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Scorecard

Western Australia moved to the top of the Pura Cup table with an innings and 107-run victory against Victoria at the WACA. Half-centuries to Matthew Elliott and Jon Moss slowed the Warriors, but Brad Williams and Darren Wates each picked up three wickets to lead their side to a comprehensive win.Mike Hussey became the first batsman in Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup history to carry his bat while scoring a double century as Western Australia made 464. Hussey collected his highest score for the state with 223 not out, his second double of the season, and passed 7000 competition runs to move to fourth on Western Australia’s most prolific list.After the match Cameron White, the Victorian captain, admitted that it was an abysmal performance by his side. “It was pretty embarrassing really, I think the scoreboard tells the story doesn’t it. After such a terrific year last year with the batting where we made a ridiculous amount of runs, we just haven’t been able to back it up.”Western Australia now have 24 points in the Pura Cup, followed by Queensland (22) and New South Wales (20), while Victoria are struggling with just 12. White agreed that the chances of Victoria regaining the title they won last year were extremely slim, but insisted that they wouldn’t give up. “It gets tricky but there’s still enough points there left for us probably,” he said. “[But] we’re going to have to play some pretty decent cricket to get somewhere back towards talking about that [the title] again.”Meanwhile, Justin Langer, the Warriors’ opener, was expectedly elated with his side’s performance, but also expressed surprise at the way Victoria capitulated. “It’s a pretty good wicket now, I’m surprised we bowled them out for 200 or so today for sure. They had a lot to play for going into this game, as we did. They’ve got a very experienced side, so I’m surprised how well it went for us today.”

John Emburey has attacked the England selectors for failing to include Owais Shah in either the Test or one-day squads to tour Pakistan in October. Emburey, Shah’s coach at Middlesex, has accused the selectors of operating a “closed shop” policy.Shah has enjoyed a superb season for Middlesex, scoring over 2000 runs in both four-day and one-day competitions. Despite his omission from the senior side’s squads, he was however included in the National Academy squad. But Emburey feels this is scant reward for a young player who has performed so well all season.”The fact that he’s not there [in the one-day squad] to me is criminal. He’s going to have to bat like Don Bradman to play any better than he has done this year.” Emburey told .Emburey feels Shah has been ostracised because “his face doesn’t fit.” He added: “I think it’s a closed shop to be honest. I think they’ve got their people they want to bring on and his face doesn’t fit, as simple as that.”Shah, 26, last played for England in the 2002-03 one-day series against Australia. A solid season in 2003 saw him rewarded with the captaincy of Middlesex – but he was relieved of the captaincy in June 2004 following a string a poor results. A highly gifted and stylish batsman, Shah is one of many young England players who initially found county cricket an easy affair, only to fall by the wayside in recent years with inconsistent performances. However, consistency is one aspect Shah has improved upon as his statistics this season clearly demonstrate.”I hope someone actually speaks to him and tells him why he isn’t going and doesn’t use his little knee injury as an excuse,” added Emburey. “I want someone to be honest with the bloke – either the selectors or the coach.”I can understand there are no vacancies in the Test side for him because the batting is fairly solid and they have kept a squad of players together which has performed very well, and I think that’s right.”But I think their one-day cricket has been very inconsistent and there is a need to bring someone in which can add something to the team and make them better.”

Shah isn’t the only player whose omission has raised eyebrows. Chris Read was, yet again, not chosen for either squad; Matt Prior from Sussex, a counterattacking and aggressive batsman, is Geraint Jones’ wicketkeeping back-up. And of course, it was Jones who initially replaced Read two winters ago; Read had kept beautifully all winter, but in averaging just 15 with the bat in 11 Tests, England decided they needed a more punchy lower-order batsman.”The keeping side of things is always under scrutiny, but the ability to score runs has maybe overtaken that. My personal opinion is it might well go in a cycle,” he told .”We’ve seen Adam Gilchrist, who turned the art of the keeper-batter on its head by averaging 50-plus. A lot of the nations have tried to emulate that, probably with limited success. Now that Gilchrist is within two-to-three years of retirement, it will be interesting to see what Australia have up their sleeve and how the other countries react to that.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

