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A squad of 14 Kenya players are lending their support to Uganda to play two friendlies at the Lugogo Oval this weekend, to help them prepare for the World Cricket League Division Two in Namibia later this month.Steve Tikolo, the Kenya captain, along with Thomas Odoyo and other senior players are all participating, but Kenya have given Maurice Ouma the captaincy. They also called up a couple of younger faces, Ken Migai and Moses Otieno to gain experience.Uganda will fight it out with United Arab Emirates – who today beat Bermuda in the Intercontinental Cup – Argentina, Denmark, Oman and Namibia for the four slots reserved for the group in the 2009 World Cup qualifier.

Dive for the prize
Behind-the-wicket catching has been a severe problem for Australia over the past month, but there was no issue in the micro-seconds it took Matthew Hayden to leap high to his left and stun Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The batsman had driven hard at Brett Lee and Hayden, standing at second slip, latched on to it like he had a bucket on his hand. It was the Australians’ catch of the series.Another not out
“Now for the hat-trick, Billy,” a spectator in the Bradman Stand shouted after Sourav Ganguly was finally ruled caught from his scoop to Michael Hussey at cover. Mitchell Johnson’s previous delivery to Ganguly looked plumb to viewers behind the wicket, but Billy Bowden, who has spent much of the Test shaking his head to appeals, was not swayed. The hypothetical hat-trick ball was easily covered by VVS Laxman.Foot fault
Sachin Tendulkar arrived in a hurry, driving his first ball hard into the foot and shin of Phil Jaques at bat-pad before it ricocheted to Andrew Symonds at cover. The Australians were confident they had achieved a miracle dismissal, but the replays raised doubt over whether it bounced short of Jaques’ foot and Tendulkar was rightfully reprieved.Jekyll and Hyde
Tendulkar’s 13 continued his trend of under-performing in the second innings against Australia. He managed only 52 runs for the entire series at the second attempts, but he more than made up for it with 440 at 146.67 in the first ones during an unforgettable collection of a couple of hundreds and another two half-centuries. Australians will remember his time here fondly.Gilly’s last dismissal
Adam Gilchrist bid farewell to Tests by making sure Mark Boucher would have just that little bit extra to do when he inevitably regains the world record for dismissals. Gilchrist took a leg-side catch off Brett Lee to dismiss Laxman and in his final session held on to Virender Sehwag’s edge and celebrated wildly. In between the two catches, his last effort in Tests was nearly decided for him when, standing up, Stuart Clark boomed in a bouncer. Agile to the last, he managed to put his gloves in front of his face just in time.Bruised and broken
Brett Lee’s bouncers have been hostile this series and he made Rahul Dravid retire hurt after one got big on the batsman and hit his right middle finger. That was on Dravid’s 15th dot ball of the day, and although he played out one more over he couldn’t grip the bat properly and left the field for an x-ray. It showed a break.The Billy and Asad show
The Test may have been petering out to a draw, but the umpires decided they could still have some fun. As they waited for the teams to arrive back on the pitch for the final session, Bowden and Asad Rauf took the match ball and started practising their slip catching in the middle. They may well have inspired Hayden.

Nathan Bracken’s repeated success against Virender Sehwag in the recent TVS Cup could see him get the nod ahead of Brad Williams when Australia play the first Test against India at Brisbane.Bracken, with his left-arm seam angling across a hesitant Sehwag, took eight wickets in three games against India at an average of 12.12, and he claimed Sehwag all three times, conceding just four in the 12 balls he bowled to him.”It must be pretty tight between Nathan and Brad,” Adam Gilchrist said. “They both bowled exceptionally well over in India. Williams did a good job in the Test match he played, but Nathan is another option for us as a left-armer. It’s going to be difficult to choose between them.”The pleasing thing about the series we just played is that guys like Nathan and Brad are not just filling in when they get their opportunities, they’re putting pressure on all the time,” Gilchrist added. “Whoever does play, if they do well, it’s then a real challenge for guys who are out to come back in.”The other big selection riddle for Australia concerns the No. 6 slot, recently vacated by an injured Darren Lehmann. Australia will have to choose between Simon Katich and Martin Love, both of whom have done well this season. “They both offer so much in their own individual ways,” said Gilchrist. “Again, it’s a very tough selection decision, but it’s a great position for us to be in, to have options like these.”Gilchrist called India “potentially our biggest challenge,” based on the make-up of the team, and said: “Their batting line-up is on par with any in the world, really, including ours. They’ve got new young tearaway quicks who are pretty aggressive, which is not their traditional way, and of course they’ve got fantastic spinners. It will be crucial how much momentum they are allowed to build up. We’ll be chasing that early momentum.”

