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Brian Lara has regained the No. 1 spot in the ICC world Test rankings after his magnificent century at Kensington Oval against Pakistan. Lara’s knock of 130 and 48 guided him from the second position and he displaced Jacques Kallis from the top of the heap.Lara’s captain, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, leaped five positions to No 8 after his knocks of 92 and 153 not out in the first Test against Pakistan, which helped his side to a much-needed win. The top five in the table were otherwise unchanged with Rahul Dravid at No.3, followed by Ricky Ponting and Virender Sehwag.In the bowling rankings, Glenn McGrath has maintained his top position, with Muttiah Muralitharan at No.2, followed by South African duo – Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini.

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Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, is confident that Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs, both of whom are struggling for form, will come through during the current one-day series with New Zealand.Kallis, recently voted ICC Player of the Year, has found runs hard to come by in recent matches. In his last 10 one-day matches, he has scored 158 runs at 15.80 with more than half coming in a single innings of 87 against the West Indies earlier in the year. In the opening ODI against New Zealand at Bloemfontein, he was dismissed without scoring.Gibbs, meanwhile, has been plagued by a combination of injury and poor form. In the first match against New Zealand, on a sluggish pitch, Gibbs crawled to 25 off 69 balls – a far cry from an ODI career strike-rate of over 80.But Arthur insisted to that both players would turn the corner sooner rather than later. “I thought Herschelle was coming right towards the end of his innings. All he really needs is time in the middle.”As for Jacques, I feel he is just one innings away from a big score. I have noticed that he is a bit slow at the moment in getting into his trigger position. This is something we will sort out in the next couple of days.”The frustrating thing is that Jacques looked as though he was just starting to get his form back on the final day of the Super Series Test in Sydney. He was, of course, not helped by the rushed nature of his trip back to South Africa from Australia. He hardly got his feet on the ground before the New Zealand series started. Generally, a team needs a little bit of fine tuning in a lot of areas.”As a result, Arthur has called for two practice sessions on Tuesday, when none were scheduled, and the second is due to take place under floodlights to get attuned to the conditions for the second match on Friday.”We haven’t played a one-day match under floodlights for some time, so it is something we need to get used to again.”

Scorecard

Shib Shankar Paul put Bangladesh Cricket Board XI on the verge of a big defeat in their opening game of the Duleep Trophy as East Zone dominated the second day at Nagpur. Paul’s six-wicket haul in the first innings skittled out Bangladesh for just 142 and they conceded a massive first-innings lead of 312. It was a similar story in the second innings and Bangladesh struggled to 123 for 8 at stumps.Mohammad Ashraful, who top-scored with 40 in the first innings, managed only 1 in the second as Bangladesh lost wickets at regular intervals. Saghir Hossain, their wicket-keeper, top-scoring with a modest 34 and both Aftab Ahmed and Alok Kapali, batsmen with Test experience, didn’t make too much of an impression.Paul added two more wickets in the second innings before Sanjib Sanyal, his fellow medium pacer, snapped up three more and had Bangladesh reeling at 44 for 5. Ranadeb Bose, the medium pacer who was the highest wicket-taker in league phase of the Ranji Trophy, claimed two more and put East on the threshold of their first win in the tournament.Earlier in the day, East, who began on 356 for 5, stretched their score to 454 mainly due to Sourav Ganguly’s fine 170. Ganguly, who had missed his side’s opening game owing to an injury, smacked 21 fours and four sixes before he was dismissed by Manjural Islam Rana, the left-arm spinner.With an innings defeat looming, Bangladesh now turn their attention to Jaipur, where they will meet Central Zone on March 1.

Bangladesh A 287 for 7 (Al Sahariar 62, Faisal 61*) beat Zimbabwe A 227 (Rinke 49, Gripper 49, Razzaq 7-17) by 60 runs
ScorecardA devastating spell of bowling from Abdur Razzaq, a left-arm spinner from Khulna, took Bangladesh A to a comprehensive victory in their third one-dayer against Zimbabwe A at Dhaka. Razzaq took 7 for 17 in eight overs as Zimbabwe A collapsed, after an opening stand of 99, to 227. They fell short of Bangladesh A’s 287 by 60 runs.The run-chase had begun superbly, with Piet Rinke and Trevor Gripper hitting a flurry of boundaries off Tareq Aziz and Alamgir Kabir, as the score progressed to 99 in just 14.4 overs. But Razzaq’s introduction into the attack changed everything, as he got both Rinke and Gripper out for 49 – both batsmen were decieved into giving return catches.The Zimbabweans went steadily downhill from there, as Razzaq, mixing loopy flighted deliveries with quicker flat ones, tied the batsmen up in knots. Stuart Matsikenyeri smashed 48 off 50 balls in a rear-guard action, but he found no support from his fellow batsmen. Razzaq, who had taken 3 for 14 in the six overs of his first spell, returned to the attack to pick up four more wickets for just three runs. Matsikenyeri was one of his victims, brilliantly caught at gully by Jamaluddin Babu. That wicket, the sixth to fall, in the 44th over, with the score on 216, sealed the issue.Earlier, Mohammad Al Sahariar had anchored the Bangladesh innings with a sedate 92-ball innings of 62, to set Bangladesh A on their way towards a big score. Faisal Hossain, one of the rising stars of Bangladesh cricket, hit a sparkling 61 not out, off 67 balls, to ensure that their early momentum was not lost. The Bangladeshis finished on 287 for 7, and although the target seemed eminently gettable when Rinke and Gripper were flaying the bowling, Razzaq bowled to a script all his own.Bangladesh went up 2-1 in the five match series with this win. The last two games are due to be played at Khulna in April 5 and 6.

