been won, more youngsters would be given opportunities. The remaining two ODI might see players who've been warming the bench so far – R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, R Vinay Kumar and Wriddhiman Saha – getting into the action.

Ashwin has been unlucky so far considering the team decided to include a leg-spinning option in Amit Mishra for the first three matches. "We wanted to have that option (of leg-spinner) and it was unfortunate to leave Ashwin out. He's a very important bowler for us and you can expect to see him play the next game," says Raina.

Ishant and Vinay made way for the more experienced Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar but both the medium-pacers are now likely to get a game each. And as far as the batting goes, Raina is still trying to figure how he can fit in Tiwary for the next game. That leaves Saha, the wicket-keeper-batsman who seems to have been the selectors' pick.

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Ind vs WI: India beat West Indies by 7 wickets (D/L)

PORT OF SPAIN: India produced a disciplined all-round performance to notch up a convincing seven-wicket victory over the West Indies in a rain-affected second one-day international and also take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series on Wednesday.


Virat Kohli (81) played a stellar hand in first partnering opener Parthiv Patel (56) for 120-run second wicket stand and then withstanding the little tremor induced by the rain breaks.

Chasing 241 to win, India were 100 for one in 22 overs when a sharp passing shower made the square unfit to play for 85 minutes. The rain break reduced the visitors innings to 37 overs and the target was revised to 183, implying they needed 83 runs from 90 deliveries.

India achieved the target comfortably losing the wickets of Parthiv Patel (56) and Virat Kohli (81) in 33.4 overs.

Earlier, India restricted West Indies to 240 for nine after skipper Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field at the Queen's Park Oval.

Amit Mishra (4/31) and Munaf Patel (3/35) struck in the late moments to stop the run flow and trigger a collapse after the Caribbeans went off to a good start.

For the hosts, Ramnaresh Sarwan (56) and Lendl Simmons (53) cracked individual half-centuries up the order but their middle-order crumbled, slipping from 175 for three in 34 overs to 229 for nine in 48.5 overs.

Chasing the revised target, Patel left early, caught behind off a tickle, but Kohli held firm and was well supported by stand-in skipper Suresh Raina (26) who brought an early end to the innings.

India were off to a poor start when left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan (3) guided a Ravi Rampaul delivery into the hands of gully fielder.

But Kohli was in his element from the very start and rarely hit the ball in the air, a contrast with Parthiv Patel who scooped and flicked in vacant places at will.

Kohli completed his 2000 runs in ODI internationals with a sweep off Devendra Bishoo. It has taken him only 53 innings -- the second fastest behind the joint record holder Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sourav Ganguly (52 innings each).

None of the West Indian bowlers made any impression and the biggest flops were the local boys -- Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo -- who made little impression with either bat or ball.

Patel, during his gritty knock, faced 64 balls and hit two fours and two sixes.

Kohli, who hit six fours and one six in his 103-ball innings, was finally dismissed in the last ball of the 31st over when looking for a six, he ended up holing out to Pollard off Bishoo at long-off.

Raina's brief cameo of runs came off 19 balls and contained one four and a six.

Earlier, leg-spinner Mishra took four for 31 with his sharply turning leg-breaks to keep West Indies down to 240 for nine after the hosts had threatened to run up a bigger total at one stage.

Munaf Patel (3 for 35) too played a good supporting hand as the West Indies lost six wickets for 48 runs in the final nine overs.

An entertaining 36 for Marlon Samuels and a hectic eighth wicket 31-run stand between skipper Darren Sammy (22 not out) and Ravi Rampaul (14) gave the Caribbeans some momentum but in the end the total was not enough.

Earlier, openers Simmons and Kirk Edwards (25) provided the perfect platform with 57 runs by the 13th over as they feasted on some rugged fielding and wayward bowling.

Edwards' first four flicked bowler Munaf Patel's raised hand to go to long-on fence and the next one was crashed past covers in the fourth over.

Moving into his stride, Edwards smote Praveen Kumar at the other end over mid-on, hurrying Indians to bring on leg-spinner Amit Mishra in the eighth over.

Simmons survived a caught behind in the 10th over after Munaf Patel overstepped the bowling crease.

