The Bangladesh Cricket Board has prepared a short-list of 10 international coaches to replace Australian Dav Whatmore, said officials on Sunday.
   The list was prepared at the first meeting of the six-member committee that had been formed to mull over coach and captain situation on Sunday, said Shah Nurul Kabir Shaheen, a member of the committee and a vice-president of the BCB.
   ‘We have around 10 names at present. We will now discuss the name and make our choice,’ Shaheen told New Age. ‘The coaches are from five Test-playing countries – Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka,’ he said.
    ‘The cricket operations committee of the BCB has been entrusted to contact the concerned coaches whether they will be available for the job by the first week of next month,’ said another BCB official present at the meeting.
   Both Shaheen and the official, asked not to be named, said that the list contained very few high-profile names. The officials also ruled out the possibility of former Australian captain Steve Waugh, who reportedly made it into the short-list, on account of him having no coaching background.
   ‘We would prefer to have a coach who will completely devote himself to the profession and will try to make a name for himself. His playing career will be immaterial to us,’ said former lawmaker Shaheen.
   The BCB vice-president said that they have decided to appoint a specialised coach beside the head coach. ‘If a bowler becomes the head coach then the specialised coach will be a batsman. In case of batsman head coach, it will be vice-versa.’
   The committee, however, made little headway in appointing the captain and vice-captain for the India series. ‘It is a very complicated issue. We have got to look at the off the field performance as well before appointing a captain,’ said Shaheen.
   The BCB sources however indicated that they are most likely to retain Habibul Bashar in the India series and give him a chance to say goodbye to one-day cricket.
   ‘We want to introduce a new culture by giving a player, who has contributed immensely to Bangladesh cricket, the chance to bid farewell with dignity,’ said a BCB high-up.

West Indies batting genius Brian Lara may have smashed records but his dream remains unfulfilled.
   The stylish left-hander always wanted to make the West Indies a dominant force in international cricket, but was disappointed with the team’s performances in the past decade.
   ‘The last 10-12 years I spent as a player have been very tough. It was a tough ride, a tough career,’ said Lara, who quit international cricket after his team’s World Cup Super Eights one-wicket defeat to England.
   ‘The West Indies people need a strong team and we have not been able to produce that for a long time. The West Indies were dominant in cricket when I was growing up.’
   Lara made his international debut in 1990, and went on to score 11,953 runs in 131 Tests with 34 centuries and 10,405 runs in 299 one-day internationals with 19 hundreds.
   ‘My dream over the past 17 years was keeping the West Indies on top. When I arrived, we were on top of world cricket,’ said Lara, who was accompanied by his daughter Sydney, named in honour of the venue where he hit his first Test century, at a crowded press conference here.
   ‘There was a decline and unfortunately we haven’t been able to stop that. That has been the most disappointing (thing). If there’s one thing that I have great hope for it is to see this West Indies team get back to the top.
   ‘There are many things I am sorry for. You try your best, but sometimes your best is not enough.’
   The 37-year-old Lara felt changes were necessary to make West Indies cricket stronger, saying it was the right time for him to bow out.
   ‘Results were not up to expectations and change was necessary. I saw no reason for me to carry on at this point of time. It was the right time to call it a day and I think I made a right decision,’ said Lara.
   ‘It was a privilege to play for the West Indies for 17 years and to hold the bat for that long is something I am proud of. I wish the team all the best and I wish the new captain all the best.’
   Lara holds two batting world records, scoring an unbeaten 400 against England in the Antigua Test in 2004 and an unbeaten 501 against Durham in a first-class game in 1994.
   ‘It (records) was just destiny. The man above decides on all these things,’ said Lara, who is also the leading scorer in Tests and the fifth-highest in the shorter version of the game.
   When asked what message he had for youngsters, Lara said, ‘Play the game with passion and commitment and be well-prepared when you enter the field. The support from my family was tremendous. I have so much to thank them for.’
   Lara said he would be willing to serve West Indies cricket after his retirement.
   ‘I’ll never be lost to West Indies cricket and I think I have an important part to play, but let the right time come. I haven’t thought about my future yet,’ he said.
   ‘There’s a book in the pipeline. I can now do what I wanted to but was unable to do when playing. There is no need to rush into anything. I am not writing anything off.’
   Lara said he would like to be remembered as a player who entertained people.
   ‘As long as I entertained people I am happy. It’s important to put smiles back on peoples’ faces. The fans gave an emotional farewell to me. It brought tears to my eyes and I’m always going to cherish memories like this.’

The other day I was having a chat with Aquib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler turned coach of their national academy, now in Dhaka about the greatest batsmen he ever faced. He did not hesitate to utter the name of Brian Charles Lara, who the Lahore pacer described as the most difficult player to contain when on song. And I hardly have any reason to disagree with him. With my small cricketing brain what more can I say about the Trinidadian genius except that he is the greatest ever batsman the game has seen after Sir Donald Bradman.
   It’s unfortunate that we will not see Lara playing again in future. Still I would appreciate his decision to retire from international cricket. There was no better time for him to do it. I know few would say that he retired from the game with his head down after losing to England by one wicket in his very last game. West Indies had scored 300 runs and England overhauled it in a thrilling way. There was no shame in Lara losing thematch because the game itself was the eventual winner.
   It was the 299th one-day international match of his career.
   He could have easily played one more game to take his appearances to 300, something which would be a highly coveted milestone for many great players.
   Also with 43 more runs, his Test tally would reach to 12,000 which no other player has done so far.
   But Lara paid no heed to those impending milestones, thus demonstrating he was never greedy for records, although it came to his way many times in many shapes.
   Scoring 400 runs in a Test innings and 501 runs in first-class cricket was not a joke.
   I appreciate the gesture of the England players, who stood in line to welcome Lara when he came out to bat for the last time.
   Given the fact that most of his records came against the England players, it was a great honour for Lara.
   I am sure all of their bowlers desperately wanted to get Lara out to make name for himself.
   But none of them could
   do so as Lara was run out
   with a direct hit from Kevin Pietersen.
   So that honour goes to our left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak for becoming the last bowler to dismiss the batting great.
   And do you know who took the last catch offered by Lara? It is Javed Omar. Cricket is a funny game!

