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At least five children were killed by lightning while playing cricket on a school pitch near the northern Bangladesh town of Gafargaon.The children, aged between nine and ten, were killed instantly when lightning struck the pitch at Makhal Kaldhair, a village about 100km from Dhaka.”Among the dead were two brothers,” explained local police chief Abdur Rashid Shikder. “Other kids who were playing the cricket match late Sunday afternoon were unhurt but were very shocked to see their friends dead on the ground.”Lightning kills dozens of people in rural Bangladesh every year during the early summer and monsoon periods when storms sweep in from the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh`s Daily Star said that another storm at the weekend hit 45 villages and tore down 1,500 houses, uprooted 2,000 trees and damaged about 2,000 acres of farmland.

A depressed Shane Warne considered leaving Australia in the wake of his drug ban, and qualifying to play for England instead, according to a report in today’s London Sunday Times. Apparently Warne thought hard about settling in Hampshire after he was sent home from the World Cup and banned from cricket for a year. But the bad news for England’s batsmen is that Warne eventually decided to stay put, and try to regain his Australian Test spot.Ivo Tennant wrote: “The expectations on him [Warne], the adulation and pressure on his marriage were so great that he contemplated settling in Hampshire, the county he will return to captain next summer. Warne spent several weeks in a hideaway in Europe to escape from media and supporters alike after his ban for the use of diuretics. At the age of 33, he would have had to spend four years qualifying to play for England. Finally he decided this would have shortened his Test career too much, and he was too wedded to his native country.”Until recently Warne would have had to spend even longer before he could have played for England, but the ICC recently reduced the qualification period to four years (it took Graeme Hick seven years to qualify for England after he decided to leave his native Zimbabwe). But still Warne could not have swapped the baggy green for the tight blue until 2008. As it is, he will be eligible for Australian selection again in February next year, after serving his 12-month ban.Warne, 34, is keen to add to his impressive tally of 491 wickets in 107 Tests.

Sri Lanka 1 for 81 (Atapattu 29*, Sangakkara 16*) trail Australia 220 all out (Lehmann 63, Muralitharan 6-59) by 139 runs
Scorecard

Murali may have destroyed Australia to reach 491 Test wickets, but by the end of the day Shane Warne was back in front with 492© Getty Images

