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BRISBANE, Nov 3 AAP – England insisted there was nothing to read into its bumbling display against Queensland today as the tourists prepared for a shot at the world champion Australians at the Gabba on Thursday.England dropped six catches on the second day of the three-day tour match against Queensland as Martin Love (250) drove the Bulls to a first innings total of 582 at Allan Border Field.But the tourists were smiling at stumps after Michael Vaughan (49 not out) and Marcus Trescothick (46) reeled off a slick century stand to take England to 1-106 with one day remaining.Both openers were impressive but that did nothing to wipe away the question marks hanging over the Test bowling attack, which toiled for 158 overs against a Queensland team missing Australian opener Matthew Hayden.The wicket was flat and the outfield relatively small but the tourists had themselves to blame after dropping Love on 124, 166, 170 and 180.Some of the catches were difficult but England must take similar chances if it is to support its bowlers against Australia.Assistant coach Graham Dilley agreed with captain Nasser Hussain’s assessment that England’s attack lacked potency on flat wickets.That is an uncomfortable admission against an Australian team possessing one of the most dangerous attacks ever assembled in Test cricket, regardless of the conditions.”You can this series the problem is going to be how we get 20 wickets against the Test side on flat pitches,” Dilley said.”Although it’s not the way we would choose to have done it, it’s good that we’ve had a long bowl before the first Test.”It’s a very flat pitch – I’ve not seen a flatter pitch anywhere.”But we’ve got to take all the chances we get. You can’t afford to give the great players of Australia more than one chance.”Love rode his luck as he posted his fifth career double century and the lower order batsmen joined in, with Ashley Noffke (30) and Nathan Hauritz (31) both hitting sixes.Noffke was caught on the eastern bank by a spectator who showed England how it was done, putting down his meat pie, taking the catch and then saluting the crowd.Love hit one six and 27 fours in his 542-minute stay, which was outstanding despite the dropped catches.”It must have looked like I was trying to get out but that’s how it goes. When you’re having some luck, that’s what happens,” Love said.”But the bowling today was probably better than yesterday and the wicket quickened up.”(Andrew) Caddick bowled the best line and length of the quicks and (Ashley) Giles turned it a bit today.”Caddick (2-89 from 31 overs) and Giles (3-124 from 40) were the busiest bowlers while Simon Jones (1-96), Matthew Hoggard (1-112) and Andrew Flintoff (2-112) will appreciate any assistance in the Gabba wicket this week.But the tourists showed they could also score runs as Vaughan and Trescothick shone in the final session.Both batsmen drove strongly while also playing some excellent shots square of the wicket in a clear sign they can challenge the Australian quicks.

The preferred 20 players who have been offered contracts by New Zealand Cricket have been named today with no significant surprises.The contracting process is an innovation that has grown out of the players’ association seeking a change in the administration of player salaries.Selection of the players concerned is made by New Zealand Cricket’s selection panel of Sir Richard Hadlee, Denis Aberhart, Ross Dykes and Brian McKechnie.NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said the Australian model had been applied to the New Zealand process, and the decision of who should receive the contracts was based on performances in the 12 months preceding June 1, an assessment of a player’s likely value to NZC or to that player’s Major Association in the following 12 months.It is intended to adopt the points system which has been used in Australian cricket for the last five years. The following is a brief explanation of that points system, as it will apply in NZ.Snedden commented: “The NZC selectors will rank the top 25 cricketers in NZ for the purposes of one-day cricket.”The top-ranked player will receive 25 points, the second ranked player will receive 24 points, and so on down to the 25th ranked player who will receive 1 point.”The NZC selectors, again using the criteria specified above, will then rank the top 25 players for Test cricket purposes.”Again, to begin with, the top ranked Test player will receive 25 points, the second ranked player will receive 24 points, and so on down to the 25th ranked Test player who will receive 1 point.”As it done in Australia, the Test-ranked players will then receive extra weighting. The points received by the Test-ranked players will be multiplied by 1.25.”Once the above exercises have been completed, the selectors will simply merge the two lists together and the top 20 players will be ranked on the basis of their individual combined points score and those will be the 20 players offered contracts by NZC.”The same process will be followed at domestic level (to a limit of 18 players) with the result that the top 11 ranked players will be offered contracts by their respective MA.”The rankings will not be divulged at the request of the players. This is despite the fact the Australian Cricket Board announced the fast-medium bowler Glenn McGrath, Steve Waugh, Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting were their top-ranked players.One of the surprises in the New Zealand list is the awarding of a contract to one-day specialist Paul Hitchcock. He clearly has the weight of expectation on his shoulders having played only one first-class game in his career, and making his international debut on the tour of the West Indies.The players named are:Andre Adams:Tests: 1. 18 runs @ 9.00. Highest score 11. 6 wickets @ 17.50. Best bowling 3-44.
