Marvan AtapattuOn the reasons for the debacleLooking back at it, I would put it down to not capitalising on the chances that we had been given. Even here, we had them in a spot of bother in the first innings. The other thing is that we can’t take anything away from their lower-order batsmen, and the manner in which they played Muttiah Muralitharan.On why the Indian lower order had done so wellIt’s a difficult question to answer. It’s not like you can’t bat well just because you’re a lower-order batsman. But they played very well. And I think [Irfan] Pathan handled Murali best.On the difference between his spinners and the Indians, and whether the SG ball played a partI think they got more bounce than our two spinners. Talking to Harbhajan Singh, he reckoned that too. They exploited the wickets better, and were also fortunate to win both tosses.On Lasith Malinga and his short-ball barrageThat’s the only thing he knows best. He’s not a McGrath type of bowler to pitch the ball on a spot. We’ve given him license to be himself, and not someone else.Tom MoodyOn the batting collapses, and whether they were related to poor techniqueNot at all. As Marvan has said, I think it was down to lack of concentration. It’s never easy to bat against two quality spinners, and we failed to adjust.On where the series was lostWe were in very strong positions in both Tests [Delhi and Ahmedabad], but failed to drive home the advantage. We only turned up for half the game, and that’s not good enough. We need to learn from that, and compete over five days, not just for two and a half.On whether they were a bowler shortNot at all. The bowling attack was well-balanced. And Murali tends to bowl a high percentage of the overs, particularly in conditions like those over here. Putting an extra bowler out to pasture at fine leg or third man wouldn’t have made a difference. We just didn’t have the killer instinct. India had the patience and the persistence and it was a good team effort from them.On what he would take from the seriesThe experience of playing two fine spin bowlers in their conditions. We could’ve bowled better, no doubt about that. But the fielding was a considerable improvement on what we saw in the one-day series. The middle order also needs to capitalise on starts and get the team total to 400 and beyond.On the absence of JayasuriyaSanath’s a wonderful player. But he wasn’t selected, and I don’t think the outcome of the series had much to do with that. On the other hand, we might have seen the birth of another opening batsman here. Upul Tharanga played a high-quality innings, and showed very good temperament and technique against two very good spinners, and a fine new-ball bowler in Pathan. He was one of the bright spots to come out of this match.On how he rated the Indian teamObviously, India are a different side away from home. They’re a real force in home conditions, with some real momentum coming from the media and the crowds. I think they will remain very difficult to play on home soil. They played some solid cricket, and looked like they were enjoying it. Only time will tell where they go from here.On the morale within his own squadIt’s very high. We faced difficult times during the one-day series, and have been beaten 2-0 now, but there have been several positives. We just haven’t competed over the full five days. But we had India on the ropes in all the three Tests, and it’s not like we’ve been thrashed. We were caught napping on two or three days and that allowed India to come back.On who would have the edge when India played PakistanIndia have done very well of late, but Pakistan have done just as well, if not better. They’re an emerging side with a lot of talent, and if they’re all fit, I think they’ll start slight favourites.

