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Andrew Leipus, India’s physiotherapist, has asked to be relieved of hisday-to-day duties with the national team after the home series againstSouth Africa, which ends on Dec 2. Leipus, who has been with the Indianteam since late 1999, wants to spend more time with his family, and alsowants to improve his professional qualifications by studying.The Australian-born Leipus, 34, was recently offered a contract until2007, but it is understood that he has not yet signed that, and has made acounter-proposal wherein he would still be involved with the team, butwould play second fiddle to someone else who did the job on a morehands-on basis.Leipus has suggested that the load on the physio is increasing all thetime, and feels that two professionals are needed to do the jobefficiently. In his letter to the Indian Board he has suggested that JohnGloster, the former Bangladesh physio, be considered for the post he wouldbe vacating. Gloster, who has also worked with Surrey in the past, spentabout two years as the physio of the Bangladesh team, but left them onOctober 9 when his contract ran out.However, Leipus does not want to make a clean break from his duties withIndia, and hopes to be involved occasionally in the future. A sourcewithin the Indian team confirmed that Leipus has always meant to take timeoff from his job to pursue further studies to enhance his professionalqualifications. However, it had been expected that he would take a breakat the end of the current season, and not immediately after the homeseries against South Africa.Leipus is likely to meet with board officials soon to discuss the matter.He succeeded Andrew Kokinos as India’s physiotherapist, after beingrecommended for the post by Dr Mark Ferguson, the South African surgeonwho treated Javagal Srinath.

ScorecardThe nous and obduracy of Somerset’s Peter Bowler, hitting his 45th first-class hundred, proved too much for a largely anodyne Essex attack, meaning that both these counties remained winless in the Championship. Perhaps it would have been different if Danish Kaneria, Essex’s Pakistan legspinner, had been fit. Certainly it felt as though there was a vital ingredient missing from the fourth day.For most of the first three days, this had been a cracking contest – lion-hearted bowling from Andrew Caddick, a big, restorative hundred from Andy Flower, and fine support acts from lower-order batsmen thwacking the boundary boards hard and often.It came as no real surprise that the fourth day couldn’t stay the pace. Even though the spring sun lit up the third evening’s play, the colour had drained from the canvas when Essex ignored the dodgy forecast, batted on way too long and set Somerset a meaningless target of 475.Still, the weather did allow a full morning session. Somerset began at 23 for no wicket and had pushed on to 44 when Neil Edwards edged Scott Brant for 19. If Edwards had some excuse for his dismissal, Cox had none for his. He steered the ball to long leg for a safe single only to turn, inexplicably, for a second. Brant’s inch-perfect throw smacked into James Foster’s gloves and Cox had gone.Given that Essex could not lose, Paul Grayson set astonishingly defensive fields. Two slips and a gully represented his most adventurous gambits in the morning, and even during the afternoon, with Somerset five down, Peter Bowler – admittedly well set in the 90s – had a solitary slip.In an odd sort of way, the strategy worked. No fielders were needed to get rid of Nos 4, 5 and 6 – all bowled either side of the first rain break, which pinched 12 overs. Burns was reddest-faced, shouldering arms and losing his off stump to Graham Napier, though Ian Blackwell should have played forward rather than back.More rain meant an early tea, a signal for all but the real die-hards to filter out of the ground and take solace in Taunton’s nearby shops. But the match had not quite died. Keith Parsons capped a dire four days by chasing a wide ball and giving Foster another catch. It meant Essex had a minimum of 26 overs to take four wickets. The joie de vivre may have gone, but the game still had tension.But all the time, there was Bowler, quietly and obdurately collecting runs. Steadfastly supported by Rob Turner, he reached his third hundred of the season (and his second against Essex) from 175 balls. It was a mature, meticulous innings, befitting county cricket’s oldest pro and its only qualified solicitor, and contained not a false move. Bowler ended unbeaten on 138.But as time passed, the tension eased – and the draw seemed inevitable when the last hour began without a further Essex breakthrough. In fact, they barely had a shout. Half an hour later, the match was called off, with Grayson wondering what might have been.Hugh Chevallier is deputy editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.

Zimbabwe have named their team for the opening fixture of their tour of England, against British Universities at Edgbaston, starting on May 3.Heath Streak (capt)
Tatenda Taibu (v-c and wk)
Grant Flower
Stuart Carlisle
Dion Ebrahim
Mark Vermeulen
Barney Rogers
Douglas Marillier
Andy Blignaut
Sean Ervine
Douglas HondoWith the exception of Streak, Taibu, Flower and Carlisle, who toured in 2000, all of the team are making their first appearances for Zimbabwe in English first-class cricket.

Worcestershire paceman Kabir Ali will miss the rest of the season after surgery on the dislocated collarbone he suffered in last week’s Norwich Union League win over Durham.

