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The heavy rain which left the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo awash on Thursday continued throughout this morning and put pay to the second ODI between Sri Lanka and England, which was called off at 6.05pm local time without a ball being bowled.The umpires made three inspections throughout the day, but play never looked likely due to the sodden outfield and boggy wicket. Even though the rain stayed away in the afternoon, Daryl Hair described the pitch as “not up to scratch” and after consulting both captains, called the game off.Marvan Atapattu was the happier of the two captains, as it now means Sri Lanka can’t lose the three-match series. Michael Vaughan, on the other hand, expressed his frustration, but insisted England would be well prepared for the final match on Sunday – assuming it’s not washed out.”It would have been wrong to have played in these conditions, and they weren’t going to improve,” Vaughan said. “It’s like a bog out there, the covering obviously hasn’t worked, but I just hope the rain stays off and we can get a game on Sunday.”It’s very frustrating, but you can only control what’s put in front of you. We’ll practise tomorrow and make sure we’re fully prepared for the last game.” However, those who have experienced the late monsoon before warn that Sunday’s game is also under threat.

All Today’s Yesterdays – June 29 down the years1950
A landmark day for West Indian cricket. West Indies won their first Test in England, a 326-run thrashing at Lord’s, led by a mystifying display from their young spin twins Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine. They were both playing their second Tests, having each only played two first-class matches before the tour. Valentine’s match figures were 116-75-127-7 (the 75 maidens are still a Test record), and Ramadhin’s 115-70-152-11; it was the slowest torture imaginable. They were abetted by 168 from Clyde Walcott, an innings that John Arlott described as being "of thunder, of almost biblical intensity". England never recovered, and lost 3-1 a series they had expected to win comfortably. Maybe hubris set in. A crowd full of West Indian fans didn’t care as they celebrated joyously, and a famous Calypso song – "With those little pals of mine, Ramadhin and Valentine" – was born.1939
Birth of the gangling Victorian seamer Alan Connolly, a bit of an unsung hero for Australia in the sixties. He finished with 102 wickets, and four five-fors – none of which came in Aussie victories. His best figures were 6 for 47 against South Africa at Port Elizabeth … when Australia were routed by 323 runs. Unusually, Connolly excelled overseas, with 66 in 16 Tests. At home he took only 36 in 13. He also played county cricket for Middlesex.1965
Whatever happened to Paul Jarvis, the England pace bowler who was born today? When he became Yorkshire’s youngest-ever player – at just 16 years 75 days – he was burdened with a "new Fred Trueman" tag, but he never got close, taking only 21 wickets in nine Tests. Injuries didn’t help, nor did the selectors’ penchant for shunting him in and out of them (those nine Tests came in five instalments, either side of Jarvis’s ban for going on the South African rebel tour of 1989-90). Jarvis later played for Sussex and Somerset, but got nowhere near leaving the legacy people expected, although he has taken almost twice as many one-day wickets in India than any other Englishman. It’s not much consolation.2000
The fifth-highest opening partnership in Test history – and Sri Lanka’s highest by almost 150 runs. In a dead rubber against Pakistan at Kandy, Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu put on 335, with Atapattu making his third Test double-hundred. In a match of only 155.4 overs, Atapattu was still there at the bitter end, 207 not out and having dead-batted allcomers into submission.1931
Another weighty partnership, this one for the eighth wicket. Les Ames and Gubby Allen got England out of a hole by adding 246 against New Zealand at Lord’s, with Allen making his only Test hundred and Ames his first in England. At the time it was the highest for the eighth-wicket in Test history, but it’s been passed twice in the last six years, by Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq at Sheikupura in 1996-97, and by Nathan Astle and Adam Parore at Perth in 2001-02.1939
Birth of the link in the only three-generation Test-playing family. West Indian opener Ron Headley was the son of the great George and father of England seamer Dean. He played just two Tests, both in England in 1973. Headley played much of his cricket in England, for Worcestershire and Derbyshire.1911
Long before speed-guns inflated Shoaib Akhtar’s ego further, Worcestershire’s Robert Burrows bowled Lancashire’s William Huddleston in a County Championship match at Old Trafford – and sent the bail flying 67 yards. It’s a record that even Shoaib hasn’t broken.Other birthdays
1947 Jeff Moss (Australia)1969 Simon Brown (England)

