Yuvraj Singh had a shabby county season, but he got some valuable advice from a player whom he is very likely to come up against in the near future – Stephen Fleming, the captain of New Zealand.Yuvraj returned from England last week and, speaking to the press on the first day of a week-long training camp at Bangalore, said that he became “good friends” with Fleming during his Yorkshire stint. “I learnt a lot from him, he helped me a lot. He’s a very experienced player and an excellent captain. I’ve picked up lots of important tips for the future,” said Yuvraj.The tips may have helped before the season; Yuvraj made only 145 runs from seven first-class matches for Yorkshire. “It was a good experience playing county cricket. The first month was pretty good, I played a couple of good knocks, but later on I was struggling,” he said.He was confident of regaining form soon enough, and with India’s international season starting soon, he will need all the form he can get. “I’ve done well in domestic cricket,” Yuvraj said. “I just have to try and be consistent in India’s one-day games and then try to get into the test team.”

The 2003 Irani Trophy has been billed as a match worth going miles to watch. A full-strength Rest of India (RoI) team attempts to defend their trophy in Chennai against Mumbai, who have been rejuvenated by Sachin Tendulkar’s return to the captaincy. A three-hour shower on Thursday night delayed the morning practice session of the Mumbai side, as the RoI players arrived in a trickle from various parts of the country, with Sourav Ganguly, the captain, bringing up the rear. It’s to be hoped that this isn’t a sign of things to come.”Let me say on behalf of the Mumbai team that we’re here to win,” said Tendulkar in the sweltering Chennai heat. “We will fight all the way. It will be a tough match – Rest of India is almost the full Indian side. The youngsters in our side have a lot to learn, but the idea is to win.” Mobbed by photographers, television cameras and journalists, he spent more than a few minutes overstating the obvious.When it came to practice, though, Tendulkar was very much in his element. Playing a headmasterly role, he marshalled his team into small groups and took a hands-on approach to the drills. Sairaj Bahutule and Wasim Jaffer were stretched to the limit, spilling a few tough chances as Tendulkar sliced slip catches to them. The RoI will be hoping that the practice session has put Tendulkar in the edging frame of mind.Apart from Tendulkar, the Mumbai team looks adequate rather than impressive. Vinod Kambli, a sleeker version these days with tramlines running wild across his bald pate, must prove once more that he is a class above the average domestic cricketer. The batting, traditionally a Mumbai strength, has an unusually shaky look. Jaffer, with a keener eye on an Indian opening slot than Mumbai glory, teams up with Vinayak Mane to see off the new ball.Nishit Shetty, the left-hander who has played just one full first-class Ranji season, has impressed observers. Although a late bloomer – he’s 30 now – he has made rapid strides of late. His two centuries came at a time when Mumbai really needed runs, especially in the second innings of the Ranji final against Tamil Nadu.Over the last season, however, Mumbai have been bolstered by their late-middle order. The tenacious batting of Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper, Ramesh Powar and Bahutule kept opposition attacks at bay, although the retirement of Paras Mhambrey, who chipped in with valuable runs himself, has opened up a pivotal slot in the team.Tendulkar will have a tough choice ahead of him on the morning of the match. He might be tempted to play Nilesh Kulkarni as the third spinner, but would be hard pressed to leave out Bhavin Thakkar. An RoI attack including Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble is likely to force him to prop up the batting. After all, he has the pace of Ajit Agarkar and Aavishkar Salvi, the spin of Powar and Bahutule and, well, just about anything he wants from himself.”We all know each others’ strengths and weaknesses, but I don’t want to discuss them,” said Tendulkar. “We’ll leave it to tomorrow. You only need one ball to get a batsman and whoever makes a mistake will pay the price. We all have to be on our toes.” Tendulkar will be hoping, though, that reports about Zaheer’s stiff back are true. If Zaheer does not play, it will be up to Amit Bhandari and L Balaji to take the new ball on a Chennai pitch that’s difficult to read. It’s like a Perth wicket for the first four overs, then gets flatter and slower and, according to a local scorer, by the third day is a typical Indian wicket.Kumble and Harbhajan will be a major factor, especially against some of the inexperienced Mumbai batsmen, who would have played very little competitive cricket against spinners of this quality. The batting of the RoI team is a Who’s Who of Indian cricket: Virender Sehwag and Sanjay Bangar open, with Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh making up the middle order.This is a big break for Yuvraj, who signalled his return to form with a dominating hundred in the Challenger series after a disappointing run with Yorkshire in county cricket. For the others, there’s little more than pride at stake. The bowling looks well settled, with only a question-mark over Zaheer’s fitness. Rohan Gavaskar, whose contentious selection must have brought personal joy, will probably have to be content carrying drinks for his more illustrious peers.”The Irani Trophy is a very prestigious competition. It’s not a practice match. We want to grab the title from Rest of India and I’m sure they too will want to win,” said Tendulkar. With luck it will be hard-fought match, unlike the Challenger series, which some people reckon had more in it for selectors than spectators.Teams
Mumbai (from): Wasim Jaffer, Vinayak Mane, Sachin Tendulkar (capt), Nishit Shetty, Vinod Kambli, Bhavin Thakkar, Vinayak Samant (wk), Ajit Agarkar, Sairaj Bahutule, Ramesh Powar, Aavishkar Salvi, Nilesh Kulkarni, Swapnil Hazare, Vinit Indulkar, Robin Morris.Rest of India (from): Virender Sehwag, Sanjay Bangar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly (capt), Yuvraj Singh, Parthiv Patel (wk), Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, L Balaji, Murali Kartik, Amit Bhandari, Rohan Gavaskar.

