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Dammika Prasad, the 22-year-old fast bowler, is the only newcomer to the Sri Lanka Test and one-day teams picked for the tour of Bangladesh starting later this week.Prasad, a right-arm fast bowler has played in only 22 first-class matches since his debut in 2001-02 but within that period has captured 80 wickets at the impressive cost of 22.85 runs apiece.He is the only new face in two squads of 15 players picked separately for the series of three one-day internationals and two Tests in Bangladesh.The surprise element in the selections is the dropping of Russel Arnold and the retention of veteran Sanath Jayasuriya in the one-day squad – but not for the Tests. Arnold returned to form by scoring half-centuries in the last two matches of the VB Series against Australia, which Sri Lanka lost, but he fails to find a place in the one-day or the Test sides.Jayasuriya, 36, is by far the elder statesman of the team and has recovered from a nagging dislocated shoulder. It is, therefore, a surprise that he has been chosen for the shorter, fast-paced version of the game, and not the Tests.However, champion offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan – who has made his intentions clear about playing one-day cricket – has been picked only for the Tests. With captain Marvan Atapattu and Chaminda Vaas rested from the tour, the responsibility of leading the side has fallen on the shoulders of Mahela Jayawardene who will have Kumar Sangakkara as his deputy.Along with Jayawardene and Sangakkara, seven others – Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedera, Malinga Bandara, Farveez Maharoof, Prasad and Dilhara Fernando – have been picked for both versions of the game.Sri Lanka will have a new pair of openers for the Test series with Tharanga and Michael van Dort being named in the Test squad. There are also recalls for wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene, allrounder Hasantha Fernando and legspinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi. Maharoof, who was forced out of the Australian tour with a leg injury, has regained his place for the Tests and one-dayers while Jehan Mubarak has been retained for the one-day matches.The Sri Lanka team, which returns from a tour of Australia today, will immediately for Bogra, Bangladesh. They open the tour with matches at Bogra on February 20 and 22 followed by the final ODI at Chittagong on February 25. The Tests will take place at Chittagong from February 28-March 4 and at Bogra from March 8-12.One-Day squad: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Kumar Sangakkara (vice-captain), Upul Tharanga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Jehan Mubarak, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedera, Farveez Maharoof, Hasantha Fernando, Dhammika Prasad, Dilhara Fernando, Ruchira Perera, Akalanka Ganegama, Malinga Bandara, Kaushal Lokuarachchi.Test squad: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Kumar Sangakkara (vice-captain), Upul Tharanga, Michael van Dort, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedera, Prasanna Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Malinga Bandara, Farveez Maharoof, Dhammika Prasad, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Thilan Samaraweera, Sajeeewa Weerakoon.

John Dyson’s long-term future as Sri Lanka’s coach remains uncertain, but the cricket board has indicated a willingness to offer him a fresh contract. Dyson and the board are expected to sit down for contractual discussions before the team’s departure to New Zealand later this month.There has been lingering confusion over Dyson’s future since the end of the year. Leaks to the media from high sources in Sri Lanka Cricket’s executive committee first indicated an unhappiness with his performance and a possible search for alternatives. Then came an announcement a few weeks later that a new contract would be offered.Dyson’s contract was due to expire at the end of March 2005, after the previously scheduled Pakistan tour which was shifted forward after the Zimbabwe player crisis, but he has returned to Sri Lanka for the start of national team’s training, and agreed to look after the team in New Zealand during April.”I am looking forward to the New Zealand tour now,” Dyson told reporters on Friday night. “It’s going to be difficult playing there at that time of year and the boys are going to have to dig very deep and be at their very best – hopefully Australia will trounce New Zealand and make it a bit easier for us!”At this stage I am still in discussions with the cricket board about my contract and I hope to have talks with them in the next couple of weeks before New Zealand to clarify a few matters. Before the end of that tour I hope we will know exactly what is happening.”From a personal point of view, I’ve really enjoyed my time with the team thus far and I think the results have been pretty good. But there are a lot of things to consider, including family issues, which are very important for me and need to be addressed.”Mohan de Silva, the president of Sri Lanka Cricket, meanwhile, told the newspaper on Thursday that “in all probability he [Dyson] will be offered a fresh contract for up to a year although no final decision has been made”. de Silva denied rumours of a pay cut, but suggested that any fresh contract would include a “win bonus system”.Dyson was a surprise appointment straight after the 2003 World Cup, and was not Sri Lanka’s first-choice candidate. But although some players were initially wary of his lack of coaching experience, they appeared to warm to his style during the course of 2004, a year in which they climbed up the ICC’s Test and ODI tables.However, despite Sri Lanka’s success on the field, there have been murmurings of discontent emerging from the board’s committee-room. But this is not new: Dav Whatmore spent nearly six successful years coaching the national team over two stints, and there wa almost always division in the committee-room over his performance and future.In recent weeks the rumour mill has been working overtime, with several high-profile names discussed in the cricket community and media as possible alternatives, including Steve Waugh, John Buchanan, Geoff Marsh, Tom Moody, Gus Logie and Peter Moores. Some Sri Lankan names have also been tossed around, including Rumesh Ratnayake and Roy Dias.

