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Bob Woolmer may have been poisoned by a weedkiller, high concentrations of which were found in his stomach and on the outside of a champagne glass, according to a report in .The paper said it had been told by “a source close to the Jamaican police” that Woolmer had ingested enough of the herbicide to kill him. Detectives were looking into two bottles of champagne that had been gifted to Woolmer, one of which had been emptied while the other remained unopened in his hotel room. Woolmer was found dead in his room at the Pegasus hotel in Jamaica the day after Pakistan’s elimination from the World Cup.The weedkiller was so rare, reported, that investigators had yet to establish whether it is available in Jamaica.”Everything was contaminated,” said the police source. “The stomach content, the glass, everything. There was enough to kill him. We think it’s something very unusual, that you can’t even buy in Jamaica.”We don’t know what form it was in, whether liquid or crystal. The weedkiller was certainly in the glass. We are not sure whether it was in the bottle. Until we get further results we can’t confirm it.”Pervez Mir, the former manager of the Pakistan team, said Woolmer had received the champagne. “I was told that somebody had brought two bottles,” he said, adding that Woolmer was not particularly fond of champagne. “He told me he was mostly a beer drinker because he was a diabetic and it suited his blood sugar.”

Andre Adams, the New Zealand allrounder, has signed a two-year contract with the Indian Cricket League (ICL). His move comes after his recent criticism of the New Zealand coach John Bracewell and the rest of the selectors for continuing to exclude him from the national squad.”It’s an opportunity I simply can’t turn down,” Adams told the . It also offers me the chance to play in India for the first time with and against some high profile players. I’m excited about the challenge.”Adams had lashed out after failing to make the Test squad for the home series against Bangladesh despite leading the State Championship bowling averages with 29 wickets at 8.27.”I’m pretty disappointed with the treatment I’ve received over the past year, especially not being picked for the World Cup,” Adams had said. “I don’t have any loyalty to New Zealand Cricket. I have done my bit for them and if it means I had to knock my aspirations of playing Test cricket again on the head, so be it.”The last time Adams turned out for New Zealand was in January 2007, and after missing out on the inaugural ICC World Twenty20, he said: “I’ve watched some players who were picked ahead of me have a pretty average time of it, and they just keep playing.”When I was also left out of the Twenty20 world champs, I thought `well, if I can’t get in ahead of Bradley Scott I must be a fair bit off the pace.”Adams’ decision means he becomes ineligible for national selection, thereby bringing his international career to a halt. He played 42 ODIs and scored 417 runs at 17.45 and claimed 53 wickets with career-best figures of 5 for 22 against India. He also played a solitary Test, against England in 2002, when he claimed six wickets.

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.”

Zaheer Khan, the Indian left-arm seamer, has said that he would like to continue his association with Worcestershire after enjoying a successful stint with the county side this season.Zaheer was drafted in as a last-minute replacement for Australian paceman Nathan Bracken, and is currently the leading wicket-taker of the second division of the County Championship with 69 wickets, a figure surpassed this season only by Mushtaq Ahmed, the Pakistan legspinner, now playing for Sussex. Though he was omitted from the Indian touring squad for Sri Lanka, he was later included among the 30 probables for the Champions Trophy in October.”Worcester is definitely a place I’d like to come back to next year,” he told Sky Sports. “I’ve really enjoyed this season. The dressing room has been great and I have made a lot of new friends.”The ground here is also very beautiful and hopefully if things go well I might come back next year. I’ve not really had any discussions with the club so far and am just focusing on finishing the season on a good note.”Zaheer was also hopeful of making a comeback to the Indian side on the back of his performances. “India are touring England for three months next season so that might be a factor. I am very hopeful of being recalled to the Indian side very soon. It will be down to my performances and that is in my hands.”But if I can’t come back to Worcester next season, I would definitely like to come back here some time in the future.”

