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After being ruled out for the entire season with a shoulder injury, Paul Collingwood has been passed fit to play for Durham in their Frizzell County Championship match against Hampshire, starting at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.Collingwood played a key role for England during the World Cup and had been in line to make his Test debut this summer. But he suffered a dislocated right shoulder on April 16, while playing in a pre-season friendly against Lancashire. It had been feared that he would be ruled out for the entire season, but has made an impressive recovery.Collingwood, 27, has scored 874 runs at 32.37 in 38 ODIs for England, including one century against Sri Lanka. He has also taken 16 wickets with his medium-pacers, with best figures of 4 for 38 against New Zealand at Napier in 2001-02.

Pace bowler Glenn McGrath is on his way back to the West Indies tore-join his Australian cricket team-mates after his cancer-stricken wifedeclared she wanted some normality back in her life.McGrath returned from Australia’s Caribbean tour after his wife Jane wasdiagnosed with secondary cancer in her hip earlier this month.The diagnosis relates to the breast cancer she fought in 1997, when sheendured six months of chemotherapy before being cleared of cancer inJune 1998.It was not originally known when or if McGrath would re-join the team inthe West Indies, with Australia taking a 1-0 lead in the four-Testseries.Australia is in a commanding position midway through the second Test asit tries to retain the Frank Worrell trophy.But McGrath’s decision to re-join the team came after a specialist saidhis wife’s condition was not as bad as first feared.She will still undergo radiation therapy but is expected to make a fullrecovery.McGrath said his wife wanted to get back to a normal routine and thatmeant her husband playing cricket.”She started treatment last week and that’s gone very well,” McGrathtold Channel Nine.”And Jane just wants a bit of normality back in her life and for her,that’s me playing cricket.”McGrath will available for selection for the third Test starting inBridgetown on May 1.

At Montgomery Primary School in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, current England and Warwickshire CCC player Nick Knight today launched an inventive new scheme intended to provide a major boost to school sport.In a move aimed at improving the provision of PE and sport in schools and making children more active, thereby helping to counter the unprecedented rise in child obesity, innovative playground markings were unveiled which will not only encourage boys and girls to play more sport in their breaks but, importantly, to help teachers better deliver PE lessons to their pupils.Making the long overdue step from old-fashioned chalk marks on playground walls, these new brightly-coloured, multi-faceted markings will allow matches and training for a variety of sports – including cricket, football, netball and hockey – catering for a wide-range of sporting tastes.Numbered targets will also help with numeracy skills while the layout of the targets within the playground will facilitate more organised practice sessions.It is hoped that these imaginative markings, devised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and implemented by Highway Safety Systems Ltd (HSS), will be replicated at schools throughout the country.David Leighton, ECB Primary Schools Development Manager, said, The ECB and HSS aim to encourage Local Education Authorities and Head Teachers throughout the country to adopt the markings in a bid to encourage greater activity in school break-times and better use of existing school outdoor spaces.In-Service Training is offered by the ECB, free of charge, to teachers at the schools that implement the playground markings.

