MCC is marking the 75th anniversary of India’s first Test by commissioning a Pataudi Trophy, named after the Nawab of Pataudi Snr, who played for both England and India during his 14-year career.Bletchley Park Post Office will also issue a special stamp on July 19, the first day of the Lord’s Test between India and England. India played their first ever Test against England at Lord’s, which started on June 25, 1932.The stamps will feature the Pataudi Trophy, alongside an England lion and the Indian board logo. They will be available on commemorative sheets of 10 stamps and on two first day match covers. The first cover of the stamp, done by Karen Neale, an MCC artist, shows the match day view from the Edrich Stand, while the second has a montage by Clare Pollitt taken from the collection of cricket historian Boria Majumdar. The Majumdar collection will be on display in the Long Room at Lord’s from July 19 for three months.Only 500 stamps for each cover will be issued, priced at £10 per issue.

– Match abandoned
ScorecardRain denied Sri Lanka A the chance to make it three wins out of three on their tour. They made 259 for 8 against Kent at Canterbury, but four overs into the home side’s reply a torrential downpour caused the match to be abandoned.Nevertheless, it was a good work-out for Sri Lanka’s batsmen, with Mahela Udawatte and Gayan Widekoon making half-centuries, while Jehan Mubarak once more proved his class with 40. Martin van Jaarsveld was Kent’s most successful bowler, with 3 for 43, but James Iles’s second-ever wicket for Kent’s first team caught the eye.Opening the bowling with Robbie Joseph, the 17-year-old Iles induced Dilruwan Perera’s edge for 6. He returned figures of 1 for 27 from 6, a handy start for one who has just one first-class match under his belt (against Cambridgeshire UCCE last year) and given that he was bowling to some formidable opposition.Neil Dexter and James Tredwell had made a stodgy start to Kent’s innings, with seven runs from the four overs that were possible.

Zimbabwe, still reeling from two hefty defeats by India A, have received some good news with the unexpected return of Brendan Taylor.Taylor, who was the No. 1 choice as wicketkeeper-batsman during Tatenda Taibu’s self-imposed exile, has often been at odds with the cricketing establishment and when he failed to return to training after breaching the board’s orders not to play abroad, many felt it was the end of his chequered international career.Even though it was widely reported he had fallen out with Ozias Bvute, Zimbabwe Cricket’s notorious managing director, such is the need for proven players that when Taylor reappeared at training last week he was welcomed back. It is reported that he told Kevin Curran, the coach, that he was available for selection for the A team matches and three ODIs against South Africa later this month.What is less certain is how welcome Taylor will be among his team-mates who he left in the lurch against India A, but his experience could be vital. Against India A, Zimbabwe, who were called Zimbabwe Select but were the full national side in all but name, were comprehensively outplayed in all departments.

England captain Paul Collingwood has been fined £1000 after admitting drinking at a lap-dancing bar in Cape Town on Saturday, the night before England’s crucial Super Eight match against South Africa. He was handed the fine by a panel that included England coach Peter Moores, chairman of selectors David Graveney and ECB chief executive David Collier.”Paul Collingwood has been levied with a suitable fine,” a terse ECB media release said. “The matter is now closed.””It’s obviously unacceptable,” Collingwood admitted. “I’m England captain and going to these places isn’t the thing to do. You learn from these lessons and hopefully it won’t happen again.”Collingwood was out the first ball in the game against South Africa which England lost by 19 runs. He claimed he had been taken to the club by friends and was not drinking seriously.The Collingwood incident will raise comparisons with the more serious ‘Fredallo’ incident during the World Cup in the Caribbean in March. As a result of that Andrew Flintoff was stripped of the vice-captaincy and banned for a match, while five other players were fined after being caught drinking into the early hours of a match day. However, Collingwood’s crime was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time rather than drinking to excess.Collingwood, whose captaincy in the current tournament won him praise from Graveney, said he was concentrating on Wednesday’s must-win match against India. “Hopefully we can quickly get over it and concentrate on this game on Wednesday. Mathematically we’re still hoping we can get through.”

