Adam Gilchrist isn’t sure he belongs among the top tier of Australian Test batsmen despite joining elite company with his remarkable double century against South Africa at the Wanderers.Gilchrist was today still absorbing his unbeaten 204, which again propelled him past names like Greg Chappell, Neil Harvey, Allan Border and Steve Waugh onAustralia’s list of Test batting averages.Of the batsmen to play more than 10 Tests, Gilchrist’s average of 57.30 is behind only Don Bradman (99.94) and Sid Barnes (63.06), and just 0.05 ahead ofDamien Martyn, his demolition partner yesterday.That Martyn’s excellent 133, in a record-breaking stand of 317 for the sixth wicket, was almost lost beneath Gilchrist’s onslaught on the second day said plenty about one of the most ruthless innings ever seen in Test matches.At 212 balls, it was the fastest double century recorded in Tests, eight balls quicker than Ian Botham’s knock against India at The Oval in 1982.His eight sixes, including two out of the Wanderers grounds, were the most by an Australian in one innings and his stand with Martyn was only the secondsixth-wicket partnership to surpass 300 runs.And all this from a wicketkeeper who didn’t play his first Test until nine days before his 28th birthday.But the humble Gilchrist typically wanted to play down his Test record even though just nine batsmen from all countries have averaged better than him at the same stage of their careers.”I don’t think you can focus too much on it,” Gilchrist said.”I have been up this high before in the averages and seen 10 runs get wiped off in one series. Averages are things you look at when you are finished but it is hard to gauge at the moment.”I think we are the beneficiaries of some great work by the top order which gives us the chance to play our natural games.”Gilchrist’s friends wouldn’t expect him to say anything different but it was hard even for him to downplay the nature of his fifth Test century.The left-hander was cautious after coming in against the second new ball, taking 89 balls to reach his half-century, but he wiped the next 50 off in just 32 deliveries as South Africa’s thin layer of confidence was shattered.Gilchrist, batting at No.7, doesn’t often face a new ball or the responsibility of performing each time he bats, but the more recognised batsmen don’t have the burden of wicketkeeping.Moments after Gilchrist reached his double century, captain Steve Waugh declared his first innings closed at 7-652 and South Africa was paddling at 4-111 in reply when the long second day ended under lights.”I haven’t had a lot of time to sit back and reflect but obviously it is a fantastic personal milestone,” Gilchrist said.”It was an amazing day and something that will always be memorable. We will have to wait and see when I finish my career where it rates.”It was an emotional innings for Gilchrist, who raised both arms to his teammates and then crouched to the ground after reaching his century.The 30-year-old has endured a testing summer, pulling out of a one-day international last month to be with wife Mel and baby son Harrison, who wasn’t well in his first weeks.Harrison has since recovered but Gilchrist admitted it was tough to be away from his family.”We are all under pressure and miss our family and partners. It has been a full-on summer in that regard with Harrison being born,” he said.”Everyone knows I missed a game to be with Mel and Harrison during a tough period.”You are a long time on the road and miss friends and family. It is nice to know you have the support of your team-mates who are a fantastic bunch of guys.”

The following players have been named by the WA Selectors to represent the Western Warriors in an ING Cup game v the NSW Blues next Wednesday evening (February 13) at the WACA ground.

• SIMON KATICH (Capt)
• JO ANGEL
• ROB BAKER
• RYAN CAMPBELL
• MICHAEL CLARK
• KADE HARVEY
• MICHAEL HUSSEY
• BRAD HOGG
• SCOTT MEULEMAN
• CHRIS ROGERS
• DARREN WATES
• BRAD WILLIAMS

SelectionsBrad Williams returns to the Warrior s line-up and will play his first senior game for the Warriors since suffering an injury to his right hand during his limited overs debut for Australia in the first game of the recent VB series.Brad Williams replaces Sean Cary who was named as an emergency replacement for Williams in the previous ING cup team v the Blues at the SCG on Sunday 3 February.Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist & Damien Martyn have been ruled unavailable for selection by the ACB due to the pending Australian tour of South Africa. Simon Katich will resume the Warrior s captaincy in the absence of Gilchrist and Langer and Chris Rogers returns to replace Justin Langer.NSW BluesThe NSW Blues team to play the Western Warriors is scheduled to be named on Saturday evening.

