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Former South Africa opener Gary Kirsten has been appointed as a batting consultant for the Warriors for the upcoming season. Kirsten will aid coach Russell Domingo and his assistant, Piet Botha.The Warriors batting was very weak last season and they went down to heavy defeats in their last three matches.”I’ve worked a lot with Gary at batting camps and we’ve got a good rapport,” said Domingo. “It says much for the faith he has in our franchise that a player of Kirsten’s stature is prepared to come on board.”Kirsten is expected in Port Elizabeth for pre-season training in September. He said: “I am delighted to be part of the Warriors and hope that I can play a role in ensuring that the players are prepared for the season ahead.””Gary brings with him an enormous amount of experience and wisdom,” Dave Emslie, the CEO of Cricket Eastern Cape, added. “In retaining his services we are providing our cricketers with a unique opportunity to learn from somebody who has achieved the highest success through hard work and determination. Gary’s experience, expertise and personality will be something that we hope will give the Warriors a competitive edge in their quest to provide the region with a team of which they can be proud.”

Division One

Kent took a leaf out of Surrey’s book and cashed in on a flat Guildford wicket as this match continued to be dominated by the batsmen. Matthew Walker and Justin Kemp put together an undefeated sixth-wicket stand of 206 as Kent closed within 44 runs of Surrey’s 452 for 8 declared. Kemp’s innings was a breakthrough for the South African allrounder, who had previously managed 56 runs in four Championship innings. Walker has had no such problems this summer and reached his third century from 120 balls. Azhar Mahmood was the best Surrey bowler but Ian Salisbury and Nayan Doshi both struggled to exert any control. Surrey’s declaration had earlier denied Kent the chance of a third bowling point after Amjad Khan, Andrew Hall and Min Patel had picked up a wicket each in the morning session.Nottinghamshire ended the second day within one shot of a crushing win over Warwickshire but the umpires ruled play had to finish so the match will have to completed in the morning. Warwickshire subsided for 133 in their second innings with Graeme Swann taking 6 for 57 after David Hussey had helped secure a 122-run first innings lead with an aggressive 77. Swann ran through Warwickshire’s middle and lower order and only Ian Westwood showed any real resistance with 33. In all, 18 wickets clattered during the day and Warwickshire are now on the verge of their third defeat of the season, leaving they grip on the County Championship increasingly weak. Nottinghamshire, though, are continuing to perform impressively and this will be their fifth win.Hampshire suffered their second top order collapse of the match after Sussex gained a slender seven-run lead while 16 wickets tumbled in the day. Three late strikes – two to James Kirtley and one to Mushtaq Ahmed – left Hampshire ahead by just by 15 runs. Richard Montgomerie top-scored for Sussex with 64 and all their middle order chipped in useful contributions. Rana Naved hit 39 from 38 balls before Sean Ervine wrapped up the innings with 5 for 73. Hampshire’s first innings resistance lasted a further 12.1 overs during the morning session, Nic Pothas was trapped lbw by Mushtaq for 135.1st dayOwais Shah made his third Championship century of the summer to give Middlesex a solid start in their clash with the Division One strugglers Glamorgan. Shah, Middlesex’s second highest run-scorer, with 858, after the prolific Ed Joyce, added 109 with Ben Hutton. Shah then received useful support from the middle-order until he was caught behind off Robert Croft for 101. Although Scott Styris went without addition to the score, Jamie Dalrymple caused further problems for the Glamorgan bowlers. He ended the day unbeaten on 57 and his partnership with Ben Scott is already worth 60. The pick of Glamorgan’s attack was Huw Waters, an 18-year-old, who took 3 for 67 in his second Championship match.

