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Anil Kumble has happy memories of the Wanderers, and he urged his team-mates to be positive – “Let’s forget about the one-day series” – in the build-up to the first Test which starts on Friday. Back in November 1992, Kumble was a young man on his way back from the wilderness, and a stupendous second-innings display, 44-22-53-6, more or less sealed his place in the side for the best part of the next decade.”Personally, I’ve had a good tour whenever I’ve come here,” said Kumble, speaking to the media after another long net session on Tuesday. With 31 wickets from his nine Tests here, Kumble will be one of the men South Africa worry about the most, but he was almost anxious to shy away from talk of the individual. “It’s important that we play well collectively as a team,” he said. “It’s always a great atmosphere here at the Wanderers, and it will be a good Test series. The boys are geared up.”According to him, the 4-0 defeat in the one-day series was a page from the past, and he was confident that the team had the quality to bounce back over the three Tests. “If you look back at the West Indies tour, we won the Tests after we had an ordinary one-day series,” he said. “And inPakistan, we didn’t do too well in the Tests, but came back in the one-day games.”Not many gave us a chance when we toured Australia last time. Everyone said we would lose 4-0, and that turned out to be one of the best series we’ve ever played. The conditions here are pretty similar to Australia. When you look back at how the team performed, and also individuals, you can draw inspiration from that.”When asked what lessons could be learnt from the displays of that side, which left Australian shores after having nearly ruined Steve Waugh’s farewell, Kumble said, “We have more or less the same set of players. It’s a matter of one innings. Hopefully, it will be the first innings of thefirst Test here. We picked up 20 wickets and won a Test [Adelaide], and came close to winning another [Sydney]. You need runs on the board, and you need time.”

That said, South Africa are formidable opposition, having lost only to Australia and England on home soil since their re-admission to the Test arena in 1992. “They know their conditions well,” said Kumble. “They have the bowlers to suit the pitches they play on. But then again, not manyhave gone to Australia and returned [nearly] victorious, so we must be positive.”Though he emphasised that the batsmen would need to get their act together over the next month, Kumble wasn’t overly worried about the poor displays in the one-day series. “It’s especially important for a spinner to have runs on the board,” he said. “The one-day series wasn’t easy. A couple of times, we had to bat under lights, and if you look at the record for thosekinds of games in South Africa, it’s a bit tough. We also didn’t have proper practice before the first game because of the rain.”South Africa too had the odd batting wobble during the one-day series, and Kumble was confident that India had the resources to hurt them again if they slipped up in the Tests. “Their top order also didn’t fare too well in the one-day games,” he said. “We have the quality when it comes to the bowling. If we bowl in the right areas, and get a couple of early wickets,we can put pressure on them.”The South Africans have already talked of how they won’t allow the Indian spinners to settle, and AB de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs could be given the task of trying to unsettle Kumble with some big hits. de Villiers played some splendid knocks against Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka, but the prospect of the batsmen taking him on didn’t faze Kumble in the slightest. “Their approach will depend on the situation,” he said. “It will be good if they’re aggressive, it also gives us a chance to get them out.”

Given that India are almost certain to go into the game with a four-man bowling attack, Irfan Pathan, the spearhead less than a year ago, will miss out. The likes of Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif are already back home, after unconvincing one-day performances. Kumble, however, urged them not to be disheartened as they analyse what has gone wrong.”It’s important for the development of a youngster that you have these ups and downs,” he said. “Every outing won’t be a century or a five-wicket haul. I try and put positive thoughts in their minds. I’ve been through this before, as has everyone who’s played a lot of cricket. You just keep talking to them, and you hope that when they do come back, the experience they have gained will help.”He didn’t wax eloquent about his return to the one-day side, but made it clear that he was determined to be a part of India’s World Cup campaign, having played only a fringe role in the last edition. “It’s good to be in the scheme of things,” he said. “It’s a young man’s game, but you also need experience.”In the midst of the batting meltdown that cost India the one-day series, a couple of strong showings from Kumble went almost unnoticed. It didn’t really bother him. “As a team, we didn’t do well,” he said bluntly. “My performance was not so important. You need to win, and if that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t count.”If each of his team-mates had that town-sized heart and unflinching desire to win, India would hardly ever lose a game.

