Last season, Nathan Pilon (1,193 runs) and Richard Chee Quee (874 runs) scored more than 2,000 runs between them. Each holds his club’s First Grade season record, and they will meet tomorrow when Chee Quee’s Randwick Petersham hosts Pilon’s St George at Petersham Oval. Both players have tasted success for NSW, and will be looking to once again impress selectors with big scores in Round 4, to be played over the next two Saturdays.Richard Chee Quee will lead Randwick Petersham’s batting line-up in the absence of teammate and new Australian star Simon Katich, and will be looking to find his O’Reilly Medallist form of two seasons ago. However, the Randy Petes will need to be at their best to halt the Saints’ batting brilliance.At Waverley Oval, competition leaders Mosman will be hoping that former NSW pacemen Phil Alley, Trent Johnston and Warwick Adlam are at their best against a confident Waverley batting lineup. Last round, the Dolphins overhauled Western Suburbs’ 466 in the highest run-chase in the 110-year history of Grade cricket. However, Mosman’s trio have also been impressive this season, with Johnston recording a hat-trick against University of NSW, and Adlam claiming six wickets against Gordon last week.Speedblitz Blues batsman Matthew Phelps will be hoping to post a big score for his new club Sydney University. Having been a noticeable omission from the Blues’ first ING Cup team, Phelps will be out to prove the selectors wrong when the premiers take on competition frontrunners Bankstown at University No 1 Oval. Bankstown will be without Mark Waugh, who posted an impressive century in the Bulldogs’ last match. However, Corey Richards will pose a threat to the Students, having scored an undefeated 165 in last week’s victory over Randwick Petersham.Other matches- Campbelltown-Camden v UTS-Balmain at Raby 1; Hawkesbury v Manly-Warringah at Owen Earle; Northern District v University of NSW at Waitara; Parramatta v Fairfield-Liverpool at Old Kings; Penrith v Gordon at Howell; Sutherland v North Sydney at Caringbah; and Western Suburbs v Blacktown at Pratten.

Close South Africa 256 for 9 (Gibbs 98, Shabbir 4-63)
ScorecardHerschelle Gibbs played a sublime innings of 98, but Pakistan took the honours on the first day of the second Test at Faisalabad. Despite losing the toss and being asked to bowl first on a shirtfront, Pakistan’s bowlers stuck to the disciplines of line and length, and were rewarded with wickets at regular intervals, as South Africa closed the day on 256 for 9.The day was played out in three parts: Pakistan took the early initiative, reducing South Africa to 40 for 3, Gibbs then revived the innings in a 108-run stand with Gary Kirten (54), before Pakistan hit back, taking the last four wickets for just 44 runs.All the Pakistani bowlers, with the exception of a patchy Mushtaq Ahmed, bowled with superb control, but the pick of the lot was Shabbir Ahmed. The absence of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami – who pulled out due to illness – reduced Pakistan’s new-ball attack from lightening quick to medium fast, but Shabbir Ahmed made up for the lack of sheer pace by maintaining excellent control over line and length, and moving the ball both ways off the seam. The pitch was bare and dry, but Shabbir’s high-arm action helped him get lift even off an unresponsive surface. He ended the day with figures of 4 for 63, just rewards for a large-hearted performance. Danish Kaneria took just one wicket, but tormented the batsmen with his control, flight and turn. He bowled 32 overs in the day, and kept up the pressure relentlessly, conceding less than two runs per over.The Pakistan attack performed admirably, but South Africa let themselves down with some sloppy batting. Graeme Smith (2) led the way in that regard, flailing at a full and wide delivery from Shabbir, and edging to Inzamam-ul-Haq at first slip (6 for 1). Two more attempted cover-drives and two more snicks later, South Africa were in danger of losing the plot in the first morning itself, as both Boeta Dippenaar and Jacques Kallis fell to catches by Taufeeq Umar in the slips.Gibbs and Kirsten then stemmed the rot with a sensible partnership. Gibbs had scratched a half-century in the second innings of the first Test, but his effort here was far more convincing. Secure in defence, Gibbs was quick to punish even a slight error in length, producing some gorgeous drives down the ground and through cover. And when the spinners came on to bowl, Gibbs wasn’t afraid to use his feet, coming down the pitch and tonking Shoaib Malik over his head for four. Mushtaq suffered the most, with Gibbs lofting a straight six and then contemptuously putting away a short ball for four in the same over shortly before tea.Kirsten’s was a typically workmanlike innings. He started off by nudging the ones and twos, then opened out briefly after lunch with some crisp cover-drives and flicks to square leg, before settling down into defensive mode once more. Pakistan’s bowlers, however, choked the runs well in the afternoon session, and were soon rewarded when Kirsten attempted to cut one which was too full and too close to the body, and edged to slip, where Taufeeq held his third catch of the day (148 for 4).Neil McKenzie wasn’t entirely convincing in his knock, but helped add 47 more for the fifth wicket, before Mushtaq – who struggled for rhythm throughout the day – struck the most crucial blow for Pakistan. Eager to get to his hundred, Gibbs shuffled across his stumps to turn a googly away to leg, missed, and was trapped plumb in front (195 for 5).The momentum shifted, and Pakistan held sway for the rest of the day. McKenzie slapped a cut to Mushtaq at deep gully (212 for 6), and then South Africa’s lower middle order, which can usually be relied upon to add on a few crucial runs, succumbed to the second new ball. Abdul Razzaq’s second delivery with the new ball crashed through Mark Boucher’s defences, while Robin Peterson’s hoick to leg off Shabbir was comfortably taken at the square-leg boundary. In between those two dismissals, Shabbir showed his fielding prowess too, getting to the ball quickly and hitting the stumps with a back-handed flick to run out Shaun Pollock.In their only previous Test at this venue – which started six years ago to the day – South Africa managed to get out of jail, thanks to a virtuoso performance by Pollock, who took 5 for 37 and dismissed Pakistan for 92 as they chased a victory target of 146. Smith needs a similar inspirational performance from his bowlers here to get back in this Test, and the series.

