Justin Langer, Australia’s Test opener, has described touring India as the “ultimate test”, and believes that victory in the forthcoming four-Test series, which begins at Bangalore on October 6, will complete the set as far as his generation of cricketers is concerned.”In terms of hardcore cricket this is the ultimate test for us,” said Langer told. “India are arguably at the top of their game, we are arguably at the top of our game. The last two series have been as good as it gets in terms of Test cricket, and everyone’s talking about the final frontier.”The current team has achieved just about everything there is to achieve really, except beating India in India,” added Langer. “We’ll certainly be looking at it as the world title fight. We know this is the one thing we haven’t achieved, it’s one opponent we haven’t got over and we’d all like to before we retire.India took possession of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy thanks to an epic 2-1 series win in 2000-01, and Australia were unable to wrest it from their grasp during last year’s 1-1 draw in Australia. But Langer remains in no doubt about which side are the true world champions. “The reality is we have beaten everyone,” he said. “India have to keep beating the other sides to be considered the best in the world.”Not even Australia’s painful loss to England in the Champions Trophy can sway his opinion, although the defeat clearly rankles. “I think what hurts most is that it was England that beat Australia,” he admitted. “If it had been any other team in the world then it wouldn’t have that much of a big deal.”A lot has been said about England over the last six to 12 months and they have a good Test-match record over the last 12 months. So you can excuse the guys for losing one game, as they’ve only lost a handful in the last four or five years.”Langer himself missed the Champions Trophy, as he is no longer considered for one-day cricket, but he has been keeping himself busy nonetheless. “I’ve had a long time off,” he admitted, “but physically I am ready to go. I think I am as well-prepared as I possibly can be. I’ve worked harder then ever on my fitness, just to make sure, because they are really tough conditions over there. It’s very hot and it’s very dusty and it’s going to be tough cricket.”It will be tough for Australia’s young spin pairing of Nathan Hauritz and Cameron White as well, but fortunately they will be learning a few tricks from the master practioner himself, Shane Warne.”For the young guys to have the opportunity to tour with Shane, to practice with Shane and to play with Shane – you could not have a better grounding,” said Langer. “It’s a huge opportunity. We have a well-balanced attack and a very good batting line-up. All in all, we should be pretty well prepared for what should be a great series.”

There are cricket grounds, and there are cricket grounds. Whether it is the lowly maidan where you play lazy club cricket on the weekends, Lord’s where stuffy stewards bossed you around as you watched Ajit Agarkar stroke an unlikely hundred, the picturesque Rangiri Stadium in Dambulla where the trees sway in the breeze as Sanath Jayasuriya crashes the ball through point – each ground calls out to you in a unique way. The Bangabandhu National Stadium is one of the great venues in Asia, in that it rivals Eden Gardens in size and its fans can match Kolkata’s best for passion and voice.But when you first walk through the maze of electronics stores that skirt the stadium, through the tiny Gate No. 21, and emerge into the stadium, you suddenly find yourself in a vast open space, much like bursting through a thicket of sturdy trees and finding yourself in a meadowy glade. And, if you’ve just arrived from India, with the shocking and wasteful death of Cristiano Junior on the football pitch in a match between Dempo and Mohun Bagan all over the headlines, you can’t keep images of Raman Lamba out of your head.It is an unfortunate association to make with a ground, but it is the sort of thing that you just cannot avoid. It was here, on February 20, 1998, that Lamba, fielding close to the bat, copped one on the skull off the bat of Mehrab Hossain. Lamba, playing for Abahani Limited after retiring from a long first-class career with Delhi, had just come up to forward short leg, and did not wear a helmet, contending that he only had three balls to field in that position.Mehrab, who would later go on to play for Bangladesh, was batting for Mohammedan and struck a short ball fiercely. The ball was hit with such power that it ricocheted off Lamba’s head, and ballooned to Khaled Mashud, the wicketkeeper, who had to backpedal to take the catch.Lamba, shaken and with an understandably nasty headache, dusted himself off, picked himself up and walked off the ground unassisted. When he reached the changerooms, the team doctor laid Lamba down, and gave him a glass of water to drink. By this time the hemorrhaging had begun. Finally, when the gravity of the situation became obvious, Lamba was taken to the Institute of Post Graduate Medicine and Research, then considered the best centre for neurology in Bangladesh. But by then, it was too late.The next day, a national holiday, a few cricket journalists got wind of the news and went across to the hospital, only to find the Indian High Commisioner, Kim – Lamba’s Irish wife – and the seniormost doctor hushed in conversation. The decision was made to turn off the respirator, and soon Lamba was declared dead. Newspapers in Bangladesh called it Bangladesh cricket’s saddest day, for Lamba had been hugely popular here. His swashbuckling batting against some less-than-menacing bowling made him one of the country’s leading crowd-pullers.Naturally, Mehrab was deeply affected by the incident, had sleeping trouble, and even voluntarily spent a spell away from the game. Months later, when he was called to a school as chief guest, the kids asked him to hit them some catches. One of the boys misjudged a catch and was hit on the face. This reinforced what Mehrab felt when the Lamba incident occurred, and made it that much harder for him to return to the game. Eventually, though, he did make his way back to international cricket, and how.In the Meril International Tournament later in the 1998-99 season, he cracked 101 against Zimbabwe, and remains the only Bangladeshi to have scored a one-day international century. Sadly, though, it’s not the century that Mehrab is remembered for. Like the Bangabandhu, he will always be associated with the death of Raman Lamba, whether he likes it or not.

