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Former India coach Greg Chappell has praised Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy and said the Indian team is shaping up well under him. Chappell quit as coach after the World Cup earlier this year, ending a two-year tenure with the team.Though his stint was mired in controversy, Dhoni was one of the successes and Chappell said he had seen a lot of potential in him. Dhoni led an inexperienced team to victory in the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, his debut series as captain.”I had foreseen a great future for Dhoni,” Chappell told . “He has proved his potential and has been most impressive as a leader. The Indians are lucky to have a leader like him.”Chappell, currently in India as a consultant for the Future Cricket Academy of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, based in Jaipur, acknowledged India’s recent success.”The Indian team is now doing well,” he said. “When I was the coach, whatever I did stood them in good stead. It is up to the others to judge. They have a few exciting players and have already won the ICC World Twenty20.”The good thing about Indian cricket is that it has a varied environment in which players are groomed differently. The players, like those from far-flung areas, are an example of that.”The current one-day series between India and Australia, Chappell said, would be a close contest, despite a few senior Australian players retiring from the game in recent months.”The Australian team is in a transition phase. There is no [Glenn] McGrath or Shane Warne. But they are well prepared for the series. They have been working hard and they have to keep intact their supremacy. I believe it will be a hard fought series.”His work at the academy, Chappell said, would not necessarily replicate training methods used at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane. He inaugurated the academy with Ian Frazer, the bio-mechanics expert who also assisted him when Chappell was with the Indian team.”It is not right to compare it to Centre of Excellence because that has been running for years now. People like Allan Border [the former Australian captain] work and evolve new techniques for the trainees there. But I assure you that it will be different. We wish to make it one of the most reputed training centres of the world.”Twenty20’s growing popularity, Chappell felt, would be a challenge for coaches in adapting to different forms of the game. He did not, though, believe it would ruin a batsman’s technique. “There is no question of spoiling the technique. It has brought about a few changes which 50-over cricket too brought along. Now players use heavy bats, footwork is changing and they are hitting much harder than in my day.”

Having saved the St Lucia Test with his marvellous 120, Brian Lara told the press after the fifth day’s play that he had been inspired by the Soca Warriors. Rahul Dravid, meanwhile, admitted that luck had gone against his side, with a day rained out, but said that he was happy that they’d excelled in whatever was in their hands.Listen in!Brian Lara’s press conference
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Streaming Audio: Real :: WMARahul Dravid’s press conference
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Steve Harmison, the England fast bowler, will make a surprising return to cricket just three weeks after a hernia operation. Harmison had only expected to be available for Durham’s Championship match against Surrey on August 13 at the very earliest – and that was even with his recovery going well.But he has been named Durham captain for their three-day match against Sri Lanka A which starts on Wednesday. He started running in the week following the operation and was given the all-clear at the end of July to resume more strenuous exercise.In his absence, and that of Matthew Hoggard, England’s attack has lacked an incisive edge. But Chris Tremlett showed great promise in the first two Tests against India, with 10 wickets at 19.60, and has received praise from Harmison himself.If Harmison’s comeback goes well, he could be available for Durham’s Friends Provident Trophy final at Lord’s on August 18.

Thirty probables for the Cricket World Cup and a team for India’s first two one-dayers against the West Indies will be selected at Rajkot on January 12.The probables’ names will be sent to the International Cricket Council by January 13, the deadline to submit the list, and it would be further pruned to 14 members a month before the start of the mega event in the Carribean on March 11.The first of the four-match ODI home series against the West Indies will be played on January 21 at Nagpur and the second will be a day-night affair on January 24 at Cuttack.”The selection committe meeting will be held at Rajkot because captain Rahul Dravid would be playing for Karnataka in their Ranji Trophy four-day match against Saurashtra from January 10-13,” BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah told PTI.The Indian team will return after the three-Test series against South Africa, presently poised at 1-1, which ends with the Cape Town match from January 2 to 6.

