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Australian Darren Holder has resigned after seven months as coaching manager for the West Indies Cricket Board. Holder, who had been in Australia with the West Indies team, albeit on vacation, will return to his home "due to a recent significant change in the circumstances surrounding his personal life."A release from the WICB quoted Holder as also saying that despite his "grave disappointment" at leaving, he enjoyed his stint in the Caribbean. "However there are things more important than cricket as the present situation at home has clearly demonstrated to me."The WICB also accepted the resignation of its Management Associate E-Commerce Operations, Marita Laurent, who has worked on marketing and the WICB’s website since 2001.

Close Australia 121 for 2 (Langer 40*, Lehmann 51*) lead Bangladesh97 (Ashraful 23, McGrath 3-20, Lee 3-23) by 24 runs
Scorecard

The Australian crawl used to be the style that powered their swimmers to the top of the world rankings, but it was never a term meant to describe theirbatting against the minnows of world cricket. But that was what happened today in Darwin, when Australia cold-footed it to 121 for 2 by stumps – a lead of 24 – after Bangladesh had become the first Test side to score less than 100 at Test cricket’s newest outpost.For all but the last dozen or so overs, the Australian run rate sputtered along at around 2.5 an over, before climbing to 2.69. Coming from a side that has made scoring at a fast clip one of the cornerstones of their success – since the Ashes series of 2001, they have scored at 3.96per over – it was bizarre to watch.However, despite the loss of Matthew Hayden (11) and Ricky Ponting (10), Australia were in a formidable position with Justin Langer and Darren Lehmann at the crease, and the threat of Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist and Martin Love to follow. Bangladesh will be thankful that the Marrara Oval has such a painfully slow outfield. While it denied them more runs, it frustrated the Australians as much, if not more.The Australians walked out to field wearing black armbands, in memory of Victoria stalwart John Scholes, who died earlier this week aged only 53.The Bangladeshis, as expected, struggled to cope with the experienced bowling attack when asked to bat first on a pitch of variable bounce. Poor techniquewas ruthlessly exposed, with several dismissals attributable to failing toget in line, leaving gaps between bat and pad or playing down the wrong line. Glenn McGrath added three scalps to lift his career haul to 428, while Brett Lee, despite an inconsistent spell, took 3 for 23.Mohammad Ashraful briefly suggested that he could provide the necessary solidity to the Bangladesh innings, but then, in the vital moments before lunch, he miscued a hook off the last ball of the first over of Glenn McGrath’s second spell, chipping it up for Jason Gillespie to take the catch behind square leg.The seventh-wicket pairing of the two Khaleds, Mashud and Mahmud, achievedthe highest partnership of the innings, adding 27. Mahmud relished successive fours off McGrath – a pull and a hook – but the bowler had the last word, breaking the stand by having Mashud leg before wicket.Mahmud followed soon after for 21, when an attempted cut off Stuart MacGill was top-edged to Adam Gilchrist. Gillespie and Brett Lee polished off the lower order. The Australian bowling bore the hallmarks of an out-of-season campaign but it was still too much for Test cricket’s newest boys.Lehmann’s half-century was his fifth in Tests, coming off 93 balls, whileLanger – who edged one from Kapali between Mashud and Habibul Bashar, at first slip, when he had made 35 – was unbeaten on 40 at the close.It proved a slow first day, and the tourists – after an embarrassing batting display – could feel well pleased about having forced the Australian batsmen to treat them with respect. How long that respect lasts will be the story of the second day.

