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Sourav Ganguly has said he will retire after the upcoming Test series against Australia. His statement, a moment of unscripted drama at the end of a routine press conference in Bangalore, ends widespread speculation over his future.”Just one last thing lads, before I leave, I just want to say that this is going to be my last series,” Ganguly said after taking the last question of his press conference. “I’ve decided to quit. I told my team-mates before coming here. These four Test matches are going to be my last and hopefully we’ll go on a winning note.”With that, he got up and walked out, offering no explanation for what led to the decision. Shortly after that Kris Srikkanth, the head of India’s new selection panel, threw some light on it. “I think he’s probably taken the right decision,” Srikkanth said. “He had a good chat with me and my co-selector Narendra Hirwani. He wants a peaceful series without any troubles on his mind. As a player I can tell you that when you have an axe over your head it doesn’t feel right.”India’s selectors, headed by Srikkanth, picked Ganguly in a 15-man squad for the first two Tests against Australia despite his being overlooked for the Irani Cup match between the Rest of India and Delhi. Lacking top-quality match practice since the end of the Sri Lanka Tests, he was rushed to Chennai for an India ‘A’ match against New Zealand.”To be honest I didn’t expect to be picked for this series,” Ganguly said. “But once I was chosen, I started preparing. Even when I was left out of the Rest of India squad, which was a bit of a surprise for me, I was still training with the Bengal boys.”Ganguly also dismissed speculation over a “voluntary retirement scheme” for the senior members of India’s squad. “I don’t think it’s ever possible that anybody can offer you a VRS. You cannot do that to players like [Anil] Kumble, [Rahul] Dravid, [VVS] Laxman, me, Sachin [Tendulkar] or anyone.”What is important is what you get to know from the board [BCCI] and as far as I, and some of the senior players, are concerned, we have not received any intimation from the board on anything.”Ganguly, 36, has scored 6888 runs in 109 Tests, with 15 hundreds. He played 49 Tests as captain, the most by an Indian. The 21 matches won during his tenure is also an Indian record, and his win percentage of over 40 is the highest for players who have captained India in more than one Test. Starting with a hundred on debut, Ganguly’s Test average has never dipped below 40.In 311 ODIs, he scored 11,363 runs at 41.02. He captained India in 147 ODIs. His last ODI was against Pakistan in Gwalior on November 15, 2007. He is one of only three players to complete the treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches in ODIs, Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar being the others. Along with Tendulkar, he formed a prolific partnership at the top of the order, with 6609 runs at an average of nearly 50 per stand in 136 innings.Since his recall in December 2006 and till the end of the home series against South Africa earlier this year, Ganguly scored 1571 runs at 50.67, including a maiden double-century. However, he managed only 96 runs in six innings during India’s 2-1 series defeat in Sri Lanka this summer.

Canada have confirmed they will take partin the four-nation Twenty20 which is being held in their country after finally signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the tournament sponsors, Sports International Marketing of Pakistan. The Bangladesh Cricket Board confirmed the dates for the competition last week, but the host country were waiting for the MOU to be signed by the marketing company.Pakistan, whose board are organising the competition, are also definitely participating, while West Indies are still to confirm.There had been question marks over whether the tournament could go ahead when the original organisers backed out but a new company came to the rescue recently. The competition will take place over four days from 14 August. Each team will play each other once, meaning three matches, ahead of a final and a third-place play-off, both matches on 17 August. Bangladesh and West Indies will kick off the tournament by facing each other on the morning of 14 August, while the hosts Canada will face Pakistan that afternoon.

Hernia surgery for Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan before next month’s triangular one-day cricket series in Australia will rule him out of playing here.Team management favours immediate medical treatment to ensure Muralitharan is fit for next year’s World Cup to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya.The Sri Lankan cricket board today officially announced Muralitharan has a hernia and could miss the tour of Australia.”We know that he has hernia problem. The issue is how serious it is,” said Charnika Munasinghe, a spokeswoman for the sport’s national governing body. He will have more medical tests, and “when he will undergo surgery will depend on the findings,” she said.Muralitharan first reported hernia problems during the first Test in South Africa last week, but Munasinghe said the champion spinner wasn’t in much pain and would compete in the second Test against South Africa before going home.Any surgery would be pre-emptive, but would rule Muralitharan out of the limited overs series in South Africa and the subsequent three-nation tournament in Australia against England and the world no.1 Australians.

