Lewis could make England warm-up

Lewis has taken 17 wickets in 12 one-day internationals

Jon Lewis could get a chance to test his recovery from ankle problems in Monday's warm-up against Bermuda.

The game in St Vincent will be a 13-a-side affair, as will the practice fixture against Australia on Friday.

"It took a little bit of work, but now I feel ready to go," said Lewis, who bowled in practice over the weekend.

"I was concerned when I left Australia, but it was almost like a back-handed compliment to be sent home and told get ready for the tournament."

Lewis bowled several overs in England's first net session in St Vincent and was involved again on Sunday.

He had not had a meaningful bowl since injuring his ankle in a one-day match with New Zealand in January.

We are pretty close; it is the bowling area where we have got some decisions to make England coach Duncan Fletcher

James Anderson, who has been struggling with a back problem, also bowled some overs off a shortened run-up.

Kevin Pietersen was first in the nets on Saturday after recovering from a fractured rib, while injury-plagued skipper Michael Vaughan also had a gentle bat.

Vaughan, working his way back to fitness after long-standing knee and hamstring problems, looked comfortable against some local St Vincent bowlers.

"We just cleared some cobwebs from the flight. It was nice to have a little net," said Vaughan.

"You are always quite sceptical about how [Caribbean wickets] will play. The first two weeks are crucial for me, but also the team.

"Kevin will certainly come back in and over the next two warm-up games it is up to the players to hold their hand up and stake a claim."

However, England coach Duncan Fletcher said he was almost sure of his best starting line-up.

"We are pretty close. It is the bowling area where we have got some decisions to make," he said.

England's four pace bowlers are in a straight fight for two or three starting berths, which can only be good for their tournament prospects, seamer Jon Lewis said on Sunday.

Lewis said: "It's a really strong position to be in with four quick bowlers. It is going to be tough for me and Jimmy to get back in the side.

England trained in intense heat on a playing field in the small village of Stubbs.

Their session was accompanied by steel band music and the crashing of waves against cliffs just below the picturesque setting.

The real action starts for England on 16 March when they take on New Zealand in their first group match in St Lucia.

Johnston relishing SA encounter

Johnston is a former New South Wales player

Ireland captain Trent Johnston insists his side will not be intimidated by top-ranked South Africa in their World Cup warm-up match on Monday.

The Irish face a tough time in their first World Cup in the Caribbean having been pitched in a group alongside hosts West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

"We are here to play good cricket and we will put up a fight," said the Australian-born paceman.

"We are amateurs, but we are very keen to show that we are a talented bunch."

Our preparation has been ideal and what we hope to achieve at most is being competitive Adrian Birrell

Johnston, 32, added: "Every one of our five top batsmen got centuries in the World League and they are capable.

"Our strength is our batting and we are going to try to put challenging scores together in order that our bowlers have good scores to bowl at."

Coach Adrian Birrell feels his players have prepared as well they could have after two months of almost constant cricket.

Birrell said: "Our preparation has been ideal and what we hope to achieve at most is being competitive.

"It is difficult to think that we can beat the number one team in the world but it will do us the world of good just to be competitive against these guys.

"We will decide on our final team just before play and we have already set ourselves certain milestones which, if achieved, we will be very happy, no matter what is the result."

Ireland play a second warm-up fixture against Canada on Thursday before beginning their campaign against Zimbabwe in Jamaica on 15 March.

Plunkett offers to donate kidney

Plunkett was a key player for England on their Australian tour

England fast bowler Liam Plunkett has revealed he offered to donate a kidney to his father to him help him fight a hereditary disease.

Plunkett, 21, made the offer between England's one-day success in Australia and leaving for the World Cup, which starts in the Caribbean on 13 March.

"With close family on their death bed you would, wouldn't you?" he said.

"Dad said he wouldn't take it because of the career I have ahead of me. I was prepared but he wouldn't accept it."

As soon as he found out he offered me one straight away without any consideration whatsoever about his career Alan Plunkett

Alan Plunkett had a liver transplant 10 years ago but could need another one in the future, and his son said he took inspiration from his father's battle against the disease.

"He was good to me when I was younger, he took me everywhere and the struggle he has had over the last 10 years shows he has been fighting quite hard," he said.

