Wisden Asia CricketBrian Close (England, 1976)
So much for respecting your elders. With England about to front up to West Indies’ all-new four-pronged pace attack, there was only one man to call – the masochistic Yorkshireman, Close, who was still up for a bit of rough and tumble at 45. Nine years after his last Test appearance, and a staggering 27 after his first, Close took one hell of a beating as Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Co got stuck in. It would’ve been sickening if Close didn’t seem to be relishing it so much: he took to chesting short balls down like a centre-back. One gruesome evening at Old Trafford in particular, the Windies quicks painted Close’s body all the colours of the rainbow. And black.Wayne Larkins (England, 1989-90)
No more than a decent, if occasionally devastating, county batsman to most, Larkins had not played for England for over eight years and 85 Tests when Graham Gooch hand-picked him on his first tour as captain, to play against West Indies in their prime. In a rich, pre-Atherton era of duff England openers, it was still a major surprise: Ned Flanders seemed to have as good a chance as Larkins. Gooch said it was because Larkins had always been impressive against his county, Essex; closer inspection showed that Larkins had hardly scored a run against them. No matter, it worked: Larkins hit the winning runs in England’s historic victory in the first Test – their first against the West Indies in 16 yearsColin Cowdrey (England, 1974-75)
At the age of 42, and after 109 Tests of outstanding service, Cowdrey had earned the right to put his feet up. But when English fingers starting snapping and crackling like Rice Krispies in Australia, Cowdrey was flown down in an emergency. Four days later he was facing Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson at their most rampant on the Perth trampoline. Cowdrey couldn’t turn a tide that was already swimming violently against England – they were battered 4-1 – but as always he got in line and hung around, courageous to the last.Younis Ahmed (Pakistan, 1986-87)
Nobody has missed more consecutive Tests between appearances: 104, over a whopping 17 years spent serving a ban for touring South Africa. At 39, Younis came back into the hottest kitchen of all – Pakistan against India, in India. He lasted only two Tests. During the second, at Ahmedabad, he complained of back trouble, but instead of resting made his way to a discotheque. Imran Khan, the captain, made sure that it was his last game.Cyril Washbrook (England, 1956)
It was just another day at the office. But then Cyril Washbrook’s fellow England selectors asked him to leave the room. When Washbrook, aged 41 and out of Test cricket for over five years, returned, they asked him to return to the side for the third Test against Australia at Headingley following England’s defeat at Lord’s. He did, and coming to the crease at 17 for 3, struck a splendid 98, with England going on to an innings-victory.Bob Simpson (Australia, 1977-78)
At the age of 41, 10 years after his last Test appearance and nine years after he had retired from first-class cricket, Simpson was invited to captain, coach and cajole a young, Packer-gutted Australian side against India and West Indies. He thwacked 176 in his second Test back, and played spin as imperiously as ever, though his team went down in the Caribbean. Being a father figure to a group of young Aussies was good practice for Simpson: 10 years later he coached them to World Cup glory on the subcontinent.Carl Hooper (West Indies, 2000-2001)
Unlikely on any number of counts. First, that he’d quit international cricket two years earlier on the eve of the World Cup, when he was roundly castigated for leaving his country in the lurch. Second, that this most laconic, laissez-faire of men, once seemingly the antithesis of a team player, should return as captain. Yet for a time it worked: it was under Hooper that West Indies first saw light at the end of the tunnel. And it was telling that such an eternal underachiever should average 46 as captain as against 34 when not. Fate had another card left to play, however: the 2003 World Cup campaign, in which Hooper did very little wrong apart from lose the odd toss and fail to control the weather, turned out to be his last.Simon O’Donnell (Australia, 1988-89)
Most comebacks are dependent on selectorial whim. For O’Donnell, it was more serious than that. As a hard-hitting batsman and hard-to-hit death bowler he was a key member of Australia’s 1987 World Cup-winning squad. But after the tournament O’Donnell, in his mid-20s and in peak physical condition – he had earlier been offered professional terms to play Australian Rules football – was diagnosed with a cancerous lump on his ribs. Yet within a year he was back under the Baggy Green, and soon carting 74 off 29 balls in an Austral-Asia Cup semi-final. The cliché of the brave innings never seemed quite the same again.Fred Titmus (England, 1974-75)
Many cricketers have got down on one knee to slog-sweep; quite a few have played on one leg. But one toe? Titmus did. Aged 42, and seven years after he lost four toes in a sickening boating accident in the Caribbean – his left foot got stuck in a propeller – Titmus was recalled for his third Ashes tour. And though his offspin wasn’t especially successful, he stood up to Lillee and Thomson and crashed England’s highest score, 61, on the same Perth flyer that greeted Cowdrey, in his first Test back.Srinivas Venkataraghavan (India, 1982-83)
Dumped after the series against Australia in 1979-80, having gone nearly a decade without a Test five-for, it was a major surprise when Venkat returned, at 37, for a trip to the West Indies, partnering bowlers (Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Maninder Singh) who hadn’t even been born when he made his Test debut. Venkat’s last five-for had been in the Caribbean, in 1970-71; this time around he offered control, as always, but struggled for penetration. The following winter he drifted off towards a successful umpiring career.Aasif Karim (Kenya, 2002-03)
Karim retired after captaining Kenya in their disappointing 1999 World Cup campaign, and as his insurance business took off he hardly touched a bat or ball for four years. But he was whistled up, Roger Milla-style, for the 2003 World Cup to give Kenya a bit of experience, and despite a portly, balding figure that was a picture of innocuousness, gave the otherwise omnipotent Australians the heebie-jeebies with a surreal spell of 3 for 7 off 8.2 overs in the Super Six match at Durban. They were the last wickets of his career; as Verbal Kint said of Keyser Soze, “Like that, he’s gone”. But Karim had had his 50 balls of fame, and when the romance of the World Cup is on the agenda, he will not be forgotten.The ExtrasBob Taylor (England, 1986)
Having retired from first-class cricket two years earlier Taylor was at Lord’s for the first Test against New Zealand, as host for the sponsors Cornhill. On the second day, however, he found himself keeping wicket at the age of 45 as a substitute for the injured Bruce French.Ian Bishop (West Indies, 1992-93 & 1995)
It got him in the end – ending a career of ridiculous promise at 30 – but Bishop overcame serious back trouble to come back twice, each time with a serious bang, first in the crunch series Down Under in 1992-93 and then in England in 1995.

