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Doug Walters, the former Test batsman, insists Australia need Michael Clarke in their side to win back the Ashes. Clarke was dropped last summer before forcing his way back for two games in Bangladesh, but he has said the selectors face some tough choices before the England series.However, Walters, who played 36 Ashes Tests and toured England four times, told the Clarke was ready to resume his match-winning ways. “He had a brilliant start to his career, but then had one or two hiccups,” Walters told the paper. “But he is going to be a good player for a long time. We have to stick with those sort of guys. Australia need to play him.”Walters said it was important for Clarke to have an opportunity at regaining the Ashes in the series beginning in Brisbane on November 23. “All of our batsmen would have learnt from last year,” he said of the 2-1 loss. “In another 12 months or 18 months, we will be looking for some younger guys. Hopefully they start that this year by playing [Clarke].”

Guyana 213 for 5 (Chanderpaul 87*) beat Trinidad & Tobago 210 for 7 (D Ganga 101*) by 5 wickets
Scorecard

In a match dominated by the two captains, both of whom batted at No. 3, Shivnarine Chanderpaul prevailed over Daren Ganga, primarily due to a better display from his support cast. Chanderpaul struck an unbeaten 87 to guide Guyana to a five-wicket win after Ganga had made a superb 101 not out to lift Trinidad and Tobago to 210.The pitch at the Albion Community Centre lacked pace and bounce, requiring the batsmen to show plenty of patience. Ganga did just that, retrieving the T&T innings after they had lost two early wickets to slump to 10 for 2. Ganga found an able ally in Ricardo Powell, who made 41 and helped add 87 for the fourth wicket. However, the rest of the batting floundered, resulting in a modest target for Guyana.Chanderpaul then took over after the Guyanese openers had put together 55 for the opening wicket. Trinidad had hopes of a fightback when they reduced Guyana to 120 for 4, but Chanderpaul then got together with D Daesrath in a decisive 89-run stand which swung the match their way. The win puts Guyana at the top of the table with eight points after two games.

Zimbabwe A 294 (Ervine 75) and 28 for 1 trail Sri Lankans 461 (M Jayawardene 113, Samaraweera 97, Sangakkara 95) by 139 runs
ScorecardThilan Samaraweera laid the foundations, and Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene applied the flourish, as the Sri Lankans took command on the second day of their tour match against Zimbabwe A in Harare. In reply to the Zimbabwean first-innings total of 294, Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 461 with contributions all down the order. By the close, Stuart Matsikenyeri had failed for the second time in the match, as Zimbabwe A limped to 28 for 1 in 12 overs.Even the presence of five of Zimbabwe’s so-called rebels could not change their fortunes, as the Sri Lankans’ engine-room of Samaraweera, Sangakkara and Jayawardene took control from the word go. Sangakkara, as is his custom, was the principal aggressor in the morning session, picking up from his unbeaten 41 to motor towards a richly deserved century. But he was eventually caught behind off Sean Ervine for 95, after cracking 16 fours and two sixes in his 93-ball innings (152 for 3).Samaraweera had been content to drop anchor and let the fun go on at the other end, and he duly performed the same role for Jayawardene, who is standing in as captain for this match. There was an air of inevitability about his innings, but he too fell just short of his hundred – caught by Elton Chigumbura off Heath Streak for a 200-ball 97 (290 for 4).Jayawardene made no mistake, however, and had raced to 113 from 106 balls, with 17 fours and a six, before falling lbw to Trevor Gripper. Gripper then accounted for Upul Chandana and Thilina Kandamby, both caught and bowled, although Kandamby didn’t depart the stage until he had blitzed his way to a remarkable 52 from 41 balls – it was an innings that did not involve a single non-boundary, as it contained 10 fours and two sixes.Prasanna Jayawardene, the reserve wicketkeeper, and Farveez Maharoof continued to enjoy themselves at the Zimbabwe bowlers’ expense, before Chigumbura chipped in with both wickets and Ervine returned to wrap up the tail. Zimbabwe A trailed by 167 runs on first innings, and face a tricky task on the final day if they are to avoid defeat.

So the time has come to say farewell. An old man’s hesitation and tardyrunning may have cost him the chance of a fitting swansong but the memorieswill live long anyhow. Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka’s greatest batsman andthe longest-serving player in international cricket, has finally called timeon an glorious career that stretches back nearly two decades.

