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Pakistan will play three Tests and five one-day internationals on their tour of India, which starts with a three-day warm-up match beginning on February 27.The venues for the matches will be announced later, but the Tests will start on March 4, March 12 and March 20. The first one-dayer was scheduled on March 28 after another warm-up game on March 26. The next four ODIs will be played on March 31, April 3, 6 and 9.According to the schedule forwarded by the Indian board, Pakistan would kick off their tour with a three-day warm match from February 27 to March 1. The BCCI is expected to announce venues for the series next week after a meeting of its Programme and Fixtures Committee.Abbas Zaidi, the director of the Pakistan board, had earlier said that they wished to play most matches in areas close to the Wagah border so that people could travel from Pakistan to watch the matches.This will be the first time in six years that Pakistan will be playing a full series in India. The last time they visited India was in January 1999 to play a two-Test series apart from one Test match which was part of the Asian Test Championship. The Test series, remembered mainly for Anil Kumble taking all ten wickets in the second innings at Delhi, was drawn while Pakistan triumphed in the Kolkata Test and went on to win the Asian Test Championship.Schedule
Warm-up game – February 27 to March 1
First Test – March 4 to 8
Second Test – March 12 to 16
Third Test – March 20 to 24
Warm-up one-dayer – March 26
First ODI – March 28
Second ODI – March 31
Third ODI – April 3
Fourth ODI – April 6
Fifth ODI – April 9

Ricky Ponting says Australia have spent time on the team bus in England trying to predict the World XI sides for the Super Series. While reverse-swing and Andrew Flintoff have taken up most of their thoughts, Ponting said after the Test and ODI squads were named today that they were “highly impressive line-ups”.”It will be an amazing experience to play against a side of this calibre and for those players in the World XI it will be an equally exciting prospect to play in a team alongside the game’s greats,” Ponting said. Australia plan to name their squads for October’s six-day Super Test and three-match one-day series after the Ashes finish in September.Ponting said he expected the Australian public to be currently talking about the team’s tight battle with England, which is locked at 1-1 after three Tests. “Hopefully that can whet people’s appetites for even more great cricket,” he said.James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said Australia was ready to host the biggest cricket event in the country since the 1992 World Cup. “This is the ultimate sporting contest – the best team in the world against a team of the world’s best players,” he said, although England may argue with the rankings if they win the Ashes. “The World XI is a star-studded line-up and we are looking forward to seeing how Australia’s challenge unfolds.”World XI Test squad Graeme Smith (capt), Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid (vc), Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher, Steve Harmison, Shoaib Akhtar, Muttiah Muralitharan, Daniel Vettori. World XI ODI squad Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar (vc), Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Flintoff, Shaun Pollock (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Makhaya Ntini, Muttiah Muralitharan, Daniel Vettori.

