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Wasim Akram was showered with praise by former colleagues following his decision to end his 19-year international career, but Pakistan’s selectors also came in for criticism over their handling of him.Former captain Imran Khan, who mentored Wasim as an 18-year-old, hailed him as one of last century’s greatest fast bowlers. “I reckon Wasim and West Indian Michael Holding are two of the best and most natural fast bowlers of the century,” Imran told AFP.Taking Wasim under his wing in 1984, Imran nurtured him until he became one of international cricket’s most productive fast bowlers. “Grooming Wasim was the easiest thing because he was naturally gifted. All I ingrained in him was the ability to take wickets,” said Imran, adding that the retirement decision was “the right thing.”But Imran accused the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of ending Wasim’s career in an undignified manner. “I do think the PCB should not have dumped him in such an unceremonious manner.”Another former captain, Zaheer Abbas, described Wasim as the “pride of Pakistani cricket.” He continued: “Losing a player like Wasim is the most depressing thing. It will be hard to replace him.”But Aamer Sohail, Pakistan’s chief selector, denied Wasim’s decision was prompted by his expulsion. “We did not close the doors on any senior player. Wasim could have staged a comeback,” he said. “Wasim was a great servant of Pakistani cricket and I pay him the richest of tributes.”

Glenn McGrath is expected to make an announcement within two days about re-joining the Australian cricket team after positive news about wife Jane’s cancer, Australian Cricket Board (ACB) spokesman Pat O’Beirne said.Mrs McGrath was facing her second battle against cancer in six years.The fast bowler abandoned his journey to the West Indies and rushed home on Thursday to be with his wife, 36, who had been diagnosed with a secondary cancer in her hip.The cancer was related to the breast cancer she was first diagnosed with in 1997. After a mastectomy, she was declared cancer-free in 1998.O’Beirne said ACB general manager Michael Brown had a telephone conversation with McGrath, who said he accompanied his wife to a cancer specialist in Sydney on Friday.”Jane has seen the specialist and the news is good,” O’Beirne said.”The visit brought a good prognosis and she will have radiation therapy which is expected to treat her condition.”As far as the McGraths are concerned it is great news.”Prior to Friday’s trip to the specialist, the McGraths released a statement which said: “All indications are that with treatment, she (Jane) will have a full recovery”.O’Beirne could not confirm reports that McGrath would miss at least the first two Tests.He said McGrath was expected to make his announcement following discussions over the next 24 to 48 hours that would involve the bowler, selectors, captain Steve Waugh and team management.McGrath learned during a stopover in London that scans for a back problem had revealed his wife’s condition.McGrath’s manager Warren Craig said English-born Jane, a former flight attendant and mother of James 3, and Holly, 18 months, had been troubled by back problems.Despite the diagnosis, Craig said McGrath had been in a positive mood and the 33-year-old bowler believed he would return to the West Indies.

As part of an appeal by Afghan national coach Taj Malik, for help in developing cricket in his war-weary country, the England Cricket Board (ECB) has responded positively.The ECB was quick to provide six sets of Kwik Cricket equipment, designed to introduce cricket to schoolchildren via the British Embassy in Kabul. The equipment has already been distributed to schools by the Afghanistan Cricket Federation (ACF).In a message from Afghanistan to Wisden CricInfo, Taj Malik said, “We are grateful to Wisden CricInfo for bringing out cricket news from Afghanistan to the world and we are hopeful of receiving more help in other donations from the cricket world. This equipment has been distributed to local schools.”He added, “The ACF GM Abdul Khalil, director of the Kabul Cricket Association Khaliq Dad Noori, the political advisor from the British Embassy and I went to six high schools in Kabul and gave them the equipment.”The recipient schools included Amani, Isteqlal, Habibia, Khushal Khan and Nadaria High Schools.

Taj Malik further reported, “When we reached the schools to distribute the equipment and to invite kids to play and learn, the staff welcomed us and requested to help make teams. They collected kids for us who were very happy to see and play with the equipment. The kids said ‘we love cricket’, some of them told me ‘I am a bowler’ and others claimed ‘I can bat very will’.””We gave them some coaching and instructions and promised we’d be back for more training soon.”This ever-effusive and committed coach finished his message with a request and a firm but intriguing promise, “So I request cricket playing nations, cricket lovers and businessmen to help me in my project because very soon the world of cricket will see that Afghanistan is the most popular cricket playing nation.”Take out your worry beads cricket playing countries – watch out for cricket to flourish in Afghanistan and get ready for battle on a cricket field!

