Botham wants Vaughan to replace Hussain as Test skipper

Former England great Ian Botham has called for Michael Vaughan to replace Nasser Hussain as Test captain with immediate effect.

Vaughan was named on Tuesday as Hussain's successor at the helm of the one-day side, and he admitted he would like the Test job too.

But the Yorkshire opener will have to wait until the end of the summer at least before taking the job, as Hussain has been confirmed in the post for the next seven Test matches.

"Michael Vaughan was the logical choice to captain England's one-day side," Botham wrote in his Daily Mirror column.

"But now the selectors should go the whole hog and put him in charge of the Test team as well."

Kiwis call up Vincent for Lanka tri-series

Lou Vincent has been handed the final spot in New Zealand's one-day squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka.

Vincent, who played in the World Cup, was selected for his ability to bat in several positions and keep wickets.

New Zealand had already announced their squad before travelling to Sri Lanka for a two-Test series but left one berth free.

The May 10-23 limited-overs series features Pakistan and hosts Sri Lanka.

Mathew Sinclair and Richard Jones were the other players in contention for the spot, but Sinclair blew his chance with failure in the Test series.

New Zealand squad: Stephen Fleming (captain), Matthew Horne, Chris Nevin, Lou Vincent, Scott Styris, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Andre Adams, Daniel Vettori, Daryl Tuffey, Kyle Mills, Shane Bond.

Muralitharan slams batsmen's "negative tactics"

Muttiah Muralitharan says "negative tactics" by batsmen has made taking wickets much more difficult for spinners.

The Sri Lanka bowler took 13 wickets in the recent Test series against New Zealand, which ended with both matches drawn.

But afterwards he hit out at the practice of padding up rather than attacking the spin.

"It's amusing to see batsmen come to the middle to show their ball-kicking ability," he said.

"One always starts with the concept of cricket being a contest between bat and ball, but somehow the pads use as a form of defence is increasing.

"The rules give advantage to the batsmen, they can keep kicking the ball away and still stay at the wicket -- such negative tactics are making it tougher for spinners to claim wickets."

"Look at the way the New Zealand batsmen played. They managed to defend, but the approach was negative. They weren't positive against me," Muralitharan said.

"These tactics did not ruffle me. I knew before the tour they were preparing to block me and try scoring against other bowlers."

Steve Waugh rates his top 5 Test victories

In an article for the Daily Telegraph, the Australian captain picked his top 5 Test victories.

West Indies v Australia, third Test, Bridgetown, 2003

The current Australian team has always believed in not being satisfied with what it has achieved, but rather by how it can raise the bar a little higher each time we step on the field.

That is why our victory over the West Indies in Barbados was special.

Pakistan v Australia, second Test, Hobart, 1999-2000

For sheer self-belief and victory against the odds this win was a triumph for team spirit.

Being 5-126, chasing 329 for victory against a bowling attack with more than 900 wickets between them, was simply an awesome task.

Somehow both Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist summoned the strength and courage to muster a blistering counterattack and turn a near-impossible feat into reality.

India v Australia, first Test, Mumbai, 2000-01

Taking my biggest gamble was winning the toss and bowling on a track that was obviously going to turn big time later on, against a strong spinning attack, left me and the team open to criticism, but my gut feeling had to be recognised.

After beating India 3-0 in Australia and having bowled them out six times for marginal totals, I banked on their state of mind being more vital than the state of the pitch.

South Africa v Australia, second Test, Cape Town, 2001-02

Chasing 334 to win is a momentous task, let alone against your nearest rival in the ICC Test Championship rankings, and on away soil, but that is what confronted us, and in a sense, stimulated us as well.

Warney had just bowled 98 overs in his 100th Test match and the lads wanted to reward his endurance.

Often Test matches are influenced by an individual act or skill and this was no exception. The run-outs of Hall and McKenzie swung the momentum back in our favour and altered the course of the match.

West Indies v Australia, first Test, Port of Spain, 1998-99

The first time you lead your country out on to the field is a special experience, almost surreal.

As I glanced backwards, I could see 10 guys proudly wearing their Baggy Greens and the shivers raced up and down my spine.

It was as good as it gets, until we bowled the Windies out for 51 in the second innings. If I were to believe this was an easy job, I soon came back to earth with a thud, as we capitulated in Jamaica.