India have named their leading players in a 14-man squad for the Champions Trophy after a contracts dispute was finally settled at the 11th hour.
The squad, including skipper Sourav Ganguly and star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, was confirmed after a global teleconference organised by the International Cricket Council.
The tournament begins on Thursday, with India's first match following two days later, and the selectors had been facing the prospect of having to send a second-string side to Sri Lanka.
But a compromise was reached following the conference which involved the players, ICC officials and representatives of all 10 Test-playing nations.
The squad named includes 10 of the side who took part in the Test series in England, which ended on Monday, and the only previously uncapped player is medium pace bowler Jai Prakash Yadav.
Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya is ready to sit out their opening ICC Champions Trophy match against Pakistan unless he is satisfied about his fitness.
Jayasuriya dislocated his left shoulder during the final of the recent Morocco Cup in Tangiers and has only just begun batting again in the nets.
He is a key member of their one-day batting line-up, having scored more than 7,900 runs in 270 appearances, including 12 centuries.
But he sat out a warm-up game against the Sri Lanka A side on Sunday, when the team was led by vice-captain Marvan Atapattu.
"I have started batting. I am trying my best, but there is still some pain," Jayasuriya commented.
Only the winners of each three-team group will progress to the semi-finals of the competition and Sri Lanka, as hosts, are keen to avoid early elimination.
India in England
Final Test, The Oval, day five (no play possible due to rain): India 508 v England 515 & 114-0
The series between England and India has ended in a draw after persistent rain on Monday ruined the last day of the final Test.
There was little prospect of a result at The Oval in any case with England 121 runs ahead in their second innings in a high scoring match.
"There has been some great cricket all summer and some exciting finishes and it is pretty disappointing it will end like this," said England coach Duncan Fletcher.
England were left stranded on 114-0 after scoring 515 in their first innings with India recording 508 in their only innings.
Man-of-the-match and India's man-of-the-series Rahul Dravid scored a Test best 217 at The Oval to become India's highest run scorer in a series against England.
It was his third three figure score of the series following his 148 at Headingley and 115 at Trent Bridge.
"I didn't know much about the records. I was disappointed to get run out but I'm happy to get 217 any day," he said.
Indian team's coach John Wright attributed Rahul Dravid's amazing run in the four-Test series in England to the batsman's improved fitness after the appointment of a specialised trainer.
"It could be a coincidence... Dravid striking form coinciding with the arrival of Adrain (Le Roux)," Wright told.
"Dravid and Zaheer (Khan) both top the fitness charts, and it is more necessary for a fast bowler to have high fitness levels," he said.
After India's first innings in the on-going fourth and final Test here, Dravid's aggregate is 602 runs including three centuries and a fifty at an amazing average of 100.33.
"Dravid said after the Nottingham century 'I'm feeling in good form, I want to carry on'," Wright revealed. "It's a privilege, particularly as a foreign coach, to watch such wonderful strokeplayers like Dravid, Sachin (Tendulkar) and Sourav (Ganguly)," he said.
West Indies tour of India
Jamaica stars Marlon Samuels and Jermaine Lawson have been named in the West Indies squad for the tour of India next month.
Batsman Samuels only recently returned to action with Jamaica after a knee operation in February that forced him out of series with Pakistan, India and New Zealand.
Lawson was part of the squad that went to Sri Lanka last year, and the fast bowler helped Jamaica reach the final of the domestic Caribbean series this season.
The West Indies will play Tests at Bombay, Madras and Calcutta, as well as seven limited-overs internationals.
In nine tours of India the West Indies have only lost once, in 1978-79.
Earlier this year, the West Indies beat India 2-1 in a best-of-five home series.
West Indies squad:
Carl Hooper (captain), Gareth Breese, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins, Cameron Cuffy, Mervyn Dillon, Chris Gayle, Ryan Hinds, Wavell Hinds, Ridley Jacobs, Brian Lara, Jermaine Lawson, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Darren Powell, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan.
Miscellaneous
West Indies and Jamaica all-rounder Laurie Williams has been killed in a car crash which also claimed the life of his brother.
Williams 33, and his 23-year-old brother Kevin Jennison died when a car being driven by Williams was in collision with a bus in the suburb of Portmore near Kingston, police said.
"I am shocked by his death," sports minister Portia Simpson Miller said in a written statement.
"I just cannot believe this. Laurie represented Jamaica and the West Indies well and at all times was committed to the game."
Williams, a medium pace bowler and lower order batsman, made his first class cricket debut for Jamaica against England in 1990.
Ashes series
Nasser Hussain believes England have the talent to challenge Australia in this winter's Ashes series, providing they have better luck with injuries.
Hussain was handicapped throughout the summer by injuries to established players like Darren Gough, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff and promising newcomers like Simon Jones.
England still managed to beat Sri Lanka 2-0 and draw 1-1 with India but skipper Hussain acknowleges that they need everyone available in order to shake up the Aussies.
"We have now got to move on from being a side that lost nearly everything to a side that finishes off games, which we haven't quite done," he commented.
"We have got to work out how to get 20 wickets, but there have been a lot of positives this summer - the coaching, Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick."
"If we can get some key bowlers fit, I think we have got a really good chance against Australia - the best chance we have had for a while.
Former Ashes hero Ian Botham has urged England's selectors to include Steve Harmison and Simon Jones when they announce the squad to tour Australia on Tuesday.
Botham warned that if England do not select the young fast bowlers they risk being "hammered" in the Ashes series.
England are set to name a 17-man squad which will include up to five players who are struggling to be fit.
The England management team are to warn Mark Butcher, Darren Gough, Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones, their fitness will have to be proved in the next month.
Graham Thorpe, who announced a break from cricket following the break-up of his marriage, will be assessed to see if he is mentally tough enough to tour.
"There is no bigger tour from an England player's point of view," Botham told.
"I think we have a good chance if we pick the right players, but sadly we seem reluctant to pick our pace bowlers and we pick our mediocre medium pacers instead.
Women's cricket
Schoolgirl Isa Guha is set to make her first overseas tour with the England Women's team.
The 17-year-old has been named in a provisional of 18 for a Quadrangular Series in New Zealand, to be followed by two Test matches in Australia.
Guha made her debut against India and New Zealand this summer taking eight wickets in four one-day appearances.
She also bowled well in the one-off Test against India at Taunton, returning figures of two for 68 from 29 overs as the tourists totalled 467.
There are no surprises in the squad, which will be reduced to 14 early next month.
Clare Connor retains the captaincy and leading batsman Charlotte Edwards is included after making a successful comeback following cruciate ligament surgery last year.
The Quadrangular Series, also featuring New Zealand, Australia and India, will take place at Lincoln University from 26 January to 9 February.
The team then flies to Australia for Test matches at the Gabba in Brisbane and the Bankstown Oval.
England Women's Squad:
C Connor (capt), C Edwards, Clare Taylor, Claire Taylor, D Holden, L Harper, L Pearson, L Spragg, N Shaw, C Atkins, K Leng, M Godliman, A Thompson, L Newton, M Reynard, I Guha, H Lloyd, S Collyer.
Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya is ready to sit out their opening ICC Champions Trophy match against Pakistan unless he is satisfied about his fitness.
Indian team's coach John Wright attributed Rahul Dravid's amazing run in the four-Test series in England to the batsman's improved fitness after the appointment of a specialised trainer.
Nasser Hussain believes England have the talent to challenge Australia in this winter's Ashes series, providing they have better luck with injuries.