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Dear Reader,I’d like to share some thoughts and feelings about Pakistan’s new team and the happenings during our first outing at Sharjah last week.Based on Pakistan’s recent performance in World Cup 2003, we went to Sharjah’s 4-Nation Cherry Blossom Cup, as underdogs. We were to face Zimbabwe, a Super Sixes qualifier and the two losing World Cup semi-finalists, Kenya and Sri Lanka – all rated above us.For future team-building plans and giving a rest to out-of-form senior players, we opted for a newer look but talented Pakistani team.I am indeed proud of the boys for performing so diligently and helping us return home unbeaten from the tournament. We had confidence in the abilities of the youngsters and they have not disappointed us at all.First of all, I would like to congratulate and thank all Pakistan supporters worldwide for this win. We have been receiving comments and prayers from all parts of the world wishing us to perform well in Sharjah and I hope the results have made everyone happy.However, we are keeping a close eye on our mistakes too as there is still need for a lot of improvement to become a cricketing power to be reckoned with. Complacency can be our biggest enemy and we are aware of its suicidal nature.I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to our coach Javed Miandad. His presence lessens any captaincy pressures I have on my shoulders.Everyone must have noticed the discipline on the field, especially among the batsmen. The way they built their innings, whether chasing or setting targets; everything was done most professionally because of our mentor and coach. His presence at the `analyst seat’ encourages everyone, especially the youngsters, to become salient parts of game plans. The sharpness in fielding, again goes to the training sessions we had under Javed Miandad’s supervision.As the captain, I am lucky to not only have Javed Miandad as my coach, but also fortunate to have received valuable inputs from the selection committee chairman, Aamer Sohail. He has a very good insight of the finer elements of cricket. Aamer Sohail played an important role in making strategies for different phases of the games.One prominent aspect of our performance was the ability to chase targets in two important games, against Sri Lanka and the final against Zimbabwe. On both occasions, we achieved our targets proficiently without any hiccups and with many overs to spare.The fifties scored by Mohammad Hafeez, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan and Taufeeq Umar during these two target-chasing wins were remarkable efforts.The explosive unbeaten fifty by Abdul Razzaq in the first game against Zimbabwe can be better termed as the launching pad for our performance in the entire tournament. We were tottering at 203/7, when he hammered his way to an unbeaten 76 to enable Pakistan amass seventy-five runs in the last thirty-five balls. This innings actually put us on the right path towards winning this championship.In batting, both Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan came of age, showed complete dedication and accepted their responsibilities of being the anchors and heads of our batting line-up. Among the youngsters, Misbah-ul-Haq and Faisal Iqbal pitched-in with useful contributions.The revelation of the tournament was Mohammad Hafeez. His well-crafted fifty against Sri Lanka tragically ended with run-out, otherwise he would have gone on for a much bigger innings. His thirty-six against Kenya and his economical bowling spells with valuable wickets at crucial stages has helped us tremendously in drafting our match plans. If he does not fall into the trap of complacency, Mohammad Hafeez has shown the class to meticulously serve Pakistan in the future.We were struggling a little against Kenya, when Shoaib Malik stepped up up with a gem of an innings, 76 in 58 balls. Shoaib Malik also had a good tour with both bat and ball.Batsman Naved Latif is a gritty player, but has a few small technical flaws which need to be rectified in nets, before giving him a longer stint at international level.Like always, there was little help for medium pace seam bowlers in Sharjah, but overall, newcomer Naved-ul-Hasan bowled quite well. He did not get many chances to bat in the tournament, but the way he assisted Shoaib Malik against Kenya, we have see in him genuine all-rounder abilities.Another find of the tour has been Umar Gul. His beautiful `line `n’ length’ was unruffled by the presence of top world-class batsmen like Atapattu, Jayasuriya, Sangakkara, Wishart, Grant Flower and others. He bowled with complete confidence, except for one over against Kenya, which hopefully he will remember, so as to improve for the better in the future. God Willing; Umar Gul is going to be a valuable asset of Pakistan cricket team.Building our bowling line-up for the future required us to try a new spearhead fast bowler. We used Mohammad Sami for this purpose and he did not disappoint us. Sami was not only explosive, but also accurate. He needs to keep working hard on his fitness. God Willing; Sami is going to win many important games for us in the future, just like he did in Sharjah.Danish Kaneria bowled very well with good control on a good line and length and his variety is quite deadly. Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez ably assisted Danish with their accurate off-spin.It was nice to see our team manager, Haroon Rashid being very particular about behavioural discipline both an and off the field, which resulted in Mohammad Zahid and Naved Latif sitting out one game. Many feel it was harsh, but please do remember, no player is bigger than the game and as a basic principle of a cricket team, discipline needs to be applied without reservations in order to set proper precedents.Unfortunately Mohammad Zahid was the only player not to get a game during this tour, but he is very talented, young and will indeed get good chances in the near future.The next seventy days bring us much bigger challenges; in Sri Lanka against New Zealand and the hosts, and in England against the home side.We would need to further improve on our recent performances, rectify our mistakes and enhance our talents. We are quite capable of meeting expectations and are preparing hard to face the strong Kiwis, Sri Lankan and English sides.I am looking forward to all of your prayers, support and encouragement to help us along.With best regards,Rashid Latif