Denesh Ramdin says having the former West Indies wicketkeeper David Williams in the team’s coaching group has been a major boost to his glovework, but he knows he must improve his batting to help the side challenge Australia in the second Test. Ramdin’s second-innings 36 sent some worries through the Australia camp in Kingston but he was disappointed to be run out when West Indies were gaining ground, after he did not score in the first innings.”My batting has been there or thereabouts,” Ramdin said. “I need to spend a couple of overs getting a start. I didn’t do well in the first innings but in the second innings I started off a bit shaky then I got in and everything looked smooth but then there was a little bit of complacency and I got run out.”Ramdin has not made a Test half-century since Lord’s last year but his work behind the stumps is definitely improving. Brad Hodge discovered that at Sabina Park, when he was caught behind in both innings, on each occasion to an excellent diving catch from Ramdin.Ramdin said he had put in a lot of training with Williams, the side’s assistant coach, prior to the first Test and the efforts were paying off. “I did a lot of work with David at the preparatory camp in Antigua,” Ramdin said. “I did a lot of diving, a lot of lateral movement and took a lot of catches from a lot of edges. He had me working really hard on my keeping so it is for my batting to come along now and going into the second Test I need to spend time at the crease.”West Indies should regain Jerome Taylor, the fast bowler, who missed the first Test with a back injury, while the captain Chris Gayle, who had a groin problem, could also return and is about 90% fit, according to the coach John Dyson. Ramdin said it would be a huge bonus if both men could play in Antigua.”Those two guys are world-class players,” Ramdin said. “Chris is important at the top of the order to give us a start and Jerome is crucial with the new ball to get early breakthroughs, they are match-winning players.”

Xavier Marshall is fresh from his world-record blast of sixes, but he has already switched his focus to the final of the Associates Tri-series against the home team Canada on Sunday. The No. 4 Marshall cleared the boundary 12 times in his 157, which came from 118 balls against Canada on Friday, to take the mark from Sanath Jayasuriya.There was another serious milestone for Marshall, which provided a boost ahead of the decider. “I feel really good to get my first international century, then to break a world record and also to help the team win the match,” he said. “It was great to go out there and back myself and perform for the team. I didn’t get a score in the first match [against Bermuda] so I was determined to get a big score in the second match.”It was not immediately clear to Marshall that the flurry of sixes had never been achieved before, and he was satisfied with the contribution in difficult conditions. “At the start of my knock the ball was not really coming on as the pitch here is a bit slow,” he said. “The medium-pacers were bowling quite well so I knew I had to be patient and smart about what I was doing. After I got in I began to feel better and better and the outfield was quick. I knew all I had to do was push the ball around and hit away the bad balls.”Finding form ahead of the Champions Trophy has pleased Marshall. “I’m getting to the level where I would like to be but I still have to keep putting in the hard work,” he said. “I want to reach that level where I’m consistently getting good scores and contributing to the team. I will use my first hundred as a stepping stone towards better things in the future.”Marshall said the undefeated team had trained well on Saturday and would be retaining its positive approach for the final. “We want to keep on winning,” he said. Canada earned their place in the final by beating Bermuda by 25 runs in the opening game of the four-match tournament.West Indies squad Chris Gayle (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Carlton Baugh (wk), Sewnarine Chattergoon, Fidel Edwards, Shawn Findlay, Leon Johnson, Xavier Marshall, Nikita Miller, Dave Mohammed, Brendan Nash, Daren Powell, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor.Canada squad Sunil Dhaniram (capt), Abdool Samad, Rizwan Cheema, Manoj David, Karum Jethi, Ashif Mulla, Richie Kapoor, Henry Osinde, Eion Katchay, Sami Faridi, Kevin Sandher, Ashish Bagai (wk), Mohammad Iqbal, Harvir Baidwan.

