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Subas Chakraborty, the sports minister of West Bengal, has requested the country’s defence ministry not to renew the lease of Eden Gardens to the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).In a letter to AK Anthony, India’s defence minister, Chakraborty said around 65 days of cricket were played at the Eden Gardens in a year and contended that the facilities could be optimally utilised if other sports were also held at different times of a year.Prasun Mukherjee, president of the CAB, said the letter was the personal opinion of Chakraborty and not that of the West Bengal government. Mukherjee said Eden Gardens’ chances of hosting the 2011 World Cup will be in jeopardy should the ground host sporting activity other than cricket. “As per ICC rules,” he said, “World Cup matches can be held only on grounds used exclusively for cricket and we may not get big matches later also.”The plot of land housing Eden Gardens is owned by the defence ministry and CAB held the lease which expired earlier this year. CAB has applied for a renewal of the lease for 15 years and the matter is pending with the defence authorities.

Match facts

Tuesday April 15 2008 Start time 14.30 (18.30 GMT)

Big picture

West Indies have secured the series after their back-to-back wins in Trinidad, one a last-ball thriller and the other a more comfortable success completed by the man-of-the-moment, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and Marlon Samuels. It has been an uplifting couple of weeks for West Indies, following their series-levelling Test victory, and a whitewash of the one-dayers would set them up nicely for the ultimate challenge of facing Australia. For Sri Lanka it’s about salvaging pride from a tour that started so promisingly before fading away. They have clearly missed some of their experienced players, but no one ever said rebuilding a side would be easy.

Form guide – West Indies

Last five matches: LLLWWPlayer to watch: It hadn’t been a happy home season for Marlon Samuels until Saturday’s match-winning 54 off 49 balls. He seems to have been weighed down by the controversy over his bowling action, but showed a timely return to form in Trinidad. He has always been a batsman of immense talent and maybe forgetting about bowling completely is the way for him to go.

Form guide – Sri Lanka

Last five matches: LLWLLPlayer to watch Chamara Kapugedera rescued Sri Lanka in the first ODI with a career-best 95 but didn’t get a bat in the following game. Kaushalya Weeraratne was promoted to No. 4 as a pinch-hitter – and laboured to 15 off 20 balls – while Kapugedera kicked around the changing rooms. If Sri Lanka want to change their order he may as well be given a chance higher up to make the most of his form.

Team news

West Indies had a stronger bowling attack for the second match in Trinidad after drafting in Daren Powell who should keep his place. Darren Sammy could come under pressure if they decide to recall Sulieman Benn, the left-arm spinner, on what is usually a batsman-friendly surface.Sri Lanka could decide to give some of their other squad players an outing. In the other matches two bowlers have been off the pace so Thilan Thushara, who impressed in the Test series, would provide a striking option. Chaminda Vaas may have earned a rest at the end of the tour.West Indies (probable) Chris Gayle, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Fidel EdwardsSri Lanka (probable) Upul Tharanga, Mahela Udawatte, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Chaminda Vaas, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara

Pitch and conditions

The St Lucia pitch is usually good for batting and 250 is the minimum a team needs to defend. With this being a day/night game the teams will have to adjust their tactics accordingly, although there is limited evidence as to the effect of the lights. The only other floodlit match finished with more than 22 overs to spare as a 10-wicket win for West Indies. There is a chance of showers during the game, so once again Duckworth-Lewis could play a role.

