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As part of World AIDS Day 2003, cricket teams playing international matches on or around 1 December have committed to wearing red ribbons as a sign of support for the millions of people around the world living with HIV and AIDS.Teams participating in the following matches will be supporting the initiative:30 Nov – Zimbabwe v West Indies, One Day International match
1 Dec – Pakistan v New Zealand, One Day International match
2 Dec – Sri Lanka v England, Test matchWorld AIDS Day is commemorated around the globe on 1 December. It celebrates progress made in the battle against the epidemic — and brings into focus remaining challenges.This year’s World AIDS Day highlights `Live and Let Live’ — the theme of the World AIDS Campaign 2002 -2003. The campaign focuses on eliminating stigma and discrimination, the major obstacles to effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care.The Red Ribbon is the global symbol for solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS and it unites people in the common fight against this disease.In September this year the International Cricket Council (ICC) entered into a strategic alliance with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to take up the fight against HIV/AIDS in cricket-playing countries.”The threat of HIV/AIDS in many of the countries in which cricket is played is acute and it is in keeping with the spirit of cricket that the ICC exercises this social responsibility,” said ICC President Ehsan Mani.Of the estimated 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, over 12 million live in cricket playing countries. In India and South Africa alone, over 9 million people are living with HIV or AIDS.Despite the current low HIV prevalence in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the potential for HIV to spread is high if prevention efforts are not scaled up rapidly.In Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, current trends indicate a rise in sexually transmitted infections and unsafe sex, increasing the risk of HIV. In the cricket playing Caribbean countries (which play collectively as the West Indies), HIV is spreading rapidly.”By sporting the red ribbon, the cricket teams of England, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and West Indies have shown solidarity with the millions of people affected by AIDS world wide. The ICC-UNAIDS campaign to run out AIDS will play a vital role in the fight against AIDS in cricket playing countries,” said Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS.The International Cricket Council and UNAIDS will also be auctioning a full set of ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 signed bats from 1 to 10 December 2003 on eBay.co.uk to raise funds for a HIV/AIDS project in India. Visit www.icc.cricket.org/unaids to find out more and place a bid.The partnership with UNAIDS is supported by all of the ICC’s Full Member countries. For more information about World AIDS Day visit www.unaids.org.ICC media contacts:

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It hasn’t been developed as a firm policy yet but if it should Marcus Trescothick, England’s utility wicket-keeper, is prepared to put the work in to give his side options for matches.Trescothick was the choice when full-time ‘keeper was given a rest in Saturday’s National Bank Series game against New Zealand in Wellington.For the moment he still regards himself as a specialist opening batsman, but he admitted he was enjoying redeveloping the ‘keeping skills that he employed until he was about 17 years of age when he made the choice to concentrate on his batting.He found on Saturday that the task of ‘keeping for 50 overs had not tired him out for batting and his only frustration was that he didn’t spend longer at the crease to see just how much more it would have taken out of him in a full match situation.No decision has been made by England yet on their team for the all-important One-Day International which will decide whether the tourists can get back into the series.He said he had felt his muscles after he first did the job in one game on the tour of India.”But I have done a little bit more practice since then so the muscles are starting to get used to it.”If it gives the extra option of getting another key player into the team then fine, at the moment I don’t see it as being a massive option unless things change dramatically, I don’t foresee it being a long term development.”If I wanted to do it I would have to do a lot more work, I haven’t done it for years. There would be a lot more work involved and a lot more practice,” he said.Trescothick has been working with James Foster in rekindling his skills and he may have a chat with former England ‘keeper Bob Taylor later in the week.His New Zealand counterpart Chris Nevin didn’t practice his batting at the training session today. He took three blows on both hands from England fast bowler Darren Gough in the first game in Christchurch and was not batting today as a precaution.The blows did not affect his hands for wicket-keeping, just batting.Chris Harris also had the afternoon off with a bruised right wrist. But there was no doubt about his availability for Wednesday’s game.