1982-83 in Sri Lanka
Australia became only the second team to tour Sri Lanka for a Test series, after England in February 1982, though the tour comprised just a one-off encounter. The Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy hosted its inaugural Test and Australia, led by centuries from Kepler Wessels and David Hookes, piled up enough runs to ensure that they didn’t have to bat again. Hookes, who scored an unbeaten 143, pounded the attack on the second day and even managed to score over 100 runs in a session – between lunch and tea. Responding to Australia’s 514 for 4 declared, the Sri Lankan top order wobbled at 9 for 3, before captain Duleep Mendis and Arjuna Ranatunga scored half centuries to a lift the score to 271. Following on, the home side were rolled over for 205 and lost by an innings-and-38 runs after left-arm spinner Tom Hogan took 5 for 66 in his debut Test. The Sri Lankans were no pushovers in the one-dayers though, shocking the visitors with a 2-0 series victory, with the last two games washed out.
Test: Australia 1 Sri Lanka 0
ODIs: Australia 2 Sri Lanka 01987-88 in Australia
Up against the World Cup champions at Perth, the fastest pitch in the world, Sri Lanka were predictably rolled over by an innings for the second time in as many Tests against Australia. Dean Jones (102) and Allan Border (88) took Australia to a commanding 455. In reply, only Arjuna Ranatunga resisted, scoring 55 but his side could only manage 194. Merv Hughes was the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 67 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 153, following on. The media even wrote off the match as a waste of time. In the one-day tri-series that preceded the Test, Australia took the trophy after beating New Zealand 2-0 in the best-of-three finals. Sri Lanka managed just a solitary win, beating New Zealand by four wickets in Hobart.
Australia 1 Sri Lanka 01989-90 in Australia
Returning to Australia for their second away series, Sri Lanka for a change were allotted two Tests instead of one. The visitors didn’t disappoint in the first Test in Brisbane, applying the pressure on the home side with a first-innings score of 418, in response to Australia’s 367. Aravinda de Silva announced his arrival with a masterful 167 and his team secured a first-innings lead of 51. Mark Taylor led Australia’s fightback with 167 as the match headed to a draw. In Hobart, the bowlers had their say initially – Rumesh Ratnayake’s 6 for 66 helped dismiss Australia for 224 – before the batsmen came alive. Mark Taylor, Dean Jones and Steve Waugh compiled centuries and the target of 522 was a little too much for Sri Lanka, though they managed an impressive 348. The only sore point in the well-contested match was captain Arjuna Ranatunga’s complaint of racial abuse by Australian players. Sri Lanka ended the tour on a disappointing note, winning just one game in the Benson and Hedges World Series, beating Pakistan. Australia beat Pakistan 2-0 in the best-of-three finals.
Australia 1 Sri Lanka 0

