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Scorecard

A rampant India A took charge with both bat and ball on the opening day of their three-day match against Kenya at Mombasa. Led by a four-wicket haul by Yo Mahesh, the right-arm fast bowler, the Indians dismissed Kenya for a paltry 97 in less than 38 overs. Parthiv Patel then starred with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 100 as India A finished on 205 for 4, already 108 in front.Steve Tikolo won the toss and chose to bat, but the decision backfired spectacularly as only four batsmen made it into double digits, with Tikolo’s 28 being the highest score.The slide started early, as Irfan Pathan got one through Maurice Ouma’s defences off the fifth ball of the match. When Mahesh trapped Alex Obanda in front in the fourth over, Kenya had lost two wickets with just one run on the board. Tikolo and David Obuya added 38 for the second wicket, the highest partnership of the innings, but once Pankaj Singh broke through, the rest of the Kenyan batsmen hardly offered any resistance. Tanmay Mishra’s 27 was the only other significant contribution, but Mahesh dismissed him and then wrapped up the tail to finish with 4 for 21.The Indians didn’t start smoothly, losing both openers with only 14 on the board. However, Patel, first in the company of Mohammad Kaif and then Rohit Sharma, got the innings back on track. The third-wicket stand yielded 68 before Kaif was dimissed, while Sharma helped Patel add 76 for the fourth.Patel was aggressive right from the beginning, and got to his century off just 126 balls, with 15 fours. He offered one chance, on 67, but Collins Obuya spilled the chance off Jimmy Kamande. Patel didn’t need a further invitation to score, and with S Badrinath giving him company on 29, India were well placed to build a massive first-innings lead and then look for an innings win.Kenya, meanwhile, were hampered by a hamstring injury to Elijah Otieno, which ensured he only bowled six overs. That was the second fitness problem for them in the day: Thomas Odoyo had withdrawn from the game due to a groin injury during practice.

Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, wants a maximum of six days to prepare his squad before it leaves for the West Indies, which would allow the players signed with the Indian Premier League to spend two weeks at the tournament. Nielsen is not concerned about the country’s contract holders, including Andrew Symonds, Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee, taking part in the Twenty20 competition as long as they return in good shape.The six-week IPL event begins on April 18 and a camp is likely to be held in the first week of May before Australia travel to the West Indies for Test and one-day series. “We’re still working through the process with Cricket Australia, but I would expect the guys would have time to play in India,” Nielsen said in the Sunday Mail. “So long as the guys turn up okay and ready to go and Cricket Australia finalises any issues with the IPL I can’t see a problem.”If the plan goes ahead the IPL-aligned players will be able to earn about a third of their prices from the auction in India last month. Symonds was bought for US$1.35m while Brett Lee ($900,000), Ricky Ponting ($400,000), Matthew Hayden ($375,000) and Michael Hussey ($350,000) were also picked up.Nielsen said he was looking at a five or six-day camp to fine-tune for the West Indies. “There are a few things to be considered,” he said. “My No.1 priority is having the players adequately prepared and ready to go to the West Indies, but I don’t expect the camp to be abnormally long.”

Mumbai qualified for the Wills Trophy from the West Zone on Wednesdayby topping the table with the maximum eight points from their fourgames. In their last league encounter of the Ranji Trophy one daytournament, they registered a nine wicket victory over Baroda at theMotibaug ground in Baroda.Jacob Martin and Sameer Dighe, skippers of Baroda and Mumbai strolledout for a crucial toss as both Baroda and Mumbai were unbeaten intheir matches so far.Dighe won the toss and decided to chase a target as they had done inall their matches this season. Santosh Saxena (3/39) pushed Baroda onthe backfoot scalping Connor Williams (5) and Daulat Thorat (9) inquick succession. Kiran Powar ran out keeper Milap Mewada who did notface a delivery. Baroda were tottering on 33 for three.Jacob Martin (66) and veteran Tushar Arothe (76) put on a rescue actwith a 105-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Santosh Saxena brokethe partnership having Martin caught by Vinod Kambli and it was alldownhill for Baroda from there on. They folded up for 203 in 47.1overs. Allrounder Robin Morris chipped in with three for 30.Mumbai openers Robin Morris (56) and Wasim Jaffer (116 not out)continued their good form with the bat putting up their secondconsecutive hundred run partnership for the first wicket. Robin kepthis good form scoring his third half century of the tournament.Wasim’s 98-ball innings had two towering sixes and 15 hits to thefence. Robin put up two sixes and six boundaries in his innings.Mumbai romped home in 29.2 overs scoring at a rate of seven runs anover.