Muttiah Muralitharan burst out of the blocks in the race to 500 wickets, ripping through Australia’s formidable batting order to leave Sri Lanka in pole position in the opening Test in Galle. Australia, wasting a crucial toss on a bald, sun-baked pitch, were bowled out for just 220 in 68.3 overs. Muralitharan snapped up 6 for 59, his best figures against Australia. Marvan Atapattu finished off the day with a brace of elegant cover-drives, and Kumar Sangakkara smashed Stuart MacGill for a magnificent six in the last over as Sri Lanka closed on 81 for 1 from 22 overs.It was the 40th time in his 86-match career that Murali had taken five wickets in an innings – extending his own world record – and it wiped out Shane Warne’s six-wicket lead as he extended to his career tally to 491 wickets. The chances of Murali reaching 500 in this game remain extremely remote, but Sri Lanka’s cricket board is taking no chances, speeding up the production of souvenir T-shirts and a commemorative award.Darren Lehmann, back in the side after an Achilles-tendon injury, used his experience and prowess against the spinners to hold the innings together with a battling 63. Lehmann added 72 with Damien Martyn (42) for the fourth wicket, and then 52 for the seventh with fellow returnee Warne (23), who was playing his first Test for 12 months after a drugs ban.The Australian innings, though was dominated by incendiary passages of play. First, midway through the afternoon with a small crowd tiring under a fierce sun, three wickets fell for 15 runs to bring the Martyn-Lehmann recovery to an abrupt halt. Then, straight after the tea interval, the last four wickets tumbled for just five runs in the space of 13 balls.Sri Lanka’s dream day continued as Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya added 53 for the first wicket. But Warne’s return to the bowling crease gave Australia something to cheer. There was no wonder-ball to relaunch his career, as eight runs were scored off his first over, but an innocuous straight one accounted for Jayasuriya (35), who missed an attempted sweep.Earlier, Sri Lanka opened the bowling with Chaminda Vaas, their only fast bowler, and Kumar Dharmasena, one of six slow men in the XI. Vaas found a smidgin of swing in his first couple of overs, but the pitch was back-breakingly slow from a fast-bowler’s perspective and, although Hayden offered a difficult return chance on 19, the spinners were always going to hold the key.Justin Langer was the first spin casualty of the series as he rocked onto the back foot and tried to punch Dharmasena through the off side. He was deceived by the low bounce of the offbreak, and Sangakkara took a juggling catch off the toe of the bat (31 for 1).Ricky Ponting, who had finally assumed the Test leadership from Steve Waugh, showed his aggressive intentions immediately. He had batted superbly in the one-day series, clocking up four consecutive fifties, and he started in an equally business-like manner here as 31 runs were added in 39 balls.Muralitharan was drafted into the attack with immediate success, courtesy of an athletic, full-stretch catch by Upul Chandana, sprinting around from a deepish square leg. Hayden, who had top-edged an attempted sweep, had scored 41 from 46 balls, with six fours. The introduction of Chandana was equally successful, this time accounting for the prized scalp of Ponting, stumped by two metres after being lured down the pitch by a flighted legbreak (76 for 3).Martyn and Lehmann steadied the innings for a while, adding 72 in 131 balls for the fourth wicket either side of lunch. Like their colleagues back in the dressing-room, they endeavoured to be positive whenever given an opportunity to score. Lehmann was the bolder, shuffling down the wicket to the slow bowlers as often as he could, even to Muralitharan, whom he lifted for six over long-on.As the partnership started to reach sizeable proportions, Sri Lanka slipped back onto the defensive. Dharmasena operated with a 7-2 field against Martyn, who hasn’t scored a Test century for 25 months. The ploy worked, as he paddle-swept an offbreak straight into the hands of Mahela Jayawardene at leg slip. Martyn had scored 42 from 81 balls and hit three fours (148 for 4).Muralitharan, called back into the attack for a second spell, then spun Sri Lanka firmly back into the driving-seat: Andrew Symonds was adjudged to have edged a fizzing offbreak via his pads to Jayawardene at slip for a debut duck, and Adam Gilchrist’s poor run continued as he toe-ended an awkward sweep to Dharmasena, running in from deep square (163 for 6).Sri Lanka were firmly in charge now, as three wickets had tumbled for 15. But Lehmann, dropped at silly point when 30 off Muralitharan, battled hard, along with Warne. Lehmann chugged past fifty for the fifth time in his career while Warne, riding his luck against Muralitharan, smacked four meaty fours in a valuable cameo.They carried Australia within sight of a competitive score by tea. But Muralitharan ensured that was never achieved after Lehmann fidgeted too far across his stumps, leaving them exposed. Vaas’s offcutter feathered Warne’s outside edge, and Murali mopped up the rabbits: Kasprowicz was bowled through the gate, and Stuart MacGill made a complete hash of a straight one, to leave Murali on a hat-trick in the second innings.

Thursday, February 13, 2003:::
“Now he has gone too far by taking a diuretic tablet to improve weight loss and in doing so has tarnished a great career. He has simply gone over the top a bit trying to look good and lose more weight.” Dean Jones, on the Shane Warne drug controversy
Source: Cricmania.com”The contrasting mindset of the two teams reminded me of a Wimbledon encounter between Vijay Armritraj and Bjorn Borg two decades ago. Armritraj had won the first two sets and was on match point in the third and yet his body language gave away his panic-stricken and flustered state of mind. Borg, on the other hand, looked calm and self-assured and went on to win.” Imran Khan, on the Australia-Pakistan encounter
Source: The Daily Telegraph, UK”There is a world of difference between brazen cheats who hoodwink fellow competitors and the likes of Warne, who in my opinion, has just made an honest mistake.” Ian Botham, on the Shane Warne drug controversy
Source: The Melbourne Herald Sun, AustraliaMonday, February 10, 2003:::
Party like it’s 1999
Mark Waugh is reasonably confident rather than totally convinced that Australia will win the 2003 World Cup.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, AustraliaThe missing six balls
Former South African off-spinner Pat Symcox observes that the sizzling West Indies-South Africa lung opener has gotten the 2003 World Cup off to a pretty good start.
Source: Wisden OnlineBob Woolmer Column: Technology will play a key role
The modern day coach and player have both got to embrace technology in this era of high competition, according to pioneering coach Bob Woolmer.
Source: The Gulf News, Bahrain