Division Two

Steven Davies and Vikram Solanki built a valuable lead against Worcestershire but Northamptonshire fought back before losing Martin Love to the final ball of the day. Davies, the promising young wicketkeeper who is filling an opening role, struck a career-best 95 and Solanki a typically boundary-filled 80. A useful 48 from Gareth Batty and a valuable last-wicket stand of 45 between Shoaib Akhtar and Matt Mason gave Worcestershire an 82-run lead. Northants had gone virtually all the way in clearing the deficit but, such is Love’s importance, his dismissal to Ray Price could yet prove a pivotal moment in the match.Leicestershire have compiled a healthy lead of 286 with five second-innings remaining despite a belated comeback from Yorkshire. Ottis Gibson – who earlier fell nine runs short of a second first-class century – Charl Willoughby and Stuart Broad took three wickets each as Yorkshire stumbled to 187 all out – 179 behind Leicestershire – but were not asked to follow on. Darren Maddy and Darren Robinson both fell for nought when Leicestershire batted again, but a stand of 65 between John Maunders and Chris Rogers settled the nerves. However, two late wickets from Anthony McGrath have left Yorkshire with a glimmer of hope.1st dayPaul Collingwood made a career-best 190 for Durham but a belated Derbyshire fightback left the match interestingly poised after the first day. Collingwood and Dale Benkenstein added 250 for the third wicket however, Benkenstein’s dismissal for 98 sparked a collapse. Derbyshire lost 6 for 50 as Nick Walker took 4 for 64. Collingwood was eventually caught by Jon Moss off Walker after facing 255 balls and striking 28 fours and two sixes.Andy and Grant Flower gave Essex the upperhand against Lancashire at Old Trafford. Grant anchored the innings with 115 after the early loss of Will Jefferson to Dominic Cork. He added 96 with Andy before falling to the last ball of the afternoon session, caught behind from Gary Keedy. He faced 238 balls and hit 19 boundaries while his brother will be trying to match him after ending the day on 62. Cork was the most impressive of Lancashire’s attack taking 2 for 49 in 21 overs.

Michael Slater, the rollicking Test opener who gave happiness to millions, bid farewell to big-time cricket on Wednesday, after having conceded defeat to the reactive arthritis that had played havoc with his career over the past few months. Slater, 34, played just three one-dayers for New South Wales in the last summer before being hospitalised.Addressing the media in Sydney, he said, “The decision has been a painful one. It’s been a very tough one, given that I still have the desire to play and believe I still had a lot to offer New South Wales cricket.” But selfishness was never part of Slater’s cricket psyche, and he added, “But I feel to have signed with the Blues in the hope of being fit for the season would have been irresponsible.”Looking back at his career, Slater said that the one regret centred around his exit from the Australian side, on the Ashes tour of 2001. Personal travails relating to his marriage ensured that there would be no fairytale swansong, and Slater said that harsh media scrutiny hadn’t helped matters. “The nature of me or the basis of me is I’m emotional and very sensitive, and unfortunately with the rumours and innuendo and the media coverage, I really took it to heart and it was a very difficult period to get through,” he said.James Sutherland, chief executive of Cricket Australia, was one of those to pay fulsome tribute to one of cricket’s most intriguing characters. “Michael is one of those rare players whose contribution to the game was even greater than his impressive statistics imply,” he said. “Fourteen Test tons is pretty impressive, and so was his role helping Australia back to the top.”But it was his approach and obvious pride representing his country which inspired countless Australian kids and left fans with our most lasting memories of him as an international player. His practice of kissing the Australian coat-of-arms on his helmet upon reaching a century emphasised the passion and pride with which he represented our country.”Recent newspaper reports had suggested that he was unhappy with his latest contract offer from NSW and was considering permanently trading the cricket field for the commentary box, where his alert and energetic style have made him an engaging TV performer.Slater’s Test record – 5312 runs, 14 hundreds and an average of 42.84 – leaves him just short of the truly great Test openers. But those numbers give little hint of his flamboyance or clean hitting, his determination to take on rather than see off opening bowlers, which made him one of the most thrilling batsmen of the modern era.He adopted the same hyperactive approach off the field, which was thought to be a big part of the reason why he was dumped by Australia for the second and final time after the fourth Ashes Test of 2001. Slater himself was convinced his removal “had nothing to do with form” and vowed to “come back bigger and better”.But it was not be. Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer immediately made themselves indisposable, Slater never quite recaptured his old lustre and a certain amount of melancholic underachievement now accompanies his premature retirement.Nonetheless, his opening partnership with Mark Taylor – by far the stodgier of the two – rates as the second most prolific in Test history, behind the West Indians Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes. Slater’s opening-Test assaults against England at the Gabba in 1994-95, then again at Edgbaston in 2001, effectively dictated the course of two Ashes series by the end of their first day.He suffered from weight fluctuations and swollen ankles in recent times, with doctors unsure precisely what is wrong with him. “Some days he struggles to get out of bed, other days he is pretty good,” his manager Neil Maxwell said back in February.Slater’s most recent first-class appearance was for NSW against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval last November. He made 10 followed by a six-ball duck. He leaves the playing field with vivid memories of exuberant strokeplay, and unforgettable images of the Australian crest – on his helmet – being kissed with unbridled passion.