Stats and trivia

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHe may have eased off on plans to wear a black armband to protest the ‘death of Associate cricket’, but John Mooney followed through with an impressive spell of seam bowling to launch Ireland’s 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier campaign in a seven-wicket win over Namibia at Stormont, Belfast. The allrounder’s man-of-the-match winning spell of 3-23 restricted Namibia to 124 for 8 before Ireland, riding on captain William Porterfield’s unbeaten half-century, knocked off the runs with 16 balls to spare.After Namibia’s Stephen Baard pulled a six and four off the opening over bowled by Tyrone Kane, Mooney replaced Kane for the third and peeled off an impressive four-over spell to quell Namibia’s top order. Baard fell slashing to Niall O’Brien at third man off Mooney’s third ball before Gerrie Snyman edged an attempted drive to Gary Wilson in the fifth over. Mooney capped off his burst with a brilliant yorker to remove Raymond van Schoor as Namibia slipped from 20 for 0 to 45 for 3.The spin tandem of George Dockrell and Paul Stirling kept the clamps on Namibia’s middle order from the 10th through the 16th overs. After Stirling started off with a maiden in the 10th, Dockrell struck in the first ball of the 11th when JP Kotze’s tame cut floated to Alex Cusack at backward point where he dived forward for the catch.Dockrell started the the 13th over with a wicket after Sarel Burger skipped down the track but failed to clear Kevin O’Brien at long off. Craig Williams then lofted Stirling to Andrew Balbirnie at sweeper cover in the 14th to make it 73 for 6.Namibia’s biggest partnership of the day – 32 for the seventh wicket between JJ Smit and Nicolas Scholtz – came to an end when Smit edged an attempted cut behind to Wilson off Cusack. Scholtz failed to fend off a short ball two balls later to give Wilson his third catch of the day.Ireland’s chase got off to a sloppy start with Stirling spooning his second ball to short extra cover off Jason Davidson where Baard claimed a low diving catch. Three balls later, Porterfield nearly ran himself out on nought when he set off from the non-striker’s end for a single behind point. He was sent back by Niall O’Brien but the throw to the bowler’s end bounced over the stumps.Porterfield and Niall O’Brien survived another pair of chances, on 5 and 18 respectively, before settling down to notch up a 71-run stand. Niall eventually holed out to long off against Burger on the first ball of the 11th for 45 before his brother Kevin was dismissed in identical fashion in the next over off Bernard Scholtz’s left-arm spin for 3.Porterfield and Balbirnie shared an unbroken stand of 48 runs to ensure Ireland had no further alarms. Porterfield hit his sixth four through extra cover to bring up his half-century off 43 balls, and level the scores. He ended the match the very next ball with another four .

Lord’s and The Oval have been nominated as two of the main venues to host next year’s ICC World Twenty20, with the ECB also recommending Lord’s to host the final.After being chosen as the hosts of the tournament, England have spent the past few months deciding on the venues to be used. The Oval has been chosen as a “preferred bidder” for the warm-ups, group and Super Eight matches and a semi-final.”I am delighted that Lord’s, a world-class venue with a famous history and tradition, has agreed to be recommended hosts,” Steve Elworthy, the tournament director, said yesterday in Auckland. “I was privileged to be director for [the] ICC World Twenty20 2007 and thrilled at the success of the event which generated record crowds and also made broadcasting history in India with 1.4 billion viewers tuning in for the final.”Now I am looking forward to the challenge of raising the standard of Twenty20 cricket even higher here in England and with Lord’s as a nominated venue and The Oval as a preferred bidder – as well as a third world class ground yet to be chosen – we have already got off to a great start.”Keith Bradshaw, the MCC secretary and chief executive, added: “The MCC committee is extremely pleased, and I am personally delighted, at the ECB’s decision to recommend that the final and other matches in the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009 be staged at Lord’s. It is bound to be an exciting and major global event, and MCC looks forward to contributing to its success.”MCC has supported Twenty20 cricket – a form of the game which virtually every cricketer has played – since the county competition started a few years ago. At Lord’s, these matches have regularly attracted crowds of over 20,000, and I am looking forward to seeing the home of cricket full for the 2009 matches.”

