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The newly reconstructed stadium at Galle is facing a race against timeto be fit for the third Test between Sri Lanka and England on Tuesday,after heavy unseasonal rain hindered the attempts of groundstaff andconstruction workers to put the finishing touches to theirpreparations.With just three days to go until the final Test of the series, much ofthe playing area was underwater, while workmen were still layingpaving and building ticket-booths on the concourse in front of the newpavilion. By Saturday afternoon there was no electricity or runningwater inside the ground’s buildings, and most of the grassy bankswhere England’s spectators sat during the ground’s last internationalfixture in 2003 are currently deep pools of mud.And yet, there is no question in anyone’s minds that the show must goon regardless. Of all the symbols of the terrible tsunami thatdevastated Sri Lanka in December 2004, perhaps none was more poignantthan the obliteration of Galle’s stadium. International sport is,after all, meant to be escapism on a vast scale, but the rubble andruins of one of the most glorious venues in the world meant that nosports fan could fail to appreciate the stark realities of thedisaster.The message is that, if international cricket can return to Galle,then so too can a normal life for the thousands who were dispossessedthat day. “It will be ready come what may,” said the stadium’s headgroundsman, Jayananda Warnaweera, who has been working round the clockwith an army of labourers, in a bid to overcome the atrocious workingconditions. “It has been a long haul but for the people of Galle thisis a celebration and we will make it happen.”For England’s cricketers, the desire to fight back from their 1-0series deficit has been subsumed by an appreciation of the biggerpicture. “We’re pretty much going to have to take the stance thatwhatever we have to play on, we’ll go out there and play on it,” saidPaul Collingwood, who made his Test debut at Galle in 2003. “It’s assimple as that.”It’s obviously not finished at the moment but they are working veryhard and progressing day by day, so hopefully it’ll be playable,” saidCollingwood. “Driving down in the bus from Colombo, the further we gotdown, there was a real sickening feeling, seeing the destruction thatwas caused. That’s why it’s vital to put the smiles back on people’sfaces and get on with it.”

Two New South Wales players who are enjoying amazing domestic seasons have won more support for promotions to the national teams. Glenn McGrath believes Doug Bollinger, the left-arm fast bowler, is “in the mix” while Simon Katich, who has 1067 runs in seven Pura Cup games, has won the notice of Australia’s selection panel.David Gilbert, the New South Wales chief executive, could not believe Chris Rogers replaced Matthew Hayden for the third Test in Perth instead of Katich and complained. He has since talked to Jamie Cox, one of the four selectors, and learned Katich is a serious contender for the spare batting place on the March tour to Pakistan, which is currently in doubt due to political instability.”It’s fair to say [Jamie] was disappointed that I had spoken publicly about my concerns about Simon getting what I believed was a raw deal,” Gilbert told the Sun-Herald. “My point was that his performances this year had been Bradmanesque, but he seemed no closer to getting a look-in for the Test team.”After talking to ‘Coxy’, my mind is more at ease. Coxy assured me he’s being noticed by the selectors and that he’s in line for the spare batting spot in Pakistan.”Bollinger is the leading wicket-taker in the Pura Cup with 44 – eight more than Queensland’s Ashley Noffke – and McGrath is impressed with his “tremendous potential”. “He’s a left-armer, he swings the ball and has good control,” McGrath told the paper.”He’s unplayable on a wicket that offers a lot, but if he can fine-tune his game on wickets that aren’t bowler-friendly, he’ll improve. But he has done enough for an [Australia] opportunity.”

Justin Langer and Ben Hutton put Middlesex back in the running for a National League Second Division promotion place with competition-best perfomances at Edgbaston.Skipper Langer’s patient 93 laid the foundations for a commanding 201 for nine and Hutton’s four for 32 undermined Warwickshire as they floundered under the Edgbaston floodlights.Hutton needed to take the wickets to get back in favour with Langer after he was involved in the run out that cost his captain a certain century.Langer had taken no risks and appeared in no trouble in a sensible 122-ball innings until Hutton changed his mind about a quick single in the penultimate over and Langer was unable to beat Dominic Ostler;s throw from midwicket.Langer gave Hutton a backward glance as he trudged back to the pavilion but the youngster, the grandson of Sir Leonard, was quickly forgiven as he applied the brakes to Warwickshire’s innings.Hutton, bowling gentle seamers, concentrated on line and length and struck in his first over when he had Ashley Giels stumped.The wickets of Dominic Ostler and Trevor Penney, both LBW, and Michael Powell, who was bowled through the gate followed, as Warwckshire slipped to 186 all out and their fourth straight home defeat in the competition.Langer said when he won the toss and opted to bat first that he did not fancy the chances of the side batting last under the temporary floodlights and so it proved.His innings ensured that Middlesex had just enough runs to force victory but his stands of 68 for the third wicket with Mark Ramprakash and 73 for the fourth with Irishman Ed Joyce enabled Middlesex to survive a late clatter of wickets of their own.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Photo galleryBulletin- Pakistan run away to series win
Pakistan View – A memorable series
Indian View – Sorry end to a flat season
On the ball – Opening salvos
Plays of the day – Timber falling
Roving Reporter – Anything’s possible in Delhi
Dravid quotes – ‘Our one-day performance has not been good’
Inzamam quotes – ‘The more you captain, the more you learn’Preview package
Preview- Gripping series reaches climax
Stats- A happy hunting ground for Tendulkar
Quotes- Naved’s first spell will be crucial – Dravid

