West Indies have called up Omari Banks for their second Test against Bangladesh that begins on June 4 at Kingston, Jamaica. Dave Mohammed, the left-arm spinner who was in the squad for the first Test but did not make the playing XI, has been left out.Banks missed West Indies’ tour of South Africa after suffering a stress fracture to his back. He proved his match-fitness with a four-wicket haul against Bangladesh in a first class game at St. Vincent a week ago, and has been captaining Anguilla in the ongoing Leeward Islands championship.Squad Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara (capt), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith, Ridley Jacobs (wk), Tino Best, Pedro Collins, Jermaine Lawson, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul, Omari Banks.

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Manchester’s weather in the last few days has been more akin to the bleak midwinter than the summer solstice that recently passed, and so it came as no surprise when today’s opening NatWest Series fixture was abandoned without a ball being bowled.”After last night’s battering of rain, we were hopeful that the skies would clear this morning,” said Peter Marron, Lancashire’s head groundsman. But further belts of bad weather swept in throughout the afternoon, and it would have taken at least two hours of clear conditions to enable the mopping-up operation to be completed.The umpires did attempt several inspections throughout the day, although the sight of Daryl Harper’s umbrella being blown inside-out was a apt commentary on the state of the conditions. The high winds would have been a factor later in the day as well, as the temporary floodlights around the ground would not have been allowed to be erected to their full height.On the plus side for England, Marcus Trescothick, who had been passed fit to play after overcoming a sprain in his left ankle, will be given a couple of extra days to fully recover, while the captain, Michael Vaughan, spoke for his squad when he admitted he wasn’t too disappointed at being freed up to watch the European Championships quarter-final against Portugal.In a masterful stroke of PR, the ECB had announced that the latest that play could have started was at 7.47pm, exactly two minutes after the start of that game, but in the end there was no conflict of interests for the smattering of spectators who remained to the end.For England’s one-day team, however, it is business as usual. They have been phenomenally unlucky with the weather ever since their pre-Christmas tour of Sri Lanka, and of their last nine scheduled one-day matches, five have been abandoned as washouts (four of them without a ball being bowled) and a sixth was restricted to 30 overs a side.This latest abandonment is particularly hard luck on Yorkshire’s Anthony McGrath, who has tagged along with the squad since the tour of Bangladesh, without once getting a game. Now, in the absence of Andrew Flintoff, he had been inked in to start, but once again, he has been left to watch and wait.

Glenn McGrath has been fined 25 percent of his match fee, after breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct with an audible obscenity. McGrath was reported to the match referee, Chris Broad, for a level 1 offence, after an lbw appeal against Sanath Jayasuriya was turned down. Jayasuriya later fell for 22, as the second Test against Sri Lanka at Cairns was drawn."It’s important that all players continue to observe ICC guidelines that protect the values, integrity and spirit of the game," said Broad. "The on-field umpires came to the defence of McGrath during the hearing given his exemplary behaviour prior to the offence. Evidence was brought to the hearing that Ricky Ponting approached McGrath and immediately took control of the situation, and we were satisfied that this was the appropriate course of action."Cricket Australia confirmed that no further action would be taken against McGrath under the players’ Spirit of Cricket Code.

Canada 250 for 9 dec (Bagai 66, Codrington 48, Mukuddem 3-28) and 91 for 2 (Davison 55*) lead Bermuda 107 (Romaine 40, Patel 3-13, Davison 5-19) by 234 runs
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Canada took firm control of their ICC Intercontinental Cup match on the second day at Sunnybrook Park in Toronto, bowling Bermuda out for 107 and opening up a lead of 234 by the end of the second day.It was an allround effort by the Canadians, who had been in some trouble on the first day, which they finished at 158 for 6. But the overnight pair of Ashish Bagai, the wicketkeeper, and fast bowler Austin Codrington took their seventh-wicket stand to 87. Bagai eventually fell to Dwayne Leverock for an obdurate 66, from 177 balls. He hit five fours, but Codrington collected six in his 48. Canada finished with 250 for 9 before John Davison declared.Davison then made inroads with the ball. Oliver Pitcher fell to Ashish Patel for a duck, and although Delyone Borden (18) and Irving Romaine (40) put on 40, after that only one batsman – Saleem Mukuddem – managed to reach double figures. Patel took three wickets, but the main damage was done by Davison. He had taken 17 wickets with his offspin in Canada’s victory over the United States, and winkled out five more here, conceding only 19 runs in 14 overs.Davison then pushed home Canada’s advantage, sprinting to 55 not out, with five fours and two sixes, by the close, which Canada reached at 91 for 2 despite losing Desmond Chumney for 11 and Zubin Surkari for a duck.

