Sri Lanka’s fastest bowler, Dilhara Fernando, has fully recovered from aserious back injury and is raring to have a go at the Englishmen. He couldplay in Kandy if conditions favour an extra pace bowler.

Fernando went six months without international cricket after suffering astress fracture of his spine. He last played for Sri Lanka at Sharjah inApril, before the pain became so unbearable that he had to undergotreatment.Sri Lanka Cricket fast bowling coach, Champaka Ramanayke, reveals thatFernando first complained about his back during the 2003 World Cup. Theinjury apparently contributed to him bowling so many no balls.Ramanayake, with whom Fernando has been working with for the past fivemonths, helped identify a technical fault in his action, which is coined`counter rotation’ by bio-mechanic analysts."He was twisting his spine and putting too much pressure on it. The endresult was a fracture. We have identified the fault and changed hisalignment so that he’s bowling more upright now," said Ramanayake.During Dilhara’s absence the likes of Prabath Nissanka (now recuperatingafter knee surgery), Dinush Fernando and Nuwan Kulasekera have all pushedtheir claims for a regular berth. Nuwan Zoysa is also fighting his way backinto contention, bowling with greater zip and purpose.But despite the growing competition for places, Dilhara is confident that hewill soon regain his berth and unafraid of competition."When I first joined SSC, there were about five Sri Lankan bowlers in theside. Quite a number of people advised me to change club, arguing that Iwould not get a chance. But I stuck it out. There presence gave me anincentive to bowl better and improve my performances. I finally managed toconvince SSC to pick me," said Fernando."I am facing a similar situation today in making a comeback into thenational team and I am confident I can do it. As they [the other pacebowlers] keep on improving their performances it offers me a challenge toperform better to regain my place," said Fernando.The 24-year-old said he obtains the majority of his wickets with the slowball and the bouncer. "In the one-day game I bowl the yorker at tailenders.But I know I need to pitch the ball up further for success at the Testlevel."Fernando has been timed at 91.9 mph against South Africa at Durban where hereturned his best figures of five for 42 in 2000. He has natural pace buthas paid for and inconsistent line and often for bowling too short.Fernando said the best ball he bowled was to England opener Michael Vaughanin the Manchester Test in 2002."I did not play a single practice match and came straight into the Testmatch. I bowled a slow ball to Vaughan, which he failed to read and put upan easy catch. That has been the best ball I’ve bowled at internationallevel," said Fernando, who has 33 wickets from 13 Tests and 73 wickets from55 one-day internationals.There was a time Fernando was plagued with no balls, but since changing hisaction the problem as eased. "I bowled no balls whenever I tried to bowlfast and when I had problems with my run up," said Fernando. "There has beena considerable improvement in the number of no-balls I bowl after I changedmy run up. It has been very evident during the current season."Fernando said that he had not modelled his bowling action on anyone inparticular, but has been a keen follower of South African fast bowler AllanDonald. Sri Lanka hope he will have and equally distinguished career, no onedoubts that he has the raw ingredients.

