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COLOMBO – Steve Waugh isn’t a fan of neutral venues for Test cricket.After Australia won the first Test against Pakistan by 41 runs at the”nice” venue of Colombo Oval, Waugh said he’d rather not play at neutralvenues if it could be avoided.”It’s good if you’re watching it on TV,” Waugh said.”But from a player’s point of view you want some atmosphere at theground.”You want crowds … this is a nice place to play but you want to playat a place like Eden Gardens (in Calcutta) where you play in front of85,000 – that’s what you play for in Test cricket.”I’m not having a go at what happened here but playing in front of 500people is not the same as playing in front of 70 or 80,000.”If there’s a reason to play at a neutral venue, fair enough, butotherwise, no.”Crowds of only a few hundred turned up each day to watch what turned outto be an excellent Test match here but Sri Lankans generally don’t watchTest cricket let alone when their own side isn’t involved.The series is being played at neutral venues after Australia refused totour Pakistan for security fears.The next two Tests will be played at Sharjah, which is closer to being ahome venue for Pakistan as it’s an Islamic country with a largeexpatriate Pakistan population.Pakistan has played two Tests there, for wins against the West Indies,as well as a welter of one-dayers.”This was an important win for us here,” Waugh said.”Conditions will suit Pakistan more in Sharjah and they’ve played quitea bit of cricket there and they’ll have big support there.”

New Zealand are likely to tour Zimbabwe in 2009 unless ordered not to by the country’s government. New Zealand’s prime minister Helen Clark has said that she does not want a side from her country touring there next year but hasn’t intervened to stop them from travelling to Zimbabwe.”No ICC team has unilaterally pulled out because they haven’t agreed with the politics of the host nation; that’s always been a decision for the government of the day,” Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive, told . “It’s a political question and requires a political solution; it’s not a decision NZC should have to make.”We are a group of cricket administrators. We might have strong feelings about the situation in Zimbabwe but judging international politics is not what we’re about. There are other, far more qualified people to do that job, politicians for example.”The tour to Zimbabwe is a year away,” he said. “There’ll be another ICC conference before then; undoubtedly, a lot will change in Zimbabwe in the next year, and by that time the ICC sub-committee appointed to investigate ZC will have reported back, and we’ll have a clearer idea of the situation. You never know, we might not have to make a decision. Time is on our side at the moment.”New Zealand toured Zimbabwe for a Test series in 2005, and are due to return there in a year’s time, but Clark made it clear she was completely against the idea, arguing that Zimbabwe was not a fit country to play cricket against.The government stepped in to ban Zimbabwe from touring later in 2005 by refusing to grant their players visas, and it may well be that they will follow the lead given by John Howard who, when he was prime minister of Australia, prevented a team from his country visiting Zimbabwe.

James Whitaker has handed in his resignation as Leicestershire’s secretary-manager after three years in the post.The former player and captain who made his debut for the county in 1983, was appointed to succeed David Collier in 2000.But Whitaker has now decided to seek a career change and says: “It has been a wonderful opportunity to look at cricket from a different angle, and I am grateful to the club for giving me that chance.”If I am totally honest however I do miss the involvement with the playing side of things. For two or three weeks now I have been reviewing my position, and I have decided the time is right to call it a day at Leicestershire after more than 20 very happy years at the club.”There is no fall-out and no animosity. It is absolutely 100 per cent amicable. I just feel it is time to move on and look at other options. There are a couple of things I am investigating, one of which could keep me closer to the cricketing side of things.”Because of the financial situation it has been a tough three years, but we have still managed to stay in the top division of both competitions, which is a good achievement for a small club.”As captain Whitaker led Leicestershire to the County Championship title in 1996 and 1998. He scored nearly 17,000 runs and hit 37 centuries in his Grace Road career, averaging just under 39.Leicestershire chairman Brian Groves said he was “stunned” when Whitaker handed in his notice. “I am very sad but James has been a magnificent servant to the club and we have to respect his wishes. I have nothing but good things to say about him. The committee will meet as soon as possible to decide what course of action to take in terms of a successor.”

