Julian Hunte, who became the new West Indies Cricket Board president on Sunday, said that building confidence in the board’s operations is one of his priorities as they aim to develop the game.”One of the major concerns in this regard is the credibility of the WICB,” he said following his unopposed election. “This goes beyond our public image and strikes at the heart of the character of the corporation.”It is a matter that we must address since our ability to attract additional support, especially from the private sector, is dependent on both our reputation as an organisation and the success of our teams.”Hunte inherits a board which has been heavily criticised in the media for the way it runs and for an increasingly antagonistic relationship with the players. He said that introducing a professional league in the region and developing a more harmonious relationship with the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) were the other priorities for his administration.”[We have to re-establish] the development committee as a number one priority of our strategic plan including the introduction of a professional league. [We must] settle all outstanding issues and define the way forward for the board and WIPA to work together in a unified, harmonious, and mutually beneficial manner.”Forging better relations was the reason that he had asked Dinanath Ramnarine, WIPA’s chief executive, to join the board as one of four new non-member directors. “I believe that we cannot improve our cricket without the direct involvement and commitment of our players through their representative organisation,” Hunte said. “WIPA has now been given the opportunity to be part of the solution instead of continuing to be perceived as part of the problem. It is both a challenge and an opportunity for that organisation.”

Andrew Flintoff is desperate to be back in England’s team for the ODI series, after being forced out of the upcoming Test series against India due to an ankle injury.”In terms of exact dates, it is hard to say,” he told BBC Sport. “I hope to play a part against India, but the one-dayers are a more realistic target. The impatience is starting now. I’ve been back in the nets and I’ve been hitting them all right.”Flintoff is recovering from a third operation on his right ankle and is out of the Test series starting next week at Lord’s. The seven-match ODI series starts at Hampshire’s Rose Bowl on August 21. “Because I’m running now, doing proper things and working towards something, I can see light at the end of the tunnel and I have a temptation to get impatient.”Flintoff, however, admitted that he was not in best of form, especially with the bat, before getting injured. But he was determined to regain top form on his return to action. “During the winter there was a clear dip in form and I want to get it back,” he said. “The bowling was fine but I still think, no matter what I do with the ball, as a top-six batsman I will always get judged on the runs I score.”Though disappointed with the lean phase and injury breaks, Flintoff said he had enough time in hand to make amends for the lost opportunities. “For two or three years, I had things pretty much my own way, then I experienced the other side of it. But I’m only 29 and I believe I’ve got my best years in front of me. I can do it again.”

Tatenda Taibu has insisted that money was not the motivation for his return to the Zimbabwe side, maintaining that it was a desire to play international cricket that made him go back.Taibu quit Zimbabwe in November 2005 after he claimed he and his family were threatened by people with connections to the board. He attempted to find a career in Bangladesh, England and Namibia but failed to establish himself.Cynics may argue that Taibu’s return has been forced on him because he had run out of alternatives, but speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, he was quick to deny that.”My wife was tired of travelling and asked if we could come back home and I agreed,” he said. “She was against the idea of me leaving in the first place. All the time we were away she was always asking me when we were going back home.”I realised that God gave me a talent not to play club cricket, but to play international cricket and the only way I could play international cricket was to return home.”What is unclear is how Taibu, who was vociferously critical of the way that Peter Chingoka and Ozias Bvute ran Zimbabwe Cricket, made up with the two. All he would say is that “ZC and myself have realised that there is more to life than having disagreements”.Taibu was owed tens of thousands of dollars by the board when he walked out, and Taibu did not to confirm or deny whether this sum had been paid to him before his return. In the past he had said that the money was a sticking point and it is believed that he has been paid.He maintained that money was not an issue. “It is now a matter of playing for my country, I have made enough money in my life and I still have other things that bring me money,” he said.

