India in South Africa

An imminent crisis was looming ahead for the visitors with the opening combination still undecided and possible indications of the Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly coming out to open the innings in the second Test against South Africa starting here on Friday. With barely two days to go before the match at St George's Park here, names of makeshift openers which were doing the round during the first Test at Bloemfontein had already been abandoned as Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman, it is learnt, were not very keen to open the innings. In view of this, all pointers were leading to Ganguly opening the innings, a dramatic development given the all round criticism he received on his handling of the short-pitched deliveries in the first Test.

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Indian cricket stars Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar are lending glamour anew to Diwali here with their pictures showing them lighting clay lamps splashed in a daily here on the eve of the festival of lights. The picture in the 'Tribune Herald', taken in the city of East London, shows Ganguly and Tendulkar lighting little clay lamps. Ganguly, Tendulkar and the rest of the Indian cricket team will celebrate Diwali in the city of Port Elizabeth where the second Test between India and South Africa will start.

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Although Jacques Rudolph has been selected for the second cricket Test against India in Port Elizabeth, it does not necessarily mean the end of the road for Daryll Cullinan. When the 34 year old Cullinan was picked for South Africa A to play against India, there was widespread speculation that he was being given a chance to force his way into the Test line up. A good showing against the Indians in Port Elizabeth and again in Pretoria would have gone a long way in securing his passage to Australia, despite his well documented failures there. So much for speculation. With not a ball being bowled in East London, Cullinan was not able to prove his form after a knee operation.

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There was no end to the Indian cricket team's frustration, with rain following them to this coastal city as they arrived here a day in advance for the second Test match against South Africa starting on Friday. Following the abandonment of their four-day game against South Africa in East London due to rains, the Indians, who reached here last night, were planning hectic practice here for the next two days but little seems to be going their way.

West Indies in Sri Lanka

West Indies ended the first day at Galle in a commanding position thanks to a belligerent century from Brian Lara and a watchful 88 from Ramnaresh Sarwan. If the pitch deteriorates to the extent predicted in recent days, then the Sri Lankans will have to bat well to avoid chasing a large target on a crumbling surface in the fourth innings. Carl Hooper won the first battle of the day by calling correctly, and his decision to bat was one of the easier ones he has faced during his time in charge. Batting first in part negated the three-prong spin attack picked by the Sri Lankans - and a benign pitch and some sloppy fielding further watered down their potency.

England in India

England's cricket team, led by captain Nasser Hussain, arrived for their first Test tour of India in eight years amidst heavy security early on Wednesday. The 16-member squad, none of whom have played Tests in India before, landed past midnight on a British Airways flight for the series starting next month. The tour was preceded by security fears because of India's proximity to war-struck Afghanistan. Two players selected in the original squad - pace bowler Andrew Caddick and spinner Robert Croft - chose not to travel. Security arrangements at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport were unprecedented, with a number of armed policemen patrolling the airport hours in advance.

The team was taken through immigration and customs within 15 minutes of landing and whisked into a bus, which was parked at the arrival gate and surrounded by a ring of police officials. The media were kept almost 50 feet away and only Hussain briefly posed for photographers before the bus was driven into the city, escorted by a convoy of security vehicles. None of the team members or officials were available for comment.

Miscellaneous

The International Cricket Council is looking to extend bans on Ata-ur-Rehman and Ajay Jadeja - both found guilty of match-fixing - to cover more than just international matches. All-rounder Rehman has played domestically in Pakistan and in English club cricket for the past two seasons despite having been handed a life-ban from the international game. The ruling body also wants further action against former India one-day captain Ajay Jadeja, who received a five-year ban from all cricket in December but played in the United States in August and September.

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Glenn McGrath has defended his negative bowling tactics during the final stages of the first Test against New Zealand, which ended in a draw at the Gabba on Monday. The veteran pace man bowled defensively well wide of off-stump in the closing stages of the match after some big-hitting threatened to snatch the game from Australia's grasp. "It's good you have to work for one for a change. It got to the stage where they were well in charge of a game and we had to fight," McGrath said. "Fair enough, we bowled a bit negatively but we had to do that to tie them down. "They had to play the shots so if we bowled in one area they could only score in one area.

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Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh said on Wednesday he may play on past the 2003 World Cup and lead Australia on their 2004 tour to India. The 36-year-old Waugh had widely been expected to end his international career at the World Cup in South Africa in two years. However, Waugh said he was keen to lead Australia to victory in India following their epic Test series defeat there in March. "I'm looking forward to the World Cup, that's probably the next major goal for the Australian cricket side," Waugh said. "Particularly myself, I'd love to go back to the World Cup and win a World Cup -- that's not to say I'm guaranteed selection from now until then. "But that's definitely a goal of mine and I guess way down the track, it's three odd years I think, is another tour to India, that may be a possibility. "It's almost sort of unfinished business for the Australian cricket side, particularly after last season with such a great tour. "We went so close and it's the one place where we haven't managed to win."

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Yorkshire are planning further talks with unsettled fast bowler Darren Gough early next week in an attempt to resolve his uncertain future at Headingley. Gough revealed his unhappiness at his life with Yorkshire on Sunday, claiming the situation was "almost unbearable", having been criticised for his commitment to the county during last season's title-winning campaign.

Brief Scores

Sri Lanka v West Indies (Day 1)
Galle International Stadium
Toss: West Indies

West Indies 316/3: (Lara 117*, Hooper 34*, 97 overs)

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