Pakistan on Thursday once again confirmed that they are the most unpredictable cricket team with as much potential as the best of sides. Their performance in the second match against New Zealand was in sharp contrast to the one two days earlier on this very ground.They dominated New Zealand, a side which itself is buoyed after its recent performance against England, in all department, especially with the bat.Shahid Afridi batted much more sensibly than against Sri Lanka and Imran Nazir played with a sense of responsibility, knowing well that a failure in this tournament may well herald the end of his career.His only mistake was trying to cut an outgoing delivery very fine between the keeper and slips which proved curtains for him. But after two innings here, Imran has certainly proved the PCB and its selectors wrong and that the decision to keep him out for almost a year was unfair.Inzamam-ul-Haq’s innings of 68 (his 61st half century in ODIs) that helped Pakistan reach 288, was not the best of his performances. Somehow he was struggling throughout the innings and was never able to time his strokes. He will be required to do better in the next two matches.Comparatively, Younis Khan’s knock was better. He looked more confident on Thursday and the reason may be that he is more comfortable at number 6 position than number 3. On the other hand Abdul Razzaq disappointed with the bat as well the ball.New Zealand were handicapped due to the absence of skipper Stephen Fleming who injured his small finger during Sri Lanka’s innings and had to sit back. Craig McMillan entrusted to lead the side.Notwithstanding the lean season Fleming is passing through, he is one of the best leaders today. He is a better planner and always comes to a match with well thought strategy. Good that the injury is not serious and he is likely to lead his side on Sunday.

Sri Lanka’s confidence ahead of the final npower Test against England will hardly have been boosted by their performance in the rain-affected match against an MCC side full of England hopefuls, which ended today in a draw.Sri Lanka were bowled out for just 127 in reply to the MCC’s first innings 326 for seven declared. MCC captain David Fulton and Middlesex’s Andrew Strauss then batted out 17 overs, declaring at 93 for no wicket to end the game early.MCC resumed this morning on 270 for six, and batted for a further 15 oversbefore Fulton declared. Usman Afzaal, 25 tomorrow, completed a celebratory hundred, finishing on 111 not out with 11 fours and three sixes. The one wicket to fall was that of Richard Dawson, caught by Russel Arnold for 15 off Ruchira Perera, who finished with four for 66 off 20 overs.James Kirtley and Kevin Dean then reduced the tourists to an embarassing 30 for five. Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya tried to hook Kirtley and top-edged a catch to wicket-keeper Chris Read. Kumar Sangakkara, in need of runs, was lbw padding up to Kirtley. Hashan Tillekeratne got a perfect Dean yorker before he had scored, and Arnold edged Dean to Afzaal at second slip. Upul Chandana was run out by a direct hit from Strauss attempting to get off the mark. Dean then accounted for Prasanna Jayawardene, who edged a straightforward catch to Read.Simon Jones, included in England’s 13-man squad for the Old Trafford Test, struck in his third over when Thilan Samaraweera was caught at short leg by Dawson. The tourists slipped to 57 for eight when Eric Upashantha, on eight, was caught behind cutting at Jones.Only Aravinda de Silva, with an unbeaten 54 (49 balls, three sixes, five fours), provided real resistance. He put on 59 with Dilhara Fernando before the latter was caught behind, and off-spinner Dawson finished the innings by having last man Perera caught by Jones at deep backward point.On the upside for the tourists, Sri Lanka manager Chandra Schaffter says their star bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan, is continuing to recover from his shoulder injury.”He’s much better than he was, but he’s a long way from being 100% fit, and the final decision depends on him,” Schaffter said. “I cannot say he will definitely play. If the Test was tomorrow he’d certainly be very keen to play.”Asked whether Sri Lanka would raise their game at Manchester, Schaffter said: “I think it will be difficult to perform much worse than we did atEdgbaston. I’m very confident we can do much better and I’m looking to contain England a little bit more than we did at Edgbaston.”Players sometimes relax and don’t take these matches too seriously. We didnot do too well in any of the county games, by and large, and we can’t take theresults of these matches as a serious indication as to how we will perform.”