Sachin Tendulkar may not be fit in time for the first Test against Australia, which starts in Bangalore on October 6. Andrew Leipus, the team’s physiotherapist, said that it was the worst injury of Tendulkar’s career, and also revealed that the tennis elbow had been aggravated when he was hit by an Ajit Agarkar delivery in Holland.The reported Leipus as saying: “Initially, he responded well in the nets in Holland for the first two days and batted well against the spinners. But then he faced the first ball from Ajit Agarkar which he went back to play down – it kind of complicated his recovery process completely.”The target for Tendulkar, according to Leipus, would be to bat 300 balls a day without experiencing any pain and he added, “We’re looking for him to grab a bat again in another ten days’ time.”Regarding talk that Tendulkar would turn out for the Board President’s XI against Australia in their tour game, Leipus had his doubts. “Usually he doesn’t bother to play in side games, but since he has been out of practice, he might have thought about giving himself a try in that game and made himself available. But I wouldn’t think he would be playing that game.”Tendulkar has been dogged by a number of injuries in the past, but Leipus felt that this was the worst of the lot. “He has had injuries in the past – I wasn’t there when he injured his back – but compared to his toe and finger injury, this could be the worst of his career. Just the fact he wasn’t able to lift the bat has been extremely frustrating to him.”The first Test, in what has been billed as the series of the year, could set the tone for the rest of the four-match contest, and Australia are well aware that they haven’t managed to win a series in India since Bill Lawry’s team triumphed in 1969-70.

Jason Gillespie and Murali Kartik, the bowlers whoreturned the best figures on an absorbing second day’s play at theWankhede Stadium, spoke to the media shortly after the close:

Murali KartikOn what an attainable target might be
I think a target of 160-170 would be tough, batting fourth.On bowling with Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh
It was one of my wishes that the three of us play together, and it came true.Is this an ideal Test-match wicket?
When it seams around, we have a problem, and if it spins around, then also we have a problem. It was good for spinners. I can’t say what an ideal wicket is.On his game plan
I think when you’re on a turning track, all 11 members also have to be patient, because you can’t get 11 wickets in 11 balls. When I came on, it was my duty to plug one end. Thankfully, I came on at a time when things were going right for me.On his early impressions of Dinesh Karthik
I think he did a superb job because keeping to Anil and Harbhajan is really difficult.On hanging around after being dismissed
I was out. There are no two ways about that. It was a faint edge. It just took my glove, so I was waiting for the umpire to give me out.On Damien Martyn’s important innings
He was lucky to start off [with], but he hung around and just accumulated those runs. It was a good innings.On India’s dodgy fielding
It happens. People are giving it their best shot. You can’t blame anybody. Sometimes you have a bad day.Whether this was his best performance in Tests
I thought I bowled much better in Nagpur. The wicket was different, favouring the seamers. But here, I was required to adjust to a different game plan and just hold one end and wait for the wickets to come.Jason GillespieOn taking wickets on a spinners’ pitch
I was pretty satisfied. It’s always nice to take wickets on any pitch. The wicket was a little interesting today.His game plan on this pitch
As a seamer, you just try and put the ball in the right area, use the crease, and keep the seam upright and try to move the ball off the wicket as much as you can. I think the key is to bang it into the track as hard as you can and let the ball do the work.

