Greg Chappell’s contract details have all been worked out and he will be able to continue his media commitments, the Indian cricket board has confirmed. Chappell, the former Australian captain who was recently appointed coach of the Indian national team, is expected to arrive in India on June 15 and has requested the board to enlist two experts as part of his support staff.”The contract details are all worked out and BCCI secretary SK Nair will hand it over to Chappell when he comes to India this month,” Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the board president, told . Nair added that they were “already looking for a well-furnished flat for Chappell and his wife” and said that his daily allowance would be equal to the amount that the players receive. Chappell will be entitled to 70 days of leave every year and will also be eligible for a share in the logo money.With regard to Chappell’s media commitments, Nair said that he could “express his thoughts and expressions” through a newspaper column or news channel. However, he added that Chappell will “not be permitted to leak out any team secret”.Meanwhile the board also confirmed that Chappell has requested the services of Ian Frazer and Charles Krebs as part of his support staff. Frazer, the former Victorian player, is an expert in the biomechanics of bowling while Krebs is a specialist in Kinesiology – the scientific study of man’s movement and the movements of equipment that he might use in exercise, sport or other forms of physical activity. Jyoti Bajpai, treasurer of the board, confirmed this to and said, “We have asked Chappell to furnish details of their experience and expertise as well as the remuneration they expect.”

Jason Gillespie was ruled out with a torn muscle in his side, while Simon Katich earned a surprise recall as Australia’s selectors named a squad of 14 for the second Test against Zimbabwe which starts at the Sydney Cricket Ground later this week.Gillespie will fly to Sydney with the squad to continue treatment with Errol Alcott, the team physiotherapist, and an assessment will be made about his availability for the one-day tournament in India later this month.Stuart MacGill and Darren Lehmann, suffering from a a torn calf muscle and tendonitis respectively, have been included in the 14 and given a chance to prove their fitness.Brad Williams, who was the 12th man in Perth, retains his place, and there are call-ups for Brad Hogg and Nathan Bracken as well as for Katich. A graceful left-hander, Katich was once the golden boy of the Australian domestic circuit, but has not played for Australia since his Test debut at Headingley in 2001. A move to New South Wales from Western Australia seems to have revived his career, and he has now been called up ahead of Martin Love, who thumped a century against Bangladesh in his last Test appearance.Bracken has represented Australia in ODIs, and was part of the Test squad that toured England in 2001, though he was forced home early by a shoulder injury.The injuries to Gillespie, MacGill and Lehmann forced Cricket Australia’s hand, and Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, said: “Injuries have forced us to make several changes and we will have a better idea as to how we are placed once Stuart MacGill and Darren Lehmann have undergone fitness tests in Sydney.”Going on the advice of the medical team, Jason Gillespie has been ruled out and we will monitor his progress over the next few days before making a decision about his place in the one-day touring party for India.”Despite these injuries we feel that we have been able to select players who can cover adequately for those on the casualty list.”On the selection of Bracken and Williams, Hohns said: “The inclusion of Brad Williams and Nathan Bracken gives us the flexibility of playing four fast bowlers if required. Nathan has performed well at one-day international level, and being a left-arm bowler means he offers us a little bit of variety in the pace-bowling department.”Hogg will most likely play only if MacGill is ruled out, while Katich is seen as the ideal replacement if Lehmann misses out. “With Darren Lehmann’s fitness under a cloud, we felt Simon Katich, who like Darren can slot into the middle order as well as bowl some handy left-arm wrist-spin, was a suitable replacement,” said Hohns. “We weren’t on the lookout simply for a batsman as a potential replacement for Darren, rather a batting allrounder. Simon’s bowling was a major influence in our decision-making. Martin Love was certainly considered, but on this occasion we felt Simon’s bowling record on the Sydney Cricket Ground would prove valuable.”

