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Bob Woolmer was a “little depressed” following his team’s exit from the World Cup and he was looking forward to going home, according to an email that may have been his final words before his death in Kingston, Jamaica last March.The email, which was sent to his wife, Gill, was read to jurors at the inquest into Woolmer’s death. “Hi, darling, feeling a little depressed currently as you might imagine,” the message started. “I am not sure which is worse, being knocked out in the semi-final at Edgbaston or now in the first round. Our batting performance was abysmal and my worse fears were realised … I could tell the players were for some reason not able to fire themselves up.”He went on to say that he was glad not to have to travel to Guyana and was looking forward to seeing his family again. “I hope your day was better but I doubt it as you were probably watching … not much more to add I am afraid but I still love you lots.”Mark Shields, Jamaica’s deputy police commissioner who was at the heart of the investigation, read the email to jurors. He is among the final witnesses in the inquest which is expected to finish this week.The fifth week of the inquest got off to a bizarre start when a subpoenaed witness failed to turn up. David Wong Ken, a local DJ who claimed to have evidence about Woolmer’s death, failed to appear under instruction from his lawyer. “I take full responsibility for him not being here,” his representative said. “It would be an exercise in futility, and a side-show that should not be allowed.”

Tama Canning, the allrounder who has played four ODIs for New Zealand, has announced his retirement at the age of 29, following a disciplinary breach. He renounced his contract with Auckland, his state side, after questions were raised about his conduct and commitment during their State Championship match against Northern Districts at Eden Park last week.Canning, the overnight batsman, reported late on the final day with a hangover, showing up barely 20 minutes before the first ball was to be bowled. Though he picked up seven wickets, he failed miserably with the bat, with scores of 0 and 1, as his side crumbled to a 318-run defeat. His actions irked the team management and his team-mates.This was his second breach following an incident in an Auckland nightclub last year, and though he claimed no recollection of the offence, he was fined by the Players’ Association. Andrew Eade, Auckland Cricket chief executive, told the that they were yet to discuss at that stage whether his contract would be cancelled.”There was an incident at the last game,” Eade said. “We held a hearing following the incident, which is what we do in situations like that, and it hadn’t reached the stage of deciding what we were going to do as a flow-on from the incident. Tama himself decided, because he’s had a bit of a history of difficulties with commitments I guess, that it was time for him to retire.”Heath Mills, the Players’ Association manager, added that Canning had struggled to meet his obligations as a professional cricketer, thereby prompting him to retire and look for a career outside cricket. Canning has moved back to Perth, his former base.Canning was named the Auckland Player of the Year in 2003 after a good season in which he took 46 wickets in the State Championship at an average of 21.97, breaking John Bracewell’s haul of 43 in 1986-87. He also scored 451 runs, averaging 37.58.

Sourav Ganguly has said that he is available to play for Bengal in their Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu on January 3, after citing personal reasons for missing the match against Gujarat. Anil Kumble will play for Karnataka and while Virender Sehwag will play for Delhi, Gautam Gambhir was denied permission for the same.Ganguly made his decision after receiving instructions from the BCCI to play in the sixth-round match before departing for Pakistan. Parthiv Patel will also play for Gujarat against Mumbai. “Sourav informed us of the directive he received and confirmed that he will play in the January 3 match,” Saradindu Pal, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) secretary, told Indian Express. “We have decided to make Sourav the captain of the Bengal team for that match. The team will be picked on December 30.”Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said that the decision was approved by Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, and had the approval of Rahul Dravid, Greg Chappell and Kiran More, the chairman of selectors. “We have taken this decision as we thought that all players chosen for the tour will not be needed to play the opening tour three-day warm-up game on January 7,” said Shah. “We also wanted to give importance to domestic cricket.” More was upset that Ganguly chose not to play against Gujarat in the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy and wanted an explanation from him.India will leave for Pakistan on January 5 and will play a practice match in Lahore on January 7. The first Test begins on January 13. Ganguly, Kumble, Sehwag and Patel will join the team on January 7 after the completion of their domestic games.

