The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) have formally brought an end to the impasse that has plagued regional cricket for almost two years, with the signing of agreements relating to their outstanding issues.A WICB release, following the regional cricket Development Workshop in Antigua, revealed both parties have signed the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding and a Code of Conduct for players and officials, which should end the differences that have threatened or affected several tours over the past 22 months.These agreements were, the statement quoted Dinanath Ramnarine, WIPA president, as saying, “The formal acknowledgement by the West Indies Cricket Board that the WIPA is a full partner in the process of taking West Indies cricket forward.”Gordon pointed out to the more than 50 representatives of stakeholder groups in regional cricket that the WICB was extremely aware of its responsibilities to the West Indian people and that “we have a board that genuinely wants to take cricket to a higher level, but we need help and institutional support”.Gordon also promised participants that the board will take their proposals seriously and, through the Cricket Committee headed by Clive Lloyd, place a high priority on implementing them.In his closing address, Gordon pointed to the track record of achievement demonstrated by the WICB under his leadership. He stressed that the organisation’s public commitments regarding several issues, including the Lucky report, the player impasse, taking the best team to Australia and reducing the board’s deficit, were all achieved. “We ask you to recognise we said what we were going to do and have done them,” Gordon emphasised.He also thanked the Stanford organisation for its support for the workshop and on the success of the 20/20 tournament. “20/20 is now part of cricket life in the Caribbean,” Gordon declared, “and we must continue with it. We will continue to leave the door open. If Mr Stanford and his group find a way to work with us, we will be delighted. The board is appreciative of what Mr Stanford has done.”

Ricky PontingOn the turnaround
We were really struggling. I thought we did a pretty good job with thebat, to tell the truth. It wasn’t the easiest conditions to bat in. Wedidn’t think it was till Shiv [Chanderpaul] came out and played the way he did.[laughs]. That was probably the best way to play on that wicket, to justback yourself and try and make use of the Powerplays. As I said at thetoss, I always thought it was going to be hard batting second. In thesesort of humid conditions, I thought it would seam around a bit more atnight time. Once we got those couple of wickets, we got on a bit of aroll. I don’t know what it was in the end – something like a 9 for 20-odd. Itwas a pretty amazing comeback.On McGrath’s return
He was a little bit frustrated early on. He was actually swinging it,which is very unlike him, so I told him halfway through his first spellnot to worry about swing and get back into hitting a good area. I thoughthe was excellent in the second spell. It was a pretty important time tocome back on and take a wicket and keep things pretty tight. He’ll onlyget better with bowling. We all know that. That’s the reason he’s here, toget some bowling under his belt.It’s his first game in 12 months, and he’d have been disappointed withbowling as many wides as he did in his first spell. As I said to all theplayers last night, it’s going to be difficult for us just to get thetempo again. I think Glenn was just trying a bit too hard in his firstspell. It’s a matter of getting his body in the right shape to do what hewants to do.On whether they might have experimented too much with team composition
We’ve managed to win by 78 runs so I didn’t think we experiemented toomuch. Coming here with 18 guys, we were always going to mix and match, andwe’ve done the best job we can. As I said yesterday, some guys will gettwo games, some will get three and only one player in the whole squad willget all four games. That’s the ‘keeper [Brad] Haddin. That’s just the way we’redoing it.On Mitchell Johnson taking two key wickets in his second spell
At that stage of the game, I got Glenn and Mitchell back because I thoughtthey’d be our best wicket-taking chances. Mitch copped a bit of stickearly but to be able to come back and get those vital wickets was great.It won’t do his confidence any harm at all. It was a pretty amazing gameactually. We haven’t had the chance to sit back and think about it.On Johnson getting Lara for the second time in two games
That sort of wicket tonight, it was very suited to seam-up bowling. Oncewe got a bit of a sniff, I told our bowlers to attack the stumps. We’llhave to make sure we play Mitch in the next game against the West Indiesif he’s got that sort of record against Brian [Lara].On what went through his mind as Chanderpaul and Gayle cut loose
It can be really hard to stop that sort of batting at times, no matter whoyou bowl or what fields you set, when you’re on a roll, as Shiv was, andwith Gayle joining in. But once you get two wickets, you expose newbatsmen to those conditions,On what he thought of the pitch
It wasn’t a great batting wicket. We made 280 batting first but there wasenough variation there to make it difficult.On Watson and Johnson
Man of the Match and 4 for 40, I think Shane deserves to answer somequestions. It’s terrific to see blokes that work so hard on their game getsome reward. Shane’s been around for a while now, and played someexcellent cricket for us of late. Mitch is in the same boat, and justkeeps improving game by game. We need to keep exposing these younger guysto the international game. Until you’ve done it a few times at the highestlevel, you’ll always have a few doubts in the back of your mind.Shane WatsonOn bowling in those conditions
Our batters did an extremely good job to get us to 280 and set us up. Ireally enjoyed bowling out there. One-day wickets are usually extremelyflat, and geared towards the batters. When there’s a little bit ofmovement there, it’s always handy to bowl.On his tactics when the ball was being flayed everywhere
My thinking was to try and change it up a little bit. I was trying to bowla few yorkers, a few bouncers and a few slower balls to stop the batsmengetting into a rhythm against me.On missing a hat-trick
I’ll take four wickets any day of the week. It would’ve been nice, but I’mextremely happy to contribute to a really good fightback.

