Shane Warne is confident of playing some part in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, after earlier fears that a broken left hand would force him out of the entire Top End tour. The Australian reported that Warne was positive about his recovery, and felt that his chances of playing were better than 50-50 because he was “a very good healer”.”I would say my chances of playing in the first Test are now more than 50-50,” said Warne. “When the match begins, it would have been 20 days since I broke it so I am optimistic. The second Test in Cairns is a week or two after that, so I have to be very confident of playing in that. All I can do to aid the healing process is not bang it again, but I am happy with the way it’s going. If it continues to heal as quickly as it has done, I should be okay for Darwin. Normally I am a very good healer. I have never broken a finger before but I got over my shoulder and my knee injuries, so there is no reason why I can’t get over this.”Warne damaged his hand in a first-class game for Hampshire against Essex, and when x-rays confirmed a broken bone, it appeared that the showdown between him and Muttiah Muralitharan would not take place. But in a matter of a few days, there have been twists in that tale, with Warne likely to play at least one Test, and Murali opting out of the tour. If Warne does play, both Courtney Walsh’s tally of 519 wickets, and Murali’s record-breaking figure – 527 – will come under threat. But with his participation still in doubt, Warne wasn’t looking that far ahead.”I don’t want to say anything about Murali and if I get past Walsh, so be it,” he said. “My only aim is to get fit. I’m not worried about records. My job as a bowler is to take as many wickets as I can for Australia, whoever the opposition is.”

Stephen Fleming has expressed his concern for New Zealand’s chances in the forthcoming NatWest Series, saying his bowlers lack the penetration to bowl teams out and restrict the runs.New Zealand crashed to a 3-0 loss in the recent Test series, and came unstuck in their first warm-up limited-overs match against Derbyshire. A host of injuries have not helped matters, and Fleming was not upbeat about the bowling situation: “You do need variation through the middle, and to take wickets through the middle, otherwise teams score 250-300 quite regularly.”He added, “Going into the tri-series, one of my concerns is the ability to take wickets, that’s the best way to hold a run rate. Our bowling’s still flat, it lacks penetration on flat wickets.”The New Zealander’s fielding against Derbyshire was suspect as well, with Fleming himself dropping Hassan Adnan before he went on to win the game for Derbyshire. “That gave them a platform, I dropped a catch and he got a hundred which doesn’t help. I hate it … you want to do well and get on the winning side.”He added: “They’re only little things, we’re so close to having a good tour, but that’s just enough to be getting hurt. We’ve got to be careful we don’t get too dejected, there were some good things and it was our first hitout one-day wise, but we still should knock over county sides.”New Zealand face Essex in a day-night game at Chelmsford today, and are boosted by the return of Chris Cairns, who was rested for the game at Derby. Daniel Vettori, meanwhile, has been bowling in the nets and is slowly recovering from his injured hamstring. He has targeted the next warm-up match, against Northamptonshire this Sunday.

ScorecardTaufeeq Umar and Faisal Iqbal, with a fourth-wicket partnership of 161, put Pakistan A in an excellent position on the first day of their three-day match against Kenya in Nairobi. Taufeeq consolidated after some early wickets fell around him to make 144, while Faisal was not out on 90 at stumps, as Pakistan A reached 352 for 4.Thomas Odoyo gave Kenya reason to cheer in the morning, accounting for the first two wickets to fall, those of Salman Butt, for 15 (28 for 1), and Bazid Khan, for 26 (97 for 2). But Odoyo had to be substituted in the afternoon session, and Kenya missed him sorely. Collins Obuya, who had turned in such impressive performances in the last World Cup, was woefully off-colour, conceding 34 in his six overs. As it happened, the highest number of overs in the day were bowled by Steve Tikolo, the captain, who took 2 for 95 in his 28 overs.One of Tikolo’s wicket was that was Taufeeq, who was lbw to him after hitting up 144. But Pakistan A were already on 305 by then, and they did not let the momentum slip. Naved Latif, on 22 not out, kept Faisal company till the end.