ScorecardChris Gaffaney has long promised big scores for Otago, and when it came it was well worth the wait, as Auckland found to their dismay after putting Otago in at the Outer Oval today. Gaffaney, playing his 80th domestic one-day game, put together 145 for the first wicket with Craig Cumming, a record opening partnership for Otago.The pitch for this match was the same one used for the one-day international against Sri Lanka on Boxing Day. It had been taken from the main ground and dropped into the Outer Oval, and it provided a superb batting surface.Gaffaney and Cumming scored consistently at five runs an over through their stand and gave their side a fine foundation. Cumming scored 73, before falling victim to Tama Canning, who threatened an Auckland revival by then removing Gareth Hopkins first ball. Hopkins was out to the last ball of the over, which meant that Canning had to wait to attempt a hat-trick, but in the meantime, Otago lost Aaron Redmond to a run-out in the next over. Canning failed to gethis hat-trick, but he did add Mohammad Wasim to his list of scalps.But just when Auckland thought they were back in the game, Jeff Wilson struck 50 off 33 balls. With Gaffaney still going strong to finish on 101, Otago ended with their highest one-day score of 295 for 7. Gaffaney made his highest score as well, going past his previous best of 79 not out.James McMillan then rocked Auckland’s batsmen from theoutset, before Wilson joined in with the ball. Both took three wickets each to have Auckland struggling at 67 for 7. They finally limped to 143 all out.
ScorecardBoth Canterbury and Wellington were bolstered by the return of their international stars, but Stephen Fleming couldn’t do much for Wellington’s cause as they were thrashed by 92 runs at Timaru’s Aorangi Park. Nathan Astle’s presence helped Michael Papps play his way out of a form slump, as he registered his second one-day century for Canterbury, finishing on an unbeaten 129 not out.Stephen Fleming asked Canterbury to bat first, but he must have had immediate doubts about his decision when Astle and Papps launched into an assault. They had put on 168 before Astle was prised out, when a top-edged pull shot flew to midwicket. Their stand was a Canterbury record for the first wicket, beating the 151 Papps shared with Shanan Stewart last year.Craig McMillan then blasted 30 off 24 balls, and Brendon McCullum, coming in after Chris Cairns was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Ash Turner, hit 43 off 24 balls. Canterbury finished on 307 for 3.Wellington struggled in reply, losing Fleming to a stunning catch by McMillan for 5. Chris Nevin attempted to provide the anchor Wellington so sorely needed, but he was out for 45, by which time none of the batsmen with him had been able to dig in. James Franklin made 46, but with no one to support him, Wellington went down tamely in the end.
ScorecardThis rain-affected match provided far more drama than would have been expected after Northern Districts were dismissed for only 100 at Taupo. Andrew Schwass, playing his 36th one-day match for Central Districts, took 5 for 22 in 5.4overs, his career-best figures. Jacob Oram took 2 for 10from the five overs he bowled while Ewen Thompson, who wasforced to leave the field due a hamstring strain, took 2 for 7 from 5.1 overs.Daryl Tuffey then produced another of his first-over tricks by having Jamie How out third ball and with Craig Spearman and Jarrod Englefield following quickly, CD were 6 for 3. Jacob Oram and Glen Sulzberger battled through raininterruptions and a recalculation of the target under theDuckworth/Lewis system, to give some solidity to the effort.Sulzberger scored a patient 29 off 63 balls and was thepenultimate wicket to fall, with one run needed.The combined impetus by Thomson, who hit 15 off 19 balls, and Michael Mason, who scored 18 off 32, allowed CD to squeak through in the second thriller that these two sides have played out in the last fortnight.

Changes are expected for the third Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge next Thursday, as England’s selectors attempt to rediscover the winning formula that has been disastrously mislaid over the past two weeks. England were comprehensively outplayed in a rain-affected first Test at Edgbaston, before being routed by an innings and 92 runs at Lord’s on Sunday.Michael Vaughan, who was thrust into the spotlight by Nasser Hussain’s resignation last week, has been told he will be given a say in the selection process, even though he is not officially on the panel. “I think the selectors have a meeting on Thursday,” said Vaughan. “Between now and then we will try and come up with a plan of how to beat South Africa.”I’m keen on having a team that I feel can beat South Africa,” added Vaughan. “Whether we look to the future I don’t know. First and foremost we have to try and put in a better performance at Trent Bridge and try and put South Africa under some pressure.”David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, acknowledged that Vaughan had been underprepared for his role at Lord’s, and he now has ten days in which to settle into the job. “Michael now has the chance to settle back and get a better understanding of the job that was presented to him,” said Graveney. “I hope he has a couple of days now away from the spotlight to decide what he wants because what he wants is going to have a major bearing in our selection meeting.”Several of England’s old guard will be under considerable pressure in the next few days. Darren Gough, whose spirit is willing but whose knees are weak, struggled his way to a solitary wicket in two Tests and has already announced his retirement from Test cricket. Alec Stewart was uncharacteristically scratchy behind the stumps at Lord’s, and picked up a second-ball duck in his final innings at the ground, while Nasser Hussain’s post-captaincy blues will be a source of some concern to the selectors.The younger generation are hardly more secure. Anthony McGrath has looked palpably out of his depth, despite his success against Zimbabwe earlier in the season, while Steve Harmison’s place will probably remain secure for the time being, if only for a lack of options. Ashley Giles has also felt the pressure in recent weeks, although his ability to make consistent runs from No. 8 will surely work in his favour. That, and his close friendship with his new captain – Vaughan will need all the support going in the next few days.Inevitably though, with a shake-up in the offing, there is one big name rearing his head again. Graham Thorpe is fit, in form and has put his personal problems aside, and the temptation for his inclusion will be hard to resist. “If he’s right in his mind and personal life then I am sure the selectors will talk about him,” said Vaughan. “He’s a fantastic player.”