WinnersOne-day cricket has been a feature of West Indies cricket since 1972-73 when a knock-out tournament took place between Barbados (the winners), Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago took place. After a three-year hiatus, a more formal tournament – the Gillette Cup – was set up and the Leeward Islands and Windward Islands were added to the quartet. The format was two groups of three, and again Barbados won the final against Trinidada & Tobago, a result that was repeated in 1976-77. As happened around the world, sponsors for the one-day competitions came and went, although it was Jamaica who established dominance on the field. In the early 1990s, Leeward Islands took over, and in 1995-96 Canada and Bermuda were experimentally brought in – winless, both finished bottom of their groups. By then, the tournament was established as a curtain-raiser for the season, and in 2000-01 two more teams were added, with USA producing a major upset by defeating Barbados … they still finished bottom of their group. All four non first-class sides were jettisoned in 2001-02 and instead Leeward Islands were divided into Antigua and Barbuda and the Rest, while the Windward Islands were divided into a North and a South group. The temptation to tinker continued, and in 2002-03 Windwards were divided into Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Rest, a university XI was introduced, and Canada returned. In 2004-05 there was no sponsor, but KFC came on board in 2005-06.

<!–1977-78 Leeward Islands/Jamaica
1978-79 Trinidad and Tobago
1979-80 Guyana
1980-81 Trinidad and Tobago
1981-82 Leeward Islands
1982-83 Guyana
1983-84 Jamaica
1984-85 Guyana
1985-86 Jamaica
1986-87 Jamaica
1987-88 Barbados
–>

<!–1988-89 Windward Islands
1989-90 Trinidad and Tobago
1990-91 Jamaica
1991-92 Trinidad and Tobago
1992-93 Guyana/Leeward Islands
1993-94 Leeward Islands
–>

