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The West Indies selectors have recalled Chris Gayle for the third Test against Australia and announced the return to fitness of Shivnarine Chanderpaul (after knee injury), Ridley Jacobs (groin) and Jermaine Lawson (chicken pox).Wavell Hinds, Pedro Collins and David Bernard, the debutant allrounder, were dropped for the Test starting at Bridgetown, Barbados, on May 1.Gayle, who was controversially dropped for the first two Tests, returns after West Indies were thrashed in the first Test at Georgetown (by nine wickets) and the second at Port of Spain (by 118 runs).Gayle was axed for allegedly violating an eligibility rule that demanded playing in the West Indies domestic tournament for selection to the national side. He had missed the final featuring his Jamaican side, and instead participated in an international double-wicket tournament in St.Lucia.Brian Lara, the captain, made the mandatory upbeat noises, saying, “My approach in the remaining matches will be very positive. I am very optimistic about our batting in the remaining matches but in the bowling we need to do some work to limit the Australians.However, he hinted that West Indies could continue their curiously defensive strategy of playing seven specialist batsmen by saying: “One of things we do not want is to lose the next Test match, if we can get a draw it would be great, so we need to be careful who we select in the next match.”The squad 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Daren Ganga, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 6 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 7 Marlon Samuels, 8 Ridley Jacobs, 9 Mervyn Dillon, 10 Vasbert Drakes, 11 Jermaine Lawson, 12 Omari Banks, 13 Carlton Baugh (wk), 14 Tino Best

Mark Butcher carried his bat for his first century of the season as Surrey rushed to 281 all out on the first day of their CricInfo Championship match against Glamorgan at The Oval today.Butcher, 29 this month, dominated the rain-effected day, hitting 21 fours in 215 balls to record an unbeaten 145.Glamorgan’s seamers took Surrey wickets regularly, with nippy, chest-on right-armer Andrew Davies recording a career-best 3-76.It was the first time that a Surrey player had carried their bat against Glamorgan. Butcher told CricInfo: “I think we’re in a very good position. We managed to get a competitive total and with 280 we’re definitely in the game.”With regard to England he said: “I’ve been playing pretty well for the last one-and-a-half our two months. It was just a shame about the last Test.”The left-hander was the last player to carry his bat for Surrey, making 109* against Somerset in 1998.Surrey’s other four Ashes representatives, in a team of 10 Test players, failed to reach 30 as Darren Thomas (3-69) and season’s debutant Davies found bounce and pace in The Oval wicket.Butcher passed 50 in 65 balls and went in for lunch 69* with Surrey in trouble on 133-5.When on 70 Glamorgan’s captain, Adrian Dale, missed a difficult catch at second slip off Davies – the only chance that Butcher gave.Until a lengthy last wicket stand of six, Surrey had added 142 in 32 overs after lunch, with captain Martin Bicknell (replacing Adam Hollioake who had a stomach muscle strain), Ian Salisbury and Saqlain carrying on from where Tudor (27) had left off in support of Butcher.The 30-Test veteran passed 100 in 142 balls, recording his 16th first-class century.Glamorgan finished on 64-2, losing Jimmy Maher in Bicknell’s (who is to have an achilles operation at the end of season) third over.Three balls later Bicknell clipped Ian Thomas’ off bail for his 47th wicket of the season, which left Surrey on top at the close.

Darren Cousins roared in with a sensational three-wicket burst at Wantage Road to earn in-form Northamptonshire a victory that virtually assures them of promotion into the Championship’s Division One for next season.The former Essex paceman snapped up Gloucestershire’s last three wickets – Martyn Ball, Jon Lewis and Tom Cotterell – in the space of nine deliveries with the second new ball, seeing Northants home by an innings and 74 runs with ten balls to spare.The visitors looked to be heading for safety at 202-7 with eleven overs of the final hour gone, but Cousins then induced a fatal error from Ball who miscued an attempted pull, and the two tail-enders were dispatched swiftly.It was a fifth straight Championship win for Matthew Hayden’s men, who have extended their lead at the top of the second division table with two rounds of matches remaining.Off-spinners Jason Brown and Alec Swann made important early inroads, Brown dismissing opener Tim Hancock with his first ball of the morning as Gloucestershire crumbled to 110-5 either side of lunch, despite a battling 39 from Dominic Hewson.Skipper Mark Alleyne (18) and Jack Russell (41) held the fort for an hour-and-three-quarters until Hayden produced a master stroke by calling up veteran seamer Paul Taylor to bowl his occasional left-arm spin. The move paid off handsomely as Alleyne edged to Hayden himself at slip, and Russell was bowled looking to cut.Jeremy Snape (23 not out) looked set to deny his former county, but Cousins swept away Gloucestershire’s remaining batsmen to clinch a magnificent win.