Kevin Curran, the former Zimbabwe coach, has been appointed head of the country’s cricket academy. Curran’s coaching tenure began in September 2005 and ended with the recently concluded home ODI series against South Africa, after which he was replaced by Robin Brown, the former Zimbabwe captain.In an interview to , a Zimbabwe daily, Curran reflected on his years in charge of the side and what the new role meant for him.”When my contract ended, Zimbabwe Cricket asked me to rebuild and restructure the academy,” Curran said. “It was a new venture and new challenge for me and one that would allow me to spend more time with my young family – something I have not managed to do of late because of all the travelling of international cricket.”Curran coached Zimbabwe for 42 one-dayers since taking over from Phil Simmons; in that period, the team won nine games and lost 28. Disputes between the board and its players led to the exodus of seniors like Heath Streak and the vacuum created by their departure saw the team plunge in world rankings. A self-imposed one-year suspension from Test cricket followed.Despite the lows, Curran reflected on the positives and said he’d observed a genuine improvement in performance over the last two years.”Everyone who has played for the country since I took over has improved in the true sense of the word,” he said. “I am not one who looks at negatives. Coaching a young and inexperienced side, as I was doing, demanded constantly looking at the positives. I was presented with the youngest international squad in the history of the game and I am very proud of the way they have all developed.”Curran dismissed reports of a rift with Tatenda Taibu, the former captain who returned to the side after a premature retirement in November 2005. Taibu made an immediate impact on his return and made a fighting century in the third one-dayer against South Africa as Zimbabwe made a fist of the target of 324.”Tatenda was not my player for very long because he left after I had just taken over. However, he came back a month ago and since then he has played his best cricket. His averages have more than doubled, his work ethic been outstanding, and he is one of the fittest in the team. He is always the last in the nets and is an excellent role model for our young team.”If he can maintain this rich vein of form, he will develop into one of the finest cricketers Zimbabwe has produced. I cannot afford to have clashes or differences come between me and a player because I need all players to perform well for my team as that is what I am judged on.”Curran said that his last series in charge was one of the best moments in his coaching career. Zimbabwe recovered from a dismal 72 for 7 to post 206 in the first match in Bulawayo and then posted 247 and 323 in the next two.”During the last series against South Africa, ranked second in the world, all the players showed their class. They showed character and passion – something for which I have been working for some time. These players were really at the top of their game. Their future is bright as results will follow if they continue in this vein.”

Jacques Kallis has attributed his enforced absence from the game for his Man-of- the-Series display against Pakistan in the two-Test series, which South Africa won 1-0.”I had a nice long break and it had done me a world of good,” said Kallis, fresh from scoring three centuries from four innings on his way to a series tally of 421 runs at an average of 210.50.”Targets and goals have never been huge issues for me. I’ve never really been one who sets targets. I try and play according to the situation of the game and whatever the team requires at that stage.”Kallis had not been included in the South African team for the ICC World Twenty20 and resigned from the vice-captaincy in protest. Despite persuasion from the South African board to reverse his stand, Kallis stuck to his decision. “I don’t think vice-captaincy plays too much of a role. Obviously the vice-captain comes in when the captain is injured. I don’t think it’s a huge difference.”Kallis was also satisfied by the progress made by his team. “One big thing for us now is we have found the spinner [Paul Harris] and we know what we can get from [him] and [that he will] do a good job for us. So I think that’s going to be a key for us. We have also found few fast bowlers that have come through – Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Andre Nel is obviously bowling well now and we have the experience of Polly [Shaun Pollock]. So I think we are finally getting a nice, rounded side where we have got most of our bases covered.”But Kallis has an eye on the future, with the major challenge being the away tour to Australia. “That will probably be the number one target. It’s a tough tour; they are the best in the world and they are ahead of everyone at the moment and you want to test yourself against them. Beating them would be sort of equivalent to winning a World Cup, certainly in the Test series.”Meanwhile, South Africa’s preparations for the upcoming five-match one-day series against Pakistan were hampered after Graeme Smith and Vernon Philander joined the sick bay. Smith was confined to his hotel room on Sunday after being laid low by a virus, while Philander is doubtful for the first ODI on Thursday due to hamstring strain. “His [Philander’s] rehabilitation may not start before Wednesday, making his chances of being available for selection pretty tight,” said Shane Jabbar, the team physiotherapist.

