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Greg King, the Indian team’s trainer, has informed the BCCI that he does not wish to continue with the job after the completion of the tour of Australia, a day after physio John Gloster expressed the same intent.”He [King] has said that he will not continue [as the Indian team’s trainer] after this tour [of Australia], citing personal reasons,” Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, told Cricinfo.King has been involved with the Indian team since August, 2003, when he took over from Adrian Le Roux, and was contracted with the board till December, 2007, but had decided on making the trip to Australia.Prior to his stint with the Indian team, King, who is a post-graduate in Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, was a fitness trainer with the Border squad in South Africa.King and Gloster’s exits mean that the board will have to fill two vacancies in the support staff when Gary Kirsten takes over as coach on March 1.

A splendid all-round performance by Pakistan Customs’ Nisar Abbas thwarted ADBP’s aspirations of reaching the semifinals of the one-day cricket championship at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad Saturday.Nisar scored 86 off 101 balls as Customs ran up an impressive total of 294 for seven in 50 overs. Then with his slow left-armers, Nisar captured six for 42 in nine overs to restrict ADBP to 245 all out.ADBP ended with four points as did Wapda and Customs but finished third in the final round standings of Group-II on net run-rate.Customs captain Aamir Bashir hammered 102 off 110 deliveries after losing the toss. His knock was laced with six fours and one. The fourth-wicket partnership between Aamir and Nisar, who hit eight fours and one six, produced 111 runs. Asim Kamal remained on 44 not out off as many balls with three hits to the fence.Openers Inam-ul-Haq (80 off 99 balls, six fours) and Imran Abbas (52 off 60 balls, seven fours) gave ADBP a perfect start by putting on 108 in 20 overs. But the remaining batsmen found the runs hard to come by, especially against Nisar, who was the obvious choice as the Man-of-the-Match.

The inaugural NatWest Speed Challenge Final at Lord’s on Saturday (13 July) saw four future cricket stars claim the title of the UK’s Young Fast Bowler of the Year (in their age category). The young cricket stars qualified at one of the 10 NatWest Interactive Roadshows that toured the country in June. The winners for 2002 are:

Category Name Age From SpeedU17 Boys Tom Strong 16 Longfield, Kent 71.4mphU17 Girls Moira Comfort 16 Chatham, Kent 50.1mphU12 Boys Kieran Brookes 11 Lytham St Annes 54.6mphU1 Girls Cara Jade-Lowe 11 Leigh, Lancs 43mph

James Kirtley, the Sussex and England fast bowler, was on hand to give encouragement and support to the kids taking part in The NatWest Speed Challenge Final. All the competitors spent the day experiencing the excitement and tension of being a cricket star for the day including being photographed and interviewed by the media.Tom, Moira, Kieran and Cara have won a day’s coaching with NatWest Ambassador and England fast bowler, Darren Gough as well as a medal and a cricket bat signed by all three teams competing in this year’s NatWest Series (England, India and Sri Lanka). The cricket clinic will take place at Headingley at the end of July. They also got the opportunity to watch one of the best one day international matches of all times with India clinching a dramatic victory over England in The NatWest Series Final.All the finalists qualified at one of the NatWest Speed Challenge competitions that took place at the NatWest Interactive Roadshows with the results displayed on www.natwestseries.com giving the kids the opportunity to check their fastest delivery and position in the competition.Abigail Searle, Sponsorship Manager, NatWest said: “Grassroots cricket is fundamental to the success and future of the sport and we are delighted that the first NatWest Speed Challenge has been such a success, with over 5000 kids entering the competition across the country.”The NatWest Speed Challenge is part of a major grassroots campaign to encourage and develop children’s interest in the sport. NatWest have invested over half a million pounds over three years in a series of grassroots initiatives including the NatWest ‘Get Involved’ programme and the distribution of 800 flicx pitches and 10,000 skills balls to schools and clubs across the UK.The young bowlers were also ‘zinced up’ and wearing Marie Curie Cancer Care daffodils in support of the ‘Sun Safety – know your boundaries’ campaign that NatWest and Marie Curie are undertaking. Sun protection sachets and sun safety checklists were distributed at each of this year’s matches to help raise awareness of the dangers of prolonged exposure to the sun while watching or playing sport. NatWest have also developed an in-branch promotion with a £1 donation being made to the Marie Curie Research Institute for every Advantage Gold account opened from June to the end of August.