As serious cricket has yet to get underway in Manicaland, all eyes in recent weeks have been on the dismal performances of the national side in their ODI series against South Africa and England. New coach in waiting Geeff Marsh must be wondering what he let himself in for.Andy Flower excluded – this team plays worse and worse each time. England coach and former Zimbabwe captain Duncan Fletcher must be amazed as he sits in the new multi-million dollar facilities at Harare Sports Club and watches this once proud unit perform like schoolboys. Certainly his leadership qualities and ability to inspire match-winning performances from Zimbabwe players in the eighties would be welcome right now.Excuses for Zimbabwe cricket no longer wash. The problems facing Zimbabwean cricket – political and otherwise – apply equally to all sectors of this oppressed country.The captain appears to have lost confidence. Lengthy field-placement consultations and indecisive drift during the frequent leather chases characterize his leadership. By contrast Alistair Campbell, when forced into duty after Streak’s injury in the third game, injected new urgency and assurance into a close fought contest. Delightful man that Heath Streak is, it may be time to acknowledge that few fast bowlers make good captains and take steps to resurrect both his own and the team’s fortunes.The rest of team Zimbabwe’s problems may be more difficult to fix. Clearly selection changes need to be made. It is impossible to continue arguing the case for the experienced non-performers when a new totally inexperienced side could hardly do worse. Whatever the problems, these oldies cannot be guaranteed a living indefinitely whilst Zimbabwe is deleted off the world computer rankings. If we are to believe Dirk Viljoen’s writings in the Telegraph, the players were desperate for this English tour not to be cancelled. If motivation then is not the problem, perhaps skills are. How many future visits can we expect when visiting teams torch us so effortlessly in our own front yard?It was once argued that as the national team had created the wealth associated with television and advertising income, they deserved the lion’s share of the payout. But that was then. These highly paid professionals are currently in danger of writing themselves out of the script after a series of second-league performances.In a recent interview on South African television Barry Richards rated the Bangladesh Test team lower than his son’s grade side in Perth, Western Australia. He wasn’t much more complimentary about Zimbabwe. The point he was making was that if the ICC continued to award Test status to undeserving countries and then force the top nations to play meaningless series with them, the television market would disappear. Already rumours abound on the sub-continent of television moguls plotting to lure elite players away from the humdrum of conventional cricket into Super-Test circuses.The irony as far as Zimbabwe is concerned is that the wealth the game has generated has built new facilities at Harare Sports Club to rival the best, yet last weekend’s ODIs were played in front of worryingly diminished crowds.