Australia’s cricket authorities face a stern test of their new hardline anti-racism laws, after it was reported that Monty Panesar had been taunted as “a stupid Indian who can’t speak English”, during England’s three-day warm-up match against New South Wales at Sydney.Panesar, who underwent counselling from the team psychologist, Steve Bull, ahead of England’s trip Down Under, was fielding on the boundary fence under the Clive Churchill Stand, when he was abused by a group of fans on the opening day of the match.Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported that a spectator had shouted: “Give us a wave Monty. You can’t speak English you stupid Indian, I’ll have to say it in Indian. What are you doing playing in the English side, you’re not English.”No official complaint has been made, although the paper added that both Panesar and the South African-born Kevin Pietersen were subjected to similar abuse during England’s opening fixture of the tour in Canberra on Friday, where eight people were ejected from the ground for unruly behaviour.Under the new regulations, fans may face lifetime bans if they are found guilty of racial abuse during a match, while the venues themselves could be stripped of international status if they fail to act on any transgressions. The SCG Trust, who are responsible for the upkeep of the ground, admitted that three people had been ejected for excessive drunkenness.Australia’s racism problem came to light during South Africa’s tour of the country last year, when Graeme Smith’s men complained of the use of the derogatory term “kaffir”. This week, Smith himself warned Panesar of the reception he was likely to get, adding: “We all shivered at the prospect of what he could be in for.”A spokesman for the England team said: “We have come out here to play the game with dignity, and we expect the Australian fans will show the sportsmanship they are renowned for and hope they will respect the players both on and off the field.”

Jim Love, Scottish cricket’s former chief executive, has expressed surprise that his successor, Gwynne Jones, has emerged with so much credit after resigning from his post last Monday.Jones quit after two years in the post, after criticising his main investor Sportscotland and struggling to gain extra funds. Love, a straight-talking Yorkshireman who played three ODIs for England in 1981, cannot understand why he attracted so much praise.”If he was that bloody good, why haven’t they kept him on?” said Love. “It doesn’t make sense. It does rile me that he has been taking credit for things that Alex Ritchie [former Scottish Cricket Union manager] and I did. We put in a power of work to get things up and running, particularly at age-group levels.”Love took Scotland to the 1999 World Cup but was unable to repeat the feat four years later. “It seems Mr Jones has concentrated on raising his own profile and nothing has progressed at youth level.” His main achievement was to secure Scotland a place in the National Cricket League last summer, but much of the groundwork for that was put in by Love.Jones’ departure comes just a month before Scotland take part in the ICC Six Nations Challenge tournament in the United Arab Emirates. The prize for the winners is a place in September’s ICC Champions Trophy in England.

Despite threatening to sue the United Cricket Board of South Africa for unfair dismissal, Lance Klusener has attempted to build bridges with South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith, by offering his services if Jacques Kallis chooses not to rejoin the current tour of England.Klusener, 31, was dropped from South Africa’s squad after the World Cup, and was branded “disruptive” by Smith in a breakfast interview. His threat of legal action is based on his loss of earnings, as Klusener has claimed he turned down offers of work with English counties after being assured he would be included in the Test squad.But now, with South Africa waiting for Kallis to decide whether he wants to continue playing so soon after the death of his father, Klusener has offered himself up as a potential replacement. “I would like the captain to know that if he has a problem on this tour I am available to step into the breach if wanted,” Klusener told the Mail on Sunday, "with my boots already packed.”I care passionately about South African cricket and the team," added Klusener, a veteran of 48 Tests and 154 one-day internationals. “I will admit that I am reserved and unwilling to stand up and address a room full of people. There is no dark side to my character I need to hide."”I’d like nothing better than to be given the chance to share a beer with Graeme [Smith] and discuss the future. What is so sad is that he has made statements about me without even knowing me properly. But I bear no grudges and I would like to explain to him how I think we could still work together for the team’s benefit.”