As the Twenty20 carnival rolled into Birmingham for the last three matches to decide England’s best short-distance cricketers, a sellout – and very mixed – crowd, made up of families, old dears, groups of noisy bachelors and a gaggle of teenybopping girls quickly filled Edgbaston yesterday morning.A vast swathe of indifference came over them when the musical entertainment of the day was announced, and the naming of the umpires got a bigger cheer than Liberty X and Natasha Bedingfield put together, but play was under way on time, with Lancashire taking on Surrey in the first semi-final.Of the four team mascots present, only Lancashire’s – Lanky the Giraffe – made an appearance during the semi-finals, and the start of his off-field revelry signalled a dip in Lancashire’s run-chase that they never recovered from. The other mascots, perhaps waiting in the wings and watching Lanky’s tomfoolery – and the effect it had on his team – thought it best to keep out of sight.Surrey’s bowling at the death won them the first semi-final, and in the second, Glamorgan’s Alex Wharf worked up a good head of steam, topping 88mph. Michael Kasprowicz slowed their momentum in the closing overs with some miserly bowling, but in the end Leicestershire’s 165 proved more than enough to beat Glamorgan, and they stormed into the finals.The festive atmosphere around the ground certainly spread to the commentary box, where David Lloyd kept Nick Knight and Nasser Hussain entertained with anecdotes on subjects other than the state of play on the field. “Phoenix Nights – magnificent!” was Lloyd’s verdict on Peter Kay’s cult comedy show, though he had lost Knight somewhere in the telling of his story, who replied: “I have to admit, Bumble, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lloyd wasn’t finished there, and was soon naming the members of Liberty X, and announcing their single (Just a Little Bit) to be “a very catchy tune”.The npower girls were as popular as ever, though I’m still not sure what their job actually is, apart from slinking around the base of the stands from time to time to take the majority of the crowd’s eyes off the cricket. After the semi-finals came the other scheduled entertainment for the day – performances from two of England’s hottest pop acts.The organisers handed out wristbands to willing members of the crowd before the performance, and only the (un)lucky few who managed to get hold of one got an up-close and personal look at the bands, being herded onto a section of the outfield in front of the stage before the entertainment started.Liberty X were first, but Jessica, Kelly, Tony, Michelle and the other one didn’t really get the crowd going, and only a few merry revellers chose to dance, but as many of them had been drinking beer in the sun since 11 o’clock that morning it was probably something other than the music that inspired them. Natasha Bedingfield proved more adept at working the crowd, and soon had a large throng gathered at the front of the stage clapping and waving along to her tunes. At least she had real musicians playing as an accompaniment, and took the time to point out all the “nice-looking men” in the crowd in front of her. For a while cricket was pushed to the back of the mind, and Surrey went through their fielding drills on the other side of the pitch completely unnoticed.And then came what the crowd had really been waiting for: the finals. Surrey won the toss and decided to bat. Their mascot, Roary the Lion, crept onto a corner of the outfield now covered by shadow, buoyed by his win in the mascot’s race (though this was not without controversy – he was the only runner not wearing big fuzzy shoes), but his appearance had much the same effect as Lanky had earlier in the day, and within seconds Justin Benning had sliced Ottis Gibson to third man and was out for 5.Leicestershire’s foxy mascot saw his opportunity, seizing on poor Roary’s misfortune to win favour with the crowd. Cheered on by an increasingly partisan audience, he ran round the boundary, pausing only to hug a young Leicestershire fan, and whipped the crowd up into a frenzy. Roary, on the other hand, was roundly booed wherever he went, and was eventually shepherded away from the outfield by a security guard, much to the delight of the Leicestershire fans throwing increasingly volatile comments in his direction, after taunting a Leicestershire fielder who had failed to stop a booming on-drive from Ally Brown from reaching the boundary.Roary was eventually relieved of his mascot-race title after video evidence surfaced of him taking off his lion slippers while searching for that extra yard of pace in the race, and even after setting an imposing 168 for 6, aided by Brown’s 64 from 41 balls, Surrey were similarly stripped of their crown. Brad Hodge (77 not out) and Jeremy Snape (34 not out) powered Leicestershire to victory to end Surrey’s two-year unbeaten run, and though they were no doubt disappointed after coming so close to retaining the Twenty20 Cup, Surrey were beaten by a superior side on the day.The crowd remained energetic and vocal through all three matches, and if anything they were even more boisterous in the evening, despite the long, hot day. While the musical sideshow was no doubt an added bonus for some, the fans today came for the cricket, and they were very well entertained.Liam Brickhill is editorial assistant of Wisden Cricinfo.