Scorecard
Karnataka were in for a rude shock in their Ranji Trophy opener at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara, being bundled out for 85 after an inspired opening spell by seamers, Rakesh Patel and Irfan Pathan Sr. Karnataka’s decision to bat first backfired with Patel scything through the top order with 5 for 85, while Pathan chipped in with three wickets in 15 miserly overs.The duo shared the first six wickets to fall with six of the Karnataka batsmen failing to get past double figures. Baroda too got off to a shaky start – NC Aiyappa accounted for both openers with the score on 24. Ajit Bhoite, promoted to No.3, counterattacked with a fluent 62-ball 48 as Baroda went about wiping out the deficit. Seamer B Akhil struck two vital blows at the end of the day but Baroda, 28 runs ahead with six wickets in hand, were very much the side in command.
Scorecard
Gagandeep Singh, Punjab’s opening bowler, instigated a manic opening hour at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, tearing Bengal’s top order apart. Gagandeep’s opening burst left Bengal reeling at 18 for 5 – including Sourav Ganguly falling for 6 – and it was only because of the former Indian wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta that they averted a humiliation. Dasgupta’s 73-run partnership with Laxmi Ratan Shukla revived them somewhat but lack of lower-order support didn’t help matters. Dasgupta, who led the side to the runner-up spot last season, battled for close to four hours, managing ten fours in his rescue mission. Bengal’s bowlers struck three vital blows before the day was out, restricting Punjab to 75 for 3.
Scorecard
Jaydev Shah’s composed hundred helped Saurashtra recover from a shaky position, recovering from a jittery 7 for 2 to a competitive 298 for 7 at the end of the first day’s play at the Ordinance Equipment Factory Ground at Kanpur. Having being promoted from the Plate Group last season, Saurashtra had one of the toughest games first up, taking on defending champions Uttar Pradesh on their home turf. Shalabh Srivastava, UP’s opening bowler, pegged them back with two wickets within the first six overs but a couple of handy partnerships rescued them.Shitanshu Kotak and Cheteshwar Pujara – one 34 years old with 14 seasons of first-class behind him, the other 18 in his second domestic year – reversed the tide with a 130-run stand. Kotak’s dismissal brought in Shah, son of current board secretary Niranjan, who solidified their position with a 159-ball 124, one that included 22 hits to the fence. His dismissal in the third session, off Rudra Pratap Singh, was followed by two more as UP came back into the contest.
Scorecard
A fine century from Anirudh Singh, his third in first-class cricket, and a promising debut from Ravi Teja, the 19-year-old opener, got Hyderabad’s campaign off to a fine start against Maharashtra at Chatrapati Shivaji Stadium in Karad. Choosing to bat first on a ground hosting its first match in six years, Hyderabad ended the day on a comfortable 254 for 3. Teja kickstarted the innings with a breezy 84, comprising 13 fours, repaying the faith that the selectors had shown in him, throwing him into the deep end after a string of impressive performances at the Under-22 level. His 121-run stand with Anirudh laid the platform before VVS Laxman consolidated their position with a solid 31. Anirudh was unbeaten when play was called off – 36 minutes after tea owing to bad light and a slight drizzle – but his even 100, in 197 deliveries with 12 fours, had put them in control.
Scorecard
A five wicket haul from Ashraf Makda, the left-arm opening bowler, helped Gujarat gain the upper hand on the first day against Rajasthan at Ahmedabad. Justifying his captain’s decision to field first, Makda and his partners halted Rajasthan’s fine start, restricting them to 204. Vikram Solanki, one of Rajasthan’s foreign imports, had a good start to his campaign, managing a 95-ball 58, but Makda bowled him, changing the complexion of the game. Nikhil Doru offered some middle-order resistance, with a little help from Kabir Ali, the other import from Worcestershire, but a quick three-wicket haul from offspinner Kirat Damani cleaned up the tail. Gujarat suffered two early jolts and ended the day on 43 for 2.
Scorecard
Joginder Sharma’s 4 for 54 with his medium-pace enabled Haryana to bowl out Andhra for 202 in 71 overs at the Bansi Lal Stadium in Rohtak. Joginder and Sachin Rana, who conceded only 27 in 11.5 overs, reduced Andhra to 33 for 4. Satya Kumar Varma, coming at No.3, was the only batsman who managed to resist the Haryana attack and remain unbeaten at 105. On a day when no-one else crossed 25, Varma attempted to push the score forward along with the tail, adding 38 with Syed Sahabuddin and 50 with Lakshman Kishore, but Sharma broke both partnerships before they could do any serious damage. Haryana’s openers batted out the last six overs adding 8.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out – England