Day 1 close Board President’s XI 23 for 0 (Chopra 9*, Sehwag 9*)
Scorecard

Only ten overs of play was possible on a severely truncated first day at Visakhapatnam, as New Zealand’s tour to India got off to a wet and gloomy start. Heavy rains over the last couple of days left the outfield too damp for play to start until after tea, and when the match did finally get underway at 3pm local time, the Board President’s XI could only bat for around 45 minutes before a sharp downpour sent the players scurrying back to the pavilion.In the brief passage of play which did happen, Virender Sehwag – opting to open the innings to get some practice at the top of the order before the Test series – and Akash Chopra put together 23 runs after Sehwag had elected to bat. Both openers were largely untroubled by New Zealand’s new-ball attack of Ian Butler and Michael Mason.Sehwag got off the mark in style, punching the first ball he faced, from Mason, down the ground for four. In Mason’s next over, Sehwag played a flashing cut over gully for four. Chopra was more circumspect, his only boundary coming off an outside edge which went along the ground and through the slip cordon. Apart from that stroke, Chopra was in control, playing close to his body and eschewing any risks.The Board President’s line-up excluded Wasim Jaffer, Amit Uniyal and Tinu Yohannan, while New Zealand left out Jacob Oram and Daryl Tuffey. Both Oram and Tuffey are likely to play in the Tests, and their omissions from this match were probably precautionary measures to ensure against injury on a ground where the run-up areas were still slightly damp.The match has now effectively been reduced to a two-day encounter, and with more rain forecast over the weekend, New Zealand might only be left with one warm-up game before the first Test. Both captains have, however, agreed to start 30 minutes earlier on the two remaining days to squeeze in as much play as possible. Whether the weather actually allows them to is another matter.

Past and present Victorian First Class players will be re-united tonight for the last supper in the MCC Long Room. It will be a celebration of the spirit and tradition of Victorian cricket.Of the 797 players who have pulled on the Victorian cap, approximately 250 will be in attendance including some of the biggest names in the history of the game, such as Neil Harvey, Sam Loxton, Keith Stackpole and Merv Hughes.Dick Hassett, at 95 and brother of the legendary Lindsay, will be the oldest living Victorian player whilst recently appointed ING Cup Captain Cameron White will be the youngest.To mark the historic occasion each player will be presented with a commemorative tie. The tie features a number, representing the order in which each player made their Victorian First Class debut.Tonight’s function is also significant as season 2003/04 marks Victoria’s 1000th First Class match, the first state in Australia to reach this milestone.