Harbhajan Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who missed the mandatory fitness tests prior to their inclusion for the first two Tests against South Africa, will undergo the procedure at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on March 21.Both Harbhajan and Dhoni were included by the selectors in the 14-member squad, and were asked to report to the NCA for fitness tests on March 21. Harbhajan was a doubtful starter for the series since he had been suffering from a hamstring injury, while Dhoni had sprained his finger during the second final against Australia in the CB Series.If Dhoni doesn’t clear the test, Dinesh Karthik will take up the wicketkeeping duties, while Harbhajan’s absence may pave the way for Piyush Chawla to take over the second spinner’s role behind captain Anil Kumble. Fast bowler Ishant Sharma has already been ruled out of the first Test, and his selection for the second is subject to fitness.Sachin Tendulkar is another member of the 14-man squad who has not taken the test. According to new BCCI norms, players who have been out of action for a month need to prove their fitness at the NCA ahead of any series. Although Tendulkar had taken part in the CB Series earlier this month, he had been advised two weeks’ rest by John Gloster, the outgoing team physio. However, Tendulkar later said he was fit to take part in the series.

Welcome to the return of Beyond the Test World, Wisden Cricinfo’s regular update of news from the non-Test nations. This will normally be a smorgasbord from around the globe – but as a one-off this one features chats with five of the captains from the recent ICC Six Nations tournament, in which the USA edged out Scotland by 0.028 on net run rate to earn the final place in the Champions Trophy in September:

United States captain Richard Staple
What’s been the reaction to your team qualifying?
Joy and happiness. This win has done a lot for cricket here judging by the response. It’s getting out that we won the tournament, and the awareness is much greater now.What sort of feedback have you had from the non-cricket community?
We’ve received some calls from politicians. It’s an election year. That’s always good for publicity, bringing the game into the public forum.How much preparation was there before the tournament?
We had a camp in Florida as most of our players are from the north-east. Mostly net sessions – we didn’t play for months. We had Faoud [Bacchus] as well as a few guys who live in Florida, like the former West Indian player Hamesh Anthony, assisting.Did you have any idea how quickly you had to win the last match to finishahead of Scotland?
About three-quarters of the way into the game we worked out we were going to have to win with two overs to spare.The batting was your strength – did you bank on that knowing the bowling would concede some runs?
Definitely. The wickets were batting tracks and we backed ourselves to bat second as we chase pretty well. We knew our bowling wasn’t as strong.In the build-up to the Champions Trophy, will you be looking for some more bowlers?
Yes, we have some good young fast bowlers. They were overlooked – I don’t know why, to be quite honest. There is a young boy named Imran Awan in Washington DC. He’s about the quickest we have in the country. and I think we are going to have to encourage young talent like him because our bowling attack is ageing. We have a lot of cricket prior to the Champions Trophy, so hopefully we can get a few young ones in.What was different about this squad to previous ones?
Clayton [Lambert] adds professionalism [which was] lacking in the previous sides. Normally, we would lose one or two wickets and then panic when chasing around 240. He keeps his cool, and allows the other players to play with a certain amount of relaxation.Should the ICC schedule more tournaments for the top six or so non-Test countries?
Yes. That would be great. We have been too inactive. We play a tournament and then don’t play for some time. Against teams like Holland, Scotland and Namibia, we can only improve.Scotland’s captain Craig Wright
In the last couple of overs, did you know how long you needed to delay the American win?
We knew roughly, with people doing frantic calculations – we knew another over would help us. We weren’t sure whether the US knew until the guy whacked a four.The USA bowling had been going for around five an over before their game against Scotland – but their spinners seemed to trouble you?
I think the wicket we played on had certainly been used a few times, and it was possibly a little bit tired. It was slow and possibly wasn’t as easy to bat on as earlier in the week. That’s not to say it was a poor wicket. Our top-order batters seemed to struggle to get the seamers away, and then when the spinners came on it was spinning and we lost five or six mid-innings wickets. When we bowled we had them in a bit of bother through the seamers, and one or two of their batters struggled. It was only when Lambert came in and started playing in a slightly unorthodox fashion that their run-rate increased.What were the positives for Scotland?
The bowling – I think we could argue we were the strongest bowling line-up throughout the tournament, apart from the Holland game, where we bowled quite a few extras. We kept teams to under 200 at Sharjah, particularly the UAE, which was a fantastic effort. The bowling was good and the fielding pretty reasonable.Was this the toughest non-Test tournament you’ve played in?
Yes, the standard was good given the conditions, and teams were evenly matched. We’re just disappointed we didn’t show we were the best team thereShould the ICC schedule more tournaments involving the best six or so non-Test countries?
Without a doubt. It was fantastic to play against teams of our own level. We’re in a fortunate position with the National League in England, but for the other countries to get exposed to good competition at their own level is really valuable. It would certainly be more helpful than to play these countries every two-three years. It gives a good gauge of whether you’re progressingNamibia’s captain Deon Kotze
Rather like Scotland, there was a bit of “What might have been” about Namibia – only 160 to chase against Scotland, and then three very good wins …
I think we can probably accept the loss against Scotland more easily than the one against the USA. Although 160 doesn’t sound like a lot, it would have been a winning score in just about every match played on Dubai I. We certainly should have batted a lot better than we did, but 160 was always going to be quite competitive. Looking at our bowling performances in the rest of the tournament, it makes it even more frustrating that we chose the first day against USA to put in one of our worst bowling performances of the last few seasons.Only four fifties for Namibia in the tournament – does that sum it up?
It definitely sums it up – a few guys actually got starts just to get out softly when they really needed to knuckle down and make a big one. I’m not sure enough guys were willing to change their games according to the conditions, and therefore got out playing quick-wicket shots.Clayton Lambert was undoubtedly the tournament’s batting star. Who were the next-best out of the opposing teams?
Both Gavin Hamilton and Dougie Brown brought real professionalism to the Scottish batting line-up. They showed how to guts it out even when scoring was tough and not throw their wickets away. Steve Massiah from the USA also had a very good tournament.Five teams were only separated by a fraction of a run to decide the winner. Who were the best team you played against?
I thought Scotland were the most professional, while the Dutch were as steady as ever without being spectacular.Holland’s captain Luuk van Troost
In the last game against the UAE you must have been confident you could defend 290?
Very confident. Our bowling had been very steady during the tournament, so I had no doubts at all. I was very happy with 290, although we should have scored 320 on a flat wicket.So what happened?
I don’t know, but we didn’t bowl the right line and length at all. They got off to a flyer and it never looked like we were in the game. All we needed were two bowlers who completed their overs for less than 40 runs. We really missed a bowler like Roland Lefebvre.Was this the toughest competition the team has played in at non-Test level? If so, why?
Yes – and it’s because the gap between the countries was very close and you had to win to qualify. During the ICC Trophy we “only” had to finish in the top three. That was much easier.What areas of the team performance were you happy with?
We have a fantastic team spirit, and I’m very happy with our batting. We struggled in the last couple of years, but players like Daan van Bunge and Daron Reekers did really well. Daron’s a great player and a fantastic character.And what areas were you not happy with?
Obviously our bowling – I think we had the most runs scored against us. Also our fitness must be better. We are not used to playing five games in seven days in tough conditions. We worked very hard during our winter to improve our fitness, but we can do a lot better there.Should there be more tournaments of this type at non-Test level?
That would be fantastic. What we miss at the moment are more matches on this level. If so, I’m confident that we can close the gap with countries like Kenya and Bangladesh quite quickly. Scotland are playing in the English one-day competition – we deserve that as well – it would really help us.Canada’s captain Joe Harris
Your team was weakened by absenteeism for various reasons – was that the main reason for your poor results?
Obviously having those fellows around would have made a difference, but the main problem is we lack confidence and proper preparation. There aren’t proper resources available to the players to work on their game.Which aspect of the Canadian performance were you most happy with?
I was very happy with our bowling. I believe we were the only side not to have over 250 scored against us – unfortunately we could not chase the smaller targets.Which aspect were you least happy with?
The batting, obviously, and the preparation. There seemed to be no planning, and we moved around aimlessly. Canada really needs to look at the type of resources required to build a good side. I think they have the talent but lack guidance.Thanks to all the captains for their time (the UAE’s Khuram Khan was unavailable for business reasons). Beyond the Test World would love to include news from any country outside the Test sphere. Please e-mail Tony Munro at [email protected] with your news.