The complete, complex details behind Brian Lara’s decision to bring an end to his celebrated career before the time schedule he himself had set may never be suitably explained.
   Yet they are not difficult to surmise.
   As recently as the start of the World Cup, Lara had enthusiastically spoken of batting on to 40, even if only in Test cricket.
   A series in England, against opponents who were the recipients of his incredible record scores of 375 and 400 not out and much other misery besides, beckoned. Instead, he will now be following it from beyond the boundary.
   The reasons can at least be partially gleaned from the circumstances of the exit of another phenomenal West Indian batsman and captain of the preceding generation.
   They are comparable, indeed almost identical.
   Sixteen years ago, aged 39, Viv Richards, whose influence on West Indies and world cricket was as impacting as Lara’s, played the last of his 121 Test matches, against England at the Oval in London, a choice he had made known some months earlier.
   He left the field after his final innings to a standing ovation.
   Situated, as the Oval is, in the heart of London’s Caribbean community, the farewell was long and emotional, if not what it is bound to be for Lara today on hallowed West Indian turf that has been the scene of some of his most memorable deeds.
   But one final challenge attracted Richards.
   It was the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand six months later.
   In a reversal of Lara’s stated priorities, Richards was through with Test cricket but he repeatedly advertised his desire for one last shot at the game’s premier limited-over competition.
   Much to his displeasure, his wish was denied, almost certainly on the same grounds that Lara’s has been.
   Richie Richardson had been appointed captain just after the tour of England and Jackie Hendriks, the then chairman of selectors, wrote to Richards explaining the reasons for omitting him.
   Perhaps Gordon Greenidge, Hendriks’ present equivalent, or Ken Gordon, the president of the West Indies Cricket Board, have done the same for Lara.
   Hendriks wrote, ‘We feel that the new captain should feel totally uninhibited and unhindered in bringing his personality and personal stamp on his team and, with the former captain on the team, this may be most difficult for him and the other players as loyalties could well be divided,’ he stated.
   Richards was unimpressed, as were the fans in Australia and West Indies.
   The former captain said he had heard ‘mutterings and whispers that some people in positions of responsibility in the team and on the West Indies board did not want me anyway’.
   ‘Sadly, there are members of the West Indies board I used to respect a lot but I do not now,’ he added.
   As the West Indies were eliminated from the World Cup in the first round, placards proclaiming ‘Bring back Viv!’ and ‘Where is the Master Blaster?’ appeared at grounds in Australia.
   Back in the Caribbean, the issue was one of the many that contributed to Richardson being booed and heckled during the subsequent, inaugural home series against South Africa.
   It was the start of a turbulent time for Richardson whose tenure lasted four years.
   It included a period when he was advised to rest because of ‘acute fatigue syndrome’ and came to an abrupt end during the 1996 World Cup in India and Pakistan, in spite of the West Indies reaching the semi-final.
   He was 34 and never played for the West Indies again.
   Four years ago, the failed World Cup campaign in South Africa finished off another captain, Carl Hooper.
   Like Richardson, he also called it quits, with Lara recalled to take his place for his second term in charge.
   Now Lara, as captain, is seen to have also paid for his team’s lamentable performance in the World Cup, the first in the Caribbean, a historic event that was confidently expected to lift the gloom that has hung over West Indies cricket for so long.
   As with Richards, there is somewhat more to it than that.

Shane Watson’s detractors have been told to shut up by Australia captain Ricky Ponting who said the Queensland all-rounder was a key member of his side’s bid for an unprecedented third straight World Cup title.
   Many were wondering what the injury-prone 25-year-old was doing in the Caribbean while he missed three comfortable victories with a left calf-muscle injury sustained while bowling against Bangladesh last month in Antigua.
   However, he demonstrated both his fitness and his form heading into Wednesday’s semi-final against South Africa in St Lucia with a hard-hitting 65 not out in the 215-run trouncing of New Zealand with which Australia wrapped up their Super Eights campaign.
   The Black Caps, who looked like restricting Australia to around 300, instead saw Watson power the double-defending champions to 348 for six.
   They had no answer to his blistering 32-ball innings featuring four sixes and four fours.
   Watson then took one for 20 with his brisk medium-pacers as New Zealand were bowled out for 133, the Black Caps suffering both their heaviest one-day international defeat and the largest inflicted upon a Test team at a World Cup.
   ‘It might quieten a few people down, particularly back at home, that have been casting all these doubts around about Shane Watson and his value to this team,’ said Ponting.
   ‘You are not going to see striking like that from somebody who can’t play the game,’ added the captain of Watson, who was opening the innings before Matthew Hayden was recalled to the one-day set-up.
   ‘He’s done everything in his power to get back in the side and his performance was first-class. He looked good with the ball as well and felt no pain whatsoever, so it’s a very encouraging come back for him.
   ‘Shane Watson is a very talented cricketer and someone who works extremely hard at his game,’
   ‘He hasn’t had a great run with injury over the last couple of years but if you have a look at his form in the one-day side, he’s hardly put a foot wrong.
   ‘It’s great to see somebody that works as hard as he does, gets the results from his game.’
   Watson has played just three Tests, injuring his shoulder in his third appearance in Brisbane in November 2005 against the West Indies.
   He made his one-day international debut in 2002 but his 63-game career in the shorter format has also been interrupted by fitness problems.
   Chosen for the 2003 World Cup squad, he withdrew because of a back injury and had to withdraw from Australia’s one-day squad that toured Bangladesh 12 months ago because of a right calf strain sustained while making 201 in the domestic Pura Cup final.
   He then missed the whole of Australia’s recent 5-0 home Ashes triumph against England with a hamstring problem.

West Indies captain Brian Lara brought the curtain down on his 17-year, record-breaking, international career on Saturday in the World Cup match against England.
   Here, AFP Sport presents a selection of tributes and thoughts on the great man’s retirement.
   ‘As far as the West Indies team is concerned, Brian Lara as a captain and all the comments that have been made, sometimes people don’t look at the facts. The facts are that the West Indies in the last two and a half years have had a tremendous amount of problems.’ — Sir Garry Sobers, one of Lara’s greatest supporters, insisting that the problems of West Indies cricket are not the fault of one man.
    ‘He was a great servant to West Indies cricket. His legacy is fantastic, a great batsman, 400 in a Test, 501 in first-class cricket, it’s a huge legacy.’ — West Indies fast bowling legend Wes Hall.
   ‘A lot of players will have to work really hard to fill his shoes.’ — Hall’s new-ball partner Charlie Griffith.
   ‘Lara is a very strong man. He has come under a lot of scrutiny but his mental strength stands out.’ — Team-mate Ramnaresh Sarwan who is tipped to take over as skipper.
   ‘Lara stayed on for longer than he should have, and now it’s time to thank him and look forward.’ — Former fast bowler Michael Holding.
   ‘It is his decision to retire and I can’t say it’s wrong. A captain can only be judged by his success record and that’s not good in his case. Now we have to take drastic steps to carry West Indies cricket forward.’ — Former fast bowler Joel Garner.
   ‘I’ve always thought Brian Lara and Sachin (Tendulkar) have been the two greatest batsmen I’ve ever played against. Brian has got the ability to turn it on when he wants and take an attack apart and Sachin has been the most technically correct player I’ve seen.’ — Australia captain Ricky Ponting
   ‘Brian is probably unheralded as far as technique goes. He’s got an unusual, unorthodox technique which makes bowlers look embarrassed at times. I love the way he manipulates the field. It’s a pretty sad day for cricket because he is a tremendous ambassador for the game.’ — Australia opener Matthew Hayden
   ‘I heard him say he wanted to be an entertainer; he was all that and more. He was a player who created interest in New Zealand and around the world – so he brought more players to the game. For a left-hander he was inspirational to watch and play against.’ — New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming
   ‘Just as important as the runs he scored and the way he scored them, Brian has also played in a way that has been true to the spirit of cricket and we should be grateful for that too because players are role models for the next generation.’ — International Cricket Council president Malcolm Speed.

