ScorecardDisciplined bowling from Trinidad and Tobago aided by some indifferent batting restricted the Leeward Islands to a modest 155 for 8 on the second day of their severely rain-affected second-round match in the 2005-06 Carib Beer Series at Webster Park. Rayad Emrit along with spinners Dave Mohammed and Sherwin Ganga collected two scalps apiece, after the Leewards elected to bat in a match which has lost a day and a session due to rain and soggy conditions.Leewards batsmen Shane Jeffers, Austin Richards Jr, Runako Morton and Tonito Willett all got starts, but failed to carry on. Openers Jeffers and Richards began by mixing the occasional aggression with some watchful defense, but both left-handers had strokes of luck. Jeffers, on 31, got half-way into an attempted hook off a Mervyn Dillon bouncer, but the resulting top-edge flew high over the head of Gibran Mohammed, the wicketkeeper. Richards edged a drive off medium-fast bowler Richard Kelly, but the ball dropped just short of Daren Ganga at second slip.In their 47-run opening stand, however, they both executed some attractive drives, but Kelly made the breakthrough when he had Jeffers caught at square leg for 31 playing a tame hook. Richards, who was then joined by Morton, had to endure some chin music from Dillon and Kelly, before eventually succumbing to the persevering medium pace of Emrit, caught behind for 28.The home team were dealt a further blow just before tea, when left-arm unorthodox spin bowler Mohammed bowled Sylvester Joseph, the Leewards captain, for 2, playing an ill-advised pull. At tea, Leewards were 76 for 3, and T&T sustained the pressure in the final session.Emrit deceived Morton with a slower delivery that cut back and bowled the batsman off the inside edge for 23 and Leewards were 106 for 4. Two wickets – Willett for 24 and Cornwall for 4 – fell in quick succession to leave Leewards on 116 for 6. Willett, sweeping once too often to a full-length delivery from Mohammed, was trapped lbw and Cornwall, heaving at Sherwin Ganga’s offspin, was bowled. Carl Simon failed to trouble the scorers, edging Sherwin Ganga to slip.When bad light stopped play with five overs left, Omari Banks was not out on 26, with Alderman Lesmond on 2.

Tom Moody, the Sri Lanka coach, says his side will not get involved in any verbal jousting with Australia and South Africa in the upcoming VB Series.Sri Lanka arrived in Australia having completed a five-match series against New Zealand, and were training at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today ahead of a warm-up match against Victoria beginning tomorrow. Moody said that the focus for Sri Lanka would be cricket, and not a game of words and insults against their opponents. He did add, however, that Australia and South Africa could be expected to trade verbal taunts.”It’s no surprise that the South Africans have come and met the Australians head-on,” he said. “It’s their nature, they play the game hard. It’s no surprise that there was a little bit of verbal going into the series and during the series. It’s tough out there.”Despite a 4-1 loss to New Zealand, Moody was confident of Sri Lanka’s ability to perform against the top two teams in one-day cricket. “We’re starting on the same level-playing field as them,” he said. “We’ve got talented cricketers, we respect that Australia’s got those as well, but why can’t we win?”The VB Series kicks off at Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium on Friday with Sri Lanka playing Australia.