Sharad Diwadkar has resigned from his post as executive secretary to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), citing ill-health as the reason for his withdrawal.Diwadkar, a former Bombay allrounder, replaced Polly Umrigar as executive secretary in 1997 after Umrigar resigned due to dissatisfaction with the Board’s functioning.”I will continue to function till the Working Committee meeting, in Delhi on July 2 and 3, where they will decide when to relieve me,” said Diwadkar, who has been advised rest by his doctors.

England are struggling to avoid a serious batting crisis going into the first Test of their three-match National Bank series with New Zealand.Two collapses suffered against State Championship minnows Otago, their late arrivals from England all struggling for form and time in the middle, their leading batsman on the last day of their game against Otago, Marcus Trescothick, complaining of concentration problems and the prospect of no respite against a stronger Canterbury team in their next game starting on Thursday at Hagley Oval.The only point in England’s favour going into the Test has to be that New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond is still on the injured list.Trescothick admitted after today’s drawn game with Otago that he was tired after having played all of England’s one-dayers against India and New Zealand and in most of the other games on the Test section of the Indian tour.He was hopeful that he might be spared duty when Nasser Hussain returns to lead the side against Canterbury.”I find I’m not mentally switched on when I’m going out to bat.”I found that in the last two or three one-day games,” he said.It was a problem that needed to be assessed as soon as it happened to find out what was going wrong and try hard to put it right.”I’ve found it very tough to concentrate. I’ve been going out and working really hard in the nets, almost twice as hard as I normally do, trying to get it right but the mental side of it has been the problem and being able to concentrate properly,” he said.Trescothick said he had a similar problem last summer when scoring five centuries in six innings just before the first Test against Australia. He took a week off before the second Test and scored a century in the second innings so on that occasion the break had worked.It was a fact with the amount of cricket being played that this sort of thing happened.”If anything I need a bit more of a break than the constant cricket,” he said.However, his innings of 68 today in England’s second innings had been of some comfort to him as he found his batting rhythm returning and he was pleased with his shot selection.His newly-arrived team-mates from England did struggle to make an impact however and it would be tough for them to be ready in time for the Test.”Two games to warm up is all right for those who were here for the one-day games, the rest of the guys, I don’t know. Having come from England where there was no outdoor practice, it will be tough for them,” he said.While not dominating Otago, England had managed to “cover” them, he said and there had been some good opportunities for the bowlers to have a good, long bowl.”We should have batted a lot better than we did, we still came out of it OK,” he said.Leading bowler Andy Caddick did pick up seven wickets during the game and he had a good work out.”He’s still got a little bit of work to do – his rhythms were coming back the more and more he bowled. He came back right at the end bowling five overs, sometimes I’ve seen him and that’s the best time he bowls, when he is quite tired. Sort of running him into the ground almost, as he tends to get a bit more rhythm,” Trescothick said.