On the performance today
We are very happy with the performance. To be 3 for 160 at the end of the day is very satisfying for us. There was a good bit of time for all the players who batted.On the rain delay
Yes, but we can’t do anything about that. We got a chance to get used to the conditions.On the Mumbai attack
The attack was very good in terms of work divided. I think Ajit Agarkar is very much in consideration with the Indian selectors. I thought the use of [Ramesh] Powar, the offspinner, early on was a good move by the Mumbai team. It was good for us, too, as it gave Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer a chance to experience a slower bowler from the outset. I think it was very useful for us as a batting team.On Ricky Ponting missing the second Test
I think we basically thought that it was unlikely he would play in the second Test. I think he, like all of us, knew that that would be the outcome. So it’s good that his thumb is recovering well, and we expect him during the second Test and hopefully he will return for the third Test.Selection for this game
The players that we left out will be relatively comfortable about their own preparation. So that gave the opportunity to other players who we needed to see in match circumstances.On Simon Katich batting at No. 3
That is not completely certain for the Tests, but it is one of the options we have. We are getting closer to understanding what our final combination will be, so there is every chance that Katich batting at No. 3 will be one of the options when the selectors sit down to pick the team.

Digicel, the current sponsors of the West Indies cricket team, and one of the parties embroiled in the recent Caribbean contract dispute has said it would welcome and support any offer from the ICC and the Federation of International Cricketer’s Associations (FICA) to resolve the present stalemate.The ICC has made it clear that it will not involve itself in the dispute, unless explicitly asked to do so. The West Indies Cricket Board has made this position clear to Digicel, although Roger Braithwaite, the WICB chief executive, has been actively involved in talks with Malcolm Speed, his opposite number at the ICC.Last week, a Digicel spokesman, in an exclusive interview to Cricinfo, talked about the company’s growing “disappointment” at the WICB’s seeming unwillingness to resolve the dispute. “The whole process has been frustrating as our whole investment is about having the best West Indies cricket team,” said the spokesman. “We are not an administrator and all we have ever wanted is the best for West Indies cricket.”The contract row has now clearly hit rock bottom, with a second-string West Indies team playing Test matches in Sri Lanka. Stars like Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Brian Lara, who have personal endorsements with Digicel’s rival mobile communications company Cable and Wireless, are absent, thus robbing the series of its sheen.The latest statement from Digicel reveals more than a tinge of desperation on the company’s part, as it struggles to find a way out of the dispute. “Digicel continues to remain hopeful that a solution can be created between the WICB and WIPA that provides value to the players, fans and organisations that are supporting West Indies Cricket,” said Ben Atherton, Digicel Group marketing director in a press release. “We believe that the current situation could benefit positively from the international expertise and best practices garnered by the world’s governing body and player’s association in the interests of all parties involved”.