As the final session of a gripping Test match unfolded, Michael Vaughan allowed his thoughts to drift back to the last time England were in Kandy. Then, as now, a great escape had been in the offing, as England ground agonisingly towards sunset, the only thing that could spare them from their Muralitharan-induced fate. They managed it on that occasion, inching across the line with three wickets still in hand. This time they were not so fortunate, slumping to defeat with approximately 20 minutes of serviceable daylight still remaining.It was a gut-wrenching result for a side that had grabbed the ascendancy with five cheap wickets on the first morning of the match. But by the time an immobile Matthew Hoggard had his stumps detonated by a Lasith Malinga yorker, England had long since relinquished their superiority. “Gameplans, gameplans,” had been the mantra in the build-up to this Test, but regardless of the guts displayed by Ian Bell and Matt Prior in an uplifting 109-run stand for the seventh wicket, England’s naivety was their defining characteristic.Even Vaughan accepted that to be the case. “I can’t ask any more in terms of character and fight, just a little bit more expertise I guess,” he admitted after the match. This is Vaughan’s third visit to Sri Lanka, but never has he come here as part of such an inexperienced squad. In 2000-01, he was the rookie as Nasser Hussain’s generation achieved their defining result, and three years later, many of the same characters were still on show, particularly among the batsmen.This time, there are just three veterans in a squad of 16, which has meant a lot of learning-on-the-hoof out in the middle – particularly, and predictably, against Muralitharan. On England’s last visit, it was his newly acquired doosra that ultimately did for the visitors, but now – having reclaimed his world record from Shane Warne – he seems to have adopted some of Warne’s kidology as well. Like Warne and his mythical zooter, Murali’s deadliest weapon in this match turned out to be the offspinner that didn’t actually spin.England did astonishingly well to repel Murali for as long as they did. For 32 overs he toiled without reward, on a track that he had predicted – through decades of cricket on his home ground – would get slower and lower as the match progressed. England’s batsmen did as they had done four years earlier, and rocked onto the back foot to watch the slow snaking of the old ball right onto the middle of their bats.But the defining moment of the day came when Jayawardene called for the new ball. At a subconscious level, England’s incumbents, Bell and Prior, possibly believed they had done what Collingwood and Sidebottom managed in the first innings, and repelled the threat at least temporarily. Not a bit of it. Murali continued unchanged with a shiny, hard ball in his fingers, and within 14 deliveries he’d wrecked England’s hopes with both the big wickets. The doosra did for Prior and the offbreak for Bell, but neither ripped as they had been doing all day long. Instead they bounced and almost seamed, much in the manner that Anil Kumble has collected his tally of 578 wickets.”That’s why he’s a world-champion performer,” said Vaughan. “At six-down after lunch, we were realistically looking at losing mid-afternoon. But the way those guys played Murali, and the way they played the reversing ball, they showed a hell of a lot of character. We played him well for most of the day, but when you’ve got bowlers like him in your armoury it only takes a split second to change the game. That’s the mystery of the guy and it makes him so difficult to face.”For Bell, the failure to close out the game will have been particularly galling. The extent of his talent as a batsman is no longer in question. He is beginning to rack up runs against all opponents and in all conditions. But it is as if he has yet to receive the advice that Kumar Sangakkara spoke of after his massive performance in Sri Lanka’s second innings – the obligation to see your innings right through to the end. When Vaughan suggested that the turning point of the match had come with England’s failure to build on their start in the first innings, he might have had Bell’s dismissal for 83 at the forefront of his mind. He had played the seamers with such assurance that to hole out off Murali’s bowling seemed a dereliction of duty.Vaughan vowed that England would take this defeat on the chin and move on to Colombo with a positive intent. But the three-day turnaround is going to be an tough one. They are already facing up to the fact that Hoggard is a non-starter because of his back problems, and other problems exist in all facets of their game. Alastair Cook looks horribly out of sorts against the swinging left-arm delivery – a legacy of the working-over he received from Zaheer Khan in the summer – while Monty Panesar seemed palpably unsuited to the pace of this Kandy track. If Murali had to struggle so hard for his breakthroughs, it’s not exactly surprising.As the team boards their bus for Colombo, there’s more to ponder that just a spirit-sapping defeat.

New South Wales Breakers will aim for back-to-back National Women’s Cricket League titles after they sealed second place with a double success against South Australia at the weekend. The Breakers earned two bonus-point victories in Adelaide to set up an appointment with Victoria Spirit in the best-of-three finals series at Glen Waverley from January 26.Queensland Fire entered the last weekend of preliminary matches in second spot, but their 57-run loss to Victoria in Melbourne on Saturday dropped them to third and despite an 80-run thrashing of Spirit on Sunday, they could not hold off the charge of New South Wales. Cathryn Fitzpatrick’s return of 3 for 23 was crucial in the first match and she picked up another two victims on Sunday to equal the haul of fellow Australia bowler Kirsten Pike, who performed strongly for Queensland.Half-centuries to Alex and Kate Blackwell set up the Breakers’ opening win and their 101-run partnership pushed the total towards 9 for 234. South Australia fell for 184 and they managed only 181 the next day as Charlotte Anneveld picked up 3 for 25. Lisa Sthalekar made sure of her side’s progress into the final with her unbeaten 92 securing the eight-wicket success.Victoria, who finished three points ahead, and New South Wales will contest the finals series for the seventh time in the 11-year history of the league and the Breakers hold a 4-2 advantage. They defeated Queensland over three matches last year to avenge the loss to Victoria in 2004-05.Queensland’s Melissa Bulow finished the series as the leading run-scorer with 336 at 42.00, ahead of South Australia’s Kris Britt, who collected 279 at 55.80. Clea Smith, from Victoria, was the most successful bowler with 15 wickets at 14.53 while Pike finished with 14 victims at the impressive average of 11.85.

