India's tour of England

The legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev on Saturday said he would not take up of the job of coaching the Indian cricket team, saying he did not have the passion for it and he won't enjoy it either. Kapil Dev told reporters here that he was a person who puts his heart in any assignment and indicated that he would not be able to do that working as Coach of the Indian team. "I have done my job. I am happy and content. If I force myself, I will not do a job. If I don't enjoy, I will not do the job," he said. "You must have passion to do things. That's why I don't do that (taking up the assignment)," Kapil Dev said. He said he enjoyed giving tips to children in "Gully Cricket", organised by MAX channel of which he is the Brand Ambassador, that takes him to different cities. Responding to a question, he said there was nothing wrong in having a foreign coach so long as he did a good job. "We should not do it (appointing foreign coach) for glamour." Asked if the present coach John Wright was doing a good job, he said Navjot Singh Sidhu and Ravi Shastri, who are closely following the game, were the two persons who can answer that question. Tour match, Chelmsford, day three of four India 516 & 327-6 drew with Essex 279 & 186-3. India enjoyed some fruitful practice before the third Test against England as their clash with Essex at Chelmsford fizzled out into a draw. Essex had reached 186 for three after 56 overs in their second innings and still trailed by 378 when Ronnie Irani and Sourav Ganguly agreed to call the match off. Essex left-hander Richard Clinton (53) struck six fours from 104 balls on his way to a half-century, while Rav Bopara finished on 47. There was another wicket for Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to add to the seven he gathered for 83 in the first innings - he had James Middlebrook caught by Shiv Sunder Das for 24. Andy Flower was forced to retire hurt on 23 and Essex will be anxious he is not seriously injured. Virender Sehwag forced Jon Dakin to nick one behind to wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra for six to leave Essex on 137 for three, while Bopara and Barry Hyam (16 not out) before the close. India batted for another 28 overs this morning before declaring on 327 for six to leave Essex 565 frbehind. Andrew Caddick has been recalled by England for next week's third Test against India at Headingley. The Somerset opening bowler makes a welcome return from a side strain suffered during the third Test victory over Sri Lanka in June. And Andrew Flintoff is named in the 13-man squad despite needed an operation to alleviate the groin injury that has plagued him this summer. The timing of Flintoff's hernia operation - which will keep him out of action for four weeks - will depend on whether he can play at Headingley as England look to seal a series win. The 24-year-old will be assessed during England's practice days ahead of the Thursday start, but the lack of a suitably similar replacement may force him into action. Fellow all-rounder Craig White has already been ruled out with a side strain. "Andrew Flintoff is a key player for us and we will have to see how he is after practice next week," said chairman of selectors David Graveney. England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, struggling to be fit for the third Test against India next week, has become the new talisman in the side according to chairman of selectors David Graveney. The Lancashire player needs surgery on a troublesome groin injury but could still play in the third Test which starts at Headingley, Leeds on Thursday after being named in a 13-man squad on Saturday. "Freddie (Flintoff) is keen to stay involved, he's probably taken on the talisman role from Darren Gough within the team and he's a difficult guy to replace," Graveney said. "He has got to have an operation related to a hernia condition, it's not too dissimilar to what footballers get. "It is something that we can dictate when that takes place. But it also means we have got to look after him."

ICC contract

In a desperate bid to ensure participation of its top cricketers in Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, BCCI has asked the players to sign the contract for the upcoming event only, promising to sort out the matter with the game's governing body at a later stage. The Indian Board, which has found itself in a bind with top players reluctant to sign the contract which cuts down their commercial independence, has told the team that it would be in a position to discuss the issue at length with the International Cricket Council only after the Champions Trophy. While taking note of the resentment generated by the controversial sponsorship policy, Board president Jagmohan Dalmiya had written a letter to the team saying that the situation could go beyond redemption if the players did not sign the contract now for the Champions trophy, Board sources said. BCCI has told the players that should they sign the Players' Terms form, it would inform ICC that the assurances and agreements are extended only for the Champions Trophy and it would take up the matter with the apex body by October 31.

