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Police have stopped 50 political protesters from entering the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, according to the Press Trust of India. They were suspected of being affiliated to the same group that had attempted to damage the Mohali pitch two days ago.Eye-witnesses claimed that the protesters raised slogans and attempted to enter the stadium, a move that had little success because security had been increased there after it became known that the Green Park ground was a potential target for protesters unhappy at Pakistan’s proposed visit.Grounds around India have strengthened security to prevent untoward incidents that could hamper the smooth running of the tour.

New Zealand Women 201 (Tiffen 66*) and 102 for 4 (Fahey 60*) drew with India Women 277 (Kala 109, Jain 55, Steele 5-79)
ScorecardThe only Test of the tour between India Women and New Zealand Women drifted to a dull draw on the fourth day of the match – and chances are that even if there had been four more days, it might have ended the same way. New Zealand Women crawled to 102 for 4 in 99 overs in their second innings, anchored by a doughty 60 not out by Maria Fahey. Fahey may have made more than half the runs for her team, but she took her time doing it – all of 303 balls, spanning more than six-and-a-half hours.The final day was a battle of attrition, with the few spectators being the ones to suffer. All of 93 runs were scored in 83 overs, as New Zealand Women batted with as much resolve as, but far less initiative than, their male counterparts earlier this year. Even hit-me balls were patted or padded away, and they appeared to be batting with the view that drawing the Test would be a moral victory for them.The experienced Neetu David was the most impressive of the Indian bowlers, plugging away to take 3 for 35 in her 37 overs – though one of those wickets was an umpiring blunder on the third evening, when Kate Pulford was wrongly given out caught behind. The New Zealanders complained, but while the decision meant that Pulford had bagged a Gooch-like pair on debut, it did not impact on the match in any way.The two teams now take each other on in five one-day internationals, which are bound to produce results and will, thus, be of more interest than what has to count as one of the dullest Tests of recent years. Perhaps women’s cricket needs an Australia.

A large and expectant crowd braved the stifling heat and humidity on thesecond day of the final Janashakthi National Test at Galle to watch MuttiahMuralitharan pass the 400 mark. But they were deprived of seeing their heromake history by a bloody-minded performance by Sri Lanka’s tail.Starting the day precariously placed on 243 for six the Sri Lankan lowerorder rallied, adding a further 185 runs in five hours before being bowledout for 418, an imposing total on a powdering pitch.Belatedly, Muralitharan did appear, with six close fielders hovering aroundthe bat, but he failed to grab a wicket during a testing six-over spell,although he came close when Mahela Jayawardene spilled a catch at hisbootstraps off Stuart Carlisle, who had already been missed in the slips offfast bowler Charitha Fernando.Zimbabwe survived a potentially tricky 19 over session till the close,finishing on 18 without loss, and start again tomorrow with a follow ontarget of 219 foremost in their minds.It will not be easy. Sri Lanka’s batsman complained afterwards of a pitchthat is already disintegrating, showing variations in pace and bounce. Moreimportantly the ball is spinning violently and Muralitharan could be wellnigh impossible to play. With Monday being ‘Thai Pongal’ and a nationalholiday, the spectators will surely come again.For the crowd, the disappointment of not seeing Sri Lanka’s spin magicianpass 400 was tempered by the surprise performance of local leg-spinner UpulChandana, who narrowly missed out on a maiden Test hundred.The right-hander, picked in the team primarily for his wrist spin, joinedThilan Samaraweera in the morning after the early loss of Chaminda Vaas -guilty of flaying wildly across the line of a straight ball from HeathStreak – and helped compile a Sri Lankan record partnership for the eighthwicket.The pair added 146 runs, turning a mediocre total into a very good one. But,boy, was it painful to begin with as Zimbabawe’s makeshift spinners wentonto the defensive and the Sri Lankan pair into their shells. Only 47 runswere scored in 27 overs and the crowd could be forgiven for wondering whythey had come to watch.However, after the luncheon interval, Chandana showed greater adventure,partially breaking the deadlock with the quick use of his feet and somewristy drives. He reached his first Test fifty with a lofted drive straightdown the ground and had moved on to 81 by the tea interval.At the other end, Samaraweera was providing further evidence of animperturbable temperament as he eschewed all fripperies and stonewalled theZimbabweans, who, in turn, showed their character by staying remarkablyperky throughout their exhausting 11-hour stay in the field.After tea, the crowd’s focus moved from Muralitharan to Chandana’s century.Again they were to be frustrated. Once too often the wiry-built right-handerwaltzed down the wicket and aimed a lofted drive. He failed to get thedesired elevation and offered a skimming catch to Carlisle at mid off.The innings soon closed as Samaraweera’s 335-minute vigil came to an abruptend when he was run out after a mid-pitch hesitation with Fernando.Nevertheless, the 25-year-old’s prodigious start to international cricketcontinued. He had scored 76, his third fifty, to maintain an atomic averageof 103 after eight Tests.Murailtharan then threatened some late evening entertainment with a fewcharacteristic swipes but the innings ended when Fernando was clean bowled.Douglas Marillier was the most successful bowler, picking up four wicketsfor 101, but was not the best, too frequently dropping short or offeringjuicy low full tosses.Grant Flower was the hardest to score off as he tossed the ball outside legstump, whilst the effort of the fast bowlers, Heath Streak and TravisFriend, was perhaps the most heroic performance of the day, as the pairchurned out 58 overs on one of the most unforgiving surfaces for fastbowlers imaginable.