Shane Bond has been included in Canterbury’s domestic Twenty20 squad, but his playing hinges on whether he decides to annul his three-year contract with the Indian Cricket League.Bond is in talks with New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive, Justin Vaughan, who is making a last-ditch effort to convince Bond to terminate his contract with the ICL. But if Bond fulfills his contract with the rebel league, it could effectively end his six-year international career and delay his return to domestic cricket, as he will only be able to play [on a match-by-match basis] once his contract with the national squad expires in May. However, Bond has been cleared to play while the talks between his legal team and New Zealand Cricket are continuing.”Shane has been passed fit and we want him to play. He is, of course, a welcome addition to our squad,” Canterbury coach Dave Nosworthy told the , a Christchurch-based daily. He said Bond was included on the advice of Warren Frost, the New Zealand board’s sport science medical coordinator, who laid emphasis on how the fast bowler acquitted himself in a club match.Bond looked to have recuperated from an abdominal muscle strain picked up during New Zealand’s tour of South Africa, as he bowled eight overs without taking a wicket and scored 45 for his club team, Old Boys-Collegians.The board hasn’t taken an official stance on players who have signed on with the ICL, but had advised the national selectors to look beyond Hamish Marshall and Daryl Tuffey, two ICL-recruits who are still on the international radar.

Sussex have signed Ryan Harris, the South Australia allrounder, who holds a British passport after beating off interest from other counties. Harris is South Australia’s highest wicket-taker in the Pura Cup with 33 scalps and is the fourth highest in the domestic season.According to , Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Essex were also chasing Harris’s signature but he eventually opted for the defending county champions.”We are delighted to have finally got our man. Ryan is a bowler we have been tracking most of the winter and we’ve used our contact to find out as much about him as we can,” cricket manager Mark Robinson said. “He’s an exciting prospect who has the potential to bowl quickly. Moreover, Ryan is an outstanding fielder and a more than handy lower order batsman. He completes our squad and gives us the extra fire power we need for the defence of our title.”The signing still needs to be confirmed by the ECB but Sussex don’t foresee any problems. Harris will add valuable depth to Sussex’s squad – one of the smallest on the circuit – as they aim to defend their Championship title. Alongside his 33 Pura Cup wickets Harris has also scored 286 runs at 23.During the winter Sussex have lost the retired Richard Montgomerie, Saqlain Mushtaq who has gone to Surrey and Rana Naved to Yorkshire.Sussex begin their season against MCC, at Lord’s, on April 10 before their opening Championship fixture against Hampshire, at The Rose Bowl, on April 16.

Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan batsman, has climbed to eighth place in the ICC player rankings for ODI batsmen after an excellent performance in the one-day series against South Africa. Yousuf scored a century and three fifties and averaged 71.50 in five innings in the series that Pakistan lost 2-3.Graeme Smith, the South African captain, also moved up two places to fourth on the list of top 10 one-day batsmen. Smith’s tally of 228 runs in five ODIs against Pakistan helped him move past Kevin Pietersen and Michael Hussey.Jacques Kallis, however, slipped in the rankings for both batsmen and allrounders following a poor series against Pakistan. Kallis scored only 27 runs in the first four ODIs before scoring 86 off 130 balls in the final match in Lahore. He took four wickets at an average of 36 apiece and an economy-rate of 6.00 an over. He is currently ranked 16th among ODI batsmen and fifth in the allrounders table.Kenya’s fast bowlers Peter Ongondo and Thomas Odoyo, along with Pakistani medium-pacer Iftikhar Anjum, achieved career-best ratings after impressive showings in their respective home series.Ongondo broke into the top 20 for the first time after claiming five wickets in four ODIs against Canada and Bermuda while Odoyo climbed 11 places to 38th position after taking five wickets against the same opponents. Anjum rose 18 places to 29th spot after finishing as the joint leading wicket-taker in the series along with Makhaya Ntini.