Damien Martyn
On his innings
Good to make a century, happy about it. I think we got good partnerships. We lost too many wickets by the end of the day but if we can make 450-plus we’ll be happy to take it.On the pitch
It’s still going to nip around, that’s the hope for our quicks, who should get a lot of assistance from it as the game goes by.On how this century compared with the last one
The two were very different centuries. The last one came when we had our backs to the wall. Today, we were just looking to be positive, play our shots and get a good score on the board in the first innings.On playing well on the subcontinent
It’s just that we have been playing a lot of cricket here in the last 12 months. It’s satisfying to get these runs in tough, spinning conditions against world-class bowlers. As a batsman you have to do well against the best and I am happy that I did.On Kartik’s bowling
I thought he bowled really well. He realised early on that there was not much spin on the wicket and varied his flight and pace beautifully. It was tough to score off him and there were patches when we struggled against him.On stepping up a gear after reaching 100
We always play positive cricket and with myself and Clarke in, we were looking to score well. But I had been playing my shots early on as well and not just after the 100. It’s disappointing that I got out and [that] a couple of other wickets fell before close of play. Murali Kartik
On playing Test cricket after a gap of nine months
The last tour was Pakistan, but the best thing is to play for your country. Every time you play for your country you try to give it your best shot. It’s not every day that you do brilliantly well, but as long as you gave it your best when you take a shower at the end of the day, it feels good.On when he knew he was going to play
I only got to know this morning that I was playing for sure. But I was kept on standby since Harbhajan [Singh] was not feeling well.On whether it has been painful to be out of the Indian team
I wouldn’t say it has been painful. But the way my career has shaped up, I’ve always been in the shadow of Anil [Kumble] and Harbhajan. Those two have done exceptionally well for the country and I’ll have to bide my time.On the suggestion that he is a much-improved bowler since Sydney
I wouldn’t put it that way. People are probably saying that because in the first innings in Sydney they took me on.On which wicket was the best of the day
Lehmann’s wicket came at a time when we weren’t getting breakthroughs. But Gilchrist’s wicket was also important – we all know how dangerous he can be. Gilchrist and Clarke took the game away from us in Bangalore.On the pitch
The pitch is on the slower side. It did seam for the fast bowlers in the morning and there’s a bit of bounce, but it is on the slower side.On his blond highlights
I like the salt-and-pepper look. By the time my hair naturally turns grey I may not have any left.

England XI 220 for 3 (Solanki 82, Bell 51) beat Namibia 219 for 8 (Snyman 75, Karg 39, Anderson 3-36) by 7 wickets
Scorecard

A spirited 82 from Vikram Solanki carried the England XI to a seven-wicket victory against Namibia at Windhoek in their last warm-up match before the one-day series against Zimbabwe starts on Friday (Nov 26). Namibia had recovered from an early wobble to post 219, but an England win was never in doubt after Solanki and Ian Bell put on 110 for the first wicket, before Geraint Jones and Kevin Pietersen steered them home with more than six overs to spare.Deon Kotze eventually broke the opening partnership as Bell, having just brought up his fifty, was caught by Morne Karg, but this proved a rare moment of cheer for him in a nine-over spell which cost 59. Sarel Burger claimed the only other wickets to fall for England, as Solanki was stumped and then Matt Prior (17) offered a catch to Namibia’s batting star, Gerrie Snyman (157 for 3).Snyman had earlier carved 75 to lift Namibia to the realms of respectability as he and Louis Burger shared a stand of 70 after Karg had stabilised the innings with a quickfire 39. But they had got off to a terrible start as James Anderson struck twice to reduce them to 6 for 2. Wickets tumbled steadily, and Namibia found themselves in trouble at 45 for 4 before a spirited fightback, but one which proved too little, too late as England eased past their total relatively untroubled.

