Date-stamped : 28 Nov94 - 10:56 West Indies v Bombay (Ranji Trophy Champions) Kozikhode, 25, 26, 27 November 1994 ====> Day 1, 25 Nov 94 West Indies face misery in south India The West Indies tourists, unhappy with the pitch and the host town gripped by a strike, struggled to 176 in their first innings on a miserable day against India`s national champions, Bombay, on Friday. Andy Cummins gave them a little comfort, striking back with two wickets towards the end of the first day of the three-day match, leaving Bombay at 53 for two at the close. Attendance was sparse because of a general strike called by lo- cal communists in protest against the ransacking of their local offices. That was only one of the problems. West Indies manager David Holford complained about the wet ground in Calicut before the match started. ``Even though it`s not as bad as it was at Visakhapatnam, where we played one of our one-dayers (against India), I am not at all happy with the ground conditions,`` he said. ``In future, we will accept the tour itinerary only after our representative has come and seen all the arrangements and match venues a month or two in advance of the tour.`` Holford`s fears proved well grounded as Salil Ankola caught and bowled Phil Simmons with just 11 runs on the board. It got worse when medium pacer Abey Kuruvilla joined the at- tack and took the wickets of Brian Lara, Sherwin Campbell, Roland Holder and Carl Hooper within the space of 14 balls while conced- ing just 12 runs to reduce the visitors to 77 for five. Shivarine Chanderpaul steadied things with his best innings of the tour, making 56, but apart from Junior Murray (27) every- body else struggled. Cummins struck early, dismissing both Bombay openers with 16 runs on the board, but Jatin Paranja (20 not out) and Amol Mazum- dar (14 not out) were still there at the close. West Indies rested captain Courtney Walsh and Bombay were without star batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and Sanjay Manjrekar. Source :: Reuter Contributed by COLLinda (collinda@aol.com) ====> Day 2, 26 Nov 1994 Second day of West Indies` match cancelled Saturday`s second day of the three-day match between West Indies and India which started on Friday has been cancelled after oppo- sition communist parties called for a general strike. The strike was called after police shot dead at least five people in a student protest in the neighbouring Cannamore dis- trict. Source :: Reuter Contributed by COLLinda (collinda@aol.com) ====> Day 3, 27 Nov 94 The West Indies on Sunday called off their suspended match against national Ranji Trophy champions Bombay, a day after the second day`s play was suspended due to political violence. The West Indies officials said they feared for the lives of their players following battles between communists and police here and elsewhere in the southern state of Kerala on Friday and Saturday after police shot dead five leftists. Manager David Holford told Indian officials in a letter that his players "remain apprehen- sive after being forced to remain in the stadium for two hours" after the end of the first of three days` play here Friday. The West Indians were asked to stay back after violence erupted outside the hotel where the tourists were staying. The "events witnessed (later) by the players standing outside the hotel have done nothing to reassure us that the situation is normal," Hol- ford told the Kerala State Cricket Association, referring to the street violence. "As a professional team of sportsmen who take pride in their performance, the players in their understandable state of anxiety feel unable to give off their best in these cir- cumstances," he said. Indian officials said the West Indies were preparing to fly to Bombay to reach Nagpur city for their second test against India beginning December 1. The first test, at Bombay, was won by In- dia. The West Indies were shot out for 176 runs here on Friday, ruining a good opportunity for badly-needed batting practice ahead of the remaining two tests. Contributed by vasa (Vasanthan.Dasan@Central.Sun.COM) ====> Day 3, more West Indies call off match over strike - Subash Sham The West Indies on Sunday called off their disrupted three-day cricket match against Indian champions Bombay, saying a sometimes violent strike surrounding the venue made play unwise. ``We regret to inform you that we are in no mental state to resume the match on Sunday,`` tour manager David Holford told the local organisers in a letter. The organisers had previously called off play on the second day of the match on Saturday because of a state-wide strike led by communist students in the southern state of Kerala in which at least nine people have been reported killed. The first day of play on Friday, when the West Indies were bowled out for 176 and Bombay had scored 53 for two, was marred by the strike. ``The West Indies team remain apprehensive, particularly after being forced to remain in the stadium for about two hours at the end of play on Friday because of the disturbance in the neigh- bourhood of the team`s hotel,`` Holford wrote. ``The further cancellation of the second day`s play and events witnessed by the players standing outside the hotel have done nothing to reassure us that the situation is normal. ``As a professional team of sportsmen who take pride in their performance, the players, in their understandable state of anx- iety, feel unable to give of their best in these circumstances.`` Team sources said the West Indian decision appeared to have been made after Carl Hooper and Jimmy Adams wandered out of the hotel, encountered a violent mob and had to run back. Bombay manager Suru Nayak criticised the West Indian decision. abandoned on account of their refusal to play,`` he said. With the West Indies defeated 4-1 in the one-day series and one down with two test matches to play, this has not been a happy tour for Holford. He had said before leaving the West Indies that it would be a tough tour, with India`s slow wickets far from suiting the West Indian pace attack. But the team has also had to cope with a very tight travel schedule, baggage going astray, some poor hotels, a couple of worse pitches and now political violence. ``This is the worst tour I`ve had so far,`` he said. Source :: The Reuter Library Report Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu)