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West Indies have received a boost ahead of their vital home series against South Africa, which gets underway at the end of the month, with the news that Tino Best in on his way back from injury.Best’s exuberant personality and impressive pace earned him recognition as one of West Indies’ brightest young prospects, was forced home early from their tour of England last summer, after pulling up with a back strain during the first Test at Lord’s.Initially it had been hoped he would return in time for Champions Trophy later in the year, which West Indies won, thrillingly, by two wickets in the semi-darkness at The Oval. But the problem proved more serious and he was forced to remodel his action, with the help of Wendell Coppin, a former Young Barbados and Young West Indies fast bowler, who is also the personal coach of Best’s Barbados and West Indies team-mate, Fidel Edwards.And now Best is back, with no reported loss of pace. He has been recalled to the Barbados squad in place of the emerging paceman Jason Bennett, ahead of the ninth round of the Carib Beer Series, in which they take on the leaders, Jamaica, in Kingston. Barbados certainly need Best’s services, as they are bottom of the six-team table. Barbados are further boosted by the return of Ian Bradshaw, the hero of the Champions Trophy, who has been on leave since the end of the VB Series.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked Daryl Foster, the Australian fast bowling coach, to analyse the bowling action of Shabbir Ahmed, after which the board would decide whether or not to send Shabbir to Australia.Saleem Altaf, the director of cricket operations, informed that he had spoken to Foster and that the board would be recording Shabbir’s action during a practice game later this week.Shabbir, who was reported for a suspect action for the third time in his career against West Indies in the first Test in Barbados this year, underwent tests in England under the supervision of a bio-mechanics specialist, after which Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, also worked on his action.However, the board is yet to send tapes of his bowling action to the ICC review committee to seek final clearance. Altaf also said that Shabbir’s inclusion for the home series against England in November-December wasn’t certain.”It is too early to say whether his action would be cleared by the ICC in time for the England series,” he added. “I might go myself to attend this meeting of the group to be held in Dubai to convince them that Shabbir’s action is okay.”

Herschelle Gibbs admitted that he would be sleeping soundly for the first time in months, after his 14th Test century had carried South Africa into a potent position on the third day’s play at the Wanderers. By the close, South Africa trailed by 105 runs, with four wickets remaining."There’s still a lot in that wicket," said Gibbs. "There’s some pace and bounce, and it’s been swinging for the entire Test. We’ve got a big task ahead of us tomorrow, and it’ll be nice to have someone who’s batted for the entire innings and knows the wicket. But I’ll be starting from scratch again, so I’ll still have to play myself in."Despite a classy innings, Gibbs was fortunate to survive the penultimate ball of the day, when Geraint Jones dropped a flying catch in front of first slip. "Even Bradman needed a bit of luck," he quipped afterwards. "I’m pretty tired now, because the altitude takes a lot out of you. We needed a good disciplined innings today, and fortunately today was my day." He added that he had taken his lead from Andrew Strauss’s 147 on the first day. "Strauss showed similar discipline, but when the ball was there, he still went after it."Gibbs is never one to fall shy of calling a spade a spade, and following the controversial dismissal of Boeta Dippenaar, who was caught low at first slip by Marcus Trescothick, he laid himself open to a rap on the knuckles from the ICC match refereee, Clive Lloyd for his comments on the subject. “I told him to wait, but the umpire stuck his finger up and he walked," said Gibbs. "I would have suggested that he stayed. The TV never lies.”Despite Gibbs’s efforts, South Africa were still in trouble at 184 for 5 when Mark Boucher came out to join him, but the pair added 120 for the sixth wicket to turn the innings around. "Bouch is the sort of player who, if the ball is there to hit, he’ll have a go, irrespective of the match situation," said Gibbs. "He’s a gutsy sort of player, and he bats with intensity. It was a crucial partnership and it’s gone a long way towards bringing us up to England’s total."Getting the balance between attack and defence is crucial to any opener," said Gibbs, when asked about his turnaround in form. "Today, my balance was the best it’s been for ages, and it’s not been that great since Sri Lanka. But I worked hard in our two practices before this Test, and it showed today. I haven’t slept well for the last few months, but I’ll sleep well tonight."