Wellington paid the price for poor batting in the first innings of their State Shield semi-final match with Northern Districts and suffered a four-wicket loss at the Basin Reserve.ND reached Wellington’s paltry total of 137 with 11 overs to spare.ND now meet Auckland in the State Shield final at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland on Saturday.In perfect conditions and on yet another seemingly benign pitch typical of New Zealand’s summer, Wellington’s total of 137 was never going to be enough to defend and while ND suffered a few hiccups along the way, they knocked off the required runs with relative ease.Wellington’s top order never got going. Following a partnership of 48 for the second wicket between Chris Nevin (24 off 35 balls) and Richard Jones (37 off 73 balls), the innings floundered. Only James Franklin (34 from 82 balls) showed any further resistance.A disappointed Wellington captain Matthew Bell was quick to concede this was the cause of his side’s loss.”We just didn’t perform well with the bat today. If your top order can’t score runs consistently you will always struggle”.The ND bowling was also very much on song. Ian Butler bowled with genuine pace and plenty of venom throughout and was rewarded with three wickets for 15 runs from his nine overs.Left-arm spinner Bruce Martin bowled with guile and was prepared to flight the ball and entice the batsmen out of their crease. Martin bowled 10 overs and took two wickets for 22 runs. He caught and bowled Nevin with his first ball and then had Neal Parlane stumped.Graeme Aldridge who bowled his nine overs for one wicket for 31 runs and Mark Orchard with two for 32 runs from his 10 overs, also chimed in well for ND.ND had no real problems knocking off the 138 it needed for victory. James Marshall (32 off 46 balls) played a handy innings at the start, Michael Parlane (32 off 48 balls) played some typical bludgeoning shots and David Kelly (30 not out off 70 balls) batted intelligently.They did suffer a hiccup in the 31st over when they were on 114. Matthew Walker got a double breakthrough when he removed Parlane and Joseph Yovich (0).But Kelly and his skipper Robbie Hart steered their side home and on the basis of today’s performance, they thoroughly deserve to be in the State Shield final.

Retiring Skeggs Foundation executive trustee Steve Davie will be assisting the Otago Cricket Association in the development of a series of events and fund-raising concepts over the new cricket season.Davie, well known for his cricket radio commentary work, has been contracted by the OCA to organise and host a variety of functions, including a 300 Club dinner honouring the five New Zealand players to have scored a triple century in a first-class innings (all five having been Otago representatives) and a luncheon before the One-Day International with England in late-February.Other duties include the establishment of a number of fund-raising events, some of which will be one-off ventures while others will be seen regularly on the OCA’s annual calendar.Davie is excited about his new role.”It’s Otago Cricket’s 125th season so there will be some genuine emotion enveloping the summer’s activities.”I’m looking forward to introducing concepts for the OCA which allow it to develop a stronger financial base. At the same time the public will enjoy some high calibre entertainment,” he said.Since announcing his resignation from the Skeggs Foundation, the highly successful sports trust he developed and nurtured for eight years, Davie has been presented with a number of event management and corporate hosting opportunities, several of which he will take up.

Pakistan’s controversial paceman could be in trouble againover his bowling action.Although not officially reported by the umpires and thematch referee Denis Lindsay of South Africa, the officialsWednesday viewed video footage of his action for long timein the morning.Shoaib had earlier been reported for suspect action but waslater cleared by a panel of International Cricket Conference(ICC).However, many observers who watched him bowling in the firsttwo matches of the ongoing triangular tournament believedthat all was not well Shoaib’s action.Shoaib played in the first two matches and took threewickets and looked anything but ordinary mortal. He was leftout from Wednesday’s clash against Zimbabwe and the teammanagement described the decision to give him rest and giveothers a chance.

