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Heat treatment: Darren Lehmann takes a break – his was one of three hundreds for Australia on the fourth day at Galle© Getty Images

Australia might have had their backs to the wall at the close of the secondday, but by stumps on day four their position was as strong as the sturdy400-year-old Dutch Fort ramparts that ring this Galle Stadium. The turnaround in fortunes was been remarkable and Australia, thanks to centuries from Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann, can now surely not lose the game after piling up 512 for 8 in their second innings.Australia, who started the day 32 runs in front, extended their lead to 351before Ricky Ponting declared shortly before the close. Shane Warne, who tomorrow will have a chance to become the first spinner to take 500 wickets, bowled two overs and Jason Gillespie came perilously close to trapping Marvan Atapattu lbw in his only over.Muttiah Muralitharan, forced to toil throughout most of the day without success, raised the spirits of a small local crowd in the fading light of the evening with a wicket spree. Australia, hunting for quick runs, lost four wickets for eight runs as Muralitharan grabbed 5 for 153 and completed the 13th ten-for in his career. He also extended his career tally to 496, level with Warne.Sri Lanka’s chances of winning may be very remote – the highest total thatthey have every successfully chased before was the 326 they scored againstZimbabwe in 1998-99 – but they will back themselves to draw the match on apitch that has become excruciatingly slow. Australia though, all smiles aftertheir comeback, will look to Warne and Stuart MacGill spin them to a famous win.Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, they have injury problems as Sanath Jayasuriyasplit the webbing on his right hand while fielding off his own bowling.Hospital x-rays revealed no fracture but he needed one stitch. He spent theafternoon nursing the hand with ice and the team management hoped he will beable to grip the bat sufficiently to bat tomorrow if required.Martyn and Lehmann, contrasting in approach, sapped the self-belief from theSri Lanka fielders and bowlers during a long hot afternoon as they added 206for the fourth wicket. Fittingly it was a stand that was rewarded with a record too, as they beat Mark Taylor and Allan Border’s 163-run fourth-wicket partnership against Sri Lanka in 1989-90.Martyn provided the glue with a marathon exhibition of patience, an innings that spanned five-and-a-half hours and 250 balls in intense heat and draining humidity. He was subdued throughout much of the day and rarely fluent, but he was organised and played Muralitharan well. He also played some exquisite off side strokes in his 10 fours.It was also an innings of defiance, coming as it did with his place in the side in hot contention after a 25-month period without a Test hundred. Simon Katich, who also offers some wrist-spin, was pushing him hard for a berth but he fully justified the faith placed in him by the selectors.Lehmann, meanwhile, produced a vintage performance, an imposing andinventive innings that dripped experience and emotion. This was the34-year-old that had played just 16 Tests. He confronted the slow bowlers superbly, using his feet and sweeping in front of square with tremendous power.

Damien Martyn reaches his hundred – an innings of defiance© Getty Images

But Lehmann’s innings was also special because of the context. It came onhis comeback from an achilles injury and it came after the tragic death ofhis close friend, David Hookes, in January. When he reached three figures,for the fourth time in his career, he raised his arms and pointedly lookedto the sky. No one doubted why.The two had come together after the loss of Matthew Hayden, who rode hisluck early on against the spinners. He thumped one glorious drive throughextra cover off Muralitharan but came within inches of being caught atmid-off from a leading edge. One thin edge off Upul Chandana flew through avacant slip area and he missed several attempted sweeps.The sweep shot, one of his most prolific scoring strokes, eventually broughtabout his downfall against Muralitharan. Having added 24 to his overnightscore, he cued a simple catch to Mahela Jayawardene at slip off the toe ofhis bat. Hayden had scored 130 from 211 balls and hit 12 fours and two sixes(245 for 3).Lehmann should have lasted just two balls as he poked Muralitharan’s wrong ‘un straight to short leg. But Tillakaratne Dilshan, his fingers bandaged like a paranoid pianist, fumbled the catch. Lehmann never looked back, adopting a no-nonsense approach and unsettling Sri Lanka’s spinners with his inventiveness. He shuffled across his stumps and he shovelled to leg. Every now and then he biffed straight down the ground and puffed out his chest. He was intimidating and devilishly difficult to bowl to, finishing with 129 from 214 balls having hit 16 fours and one six.