"It is not like he is in bed all the time, he is fine, walking around the shops and driving around."

Liam is the only suitable donor as Alan's brothers and sister are incompatible because they have the same medical condition.

"As soon as he found out he offered me one straight away without any consideration whatsoever about his career," Plunkett snr told the Sunday Sun.

"All he was worried about was me and my health and he simply said, 'take one of mine'.

"You could not do anything more for a parent but I said, 'thanks but no thanks'.

"It was an amazing thing to do but I could not accept because I'd be worried it would affect his cricket career."

Lara hoping for fitting farewell

Lara is preparing for his fifth and final World Cup campaign

West Indies captain Brian Lara is confident he will not be overawed by the expectation of home supporters and his final World Cup campaign.

"I?m really happy I?m playing a World Cup in my home country, I?ve got 16 years of international experience so I don?t think it?s a burden," he said.

"We have played very good cricket over the last two years in the one-day arena and we?re just looking forward to it.

"Everyone must make a contribution and the young ones have to come forward."

Lara, who could pass 300 one-day appearances during the tournament, insist that Australia should remain favourites, and is happy to let them have that tag.

"Australia deserves favoritism, that's something the West Indies team does not want to carry," said the charismatic left-hander, 38 in May.

"We do not want to be one of the front runners. We want to slowly get into our stride and surprise people coming to the end."

It's an opportunity for a lot of the youngsters around the world involved in this tournament to show their ability Brian Lara

The Windies certainly caused a surprise when they emerged from nowhere to win the Champions Trophy in England in 2004, and they reached the final again in India late last year.

Success in the World Cup has eluded them in recent years, and in his four attempts at cricket's major one-day prize, Lara has progressed no further than the semi-finals in India in 1996.

The skipper is confident his young charges may rise to the occasion this time, however, with the support of their homeland.

"It's always a tournament where a youngster comes up and shows what he's made of," he commented.

"I think it's an opportunity for a lot of the youngsters around the world involved in this tournament to get an opportunity to show their ability and come forward.

"We've got quite a few and we're looking forward to them playing a major part.

"I've already told them that it?s not going to be a tournament won by the senior players or the experienced players, everyone's got to stake a claim for international recognition."

Bermuda's Hemp eyes England upset

Hemp has scored 348 one-day runs for Bermuda

Glamorgan captain David Hemp lines up for Bermuda against England in a World Cup warm-up in St Vincent on Monday.The Live Scores of the match will be available here.

Hemp toured India and Bangladesh with England A in 1994-95, alongside Michael Vaughan and Paul Nixon, and is keen to put one over his old team-mates.

"If we win the toss we will want to get the target up to 200 and show we can compete at this level," said Hemp, 36.

"I'm at an age where a lot of players are winding down but this has given me a bit more incentive to keep going."

Despite being on the periphery of the full England team in the mid-to-late '90s, the call never materialised.

"You hear different things and, after getting picked on that initial trip, maybe on a couple of occasions my name might have been mentioned," said Hemp, who has also represented Warwickshire.

It was only once Bermuda qualified I realised I could play David Hemp

"But personally I never felt I was consistent enough to get that opportunity. "It would have been nice to get a full cap but I am grateful for my time in the game and come the end of my career it has taken a bit of a twist."

Hemp was born in Bermuda before moving to Swansea in the mid-1970s, and it was down to former Warwickshire team-mate Dougie Brown that the opportunity to play in the World Cup came about.

"It was only once Bermuda qualified I realised I could play," said Hemp.

"Because I had played for England A I didn't think I was eligible but initial discussions took place in August 2005.

"Dougie Brown had been in Ireland playing a game against Bermuda and he came back and asked me why I wasn't playing."

Hemp has been playing non-stop for the Bermudian team since mid-October, clocking up 14 ODIs.

"I feel a part of what has gone on with Bermuda despite not living on the island since I was five," said Hemp.

"You have to be realistic and at the end of the day we want to be competitive in this tournament.

"When I look back to when I first played against Bangladesh in 1994 they were in a similar position to the one Bermuda are in now, trying to get on to the world one-day international stage."