An unusually crisp and cold March greeted the players from India and Zimbabwe in the capital city New Delhi where the second and final Test was to be played. Down one-nil, the visitors had to win the match to square the series. The Feroz Shah Kotla wicket on first viewing looked like it was going to deteriorate and might not even last the five days. A batsman’s party track and the spinners could look forward to the turn that the pitch would provide as the days went by.Both sides made one change from the side that played in the city of oranges, Nagpur. Gavin Rennie made way for Dion Ebrahim for Zimbabwe and V V S Laxman was replaced by Virendra Sehwag for India. Stuart Carlisle won the all-important toss and elected to bat; Sourav Ganguly’s bad luck with tosses continued as he had to do what the opposition demandedZimbabwe did not have the ideal start as the two openers, captain Carlisle and Trevor Gripper, were dismissed cheaply. Zimbabwe were in deep trouble, and the tale of woe seemed to continue. The silver lining came in the form of young Dion Ebrahim, playing in his 12th Test, who played an innings of character, surpassing his personal best but unfortunately missing out on what would have been his first Test century by only 6 runs. Scoring your first Test century is a feeling that is indescribable. There is a sense of achievement, a sense of fulfillment and above all a sense of confidence.The other ray of hope was the positive in-touch Andy Flower who stroked the ball with immaculate touch. He inched his way to a much awaited century but fell eight short. One must admit that it was good to see Andy back in the limelight, after staying away in the shade for what seemed like a long time. The other star performance came from the dauntless and gutsy Travis Friend who battled almost alone to get his team to a respectable score. Eventually Zimbabwe were bowled out for 319.For India, Anil Kumble added three more wickets to his tally, and Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath and Harbhajan Singh pocketed two wickets each, showing a satisfactory all-round display in the bowling department.India started with a few hiccups, but seemed to settle down on a pitch that promised runs. Even though the star master – Tendulkar – could not score a large number, the captain Sourav Ganguly took the reins in his hand and got to his eighth Test century, but more importantly he broke the 28-month period where no hundreds were scored. The new sensation with the willow for India, the Tendulkaresque Virendra Sehwag, played a useful innings and helped India to get close to the Zimbabwean total. India were bowled out for 329.For the visitors, Heath Streak impressed on a wicket that was nowhere near ideal for pace, as he claimed four wickets, and spinner Ray Price bowled sensibly as he added three more to his tally.Zimbabwe failed to make a mark in the second innings as wickets fell like a pack of cards (for want of a better metaphor). The only performances worth mentioning were a 37 from the captain Carlisle and a gutsy 49 from Grant Flower. The spin twins for India ruled the day as they claimed all the wickets among themselves, with Harbhajan claiming six wickets and Anil Kumble adding four more to his ever increasing tally of Test wickets.The hosts were required to get a modest 122 to win the match and thereby the series. But the number 122 will ring loud for some of the team as a few years ago they lost a Test match to the West Indies, failing to get to the same total. They started on the wrong note, losing wickets cheaply, but one solid partnership saved the day for the hosts. They won the match by four wickets on paper, but the real winners were the Zimbabweans, who put up a gutsy fight right till the end. They deserved to win, but then that is cricket: you don’t always get what you deserve.The honours went to the Indians, but the visitors can take heart from the fact that, in the eyes of many cricket lovers, the sheer willingness to perform did wonders for the game.The Indian spin twins walked away with accolades, Harbhajan adjudged the man of the match and Anil Kumble the man of the series.That was curtains on the two-match Test series between India and Zimbabwe, with the hosts taking the final bow. With every series there are things to be learnt, and in this never-ending quest for knowledge, teams enhance their greatness.There will be another encounter, another place, another time and the game of cricket will continue to enthrall. One thing is for certain – the cricket show will go on!

