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Billy Doctrove is looking back on his first 12 months as a member of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires as a year of achievement.Doctrove, 51, came under the microscope in August for his involvement with Australian umpire Darrell Hair in a Test match at The Oval in London when Pakistan were penalised for ball-tampering.It was the one negative in what Doctrove considers to be a year of many positives. “It has been a very interesting first year, very challenging, but I can look back at it and say that I’ve been very satisfied with my performances,” he told Sunsport yesterday prior to the start of the third day of the Carib Beer Challenge Final at Guaracara Park.”I’ve done very well. The reports from the captains and the match referees have been good.”After the Oval Test in which Pakistan refused to continue, and which was subsequently awarded to England, Hair was relieved of his duties on the elite panel and Doctrove wasn’t among the eight umpires selected for the ICC Champions Trophy in October and November.Since then, however, he has resumed duties in the middle. “A lot of attention was placed on me with the Oval Test match. Although it was a negative at the time, I look back at it as a learning experience.”I learnt a lot from that episode both personally and professionally. I’ve become not only a better umpire, but a better person. I’ve learnt about myself, about how to react under different situations.”As far as he is concerned, the Oval script is a closed chapter. “I’m generally a positive person and any negative thing that comes my way, I always try to turn it into a positive,” he said.”That’s what I’m doing with this one and I’m hoping that it is history, as far as I’m concerned. You never know when those things can come back up, but I’m hoping it is behind me.”In his first year as an elite umpire, he stood in four Tests and 15 ODIs. While we’ve heard extensively on the Oval scenario, the positive stories have been in the background.”The players and match referees have been very complimentary about my performances,” Doctrove said. “Most of my games have been away from the West Indies. This is the first time that I’ve had that concentration of games outside of the West Indies. I’ve learnt a lot from that. There are many more plusses than minuses during my first year as an elite umpire.”He said there were instances when a player might have felt aggrieved by a decision against him, but later, that same player would come to him and tell him he got it right.”You always get those things. You get guys who are not happy at the particular time, but when they get a chance to look back at the replay or get a consensus from the coaching staff, they have a change of mind.”Some of them who are big enough will come and tell you that they were happy with the decision. The technology can work both ways.”For the forthcoming World Cup in the Caribbean, Doctrove has been assigned to warm-up games in St Vincent and group stage matches in St Lucia. Appointments for the Super Eight stage will be made after the first phase of the tournament.His current contract with ICC expires at the end of March; and he is optimistic that he will be maintained on the elite panel. “I’m hoping that I can get an extension. That will depend entirely on the officials of ICC.”Based on my performances, I have no doubt in my mind that I warrant an extension. I’ll leave it in the hands of the officials. Whatever they decide, I’ll go along with.”

Former West Indian players Ian Bishop, Desmond Haynes, Andy Roberts and Courtney Walsh are back on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) cricket committee. The four players from the era when West Indies dominated world cricket were replaced last November but WICB president Julian Hunte has confirmed they were reinstated after he met with them in Antigua on February 22 to discuss the issue.Haynes said the meeting had been “very frank”. “We got to understand each other’s position,” he said. “We have always been very keen to contribute to the advancement of West Indies cricket and felt that we could more properly do so as full members of the committee, rather than as consultants as the president originally offered.”Hunte asked the four to meet with him “in the spirit of inclusiveness” after a report by this correspondent last month in which they expressed surprise and disappointment at their removal.”I would be the last person to deny our former great players the opportunity to contribute at any level of West Indies cricket,” Hunte said at the time.Hunte pointed out that the WICB had drafted a new strategic plan and that the cricket committee had to be at the centre of “plans, policies and programmes for cricket, not just the playing and player aspects, but in terms of our development”.Hinting at the reason why the four had been replaced, Hunte told Bishop that the committee needed to meet face-to-face frequently to deal with “the many issues confronting us now and to develop the blueprint for the future”.The implication was that the four had not always been available for committee meetings but this had been refuted by Roberts and Walsh.Whatever the differences, they were settled at the February 22 meeting and four individuals with 338 Tests between them are now back on the committee that is headed by Clive Lloyd, captain in the era of excellence in the 1970s and 1980s.

