CHRIS Gayle's omission from the West Indies team has overshadowed the build-up to the first Test against India, which starts on Monday.

The controversial former captain is involved in a dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board, which has threatened not only his participation in the series, but also his international career for the Caribbean side.

It followed comments he made during a radio interview in his native Jamaica in April.

Gayle and high level West Indies officials met on Tuesday to discuss their differences, but the meeting ended in uncertainty, with the WICB directors to decide on Gayle's fate at a board meeting in the Jamaica capital on Friday.

Fellow opener Adrian Barath earned a recall instead, and will open with compatriot Lendl Simmons.

Barath spent nearly five months on the sidelines nursing a damaged hamstring, and made a return to the side on Thursday in the fifth One-Day International against the Indians at the same venue.

He is the only change to the previous Test squad that played Pakistan in St Kitts earlier this month, with teenage opener Kraigg Brathwaite omitted.

Veteran left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul has also been at loggerheads with the WICB in recent weeks, but has also been retained.

Chanderpaul also made some highly-charged comments about the WICB officials in a radio interview during the Pakistan series.

He was subsequently written to on the matter, but he played in the first Test against Pakistan before injury sidelined him for the second Test.

The WICB said it also intended to have a meeting with Chanderpaul prior to the Test to outline their expectations of him in his future participation in the West Indies team as a player.

It was not clear about the status of all-rounder Dwayne Bravo. He had missed the Tests against Pakistan, after playing in the ODIs, to play in the Indian Premier League.

He played the first two ODIs against the visitors in his native Trinidad, but then requested a break from the game to 'refocus and reflect', and was hoping to rejoin the team for the Test series.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has getting new record.Shivnarine Chanderpaul became the 10th batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs as he headed West Indies’ attempt to avoid defeat in the third and final Test against Australia on Thursday.
Set a daunting target of 370 to win on a track offering plenty for spin, as West Indian Shane Shillingford proved with his 10-wicket haul, the home side fought hard with Chanderpaul making a typically stubborn 69 from 122 balls in his team’s 173 for five.
The left-hander was trapped lbw by Australia captain Michael Clarke in the final over of the day, though, dampening the enthusiasm of a home crowd who had sensed the chance of an exciting final day.
Chanderpaul reached his personal milestone in circumstances and a manner that has been typical of his career, patiently accumulating runs as his team struggled to avoid defeat.He want to continue his record.
Australia were relieved to remove Bravo, who had made a stylish 45, caught behind off Shane Watson and they were delighted when Chanderpaul departed.
The decision was gained after Clarke, who has three wickets with his slow left-arm, asked for a review 
after his lbw appeal had been declined and the changed verdict leaves Australia with victory well within their reach on Friday.
Still needing another 197, West Indies have plenty of time but it will take a remarkable effort if they are to get close to the target.
The West Indies’ bowlers had done a good job of picking up the last four Australian wickets for 59 runs in the pre-lunch session as the tourists were bowled out for 259.
But, as has happened throughout the series, any benefits gained by the West Indies bowling attack were quickly undermined by the batting at the top of the order.
Opener Adrian Barath failed to make it through the 25-minute spell before lunch, brilliantly caught for a duck by a flying Ed Cowan at mid-wicket off Ben Hilfenhaus.
After the break, Clarke opted to make use of his own spin and his decision paid off instantly as he struck with his sixth delivery, trapping Kraigg Brathwaite (14) leg before.
Kieran Powell progressed to 24 and was looking relatively comfortable until Clarke bowled him to bring Chanderpaul to the crease.
The Guyanese left-hander is well used to the role that was cast for him, shouldering the responsibility for trying to save a match, and when he passed the 10,000 run mark before tea, his achievement was recognised by warm applause from the crowd and the Australian team.
The nudge to mid-wicket that took Chanderpaul into five figures also took his career average to exactly 50, an outstanding record for someone who has spent so much time in a losing team.
Typically Chanderpaul’s response was a minimal acknowledgement as he returned to the task of building the partnership with Bravo.
‘It felt really, really good to reach this milestone today and I am very excited,’ said Chanderpaul.
‘It was one of the goals I set myself and I believe I have reaped for reward for the hard work I put in over the years.’
An Australian victory and 2-0 series victory is clearly the most likely outcome but the home crowd had another West Indies’ achievement to applaud on Thursday with Shillingford becoming only the second West Indian spinner to take 10 wickets in a match in a home Test.
The first Dominican to play a Test on home soil, Shillingford removed Mike Hussey for 32 and Hilfenhaus for six in the morning session to follow up his excellent first-innings figures of six for 119.
The tall off-spinner’s second-innings haul of four for 100 meant he became the first West Indian spinner to collect 10 wickets in a Test since Lance Gibbs in 1966.