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Zimbabwe were denied a rare Test victory after years of defeat and failure, as the last-wicket pair of Ridley Jacobs and Fidel Edwards successfully played out the last 32 minutes and 71 deliveries to secure a thrilling draw at Harare. The weather remarkably stayed fine to the end, but it was only to mock the earnest, but ultimately futile, efforts of the heart-broken Zimbabwe side.Zimbabwe had the game all but wrapped up when West Indies sunk to 204 for 9, but Jacobs, who finished on 60 not out, and Edwards emerged as the last-ditch heroes to hold out for the draw. Ray Price, who became only the third Zimbabwean bowler to take ten wickets in an innings, bowled his heart out, wheeling through 38 overs without a break. Heath Streak would gladly have swapped his Man of the Match award after his first-innings century and superb bowling for what would have been a wonderful victory after 11 successive defeats.Streak perhaps left his declaration too long, waiting until shortly before the close of the morning session with a lead of 372. West Indiesbegan their quest for safety cautiously, but a dramatic 15 minutes extinguished any hopes they had of an unlikely victory.After Wavell Hinds and Chris Gayle departed in quick succession, Streak picked up the big wicket of Brian Lara – with a bit of help from Billy Bowden. Streak deceived Lara with a ball that moved back in on him as he padded up and Bowden gave him out lbw. The replay, however, suggested that it had not come back enough to hit off. The fielders, and the crowd, were ecstatic as the unfortunate Lara made his way back to the pavilion for 1 and Zimbabwe sensed they were on to something (38 for 3).With all sniffs of victory gone, Daren Ganga and Ramnaresh Sarwan applied themselves to survival without the pressure or a required run rate. There were, remarkably in this modern era, no extras in the innings until the total reached 66 – at which point Andy Blignaut produced a superb delivery which beat Sarwan and would have trapped him plumb lbw, had Bowden not called no-ball.Both batsmen, though, cracked under the pressure created by spinners Price and Trevor Gripper. Ganga yorked himself for 16, leaping down the pitch to Price (73 for 4), while Sarwan also left his crease to Gripper, and was stumped for 39 (103 for 5).The last two recognised batsmen, Shivnarive Chanderpaul and Jacobs, put up a good fight for 78 minutes. They played well, but not with the care that one would expect with only a draw to play for. And that partnership came to an end after 68 runs when Chanderpaul clipped Price straight to midwicket (171 for 6).Even though they were making good progress, Zimbabwe struggled under the handicap of having only two threatening bowlers in Streak and Price. But Blignaut came on to bowl his fastest and most telling spell of the match. As if inspired, he bowled at a much greater speed and gave the batsmen a torrid time.He had Drakes caught by Tatenda Taibu, fending off a rearing ball (184 for 7), and then Jerome Taylor was taken low at fifth slip where Stuart Matsikenyeri juggled it and held the rebound from his hand. And after the third umpire was called to confirm the catch, Taylor was on his way for 3 and West Indies were starting the death march on 191 for 8. And the crowd knew it too, coming to life with cheers and songs in an atmosphere rarely seen outside one-day internationals.Jacobs in the meantime had reached his fifty, batting well but taking a few risks that were unnecessary considering his team’s plight. Corey Collymore was next to go, for 1, pushing a catch to silly mid-off to give Price ten wickets for the match (204 for 9). And that was that … or so everyone thought.Edwards joined Jacobs with the light fading and the big shadow of the Western Stand across the field, forcing Zimbabwe to resort to spin at both ends. But the batsmen remained obdurate. Price was no doubt tired, Gripper innocuous, and that last wicket just would not fall. By the close all the fielders were within about five yards of the bat, but the batsmen did their job marvellously. They saw out the last twelve overs and didn’t give anything away, keeping their cool as the pressure increased.For Zimbabwe, all that was left was to reflect on what might have been, and the injustice of life in a country where nothing ever seems to go right.