ODI Batsmen

ODI Bowlers

ODI Allrounders

Matthew Hoggard will have his back injury reassessed on Monday and is a doubtful starter for the second Test against India at Trent Bridge, starting July 27, after an MRI scan revealed irritation in a disc in his back.Hoggard was ruled out of the first Test currently underway at Lord’s after being sent to hospital following a back spasm. “His rehabilitation will be closely monitored over the next five days and he will be re-assessed by ECB medical staff on Monday,” the ECB said.”I feel mightily peeved,” Hoggard said in . “I bowled three balls and couldn’t run in to bowl any more. I kicked some stumps — not too hard or I could have ended up in traction — and realised straightaway that I wouldn’t be playing in the Test match.”Chris Tremlett was called up to replace Hoggard and made his debut today at the expense of Stuart Broad, the young Leicestershire fast bowler who many had tipped to play ahead of himEngland are now left without a single member of the 2005 bowling attack that won the Ashes. Andrew Flintoff is continuing his recovery from ankle surgery, Simon Jones is still only appearing in occasional one-day matches for Glamorgan and Ashley Giles is ruled out of another summer. It will also be the first time since the Oval Test against Australia in 2001 that none of Hoggard, Steve Harmison or Flintoff have lined up in a Test.However, Michael Vaughan would rather view the situation as a challenge than a concern. “It’s new and exciting to see,” he said. “It’s a brand new attack with no Harmison, Flintoff, Giles or Simon Jones. We had a great attack in 2005, but it’s new and exciting for us all to see how they react to playing in front of a lot of people, against a very good batting team. It’s going to be a great challenge for whoever plays.”While England have suffered a run of injuries to their bowlers in the last couple of years, Hoggard remained a constant member of the attack for 40 consecutive games until missing the final Ashes Test at Sydney in January. Since then he has also been hit by a run of injuries and missed two Tests against West Indies after picking up a groin strain at Lord’s in May.

Shane Bond’s comeback from an abdominal muscle strain, amid speculation he has signed with the Indian Cricket League, could not help his side Canterbury in their Twenty20 loss to Central Districts in Christchurch. Bond took 0 for 38 from his four overs as Central Districts cruised to 186 for 6, with Ross Taylor smashing five sixes in his 19-ball 46. Chris Harris, who is used to the Twenty20 format after joining the ICL, made 47 in the chase but had little support as Brendon Diamanti collected 3 for 14. Canterbury were all out for 120 in the 18th over, crashing to a 66-run loss.The Northern Districts captain James Marshall posted an unbeaten 58 to help his side to victory over Wellington in Hamilton. Marshall guided Northern Districts to 133 for 3 in the 16th over as they overhauled Wellington’s 131 for 8 with little drama. Grant Elliott top scored for the visitors with 34 but regular wickets meant they could not gather significant momentum.Bradley Scott helped Otago secure a 60-run win in Dunedin, grabbing 3 for 9 as Auckland were rattled out for 94. Rob Nicol tried to guide Auckland’s chase and made 43 but his team-mates fell apart and could get nowhere near Otago’s 154 for 7. Nathan McCullum’s 38 from 20 balls was the best individual effort for Otago.

As Zimbabwe Cricket continues to hog the limelight on and off the field, Dean du Plessis, a top cricket analyst and commentator in Zimbabwe, says the board must return to the old system of player development and selection on merit.”The way forward is very simple,” du Plessis says. “We have got to bring back a lot of the former players. Not because the current players are not good enough, there’s a lot of talent in these young players, and I mean seriously talented cricketers, but they need to go through the system like those other players.”All these other players went through the system, and I’ll speak in particular of the non-white players, such as Henry Olonga, Pommie Mbangwa, Tatenda Taibu, Bernard Pswarayi, Brighton Watambwa, all these guys had a correct system, none of these players that are playing now had a correct system.”du Plessis says the fall of the domestic structure in Zimbabwe has led the game to the brink of collapse. “First of all in the past they played club cricket. For example you had a young Trevor Madondo facing the likes of [Heath] Streak and [Eddo] Brandes at club level,” he said. “Then if you did well there it was one step further, you would proceed to the Logan Cup level.”Bear in mind in those days in one-day cricket when the likes of Madondo were around making their debut, there was no such thing as a bouncer. You were not allowed to bowl short-pitched deliveries. Now you are allowed one per over.”When Madondo or Dion Ebrahim or Alester Maregwede made their debuts for Mashonaland, or whoever they were playing for that time, suddenly they had to adjust their game plan because guys like Eddo Brandes, who we all know was a very good bowler, and Streak, were able to bombard them with bouncers. But if they still passed the test, they then went one step further. They then represented what was known as the Zimbabwe Board XI. So it was basically like a Zimbabwe A side.”He explains how the system in the past was successful: “The A side in those days used to play against South African provincial sides in the B section of the Supersport Series. Fine it was the B section, but it was a lot more competitive than our Logan Cup. So if the likes of Ebrahim got a hundred or Olonga took five or six wickets, they had still proved themselves like any other cricketer should. Only when they proved themselves at every level, club level, Logan Cup level, then the Board XI, then, and only then, did they play for Zimbabwe. It wasn’t just a huge jump.”For example Johnson Marumisa went to the ICC World Twenty20. Fine he didn’t play, but that man had never represented Zimbabwe at any form of international cricket. Yet he was in the Zimbabwe side simply because he was quite impressive at club level. You cannot gauge a player by playing club cricket. He has to go through the system. And that is what every single one of those players I mentioned went through.”Taibu, we all know what a good cricketer he is, Olonga, well, he was an injury-prone cricketer, but I tell you what, when he was on the park he was special. As was Watambwa, although his work ethics you had to question, his heart wasn’t on the game, he had other things on his mind. But he was a seriously talented cricketer, Brighton’s talent came naturally, he didn’t even have to work on it, and the list is endless.”