ScorecardAllrounder Dave Bernard starred in Jamaica’s five-wicket win against Windward Islands at the Beausejour Stadium. Bernard took three wickets in ten economical overs and scored 23 to guide his side to the modest target of 162.After Wavell Hinds chose to insert the opposition, Bernard struck in the second over, picking up two wickets in consecutive balls. Junior Murray (44) and Liam Sebastien (45) then staged a recovery, adding 40 for the fifth wicket. Nikita Miller, the left-arm spinner, broke the partnership when Murray was stumped by Carlton Baugh Jnr. Miller and Jermaine Lawson supported Bernard well, as the trio shared for eight wickets between them to bundle out Windwards for 161 in only 43.2 overs.Jamaica well well-placed for victory at 64 for 1 but lost three quick wickets for the addition of just 14 runs. Tamar Lambert and Bernard then consolidated in a crucial fifth-wicket stand of 72. Bernard was dismissed before Jamaica reached their target, trapped in front to a googly off Rawl Lewis. Lambert was undefeated on 48 with eight fours off 89 balls. Windwards were guilty of conceding too many extras, 32 in all, including 13 wides and 11 no-balls.
ScorecardKevin Stoute anchored Barbados to a six-wicket win over Leeward Islands at the Carlton Club Ground. Stoute top-scored with 73 and shared two vital stands to guide Barbados to the victory target of 227 with five overs remaining. He added 68 for the second wicket with opener Patrick Browne (39) and 83 for the third with Floyd Reifer.Stoute was adjudged leg before in the 41st over, playing across the line and Reifer was caught at long-on in the 44th over. Both built on the solid opening stand of 55 provided by Browne and Dale Richards. Richards looked in good touch with a few neat drives through the off-side, but was unfortunately run-out in the 12th over, backing up too far at the bowler’s end and failing to beat the throw by Maxford Pipe, the substitute fielder.Leewards were restricted to 226 for 9 in 49.4 overs, and were set back when Steve Liburd was forced to retire hurt, injuring his left arm after colliding with Fidel Edwards. Liburd was unbeaten on 31 and Leewards were effectively 70 for 4 at that stage. Tonito Willett lifted the side with a run-a-ball 46 that included four fours and two sixes, and the lower order lifted the side to 226. Ryan Hinds was the most effective bowler, picking up four wickets.
ScorecardKieron Pollard scored an aggressive 87 to help Trinidad and Tobago secure a comfortable five-wicket win over Guyana at the Queens Park Oval. His knock consumed just 58 balls with seven sixes and six fours, as his side overhauled the modest target of 184 with 15 overs to spare.Pollard, in West Indies’ provisional World Cup squad, got off the mark with a massive six over the long-off boundary off offspinner Narsingh Deonarine. He reached his fifty with another six over long-off, this time off Deon Ferrier. He was particularly harsh on on left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, hitting him for three consecutive sixes. However, Permaul got the better off him, bowling Pollard off the inside edge.Pollard shared two 50-plus partnerships, adding 56 with debutant Darren Bravo and 51 off 36 balls with Jason Mohammed.Earlier, after being put into bat, the Guyana openers, Azeemul Haniff (53) and Royston Crandon (13) added 40. However, wickets tumbled at regular intervals, as the batsmen struggled against Ravi Rampaul in particular. Rampaul, playing his first regional match in two years sidelined due to various injuries, took 4 for 53 and got good support from left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed who bagged 2 for 24.

Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman, has been made the vice-captain for New Zealand’s tour of South Africa.The squad’s general manager, Lindsay Crocker, said McCullum had displayed ‘leadership qualities’ on and off the field during New Zealand’s ongoing tour match against a South African Invitational XI at Bloemfontein. He scored a vital 46 and was involved in a 100-run stand for the seventh wicket with captain Daniel Vettori to take New Zealand to 318.”He gets around the other players and keeps them involved with what’s happening. He was an obvious candidate for the role,” Crocker told , a Wellington-based website, adding that the role was only for this tour and would be reviewed on a series-by-series basis.New Zealand had not named a vice-captain when they flew to South Africa but McCullum was considered to be in the core group of the 15-man squad.