ODIs: 16. 205 runs @ 22.77 (Strike rate 99.51). 18 wickets @ 34.05. BB 3-13 (Economy rate 4.93).Clearly, a player of whom much is expected in limited overs cricket especially. A hard-hitting all-rounder, he bowls at a good pace and appeals for his combative nature.Nathan Astle:Tests: 55. 3365 runs @ 38.67. HS 222. 35 wkts @ 48.11. BB 2-22.
ODIs: 162. 5204 runs @ 34.46. HS 122* (SR 72.49). 91 wkts @3 6.47. BB 4-43 (Econ 4.64).Verging on a world-ranked batsman in both forms of the game, Astle has developed a fine home record, and started to make significant progress on last year’s tour of Australia. Is a key hope at the World Cup but has to start scoring runs at crucial times overseas.Shane Bond:Tests: 6. 40 runs @ 10.00. HS 17. 26 wkts @ 25.19. BB 5-78.
ODIs: 15. 86 runs @ 17.20. HS 26 (SR 85.14). 29 wkts @ 19.68. BB 5-25 (Econ 4.66).No surprises that Bond is named, and nor would it surprise that he is in the top-ranked slot because he offers genuine speed, something that New Zealand has all too rarely been able to utilise. Faces a big summer against the daunting Indian attack, and then performing in the rarified air of South Africa at the World Cup.Ian Butler:Tests: 4. 50 runs @ 10.00. HS 26. 14 wkts @ 32.50. BB 4-60.
ODIs: 9. 6 runs @ 3.00. HS 3 (SR 20.68). 6 wkts @ 54.6. BB 2-32 (Econ 5.80).It has been quite a phenomenal 12 months for Butler and he now faces a genuine test to build on his exposure to international cricket and to give Bond the sort of support he deserves.Chris Cairns:Tests: 55. 2853 runs @ 32.79. HS 126. 197 wkts @ 28.80. BB 7-27.
ODIs: 151. 3614 runs @ 29.14. HS 115 (SR 81.54) 154 wkts @ 31.90. BB 5-42 (Econ 4.69).Just having Cairns back in action should be a huge fillip to both his team and to the public. He is verging on senior statesman status in the side now with the maturity and skill to make the most of all situations in the game. A big year would be good news all-round, if you’ll pardon the pun.Stephen Fleming:Tests: 71. 4217 runs @ 36.35. HS 174*.
ODIs: 182. 4924 runs @ 30.77 (SR 69.67).Now that Fleming has the Test captaincy firmly under control, with an increasingly impressive portfolio of victories, it is time to address the one-day results which have been less than encouraging in the past 12 months, this despite reaching the VB Series finals. Reaching finals is one thing, winning them is another. Has done it once in Kenya, what better season to advance that record than this year.Chris Harris:Tests: 23. 777 runs @ 20.44. HS 71. 16 wkts @ 73.12. BB 2-16.
ODIs: 216. 3955 runs @ 30.42. HS 130 (SR 67.41). 192 wkts @ 36.43 (Econ 4.31).The grand old man of the one-day game, although he won’t appreciate that. But with 216 games for the country there is no substitute for experience and his sweeping of the last 15 overs in ODIs is among the best in the game. Still one of our finest fielders who could be a key man in South Africa.Robbie Hart:Tests: 3. 133 runs @ 33.25. HS 57*. 5 catches, 1 stumping.
ODIs: 2. O runs. 1 catch.A player reborn since the retirement of Adam Parore, Hart showed a wonderfully competitive attitude in the West Indies last summer. This could be a significant year for him in advancing his Test spot.Paul Hitchcock:ODIs: 6. 9 runs @ 9.0. (SR 75.00). 6 wkts @ 26.33 (Econ 4.27).Has been the big mover on the cricket scene over the past 12 months. New Zealand desperately needs an at-the-death bowler and there will be no better chance than to prove his worthiness for the World Cup than against the Indian threshing machine in a few weeks time.Matt Horne:Tests: 33. 1714 @ 29.05. HS 157.Still appeals as the most likely partner at the top of the Test batting order with provincial team-mate Mark Richardson. Plenty of runs left in him yet.Craig McMillan:Tests: 42. 2588 runs @ 41.07. HS 142. 27 wkts @ 43.48. BB 3-48.
