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MSK Prasad, the former India wicketkeeper, has announced his retirement from all forms of the game. Prasad, who was appointed Andhra captain in 2007, played six Tests and 17 ODIs for India in which he effected a total of 36 dismissals as wicketkeeper.Prasad, 33, said he wanted to step aside to give more chances to younger players in the Andhra squad. “I have been asked by the Andhra Cricket Association secretary V Chamundeswaranath to continue for one more season as the association has started taking innovative steps to give a new look to the sport,” Prasad told the .”Even though I am very thankful for the gesture, I felt that it was time to quit. And I don’t have any regrets upon looking back.”It was a huge honour to represent the country at the highest level, and especially being the first one to do so from Andhra. That too at a time when everyone gave very little chance for cricketers from the state to even represent the South Zone.”It was an injury to Nayan Mongia, following the 1999 World Cup that gave Prasad his big chance in the national side. In the 1999-2000 season he played in six Tests, three against New Zealand at home and three in Australia, acquitting himself creditably, besides playing in many ODIs. But he was dropped after a poor tour of Australia where he averaged 8.66 with the bat. In the seven seasons he played for Andhra following his exit from the national side, Prasad scored 2644 runs at 33.46.Prasad hit his purple patch as a batsman-wicketkeeper in the 2002-03 season – scoring 754 runs, including two hundreds and five half-centuries, and effecting 32 dismissals from 11 matches – it was the only time in his career he averaged over 40 with the bat.

South Africa skipper Shaun Pollock admitted that the pitch used for the opening one-day international against Sri Lanka was too heavily loaded in favour of seam bowlers.Sri Lanka capitulated during the morning after losing the toss and were bowled out for just 128 in 46.4 overs, raising concerns over the suitability of the pitch for the World Cup final to be staged in exactly three months’ time."Going into the game the wicket looked grassy and clearly had some moisture in it," said Pollock afterwards. "We were always going to bowl first.""After the first over we knew there was something in it and that opportunities were always going to come our way," he said."That would not be a good wicket for the World Cup which needs to be a spectacle – we would want a better surface."Nevertheless, Pollock was delighted with the performance of his bowlers,especially with the new ball as they reduced Sri Lank to 30 for five in the 14th over."We stuck to our task and got the ball in the right areas," he said. "We had discussed what lines to bowl to their batsmen and stuck to that, bowling only two half volleys in our opening bursts."A only negative for the home side was the performance was the fact that fourwickets fell for 56 runs."That was disappointing," said Pollock. "When you are chasing a total like that you want to dominate – we need to improve on that."The Sri Lankans were reluctant to criticise the surface directly."During the first hour and a half it was not easy at all," said captain Sanath Jayasuriya. "The ball was doing a lot.""However, they did bowl well and we lost too many wickets in the first 15 overs. You cannot afford to do that."Coach Dav Whatmore hopes the side can re-group in time for Friday’s match atCenturion."After the first Test at Wanderers we picked ourselves up for the second Test on a different surface," said Whatmore. "We know that we are better than this."South Africa expect Jonty Rhodes to have recovered from his hamstring injury in time for that game. Physio Shane Jabbar said he had responded well to treatment and will have a fitness tomorrow.

When it was needed that he be a leader and display courage, Nasser Hussainwas found wanting.It was the same old predictable boring England.Sending the opposition in is a gamble.When you don’t have the bowlers to doany damage, it’s akin to suicide.England will now be lucky to follow-on. If they avoid it or it is notenforced, they will have an impossible target to chase.The tone of an Ashes series is set on the first day of the first Test.In 1986, Australia sent England in at the Gabba for them to finish the firstday at 2/198. They would make 456, enforce the follow-on and win by sevenwickets.In 1989, David Gower sent Australia in. Australia made it to the first dayat 3/207 and would won the Test by 210 runs.In 1994, Michael Slater hit the first ball of the series from Phil DeFreitasfor four. It was that kind of series.Hussain had to be positive. Get some runs on the board and at least putAustralia in a position where they didn’t feel 100% in control.Now he has placed his side in a huge hole which will require some greatbatting and the old rain dance for them to extricate themselves.Electing to bat first would have shown that England would not be lying down.Instead, they took the easy way out and are paying for it.For all the talk, their fielding is still basic. The bowlers aren’t bowlingto their fields. Too many balls are being bowled without a shot being playedand if a false stroke is made, the defensive field placings means that itcan’t be capitalised on.Hussain has sent out a message loud and clear – that his side fearAustralia. Obviously oblivious to the fact that it’s the exploitation of theopposition’s fear which is one of the major reasons for Australia’s success.The hero of the Mexican revolution, Emiliano Zapata once said, “It’s better to die on your feet than live on your knees”.England are dying on their knees.

