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England’s cricket fans are still pinching themselves, after the class and ease with which their team has romped through the first two Tests of the summer. But that astonishment is nothing compared to the shock and awe in the New Zealand camp. The Kiwis have had just two days to recover from their bruising nine-wicket defeat at Headingley, and now face a massive task if they are to avoid one of the least predicted whitewashes of all time.As Brian Lara proved to England back in April, nothing can be taken for granted where clean sweeps are concerned, but New Zealand’s litany of injuries has stretched their 14-man squad way beyond its means. Their two most potent bowlers, Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori, are out of contention, while their batting has been severely dented by hand injuries to Michael Papps and Craig McMillan.As a result, Mathew Sinclair and the left-arm seamer James Franklin have been called into the squad, although quite how the Kiwis intend to replace Vettori is another question. There has not been enough time to fly a replacement all the way over from New Zealand, and on Monday, Stephen Fleming hinted that they may resort to blooding some youngsters as an emergency measure.Another, less probable solution, would be a last hurrah for that most combative of souls, New Zealand’s coach John Bracewell. He is only 46, after all, and his inclusion as a spinning option would bolster the batting as well – he scored his one and only Test century at Trent Bridge back in 1986.More likely, however, is that New Zealand will seek to draw their inspiration from another man with fond memories of Nottingham. Tomorrow, Chris Cairns begins his 62nd and final Test, at the ground that became his second home throughout the 1990s. He, of all people, has the capacity to raise New Zealand’s game when it is most needed.But it is far from the homecoming that Cairns had envisaged at the start of the tour. "To say we’re down is an understatement," he admitted. "There are a lot of disappointed guys, and we have to pick ourselves up and play like we know we can. A victory is all I want. For me it’s always been about winning. I find individual performance is shallow if it doesn’t lead to a victory."Cairns had no doubt about the difference between the sides. "Purely Steve Harmison," he said. "Overall the teams are pretty similar, but Harmison has spearheaded their attack. Unfortunately we haven’t had someone to do the same thing." Harmison’s 15 wickets have taken his tally for 2004 to 38 in six games – second only to Muttiah Muralitharan, whom he also trails in the world rankings.

He is currently the hottest property in world cricket, and with that in mind, Duncan Fletcher has warned that he may be rested for much of the NatWest Series against New Zealand and West Indies later this month. But one man who needs all the bowling he can get is James Anderson. He has recovered from a bruised heel and is expected to start his first Test since England’s innings defeat in Colombo last December.That’s tough luck on Martin Saggers, who let nobody down at Headingley and even celebrated his recall with a first-ball wicket. But Anderson is in desperate need of a run-out, after a frustrating winter on the sidelines in Sri Lanka and the Caribbean.”The way the lads bowled in the West Indies and in these Tests has made me more determined to squeeze back into the team," said Anderson, adding that his heel was not a massive problem. "I’ve got a little bit of the old pace back from when I first started with England, and hopefully I’ll have the same sort of success."That would certainly be a bonus for England – Anderson shot to stardom with his matchwinning four-wicket haul against Pakistan in the World Cup, and followed up with five wickets on his Test debut at Lord’s. And given Trent Bridge’s seamer-friendly reputation – James Kirtley took six wickets in last year’s victory over South Africa – it is the ideal ground on which to launch a comeback.And the ideal time as well, for everything is currently rosy in England’s garden. Confidence is soaring, and the general belief is that things can only better. After all, the Headingley Test was made memorable by the contributions of England’s youth brigade, but it was the old guard who starred in the Caribbean triumph. However, Graham Thorpe and, especially, Mark Butcher have been peripheral characters in this series so far, while Michael Vaughan is due some big runs as he beds down in the No. 4 position.It is a long time – three years, in fact – since an England team has exuded such an air of confidence. But we all remember what happened on that occasion. At Old Trafford in 2001, they were seemingly all set for a fifth series win in a row, only to squander eight wickets in the final session, as Pakistan tied the 2001 series at 1-1. Shortly afterwards, England were steamrollered by the Australians.Somehow, it is hard to envisage a similar failure of nerve at Trent Bridge, but with England, you can never quite be sure. For the moment, it is probably best to keep pinching yourself, just in case.England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Michael Vaughan (capt), 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Matthew Hoggard, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 James Anderson.New Zealand (probable) 1 Mark Richardson, 2 Stephen Fleming (capt), 3 Nathan Astle, 4 Mathew Sinclair, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Chris Cairns, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Brendon McCullum, 9 Daryl Tuffey, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 James Franklin.