Because of that Hemp is keen to commit beyond their World Cup bow, and has the 2009 qualifying in mind, if the body is willing.

Bermuda are in a group with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Moody upbeat on World Cup chances

Moody has been linked with the England coaching job

Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody believes his side have a great chance of winning a wide-open World Cup in the Caribbean.

Sri Lanka, champions in 1996, are among the favourites to win the tournament, which kicks off on 13 March.

"Sri Lanka have as good a chance as any to win this World Cup. It's a cliché, but it is really open," said the Australian, a World Cup winner in 1999.

"We have to adjust to the conditions here as quick as possible and bring our 'A' game every time we play."

And Moody told www.westindiescricket.com that the tournament will be the making of a new crop of stars.

"In situations like these some players tend to come to the fore in a big way and I expect a few guys to announce themselves during the upcoming weeks," the 41-year-old said.

"We have prepared very well for this World Cup and we have a strong group of 15 players with us and they are confident that they can deliver over the next seven weeks."

Sri Lanka play two warm-up matches in Barbados against Scotland and New Zealand on 5 and 9 March before heading to Trinidad for their first round matches against India, Bangladesh and Bermuda.

Sehwag inclusion down to Dravid

Sehwag's last ODI ton was in April 2005

Out-of-form India batsman Virender Sehwag was picked for the World Cup at the specific request of skipper Rahul Dravid, it has been revealed.

Sehwag, 28, has scored one fifty in 13 innings since August, but made a handy 46 in the series-clinching victory against Sri Lanka last month.

India's chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar said: "I was not under pressure, but I will always back the captain.

"Some players back Sehwag. He has done exceedingly well in the past."

After struggling for runs on India's recent tour of South Africa, Sehwag was dropped for the one-day series against West Indies.

But he was recalled for India's final warm-up series against Sri Lanka and came good with 46 from 44 balls in Visakhapatnam.

Sehwag has played in 167 one-day internationals, scoring 5,032 runs and seven centuries at an average of 31.18.

He played in all 11 of India's games at the 2003 World Cup, scoring 299 runs at an average of 27.18.

Clarke happy to play through pain

I've got my fingers crossed. I'm pretty confident it's going to be fine Michael Clarke

Australia batsman Michael Clarke admits he may have to play through the pain barrier during the upcoming World Cup because of his troublesome hip injury.

The New South Wales right-hander has received treatment on the problem for the past fortnight, having pulled out of the one-day series in New Zealand.

But he says he will start the team's opener against Scotland on 13 March.

"I've had a couple of batting sessions and I haven't been getting as much pain, so I'm feeling good," he said.

"I haven't done too much running, so I'll have to do a bit over the next couple of days and see how it pulls up.

"But I've got my fingers crossed. I'm pretty confident it's going to be fine."

The 25-year-old will bat at number four if fit, and his role could be a crucial one with all-rounder Andrew Symonds expected to miss the opening month of the tournament and opener Matthew Hayden struggling with a broken toe.

I'll get the chance to stay batting at four and there'll be plenty of opportunity to score some runs Michael Clarke

And, having made 170 runs at an average of 85 in four innings in 2003 in the West Indies, Clarke is keen to impress again on the big stage this time around.

"It's the number one stage for one-day cricket," he said.

"Therefore, I'll be working my backside off over the next couple of weeks to make sure I'm ready to go for the first game."

Team-mate Mike Hussey, meanwhile, says Australia are now "the hunters rather than the hunted" after their run of recent defeats which resulted in them being replaced by South Africa as the game's top-ranked one-day side.

"We really enjoyed being the number one side in the world....we now have to try to get that number one place back," he commented.

"Now we have to try to build up momentum. We haven't had it for the last five games, we have to try to change that, play well and go forward from there.

"We are looking to build up as the tournament goes on and hit our best form in the latter stages."

McGrath eyes Aussie opening spot

McGrath opened the bowling in the recent series in New Zealand

Pace bowler Glenn McGrath says he would like to open the bowling for Australia in his fourth World Cup.

Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait are other options with Brett Lee injured.

"With Brett not being here, it will be interesting to see whether I take the new ball again, or whether we think about Mitch or Taity taking it.

