Sri Lankan captain and player of the series Sanath Jayasuriya said hedidn’t expect India to go down so tamely in the final of the Coca-ColaCup which his side won by 121 runs, “Honestly, I didn’t think we couldwin the game that easily” said Jayasuriya.Sri Lanka after an inconsistent performance with the bat in the leaguematches came up with their best performance of the series to clinchthe trophy. The coach of the side, Dav Whatmore feels it’s likereserving the best for the last, “It was like we saving the best forthe last. Probably we played the best cricket of the tournament today”remarked Whatmore.Captain Jayasuriya revealed that things worked for them right from thestart. “The first important thing was that we won the toss. We neededto keep wickets intact in the first few overs that too was achieved.And then we had the feeling that we need lot of runs on the board andthe middle order clicked at the right moment.”However, the Sri Lankan captain missed out on a well deserved centurywhen he spooned a catch to his counterpart Sourav Ganguly at shortmidwicket when he was on 99. Replying to a question on whether he wasdisappointed in missing out on another hundred the Sri Lankan captainsaid, “No not at all. It’s a part of the game. It’s normal. I wasworried that I couldn’t stay till the 40th over. But I tell you I amreally happy.” Sri Lanka having made 295 made early inroads into theIndian innings and the introduction of Muttiah Murilitharan the strikebowler of the Sri Lankan team was delayed until the 23rd over of thematch,”We discussed a few things and one of them was the Murali issue – whenwe should bring him into the attack. He is a classy player, but if webrought him on in the middle overs he could have put up lot ofpressure on the opposition” said the Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore ontheir tactic of holding back Muralitharan till the middle overs.Russel Arnold deserved the Man of the Match award for his all roundperformance in the match. He made 52 in 45 balls and got the wicket ofYuvraj Singh, effected the run out of Virender Shewag and in the verynext ball took a superb catch at backward of point to send back Indiancaptain Sourav Ganguly.Arnold, speaking of his batting performance admitted that the hardwork done early in the innings was crucial, “The earlier batsmen haddone a good job in the middle after we decided to bat first. That mademy task easy. If we hadn’t got off to a good start we would havestruggled in the middle overs. In fact Kalu and I struggled initially.But we had nothing to panic about since we were going along at a goodrun rate” revealed Arnold who collected his second man of the matchaward of the Coca-Cola Cup.

Glamorgan County Cricket Club today confirmed that Steve Watkin has beenappointed as the first Academy Director for the new Welsh Cricket Academy,which will be based at the Club’s headquarters ground at Sophia Gardens,Cardiff. Watkin, 37 on Saturday, will formally retire from playing in orderto take up the new appointment, though the Club will be retaining hisregistration.Chief Executive Mike Fatkin said:”We have somewhat mixed feelings about Steve’s appointment. On the one handhe has been such a fantastically loyal servant to Glamorgan since he madehis debut fifteen years ago, not to mention one of the most consistentbowlers on the circuit throughout his career, but on the other we believe heis admirably suited to this new position. He is the ideal role model foryoung cricketers in Wales.We have been working hard for some time to establish the concept of anAcademy here in Wales and we’re delighted that Steve has accepted theposition. His appointment comes after a year spent putting everything inplace and we’ve been very encouraged by the support we’ve received from boththe Sports Council for Wales – who are investing a significant amount ofmoney into the programme costs, and the England and Wales Cricket Board, whoare licensing the academy as one of the first wave of eight that arestarting up this autumn. The network of county academies will support thenew National Academy set up this year.The intention is to recruit six youngsters in the first year, rising to amaximum of nine subsequently, and provide them with as rounded a programmeof training, coaching and advice that we can to help mould them intoprofessional cricketers of the future. The Cricket Board of Wales has donesterling work in recent years in establishing a structure for junior cricketbut the gap between when they leave the CBW umbrella aged 16 or 17 tojoining Glamorgan as professionals has needed to be filled for some time.We are confident the Academy structure will enable the young talent comingthrough to be fast-tracked through the system and that they can be taughtwhat being a professional or international cricketer is all about beforethey actually reach the ranks of the professional staff at Glamorgan.There are some differences between the Welsh Academy and the others inEngland but we’re delighted to have the Sports Council for Wales on board,with all the expertise and support that they bring, and the appointment ofSteve Watkin as the first Welsh Cricket Academy Director is a significantboost.”Steve Watkin said:”It’ll be a huge wrench giving up playing professional cricket as I havebeen involved with Glamorgan – not to mention with England and England ‘A’ -for some sixteen seasons but this was too good an opportunity to miss. TheClub has said it intends to retain my registration as a player just in caseI might be required to play but having thought about it long and hard Iaccept that it’s an important job, with substantial money being invested inthe scheme by the Sports Council for Wales, and I am really looking forwardto the challenge of helping develop the next generation of professionalcricketers. There’s a lot of talent at junior level in Wales and I’m surethat the new Academy will only add to the development of the best youngplayers.I’d like to thank the Club for giving me this opportunity, but equallyimportantly I’d like to thank all of my team-mates and the players I’veplayed with at Glamorgan throughout my career for giving me so muchenjoyment. There are some obvious highlights, such as winning the SundayLeague in 1993 and the Championship in 1997, not to mention a Lord’s Finaland a promotion last summer and playing and touring for England, but I feelvery lucky to have enjoyed considerable success as a cricketer and I’m nowlooking forward to giving something back to a game that has been nothing butgood to me. Hopefully I can bow out with a few wickets against Surrey!”