• MANAGER: DAVID SINCOCK
• COACH: STEVE RIXON
• TECHNICAL ANALYST: TREVOR BAYLISS
• PHYSIO: PATRICK FARHART

Match Information

• Gates Open: 1.30pm
• Match Times 2.30pm – 6.00pm, 6.45pm – 10.15pm
• Umpires: IAN LOCK, ANDREW CRAIG & BRUCE BENNETT (3RD)
• Match Referee: RIC EVANS

Tickets for the game are available from Ticketmaster7 on 1300 136 122 or visit the WACA web site at www.waca.com.au

Pakistan sprang a major surprise on Tuesday when the national selectors decided to gamble with the fitness of injured all-rounder Azhar Mahmood and named him in the 15-man World Cup squad.As widely expected, the vastly experienced 34-year-old opener Saeed Anwar was recalled for his third World Cup campaign largely on the basis of his 8605 runs in 242 One-day Internationals, including 19 centuries.Other than Saeed, 13 names were almost certain starters. Skipper Waqar Younis, vice-captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and coach Richard Pybus were consulted before releasing the names.Only four players – Salim Elahi, Younis Khan, Mohammad Sami and Taufiq Umar – have no previous World Cup experience while 10 of the squad were in the 1999 Wasim Akram-led side.Azhar on Monday was all but ruled out by a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman who officially informed Dawn that the 27-year-old was unlikely to be considered for selection since he was making a slow recovery in England from recurrence of a shoulder injury. But as usual, Wasim Bari, the chairman of national selectors, came with up a flimsy explanation while briefing the media at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore when he announced the squad: “Dale Naylor, Surrey’s physiotherapist has informed us that Azhar would be ready for South Africa where his track record is excellent.”But Bari failed to specify why the selectors had opted to take such a huge gamble for an event like the World Cup. Of late, Azhar has done nothing of note to merit inclusion.This year Azhar had played in just 12 One-day Internationals, scoring 103 runs (averaging 11.44) in 10 innings with 32 as highest score. With his medium-paced bowling, he took only four wickets in 2002 at 90.25 per scalp in 76.4 overs.The selectors also resisted the temptation of recalling former captain Moin Khan by retaining Rashid Latif, another player with injury problems, in the squad because they wanted to follow the policy of continuity.”Rashid has now been with the team for almost 18 months and has been playing very well. Plus he has the experience of 1996 World Cup behind him,” the ex-Test wicket-keeper remarked. “As regards Moin, he is an excellent batsman/wicket-keeper but then we had to back our instincts.”Bari also added that Kamran Akmal, the 20-year-old who made his international debut in Zimbabwe and is currently involved in the Test series against South Africa, is a future prospect.Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, with a history of injury worries behind him, was also included once given a clean bill of health when he appeared on Tuesday before PCB’s panel of doctors who examined his dodgy knees.”Shoaib was included after being given clearance by specialists in South Africa. A lot of investment has gone into Shoaib for this tournament, Now the onus is on him as to how he can repay,” Bari said.Opener Taufiq Umar was selected ahead of fellow 21-year-old Faisal Iqbal as a reserve batsman simply because of the fact that the left-hander could also be used as an emergency wicket-keeper if required. However, the selectors have gone for only four specialist fast bowlers in Waqar, Wasim, Shoaib and Sami. What will happen in case of injuries. Waqar, for example, has been playing Tests and one-dayers continuously since he assumed the mantle of captaincy in May 2001.Waqar remained Pakistan’s most successful one-day bowler in 2002 with a haul of 52 wickets but for the second year running he had conceded more than five runs an over. He is bound to face fitness problems as well as mental exhaustion but as captain he has to carry on playing.Wasim, for whom this will be his fifth and final World Cup, had sensibly preferred one-day games over Tests in the last 14 months. But like any other human being he is also prone to injury as is, the unpredictable Shoaib.Therefore, the selection of Azhar becomes more debatable as Pakistan in recent times had been plagued by fitness problems to key players. World Cup organizers are hardly going to be lenient to the 1992 winners and the runners-up in 1999 if the squad is afflicted by a horde of unfit players.Key batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq has played on by taking painkilling injections when it is clear that his heel requires surgery. Abdul Razzaq is struggling to regain confidence after his left wrist was fractured by a Brett Lee bouncer during Sharjah Test in October.What is the guarantee that some of the players in the squad are back to peak fitness? Pakistan’s chances of progressing to the Super Six stage will depend initially how the fittest survive to last through six preliminary round matches of Pool ‘A’.Pakistan start with a daunting tie in Johannesburg on Feb 11 against Australia, who thrashed them in the final in England more than three years ago.Pakistan contingent, whose average age is 27, flies out to their base in Johannesburg on Jan 24 where there will be a reconditioning camp before they become guests of the World Cup organizers from Feb 1 onwards.Full squad (current age and number of one-day appearances given in parenthesis): Waqar Younis (captain, 31, 256), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain, 32, 284), Saeed Anwar (34, 242), Salim Elahi (26, 36), Taufiq Umar (21, 6), Younis Khan (25, 70), Yousuf Youhana (28, 121), Shahid Afridi (22, 173), Abdul Razzaq (23, 119), Azhar Mahmood (27, 123), Wasim Akram (36, 350), Rashid Latif (wicket-keeper, 34, 143), Shoaib Akhtar (27, 75), Mohammad Sami (21, 18) and Saqlain Mushtaq (26, 165)