"I love taking the new ball but I'll sit down and I'll have a think about the game and which is best suited to the team," said McGrath, 37.

McGrath was used as first change, behind Lee and Nathan Bracken, through the home one-day series against England and New Zealand.

He was reinstated as an opening bowler in the 3-0 whitewash New Zealand last month when Lee tore his ankle ligaments in a fielding mishap and was subsequently ruled out of the Caribbean tournament.

WORLD CUP WICKET-TAKERS Wasim Akram (Pkn) 55 wkts at 23.83 (38 games) Glenn McGrath (Aus) 45 at 20.77 (28) Javagal Srinath (Ind) 44 at 27.81 (34) Allan Donald (SA) 38 at 24.02 (25) Chaminda Vaas (SL) 36 at 20.94 (21)

Currently in second spot on the World Cup's all-time list of wicket-takers with 45, just 10 behind Pakistan's Wasim Akram, he is to retire at the end of the tournament.

Australia will weigh up the express pace of Tait, who has played in just four one-day internationals, and the pressure McGrath can bring in the middle of an innings.

They have further chances to experiment this week with warm-up matches against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, England on Friday and World Cup games against Scotland and Holland.

Their first crunch match comes against South Africa, who have supplanted them at the top of the world rankings, in St Kitts on 24 March.

The defending champions' first training session ahead in the Caribbean was Sunday cut short by a plane crash just 200 metres from their practice venue.

A light plane crashed near the Arnos Vale ground in St Vincent, while Mike Hussey was batting in the nets. Three people onboard were hurt.

Gillespie admits Test career over

Gillespie hopes to sign a new deal with South Australia

Jason Gillespie has conceded his career with Australia is over and he is also yet to agree a contract for next year.

Gillespie, 31, is hoping to stay with South Australia but does not expect to be on the list of Aussie central contracts, to be announced in April.

"My chance of playing for Australia again is about as remote as you can get," said the pace bowler.

"The selectors have played their card, they have lost faith in me, they don't want me around and that's their call."

Gillespie is his country's fifth most prolific Test wicket-taker, with 259, and hit an unbeaten double century against Bangladesh in the last of his 71 Tests almost a year ago.

He suffered a run of poor form, though, coinciding with Brett Lee's emergence in the Test team and has not played regularly since the 2005 Ashes.

"I can't see myself getting another CA contract. I believe they only gave me one last year because of what happened in Bangladesh," he told Sydney's Sunday Telegraph.

"I'm not saying I deserved to be in the World Cup, but it's a bitter pill to swallow when you get man of the match in your last two Tests and you aren't in the picture."

Gillespie, who will spend his second summer of county cricket with Yorkshire, has taken 25 wickets at 26.96 in Australia's Pura Cup this season.

"I'm still off contract so I guess I'm a free agent. You never know, maybe there's a state keen on me and I'll weigh up that option," he added.

Harmison yearns for Ashes revenge

Harmison took just 10 wickets in the 5-0 Ashes whitewash

Steve Harmison already has his sights on the next Ashes as he aims to make up for his poor performance in England's recent whitewash in Australia.

But the pace bowler feels he has been unfairly singled out for blame.

"The only way I can get the last Ashes out of my system is to be there on the first morning of the 2009 series with the ball in my hand," he said.

"In fact, I want to go to Australia after that and do some more damage in the following Ashes."

Harmison's first delivery of the Ashes series, a ball that flew wide to slip, set the tone for England's first whitewash at the hands of Australia since 1921.

There's no way I could make any money out of a book after how I performed Steve Harmison

He took just 10 wickets in the five-match series, at an average of 61.40.

But he told the Mail on Sunday: "None of our big players turned up, at least not on a consistent basis and some of us failed to achieve anything at all.

"I'd place myself in that last category but I do feel I've been made a scapegoat and I think, in part, it's because of my perceived laid-back attitude.

"I tried my nuts off to play well, but it didn't happen and it bloody hurts."

All the proceeds from Harmison's Ashes tour diary, which is published in a fortnight, will go to a children's charity, Bubble Foundation UK.

He said: "There's no way I could make any money out of a book after how I performed."

Harmison, who decided to retire from one-day cricket three months before the World Cup, is back in training with his county side Durham.