The second day of the Chittagong Test exemplified not only what Bangladesh could achieve with application, but also how they let situations slip through their grasp. At the end of it, India, dismissed for 540, were in firm control, but had to put up with stiff Bangladeshi resistance for most of the day. After removing five batsmen in the morning, Bangladesh were held up by Sourav Ganguly and the Indian tail in the second session. Then, after tea, Bangladesh protected their wickets stoutly on a pitch becoming increasingly difficult to bat on, but lost three wickets in the final overs to end on 54 for 3.Mashrafe Mortaza and Mohammad Rafique bowled with intelligence before lunch. They removed most of the middle order, including Sachin Tendulkar with the first ball of the day. After doing most of the work, they allowed Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to add 128 runs with Ganguly. Bangladesh then survived for nearly an entire session before the spinners breached their defences. Though defeat appeared inevitable, it was satisfying to see Bangladesh finally put up a fight.Mortaza had set the tone for his team’s defiance with the first ball, bringing it in to trap Tendulkar for 36. He then removed Rahul Dravid for 160 with one that lifted and kissed the edge of the bat en route to the wicketkeeper. Not long after, VVS Laxman was outsmarted by Rafique, and patted a delivery back to him. Then Dinesh Karthik and Irfan Pathan took liberties with his left-arm spin and paid a price.

After lunch, the bowlers slackened and frittered away their advantage. Ganguly added 53 with Kumble, and then rotated the strike as Harbhajan took toll of the bowlers. The ball was repeatedly smashed to the fence, and at times over it, as 75 runs came in 11 manic overs. Ganguly, 12 short of a hundred, then unsuccessfully tried to clear the long-on fence (540 for 9). His last century was a rousing 144 at Brisbane in December a year ago.Just as it seemed that Bangladesh were going through the motions once again, they returned to the crease and showed the backbone they missed sorely in Dhaka. Nafis Iqbal and Javed Omar survived testing spells from the new-ball attack. Irfan Pathan often appeared close to breaking through, but found the openers unshakable. Zaheer Khan was also unsuccessful in his attempt to rattle them. Only when the spinners came on did cracks appear.Kumble made the ball fizz off the strip and left the batsmen groping. To counter the variable bounce, the openers played him off the front foot. It did not do them much good. One delivery caught the edge of Iqbal’s bat but was put down by the wicketkeeper. Omar pushed at another that turned and flew to Dravid at slip (48 for 1). He had faced 78 balls for his 10. Mortaza, sent in as night-watchman, then padded up to a straight one and Iqbal, after defying India 91 balls for his 31, gloved a turner by Harbhajan to Gautam Gambhir at short leg (54 for 3).Bangladesh had fought bravely, but simply did not have the resources to counter India’s firepower on a wearing track.

The Standard Bank Pro20 series, which is at its halfway stage, has received an overwhelming support from the crowds. Fans are thoroughly enjoying the thrilling entertainment and action of the shortened version of the game and are coming out in large numbers to support the newly formed franchise teams.In the eight matches so far, a total of 70,326 spectators have come through the turnstiles, with the 18,221 who watched the Nashua Dolphins defeat the Highveld Lions at the Wanderers on April 16 being the biggest crowd. The average attendance of 8,820 is an indication of the interest that these matches have generated.Gerald Majola, the CEO of the UCB, said that they had always expected this tournament to generate a large amount of interest. “These are very encouraging numbers. We had every confidence that Standard Bank Pro20 Series would be a great success, and these figures indicate that our confidence has been justified. Entertainment for all has been the key both on and off the field, and it has been wonderful to see the large number of families and young fans enjoying the razzmatazz on and off the field.”All but two of the matches have ended in the last over, with the winning runs in three games being scored in the final over. A total of 2303 runs have being scored in 313.4 overs, at a rate of 7.3 per over, including 51 sixes.