The President, members of the Board of the CCA, volunteers and supporters extend greetings and best wishes to Team Canada in their games at the CWC 2003. May you all realize your personal best performances as representatives of not only Canada but all of the Americas.This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a fortunate minority of players. Your commitment and dedication and that of your families are truly appreciated. Your presence and performances must allow greater support for cricket development in Canada and in the whole Americas.We trust that every effort will be made to ensure our strongest entrant in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, our sole Full Member in the Americas.We shall be looking forward to your success as a team and as individualsWe have also received greetings and best wishes from Reginald Pearman, President of the Bermuda Cricket Board of Control and from all of its members.He wished Canada good luck in the CWC 2003 and as a representative of the Cricket Council of the Americas.Numerous others have wished the team good luck via the CCA web site, and we’ve also recieved this via Ray Ramrattan in Manitoba.Hello from Sydney, Australia,and just a quick e-mail to wish your Canadian team the best of luck in the World Cup in South Africa. I hope that they play well and enjoy the experience andhave a win or two along the way. Hopefully, the team will do well and promote the game of cricket in Canada. You have a beautiful country with great people, and I look forward to seeing the team in action over the next month or so.Best wishes,Peter Buscall

The secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India JaywantLele today dismissed reports alleging Indian cricketers took steroidsto enhance their performance and said the BCCI was contemplating legalaction against the “reckless reportage” on the issue.”We will take up the matter at the working committee meeting of theBCCI scheduled to be held in August. Only then we will decide whatcourse of action should be taken against ‘Outlook’ for making suchwild allegations. If necessary, we would even take recourse to legalaction,” he said reacting to a report in the weekly that allegedIndian cricketers took banned drugs.”I know it is all ‘bakwas’ (nonsense). Moreover, I had talked toGaekwad regarding this and he has denied making any such statements,”Lele told PTI in Ahmedabad.’Outlook’ magazine had quoted former Indian coach Anshuman Gaekwad assaying that some Indian players are in the habit of taking bannedsubstances.”No player ever took performance-enhancing drugs now or ever. Thereport is all bakwas,” he fumed when asked whether he was wÂs aware ofany such unhealthy practice among cricketers.Asked whether the BCCI has issued any instructions asking players notto take drugs after the controversy erupted, Lele said such a questiondid not arise. “With nothing of this sort existing, should we issueinstructions to the players?” he asked.Lele said the Indian team currently in Zimbabwe was very upset withthe report. “Farak to padega (certainly it would have some impact).The boys are very upset. I had a talk with the Indian team managementand asked them not to worry about such baseless reports and carry onthe good work. But it did have a demoralising effect,” Lele said.

Tottenham Hotspur fans are agreeing with what former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher had to say about the club’s league finishes in recent seasons, despite a lack of investment in the squad by Chairman Daniel Levy.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football show, Carragher said that under Mauricio Pochettino, the current Spurs team has overachieved significantly compared to the poor financial backing they received. A net spend of only £29m since Pochettino took charge of the North London club in 2014 doesn’t sit well with the club’s fans, but given the fact that the club has the third most points during that period paints a picture of what they could’ve achieved if money was made available to make signings.

Spurs suffered a 1-0 loss to Manchester City on Monday evening and their manager’s future at the club has become a worry for some fans after Real Madrid sacked Julen Lopetegui during the clash at Wembley and the Spanish giants could be keeping tabs on Pochettino as a possible replacement for Lopetegui.