Sunil Gavaskar, who is also the chairman of India’s National Cricket Academy, clearly takes his responsibility towards Indian cricket seriously© Cricinfo

Sunil Gavaskar will host a conclave being held by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in June, in which the captains of domestic sides that play in the Ranji Trophy will meet and discuss cricketing matters. A similar conclave held last year received enthusiastic participation, and the BCCI clearly hopes to institutionalise the event.The Press Trust of India reported that as a preliminary preparation for the conclave, the BCCI has solicited reports and observations about the last domestic season from the captains, umpires and match referees involved.Mumbai, which had hosted last year’s conclave, is a likely venue for next month’s meet. The last time, it had been a grand success, with Gavaskar stating that he was delighted with the levels of interactivity that were displayed by the stakeholders of the domestic game.

Sri Lanka’s selectors have picked a 15-man squad for the opening Test against New Zealand, including the previously out-of-favour wicket-keeper, Romesh Kaluwitharana, and four specialist slow bowlers. In all, eight changes have been made since Sri Lanka’s last test against South Africa at Centurion in November.Michael Vandort, a left-hander who scored a century in his last test against Bangladesh but was then a surprise omission from the South Africa tour, and Tillakaratne Dilshan, a 26-year-old right-hander, will be competing for the final place in the middle order, assuming that Sri Lanka play six specialist batsmen and Kaluwitharana at number seven.They could, however, opt instead for playing Kaluwitharana – who has not played test cricket for two years following the emergence of Kumar Sangakkara – at number six and include a spinning all-rounder at number seven: either Kumar Dharmasena, Upul Chandana or Kaushal Loukuarachchi, who would be making his debut if he plays.The P.Sara Stadium, the home ground of star bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, traditionally favours the spinners and it is clear that Sri Lanka’s strategy will rely heavily on their slow bowlers. With Sanath Jayasuriya also available to bowl, they could field as many as four.With Dilhara Fernando having not recovered from an injury to his lower back, Prabath Nissanka looks set to partner Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lanka’s leading fast bowler who has recovered from an ankle injury, although the uncapped Dharshana Gamage also comes into the reckoning.Jayasuriya, who has struggled in the middle order in tests after dropping down during Sri Lanka’s tour of England last year, is expected to open the innings again with Marvan Atapattu, the vice-captain.The out-of-form Mahela Jayawardene confirmed his place in the squad with a century against the touring New Zealanders at the weekend whilst Sangakkara, freed from the responsibility of keeping wicket, will bat at number three.However, there is no room for Russel Arnold, who had a miserable series against South Africa, scoring just six runs in four innings, and Jehan Mubarak, a left-handed opener who impressed at Centurion when he replaced Jayasuriya but failed in the one-day series that followed.With Dav Whatmore having been granted early leave from his contract, which was to expire at the end of May, Duleep Mendis has been appointed as interim coach for the series. Hashan Tillakaratne, a surprise choice for the test captaincy, leads the side.The first test in the two match series starts on April 25 with the second test to be played in Kandy on May 3. The two sides will then play in a triangular also involving Pakistan.Full squad:Hashan Tillakaratne (Capt), Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Michael Vandort, Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), Kumar Dharmasena, Upul Chandana, Kaushal Loukuarachchi, Chaminda Vaas, Prabath Nissanka, Dharshana Gamage, Muttiah Muralitharan

Somerset skipper Jamie Cox looks set to return to Taunton for the 2002 season.Earlier on today Chief Executive Peter Anderson said: “We’ve had informal talks with Jamie, and we have offered him a further two year contract which in principle he has agreed to. We will probably wait until after the game at Lord’s in early September before everything is finalised.”

