New Delhi, Feb 17 AFP – A number of Indian cricket fans, outraged by their team’s humiliating loss to Australia, are campaigning to punish Sourav Ganguly and his men by boycotting products they endorse.An instant poll taken by the Hindi-language news channel Aaj Tak after India was crushed by the defending champions yesterday found that more than 80 per cent of respondents would stay away from products plugged by the “Men in Blue”.And now short messaging service (SMS) messages are circulating across India’s mobile telephone network urging an outright boycott.The Times of India said some sponsors, sensing the public mood, have quietly withdrawn television commercials featuring the Indian cricketers, who have superstar status in this country of one billion-plus.What worried the sponsors was a single SMS message sent across the country which said: “we make one promise today — not to buy any product which has Indian cricketers as models,” the daily said.Two mobile phone service providers in eastern India said that while it was impossible to tell how many of the messages were sent, they had each recorded it hitting users’ inboxes 100,000 times.India managed only 125 runs against Australia in their second match at the World Cup at Centurion Park after its batting crumbled.India’s first match against minnows Netherlands also offered a colourless batting performance, with the Dutch dismissing the former champions for 204.Dejected fans threw spent oil and black paint at Indian player Mohammad Kaif’s house in the northern Indian city of Allahabad.The front wall of Kaif’s three-storey house was blackened by a group of irate demonstrators, the cricketer’s elder brother Mohammad Saif told the Press Trust of India news agency.Family members, who were asleep during the incident, have requested security cover.In captain Ganguly’s home city of Calcutta, fans took out a mock Hindu funeral procession to mark what they said was the death of Indian cricket.An effigy symbolising India’s national obsession was wrapped in white cloth and carried by mock pall bearers, who later consigned the “body” to flames amid Hindu religious chants.”Indian cricket is dead after its humiliating nine wicket defeat against Australia,” said Amit De, a spokesman for the Calcutta Youth Federation, which had organised the protest.He blamed the Indian cricket board for the team’s dismal performance saying “the funeral procession marks the end of Indian cricket.”

Wacken Hut CC lifted the glittering Abdul Quddoos Sheikh Memorial cricket trophy, after inflicting a heavy 92-run defeat over Dawn Group, at the UBL Sports Complex on Sunday.Winning the toss and electing to bat, Wacken Hut got off to an electrifying start when Arif Rao (40) and Hassan Arshad (23), put on 61 runs for the second wicket in only six overs. However, spinners Zafar Iqbal four for 20 and Imtiaz Iqbal two for 39, managed to curb the run rate as Wacken Hut were dismissed for 159 runs in 24.5 overs.Skipper Amjad Ali Baig (23) and Hanif Malik (18), were also among the runs.Chasing 160 runs for victory, Dawn Group lost an early wicket. But with Arshad Azam (21) and Irfan Ali stroking the ball well, seemed to be coasting along comfortably when disaster struck. Both batsmen fell in quick succession and never recovering from this tragedy, Dawn Group were soon dismissed in 19.2 overs with only 67 runs on the board.Paceman Hassan Arshad, later named the Man of the Match was the pick of the Wacken Hut attack, claiming three for 22. Spinners Nisar Abbas weighed in two for 16 and Farhan two wickets for one run.City Nazim Naimatullah Khan,was the chief guest on the occasion and presented the trophies to the winners and runners-up.Ifran Ali from (Dawn), was declared the best batsman of the tournament, Shoukat Mirza (Waken Hut) the best bowler and Adnan Jaffery (Aga Khan University Hospital), best player of the tournament.

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) announced today that the National Selection Panel (NSP) has chosen Queensland Bulls captain Jimmy Maher to join the Australian Test squad on the Travelex Tour of the West Indies.Maher, Australia’s reserve wicket-keeper at the 2003 International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup has been selected to cover for Adam Gilchrist during Australia’s three-day tour match against a University of West Indies XI in Barbados, beginning on 26 April.It will be the first match Gilchrist has missed since Australia’s victory over Holland in a World Cup preliminary match on 20 February.NSP Chairman Trevor Hohns said given Maher’s likely selection in the 15-man squad for Australia’s seven one-day internationals beginning on 17 May, it made sense to choose a player who would be with the side for the remainder of the tour."Jimmy will more than likely be part of our one-day squad in the West Indies simply on his batting alone, so it is important that we continue to give him added `keeping experience if he is to continue covering adequately for Adam Gilchrist on tour," Hohns said."We are not necessarily saying that Jimmy is the country’s second-best wicket-keeping option, but for this match we would rather introduce a player who is going to be with the team for the duration of the trip, rather than fly someone across for a few days."As for Adam Gilchrist, it is important that we continue to monitor his workload and give him time-off where possible."He has had a long campaign and doesn’t get many opportunities to rest, so we need to be conscious that he doesn’t get over-worked and end up suffering from fatigue," he said.Maher’s inclusion in the Test squad means that he will relinquish his Australia A captaincy duties for the remainder of its series against South Africa A. He will depart Adelaide for Brisbane today.New South Wales Blues batsman Simon Katich will stand in as captain.

