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Rediff.com  » Cricket » BCCI might use John Wright's services at NCA

BCCI might use John Wright's services at NCA

April 12, 2003 14:30 IST
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India is contemplating utilising the services of national coach John Wright at the Bangalore-based National Cricket Academy.

Indicating this, BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said a final decision in this regard would be taken at the Working Committee meeting later this month.

John WrightThe board president also said that in view of this, the NCA board, which met at Kolkata on Thursday under the chairmanship of Sunil Gavaskar, did not finalise who would be the chief coach for the academy.

The terms of John Wright and physio Andrew Leipus and physical trainer Adrian le Roux, who make up the support staff of the Indian team, have already been extended by two months on an ad-hoc basis. But for any further extension the decision has to be taken by the Working Committee, Dalmiya said.

"The matter of extension is under consideration. If it is approved, then Wright and others will be utilised in development programmes in the period after the Dhaka tourney when there is no international cricket scheduled," Dalmiya said.

The contract of Wright and others expired with the World Cup final on March 23 but in view of the tri-series in Bangladesh, Dalmiya, using his discretionary powers as president, extended their terms till May 24.

India can move up to the fourth place in the one-day international championship table of the International Cricket Council if they win all their matches in the triseries in Dhaka.

India, who were elevated to the fifth position of the table after their fine show in the World Cup, will play at least two matches each against hosts Bangladesh and South Africa in the triangular contest besides a match more if they qualify for the final.

If they manage to win all the matches, their ratings will climb to 107, one higher than fourth placed Sri Lanka, who had a poor outing in the Sharjah tournament, an ICC statement said.

Australia, who beat India for the World Cup title, are leading the table with 136 points followed by South Africa (123) and Pakistan (111).

Australia will field a full-strength team irrespective of Bangladesh's modest performances when they play their inaugural Test series in July-August, according to leading cricket officials.

Australia will play two Tests amd three one-dayers against Bangladesh in the northern cities of Darwin and Cairns.

Bangladesh, the tenth team to gain Test playing status, lost 11 of its 17 Tests by more than an innings as well as recording losses by nine wickets, eight wickets (twice), seven wickets and 288 runs.

It has one drawn result when more than two days were lost to rain against Zimbabwe.

With Australia's cricketers in the midst of a heavy playing schedule there was some speculation that it would be an ideal opportunity to rest key players against the Bangladeshis.

"It won't happen," selector and Australian Cricket Board member Allan Border said on Thursday. "It's a Test match -- it doesn't matter who it's against.

"We wouldn't be doing the right thing by Bangladesh nor by our own players if we didn't pick a full-strength team."

Chief selector Trevor Hohns said other factors like "statistics and money" would count against fielding a B team.

Zimbabwe's scheduled ten-week cricket tour of England and Ireland, due to start in 19 days time, has still not been approved by the Mugabe government's Sports and Recreation Commission in Harare.

The decision whether to allow the tour to go ahead rests with this body, which formally approves or refuses permission for all sports tours overseas of  whatever discipline, including up to Olympic Games squads.

The Zimbabwe Cricket Union is increasingly anxious about the delay.

Chief executive Vincent Hogg said: "We are becoming very concerned. The squad is due to fly to London on April 29 but we haven't received the Sports Commission's approval yet, and there is so much to do."

ZCU general manager Ian Robinson confirmed on Thursday that a decision whether they have permission to send a team to England and Ireland had not been received.

He said the application was formally submitted to the SRC several weeks ago. "It was certainly timely," he said.

All arrangements for the lengthy tour are in place in England and Ireland. It includes two Test matches against England, at Lord's and at Durham, several matches against Counties, two games in Ireland and a triangular one-day series against England and South Africa, which ends mid-July.

Rashid Latif and Waqar YounisThe inquiry committee set up to probe Pakistan's World Cup debacle today blamed skipper Waqar Younis as well as the other senior players in the team for the country's first round exit from the mega event.

A report released on the inquiry also came down heavily on the star treatment meted out to speedster Shoaib Akhtar and the "commitment" of the "ageing" players in the side.

The committee, headed by retired Army Colonel and former cricketer Naushad Ali, said "some of our players could not keep up with the pressure of World Cup even though they were old and experienced enough".

Waqar, who was replaced by Rashid Latif soon after Pakistan's World Cup campaign came to an end, got a "sympathetic" treatment from the committee but came in for a lot of flak for his inability to communicate with the other players in the side.

"Waqar is a seasoned campaigner who is straightforward but at times stubborn and struggeled to communicate with some of the players resulting in frustration for himself and others," said the report whose release coincided with the new-look Pakistani team's final match against Zimbabwe at Sharjah.

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