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Bermuda coach Gus Logie believes the island can still qualify for the next World Cup – despite a run of results that has seen his side plummet down the world rankings.In an extensive post tour Q&A with the Bermuda Sun, Logie vented about lack of training facilities, lack of home fixtures, the inability of players to attend training and the regression of players at club level.But he remains optimistic that when Bermuda return to Dubai in 2009 for the ICC Trophy they will have improved sufficiently to reach the top six and qualify for World Cup 2011.”We have been able to achieve a hell of a lot but it’s been in spite of [the obstacles]. We still expect a lot from our players but you have a situation where there is no national team in training. You can’t have a national set up when you have four guys here and five guys there.”He added that part of the solution lay with the clubs and encouraged them to get their houses in order.”We need people on the ground to do their part. They can’t just point fingers at the national team. The national team comes from where? There has to be a bigger effort from the clubs – that’s the academy. The clubs and the community are the ones that are producing the players. We can’t have people doing the wrong things in the community and at the clubs and expect them to be eradicated at the national level.”He added that it was tough for national coaches to have an impact when they were required to work with skeleton squads in school hall gymnasiums while their opponents trained 24/7 on proper cricket fields.Despite his misgivings about the state of Bermuda’s infrastructure Logie insisted qualification for the World Cup in 2011 was still on the cards.After defeats against unfancied Associate sides like Uganda and Denmark, Bermuda are now ranked 14th among the non-Test-playing nations in CricketEurope’s unofficial standings – behind the likes of Jersey and the Cayman Islands. But anything is possible, says the coach.”It’s not going to be easy, but at the end of the day if you want something bad enough you can overcome the obstacles and achieve it. I’m quite optimistic about this group of guys and the young players we have at present.”This article first appeared in the Bermuda Sun

Compared with the soul-searching and winter-long agonising that went intoEngland’s eventual refusal to visit Zimbabwe for lastyear’s World Cup, the decision that Steve Harmison reached this morning wasan absolute no-brainer. But it was no less laudable for that.In the 18 months that have passed since that World Cup,Harmison’s stock as a cricketer has risen exponentially, the standard ofthe Zimbabwean team has fallen through the floor, and the situation in that country becomes ever more objectionable by the day. In the eyes of those who seek to put a political spin on every step of this saga, he had muchto lose from taking the trip, but plenty to gain from taking a stand.The tour will probably benefit from his absence as well. At a time when theworld is debating whether cricket’s minnow nations have any place inthe big pond, it makes no sense for Harmison, one of the meanest pikes inthe game, to be let loose on such defenceless opposition in suchmeaningless circumstances. If England are obliged to take part in thisseries, then the least they can do is blood some young bowlers and makea competition of it.Harmison has long had a reputation as a somewhat reluctant traveller, sothe moral aspect of his stand is probably less relevant than was the casewith Australia’s Stuart MacGill, who might now be reflecting on whether his refusal to tour Zimbabwe had anything to do with his omission from nextmonth’s India series. Naturally, Harmison has no such fears.But looking at the bigger picture, this tour is an unwanted distraction forEngland. They have a crucial nine months coming up, with a massive series in South Africa in December, followed by next summer’s Ashes. The morale ofthe side is every bit as important as form and fitness, and all three couldbe jeopardised on this trip.Harmison has a young family to consider and a huge workload ahead of him.Secretly, the England management may be hoping that his influence rubs offon some of the other key players, not least that man Flintoff. For the timebeing, less is definitely more.

Haryana right arm medium pacer Nitin Aggarwal (5 for 16) and legspinner Amit Mishra (5 for 10) reaped a rich harvest of wickets asHimachal Pradesh collapsed to 52 allout in their first innings on theopening day of their North Zone Cooch Behar Trophy cricket match atMaharaja Aggarsain Stadium here on Sunday.Put into bat, Himachal Pradesh made a disastrous start. None of theHimachal batsmen looked in touch as both Aggarwal and Mishra ranthrough the side. Their domination was so complete that five of thebatsmen failed to score. Only Shashi Kumar (13) could reach the doublefigure mark. Himachal innings’s folded in just 25.5 overs.In reply, Haryana made a solid reply in the remaining 240 minutes toscore 230 runs for the loss of one wicket including an unbeatencentury by opener Manvinder Bisla. Bisla (143 not out, 205 balls 214s, two 6s) in the company of Bhuvanesh Sharma (62) put Haryana incommand with a 158-run opening stand in 49 overs. After a 163 minutestay Bhuvanesh departed, falling leg before to Shashi. Then IshanGandha (16 not out) joined Bisla to and the two remained unbeaten tillstumps.