Hampshire Hawks failed to record a second win in the ECB National League Division Two losing off the last ball, of their clash with Middlesex Scorpions at The Rose Bowl.Hampshire selected the same eleven that had defeated Sussex the previous day, and chose to bat first. Derek Kenway’s dreadful start to the season continued, this time being bowled first ball, but the innings belonged to Robin Smith. Smith hit a sparkling 92 with 11 fours, he built his innings at the start against some excellent pace bowling from the Crusaders on a helpful pitch. James Hamblin with 33 also contributed and the home side should have been reasonably satisfied with their 45 over total of 198.Wasim Akram’s first five overs read 5-4-3-2 as the visitors were bamboozled with the veteran Pakistan star. A poor start however was saved by opener Paul Weekes who kept just up with the asking rate, aided by Ed Joyce and a quick fire 29 from David Nash. Abdul Rassaq the took three hugh sixes off Shaun Udal’s off-spin to bring them within their task but not before more drama as Wasim Akram and the improving Chris Tremlett each took late wickets and with two runs needed to win off the last ball Ben Hutton slashed the ball over the advancing fielders for the winning runs.Another feature of the Hampshire bowling, and something that needs seriously addressing was the count of 32 extras, Middlesex’s second highest scorer, with a woeful 20 wides.

48.4 overs Sri Lanka 201 (Kaluwitharana 54, Dillon 3-39) v West IndiesWest Indies dismissed Sri Lanka for a below-par 201 in 48.4 overs in thefirst game of a three-match series on a slow Kensington Oval pitch. It was astop-start innings dominated by Romesh Kaluwitharana at the top of theorder, who scored 54 from 75 balls, and later by Kumar Dharmasena, whochipped in with 40 valuable runs in the lower order.West Indies clasped a clear advantage after Sri Lanka had slipped to 112 for5 after the loss of Kaluwitharana, but Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dharmasenarescued the innings with a consolidating 59 partnership for the sixthwicket. However, West Indies finished the innings strongly, runningthrough the Sri Lanka tail in the final overs.Whether the total will be enough to test a West Indies batting line-upbrimming with confidence after three straight wins against Australia isunlikely, but Sri Lanka will take confidence from the low-scoring recenthistory at the venue, and the prospect of assistance for their key matchwinner, Muttiah Muralitharan.Sri Lanka were forced onto the back foot in first over after a poor decisionfrom Billy Doctrove. Sanath Jayasuriya greeted Doctrove’s raised finger witha resigned smile, knowing that Mervyn Dillon’s third ball had missed theedge by a fair distance (0 for 1).But Marvan Atapattu, who had top scored with 99 against a Shell Academy XIin Sri Lanka’s only practice match, and Kaluwitharana played positively.They were made to hop around on a pitch offering some early life -especially Kaluwitharana who was hit on the helmet by Corey Collymore andlater floored by a blow to his midriff – but also found the boundary as 46runs were added in 54 balls.Brian Lara conjured up a breakthrough with a surprise bowling change,calling on Marlon Samuels’ offbreaks in the 10th over. A similar move hadworked against the Australians, when Samuels had dismissed Adam Gilchristafter opening the bowling in Grenada, and it foxed Atapattu too, who clippedback a simple return catch. He had scored 22 from 36 balls (46 for 2).Lara kept ringing the changes as he replaced Dillon with Collymore. Were itnot for the fumbling hands of Ricardo Powell at second slip, Kumar Sangakkarawould have gone third ball. He continued to ride his luck, frequentlyplaying and missing. But he also showed his class, clipping one sweetboundary through the legside and another majestic cover drive. At the otherend Kaluwitharana chipped in with some flamboyant strokes.Sangakkara’s luck ran out in the 21st over as David Bernard, the fifthbowler used, claimed his first wicket in one-day cricket. Sangakkara wascaught on the point boundary by Ramnaresh Sarwan after a wild swing to oneof Bernard’s straighter deliveries – he bowled five wides in his firsttwo-over spell (83 for 3).With Sri Lanka’s shaky middle order exposed, Lara swung back onto theoffensive. Dillon was hauled back into the attack and afforded two slips. Anunconvincing Mahela Jayawardene survived Dillon’s burst, but did not outlast long, succumbing to the innocuous medium pace of Wavell Hinds as he top-edged a pull (106 for 4).West Indies stole a clear initiative soon afterwards with the run-out ofKaluwitharana, who reached his 23rd one-day fifty before becoming boggeddown after the departure of Sangakkara. Slipping on the turn as he pushedfor a second run, Kaluwitharana could not beat Hinds’s throw from theboundary despite a desperate dive (112 for 5).Dharmasena and Dilshan (27) started their repair job slowly, nudging singlesand twos. They were fortunate that West Indies’ throwing radars were notworking properly, the fielders missing the stumps on half a dozen occasions.Gradually they started to tick along more easily and Sri Lanka were set fora competitive total on 171 for 5.But they lost their way after Vasbert Drakes flattened Dilshan’s stumps, asthe last five wickets folded for 30 runs, leaving the full house at theKensington Oval with high hopes of another West Indies victory.West Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Wavell Hinds, 3 Brian Lara (capt), 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Ricardo Powell, 7 Ridley Jacobs, 8 David Bernard, 9 Vasbert Drakes, 10 Mervyn Dillon, 11 Corey CollymoreSri Lanka 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), 3 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 4 Kumar Sangakkara, 5 Mahela Jayawardene, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 7 Kumar Dharmasena, 8 Prabath Nissanka, 9 Chaminda Vaas, 10 Dharshana Gamage, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan

South Wilts’ prospects of bowling BAT Sports off the top of the ECB Southern Electric Premier League at Lower Bemerton tomorrow, 11.30am, have received a double setback.Left-armer James Tomlinson, who played for the British Universities against India A in midweek, has been refused permission by his Hampshire employers to play.And skipper Rob Wade is out with a triple fracture of his collar bone – an injury sustained when he fell over in the father’s sack race at his son’s school sports day!"I’ll probably win the award for the daftest call-off of the season," groaned Wade, who hit 80 at Bashley last week.The third-placed Salisbury club expect to call up Jon Nash and Hampshire Under-16 all-rounder Lysander Wolf against BAT, who lead Havant, the defending champions, by three points.The rock-hard Bemerton strip is expected to produce a welter of runs, with both South Wilts and BAT packed with powerful top order batting.Damian Shirazi continued his impressive form for the MCC YC’s, hitting 79 and taking 2-41 against a strong Kent 2nd XI in midweek.Top dogs BAT make one enforced change, with KES captain Graham Noble replacing wedding-bound Chris Thomason.Title holders Havant face neighbours Portsmouth minus skipper Paul Gover, who is attending an open air Bon Jovi concert in Hyde Park."I’m a great fan and queued for hours in the pouring rain for this concert, so I’m afraid cricket has to be put on the back seat tomorrow," Gover said.Left-arm spinner Phil Loat, who missed the five-wicket win at Bournemouth last week, replaces Gover, with Andy Perry taking over as captain.Eager to avenge their midweek SEC Cup defeat, Portsmouth are without former Hampshire player Matt Keech, but fringe county all-rounder Lawrie Prittipaul is named in the squad."We boosted our confidence with a win against Calmore last week, but to beat Havant would be quite something," said skipper Lee Savident.Tom Webley returns from Cambridge UCCE to boost Bournemouth’s prospects in the long-haul visit to lowly Liphook & Ripsley.The left-arm all-rounder, who hit a First Class century against Northants earlier this season, is expected to open the batting alongside teenager Nick Park, with skipper Matt Swarbrick dropping down to four."Tom’s return gives us a couple of options, particularly in the spin department," Swabrick said.With Dave Kidner also back, Bournemouth leave out Matt Mixer and Charlie Holcomb, who will bolster a strong-looking 2nd XI who will be aiming to strengthen their Hampshire League promotion bid against Basingstoke & North Hants.Resoundingly beaten by champions Havant last week, Bournemouth will expect to beat second-to-bottom Liphook, although their ability to bowl the Surrey club out will be crucial."The toss could be all important. Liphook can be a difficult side to bowl out," Swarbrick says.Matt King wants Bashley (Rydal) to build on last week’s success against South Wilts, but knows the Rose Bowl meeting with the Hampshire Academy will be a demanding occasion."It’s noticeable how they have improved since the introduction of the all-day format," the Bashley captain said."The Academy players are bred on the longer game and, on their own Nursery ground surface, will be a very difficult side to beat."The other problem is that you never quite know who you are going to be playing against."Bashley’s form has noticeably improved since Western Australian Brad Thompson returned from injury.The Academy will choose from a 13-man squad, which includes Ventnor’s Ian Hilsum and Portsmouth teenager James Manning.Basement boys Calmore Sports, who trail Liphook & Ripsley by two points at the bottom, are desperate to win against Andover at Loperwood Park.Second XI captain Tim Keighley gets the call for Andover, whose 284-run captain Roger Miller lies third in the Premier batting charts.