1992 in Sri Lanka
The most enthralling contest between the two sides unfolded at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, the venue for the first Test. Australia were in for a real scare after three Sri Lankans – Asanka Gurusinha, Ranatunga and Romesh Kaluwitharana – amassed centuries, taking the score to a massive 547. Faced with a unlikely deficit of 291, Australia went into the final day 102 ahead with three wickets in hand and Greg Matthews’ crucial 64 helped push the lead to 180. Sri Lanka were cruising at one stage, needing 54 off nearly 25 overs but somehow let it all slip so dramatically. A magnificent running catch by Border dismissed de Silva and with it, all hopes of a famous victory for the home team. They lost their last eight wickets for 37 – Shane Warne picked three wickets for no run off 13 balls – and Australia snatched victory by 16 runs. The result was to prove decisive for Australia as the next two Tests were drawn, handing Australia the series. Sri Lanka’s 2-1 ODI series win was a consolation though.
Tests: Australia 1 Sri Lanka 0
ODIs: Sri Lanka 2 Australia 11995-96 in Australia
The series was dogged by controversy and remembered for all the wrong reasons, starting with ball-tampering allegations and then to chucking. During the second day of the first Test in Perth, the umpires suspected that the Sri Lankans had doctored the seam of the ball, leading to protests. Match referee Graham Dowling rather hastily convicted the Sri Lankans of ball-tampering, though the ICC reversed the findings later. Led by Micheal Slater’s 219, Sri Lanka were vanquished by an innings and 36 runs. The Melbourne Test was associated with one of the most infamous controversies in recent times. Umpire Darrell Hair no-balled Muttiah Muralitharan seven times in three overs for throwing. The events left a psychological scar on the visitors which, till date hasn’t died down. Sri Lanka lost the Test by ten wickets and Australia completed the series whitewash in Adelaide, led by Steve Waugh’s all-round show. The chucking controversy however moulded the Sri Lankans into a stronger unit as they powered to the finals of the tri-series, edging out West Indies. Though Sri Lanka ran out of steam in the finals, the spirit with which they played and their innovative batting strategies was a sign of things to come in the World Cup a few months later.
Tests: Australia 3 Sri Lanka 0

1999 in Sri Lanka
The new World Cup champions Australia were in for a rude and painful shock in the first Test in Kandy. Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa inflicted early damage on the visitors, reducing them to 60 for 7 in the first morning and Ricky Ponting’s defiant 96 could only lift his side to a modest 188. To add injury to insult, Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie were involved in a bloody collision at the boundary, leaving Australia two men short for the rest of the match. Australia folded for a paltry 140 in the second innings, leaving Sri Lanka 95 for victory. Their six-wicket win was historic, for it was their first ever against Australia and rain in the next two Tests halted Australia’s comeback bid. Sri Lanka shrugged off their poor one-day form following the World Cup debacle and beat Australia in the final of the one-day tri-series, also featuring India.
Australia 1 Sri Lanka 02003-04 in Sri Lanka
The most incredible feature in the 2003-04 series was that Australia managed to overcome first-innings deficits in all three Tests and complete another series whitewash, this time away from home. In Galle, centuries by Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann helped wipe out a big deficit of 161 and set an imposing target of 352. Shane Warne – returning after serving a drugs ban – took ten wickets in the match to give Australia a 197-run win. In Kandy, Australia folded up for a paltry 120, conceded a lead of 91 and yet found a way out. Martyn and Adam Gilchrist compiled hefty centuries to set Sri Lanka a target of 352… again. This time they nearly pulled off a series-levelling win and Sanath Jayasuriya’s 131 went in vain as Australia secured a narrow 27-run win. In Colombo, Lehmann and Justin Langer battled severe humidity and scored big hundreds to help Australia seal the series rout with just eight balls remaining in the match. Sri Lanka fell short of chasing another big target for the third time but the final result didn’t overshadow the fact that it was the most competitive series played out between the two teams. Sri Lanka had their moments in the one-dayers, sneaking home in the second match in Dambulla by one run, but Australia eventually bagged the series.
Tests: Australia 3 Sri Lanka 0
ODIs: Australia 3 Sri Lanka 22004 in Australia
The two-Test series called the Top End Series was scheduled during Australia’s off season, in July, in two of the newest venues – Cairns and Darwin. The bowlers called the shots in a low-scoring match in Darwin, starting with Chaminda Vaas’ five wicket haul to dismiss Australia for 207. Glenn McGrath’s five-for sent Sri Lanka crashing to 97, debutant Lasith Malinga took four to dismiss the home side for 201. Chasing 312, Sri Lanka had no answer to Michael Kasprowicz who took 7 for 39 to register a 149-run win. In Cairns, the batsmen put up a far better show, and Sri Lanka this time hung on to a close draw, ending on a nervous 183 for 8 on the final day.
Australia 1 Sri Lanka 0