Division One

The abject weather forecast for the south is all that can prevent Nottinghamshire thrashing Kent at Canterbury after they were left to make 22 in their second innings. A sixth-wicket stand of 138 between Azhar Mahmood and Martin van Jaarsveld (79) was all that spared Kent from an innings loss after they slipped to 85 for 5, and although Mahmood completed a battling 116 the damage had already been done by Nottinghamshire’s seamers.Only 11 overs were possible at The Rose Bowl, with Hampshire losing Michael Lumb during 40 minutes bitterly cold play against Sussex. Lumb added five to his overnight 77 before he was trapped in front by Robin Martin-Jenkins when trying to whip one through midwicket, ending a stand of 80 with Greg Lamb. The drizzle finally halted mid-afternoon but at 5pm play was abandoned for the day and Hampshire will resume on Saturday – weather permitting – on 319 for 7.For a full report from The Oval, where Surrey continued to boss proceedings against Lancashire before bad light came along, click here.

Division Two

The Warwickshire era under Ashley Giles isn’t starting too well as they had to watch centuries from Vikram Solanki (140) and Graeme Hick (101) ease Worcestershire to a lead of 481 at Edgbaston. Warwickshire then collapsed to 26 for 3 by the close with Gareth Batty taking two wickets in a four-over spell. Their day had started poorly was they were unable to shift the nightwatchman Kabir Ali who added 100 with Solanki, whose first hundred since June came off 162 balls. Hick, showing no signs of an elbow injury, then followed with a 135-ball ton to put the match out of Warwickshire’s reach. Worcestershire were still without Simon Jones but it is expected his sore neck will have eased enough for him to bowl on the final day.Northamptonshire are facing a huge defeat after being reduced to 42 for 4 in their second innings by Essex at Chelmsford, where bad light brought an early end. David Masters knocked the top off the order with a fine new-ball burst that brought three wickets while Ravi Bopara chipped out the other. Bopara had carried his innings on to 150 as Essex built a lead of 223, aided by some distinctly average fielding, with Jason Gallian eventually removed for 171. Mark Pettini, the captain, made a brisk 80 before calling an end to the innings and was able to watch his attack make rapid inroads.Gloucestershire are well placed to open their season with a victory despite a battling performance from Derbyshire at Bristol. They require another 145 to win after Jon Lewis, Marcus North and Anthony Ireland shared nine wickets to bowl out Derbyshire for 362, a considerable improvement on their first-innings 124. Derbyshire’s hopes of setting a tougher target were dealt an early blow when Rikki Clarke top edged a hook off Ireland to deep square leg for 27, but David Pipe made a fighting 62 with nine boundaries. Graham Wagg (25) and Tom Lungley (24) chipped in, but they needed another century to match Chris Rogers’ effort yesterday. Stephen Adshead took his tally of catches to nine, putting him second in Gloucestershire’s list behind Andy Wilson. Needing 172 to win, Gloucestershire were 27 for 1 when drizzle ended play early.Middlesex were left staring down the barrel as they slid to 112 for 5 in their second innings against Leicestershire at a bitterly cold and windy Grace Road, a lead of only 19. Andrew Strauss failed for the second time and it took a dogged, unbeaten 49 from Owais Shah to give the innings any rigidity, and with David Nash he ground out the last hour. HD Ackerman’s tenth hundred for Leicestershire had guided them to 405, a lead of 93, after Tom New had managed to add only five to his overnight 104. Steven Finn, with 4 for 80, was the pick of the Middlesex bowlers.

