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Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium has been confirmed as the venue of the final of the IPL on June 1. Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, said the match had to be shifted out the Wankhede Stadium because the capacity of the DY Patil Stadium is much higher.”That stadium has more capacity and also there are many ICC representatives who will be attending the final and Wankhede doesn’t have so much space to accomodate,” Pawar told reporters in Mumbai. “Wankhede can accommodate only around 32,000 and DY Patil can house around 55,000. It’s (difference) huge.”Originally the DY Patil stadium, which is in Nerul (about 40km from south Mumbai’s business district), was scheduled to host Mumbai’s five league games between April 27 and May 16. But the MCA told the DY Patil authorities that since Mumbai’s next two games – against Chennai and Kolkata – take place on weekdays, it would be difficult for the fans to travel such a distance late in the evening after their office hours. Both games were shifted to the Wankhede Stadium, in South Mumbai’s business district. Wankhede, however will host the two semi-finals as scheduled.With the Wankhede Stadium set to host the final of the 2011 World Cup, Pawar said plans were on to demolish the stadium and rebuild it from scratch to meet ICC standards.”We had a meeting with the Mumbai Hockey Association and they have given us in writing that one portion of their space can be utilised by us. There’s no way we can conduct the World Cup final in present conditions. ICC will not accept it. We need to build better facilities for all, including for the media.”We will start work in August. The whole structure will be razed down first and a fresh one built. The refurbished stadium will be ready by December 2010 and the World Cup is in March-April 2011.”

The ill fated South Zone under-22 game between Kerala and Andhra,badly affected by rain, ended in a tame draw at Kakinada on Saturday.The first two days were totally washed out because of inclementweather. On the final day play started only at 12.30 pm and in the 60overs possible, Kerala put in to bat, struggled to make 102 for fivewickets off 60 overs.KS Shahabuddin and Md Faiq each bagged two wickets as Kerala lostwickets at regular intervals. Symbolising Kerala’s struggle for runswas Vipin Lal. Coming in at No 3 after the first wicket had fallen at16, Vipin Lal remained unbeaten with 30 at the end for which he batted194 minutes and faced 150 balls without hitting a boundary. The teamsshared three points each.

Australia 517 and 2 for 194 (Hayden 68*, Martyn 52*) lead Sri Lanka 455 (Samaraweera 70) by 256 runs
Scorecard

Today, a day that rained water, wickets and runs, Australia muscledthemselves into a position whereby they might yet win a game that had lookedto be going nowhere. First they knocked over Sri Lanka’s lower order, thenthey knocked up a 256-run lead that should enable them to declare sometimein the morning. Little of it was pretty, all of it was pretty effective. Andso the stage is set for a fairytale.Tomorrow, an out-of-form legspin bowler will attempt to take five wickets towin a Test match and set a new world record. He must do so against a deepbatting line-up on a featherbed pitch with rain in the offing. For anyoneelse, it might seem impossible. For Shane Warne, the impossible is merely achallenge. Fairytales, grim and golden, are what happen when he wakes upmost mornings.It would be some kind of ending to what has been a funny kind of Test. Sixeshave been slugged and spectacular catches pouched. Three glorious hundredshave been struck. And yet somehow this game – this series for that matter -has failed to light up the imagination. It’s been fun to watch, hard tocare.Perhaps it’s because, no matter what Cricket Australia tell us, our bodiesstill tell us it’s the footy season. Perhaps it’s to do with the crowds, notmuch bigger – though several thousand decibels more enthusiastic – than youmight find on a Pura Cup Sunday. Or maybe it’s because we have spent most ofthe past fortnight talking about a bloke who, for all his wickets and wilesand gruff swagger, hasn’t bowled particularly well.Warne’s ball that got rid of Upul Chandana was actually one of hisbetter ones. The batsman, seeking to swing him over the leg side, wasdeceived by the flight and nearly lost his footing. Adam Gilchrist snappedup the stumping and No. 523 was in the bag, four more than Courtney Walsh,four fewer than Muttiah Muralitharan, one elusive five-wicket haul away fromimmortality.

