Murali Kartik has signed with Middlesex as their overseas player for 2008. In nine Championship matches this summer he has taken 37 wickets at 25.48.”We are delighted to have signed Kartik for a further season,” John Emburey, the county’s director of cricket, said. “He is a world-class bowler who has fitted in well with the team. With the regulations reducing the number of overseas players to one per county next year, it is crucial to sign a proven match-winner and we have done that with Kartik. It is sad to lose Chaminda Vaas who has performed so well for us, but we need a world-class spinner to compete for honours next year. We are committed to winning trophies and Kartik will be an integral part of an improved squad next year.””It’s a brilliant feeling to come back to a place like Middlesex with all its history,” Kartik said. “All the players, staff and supporters have been very gracious in their support towards me and made me and my family feel very wanted. It will be good to have that feeling once again next year.”

Administrators and selectors detest senior players who attempt topick and choose their matches and tours and many careers have come to amessy end as a result of them attempting to do so. However, if it is the same selectors and administrators who make that decision, then all is well, it would appear.So while Shaun Pollock may have been surprised and even upset by hisomission from South Africa’s first Test starting line-up, 24 hours ofquiet reflection have probably helped him realise that he will no longerbe required to flog his 34-year-old body on flat, unforgiving trackslike this one in Karachi. He is being saved for the juicy pitches onwhich his now modest pace can still be effective.While South African captain Graeme Smith and coach Mickey Arthur have bothbeen careful to speak with the respect that Pollock deserves, neither was mincing his words, either.”He certainly isn’t being rested. It is a tactical decision that wehave taken and Shaun has been incredibly mature in responding to what wehave asked him to do,” Smith said on the eve of the first Test. “It is vital that we find time to blood one or two youngsters. We really don’t want to find ourselves reaching the point where Shaun retires and we haven’t given a couple of people the chance to playinternational cricket.”We have a couple of young and very exciting fast bowlers comingthrough and a two-Test series seems to be the perfect chance to exposethem to unfamiliar conditions while Shaun, with all his experience, isstill on hand to guide them and advice them from the sidelines.”Of course, Pollock may yet play. Having endured the unfamiliarexperience of being an international 12th man just once – for the World XI against Australia a couple of years ago – he might avoid the role again if Morne Morkel fails to recover from anankle injury.”He certainly isn’t out of the running for the first Test now thatMorne is injured and he most certainly will be considered for the secondTest,” Smith said. “When we get back to South Africa he comes right back intocontention. We have a good nucleus of bowlers now and selection is aboutchoosing who might be best suited for the conditions as well as about who is fitand in-form.”Arthur felt that the South Africans should be excited rather thandisappointed that Pollock was no longer regarded as a must for everygame.”I felt it was slightly misreported although I can understand whythe emphasis was on Shaun’s omission,” Arthur said. “We have lacked a bit of variety inthe past and that’s what we’re looking to achieve now. Makhaya [Ntini] bowls well to left-handers, Morne bowls a good line and gets steep bounce, Dale Steyn bowls a fuller length with genuine pace and swings it away, Andre Nel is all thunder and in-your-face and then we have Jacques Kallis to complete the pace attack while Paul Harris isdeveloping nicely as a spinner.”So where does that leave Pollock? “He is very much in the mix but we are trying to operate a horses-for-courses policy now,” Arthur said. “There are some pitches and overhead conditions in which he’ll still probably be our first choice. But in conditions that favour the batsmen, we can probably do without the second allrounder and play an extra strike bowler to try and take the 20 wickets needed to win.”

