No room for complacency - Sammy
Darren Sammy said it was important for his side to quickly switch from the 50 overs to Twenty20 mode, as they prepare for the first Digicel Twenty20 International against Australia on Tuesday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.
The West Indies captain said winning the two matches was a major goal, but the focus is also on building a team unit for the International Cricket Council's World T20 Championship in September in Sri Lanka.
"We just completed one of the best ODI series seen in the Caribbean for a while," he said.
"The matches were action-packed and gripping. Now we have to refocus and switch gears slightly. It is important we start well.
"These matches will give us a gauge as to where we are. The belief is there. It was clear during the last two weeks. We are getting stronger. We have good batting with guys in the middle and lower order who can clear the boundaries. We also have a good bowling attack, and as a team, we have bought into what is required."
The West Indies selectors have assembled a balanced team for the opening encounter, which is expected to be played in front of another capacity crowd of over 13,000 fans.
West Indies have called up batting all-rounders Dwayne Smith and Nkrumah Bonner, who can both bat at the top of the order; left-arm medium-fast bowler Krishmar Santokie; strike fast bowler Fidel Edwards; and left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin, who stunned England on his T20I debut last September at the Oval in London.
--GROS-ISLET, St Lucia
England rally as Graeme Swann checks Sri Lanka in first Test
Sri Lanka closed 209 runs ahead of England at 84-5 after an eventful second day of the first Test in Galle which saw 17 wickets fall.
They took their overnight 289-8 to 318, with Mahela Jayawardene last out for 180, as James Anderson claimed 5-72.
England then subsided against left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who took 6-74, and were all out for 193. Only Ian Bell, with a classy 52, passed 30.
Graeme Swann, wicketless in the first-innings, revived fortunes with 4-28.
Quite how England have even a glimmer of hope in this match is difficult to fathom following another inept batting display, which was horribly reminiscent of their deficiencies in the 3-0 whitewash against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year.
Mystical spin from Saeed Ajmal's box of tricks was a large factor in their downfall then, but to be perplexed by the round-arm of Herath, who relied almost entirely on mere changes of pace, will be particularly concerning to the England hierarchy.
The momentum created by Jayawardene's brilliance and England's profligacy in the field in the final session on day one continued when four boundaries resulted from the opening over of the day from Anderson to Chanaka Welegedara.
The England swing bowler became England's fifth highest wicket-taker as he bowled Welegedara with a slower ball, and completed his 12th five-wicket haul when he ended Jayawardene's imperious innings with one that took the edge.
That impetus remained with the home team, however, and left-armer Suranga Lakmal swung a fine delivery back in to trap Alastair Cook lbw in the second over.
Jonathan Trott, who clipped two of his first three deliveries confidently for four, missed a full toss from Herath and was easily stumped by Prasanna Jayawardene, before colliding in comical fashion with the wicketkeeper and collapsing on his back in the middle of the pitch.
England were reduced to 42-3 when Andrew Strauss, attempting to sweep, was lbw in Herath's next over. Though initially given not-out by Asaf Rauf, Sri Lanka's successful referral highlighted the error of judgement from both batsman and official.
Sri Lanka lost their first three wickets on Monday for even fewer before Jayawardene's masterclass, but the omens for something similar from England were not good, given Bell and Pietersen's recent fallibility against spin.
Bell, who launched Herath for an imperious straight six, lost Pietersen to the first ball he faced after lunch, driving loosely at Welegedara and bowled via inside edge through a gaping hole between bat and pad.
Matt Prior and Samit Patel misjudged the length and were trapped lbw on the crease by Herath, but Stuart Broad hit three fours and a six in four balls on his way to 28 to at least help England avoid the ignominy of the follow-on.
Bell completed his 29th Test fifty, scoring more in one innings than he had managed in all six in the series against Pakistan, and had begun to display his stylish repertoire of strokes when he succumbed to the one delivery from Herath that turned significantly, pitching on middle stump and hitting off.
It needed a last-wicket stand of 36 between Anderson and Monty Panesar to ensure the tourists scored more than Jayawardene, but the late fluency of the runs merely compounded the anguish of the earlier clatter of wickets.
The Sri Lanka captain was soon back at the crease after Broad and Swann each took a wicket in their opening over.