Despite being 37-years-old and balding fast, he remains capable with bat andball. Indeed, Sri Lankan cricket officials have already tried to persuadehim to stay on for another six months. But de Silva, like any greatperformer, appreciates the value of timing. Money is not a concern and thereis now nothing left to prove. For a man always motivated by the bigoccasion, a World Cup exit was perfect and now he will begin a new life.Unlike so many professional cricketers who hang up their boots and wonder”what next?” de Silva’s future is already mapped out. Coaching is not hiscalling, although he is a master cricket strategist and technician, and hissoft voice will not sit well alongside the orchestrated hysteria of TonyGreig on microphone. Instead, he seeks the challenge of business; a fieldthat tests the same fierce competitiveness that saw him amass 15,645 runs inTests and ODIs.

Already he has proved himself a sound commercial operator: he has been aboard member of one of Colombo’s largest conglomerates, sold mobileconnections to the war-ravaged north, set-up and sold one of Colombo’sleading Indian restaurants, silently invested in a series of other venturesand played the stock market with the same dexterity that allowed him to milkthe world’s best spinners. When de Silva moves, Colombo’s businessmen watch.Scoring runs and making money requires ruthlessness. And despite beingblessed with the kind of charm that made Canterbury’s tea ladies melt,reminding them of bygone eras when cricketers were gentlemen, de Silva isruthless.But de Silva will not be remembered for his commercial exploits, no matterhow great they will be. De Silva and Sri Lankan cricket have been joined atthe hip during the last 19 years, walking side by side on a journey ofself-discovery. When he first strode out to bat in international cricket,against New Zealand at Moratuwa way back in March 1984, Sri Lanka had onlysix ODI victories under their belt and were still two years away from theirfirst Test win. Today, as he lays down his blade, 178 ODIs and 32 Tests havenow been bagged and World Cup semi-final appearances invoke disappointmentnot joy. During that two decade journey there has been a transformation: ofman and country.

During those early years, Sri Lanka were the whipping boys of internationalcricket: smiling, charming, stylish, talented, but, all too frequently,losers. De Silva was cast in a similar mould: unfailingly polite,soft-spoken, an artisan with the bat but one who specialised in cameoperformances, apparently content to play second fiddle to the main act.Dubbed Mad Max for his daring approach and unquenchable urge to dominate, hestarred frequently but all too briefly, lighting up a game with hispotential but falling short of fulfillment. Even today his statistics,astonishing as they are, tells the tale: on 75 occasions he has passed fiftyin an ODI but only 11 of those were converted to centuries. He was theplayboy of Sri Lanka cricket: women swooned and fast cars were his passion.But during the mid-1990’s things started to change: style met substance andthe purple years commenced. Kent were fortunate enough to hire his serviceswith the metamorphosis in full swing. He plundered attacks across thecountry, swung mighty sixes into the Tavern Stand during Lord’s finals andmade friends wherever he went. Canterbury fell in love. Graham Cowdrey, ateammate, still remembers his farewell: “When he packed his bags, he huggedeach of us, and I have never known a professional sports team so close totears.”

And then there was the 1996 World Cup, a tournament that produced the finestmoment of his career: a match-winning performance against the Australians inthe Lahore final as he pinched three wickets with his off-breaks and thenlaced the bowlers to all corners on his way to a sizzling hundred. Hissemi-final performance was, perhaps, even more memorable. He arrived in themiddle with both openers in the hutch and only one run on the board. Acapacity 100,000 plus Eden Garden’s crowd vibrated with delight. Calmly andboldly, he counter-attacked, unveiling his full repertoire of strokes. Itwas not an attack born out of desperation, but a controlled assault, a raremixture of power, precision and finesse. 14 boundaries and 66 runs later hisgreatness was assured and Sri Lanka’s arrival in the big-time was confirmed.Afterwards, for two prolific years, he vied with Sachin Tendulkar and BrianLara as the best batsman in the world. Between 1997 and 1999 he played 24Tests, scoring 2195 runs at an average of 66.5. In 1997 alone he scoredseven hundreds and two fifties in just 11 Tests. Unfortunately, the powersstarted to diminish thereafter as selection squabbles and controversy tookits toll.The match-fixing furore threatened a humiliating end as Indian bookmakerMukesh Gupta claimed in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reportthat de Silva and captain Arjuna Ranatunga were entangled in the scandal.The Sri Lankan Cricket Board launched an independent inquiry despite stanchdenials. Eventually the pair were cleared as Gupta refused to testify in acourt of law, but by then the damage had already been done. His interest inthe game was waning; the selectors wanted him cast aside and, after England’s 2001 tour of Sri Lanka, he drifted into the wilderness, hanging up hisboots for the best part of a year.