Chris Rogers is set to be clear to play in the third Test of the Investec Ashes series in Birmingham after scans cleared him of serious damage following his retired hurt on the final morning of the Lord’s Test.On day two of the Test, Rogers was struck on the helmet near the right ear by James Anderson, and two days later had to leave the field as he complained of dizziness while standing at the non-striker’s end.There was considerable concern for Rogers due to a recent history of concussion – he missed both Tests of the West Indies tour after being struck on the helmet by the Dominican net bowler Anderson Burton – and the team doctor Peter Brukner sought independent medical advice in London the day after Australia’s 405-run victory at Lord’s.Rogers did not take the field after his dizzy spell but stayed with the team for their celebrations in the dressing rooms, after levelling the Ashes series at 1-1. Brukner said the signs of Rogers’ progress were promising.”Chris’s condition is certainly improving. He has had scans and seen a specialist since yesterday to help determine the cause of his dizziness,” he said. “The initial scans have cleared him of any serious damage and we await the results of further tests.”It appears the most likely diagnosis is a delayed ear problem related to being struck on day two of the Test match. We are confident that this is something we can manage in the lead up to the third Test at Edgbaston.”As a precaution he’ll be reviewed by the specialist in London again on Wednesday morning before re-joining the touring party. Chris was not scheduled to play in the tour match against Derbyshire, so he has time to continue resting ahead of the Test match.”Having made his highest Test score of 173 and then 49 in the second innings at the time of his retired hurt, Rogers is a central plank of Australia’s batting order in this series, though he has flagged he will most likely retire from international cricket after the Ashes.”He’s important for a period of time,” the coach Darren Lehmann said. “I think he’s made it clear he’s not going to come on the next Ashes tour, although he’d probably like to, as a tour host. He knows these conditions so well, he loves England and he helps our batters out, that’s the most pleasing thing.”He helps our batters and bowlers about conditions here and for example Middlesex and Lord’s, all the angles you’ve got to play with the slope. He knows them so well, he’s a very important part of this tour.”

With India-Pakistan cricketing ties currently in limbo, former Pakistan captain Imran Khan has asserted that stopping cricket is not the answer to combating terrorism. Imran, who is currently in India attending , a news conclave, said he had raised the issue with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, and was hoping for a positive response.”Stopping cricket is not an answer to terrorism. You don’t boycott a society on the basis of few sick men,” Imran said. “I supported the ban on South Africa once, but that was due to their stance on apartheid and that was a human rights violation. But other than that I believe sport should carry on.”It is a matter of a lifelong relationship. People to people contact is necessary to build ties. Sachin [Tendulkar] is loved in Pakistan as a Wasim [Akram] is loved in India.”On his meeting with Modi, Imran said: “I told Modi that cricket should happen. Modiji smiled at that question and I couldn’t decipher whether it was a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. But I am a positive person and would take that positively.”We are the first generation of partition children, so we had heard a lot of hate stories. And people like us were on each side of the country. But when I toured India as a cricketer, I realised that we are the same people, who listen to the same songs and have the same tastes. There is consensus in Pakistan against terror. So we should look to bridge gaps not create distances.”Former India captain Kapil Dev, who was sharing the stage with Imran, was however more guarded in his stance on India-Pakistan ties.”Players have no problem in playing against each other, but you can’t go against government policy,” he said. “Boards certainly want to play, but Imran, Kapil and Sachin’s views do not matter. It is the government’s decision which finally counts.”

Lalchand Rajput, India’s Under-19 coach, has been named cricket manager of the Indian team for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa next month. Rajput will take over from Chandu Borde, who is managing the team on the current tour of England.Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad will continue as fielding and bowling coaches, Rajiv Shukla, vice-president of the Board for Control of Cricket in India, said.The board is expected to advertise for a new coach to take charge of the team after the Twenty20 tournament. “We want to get a coach as early as possible,” Shukla said after a meeting of senior board officials in New Delhi. The Indian team has been without a coach since Greg Chappell stepped down following the team’s World Cup exit in March.Mahendra Singh Dhoni had earlier been named captain of the team for the Twenty20 tournament, which Rahul Dravid, the regular captain, and seniors Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly had decided to skip.Shukla also said a new National Cricket Academy would be built at Bangalore, for which the Karnataka government is expected to allot land. The board also announced that the Brabourne Stadium would host a Twenty20 game between India and Australia on October 20, following a seven-match ODI series between the two sides.

ScorecardDavid Langford-Smith took five wickets for Ireland on the first day of their Intercontinental Cup match at Aberdeen against Scotland who were dismissed for 265. Ryan Watson was the only top-order batsman to star for the home side with a pugnacious 74 before he was caught at deep backward square by Langford-Smith off the bowling of Trent Johnston, the Australia fast bowler.Watson received little support from the Scotland middle-order until John Blain arrived at the crease, who proceeded to at last take command of the Ireland bowling, hitting 53 from 94 balls. In reply, Ireland lost Jeremy Bray in the slips and they now trail by 222 runs.

