Cricket

HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka, CMC – The One-Day International series between Sri Lanka and West Indies was abandoned yesterday, hours before the first game was scheduled to begin here at the Suriyawewa Stadium.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Pugnacious opener Chris Gayle’s poor form since his monumental triple century has seen him plummet five places in the latest ICC Test batting rankings.

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Middle order batsman Donwell Hector stroked a century to lead a strong Vincentian batting effort while left-arm spinner Denis George snatched a six-wicket haul for Grenada, on the opening day of the second series of matches in the Windward Islands Senior Championship on Tuesday.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The first One-Day International between West Indies and Sri Lanka will go ahead today after all, ending a day of confusion over whether the match would be played, a West Indies cricket spokesman confirmed late yesterday.

ADELAIDE, (Reuters) – Captain Andrew Strauss said   England would savour their win over Australia yesterday but   the reverse in the corresponding Ashes four years ago had   taught them not to take anything for granted in the rest of   the series.

BANGALORE, (Reuters) – Yusuf Pathan’s maiden one-day  international century lifted India to a five-wicket victory over  New Zealand as runs flowed in the fourth match of the series yesterday.

MANCHESTER, England,  (Reuters) – Manchester United are  running out of optimism that midfielder Owen Hargreaves will  ever fulfil the potential he showed before two years of injury  misery.

HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka, CMC – With their rain-ravaged Test series behind them, West Indies arrived here in this small southern city yesterday afternoon to begin preparations for their five-match One-Day Inter-national series which bowls off on Thursday.

Another low scoring match of the Pepsi/Carib T20 tournament saw defending champions Cellink Berbice emerge the winners over Essequibo by eight wickets at the Guyana National Stadium yesterday evening.

Otis Gibson and Courtney Browne have spent as much time over the past month in Sri Lanka experiencing the effects of global warming on what should be the end of the annual monsoon season as on what their principal mission was meant to be.

ADELAIDE, (Reuters) – Alastair Cook continued to dominate Australia’s bowlers with an unbeaten 136 to help drive England to a first-innings lead of 72 with eight wickets in hand after second day of the second Ashes test yesterday.

KANDY, Sri Lanka, Dec 4 (Reuters) – The persistent rain which has dogged the third and final test continued to thwart Sri Lanka’s attempts to bowl West Indies out in their first innings yesterday as the match drifted towards a tame draw.

VADODARA, India, (Reuters) – Stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir hit a second consecutive unbeaten century to lead India to a nine-wicket win and series victory against New Zealand with two one-day internationals to spare yesterday.

MIAMI BEACH, Florida, CMC – Neil McGarrell looks set to breathe life into his international career, after he was identified as a strong candidate to play for the United States national team that will travel to Hong Kong for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in January.

FORT DE FRANCE, Martinique,  CMC – Luton Shelton led a first-half blitz with a brace that helped Jamaica thump Antigua & Barbuda 3-1, and start their defence of the Digicel Caribbean Cup in style on a wet and windy Saturday night.

Due to a lack of proper development programmes at so called big clubs in Trinidad and Tobago, the country will continue to be the biggest importer of cricketers in the Caribbean and Guyana will continue to be one of the major suppliers.

BRISBANE, (Reuters) – Openers Andrew Strauss and   Alastair Cook both posted centuries yesterday to wipe out   England’s first innings deficit and bring the tourists right   back into the first Ashes test against Australia.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – Darren Sammy has urged his West Indies side to remain focussed on the task at hand, following the drawn second Test against Sri Lanka.

GUWAHATI, India, (Reuters) – Virat Kohli’s brisk  century set up a 40-run win for India over New Zealand in the  first one-day international of a five-match series yesterday.

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Kirk Edwards is the only complete newcomer named in a 15-member squad for the limited-overs leg of West Indies’ tour of Sri Lanka next month.