Michael Vaughan is set to open England’s innings in their all-important triangular series encounter with Sri Lanka tomorrow at the Adelaide Oval.Vaughan’s promotion would split the partnership which has put over a hundred on the scoreboard in the last two games, that of Marcus Trescothick and Nick Knight, with Knight likely to drop down to number three.”That is probably what we will have to look at,” admitted England’s coach, Duncan Fletcher. “Sometimes you have to look at where you want to go in the long term and we may have to look at the left-hand, right-hand combination.”There has got to be an advantage of that combination and they have batted well together in Test cricket.”It will be Vaughan’s first appearance in the triangular tournament. He missed the ICC Champions Trophy following surgery on his right knee, and has been rested from matches in this series because the joint is not fully recovered.”I’ve had 12 days of rehab and strengthening around the knee after it flared up following back-to-back Test matches,” said Vaughan. “I am fit and available for selection and this is a massive game. Whoever wins tomorrow has one foot in the final.”We have played some good cricket against Sri Lanka in this series – I know we lost in Sydney the other day – but we have beaten them twice so hopefully wewill play like we did in Perth and Brisbane.”Sri Lanka are again without Muttiah Muralitharan, who strained the quadricep muscle in his right leg during yesterday’s four-wicket defeat to Australia.Fletcher added: “Any side that loses a world-class player is going to feel theeffects of that, and when they are spinners and such a rare breed they play animportant part in all forms of the game.””I always thought it would boil down to the fact we have to beat them here. This is the crucial game and even if they had won yesterday we would still have been ahead of them with the bonus points if we do win this one.”Australia are also set to field a much-weakened side against England at Adelaide on Sunday, after deciding to rest Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Brett Lee. But claims of tiredness in the Australian camp cut little ice with England’s veteran wicket-keeper Alec Stewart.”I have heard Australia saying they are tired, but they had three months off from July to September, Stewart pointed out. “We have been playing a bit more than that, and cricket is now more or less 12 months of the year.”

The International Cricket Council has confirmed that England’s World Cup opener against Zimbabwe will not go ahead in Harare.The ICC’s chief executive, Malcolm Speed, has told a Cape Town media briefing that the fixture had been cancelled by the ICC after the England and Wales Cricket Board decided not to fulfil it.”The ECB has told us they will not play match in Harare on Thursday,” saidSpeed. “The ECB cited safety concerns for the players as their reason for notfulfilling that commitment.”The ICC give a direction to the ECB to comply and play the match in Zimbabwe. The ECB said today that it does not believe that direction is reasonable. Accordingly the ICC has moved to cancel the match which is scheduled forThursday. The ICC is disappointed that the match will not go ahead.”Speed added that the ICC’s technical committee would consider the issue ofpoints from the match.”The ECB has asked the ICC to consider relocating the match to a venueoutside Zimbabwe at a later date. That process won’t be something that will be resolved today.”The ECB has asked the technical committee to consider new evidence that has come to light since the appeal to Justice Sachs last week. I certainly would not assume that the match will be relocated.”The ECB responded at a separate media briefing, where chairman David Morgansaid: “This has not been a sordid squabble about money. We are concerned for the cricket fraternity in Zimbabwe and particularly those who would have been spectators at the match on the 13th.”Throughout this process we have been trying desperately to keep the world ofcricket united and are mindful of our responsibility in this regard. Although this process been lengthy we have not dithered or been guilty of procrastination.””The safety and security of our players and their families has been a matter of paramount importance.”The ECB’s chief executive, Tim Lamb, added: “We had hoped the the ICC would, as the ECB has done, put the interests of players and officials first.”The ECB considers that the well-being of its players would be endangered if it compelled them to play in Harare in these circumstances. There are no winners in this situation.”The ECB asked for the game to be moved out of Zimbabwe last week, citing fears over player safety. The ICC turned the request down, and despite a final appeal to independent judge Albie Sachs, their decision stood.Earlier today England’s players were urged to concentrate on playing cricket while negotiations continue. The team met ECB chairman David Morgan this morning, and were told that he and ECB officials would take care of all non-cricketing matters.Plainly there are further intensive negotiations in prospect before the matter is resolved, if indeed resolution is possible.