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, believes they do not take any psychological advantage from the Test series win over England into the one-day series. Speaking to reporters at Gaddafi Stadium after a strenuous practice session, Woolmer said: “I don’t believe in psychological advantages. This is a new series, a new situation and one-day cricket is very different from Test cricket.”But Woolmer admitted that the team was in buoyant mood after the Test series and looking forward to extending an impressive ODI winning streak of seven matches. “The confidence is there because the team is winning and winning breeds confidence. This is a new tournament and we have to put the Test matches to bed briefly before India come. Although we have won our last seven matches, we haven’t played for three and a half months. This is the first ODI, it’s a new cricket game. In sport if you leave something and then come back to it you have to relearn it a bit. We start the series knowing it is 50-50 between us and England.”Over the last year, with the absence at various times of key players, Pakistan have developed a large ODI squad and further enhanced their strength in depth. Their problem, therefore, during the ODI series is likely to be one of too many options and finding the right balance. As Woolmer admitted, it is a pleasant dilemma.”Too many players is a good problem to have. There are players not in the squad at the moment like Bazid Khan who did really well against England in the last match. There are people on the periphery who are fighting to get in and we have to recognise that those players are there. The most important thing though is to keep the team spirit, keep everyone fit and firing. The longer we can keep a team together the more you can get them into form, the more experience you have on the field the better that team will do.”The final playing XI is likely to be a fluid one during this series; Woolmer said after the Test series that he was planning to experiment with players’ roles in the ODIs. Shoaib Malik is unlikely to play the first match as he only arrives back from Australia on Friday after undergoing biomechanical analysis of his action. This increases the possibility that Kamran Akmal will be given a chance as opener again, with Younis Khan batting higher up the order than he generally does in ODIs. Akmal scored a century as opener against the West Indies in Australia in January this year.The experimentation is part of a long-term strategy for the World Cup in the West Indies in 2007. With the improvement they have shown in the shortened game since Woolmer took over, Pakistan are likely to be one of the contenders in 15 months’ time. Woolmer said: “I definitely think we are on the right track for the World Cup. It’s a long way to go, it’s a long railroad. We have to make sure we keep the team on the track. We have to make sure we have plenty of people in reserve, we have to make sure we keep people as fit as we can. There will be injuries along the way and we have to look after them. We have to be on the ball all the time.”Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, meanwhile, has asked for as many people as possible to come to the first ODI at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday. The gate receipts from the match are to be donated to relief efforts for survivors of the devastating earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8 and has so far claimed an estimated 80,000 lives. “My request is that people come and watch the match. The winter has set in there and conditions will get worse so we need to help our people as much as possible. We should help them in any way possible and one way is to come to watch the match.” The official capacity of the ground is 25,000 and tickets have been sold out.Inzamam also said that although Pakistan will be confident going into the first game, they will not underestimate England. “The boys are very confident after the Test series, but this is a different ball game altogether and we will have to plan differently for it. England is a strong team who can fight back at any given stage. We will not be taking them lightly at all and there will be no overconfidence on our part.”

Scorecard
Pura Cup points tableLismore’s Matthew Phelps made a century in front of his home crowd but he could not prevent Victoria from claiming first-innings points on the third day of a high-scoring match. Cameron White stormed through the lower-order with 4 for 73 as New South Wales, who are hosting the game in the north of the state, lost 5 for 35 and were dismissed for 437.Phil Jaques failed to add to his overnight 109 before being trapped by Mick Lewis for 109, but Phelps, who was born in Lismore, took over the heavy-scoring role with 19 fours in his 133, which was scored in front of his mother Beverley and father Warren. However, the Blues started to stall in their chase of Victoria’s 5 for 519 declared when Phelps departed and their hopes of extending their lead at the top of the table were extinguished by White.Daniel Smith, the wicketkeeper who replaced Brad Haddin after he was called up for the Australia one-day team, was White’s first victim and he was followed by Aaron O’Brien, who collected a steady 61, Matthew Nicholson, the stand-in captain, and Grant Lambert. Victoria, who are two points behind New South Wales, finished the day with a 92-run advantage when bad light intervened with eight overs to bowl.

Venkatesh Prasad, the India Under-19 coach, has said that India are hungry for success and have not been complacent in their preparation for the U-19 World Cup following successes at the Afro-Asian U-19 Cup and against Australia U-19.”They [India] have been very committed and I am extremely happy to work with this bunch of players,”said Prasad. “They have been fantastic and they know exactly what is required by the team, which is something we have focused on ahead of any individual goals. They have come up with their own mission statements and have set their own training and playing standards on their own without me. Those standards are keeping their feet on the ground. They know their jobs and it makes my job a bit easier because of it.”Prasad was happy with the training camp the team had in Chennai prior to their departure for Colombo. “We had the camp there because we felt the weather and pitch conditions were similar to Sri Lanka.” India will play all their group matches at the R Premadasa Stadium. “They tell me the wickets [at the R Premadasa] have been relaid,” said Prasad. “I still remember Sri Lanka scored almost 1000 runs against us there in a Test [it was 952-6 declared in 1997, with Prasad taking 0 for 88 in 24 overs] but that was a long time back.”In the round-robin stage, India have been grouped with Sri Lanka and Associate teams Scotland and Namibia. “A few have said to us we have got an easy draw but we do not think it is easy,” said Prasad. “The players know each and every game is important, no matter whom we play. We respect opponents for who they are and it is a learning curve for us too, even if we are playing against the so-called weaker teams. The draw does not matter as, even if we had been drawn against those stronger sides, we would have gone about our business just the same.”But he admitted that India were looking beyond the group stage to matches against the top sides of Group B that include Australia, West Indies and South Africa.”We have looked at the permutations and combinations if we make it to the quarter-finals. But that quarter-final is not until February 11 and we have got three matches before that on [February] 6th, 8th and 10th. To start with we will cross out the game on the 6th, then move onto the 8th and so on.”