Glenn McGrath has been ruled out of the remainder of the current Test series against India. A spokesman for McGrath’s state team, New South Wales, said that a scan has revealed that his ankle had not healed enough for him to participate in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne or the following one at Sydney, which starts on Jan 2.”Glenn McGrath had a scan on Tuesday and it’s improved a lot but he’s still not right to play,” said Glenn Daniel. “He’s aiming for the New South Wales game against Victoria starting on Jan 9.”McGrath was earlier expected to play for NSW against Tasmania on December 19, but cancelled a net session after experiencing pain. Pat Farhart, the NSW physio, explained then: “It has not settled, and still swells up. He still gets pain when he bowls.”The latest setback for Australia comes after Jason Gillespie suffered a groin strain in the second Test. Brad Williams also sprained a shoulder at Adelaide, but bowled on the final day, allaying fears about the extent of his injury.Australia’s frontline fast bowlers have been laid low with a spate of injuries in recent months, and this led to an under-strength attack playing in the first two Tests against India.The only sign of relief is Brett Lee’s likely return to the Test squad after recovering from ankle and stomach injuries. If found fit, Lee will be a certainty for the third Test, which begins on Dec 26. Australia’s squad for that third Test will be announced on Monday (Dec 22), after India’s tour match against Australia A.

Rahul Dravid has spoken up for Sachin Tendulkar, who is battling with a run of low scores. Speaking to the media ahead of India’s Boxing Day Test against Australia, at Melbourne, Dravid said: “A lot has been said unnecessarily about his form – we believe he’s in great touch and hitting the ball really well.” Tendulkar’s poor run of form in Tests in 2003 has yielded just 109 runs from 15 innings at an average of less than 16.”We’re looking out for a big score from him here,” said Dravid. “Having said that, it’s not just about Sachin, we don’t want to put any additional pressure on him. We want him just to go out there and enjoy his cricket, play like we know he can play.”I’m confident Australia has not seen the best of him … you can see he’s really keen to make a big one,” said Dravid, who helped himself to a big score in the second Test at Adelaide, racking up a magnificent 233.On an unrelated note, Dravid also looked forward to having the services of Zaheer Khan for the next Test. “We’re very hopeful and confident he’ll make it.”Meanwhile, Sandy Gordon, the sports psychologist who has worked with the Indian team from time to time, singled out patience and determination as the two virtues that helped India beat Australia. “The key to their win was patience and discipline. At the team level it was outstanding,” he said. “Now they need a big effort to sustain it for the next 15 days. They got to do it session by session. They have to get around doing the same again and again, to apply the process of Adelaide.”Gordon also spoke highly of Dravid’s mental ability. “The discipline and patience of Dravid has been exemplary. He has shown a wonderful temperament, an unflappable and even personality,” he said. “I am glad he has been able to imbibe the lessons so well. For example, he has been able to switch on when the delivery is to be bowled, switch down when he negotiates it, and switch off after he has dealt with it.”Gordon is expected to work with the Indian team before the final Test at Sydney.