Jacques Kallis was quick to share the credit with his team-mates Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs, after his fourth century in as many Tests had carried South Africa to an impregnable total of 604 for 6. It was only the second time in Test history that a team has made more than 500 in four consecutive matches.”The guys [Smith and Gibbs] set up a platform for us, and even though the ball moved around a lot, it allowed us to play a few shots,” said Kallis. “There is still something in the pitch and with the new ball, if you get it in the right places, then there is some lateral movement.”When you come in and there is 300 on the board, then it does make it a bit easier,” admitted Kallis. “There is less pressure on you but you are still there to score the runs. I am very proud of what I have done and it is something that I will remember for a very long time. The chanting from the crowd was fantastic and the players really like it. Centurion always seem to be a good knowledgeable crowd and they help me through the more difficult periods.Both Kallis and his team were keenly aware of the records that were tumbling in the course of his innings. “The captain did ask me if I wanted to carry on, but I told him that the team comes first and he should do what he feels best for the team. I have always believed that is the best ethic and it has been the team ethic for a while now.”It was the right decision,” added Kallis. “We believe that we can bowl them out twice for less than 600 and that is why we declared. We will need to use the new ball early and open a few doors. That would encourage the bowlers throughout the day.”Their bowling attack is not that weak, we have played very well. There are a lot weaker attacks in world cricket at the moment. We have had a little bit of luck and the fielding has not helped them much.Kallis put his phenomenal run of scoring down to that most fickle of attributes – good fortune. “I have been a bit luckier that the others,” he said. “But at times you have to ride your luck and the bounce of the ball has gone my way. I have also worked hard on technical things and mental preparations. I have been working on my focus before every ball and maybe this is different to what others have done. My fitness has also improved with the new fitness trainer keeping us on our toes and we are fitter now than any other team I have seen for South Africa. That also plays a big part as far as stamina and concentration goes.”The pitch still has something in it,” said Kallis, by way of justifying Brian Lara’s decision to bowl first. “You never quite felt that you were in. You could not play shots with freedom and ease and had to be careful on most shots. There is certainly still a lot in there for the bowlers and I think it is a good Test pitch.”It will be nice to bowl on this pitch. I am sure it will swing but will have to wait and see. I don’t think it will deteriorate, it might get a bit flatter with time, especially if the sun comes out. If it stays overcast then it will swing as it will maintain its moisture.There was some disappointment among the fans that Andre Nel, who was about to get married, did not get a chance to bowl at the end of the day. “Andre was so nervous at the end that I don’t think he would have hit the pitch. We did give him a nice send-off though, good luck to him. We poured a beer down his throat to try to calm his nerves. It is an odd decision to get married during a Test. It must be a first. If I had to get married during a Test then cricket would be the last thing on my mind.”One of our main goals is to close the gap on the Australian team. We are very aware where they are and where we are. As far as the batting goes we want to compete with them, get as good as they are and ultimately better than them. It is something that we are working towards in two years’ time and eyeing out that series. It will be a huge series for us. At the moment I think we are very close to them.”

Gloucestershire have made an offer to buy back the county ground at Nevil Road. They sold the freehold in 1975, and it is understood that Royal & Sun Alliance, the present owners, are willing to sell the property."This is a great opportunity for us to secure the long-term future of the club," Tom Richardson, the Gloucestershire chief executive, told the Times.The exact amount needed to acquire the land is not known, and there has to be some doubt how it would be financed given Gloucestershire’s well publicised shortage of funds.

Sri Lanka have picked four specialist spinners in a 15-man squad for the first two one-day internationals against Australia. The squad included two changes from Sri Lanka’s last one-day series, against England last November.Kaushal Lokuarachchi, a 21-year-old legspinner, was recalled for the first time after completing a four-month disciplinary ban. Lokuarachchi, who has played in five one-dayers, was banned after a fatal late-night car accident last year.Saman Jayantha, an explosive opening batsman who also bowls offspin, won a place in the national squad for the first time. Jayanatha starred for Sri Lanka during last year’s Hong Kong Sixes, winning the Man of the Tournament award, and also impressed with good performances for his club, province and the A team during recent months.Dinusha Fernando, who opened the bowling with Chaminda Vaas against England at Dambulla and took two wickets on what was his international debut, has been dropped after a loss of form and confidence in recent domestic tournaments. Chamara Silva, a batsman, was the other player to be left out.Sri Lanka are set to go into the first game with three specialist spinners: Muttiah Muralitharan, Upul Chandana and Kumar Dharmasena. The bone-dry pitch is expected to offer assistance to the slow bowlers. Lokuarachchi, Jayantha, Russel Arnold and Nuwan Zoysa are the players most likely to be left out of the final XI.Squad Marvan Atapattu (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Dharmasena, Nuwan Kulasekara, Saman Jayantha, Russel Arnold, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Nuwan Zoysa

ScorecardAustralia ensured their place in the Plate Championship semi-final with a six-wicket victory against Nepal at Chittagong. After restricting Nepal to 154 for 9, Adam Crosthwaite and Ahilen Beadle guided Australia home with a steady partnership of 96. They will now play the loser of Bangladesh v Ireland, to be played tomorrow.Nepal won the toss and elected to bat, and they fared much better against the Australia pace attack compared to the other teams in their group. They managed to bat out the 50 overs with survival, rather than scoring, their objective. Paras Khadka top-scored with 33 as Nepal crawled to 154 for 9.Australia set about their reply in their usual positive manner, but then had a slight scare after Manjeet Shrestha removed both openers with 30 on the board. And by the 14th over, Australia were wobbling at 62 for 4, and Nepal’s army of fans were sensing a final twist in their enthralling tale. But it was not to be, as Crosthwaite and Beadle regrouped and led Australia to what was in the end a comfortable win.The result brings to an end Nepal’s World Cup adventure. They missed out on a place in the Super League by the narrowest of margins after causing the shock of the tournament in beating South Africa. They also won three of their six matches at Chittagong in front of considerable support from local-based Nepalese students. But defeat to Scotland in their previous match meant that they needed to win against Australia to progress any further.Shakti Gauchan, Nepal’s captain, scored over 170 runs in the tournament and he said he would take home fond memories of his time in Bangladesh. “It has been an enjoyable tournament,” he said. “I’ve learnt a lot on the pitch and everyone has been really nice to us.”Roy Dias, Nepal’s coach, blamed his side’s elimination on the defeat to Scotland. “It was disappointing not to get through, but the Scotland game really cost us,” said Dias. “We’ve done well in this tournament and the boys should be proud of the way that they have played.”