ScorecardA century from Amandeep Khare laid the platform for India Under-19s to wrap up a four-run D/L win over Sri Lanka Under-19s at the Premadasa Stadium. Khare, who came in to bat after a 77-run opening stand between Washington Sundar and Ishan Kishan, made 102 off 98 balls, with nine fours and a six. He added 107 with Washington, who was out for 77, and a further 82 with Virat Singh (30) to take India to 266 for 2 with 3.1 overs remaining. Sri Lanka struck back, taking five wickets and conceding only 18 runs off the last 19 balls of India’s innings to limit them to 284 for 7.Set a revised target of 255 in 47 overs, Sri Lanka began well, with Avishka Fernando (75, 89b, 4×4) adding 60 for the first wicket with Salindu Ushan and 94 with Charith Asalanka (74, 86b, 7×4) for the second wicket. When Fernando was run out in the 31st over, Sri Lanka needed 101 from 99 balls. Though Shammu Ashan (23), Wanidu Hasaranga (27) and Kamindu Mendis (15 not out) all made useful scores, they fell just short, ending on 250 for 5. Rahul Batham (2 for 32) and Zeeshan Ansari (1 for 32) played key roles in India’s defence, maintaining a combined economy rate of 3.96 across the 16 overs they bowled.

Scorecard

Rain was the ultimate winner in the Inter-Provincial Limited-Overs Tournament final between Kandurata and Wayamba which ended in a no result with only 35.3 overs being bowled in the entire match. The teams were declared joint champions and picked up prize money worth Rs 1.7 million (US$15,700) each.The weather has not been at its best for the past fortnight and Sri Lanka Cricket, who organised the tournament, were keeping their fingers crossed that it would clear away on Sunday and allow a full day’s play at the SSC. However it was not to be. Heavy rain on the previous night left the pitch and the outfield with a great deal of moisture which pushed back the start by one-and-a-half hours.The match was reduced to a 43 overs-a-side and Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene had no hesitation in inviting Kandurata to bat. It proved a good move as Wayamba captured two wickets including the prize one of Kandurata captain Kumar Sangakkara in the opening ten overs.Sajith Fernando and tailender Suraj Mohamed, surprisingly promoted in the order, mended the innings with a partnership of 67 off 62 balls. Fernando scored 44 off 58 deliveries and Mohamed 42 off 69. Fernando’s dismissal at 98 sparked off another mini-collapse as Kandurata lost a further two wickets for the addition of seven runs before the rain arrived with Kandurata 131 for 5 off 29.3 overs. The innings ended on that total and when play recommenced at 4pm Wayamba were set the task of chasing 143 runs from 25 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis method.Michael Vandort and Mahela Udawatte gave them a flying start posting 37 runs off six overs before the rains returned to bring an end to the game.Sangakkara with 264 runs at 66 and the scorer of the only century in the tournament (109 v Basnahira South) won the Man-of-the-Tournament award of Rs 100,000 (US$923).

The coach John Dyson has defended his bowlers after they let Sri Lanka off the hook in the second Test, leaving West Indies needing 253 to level the two-match series. The visitors were struggling at 32 for 4 before recovering through Thilan Samaraweera’s 125 and boosting their chances of a 2-0 cleansweep.The West Indies bowlers gave away too many opportunities to score and struggled to maintain their line and length when Samaraweera and Chaminda Vaas completed a 138-run partnership. “In talking about patience, when I watch Caribbean cricket all round, that’s an aspect that’s not there in any Caribbean cricket,” Dyson said. “So to suddenly take these players and put them in the Test arena against some very good teams and expect them to have that patience is a tall order.”Dyson said the players have talked about the zones they need to hit, but the changes “don’t happen overnight”. “It takes time for people to get confidence in bowling plans,” Dyson said. “Maybe my ideas are different to the people who were there before, but we’re consistently working on the areas we bowl and the patience involved in the whole game.”The guys do work hard in the net sessions we have, I’ve seen consistency with that. In the middle sometimes we bowl some brilliant stuff, at times perhaps too good, where players just can’t nick them. We need to achieve more consistency throughout the whole innings. We tend to bowl some really good spells and then let ourselves down with bowling a bad hour that cost us a lot of runs.”Jerome Taylor was the best of the home attack, picking up 4 for 52, and Dyson was pleased with his progress. “Jerome is a very good cricketer,” Dyson said. “If you look at him as a total package he is a bit like ‘Vassy’. He has the ability to bat and I’ve seen him change his approach in his batting, and his bowling is always very, very good.”The performances of Taylor have also impressed Samaraweera. “The most difficult right through this series has been Jerome Taylor,” Samaraweera said. “He bowled well, lovely line and length, and his balls move both ways.”West Indies have a tough challenge to level the series and Dyson was hopeful of a successful chase. “What I’d like to see,” he said, “is some good sensible batting over the whole day.”