Zimbabwe’s policy of having colour quotas in the national side had been a problem for some years, Andy Flower, the country’s former captain, told the Australian Associated Press today. Flower had just arrived in Adelaide to join the South Australia team he will play for this summer.Flower said that while he hadn’t been involved for a while, the issue had been what he described as “a bone of contention” for some years. “Some believe it’s the right way forward and some disagree. There are various schools of thought and there has certainly been an element of it over the years, and probably is now.”But while Murray Goodwin, now playing for Western Australia believed that was why some members of the side playing in Perth had been included, Flower believed all the players in the side now, vice-captain Tatenda Taibu and fast bowler Douglas Hondo deserved their places.”The guys that are there at the moment are [good enough],” he said. I have played some cricket with a lot of those guys. Zimbabwe is a very young side, the sooner those guys get in there and face up to stiff competition, the better. Guys like Taibu and Hondo have done pretty well in short stints in international cricket and I hope they carry on their learning experience.”Flower, who had decided to leave Zimbabwe, said it wouldn’t be the smartest thing to go back there at the moment. “But I have strong feelings for the country and I hope things turn around there. A lot of the decisions being made there at the moment by the hierarchy are poor decisions,” Flower said.

Chris Harris’ second century of the season has put Canterbury in a commanding position at the end of the first day of their State Championship contest against Northern Districts in Gisborne.The visitors are 333 for six, with Harris unbeaten on 103.ND will be regretting their decision to give Canterbury first use of a greenish pitch when play started an hour late after mopping up operations had been completed.There was occasional lateral movement, but nothing that posed a great threat to generally disciplined batting from Canterbury. The pitch got flatter as the day went on, but had sufficient pace to enable the batsmen to time the ball well.Debutant opener Shanan Stewart impressed in the first session. He scored 57 in a relaxed and confident manner. ND 12th man Simon Doull, doubling as summariser on Radio Sport, commented on the way in which Stewart got well forward, the perfect antidote to whatever threat the pitch had to offer.Stewart was harsh on slow left-armer Bruce Martin, driving him successively for four and six.Canterbury skipper Gary Stead made 62 in aggressive manner, though he rode his luck offering two chances to Mark Bailey at second slip off Joseph Yovich after lunch.A criticism of the Canterbury top order would be that too many batsmen got out when established.At 202 for five, ND had the chance to finish Canterbury off for under 300, justifying the decision to field. The sixth wicket partnership of 104 between Harris and Gareth Hopkins put paid to that.Harris reached his century with a sweep off Martin. He has received 182 balls and has hit 11 fours and two sixes. It is the eleventh century of his career and during the innings he passed 5000 first-class runs in his career.The pace of Harris’ innings varied according to the quality of the bowling. He was quick to punish anything loose, especially if it was short. He worked more accurate bowling around, rarely allowing the bowlers to settle. His form this season – 366 runs in five innings – suggests that he should not be regarded as solely a one-day specialist.ND skipper Robbie Hart changed the bowlers around regularly in an attempt to make a decisive breakthrough. Graeme Aldridge was economical. Yovich bowled with pace and suffered from fielding lapses. Scott Styris harnessed the conditions best, finishing the day with 18-6-33-3. Grant Bradburn was unusually expensive. Martin bowled four overs for 31.The most disappointing was Daryl Tuffey who needed a good day in order to impress the selectors in advance of the first Test in Hamilton next week. He searched unsuccessfully for a consistent line and length and remains plagued by over-stepping problems.ND coach Bruce Blair remained optimistic at the close of play. He told CricInfo that the decision to put Canterbury in was based more on the form of the bowlers than any expectation of help from the pitch. He praised the performance of Styris and defended the below par performance of Tuffey.”He’s been sitting around in Australia for the past month wihout much cricket under his belt. We’ve got to get him back into the groove.”Blair was impressed by the performance of Stewart.”He looked to play positively when the ball was in his zone and he has had a good start to his first-class career.”He sees the emergence of players like Stewart as a vindication of the Academy system.”The shift to developing fewer players, but of higher quality, has been the way to go.”Blair sees 370 to 380 as par for the course on a good batting surface.”The onus will be on us to get out there to show the same positiveness and confidence as Canterbury.”If this is to be achieved, ND will have to remove Harris at an early stage. It has been his day, not for the first time this season.