Zimbabwe won’t be taking part in South Africa’s domestic four-day competition, Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), told the , a South African newspaper.The decision came at a meeting of CSA’s general council on Friday, which was called after players expressed their reservations over travelling to Zimbabwe. The Highveld Lions were to play a four-day match in Harare starting on October 28.Majola indicated that there would be further talks with Tony Irish, the chief executive of the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) and that decisions regarding Zimbabwe’s participation had been put on hold.”Instead of them playing in the SuperSport Series, we are looking at the possibility of Zimbabwe playing some four-day matches in South Africa against composite teams,” Majola said. Zimbabwe might still feature in the domestic one-day competitions in South Africa.Majola re-affirmed that CSA would oblige the request from the ICC to assist Zimbabwe cricket.”The decision has been taken. It is now a matter of sorting out logistics,” he said.He also suggested that the objections from the SACA were cricket-based, over the extra fixtures and possible impact of Zimbabwe playing the competition, especially if the fixtures clashed with their international obligations.With the other competitions – the MTN 45-overs competition and the Standard Bank Pro20 in March – starting only next year, there is still a chance that Zimbabwe could play. Majola dismissed suggestions there were moral objections to playing in Zimbabwe. “We leave politics to the politicians and the ICC.”

“You can’t take any team lightly these days. You don’t know which bush will throw up what snake.” These words, by Vijay Bharadwaj, the Karnataka coach, indicates how cautiously they are approaching the Ranji Trophy game against Himachal Pradesh. Karnataka will start as clear favourites, though: the team has Anil Kumble, who has just become the national captain, and Rahul Dravid, fresh from a double-hundred. Plus, they are playing at home.Both teams are carrying just one point from their previous games, as the batting let them down in the first innings. Karnataka collapsed against the spin of Ramesh Powar on a tricky first-day wicket against Mumbai while HP struggled against the Saurashtra spinners – Kamlesh Makvana and Rakesh Dhurv – and collapsed sensationally from 131 for 1 to 181.”It was one bad session of batting that cost us dearly,” Sandeep Sharma, HP’s captain, said. “But we are confident of a better show against Karnataka. Our bowling is in very good shape and I am sure the batsmen will come to the party.”Sharma has reason to believe that his team won’t be embarrassed. In Vikramjeet Singh Malik and Ashok Thakur, the left-arm seamer who took 11 wickets in the last game, they have a decent pace attack. And spin is their main strike weapon as they have the in-form left-arm spinner Vishal Bhatia and Sarandeep Singh, the former India offspinner who moved from Punjab to HP last season. Bhatia, who was the highest wicket-taker in the Plate league with 38 victims, and Sarandeep, who took 28 wickets last season, ensured that HP didn’t lose a single game en route to becoming the Plate champions.Their batting will be led by the captain himself and he will look to the young players like Paras Dogra, wicketkeeper Maninder Bisla, and Manish Gupta to get the runs on the board. Dogra was the top scorer last season with 528 runs at 48, while Sharma, too, enjoyed a good season.They have a fairly unchanged nucleus for the last three years. “We all know each other pretty well, there are quite a few talented youngsters, and it’s a very healthy attitude that prevails in our camp,” Sharma said. How these youngsters adapt to the challenge of playing against the experienced Karnataka players on an untested wicket will be the key.

The pitch is of some concern as it was recently re-laid, and just a couple of games have been played on the new surface. The top layer has been changed, with soil brought in from Kakinada, a district in Andhra Pradesh. It’s anybody’s guess how the track will play; some players from both teams think it will assist spinners fairly early in the game as they reckoned the top surface is quite powdery. The curator, however, is confident it will hold up for the game.”We have left a sprinkling of grass on the track and it should hold up. It should be a sporting wicket,” Narayan Raju, the chief curator, told Cricinfo. “Of course it will take spin, perhaps from the end of the second day or by the third day.”Both teams have said that they will bat first if the coin falls in their favour. “Since it’s a newly laid track, we would look to bat first,” Bharadwaj said.Dravid practised for nearly a couple of hours in the morning on the practice wickets and he would be itching to have another big knock under his belt before the Tests against Pakistan. Kumble, who was in Mumbai for the selection meeting, is expected to fly back tonight and will pair up with Sunil Joshi as Karnataka’s spin weapons. The fast bowlers, Kumble will hope his fast bowlers – Vinay Kumar and NC Aiyappa, who was restricted to just one game due to an injury in the last season and bowled well only in patches in the last game – can put up a good show. Karnataka is likely to go with the same team that drew against Mumbai, while HP will finalise their playing XI tomorrow.