The Australian cricket team has been winning almost every match over the last four years and came to the 8th World Cup in southern Africa as pre-tournament favourites. At the end of it they went home with the trophy, retaining it without losing a single match.Ricky Ponting, who took over captaincy from legendary Steve Waugh last year, led his team from the front in an attacking and inspirational manner, as his team became the first in history to win the World Cup for the third time.They outplayed every opposition they came up against and in every department of the game too, certainly the deserved winners. No matter the toss was won or lost, no matter batted first or bowled first – whatever they did was to perfection and not left to chance. They approached every game with a gung-ho attitude and reaped the harvest.The Australians started off their World Cup campaign under the most trying conditions – just before their first game against Pakistan, champion spinner Shane Warne was sent back home after failing a drug test. Most other teams would not have coped and probably faltered but not the Aussies. They showed tremendous mental strength as they came into the Pakistan game as if nothing had happened, it was `business as usual’ for them.Even when they were in a spot of bother, reduced to 146-5 in the 30th over they never gave up. Andrew Symonds, lucky to be at the Aussie squad in first place, stood up and scored a magnificent 143 not out to lead the charge as Australia accumulated a mammoth 310-8. Next their bowlers got into the act and despite a late Pakistan assault bowled them out for 228 to win by 82 runs.Similarly, in the final against India, they lost both openers after a good start and could have lost more wickets but skipper Ponting and batsman Damien Martyn first made sure there were no further losses. After playing themselves in, both went on a rampage and belted the Indian bowling to every nook and cranny of the Wanderers to pile up a monstrous 359-2, Ponting ending with 140 and Martyn on 88. In every time of trouble, one or other Australian player stood tall to help his team in the most appropriate manner.Another aspect of Australian victories was they excelled in both batting and bowling rather than depending on just one department. Batters did their job and the bowlers did their job. The latter proved, once again, to be the best in the business. Even after losing two main weapons in Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie they never showed the smallest chink in their armour as solace to oppositions.It is often said a genuine fast bowling attack can make captaincy so much easier and Ricky Ponting will be the first one to agree with this. Both Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee were simply brilliant and Andy Bichel, coming in for Gillespie, took wickets in a heap and never let the team feel his absence. Most impressive was Brett Lee, the New South Welshman, in the best form of his life to take 22 wickets bowling with utmost fire and pace.All critics agree Australia is indeed one of the best if not the best team in history. The outstanding successes achieved recently suggest that Ricky Ponting is a marvellously astute captain. I would stress this side is so good it really does not need a captain at all!Nearly all players are thinking cricketers; they foresee every move to be made and where to field, how to bat and where to bowl according to the situation. They have gelled well as cohesive unit, which makes them an even stronger opposition. There were so signs of rivalry or tension in them unlike some other teams and each player backed the other as if they were brothers.The Aussies also figured out their opposition players extremely well by focusing on a batsman’s weakness or targeting a weak fielder, extracting mistakes through the added pressure. Their other philosophy was ‘attack being the best form of defence’. Even if the chips were down like in the Super Six match against New Zealand and in the semi-final against Sri Lanka when bowled out for comparatively low scores, they came out to bowl all guns blazing and blasted them with an attacking and positive game plan.The merit of any teams performance must be judged against the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition. This applies to players as well when assessing their records, be they batsmen, bowlers or wicketkeepers. Many a false reputation has been achieved against weaker opponents!The acid test of greatness comes when a team must face awkward situations, strong opposition, and especially if a team has some precious players missing.Thus, this Australian team has every right in the world to be called great. Indeed, they are a cut above the rest and are in a league of their own.This World Cup was just a start and as their coach John Buchanan has said ‘we can still improve’; they surely will make life for others more difficult. So it may be best to wish the best of luck to the others in coming years.

