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Trinidad & Tobago 209 for 8 (Mahabir 46, Samuels 4-21) beat Jamaica 206 (Marshall 88, Gayle 48) by 2 wickets
ScorecardAn undefeated 52-run partnership for the ninth wicket between Richard Kelly and Reyad Emrit helped Trinidad and Tobago clinch a tense two-wicket win against Jamaica in the regional one-day competition. Chasing 207 for a win at Georgetown, Trinidad slumped to 157 for 8, but Kelly (39 not out) and Emrit (26 not out) kept their heads in the face of adversity.Trinidad were also helped hugely by the Jamaican batsmen, who self-destructed thoroughly to be bowled out for 206 after being 100 without loss at one stage. Chris Gayle was run-out at that stage for 48, but Xavier Marshall kept the innings going with a superb 88, scored off 136 balls with eight fours and a six. However, wickets kept falling at the other end as Sherwin Ganga choked the middle order, taking 3 for 39. They weren’t helped by some shoddy running between the wickets either, as the last seven wickets fell for 24.Trinidad lost an early wicket in reply, but the two Gangas – Daren and Sherwin – made 25 each and put together 52 for the second wicket. Then, it was Trinidad’s turn to collapse, as five wickets went down for 22, as they slumped to 84 for 6. Fortunately for them, their lower order wasn’t as brittle as Jamaica’s.This was T & T’s second win of the tournament, and lifted them to fourth place with eight points. Jamaica have now lost two out of three games and are in fifth spot.Windward Islands 230 for 9 (Smith 49) beat Leeward Islands 228 for 9 (Cornwall 53, Morton 50) by 1 wicket
ScorecardIn a nail-biting finish at Berbice, Windward Island sneaked home by one wicket with just one ball to spare to notch their second win of the competition. Set a target of 229, Winwards needed five to win with two balls to spare, when Rawl Lewis (31 not out) lofted Alex Adams for a straight six to seal the issue.Leewards seemed to have the match well in their grasp when they reduced the opposition to 178 for 8, but Lewis and Kenroy Peters (20) added 45 for the ninth wicket to bring them back into the contest. Earlier, a couple of half-centuries, by Runako Morton and Wilden Cornwall, were instrumental in helping Windward Island post a competitive total.The win put Windward in second place in the championship table – though they have played an extra game – while Leeward are languishing at the bottom of the pile with only one win from four games.

West Indians 184 for 4 in 21 overs (Chanderpaul 71*, Gayle 57) beat Sussex 292 for 6 (Goodwin 90, Ambrose 79*) by 6 wickets (D-L method)
ScorecardA quickfire unbeaten 71 by Shivnarine Chanderpaul saved the West Indians the blushes as they coasted to a six-wicket win against Sussex. In a rain-affected day-night game, Sussex won the toss and hit up a challenging 292, thanks primarily to Murray Goodwin’s 90. A shower between innings, and another one during the West Indians’ reply, meant that the target became 181 from 23 overs, but Chanderpaul’s blast ensured victory with two overs to spare.The West Indians had lost their earlier tour match, against Ireland, and this one seemed to be going badly as well, when Devon Smith (0) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (1) were nailed early by James Kirtley. The team was struggling at 12 for 2, but Chris Gayle (57) and Chanderpaul injected some momentum with a 83-run stand.Both scored at well over a run a ball. Gayle’s 57 came off just 44, with eight fours and two sixes, while Chanderpaul smashed seven fours and three sixes in his knock, which took a mere 58 balls. Brian Lara dropped himself down to No. 6 and was unbeaten on 15 at the finish.Earlier, Murray Goodwin struck a well-paced 90, off 94 balls, to lift Sussex to a competitive total. The highlight of the innings was his 99-run fourth-wicket partnership with Tim Ambrose, who remained undefeated on 79.The West Indians play two more warm-up games – against Kent on Monday and Middlesex on Wednesday – before starting off their NatWest Series campaign against New Zealand on June 26.

