The complete, complex details behind Brian Lara’s decision to bring an end to his celebrated career before the time schedule he himself had set may never be suitably explained. Yet they are not difficult to surmise. As recently as the start of the World Cup, Lara had enthusiastically spoken of batting on to 40, even if only in Test cricket. A series in England, against opponents who were the recipients of his incredible record scores of 375 and 400 not out and much other misery besides, beckoned. Instead, he will now be following it from beyond the boundary.The reasons can at least be partially gleaned from the circumstances of the exit of another phenomenal West Indian batsman and captain of the preceding generation. They are comparable, indeed almost identical. Sixteen years ago, aged 39, Viv Richards, whose influence on West Indies and world cricket was as impactful as Lara’s, played the last of his 121 Test matches, against England at the Oval in London, a choice he had made known some months earlier.He left the field after his final innings to a standing ovation. Situated, as the Oval is, in the heart of London’s Caribbean community, the farewell was long and emotional, if not what it is bound to be for Lara today on hallowed West Indian turf that has been the scene of some of his most memorable deeds. But one final challenge attracted Richards. It was the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand six months later.In a reversal of Lara’s stated priorities, Richards was through with Test cricket but he repeatedly advertised his desire for one last shot at the game’s premier limited-overs competition. Much to his displeasure, his wish was denied, almost certainly on the same grounds that Lara’s has been. Richie Richardson had been appointed captain just after the tour of England and Jackie Hendriks, the then chairman of selectors, wrote to Richards explaining the reasons for omitting him. Perhaps Gordon Greenidge, Hendriks’ present equivalent, or Ken Gordon, the president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), have done the same for Lara.

Hendriks wrote: “We feel that the new captain should feel totally uninhibited and unhindered in bringing his personality and personal stamp on his team and, with the former captain on the team, this may be most difficult for him and the other players as loyalties could well be divided,” he stated. Richards was unimpressed, as were the fans in Australia and West Indies. The former captain said he had heard “mutterings and whispers that some people in positions of responsibility in the team and on the West Indies board did not want me anyway”.”Sadly, there are members of the West Indies board I used to respect a lot but I do not now,” he added. As the West Indies were eliminated from the World Cup in the first round, placards proclaiming “Bring back Viv!” and “Where is the Master Blaster?” appeared at grounds in Australia.Back in the Caribbean, the issue was one of the many that contributed to Richardson being booed and heckled during the subsequent, inaugural home series against South Africa. It was the start of a turbulent time for Richardson whose tenure lasted four years. It included a period when he was advised to rest because of “acute fatique syndrome” and came to an abrupt end during the 1996 World Cup in India and Pakistan, inspite of the West Indies reaching the semi-final. He was 34 and never played for the West Indies again.Four years ago, the failed World Cup campaign in South Africa finished off another captain, Carl Hooper. Like Richardson, he also called it quits, with Lara recalled to take his place for his second term in charge. Now Lara, as captain, is seen to have also paid for his team’s lamentable performance in the World Cup, the first in the Caribbean, a historic event that was confidently expected to lift the gloom that has hung over West Indies cricket for so long.As with Richards, there is somewhat more to it than that.

The Afro-Asia Cup will be shown on ESPN-Star after Nimbus Sports, which owned the telecast rights for the tournament, backed out of the deal, the Asian Cricket Council has confirmed.”The circumstances were such that the tournament could not be cancelled, considering that the matches were designated as official one-dayers, and we’re happy that ESPN-Star have agreed to telecast the event,” Syed Ashraful Haq, the chief executive of the Asian Cricket Council, told Cricinfo.While ESPN-Star weren’t willing to reveal financial details, it is understood the deal will be significantly lower than the original sum.Nimbus Sports, which bought the rights for three editions of the tournament, first played in 2005 in South Africa, for $12 million, cited the absence of several big stars in the Asian XI as the reason for pulling the plug. Among the names missing are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Sangakkara, Shoaib Akhtar and Lasith Malinga.”We will not be part of the event in any way,” Harish Thawani, the Nimbus chief, told PTI. “We will not be telecasting the event. Neither will we be producing nor bringing sponsorship for the matches.”It is understood that Nimbus’ decision had been prompted by the withdrawal of several top stars, as the commitment had been based on the understanding that the teams will be drawn from the best available talent.Muralitharan, Vaas and Sangakkara are currently playing county cricket with permission from the Sri Lankan Cricket Board, and Akhtar was pulled out by the Pakistan Cricket Board on the grounds that he had not regained full fitness. The last straw, according to the source, was the voluntary withdrawal of Tendulkar a couple of days ago. Dravid had not been originally picked in the XI that will be captained by Mahela Jayawardene.