NatWest Series Day/Night One-Day International
India v Sri Lanka
Thursday 11th July 2002
2.30pm start
“This match is the biggest International sporting event to be staged inBristol during 2002″In world cricket there can be no more spectacular match than India v Sri Lanka. These two great one-day sides meet in Bristol to renew their rivalry, with some of the world’s greatest cricketers marking up these two flamboyant sides. Sachin Tendulkar leads the star-studded Indian side again Sanath Jayasuriya’s Sri Lankan one-day specialists.A match not to be missedAll ticket applications will be taken from 1st November 2001. 2002 Members’ Price Reduction – members get booking priority for the month of November.Tickets can be obtained from The Ticket Office, Gloucestershire CCC, The County Ground, Nevil Road, BRISTOL BS7 9EJTicket Hotline – 0117 910 8010
Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3.30pmTicket Prices

Jessop StandAdult / U16 £35Member £25Hammond RoofAdult £25Member £18U16 £13Stand AAdult £25Member £18U16 £13Stand BAdult £25Member £18U16 £13Stand FAdult £25Member £18U16 £13Mound Stand CoveredAdult £25Member £18U16 £13Mound Stand OpenAdult £20Member £15U16 £10Stand CAdult £20Member £15U16 £10Stand DAdult £20Member £15U16 £10Stand EAdult £20Member £15U16 £10

In a press conference held late today, the BCCI have expressed their unhappiness at the decisions of ICC match referee Mike Denness. Denness suspended Sehwag for one Test; and handed out suspended bans and fines for five others, including Sachin Tendulkar.The BCCI issued a statement signed byboard president Jagmohan Dalmiya, calling for the removal of Denness as match referee for the remaining Test, and indicating that several players wished to pull out of the series. The BCCI further indicated that they would accept a South African referee if no-one from the ICC panel was available. The board also stated that it intends to take up the issue further with the ICC.

Host Himachal Pradesh registered a thrilling victory over Jammu and Kashmir on the last day of their North Zone Ranji tie at Mandi today, with the visitors losing their last wicket with the very last ball of the matchChasing a victory target of 303 runs, Jammu and Kashmir could score only 257. The last recognised batsman, skiper Vijay Sharma, who scored a spirited 50, was not able to force a draw and was out on the last ball of the match. A deadly spell of 5-103 by Shakti Singh, who was ably supported by Vishal Bhatia (3-66), helped Himachal Pradesh register their first victory this year.Resuming at the overnight score of 38 for no loss, the visitors lost the wicket of opener Ranjit Bali (22) at 51, while the other opener Raju Sharma (39) was bowled out at 71. Kavaljit Singh and Dhruv Mahajan scored 43 and 44 runs respectively, while the extras accounted for 25 runs.