Sunil Gavaskar has blamed former India coach Greg Chappell for the team’s downfall and questioned the logic of the board offering him the post of consultant of the National Cricket Academy.
   ‘It’s never easy sacking somebody, however incapable and inefficient he/she may be, ‘the former India skipper said in his syndicated column on Sunday.
   ‘But to give another job and that too one which deals with the future of Indian cricket after the mess the present of Indian cricket has been landed into, makes one wonder if we will ever get out of the inferior complex syndrome,’ he said.
   India exited in the first round of the World Cup after losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and former Australia captain Chappell resigned in the wake of the debacle, weeks before the end of his two-year contract.
   ‘When Greg Chappell took over as coach of the Indian team, Indian cricket was poised to take the big step forward.
   ‘There was optimism all around and a palpable confidence that Indian cricket would be ready to challenge Australia for the title of the best team in the world,’ Gavaskar wrote.
   ‘Instead, at the end of his tenure, Indian cricket is down in the dumps with a first-round exit in the World Cup, and is fractured and divided as seldom before.’
   India is currently placed sixth in the ICC one-day rankings and fourth in the test rankings.
   ‘Some of the most promising talent, as recognised by the ICC Cricket voting panel, has lost its way and nobody of any note has come through during this period.
   ‘The batting, which should have flourished under the guidance of someone recognised as one of the game’s best batsmen, has looked tentative and
   unsure and has lost the spark that made India’s cricket team such a must-see for cricket lovers.
   ‘Despite all this and him saying in a press interview that BCCI is run like Zimbabwe, the BCCI is reportedly offering him a place as a consultant to the National Cricket Academy.’
   Meanwhile, Australian
   media has reported that Chappell is a leading candidate to fill the Australian Cricket Academy head coach role vacated by new national coach Tim Nielsen.
   ‘If true, then it could be the best thing that has happened for world cricket. Now even Ireland has a chance beating Australia sooner rather than later,’ Gavaskar said.

Australia’s Matthew Hayden has said there is no great mystery to his success after carving out another place in cricket’s record books at the World Cup.
   The opening batsman’s 103 in the champions’ 215-run Super Eights thrashing of fellow semi-finalists New Zealand saw him equal the record of three hundreds at a World Cup held jointly by Australia’s Mark Waugh and India’s Sourav Ganguly.
   It was also the 35-year-old Queensland left-hander’s fifth hundred in 21 one-day international innings after he was dropped for the Champions Trophy in India in October and November, a run that included his Australia record 181 not out against New Zealand in Hamilton in February.
   Hayden, this World Cup’s leading run-scorer with 580 at an average of 82.85 and an all-time Australian tournament best of 158 against Wednesday’s semi-final opponents South Africa in a group match in St Kitts last month, is renowned for his methodical approach.
   This will even extend to walking out onto the pitch in his socks the day before a game to get used to his surroundings.
   ‘There’s no replacing hard work,’ said Hayden. ‘I had a bit of a boost going to New Zealand before this competition, on similar wickets.’
   However, he insisted his approach was common throughout the Australia squad.
   ‘There’s not one bloke that’s not doing as much work as the other. It’s not just me in this scenario, I’ve enjoyed great partnerships along the way,’ explained Hayden.
   The opener put on 137 for the second wicket against New Zealand in Grenada with captain Ricky Ponting on Friday during the biggest defeat suffered by a Test side at a World Cup.
   ‘We’ve worked very hard throughout the (southern) summer on our one-day game and all elements of our game,’ added Hayden.
   ‘It’s no surprise that we are here at a World Cup at the height of our games. We are looking forward now to the next two games. All of what we’ve been able to achieve means nothing if we don’t go all the way.
   ‘Day in, day out, this side just desperately wants to complete its skills and give itself every chance to play good cricket.
   ‘That’s the discipline of training, the discipline of what we’ve been able to achieve over the last seven weeks. More than anything this side loves big games and big occasions.’
   And Ponting said Hayden’s way was typical of an Australia side chasing an unprecedented third straight World Cup title.
   ‘It’s a very motivated team, with a lot of champion players and you don’t have to motivate champion players,’ said Ponting.
   ‘It’s no coincidence Matty got a hundred. He batted for probably two hours in the nets the day before.’

Chelsea blew an opportunity to close the gap on Premiership leaders Manchester United as Newcastle held on for a 0-0 draw on Sunday.
   Jose Mourinho’s side would have moved to within a point of United if they had won at St James’ Park, but they produced a tired-looking display that could prove a major blow to their bid to retain the title.
   Chelsea’s failure to take advantage of United’s draw against Middlesbrough on Saturday means they remain three points behind the leaders, with both clubs having four games to play.
   The London club were both fortunate and frustrated within the first 20 minutes as another pivotal fixture at the top of the Premiership opened at a frantic pace.
   Less than two minutes had elapsed when Newcastle’s Peruvian midfielder Nolberto Solano floated a dangerous cross into the penalty area and found Antoine Sibierski.
   The ex-Manchester City forward beat Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Cech in the air and only a desperate clearance by the Portuguese international Paulo Ferreira prevented a looping header from rolling across the goal-line.
   Six minutes later Chelsea’s Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba was convinced the visitors should have been awarded a penalty but referee Mark Halsey waved away a series of persistent claims.
   Drogba’s fellow countryman Salomon Kalou had driven into the United goalmouth and his chipped cross appeared to strike the left arm of United’s Republic of Ireland full back Stephen Carr.
   But Halsey refused to be swayed and minutes later Chelsea suffered another setback when influential German midfielder Michael Ballack was forced to leave the field with an injury.
   Newcastle were on top and 11 minutes before the break James Milner played in Carr with a sublime reverse pass and the defender raced into the danger area. A low cross to the near post struck England defender John Terry’s shin and Frenchman Claude Makelele cleared from Kieron Dyer.
   Given the share of first half possession, weighted heavily in the favour of the home team, Chelsea were fortunate to find themselves on level terms at the outset of the second period.
   And Lampard should have capitalised on the Londoners’ good fortune within two minutes of the restart only to screw a right-footed drive over Steve Harper’s crossbar from Kalou’s clever cutback.
   Newcastle responded with the best move of the match as Turkish international Emre and former England midfielder Nicky Butt linked up to mesmerising effect.
   The former Fenerbahce playmaker danced past three challenges and squared a pass to Butt whose first time ball was played perfectly into the path of Dyer. Marginally offside, the midfielder was allowed to run clear and only a brave block from Cech maintained parity.
   Substitute Joe Cole crossed for Lampard in the 62nd minute only for Newcastle defender Steven Taylor to intervene. But the loose ball broke to Kalou at the far post and only a combination of Carr, Harper and the backtracking Butt prevented the African from opening the scoring.
   Mourinho replaced Makelele with Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko 15 minutes from time as he made one final bid to claim all three points. But Chelsea were forced to settle for one point and and could have few complaints after an unconvincing display.

