Srinath to play for 17th team in Caribbean

• Karachi: With Shahid Afridi serving a two-match ban, Pakistan will play leg-spinner Danish Kaneria against the West Indies and Ireland, besides trying out wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to open the innings with Imran Nazir. Before leaving for the West Indies yesterday, captain Inzamam-ul Haq also informed that he would bat at number four with Mohammad Yousuf following him.

Australians arrive

• Bridgetown: Two-time defending champion Australia arrived in the Caribbean on Thursday. “We have come here to the Caribbean to win it, otherwise it won’t have made much sense coming,” Australian captain Ricky Ponting said. “We’re still the team to beat and the other 15 sides know that oh too well.” Ponting spoke after he and his team arrived in Barbados en route to St. Vincent, where they will play two warm-up matches before moving on to the first round in St Kitts.

FIFA kicks up a row

• Kingston: Top Caribbean football administrator Austin “Jack” Warner has blasted organisers of the cricket World Cup for their “atrocious” marketing of the sport’s global showpiece.

“This event was government funded, so they do not have to worry about money,” Warner, a vice-president of FIFA said of the nine host nations.

“If they had to pick up the tab, then they would have been marketing the event as a religion.” Warner, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, also listed a number of organisational shortcomings. “One bad experience can make the whole event go sour,” he said.

McGrath optimistic

• Sydney: The “Ooh-ahh” era for Glenn McGrath has waned a little, with age and injuries having him groaning “ouch” and “arrgh” more than he would care to admit. Forget that come World Cup time. The 37-year-old Australian paceman saves his best for the big occasions.

Australia’s bid for an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup title coincides with McGrath’s farewell to international cricket. As always, he is predicting a win for Australia — from that prediction, he has never wavered.

“Maybe what has happened is a blessing,” McGrath said of the surprising 3-0 series loss last month in New Zealand. “There’s no use going to the World Cup having already peaked, and this way we know we have to work on our games and build up into some form over the first couple of matches.”