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After surrendering the series to a clinical Sri Lankan outfit, India have to face up to and deal with the harsh truth that they only won one session of this game. Left to rummage through the remains of yet another overseas series squandered after a memorable comeback, Anil Kumble, India’s captain, had few positives to pick out.”We missed out on a good opportunity to beat Sri Lanka,” Kumble said. “We did really well in Galle to come back and we did not capitalise on the winning of the toss here. You cannot lose five wickets in the first 40 overs of a Test. That happened to us quite regularly in this series, which is something we need to think about.”With a hundred more runs in the first innings, India could have changed the outcome of this match. However, their famed middle order failed again – twice. Dammika Prasad and Ajantha Mendis bowled with guile and accuracy to spell the death knell for India. Kumar Sangakkara’s match-winning hundred boarded up the coffin, and Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan returned to hammer in the nails.”For a new batsman to go in straight away and face two spinners is never easy,” Kumble said. “People got starts, if they had converted it would have been a different story. I do not want to give excuses. Overall we did not play quality cricket to win the series.”This was also arguably the worst series for India’s famed middle order. Sachin Tendulkar looked a shadow of himself in scratching 95 runs at 15.83 and Sourav Ganguly, who batted so brilliantly against South Africa at Ahmedabad and Kanpur in his last series, was a phantom in Sri Lanka, making 96 runs. Rahul Dravid’s tentativeness at the crease this series has betrayed a tinge of insecurity, and VVS Laxman managed just two fifties, out five times to Mendis.”It is not just one or two players [who we should blame],” Kumble said. “It is important that everyone contributes. I do not think there was enough contribution throughout the series from the middle order consistently. Even the lower order did not contribute consistently except one game here. That is obviously something that let us down.”Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma turned in match-winning performances in Galle but otherwise there was little to speak of in the bowling department. Except for Harbhajan, who took 16 wickets, no bowler averaged less than 30. Kumble, India’s highest wicket-taker ever, had a series to forget. His eight wickets at 50.00 was his worst three-match series since India played Pakistan in 2006. “I take responsibility,” he said, before quickly opting to take the clichéd route, “but the bowlers put their hearts in.”The saving grace of defeat is that it invariably brings lessons. As Kumble pointed out, India have a month and a half to think about what needs to be done before a four-Test series against Australia. “That’s still a lot of time for us to reflect on what went wrong,” Kumble said. India’s time starts now.

Somerset coach Kevin Shine has described the run out by Simon Francis yesterday as the `Champagne Moment’ of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy semi final match against Kent.He told me: "That was the turning point of the match for us, because we knew that the only way that we were going to win was to bowl them out. Up until that point they still looked like they were going to beat us, but that run out by Simon gave the boys the adrenalin rush to lift their game and get the result that we wanted."He continued: "It was quite an amazing piece of fielding by Simon. He was off balance and jack-knifed on the ground the wrong way up when he threw it back at the stumps, but he hit them and we got the run out."The Somerset coach paid tribute to the young fast bowler who joined the club from Hampshire after being released by the south coast county at the end of last season.He told me: "Simon is a very fit young player who has worked hard at his game during the winter, and I knew that he wouldn’t let us down when he went out onto the field to replace Richard Johnson when he limped off with cramp.""During the nets in the winter evenings the players worked on a routine that involved them diving onto a mat fielding a ball and throwing it from the ground, which is almost exactly what Simon did yesterday, and he did it perfectly!"Simon Francis told me: “I just knew that I would have to go out there to field when Richard came off. The atmosphere was electric and I felt nervous. When the ball came towards me I tried to field it and threw it back off the ground and got the run out.”No doubt that ‘Champagne Moment’ will remain with Simon for the rest of his life, and for those who were at the ground yesterday he will always be remembered as ‘the man who made the run out’.

