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

The first Test, which had apparently been heading towards an inevitable stalemate after the high first-innings totals on a docile Napier pitch, crackled into life on the final morning before fading out into a draw when bad light stopped play shortly after tea. Nevertheless, New Zealand, apparently safeafter scoring a mountainous 561, were given a real fright by Sri Lanka’s freakish new fast bowler, Lasith Malinga, who snapped up his first Test five-for and a virgin Man-of-the-Match award with a superb display.Malinga, who started New Zealand’s problems in the fading light on the fourth evening, striking twice before the close of play, sent tremors through the NewZealand dressing-room with his Waqar Younis-like reverse swinging toecrushers, askill learnt while playing softball cricket for hour after hour in the coconutgroves around Galle. The game turned around with remarkable speed as New Zealandcrumbled from 51 without loss to 148 for 7 at lunch. With a lead of just 211, the quick clatter of the remaining wickets could have paved the way for a Sri Lanka win.But Stephen Fleming’s late arrival at the crease stopped the New Zealand meltdown. He had earlier been forced to retire hurt after being able to grip the bat properly with his left hand, which was injured in the field, but clung on at the crease like a limpet, eating up precious time and overs during a 20.3 over partnership with Lou Vincent after lunch. New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 238 but that left Sri Lanka facing an impossible target of 302 from 27 overs.Vincent’s fine contribution to saving the game cannot be overestimated.Arriving at the crease with New Zealand in a mess on 85 for 4, he reacted to the intense pressure well and was not forced into his shell, an approach thatcould have been fatal. From his first shot, a neat paddle-sweep to leg, he actively searched out scoring opportunities, intelligently striking the right balance between attack and defence. His run scoring dried up slightly during the afternoon session but his 52 from 112 balls was an invaluable hand in the circumstances.Sri Lanka, though, felt aggrieved that Vincent stood his ground and was given anapparent let-off after driving a low catch to Tillakaratne Dilshan at short cover. Dilshan and the surrounding fielders were convinced the catch was taken cleanly – so convinced that there was not even an appeal – but Vincent, as is quite entitled to do, waited for clarification. With the umpires unsure the decision went upstairs to the television and, predictably, the pictures left an element of doubt as they so often do for bump catches.That was a crucial moment but Sri Lanka were also unlucky later in the session when Kyle Mills snicked one off Malinga and should have been given out by Steve Bucknor. It was Bucknor’s third clear mistake in the innings after Hamish Marshall’s caught-behind reprieve the previous evening which was followed by a dreadful lbw decision. Whether the decisions were crucial to the games outcome though is debatable – the first blunder was cancelled out by the second and the third came too late in the day.Sri Lanka eventually broke through in the second hour of the post-lunch session as Upul Chandana, who was called into the fray surprisingly late considering thefifth-day footmarks, sneaked through Vincent’s defences while bowling into the rough from around the wicket. But by that stage the door had already closed for Sri Lanka with the lead being 264 with too few overs and the only prize available was a fifth wicket for Malinga, which he deservedly took to finish with 9 for 210 from 59.4 overs.It was a riveting contribution. While other more orthodox bowlers were frustrated by the unhelpful pitch he was a constant threat. Revealingly, he bowled the most overs for Sri Lanka in both innings and yet never seemed to tire, constantly stretching his small frame like an elastic band in the hope of another spell. By contrast, Chaminda Vaas had a poor game match apart from his first spell on the first morning, bowling at a pedestrian pace and lacking his customary incisiveness on flat pitches.In the morning, Malinga followed up his two wickets in Thursday’s fading light with a first-over dismissal of the nightwatchman, Paul Wiseman, who missed a low full toss. A few moments later Malinga also bowled Nathan Astle (19) with a yorker but, for the second time in the match, the bails did not fall. Then, right at the end of the session after being called up for the final over, Malinga knocked back James Franklin’s off stump.In between, Sanath Jayasuriya played a crucial hand with his canny and mean left-arm spin. Keeping a lid on the scoring he built up pressure, stopping New Zealand from pulling away, and he also chimed in with a couple of vital wickets, including James Marshall who was trapped lbw after missing an arm ball, and Brendon McCullum.Astle’s good fortune to survive Malinga was followed in the second hour by awretchedly unlucky dismissal when Jayasuriya managed to deflect a straight-driveback onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Astle’s bat hovered just millimeters about the crease-line but the television umpire correctly ruled him out – a wicket that effectively put Sri Lanka in the driver’s seat. Fleming and Vincent though thwarted their victory bid.How they were out Missed a low full toss. Missed an arm ball that would have crashed into middle-and-leg. Run out at the non-striker’s end after Jayasuriya deflected a drive. Outside edge to slip as he tried to work to leg. Outside edge to slip as he tried to work to leg. Yorked himself while playing to leg out of the rough. Mistimed heave over the top, simple catch to mid-on. Top edged a pull into the deep.