Western Australia 1 for 0 (Langer 0*, Bichel 1-0) trail Queensland 362 (Maher 92, Hopes 71, Philipson 63) by 362 runs
ScorecardFresh from his record-breaking one-day hundred, Queensland’s captain, Jimmy Maher, was grateful to his opposite number Justin Langer, after being handed first use of a perfect batting track at the Gabba. Langer’s unexpected gamble allowed Queensland to rattle along to 362 in their first innings, before grabbing an added bonus with the final ball of the day, when Western Australia’s stand-in opener, Ben Edmondson, was trapped lbw by Andy Bichel for a duck.Maher later joked that it had been a good toss to lose, but it was largely thanks to his brusk 92 that Queensland were able to move themselves into such a good position. James Hopes and Craig Philipson built on Maher’s platform with rapid innings of 71 and 63 respectively, as Western Australia were crashed all round the Gabba in the early part of the day. It was only as the wicket quickened up in the afternoon that conditions became more perilous for batting, and Queensland duly lost their last six wickets for 92.Langer was quick to defend his decision at the close of play. “Traditionally it’s a bit like the WACA,” he said. “You don’t always [bowl first] but you feel like you usually get the most out of the Gabba wicket on the first day. I thought there was a bit of moisture in it and good grass cover, and as it turned out, it has been a good day for us.”Maher, naturally, took a different opinion. “It was a good toss to win, I mean lose,” he joked to reporters. “When you get sent in on day one of a game and make 360 and have them 1 for 0, there’s nothing but happiness. The wicket was pretty good, and the good thing about it, is that it looked like it’s quickened up a bit. All in all I think we should bowl them out for a decent score.”Queensland played their shots throughout the innings, but WA’s bowlers fought back well. John Taylor (3 for 99) recovered from an early caning by Maher and Stuart Law (28), while Kade Harvey (2 for 54) bowled a tight line throughout. The day ended in confusion when Edmondson, who had already bowled 21 overs in Queensland’s innings, was sent in as a nightwatchman. He lasted just two balls, before Bichel pinned him lbw. “I guess he was the sacrificial lamb,” admitted Langer, “but hopefully it will work out well for the team.”One significant batting failure was that of Martin Love, who caught at slip off Taylor for just 2. It was particularly poor timing for Love, who is still hopeful of a Test place for the forthcoming series in Sri Lanka.

The West Indies have named a 16-man squad to assemble in Jamaica for a training camp in preparation for the first Test against England, which begins at Sabina Park on March 11. Brian Lara will captain the side, for the series against England, and the one that follows against Bangladesh.The squad, which will be trimmed to 13 on March 8, has its fair share of surprises, with Mervyn Dillon and Darren Ganga both missing out. Dwight Washington is the surprise pick, after taking 20 wickets at 22 for West Indies B in the Carib Beer Cup.Dillon and Ganga miss out after some woeful performances home and away – most notably when West Indies were thrashed out of sight in South Africa – and there was also no place in the squad for Vasbert Drakes.Some of the more eye-catching performances in the Carib Beer Series have been ignored, with Pedro Collins, Dwayne Bravo and Andrew Richardson not considered for selection.Washington, however, appears to be on the fast track, having also been chosen in Jamaica’s 15-man squad to face England on March 1. He could share the new ball there with Jermaine Lawson, on the comeback trail after being reported with a suspect action last season. Lawson is not part of the squad, though a good performance against England could push him into the reckoning.The selectors have also given Ricardo Powell an opportunity to prove that he’s not a one-day specialist alone. Powell has thus far played just the one Test for the West Indies, making 0 and 30 against New Zealand in 1999.Squad Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs, Dwayne Smith, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Dave Mohammed, Ricardo Powell, Carlton Baugh, Tino Best, Ryan Hinds, Adam Sanford and Dwight Washington.