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Riled by the behaviour of some of the Indian cricketers and the crowd in Vadodara, Andrew Symonds channelled his ire to hit the Indians where it hurt most, with a glorious 82-ball century which inspired Australia to a series-sealing victory with a match to spare. Just for good measure, he added a nearly immaculate spell of offspin as Australia staved off a 140-run partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, and a thrilling late flourish from Robin Uthappa to clinch an 18-run triumph.Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting had established the perfect platform with a dazzling 96-run partnership, and with Brad Haddin and James Hopes providing invaluable support, Symonds combined brute power and masterly timing to utterly destroy the Indian attack. Hopes cut and drove superbly as the pair added 90 from just 9.4 overs to wrest control.But there was never any doubt as to who was the main man, with Symonds providing a lesson in late-overs batsmanship. Murali Kartik had been outstanding in his first spell, giving away just 15 from seven overs, but even he was a helpless bystander as Symonds clubbed one over the roof of the temporary stand at midwicket before coolly lofting over long-on for six more.He followed up with a late cut, just to show that he could do finesse as well, and it was with the deftest of dabs off Irfan Pathan that he got to three figures. His coiled-spring-unleashed celebrations left no one in any doubt as to how much it meant after the events of the past few days.

When it was India’s turn to tilt at a 318-run windmill, Tendulkar and Ganguly reeled off a 26th century stand, giving India hope of a first successful run-chase against Australia in nearly a decade. The turning point was undoubtedly Tendulkar’s dismissal after a magnificent 72, smartly stumped by Gilchrist off Hopes.Brad Hogg’s left-arm variations then fetched him four wickets, and when Rahul Dravid holed out to long-on, India’s chances appeared non-existent, with 100 needed from 57 balls. But Uthappa laced some stunning drives and lofted with Twenty20 panache as he and MS Dhoni rattled off 72 from just 46 balls, leaving India 28 to get from the last two overs.The door was ajar, but Mitchell Johnson, the five-wicket hero in Vadodara, soon plunged the ground into darkness, with an ice-cool maiden. Uthappa’s 28-ball 44 ended with a superb tumbling catch by Hopes, while Dhoni’s attempt to maim the man on the moon ended up in Ponting’s safe hands. The capacity crowd, so buoyant moments earlier, was stunned into silence.They had cheered themselves hoarse for three hours. After the embarrassing display in Vadodara, it was Ganguly who was the first to announce intent, with a sliced drive off Johnson, and a quite glorious extra-cover drive off Brett Lee. Lee came in for some stick, with Tendulkar taking three consecutive fours off him. It mattered little to the capacity crowd that one was a top edge and the other off the bat’s outer.Both men played some lovely shots through the covers, and Tendulkar produced one trademark stroke down the ground as India more than kept up with the asking rate. When Ganguly charged down the pitch to heave Nathan Bracken for six, Ponting sensed that it was time to slow things down. On came Symonds, and down went the rate, with neither batsman able to pierce the field.They had more success against Hogg, though, with Tendulkar getting to his 50 courtesy of a huge six over midwicket. Ganguly wasn’t far behind either, lofting Hogg over long-on, and it was clear that India weren’t about to exit the series quietly.