Moments earlier, drift and bite and guile had looked non-existent; any spinwas so slow as to be almost incidental. Chandana, as if to emphasise thepoint, leant forward on one knee and slog-swept the greatest legspinner theworld has ever seen over mid-on for six. Still, adversity and Warne are oldsparring partners. You’d be a fool not to keep at least one eye on the tellytomorrow afternoon.Apart from anything, record or no record, a titanic finish might yet be onthe cards. A late flurry in fading light, with Matthew Hayden and DamienMartyn crashing 67 runs in the last nine overs, has afforded Ricky Pontingthe luxury of a possible declaration within an hour or so of tomorrow’sresumption. A couple of hours earlier things hadn’t looked nearly so cosy.The Australians began their second innings, 62 runs ahead, with an unfamiliarnote of caution. After Justin Langer departed early, nibbling at NuwanZoysa, only eight runs were added in six overs after tea. Chaminda Vaas andThilan Samaraweera, the part-time spinner, kept a stifling line and length.Ponting, in particular, found himself bogged down for long periods on hisway to 45.It fell to Martyn, in pristine touch, to unfurl his second masterpiece oftiming and placement for the match, skating to his half-century in only 51balls. Hayden eventually leapt into stride too. Not out on 68, he is ontrack for his second hundred of the match, a feat he has previously achievedagainst England in 2002-03 and which only seven men in Test history havedone twice. By the end, when Hayden and Martyn accepted the offer of badlight with nine overs still up their sleeves, talk had turned to victory.Victory seemed a purely hypothetical proposition this morning when heavyshowers delayed the start by more than two hours. Lunch was taken and playreduced to two extended sessions of almost three hours each. The only earlymoment of misadventure came when Romesh Kaluwitharana attempted to cut too close to his body, Warne juggling a high catch at slip off Glenn McGrath’s bowling.Otherwise the Sri Lankans meandered along at less than two runs an over, theirbatting as grey as the sky overhead. Gradually the sun broke through and theAustralians followed suit, courtesy of some probing bowling and predatoryfielding. Ponting led by example at second slip, plucking Samaraweera (7 for445) with a sharp diving catch to his left, then mirroring that effort withan awkward catch to his right off Vaas (8 for 455). Samaraweera fell for 70,the victim of a mean-fisted spell from Jason Gillespie, who had shaken himup in the previous over with a steepling bouncer that followed his head andalmost grazed his gloves.Chandana followed soon afterwards and Sri Lanka, resuming on 5 for 411, hadlost their last four for 10 when Lasith Malinga was run out for his thirdduck in three Test innings. Slow to set off for an easy single, he succumbedto an electric fielding cameo from Darren Lehmann. Not known for hisoutfield agility, Lehmann picked up the ball at deepish mid-on and hurleddown the stumps at the faraway non-striker’s end.With the forecast uncertain and the pitch unyielding, a draw still looms asthe likeliest outcome. But if Lehmann is capable of doing that, the SriLankans might well be thinking, anything is surely possible.Tomorrow, Shane Warne may just prove it.Christian Ryan is the editor of Wisden Cricinfo in Australia.

There will be a serious challenge to the existing Gladstone Dainty-led USA Cricket Association administration at next month’s executive board elections.Cricinfo has learned that a group of senior administrators is standing against the existing board and has already gained the backing of several regions. Sources suggest that they have the support of the majority of the regional presidents.California’s Ram Varadarajan is lined up to oppose Dainty as president. Varadarajan would not only bring his passion for cricket to the post but he has considerable business acumen as president and CEO of Arcot Systems, an authentication software company based in Sunnyvale, California. He is backed by John Aaron, a well-known and respected figure inside US cricket circles, as secretary and John Thickett as treasurer.The group has already underlined its credentials by launching a slick website outlining who they are and what they stand for. This is in direct contrast to the moribund USACA site which has become almost legendary for its lack of any meaningful information to stakeholders.”Our team is receiving endorsements every day from players, current and former administrations, and cricket lovers from across the length and breadth of the country,” a statement on the new site says. “This outpouring of support is a clear indication that cricket enthusiasts across America see a complete break from the current USACA management as a necessary step for the game to flourish here.”