To play cricket at this time of the year, under the blazing Chennai sun, can be a completely exhausting experience. After being on the field for almost three days, Dinesh Karthik is totally drained. “This is definitely the longest time I have been on the field,” he says, “but that’s how it will be. No point complaining.”One immediately recalls Robin Singh’s comments about Karthik’s fitness. Robin coached him in the recent Under-19 World Cup, and has seen him progress through the grind of cricket at the lower grades. “Dinesh is probably the fittest guy in the whole Tamil Nadu team. He works tremendously hard. That helps him stay focused for long periods.”Behind Karthik’s growth as a cricketer is Krishna Kumar, his father, who watches his every move. Kumar, who himself played first-division cricket in Chennai, has been in the stadium every day. It’s his unfulfilled ambition that is being realised through his son, and he concedes: “I was always made to put my studies ahead of my cricket. I didn’t want my son to suffer the same way.”Kumar remembers taking the young Dinesh to Kuwait for two years, where he taught the 10-year-old a few cricket basics. “It was a great boon that they showed English county cricket on television those days. We used watch every game and simultaneously simulate those match situations in the back yard. I used to throw the leather ball at a very high speed so that he developed his reflexes early. He used to get hit on the head sometimes and cry for a while. But those evenings helped him face the hard ball without fear.”Fearlessness is what many people associate with Karthik’s batting. “He has the sense of occasion,” says Robin, “and is unfazed by the pressure of the situation. This innings [his hundred on the first day here] is an ideal example. And even his fantastic 70 off 39 balls in the Under-19 World Cup [against Sri Lanka in Dhaka]. It came in front of a packed house when the team just had to win.”Robin, however, feels that Karthik has a long way to go behind the stumps. “His batting talent is special, but he definitely has to improve his wicketkeeping. He has the basics right, but he needs to definitely sharpen his technique.”Syed Kirmani, the former Indian keeper who is now the chairman of India’s selectors, agrees: “He is one among several candidates who are in the cradle of wicketkeeping. They all have a long way to go.” Though Karthik played in the league phase of the Ranji Trophy last season, his first, he was left out in the knockout stages because his keeping wasn’t up to scratch. He explains: “I am not trying to give excuses but my poor wicketkeeping form coincided with my height shooting up. I didn’t realise that I was growing taller really fast, and I totally lost my timing and positioning.”This season, though, many who have seen him play mention his improvement behind the stumps. “There was a wicketkeeping camp in Bangalore, and Kiran More’s insights were very useful. He helped me out with my hand, eye and head positioning, and it has definitely had an effect on my keeping this season. Though I dropped two catches in the Under-19 World Cup, I had some really good games behind the stumps and was satisfied with my overall performance. Of course, everyone will remember only the dropped catches, and I have to eliminate them completely.”His father has also spotted a crucial change in attitude after Karthik attended an “Art of Living” camp a few months back. “I was really surprised when he returned. There was a new fire burning in him, and he is now enjoying every moment of his cricket.”Playing in the Chennai league, which is one of the toughest in the country, has had a salutary effect as well. “It is extremely competitive and several top players take part,” says Karthik. “There is also a lot of verbal stuff that one has to face. It made me tougher. Also, keeping in the hot sun in Chennai is a blessing in disguise.”The spectators of Chennai, who watched his fighting hundred in the first innings, fondly refer to him as “KKD” (his initials). When he smacked Avishkar Salvi for four fours in an over, he becomes everyone’s paiyan (that’s the Tamil for “son”). Will he play for India one day? After his recent exploits, it could be just a matter of time.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Wisden Cricinfo in India.