Tendulkar’s exit slowed Ganguly down, and it was left to Pathan to inject some momentum with some clean hits down the ground. But when he cut Hogg to point, the rot set in. Ganguly, who was again in sight of an elusive century, fell to a catch in the deep, while Yuvraj Singh was cleaned up by a full toss that struck him flush on the pad.India’s spin element had dragged them back into the game after Ponting and Gilchrist had unleashed mayhem. Michael Clarke, opening in place of the injured Matthew Hayden, was snaffled by Dhoni down the leg side in the first over, but India’s new-ball pairing of Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan came in for a real hammering as the pair carried on in the same vein as they had finished in Vadodara.Ponting set the tone by glancing the first ball he faced for four, and when he then crunched Zaheer over midwicket for six, it was clear that circumspection would have little role to play in the Australian approach. At the other end, Gilchrist cut and drove Sreesanth for fours, but was then reprieved as Dravid failed to hold on to a chance high to his left at gully.Gilchrist was on 16 at the time, and he soon made India pay with three fours in a Sreesanth over. Dhoni was forced to turn to Pathan and he nearly provided the breakthrough, squaring up Ponting, only to see the edge go through where slip would have been. Harbhajan was on as early as the 13th over and Gilchrist was on to him immediately, driving and cutting for fours, but Harbhajan had his moment in the next over, when Ponting’s prod at one that straightened was superbly pouched by Dravid at slip.Gilchrist got to his half-century in just 46 balls, but then slammed the next straight to cover, and after a couple of fine sweeps, Brad Hodge’s wretched tour continued, with Dravid taking the catch at slip off Kartik’s bowling. Then came the key moment.Had Sreesanth latched on to a difficult chance running in from deep square leg when Symonds had made just 2, Australia’s plight would have been immeasurably worse. Instead, as they had in the rain-affected series opener at Bangalore, Symonds and Haddin lifted Australia towards a huge total, after a cautious phase against Kartik and Tendulkar.After his initial success, Harbhajan went for plenty, with Symonds using his feet beautifully to counter the turn. The partnership was worth 75 when Haddin miscued Sreesanth to mid-off, but that would be the last moment of cheer for India in the field. Hopes came in, and India’s sank, with Symonds jubilant at having dealt the most painful blows of all.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has sanctioned Rs 56 million (US$495,421) to be spent on the ten Tier A clubs playing domestic tournaments this season in an effort to make the events more professional.The Sinhalese Sports Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Colombo Cricket Club, Colts Cricket Club, Bloomfield, Tamil Union, Badureliya, Chilaw Marians, Ragama and Moors Cricket Club will each receive Rs 3.93 million ($34,767) to cover their player fees, match fees and administration fees for the season. They will also be given coloured uniforms for the limited-overs and Twenty20 matches.For the first time, SLC will pay a monthly retainer to 15 players from each club. A total of Rs 1.05 million ($9,289) has been set aside for that purpose. The board will also pay the club coaches Rs 50,000 ($442) a month for ten months, apart from allowances to managers, trainers and masseurs. Earlier, the board distributed bowling machines worth Rs 500,000 ($4,423) each to the clubs.The clubs play the Premier Limited Overs tournament between November 14 to December 21 and the first-class Premier League tournament between January 17 and March 23.Meanwhile, SLC hopes to have the Pallakelle Stadium in Kandy ready for domestic matches by January-February next year. “We are hoping to complete the playing area, pavilion and dressing rooms so that by January-February next year we will be able to play Premier trophy and provincial matches there,” K Mathivanan, the board secretary, said.The stadium, a 20-minute drive from Kandy town, is expected to be ready to host Test matches only by 2011. “At the moment the drainage lines are being laid on the ground after which the sprinkler system will be put in place. The entire outfield will be planted with grass and the pitches attended to. The scoreboard and sight screens along with the media centre are also scheduled for construction.”

India’s hectic international schedule just got busier, with the Indian board confirming the team’s participation in a tri-series in Bangladesh in May 2008, also involving Pakistan. The series is scheduled shortly after the South Africans wind up their tour of India, set to take place after India return from Australia in March.”We can confirm that India will participate in the series with Bangladesh and Pakistan,” Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, told Cricinfo. “The fixtures and dates will be announced in 10-15 days’ time.”South Africa were originally set to participate in the series but pulled out, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had invited Pakistan instead. “Originally the South African team was to participate in the tri-nation series along with India and Bangladesh,” Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the BCB’s operations chief, told Cricket365.com. “However, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has pulled out and we have invited the Pakistan Cricket Board to send the team and they have agreed.”The three sides last met in a tri-series in Bangladesh in 1998, with India edging out Pakistan in a best-of-three finals. This series will have the teams playing each other twice in the league stages before the final.

