Chris Adams, Sussex’s Championship-winning captain, has signed a two-year extension to his contract, which will keep him with the county until the end of the 2006 season.”There has been a lot of speculation about Chris’s future over the last few months," admitted Peter Moores, Sussex’s director of cricket, "and the agreement of the new contract couldn’t have come at a better time as a boost to all at the club.”Chris’ role as both captain and player have been crucial in Sussex’s recent successes and this new contract ensures continuity for the foreseeable future," added Moores. "The key now is for us to focus on the cricket and get ready for what promises to be another exciting journey.”

Alec Stewart, who represented England for over a decade before retiring at the age of 40 last year, has said that the proposed tour of Zimbabwe in October is both unsafe and morally wrong. England are expected to honour their commitment and tour Zimbabwe, unless security fears or a an unlikely veto from the British government force them to do otherwise. The International Cricket Council had warned them of serious repercussions and a massive fine if they failed to meet their obligations.Speaking at a fundraiser, Stewart said: “What’s happening in Zimbabwe isn’t right. Morally, and for safety and security issues, it’s probably not right to go. In fact, it isn’t right to go.” Stewart was part of the World Cup squad that refused to play in Zimbabwe last year, citing security concerns.”The ECB have been backed into a corner,” said Stewart. “The ICC have put the ECB under huge pressure with financial penalties on the tour … that’s harsh.”Stuart MacGill has already pulled out of Australia’s tour of Zimbabwe later this month, but few other Australian players seem likely to follow his example.

Michael Bevan, the former Australian one-day star, is set to join Kent on a short-term contract this summer, and Ian Butler, the 22-year-old New Zealand fast bowler, may also be drafted in.Bevan and Butler will provide Kent with cover for Andrew Symonds, who will be on international duty next month should Australia’s one-day series against Zimbabwe go ahead as scheduled, and Pakistan’s paceman Mohammad Sami, who will be away for eight weeks from mid-July, at the Asia Cup one-day series.This will be Bevan’s fourth spell in county cricket, having played for Yorkshire, Leicestershire and Sussex in the past. He is widely regarded as one of the best one-day batsmen in the world, with an average of 53 from over 200 matches, but was dropped from Australia’s list of contracted players for the 2004-05 season last month after a lean period."I still think that I have room for improvement and my body is feeling great," said Bevan. He is continuing his first-class career with New South Wales, and has been looking for a county contract in England.Butler spent part of last summer with Gloucestershire, and picked up 17 wickets in four Championship matches. He has played seven Tests and 10 one-day internationals since his debut against England in 2002, but was not picked for New Zealand’s current tour.

The five-day conditioning camp for the cream of India’s pace bowling talent started off under cloudy skies in Bangalore on Tuesday morning. Members of the national team were joined by those on the fringes, and some who hope to catch the eye over the next fortnight. Gregory King, the South African trainer, oversaw proceedings as the players were put through a series of tests to determine their fitness levels after a month and a half of rest and recuperation.The 21 men chosen limbered up with a yoga session in the morning and then arrived at the National Cricket Academy so that their fitness levels could be assessed through a combination of bleep tests, cardiovascular endurance tests and core stability tests. Talking to the media, King insisted that the camp was designed with the sole intention of getting the players into shape ahead of what promises to be a gruelling season. “The focus is on fitness, not on injury prevention or the treatment of injury,” he said. “Of course, there will be a bit of bowling and throwing, but then it’s part of fitness training.”The exercises, he said, would be bowler-specific, with some needing more work in certain areas. The accent on fitness assumes added importance when you consider how contenders like Zaheer Khan have been affected by injuries over the past season.After the morning workout, Lakshmipathy Balaji spoke to the media, and the grin that charmed the Pakistani public was as engaging as ever. Stressing that he would like to continue where he left off at the end of last season, Balaji said that a recent tour of England with his club side, Chemplast, had been an invaluable experience, especially his interaction with Mike Hendrick, the former England pace bowler.”It was very good interacting with him,” said Balaji. “I got tips on how to pause in the delivery stride, on having a smooth run up, rhythm, and gradually increasing the pace. I also worked on making the batsmen wait for the ball, like what [Javagal] Srinath and Zaheer do.”