du Plessis says players are being fast-tracked into the national side, thereby exposing their insufficient development. “At the end of the day it’s all well and good, we all want the masses to be playing cricket…well I certainly do because it’s the way forward,” he said. “As a white man I’m telling you that if there were 11 black men out there on merit I would be very proud to support my team. If there were 11 white men out there I will still be proud to support my team.”But unfortunately what is happening now is that these guys are being picked for various reasons. They are not ready to play yet, and at the end of the day, not only is it Zimbabwe that are not benefiting because they continuously get beaten, but think of the cricketer himself. You are responsible for destroying his career because he is not ready to play international cricket.”So he goes out knowing that he has to perform. And he is not going perform because he is not ready yet. You know what damage you are doing to his confidence?”du Plussis, probably the best commentator left in Zimbabwe despite being blind, believes he has suffered for his criticism of Zimbabwe Cricket’s administration. He has been sidelined from doing commentary for the current ODI series against West Indies.”I have made some comments and remarks about cricket in this country in the past that haven’t gone down well with Zimbabwe Cricket,” he said. “But they weren’t unjust, they were fair, and I speak my mind and I will never change that until the day I die.”If a guy needs a compliment I will compliment him, but if he’s played badly, or if the administrator is not running the cricket the way it should be then I will mention it, because that is my job. And if they don’t like it then change the radio station or go and watch another channel, or watch cartoon network.”

Chris Rogers’ hopes of replacing Justin Langer in the first Test have ended after he had his appendix removed in Perth on Thursday night. The unfortunate timing of the illness leaves Phil Jaques in an almost untouchable position to join Matthew Hayden when Australia face Sri Lanka at the Gabba from November 8.Jaques (13 and 167) and Rogers (9 and 17) went head-to-head in the first Pura Cup match of the season but now only Jaques, Brad Hodge and maybe Michael Hussey are contenders. Rogers was admitted to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and had his appendix taken out using a laparoscopic technique.A WACA spokesman said Rogers would stay in hospital for another night and would look to resume playing in two weeks. The recovery will prevent Rogers from appearing in the Pura Cup match against Victoria in Melbourne from next Friday, which is the last chance to impress ahead of the Sri Lanka series.The Willetton allrounder Matt Johnston has been included in the 13-man squad for Western Australia’s FR Cup match against Tasmania in Perth on Sunday. He has started well in the Perth grade competition, scoring 179 runs at 89.50 and taking 4 for 44 in his only bowl.”Matt has received a reward for displaying outstanding form,” the coach Tom Moody said, “and he now has an opportunity to show his wares once again on the interstate arena.” Ben Edmondson, who injured his hamstring in the Pura Cup contest, was replaced by Daniel McLauchlan while Darren Wates also came into the squad.Western Australia FR Cup squad Justin Langer, Luke Ronchi (wk), Adam Voges (capt), Shaun Marsh, Luke Pomersbach, Matt Johnston, Darren Wates, Sean Ervine, Shawn Gillies, Aaron Heal, Brett Dorey, Steve Magoffin, Daniel McLauchlan.