Western Australian Cricket Association Chairman Mr Charles Fear has reacted angrily to media claims that WACA CEO Mrs Kath White was asked to retire.Mr Fear said Mrs White foreshadowed her decision to retire two months ago.Mr Fear asked Mrs White to rethink her position but after much consideration Mrs White decided to retire and join her husband who will travel overseas next year on business.Mrs White made her final decision a month ago but was asked by Mr Fear to hold off on announcing her decision until after the Test match against Zimbabwe."Comments made in the media that suggest Mrs White has been asked to stand down from the CEO position are palpably incorrect," Mr Fear said."They are misguided and indeed mischievous.""Like any CEO doing their jobs properly, Mrs White has had to make some hard decisions, some of which may not have always been popular, but the WACA Executive Committee has wholly endorsed these decisions."Mr Brian Rakich, WACA President for the past five years and WACA Executive Member for nearly 30 years said the talk in the media was baseless."Kath enjoys the overwhelming support of the Executive Committee under no circumstances has she been asked to resign."Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said he was disappointed to hear of Mrs White’s retirement."I know Kath has been grappling with this over the last few months and it has been a difficult decision for her to make," he said."Not only has Kath made a significant contribution to the WACA over the last two years but she has enhanced the way Cricket Australia and state associations work together at management level."Some of WA cricket’s most influential cricket administrators were equally scathing in their criticism of the mischievous rumours and refute any suggestion that Mrs White was asked to retire.WACA Executive and I & I member Wally Edwards commended Mrs White for her service to WA cricket."Kath has done a fantastic job at the WACA, particularly in the Cricket Department and the work on the new Constitution and governance issues," said the former Test batsman."She has made an outstanding contribution. We knew of her impending decision to retire and the reasons for it over a month ago. To suggest that she has been asked to leave the WACA is ludicrous."Mr Edwards view was supported most strongly by Mr Bob Paulsen the current Chairman of the I & I committee."Kath White has performed her role as WACA CEO with distinction following many years of service to the Association on sub-committees and as the Association’s first female Executive Committee member," he said."In my view WACA Members and the cricket public should not be swayed by baseless media commentary that she has done anything more than make a private decision to retire."Chairman of the Cricket Council Mr Peter Murphy said that Mrs White had been the driver in the revamp of the Cricket Council."Kath took the Cricket Council into a new-world operation and ensured a more professional footing for the future," he said."There is now a clearer definition of roles between the Council and the staff and the council is operating very productively."WACA Members’ Representative and Chairman of the Business Development Sub-committee, Paul Sullivan, also confirmed his emphatic support for the work done by Mrs White."The qualities that Kath has brought to the WACA over the past few years have been many, including a clarity of purpose as to her role and a quiet resolve to achieve the Association’s goals," he said."More particularly, I have been struck by her integrity in all her dealings with others, including our members and staff, our sponsors, and the Executive."It seems rare, these days, for an organisation to arrange an orderly handover from an incumbent CEO to a new appointee and Kath’s decision to announce her intentions for next year at this time has greatly advantaged the WACA in that regard."Leading Perth Architect Mr James Christou, who worked closely with the WACA Executive and staff on the WACA’s 12 million dollar redevelopment expressed shock at the scurrilous rumours that had been circulated about Mrs White."Mrs White has done an absolutely fabulous job at the WACA. She has helped change the culture of the WACA. It is now positive and forward looking."Mr Gerry Ford of BGC Construction said that he had worked closely with Mrs White at the WACA and it was obvious to him that under Kath’s stewardship the WACA had leapt forward in achievement and attitude. He said that she would be sorely missed.