Australia have regained the Ashes with a comprehensive 206-run win two balls after lunch on the final day at the WACA. Shane Warne claimed the final wicket, leaving him on 699 Test scalps, as Kevin Pietersen was left stranded on 60. He and Andrew Flintoff had briefly raised English hopes with a stand of 75, but once Warne made the first breakthrough the rest fell like skittles.For the umpteenth time in Ashes history, Warne was involved in the major moments. He ended Flintoff’s best innings of the series then bowled Monty Panesar with the second ball of the afternoon session as five wickets fell for 14 runs. Warne’s script has often seemed pre-determined and he now has the opportunity of reaching 700 in front of his home fans on Boxing Day. But that is for the future, today was all about Australian redemption.”Every second of our hard work over the past 14 months has been worth it,” said an emotional Matthew Hayden, while the elated captain, Ricky Ponting, said: “We’ve had a long time to think about it, we worked harder than ever before and all that work has come through in our play but we have turned it around and played some unbelievable cricket.”As Pietersen and Flintoff defied Australia for the opening hour and a half the excitement levels around the ground grew with every boundary. After a miserable period with the bat, Flintoff appeared to have decided to return to his basic instincts and just attack the bowling. He smashed five fours in nine balls off Brett Lee and Stuart Clark, his timing and authority growing with each blow. A flicked six over midwicket followed and his first half-century of the series came off 64 balls with two boundaries off Glenn McGrath.

Suddenly a host of dates were being thrown around the easily excited commentary boxes (most 1981 and 2005) but the dream couldn’t survive. For all the concerns over Warne’s workload, it is the man himself who doesn’t want to stop bowling and when a full delivery drifted under Flintoff’s bat the celebrations started.For once Pietersen had been overshadowed but followed Flintoff’s fifty with his second of the match, from 123 deliveries. However, after losing his captain the shoulders visibly sank. As Flintoff made his way off the ground he waited for Geraint Jones – a man living on borrowed time – but any words of wisdom had little impact. The dismissal summed up Jones’s series; he went for a sweep, the ball bobbled to silly point and while everyone was focused on the appeal Ponting spotted Jones’s foot was on the line and promptly ran him out. Pietersen had earlier survived a similar referral to the third umpire – after Mike Hussey’s direct hit from short-leg – but this time Steve Davis, the TV umpire, had an easy call to make and Jones completed his first Test pair.Sajid Mahmood was quickly pinned by Clark’s yorker and Pietersen’s odd decision not to farm the strike exposed Steve Harmison to Warne with predictable results, although Rudi Koertzen’s decision was again debatable. The break kept everyone waiting just that little bit longer, but lunch had barely been digested when the series was sealed. England held the Ashes for 463 days; Australia spent every one of those waiting for this moment and it’s going to be one mighty party in Perth tonight.

When Australia were 5 for 84 on day two at the MCG, it was tempting to believe England were finally fully switched on. Australia’s danger men from the first three Tests, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, were back in the pavilion and England had the chance to take a first-innings lead despite their own modest total of 159.What happened next can be looked at in two ways. Did Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden rip the game out of the visitors’ hands with their initially careful and composed 279-run partnership? Or did England throw away their strong position with defensive field placements and strange bowling changes?John Buchanan said it was another example of England’s inconsistency. He said they had shown “glimpses” in each of the four Tests, but failed to capitalise each time. In the Adelaide Test, where Australia made a remarkable comeback to win after England declared at 551 in the first innings, he felt the visitors made their biggest mistake.”England lost that Test in the first innings, not in the second innings,” Buchanan said. “They laboured over 550 – played very cautiously. They had the opportunity there with players like Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff to impact on the game much earlier and if they were going to make 550 they could have made it much quicker than what they did.”When the series opened at Brisbane, Buchanan was impressed by England’s performance in the fourth innings, although the match was virtually decided after their shambolic first innings of 157. “They made 370 in 100 overs, which I’m sure everyone thought was pretty encouraging,” he said.By the time the third Test at Perth came around, England could still not reach their best despite the impressive Ashes debut of Monty Panesar, who took eight wickets. Again, there were signs England could threaten Australia, but once more their efforts were not enough. “They managed to put together 350 in the second innings, which again was no mean feat,” Buchanan said.Buchanan’s opposite number Duncan Fletcher admitted England had made mistakes but preferred to push the line that Australia had been simply too good. At 5 for 84 on Wednesday he felt Australia would be “very nervous”, but Symonds and Hayden then played superbly. While they compiled the match-winning partnership Flintoff held back on his own potential match-winner, using Panesar only in short spells.”He was probably trying to protect Panesar to a degree,” Fletcher said. “He had two batters who love to hit it over the top. You’ve got to give credit – they [Symonds and Hayden] changed their plan and thought on their feet when they were out there.”He said his team had been devastated by the losses after admirable performances for parts of all four games. But Fletcher would not accept that his side lacked fight at Melbourne, even though they lost in three days and managed totals of 159 and 161.”There’s no way that side didn’t put up a fight, they tried to the best of their ability,” he said. “I think it was a very difficult wicket to bat on … two guys arrive there and bat exceptionally well and take the game away from us.”

