If England’s cricketers need any counselling after a traumatic first day of the Ashes, then they should look no further than a certain member of their own camp. Ashley Giles’s career seemed dead in the water last summer, as he struggled to recover from a long-term hip injury, and when he did finally make it back into the team, a year to the day since his last outing, his selection ahead of Monty Panesar was universally panned.But it was ever thus with Gilo, and once again he took these indignities on the chin, wheeling away impassively to provide a rare semblance of control for his team. Eighteen overs for 51 plus the solitary wicket of Damien Martyn was hardly riches, but compared to some of the other returns on day one of the series, it was a comeback of Sinatra proportions.”It was fairly satisfying,” Giles demurred afterwards. “It’s been a difficult year, and I was nervous this morning. It’s almost a year to the day since I last played a Test match. But it was great to be out with the boys, and there’s no better ground or atmosphere to play in.”Giles’s selection, though widely speculated upon in the build-up to the match, still came as something of a surprise. He has not played any first-class cricket since the tour of Pakistan this time last year, and was even overlooked for England’s final warm-up match at Adelaide last week. “I take it as a huge compliment,” he said. “Monty played at Adelaide, I’ve been out of the team, and this is probably the most hyped Ashes series of all. But I was overjoyed last night to get picked for the side.”His selection was billed as negativity but, at the age of 33, Giles revealed he was still capable of learning new tricks, as he came in closer to the stumps with a remodelled action, and even ventured around the wicket on occasions. It was the second time in his career he had tinkered with his action, having deconstructed it on the tour of Bangladesh in 2003-04, with less immediate results. “I’m still in that match learning mode,” he admitted. “I was surprised my first ball bounced!”I’ve tried to get a bit closer around the wicket, be more consistent around the wicket and be more attacking but my pace is something I need to work on,” he added. “Because I’ve changed the angle of delivery I need to get my pace from other areas. I am still learning a lot about my action in matches. I hope it will develop and the action will get better and better.”Giles admitted that Panesar’s success had spurred him on in his rehabilitation. “It gives you a bit of a hurry-up,” he said. “I’ve always wanted and tried to get better, and it’s good competition. This last 12 months has given me the opportunity to work from a blank canvas. Having not bowled for such a long period I decided not so much to change things as improve things. At one stage I didn’t think I’d play cricket again, so it’s worked pretty well.”The two rival spinners hadn’t had much to say to each other before the match, however. “We haven’t spoken a lot,” said Giles. “Last night, Monty said good luck, I said hard luck, that’s all you can do. I’d back Monty all the way if he’d played ahead of me. But having been through what I’ve been through this year, I didn’t want to give up my cricket yet. I’ve got to work bloody hard.”The same could be said of the England team as a whole, but Giles was adamant they weren’t down and out just yet.”Things didn’t go as well as we’d have liked, but there’s plenty of spirit in this England camp. We’ll come out fighting and if we can get a couple of early wickets, we can get right in among them.”

Close Australia 7 for 372 (Symonds 154*, Warne 4*) lead England 159 by 213 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

In the space of two sessions on the second day at Melbourne, the most closely fought contest of the summer was transformed into the stage for the biggest rout yet, as Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds flogged the final vestiges of resistance out of England’s demoralised bowlers. After coming together with their side in all sorts of trouble at 5 for 84, Hayden and Symonds compiled a gargantuan partnership of 279, the sixth-highest sixth-wicket stand in Test history, and second only at the MCG to Bradman and Fingleton’s immortal alliance of 346 in 1936-37.It was an uncompromising onslaught, conducted by two burly Queenslanders whose best performances have more than just a hint of the bully about them. Each man was made to struggle early on – Hayden survived on his wits (and the whims of umpire Rudi Koertzen) during a dogged examination from Matthew Hoggard last night, while Symonds, facing his acid test as a Test No. 6, needed 21 balls to get off the mark before lunch today. But once their eyes were in and their pink-handled blades began to swing, England found they had no place to turn whatsoever.Hayden was eventually caught behind off Sajid Mahmood for 153 after seven hours of merciless accumulation. It was his highest score against England since his brutal 197 at Brisbane in 2002-03, when he was in his absolute pomp as a batsman, and it was his fifth century in six appearances at the MCG, an amphitheatre of a ground that appeals to his gladiatorial instincts. Symonds, meanwhile, registered an emotional maiden Test hundred that he completed with a monstrous swipe for six off Paul Collingwood and a gleeful leap into his partner’s arms. His relief was tangible after 11 Tests in which he had failed to convince either himself or his detractors that he has what it takes at this level.By the close, however, Symonds was still ruling the roost on 154 not out – a total that was more than twice as many as his previous highest in Tests, 72, on this same ground last year against South Africa, when Hayden was once again his partner-in-crime. The anxiety he had betrayed in his early loose swishes against Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff was replaced by a loose-gaited swagger that he himself had recognised as the missing link in his bid to transform his domineering one-day form into the Test arena. Fourteen cudgelled fours and a six later, he had achieved his single most cherished ambition.