Nasser Hussain announced his retirement from all cricket at Lord’s at lunchtime today. In an emotional press conference, Hussain confirmed what all were expecting, that he is to call it a day. He revealed that he decided the time had come on Sunday, during the Lord’s Test, and that he wanted to go out on a high and not stand in the way of younger players coming through.Hussain opened up by thanking the assembled media for coming, and followed that by confirming his retirement from all forms of the game. “It’s a decision I’ve not taken lightly, I’ve been thinking about it for a number of months.” He added, “I had made my mind up on Sunday night, it was the right time to go.”He continued, “Age was catching up with me in my body and my mind, and the fire in my stomach was deteriorating. I was willing to fight that and the opposition, but not to fight against youth, in the form of Andrew Strauss and others like [Robert] Key, [Ian] Bell, [Ian] Ward and [Scott] Newman. They warrant consideration for selection.”On his last emotional and memorable day as a Test player, he said: “Monday was an incredible day, and it made my thoughts clearer. I’m proud to have come to my decision and be appreciated for all my efforts from when I was a young boy – a lot of good things have happened to me. To hit the winning runs through the covers with my favourite shot, to be batting with my close friend Graham Thorpe at the end, and to walk through the Long Room were great memories.”He also said that his decision could be called a selfish one. “Some of the criticism was close to the truth. Younger players should be pushing for a place. In some ways you could call it a selfish decision. I don’t like to go in the middle of a series, but I fear things will get messy in the future. At the moment, I feel clear and clean cut – I’m a happy person, and those around me are happy.”Hussain revealed he had spent the last couple of days talking to people close to him before finally making the decision to call it a day. “They said I deserved to go out on a high, and that I deserved to be happy. My decision was a gut feeling. I wanted to go on my terms, and I don’t want to hold up any young player, just because I’m a former England captain.

“I was looking for some reward for my hard work, and Monday gave me that. I’m emotional because it’s a big day in my life to give up the game of cricket, but it’s not because I am sad.”He added, “I spoke to Duncan Fletcher. He was adamant that I should go out in the way I deserved. He did not say ‘No Nasser I want you to stay,’ none of the selectors did that, nor did the captain.” He ended by calling Fletcher “an absolutely great man”, and by thanking his father, Joe. He said, “I hope he’s proud of me.”Regarding his future, it was later revealed that Hussain has joined Sky Sports as a commentator, but he insisted he would be taking a few weeks off and go away for a few rounds of golf before he starts his new life in the media.Hussain, 36, played 96 Tests for England, scoring 5764 runs at an average of 37.18. He also appeared in 88 one-day internationals. He was captain in 45 Tests between 1999 and 2003.

Northamptonshire 238 (Afzaal 75, Richardson 3-46, Betts 3-46) beat Middlesex 219 (Weekes 105, Wright 4-38) by 19 runs
Scorecard

Northamptonshire made their way into the last eight of the C&G Trophy with a 19-run win over Middlesex at a cold and sunny Lord’s. It was Middlesex’s second home one-day defeat in three days, and whereas on Sunday they had been batted out of the game, today they were undone by tight bowling and enthusiastic fielding from Northamptonshire.Chasing what had appeared to be a below-par total of 238, Middlesex’s innings never really built any momentum, only briefly sparking into life when Paul Weekes and Andrew Strauss found their touch with 42 runs off six overs. The turning point came when Strauss, who had shown only glimpses of form, was well caught low down at second slip by Martin Love off Ben Phillips. Middlesex at that stage were 48 for 1 in the 13th over, but that was as good as it got.Weekes never found any rhythm despite being the penultimate man out in the last over for 105. Had he found support for his anchor innings, once Ed Smith had departed for 42, then Middlesex would probably have won and he would have been a shoe-in for the Man of the Match. As it was, he was unable to accelerate when the pressure was on – he hit just six fours in all, and all but one of those came early on. With the in-form Owais Shah and Ed Joyce both falling trying to make up for lost time, the pressure mounted.But Northamptonshire kept a stranglehold as the asking rate crept towards double figures. Scott Styris, who smacked 26 off 17 balls, briefly caused a few butterflies with two sixes over cow corner, but when he perished attempting a third to a catch a yard inside the long-on boundary, the game was up. Damien Wright picked up four late wickets by virtue of keeping the ball up in the blockhole, and Johann Louw gave him excellent support as Middlesex lost their last six wickets for eight runs.Northamptonshire had earlier suffered a collapse of their own after reaching 175 for 2, largely thanks to Usman Afzaal’s 75. With Sales (40), Afzaal added 80 for the third wicket, but when he departed aiming an ambitious swipe at Melvyn Betts it started a slide in which seven wickets fell for 40 runs in 56 balls. But Rob White, who looked to be batting too low down the order, cracked 36 from 22 balls, including a straight six off Richardson into the pavilion, as the last two overs yielded 18 runs.As the innings ended a Northants supporter muttered that their total was so poor that the team “might as well get on the bus now.” In the event, White’s late flurry proved decisive.