When India faced off against England in the Reliance Cup semifinal atBombay in November 1987, rarely could they have taken the field in aone-day international with so many factors in their favour. Thedefending champions, they were playing at home, had won fivesuccessive games, and were up against opponents who had manylimitations. Pakistan had beaten England twice in the group matches,and everything pointed to India registering a one-sided victory.Kapil Dev won the toss and sent England in to bat. Graham Goochdominated the scoring from the start, but India still claimed twowickets for 79 in 22 overs. Mike Gatting then joined Gooch and the twoadded 117 runs for the third wicket in 19 overs. Both batsmen adoptedthe bold policy of sweeping and pulling the two left-arm spinnersManinder Singh and Ravi Shastri. As future events proved, this was themajor turning point.Gatting on 56 finally swept Maninder onto his leg-stump; he faced 62balls and hit five fours. In his following over, Maninder removedGooch as well, but the opening batsman had scored 115 off 136 ballswith 11 boundaries. Allan Lamb countered the double blow by hitting anunbeaten 32 off 29 balls, and England were able to post a highlyrespectable 254 for six in 50 overs.India suffered an early blow when Philip DeFreitas bowled SunilGavaskar (4) with the total on 7. This was to be Gavaskar’s lastappearance for India in international cricket. KrishnamachariSrikkanth (31) and Navjot Singh Sidhu (22) put the innings back ontrack with a second-wicket partnership of 51 runs. The run-rate,however, could not be improved, thanks to accurate bowling andbrilliant fielding, and neither Srikkanth (55 balls) and Sidhu (40balls) managed a single boundary. Neil Foster removed both and, at 73for three, India were in some trouble. But Mohammad Azharuddin andChandrakant Pandit (in for Dilip Vengsarkar) initiated a recoveryprocess by adding 48 runs for the fourth wicket. After Pandit (24)became Foster’s third victim, Azharuddin and Kapil gave a fillip tothe scoring rate with a flurry of strokes.At 168 for four, India seemed well on course to victory. BothAzharuddin and Kapil were settled, there was plenty of batting tocome, and the required run-rate was below six an over. There was noneed for any mock heroics, but it was at this stage that Kapilexecuted a stroke he was to regret all is life. Carried away by hisown impetuosity, the Indian captain, who had hit 30 out of the fifthwicket partnership of 47, heaved Eddie Hemmings high and straight toGatting who had just then stationed himself on the mid-wicketboundary.In retrospect, this shot cost India the match. Even though Azharuddinand Shastri took the score to 204 before the sixth wicket fell, theIndians were strangely directionless. Hemmings, who had been hit byAzharuddin and Pandit for 27 runs from his first three overs, nowstruck back with a vengeance. He had Azharuddin leg-before for 64 (74balls, seven fours). Shastri was still determination personified, butpanic and recklessness now set in. With five wickets gone and 10 oversin hand, India were looking for five runs an over. But in a flash,Kiran More (0), Manoj Prabhakar (4) and Chetan Sharma (0) left, andShastri too finally gave in. When on 21, he swung at Hemmings,resulting in a skier that was gratefully accepted by wicket-keeperPaul Downton.Astonishingly, India lost their last five wickets for 15 runs in fiveovers, and the end came with a suddenness that was shattering for thepacked Wankhede stadium crowd, as well as millions watching ontelevision all over the world, to stomach. Hemmings, who had looked soinnocuous initially, took four for 21 in 34 balls and England,scarcely believing their good fortune, trooped out exultant victors by35 runs.