Western Australian left handers Adam Gilchrist (109*) and Simon Katich (105*) have scored twin centuries to help avert outright defeat for their team on the final day of the Pura Cup match against Queensland in Perth. Displaying icy-cool temperaments on a warm afternoon, the duo forged a vital, unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 166 against a tiring Bulls attack after they had been joined with their side deep in trouble twenty minutes before lunch.Having been part of a side that had been out-thought, out-batted and out-bowled for the majority of this match, the sterling efforts of Gilchrist and Katich effected quite a transformation. Indeed, in defying the near-inevitable, the pair probably ensured that it will be the Warriors rather than the Bulls who will be leaving the WACA tonight in the happier frame of mind.In short, this was a day which featured some excellent, iron-willed batting from the two highly regarded Western Australians. Katich dropped anchor and was content to act as the mainstay of the innings, displaying an impeccable understanding of which deliveries to play and which to leave. In the way of attractive strokemaking, there was nothing particularly appealing in itself about his ninth first-class century. But the twenty-five year old’s concentration and discipline were without fault. In an unusually dour exhibition, Gilchrist matched his partner – initially at least – for circumspection before exploding into scoring life late in the post-lunch session with a flurry of boundaries.By contrast, it was a lacklustre finish to the match from the Bulls who, strangely enough, not only looked listless but also delayed taking the second new ball for as long as eighty minutes. Before finally electing to do this, they had attempted to prise the Western Australians out with a succession of overs of spin from Matthew Anderson (0/90) and Andrew Symonds (0/38) at the Members End. But, although they were able to almost completely dry up the flow of runs, neither of the two slow bowlers genuinely beat the bat very often.On the lifeless pitch, amid the enervating conditions, and with their energy levels continuing to be sapped by their long unbroken stint in the field, the Bulls’ predicament was exacerbated as Gilchrist slammed the normally miserly Adam Dale (0/65) down the ground for four stunning boundaries in succession twenty-five minutes before tea. To add insult to the havoc wreaked upon the medium pacer’s figures, he then repeated the dose with another three consecutive shots to the fence two Dale overs later. It was a measure of the extent to which the wicketkeeper-batsman had assumed command of the situation – not to mention the differing styles of the two players’ innings – that he ultimately beat Katich to his century despite having conceded more than a three hour long start.In many ways, the two points that were achieved for a first innings win seemed like an inadequate reward for close to three days of sheer domination from the Bulls. Inspired by a pair of centuries of their own from Jimmy Maher (175) and Stuart Law (128), they had been able to establish domination from early on the first day as they racked up 442 with the bat before dismissing the Western Australians for 195 and then reducing them quickly to 3/43 a second time around.From there, though, it has to be said that they uncharacteristically squandered their opportunity – something which they barely even looked like doing at any stage of a record-breaking run last summer. Martin Love’s dropped catch at slip on the stroke of tea yesterday – when he allowed Damien Martyn (then at 25 on his way to 78) to escape a tightening Queensland noose – assumed very expensive proportions. Law’s tactics in frequently setting defensive fields today and resisting the chance to take the new ball immediately also provoked some consternation. Paceman Andy Bichel (4/54) continued to bowl excellently, gaining the only two wickets to fall on the final day, but did not receive quite enough support in conditions that continued to favour batting. In the final analysis, the Queenslanders left themselves the arduous task of snaring five wickets in the final session and, by then, even the presence of some more attacking field settings had the whiff of bolting horses and open stable doors about it.

Shaun Tait is confident he will be available for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa in September, despite having elbow surgery last week. Tait said he should be fit by August “at the latest”.”I have a decent range of movement already,” Tait told . “The physio is pretty impressed so I might be back quicker than expected.” Tait had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow for a soft-tissue niggle that had troubled him for most of the summer and Australia’s initial expectation was that he would be a 50-50 chance of making the trip to South AfricaTait, who has also had shoulder problems in the past, said there was no possibility he would alter his slinging action in an effort to keep him off the sidelines. “Every time I get injured it comes up but I will just keep snubbing it,” he said. “I won’t be changing the action.”Tait suffered a hamstring injury before Christmas, which hurt his chances of playing in Australia’s early CB Series matches in January. However, he was called up for his ODI debut late in the tournament and also went to the World Cup, where he impressed with 23 wickets at 20.3.