Colombo Cricket Club secured a four-wicket victory over Panadura CC in their final Premier Limited-Over qualification match. Despite the lackluster performance by Pandura SC, who perhaps took exception to playing in such dank weather conditions, they still have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals, as do Colombo Cricket Club.Pandura SC were put into bat and made heavy weather of the CCC pace attack, which included the accurate Gallage, aggressive Villavarayan and bustling Boteju. All three bowled well and picked up six wickets between them.Chamara Silva, Panadura SC best batsman by a considerable margin, top scored with 40 from 75 balls, including three boundaries. When he was run out by Dalugoda Pandura’s hopes plummeted as they were left reeling on 108 for seven. An beaten 20 from 26 deliveries by number nine batsmen, Buddika Fernando, at least ensured some respectability as they finished on 152.In reply the CCC batsmen took their time and batted patiently. They lost Jehan Mubarak early on but then the ever-reliable Hunakumbura (31) and Vandort (32) compiled 48 for the second wicket.CCC appeared to be cruising for victory before a mid innings collapse created a few flutters. Losing three wickets for just 11 runs they slumped from 99 for two to 110 for five. However, Polonnowita (13) and Boteju (26) calmed the reams nerves with a 32 run partnership

While an impressive run of form over the winter schedule – including nine consecutive wins between December 26 and February 13 – saw Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side take the lead in the Premiership title race, the Bhoys’ form has tailed off somewhat in recent fixtures.Indeed, over the Hoops’ last four outings in all competitions, the 56-year-old manager’s outfit have won one – a narrow 3-2 victory over bottom of the table Dundee FC – drawn one – a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Hibernian – and lost two – 3-1 and 2-0 defeats against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League.However, not only have the general displays of the team been poor, but a number of Postecoglou’s first-team regulars have also suffered a dip in their level of performance in recent weeks – none more so than Tom Rogic, with the attacking midfielder having averaged an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.48 over the four fixtures in question.As such, while David Turnbull remains out through injury, should the Greek-Australian coach wish to afford the 29-year-old a rest from his starting XI, perhaps he should look towards one of the club’s most exciting youth prospects in the Australia international’s place – in the shape of Ben Summers.

“Talented kid”

Despite being just 17 years of age, expectations of Summers are clearly extremely high amongst those in the know at Lennoxtown, with Celtic B team coach, Tommy McIntyre, stating of the forward-thinking midfielder:

“He’s a talented kid, he’s been working really hard. We know he’s still got a long way to go in terms of having to bulk up a little bit, but he’s got great footwork and he knows where the goal is. He’s got a good career ahead of himself.”