Bangladesh News

Bangladesh News

Shakib intent on short break

Shakib Al Hasan: "It's difficult to keep both going, batting and bowling. I feel that it is hard to concentrate on both in training."

Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh allrounder, is intent on getting a bit of rest from competitive cricket after the upcoming IPL, as he has not taken any substantial time off the game for more than two years. That could mean skipping a stint on the English county circuit this season, following his second season with Kolkata Knight Riders - the IPL ends on May 27, and Shakib is yet to firm up his county plans.

"The county cricket [stint] hasn't been confirmed yet. I still don't know if I would play [county cricket], even if I am fit," Shakib told ESPNcricinfo. "I haven't stopped [playing] for the last three years, so I am thinking that only if I get a 15 to 20 days rest after the IPL, I will go and play in England. If they [whichever county team he might sign with this season] tell me to go and join them straight after the IPL, I won't go, that's what I have planned."

Shakib has had only three major breaks from cricket ever since making his international debut in 2006. He had about three months off in 2008, a few months in early 2009 and, more recently, a break from mid-August to mid-October in 2009, between an away ODI series against Zimbabwe and a domestic Twenty20 tournament. Ever since, Shakib has risen significantly in world rankings and has grown in stature as an international cricketer by playing in the county championship for Worcestershire and the IPL for the Kolkata franchise. This apart, he has turned out in several domestic competitions in Bangladesh.

"I have played a lot of cricket, I need a break. I have some stuff of my own to take care of," Shakib said. "To play good cricket, one needs to stay away from cricket too."

Shakib is coming off a productive year, in which he averaged 44 with the bat and 29 with the ball in ODIs and 50 and 29 with bat and ball respectively in Tests. In Bangladesh's stirring showing in the just-concluded Asia Cup he made 64, 49, 56 and 68. However, he admitted that the responsibility on him as an allrounder was not always easy to deal with and that there is still room for improvement.

"Personally, I want to improve by finishing matches for the team," he said. "My bowling isn't going that well too. It's difficult to keep both going, batting and bowling. I feel that it is hard to concentrate on both in training. I have seen that if I take one discipline and work on it, it gets better. But to work on both is a bit difficult. It is a problem at times [as an allrounder], so there's a lot of room to work hard."

While he remained realistic about Bangladesh's chances in Test cricket and their plans for the immediate future, the success in the Asia Cup, he said, will help them think of themselves differently. "We may not win Tests [for now] because we haven't got the attack to take 20 wickets. We need genuine bowlers to take 20 wickets, but we will win one-day games. This [Asia Cup performance] has helped us set new goals. It is important that four or five players are performing [in the same game] for Bangladesh.

"I feel that at home we can handle teams a lot better than we can away from home. [Bigger teams like] India still have trouble [playing] away from home. So I think we should [first] become tough competitors at home so that in the next year or two, no one can come and whitewash us easily."

Afridi has said that  Afridi emerged to international scene with a big 'boom' as he scored the fastest ODI century (off 37 balls) in his first international innings (second ODI match) against Sri Lanka in 1996. Afridi is fondly called as 'Boom boom Afridi' for his aggressive batting style.Afridi wants to gets his super fast century again.  Along with his aggressive batting, he has established himself as one of the most effective leg-spinner in one-day cricket. He has so far amassed more than 6,500 runs and captured 300 plus wickets in one-day internationals. Afridi is the current Twenty20 captain for Pakistan and was leading the one-day side till May 2011. As skipper, Afridi led Pakistan to the semifinal of the 2011 Cricket World Cup before losing to eventual champions India in Mohali. Afridi made his ODI debut against Kenya at Nairobi in October 1996, and was awarded Test cap against Australia two years later at Karachi in October 1998. The dashing all-rounder has hit most sixes in the history of ODI cricket but still consider himself as better bowler than batsman.