The fact that it was achieved in such uncompromising circumstances was even more of an accolade than any of the runs he accumulated. By the time Adam Gilchrist had fallen for 1 late in the day, caught swishing at Mahmood (from round the wicket inevitably), Symonds and Hayden’s stand of 279 was worth more than the match’s other 16 wickets (245) had managed between them.Three of those wickets had fallen in a lively and, for England, uplifting morning session. After resuming on 2 for 48, Australia went to lunch teetering at 5 for 111. Quick wickets had been their requirement in the early overcast conditions, and it was the captain, Flintoff, who obliged in the seventh over of the morning. Ricky Ponting, who had been tied down by some tight and attacking bowling, attempted a wild and uncharacteristic pull to a delivery miles outside off stump, and sent a top-edge spiralling to Alastair Cook at wide mid-on.Ponting was gone for 7, only his second failure in seven innings this series, and when Michael Hussey – whose lowest score of the series had been his unbeaten 61 in the run-chase at Adelaide – was bowled through the gate by a Hoggard inswinger for 6, England were right back in contention. Steve Harmison then struck with his second ball as Michael Clarke grazed a leaping off-stump delivery to the keeper, but that was as far as England’s momentum would take them.England’s efforts remained unstinting, but their luck was seriously lacking, with Monty Panesar especially unfortunate to be denied when Symonds, on 52, was struck on the back pad plumb in front of middle. Umpire Koertzen, who has been in a non-giving mood since shaving off his Father Christmas beard, was not convinced. In the same over, Panesar was deposited by Hayden into the Southern Stand for a straight six, as Australia’s biggest hitters began their bloodletting.

Short cuts

Play of the day
Andrew Symonds’ launch of the Paul Collingwood delivery into the members’ area at mid-on to bring up his first Test century. He had waited 96 runs for his opening six – it will always be memorable.Ball of the day
Steve Harmison’s second effort of the innings to remove Michael Clarke. It angled in and moved away enough to collect Clarke’s edge, but it was his only success of the day.Good day
The National Breast Cancer Foundation is benefiting from every run Matthew Hayden makes during the series and each boundary Andrew Symonds pounds during this Test. During the first innings they have earned $3060 through Hayden and $1600 from Symonds.Bad day
Gray-Nicolls, the bat sponsor of Hayden and Symonds, which is paying out the money.Appeal of the day
Monty Panesar jumped, skipped, hopped and pleaded with Rudi Koertzen to win an lbw decision off Matthew Hayden on 131, but the umpire didn’t budge. Koertzen was right this time, but should have raised his finger when Symonds was sweeping on 52.Numbers of the day
Day one of the Test earned a new record for Channel 9 in Australia with 1.68 million people watching England being dismissed for 159. The crowd for day two at the ground was 75,770, about 20,000 short of capacity, and the disappointing turnout in the members’ area has allowed the Melbourne Cricket Club to relax its entrance regulations.