We round up what has happened inside Zimbabwe since the government’s decision to effectively take charge of Zimbabwe CricketSaturday, January 7
Zimbabwe’s striking players meet to discuss the move by the government and decide to return to work in a bid to resolve their differences with the board. They give the new board until the end of the month to pay money owed to them and to agree to new contracts.Sunday, January 8
It is reported that Andy Blignaut, who a month ago was being touted as a possible candidate to replace Tatenda Taibu as Zimbabwe captain, has returned to play in South Africa and will not be available for Zimbabwe again.Monday, January 9
A source close to the crisis tells Cricinfo: “I think the ICC ought to take stern measures against the extreme level of racism in Zimbabwe. Clearly, they can’t just ignore the racial cleansing of the Zimbabwe board by Zanu PF.” The ICC issues a statement warning Zimbabwe that they have to field their best side and warns that the appointment of the new board is not the solution. But it again stops short of taking any action. The former ZC chairman, tells the Daily Telegraph: “They [the players] have gone back on their word that they would not serve under Chingoka. They have left Taibu in the lurch.”Tuesday, January 10
One player tells a Cricinfo source that there is “no way many of us will play for Zanu PF”. Divides begin to appear among the players in the light of reported criticism of their decision, with some clearly unhappy with returning to play under the new regime. Some hint that they will only actually resume playing when they are paid, others that they are on the verge of retiring.Wednesday, January 11
Sources state that Charlie Roberston, Zimbabwe’s most experienced administrator and a man who has done more than almost anyone to keep Zimbabwe cricket running smoothly, will stop cutting grass at Chegutu and Gweru grounds – he has maintained them both for years. Other club officials are said to be considering similar action. And it emerges that the grass at Queens Sports Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club has not been cut for months and “the two pitches resemble a bush.” The Queens Sports Club is the country’s No. 2 venue.Thursday, January 12
News emerges that Zimbabwe Cricket Matatebaland offices at Queens Sports Club have had their phone lines cut off due to failure to pay the bills. The main Zimbabwe Cricket offices in Harare remain closed as officially staff are on their Christmas break until January 16.Friday, January 13
Peter Chingoka meets with Malcolm Speed and Ehsan Mani to discuss the Zimbabwe crisis as the ICC Full Members get together in Karachi. The conversation remains private, but the ICC does issue a statement repeating the assertion that no-one should see the appointment of the interim board as the solution. The ICC has no response to questions on the meeting put to it by Cricinfo.Saturday, January 14
A report in The Independent suggests that the players who are supposed to have ended their strike do not intend to play again. “There is no way players will ever play afterwards under this set-up,” said a source. “They just want their money. Whether ZC will pay or not, they have already made up their minds. The guys don’t feel for a second that the dispute would have been resolved by then, but the feeling is that this is a better way of keeping the pressure on than just walking away.”

Inzamam-ul-Haq’s decision to bat after winning the toss surprised many. It is the host captain and the coach who not only have a say in the preparation of the pitches, but also have better knowledge of the local conditions than anyone else.It was believed that the pitch was supposed to take turn later in the day and that made Inzamam put India in. But in the subcontinent, the matches are so tilted towards batting that anything less than 300 runs becomes an achievable target. Although the pitch did encourage some movement in the initial few overs of the first innings, using that condition to the hilt without wasting a ball remained the crucial factor.I have seen no bowler more dangerous than Irfan Pathan, who can make use of those helpful conditions. Under such conditions, most of the bowlers may beat the bat several times and appear good but Irfan gets wickets. Seldom does he miss out on such opportunities.Sreesanth, who struggled in the previous game, came out with flying colours at Rawalpindi. He mainly shaped the ball out, used the short-pitched delivery effectively and in the end bowled some good slower ones to bring in variety. His bowling speed, averaging 136 kmph, keeps the batsmen in two minds. He could be an asset only if he adds accuracy to his bowling. Apart from his bowling, what impressed me most was his attitude. For someone who was ill and down the previous day, he played the game with verve. It’s an irony in cricket that often when a player is coming out of a niggling injury or a brief illness, he puts up a performance which is above expectations.Sreesanth could learn quite a few lessons from these two outings. He must understand the significance of being preferred over more experienced colleagues like Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan. Opening the bowling for the country straightaway is a rare but great opportunity in one’s career. Only the bowlers who have missed out on it or messed up when the opportunity came would realise it.The Indians, after taking four early wickets, let Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan establish a decent score. One might even think that the bowlers could have done a better job from that position of strength. I believe the Indians missed a regular fifth bowler. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are effective on real turners but not on the flat wickets in Pakistan. It was risky to rely on them for 10 overs.Pakistan’s mindless batting continued from where they had left it in Peshawar. In this game, Mohammad Yousuf and Shahid Afridi’s wickets cost them the match. The wicket of Yousuf, the backbone of Pakistan batting, was too important to be lost so soon. One can understand Afridi’s dismissal as that is the way he generally plays, but Yousuf should have dropped anchor. His dismissal made things easier for India.Once it used to be a normal practice that the team would always bat first and put the pressure on the team chasing. These days, the batting conditions are so good that the team winning the toss wants to field first to let the bowlers make use of the early conditions. In hindsight, if Inzamam had opted to bowl, it could have been Asif who would have relished the conditions instead of Sehwag. Now with the series evenly poised and the next couple of games being day-night affairs, the teams’ think-tank must put their heads together to read the conditions well before picking the final XI.