Former England captain Mike Brearley is concerned by the speed of the choice of academy boss Peter Moores to succeed Duncan Fletcher as England coach.
   ‘I question the manner and timing of his selection as England head coach.
   His selection smacks of favouritism,’ he wrote in The Observer newspaper.
   ‘Installing him permanently in the job at this stage risks putting him in too difficult a position.
   ‘If things go wrong, the future of an excellent person might be compromised.’
   Brearley led England in 31 of his 39 Tests, including the victorious Ashes series of 1981.
   He added, ‘Moores should either have been selected as
   provisional coach, or allowed
   to get experience with the England squad under someone else.
   ‘My second reason for feelings of misgiving is that
   there can have been no proper search.
   ‘However good Moores is, there was no time to advertise the job, and it is not right for such an important job to be handed out without proper competition.
   ‘We should have had more rigorous discussion and careful thought about what this new coach’s role will be, and in what sort of a set-up.’

Fast bowler Shane Bond and giant all-rounder Jacob Oram are scheduled to return to the New Zealand side for Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka in Jamaica.
   Bond, who missed his team’s 215-run hammering by Australia on Saturday with a stomach complaint, did not train on Saturday but Oram batted in the nets at the Grenada National Stadium.
   Oram, who was rested because of a bruised right heel, did not bowl but told reporters he would test his heel after the team arrived in Jamaica on Monday.
   Their return has become a matter of urgency for the Kiwis after the mauling by Australia, the biggest one-day defeat in New Zealand history.
   Adroitly as Stephen Fleming juggled his slender bowling resources, nothing could disguise how much he missed Bond’s pace and skills and Oram’s bounce and accuracy.
   Michael Mason, returning after missing three games with a calf injury, was given only three overs which went for 27 runs.
   Mark Gillespie conceded 67 from six and although James Franklin took three wickets his eight overs cost 74.
   ‘Unfortunately on Friday our accuracy was poor, a lot of extras and no-balls, and we missed a lot of areas where we want to bowl against Australian batsmen,’ Fleming told a post-match news conference.
   Fleming said Bond, who has a wonderful record against Australia, had been badly missed.
   ‘He’s missed immensely, one of the form, if not the new ball form bowler of the moment. He was going to play and we were trying to win this game.
   ‘The fact that we lost him gave opportunities to two guys who haven’t played much cricket and gave us a chance to play around with a few different options.
   ‘The wicket was very good and with our lack of accuracy we found out that we didn’t have much strike power at the top.’
   New Zealand have reached the semi-finals four times in eight tournaments but never advanced further.
   ‘We’re a dangerous side,’ Fleming said. ‘We can play like we did today and blow up or we can play in a semi-final and chase down 350. We’re a dangerous side, even more dangerous now that we’ve got two games to win.
   ‘Australia are playing great cricket but are they going to have a bad day?
   ‘We hope we can get past Sri Lanka and then create a bad day for them in the final.’
   The seven-week tournament culminates in the final on April 28 in Barbados. Australia and South Africa meet in the other semi in St Lucia on Wednesday.

Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd retired as an International Cricket Council match referee on Saturday, the same day as Brian Lara quit international cricket.
   Lloyd, 62, served as match referee in 53 Tests and 133 one-day internationals and was praised for his services in a ceremony during the last World Cup Super Eights match between the West Indies and England at the Kensington Oval.
   Lloyd, who led the West Indies to World Cups win in 1975 and 1979 when the team dominated global cricket, was lauded by ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed.
   ICC president Percy Sonn praised Lloyd’s contribution as referee.
   ‘When Clive hung up his boots as a player he did not disappear from the game but became a fine administrator with the West Indies Cricket Board and subsequently an excellent match referee,’ said Sonn.
   ‘Just like when he played the game, Clive brought his own integrity and sense of fair play to his role as referee. He had the rare ability to forge good relations with the players and he always managed to retain their respect, which is so vital for match officials.’
   As an aggressive left-hander Lloyd scored 7,515 Test runs.
   He was West Indies’ most successful captain in history, leading his team in 74 Test matches with a remarkable run of 26 Tests without defeat and 11 successive wins.