A lifeline was thrown at the beginning of 2002 when a new selection panelwas convened. De Silva grabbed his chance, shedding 12 kilos as he soughtone final fling on the international scene. Picked first for the Test sideduring Sri Lanka’s tour to England, he also won a one-day recall as theselectors looked to strengthen the middle order for the World Cup. Hisreturn produced flashes of a glorious past but never recovered the sustainedbrilliance of his pomp. Nevertheless, he remained the most feared batsman inthe middle order, capable, as he was throughout his career, ofsingle-handedly changing the course of a match. The fact that his semi-finalrun out by Andy Bichel spelt the end of Sri Lanka’s 2003 World Cup campaignspoke volumes of the veteran’s enduring importance to the side.As de Silva finally puts his fading pads to bed and turns his full attentionto his loving wife Sarita and baby son Sampras, he will do so in theknowledge that he touched greatness. He may not have matched the phenomenalconsistency of a Tendulkar or Waugh, and he may not have scored as many bighundreds as he should, but, for brief moments in his career, he elevatedbatting to heights achieved by very few. Quite simply, he brought magic tothe game. His cricketing journey has ended but the legacy will live on. Anew era in Sri Lanka cricket now beckons and de Silva, more than any otherindividual, helped ensure their arrival in the big time.

George Winkles is a very special and treasured person within the Burridge Community, to be sat here writing his obituary greatly saddens me, for this was a gentleman in the prime of his life, with so very much to offer, who put back into cricket far more than he took out as a player.George joined Burridge in 1983 when the club was a mid table Hampshire League South East 1 club playing on a Council field with 2 Saturday sides. At the time of his unfortunate and premature death, Burridge reside in Southern Premier 1 and have 4 Saturday sides, and one of the top pitches in Hampshire. All of which are achievements that without George, would have been almost impossible.The intervening 18 years has seen George play a variety of roles within the club, from opening batsman, where he still holds with Pete Tugwell the club record opening partnership of 236 against Paultons, a more than useful offspin bowler, Colts manager for 4 years and Secretary for 4 years, but the legacy he leaves behind is of the untold hours he has put into our cricket field to make what was 15 years ago a farmers field into a superb cricket facility.George was the secretary when the opportunity to develop the ground arose and he was at the forefront as the levelling and laying of the square took place volunteering to take control of the maintenance of the square from the start, learning as he went along about the many intricacies of cricket square maintenance, of grasses, pests and diseases. George was a man who was always prepared to pass on his knowledge to any one who asked his advice.As people took notice of the growing reputation of the Burridge wicket, (winning the HCL ground of the year in 1996 and the Southern League Groundsman in 1999) so George was in demand, subsequently he joined the Hampshire League committee in 1993, and the Southern League in 1997 helping to set up the ground accreditation sub committee , and in 1999 when the Premier League was set up he advised on ground standards. He did over the past few years win many awards for the standard of the pitch, however he was always humble in receiving the credit that was so desperately deserved.His efforts within Hampshire didn’t go unnoticed at national level when in 1999 it was decided by the English Cricket board to set up a panel of pitch advisors to cover the country George was invited to become one of the initial group of 16, covering the central southern region. This was a great honour to bestow upon anyone, and George attacked this challenge as he did with anything else within his life.George was, and always will be a treasured and true friend to all of those who through the years were lucky enough to encounter him, he was funny with the ability to make anyone smile with a simple comment.It has been my privilege to have known George, and I know that I am not alone in that thinking, all those people who were lucky enough to encounter this extraordinary person were honoured.George Winkles will remain forever our true friend, and will remain in our thoughts and hearts forever.

Sri Lanka Cricket has requested that Galle curator Jayananda Warnaweera step back from preparations for next week’s Test, after he missed a meeting with the ICC’s anti-corruption security unit (ACSU) in Colombo on Wednesday. Warnaweera would ordinarily oversee preparations of the surface and the ground for the first Test against West Indies, which begins on October 14, but SLC has instead asked national curator Janaka Sampath to take over at Galle.The board had been prompted to make other arrangements for this Test when ASCU staff alerted them about Warnaweera’s failure to turn up to the meeting. SLC is expected to have a clearer view of the implications of Warnaweera’s absence following a meeting between ACSU staff and SLC chairman Sidath Wettimuny this afternoon. The board is expected to make a statement some time in the next 48 hours. No official suspension of any nature has been handed down.Last Friday, Warnaweera had resigned from SLC’s interim committee, citing personal reasons. His appointment to the interim committee in March had raised minor criticism, because Warnaweera had also been an executive committee member in controversial previous administrations. At the time, then-sports minister Navin Dissanayake had postured the new board as a clean break from the past.Warnaweera could not be reached for comment. SLC officials said they had also had trouble getting through to him over the past 24 hours.

