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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%).

Veteran batsman Peter Bowler , now in his seventh season at The County Ground feels that Somerset have got as strong a team now as they have had during his time at the club.Peter of course was with Derbyshire when they put paid to Lancashire in the Lord’s final to lift the Benson and Hedges Cup in 1993.”I really feel that we have a good chance of winning the Benson and Hedges Cup, the players are in a confident mood and we must be one of the four best sides in the country. Yorkshire also have a good side , especially Australian Darren Lehmann and of course their England players.But we expect to win on Wednesday, he said.”Peter was missing from the Somerset scene earlier in the season to allow him to take some more law examinations which are ‘an ongoing thing.’ These are completed now so he can now"concentrate on playing cricket for the rest of the season.”Despite his success in both the County Championship and Norwich Union League matches against Kent, Somerset’s young all rouder Pete Trego doesn’t think that he will be in the side for the Bensons match against Yorkshire.”I have done very well over the last five days,” he told me on Sunday evening,” my batting is coming along well, and I felt very comfortable at the crease.I don’t think that I will be playing against Yorkshire, but would like to wish all the boys who play the best of luck.”

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.

Courtney Walsh looks set to retire from Test match cricket after the fifthand final test of West Indies’ series with South Africa. The 38-year-old,who holds the record for number of Test victims, is likely to bow out beforehis adoring home crowd at Sabina Park.

</tableWalsh had planned his retirement to be after the current series, and saysthat "nothing has changed" to make him decide otherwise. He will speak toWest Indies skipper Carl Hooper before making a formal announcement.The Jamaican insisted that his impending exit from the game should not bethe main focus point of the match. It is one which the West Indiesdesperately want to win to restore some pride, having already lost theseries. He told CricInfo's Colin Croft: "The Test series is upmost in our minds; we want to get back and win this game."Walsh's wicket tally stands at 513. Just over a year since Walshdismissed Henry Olonga to go past Kapil Dev in the list of all timewicket-takers, he has added another 78 Test wickets to his total.The current series against South Africa has proved successful personally forWalsh. He trapped Jacques Kallis leg before at Port-of-Spain to earn his500th Test match victim. In all, the series has so far brought Walsh 19wickets.Walsh said that he was still enjoying his cricket. "It's nice to still beable to perform at this level. I'm happy to still be competing. I want to goout with a bang." Careful to play down his record, he said he wanted to beremembered "as a performer who gave 100% to the team".Walsh thinks that the West Indies are in the process of rebuilding. "ThisTest match is very important. It could be the turning point where the guysget that winning feeling. It would be nice if it could start here in thefinal one for me."Should Walsh retire now, cricket will bid farewell to one of its finestbowlers. The Fifth Test at Sabina Park will be his 132nd. Added to this arededicated performances for Jamaica and Gloucestershire, who he served asoverseas player for twelve seasons.He has taken nearly 1,800 first-class wickets, and even scored 4,500 first-class runs. The effort which Walsh has shown is phenomenal, and few would begrudge him a hatful of wickets as he leaves the international stage.