It is not difficult to see why the 58-year-old coach has high hopes of the career of Summers, as the teenager turned in a spectacular display in Celtic B’s 3-1 win over the University of Sterling on Sunday.

He cooly slotted home from 12 yards after some excellent work out wide by Ben Doak to draw his side level, before threading a defence-splitting outside of the foot pass through to Adam Brooks who tucked home to give the young Bhoys the lead midway through the second half, both of which can be seen below:

As such, while Summers is undoubtedly one to watch for the future, should Postecoglou indeed wish to give Rogic a break from his starting XI, the 17-year-old undoubtedly appears as if he possesses the ability to do a sterling job in the middle of the park for the Hoops.

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And, who knows, should the youngster impress when given a chance by the 56-year-old, perhaps he could even go on to become Celtic’s next Rogic in the long-term.

In other news: Major boost: Kieran Devlin drops teasing Celtic injury update, fans will be buzzing

	Mixing up with the big boys: Who would have expected Saurashtra to make it to the semi-finals? © Cricinfo Ltd

A Ranji Trophy is always hard to predict, what with so many teams playing in a league format. To make it even more unpredictable was the loss of players to the Indian Cricket League. Living up to the expectations and in truly unpredictable style, the Ranji Trophy 2007-08 went right down to the last round with as many as 10 teams still alive in the competition.Halfway through the league matches, nobody had expected two of the four teams that eventually reached the semi-finals to get there: Uttar Pradesh were hopeless after a bright start, Saurashtra didn’t just have the firepower.And although Delhi and Baroda made it comfortably in the end, they were far from being overwhelming favourites at the start of the season. Delhi were struggling to win matches last season with much the same personnel and were universally regarded as a muddle house of dirty politicking and infighting.Baroda, semi-finalists for the last two years, are the only team that was expected here, but as the relegation of Bengal – runners-up in the previous two seasons – shows, nothing can be taken for granted in the Ranji Trophy.

UP: the strife lovers

They fought to avoid relegation during their title defence last season, and midway through this season they were candidates again for demotion to the Plate League. With eight points to their credit and two matches to go, they couldn’t have chosen a better time to peak. There has been an uncanny similarity in their late-season rise to the 2005-06 season when they won the Ranji Trophy – they had four points from four matches then when Mohammad Kaif joined the team. Throughout the season they have sat on extremes, huge wins in three matches and listless shows in the other three.Best batsmen
Kaif, with 562 runs, and Suresh Raina, with 555, have been the major run-getters, and have carried an inexperienced and an inconsistent batting line-up, which has always been a major concern for them. Piyush Chawla and Praveen Kumar have provided useful runs down the order, making them adequate allrounders at the domestic level.Best bowlers
Their bowling is a much more potent aspect of their game. Sudeep Tyagi, who has played all their games, has carried on from a dream debut where he took 10 wickets against Orissa. Tyagi and Chawla were their main bowlers for the earlier half of the season, while Praveen Kumar and left-arm spinner Praveen Gupta have added extra sting in the latter half. The Praveens have been a major factor in their last two outright wins.Best match
The moment of truth, their last chance, the match against Bengal in the penultimate round. They needed to win their last two matches to have any chance of progressing and that’s exactly what they did, gaining a bonus point in one of them as well. The match against Bengal was pretty close if not perfect: they shot Bengal out in two sessions, batted for nearly two days, and needed a bit more than two sessions to bowl Bengal out for a second time. All the bowlers and the batsmen, right till Praveen Kumar at No. 9, contributed.

