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Frizzell County Championship Division One
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Essex 77 for 2 v Nottinghamshire 284 at Chelmsford
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Chris Cairns thrashed a rapid 70 from 73 balls, then took a wicket in his first over, as Nottinghamshire and Essex jostled for position on the first day at Chelmsford. Cairns added 98 for the fifth wicket with Jason Gallian, whose 65 spanned three hours and provided the backbone of an erratic innings in which six batsmen failed to reach double figures. Jon Dakin was the main cause of the wobbles, picking up 4 for 53 in 16.5 overs. Cairns then trapped Will Jefferson lbw for 1, but Andy Flower and Mark Pettini added an unbeaten 46 for the third wicket as Essex closed on a high.Warwickshire 342 for 6 v Lancashire at Edgbaston
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Lancashire’s hopes of making a late charge for the title were dealt a blow at Edgbaston, as Jonathan Trott and Dougie Brown added 216 for the sixth wicket to steal the momentum for Warwickshire. The early part of the day had belonged entirely to Lancashire, and to Glen Chapple in particular, who swung and seamed his way to three quick wickets, including Michael Powell in the first over. Kyle Hogg and John Wood joined the fun as Warwickshire were reduced to 101 for 5, but with Peter Martin absent with a back strain, Trott and Brown turned the tables. Trott eventually fell for 126, and on 112, Brown retired hurt with a calf problem. But Lancashire have much ground to make up.Frizzell County Championship Division Two
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Gloucestershire 331 for 5 v Derbyshire at Bristol
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He is better known for his quick scoring, but Jonty Rhodes displayed the adhesive side of his game today, as he batted for the best part of six hours for an unbeaten 121, his third Championship century of the season. Rhodes’ effort further compounded Derbyshire’s woes at the foot of the second division, as Alex Gidman and Matt Windows contributed a pair of well-paced 40s to help Gloucestershire to an imposing 331 for 5 at the close. The recent unknown, Paul Havell, who took four wickets against the South Africans last week, was again Derbyshire’s most successful bowler, picking up 3 for 68 from 22 overs. At one stage, Gloucestershire had been a wobbly 78 for 3, but Rhodes stopped the rot and put his team on top.Worcestershire 364 v Hampshire 4 for 0 at the Rose Bowl
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Worcestershire didn’t have too many positives to take from Saturday’s capitulation in the C&G final, but for their reserve wicketkeeper Jamie Pipe, who stood in for the injured Steve Rhodes, the Lord’s effect was clearly inspirational. He cracked an unbeaten 104, his maiden first-class century, to keep their title hopes alive at the Rose Bowl. Pipe came to the middle at the fall of Stephen Peters for 87, and immediately took the attack to Hampshire’s bowlers, adding 137 for the sixth wicket with Justin Kemp, who made 90. When Tim Tremlett and Laurence Prittipaul ripped through the lower order, however, it seemed that Pipe would be denied his dream. But with Worcestershire’s No. 11 boshing boundaries at the other end, he just edged past the mark.Durham 190 v Northamptonshire 166 for 1 at Wantage Road
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Mike Hussey has announced he wants to take a break from County cricket next season, but it hasn’t broken his concentration for the time being. Nor, indeed, that of his partner-in-crime Phil Jaques, who crashed his way to 102 not out in an unbeaten second-wicket partnership of 165, as Durham were given a lesson in batting and bowling at Northampton. Durham, who won the toss and chose to bat, were bundled out for 190 in 60.3 overs, thanks to a five-wicket haul from Jeff Cook. It didn’t take long for their bowlers to respond, however. Shoaib Akhtar, who has clearly forgotten there’s a Test match taking place back home, dismissed Tim Roberts for a first-ball duck. But that was the high point of Durham’s day. Northants already look set for a crushing victory to boost their prospects of the second division title.Somerset 228 v Yorkshire 86 for 3 at Headingley
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After months on the sidelines with a knee injury, Matthew Hoggard returned to first-class cricket with a huge splash at Headingley, picking up career-best figures of 7 for 49 to leave Somerset in the lurch. Yorkshire’s day, however, was marred by an injury to Steve Kirby, who appeared to be struck on the head in his followthrough by a Nixon McLean straight drive. But for Hoggard it was the sweetest of returns, and a timely reminder of his abilities ahead of England’s winter tours. Somerset were bowled out for 228, with Darren Gough also in the wickets, but they clawed back some lost ground by the close, reducing Yorkshire to 86 for 3 in reply.