Zimbabwe batsman Andy Flower has been ruled out for the triangularone-day series against India and West Indies with a dislocated thumbbone.Flower, who was injured while keeping wickets in the second innings ofthe second Test against India, has been advised rest for at least sixweeks.As such, the left-hander is also likely to miss the Test seriesagainst West Indies which immediately follows the limited overstournament starting on Saturday.However, there were strong rumours that Andy Flower was deliberatelymissing out on these tournaments as he wanted his fees to be raised.Sources in the Zimbabwe Cricket Union said the batsman’s injury wasnot that serious and he wanted his contract fees to be increased.Flower, in a recent interview to PTI, had lamented that Zimbabwecricketers were being paid a pittance and called for a minimum paystructure for international cricketers to be enforced by theInternational Cricket Council

Manchester United have had a difficult season so far and now face a challenge to qualify for the Champions League next season, but they may have just had another setback to their season as Fabrizio Romano delivers some bad news from the World Cup qualifiers.

What’s the word?

The popular transfer insider revealed that Man United striker Edinson Cavani has picked up an injury during international duty for Uruguay.

Romano tweeted: “Bad news for Manchester United as Edinson Cavani leaves the pitch with an injury during Uruguay game.”

Worrying for United

Despite lacking in game time for Manchester United this season due to the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ralf Rangnick will surely be worried that the attacker won’t be able to provide depth as an option for the team in the front line ahead of their desperate chase for a top four spot this season.

The 35-year-old has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford, but has also been on the receiving end of numerous injury issues this term which has led to reduced game time, but there is no doubt that when he has been available for selection that he has been a reliable attacking threat in the team.

Cavani has scored 19 goals and delivered seven assists for his Man United team-mates in 56 appearances over the last two campaigns, with a goal involvement every 113 minutes. The majority of his contributions at the club led them to a second place finish last season under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, scoring ten Premier League goals.

With that being said, in the moments where Rangnick’s side may be in need of a late goal, having Cavani as an option off the bench to come on and deliver would have been advantageous to the Man United boss over the remaining Premier League fixtures.

They cannot afford to drop points in their pursuit of top four with Arsenal and Spurs bringing tight competition to the Red Devils.

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According to Manchester Evening News, the extent of the injury is currently unknown, however it seems unlikely Cavani will feature against Leicester at Old Trafford this weekend.

In other news: Rangnick must wield the axe on “embarrassing” £180k-p/w MUFC dud this summer – opinion

It is being reported from the Caribbean that Zimbabwe have been forced out of theCLICO Under 15 International Championship after their team were denied British visas to travel to the region via London.”Attempts at making alternative arrangements also proved futile and in light of the refusal by the British to grant the visas, Zimbabwe was forced to cancel its participation in the tournament,” the tournament organisers said. Zimbabwean umpire Tinaye Matare is also a doubt after being also refused a visa to enter London.However, a Foreign Office source denied that visas had been denied. “The umpire was refused because of incomplete documentation,” he told Cricinfo. “As for the team, an official from ZC did call the Embassy last week to flag up the possibility of the U-15 team travelling to the Caribbean and to seek advice about visas. He was told that applications from anyone who had not traveled to the UK, US or EU in the past two years would expect to be handled by the visa office in Pretoria. At no point were they discouraged from applying. He accepted the timing would be tight. The FCO have checked and there’s no record of any applications having been submitted. It’s therefore not true to say they were refused visas.”Malaysia, who failed to make the original eight teams, will now replace Zimbabwe in competition which runs from April 19 to May 4. They will meet hosts West Indies in the opening match.