England captain Nasser Hussain ensured that his team enjoyed another good day at the WACA in Perth by recording the first century of the tour and taking his side to a first innings lead of 114 against Western Australia. Although the end of the innings was a disappointment with the last five wickets falling for only 15 runs, Andrew Caddick claimed a wicket when the home side batted again to leave them at 16 for one at the close of the second day.The start of play was brought forward to make up for time lost to the weather on the first day, but the early start did not agree with Robert Key who was out before he could add to his overnight score of 33. The batsman did not necessarily agree with the decision, giving the impression the ball might have bounced before reaching Matt Nicholson in the gully off Brad Williams.Marcus Trescothick was more circumspect in his approach than either he or Key had been on the first evening, but was within a boundary of his fifty when he edged Nicholson to third slip.With the score standing at 94 for two at that point there was a chance there might have been a collapse, but Hussain and Mark Butcher saw to it that the attack made no immediate inroads. The pair put on 59 together as Butcher gained valuable time at the crease. He remained to face 84 balls before offering no stroke to a ball from Jo Angel just before lunch and he was out for 29.John Crawley helped his captain add 79 for the fourth wicket before he played on to Stuart Karppinen for 45 and Alec Stewart reached 29 with six boundaries before driving Angel carelessly and was caught at second slip.Next to go was Hussain who had batted with immense assurance to reach 117 from 220 balls in a stay of nearly five hours in the middle that will give great heart to both him and his team. His end came when he pushed forward to Nicholson with just a hint of tiredness to be caught behind.The Australians make a point of targeting the opposition captain and, with this innings under his belt, Hussain will be under no illusions about the sort of reception he is likely to receive in Brisbane during the first Test. However, he is likely to feed off that as a sign of respect.The rest of the England innings would have been more familiar to Australian spectators – including selector David Boon – as the last five wickets fell in the space of six overs as only 15 runs were added to the total. They all went to Nicholson who finished with six for 79. In this same fixture on the last Ashes tour, Nicholson grabbed the headlines with seven for 77. Hussain was captaining England on that occasion and scored 118 in the first innings.Western Australia did not open with their captain, Justin Langer, who is nursing a stiff neck, in the second innings. Mike Hussey took his place but it was regular opener Scott Meuleman who lost his wicket in the seven overs before the close. He was lbw to Caddick as Western Australia finished the day still 98 runs behind.

James Anderson has admitted he had to be talked out of retirement by his wife after a series of injury setbacks.Anderson managed just four overs in the 2019 Ashes after a recurrence of a calf injury ruled him out in the opening moments of the first Test. In the aftermath, he concedes he was struggling with the prospect of more rehabilitation work and it required the intervention of his wife, Daniella, to persuade him to continue.He has claimed 42 more Test wickets at a cost of 23.00 since then, becoming the only seamer in Test history to reach the milestone of 600 wickets.”A big reason I am still playing cricket is my wife,” Anderson said ahead of the first LV= Insurance Test against India at Trent Bridge. “She’s been really supportive.Related

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“When I pulled my calf in the first Ashes Test, it was the second or third time I had pulled my calf and I was really considering whether I wanted to go through the rehab again. She basically took us away on holiday and told me to stop being silly. She told me to carry on.”Of course there have been difficult moments. I think everyone goes through it playing professional sport, whether you are out of form, have a loss of confidence or if it’s injuries. There are all sorts of things you have to deal with. For me it’s about having a good support network: friends and family that you can rely on and lean on.”My wife has been really supportive. She wants me to keep playing; she encourages me to keep playing. She’s quite happy for me not to be around the house I think.”Despite his age – he celebrated his 39th birthday a few days ago – Anderson dismissed any suggestion that the next 10 Tests (five against India and five against Australia) could prove the finale of his career.”Absolutely not,” he said. “I feel like I’m bowling as well as ever. I feel great physically. I’m just looking forward to this series against India.”We’ll look at everything else once we’re past this. That’s something I’ve done really well throughout my career. But right now I’m bowling as well as I ever have and I’m really looking forward to this series.”James Anderson in action during England nets•Getty Images

Anderson has an excellent record at Trent Bridge. In 10 Tests at the ground, he has claimed 64 wickets at an average of 19.62 apiece with seven five-wicket hauls. He also made his highest score – 81 – here against India in 2014. While that Test may be best remembered for rumours of an altercation between Anderson and Ravi Jadeja as the players made their way to the dressing rooms after a session, it remains a ground upon which he has happy memories.”I do like playing here,” Anderson said. “I feel at home here. It is such a friendly place to play. The stewards and staff are incredibly friendly. It’s just somewhere I feel really comfortable.”In years gone by, swing has played a big part here. It’s a ground where you look up [at the atmospheric conditions] not down at the pitch. If there’s cloud cover or if it’s humid, it’s generally a good place to bowl. If there’s a bit of grass on the wicket it will carry to the keeper and slips.”While conceding the India battling line-up is “riddled with talent”, Anderson insists he is relishing the prospect of testing himself against them and Virat Kohli, in particular.”I’m definitely excited to play against him again,” Anderson said. “You always want to challenge yourself against the best in the world and he’s certainly that. We know how big a player he is for them both as a batsman and as captain, he has a huge influence on that team. So we know he’s a big wicket and to be honest I don’t care if I get him out. As long as somebody gets him out that’s the main thing. He’s an important wicket.”But I think challenging yourself against the best in the world is really exciting and their top six is riddled with talent. It’s going to be a big challenge for us seam bowlers.”

