In recent years Surrey have been tagged with being the Manchester United of domestic cricket, with trophies regularly heading to The Oval and big-name signings announced to the consternation of their financially less able rivals.But in 2003 cracks began to appear. The Championship title, which seemed to be Surrey’s at the start of August, was eventually meekly surrendered to Sussex, and there were indications that the cost of maintaining a high-profile squad was taking its toll on the balance sheet. By the end of the summer they had shed Alec Stewart, and Ian Ward had moved on.Now it is reported that the appointment of Jonathan Batty as successor as captain to Adam Hollioake, who will retire at the end of 2004, has caused unease among senior players in the Surrey squad. Their concern is not that Batty isn’t up to the job, more that he isn’t up to combining the duties of opener, wicketkeeper, and skipper.Ward had been considered as the favourite to take over from Hollioake, and many close to the club were surprised when it was announced that he was being released as Surrey could not afford to keep him. He subsequently signed for Sussex. That the management could treat an established player in such a way left many players deeply unhappy.Publicly, Batty is supported by the side after a clear-the-air meeting with the county’s management. Privately, the position is less certain, with reports in newspapers quoting unnamed sources inside the dressing-room as saying all is not well. Aside from the issue of the captaincy, there is believed to be unease about the selection policy for matches which was the subject of widespread criticism last season.

In the latest twist to the Murali Kartik selection episode, two national selectors have voiced contradicting opinions about when the decision was made to send Kartik to Australia.Syed Kirmani, the chairman of selectors, told the , “We were in Mumbai to pick the A team when secretary SK Nair told us about the team management’s requirement for a left-armer. The obvious choice was Kartik.”The same news network has also quoted Pranab Roy, the East Zone representative on the selection panel as having said, “It is all news to me. All I can say is that during Wednesday’s A-team selection meeting in Mumbai, the Kartik issue did not come up for discussion at all. The meeting was restricted to the selection of the A team only.”Kartik arrived in Adelaide late on Thursday night, but the mystery surrounding his inclusion is getting curiouser and curiouser.

Michael Parkinson, the sports writer and broadcaster, has urged cricket’s administrators to get tough with chuckers, and not to shy away from tackling controversial issues if the sport is to avoid becoming “bereft of any principle” – like English football.Making the second Sir Donald Bradman Oration in Brisbane (click here for full text of speech), Parkinson was, as ever, forthright in his condemnation of those who tarnish the game’s image. “Bowling with an illegal action: chucking … this is a particular bee in my bonnet,” Parkinson said. “It would be wrong to say there is an epidemic, but I believe there are enough dodgy actions in the game to create a suspicion the problem might be a growing one.”Even more worrying is the nagging thought that no-one – administrators, umpires, commentators – seems able or willing to confront the problem. It would be wrong to compromise on this matter and I sincerely hope that those charged with the future of the game don’t let it down.”It is important cricket sticks to its principles, that it does not choose the convenience of political expediency.”If you want to know the consequences of negligence on such issues then I will ask you to consider what has happened to football in England. There you have a game awash with money and bereft of any principle. The culprits are some players, ill-educated and witless, who behave without concern for the world around them. They are helped in their misdemeanours by greedy managers, unscrupulous agents, inert chairmen and a palsied governing body, much of it sanctioned, by a media dominated by former players.”Cricket is not to be compared with soccer, except as an example of what can happen to a game when money distorts values and those who are paid as watchdogs act as lapdogs.”

Graeme Smith said he was grateful to John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, for allowing some of his international stars to play in South Africa’s opening game of their tour, against Northern Districts at Westpac Park.Daryl Tuffey, Ian Butler, Scott Styris and Daniel Vettori have been given the all clear to play for ND, a move which wouldn’t have happened in the past. Bracewell, however, was happy to allow Bruce Blair, the ND coach, to play his full compliment of international bowlers ahead of Friday’s first one-dayer at Eden Park.”They’ve got a few internationals playing which has surprised me,” said Smith. “I didn’t expect that, it gives us an opportunity to have a look at a few of them we don’t know. We know Tuffey and Vettori, but a couple of the other guys we’re not too sure of.”Butler is one of those guys, and a good display for ND against South Africa would help seal his place. He played only once in the recent one-day series against Pakistan.For South Africa, the in-form Jacques Kallis will be given a match off to recharge for Friday. Kallis scored six centuries during the recent series against West Indies, including a match-winning 139 in the final one-dayer at Johannesburg. He is also top of the one-day rankings.”Hopefully he can carry it on,” Smith said of Kallis. “It’s about keeping him mentally fresh, and that’s going to be the challenge on this tour to keep him performing at the same level.”Smith, meanwhile, conceded that his side won’t be at their best tomorrow after arriving on Sunday night and still struggling to adapt to the time zones. “I had about an hour’s sleep last night, woke up and thought I’d had a great sleep, and then realised I still had six or seven hours to go,” he joked. “It’s my first tour for a day-night swap over so you do feel a bit in the bush at the moment. My goal for Friday is to have the guys all going and ready, and I think they will be.”Northern Districts (from) Robbie Hart (capt), James Marshall, Daniel Vettori, Hamish Marshall, Scott Styris, Matthew Hart, Joseph Yovich, Grant Robinson, Bruce Martin, Daryl Tuffey, Graeme Aldridge, Ian Butler, Mark Orchard.South Africa (from) Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Rudolph, Boeta Dippenaar, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher (wk), Nicky Boje, Lance Klusener, Albie Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Jacques Kallis, Andre Nel, Shaun Pollock.

Dewald Pretorius and Heath Streak have joined Warwickshire for the 2004 season, after agreeing to share one of the two slots available for overseas players.Streak, who needed the approval of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, has suffered a string of niggling injuries in recent months, but was nonetheless keen to return to county cricket after an absence of several years. He will join Warwickshire from mid-June until the end of August, when he will link up with the Zimbabwe squad ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy. Pretorious, who was at Durham last season, will play either side of Streak’s stint.Warwickshire’s other overseas player, the Australian spinner Brad Hogg, is expected to play for most of the season. The captain, Nick Knight, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Heath will be joining us next season. With 200 Test wickets to his name, he will help the young bowlers coming through as well as bolstering our batting line-up. His cricket experience will be invaluable.”Warwickshire had hoped to sign Makhaya Ntini but that plan was vetoed by the South African board.

Gary Kirsten, the prolific South African batsman, has confirmed that he will be retiring from international cricket after the current tour of New Zealand.Kirsten, 36, had originally planned to step down after last summer’s tour of England, but was encouraged to carry on by his good form and the support of his team-mates. Kirsten scored his 21st century in the first Test against New Zealand, which finished yesterday, and the second Test, which starts in Auckland on Thursday (March 18) will be his 100th. Of current players, only Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara have made more than Kirsten’s 7210 Test runs, and he was the first man to score a Test century against all nine possible opponents. He made his debut in 1993-94, after being called up as a replacement – along with his half-brother Peter – for the tour of Australia.Kirsten, who has yet to decide whether he will continue in first-class cricket, said: “It is a sad and emotional moment for me. I have been extremely fortunate to have had the privilege of playing for my country for so long. It has always been a massive honour to play for South Africa and I have enjoyed every moment of my career.”He explained the timing of his announcement: “My wife Deborah and I had made a decision that when our first child arrived I would retire, but with Joshua now nearly four months old it has overlapped a little. I want to wish the side all the very best in the future and hope that they will continue to go from strength to strength. I was lucky enough to play with and against some wonderful cricketers, and I take many great memories with me.”Gerald Majola, the chief executive of South Africa’s United Cricket Board, paid tribute to Kirsten’s contribution over the past 11 years. “We all respect Gary Kirsten’s decision to retire after an extraordinary playing career during which he set many milestones,” he said. “His records might well be broken, but they are there so that history can record for posterity his outstanding achievements at all levels of the game, but statistics do not tell the whole story, as they cannot record the manner in which he achieved these feats with sheer guts and an absolute determination to give of his best.”These are qualities that have been hugely admired and appreciated by all who have watched him around the world as he so ably represented the new South Africa in the first decade of its birth. South African cricket will always be grateful to Gary for his outstanding contribution, both as a batsman as well as a role model on how the game should be played.”