Saturday, March 15, 2003:::
“I think I’ve got a bit better (tactically). A lot of that comes with talking to other senior guys in the side. You can learn from your mates and you can learn from watching games on telly or watching what opposition captains do at different times,” Ricky Ponting
Source: The Age, Australia
“As for that dropped chance by Brendon (McCullum), I could not really see it because I had tears in my eyes,” Stephen Fleming, while talking about the let-off that Rahul Dravid had early in his innings
Source: Outlook, India
“He’s been a great servant of Zimbabwe cricket and the rock in our side for a number of years,” Heath Streak on Andy Flower
Source: BBC, UK
Wednesday, March 12, 2003:::
“His attitude has always been outstanding whether he has been playing or not. He gives his absolute best all the time whether with bat or ball and it has come off for him twice here,” Australain skipper Ricky Ponting, on Andy Bichel
Source: Ananova, UK
“We are ashamed on our bad performance and know that the nation is very much disappointed. So we seek pardon from the nation,” Waqar Younis, addressing a press-conference after returning to Pakistan
Source: Cricmania.com, USA
“I know I am a performer and have a record as good as anyone around. I just stick to my game. The rest of the things do not bother me,” Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly
Source: PTI, India

Former New Zealand Under-19 captain Ross Taylor is back in the Central Districts team to play Wellington in the State Championship four-day match starting at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton tomorrow.Taylor made his first-class debut on January 9 at Timaru when CD played Canterbury. He scored 12 runs in his only innings of the rain-affected game.The full team for the Wellington match is: Craig Spearman (captain), Jamie How, Greg Todd, Glen Sulzberger, Greg Loveridge, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Bevan Griggs, Andrew Schwass, Michael Mason, Brent Hefford, Lance Hamilton.

Eight of New Zealand’s top young cricketers have been included in the New Zealand Cricket Academy draft for this year.The players will go into the Academy at New Zealand Cricket’s High Performance Centre at Lincoln University on Monday, April 28 and their programme will end on October 31.The players included are: Simon Allen (Wellington), Neil Broom (Canterbury), Peter Fulton (Canterbury), Bevan Griggs (Central Districts), James Hill (Wellington), Mark Orchard (Northern Districts), Richard Sherlock (Central Districts), Ross Taylor (Central Districts).In order to complete the Academy-playing programme at the end of the year, other players will be added to the intake as required.Academy director Dayle Hadlee said rehabilitating Black Caps, New Zealand A and former Academy athletes will be incorporated into the playing team.”The value of having the younger athletes playing alongside more experienced team-mates should be beneficial in the development of these aspiring players.”This is an exciting group of cricketers who should make a significant contribution to the game in the not too distant future,” he said.Several of the players have already made their first-class debuts. Fulton, this season, achieved a triple century for Canterbury in the State Championship while other first-class players are Griggs, Broom, Orchard and Taylor.The players will take part in a multi-faceted programme at the Acadmy that focuses on the technical and tactical components of the game as well as physical and psychological development, life skills, cricket studies and a comprehensive cross sports training and playing programme.Allen, 19, was captain of this summer’s national Under-19 team. A wicket-keeper and top-order batsman, he scored 162 in a Provincial A match this year and finished fourth in the A tournament aggregates.Another top performer in the A tournament was Broom, 19, who had a top score of 128 to go with his third highest aggregate of 441 runs at 73.50 in the national Under-19 tournament. He has represented New Zealand at Under-19 level for the past two seasons.Fulton, 24, was in his second season of State first-class play this year and had a long association with the Canterbury Country team.Griggs, 25, was wicket-keeper for CD this year and he scored a century against India in the three-day match at Napier this year.Hill, 19, has had a solid schools background in Wellington and had an outstanding national Under-19 tournament when scoring 484 runs at 96.80 and a strike rate of 95. He was a member of the New Zealand Under-19 team this year.Orchard, 24, was a member of the Northern Districts side this year and is both a top-order batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler.Sherlock, 19, was a member of last year’s Under-19 World Cup New Zealand team and is a bowler who generates impressive pace.Taylor, 19, captained the national Under-19 team at last year’s ICC Under-19 World Cup and made his first-class debut this year. At the national Under-19 tournament he scored 519 runs at 74.14. He was New Zealand’s Young Player to Lord’s last year.