The former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has said Pakistan could struggle against England later in the year, but still considers the home team will start favourites. England’s much-publicised tour of Pakistan – they have refused to play a five-day Test in Karachi – gets underway in late October, with three Tests and five one-day matches.Speaking to , Akram said: “England have been playing good cricket these days and they will be coming to Pakistan high on confidence after a big Ashes series.””Pakistan, I feel, still would start as firm favourites with three quality spinners, two of them – Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik being top-class all-rounders – and pacer Shoaib Akhtar coming back into the side, something which will tilt the scale in their favour.””But they will have to work very hard to challenge England. Pakistan, under coach Bob Woolmer, [are] a different side. They are much more mentally strong and that matters,” said Akram.England are in the throes of a nail-biting Ashes series, one which has drained every ounce of energy from players and supporters alike. Akram rejected the notion that England could be jaded and exhausted from their summer efforts:”I don’t think it will be the case. They will have a rest before coming to Pakistan and also players these days are very professional and have a high level of fitness.”England’s pace attack has bullied Australia’s batsmen all summer, and their mastering of reverse swing has, many believe, been the key factor to England’s success against Australia. And Akram paid tribute to England’s attack:”I don’t think their pacers will struggle in Pakistan since the weather will be cold and nice. In winters we have only 83 overs in Punjab and so that will matter. England will cope well with conditions there, and Pakistan will have to play out of their skins to do well.””The current Ashes series has shown that England are getting very close to finishing the matches. They are getting the extra edge in general.”

Michael Papps, the Canterbury opener, has been recalled to the New Zealand Test squad for the tour of South Africa beginning next month. Allrounder Jacob Oram has also been declared fit to tour after missing the ongoing Tests against West Indies.Papps made his debut against the South Africans during their three-Test tour in 2004, scoring a half-century at Hamilton. He last played for New Zealand in the Leeds Test against England in 2004 and has played four Tests overall with reasonable success.John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, expressed confidence that his side would adjust well to the conditions in what looks to be a challenging tour, against a strong South African side. He also defended the selection of Papps, who has notched up some good scores for Canterbury in the domestic season.”We expect to have a challenging time in South Africa. It is important that we quickly make the transition to the altitude, climate and playing conditions, as well as to the intensity that the South African team will bring to these matches,” Bracewell said.”Michael Papps provides us with cover as a specialist opener and adds balance to the team. He has performed well for the Blackcaps in the past and now appears to have addressed issues with his technique.”Lou Vincent and Mathew Sinclair, two other openers, were not considered due to personal commitments. Vincent wishes to be home for the birth of his first child, due April 15, while Sinclair is getting married, also on the same date. Both players would be on standby after the first Test, should the team management seek any replacements.The tour begins with a three-day match against the Rest of South Africa at Benoni on April 7. The first Test will be played at Centurion beginning April 15 while the remaining matches are scheduled at Cape Town and Johannesburg.The selectors were due to name the squad after the final Test against West Indies at Napier but persistent rain means that a draw is almost certain, resulting in the early announcement of the team.Squad Stephen Fleming (capt), Daniel Vettori, Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Peter Fulton, James Franklin, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum (wk), Hamish Marshall, Chris Martin, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Michael Papps, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris

Australia 9 for 239 (Martyn 43, Ponting 41, Gilchrist 40) beat Pakistan 208 (Youhana 51, Razzaq 47, McGrath 5-27) by 31 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