Damien Martyn has told Dennis Lillee to shut up with his “Dad’s Army” criticisms of the home side ahead of the Ashes. Martyn, who arrived home on Tuesday from Australia’s Champions Trophy victory in India, said Lillee was in danger of losing the respect of current players if he continued to criticise the team.Martyn, one of three 35-year-olds in the side, slammed Lillee’s recent comments that an ageing top order could be the achilles heel in Australia’s bid to regain the Ashes. “I think Dennis Lillee should keep quiet as president of the WACA [Western Australia Cricket Association] – it is disappointing,” Martyn told reporters. “The team is disappointed in Dennis’ several comments over the last six months, which don’t need to be said. No [it doesn’t fire you up] … you just lose your respect.”In a column in the last month, Lillee said he saw danger signs for Australia as they prepared to take on the younger England team. “It’s worrying how Australia, after being outplayed in England last year, are going to turn things around with a decidedly older team,” he wrote.”Australia have some great players but even the greatest players get tapped on the shoulder by Father Time at some stage.” The side to begin the Ashes campaign at the Gabba on November 23 is likely to include Martyn, 35, Justin Langer, 36, Matthew Hayden, who will have turned 35, Ricky Ponting, 31, Adam Gilchrist, 35, Glenn McGrath, 36, and Shane Warne, 37.Ponting said the Champions Trophy win would serve as good preparation for regaining the Ashes. “Our last 12 months of Test cricket has been first-class,” Ponting told reporters at Sydney Airport. “We’ve raised our standards again from where they were, so I couldn’t be happier with the way we’re heading and to have this trophy and the month’s preparation in India and good hard training will be good.”We went away [after the 2005 Ashes loss] and had 15 months to try to rectify some things and with everything we’ve done – our training, preparation and the way we’ve played – we couldn’t have done much more. That’s been the really pleasing thing for me and I know every Australian cricketer is looking forward to getting the series underway – not long now.”

There has been little good news where Kenyan cricket is concerned since the World Cup in March 2003. The national side has hardly been seen, and when it finally emerged from hibernation last month it was humbled in the Champions Trophy; in July, Maurice Odumbe was banned for five years for his association with bookmakers; at home, the dispute between the Kenyan board on the one side, and most players and officials on the other has grown increasingly bitter, and last week 13 leading players went on strike.So, when one or two remaining experienced players, supplemented by raw recruits, took to the field for the Intercontinental Cup tie against Namibia at the Aga Khan Sports Club last weekend, there was little reason to think that they would earn the draw necessary for Kenya to reach November’s semi-finals in Sharjah. Shortly before lunch on the second day, when Kenya were 24 for 4 in reply to Namibia’s 357 for 6, the writing seemed on the wall.But this time it was different. As one insider explained, the team spirit in the young side was remarkable, and they refused to roll over. They battled back to reduce the first-innings deficit to under 100, and then on the third day would have pulled off a remarkable victory had Namibia not thrown in the towel with 10 overs remaining and only 43 runs needed.The players and coaching staff were clearly delighted, and justifiably so. Less pleased were the striking players.Until the end of last week, there was considerable sympathy for them. They had been treated in a shabby manner by the KCA, were owed money, had seen their salaries cut as cash ran out, and to cap it all had been offered new contracts which had every appearance of being designed to suit the board and not the players.But that sympathy evaporated when some of them turned up at the Aga Khan. It seemed unlikely they were there to support the side, but more to watch over what was expected to be their humiliation. While they silently scowled, a few former players and a couple of dozen vocal supporters turned on their replacements. The chanting and insulting comments did the cause of the strikers no good, nor did it enhance the image of Kenyan cricket. The reaction of the players on the field was admirable, and as Ravindu Shah batted Kenya towards the semi-finals with his last-day hundred, the dissenters slowly disappeared.What was also shameful were the racist undertones of the protests at the ground. With all the strikers black, and all but one of the side playing Asian, the taunting centred on the ethnic background of the team. There were many chants that the side was actually “Kenyan Asians” or “Kenya Indians”. Some comments were even less palatable. It was, therefore, satisfying that the man who rescued Kenya’s first innings was Lameck Onyango with a gutsy 67. Onyango was the only black in the side.The KCA should not really take any credit for Kenya’s success at the Aga Khan and it continues to be at loggerheads with most of the people it should be representing. But it should now encourage the selectors to stick with the side that got them to Sharjah. They might not be as talented man-for-man as many of those they replaced, but they showed a heart and determination which has been missing from the Kenya side for a long time.