ODIs: 120. 2933 runs @ 27.15 (SR 72.58). 37 wkts @ 32.89. BB 3-20 (Econ 5.32).A quiet summer last year, by his own standards, could be the forerunner of a big year this time around. At his best, McMillan is a punchy batsman who knows no fear. He has a key role to play in both forms of the game.Chris Martin:Tests: 11. 34 wkts @ 34.58. BB 5-71.Martin has been the Mr Fixit for the New Zealand bowling attack in recent times. His prospects are likely to continue in that role and it will be important that he is ready when called.Chris Nevin:ODIs: 27. 607 runs @ 23.34. HS 74 (SR 79.45). 14 catches, 3 stumpings.Nevin must still have the front-running for the job of wicket-keeper in the one-day side but there is clear evidence that the forces are gathering in the shape of Brendon McCullum while Lou Vincent always offers an alternative. Needs a big Indian series for his own confidence if nothing else.Jacob Oram:ODIs: 25. 336 runs @ 15.27 (SR 81.35). 18 wkts @ 39.50 (Econ 5.04).Lost some valuable time that would have helped his World Cup preparation due to injury last summer, but with his all-round skills, hard hitting and accurate bowling, Oram would be a handy player in any captain’s repertoire.Mark Richardson:Tests: 20. 1507 runs @ 47.09. HS 143.
ODIs: 4. 42 runs @ 10.50. HS 26 (SR 43.29).Now that he can afford to specialise in his Test batting, there may be even greater things ahead for the already impressive Richardson. With only two home Tests this summer, the Auckland record books in four-day matches could be in for a hammering.Mathew Sinclair:Tests: 18. 1079 runs @ 43.16. HS 214.
ODIs: 25. 660 runs @ 27.50. HS 118* (SR 60.82).Sinclair could do with a really impressive haul of runs this summer. Clearly a player with the temperament to take apart good attacks, he would be an invaluable player in both Tests and one-dayers for the side.Scott Styris:Tests: 1. 176 runs @ 176.00. HS 107. 2 wkts @ 44.00. BB 2-88.
ODIs: 47. 620 runs @ 19.37. HS 85. 45 wkts @ 36.40. BB 6-25 (Econ 5.08).With his Test century on debut against the West Indies, Styris opened up a huge door of opportunity for his career. No longer a player who can be regarded as a one-day specialist he offers yet another alternative to the selectors when they ponder their Test match variations.Daryl Tuffey:Tests: 10. 32 wkts @ 32.25. BB 6-54.
ODIs: 37. 40 wkts @ 31.67. BB 4-24 (Econ 4.88).Last summer’s comeback victory over England was an important statement by Tuffey about his desire to play at the top international level. His ability to put strength into his bowling makes him an enduring type of player of who there are too few in New Zealand at the moment. A solid workhorse with oodles of potential.Daniel Vettori:Tests: 42. 851 runs @ 16.36. HS 90. 139 wkts @ 33.86. BB 7-87.
ODIs: 93. 467 runs @ 10.61. HS 30 (SR 74.72). 79 wkts @ 39.74. BB 4-24 (Econ 4.47).All the signs point to Vettori being back to his best with an invigorating quality that marks him as a player to be respected by the world’s best batsmen. His presence will increase New Zealand’s competitiveness significantly. And that’s not to forget his batting.Lou Vincent:Tests: 9. 513 runs at 32.06. HS 104.
ODIs: 42. 876 runs @ 23.67. HS 60* (SR 60.53).Vincent grasped all the strands of opportunity he could last season. Still appeals most as a batsman/fielder on the one-day scene, although his average needs some serious attention. And in Test match play his goal must be for much greater consistency.

The return of Shaun Pollock to Warwickshire after the Morocco Cup saw the South African captain demolish Somerset with both bat and ball. After taking 4-36 in his nine overs Pollock went on to score an undefeated 43 to see his team home by eight wickets in this 45-over match.Earlier in the week Warwickshire drew with Somerset in the 4-day version with Neil Carter putting on an undefeated 42 run partnership for the last wicket denying Somerset the win. Carter scored 17 not out in the first innings and then took 4/46 before his 27 not out in the second innings.Kevin Pietersen has had a two week period in England that most cricketers can only dream of. Three hundreds in as many matches was added to when he scored 116 in a win against Gloucestershire. In the same match Greg Smith took 1/31 and 3/45.Pietersen, at an invitation from Nottinghamshire and Clive Rice, left South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal in 2001 after becoming disillusioned with the South African system. By way of his mother, Pietersen qualifies to play for England in 2004. He has committed himself fully to England only visiting South Africa on holiday.Hampshire was on the losing end with Nic Pothas scoring 58 and 24 and Neil Johnson scoring 15 and 32. The win sees Surrey move closer to winning the championship.For Andrew Gait (3 and 8), Sven Koenig (1 and 0) and Mark Davis (8 and 5*) it was not a good week.Across in the Lancashire League Martin van Jaarsveld scored 84 and 47 for Enfield who will have to settle for second place in the league after Bacup clinched the title.Andrew Hall continued his form with a 58 not out and a 32 with the bat and a 2/68 and 1/61 with the ball.Jacque Rudolph scored 30 while Andre Seymore’s run of fifties came to an end with a 14.Claude Henderson made a major impact on his debut taking 7/42 but only scoring two.