Ricky Ponting feels some of India’s cricketers have “misinterpreted what aggressive cricket means” during the ongoing one-day series. His comments come in the wake of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s revelations about Australia’s cricketers using “harsh words” in the third one-dayer in Hyderabad.”Both teams can still play aggressively, but when the Australian team speaks about playing aggressively I think a lot of people get the wrong idea,” Ponting wrote in his column for the newspaper.”I don’t mean talking aggressively or showing aggressive body language. That’s exactly the opposite of what aggressive or positive cricket is all about. A few of the Indians have reacted very much with aggressive body language and trying to force themselves upon us, and I think the way some of them are playing their cricket that they have also misinterpreted what aggressive cricket means.”I suppose if some of the players don’t understand it, a lot of people watching the game in the stands or at home don’t understand it either. It’s not jumping up and down, sledging, giving people send-offs and that sort of stuff. When the Australian team talks about playing aggressively, we are committing ourselves to playing hard: there’s nothing given and there’s nothing asked to be given.”Though the Hyderabad game was hardly as hot tempered as the match at Kochi, Dhoni, had enough to complain about. “We discussed with the referee about not using harsh words, but Ponting did, and a couple of their players did,” Dhoni said after the game. He didn’t reveal what exactly was said by the players, though.Ponting felt his team had stayed within the confines of the spirit of cricket. “Some years back the Australian team committed itself to uphold the spirit of cricket,” he said. “A lot of the current players weren’t involved, but every player who comes into the team is clearly briefed on the idea and given direction on what’s acceptable and what’s not. We treat it very seriously and nobody comes in without understanding what we expect. I think it’s been a very positive thing if you look back at our recent history. It’s something I’m proud of. I think we have been one of the least reported teams in the world.”Ponting felt his side didn’t indulge in sledging, a term he said was associated with “swearing” or “making a personal attack” on the opponents. “If you look at any sport, Australian football, soccer, anything, there is always some sort of dialogue between players, and I think that’s part of sport at the highest level. But it’s very important that every Australian cricketer understands what he can and cannot do. It is why we have the spirit of cricket concept. It was brought in so we would not have our blokes reported. We have our own set of rules that we can act on to keep things from getting out of hand.”

A fourth-wicket partnership of 192 between Bazid Khan and Mohammad Wasim propelled Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) to 253 for 5 on the opening day of their first-round Group B Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi.From 12 for 3 KRL were resurrected by Bazid’s unbeaten 120 and 92 from Wasim, the former Pakistan batsman. Bazid, in his KRL debut, batted for a little over five-and-a-quarter hours, facing 233 balls with 15 fours and two sixes. It was the 26-year-old’s ninth first-class hundred.Wasim, the KRL captain, fell eight runs short of what would have been his 18th first-class century. He faced 186 balls and hit ten boundaries. Shoaib Akhtar, currently serving a 13-match international cricket ban, was included in the KRL line-up.A lower-order rally, after Pakistan fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed picked up three wickets, helped Lahore Ravi to 251 against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) on the first day at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground.Shabbir’s decision to field was backed up as WAPDA restricted Lahore Ravi to 124 for 6, despite opener Kashif Siddiq’s 53 from 104 balls. Shabbir grabbed 3 for 60 and offspinner Aqeel Ahmed finished with 4 for 80. Junaid Zia, the Lahore Ravi captain, hit 50 off 76 balls and Waqas Ahmed a brisk 42-ball 45 in a seventh-wicket stand of 82 to get the side to a decent total.In reply, WAPDA closed on 33 for 1.Fast bowler Saad Altaf and wicketkeeper Naeem Anjum combined to dismiss Abbottabad for 212 before a 77-run opening stand capped a good first day for hosts Islamabad at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground.Altaf’s career-best 6 for 73, and 20-year-old Naeem’s six catches behind the stumps, restricted Abbottabad to a small total and it was only thanks to a 77-run seventh-wicket stand between Khalid Usman (50) and Iftikhar Mahmood (36) that the visitors progressed from 79 for 6.Pace bowler Rauf Akbar and offspinner Atif Maqbool finished with 2 for 35 and 2 for 26 respectively. By the close of play, the Islamabad openers, Raheel Majeed and Umair Khan, had taken Islamabad to within 13 runs of Abbottabad’s first-innings total.Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) bowled out Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) for 152 and were at 46 for no loss at stumps on the first day of their Group B match at Rawalpindi.An unbeaten 39 off 83 balls from Imran Khalid, from No. 8, was the only resistance of note as PIA’s bowlers Fazl-e-Akbar, Najaf Shah and Tahir Khan shared the spoils.An 87-run eighth-wicket partnership between captain Ali Raza and Mohammad Saeed boosted Lahore Shalimar to 230 for 8 on day one of their Group B encounter against hosts Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium.Lahore Shalimar opted to bat first but were reduced to 138 for 7, with right-arm fast bowler Nauman Habib picking up three wickets. However, Saeed top-scored with 55 and Raza made an unbeaten 44 to ensure the visitors weren’t bowled out for a low total.An unbeaten 89 from Asif Hussain helped Faisalabad reach 205 for 4 in 83 overs on the first day of their Group A match against Multan in Sargodha.Hussain added 71 runs for the second wicket along with opener Abdul Mannan, who scored 51. Imranullah Aslam, the leg-break bowler, was the pick of the bowlers for Multan, finishing with figures of 3 for 55 from his 22 overs.Only 30 overs were possible on the first day of Sialkot’s match against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the Jinnah Stadium due to inclement weather. NBP put hosts Sialkot in and they finished the day on 106 for 5, with Bilal Hussain’s 48 the highest score. Wasim Khan, the right-arm fast-medium bowler, had the best figures of 2 for 23.

ScorecardBermuda slumped to another heavy defeat, this time at the hands of UAE who recorded their first win in this season’s Intercontinental Cup series. Bermuda are now bottom of the table after four matches, with just six points.UAE resumed on 409 for 7 but were quickly dispatched by Bermuda’s bowlers who dismissed them for 449. This left Bermuda chasing 282 – a difficult, but not impossible target on a pitch (judging by the application UAE showed on the second and third days) was good for batting.They crumbled to 33 for 5 after Irfan Ahmed picked up three quick wickets and, this time, not even David Hemp could dig them out. Irvine Romaine cracked 32 from 45 and Malachi Jones offered 24 at a run-a-ball, but UAE’s bowlers shared around the wickets to dismiss them for a pitiful 143 inside 40 overs.For both sides, this match was a dead-rubber with just pride to play for. But nevertheless, it was a useful warm-up for UAE who travel to Namibia for the World Cricket League Division Two later this month. Bermuda, on the other hand, have a lot of soul searching to do.

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.”

Michael Di Venuto’s three-year deal with Durham has spelt the end of his time with Tasmania. Di Venuto, 34, had previously insisted that he only wanted to play six months of the year from now on, and his decision to join the English county means the end of his time with the state he has represented for 17 years.His decision to cut down the amount of cricket he plays was based on wanting to spend more time with his family, as well as business interests and he will quit the state at the end of the season. He has also recently undergone surgery for a double hernia and battling niggling injuries over recent seasons.”I first played cricket for Tasmania when I was 18 years old and playing cricket for Tasmania has been my life since then,” Di Venuto said. “I love playing cricket for Tasmania and I am certainly going to miss it, however the opportunity to finish my career at Durham is an exciting one and something my family and I are really looking forward to. It also allows us to spend summers in Hobart and continue to prepare for our life after cricket.”Di Venuto is currently Tasmania’s leading one-day run scorer and is second only to Jamie Cox on their lists of Pura Cup appearances and runs. He was a member of the Tigers’ successful ING Cup team in 2004-05 but he rates his career highlight as being part of Tasmania’s historic Pura Cup-winning team last season.It was the state’s first triumph and Di Venuto was the only player in the side to have also been part of the three Tasmania teams that lost Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield finals, in 1993-94, 1997-98 and 2001-02. Di Venuto said he had thoughts of quitting after the final success against New South Wales at Bellerive Oval last March.”It was undoubtedly the greatest feeling I’ve experienced on a cricket field,” Di Venuto told the . “This retiring could have potentially happened at the end of that game but I wanted to continue on and squeeze out another season because I thought we were a very good chance to do it again.”Although last summer was Di Venuto’s most