SYDNEY, Nov 5 AAP – New South Wales has turned to its contingent of Clark(e)s to fill the gaps for the Pura Cup cricket match against Victoria starting in Melbourne on Thursday.With Test trio Mark Waugh, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee unavailable and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin back from a thumb injury, the selectors made four changes to the team which beat South Australia in three days at the SCG last week.Recalled alongside Haddin, who replaces Nathan Pilon, were paceman Don Nash, batsman Michael Clarke and off-spinner Anthony Clark.To make the scorers’ job even more difficult, fast bowler Stuart Clark will almost certainly be promoted to the starting XI after being 12th man against South Australia.The Clark(e) contingent have played together on only one previous occasion, in a drawn Pura Cup match against Victoria at the SCG last summer.Anthony Clark, who took six wickets at 47.66 in his opening season of first class cricket last summer, has already bagged a couple of five-wicket hauls in club cricket during the current campaign.His return of 5-109 for Fairfield against Bankstown last Saturday included the prized wicket of Australian captain Steve Waugh, who he bowled for 84.”I’ve worked pretty hard on my fitness and just hope to work on what I’ve started on last year and get a few more games this year,” Anthony Clark said.One of the vacant bowling spots seems certain to go to Stuart Clark, who took 5-64 against Tasmania but was relegated to drinks waiter against South Australia to accommodate Lee and Nathan Bracken.Depending on the Punt Rd wicket, the 12th man position would appear to rest between Anthony Clark and his Fairfield clubmate Nash, who was dropped for the last Pura Cup match.Victoria called up rising leg-spinner Cameron White to replace Shane Warne, who’s absent on Test duty.White, 18, made an impressive first-class debut against the Blues last season including a haul of 4-65.”I think that last year’s experience was very important for me, particularly the game at the SCG and I’m looking to build on those performances,” he said.White, who has just returned from a tour of New Zealand with the Commonwealth Bank Academy team, also said the recent chance to train with Warne had been a great learning experience.The Victorian selectors could not consider skipper Paul Reiffel, who had yet to recover from a back injury.Victoria has made a wretched start to the domestic season.It props up the Pura Cup table after two rounds and has also lost all four of its ING Cup matches.NSW is in second place on the Pura Cup table behind Queensland.Teams:Victoria: Matthew Elliott (capt), Jason Arnberger, Brad Hodge, Matthew Mott, Michael Klinger, Ian Harvey, Darren Berry, Colin Miller, Damien Fleming, Mathew Inness, Michael Lewis, Cameron White (12th man to be named).NSW: Shane Lee (capt), Michael Slater, Greg Mail, Michael Bevan, Mark Higgs, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Anthony Clark, Nathan Bracken, Stuart MacGill, Stuart Clark, Don Nash (12th man to be named).

The Pakistan selectors have retained offspinner Bilal Asif for the ODI series against Zimbabwe, in a bid to assess his credentials ahead of the England Test series. The idea is to have someone to fill the bowling hole left by Mohammad Hafeez, who has been banned for one year for an illegal bowling action.Asif was originally only part of the T20 squad visiting Zimbabwe, but did not make it to the playing XI. He was also selected for Sri Lanka ODI series but returned without making a debut. Almost 30, he has 32 wickets in 11 first-class games at 28.90 apiece.”The request to retain Bilal Asif had been made by the team management, as conveyed by the manager Mr Intikhab Alam,” chief selector Haroon Rashid said in a statement. “In a separate discussion with Misbah-ul-Haq, it was put forth by the Pakistan Test captain that since the England team contains five left-handed batsmen and because of Hafeez’s inability to bowl at international level, we were left with no offspin bowling options in the Test squad.”Pakistan have picked two other spinners for England series – legspinner Yasir Shah and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar. The selectors named Hafeez as a specialist batsman in the squad, along with two more openers – Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood, with Azhar Ali the No. 3 batsman.”Misbah suggested that since Bilal Asif is presently the standout available option in the domestic circuit, so if we can try him in the ODI matches against Zimbabwe for assessing his offspin bowling credentials, it may help us in case we intended to add him as the 16th member in the Test squad against England,” Rashid said.”We have already picked two left-arm spin bowlers in the Pak ‘A’ team to the UAE for this purpose but if Bilal Asif is found up to the mark in Zimbabwe, then we can have him in the Test squad as an offspinner along with leggie Yasir Shah and left-arm spin of Zulfiqar Babar. The suggestion was discussed by the selectors, as well as with head coach Waqar Younis, and there was unanimity of view on the issue.”Pakistan play three ODIs in Zimbabwe, starting on October 1.

