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Shane Warne seemed destined to play forever. He was as unlikely to give up Test cricket as he was to rub out his other vices. He loved the game, the dressing room, the camaraderie and was in command whenever his right hand gripped the ball.Even at 37, a time when many true greats are incapable of sustaining their standards, he was heaving and weaving his side towards the Ashes. Surely the talk of him stepping down was like his promotion of the flipper – more bluff than fact. Glenn McGrath, who is also tipped to retire, spoke about playing till he was 40, but it was always Warne who was most likely to get there. It won’t happen.This is the news Australia has been dreading since his finger operation in 1996 when we first realised his mortality. Ten years later – through wonderful, successful, jaw-dropping, career-threatening and often infuriating times – he has finally realised his career is ticking towards midnight and the Sydney Test will be his 145th and last.It’s impossible to measure how much Australian cricket will miss him. Warne has ensured the stunning reputations of four captains during his 15-year career and helped change the game’s reputation as a sombre examination of endurance. Warne made everything exciting with his beach-boy looks and snapping wrist that killed batsmen in a way we had forgotten about in a world dominated by pace.Over after over he walked in and lobbed the ball invitingly before it would drift, dip and turn. It was cruel for batsmen and delicious for the rest. Later in his career he proved he could work miracles when the same thing happened with the ball going straight.Warne was a matador who refused the traditional weapon of speed. Thousands tried to match him, from impressionable children to envious parents, and the most dramatic measure of his success – more than the wickets, the strike-rates or the scandals – is that nobody has been able to copy him.In a side where the new boys step comfortably into the role of their predecessors, no matter how big the names, Warne’s spot may never been filled. We have been fortunate to live in the age of a Cricketer of the Century, just like those who boasted about seeing Hobbs, Bradman, Sobers and Richards.Warne is more than a great name. He has kept people young, lifted the sport’s interest and become a global superstar. With his passing, probably into the commentary box next season, cricket will wait for somebody to step up. Perhaps it will be Kevin Pietersen. Perhaps we’ll be sitting in hope for a long time. What a ride, what a player.

Pakistan Under-19s 256 for 3 (Umar Akmal 84) beat England Under-19s 252 for 5 (Godleman 118*) by seven wickets
ScorecardA fine unbeaten 118 from Billy Godleman was not enough to secure a consolation win for England’s youngsters, as they bowed out of their triangular tournament in Sri Lanka with a seven-wicket defeat against Pakistan.Despite the result, it was a much-improved display from England following a limp performance against Sri Lanka on Monday. They easily posted their highest score in their four matches in the tournament, with Godleman anchoring the innings with a superb 152-ball innings.He struck seven fours in the innings, and received sound support from James Taylor in a 42-run opening stand, as well as the captain Alex Wakely (39) and Tom Westley, who rounded off the innings with a brisk unbeaten 33 from 28 balls.But Pakistan’s openers, Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad, proved unstoppable in response. They added 149 for the first wicket inside the first 20 overs to break the back of the run-chase, before Umar Amin eased them to victory with an unbeaten 68 from 76 balls.

New Zealand should consider Brendon McCullum as a solution to their top-order Test woes, according to the Canterbury coach Dave Nosworthy. The national selectors are meeting in Christchurch this week to decide on a squad to tour England and the opening positions will again be one of their major talking points.Jamie How and Matthew Bell were used against England last month and although How showed promise in making 92 in the first Test, Bell scored three ducks from his six innings. Bell was fresh from a century against Bangladesh, where his opening colleague was Craig Cumming, and just two months prior Cumming had been partnered by Michael Papps in South Africa.McCullum opens in one-day internationals and Nosworthy believes promoting his former Canterbury player in Tests would be a gamble worth taking. “It’s a bit out of left field I know, but the selectors should think about it,” Nosworthy told the . “It throws the gauntlet down to the Poms and sends a strong message to them.”I’m sure some of their new-ball bowlers would be a bit edgy if they had to face Baz [McCullum] first up after what he did in the one-day series. We lack some depth in the top order and that could be a way around it if other things don’t work.”McCullum averaged 65.25 in the recent limited-overs contests against England and in early March he blasted the fastest century and highest score in New Zealand’s domestic one-day history in the State Shield final. Although constructing a careful and lengthy innings might not be McCullum’s strength, Nosworthy said a new approach from the Test openers may be welcome.”No-one has put their hand up massively for the job,” he said. “I know it puts a lot of pressure when the keeper is on his feet all day in the field but the way Baz bats he scores quickly and not out there for that long a period. He could certainly take the shine off the ball quickly.”