Australia `A’ completely overshadowed South African `A’ at Centurion today, winning by the biggest margin so far in the series, seven wickets, and ten overs to spare.Winning the toss and batting in what appeared to be a perfect morning to bowl on, the South Africans were once again let down by a top order that has just not switched on this series.Some lusty blows at the end of the innings restored some face but the locals still got bowled out inside the 50 overs for 193 with Ashwell Prince scoring 44 and Andrew Hall getting 38. Steve Elworthy waded in with a 27 and the next highest was extras with 25.The Australians only lost three wickets in their chase with Ryan Campbell once again going cheaply and Simon Katich getting nine. Justin Langer with 61 was the only other Australian to lose his wicket. Greg Blewett, unbeaten on 84, and Michael Clarke, not out 22, seeing the team home with 10.2 overs to spare.Robin Peterson was the choice of the South African bowlers with Elworthy giving ample support. This however is not the department that the South Africans are lacking in. Somewhere the selectors are going to have to come up with a solution to the failing top order.Mfuneko Ngam bowled with some pace and could feel slightly unlucky giving away three fours from inside edges that could just as easily have gone into the stumps. He did however leave the field after taking a bad fall on his knee running a ball down on the boundary.The South African selectors have left Gary Kirsten out of the squad for the next two matchesThe next match is at the Wanderers on Wednesday morning.

You might not think it looking at England’s record in Australia so far, but recent one-day international form indicates that their chances of reaching the finals of the VB triangular series, which starts in Sydney tomorrow, are not entirely unrealistic. This is despite England being the lowest-placed of the three teams in the ICC Championship Table (Australia are first, Sri Lanka fourth and England seventh).Given England’s appalling injury record (almost unbelievably, Surrey’s Adam Hollioake is the 31st player to join the squad in Australia) and the fact that they have yet to win a match on the tour, it is not surprising that they are the bookies’ outsiders. However they had the better of Sri Lanka in the NatWest Series in June, and have proved a force to be reckoned with against both New Zealand and India over the past year.Sri Lanka, after losing all but one of their six matches in England, have had an uneven run. After completing the regulation (if irrelevant) clean sweep over Bangladesh in August, they showed steelier signs of revival by winning the first-ever Morocco Cup, beating South Africa. They met India in a more significant final the following month, as hosts of the ICC Champions Trophy, but were fortunate to share the spoils after rain intervened with India on top. The wheels came off again in South Africa, where they lost 4-1.However as Nasser Hussain has pointed out, past form is not necessarily a guide to future performance anyway. “When we lost to Wales last summer, everyone built it up as the death of English cricket, and we played some excellent cricket in the tournament that followed,” said the England captain.For all three teams, this series is a vital part of the build-up to the World Cup in South Africa in two months’ time. So far, Australia’s progress has gone most smoothly. Since jettisoning the Waugh twins they have won 5-1 in South Africa and lost 2-1 at home to Pakistan, and were heading for a clean sweep against Pakistan and Kenya when rain washed out the PSO tri-nation final in Nairobi. In the Champions Trophy they handsomely beat New Zealand and Bangladesh, only to be undone by Sri Lanka’s spinners in the semi-final.England opening bowler Andrew Caddick will have a fitness test before the start tomorrow, after sustaining a knee injury during the final warm-up defeat in Canberra on Tuesday. He bowled off his full run-up today despite having his left knee well strapped up. If fit, Caddick is expected to be given the new ball with James Kirtley, with all-rounders Craig White and Ronnie Irani providing support. Australia’s twelve shows two changes from the Perth Test, with Steve Waugh and Justin Langer making way for Michael Bevan and the young Tasmanian all-rounder Shane Watson.Australia (from): RT Ponting (captain), ML Hayden, AC Gilchrist (wkt), DR Martyn, MG Bevan, DS Lehmann, SR Watson, SK Warne, B Lee, JN Gillespie, GD McGrath, AJ Bichel.England (from): N Hussain (Essex, captain), NV Knight (Warwickshire), ME Trescothick (Somerset), RC Irani (Essex), OA Shah (Middlesex), ID Blackwell (Somerset), C White (Yorkshire), AJ Stewart (Surrey, wkt), GJ Batty (Worcestershire), AR Caddick (Somerset), RJ Kirtley (Sussex), PD Collingwood (Durham), SJ Harmison (Durham), JM Anderson (Lancashire).Umpires: RE Koertzen (South Africa) & S Taufel (Australia).3rd Umpire: S Davis (Australia).Match referee: Wasim Raja (Pakistan).