Stephen Katwaroo, the West Indies Under-15 captain, has spoken of his delight in securing the 2008 CLICO International Under-15 Championship final at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain. West Indies beat Pakistan by 89 runs, with Kraigg Brathwaite top-scoring in their 228 for 9 with 82.”It was a great performance from the guys,” Katwaroo told the . “We were looking forward to the final and we played hard cricket so we did not expect anything less than winning.”It was a good contest; we just played the best we can and here it is, we are champions,” Katwaroo said. “It was a match we had to win and the guys were eager for revenge. That game [against Pakistan in the knockout final] was just a warm-up match and we put everything into this game and like everyone said it was a good final. We put our best foot forward and did the best we can.”It can’t get better than this. This is a West Indies team, and as youths, all of us are mentally and physically fit. The guys understand the game, they understand the concept and that was basically what got us through the tournament.”The best wicketkeeper award went to Pakistan’s Muhammad Waqar Khan, while Ramon Senior’s 11 wickets earned him the best bowler award.”It was a great feeling to win the league championship,” Keith Arthurton, the former West Indies batsman turned Under-15 coach, said. “We knew what we needed to do and they had a score to settle with Pakistan so it is great that we came out on top.”

“I was not expecting this,” said Ishant Sharma on the call he received from Professor Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, at noon on Friday. Shetty had called to inform Sharma that he should get ready to leave for Bangladesh to join the Indian team for the remainder two-Test series as a replacement for Munaf Patel.”Even if I wasn’t thinking of getting a call now I know anything is possible”, says Sharma, who came into the national reckoning late last year when he was a strong contender to replace the injured Munaf Patel for the Test series in South Africa. The fact that call never materialised doesn’t bother Sharma, whose stock has been rising like his height especially over the last two seasons.Tall – he stands 6’4″ in socks – and lanky, Sharma found his way into the Delhi side in 2005-06 through with his prolific performances in the Under-19 matches, where his disconcerting bounce had batsmen running for cover. The art of pitching it short has always been his USP. Twenty-nine wickets at 20.10 made him the state’s best bowler, and ninth nationally in terms of most wickets.Sharma believes he is steadily understanding the nuances of becoming a better fast bowler by focusing more on “line and length, and trying to be more patient.”Chetan Chauhan, Delhi’s coach, says his attacking instincts form the strongest facet of Sharma’s repertoire. “He is an attacking bowler and is not shy of letting go of the short one irrespective of the batsman,” says Chauhan, no stranger who himself had copped quite a few from the best fast men of his time. Chauhan’s confidence in Sharma comes from his hard work and his readiness to bend his back. “He is young and a very hardworking boy who has worked himself into the side. He loves to train, practice and gives his heart and soul when he is bowling, which is a great thing for a fast bowler.”In June 2006 had carried a feature story on the probable ‘Third XI’ for India which contained names that could be doing rounds in the years to come. Talent Research Development Officers (TRDOs) across the country were asked to nominate their choices and Sharma’s name was a popular one among the pundits, who predicted an India cap sooner or later.Aakash Chopra, Delhi captain last year and one-time India opener, feels Sharma has the ability to handle pressure. “He has been a revelation, has handled pressure well and has hunted profitably along with Ashish Nehra.” Chopra feels being in the Indian dressing room is a learning experience for anybody and it will help Sharma understand himself much better.Sharma agress completely. “In the end cricket is all about experience, so being involved in the Indian dressing room would definitely be a learning experience and I want to enjoy that.”

Spectators wanting prized Ashes tickets will push for a small allocation of at least 1700 seats at each Test day when they go on general sale from Monday. While Cricket Australia announced 340,000 spots were available after the Australian Cricket Family’s priority access expired, most of those are for the one-day internationals.Approximately 2000 tickets will be available to the first four days at the Gabba, 1800 for each day at Adelaide, 1700 at the WACA and 3,500 at the SCG. About 2000 seats will go on sale for Boxing Day in Melbourne, but there are still large areas available for the second to fourth days.Sales for Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Hobart begin on Monday, with Brisbane seats being offered on Tuesday and Melbourne’s on Wednesday. The staggered dates have been introduced to avoid the severe jamming of phone and internet lines during the initial Australian Cricket Family release on June 1. Purchases are limited to four and buyers can line-up at ticket agency outlets.”I encourage fans to get in quick for tickets because availability is limited and demand is likely to exceed supply in most states,” James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said. “Fans deciding to queue at outlets need to be aware that only those very early in the queue are likely to be successful.”If you do miss out on your match of choice and are really keen to experience Test match cricket this summer, then your best chance is at the MCG due to its larger capacity. You can also catch Australia in action around the country in the one-day international series against England and New Zealand.”