India could be the worst fielding side in the world at present. They allowed extra runs in the field and lost a few while running between the wickets during the final of the Indian Oil Cup against Sri Lanka. Add them all up and you have the difference between winning and losing.There were two regulation chances in the slips which were dropped off Sanath Jayasuriya. It was the surest way to invite disaster. Virender Sehwag has dropped quite a few catches in this tournament. In a way, it was ironic that a bit of smart fielding ejected Jayasuriya from the middle. India must count themselves lucky for Jayasuriya had set himself up for an innings of 150 or 160 runs. He was in his groove and was bisecting the field with his customary precision.Along with Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, Jayasuriya was one of the three senior-most cricketers who mattered for Sri Lanka in the final. These three are of timeless quality, the rocks who have braved the onslaught of faster, fitter and stronger one-day cricket from one decade to another. India should have been alert to these formidable men. Instead, we had a Virender Sehwag who wanted to take on Chaminda Vaas. Sehwag needed to differentiate between a Lokuhettige and a Vaas. He had the Sri Lankan attack on their knees. Another 10 overs at the crease and he would have been the toast of India. In the end, what did he achieve? – Just a glimmer of hope, when India could have basked in his glory.India just did not plan well enough. If you give four to five wickets to the duo of Vaas and Murali, that’s a blow to the guts. India needed to target and create more Lokuhettiges among the Sri Lankans. The best way to do it was in the middle overs for Vaas and Murali would have given nothing away at the death. Dravid and Yuvraj had a good partnership but I would have preferred Irfan Pathan ahead of Mohammad Kaif at that critical juncture.Not that Sri Lanka were without fault. I feel they were off to a really bad start. The promotion of Lokuhettige made no sense. The hosts had more experienced pinch-hitters like Vaas, Upul Chandana, Tilakeratne Dilshan and Farveez Mahroof and yet opted for a rookie on a stage as special as a final. Mahela Jayawardene was sensible and Russel Arnold is back to where he belongs but again they made a hash of things in the final overs.Sri Lanka also went with a bad mix in the finals. To me, there were only three proper bowlers in Sri Lanka team: Chaminda Vaas, Muthiah Muralitharan and Farvez Mahroof. The rest were all fill-in bowlers. The best and the barest combination in one-day cricket is at least four frontline bowlers. I would have never dropped Nuwan Zoysa from the line-up. He is a tough cookie and always brings wickets upfront. When Sehwag was skinning the likes of Mahroof and Lokuhettige to the bones, Zoysa was missed badly.Somehow I remain skeptical about the five frontline bowlers theory. Do we have an example in world cricket where five specialist bowlers have mattered in one-day context? Even Australia restricts itself to four quality bowlers. India looked for thoroughbreds when multidimensional cricketers are the call of one-day cricket. The likes of Arnold and Dilshan, Brad Hogg and Ashley Giles, Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi are able to don different hats as required in the fluid world of one-day cricket. Remember: single dimensional talents are easy to mark and sometimes a solitary arrow is enough to bring them down to earth. But if you are a chameleon, you can sneak in and move ahead with the furtiveness required in one-day cricket. One keeps hearing that this Indian team needs more time to turn around the corner. They would surely not be able to do so if the legs and spirits are as tardy as that of the present lot.

Michael Vaughan praised the character of his team and admitted thatEngland “were on the brink of something special” after theirnerve-shredding three-wicket in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, a resultthat carried them into a 2-1 series lead and to within touching distanceof their first Ashes series win since 1986-87.”Anyone who expected England to stroll after watching the previous threegames should probably have realised it was going to be hard work,” said arelieved Vaughan in the post-match press conference. “Shane Warne andBrett Lee bowled really, really well but full credit to our team. Onceagain they produced a performance of high standard and really putAustralia under pressure for sustained periods.””Simon Jones bowled exceptionally well in the first innings, so afterlosing him, the bowlers in the second innings deserve a lot of credit,”added Vaughan. “They kept running in on a placid wicket that was reallyvery slow. We had to use all our resources to whittle out those tenwickets and restrict them to a total where we only had to chase 130.”Even so, that target almost proved too much, as England’s top-orderimploded in the face of Shane Warne and Brett Lee. “When you’re chasing atotal of 220, you tend to bat time,” explained Vaughan, “A lot of teamshave done similar to us in the past, when they’ve lost a few wicketstrying to play their shots. The bowlers get a bit of momentum and thepressure mounts and sometimes it can be tricky. But I’m just delighted wegot over the line. To go 2-1 up in an Ashes series is not something we’vedone for a long, long time.”The obvious question on everyone’s lips is now: Can England win the Ashes.”We’re playing good cricket,” said an understandably evasive Vaughan.”Challenges have been thrown at us over the last few weeks and we’ve donealright in the last few. The Oval I’m sure will be an epic like the lastthree. Can we do it for the last game? I’m not too sure if we can but surewe will do.”If the match was unbearable for the spectators, then Vaughan was quick toremind them that the real nerve-jangler has already been and gone. “It wastense, but it wasn’t as tense as being out on that pitch at Edgbaston thatSunday morning,” he said, still wincing at the horrific alternativeuniverse that the team flirted with that day. “It helps that we’ve wongames like this before – we chased down runs against New Zealand here lastyear. We’ve liked to have won by a few more wickets, but that wasn’t tobe.”Vaughan added that he’d been happy enough to enforce the follow-on,despite the risks it entailed. “At the time there were clouds about and ithad swung nicely in the morning, and we expected the same in theafternoon. But to lose Simon Jones, ten overs in, was a huge blow, so fullcredit to the remaining four bowlers and Ian Bell. To restrict them to40-odd in a session this morning was a tremendous effort on that wicket.”Ricky Ponting, meanwhile, rued his team’s first-day performance as hefaced up to the reality of Australia’s situation – that they need to winat The Oval next month to save the Ashes. “It’s difficult to cope whenyou’ve given away too big a start,” he admitted. “We didn’t make as manyas we should, and ended up with our backs against the wall. If I’m beingrealistic, we once again got closer than we should have done.”The fight was there but not for long enough,” Ponting continued. “Englandhave been on top from the moment the last ball of the first Test wasbowled and now we’ve got no option. If the guys can’t get up for a gamelike the one we’ve got coming up, then they shouldn’t be playing.”