Brett Lee is enjoying the extra responsibility of being Australia’s main bowling man following the unfortunate absence of Glenn McGrath. While McGrath is missing the one-day tour to look after his sick wife Jane, Lee is stepping up to guide an inexperienced attack in the Twenty20 International on Friday and the five-match one-day series.”[Lee] has been vital to us in both forms of the game – to be able to take wickets with the new ball – and we will be looking for him to do that again for us,” Ricky Ponting told . “When he is bowling the way he is, bowling fast and swinging the ball, he’s very difficult for any batsman to play.”Only Muttiah Muralitharan and Nathan Bracken took more wickets than Lee’s 15 at 29.26 in the VB Series, and Ponting said he was looking forward to unleashing him in South Africa. “Because he has got his own game in such good shape at the moment, he’s really enjoying that extra responsibility,” Ponting said. “We’ll have other guys around him in the one-day side, and even when the Test matches come around, who can do the other jobs. Brett’s strengths are his pace and being able to use that in short bursts, so that’s the way we’re planning to use him.”Bracken and Stuart Clark, the New South Wales team-mates, are likely to be the first-choice back-up for Ponting, who also has Mick Lewis and Mitchell Johnson in the squad. “I couldn’t really have been much happier with the way Stuart and Nathan have performed over the summer and really matured into good international bowlers,” Ponting said. “We’re not exactly sure if we are going to have Glenn for the Test part of the tour. We’ll have to wait and see how that pans out.”McGrath must play for New South Wales if he is to be considered for the tour and Michael Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie, who both performed strongly in the Pura Cup match at the Gabba this week, are the leading contenders to fill any vacancy. The first Test starts at Cape Town on March 16.

Following the signing of Chris Silverwood today, John Emburey has been promoted to the position of Director of Cricket for Middlesex.”We are delighted that John has accepted the position of Director of Cricket, responsible not only for first team performance as Head Coach, but also overseeing all cricket in the county from grass roots to the first XI,” Vinny Codrington, the chief executive, told the club’s website.”He will continue in his role as head coach and will continue to work closely with Jason Pooley the assistant coach, and Toby Radford the Academy director.””We have an exciting future here at Middlesex.” Emburey commented. “Thanks to Jason and Toby we have an excellent youth system and there are some very exciting cricketers in our Academy.”This season should see the emergence of some exciting new talent with Eoin Morgan and Billy Godleman, who is the first to come through the Academy system. The county is in good shape for its long-term future.”Middlesex’s opening match of the season is against Oxford on April 20.

Ian Harvey, the former Australia allrounder, will return to Gloucestershire on a short-term contract for the 2006 season. Harvey helped Gloucestershire win six one-day titles between 1999 and 2003 before joining Yorkshire for two seasons.”It is great to be coming back to Gloucestershire and l am looking forward to being back in Bristol,” he said. “Even though I will only be playing for a short period of time, I am looking forward to staying involved with the club by helping out with the Academy and the development of the younger players, as well as playing in the warm up to the Twenty20 international.”Gloucestershire’s two main overseas players – the New Zealanders Shane Bond and Hamish Marshall – join the club in May; Harvey will play in the first three Championship matches and three one-dayers. After his contract with Victoria wasn’t renewed, he spent the winter playing for the South African side, Cape Cobras.Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire’s head coach, is delighted at Harvey’s return to the club. “Ian’s record for us is outstanding and there is no doubt he is one that we all love to watch.”Ian is an explosive batsman that can impact an innings from his first ball, he is a bowler with such variation that he is unpredictable and he is now a cricketer with such maturity that he can make a real difference to Gloucestershire.”