South Australian openers Shane Deitz (10*) and David Fitzgerald (1*) have survived a dangerous three-over spell before stumps on day one of their Pura Cup clash against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.After bowling the Bushrangers out for 231, South Australia is twelve without loss at the end of the day. The team trails by 219 runs, with ten wickets still in hand. Deitz, who struck a four to open the Redbacks’ innings, survived two chances (a loud lbw appeal and a dropped catch in the slips) in the first over off Paul Reiffel.Fortunately for the visitors, he will be there at the resumption of their innings tomorrow in their bid to open their account in this season’s Pura Cup competition. After two matches each, Victoria and South Australia remain the only sides without a single point to their names.The underlying story of today’s play was this: in the injury-enforced absence of opener Matthew Elliott, Victoria’s unhealthy dependence on one batsman continues. This time, it was Brad Hodge (104) who was responsible for holding together his team while others collapsed around him.Notching up his third successive first-class century, Hodge was in fine form today. He struck ten boundaries (including six off spinner Peter McIntyre) and one six on his way to his ton, taking him to a mark of 470 runs for the season. He now averages 112 runs for the Pura Cup competition, making him a serious contender to play in the Australia ‘A’ side to take on West Indies in Hobart next month.Not for the first time this season, Hodge found himself making most of the runs as Victoria suffered yet another batting slump. After going to tea at a satisfactory 4/127, the Bushrangers lost six wickets for the addition of 104 runs in the final session, including a second-new ball burst of 4/9 in just twenty-seven balls.After being sent in to bat by Redback captain Darren Lehmann, the Bushrangers found the going tough, scoring only two runs per over in the first session. However, the openers did manage to build a partnership of forty-one before Jason Arnberger (19) fell to Paul Wilson. The veteran also claimed the other opener, having Shawn Craig (30) caught behind by wicketkeeper Graham Manou five overs before lunch.Although Victoria’s run rate did not improve much in the second session, Hodge set about building a respectable total, first with the aid of Matthew Mott (12), then Michael Kilnger (8). After Mott was given out caught at mid wicket in a dubious bat-pad decision off Mark Harrity and Klinger was caught by Greg Blewett off McIntyre, Hodge finally found someone capable of sticking around.Together with Ian Harvey (31), he compiled a fifty-six run partnership for the fifth wicket off eighty-five balls at a rate of better than a run a minute. Harvey struck five fours, including three off Harrity, in his stay of fifty-four minutes. His dismissal was one of three suspect decisions given today. Harvey was adjudged lbw to McIntyre even though he was well forward.Vice-captain Darren Berry (2) and captain Paul Reiffel (0) were the next to go, marking the beginning of another Victorian batting collapse. The new ball, taken after Harvey’s dismissal, claimed four Bushranger wickets in twenty-seven balls, while just nine runs were added. Reiffel was followed by Hodge (caught from a thick edge by Deitz at first slip off Wilson), Colin Miller (3) and later Damien Fleming (15), ending the home team’s innings at 231.Veteran Wilson was highest wicket taker for South Australia, with 4/49 off 22.1 overs. Brett Swain (3/33 off twenty-one overs), McIntyre (2/64 off twenty overs) and Harrity (1/44 off fifteen overs) were the other successful bowlers.

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to make it three wins on the bounce when they host Newcastle United in the Premier League as the race for the top four hots up.

The Lilywhites could not only go three points clear of Manchester United, who are sat in sixth, after their slip-up against Leicester City on Saturday night but they would also put the pressure on their fourth-placed arch-rivals, Arsenal, before their clash with Crystal Palace on Monday night.

However, the Magpies will be no easy task as Eddie Howe has transformed their fortunes at St James’ Park since taking the helm – three wins in their last five outings have seen them move clear of the relegation zone.

Antonio Conte is facing a few injury problems heading into kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, so it will be interesting to see what sort of side he can name this afternoon.

Here’s the XI we’re predicting…

There could be just one change from the side that defeated West Ham 3-1 before the international break.

Sergio Reguilon is doubtful for this encounter, and with Ryan Sessegnon currently absent through injury, it leaves the Italian head coach light on options at left wing-back.

Without the pair, it hands him only two options.

He can either revert to a back four with Ben Davies returning to his natural left-back role, or he could switch Matt Doherty to the other flank and reintroduce Emerson Royal on the right.

It’s the latter that seems more plausible, so the £26m Brazilian defender returns to the team, playing alongside the Irishman, Davies, Eric Dier and Cristian Romero, in front of skipper Hugo Lloris.

Emerson, 23, has not been in the best of form since arriving from Barcelona in the summer, with his performances being described as “terrible” and “horrendous” on occasions.

The midfield remains unaltered, with Oliver Skipp also still missing, so Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur continue in tandem.

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Further forward, the electric trio of Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevksi and England talisman Harry Kane will look to continue their fine form together, even despite the big dilemma surrounding Steven Bergwijn.

It’s hard to ignore the Dutchman’s form for his national side this week, scoring three times, twice in the win over Hojbjerg’s Denmark and once in the draw with Germany.

But given the form of the aforementioned unit, Bergwijn may still have to wait for a chance to impress domestically.