Despite having a huge total to chase, the Indians made a fist of it till the last 10. At the 40-over stage, India were 250 for 4, compared to Australia’s 245 for 2. Where Australia took it away was in the last 10, when they scored 102 runs. A look at the Indian bowling during that stage of the innings indicates where Zaheer Khan and co. went wrong: there were plenty of attempts to bowl the yorker, but the results were either full tosses or half volleys. The Australians took full toll, creaming 23 such deliveries for 35 runs.

There was little to cheer for the Indians in the field, but one bowler who did his reputation no harm was Murali Kartik. His battle with Ricky Ponting was especially fascinating: till his last over, Kartik had bowled 32 balls to Ponting, and conceded just 13 runs, a scoring rate of less than two-and-a-half an over, in a match where most other bowlers were disappearing for well over six. Two sixes in that last over spoiled Kartik’s figures somewhat, but it was still an effort to be proud of.The key to Kartik’s success was the length he bowled to Ponting: 34 out of 37 balls landed on a good length, with two more pitching just short. Of the 33 dot balls Kartik bowled, 25 were to Ponting, who struggled to read the variations in flight and pace – of the 37 balls he faced, Ponting was in control of just 27 (72.97%). Kartik didn’t have quite as much success against Adam Gilchrist, who picked off 23 from the 19 balls he faced off Kartik. Gilchrist’s in-control percent was much higher too.

New Zealand have recalled Andre Adams for next week’s fourth one-dayer against Pakistan at Napier.Adams was dropped after the first match of the series in which he finished with 0 for 63 from nine overs. However, John Bracewell, the coach, said Adams was better suited to Napier’s smallish outfield than Ian Butler’s quicker bowling.New Zealand lead the five-match series 2-1 after their seven-wicket at Christchurch today.New Zealand Stephen Fleming (capt), Andre Adams, Craig Cumming, Chris Cairns, Brendon McCullum (wk), Craig McMillan, Hamish Marshall, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori.

Aamer Sohail has been sacked as the chairman of Pakistan’s national selection committee. Wasim Bari, a former Pakistan wicketkeeper, has been appointed as his replacement. Bari will head a panel that also consists of Iqbal Qasim, Sultan Rana and Ehtshamuddin. Qasim is also the convenor of the junior selection committee, and will be the link between the two committees.Bari had served as chief selector earlier, but was sacked following Pakistan’s poor performance in the 2003 World Cup. Tauqir Zia, then the chief of Pakistan’s board, had out a new team in charge of Pakistan cricket, with Sohail being chief selector, Rameez Raja being the chief executive and Javed Miandad being the coach.Strong divisions surfaced within this new team, however, with Sohail and Miandad squabbling openly and Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, taking Miandad’s side. Sohail was considered close to Zia, but his pitch in the extablishment was queered when Zia abruptly quit two months ago, and was replaced by Shaharyar Khan, a former diplomat.Bari’s reinstatement is expected to affect the composition of the team, and there is even the possibility that Waqar Younis may make yet another comeback.

South Africa’s preparations for the final one-day international against West Indies has been hampered with the news that Jacques Rudolph is a doubt for the game with a groin strain.Rudolph will undergo a fitness test before tomorrow’s match at the Wanderers. If he fails, either Morne van Wyk or Ashwell Prince will replace him in a game South Africa need to win to seal the series.Having led the side to 3-0 win in the Test series, and to victory in the opening two games of the one-dayers, Graeme Smith, the captain, admitted that he never thought the last match would decide the series.”We backed ourselves to chase down 169 in Durban, but it didn’t happen because of the rain and then we didn’t bowl very well in Pretoria,” he said. “But holding a 2-1 lead with only the last match to come creates a spectacle and gives us the chance to perform well in front of a big crowd.”Shivnarine Chanderpaul led West Indies’ run-chase in the fourth match as they won with a comfortable five overs to spare. “We’ve chatted with the bowlers quite a lot since then,” said Smith. “We spoke about dealing with emotions and pressure. On Sunday we simply gave them too many chances to cut and hook. The guys have to focus on every ball. It’s about bowling to a pattern and going back to the basics.”Smith also suggested that an element of resignation from West Indies may have helped their cause at Pretoria. “I think they’ve reached the point on this tour where they’ve got nothing to lose and probably feel that South Africa has everything to lose," he said. “When you feel like that you can play with such freedom that you either make 350 or you get dismissed for next to nothing.”South Africa Graeme Smith (capt), Mark Boucher (wk0, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener, Albie Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Morne van Wyk.West Indies Brian Lara (capt), Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs (wk), Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Mervyn Dillon, Ravi Rampaul, Dwayne Smith, Ryan Hurley, Ian Bradshaw Ricardo Powell, Kurt Wilkinson.