Younis KhanOn his chances of getting a triple century
I never thought of getting it, I just played for my team. I never think of statistics and records while playing, I just play for my team.On the pressure he’s faced over the years
I have never played with fear. Pressure does not affect me. I just aim to enjoy my cricket. If I get dropped from the Test side tomorrow, I will go and play cricket somewhere else, and I will continue to enjoy it.On the difficult parts of the innings
The first and the last few balls are always difficult. If you carry yourself through those, you’re OK. And I managed to get through those first few overs today.On what inspired him
The innings Inzamam played yesterday – but I couldn’t play as well as he did.On batting at No. 3
When I was made vice-captain, people advised me to take the opportunity to bat lower down the order, in a safer position. But I thought of how I had been thrust into the No 3 position in 2000 against the West Indies against [Courtney] Walsh and [Curtly] Ambrose. I did not want to put a young player in that position; I took it upon myself. I shall bat anywhere my team wants me to bat. I’ll open if they want me to; I’ll bat at No. 10 if they want me to.On playing Anil Kumble
I played him as if he were an inswing bowler.On the pitch
There are cracks on the pitch, and we will use those cracks.On his stay in India
I love it. Everywhere I have gone, people have given me so much love and wished me well. The room service boys, the housecleaning boys, I love this country.Harbhajan SinghOn choosing to bowl his doosra
Yes, I bowled my doosra. Why shouldn’t I? After all, the ICC had cleared it.On the pitch
It is good for batting, and will remain so. There’s not much spin onit, but good bounce. The bounce was more important [than the turn]. Igot a fair amount of bounce from the rough which was created by IrfanPathan.On the wicket he enjoyed most
Abdul Razzaq’s. I tossed the ball up, he tried to play thecover-drive, and I took the catch.On the controversies plaguing him
I was confident [to get through]. When these things happen, theseallegations, how you deal with them shows your character.On a chat he had with Sunil Gavaskar
He asked me why I was looking so thin.He told me that I was bowling at just the right pace, and I shouldcontinue doing what I was doing.On what he was discussing with Younis Khan
Oh, it wasn’t a heated conversation. But you know, we were speaking inPunjabi, and Punjabi is such a language that even when you have anormal conversatiion in it, it sounds heated.

New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond could be facing a long lay-off as a result of a back injury he picked up during Sunday’s ODI against Pakistan.Bond limped out of the match after bowling five overs, and there are fears that he may have a stress fracture in his lower back. “He’s got a terrible lower back strain," explained Jeff Crowe, New Zealand’s team manager. "We’re going to get a scan on Shane’s back when we get to Colombo.”Bond will almost certainly miss Tuesday’s one-dayer against Sri Lanka at Dambulla, and Stephen Fleming admitted that his absence had already been discussed. “You can’t replace Shane easily," he said, "but if he doesn’t play we’ll bring in Kyle Mills or Andre Adams.”Crowe added that Paul Wiseman had been asked to stay with the squad in case Bond’s injury does turn out to be serious. Wiseman was originally brought in as cover for Daniel Vettori.

Shoaib Akhtar has said the ghosts of Pakistan’s recent loss against India have been laid to rest and promised a barnstorming return in the Asia Cup. “I am always there to play for my country and have left all that happened in the India series behind me,” Shoaib told AFP after arriving in Pakistan from England.Shoaib, who has been in and out of cricket because of niggling injuries, cut short a stint with Durham to join the Pakistan team’s training camp at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore. “The last two months were full of mental stress but through the well-wishes of my family, fans and supporters I have overcome all the problems,” said Akhtar, who earlier claimed he was not mentally ready to play. “I am duty-bound to play for my country but it was a tough decision after all the mental stress I had to go through.”Shoaib sustained a rib-cage injury during the final Test against India at Rawalpindi, but doubts arose about the severity of the injury when he played in England soon after. “I was really hurt, my integrity and commitment to the team and country was questioned but it was proved in tests in England that I was injured. I have never been short on commitment and will prove this in the coming Asia Cup. People alleged that I play county for money but I am returning home for national duty and do not care about financial losses.”Bob Woolmer, the newly-appointed coach of the Pakistan team, played a vital role in brokering an uneasy peace between Shoaib and the PCB, but he has warned that there would be no special treatment for Shoaib. “There is no secret that Akhtar has a difference of opinion with the PCB but if Akhtar wants to play for Pakistan he has to be here and join the bus. That is the bottom line.”