AND in other news, Conte handed big injury boost ahead of Newcastle clash…

Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, is yet to take a decision on returning to Pakistan following former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.Lawson is currently in Sydney and is scheduled to leave for Pakistan in two weeks. He said he was waiting for advice from people inside the country before deciding what to do.”I’ve sent a few emails this morning to people I know in Pakistan in different areas to get their opinions,” Lawson told . “I’m very open [to what they say] and I’m more likely to take into account what they’ve got to say rather than any officials. I’m just seeking advice, I’m not pre-judging anything.”Pakistan are scheduled to play five ODIs against Zimbabwe at home beginning January 26. But rioting and unrest in many parts of the country have put the tour in doubt.

Millions missed the action on Sunday due to the telecast deadlock © AFP

Cricket fans in India may have to reconcile themselves to missing out more matches in the near future with no solution in sight to the deadlock between Nimbus and Prasar Bharati for telecast of India’s home games over the next few weeks. Millions of fans missed the first match of the India-West Indies series on Sunday – telecast liveon Neo Sports, a channel owned and recently launched by Nimbus – and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which sold the rights to Nimbus last year, says it will stand by the rights holder if the matter goes to court.Even as India’s Information and Broadcasting minister called Nimbus’s decision “unpatriotic”, Shashank Manohar, the BCCI vice-president, said that Nimbus might approachthe Supreme Court to resolve the issue and the board, having entered into a contract with the television house, would be a “joint petitioner” in the case.”BCCI is supporting Neo Sports and Nimbus. They have paid so muchmoney to get the telecast rights. Nimbus is going to the Supreme Courtand we might be a joint petitioner to it,” Manohar said on thesidelines of the series opener at the VCA stadium. He also hoped the issue would be sorted out before thesecond one-dayer, in Cuttack on January 24.Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, also said the board would stand by Nimbus.”We may be a party because our contracts are with them (Nimbus),” Shah said.”Prasar Bharati has got the highest reach in the country and Nimbuswanted to give them territorial rights as per rules and regulations.We hope that an amicable solutions comes out.”At the heart of the dispute is Prasar Bharati’s refusal to encrypt thefeed given by Nimbus and the insistence on telecasting the matches both onits terrestrial channel Doordarshan (DD) and its DTH service. However, Nimbus – which bagged the rights last year for $612 million for a four-year period – has said Prasar Bharati can telecast the matches to onlythose homes which are connected through the terrestrial network.Nimbus is believed to have offered DD a 75-25 revenue-sharing deal, which has been implemented in the past, and also the option of a 15-minute delay feed instead of live cricket.”We refuse to accept the conditions put up by Prasar Bharti and ifthese are not sorted out, we will not share the feed with them,”Harish Thawani, the Nimbus chairman, said on Saturday.The problem was not restricted to homes with only terrestrial TV; even those in metros subscribing to direct-to-home (DTH) TV missed out on Sunday’s action. Manohar said Prasar Bharati’s conditions to Nimbus included free feed to DTH services, which Nimbus has objected to.Officials of DTH companies Tata Sky and Dish TV were quoted by The Times of India as saying they were negotiating with the broadcasters on a deal for the rest of the series.

Scotland captain Craig Wright immediately welcomed Drinnen’s appointment © Cricinfo Ltd.

Peter Drinnen has been named Scotland’s new coach following the departure of Andy Moles earlier this month. Moles left his post after seemingly being forced out by a group of senior players. A source told that `it was clear Andy had lost the confidence of a few of the guys’.Drinnen, 38, moves from his post as technical director of Cricket Scotland and is a former wicketkeeper for Queensland. “What all this is about is the continued development of Scotland’s playing talent,” he told BBC Sport.”I feel honoured to be asked to coach the national squad in such an important time for the game in Scotland.”The decision to appoint Drinnen was immediately welcomed by Scotland’s captain Craig Wright. “Peter’s a fantastic facilitator,” Wright told . “He will put a structure in place where players can maximise their ability. I think he’ll do a great job.”There is a wide spectrum of things required for a national coach in Scotland. There needs to be communication. Players need the coach to go to them. On occasions, they need to work with fitness trainers, psychologists, and I’m sure Peter will provide that.”Wright insisted that, while rumours were abound of friction between the players and Moles, his team want `to be challenged and know they have trained and prepared as well as they can within the environment we have in Scotland’.