John Bracewell, New Zealand’s coach, wants his batsmen to “start living above the line” of averaging above 40 on their tour of England and Scotland and beyond. He is counting on a young side, including the uncapped Aaron Redmond and Daniel Flynn, to flourish if New Zealand are to do well.”We’ve got to work above the line, and the line to be successful as an international batsman is 40-plus,” Bracewell told NZPA in Christchurch on Tuesday. “We’ve got to start moving in that direction. We’ve got to start living above the line.”Four New Zealand batsmen averaged above 40 in their latest Test series, against England earlier this year. Thirteen half-centuries were shared among seven batsmen, but only one – Ross Taylor – made a century.Redmond and Flynn now have their chance for debut. Redmond, 28, is almost guaranteed a start, as Bracewell has previously confirmed he will be the first-choice opener. 23-year-old Flynn made his ODI and Twenty20 debuts for New Zealand against England earlier this year but has yet to feature in a Test.Five players will join up with the squad in England on May 1, having been allowed to play in the IPL. Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills will arrive in time for the first-class warm-ups against Essex and England A. The first Test, at Lord’s as is tradition, is one of three and begins on May 15. They will miss two practice matches: a one-dayer against MCC in Arundel on Sunday and a three-day fixture against Kent which starts on Monday.However, Bracewell was excited about the experience the IPL offered, denying that it wasn’t good preparation leading into a Test series. “It’s going to be great for us,” he said of the experience the players would gain playing alongside such players as Australia’s Ricky Ponting.”We go from Twenty20 stuff to one-dayers to Test matches at the drop of a hat on a travel-to-play basis now and these guys are our most experienced players. They’ll be comfortable with their return to the team and what they’ve gained from that. It’s a landscape we’re reasonably used to, but not necessarily at this hype.”Bracewell is excited by “the adventure” of playing in England, and hopes this will fire up his squad. “I loved that bonding culture that you get out of busing around the place,” said Bracewell, who toured there three times between 1983 and 1990. “Those sorts of grounds, so steeped in history… It’s something that scratches my itch and I hope that it scratches the itch of some of our young players.”New Zealand head to England having lost 2-1 at home in their recent Test series. Their last tour of England, in 2004, resulted in a 3-0 win for the home side.

It’s 75 years to the day since India made their entry into the Test fold. It was a glorious summer day in 1932 when CK Nayudu walked out to lead a bunch of novices against England at Lord’s.The MCC is marking the 75th anniversary by commissioning a Pataudi Trophy, named after the Nawab of Pataudi Snr, who played for both England and India during his 14-year career. Interestingly India will soon embark on a full-fledged tour of England, opening the three-Test series with a game at Lord’s.In that debut Test the efforts of India’s two opening bowlers, Mohammad Nissar and AmarSingh, was soon to enter folklore. Nissar, an aggressive fast bowler from Lahore, had England hobbling at 11 for 2 before Singh added the big wicket of Wally Hammond. Nissar’s son, Waqar, who’s currently settled in Lahore still flicks through his father’s scrap book, and even presented a copy of it to Sharad Pawar, the Indian board president, recently.Singh, who named his son after Vijay Merchant, one of India’s finest openers, died at the tender age of 29 after contracting typhoid. Merchant reciprocated his feelings for Singh by naming his own son Amar.Several players from the team ended up in Pakistan, after Partition in 1947. Jahangir Khan, India’s first-change bowler in that match, was one of them. His son Majid Khan had an illustrious career for Pakistan while his grandson Bazid made his Test debut as recently as 2005. The Ali brothers – Wazir and Nazir – also settled down in the western side of the border. Wazir’s son, Khalid, managed two Tests for Pakistan in the 1954 season.

Naoomal Jaomal, one of India’s openers, however, reversed the trend – he was born in Karachi but settled down in Bombay. However, he did his bit for Pakistan too: coaching them in the late 1950s and guiding players such as Hanif Mohammad and Nasim-ul-Ghani. India’s other opener in that game, Janardhan Navle, was also their first wicketkeeper. He managed just one other Test and sadly, according to veteran statistician Vasant Raiji, “died in penury, uncared for in his final years”.Lall Singh, the only Test cricketer to be born in Malaysia, didn’t play another Test but will always be remembered, according to reports, as India’s “first outstanding fielder”. But if there’s one man permanently associated with the Test it will be Nayudu. “He always used to take pride in the fact that India’s Test journey began with him,” says his daughter Chandra, a retired professor in English and the author of the book .”Though it was the Maharaja of Patiala who was the designated captain and the Ghanshyamsinhji of Limbdi the official vice-captain, both made way for my father to lead the side. It was indicative of his abilities as a leader and the readiness with which even princes were willing to give way to a common man,” she told Cricinfo. As more and more youngsters make it to the national side from hitherto obscure parts of the nation, India’s cricketing saga continues even as the game’s popularity continues to soar.