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) dropped a bombshell Saturday when former captains Saeed Anwar and Moin Khan were not considered worthy of a place in the two squads named for next week’s tour of Zimbabwe.PCB’s stance to ignore claims of world record-holders Moin and Saeed tantamount to great injustice to the two senior players who had given yeoman services to Pakistan. Why then, were these two asked to prove themselves in the farcical trial match 24 hours ago?PCB’s decisions to overlook these two great players is nothing short of disparaging as far as Moin and Saeed are concern.Wasim Bari, the chairman of dummy selection committee, gave unsatisfactory reasons at the press briefing in Lahore without caring so much for what Saeed had gone through over past 14 months with personal bereavement when his baby daughter died. “He lacked confidence and his fielding has also deteriorated.”In a match on Friday on his home turf, he batted t No 4 which also confirms our apprehensions,” Bari told the newsmen. “However, the curtain has not fallen on his career and he’ll be considered for selection in future.”Bari also clarified that Moin’s career is not over as yet. “We attached a youngster (Kamran Akmal) who could be groomed for future. We have maintained that policy this time also when Rashid Latif is the first choice wicket-keeper. The impression that Moin’s career is over is totally incorrect.”At the same time, the decision to pick Saleem Elahi and Shahid Afridi in both Test and one-day teams alongwith uncapped Kamran Akmal comes as a major surprise as are the inclusions of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Azhar Mahmood despite big question marks over their fitness.The selection of Kamran means the claims of a better wicket-keeper like Atiq-uz-Zaman were ignored.Waqar Younis, in a way, has succeeded in ensuring that he would not stand the presence of more than two senior players as long as he is captain.What was the wisdom of staging Friday’s trial match in Lahore and what was the criteria of team selection?Afridi, about whom Waqar himself has gone on record to say that he was not Test material, now finds a place in both squads. He was out for a duck in the trial game.The 22-year-old was flown out to Sharjah after Abdul Razzaq was sidelined by a fractured left wrist but then reported on the eve of final Test against Australia that he was unfit and overweight.One thought Saleem Elahi’s international career was over after a disappointing tour of England last year. But now, for the umpteenth time, he is back in favour inspite of the fact that he crawled to nine off 34 balls in the so-called trial fixture. It seems somebody up there likes him.Saleem went through a lean period last season where in 14 first-class matches accumulated 753 runs in 25 innings. PCB owes an explanation as to why Imran Farhat has been now cast aside.The left-hander, at 20 is six years younger than Saleem, played in the final Test in Sharjah where he enjoyed some success and should have been persisted on the less demanding trip to Zimbabwe.Bari defended recall of Saleem. “An extended run was given to all the youngsters. But after their failure to perform at the highest level, we reverted to the best opener available in domestic circuit.”Saleem Elahi happened to be that player. Besides, the skipper and the coach (Richard Pybus) also had confidence in his abilities. “As regards Imran Farhat the boy showed flashes of brilliance in the third Test against Australia but at the same time he showed that he needs sometime to mature,” the former Test wicket-keeper added.Bari failed to justify the omission of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, who took three wickets in that trial game, from the Test squad. As things stand, Saqlain Mushtaq, the off-spinner, is the sole slow bowler retained.Inzamam’s return as vice-captain could back fire since he is handicapped by a heel injury which requires surgery. PCB has taken a huge gamble with the burly batsman by naming him in both one-day and Test teams.Inzamam has not featured in a Test since he made that colossal 329 against New Zealand at Lahore six months ago. On the one-day front, Inzamam had been something of a failure this year, scoring only 250 in 22 innings with two fifties.Azhar Mahmood is another diabolical selection. He pulled out of the trial game Thursday with a shoulder problem. He must have had made a remarkable recovery overnight to make the squad.Azhar’s gain is poor Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan’s loss. Naveed, an upcoming all-rounder, served as a drinks carrier against Australia. It’s a pity that an ideal opportunity to blood a young player has gone abegging.Taufiq Umar and Faisal Iqbal, who were certainties for Tests, are welcome addition in the one-day party. But Mohammad Sami’s exclusion from the limited-overs squad is rather harsh for the young fast bowler.Wasim Akram, the former skipper, as widely tipped, is considered only for the one-dayers and is now almost certain to end his illustrious career at the World Cup next year.Immediately after Zimbabwe’s tour, Pakistan are scheduled to play two more Tests and five further One-day Internationals in South Africa. Squads for that tour will be finalised during the Zimbabwe series.Squads:For Tests: Waqar Younis (captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq, Taufiq Umar, Shahid Afridi, Saleem Elahi, Yousuf Youhana, Hasan Raza, Younis Khan, Rashid Latif, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Zahid and Saqlain Mushtaq.For One-day Internationals: Waqar Younis (captain), Inzamamul-Haq (vice-captain), Taufiq Umar, Shahid Afridi, Saleem Elahi, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Rashid Latif, Kamran Akmal, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Zahid, Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq.Team officials: Brig Khawaja Mohammad Nasir (manager), Richard Pybus (coach), Sikander Bakht (team analyst), Dennis Waight (physiotherapist) and Riaz Ahmed (doctor).Itinerary:Nov 1: Leave for Harare via Johannesburg.Nov 4-6: v Zimbabwe ‘A’ (Harare).Nov 9-13: First Test (Harare).Nov 16-20: Second Test (Bulawayo).Nov 23: First One-day International (Bulawayo).Nov 24: Second One-day International (Bulawayo).Nov 27: Third One-day International (Harare).Nov 30: Fourth One-day International (Harare).Dec 1: Fifth One-day International (Harare).Dec 2: Leave for Johannesburg.