Shakib Al Hasan

Sort Biography of  Shakib Al Hasan 

Profile:
Full Name: Shakib Al Hasan
Date of Birth: Mar 24, 1987, Magura, Khulna
Major Team: Bangladesh, Bangladesh A, Bangladesh Cricket Board XI, Khulna Division, Worcestershire
Playing Roll: All Rounder
Batting Style: Left
Bowling Style: Slow left-arm orthodox

Debut:
Test Debut: Bangladesh v India at Chittagong, 18-22, May 2007
ODI Debut: Zimbabwe v Bangladesh at Harare, Aug 06, 2006
Twenty20 Debut: Bangladesh v Zimbabwe at Khulna, Nov 28, 2006

Ranking:
ODI All Rounder ranking: 1
ODI Bowling ranking: 5
ODI Batting ranking: 20
Test All Rounder ranking: 3
Test Bowling ranking: 9
Test Batting ranking: 44

Shakib Al Hasan, the number one all rounder of the world , is intent on getting a bit of rest from competitive cricket after the upcoming IPL, as he has not taken any substantial time off the game for more than two years. That could mean skipping a stint on the English county circuit this season, following his second season with Kolkata Knight Riders - the IPL ends on May 27, and Shakib is yet to firm up his county plans.

"The county cricket [stint] hasn't been confirmed yet. I still don't know if I would play [county cricket], even if I am fit," Shakib told ESPNcricinfo. "I haven't stopped [playing] for the last three years, so I am thinking that only if I get a 15 to 20 days rest after the IPL, I will go and play in England. If they [whichever county team he might sign with this season] tell me to go and join them straight after the IPL, I won't go, that's what I have planned."

Shakib has had only three major breaks from cricket ever since making his international debut in 2006. He had about three months off in 2008, a few months in early 2009 and, more recently, a break from mid-August to mid-October in 2009, between an away ODI series against Zimbabwe and a domestic Twenty20 tournament. Ever since, Shakib has risen significantly in world rankings and has grown in stature as an international cricketer by playing in the county championship for Worcestershire and the IPL for the Kolkata franchise. This apart, he has turned out in several domestic competitions in Bangladesh.

"I have played a lot of cricket, I need a break. I have some stuff of my own to take care of," Shakib said. "To play good cricket, one needs to stay away from cricket too."

Shakib is coming off a productive year, in which he averaged 44 with the bat and 29 with the ball in ODIs and 50 and 29 with bat and ball respectively in Tests. In Bangladesh's stirring showing in the just-concluded Asia Cup he made 64, 49, 56 and 68. However, he admitted that the responsibility on him as an allrounder was not always easy to deal with and that there is still room for improvement.

"Personally, I want to improve by finishing matches for the team," he said. "My bowling isn't going that well too. It's difficult to keep both going, batting and bowling. I feel that it is hard to concentrate on both in training. I have seen that if I take one discipline and work on it, it gets better. But to work on both is a bit difficult. It is a problem at times [as an allrounder], so there's a lot of room to work hard."

While he remained realistic about Bangladesh's chances in Test cricket and their plans for the immediate future, the success in the Asia Cup, he said, will help them think of themselves differently. "We may not win Tests [for now] because we haven't got the attack to take 20 wickets. We need genuine bowlers to take 20 wickets, but we will win one-day games. This [Asia Cup performance] has helped us set new goals. It is important that four or five players are performing [in the same game] for Bangladesh.

"I feel that at home we can handle teams a lot better than we can away from home. [Bigger teams like] India still have trouble [playing] away from home. So I think we should [first] become tough competitors at home so that in the next year or two, no one can come and whitewash us easily."