Rahul Dravid struck an effortless unbeaten 120 for Scotland at Taunton, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Somerset winning a closely fought National League match by one wicket.Dravid reached his half-century in 57 balls, and then raced to his hundred in another 34 deliveries, in an innings which included three sixes and 11 fours. “That is my best innings for a while,” he admitted. “I started slowly but I’m very pleased. It’s just a shame the result did not go our way.”He arrived with Scotland on 49 for 2 and entertained a large crowd with a classy performance. He gave just one chance, a hard catch to Keith Dutch at midwicket when he had 94, but that apart he hardly played a false stroke. He reached his hundred with a towering six in the penultimate over of the innings.Dravid will be in action again on Tuesday when Scotland take on Middlesex in the unfamiliar surroundings of Richmond, a club ground which is, rather confusingly, in Surrey.

Pakistan has invited the Indian junior cricket team to play matches inan under-19 tournament in preparation for next year’s Youth World Cupto be held in New Zealand.”So far we have not received any confirmation regarding our invitationfrom India but we had also asked the Sri Lankan Board to send theirjunior team and they have sent in their confirmation,” PakistanCricket Board’s director Brigadier Munnawar Rana was quoted as sayingin The News today.Rana said the Sri Lankans would visit Pakistan sometime in November.He added he had extended the invitations to Sri Lanka and India duringthe International Cricket Council meeting in London in June.”We are hoping the Indians will also confirm, let us see what happens.But we have to ensure our junior team goes well prepared to NewZealand,” he said.India did not send their team to Karachi for the Asia Under-17Championship last year.Rana said Pakistan will prepare for the Youth World Cup very seriouslythis time as they had never managed to win this particular title.Pakistan juniors lost in the semi-finals of the last Youth World Cupheld in Sri Lanka.

A gallant unbeaten 91 by Ahmed Quadri helped Hyderabad to salvage threepoints from their South Zone Cooch Behar Trophy match against TamilNadu at the Gymkhana ground in Hyderabad on Monday.In arrears by 168 runs on the first innings, Hyderabad were in dangerof losing when they were five down for 77, despite a second wicketpartnership of 69 runs between Shashang Nag (37) and Abhinav Kumar(28). It was at this critical juncture that Qadri entered. First withAT Rayudu (13) he added 39 runs for the sixth wicket. This wasfollowed by a seventh wicket stand of 41 runs with Varun (11). Finallyafter eight wickets had gone for 167 runs, Qadri and Nadeemuddin (9)shared an unbroken ninth wicket association of 43 runs off just 6.2overs to steer Hyderabad to safety. P Satish, who had caused themiddle order collapse, was the most successful bowler with four for73. Qadri faced 114 balls and hit 14 fours in his match saving knockas Hyderabad ended at 210 for eight.Earlier, Tamil Nadu resuming at 313 for six, declared at 384 foreight. Vidyuth Sivaramakrishnan (36) and G Vignesh (59) added 88 runsfor the seventh wicket off 24.4 overs. Vignesh faced 84 balls and hitten fours and a six. Tamil Nadu got five points from the match. TamilNadu finished their engagements with 18 points and Hyderabad with 25points.