Grant Flower has admitted that Zimbabwe’s rebel players feel betrayed by the silence of Geoff Marsh, who has been coaching them for the past couple of years. Zimbabwe have stumbled from one humiliation to another with their predominantly black, second-string side, and Flower said that Marsh’s attitude had surprised and disappointed the “rebel” players.On Sunday, Zimbabwe were skittled out for just 35, the lowest total ever in a one-day international, and that too against a Sri Lankan team that had rested Muttiah Muralitharan. According to a report in the , Flower believes that that debacle could be the first of many, especially with Australia scheduled to tour in May.”To be honest, I thought he would have stood up for us and said a little more,” said Flower. “He has sat on the fence and obviously just wants to see out his contract. He obviously has his own personal reasons.”He told us that he had tried for two years to make changes happen but he couldn’t do anything about it. I don’t want to go too deeply into it. But with everything that’s going on, I don’t think any of us were too upset at the loss to Sri Lanka. We still want to play for Zimbabwe, but it doesn’t look good.”Flower’s pessimistic view was shared by John Dyson, whose Sri Lankan team have steamrollered Tatenda Taibu’s inexperienced side in the four matches so far. “They’ll have huge problems against the Australian attack, I don’t think there’s any surprises there,” said Dyson. “They’ve really struggled against us … we didn’t even use our spinners in the last match. I’ve spoken to Geoff [Marsh] at the matches, and he said to me that he’s basically doing his job until the end of his contract and then leaving.”The latest crisis in Zimbabwe cricket was precipitated after the rebels supported Heath Streak, who was sacked from the captaincy after giving the Zimbabwe Cricket Union a list of demands related to the manner in which the team was being selected.The ZCU made token concessions, but have stubbornly refused to waver on Streak and the captaincy, resulting in a virtual 2nd XI doing duty against Sri Lanka.Malcolm Gray, the former ICC president, told the newspaper that he hoped an amicable solution could be found. “It is usually cricket that loses out with when disputes arise between players and administrators,” he said. “It is hoped a joint solution can be found even if there is a temporary suspension of Zimbabwe’s commitments.”Flower added that several of the players were considering the option of playing abroad. “One or two of the guys have begun looking at playing options outside of here. No-one’s sure whether they’ll be able to play for Zimbabwe again. But everyone believes in what we’re trying to achieve, so the focus is more on this issue.”

At a glitzy function to mark the India launch of the ICC Champions Trophy 2004, Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, and Malcolm Speed, the chief executive, spelled out the plans they had for the tournament, and what they hoped to achieve.When asked how the ICC planned spent the money generated by the event, Mani said: “All the money coming out of the Champions Trophy goes into development. We have allocated US$13million from each event for development in associate and affiliate member countries. Anything over that goes into development of full member countries. So, every penny of profit or surplus earned from these tournaments goes into development.”On the subject of money, Mani was reminded of the problems the ICC faced with relation to players’ contracts. Mani was emphatic in stating that he expected none of the problems that blighted last year’s World Cup to crop up this time around. “Since then we have been in discussion with all the boards and our commercial partners and there is no disagreement on the way forward, so I don’t expect their to be any dispute at all on this matter.”While Mani dealt with the big picture, Speed got down to the nitty-gritties. As has already been announced, the ICC will be experimenting with the use of technology to aid umpires in the Champions Trophy. The first stem would be “wiring the umpires” to earphones that play the output from the stump microphones. The second step involves giving the third umpire the power to adjudicate on no-balls. This gives the standing umpire an opportunity to focus on decisions at the batsman’s end.”That Champions Trophy is the perfect opportunity to experiment, in that we have the twelve teams together,” said Speed. “It’s a short, sharp tournament played over three grounds, so it’s not difficult to get the cameras in place to do the research. All of the top umpires and referees are there, so we get feedback from them at one time. We can talk to the captains about their response to it.”This experimentation has minimum impact on the cricket that is played. It is not going to affect anything that the players are doing. They will be told that the umpires are wired and that the third umpire would call the no-balls. There might be a slight delay between the third umpire being able to signal to the standing umpire and he then signalling the no-ball. The players want the umpires to focus at the business end and get it right there.”The last edition of the tournament, held in Sri Lanka, was jointly won by India and Sri Lanka, when rain washed the final out at the halfway mark even on the reserve day. That is something that won’t happen this time around. “We play on the first day. If the match is not concluded we continue, not replay, it on the second day,” said Speed. “If we get to the second day and the match is then weather-affected, Duckworth Lewis will apply on the second day only.”The participation of the United States of America, who qualified through an ICC feeder tournament, has been a big step forward in the development of the game in that region. This is something both Mani and Speed looked forward to with excitement. “We have targeted that USA as an important region for development of cricket,” said Mani. “There are huge amounts of people who play the game there. Expatriate West Indian and Asian cricketers make for a very active scene. I believe there are about 10,000 active cricketers in the USA and that’s more than, say Nepal. What we have done is agreed to allocate resources in the United States, we will appoint a chief executive there soon.”However, Speed was quick to clarify that the ICC was not looking to compete with established sports in the USA: “We’re not saying we want cricket to be the next NFL, NBA or MLB. But, there is an opportunity for cricket to come into the USA because of the huge number of expatriates. What we’re seeking to do is start the game using these expatriates, and then take the game forward. We see it ultimately as being an effective niche sport in USA, not something that challenges the big ones.”

