COLOMBO: Knives were out for the Sri Lankan cricketers after their inglorious exit from the World Cup with a newspaper report saying that the government had given fresh instructions to check the tax returns of the superstars.

The weekend Sunday Times reported this and said ``no one knows exactly where the orders come from, but everything appears to be related to the cool captain's (Arjuna Ranatunga) fall from grace at the highest level.''

The Sunday Times carried a large picture of an angry Sanath Jayasuriya passing through a row of policemen at the airport with a caption ``Zero welcome for hero''.

`Azhar should go'

LONDON: Former India skipper Ravi Shastri has advocated that Mohammed Azharuddin be replaced as captain by Ajay Jadeja, saying ``Azhar has had his time''.

Shastri said India's premature exit from the World Cup would bring fresh pressure on Azharuddin's captaincy and that Jadeja ``is sharp, a good communicator and has the support of theplayers,'' writing in The Times. ``I think Azhar has had his time. He is fit and can still contribute with the bat, but there is a need for fresh ideas. Jadeja should be encouraged. He led the team well in Sharjah, when Azhar was unavailable,'' he said.

Sachin Tendulkar ``is not too keen to take the job back at the moment, but his time will come again,'' Shastri said.