A career-best night with both bat and ball from Mitchell Marsh ensured Australia got off the mark in the series as Mitchell Starc stymied Andre Russell at the death to clinch a four-run victory over West Indies.After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Marsh propelled Australia to 189 for 6 with 75 off 44 balls, his third half-century in four innings this series. Defending the total, Marsh followed it up with 3 for 24 including a prized trio of scalps – Chris Gayle, Lendl Simmons and stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran – to stunt momentum in the West Indies chase.Needing 11 off the final over and with Russell on strike, after Riley Meredith had been taken for four sixes by Fabian Allen in the 19th, Starc came around the stumps and bowled four leg stump yorkers that Russell could not get under to elevate and – with only the tail left in at the non-striker’s end – resulted in turned down singles on each occasion. On the fifth ball, Russell flubbed a knee-high full toss well short of the rope at deep midwicket before a boundary on the final ball made a cosmetic adjustment to the final margin. It also meant Pooran’s perfect record as captain to start the series was no more.Marsh continues hot batting formOne of the few bright lights in this series for the visitors, Marsh has continued to impress in his audition for the No. 3 role ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year. Entering in the second over after the fall of Matthew Wade, Marsh lit up the scoreboard with a Vine-esque loop of inside out lofted drives over extra cover.He brought up his third half-century of the series off just 24 balls with another such shot for six off Allen in the ninth over. Having dominated the early stages of his century partnership with Aaron Finch, who had been missed on 2 when an edge went between keeper and slip, rain disrupted Marsh’s momentum when the players were taken off the field shortly after Marsh’s half-century at the end of the ninth over. When play resumed, Finch seized control of the stand to clatter five boundaries in the space of nine balls across the 10th and 11th overs to bring up his own 34-ball half-century, ending a run of bad form in the first three matches of the series.

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Hayden Walsh Jr sparks fightback with the ballBy the time the innings finished, the Hayden Walsh Jr’s series-leading wicket tally stood at 11 after adding another three to bring them back into the game. He dismissed Finch with a googly to break the Marsh partnership at 114 after the Australia captain missed a heave across the line. Walsh Jr put himself on a hat-trick when he took a straightforward return catch next ball after Alex Carey played through too early on a leg stump half-volley to produce a leading edge back to the bowler.He rounded off his haul a few overs later with perhaps his best work of the night. Finding some turn with the legbreak, Ashton Turner overstretched prodding forward and Pooran made up for a sloppy fumble on a straightforward stumping two nights earlier to complete a sharp dismissal on this occasion.Marsh’s bowling best thwarts West Indies victory chargeSimmons got the chase off to a fiery reply alongside Evin Lewis as the pair added 62 off the first 28 balls. Simmons got momentum moving in the second over off Meredith with a six and two fours through the leg side before Lewis had yet to face a ball. Lewis joined the party in the fourth over against Dan Christian by thumping two fours followed by two sixes over mid-on and backward square.After Lewis fell to an ambitious shot backing away to Adam Zampa in the fifth, Simmons continued his supreme touch, shuffling across his stumps to flick a pair of boundaries over fine leg off the medium pace of Meredith in the seventh over. A single to start the eighth brought up a 28-ball half-century before Marsh struck for the first time, inducing a catch from Gayle to long-on.Simmons was still humming but Andre Fletcher and Pooran stuttered after arriving in the middle overs. After Zampa bowled Fletcher in the 11th, Marsh returned for a double-strike in a magnificent 16th over in which he conceded just one run. He removed Pooran for 16, caught skying to long-off, before Simmons pulled the next ball flat to Moises Henriques for a sterling catch sliding along the rope at deep midwicket for 72.Marsh’s work with bat and ball on the night looked like it might go to waste at the end of the 19th when Allen smoked four sixes off the penultimate over bowled by Meredith. But Meredith struck back on the final ball getting Allen to edge a wide delivery behind leaving 11 for Russell to get off Starc in the last. In the end, vintage yorker accuracy from Starc allowed the visitors to prevail.

Lasith Malinga will be unavailable for the forthcoming T20 and ODI series in South Africa after a bout of dengue forced a setback in his return from injury, Malinga’s management team has confirmed.A bone bruise in his left knee had forced Malinga to withdraw from the World T20 and the IPL last year, and though he had returned to training as early as September, he had been increasing his workload in careful increments in order to regain match fitness without aggravating the injury.His illness prior to Christmas had prompted him to slow the increase in intensity of his training, however, and Malinga will now only attempt to return in time for the three-match T20 series against Australia, scheduled to begin on February 17.Malinga has played only one international match since November 2015, with multiple leg injuries having caused him substantial problems since at least the middle of 2014.In his absence, Sri Lanka will have to pick their frontline seamers from a pace battery that includes Nuwan Kulasekara, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Gamage.The first of the three T20s is scheduled for January 20; the first of the five ODIs for January 28.