Gio van Bronckhorst’s Rangers are set to turn their attention away from Europe today as they return to Premiership action at Ibrox.

They beat Borussia Dortmund 6-4 on aggregate in the Europa League, after a 2-2 draw in Glasgow on Thursday night, and now come up against Motherwell.

The Gers are chasing Celtic at the top of the table and need to pick up all three points today to keep the pressure on their arch-rivals.

Time’s up

One player who must be ruthlessly axed from the starting XI for this match is left-back Borna Barisic after his poor displays against Dortmund.

He has been way off the mark required in Europe and that should result in him being dropped to the bench against Motherwell today. The Croatia international was hauled off at half-time on Thursday to make way for Leon Balogun, with Calvin Bassey moving to left-back, and that could be the change that takes place in the side ahead of kick-off at Ibrox.

Barisic recorded SofaScore ratings of 6.2 and 6.4 against the Bundesliga outfit, which suggests that he struggled badly in both games. Therefore, the 29-year-old dud, who was once dubbed “mind-boggling” by Richard Foster, has now been way off it in his last two outings and does not deserve to be in the starting XI on current form.

Bassey, meanwhile, managed a SofaScore rating of 7.3 in the second leg against Rangers as he played at both centre-back and left-back. His second-half showing at full-back, setting up James Tavernier’s second goal, suggests that he is in a better place, as it stands, to start ahead of his Croatian teammate against Motherwell.

However, this does not mean that all is lost for Barisic. He is currently enduring a bad patch of form but has proven that he knows what it takes to put in top-class performances in the Premiership. The defender has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.28 in the division this term.

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This shows that he is capable of delivering excellent displays on a consistent basis, but he needs to be able to get himself back into a position where he is able to do that again. The Scottish Cup tie with Dundee FC next month could be a good opportunity for him to come back in and find his feet, for example.

For now, van Bronckhorst must ruthlessly axe him from the starting XI and go with Balogun and Bassey in the back four next to Tavernier and Connor Goldson.

AND in other news,  Wilson masterclass: £2.5m Rangers transfer claim emerges that’ll leave fans buzzing…

A spate of explosions in Jaipur, killing at least 60 people, has cast a shadow over Saturday’s IPL match in the city between the Rajasthan Royals and the Bangalore Royal Challengers. The match looks likely to be shifted out of Jaipur, with Bangalore offering to host the game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.”We have conveyed our decision to the IPL council,” Martin Crowe, Bangalore’s chief cricket officer, told Cricinfo from Chandigarh, where the team is currently staying. “The franchises are discussing the issue. A final decision will be made tomorrow. We are going to Delhi tomorrow and will probably head over to Bangalore after a night’s stay in Delhi.”However, Fraser Castellino, the CEO of the Jaipur franchise, said he had not heard of this development and didn’t want to comment on the possibility. Bangalore have already hosted Rajasthan in the tournament – on April 26 – in a game that the visitors won by a comfortable margin.Meanwhile, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has promised extra security and ruled out a change of schedule “as of now”. “We are concerned but the matches are going to continue and we have full confidence in the state government,” he told Indian news channel NDTV. “We have no plans as of now to change the schedule. We will provide them additional cover and make sure everyone is protected.”At least five major blasts rocked Jaipur, the base of the Rajasthan Royals, with the death and injury toll on the rise. The Rajasthan team hasn’t been affected: most of the players are currently holidaying in Goa and the others have gone back to their respective homes.