Glenn McGrath ruthlessly dismantled Pakistan’s flimsy top order to set up Australia’s VB Series victory before sealing it with the late dismissal of the dangerous Abdul Razzaq at the SCG. McGrath forced his opponents’ chase to follow a similar path to the first match at Melbourne with a blistering opening spell, and finished with five wickets as Pakistan fell 31 runs short of Australia’s total of 9 for 239.Australia’s fine bowling, which followed another inconsistent batting performance, wrapped up the series on a tricky two-paced pitch. Pakistan were 4 for 27 at Melbourne, where they lost by 18 runs, and suffered similar damage as McGrath claimed three wickets from his first six overs. As Pakistan resisted with a potentially dangerous ninth-wicket stand of 48 between Razzaq and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, McGrath returned to add the final two wickets for figures of 5 for 27 and the Man-of-the-Match award.Yousuf Youhana restored Pakistan’s chances with a run-a-ball half-century, and when Razzaq and Shahid Afridi started racing, Australia were nervous. Afridi had sprinted to 30 off 20 balls in the 35th over, in which he belted Brad Hogg for two sixes, when he risked a second on Brett Lee’s accurate throw from third man. Gilchrist’s quick take was ruled successful by the third umpire (7 for 133). It was an important moment in a match where only Gilchrist and Youhana managed to score comfortably.”We haven’t been at our best in the two finals but we’ve bowled really well,” Ricky Ponting said before lifting the trophy. “Pakistan pushed us all the way in the two games but we were lucky to keep our noses in front.” Ponting also signalled out McGrath for special praise.More expensive than his opening partner Lee in their first spells, McGrath stayed two overs longer and caused the most damage. The dismissal of Inzamam-ul-Haq was by far the most important as the captain has led the middle-order resistance. Inzamam walked out to another rebuilding exercise after his top three failed again, but for the first time in the series he wasn’t able to help as McGrath’s off-cutter caught him in front third ball (4 for 38).Kamram Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez departed to similar shots from eerily similar McGrath deliveries. Television graphics showed the balls hitting the pitch millimetres apart on a length too short to drive, but Akmal edged his to Gilchrist and Hafeez struck to Michael Clarke at a specially ordered short point (3 for 38). As has been his custom over the past month, Lee, the Player of the Series, made an early incision when Taufeeq Umar, playing his first game of the tournament after replacing Salman Butt, top-edged a pull to McGrath on the fine-leg fence (1 for 13).Unfortunately for Pakistan it was mostly their bowlers who were willing to fight for the trophy with bat and ball, and their first-innings performance rattled Australia. After Gilchrist made sure Australia blasted off as he rocketed to 40 off 30 balls with six fours and a six, the visitors fired an impressive comeback with a steady flow of wickets.Boasting all-round bowling contributors, Pakistan withstood the initial blast – 50 runs in the first 6.4 overs – and then, through Rao Iftikhar and Razzaq, applied the brakes. But it was the spinners Afridi and Hafeez who took the most advantage of the pitch, which became harder to score on as the ball softened, with 20 brilliant overs. Afridi collected Ricky Ponting and Darren Lehmann and conceded 38 runs and Hafeez gave away 34 as the middle order folded. Following a summer of dominance the home side were in disarray and even had a Pakistan-style run out when Katich and Damien Martyn both landed at the bowler’s end (5 for 166). Andrew Symonds, missing after injuring his Achilles tendon at Melbourne, was a big loss from the line-up and his absence left Martyn to calm a falling run-rate with a hard-earned 43.Not only did Pakistan restrict their opponents in the middle stages, they also reduced the danger of the late-innings rush and Naved narrowly missed a hat-trick when McGrath squirted him to fine-leg.Razzaq, who returned to uproot Martyn’s off stump, started Pakistan’s first recovery with two maidens and the crucial wicket of Gilchrist, who popped a drive to Shoaib Malik at cover (1 for 55). However, Rudi Koertzen ordered Razzaq out of the attack after his second high full toss in the 49th over. Razzaq was also lost towards the end of the second innings during a match – and a tournament – where Pakistan required much more from their top order.

Sneaky England supporters plan to raid Cricket Australia’s family-orientated Ashes ticket system when seats go on sale on Thursday morning. Organisers of the Barmy Army expect to have 15,000 people supporting Andrew Flintoff and Co on the first day of the SCG Test, according to Sydney’s .”We are a bit more street-wise than the average Aussie fan,” the Barmy Army’s Craig Gills told the paper. “We have done this before on many campaigns, in Europe and World Cups etc. Whether by hook or by crook, we will get the tickets.”Cricket Australia expects a small amount of “leakage” to overseas buyers, but their Australia Cricket Family registration method was designed so parents and their children could get seats. More than 128,000 people signed on for the project and they must provide an Australian address as proof of their residency.The reported tens of thousands of England supporters had joined the family and others were expected to on-sell the tickets to the Barmy Army. Seats go on general release from June 19, with Cricket Australia-registered buyers given a two-week headstart from 9am eastern standard time on Thursday.In the the paper revealed that England fans complaining about the lack of access to Australia grounds for next summer were getting a better deal than their counterparts in 2005. The paper said Lord’s made 3.5% of its seats available to Australians while Old Trafford was 2%, Edgbaston 3% and The Oval 0%. The SCG and MCG are expected to have at least 10% of tickets going to England supporters.”People need to know they’ve got to get in early,” Peter Young, a Cricket Australia spokesman, said in the . “If Sydney people wait until Thursday afternoon there is a significant risk of disappointment. There’s a strong sense that days one, two and three are going to sell very quickly.”