Darren Gough has declared himself fit to play for England against Sri Lanka at Headingley in the fourth match of the NatWest triangular series. The Yorkshire fast bowler has been included in the England squad for the game after defying gloomy predictions about his fitness as recently as last week.”I’ve done all the stuff I’ve been asked to do, I’ve played, I’ve fielded andI’ve been bowling now every day for the last two weeks apart from a littlesetback I had on Monday when I decided to pull myself out of a game,” Gough said.”I’m going to have a little bit of discomfort for the next month to six weeks- when you come back from any surgery you’re going to get that – but Englandhave asked me if I’m fit and I told them I was so now it’s up to them whether Iplay or not.”Gough sustained the injury to his right knee in the final one-day internationalagainst New Zealand in Dunedin last February. Since then he has had two operations, and he admitted to worries about whether he would ever make an England return.”I think everyone worries they won’t get back when they have injuries,” he said.”I had plenty of time to get fit for the start of the season and I workedreally hard, but I probably tried to get back a little too quickly first time.”This time I’ve been held back a lot. They’ve sent me away to Lanzarote so Iwouldn’t be rushed and I trained there three times a day, and that’s brought meforward a couple of weeks in my recovery.”He also believes he is leaner than he has been at times in the past. “I’m lighter now than I was in the winter and lighter than I was last season.Aerobically I’m fit and I’m a lot stronger than I’ve been before because ofthe weight programmes I’ve been doing on my upper body.”People have seen me running around Old Trafford and think I’ve put on weightbut I had several sweaters on and I’m stronger and fitter because all my testswith England have proved that – if there was a problem I think England wouldhave been the first to tell me, and I’ve heard nothing from them.Gough is not too worried about making his comeback against world-class opposition. “People who know me and the way I bowl will know that I’m not one of those mechanical bowlers who have about 10 different trigger points – I just run up and bowl as fast as I can,” he said.”It’s going to be a bit different playing a one-day international againstworld-class players and you can go around the park against players like that,but I’m totally confident of not spraying down both sides of the wicket if Iplay.”I’ve only played one second team game, but they must have faith in meotherwise they wouldn’t have selected me in the squad.”

When a batsman earns the tag of “Mr Dependable” in Clive Lloyd’s all-conquering side of the 80s, among stalwart team-mates such as Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Viv Richards and Lloyd himself, his stature is beyond question.Larry Gomes now resides in Toronto and coaches the Overseas Cricket Club there, but he is a frequent flier between Toronto and Trinidad as his mother resides in the Caribbean island.The long, curling hair is no more, so it was difficult to recognise him at first sight at the Queen’s Park Oval. But when the interview began, it was unmistakably Gomes; the pride at being an indispensable part of Lloyd’s side was evident.Among so many great batsmen, how did you earn a nickname of “Mr Dependable”?Well, if you ask the older people here, you will get an idea about how attacking a batsman I was. But in our team, I had to play the role of anchor. Very often, I had to do the job of anchoring the innings since everyone else was, more or less, an attacking bat. So someone had to dig in, and I played that part. It was in the interest of the team, and I had fully enjoyed doing so.So many stars, but there were not many controversies. How did you manage that?We all were very proud to be a member of champion team. That sailed us through, and we were never distracted from our goal. I feel that county cricket had instilled some amount of professionalism in us. That professionalism was the key to our stupendous success. Nowadays, no West Indian cricketer plays in county cricket. They don’t have the time either. But we benefited from our county experiences.What happened in the final of the 1983 World Cup?That is one thing I, or for that matter, any member of that side, can never forget. That was the biggest shock for us during our playing days. I still ask myself: How could we lose that match even after getting the opposition out for 183. I’ll continue to do so till death. The tragedy will always be with me.In the early part of the 80s, cricket was free of match-fixing scandals…Yes, and that is the reason I always jokingly refer to this match (the 1983 World Cup final) whenever anybody from the newest generation of the media asks me about such things. Cricket’s boundaries were limited to the cricketers and cricket-lovers only. This is a modern disease. We played cricket enjoying every day of our outings on the field and were eager first to prove that we were the best and then to defend that title.What about the current lot of West Indian cricketers? Will they be ever able to revive the past glory of Caribbean cricket?See, Carl Hooper is doing a great job. You have the experience and exceptional talent of Brian Lara. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan are playing well too. The new boys are coming. This is the transition period for the team, and the time for combining has to be given to them. Yes, at the moment, the bowling is a bit weak. But with time, they will gro,w and I strongly feel that under the able captaincy of Hooper, they will bounce back.You are coaching in a club in Toronto. What about coaching a West Indian club side?Well, Caribbean cricket has given me everything. So I am ready to do anything for the betterment of the cricket here. Any day the call comes, I’ll definitely be here.