Worcestershire have confirmed that Zaheer Khan, the Indian Test bowler, will not play for them in 2007.Zaheer, 26, who took over 100 wickets in all competitions for them last season, has worked his way back into the India set-up and has the World Cup, as well as tours to Bangladesh and England to look forward to.Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, said: “We have always said we would make the final decision about Zaheer in January. He was a model overseas professional and we are delighted for him that he has re-established himself on the international scene.
“Vikram Solanki and myself drew up a shortlist of alternative possibilities some time ago and we will now have the appropriate discussions with some of those players. We hope to make an announcement in the near future.”Zaheer was keen to state that there is a possibility he will rejoin the club in the future, saying: “I really enjoyed playing with Worcestershire last season and thank them for the opportunity to help me regain my place in the Indian team. I would love to play there again and would like to thank all the people involved, including the members and supporters, for their support throughout the season.”Worcestershire appear to be lining up Australian seamer Nathan Bracken as a possible replacement.Worcestershire chief executive Mark Newton has said: “Nathan is one we would consider. He is clearly a very good bowler, is performing well at the moment and we are delighted that he is interested but we have still to make a final decision on that”.

Nagpur is yet to produce a world-beating cricketer. Prashant Vaidya is the only international player from this city – CK Nayudu is from here, too, but made his fame in Indore – and his four one-dayers don’t really qualify him for the moniker, ‘Nagpur’s most famous cricketing son’. But Nagpur has managed to snag a famous son-in-law.And Rahul Dravid hasn’t given his in-laws much reason to complain – he averages 110.33 in four ODIs at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, including one century and three fifties. Around 15 months ago, he started his captaincy stint here, a game when India surprised Sri Lanka and began a roll.Now he returns, with his plans somewhat in disarray after watching India stutter in the last few months. His own form has been patchy and his team-building plans would have received a jolt after the 4-0 thrashing in South Africa. The sprightly youngsters didn’t seem to have the wherewithal to handle the heat; the battle-scarred seniors who’ve returned can’t inject any youthful zest.He has six matches to figure out the World Cup jigsaw, before the final 14 are selected; he can’t afford to lose too many games, and he is going to be facing a side that has the “psychological edge”.Amid all this confusion, with everyone expecting the usual diplomatic talk at the press conference, he revealed a forthright side. First up, he announced the 12 for tomorrow; next he named the openers, something he’s rarely disclosed in the past; then he explained why; later, he candidly argued for Virender Sehwag’s exclusion, stating that being out of the side can have its benefits. No wishy-washiness, no verbal gymnastics, just a forthright session where he laid out his cards.”When I’ve got runs, it’s made a difference to the side,” he said without a second thought when asked about his lean patch. “I was happy with my form till I broke my finger in South Africa. But it was a strange tour for me. It’s not easy to miss four weeks in the middle of the tour and then to come back. Things didn’t go as well as I would have liked in the Tests as well. In a close series, one key innings can change the series. It’s not about the number of runs or averages. It’s about getting the critical innings when it matters. It didn’t happen but we need to pull up our socks and move on.”

The Virender Sehwag question wasn’t avoided. Did it make sense to not play Sehwag, when it was almost certain he’d make the World Cup squad? “Veeru [Sehwag] when playing well, when he’s in a good state of mind mentally and physically, is an asset,” said Dravid. “Sometimes, playing games helps but sometimes a bit of time off – switching off mentally – can be beneficial as well. The selectors have taken a decision and we need to respect that.”Veeru’s been playing quite a bit of cricket,” he continued, “and sometimes being away from the game can do you a world of good. As far as I see it, the best players must go to the World Cup – in terms of form and fitness. It’s not reputations that we need to go by. We’re very close to identifying key players for the World Cup squad. You must have a key group and we’ve identified them a while back. There have been a few form blips, a few fitness issues – obviously some spots available for selection – but we have a good idea of our plans.”He admitted that Robin Uthappa was unlucky to miss out, adding “Gautam’s been on the South Africa tour recently and did well. We thought he deserved an opportunity first.” He accepted that there were only two options with the bowling department – either five specialist bowlers or four bowlers and three part-timers in Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Suresh Raina. Listening to Dravid, it was tough to imagine that here was a captain in need of urgent solutions, trying to rediscover a consistent winning formula. But this was Nagpur after all.