John Bracewell hopes England’s string of defeats to Australia will improve New Zealand’s chances of a strong CB Series campaign, which they begin in Hobart on Sunday. The competition starts in Melbourne on Friday with Australia playing England and Bracewell, whose team has landed in Australia, would like another defeat for the tourists.”[England is] a side we hope have taken a dreadful towelling and will be blown apart in terms of morale by the time we arrive,” Bracewell said in . “But I doubt it somehow because they have some quality batting within their side and if [Andrew] Flintoff stands up they’re a dangerous team.”All three teams will be focussing on the World Cup starting in West Indies in March and Bracewell expects New Zealand will have an edge over England because of their all-round make-up. “[England are] a side that’s reliant on the vital few as opposed to the group, the greater number, which we rely on,” Bracewell said. “If that vital few hit form at the right time, they are in with a shout. If they don’t, then they really haven’t got a price.”

Shane Warne launched another attack on his former coach John Buchanan, who he said was responsible for Australia’s CB Series loss to England on Sunday. Warne said Buchanan must be held accountable for Australia’s gruelling taper-training program, which appeared to leave the side flat at the end of the one-day program.”From what I hear, the boys trained really, really hard, probably too hard and it affected them,” Warne told . “They got tired for the finals and didn’t perform really well so John Buchanan has to take responsibility for that.”Warne famously questioned the worth of coaches in general last September, with the line: “I’m a big believer that the coach is something you travel in to get to and from the game.” He said such hard practice sessions were not ideal preparation for a team constantly aiming to perform at their best.”If you’re playing international cricket, all you want to be is fresh and happy,” he said. “You don’t want to be trained into the ground. But that’s the way he wanted to do it but it didn’t work out. Hopefully it will hold them in good stead for the World Cup.”Buchanan admitted the heavy workload and Australia’s desire to be well prepared for the World Cup had affected their performance during the CB Series. He also said complacency and an expectation the side would keep winning contributed to Australia’s decline.

Their long history of inconsistency, amply exemplified by their two most recent matches, moderates the immediate temptation to proclaim Tuesday’s emphatic victory over Pakistan in the opening match of the World Cup as the preface to the championship itself.It was, all the same, a performance of considerable significance for it was centred, not around the seasoned campaigners accustomed to such momentous occasions, but on the eager young brigade.Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Brian Lara, a quartet now with 769 ODIs and ten World Cups between them, contributed 107 runs to the modest total of 241 for 9. Gayle’s usually necessary offspin wasn’t required for a single over.Instead, the decisive runs, wickets, tight overs, brilliance in the field and infectious enthusiasm came from players all with fewer than 100 matches to their names. The packed, noisy stands at the enhanced Sabina caught the vibes and complemented their heroes.The discipline and concentration was such when defending a moderate total that only four extras were conceded – two leg-byes, two wides and not a single no-ball. It was as revealing a statistic as any for the day.Captain Lara spelled out their responsibility, and their opportunity, to the new generation prior to the match. The all-out 85 against India in the warm-up four days earlier had clearly not created disgust among the fans alone.”This is an opportunity for a lot of younger players,” Lara told the media, as he had no doubt told the men concerned. “I would love to see them get hold of the World Cup in the very first match and make it their own.” The message appeared to get through, helped by the uplifting opening ceremony on Sunday and the trumpeted presence of the surviving World Cup winners of 1975 and 1979.Marlon Samuels, now aged 26 and starting to make the most of his undoubted talent after six years in international cricket, shook the innings out of its slumber with his calculated assault on Rao Iftikhar Anjum, the little known but impressive quickie, and Danish Kaneria, the dangerous legspinner.