The ultimate challenge to Australia’s cricketing supremacy came a step closer today with the announcement of the ICC World XI squads of 20 players for the Super Series in Australia this October.Heading a star cast of batsmen are Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Michael Vaughan, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag who all average above 50 in Tests against Australia. Steve Harmison, Shoaib Akhtar, Muttiah Muralitharan and Makhaya Ntini are included among a potent squad of bowlers, while Andrew Flintoff and Shaun Pollock lead a clutch of world class allrounders.After missing out on selection in the original squads of 30, West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been included in the ICC World XI Test squad after averaging more than 77 over his last 13 Tests. Another squad newcomer is Harmison, the England fast bowler. He has been picked for the one-day squad after some impressive form in the NatWest Series.The strength and depth of the squads is highlighted by the quality of players that Sunil Gavaskar’s selection panel has been forced to exclude. Missing from the original Test squad of 30 are VVS Laxman, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chaminda Vaas, while no place could be found for Marcus Trescothick, Sanath Jayasuriya or Darren Gough among the one-day International specialists. The dream of taking on the world champion team has also ended for Andrew Strauss, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Naved ul Hasan, Danish Kaneria, Yousuf Youhana, Shoaib Malik and Andre Nel.

“It was an almost impossible task to cut down the original squads to just 20 players,” said Gavaskar, the chairman of the selection panel. “To leave out players of the calibre of Laxman, Sarwan, Vaas, Strauss, Trescothick and Harbhajan Singh was very difficult. At the same time we also took current form into account, which is why Shivnarine Chanderpaul came into the Test squad and Steve Harmison forced his way into the reckoning for the one-day games.”While banking on proven performers, the selection panel of Gavaskar, Mike Atherton, Sir Richard Hadlee, Clive Lloyd, Jonty Rhodes and Aravinda de Silva also placed faith in a number of the game’s brightest young stars. Brendon McCullum, Kevin Pietersen and Shahid Afridi have been chosen for their outstanding form in recent months and the impression made on seasoned judges who have monitored their performances.South Africa has six players across both squads, Pakistan has five, England and India four, West Indies three and New Zealand and Sri Lanka each have two representatives.The 20 players selected for the ICC World XI Test and ODI squads, by country, are:

With the final squads of 14 for the ODI series and 13 for the Sydney Super Test due to be selected in mid-August, Atherton said there is still time for players to stake a compelling case for inclusion over the next six weeks: “It must be disappointing for the guys who haven’t made it into the squads of 20,” he said, “but they shouldn’t give up hope. Form and fitness will still be taken into account at the final meeting; we may need to replace injured players and if someone like Andrew Strauss for example has an outstanding Ashes series, there could be a case for us to consider bringing him in.”Of the 26 players selected, 14 are named in both the Test and ODI squads, six are included in the Test squad alone and there are six players nominated as ODI specialists. The final squads of 14 for the ICC World XI ODI team and 13 for the Test squad will be selected and announced in August, when a captain, or captains, will also be named. A World XI coach and management team will also be appointed.

Claude Henderson is turning his back on South Africa and throwing in his lot with English cricket. His appearance for Western Province in this weekend’s SuperSport Series final at Newlands will be his last in South Africa.”I have decided on this course of action because it is clear to me that I have no future role to play at national level when one considers the selections of the national panel,” he told reporters. “I will miss South African cricket, but life is about the future.”I don’t see the next step in my cricket future being in South Africa,” said Henderson. “I have had a wonderful career here, thanks to Boland and Western Province. I have been very honoured to play for my country and I will never forget it. We [his family] are very excited about this move. It is the next step for us, it is a new challenge. There are a lot of opportunities over there. It is sad to go, but it is exciting as well.”Under European Union employment regulations, Henderson, 31, will be classified as a UK-registered player as long as he doesn’t play in or for South Africa. So. by severing all ties with domestic sides there, he made himself a prime target for a number of county sides in England as he would not count as one of their two overseas-registered players. Henderson, who played seven Tests for South Africa, signed a two-year deal with Leicestershire last week.Arthur Turner, Western Province’s chief executive officer, paid tribute to Henderson for the contribution he had made over the last six seasons. He said although he was disappointed that Henderson would no longer be available, he appreciated his feelings of frustration on being continually overlooked in spite of his outstanding performances. Turner added that the public would judge the selection panel on the loss of one of South Africa’s cricketing assets in an area where the cupboard was bare.