Mohammad Asif wins the post of vice-captaincy for the three-ODI series against Sri Lanka © AFP

Mohammad Asif has been recalled to the Pakistan squad for the ODI series against Sri Lanka and has also been named vice-captain for the series. The 16-man squad contains only two new faces for the three-match series in Abu Dhabi, despite Pakistan’s poor showing in the Caribbean. Asif missed the World Cup due to an elbow injury.Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, told reporters in Lahore after an ad-hoc committee meeting that Asif was the best choice as vice-captain. Asif’s name, along with that of Shahid Afridi, had cropped up over the last few weeks though with such minimal experience still behind him, the move will surprise many. And with a possible face-off with WADA still in the offing over the doping crisis he was embroiled in last year, the appointment is bound to raise questions and eyebrows.There are few other surprises in the squad. Fawad Alam, the young Karachi allrounder, who had such an outstanding domestic season, has expectedly taken his place in the squad. And Najaf Shah, a left-arm fast medium bowler who plays for PIA and Rawalpindi, has also been called up after an impressive domestic season and some equally impressive performances in the trial matches played between the 39 probables that attended the recent camp at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.Shoaib Malik, who will be captaining Pakistan for the first time, stressed that the new players were the best available. “These are all deserving players and it is the best team available to us. The selection committee discussed the names with me and the decision was taken between us.”Salahuddin Ahmed, chairman of the selection committee, agreed, telling Cricinfo that this was the best available squad. “Sri Lanka are missing a few key players and so are we for a number of reasons but we have picked the best available squad. We are confident that this squad can do well.”Kamran Akmal, for the time being, retains his place as the leading wicketkeeper in the land. Without an understudy in sight, the move is seen as a vote of confidence in him by a new, empowered selection committee.Opener Salman Butt has also made a comeback into the squad, having been dropped after a disappointing tour to England last year. Talat Ali, recently appointed manager of the team for two years, will also be the acting coach for the three-match series.Pakistan are without Younis Khan and Shoaib Akhtar. Younis is currently turning out for Yorkshire, while Shoaib is not yet fully fit.Squad
Shoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Najaf Shah.

Rod Marsh at what will be the Dubai Sports City © ICC

Rod Marsh, the former Australia wicketkeeper turned coach, has spoken of his excitement in taking up his new post as director of coaching at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai. Marsh will begin his duties in September at the enormous and purpose-built Dubai Sports City.Marsh, 58, was instrumental in coaching many of Australia’s players in the 1990s, and was a prize coup for English cricket when, in 2000, he was appointed director of the ECB Academy – much to the surprise of his countrymen. Both he and another Australian, Troy Cooley, the bowling coach, have since returned home and now Marsh’s attention turns to the global game.”Imagine a place like China,” Marsh told Queensland’s . “They should be very good. Hand-eye coordination is good. Plenty of little fellas that could bat well and plenty of big blokes that could bowl well, I reckon. Who knows? In 20 or 30 years’ time, Australia might be playing Test matches in Shanghai for the Great Wall Trophy.”Marsh holds such clout as a coach, and director of coaching, that realistically the ICC had only eyes for him. He takes up his post in September at a purpose-built cricket centre, or “global university” of cricket, with such facilities as biomechanics, research and sports medicine. The cricket centre will form part of a purpose-built town, Dubai Sports City, housing some 65,000 people. Given the extreme heat in Dubai – for four months of the year, it is scarcely possible to be outside let alone play cricket – an indoor airconditioned facility will be built, large enough to house two jumbo jets.”I guess I’ve had the most experience of anyone dealing with academies,” he said. “As a consequence I got hired.” Although many countries now have their own academies, or are in the process of establishment, Marsh feels the new global academy has a role to play for senior sides and minnows alike.

Who knows? In 20 or 30 years’ time, Australia might be playing Test matches in Shanghai for the Great Wall Trophy Rod Marsh

“If Australia is going to England for an Ashes tour I’d like to think they might come and prepare for a week at the academy in Dubai on the way,” he said. “We’d try to prepare pitches at the facility that are similar to what they will get in England. It might be difficult but I’d hope it can be done.”If you drew a map and worked out the most central point for the cricketing world, I reckon Dubai would come pretty close. I still like to do hands-on coaching. That’s what I enjoy. The administration side of the game is something I’ve never enjoyed a hell of a lot. But I realise that part of coaching really is doing that nowadays. It’s more than just taking a guy to the nets.”