England enjoyed probably their best day so far in the Under-19 Test series against the West Indies at Trent Bridge, finishing the day only 103 runs behind the tourists with seven wickets left.Hero of the day was undoubtedly Durham left-hander Gary Pratt. He hit a composed 188 in almost five and a half hours on the second day of the Second Test.It was his second under-19 Test hundred, following on from his 114 against India in Hyderabad last January.Pratt, who hit 29 fours in his 258-ball innings, was out caught behind as he played under a wide, full-length ball from Jamaican fast bowler Jermaine Lawson.That was six overs from the close, which arrived with England on 313 for threeand Kadeer Ali on 56 in reply to West Indies’ 416 for nine declared.Pratt and his opening partner Joe Sayers, of Yorkshire, defied some vehement West Indies appealing that brought one rebuke from Test umpire Peter Willey during their opening stand of 116.The partnership ended when Sayers lobbed Lawson for a simple catch to mid-wicket and was out for 45.In the morning session, Lancashire seamer Kyle Hogg put aside his heritage to take three West Indian wickets in four balls as they tumbled from 400 for six to 416 for nine.For Hogg’s grandfather is the great West Indies spinner Sonny Ramadhin, whobowled 81.2 overs to take five for 135 in the second innings against England onthis same ground 51 years ago.Ramadhin’s daughter married Lancashire bowler Willie Hogg and the result wasyoung Kyle.He failed as nightwatchman when he played on to Lawson, but he is on ahat-trick when West Indies bat again.

The hard-hitting opening batsmen Gunawardane scored his first one-day century as the favorites Sri Lanka, batting first, piled up 287 for 6 to beat the West Indies by a margin of 108 runs in the pre-quarterfinal of the ICC KnockOut.The West Indies lost an early advantage they had gained by getting two best Sri Lankan batsmen, Jaysuria and Atapattu, out with the total at 10. This loss of advantage was mainly due to the inexperience found in the Caribbean bowling because of the absence of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose in the side.After Mervyn Dillon had gotten rid of both the Lankan skipper and his reliable deputy in his 3rd over, things looked gloomy for the Sri Lankans. However, with the introduction of medium pacers, Kerry Jeremy and Laurie Williams-both debutantes, the goings changed remarkably in favor of Sri Lanka. It was during this period that the two batsmen at the crease, the hard-hitting left handed opener Gunawardane and Jayawardane, did not only make amends for the early setback by batting watchfully but also found some boundaries as well. Although Williams was quite tidy in his opening spell, Jeremy was wayward in his line and length as he gave away 24 runs in his first two overs.Cautious at first, the two batsmen soon opened up their shoulders and runs began to flow freely. It was at this juncture that the stand-in captain Sherwin Campbell brought on his spinners. But this move also didn’t pay off as the Sri Lankan batsmen played their shots with command and authority. The stylish Jayawardane was particularly harsh on the leg-spinner, Nagamootoo and the debutante off-spinner, Marlon Samuel. The acceleration shown by the Sri Lankan batsmen at this stage is evident from the fact that whereas the first fifty was reached in 13.1 overs, the next one took less than nine overs to complete.Jayawardane reached his fifty ahead of his partner, taking just 52 balls for that. Gunawardane achieved the same feat in 65 balls. However, the latter cut loose at this stage and scored at a brisk pace. The marathon partnership between Jayawardane and Gonawardane had reached 160 when the former was caught by Courtney Brown off the bowling of Jeremy for 72 scored from 71 balls. The next batsman Sangakarra had but a brief stay at the crease as he was run out in a most unfortunate manner. The ball delivered by Jeremy was hit with brute force back to the bowler. The catch, to the relief of the batsmen at the batting crease, was dropped but the ball rolled on to the stumps at the bowling end only to find Sangakarra out of his crease.Russell Arnold was next to come and he continued the good work, which was temporarily hampered by the fall of two quick wickets. He and Gunawardane added more than fifty runs for the 5th wicket and that too in a very short time. Arnold made quick 41 before he was played on off the bowling of Mclean. Gunawardane, in the meanwhile, completed his first hundred in 125 balls, studded with 14 hits to the boundary. Although, he was dropped three times during the innings, twice in one over of Dillon, and also caught off a no-ball, yet credit must go to him for the way he controlled his innings with caution as well as aggression after the early fall of two important wickets. Another important fact about his innings is that he did not lose his concentration even after getting to his ton, although he seemed visibly tired. When, at last, he was out, bowled round his legs by Mclean, the Sri Lankan score was well past the 250 mark. He made 132 with the help of 19 fours. The experienced Kaluwidharna collected a few boundaries in the end of the innings to post an imposing total of 287 in the allotted 50 overs.The West Indian bowling lacked experience as they conceded too many boundaries during the innings by straying from the line. However, blame also falls on the poor display of fielding by the Caribbeans as they let off three chances of catches and, at least, as many opportunities of run outs. Mervyn Dillon was the most successful bowler picking 2 for 46, followed by Mclean who took 2 for 56. The young seamer, Kerry Jeremy, took one wicket for 54 on his debut.The West Indian openers started the proceedings with aggression-Courtney Brown hitting a huge six in the second over and Campbell executing some beautifully timed square-cuts to the boundary. However, the fall of Brown’s wickets at the total of 35 in the 6th over triggered a mini-collapse as 4 wickets fell in the space of 6 runs, including the prize wicket of Brian Lara. The main damage was done by the left arm pace bowler Zoysa who took the wickets of Brown and Lara in the space of two overs to leave the Windies staggering at 4 for 41.The West Indies had lost six wickets for just 85 on the board. A partnership of 74 between Nagamootoo and Williams brought some respectability to their total. Williams became the highest scorer for the West Indies making 41; Nagamootoo got 33. The West Indian tail had a daunting task to achieve?requiring 120 in the last 8 overs. However, they had no answer to the tidy bowling of their rivals. They were all out for paltry 179 in 46.4 overs, thus, conceding the match by 108 runs.Zoysa was the most successful bowler for Sri Lanka, taking 3 wickets for 34. Wickramasinghe and Jayasuria took 2 wickets each for 37 and 30 runs, respectively. Russell Arnold took one for 29, while the remaining two batsmen were run out.Sri Lanka now meets Pakistan in the quarterfinal on Sunday. The winner of this match will meet either New Zealand or Zimbabwe in the semi-final of the competition.