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Eagles 181 for 3 (Bosman 94) beat Zimbabwe 85 for 9 by 98 runs
ScorecardA lethal Loots Bosman condemned Zimbabwe to an awful 98-run defeat at the hands of the Eagles in their Standard Bank Pro20 match in Bloemfontein.Zimbabwe’s bowlers took some quite sickening punishment as Bosman plundered 94 off just 50 balls to take the Eagles to 181 for 3 after 17 overs in a rain-interrupted innings. He started sedately, scoring three singles off his first 12 balls, but then exploded into action, hitting six fours and a six off his next 10 balls. Busy innings by Morne van Wyk (21 off 21), Dean Elgar (24 not out off 15) and Ryan McLaren (27 off 17 balls) were the sideshows because the limelight was where it belonged, firmly on Bosman. He reached his half-century in 31 deliveries and struck seven fours and six sixes in all and it was a major surprise when left-arm spinner Keith Dabengwa eventually dismissed him in the 13th over. Bosman’s onslaught ensured that four of the six Zimbabwe bowlers would go for more than 10 runs an over.Zimbabwe’s target was adjusted to 184 because the home side’s innings was interrupted after 9.5 overs, and the Eagles struck a massive early blow in the Zimbabwe innings when former captain Tatenda Taibu was run out off a wide, without facing a ball, in the first over. Chamu Chibhabha was run out by Bosman in the next over and Zimbabwe simply had no chance of overcoming the escalating required run-rate. Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor baled some of the water out of the sinking ship, both scoring 28 of 26 balls. But offspinner Thandi Tshabalala then tormented the middle-order, who were hitting out in desperate fashion, to finish with 2 for 16 in his four overs.Cobras 143 for 6 (Gibbs 60) beat Dolphins 132 for 6 (Khan 50) by 11 runs
ScorecardThe Dolphins buckled under the pressure of good death bowling to give the Cobras an 11-run victory in their Standard Bank Pro20 match at Newlands. Tight bowling in mid innings by Tyron Henderson (2 for 16) and captain Con de Lange (1 for 18) had applied the pressure that was exploited in the final four overs. Charl Langeveldt took the wickets of grant Rowley and Morné van Vuuren with successive deliveries to tilt the game decisively in the Cobras’ direction.Vernon Philander conceded only seven off the penultimate over to leave the Dolphins requiring 19 from the last six balls and although the impressive Kent finished with 46 not out from 32 balls, Langeveldt had the final word. He took two more wickets in the final over to finish with figures of four for 26 from his four overs.The target had been largely posted by dropped Proteas star Herschelle Gibbs who took out his frustrations on the Nashua Dolphins attack. He powered to a quickfire 60 in the Cape Cobras 143 for 6 after being left bizarrely kicking his heels in the dug out for four overs while rising young star Richard Levi had a taste opening the batting in Pro20. Levi looks a fine prospect – and smashed all Jacques Kallis’s batting records at Wynberg Boys’ High – but he scratched around for four overs before being caught behind for 4. That opened the way for Gibbs to stride to the wicket and pull the Dolphins apart hitting seven fours and two sixes in his 42-ball innings. Andrew Puttick made 36 in 40 balls and Rory Kleinveldt hit two late sixes in his seven-ball 15 to lift the score beyond the Dolphins’ reach.

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Eagles	1	1	0	0	0	5	+5.765	183/17.0	85/17.0
Cape Cobras	1	1	0	0	0	4	+0.550	143/20.0	132/20.0
Zimbabwe	2	1	1	0	0	4	-2.596	208/36.5	305/37.0
Warriors	1	0	1	0	0	0	-0.102	122/20.0	123/19.5
Dolphins	1	0	1	0	0	0	-0.550	132/20.0	143/20.0

West Indies’ recent form, the absence of Lara, and the itinerary all suggest that Ramnaresh Sarwan could find the England tour an arduous struggle © AFP