Yuvraj Singh and Umar Gul, the stars of the show, spoke to the media after the first day’s play at Lahore.

Yuvraj SinghOn what he was thinking when India were 147 for 7
We had lost wickets and I was under a bit of pressure. I just wanted to stay till the end, till the last wicket fell. Irfan [Pathan] batted well and we were able to stay around at the wicket.On the fact that he might be dropped for the next Test, despite his century, when Ganguly returns
I’m not concerned about that. All I want to do is perform and get runs in whatever cricket I get a chance to play. I don’t care about that [being left out].On the pitch
There was a bit in the wicket for the bowlers. But we didn’t bat as well as we should have either. Still, we have got decent runs on the board and that gives us a chance to try and get them out.On the aggressive manner in which he batted
I knew that I would get runs if I played my shots. There’s no point getting out, going back to the dressing-room and then wondering if you should have played more positively. I just wanted to play the bowling on merit. In Tests there’s more time to settle down, and I took time to do that. But in the end you have to play your natural game.On what this innings means to him
This innings gave me a lot of confidence. I now have the confidence that I can do well in Test cricket also.On what he told Pathan when the two batted together
I told him that he is a good batsman and that he should bat carefully. I told him to just watch the ball and play straight. He has done well in the past and I just wanted him to hang around with me.

Umar GulOn his top-order wickets today
I didn’t really think about the batsmen I was bowling to. It wasn’t like I thought `I am bowling to Sachin [Tendulkar] or [Rahul] Dravid.’ I had the same feeling when I was bowling to all of them.On the advice he received from the team management
Inzamam-ul-Haq and Javed Miandad have both worked very hard with me on my bowling. They stressed that I bowl a consistent wicket-to-wicket line and it paid dividends.On the pitch
I knew it would be a seaming one and I thought I could do well on it. I didn’t really think that I would perform as well as I eventually did.On playing against India
I wasn’t tense or nervous at all. Everyone in the squad had been told that there was a chance that they could be involved in the Test a couple of nights ago, so I prepared as if I would play. I only found out this morning that I was playing.On his absence from the field after his spell
I am okay. I was just suffering from some cramps because I hadn’t been drinking enough water through my spell, but I am fine now.On his physical fitness
It really changed on the tour to New Zealand [in 2003-04]. I played in the first Test there but sat out for the remaining games. But the team doctors made it a point to work very hard on the players who weren’t in the playing XI. They worked very hard on our physical training and strength and I have really benefited from that tour.

Still smarting from his omission for the tour of the West Indies, Shoaib Akhtar has promised to utilise his stint with Worcestershire to come back fitter and better than ever. In an exclusive interview with Cricinfo, Shoaib insisted that innuendo over his fitness was unfair, and rubbished rumours that his weight had ballooned while he was recovering from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the series in India.Shoaib, who sat out Pakistan’s last tour of the West Indies with an injury, was desperately disappointed at missing out again, but insisted that he had done all he could to convince the selectors. “I was saying that I’m fit and keen, but I have no clue what Grant Compton (the PCB physio) told the Board in his report,” he said. “But it’s history now. The team’s been selected and they’ve gone. I’m gearing up now for my county games, the Super Series and England’s tour of Pakistan. I’ll be supremely fit for those games.”As for the barbs about his weight, Shoaib’s response was a laugh. “A lot of these people don’t have a clue about the gym, they’ve never even been inside one,” he said. “Anyone will tell you how necessary gym-work and cardio (cardio-vascular exercises) are these days. I weigh 84 kg now. In Australia, it was 83. So I’ve put on one kg, and that’s muscle. During the off-season, you have to work on your muscles to prevent wastage. I have a six-pack on my belly right now, so I don’t know how people can call me fat.”The fact remains though that he has rarely managed to make it to the final match of a series, leave alone finish one, and when asked whether he was worried that such absenteeism would be an integral part of his story, he was quickly on the defensive. “I have completed a few series. If you look at it, McGrath didn’t play that full series and Gillespie didn’t either [both did, with only Michael Kasprowicz making way in Sydney]. They were rested. You can’t play a full series these days. You have to use your fast bowlers sensibly.”