Even Jayawardene could not repeat the dominance he showed in the first innings, edging low to slip, leaving Sri Lanka 14-3. Remarkably, they had lost their first three wickets even more cheaply than first time around.
When Swann, in contrast to the forlorn figure of day one, found more turn to have Kumar Sangakkara caught in the gully for 14, Sri Lanka's lead was 166 with six wickets remaining.
The obdurate Thilan Samaraweera made an uncharacteristic charge down the wicket and was neatly stumped to give Swann a fourth wicket, but English optimism will be tempered by the knowledge that the mental state of their batsmen has to be examined again in the final innings.
Alan Shearer says Glenn Hoddle a realistic contender for England
Alan Shearer says Glenn Hoddle is a realistic contender for the England manager's job should Harry Redknapp not be appointed.
The former England boss said on Monday his "life would be incomplete" without a second opportunity as national boss.
Shearer was made England captain by Hoddle, scoring five goals during qualification for the 1998 World Cup and two in the tournament.
"His coaching was excellent and he had a decent record," Shearer said.
Shearer won 63 caps and scored 30 goals for England during a 10-year international career that ended when he retired after Euro 2000.
Hoddle managed England from 1996 to 1999, leading them into the World Cup in France in 1998.
England were knocked out in the second round by Argentina in the match which saw David Beckham sent off for kicking Diego Simeone.
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Despite the exit, the team were widely praised for their performance.
Asked if Hoddle was a realistic contender to succeed Fabio Capello, who quit in Feburary , Shearer told BBC Sport: "Why shouldn't he be? He was successful when he was England manager.
"On the pitch everyone liked him. He gave me the England captaincy so I thought he was fantastic!"
Hoddle resigned in 1999 after controversial comments about disabled people and has not coached since leaving Wolves in 2006.
Shearer said the nature of Hoddle's departure could be an issue for any return, but added: "I think there is only one man for the job: Harry.
"If he gets it, great. If he doesn't, then those questions [about Hoddle's resignation] we will ask after that."
While Redknapp remains the favourite to succeed Capello, West Brom boss Roy Hodgson has been linked with the role and England caretaker manager Stuart Pearce has said he would be happy to remain in charge for Euro 2012.
Andy Roddick beats Roger Federer at the Miami Masters
Roger Federer's 16-match winning streak came to an end when he was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-4 by Andy Roddick in the third round of the Miami Masters.
"I came out flat today," the Swiss said. "I was a bit tired, I guess."
World number one Novak Djokovic secured his place in round four with a 6-3 6-4 win over fellow Serbian Victor Troicki.
In the women's draw, top seed Victoria Azarenka progressed to the quarter-final stage by beating Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova 1-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-5.
Having lost the second set, Roddick survived three break points in the opening game of the decider and then broke Federer immediately.
It was only the American's third victory in 24 meetings against Federer and ended a losing sequence against top-three players stretching back to 2010.
That's maybe 30 matches for the season. I am just feeling like it's taken its toll a bit," said Federer, who has won tournaments in Rotterdam, Dubai and Indian Wells this year.
Djokovic needed only 85 minutes to secure victory but had to save seven break points on his way to the last 16.
The Serbian will meet Richard Gasquet for a place in the quarter-finals after the Frenchman's win over Albert Ramos.
Azarenka, who beat Brit Heather Watson in the previous round, edged a marathon match lasting two hours and 49 minutes.
The Belarusian's winning run, which now stretches to 26 games, looked in serious jeopardy after she lost the first set.
"I definitely wasn't thinking about the streak, that's for sure," Azarenka said.
"It felt like she closed her eyes and just went for everything and I couldn't really just open my eyes. I was just blinded a little."
Former world number one Serena Williams - five-time winner of this tournament - beat sixth seed Sam Stosur 7-5 6-3 to set up a quarter-final encounter with fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki, who saw off Yanina Wickmayer 7-6 (8-6) 6-0.
Second seed Maria Sharapova's 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory over Ekaterina Makarova secured a last-eight clash with Li Na , a 3-6 6-4 6-2 winner over Sabine Lasicki.
Marion Bartoli needed only 66 minutes to dispatch Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-2.