In a year when he defined his captaincy with a crushing 5-0 Ashes recovery, Ricky Ponting has created further history by becoming the first man to win the cleansweep of the Allan Border Medal, the Test Player of the Year and the One-Day Player of the Year. Like last season, Michael Hussey was the runner-up in the Border Medal tally but unlike 2006 – when Ponting squeezed home by only three votes – this year’s win was as comprehensive as the Ashes campaign.Ponting, the only man to win multiple Border Medals, polled 107 votes, almost doubling Hussey’s 58 and the 56 collected by Shane Warne in third place. Warne was two votes short of capping off his dream retirement year with a second consecutive Test title, finishing with ten votes to Ponting’s 12. In the limited-overs contest Andrew Symonds (18) was next in line after Ponting (20).Ponting said we was amazed to win the one-day award and the Border Medal – he thought Hussey deserved to be the hot favourite – and it drew to a close “the best cricketing year of my life”. “I knew I’d had a good Test year,” he said. “I thought my one-day season had been very up and down. To win the Allan Border Medal on top of a five-nil Ashes series is a really good year. If we can finish off and win the Commonwealth Bank Series it’d be almost a perfect year for all of us.”He said the focus now turned to Australia’s World Cup defence after 18 months of pure determination to regain the Ashes. “The first part of the summer was focused on the Ashes and making sure we played a certain style and certain brand of cricket through the Ashes and we managed to probably exceed everybody’s expectations,” Ponting said. “Since the 2005 Ashes series our Test cricket has been almost flawless. We haven’t lost a Test and we’ve won every one bar one.”Ponting dominated Australia’s stellar year – they won all ten of the Tests played in the voting period – beginning with two centuries in the three-match tour of South Africa, whistling through Bangladesh with an unbeaten 118 and finishing with a brilliant Ashes series that featured back-to-back hundreds in the opening two games. His ten Tests yielded 1115 runs at 74.33.Warne’s final year of Test cricket almost provided a fairytale ending but despite polling in six of the ten Tests, his surprising lack of any three-vote games meant he was denied the Test award. He topped Australia’s wicket tally with 49 dismissals and Stuart Clark, who claimed 47, completed his impressive debut year with third place.In the ODI arena, Ponting’s 968 runs were enough to earn him his first title since 2002. Australia warmed up for their World Cup defence with their first Champions Trophy win but despite Ponting’s disappointing form in that tournament, his outstanding finish to last year’s VB Series and his excellent efforts in the current CB Series pushed him over the line ahead of Symonds and Michael Clarke. Ponting’s two centuries in his last two games – 111 against New Zealand at Perth and 104 against England at Melbourne – wrapped up the prize.Ponting was famously annoyed last year by a tongue-in-cheek segment in which Phil Tufnell mocked the Australians for “dropping the Ashes”. But this year, Tufnell’s return effort went down slightly better. “I suppose you want me to eat humble pie but I prefer doughnuts because that’s what we bloody served up to you all summer,” Tufnell said in a recorded message. “I’ve got a little tip for you: don’t upset Ricky Ponting. He turns into a run-machine and every time he smashed us for four he saw my face on that ball. During the Test series you had four players retire. We had four players retire as well – they just don’t know it yet.”