Len Chandler, Sussex’s 1st XI scorer from 1982 to 2001, has died in hospital aged 77. He had been suffering from a short illness and finally passed away on September 2. A minute’s silence was observed in his honour before the Sussex v Middlesex floodlit NCL match the following day.Len was educated at Chichester High School, before joining the Royal Navy in 1943 and working for the Admiralty in Whitehall. He was then posted to Portsmouth where he served with HMS Royal Ulsterman, and saw action at Normandy on D-Day and in the Far East.After demob, Len worked in the building industry for many years before taking over as Sussex scorer from Geoffrey Saulez in 1982. During his time as scorer he moved from the pencil days to the laptop computer days – without batting an eyelid, but with plenty to say about it.Len was an important part of this Club and it won’t be the same without him. His irascible nature and great sense of humour will be missed. The thoughts and sympathies of Sussex CCC are with his family at this time.

Shoaib Akhtar has agreed to return to Durham next season. He played seven first-class matches for them in 2003, taking 34 wickets at just over 17 runs apiece. He will team up with Herschelle Gibbs as the club’s two overseas players.”Shoaib is one of the world’s greatest bowlers and we are delighted that he is coming back to Durham for a second season,” said Jon Lewis, Durham’s captain. “He was a prolific wicket-taker during his short time with us last year”, he added. “We are expecting great performances from Shoaib and Herschelle, however, they will also play an important part in the development of our young talented players.”Bob Jackson, Durham’s chairman, was also pleased with the news. He said: “The prospect of Shoaib Akhtar and Stephen Harmison pairing up with the new ball is certainly mouth-watering and I expect opening batsmen around the country will not fancy the Durham fixture next year.”

Division OneLeicestershire v Essex, Grace RoadBrad Hodge is set to make his championship debut for Leicestershire after returning from international duty with Australia A, and a first outing of the season is also in prospect for Devon Malcolm, who was overlooked for last week’s draw against Kent, but is included in a 13-man squad. Essex will be without Andrew McGarry, who is still troubled by a side strain.Surrey v Warwickshire, The OvalOne international sent to the bench, another promoted to the starting line-up – Surrey have taken another leaf out of Manchester United’s book, as Mark Butcher plays his first match of the season … at the expense of Graham Thorpe. Rikki Clarke, who made a match-saving century against Lancashire last week, has also been excluded, as Martin Bicknell and Alec Stewart take their places for the first time this season. Warwickshire’s Australian seamer Michael Clark is expected to pass a late fitness test on his injured groin, although their captain, Michael Powell, misses out again with a broken toe.Sussex v Kent, HoveWith no injury worries, Sussex are expected to name an unchanged side, despite their nail-biting three-wicket defeat against Middlesex last week. Mushtaq Ahmed is expected to play a more prominent role after recovering from the finger infection which hampered his bowling at Lord’s. Kent’s David Fulton and Min Patel remain sidelined following eye and back operations respectively.Division Two Derbyshire v Somerset, DerbyDerbyshire welcome back Michael Di Venuto, Chris Bassano, Mohammad Ali and Kevin Dean, all of whom sat out the three-day game against Bradford/Leeds UCCE last week. Somerset are boosted by the presence of Marcus Trescothick and Andy Caddick, after they were cleared to play by the ECB. However, their fellow international Ian Blackwell is unavailable after splitting the webbing on a hand against Gloucestershire.Durham v Gloucestershire, Chester-le-StreetDurham’s South African seamer Dewald Pretorius is set to make his championship debut after picking up four wickets in Sunday’s National League victory over Somerset. Gloucestershire are boosted by the return of Mike Smith and Jon Lewis after injury, but with a Durham greentop in prospect, Martyn Ball has been dropped in favour of Mark Hardinges, despite taking seven wickets against Northamptonshire.Hampshire v Yorkshire, SouthamptonSimon Katich is set to make his Hampshire debut against former club Yorkshire, after completing his international duty with Australia A. Ed Giddins is doubtful with bruised ribs, although Chris Tremlett has made a full recovery from sore shins. Yorkshire have lost Matthew Elliott to a knee injury, but they have received ample compensation in the return of Michael Vaughan, who has been cleared to play by the ECB. Matthew Hoggard and Craig White both miss out, however.Worcestershire v Northamptonshire, WorcesterGraeme Hick, Nantie Hayward, Kabir Ali, Steve Rhodes and David Leatherdale all return to the Worcestershire side after missing last week’s three-day game against Oxford UCCE. Mike Hussey plays his first championship game of the season for Northants, despite David Paynter’s half-century against Gloucestershire. Ricky Anderson makes way for Ben Phillips, while John Blain replaces Graeme Swann, who has an ankle injury.