Coach Dav Whatmore believes that Sri Lanka’s recent experience of SouthAfrican conditions could provide them with a crucial advantage in their WorldCup opener against New Zealand on Monday.Sri Lanka were whitewashed in the Test series and then hammered 4-1 in theone-day series that followed but Whatmore believes that crucial lessons werelearned.”We needed to go through the pain and heartache in South Africa and inAustralia to get an understanding of those conditions,” said Whatmore. “Itwill hold us in good stead despite the confidence being knocked a bit.”New Zealand, meanwhile, last played at home where they swarmed all over theIndians, winning the seven-match series 5-2 on lush, green tracks ill-suitedto the limited overs game.Whatmore questions whether that was ideal preparation for the World Cup:”They won on bowler friendly wickets. It is not going to be easy to adjustin such a short space of time.”The Sri Lankans hope that the pitch will be similar in pace to the turgidsurface that assisted their spinners during their second warm-up gameagainst Free State last week.With off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan having recovered from a thigh injury,Sri Lanka will bowl a minimum of 20 overs of spin during the match.Sri Lanka have an excellent recent record against the Black Caps having won13 of the last 16 matches played since 1997 but Whatmore still rates themhighly.New Zealand are not a team of big stars, but bits and pieces players who doit fairly well and with good team spirit. They have a good history ofstarting competitions well,” said Whatmore.Whatmore predicts that result will be crucial: “Its a must win situation. Itwill give the team a big boost if we can get away to a win. It will probablybe the match of the round in our pool.”New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming is unperturbed by his side’s previous form against Sri Lanka, pointing instead to their reputation as starters.”We usually start tournaments well,” said Fleming. “We’re going to do wellbecause we believe in the squad we have.”The return of explosive all-rounder Chris Cairns also adds to substance to abatting line-up that relies heavily on the class of Nathan Astle.Cairns will not bowl during the early games having not regained full fitnessafter a long-term knee injury.The all-rounder also has confidence in his teammates: “In the last twotournaments we had a good side and thought we would do well, but this onehere, with the side we’ve got we’re quietly confident.”The preparation’s been fantastic and it’s the best unit I’ve been involvedin, that’s for sure.”Sri Lanka (from):S Jayasuriya (captain), M Atapattu, M Jayawardene, K Sangakkara, A De Silva,R Arnold, J Mubarak, A Gunawardene, H Tillakaratne, M Muralitharan, C Vaas,D Fernando, P Gunaratne, P Nissanka, C Buddhika Fernando.New Zealand (from):S Fleming (captain), A Adams, N Astle, S Bond, C Cairns, C Harris, CMcMillan, J Oram, S Styris, D Tuffey, D Vettori, L Vincent, B McCullum.