The coroner’s inquest into the death of former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has been extended by another week, with coroner Patrick Murphy to continue his summation of the evidence on Monday.The inquest in Kingston, Jamaica, heard evidence from 57 witnesses and statements from seven other persons. The 11-member jury is expected to deliver its verdict within a week.Woolmer died hours after he was found unconscious in his Jamaica hotel room on March 18, a day after Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat to Ireland at the World Cup. Dr Ere Seshaiah, the government pathologist who conducted the post mortem, declared that Woolmer was murdered but three independent pathologists all concluded later that Woolmer died due to natural causes.

Shaun Pollock, the former South Africa captain, has joined the MCC’s World Cricket Committee. He is currently playing in the Indian Premier League and accepted the invitation from Tony Lewis, the cricket committee chairman.Lewis, together with the MCC secretary and chief executive, Keith Bradshaw, and head of cricket, John Stephenson, has been in India to conduct talks with three World Cricket Committee members actively involved in the IPL. Pollock and Rahul Dravid on the playing side and Martin Crowe, who is chief cricket officer of the Bangalore Royal Challengers.”I am honoured and delighted to be joining the MCC’s World Cricket Committee at such an interesting time for the sport,” said Pollock. “The challenge for cricket is to embrace change for the good of the game whilst celebrating its rich heritage and the MCC’s World Cricket Committee has a huge role to play in this respect.”A lifetime’s involvement in cricket has given me so many great experiences and I hope my knowledge of the game can be beneficial. It’s a huge honour to be asked to contribute and I’m greatly looking forward to my next challenge in the game.”The next World Cricket Committee meeting will take place at Lord’s on May 12 and 13. The discussions will cover a range of issues including technology, the worldwide Twenty20 leagues and the conduct of players.”The strength of the MCC’s World Cricket Committee is in its independence, its ability to freely think and recommend change for the benefit of the sport,” said Lewis. “It is also a body that combines a huge array of talent from all over the world. Importantly, the MCC has the resource to support the work of the committee, with its increasing investment into research and development of the game. We look forward to discussions next week and anticipate a healthy debate and some forthright opinion.”

Yorkshire have confirmed Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, the Pakistani fast bowler, will be available to play for them in the 2008 season. Naved-ul-Hasan’s participation was in doubt after he signed up for the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL).Meanwhile, another ICL player from Pakistan, Mushtaq Ahmed has been given the go-ahead to appear for Sussex. In Mushtaq’s case, the confirmation was a mere formality, as the Pakistan board had issued a second No Objection Certificate (NOC), which the county had forwarded to the England board.Yorkshire revealed in a statement that the decision on Naved-ul-Hasan had been conveyed to them after protracted negotiations between the England and Pakistan boards. The move means the PCB has issued an NOC for Naved-ul-Hasan to play in England’s county season. It had been thought the PCB would refuse an NOC in view of his ICL links, and even when Mushtaq was granted it last week, it was believed that was not relevant to Naved-ul-Hasan as he had played international cricket more recently.Naved-ul-Hasan’s registration with Yorkshire is subject to his obtaining a valid work permit, which the county believes will not be a hurdle given his previous spells at Sussex. “I have maintained throughout the last few weeks that I would be allowed to play cricket for Yorkshire and that my participation in the Indian Cricket League would not get in the way of that dream,” Naved-ul-Hasan said. “I am not contracted to the PCB and could not see why they should wish to prevent me from playing the game I love in Yorkshire.”Yorkshire have said that they will give the player time and assistance to recover from the shoulder injury he sustained while playing for Sussex at the end of the 2007 season. He has been bowling for the Lahore Badshahs in the ICL, but Yorkshire will take no chances. “We are conscious that he needs time to fully recover from his shoulder injury, which is why we have Morne Morkel for the early weeks of the season, but a fully fit Rana will be a huge boost,” Martyn Moxon, the Yorkshire coach, said. “He has proved in India recently that he can bowl and take wickets but we want to be satisfied that he can also cope with the demands of fielding, especially throwing, before we play him in the first XI.”He is a very determined man and his desire to play for this club and cut through all of the politics involved, has been particularly impressive.”