successful domestic season in Australia – he made 961 Pura Cup runs at 53.38 – he conceded he had not got the best out of himself consistently during his home seasons. “Not in Australia, no, which has been a frustrating thing for me,” Di Venuto said.”I can go year in, year out overseas and put in some pretty good performances but never been able to nail a season back here. Not to say I’ve had poor seasons back here, I think I’ve been quite consistent but for what I can do, I probably don’t get the best out of myself in Australian summers.”Di Venuto’s former Tasmania team-mate David Boon said the state would be losing one of its most dangerous weapons. “I think he has been a great player,” Boon said. “When he is on song, there is none better.”I look at him as one of the best ball strikers that we’ve produced for a long time and not only in Tasmanian cricket but Australian cricket. He is one of those guys that every other state has had on their list as a must get out. He has shown that many a times. One that I most refer to with him is his big hundred in the Sheffield Shield final we lost in ’98. It was a magnificent innings.”To date Di Venuto has played 141 first-class matches for Tasmania scoring 9687 runs at an average of 40.36 including 18 centuries with a highest score of 189. He also has taken 150 catches, the most by a Tasmanian in first-class cricket and in 103 domestic one-day matches he scored 2891 runs with a highest score of 129 at an average of 30.76. He also represented Australia in nine one-day internationals in 1997 scoring 241 runs at an average of 26.77 with a highest score of 89.Overall, combining his Tasmanian, Australia A and English first-class careers for Sussex, Derbyshire and Durham, he has played 261 matches, totalling 19,952 runs with 44 centuries at an average of 44.63. Di Venuto has indicated his desire to continue having an involvement in Tasmanian cricket, which the board is keen to secure in some capacity.

August 9, 1990
A bespectacled and studious-looking Anil Kumble makes his Test debut against England at Old Trafford in 1990. Bowling first-change, he takes 3 for 105 – his first wicket is Allan Lamb, caught at silly point for 38 – as England score 519. Goes wicket-less in the second innings, and does not play in the third Test. An inconspicuous entrance into Test cricket, and Kumble does not get another opportunity for two years.November 29, 1992
Back in the Test side after a long gap, Kumble, with 6 for 53, dismisses South Africa for 252 in their second innings during the second Test in Johannesburg. Five of his victims are bowled, beaten either by his zip off the pitch or frustrated into playing across the line by his accuracy. The match is drawn, but Kumble has his reputation enhanced.February 1993
Plays his first home Test series, against England, and produces his first series-winning performance. He takes 21 wickets in three Tests, and establishes himself as India’s front-line spinner. Opens the bowling in the second Test in Chennai – trapping Robin Smith leg-before for 17 – but it is his 6 for 64 in the second innings that really leaves a mark. Admits that the first delivery he taught himself was the flipper, the lethal ball that tends to embarrass the Test world’s batting elite, and it is with this gem that he runs through England despite Chris Lewis’ best efforts. Signals the end of Richard Blakey’s England career, the substitute wicketkeeper handling Kumble as convincingly as “Phil Tufnell against Patrick Patterson”, notes Lawrence Booth after Kumble’s magical series.March 1993
His eight wickets in the match – including 5 for 70 in the second innings – helps India to an innings and 13-run victory over Zimbabwe in a one-off Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Kumble crossing 50 wickets in the process, in only his tenth match. After helping force Zimbabwe to follow-on, Kumble gives the ball a flip and takes centrestage.January 1994
Takes his first ten-wicket haul, in his 14th Test. Eleven wickets in the match, replete with his first seven-wicket haul, gives India a thumping win over Sri Lanka in Lucknow, and Kumble, 23, his first Man-of-the-Match award. Bounding in, shoulders arched and eyes ablaze with intent, Kumble is a sight to behold on the third and fourth days, sending down over after over of fizzing, ripping legspin that confounds the hapless Sri Lankans. Four vital scalps in the first innings forces the tourists to follow-on, only for Kumble to relentlessly continue his mastery – despite a bleeding nose and heat exhaustion – on the fourth day.October, 1995
Takes his 100th Test wicket, that of Martin Crowe, in his 21st Test, in front of his home crowd in Bangalore. Complements his 4 for 39 in the first innings with 5 for 81 in the second, as New Zealand succumb for 233. His 100th, 300th and 400th wickets all come at this venue, much to the pleasure of the supportive Bangalore fans.