Pope Benedict calls for open society during Cuba visit
Pope Benedict XVI has urged Cubans to build an "open and renewed society", at the start of the first papal visit to the communist-run country in 14 years.
At a Mass in front of some 200,000 people in the eastern city of Santiago, he called for a "renewed society".
The Pontiff was welcomed by President Raul Castro who said the country enjoyed good relations with the Church.
His visit marks the 400th anniversary of Cuba's patron saint, the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre.
The icon - also known as the Mambisa Virgin - was found floating in a bay in 1612 by fishermen and was revered by Cuba's independence heroes.
'Dignity'
"Devotion to the Virgin Mambisa has sustained the faith and inspired the defence and promotion of all that gives dignity to the human condition and fundamental rights," the Pope said on his arrival in the country, where Roman Catholics now account for 10% of the population.
"I carry in my heart the just aspirations and legitimate desires of all Cubans, wherever they may be, their sufferings and their joys, their concerns and their noblest desires," he said.
He added that he was convinced that the country "at this moment of particular importance in its history" was "looking to the future" and "striving to renew and broaden its horizons".
President Castro was seated in the front row of the Mass in Cuba's second largest city as believers sang hymns and prayed in Santiago's Revolution Square.
The Pope appealed to the audience to reinvigorate their faith "that you may strive to build a renewed and open society, a better society, one more worthy of humanity".
Before the Mass, one man was arrested after shouting: "Down with communism". Others in the audience booed him for spoiling the atmosphere and shouted: "Cuba, Cuba, Cuba".
'Renew horizons'
Ahead of his visit, Pope Benedict had suggested Cuba's Marxist structure "no longer corresponds to reality" and called for the adoption of a "new model".
But on his arrival, he recognised Cuba's efforts to "renew and broaden its horizons".
In his speech at the airport, President Castro said socialist Cuba allowed full freedom of religion and enjoyed good relations with the Catholic Church.
He said Cuba shared the Pope's concerns over global poverty, inequality and environmental destruction.
And he stressed that Cuba was determined to defend its independence in the face of the US embargo.
Both leaders looked back to the visit by the late Pope John Paul II 14 years ago, which Pope Benedict said "was like a gentle breeze that gave new strength to the Church in Cuba".
Observers say relations between Church and state have warmed in Cuba in recent years.
Raul Castro has accepted the Church's mediation on issues such as political prisoners, recognising its position as the most influential organisation outside the communist government.
The Pope's visit is seen as an effort to further improve relations and increase the role of the church in Cuban society at a time of rapid change.
The Pope is expected to travel to Havana later for private talks with President Castro and will celebrate Mass in the capital's Revolution Square on Wednesday.
Church officials have said there is no time in his schedule to meet dissidents.
Opposition groups say dozens of dissidents were detained ahead of the visit, and others were prevented from attending the service in Santiago.
Pope Benedict's trip to Cuba follows a visit to Mexico, where he celebrated a huge open-air Mass at the Christ the King monument in the central city of Silao.
He urged the 500,000 Catholics gathered for the sermon to look to their faith in response to poverty and crime and to reject violence and revenge.
Jamaica: PNP AGAIN! Governing party thumps JLP in Local Gov’t Elections
THE ruling People’s National Party (PNP) demolished the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in yesterday’s Local Government Elections, taking 12 of the 13 parish councils, among them the prized Kingston and St Andrew Corporation in the capital city.
The governing party also won the Portmore Municipal Council and saw its candidate George Lee unseating the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP’s) Keith Hinds in the island’s only mayoral race.
The Trelawny Parish Council ended in a tie.
This was the second time in three months that the PNP was celebrating, having crushed the JLP 42-21 seats in parliamentary elections last December.
But yesterday’s poll was characterised by a low voter turnout of 34.5 per cent, according to the Electoral Office of Jamaica, a significant drop from the 53 per cent voter turnout in the December election.
The victory represented a reversal of fortunes for the PNP which won only three of the 13 councils in the 2007 Local Government polls.
In yesterday’s elections, the PNP took 149 of the 228 divisions. The JLP won 77, while two divisions went to independents — Lester Crooks (Riverside in Hanover) and Paul Patmore (Lorrimers in Trelawny).