Adam Gilchrist has entered record territory with a $2 million life-long contract with Puma, overtaking Michael Clarke’s recent $1.25 million deal with Dunlop-Slazenger and Steve Waugh’s million-dollar agreement with MRF.According to a report in , Gilchrist’s deal with Puma, and other sponsorships with Nestle, Travelex, Fox Sports and Castrol, as well as the $500,000 retainer with Cricket Australia – besides match fees – all combine to make him one of the top-earning sportsmen in Australia.Gilchrist attributed this to cricket’s reach, and said that it had helped the players. “You’d have to ask the companies, but I guess to a certain extent it shows that the game’s bigger, the exposure’s bigger and there’s generally greater marketability for players,” Gilchrist said. “This [The Puma deal] has been a work in progress for a little while and I’m looking forward to contributing to them wherever I can.”The contract more than made up for any loss of earnings Gilchrist may have suffered by opting not to play county cricket – a lucrative option for international cricketers in the off-season. Australia’s hectic schedule may have had something to do with it. After touring Zimbabwe, Australia play Sri Lanka at home, then tour Holland and India, before returning home for more Tests and the VB Series. But Gilchrist believed that as long as players could handle the amount of cricket played, there would be no need to restrict them from playing county cricket.”County cricket is an interesting debate. I just think so long as guys are honest and realistic about how they cope with the extra cricket, then I have no qualms with it. There shouldn’t be a blanket policy,” Gilchrist said. “For me, the break has been sensational and now it’s off to camp next week.”

Lancashire 187 and 305 beat Worcestershire 146 and 127 (Keedy 5-62, Anderson 4-32) by 219 runs
Scorecard