A review of Cricket Australia’s anti-drug policy that is underway may, in future, prevent the type of controversial ruling that has allowed Shane Warne to play charity and testimonial matches while serving a ban for drug use.Peter Young, Cricket Australia’s (CA) general manager of public affairs, told Wisden CricInfo that CA’s anti-drug policy, which was based on that of the Australian Sports Commission, was under annual review. Young didn’t indicate how long it would take for any possible changes to be put in place, but stressed that the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) would be consulted, as they were a significant stakeholder in the game.The loopholes in the policy came into sharp focus after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) strongly condemned the arbitration ruling which permitted Warne to train with St Kilda club, Victoria and even Australia, during his one-year ban. David Howman, chief executive of WADA, believed the wrong clause in CA’s anti-drug policy may have caused the problem. He said that the arbitration decision clearly stated that Cricket Australia (CA) did have the power to enforce a ban, but the clause which it invoked – and which was in turn contested by the ACA – wasn’t the one which allowed it to prevent Warne from playing.”It [the CA] has full, unfettered jurisdiction under clause 12.4 (b) of the memorandum of understanding which states: ‘Nothing in paragraph (a) above prevents the ACB from refusing to approve a player’s request to play in a particular match or from imposing additional conditions upon its approval for a player to play in a particular match.”The WADA’s view was criticised by Tim May, chief executive of the ACA. He said that Howman didn’t appear to understand the principles behind the decision. “The arbitration was not about Shane Warne, it was about whether or not CA has the ability under its anti-doping policy to extend a ban to testimonial and bona fide charity matches. It has been proven – it does not.”Whether the ACA, CA, WADA or the man in the street thinks that a cricketer found guilty of a breach of the anti-doping policy should or shouldn’t be allowed to play in charity matches becomes irrelevant. Governing bodies can only penalise players according to the rules and agreements that exist at that time – penalties cannot be based upon the wishes and demands of people supporting some alternate policy or alternate view.”May stated that the ACA supported WADA’s charter to rid the world of drugs in sport, but at the same time it supported the adherence to pre-existing agreements made between two or more parties.Howman, meanwhile, said that while May might be doing his best for the cricketers, he needed to see the issue from an international perspective in the battle against drug use. He added that CA and the ICC needed to fall in line with the mainstream world of sports and sign up to the world anti-doping charter.

Most people react to being dropped from a side with a shrug and a few muttered oaths. But Lance Klusener has not taken the news of his omission from South Africa’s touring side quite so philosophically – he is planning to sue the South African board for loss of earnings.Klusener’s argument is that he turned down offers of work with English counties after being assured that he would be included in the squad. He claims that he was told that he would be rested for the tour to Bangladesh, but would return for the England trip.”It’s like your boss calling you on a Saturday night and saying, ‘Sorry, old chap, but you don’t have to come to work on Monday. You’re fired. How would you feel if it happened to you?" Klusener told the South African-based You magazine. "Wouldn’t you also be disappointed? Some people may think it’s sour grapes, but that’s not true at all.”It was a shock and a disappointment,” Klusener admitted. “I was here at home and immediately went to tell my wife. England would have been a highlight for me. I wanted to play at Lord’s again. I played for South Africa with pride for eight years. I gave my all."And Klusener dismissed accusations made by Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, that the side was better off without him as he was not a team player. “I’m a private person,” Klusener explained. “I hate being around lots of people. It saps my energy. Now people are saying I’m a miserable sod. Why is it if you don’t want to be part of the crowd you’re always seen as different?”While Smith has told reporters that he regrets making the comments, Klusener said that he had yet to receive an apology in person. “Maybe he doesn’t have my number. The whole thing between Graeme and I is a shame. I read what he said in the papers and I still don’t know exactly what he meant."Klusener’s decision to take legal action is unlikely to endear him to the selectors and whatever the outcome of the court case, if it goes ahead, he will only gain financially if he wins. It is inconceivable that any court could force an organisation to pick a player, especially one whose record of late has hardly been outstanding.

The Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy has lost some of its prestige in recent seasons. It is no longer the one-day showcase of the English summer – that honour now goes to the NatWest Series final – while the stunning success of the Twenty20 Cup means that it might not even be the highlight of the domestic one-day season. Nevertheless, a Lord’s final is a unique occasion whatever the backdrop, and Saturday’s encounter between Gloucestershire and Worcestershire is sure to be a keenly contested affair.Quite apart from being local rivals, there is likely to be an underlying current of animosity to keep the teams competitive to the bitter end. Last week at New Road, Gloucester emerged victorious in a close encounter of the National League kind, but it is the memory of their C&G fourth-round clash of three years ago that will be the biggest incentive for both sides.In the 2000 competition, Worcestershire appeared to have won the tie and progressed to the quarter-finals. However, it soon came to light that they had fielded an ineligible player – none other than Kabir Ali, England’s latest fast-bowling recruit, who had turned out for Worcestershire’s Cricket Board XI earlier in the tournament. This was against the tournament rules, so Gloucester lodged an appeal, earned the right to a replay, and duly went on to retain their title in the final.Kabir, however, insists that all that was in the past. “There is no tension between the two counties,” he said. “The players have forgotten about what happened in 2000 and it wasn’t anyone’s fault. There was a bit of a misunderstanding. There are no grudges between the players. It is just another game – a big game of course – but it could be Lancashire or Surrey or anyone else that we are playing, because to us the important thing is to try and win the trophy irrespective of the opposition.”Of that there is no doubt, and to boost their prospects, Worcestershire have called once again on the services of their South African overseas player, Andrew Hall. Hall, who was not an original member of South Africa’s Test squad, had been given special permission to play in the semi-final against Lancashire, and it was his nerveless final-over maiden – which included three wickets – that inched Worcestershire through by six runs. He has since played a huge role in South Africa’s victory over England at Headingley, where he took four wickets and made 99 not out in the second innings. Quite simply, he is in the form of his life.Worcestershire’s second trump card is, funnily enough, another South African. After years on the fringes of the national team, Nantie Hayward opted out of selection for this summer’s tour, and instead committed himself to Worcestershire for the entire season. The decision has paid dividends, if at the expense of his international ambitions. He is bowling as quickly as at any stage of his career, and is picking up regular wickets in all competitions. Now, having shaken off a virus, he will form a part of a potent seam attack that includes Kabir and the Australian-born but European-passported pair of Matt Mason and Mark Harrity. The England prospect Gareth Batty is on hand to provide the spin option, plus a handy supply of lower-order runs.But with Worcestershire rooted to the bottom of the first division of the National League, it is Gloucestershire who will go into the final as favourites. They have been the undisputed kings of one-day cricket in recent years, having won both the C&G Trophy and the Benson & Hedges Cup in consecutive years in 1999 and 2000. And with Ian Harvey and Craig Spearman in superlative form, they were also the early pacesetters in this year’s Twenty20 Cup, only to lose to Surrey in a tight semi-final at Trent Bridge.Gloucestershire’s linchpin is their veteran wicketkeeper Jack Russell, who turned 40 last week but is still far and away the finest gloveman in the English game. He is, however, suffering from a back injury, and is only rated 75% fit. If he is forced to pull out, the wicketkeeping duties will pass to Chris Taylor. A decision will be made on Saturday morning between the seamers Jon Lewis and James Averis.Worcestershire (from) Ben Smith (capt), Stephen Peters, Vikram Solanki, Anurag Singh, Graeme Hick, Andrew Hall, Steven Rhodes (wk), David Leatherdale, Gareth Batty, Kabir Ali, Matt Mason, Mark Harrity, Nantie Hayward.Gloucestershire (from) Mark Alleyne (capt), Chris Taylor, Craig Spearman, Phil Weston, Ian Harvey, Jonty Rhodes, Jack Russell (wk), Matt Windows, Alex Gidman, Tim Hancock, Martyn Ball, James Averis, Mike Smith

India’s former Test wicketkeeper, Syed Kirmani, has taken over from Brijesh Patel as the head of the national selection committee.Kirmani, 53, claimed 198 victims in an 88-Test career that also included victory in the 1983 World Cup, and is arguably the finest wicketkeeper ever to play for India. He will bring strong views to the selectors’ table, and was particularly outspoken over the decision to play Rahul Dravid as a makeshift keeper in the recent World Cup.His appointment was announced on the final day of the BCCI’s annual general meeting in Kolkata. Patel, Kirmani’s predecessor, stepped down after one year after undergoing a heart bypass this month.