A match that saw two high first-innings total, the Ranji Trophy league tie between Punjab and Delhi at Amritsar ended in the expected draw on the fourth day.Punjab, still continuing their first innings on the fourth day, were finally bowled out for 441, with Amit Bhandari picking up 7-92 for Delhi. The visitors, on batting again, could not repeat their first-innings heroics; barring a resolute 75 from Pradeep Chawla, no batsman could really get going, and the innings was declared at 198 for nine.Set a target of 257 off 16 overs, Punjab inevitably played for the safe draw and reached stumps at 58 for one. Delhi, by virtue of their first-innings total, collect five points from this match, while Punjab collect three.

Is the current Australian team the best ever in the history of Test cricket?That was one of the questions we asked our users in the Cricinfo Survey of Test Cricket. Today, as Australia continue to assert their superiority over South Africa in the current series, we examine your response to this question as the first in a number of weekly articles related to users’ replies to our survey.It is, of course, extremely difficult to identify a consensus from a sample of in excess of 3,000 Test cricket fans. Nevertheless, there do seem to be a number of running themes among the comments received that are worth highlighting.Michael Breitsameter from Canada summed up the thoughts of many. "Australia are definitely the dominant side, and perhaps one of the best ever seen. They attack from the first ball to the last, their run rates are higher than any other side, they position themselves to get a result. This is definitely good for the game."Cecil Snell in the UK doffs his cap to Steve Waugh’s men "The Australian side of 2000 in England was probably the best Test side ever as the batting, bowling and fielding were at an astonishingly high level."Harry Commerbutch in New Zealand disagrees strongly: "Australia the best team of all time? Don’t make me laugh! They’re a solid team well past their sell by date, flattered by some suspect results against not so great teams."So the debate is well and truly on. Many users tempered our provocative question with reference to recent results in India and at home against New Zealand. Angela Moore in the UK summed up the thoughts of many. "The Australian team is awesome, but they are getting older and will the up and coming youngsters be as good? As New Zealand and India proved, they cannot win every series."Many felt that Waugh’s 21st century Australians were rivalled only by the West Indian team of the late 70s and early 80s.Peter Jonkers in the UK sums up a recurrent theme when he says "The Australian Test side is as good as any that I have seen in my life as a sports fan. Best of all time? Close, I think the West Indies team of the late 70s early 80s was all class and probably gets my vote."Malcolm Sergeant in Australia hails the current Australian side, while yearning for the – hypothetical – greatest cricket fixture ever. "The current Australian side would be up there with the best. However, I would have liked to see how well they would have performed against the great West Indian sides of the 80s and 90s, against the likes of Richards, Lloyd, Holding and Marshall."Rai Ratan Kumar in Singapore disagrees, and it is the same opposition that draws the plaudits. "Australia are nowhere near the best team of all time. In my memory, Lloyd’s West Indians were the best by miles."Richard Corry in New Zealand is equally assertive. "I do not believe they should yet claim the title of best team of all time. They have only two bowlers that could be genuinely rated as greats of the game. This does not compare with the West Indian team of the 1970s and early 80s."Urel Sawyers from America proposes an honourable draw: "The title of best team of all time must be shared between this Australian team and the all-conquering West Indies team that ruled for nearly two decades."Many users chose to hark back further in their comparisons. Andrew Eaton in the UK states "The Australians may be the best in the world at the moment, but are they the best ever? Impossible to tell. How would they have coped with the 1921 Australians or the England of 1902? All you can say is that they would have given any other side, ever, a great game. I wish I could watch it." Peter Unsworth in the UK agrees on the ultimate fantasy fixture "The Australians are by far the best side since the West Indies of the 70/80’s and believe that a game between these two sides would sort the men from the boys."Many found comparisons difficult to make. Paul Spice in Australia comments: "Comparing different eras rarely, if ever works."As with all great empires, the reign must come to an end, and a number of those who took part in the survey foresee the fall of Australia. Simon Davis (admittedly in New Zealand) stated "Australia are at the end of their reign" while Kiwi Heather says "I think the Aussie team will soon be challenged, not only by South Africa but another unsuspecting team, and the Aussie reign will be over."John Haywood echoes the thoughts of many when he says: "In the future, Australian cricket will come back to earth because of the retirements of the Waugh twins, McGrath and Shane Warne. Still a lot of praise should be placed with this Australian Test side because it has done cricket immense credit for getting the game where it is today."And when talking of the "Millennium" Aussies, Dominic Lane in New Zealand cautions over-enthusiasm for the current crop. "It is useless calling any team the best of all time, if it does not contain Bradman." David Vine in Australia harks back the Invincibles: "The greatest of all-time? The Don’s Invincibles of ’48 must be up there as the greatest I think." John Field in the UK agrees. "The 1945-6 Australian Invincibles were the best team of all time."Whether or not they are the greatest of all time, CricInfo users feel that one thing is for certain: Steve Waugh and his side are changing Test cricket – for the better. Ralph Sunley in the UK sums it up neatly when he says "The current Australian team has redefined Test cricket over the last 18 months. Their attacking and innovative play has reinvigorated the game."But if the Australians are reinvigorating the game, was it in a poor state previously? It takes only a quick straw poll among the comments raised to see again and again the theme of resurgent Test cricket.Kyan Barucha, USA: "Test cricket is definitely making a comeback." Dr Krishna Kaphle in Nepal: "Today, Test cricket is in a state of re-emergence." Rishabh Bhandari in the UK highlights the perceived trend: "The crowds that had left the Test match arena for the quick thrills of the one day version are back! And Test cricket is charming all over again!"Jason Macca in New Zealand suggests that Test cricket constantly needs to assert its quality: "Test cricket is becoming stale and requires results like the India v Australia series and the recent Australia v New Zealand series to show that it is still strong."But any negative thoughts tend to be outweighed by praise for the trend towards positive cricket embodied by the side that features in both of the series mentioned by Jason Macca – the Australians. This theme occurs repeatedly in the comments of CricInfo users.Positive play makes for good cricket and entertains the crowds, which is vital for the long-term health of the game. Kapil Gupta relishes battles to come: "The Australians are good players but what puts them apart is their attitude. With other teams ready to go against them with a positive attitude, anything is possible!"Rob Byrne in the UK sums up the general optimism of CricInfo users: "Particularly heartening for me as an avid cricket follower is the attitude of the Australians. They try and win every game and simply do not know how to block out for a draw. This kind of attitude will ensure that Test cricket has a very healthy future."In future articles based on the views of CricInfo users, we will look at the state of the game, suggested improvements to Test cricket, the influence of one-day cricket, the aftermath of match fixing and the Sehwag affair, the behaviour of players, the role of the governing bodies, and concerns about the future of cricket.

