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Celtic star is David Turnbull close to making return to training, The Scotsman’s Andrew Smith reports.

The Lowdown: Turnbull and Furuhashi’s absence

Ange Postecoglou has been without both Turnbull and Kyogo Furuhashi since the winter break due to respective hamstring issues.

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The Hoops have coped extremely well without their most creative and prolific players, though, dropping just two points from a possible 30 in the Premiership.

They have established a three-point lead over Rangers, with journalist Mark Guidi believing Furuhashi could be back for the trip to Ibrox at the beginning of April. Even more positive injury news has now emerged regarding Turnbull, who could actually make a return before his attacking teammate.

The Latest: Nearing return

Smith relayed comments from Postecoglou in a story for The Scotsman on Thursday afternoon.

The manager revealed that Turnbull, all being well, will train with the team next week after the game with Dundee United and refused to rule the Scot out of the clash with Ross County next Saturday.

The Verdict: Huge news

Turnbull, labelled as ‘phenomenal’ by Alan Hutton, has created a whopping 99 chances in 28 games this season, 50 more than any other Celtic player.

So, having him back fit before the month is out would be a major boost as the Hoops enter the crunch stage of the season.

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You’d expect the attacking midfielder will be around for the Glasgow Derby at the beginning of April, and possibly before going off Postecoglou’s update.

In other news: ‘For Celtic…’ – BBC Radio 5 Live man reacts to ‘great’ news he’s now hearing from Parkhead. 

Jamaica 107 for 4 (Nash 56*) trail Trinidad & Tobago 121 (Miller 5-29) by 14 runs
ScorecardNikita Miller put Jamaica in the box seat on the first day of the Carib Beer Challenge final against Trinidad & Tobago at Sabina Park. Miller took a career-best 5 for 29 as T&T, put in to bat, were bowled out for 121. Jamaica were 107 for 4 when bad light brought an early close.It could have been worse for T&T who at one stage were 69 for 7 before a rearguard led by Dave Mohammed. None of their top order got to grips with the variable pace and bounce from the pitch and were guilty of gifting their wickets with reckless strokes.Jerome Taylor started the slide when he bowled Adrian Barath for 9 and then Darren Bravo, the brother of Dwayne, was caught at midwicket for 12. Lendl Simmons was caught at short leg off Miller for 0, and Daren Ganga was run out for 18 after indecision between him and Kieron Pollard. Three wickets fell for four runs in 17 balls to leave T&T 43 for 4.Pollard followed soon after lunch and T&T’s problems grew when Denesh Ramdin was forced to retire hurt after Powell struck him on the left cheek. Miller then held a return catch from Richard Kelly and Ravi Rampaul caught at silly point for 0. Mohammed helped steer the score past the hundred but it was woefully below par.Jamaica had their own problems as they slipped to 29 for 3, the rot starting with the run-out of Danza Hyatt in the second over. Marlon Samuels miscued a hook to mid-on and then Wavell Hinds fended a lifter from Mervyn Dillon to gully.But Brendan Nash, who finished on 56, and opener Brenton Parchment added 65 for the fourth wicket to put Jamaica in charge by the end of the day, even though they lost Parchment, caught at short leg for 34 playing defensively forward to a well-flighted delivery, shortly before the close.

ScorecardAt last a cricket match takes place in Worcester. But that was as much as Worcestershire had to celebrate as they sank easily against the might of Sri Lanka A, who eased to a seven-wicket win with 88 balls to spare.This is the second win in two since Sri Lanka A’s tour began earlier this week with victory against MCC. It was similarly comfortable this time, at Worcester Royal Grammar School, after the home side limped to 176. Ray Price was the topscoreer with 49, before he succumbed to Akalanka Ganega, one of three victims.The bowler combined well with Ishara Amerasinghe, who also took three, to blow away the top order. At one stage Worcestershire were hanging by a thread at 26 for 5.Sri Lanka A lost three wickets in reply, with Dilruwan Perera topscoring with 74 and Jehan Mubarak contributing 48 not out.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Mahela Jayawardene helped himself to an unbeaten 224 © AFP