Tom Moody has called for Sri Lanka to round off the honeymoon period of his coaching tenure with a resounding victory against Bangladesh in the second Test on Tuesday.Sri Lanka waltzed to a comfortable two-and-a-half day, innings and 94-run victory in the first Test and are expected to win the second game easily to complete a 2-0 clean sweep. It comes on the heels of a 2-0 series win over the West Indies as well as winning the triangular Indian Oil Cup, that included India.But Moody realises that after two months in charge, a period during which he has quickly gained the respect and trust of the players, life is about to get tougher with tours to India, New Zealand and Australia fast looming on the horizon.”We have had a great run over the last two months and it is important for us to finish off on a positive note as we will not be playing at home for some time now,” Moody told AFP after the team’s final training session.Moody expects the batsmen to deliver: “I don’t think the conditions were ideal for batting [in the first Test]. The wicket didn’t represent a good Test pitch. I believe we’ll be playing on a very good cricket wicket here and if we don’t score heavily and get some big scores, then I would be a little disappointed.”Sri Lanka look set to call-up Russel Arnold for his first Test in 14 months after Tillakaratne Dilshan injured his right elbow during the practice session. Dilshan was hit painfully on the elbow joint by one of the net bowlers and was unable to flex the joint on Tuesday evening.Sri Lanka’s only other possible change may be the third seamer. Dilhara Fernando bowled only four overs in the first Test and the selectors may consider the option of an allrounder or extra batsman. But with the P. Saravanamuttu pitch set to offer better batting conditions Fernando is likely to get another chance.Bangladesh, meanwhile, are looking to salvage some pride after what has been a disappointing tour. Their successes in England had raised expectations, but they’ve never challenged Sri Lanka’s superiority and have badly missed the extra pace of Mashrafe Mortaza in their bowling attack.After their spectacular collapse against Muttiah Muralitharan last week they took a two-day break to refresh and regroup. When they resumed practice on Saturday afternoon Habibul Bashar, the skipper, noticed a new spring in the step of his players.Dav Whatmore pinpointed the first day collapse from 155 for 2 to 188 all out as the pivotal period of the last game. “A score of 155 for 2 gives every indication that the boys can go and put up a decent total,” he said. “It is unfortunate that they didn’t as I know they are capable of being more competitive.”Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Russel Arnold, 7 Chaminda Vaas, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Muttiah Muralitharan, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dilhara FernandoBangladesh (probable) 1 Javed Omer, 2 Shahriar Nafees, 3 Habibul Bashar (capt), 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Aftab Ahmed, 6 Tushar Imran, 7 Khaled Mashud, 8 Mohammad Rafique, 9 Syed Rasel, 10 Enamul Haque, 11 Shahadat Hossain.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Bangladesh are staring at their second three-day defeat of the series as they finished on 131 for 4 after losing 14 wickets on the second day at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo. Dilhara Fernando was the destroyer-in-chief with 5 for 60 in the first innings and another brace of wickets in the second as Bangladesh still trail by 135 runs.Bangladesh at least showed some application during an extended evening session as Mohammad Ashraful and Shariar Nafees halted a second-innings collapse with a 75-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Nafees dropped down the order in the second innings and battled hard for his maiden Test fifty but fell just before the close of play to Muttiah Muralitharan.Ashraful, batting with uncharacteristic caution, much to the delight of coach Dav Whatmore who has been frustrated by his inconsistency, was on 21 not out. Bangladesh need him to press on and make a really big score if they are going to be able to make Sri Lanka bat again.Ashraful was also the only top-order batsmen to offer resistance in the first innings, cracking a 41-ball 42 that included five fours and two sixes before Bangladesh were bowled out for 191. The rest of the team succumbed lamely – except Khaled Mashud who batted resolutely for his 26 – as Muralitharan (3 for 47) and Lasith Malinga (2 for 32) devoured the scraps that Fernando left behind.