Delhi: so far so good

Delhi had an anxious last two rounds with rain washing out their penultimate game, against Karnataka, allowing the other contenders in the group to catch up. Eventually they went through with an emphatic win over Tamil Nadu. In the initial half of the season, they let the opposition off the hook twice to give themselves some anxious moments. First they couldn’t take the last two Saurashtra wickets in 48 overs and had to be content with a first-innings lead. Then, in Dharamsala, the batting imploded as they were bowled out for 75. Apart from those two glitches, their batsmen have done well and the bowlers have done enough to help them emerge leaders in Group A.

	Batmen Inc.: Chopra and Gambhir have been the best opening combination in this season’s Ranji Trophy © Cricinfo Ltd

Best batsmen
Aakash Chopra has been his stable best, Gautam Gambhir mercurial in the three matches he has played, and going into the semi-finals each one of their top five has made two centuries. The only batsman to have failed in the three matches he played is now in Australia with the Indian team.Best bowlers
The earlier victories against Rajasthan and Mumbai were built not on the batting, but bowling and the main architect was debutant left-arm swing bowler Pradeep Sangwan, who has 24 wickets at 21.20 from six matches. The bonus for Delhi has been Rajat Bhatia’s bowling which has been economical while collecting 20 wickets at a stellar average of 10.30. Bhatia is handy with the bat as well, as a century against Maharashtra shows, and provides the team much-required balance.Best match
First morning of Ranji Trophy and Delhi are bowled out for 113 and a familiar story looks in store. The bowlers bring them back into the game by bowling Rajasthan out for 85 and the batsmen put up a much-improved show in the second innings to put the matter beyond Rajasthan. That was essentially the turning point for them and the main difference between another lukewarm season and one where they are now the favourites to go all the way.

Baroda: cruising along

Baroda have had a smooth run leading up the semi-finals. The campaign was off to a great start with two wins in three games: they began with a crushing win against Bengal before beating Uttar Pradesh by 48 runs. Coached by the astute Paras Mhambrey, it has been an all-round display from the batsmen and the bowlers. The only concern is they might have peaked too early and the bowling is definitely feeling the absence of Irfan Pathan. The last two games have not gone according to plan. They followed-on – but hung on to a draw – against Andhra and gave away a first-innings lead to Orissa, but the batsmen bailed out them again in the second innings.Best batsmen
Rakesh Solanki and Connor Williams, the captain, have each amassed over 500 runs in this season and have found support from the likes of Yusuf Pathan, Pinal Shah and Azharuddin Bilakhia. Shatrunjay Gaekwad too has come on nicely with 206 runs from three games. Satyajit Parab, the opener, has had an off-and-on season, but Williams has ensured that they get off to a good start more often than not. Yusuf has attacked with vigour in the middle order to make full use of the starts.Best bowlers
It’s the spinners who have stolen the show. Yusuf has been the leader, claiming 25 wickets with his offspin, while the left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar has bagged 20. The pair has even opened the bowling on occasions. In the absence of Irfan Pathan, Sumit Singh, with 15 wickets, has been the lone seamer who has pulled some weight.Best match
It has to be their third game of the season when they clinched a close game against UP. Parab top scored with 77 as they posted 334 before Yusuf combined with Irfan to bowl out UP for 209. But the batting collapsed in the second, giving UP a target of 275. It was Yusuf again who led the charge, supported this time by Pawar, as Baroda succeeding in bowling UP out for 225.

