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Australia’s run of bad luck with injuries seems set to continue, with Jason Gillespie ruling himself an unlikely starter for Australia’s third Test against India, which starts on December 26 at Melbourne. Gillespie strained his right groin and was forced to leave the field on the last day of the Adelaide Test, which India won by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series.”I’m feeling pretty good this morning, and the medical staff are pleased it isn’t too bad, but I’m not holding high hopes of playing at Melbourne,” Gillespie said. “My guess is I’ll be running and just starting to bowl by then, which will be good, but as for the rigours of a five-day match, I’m not sure I’ll be ready for that.” According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Gillespie could realistically be expected to return only for the fourth Test, at Sydney.”I’d obviously be very keen to play,” Gillespie added. “This is a great series to be involved in, and I’d want to play my part. I also felt that Adelaide was the best I’d bowled in Tests for about a year, though the rewards didn’t come my way.” Gillespie finished with match figures of 2 for 128.Talking about the moment when he first felt the injury, Gillespie said: “I hit my delivery stride and felt a twinge in my groin. I was going to try another ball but Stephen [Waugh] said I should go and get it checked.” Gillespie was in his 11th over of the innings.With Glenn McGrath already ruled out for the entire series and Shane Warne still serving a one-year ban, Australia’s bowling attack will be severely depleted if Gillespie is indeed ruled out. The good news is that Brett Lee is all set to return, while Brad Williams’s shoulder injury is expected to heal completely in a week’s time.Australia will name their third-Test squad on December 22.

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.

John Wright has been appointed as acting high performance manager for New Zealand Cricket, replacing Ric Charlesworth, who left on Friday following the end of his two-year contract. It is understood Charlesworth has taken a role with the Indian hockey team.”Many of the initiatives Ric has put in place are positive for the long-term future of elite cricket performance in New Zealand,” said the NZC chief executive, Justin Vaughan. “His main initiatives include a world-class specialist coaching network which will expose many more cricketers throughout New Zealand to coaching at the highest level and a winter playing programme which will allow emerging players to train and play outdoors in Australia during the winter months.”John will assume the role of acting high performance manager as we work through a process to determine the optimal structures for high performance in the future. John has been at NZC a short time but has already made a significant contribution. His approach towards creating winning performances is exactly what we need at the elite level.”Wright, who joined in August, was tipped as Charlesworth’s long-term replacement last month, with the short-term deal providing further indication that he could be the man for the future.

Shane Bond will miss this month’s Chappell-Hadlee Series after his recovery from an abdominal tear has taken longer than expected. New Zealand are set to maintain the same 14-man one-day squad which narrowly lost the one-dayers to South Africa, the national selector Richard Hadlee told the . James Franklin remains out following knee surgery.Bond, the fast bowler, will also be unavailable for Bangladesh’s visit in January, all of which he finds “frustrating”. He picked up the problem in November, during New Zealand’s injury-hit tour of South Africa where they won one match out of seven. They lost both Tests, the Twenty20, the one-day series 2-1 and even the warm-up.He said it was exhausting to come back from yet another injury and feared for his future in the game should he keep picking up problems. “It’s worn me down,” he told on Tuesday. “I’ve spent a lot of time rehab-ing. There are a lot things I want to achieve and to be realistic, I can’t expect cricket to keep supporting me if I am going to continue to get injured, so it’s frustrating.”He is now aiming to recover for England’s visit in February and March, when they will play five one-dayers and three Tests. In his absence, Kyle Mills has filled in well and impressed Hadlee. “Mills has been outstanding,” he told the . “With Bond out, he has stepped up magnificently.” Mills was named Man of the Series in South Africa for his nine wickets at 11.33.He will now lead the attack for New Zealand’s defence of the Chappell-Hadlee title in Australia after their 3-0 cleansweep last season. The first of the three one-dayers is at the Adelaide Oval on December 14.* Iain O’Brien was also included in the squad.Squad Lou Vincent, Jamie How, Mathew Sinclair, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum (wk), Gareth Hopkins, Iain O’Brien, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori (capt), Kyle Mills, Mark Gillespie, Jeetan Patel, Michael Mason, Chris Martin.

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.

