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In the Trinidad and Tobago squad list for the Red Stripe Bowl,innocuously slotted between D Ramnarine and LA Roberts, is acombination of six letters that, oddly enough, spells a five-letterword.The six letters are BC Lara, and the five-letter word is “magic.”Lara’s return from a prolonged hamstring injury, coupled with thereturn of cricket in the West Indies after a four-month hiatus, bodeswell for the 2001 edition of the Red Stripe Bowl. The absence of ahectic international schedule, moreover, ensures that a number ofinternational players will turn out for their respective sides in whatis definitely the Caribbean’s singularly important domestictournament.Apart from Lara, speedster Mervyn Dillon and Daren Ganga figure in theTrinidad and Tobago squad. While Ganga tries to get selectors to lookpast what has been a tepid international career, Dillon will be hopingto project himself as a bowler capable of becoming the spearhead ofthe West Indian pace battery.Jamaica’s squad list reads, for the initial part at least, virtuallylike the squad list of the international team. Robert Samuels, WavellHinds, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Leon Garrick make up the firstfive names, while a stick of dynamite in the form of Ricardo Powell istucked away further down the list. If top-class exposure were the onlycriterion to go on, Jamaica would samba away with the cup unopposed.There is, however, that strange animal termed talent, and this iswhere Guyana gets a look in. Led by a rejuvenated Carl Hooper andincluding Shivnarine Chanderpaul in its ranks, Guyana also boastsRamnaresh Sarwan, he of the unending press coverage during the WestIndies’ tour to England. In the bowling department is Reon King, afast bowler who Colin Croft considers the “best of the young group.”The fourth team to be unusually well endowed with internationalplayers is Barbados, captained by West Indian opener Sherwin Campbell.Pace bowler Corey Collymore, wicket keeper Courtney Browne and batsmanPhilo Wallace find spots in the squad.History shows, however, that the presence of West Indian stars is noguarantee of victory. Last year’s champions, Windward Islands,included only players that were no longer being considered forselection to the international team. Precisely these players, such asJunior Murray, Cameron Cuffy, and Rawl Lewis, piloted the side toshock wins over heavyweights Jamaica and Guyana.The West Indies Cricket Board’s efforts to expand the base of regionalcompetition, however, see a division of the current champions intoNorthern and Southern Windward Islands sides. Northern Windwards willbe drawn from Dominica and St. Lucia while Southern Windwards teamwill come from St. Vincent and Grenada.Northern Windwards, in fact, kicks off the tournament on October 2with a Zone A Match against Jamaica. Zone B commences in Guyana with amatch between Barbados and Antigua. The final of the tournament isscheduled for October 14 at Kaiser, Jamaica.

After securing their place in the Europa League round of 16 stage after their midweek clash against German giants Borussia Dortmund, Rangers are back in SPFL action this weekend with a match against Motherwell at Ibrox. 

As the reigning league champions look to secure another domestic win, it seems as though they could have one player involved that would surely delight a lot of fans. 

What’s the news? 

Speaking in his recent pre-match press conference, Gers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed that January arrival Aaron Ramsey was involved on the training pitch yesterday after missing their previous league game against Dundee United with a minor knock which ended up being serious enough to keep him out of their midweek match. 

The Dutchman said: “Ramsey was on the pitch today and we will see his progress.”

Since arriving at Ibrox during the recent winter transfer window from Italian club Juventus on loan until the end of the season, the Welshman has played just 29 minutes of SPFL action from two substitute appearances against Hearts and Hibernian. 

Whether the midfielder will be fit enough to start his first league game for the club or just make another appearance from the bench, the fans at Ibrox would surely be ecstatic to see him out on the pitch and hopefully, keep his fitness up for the remainder of the season so he can help the club secure the title once again. 

In 469 combined senior appearances for Arsenal, Juventus and Cardiff City, the midfield maestro has managed to rack up a total of 74 goals and 74 assists in the process as well as picking up numerous trophies, highlighting the attacking capabilities and top-level winning experience he can offer Rangers.

With four appearances in a Rangers shirt under his belt, the 31-year-old has already managed to pick up his first assist for the club which came during their 3-0 win over Annan Athletic in the Scottish Cup.

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Moving forward, unless the midfielder is 100% fit enough to start, it could be worth Van Bronckhorst keeping him on the bench from the start but bringing him on at some point to get some more minutes under his belt.