If the ICC’s protracted investigation into his contacts with an alleged bookmaker concerns him, it was not evident. But then nothing appears to concern the languid Jamaican except, now perhaps, the realisation that he has previously sold his ability short. His last ten ODI innings have included two hundreds and three scores over 60. He has, at last, secured his place in the middle order.When he was out, Dwayne Smith came out of a worrying batting slump with his 32 off 15 balls. It was an assault of clean hitting that, like Samuels’ earlier, undermined the Pakistanis’ fragile self-belief and brought 58 off the last five overs. Inspired, even Corey Collymore smashed the last ball of the innings for six. It was a finish that changed the moods of the teams.There was a distinct lack of bounce in the Pakistani step as they left the field. The buzz in the West Indies room could be heard almost above that of the expectant crowd. It was all reflected in what followed.Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell were fiery with the new ball, Collymore miserly in control. Three early wickets forced such care onto Pakistan’s two main batsmen, Mohammed Yousaf and Inzamam-ul-Haq, that the required scoring-rate climbed to almost eight an over.As they attempted to break free, Smith was back to expose their impatience with his controlled medium-pace. His line rarely strayed from around off-stump, his length offered little to cut and pull. Once he had dismissed both Yousaf and Inzamam, the match was as good as won. There have been times, many, when the West Indies have contrived to turn certain victory into defeat but there was never the slightest hint this would happen.The fielding was predatory, the throwing precise. Samuels sweeping under the Kingston Club Pavilion was superb. Dwayne Bravo seized two stunning catches and went into his usual wild, uninhibited celebration that reflected the attitude on and off the field. Collectively, it was a heartening result for the team and for their expectant public. Individually, it was a timely boost for Smith.No selection was more questioned and criticised than his, with good reason. Even the convenor of selectors, Gordon Greenidge, publicly expressed his doubts. The whirlwind batting that brought him a run-a-ball debut Test hundred three years ago had become so unreliable, his average over the last year was in single figures. Darren Sammy was a worthy contender to replace him. Only his electric fielding and useful medium-pace bowling saved his place.No one would have been more pleased at his Man of the Match return than head coach Bennett King, an unswerving believer in Smith’s ability. The mission now for Smith, as with the team, is to make it a habit. It is a challenge that has eluded both for too long.

Mahela Jayawardene believes Tom Moody has still not decided where he will coach after the World Cup, despite reports he was heading home to Perth to take the reins of Western Australia. However, Jayawardene said cricket was “only a game” and it was entirely up to Moody whether continuing with Sri Lanka was the right move.Justin Langer said his decision to stand down as Western Australia’s captain was in part based on a conversation with Moody that led him to believe Moody would replace the retiring Wayne Clark as the state’s coach next season. A Western Australia spokeswoman said no final agreement had been reached over who would take over from Clark, but Moody was the preferred candidate.Jayawardene questioned whether Langer had interpreted Moody’s words correctly. “What has come out in the papers is not what Tom has told him [Langer],” Jayawardene said on . Moody, who has repeatedly said he would not consider his future until after the World Cup, insisted again on Tuesday he had made no firm plans.Jayawardene said he hoped Moody, who has been coaching Sri Lanka since June 2005, would remain in his current role. “Tom has been brilliant for us,” he said.”He’s brought something different to the side and we’ve flourished. I don’t have to tell the [Sri Lanka] board that. They know how valuable Tom is to us and I’m sure they’ll do everything in their power to keep him.”Jayawardene said there would be no hard feelings from the players if Moody chose to move on. “He has said he wants to finish the World Cup with Sri Lanka and then decide,” he said. “Cricket is only a game and there are other factors in life. At the end of the day, it’s his decision.”