Worcestershire have announced that Sri Lankan fast bowler Chaminda Vaas has agreed a two-month contract for the early part of the 2005 season."Chaminda’s career record, mostly on wickets in the sub continent, speaks for itself and it is our belief that his style of bowling will ideally suit the playing conditions during the early part of the season," said Tom Moody, Worcestershire’s director of cricket. "As a fast-medium left-arm swing bowler, he will complement the rest of our attack""I have always enjoyed my cricket in England and very much look forward to this opportunity with Worcestershire," Vaas explained. "I know how ambitious the county is and I look forward to playing with so many quality players."The signing of Vaas is still subject to official clearance from the Sri Lankan board.

Sri Lanka A 171 for 3 (Tharanga 74*) beat West Indies A 168 (Ganga 52) by seven wickets
Upul Tharanga guided Sri Lanka A to a seven-wicket win over their West Indian counterparts in a rain-shortened match at Moratuwa.Opening the innings, Tharanga top-scored with an unbeaten 74 from 95 balls, after Sri Lanka had been set a target of 169 in 35 overs. He was helped to the finish by his captain, Russel Arnold, who played the sheet-anchor role with 39 not out from 76 balls after West Indies’ Darren Sammy had taken two early wickets to reduce the Sri Lankans to 39 for 3.Earlier, West Indies had been indebted to their own captain, Daren Ganga, whose brisk 52 enabled them to set a decent target in spite of a flimsy collapse from the tail. Sewnarine Chattergoon made 38, but no-one else topped 16 as the last nine wickets tumbled for 97 runs.&

Bangladesh’s one-day series at home to Kenya has been confirmed after weeks of delays caused primarily by Zimbabwe’s reluctance to confirm whether they would participate in a tri-series.Kenya will now play four ODIs on the 13-day tour which starts on March 13. They will meet Bangladesh at Bogra (March 17) and Khulna (March 20) before heading to Dhaka for two more games on March 23 and 25. The exact venue in Dhaka has yet to be confirmed.Kenya will leave on March 26, three days before they take on the Netherlands in the ICC Intercontinental Cup in Nairobi. The tour means that the ODI which had been discussed against the Netherlands to be played on March 26 will not now happen.The news is a great boost to Kenya, as these four games will mean that they have enough matches under their belt to qualify for a place in the ODI rankings. If they beat Zimbabwe, this might enable them to take the fourth and final qualifying spot for the ICC Champions Trophy.The Bangladesh Cricket Board is reportedly far from happy with the lack of communication from its Zimbabwe counterparts. Sources close to the board have been telling Cricinfo that Zimbabwe were not expected to travel for two or three weeks.Lovemore Banda, the ZC media and communications manager, told Cricinfo on February 17 that talks were still being held with the BCB, even though the ICC was informed three days earlier that Zimbabwe Cricket had pulled out of the series.

Samir Inamdar, Cricket Kenya’s chairman, has spoken of his frustration over the lack of fixtures which Cricinfo highlighted yesterday.Kenya has only one official ODI against South Africa, but the fixture scheduled for October 30-November 1 may not take place as the dates clash with a home tie with Ireland in the ICC Intercontinental Cup. Cricket South Africa was due to host Kenya for two ODIs in June but the matches were postponed to November because of South Africa’s other commitments.”We are faced with a dilemma whether to honour the series,” Inamdar said. “Cricket South Africa informed us today that they were only prepared to host us on these two days and yet at the same time we will be playing Ireland at home. We will have not choice but to try andswitch the dates for the Intercontinental Cup.”We look at South Africa to support us. They made the commitment at the ICC board meeting two years ago but it seems that commitment is not there now and that worries us.”Inamdar confirmed that Zimbabwe had indicated that they were willing to visit Kenya in early July but those plans are still at a very early stage.

Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has defended the proposed appointment of Jonty Rhodes as a short-term fielding coach, arguing that the his role is part of a broader change the PCB is trying to bring about.The idea of appointing Rhodes for only two weeks has led a number of people to question the value behind such a short appointment. In the past, Pakistan has hired Geoffrey Boycott and Greg Chappell on a similarly short-term contract with little ostensible benefit. Imran Khan, among others, launched a scathing and broad-based attack at a number of PCB and team management decisions, one of which was the decision to pursue Rhodes.Imran had told reporters, “The Pakistan cricket team has a bowling coach. Now they have a fielding coach and the skipper himself is a batsman. I don’t understand what will Bob Woolmer do. Fielding cannot be improved by appointing coaches. The PCB has to understand that Australia and South Africa are good fielding sides because their players play [domestic cricket] on good grounds and in near perfect structure.”But Shaharyar told Cricinfo that Rhodes was not being brought to Pakistan to immediately improve Pakistan’s fielders. “Obviously we do not expect our fielders to become like Jonty, as some ex-players have thought. But we want our national team, our academy and younger players to have exposure to his thinking. Above all, we are hoping that he will be able to give seminars to some of our coaches so that they can also utilise his experience and skills in their training.”We know standards will not improve overnight but we want to instill into the team, into the academy, into the cricketing structure of the country, the importance of fielding as a discipline. This process can begin by bringing Jonty Rhodes to Pakistan. If it goes well then we can think about bringing him back again six months down the line.”Rhodes meanwhile, contrary to reports that suggested the deal has been finalised, has told Cricinfo that he is awaiting the South African board’s approval before he agrees to the appointment. “I was approached by Bob Woolmer last week, asking if I would be available to come and spend a week with the national team prior to their departure to England in June, and then stay on for another week to spend time with the A and U-19 teams. I have spoken to the United Cricket Board of SA, and am meeting Gerald Majola and Vince van der Bijl, CEO of professional cricket, next week to ensure they have no problem with this.”This decision is expected by the end of this week or the start of the next. In case Rhodes cannot make it then some replacements, revealed Shaharyar, had been lined up, though none have, as of yet, been approached. “We have talked about a few names in case Jonty cannot make it, including Mike Young and Trevor Penney. But no approaches have been made – these are just names that cropped up in discussions.” Both Shaharyar and Saleem Altaf, director cricket operations, PCB, confirmed that Woolmer will be in touch with Rhodes in the next day or so to get his final decision.

In a reversal of sorts, Sourav Ganguly has launched an attack against his long-time mentor Jagmohan Dalmiya, accusing the former cricket board chief of “playing” with his career.Ganguly, who lost his place in the Indian team after a spat with Greg Chappell, the coach, chose the upcoming presidential elections for the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) to hit out at Dalmiya, facing a challenge for the post from Prasun Mukherjee, the police commissioner.Currently playing county cricket for Northamptonshire, Ganguly, trying to make a comeback into the national team, sent an email to his brother Snehashish supporting Mukherjee. The email was released by Mukherjee at a press conference in Kolkata. Ganguly said in the email: “People who leak e-mails and sacrifice players’ careers should be heavily punished. There are people in CAB who are playing with players’ careers to suit them. They should not be allowed to go scot-free as it takes years of hard work to reach a certain level in sports.”Complaining of unethical practices in the CAB, Ganguly also expressed satisfaction at the stand taken by the West Bengal chief minister, Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, who openly said that Dalmiya should stay away from the CAB presidential race. “I am happy that the Chief Minister and people concerned are addressing the issues and working towards the right path,” Ganguly wrote.Ganguly’s email, which also accused Dalmiya of leaking Chappell’s controversial email to the board in September last year, comes as a major boost to the dissident faction ahead of the polls on July 30. Chappell’s email, which contained damning criticism of Ganguly, created a furore after its contents appeared in a Bengali daily in the midst of the board’s Annual General Meeting.Ganguly’s outburst is the latest twist in the drama for control of the CAB, where Dalmiya is facing a determined challenge from dissidents being backed by Bhattacharjee and other former Ranji Trophy cricketers from Bengal. Ganguly’s message in support of the police chief comes a day after Subhas Chakraborty, the West Bengal sports minister known to be soft on Dalmiya, admitted his failure to dissuade him from contesting the elections. Chakraborty’s statement had been interpreted as a confirmation that Dalmiya was prepared to fight it out in the polls.Chakraborty, who had been directed by the chief minister to convey his stand on the CAB polls to Dalmiya, also said that his attempts for a compromise between the two factions had not borne fruit. The police commissioner had filed his nomination yesterday, while his close lieutenant and former Bengal cricketer Raja Venkat threw his hat in the ring for one of the two joint secretaries’ posts during the day, which also saw Dalmiya filing his nomination for the top post.