Scorecard

Brilliant hitting by Stephen Fleming took New Zealand to a resounding victory by nine wickets over the FICA World XI at Jade Stadium in Christchurch with nearly 34 overs to spare. Fleming went on a one-man wrecking mission as he raced to a century off 54 balls, with his last 50 runs coming in ust 19 deliveries. He struck seven sixes off Muttiah Muralitharan to bring up New Zealand’s 100 in only the 12th over.Fleming saw plenty of Muralitharan during his innings of 274 in the last Test series played between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in 2003. He showed Murali no mercy here , playing a large part in his sorry figures of 0 for 57 in only 3.1 overs.Fleming’s batting reached the heights it did during his innings of 134 against South Africa in the 2003 World Cup. He reached his century with nine sixes and nine fours, and hit one more four before holing out to Craig Spearman for 106. Such was his dominance that Nathan Astle seemed a passenger with his unbeaten 36, which came at almost a run a ball.The damage was done earlier, when Daryl Tuffey and Kyle Mills scythed through the World XI’s top order after Shane Warne had chosen to bat first. Both Tuffey and Mills took two wickets apiece as the World XI slumped to 20 for 4. But Jonty Rhodes, out of cricket since September 2003, and Graeme Hick, who hadn’t played since the end of the last English season, effected a mini-recovery. They added 79, with Rhodes scoring 36 and Hick 44. Warne hit out for 26 as well, but after the fast bowlers did the damage at the top, Daniel Vettori swept through the lower order to take 3 for 33 to dismiss the World XI for 158 in 39.3 overs.Tuffey took 2 for 25 and Mills 2 for 30. There was a special cheer when Jeff Wilson, a double international, took Hick’s wicket to end with 1 for 27 off seven overs, his first wicket at this level since 1993.Off the field, much of the attention centred around the good cause which the match was supporting – to raise funds for the tsunami victims in South East Asia. The takings from the game came to $NZ506,233, and it supplemented a sum of $NZ700,000 that had already been pledged.The only sour note was provided by the arrest of five people for drunk and disorderly behaviour, and another spectator – also inebriated – trying to run off with a collection bucket. Those around him caught him and handed him over to the police.The second match will be played in Wellington on Monday, with the final game to follow in Hamilton two days later.

John Wright, who coached India to their historic series victory in Pakistan last year, believes that Sachin Tendulkar will be fit to take on Inzamam-ul-Haq’s side when they arrive in India later this month. Tendulkar has struggled on and off with tennis elbow since August last year, and has played no part in the domestic season after returning home from the tour of Bangladesh in December.Wright said that Tendulkar was targetting a Duleep Trophy game which starts on February 22 to make his long-awaited comeback, with the first Test against Pakistan starting on March 4. A Reuters report quoted Wright as saying: “I spoke to Sachin yesterday. He has started doing exercises and we are hoping he will get better quickly. We’re very keen to have him.”Some reports last month had suggested that Tendulkar’s participation in the marquee match-up was in doubt, but Wright suggested that the situation had improved considerably since.Tendulkar said last month that he was unsure whether he would be ready for Pakistan but Wright said he was optimistic. The other injury cloud for the Indians has been the withdrawal of Irfan Pathan from the Challenger Trophy, but according to Wright, the decision not to play him and rest the side strain was a precautionary one.Tendulkar’s progress is being eagerly monitored across the border. New agencies quoted Saeed Anwar, one of the stalwarts of Pakistan’s last tour to India in 1999, as saying: “I know every Pakistan supporter will be hoping that Sachin doesn’t play while the Indians must be praying for his speedy recovery.”I mean that’s natural. A half-fit Sachin is also a threat to the opponents. He is such a big influence that his presence in the dressing room motivates his team and keeps the opponents under pressure.”

ScorecardBangladesh A recovered from a precarious position to post a competitive total and overhual Zimbabwe A in the second one-dayer at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Shamsur Rahman and Syed Rasel pulled their team out of a hole at 71 for 6, helping them to 202. Rahman scored 59, while Rasel had 41 to his name. The next-highest scorer was Shahadat Hossain with 26.The start of Zimbabwe A’s reply was just as unsure as Bangladesh A’s had been, as they reeled to 65 for 5, but fighting knocks by the lower order brought them close to Bangladesh’s total. And the ultimate margin of defeat was only 34 – which would have been a lot less had they not bowled 27 extras.

Australia 432 and 135 for 1 (Langer 72*) beat New Zealand 433 and 131 (McCullum 24, Warne 5-39, Gillespie 3-38) by 9 wickets
Scorecard
4th dayBulletin – Australia surge to convincing win
Verdict – The relentless Baggygreen bowling machine
Big Picture 1 – Warne the Ripper
Big Picture 2 – Resurgent Gillespie
News – Oram and Styris out of series
3rd dayBulletin – Honours even after Gilchrist and Vettori heroics
Verdict – The importance of being Gilchrist
Big Picture 1 – The Gilchrist show
Big Picture 2 – Gilchrist and Katich shake it up
Big Picture 3 – Vettori strikes
Big Picture 4 – Warne turns predator
2nd dayBulletin – Kiwis storming despite six McGrath blows
Verdict – A McGrath special at the Jade Stadium
Big Picture 1 – The centre of Australia
Big Picture 2 – Through the legs
Big Picture 3 – King of the castle
1st dayBulletin – Marshall’s ton puts New Zealand in control
Big Picture – Nathan Astle congratulates Hamish Marshall
Preview packagePreview – When good neighbours become foes
Team news – Kasprowicz edges out Lee for opening battle