For Bob Woolmer, a Test series win couldn’t have come soon enough. Although Pakistan had displayed discernible improvement over the 18 months he had overseen, they had only three drawn series and one Australian thumping to show for it. Book-ending a year in which Pakistan have gamely fought in India and the Caribbean and improved steadily, Woolmer admitted the 2-0 win over England could be a landmark one.”It’s a huge milestone for us in the way that we play Test cricket,” Woolmer said. “We needed to play Test cricket better and the boys have sat down and worked really hard at that. Basic things like playing the ball straight, leaving balls, just giving them that Test match orientation. That’s a big thing for us. It’s also a big milestone especially because we played as well as we have to beat England who have just won the Ashes.”Pakistan, like their year, improved progressively through the series – an aspect of their approach that particularly pleased Woolmer. He had stressed before series began that Pakistan would have to start well, something they had failed to do in the last year. They lost the first four days at Multan, but conjured a victory at the very last. Since then, Woolmer said, Pakistan “got better in two Test matches. In Multan we did hang on, we stuck in and fashioned a victory out of somewhere where England could have done better. But these last two performances have been genuinely good ones and we improved through the series.”They are certainly more attuned to doing the right thing in Tests now. Cricket is a game in which you must never be complacent. It is one of those sports where you can easily fall into a trap and think you’re the best thing. I like to keep very level about these situations. We can enjoy the moment and say it was a very good performance by a very good team. But we have to sit down and work out where to go from here. It’s upwards and not downwards.”Although Pakistan’s draws in India and the West Indies were commendable in their own right, the return of a fit and committed Shoaib Akhtar provided them with added bite. He took 17 wickets here and many were pivotal. And despite an often uneasy relationship with Shoaib, Woolmer acknowledged his efforts. “Shoaib is an asset, when he’s here in the team and playing. We’ve said that before. He had some issues to resolve when he arrived and he has resolved them. Now he’s producing the goods. This is exactly what Pakistan and Shoaib Akhtar need and it’s wonderful to see. I am very pleased for him.”Woolmer also highlighted the role of Danish Kaneria. In tandem with Shoaib, Kaneria played crucial roles in both wins, strengthening their claims to being this century’s version of Imran and Qadir. Although he went wicketless at Faisalabad, Kaneria ended up with 11 wickets for the series. On the last days of Multan and Lahore, he took four; in both Tests, he took two wickets in an over to trigger England collapses. In addition to what he has achieved since October last year – 71 wickets in 13 Tests – Woolmer, unsurprisingly, had no hesitation in calling him one of the best young bowlers in the world today.

“Kaneria is definitely going to be, if he’s not already up there amongst the better bowlers in the world today, a very fine bowler. He is young and still learning his trade but in situations like this he is a very dangerous bowler.”Above all, though, Woolmer credited Inzamam-ul-Haq, both for his batting and his leadership. “Inzamam has been a giant literally in this series. The one most important thing I have learned as a cricket coach is that the captain has to lead from the front. The coach acts a right-hand man. The way Inzamam has led the team with his batting has been phenomenal. He’s also made very astute bowling changes; sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t and here they have worked really well. He is a very wise head and he is growing as a captain as well now. He is very important to Pakistan at the moment.”With India due to tour from January, an ODI series against England still to come and eventually a World Cup in 2007, Woolmer already has one eye firmly on the future. “We have to start planning and looking to our future in terms of the World Cup. The next few ODI series will be about getting the strategies right and getting the team thinking about doing that. Maybe we will give people different roles in the team and see if they can handle that. I need to discuss that with Inzamam and it sounds a long way away but it isn’t.”In terms of the team, we have to be very careful in how we keep the players fit and keep them motivated. We also have to build up a squad of players. We won’t be experimenting but instead looking to formulate a squad of players to train and work hard and get comfortable with their roles.”