Shoaib Akhtar, who two days ago pronounced himself “very much available” for the forthcoming six-nation Asia Cup one-day tournament in Sri Lanka, has been ruled out so that he can rest a rib injury.Wasim Bari, the former Test wicketkeeper who is now Pakistan’s chairman of selectors, said: “We have received directives that Shoaib should not be considered for the Asia Cup to allow him to recover.”Shoaib, who is 28, picked up the injury in the third and final Test against India at Rawalpindi in April – but he has been playing county cricket for Durham since, and on Tuesday said he had “recovered well from my ribcage injury after two weeks of rest”.The Asia Cup begins in Sri Lanka on July 16. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are all taking part, along with associate-member countries Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates.

Although his on-field misdemeanours are probably what Mark Vermeulen, one of Zimbabwe’s most talented young batsmen, will now be remembered for, my abiding memory of the man is of quite a different incident which occurred off the field.In early 2004 he was in the middle of a lay-off after sustaining his second severe head injury in a year – he had been struck a sickening blow above the right eyebrow by Irfan Pathan during Zimbabwe’s tour of Australia. Bangladesh were touring Zimbabwe, and after a weak performance during the Tests, were putting in a much more sterling effort in the one-dayers. A loss in the first game had dented Zimbabwe’s pride, but the team bounced back in the second and third one-dayers in Harare, much to the enjoyment of the large crowd of spectators who had come to support the home team.Anyone who has attended a one-day game in Harare will have noticed that the crowd is made up, largely, of black schoolchildren from some of the poorest suburbs in the city. As the popularity of cricket among Zimbabwe’s black population has grown, their numbers at games have swelled.Disappointingly, instead of integrating, most of what is left of the old white elite of supporters have moved away from the stands into the pavilion and sports club bars and seats reserved for those in the higher wage brackets.However, at the second one-day game there was at least one white face among the sea of enthusiastic black children, and it was Vermeulen’s. For most of the game, which Zimbabwe eventually won, he led a shouting, laughing band of at least 30 or 40 children around the stands. Wherever he went, they followed, and with his encouragement cheered their side to victory.In a country in which racial and political tensions are a fact of everyday life, it was heart-warming to witness the sight of a young, white male from an affluent Harare family in his element, and loving every minute of it, among black children who would be bussed back to one of the capital city’s sprawling, poverty-stricken townships after the game. It took only one thing to break down the racial, economic and age boundaries between Vermeulen and those children: cricket. This not only gives a flicker of hope for the future of Zimbabwe cricket, and the country at large; it also offers an insight into his open, care-free attitude off the field, and the supremely privileged place cricket holds in his life.