If the officials of the England & Wales Cricket Board had a sleepless night fearing civil unrest and rioting in St John’s Wood, they needn’t have worried. There were demonstrations outside Lord’s, but they were fairly low-key – if noisy – and universally good-humoured.The security had been beefed up, but it was discreet and by and large limited to a closer examination of bags than the usual cursory glance. This still caused consternation among one group of members, until they were assured that their bottles of wine weren’t the reason for the search. Inside the ground there was a cordon of security men guarding the square, but the plethora of respresentatives of the media, sponsors, and ECB hangers-on milling about in the middle meant that any protesters would have struggled for elbow room, let alone to unfurl a banner.The demonstrations were concentrated outside the Grace Gates where the main group, numbering 30 or 40, were cordoned off in an area opposite the entrance where they nosily and cheerfully blew whistles, chanted, and held up banners. These concentrated on anti-Mugabe slogans, although one accused Tim Lamb, the ECB’s chief executive, of being “Mugabe’s own Lord Haw Haw”. Am open-top bus drove round the perimeter road, those on the top who braved the drizzle adding to the cacophony.The ubiquitous Peter Tatchell was also in evidence, busily marshalling banner-wavers and ensuring that protestors were situated in spots where they would gain the maximum exposure from the large numbers of cameras and television crews assembled. Tatchell’s Outrage group provided the photo opportunity courtesy of a man dressed as a cricketer with a blood-soaked bandage round his head.

There was briefly the threat of an disagreement when one gentlemen, holding up a banner encouraging passing drivers to “Honk for freedom in Zimbabwe”, was told to move on by the police. Tatchell intervened, insisting that there was no justification in their request, and the police retreated. The man returned to his duties and the horns continued to sound. That was as heated as it got.But while Tatchell, as ever, will probably get the coverage, the most effective work was being done by the group from the Zimbabwe Vigil organisation. They were handing out leaflets and black armbands, all done with a cheery smile, generally getting a good response from those on their way in to the ground. The cold day meant that many had overcoats on, most of which were dark, thus negating the visibility of the armband. But it was the thought that counted.Kate Hoey, the former sports minister, took an active role, genially fielding requests from the media, talking to spectators, and handing out armbands with a politician’s skill. Rarely can she have turned in a more polished performance, even when on the campaign trail.The contrast with the brutal suppression of dissent in Zimbabwe couldn’t have been more marked.