Once upon a time it was all about tradition, but these days cricket has become synonymous with crass sponsorship deals, from Australia’s Pura Milk Cup to the Pepsi-fuelled and LG-cooled Champions Trophy. But when it comes to rebranding their assets, it is the South Africans who really take the officially-recognised biscuit.Since the rejigging of South Africa’s domestic structure in 2003, no-one has suffered more than Cape Town’s cricket fans, who are now expected to rock up to “Sahara Park” in Newlands to chant for the snappily titled franchise team “Nashua Western Province Boland”. But Port Elizabethans haven’t escaped either, and since they last hosted a Test match in 2001-02, their ground has also undergone an implausible name change. The venerable St George’s Park is now an almost-sacrilegious “Sahara Oval”.Sahara (who vehemently deny being anything to do with the similar-soundingsponsors of the all-powerful Indian cricket team) complete a notable set by expecting Kingsmead in Durban to be known as Sahara Stadium, despite the fact that it is the least stadium-like of South Africa’s five Test venues, not to mention the least desert-like. Happily for those traditionalists present, however, the arrival of England’s fans and their plethora of flags meant that the St George and his cross were restored to their rightful position by the start of play.It is a bit of a mystery as to quite what Sahara do (they claim to be a computer company), although it’s not thought to involve alcohol. As of Monday, a new Eastern Province by-law comes into force which prevents the sale of alcoholic drinks after 8pm … shades of Prohibition. Port Elizabeth likes to be known as “The Friendly City”, although this is hardly a move to endear it to members of the Barmy Army – although at least the Sahara Oval will be living up to its name.Mind you, it was a pretty Saharan afternoon for England’s cricketers. Prior to the match, various local superstitions had been voiced about the direction of the wind and its effect on the pitch – if it’s an easterly sea breeze, said the sages, the ball will swing – but if it’s from the west, the pitch will dry out and the bat will dominate. For much of the afternoon session at St George’s (reclaimed) Park, the air was filled with the smoke from a large and noisome bushfire. Sure enough, it drifted across the ground on a westerly wind, and sure enough Jacques Rudolph cashed in on the arid conditions.To give PE its due, however, it has certainly offered a warm welcome to its English visitors, and not just in terms of the weather. The eve of the Test match, December 16, was Reconciliation Day, a public holiday of the post-Apartheid era, and a direct replacement for the old Afrikaner Day of the Covenant.Under its old title, December 16 had been a deeply divisive day of the year, for it served to commemorate the Voortrekkers’ victory over the Zulus at Blood River in 1838. But now, ten years on from South Africa’s first democratic elections, the focus of the holiday has been emphatically shifted. On Thursday the centre of Port Elizabeth was a ghost town, as the entire city forgave, forgot, and decamped to the beach for a party.Andrew Miller is assistant editor of Cricinfo. He will be following the England team throughout the Test series in South Africa.

Although primarily qualified as nurse and midwife, Glynis has run her own medico-legal business for 18 years. She has qualifications is business studies but keeps her hand in the midwifery stakes with six grandsons! With three of her six children in various countries around the world, she travels a great deal but mostly in the winter!She is a school governor and been a fund raiser for Naomi House Children’s Hospice for 15 years.Although having only been a member at Hampshire for two years she has actively supported the “Development of the Cricket Team” in that time. She has sponsored the Howzat initiative in schools and raised awareness of the rolling programme and resource material taken into schools. She hopes the new optimism at the ground will produce a great result for the Howzat Benefit to ensure our great grandchildren will still be able to watch the game we all love.e-mail contact: [email protected]

Mohammad Ibrahim, the right-hand batsman from Rawalpindi, will lead the Pakistan Under-19 team in two-four day matches against the touring India U-19 squad, as the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) junior selection committee announced the 16-member squad on Friday.Ibrahim is one among two members of the squad which won the U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka earlier this year, the other being Imad Wasim, the left-arm spinner. The squad for the one-day matches will be announced later, on the basis of the Inter-Regional Under-19 Tournament from September 5.India will arrive on September 4 and are scheduled to play their four-day matches in Rawalpindi and Peshawar respectively, followed by a four-match one day series.However, it has been reported that the second four-day match might be shifted to Abbottabad, due to ongoing work at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. While the levelling work has been completed, it is uncertain whether the work on the outfield will be completed in time.Anwar Zeb Jan, regional development manager of the PCB in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), said that Abbottabad would be ready to host the match.Pakistan Under-19: Mohammad Ibrahim (capt), Ahmed Shahzad, Syed Fawad, Shan Masood, Saadullah Ghori, Zeeshan Jameel, Ali Waqas, Behram Khan, Abdul Rauf, Raza Rehman, Rahatullah, Adil Raza, Mohammad Naveed, Immad Wasim, Nayeer Abbas, Shahzeb Khan

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expects to earn about US$20 million in revenues from India’s forthcoming tour of Pakistan. Speaking to the Press Trust of India, Rameez Raja, the chief executive of the PCB, said that this was the first opportunity in a decade for the board to make handsome profits.”The interest in the series is already very high," Raja said, "and we are getting regular offers from companies in India and Pakistan including leading banks and international consumer brands. But we still have to market it carefully and in a transparent manner. We would like to strike a balance while selling title and co-sponsorship, advertising and other rights of the series."Raja said that major Indian companies have already expressed interest in the series. "But we would like to have a neutral title sponsor for the series. We can’t allow the series to be completely dominated by Indian brands. We have to ensure Pakistan companies are able to match Indian offers and we don’t lose money.”The Indian board has already confirmed that it will play three Tests and five one-day internationals during the series, in March 2004. This will be India’s first tour to Pakistan since 1989, when one Sachin Tendulkar made his international debut.