Centuries from Gloucestershire opener Phil Weston and South African batsman Jonty Rhodes ensured that this Frizzell County Championship Division Two clash went into the fourth day as Hampshire toiled in the hot Sunday sunshine.The visitors still required 95 to make Hampshire bat again overnight and had already lost Craig Spearman and nightwatchman Mike Smith in the process so many thought that the game – and a win for Hampshire – would be wrapped up with a day to spare.However, the West Countrymen knew that they had a good two days to bat out and negotiated the first to close with a lead of 237 and the forecast very possibly on their side for Monday.Weston, carrying on from his steady 39 in the first innings, played patiently alongside Chris Taylor as the pair added 62 for the third wicket which edged them close to lunch. Taylor was snapped up by the persevering Udal, caught Robin Smith at short leg for 31.But this only brought in Rhodes to record his highest score for his adopted county and his highest since his unbeaten 57 against Hampshire at Bristol some six weeks ago. He had not been in the best of forms of late – but made serious amends against a Hampshire attack which was to lose Alan Mullally to a hamstring strain.The injury will see him miss the four-day trip to spinner-friendly Northampton starting on Wednesday.Weston went to his first century for Gloucestershire – he moved from Worcestershire in the closed season – but perished just two balls later when he nibbled an edge to Pothas off Ed Giddins.Gloucestershire were working in good partnerships throughout as Hampshire tried to eke out every wicket on a pitch which seems to have improved in its trustworthiness as the game has progressed.Weston and Rhodes added 96, Rhodes and Windows 75, Rhodes’ stand with Gidman and Harvey both realised 31 while his partnership with Ball posted 27. It was hard work for Hampshire’s bowlers in dislodging the resistance.But it was Rhodes with a delightful innings of 134 not out, coming from 251 balls and including 12 fours and three sixes – one of which, off Giddins, took some seven minutes for the ball to be found!The needless run out of wicket-keeper Stephen Pope helped Hampshire finish off the day on a high, but chasing down approximately 250 will be a challenge on a wicket which could be freshened up a bit by some forecast heavy overnight rain and thunder.

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.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) faces the prospect ofa possible legal dispute with Taj Television, a Dubai-based sportsbroadcaster, if it fails to recognise a three-year television andsponsorship contract signed in October 2001.According to BCCSL sources, the executive committee is close to an agreementthat will see the Singapore-based WSG Nimbus reinstated as the BCCSL’stelevision and sponsorship rights holder for the forthcoming England tour ofSri Lanka.But Taj Television, who have already sold television feeds to Sky Sports forthe series, and are currently selling the title and other sponsorshiprights, are adamant that their contract, due to run until 2004, cannot justbe brushed aside. “We have a contract with the BCCSL that is legal andbinding,” said Jude de Valliere, spokesman for Taj Television, in Colombo.The deal being brokered is designed to save the BCCSL from a potentiallycrippling US$11 million damages claim after a Singapore arbitration courtruled that the board – led at that time by a government-appointed interimcommittee – had cancelled a contract with WSG Nimbus “unlawfully andillegally” in 2001 for allegedly missing payment deadlines.”What we are hopeful to do is reduce the US$11 million damages claimed on usand ensure that future matches are televised,” Mohan de Silva, the BCCSL’ssecretary, told AFP. “The talks have been going very well and we are hopeful ofreaching an amicable settlement within a week.”The BCCSL is expected to argue that the Taj Television contract is “null andvoid” because it was not signed with a properly elected executivecommittee – even though the interim committee, which had sought the adviceof the Attorney General, had been invested with government authority.

Cricket Australia has come to the aid of Sri Lanka’s cash-strapped cricket board, agreeing to play two extra one-day internationals during next year’s tour, a gesture of goodwill that will raise an estimated US$800,000.The Australians will now play five ODIs in Dambulla and Colombo in late February followed by three Test matches in Galle, Kandy and Colombo during March. The two extra matches will help raise much-needed funds for the Sri Lankan board (SLC), which is facing a financial crisis because of falling revenues and a potential US$11million damages payment. Last year the board made a loss of US$900,000.Mohan de Silva, the secretary, said: “Australia understood our financial position and it was very decent of them to agree to this request.” SLC believes it will net an additional US$400,000 each match. The board hopes to sign a new three-year broadcasting contract in January.In return, Sri Lanka have agreed to play two Tests in Darwin and Cairns during Australia’s winter next year. “We have now also agreed to visit next June and July to play in the northern territories,” confirmed de Silva.Australia last toured Sri Lanka in September 1999 soon after winning the World Cup. They lost a one-day series final and were then beaten 1-0 in the rain-affected three-Test series that followed.Tour schedule:

Arrival – February 14First ODI – February 20 – Dambulla (day/night)Second ODI – February 22 – Dambulla (day/night)Third ODI – February 25 – Colombo (day/night)Fourth ODI – February 27 – Colombo (day/night)Fifth ODI – February 29 – Colombo (day)First Test – March 8-12 – GalleSecond Test – March 16-20 – KandyThird Test – March 24-28 – ColomboDeparture – March 29

Matthew Hayden’s two centuries in the second Test at Cairns meant he closed the gap behind Brian Lara and Rahul Dravid to just seven points in the PwC batting ratings, although he remains in third place.Hayden scored 117 in Australia’s first innings, and followed that up with 132 in the second. His efforts have also moved him into third position, behind only Don Bradman and George Headley, on the list of the most prolific century-makers in Test cricket.Hayden has now made 20 centuries in 95 innings, while Headley managed a slightly better rate of 15 in 60 innings, and Bradman scored 29 in 80 innings. However, Hayden has surpassed Bradman in becoming only the eighth player, and the third Australian behind Allan Border and Greg Chappell, to score a century in both innings of a Test more than once. Hayden previously scored 197 and 103 against England in the first Ashes Test of the 2002-03 series at the Gabba.During his second-innings hundred against Sri Lanka, Hayden also passed 5000 Test runs, and has now increased his average to 58.15, which is the highest of any current Test player.Australia have five other batsmen – Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Darren Lehman and Justin Langer – in the top 21, and Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne occupy fifth and sixth place in the bowling.