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

Adam Gilchrist ignited the DY Patil Stadium with the fastest century of the tournament as the Deccan Chargers raced to their first win. The battle between the two bottom-ranked teams was a no-contest once Gilchrist teed off, and Deccan charged to an emphatic ten-wicket victory in the first major game at the stadium.Andrew Symonds had got a century off 47 deliveries the previous game but Gilchrist needed only 42 as he decimated the weak Mumbai Indians’ attack on a small ground. The intent was aggressive right from the word go, and Gilchrist made use of short deliveries in the first over from Ashish Nehra, dispatching one over square leg and the other through cover point.Pulls and cuts were played with ease as Mumbai’s quicker bowlers erred in their length, and after six fours, Gilchrist hit his first six, lofting Sanath Jayasuriya over deep midwicket. Siddharth Chitnis, the off-break bowler making his Twenty20 debut, was spared by going only for 12 in the last Powerplay over, but Shaun Pollock, leading Mumbai in Harbhajan Singh’s absence, was taken apart once the field restrictions were off.Gilchrist savagely pulled Pollock over the deep backward square-leg boundary for consecutive sixes, the first bringing up his first Twenty20 fifty. The shot that followed pierced the off-side boundary, and Gilchrist then nonchalantly moved across the stumps to launch one over long leg, making it 23 for the over.Abhishek Nayar’s arrival was greeted with three sixes, the third over midwicket brought up the hundred, and more astonishing was the fact that he had reached the mark as early as on the stroke of the tenth over. From then on, victory was just a formality, and Deccan reached their target with 48 balls to spare, both indication of the fury that had been unleashed. At the other end, VVS Laxman scored just 37 in a stand of 155, easily the highest of the tournament. Mumbai might have been at the receiving end, but the home crowd too cheered what had been an enthralling innings. Ninety-six of Gilchrist’s 109 came through boundaries, making it a busy day for the Deccan cheerleaders, who were sporting a new outfit.A new home ground and a new captain surely didn’t bring about a turn of fortunes for Mumbai, and Deccan justified Laxman’s decision to field first by restricting them to 154. Laxman’s captaincy had come under the hammer after three consecutive losses, but on Sunday he was right on the ball. He was quick to shuffle around his bowlers, who to their credit, backed up their captain’s decision with some good bowling.It was only the string of 30s from the middle order that helped Mumbai reach 154. Pollock made a run-a-ball 31 to revive the innings, but it was the quickfire 34s from Nayar and Dwayne Bravo that ensured the Mumbai bowlers had a decent total to defend.Jayasuriya and Luke Ronchi had failed to make an impression in earlier games, and they were kept quiet once again, despite the short boundaries, by RP Singh and Nuwan Zoysa. Ronchi hit three fours, but fell attempting to slash a wide delivery angled across from RP, edging straight to Laxman at slip.Sanjay Bangar was brought on in the fourth over, perhaps to help Zoysa change ends, and Ajinkya Rahane, another Twenty20 debutant, pulled straight into the hands of Pragyan Ojha at deep square leg. The next move from Laxman though was a masterstroke. Shahid Afridi was brought on in the final over of the Powerplay, and he had Robin Uthappa caught behind. At the end of six overs, Mumbai were tottering at 27 for 3.Jayasuriya had made only 4 off his first ten deliveries, and one pitched short from Zoysa fetched him his first boundary, which came off his 14th. But, once again Afridi did the damage, Jayasuriya got a top edge as he tried to power a googly through the leg side. The onus was then on Pollock to hold the innings together, but he too couldn’t stay till the end.Nayar smashed three sixes in his 19-ball innings, as 45 runs came in the overs 14 to 16. But he top-edged to Gilchrist while trying to hook Zoysa. Bravo too managed to find the gaps, and was out for 34 off the last ball of the innings as Mumbai finished on 154. However, with the form Gilchrist was in, even 254 would have been tough to defend for Mumbai, who now have four losses after four games, and sorely need Sachin Tendulkar to return.