Chris Gayle has been fined 30% of his match fee following an incident with Michael Clarke during West Indies’ win against Australia in Mumbai on Wednesday. Clarke was found not guitly and also rejected suggestions he called Gayle a “second-class citizen”.Gayle’s loud comments and animated demeanour during the 10-run victory were at odds with his usual placid self. The situation appeared to be getting the better of him at one stage and, when fielding off his own bowling, he hurled the ball back at Clarke to shy at the stumps but it went above the wicketkeeper for four overthrows. Gayle also followed Clarke down the pitch after one over and appeared to nudge him.”What started off as banter between the two players got out of hand and Chris Gayle went over the top in his reactions,” Mike Procter, the ICC match referee, said after the hearing. “We do not want robots on the field and we want to ensure players play with enthusiasm and passion. We saw a great deal of that during an excellent match on Wednesday but there is a line between what is acceptable and what is not and Chris crossed it.”Gayle was found guilty of a code one breach for failing to “conduct play within the spirit of the game”. Clarke was found not guilty of the same offence in a separate hearing in Mumbai.The Courier-Mail reported a West Indian “insider” saying Gayle was upset by being called a “second-class citizen”. However, Clarke dismissed the claim. “If anyone is second-class it’s me, I’m from Liverpool,” Clarke, who grew up in the working-class Sydney suburb, said. “I didn’t say that – I wouldn’t say that – and neither did any of my team-mates. Why Chris way fired up I’m not sure, I certainly know I didn’t say anything to Chris when he batted.”Ricky Ponting, who has been found guilty twice over the past year for poor on-field behaviour, was upset after the match that charges had not been laid immediately. “If there’s any consistency in the game that should be looked at,” Ponting said. He got his wish when the umpires Mark Benson and Rudi Koertzen changed their minds on Thursday morning.

Farveez Maharoof, Sri Lanka’s Under-19 captain and a fast bowling allrounder, leads the Man of the Tournament standings at the end of the first group phase. Maharoof picked up points in all three of his matches for both bowling and batting to lead the standings with seven points. Maharoof, a Wesley College schoolboy who has played for the A team, is tipped to break into the national squad soon.Mahroof was one point ahead of a quartet of challengers including Chamith Kulasekara, a teammate, and Shikhar Dhawan, an Indian batsman who has hit two centuries and is the tournament’s leading run-scorer. The surprise inclusion near the top of the table is Nepal’s Shakti Gauchan whose patient batting displays against South Africa and Uganda have earned him two Man of the Match awards.

Andy Atkinson, an English curator in charge of the pitches during the Pakistan and South Africa series, and a pitch adviser for the ICC, promised to prepare quality pitches with pace and bounce fair to both sides.

Atkinson, who worked in South Africa from 1993 to 2001, said: “I am here to make quality cricket pitches but there are no specific targets of making spintracks to support the home team.” He continued: “I came here two years ago, the soil has no problem, but maybe the way the pitches are made here is a problem. The conditions are much similar to South Africa, the clay content is the same and grass is of the same quality. The whole idea is to make consistent pitches in Pakistan.”The Pakistan board sought Atkinson’s help after criticism of the pitches by Rashid Latif, former captain, Javed Miandad, the coach and Tauqir Zia, PCB chairman. After his tour of Pakistan, Atkinson will fly to Bangladesh to supervise the preparations of the pitches for the ICC Junior World Cup to be held in January and February.Atkinson always has high praise for Australia’s wickets, but rejected Steve Waugh’s demand for uniform pitches. “It is impossible to have uniform pitches all over the world because atmospheric conditions are different,” he said. “They would be detrimental for world cricket.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to organize the forthcoming domestic international matches against South Africa. The decision was taken on Thursday in a meeting that was chaired by PCB Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Tauqir Zia.The South African team arrives in Lahore on Tuesday morning for two Tests and five one-day internationals that will be played in Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi."We are grateful and thankful to the Punjab Cricket Association for their support and cooperation in organizing international matches against Bangladesh. But for the series against South Africa, it has been decided that the PCB will organize the show. Mr Arif Rahim has been appointed the Chairman Organizing Committee of all the three committees at Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi," PCB Chief Executive Ramiz Raja said in a statement.With this decision, the season accreditation cards that were issued prior to the beginning of the home series stand null and void."The accreditation cards, except for print and electronic media and PCB officials, have been cancelled with immediate effect. Fresh accreditation/duty cards to the local match organizers and sub-committee members will be issued by Mr Arif Rahim who has made his camp office in the Gaddafi Stadium," the PCB Chief Executive said.On Friday, the PCB Chief Executive chaired a high level meeting in which security aspects were discussed and finalized."There will be no compromise on security which will be foolproof and tight. I would request all the cricket lovers to kindly support and cooperate with us because Pakistan future domestic events depend heavily on South African series. The crowds, I must admit, have been wonderful for the series against Bangladesh and I am sure their response for the forthcoming series will be equally positive and supportive," Ramiz Raja said.In the meeting, it was decided that falling items – fire arms, weapons, glass and plastic bottles, canes, fireworks, match boxes and any other item that can be used as a missile – will not be allowed inside the ground.The tickets for the first two one-day internationals will go on sale in specific branches of United Bank Limited from Monday. The following are the names of the branches: Alfalah, Anarkali, Bank Square, Bank Square Model Town, Circular Road, Garden Town, Lehhra, Liberty Market, Ravi Road, Riwaz Garden, Shahalam Market, Shadbagh and Wapda House.Tickets will also be available at the Gaddafi Stadium ticket counters at Gate No 2 and 14 from Tuesday between 1000 hours and 1600 hours.The following are the prices of tickets:Fazal Mahmood and Imran Khan Enclosures (Gate 1 and 14) Rs1,200; Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Khan Mohammad, Mahmood Hussain Enclosures (Gate 8 and 7) Rs1,000; A.H Kardar, Javed Miandad Enclosures (Gate 2 and 13) Rs800; Saeed Ahmad, Zaheer Abbas, Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmad Enclosures (Gate 11, 12 and 13) Rs600; Nazars Enclosure [for families and ladies] (Gate 3) Rs200, Senior Citizens (Gate 3) Rs100; Majid Khan, Saeed Anwar, Rajas, Abdul Qadir, Sarfraz Nawaz Enclosures (Gate 5, 9, 6, 10) Rs75.Entry for Special Children will be free from Gate No 4.The PCB has continued the following organizing committees: FOR LAHORE:
Members: Mr Amir Hayat Rokari (President LCCA), Lt Col Ghiasuddin, Lt Col Rana Sajjad (both Pakistan Rangers, Punjab), Mr Zakir Khan (G.M Cricket Operations -PCB), Maj (Retd) Javed Manj (Manager Services & HR – PCB), Mr Syed Ahmad Mobin Zaidi (SP Model Town) and Mr M.Shoaib Qureshi (Regional Chief Executive, UBL Lahore Region). RAWALPINDI:
Members: Mr Hamid Ali Khan (DCO Rawalpindi), Mr S.Murawwat Ali Shah (DPO Rawalpindi), Mr Zakir Khan (G.M Cricket Operations – PCB), Maj (retd) Javed Manj (Manager Services & HR), Maj Raja Ahmad Jahanzeb, Mr Ehtisham-ul-Haq, Mr Masood Anwar (President RDCA), Mr M.Ashraf Qureshi.FAISALABAD:
Members: Mr Tahir Hussain (DCO Faisalabad), Capt (retd) Muhammad Amin (DPO Faisalabad), Mr Zakir Khan (G.M Cricket Operations – PCB), Maj (retd) Javed Manj (Manager Services & HR – PCB), Mr Rana Anis Ahmad (Secretary FDCA).