Venkatapathy Raju, the former Indian left-arm spinner, has retired from first-class cricket. Raju, 35, made the announcement this afternoon during the third day of the Ranji Trophy match between Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh at the Gymkhana Grounds in Hyderabad.Raju said that Hyderabad’s woeful performances this season had played a part in his decision. “We entered the semi-finals last year,” Raju told Cricinfo, “and I thought I would give it a last shot this time. But we have been struggling this season and I thought this was the right time to leave.”Raju played 28 Tests for India and will be best remembered as part of a fantastic spin trio – which also included Anil Kumble and Rajesh Chauhan – that made India near-invincible at home through the 1990s. Though not a big turner of the ball, he could peg away in a narrow channel and was always a threat on a crumbling pitch.Nicknamed “Muscles” by South Africa’s Brian McMillan, because of his extremely puny build, Raju made his debut in the opening Test of the 1990 series against New Zealand at Christchurch. Two matches later, he had the Sri Lankans groping on a Chandigarh turner and destroyed them with a spell of 6 for 12 in 17.5 overs, 13 of which were maidens.Until 1995 he was a vital cog in India’s home-spun triumphs, and enjoyed a heady series against West Indies in 1993-94, when he topped the wicket charts by a distance. However, the emergence of Sunil Joshi in the late ’90s cost him a place in the side, and he was consigned to the grind of domestic cricket after the Australian series of 1998, where he managed just seven wickets in the three Tests.He was recalled for a final fling, though, and was part of the epic encounter at Kolkata in 2001, the Test where VVS Laxman and Harbhajan Singh brought India back from the dead. He chipped in with the crucial wicket of Mark Waugh on the nerve-wracking final afternoon.Though he bowled in the giant shadow of Kumble when playing for India, Raju was a massive influence in the Hyderabad side. With 589 wickets in first-class cricket he was one of the linchpins of the Hyderabad attack for almost 15 years, forming a deadly combination with the offspinner Kanwaljit Singh, and his 52 wickets in the 1999-2000 season propelled them to the final.”The Ranji Trophy victory in 1987-88 and then reaching the final in 2000 were the memorable moments of my domestic career,” Raju admitted. “Apart from that, bowling with Kumble in the ’90s and the victories against England, Sri Lanka and West Indies were memorable.”Raju had his moments with the bat – on his debut, he gritted it out for more than two hours in seaming conditions at Christchurch – but was largely a bunny at No. 11. He also possessed a mischievous streak as was evident when he tugged at Merv Hughes’s moustache on the Australian tour of 1992.”People said I looked casual but I always gave my best,” said Raju. “I hope I am remembered as someone who gave it his all.”

Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, has looked to defuse the growing row with Javed Miandad, claiming that comments attributed to him were taken out of context. Reports at the weekend indicated that Shaharyar had spoken of other reasons surrounding the dismissal of Miandad as Pakistan coach.In a statement issued by the PCB, Shaharyar insisted that he had been asked a question by a reporter from Dawn, Pakistan’s largest English-language newspaper, whether he would fire Woolmer if he lost the series against India “as you had fired Miandad”. Shaharyar replied that it was wrong to suggest Miandad had been dismissed for the series loss to India alone and that “other factors” had been considered.Miandad reacted angrily, stating he was considering legal action and adding thatShaharyar had created “an impression in the minds of followers of the game that I could have been involved in betting and match-fixing.”But Shaharyar insisted that Woolmer’s hiring “was based on the need tomove to a more scientific and technological method of coaching the national team.” He continued: “This policy of hiring highly qualified coaches hasbeen adopted by every cricket playing country from New Zealand to West Indies, and includes all four Asian countries, England, Australia and South Africa.”Famous cricketers like Garry Sobers, Viv Richards and Kapil Dev have been triedand replaced by highly qualified coaches with proven credentials and withno outstanding record in Test or even first-class cricket. No denigration of Miandad’s known inspirational method was intended then or now. In fact, he was invited to use these qualities to inspire the younger generation of Pakistani cricketers.”The PCB continues to hold Miandad in esteem for his cricketing qualities,” Shaharyar concluded. “Incidentally, the decision to hire Woolmer was made by the Advisory Council who voted unanimously in favour of the change.”It is unlikely that Shaharyar’s comments will placate Miandad. His real anger, however, appears to be centred on Woolmer, under whose stewardship Pakistan hadachieved “zero”.