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that Manchester United had opened the door for Chelsea to retain their Premiership title after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Middlesbrough at Old Trafford.
   The point extended United’s lead at the top of the table to four points.
   But Chelsea can cut that back to one by winning their game in hand, at Newcastle, and, with United due to visit Stamford Bridge on May 9, the champions now have their destiny back in their own hands.
   If Jose Mourinho’s men win their five remaining games they will be champions for a third straight season.
   ‘It opens the door for Chelsea, no doubt about that,’ said Ferguson, whose problems were compounded by an injury to centre-back Rio Ferdinand, who is set to miss both legs of the Champions League semi-final against AC Milan.
   England defender Ferdinand lasted just 45 minutes with Middlesbrough before being forced out of the action with a recurrence of a groin problem that sidelined him for the recent victory over Sheffield United.
   And with Gary Neville and Nemanja Vidic also missing, the United manager admits he is fast running out of defensive options during the final weeks of the campaign.
   Kieran Richardson also pulled up during the Boro clash adding his name to an injury list that also includes Park Ji-dung, Louis Saha and young defender Craig Cathcart.
   ‘We always said that if we made mistakes, they (Chelsea) have got the ability to come back at us,’ Ferguson said. ‘The way I am looking at it is that we have got four games to go and it looks as if the decider is going to be at Chelsea. It will be some game.’
   United had got off to a perfect start when Richardson tapped the ball into the net after Wayne Rooney had broken clear and rounded goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
   But Mark Viduka headed Boro back on level terms in first-half stoppage time and an increasingly nervy United were unable to force Schwarzer into a single save after the interval.
   United’s stumble came on a day that Watford were relegated from the top flight while Liverpool warmed up for next week’s Champions League meeting with Chelsea by pushing Wigan into deeper trouble.
   Goals in either half from Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt guided Liverpool to a 2-0 win that guarantees the Reds a top four finish and leaves their guests two points clear of the relegation zone.
   Watford’s drop back to the Championship after one season in the top flight became a mathematical certainty as a result of their 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City.
   Former England striker Darius Vassell gave City the lead early in the second half and although Hungarian striker Tamas Priskin equalised with quarter of an hour left, it was not enough to save Watford from a fate that has looked inevitable for most of the season.
   West Ham were Saturday’s big winners in the battle for survival, Bobby Zamora’s superb first-half strike earning Alan Curbishley’s side a 1-0 win over Everton at Upton Park.
   The win left the Hammers within three points of fourth-from-bottom Sheffield United, who came from a goal down to grab a 1-1 draw at fellow strugglers Charlton.
   Charlton had been on track for a win that would have lifted them out of the bottom three after Talal El Karkouri gave them a lead just before the hour mark.
   But Jon Stead grabbed an equaliser 10 minutes later to keep the Blades two points above the drop zone.
   Fulham also remain embroiled in the dogfight at the bottom after failing to defend a lead against Blackburn, a 1-1 draw extending their winless run to nine matches.
   Vincenzo Montella scored the Cottagers’ first goal under new boss Lawrie Sanchez to give them a 10th-minute lead but Benni McCarthy’s 21st goal of the season earned Blackburn a point.
   Arsenal ended a week dominated by boardroom turbulence on a frustrating note as Jermaine Jenas’s 25-yard-strike earned Tottenham a 2-2 draw deep into injury time in the north London derby.
   The Gunners, who trailed to Robbie Keane’s early header before going ahead through Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor, squandered a series of chances and hit the woodwork three times in a performance that summed up their season.
   Reading reignited their hopes of ending their first season in the Premiership with a UEFA Cup place thanks to a 3-1 win at Bolton.
   The home side looked set for maximum points thanks to an own goal by Nicky Shorey. But Kevin Doyle scored twice in the last six minutes and his Ireland team-mate Stephen Hunt netted in injury time to lift Reading into seventh place.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes the clash between Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka in Manchester United’s Champions League semi-final clash with AC Milan on Tuesday will showcase the two best players in the world.
   Manchester United manager Ferguson has singled out Brazil’s play-maker as the Serie A outfit’s outstanding player ahead of the Premiership leaders bid to maintain their challenge for honours on three fronts.
   And the Scot believes Ronaldo’s displays this season have justified claims the Portuguese winger is currently the game’s number one talent.
   Ferguson, though, has warned his side cannot afford to focus their efforts solely on halting Kaka if they are to retain hopes of claiming a second successive Italian scalp following the emphatic 8-3 aggregate demolition of AS Roma.
   United lost to Carlo Ancelotti’s side at the quarter-final stage two seasons ago but Ferguson is convinced his side has improved immeasurably since then.
   ‘I wouldn’t disagree with people who say Ronaldo and Kaka are currently the best two players in the world,’ he said.
   ‘But Milan have a lot of good other players too. Paolo Maldini is great and Clarence Seedorf has won the Champions League three times with three different teams.
   ‘They have fantastic experience in their team. But I think we’ll be better than the last time we played them and hopefully they won’t be as good.
   ‘We did create chances in our last games against them – there’s no question about that. And we’ll create chances on Tuesday again. The vital question is: Can we take them? At that level if you don’t take them then you only have yourselves to blame.’
   Ferguson believes the maturing Ronaldo is one of the reasons his side presents a much bigger goal threat this season than two years ago, despite the fact the United attack was then led by the prolific Ruud van Nistelrooy, who left for Real Madrid last summer after scoring 150 goals for the club.
   ‘The speed we’re playing at and the penetration is creating chances,’ the manager said. ‘Lots of players are chipping in with their share. Ronaldo has 21 and Wayne Rooney has 20, Louis Saha 13 and Ole GUnnar Solskjaer 11. That’s quite good. We have 19 different goal-scorers this season. That’s very high.’
   United’s 7-1 second leg victory over Roma established the Old Trafford club as favourites to win the competition but the manager knows Milan will present a much tougher challenge.
   ‘Our tactics will be different from the Roma game,’ he added. ‘In the last game two years ago the thing that impressed me about AC Milan there was great professionalism in both games.
   ‘There was no diving about and they played the game properly. They’ve been in 10 finals. It’s a fantastic record and they have a great history.’
   Meanwhile, Ferguson knows whom to blame if Rino Gattuso inspires AC Milan to victory over United.
   Fergie needs to look no further than his old mate and former assistant Walter Smith, now in charge of Scotland. Smith was Rangers boss when Gattuso spent a year there on loan and the World Cup winner insisted, ‘Walter is the best coach I’ve worked with.
   ‘He was a second father to me and a great teacher. I learned so much from him that’s still in my head. My stay with Rangers was the makings of me as a player – and I met my wife Monica there.’

Real Madrid players had been saying all week that they had to beat Valencia to stay in the Spanish title race and they did just that with a 2-1 victory over the 2002 and 2004 champions on Saturday.
   Goals from Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Sergio Ramos mean that Real move up to second place, at least overnight.
   The 29-time Spanish champions are now two points ahead of Sevilla but still two points behind the league leaders and their eternal foes Barcelona with seven games to go.
   Both of Real’s two main rivals for the La Liga crown also have a game in hand and play Sunday.
   Van Nistelrooy scored his 17th league goal of the season with a spectacular right-foot volley from just inside the right hand edge of the area after an inch-perfect pass from Miguel Torres on the left wing.
   Real then had a purple patch of around 15 minutes when Van Nistelrooy and club captain Raul Gonzalez should have added to their tally.
   However, Valencia got back into the game just before the break and shortly afterwards Fernando Morientes scored against his old club, where he had spent eight seasons and been part of teams that had won the Champions League three times.
   Morientes found the net seven minutes after the break after finding the space to side-foot home a Joaquin Sanchez cross, after the Spanish international winger had outsprinted Torres down the right wing.
   Real were clearly determined to maintain their championship challenge against a team that had beaten them in the Santiago Bernabeu last season.
   Sergio Ramos got the winner 17 minutes from time when he rose above the Valencia defence to head home a David Beckham free-kick.
   It was a huge contribution from the former England captain after only being on the pitch barely five minutes and was playing his first game for six weeks after recovering from a knee injury.
   Real were overall the better side but still had to survive some nervous moments in the final as Valencia pressed hard for a draw.
   Once again, Real’s hero on the night was not just the men who found the net but their goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who made an outstanding diving save to deny his fellow Spanish internationals Aitor Del Horno and David Villa in the final minutes.
   Barcelona are aware that lifting their third successive Spanish title is in their own hands as they aim to maintain their advantage at Villarreal on Sunday.
   Barca coach Frank Rijkaard named two-time World Player of the Year Ronaldinho in his squad after the Brazilian missed the reigning champions’ last two games due to a bout of tonsillitis.
   ‘He (Ronaldinho) is feeling a lot better and has recovered his energy. I would not have included him if he was still feeling tired or ill. He wants to participate,’ said the Dutch coach at a press conference on Saturday.
   Sevilla are in second, four points behind the reigning champions, and will face relegation-threatened Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
   Athletic’s near-neighbours Real Sociedad continued to keep alive their won hopes of avoiding relegation with their third win in four games, beating Atletico Madrid 2-0 on Saturday.
   The San Sebastian side took an early lead with Darko Kovacevic stabbing the ball home from the edge of the six yard box, following a cross from the left wing by Savio, after seven minutes.
   Atletico’s chances of salvaging a point started to diminish severely with 20 minutes to go.
   Firstly, their French midfielder Peter Luccin was sent off for trying to con the referee about a non-existent foul and 10 minutes later go when Brazilian defender Fabiano Eller picked up his second yellow card.
   Savio then secured three points for Sociedad with six minutes remaining, scoring with his left foot from almost exactly on the penalty spot.