It’s been a meteoric rise for Munaf Patel since he came to prominence witha 10-wicket haul against England in a tour game in February. On Test debuta few weeks later at Mohali, he did nearly as well, taking 7 for 97 asIndia battled back to win an even contest. Nudging the speedometer at90mph, he also showed the ability to reverse-swing the ball effectively,ending English resistance with a superb burst on the final morning.Since then, with Irfan Pathan struggling for form and consistency, Munafhas been thrust into the role of pace spearhead. He struggled initiallywith the one-day format, but an excellent spell against Australia onSaturday suggested that he was finding his feet in the hit-and-missversion.Given the new ball during the Tests in the West Indies – he took 14wickets in the four games – he was given first use of the white ball onSaturday after Pathan gave another insipid display in India’s openingmatch against West Indies. After practice on Monday morning at the RoyalSelangor Club, Munaf looked back on the past few months and spoke of theresponsibilities attached to taking the new ball.”Opening the attack isn’t really in my hands,” he said. “Whatever thecoach and the captain decide is after a great deal of thought, and in thebest interests of the team.”Coming on as first change against West Indies, he had figures of 1 for 18from five overs, the only bowler to escape a hammering as Chris Gayle andfriends romped to 141 from 20 overs. And after taking a bit of ashellacking early against Australia, he finished with 3 for 53, earningpraise from Ricky Ponting for the manner in which he had swung the ball.As for reverse swing, Patel felt that it was easier with the traditionalred ball than the white one. “You don’t get too much reverse with thewhite ball,” he said. “The batsmen too sense reverse, and are looking forany excuse to get the ball changed.”The red ball reverses more because you can use it for longer periods,while the white ball can at best be used for 50 overs and even then, it’schanged at least once during every innings. That’s one of the main reasonswhy it doesn’t reverse much.””I am fairly satisfied, but I want to put up an even better display,” saidMunaf, when asked to assess his displays so far. “My primary goal is tobowl according to the requirements of the team. There has been bounce andmovement for the quicker bowlers here, but it’s important to concentrateon line and length because those who stick to good lines and lengths arethe ones who are having success. The boundaries are fairly small and ifyou sacrifice accuracy for pace, then you will go for plenty of runs.”With rain having played a part in both Indian games, he admitted that theteam now faced a must-win situation. “There’s bound to be a bit ofpressure on us, but there’s pressure on West Indies too. There’s pressureon all teams. We want to win the next two matches and make it to thefinal.”We lost four matches on the trot in the West Indies, and here too,because of the rain, we lost the first match. We are focussed on puttingup a better performance on Wednesday [against West Indies].”The match against Australia was also his first opportunity to come acrossGlenn McGrath, unquestionably the greatest pace bowler of our age.”McGrath is a bowler who concentrates on line and length, he doesn’t havegreat pace but his control is remarkable,” said Munaf. “I have beenspeaking with him, and I will continue to speak to him as the tournamentprogresses. All the bowlers are eager to meet him and learn from him.”His team-mates continue to badger him to bowl quicker, but for Munaf,striking a balance is crucial. “Everyone wants that I bowl faster,” hesaid. “But I want to ally line and length with pace, not bowl all over thepark striving for pace. I can bowl quick, but my principal focus isaccuracy.”With Pathan and the other pace bowlers struggling to find their radar,it’s imperative that Munaf homes in during the next two games. Else, Indiaface the chastening prospect of an early flight home.

A statement issued by Clive Field, chief executive of the Zimbabwe Professional Cricketers’ AssociationDespite a number of recent attempts to find a way forward with ZC regarding the various issues outstanding in the negotiations between ZPCA and ZC, I have not been able to provide ZPCA with any progress.ZPCA have thus instructed me to issue the following public statement on their behalf:1. ZPCA fail to comprehend how ZC can close its offices early and at short notice for its annual shutdown, when important operational issues still remain outstanding between ZPCA and ZC. To recap briefly on these:Contractual issues