Shane Warne has backed Sachin Tendulkar to score heavily against Australia on what will be his last tour of the country. Labelling Tendulkar as the best batsman he has played against, Warne said in the Herald Sun: “There is no doubt he will play one or two special innings in this Test series. Absolutely no doubt, he will play a couple of unbelievable breathtaking innings.”I don’t believe just because he is getting old, he is finished. Given the conditions, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide are going to be pretty flat, I expect Sachin to get lot of runs.”He also reminded the Australians to be wary of an experienced Indian batting line-up and that, on a flat surface like Melbourne, the tourists are capable of large totals. “Two of the Tests are in Sydney and Adelaide. Melbourne has been very, very benign and flat. If you don’t take wickets with the new ball, you are in for a long day in the field.”However, Warne said it would take an all-round effort from India to beat the Australians at home, with a special effort required from the spinning duo. “It will be down to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh [to take 20 wickets in the match]. Sydney and Adelaide are spinning tracks. They will go in with two spinners and the wickets will help their batting. Also, it will help their quicks, especially Zaheer Khan, with reverse swing in Sydney and Adelaide.”

India’s cricketers are under constant fire and the recent massive loss in Melbourne will only focus criticism but a recent report by John Gloster, the team physiotherapist, has revealed that most players are forced to go through games carrying niggles because there is simply no time for them to either recover from injuries or do the rehabilitation work needed.The BCCI has been made aware of the problems the players suffer, but little is being done to redress the problems. Gloster, in his 14-page report that spells out these problems, highlights that the teams suffer from a “high percentage of ‘niggles’ and treatable injuries,” and has explained these in detail in the weekly injury reports submitted to the board as a matter of course. “Tour schedule and lack of personal conditioning of ‘risk areas’ for each player,” are highlighted by Gloster in his detailed report.Gloster, not for the first time, has laid out what needs to be done. In his report he states emphatically:”The best way to prevent is to allow the players 2 things:1. adequate time for physical conditioning built into itineraries between tours
2. greater rest, rehab and conditioning phases between tours. This particularly relevant for those players playing both forms of the game and never being able to sufficiently rest and recover from ‘niggles’. This has meant that a number of players are consistently carrying problems from tour to tour.”While making a strong general point about injury management Gloster has referred specifically to injuries that key players suffered during the last five-ODI and three-Test series against Pakistan. Sreesanth (shoulder strain), RP Singh (side strain), Munaf Patel (lower back strain), Zaheer Khan (plantar facia tear), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (ankle injury), Sachin Tendulkar (knee tendonitis) were all forced to miss matches at some stage because of their injuries.What is especially worrisome is the fact that two of these players were omitted in the early stages with specific instructions of doing work needed to get them match fit as quickly as possible. Gloster admits that these injuries “highlight some shortcomings in the injury management system.” RP Singh and Sreesanth were sent back with “specific instructions for their rehab but no follow-up treatment, advise, progression or re-assessment as where they are situated (Rai Bareilly and Cochin), have no physios and trainers to supervise their rehab and conditioning. Ie (that is) in a way are falling through our protective net.”Gloster does not mince words when he reacts to the criticism the team has received. “I read and hear much about our fast bowlers and their constant injury status etc but once they leave our ‘fold’ their management, rehab, training and conditioning becomes limited especially when both the national trainer and physio are away on tours.”Gloster goes on to state that he has given a comprehensive solution to this existing problem. “The proposal we have submitted for the use of the facilities now being instigated at the NCA I feel will fill this void significantly. In place now at this institution will be a structure that will support the national team very comfortably, especially for those players leaving a tour due to injury as well as for those joining a tour having returned from an injury layoff.”The presence of a full time physio and trainer as well as availability of specialised technical advice will mean a more comprehensive recovery package for the player. This will also mean that players prior to arriving on tours will also be better physically conditioned and ready for the physical challenges placed upon them.”