A Ronaldo double fired AC Milan to a 3-1 Serie A win over Cagliari at the San Siro on Saturday as the Italian side warmed up in style for next week’s Champions League semi-final against Manchester United.
   Goals from the Brazilian in either half and a late free-kick from Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo gave AC Milan a four-point cushion in fourth place.
   Carlo Ancelotti rested many of the players who are expected to start against Manchester United.
   Ronaldo’s opening goal on 14 minutes was not without controversy with the Sardinians protesting a tackle by Cafu on Cristiano Del Grosso, but the referee waved play on, allowing the Brazilian to tap in.
   There was no arguing with his second after 69 minutes, though, Ronaldo scoring with his chest from a Cafu centre.
   With seven goals in 10 matches, the Brazilian, who cannot compete in the Champions League because he has already played this season with Real Madrid, has more than met expectations since his winter transfer.
   Pirlo rounded off the scoring with 10 minutes to go with a free kick ending the hopes of Cagliari who six minutes earlier had pulled one back through a penalty converted by Suazo.
   Thanks to their fourth straight success, the Milan outfit have fulfilled their aim of reaching the coveted fourth and final qualifying spot for the Champions League next season and are just a point behind third-placed Lazio who host seventh-placed Fiorentina on Sunday.
   Earlier, two late goals gave Sampdoria a 3-1 win at home against relegation-threatened Messina.
   Reto Ziegler scored the opener after 13 minutes and created the second for Daniele Franceschini seven minutes from time after Christian Rigano had levelled for Messina after 54 minutes.
   Gennaro Delvecchio claimed Sampdoria’s third in the
   final minute, seeing them move to within two points of Fiorentina.
   Inter Milan, meanwhile, will be gunning to get back to winning ways and for AS Roma to slip up to finally seal the Serie A title on Sunday at Siena.
   Inter’s bid to claim their second straight Scudetto was put on hold midweek when a 3-1 loss to second-placed Roma at the San Siro ended their season-long unbeaten run.
   After back-to-back draws against Palermo and relegation-threatened Reggina, the champions’ campaign seems to be stuttering.
   But with a 13-point advantage on Roma, and six games remaining, Roberto Mancini’s men can wrap up the title this weekend if they beat Siena in Tuscany and Roma lose at Lombardy outfit Atalanta.

Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello said here on Sunday that neither he nor the club would consent to releasing David Beckham early so that he could join his new American club Los Angeles Galaxy.
   ‘It’s not an issue for either me or the club. He has a signed contract and he’s not going to go before the end of the season,’ said Capello.
   With Beckham having a contract at Real until the end of June, the former England captain is now expected to start playing in Major League Soccer in July, although the league has already started.
   Beckham made headlines around the world when he announced on January 11 that he was moving across the Atlantic for a breathtaking five-year deal worth potentially as much as 250 million dollars.
   Two days later Capello axed him from the Real team.
   ‘He’s not going to play anymore. He can train but not play. I think you can’t play with the same motivation if you have signed for another team,’ said Capello infamously on January 13.
   Injuries and loss of form forced Capello to recant on his hard-line stance a month later but many pundits have continued to speculate that the Los Angeles Galaxy or the club’s owners Anschutz Entertainment Group would try to buy out Beckham’s contract or reach an agreement with Real to get the player released.
   Beckham played his first game for six weeks on Saturday after recovered from a knee injury.
   He made an immediate impact after coming on as a second half substitute, sending over a trademark free-kick for Sergio Ramos to head home Real’s winner 17 minutes from time in their 2-1 win over Valencia.
   ‘He’s only recovered from his injury this week. I asked him before the game about whether he felt he was in shape to come on and he told me “yes”,’ said Capello.
   ‘In the second half the quality of Beckham and Guti (Jose Maria Gutierrez) was the key to us winning the game,’ added the Italian coach, who is widely expected to be leaving Real Madrid as well in the close season.
   The victory means that Beckham can still hold onto his dream of going to the United States with something to show for his four years in the Spanish capital.
   Real have yet to win a major title since Beckham arrived in the close season of 2003, their longest barren streak in more than half a century.
   A strong showing from Beckham, while hopefully staying injury-free, in Real’s next five league games, might also prompt England coach Steve McClaren to recall the 31-year-old player.
   England have a vital Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia on June 6 and several players have openly called for Beckham’s return in a bid to revive their dismal campaign.
   ‘I’m not reconciled to not being part of the squad and it’s always tough when it comes to international week,’ said Beckham last month.
   Beckham has 94 England caps to his name but was dropped in the wake of England’s lacklustre 2006 World Cup, when McClaren took over at the helm last summer.

Former Portugal star striker Eusebio may need to undergo surgery on his carotid arteries, doctors in the Hospital of Light in Lisbon said Sunday.
   The 65-year-old is suffering from a blockage to the arteries that carry blood to the brain.
   ‘After conducting some tests we have found some obstructions to the internal carotid arteries. We believe an eventual operation will be necessary,’ said Germano do Carmo, a doctor at the hospital.
   ‘It would require a delicate but uncomplicated operation.’
   According to the hospital director Jose Roquette, Eusebio is well and not complaining of anything.
   The ‘Black Panther’, as he was known in his playing days, hails originally from former Portuguese colony Mozambique and lit up the 1966 World Cup, scoring nine goals as Portugal reached the semi-finals.

Chelsea and England captain John Terry insists he would never play for a club outside the Premiership.
   The 26-year-old’s future at Stamford Bridge remains uncertain after he admitted recently that talks over a new contract had broken down.
   Terry, whose present deal with the Premiership champions expires in 2010, would be a target for Europe’s biggest clubs.
   But he has given no indication that he wants to leave and claims a move to Italy or Spain does not appeal after speaking to his former Chelsea team-mate Eidur Gudjohnen about life at Barcelona.
   ‘Abroad? No, that doesn’t appeal to me at all,’ he told the News of the World. ‘It’s not what I’m about.
   ‘I’m English through and through, the old English style centre-half. I still speak to Eidur Gudjohnsen at Barcelona and he says the training over there is quite relaxed. I couldn’t settle in that environment. I couldn’t let that happen. I want to go into training knowing I’m going to get kicked.’

Michael Owen will not play for England until he has proved his fitness for Newcastle, according to the club’s chairman Freddy Shepherd.
   The 27-year-old is close to making his comeback after 10 months on the sidelines with a cruciate knee ligament injury suffered playing for England in the World Cup last year.
   But Shepherd is engaged in a battle with the English Football Association to try and get financial compensation for Owen’s absence.

Manchester United legend Denis Law believes Cristiano Ronaldo is on course to become the club’s greatest ever player.
   Law is regarded as one of the finest players ever to pull on a United shirt and he knows exactly what it takes to become an icon at Old Trafford after playing alongside George Best and Bobby Charlton in the 1960s.
   But the Scottish striker, who scored 171 goals for United and helped them win their first European Cup in 1968, is convinced Ronaldo can maintain the superb form he has shown this season and become an all-time great.
   ‘The way he’s playing, there’s every chance he’ll become United’s greatest ever player,’ Law told the Sunday Express.
   ‘It’s very difficult to compare him and Bestie in the circumstances because you’re going back many, many years.
   ‘But I suppose if Bestie was playing in the current United team, then they’d be on a par.’
   Law claims Portugal winger Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney give United the potential to emulate the famous feats of Best and company. ‘In our team, we had Bobby Charlton and Bestie,’ he said.
   ‘And you knew that, even if you weren’t playing well, Bobby and Bestie would be able to do something special.
   ‘That’s exactly what they’ve got in the present United team with Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. They’re such a formidable pair.’