Rumours were doing the rounds that Sri Lanka may bat again to give Sanath Jayasuriya a chance to shine in his 100th Test. But this would have flown in the face of the team ethic fostered by Tom Moody and Marvan Atapattu and Sri Lanka duly enforced the follow on soon after tea.Chaminda Vaas, wicketless in the first innings, triggered a second-innings collapse as Javed Omar tried to pull a short ball from outside the off stump. Fernando followed up with the key scalp of Habibul Bashar, who was caught at backward point by a delighted Muralitharan, and Nafees Iqbal (30) who gloved a lifting delivery.At that stage Bangladesh reeling on 56 for 3, with almost 25 overs left in the day, looked like they might capitulate. But Nafees recovered from a nervous start and battled hard for survival and then took the attack to Sri Lanka, hitting boundaries and forcing Atapattu into making frequent bowling changes. Unfortunately, for Bangladesh, Muralitharan snared him at slip just before stumps.Earlier, Sri Lanka had opted to continue batting on the second morning despite having piled up 449 runs on the opening day. But the search for quick runs, and a possible first Test century for Vaas, was swiftly brought to a halt as Shahadat Hossain bowled Muralitharan for 24 and Syed Rasel bowled Vaas for 65.The pitch still offered some life by the time Sri Lanka’s bowlers started their work and Malinga began with an unplayable outswinger that whistled past Omar’s defensive bat but had to wait until his third over before picking up his first scalp as Nafees edged a sharp ball behind.Although Malinga looked threatening and Vaas probed away diligently, curving the ball in, it was Fernando, who bowled just four overs in the opening game of the series, that left Bangladesh on the ropes with a triple strike in the final hour before the break.

Bashar was his first victim as he top-edged an attempted hook and Vaas rushed in from the boundary ropes to take a fine tumbling catch. The breakthrough ended a 30-run stand and was followed soon after by the fall of Omar, who was caught on the crease and bowled by a in-dipper. Sangakkara clung to a superb one-handed diving catch in front of first slip to dismiss Iqbal.Bangladesh, 80 for 4 at lunch, raced ahead as Ashraful showcased his bountiful natural talent with a string of cover drives and wristy leg side swats. But Fernando’s slower ball deceived him and Atapattu calmly took a catch running backwards at mid-on. Aftab Ahmed (23) was then caught down the leg side off a gloved pull before Muralitharan and Malinga mopped up the lower order.