The Indian squad’s two-day conditioning camp in Kolkata from November 2 in preparation for the home series against Pakistan, has been shifted to the Eden Gardens from the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club (CCFC). The Indian board has agreed to postpone the Ranji Trophy Super League match between Bengal and Hyderabad to November 4 to accommodate the camp.”Eden [Gardens] has superb world-class facilities including floodlights and indoor practice arrangements which were not there at the CCFC. We were earlier forced to opt for the CCFC as Eden was not available,” Prasun Mukherjee, the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, told PTI. “But I managed to convince the BCCI that the camp should be held at the Eden [Gardens] so as to give the Indian players the very best of infrastructural support before such an important series.”Another reason given by Mukherjee for shifting the camp was that the Eden Gardens had floodlights, which would help the Indian team as three of the five ODIs against Pakistan were day-night matches.Mukherjee said the BCCI had decided to shift the camp to the Eden Gardens after speaking to officials from the Hyderabad Cricket Association. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad squad are likely to have their nets at Sourav Ganguly’s academy in Salt Lake.

“You had to be awake to play Shane Warne”, Sachin Tendulkar said today, a smile on his face, as he looked back on the rivalry between two of the longest-serving players in Test cricket. Tendulkar and Warne enjoyed some memorable contests, with Warne onceadmitting that Tendulkar’s batting – especially in the series in India in 1998 – gave him nightmares, and at his press conference today singled out Tendulkar and Brian Lara as the two toughest batsmen of his era.Asked what made Warne so special, Tendulkar pointed to his legendary accuracy and a spirit that remained unbowed no matter how tough the situation. “You had to be awake. There was no breathing space at all”, he told the media as the Indian team limbered up for the second Test at Kingsmead. “Warne being such a fierce competitor, you knew that at no stage could you bat him out of the game. He was always coming back at you. That kept me on my toes.””He’s been a great ambassador for cricket, and Australia. He’s a good friend of mine and it’s unfortunate that he’s retiring. We’ll all miss his quality bowling. It’s been a treatto watch.”According to Tendulkar, Warne would always command a special place in thegame’s annals. “He’s surely one of the greatest players to have playedthis game,” he said. “Above all, I think he’s a wonderful person. He’s agood friend and what he’s been able to achieve for Australia is somethingspecial. There are not many guys who can stand next to him and say thatthey have done similar things. You don’t get to see such cricketers everyday.”While most rate Warne as the greatest slow bowler of his or any other era,Tendulkar preferred to think of him as one part of a triumvirate thatrejuvenated spin bowling after some lean years in the 1980s. “He’scertainly been one of the top spinners,” said Tendulkar. “Another greatspinner is playing in my team, Anil Kumble, and then there’s Muralitharan.These three spinners are the best, and anyone would want to have them inthe side.”For years, his tussles with Warne were among the game’s marquee contests,and Tendulkar said that there would be several great memories. “We’vealways had good competition, and shared some nice humour. I remember thefirst time I scored a hundred against him in one-day cricket, in SriLanka. I hit him for a six, and he said something. I didn’t really followwhat he said because I started walking towards the square-leg umpire. Icaught up with him after the game and told him: ‘Now you can tell me whatyou wanted to say on the field’. We shared a joke, and since then we’vebeen good friends.”India are scheduled to tour Australia in a year’s time, and Tendulkar wasasked if the game would be poorer for the personal rivalry having come toan end. “I’ve always said that it’s not about Shane Warne and Sachin,” hesaid. “It’s Australia and India. People like to build up these things. Intime to come, there will be someone else.”I’ve already sent a message to him,” he said. “I want to wish him all thevery best. And above all, good health.”

Boeta Dippenaar underwent a successful two-and-a-half hour operation on his right wrist in Cape Town last night. “It lasted a little longer than we expected due to a complex nature of the ganglion,” said the South African’s physiotherapist, Shane Jabaar.Dippenaar was diagnosed with a dorsal ganglion ahead of the second ODI against New Zealand at Cape Town.”He stayed overnight for observation and he is in high spirits,” Jabaar said. “He will return to Cape Town after ten days for a follow-up consultation with the surgeon, thereafter, a decision will be made on the type of rehabilitation he will undergo. This rehabilitation process will determine for how long it will take him before he can return to competitive cricket.”