He insisted he made the right decision, in order to prolong his Test career, but added: "I can't tell you how pleased I'll be if England win the World Cup.

"And if Australia don't rediscover their best form we can do it."

Lewis gives England fitness boost

Lewis has taken 17 wickets in 12 one-day internationals

Jon Lewis bowled several overs in England's first practice session in St Vincent ahead of the World Cup.

Lewis had not had a meaningful bowl since injuring his ankle in a one-day match with New Zealand in January.

James Anderson, who has been struggling with a back problem, also bowled some overs off a shortened run-up.

Kevin Pietersen was first in the nets after recovering from a fractured rib, while injury-plagued skipper Michael Vaughan also had a gentle bat.

Vaughan, working his way back to fitness after long-standing knee and hamstring problems, looked comfortable against some local St Vincent bowlers.

We are pretty close. It is the bowling area where we have got some decisions to make England coach Duncan Fletcher

"We just cleared some cobwebs from the flight. It was nice to have a little net," said Vaughan.

"You are always quite sceptical about how [Caribbean wickets] will play. The first two weeks are crucial for me, but also the team.

"Kevin will certainly come back in and over the next two warm-up games it is up to the players to hold their hand up and stake a claim."

However, England coach Duncan Fletcher, who confirmed the two warm-ups would be 13 players-a-side, said he was almost sure of his best starting line-up.

"We are pretty close. It is the bowling area where we have got some decisions to make," he said.

England trained in intense heat on a playing field in the small village of Stubbs.

Their session was accompanied by steel band music and the crashing of waves against cliffs just below the picturesque setting.

England's first warm-up game is against Bermuda on Monday, ahead of another tune-up against Australia on 9 March, also on the island.

The real action starts for England on 16 March when they take on New Zealand in their first group match in St Lucia.

Commandos to protect Indian team

The commandos are the cream of the Indian army

The Indian government has ordered elite Indian commandos to fly to the Caribbean to provide security for the cricket team at the World Cup.

The government's decision follows a request from the West Indies, which is hosting the event later this month.

Sixteen members of the National Security Guards (NSG), who normally look after VIPs, will protect Rahul Dravid's side during the tournament.

It is the first time that commandos will be deployed to protect players.

'Terror groups'

"The decision, taken early this week by the government, comes after a security assessment that terror groups could target the Indian team, which was followed by a formal request from the West Indies," said the Indian Express.

The Indian side is used to heavy security

An Indian security assessment said "there were chances of terror groups targeting the tournament, particularly at venues where the Indian team is slated to play," the newspaper said.

"The matter was taken up with the Caribbean authorities, who felt such elaborate security cover may not be possible without assistance."

The newspaper said that government sources said they were told by West Indian officials that they did not have the expertise to deal with such terror threats.

It said they feared that the Indian team had been identified as a "prime target".

Mobbed

The commandos - including bomb detection and disposal experts - will be located in Jamaica, where India play warm-up matches, and in Trinidad, where the team's preliminary matches will be held, the paper added.

The commandos are anti-terrorism specialists

But it is not thought that the tight security arrangements will put off the Indian team.

The BBC's Sanjay Dasgupta says that the popularity of the game in India makes some well-known cricketers the most high-profile of celebrities - mobbed whereever they go and surrounded by a constant police presence.

India's junior foreign minister, Anand Sharma, refused to tell the BBC whether the decision to deploy the commandos had been prompted by any specific threat.

The Indian cricketers are already in the West Indies, along with their Australian coach Greg Chappell and other officials.

The commandos are expected to follow soon.

Flintoff named deputy to Vaughan

Captain Vaughan and vice-captain Flintoff fly out on Friday

Michael Vaughan has confirmed Andrew Flintoff will take over as England captain during the forthcoming Cricket World Cup if he is sidelined by injury.

Vaughan is still expecting to play a full part in England's campaign, starting with the important 16 March match in St Lucia against New Zealand.

But he will not test his hamstring fully in Monday's first warm-up match.

Vaughan and the other 14 players in England's squad fly out to the Caribbean on Friday from Gatwick.

Vaughan told reporters at the airport: "The favourites for the tournament are hard to assess - any one of the top eight teams could win.