It was a day for the disciplined rather than the dazzling. The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, hosting its first ever day of Test cricket, as well as the fifth ever Test at a neutral venue, saw a low-key Pakistan restricted to 230/5 in 92 overs by a West Indian side who stuck to their guns and made the best of the conditions. Yousuf Youhana, increasingly Pakistan’s Mr Dependable, helped himself to a composed unbeaten 78, and Younis Khan impressed with 53, but those were the only two names to distinguish themselves.The day started with Waqar Younis winning the toss and electing to bat first. Not everyone agreed with his decision, but it was probably the only sensible thing to do, especially with the wicket being an unknown quantity. In the past, it has happened more than once that a Sharjah wicket, parading as a flat batting track, ended up as a slow turner that all but killed strokeplay in the latter stages of the game.As it turned out, the Pakistan skipper could only watch in dismay as debutant opening batsman Naved Latif fell with just three runs on the board. Mervyn Dillon, swinging the ball in late, made sure that Latif had a forgettable debut when he trapped the right-hander plumb in front. Latif did not trouble the scorers.Taufeeq Umar, who made a century on Test debut against Bangladesh at the age of 19, was composed at the wicket and played several shots that marked him out as a player to be watched, but he perished on 24 after looking good for more. Younis Khan, another young talent rated very highly in his country, did his bit at one end. Playing predominantly with a straight bat, Khan worked hard to get a sense of the wicket and the bowling. Exercising abundant caution, perhaps more than was needed, Younis blunted a West Indian bowling attack striving to keep the ball just short of driving length and on the off-stump.Skipper Carl Hooper, who picked up a wicket just before the luncheon interval, understood the need to mix things up a bit and persisted with his off-spin. Keeping one end tied up with steady seam bowling, Hooper flighted the ball just enough to draw Younis Khan into a false shot. Chopping at one just outside the off-stump, Khan (53, 129b, 4×4) found Chris Gayle at slip with the score on 94. His innings had, however, succeded in giving a faltering Pakistan innings much needed solidity.Inzamam ul-Haq (10), of whom much was expected, faintly nicked a Dillon delivery through to the wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs. In characteristic fashion, Inzamam trudged slowly back to the dressing room, visibly unhappy with the decision.At 94/4, there was a tiny chance that the West Indians might be able to run through the Pakistani batting line-up. If Hooper harboured any such hopes, Youhana made sure he laid them to rest by the end of the day. Walking out to the middle as cool as ever, Youhana gave his teammates a display of the kind of approach needed on a wicket like this. Stroking the ball well when it was full, Youhana milked the bowling for runs. When the rare loose ball was on offer, he made sure that he capitalised, showing the full face of the bat at all times.To keep Youhana company was all-rounder Abdur Razzaq, a man who has played the role of second fiddle to perfection many times in the past. Not looking his best and yet keeping his head down and plugging away, Razzaq ensured that Pakistan’s score reached 178 before he made a mistake; that mistake was his last. Chasing at a ball well outside the off-stump from part-time medium-pacer Wavell Hinds, Razzaq (34, 96b, 3×4 ) nicked the ball through to the keeper.Stumper Rashid Latif (27 not out) joined Youhana out in the middle and saw Pakistan through to stumps without further damage. There was one last minute scare for Youhana as a spooned catch off the bowling of Merv Dillon was put down by Cuffy at mid on in the 91st of the day. Youhana’s patient 78 (165 balls, 8 fours, 1 six) took Pakistan to a score that they can build on appreciably when the second day’s play starts.