Twin double-centuries from Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene left Sri Lanka in control of the first Test against South Africa as they ended the second day on 485 for 2, thanks to a record unbeaten 471-run partnership for the third wicket. Their lead was 316 and with the pitch already taking turn, South Africa have a massive job on their hands if they are to stave off defeat.The ease at the crease and grace of strokemaking of both batsmen made viewing a pleasure even as the runs came at a fast clip. Neither batsman looked to hit the ball hard, and after a watchful period in the start of the day they settled into a comfortable groove and picked off runs at will. And as the runs came the records tumbled. This partnership is now the second best in the history of Tests, only Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama with 576 against India are ahead of this pair. This partnership is also the best ever for the third wicket beating the 467 that Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe added against Sri Lanka.To be fair to the South Africans the pitch was slow and the bounce was evenly on the low side. Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn ran in with enthusiasm, but even when they banged the ball in short of a length it barely rose past stump height. This meant that both Sangakkara and Jayawardene only had to pick the line early and they could then play whatever shot they wanted without fear of extra bounce beating the bat.The Sangakkara-Jayawardene association was only Sri Lanka’s fourth 300-plus partnership in Tests, and South Africa could do nothing to stop the march towards a big score that Sangakkara and Jayawardene were on. There were shades of that famous Test against India at the Premadasa Stadium in 1997 where Sri Lanka put on a massive 952 for 6 declared. Of course, they will not go that far in this Test, but it might feel just as terrible for South Africa’s bowlers.Sangakkara, who was dropped on 28 by Jacques Rudolph at gully received another reprieve, from the same gentleman, on 99. Dancing down the wicket to Nicky Boje, Sangakkara lofted to long-on without quite being to the pitch of the ball but Rudolph, running around, could not hold onto the catch.

Kumar Sangakkara brought up his fourth Test double hundred © AFP

But that was the only moment where either batsman’s wicket was threatened. It was an otherwise blemishless performance. Sangakkara, who began the day on 59, and Jayawardene, who had 55 on the first day, spent the early overs reacquainting themselves with the conditions, but once that was done the runs flowed freely. Both batsmen timed the ball well, playing late and easing the ball into the gaps with consummate ease. Sangakkara was the quicker of the two, and raced along to 100 off only 116 balls.When Mark Benson and Billy Bowden, the two umpires, took the players off at the end of the day it was almost an act of mercy. Sri Lanka had not lost a wicket all day, and reached 485, a lead of 316. Sangakkara (229 not out) and Jayawardene (224 not out) matched each other, run for run, stroke for stroke, and the two old friends appeared to be enjoying every moment of their stay at the crease. “When you’re in you have to make the most of it,” a tired Jayawardene said in a snap interview immediately after the day’s play. And what’s Sangakkara’s secret? “I just like batting,” he said, smile plastered across his face.Already Ashwell Prince, South Africa’s stand-in captain, has a massive task on his hands. Facing Muralitharan in the second innings is going to be a tough ask. Sri Lanka have plenty of time on their hands, and it is in their interests to bat on. After all, with some wear and tear already on the pitch, the ball is turning sharply from the rough. And it’s hard to see any of the South African batsmen matching either of the two Sri Lankans on display today.

Sanath Jayasuriya: the complete one-day cricketer © Getty Images

Sanath Jayasuriya, close on Sourav Ganguly’s heels, has become the fourth batsman to amass 10,000 runs in one-day cricket. Had a dislocated shoulder not forced him out of the fourth match of the Indian Oil Cup when Ganguly (10,020 runs) scored his 10,000th run, we might have been witness to the unique event of two great contemporary batsmen reaching the 10,000 run milestone in the same match.Jayasuriya, nicknamed the Matara Marauder for his ruthless hitting, may not bat with the elegance and class of a Sachin Tendulkar (13,642 runs) or an Inzamam-ul-Haq (10,933 runs), the other two batsmen to have achieved the milestone, but in terms of sheer effectiveness in one-day cricket, Jayasuriya has few peers.After making his ODI debut in 1989, Jayasuriya’s career seemed to be going nowhere for many years. He managed just 1669 runs in 87 innings at a measly average of 19.64 up to 1996. We were given a warning of what was to come in the Benson & Hedges World Series in Australia in 1995-96, when Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana changed the way the first 15 overs of an ODI are played with their frenzied hitting. Jayasuriya could not have chosen a more fitting stage than the World Cup in 1996 to announce his arrival. Adjudged Man of the Tournament, Jayasuriya put bowling attacks to the sword and raised the bar from 250 being a winning score to 280 being a defendable one. Since 1996 he has been rampant in his run-making with 8331 runs in 241 innings at 36.65. It was this accelerated scoring that gave added importance to the batsman’s strike rate. Jayasuriya’s is very impressive at 88.54.An argument about one-day cricket’s best batsmen may not include Jayasuriya. But not many will find reason to omit him from the list of one-day cricket’s most valuable players. Leave aside that mammoth total of 10,000 runs. Jayasuriya also has a commendable haul of 267 ODI wickets. A ranking of fourth in the list of highest run-scorers in ODIs and 12th among highest wicket-takers, Jayasuriya, one would argue, is easily one the game’s most valuable gems.Allrounders with more than 3000 runs and at least 150 wickets