The classy elegance of Yousuf Youhana and the true grit of Taufeeq Umar combined to lead Pakistan to a facile eight-wicket victory in the Sharjah Cup. Coming together with the team in a spot of bother, they added 144 for the third wicket to put the game to bed with 14.4 overs to spare. Youhana’s 61 was especially imperious, though Taufeeq’s 81 did his future claims no harm at all – a display that made up with determination what it lacked by way of style.Heath Streak had given Zimbabwe hope with two wickets, only for Taufeeq Youhana to extinguish it with a commanding batting display. Streak struck early, getting Mohammad Hafeez to play a loose stroke outside off stump. Craig Wishart pouched the catch at first slip and Pakistan were 10 for 1. Faisal Iqbal came in next but made just 6 before flicking a Streak delivery straight to Gavin Rennie at midwicket (28 for 2).Youhana though started confidently and Zimbabwe compounded their problems with some erratic and wayward bowling. Andy Blignaut was the chief culprit and Umar cashed in with some super shots on the legside. Once Streak left the attack, the sting went too and Sean Ervine was greeted with two hits to the boundary ropes.With Taufeeq then dropping anchor, Youhana decided to up the ante, playing two gorgeous straight drives off Douglas Hondo before thumping Ray Price for six over long-on. Presumably, the Thursday nightlife in Sharjah/Dubai was worth getting off work early for.Once both batsmen crossed fifty, the shots were played with more of a flourish and before you knew it, it was all over. Truth be told though, this match was won for Pakistan by an inspired opening burst from Mohammad Sami, who confounded the Zimbabwe batsmen with his extra pace and bounce. Despite a superb, gritty innings of 74, in adverse circumstances, from Tatenda Taibu, Zimbabwe were shot out for 168.Taibu’s partnerships with Ervine – who made a defiant 25 – and Dion Ebrahim gave the total some respectability but Sami’s early burst of 3 for 20 from six overs meant that they were always behind the eight-ball.Zimbabwe’s tale of woe started as early as the third ball of the innings, which Wishart tickled through to Latif behind the stumps. Rennie pulled Umar Gul for four soon after but he had no answers to the pace of Sami. A delivery that left him a shade had him marooned to the crease, and the outside edge was gleefully accepted by Latif, for his 200th dismissal in ODIs (19 for 2).Douglas Marillier, who had earlier survived a vociferous appeal for leg-before, didn’t stick around very long either. Sami set him up with a short one, and the next ball sent the leg stump for a triple somersault (22 for 3). Marillier made 14.Much rested on Grant Flower, but he made just seven before a crude hoick off Shoaib Malik went straight to Younis Khan at short square leg (36 for 4). Taibu, who nudged and pushed the ball around, while scampering through on those little legs, rebuilt the innings with Ervine, who announced his intent with a superb cover-drive off Malik.Two fours in an over off Abdul Razzaq and a sweep for four off Malik saw the run rate go up a notch, but that was spoilt by a poor decision from umpire Jayaprakash. Ervine went for another sweep off Malik, and the ball ballooned off his pad to Latif behind the stumps. Latif’s appeal was loud and Jayaprakash’s finger went up in a trice (82 for 5).Ebrahim and Taibu then added 40, taking the score to the respectability of three figures before a reckless shot signalled the beginning of the end. Ebrahim flayed at a wide one from Danish Kaneria and the ball flew off the leading edge to Malik at point (122 for 6).Hafeez then chipped in with two wickets, trapping Streak leg-before for 0 – going for the paddle sweep – and taking a superb diving catch to send back Blignaut (127 for 8). Kaneria’s flipper did for Price and Zimbabwe were tottering at 133 for 9. Taibu though finished with a flourish – spanking Sami for two fours in the penultimate over and adding 35 for the final wicket with Douglas Hondo – and remained unbeaten on 74 at the end, receiving a word or two of congratulation from the Pakistanis as they left the field.Taibu’s pocket-sized heroics notwithstanding, the target was unlikely to ask questions of any batting line-up, even one as brittle as Pakistan’s. So it proved. After a World Cup to forget, Rashid Latif and his refashioned side celebrated the early days of the renaissance with a trophy, that too in the 2000th one-day international to be played.