Close Australia 262 for 2 (Langer 115*, Ponting 52) v India
Scorecard

The best part of Sourav Ganguly’s day lasted for a few minutes, first thing in the morning. He won the toss and put Australia in. But winning the toss against Australia is about as useful as using an umbrella to keep dry under the Niagara Falls. Australia rattled up 262 for 2, on a rain-interrupted first day in which Justin Langer clattered 115, and the closest thing to batting failure was Matthew Hayden’s breezy 37.Langer’s innings formed the backbone of a strong Australian score, both literally and figuratively. He was gritty, solid, no-frills and vitally important for the stability of the innings. Around him there were batsmen of greater panache and ability who played dreamy drives and powerful thumps. But no runs look better than the ones on the scoreboard. The way Langer paced his innings put the Indians on the back foot, and kept them there all day.To begin with, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan bowled too full, floating the ball into just the right place for Langer and Hayden to drive. And drive they did, in contrasting styles. Hayden stood tall and bludgeoned, Langer punched and pushed, almost apologetically. Hayden’s booming drives pinged the advertising hoardings, while Langer’s shots trickled over the ropes, often with a ragged Indian fielder in tow.When Akash Chopra caught Langer smartly at short square leg off a Nehra no-ball, and the Indian fielders had to rein in their delight, it set the tone for the day. Lady luck turned her face away from the carnage. The ball beat the bat more than once, when Zaheer bent his back and produced a good spell, but did not result in an edge. The ball tricked the bat and hit pad more than once, but did not result in an lbw.But, as they say, you make your own luck. Australia kept their run rate hovering around the four mark with unwavering certainty. Hayden reached 37 from 52 balls before flashing a delivery from Zaheer into VVS Laxman’s lap in the slip cordon (73 for 1).India needed to tighten the screws at this stage. They had to slip in a few quiet overs and put pressure on Ricky Ponting, the new batsman. Ajit Agarkar achieved the exact opposite, with a string of half-volleys that Ponting pummelled back down the ground for boundaries. Ganguly, frustrated and sheepish in equal measure, removed Agarkar from the attack after a first spell of 5-1-40-0.

Since pace clearly did not work, Gangly turned to Harbhajan Singh, his lone spinner. Harbhajan, picked ahead of Anil Kumble for this Test, was welcomed to the attack with a savage Langer cut that raced to the point fence. Ponting, who was dismissed no fewer than five times by Harbhajan when Australia last toured India, made a bold statement by coming down the track and smashing Harbhajan into the stands over long-on.Spin and pace had both failed in the face of the Langer-Ponting combination, which added 89 runs for the second wicket. Almost against the run of play, Ponting (52) then dismissed himself, when he top-edged a pull to Parthiv Patel behind the stumps (162 for 2). Zaheer allowed himself a smile, having taken Ponting’s wicket with the unlikeliest of deliveries, a short one.Damien Martyn began his pleasurable stay at the crease with a tickle down to the fine-leg boundary. He waited on the ball, was in no hurry, and built his innings. With Australia scoring as quickly as they were, Martyn didn’t need to take any risks. Playing his natural game, treating the bowling on merit, Martyn helped himself to 36 runs. Langer, unbeaten on 115 (175 balls, 16 fours), was happy to walk off the field when Steve Bucknor offered him the light. Although only 62 overs were bowled in the day, Australia scored quickly enough, at 4.22 runs per over, to reach 262.The Indians were also happy to walk off, as that was perhaps the only way they were going to get any respite from this onslaught. Ganguly walked off just behind Langer, applauding him as he crossed over the ropes to a waiting Hayden. That might be just about the shape of things to come for the Indians in the gruelling weeks ahead.

All that stood between Australia and victory was Rahul Dravid. And for a while, all that stood between Dravid and the target was Brad Williams. Bowling straight and fast outside off stump, Williams made Dravid look out of touch only a day after he scored 233. In one scorching over, he nicked a delivery to Adam Gilchrist – who dropped the difficult chance – and played to and missed two more that moved off the seam. Williams posed searing questions, and somehow, Dravid survived to score the winning runs.A breakdown of Williams’s bowling analysis reveals a persistent length and the near absence of loose deliveries, the reasons why India’s batsmen had such a hard time.

If Williams did all the hard work, Stuart MacGill took on the onus of bowling like a millionaire, and gifted full tosses and short deliveries. Reputed to present one boundary opportunity each over, MacGill proved more generous towards the end of India’s innings. Though the turning pitch helped him dismiss Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, bowling down the wrong line proved expensive for MacGill.

All India needed was 193 on a worn-out fifth-day pitch with the ball shooting through alarmingly low at times, and Brad Williams reverse-swinging deliveries at 135 kmph. Historically atrocious chasers, India’s batsmen braved it out under difficult conditions, and got home in relative comfort.