It took 54 matches to do so, but the World Cup has eventually confirmed that Australia are the best team on the planet, and by a distance. The great thing for cricket was that the title was decided on the field of play and nowhere else. It would have been a tragedy had the rush to get the game decided to fit in with the world’s television schedules forced Duckworth/Lewis to be applied when there were spare days available. So much else was controlled by such factors and had more to do with business and politics than cricket.So what will be the abiding memories of this World Cup? There were some thrilling performances, individual excellence and yet a catalogue of blunders that will leave a slightly unsatisfactory after-taste.There was the brilliance of Sachin Tendulkar who confirmed himself as the best batsman around, the fast bowling of Brett Lee throughout and the historic 100 mph ball by Shoaib Akhtar.Not all the outstanding moments were provided by the big boys though. Remember that innings by John Davison of Canada against the West Indies. And Asif Karim being congratulated by umpire Steve Bucknor on a miserly and skilful spell against the Australians. The Kenyans reaching the semi-final gave hope to underdogs everywhere, the Namibians had their moments and the Dutch radiated good fellowship as their orange kit radiated sunshine.One of the great comments of the tournament came from the Dutch captain Roland Lefebvre who could justifiably deemed conditions unsuitable to play at a sodden Potchefstroom. But, he said, his boys would learn nothing for the future sitting in the pavilion and so went out to face the might of Australia.If that action brought out the spirit of the World Cup, there was the sadness of seeing Jonty Rhodes being forced into premature retirement through injury. There was sadness too at the absence of Shane Warne when the results of a dope test revealed that he had been just that – a dope.There was Adam Gilchrist walking in the semi-final, and Ricky Ponting claiming that he had not really walked but had failed to hear the umpire say not out. To do otherwise might have had Gilchrist on a charge of betraying the carefully honed image of Australian cricket.How sad that Sourav Ganguly chose Gilchrist in the final to display a woeful ineptitude when it comes to judging the path of a ball from bat to hand. When a ball from Harbhajan Singh went off Gilchrist’s thigh-pad onto the ground some inches short of Ganguly’s hand at slip, he claimed a catch. If he was not inept, believing the ball had gone from the edge of the bat straight into his hand, he was guilty of cheating and thoroughly deserved the crowd’s derision when the incident, including the appeal and celebration, was shown on the big screen.When it comes to cheating and replays, it would seem that the technology is available to determine the legality of a bowling action, even if the will to use it is not. It is an emotive issue, but the use of baggy three-quarter length sleeves and claims of congenital deformities to mask actions that are questionable at best cannot be good for the long-term health of the game.Then there was the political posturing without which no major sporting event can take place nowadays. For all their effervescent joy, it is unlikely that Kenya would have got as far as they did had New Zealand been prepared to go to play in Nairobi. Similarly, there is little doubt that Zimbabwe are not one of the top six sides in the world, but they were projected there by England’s refusal to play in Harare and the rain in Bulawayo.New Zealand had genuine fears about going to Nairobi. England knew that their presence in Harare would have sparked off more serious demonstrations than had any other side been due to travel there. The credibility of the World Cup organisers was dented when, shortly after Deputy Commissioner of Police Andre Pruis went on television to dismiss the letter from the "Sons and Daughters of Zimbabwe" as no more than a hoax, Interpol reported that they considered the organisation to be a serious threat.It was the same unsophisticated mentality that put the heavy hand of the law on an innocent spectator found drinking a can of Coca Cola and charged with "ambush marketing" when the official sponsor was Pepsi. He was not so much guilty as thirsty.The most uplifting aspect of the whole Zimbabwe affair was the bravery of Andy Flower and Henry Olonga in their much-publicised protest against the regime in their country. A simple act of courage that put other protests and political stances in deep shade.On the field too there was much about which to enthuse. Brian Lara came back to something near his best while the West Indies have started on the long road back to becoming a cricketing force. Shane Bond spearheading New Zealand’s continuing ability to punch above their weight – a campaign superbly orchestrated by Stephen Fleming. Aravinda de Silva still showing class and giving hope to the over-35s. England could take solace from being the only side to run Australia close.But, at the end of a long tournament, there can only be one abiding memory. It is of the players in the green and gold around their captain Ricky Ponting holding the World Cup. Those Australians look invincible. They were invincible.