Robert Croft has been called up by the England selectors for the Testseries in Sri Lanka. The Glamorgan captain becomes the 16th memberof the Test squad and his selection follows a Man of the Series performancefor England in the recent Hong Kong Sixes.”The selectors feel the need to have an extra spinner present inSri Lanka as past history indicates that spin might have a biggerpart to play than in Bangladesh,” said chairman of selectors DavidGraveney. “Ashley Giles and Gareth Batty were the original picked forthe tour and they played their part in the success in Bangladesh.Selection for the first Test match in Galle will be based, as youwould expect, on form and fitness.”

Shane Bond’s injury worries may not be over. He is to have another MRI scan after he suffered back pain during a club match in Christchurch at the weekend.Bond returned home from New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka in May with a problem that was found to be a stress fracture that forced him out of cricket until he began bowling again two weeks ago. He was hoping to be fit in time for Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand which starts next month.Lindsay Crocker, the New Zealand team manager, said Dr Rob Campbell, the New Zealand Cricket doctor had examined Bond yesterday.”Dr Campbell has advised that the discomfort Shane is experiencing is in the same vicinity as the stress fracture he suffered in May, so the New Zealand Cricket medical team is going through the necessary procedures to try to arrange an MRI scan as soon as possible,” Crocker said. No date has been confirmed for the scan.

Kent have signed England U19 fast bowler David Stiff on a three-year deal, beating off interest from several other counties. Stiff joins them from the Yorkshire Academy.Former Surrey and Durham wicketkeeper David Ligertwood, who acts as Stiff’s agent, said that interest in him had been “incredible”. He continued: “Twelve counties made offers for him, which is testament to his ability. As so many counties were keen to sign him, this was a very difficult decision. But overall Kent was the right place for him to play his cricket and develop as a player.”He is 6 foot 4 inches, generates steep bounce and is already genuinely quick. He definitely has the potential and physical attributes to play international cricket sooner rather than later.”Stiff is in the England squad for the U19 World Cup in February.

Thilanga Sumathipala, the president of Sri Lanka’s cricket board and adirector of the International Cricket Council, was charged under theImmigration and Emigration Act on Friday and remanded in custody until thestart of his trial on Feb 10. Sumathipala pleaded not guilty to the charges.Sumathipala has become embroiled in a complex passport fraud scandalinvolving an underworld gangster called Dammika Amarasinghe, who allegedlytravelled to watch the 1999 World Cup in England as a guest of the cricketboard in 1999. Amarasinghe, the first suspect in the case, was gunned downin a Colombo courthouse on Jan 9 before being charged.Sumathiapala, also the chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom, has been held incustody at the Colombo National Hospital rather than Welikada Prison sincebeing being first remanded. According to his lawyers, he’s suffering fromacute kidney problems and a painful spinal condition that has left himunable to walk. He attended court in a wheelchair.After lengthy submissions from Sumathipala’s legal team, who argued thatthere was insufficient evidence to frame charges, and the prosecution, thejudge fixed a trial for Feb 10, 13, 17, 19 and 20.