West Indies saved the follow-on on the third day at Port-of-Spain … just.Daren Ganga and Marlon Samuels batted well, but the lower ordercouldn’t keep up the momentum and the innings folded for 408.Australia took a handy first-innings lead of 168, and extended that toone short of 200 for the loss of Justin Langer in an uncharacteristicallyrestrained hour’s batting before the close.It took some time, but Australia eventually worked their way through theWest Indian batting order. Steve Waugh hasn’t batted in this match yet,and won’t mind too much if he misses out tomorrow as well. On abelter of a pitch, albeit one showing signs of occasional unevenbounce and offering substantial turn, Waugh will be looking to pushthat lead towards 400 before letting his fast men off the leash again.Ganga’s century, his second in successive Test innings after 17matches without one, gave West Indies hope in the first session. Thespinners, Stuart MacGill and Brad Hogg, were turning the ballappreciably, but Ganga picked them with great certainty, apart from theodd rush of blood, building on his century at Georgetown. He cracked15 fours and a six in his century,It was Ganga’s second Test hundred, and his first at home in Trinidad.Ironically Brian Lara, who was out for 91 late on the second day, has yetto reach three figures in 10 Tests on his home island. Some estimateshad it that 5000 extra people might have ventured to the ground on thisEaster Monday if Lara had still been batting.Ganga had 117 by lunch, but failed to add to his score afterwards. BrettLee, armed with the new ball, moved one away from him – the perfectpacy outswinger – and Matthew Hayden clutched a screamer into hismidriff (279 for 5). The new batsman, the debutant David Bernard,played straight enough despite being clunked on the head by a Leebouncer that flew off for four leg-byes, but had made only 7 when JasonGillespie threaded one through the gate and knocked back his offstump (300 for 6).Samuels, who made two single-figure scores in the first Test, wassketchy at first against Lee, but blossomed later, unfurling somedeadeye drives. One over from Hogg cost 14, including an off-drive thatblistered to the boundary, followed by a huge six over the cycle-trackinto the crowd at long-on. At 47 Samuels was caught by Hayden at firstslip off Andy Bichel, but it was a no-ball. He sauntered to a half-century,in 130 minutes, in the next over.At the other end another new cap, the diminutive wicketkeeper CarltonBaugh, played a breezy innings. In the first match of the Australians’tour Baugh bagged a century for the President’s XI in Georgetown.Here he played some breezy strokes and helped Samuels put on 67,but at 19, off what turned out to be the last ball before tea, hedemolished his own stumps trying an extravagant cut (367 for 7). It wasMacGill’s 100th Test wicket, in only his 21st match.West Indies nibbled nervously at the tea-time sandwiches, needing 10to save the follow-on. Samuels fell for 68 with the lead exactly 200,chipping a catch to the incoming Bichel at long-off (376 for 8). VasbertDrakes earned a huge cheer for the vital single, and although he soonlost Merv Dillon – lbw to Jason Gillespie for his 25th Test duck (384 for9) – Drakes set the Trini Posse jiving with two huge sixes off Hogg, oneof which nearly reached the TV commentary box.Drakes was eventually trapped in front, a fourth wicket for Lee. Despitethe extravagant turn the spinners extracted at times, it was the fast menthat did the damage: Gillespie was also waspish and wasted little.West Indies may have saved the follow-on, but they haven’t saved thismatch yet.

ScorecardMichael Papps did his chances of playing in next week’s opening Test at Lord’s no harm by scoring an impressive 126 against Kent at Canterbury. He put on an opening stand of 244 with Mark Richardson, who scored 92, as the New Zealanders closed a dominating day on 297 for 2.Papps had struggled earlier on in the tour, but he made a timely return to form, hitting 18 boundaries in his innings and mammoth stand with Richardson. He is expected to make way if Stephen Fleming, the captain, is fit to return to the team, but Papps made the most of two dropped slipped catches early on to post a big score. He survived a straightforward chance to Rob Ferley at second slip on 23, and then David Fulton put down a more difficult slice at first slip off Alamgir Sheriyar with Papps on 34.He and Richardson batted together for almost five hours until David Stiff, who bowled 20 no balls in the day, trapped Papps lbw (244 for 1), and then bowled Richardson shortly after (253 for 2).Those two wickets were welcome relief for Kent, but Nathan Astle and Scott Styris then cashed in on the platform set by Papps and Richardson. Astle, who edged his second delivery from Stiff and was dropped by Matthew Walker at second slip, hit a bright 32 not out, including seven fours, and Styris ended unbeaten on 14.