Man of the Match Kevin Pietersen predicted good times ahead for England after they rounded off their World Cup campaign by beating hosts West Indies. Pietersen made 100 off 91 balls as England gave Duncan Fletcher a winning end to his eight-year spell as coach.
   ‘I’m just pleased for Fletch that we got the victory on his last day.
   ‘We’ve had a disappointing winter, but I’m looking forward to the next couple of years – they could be very good ones for us,’ said Pietersen.
   The match was also the last for West Indies skipper Brian Lara and England counterpart Michael Vaughan was quick to pay tribute to his talent and achievements.
   ‘He’s a genius. There are not many geniuses in the game and we’re losing one today, so we all wish him well. He’s scored a lot of runs against us and it will be nice to play against the West Indies without him,’ said Vaughan.
   On Pietersen, Vaughan predicted he had the potential to eventually join Lara among the all-time greats of the game.
   ‘He has a huge amount of talent and a lot of skill to go with that, his hundred was a great effort. He has plenty more runs in the locker and he could end up being similar to Lara if he carries on working hard,’ he commented.
   Despite the result, Vaughan offered a frank assessment of England’s performances in the Caribbean, adding, ‘It was nice to get a victory, and nice to have a fantastic crowd here and I hope everybody has been entertained.
   ‘We have won the game but we’ve got to be realistic and say we haven’t played as well as we should have done throughout this tournament.
   ‘At stages today we showed what a side we can be, but there were stages when we also showed we’re a bit rough around the edges as well.’
   He added, ‘What was important was that we know we play West Indies (at home) in a few weeks time and we wanted to get one up on them going into that Test series.
   ‘I know it’s a one-day game, but we wanted to take a look at their players and we wanted to play well.’
   Vaughan had a measure of personal consolation in making 79, his highest score of the tournament, after earlier picking up 3-39 with his off-spin.
   ‘I thought Michael Vaughan started the innings fantastically. That’s the Vaughny we like – that’s the Vaughny that’s really positive, that’s the way I like to see Michael Vaughan playing,’ Pietersen commented.
   Wicket-keeper Paul Nixon also played a vital part in England’s win, making 38 before he was bowled in the final over, leaving county team-mate Stuart Broad to collect the winning runs.
   ‘That was an amazing game of cricket. There was some tremendous batting from West Indies. We had to do something, we’d all talked about Duncan Fletcher (leaving) and it means a lot for him,’ said Nixon.
   ‘The lads paced the game so well. Michael Vaughan played beautifully, Kevin Pietersen came in and played magnificently and then the Leicestershire partnership finished it off.’

Need an autograph? It’s 20 dollars; a photograph? That will set you back 100.
   Barbadian cricket legends are making fans, already paying hotel rates which have trebled during the World Cup, even angrier by charging for signing an autograph book or posing for pictures.
   The Cricket Legends of Barbados group, which includes the likes of Sir Garry Sobers, Charlie Griffith, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, have been making public appearances trying to raise funds to help build a centre of excellence.
   ‘It’s disgusting. I have to pay 100 dollars for a photograph with Sobers who I have had adored since my childhood,’ said Surbeet Singh, who has come from Manchester in England.
   Heartbroken over India’s first round exit and having to watch a meaningless Ireland-Bangladesh match instead last week, Singh went to the Barbados Business Club looking to get Sobers’ autograph.
   ‘I was amazed. The tour has already cost me over 15,000 dollars.’
   Journalists claim they have been asked to pay 1000 dollars for an exclusive interview and little wonder Sobers was in the highest demand.
   Fans can also take a sunset cruise with the stars for 200 dollars.
   ‘It was a different kind of heartbreak to see the greatest of the greats, Sir Garry Sobers, at 73, and well looked after by life and his achievements, asking for 100 dollars for every picture his fans wanted to click with him,’ complained Indian newspaper the Daily Pioneer.
   ‘He should have been thanking his young disciples for having loved him so intensely even 34 years after he retired from a game that has never been slim on heroes.’
   Fans said it was not the same on other islands. ‘We had photographs with Sir Viv Richards in Antigua and he obliged everyone with autographs. It was only here in Barbados where we have had to pay,’ said Kassim Solly.
   ‘We even played beach cricket with some of them in Antigua.’
   But Deighton Smith, chief executive of Cricket Legends of Barbados, justified the amounts being charged. ‘The legends have no problem with group photos during official ceremonies but lots of people want separate photographs and separate interviews which are not possible,’ Smith told AFP.
   ‘The basic aims (of the group) are two-fold. To create a professional atmosphere through which we can produce future legends and to build a centre of excellence through the funds,’ said Smith of the organisation launched in April last year.
   Smith said the Barbados legends realise the need for nurturing the talent which is in abundance in the Caribbean.
   ‘In the wake of West Indies’ recent performances we have realised the importance of harnessing the talent and once the centre is built, hopefully by next year, we are optimistic we can produce future legends.’

Emotional fans bid farewell to Brian Lara here on Saturday, saying the West Indian batting legend would be remembered for entertaining crowds throughout the world in his 17-year international career.
   When Lara walked out to the middle at the Kensington Oval for the toss in the World Cup clash against England, he was roundly applauded as the 30,000-capacity stadium began to fill eager to see the great Trinidadian play his last international match.
   ‘On behalf of umpires and match referees, I congratulate Brian Lara on a glittering career and wish him the best in the future,’ said chief referee Ranjan Madugalle.
   The 37-year-old West Indies captain lost the toss but was still cheered.
   ‘I thank the people who have come here to see my last match,’ said Lara.
   His team-mates shook hands with him, there was a final group photograph and even the umpires had their picture taken with him. Lara played 131 Tests, scoring 11,953 runs with 34 centuries.
   He holds the twin world records of the highest Test innings of 400 not out and highest first-class score of 501 not out.
   Saturday’s match was his 299th one-day international.
   Shawn Carter, wearing a maroon West Indian shirt with Lara’s number nine on the back, said he had travelled from Trinidad to salute his hero.
   ‘I want to see Lara bowing out with a hundred, nothing short,’ said Carter, who claims to have watched all of Lara’s matches since his debut in 1990.
   ‘It’s an irony that his last World Cup didn’t bring the desired result,’ said Carter of the West Indies’ failure to qualify for the semi-finals.
   Another fan Edward Sobers, named after former West Indian great Sir Garry Sobers, said Lara will be missed.
   ‘I saw Sobers’ last match and now I have the same feeling when Sobers was departing. They are two greats who played in different eras. Sobers was fortunate to have other greats with him, Lara stood out as the only top man in an otherwise weak team.
   ‘Sobers, I think was more adored. Lara subjected to jealousy rather than affection.’
   Leeandra Clarke said she even had a crush on Lara.
   ‘I have loved Lara, for he had the personality to be adored. I know there are millions who loved him but my love was different,’ said Clarke, who has over 200 pictures of the player in her house.
   The stands were full of West Indies flags and farewell banners.
   Most proclaimed ‘we’ll miss you’, ‘Lara, the great,’ and ‘Lara, we owe you a thank-you.’
   Vernon Lavine thinks Lara should not have retired.
   ‘I think West Indies cricket still needs him and probably he should have toured England and then announced his retirement. Perhaps he wanted to play his last match before his home crowd,’ said Lavine.