Saurashtra: the bolt from the blue

Last season, they lived with the fear of relegation. Things changed with the Moin-ud-Dowlah tournament, just prior to the Ranji campaign, where they beat Bengal. Self-belief and confidence kicked in and the team started to gel as a unit. With three outright wins and a No. 2 position in the group, they have surprised everyone by entering the final four. It is even more creditable as they have played away from home all season. They are a bunch of amateurs enjoying the journey towards professionalism. Can they continue their dream run?Best batsmen
Cheteshwara Pujara is the undoubted star with 796 runs, highest by any batsman this season, while Shitanshu Kotak has been the backbone of the team, scripting some typically gritty knocks that have worn down the opposition. Pujara, a natural opener, has been batting down to strengthen the middle order but with the aggressive Ravindra Jadeja, who hit 87 against Mumbai, slated to miss the semis, there is extra responsibility on the shoulders of Pujara and Kotak.Best bowlers
Don’t look further than Sandeep Jobanputra. The 25-year-old left-hand seamer has matured this season and has been their bowling spearhead. With the guidance of the coach Debu Mitra, a big influence over the team, he has been working on swinging it back in to the right-hand batsmen. Thirty-two wickets show that the hard work is paying off. The left-arm spinner Rakesh Dhurv, with 18 wickets, leads the spin department. His average has been under 25 in the last three seasons and the wickets tally has gone up steadily. Jadeja’s absence could hit them again, but offspinner Kamlesh Makvana and Sandeep Maniar, a seamer with 13 wickets this season, will provide able support to Jobanputra.Best match
If the game against Bengal gave them confidence, the fear of playing in the Elite group disappeared after a creditable draw against Delhi in the first Ranji game. Jobanputra grabbed a five-for, Kotak compiled a 203-ball 77 in the first innings and Pujara hit an unbeaten 148 in the second to stave off defeat. The last two wickets frustrated Delhi for more than 48 overs on the last day to earn that one point, which in the end proved crucial too. But more than that it brought them the self-confidence that they could come out victorious from tight situations.

