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Indian captain Sourav Ganguly defended the performance of batting star Sachin Tendulkar during the ICC Champions Trophy, telling his critics to get off his back.Tendulkar failed to start during the pool and semi-final stages, forcing Ganguly to change the batting order in the final.”Sachin would have batted at number three yesterday as well, had he got the chance. He didn’t get runs in two games, that happens with everybody but then a lot of people put a lot of unnecessary pressure on him so we thought it would be good for him to go with the ball being hard – that’s what he’s used to. Then he could score a few boundaries early on and the pressure would be off him,” said the Indian captain.Earlier in the week Tendulkar had admitted that he would prefer to bat in his normal opening role where he could dictate terms to the opposition. However, he was willing to bat in the middle order in the interests of the team.To this, Ganguly said: “He hasn’t expressed his desire to me. We’re playing really well at the moment. Sachin had a fantastic series batting at number four in England. He’s a quality player and it’s good for the team that he bats at number four.”Once again the captain dwelt on the fact that certain people are putting pressure on Tendulkar, without clarifying whom he was talking about. “The people who put pressure on him should realise that we need to win as a team. We have to stop selecting individuals and making them stars; we need to pick an eleven and back them,” he said.

West Indies have axed Devon Smith ahead of the third Test against Australia and their top order has been boosted by the inclusion of Sewnarine Chattergoon, who missed out earlier in the series due to a shoulder injury. Chris Gayle, who was included in the squad for the second Test but failed to overcome his groin problem in time, has been named as captain of a 14-man group for the Barbados match.The team management is confident Gayle will play as West Indies try to level the series, which Australia lead 1-0. Chattergoon, who played his only Test in the second match against Sri Lanka in April and impressed with 46 in the first innings, is no certainty to play when the Test begins at Kensington Oval on Thursday. West Indies were impressed by the efforts of the opener Xavier Marshall in Antigua, where he batted confidently in the first innings and posted 53.To fit Gayle, Marshall and Chattergoon all into the top order West Indies might have to consider dropping Runako Morton, who played well in the first Test but was out of sorts in Antigua. Smith has already paid the price for an extended run of poor form in the Test outfit, having not made a Test half-century since he scored 88 in Brisbane in 2005-06.Sulieman Benn has been named as the sole spinner in the group and after the fast and medium-paced attack struggled in the second Test he might be a chance to play, depending on the Bridgetown pitch. Kemar Roach, a 19-year-old fast bowler from Barbados with only four first-class games to his name, has been included in the squad but is unlikely to play. He was in fact set to play for Ombersley in the Lancashire League as a professional but was unable to meet the requirement of a minimum of five first-class matches. To his good fortune, it made him available for selection for West Indies.”I know that when a Test match comes around, they sometimes draft in players in the island where the match is, but I wasn’t expecting to be in the squad,” Roach told the . “I’m quite happy to be there. If selected, I want to put in a good performance.”I have smoothened out my run-up. My approach to the wicket is a little slower. I’ve been talkingto Andy Roberts and a couple of other guys who have played at the highest level.”West Indies squad Chris Gayle (capt), Xavier Marshall, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Runako Morton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Sulieman Benn, Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards.

