Cricket Briefs

MUMBAI – Former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten is being considered for the vacant India cricket coach job, the Indian board said yesterday.

Kirsten, 40, was interviewed by members of the board’s special coach committee on Monday, secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement and a decision is expected within a week. India have been without a coach since Australian Greg Chappell resigned after their first-round exit at the World Cup in March and the team has had interim managers since the tour of Bangladesh in May.COLOMBO – Michael Vaughan’s England celebrated a morale-boosting win ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka as the gloom lifted around the injury-hit tourists yesterday.England, preparing for Saturday’s first Test in Kandy, surpassed a victory target of 246 for the loss of five wickets in the last session of a three-day practice match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI here.Left-handed opener Alastair Cook led the charge with 58 and Kevin Pietersen made 59 on a slow track at the Nondescript Cricket Club where England were dismissed for 134 in the first innings.The victory was set up the previous evening by Yorkshire paceman Matthew Hoggard, who grabbed five wickets including three in one over to send the hosts crashing to 81 all out.KOLKATA – Pakistan strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar was hospitalised yesterday after complaining of fatigue caused by fever, a team official said.”He was suffering from fever and got very tired after arriving here from New Delhi,” the official told Reuters.”So he has been taken to hospital, probably to be put on a drip.”The injury-prone Shoaib took six wickets in the first test against India, his first test since January.The second game of the three-test series starts in Kolkata on Friday.The visitors have more fitness concerns with skipper Shoaib Malik nursing an ankle injury suffered during a game of soccer after Monday’s defeat in Delhi.Batsman Misbah-ul Haq is recovering from fever and throat infection he was suffering during the match.Nampa-Reuters and AFPIndia have been without a coach since Australian Greg Chappell resigned after their first-round exit at the World Cup in March and the team has had interim managers since the tour of Bangladesh in May. COLOMBO – Michael Vaughan’s England celebrated a morale-boosting win ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka as the gloom lifted around the injury-hit tourists yesterday.England, preparing for Saturday’s first Test in Kandy, surpassed a victory target of 246 for the loss of five wickets in the last session of a three-day practice match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI here.Left-handed opener Alastair Cook led the charge with 58 and Kevin Pietersen made 59 on a slow track at the Nondescript Cricket Club where England were dismissed for 134 in the first innings.The victory was set up the previous evening by Yorkshire paceman Matthew Hoggard, who grabbed five wickets including three in one over to send the hosts crashing to 81 all out.KOLKATA – Pakistan strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar was hospitalised yesterday after complaining of fatigue caused by fever, a team official said.”He was suffering from fever and got very tired after arriving here from New Delhi,” the official told Reuters.”So he has been taken to hospital, probably to be put on a drip.”The injury-prone Shoaib took six wickets in the first test against India, his first test since January.The second game of the three-test series starts in Kolkata on Friday.The visitors have more fitness concerns with skipper Shoaib Malik nursing an ankle injury suffered during a game of soccer after Monday’s defeat in Delhi.Batsman Misbah-ul Haq is recovering from fever and throat infection he was suffering during the match.Nampa-Reuters and AFP