This is a man who is literally willing to risk his life in order to play for his country again. After a three-and-a-half hour operation to repair the skull fracture inflicted by Pathan, Vermeulen said that the doctors warned him a third such injury could put his life at risk. He told BBC Sport: “If it happens again it will make one hell of a mess… but cricket is my only love, my big love, and I decided to go on playing.”. In an interview with Cricinfo he stated: “Basically all I want to do is to play for my country. That has been my goal since I was 10 or 12 years old.”However, his cricketing ambitions have seemingly been thwarted. He has not been picked for Zimbabwe for almost two years, despite leading the batting averages in the country’s domestic competition – when it still had one to speak of. When he was not offered a national contract last year, Vermeulen said: “I personally went to Ozias Bvute [the ZC managing director]. He [Bvute] told me that it was not up to him, but that he would take the necessary measures. I still want to play. I was given no reason why I was not given a contract. I think I have done my best for Zimbabwe to make at least the performance-based list.”After the hearing of the Lancashire Cricket Board, in which his 10-year ban was cut down to three, with two years suspended, Andrew Fitch-Holland, his legal representative, stated that Mark had been diagnosed as “suffering from a depressive illness which of course has a significant impact upon his behaviour”. He continued: “For anyone, let alone a professional sportsman, to publicly admit to such a struggle is, I suggest, exceptional and worthy of a degree of respect. We offer no excuses for Mark’s unacceptable conduct but ask instead for some understanding. To his credit Mark has already taken positive steps to seek help, and is trying to remain upbeat about his future in cricket in these difficult days.”Having met and spoken to Vermeulen about his cricket several times in the past myself, it is quite comprehensible that the stall in his career should affect him to such a degree. He simply lives for cricket.In his private life Vermeulen is, in my experience, at all times friendly, approachable and supremely laid-back. He always had time for people, and had no affectations about talking to anyone, white or black, especially if the subject was cricket. He was fun-loving and did not take himself too seriously: I once saw him dancing, in full, skin-tight cycling gear, on the roof of a Harare nightclub. Off the field, one could even say he seemed humble and (whisper it) peace-loving.While there can be no excuses for Vermeulen’s recent, or past, objectionable actions on the field, there are reasons, and there are other sides to his character which should not be simply swept away. It was not thuggery or arrogance which drove him to such extreme lengths on that fateful late-summer day in Ashton, but rather the frustration of his sheer passion, his motivation and his all-encompassing desire to succeed as a cricketer.

Maurice Tate has been named as Sussex’s All-Time Greatest Cricketer, as voted for by the public. Following closely were Imran Khan and Ted Dexter respectively.Tate was a Sussex man – he was born in Brighton in 1895 – and first represented the county in 1912. He became one of England’s finest bowlers and in recognition of his service to Sussex County Cricket Club the gates at the front of the ground were named after him.His Test career lasted from 1924 to 1935 when he represented England 39 times. He took 155 wickets at an average of 26.16 including one with his first ball at Edgbaston against South Africa. It was in this match that Tate and Arthur Gilligan shared in one of the most famous Test analyses. South Africa was bowled out for 30 in 75 balls. Gilligan 6 for 7, and Tate 4 for 12.Sir Jack Hobbs, who faced Tate on countless occasions, summed him in Wisden: “Maurice was one of the greatest bowlers of all time. It is difficult to find words to praise him sufficiently. I know from experience how difficult it was to play against him.”Tate died on May 18, 1956 and the Sussex and Middlesex teams, as well as a very large crowd at Lord’s, observed a minute’s silence the following day.Christopher Tate received the award on his grandfather’s behalf and brought with him the golden key to the Tate Gates presented to his grandfather’s widow in 1958.

Derbyshire have signed Damien Wright, an allrounder from Tasmania, as their second overseas player for next season.Wright, 28, was recommended by Michael Di Venuto, the captain and fellow Tasmanian. To date, Wright has a batting average of 20.55, and has taken 120 wickets at 34.48 since his first-class debut in 1997. He has also represented Australia A, and played twice for Northants last season.David Houghton, Derbyshire’s director of cricket, said, “He is a talented pace bowler, and dangerous lower-order batsman, who really fits the bill for us.”Meanwhile, Wright added: “I’m really looking forward to a full season of county cricket with Derbyshire.”

Retravision Warriors Jo Angel and Chris Rogers have been ruled out of WA’s PURA Cup Clash against the SpeedBlitz Blues starting at the SCG tomorrow.Angel has strained an abdominal muscle. It was sustained during training before Sunday’s ING Cup loss to the Blues and Angel missed that game. Angel will head back to WA for an ultrasound and is likely to be out of action for a fortnight.This means he will miss the Retravision Warriors ING Cup clash against the West End Redbacks on November 9th at the Adelaide Oval.Rogers will miss the PURA Cup match with a strained lower abdominal muscle. Rogers was struck on the hip during the ING Cup match against the Redbacks at the WACA Ground on October 24th and the injury flared up during the ING Cup loss to NSW on Sunday.He to will return home and is only a fifty-fifty chance to be fit for the ING Cup match against the Redbacks on November 9.Willetton all-rounder John Taylor will now make his first-class debut. The right-arm fast-medium bowler moved to WA from Victoria prior to the 2002-2003 season and starred for Willetton in the Vodafone Cup.This led to the 24-year-old being offered a Warriors contract for 2003-2004. Taylor made his ING Cup debut against NSW on Sunday. He took 2-48 and earnt the praise of Australian Test Captain Steve Waugh after the game.Scott Meuleman has travelled to Sydney and will take on 12th man duties.The Team in likely batting order:Justin Langer ©, Michael Hussey (VC), Murray Goodwin, Marcus North, Shaun Marsh, Ryan Campbell, Peter Worthington, Beau Casson, John Taylor, Callum Thorp, Paul Wilson and Scott Meuleman 12th man.Radio Fremantle 107.9FM will provide ball by ball coverage starting at 8am Perth time.