The two stars of the day have something in common. Uttar Pradesh’s Tanmay Srivastava, who cracked a fine century, and Delhi’s Pradeep Sangwan, the best bowler on view, had just returned from India’s Under-19 tour of South Africa.Both are reaping the benefits of that exposure and reckon the Wankhede wicket was similar to the ones they played on in South Africa. Their display today was no coincidence; the wicket offered consistent bounce and good carry and the two knew how to be effective.Tanmay took UP out of troubled waters. Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina, their main run-getters of the season, had fallen cheaply and Delhi were biting into the brittle lower half when Tanmay took charge. The front foot was not pushed across and the bat didn’t jab at the ball as he played close to the body. The ball did dart around in the morning but he saw through that phase before playing his shots.”The wicket was moving a touch in the morning but settled down. It was quite similar to South Africa. The bounce was little less here and the pace a bit faster there,” Tanmay said. Aakash Chopra thinks the South African experience could have been a hindrance had the Wankhede track had been a typical slow Indian track. “I remember after I came from Australia [in 2003-04], we didn’t play in Feroz Shah Kotla but at another ground in Delhi. It took some time to adjust back to the slowness of the track and I had to make an effort not play a touch early.”Another tip Tanmay got on tour was from the coach, WV Raman. Raman, a fellow left-hander, told Tanmay to open his stance a bit to allow for a smoother downward bat swing and to have better visibility of a right-hand bowler charging from over the wicket.”I couldn’t use it much on tour as I didn’t want to tamper with the technique mid-tour. But I tried it out in the nets a bit and over here, I did that [in the match],” Tanmay said. “Scoring runs on the wickets there [he made 240 runs in five matches at an average of 60] has obviously made me more confident. It’s not only the South African tour. I toured England and a few other places as well. I have started to play better in front of the wicket and I am trying to increase my concentration levels.” While Tanmay has still a long way to go as his first-class average of 31.58 suggests, the recent overseas tours has emboldened him to walk on the right path.

Meanwhile, Sangwan is desperate for two more wickets on Thursday to get a prized five-for in the final. “The bounce was pretty similar to South Africa. There was the same balloonwala bounce there and so I knew the right lengths to hit. Only thing was that I had to adjust back to the SG ball from the Kookaburra but I think I managed to do that.”At 17 the youngest Delhi bowler on view, he was by far the best, bowling a good line outside off, Though he was guilty of bowling a touch short on occasions, it was a pretty satisfying day’s work.Manoj Prabhakar has been of great help as Delhi’s bowling consultant. Sangwan would take the ball away from the right-hander with the natural left-armer’s action but, under Prabhakar, he has started to bend the ball back in. “Sir [Prabhakar] has made me bowl closer to the wicket and importantly, worked on my wrist position. It used to fall early at the release and now I have improved and keep it up till late. That has helped me to get bring the ball back in.”The Indian board should be credited for two moves. The board wanted to increase the overseas tours in challenging conditions for all age groups and also moved the semi-finals and final of the Ranji Trophy to neutral venues. The curator Sudhir Naik said he had been instructed to produce a sporting track with bounce and the two youngsters, fresh from tasting success in South Africa, have enjoyed their outing in Mumbai.