Dinesh Mongia: Will the current county season fetch him as much success as the previous one? © Getty Images

June 11 – Leicestershire v Australians

ScorecardLeicestershire were never in the hunt as the Australians romped to an emphatic victory on the back of a century from Matthew Hayden (107) and significant contributions from Damien Martyn (85) and Andrew Symonds (92 from just 59 balls). Mongia was as ineffectual as the rest of the attack, conceding 49 from his eight overs. In response, Leicestershire could manage only 226 for 8, with Mongia contributing a rapid 21 before being caught off Brad Hogg’s bowling.June 5 – National League

ScorecardMongia engineered Leicestershire’s thumping win over Somerset at Oakham School Ground with a fantastic allround show. His 72-ball 75, including seven fours and a six, set up a fighting target and Somerset, after a decent opening partnership, capitulated for a mere 146 while chasing. Mongia played a crucial role with the ball too and ended with magical figures of 4 for 12 in his seven overs.June 1-4 – Frizzell County Championship

ScorecardLeicestershire dominated the drawn game, but without a significant contribution from Mongia, who only made 26 in a total of 338.May 30 – National League

ScorecardDerbyshire turned the tables on Leicestershire this time, eking out a four-wicket win at Derby. Mongia fell early, making just 6 as the team slumped to 55 for 6 before limping to 146. With such a total on the board, the result was never in doubt.May 26-29 – Frizzell County Championship

ScorecardMongia got starts in both innings as Leicestershire notched up an impressive win against Derbyshire. In the first innings, he made 51 and offered fine support to Darren Robinson, who made 110. In the second, with Leicestershire needing a challenging 258 to win, Mongia chipped in with a vital 47 after the team had slumped to 48 for 3. With the rest of the middle order contributing as well, Leicestershire won by four wickets.May 17 – C&G Trophy

ScorecardLeicestershire were at the wrong end of a run-chase this time, as they fell well short of their quest for 236. Mongia did well with the ball, taking 1 for 30 from 10 overs, but failed in his main job, scoring just 5 before becoming one of three victims for Dougie Brown.May 15 – National League

ScorecardA superb all-round performance by Mongia gave Leicestershire a convincing win at Grace Road against Surrey. Mongia scored 67 off 86 balls even as his team-mates struggled – no-one managed more than 22. Then, he starred with the ball as well, taking 4 for 15, including the scalp of Mark Ramprakash, Surrey’s top-scorer with 34. In the end, Leicestershire defended a low score with plenty to spare.May 11-14 – Frizzell County Championship

ScorecardMongia shrugged off a first-ball duck in the first innings with a well-compiled 70 in the second, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Leicestershire from suffering yet another defeat. Batting at No. 3, Mongia was trapped in front by Ian Harvey in the first innings, but top-scored with a 115-ball effort in the second. It should have won his team the game, but Yorkshire pulled off a magnificent run-chase, getting 406 in the fourth innings.May 6-9 – Frizzell County Championship

ScorecardMongia’s first match in the four-day county championship ended in disappointment for him and his team. Mongia made 6 and 39 as Leicestershire went down by six wickets against Essex at Chelmsford.May 4 – C&G Trophy

ScorecardA fifth-ball duck for Mongia, but victory for Leicestershire as they scraped through in a tense low-scoring battle at Grace Road. Somerset were bundled out for 94, with Sanath Jayasuriya, Somerset’s overseas player, making a duck as well. Leicestershire were struggling at 53 for 6, but some lower-order resistance pulled them through.May 1 – National League

ScorecardMongia thumped 16 from ten balls with three fours, but then fell as Leicestershire’s batsmen disappointed, scoring only 211 for 8. Somerset overhauled the target without many problems.April 24 – National League

ScorecardMongia got off to a fine start to the season, scoring 62 off 76 balls in the 45-over one-day match against Kent. Mongia was the only batsman from the side to score a half-century as Leicestershire put up 214 for 8, but Martin van Jaarsveld swung the game Kent’s way with an unbeaten 69.