Hasan Raza smashed a brilliant hundred as Habib Bank cruised into the final of the Patron’s Cup National One-day Cricket Championship beating Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), at Karachi on Saturday. Sent to bat first, Habib Bank posted a respectable 285 for 5 in 50 overs and then bowled out ZTBL for 248 in 45 overs.Leading the side, Hasan made 105 off 92 balls with 11 boundaries and a six. He was dropped when on 13 by Adnan Akmal off pacer Imran Sabir, fully exploited the lapse and hammered the bowling to all parts of the ground. Aftab Khan, who made an unbeaten 44 off 42 balls with three fours, put on 104 runs for the fifth wicket with Hasan. Taufeeq Umar hit seven fours in his 44, while wicketkeeper Humayun Farhat, promoted to open the batting, hammered five boundaries and a six in his 34 off a mere 24 balls.Faisal Naved top-scored for ZTBL with 62 off 97 deliveries including five boundaries and Atif Ashraf contributed a defiant undefeated 59 off 45 balls banging six boundaries and a brace of sixes. Fahad Masood was the pick of the Habib Bank bowling attack, taking three wickets for 57 in his ten overs.Habib Bank will now take on Pakistan Customs in the final, at the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Sports Complex Ground at Karachi on February 20.Pacers Imran Ali and Stephen John and off-spinner Murtaza Hussain bowled Pakistan Customs into the final of the Patrons Cup National One-day Cricket Championship, when they defeated Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) by 20 runs, in an exciting low-scoring semi-final at Karachi on Saturday.Put in to bat first, Customs could manage only 171 for 9 in their 50 overs. WAPDA in response were bowled out for 151 in 47 overs. Right-arm fast-medium Imran Ali took 2 for 19, left-armer John got 2 for 31 and Murtaza claimed 2 for 22 in a tight 10-over spell. Opener Mohammad Ali Niazi made 35 while Fawad Alam scored 31 off 59 deliveries, hitting a solitary boundary. Shabbir Ahmed was the pick of the WAPDA bowling attack with three wickets for 35 runs in ten overs.Asif Hussain slammed a fighting 50 with three fours after facing 108 balls and Ahmed Said, who had earlier claimed five catches behind the stumps, got 48 in 96 balls with two fours. The pair added exactly 100 runs for the fourth wicket after WAPDA were reduced to 14 for 3 in the first three overs with Imran striking twice.Customs will meet Habib Bank in the finals on Monday.

Scorecard
How they were out

Mohammad Kaif’s timely century and Suresh Raina’s allround performance spurred Rajashtan Cricket Association XI to a thrilling five-run victory in the final over against England XI at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Ian Bell and Matt Prior kept England in the hunt for most of the match but a spate of run-outs and tight bowling by RCA XI’s spinners derailed England’s chase.Chasing 261, Prior gave the initial push with a 69-run stand for the third wicket with Kevin Pietersen. The early loss of Vikram Solanki and Owais Shah didn’t faze him as he collected runs by cutting and lofting over the infield. The opening bowlers were guilty of offering far too much room to Prior and bowling much too straight to Pietersen, who milked runs to the midwicket fence. But they found runs hard to come by against Piyush Chawla and Ramesh Powar and Prior holed out soon after Pietersen was run out.Bell handled the responsibility of leading the chase marvellously and, with Paul Collingwood, used his feet to play the spinners very effectively. Skipping down the track both batsmen lofted over the infield to find the fence and suddenly all the pressure created was let off. Two calamitous run-outs, first Collingwood and then Ian Blackwell, reduced England XI to 216 for 6 but Bell carried on. Making use of a missed stumping early in his innings, Bell showed that, when necessary, he could adapt to the one-day format as well and his nudges and pushes were interspersed with attacking shots down the ground.The asking-rate mounted as wickets fell at the other end and Bell perished while trying to clear deep midwicket . The match seemed lost then but Kabir Ali was reading another script. Needing 24 off 11 balls, he hoisted Chawala over long-on for six. With the equation reading 12 runs off three balls with one wicket remaining, Ali unleashed another massive hit over deep midwicket. However, it was to end there. He drove the next ball to cover and James Anderson set off at top speed from the non-striker’s end. Kaif pounced on the opportunity and completed the fourth run-out of the innings to seal England’s loss.It was fitting that Kaif ended the match for it was he who set it up so perfectly for RCA XI’s in the first innings. He paced his century perfectly – taking time to settle as Suresh Rania sparkled during his 49, picking off the ones and twos in the middle overs, and finishing unbeaten on 119 with a flurry of boundaries at the death. His innings began after both openers had fallen cheaply. Gautam Gambhir, almost certain to partner Virender Sehwag in the ODIs, floundered and fell tamely to a nick down leg side but another Indian hopeful shone. Rania, who was superb later with the ball and in the field, kept the momentum going with his characteristic punchy drives and whippy flicks while Kaif took time to get settled.England’s attack, missing Andrew Flintoff and Matthew Hoggard, showed their inexperience by bowling far too full and wide. Raina got cracking straightaway, steering Sajid Mahmood through cover point for four off the second ball he faced. He was especially severe on Anderson, bashing him for three fours in his fifth over as the innings began to pick up pace after a sluggish start. As Rania unleashed an array of crisp strokes, Kaif dug in. He was typically busy in the early part of his innings and his first signs of aggression were consecutive fours of Liam Plunkett.England lost Mahmood to a stomach bug after he bowled just three overs but Collingwood and Blackwell filled the breach and stemmed the run-rate. Collingwood’s offcutters snared Rania (49 off 46 balls) and Venugopal, who frittered a crucial opportunity to impress the selectors, and Blackwell induced a top-edge from Ajay Jadeja. Blackwell returned figures of 1 for 33 and staked his claim for a one-day spot.At 166 for 5, RCA XI were in a dicey situation but Kaif took centrestage. He shifted gears and unleashed drives and pulls and when he couldn’t find the boundary he played infuriating chip shots over the infield that fell in no man’s land. His cheekiness rubbed off on Parthiv Patel who contributed 25. Kaif quickly made up the deficit between his runs and balls faced by playing in an aggressive vein, something which has been missing in his international knocks of late. He ended the innings with a flourish, clouting a four and a six off the final two balls to finish with 119 off 136 balls.