Loughborough University has been named as the country’s first women’s University Centre of Cricket Excellence (UCCE) thanks to funding from the MCC.Loughborough, which currently has 35 players at its mixed UCCE, successfully applied for funding from MCC to support a dedicated women’s section and allow more female cricketers to access the world-class facilities and expertise available as part of the programme. MCC invested nearly £30,000 to allow the university to run a separate squad of up to 13 female students in 2008.Working alongside the UCCE head coach, Graham Dilley, will be his assistant, Nicky Shaw, the England vice-captain. They will benefit from a supported strength and conditioning programme, nutritional and psychological advice, video analysis, medical screenings and subsidised kit and equipment. In addition, they will have access to the ECB’s cricket performance centre.”MCC is proud of its involvement with the UCCE scheme and our investment in University cricket continues to grow each year,” John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said. “Loughborough have put a great deal of time and effort into women’s cricket and this funding is fully merited and well deserved. With Graham and Nicky leading the coaching, I have no doubt that we’ll see even more talented women cricketers emerge from the University and, we hope, challenge for a place in the national side.””We are very grateful to MCC for their added investment in our programme,” Dilley added. “Loughborough is a great advocator of women’s cricket and we have always taken the development of our female players very seriously and given them the same opportunities via the UCCE as our men.”This additional programme provides a fantastic opportunity for the girls at Loughborough and is a just reward for the work we’ve put into helping develop the sport and its players.”

Air India crawled to 186/6 from 97 overs against National CricketAcademy on the first day of their MRF-Buchi Babu pre-quarterfinal atthe Guru Nanak College Ground in Chennai today. Far from flying high,Air India were kept on a tight leash after captain Praveen Amre beathis NCA rival Reetinder Sodhi for the toss and chose to take firststrike.After 21-year-old Baroda seamer Rakesh Patel removed opener SandehKawle for one in the seventh over of the innings, Dheeraj Jadhav andNiraj Patel added a battling 68 for Air India of which the latter, anNCA product who could just as well have turned out for his opponents,made 47. With the last ball of his first and only over, Mohd. Kaif’soff breaks dislodged Patel, caught by Rohit Jhalani behind thewickets.Jhalani was again called into action, stumping skipper Amre for 22 offthe bowling of Saurashtra left arm spinner Rakesh Dhurv. Two ballslater, Altaf Merchant had his stumps disarranged by Patel for a duckto leave Air India at 115/4. Satish Samand did not last long but hissuccessor Harvinder Singh Sodhi ensconced himself firmly at thecrease, striking five boundaries in the course of an unbeaten 26.In the 90th over, opener Jadhav’s lengthy and painstaking 283-minutevigil, realising 63 runs (six 4’s), came to an end when off spinnerRamesh Powar won a leg before decision and at stumps wicketkeeper NGGavas was keeping Sodhi company. For NCA, Patel with 2/35 from 19overs produced the best figures among the eight bowlers used.

A proposed one-day series between Australia and India in Northern Ireland in June and July is in danger of being scrapped. The Indian board (BCCI) announced in February three matches would be played in Belfast, but Cricket Australia is still waiting for information about the games.”We have been discussing with the BCCI about New York, about Toronto and most recently the discussion has been Ireland,” Peter Young, a Cricket Australia spokesman, said in the Daily Telegraph. “We are waiting for them to give a written reply as to where we stand.”India, who exited the World Cup after the first stage, initially planned to use the series as preparation for their tour of England in July. Australia’s winter is light but 2008 is going to be extremely heavy with a world-record 20 Tests scheduled and around 30 one-day matches. Australia will host India and Sri Lanka in 2007-08 before touring West Indies and Pakistan. When they return they are due to face Bangladesh, India, New Zealand and South Africa.