Simon Katich says the prospect of regaining his place in the Test side in Michael Clarke’s absence is an “awkward situation”. Clarke appears to be out of contention for the first game, which starts in Jamaica on May 22, and Katich is the likely beneficiary of the batsman’s decision to stay home to help his fiancée Lara Bingle through the death of her father.Katich has come back into the Test squad for the first time since West Indies visited in 2005, having completed a record-breaking season of 1506 Pura Cup runs for New South Wales. He said a recall would be a reward for his work over the past three seasons, “but it is something of an awkward situation”.”It is very delicate,” he told AAP. “Obviously we don’t know when Pup is going to arrive, so it is a bit of an unfortunate situation.”The second Test in Antigua from May 30 appears to be the best option for Clarke, who was due to start his first Test tour as vice-captain until withdrawing last week. Brad Hodge, who was taking part in the Indian Premier League, has joined the party as a shadow player until Clarke arrives, but is only an outside chance of entering the first-team calculations.Australia’s only warm-up before the opening Test is the three-day affair against a Jamaica XI from Friday and Katich is likely to win a chance to impress. “It’s just a matter of hopefully playing the tour match and then hopefully getting some runs in that and putting my name up there for selectors to hopefully pick me,” Katich said. “I’ve been picked as the extra batsman and my role is to just make sure I’m ready to go if something happens, and that hasn’t changed.”Katich is determined to “grab the opportunity” and hopes to add to his 23 Tests. “I didn’t make the most of it the last time around,” Katich said. “I had plenty of opportunities to try and nail down a spot and I didn’t. If you don’t grab the opportunities when they’re there, you just don’t know when they will come back around.”

Denesh Ramdin, the 19-year-old wicketkeeper from Trinidad, is the only new face in the West Indian squad that was chosen for the Sri Lankan tour, starting on July 15.Ramdin has played only 13 first-class matches and managed one hundred and two fifties. Ramdin’s inclusion meant that Courtney Browne, who kept wicket in the recent series against South Africa and Pakistan, was left out of the squad and was one of the two notable absentees along with Reon King, the fast bowler.The West Indies board also said that two more players will be added from the West Indies A squad which left for Sri Lanka on Friday. The 13-member West Indian squad is scheduled to leave on July 1 and will play two Tests and a triangular one-day tournament involving Sri Lanka and India.The West Indies board has also issued the invitations as well as match/tour contracts to the players and asked the players to indicate their agreement by June 21.Squad
Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (capt), Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Darren Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wkt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, plus two players from West Indies A.

Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh’s captain, has called for the appointment of a full-time coach ahead of his side’s tour to New Zealand at the end of the year.”I feel we desperately need a permanent coach, whoever it may be, Shaun [Williams] or anyone else. There is a big difference between a permanent and temporary coach. You can’t expect teamwork with a temporary solution,” Ashraful told the .The Bangladesh Cricket Board has been looking for a national coach since Dav Whatmore refused a two-year contract extension after spending four years with the team. Interim coach Shaun Williams, who took over in June, was at the helm for a tour of Sri Lanka and the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa. Neither of the two tours was successful for Bangladesh and the strategies of the team management have been criticised, especially after some haphazard batting in the Twenty20.National selector and former captain Akram Khan, who was part of the team management during the last two trips, also stressed on the need of a full-time coach. “I was only part of the selection process. I wasn’t involved in game planning,” he said. “Actually the captain and coach have the big role behind the planning. What I want to say is that we should have come out from the short-term solution immediately about the coach.”However, he expressed his satisfaction over the Twenty20 performance. “I think our performance was not bad because we fulfilled our target but the problem is that we were not consistent enough in any form of the game,” he said. “What I felt was that our team couldn’t play their natural game with the expectations getting higher.”Chief selector Rafiqul Alam also expressed his satisfaction over Bangladesh’s performance in South Africa. “The batting problems might remain in the Twenty20 format but what is most important is that nobody took us lightly. I believe if anybody is good in the five-day game then he will be okay in any format,” he said. “We have to shift our focus to the New Zealand trip and I think this year’s National Cricket League will be crucial for the players because we are trying many things to make it worthy including the financial encouragement.”Rafiqul also believed that the team needs a permanent coach. “A permanent coach is a very important part but as well as that, we have to find the right man for the job and in that case you have to compromise on time.”Responding to allegations that Ashraful had attitude problems during the Twenty20 and did not listen to anybody during the tour, Rabeed Imam, Bangladesh’s media manager, told Cricinfo: “Ashraful is a proactive skipper and he takes initiatives. He is confident enough to take decisions he feels are right and I don’t see any justifiable reason why some people should be critical of that. He’s also the senior-most pro in the side and has more experience at this level than any other player in the Twenty 20 team.”He has excellent working relationship with the coach, coaching staff and selectors and they can vouch for that. The players also find him easily approachable as most are his age or near about.”

Satellite broadcaster BSkyB has secured the rights to televise England’s tour of India.Nimbus Communication announced the four-year deal early on Friday, and it was confirmed by a spokesman for Sky TV. As well as the current series, it covers India’s home series against Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa through to 2009.Neither party would disclose the value of the contract. It is widely thought that many of the other channels mentioned by Nimbus in recent days were not necessarily serious bidders, but were brought into play in an attempt to increase the value of the rights.Sky’s production team, which has been on standby all week, will fly out to India this weekend and will be followed by the commentary team which includes Mike Atherton, Ian Botham, David Gower and Nasser Hussain.Sky now has the rights to all home international series in England, Australia, India, South Africa and West Indies.

Brendon Kuruppu, the Sri Lankan team manager, said he was deeply grateful to New Zealand Cricket and its officials for coming to their help at the hour of need.Aravinda de Silva, who is now vice-president of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), also thanked NZC for being considerate enough to understand Sri Lanka’s situation and agree to postpone the tour after just the first one-day international. He said that SLC had a commitment towards New Zealand to fulfil the abandoned tour within the next 18 months.Marvin Atapattu, the former Test captain, who had visited Galle and Matara, towns on the south of the island, when he returned from New Zealand said the disaster which had struck Sri Lanka was a big ordeal for any cricketer to handle individually. He said that his players would join SLC in a unilateral effort to ensure they achieve their ultimate goal of building houses for the needy.de Silva said SLC’s immediate task was to find shelter, clothing and food to those displaced, and to this end, it had opened up three camps at Dambulla, Matara and Galle, where SLC officials are already busy attending to the needs. He said that SLC would publicly announce its disaster action program on Wednesday.With no firm international commitments till June when the West Indies are due to visit for a full Test series, Atapattu indicated that the energies of his team would be diverted to relief work. He explained that it was a blessing in disguise that his team did not have any immediate international tours. Otherwise it would be difficult for the players to concentrate on the game while the rest of the country was suffering.Atapattu went on to say that it wouldn’t be a problem for any of his players to represent an Asian XI, if selected, against the ICC XI in a limited-overs match because it was being played to raise funds for the countries affected by the tsunamis. Sri Lanka, where more than 30,000 people are estimated to have been killed, is one of the worst hit of the seven countries affected by the giant tidal waves.Not all the national cricketers were present at yesterday’s media conference. Some had travelled to Trincomalee on Monday night to get a first hand view of the situation there.

Mark Cosgrove and Brett Dorey will replace Damien Martyn and Stuart Clark for the three-match one-day series in Bangladesh. Martyn played in the first Test but is returning home due to an elbow injury, while Clark is going back to Sydney to be with his wife for the birth of their child.Cosgrove, a 21-year-old left-hand batsman for South Australia, hasn’t yet played international cricket but has impressed in the first-class circuit, averaging 41 from 24 matches. Dorey, 28, played three matches in the VB Series last season, but managed only one wicket.Australia have already made one other change to their squad, replacing Shane Watson with James Hopes. Watson hasn’t yet recovered completely from a calf injury he picked up in the recent Pura Cup final.