The fourth and final Test between England and Pakistan at The Oval was plunged into controversy on Sunday in an ugly row over ball-tampering. The tourists risked forfeiting the Test after making a tea-time protest over being docked five runs for allegedly altering the state of the ball.But just as it had seemed the match was about to restart, the Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer said a fresh delay had been caused by the refusal of umpire Darrell Hair to continue standing in the match. Pakistan were docked five runs at the end of the fourth day’s 56th over which had been bowled by paceman Umar Gul.It was Gul’s 14th over with England 230 for 3 when the umpires inspected the match ball. Play was eventually called off for the day at 6.13pm local time (1713GMT) with England 298 for four in their second innings, a deficit of 33, with the future of the match still uncertain as the crisis meeting is yet to take place.As the meeting got underway at 7.30pm local time (8.30GMT), a band of journalists, including Cricinfo, were told in no uncertain terms that they must get out of the building it was taking place. The meeting will determine, among other things, whether the match goes ahead tomorrow. It is believed that Mike Procter, the two umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove, Bob Woolmer and an England representative James Avery were present. It’s not known whether Duncan Fletcher is attending.The players, meanwhile, left the ground with a police escort. As at 7.30pm, there was a strong police presence at the Oval, though it is purely precautionary – there are two policemen inside the pavilion and a line of them outside. As one policeman explained to Cricinfo, there was no information given to the crowds all day long and the bars were still open, and that combination makes for an inflammatory situation in his experience. And indeed the crowds were getting restless. “If I had bought a ticket for the day,” he added, “I wouldn’t be impressed.”The controversy began at 2.30pm local (1330GMT) when veteran Australian official Hair, standing with West Indian umpire Billy Doctrove, signalled to the scorers that five penalty runs were to be added to England’s total, taking it up to 235.Then, after an early tea had been taken because of bad light, the umpires walked back out onto the field at 4.40pm local time (1540GMT) only for no Pakistan fieldsmen to follow behind them before walking back in. Some 15 minutes later the umpires returned followed by England batsmen Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell only for the Pakistan team to remain in their dressing room.The batsmen and umpires walked back in, with Pakistan – already a losing 2-0 down in the series – in danger of forfeiting the match. Both umpires removed the bails, returned to the pavilion and the covers came on.Pakistan then appeared on the field, to boos from the crowd, at 5.25pm (1625GMT) but there were neither stumps in the pitch nor umpires. After several minutes without either Hair or Doctrove, or the England batsmen, Pakistan walked back off.The fresh delay was caused by Hair’s refusal to continue.Cricket’s Law 21.3 states clearly states “that, in the opinion of the umpires, a team refuses to play, the umpires shall award the match to the other side.” This was the first time such a five-run penalty for ball-tampering had been imposed in Test cricket, an International Cricket Council [ICC] spokesman said.Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer told AFP: “The team is upset that they have been accused of tampering with the ball and therefore ‘cheating’. “It is a no-win situation as now Darrell Hair has refused to umpire.”The PCB chairman Shahrayar Khan, who had talks with England counterpart David Morgan, insisted the reason for the continuing impasse lay at the door of the umpires. “The boys are extremely upset at the slur of ball tampering. As a result they registered a protest with the match referee for the decision unilaterally taken by the umpires.”Once we did that, we were ready to go out and play but it seems the umpires are reluctant to go out. The whole team felt very aggrieved and Inzy (Pakistan’s captain Inzamam-ul-Haq) more angered than the rest. He felt we should make a protest but once that had been registered he was perfectly prepared to go on.”We felt very deeply insulted by what was in the umpire’s report and there seems to have been no evidence given. I felt the matter had been resolved but it now seems the umpires are reluctant.”We feel it is extraordinary that we are ready to come out and the umpires say they cannot continue. It is very sad. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. I want the tour to continue,” said Shahriyar ahead of the five-match one-day between England and Pakistan.The match referee Mike Procter said talks would continue. “Following issues raised by the onfield umpires, which need to be resolved, meetings will be held between the match referee and both teams after play to determine whether any further play will be scheduled in this match.”Umpires have refused to stand in Tests before although the majority of major flashpoint incidents came in the days before the introduction of ‘neutral’ officials. Back in 1973, English umpire Arthur Fagg stayed off the field during a Test match between England and the West Indies at Edgbaston after being upset by West Indian reaction to his decision to give England’s Geoff Boycott not out, although he did later take the field.And in Dunedin in 1980 the West Indies briefly refused to take the field during a Test in protest at New Zealand official Fred Goodall.At Faisalabad in 1987, Pakistan’s Shakoor Rana refused to stand until he’d received an apology from England captain Mike Gatting after the pair had had an on-field row. Gatting scribbled an apology and the match continued.Pakistan’s 1992 tour of England was blighted by allegations of ball-tampering with pace great Waqar Younis, now Pakistan’s bowling coach, coming under intense scrutiny.And in 2000 Waqar himself received a one-match ban for ball tampering following a one-day international against South Africa in Sri Lanka while Azhar Mahmood was fined for “abetting” the infringment in the same match.The Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, ruled out of the current series with because of an ankle injury, received a reprimand in November 2002 for the same offence after a Test match against Zimbabwe in Harare.And the following year, in May, Shoaib was given a two-match ban for ball tampering after a one-day international against New Zealand in Dambulla.