In Bloemfontein, the Eagles stumbled as the Warriors completed acomfortable eight-wicket win. A career-best and unbeaten 119 from Justin Kreusch, from 127 balls, set up the Warriors’ run-chase, with Tyron Henderson making 62 not out from just 31 balls. The Eagles’ innings started off well with the top-order of LootsBosman (49), Cliff Deacon (57) and Davy Jacobs (52) setting a solidplatform, to end with the respectable total of 260 for 8. Lyall Meyer tookthree of the Eagles wickets. Carl Bradfield (44) and Kreusch got theWarriors off to the right start with a partnership of 130 but it was thepower hitting – four boundaries and four sixes – from Henderson thatclinched the win for the Warriors.The Titans moved within two points of the leaders, the Eagles, with a satisfying seven-wicket win over the Lions. Set a meagre target of 223, the Titans eased to the win in 37.4 overs with Goolam Bodi falling two runs short of what ought to have been a deserved 100. The 141-run partnership with Martin van Jaarsveld (65) sealed the win over their nearest rivals and neighbours. The Lions innings was saved from disaster with a very good 74 from Andrew Hall but, with wickets falling at crucial stages, they could onlymanage 222 for 7.

The recall of Jeff Wilson to the New Zealand cricket team after a 12-year absence was always going cause a stir, but the extent to which it has escalated defies belief.Wilson’s selection for the three-match one-day series against a World XI has been described in the press this week as “staggering” and “astonishing”, while some have suggested it is purely a marketing ploy. Add to that newspaper headlines such as “Canning, Adams not happy about snub”, and “Snubbed Franklin takes ND apart”, and suddenly a shadow has been cast over Wilson’s return.Then today came something almost unprecedented, as the Auckland allrounder and fringe NZ squad member Tama Canning gave his views on Wilson’s abilities. Canning told the New Zealand Herald: “Jeff will get a go [for New Zealand] and I hope he does well, but I don’t think he’s technically good enough for that level.”Canning’s comments came as no great surprise. Just about everyone in cricket, it seems, is unable to get to grips with the New Zealand selectors’ bold decision. The Dominion Post‘s suggestion that the red carpet has been laid out for Wilson reflects the fact that many cricket folk in New Zealand feel that he is the recipient of special treatment because of his status as an All Black rugby legend.It’s hard not to think that there’s an element of jealousy here. Wilson gave away rugby in 2002, and is now in his third season back in the whites. He has not sought attention, nor been given it unjustifiably. If anyone looked at how he did last season, they would realise that he went a long way towards proving himself. The surprise actually is that he has not figured in any New Zealand selections until now.The other point is, since when was it a crime to pick a bolter? What record did Daniel Vettori have behind him in his two first-class matches when he was selected to play a Test against England in 1997? Ditto Ian Butler, when he debuted against England in 2002. Both players were picked on raw talent. Wilson not only has talent, but he’s a proven matchwinner on the international stage, in rugby and cricket.The pot was stirred by the acknowledgment by the New Zealand coach John Bracewell that Wilson would probably not have been selected if the series against the World XI carried official ODI status. Canning was even quoted in the Dominion Post as saying that “John [Bracewell] actually said I’m in front of Jeff but they want to have a look at him to learn a bit about him.” That’s a good strategy – but a bad idea passing it on.That minor criticism aside, Bracewell and his fellow selectors should be applauded for picking Wilson. It is also interesting to note that while anti-Wilsonism is becoming more apparent on the first-class scene, the retired internationals Adam Parore and Mark Richardson both endorsed his elevation in their weekend newspaper columns. Chris Cairns added in the NZ Herald that Wilson possessed the attributes of “belief, confidence and experience, all of which cannot be taught”.The timing of his addition to the New Zealand squad could not be better. Not only is he hitting form, especially with the ball, but there are three Tests and five ODIs against Australia just round the corner. As Bracewell told the Sunday News today: “We’ve looked at him in terms of offering something that can challenge the Australians.”New Zealand’s chances of finishing on top of the ODI rankings by the April 1 deadline for the ICC Super Series in October are all but extinguished, as that requires Australia first to capitulate in the VB Series then suffer a hiding when they travel to NZ in February. Still, a series victory by New Zealand would do wonders for softening the Australians’ aura of invincibility. If there is anyone who could influence such a result it would be hard to go past Jeff Wilson.Andrew McLean is a presenter of The Cricket Club, New Zealand’s only national radio cricket show.