New Zealand will arrive at the Gabba on Monday morning hoping for a fifth-day miracle, and it will be their two most experienced players to whom they turn. The loss of the team’s best batsman, Kane Williamson, in what became the penultimate over of a rain-shortened day, significantly hurt their hopes of batting out a draw.However, captain Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor remain at the crease, and with the stubborn BJ Watling still to come, Australia will not view their procession to victory as a sure thing. New Zealand would have to break all sorts of records to chase down 504 and win the match, but surviving for three sessions is not out of the equation – although the worst of the rain has passed.”The wicket is reasonably flat,” opener Tom Latham said. “It’s taking a little bit of turn to the right-hander in the footmarks. But in general it’s still a pretty good wicket. The guys are still pretty relaxed. The environment we’ve got at the moment, everyone is enjoying their cricket and stays pretty relaxed. Hopefully we can take that into tomorrow and see where it takes us.”The presence of McCullum at the crease might be the one thing that gives New Zealand fans the tiniest glimmer of hope of victory, for boundaries tend to arrive in a hurry when he is at the crease. That will mean he also offers Australia wicket opportunities, but Latham said he did not expect his captain to play any differently on day five at the Gabba.”I think it’s important that he plays his natural game,” Latham said. “If he goes out and bats for an hour or two, then we could certainly be a long way towards winning the match. But that first hour is going to be massive for us.”The first hour of the fourth day was encouraging for New Zealand, for although runs did not flow, nor did wickets, as Australia’s fast men persisted with lines that did not always make the New Zealanders play. Mitchell Johnson’s first five overs were all maidens, but only half of those deliveries required Latham and Martin Guptill to use their bats.The opening partnership reached 44 before it was ended in the 23rd over, when Latham was lbw to a swinging delivery from Mitchell Starc, and they had achieved a similarly solid but not spectacular start in the first innings. On that occasion Latham and Guptill managed 56 before the first wicket fell, and Latham hopes they will be able to push on for a bigger stand in the second Test in Perth.”They bowled really well and asked plenty of questions of us early on,” he said. “The last two innings we’ve laid a little bit of a platform but next time we get a chance hopefully we can keep pushing that on.”

Catch of the day
Mahela Jayawardene’s low pluck at short midwicket to remove KevinPietersen. He didn’t have to move so it was routine in most senses,but it travelled like a bullet and had been tossed a mile in the airalmost before anyone had registered what had happened. Pietersentrudged off ruing the vagaries of fortune. For the first time in hiscareer, he’s failed to make a fifty in a completed Test series.Over of the day
At every critical juncture of this series, England have faltered andSri Lanka have surged. So it proved in a thrilling over before lunch,when the menace of Muttiah Muralitharan combined with the fear of theEnglish batsmen to produce a catastrophic implosion. Pietersen’sdismissal had created a ripple of disquiet, but when Paul Collingwoodwas confounded by the doosra and stumped by two feet, a precipiceopened up beneath England’s innings and poor Ravi Bopara stumbledstraight in. A panicky edge, a stuttered attempt at a run, a thrillingpounce, a despairing backflip, a gleeful whip of the bails. SuddenlyEngland were embracing oblivion for the second innings running.Drop of the day
Prasanna Jayawardene has been a picture of anonymity in the field,which for a wicketkeeper can only be a good thing – Matt Prior canonly dream of the day he’s not got a mention in the morning papers.Even so, he produced something of a blooper in the second over of themorning, when Alastair Cook had added just one run to his overnight53. The ball was fired down the leg-side, and brushed the face of thebat as Cook shaped to glance. But Jayawardene missed his moment, andEngland’s survival prospects lived on.Innings of the day
England hadn’t gone through an entire Test series without at least onecenturion since they were overturned by New Zealand in 1999. Thatresult, coincidentally, left England rock-bottom in the worldrankings, so symbolically it was rather important that someone -anyone – stood up to be counted today. The honour eventually went toCook, who doesn’t turn 23 until Christmas Day. Yet has now racked upseven centuries in his young career, which equals Javed Miandad at thesame age. Only Bradman and Tendulkar, with eight, have managed more.That’s some illustrious company.Self-publicising numpty of the day
Yesterday, a banner appeared on the fort which caught the attention ofthe England team – Cook included, who commented on it after the match.Today, clearly chuffed by the amount of publicity his little stunt hadgenerated, the same chap turned his sheet around, and scrawled: “15days of torture – thanks for nothing England”. Pillock. If you’re thatbored of the cricket, go and sit on the beach. Or walk around thefort. Or lounge on a shady verandah. Or go home to damp, freezingBlighty.Stat of the day
Ryan Sidebottom (253 balls) faced more deliveries in theseries than Pietersen (250). There are England’s shortcomings ina nutshell.