Richard Davis, the only man to have played for five first-class counties, has died at the age of 37 after suffering from a brain tumour.Davis, a slow left-armer, was a member of the treble-winning Warwickshire squad of 1994, having started his career with his native Kent. He also played for Gloucestershire, Sussex – in one-day cricket only – and Leicestershire.Davis was starting on a career in coaching but within weeks of his final appearance for Leicestershire in 2001 he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. A second, more aggressive tumour, which required surgery, was discovered in September this year.Neil Smith, a team-mate of Davis at Warwickshire, led the tributes. “He was thoughtful, caring and considerate,” he said. “An honest and straightforward guy who will be sadly missed.”Davis leaves a wife, Sam, who is the sister-in-law of David Fulton, Kent’s captain.

Andy Bichel will play for Worcestershire in the 2004 county cricket season. Bichel, who was their overseas player in the 2001 and 2002 seasons, will be available to begin the season with them in April."When the opportunity arose to return to Worcestershire," said Bichel, "it didn’t take long for my family and myself to make the decision. We all thoroughly enjoyed our previous spell in Worcestershire and hoped we would be able to return at some stage in the future. The team is certainly stronger now and I look forward to playing my part in securing more success for the club."Bichel had topped the the county’s first-class and one-day bowling averages in 2002, and had taken 102 first class wickets at 26.5 and 68 one-day wickets at 16.1 in his previous stint there. He had also made a one-day century in 2001.Tom Moody, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, said: . "Andy is a quality player who earned great respect amongst his fellow players and our supporters during his previous period with the Club. He gives so much both on and off the field to our Club."

South Australia 0 for 13 trail Western Australia 335 (North 130*, Cleary 3-43) by 322 runs
ScorecardMarcus North fashioned a recovery of sorts as Western Australia reached 335 against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Mark Cleary made inroads early on and WA were in a spot of bother at 3 for 75. North (116 not out) then took charge of proceedings and kept his end up. He was well supported by Murray Goodwin, who made 58. After WA were bowled out just before the close of play South Australia played out three overs to reach 13 for no loss by stumps.Full report to follow

New Zealand 248 for 6 (Sinclair 74, Cairns 60*, McCullum 55) v South Africa
Scorecard

A late fightback by Chris Cairns and Brendon McCullum ensured that New Zealand and South Africa shared the honours after the first day of the final Test at Wellington. For much of the day, Graeme Smith’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss seemed justified, as New Zealand slumped to 23 for 2, and then 97 for 4. Then, Cairns (60 not out) and McCullum (55) carried on the good work that Mathew Sinclair – in the team for the indisposed Craig McMillan – had begun, as New Zealand ended on 248 for 6.The pitch at the Basin Reserve afforded the seamers enough pace and bounce, but South Africa’s hero was an unlikely one: Nicky Boje snared three crucial middle-order wickets with his left-arm spin, and finished with impressive figures of 3 for 61 from 19 overs. His contribution meant that the absence of Jacques Kallis – who left the field late in the first session with a side strain – wasn’t felt as much as it might have been.New Zealand were on the back foot for much of the day but their lower order, so effective in the first two Tests, did the job again. After two attritional sessions had produced only 141 runs, Chris Cairns and Brendon McCullum lit up the Basin Reserve in the last hour, as the post-tea session yielded 107.Coming off a scintillating 158 at Auckland, Cairns strode in and snatched the initiative immediately. Boje’s left-arm spin was dismissed over the sightscreen for six, while the seamers were cut and pulled with disdain. There was even an altercation with Andre Nel, who bowled with plenty of fire and heart, but had little to show for it. After being square-driven for four, Nel showed his displeasure with his usual verbals, and followed that with a beamer which Cairns just about managed to handle. The apology from Nel didn’t impress Cairns much.Smith opted for the second new ball as soon as it was due, but that only accelerated the scoring rate, as Cairns waded into Ntini, pulling a short one perfectly between the fielders stationed at fine leg and deep square leg. Ntini was forced to pitch it up, and Cairns duly smashed him through cover. He ended the day on 60, from just 72 balls.At the other end, McCullum proved to be the ideal foil. He had started off aggressively, but dropped anchor as Cairns provided the fireworks, working the ball into the gaps and turning the strike over perfectly. He was trapped lbw in the final over of the day, by Shaun Pollock, but by then New Zealand had battled their way back into the match.