New Zealanders may be riding the crest of a wave with the performances of the Black Caps in the tri-series in Australia but one New Zealander refusing to count his chickens, about making the finals, is selection chairman Sir Richard Hadlee.Hadlee played through four tri-series in Australia and knows only too well that the halfway stage of the competition is no time to be contemplating a place in the finals.New Zealand is sitting at the top of the points table at the moment but Hadlee said that it was time to be very wary of both the Australians and the South Africans.He said all the “hype, interest and expectation” of the New Zealand public was great and he advised New Zealanders to enjoy the moment but to also remember that Australia could never be discounted and South Africa had had the wood on New Zealand for too long for anything to be taken for granted.There was a chance if results went the right way that all three teams could be on 12 points going into the final round of games before the finals.But from an overall perspective of New Zealand’s one-day developments, Hadlee was pleased with the results achieved.”There are still areas of concern with the performances but the key thing is the side has planned well and it is scrapping hard for everything. Runs are hard to score against what are two world-class attacks.”But they are showing a bit of the Australian attitude and there have been some very good individual results.”However, in this competition you have always got to be wary,” he warned.There were still issues in the team’s performance, especially at the top of the order.”We have given players the opportunity to say, ‘This is my position’ but so far no-one has grasped it,” he said.Hadlee has been impressed with the way Brendon McCullum, the selection long shot, has performed and he spoke with him in Sydney after his debut performance which sadly ended when he was run out.”He told me he was just loving the experience. He hadn’t felt over-awed and felt good being out in the middle against the Australians. He had a good positive attitude,” Hadlee said.Hadlee said there was still a chance for other players to stake a claim at the top of the order and he said McCullum and Chris Nevin were in the frame with next year’s World Cup in mind.Not surprisingly, for a bowler who battled against all the advantages batsmen previously enjoyed, Hadlee is a big fan of the one bouncer rule that has been introduced this year.”It is a very good thing and gives quicker bowlers an element of surprise. And we now have guys who are hooking or cutting being caught on the boundary. Previously it could be a free hit ball, but now it is a dismissal ball. It has changed the dynamics of the game,” he said.The other aspect about the shorter ball was that batsmen who were looking to score from every ball could not really afford to let one go. They had to be more innovative.Another player who had taken the chance an unfortunate injury provided was James Franklin. He came into the side when Aucklander Kyle Mills got injured before the team left for Australia.”He has been coming back very well with his bowling. He gives us the left-hander’s angle of variation. His season was almost lost but he has had a reprieve and taken it well.”Hadlee said the decision to use Chris Cairns as captain against Australia in Sydney last week was based on the fact that he had been appointed vice-captain by the selectors when the team was first named, although this had not been announced.”He showed a lot of enthusiasm in the role,” he said.And Cairns’ century in Brisbane against South Africa had been a special delight.”It was a magnificent innings. It was well paced, he took control and it was an ideal scenario for him,” he said.It was now clear that when Cairns was in with the time to build an innings from 25-30 overs out, he was a good enough batsman to win a game by scoring 80 or more, such was his control.Hadlee, who was in Sydney last week, will watch the rest of the series in New Zealand.

MELBOURNE, Jan 30 AAP – Shane Warne started the mind games for the cricket World Cup today, reviving the Australians’ theme of a psychological hold over second favourite South Africa.Australia does not play South Africa in its pool matches but the defending champions and the host nation are short-priced favourites to meet in the semi-finals or final.Warne was keen to keep the South Africans on the back foot as the Australian side flew out for Johannesburg and the World Cup today.”We’ve definitely got a psychological hold over South Africa,” said Warne.”The results prove that in all the different forms and the major games we’ve played against them.”When it’s got to the crunch we’ve managed to beat them or they’ve been in a winning situation and we’ve come back to win.”It was a none-too-subtle reminder from Warne of Australia’s famous tied 1999 World Cup semi-final against South Africa at Edgbaston, in which a last over run-out allowed the Aussies to advance to the final.Australia has beaten South Africa in both subsequent Test series between the two nations, with the memory of the 1999 World Cup an oft-used ploy by the Aussies to rattle the Proteas in close matches.Leading bookies have the two as clear favourites – Australia at 11-8 with British bookmaker William Hill and South Africa 9-4. Next best is India at 8-1.Opener Matthew Hayden said the 1999 result would work to Australia’s advantage rather than South Africa’s, despite the fact the host nation would be desperate for revenge.But he warned that Australia should also aim to create a fresh psychological stick to beat South Africa with, and may find it at this World Cup.”(The 1999 result) is our advantage. We’ve got up in that situation and used that in the past against them as well.”But perhaps that’s wearing a little bit thin as a strategy for Australia.”We need to move on and look to really take them apart in some other way.”Middle-order linchpin Michael Bevan believes he could be fit for Australia’s World Cup opener against Pakistan on February 11 in Johannesburg despite doctors saying he would probably miss the first two games of the tournament.Bevan said his injured groin was responding well to treatment, but admitted Australia’s second match against India on February 15 was a more likely option.Australia’s batting stocks for the Pakistan game would be boosted immeasurably if Bevan was fit, with Darren Lehmann out of the match because of his racial vilification suspension.”The leg’s coming along well, so fingers crossed I’ll be ready for the first or second game,” Bevan said.”Every day it’s improving which is a great sign.”I think at this stage I’m looking to the India match, but if all goes well, I’d like to think Pakistan’s not out of reach as well.”The team is due to arrive in Johannesburg tomorrow morning Australian time.