Early yesterday afternoon, Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, in what appeared like a premature concession statement, expressed concern at the lack of voter interest in the elections, describing it as a threat to democracy.
“In a low voter turnout environment, the winning party only needs to use national resources to take care of the small portion of the electorate that votes for them and possibly placate the portion of the electorate that votes against them,” Holness said.
“This is the recipe for staying in power. However, without an engaged citizenry, oversight and accountability for government action are weak. Eventually governments stray from the best interest of all the people to focus on the interests of the party faithful.
“Government is therefore captured by political elite serving a voting minority. This is a threat to our democracy. I am concerned,” said Holness, who also recommended that the phenomenon of low voter turnout in elections be studied carefully.
Last night, at exactly 10 o’clock, a beaming Portia Simpson Miller, the prime minister and PNP president, told jubilant supporters at PNP headquarters on Old Hope Road in Kingston that local government is critical to the development of Jamaica and to ensure the delivery of services to communities.
“We have done it again,” she told the crowd, many of whom began celebrating a mere hour after the polls were closed yesterday and long before the Electoral Office of Jamaica had officially declared a victory for the governing party.
Not even the persistent raindrops could dampen the spirits of the supporters who immediately got into party mode as they awaited the address from the party leader.
“We are humbled by your support, and [I am] personally humbled by the support as I moved across the country working in the wee hours,” she added.
The opposition leader, she said, asked for a referendum and he got one on December 29 and another last night.
In an obvious reference to the JLP’s campaign slogan for the Local Government Elections, Simpson Miller said the people of Jamaica have “balanced the ting” by forming a union of local and central government.
“Now elections are behind us, the Government can settle down to face the challenges and they are many,” Simpson Miller said.
She wasted no time getting down to business as she introduced councillor for the Norman Gardens Division and vice-president of the party, Angela Brown Burke, as the next mayor of Kingston.
Simpson Miller also challenged the councillors to be accountable and responsible.
“There must be accountability, and they must operate in a responsible way,” she said.
Jamaica Observer
Three men slashed and killed in Barbados following domestic disputes
Three men were stabbed to death in less than 24 hours following separate domestic disputes incidents between Friday afternoon and the early hours of Saturday morning.
And, police are today questioning a woman and a man in connection with two of those incidents, and are looking for a third man in connection with the last incident.
Dead are Mr. Sylvan Trotman, 55, of Sanford, St. Philip, Mr. Macolm Husbands, 45, of 2nd Avenue, Welchman Hall, St. Thomas and Mr. James Jackman, 45, of Greenfields, The City.
The bloody period started on Friday afternoon when Mr. Trotman received multiple stab wounds on Friday around 4 p.m. following an altercation with a relative. He was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he later died. The relative, a man, is said to be in police custody.
By 9 p.m. police were called to the murder scene of Mr. Jackman who died following a domestic dispute with his female friend at his home. That woman is also now in police custody assisting with that investigation.
And, by 5 a.m. lawmen were looking at the body of Mr. Husbands whose throat was cut by an assailant after he opened the door of his home to see who threw a rock through his window. His female friend who was in the house at the time was also attacked. Their attacker fled the scene but has since been apprehended by police.
Investigations into the three murders are continuing.
Caribbean 360 News
Trinidad contravenes CARICOM treaty – PM
St Lucia Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves on Monday said insurance laws in Trinidad and Tobago contravene the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) treaty and allow the oil rich twin island republic to treat its nationals favourably following the collapse of Colonial life Insurance Company (CLICO) and subsidiary, British American Insurance Co. Ltd (BAICO).
Gonsalves told Parliament that his administration believes all policyholders affected by the collapse of the two companies should have been treated “in precisely the same manner in respect of CLICO-Trinidad”.
“This is not an issue of a negotiation. This is an issue of a juridical responsibility as we see it,” he said in response to a question from Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace.
“If I might just say this first of all, widely, a number of institutions have had investment policies, annuities with CLICO-Trinidad. The position of the law in Trinidad and Tobago is that only monies which are in the statutory fund can be paid out to policyholders ordinarily resident in Trinidad & Tobago,” Gonsalves said.
“We have taken the position that under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that law is contrary to the equal treatment provision of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and therefore has no validity.”