Australia’s tour of Pakistan may have hit another roadblock with word that Darren Lehmann, the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) president, will not send a delegate on a pre-tour security inspection of Pakistan due to safety concerns.Australia’s scheduled tour has already been shortened and, if it goes ahead, will begin later this month, but further bombings in Pakistan over the weekend have heightened safety fears.ACA chief executive Paul Marsh had been scheduled to join Cricket Australia representatives in Pakistan this month to decide if its players can visit safely, but Lehmann has said that would not happen. “We’re not sending Paul Marsh on the pre-tour visit and that’s basically because we as a board don’t feel comfortable sending one of our employees there at the moment,” Lehmann said.”At the moment our advice is not to, and I don’t feel comfortable sending anybody to be perfectly honest, and the [players’] board doesn’t.”There’s been a lot of things going on in Pakistan. Hopefully it settles down, but only time will tell.”Lehmann believed CA would go ahead with plans for the tour unless it is made clear the trip cannot proceed, and said the players would require plenty of assurances to change their minds. “On Wednesday we’ll meet with the government departments and see what is really out there,” he said. “We’ll get our advice from them, security issues, any other problems we have with Pakistan. I think they’d need a lot of assurances along the way.”CA will meet with officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra on Wednesday to receive advice on the current security situation in Pakistan.CA’s spokesman Peter Young said it was too early to tell if the latest bombings would affect the tour. “We will sit down with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and take a formal briefing from them on the situation in Pakistan and the likely situation in the coming weeks,” Young said. “We’ll continue to move through that formal process. We’re not going to pre-empt the outcome of that process until we have gone through the whole thing.”

Look out for a stand-in West Indies captain very soon. That’s because Brian Lara doesn’t plan to play the entire seven-match ODI series against Zimbabwe.Lara, who turns 37 today, made the revelation when pressed on the thinking that led to the West Indies going into the first two matches without an appointed vice-captain, a move which he tried to downplay.”I sense that you’re going to see a [deputy] captain on the field before the series is over because I don’t think I have intentions of playing all seven [matches],” Lara said. “By then you would know who the vice-captain is. If you just hold strain a bit . . . it should not be a great topic at this present time. It will solve itself.”Lara, the multiple world record holder who is in his third reign as West Indies captain, compared the situation to when he first came into the team in 1991 when he said there was no appointed second-in-command. In the circumstances that currently exist, if Lara has to leave the field, he will appoint someone to take over.His decision to skip a few matches is a continuation of recent trends in which he has cut back on his appearances in the more physically demanding limited-overs game.”I’m 37 years of age. I want to play both forms of the game. I want to play in the World Cup, but I would also like to play Test cricket against India, Pakistan and whoever else,” he said. “The main thing is if we can rotate a bit and not necessarily before a series is decided. If we play against India and we happened to be three up, you are going to see a chance where guys are given a rest.”Lara also defended his decision to bat at No. 6 in both matches over the weekend at the Antigua Recreation Ground. “Even if we are playing against Australia, the top four should dominate any batting line-up,” he said. “I want to see the likes of Ramdin, Bravo, Smith, Samuels get the opportunity. It is about making sure that everybody gets a couple hits and no one is hogging the batting.”This West Indies team is not going to play names anymore. We’re going to play to a plan. We’re going to have positions, we’re going to have requirements for those positions it doesn’t matter who it is.”Asked how he would respond to those who feel that as the leading batsman in the team, his place in the order should be among the top four, Lara said it was time others in the team took on more responsibility.”I’m going to have my responsibility, if it’s batting, at whatever position in the order,” Lara said. “But I still feel we are playing with 11 guys. You might have one player who is supposed to be the premier batsman in the team but one of the main things this team is lacking is in-house competition.”Whoever we consider to be the best batsman, I want to see people competing with him. In my early days in the 1990s, there was Desmond Haynes, Richie Richardson, but at the end of any series I wanted to be counted as the top batsman in that series. That’s what has to be created here.”

Andrew Symonds is happy with the way his arm injury is progressing and is delighted the ICC has allowed him to be picked – and perhaps replaced – in Australia’s World Cup squad. Symonds had surgey for a torn biceps on Sunday and Trefor James, the team doctor, said the next week of his recovery would be crucial.”I will be doing everything I possibly can to be right in six weeks or so,” Symonds said in the Herald Sun. “We will be realistic about my chances, but at least we’ve got something to work towards. I’m happy with how things are going so far.”Australia’s selectors are expected to finalise the 15-man squad today, but it is unlikely to be announced until after the second final against England on Sunday. The team has been given permission by the ICC to choose Symonds and then replace him if the injury does not heal in time. Dr James told the paper it was possible Symonds could take part in the World Cup, which starts on March 13 and ends on April 28.”We are seeing how he responds to the surgery over the next week or so,” he said. “That is really important. Everyone is a bit different in how they come out of surgery. But it certainly is possible he will be available.”