If there was doubt beforehand, there can be none now. Lancashire have established themselves as the frontrunners for the County Championship, after a clinical and multi-faceted three-day demolition of Worcestershire at Old Trafford.Seventeen wickets tumbled in little more than two sessions, on a day that began beneath leaden Manchester skies and yet finished in shirt-sleeves and ice-cream conditions. But there was never the slightest suggestion that the pitch was at fault. Instead James Anderson and the left-arm spinner Gary Keedy each found an end of the ground to suit their individual desires, and Worcestershire lined up to be cut down. They were bowled out for 127 in just 42.3 overs, with Anderson confirming that, once box-office, always box-office, as he grabbed the final wicket to complete his maiden first-class ten-for.Anderson’s last Test came against Sri Lanka in Colombo last December, and on this evidence, Keedy should have been playing alongside him. Suspicions about Keedy’s batting ability have hindered his chances of international recognition, but class will always tell in the end – even in the era of the Duncan Fletcher multi-tasker. Once Anderson had decapitated the top-order in another of his golden-armed spells, Keedy’s beguiling flight and sharp turn was too good for the rest, as he grabbed five of the next six wickets to fall. Only Glen Chapple’s dismissal of Andrew Hall broke the Keedy-Anderson monopoly.For all the efforts of Lancashire’s bowlers, this match was won and lost on the second afternoon, when Carl Hooper and Iain Sutcliffe were adding 168 for the third wicket. With that in mind, the morning session was loaded with bad omens for Worcestershire, as they whipped out six cheap but all-too-late wickets. Gareth Batty struck early with a big ripping delivery to end Keedy’s nightwatchman duties, before returning only 15 overs into the new ball to remove a stiff-limbed Mal Loye. But it was Matt Mason’s snorting dismissal of Chapple from the Stretford End that really put the wind up Worcestershire. When Lancashire’s turn came to bowl again, Anderson switched from the Warwick Road after just two tame overs, and with instant effect.In four breakneck overs, Anderson sealed the game. Stephen Peters fended the sixth delivery of his spell to Mark Chilton in the gully, and Graeme Hick strode out to size up the situation. After watching from the non-striker’s end, Hick got off the mark with an imperious first-ball cut shot, but was hurried up and then comprehensively beaten by Anderson’s next two balls. The fourth of the over, however, was simply too good – short, fast and rising, and Hooper plucked a sizzling chance at second slip.Anderson’s fourth over followed a similar pattern. He set Ben Smith up with a long-hop, crashed for four, then two balls later offered yet more width but from a fuller length. Keedy at point gobbled the botched square-drive, just moments after the sun had burst through the clouds to bathe Old Trafford in the most glorious of conditions. At 40 for 3 with nearly five sessions remaining, Lancashire could have been forgiven for hopping onto the sun loungers there and then.Instead Keedy took his cue – and centre stage – all in one go. Kadeer Ali fell victim to the classic slow-left-armer’s dismissal – caught by Dominic Cork at slip as he propped forward to a sharply-tweaked middle-stump delivery, and when Hall fell to Chapple, even the resolute Stephen Moore gave up the ghost. Almost unnoticed, he had moved to within five runs of his half-century, but in a unexpected rush of blood, he hared down the wicket and was stumped by a merry mile. (90 for 6).The tail folded without a whimper. Andy Bichel snicked another beauty on the stroke of tea (112 for 7), Steve Rhodes was trapped in front (120 for 8), and Mason had an almighty heave-ho for Stuart Law to hold a steepler at square-leg (126 for 9). Keedy’s late surge for a ten-wicket haul was now in full flow, but Anderson the showman returned at the Stretford End to reclaim the limelight – Nadeem Malik had no chance with a brisk wicket-to-wicket delivery that crashed into his pads.Anderson returned figures of 10 for 81; Keedy shared top billing with 9 for 82, and Lancashire had moved 13 points clear at the top of the County Championship. It was a triple whammy of impressive proportions, and one that may yet be further recognised when England’s squad for the Lord’s Test is announced on Sunday morning.

Makhaya Ntini will be travelling to Uganda this weekend as part of South Africa’s 10 years of democracy celebrations. Ntini was invited to join Hoosain Ayob, ICC-Africa Regional development manager, to join in the festivities of the 10 years of cricket development by the Uganda Cricket Association.Ntini will tonight attend a gala dinner with Ugandan cricket stakeholders as well as members of the Southern African business community. On Saturday he will visit Kings College Budo, the oldest cricketing school in the country, to experience first-hand the talents and skill of young Ugandan cricketers.”As far as we are concerned it’s a major scoop to have Makhaya in ourmidst, said Ayob. “His presence alone will go a long way instrengthening the development programme in Uganda”.Before returning home on Sunday, Ntini will watch a match hosted by UCA between members of the South African community and a UCA’s Chairman’s XI.”I am grateful to be part of the enjoyment," said Ntini, "And I look forward to sharing with my Ugandan counterparts my experience of international cricket."