Shane Warne is on target for the record haul of wickets by an Australianin a three-Test cricket series.Warne has bagged 19 wickets in two Tests against Pakistan and, if hebowls in a similar vein in the final Test starting in Sharjah onSaturday, it will take him past Hugh Trumble’s century-old record of 26wickets in a three-Test series set against England in 1902.Warne has completely bamboozled the Pakistan batsmen so far in thisseries and there’s no reason he won’t take another bagful of wickets inthe final Test, which will send him into the Ashes series with themilestone of 500 wickets in his sights.Warne, who currently has 469 wickets, is adamant he’s bowling betterthan at any stage in his 11-year career and it’s a feeling backed up bythe figures.Since claiming his 400th wicket in his 92nd Test, Warne has taken 62wickets in his past 11 Tests.If he keeps going at his current rate of 5.5 wickets per Test, he willbecome just the second man to reach 500 wickets after West IndianCourtney Walsh during the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.

MELBOURNE – The magic number for pacemen Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar here tomorrow at Colonial Stadium will be 100, as in miles per hour.But for Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting, the key for Lee is the number five.Ponting, concerned about his fastest bowler’s economy rate in one-dayers, does not want Lee to give away more than five runs an over.The series is being billed as a speed test between Lee and Shoaib, regarded as the two fastest bowlers in world cricket.They will be part of the focus of a $75,000 promotion for the three-match series between the two teams, where a lucky fan in each match will win $25,000 if a bowler exceeds 100mph (160.9kph) or a batsman scores 100 in 100 balls or fewer.”I imagine he [Lee] would be pretty excited about it – I just hope he doesn’t get too carried away with it and try to bowl them too quick and spray them all over the place,” Ponting said.”The worst thing to come out of it would be if he had an injury.”He’s got to start getting his economy rate down.”Ponting said the drop-in pitch looked good for one-day cricket and should be conducive to big scores.The special pitch has the look of particle board and will be rock-hard.”If it’s anything like last time, it played very well,” he said of the pitch.”It wasn’t overly quick, but the bounce was very consistent, which is obviously what you need for one-day cricket.”He and Pakistan counterpart Waqar Younis are pleased with the stadium, although Waqar admitted to concerns about the outfield.The Pakistan skipper said the surface was slippery and bumpy, but added that might change before the match.”The groundsman said he’s going to cut the grass and roll it, hopefully it will be all right,” he said.

Hampshire’s Academy team remain top of Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2 after Chris Benham’s unbeaten century secured a 31-run win over Winchester KS at the Rose Bowl.Benham hit an undefeated 119 as the Academy established a slender four-point lead on United Services, who struggled to beat lowly Rowledge.Ironically, the Loughborough University batsman didn’t arrive at the crease until Iain Brunnschweiler (37) and Jimmy Adams (49) had eased the Academy to 95-3.But Benham, whose century included 15 fours, and Kevin Latouf (35) pushed on as the county youngsters amassed a formidable 281-5. Under-17 hero David Wheeler notched 24 off 14 balls.Winchester certainly made a creditable reply, with Raj Naik (73) and Jimmy Taylor (57) scoring at seven runs an over and easing their score to 143-3 before James Manning removed both batsmen.Irfan Shah took over after that, taking 5-51 as WKS reached 250 all out, with Brunnschweiler snapping up three stumpings.Second placed United Services survived a late collapse before sealing a two-wicket win over battling Rowledge at Burnaby Road.They appeared pretty satisfied with their afternoon’s work after Guy Lewis (3-32) had helped peg Rowledge to 153 all out (Ricky Yates 33).Chris Yates senior (3-19) had US in difficulty at 53-3, but Gary Hounsome (38) and Damian Carson (29) appeared to have averted serious problems as the title chasers reached 105-3.But US collapsed 128-8 before veterans Paul Barsby and Kelson Brooks add last 26 runs and take the Portsmouth side home.Lymington’s four-wicket win over Old Tauntonians & Romsey was almost entirely due to Western Australian teenager Aaron Heal, who struck a match-winning 67.They bowled OTR out for 148, but got themselves in a pickle before clinching victory.Danny Peacock’s gamble to give himself the new ball paid dividends when he had run-happy left-hander Charles Forward (15) caught behind.Indeed, when OTR slumped to 61-6 – with only Paul Longland (40) battling it out – it looked as though Lymington might be on an early bus home.Pacey left-armer Martin Hunt (4-28) carved through the middle-order.But the Romsey tail wagged, initially through Ian Tulk (16) and Keith Trodd (17), but more significantly with last pair Nick Wood (21) and Mukesh Morjaria (16 not out) adding 27 and taking the total to 148.When Ben Craft (26) helped Heal ease Lymington’s reply to 97-2, it looked curtains for OTR.Heal survived a confident run-out appeal midway through his innings, and averted a clatter of middle-order wickets fell before clinching victory.Shaun Green was the star of Easton & Martyr Worthy’s 87-run win over Hungerford, who are teetering close to the relegation zone.Green hit 49 and then took 5-16 as Hungerford tumbled to 111 all out after Easton had posted 198-5.Easton’s top order all batted soundly with Ian Butcher (54), Green (49) and skipper Steve Green (27) fending off David Pryke (3-25) to seal the visitors’ position.Hungerford lost their first three wickets for only one run – two of them to Mark Stone (2-22) before Owen Dawkins (53) and Danny Williams (27) launched a fightback.But Green’s five-wicket spell reduced Hungerford to 111 all out.Trojans relegation fight took a positive turn with a six-wicket win over Sparsholt at Stoneham Lane.Ian Stuart (65), supported by Ollie Kelly (26) and Dave Tonge (24) helped the visitors reach 211-6 (Simon Williams 3-60).But, led by Mario Mohamed (65), Trojans motored along. Nigel le Bas (32) gave admirable support before Jamie Donaldson’s 56 – and a huge helping of 42 extras – took Trojans home …. and off the foot of the table.