Mishra was impressive from the word go but Simmons was confident enough to sweep him for four.

Harbhajan Singh, introduced in the 12th over, had a horrid start as he either bowled too wide or too full to go for 24 runs in his first two overs.

There were two deliveries which spun past leg stump to go for wide fours and then Edwards launched into a ferocious hit straight down the ground for a six.

Mishra gave Indians the first breakthrough after a sharply turning leg-break took the edge of Edwards' bat to nestle into the gloves of Parthiv Patel.

However, Simmons was unperturbed as he smacked Mishra over midwicket for a six and later dished out the same treatment to Yusuf Pathan to bring up his half century in the 25th over with the score reading 114 for one.

New man Sarwan and Simmons forged a 67-run partnership before the opener was departed in the 27th over in a rather ungainly manner when he rushed down the wicket and Patel stumped him off a wide delivery.

Sarwan though had dropped anchor at the other end and once powerfully square cut Harbhajan to the fence and then deftly guided Munaf past vacant slips for four.

His new partner Marlon Samuels was more aggressive as he stylishly drove Mishra to the cover fence and then pulled Yusuf behind square leg for another four.

In this eventful over, he smote the next ball for a six but then was fooled by a slow wide floater to be out stumped.

Sarwan then brought up his 37th ODI fifty with a boundary of Praveen Kumar but the right-handed batsman gifted his wicket away, hitting a rank full toss from Munaf Patel into the hands of the deep square leg fielder Amit Mishra.

With Pollard next in line, West Indies asked for the batting powerplay at 192 for four in the 42nd overs and it turned out to be a disaster spell for them.

Pollard survived three balls before his attempted sweep made him a leg-before candidate for nought. Bravo (8) stroked one in the deep as if to give catching practice to Harbhajan Singh and wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh completely misjudged a googly from Mishra to be bowled.

West Indies made 29 runs from the five overs of batting powerplay, losing three wickets.

Skipper Sammy and Rampaul then freed their arms for some entertaining hits before Munaf ended the pyrotechnics of this pair with two wickets in his final over.

Rampaul was caught in the deep and young Bishoo could only guide a rising delivery into the hands of the wicketkeeper.

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Ageing Jayasuriya recalled to international cricket

COLOMBO: Veteran batsman Sanath Jayasuriya's international career has been resurrected in the wake of a doping investigation involving Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga.

Jayasuriya, who turns 42 this month, will return to play for Sri Lanka in the upcoming limited-overs and Twenty20 matches against England.

He was included in a 16-member squad announced on Thursday, a day after Sri Lanka Cricket announced the official notification by International Cricket Council that Tharanga has tested positive for a banned substance after the World Cup semifinal win over New Zealand and that a disciplinary action has been initiated.

"Since there is an ongoing inquiry to verify this charge, Upul Tharanga will not be making himself available for selection until the conclusion of the inquiry and therefore will not be available for the ODI and T20 matches in England and the Sri Lanka "A" team tour of England," a statement from Sri Lanka Cricket said.

Jayasuriya has not played a limited-overs international for Sri Lanka since December 2009, and played his last Twenty20 game a year ago. His career was thought to be over after being dropped from the World Cup squad and failing to secure a contract with a franchise in this year's Indian Premier League.

Jayasuriya has played 444 one-day internationals, scoring 13,428 runs at an average over 32. He has also taken 322 wickets bowling left-arm spin.

Left-handed batsman Thilina Kandamby was named deputy to captain Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Dimuth Karunaratne, a 23-year-old left-handed opening batsman is the only uncapped player in the squad.

All-rounder Anjelo Mathews' selection will be subject to fitness as he hasn't fully recovered from an injury sustained during the World Cup.

Sri Lanka will play England in a Twenty20 match and five limited-over internationals starting June 25, followed by Twenty20 games against Ireland and Scotland.

The squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Thilina Kandamby, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Tissara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis.

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We are missing Gayle: Sarwan

PORT OF SPAIN: West Indies are missing Chris Gayle and it's just that the board - even though it understands the importance of having the Jamaican in the squad - is yet to come to terms with the issue on hand.