As he set out for the tour of England last week, holding for the first time the poisoned chalice that the West Indies captaincy has become, Ramnaresh Sarwan itemised his priorities. “Consistency, cohesion and camaraderie” was the alliteration used by Ezra Stuart in his report to summarise Sarwan’s stated priorities for the challenging campaign ahead.It might have stated the obvious since no international team has been as unpredictable as West Indies over the past decade or so and certainly none more divided. But the points had to be accentuated.The new captain could have added fitness and discipline as other areas requiring attention but there is a new, belatedly appointed trainer to start focusing on the former and new manager Mike Findlay has made early reference to the latter.Twice in his chat with the media, Sarwan used the phrases “very important” and “most importantly” to stress the need to “play well as a team and play as a collective unit”. It has been clear for some time, but more than ever during the recent World Cup let-down, that the West Indies were not pulling together, that they were not truly a team.Given Lara’s absence, the proximity of the World Cup debacle and the ludicrous itinerary that offers only this weekend’s match against Somerset as preparation for four Tests in a month, an immediate reversal of the 4-0 whitewash endured in England three years ago is an unrealistic expectation.What can be achieved are more commitment, cohesion and camaraderie, and a more serious approach to fitness and discipline. Even then, the benefits of such change will take time to materialise. Their implementation depends largely on the encouragement and guidance provided by Sarwan and his senior lieutenants – Daren Ganga, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle and Corey Collymore.With 101 Tests and 13 years in international cricket, Chanderpaul is by far the senior statesman now that Lara has gone. But his role is likely to remain what, except for a brief, uncomfortable stint at the helm, it always has been: batting for as long as possible. The leadership is now in the hands of a younger brigade.Ganga, Sarwan’s deputy, has shown his qualities in leading Trinidad and Tobago to two double-titles in the past three seasons. Gayle, like Sarwan, in his eighth year of international cricket, is nearing the veteran stage, while Collymore is an equally seasoned campaigner with as much to contribute in the nets and team meetings as in the middle.Potentially, Gayle can be the most influential of the group, not only as opening batsman and spinner, but as exemplar. When the West Indies were last in Australia in 2005, Steve Waugh was of a similar view.”The current Windies unit lacks urgency and vibrancy and is therefore reactive, not proactive,” the former Australian captain wrote in his newspaper column. “The good news is that it takes just one player to initiate change by hustling between overs and to liven up proceedings with a bit of chat out on the field, especially if it is a senior player.”Waugh singled out “the highly talented Chris Gayle who has the presence and ability to influence those around him”, adding the caveat that Gayle would have to alter his attitude to do so. It is amazing how little has changed in the interim, both in the team and in Gayle himself. But it is not too late.

A stirred-up Chris Gayle has plenty to say to Michael Clarke during the Champions Trophy. West Indies need Gayle to contribute both on and off the field in England © AFP

With his omnipresent sunglasses, glittering gold chain, changing hair-styles and super-cool demeanour, Gayle is widely perceived as the quintessence of the present-day West Indies cricketer – all style, little substance. It is not an entirely unearned impression, but Gayle is a significant all-round cricketer with a solid record. What is more, he is a spark who can lift spirits, off and on the field, a crucial consideration on a tour such as this.The counterbalance is occasionally evident, never more so than in his lacklustre performance in the World Cup, typified by a manifestly indifferent attitude. It would have been hardly surprising had he been dropped because of it, but he was not the only one affected by the malaise that permeated the entire team and was plain to see from well beyond the boundary. The selectors would have been swayed more by Gayle’s role in less discordant times, more recently in the Champions Trophy in India six months ago when he was Player Of The Tournament.For all the frozen footwork, a basic defect for an opener, he remains the most destructive batsman in the team. If his average of 38.71 is a little short of the accepted statistical standard for leading Test batsmen, it is hardly atrocious. And he did average 50 in the 4-0 Test whitewash in England three years ago.Batting is his forte, of course, but his off-spin is not to be undervalued, as he himself believes it has been. “In the bowling department, I think I have been underused on most occasions,” he wrote in his diary on an internet site last December. “I am not a scapegoat bowler in this team to be used only when things are difficult. Things can be handled a bit better in that scenario.”Perhaps Sarwan will take note, especially in this series when Gayle offers the only contrast in an attack, as ever, based on pace and seam. It is noteworthy that one of Gayle’s two five-wicket returns in a Test innings, 5 for 34 against England at Edgbaston three years ago, was on the day when Sarwan was in charge in the absence of an ill Lara. Sarwan was also leading in Lara’s absence when Gayle’s belligerence, highlighted by his shoulder-to-shoulder clash with Michael Clarke, visibly energised West Indies in their first round Champions Trophy win over Australia last October.The problem is that such dynamism has been too spasmodic, inevitably followed by long lapses into inertia. The team requires more of it more regularly.