Nathan Astle has been dropped from the squad for the final two ODIs against Sri Lanka in spite of his matchwinning innings at Christchurch, to make way for Stephen Fleming, who returns to captain the team after recovering from a broken finger.Kyle Mills, who underwent a test for a groin strain, and Jacob Oram, who had hurt his heel during the second match at Christchurch, were ruled out of the remainder of the series against Sri Lanka. They were replaced by Chris Martin and James Franklin.”Stephen Fleming will come back into the side as captain for the remainder of the series,” John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, was quoted as saying by a New Zealand Cricket media release. “Daniel Vettori has performed extremely well in the captain’s role and with his increased experience he now provides us with a much needed second leadership option.”Bracewell added that since continuing with Jamie How and Peter Fulton was the right path for New Zealand, Astle had to make way for Fleming. “We were pleased with how Nathan Astle played yesterday. However, one top-order player has to make way for Stephen and we believe continuing to play Jamie How and Peter Fulton is the right option for us at this time. Nathan will return to domestic cricket to continue to build on yesterday’s performance. Jeetan Patel has been selected as we look to develop further spin-bowling options for the World Cup.”Squad
Stephen Fleming (capt), Daniel Vettori (vice capt), Shane Bond, Chris Cairns, Peter Fulton, Jamie How, Hamish Marshall, Brendon McCullum (wk), Chris Martin, James Franklin, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Lou Vincent.

Stuart Robertson, the man who pioneered the concept of Twenty20 cricket, has resigned from his role as head of marketing at Warwickshire, to take up a new position as commercial director of Hampshire’s Rose Bowl plc.”I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Edgbaston and feel that I have been able to contribute significantly to this great club,” said Robertson, who joined Warwickshire from the ECB in 2003. “The time is right for me to move on and I now relish the opportunity to develop my skills at … one of the most exciting and progressive cricket grounds in the country.”Dennis Amiss, Warwickshire’s chief executive, said: “We are naturally very sorry to lose a man of Stuart’s qualities, especially after the excellent job he has done for the club over the past two-and-a-half years. Nevertheless, this is a chance for him to progress his career, and we take this opportunity of thanking him for his contribution to our successful operations in the past, and wish him every success in the future”.

A report in today’s Times says that Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman whose investments initially rescued the county from financial ruin and then enabled them to build the Rose Bowl, is threatening to walk away if the venue is not given Test status.The article claims that Bransgrove, who in all is said to have invested more than £3.5 million, is fed up with repeated requests to the ECB being rebuffed. “I need some help from the ECB and have to make a decision: do I force the issue or give up?” he is quoted as saying.The Rose Bowl is expected to announce losses of around £750,000 for 2005, and were Bransgrove to walk away then the country would again face a bleak financial future. What is certain is that it could not afford high-profile players such as Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen.”Some people have told me that if I had put this sort of money into Lord’s or the Oval, I would have been given a knighthood,” Bransgrove told the Times. “Instead, I am treated like a pariah. I invested in Hampshire because I am a cricket fan and I believe we can get over this loss and we shall continue to invest in our academy. But I need a longer-term commitment. The Rose Bowl was set up with one-day internationals and Test cricket in mind.”Although the Rose Bowl has staged one-day internationals, there have been questions over the quality of the pitch and also accessibility to the ground which is not located near any mainline train or bus routes.”There are a lot of handshakes and old friends involved in the decision-making,” Bransgrove remarked. “It’s ironic that we beat a county with a Test ground, Warwickshire, in the C&G final last year and yet their profit (£750,800) is the same as our loss.”The ECB will carry out another inspection of the facilities later this month. The venue will host two international matches this summer. England meet Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 international in June, and then Pakistan in an ODI in September.

Scorecard
Points table

Shane Warne’s career-best 7 for 100 could not stop Victoria from being overpowered by Queensland in the top-of-the-table clash at Junction Oval. The Bulls’ lower order rushed to 408 as they chased hosting rights for the final, and by stumps the legspinner Daniel Doran had dismissed the prolific Brad Hodge and Jason Arnberger.Warne has played only 43 Sheffield Shield-Pura Cup matches – Hodge is appearing in his 111th and Matthew Hayden in his 86th – and this was his seventh domestic five-wicket haul. He was the one bowler to trouble Queensland, who added 122 to their overnight 7 for 286, mainly through Andy Bichel and Ashley Noffke.Bichel moved to 436 runs for the season with his unbeaten 76 and he put on 87 for the eighth wicket with Noffke (49). Noffke became the fourth batsman of the innings to fall caught Cameron White bowled Warne, who then collected his seventh victim with the dismissal of Doran for 12. Warne’s previous best figures for his state were 6 for 42 against Western Australia 12 years ago.With a pitch offering little to the fast bowlers, Doran struck the two important blows of Hodge (20) and Arnberger (35) after Michael Kasprowicz collected Lloyd Mash for 37. James Hopes, the Australia one-day allrounder, struck late in the day to dismiss Nick Jewell and the Bushrangers ended at 4 for 155.