Gonsalves said that if Trinidad & Tobago “is treating its own citizens in a particular manner, they must treat everybody in the Community in like manner”.
Gonsalves said that even though there is “a deficiency of funds in the statutory fund in relation to the liabilities under the policies of CLICO-Trinidad & Tobago, there are other assets, either of CLICO-Trinidad but through its parent entity, CL Financial, in which resources from St Vincent and the other places went to purchase and we don’t have those assets.
“So our position is that we have to be treated in precisely the same manner in respect of CLICO-Trinidad,” he told legislators.
Gonsalves said that in the case of BAICO, “there is a slight difference because British American was a Bahamian company but all its back offices arrangements and trade were done in Trinidad and under the suzerainty, obviously, of CL Financing, a company in Trinidad & Tobago, where its body, mind and soul was resident.
“So that there is a case for the contribution from British American but not to the same extent as there is in respect of CLICO Trinidad,” he added.
- CMC
Human rights in Cuba deteriorate, warns Amnesty
Cuba has intensified its harassment of dissidents and human rights activists, according to Amnesty International.
The campaign group's report says the number of people intimidated and taken into custody has risen sharply over the past two years.
It says there were 2,784 cases of human rights abuses between January and September 2011, which is 710 more than in the whole of the previous year.
The criticism comes as Pope Benedict XVI's prepares to visit Cuba next week.
The Cuban government has not responded, but the Communist Party newspaper Granma claimed on Wednesday that dissidents are trying to stir up trouble to put pressure on the Pope to comment.
'Prisoners of conscience'
Amnesty has also put four Cubans on its list of "prisoners of conscience", defined as people who have been jailed because of their "political, religious or other conscientiously held beliefs".
The four include Antonio Michel Lima Cruz and his brother Marcos Maiquel Lima Cruz, who founded online newspaper Cardogna.
Their paper was closed down in 2009 and they were convicted of "insulting symbols of their homeland".
Also highlighted are the cases of activists Yasmin Conyedo Riveron and her husband Yusmani Rafael Alvarez Esmori, detained for using "violence or intimidation" against a state official.
Only last year Cuba released the last of 75 activists it had jailed in 2003, but Amnesty said government critics, journalists and bloggers are being repeatedly held for short periods and denied access to lawyers and their families.
At the weekend more than 60 members of the Ladies in White pressure group were detained temporarily when they tried to go to mass at a Catholic church, a regular fixture for the organisation.
CaixaBank becomes Spain's biggest bank by assets
Spain's biggest bank in terms of assets has been created after CaixaBank bought Banca Civica for 977m euros ($1.3bn, £817m).
The government has amended laws to encourage mergers between banks, many of which collapsed following the bursting of the property bubble.
Banca Civica itself was formed by combining four troubled "cajas", or regional savings banks.
The merged bank will have 14 million customers.
CaixaBank will have 342bn euros in combined assets, deposits of 179bn euros and loans totalling 231bn euros, the bank said.
The CaixaBank deal will be completed by the third quarter and will generate cost savings and other benefits of 540m euros by 2014.
'Restructuring'
Following the merger, CaixaBank will be the market leader in the regions of Catalonia, Andalusia, Navarra, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.
The Barcelona-based bank La Caixa, which has a majority stake in CaixaBank, will retain 61%.
"The merger will help to consolidate the restructuring of the Spanish banking sector, by creating a leading bank in the Spanish financial system with an extensive regional presence, which will help support the country's economic development," the bank said.
The Bank of Spain on Tuesday confirmed that the Spanish economy returned to recession.
It contracted again in the first quarter of 2012, the central bank said, after shrinking 0.3% in the three months to December.
On Friday, the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will announce its 2012 budget, which must set out how Spain will cut the public deficit to 5.3% of its output this year from 8.51% last year.
Many are unhappy with the deep austerity cuts enacted so far, and unions have called a national strike for Thursday to protest against labour reforms that make it cheaper to sack workers.
The country's jobless rate is 23%, the highest in Europe, and the Spanish economy is expected to contract by 1% this year.
But the European Commission has warned that if its government brought in further budget cuts to meet its targets, the economy would contract by more than that.