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

A magnificent century from Ramnaresh Sarwan secured a convincing West Indies win © AFP

It was a Made-in-Guyana triumph, but given West Indian cricket’s recenttravails, it might as well have been made in heaven. A magnificentunbeaten 115 from Ramnaresh Sarwan, incidentally playing his 100th ODI, provided the momentum for the pursuit of 246, and a classy half-century from ahamstrung Shivnarine Chanderpaul proved as decisive as West Indies took a2-1 lead in the five-match series with an impressive four-wicket victoryat Basseterre.As in the two games at Sabina Park, the inaugural international at StKitts too went down to the final over, bowled by S Sreesanth with six runsstill needed. Dwayne Bravo’s run out gave India a glimmer of hope, butcrucially, Rahul Dravid misfielded the fourth ball, allowing Sarwan acouple where there might not even have been one. The next ball wassummarily dismissed to the cover fence, setting the seal on anothermatchwinning innings from Sarwan, whose 106-run partnership withChanderpaul made all the difference.India, though, have no one to blame but themselves, after a battingimplosion that saw a paltry 77 runs scored in the final 22 overs. WhenBrian Lara asked for the final Powerplay, they were cruising at 168 for 2,with Virender Sehwag in sight of three figures, and Mohammad Kaifproviding solid support. A total of 300 was plausible, but once Bravothudded a reverse-swinging yorker into Sehwag’s boot, the game started todrift out of India’s reach.Mahendra Singh Dhoni biffed and missed his way to 15 before hesitancebetween the wickets, and a smart bit of fielding from Gayle, sent himpacking. Thereafter, with the ebullience and skill of Yuvraj Singh – ruledout with back spasms – badly missed and with Kaif unable to break out ofaccumulation mode, it was an eminently forgettable procession. MarlonSamuels and Gayle put the ball on a spot, batsmen were unable to work itinto the gaps, and as the field closed in, they compounded their woes withsome suicidal dashes between the stumps.

Virender Sehwag led the way with a quickfire 96, but India lost their way badly after he left © Getty Images