Plate Group

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Maninder Bisla and Sangram Singh shared a massive 268-run partnership as Himachal Pradesh took control of their opening game against Kerala at Palghat. After electing to bat first, Himachal lost both their openers with just 53 on the board. But both Bisla and Sangram cracked unbeaten hundreds and flogged the bowlers to all corners of the park. Himachal finished the day in complete command as newly relegated Kerala wondered what depths awaited them yet.
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Pravanjan Mullick helped Orissa get out of a sticky situation as they finished the first day with 276 for 6 at Srinagar. Jammu & Kashmir’s decision to field first appeared to have been justified when they reduced Orissa to 74 for 4. But a 99-run stand between Mullick and Pinninti Jayachandra (59) rescued them before Debasis Mohanty, the former Indian swing bowler, then made a handy 43 and helped continue the fightback.
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Seventeen wickets tumbled on the opening day at Nagpur as Vidarbha and Rajasthan began their campaigns. Chandrasekhar Atram and Sandeep Singh, the Vidarbha opening bowlers, snapped up seven wickets between them as Rajasthan were skittled out for just 101 after being inserted. Vidarbha also found the going extremely tough, as S Mathur and Pudiyangum Krishnakumar reduced them to 97 for 7 at the end of the first day.
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Jasvir Singh compiled a patient 109 as Services were well placed after choosing to bat first in their game against Goa at Palam A Stadium in Delhi. Madhusudhan Reddy, the opener, made 75 and his 156-run second-wicket stand with Jasvir helped to set a solid platform.
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The Bihar bowlers restricted Saurashtra to a modest 230 for 6 at the end of the opening day at Rajkot. Shitanshu Kotak’s painstaking 68, spread over nearly five hours, was the main contribution for Saurashtra as most of the batsmen got a start but failed to kick on to a big score. Jaydev Shah and Prakash Bhatt made 40 apiece but the Bihar bowlers struck at regular intervals and gave their team the upper hand.

ScorecardDay 4
Bulletin – India wrap up series win
Quotes – ‘Ashraful played the best innings of the series’ – Ganguly
The Big Picture – Consolation Prize
Day 3
Bulletin – Ashraful heroics delay the inevitable
Verdict – Blossom in a bed of weeds
Quotes – ‘I’m disappointed that I could not save my team’ – Ashraful
Feature – The Rafique Story: Someone to emulate
The Big Picture – Remembering a legend
Day 2
Bulletin – India in command after making 540
Verdict – Little sparks in darkness
Roving Reporter – The difference a day makes
The Big Picture – No.35 can wait
Day 1
Bulletin – Gambhir and Dravid pile it on
Verdict – Toddler’s candy and the Ugly Sister
Exclusive – Dravid on his endurance
Stat of the day – Dravid’s hundreds in all Test countries
The Big Picture – That sinking feeling

The Madras High Court has directed Prasar Bharti, the national broadcaster, to telecast the upcoming series between India and Pakistan and has permitted them to engage any producer except Zee Telefilms and ESPN-Star.The Indian board has welcomed the order and said that it will take necessary action as per the court’s direction. “We welcome the court order,” SK Nair, the board secretary, was reported as saying on the NDTV website. “We will take necessary action as per the high court direction.” Nair added that the board will take action after obtaining the details of the court order.Ten Sports and Sony, two rival channels, have expressed their interest to produce the series. Kunal Dasgupta, the chief of Sony India, told the Press Trust of India: “We are interested to produce the series and would approach the BCCI on the matter, though finer details in the judgement are yet to be seen.” Sony got international rights for 31 cricketing days last year, and were also responsible for telecast of the World Cup in South Africa.The Indian board had earlier said that the Pakistan series, beginning next week, may be called off if the telecast issue was not resolved. KP Sivasubramanian, a judge in the Madras High Court, passed the ruling and added, “I am sure cricket fans will be happy now.” He said a final judgement would be made later in the writ petition filed by Zee Telefilms after it was denied the TV rights by the board last September.Doordarshan had also telecast the home series against Australia and South Africa earlier in the season on the advice of the Supreme Court. Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the board president, welcomed the interim order, saying all doubts about the Pakistan tour taking place had been removed. Mahendra told AFP: “We will abide by the court’s judgement and finalise the production details soon.”The Pakistan team are due to arrive here on Monday to play three Tests and six one-day internationals on their first full tour of India since 1999. The first Test is scheduled to begin in Mohali on March 8.