Western Province Boland 122 for 4 (Puttick 63*) beat Dolphins 121 for 6 by 6 wickets
ScorecardThe much-marketed Standard Bank PRO20 Series got underway in front of 10,035 spectators at Newlands as the new franchise system also kicked off with Nashua Western Province Boland playing host to Nashua Dolphins.A new concept in South African cricket, with each team set a maximum of 20 overs, saw Ashwell Prince winning the toss and asking the Dolphins to bat first. Doug Watson, after being bogged down, had the distinction of becoming the first player to lose his wicket in the Series, being caught by Graeme Smith off the bowling of Charl Willoughby. Disaster followed with Imran Khan and Dale Benkenstein falling off consecutive balls and then six balls later Hashim Amla followed also for 0. Shaun Pollock, batting up the order, was next to go, leaving the Dolphins 57 for 5 at the halfway mark.With Jon Kent losing his wicket, Lance Klusener joined Ahmed Amla and together they upped the scoring rate, accelerating to 121 for 6 at the end of the 20 overs. Klusener hammered 39 off 28 balls, including two fours and two sixes, while Amla added 30 off 37.Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs opened the innings for Western Province Boland and both got first ballers from Pollock. Andrew Puttick and Neil Johnson got the innings back together taking the total to 56 after 10 overs before Klusener struck, getting rid of Johnson in the 11th.With Puttick going to his 50 off 46 balls and Prince riding his luck, they brought up a 50-run partnership in 37 balls, taking Province Boland to the brink of victory at 111 for 4 when Prince holed out to Khan. Puttick, winning the Master Blaster award, guided them to a six-wicket win.The match showed that the Dolphins have a lot to learn, with Klusener stuck at the crease after coming in too far down the order at No. 8 and Shaun Pollock only bowling three overs.

ScorecardNew Zealand ended the third day of their tour match at Grace Road in the driving seat, but an injury to Craig McMillan, which left him doubtful for Thursday’s second Test, overshadowed their on-field success.McMillan was taken to hospital after being struck on his already-damaged left hand by Darren Maddy. Lindsay Crocker, the New Zealand manager, said that an X-ray had shown a fracture, but it was unclear if it was just the old injury or whether the blow had compounded the existing damage.”We won’t know that until tomorrow when the two X-rays have been compared,” he admitted. “If it’s just a bruise then he should be reasonably okay for the Test. But if it’s a new fracture or re-fractured then we are back to square one again.”McMillan had made an effortless 43 when he had to retire, and the other New Zealand batsmen were equally untroubled by a below-par Leicestershire attack. Stephen Fleming fell five short of his century, bowled by Maddy via an inside edge, Chris Cairns kept the sparse crowd entertained with as 53-ball 62, and Daniel Vettori smacked 77 as Leicestershire brought on their part-time bowlers.Set an almost impossible 553 to win, Leicestershire reached 68 for 2 by the close.

New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive, Martin Snedden, has dismissed suggestions of tension between the national team’s coach and captain after making a special trip to check all was well in the squad. Snedden departed for London satisfied that the team had moved on from the desperate low of the 3-0 Test series loss to England, and that John Bracewell and Stephen Fleming were a happy coach-captain duo.In England for a week of International Cricket Council meetings, Snedden arrived early to ease his mind on the state of the team, and spent three days with them in Manchester and Birmingham. He described the recent suggestions of a Bracewell-Fleming rift, made on television and in print by the former England captain, Michael Atherton, as “rubbish” and “mischief-making”.”I think Atherton has got absolutely no basis whatsoever for those comments,” Snedden said. “I’ve spent a lot of time concentrating on that issue while I’ve been here just to satisfy myself that there is nothing happening that I didn’t know about. I’ve enquired carefully around the team as well as talking pretty strongly to John and Stephen individually about it, and I don’t think there’s the slightest indication of that at all.”They’ve got an excellent working relationship,” he continued, “they complement each other really well. Like any situation, they’ll both learn a bit out of this. John is only six months into his first international assignment, so he’s going to reflect on this afterwards and I’m sure he’ll take some lessons out of it, as will all of us.”