This column is due to appear on the morning of the start of the Asian Test Championship final between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and any observations I might have had, runs the risk of becoming null and void. But I am going to make them all the same. There is, first of all, the somewhat thorny issue of dropping Wasim Akram.Wasim has not been in the best of form, mainly because of fitness problems. Wasim feels that he has been badly done by but I think he has not made a convincing enough case for himself. By his own admission, he opted not to play in the third one-day against the West Indies at Sharjah because he felt that Mohammad Sami, after his hat trick, deserved to play. This noble gesture was self-defeating for he needed a work-out to get back into rhythm and feel fully comfortable about his fitness.Somewhat unwisely, he chose to go to India to appear in a television programme about the time when the team for the Lahore final was to be selected. He should have been bowling in the nets for all to see that he was fully fit. Surely he is street-smart enough to know that he could not take his selection for granted. Even Don Bradman had to prove that he was still good enough in 1946 when international cricket resumed after the war.I am convinced that there is enough cricket left in him to be our key bowler in the World Cup 2003 and he should not be disheartened and take a leaf out of Steve Waugh’s book. Sacked as the one-day captain and out of the Australian one-day team, he has expressed his determination to win back his place in the team.That Wasim has 400-plus wickets in both versions of the game makes him one of the greatest bowlers of all times. But cricket is a cruel game and reputations count for nothing. What counts is continuing performance. A lot of promising fast bowlers are coming up but they are not in the same league as a fully fit Wasim Akram, hungry for wickets. He must get back his fitness and the hunger for wickets will come automatically.I was delighted to see both Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik in the Pakistan squad. About Afridi there should be no doubts that he belongs both in the Test team as well as in the one-day team. He has done enough in both versions of the game to be considered a regular. Indeed he is emerging as a bona fide all-rounder and throw in his fielding and here is a quality player. I have this feeling that he is getting too much advice (well-intentioned) and he is curbing his natural aggression and being made to comply with text-book correctness.He, sometimes, gives the impression that adrenalin flows too freely. But that’s the way he plays or should play. He should also be given longer spells as a bowler and not just be brought in to break up a stubborn partnership, which he routinely does. Most of all, he is a fine team man and has never left any doubt in anyone’s mind that he plays for Pakistan and gives his hundred per cent.There are some rumours that Shoaib Malik may be asked to open the innings. I hope there is no basis to these rumours. Shoaib Malik belongs in the middle order and the opening slots should go to specialists, certainly in a Test match. Shoaib Malik is a talented cricketer and he should be nursed. To throw him in the deep end carries the risk of nipping a promising career in the bud.A lot will depend on what sort of wicket is prepared for this one-off Test match. One would like to see a result. Sri Lanka has become a good Test team and they have, of course, Muttiah Muralitharan who can turn the ball on any kind of surface but they have also got a very useful seam attack spearheaded by the veteran Chaminda Vaas. And a strong batting line-up. It is a team that has got used to winning.They certainly don’t come to Lahore as the under-dogs and Sanath Jayasuriya is a smart captain, apart from being an explosive batsman. The cap of captaincy fits easily on his head.The last time the two met in the Asian Test Championship final is Dhaka, it was a one-sided game and Sri Lankans were no match. In that final, Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamamul Haq got double hundreds and Wasim Akram got a hat trick. Now there will be no Ijaz and Wasim and an out of form Inzamam. Still, there is plenty of talent in this Pakistan team and if it plays to its potential, there should be no problems. In any case, we should see some good cricket.Finally, I am glad to see Wasim Raja back in the cricket mainstream, if only as a match referee. In his days, he was one of the most gifted players around who somehow never fully delivered on his promise. He was one of my favourites and I have seen him play some splendid innings, none more splendid than his swashbuckling hundred against India at Jalandhar in 1983. He sure could hit a cricket ball.

Almost 180 people attended the Launch Lunch for Rob Turner’s Benefit Year which was held in the Colin Atkinson Pavilion at Taunton earlier today.As guests made their way to the pavilion they couldn’t help feeling that the new season was just around the corner with the smell of new mown grass in the air and the square and outfield looking almost dry enough to play upon.Master of Ceremonies Malcolm Kennedy greeted guests and said that he felt it was entirely appropriate that the Queen’s Golden Jubilee should coincide with Rob Turner’s Benefit, and that the large number who had attended the lunch had got his year off to a flying start.Amanda Barrie, who for many years played the part of Alma Baldwin in television’s longest running soap Coronation Street, told all those present that until last season she had always been a football fan, supporting Manchester City.However Amanda had been converted to cricket after going to the Lord’s final in September 2001 and watching Rob Turner take the skied catch that put the Cidermen on the road to victory.”From that time I was hooked, totally hooked, and now I’m a Somerset supporter,” she told everybody present.The main speaker at the lunch was Lord King of Bridgwater, who paid tribute to the contribution that Rob had made to cricket and to his dedication to Somerset.”It is a pleasure to support a Somerset stalwart and a very talented cricketer,” King said.Lord King recalled that the first match that he had seen was between Somerset and Gloucestershire and had involved Arthur Wellard, Harold Gimblett and Horace Hazell and Wally Hammond.The former Bridgwater MP said that over the years he had seen a number of wicket-keepers play for the county, and that Rob was following in the great tradition of Somerset keepers. He was certainly the tallest and probably one of the best that Somerset had ever produced.In reply, Rob Turner said that he felt that his time at the club had flown by. He too recalled the Lord’s final of 2001 and said that he had a dream that he would one day win silverware with Somerset and last year that dream had come true.He concluded by thanking everybody for their support and saying that the mood in the camp was very postive and that “the victory last season was just the start of things to come.”The luncheon concluded with an auction of cricketing memorabilia, including a stump from the 2001 Cheltenham and Gloucester final that sold for £700, and a raffle.The next event in Rob’b Benefit Year is a Golf Day at Teignmouth Golf Club on April 18th, details of which can be obtained from Doreen Barnes on 01455 230489.