If Border claim a place in the final of the Supersport Series, then Friday in Bloemfontein might just be the day they gave themselves the chance.By stumps they had moved into a sizeable 162-run lead with eight secondinnings wickets in hand, after bowling their opponents Free State out forjust 225.The Free State total was dominated by the efforts of Andrew Gait, theopener’s 112 his highest score in first-class cricket and just his secondhundred. It could have ended so much earlier though, as the young batsmanappeared to be the recipient of a healthy dose of good fortune when on just24.It was then that he aimed a pull shot at Tyron Henderson and he – andjust about everyone else – turned to see the ball climbing high into thesky. It was only when the ball landed safely that ‘keeper Ian Mitchellindicated that the wicket had been broken. Surely Gait had to go, hitwicket?But doubt there was, and instead of Gait lengthening his stride back tothe pavilion, he took up guard once more with the blessing of the umpires.Quite what Border made of it all was less clear. Certainly in the days oftelevision replays, Gait might not have been so lucky.What would have improved the Border spirits was the clatter of FreeState wickets, eight of them for just 13 runs, as the home side stumbledfrom 109-2 to 122-6 shortly after lunch. Despite the efforts of Gait andRashied Lewis, 225 still represented a serious deficit.That much was rammed home by some fine batting from Craig Sugden as hehelped the Bears into what should be an impregnable position by the close.

India might have won the Test series 2-0 but it was never a walkover.At the start of the series, no one would have even thought this bunchof players from Zimbabwe as being capable of giving the Indian team ascare. Their coach Geoff Marsh has done a wonderful job and mostimportantly made these youngsters believe in themselves, a qualitythat will keep them in good stead.

Look at someone like Raymond Price; he epitomises what every spinnershould be. I am very much impressed by this youngster’s talent andmost importantly his temperament. He has showed the world that all ittakes is to have the heart to succeed. Here is a youngster who was notdaunted by the task of bowling at even someone like Sachin Tendulkar.If Ashley Giles used a defensive line to stifle the little master,Price actually had the premier batsman on the run in Delhi with someaggressive spin bowling. It is a testimony to the spinner’s superiorskills that on the final morning, Tendulkar tried to avoid playingPrice for almost an hour. It was only in the process that the littlemaster scored 42 valuable runs, without which India would have notmade it past the meagre victory target of 122 runs.If you were to ask me, Price was the find of the series. A left-armspinner in full flight is such a joy to watch and there was nonebetter than my good friend Bishen Singh Bedi. Price definitely has itin him to make it to the top.It is quite a surprising thing that India wins when the spinners bowlwell. Even though Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh bowled well, itshould not be forgotten that after having Zimbabwe on the mat at 65/3,we allowed them to make 329 in the first innings. Had Zimbabwe beenbowled out cheaply in the first innings, the puffing and panting onthe last day could have been very well avoided.This Test series has also brought the falling umpiring standards tothe fore. The real test for the umpires is when they have to makedecisions under pressure. There was a lot of pressure in this Testseries and any viewer would have realised the importance of the lbwdecision that went in favour of Harbhajan Singh while he was battingon the final day. It was not an isolated case, there were mistakesaplenty, which takes the charm away from this wonderful game.Even though they lost the Test, Zimbabwe can take heart from the factthat they were definitely the better team in Delhi.Sourav Ganguly, for his part, has finally got the monkey off his backwith a Test hundred. It should count as a redeeming knock albeit onelacking in conviction. Looking back at his batting, Ganguly wouldrealise that the he owns the responsibility for not scoring a firstclass hundred in 28 months. His failure in the second innings at Delhiis a reminder that he still has a lot of work to do.