Sri Lanka’s Caribbean tour started under a cloud of criticism. The failureto qualify for the final of the Sharjah Cup and the Bank Alfalah Cup hadprompted a media bashing. Some of the more sleazy columnists felt soempowered that they even had the audacity to print wild (and whollyinaccurate) stories of player sex orgies in Dambulla.

Fickle advertisers sensed this despondent mood and slashed their cricketbudgets. Broadcasters did their sums and realised that to buy the televisionrights for the West Indies would be a huge financial gamble, surmising that no one wanted to advertise and few people would watch. They were better off showing their prime-time soap operas.But the Sri Lanka team responded. Thousands of kilometers away from home,they pulled together as a team. An indifferent batting performance wasfollowed by an inspired bowling effort in the first game. West Indies,cock-a-hoop after a trio of wins against Australia, lost the first game emphatically.

Then came Sri Lanka’s finest one-day run chase for years. This time thebowlers were collared, leaking 312 runs their 50 overs as Brian Lara cutloose. On the basis of recent form only the mentally unstable would havebetted their rupees on a Sri Lanka victory. But Sri Lanka marched home withfour wickets and three balls to spare thanks to a splendid 89 from UpulChandana and a hardworking fifty from Mahela Jayawardene.The third one-day international was lost but that matters little – who caresabout dead rubbers? After a post-World Cup slump, confidence had returned.The team was smiling once more. Of course, there were still areas ofconcern, particularly the batting and fielding, but there was light at theend of the tunnel.

It helped, of course, that Sri Lanka had settled upon the right combination.At Sharjah the selection – just five batsmen – was suicidal. During the BankAlfalah Cup it improved, with Tillakaratne Dilshan slipping into the middleorder and Romesh Kaluwitharana moving back up to the top. The introductionof Chandana in the West Indies, a move that stiffened the batting and perkedup the fielding, was the icing on the cake.Marvan Atapattu breathed a sign of relief afterwards, admitting that he hadbeen under real pressure since the unfathomable decision to spilt thecaptaincy. Finally, he felt more at ease and he celebrated in the openingTest, compiling his 11th hundred – another knock of high-elbowed eleganceand unflappable concentration.

Sri Lanka finished the first day in the box seat on 250 for 4. But althoughthey finished the Test on a high, as Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya knockedup an unbroken 126 run stand in the second innings, the middle three dayswere disappointing: the middle order crumbled on day two, the supportbowling lacked penetration, the fielding was sloppy, and Kaluwitharana’sglovework was erratic. Fortunately, the rains tipped down on day four,condemning the match to a draw.

So all is not entirely rosy, although the top order batting is gelling againwith the top four all in good form. Nevertheless, assuming the rains cloudssteer clear of Sabina Park, Sri Lanka can make history and win their firstCaribbean Test series. This Test marks the end of a grueling 14-month run ofnon-stop cricket and Sri Lanka’s players will hold nothing back as theycontemplate a four-month break from international action. They will want tosunbathe in glory not defeat.

Changes are being considered. Some radical. Kaluwitharana, who missed Laraon 94 and Omari Banks on 0, could be axed to allow Tillakaratne Dilshan intothe middle order. Kumar Sangakkara would then re-take the gloves. With sixspecialist batters in the side the management would then be more inclined tobolster the bowling, ditching Thilan Samaraweera for a third seamer -probably Dharshana Gamage. That would provide the bowling more teeth.But to win, of course, they must dismiss Lara early – the bete noire of SriLanka’s bowlers having scored 897 runs in the last four Tests between thetwo sides. If they can do that then they can win the series and take anotherimportant step up the confidence ladder.