Daniel Cullen and Nathan Bracken have been called into Australia’s Test squad ahead of the second Test which starts on Sunday. The pair were due to head to Bangladesh for the ODI series but their arrival has been brought forward because of fitness doubts over some of the Test squad.Andrew Hilditch, the new chairman of the National Selection Panel, explained that the early arrival would help the new players get acclimatised to the conditions, should the team management seek any immediate replacements.”Our advice from team management in Bangladesh tells us there is one or two contingencies around player fitness that we may need to consider ahead of the second Test,” Hilditch was quoted as saying in a media release. “Due to the limited timeframe between the two Tests, there is simply not enough time to wait until the end of the first Test before making a decision.””Specifically, Shane Warne has some soreness of the shoulder which is being monitored,” he added, “as is the fitness levels of the fast bowling group who have had a heavy workload in recent weeks.”The second Test begins on April 16 at Chittagong and is followed by three ODIs.

India Seniors 214 for 5 (Sanjeev Sharma 66) beat Pakistan Seniors 211 (Azam 61) by 5 wickets
ScorecardSanjeev Sharma, the former Indian allrounder, guided Indian Seniors to a comfortable five-wicket win over their Pakistan counterparts in the third one-day match at Sheikhupura. Indian Seniors now lead the series 2-1. Sharma scored a strokefilled 66 with seven boundaries as India Seniors made light work of the target of 212.Mohammad Azharuddin, who came into this match with the series level at 1-1, won the toss and chose to field. Azam Khan, the wicketkeeper, resisted at the top of the order with a half-century, but Aamer Sohail and Mansoor Akhtar fell early, leaving Pakistan seniors at 36 for 2.Wickets fell at regular intervals, and no meaty partnerships developed. The best stand was for the fifth wicket, and was worth 55, the only half-century partnership of the innings. While Manoj Prabhakar and David Johnson gave the Indian seniors the early breakthroughs, Sukhwinder Singh and Noel David chipped in towards the end with two wickets apiece as Pakistan Seniors were bowled out for 211 in 37.2 overs.In contrast to their counterparts the openers for the Indian Seniors – Prabhakar and Sharma – provided a healthy start, putting on 51. Then WV Raman, the former left-hand batsman, chipped in with 35 at No. 3. The Indian Seniors then faced a blip as Abdul Qadir, the legspin great, snapped up Mohammad Azharuddin and Amarjit Kaypee relatively cheaply. India were five down, but still easily overhauled the target, scoring 214 in 33.3 overs.Khusro Pervez Khan, the home secretary of Punjab, Jalil Ahmed Sharqpuri, the district nazim, Inam-ul-Haq the DCO, Nazim Mohammad Virk, the tehsil, were among the dignitaries who watched the match.