Shabbir Ahmed, whose bowling action has been under scrutiny for most of his career, will need to remodel his action to satisfy International Cricket Council norms, the Pakistan Cricket Board has said. “Though we’ve not yet received any report on the tests conducted on Shabbir’s action in Chester, England, but it’s clear that we’ve to work on remodelling his action,” Saleem Altaf, the PCB’s director of cricket operations, told .Shabbir was recently reported for a suspect action for the third time in his career in the first Test against West Indies at Barbados. He then played the next Test and took eight wickets, but the Pakistan board had already made arrangements for Shabbir to work with Paul Harroun, an ICC-recognised biomechanical expert in England.The remedial work has been completed and the report sent directly to the ICC, as Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, was away on vacation. “When we go to London for the ICC board meeting we’ll get the report and know just how much Shabbir is exceeding the ICC tolerance level of 15 degrees,” said Altaf. “We’ve to decide whether we want to directly work on correcting Shabbir’s bowling action or seek ICC help in this regard, under the new regulations of the world governing body on illegal bowling actions.”Fortunately for Shabbir and Pakistan they have time on their side. Pakistan’s next international assignment is not till October when they take on England at home.

The Electrolux Indian Cricketer of the Year was chosen through a peoples’ choice vote. All performances from September 2002 to August 2003 were considered. The results are: The Winner
Rahul Dravid
Dravid was his usual reliable self, featuring in many vital rescue operations. But his greatest contribution to India’s successful one-day campaigns was his willingness to double up as wicketkeeper, which allowed India the luxury of seven batsmen. At The Oval against England, he saved India with an epic 217 in the last Test; in the Champion’s Trophy, he, along with Mohammad Kaif, kept India alive in the first match against Zimbabwe with a doughty 75. He then chipped in with a hundred in the first Test against West Indies, and rounded things off in the World Cup with vital halfcenturies against England and Pakistan.Tests M6 R496 HS217 Av62.00 100s2 50s1
ODIs M30 R854 HS109* Av47.44 100s1 50s5The other nominees
Sourav Ganguly
Ganguly was among the top run-getters in the World Cup, with three centuries – though closer examination will reveal that all these came against weak opposition. His other one-day century came in a grudge match against England in the Champions Trophy, but even here he was overshadowed by Virender Sehwag. But Ganguly is in the reckoning more for his inspirational leadership which took India to the finals of the Champions Trophy and the World Cup. Ganguly’s biggest strength has been his ability to rouse the young members of his side to their full potential, and under him India have acquired a new toughness and stomach for combat.Tests in 2002-03 M6 R129 HS51 Av14.33 50s1
ODIs in 2002-03 M32 R1090 HS117* Av43.60 100s4 50s5Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan has only gotten better and better. He was easily India’s best new-ball bowler of the season and, who knows, if Ganguly had won a couple of tosses in New Zealand, Zaheer could well have bowled India to a series victory. In India, he was impressive in the Tests against West Indies, bowling an incisive spell to restrict them in the first innings at Mumbai. His one-day performances were top-class right through: his opening spells were always testing and he was superb at the death, bowling a fuller length and slipping in the odd slower ball. He had a superb World Cup till Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden spoilt his party in the final.Tests M5 W21 BB5-29 Av18.19 5W/I2
ODIs M26 W40 BB4/19 Av21.45Virender Sehwag
Sehwag scored five breathless hundreds in the season, none more devastating than his 104-ball 126 against England in the Champions Trophy, where he scattered fast bowlers with the freedom of a batsman practising big shots in the nets. Against West Indies at Mumbai he scored his first Test century at home, a blazing 147 that laid the platform for India’s win. Two other one-day hundreds came in New Zealand, in a series where no other batsman crossed into triple figures. His World Cup was moderate: he got plenty of starts, but wasted most of them; his best innings came in the final, in a losing cause.Tests M6 R338 HS147 Av33.80 100s1 50s1
ODIs M35 R1274 HS126 Av39.81 100s4 50s5Mohammad Kaif
Kaif was at the forefront of a most astonishing Indian fightback in the final of the NatWest Series against England at Lord’s when, with Yuvraj Singh for ebullient company, and a combined age of 41 to ward off the demons of failure, Kaif compiled an innings of quite staggering certainty. His very next outing, against Zimbabwe in the Champions Trophy, produced a similar blend of audacity and industry to rescue India from an equally bleak situation. And though his scores fell away during the World Cup, his reflexes and athleticism in the field were a vital component of India’s march to the final, as typified by his pick-up-and-swoop from mid-on to run out Nick Knight in the group match at Durban.ODIs M 35 R 620 HS 111* Av 24.80 100s 1 50s 2
Yuvraj Singh
Tall, domineering and with a straight drive like a golf swing, Yuvraj is the answer to a million mid-innings collapses. For so long, India’s exalted batting line-up has been a top-heavy affair, frequently lacking in ballast at the crucial moments. That accusation stands no longer. With Yuvraj striding to the crease at No. 6, no cause is ever lost, and few 21-year-olds can express their intentions with such princely eloquence. Yuvraj has passed fifty on 13 occasions in one-day internationals. No fewer than 12 of these have resulted in an Indian victory, the most remarkable of which was probably the triumph in the NatWest final. He is the epitome of a new breed of Indian cricketer, unencumbered by past failures and fired by the optimism of youth. When Yuvraj is on song, India dances to the refrain.ODIs M 33 R 726 HS 102* Av 31.56 100s 1 50s 6