Omar Khan, West Indies’ manager, is confident that his team will stand up to be counted when they take on the visiting Australians in the first of three Tests starting on May 22 in Kingston.”What I have noticed about the players is that they are maturing and this gives me confidence going into such a tough series,” Khan said. “We are cognisant of the fact that we are coming up against the world champions, Australia. We know our position in the rankings and theirs, and the players know what is expected of them.”West Indies go into the series on the back of an impressive performance against Sri Lanka – they drew the two-Test series 1-1 before claiming the three-match ODI series 2-0, with one match being abandoned due to rain.An 18-man West Indies squad is currently engaged in a six-day training camp which began on May 12. “The players have been put under intense training,” Khan said. “They have done a lot of physicals and are now moving on to some nets work.””They understand that they need to be at their very best to compete against Australia and have accepted that,” he said. “The guys have also been very interactive in the team-building sessions, and this is good for us. What we are trying to achieve is a strong, united bunch and we are well on our way to achieving this.”Following a two-day practice match against an Antiguan XI which brings the camp to a close, the national selectors will choose a 14-man squad that will fly to Kingston on Sunday to prepare for the first Test.

The finger injury that Mahendra Singh Dhoni sustained might hamper him when he walks out to bat on Saturday, but he was confident that India could save the Kingsmead Test and head to Cape Town still 1-0 up in the series. And according to him, even victory wasn’t impossible, given that India needed a further 316 runs from the 97 overs scheduled for the final day.”It’s evenly poised,” he said, speaking after the fourth day’s play. “But we must keep in mind that this is the second Test of the series, and so far, neither side has managed to score 300 runs in a day’s play. The weather will also be a factor.”We have not had 90 overs of play on a single day in this match. As a team, we are looking forward to tomorrow’s play. We will stay positive. We’ll see how the situation is at tea time. What we do after that depends on what position the team is in at that point. The way we bat till tea will be very important.”Mark Boucher’s assertion that South Africa were confident of rolling over the Indians inside two sessions drew a brusque response – “If I was a South African cricketer, I wouldn’t say that we would bowl India out inside 50 overs” – and Dhoni emphasised that India wouldn’t approach the situation defensively. “Can we survive? Why not? It’s a fair enough wicket. If you can keep the good balls out, it should make for a good day’s cricket. We’re not merely looking at saving the Test or defending.”He was less positive about the bruising on the right middle finger, which caused him to grimace on more than one occasion out in the field. “I can’t show it to you,” he said with a big grin. “The good news is that it’s not broken. I’m in a position to bat, and there are still three days to go before the next Test.”He was candid when asked about his shot selection throughout the course of this series. “In this match, the shot I played in the first innings [which gave Mornè Morkel a first Test wicket] could have been avoided,” he said. “If I cut out the cover drive, I will be in a position to score more for the team.”He also refused to be too critical when asked about Virender Sehwag’s fallow run, which continued today with his dismissal for 8. “It’s part and parcel of the game,” he said. “With the new Kookaburra ball, there have been one or two early breakthroughs in every innings. A lean patch happens to everyone. If you get a good ball, you get out. There’s no pressure on the middle order because one batsman fails. It depends on how the toporder shapes up as a group.”If they don’t shape up on Saturday, a series that started with Cinderella-like success at the Wanderers might just end up looking like the ugly sister’s face.

David Hussey is ‘batting beautifully’ and is in a ‘different class’ to his Victoria team-mates according to Cameron White, his state captain.Hussey stroked 104 and 74 not out to lead Victoria’s 270-run win over South Australia yesterday. In their second innings, South Australia folded for just 77.”David, he’s in a different class to the rest of us I think, batting beautifully,” White told the . “One of the things we want at Victoria is to produce Australian players so hopefully he gets an opportunity.”Everyone knows that he’s good enough and he’s in really good form – if you’ve been watching this game you’ll see he’s been on a different level to anyone really.”White attributes Hussey’s success to county cricket in which he has represented Nottinghamshire for the past four seasons. He has been in prolific form, compiling 7259 runs at 48.39 with a bristling strike-rate.”I’ve no doubt county cricket has definitely helped his game,” White said. “Over the last four winters he’s been [playing county cricket] he’s probably facing a couple of thousand balls out in the middle while everyone else who’s not playing cricket is hitting indoor bowling machine balls.”There’s no doubt I think that makes you a better player over there, batting all that time.”