The Busta Cup may be the most important first-class tournament in theCaribbean, but the 2002 edition will see few Test stars and fewerpromising juniors take the field. While the international playersdepart for Sharjah even as the competition begins, the under-19cricketers are already in New Zealand fighting it out for the juniorWorld Cup title.The absence of the leading lights, however, should not prevent the Cupfrom being a tight-fought contest, a forum for emerging players toestablish themselves and call the attention of national selectors tothemselves. Defending champions Barbados, for example, include ex-Testcricketers Philo Wallace, Floyd Reifer and Courtney Browne, all ofwhom will be looking to break into the national side once again.Following the unique inclusion of a non-regional side in thetournament last year, the cricket authorities are all set to try itagain. After England ‘A’ in 2001, it is the turn of the Bangladeshsecond-stringers to try their hand at some Caribbean cricket. This islikely to prove invaluable for Bangladesh cricket, for their Test andone-day performances at the international level thus far have shown aserious paucity of experience.The opening match will see Barbados take on runners-up Guyana at theKensington Oval. Guyana finished on the same number of points asBarbados but relinquished the trophy due to their fewer victories.Along with Jamaica, the winners of the inaugural Busta InternationalShield last year, Barbados and Guyana are the top contenders for thechampionship this year.A round-robin league competition will be followed by the first fourteams competing in two semi-finals for a right to play in the final…

ADELAIDE, Dec 18 AAP – South Australia plans to play three spinners to cope with an expected heat wave and a very flat Adelaide Oval pitch in the Pura Cup cricket match against Western Australia starting here tomorrow.SA skipper Greg Blewett said all three slow bowlers in the Redbacks 12 – John Davison, Mark Higgs and Brad Young – were likely to be included in the final 11 tomorrow morning.”That’s a real possibility, we’ll make the final decision tomorrow when we have another look at the wicket,” Blewett said.”But with the weather that’s forecast, and as I can bowl a bit as well … that’s the way we’re probably leaning at this stage.”SA has also included debutant Shaun Tait, a 20-year-old fast bowler who is the leading wicket-taker in the Adelaide club competition, and whom Blewett said had the ability to bowl dangerously quick.”He’s given me a couple sore toes in the nets, especially last season I got a couple on the feet,” he said.”He’s sharp and he adds a new dimension to our bowling attack.”This year we’ve been quite steady and just tried to keep it at two or three runs per over, but certainly with him coming in he is just raw pace and really lets them go.”We’re aiming to bowl him in fairly short bursts and just tell him to bowl as quick as he can.”Fellow SA paceman Paul Rofe said he was looking forward to bowling with Tait.”He does bowl fast and he tries to scare a few blokes, so that should be exciting, I think,” Rofe said.But he said the pitch and weather conditions could make things difficult for pacemen.With Test opener Justin Langer in the WA side, Rofe said dismissing him quickly would be crucial to SA’s chances, as he has shown a strong liking for the Adelaide Oval pitch in the past.”Hopefully we can get him out so he doesn’t bat all day, because he can quite easily do that,” Rofe said.WA today lost Brad Hogg and Ryan Campbell, who were called up to the Australian one-day side, from its squad.All-rounder Kade Harvey is a late replacement for Hoggwhile youngster Luke Ronchi, who impressed in his Pura Cup debut last week by scoring 90 and 33 against Tasmania, will replace Campbell in the Warriors team.Teams:SA: Greg Blewett (captain), Chris Davies, John Davison, Shane Deitz, David Fitzgerald, Ben Higgins, Mark Higgs, Paul Rofe, Mike Smith, Shaun Tait, Jeff Vaughan, Brad Young (12th man to be named).WA: Justin Langer (c), Mike Hussey (VC), Jo Angel, Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Chris Rogers, Luke Ronchi, Adam Voges, Brad Williams, Paul Wilson.

