Rain ends prospect of intriguing finish

Australia 311 (Hussey 73, Watson 56, Roach 5-105) and 160 for 8 dec (Ponting 41, Roach 5-41) drew with West Indies 257 (Chanderpaul 94, Lyon 5-68) and 53 for 2

As it had threatened to do the weather had the final say in Port-of-Spain and end the prospect of a fascinating finish after both captains took up each other's challenge to force a positive result. Michael Clarke declared to leave West Indies a target of 215 in 61 overs then Darren Sammy promoted himself to No. 3 as the hosts reached 53 for 2 when they were forced off which meant Australia retained the Frank Worrell Trophy.

The initial asking rate for West Indies of 3.52 was considerably more than had been managed for a sustained period at any stage of the game. However, Sammy's attacking mindset put his team ahead of the rate as he took on Australia's bowlers, especially Ben Hilfenhaus who he hit for 14 off three deliveries.

Hilfenhaus, though, had also given Australia their opening with a strong new-ball spell. He trapped Kieran Powell lbw, after he had been promoted to open, with a delivery that swung back (for the second time in the game Powell made the wrong decision over a review) then removed Adrian Barath with one that climbed from a length and took the edge to first slip.

But from 13 for 2 Sammy responded with two early boundaries off Shane Watson to show his mind was not turning towards the draw although some of his earlier fielding settings had suggested otherwise. Darren Bravo, who could have provided an anchor to the innings, was content to play quietly alongside his captain before the clouds rolled in.

Smart stats Kemar Roach became the first West Indian since Curtly Ambrose and the fifth West Indian overall to pick up aten-wicket match haul against Australia. Ambrose had done so in Adelaide (1993) when West Indies won by one run. Roach also became the fourth West Indian and the 11th bowler overall to pick up a ten-wicket haul inTrinidad. The last West Indian to achieve the feat was Ambrose in 1994 when West Indies bowled England out for 46. It is also the 17th occasion that a West Indies bowler has had twin five-wicket hauls in a Test. Kenny Benjamin was the previous bowler to do in Nottingham in 1995. Roach's 5for 41 is fifth on the list of best bowling performances by a West Indian bowler against Australiain Trinidad. The best is Vanburn Holder's 6 for 28 in 1978. Australia declared their third innings on 160 for 8. It is only the third time that Australia have declared at a total below 200 with seven or more wickets lost. However, on the previous two occasions they won the match. There were ten leg-before dismissals in the match. It is the seventh time in a West Indian-Australia Test that there have been ten or more lbw dismissals. Australia's run-rate in the match (2.39) is the second-lowest for them in a Test against West Indies since 1990 (min 1000 balls bowled). The lowest (2.30) in the same period also came in Trinidad in 1991.

Australia had signalled their intent immediately after lunch when Michael Hussey lofted the first ball of the second session over long-off against Narsingh Deonarine then slog-swept another boundary to signal the intent. Sammy immediately set his field deep as Hussey and Matthew Wade started to play tip-and-run cricket.

Hussey dragged Kemar Roach into his stumps, as he tried to glide the ball to third man, and three balls later Hilfenhaus had his off stump pegged back as Roach became the first West Indies bowler since Curtly Ambrose in 1993 to take ten in a match against Australia.

The visitors had found progress hard going during the morning session and after losing Clarke and Ricky Ponting in quick succession had to guard against a more damaging collapse. Australia's first boundary did not come until the 10th over of the day when Ponting flicked Fidel Edwards to fine leg and two balls later Ponting hooked a well-directed bouncer straight to deep square-leg.

It was due reward for Edwards, who had toiled without luck during this match while Roach picked up the wickets, and meant Ponting did not covert his hard work. His 41 was more than he had made in his previous eight international innings combined but the mode of dismissal was likely to start more debate.

Two overs later West Indies' morning got even better thanks to spark of fielding brilliance from Sammy. Clarke pushed fractionally early at a delivery that may have stopped in the surface, sending the ball back down the pitch but fair distance to Sammy's right in his follow through. However, Sammy stuck out his hand and with the ball almost past him clung onto the catch before a nonchalant celebration.