After a win in their opening Red Stripe bowl match Canada faced the defending champions, a powerful Guyana side led by Carl Hooper. On paper this should have been a one-sided match, and Guyana did indeed win, but not without a real struggle, and by just 28 runs.The Canadian bowlers and fielders gave Canada a chance of a major upset by restricting Guyana to just 187. Guyana won the toss and chose to bat, opening with Chattergoon and Sarwan. Austin Codrington had Chattergoon caught at cover early but Chanderpaul and Sarwan put together a solid partnership. The Canadians bowled a good line and length and when combined with excellent fielding, the batsman found runs hard to score- Sarwan took 28 balls to get off the mark. With the run-rate well below par, Chanderpaul essayed a big drive off Davison and was neatly stumped by Bagai. If a couple of catches had been held (Sarwan was dropped early on, and Hooper put down in the deep) Guyana could have had most of their best batting gone with only a hundred on the board. Sarwan (40) was trapped lbw by Davison, bringing in Cush, who hit his first ball for a big six. He and Hooper looked to be building a useful partnership when Cush holed out at deep mid-wicket off Davison. Davison struck again when Bagai made another stumping to dismiss Deoranine (2).Nick de Groot had bowled just 14 overs in one-day cricket for Guyana, and had failed to regain his spot in the Guyana team last season. He made the critical, and no doubt personally satisfying, breakthrough when a superb leg-side catch by Bagai removed Hooper for 40. Wickets tumbled at the end and Guyana were never really able to accelerate; Canada were in a tremendous position to cause a huge upset when the innings closed at 187/9. Davison picked up four wickets, de Groot bowled his 10 overs for 28 runs, and Bagai was superb behind the stumps.Former Guyana opener Fazil Sattaur opened the innings with Ishwar Maraj and set the tone with a fierce pull for four off Stuart’s first over. He too was playing against his former team, and made a rapid 21 before being bowled by Test pacer Reon King with 37 runs on the board. He and Maraj had seen Canada off to a good start, but they were unable to build on this platform. Maraj played on to Nagamootoo, Chumney was fooled by McGarrell’s arm ball, and Bagai was run out, leaving Canada at 74/4 with 26 overs gone. The stage was set for de Groot and Harris, and they batted carefully against good bowling. Canadian hopes died when both fell in quick succession as they tried to push the run-rate, Harris to another run-out. The tail battled bravely but Canada were all out in the 49th over as Mahindra Nagamootoo snapped up four wickets.The Canadians all but won this match with their hard work in the field. To dismiss a side like Guyana with batsmen like Sarwan, Hooper and Chanderpaul for under 200 is no mean achievement. Guyana are an experienced side however, and can defend a small total well. Canada needed a significant innings from one of their batsmen, and this did not happen. The absence of Ian Billcliff through injury did not help, as well as losing two middle order bats to run-outs at a critical stage of the game. However Canada can be heartened by the fact they gave perhaps the strongest side in West Indies domestic cricket a real run for their money. They now take a four-day break before facing the Rest of the Windwards XI on 21 August.

Fresh from their short sojourn in the Maldives Islands, where they relaxed after booking themselves into the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals with two emphatic victories, Australia take on Sri Lanka today brimming with confidence.Since failing to qualify for the VB Series finals last summer, Australia have excelled in the one-day game, brushing aside South Africa 5-1 earlier in the year, walloping both Pakistan and Kenya at Nairobi last month and then crushing both New Zealand and Bangladesh here in Sri Lanka.No wonder coach John Buchanan is pleased with the side’s progress: “There’s a lot of good signs that things are moving in the right direction … on their day this is a very, very talented side. If everything comes together in one effort other teams will find it very difficult to deal with.”However, he also sounded a warning note, well aware that Australia face a stern challenge against tournament hosts in conditions ideally suited to Sri Lanka’s spinners.”I sense at the moment we haven’t been totally tested and we’ll find that out on Friday night.”Captain Ricky Ponting agreed: “This is a big game for us. As a captain this is going to be the biggest game, apart from my first as the captain. But we know that we are a good side, and we know that if we play to our best, we are going to be hard to beat.””They are a very good side, we are a pretty good side too. It’s going to be tough but we are not going to complicate things too much. It is just another game of cricket and we are going to go out to get the basics of the one-day cricket well, and if we do that we will be right in the game.”Ponting admits that the toss will be important on a pitch at its best for batting in the afternoon.”I have said right through the tournament that my preference here will be to bat first. South Africa got themselves into a good position last night but they dug themselves into a hole they couldn’t get out of.”But win or loss he claimed his side would just roll up their sleeves and get on with the job: “We are going to go out and do whatever we can to perform. If that means to scratch around to make 220 and then defend the total, then that is what we will do. If it is going to be chasing a big total or defend a small total, we are confident that we can do that as well.”Muttiah Muralitharan, who has taken 38 wickets in 17 games at Premadasa International Stadium, conceding just 3.31 runs per over, is identified as the primary threat.”He is a world-class bowler,” said Ponting. “He is going to be the hardest bowler not only to score off but also their main wicket-taking bowler. We have left it to the individual players to work out a game plan to play him.”Damien Martyn is set to return to the side after recovering from a hip injury sustained during the New Zealand game when he top scored with 73.”Damien had a work out in the nets yesterday and he should be 100% fit for tomorrow,” said Ponting.The only decision for the selectors is whether an extra spinner should be included. The slower bowlers have proved the most effective bowlers at Premadasa, especially during the latter overs, but Ponting suggested that they would make do without off-spinning all-rounder Nathan Hauritz.”It is going to be hard to change the side that has been performing well over the last few weeks,” he said. “We have part time spinners in Lehmann and Bevan if required. The Sri Lankan batsman would rather play spinners than the quick stuff, so it is probably unlikely that we will change the side.”Australia (From)Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Jimmy Maher, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Bevan, Darren Lehmann, Damien Martyn, Shane Watson, Shane Warne, Nathan Hauritz, Andy Bichel, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath.