It could all have been so different. Having lost Dravid in Ian Bradshaw’sopening over, India made all the early running thanks to Sehwagrediscovering his effervescence and Suresh Raina’s accomplished cameo.With the bowlers either offering too much width or pitching too full,Sehwag crashed strokes through the offside with impunity, while Raina’soff-drives were struck with a panache that recalled a certain SouravGanguly in his prime.Sehwag slashed one six over point of Bradshaw, and followed that with animmense shot over mid-on off Bravo, even as Kaif chipped and ran to turnover the strike. It seemed pretty effortless till the slow bowlers cameon, when the gentle tourniquet soon became a choke.Needing just under five an over, Sarwan walked in with the innings in somedisarray after two marginal lbw decisions had taken the sheen off a steadystart from Gayle and Samuels, opening for the first time. Samuels wasgiven out to Sreesanth’s bowling, and when Agarkar sent back RunakoMorton without scoring, 246 looked a long way away.But Sarwan started with a crashing off-drive off Agarkar and a crisp cutoff Sreesanth, and after good fortune directed an inner edge wide of thestumps and down to the fence, he laced a gorgeous cover-drive off astrangely off-colour Irfan Pathan. Desperate to stem the tide, Dravidturned to spin, but while Harbhajan Singh was accurate and economical,Ramesh Powar was targetted from the start. Sarwan twice thumped him overlong-on for six, and Gayle then revealed how powerful he could be with animmense stroke that struck the roof.With options dwindling, Dravid turned back to Agarkar, easily the pick ofIndia’s bowlers. When he got Gayle to edge one, and Harbhajan outfoxedLara, it was certainly game on, but Chanderpaul made light of a musclestrain to caress some lovely shots, including a sensational straight six offAgarkar, en route to a 58-ball 50.At the other end, Sarwan was just imperious. Having romped to 50 in just41 balls, he was much more circumspect as the game neared its denouement.Dravid’s decision to try Sehwag tilted the match, and also gave Sarwan hiscentury – his third in the one-day game and his first against India – with a precise late cut and two runs scampered to midwicket sparking considerable celebration in the stands. And though Chanderpaul departed soon after, the other Guyanese hero remained to the end. If lastSaturday was all about Bravo holding his nerve, this was very much theSarwan show. Whisper it softly, but the Calypso Kings might just be on theroad to recovery. As for India – red-hot favourites to take the series -they find themselves with no margin for error heading into the final twogames.

India
Rahul Dravid lbw b Bradshaw 0 (1 for 1)
Suresh Raina b Bradshaw 26 (62 for 2)
Virender Sehwag lbw Bravo 96 (174 for 3)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni run out (Gayle) 15 (211 for 4)
Mohammad Kaif run out (Chanderpaul) 63 (216 for 5)
Irfan Pathan c and b Samuels 1 (219 for 6)
Ramesh Powar b Sarwan 1 (224 for 7)
Venugopal Rao run out (Edwards) 12 (233 for 8)
Ajit Agarkar c Lara b Bravo 8 (243 for 9)
West Indies
Marlon Samuels lbw Sreesanth 11 (30 for 1)
Runako Morton lbw Agarkar 0 (31 for 2)
Chris Gayle c Dhoni b Agarkar 40 (116 for 3)
Brian Lara c Dravid b Harbhajan 5 (131 for 4)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw Pathan 58 (237 for 5)
Dwayne Bravo run out (Pathan) 1 (241 for 6)

Matt Prior: rewarded for solid performances in county cricket © Getty Images

Matt Prior has been named in England’s 15-man squad for the NatWest Challenge against Australia, which starts at Headingley on Thursday. He replaces Kabir Ali from the NatWest Series squad and will provide Duncan Fletcher with more flexibility when it comes to choosing a substitute as per the new regulations in one-day internationals. Chris Tremlett, who was called up as cover for Simon Jones, retains his place.Prior made his one-day international debut against Zimbabwe last winter and was a surprising omission from the 25-man development squad named by England at the start of the season. However, consistent form for Sussex – including some explosive innings in Twenty20 – has kept him in the frame.Prior said that he was delighted to get a recall and his relishing the prospect of facing Australia: “I felt it went well during the winter – I had a little taste of international cricket and I feel I know what to expect, although obviously it’s going to be very different against a team like Australia.”I have been in really good form this year, particularly in the National League and the Twenty20. I think having gone away over the winter both with England and with England A, has definitely helped me. I think I now have the confidence in my method, and the self belief that you need to do well.”It’s going to be different in The NatWest Challenge with the new regulations. But I know how to adapt my game to the situation and I enjoy the challenge of playing under pressure. If I do get an opportunity, I certainly won’t be changing my approach or playing any differently.”David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, said: “We were delighted with the team’s strong performances during The NatWest Series and have made only one change to the squad for The NatWest Challenge.”With new playing regulations set to come into effect for The NatWest Challenge, we were conscious of the need to give the captain and coach greater flexibility within the squad. Matt Prior has been chosen as an impact player who is in good form and his inclusion will give Duncan [Fletcher] and Michael [Vaughan] more options for their choice as substitute.”Matt has been chosen purely as a specialist batsman, although he will obviously provide cover for Geraint Jones in the event of injury. Geraint has been in excellent form with both the bat and the gloves and the innings he produced under great pressure on Saturday was an outstanding effort.”Graveney had words of comfort for Ali, who did not feature in any of the NatWest Series matches, despite his promising performances during the one-day internationals in South Africa. “His opportunities have been limited because the role of first change bowler which he took on in the winter in South Africa is now being filled by Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff. I have explained this to Kabir and reassured him that he remains in our thoughts for the future.”Squad Michael Vaughan (capt), Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, Darren Gough, Steve Harmison, Geraint Jones (wk), Simon Jones, Jon Lewis, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Chris Tremlett, Marcus Trescothick

