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.”

Joey Carew, convenor of the West Indies selection panel, does not believe dropped West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Courtney Browne deserves the criticism he has been receiving. Browne, was not among the 13 players invited by the West Indies Cricket Board to sign match/tour contracts for the senior Sri Lanka tour. He was repleaced by Denesh Ramdin.Carew, a former Trinidad and Tobago captain and West Indies batsman, said that Browne had become the scapegoat for West Indies’ dismal performances in the recent home series against South Africa and Pakistan. “He dropped some very important catches during the course of the series, but his performance was no worst, and I shouldn’t use worst, than anyone else,” Carew told the Superior Saturday Sports programme on Q-FM. “I mean Ramnaresh Sarwan’s performance with the bat was atrocious at times, while Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds did not bat consistently either. The point is that the top six batsmen are not doing what they are supposed to do and that is a problem. Whenever we lose, people tend to look for scapegoats. If Browne had taken some of the crucial catches, we could have won.”Carew is excited by the potential of Carlton Baugh, Jr, who has played a few Tests and one-day internationals, and Ramdin but he believes both need to work a little harder at their games. “They need a little bit more preparation and a little bit more coaching, and this leads me to make the point that the territories are not doing enough work with their cricketers,” Carew said. “Baugh should be much more advanced, particularly with Jeffrey Dujon and Jackie Hendriks from his native Jamaica as top-class examples of West Indies wicketkeepers, and in Trinidad, Ramdin should be getting extensive coaching from David Williams, who was very competent, but there is the problem and the answer.”Carew described the captaincy of Shivnarine Chanderpaul as “encouraging, encouraging”. “Any time you start a job like West Indies captain, you may start tentatively, but you are expected to grow in confidence,” he said. “I think he is starting to do this. He carries a tremendous burden with the batting because whenever he went in to bat, we were three wickets down for under 100 runs, and he carried that burden well. I think he is learning well.”Carew also praised new West Indies coach Bennett King for the work ethic that he has been able to instill in the team. “I have always complained that we needed to improve the standard of our practice, and that has to be handed down to the territories,” he said. “All in all, I think under Bennett we have taken a small step forward, and now let’s hope that we can stride out.”Carew is not turned off by the criticisms that have been levelled at him and his fellow selectors because he felt that showed there was still interest in the game in the Caribbean. “Nobody likes a loser,” he said. “We all like winners. We all want to win. We all want to see the West Indies win, and then we will also start to see the crowds returning to the games.”

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.

The champagne might still be flowing in the Sri Lankan camp, after their resounding win in the final of the Paktel Cup, but the hangover time allotted was just three days. After strangling Pakistan’s run-chase with their masterful use of their part-time spinners, Sri Lanka get another shot at glory with the two-Test series beginning at Faisalabad tomorrow.Marvan Atapattu may be embroiled in a heated controversy with the selection committee, but he starts the series with a legacy to uphold. Arjuna Ranatunga’s men came back from the dead in 1995 to become the first team to win a series in Pakistan for nearly 15 years. That win triggered off a glittering period, with the 1996 World Cup triumph and victory in the one-off Test at The Oval in 1998 the highlights. Sri Lanka returned to Pakistan in 2000, this time under Sanath Jayasuriya, but the series result read just the same: 2-1 in their favour. Neither team has managed to win at home in the five series they have played over the last ten years. Home disadvantage will suit Sri Lanka just fine.But history and figures may not mean too much to Pakistan. Bob Woolmer will be in charge for the first time in a Test and there have been clear signs of revival in the one-day version. He expressed his disappointment over Saturday’s defeat when he spoke to a few journalists after practice. “It’s a shame to have lost in the final. It was very disappointing to see the team lose despite having the potential to turning the tide. In fact they should have won the tri-series.”More importantly, the scars of losing to India earlier in the year might not have healed and their batsmen will need to show more gumption than they did in March. Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami have shown the ability to produce shocks in bursts, but Woolmer would want the intensity sustained throughout the series. Pakistan are likely to open the batting with Yasir Hameed and Imran Farhat and both have a chance to show that promise, if persisted with, can deliver results when they matter.Sri Lanka will rely on their top four to get them the big scores, which would then enable the spinners to get stuck in. Thilan Samaraweera has managed to cross fifty just twice in his last 14 innings and Romesh Kaluwitharana can exhilarate and exasperate in a span of a few minutes. Either Thilina Kandamby or Jehan Mubarak are set to bat at No. 6. The bowling line-up, though, may not be as spin-dominated as earlier Sri Lankan teams, with Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando, both capable of making top-quality batsmen hop, backing up the canny Chaminda Vaas.The second Test will be played at Karachi, which will host a Test for the first time after May 2002 when New Zealand abandoned their tour midway. Karachi remains a Pakistani fortress where they have lost just one Test, when England pulled off an astonishing run-chase in the twilight in 2000. But Sri Lanka will fancy their chances to go one-up at Faisalabad. After a gritty showing in Australia, they overcame South Africa in a home series and have tasted success in two one-day tournaments in the subcontinent.And if Sri Lanka are in need of inspiration, they will do well to remember the squad of 1995, who levelled the series at Faisalabad and went on to win it soon after.Pakistan (probable) 1 Yasir Hameed, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Asim Kamal, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shoaib Malik, 8 Moin Khan (wk), 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Danish Kaneria.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Jehan Mubarak, 7 Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), 8 Upul Chandana, 9 Chaminda Vaas, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dilhara Fernando.

England U-19 125 for 2 (Denly 45) beat Sri Lanka U-19 124 (Broad 4-33, Miller 3-16) by eight wickets
ScorecardStuart Broad and Andrew Miller shared seven wickets between them as England’s Under-19 cricketers romped to an eight-wicket victory over their Sri Lankan counterparts, in the first one-day international at New Road.After winning the toss and bowling first in helpful conditions, England’s seamers were no match for the Sri Lankans, with Broad claiming all three of the first wickets to fall. Ben Harmison, Steve’s younger brother, then bowled Dilhan Cooray for 20, before Miller rampaged through the lower middle-order, taking three wickets for seven runs.Sri Lanka’s eventual total of 124 was no match for England, who wrapped up the game with 20 overs to spare. Joe Denly top-scored with 45, before Steven Davies and Harmison sealed the win with a third-wicket stand of 31.

Scorecard

Osinde Henry, the medium-pacer, rattled the Cayman Island batting line-up with a seven-wicket haul as Canada were on course to a comprehensive victory in the Intercontinental Cup match at Toronto.Along with Umar Bhatti, the left-arm medium-pacer, Osinde destroyed the Cayman line-up in just 54.1 overs. Osinde finished with an impressive 7 for 53, his best figures, and the Caymans collapsed for 159, still trailing by 181 runs. Canada soon rattled up 151 in quick time in their second innings, with Qaiser Ali producing a steady 67 and set Caymans an improbable target of 333 in their final innings.The Caymans were in further trouble in their second innings and finished at 38 for 1 at the close of play.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out