We'd all like to write Australia off but I think they'll be a really competitive unit Michael Vaughan

"The dark horses are probably us after how we played in Australia."

Vaughan has played in just three of England's last 35 one-day internationals, and barely played a part in the Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia.

With Flintoff as stand-in captain, England unexpectedly won that tournament, with two wins against New Zealand and three against Australia.

England have twice been World Cup finalists but have been far from their best in the last three tournaments.

Vaughan, whose first World Cup was under Nasser Hussain's captaincy in 2003, said: "Since 1992 we haven't performed in the World Cup.

"This is a great opportunity and a special moment - and there are not too many times in your career you can do something special.

"Hopefully we can get our momentum and confidence up in the next two weeks.

Ian Bell gets stuck into bat-signing duties at the England hotel

"Any team in the world are beatable on any given day - if you lose three or four players through injury it's going to have an effect on your game.

"We'd all like to write Australia off but I think they'll be a really competitive unit in the World Cup."

Vaughan said spinner Monty Panesar, the only specialist slow bowler named in England's squad, could be a man to watch in the Caribbean

The captain said: "He has been a revelation in the last year with his work ethic, skill levels and enthusiasm.

"I'm pleased with the way he has responded to the one-day situation, which is magnificent for a young player.

"He's justified his involvement and in the World Cup, where the wickets spin a little, he could be a real threat for us."

Vaughan also welcomed the return from injury of Kevin Pietersen, who cracked a rib during the one-day series in Australia.

"It is great to have Kevin back. He does add a great deal to our batting in the middle period," said Vaughan.

"He is our best one-day player and I am really looking forward to seeing him out in the Caribbean on what could be small grounds."

Sonn extends ICC presidency stint

David Morgan (right) still hopes to win the nomination

Percy Sonn is to stay on as president of the International Cricket Council until 2009 after failure to reach agreement over who should succeed him.

At a meeting in Cape Town, officials were unable to decide between England's David Morgan and Sharad Pawar of India.

They were due to put forward a single name for consideration at the ICC's annual conference in June.

Sonn, who has agreed to extend his term of office for a year, described the situation as "unfortunate".

But the South African said: "The positive aspect of the situation is that it illustrates that both Mr Pawar and Mr Morgan had strong support to take over as ICC president and that is a fortunate position for any organization to find itself."

Pawar took over the reins of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 2005 and has the backing of the influential sub-continent vote.

Morgan, now in his fourth year as England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, is understood to have attracted support from Australia and New Zealand.

But to become president elect, a candidate must win two thirds of the votes among the 10 full members of the ICC.

In a statement about his own position, Sonn said: "I have had a busy but immensely enjoyable first year in the role that has seen many plusses for our great game.

"Chief among those have been the adoption of our new strategic plan and the Wada [anti-doping] code, a successful ICC Champions Trophy in India and our new broadcasting agreement with ESPN STAR Sports which will play a major role in promoting cricket and safeguarding its future by offering all of our members financial certainty.

"Now, on the verge of a historic first-ever ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean and with the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships to come in September, I look forward to continuing as president for another two years as we seek to ensure our strong sport continues to grow stronger."

Sobers to open Cricket World Cup

Sobers is revered as a true great of Caribbean and world cricket

West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers has been chosen to officially open the Cricket World Cup.

"This signal honour is befitting of the greatest cricketer the world has ever seen," World Cup managing director Chris Dehring commented.

"It is because of legends like Sir Garry that today we have the opportunity to host this event."

The opening ceremony will take place at the new 25,000-seater Trelawny Stadium in Jamaica on 11 March.

It will be followed two days later by the first match between West Indies and Pakistan, one of 51 fixtures involving 16 teams to be played in eight countries across the region.

"It will be phenomenal for the Caribbean, especially for those persons who haven't had the opportunity to see a Cricket World Cup. It will be a fantastic experience," said Sobers.

A former all-rounder and West Indies captain, he scored more than 8,000 runs and took 235 wickets in 93 Tests before retiring in 1974, just one year before the first World Cup took place.

He only played a single limited-overs international against England at Headingley in 1973 during his career, but it was not a happy experience as he was dismissed for a duck and West Indies lost the game by one wicket.