In other news:  Forget Tavernier: £6.4k-p/w Rangers tank with 75% duels won was real star of the show…

Zimbabwe have recruited Makhaya Ntini and Marvan Atapattu to be assistant coach and batting consultant respectively, according to a report published today on the Zimbabwe Cricket website. The report says Ntini has been given a two-year contract, while Atapattu has been roped in for the duration of Zimbabwe’s tour to Bangladesh starting from January 15.Ntini, 38, has played 101 Tests, 173 ODIs and 10 T20Is for South Africa over a period of 13 years. ZC says he will begin work from February 16, while former bowling coach Douglas Hondo has been reassigned to the Zimbabwe A team.Atapattu, a former Sri Lanka captain and coach, may succeed Andy Waller as Zimbabwe’s batting coach. Currently, he is only a consultant but his “contract will be reviewed after the Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh, with a view to entering into a longer relationship,” the Zimbabwe Cricket report said.

Mark Chilton: ‘This has been a very difficult decision for me’ © Getty Images

Mark Chilton has stepped down as Lancashire’s captain after three years in the role.”I have thoroughly enjoyed the past three seasons and it has been an honour to have captained my home county,” Chilton said. “This has been a very difficult decision for me, but I realise my form hasn’t been what it should, and feel that in the best interests of the club and myself, I should step down.”Chilton scored 616 Championship runs at 28.00 in 2007 as Lancashire came within 24 runs of securing their first title since 1934. But in the Friends Provident Trophy and Twenty20 Cup his form was poor, totalling 92 runs in nine completed innings.”I’ve enjoyed working closely with Chilly over the past three years” Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s manager, said. “He’s been a dedicated and passionate captain and I fully respect his decision to stand down to devote more time to his own cricket.””I don’t think many people realise just how much work is involved off the field being a club captain, and Mark Chilton has done a fantastic job for Lancashire,” added Jack Simmons, Lancashire’s chairman. ” I would like to thank Mark for everything he has done as captain and we look forward to seeing him back to his best on the field for many years to come.”No replacement has been named but the issue is sure to be at the top of the agenda when the county’s cricket committee meets at the end of the month. However, there is no clear favourite to take over. Stuart Law will be in the running but his body is unlikely to allow him to play a whole season while wicketkeeper Luke Sutton is also a possibility, although last season he didn’t take part in Twenty20.

Twenty20 cricket continues in its groundbreaking way – and the latest development could be good news for the women’s game.In January, two of the Australian state sides will face each other, in both men’s and women’s matches. And the games will be held back-to-back, which will help in the promotion of the women’s game.It’s an idea that’s been in circulation in England for several years, but Australia are paving the way with the matches between South Australia and Queensland which will be played at the Adelaide Oval on January 10.Australia’s captain Karen Rolton hopes that if the experiment is successful it may be replicated on the women’s stage. Rolton, the ICC’s women’s player of the year, will play for South Australia and she says: “All the men’s Twenty20s are sell-outs at the moment and the crowds have to arrive early I think it’s a great way to promote women’s cricket.”

SK Nair will convene a committee to discuss players’ contract © Getty Images

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has formed a three-member committee to review the effectiveness of last season’s players’ contract, and submit a report to the board for the 2005-06 season. The previous season’s contract has expired and the new international season kicks off with the home series against Sri Lanka on October 25.The committee comprising of Jyoti Bajpai, the board’s treasurer, Gautam Dasgupta, the joint secretary and Ratnakar Shetty, executive secretary-in-charge, would submit a report to SK Nair, the board secretary. The Kolkata-based daily quoted BCCI sources as saying, “No time frame has been fixed for the matter. The committee has to compile a report on how the contracts have worked and whether there was any need to change any existing clauses and send it to the board secretary. If there’s a camp before the Sri Lanka series it would help the committee members to have a discussion with the senior players before preparing the report”.The paper reported that the committee’s findings would be discussed by another committee convened by SK Nair that would comprise Ranbir Singh Mahendra, BCCI president, Greg Chappell, the Indian coach and Kiran More, chairman of the selection committee. Last season, 17 players were given contracts by the BCCI after dividing the players into three groups, with the annual retainership per player pegged at Rs 50 lakh, Rs 35 lakh and Rs 20 lakh respectively.

Putting his worst foot forward: Graeme Smith’s left foot was run over by a car© Getty Images

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, will be given until the last possible moment to prove his fitness after suffering an injury scare on the eve of the second Test at Kolkata when a car ran over his left foot outside the team hotel in Kolkata.Smith, 24, had just got down from his car and was still standing close to the vehicle when the driver took off, running over Smith’s foot in the process. The South African team revealed that scans showed only soft tissue damage and no breaks, and they have refused to rule out Smith for the Test starting tomorrow. A decision will be made just before the toss.However, sources indicated that Smith was unlikely to take the field on the first day, and if South Africa bat, he would come in lower down the order.Smith’s absence through injury would weaken the South African batting line-up and balance considerably, although it would open a window of opportunity to Hashim Amla or Justin Ontong, who are on the fringes of selection. And, should Smith be ruled out of action, the vice-captain Boeta Dippenaar would take over the reins as captain.