Leicestershire have announced that six players – Darren Robinson, John Maunders, Arno Jacobs, Paul Harrison, Marc Rosenberg and David Stiff – are being released at the end of the season. The county were keen to stress that the players had been released with a view to making room for new ones to be brought in.”We are currently in negotiations with new players and I am confident that we will be in a position to announce new signings in the coming weeks,” said Tim Boon, Leicestershire’s coach. “We have set out our intentions through the club’s recruitment and selection policy for 2008 and beyond that we want to develop the best young talent around a core group of senior role-model professionals, and that will be reflected in the players that are brought to Grace Road.”I would like to thank those players who have not been offered new contracts for their commitment and service to the club and would also like to wish them well in the future.”

Tim May, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), has distanced himself from comments made by Ian Smith, the association’s legal advisor.Smith was quoted in The Guardian as warning that the players are set to pass a vote of no confidence in the ICC. “People are increasingly seriously asking why aren’t we walking away,” Smith said. “The competence of the administrators is being called into question at a policy level. We believe that because the players are better organised and that talent has been radically revalued by the Indian leagues it’s time to look at whether the players can do a better job than the current policy makers.”But May moved quickly to clarify that Smith’s views were not those of FICA. “Ian’s comments represent his personal view on the matter and do not represent FICA’s position at this time. This is not to say, however, that FICA does not have concerns with the governance structure of the ICC.”After the World Cup last year, which was widely considered to have been poorly administered, FICA issued a poll in which 56% of players who took part expressed a lack of confidence in the ICC. “FICA stated its concerns with the governance structure of the ICC at that time and called upon the ICC to review its governance structure, to determine whether its current structure is the most appropriate for an international sport,” May said. “FICA’s position in regard to this issue has not changed.”May added that FICA was undertaking another survey with the results expected at the end of next month. “We will then communicate any relevant matters that relate directly to ICC, direct with the ICC.”

Against the backdrop of the uncertainty surrounding Andre Nel’s international future, the short one-day international series between hosts Bangladesh and South Africa comes to a conclusion in Mirpur. South Africa have already clinched the series, and much of the focus rests on whether they can complete the sweep that will take them past as Australia as the best ODI side in the world.Reports on Wednesday suggested Nel, upset at being ignored for the upcoming Test series in India, considered quitting South African cricket. Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s captain, had to vigorously persuade Nel to play in the second match, where the fast bowler returned figures of 4 for 27. Nel has been South Africa’s best bowler of the series, taking seven wickets at 7.28 after he was entrusted the leadership of the attack with Dale Steyn not getting a game.Whether Nel plays tomorrow is uncertain but South Africa still have options in Steyn, Player-of-the-Series in the 2-0 Test whitewash, and Morne Morkel. South Africa’s top order was tested in the second ODI but a match-winning partnership between AB de Villiers and JP Duminy took them home comfortably. For the likes of Duminy, yet to cement his place in the side, and Hashim Amla, only two ODIs old, the final match is another shot to impress in the limited-overs format with a busy international calendar ahead.Gerald Majola, CSA’s chief executive, had one eye on the upcoming Test series in India even as South Africa are poised to sweep the ODI series. “We are confident that [South Africa] will win,” he said, “and finish the international season as the best ODI team in world cricket.”For Bangladesh, who have struggled to compete against South Africa, the scenario offers another shot at saving face. Their form, however, suggests South Africa will have few hassles. The previous game, also in Mirpur, could have been a different story altogether had Bangladesh followed captain Mohammad Ashraful’s wish after he won the toss and put up a 230-plus score on the board. Bangladesh’s batting has been a disappointment in the series – only Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and newcomer Raqibul Hasan managed fifties – and their policy of rotation has come under criticism.An under-fire Ashraful, after Bangladesh mustered just 173 in 48.2 overs despite a record 119-run stand for the fifth wicket, blamed his batsmen but his own form has been dismal recently. He has scored just eight runs in two games, on the back of a poor Test series, and Bangladesh have won nothing under his captaincy.Having debuted a crop of young players, and with several veterans either retired or on the way out, Bangladesh continue to be in a period of change. How well they can adapt, having lost the series, and with this being the last opportunity against Test-match opposition before they host Ireland for a three-match series starting March 18, remains to be seen.