Morocco cup

Morocco Cup, Tangiers: Sri Lanka 242 all out (49.5 overs) beat Pakistan 203 all out (43.4 overs) by 39 runs. A superb 97 off 94 balls by Sanath Jayasuriya followed by some excellent bowling helped Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 39 runs in the Morocco Cup. Seamer Pulasthi Gunaratne took four for 44 as Pakistan slipped to 203 all out chasing 243 for victory in Tangiers. Pakistan's reply got off to an awful start with Saeed Anwar out for three, caught by Mahela Jayawardene off Gunaratne. Fellow opener Imran Nazir then fell in the sixth over, bowled by Gunaratne for 10. Five overs later, Inzamam-ul-Haq was brilliantly caught by Jayawardene on the boundary off Chaminda Vaas for five, leaving Pakistan on 29 for three. Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan pushed Pakistan past 50 in the 18th over, but Khan was caught by Vaas off the bowling of Upul Chandana for 15 two overs later. Sportsmen, admits South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, have big egos. "After last season we needed a mental and physical break because our egos had been dented so badly and we needed to resolve what went wrong against the Australians," says Boucher. But a full resolution could only take place once the South Africans had returned to the playing field. That the return should take place here at the tip of North Africa in dry, hot conditions with the smell of the Mediterranean hanging in the air is possibly apt. In these new environs far from home where the attention is more on the Springboks and overweight drunken, hard-tackling spectators, the South African cricketers begin their quest to rebuild those dented egos with a renewed spirit of togetherness. "We don't like losing. We'll do anything not to lose," the 25-year-old Boucher remarked. "We've had a lot of ups and downs, well more downs than ups in this side with the Hansie scandal and then his death. His death was something that deeply touched all of us and, really, it went beyond cricket. "It brought us closer together and made us realise that the guy next to us was like a brother. You see him less as a cricketer and more as a person," Boucher claimed. Paul Adams will be "seriously considered" for South Africa's vital Morocco Cup match against Pakistan at the Tangiers Cricket Stadium on Sunday according to coach Eric Simons. The unorthodox left arm spinner was included in the squad before departure from Johannesburg in case the Tangiers pitches showed signs of deterioration as the tournament progressed and that is exactly what has happened so far. "We will have our selection meeting on Saturday evening and we normally announce the team to the players after that," Simons told after watching the Springboks thrilling two-point victory over Australia in rugby's Trinations. "But on this occassion we will definitely have to look at the pitch on the morning of the match before deciding on the final XI. The groundstaff won't have been able to water the wicket for a couple of days before the match so it's bound to be dry and cracked," Simons said.

Australia's tour of Pakistan

Reports suggest that Australia's Test series against Pakistan will now be played in Sri Lanka and Sharjah. The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) last week announced that their team would not tour Pakistan due to fears over player security. But Steve Waugh's men are prepared to play the three-match series, scheduled for 1-24 October, at an alternative venue. But an Emirates Cricket Board spokesman told that there had been no confirmation from either board that the Sharjah matches would take place. "We would not like the exciting Test series against Australia to be postponed and will announce an off-shore venue next week," Pakistan Cricket Board director Chishty Mujahid said on Thursday. "Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Sharjah are the three options under consideration and we have taken advice from the government over shifting the series."

World cup

Specially-trained undercover "spies" will sit among the spectators as part of a security plan to prevent pitch invasions during next year's Cricket World Cup. They will be backed by digital closed-circuit cameras at all venues, starting with Newlands in Cape Town, which will host the opening match on February 9. The cameras and spies form part of the "ring of steel" security plan that includes steel perimeter barriers and tangle netting at cricket grounds to prevent spectators from running onto the field. There will also be mobile law courts at grounds to mete out "instance justice" to offenders. The organisers of the Cricket World Cup say that reports that "moats" will be dug around the grounds are incorrect. Patrick Ronan, the security chief for Cricket World Cup South Africa, said that specially trained "spies" would be deployed at each ground to identify trouble spots in the crowd early on. "These undercover spotters will be in radio contact with our security staff, who will be manning a control room from where digital cameras will be used to scan the crowds for problems," he said.

Tri-series in Kenya

Express pacer Shoaib Akhtar has returned to the Pakistan fold for a tri-series in Kenya and next month's ICC (International Cricket Council) Champions trophy, while experienced off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq missed out in both events, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Saturday. "Akhtar missed the Tangiers tri-series as he was resting and now he will be back for both the tri-series in Kenya and for the ICC Champions Trophy," chief selector Wasim Bari said. Akhtar spearheaded Pakistan's attack in their 2-1 win over Australia in the Super Challenge series in June this year, but was not considered for the on-going tri-series in Morocco. "Saqlain is unavailable for both the events so he was not considered." The Surrey off-spinner said he was unavailable because his wife is expecting their second baby later this month. Pakistan take on world champions Australia and hosts Kenya in their Golden Jubilee tri-series, shifted to Kenya over security fears in Pakistan, from August 29 to September 7. Australia one-day international batsman Darren Lehmann has a broken finger and must pass a fitness Test if he is to join the team for the triangular series in Kenya later this month. Lehmann will be assessed in Melbourne on Sunday, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) said on Saturday. Lehmann has been named in a 14-man squad to be captained by Ricky Ponting for the series against Pakistan and Kenya. The left-hander, who was part of Australia's World Cup-winning team of 1999, suffered the finger injury while playing for his English side Yorkshire. The Australia squad will assemble in Brisbane on Wednesday and fly to Nairobi on August 26.

Women's cricket

Second Women's Test, Taunton: England 333 & 198-6 dec drew with India 467. Captain Claire Connor steered England to the safety of a draw with India with a patient 46 on the final day of the second Test at Taunton. And, after rain ruined the first Test, the series ends tied at 0-0. Beginning their second innings 134 runs behind, the hosts looked jittery at 79 for three when Charlotte Edwards was stumped for 56 and Caroline Atkins fell shortly afterwards. But Connor partnered Sarah Taylor in a fourth wicket stand of 34, and Laura Newton joined her skipper in a 57-run partnership to avoid an innings defeat. India had belated success when Connor was caught off the bowling of Neetu David, handing the slow left-armer her sixth wicket of the match. And Newton was run out for 33 before Connor declared at 1730BST, with no result possible. Connor had faced 115 balls, striking two boundaries.

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