In odds released today by bet365, South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith is rated 9/4 to beat Don Bradman’s record series aggregate of 974 runs, set back in the 1930 Ashes series. Smith is rated 1/3 to fall short of the mark. In the spread-betting player-index markets Sporting Index are similarly pessimistic about Smith’s chances of overhauling The Don – they expect his series total to fall between 860 and 875 runs.Smith has six possible innings still available to him in this series, and already has 621 runs from his first three – a record for the first two Tests of any series. At the same stage of his all-conquering season in 1930, Bradman had managed only 393 of his record 974 runs – but he did hit 334 in the third Test! Good weather, the traditionally good pitches at Trent Bridge and The Oval, and an England attack in some disarray all count in Smith’s favour.bet365 now rate South Africa hot favourites to win the series at 2/5. England are now rank outsiders at 8/1, with a drawn series 5/2.bet365Sporting IndexIn-depth Graeme Smith statistics

The England coach, Duncan Fletcher, has declined to comment on suggestions that Darren Gough may be asked to stay in New Zealand for the forthcoming Test series.The Yorkshire fast bowler was left out of the Test squad for New Zealand, along with Surrey’s Alec Stewart, after both players had made themselves unavailable for the tour of India before Christmas.”It has not been discussed,” Fletcher told a news conference earlier today. “It’s a complex issue and any movement has got to come from the chairman of the selection committee, David Graveney.”Fletcher has expressed concern over the form of Andy Caddick, who has only taken one wicket on the tour so far at a cost of 155 runs in three one-day matches, including figures of nought for 51 off 7.3 overs in the first one-day international at Christchurch, which New Zealand won by four wickets.”Caddick is not bowling too well,” Fletcher said. “He’s lost some oomph and we have to look at that area. Andy had a break from cricket for six months and at 32 it can take a long time to get back and perform.”By contrast, Gough took four wickets in two overs as England almost managed to turn the Christchurch game on its head on Wednesday.

Left-hand opener Chris Gayle powered his way towards a century, but rainintervened again on the second day of the West Indies last practice game atMatara on Friday.Dark clouds had skirted menacingly around this coastal ground all day beforefinally encircling during the tea interval and forcing the abandonment ofthe final session.West Indies, though disappointed to have missed two precious hours ofbatting practice, would have been delighted by what play there was.Sri Lanka A started the day on 216-5, but added only 53 more runs, asleg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine picked up three wickets, to finish with fourin the innings.Then, on a easy paced pitch, the West Indian openers, Gayle and Daren Ganga,provided fresh hope that they may be able to bridge the large void left bythe retirement of Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge, when they added 134runs for the first wicket.The pair, complimenting each other by their contrasting styles, hurtledalong at nearly five runs an over. Ganga was solid in defense, preferring towork singles and rotate the strike, whilst Gayle’s innings was ruthlesslyhigh-powered.Gayle, who has played 11 Tests to date at 36.35 and has lofty ambitions (hesaid recently that "breaking Lara’s Test record of 375 is my ultimate"), maylook slightly awkward because of his great height and hunched stance, butwith little flourish he hits the ball with thunderous power.He finished the day four runs short of his century having scored 96 off 92balls and hit 17 fours. Ganga, dismissed for a duck in the first warm-upgame, is on 27 off the same number of balls.The pair coped easily with a Sri Lankan bowling attack, which has beenpacked full of fast bowlers on a bland pitch that cried out for spinners.Sri Lanka A, though, were reluctant to give the West Indian batsmen exposureto spin before next weeks first Test and played just a solitary youngleg-spinner.So, although runs are runs and the manner in which they came were mightyimpressive, the satisfaction gained from this sturdy opening partnership bythe West Indies management should be tempered by the reality that the teamfaces very different challenges ahead.In the morning, the West Indian fast bowlers had operated in tandem with theleg-spin of Ramanarine and quickly moped up the Sri Lankan innings.Suresh Perera had batted with his captain, Hashan Tillakaratne, with unusualresponsibility and added 66 runs for the sixth wicket, but he couldn’tresist the slow bowling of Ramarine and was stumped for 27, as he danceddown the wicket in the wrist spinners first over of the day.Tillakaratne, 74 not out overnight, never regained the fluency of yesterdayand faced 75 balls his 12 runs today, before Reon King picked up his firstwicket of the match.Colin Stuart, who suffered from leg cramps in both legs after his 12 oversyesterday, did not bowl, but that was only because he had been off the fieldfor so long the previous day and he is not considered an injury concern.