Steve Waugh has said that he would like to retire at the end of Australia’s tour of India in 2004. He then intends to devote more time to Udayan, the Kolkata home for children of leprosy patients which he supports.According to a report by The Press Trust of India, Waugh said in an interview in Sydney: “I would like to end my career in India.” He has long described India as the “final frontier” for the Australian team to conquer, and swore after Australia’s defeat in 2001 that he would be back to set the record straight.That is not, however, reason for Khaled Mahmud and his boys to relax – Waugh has not forgotten Bangladesh. “The India series is still a long way off,” Waugh said, “and I am focussing on Bangladesh at the moment.” One can imagine him rubbing his hands in glee as he says this.For all the brutality Waugh inflicts on the cricket field, though, at heart he remains a softie. His support – monetary and otherwise – for Udayan has earned him immense respect in India. Waugh does not stop at charitable donations – the girls’ wing at Udayan was funded by him – but visits the home regularly. He explained his commitment thus: “Udayan is my pursuit for life. It is not something you start and give up. I am committed to continued support to Udayan.”We are soon going to start another school for 200 needy children,” Waugh added. He admitted that despite being a celebrity, raising funds was a difficult matter, and said that “it would be good to get some funding from businesses in Australia and India”.Waugh had recently announced his plans to make a film based on Udayan, which has already been scripted, though, as of now, there is no director or producer. Waugh did not clarify rumours as to whether he would act in the film, but merely said, pithily, “I am a cricketer”.Until next year, when Australia come to India, he certainly is.

Ravi Shastri believes that Muttiah Muralitharan is being needlessly victimised mainly because he is an Asian. While admitting that Murali’s action wasn’t without its kinks, Shastri said that there were quite a few bowlers who were “no different from him”.”I don’t find anything wrong with his bowling action,” said Shastri, speaking at a function to promote the ICC Champions Trophy in Bangalore. “I have no problems with his offbreak. He is an Asian, and that has ruffled quite a few feathers.”A week ago, Murali became the first Sri Lankan to sign with an India-based company when he joined hands with Showdiff Worldwide – Shastri is a vice-chairman – to “explore commercial interests”.According to Shastri, Murali wouldn’t have been singled out if he hadn’t taken a significant number of wickets in his career. “Muralitharan is being targeted because he is a very successful bowler,” he said. He was also critical of the different degrees of flexion that were allowed for fast bowlers and spinners and didn’t think there was a need for “different yardsticks”.On a different note, he acknowledged that the present Indian team was getting close to being one of the best Indian teams of all time. However, Shastri reckoned that the Indian one-day team that played between 1983 and 1986 was right on top. That bunch ended up winning the World Cup, the Asia Cup and the World Championship of Cricket in Australia.”The present team of Sourav Ganguly is close to being one of the best,” he said, “but it needs to be consistent, especially in big games.” He didn’t go along with India’s decision to play seven batsmen in one-dayers, and felt that Rahul Dravid should play purely as a batsman. “If six batsmen cannot win games, what can a seventh do?”