Former Test batsman Ijaz Ahmed Jr hit 103 to help Allied Bank score269 for five in their first innings on the opening day of theirPatron’s Trophy fixture against Wapda at Sheikhupura StadiumWednesday.Ijaz, who struck 12 boundaries during 219-ball knock, was fifth manout after sharing two useful partnerships, says a message here. Wapda,having suffered successive innings defeats against Pakistan Customsand KRL, were unable to cash in after the bankers lost two for 69.Mohammad Nawaz (35, six fours) and the left-handed Usman Tariq (24)started well with a first wicket stand of 54 once skipper Aqib Javedhad won the toss and decided to bat. Ijaz then joined hands with NavedLatif (29, six fours) in a third wicket partnership worth 64.Taimur Khan, who is still at the crease with 43 to his credit,provided excellent support to Ijaz during a 118-run stand for thefifth wicket before the latter was bowled by left-arm pacer SarfrazAhmed. Taimur’s unbeaten 121-ball innings includes four hits to thefence. Off-spinner Aqeel Ahmed was Wapda’s chief wicket-taker withfour for 106 in 31 overs.

Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari (302*) slammed his maiden triple-hundred and propelled his team to 584 for 5, before declaring the innings against Odisha in Vizianagaram. Resuming on 278 for 2, Vihari put on a 208-run stand with Ricky Bhui (100) and deflated Odisha, who had to wait 43.3 overs for their first wicket of the day. During the course of his 456-ball knock, Vihari smashed 29 fours and two sixes and added 159 to his overnight score. This was Vihari’s 13th first-class ton and second consecutive score of 150 or more.Bhui, meanwhile, brought up his fourth first-class hundred before Odisha captain Govinda Poddar trapped him lbw in the 134th over. In the next over, seamer Suryakant Pradhan dismissed D Ravi Teja to pick up his second wicket, but nothing was going to stop Vihari’s march. Odisha suffered an early jolt in their first innings when left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt had opener Natraj Behera lbw in the fourth over. Sandeep Pattanaik and Poddar, however, ensured there was no further damage as Odisha went to stumps at 32 for 1.B Indrajith (105*) and Washington Sundar (69) mounted a rescue effort with a fifth-wicket partnership of 157 runs to lift Tamil Nadu from 69 for 4 to 239 for 5 by stumps against Mumbai. Indrajith’s sixth first-class hundred, which included 12 fours, stood out as much for its elegance as its risk-free nature. While he mostly preferred to hit down the ground, he wasn’t averse to playing the horizontal shots on either side. Giving him useful company was Sundar, who drove and cut confidently, and responded swiftly to his partner’s calls for tight singles. Sundar, however, fell with 6.2 overs left in the day, after a half-hearted pull off Dhawal Kulkarni found deep square leg.Mumbai had hit the ground running in the morning with some quick wickets after being bowled out for 374. Seamer Akash Parkar cleaned up captain Abhinav Mukund in the fourth over before M Vijay (11) was caught behind by left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil in the 11th over. Mumbai captain Aditya Tare juggled the ball on a few occasions before snaffling it.After Kaushik Gandhi fell three overs later, Vijay Shankar, who had recovered from an injury scare to pick up his fourth wicket in the morning, looked to have settled down in the company of Indrajith. However, he gave Gohil the charge in the 25th over and was stumped. Indrajith, though, remained steady and took Tamil Nadu to safety in the company of R Ashwin.A 62-run partnership between opener Bishal Ghosh (65) and Gurinder Singh, who smashed a 55-ball 57, helped Tripura finish on 220 against Madhya Pradesh in Agartala after tottering on 88 for 6 at one stage.Tripura’s bowlers then reduced Madhya Pradesh to 200 for 7 to set up an interesting battle for the first-innings lead. Ishwar Pandey and Ankit Sharma finished with three wickets each for Madhya Pradesh. In their reply, Madhya Pradesh got off to a shaky start, as they lost opener Wasim Ahmed and Shubham Sharma inside the first 10 overs. With Naman Ojha (8) and captain Devendra Bundela (3), too, falling cheaply, it was left to opener Rajat Patidar (79) and Harpreet Singh Bhatia (70) to resuscitate the innings with a 104-run alliance for the fifth wicket.However, Gurinder trapped Patidar in front with his left-arm spin in the 52nd over before Ankit Sharma and Bhatia were dismissed in quick succession.