Gold League
Defending champions Sialkot suffered a setback as they conceded a crucial 28-run first innings lead to Faisalabad, but then by the second day’s close in their four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Gold League match, they struck hard to swing right back into the game.Having resumed at their overnight 26 for one, after last season’s runners-up Faisalabad had compiled a score of 250 all out, Sialkot were soon tottering at 36 for four. Then came a characteristically belligerent knock of 72 by their skipper Imran Nazir, who had retired hurt on Friday afternoon.Pakistan discard Imran returned to hammer his runs off a mere 97 balls with 10 fours and a six. Later, Shahzad Malik hit 52 off 81 balls with eight fours while wicket-keeper Haafiz Khalid remained unbeaten with 37 off 69 balls that included two fours and two sixes.But Sialkot were dismissed for a modest 222 runs that gave Faisalabad a 28-run lead. Then the latter lost four wickets for 58 runs by the day’s close in their second innings, which leaves them only 86 runs ahead with six wickets in hand.For Faisalabad, pacemen Asad Ali and Ahmed Hayat and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal all captured three wickets each. Three of their batsmen later on failed to score, but opener Imran Ali is holding the fort with 41 not out, off 78 balls with eight hits to the rope.Left-arm paceman Waqar Ahmed and ex-Test opener Wajahatullah Wasti produced splendid bowling and batting performances, respectively, as Peshawar got an important 46-run first innings lead against Karachi Urban, on the second day of their four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Gold League match.Peshawar, responding to Karachi Urban’s first innings score of 214, were bowled out for 260 in the 81st over just before close on day two of their tie. Wajahatullah, batting with confidence, scored an unbeaten 81 with eleven fours and a brace of sixes off 158 balls in a little over four hours and opener Aftab Khan earlier hit nine boundaries in his 53 that came off 87 balls in 108 minutes.Urban were with a chance to get the first innings lead after Peshawar were reeling at 115 for six wickets at one stage with off-spinner Tahir Khan picking up four important wickets. But Wajahatullah held his team’s batting together with three valuable partnerships with the tail-enders.He first put on 44 runs for the seventh wicket with Aslam Qureshi (21 with three fours) and added another 48 runs for the eighth wicket involving captain Arshad Khan, whose contribution was 31 with five hits to the boundary. Wajahatullah with Waqar (0 off 19 balls in 35 minutes) scored 30 runs for the last wicket.Earlier, Waqar caused the slide in Karachi’s batting with the second new ball with three quick wickets. He bowled Imran Javed with the first delivery with the new ball for 52, which was laced with six fours. Waqar later added the wickets of Tanvir Ahmed and Nauman Alvi. Waqar ended with six wickets for 50 runs in 22.1 overs while fellow paceman Riaz Afridi got three for 37.Rawalpindi gained an overall lead of 148 runs over Karachi Harbour with five second innings wickets still intact, as their four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Gold League match entered an interesting phase after the second day action.Rawalpindi shot Karachi Harbour out for a first innings 149 after the visitors had resumed on their overnight 35-2. They thus collected a crucial 26 runs lead and then the home side finished the day on 122-5.Fawad Alam hit the top score of 48 off 99 balls in two and a half hours with four boundaries in the Karachi Harbour first innings. He got some support from one-down batsman Akbar Rehman who scored 32 off 49 balls with four hits to the boundary rope.The left-arm pace duo of Najaf Shah and Sohail Tanvir led the bowling attack for Rawalpindi with three wickets each, for 21 and 38 runs, respectively. All-rounder Yasir Arafat and another medium-fast bowler Rizwan Akbar claimed two wickets each.Opener Babar Naeem hammered a brisk 50 off 59 balls with six fours and two sixes for Rawalpindi while the number four batsman Naved Ashraf contributed 33 off 50 balls with five fours and one six as Karachi’s teenaged pace spearhead Anwar Ali captured 3-51, bringing his match haul to nine wickets so far.Silver League
Middle order batsman Bilal Khilji hit a crispy unbeaten 110 and Azhar Shafiq added a solid 74 as Multan reached 269 for eight in 64 overs in their first innings, on the second day of the four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Silver League match against Lahore Ravi.The 31-year-old Bilal gave ample proof of his batting talent with his first-class career’s fourth hundred, striking 11 boundaries in an absorbing knock off 178 balls as the left-handed Azhar also entertained with a lively innings. At stumps, the touring side was still 28 runs behind surpassing Lahore’s first innings total of 297 all out in 85.3 overs after they resumed at their overnight score of 271 for eight in 77 overs.Bilal together with Azhar produced 133 runs for the third wicket to lift their side out of sheer gloom after they were 1 for 1 and then 12 for two. The stand was broken with the departure of Azhar lbw by paceman Wasim Khan who has done the major damage with hostile bowling taking five wickets for 79 runs in 20 overs. Azhar hammered 16 fours in his 102-ball innings.Multan lost four wickets with only eight runs added therafter. Bilal then got associated with Imranullah Aslam (38 with seven boundaries off 57 balls) in a stand for the seventh wicket of 75 runs. Earlier, Multan’s paceman Azharullah finished with figures of five for 46 in 22 overs. Ali Azmat, 75 overnight, perished at 84, made off 134 balls with 12 fours.Islamabad put the Quetta bowling to the sword to collect a massive 419 runs first innings lead, on the second day of their four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Silver League match.Islamabad, replying to Quetta’s poor first innings total of 161, gathered 580 all out in 122.3 overs after resuming at their overnight 185 for three. Even Islamabad’s last wicket pair of Fakhir Hussain and Zohaib Ahmed plundered 107 runs. Fakhir hit 54 with nine fours and a six while no. 11 batsman Zohaib Ahmed picked up 52 with nine fours.The other notable contributors with the bat were Imad Wasim with his 88, Ashar Zaidi 48 and Test discard Azhar Mahmood 57. However, the top scorer of the day was no.9 batsman Naeem Anjum, the wicket-keeper, who scored 83 with a dozen hits to the fence.The main wicket-taker for Quetta was off-spinner Naseer Khan for his six for 174. Left-arm spinner Jalat Khan ended up with 3-114. Quetta lost Jalat Khan, who was dismissed by Rao Iftikhar, and were batting on 2-1 at stumps. Hameedullah Khan and Yasir Majeed were at the crease.All-rounder Rizwan Ahmed scored his second century in successive matches, as Hyderabad compiled an exact 400 on the second day of their four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Silver League match against Abbottabad.By the day’s close, Abbottabad had replied with a resolute 168 runs for the loss of four wickets. They are still 232 behind Hyderabad, but first they need to reach a score of 251 to avert the follow-on. Rizwan attained the fourth hundred of his first-class career, his 119 coming off 250 balls with eight fours and a six. Shahid Qambrani hit 10 fours and two sixes in his 87 as he and Rizwan took their fourth-wicket stand to 147 runs after Hyderabad resumed at their overnight 282-3.Leg-spinner Dilawar Khan then saw to it that Hyderabad didn’t capitalise on that situation, by taking four wickets for 121 runs. Slow left-armer Amjad Waqas finished with figures of three for 93. Abbottabad batsman Adnan Raees is still at the crease with an unbeaten 52 to his name, that’s come off 125 deliveries with five fours.