The idea of reverting the County Championship to a three-day format with 120-over days, as proposed by Jack Simmons, has received a lukewarm response from three chief executives contacted by Cricinfo. The consensus from them is that four-day cricket is working by providing a solid platform for young players to develop the skills needed for the international level and, if space is needed in the season, a one-day tournament needs to give away.Simmons, the former Lancashire chairman and current chairman of the ECB cricket committee, is proposing the change as a way of creating more run in the calendar for an expanded Twenty20 tournament. But the feeling from around the counties is that it would be a backward step for the game.”There are all sorts of things being discussed at the moment but from a personal point of view, and I’m not speaking for the club, three-day cricket brought a lot more contrived finishes and declaration bowling which I don’t think is what we want for the game,” said Tom Sears, the Derbyshire chief executive. “I don’t think it’s any coincidence that since we have gone to four-day cricket our young players – the likes of Alastair Cook and Monty Panesar – are equipping themselves at the top level far earlier.”Sears admits that it’s a tough job trying to create a fixture list that serves the best cricketing and commercial interests, but the major issue he sees is the prospect of 120-over days. “It’s a balancing act, from a commercial point of view about what is viable and also creating the best environment for our players to flourish,” he said. “And for 120 overs there would have to be a massive change in the over-rates for that to happen.”Gus Mackay, chief executive of defending county champions Sussex, says he hasn’t seen any documents relating to a move back to three-day cricket, but is of a similar view to Sears. “I haven’t seen any papers so can’t really comment, but what I would say is that four-day cricket is closest thing you will get to Tests,” he said. “It’s the breeding ground for the next generation of players. Two-divisional cricket is thriving, 120 overs would be a lot for a day, and I think if you want to create a window you need to look at some of the other competitions.”Instead of touching the Championship, the more favoured idea appears to be a change to the one-day structure of the domestic game. Currently there are three tournaments – the Friends Provident Trophy (50 overs), Pro40 and Twenty20 Cup – with the Pro40 not a favourite among players who don’t see its worth when 40-over matches aren’t played anywhere else.”I would do everything I could to preserve four-day cricket, I’m very happy with the current structure,” said Mark Newton, the Worcestershire chief executive. “It’s the other tournaments that need to be looked at, but in doing so we mustn’t alter the game too much. Twenty20 has been popular because it retains the basics of cricket.””It’s the first I have heard of it [the idea of three-day cricket], but my initial view would be that it would be a backward step,” he added. “I can see some merit in the idea in terms of creating more space, but the aim has always to be to replicate Test cricket. You hear the older former players saying it used to 20 overs an hour, but the game has changed and I’m not sure the players would want it either.”There was a note of support, however, from Essex chairman Nigel Hilliard even though he’d not heard anything about the proposal. “It’s news to us at Essex – I’ve not had it mentioned to me by anyone on any ECB board. Having said that, three-day cricket has always been something we’ve been in favour of at Essex.”There are all sorts of ideas being mooted at the moment but it won’t be until May 29th – the next ECB board meeting – that we will come together to discuss the future of the game in this country.”

The change to the shorter game has sparked such a sudden transformation on the field as to make the West Indies unrecognisable as the indisciplined team beaten 3-0 in the preceding Test series.It is an extreme makeover in the two Twenty20 internationals at The Oval and the first ODI at Lord’s that all but eradicated missed catches, fumbled errors, wayward throwing, excessive no-balls and general carelessness but it has been counter-balanced by confused selection and the customary inability to exploit strong positions.The energy and enthusiasm were in conspicuous contrast to the lacklustre embarrassment of the four Tests. Animated aggression replaced passive resignation. Instead of mediocrity there was excellence.There was a dynamism to Chris Gayle that contradicted his image as the game’s Mr Cool, a nomination made in the official series magazine by 13 members of the team, including himself, as well three Englishmen and so precisely verified in the Tests.Perhaps it had something to do with his contentious elevation to the captaincy. Whatever, this is Chris Gayle, Mr Hot, not Chris Gayle Mr Cool.Marlon Samuels even moved more like an athlete than a fashion model, soiling his trousers with diving saves and leaping like a flying fish to snare a brilliant catch at point.In the 90 overs of the first three matches, there were two no-balls – one by Dwayne Smith and the other a bouncer from Fidel Edwards judged on height. In the four Tests, there were 74. The long hops and half-volleys that proliferated from the main bowlers in the Tests were all but gone.If it took Daren Powell one apathetic match to catch the mood, he opened with a spell in the second as fast and as threatening as any for the season.That is until Edwards, in his first appearance, turned up the heat in Sunday’s ODI at Lord’s with his 5 for 45. According to Derek Pringle, the former England Test allrounder, writing in , his second spell, in which he blasted out four wickets, “comprised a blistering mix of bouncers and reverse swing with pace and aggression that were reminiscent of the late Malcolm Marshall in his pomp”.This was high praise but it was not misplaced. It was, indeed, awesome – and the only no-ball was from one of those bouncers.Factor in Ravi Rampaul’s impressive return to international cricket after the injuries that have kept him out for almost three years and it is clear the three matches have yielded a lot of “positives”, to use the favourite word of contemporary captains and coaches.What was not so positive were the decisions of, presumably, captain Gayle and coach David Moore over the batting order in the second Twenty20 and the Lord’s ODI.The absence, through injury, of Devon Smith and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were decisive setbacks in the former.Lendl Simmons and Austin Richards, two fledglings, one with a handful of ODIs, the other on international debut, were the only options to take their place in the XI – but surely not so literally that Simmons had to open and Richards to follow at No.3.They were both clearly perplexed by the peculiar requirements of this novel form of the game and served only to stall the start. Surely they should have been separated with Dwayne Bravo and Marlon Samuels at Nos.3 and 4.