Australia’s injury problems deepened on Wednesday morning as Brett Lee’sankle injury flared up again after a training session the previous day. Tomake matters worse, Michael Kasprowicz also suffered a sprained shoulderinjury which prevented him from bowling again in Sri Lanka’s first innings.Lee had initially injured his left ankle during Australia’s practice matchlast week. X-rays revealed no structural damage and Australia hadbeen hopeful that he would be fit in time for the secondTest in Kandy next week. But post-training soreness forced the teammanagement to send him home.”Brett [Lee] is suffering from inflammation at the back of his ankle joint,”said Kontouri. “As a result we felt it was prudent for him to be seen bydoctors in Australia, rather than remain on tour where it is now apparentthat his condition is not improving.” Lee will have his ankle checked by Dr Martin Sullivan, a foot specialist.”Initially I felt pretty good after the training session but once the painreturned I knew I was in trouble,” Lee said in a statement. “I amreally disappointed. I guess it’s back to square one now to rectify theproblem. That’s tough but I need to be as positive as possible to get backas soon as possible.”Lee’s withdrawal paves the way for a possible return of Glen McGrath.McGrath failed to convince the selectors of his form or fitness when theTest squad was initially selected but he has now returned to first-classcricket and claimed he is ready to return to the national team.Kasprowicz, meanwhile, sprained his shoulder after colliding with a ball boyjust before close of play on the second day. Kasprowicz did not appear to haveinjured himself at the time but he suffered pain in his right shoulderafterwards and the team management decided not to risk further aggravation.

Shane Warne completed a remarkable comeback to international cricket by claiming the four wickets he needed on the final day at Galle to become the first spinner to take 500 Test wickets. Warne, the catalyst for Australia’s fightback in this match with 5 for 116 in the first innings, bowled Australia to a famous win, ripping out three batsmen in the morning, and then returning in the afternoon to claim Hashan Tillakaratne’s scalp, and in doing so reaching the milestone.Warne, now 34, was rushed back into the Australian team immediately after finishing a 12-month ban for taking a banned diuretic, a drug that can be used as a masking agent for performance-enhancing steroids. Warne said that he took the diuretic innocently, to look good for a television interview – diuretics, which cause the body to lose fluids, are also used for rapid weight-loss.Despite his lack of competitive cricket – he played just two one-dayers and one first-class match before being called up into the Test squad for Sri Lanka – Warne soon settled back into his old groove. He struggled for rhythm at the start of Sri Lanka’s first innings, taking just two wickets on the second day, but then snapped up three more next morning to complete the 24th five-wicket haul of his 108-Test career.In the second innings, starting on 496 wickets, he bowled even better as Sri Lanka, chasing 352 for victory, lost four wickets for 15 runs in the space of 29 deliveries. Warne dismissed Marvan Atapattu (16), Tillakaratne Dilshan (6) and Mahela Jayawardene (21) in quick succession.Ricky Ponting made him wait after the break, bringing back JasonGillespie for his second spell. But Warne needed just two deliveries tostrike when he came back. Hashan Tillakaratne hit a boundary off his firstball, but then top-edged a sweep shot to give Andrew Symonds a simple catch at midwicket. Warne then got rid of Kumar Dharmasena to complete ten for the match, as Australia sealed a superb victory.Warne will now have to race Muttiah Muralitharan to Courtney Walsh’sworld record of 519 wickets. Muralitharan has also been in superb form, taking11 for 212 in the match to extend his career tally to 496 wickets, in just 86Tests.

Hampshire take 12 to Canterbury for the Easter friendlies against Kent. The two day affair is on Easter Sunday and Monday.Wicket-keeper Tom Burrows is given a match in place of Nic Pothas, as the side will look to build on their excellent practise results so far this pre-season.The Hampshire 12 is: Derek Kenway, Michael Brown, Will Kendall, John Crawley, Lawrence Prittipaul, James Hamblin, Shaun Udal, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Chris Tremlett, Tom Burrows, James Tomlinson, Alan Mullally.