FULL NAME: Charles Kevin Coventry
BORN: 8 March 1983, at Kwekwe
MAJOR TEAMS: Matabeleland. Present Club sides: Bulawayo Athletic Club and Universals
KNOWN AS: Charles Coventry. Nickname: Chappie
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat, Wicket-keeper.
BOWLING STYLE: Leg Breaks
OCCUPATION: None at presentFIRST-CLASS DEBUT: 5-7 January 1999, Matabeleland b Mashonaland, atBulawayo Athletic Club
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaitedBIOGRAPHY (November 2001)At the moment, Charles Coventry junior, generally known as `Chappie’, is most famous for being the youngest-ever Zimbabwean first-class cricketer. At the age of 15 years and 303 days he played, unexpectedly, for Matabeleland against Mashonaland in the Logan Cup match on his home ground, Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC), and actually produced the third-highest score of the innings, 33.Charles shares the same name as his father, who is generally known as Chuck and is a leading Matabeleland umpire, with international experience. Chuck was actually umpiring in this match when Charles made his debut. Charles had taken his cricket kit to the ground – `just in case’, he says – and found that due to a mix-up one of the Matabeleland players had not arrived at the start of the match. He was thus thrust into first-class cricket almost by accident, but also because he had been keen and ambitious enough to be ready for his chance and to take it.He went in to bat at number five as Matabeleland chased a Mashonaland total of 243. The score was 66 for three when he joined Guy Whittall at the crease. “I got hit a few times by Andy Blignaut,” he said. He also had to face an array of test-match bowlers in Eddo Brandes, Paul Strang, Everton Matambanadzo and Grant Flower. He had never faced any of them before, and he says that the pacemen were the quickest he had ever faced. Yet he survived to score 33 off 121 balls before being run out.”Guy Whittall guided me through a lot of my innings,” Charles says. “He told me to concentrate on every ball and helped me out with the bowlers.” Since then Charles has become a regular player for Matabeleland, opening the innings as he has always done.It was naturally Chuck who introduced Charles to the game, in their family garden and the nets at BAC. Charles remembers with pleasure the hours they spent together when he was very young, getting a firm grounding in the game. Charles started to play at Whitestone School when in Grade 3, and the following year played for the schools colts team. He spent two years in the colts and two in the senior side; his most memorable performance at Whitestone was when he took a hat-trick bowling leg-breaks. Nowadays he rarely bowls, having taken up wicket-keeping to add to his batting skills.In his final two years at junior school he represented Matabeleland Schools in the national primary schools cricket week, scoring a couple of fifties but failing to make the national side at that level. He progressed to Christian Brothers’ College (CBC) in Bulawayo, and was selected for the national Under-14 team, following through into the Under-16 and Under-19 teams. His best performance here was 94 against Northerns in the South African Schools Coca-Cola Week. He played first-team cricket for CBC for two years, after scoring a century against St John’s College of Harare at Under-16 level.When in Form One at CBC he played club cricket for BAC teams for the first time, beginning with their third team and working his way up quickly. He freely admits the bowlers were too quick for him at that stage. It was at BAC that he was encouraged to take up wicket-keeping, and now considers himself a regular keeper, although Warren Gilmour has kept the gloves at provincial level. He never kept wicket at school, but at national age-group level he became the understudy to Tatenda Taibu.Charles left school after completing his O-levels at the end of 2000, but did not take up employment immediately, concentrating on his cricket. He applied to join the CFX Academy in 2002. He also enjoyed a tour of Kenya with the Zimbabwe development team. As a batsman he feels his main strength is on the off side. Chuck has continued to play a major role in his development, correcting faults and encouraging him; “He’s always been there for me, and chips in money whenever I go on tours.”Charles also names Win Justin-Smith of CBC and the national Under-19 manager who has helped him over the years with coaching, although he resisted his attempts to turn him into a full-time leg-spinner. “Shane Cloete helped me out quite a bit on the Kenya tour,” he adds. “There were quite a few things I was doing wrong then. Steve Rhodes has helped me a lot with my wicket-keeping.”Charles made his mark on club cricket on 4 November 2001 with a remarkable innings of 155 for Universals against Alexandra Sports Club in Harare. He was staying in Harare in preparation for the Under-19 tour to South Africa and then to the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, to save frequent travelling from Bulawayo for training, and so temporarily joined a local club.”I went out there and decided to be as positive as I could,” he says. “And it came off. I enjoyed it. There was a very nice pitch to bat on at Alex, although it started to move around a bit at the end, a bit of turn.” The bowling attack was not very testing, though, as the national players were all overseas and none of the home side’s bowlers had played first-class cricket. But a batsman still has to take his opportunity when it arrives, and Charles did that with both hands.Cricket heroes: “As batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh.”Toughest opponents: Eddo Brandes. “He swings the ball around and has good height, and I’m not the tallest of people! He’s also a very experienced bowler.”Immediate ambitions: “I want to make Zimbabwe A as quickly as possible and hopefully go on to the national side. I want to take up cricket as a career. If I keep on working hard I think I could become a good keeper, but obviously batting is my strength. After the Academy, if I get in, I probably will go back to Matabeleland and do a bit of coaching there. By that stage I hope to be quite close to the Zimbabwe side.”Other sports: “I like to play a bit of squash, and I’d like to start playing golf. I do quite a bit of gym in Bulawayo. I sometimes played rugby at school, but didn’t take it seriously at all.”

