Promising middle-order batsman from Tamil Nadu Hemang Badani will replace his state team-mate Sadagoppan Ramesh as opener for the second Test beginning in Harare today. Ramesh has been nursing an injured back. Badani who has never opened the innings even for his state side will be thrust with the job in his debut Test. He incidentally will become the 237th player to appear for India in Tests. It is also likely that Ajit Agarkar may also replace Zaheer Khan to enable a right and left arm bowling operation.

The two teams will be named from the following:
India: Sourav Ganguly (Capt), Rahul Dravid (V Capt), Sameer Dighe (WK), SS Das, Hemang Badani, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Javagal Srinath.

Zimbabwe: Heath Streak (Capt), Andy Flower (WK), Dion Ebrahim, Guy Whittal, Alistair Campbell, Stuart Carlisle, Grant Flower, Andy Blignaut, Travis Friend, Brighton Watambwa, Brian Murphy. Umpires: Ashoka De Silva (SL) & Ian Robinson (Zim).

Meanwhile the Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly felt that Zimbabwe batsman/wicketkeeper Andy Flower would not come good in this Test. Ganguly remarked that he had scored too many runs against his team and that he is now due for a failure. Flower, incidentally in six matches against India has 982 runs (avg. 140.39) with three hundreds and six fifties. The Indian captain however seemed remarkably cool about his own unimpressive form saying he had been the victim of a bad decision at Bulawayo. He said he was confident going into the second Test. It now remains to be seen who between Andy Flower and Ganguly will score more runs in the Harare Test match.

Indian coach John Wright said the issue of Ashish Nehra running onto the danger area on his follow through had been completely resolved. The coach, who has been working with Nehra in the nets on this "problem" said the issue would not arise in the second Test.

England slumped to yet another one-day international loss, this time losing to Australia by 125 runs in the fifth match of the NatWest Triangular series match at Manchester. Rain forced interruptions to the day-night game when Australia batting first scored 208-7 in 48 overs, leaving England to get a seemingly comfortable 212 runs in 44 overs, according to the Duckworth/Lewis method. England then collapsed to 86 in 32.4 overs with Dominic Cork's 17 being the highest score of the innings.

Incidentally England's score was its lowest ever in one-day internationals. It had previously made 93 in the 1975 World Cup match at Leeds also against Australia. It was England's ninth defeat in a row - its worst ever performance in ODIs. Previously it had lost eight matches in a row from 25-10-1989 to 23-5-1990.

The English Cricket Board (ECB) who have decided to take strict measures against fans running on to the pitch have been left stumped at whether the same rule should apply to streakers as well. Umpires who feel that excited Pakistani fans running onto the ground can disturb the concentration of the batsmen, should surely rule that a streaker running onto the ground is an equally big distraction. Streakers, both men and women, running on to the ground is as much a part of English cricket tradition, as fans running on to the ground.

New Zealand have named their squad to tour Sri Lanka. The tour begins with the tri-series featuring the hosts and India. Daniel Vettori and Dion Nash make a come back to the side after being sidelined due to injury. New Zealand, meanwhile have also put Chris Nevin, Shayne O'Connor, Brooke Walker, Paul Wiseman and Andre Adams on standby as replacements in case of injury to any member of the squad.

The team:
Stephen Fleming (Capt), Nathan Astle, Grant Bradburn, James Franklin, Chris Harris, Craig McMillan, Kyle Mills, Dion Nash, Jacob Oram, Adam Parore, Mathew Sinclair, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori and Lou Vincent.

The Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium will not play host to any of the one-day matches in next month's tri-series involving the hosts, New Zealand and India. The Sri Lankan Cricket Board said the legal problems regarding the ownership of the land, was the reason for not considering Dambulla as a venue. The stadium at Dambulla was built in just 175 days and has hosted one international match so far, when England played here in March this year.

The three-match one-day series planned at the Colonial Indoor Stadium in Melbourne may loose much of its charm and excitement. This time its not India playing spoilsport but Australia's key players who may opt out of the series. Skipper Steve Waugh, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath have asked to be excused for personal reasons. Steve Waugh said after a long Ashes tour he was not keen to take part in a hurriedly organised series that was a great strain on him and the team. The BCCI is also in a bit of a quandary over this series as the dates clash with the Asian Test Championship match in which India is scheduled to play a Test in Pakistan. The details of the Melbourne series, if at all held, will be finalised later this week.

Three of South Africa's cricketers Mfuneko Ngam, Nantie Hayward and Makhaya Ntini will attend the 25th Anniversary commemoration ceremony of the uprising in Soweto that took place in June 1976. Ntini will speak at the ceremony and will lay a wreath at the memorial on behalf of the South African Cricket Board and the South African national cricket team in memory of those who lost their lives in 1976 uprising.

Outspoken former England cricketer Ian Botham said he believed that some one would be killed soon unless cricket's governing body, the ICC, does not do something to seriously eradicate the match fixing evil. He said that what has been revealed so far is only the tip of the ice berg and players or officials involved in match fixing are unable to get out of it for fear of their lives. He urged all the cricket boards to come out and name those they thought were involved in any foul play and put an end to the issue.

Meanwhile, disgraced and banned former South African skipper Hansie Cronje has decided to contest his life ban in court. Cronje, who wants to be involved with television cricket commentary, but has been prevented by the South African Cricket Board from doing so by the life ban imposed on him. Cronje now wants the Board to remove the life ban so that he is allowed to earn a living.

Pakistan's fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who exasperated his team management with a mysterious ailment so much so that they decided to release him from his national commitments, will play his first match today for the Lashings Cricket Club in Kent. Lashings face East Kent XI in today's match. Lashings chairman David Folb who is excited about his latest coup in signing up the fastest bowler in the world for his club warned the opposition that Shoaib would not be holding back and would be running in full strength. One of the other star player who is playing for the Club is West Indian Brian Lara. Shoaib is reported to be paid about 20, 000 pounds by the Club, provided he plays a certain number of matches for them

Britain's well-known curator Andy Atkinson in currently in Pakistan on his second visit to inspect grounds and pitches at various venues and offer solutions on pitch preparation and maintenance. He has so far visited Lahore Karachi, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Sheikhupura. He has conducted seminars and had talks with local curators and briefed them on all aspects of pitch and ground maintenance.

West Indies fast bowler Otis Gibson will play professional cricket for the South African province KwaZulu-Natal. Gibson's one year contract will begin in this October. Gibson, is currently playing league cricket in England and has played for three other South African provincial teams - Border, Griqualand West and Gauteng.

The National Cricket Academy (East Zone) has been affected by an unlikely malady. Four of the 23 trainees have been found suffering from chicken pox and more are likely to fall to the list. With a few of their promising players injured the East Zone Academy will struggle to put together a team for next months inter-academy tournament to be held in Bangalore.

Former South African all-rounder Pat Symcox has slammed the South African Cricket Board for what he called "inadequate punishment" of the erring Herschelle Gibbs. Gibbs was given a further one-year extension of an already existing one-year suspension and has been told to undergo counseling after he and a few others admitted to smoking marijuana while on tour in the West Indies in April this year. He said he was unhappy with the way cricket is being managed in South Africa and felt that more cricketers should come into management.

Shell New Zealand today announced the end of a 25-year long association with New Zealand cricket. Shell has been the chief sponsors of New Zealand's domestic competition since 1975.