Four months ago, while England were rampaging to victory in the Caribbean, it was tempting to be a little bit blasé about the prospects for the return series – the so-called highlight of the English summer – that begins at Lord’s tomorrow morning. West Indies were a disorganised rabble, so the general consensus went, while England were soaring higher and higher, as their emphatic victories against New Zealand amply demonstrated. A rout was the only foreseeable outcome.There’ll be no such complacency now. The juggernaut that was England’s Test form has been shunted aside by a one-day campaign of Reliant Robin standards, and it is West Indies who have sped to a psychological advantage, particularly at Lord’s where, in the most compelling match of the recent NatWest Series, Chris Gayle’s rumbustuous century dumped England out of their own one-day party. When set against a backdrop of English defeat, Brian Lara’s majestic world record in Antigua reads less as a footnote, more as a premonition.There is an uncomfortable irony about the timing of yesterday’s announcement, that England had been catapulted into second place on the ICC World Test Championship table. Injury and uncertainty – two unwelcome ingredients that were noticeably lacking during England’s run of six wins in seven Tests – have taken hold since the New Zealand series, and whatever their achievements in the past year, tomorrow’s match promises to be more finely balanced than even the most pessimistic of England supporters could have envisaged.What is more, it could be a much-changed side that takes the field on Thursday. Personnel-wise, it should look and feel pretty similar to the side that wrapped up the series in Barbados, but as England have found to their cost in one-day cricket, the question of balance is critical to the team’s success. In that respect, Andrew Flintoff’s ongoing ankle trouble is a grievous blow.Flintoff, who was first rested entirely and then recalled as a specialist batsman for the NatWest Series, has had to receive a cortisone injection after experiencing pain while bowling during Lancashire’s Twenty20 Cup match against Yorkshire last week. Never mind the long-term ramifications and the prospect of surgery; in the short term, his removal from the attack places an extra burden on Steve Harmison, who is not only England’s best source of wickets, but the only other bowler who can be relied on to stem the run-flow.If he continues to reap the wickets as he has been doing this year, Harmison will almost certainly finish this match as the leading bowler in the world, according to the PwC ratings. But the last thing England need is to over-burden their one remaining world-class performer. Though the talent is undeniable, Harmison has yet to demonstrate that his new-found fitness and stamina is anything but a (hugely impressive) flash in the pan, and England would do well to heed the lesson they learnt with Flintoff in 2002. On that occasion, they were so overjoyed to have unearthed a genuine allrounder, that they bowled the poor guy all the way into the operating theatre.But it is not just the bowling that will give England’s selectors one or two causes for concern. In the Caribbean, England owed everything to their troika of middle-order veterans; Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe. But Hussain has since retired, to be replaced at No. 4 by the off-colour Michael Vaughan, while Butcher’s remarkable run of 42 consecutive matches will come to an end after he suffered whiplash during a car-crash in South London and was later ruled out of the starting XI. Ironically, he was on his way to the physio for treatment on the thigh strain that forced him out of last week’s MCC fixture, and he will make way for Robert Key, whose stunning early-season form in the Championship will be a distant memory after a disappointing one-day series.That leaves Thorpe, England’s Man of the Match at Trent Bridge, who did at least play in that MCC fixture at Arundel. But since his retirement from the one-day game, he has not exactly been overburdened with match practice, and England will be desperately hoping that he has not gone off the boil in the interim. It is one of the perils of the modern-day English summer, with its midseason emphasis on limited-overs cricket, that the touring sides are invariably better prepared than the home players.

For West Indies, that preparation was capped nicely against Sri Lanka A last week, when runs and wickets were to the fore in a concerted team performance. The most pleasing aspect of that match was the return to form of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, West Indies’ second-most experienced batsman behind Lara, whose poor returns in the Caribbean were a significant factor in the ease with which England’s bowlers bossed the series.He may possess the crabbiest technique in world cricket, but Chanderpaul is also one of the most consistently under-rated batsmen in the game, equally adept at attrition or explosive strokeplay. With Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan, he completes a middle-order that, given a nice sun-baked batting track and an over-stretched attack, could yet cash in as this series progresses. It is one of the mysteries of the modern age how a batting order of such potency could be rolled over in double figures in four of their last eight Tests against England. Don’t expect the habit to continue.And then there is the West Indian bowling attack – perhaps the most diminutive ever to reach these shores, but not to be underestimated at any cost. Tino Best found that the constraints of the NatWest Series did not suit his flamboyant approach, but he still found enough pace and penetration to remind Marcus Trescothick of his struggles against the new ball in the Caribbean. It will be particularly instructive, both for this summer and the series to come, to see how Andrew Strauss fares against the 90mph delivery.With Fidel Edwards slinging his way into town for the Tests, and Jermaine Lawson back in favour after remedial work on his bowling action, West Indies have the sort of cutting edge that New Zealand, through the injury to Shane Bond, were palpably lacking earlier in the summer. Add to that mix Pedro Collins and his unsettling left-arm line, and it is clear that England’s supremacy is not to taken for granted.It must be a good 50 years since England last began a series against West Indies as the overwhelming favourites. It is a position of unfamiliar responsibility, and the onus is on them to live up to their billing.England (probable): 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Robert Key, 4 Michael Vaughan (capt), 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Simon Jones, 10 Matthew Hoggard, 11 Steve Harmison.West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Dwayne Smith, 7 Ridley Jacobs (wk), 8 Tino Best, 9 Jermaine Lawson, 10 Pedro Collins, 11 Fidel Edwards.

The third league game of the Videocon Cup, between Pakistan and Australia, was abandoned because of rain. This meant that Pakistan and Australia were through to the final, and India would miss out. None of the Australian bowlers had managed to get a bowl in the tournament, but it was a moot point whether their lack of match practice would help Pakistan’s batsmen in the final – it had to stop raining first.