England’s players to join the core group of cricketers in New Zealand for the Test leg of the tour arrive in Auckland while their one-day compatriots are playing fourth National Bank Series One-Day International at Eden Park.Usman Afzaal, Mark Butcher, Richard Dawson, Warren Hegg, James Ormond, Mark Ramprakash and assistant coach Graham Dilley are scheduled to arrive at 4.15pm.However, they won’t be dropping in to watch as they are scheduled to go straight to Dunedin in order to get some practice before the team travels to Queenstown after the last ODI at Carisbrook on Tuesday to prepare for the first three-day match of the tour against Otago.

Former captain Wasim Akram was recalled Saturday to the Pakistan squad for the three-match one-day series against the West Indies in Sharjah.Also back in the side was off-spinner Shoaib Malik but there was no place for all-rounder Azhar Mahmood. Unconfirmed reports said Azhar was injured.The two will replace Danish Kaneria, Faisal Iqbal and Mohammad Zahid. Zahid’s comeback to international cricket was abruptly halted with the sad demise of his mother last week. He had to return from the desert city after joining the team a day later owing to delay in travel formalities. But the big news was the return of Wasim Akram who had bowled just 20 deliveries on the tour to Dhaka before limping off with a hamstring injury. Wasim underwent a series of tests before he was declared fit and available for selection by the panel of doctors.However, it is yet to be seen if Wasim will bowl with full throttle and is at his best. Since his 20-ball first Test in Dhaka early last month, he hasn’t played any competitive cricket.Wasim, who has over 440 one-day wickets, has been hampered by a series of injuries in the twilight of his career which has left big question marks over his fitness, endurance and chances to make the squad for next year’s World Cup in South Africa.After the three one-day matches, Pakistan has a demanding season ahead with the Asian Test Championship final against Sri Lanka proposed in March and followed up by the Sharjah Cup in April. New Zealand are also expected to make a rescheduled tour to Pakistan between April 20 and May 18.In September, Pakistan will appear in the ICC KnockOut tournament and then immediately host Australia. They leave for African safari in November and return in March after the World Cup.The three one-day matches against the West Indies will be played on Feb 14, 15 and 17 under lights.