FAISALABAD, Sept 18: Rain curtailed play on the second day just as Pakistan ‘A’ were batting themselves into a position of strength against Sri Lanka ‘A’ in the first Test at Iqbal Stadium here Wednesday.Shortly before tea Pakistan ‘A’ had reached 149 for two in reply to the visitors’ first innings score of 183 when play was halted as soon as Faisal Iqbal was out for 54.Umpires Aleem Dar and Nadeem Ghauri finally decided to end play for the day at 4.05pm as the rain got heavier.Imran Farhat was an early casualty after the home team had resumed at 32 for no loss. He was caught at the wicket, by Charith Fernando off medium-pacer Chamila Gamage, after adding just six to his overnight 13.Fellow left-hander Taufiq Umar, however, prospered in the company of skipper Faisal Iqbal. The pair shared a stand of 101 in almost 40 overs before Faisal was caught by Michael Vandort off pacer Sujeeva de Silva. His 133-ball innings was laced with four fours and one six.Taufiq, who has so far faced 150 deliveries, struck eight boundaries.Scoreboard SRI LANKA ‘A’ (1st Innings) 183 (D.A. Gunawardena 60; Danish Kaneria 5-42, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan 4-49).PAKISTAN ‘A’ (1st Innings, overnight 32-0):Imran Farhat c Fernando b Gamage 19Taufiq Umar not out 68Faisal Iqbal c Vandort b de Silva 54EXTRAS: (B-2, W-1, NB-5) 8TOTAL: (for two wkts, 55.2 overs) 149TO BAT: Hasan Raza, Asim Kamal, Moin Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, Irfanuddin, Danish Kaneria, Umar Gul.BOWLING (to-date): De Silva 13.2-1-37-1 (5nb); Mirando 10-4-22-0 (1w); Samaraweera 14-3-31-0; Lokuarachchi 6-1-36-0; Gamage 12-3-21-1.

Inzamam-ul-Haq became the first batsman to score a test Triple Century in 21st century when he scored a massive knock of 329 against New Zealand in the May 1-5, 2002 Lahore Test. It was the sixteenth triple century in test cricket. All the previous 15 had been scored in the last century. The highest individual innings recorded in the 19th century was 211 by Australia’s W.L.Murboch at the Oval in 1884. For Pakistan, it was the second triple century after Hanif Mohammad’s 337 at Barbados against the West Indies in 1957-58.Incidentally, this was the second triple century on Pakistan soil after the 334 not out by Aussie Mark Taylor at Peshawar, 4 years ago. Yet it set a new highest individual innings record for Pakistan at Lahore. Erasing the previous record of Javed Miandad’s 280 not out against India at Hyderabad (P) in 1982-83. Brian Lara (375) holds the highest individual innings record in Test Cricket.Inzamam-ul-Haq’s innings of 329 is the 10th highest individual innings in this elite list. Sir Don Bradman is so far the only batsman to achieve the unique feat twice.So far, 5 Englishmen, 4 Australians, 3 West Indians, 2 Pakistani’s and one Sri Lankan have reached the landmark. No South African, Indian, New Zealander, Zimbabwean and Bangladeshi batsmen has yet scored a triple test century.

Highest Individual Innings375 B.C. Lara WI V Eng at St. John’s 1993-94365* G.S. Sobers WI V Pak at Kingston 1957-58364 L. Hutton Eng V Aus at The Oval 1938340 S.T. Jayasuriya SL V Ind at Colombo (RPS) 1997-98337 Hanif Mohammad Pak V WI at Bridgetown 1957-58336* W.R. Hammond Eng V NZ at Auckland 1932-33334* M.A. Taylor Aus V Pak at Peshawar 1998-99334 D.G. Bradman Aus V Eng at Leeds 1930333 G.A Gooch Eng V Ind at Lords 1990329 Inzamam-ul-Haq Pak V NZ at Lahore 2001-02325 A. Sandham Eng V WI at Kingston 1929-30311 R. B. Simpson Aus V Eng at Manchester 1964310* J. H. Edrich Eng V NZ at Leeds 1965307 R.M Cowper Aus V Eng at Melbourne 1965-66304 D.G Bradman Aus V Eng at Leeds 1934302 D.G Rowe WI V Eng at Bridgetown 1973-74