Opener Sridharan Sriram struck 78, giving Tamil Nadu the upper hand in their Ranji Trophy league match against Kerala at Chennai on Thursday.Kerala scraped past the 200-run mark thanks to the efforts of K Rejith Kumar, who converted his overnight 40 into 69 valuable runs. He was the ninth wicket to fall, with the score on 221. Indian pace sensation Tinu Yohannan was the last wicket to fall, leaving Kerala dismissed for 223.Tamil Nadu’s openers started slowly, with Sriram playing in his usual vein and fellow opener Sadagoppan Ramesh trying to play himself back into form. The usually fluent Ramesh made an unbeaten 41 off 188 balls, striking no boundaries in his knock. He lost Sriram with the score on 118, but took Tamil Nadu through to the close of play with a considerable advantage. He was accompanied by Hemang Badani, who was unbeaten on 4.

Otago Cricket is resuming its off-season coaching programme for coaches this winter with the first stages starting on July 6.New Zealand Cricket’s Level One prgramme will be held at the Otago Cricket High Performance Centre at the Edgar Sports Centre on July 6, 13 and 20.The Level Two programme will be held on July 25-27, then on August 2-3, also at the HPC.Any enquiries about the courses should be made Otago Cricket’s director of coaching, Mike Hesson.

England lead India by 131 runs with all their second innings wickets intact after an enthralling third day in the second Test at Ahmedabad. Ashley Giles took five wickets as India were bowled out for 291, despite a glittering century from Sachin Tendulkar and 75 from VVS Laxman. At the close England were 15 without loss.An expectant Ahmedabad crowd got an early taste of Tendulkar as Richard Dawson was swept to the midwicket boundary in the first over of the morning. Dawson made way for Giles after just one over, but it was Matthew Hoggard who made the breakthrough when Rahul Dravid was caught behind by Jamie Foster, playing an indeterminate stroke outside the off stump to leave India on 86 for 3.Sourav Ganguly’s arrival prompted Nasser Hussain to call up Andy Flintoff, and the Lancastrian immediately obliged as the Indian captain edged a ball that was slanting across him to the safe hands of substitute Martyn Ball at first slip.As England’s bowlers kept a tight line, Tendulkar and Laxman remained largely on the defensive. But Tendulkar greeted the return of Dawson with boundaries in consecutive overs, one driven exquisitely through extra cover, the other cut behind square as the bowler dropped marginally short.In pleasantly cool conditions and in front of the largest crowd of the game so far at the Motera Stadium, Tendulkar completed a patient 50 by cutting Hoggard to the boundary backward of point. It was already a vital contribution, but the landmark signalled a change of tempo. India’s hero now showed why he is widely regarded as the world’s premier batsman, with a delightful display of artistry.Tendulkar’s class shone through as he worked two Hoggard deliveries outside the off stump for boundaries between mid-on and midwicket. Hoggard’s rueful smile was respectful as well as phlegmatic. It was the last over of his spell, but Dawson’s re-introduction met with the sternest of receptions, as Tendulkar drove him imperiously over the long-on boundary.As Tendulkar twinkled, Laxman was primarily supportive. The hundred partnership came off 175 balls, with the taller man contributing just 23. To a rapturous reception, Tendulkar then swung Hoggard away behind square leg to reach his 27th Test hundred. His second 50 had taken just 55 balls.It took a rare blemish to dismiss him, as he drove Hoggard without quite getting on top of the delivery. To England’s delight Hussain held on to the catch at the second attempt at mid-on. Virender Sehwag announced himself with some wristy legside flicks, but Craig White soon won a marginal lbw decision from umpire Jayaprakash as Sehwag was hit just above the knee-roll playing from the crease.With the door now ajar, Ashley Giles wasted no time in kicking it open. He produced a gem of a delivery to dismiss Anil Kumble, bowled off stump as the ball turned out of the rough around middle and leg. In Giles’ next over Harbhajan drove recklessly to Flintoff at cover. Javagal Srinath was then caught off bat and pad by Mark Butcher at silly point.Tinu Yohannan held an end up briefly as Laxman played some mighty strokes through midwicket, but India’s innings ended on 291 when Laxman went for 75, trying the stroke once too often and holing out to Mark Butcher. Giles ended with Test-best figures of five for 67.As England batted for just three overs before the close, Marcus Trescothick was fortunate to take four to fine leg from an inside edge off Yohannan. An authentic cut gleaned four more to third man, and England finished in firm control of the match at 15 for no wicket, 131 runs ahead.

Kent’s bid to claim the CricInfo Championship runners-up slot moved a step closer as they dominated the opening day of their match with reigning champions Surrey in sunny Canterbury.Surrey, hampered by the loss of five first-choice stars through injury and Test calls, were dismissed for 255 having been reduced to 95 for six after electing to bat first in seemingly ideal conditions.Kent replied late in the day through in-form openers David Fulton and Rob Key, who scored 18 apiece without due alarm to see the hosts through to the close on 43 without loss after 16 overs.The first session had undoubtedly belonged to Kent’s seamers and their leading wicket-taker Martin Saggers in particular, who claimed his 50th Championship wicket of the campaign in breaking a stubborn, if unspectacular opening stand of 31 between Michael Carberry and Ian Ward.Saggers sent back Carberry and Nadeem Shahid in the space of four balls in the 11th over of the day, then struck again in his next over to have Adam Hollioake caught at slip by Fulton, for the second of his three catches.Alistair Brown failed to trouble the scorers to make it 42 for four, but Ward teamed up with Ben Hollioake to all but double the score before Hollioake became Martin McCague’s first Championship wicket of the summer.Ward also went before lunch, chipping a catch to square leg, leaving the hosts in a good mood at the interval.To their credit, Surrey re-grouped in the second session as top-scorer Martin Bicknell (78) featured in stands of 64 and 74 with Jonathan Batty and Ian Salisbury.But the tail fell away once Andrew Symonds trapped Bicknell leg before, to give the Australian three for 35 while Saggers polished off the job with the scalp of Saqlain Mushtaq to record figures of four for 58.