At the start of the season Australia were intent on retaining their world-beating status and by the end were just trying to limit damage. With much hindrance from a committed opponent, they failed with both aims. The No. 1 one-day ranking will be lost to South Africa if they beat Bangladesh 3-0 this month and the drop would be another dent for a team that has struggled with its identity since the fractious Sydney Test.In the first week of the New Year Ricky Ponting won a world-record equalling 16th Test in a row and was preparing to head to Perth for what should have been the easiest contest of the series with India. Instead it became the most difficult due to a mix of public reaction to Sydney, a flat surface and a touring team that had been galvanised during their threats to take all bats, balls and briefcases home. Australia lost at the WACA and over the next two months were mostly unrecognisable from the all-conquering outfit of 2007.How much Australians turned against their national team is hard to gauge exactly, but the players were shocked when large sections criticised their overall performance at the SCG. The Test ended in the most remarkable result but was instantly over-shadowed by a rash of controversies. Following team discussions covering behaviour and attitude, the side retained its spirit-of-cricket pledge and vowed to be “hard but fair” – the same way they believed they had always performed.Australian players in the Perth contest said it was the quietest Test they had ever been part of due to the fear of offending. Australia lost in four days, the streak was over and the aura slowly diminished. Having shed a quartet of outstanding competitors the previous summer, Australia had actually done well to keep things together for so long. Adam Gilchrist’s departure, which he revealed during the draw in Adelaide, will make things much harder as they try to recover ground and mojo.While the Test series was a success despite the swing in the final two games, Australia’s CB Series stumbled towards disaster even when they were winning. Four bonus points were collected by the home team, but the fringe benefits flattered an outfit that was struggling with fatigue, a range of issues that never seemed to disappear, a wobbling batting order and an underperforming captain and key allrounder. A more vibrant Indian side was not brought down by the various controversies, which seemed to act as spurs instead of weights.If Ponting and Andrew Symonds had completed merely average returns things could have been different. Instead the pair, which was heavily involved in the Indian Premier League developments, combined for only 365 runs in ten matches and the bowlers could not sustain their miracle escapes in the two matches that mattered most. Nathan Bracken, who is now a one-day specialist, was incredible in capturing 21 wickets and the Man-of-the-Series award, while Brett Lee was inspirational until the finals, when he looked as tired as a new parent.In a three-team tournament Australia needed more from than their batsmen than finishing fifth (Gilchrist), sixth (Michael Clarke), seventh (Matthew Hayden) and eighth (Michael Hussey) on the run list. It was the lack of output that resulted in the absence of the series trophy for the second year in a row. A 2-0 defeat was an appropriate outcome and something the players accepted.India irritate Australia’s senior men in a way no other team can manage and the uneasy relationship adds to the home side’s confusion. Australia knew they should have been better than their eclectic opponents, but they were unable to remember the valid reasons why.The age-old talk became nasty by modern standards and India’s new breed had not been kicked around in previous series. Big-name reputations didn’t matter and Australia’s substance went missing. The future will be fascinating as the players wrestle with their outlooks while battling opposition sides that will now give themselves a serious chance of winning.

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New South Wales’ decision to play Andrew Johns, the rugby league star, put them out of contention for the final as Simon Katich refused to put Johns on strike in the last over, handing South Australia victory. The Blues were chasing the Redbacks’ modest 150 and fell to 9 for 138 in the 19th over. Johns, the No. 11, joined Katich but with 13 needed from the final six balls, Katich was unable to find the boundary and protected Johns by neglecting singles off Ryan Harris.Five dot balls and a four from Katich meant the game petered out to a loss for the Blues, a disappointing result for the Newcastle crowd, who came in part to watch Johns, their home-town hero. South Australia failed to capitalise on their blazing start – they were 2 for 50 after five overs – as regular wickets kept the run-rate down. Graham Manou (43) and Darren Lehmann (33) top-scored but it was their bowlers who put them back in the game. The home side struggled as the spinners Dan Cullen and Nathan Adcock took three wickets each.
ScorecardMichael Di Venuto and George Bailey blasted Tasmania to a comprehensive 85-run victory at Hobart. Western Australia crumbled in response to the Tigers’ 4 for 208, limping to 8 for 123. Di Venuto ran out of time to reach a century but his unbeaten 95 came from only 56 deliveries, while Bailey hammered seven sixes in his 21-ball 60.The pair took 31 from one Adam Voges over, which started with four sixes and a single from Bailey before Di Venuto also belted the last ball over the rope. While the Warriors’ medium-pacers were costly, Tasmania’s fast men proved dangerous and economical. Damien Wright’s brilliant spell of 1 for 14 from four overs and Brendan Drew’s 1 for 24 set the tone, with the visitors never able to cut loose. Luke Pomersbach continued to impress with 40 from 21 balls but the required run-rate ballooned out of control and Tasmania cruised to their first win of the tournament.
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Victoria jumped to the top of the KFC Twenty20 table after some outstanding bowling by their fast men, led by Mick Lewis and Shane Harwood. Brad Hodge, the Bushrangers’ acting captain, had set up a tough run-chase for Queensland at Melbourne, and in reply to Victoria’s 6 for 194 the visitors collapsed to be all out for 106 in the 17th over. Lewis took 4 for 10 from 3.2 overs and Harwood 2 for 13 as they kept the pressure on the Bulls, who never looked settled.Hodge continued his excellent form and is the leading run-scorer in the tournament despite the Bushrangers’ match against Tasmania being washed out. His 65 from 46 balls was the cornerstone of the home team’s innings, before Aaron Nye, the offspinner, slowed things down with three wickets in one over. But Andrew McDonald and Adam Crosthwaite launched a late blitz; McDonald took only 22 deliveries to score an unbeaten 36, while Crosthwaite’s 23-ball 39 featured inventive paddle shots and a huge six over backward point.