Kapil Dev will coach India’s bowlers at the preparation camp &copyGetty Images

Kapil Dev has been named bowling coach for the Indian team’s preparation camp before the Pakistan tour.According to a report by the Press Trust of India, Jagmohan Dalmiya, the head of the Indian cricket board, announced that Kapil would coach the bowlers during the three-day camp in Kolkata from March 7 to 9, but would not accompany the team to Pakistan.A spate of injuries during the recent tour of Australia left India’s bowling attack bereft of experience, and Kapil’s experience of Pakistan’s conditions could assist the bowlers. Kapil has played 29 Tests against Pakistan and claimed 99 wickets at an average of 30.12, besides scoring 1054 runs at 27.02.

Chris Cairns will not bowl at all in the remaining two National Bank Series matches between New Zealand and India.Everything is now aimed at having Cairns in perfect condition to perform the role captain Stephen Fleming will want from him when the New Zealanders play their opening World Cup game against Sri Lanka at Bloemfontein on February 10.Cairns said he couldn’t commit to bowling his full complement of 10 overs from the outset but he wanted to be able to give Fleming the option of using him as a bowler.His primary role would be to play as a No 5 batsman and then backing up and taking wickets for the side.Cairns, who came back into the TelstraClear Black Caps a game earlier than intended due to the injury suffered by Jacob Oram, said he was delighted to be back in action in Wellington yesterday.”It was great to be there and seeing the advancement of the guys since I last played,” he said.Cairns said he was having to think a little differently about his play and there was definitely a difference in the mentality applied to his role at No 5. He found he needed to be more circumspect.His return to the side for a rollicking 25 had tended to crystallise the way he found himself getting to Wellington at all.He found out about his recall at 4pm on Tuesday after playing for his Canterbury side and then found himself at the crease with New Zealand three wickets for three runs at Wellington.Witnessing first hand the development of bowlers like Shane Bond, Daryl Tuffey and seeing Oram’s advance on television coverage of the series, said what had impressed him in conditions that were the same for both teams was the way the New Zealand bowlers had been so consistent.”They’ve put the ball in the right areas. They have come through in the last few years and we are reaping the rewards of bringing them in a little early a couple of years ago,” he said.What Cairns did find during his innings at Westpac Stadium was that if the pitch was reflective of those around the country this year then it was really hard work for the batsmen but it had been great to be back out there and he felt in hindsight he had probably been a little too aggressive.He said he totally agreed with the experimental approach taken by Fleming now that the series was safe for New Zealand and the exercise of batting first had been good for the side.Cairns said that while it had been disappointing to be restricted to watching from the sidelines during the series, it had been therapeutic as well because he was able to spend some unexpected time with his infant son.He said the workload he had been required to take as the leading New Zealand was quite possibly a factor in his knee problems, but overall, the problems were just a case of “that’s the way it goes.”