In what has been a tumultuous week for Mumbai cricket, Chandrakant Pandit, their coach who revived their fortunes and guided them to two consecutive Ranji Trophy titles, has resigned and has been replaced by Karsan Ghavri, the former Indian allrounder who was coaching Bengal. Pandit’s exit comes in the wake of the news that Sairaj Bahutule, Mumbai’s captain, might move to Maharashtra from next season.After taking over the job from Lalchand Rajput in 2001, when Mumbai’s stranglehold over the Ranji Trophy had considerably loosened, Pandit formed a successful combination with Paras Mhambrey and managed to clinch the title in 2002. There was more silverware to follow in the next year as he and Sairaj Bahutule extended Mumbai’s dominance with clinical performances throughout the season. Mumbai, under the same duo, were in line for a hat-trick of triumphs last season but lost out in a thrilling semi-final showdown against Punjab.Despite the glory achieved during his reign, there was always a lurking friction between Pandit and the Mumbai Cricket Association. While he was admired for the passion and street-smartness that he brought to the side, there was also a feeling among the establishment that Pandit got more than his share of media attention and pocketed more credit that he deserved. There were times last season when he hinted at quitting and Pandit said it was always on his mind. “Throughout last season I was thinking about it,” he told Cricinfo. “I guess four years can be a long time and it’s time to move on.”He was happy that he had been involved in moulding the side into a spirited unit but was concerned about the lack of young talent in Mumbai. “It’s been a worry for a while,” he said. “We haven’t seen too many youngsters take their opportunities and cement their place. Now, if the older players move on to different sides, the youngsters will not have anyone to guide them. It’s a big problem.”Pandit’s replacement, Ghavri, managed the Ranji Trophy winning Mumbai side in 1993-94 but he will have a huge task ahead of him in the following season. Last season’s semi-final setback proved that Mumbai were no longer the invincible force in the domestic circuit and with vital players, like Bahutule, being linked to other states, they might have to first find the right combination. With teams like Maharashtra investing on bolstering their side with a foreign coach and out-station players, and teams like Punjab and Railways improving rapidly, Mumbai’s dominance might just be coming to an end.

Elite Championship Sixth RoundPunjab 209 (Sahabuddin 5-52) beat Andhra 30 and 84 (Gagandeep 5-32, Sharma 4-32) by and innings and 95 runs
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After being run over for 30 yesterday, Andhra put in another ignominious batting display as Punjab wrapped up the match (with a bonus point) at Mohali with two days to spare. Punjab’s batting was characterised by some quick cameos by Yuvraj Singh (38), Dinesh Mongia (38) and Pankaj Dharmani (39), which gave them a lead of 179. Syeb Sahabuddin was the pick of the Andhra bowlers with 5 for 52. That lead proved to be more than enough, as Andhra crumbled for only 84 in their second innings with none of the batsmen passing 25. The bowling heroes for Punjab were Gagandeep Singh and Vineet Sharma, as they were in the first innings, taking nine wickets between them.Railways 103 for 3 trail Mumbai 388 (Powar 131, Muzumdar 95) by 285 runsScorecard
Amol Muzumdar fell five short of a hundred, but Ramesh Powar cracked an entertaining 131 to give Mumbai the advantage at the Wankhede Stadium. Resuming at 236 for 5, Muzumdar added only four runs before he was snapped up by Zakir Hussain. Three quick wickets followed before Powar was joined by Munaf Patel, the last man, with the score on 312. The next half-hour saw a flurry of boundaries – including some massive sixes – and 76 valuable runs were realised, of which Munaf blitzed 32 in just 24 balls. Munaf carried on the good work with an accurate first spell, and was rewarded when Amit Pagnis fished at one away from the body. After the loss of two more wickets, Sanjay Bangar and Shreyas Khandolkar steadied the innings with a vital 65-run unbeaten stand.Kerala 286 for 5 (Kudva 90*) v Delhi
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Kerala trudged along on the second day at the Harbax Singh Stadium Delhi, on the back of a steady 90 from Ajay Kudva. Only 201 runs were added in the day, with Hemanth Kumar and Sreekumar Nair chipping in with 46 and 34 respectively. Kudva’s dogged effort took up 193 balls and contained 11 fours.Tamil Nadu 87 for 3 trail Hyderabad 447 (Vinay 93, Khaleel 75, Vishnuvardhan 59) by 360 runs
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Tamil Nadu suffered three early setbacks in pursuit of 447 in Hyderabad. After a solid batting display by the Hyderabad top order yesterday, the tail picked up the baton, with Ibrahim Khaleel and Sankinani Vishnuvardhan notching up half-centuries. Narendra Pal Singh and Venkatapathy Raju finished with the innings with a flourish, as they put on 47 runs in quick time. For TN, Jayaraman Gokulakrishnan and Tamil Kumaran picked up three wickets apiece. Vishnuvardhan then snapped up both the TN openers, but Sridharan Sriram stroked 48 and held things together.Karnataka 280 for 6 (Rowland 122*) lead Gujarat 210 by 70 runs
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Barrington Rowland carved out a fine century as Karnataka gained the upper hand, along with a 70-run lead, at Ahmedabad. Siddharth Trivedi (4 for 71) threatened to derail the innings, but Rowland got good support from Deepak Chougule (37) and Stuart Binny (41) and resurrected the innings. Rowland hit seven fours in his 320-ball effort.Baroda 34 for 1 trail Uttar Pradesh 473 (Samshad 168) by 439 runs
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Rizwan Shamshad slammed 168 and helped UP pile on the misery on Baroda at Vadodara. Shamshad – 34 overnight – spent nearly eight hours at the crease, and hit 18 fours. Gyanendra Pandey chipped in with 44 and Pravin Gupta put on 78 vital runs with Shamshad. Rakesh Patel and Shekhar Joshi, the two medium-pacers, picked up three wickets each.Plate Championship Fourth RoundTripura 3 for 1 trail Madhya Pradesh 454 (Abbas Ali 109, Patwardhan 106) by 451 runs
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MP posted a massive total at Indore as Syed Abbas Ali and Nikhil Patwardhan crafted fine hundreds. Patwardhan got useful support from the tail, and 204 was added after Ali fell. Arindam Sarkar, the medium-pacer, was the most successful bowler for Tripura, and finished with 4 for 72.Jammu & Kashmir 104 (Sandeep 5-56) and 36 for 4 trail Vidharbha 379 (Fazal 151) by 239 runs
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Resuming at 300 for 4, Vidharbha lost their way this morning at Nagpur, as only 79 more were made for the loss of six wickets. Even that would not have been possible, if not for Chandrashekhar Atram’s breezy 37. But they ensured that it was more than enough, when J&K were skittled out for 104. Sandeep Singh scythed through the top order and finished with a five-wicket haul. And it got even worse when J&K were reduced to 36 for 4 as they followed on, which left them 239 runs in arrears.Himachal Pradesh 111 and 15 for 0 trail Goa 312 (D’Sousa 74, Jakati 66) by 186 runs
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After shooting down HP for only 111, Goa gained a sizeable first-innings lead at Dharamshala. Robin D’Sousa and Shadab Jakati compiled half-centuries and Goa gained a lead of 211. D’Sousa hit eight fours but Jakati was more aggressive as he hit 10 fours in his 148-ball effort.Services 89 for 2 trail Maharashtra 403 (Khirid 117, Kanitkar 112, Fazil 5-104) by 314 runs
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Maharashtra have had a great time with the bat this season, and it was no different against Services at Aurangabad. After a century from Hrishikesh Kanitkar yesterday, Ranjit Khirid smashed 117 and nudged them past the 400 mark. For Services, Fazil Mohammad finished with five victims. Services replied by crawling to 89 for 2 in 34 overs, with Yashpal Singh unbeaten on 42.Orissa 41 for 1 trail Saurashtra 228 (Vaghela 95) by 187 runs
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Despite Kanaia Waghela’s sedate 95, Saurashtra were restricted to 228 at Cuttack. Waghela hit 10 fours in his 339-ball knock. Yet none of the other batsmen passed 30, as Debashish Mohanty and Deepak Mangaraj grabbed seven wickets between them. Orissa lost the wicket of SS Das before stumps were drawn.