Player	Matches	ODI runs	ODI wickets
Sanath Jayasuriya	337	10000	267
Jacques Kallis	215	7675	194
Steve Waugh	325	7569	195
Carl Hooper	227	5762	193
Chris Cairns	204	4767	193
Shahid Afridi	208	4659	171
Chris Harris	250	4379	203
Abdur Razzaq	193	3843	220
Kapil Dev	225	3782	253
Wasim Akram	356	3717	502
Imran Khan	175	3709	182
Lance Klusner	171	3576	192

(Includes data up to Jayasuriya’s 10,000th run)

The ICC has stated that it is open to the idea of having a two-tier format for Tests. Reacting to Sourav Ganguly’s suggestion that all Test teams be grouped into two levels, Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, said in a chat with BBC Hindi: “The ICC is considering suggestions like that of Ganguly’s with an open mind. We have received many suggestions like these. A decision on having a two-tier Test format can be taken by June next year.”Mani clarified that the ICC was currently in the process of studying various aspects of the game. “The ICC is having a strategic review of international cricket these days where we will definitely review and analyse all these things. We are trying to find out a better way of running cricket competitions in the world. We shall probably make a decision on this by June 2005 when the final document should be ready. You should understand that this would have far-reaching implications.”The ICC had earlier indicated that it was hoping to offer full membership to six more countries in the medium-term, prompting Ganguly to suggest that a two-tier system was the only way to preserve the standards of Test cricket. The clamour for the new format has also gained ground after Zimbabwe’s second string was thrashed in the Tests and the one-dayers by Sri Lanka. Australia are already in Zimbabwe for a series that many fear will be the most one-sided in the history of Test cricket.

“Taj President. Call me anytime”, came the text message, minutes after I asked Hemang Badani if we could have a word before the Ranji Trophy Final. With the big game starting only on May 4, Badani could have been at his Chennai home, putting his feet up, playing with his 10-month-old son Hrishit and enjoying a lazy May-day lunch. Instead, he was in Mumbai, impatient for the game to begin.You would expect Badani to be keen. The Wankhede Stadium has done more for him than for most Mumbai cricketers. It was here in 2000 that Badani first exhibited his hunger, and ability, to bat at the highest level. In a tense match that Tamil Nadu eventually lost, Badani drove, threaded and whipped his way to a career-best 162 in the Ranji Trophy semi-final. His captain, Robin Singh, made 183 and Tamil Nadu threatened to walk away with the game. Threats, however, don’t work when Sachin Tendulkar is around. Tendulkar played with passion and verve to carve out 233, and Tamil Nadu were beaten – by one man.This time around, though, there’s no Tendulkar to worry about – he’s away getting medical attention in America.”Even the last time,” says Badani, “we were so close to winning. It was always touch and go, even with Sachin [Tendulkar] batting so well. He stole the game away from us, but we did ourselves no favours with our fielding. He was dropped in the slips – a sitter – when he was just 34 and we also missed a few run-out chances late in the innings.””Even after all that, we were never too far away from winning. You know as well as I do that a few decisions went against us,” adds Badani with a rueful chuckle. Perhaps he is speaking of the time S Mahesh had Santosh Saxena trapped plumb in front, only to be denied by the umpire, when Mumbai still needed a run to take the all-important first-innings lead.But despite Tendulkar’s absence, there’s still plenty for this Tamil Nadu team to mull over. The brisk medium-pace of Ajit Agarkar and Avishkar Salvi, on a wicket that has been relaid recently, could ask a few questions of Badani and his team.”I’ve played with Ajit [Agarkar] since the Under-16 level and I know his game really well,” said Badani. “We first toured England together as teenagers for Star Cricket Club and we go back a long way. Salvi is another one to watch out for, with his height and the bounce he generates.””They’ll prepare a wicket that has something in it for the mediumpacers. Their best spinner is Sairaj [Bahutule] and he’ll be wondering how to bowl to all the left-handers in our side. So you would have to say that Agarkar and Salvi are the biggest threats. But we’re not scared, or worried about them,” a confident Badani says.You have to believe Badani when he says so. Despite being out of the Indian team in recent months, he has been discussed at every selection meeting. “The frustrating part about playing for India and then being dropped is the fact that you know you can perform at that level, and you still have to sit out. Whatever anyone might say, there’s a huge gap between playing domestic cricket and playing at the international level. You can make all the runs you want in domestic games but only when you make them at the highest level do you really know that you have it in you,” says Badani.Tendulkar certainly thought Badani had it in him. It was after that memorable 1999 Ranji semi-final that he marked Badani out for higher honours. “Sachin spoke to me after the game and told me one thing. You have a fantastic downswing and follow-through, he said. Whether you’re going through a bad patch or not, never change that. This will make all the difference at the highest level.”Badani will walk out to the middle on the fourth of May with those words in mind. “It could be a very big match for me. I feel this could be the best thing that happened to me – something that needed to happen. If I can make a hundred, and help Tamil Nadu win … ” he trails off. He doesn’t have to say more. You know what he means: this match could be the one that propels him back into the Indian team.