Australia’s steely resolve enabled them to win a crucial encounter at Colombo, and wrap up the five-match one-day series. Ricky Ponting was understandably elated after the match, saying, “That was a fantastic win.”Ponting said that his team’s triumph was built on the ability to “hang in” for as long as possible. “We had things going our way half-way through our batting innings, but things change around pretty quickly over here. At one stage, we were looking at about 260 … and ended up about 30 short. Then we were behind the eight-ball early with the ball.”But as I said to the guys out on the ground, the side that hangs in there the longest in this game will probably win.”Michael Kasprowicz was the declared the Man of the Match, and he said that the win came thanks to the unity within the side, and a defiance in the face of foreign conditions. “You can feel the emotion in the team that comes from achieving something special,” he said. “Playing in Australia, you know the conditions, but to come over here and play on turning wickets against unfamiliar spinners on lightning quick outfields – everything’s just so different – and I think that’s the challenge.”When asked about his bowling, Kasprowicz said, “I’ve definitely bowled better in domestic cricket, but never better for Australia.”Adam Gilchrist took six catches in the match, thereby equalling his own world record. Afterwards, Ponting said: “I know he was very happy with that. Equalling the world record in one-day cricket doesn’t happen every day.”He added that he wasn’t too concerned about Gilchrist’s barren run with the bat, and warned, “Gilly’s still batting well, there’s no doubt about that. He probably hasn’t scored as many as he would have liked in the last couple of games. But don’t worry, he’ll play well in the Tests.”Australia will probably rest a number of key players for the final match of the series tomorrow, with Gilchrist, Jason Gillespie and Ponting or Matthew Hayden the likely candidates to make way for Brad Haddin, Brad Williams and Simon Katich.Ponting confirmed this when he said, “Obviously we’ve got a few guys in the shed that haven’t played any cricket at all and a few that have only played a couple of games. We want to try and give most guys a bit of cricket.”

Duncan Fletcher, England’s coach, is far from happy with his team’s schedule, complaining that the balance between playing and time spent practising is not right. Fletcher said that the amount of one-on-one coaching he is able to do with players is insufficient.”It’s all about getting the balance right,” Fletcher explained. “It would be nice if we had a break of about two or three weeks before a tour so we could get them together and go through certain things. I want them to develop in their games but you can’t do that sort of thing during the season and we’re not alone in that because everybody is saying the same – we just have to hope we can slot it in at some stage.”England are in the middle of a three-week spell during which time they will play as many as ten one-day internationals, and no sooner is that finished than the five-Test series against South Africa gets underway. England then play Bangladesh and Sri Lanka before Christmas, moving on to the Caribbean next February before returning home for the most hectic summer of cricket yet, ending with the ICC Champions Trophy next September.Fletcher explained that while he had plenty of time with players, he was unable to make any significant changes to their techniques. “It’s very difficult because on days like today you have to have a light practice. You don’t want to start new innovations because they have a game and they have to establish themselves. It’s better they get in and establish themselves and then you can start changing things. If we change something small now and then they don’t perform, everybody will be jumping on them.”Given the increasing amount of international cricket foisted on players, it is not a situation which is likely to get any easier.