It left the intriguing situation of Australia being 149 ahead with 82 overs left in match and also having an injured James Pattinson in the dressing room. Shillingford began his latest exacting spell of the match as he teased and tested Hussey and Wade. The ball beat the outside edge and took the inside edge but nothing quite went to hand for West Indies.

Shortly before Australia started to release some of the pressure as Wade pulled Sammy for a boundary and Hussey swept Shillingford and that was sign of things to come but in the end the efforts of both sides were futile.

Bangladesh tour hit by logistical issues

The proposed Bangladesh tour of Pakistan, while agreed to in principle by the two countries' boards, is being threatened by logistical problems stemming from a lack of coordination at the political level. The PCB has delayed sending its security plan to the ICC because issues between the federal government and the state government of Punjab. Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, urged the Pakistan government to play its role in moving quickly for the tour to fall into place, "for the sake of national interest."

Pakistan and Bangladesh, after reaching a consensus on the short tour, had informed the ICC earlier this week that they will play one ODI and one Twenty20 International at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The matches are scheduled for April 29 and 30.

Ashraf returned to Pakistan on Tuesday night after attending the ICC board meeting in Dubai, calling for an immediate press conference to announce the Bangladesh visit. He did not however elaborate on any substantial plan ahead for Pakistan to host a foreign team for the first time in three years. Every question about the uncertainty surrounding the Bangladesh tour was responded to with a confident reply that all matters would be sorted out in time.

Meanwhile, at a press conference at the National Cricket Academy, the Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, welcomed the Bangladesh tour but was himself not certain of the security arrangements in place. "Bangladesh are our brothers and I welcome them to come and play here in Pakistan," Sharif told reporters in Lahore. "But the federal [government] is not coordinating with us."

The PCB, whose headquarters are housed in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, wrote a letter to the chief secretary of the Punjab Government on April 16 regarding security arrangements and plans and was still awaiting a reply from the provincial government. "We had dispatched them the letter for the plan (on April 16) that they are yet to respond to, but we will send the plan to the ICC shortly," Ashraf said. "The ICC actually was asking us to hand them the plan during the [board] meeting but we didn't carry it. It's our mistake that it is delayed for some reason but it will be sorted out soon."

Ashraf said that ICC has already promised to send their officials and the security plan that was sought by the ICC was merely a formality. "ICC won't be sending any of its delegation to assess security. They sought the security plan which we will dispatch to them shortly but that isn't a big issue for ICC."

ESPNcricinfo understands, though, that the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, after receiving the plan from the PCB, may consider outsourcing a company for an independent security assessment of the measures in place for the short tour by Bangladesh.

The series broadcasters, Ten Sports, also had their qualms. "They earlier showed reservation about the series being very short," Ashraf said, "but we told them this is what we have planned and that they have to cover it."

The prospect of an end to Pakistan's three-year drought of international cricket, Ashraf said, counted as a big victory. "Cricket is a passion in Pakistan and convincing Bangladesh to tour is a victory for all of us," he said. "The tour will not only benefit the PCB. The whole economy of the country is linked, so it's about the country not about the federal and Punjab government. I think all should play their role for the one national interest."

The three-day tour, Ashraf said, "will break the ice" and he was also confident of the resumption of Indo-Pak cricket. "The breakthrough achieved during President Asif Ali Zardari's tour to India will also help in the revival of Indo-Pak cricket."

Ashraf said the situation had changed considerably since 2009. "I thank the ICC Board for the way they appreciated the revival of cricket and approved of it. The situation is not like it was in 2009. Since cricket was suspended in Pakistan our grounds were left deserted but things have improved and I hope more teams will come after the Bangladesh team's tour."

Roach gives West Indies a lift

Kemar Roach gave West Indies a timely boost with two quick wickets early in Australia's second innings as the visitors were made to sweat over extending their first-innings lead to 94. West Indies were dismissed in the opening over of the day and batting continued to be a tough task as David Warner and Shane Watson departed in quick succession.

Warner had made a brisk start to his innings with two boundaries off his pads and another through the covers before the run rate was hauled in by Fidel Edwards and Shane Shillingford, who like Michael Beer, had been given the new ball. That meant Roach had to wait for his opportunity but immediately made his mark.