New Zealand Cricket Academy director Dayle Hadlee was happy with the programme his charges of 2001 endured at the end of their year at the High Performance Centre at Lincoln University.The side had a full programme of matches against, Otago, Central Districts and Auckland of the New Zealand associations, and the Australian and Queensland Academies, all played at Lincoln.”We provided a challenging playing programme. Some of the players demonstrated their talents, others have quite a lot of work to do,” he said.The intake this year was slightly younger than earlier groups but it had responded well to the demands of the course.The high points of the playing programme had been the performances against Otago, the one-day victory over Auckland and the comprehensive performances against the Queenslanders.The first three one-dayers against Australia were disappointing because the side had under-achieved, he said.The side had been affected by the unsettled nature of the team in the games with the constantly changing personnel due to the bowling problems the side experienced.”The culture was forever changing but it has to be said the Australians played very well,” he said.In reviewing the year, Hadlee said there was work that needed to be done on the pre-Academy screening of players. The players this year, who were affected by injury had been more than satisfied by the efforts made to improve their situations.”Many of the injuries were extremely well-managed but some are more on-going,” he said.One of particular concern affects the leading player of the intake, wicket-keeper/batsman Brendon McCullum. He has a chronic knee injury and he won’t be keeping wickets this season.His injury is being monitored so that it can be used as a point of comparison for the longer term treatment of the problem.If the knee improves, he will keep wickets in the last game of the year to see if there is a reaction which will show whether the injury is related to wicket-keeping.McCullum had been the stand out player of the year while Central Districts batsman Jamie How looked extremely promising although still troubled by inconsistency.Canterbury’s Wade Cornelius was by far the pick of the pace bowlers in the intake and Wellington’s Luke Woodcock surprised with the progress he made as a left-arm spinner. His work ethic had been outstanding and he had also benefited from having Mike Shrimpton available to work with him at the Academy.The injuries suffered by the pace bowlers were frustrating because none of them were the same. One player had a stress fracture. Another had a muscular problem, another a leg injury and another a side strain.The workload of the players had all been monitored and they were all on track to recover.Hadlee said the most important thing with the bowlers was ensuring they had safe actions.Statistics from the end of season games were:Multi-day matches: (Two two-dayers v Otago, two three-dayers v Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy, one three-dayer v Auckland, one four-dayer v Queensland Academy of Sport)Batting

Name Mat I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct StCR Pryor 1 1 0 84 84 84.00 40.19 – 1 2 -BB McCullum 6 11 2 454 94 50.44 92.84 – 6 11 -CZ Harris 1 2 1 50 33* 50.00 116.27 – – 3 -S Whiteman 3 4 3 49 16* 49.00 36.56 – – 1 -AJ Redmond 1 1 0 46 46 46.00 184.00 – – – -CL Cairns 3 4 1 126 70 42.00 91.97 – 1 1 -SL Stewart 6 9 1 317 89 39.62 53.82 – 2 2 -JM How 6 11 1 351 126 35.10 53.75 1 1 3 -NL McCullum 4 7 1 182 66 30.33 64.76 – 2 5 -RA Young 6 8 0 232 89 29.00 57.14 – 1 11 -WA Cornelius 6 4 2 58 33 29.00 65.90 – – 1 -JEC Franklin 1 2 1 28 20 28.00 32.55 – – – -LJ Woodcock 6 9 2 187 53* 26.71 32.40 – 1 2 -NKW Horsley 6 9 0 182 67 20.22 48.53 – 1 5 -WC McSkimming 1 2 0 20 10 10.00 43.47 – – – -JP McNamee 6 9 0 78 21 8.66 36.96 – – 5 -TP Robin 6 4 3 8 7* 8.00 19.51 – – – -BE Hefford 1 1 0 3 3 3.00 21.42 – – 1 -SE Bond 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 – – – –