RCA XIJaidev Shah c Batty b Mahmood 10 (11 for 1)
Gautam Gambhir c Prior b Anderson 5 (28 for 2)
Suresh Raina c Shah b Collingwood 49 (100 for 3)
Venugopal Rao b Collingwood 14 (120 for 4)
Ajay Jadeja c Pietersen b Blackwell 18 (166 for 5)
Parthiv Patel c Bell b Ali 25 (227 for 6)
England XIVikram Solanki c Raina b VRV Singh 0 (10 for 1)
Owais Shah c Patel b RP Singh 2 (19 for 2)
Kevin Pietersen run out Raina 28 (88 for 3)
Matthew Prior c RP Singh b Powar 55 (97 for 4)
Paul Collingwood run out Patel 34 (163 for 5)
Ian Blackwell run out Jadeja 23 (215 for 6)
Ian Bell c Kaif b Raina 71 (229 for 7)
Liam Plunkett c RP Singh b Venugopal Rao 1 (230 for 8)
Gareth Batty c RP Singh b Chawla 2 (244 for 9)
James Anderson run out Kaif 4 (255 all out)

Greg Chappell, India’s coach, believes that his side’s recent Test performances and their overseas record should not weigh on their minds as they attempt to win in the Caribbean for the first time since 1970-71. With India due to play five one-day internationals and four Tests against West Indies, Chappell said it was imperative that India replicate their successful streak of one-day victories in the five-day format.”People are obviously aware of the history, but we have nothing to prove barring the fact that we can win away from home,” Chappell told Reuters. “Worrying about the outcome is not going to help us win the series. You need also to be looking at developing players and the only way they can is to be playing matches under pressure.”We have made good ground in the last 12 months, especially in one-day cricket,” he added. “We need to apply the similar processes to Test cricket, bearing in mind that Test cricket is more demanding. We have got to be more aware of the flow of Test cricket, of the important moments, the important sessions in Test matches.”Under Chappell, India have set the record for the number of consecutive one-day chases (16), overhauling West Indies’ 14 chases in the mid-’80s. Chappell gave the example of West Indies sides of the 1980s and 1990s as well as Australia, who successfully transferred one-day success to Test cricket. “If you look at the great West Indian teams that dominated world cricket for two decades and the current Australian team that has been on top for nearly the same length of time, one-day cricket was the catalyst for them getting better,” he said.Chappell added that the return of Brian Lara as West Indies captain was a positive move. “I have no doubt Lara coming back as captain is a positive thing,” he said. “It will be a change for them, I’m sure it will invigorate them, invigorate him.”