Sobers was knighted for his services to cricket in 1975 and was named as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the 20th century in its 2000 edition.

Vaughan wants ban for drug cheats

Vaughan and his team leave for the Caribbean on Friday

England captain Michael Vaughan wants life bans for any cricketers found guilty of taking drugs.

"If there's drugs been taken that have hugely affected your performance in a positive way I'd go for a ban for life.

"You don't want cheats in the game. You want people who are playing to [show] their talents, mental strength and the work they've done," he told Five Live.

World Cup organisers this week outlined a plan to target-test players suspected of taking illegal substances.

England chairman of selectors David Graveney said he supported Vaughan's thinking, although a life ban may not be enforceable.

"I don't know whether it should be a life ban, I don't know whether that stands up legally," he told Five Live.

"I agree with him in principle that people who are prepared to cut corners illegally to give themselves an advantage must face a very heavy penalty."

International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed said the game had been caused "a high level of embarrassment" by the doping controversy surrounding Pakistan pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif.

Shoaib and Asif both tested positive for nandrolone last September but had lengthy bans quashed on appeal after claiming they had not knowingly taken the banned steroid.

The duo were both pulled out of the tournament on Thursday, with the Pakistan Cricket Board saying they had failed to recover from injuries.

Speed confirmed that both would have been tested had they been part of the Pakistan squad in the Caribbean.

"If they had been selected, the intention was that those players would have been target tested," he said.

"The fact that they weren't selected means they won't be tested. The target testing will continue, but it will involve other players."

Former Australia captain Allan Border, meanwhile, has welcomed the withdrawal of Shoaib and Asif, saying the World Cup could not afford any possible doping scandals.

"If it were to be true that it wasn't an injury, and it turned out be something else, then it would be better for all concerned that they didn't make the trip," he told the Australian newspaper.

"If it was revealed at some later stage they had taken an illegal substance, then the sport doesn't need another black eye.

"It is to be hoped that they are truly injured and that it's not a repeat of their previous [drug] problem."

England depart in confident mood

Vaughan remains an injury worry for the World Cup

England fly to the Caribbean on Friday upbeat over their World Cup chances after their late success in Australia.

They ended a woeful Ashes tour with four successive one-day wins last month to clinch the Commonwealth Bank Series.

"It's the first time Australia have lost that tournament in 14 years," chairman of selectors David Graveney told BBC Radio Five Live.

"The guys came back with smiles on their faces and they get on the plane with some confidence."

However, Graveney was keen to ensure the Ashes whitewash was not forgotten, saying: "I wouldn't wish to gloss over what's happened in the last couple of months and the reviews and whatever will make their findings."

The fact Australia have lost a number of games brings them back into the pack David Graveney

And he also stopped short of promising captain Michael Vaughan would be back at his best after a hamstring injury.

"His rehab is going very well, he obviously is a crucial element to our team and he's pretty confident he'll take a full part," he said of the veteran batsman.

"We've got a very good medical team and they're going with the team so every avenue has been covered.

"But as Michael said, you don't really know until you actually play a competitive game, when your body reacts in a different way."

Vaughan is likely to play a limited role in warm-up matches against Bermuda on Monday and Australia next Friday.

England need him to be fit for their opening game against New Zealand in St Lucia on 16 March.

Although both sides are likely to progress from Group C, which also includes Canada and Kenya, the points from the match carry over into the Super Eight second round stage.

Australia remain favourites, although their loss to England and subsequent 3-0 whitewash in New Zealand have seen them overtaken by South Africa in the world one-day rankings.

The Kiwis, hosts West Indies and India are also seen as contenders.

"The fact Australia have lost a number of games brings them back into the pack," Graveney added.

"Everybody who wasn't directly involved in those matches will have looked at them and said, 'They can be beaten on a given day."

Is the Caribbean ready for the World Cup?

The cricket ground in Barbados has been upgraded

Is the Caribbean ready to host the cricket World Cup?

This poser is worrying a lot of people barely two weeks away from the opening of the showpiece event.

For the small, independent nations, of varying economic strengths, that comprise the West Indies, the tournament presents big challenges.