Danish Kaneria struck two vital blows midway through the morning session to leave the Test match tantalisingly poised with five sessions to go. Bangladesh were in control of the situation at 194 for 3 – a lead of 136 – but the loss of Habibul Bashar and Alok Kapali resulted in the second hour being a real battle of cat-and-mouse. At lunch, Bangladesh had reached 221 for 5, with Rajin Saleh having faced 192 balls for his 45.The first hour had belonged to Bashar, who brought up his second Test century – only the fourth by a Bangladesh batsman, and the first against Pakistan – with a mixture of caution and reckless abandon. Having resumed on 82, Bashar was off and running with a cracking square drive off Shoaib Akhtar.The prospect of three figures was clearly making him nervous though, and he was fortunate that a thumping drive off Mohammad Hafeez just eluded Yousuf Youhana’s outstretched fingertips at deep midwicket. And if that wasn’t good fortune enough, an inside-edge off Akhtar’s bowling spun back just short of the stumps.But Bangladesh’s best batsman wouldn’t be denied, and a deft deflection down to short third man off Umar Gul saw him to 100, prompting sustained applause from the dressing room, and the small smattering of spectators. At that stage, with Saleh having dug a deep trench at the other end, things looked rosy for Bangladesh.It was Bashar’s penchant for the spectacular that undid him. Kaneria, who had persisted in pitching short and wide most of the morning, finally got one in the slot. Bashar leant back and had an almighty swing, but it didn’t even go as far as the average sand wedge – straight to Shabbir Ahmed at cover (194 for 4). Bashar’s 108 had spanned almost five hours, but the manner in which he gave it away took some of the sheen off the effort.Moments later, Kaneria sneaked a googly through Alok Kapali’s bat and pad, prompting a few anxious faces in the Bangladesh dressing room. They needn’t have worried. With Saleh showing the adhesive qualities of a periwinkle on rock, and Khaled Mashud providing stolid support, Pakistan’s best efforts were thwarted. Akhtar ran in and gave it his best shot, but the bowling seldom threatened a Bangladesh side that has suddenly discovered the access codes to Test match batting.

India 6 for 150 (Ganguly 45) trail Australia 474 (Clarke 151, Gilchrist 104, Harbhajan 5 for 146) by 324 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Two sensational hundreds, two sensational balls, and a thoroughly ruthless and professional performance helped Australia assume control on the second day of the first Test at Bangalore. With their miracle workers gone, India found themselves staring at defeat, 324 runs behind with only four wickets left.It was a perfect day for Australia. Adam Gilchrist andMichael Clarke dominated the first three hours withsparkling footwork and spanking drives, and then theirbowlers coaxed life out of what had seemed afeatherbed pitch till then. Glenn McGrath showed whatAustralia had missed during their home series lastyear by winkling out two wickets in his first twoovers and Michael Kasprowicz, who won Australia aTest at this ground in 1998, showed how to bowl on aslow pitch by striking two vital blows after India hadsteadied themselves through an enterprisingpartnership between Virender Sehwag and SouravGanguly. Shane Warne then capped a great day for Australia by claiming VVS Laxman with a ball he willcherish: it drifted in, pitched on a perfect spot onleg, and beat Laxman’s prodding bat with sharp turn tohit off.The hope for India lay in an early breakthrough – but itdidn’t come until the last ball before lunch. In thosetwo hours, Gilchrist left the Indian spinners cluelessas he struck a fine balance between caution andattack. He scored quickly, but differently to his usual approach, choosingto go down the ground instead of behind square ashas been his custom. He carted bothAnil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh straight for sixes intheir first overs, and then opened up the field and pushedaround for easy runs. All through the morning, theIndians posted two men on the fence for thesweep, but unlike Matthew Hayden yesterday, Gilchrist didn’tfall for the trap.His first sweep didn’t come until he had 87, a controlled four tolong leg, and his century came up a couple of overslater, with two successive cover-driven fours thatbeat long-off. It wasn’t his usual swashbucklingstyle, but the hundred still came off 103 balls and theIndians just didn’t know where to bowl to him. He fellon the stroke of lunch, to a brilliant return catch,as Harbhajan dived full-length to his right to latchon to one that skimmed inches above the ground (5 for 423).