Starting from round the wicket, a line that has troubled Australia's left-handers, he drew an edge from Warner which carried low to Darren Bravo at first slip. Then, three deliveries later, Roach beat Watson for pace with a ball that perhaps kept a fraction low and took out the off stump.

It meant another head-to-head between Roach and Ponting which the former won in the first innings. Ponting did not find life easy and could have been run out by Edwards from mid-off when he had given up the chance of making his ground only for the throw to miss and Carlton Baugh hadn't reached the stumps. A second chance was offered an over later when he lunged at Shillingford and an inside edge carried low to Adrian Barath at short leg who could not hold on.

Ed Cowan, who survived with Ponting until rain arrived, was also offered a life before he had scored and it was the simplest of the lot when he edged Edwards to Darren Sammy in the slips but it went to ground. Cowan was made to battle for his runs, his one release coming when he swept Shillingford for four but the offspinner caused him, and Ponting, plenty of problems.

Earlier, West Indies' first innings had lasted just four more deliveries when Baugh was lbw sweeping at Michael Beer although Australia had to use the DRS after the on-field decision had been not out. It gave Australia an advantage of 54 and they could yet be very grateful for that cushion.

Chanderpaul, Deonarine build momentum before rain

West Indies remained in contention on the third day in Port-of-Spain as Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Narsingh Deonarine gave their first-innings substance with the home side reaching 188 for 4 when rain arrived to bring an early tea. Darren Bravo was the only additional batsman to fall, against the surprise package of Michael Hussey, and Australia's attack did not dictate terms as had been expected.

When Bravo departed, West Indies were in significant trouble at 100 for 4 so Chanderpaul, who had been given a life on 8, and Deonarine initially concentrated solely on survival to the extent that Deonarine had 4 off 43 balls. They scored at barely a run-an-over during the first 15 overs of their partnership, but shortly before the lunch the momentum began to switch when Deonarine took consecutive boundaries off Nathan Lyon.

After the interval Chanderpaul, having reached fifty off 140 balls, took 16 off James Pattinson's first over of the session with the fast bowler struggling for control. The over included two no-balls and three off-side boundaries and Pattinson's post-lunch spell was ended after two overs as Michael Clarke returned to Shane Watson to exert some control.

Both batsmen continued to pick off boundaries - one whip through midwicket by Deonarine off Lyon stood out - and as Clarke rung the changes Deonarine also took a six off David Warner whose first ball had used up a review when Australia checked for an lbw. The momentum had shifted to the extent that the rain interruption probably favoured the visitors.

There had been a bizarre beginning to the day when play was delayed by 20 minutes due to a power failure at the ground which led the players leaving the field while the situation - including the availability of TV pictures and DRS - was discussed between the teams and officials.

When play began Lyon created an early opportunity when he found Chanderpaul's edge on 8, but it was a big deflection which made it tough for Matthew Wade to cling on while Clarke could not gather the rebound at slip either. Generally, however, West Indies were not overly troubled during the initial stages despite Lyon finding turn and Ben Hilfenhaus swing as they had done the previous evening. Chanderpaul drove a boundary off Hilfenhaus but the shots of the morning came from Bravo with a punch off the back foot and a rasping square drive.

Clarke, though, pulled off his latest piece of smart captaincy by the introduction of Hussey who ended Bravo's first Test innings on his homeground. With his frontline bowlers not providing an early breakthrough Clarke went through his box of tricks with by using Hussey, who has developed a golden-arm under Clarke's captaincy, and then Watson whose cutters were well suited to the conditions. Hussey, unsurprisingly given he is a part-time bowler, was less accurate than Watson but beat Bravo with late swing to trap him lbw and the batsman's use of the DRS was a waste.

West Indies had a nervous moment in the closing stages of the morning session when Deonarine was inches from being run out by Hussey from mid-on having been called through for a single. It was a matter of one frame between him being short and being safe and the narrow margin went in his favour.