Yet when Chanderpaul, the best batsman and the one in the best form (not always necessarily the same), returned to the XI on Sunday, he was placed at No.5 with Runako Morton at No.3.The need for Chanderpaul’s approach and experience should have been clear from England’s approach throughout their 50 overs.The ball moved off a Lord’s pitch that had been under covers throughout the previous day and batting required just the type of graft of which Chanderpaul is so adept, and Morton and Samuels, who went above him, are not.A couple of West Indians on the opposite side of the ground to the West Indies’ team room in the pavilion immediately and accurately nominated a par score. Sir Viv Richards put it at 230, Michael Holding at 240. It seemed Gayle and Moore saw it much higher.By the time Chanderpaul got in, the innings was already in shambles with Gayle, Morton, and Samuels gone for 12 and Devon Smith thoughtlessly ran himself out one run later.The match was already over and there was nothing that Chanderpaul could do about it, inspite of another innings that once again confirmed the qualities that were so evident in the Tests.It also established that, in this team, he must bat higher – as he should have in the Tests as well.

Ashwell Prince, the South African captain, reckons that they have a competitive score to put Sri Lanka under pressure after being dismissed for 361 at the end of the first day of the second Test in Colombo.”We’ve got something competitive and it’s still a long way to go,” Prince told reporters after the day’s play. “The guys know it’s going to be tough. The outfield is quick and the scoring will be quick. It’s going to be important for us to start well with the new ball.”Prince scored 86 and added 161 for the fifth wicket with AB de Villiers, who scored 95. The pair managed to tackle Muttiah Muralitharan, who took his 55th five-wicket haul, by playing attacking cricket. “If you just stand in the crease and get yourself bogged down, it allows Murali to put more fielders around and he puts you under pressure,” said Prince. “It was part of our game plan to put that pressure back onto him and he has bowled a few looser balls than at the start. But he is still dangerous and still picks up wickets. The more we see of him the more we are playing him better.”The way AB [de Villiers] plays he puts the bowlers under pressure. Him being a fast runner and me, we were able to turn the strike around with intensity. It is something we have to discuss in the dressing-room with other team members. We had a good partnership and it was unfortunate that one of us had to get out.”de Villiers had spoken with confidence of playing Murali aggressively at the start of the series. “I find playing against Murali a good challenge. I feel that I am playing him more comfortably and I am working him around. When he bowls bad balls it goes for four, but he is still one of the best bowlers in the world. He can get you out any time.”South Africa’s 361 was a tremendous improvement from their 169 in the first innings of the previous Test but Tom Moody, Sri Lanka’s coach, was pleased with his team’s performance. “We are very happy with the outcome today. Losing the toss and managing to take ten wickets. It’s a good day for Sri Lanka.”He added that the injury to Dilhara Fernando, who suffered from a stiff thigh, had taken them by surprise. “We weren’t expecting it. But it opened the door for someone else to have an opportunity. Farveez Maharoof who was expected to be left out for Chaminda Vaas got the nod again. It’s a shame to lose a strike bowler who can bowl 90 mph. The positive is that Maharoof is an allrounder and it has given us depth in our batting. It highlights how important it was to take ten wickets in the day without a genuine strike bowler.”