It couldn’t have been easy for India’s cricketers to pick themselves up this morning after going down in their opening match against Bangladesh. Simply winning their next two games may not be good enough – India will also have to keep a close watch on the run-rate situation. It’s going to be one mighty climb uphill and coach Greg Chappell urged his side to approach the task fearlessly.”Being scared is not going to help us,” Chappell said after India’s two-hour practice session at Trinidad. “We must concentrate on playing good cricket, not worry about the outcomes.”He admitted that India had been outmanoeuvred by Bangladesh in their World Cup opener, going down by five wickets. “It was a disappointing defeat, I wouldn’t be much harsher than that,” he said. “Bangladesh played very well, they bowled and fielded brilliantly and batted with courage and flair. They were too good for us on the day. It wasn’t the kind of start we wanted, but it happened. Now, we face a challenge ahead of us. That was what the World Cup was always going to be. We knew that there might come a situation where we would encounter a lot of matches that were going to be must-wins. From our point of view, it has started too early.”Chappell did not rule out changes to either the batting order or to personnel. Indications are that Sachin Tendulkar, who has batted in the middle order since the start of this year, will join Sourav Ganguly at the top of the order, with Virender Sehwag dropping down. Anil Kumble, who wasn’t part of the opening game against Bangladesh, is also likely to be drafted in the place of fast bowler Ajit Agarkar.”There are some issues from yesterday that need to be discussed,” said Chappell. “We need to get back on track and start putting ourselves in the same frame of mind as in the last two series, which was being relaxed and confident. Yesterday unsettled it a bit. But we have been in such situations before and bounced back. This side has tremendous resilience, as we have seen in the past. If anything, the boys were perhaps too keen to do well. They knew that if they didn’t play to their potential, Bangladesh might hurt them. We can’t panic about what might go wrong, because if you panic and start worrying about the negatives, you won’t play good cricket.”

Chappell felt that Rahul Dravid’s decision at the toss was the right one, adding that the batsmen had not put up a good enough total. “It was the right decision at the time. Youcan’t blame the pitch for our defeat. Yes, it was better to bat in the afternoon than inthe morning, but it was not the deciding factor in the game. We thought it was important for us to get a good score to put pressure on them. We didn’t get a big score. Even so, I though we should have defended 191. But the openers came out with the desire to playaggressively and shock our bowlers. They did that.”Up against India will be Bermuda, trying to make some sort of impact in their maiden World Cup appearance. They were completely outclassed by Sri Lanka in the first match but Gus Logie, the former West Indies middle-order batsman who’s coaching them now, was in an upbeat mood. “It’s part of the learning exercise,” he said. “We’ve have set ourselves little goals. If we can bat out 50 overs against these teams, then that’s a plus for us.”Bermuda captain Irvine Romaine expected India to come out firing but added that Bermuda would take inspiration from Bangladesh and Ireland. “They can be very dangerous in their current position, but we are looking to take something out of the game. We have had a good three days training and we are working continuously on our fielding, which I think can make a difference to us. Some of the smaller nations are showing what they can do and we would love to join in the upsets.”TeamsIndia (likely) 1 Sourav Ganguly, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Rahul Dravid (capt), 6 Virender Sehwag, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Anil Kumble, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Munaf PatelBermuda (likely) 1 Clay Smith, 2 Oliver Pitcher, 3 Saleem Mukuddem, 4 David Hemp, 5 Irvine Romaine (capt), 6 Janeiro Tucker, 7 Dean Minors, 8 Lionel Cann, 9 Delyone Borden, 10 Kevin Hurdle, 11 Dwayne Leverock

Greg Chappell, the former India coach, has said that India needs to plan long-term to progress to the next level. Chappell resigned as coach after India’s first-round elimination from the 2007 World Cup.”The Indians must adopt a 10-year plan, spelling out the aims and objectives and go about attaining those goals in a professional manner,” Chappell told . “Any half measures or cosmetic changes at this stage would be like putting Band-Aid on cancer. If you want to be like Australia, you can’t run your cricket like Zimbabwe.”When asked whether India would have fared better if he had the players of his choice for the World Cup, Chappell said that India should have at least made the semi-finals with the players they took to the Caribbean. “I think we should have done much better in the West Indies with the squad we had. We batted poorly against Bangladesh, but we should have still squeezed out a win. History says India’s record in defending low totals has been quite poor. We could have done with a few young legs, but I believe that we still had the ammunition to at least reach the semis.”Chappell said he had enjoyed coaching India despite a controversial two-year term in which he reportedly annoyed senior players by his insistence on blooding young cricketers.”As a coach, it was easily one of the most challenging assignments one could ever hope to have,” said Chappell. “I have loved every moment of it, planning, strategising, analysing… before every tour or series.”I don’t want to get into [the] senior-junior issue again. Look, as a player, you have to keep challenging yourself. When that stops, it’s time to do a quick reality check and take a few hard decisions. I came here to do a job that I have done to the best of my ability. I do not have any vested interests in Indian cricket. I have briefed the Indian board about the issues facing Indian cricket. One of them is youth development. It’s up to the officials to act in the best interests of the game in the country.”Chappell also praised senior cricketers, including Sourav Ganguly, who was ousted as captain and later dropped after a public spat with Chappell in 2005. Ganguly made a comeback during the Test series in South Africa in December.”He [Ganguly] has practised most of what I had preached during the time he was out of the side. Sourav has shown plenty of determination in winning his place back. I hope he continues to work hard on his fitness and score heavily for the team.”Chappell defended the move to bat Sachin Tendulkar at No. 4 despite most of his one-day success coming while opening the innings. “Opening is an easier option in one-day cricket. I felt that the team would benefit immensely if Sachin came in at number four, for he has the experience, technique and the talent to milk the bowling in the middle overs.”On the whole, in spite of all the controversy, Chappell said that he had no regrets about his term as coach and that he “wouldn’t have missed it for anything”.