The International Cricket Council faces some serious fence mending with its players around the world if the results of a FICA players’ survey are to be believed.According to the results released over the weekend, only 20% of the players polled believe the ICC is doing a good job running cricket, as opposed to 46% who think they aren’t.While only four per cent agreed with the notion that the ICC balanced the interests of the game with those of the players. A total of 60% disagreed with that thought.Sixty-two per cent do not think the ICC is interested in the views of the players.Players were more inclined to support their governing bodies in their own countries.Fifty-six per cent of the players agreed that they had a good relationship with their home board while 41% agreed their officials had the best interests of the game at heart. Yet only 31% were firmly of the view that their boards were sympathetic to their employment as professional cricketers.Views on whether the boards were interested in the views of the players were 36% in support and 38% against the notion.Forty-nine percent of players felt umpiring was of an international standard with 35% offering a neither confirm nor deny view.However, 76% felt they had a good relationship with umpires. The move to eight international umpires drew 80% support but there was more variation on whether the elite panel of eight included the best umpires in the world. Six per cent strongly agreed, 23% agreed and 37% neither agreed or disagreed.A figure of 91% of players supported the idea of neutral umpires at both ends in Test matches with 65% also of a view that the third umpire should also be neutral.Surprisingly, only 38% of players felt the third umpire had improved the standard of umpiring.Sixty-four per cent of players felt there was too much international cricket being played at the moment while 78% felt there should be a compulsory leave period. Support for minimum days between Test matches was at 91% and 87% felt they should not have to play back-to-back One-Day Internationals.The idea that Test cricket should be played over four days only was not supported by 83% of players and there was 83% support for neutral venues for those countries affected by civil war or terrorism.Players were non-plussed about the new ICC code of conduct but 68% felt technology had improved decision-making in the game. Views were mixed, 40% in favour and 42% opposed to technology being used for leg before wicket decisions.In relation to grounds and playing facilities, 84% of the players felt minimum standards should be applied to playing facilities and only 25% could say that they felt player safety was catered for at grounds. And 53% felt beverages at grounds should not be sold in bottles or cans. Eighty-three per cent felt the boundary rope should be three metres in from the boundary no matter the size of the ground.Players also felt that the one-day game as it was played at the moment was the preferred way to go while introducing more teams in both Tests and ODIs did not seem to cause a major effect one way or the other.Ninety overs a day for Tests got the thumbs up from 83% while fines for not completing the overs in a day were supported by 57% of players.When it came to bowling actions, 75% of players, and 18% who had no opinion, felt there was a problem with bowling actions. Of the players 45% felt a suspect bowler should not be allowed to continue to play while his action was assessed while 89% felt a player should be assessed immediately.Only 13% of the players felt the playing conditions for the ICC Champions Trophy were reasonable and 66% of the players were dissatisfied by the way the conditions for the tournament were passed to the players.And in regards to support for an international players’ association, there was an overwhelming 97% support and 91% of players felt FICA should have the right to represent them to the ICC.Eighty-seven per cent of the players felt they should have a greater say in the game while 93% felt player representatives should be chosen by the players.Ninety-eight per cent of players felt FICA should be officially recognised by the ICC.Sachin Tendulkar and Glenn McGrath came out on top when it came to the players rating the best batsman and bowler in both Tests and ODIs.Tendulkar’s (78% in Tests, 51% in ODIs) nearest rival in either batting category polled just 16% (Adam Gilchrist and Michael Bevan in ODIs).Muttiah Muralitharan (39%) was chosen by just 7% fewer players than McGrath in the ODI bowling category, though was a distant second with 16% compared to McGrath’s 70% in the Test category.Jonty Rhodes dominated in similar fashion when it came to the nomination of the best fielder in the world. Rhodes took out 75% of the vote, well clear of Ricky Ponting (20%) in second.South African Rudi Koertzen (28%) edged out England’s David Shepherd (25%) as the umpire the players rated as the best in the world at present.Lord’s (27%) was favoured as the best ground, ahead of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (24%), Newlands in Cape Town (15%) and the Gabba in Brisbane (7%).