Going on tour with an A team is a serious opportunity to push for a place in the national team. Michael Tissera, former Sri Lankan captain and current manager of the Sri Lanka A team that will tour England has made it clear that he means business. The 16-member squad that forms the second string of cricketers in Sri Lanka have their work cut out. “We are going to make it quite clear to everyone that the joyrides are over,” said Tissera. “The players must be made to realize that this tour is no joke, not a holiday. That it is serious work and if they want to get into the first team they will have to work very hard.”The Sri Lanka A team will leave on a one-month 10-match tour to England on June 28 and Tissera promises it won’t be a honeymoon. “It doesn’t mean that you go to England, see all your friends, have a ball, play the odd match and come back,” he said. “Those days are gone. Sri Lanka Cricket is spending a lot of money on these A team tours. You have to work on the basis that you are the feeder for the first team and your performances are not only going to help Sri Lanka but individually also.”Tissera, 65 now, has a reputation as a strict disciplinarian, and is by no means new to this job. “They have to realize that they are the next lot on the line and that if do well, they have a fine opportunity to play Test cricket. Some of them have already played the odd Test match. But they must now start pushing the others and they’ve still got a good chance. The World Cup is three years away and there’s a good chance for some of these fellows to push for places in the first team. There’s no question about it that there is talent in the team. It is just that it’s got to be harnessed properly.”Tissera also added that the Sri Lankan board would do well to form a core squad that would train together through the year to ensure some sort of continuity in the A team. “A squad of around 18 players or so must be kept together for a couple of years. Otherwise what happens is you go on a tour and come back and you disperse. Very few of these fellows will do work on their own. You have to be organized. When they are organized they do well. Then you can instill team work.”Tissera believed there was no shortage of talent pushing members of the national team for places. “There should be an organized squad for those who are on the fringe of getting into the A team as well, just like they are trying to do now with some of the chaps like Jeevan Mendis, Umesh Wijesiriwardene, Michael Vandort, Tharanga Lakshitha. They are hoping to put them in the academy to work on their technique so that they can come in at any time.”

Scorecard

Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik scored well-paced centuries, shared a 223-run partnership, and took Pakistan to 343 for 5, a score that ended the match as a contest at the half-way stage. Once this huge score was on the board, Hong Kong came under immense pressure and folded for 169, as Pakistan romped home by 173 runs. Persistent rain interruptions reduced the target to 339 from 47 overs, but this didn’t make the slightest bit of difference to the eventual result. This sobering loss ended Hong Kong’s brief association with one-day international cricket for the moment, as they were knocked out of the Asia Cup.Hong Kong’s best chance – and that was a minute one – lay in restricting Pakistan to less than 250. Their bowlers kept them in the match against Bangladesh, restricting them to 221, and a similar effort was needed to keep Pakistan quiet. And Khalid Khan, the left-arm seamer, snapped up both the openers and gave them a glimmer of hope. But all thoughts of restriction were squashed when Younis joined Malik and displayed a whippet-like urgency between the wickets and improvised with ease. Then came the torrent in the last 10 overs and the total went way beyond Hong Kong’s reach.Malik has been a handy customer while coming in lower down in the order and smashing it around towards the end, but hadn’t replicated the same success at No. 3. Yesterday he fell to a needless run-out, but he made sure he didn’t miss out today. He began with a flurry of boundaries, shifted to a lower gear for a short while in the middle overs before launching into an assault towards the end. Loose balls, which were readily available, weren’t spared and the run-rate was constantly hovering around the five-and-a-half per over mark.Younis, who has been in and out of the Pakistan side, also missed out yesterday and hadn’t scored a fifty for nearly a year. His cheeky glides and paddle-sweeps put the bowlers completely off their rhythm and the running between the wickets, along with Malik, kept them within sight of a 300-plus total. Younis, who made nearly 70 runs behind the wicket, swept consummately in the arc between fine-leg and midwicket. Around the 40-over mark, both batsmen shifted to clatter mode and kickstarted the barrage of fours and sixes.Malik, whose hundred came at a run-a-ball, finally fell for 118 as he was caught short of his crease by a direct hit (274 for 3). This was Malik’s third century in one-dayers and included ten fours and two towering sixes. Younis brought up his maiden one-day hundred a shade faster, off 99 balls, and went on a rampage soon after. Abdul Razzaq, an ideal batsman to have in such a situation, joined in the fun and helped propel the total past 300. Younis’s last 44 runs came in only 23 balls, before holing out to Nadeem at midwicket and the last 10 overs produced 105 runs.Chasing 344 is monumental in itself, but having to do so under murky skies with Mohammad Sami and Razzaq producing some unplayable balls makes it almost impossible. Hong Kong crawled along for most of the innings barring a cameo from Tabarak Dar in the middle. After Nasir Hameed was out to the third ball, Tim Smart and Alexander French shared a painful partnership, with French hardly looking for any scoring opportunities. Both were beaten on several occasions and Smart was finally out to Razzaq with Younis completing a sharp chance at second slip (45 for 2).Dar’s six boundaries, four of which were crisply struck, added a coating of vim to the lethargic afternoon. He went after anything short that Naved-ul-Hasan dished out and even dug out a yorker and sent it speeding to the long-off fence. Malik’s fuller one finally did him in as he was bowled trying to sweep from outside the off (95 for 3). French fell in the very next ball, playing on to Farhat, and that triggered a mini-procession. Farhat struck two more quick blows and Sami came back and pocketed the wicket of Ilyas Gul (102 for 7).Razzaq put in an improved performance after a lacklustre show yesterday but the extras bug haunted all the bowlers – they sent down 18 wides and seven no-balls. Manoj Cheruparambil and Afzaal Haider delayed the inevitable in fading light, before Malik wrapped up the tail and completed a great day at the office. Similar days, though, will be vital when the second round of matches begins on Wednesday.