Bowling

Name Mat O M R W Ave Best 5 10 SR EconSE Bond 1 32 11 85 8 10.62 7-55 1 – 24.0 2.65BE Hefford 1 36 11 82 6 13.66 5-56 1 – 36.0 2.27CZ Harris 1 20.5 4 53 3 17.66 3-25 – – 41.6 2.54CL Cairns 3 32 11 73 4 18.25 2-25 – – 48.0 2.28JEC Franklin 1 15 5 55 2 27.50 2-55 – – 45.0 3.66CR Pryor 1 25 6 57 2 28.50 1-24 – – 75.0 2.28WA Cornelius 6 146.4 38 428 14 30.57 5-55 1 – 62.8 2.91TP Robin 6 104.5 20 424 13 32.61 4-62 – – 48.3 4.04LJ Woodcock 6 98.5 26 336 10 33.60 4-50 – – 59.3 3.39NL McCullum 4 87 14 345 10 34.50 4-103 – – 52.2 3.96S Whiteman 3 68 15 223 6 37.16 3-59 – – 68.0 3.27JM How 6 10.5 3 39 1 39.00 1-25 – – 65.0 3.60NKW Horsley 6 18 3 61 0 – – – – – 3.38SL Stewart 6 15 1 77 0 – – – – – 5.13

One-day matches: (One v Central Districts, four v Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy, one v Auckland)Batting

Name Mat I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct StBB McCullum 6 6 1 318 106* 63.60 104.60 1 2 3 -SL Stewart 6 6 0 192 68 32.00 75.59 – 2 3 -NKW Horsley 6 6 0 136 86 22.66 66.66 – 1 – -JP McNamee 6 6 0 115 49 19.16 67.25 – – – -JM How 6 6 0 113 43 18.83 63.84 – – 3 -KD Mills 2 2 0 37 24 18.50 123.33 – – – -JEC Franklin 5 4 1 44 18* 14.66 81.48 – – 1 -AJ Redmond 2 2 0 29 29 14.50 80.55 – – – -LJ Woodcock 6 2 1 12 9* 12.00 40.00 – – 1 -RA Young 6 5 2 32 19 10.66 86.48 – – 2 3NL McCullum 5 5 0 53 28 10.60 92.98 – – 4 -WA Cornelius 4 2 0 8 7 4.00 53.33 – – 1 -CJ Cornelius 2 2 0 5 3 2.50 62.50 – – – -CL Cairns 1 1 1 84 84* – 204.87 – 1 – -CZ Harris 1 1 1 27 27* – 108.00 – – 1 -TP Robin 5 2 2 4 3* – 66.66 – – – -DL Vettori 1 0 – – – – – – – – -S Whiteman 1 0 – – – – – – – – –

Bowling

Name Mat O M R W Ave Best 4w 5w SR EconCZ Harris 1 10 2 22 1 22.00 1-22 – – 60.0 2.20S Whiteman 1 6 1 14 0 – – – – – 2.33NKW Horsley 6 1 0 3 1 3.00 1-3 – – 6.0 3.00DL Vettori 1 10 0 36 4 9.00 4-36 1 – 15.0 3.60KD Mills 2 16 3 58 4 14.50 2-16 – – 24.0 3.62CL Cairns 1 5 0 19 0 – – – – – 3.80LJ Woodcock 6 41.1 1 169 8 21.12 3-26 – – 30.8 4.10CJ Cornelius 2 19 1 88 3 29.33 2-27 – – 38.0 4.63WA Cornelius 4 30 3 140 9 15.55 6-32 – 1 20.0 4.66JEC Franklin 5 37 1 182 2 91.00 1-19 – – 111.0 4.91TP Robin 5 39 0 216 3 72.00 2-41 – – 78.0 5.53NL McCullum 5 29 0 185 2 92.50 2-34 – – 87.0 6.37SL Stewart 6 5 0 40 1 40.00 1-35 – – 30.0 8.00AJ Redmond 2 10 0 81 2 40.50 1-34 – – 30.0 8.10

Note: averages do not include performances by Pryor, Mills and Hefford when playing against the Academy for Otago, Auckland and Central Districts, respectively.