For Malinda Warnapura the long wait is over. When he walks out to open the Sri Lanka innings against Bangladesh in the first Test starting on June 25 at the SSC in Colombo it will hopefully launch him on a course that will ensure a permanent place in the national team. Despite his impending Test debut, there are no signs of nervousness, instead a steely determination to make the best out of the opportunity. “I am waiting to play and I am hoping I can make it good,” he deadpanned.For Warnapura, 28, the remarkable change to his career came two years ago. “I used to play a season with my club Colombo Colts and then go to England and play league cricket. I did it for five seasons thinking that this is as far as I will go in the game. But Romesh Kaluwitharana (the former Sri Lanka wicket-keeper-batsman) changed all that,” said Warnapura.”Romesh who took over as coach of Colts said you can do better than that and one day play for your country because you have the talent and the ability. I was batting at No.5 or 6 and he pushed me up the order to No.3 from where I started to make a load of runs,” Warnapura, nephew of Sri Lanka’s first Test captain Bandula Warnapura, said. Chandika Hathurusingha, the Sri Lanka A team coach too had a big influence in his career. “He’s made better cricketers out of all of us because he thinks like an Australian,” Warnapura remarked.The 2005-06 season was special. Warnapura enjoyed his best season with Colts, accumulating the third highest aggregate with 829 runs (avg. 59.21), including three centuries and three fifties from 11 first-class matches. He was picked for the Sri Lanka A team’s tour of India for the Duleep trophy and showed outstanding form in the tournament hitting back-to-back unbeaten centuries at the famous Eden Gardens in Kolkata. His 111 not out steered the team to the final and in the final against North Zone (the eventual winners) he compiled 149 not out to finish with an aggregate of 421 runs (avg. 105.25) from three matches.Disappointment was to follow when he was left out of the tour to New Zealand in preference to Chamara Silva. Warnapura was selected to tour West Indies with Sri Lanka A instead, but illness for the most part prevented him from producing his best. But the chance for redemption came when Bangladesh A toured Sri Lanka in March-April this year. Warnapura began the unofficial ‘Test’ series with a monumental double century, the first in his career – 242 off 367 balls, an innings which clearly showed his temperament for the big occasion. He was made captain for the one-day series that followed and opening the batting in the second game hit an unbeaten 104 off 113 balls. Sri Lanka A made a clean sweep of the series 3-0.”Although most people think that I am good for Test cricket I know I can adapt myself to both versions of the game,” said Warnapura. He has already broken into ODIs making his debut for Sri Lanka against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi last month. Warnapura’s strong point is his wonderful temperament which enables him to concentrate for long periods in the middle. Backed by a good technique he looks ideal Test match material.Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene confirmed the prevailing view. “I’ve played against Malinda quite a while ago in club cricket. He was a very gutsy cricketer at that time as well. In the last year and a half he’s been very consistent with the bat with the A team and scored some big runs under pressure situations especially in India in the Duleep trophy.”It’s good to see that he is mentally prepared to fight out tough situations. He looks pretty good in technique and has a good temperament. We feel that he is a player who definitely is part of our longer version of the game. It’s good that he’s got his opportunity when he is in form. He deserves his spot. The only thing is that he is not an out-and-out opener but a No. 3. I am sure he can handle this situation. It will be a very good opportunity for him.”