Bennett King, the coach of West Indies, says there are several players who can take up the mantle of captaincy of the national team.Speaking on the heels of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s resignation, King pointed to players like Sylvester Joseph, the A-team captain, as possible candidates for the job.”There are a number of players I suppose in the side that have got reasonable experience, having been around international cricket for quite some time. There are some people,” King told the . “I thought Sylvester Joseph did a very good job with the West Indies A side as well. But certainly the players that we have got and the help that is surrounding them, I think there is always room for development and improvement.”King pointed out that leadership was an area in West Indies cricket which needed to be addressed. “Certainly leadership is one of those areas that I think the West Indies need to take a good look at as well,” he said. “It is an area in our cricket which we need to try to nurture and develop, and great leaders just don’t fall out of trees. They come along every now and then and if they are backed up with a very good team, people automatically think that he is a very good leader, but that is not always the case either.”He said that even though an individual leader was important, the entire team needed to be responsible for the leadership of the side. “You want more people contributing to the total development of the side. I think Utopia for a sporting team is a side in which players take complete ownership and coaches aren’t necessarily required any more,” he said. “Moving forward I think that is what any coach would want – for the players to be the ones who ultimately run the entire show. I think in the past it has been proven in certain sporting teams. The best sides are the ones that are self-driven.”The West Indies Cricket Board are expected to announce a new captain shortly.

Sri Lanka’s captain, Mahela Jayawardene, praised the performance of his young team and said that their efforts ranked up there with the best, as the first Test at Lord’s was saved through a brilliant rearguard action.Having followed on a whopping 359 runs in arrears, Sri Lanka ground their way through 199 overs on the final two-and-a-half days before bad light brought their epic innings to an end on 537 for 9. No fewer than seven batsmen recorded fifty in the innings, and after slumping to 91 for 6 in the first innings, Jayawardene was thrilled with the fight they had shown.”It was a brilliant effort which showed a lot of character from top to bottom,” he said, after being named as Man of the Match for his twin scores of 61 and 119. “It will have given a lot of confidence to the youngsters, and that’s what they need, belief that they can do it at this level of cricket, because most of them haven’t achieved anything in their careers yet.”The effort will also have given Jayawardene a lot of belief. Since assuming a senior role in the side, he has endured criticism of his leadership skills, and still remains as the official vice-captain on this tour, in the absence of the injured Marvan Atapattu. But he was able to answer the doubters by leading from the front and watching his charges take inspiration from his resistance.”In the past when I’ve been given responsibility, people have said how difficult it is for me to concentrate on my batting at the highest level,” he said. “I think I’ve proved people wrong. It’s how I go out there and perform that matters. It’s all to do with team efforts.”Jayawardene admitted that the thought had crossed his mind to declare once they had established a lead of 140-150, but added that good sense had prevailed, given the placid nature of the wicket. Even so, had England managed to take that final wicket and set themselves up for a run-chase, his side were ready and waiting for the challenge.”If we had been put in that situation we would definitely have gone for it,” said Jayawardene. “It was really flat out there but with three or four wickets we would have had a chance. It was all about the effort we had put in, and we couldn’t have let it go like that.”Jayawardene insisted that the spate of dropped catches shouldn’t detract from his team’s achievement, but he did recognise Sri Lanka had issues to address. “We’ll need to show the same determination in our bowling,” he said, “and we might have to look at different combinations when we get to Edgbaston. We have to get England out twice to win Test matches, and we only got five wickets. Those are the areas we have to improve.”

Andrew Flintoff is doubtful of being fit for the first Test against Pakistan beginning July 13 at Lord’s, with recurring pain in his injured left ankle.Flintoff had been out of the one-day series against Sri Lanka and specialists feel that there might be floating bone particles in the ankle that are causing the pain.”There is scar tissue in there and whether the bone fragments were the result of the operation or were already in there, we don’t know,” Flintoff told Sky Sports. “We will have another look in two weeks and see where we are.”Though unlikely to play the first Test, Flintoff was optimistic about recovery. “I am not running at the moment, I am doing a lot of cycling. I am doing things that don’t cause pain and trying to tick over.”We are going down the route of physio and exercises to strengthen the ligaments around the ankle. We will have another look in two weeks and see where we are.”England will play four Tests and five one-day internationals against Pakistan. They are 4-0 down to Sri Lanka in the ongoing one-day series, with a last match to be played on July 1.