Though harvested by the container load in Grenada, spice was in short supply at St George’s today, although the drawn match against Guyana provided an opportunity for John Crawley to return to form with a worthy century.Ian Ward was also back in the runs continuing his extraordinary stretch of good form with another long innings of 86, putting him firmly at the top of the Busta Cup table for most runs in the tournament with 444.Neither innings were entertaining, as another dull draw was played out to earn England A six points and keep them in second place, behind Jamaica who had their match against Leeward Islands rained off.The format of the competition where emphasis is on first innings points has attracted criticism from the England A players who believe it leads to dull cricket and takes away the fun of engineering outright victories.But if you can’t beat them, there is much to gain by joining them, and today England A became the kings of the killjoys, batting slowly to rule out any chance of a declaration or a result. Carl Hooper the opposition skipper made it clear that his side was not interested in batting again when he set a defensive field early on and stuck with it all day.He kept the same bowlers on for entire sessions and more. His new ball bowler Kevin Darlington trundled in for an unbroken spell of 22 overs while the spinners, including Hooper himself, carried the rest of the load adopting negative tactics to restrict England A’s scoring.When the game was called off five overs before the scheduled end, England A had gathered 222 for one, Michael Powell caught behind early in the day for 24. But that was the only wicket that fell in a day that coach Peter Moores later described as `frustrating.'”Our game plan this morning had been to get the runs, declare and have a bowl at them but they used negative tactics and made it very difficult for us to make runs which was frustrating.”But Moores said he was pleased with the performances and in particular James Foster, the 20 year-old wicketkeeper from Essex who grabbed his chance and made an impressive debut, scoring 53 in the first innings and making no mistakes with the gloves.”He had an outstanding game. From the moment he walked into bat, he was confident and composed, using a very simple technique, which reminded me of Michael Vaughan. His keeping was also good – again, a simple technique and very tidy. We are really pleased with him.”He is a good athlete and learns quickly so has good potential. By his own admission he has a lot of work to do but he has worked had on this trip. He’s a nice lad to work with because he is aware – you tell him something and he slips it naturally into his game. He has good reactions and a bit of style – very talented.”We threw him in at six to see how he would respond and he responded well. I have seen nothing in his technique which suggests he shouldn’t be a top six batter but it is early days. We haven’t seen him against real pace.”As to whether Foster retains the gloves for the fourth round match against Barbados, where the pitch is likely to be faster and bouncier, remains to be seen but with Chris Read’s disappointing form in the opening two matches, Foster is well placed to play at Bridgetown.

Durham’s Paul Collingwood made 59 not out to leave his side 276 in front with four wickets standing going into the final day of their match against Gloucestershire at Chester-le-Street.Whether Durham will consider that enough for a declaration will depend partly on the weather after they were unable to start today until 2.15 because of the lightest of drizzle.Resuming on 104 for two in their second innings, Durham lost three wickets in mid-afternoon and added only 46 runs in 33 overs during the session against some tight bowling.Having reached 63 with the minimum of fuss on Saturday, Queenslander Martin Love repeatedly hit the fielders with well-struck shots and added only four before he was out in the day’s 14th over.He lobbed a catch to extra cover off fellow Australian Ian Harvey, then Jimmy Daley, who shared a third wicket stand of 66, perished without addition, edging Jon Lewis to Mark Alleyne behind the stumps.When Nick Speak steered James Averis straight to second slip it was left to Danny Law to prevent a collapse.Following his first innings duck he played himself in carefully and contributed 24 to a stand of 50 before offering Mike Smith a return catch.Wicketkeeper Andrew Pratt helped Collingwood forge another half-century partnership, with the latter reaching his 50 by driving Harvey through the covers for his fifth four.

Albie Morkel, the South Africa allrounder, is an injury worry after he sustained lower back spasms in a warm-up match against New Zealand at the World T20 on Monday. Morkel batted four deliveries and hit 15 runs, including a six, but was only able to bowl nine balls before leaving the field.He underwent* an MRI scan on Tuesday but it proved inconclusive. He will undergo a fitness test on Thursday, before South Africa take on Zimbabwe, to determine his availability for the game.”Albie woke up feeling much better this morning (Tuesday) but we sent him for an MRI scan as a precautionary measure. The results from the scan are inconclusive but the positive aspect for us is that he is improving by the day,” Mohammad Moosajee, team manager said. “He will continue to receive treatment from the team physiotherapist, Brandon Jackson and a decision on his availability for our opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 will only be taken on Thursday morning, subject to him passing a fitness test.”The latest niggle is not the only injury Morkel has battled with recently. An ankle sprain ruled him out of contention for the second Test between South Africa and England in early August. Although he was unlikely to feature in the starting XI, the tweak was serious enough for South Africa to call up a replacement in Faf du Plessis.Morkel’s injury this time is likely to have a greater impact on the team balance. Morkel and Jacques Kallis are the only two seam-bowling allrounders in the squad. His role in the middle order and reputation as a finisher is something South Africa will be looking forward to using.* – 1430 GMT, September 18, 2012 – The story was updated to include the result of the MRI scan