How quickly fortunes are reversed. Two months ago, Yorkshire were a club in decline: no captain, no coach, and disharmony aplenty. Now, with Darren Gough returning to steer the ship, the old flock are heading back to Headingley and, today, Darren Lehmann has announced he is interested in coaching the club next season.”I would love to go and coach Yorkshire in 2008,” Lehmann, 37, told the . “I enjoyed many happy times as a player at Headingley, with the highlight being when we won the championship in 2001, and I am very keen to help develop the club’s next generation of players. It would be fantastic to work with Martyn Moxon.”In 88 matches for Yorkshire Lehmann scored 8871 runs at 68.76, including 26 hundreds. He left the club last year after six seasons.”I played 27 Tests and 117 one-day internationals for Australia and I’ve played first-class cricket since 1987, so I would bring more than twenty years of experience and knowledge of the game to Yorkshire,” he said. “I have always made it clear that I want to return to Yorkshire after finishing with South Australia.”I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather start my coaching career.”

The Zimbabwe players’ representative, Clive Field, has said players will go on and sign the new contracts issued by the board on Monday.Field confirmed that agreements on the new contracts had been agreed by finalized by both sides, although the rest of the grievances raised by the players last Thursday still stand.”The original contracts had overlooked basic aspects,” said Field. “We were still negotiating things like the injury clause and match fees, otherwise there has been no significant rectification annexed to the contracts.”Also added to the contracts was a payment system where players will be paid retainers at a respectable external value. Other issues tackled were players’ safety, and the position of the players’ representative.”Over and above there are still governance issues that still have to be addressed,” Field added. “The contacts are the basis on which to engage the board, and we have cleared that hurdle. The players are hoping that those issues will be resolved. The chairman [Peter Chingoka] responded to the public statement saying issues of governance is not the players’ area. In a way he is right. But like we have said, when these things are having a marked effect on the players’ performance, they not only have a duty, but a right to say act. I hope the provincial chairmen will make the board accountable and discuss those issues at the board meeting [proposed for Saturday].”A total of 37 players were awarded contracts. Two were given international contracts, 14 signed senior deals and 21 junior contracts. Zimbabwe Cricket also agreed to pay overdue match fees for Tests and one-day internationals against New Zealand in August, and India in September, although there remain concerns about hoe much money the board actually has to meet its obligations.International contracts T Taibu, A Blignaut.Level One Senior E Chigumbura, P Utseya, D Hondo, B Taylor, D Ebrahim, H Masakadza, B Mahwire, V Sibanda, G Ewing, C Coventry, T Duffin, S Matsikenyeri, K Dabengwa, N Ferreira.Level One Junior C Mpofu, G Cremer, A Mwayenga, W Mwayenga, T Panyangara, E Rainsford, T Mupariwa, C Chibhabha, S Williams, A Ireland, T Mufambisi, T Hove, T Mawoyo, H Matanga, C Ervine, I Nicholson, J Nyumbu, I Chinyoka, T Garwe, B Mlambo, R Bennett.

Rajesh Chauhan, the former Indian offspinner, has been injured in a road accident n Chhattisgarh, television reports claim. The accident took place at Gundardehi in Durg district when a speeding vehicle hit the car in which Chauhan was travelling.He was admitted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Bhilai, in central India, and was being monitored in the ICU. His condition has been described as stable.”Chauhan is out of danger,” a Bhilai Steel Plant – Chauhan’s employers – official told IANS. “He probably has multiple fractures and has also received some serious bruises on his hand, leg, back and head. A team of doctors is examining his condition.”Chauhan, 40, played 21 Tests and 35 one-day internationals from 1993 to 1998. While his performances were far from head-turning, India lost none of the 21 Tests in which he played. He is perhaps remembered most for his last-over six off Saqlain Mushtaq at Karachi in 1997, which sealed a four-wicket win for India.