It was also good to see Virender Sehwag score runs in his explosivefashion, taking the pressure off Ganguly. This youngster adds a newdimension to India’s middle-order batting and must count as India’strump card for the 2003 World Cup.India, though, never seems to learn the lessons. On a pitch that hadcracks all over it on the first day, leaving out Sarandeep Singh was avery bad mistake. Planning sadly has never been Indian cricket’sforte. Anil Kumble is being asked to bowl more than what he should be,at this rate he will be completely worn out by the time we return fromEngland.Deep Dasgupta’s continued mediocre show behind the stumps has to endnow. Wicketkeeping is a specialist job that has a direct bearing onthe bowlers’ confidence. Test cricket is not the arena to hone suchspecialised skills. The need of the hour is for a wicketkeeper who canlive up to the pressure behind the stumps. Ajay Ratra has his chancesto prove that he is up to the task in the upcoming one-day series.The Indian ground fielding, meanwhile, has been very poor throughoutthe Test series. The superiority of the Zimbabweans, in this area,will come to the fore in the one-day series.Without Tendulkar and the injured Sehwag, India’s batting suddenlylooks thin. I should also question the selector’s wisdom of pickingShiv Sundar Das for the onedayers. Even ignoring the fact that weare missing two explosive batsmen in the side, someone like YuvrajSingh must be a definite starter in the one-day line up. No matterwhat, it promises to be a very interesting one-day series.

The Norwich Union League season opened with what will quite possibly be regarded as the match of the season even when September 22nd is reached. The bare statistic says that Yorkshire Phoenix won by one run against Somerset Sabres. What that conceals is that the home side were chasing a target of 308. Centuries for Darren Lehmann and Matthew Wood for the Yorkshiremen looked to be enough, but a brave reply from the home batsmen featuring 99 from Jamie Cox and 79 from Ian Blackwell so nearly got them to the target. Elsewhere, there were wins for Warwickshire Bears, Leicestershire Foxes, Derbyshire Scorpions, Hampshire Hawks and Surrey Lions.Ian Bell might not have lived up to expectations since returning from the National Academy, hence his name was rubbed out from the Test side into which it had earlier been pencilled. Nevertheless, he reminded the selectors that he can still bat with an innings of 72 for Warwickshire Bears against Durham Dynamos at Chester-le-Street. The Bears reached 207 for 7 in their 45 overs, more than enough to secure victory as the Dynamos lacked the power to reach more than 163 for nine to lose by 44 runs.Trevor Ward and Darren Stevens both scored 91 as Leicestershire Foxes posted 283 for five against Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Grace Road. They put on 185 for the second wicket, and did not take long about it. Stevens took just 74 balls with ten fours and a six. Ward took a little longer, but hit 13 fours and a six in his 95 ball innings before Michael Bevan weighed in with a swift 42 not out. Usman Afzaal managed 63 to top score for the Outlaws, but there was not enough support to prevent the Foxes getting home by 32 runs.In Division Two, the Sussex Sharks batsmen never got going against the Derbyshire Scorpions at Derby. As the Sharks sunk to 166 for eight in their 45 overs, there were some pretty tidy bowling figures, with the pick of them being Graeme Welch’s 9-2-45-3, although Dominic Cork conceded just 20 runs from his nine overs and took a wicket. Michael Di Venuto led the Scorpions’ reply with 84 as his side reached the target with four wickets and three overs in hand.Nic Pothas was brought into the Hampshire Hawks side to add some international experience to the wicket-keeper/batsman role, and obliged with 53 not out against Gloucestershire Gladiators. Derek Kenway reached 50 as well. In reply, Dimitri Mascarenhas took five for 27 as the Hawks won by 46 runs, despite Craig Spearman’s innings of 82.They say lightening never strikes twice in the same place, but having lost in the championship on Saturday, Lancashire Lightening were devoured at The Oval 24 hours later by Surrey Lions. Martin Bicknell took five for 26 in his nine overs and there were five catches for Alec Stewart as the northerners were skittled for just 68. The Londoners managed to lose four wickets in reaching the target inside 12 overs.