Sri Lanka
Muttiah Muralitharan b Hossain 24 (453 for 8)

Chaminda Vaas b Syed Rasel (457 for 9)

Bangladesh 1st innings
Shariar Nafees c Sangakkara b Malinga 5 (16 for 1)

Habibul Bashar c Vaas b Fernando 18 (46 for 2)

Javed Omar b Fernando 18 (52 for 3)

Nafees Iqbal c Sangakkara b Fernando 5 (72 for 4)

Mohammad Ashraful c Atapattu b Fernando 42 (115 for 5)

Aftab Ahmed c Sangakkara b Fernando 23 (135 for 6)

Mohammad Rafique c Dilshan b Murali 6 (143 for 7)

Syed Rasel c Vaas b Murali 5 (157 for 8)

Shahadat Hossain c Sangakkara b Malinga 7 (166 for 9)

Khaled Mashud st Sangakkara b Murali 26 (191 for 10)

Bangladesh 2nd innings
Javed Omar c Atapattu b Vaas 9 (22 for 1)

Habibul Bashar c Muralitharan b Fernando 10 (44 for 2)

Nafees Iqbal b Sangakkara b Fernando 30 (56 for 3)

Shahriar Nafees c Samaraweera b Muralitharan 51 (131 for 4)

Scorecard

Steve Tikolo, Kenya’s captain, powered his side into a dominant position with a stunning 220 on the first day of the Intercontinental Cup semi-final against Bermuda at Windhoek. Kenya declared on 403 for 6 from 79 overs and Bermuda replied with 13 for 1 by the close.Tikolo came in at 32 for 2 after he had won the toss and elected to bat and was soon joined by No. 5 Hitesh Modi with Kenya looking shaky. The two blasted their team towards 400, with Tikolo hitting his highest first-class score as Bermuda saw their chances of a final place evaporate.While Tikolo’s knock came off just 233 balls with 27 fours and a six, Modi played the straight man. Tikolo declared with Modi unbeaten on 98 from 161 balls with only three boundaries. He was just two runs from his maiden first-class hundred.Dwayne Leverock, who came into this match with 16 wickets at 9.93 in Bermuda’s two group matches, eventually accounted for Tikolo but took some real punishment, conceding 105 from 23 overs. Bermuda lost Curtis Jackson as they made a painstaking 13 from 13 overs.

Alastair Cook has been called up to the England squad as cover for Michael Vaughan. A decision on Vaughan’s knee injury has been delayed further with the medical team in England recommending that he rests, but he is rated as “very doubtful” for the first Test in Multan.Cook, the 20-year-old Essex left-hander, who struck a double century against Australia last summer, is a former England Under-19 captain. He was named in the ECB Academy intake for this winter and toured Sri Lanka with England A last year.David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, said: “Alastair Cook has been called into the squad as we felt we needed an opening batsman to provide cover not only for Michael Vaughan, but also for Andrew Strauss who is expected to fly home before the third Test to attend the birth of his child.”His rise has been meteoric since he was tipped by many as a future England opener when he started breaking batting records at Bedford School. Former England and Essex captain Keith Fletcher called Cook “just about the best young batsman I have ever seen” when he started to make his presence felt in the Essex 2nd XIs. He averaged 48.03 in the County Championship in 2005, hitting four centuries.”Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d been heading to Pakistan,” he told BBC Sport. “I’m very excited about it and can’t wait to get together with the rest of the squad. Peter Moores is doing a fantastic job [at the ECB Academy] and having been there for a couple of weeks I was just starting to feel the benefits.”The England coach, Duncan Fletcher, said that initially England were interested in Owais Shah and Robert Key if a replacement was needed. However, both players have recently undergone surgery meaning that Cook has been handed an unexpected opportunity to get his experience with the full England squad. “It’s unfortunate for Vaughan to be injured but a great opportunity for me and I will make the most of it,” he said. “David [Graveney] told me I was going as cover for Vaughan and to enjoy it.”An ECB statement said that the medical team will continue to assess Vaughan’s condition and a decision on his availability for the second and third Tests will be made in due course.