Maharashtra make strong comebackMaharashtra made a spirited reply to a Connor-Williams-inspired Baroda first-innings total in their Ranji Trophy league match at Pune on Monday.Baroda ended their first innings on 424, inspired largely by Tushar Arothe, who made 85. Holding the lower order together, Arothe played patiently for 251 minutes and 183 balls to be the ninth wicket to fall. He was well supported by Zaheer Khan, who made a brisk 43 off 33 balls. For Maharashtra, Iqbal Siddiqui took five wickets.Maharashtra did not wilt in the face of such a big deficit. Although Niranjan Godbole fell early, JS Narse and Hrishikesh Kanitkar kept the score ticking over. Both were dismissed before the close of play, but Abhijit Kale and KD Aphale put on an unbeaten 109 runs for the fourth wicket.At stumps, Kale was on 62 off 135 balls, while Aphale had made 40 off 69 balls. For Baroda, Valmik Buch took two wickets, while Zaheer Khan claimed one.Wasim Jaffer strikes centuryOpener Wasim Jaffer struck a solid 139 to give Mumbai the edge in their Ranji Trophy league match against Saurashtra at Mumbai.Replying to Saurashtra’s not-insignificant total, Mumbai batsmen ensured that their side took the the vital first-innings lead in a match that looks to be heading for a draw. Along with Vinayak Mane, Jaffer put on 135 runs for the first wicket and then shared more good partnerships with K More and Amol Muzumdar.Jaffer fell as the third wicket, having made 139 off 218 balls, with 15 fours and one six. Muzumdar remained unbeaten at stumps on 87 off 173 balls, with eight fours. His knock took Mumbai to a total of 384/6 at the close of play. Vinod Kambli, lower down the order, struck a brisk 42 off 37 balls and gave good support to Muzumdar.Tripura collapse against AssamTripura collapsed against some fine Assamese bowling in their Ranji Trophy league match at Guwahati on Monday.Winning the toss, Tripura opted to take first strike, but could not capitalise on the advantage. Only captain S Dasgupta and TK Chanda could contribute significantly with the bat. Dasgupta, opening the batting, made 52 off 120 balls, while Chanda struck 62 off 135 balls.Assam wicket-keeper Samarjit Nath had a particularly fine day behind the stumps, completing six catches and one stumping. At the close of play, the visitors were 209 for eight. For Assam, MJV Ingty and J Gokulakrishnan took three wickets apiece.Bengal face uphill taskAlthough Bengal is in little danger of losing, they also stand almost no chance of gaining the first-innings lead in their Ranji Trophy league match against Orissa at Baripada.Orissa, resuming on Day Three on 575/5, added 96 more runs before declaring their innings closed. Prabanjan Mullick, overnight on 22, made an unbeaten 80, supported well by P Jayachandra and G Gopal. At 671/6, skipper Sanjay Raul finally ended the misery of the Bengal bowlers, three of whom conceded more than 100 runs in the innings.Facing such a big total, Bengal lost Nikhil Haldipur and Arindam Das for just 57, but national find Deep Dasgupta and skipper Rohan Gavaskar took their side through to stumps without any further mishaps, putting on 136 runs for the third wicket.At the close of play, Dasgupta was on 82, while Gavaskar made 51. Bengal were 193/2 in 60.1 overs.