No Champions Trophy after 2013

The 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, to be held in England, will be the last time the tournament is played as the ICC moves towards having one championship for each of the game's three formats from 2015. The tournament is part of the Future Tours Program in 2013 but does not appear after that, with the play-offs for the World Test Championship scheduled for June 2017.

"If you don't see it in the schedule, it means it is not planned for the future," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's chief executive, said at a press conference following the executive board meeting on Monday. "We have said for a while that we would like one championship event for each format. We are including the Test championship in there. We have the World Cup to have the champion for 50-overs cricket. So we are not planning to hold Champions Trophy in the future."

The World Test Championship was initially scheduled for 2013, but had to be postponed due to the ICC's commitments to its broadcaster and sponsors. The ICC's broadcast partner is ESPN STAR Sports*, with whom they have a contract till 2015. The ICC had initially hoped to convince all interested parties to switch the Champions Trophy, the ICC's second-biggest 50-over tournament, to play-offs between the top four Test teams as per the ICC Test rankings.

However, after the ICC's executive board meeting in October, 2011, it released a statement saying there would be significant commercial challenges in replacing the Champions Trophy without the support and consent of the ICC's broadcast partner. Changing the tournament's format from ODIs to Test play-offs would have required a substantial cut in the broadcast rights fee, which would have repercussions on the Members.

Inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998, the Champions Trophy was played every two years until 2009, switching to a round-robin format in 2002. Originally, all ten Full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) took part, together with (for the first four competitions) two Associate members. The 2013 event in England will feature the eight highest-ranked ODI teams calculated six months before the tournament.

Australia to chase 192 for victory

Lunch West Indies 449 for 9 dec and 148 (Hilfenhaus 4-27, Harris 3-31) lead Australia 406 for 9 dec by 191 runs

Australia will chase 192 to win the first Test in Barbados after they dismissed West Indies for 148 before lunch on the final day. Ben Hilfenhaus finished with four wickets and Ryan Harris ended up with three as the hosts added 77 to their overnight total for the loss of their last five wickets.

The last specialist batsman, Narsingh Deonarine, added only one run to his score and was the first to depart, lbw to Ryan Harris for 21. It was precisely the start the Australians needed if they were to give themselves time to chase down a target, and they had another perfect chance soon afterwards when Darren Sammy skied a chance to long-on.

Nathan Lyon put down the sitter to give Sammy a life on 12, and nobody was happier than Lyon when Sammy played on to Shane Watson for 14, accidentally kicking the ball on to his stumps as he tried to prevent it rolling back. Carlton Baugh chipped a catch to mid-on from the bowling of Hilfenhaus (4 for 27) for 23 and West Indies were in trouble at 116 for 8.

Fidel Edwards defended solidly for a while before he played a surprisingly rash stroke and skied a catch to mid off for 3 from 17 balls to give Peter Siddle his second wicket, and that brought the No.11 Devendra Bishoo to the crease. Bishoo defended calmly and together with Kemar Roach set about eating up time and adding some important runs to the total.

Their 23-run stand pushed the session beyond the scheduled lunch time but eventually ended when Roach was bowled by Harris for 25. That left the Australians with 192 to chase in two sessions and while the pitch had shown some variable bounce, they were firm favourites.

'It has been the toughest battle of my life' - Yuvraj

Yuvraj Singh is confident he will return to playing cricket for India but says he is neither in a hurry nor anxious to do so, and that cancer changed his approach to both life and the sport.

In his first media conference on returning to India after receiving treatment in the USA for a rare germ-cell cancer called mediastinal seminoma, Yuvraj said his chemotherapy cycles often left him "depressed" and in tears, but having cancer had taught him a lot. "Cancer may be the best thing to have happened to me and maybe I will realise this in the future," he said. "There were more bad days than good. I haven't played cricket for one year, and it has been the toughest battle of my life."

Yuvraj was speaking at his academy, the Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence, at a Pathways School outside Delhi, turning up bald following his hair loss due to chemotherapy. He was accompanied by his doctor, Nitesh Rohatgi, a senior medical oncologist. Yuvraj wore sunglasses indoors, not as a style statement, but to handle the extreme glare from camera lights. Over the course of what was nearly an hour-long conference, he spoke openly of his two months in the USA, when he avoided watching cricket on TV ("there was a little bit of frustration when I watched the team play") and found himself inspired by the practical approach of fellow chemotherapy patients. He discovered he now belonged to another larger group of people, a group he called "the cancer family".