The Glamorgan team for the National League match against Surrey at Whitgift School on Sunday, 17th August will be drawn from the following squad:

JP MaherRDB Croft *MJ PowellMP MaynardDL HempA DaleMA Wallace +MS KasprowiczAG WharfAP DaviesDS HarrisonDA Cosker

This was not a day for the thrill seeking cricket supporter, but for the die hard Sri Lanka fan, as their spinners and fielders painstakingly winkled out the Indian top order to leave them on the verge of an innings victory and their first series win for 16-months at the end of day four.India’s batsmen, facing an enormous 377-run deficit when the they strapped on their pads on Friday evening, fought back bravely in the morning and afternoon, as Muralitharan bowled over after over to frequent shrieks of “howzat” and collective sighs of “aiyyo” from a vocal small crowd.The pitch was so placid, however, that even Muralitharan’s potency was diminished and a previously implausible draw actually looked increasingly possible, before two senseless run outs left India on 217 for six at the close, still 159 runs in arrears, with only one frontline batsman remaining.Muralitharan had eventually dismissed both openers after a 107 opening stand, but star batsmen Rahul Dravid (36) and Sourav Ganguly (30) looked comfortable with the score on 186 for two when disaster struck. Dravid shuffled down the pitch and drove straight to a deep mid-on. He immediately set off for a single, but Marvan Atapattu quickly swooped on the ball and in one motion threw down the stumps. Television umpire Tyronne Wijewardene was referred to, and he found that a disconsolate Dravid was millimeters short.Mohammad Kaif (5) was run out 30 minutes later. Ganguly worked a delivery from off spinner Thilan Samaraweera off his pads and set off for a quick single. Wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, though, flashed out from behind the stumps to collect the ball and Ganguly sensed the danger too late. Kaif was left stranded halfway down the wicket without sufficient time to regain his ground.India has slipped to 196 for four and Sri Lanka’s fielders perked up, aware that the time had come for the kill.Six overs later Ganguly edged an off break to slip to give an elated Samaraweera his first Test wicket and Sairaj Bahutule lasted just two balls before he was bowled off his arm, as he tried to pad away a delivery from Sanath Jayasuriya. India had lost four wickets for 25 runs and their fate looked sealed.Hemang Badani (8*) and Sameer Dighe (4*) survived the remaining 27 minutes to the close but, barring the unexpected arrival of the north east monsoon this evening, India will be defeated and lose their first Test series against Sri Lanka for 16 years.Earlier in the day India had resumed on 28-0. Openers Shiv Sunder Das (68) and Sadagoppan Ramesh (55) had batted solidly, quickly seeing off an opening burst from the pace bowlers. Muralitharan was pulled into the attack in the ninth over of the day, but Das responded with a flurry of boundaries.The pint-sized opener cracked two straight boundaries in his first over and then cut him for another four in his next over. Fortunate to have survived when he swept onto his pads and was caught at midwicket, as umpire Asoka de Silva refused to refer the decision to the television umpire, Das went on to score his second fifty of the game and the seventh in his 11-Test career. He, though, was snapped up at silly point moments before the luncheon interval in Muralitharan’s second spell of the morning.The off spinner continued after lunch, as he bowled a marathon 29 over spell. Ramesh and Dravid batted cautiously and the run scoring slowed, but the Madras opener eventually reached his eighth Test fifty after nearly four hours of painstaking concentration.In the over before the afternoon drinks interval, however, Muralitharan picked up the wicket of Ramesh with a freakish off break that pitched outside leg, before spinning back sharply to clip the top of off stump. It was his tenth wicket in the game, a feat he has now achieved six times in his 65-Test career.

Gloucestershire have signed Chris Liddle on a two-year deal.Liddle, the tall left-arm seamer, was released by Sussex in September after nine seasons with the club.While he was, for a while, a key figure in their white ball sides, he played only 10 Championship games in the period as it was felt his failure to hit the seam regularly could compromise the effectiveness of other bowlers. He spent a couple of years with Leicestershire before moving to Sussex and was in the Dhaka Gladiators team that won the Bangladesh Premier League in 2013.While Gloucestershire head coach, Richard Dawson, suggested Liddle had been signed with a view to white ball cricket, he made it clear that there would be opportunities for the bowler in the Championship game as well.”He’s got a lot of experience in one day and T20 cricket, having performed strongly for Sussex and he will add excellent competition to our bowling unit,” Dawson said. “It’s a great opportunity for him to come here and compete in all formats of the game as he has a lot of potential in Championship cricket.”Gloucestershire won the Royal London One-Day Cup last season but were sixth in Division Two of the County Championship.Liddle was recommended to the club by former captain Jon Lewis, who is currently on the coaching staff at Sussex.