The ECB have announced that the 50-over domestic competition, currently the C&G Trophy, will include a semi-final stage in 2007. There was been widespread criticism of the current format with just the top team for the North and South conference going into the final at Lord’sHugh Morris, the ECB’s deputy chief executive, said that the decisionhad been taken by the ECB board but it had been widely expected following calls from players and county officals to reduce the number of dead matches.”There were extremely strong cricketing reasons for reintroducing a semi final stage in next year’s competition,” said Morris. “The introduction of semi-finals will increase the intensity of the competition during the popular regional group stages. This move will benefit the players and the spectators alike.”This year’s C&G Final will take place at Lord’s on Saturday August 26 between Sussex and either Durham or Lancashire, with the final round of qualifying matches being played this Sunday.

The crown may sit slightly uncomfortably for Shane Warne, but before he collected the world record he was already Australian bowling’s king. Warne deferred to Dennis Lillee before the second Test, saying “DK” would always be the country’s greatest, but a coronation that started when he passed his hero in sleepy Auckland in 2000 is now complete.Lillee’s 355 wickets sat in the throne for three years, until they were passed by Richard Hadlee, and Warne’s reign could be over in a couple of months. But Warne changed the game in a way Lillee never could. Where Lillee incited, Warne excited. Lillee’s legion charged in, wore headbands, flicked off sweat with their fingers and got wickets. Warne’s disciples tried to spin the ball metres and struggled to land it on the pitch. After Lillee came McDermott, Hughes, McGrath and Gillespie. After Warne there is Cameron White, whose spin is more like Anil Kumble’s than his Victoria team-mate’s.Warne has inspired playgrounds full of flippers, but researchers can find nothing nearing a clone. A soccer striker can pot goals at will from inside the area, but very few can curl the ball in regularly from 30 yards. Over 22 yards, Warne has changed the way Australians watch the game and revived interest in an art that had been dying since the days of Clarrie Grimmett and Bill O’Reilly.Early in his career he was gazed at because he was stunningly different to the pace monotony. Later he was monitored to see if the magic remained after long absences with serious shoulder, finger and diuretic issues. Yet, he still kept swallowing milestones: Paul Wiseman to pass Lillee, Alec Stewart for 400, Hashan Tillakaratne for 500 and Upul Chandana, in Cairns, to equal Muttiah Muralitharan on 527.But 533 was the one he – and everyone else – was waiting for. Losing the plot in the first Test as he pushed too hard for history, Warne stepped out on his own when Irfan Pathan edged to Matthew Hayden in the first session. With a regal air he collected the ball from David Shepherd and waved it to the crowd. However, the new status did not prevent a pounding from Virender Sehwag, who he eventually had caught in the deep. India have always troubled him.

Beginning against them in 1991-92, Warne must have wondered if he’d ever get a Test wicket. A podgy 22-year-old who had been booted from the Academy, he was pasted all over the SCG by Ravi Shastri, who became his only wicket alongside 150 runs. But he kept ripping the ball with his strong wrists and foiled a late charge by Sri Lanka when they threatened to sneak away in 1992. Back in Australia he introduced his flipper against West Indies and the Ball of the Century to Mike Gatting turned his career. The wattle-blond bombshell had arrived.”Hollywood” was an early nickname and everyone tuned in to see what the blockbuster would do next. He once complained his life was a soap opera. Raking through the closets of Ramsay Street’s Dr Karl and Summer Bay’s Alf Stewart could never create so much interest. Drug scandals followed hat-tricks, lewd text messages were sent with the same fingers delivering mystery balls. Potty-mouthed sledging was heard on microphones and he was often overweight. Photographers camped outside his house and followed his children to school whenever he was required for the front pages instead of the back.Through it all he continued to plot wickets and retired from the one-day game, prolonging his career in whites and his attack on the world record. While losing the mark to Muralitharan seems inevitable, it will take somebody extra-special – more talented, more engaging, more prolific than Lillee, Miller or McGrath – to knock off Warne as Australia’s greatest bowler.