14 Tuesday 19th February, 2008 Richie picks PCB looks at Sri Lanka option Sarwan for skipper by R. Palipane In the face a series of ODIs in Pakistan in chief executives in Kuala of sweeping and Agencies case Australia call off the tour. Lumpur . "We are planning to calls for Chris After India, it's now Sri There has been strife in sit down with them in the next Gayle to remain Lanka that the Pakistan Cricket Pakistan over the past few few days and we will follow the as West Indies Board has approached as an months, with conditions esca- outcome of the elections with captain, Richie alternative in case Australia lating following the assassina- interest," Michael Brown, Richardson is pull out of their scheduled visit tion of former Prime Minister Cricket Australia's operations sticking with in March-April, due to security Benazir Bhutto. manager, was quoted as having Ramnaresh concerns. Australia are due to The postponed vote took told the Daily Telegraph. Sarwan for the Sarwan tour Pakistan for three Tests, place yesterday (18), but the Australia's players have job: five ODIs and a Twenty20 trouble hasn't abated, with a expressed their reservations “From way back, even when match. suicide car bomber killing 47 over the tour, with skipper [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul was there, However, the trip looked in people at an election rally last Ricky Ponting voicing his con- Sarwan was my man… There is doubt after Creagh O'Connor, Saturday. cerns. The Pakistan board has something about him that I like. He Cricket Australia's chairman, Although Cricket Australia also insured against losses in has the demeanour, the approach and sent a letter to the PCB express- will inspect the situation in case of a pull-out. Australia I think he commands respect.” ing reservations about the situ- Pakistan only after the polls, a have not visited Pakistan since ation in Pakistan. Cricket three-member PCB delegation 1998 and played Pakistan at Australia still intends to send a has already visited Sri Lanka to neutral venues in Sri Lanka security delegation to assess discuss matters, according to an and Sharjah in 2002. However, conditions, following Pakistan's AFP report. The report stated Pakistan has ruled out playing Tino Best election. However, there have that Sri Lanka has been asked this year's series at neutral been reports that Australia's to play either a five-match ODI venues or in Australia. players will refuse to tour, series or three Tests. The Sri K. Mathivanan, Secretary, talking sense regardless of the group's find- Lankans, presently playing the Sri Lanka Cricket Interim ings. CB Series in Australia, are Committee, when contacted by Barbados Among the alternatives the scheduled to visit the West ‘The Island’ said that Pakistan fast bowler Pakistan board is looking at is Indies in March-April. Cricket Board officials had Tino Best has a India. According to cricinfo.com Cricket Australia and the visited Sri Lanka. “I was not very simple — a well-placed source had PCB are expected to further present when the discussions and logical — revealed that informal talks had The Appu Army may soon be seen in Pakistan if Sri Lanka discuss the fate of the tour this took place,” Mathivanan explanation for been held with the BCCI about agree to tour in case Australia pulls out. (AFP Photo) week, during a meeting of ICC added. signing up to play in the renegade Indian Cricket Tino Best Rossouw's 58 helps League (ICL): Tom Moody to coach “It’s a little sad, but I can’t go to SA defeat Windies the supermarket and say that my KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: An name is Tino Best, I bowl at 90 miles unbeaten 58 by Rilee Rossouw led an hour, I want $400 in groceries. Mohali franchise South Africa to a three-wicket victory People will ask me if I’m going mad. SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - At least themselves that they were not in over West Indies Monday, while New It is about securing myself and my five Australian cricket players are wait- breach of any contractual arrange- Zealand defeated Zimbabwe by 98 family. ing until the last minute to sign up for ments with Cricket Australia regarding runs in first round matches of the It was very tough [decision], but the Indian Premier League, with 15 existing sponsors. Under-19 World Cup. at the end of the day you have to live. mentioned by local media as likely "We've got fundamental approval Meanwhile, Bangladesh ham- I’m not a carpenter, a lawyer or a doc- starters in the lucrative Twenty20 com- from Cricket Australia that they're mered Bermuda by 178 runs while Sri tor. I’m a cricketer. I have to apply my petition. happy with the IPL agreement, and if Lanka defeated Nepal by 61 runs. trade to survive.” The Indian league's Australian agent there are any issues they're happy to Chasing a West Indies' score of “If West Indies don’t give me that Neil Maxwell said Monday that five work through them," Maxwell said. 222 for eight, South Africa reached opportunity and if a privately-owned players who had been granted an exten- Meanwhile, West Australian coach the target with 6.1 overs to spare, firm has a league or a tournament sion to the deadline to sign contracts and former test player Tom Moody said recovering from an early shock when and they invited me to play, obviously were spending the day going through he has signed on to coach the Mohali opener Pieter Malan was leg-before I’m going to go.” last-minute details before committing franchise. He said he would only be for a duck in the second ball of the “There is no security with the to the competition. away for six to eight weeks and the new