Ravi Bopara, the England allrounder, is in doubt for England’s one-day series against West Indies after injuring his thigh during Essex’s drawn match against Middlesex at Lord’s on Sunday.Bopara, 22, was one of few highlights for England during their disastrous World Cup in the Caribbean, hitting 52 in his fifth one-dayer to take England to the brink of a brilliant win over Sri Lanka in the Super Eights. He remains very much part of England’s plans to rebuild their one-day squad, but his absence will further complicate the selectors’ plans following the absence of Andrew Flintoff.Bopara has been in excellent form so far this season, too, recently notching 229 against Northamptonshire – his career-best.England’s one-day squad is due to be announced on Friday.

England have not had much good news on the injury front of late, but a glimmer of light has emerged with James Anderson making a significant stride in his recovery from a stress fracture of the back.Anderson has been wearing a back brace for the last six weeks to aid his rehabilitation and has now progress significantly enough for it to be removed. Dave Roberts, the physiotherapist coordinating Anderson’s recovery, told the Lancashire website: “He has had another scan and it showed that the injury has healed enough for him to take off the brace and to start the next stage.”He is into his first week of rehab, and while he needs to take things slowly, there is hope that he will be able to start bowling again in three or four weeks.”Anderson has been out of action all summer after he returned from England’s tour of India where he began to feel discomfort during the one-day series. It was a bitter blow for Anderson who had shown a return to something near his best form when he played a key role in England’s victory at Mumbai to level the Test series. He is still unlikely to play any international cricket this summer but his Ashes prospects are now looking brighter.His Lancashire team-mates Andrew Flintoff and Glen Chapple are also on the injury list and missing the current one-day series against Sri Lanka. Chapple was selected in the original squad but picked up an abdominal strain against Ireland and returned to Old Trafford for treatment.

Pakistan will tour India to play three Tests and five one-day internationals in February 2005, just days after completing a gruelling three-month stint in Australia. According to Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, final dates and venues will be decided after consulting with the Board of Control for Cricket in India.The reported Shaharyar, a former diplomat, as saying: “People from both the countries came together when India toured us and now people from Pakistan will go to India and a lot of friendship will develop.”Pakistan revised their international programme recently, asking Sri Lanka to tour in October as opposed to February-March next year so that they could accommodate the Indian tour. According to sources, the three Tests are likely to be played first, starting on February 25. Pakistan will go into the five-day games just a fortnight after completing their engagements in the VB Series in Australia.The PCB has also agreed in principle to play India in a one-off one-dayer on November 13, as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of the BCCI. Pakistan last toured India for a Test series in early 1999, drawing the two-Test series 1-1, but also winning a match at Eden Gardens which formed part of the Asian Test Championship.