Alistair Campbell, the former Zimbabwean captain, has spoken out against his countrymen and former team-mates, as the team flies out of Harare to begin its controversial two-Test tour of England.Protests have been planned throughout Zimbabwe’s tour, as pro-democracy groups aim to use the matches to highlight the human-rights abuses of Robert Mugabe’s government. But, said Campbell, there would be no prospect of any player staging a repeat of Andy Flower’s and Henry Olonga’s famous black-armband protest.”The team are a bunch of `yes-men’,” Campbell told The Times newspaper. “Heath Streak [the captain] couldn’t say a bad word about anything. If you could pick your best Zimbabwean side, not many of these guys would be in it. I used to have a clause in my contract that said if anything from me appeared in the press that was politically orientated, then I’d be suspended without pay, pending investigation. All you’ll hear from these players is: `we’re here to play cricket’. That’s it.”Campbell, however, was broadly sympathetic of the players themselves. “These are young guys who still want to make their way in the game, so they’re not likely to do anything wrong. It’s a lot of untried youth. I actually feel sorry for them. It’s unfair to thrust them into the international arena so early.”Flower, who was forced to retire after his protest and has since expressed mixed feelings about the tour, echoed Campbell’s sentiments in an article for the Sunday Telegraph. “In the World Cup, very few of them [the players] were willing to discuss our statement,” wrote Flower. “We all got on fine but their shying away from the situation mirrored the fear within the whole of the country, where nobody wants to speak up.”As was the case for much of the World Cup, Zimbabwe’s cricketing deeds this summer are unlikely to make many of the headlines. Alan Wilkinson, the leader of the Stop the Tour campaign, has described the touring party as “ambassadors for Robert Mugabe”, and intends to carry out a campaign of disruption. “Stopping the tour is clearly what we’d ultimately like to achieve,” he said, “but we want to make sure that when every game is being played, people realise that there are others back home whose lives and freedom are under threat.”The opposition will be debated in Parliament as well. Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, gave the tour the green light, but her predecessor, Kate Hoey, will be among those demonstrating at Lord’s and Chester-le-Street. “No one who watches the two Test matches and the other matches will enjoy them, knowing that the lives of some of the Zimbabwean players have been threatened,” said Hoey in the Commons on April 1. “The Government should say that they do not want Zimbabwe to tour.”

After making a huge success of a career in cricket, Steve Waugh is all set to try his hand at acting. According to Robert Joske, his manager, Waugh will star in an English movie which will be shot in India. Joske made the announcement in Kolkata, during Waugh’s visit to Udayan, a home for the children of leprosy patients.Joske said that the script, written by an Australian writer, was almost ready. “Waugh will be the central character in the movie to be shot in India. Most probably he will play himself. It will be a feel-good movie involving the children of Udayan. Waugh is looking at an Indian film-maker to direct the film and an Indian producer to finance it.” Joske didn’t reveal the location where the film would be shot.This news is likely to increase speculation about an impending end to Waugh’s cricketing career, but the man himself gave no such indication, stating that he was still excited by the prospect of playing a Test series, even against Bangladesh. “Whenever we play a new country, it’s always an exciting challenge. It’s a great experience to play a new team.”Waugh dismissed the notion that motivating himself would be a problem. “Playing for Australia is enough motivation,” he said. “There should not be any need for motivation when you are playing for your country. I would love to play for Australia as long as I can.”Waugh, who has been associated with Udayan for more three years, admitted that there were activites other than cricket which kept him busy. “If I think I can’t improve then there are other things to do, like being in Udayan,” he said. “Cricket is not the only thing for me. I’m playing only a small role in helping children at Udayan.”Meanwhile, Bangladesh took a day off from cricket, visiting a Gold Coast theme park on Wednesday, a day before the start of a three-day match against the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy (CBCA). The opposition will be even more challenging than the Queensland Academy of Sport, against whom Bangladesh lost by 29 runs in the tour opener. The CBCA line-up has four players with first-class experience: Scott Meuleman, Luke Ronchi and Peter Worthington have all played for Western Australia, while Mark Cleary has represented South Australia.Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, announced that he was looking for allround improvement. “We’re looking to improve in every department and get accustomed to the conditions as best as we can and just to play some good percentage stuff.”Bangladesh will play two Tests and three one-day internationals on their month-long tour. The first Test starts on July 18 at Darwin.