Sri Lankans treat cricket as a religion, but the sport has failed to heal wounds of this deeply divided nation despite its ethnically-mixed World Cup squad displaying strong unity.
   The success of Sri Lanka’s multi-ethnic team at the ongoing tournament is seen as an example of shedding communal differences, but not many are optimistic that it will stop the bloodshed.
   ‘Cricket is just a diversion, the moment the tournament ends, people’s attention will focus on the daily body count. Sri Lankans have short memories,’ says Sudath Perera, a banker.
   Sri Lankans toasted their 1996 World Cup victory raising hopes that the bonds of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious champion team would help end the conflict that has claimed over 60,000 lives since 1972.
   It never happened.
   ‘There was a bigger sense of hope during the tsunami. All communities helped each other, sharing food, medicine and clothes. The brotherhood disappeared like the tsunami afterwards,’ said Anushika Pathirana.
   At least 31,000 people were killed and millions left homeless when giant waves struck Sri Lanka’s coastline in December 2004.
   The north and east coasts were among the worst affected and people forgot ethnic differences and helped each other in the immediate aftermath.
   Even the Tamil Tigers, who are fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils, dropped their guns and worked alongside government troops in relief work.
   ‘The international community was hoping that the tsunami was a positive start to end the conflict, but it didn’t happen,’ says Pathirana, a homemaker. ‘It was complete wishful thinking.’
   However, pro-peace activists are gently reminding Sri Lankans not to let the chance slip the third time around, as the home team emerge as strong contenders to lift the most sought after cricket trophy.
   The head of the Anglican church here, Archbishop Duleep de Chickera believes that the ethnic and religious composition of the national team should be an inspiring example of unity.
   ‘...this characteristic of our team should spur our nation towards a similar goal of unity in diversity,’ de Chickera said in his Easter message.
   Master blaster Sanath Jayasuriya is a Sinhala Buddhist, star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is a Tamil Hindu, Chaminda Vaas is a Sinhala Catholic, Farveez Maharoof is a Muslim and Russel Arnold is a Tamil Catholic.
   De Chickera is hoping this time around cricket will build bridges across communal lines.
   Sri Lanka’s World Cup team, which plays a semi-final against New Zealand in Jamaica on Tuesday, is largely made up of players belonging to the majority Sinhalese community. However, there are two minority Tamils – Muralitharan and Russel Arnold.
   Buddhist monk Athuruliya Ratana says that it is great that a cricket crazy country is backing players irrespective of religion or race.
   ‘Cricket seems to have blurred ethnic lines for a short time,’ the monk said.
   However, minorities maintain that ethnicity and religion still figure strongly when players are selected.
   ‘Just look at our national squad, its mainly Sinhalese who are Buddhist. It’s difficult to build trust when things are staring at your face,’ said Shazmil Mohammed, a member of the Muslim community, the second largest minority in Sri Lanka.
   Sri Lanka Cricket, however, was quick to dismiss Mohammed’s claim.
   ‘It’s not fair to say cricket is predominately a Sinhalese game,’ says Sri Lanka Cricket secretary K Mathivanan, a Tamil himself.
   ‘Those days there were few financial incentives for a Tamil to pursue cricket as a career, so they focused on studies. But I must say, the Sinhalese are crazy about cricket and passionate on sports in general,’ Mathivanan said.
   The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran is believed to be a cricket fan and backed the national team during the 1996 clash.
   However, Tiger spokeswoman Selvy Navaruban was skeptical, saying the sense of unity will end when the last ball is bowled.
   ‘Any hope that cricket will unite (all communities) is a fallacy.’

ICC chief executive Malcom Speed has hit back at criticism of the way the World Cup has been run.
   ‘The prospects of the semi-finals are mouth-watering but less so is the criticism of the tournament, some of which has been over the top, to put it mildly,’ said Speed. ‘No-one ever pretended this World Cup would be a straightforward event to stage. There have been some negatives, yes, but there have also been plenty of positives and they surely outweigh the negatives to a significant degree.’
   The main areas of attack on the organisation have been the duration – by the time next Saturday’s final is over it will have been running for 47 days – the cost of tickets and the poor attendances.
   Speed admitted that the latter was ‘a disappointment’. He added: ‘It would have been great if every one of the stadia had been full for every match. Ticket pricing may have been an issue, although we would maintain that $25 for a ticket for the group matches is a fair price for a global event. The ticket prices were set by the local organisers and that has to be right. We would not presume to dictate policy to those who know the local market far better than we do. All we asked was that more seats be made available at the bottom end of the ticketing range and that has happened during the Super Eight matches.
   ‘Staging it in the region, over nine separate countries, has been a huge logistical challenge. However, it is a challenge to which many people, paid and unpaid have risen and can all be proud of what has been achieved.
   ‘The format was criticised, it has cost the tournament in terms of supporters (India and Pakistan going out in the first round) but it has also shown that cricket does exist outside the top eight sides,’ he said.
   ‘To those people who have said the tournament has been too long it is worth pointing out that there are three fewer matches this time when compared to the event in southern Africa four years ago, despite the fact we had an additional two teams taking part.
   ‘The fact is that the winning team will play 11 matches in those 47 days which, we feel, provides a fair balance between practice, play and rest for the teams. Compare that to the recent tri-series in Australia where the two sides that reached the finals played 10 matches in 32 days. Or England’s upcoming Test and ODI series against India that starts in July and involves 22 days of action – three Tests and seven ODIs – in 52 days.’

South African Rudi Koertzen set a new one-day umpiring record by standing in his 173rd one-day international in the West Indies-England Super Eights match here on Saturday.
   The 58-year-old Koertzen beat the all-time record set by David Shepherd of England who stood in 172 one-day matches before retiring in 2005.
   A member of the ICC Elite Panel of umpires since 2002, Koertzen stood in the 1999 and 2003 World Cups.
   The 2003 Cup semi-final between Australia and Sri Lanka in Port Elizabeth was his 100th one-dayer since making his international debut in a match between South Africa and India in Port Elizabeth in 1992.
   Koertzen has also stood in 80 Tests.
   ICC Umpires manager Doug Cowie paid tribute to Koertzen’s achievements.
   ‘Rudi’s achievement is testament to his remarkable consistency and enormous ability as a decision-maker. He has proved himself to be unyielding, resilient, dependable, loyal and dedicated, all qualities that are needed to make it to the top of his profession,’ said Cowie, a former international umpire.
   ICC president Percy Sonn, a countryman of Koertzen said, ‘For someone to stay at the top of his game for as long as Rudi has required incredible commitment and dedication. Thankfully, Rudi has that and his obvious love for what he does is apparent every time he takes the field.
   ‘And on a personal note, as a South African it’s great to see him continue to do so well and we are all very proud of him at home.’
   Apart from Koertzen and Shepherd, West Indian Steve Bucknor (161), Australians Daryl Harper (141), Darrell Hair (131) and Simon Taufel (115), New Zealand’s Billy Bowden (114), South Africa’s David Orchard (107) and New Zealand’s Steve Dunne (100) have stood in 100 or more one-dayers.