India in South Africa

South Africa took full advantage of some wayward bowling as they piled up 563 and gained a healthy lead of 184.
Rahul Dravid failed yet again opening the innings and at stumps on the third day India were 63-1, needing another 88 to wipe out the first innings deficit.
The highlight of the South Africa first innings was a powerful century from Lance Klusener (108) and his useful 121 run partnership with utility man Mark Boucher (47) after the fall of two quick wickets at the score of 377, including that of the skipper for a first ball duck.

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The Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly may in the meanwhile make a flying visit back home in between the first and the second Test to spend a quiet few days with his wife and newly born daughter.
Although family sources are tightlipped about his impending visit, it is likely he will leave the day the first Test ends as he cant wait to have first glimpse of the new arrival.

West Indies in Sri Lanka

The three-day match between Sri Lanka A and the touring West Indies had to be called of after monsoon rains completely washed out the 2nd and third days proceedings at Colombo.
While the tourists managed to gain some batting practice their bowlers badly needed a work out before the first Test to get used to the pitches and conditions. Skipper Carl Hooper who found form with a century (117) said nothing could be done about the weather.

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In the meanwhile there was some good news for the West Indies camp when Jamaica's opening batsman Wavell Hinds was cleared to make the tour of Sri Lanka most likely in time for the first Test that begins on 13th of November.
Hinds was hit on the nose in a local game. A minor corrective surgery was done and so he was unable to leave with the team. He has however now recovered but has been advised not to field close to the stumps for a while.

Upcoming tours

The Zimbabwe team arrived in Bangladesh yesterday. Zimbabwe are looking to try and reverse the miserable run of failures they have been having of late both in Tests and one day internationals.
The skipper Brian Murphy said Bangladesh had a good mixture of youth and experience and could not be underestimated especially on their home ground. The first Test begins at Chittagong on November 15.

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Former Indian Test cricket Hanumant Singh has been appointed the ICC match referee for the Coca-Cola Series between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
The 62-year old Hanumant Singh who has the distinction of scoring a century on debut will also inspect the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong that is awaiting ICC approval to become Bangladesh's second Test venue.

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Australian leg spinner Shane Warne has predicted that the upcoming series against New Zealand will be full of the spice that has now become a part and parcel of Australian cricket.
Warne said that he was very much friends with the Kiwis off the field but had opened up a debate when he termed the Kiwis as the worse sledgers in the world in his autobiography published a few months ago.
Warne is just 4 wickets away from becoming only the second Australian after Dennis Lillee to claim 200 wickets on Australian soil.

Miscellaneous

The cricketers union of England has listed out a set of demands that include the appointment of a full-time security official for the entire duration of the tour of India.
The demands were sent to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) yesterday with the players threatening to pull of the trip if the requests were not met.
Richard Bevan the player's representative for the England team said although the players are fully aware that the risks cannot be entirely eliminated the idea is to ensure that risks are minimized.

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New Zealand's dashing all-rounder Chris Cairns has been contracted as Nottinghamshire's overseas player for the next season.
Cairns has to his credit 171 Test wickets and a batting average of 32.55. Cairns has previously spent six seasons with the county in three separate spells, the last one being in 1996.
He has been out of action for nearly a year now following a knee surgery an will be looking to test himself in the tough series against Australia.

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The International Cricket Council has denied all media reports that it has plans of placing cameras in players' dressing rooms in an attempt to fight match-fixing.
Instead they confirmed that while cameras would cover entrances and exits to dressing rooms team areas in hotels the inner part of the dressing rooms would be spared.
The Players associations and even the Australian skipper Steve Waugh had come out strongly objecting to this invasion of piracy.

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Former Australian skipper and now media personality Ian Chappell said he believed that security fears arising from the US-led military action in Afghanistan could devastate cricket in Pakistan.
He said it is uncertain how or when cricket would ever be played there again. Chappell lamented that Cricket needed Pakistan's presence and it was of utmost importance to find a solution to the problem.
In addition to security fears the PCB suffered huge losses this year when India and later on New Zealand pulled out of their tours to Pakistan.

SCORES AT A GLANCE

INDIA vs SOUTH AFRICA (1st Test)
Played at Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein (3rd day)
Toss: South Africa

India:
327-7 (SR Tendulkar 155, VVS Laxman 32, V Shewag 105,D Dasgupta 34; Hayward 3-70, Pollock 4-91)
96-1 (Das 54 not out, Laxman 25 not out)
South Africa:
563 (H Gibbs 107, G Kirsten 73, JH Kallis 68, N McKenzie 68, L Klusener 108, M Boucher 47; J Srinath 5-140, A Kumble 3-132)

India trail by 88 runs with 9 wickets in hand

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