Australian coach John Buchanan has warned his team that they will face a stern test from the English seamers during this summer’s Ashes series.Andy Caddick and Darren Gough have been at the forefront of the English revival in recent times, and Buchanan knows that the Australian batsmen will require good techniques if they are to cope with the pair in English conditions.”We’re going to face a pace bowling attack that can swing and seam the ball,” he said. “In the right conditions they will be very difficult attack to handle. Just as in India, where it was spin bowling in the right conditions that troubled us, our batsmen will need a technique appropriate to the conditions.”Swing and seam will be the major thrust of the England attack and we have to make sure we have our techniques ready.”Buchanan has urged his team into further practise sessions so that they can make the most of all the available time when they arrive in England. They depart on May 26th.”We’ve asked the players to have a minimum of four batting or bowling sessions a week,” he explained. “Nothing too serious, just hitting some balls and rolling their arms over,” he said.”That’s so when we get to England we’re not in a situation where we’re not getting as much out of the first 10 days or so because people are sore.”

The most exciting batsman in world cricket says the best birthday gift he could have would be a series-levelling victory over India in the forthcoming third Test.Brian Lara told NATIONSPORT he was still not fully recovered from the elbow injury sustained from the collision with Sri Lanka’s Marvan Atapattu last year, but remained committed as ever to the West Indies’ effort.There is nothing more I would love than a hundred this week, but I am not fully there yet. I am now getting gradually back into the game, I am looking to peak soon, but it is going to take some time.Hopefully, my contribution to this match, whether it is a hundred, whatever it is, is going to bring success to the team, he said.India, without a series win outside the sub-continent since 1986, lead the five-Test series 1-0 going in to Thursday’s third Test here at Kensington Oval where they have had six defeats in seven matches. Lara, scorer of 18 Test hundreds including the world record 375, celebrates his 33rd birthday on Thursday.Lara, the only world-class player in the West Indies team, thinks his side has learned the lessons from the 37-run loss at the Queen’s Park Oval and are ready to hit back in Barbados where they have endured just two defeats since World War II.Hopefully, five days after my birthday we will be celebrating a win, that is most important. I think, it will be nice to win a Test match, I will be turning 33, and levelling the series is where it is at for us right now. It is going to be a very crucial match.It can turn the series our way and if things don’t go our way, India could be in full command, so I am looking forward to the game. I think we have assessed what went wrong in Trinidad and know what we have to do to square the series here, he said.Lara was greeted warmly by Barbadians on Sunday night when he attended the unveiling of the life-size replica of superstar allrounder and National Hero Sir Garfield Sobers.The Barbados Government has done a great job in recognising Sir Garry. The people of Barbados have a son they can be proud of.It was a very special occasion and the words of Sir Garry have given me added inspiration for this series with India. We sit down here, and we talk about scoring centuries and winning matches, but we have got to give due to Sir Garry, a very simple man who played the game with the class and hallmark of a champion, and at the end of the day, greatness was bestowed upon him, the champion left-hander added.