Northants have signed two Australians for the remainder of the county season – even though they won’t be playing at the same time.Martin Love, who has played five Tests for Australia and played for Durham in the past three seasons, will arrive at Wantage Road later this month. He will replace Martin van Jaarsveld, who is to tour Sri Lanka with South Africa in August.Love will stay until the middle of August, from when Paul Rofe, the fast-bowler from South Australia, will take his place. Rofe, 23, has played for Australia Under-19s and took 36 wickets at 27.47 in 10 Pura Cup matches last season.”The thinking behind this is quite simple really,” said Kepler Wessels, the Northants coach. “We have five Championship matches after Martin Love leaves, we need to get some wins and to do that we have to take 20 wickets. Paul had a good season with the ball in Australian domestic cricket and so he comes with a useful pedigree.”Northants were promoted to Division One of the County Championship last season, but are yet to win this season.

The first step to solving a problem is often to admit that it’s there in the first place. And Sourav Ganguly did that after the Asia Cup final when he admitted that India’s performances in grand finals bordered on the unacceptable. “I don’t know what it is, but we’re not doing something right,” he said. “We cannot lose so many finals.”As the fireworks sparkled over the Premadasa and Sri Lankan flags were waved joyously to the accompaniment of blaring klaxons, Ganguly cut a disconsolate figure in front of the media posse. But to his credit, there was no fumbling for excuses, the coward’s way out. “We didn’t play to our potential right through the tournament,” he said, alluding to two losses against the hosts and a drubbing at Pakistan’s hands. “Breaks are a part of international cricket, and we have to make sure that we pick up quickly when we come back from one,” he added, when asked whether a long lay-off had left the team ill-equipped to meet the Asia Cup challenge.Once again, the much-heralded batting misfired horribly when it mattered most, albeit on a pitch where batting had become a lottery by the end. “We didn’t get partnerships going,” said Ganguly. “We needed someone to stay with Sachin [Tendulkar] and bat with him. We didn’t rotate the strike well either. Even on a pitch where the ball was stopping and turning, 228 was always gettable, and we could have put up a better show.”He stressed that it had been a good toss to win for the Sri Lankans, but was also full of praise for his bowlers who kept them down to 228. “On pitches like this, you need them to do well. The main spinners on both sides [Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh] went for a few, but the part-timers [Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Upul Chandana and Sanath Jayasuriya] did really well. But we didn’t expect the pitch to be so difficult.”When asked to compare the mediocre displays in this tournament with the efforts of the previous season, he said, “We weren’t as intense on the field, though the boys were committed enough off it. We have to get the thought process right. No matter how much talent you have, it’s no use if the thinking isn’t right.”For Ganguly, it was a ninth loss – against a solitary win – in 13 finals under his stewardship, and he accepted that falling short yet again was a devastating blow. “We were expecting to win this tournament, so the way we played here is a real eye-opener. But this is a good side. We’ve played well all around the world for two years now. I wouldn’t call it a setback; it’s more a jolt to get us back to where we were.”He was candid enough to admit that there were few positives to take out of Colombo. “Maybe the return of Harbhajan,” he said after some thought. “I thought he came back very well after six months out of international cricket.”The nature of the drubbing here should provoke some serious soul-searching within the team. Since the World Cup, where they lost only to Australia, India have won 16 and lost 15 of their 33 matches. Claims of being second-best behind Australia are looking increasingly laughable as Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand – not to mention a Pakistan team in Bob Woolmer’s capable hands – make rapid strides.Worryingly, India have lost heavily both on fast pitches in Australia, and slow turners in the subcontinent. And there are some in the side who are still dining out on former glories. As Marvan Atapattu said after the game, the great teams know how to make the good times last. This Indian team, for all its potential, isn’t quite there yet, and with the most challenging season in living memory having just begun, they can thank Sri Lanka for the rudest of wake-up calls.