Pentasoft ousted Canara Bank by two wickets to enter the semifinals of the Moin-ud-Dowlah Cup in Hyderabad on Friday. With ONGC having withdrawn from the tournament, this Group D encounter was a cut throat game at the ECIL ground, both protagonists having beaten Hyderabad Districts, the only other team in the group. Brothers S Ramesh and S Mahesh were the leading participants in the Pentasoft run-chase as the Chennai based software company reached their target of 200 with seven balls to spare.In the morning session, the bankmen after being put in to bat, made 199/9. This was a palpable recovery for they had been lost four wickets for 30 at one stage, including the important scalp of Vijay Bharadwaj for 11. But the lower order applied themselves to the task of batting out the full 50 overs. Sunil Joshi (29) and Somasekhar Shiraguppi (31) commenced the rearguard action. And it was completed with gusto by Srinivas Murthy who remained undefeated on 46 (53 balls, 4 fours) and skipper Venkatesh Prasad who revealed some hitherto unrevealed flair with the bat with a run-a-ball 24. S Mahesh and S Satish both had identical figures of 2/30.In reply, Openers M Arvind and S Ramesh added 62 for the first wicket and skipper Ramesh in the company of SS Das compiled another 58 for the second. At 134/2 Pentasoft were sitting pretty but the loss of three wickets (Ramesh, Kanitkar and Jaffer Ashiq) in the space of four overs left them slightly perturbed at 139/5. Ramesh’s 59 was a quickfire effort, coming off 71 balls and inclusive of eight boundaries. Although C Raghu (4/30) kept Pentasoft on their toes, Mahesh (43 not out, 60 balls, 4 fours) retained his composure to see Pentasoft home from the last ball of the penultimate over and round off a good match for him.

The Twenty20 Cup comes to Nottingham on Saturday for finals day at Trent Bridge. For the hosts, Nottinghamshire, it will be their first experience of the electric atmosphere of finals day – and, facing thethreat of relegation in the County Championship, their motivation cannot be hindered.”This is our first appearance at finals day but I don’t see that as a disadvantage,” said Stephen Fleming, Nottinghamshire’s captain, wholast year took his side to their first Championship title since 1987. “It would be great to win a trophy for the club because not only would it add to the silverware but it would help bring new fans to Trent Bridge. I can’t wait for finals day.”But it is Surrey who start favourites, and Nottinghamshire face them in the second semi-final of the day, before which Essex and Leicestershire go head-to-head at 11.30am.Surrey’s season has gradually improved and, as the shadows begin tolengthen on 2006, the horrors of 2005 have been quickly forgotten. Perhaps instrumental to their success – not to mention creating a revitalised, happier squad – has been the return of Mark Butcher, the captain, who missed most of last season through injury. Indeed Butcher, in an interview with last week, revealed Surrey’s return of confidence can be put down to a restoration of the “old arrogance” which brought them so much success in the late 1990s. Surrey also took the inaugural Twenty20 Cup title in 2003.The most explosive example of their cocksureness comes from James Benning, their bristlingly aggressive opener who has injected suchfever and pace into Surrey’s innings. On four occasions he has passed 50 and his 326 runs have come at the superb strike-rate of 161.4. “I’m sure I will be nervous come next Saturday,” he told Cricinfo. “It is our fourth final, I’ve been at all four. I can’t wait to get there. We’ve worked so hard to pull it out of the hat and we’ve performed so well. We are going to give ourselves every opportunity to get to the final and bring the trophy back to the Oval, where it should be.”

While Surrey have puffed out their chests with greater confidence this season, Essex, too, have strutted like peacocks. “We believe when we walk out onto the pitch we’re going to win the game,” James Foster, the Essex wicketkeeper said. “When you get on a roll and win matches it turns into a habit and that has happened with Twenty20.”Foster was instrumental in Essex’s quarter-final win over Yorkshire when, coming to the wicket at 73 for 5, he put on 76 with Ryan ten Doeschate to take his side through to finals day. But it is DarrenGough, twinkletoes himself, who has arguably been the key to Essex ‘s Twenty20 campaign. Bowling at the death, his and Andy Bichel’s late wickets and starving of the runs have helped Essex strangle opponents on more than one occasion. For all his claims in various magazines and newspapers this summer that England would be daft to ignore him any longer, it appears the selectors do acknowledge his worth: yesterday he was called up for the provisional squad of 30 for the Champions Trophy in October.While Gough is Essex’s cheerleader, Darren Maddy is Leicestershire’s – albeit without so much of a Samba. Maddy, 32, is the world’s highest run-scorer in the format, not to mention a match-winner and, while Leicestershire’s Championship form has been less than satisfactory – with just two victories this season – they continue to excel in Twenty20 cricket. “We have always had a good one-day team,” Maddy explained, “butprobably under-achieved and somehow Twenty20 has suited the way weplay. We’ve got some very good game plans and we’ve been very lucky at Leicester that we’ve had some fantastic support.”The day kicks off with the first semi-final at 11.30, followed by the second between Surrey and Nottinghamshire. The final starts at 19.15.