England coach Duncan Fletcher hopes the scare the team suffered against Namibia will act as a "wake-up call".

England eventually won by 55 runs against the part-timers, but were behind on the Duckworth-Lewis method for around eight overs with rain threatening.

"People said it was an advantage easing into this competition, but there is always a flip-side," stressed Fletcher.

"Yes, it was easier at certain times to get the guys in the right frame of mind after what has happened over the last couple of weeks.

"But then one must look at the other side of it where we've played four relatively weak sides, and that brings the standard of our play down, so the game against Namibia was probably a good wake-up call."

Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya praised his opening bowlers after Canada collapsed to the lowest one-day international score in history.

Prabath Nissanka and Chaminda Vaas took the first seven wickets of the match as Canada were bowled out for 36, beating the previous all-time low of 38 by Zimbabwe.

"Both Chaminda and Prabath bowled straight wicket to wicket and they got rewards," said Jayasuriya.

"I am very happy for Nissanka. He had not been bowling well before, but today he bowled straight with success."

"Our guys bowled well on a good batting wicket," he added.

Chief of International Cricket Council's Anti-corruption Unit Paul Condon said despite the efforts of the game's governing body, match-fixers are still active in the game, and so were several tainted players.

"Sadly, there are some international players still involved in cricket who probably shouldn't be playing. Those few have done things that have done neither themselves, nor cricket proud," said Condon, who would step down from his post after the on-going World Cup in South Africa.

Claiming that the current championship is the cleanest ever, Condon said that even during the ICC Champions Trophy in Colombo last year suspects had tried to bribe players.

"To be brutally honest, we can say with confidence that because of the contacts and informants we have in place, this is the first clean World Cup ever."

"I don't think the average cricket lover and watcher realise how sinister and deep this thing went."

Shane Warne could escape punishment when he faces an Australian Cricket Board drugs hearing tomorrow, according to a top sports lawyer.

The hearing in Melbourne will determine whether Warne, who has admitted taking a diuretic tablet provided by his mother, was in breach of the ACB's anti-doping policy.

It could mean a two-year ban but leading sports lawyer Simon Rofe, who works with the Australian Olympic Committee, warned an "exceptional circumstances" loophole might exist to help Warne escape charges.

"If Warne can establish that he had an honest and reasonable belief he was not taking a diuretic, he gets off scot-free," Rofe said.

"The policy of strict liability goes out the window. If he establishes an honest and reasonable belief he was not taking a banned substance but something that was used for, say, a diet suppressant, he is off."

The International Cricket Council said that it is disappointed with the decision of the Zimbabwe authorities to deny Daily Telegraph journalist Simon Briggs access to the country and is seeking an urgent explanation from the Zimbabwe authorities to ensure that the situation does not arise again.

ICC General Manager Corporate Affairs, Brendan McClements said that while is was now too late to address Mr Briggs's situation, the ICC is seeking confirmation that all other journalists accredited for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 will be able to enter Zimbabwe.

"The ICC has a written undertaking from the Zimbabwe Government that journalists accredited for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 will be granted access to Zimbabwe to report on the tournament," said Mr McClements.

"The Zimbabwe government has also waived a $600 US fee usually payable by foreign journalists and until Mr Briggs's case this system was working very well."

"Many foreign journalists, including English journalists, have been able to enter Zimbabwe and report freely on the cricket."

"I am currently seeking an urgent explanation from the authorities and will be seeking to ensure that the agreement in place between the Zimbabwe government and the ICC continues to be implemented."

Zimbabwean cricketer Andy Flower exchanged his black armband for a black wristband in the World Cup match against India on Wednesday, continuing a protest against President Robert Mugabe's government in defiance of cricket authorities.

Flower had sported the armband in Zimbabwe's opening Group A game against Namibia last week after releasing a statement "mourning the death of democracy" in the country and calling for an end to human rights abuses.

He and fellow protester and team mate Henry Olonga were reported to the International Cricket Council by their national board. The ICC opted not to censure them but asked the players not to wear the armbands for the rest of the tournament.

Olonga, sitting in the stands after being dropped to 12th man for Wednesday's match, also wore a black wristband.

Several bats belonging to India players were found to be too wide before their World Cup Group A game against Zimbabwe on Wednesday, but no action will be taken.

Match referee Clive Lloyd said he had made a random inspection and asked for some of the bats to be replaced before the start of the game, which India won by 83 runs.

"A couple of bats with the Indian players were out of order bigger," he said. "One among the Zimbabwe players as well. They were changed and there will be no further action." There is no specific weight prescribed for cricket bats but they should not exceed 4.25 inches in width.

Lloyd added: "I don't think it has anything to do with the players. It is just that the manufacturers would have got their measurements wrong."

Indian media manager Amrit Mathur added: "Some of the bats were found to be of bigger dimensions by the match referee and they were changed. It is not a big issue."

A day ahead of the dope case hearing that would determine the future of Australian leg spinner Shane Warne's career, the International Cricket Council on Thursday made it clear that it had no power to intervene in the case.

The ICC cannot intervene, regardless of the outcome of Warne's hearing by the ACB, because the spinner was tested before the World Cup, in Melbourne by the Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA).

"The ICC could not act in this case because it would be retrospective and we don't have the power to do that," an ICC spokesman said.

However, the ICC was happy with ACB's handling of the high-profile case.

"The ACB notified the ICC as soon as they were aware of the player testing positive and withdrew him from the tournament. The ICC commends the ACB for their rapid response," the spokesman said.