Waugh to visit Udayan on Wednesday

Australian Test skipper Steve Waugh would make yet another trip to Udayan, a home for children of leprosy patients near Kolkata, on Wednesday, bringing with him hope and a large consignment of medicines for the underprivileged.

Waugh, who has funded the setting up of the girls' wing - Nivedita Bhavan - of 'Udayan', would drive straight from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose international Airport to keep his annual date with the inmates.

"He will spend a couple of hours with the children, and hand the medicines over to them," Calcutta Foundation chairperson Samlu Dudeja, who played a catalytic role in introducing Waugh to Udayan five years back, said.

Waugh, who leaves the metropolis on Thursday, would also discuss plans for setting up another home for girls with the Foundation.

"We will show him the site plan and finalise the details of the project," Dudeja said.

'Steve Da', as the Australian Test captain is affectionately called by the inmates of Udayan, has been a regular visitor to the home, set amidst sylvan surroundings at Barrackpore, about 35 kilometers from Kolkata.

'MRF Pace Foundation's efforts bearing fruits'

The work put in by the MRF Pace Foundation has started bearing fruits was the observation of the Australians -- Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee, Trevor Chappell and Sandy Gordon -- who imparted coaching and training methods and mental skills to the 40 former cricketers including Test players at a three day seminar in Chennai.

Terming the three-day conclave, which dealt with coaching on batting, bowling, fielding and developing mental skills, as a big success, both Chappell and Lillee said "it is a learning process for them attached to the National Cricket Academy of the Indian Board.

"MRF has huge investment in this country and it is their vision to provide this opportunity to the Indian coaches."

Saying that there was no evaluation or gradation done as there was no question and answer session for the participants, Chappell said that Australia's success as the world leaders in the game was borne out of a 20 year programme.

"We are all part of that University, which held seminars and programmes like the present one to coaches in whole of Australia. We are doing the same thing in India now."

Appreciating the system in place now in India and the BCCI for its decision to nominate its coaches from the NCA and zonal academies and the seven talent and search development Officers, both Chappell and Lillee said "we have now given our experience and shared our knowledge with the participants."

"If the Indian coaches put methods of coaching in right perspective, they would replace Australia as the world leaders."

Substantiating this, Gordon said India was the first country to have shown it to the cricketing world that "it is committed to mental skills and toughness. No country has done it yet."

Tough to win Tests overseas: Tillakaratne

Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne isn't overly worried that his cricket side is losing overseas Test series.

Sri Lanka's seven-wicket loss on Sunday to the West Indies in less than three days at Sabina Park sealed Sri Lanka's fourth straight series defeat on tour.

It has been beaten in successive series in South Africa in 2001, England and South Africa again last year, and now the West Indies, losing a combined seven of 10 Tests without a win.

Sri Lanka hasn't won a series abroad since it took two of three Tests in Pakistan in March 2000.

But Tillakaratne, reappointed captain in April after Sanath Jayasuriya resigned, downplayed the results, which have dropped Sri Lanka from fourth to fifth in the latest international rankings. West Indies is eighth.

"Except Australia, and, maybe South Africa, all of the countries have struggled to win outside of their country. I think we need to improve on our skills, and I hope we can win more matches away from Sri Lanka."

Tillakaratne believed a good start could be made on batting skills.

"Our batsman didn't play up to their potential (in the West Indies)."

Only one-day skipper Marvan Atapattu scored a century in four innings - 118 in the rained-out first Test draw at St. Lucia. Tillakaratne scored just 33 runs in three innings.

"Everyone is banking on me to get runs and the team may have struggled as a result," he said.

"I am presently going through a bad patch. I think I will be able to come out of it."

He wished there was a third Test in the West Indies.

"We came to the Caribbean to win at least one Test match, but we failed to do it. There is no excuse at all. We simply played bad cricket, it was a learning experience for us all."

Afghans planning to play cricket

After decades of civil war and a repressive Taliban regime the Afghans are now getting ready to play cricket.

A two-member delegation of the Afghanistan Cricket Federation led by its president Allah Dad Noorie called on Board of Control for Cricket in India president Jagmohan Dalmiya and sought his help in promoting the game in the war-ravaged country.

Dalmiya also promised them to get some support for the fledgling body from the Asian Cricket Foundation, of which he is the chairman.

Dalmiya said that he was surprised to learn from ACF officials that cricket was quite popular in Afghanistan. In view of this a Federation has been put in place so that the game could be promoted in an organsied manner.

BCCI refutes Azhar's allegations

BCCI refuted the allegations levelled by former captain Mohammad Azharuddin that he was "neither given a clear charge memo nor informed about the exact charges levelled against him before disqualifying him from playing cricket".

Making the submissions before the Second Additional Chief Judge, Civil Court at Hyderabad, hearing a suit filed by Azharuddin, challenging the life ban imposed on him by BCCI, the Board counsel read out the correspondence entered into by the BCCI and Azharuddin.

The counsel pointed out that all the time Azharuddin had claimed himself to be innocent but never showed any evidence in support of his claim.

He also pointed out that replies given by Azharuddin to the queries of the BCCI were also similar.

ICC deliberations to top agenda at BCCI working committee

A stocktrading of the deliberations at the recent International Cricket Councli conclave in London would top the agenda in the crucial working committee meeting of the BCCI in New Delhi on July 2-3.

The committee is also expected to give its seal of approval on extending the contract of coach John Wright and physio Andrew Leipus and ratify the year-long tie up with new fitness trainer Gregory Allen King, BCCI sources said.

BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who represented India at the ICC parleys, is expected to appraise the committee members about the discussions and decisions taken at the meeting of the executive board of world cricket's apex body in London and its marketing arm ICC Development International in Monaco.