Test batsman Vangipurappu (V.V.S.) Laxman will lead the India A-Team that will take part in the Carib Beer 2003 Cricket Series.Laxman, a regular member of India’s Test team, was omitted from India’s squad to the 2003 World Cup squad. He will lead a 15-member India A-Team with four other Test caps.Apart from Laxman, the squad that arrives in the Caribbean on Thursday, February 6, includes batsman Hemang Badani, left-arm spin bowler Murali Kartik, fast bowler Tinu Yohannan and wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra."After being unable to make it to the Caribbean in time for their first match, we are pleased that India-A will be coming as our international invitee this year and we look forward to them adding some excitement to the Carib Beer 2003 Cricket Series," remarked Michael Hall, the Chief Cricket Operations Officer of the West Indies Cricket Board.India A faces Barbados at Lucas Street in Barbados, starting on Saturday, February 8, before they revert to their original schedule of matches starting with the third round contest against Leeward Islands in Nevis, starting on February 14."The WICB will advise at a later stage when India A will play the match against West Indies B they missed because of their delayed arrival," Hall added.The West Indies first-class championship, renamed the Carib Beer Cricket Series this year, has over the last few years seen the participation of the A Teams of other Test-playing nations. England A was the first international invitee two years ago and Bangladesh followed up last year.Squad: Vangipurappu Laxman (captain), Hemang Badani, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Akash Chopra, Gautam Gambhir, Abhijit Kale, Murali Kartik, Amit Mishra, Rakesh Patel, Ajay Ratra, Ambati Rayudu, Avishkar Salvi, Connor Williams, Jai Yadav and Tinu Yohannan; Ashok Malhotra (coach), Ajay Jha (manager).

One of the Barbados Cricket Association’s (BCA) new pitch inspectorsbelieves many Division 1 club grounds and facilities need to beupgraded.Vincent Lashley also believes the governing body should help clubsto beef up their facilities."Most of the grounds are in bad state. They are not really good forfielding," he told NATIONSPORT."Our grounds leave a lot to be desired. Some are bumpy and some arevoid of grass in some areas. They need constant management and theyneed someone with dedication to see that these grounds maintain a goodstandard."He was speaking after completing an inspection at the Cable & WirelessBET ground on Sunday’s final day of the sixth round Courts/SuzukiDivision 1 match between the hosts and United Carlton.Pitch inspectors, introduced this season following changes to theDivision 1 competition, have been mandated by the BCA to look at allaspects of the physical condition of clubs. Inspections are carriedout prior to and during matches.Lashley also said the pavilions of some clubs were not up to scratch."There are some which are up to standard, like Carlton and BET, butmost of the clubs still need improvement," he said. "One of the thingsI would like to recommend to the BCA is that they should work incollaboration with whoever constructs these things, and makedimensions for a minimum-sized room for players, especially thedressing areas."He added that it was also important for clubs to have an area whichumpires could utilise.Lashley, a longstanding member of Dover Club, which he said boasted of"fairly nice" facilities, said the BCA should try its best to assistthe clubs wherever possible."I would like to urge the clubs which need help to put some pressureon their parent organisation and look for sponsorship," he said."Don’t be afraid to beg. It will help. Most of the times you won’thave to depend on club funds. The BCA should be able to assist them."Provision for the use of covers at every Division 1 match wasintroduced this season, and Lashley said the clubs had made everyeffort to ensure that they were utilised in the best possible way."Since the grounds people have been informed of the pitch inspectors,they want to do a creditable job in order to gain the respect of theBCA," he said.

