Hosts tense as guests start arriving

Sri Lankan cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya said today he will not play in Thursday’s opener of the Champions Trophy tournament agains...

Sri Lankan cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya said today he will not play in Thursday’s opener of the Champions Trophy tournament against Pakistan unless he is fully fit. “I have started batting against the fast bowlers in the nets. However, I will not be able to play if I am not fit,” Jayasuriya told reporters.

Jayasuriya dislocated his left shoulder while attempting to take a catch in the final of the Morocco Cup three-nation limited-over tournament in Tangier last month.

The Indian Team

The Indian selectors met at Kolkata today to select the Indian team for the ICC Champions Trophy at Sri Lanka from September 12 after the month-long controversy finally came to an end.

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Saurav Ganguly (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Mohd Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, VVS Laxman, JP Yadav, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.

Talking about Sri Lanka’s prospects in the tournament’s opening match against Pakistan, Jayasuriya said his side could not afford to take it easy. Dav Whatmore, the Sri Lankan coach, added: “Pakistan can come up with a brilliant performance even after a very ordinary series.”

Exhausted Aussies arrive in

An exhausted Australian cricket team arrived here today to participate in the Champions Trophy with skipper Ricky Ponting promising a good show.

After completing a demanding programme of five matches in eight days during the recent triangular series in Nairobi, the team had an 18-hour, two-stop journey to Colombo. “It was a nightmarish sort of flight, or couple of flights to get here overnight,” Ponting said.

Hooper hopes for a close fight

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West Indies’ captain Carl Hooper said that the Champions Trophy will be a close affair and promised to put up a good show. “We have a good side and we are looking ahead to competitive cricket,” Hooper said after the West Indies team arrived in the capital.

Hooper and left-hander Brian Lara – who have both played in over 200 matches – will spearhead the batting, while fast bowler Mervyn Dillon leads the Caribbean attack.

Anwar, Nazir escape axe

Saeed Anwar and Imran Nazir, who were likely to be removed from the side for the Champions Trophy following a string of poor scores, escaped the axe as the International Cricket Council rejected some late changes effected by Pakistan to the original squad. The ICC, however, allowed only one substitution which resulted in all-rounder Azhar Mahmood making way for Misbah-ul Haq. Batsman Imran Farhat, set to replace Anwar was held back in Lahore despite being booked on a flight to Colombo yesterday.