ScorecardAll-round heroics from captain Suhrawadi Shuvo and Dolar Mahmud saw Bangladesh Under-19 edge their Pakistani counterparts by two wickets in Karachi and clinch the five-ODI series 3-2, one that Pakistan were leading 2-0.After choosing to bat, Pakistan were rocked by some early blows from the Bangladesh opening bowlers. Mahmud removed the dangerous Ahmed Shehzad for 10 and also took the wicket of Umar Amin, who struggled throughout this series. Rubel Hossain chipped in with two more and when Ali Asad fell to Subashis Roy, Pakistan were tottering at 54 for 5.Umair Mir and Usman Salahuddin added 63 for the sixth wicket but three strikes from Shuvo, Bangladesh’s most effective bowler in the series, saw the Pakistan innings fold for 187. Even that modest total was reached courtesy of a whirlwind cameo from Mohammad Rameez, who made 34 off 21, including two boundaries and a six.Bangladesh stumbled in what seemed a straightforward chase, losing their first three wickets for only 33. Nadimuddin and Nasir Hossain did the rebuilding job, which was quickly undone as Bangladesh lost four wickets in a heap to slump to 125 for 7.It was left to Shuvo and Mahmud to salvage the situation as they added 59 runs to take their side to the brink of victory. Though Shuvo perished on 36, Mahmud stayed unbeaten on 31 to ensure Bangladesh completed a thrilling comeback after being 2-0 down in the series.

Pakistan’s convincing win against Sri Lanka means their match against Australia – their first game of any kind against them for two and a half years – on Tuesday could well decide which team takes top spot in the group. Australia have bounced back superbly after their shock defeat against Zimbabwe, but that was hardly unexpected, considering the quality in their team. Pakistan’s comprehensive win against Sri Lanka was an unexpected result, and it sets up Tuesday’s game perfectly.Australia have the momentum, and usually in important tournaments they’ve shown a tendency not to let go once they get on a roll. Pakistan, on the other hand, tend to blow hot one day and cold the next. Anything less than a near-perfect performance won’t be enough.Bat play: Pakistan’s openers continue to be a worry, and while the team recovered in style against Sri Lanka, it might be more difficult to come out of a poor start against the Australians. The good news is Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik have run into form, and Misbah-ul-Haq has shown himself to be breathtakingly innovative and consistent at the same time. And perhaps the better news is Pakistan have done well without a significant contribution from Shahid Afridi.Australia, meanwhile, have had two games where most of their batsmen haven’t needed a hit. Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist have been in terrific form, but there could be questions asked of the rest if the openers fall early.Wrecking ball: Both teams have an impressive bowling attack. Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul have proved themselves in the past, but Sohail Tanvir has been the surprise package. He troubled the Indians with his awkward action and his ability to swing the ball away from the right-hander, and Mahela Jayawardene admitted the Sri Lankans had trouble picking him too. Add Shahid Afridi to the mix and Pakistan have a more than competent bowling line-up.The same can be said for the Australians as well. Brett Lee is fresh from a hat-trick against Bangladesh, while Stuart Clark has succeeded in staunching the runs and taking wickets. In his 12 overs in the tournament so far, he has figures of 5 for 59.Keep an eye on: Ricky Ponting. He is a big-match player, and can be expected to seize the moment and the game.Shop talk: Clark’s statements on the eve of the game showed the frame of mind the Australians are in. “I don’t think the Australian cricket team fears anyone. They [Pakistan] are a very good team with very good players, [but] we’re starting to get into a bit of a rhythm. We’re enjoying it and the guys’ skills are slowly getting better.”Pakistan have lost more than one World Cup game against Australia, and Salman Butt, their vice-captain, admitted that they’d be up against a better team than Sri Lanka, who they beat so convincingly.Pitch talk: If it’s Johannesburg, it has to be a belter. The bowlers could be in for another tough day in the office.Australia (probable): Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, RickyPonting (capt), Andrew Symonds, Brad Hodge, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Stuart Clark, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson.Pakistan (probable): Salman Butt, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir.