It is clear now that should the hosts have any chance of giving India a tough fight in this series, Gayle will have to be back in the squad, if not as skipper then as a player alone for he - the West Indies cricketers feel - has it in him to provide the necessary inspiration.

"Yeah, we miss Gayle," admitted Ramnaresh Sarwan after Monday's loss to India at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain.

Sarwan feels that the West Indian players have been trying to help each other and looking to improve. However, the team certainly requires an individual right now - desperately rather - to stick around and show them the way.

"We have not started the way we would have liked, against India," says Sarwan, not going into the little details of how the team's batting misfired on Monday.

The wicket played very slow and it wasn't easy for batsmen to get runs out there in testing temperatures. But the manner in which the top and middle-order - with the exception of Sarwan and Marlon Samuels - lost their wickets to rash strokes, was appalling.

Horrendously mistimed pull shots, going for lofted drives when the need of the hour was to stay put and save wickets, absolute lack of patience and no plan in place to build an innings, all cost West Indies the game. That India chased the target with just four wickets to spare was the result of some good bowling by leg-spinners Anthony Martin and Devendra Bishoo.

"It was pretty tough early up, but once we got set, it became a bit easy to bat," says Sarwan, talking about very hot and humid conditions.

"Marlon and I got the start, but we did not quite carry on. I was looking to get a much bigger score for the team and set a bigger target," he says.

Sarwan, the most experienced of the lot, is still trying to find his feet out there in the middle and admits his batting hasn't been upto his expectations yet.

"I'm still not my fluent self, but I will go back to the nets tomorrow. I have a few things I have to work on and be ready for the match on Wednesday. From here on I will be looking to improve even more and do better for the team," he says.

West Indies have to come up with something far better than what they did on Monday, if they have to give this young Indian side any trouble. It is also the need of the hour in the Caribbean for these men to get a grasp of the depleting situation.

"There's no humiliation if you go down fighting to a better team," say former cricketers here. "But learn from the mistakes and try not to repeat them."

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Tests in the Caribbean will be tough: Laxman

HYDERABAD: VVS Laxman has come a long way since his first visit to the Caribbean in 1997. From opening for the country then to becoming India's vice-captain a second time, he has been there and done that. Still, he finds the latest tour to the West Indies alluring.

"The 1997 series was a great learning experience for me. Opening the innings for the first time against Walsh, Ambrose, Bishop and Franklyn Rose was a great experience. I'm quite happy with my performance in the West Indies. In fact, West Indies is one of my favourite place because of its cricket culture, for the kind of people who come and watch the game. It's a great place to tour and I'm looking forward to one more visit," said Laxman on Tuesday after a stint at the Gymkhana nets. The Test specialists leave on June 12.

Laxman has played 16 Tests against the Calypso Kings - 13 away (903 runs) - and aggregates 1174 runs at an average of 52.36. The World No. 1 Test team will not have Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in its ranks. But Laxman hoped to repeat his 2002 show, when in five matches he totalled 474 runs at 79, and the team its 2006 performance when they won a Test series in the West Indies after 35 years.

"We will definitely miss the services of Sachin, Viru and Gautam. That said, even when they were there I always performed to the best of my ability. This time will be no different. Their replacements Murali Vijay, Abhinav Mukund and Virat Kohli are up and coming youngsters. If we play to our potential we'll definitely win. We won the Test series there last time and we hope to repeat the feat."

Not just the team, there is a change in support staff too, including new coach Duncan Fletcher. "We will miss Gary (Kirsten) without doubt and I'm sure Duncan Fletcher will continue what Gary has done because he has done well with the countries he was associated with. We are looking to continue the good work done by Gary and I'm sure the Indian team will prosper under the guidance of Duncan Fletcher," Laxman said.

The appointment couldn't have come at a better time as India head to England after the Windies tour. "Playing England in England will be definitely the toughest challenge because England have done very well the last few seasons. Personally, I've never got a hundred but a lot of 50s. It would be a dream Test match if I get a 100 at Lord's and we win the Test. That will be really special!"

India's first Test on their latest Caribbean sojourn begins in Jamaica on June 20 and Laxman reckons the series will not be easy.

"West Indies in West Indies is very tough competition. They have good match-winners, so it will be a good contest. How you meet the challenge is very important. I've always given a lot of importance to my performance overseas."