After his side drew with Sussex on a rain-affected final day at Hove, Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, has said Sanath Jayasuriya is still in the equation to play in the second Test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday, after the two openers in contention for a place failed to come up with any outstanding contributions.With Jehan Mubarak making 26, and Michael Vandort scratching scores of 44 and 1, the door to Jayasuriya making a comeback to Test cricket has not been shut completely.”None of the guys had a good outing,” Jayawardene said after the game. “It is still open for us to do exactly what we want to do. Sanath is still in the picture. Depending on how the pitch is going to play everyone is in the picture.”What we wanted to do was to give the young guys the opportunity because they are the ones who came with the original squad. The selectors sent Sanath to use him at our discretion for the Tests. He is there for the one-dayers,” he said.Jayawardene admitted he was disappointed with the performances of Mubarak and Vandort. “Mubarak threw his wicket away after starting so well in the first innings on a pitch like that. It was a very good pitch to bat on,” he said. “Vandy, as well, got a 40 and got out. Those are opportunities that they should get their hands on and make sure they perform.”With the pitch at Edgbaston expected to be conducive to spin, Jaywardene admitted that Jayasuriya’s slow-left-arm spin could sway the selectors into picking him.”Sanath [has] been having net sessions since he arrived here. With his experience I am sure if he is called upon to do a job he is capable enough to do it. He’s that kind of a person. It is not a problem,” he said.Jayawardene had reason to be satisfied with the bowling of Lasith Malinga, who missed out in the first Test, and the form of middle-order batsmen Tilan Samaraweera and Chamara Kapugedera. Both made hundreds along with opener Upul Tharanga.

“Malinga has been pushing us a lot in this tour. Every time he played he’s been showing us a lot of character. At the end of the Lord’s Test I said [we] needed to figure out a way of getting 20 wickets. If Malinga is going to be the answer, so be it,” said Jayawardene.With the middle-order also getting runs Jayawardene said another option available to them was to elevate one of the middle-order batsmen to open the innings, thus playing five bowlers.”But if the wicket is going to be turning then we can go with three quicks and two spinners,” he said. “If it is flat, Malinga probably has a better chance of getting wickets. He actually does not need any assistance from the pitch to get wickets.”The only problem we have with him is if it is a seaming wicket he does not hit the seam so there is no movement for him whereas Nuwan Zoysa and Nuwan Kulasekera can be effective.”If the guys are in form it’s fine. We’ll make the tough decisions. Some guys will be disappointed but that’s how it is. Only 11 can play. We have to make sure that the best balanced combination plays,” he said.Persistent rain ruled out the chance of reserve wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene making a claim for a place. “We were looking forward to bat him at No. 4 in this match today because he has been getting a lot of runs for us in the county games, but unfortunately he could not get an opportunity. It puts Prasanna out of the equation,” he said.He added that Tillakaratne Dilshan had recovered from his mild hamstring injury and would be fit for the second Test.

MCC 165 for 5 (Cairns 61*) beat European XI 162 (Cairns 3-26) by five wickets
ScorecardMCC eased to a five-wicket win in their match against a European XI at Rotterdam, thanks largely to the allround efforts of Chris Cairns who smacked an unbeaten 61 after taking 3 for 26.MCC were wobbling on 97 for 5 before Cairns drew on his experience to launch a measured counterattack with Rob Turner, the pair adding an unbeaten 68 for the sixth wicket. Cairns was steady rather than spectacular, but still managed to score at better than a run-a-ball.Trent Johnston was the pick of the European bowlers, taking 1 for 16 from nine overs.

Jacques Rudolph feels that the conditions in Sri Lanka fit his batting style “like a glove” and is confident of cementing his spot in the South African team in the absence of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis. Rudolph was included in the squad to tour Sri Lanka because Smith pulled out after undergoing surgery for an ankle injury.”This is definitely a big chance for me to regain my place in the squad. We all know Graeme and Jacques Kallis will return,” Rudolph told News 24. “Whoever performs the best out of AB [de Villiers], Hashim [Amla] and Boeta [Dippenaar] on this tour, stands a good chance to remain in the squad when Graeme and Jacques do return.””It’s the fourth time that I’ll be touring Sri Lanka and I’m used to the conditions. I’ve toured with the South Africa A team in the past and I’ve been successful. On the last tour I hit a century in Galle. Hopefully I’ll be successful again.”Rudolph admitted that the absence of Smith and Kallis, who is recovering from elbow surgery, had considerably weakened the side. “It’s also an opportunity for us as a team, probably a less experienced and weaker team than usual, to show what we can do. Some of the guys will definitely have to take the lead and show more determination in the absence of those guys [Smith and Kallis].”