Wasim Akram has said that he is keen to get into coaching – but probably not in Pakistan.”There are too many failings in cricket systems in the subcontinent,” he told the PPI news agency. “We cricketers feel more comfortable with foreign coaches. We feel they don’t have any personal agendas against us and will be neutral. We feel we can trust them. That’s what I felt as a cricketer.”Anyway, he said, the Pakistan board has not approached him. “Coaching is a very organised thing, and I am not. I do commentary and leave; that’s better. But I would like to help children, under-16 and under-17.”In Pakistan,” he added, “if you have to become a cricketer you have to be a politician first.”

Barney Rogers cracked an unbeaten century, his second in first-class cricket, as Matabeleland recovered from a first-ball wicket to get on top of the situation on the first day of their Logan Cup match against Mashonaland at Queens Sports Club on Friday.Coming in at number three, Rogers finished with 133 runs to his name as Matabeleland, who lost the loss and were sent in to bat, closed the first day with 391 for the loss of six wickets from 98 overs.New Mashonaland captain Tatenda Taibu, probably trying to flex his muscles, tried in vain to have the start of the match delayed as slight drizzle started falling but he did not succeed.If Taibu’s move was meant to frustrate the batsmen, then it worked out as Matabeleland’s opening partnership of Charles Coventry and Mark Vermeulen did not last. Coventry was back in the pavilion for a firstball duck when he was dismissed by Douglas Hondo. The delivery was outside the off stump and Coventry would have been wise to leave it. Instead he lunged at the ball and Grant Flower was there at gully to take the catch. Matabeleland were one down with no runs on the board.Gavin Rennie joined Vermeulen and the runs started ticking along, with Rennie getting most of them. The usually hard-hitting Vermeulen was cautious with his strokes and took 14 balls to get off the mark, but when he did, he was on fire.The proceedings were eventually disrupted as the drizzle grew worse with play only resuming after nine minutes.Vermeulen and Rennie put on 99 runs for the second wicket before Vermeulen was dismissed by Waddington Mwayenga, caught behind by Taibu for 44 runs which came off 54 balls.The left handed pair of Rogers and Rennie restored the innings with Rennie getting his half-century from 72 balls, hitting nine fours after staying at the crease for 100 minutes. Mashonaland made a change to their bowling, bringing on veteran Craig Evans and the move worked out as he went on to dismiss Rennie for 71, having him caught by Dion Ebrahim.Rogers got his half-century after for 75 minutes at the crease, facing 54deliveries and smashing ten fours. His partnership with Andre Hoffman yielded 49 runs before Hoffman, who looked on his way to a big score, was run out for 17 runs with Trevor Gripper throwing in the ball for Taibu to finish off the dismissal.Captain Heath Streak joined in the hunt for the runs but he tended to be on the defensive most of the times, especially against young off-spinner Prosper Utseya.After 193 minutes at the crease, dispatching 19 fours and facing 150 balls, Rogers finally reached the century mark. He did it in style, hitting two consecutive fours from left arm spinner Grant Flower.Amos Maungwa grabbed his first wicket when he dismissed Streak, having him caught at gully by Grant Flower for 40, which came off 102 balls.Gavin Ewing, who grabbed a double-century against Midlands last week, came in and settled immediately, dispatching two boundaries off Grant Flower. He went on to get his half-century after facing 52 balls, hitting ten fours and a six.Utseya got his first wicket when he had Ewing given out leg before wicket for 68 runs which came off 75 balls with 13 fours and a six. Mluleki Nkala was the new man in but he was yet to open his account after facing up to four balls.Taibu used eight bowlers but none of them managed to offer any solution with Hondo, Evans, Utseya and Maungwa grabbing one wicket apiece but their figures were not impressive. The Mashonaland fielding was also disappointing.