Overnight rain delayed the start and bad light brought an early end to the first day as Barbados reached 79 for 2against Windward Islands at the Tanteen Recreation Ground in Grenada.Rawl Lewis, the Windwards captain, asked Barbados to bat in the hope that his bowlers would take advantage of the moisture in the pitch and overcast conditions. Dale Richards made 11 in an opening stand of 24 with Wayne Blackman (33 not out) before he was dismissed by Deighton Butler. Darren Sammy struck the second blow by taking a return catch off Devon Smith (13).Blackman and Ryan Hinds (18 not out) consolidated and took the score to 79 before bad light halted play with 10.4 overs remaining in the day’s play. As many as six bowlers were employed by Lewis to bowl 34.2 overs. Sammy finished with the best figures, 1 for 5 off six overs.

Ravi Rampaul, the promising West Indian seamer, returned to competitive cricket last weekend in the Carib Beer League limited-overs competition after being out for almost six months due to shin splints. Rampaul, who was forced out of last year’s summer tour to England, resumed training only in December and is slowly getting back to full fitness.Anthony Gray, the coach of Rampaul’s club CLICO Preysal, told CMC Sports that Rampaul is primarily being played as a batsman in the one-day series, following the advice of Dr Terry Ali, the West Indian board’s physiotherapist. “We are using him in short spells. He bowled okay, but we are a bit concerned as his landing foot is twisting. We are awaiting an innersole from England for his bowling boots, before any more corrective measures are taken.”Rangy Nanan, the cricket manager at Preysal Sports Club, indicated that the support staff was careful not to rush his recovery process. “Ravi is working hard to come back at 100% full fitness. He is eager for action, he wants to be back on the T&T and West Indies teams. But his training programme is fully set out and monitored by Dr Terry Ali.” Nanan also stated that while his progress was encouraging, a more clear picture would only emerge in about four weeks.Rampaul played the last of his 17 one-dayers against England in the Natwest series in 2004, and has captured 11 wickets at an average of 49. He was forced to miss out on Trinidad and Tobago’s triumph in last year’s President Cup in Guyana and Barbados, and has already missed out on the first five matches in the 2005 Carib Beer Regional Series.West Indies have a packed season ahead of them, with two home series, against South Africa and Pakistan. The South African series, consisting of four Tests and five one-dayers, begins in March, while Pakistan will tour immediately after, for two Tests and three ODIs.

Up one minute, down the next: Stephen Harmison misses out at Chittagong © Getty Images

Stephen Harmison will fly home later today to undergo tests to determine the extent of the back injury which kept him out of the second Test at Chittagong.Harmison, who collected match figures of 9 for 79 in England’s seven-wicket win in the first Test at Dhaka, has suffered a recurrence of a lower-back injury that prevented him from training with the squad on Monday.Harmison told Sky Sports: “It is really disappointing for me after the way I bowled in the first Test, but playing in that match made me realise how hard it is to bowl with only two seamers, and I knew it wouldn’t be fair to either Michael Vaughan or the team that I played when I was only half-fit.”He went on: “I’m not worried about Sri Lanka at this stage. I am sure after a couple of weeks’ rest I will be all right – I am used to the heat now and I have acclimatised so it shouldn’t take me long to get back into it again.”