The venue for Glamorgan`s Second XI Trophy fixture against Gloucestershire on 30th June has changed. The match will now be played at Bristol West Indies Cricket Club, and not Bristol University as previously advertised.Glamorgan`s U-21 fixture scheduled for July 3rd against Lambeth Academy at Maesteg has also been cancelled because the visitors have been unable to raise a team.

Shane Bond seems unlikely to be fit in time for New Zealand’s Test series in India, after making a slow recovery from a stress fracture in his back. Bond, who picked up the injury in Sri Lanka in May, is New Zealand’s most potent strike bowler, and consequently his medical team have promised not to rush him back into action.Bond is currently at least a week away from being able to bowl in the nets, and thereafter he will be limited to light sessions of four overs at a time. That leaves him well short of the 15-20 overs he would be required to send down in a Test match. The first Test against India starts in Ahmedabad on October 8."Shane is making very good progress but it’s a long season and we won’t be pushing things," said NZ Cricket’s medical co-ordinator Warren Frost. “He is pain-free which is a very good sign, but he will need at least six weeks of build-up." A more realistic target for Bond would be the one-day triangular tournament involving Australia, starting on October 23.There was better news, however, concerning Nathan Astle. He underwent knee surgery back in April, but has started to bat again in the nets, and is almost ready to resume international cricket. “We’re just getting him [Astle] to feel confident on the knee but we’re reasonably confident he can be there for the India series," said Frost. “He’s pretty happy with how things are progressing.”

Colonel Hemu Adhikari, the former Indian captain and manager, died on Saturday (Oct 25) in hospital in Thane, 35 miles north of Mumbai. He was 84, and had been suffering from an unspecified back ailment.Hemchandra Ramchandra Adhikari played 21 Tests for India between 1947-48 and 1958-59, during which he scored 872 runs at an average of 31.14, with one hundred and four fifties. His sole century came in trying circumstances, when runs were badly needed against West Indies at New Delhi in 1948-49. Other gritty knocks, such as 60 in vain against England on a turning track at Kanpur in 1951-52, and an unbeaten 81 at No. 8 against Pakistan at Delhi the following season, punctuated his years in Test cricket.He was installed as India’s captain during the tumultuous series against West Indies in 1958-59, becoming the fourth captain of the series in the fifth and final Test. He rose to the occasion, making 63 and 40, and taking three wickets to boot, to draw the Test, even though West Indies had already taken the series 3-0 when they arrived for the final game at New Delhi.Oddly, that was his last Test. Adhikari went on to become a popular manager of the Indian team, and it was under him that India famously won the series in England in 1971.

PERTH, March 21 AAP – West Australian cricket coach Mike Veletta has been axed following his team’s disappointing finish to the summer.The former Test batsman is understood to have lost the confidence of his players.WA’s results reflected the camp’s discontent with a second-last placing in the Pura Cup this season, and a humiliating home loss in the ING Cup final to NSW.Veletta had two seasons in charge of the Warriors and will be paid out for the third and final year of his contract.Senior players Michael Hussey, Ryan Campbell and Matthew Nicholson are all considering moving interstate for next season.The decision to fire Veletta was taken following a recommendation from the WACA’s international and interstate committee.”The I&I committee has made an extremely tough decision not to continue with Michael Veletta as our state coach,” WACA chief executive Kath White said in a statement.”This decision was not taken lightly. But it has been made in the best interests of Western Australian cricket.”White said the WACA will immediately start looking for a new coach.There was no obvious successor to Veletta although speculation has surrounded former Tasmanian coach Greg Shipperd and former WA coach Wayne Clark.However Clark, whose son Michael plays for WA, is understood to be eyeing off a more lucrative offer in England after being sacked from Yorkshire last year.Current Zimbabwean and former Australian coach Geoff Marsh is also a name being thrown up and his son Shaun also plays for the Warriors.