England have reiterated their commitment to their current tour of Sri Lanka and will continue as planned with Sunday’s second Test despite another terrorist attack in the north of the country.According to Sri Lankan authorities, at least 15 people were killedand 38 injured when a Tamil Tiger landmine detonated beneath a crowdedbus one and a half hours away from Anuradhapura, 165 miles north of Colombo.Last week, two bombs exploded within ten hours of each other inColombo itself, killing at least 17 people including the personalsecretary of a government minister. England returned to thecapital on Wednesday night, hours after slipping to an 88-run defeatin the first Test at Kandy.”Reg Dickerson [England’s security advisor] has been in touch with theBritish High Commission,” Andrew Walpole, the team’s medialiaison officer, said. “Their travel advice has not changed. The players areable to leave the team hotel although, as is normal in this situation, they must inform the security manager of where they are going.”Security in Sri Lanka has been on high alert for several months, eversince the fragile peace between the government and the separatistTamil Tigers began to crumble in early 2006. In August of that year,South Africa’s one-day squad pulled out of a triangular tournament inthe country following a blast that killed seven and injured 17.”It definitely caused concern, but we’ve got to concentrate on thecricket,” Kevin Pietersen said after last week’s attacks. “It’s never nice to hear of casualties, and our hearts go out to those people and their families, but we’ve been told that our circle is pretty secure, hopefully. We’ve just been told to get on with the cricket and concentrate on what we’ve been paid to do.”

Cricinfo can reveal that the violence that followed the disputed presidential elections and which cost almost 500 people their lives has caused a number of cricket tours to Kenya to be scrapped.The highest profile of them is the planned visit of the MCC. They were due to arrive on February 11 and stay for 10 days before moving on to Uganda, but a spokesman for the club told Cricinfo that following advice from the home office and the ICC’s cricket development officer for the region, the decision had been made to reschedule the tour and spend all three weeks in Uganda.”We will definitely return to Kenya but because of the natural cycle it will not be for at least two or three years,” the spokesman said. MCC tours are arranged through the ICC and are part of a four-year revolving programme. The MCC has invited Kenya to send their Under-19 side to Uganda to play there.Another casualty is the tour by the prestigious Arabs side who often boast first-class cricketers in their ranks. Hugo Loudon, who was to captain the side, told Cricinfo: “Having assessed the current situation in Kenya, we have decided that it is unfeasible to tour at the present time. Clearly everyone will have seen and heard about the horrific scenes that have taken place in the past two weeks, and whilst actions are being taken to remedy the situation, it is clearly still volatile and our safety cannot be guaranteed.”Not only is our safety an issue but there is also the moral/political issue that would hang over our tour. In the aftermath of such a devastating time for the country there would be greater concerns for Kenyans than looking after us and entertaining us in the way they would if no such situation had occurred.”He added that the side was keen to tour when conditions were more favourable and that it was hoped that the trip could be rearranged for October 2008 or February 2009.David Waters, a senior figure inside Kenyan cricket, runs Sporting Safaris, a Nariobi-based firm which arranges dozens of sports tours to the country every year. “The damage done to the tourist industry by the images beamed to TVs worldwide is likely to be catastrophic and that in turn is likely to impact hugely on the economy,” he said. “After our best year last year and more confirmed tours for this and next on the books it all evaporated in the space of 48 hours at the start of this week.”We have to preserve a sense of optimism that things can be sorted out, and quickly, and that soon all will be back on track again because this is still an amazing country with so much to offer all who live or visit.”

Former Sri Lanka cricketers Aravinda de Silva and Guy de Alwis have been appointed to the Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee along with Asoka Pathirage, a leading mobile owner by sports minister Gamini Lokuge.The seven-member committee headed by former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga will expand to ten with these new appointments.de Silva is already heading the cricket committee of Sri Lanka Cricket and is presently a consultant coach of the Sri Lanka Under-19 team for the World Cup in Malaysia starting later this month.de Alwis was a former chairman of selectors and one-time coach of the Sri Lanka women’s team.It is assumed their appointments were pushed for by Ranatunga, who, since taking over the chairmanship of the interim committee last month, insisted that he would like more ex-players to be involved in cricket administration.Interim committee: Arjuna Ranatunga, Kangadaran Mathivanan, Sujeewa Rajapaksa, Sidath Wettimuny, Premasara Epasinghe, Lalith Wickremasinghe, Dian Gomes, Aravinda de Silva, Guy de Alwis and Asoka Pathirage.Cricket committee: Aravinda de Silva, Sidath Wettimuny, Hashan Tillakaratne, Ranjan Madugalle, Guy de Alwis, Michael Tissera, Roshan Mahanama and Graeme Labrooy.