Curtly Ambrose, the former West Indian fast bowler, has told the current lot of bowlers to avoid trying to be too ambitious on the Caribbean’s unhelpful pitches. He said the players needed to understand that conditions were different to when he was playing.”Just keep it simple,” Ambrose said. “The pitches nowadays aren’t really conducive to fast bowling and it can be a big turnoff. I would say to the guys, just try and forget about the pitch and go out there and do the best you can.”The West Indies have lost all three of their World Cup Super Eights matches so far and must win their next three, as well as rely on other teams’ results, if they are to have any hope of making the semi-finals. The hosts have just two points in the standings, courtesy their win over fellow qualifiers Ireland in the group stage.Their bowlers conceded 322 in their first Super Eights match against Australia, which they lost by 103 runs, a match where Ambrose felt the bowlers got carried away. “Bowl a proper line and length consistently, you will get wickets and will be successful,” he said. “They tried too many things against Australia.”Surprisingly, the hosts dropped Jerome Taylor in their second match against New Zealand to accommodate an extra batsman, Lendl Simmons, but still lost by seven wickets. Ambrose said omitting a bowler was a blunder.”I have always been of the opinion that you should never weaken your bowling to strengthen the batting, I figure if the batsmen you have selected can’t do the job, then you replace them,” he said. “I really don’t comment on selection but I am going to say ‘support the guys’ whichever team is playing out there.”The West Indies also lost to Sri Lanka by 113 runs, a defeat which further hit their chances of reaching the last four. Ambrose, who took 405 Test and 225 one-day wickets during his illustrious career, said like all other West Indian fans he too was upset with events at the World Cup. “I can’t say that I am a happy man at the moment because we are not doing too well and as a West Indian and a patriot I can’t stand losing,” he said.The defeats have left millions of Caribbean fans disappointed, former players looking for scapegoats and organisers fearing for the financial implications of seeing even emptier stadiums for the remaining matches. West Indies take on South Africa in Grenada on Tuesday where a defeat will confirm their elimination from the tournament.

Jacques Kallis, the South Africa vice-captain, may find himself ruled out of South Africa’s second three-day tour match after aggaravating a chronic elbow injury during a practice session at the WACA ground in Perth on Sunday.A scan on Kallis’s left elbow – first injured during South Africa’s recent tour of India – showed that there was a slight tear and some inflammation of a lateral tendon. The injury has already seen Kallis sit out a tour match against Western Australia, currently being played at the WACA. Shane Jabbar, the team physiotherapist, hoped Kallis would be fit for South Africa’s three-day tour match against a Western Australian XI, starting at the University of Western Australia on December 11.Kallis’s absence meant Mark Boucher, the wicketkeeper, took over as captain for the match against Western Australia with Graeme Smith also out with an injured finger.The first Test against Australia starts at Perth on December 16.