India's tour of England

India will be without leg-spinner Anil Kumble for the second Test against England. He has been sidelined with a calf injury, paving the way for off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to make his Test debut on English soil. The news is a big blow to the tourists, who lost the first Test at Lord's by 170 runs. Meanwhile, England captain Nasser Hussain admits he has yet to decide on the best team to take on India at Trent Bridge. With injuries and withdrawals affecting the squad, pace bowler Steve Harmison could make his debut alongside opening batsman Robert Key. "I expect it to be a good wicket but we've got to work out which of the bowlers it will favour," Hussain told. Chairman of national selection committee Chandu Borde has slammed the media for putting pressure on master batsman Sachin Tendulkar by portraying him as an "underachiever" abroad and said he was equally successful on foreign soil. "The media, I think, is responsible for creating this impression. Sachin is a great batsman and has been scoring runs fairly consistently both at home and abroad. I can't understand why people are putting pressure on him," Borde, who is on a private visit, told. "Failure in one or two innings is part of the game. What's this fuss all about, I can't understand" he said. Tendulkar's average in away Tests is a robust 51.80 though he has a higher average of 63.73 at home. Borde said India now had a string of youngsters who could play as well as the seniors which was a good sign for Indian cricket. England captain Nasser Hussain is unhappy at the grass being shaved off the pitch for the second Test starting on Thursday in a bid to make the match last for full five days. According to reliable sources, Hussain was angry to see the pitch, which wore a green look a couple of days back, totally devoid of grass. The England and Wales Cricket Board have decided to prepare batting-friendly pitches so that the Test matches do not finish before schedule. As a result, the pitch which is known to help the fast bowlers, was rid off the grass and a bald-looking track prepared in its place. Hussain, who is chasing England's fourth successive Test victory at home - a feat unmatched in the last 24 years - said his bowlers needed a lively track to keep the strong Indian batting line-up in check. "This is a side which made 500 against Australia three times in a row," said Hussain, emphasising the strength of the Indian batting. "People are mistaken in knocking them over," he said.

Bangladesh in Sri Lanka

Third one-day international, Colombo: Sri Lanka 258-6 (50 overs) beat Bangladesh 200 all out (47.2 overs) by 58 runs Another Bangladesh batting collapse handed Sri Lanka a 58-run victory in the final one-day international in Colombo, and a 3-0 series whitewash. Chasing 259 for victory, after a century fifth wicket partnership between Russel Arnold and Tillekaratne Dilshan, the tourists never looked in the hunt . They reached 165 for six in the 42nd over but wickets began to tumble as they looked to up the run rate to see the side all out for 200 six overs later. Habibul Bashar compiled a patient half-century but his two-hour innings ended on 52 when he bottom-edged a sweep off Muttiah Muralitharan to stand-in wicketkeeper Dilshan. Muralitharan finished with three wickets for 24, including last man Khaled Mahmud for 39.

Morocco Cup

Consistency is the goal for Pakistan as they begin what could be a non-stop international programme in the run-up to next February's World Cup. Waqar Younis' team has won 17 of their 22 one-day internationals over the last year. But only three of those matches - a 2-1 series victory in Australia in August - have been away from the subcontinent. Pakistan's next date is in Tangiers, where they are joined by South Africa and Sri Lanka for the first ever tournament to be held in Morocco. "Of course the main aim is always to win, but for me I want my team to perform at a consistent level," Waqar said as the team departed from Karachi. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Anil Dalpat on Wednesday refused an offer to be a minor beneficiary of the upcoming Morocco tri-series tournament, and accused former captain Imran Khan of sabotaging his career. "I would not accept an offer of being minor beneficiary and it was because of Imran Khan that I played less cricket than... I deserved," Dalpat told reporters at the National Stadium. The 38-year-old keeper, only one of two Hindus to play for Pakistan, was among six former national players who were going to be given around 13,000 dollars each at the one-day tournament to be played at Tangiers, Morocco, from August 12-21. The Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), organisers of cricket in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and the event in Morocco, give handsome amounts to former players from the sub-continent for their services to the game. But Dalpat said he was still bitter over the way his career ended. "I was made a scapegoat because of a tussle between Khan and the Mohammad brothers, and had I been given a fair chance I would have played more," he said.

World Cup

Britain, Australia and Canada were accused by a Zimbabwe government minister Wednesday of lobbying six countries to boycott the Zimbabwe leg of the 2003 cricket World Cup next February. "We are aware that Britain, Australia and Canada are attempting to persuade other countries not to play here in Zimbabwe," said Aeneas Chigwedere, Education, Sports and Culture Minister. Chigwedere spoke at a function to launch the World Cup in Harare. But the executive director of the World Cup, Ali Bacher, pointed out that all the countries due to play in the World Cup are under contract. Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC), would not be drawn to comment on Chigwedere's outburst. He commented that the only criteria for participation was the safety of players, officials and supporters.

Miscellaneous

Test cricketer Mark Waugh has echoed his brother Steve's reservations about touring Pakistan in September after the latest violence. Six Pakistanis were shot dead in an attack on a school for children of foreign missionaries near Islamabad on Monday. "Obviously what happened two days ago with the shooting at the international school puts a few more question marks over the tour," Waugh told. "There's no doubt about that. I think the ACB (Australian Cricket Board) would be first to admit that." Several other senior players have also expressed reservations about the tour. On Tuesday, Test captain Steve Waugh said he would be happy to go to Pakistan if it was deemed safe, but stressed the players would rely on information from other sources. A leading race campaigner has resigned from his post after admitting threatening police officers during an incident at Lord's cricket ground. Gurbux Singh, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour after drinking seven glasses of wine at an international match last month. He was fined £500 and ordered to pay £55 costs at Bow Street magistrates court in London on Wednesday. But he has received a pay-off in the region of £100,000 following his resignation.

County news

Andy Caddick took five wickets in his comeback match as Kent collapsed after a spectacular start. Caddick, playing his first match since the third Test against Sri Lanka, suffered early on with the rest of the Somerset bowlers as David Fulton and Andy Symonds produced an impressive stand. The pair added 117 for the third wicket, after Matt Walker and Ed Smith had departed early, with both men plundering half-centuries. Symonds was particularly brutal, slamming 69 from 65 balls, including 13 fours, but his departure just before the lunch break was the turning point of the innings.

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