New Zealand and South Africa have both been knocked out of the race for the semi-finals•Getty Images

Group 2

India
Like Pakistan, India too need to win to have any realistic chance of qualification. If India concede 160 and lose by more than three runs, their NRR will slip below that of South Africa. If India and Pakistan both win their matches, the margins of those results will decide which team goes through.: India need to beat South Africa by at least 32 runs if they score 160 (and by at least 31 if they score 140) to finish with an NRR higher than Pakistan’s. If India end up chasing, they need to win with at least 24 balls to spare. If they achieve that, they’ll knock Pakistan out, and the actual margin of victory will determine which of India or Australia finish on top. If they don’t achieve those margins, Pakistan will qualify.Pakistan
Pakistan’s defeat to India – and the margin of that loss – has put their semi-final hopes in danger. Their NRR has dropped to -0.426, which is only marginally better than those of India and South Africa. If Pakistan lose to Australia, an Indian win will knock them out without NRR playing any part. Even if South Africa beat India in this scenario, Pakistan’s chances remain bleak: if they lose their match by five runs (chasing 161), and if South Africa score 160 and beat India by the same margin, then Pakistan’s NRR will be poorer than South Africa’s.Pakistan’s passage is not straightforward even if they beat Australia. Even after winning, they’ll have to hope that India don’t beat South Africa by a bigger margin and sneak past them. If, for example, both Pakistan and India score 160 and win their last matches by ten runs, then Pakistan’s NRR will be marginally lower than India’s.: Pakistan finish with an NRR of 0.273. If India lose to South Africa, or if they beat them by relatively small margins (explained above), then Pakistan will go through as the second team in the group.Australia
With two huge wins in as many matches, Australia are the best-placed team in the tournament. For them to go out, both Pakistan and India will have to win their matches by around 40 runs (if they bat first and score 160).: Though Australia lost to Pakistan, their NRR of 0.464 is higher than that of Pakistan, which means at worst they will finish second in the group. They are thus definitely through to the semi-finals.South Africa
South Africa are the only team that can be knocked out even before their match starts. For the second time in a row, they will be hoping Pakistan lose because if Pakistan win the first match on Tuesday, it will mean curtains for South Africa.However, if Australia do beat Pakistan, South Africa have a fair chance of making it to the next round, thanks to poor NRRs of India and Pakistan. As mentioned above, if South Africa score 160 and win by more than three runs, their NRR will go above India’s, enough to qualify provided Australia have won all their matches. The advantage for South Africa and India is that they play the last game of the group, and will thus have an exact knowledge of what they need to do to qualify.: South Africa are out of contention for a semi-final slot.

Group 1

Sri Lanka
With two wins in two matches, Sri Lanka are sitting pretty: not only do they have four points, their net run rate is also a comfortable 1.029. The only way for them to be eliminated is if they lose to England, and if West Indies beat New Zealand, with both matches being decided by big margins. For example, if England score 160 and beat Sri Lanka by 30 runs, and if West Indies score 160 and beat New Zealand by the same margin, then England and West Indies will qualify with better NRRs than Sri Lanka. However, the likelihood of both margins being such large ones is extremely small.: Sri Lanka are through unless they lose very badly. If England score 170 and bowl Sri Lanka out for 110, then Sri Lanka’s NRR will drop below both England and West Indies. Most likely, though, they’ve booked a place in the last four.England
England’s defeat against West Indies pegged them back, but they recovered well to beat New Zealand, and their NRR is the best among all teams after Sri Lanka. A victory against Sri Lanka, and a win for New Zealand against West Indies, will definitely see England through. However, if West Indies win, England will have to make sure they beat Sri Lanka by a sufficient margin to ensure their NRR is above that of West Indies.On the other hand, if England lose and if New Zealand beat West Indies, then three teams will be level on two points. In that scenario, New Zealand will almost certainly sneak ahead of England on NRR: for example, even if New Zealand score 160 and win by five runs, and England, chasing 160, lose by five, New Zealand’s NRR will be higher.England’s advantage is that they’ll be playing the last match of the group, which will give them an exact knowledge of what they need to do to qualify.: England need to win to qualify, as their NRR is already better than that of West Indies. If they lose, they’re out.West Indies
The ideal result for West Indies will be for them to beat New Zealand, and for Sri Lanka to beat England, which will ensure West Indies qualify without run rates coming into play. A defeat will definitely knock West Indies out because of their poor NRR, but even a win may not be enough if England beat Sri Lanka. For instance, if West Indies score 160 and win by 25 runs, England will need to win their match by only eight runs to keep their NRR above West Indies’.: West Indies need England to lose, or to beat Sri Lanka by around 60 runs. If England win by a smaller margin, then West Indies will be knocked out.New Zealand
New Zealand are currently at the bottom of the group, but their NRR is a decent -0.268, thanks to their Super Over defeat against Sri Lanka. As mentioned earlier, if they beat West Indies by as little as five runs, and if Sri Lanka beat England by the same margin (with the winning teams in each game scoring 160), then New Zealand’s NRR will be better than those of England and West Indies. Thus, even though New Zealand haven’t won a match yet in the Super Eights, they have plenty to play for in their last game.: With three losses in the Super Eights, New Zealand have been knocked out.