David Hussey is to sign for Nottinghamshire as their second overseas player for next season, according to the . Although negotiations are continuing and nothing is expected to be announced for a week to ten days, Hussey is almost certain to join Stuart MacGill, the Australian legspinner, at Trent Bridge.Hussey, 26 and brother of Mike, who played his first one-day international for Australia last week, has made a tremendous impact on Australian domestic cricket since moving from Western Australia to Victoria two years ago. He has averaged 97 this season, and averages 72 for Victoria.His four first-class hundreds include a top score of 212 not out against New South Wales, and his impressive form caught the eye of Lindsay Walker, a Nottinghamshire coach. Hussey has also been recommended by Steve Waugh, believed to be the county’s original target, but who turned down an offer for family reasons.

The Afghanistan Cricket Federation (ACF), which is already an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council, has applied for membership of theAsian Cricket Council (ACC), and also requested permission to send ateam to the 2003 Youth Asia Cup, which starts on July 15.While their membership application is an agenda item down fordiscussion at the ACC meeting on June 14, and likely to be approved, it will probably be too late for Afghanistan to compete in the youth tournament. Syed Ashraful Huq, the ACC’s chief executive, has turned down their request asthe Afghan federation is not yet a member of the council, and that even ifmembership is approved it leaves little time to include an Afghanistan teamin the tournament.However, he said that if ACF membership is approved then they could take part in the Under-17 Asia Cup, which is to be held later this year.The ACF is active in building up cricket in Afghanistan after the recentwar, and has already sent teams to play in two of Pakistan’s domesticcompetitions.The decision seems disappointing from the viewpoint of helpingdevelop cricket in the region, a primary goal of the Asian Cricket Council. Surely a special case could have been made to allow an Afghan youth teamto play while their application was pending? Such a decision would have allowed Afghan youngsters to gain useful experience against stronger Asian teams while boosting the ACF’s morale as they develop cricket in their wartorn country.