Mahmudul Hasan has been selected to lead Bangladesh Under-19 on their tours to Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Toposh Ghosh was picked as his deputy on a month-long tour starting on June 30.Bangladesh Under-19 are scheduled to tour Sri Lanka from July 3, playing two ‘Tests’ and a one-day tri-series, also involving the hosts and India Under-19.Squad Mahmudul Hasan (capt), Taposh Ghosh (vice-capt), Md Mithun, Rony Talukder, Md. Ashraful Aziz, Md. Nasir Hossain, Iftekhar Nayeem Ahmed, Rayhan Anas, Ariful Haq, KM Shakil, Syed Golam Kibria, Md. Rubel Hossain, Subashis Roy, Md. Zabid Hossain, Md. Hamidul Islam Himel.Standby Humayun Kabir, Md. Shahjahan Tipu, Shohag Gazi, Md. Shaykat Ali

Sri Lanka have lost a long-standing umpire following the death of Stanley Kuruppu. Kuruppu, 82, father of former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Brendon Kuruppu, was renowned for his services to the umpiring fraternity in Sri Lanka. He was a pioneer in forming the umpires committee for the board in the mid-sixties.Kuruppu was a qualified Grade One umpire and officiated in division I club cricket and important school matches. He was also the vice-president of the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers Sri Lanka (ACUSL), who later became a life member for his services to umpiring.He did a lot to promote the game and popularise it. Kuruppu had thorough knowledge of the laws of the game and conducted many seminars on umpiring for the benefit of up and coming umpires. A government servant in the clerical grade, he also served as president of the Sri Lanka Softball Association. He was ailing for a long time and is survived by his second wife Dulcie and two children.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has launched a major development drive to upgrade media facilities at all international venues in time for England’s tour in October and the 2011 World Cup.The P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, which hosted Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test match against England in February 1982, has been the first stadium to be upgraded just days after the local and foreign media lambasted its facilities during the second Test against Bangladesh.The media centre was first contracted in 2001 with basic facilities on the understanding that it would be developed into a complete unit with time. However, the promised renovations did not materialise and end result was the stadium being starved of international cricket.However, the stinging public criticism of facilities during the second Test encouraged the ground’s owners, the Tamil Union, to take swift action. With two weeks the box was transformed from an empty corrugated-roofed space with electrical problems to a modern air-conditioned centre equipped with comfortable seating, power points and Wi-Fi.The total cost to Tamil Union for the upliftment of the media centre was Rs. 1.8 million. But Sri Lanka Cricket secretary K. Mathivanan stated that SLC would reimburse 50% of the cost. “Tamil Union has done a grand job on the media centre and they deserve all the credit as much as the flak they received prior to the refurbishment. We are in the process of upgrading all the media centres at major international venues,” Mathivanan said.”The media centres at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Galle and Dambulla will be upgraded by SLC to whom the venues have been leased out. The SSC will be informed shortly that their media centre also needs to be upgraded before the England series. We will follow the same procedures with them as we have for Tamil Union.”

The Indian Cricket League’s (ICL) plans to sign current New Zealand players have been ruined after the country’s board decided it would not release its stars. Stephen Fleming and Shane Bond were linked to the unofficial Twenty20 tournament, but Justin Vaughan, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive, said the contest could erode the value of official series.”We depend upon the value of the media rights associated with official international events to provide a majority of our income,” Vaughan said. “It is therefore in the best interests of New Zealand Cricket not to support unofficial events such as the ICL.” He also has concerns over the proposed Stanford Twenty20 in the West Indies.Four Pakistani players, including Mohammad Yousuf, have signed for the Indian league, but it has struggled to attract the host of promised big names. Chris Harris and the retired Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns have also been linked to the competition, which has not been sanctioned by the ICC or the BCCI.Vaughan said no contracted player had asked to appear in the tournament, but the issue was considered carefully and the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association supported the position in principle. “The proposed rebel league is scheduled to directly conflict with New Zealand’s tour to South Africa as well as the start of our domestic season,” Vaughan said. “We have entered into these contracts in good faith and stand by our players through their contract period. We expect players to treat us the same way.”Vaughan said all players with provincial deals would also be bound by the ruling. “We’re aware that [ICL] contracts have been offered to some of our players,” he said. “We have made them aware of NZC’s position. Whilst I can understand why these sort of individual offers can be attractive in the twilight of your career, we need to uphold the integrity of our contracts.”Vaughan said the recent confusion could prompt NZC to look at whether its stars were adequately remunerated. The current system of awarding deals to 20 players – the lowest-ranked receive a base salary of about NZ$45,000 a year – might be reviewed, with the potential for fewer contracts, but at a higher value.”We can look at the number of contracts – issues like this do make you think about it,” Vaughan said. “We’ve also recently signed a new media rights deal and the players will benefit directly from that.”The Indian board is reportedly planning a sanctioned Twenty20 contest and Vaughan said it could lead to New Zealand players taking part. “It is too early to discuss details of this,” he said. “Like the ICL, we also need to be careful when considering this proposed competition to ensure participation is in the best interests of NZC. We expect more information to become public in the coming weeks.”