Rahul Dravid can take unflappability to dangerous levels. With a game down and two to play, he preferred to talk about the simplicity of the task: “In a way it’s made things simple for us; we need to win the next two to win the series.”At the same time, he spelt out the areas of concern, minor points that often make a major difference. He admitted that three run-outs in the previous game were the moments that had tilted the scales, adding that it was one of several areas that needed rectifying. “We need to work on our fielding, running between wickets, and taking chances with run-outs. It’s the little things that make a difference. Our judgment of the runs can be better … Also our lower order needs to contribute, considering our strategy of playing five bowlers. We are working on giving them more batting practice, asking them to rotate strike and not go for the big shots.”Dravid knows that India, unlike West Indies, can’t afford any sort of slip. “We need to play to potential. West Indies can afford another mistake, because they are 2-1 up. But we’ve come back from these positions before. It’s a good challenge, a good test for us. If we play to our potential, I think we can get the right result.”One factor that could make the big difference, Dravid reckoned, is Virender Sehwag, who clattered an awesome 97 in the previous game. “It’s nice to have Veeru back in form,” he continued. “He’s always been hitting the ball well in the nets. Got run-out in the first game, hasn’t been able to convert the starts he’s got. I just hope he’s consistent. He showed that, on a wicket that was slow, he got 96 off 83 balls and played better than any of us. With him firing, it makes a big difference. It’s important for him to back it up with consistent scores and end the series in style.”He was fully behind Ramesh Powar, when there were suggestions of Anil Kumble to be included in the one-day squad. “Powar has done a really good job for us. He’s someone who bats lower down. We know Kumble is someone who we can fall back on. One poor spell from Ramesh is not an indication. I’d rather focus on the team we have here.”The last time Dravid played in Trinidad, India won their first-ever one-day series in West Indies. Before that, he had been part of a Test-match winning side. “Obviously it’s nice to come back to Trinidad where we have pleasant memories in one-day and Test series,” he continued, “but I don’t think it’s going to have any relevance to this series. For people who’ve been here in the past, it’s some good memories.”

While many in the Caribbean dwell on the reasons for the dearth of fast bowlers in the region, Richie Richardson, the former West Indies captain, thinks he knows the answer – fast food.”They do not train as hard as in the past, or maybe it’s due to too much fast food,” Richardson told newindpress.com. “We need to make sure they follow the right methods and diet if they have to last longer.”We can be back on top if the administrators can sort out the problems. We are a poor country, but we should have the infrastructure and a proper coaching system in place.”Richardson also slammed the current players, accusing them of being too greedy.”They are the second-best paid in the world though they rank only No 8. The board is not that rich, but the players, despite not winning, want more money.”And he added that he remained unconvinced about Brian Lara’s captaincy. “Lara is a shrewd person, but lacks support from the players,” he explained. “The talk is that Lara as a player did not support his captains. So it would be difficult for him to get support from the players. [Ramnaresh] Sarwan appears to be a good captain and is young, but the board wanted instant results and so appointed Lara again. Instant result is not the cure.”

Mahinda Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan president, has ordered that elections to the Sri Lankan board be cancelled, and has asked former players to run the game, said Jeevan Kumaratunga, Sri Lanka’s sports minister.Rajapakse intervened to end bitter infighting in Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) after a meeting with 11 former cricketers, including Arjuna Ranatunga, the former captain, at his residence on Wednesday.Rajapakse asked Kumaratunga to cancel the SLC elections after the cricketers complained that severe malpractices leading to Saturday’s vote were ruining the nation’s most popular sport. “The cricketers had a discussion with the president and he advised them to come up with an alternative to the elections,” Kumaratunga told AFP. “There have been death threats and various other issues leading up to the election. He didn’t want any complications after the elections as the World Cup was fast approaching.”A no-holds-barred contest was developing between Jayantha Dharmadasa, chairman of the government-appointed interim committee running the cricket body, and Mohan de Silva, former SLC president. Media reports in recent days said the rivals had promised huge payments to member clubs to secure their votes for control of the nation’s richest sports body.Elections to the Colombo District Cricket Association last week, seen as a prelude to the SLC vote, were marred by rigging. Rajapakse wanted the former cricketers to run the SLC and sought a compromise between the rival candidates by urging them both to join the administration as co-chairmen, according to sources who attended the meeting.The power struggle has already wrecked the schedule for the three-nation tournament which includes India and South Africa from August 14 to 29. Last week, Dharmadasa’s committee changed the original schedule and decided to shift the first four matches in Dambulla, seen as a de Silva stronghold, to Colombo.de Silva’s group, however, said it would take the matches back to Dambulla if it won the elections. The Rangiri International Stadium in Dambulla was championed by Thilanga Sumathipala, the former SLC president, who was thrown out by the government last year and replaced by Dharmadasa’s interim committee. Sumathipala was not contesting this time but had thrown his weight behind de Silva.South Africa are due to arrive in Sri Lanka next week to play two Test matches and then the tri-series. Both Tests will be played in Colombo.