India's tour of West Indies

Rev. Hall believes the visiting Indian cricket team can expect a warm reception right around the Caribbean and that will help to make the 2002 Cable & Wireless Series even more exciting.

“Our crowds, particularly in Trinidad and Guyana where you will not be short of support, have always received your type of play with approbation,” Rev. Hall told the Indian squad during a three-hour stopover in Barbados on their way to Guyana.

“As a consequence, this has always led to very competitive matches between our sides and we expect nothing less than this during your two months of cricket in the Caribbean,” he added.

England's tour of New Zealand

New Zealand debutant all-rounder Andre Adams struck twice in successive overs on Wednesday to send England plunging to a 78-run defeat in the third and final Test.

Adams removed the defiant James Foster for 23 then caught and bowled captain Nasser Hussain (82) with an acrobatic tumbling catch.
Scorecard | Images

Miscellaneous

The Aussies can’t lose the series against South Africa having won three of the matches and tied the other, and though Brett Lee has given away plenty of runs in his two matches captain Ricky Ponting says if Lee were to slow down it would reduce his impact.

"His economy rate is fairly high and that's something we spoke about at the start of the series," Ponting said. "I was hoping for him to get his economy rate down to make him a very, very good one-day bowler because you can use him as a strike bowler.

"But I don't think he would bowl as well if he (reduced his pace). He's a tearaway and he's able to get the ball in the right area most of the time.

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Police in Grenada have revealed that Sussex all-rounder Umer Rashid drowned while trying to save his younger brother.

Rashid, 26, and his 18-year-old brother Burhan both died at a tourist spot on the island called Concord Falls, and the accident was witnessed by their friend, Caprice Ashton.

Sussex chairman Don Trangmar has described Rashid's death as "a real tragedy and a great shock for the club".

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South Africa have been hit with another off-field problem with threats of pay cuts after their miserable season against Australia.

The Proteas lost five of the six Test matches and have failed to win the last seven one-day internationals leading into tonight's (AEST) clash here, prompting United Cricket Board chief executive Gerald Majola to raise the prospect of salary cuts.

"We should maybe look at having a performance agreement with the players," Majola told The Mercury newspaper here.

"We need to look at something that will make them perform. You can't be paid huge retainers if you're not performing well.

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Sri Lanka have recalled veteran batsman Aravinda de Silva for the forthcoming tour to England.

The 36-year-old is Sri Lanka's highest scorer in Test cricket, with 5,952 runs in 89 matches, including 19 centuries, but has not played since the third Test against England in Colombo a year ago.

Sri Lankan squad: S Jayasuriya (capt), M Atapattu, K Sangakkara, M Jayawardene, R Arnold, H Tillekeratne, T Samaraweera, A de Silva, M Muralitharan, C Vaas, C Buddhika, D Fernando, N Zoysa, R Perea, P Jayawardene (one player to be added after the Sharjah Cup).

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