The West Indies Players’ Association has said its players will not undertake an A-team tour of Zimbabwe next month as a result of concerns over safety and the continuing unstable political situation in the country.A statement issued by WIPA said that the West Indies board had been advised that it had reached the decision “following intensive discussions with various stakeholders and likely selectees who have unanimously expressed deep concern about players’ safety and the continuing volatile situation existing in that country”.”While we at WIPA acknowledge the importance of the development of cricket, we are, nevertheless, firmly of the view that the safety of players in an unsettled environment is of paramount importance.””We have consulted with CARICOM (Caribbean Community and Common Market) and we have received assurances from the Zimbabwe board regarding player safety,” Tony Deyal, the WICB’s corporate secretary, told Cricinfo. “We also believe that we will be getting a guarantee from the Zimbabwe government.”We have shared the information we have with WIPA and we would hope they share theirs with us. If they have information we don’t have then we are prepared to review it.” A meeting between the board and WIPA is likely in the next few days to try to resolve the situation.Dinanath Ramnarine, WIPA’s chief executive, said that he was sympathetic to the disappointment of those selected at the cancellation but that “we want to assure the board that we will give every consideration to a similar tour in more favourable circumstances”. He added that many sources both inside and outside Zimbabwe had been consulted before the decision was reached.There was more confusion when Bruce Aanensen, the WICB’s chief executive officer, told the Trinidad & Tobago Express that the trip was on. “That is still the plan [for] the team to leave on June 30. We did not get the response from the Caribbean heads of government until Wednesday afternoon of last week.”On receipt of that when we agreed that we could go ahead with the tour in so far as the heads of government were concerned, we sent out a proposal to WIPA, the terms and conditions of the tour and I am waiting on a response from WIPA at the moment to proceed with announcing the team for the tour.”Cricinfo understands that those likely to tour have been contacted by WIPA in advance of this decision, although WIPA has yet to be informed of the exact squad members even though the board seems to have been in touch with them individually.The news will be a serious blow to Zimbabwe Cricket. It comes hot on the heels of the decision by the Australian government to ban their side from touring Zimbabwe, and less than a fortnight before the ICC meets to consider the restoration of Zimbabwe’s Test status.

The first women’sTwenty20 international in Australia will take place this October at Brisbane when the home side take on New Zealand. The game will be followed by five one-day internationals, all to be played at the same venue.Australia have previously played a Twenty20 match, at Taunton in September 2005. Karen Rolton, the current captain, scored an unbeaten 96 off 53 balls and took two wickets in a seven-wicket victory over England.The Rose Bowl trophy that the two teams are contesting will be the first women’s international played at Brisbane since Australia and England played a Test there as part of the Ashes in February 2003.Out of the 75 ODIs that Australia and New Zealand have contested, Australia have won 54. Australia will next tour India for a four-nation one-day tournament in February 2007.

Mani says that the decision paves the way for future events in India © Getty Images

Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, has welcomed the Indian government’s decision to grant tax exemption for major sporting events in the country, saying that it removes any hurdles that might have come between India hosting ICC events in future. The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in India in 2006, and Indian officials are also contemplating a bid for the 2011 World Cup, possibly in conjunction with the three other Test-playing nations in the region.”The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and the ICC worked very closely to obtain the tax exemption,” said Mani, in an interview to Indo-Asian News Service. “It would have been unfortunate, to say the least, if India had not been able to host the Champions Trophy. I am very grateful to the Prime Minister of India for personally intervening in this matter; this demonstrates the importance of cricket to the people of India.”With Australia and New Zealand considering a joint bid for the 2011 World Cup, Mani added that an Asian bid – India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka had hosted the event together in 1996 – would have a strong chance of success. Saying that the decision would only be made over the next year and a half, Mani insisted that he agreed in principle with the Asian Cricket Council’s request to allot every third World Cup to the region.”The request – not a demand – of the ACC is reasonable,” he said. “After all, four of the (ICC) 10 full member countries are from Asia. On the principle of rotation, due weightage has to be given to this; I do not think that this will be a major issue.”With venues like Sharjah, Dubai and Singapore now struggling to attract matches, Mani suggested that they could also be part an ICC event held elsewhere in Asia. “The World Cup requires at least eight venues to host the matches,” he said. “There is no reason for these venues not to work closely with the subcontinent to host ICC events.”

Kabir Ali will miss the start of the season after undergoing surgery to cure a double hernia problem. He is expected to be out of action until the middle of May.Worcestershire will also be without Andrew Hall and Gareth Batty for the first few weeks as both are on international duty.”This is obviously a big blow to us as a team, and Kabir personally, as he has been one of our main strike bowlers and key players over the last few seasons,” said Tom Moody, the director of cricket. “Having said that we have good strength in depth in our squad and Kabir’s injury will give someone else an opportunity to make a big impact at the start of the season.”I think Mark Harrity will have a good year this time after taking time in 2003 to adjust to the English conditions. In addition we have got Andy Bichel back and everyone knows what he has done for Worcestershire in his past spells at the club.”I have no doubt that Kabir will come back fitter and stronger than ever in a few weeks’ time and show the form we all know he is capable of.”