For much of the day, though, South Africa were in control. They started well, with a couple of wickets in the first hour: Ntini nailed Michael Papps lbw with a yorker, though replays suggested that the point of impact was just outside off (23 for 1), and then, six balls later, Mark Richardson wafted at one outside off from Kallis and nicked it to Mark Boucher.Stephen Fleming and Sinclair led the recovery with a 67-run stand on either side of lunch, but a couple of quick wickets pegged New Zealand back again, as Fleming edged a drive to slip, and Scott Styris, with the confidence of a huge century under his belt at Auckland, charged down the pitch and was bowled for 1 (97 for 4). Boje, who had taken both those wickets, added a third one to his name when Sinclair missed a sweep and was trapped plumb in front (163 for 5). Sinclair made a controlled 74, a crucial innings but one which should have been converted into a more significant score. At that stage, Smith’s hunch to field first seemed spot on. Then, Cairns strode in and began to stamp his presence on the day.

Sri Lanka have decided to rest five of their key players, including their captain Marvan Atapattu, for the fourth one-day international against Zimbabwe in Harare tomorrow. In Atapattu’s absence, Mahela Jayawardene will captain his country for the first time, but even with a second-string team at his disposal, defeat is inconceivable against a side that was bundled out for 35 in the third match on Sunday.Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan and Nuwan Zoysa have all been rested to give opportunities to the lesser names in the squad. The uncapped left-hander Thilina Kandamby, the fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara and the legspinner Upul Chandana will all play.Vaas has been the star of the series so far. He has picked up successive Man-of-the-Match awards on the way to becoming only the sixth bowler in one-day international history to take 300 wickets. "There is probably a lack of experience in the side," admitted Jayawardene, as he looked forward to his captaincy debut. "But the guys who are playing tomorrow have enough experience going on A tours and I hope they use it and do well."Meanwhile, the onus falls on his opposite number Tatenda Taibu to provide the runs, if Zimbabwe are to be remotely competitive – his first-ball duck on Sunday sounded the death knell for his team’s hopes. "The batting in the first 15 overs has been a concern," he admitted. "It is the main area we are concentrating on. We haven’t given the bowlers enough runs to play around with. It is up to the individuals really to find out how they can play their best cricket."Before this series we said to ourselves we are young, we are inexperienced. Let’s not hide from the fact that we will face some tough times and we will have some interesting and good times as well," said Taibu. "But the main thing was to stay together throughout every stage. It is good to see that the boys have listened and are giving their 100 percent."

The veteran New South Wales batsman Michael Bevan has signed a two-year deal with Tasmania.The move comes just 24 hours after the Tasmanian Cricket Association announced it had secured the services of sacked Zimbabwe allrounder Andy Blignaut. David Johnston, the TCA’s chief executive, said that he was thrilled they had been able to recruit a second player of international standing.Bevan’s appointment and transfer to Tasmania is still subject to a clearance from New South Wales, where he had played since 1990-91.Bevan, 34, recently lost his contract with the national team, signalling the end of his productive one-day career for Australia.

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s new coach, has arrived in Lahore and conducted preliminary meetings with the support staff of the Pakistan team. He flew in on Friday from London and got to work right away.Woolmer has joined the preparatory camp currently under way for Asia Cup probables at the Gaddafi Stadium, and his first move was to call Shoaib Akhtar to the camp. In order to minimise any potential friction, Woolmer took Inzamam-ul-Haq into his confidence before doing so.”Shoaib is reaching Lahore on Saturday and will join the camp from Sunday,” Pakistan’s team manager Haroon Rashid told the Dawn newspaper. There were doubts over Shoaib’s participation in the Asia Cup after he failed to report to the training camp on the prescribed date of July 1 set by the selectors and the PCB. However, Woolmer met with Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, and Rameez Raja, the chief executive, and convinced them of the need to have Shoaib in the team for the Asia Cup. Shoaib is set to join the camp soon and begin training with the team.In the recent past Shoaib has missed matches because of injury, and this has led to some concern about his match-fitness. The report adds that Inzamam has said that he had to be convinced of Shoaib’s fitness before including him in the squad for the Asia Cup.