Most of the host islands have populations between 100,000 and 300,000. They could face up to 50,000 international visitors during the event.

The islands may include some of the world's premier tourist destinations. But the challenges of staging a sporting event of this magnitude are very different.

Take Barbados. It will be hosting six of the eight final-round play off games, including the high profile India-Pakistan and India-West Indies clashes.

Nightmare

The problems begin at the airport. There are only four customs counters. The time taken to clear television equipment through ranges from an hour to two hours. Foreign media crew expect long waits.

The flight schedules are awkward and there are only a couple of connecting flights for passengers from the Indian subcontinent.

Travel within Barbados is hard. A distance of five kilometres, the distance between my hotel and the Kensington Oval cricket ground, takes an hour or more and taxi fares are never less than $15.

The World Cup is a showpiece event for the West Indies

Restaurants are struggling to keep up. The time taken to serve pizza at the pizzeria in a mall opposite my hotel was an hour and twenty minutes. Many of the waitressing staff seem new to the job.

These may be teething problems. But internet facilities are unreliable. More than two thirds of the hotels have no internet. Internet cafes are few and far between. Places with broadband are limited and the speed is often not good enough to send television stories.

Enthusiasm

If you think you can overcome this by calling office/home, you are in for a shock. A $5 phone card allows you to talk for only for a minute to the UK and India. To compound problems, some hotels charge $3 every time one uses a calling card from the room phone.

One redeeming feature, however, is the local enthusiasm for the event.

Residents are more than ready to house international visitors in their homes and the local tourism authorities are also helpful.

Traffic moves slowly in Barbados

Yet another redeeming feature is the entertainment on offer.

In India it is impossible to imagine stars like Sourav Ganguly or Sachin Tendulkar playing cricket with local children on the city streets.

In the Caribbean, however, things are different. As a build up to the event, authorities have revived the culture of beach cricket. Caribbean cricket players are regularly playing with young children to spread the message of the World Cup.

While beach cricket helps break down class barriers and helps bring the entire community together, it is also good fodder for journalists looking for stories outside match reports.

Add to these novelties the sun-kissed Caribbean beaches, the beautiful women and rousing calypso and you have a World Cup which every potential to be outstanding.

But will the islanders be able to cope with pressures of hosting such an international event?

Enthusiasm over the event is running high

Reverend Wes Hall, legendary former West Indies fast blower, summed it up best: "The World Cup has already transformed us. We in the Caribbean are used to getting up [in the morning] and checking if there are clouds in the sky. Only then do we make up our minds on whether or not to go to the [cricket] ground."

"For the World Cup, however, things are different. If we wait for the day of the games, none of us will get tickets. This event demands a fundamental transformation in our attitude and we have realised that. By the time the event ends, the world too will wake up to the fact that the Caribbean has reinvented itself."

The author is a sports historian and author of Twenty-Two Yards to Freedom: A Social History of Indian Cricket. He is a research fellow at Latrobe University, Melbourne

Oram in desperate World Cup bid

Oram is set to miss the Black Cap's opening match with England

New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram said he will do anything to ensure he plays in the Cricket World Cup, including cutting off his injured ring finger.

Oram suffered a break during the first Chappell-Hadlee Trophy match against Australia a fortnight ago.

"We've got taping techniques and guards that fit into a batting glove, and I'm confident I'll be fine," said Oram.

"If it means cutting the finger off, if that's the last resort, I'll do that, there's no way I'm missing this."

Oram, 28, has played 93 one-day internationals for the Black Caps, scored 1,382 runs and taken 100 wickets.

You know when your finger's not going straight it's bad news Jacob Oram

But he is unlikely to be fit for New Zealand's crucial opening match against fellow Test-playing nation England on 16 February.

"The plan is to get to the West Indies, whip off the protective strapping and assess the inflammation," added Oram.

Oram added that doctors have told him he will be more troubled by skied catches than balls coming straight at him.

Oram said the initial impact of the high chance at Wellington did not hurt and it was only when he looked down that he knew something was wrong.

"You know when your finger's not going straight it's bad news," said Oram.

"I thought the worst straight away - two weeks out from the World Cup and your finger's going at right angles."