Shane Warne could be coaching Australia’s young spin bowlers this season and Cricket Australia will “bite like a starving snapper” to secure his services. Warne is keen to help the likes of Cullen Bailey, Dan Cullen and Cameron White to develop their craft and prepare them for the challenges of international cricket.”I am speaking to Cricket Australia at the moment about how we can best utilise my skills and my experiences of the game and how we can get around to all the states and help the other spinners, talk to the captains,” Warne told the . “We’re just working out the best way to do it, with the time restraints as well, in season, out of season, all that stuff. Hopefully I can play a big part.”Warne is likely to play in the Indian Premier League next April and will follow that with another season at Hampshire. He is free from cricketing commitments during the Australian home summer and Cricket Australia wants to strike a deal as soon as possible.”We would bite like a starving snapper if there was an opportunity to have him involved,” Cricket Australia’s spokesman Peter Young said. “He is passionate about Australian cricket and wants to put something back into Australian cricket.”He has a remarkable cricket brain and what is really exciting, above all, is what he might do for slow bowlers. It’s an exciting possibility, but it’s early days.”Warne has already contacted Bailey and Cullen, both of whom are mentored by Warne’s former tutor Terry Jenner, and he has played alongside White at Victoria for seven years. However, Warne expects Stuart MacGill will have the initial chance to replace him at Test level when Australia take on Sri Lanka in November.”Magilla has done exceptionally well when he has had to play so he will probably be the first choice,” Warne said. “The good thing for Australian cricket is there are plenty of good spinners around.”

Ali Asghar Lobi, the former president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of corruption by a Dhaka court.”Asghar will have to serve 10 years in jail for [ illegally] amassing wealth, and another three years for concealing the information in his wealth statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission,” the state prosecutor told reporters. “The jail terms will commence one after another.”He was also ordered to pay a US$14,500 fine or face an additional six months in prison, and his wife, Khusnud, was sentenced to three years for abetting her husband.Asghar was president of the BCB between 2001 and 2006 when the BNP, of which he was a member, was in power. He was also president of the Asian Cricket Council for two years.In January, the government was overthrown by an army-backed interim government. Asghar was arrested the following month as part of a massive crackdown on corruption. In July he received an eight-year term after being found guilty of tax evasion.

John Wright says that even though he’s not a New Zealand selector, now he has been appointed as acting high performance manager for NZC, he will certainly be offering his opinions. Wright was appointed in the role on Friday as a replacement for Ric Charlesworth.Wright hopes he is chosen as a selector when the rotation rolls around next year.”That may evolve,” he told The . “In the meantime I’d like to be able to give my opinion on the subject, in fact I will.”Wright denied he has been underemployed since taking the role in August, with New Zealand struggling in South Africa under John Bracewell. “That’s a matter of opinion,” he said. “It is not like you can come in and wave a wand overnight.”He said the chief executive wanted him to focus on settling in first. “Justin Vaughan said to me ‘Look, I want you to get to know how it works for the first few months’ and that is what I’ve done. Now I’ve got a fair understanding of where we are at and probably what is needed really.”While he would one day consider being an international coach again, at the moment his focus is on being high performance manager. “I coached at the top level for nearly five years, I wouldn’t rule it out again, but I’m pretty excited about this role. I can help drive performance at all levels of New Zealand cricket.”And he expressed his sympathies for Bracewell’s current situation as coach of a team that was in some trouble. “I’ve known John for a long time and it is not a nice situation losing.”He revealed his methods of getting New Zealand cricket back on track. “I’m a bit old fashioned. We need to get back to the real basics of hard work. To me it is not rocket science.”If you want to get to the top you have to have a very good set of basic skills and be able to produce them at any stage, in any situation, and that requires a lot of work. The great players that I played with and coached had one thing in common, they all had very sound technique. That is what I need and if anyone is not like that then we have to think about that.”

Makhaya Ntini has named several current South African internationals plus a legend of the past in Jonty Rhodes to play in his Invitation XI against the touring West Indies at East London’s Buffalo Park ground on Friday, December 14. The match will be played as a day/night fixture and is one of the highlights of Ntini’s benefit year.”By bringing these stars to my home ground, I hope I can reward my loyal fans who have given me such wonderful support over all the years I have been playing my cricket there,” said Ntini. “All 11 players have represented the Proteas with distinction and I hope we can put on a memorable match. It will be great to have international cricket back in East London.”It is appropriate that West Indies should form the opposition as Ntini returned South Africa’s best Test figures (13 for 132) against them in the Caribbean in 2004-05.Invitation XI Makhaya Ntini (capt), Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Ashwell Prince, Jonty Rhodes, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher (wk), Pieter Strydom, Mfuneko Ngam.