Yorkshire have maintained their dominance of the Frizzell Women’s CountyChampionship by winning the competition for the eleventh time in twelve years at Cambridge today. The team, which includes three regular England internationals, Captain Melissa Reynard, Clare Taylor and young bowler Laura Spragg, secured their win after all matches were abandoned today due to rain.Kent gain promotion from Division Two to Division One having been relegated last year, and Hampshire will move from Division Three to take their place next year.Northamptonshire enter the competition for the first time in Division Three having won the Emerging Counties tournament last week, and will replace Wiltshire.Melissa Reynard said “it was disappointing not to play Berkshire today as it would have been a great game, but we won all our matches and the team have performed really well”.England selectors will name the England Test squad tomorrow to face India in a two match Test Series, starting at Shenley on 8th August.The Final Tables

Division OneTeam Played Won Lost PointsYorkshire 3 3 0 81.5Berkshire 3 2 1 70.5Sussex 3 2 1 66Nottinghamshire 3 1 2 54Surrey 3 1 2 49Staffordshire 3 0 3 40Division TwoTeam Played Won Lost PointsKent 3 3 0 84.5Lancashire 3 3 0 80.5Hertfordshire 3 2 1 68Somerset 3 1 2 52Middlesex 3 0 3 42.5Derbyshire 3 0 3 41Division ThreeTeam Played Won Lost PointsHampshire 3 3 0 82.5Warwickshire 3 2 1 68.5Cheshire 3 2 1 68Essex 3 1 2 55.5Durham 3 1 2 54Wiltshire 3 0 3 36

All Frizzell Women’s County Championship matches are one-day 50 overs per side. There are three divisions of six teams in the tournament, which is run on a round robin basis within each division, with relegation and promotion for the teams finishing top and bottom. All matches took place at University Grounds, Cambridge from Saturday 27th – Wednesday 31st July.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)’s management has decided against renewing contracts of three current Test cricketers.All-rounders Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood and batsman Yousuf Youhana, all of whom were on PIA’s payroll since 1999, were not given fresh contracts after their previous ones expired last month.Instead, PIA has opted to sign on young batsman Bazid Khan, son of ex-Test captain Majid, slow left-armer Azam Hussain and left-hander opener Kamran Sajid.Razzaq, Azhar and Youhana who were drawing Group Six salaries plus other perks, had not played regularly for the national carrier in the national cricket championships for a variety of reasons.Tight international schedule was one major factor. But on the other hand, even when available, they seldom responded to the call and failed torepresent PIA in key matches.This has been a major complaint from other departments as well who often feel let down by their star players. After all, these organization were dishing out handsome package to the top cricketers on a monthly basis.Razzaq, for instance, had barely featured in 10-12 first-class and one-day matches during his three-year spell with PIA.Saeed Anwar, the Test reject, is another player who has not been a regular in the ADBP team despite being on its payroll for more than a decade.PIA, arguably the most star-studded side on domestic circuit, still has the likes of Wasim Akram (Group Eight), Moin Khan (Group Six) – both employed on permanent basis – Saqlain Mushtaq (Group Six – contractual), Faisal Iqbal, Shoaib Malik, Fazle Akbar and Mohammad Zahid in their cricket squad.