England have been handed a tough draw for their opening match of the 2005 World Cup in South Africa. Clare Connor’s England will face Australia, the favourites, who lost to New Zealand in the last World Cup final in 2000.But England are second favourites to lift the trophy. They are currently ranked second in the world, after winning their home series against New Zealand 3-2 in August.South Africa, India, Pakistan, West Indies and Ireland will also compete in the tournament, in which all eight teams play each other in a league format. The top four then progress to the semi-finals.Claire Taylor, England’s prolific batter and wicketkeeper, told BBC Sport: “It will be a challenge to play Australia first, but what better way to gauge where we are in terms of our form?”England won the World Cup in both 1973 and 1993, when they overturned New Zealand at Lord’s in the final, and they have also reached the final on three other occasions.Clare Connor believes her side has every chance of success when the campaign gets under way in March. She said: “Everyone talks about having the right mix of youth and experience – it’s a bit of a cliché but we’ve got that right at the moment.”We are lucky that we had a tour to South Africa in February and played on some of the same venues,” she added. “We will pick the World Cup squad of 14 players in the autumn from a competitive pool of players.”

Kenya 23 for 1 trail Scotland 300 for 5 dec (Watts 146, Watson 57) by 277 runs
Scorecard

A superb 146 by Fraser Watts put Scotland in a strong position at the end of the first day at Abu Dhabi. At the close, Kenya were 23 for 1 in reply to Scotland’s 300 for 5 declared.On a pitch expected to deteriorate as the match progressed, the toss was always crucial, and Scotland had no qualms about batting first on a low and low pitch after winning it. Watts and Douglas Lockhart (44) gave them a solid start, reaching 93 for 0 at lunch. Watts looked uncertain at the start, surviving two confident shouts for leg-before as well as a leg-side stumping by Abeed Janmohamed off the impressive Kalpesh Patel which looked extremely close.Although Lockhart fell straight after the resumption, Scotland pressed ahead, with Cedric English (22) and Gavin Hamilton (13) supporting Watts as he approached his hundred. The key stand came as Ryan Watson (57) helped Watts add 118 for the fourth wicket, quashing Kenya’s hopes of containing Scotland to a modest score. Both batsmen perished in the quest for quick runs in a bid give their bowlers a few overs at Kenya before the close.The tactic worked, as Malhar Patel was bowled by Asim Butt shortly before stumps. In an inexperienced Kenyan side, much will depend on Ravindu Shah, their one real class act, who was still there with 11 not out at the close.United Arab Emirates 70 for 2 trail Canada 337 for 6 dec (Surkari 139, Maxwell 88, Ali Asad 4-59) by 267 runs
Scorecard
Zubin Sukhari’s 139 put Canada in the driving seat at the end of the first day’s play at Sharjah. At the close, the United Arab Emirates were 70 for 2 in reply to Canada’s 337 for 6 declared.Canada won the toss and chose to bat on a what looked to be an excellent well-grassed pitch. Sukhari and Ashif Mulla got them off to a good start before Ali Asad pierced the defences of Mulla (11). Sukhari and Don Maxwell then punished some ill-disciplined bowling: Maxwell was especially severe on Zahid Shah and Muhammad Tauqir. At lunch, they had put on 112 to take the total to 157 for 1, with Sukhari on 68 and Maxwell on 65.Canada continued to dominate after the break, with Maxwell especially ruthless on anything short before becoming Asad’s second wicket for 88. Ian Billcliff, Canada’s stand-in captain after John Davison was forced to miss the match, maintained the run rate, while Sukhari completed an excellent hundred.Billcliff departed for 44, but the momentum of the innings continued unchecked, despite the loss of three wickets in quick succession as the declaration approached. Sukhari was the last man out, for an excellent 139.The UAE got off to a slow start, losing Naeemuddin Aslam for 19, and then Kashif Khan to a loose shot in the penultimate over.