Yuvraj Singh has expressed delight at the prospect of wearing the India jersey again during the three Twenty20 Internationals in Australia, but felt there was a personal sense of disappointment for not making the cut for the ODIs.”A fresh start or a new beginning is the way I’d put it. I wouldn’t say my India career is going to start all over again. It began 15 years ago,” Yuvraj told . “To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed that I am back only in the T20I squad, not for the ODIs. However, there’s happiness that I’m back after quite a while. The disappointment is personal and I hope I’m not misunderstood and that nothing at all is taken out of context.”Yuvraj, who last played for India in the final of the 2014 World T20, said the time spent away from the team was extremely difficult, but the itch to regain his berth in the national team kept driving him. However, he admitted comebacks were never easy, especially due to the “compressed nature of T20s.””Yes, conditions in Australia are challenging and the T20 format is even more demanding. It’s such a compressed affair that there’s little time to adjust,” he said. “The 20-over game isn’t easy. That said, I’m positive, for that’s the way I am. I have the confidence to try and do my best in the opportunities I get. The dressing room needs to have belief in me. I’m sure I’ll get the support I need.”With scores of 93, 36, 36, 78 not out and 98 in his five outings, Yuvraj is Punjab’s highest run-getter in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, where his team have won five out of their six matches to secure a quarter-final berth. Yuvraj underlined his domestic form as the key factor in his comeback.”I’ve been out of cricket for more than one-and-half years and it’s difficult to motivate yourself to play domestic cricket but that was the only way forward. I’ve been playing first-class cricket from 1996-97 and first played for India in 2000.”But, yes, I knew I needed a good tournament. I needed to give off my best. I’ve always valued domestic cricket. Certainly now, I hope I can continue in this form (for Punjab) in the knockout stage. Besides getting the runs, I also feel good from within.”India play three T20Is in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney before returning home for a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. That will be followed by the Asia Cup T20 in the build up to the World T20 in March-April.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Working Committee is to meet on June 12 to discuss various issues. The meeting is expected to discuss and rafity the decisions taken at the Technical Committee meeting of the board, scheduled for June 4 in Bangalore.”The Working Committee will meet on June 12 in Delhi,” said Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, from Rajkot. The meeting of the national selection committee, fixed for the same day at Bangalore, is likely to be put off by a day. The selection committee will pick the team for the forthcoming tours of Ireland, Scotland and England.Importantly, the Working Committee is expected to ratify the decision taken by the Coach Selection Committee, who are also due to meet on June 4 in Bangalore. However, Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, said the agenda for the meeting had not yet been fixed.The seven-member committee to appoint a new coach, is headed by Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, and includes three former India captains – S Venkataraghavan, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri.This would be the first meeting of the Working Committee since it last met in Mumbai in April to review India’s dismal performance in the World Cup.

Shane Warne has called the return match between the Rajasthan Royals and the Delhi Daredevils a “sweet revenge”. Last time the two sides met, Delhi had walloped Rajasthan by nine wickets. That match was the first for both teams in the tournament.”I am happy with the team’s victory, sitting on top of the table,” Warne said.Warne also praised the all-round efforts of compatriot Shane Watson, who took two wickets and scored 74 off 40 balls in Rajasthan’s three-wicket win against Delhi in Jaipur.Watson’s innings, according to Warne, was the turning point of the match. “His innings was perhaps the best in the tournament,” Warne said. “It was most valuable and brilliant innings.” Rajasthan were 15 for 2 in five overs when Watson came out to bat. He added 71 with Graeme Smith and fell when Rajasthan needed only seven more to get their seventh IPL win and maintain their 100% record at home.Warne also apologised for his final over which went for 27 runs. Delhi were at 122 for 6 when Warne came on to bowl the 19th over. Farveez Maharoof and Tillakaratne Dilshan had taken Siddharth Trivedi for 13 runs in the previous over and they continued the onslaught against Warne. Maharoof hit him for four sixes to take Delhi to a competitive total. “Things went according to our plan till 19th over,” Warne said. “I apologise for that over. I was hit for 27 runs. We gave 20-25 runs extra to them.”But he was happy with the way his side executed the game-plan earlier in the innings. “We bowled well. Field placing was good and we were able to contain them. We had plans for [Virender] Sehwag. We bowled slow to him. Dimitri [Mascarenhas], Watson Siddharth [Trivedi] and Munaf [Patel] intentionally kept the ball slow.”Rajasthan now have a five-day break before they play the Bangalore Royal Challengers in Jaipur on Saturday.