It’s been a bad few days for Graeme Smith. While England have moved towards a series victory over South Africa, Smith’s private life has been dominating many of the county’s gossip columns where it is reported that his relationshiop with his high-profile girlfriend Minki van der Westhuizen is in trouble.So rife was the speculation that van der Westhuizen’s spokesman was forced to issue an official announcement denying the stories, while admitting the relationship had its problems. “This is very normal and natural in most relationships,” the spokesman said. “The only difference being that with a high-profile relationship such as theirs, the details usually end up in the press. This often doesn’t afford them the luxury of being able to approach normal relationship challenges as couples who are not in the spotlight would.”The spokesman then admitted that a split – by the usual mutual consent – had been on the cards but that the pair had "agreed to try to work through their difficulties without necessarily ending their relationship."The rumours started when Smith admitted on a national radio show that he was no longer seeing van der Westhuizen, but by the end of the next day the rift had been patched up if not healed.

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.

Neil McKenzie, the South African batsman, is joining The Hague Cricket Club in Holland for the 2005 season. He continues an impressive list of international cricketers who have spent time coaching and playing in Holland.McKenzie joins Chris Pringle, Andre Adams and Simon Doull from New Zealand and Gary Kirsten as The Hague Cricket Club’s most famous overseas players. McKenzie has just lost his central contract with the United Cricket Board of South Africa, after not appearing in international cricket since the final Test against New Zealand in March 2004. But he has continued to be a consistent scorer in domestic cricket, averaging 38 in the 2004-05 Supersport series for the Highveld Lions franchise, which he also captains.This coming summer is important for Dutch cricket, as they try to qualify for the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies through the ICC Trophy, which will be staged in Ireland. Holland have previously played in the 1996 and 2003 World Cup tournaments.

At the post-match press conference Sourav Ganguly expressed satisfactionwith India’s win, saying that a 2-0 lead in the series would really putthe pressure on Pakistan going into the third game at Jamshedpur. He alsosaid he was pleased that the move to send in Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 3 hadpaid off so spectacularly.”When I looked at the wicket in the morning it looked like it wouldcrumble quite quickly, and might not even be good for batting for thefirst 50 overs,” Ganguly said. “So the toss was absolutely crucial, andonce we won it, it was important that we made as many runs as possible inthe first 15 overs. That’s why we made the decision to send Dhoni in and he played fantastically well.”Dhoni said he had been told by the team management that he might get anopportunity at No. 3 at some point in the series, and that he had beenpreparing for this in the nets. He said that the position was the one inwhich he felt the most comfortable anyway because he opens the batting orbats at No.3 in first-class cricket. Of his spectacular hitting after hegot to his hundred, Dhoni remarked, “After I got to a hundred I felt itwas important to push the scoring as much as possible so that we couldmake about 350. The ball was not doing anything off the pitch and I knewthat even a score of 350 might not be enough.”

Dolphins 215 for 3 (Amla 67*, Mall 66) trail Eagles 334 (Bosman 74, Deacon 56, Klusener 3-101, Symcox 3-58) by 119 runs
ScorecardOn an attritional second day at Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein, the Dolphins made heavy weather of their reply to the Eagles’ first-innings 334, reaching 215 for 3 at the close. Having taken 45 balls to take the final two wickets of the Eagles innings, the Dolphins struggled to make inroads, but at least with wickets in hand are still well placed.Imraan Khan did not look comfortable in scoring 10 before he played on to give Cliff Deacon the opening wicket. Doug Watson (30) then became the tenth South African player to be adjudged handled the ball as he gloved the ball away from the wickets after it looped up off the pad.A patient 92-run partnership followed as Ashraf Mall and Hashim Amla cautiously occupied the crease for 37 overs before Dillon du Preez had Mall caught for 66. Amla’s return to form could not have come at a better time for the Dolphins as he nursed his way to a half-century, while Dale Benkenstein looked set for a long innings.At the close of play on the second day they had put on 55 for the fourth wicket with Amla on 67 and Benkenstein 27.

With Graeme Smith suspended and Nicky Boje having returned home for health reasons, Shaun Pollock, who was sacked after South Africa’s failure at the 2003 World Cup, has been asked to lead the side for the final two one-day internationals against the West Indies.Smith earned himself a four-match suspension after repeatedly falling behind the over-rate. Having been docked 10 percent of his match fee in the second game at Jamaica, he was fined 30 percent in Barbados, and his failure to learn from past mistakes provoked the strictest response from Jeff Crowe, the ICC match referee.South Africa decided against an appeal after learning that the suspension could be extended to as many as eight matches.Smith has 24 hours in which to appeal but the team management decided not to lodge an appeal as the punishment could be increased to a suspension of eight games by the International Cricket Council. South Africa’s next assignment is a home series against New Zealand but Smith’s ban could kick in even during the ICC Super Series matches in Australia later this year, provided he gets selected for the World XI. Smith’s place at the top of the order will be taken by AB de Villiers, who was in magnificent form in the Test matches.