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We take great pride in being world champions: Rohit

PORT OF SPAIN: An old Trini, who says he doesn't quite remember his own age and adds that he must have been born at around the same time as Charlie Davis, his favourite cricketer, is usually found hanging around the main entrance to the Queen's Park Oval. He won't look at you, won't even say "hello". At best, he'll ask you for a cigarette, and then leave without thanking you.

On Monday, though, there was a surprise in store. He startled even the security guards and made his way to the Team India bus just as it was preparing to leave the venue. He walked up to the players and asked them a question any journalist would've been proud of: "You boys, how long you think you go on as world champions?" And then he rattled off, "It's a great responsibility. Are you proud enough to handle that?"

Most of the cricketers didn't even look at him. Those who did, smiled and were gone. Agitated, the old man walked back to his usual hangout outside the gate.

On the eve of the second one-dayer, which gives the team opportunity to stamp their class on the home team, one was left wondering if the players gave his question a thought as they drove away. Were they proud of the tag that Team India carries today, that of world beaters? Do they have an idea of the responsibility it entails?

"Being world champions is not a joke. It is a great responsibility for all of us and we're conscious of it. We take great pride in it but we have to move on and keep winning. We have to keep the focus," India's middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma had said minutes after his half-century helped the team win the first one-dayer.

Had the old man heard it, he would have perhaps belted out a couple more questions. There's no better example than the West Indies to illustrate what can happen to a champion side if they don't plan for the future. They dominated the game for 20 years but where are they now?

Sharma agreed that this could be the most important phase in his career and that of his young teammates.

Virat Kohli, a few years younger to Sharma and member of the World Cup winning squad, said, "It is for us now to shoulder that responsibility. The seniors guided us till here and we have to take this momentum forward."

Rohit cited Monday's example, when he walked in to bat with India struggling a little at 61/3. "It wasn't an easy track; it was very slow and turning a bit. You needed a lot of time to keep the innings going. Till the first 35 deliveries, I didn't score a single boundary," he says.

The youngsters want to make the most of the opportunity available and Sharma in particular, who missed the World Cup, is aware of what he lost out on.

"These guys are very motivated and each of them has his own reason," says Suresh Raina.

That will be music to the ears of those who want India to build on the World Cup winning platform. Unless India manages to continue their reign at the top for the next 10-odd years, the effort that went into becoming Number One will have been wasted.

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Tremlett thanks Warne for helping him toughen up

LONDON: Australia may have been spared their Ashes torment at the hands of Chris Tremlett if only Shane Warne had avoided telling him a few home truths, the giant paceman has revealed.

The 6ft 7in fast bowler was a revelation in Australia where, after missing the first two Tests, he took five for 87 in Perth and then four for 26 in Melbourne before featuring in the climatic Sydney Test where England clinched a 3-1 Ashes series triumph.

Even more impressive than his raw figures, was the way in which Tremlett maintained an accurate line with sharp bounce qualities also evident when he took four for 40 as England shot out Sri Lanka for just 82 in an innings and 14-run first Test win in Cardiff on Monday.

Tremlett, whose physique would do justice to an international rugby union lock forward, has arrived at Lord's, where the second Test of a three-match series against Sri Lanka starts on Friday.

He is a key man in England's attack, especially given injured Ashes spearhead James Anderson has been ruled out.

Yet only a couple of seasons ago conventional wisdom had it that Tremlett was too nice a guy to be a fast bowler

Tremlett began his career at Hampshire where his father, Tim, had been a reliable medium-pace bowler before overseeing his son's promising career as the county's cricket director.

But the arrival of Australia leg-spin great Warne as Hampshire captain led to Tremlett being told to shape up, although it still took a move to London-based Surrey for the now 29-year-old paceman to book his Ashes spot, having made his Test debut when still with his native county four years ago.

"I guess I've always been a believer in letting the ball do the talking," Tremlett told reporters at Lord's on Wednesday.

"I perhaps held back a bit at Hampshire. I did try to be aggressive but I guess it was forced a bit, to be honest. I tried to be someone I wasn't...it was difficult to be nasty."