February 7, 1999
Undoubtedly Kumble’s finest moment on the cricket field, becoming only the second bowler, after Jim Laker, to take all ten wickets in a Test innings, claiming 10 for 74 in the second innings against Pakistan in Delhi. Strikes decisively to dismiss Shahid Afridi and Ijaz Ahmed off successive deliveries after Pakistan, chasing a record 420 for victory, begin with a century partnership. Wasim Akram, the second man in the innings to survive a hat-trick ball, becomes Kumble’s tenth victim by pushing a catch to short leg. History is made, and India gain their first Test win over Pakistan in 19 years. Modest as ever, Kumble jokes in an on-air interview following the incredible achievement: “As a bowler, everybody dreams of getting 10 wickets. My mum, whenever I go to see her, says ‘Get a hat-trick, get a hat-trick’, the next time it will be ‘Get ten wickets’.”October, 1999
When he traps Matthew Horne leg-before in the second innings of the Kanpur Test, Kumble completes his 250 wickets – the fastest Indian to do so. Becomes the third Indian bowler after Kapil Dev (434 wickets in 131 Tests) and Bishan Singh Bedi (266 wickets in 67 Tests) and the 21st bowler (fifth spinner) in Test history to achieve this milestone. Playing to his strength and rarely offering any width to the batsmen, Kumble’s 6 for 67 shatters New Zealand’s top order in its second innings, setting India up for a clinical eight-wicket win inside four days. His match figures of 10 for 134 earns him another Man-of-the-Match award, and as India go on to win the series, Kumble is fittingly named the Man of the Series for his 20 wickets.May 2002
Nursing a broken jaw – heavily strapped around his jaw, over his head and across the back of it – Kumble takes the field on the third day of the fourth Test at St John’s and sends down14 numbing overs, dismissing Brian Lara lbw with one that rips from off. None can deny the efforts of Kumble, whose grit and resolve are there for all to see. The match ends in a tepid draw, and Kumble flies home – a hero, no less – to have his jaw sorted out.August, 2002
Kumble, often derided for being ineffective in away Tests, takes 7 for 159 in the third Test against England at Headingley, as India win by an innings and 46 runs. In a fine fifth-day spell, Kumble provides the killer blows, removing century-maker Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart, as India snuff out England’s dream of a miracle escape by completing a series-leveling win. This performance comes as a forceful reminder to his critics as Kumble, who goes past Allan Donald’s tally of 330 wickets, proves that he can win India matches abroad.December 2003 – January 2004
Gets a chance to play the second Test against Australia after Harbhajan Singh is injured, and delivers one of his best performances, taking 24 wickets over three Tests as India draw the series. Inspired and inspirational on this tour, Kumble’s spells in Adelaide – ignore the figures, his 5 for 154 reigns Australia in magnificently – and Sydney – where he almost single-handedly bowled India to victory on a final day dominated by Steve Waugh’s farewell – are among the best by an Indian overseas. Throughout the series, Kumble demonstrated that he could be a potent a strike bowler overseas as at home, and it was befitting that one colossus (Kumble) claimed the other (Waugh) in a thrilling final day’s play.October 6, 2004
Takes his 400th wicket in his 85th Test, against Australia in Bangalore, bowling Simon Katich off the hip, becoming the first Indian spinner to do so. Pumping his fists and losing himself in the embrace of his team-mates, Kumble, before his home crowd, evokes a lasting image of a hero destined for this mark.April 16, 2004
Four wickets on the fourth day of the third and final Test in Rawalpindi scripts India’s first ever Test victory in Pakistan. With India’s young pace brigade putting in a stunning performance on day one, Kumble is, surprisingly, left in the shadows. On the fourth day, however, he comes back for the kill, dealing swift, crushing blows at the death to submit the hosts to an emphatic innings and 131-run defeat. The series produces exciting cricket all the way and consistent performances from Kumble – who again tops the wickets tally for both sides – helps India break the barrier of a first overseas series win in well over a decade.December 2, 2004
Kumble, in his 90th Test, equals Kapil’s record of most Test wickets by an Indian bowler, against South Africa at Eden Gardens. Achieves the feat when he has last-man Makhaya Ntini caught by Rahul Dravid in the slip cordon for 12 to signal the end of the South African second innings, setting up another Indian victory on the fifth day.