North Zone 35 for 1 trail Central Zone 154 (Joginder 3-16, Bhandari 3-56) by 119 runs
Scorecard
Gagan Khoda, the Central Zone captain, must have regretted his decision to bat first as his team were skittled out for only 154 on the first day at Gurgaon. Khoda’s 46 saved his team further embarrassment that Central looked to be heading for when they were 64 for 5. Vineet Saxena (26) and Naman Ojha (25) prevent a complete disaster with their 43-run stand. Joginder Sharma, the medium pacer from Haryana, took 3 for 16 from his 14 overs and picked up the important wickets of Khoda (46) and Jai Prakash Yadav (3). Amit Bhandari, the medium pacer from Delhi, also picked up three wickets. North ended the day at 35 for 1, with Gautam Gambhir being the only casualty. He was bowled by Yadav after taking more than an hour to reach 4. Aakash Chopra and Yuvraj Singh were at the crease when stumps were drawn.

Northamptonshire’s honorary treasurer has resigned, and a former member of staff has been arrested and released on bail, after it was reported that a quarter-of-a-million pounds has gone missing from the county’s reserves.According to the club’s audited accounts from the last financial year, £247,000 have been misplaced in “accounting irregularities”. “The whole situation is particularly disappointing,” the chairman, Simon Schanschieff, told the BBC, “as we made progress turning around our trading performance. I would like to say more by way of explanation, but I must ensure I avoid prejudicing any potential litigation or court cases.”Despite the missing funds, Northants recorded a loss of £36,620 in 2003, compared to a deficit of £158,000 the previous year. An internal investigation is already underway to ensure a similar fiasco does not occur again, and to recover the money if possible.”David Beckett took over as acting chief executive at the beginning of the year,” Schanschieff added, “and all internal financial processes and management controls have been thoroughly reviewed to ensure no situation of this kind can occur in the future. The club will be vigorously pursuing every possible avenue to recover any lost funds where evidence to this effect is uncovered during David’s ongoing investigation.””We have a balanced budget for 2004,” he concluded, “and I can confirm to members that we are continuing to work hard to ensure the effective management of the club’s affairs for the future. I am sure that the club will recover the confidence of all its stakeholders.”

The Queen’s Park Oval, one of 11 venues in line to host matches during the 2007 World Cup, has been given the thumbs-up by the International Cricket Council’s Venue Assessment Team ,which is currently in the Caribbean. The 13-member team includes Chris Dehring, managing director of the 2007 World Cup. The group started their evaluation on Monday, and had already visited St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenada prior to landing in Trinidad.Willie Rodriguez, president of the Queen’s Park Oval Club, said that the team left the venue satisfied with what they had seen. “At this early stage, it is fair to say that the presentation was very commendable,” he said. “We had a clip from Tourism and Industrial Development Company that gave us a broad span of what Trinidad and Tobago is all about, and it was quite impressive. The walk around the Oval was also met with very positive responses. So at this early stage, I think it is fair to say that they are quite satisfied with what they have seen.”Rodriguez, a former Test legspinner who has also been a selector and manager of the West Indian team, added that he expected the stadium facilities to be further improved – the Geddes Grant Stand will be replaced by a new structure later this year, and the famous Trini Posse Stand would also be rebuilt. The pavilion is also set to be refurbished, and Rodriguez said that there would be a vote on whether to admit female members at the end of June.The ICC team also met Roger Boynes, the sports minister, and David O’Brien, chairman of the Technical Bid Committee. Boynes once again reiterated Trinidad and Tobago’s preparedness to host the event. “As they go about verifying our capabilities, I want to let them know that they will be exposed to the culture, food, beautiful people, that makes us unique in the world,” he said. “We are ready, we are opening our arms to the entire team, as we prepare to lay the foundation for World Cup 2007 in the region and in particular Trinidad and Tobago.”Dehring was also confident about West Indies’ ability to host the tournament. “The types of presentation and the level of preparedness the countries have demonstrated so far speak volumes for the kind of work that has gone in,” he said. “And I believe that we are the best prepared region to have hosted the World Cup.”The evaluation will span two months, and the ICC will announce on July 4 which countries have been given the right to host World Cup matches. The awarding of individual fixtures will be done in Montego Bay on July 13.