Don’t despair: in every cloud there is a silver lining; in every crisis there is some hope on which to cling. And so it is for Sri Lanka fans after a disastrous Test series against England.As England romped to their most emphatic series win for 16 years at a gloomy Old Trafford, the one bright light of the game for Sri Lankans was the sight of Russel Arnold throwing off the shackles of poor form.`So what?’ you may scoff. But hang on a second, this was a moment of significance…and not just because he has been picked to showcase Woodworm’s revolutionary new Wand cricket bat, an innovation that will maximise his productivity.For two and a half years the 29-year-old left-hander had struggled in Test cricket, hanging on to his place by the skin of his teeth. The statistics told a sad tale. Whilst most of his colleagues were averaging in the forties, he averaged just 21.63 in all Tests from January 2000 to December 2001. His Manchester hundred was the third of his career, but the first for 43 innings.Had it not been for Sri Lanka’s nine-match winning stretch and the contributions of his high scoring teammates, the selectorial axe would surely have fallen, possibly condemning him to live out his cricketing career in coloured clothing, a form of the game in which he excels.He was dropped once, against Bangladesh in the Asian Test Championship last year, but soon returned. The team management were convinced of his all-round value, as a cricketer and competitor, even if their exasperation with his continued under achievement became increasingly visible.Sri Lanka’s previous selection panel, headed by former Sri Lanka captain Michael Tissera, also admired Arnold. In their eyes he was a versatile and strong-minded cricketer. Maybe not the prettiest strokeplayer in the squad, but a workmanlike and intelligent player, who displayed a fierce commitment to the team’s cause.Ironically, his unselfishness contributed to a dip in his personal performance. When the South Africans toured Sri Lanka in 2000 coach Dav Whatmore was concerned about the strength of his middle order; he wanted a player with the courage to muscle the side out of a hole. And Arnold, who been very successful in the middle order in the limited overs side, agreed to drop down the order.But the plan backfired. Arnold struggled to adapt his game, preferring the harder ball and open spaces of the top order, where he had scored both of his previous centuries. His confidence started to sag and uncertainty crept into his strokeplay. Poor fortune also played a part with a string of poor decisions heightening his frustration.Thankfully his performances in one-day cricket didn’t suffer, a fact that must have helped sustain his natural self-belief. Throughout his barren run he maintained a one-day average in excess of 40 – a fine achievement in the shortened game, especially when you are batting in the late overs.In 2002 he started to show the first signs of form, scoring 71 at Kandy and 40 at Galle against Zimbabwe and then 44 at Lahore in the Asian Test Championship final. It was enough to guarantee himself a place in the tour to England.As soon as he arrived it became clear that he was hitting the ball with a new crispness and authority. But although he sparkled at Lord’s, where he thrashed an entertaining fifty, the real turning point proved to be another reshuffle in the order: Sanath Jayasuriya, his technique exposed against high class quick bowling on English pitches, dropped himself down the order for the final game.Arnold, probably aware that Jayasuriya would be keen to slot back into the top of the order once the side returned to the sub-continent, grabbed his opportunity. Afterwards, as he fended off questions about Sri Lanka’s defeat, Jayasuriya admitted that Arnold had made a compelling case for an extended spell as opener.In fact, Jayasuriya may well have to make way in more ways than one. Arnold is one of the candidates for the captaincy should Jayasuriya not be able to display greater tactical acumen and stronger leadership in the forthcoming year.And he would do a good job. Self-confidence and good communication skills have long marked him out as a natural leader, someone who could wield together and motivate the team, protecting its spirit from the disruptive political undercurrents that so hamper Sri Lanka’s cricket.Moreover, an aggressive streak could lead to the development of a more battle-hardened edge. Whilst the differing leadership styles of Arjuna Ranatunga, shrewd and arrogant, and Jayasuriya, down to earth and consensual, each have their advantages, the optimum approach is probably somewhere in between – a course that Arnold could steer well.Perhaps he will never get the chance. Certainly there are other contenders, his friend and colleague Kumar Sangakkara being an outstanding prospective captain.But that matters not. The point is that Arnold’s performance at Old Trafford should not just have been the source of momentary celebration, but also of hope for a better future – a time when Sri Lanka’s openers score more consistently, where the top order shows greater obduracy abroad and the team is led with greater verve and direction.

It’s all over bar the shouting for Burridge, who are all but mathematically relegated from the ECB Southern Electric Premier League top flight after a seven-wicket defeat by Liphook & Ripsley at Ripsley Park.With Calmore beating Bournemouth, Burridge lie firmly anchored to the Premier Division 1 basement with almost no hope of survival.They relied heavily on Dave Jackson’s gallant 77 after slipping to 40-3.Moeen Cheema (20) and Oxford University bound Ed Brogan (23 not out) tried their best later, but a three-wicket spell by Nick Gay (3-24), aided by two-wicket stints by Alan Crawford and Alistair Gray, left Burridge 177 all out.South African Alistair Gray led Liphook to Premier safety with an undefeated 108.The outcome was a major disappointment for teenager Brogan, who had been celebrating an autumn placement at Oxford after achieving top marks in his A-level examinations at King Edward VI.Calmore Sports assured themselves of retaining Premier 1 status by beating Bournemouth by 21 runs at Loperwood Park.Burridge are almost certain to be relegated after a seven-wicket defeat at Liphook & Ripsley.Although Dan Jackson took 5-52, it was Calmore’s top order that dominated proceedings, with Greg Lewis (93) getting useful back-up from Jez Goode (38) and James Hibberd (35) as the Totton club posted 217-8.Any chance Bournemouth had of winning effectively disappeared when none of the top order made an impact.Half the Bournemouth side was back in the pavilion at 92-5, after which Julian Cassell (40), Andy Bell (46 not out) and Kristian Wilson (28) took the final total to 196-7.Andover, meanwhile, stayed ahead in the 50-over pennant with a 25-run victory over Portsmouth at London Road.Ian Gardner (28), Roger Miller (27) and Ian Langdown (20) eased Andover’s early problems, but a total of 151 was always too many for Portsmouth.The visitors remained a threat through Lee Savident (35) and Michael Barnes (26), but once the pair were parted, Richard Taylor, Matt Hopper and Gareth Tate broke through to leave the visitors 126 all out.