Matt Finnigan of Ladbrokes previews the NatWest Triangular One-Day series between England, Australia and Pakistan.If the one-day series proves to be as exciting as the two Tests between England and Pakistan, we are in for a real treat. At lunch on Monday, Ladbrokes priced the Test match at 9/4 England, 8/15 the draw and 5/1 for a Pakistan victory.Ladbrokes make current World Champions Australia favourites at 4/5 to win the series. I believe Steve Waugh’s team will win the series, but at 4/5 there is no value backing them.Ladbrokes make current World Champions Australia favourites at 8/11 to win the seriesThe series curtain raiser is between England and Pakistan on Thursday at Edgbaston, and as with the Test series Ladbrokes cannot split the pair. They are both 5/6 to make a winning start.With a number of England batsman already amongst the runs this summer, top bat for the first one-day game poses many questions. An obvious choice would be Graham Thorpe and Michael Vaughan after they made impressive hundreds in the second Test. However Marcus Trescothick was outstanding last summer in the One-Day Internationals and at 4/1 could well be worth a flutter.My advice is Marcus Trescothick to be England top bat at 4/1 for the first one-day internationalLadbrokes have also released series specials on top run scorer and top wicket-taker.If Marcus Trescothick gets off to a flyer on Thursday there could be no stopping him and at 9/1 he represents very good value. As always Australia have a strong batting line up, and as they are most likely to reach the final it may be worth siding with one of their batsman.My advice is Mark Waugh to be top series run scorer at 5/1Choosing a bowler to be top wicket-taker can be a bit of a lottery, as many wickets can tumble if the team chasing a total needs to up the run rate. With this in mind, considerations should be made on bowler that bowls well with both new & the old ball.My advice is Wasim Akram to be top wicket-taker at 10/1Click on the logo below to place your bet, and to claim a free bet of up to £20 for new users.Note: Odds are subject to change – please check site for latest updates

Sourav Ganguly expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance at the post-match press conference, saying that it was an important match both for the team and himself personally and he was pleased with the result.”We’ve had a tough four or five months and it’s good to come back to our winning ways,” he said. “At one stage yesterday I was worried the game would end in another draw, because the pitch didn’t appear to be giving our spinners much assistance. But I become more confident after that one over that Anil Kumble bowled to Graeme Smith from around the wicket, just before tea [in which Kumble beat Smith repeatedly]. And today our Harbhajan and Kumble did the job for us.”On Kumble equalling Kapil Dev’s Indian record of 434 Test wickets, Ganguly remarked: “It’s an outstanding achievement. And he’ll probably go on to take a lot more wickets. I’ve played international cricket with Anil for ten years, and known him since [our] U-15 days. His determination and his will to succeed have always been impressive.”Ganguly was in a relaxed mood after the win. One of the last questions concerned his two run-ins with the ICC in the last month [he was given a two-match suspension for India’s slow over-rate in the ODI against Pakistan that was subsequently overturned on appeal, and then fined 30 per cent of his match fee after an incident with Jacques Kallis yesterday]. “I’ll have to change my ways now,” said Ganguly. “Otherwise I’ll soon be playing Test matches for free.”Graeme Smith, Ganguly’s opposing number, said that the South Africans had probably lost the match because they had not made enough runs in the first innings. “Our second-innings score was actually quite a good one. If we had made 400 then they wouldn’t have got the lead they did, and that might have left them about 200 to chase, which would’ve been interesting.”Smith also bemoaned the absence of a front-line spinner, saying it was a serious problem that South Africa needed to resolve before they could hope to succeed on the subcontinent. Asked if he was disappointed with the series of losses this year, he said that it was indeed frustrating to keep losing. “But you’ve got to be honest with yourself and the team we’ve got. I think that right now we’re at the same stage as Australia were in the early 1980s when Allan Border took charge of a team that lost often, but gradually built it up into a strong outfit.”Harbhajan Singh, the man of the match, and always an interesting and a relatively unguarded talker, made some intriguing observations in his characteristic style. Praising Kumble’s achievement, he remarked, “Anil is 34 but he still competes as if he is only 20. It’s a great feat.” Harbhajan said that Eden Gardens was among his favourite grounds, as he’d taken a wickets each time he’d played a Test here. Unusually for a member of a tribe of bowlers who always feel themselves hard done by, Harbhajan even agreed that Shaun Pollock was actually not out: “I saw it on TV and it didn’t hit the bat.”Harbhajan was finally asked if he felt that he sometimes got too pumped up on the field, and let his emotions get the better of him. “I wish I could be like Rahul Dravid – cool all the time,” he said. “But everyone has his own way, and I like to be aggressive. Actually, it has to do with my age. I’m only 24 and I think I’m so pumped up because I’m young. If I was like Dravid, I might end up taking less wickets.” At this Harbhajan paused and considered this last remark seriously. “Or maybe more.”