Following the arrival of Bangladesh, Canada, and Bermuda during the last week, the remainder of the teams for the World Cup are expected to touch down in the Caribbean over the next few days.Scotland, one of the six Associate sides taking part in the competition, will get the ball rolling on Monday, when they arrive in Barbados, where they will play warm-up matches.”I would have to say that everything is ready,” said Michael Hall, the tournament’s cricket operations director. “Obviously, as you would expect, there are a number of issues that crop up from time to time.”Certainly one of them that has cropped up is the change of a squad member with respect to Australia, but we work around these issues, and we are very confident that when these teams do get to the Caribbean, the experience that they have is going to be a pleasant and excellent one for them.”Brett Lee withdrew from Australia’s 15-man squad with an ankle injury and has been replaced by Stuart Clark, while Adam Gilchrist also announced on Saturday that he would now be available for Australia’s first match of the competition, following the birth of his third child.”As far as I am concerned, the World Cup, in some respects, began last week when Bermuda arrived in Antigua,” Hall added. “But certainly from a cricket operations perspective, the World Cup does begin in earnest the minute the teams begin to touch down in the Caribbean as most of them will do towards the latter end of next week.”Thursday is a huge day for arrivals, when nine teams, including Ricky Ponting’s Australia, touch down in the Caribbean. The other sides arriving on that day will be Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Netherlands, India, Kenya, South Africa, and Ireland. England and Pakistan arrive on Friday to complete the list.The official warm-up programme will be contested from March 5 to 9 before the competition officially opens on March 11 at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium in Jamaica. The hosts West Indies face Pakistan in the opening match on March 13 in Jamaica.

Canterbury will be without Michael Papps, their in-form opening batsman, for the rest of their State Shield campaign after injuring a finger.Papps, 26, is expected to be out for six weeks after injuring the tendons in his left index finger while taking a catch in the outfield during a 118-run win over competition leaders Otago at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday.Papps has been in good form this summer, hitting 357 runs at an average of almost 90, and had admitted to eyeing a return to the national side. He has represented New Zealand in four Tests – he scored 86 against England in his last appearance – and six one-day internationals, where he averages over 50, but has not been selected following an injury via a Brett Lee bouncer in early 2005.”He will be missed; he has been playing very well for us,” Dave Nosworthy, the Canterbury coach, told , a New Zealand daily.

In light of the growing chaos surrounding Kenyan cricket, the ICC has today announced that their Intercontinental Cup fixture against Namibia at Windhoek, which was scheduled for 25 to 27 February, will be postponed.”In light of the current litigation and uncertainty concerning the governance of cricket in Kenya, the ICC has taken the decision to postpone this match,” said Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive. “This match will be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity.”The announcement came less than a fortnight after the Kenyan Cricket Association had said that its request for the game to be postponed had been declined by the ICC.The second season of the ICC Intercontinental Cup will now begin with the match between United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong at Sharjah in April.

It was an interesting days cricket at the Rose Bowl where Hampshire had made a decent start to their requirement to score 413 for victory in their final home Frizzell Championship match of the season.There were useful contributions to the Worcestershire innings from Kadeer Ali and Vikram Solanki after they had lost two early wickets in the morning, including that of Graham Hick who fell lbw to the persistant Mascarenhas. The pair shared a 4th wicket stand of 136 to set up the declaration.Setting off on their hugh task, Hampshire lost James Adams to Nantie Hayward, and after Simon Katich had passed his 1,000 run milestone in his first season with the county, he was run out.Bad light took the players off early, but Hampshire will have to achieve something they have only done twice in their history and that is to score over 400 to win.