When asked about his return to competitive cricket, Yuvraj said, "I don't know what I will come back and be able to do. Getting back on the field will be a big achievement for me. My body needs to recuperate, and to deal with all that pressure, and to play for India again will be a very big achievement for me. What happens after that, I don't know. As a sportsman you can only say, I'm going to work hard - one thing I always think about is that I want to put the cap with the India logo back on my head. I can't say what I will do when I come back, but I am sure I will come back to cricket."

He made it clear that he had no targets or ambitions related to cricket. "At the moment it is very important that I look after my health, eat the best diet, have the best surroundings. The focus will be on my health, and what the priorities are with regards to my health. Rather than being emotional and saying 'oh people want me back quickly'. I've gone through a very tough time, when I come back on the field I want it to be when I am absolutely fit, not to rush, even if it takes me an extra month. But I'm sure that I will return."

Yuvraj's treatment in the USA had involved working with Dr Lawrence Einhorn, the doctor who helped Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong recover from a form of cancer that had been considered terminal. A few years ago, Yuvraj had left Armstrong's book It's Not About The Bike half-finished. "Maybe I had to come back to it this way and finish the book," he said. "He also had a young mother who helped him through the illness, he also had close friends who helped him survive … To me, Lance is a real life hero; he is a great sportsman but his achievements in life are much greater."

The disease, Yuvraj said, had made him appreciate friends, family, health and happiness over fame, popularity, success or money. "My thoughts have changed … Ever since I have played for India, I would get up thinking, will I score runs today or won't I, will I field properly, will I take catches, what will X or Y say about me, what will the press say about me. For ten years, I got into the pressure getting up every day thinking that I wanted to prove them wrong. But now that is gone, it doesn't matter and I am content. I have my friends around; I have my family. Definitely, I want to play cricket but I am sure I will play it with less stress on my mind … Playing cricket after this, looks a lot easier."

The disease may have left his body, Yuvraj said, "but the scar has not gone," and he wanted to be involved in working with cancer patients. "I don't have any specific plans now, but in the coming time, I will definitely do something for people with cancer… now patients struggling with cancer are like a family to me. I can understand their pain and I feel more connected to anyone who is going through it."

Cancer "hit him very bad" and at the start Yuvraj had found it hard to believe he had it. "This illness, it was hard to believe that a person like me can go through this. First of all, I am an athlete, I run six hours a day and I am playing from morning to evening. How can I have any illness?"

Yuvraj's problems had begun with difficulties in breathing during India's successful run through the 2011 World Cup, during which he emerged as the player of the tournament. During the World Cup he found he could not breathe comfortably on his left side, had bouts of nausea and had coughed blood on a few occasions. Yuvraj said the delay in undergoing chemotherapy had risen due to the difficulty in diagnosing the cancer he was suffering from. Mediastinal seminoma is a rare tumour which forms less than 1% of cancers on the whole.

"For six months we had wondered is this cancer or is it not. It was tough to diagnose. Maybe I responded late by two months. It was hard to accept you have cancer. I was in denial most of the time, I was afraid. But once I knew what I need to do, what was the right thing to do about it, I went to the US straightaway for my treatment."

Yuvraj also had a message for others who have difficulty accepting their affliction. "Awareness is very important. I wanted to portray to everyone who had the same illness, that don't be afraid. I was also in denial, I was also afraid, if you have any issue, get it checked. I ignored the coughing which was not the right thing to do. The World Cup was coming, there was a lot of pressure on us to do well, so there were other issues … but get yourself checked. Fight it out, be strong. It's not easy, but if I can do it, they can do it."

In Indianapolis, Yuvraj said he had watched joggers go past his apartment window and wondered whether he would ever be able to run around again or return to his family and friends in India. He was home now, he said, "with a lot of happiness inside me, that I can now live like any normal man, that I am breathing normally, there is no stress."