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October 21, 2002
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News Roll
  West Indies in India
West Indies cricket captain Carl Hooper on Sunday publicly criticised his team for crashing to an eight-wicket defeat against India in the second Test in Madras.

"It's a shame that we've come to this level," said Hooper, whose side have lost a series to India for the first time in 23 years.

The tourists lost the opening Test in Mumbai by an even heavier margin of an innings and 112.

"There are no excuses," said Hooper. "We're just not playing good cricket."


Captain Sourav Ganguly, who returned home after suffering an injury during the second Test against West Indies in Chennai on Sunday, said he was feeling well and would play in the third and final Test at the Eden Gardens starting on October 30.

"I am alright. My injury is not serious. I'll play at the Eden Gardens," Ganguly told reporters on his arrival at the airport.

The Indian captain had injured his back after colliding with Anil Kumble in deep mid-wicket region when both went for a catch offered by Pedro Collins in West Indies' second innings on Sunday.

Ganguly, who led India to an eight-wicket victory over the tourists in Chennai to clinch the series, was received at the airport by his fans and relatives.

Earlier in Chennai, Cricket Board secretary S K Nair said Ganguly was having an acute back pain.

He was given the best medical attention in the stadium. "As of now, everything is alright," Nair told reporters.

After the injury, Ganguly had to be carried off the ground in a stretcher.

  Bangladesh in South Africa
1st Test, East London, day three:
South Africa 529-4d; Bangladesh 170 and 209-5

Dogged stuff from Bangladesh's middle order staved off defeat until Monday at least.

Forced to follow on on a sunny but windy early summer's day at Buffalo Park, it seemed fairly likely that they would be beaten inside three days.

But Test-best efforts from Al Sahariar (71) and Sanwar Hossain (49), followed by grim defence from Khaled Mashud and Alok Kapali prevented that.

However the south east Asian side still need another 150 runs to avoid an innings defeat with five wickets in hand.

In the morning sessions, it took South Africa 50 minutes to wrap up the first innings after Bangladesh had resumed at 153 for seven.

Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini took two of the three wickets on Sunday to finish with five for 19, his best effort in an innings.

  Ashes series
Rod Marsh has urged Australia's selectors not to fall into the temptation of dropping the Waugh twins for the Ashes series.

The former Test wicket-keeper says facing England without Steve and Mark would hand the tourists a massive psychological advantage.

Speaking to the Australian Sunday Telegraph, Marsh said: "I'm sure England would love to think that neither of them were in the side."

Meanwhile, another veteran wicket-keeper, Alec Stewart, on his 19th tour for England, said he held out hope Australia might come unstuck in the Ashes.

Marsh said: "If ever England wanted a psychological advantage, you would hand it to them on a plate if you left out the two Waughs."

Australia have beaten England in the last seven Ashes series and are strong favourites to make it eight in a row when the series begins in Brisbane on November 7.


England arrived in Australia for the Ashes on Friday confident that they can at least give the hosts something to think about over the next few months.

Australia have won the last seven series and the last time the two sides met in England in 2001, they hammered the hosts 4-1.

But England opener Marcus Trescothick believes England have the weapons to worry the Ashes holders.

"It's always nice to see in your own side that you've got some genuine fast bowlers and we've got a couple of those with us," Trescothick revealed at Perth airport.

"It's an exciting time for Steve Harmison and Simon Jones.

"Both of them are up there (for pace), especially Simon Jones - he's up there with the quickest in the world.

"He bowled certain spells back in England last season when he was getting up to 90mph plus, and is going to be very exciting for everyone to see."

  World Cup
Kenya will play series against Zimbabwe and Namibia in preparation for next year's cricket World Cup in South Africa.

Namibia, who will make their first appearance in the World Cup next March, are expected in Nairobi on 1 November for three one-day matches against Kenya.

"Namibia requested to come here for exposure and we kindly accepted," said the Kenya Cricket Association (KCA) chairman Sharad Ghai.

The two countries have only met once before in the ICC Trophy in 1993/94 when Kenya won by 20 runs. Kenya will also tour Zimbabwe in December as part of a reciprocal agreement after the Zimbabwe A team toured Kenya last November and December.

Ghai said the KCA had expressed its disappointment to the ICC over the lack of training facilities accorded to Kenya as a one-day internationaI member.

"Our team also required more first-class games since the tour of India failed to materialise," he added.

He said the ICC director of development Andrew Eade will visit Kenya next month to discuss the issue.

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