Middlesex 255 for 9 (Weekes 80, Joyce 59*) beat Scotland 143 (Keegan 5 for 48) by 112 runs
Scorecard
While Middlesex only had drive a few miles to the south from their headquarters at Lord’s, the Scotland team had to travel all the way down to Surrey – to play Middlesex – at Richmond. The game was held at Old Deer Park, which is better known for staging rugby matches rather than cricket. The park is the home of London Welsh, and London Scottish used to play at the Athletic Ground just round the corner, but Scotland didn’t take any home comforts away with them as they crashed to their biggest defeat of the season.After Craig Wright put Middlesex in, Paul Weekes led the way with 80 from 77 balls, including 13 fours and one six. Andy Strauss was dismissed early on, and then Weekes put on 96 with Owais Shah (19), and set up the platform for Ed Joyce to cash in with 59 not out. Majid Haq was the pick of the Scotland bowlers with 3 for 39 with his tidy offspin, but it wasn’t such a tidy performance from Colin Smith, the wicketkeeper. He fumbled a number of catches and stumpings and, bizarrely, kept with his pads underneath his trousers.Chasing 256, Scotland’s reply got off to a bad start – and went downhill from there. Chad Keegan (5 for 48) and Cook (2 for 23) struck early with none of the top five batsmen – including Rahul Dravid – managing double figures as Scotland slumped to 36 for 5. By then it was all over as a contest, but Scotland did restore some pride with a steady 20 from Wright and a rapid 33 from 14 balls late on from Paul Hoffmann.

South Africa opened their tour of Australia on a winning note when they beat an ACB Chairman’s XI by 48 runs in a 50-over match at Lilac Hill in Perth on Wednesday.Neil McKenzie made a fine 76 while Lance Klusener clubbed 64 off 74 balls as the South Africans reached 257 for nine. Herschelle Gibbs struck a typically breezy 39 off 36 balls at the top of the innings,In reply the Chairman’s XI were bowled out for 209 with Mike Hussey top-scoring with 56. For the South Africans Steve Elworthy took four for 27 with Allan Donald getting through eight overs to take two for 42.

The Western Australian Cricket Association is pleased to advise thatAdam Gilchrist has today been officially named Captain of the WesternWarriors. Gilchrist is currently Vice Captain of the Australian test andone-day teams and has captained recent test matches against the WestIndies and England in the absence of the injured Steve Waugh.The Western Australian Cricket Association is also pleased to advisethat Justin Langer has been appointed Vice Captain of the WesternWarriors. Langer has been a regular member of the WA team since hisdebut in 1991.In the absence of both Adam and Justin from the Warriors team during theseason, formal recommendations for a replacement Captain and ViceCaptain will be made from the State Selectors to the I & I Committee forappointments, in advance of scheduled matches.The formal appointments of the new Warriors Captain and Vice Captainwere made during a meeting of the WACA’s International & InterstateCricket Committee: held earlier today at the WACA Ground.During the same meeting, formal appointments were also made for the twofinal State Squad Contracts, as well as the naming of a replacement forthe vacant Assistant Coach’s position.State Squad ContractsScarborough’s Robert Baker and Subiaco Floreat’s Gavin Swan were eachawarded with a State Squad Contract. Swan’s contract comes as a resultof his continued success at first grade level: and in particular for hisoutstanding bowling during last season’s finals series.Baker’s contract comes following a strong recovery from the ChronicFatigue Syndrome that has kept him sidelined from cricket for themajority of the past two seasons. Warrior’s Coach Michael Veletta saidthat he and the Warriors coaching staff would be looking to ease Bakerback into peak condition over the summer.Assistant CoachThe vacant Western Warriors Assistant Coach’s position was appointed toNoel Knight. Knight’s appointment onto the senior State Coaching Panelcomes as a result of his proven success as a Club Coach in the WACA’sPennant Competition. He coached Subiaco Floreat to last season’spremiership – as well as Scarborough in 1994/95 and Bayswater Morley in1998/99.Wally Edwards, Chairman of the WACA’s I & I Committee, said thatKnight’s appointment was an indication of the I & I Committee’s desireto provide greater rewards for consistent performances in Club Cricket.State Cricket Selection PanelLate last month, former West Australian left arm pace bowler Peter Capeswas named as the replacement for Doug Harris on the State CricketSelection Panel. A replacement was sought for Doug Harris when he wasrecently appointed State Coaching Manager for the WACA.Capes played 40 first class games for WA, and took 124 wickets at anaverage of 31.65. He was also a member of WA’s FAI Cup winning team of1989-90, and Sheffield Shield winning teams of 1986/87 & 1988/89.