ScorecardIndia A defeated India Seniors by six wickets in a thriller under lights at the Wankhede Stadium, but the result was secondary, for this was the first match of a series whose purpose is to bring India’s best together to provide a glimpse of the future. While the eventual result was given form by the old hands of Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, the new boys – Satyajit Parab, Dheeraj Jadhav and Venugopal Rao – gave their sides impetus with a calm that bodes well for the coming years.Dravid and Kaif came together with a mounting run-rate and four men gone. Not long ago, Kaif had admitted that he enjoyed batting with Dravid, and the understanding between them as they scampered between the wickets showed why. Kaif cracked 49 off only 32 balls and Dravid hit 45 off 44, sealing the match in the final over with a towering straight six. It was rivetting stuff on a pitch which assisted everyone.But the base from which the two launched was constructed by Parab and Jadhav, who put on 70 in 13.5 overs. With Lakshmipathy Balaji returning from injury and Gagandeep Singh striving for pace, the bowlers could not find the required length to trouble the openers consistently. Hence the score rattled along until the more aggressive Parab missed a sweep off Ramesh Pawar and was adjudged leg-before. Then Jadhav was joined by Mongia, who appeared so composed and displayed such little excitement, that applause for his fifty was greeted with three waves of the hand. His first attempt at adventure – a foray down the track right after his fifty – ended badly as the shot failed to clear the fence. That provided Anil Kumble with his first wicket of the day, and he was to claim one more later, but the moments in between, when Jadhav and Mongia squirted boundaries, would not have been treasured.Jadhav, a consistent performer at first-class level, made a composed 79, and played a vital hand in stands with Parab, Mongia and Dravid. His running was quick and his placement was spot-on. He fell in an effort to score quick runs, sweeping Pawar to Shikhar Dhawan at square leg (196 for 3).The Seniors owed much to Yuvraj and Rao, who came together after Zaheer Khan had reduced them to 52 for 3. The two steadied the nerves with their 116-run stand for the fourth wicket and helped the team to a commanding 280 for 9. Until then, the going had not been good, for the familiar failings were on show: swishes outside the off stump by Sourav Ganguly, and the sight of a fast bowler causing havoc on a green-tinged pitch.Zaheer glided in with the fluidity and economy of movement of his pre-injury days. Deliveries lifted past faces taken aback with the pace and bounce – in MS Dhoni’s case, between a loose bat and static feet with the second ball of the day. Ganguly edged to first slip after two pokes, and Shikhar Dhawan, who had played well for 23, walked across his stumps and nicked one to the wicketkeeper, Dinesh Karthik.It was then that Yuvraj and Rao, a tiny man possessing a savage cut and a demoralising pull stroke, set about rebuilding and imposing. They were helped by Ajit Agarkar’s inaccuracy – either too short or too wide, or both – and took regular boundaries off him. He was removed and replaced by Rudra Pratap Singh, a left-armer bearing more than a passing resemblance to Ashish Nehra. He troubled Yuvraj with deliveries that reared up and had him squaring up uncomfortably. Yuvraj, otherwise in imperious touch, decided to take charge after evading one particularly prickly delivery and lofted Singh to the cover fence and pulled him to midwicket. Singh, having bowled five overs, was taken off.Yuvraj’s approach to Murali Karthik and Yusuf Pathan – Irfan’s older brother – was just as destructive. He swatted them between fielders to midwicket, and pulled to square-leg over, around, between fielders. His and Agarkar’s day was summed up in one ball on the bowler’s return to the attack – a long-hop which was brutally hammered over mid-off’s head to the fence. His hundred was his second within a week. The last one had helped North Zone clinch the Deodhar Trophy, but this one could not win it. The help he had from Rao, who scored 55, was instrumental in the large total, but the bowlers were lacking. What made the deficiencies even more glaring is that, inexplicably, Irfan Pathan was rested from the side.