Corey Collymore, Barbados’ new captain, has said his team will be hunting for a big victory against the Windward Islands in their opening match in Arnos Vale on Friday. Collymore was appointed captain after Ryan Hinds was sacked in September last year.”Barbados has a great legacy,” Collymore said. “It is something that we all need to carry on but at the end of the day it is another cricket game. Cricket is always a hard game to play but we are going out there to win and try to win handsomely.”Looking forward to leading Barbados, Collymore said the squad chosen for the match against Windward Islands was the “best we could come up with”. “I do believe it is a great test for anyone captaining for the first time.”Collymore will have the services of former West Indies internationals Hinds, Tino Best and allrounder Dwayne Smith. With Patrick Browne asked to join the West Indies squad in South Africa to share the wicketkeeping workload with Denesh Ramdin, Carlo Morris has been handed gloves for Barbados. Fast-medium bowlers Jonathan Carter and Kemar Roach, picked in the squad, are yet to play any first-class matches.Collymore, 30, who was overlooked for the West Indies’ tour of South Africa, said his immediate goal was achieving more cricketing glory for Barbados.”My focus is to help Barbados cricket go forward and that is my main focus at the moment,” he said. Collymore hoped he would make a comeback in to the national side based on his performances. If being [ranked] No. 11 in the world doesn’t mean anything, well it’s all part of life,” he said.In the five Carib Beer Series games he played last season, Collymore took 14 wickets at 20.21, with a best of 6 for 30.Barbados squad:
Corey Collymore (capt), Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Sharmarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Jason Haynes, Ryan Hinds, Alcindo Holder, Carlo Morris, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Dwayne Smith, Kevin Stoute

There is no possibility India will pull out of their tour of Australia even if Harbhajan Singh’s three-Test suspension is not lifted, according to the BCCI president Sharad Pawar. The board has given Pawar the sole authority to cancel the rest of the trip and earlier comments attributed to Pawar indicated he may use that power if he was not satisfied with the result of Harbhajan’s appeal.But Pawar now says the tour is not at risk. “There’s no question of a pull-out,” Pawar told the . “The series will not be affected. We are focussed on fighting Harbhajan’s case, but it all should be within the game.”We have decided to give full support to Harbhajan, and we will provide all the legal help to fight it out. If that means we have to seek legal assistance from abroad, we will do that.”Pawar also confirmed that he had asked Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan’s batting partner at the time of the incident with Andrew Symonds in the Sydney Test, to explain exactly what had happened between the pair. “Sachin reported there was tension and provocation, but there was no question of racist comment,” Pawar said. “If Sachin or Sourav [Ganguly] or Rahul [Dravid] or Anil [Kumble] say anything, I believe it 100% and accept it.”Pawar’s comments came as Australia’s reported that India were now expected to argue that Harbhajan had not called Symonds a monkey, as was originally alleged, but instead used a similar-sounding Punjabi term that would be regarded as offensive but not racist. There are also questions over Brad Hogg’s alleged use of the word “bastard” as his code-of-conduct case draws nearer.The has reported that both teams submitted a list of racially offensive words prior to the series and “bastard” did not rate a mention. The list was intended to inform ground managers what terms should be prohibited in crowds. However, the paper said that “monkey” was on the list.

Yuvraj Singh has been fined 20% of his match fee for “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision” during the final ODI between India and Pakistan in Jaipur.Yuvraj was given out by umpire Suresh Shastri during India’s chase, after he miscued a pull off Umar Gul to the keeper. However, instead of walking, an upset Yuvraj stood his ground, and indicated the ball had hit his shoulder and not his bat or glove. Replays suggested that the ball had hit his shoulder.Though Yuvraj had been charged with “showing serious dissent at an umpire’s decision”, Roshan Mahanama, the ICC match referee, downgraded the charge to “showing dissent” after taking in to account the fact that Yuvraj, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, had apologised for any offence he may have caused and that it was his first appearance at a Code of Conduct hearing in eight years at the international level.”I took into account several factors in downgrading the charge, including the player’s previous excellent conduct, his apology at the hearing, the fact it was a spontaneous act out of character with his normal behaviour and that he did not appear to use foul or offensive language,” Mahanama said.”However, the fact remains that when the umpire raises his finger a player must leave the crease immediately and without question no matter what he may think of the decision.”That is one of cricket’s most fundamental principles and Yuvraj’s failure to adhere to that principle, especially given the message his action sends out to the millions of people watching at the ground and on television, merited some form of action.”