Ben Smith, Worcestershire’s 30 year-old right-handed batsman, has been appointed as the county’s captain in succession to Graeme Hick. Hick was relieved of the post after three seasons in charge in somewhat controversial circumstances in that he expressed profound disappointment at the decision.Smith had been vice-captain of Leicestershire in 2001 but left at the end of that season to join Worcestershire. He enjoyed a successful first season with his new county and led the side in the final Norwich Union League match of the season – against Leicestershire – when Hick was absent with a broken thumb.Having been a part of Leicestershire championship-winning teams in 1996 and 1998, he knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the county game and wants to emulate those performances now he is in a position to lead Worcestershire.On his appointment he said: "I am thrilled to have been given the honour of leading the county during what promises to be a very exciting period. I have settled into the club extremely well both on and off the pitch and am looking forward to building on the progress we made as a side last season."I know Graeme was disappointed not to continue in the job but I have spoken to him and he has assured me I have his full support and I have no doubt he will continue to be a huge asset to the side as he has been throughout his career with the club."Director of cricket at New Road, Tom Moody, commented on Smith’s appointment by saying, "I am confident Ben will take us to new heights and lead us with great success. The club feels that the time is right to move forward with the captaincy of the team and Ben has all the attributes as a leader to take us to the next level."Smith’s first task will be to lead Worcestershire out of the second division of the championship. It is thought that failure to achieve that last season was influential in the decision to change the captaincy.

For a bowler groomed to be the spearhead of the West Indian paceattack, Merv Dillon went an unusually long time without a fivewicket haul. After his 5-111 at Karachi in December 1997, Dillonsuffered such a drought that he must have felt considerableempathy with Ramnaresh Sarwan, a teammate who also had problemsin notching up a statistical milestone. But while Sarwan remainswithout a Test century to his credit, Dillon got his 5-71 in theIndian first innings at Jamaica.Dillon’s bowling in the two Indian innings presents aninteresting study in contrasts. When India got out for 212, hepicked wickets with extreme alacrity, at the top of the order aswell as the middle. In India’s second essay, however, with thepressure on the batting team, Dillon could only manage one wicketfor 77 runs in 22.3 overs – that too of Zaheer Khan on the finalday with the second new ball.To analytically compare the performances, take Dillon’s head-tohead against the best batsman in either innings. In India’s 212,VVS Laxman top-scored with an unbeaten 65 off 152 balls, withseven fours. Dillon, however, conceded only 18 of those runs;Laxman just managed to nudge the fast bowler around for paltryruns.

Eight of Laxman’s runs against Dillon came in the third-man area,and that is telling. As was warranted on a fast, bouncy pitch,Dillon effectively dug the ball in just short of driving length,and Laxman could only score by gliding the ball twice to thethird-man boundary for four. For the rest of the 42 deliveries,Dillon was spot-on, and Laxman could just sneak singles and twos.Admittedly Laxman at the time was under more pressure than SachinTendulkar in the second innings, and admittedly Tendulkar is amore versatile player. But Dillon conceded 30 runs in 39 balls toTendulkar, 22 of them coming in front of square. Tendulkar droveDillon with ease, a direct result of the fast bowler pitchingfurther up when, on the pacy Sabina Park pitch, he should havedone exactly what he did in the first innings – jag it in shorterand let the track do the rest.If Dillon encountered some hitches with his length, ShivnarineChanderpaul showed Zen-like mastery over that very quality. NamedMan of the Series, Chanderpaul set a new record for the longestinterval between two dismissals. In racking up scores of 67 notout, 101 not out, 136 not out and 58, the Guyanese batsmantormented the Indians for 1,513 minutes in all before JavagalSrinath had him caught behind at Sabina Park. Perhapsunsurprisingly, India, along with Zimbabwe, bore the brunt of theprevious record as well when Jacques Kallis tallied 1,241 minutesearlier this year.