Graeme Hick’s 200 not out against Durham at Chester-le-Street saw him become the first batsman to score Championship centuries home and away against all other 17 first-class counties.He also equalled the highest score made at the six-year-old Riverside ground, Darryl Cullinan having made 200 not out for South Africa against Durham in 1998.The 117th century of his career also took Hick level with Don Bradman as he held the Worcestershire innings together before declaring at 356 for nine, 13 behind.Play began half an hour late and a further 17 overs were lost with Durham on 69 for two in their second innings. They returned at 5.30 for nine overs and finished on 99 for two with Martin Love on 45.Hick saw two partners run out when he was on 99 and was then almost out himself as he edged Nicky Hatch via the oustretched fingertips of Love, the only slip, for the two runs which took him to 101 off 157 balls.Matt Rawnsley survived 23 overs and contributed 17 to a ninth-wicket stand of 99 before he was also run out.Hick drove his only six off Graeme Bridge to reach 200 off 238 balls. He also hit 26 fours, many of them pulled disdainfully through mid-wicket and his fourth 50 came off only 23 deliveries.On 68 overnight, his only real mistake came on 88 when he miscued a drive off Bridge and Jimmy Daley ran back 15 yards from mid-off to get under the ball, only to let it slip through his hands.Gary Pratt was responsible for two of the run-outs, but with Danny Law suffering from a sore toe the already depleted Durham attack posed few problems for Hick on a flat pitch.

Pundit Alex McLeish has been reacting to rumours linking Scott Brown with a return to Celtic in a coaching role, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Brown news

Brown officially parted ways with Aberdeen earlier in the week, less than a year into his player-coach deal at Pittodrie.

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It didn’t take long for news to surface over a possible Parkhead return, with The Scottish Sun claiming the Hoops would be willing to create a coaching pathway for their former captain.

There could be a role in the senior academy and B-team for Brown, while Celtic are also on the lookout for a new coach for their Under-18 side.

The Latest: McLeish reacts

McLeish, who contributes for BBC Radio 5 Live, was asked by Football Insider for his thoughts on the links regarding Brown.

This is what he had to say in reply, labelling it as a ‘great idea’ by the Hoops.

“If he feels the urge to hang up his boots, then it kind of smacks of common sense, Celtic giving him an opening.

“I think his desire is to become a coach and possibly a manager in the future. First, Scott has to retire.

“For Celtic, I’m sure it’s a great idea to bring one of the legends back to the club in a coaching capacity. If they’ve got the space, then why not?”

The Verdict: Hoops need to act fast

If Celtic want to bring Brown back to Glasgow, they may have to act fast, with Leicester City and former Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers already offering him a quick return to coaching in the Midlands.

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Ange Postecoglou seemed open to the idea of the 36-year-old returning to Lennoxtown when talking on Thursday, however, it doesn’t look like Brown will be short of options. It could be one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks, as Brown looks “to focus on his coaching development”.

In other news: ‘Seems that’ – Journo now drops more Parkhead exit news on ‘horrendous’ Celtic ‘waste of money’. 

	David Morgan, Ray Mali, Sharad Pawar and Malcolm Speed at the 2007 annual conference at Lord’s © ICC

The ICC annual conference will be held in Dubai this June, ending a 99-year association with Lord’s.Cricinfo has learned that the decision to abandon London as the host venue was taken by the majority of the ICC executive board at the opening of the IPL in Bangalore last week after claims by Peter Chingoka that attempts by him to obtain a visa to enter the UK had been blocked.Although there was no formal meeting held in Bangalore, only two or three board heads were absent, and when Chingoka flagged that he had not been successful in obtaining a visa, it was agreed to switch the get together to the ICC headquarters. A formal announcement is expected in the next few days.A spokesman for the MCC, who host all events at Lord’s, told Cricinfo the club was aware of the decision.The annual ICC conference has been held at Lord’s since the first meeting in 1909. The decision to relocate this year casts a shadow over plans to centre the ICC’s centenary celebrations on Lord’s, and unless Chingoka is allowed into the country – and given the hardening of the line against anyone associated with Zanu-PF, that seems unlikely – then the loss of the conference could be the first in a chain of events moved from the UK.The ICC’s centenary celebrations next year are due to be centred on Lord’s, and there is also scheduled to be a bilateral tour by Zimbabwe followed by the ICC World Twenty20.