Gloucestershire expect good weather for the C & G Trophy tomorrowThe squad is as follows

M AlleyneJ AverisM BallK BarnettA GidmanM HardingesI HarveyJ LewisR RussellM SmithC SpearmanC TaylorM Windows

The Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to appoint a full-time batting coach and has advertised for the post on its website. The role of batting coach is currently being handled by the head coach, Dav Whatmore, with the coaching staff also including Julien Fountain (fielding) and Mohammad Akram (bowling).The advertisement calls for candidates with at least Level III coaching accreditation, and at least five years’ experience working with top cricketers. The deadline for applying is November 4.Pakistan cricket teams have generally had plenty of quality bowling options to depend on, and the batting has been seen as the weaker department. The idea of having a batting coach has been circulating for last three years, but it didn’t get the PCB’s approval till now. This is the first time the PCB is looking to appoint a full-time batting coach. Previously, Geoff Boycott, Javed Miandad and Basit Ali had short stints as consultants during cricket camps.After the exit of Ijaz Butt as PCB chairman last year, his successor, Zaka Ashraf, planned to recruit a specialist coaching panel covering batting, bowling and fielding but ended up appointing Whatmore with the additional responsibilities of batting coach. The decision to hire a separate batting coach has been taken this week after a detailed review of Pakistan’s performance at the World Twenty20, where the team reached the semi-final only to lose to Sri Lanka by 16 runs while chasing a target of 140.Pakistan’s next assignment is the tour of India, to plasy a series of three ODI and two Twenty20s, followed by the South Africa tour that begins next February.

Ace leg spinner Anil Kumble said in Bangalore on Friday that he was feeling much better but not yet match-fit, as he returned home after a thorough check-up and rehabilitation programme for his shoulder injury in South Africa.”I feel much better, and I have started bowling”, Kumble told PTI on his return after undergoing treatment by renowned specialist Dr Fergusson. Asked if he was totally fit now, Kumble, who had undergone surgery to his shoulder in Johannesburg in January, said he was not yet ‘match-fit’.Kumble had just completed a three-week thorough check-up and rehabilitationprogramme to his bowling arm in South Africa, where he was accompanied by Dr Premchand Khincha. “I have started net practice”, the Karnataka spinner said and expressed the hope that he would be available for selection for the South Africa tour from October.” He added “But if I recover before the SriLankan tour in July-September, that will be a bonus.”Meanwhile, Indian physio Andrew Leipus, who is already in Bangalore for the Indian team’s conditioning camp beginnning on May 13, said Kumble had shown remarkable improvement and he would be working with the spinner on his path to become fit.The camp for the probables for the Zimbabwe tour would be held at the Chinnaswamy stadium, and Indian team coach John Wright said the focus would be on fitness and improving skills and building on the success against Australia.

Free State’s Morne van Wyk will captain a South African President’s XI against India ‘A’ at Ladium on April 12.TeamLoots Bosman (Griquas), Arno Jacobs (NW), Pieter Koortzen (Griquas), Marthinus Otto (Gauteng), Henry Davids (Boland), Morne van Wyk (capt, Free State), Albie Morkel (Easterns), Brendan Reddy (Easterns), Imran Khan (KZN), Johnson Mafa (Gauteng), Zahir Abrahim (Griquas). 12th Man Zubair Garda (Easterns).

Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell have set an example that Australia’s captain Michael Clarke wants to see followed by others as the home summer draws closer.On his return from a draining overnight ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE, Clarke pointed to Starc and Maxwell as players who had responded to his call for young players to grab their chance, and hinted that Starc in particular may be further rewarded for his success.Clarke’s next assignment for Australia will be the Test series against South Africa at home in November, and Starc has done his claims to a place in the first Test XI no harm by managing to swing the ball and take wickets in conditions and on pitches that did not assist him. Maxwell also rated a prominent mention from Clarke in assessing the standout performances from the tour – his place in Australia’s limited overs plans now looks highly promising.”I thought Mitchell Starc’s bowling has certainly stood out for me,” Clarke said. “The way [Maxwell] played in the whole series, getting his opportunity and making the most of it. That’s something I’ve spoken about for a while now – about guys getting a chance.”Everybody wants to play for Australia but it’s actually making the most of that chance – grabbing hold of that opportunity with both hands and making it very clear to selectors that you want to be a part of this team. I think a few guys on this tour have certainly done that.”Starc’s confidence has risen considerably since the start of last season, when he debuted for Australia in Tests against New Zealand but did not look quite ready for the task. A mid-summer meeting with Wasim Akram aided Starc’s cause greatly, and he would contribute ably to two Tests against India and West Indies in the new year, before showing his continued development against Pakistan.”I think it’s confidence to be honest. He’s been around this group for a while now, he feels a part of the group. He’s bowled well for a long time,” Clarke said. “It’s just about Mitch continually trying to improve, working hard in the nets to get better, using his strengths as well as he can and tinker with your weaknesses.”He bowled with good pace. He’s such a tall guy and he swung the ball beautifully in conditions where there wasn’t much there for the fast bowlers as well. [But] I don’t want to take anything away from the other fast bowlers. I thought they did a great job, you look through the series, it wasn’t one individual player who won us the series. It was the whole team and that’s probably the most pleasing thing to come out of this UAE series for me, considering how we as a team played in England.”Australia’s resilience in dealing with a talented opponent utilising quality spin bowling in unfamiliar conditions, high heat and in a disorienting time-slot gave Clarke plenty of optimism for the future. It also showed the benefits of assembling the squad for an exacting pre-season camp in Darwin, where goals were set, training patterns established and rapport built up.”It’s another example of international cricket. You travel to different places around the world, you play in a lot of different conditions and this was very different,” Clarke said. “This was new for everybody. I think we can take a lot being able to get a series win in conditions we certainly weren’t accustomed to.”Apart from [David] Hussey and myself nobody else had played in the UAE – wickets that are so different to back in Australia – and hours that guys aren’t used to playing cricket in. That’s a really positive sign for the team, to be able to win in conditions so foreign to everybody.”Having retired from international Twenty20 duty, Clarke will now spend time around the New South Wales squad and lead the Blues in the first three Sheffield Shield matches of the new season before South Africa’s arrival.

Opening batsman Marvan Atapattu eased himself into form as Sri Lanka’spreparations for the first Test at Lords starting May 15 continued against aBritish Universities XI at Wantage Road on Thursday.Atapattu, who is expected to be a key figure during the three-match Testseries against England, scored 100 from 180 deliveries as Sri Lanka finishedthe first day of three on 318 for seven.With their one-day game against a Paul Getty’s XI washed out earlier in theweek, Sri Lanka would have been delighted to be back playing, continuingtheir adjustment to local conditions, even if the students represented aless than intimidating opposition.Sanath Jayasuriya – unusually restrained before he clipped a half volley topoint – missed out for the second game in succession, as did number threeKumar Sangakkara, whilst Hashan Tillakaratne, on his first outing, wascaught behind cutting before he got into his stride.Aravinda de Silva, however, once again showed good touch, opening hisinnings with a signature swivel pull for six, before attacking left-armspinner Rob Ferley and cruising to 57 from 52 balls, when he was bowledaround his legs attempting the most delicate of sweeps.Atapattu took longer to get into his stride, carefully constructing hisfirst fifty off 111 balls and showing good judgment outside his off-stump.Thereafter the runs started to flow more easily with his elegant coverdriving catching the eye.Later in the day, Russel Arnold chipped in with 43 off 64 balls andall-rounder Thilan Samaraweera made 21 from 52 balls.In the morning, Sri Lanka had picked Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lanka’s premier fastbowler, and Eric Upashantha for their first games of the tour in place ofleft-armers Ruchira Perera and Nuwan Zoysa.