game. West Indies team. If the West Indies "I need to present the final signa- venture would not conflict with his Rossouw, whose 74-ball knock had me on a contract, I wouldn’t even tures to India overnight," commitments to the Australian state contained four boundaries, was think about going. It is time that I Maxwell said. "With all that's going side. helped by the other opener, JJ Smuts, start looking out for myself.” on the players haven't had a lot of time "It fits in perfectly, and it's seen more who made 45 in 43 balls with nine * Amen, brother. Go get paid and to take it all in. They've been playing as a good opportunity to keep develop- fours. take care of yourself first and fore- matches, so they need time to digest ing in the game," said Moody, who West Indies captain Shamarh most. some of the information." coached Sri Lanka for two years until Brooks took four for 39 in a nine-over (Caribbeancricket.com) He said the players needed to assure last May. Tom Moody spell. China says troops to undergo anti-terrorism A call for Lara The West training for Olympics Indies selectors should bring BEIJING (AP) - China plans to China believes terrorism is the China's Xinjiang region. back Brian Lara boost anti-terrorism training for its biggest threat facing next year's "This year poses a challeng- military ahead of this summer's Olympic Games and has called for ing test. We have scheduled mas- for the home Olympic Games, state media said closer international cooperation to sive training programs before the series against Monday. prevent possible attacks. While Olympics to better prepare against Sri Lanka and The troops will focus on bio- not a traditional target of interna- any possible threat," an officer Australia in chemical and nuclear threats, and tional terrorism, Beijing faces a from the General Staff order that crick- emergency rescue operations, growing long-term threat from Headquarters of the People's et fans in the Lara according to the official Xinhua Islamic separatists among the Liberation Army as quoted as say- West Indies can News Agency. Uighur population in western ing by Xinhua. bid him a proper farewell. (Jamaica Gleaner) Coughlin breaks 100m backstroke Coach shrugs off world record in Missouri Gilchrist fears COLUMBIA, Missouri Adam Gilchrist will be fit for the rest (AP) - Five-time Olympic of the triangular CB Series despite injur- medal winner Natalie ing his left thumb on Sunday, insists Australia coach Tim Nielsen. Spain's Nicolas Almagro, holding up the trophy, celebrates at the end of the Coughlin set a world record Gilchrist, who will retire from inter- Brazil Open ATP tournament final tennis game against his compatriot in the 100-meter backstroke national cricket at the end of the tourna- Carlos Moya, unseen, in Costa do Sauipe, Brazil, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008. Sunday during a prelimi- ment, was hurt against India. Almagro won 7-6, 3-6, 7-5. nary race at the Missouri "Unless it's pretty much chopped off, (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) Grand Prix. he'll be right," said Nielsen, while physio Coughlin finished in Alex Kountouris added he expects 59.21 seconds, lowering her Gilchrist to be "fully fit". Cosmo Open tennis previous world record in The tournament continues on the event by 0.23 seconds. Tuesday when India face Sri Lanka in Amritha in Girls’ U-18 final The world record was Adelaide. Both sides have won only one match by Revata S. Silva the second in two days at Results: the meet: on Saturday, apiece so far and Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said they were bat- Amritha Muttiah entered Girls’ U-18 Singles Quarter finals: Kirsty Coventry of tling it out for the chance to meet the Girls’ Under-18 final at the Kemalie Herath bt Roshenka Fernando Zimbabwe set the mark in Australia in the final. on-going Dehiwala–Mount 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 the 200-meter backstroke. "Now it's become like a two-horse Lavinia Cosmopolitan Open Shenalie Abeysinghe bt Andrea Coventry broke a record race," he said. Tennis Ranking tournament Ratnapala 6-0, 6-0 that had stood for 16 years. Wicket-keeper Gilchrist appeared to (Grade-B), held at the club’s Druwinka Moraes bt Thisuri "I was thinking about suffer a nasty injury when standing up to two clay courts, at Dehiwala, Wanniarachchi 6-0, 6-0 barbecue and no warm Australia pace bowler Stuart Clark during on Monday. Semi finals: down," Coughlin said after his side's 50-run win over India on Sunday. Meanwhile, after a Amritha Muttiah bt D. Moraes 6-0, 6-1 the race. "I really didn't He was clearly concerned about his Qualifying Draw in the K. Herath vs. S. Abeysinghe expect it." hand for the rest of the innings and it Under-14 Boys’ category, the Unlike most swim seemed his "farewell tour", as it has been eight seeded players were dubbed, might come to a premature end. named for the Main Draw in Boys’ U-14 (8 seeds): meets, the finals at the 1. Alex Fairbanks, 2. Sharmal Missouri event are being But Nielsen said: "Keepers are a pretty that age group on Monday tough breed. Hopefully over the next cou- Dissanayake, 3. Nicholas Fairbanks, 4. held in the morning. The (18). The event, which is the ple of days he'll have an X-ray that shows Chinthaka Shaveen, 5. Thuruna move is a concession to the first open ranking tourna- there's no fracture." schedule in the upcoming ment in the calendar, is sched- Eswarage, 6. Amitha Weerasingeh, 7. Australia's next match is against Sri uled to go on till March 2. Sanjeew Mohankumar, 8. Aeron Assau. Beijing Olympics. Natalie broke the 100m backstroke world record Lanka in Melbourne on Friday.