December 10, 2004
Goes past Kapil as India’s leading wicket-taker with the wicket of Mohammad Rafique, trapped in front, on the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh at the Bangabandhu Stadium. Needing just one wicket to overtake Kapil before the start of the match, Kumble takes two to boost his Test tally to 436. Has a chance of a hat-trick after removing Tapash Baisya via a catch at first slip but Mashrafe Mortaza defends the fifth ball of his 12th over. Accolades pour in from current and former cricketers, including a congratulatory message from Kapil himself.March 2005
Six wickets on the final day in Kolkata scripts a splendid 195-run win over arch-rivals Pakistan, giving them a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series. Despite a belligerent onslaught from Shahid Afridi that propels Pakistan to an ominous start, Kumble holds his nerve to dismiss him just before stumps on day four, and returns the following day to skittle the tourists out for 226. Stands tall with ten in the match, his 7 for 63 being the standout bowling performance of the match. Once again, Kumble proves his match-winning capabilities at home.December 14, 2005
Playing his 99th Test, Kumble takes ten wickets for the eighth time in his career, and hands India a comprehensive 188-run victory over Sri Lanka in second Test in Delhi. Goes past Muttiah Muralitharan as the bowler with the most caught-and-bowled dismissals with a stunning, session-turning return catch off Marvan Atapattu. Two more wickets on the final day signals a thumping win.March 11, 2006
Becomes the first Indian and the fifth overall to take 500 wickets in Test cricket when he traps Steve Harmison lbw in the 2nd Test against England in Mohali.July 2, 2006
Kumble bowls India to a history series victory in the Caribbean, 35 years after they last did so, under Ajit Wadekar. Takes 6 for 78 to bowl West Indies out for 219 as they chase 269.August 2007
At The Oval he goes past Glenn McGrath’s 563 Test wickets, moving to No. 3 on the all-time list to accentuate his role in spin’s golden era. In the same Test he knocks up a maiden hundred, one 17 years and 118 matches in the coming.January 2008
Takes his 600th wicket in the third Test against Australia in Perth.August 2008
Has a forgettable tour of Sri Lanka, where he picks up eight wickets at an average of 50.November 2008
In the Bangalore Test against Australia, he goes wicketless and a shoulder injury doesn’t help matters. He sits out of the second Test and returns for the third, in Delhi. He suffers a finger injury and decides to call it quits on the fifth afternoon. He finishes his 132-Test career as the third-highest Test wicket-taker (619), behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.

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.”

Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s most-capped player, has announced he will retire from Test cricket at the end of the upcoming home series against England. Fleming said it was better for his family if he quit the game ahead of the return tour of England in May and June.”I always indicated that I was likely to retire from international cricket at some point in the near future and the time is right for me and my family to do that now,” Fleming said. “Retiring before the tour to England will allow me to be with [my wife] Kelly for the birth of our second child.”Fleming, 34, will take part in the Indian Premier League, however, and said it was a good way to stay involved in the sport. “It is an exciting opportunity and one that I will be pursuing with the full support of New Zealand Cricket,” he said. “The IPL only takes a short amount of my time each year, and allows me to continue pursuing my new endeavours outside of the game.”One of those aims is to start his own marketing, media and sports management business but NZC’s chief executive Justin Vaughan hopes Fleming will play a part in the country’s cricketing future. “Stephen’s presence and leadership qualities had a tremendous impact on the team and he will be missed by New Zealand Cricket and the Black Caps,” Vaughan said.”He has made a huge contribution to cricket in New Zealand and I sincerely wish him all the best. I’m sure we have not seen the last of him and we are working to ensure that he has a role within cricket in New Zealand in the future.”Fleming departs with a sackful of New Zealand Test records. No New Zealander has played as many Tests (108), scored as many runs (6875), taken as many catches (166), captained as many games (80), or led as many wins (28) as Fleming.Appointed at 23, he was the country’s youngest Test skipper and only Allan Border, who led Australia through 93 Tests, guided his team in more games. When Fleming retired from one-day international cricket last September he left with a similar bunch of records. At the same time as Fleming quit ODIs New Zealand handed the Test captaincy to Daniel Vettori, which disappointed Fleming, who wanted to see if separate captains could help New Zealand’s consistency.”I felt in New Zealand cricket whenever our one-day cricket was going well our Test cricket suffered and vice-versa,” he said. “One of the ways to combat that was to step aside as one-day captain. I would have liked the opportunity to be working away at our Test game, to be exploring how we could beat England in the Tests.”After the powers that be decided against splitting the captaincy, Fleming admitted he had contemplated his future and seriously considered a substantial offer from the Indian Cricket League. It became clear his time at the top level was drawing to a close.The only question was when in 2008 he would end his career. Would it be before the home series against England, after it, or following the return tour of England in New Zealand’s winter? Fleming, a man who avoids fanfare where possible, has opted for three final Tests at home with his last set to start in Napier on March 22.That will give local fans an opportunity to farewell a man who has defined New Zealand cricket for more than a decade. When he made his Test debut in 1993-94 it was immediately apparent the selectors had found an important player for the future success of the side. In a team led by Ken Rutherford against India in Hamilton, Fleming made 92 in his opening Test, and he followed it just days later with 90 in his ODI debut in Napier.

But triple-figures never quite agreed with Fleming, who ended up with nine centuries and 43 half-centuries in accumulating a Test average of 39.73. It took him 23 Tests to make his first hundred and a month later he was thrust into the captaincy when Lee Germon was unavailable for against England due to a groin injury. Germon did not return and Fleming began a ten-year reign during which he eventually became regarded as arguably the most astute leader in the game.Through it all runs kept coming for Fleming, though not in the proportions he or his country would have liked. He was sometimes accused of lacking concentration as he tried to build big scores and that trend looked set to continue in Colombo in 1998 when he absent-mindedly strolled to the crease without his box and had to rush back to retrieve it.A lazy shot brought his dismissal for 78, but in his second innings he displayed a rarely-seen resolve, batting for nearly eight hours to finish unbeaten on 174 and setting up a 167-run victory. It was his second Test century and New Zealand hoped it would be his turning point. He didn’t reach triple-figures again in a Test for nearly four years.A highlight eventually came in the same city five years later when he batted for nearly 11 hours to register an unbeaten 274 – it remains his highest score – and then made an unselfish declaration that left the door open for a result. He finished the match having been on the field in searing heat for all but the first 44 minutes of the draw and any suggestions that he lacked application were finally put to rest.As if to prove that his double-century was no fluke, he rattled off several more mammoth efforts in Tests: 192 against Pakistan, 202 in Bangladesh and 262 against South Africa. There were outstanding one-day innings along the way as well, and an unbeaten 134 against South Africa in a must-win World Cup match in 2003 was particularly important.But more than individual performances, Fleming was proud of the times he led his small country to big successes. Guiding them to a 2-1 Test win in England in 1999 was particularly special, although Fleming was also pleased with the 0-0 drawn series in Australia in 2001-02. Another highlight came in 2000 when he led New Zealand to their first triumph in a major tournament – the Champions Trophy in Nairobi.The one-day arena was also where Fleming experienced some of his biggest disappointments, and failing to get his team into a World Cup final was a regret. Following last year’s semi-final knockout at the hands of Sri Lanka, Fleming quit the ODI captaincy, which precipitated a chain of events that gradually led to his removal from the Test leadership. Fittingly, though, he has been afforded the right to end his playing career on his own terms.