Zimbabwe all-rounder Sean Ervine put up a resounding performance with the bat as he led a resilient Midlands fightback on the second day of their Logan Cup match against Matabeleland at Queens Sports Club on Saturday.Ervine reached his maiden first-class century as Midlands, in reply to Matabeleland’s first innings score of 462, closed on 271 for five off 70 overs. Douglas Marillier also scored a half-century.Matabeleland had earlier added 89 runs to their overnight score with some meaningful contributions from the tail-enders. Travis Friend grabbed his third wicket when he had Mpumelelo Mbangwa caught at silly mid-off by Terrence Duffin for eight runs.Wisdom Siziba and Keith Dabengwa then put 82 for the ninth wicket. Siziba fell three runs short of a half-century when he was dismissed by left-arm spinner Raymond Price, caught by Friend for 47 runs, which came off 97 balls and included five fours. Dabengwa was unbeaten on 28 runs while Donald Campbell ran out last man Jordane Nicolle before he opened his account.Midlands suffered a severe blow in their bid to restrict their opponents when pace bowler Campbell Macmillan pulled out off the attack owing to an injury to his left big toe.Friend was the pick of the visitor’s bowlers with three wickets off his 21 overs, giving away 86 runs in the process. Macmillan and Price took two wickets each, while Ervine and Marillier claimed one each.In reply, Midlands got off to a poor start when their opening partnership of Vusumuzi Sibanda and Duffin produced only 18 runs. Sibanda departed for eight when he was trapped leg before wicket by Mluleki Nkala.Duffin was joined by Marillier and the two put on 92 for the second wicket. The hard-hitting left-handed Duffin played an unusual anchor role and let Marillier go for the runs.Marillier played some beautiful reverse shots and went on to reach his 50 off 58 balls. He seemed on course for a high score before he played straight to Nicolle, who claimed a return catch to send him back to the pavilion for 69 off 78 balls. Nkala took his second wicket when he had Duffin caught by Charles Coventry for 30 runs, which came off 97 balls.Ervine and Dirk Viljoen put on 111 runs for the fourth wicket with Ervine the more aggressive of the two. The 19-year-old Ervine brought up his century off 114 balls with 20 fours. Off-spinner Gavin Ewing took his first wicket when he had Viljoen caught by Mbangwa for 37.Ervine could only add a four and a single to his century before he became the last Midlands wicket of the day to fall, handing Mbangwa his first wicket when he nicked a delivery from the pace bowler to be caught by wicketkeeper Siziba, to leave the field for 105 which came off 117 balls. Friend was unbeaten at the close, while Alester Maregwede was still to open his account.Nkala was the highest wicket-taker for the home side, taking two wickets from 15 overs and giving away 78 runs in the process. Nicolle and Mbangwa claimed one wicket each.

English cricket has endured a tough year, and things might get worse if a report in today’s Times that Vodafone is considering ending its sponsorship when its current deal ends in 2005 is accurate.There are thought to be three reasons behind Vodafone’s thinking. One is that Chris Gent, its high-profile – and cricket-mad – chief executive has now left. The second is that the company is now far more of a global player, and that raises questions about the relevance of cricket to its profile. The third is that the company’s board are believed to be concerned about the effect that the controversy surrounding England’s tour of Zimbabwe might have on the brand.Although former ECB chief Lord MacLaurin is now chairman of Vodafone, he would not be responsible for making a decision of this kind. Gent’s successor, Arun Sarin, has, the Times claims, privately questioned the sponsorship.Last September, MacLaurin hinted that the association might be thrown into doubt because of the ongoing Zimbabwe issue. “We don’t want to support a side that goes and plays in a country with the sort of regime that is reviled not just by this company but by many in the country,” he said. “To do so would be abhorrent and would be good for the brand image neither of Vodafone nor England cricket.”A spokesman for the ECB said: “We have an excellent relationship with Vodafone as does the England team and to date it has been a very productive business partnership for both sides. Discussions about renewal are not scheduled until the autumn and we will continue to work closely with Vodafone to help maximize exposure of their brand.”And Vodafone denied that the sponsorship was being reviewed. “We are not having any sort of discussion with the ECB regarding our sponsorship,” a spokeswoman explained. “It is incorrect and misleading to speculate on the likelihood or otherwise of our sponsorship of English cricket continuing. This has been a very successful sponsorship and we look forward to a continuing beneficial and positive relationship in the future.”