Sachin Tendulkar’s chances of playing in the third Test at Nagpur, starting on Tuesday, have skyrocketed after his first net session in nine weeks. Tendulkar is rated a better than 50-50 chance and one Indian team source said he would be “stunned” if he was ruled out again.Tendulkar was unable to drive, open doors, lift his children or even sign autographs with his left hand when his tennis elbow was at its most painful. But he seems certain to return for the final Test in Mumbai, when the Australian captain Ricky Ponting is expected to make his comeback from a broken thumb.”I have started using a lighter bat but it is too soon to say when I will be back,” Tendulkar said. “I am feeling much better but the doctor has said that this injury is such that it will take time to heal. I am keeping my fingers crossed.”Tendulkar has not played since the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka on August 1.

Gordon Greenidge has been appointed as the new convener of West Indies selectors, following a meeting by the directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in Barbados. Greenidge, a former West Indies opening batsman, will be joined by Andy Roberts and Clyde Butts in the new selection panel.Roberts is the new face in the current panel, following Joey Carew’s resignation a few days back. Butts and Greenidge were already members of the old panel.The board also retained Lara as captain and confirmed that he is indeed a part of the panel along with Bennett King, the West Indies coach. During the recent series against India, Lara revealed that he was informed of his position as a selector just days before the final Test in Jamaica, causing resentment on his part. West Indies lost the Test and the series 1-0, and the circumstances made him reconsider his position as captain once the new selection panel is announced. Carew insisted that his decision to resign had nothing to do with Lara’s comments on team selection and quality of pitches in the Tests against India.