With the help of the fighting 87 by captain N Arjun Yadav, South Zone took the vital first innings lead of 73 runs and came back to restrict West Zone to 96 for 6 on the second day of CK Nayudu Trophy semifinal match at the Sunshine ground in Cuttack on Thursday.Resuming the day at 53 for 3, Arjun Yadav and ASK Varma (39) forged a 102 run partnership for the fourth wicket. Varma was bowled by CD Kulkarni. The next batsmen, Stuart Binny failed to impress as he was bowled by Kulkarni without scoring a run. Four balls later Kulkarni sent back M Khadri in the same way for one.The 47th over saw the back of Arjun Yadav, caught by Kulkarni off S Yadav. But Mohd Faiq joined G Shankar Rao (28) and steadied the boat for South Zone with a 58 run eighth wicket stand. Shankar Rao was then bowled by Yadav before the innings folded with the score line reading 267. C Kulkarni (5 for 56) and Salil Yadav (4 for 86) were the chief wicket takers for West Zone.In the second innings, West Zone never really looked in good form as they collapsed to 96 for six in the 35 overs that they faced. Opener Vimal Joshi was still manning the crease with an unbeaten 32. Shankar Rao (2 for 18) and Mohd Faiq (2 for 18) have shared the spoils so far for the South.

He is the new wonder-kid on the blocks as far as Bengal cricket is concerned. Arindam Das, according to many, is probably the best thing to have happened to Bengal cricket after Sourav Ganguly. The youngster has already proved his talent in the domestic season. Now he is all set to fly to the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy at Adelaide in Australia for a stint of coaching. The Cricket Association of Bengal is sponsoring the entire trip.Das’ performance this season looks quite impressive. In 30 innings he played at various levels, Das has scored over 2,000 runs. He has an average of 100-plus in the Under-22 competition and 58.20 in the Cooch Behar Trophy. Nicknamed `Don’ by his colleagues the young Das is the first one to blush about it. “The name was given to me when I was three years old. It’s not meant to belittle anybody,” is his first comment. He has another one to offer after much prompting. “If Sourav Ganguly can make it to the top from Bengal, I am confidentthat I will also be able to do so. I am not one to crib about practice and other facilities.” Das started taking lessons in cricket when he was only six from former Bengal cricketer Pranab Nundy. He is also indebeted to Gopal Bose for giving him valuable batting lessons. As Bose said today, “Cricket is all about three Ts. Talent, Technique and Temperament. He has all the ingredients to don the national colours.”Das would have made his debut in the senior Bengal side this season itself. However his engagements with the Under-19 side in the series against England prevented him from earning his maiden Ranji Trophy cap. However, he has no regrets. “I will get it when the opportunity comes,” is his shy reply. He believes that the coaching stint at Australia will benefit him tremendously. “As an opener I will have the chance to play pace bowlers. Here one only gets the chance to play spinners on slow turners. So my confidence against fast bowlers will definitely increase.” He also feels that there is not much of a difference in the domestic and international cricket that he hasplayed. “As a batsman my job is to play each ball on its merit. It does not matter whether I am playing at Lord’s or at a local cricket ground in Kolkata.” The bottom line for him however is hard work. “I can only work hard, score as many runs as possible and then leave the rest to God. My aim at the moment, is just that,” he concluded.