Stephen Fleming’s disappointment that the “guns were still in their holsters” was shared after the rain-induced anticlimax to the Chappell-Hadlee Series at the Gabba. The match was finally abandoned without a ball being bowled at 5.15pm due to persistent rain, and the gripping contest was drawn at 1-1.”It’s frustrating and disappointing,” said Ricky Ponting. “It was shaping up to be a great game today.” Both sides had claims to the upper hand after Australia won by 17 runs at Sydney, and New Zealand stole the first game by four wickets at the Telstra Dome.But the sparkling new trophy was shared, and nobody knew where to put it following the presentation by Sir Richard Hadlee and Ian Chappell to the joint-winners. The neutral Trans-Tasman territory of Norfolk Island seemed like a good place, so the Australians could pick it up on the way to the three-match series in New Zealand in 2005-06. Australia are due to play five one-day internationals on their tour in February and March, but the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy will not be the prize then.Fleming was already looking forward to resuming the disrupted battle, and was particularly pleased with his side’s fightback after the “hiding” in the Test series. “We have a lot more confidence in our one-day side,” he said. “We feel pretty close to Australia. In some areas we may be ahead.”Ponting said Australia had “scraped through” the series and rated the performance as “OK”. “We didn’t play anywhere near our best cricket, particularly with the bat,” he said. “But even though we lost 4 for 8 and 4 for 10 we still got reasonable totals.”Daniel Vettori, who took four wickets and was responsible for Australia’s two collapses, was the only player to leave the Gabba with something after winning a 42-inch plasma television as the Man of the Series.

Sri Lanka Cricket has launched a relief fund called Cricket-Aid to help victims of the Asian tsunami disaster on the island. The fund will focus on providing immediate emergency relief at the start – managing four camps for displaced victims – and then helping to construct permanent housing for 200 families and orphans."The holocaust of the tsunami has killed past cricketers, upcoming cricketers, officials, friends and supporters of Sri Lanka Cricket," board president Mohan de Silva said at an official launch broadcast live on national television. "Cricket has thrived because of its large following and the board unanimously agreed that we should come forward and provide support in this hour of need."The disaster fund is being headed by former cricket board president Thilanga Sumaithapala and is being supported by cricketers at various levels, their families and board officials on a voluntary capacity. The plan is to raise US$2 million at the outset through charity cricket events, general corporate fundraising and the sale of memorabilia and merchandise.Sri Lanka Cricket have already set-up relief camps in Matara, Dambulla and Badulla. Another camp has been earmarked for Galle if a suitable space can be identified. Victims will be given food, clean water, shelter and have access to health care and counselling. The camps will be largely staffed by volunteers and run in association with the government. The board hopes to house at least 1000 victims at the outset.The long-term goal, though, is to provide permanent high-quality housing for at least 200 families who lost their homes in the disaster. Four `Cricket Villages’ – as they have been coined by the cricket board – have been earmarked for Killinochi in the north-east and Ampara in the east, both areas that were particularly badly hit, as well as Matara in the deep south and Kalutara on the west coast.Each village will include 50 individual two-bedroom homes with access to clean water, a proper sewage system, electricity, schools and various other community facilities. Each house is expected to cost US$5000 to build and the board aims to have the first settlements ready in eight months. The government is helping to identify suitable land."Many of those that lost their lives were ardent lovers of cricket, who cheered us and stood by us throughout the years," said Sri Lanka’s captain Marvan Atapattu. "It is our solemn duty to return the gesture by assisting them in their time of dire need.” And he appealed to potential donors: “Please be generous in your contributions to our effort".So far seven current cricketers playing in board-organised tournaments have been confirmed dead, while numerous have lost friends and family members. Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Chandana, Dilhara Fernando and Nuwan Zoysa all had family members caught up in the disaster. Muttiah Muralitharan had a narrow escape, coming within minutes of being caught up in the giant waves.