Keith Stackpole’s voice will no longer be heard on ABC radio© Getty Images

Keith Stackpole, the former Australian opener, has given up his commentary position with the ABC. Stackpole, 64, had been part of ABC Radio’s coverage for more than two decades, but announced that yesterday’s clash between Victoria and Queensland would be his last.Stackpole has also worked for the Seven and Nine television networks, and is expected to continue with his newspaper columns. One of his fellow commentators at the ABC, Dan Lonergan, spoke about Stackpole to . “He commentated the way he played the game: on the front foot and aggressively,” he said. “There will be a lot of people out there who will miss him, but Keith has obviously decided it’s time for someone else to have a go.”Stackpole played his first Test in 1965-66 as a middle-order batsman who bowled legbreaks, but was pushed up the order by Bill Lawry. Stackpole represented Australia in 43 matches, scoring 2807 runs with seven hundreds at 37.

Henry Olonga, the former Zimbabwe Test player, is unlikely to play first-class cricket again due to a knee injury. He recently underwent surgery and he today told the BBC Sport website: “I think I’m finished.”Since his retirement from international cricket earlier this year Olonga has been living in England and has been granted a five-year visa. However, he has no plans of playing county cricket, but is happy to make the odd appearance for Lashings, the Kent pub side, as well as the MCC. However, he hasn’t totally ruled out a return to Zimbabwe colours.”If Zimbabwe were to change, I might consider a comeback but I’ve still got to find the motivation and my biggest stumbling block at the moment is my fitness,” he said. “We’ll see how my knee progresses. It is pretty worn, just from the years of playing, so I’ll have to contend with that and whether I want to do further damage.”Olonga is now pursuing a career in music and he has also been vocal in his criticism of the political situation in Zimbabwe, and has urged England not to tour there next year.

Were the Barbados cricket selectors correct in exposing so many young players at the start of the 2002 Busta Series?The evidence of the first three matches might suggest not.Results could sometimes be misleading and one might want to read too much into the fact that Barbados have lost two of their first three games.What one needs to do is to examine the approach of the players.A careful analysis will show a mix of varying levels of success.Kurt Wilkinson, Ryan Austin and Sulieman Benn, three 20-year-olds into their second season of first-class cricket, have demonstrated that they are learning.The first-timers have been disappointing for the most part, although Tino Best’s pace, aggression and emotion have left tongues wagging at Kensington Oval and Sabina Park.Others like 16-year-old opening batsman Martin Nurse seem to be plagued by problems with footwork and he is also a weak link in the field.Dwayne Smith, 18, is an exciting batsman who possesses all the strokes in and out of the coaching manuals, but he appears to have forgotten which strokes are to be played to which balls.Shirley Clarke, 25, is not as young as the others, but had played in only one Busta Cup match prior to the start of the season. He is usually solid as a batsman, but has failed to compile a significant score in four innings.The two 19-year-old fast bowlers, Fidel Edwards and Antonio Thomas, have not had ample opportunities to be properly assessed. The fact that both have been given only one match may suggest a lack of confidence in them.Captain Philo Wallace has, on more than one occasion, knocked the youngsters for not performing up to scratch and has attracted public criticism for his comments.There is, however, some merit to what Wallace is saying. The youngsters must be told when they are going wrong and must be told that mediocrity will not be accepted at this level.At the same time, we must appreciate that it is a learning experience for some of them and some will take longer than others to develop. The question is how quickly will they learn?The game of cricket is such these days that the period of apprenticeship is not as long as it used to be.At international level, there are young players who have slotted easily into their teams. Abdur Razzaq, still only 22, has already scored three Test centuries and is a vital all-rounder for Pakistan in both versions of the game.Another question that has to be asked is, has the Barbados selectors opted for the adequate balance of experience and youth? It stems from the fact that as many as eight of the 13 that travelled to Jamaica last weekend were below the age of 21.In all fairness to the selectors, they might not have expected that four Barbadians, including captain Sherwin Campbell would have been selected for the West Indies team which is currently playing Pakistan in Sharjah.The situation was also compounded by Dale Richards’ withdrawal because of injury on the eve of the tournament.With four other experienced players having been discarded, it translated into Barbados taking to the field for the first match without eight regulars of recent times Campbell, Ryan Hinds, Corey Collymore, Pedro Collins, Roland Holder, Adrian Griffith, Hendy Bryan and Dave Marshall.It left stand-in skipper Wallace often depending on the few seasoned players to pull the brunt of the weight. The fact, too, that they have been somewhat inconsistent has had something to do with the disappointing results of the last two matches.The youngsters might not have lived up to expectations, but we must be prepared to persist with them. Some may appear to be out of their depths, but they can only get better if they are given a chance.There is no doubt that the likes of Wilkinson, Benn, Austin, Smith and Best have the ability to progress to another level.We therefore should not be too hasty in wanting to write them off. They are as talented as any of the young players in the region and they must be encouraged as much as possible.But they must remember that potential must be translated into performance. It will no doubt take time, but we will not be prepared to wait forever.