THE West Indies desperately clawed their way back into contention on the third day of the second Test yesterday but, even amidst the euphoria of dismissing Sachin Tendulkar for a fourth-ball duck, their grip was never more than tenuous.On a slow, heartless pitch, they didn’t have the strength to sustain it and, by the time fading light ended the day 40 minutes past the appointed time with four of the 98 allocated overs unused, they were precariously hanging on by their fingertips.An unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 109 between the left-handed captain Sourav Ganguly and the silken right-hander V.V.S.Laxman occupied the last three hours of another blazing hot day. It also gradually silenced the pandemonium that broke out when Tendulkar was the third wicket to fall for two runs in the space of quarter-hour in the middle session.The two stabilised India’s position, then slowly and surely restored the advantage as an unsteady 54 for four 40 minutes after lunch was converted to 165 for the same four at stumps.It gives India an overall lead of 254 with Ganguly and Laxman still entrenched, even if a suspect tail is to follow.It is an equation that means they can dictate terms over the final two days at the Queen’s Park Oval where they have gained their only two victories in 34 previous Tests in the Caribbean.The fact that the last time the West Indies won batting last on the ground they got 282 for seven against England four years ago is counterbalanced by last innings totals of 51 (against Australia), 63 (by Zimbabwe) and 162 (against South Africa) in the three Queen’s Park Tests since.Ganguly, out for five and 25 in his previous two innings, resumes this morning 48, and Laxman, extending the form that brought him earlier scores of 69 and 69 not out, 60. Their partnership is already the second highest of the match.The last half of the day was as frustrating for the West Indies as the first had been encouraging.The last four wickets, that had averaged 14 over the previous six Tests, added another 48 on the day, 65 overall, before India wrapped up the innings two hours into the day for 245.It still represented a deficit of 94 but if West Indies could restrict their eventual winning target to under 300 they would have a chance.Merv Dillon claimed opener Shiv Sunder Das for nought in the six overs before the first interval but, on resumption, he and the other bowlers were making no impression on Sanjay Bangar and Rahul Dravid in a second-wicket stand of 48 when the game took as sudden a twist as it had in the closing stages the previous day when Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Junior Murray toppled for one run.Adam Sanford, all bustle and enthusiasm, took opener Bangar’s outside edge on the drive for a catch to second slip.Three balls later, Dravid, playing with the fluent assurance of a batsman with scores of 144 not out and 67 in the series, got a thin leg-side deflection to Cameron Cuffy and wicket-keeper Murray gathered the catch to remove him for 36.As always, Tendulkar was the key Indian wicket. The game’s premier batsman, who completed his 29th Test hundred with his first innings 117, received a warm welcome. Not only do Trinidadians appreciate class, there are thousands here who have a soft spot for the land, and the cricketers, of their forefathers.Tendulkar held up the West Indies for over six hours and 260 balls for his first innings 117. Now he lasted only quarter-hour as his fourth ball from Sanford took him on the pad as he jumped back, aiming to push into the leg-side.His surprise at finding Sri Lankan umpire Asoka deSilva’s raised finger upholding the roared West Indian appeal was justifiable, for the ball appeared heading over the stumps.Given his luck with decisions in the first innings, it was another instance that verified the age-old dictum that things eventually even themselves out in this game.It set off even more bacchanalian celebrations around the ground than usual and, as India went to tea 77 for four, it was obvious the last session would determine the course of the match and possibly the result.The realisation did not seem to occur to the usually miserly Cuffy, whose first two deliveries on resumption were inviting half-volleys that Laxman duly latched onto for a couple of driven off-side boundaries.Apart from a genuine appeal for a keeper’s catch when Ganguly, then 24, drove at Dillon, there was little to encourage the West Indies after that as bats got broader.Umpire deSilva probably based his verdict on legitimate doubt since Ganguly’s bat brushed the ground and threw up a cloud of dust. Even the television replay provided no conclusive evidence.In the morning, it took India almost two hours and 22.5 overs to wrap up the West Indies innings.It had been undermined late on the second day when three wickets tumbled for one run within ten balls after Lara’s dismissal for 52 and they resumed at 197 for six with their eventual total heavily dependent on captain Carl Hooper who was 30.While Hooper carefully added 20 from the 49 balls he received before he was ninth out for 50 to a catch at extra-cover off left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan, Dillon, Black and Sanford offered him useful support.They at least ensured that the deficit was reduced to double figures, but on a hard, dry, basically true pitch likely to become progressively worn, India’s lead was still strong.