Gilchrist also played a crucial part in guiding Clarketo his hundred. With three figures in sight, Clarke wasa bundle of nerves early in the day. His first two fourscame through edges, before he survived a hugeleg-before shout against Kumble. With a seven-twofield against bowling that was directed outside off, Clarke swished and missed, changed his gloves,and made frequent forays to square leg between balls.But as soon as he traded his helmet for a baggy greencap, Clarke got to the landmark with a clipped two tomidwicket, becoming the first Australian since GregBlewett in 1994-95 to score a century on Test debut. Thenext 50 runs were made in unfettered style, and hesprayed the bowling to all parts as India’s slowbowlers, especially Kumble, were found wanting.Just after lunch, Kumble was thumped for two fours anda six over midwicket, as Clarke moved his feet withballet-like precision.He fell immediately after reaching his 150 as anattempted cover-drive off Zaheer Khan took the edge andwent straight through to Parthiv Patel (8 for 471). Harbhajan mopped up the tail in next to notime to finish with an expensive five-for – but by then, India were already requiring a mighty turnaround.McGrath struck with the fourth ball of the Indianinnings as Aakash Chopra shouldered arms to one thatdarted back in. Replays showed that the ball might havegone just over the stumps (1 for 0). But the body blowcame in McGrath’s second over as a peach of delivery,pitched outside off and cutting in, sneaked throughRahul Dravid’s defence to crash into the stumps (2 for 4). McGrath had struck twice in six balls, and Dravidleft to a stunned silence at his home ground.Ganguly scythed through that tension with two gorgeouscover-drives that had everyone gasping. He didn’t hold backwhen the ball was dug in short, and rolled his wristswhile executing the pull. At the other end, Sehwag letrip as the cover fielders chased some lashed drives.After bowling one over before tea, Warne returned in the 20th over of the innings. Sehwag immediately made room for himself and the ball teasedthe fielder at short extra cover before escaping thegrasp of the one at mid-off.But the introduction of Kasprowicz provided Australia with the double break. Gangulywas cut in half in Kasprowicz’s first over, as heintelligently varied the pace of delivery as well asthe extent of seam movement. Sehwag chipped a straightone uppishly to midwicket, where Justin Langer leapt up and latched on (3 for 87). And then Ganguly was done in by abrute of a cutter, and only managed to edge it toGilchrist (4 for 98).Until he received that Warne Special Delivery, Laxman looked inregal touch, with a couple of sublime flicks of McGrath andKasprowicz. It took a ripping, accurate legbreak toget him out and India finished the day seeking amiracle of Kolkata ’01 proportions.

Bruce Reid, the former bowling consultant for the Indian team, feels that a reason for India’s poor bowling performance in West Indies is the inability of the bowlers to put enough pressure while bowling in the fourth innings.”The wickets in West Indies can be really dead,” Reid told . “You need bowlers who can bowl something at 90 mph or probably some luck. There is a lot of difference in bowling in the first innings and bowling in the last innings.”On Anil Kumble, who has taken 13 wickets in the two Tests, at an average of 26.76, Reid said, “It is logical to believe that the conditions weren’t close to what Kumble would like to have. The reason why he has succeeded so much on the sub-continent wickets is precisely because the he’s got the much needed help from tracks that are sharp and turn viciously.”Reid, who is now the bowling coach for Hampshire, added that Irfan Pathan has progressed with every series and has developed into a very smart bowler. “But the rest of the attack is very young, very clueless about what is expected of them. You need to give them time, mate.”The third Test between India and West Indies begins on June 22 at St Kitts. It will be the first Test that the island has ever hosted.