Windies in India

Former New Zealand skipper and present cricket coach John Wright on Monday said the opportunity to coach Indian cricket team was a privilege considering how "wonderfully talented" the side was. Speaking to reporters here after being conferred the honorary life membership by the Cricket Club of India (CCI) along with Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly and vice-captain Rahul Dravid for their outstanding performaces, Wright said "this is one of the special moments in my life and I am deeply touched by CCI's gesture". "I am really honoured to be associated with CCI and the Indian cricket team. I don't know how good a coach I am. Only time will tell that but I am happy about the way the team is performing in recent months," he added. "I should consider myself lucky to be coaching this wonderfully talented side and wonderful people. They are not only fine cricketers but also fine ambassadors for their country," Wright said. Praising the wicket prepared for the first Test match against the West Indies starting on Wednesday, Wright said "we have a Test series coming up against a fine side on a newly laid pitch and it should be very interesting contest as we cannot underestimate the visitors". Dravid said it was a honour to be associated with CCI and to be present with so many former Test stars. The absence through hepatitis of Brian Lara places added responsibility on captain Carl Hooper in the three-Test series against India starting on Wednesday. Hooper, 36, will be playing in his 100th Test at the venue where he made his debut 15 years ago. He has always been a skilled player of spin, scoring 579 runs against India in his team's 2-1 series win in the Caribbean this year. "We will naturally miss Lara. But we are confident we are capable of overcoming that loss," Hooper said. For support, Hooper will be counting mainly on fellow-Guyanese Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Chanderpaul, 28, averaged 140.50 at home against India, batting longer than anyone else over the five Tests while scoring 562 runs with three centuries. Left-handed openers Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds are currently in fine form with 62 and 147 respectively against a local side last week. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has succeeded in reviving a £9.67m shirt sponsorship deal for the national team. The Sahara group withdrew from the deal last month after the International Cricket Council ruled that the Indian team could not wear branded kit during the Champions Trophy. The ICC's decision followed an objection from South African Airlines (SAA), one of the main sponsors of the tournament. Sahara agreed to re-instate the deal, which runs until July 2004, following a plea from Board president Jagmohan Dalmiya. And the team will wear their logo in the home Test series against West Indies, which starts on Wednesday.

Australia-Pakistan Test series

Australia pace bowler Jason Gillespie has been ruled out of the rest of the Test series against Pakistan. Gillespie injured a calf on the final day of the first Test as Australia secured a thrilling victory in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Monday. It is not clear whether Gillespie will be fit for the start of the Ashes series against England, which begins on 7 November. He will be replaced in the Australia squad playing Pakistan by Western Australia fast bowler Brad Williams, who is rated as one of Australia's quickest bowlers. Williams made his one-day international debut against New Zealand earlier this year but has yet to play in a Test match. He has played 43 first-class matches for Western Australia and Victoria, taking 156 wickets at 30.48. Australian skipper Steve Waugh predicted his side would find it even more difficult against Pakistan in Sharjah after coming out on top in the opening match of a three-Test series. They looked in danger of defeat in Colombo with Pakistan requiring only 137 on the final day and seven wickets remaining. But Australia's bowling attack turned the match their way with Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie picking up the last five wickets to see them home by 41 runs. Waugh admitted that rain which washed out the final session of play on the fourth day had helped his side by enabling them to regroup. "We felt the Pakistanis were a bit pensive this morning and we knew we had to tighten the screws with a few quick wickets. Warnie did that at the start," said Waugh. First Test, Colombo, day five: Australia 467 & 127 beat Pakistan 279 & 274 by 41 runs Needing just 137 for victory on the final day of the opening Test, Pakistan tumbled to a 41-run defeat after Australia took seven wickets. Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie picked up two wickets each during the morning session as Pakistan's confidence ebbed away. And it was McGrath who wrapped things up after lunch when he dismissed Faisal Iqbal for 39, with Ricky Ponting taking the catch at extra cover. Starting the day on 179 for three, Pakistan had two early slices of luck when both Younis Khan and Faisal Iqbal were dropped by Mark Waugh in the slips. But they had added only nine to their total when Misbah-ul-Haq was caught off Warne for 10.

Miscellaneous

Former Australian skipper Allan Border will take a leaf out of Ian Botham's book when he begins a 1,000km (620 mile) charity walk on Tuesday. Border, now a member of Australia's selection panel, will walk from Sydney Cricket Ground to The Gabba in Brisbane to raise money for sick and disadvantaged children. He will be accompanied by former teammate Dean Jones and plans to arrive in Brisbane on 7 November to coincide with the start of the Ashes series against England Border will be emulating former England all-rounder Botham, who has undertaken a series of successful charity walks, the most recent raising £850,000 towards a children's hospital in Wales. And he is hoping Botham may find time to offer support when he arrives in Australia for TV commentary work. "With the Poms being in Australia and maybe with Beefy coming along and helping out in some way shape or form, it's finally being brought to fruition. Certainly Botham has been the inspiration," Border commented. Darren Gough admits he may not be fit for the beginning of England's Ashes tour. But the fast bowler aims to be back in action by the time the Test series begins in Brisbane on 7 November. Gough, England's leading career wicket-taker, with 228 victims, has not played in the Test team in over a year, suffering several aborted returns from a knee injury. With doubts remaining over his fitness, England have included six fast bowlers in their squad, including current new ball pair Andrew Caddick and Matthew Hoggard. But Gough, the only one of the six to have played Tests in Australia before, is confident that he will still play a major part in England's search for their first win since 1986/87. "They've obviously missed me," said Gough. Five first-time Cricketers of the Year were named at the launch of the Mutual & Federal South African Cricket Annual in Sandton on Monday night. Paul Adams, Steve Elworthy, Andrew Hall, Graeme Smith and Martin van Jaarsveld were named as the outstanding players of the 2001/02 cricket season. The five were chosen for their spirited and impressive performances in a year during which the South African team suffered heavy defeats at home and away against world champions Australia. Adams, Hall and Smith were chosen specifically because they sparked a turnaround against the Australians after coming into the national team midway through the home series.

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