Warne was left frustrated, not so much by a lack of 'verbals', but by the undeniably talented Tremlett's inability to always impose himself on opponents.

"I won't disagree with Warney," Tremlett said. "I was a bit timid at times - but the older I've got, with more confidence and age, being more aggressive comes more naturally to me.

"I don't think about it too much - it just happens."

If England recall Steven Finn, almost as tall as Tremlett himself, and, as seems likely retain Stuart Broad, well over 6ft himself, it will give the hosts one of the tallest of any all-time fast bowling trios.

Sri Lanka looked decidedly uncomfortable against the rising delivery on the final day in Cardiff - something not lost on Tremlett.

"The short ball is a great weapon - and playing against this team, they are not used to it at times.

"It could be a plan we'll go with, but we'll assess that on the day. It's something to think of."

Whatever the plan, a newly self-confident Tremlett is ready for the task.

"The England management know what they're going to get - whereas maybe a couple of years ago, when I was bit more inconsistent, they didn't know which Chris Tremlett was going to turn up on the day."

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Shahid Afridi announces early retirement

KARACHI: Flamboyant Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi announced an early retirement from international cricket, in protest against his removal from the captaincy of the national one-day team.

"The people have given me lot of respect and love and I don't want to waste that working with this board who don't know how to respect players," an angry Afridi said.

In a scathing attack on the Pakistan Cricket Board, Afridi described the current set of administrators as a disgrace to Pakistan cricket.

Afridi who announced his retirement from all international cricket as a protest against the board for removing him as captain of the national one-day team told Geo News channel that nothing was greater to him than his self-respect.

The experienced all-rounder said until the present board under the chairmanship of Ijaz Butt was in place he would not play international cricket.

"I will continue to play domestic and league cricket but not international cricket but it is not worth my while under this board which gave me no reason nor did it bother to hear me out before sacking me as captain," he said.

"I don't want to work with such disgraceful people. I don't know on what grounds they sacked me as captain. I worked hard on building up a broken team and turned it into a fighting combination. We played in the World Cup semifinal and yet they sacked me without hearing me out."

Afridi also claimed that there was a group of people belonging to the Punjab province in Lahore who had always been against him.

"This group has always kept on working against me. They are the ones who keep on filling the chairman's ears against me. Maybe they don't want me to play because I get in the way of their plans."

Afridi also claimed that as captain he was never consulted in selection of teams nor was he sure about his captaincy before a series until the last moment.

"This board never gave me a feeling of assurance that I would be captain. I would not know before a series until the last few days whether I was going to be captain and I can't continue to play under these circumstances."

Afridi also made it clear that he had spoken to some of his elders and seniors before taking his retirement decision and they supported him.

"I want to make it clear that till this board is there I will not play international cricket. When it goes and if people want me to play on I will consider a comeback," he added.

The retirement announcement came just a few days after the board chairman, Ijaz Butt had in a surprising move sacked the all-rounder as captain of the national limited overs team although Afridi had led the team to the World Cup semifinals and to a 3-2 win over the West Indies in the Caribbean.

It was after returning from the West Indies that Afridi ruffled the board feathers when he told the media that he didn't like people interfering in his work an obvious reference to an ongoing row with head coach, Waqar Younis over selection issues.

After issuing him a notice for speaking to the media on team issues in contravention of the players code of conduct the board while announcing the squad for the one-day series against Ireland replaced Afridi as captain with Test captain, Misbah-ul-Haq who on Monday led Pakistan to a 2-0 win over Ireland.

Afridi after the sack also pulled out of the series against Ireland telling the board that he wanted to stay with his father who was under treatment in the United States.

Afridi defended his statement saying he had only spoken the truth and nothing else.

"I didn't speak against anyone nor did I criticize anyone by name. What I said was for betterment of team. But if they don't want me to speak the truth than I can't accept working with such people," he said.

"I didn't want any problems what I said was keeping in the benefits of the team. I can't continue to play under a board that does not respect senior players," he added.

Afridi had last year already retired from Test cricket after losing the first Test to Australia at Lords.

Afridi after his sacking also pulled out of the series against Ireland telling the board that he wanted to stay with his father who was under treatment in the United States.