Kenya coach Sandeep Patil insists victory over India is a realistic aspiration in tomorrow’s Super Six encounter at Newlands, Cape Town.Patil, a World Cup winner with India in 1983, is tired of constant claims thatKenya are effectively tournament also-rans.But he has been particularly irritated by comments made by Navjot Sidhu, the former India Test opener who is now a television commentator.”He said the top teams were going to lick us like candy but I would like to tell him that I am carrying candy for him and he should start licking it now,”said Patil, whose team beat Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Canada in Pool B.”We had a goal in front of us at the start of the tournament, to qualify forthe Super Six, which we have done. I’ve said for the last four years that this team is capable of beating any side in the world.”Of course, saying it is one thing and it happening on the field is another but we have made things happen on the ground. “We have made a big statement to the cricketing world by reaching the Super Sixes. We have also made a statement on behalf of the other weaker teams, Canada, Namibia and Holland because we were always considered minnows.”Let’s be realistic, we have taken half a step forward and we would like to complete that step by playing good cricket. Everyone knows how good the Indian side is and how the Kenyan side compares but one-day cricket is so funny; I have seen good sides losing and weaker sides winning.”It is not inconceivable that the teams could meet again in the semi-finalsregardless of the result in Cape Town, because Kenya are currenly behind only Australia in the standings.”We are here to play cricket,” Patel insisted. “The rules and regulations are not our problem, it is the International Cricket Council who have set the rules for points.”We are not here because we played bad cricket but we also know that New Zealand forfeited their points and we have benefited like Zimbabwe have. Luck plays a part in cricket but we are here because we played well.”Kenya’s captain Steve Tikolo, who has been one of the mainstays of cricket in his country over the past decade, conceded: “It is a great achievement to get here and we have thought about that prospect but we would like to go through to the semi-finals having won at least one game.”There is pressure on us to do so but there is always pressure each time youwalk out to play a game against a Test-playing country. If we do get through by not winning that is life and we must take life as it comes.”Tikolo also believes Kenya should be given more international exposure given that Bangladesh, who have lost their last 30 completed one-day matches, were handed Test status in 2000.”We don’t want to compare ourselves to Bangladesh but having said that wehave a better side and hopefully ICC will look into that,” he added.Bangladesh have won just three out of 67 one-day internationals while Kenya, who won as many in the group stages here, have 11 wins from 57 games.

The cricket author Vijay Kumar has been jailed for ten months after being convicted of stealing cricket memorabilia worth thousands of pounds. Kumar, whose book “Cricket Lovely Cricket” was published last year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the West Indies’ first victory in England, was sentenced to concurrent terms of nine months and one month at Middlesex Crown Court after being found guilty on two counts of theft.Kumar, 41, who counts several prominent West Indies players among his personal friends, had denied stealing a quantity of cricket memorabilia from the booksellers JW McKenzie of Epsom, and the theft of more cricket items from a friend, Dr. Khadim Baloch, at his home in Essex in 1999. The memorabilia included a number of Wisden cricket almanacks, and autographs of famous players going back to the 19th century.Vijay Priyadarsan Kumar, who was a Vice President of The Deutsche Bank in America, gave his address as Highland Avenue, Jamaica, New York. He was born in Guyana and has followed cricket since boyhood, paying particular attention to the fortunes of the West Indies team. His book “Cricket Lovely Cricket” included a foreword by Sir Clyde Walcott and appreciations by Brian Lara and Courtney Walsh. The former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding gave Kumar a character reference during the trial.Dr. Khadim Baloch befriended Kumar during visits to cricket grounds, and invited him to stay at his home in Colchester when Kumar asked for help with his book. Although Dr Baloch did not miss anything after Kumar’s first visit, he noticed after the second that items had gone missing. They included wartime Wisdens, autograph folders, signed photographs of players and books; a collection Dr. Baloch had taken many years to build up. Most of it is now lost.”I am sorry that he had to go to prison,” said Dr. Baloch. “Hopefully he will learn his lesson and not exploit people who show him kindness. The experience has left me feeling completely empty; it is a lifetime’s effort that has vanished.”