.

In the end, there was a tear in his eye, and he left to a warm round of applause from journalists, not all of whom had been always adoring. Brian Lara’s final press conference was a mammoth affair and, among many memories, it carried enough hints about the circumstances that hastened his departure.”At least I had the opportunity to say goodbye”, he said, “I saw Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, all these guys wanted to go that little extra step. Unfortunately they were not granted the opportunity to.”Lara chose not to answer directly what changed his mind about touring England as a Test player, but he repeatedly made it clear it had been his plan to tour. “I sat with the selectors in Antigua to pick the team for England, and of course I picked myself.”What had changed then? “West Indies cricket is at a stage where change is necessary,” he said, “We are most likely going to have a young captain, someone under the age of 30 years, and he will need to mould this team with the support that he needs.”I just thought there is no need for me to be out there. Physically there is nothing much I can do to help at present. It’s just a matter of allowing the team that change that is needed. Maybe this is just one of it. Maybe there is a lot more to take place. But I just see no reason for me to carry on at this present time.”Lara sometimes cut a slightly lonely figure on the field during his last match. There was a hug with Chris Gayle as the two crossed paths when Gayle was returning to the pavilion, but only Dwyane Bravo, a fellow Trinidadian whom Lara has nurtured, demonstrated his affection enthusiastically. English players welcomed Lara with a guard of honour when he came to the crease but there was no such salutations from his own team at the end of the day. On his last day at Sydney, Steve Waugh had his final parade on the shoulders of his team-mates; Lara hurried through stairs, past his team-mates, and disappeared into the Garfield Sobers Pavillion.Earlier in the day, he had been run out when Marlon Samuels hit the ball to mid-on, charged off the blocks before retracing his steps. When asked if Samuels had said sorry to him after the game, Lara pursed his lips, fumbled for words, and said nothing. “It would have to be a yes, or a no. So I will leave it.”He wasn’t rancorous, but the warmth was missing too when the subject of captaincy and board came up. “I hold West Indian cricket dear to my heart”, he repeated often, and promised that he was “not lost to West Indian cricket”, but it was apparent that there was a lot he was holding back. “The time for that is not now”, he said every time he was asked what in his opinion was wrong with West Indian cricket.The subject of his captaincy came up more than once but Lara wouldn’t be drawn into a discussion. “What I have to do is just wish the team and the new captain all the best, and try to persuade the West Indies Cricket Board to ensure that the captain and the team have the support that is necessary from them.”You might see eleven individuals out there and of course we are criticised all the time after we have a bad performance. But West Indies cricket goes deep and unless we lay a proper foundation, you know you are going to get that sort of performance out in the middle. On one day we are spectacular and can score 418 runs to win a Test match in the fourth innings, and the next day we can’t score 60.