But the all-rounder reached England from the US and on Monday made his retirement announcement from London.

Afridi who played 325 ODIs and 27 Tests told the channel that whatever he had said on returning home was in the better interests of the team.
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1st Test: England seize dramatic victory over Sri Lanka

CARDIFF: Chris Tremlett led England to a sensational victory as they defied the elements to beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 14 runs in the first Test at Sophia Gardens on Monday.

Sri Lanka were skittled out for just 82 in their second innings, with fast bowler Tremlett taking the first three wickets to fall on his way to a return of 4/40 in 10 overs on the final day.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann followed up with 4/16 in seven overs as Sri Lanka's dramatic collapse continued.

Stuart Broad finished off the match with two wickets in three balls, the tourists second innings ending in the 25th over in under two dramatic hours.

England's victory in their first Test since a 3-1 Ashes triumph on Australia was achieved despite rain, which fell throughout this match, washing out nearly a whole day's play in total.

And the win was achieved despite England being without James Anderson, who was ruled out from bowling in the remainder of this match on Saturday with a side strain.

Tremlett struck sixth ball to have Tharanga Paranavitana well caught low down at first slip by England captain Andrew Strauss.

But it was all the 6ft 7in Surrey paceman's own work when he caught and bowled Sri Lanka skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan after a review confirmed the batsman had gloved a lifting delivery back to the bowler.

The experienced duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene hung around until tea.

But both former captains fell shortly afterwards.

The hostile Tremlett removed Jayawardene with the aid of a Strauss slip catch before Thilan Samaraweera played on to Swann for nought.

Sangakkara was then held by Strauss off Swann and 43/5 soon became 43/7.

Prasanna Jayawardene, who had defied England with a century in Sri Lanka's first innings 400, fell for just three when he was given out on review, after gloving an attempted hook off Tremlett through to wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

England then reduced Sri Lanka to 52/8 when Rangana Herath, swinging wildly, was lbw to Swann before Broad wrapped things up.

There seemed little chance of England forcing a victory after rain washed out the whole of Monday's morning session and prevented play from resuming until 3.00pm local time.

England then added just five runs to their overnight total.

Strauss declared on 496/5 as soon as Ian Bell, who resumed on 98, completed a 159-ball hundred featuring a six and 11 fours.

Bell's was the third century of an England innings that saw his Warwickshire team-mate Jonathan Trott score 203 and opener Alastair Cook 133.

England will now head to Strauss's Lord's home ground, where the second Test starts on Friday, 1-0 up in this three-match series.

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'Upul Tharanga in trouble without TUE'

NEW DELHI: There are indications Upul Tharanga's failure to produce a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) certificate, required for athletes before using substances like prednisolone which are banned under the WADA list, may land him in trouble.

The player faces a ban of up to two years since the International Cricket Council has confirmed that it will follow the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) regulations to the letter while investigating the issue. "As a matter of policy the ICC doesn't comment on on-going investigations. The ICC, though, is completely WADA complaint and we'll follow the procedure laid down by the world body," ICC spokesperson James Fitzgerald told TOI.

Tharanga, incidentally, was the only cricketer to fail a dope test during the World Cup.

Prednisolone is part of WADA's 'specified list' of banned drugs. A glucocorticosteroid, it is widely used for the treatment of inflammatory and auto-immune conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, Bell's palsy and multiple scelorosis.

Athletes can use it after applying for a TUE from WADA, though the ICC has its own TUE commission comprising of six medical experts. The ICC also considers any TUE from a valid National Anti-Doping Agency. The ICC would have considered Tharanga's TUE if it was filed 30-days prior to the event, in this case the World Cup.

"A TUE is easily obtainable in India if an athlete has the required doctor's prescriptions with him. I am not quite aware of the Sri Lankan procedure but it is the athlete's folly for not seeking the TUE in time," NADA director general Rahul Bhatnagar said, adding: "Prednisolone is a drug on the specified list, which means it doesn't carry any preliminary ban.

An athlete can ask for their 'B' sample and if that too comes out positive he will be subject to a hearing according to WADA rules. If the player is found guilty after the hearing he can be banned up to a maximum of two years. A panel will
take into account a player's argument before reaching a final decision."

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