“About that captaincy thing, I have no reason to be worried about it anymore. I just want to move on. My support is always going to be there. I have had an open-door policy with the players. They all know my number and they can call me at any point in time, for anything at all and I will be there to support them.”His eternal regret, Lara said, was that West Indies remained an abysmal team for the last 12 years of his career. “The most unfortunate thing in cricket is not achieving what I set out to do from the very beginning: to be a part of a successful team over a long period of time. I had a little taste of it when I started in 1989, and up till 1995. The last 12 years have been very disappointing.”That in itself is the sort of disappointment I have had. I am just very thankful to be able to break all those records. It has been a great honour to play for the West Indies, to hold a bat and to spend 17 years in international cricket. That is something I am proud of.”Lara didn’t rule out the possibility of playing county cricket or getting involved with the game in some way. “Right now, I am going to take a break. Maybe a week, maybe two weeks. Then I will look at options. I not committing to anything, or ruling anything out.”But first of all, I just want to move back a little bit, relax and wake up tomorrow, or next week or two weeks from now, knowing I can do what I want. I can pick my daughter up and take her to school and do many different things that I haven’t been able to do in the past. The future is there and I will have a lot of opportunities in front of me. But there is no reason to rush into anything at this present time.”

The two champagne bottles found in Bob Woolmer’s room were passed on to him by Mushtaq Ahmed, Pakistan’s assistant coach, who had left them in his hotel room, according to Pervez Mir, Pakistan’s media manager during the World Cup.The possible significance of the champagne emerged earlier in the week with a report in suggesting that Woolmer may have been poisoned by weedkiller after traces were found in his stomach and on a champagne glass.Mir told the Pakistani TV channel ARY, with whom he is employed, that Talat Ali, the Pakistan manager, was a witness to the bottles being passed on to Woolmer in the team hotel in Jamaica.Mushtaq, in Lahore on a brief visit, reacted sharply to the development, explaining to reporters later that there was nothing in the incident and that he had already explained the position to the police. Mushtaq revealed that the the bottles were given to him by a friend for the team’s liaison officer. They were left in his room as the liaison officer was not around at the time.”In the meantime, Bob came to my room to inquire about my health since a ball had hit me in the face during nets on the same morning,” Mushtaq said. “Woolmer asked me for the bottles and I gave him since the liaison officer was not there and I am not fond of liquor at all. The entire incident happened in front of some players who were sitting in my room when Bob came.”Mir, who had been questioned by the Jamaican police along with members of the Pakistani team before they were allowed to fly back home, said that he had not spoken to the police about the bottles. He maintained that Mushtaq would have given the bottles to Woolmer in “the best of spirit and as a matter of goodwill”.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) refused to comment on Mir’s statement, saying that it had no official communication from the Jamaican authorities. When contacted, Talat Ali said that he could not understand all the speculation surrounding the case. “All I can say is that this is a police case and we all recorded our statements with the police in Jamaica. Saying anything on this issue will only add fuel to [the] fire.”Mir said he did not know who the guests of Pakistani origin were and was not sure whether Mushtaq knew them. He added that journalists were stretching the issue too far and reiterated that the police had not questioned him on this issue.

Chaminda Vaas, an integral member of the Sri Lankan team that won the 1996 World Cup, has said he foresees himself playing till the 2011 event to be held in the subcontinent.”I think I will be able to play [in 2011] but everything depends upon my fitness,” Vaas, the new-ball bowler who was part of the side that finished runners-up in the latest World Cup, told BBC Sandeshaya, the Sinhalese channel.”I am maintaining a good fitness at the moment and I’d rather focus on year by year than a long period”, Vaas, who is turning out for Middlesex in the County Championship, said. “However, I think I will be able to play in 2011, if I maintain my current level of fitness. Courtney Walsh and Ambrose for example, played until they were 38.”Vaas, who has snared 313 Test victims and 383 ODI wickets, felt his biggest advantage over other fast bowlers was his ability to adjust to pitches in the subcontinent. “My record as a sub-continent bowler speaks for itself. I think I have achieved a lot in my cricketing career for which I am very proud of.”What adds weight to this assertion is that Vaas is only the second fast bowler, after Imran Khan, to take 14 wickets in a match in the subcontinent, apart from being the only one who has managed an eight-for in ODIs.