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Muttiah Muralitharan returns to haunt Pakistan when they face Sri Lanka in the final of the Asian Test Championship on a seamers’ friendly track at the Gaddafi Stadium from Wednesday.The spinner was the force behind Sri Lanka’s four victories in the last six Tests in Pakistan when he captured nearly 40 wickets. “He is a world class spinner and there is no denying the fact that all the teams are scared of him. His presence means pressure on everyone but then again he is just one,” Pakistan captain Waqar Younis said.”We have to cope with Muralitharan and play very carefully. But I wouldn’t say he is a threat. But yes, he has been bowling well and has the capacity to turn even on glass,” Waqar said.Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya piled on more psychological pressure on Pakistan when he said he was not counting on Muralitharan alone. “Chaminda [Vaas], Nuwan [Zoysa] and Bhuddika [Fernando] are also there and they are bowling excellently,” Jayasuriya said.Muralitharan was virtually seen smelling the wicket to have a feel of the conditions after being disallowed to inspect the pitch. But Jayasuriya and Whatmore had a closer look at the strip and should have gathered all the needed information for the maestro.Going by the current form of Pakistan batsmen, it appears they will have a real job in hand. Against Test greenhorns Bangladesh and the spent force West Indies, now the whipping boys of international cricket, Pakistan batsmen failed to live upto expectations. Had there not been a rearguard action, led by Rashid Latif, there might have been a different story to tell than to write, at least against the Caribbeans.Pakistan’s best batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq is badly out of form while it was still unclear who will be opening the innings. Younis Khan has been scoring some runs but his technique against a quality bowler like Muralitharan is yet to be seen. That leaves Yousuf Youhana as the batsman Pakistan would be looking to play a big innings he is very well capable of. Youhana has blossomed into a brilliant batsman who has time and again carried the innings on his shoulders.There are no two opinions that Youhana was the best batsman for Pakistan in the three-Test series in 2000 and almost pulled victory from the jaws of defeat at Peshawar with a defiant 80 odd. A cruel leg before decision ruined Pakistan hopes in the end.A green top wicket has been prepared for the match and chief curator Mohammad Bashir is confident that it would support the seamers as it had a rock-solid base. But Waqar dismissed impressions that such a wicket had been prepared to counter the brilliance of Muralitharan.”The wicket has been prepared according to our strength. I believe bowling remains our strong point. Although I am the only experienced bowler, Mohammad Sami and Shoaib Akhtar have been bowling well,” he said without ruling out the possibility of going into the match with a four-pace attack.Waqar agreed that it was the clear test of his team’s character despite going into the Test with a six-win record. “Although I believe the opponents were not that much though, we had to go out in the field and beat them,” Waqar said. “It would require a sheer hard work to compete against a team like Sri Lanka and I think it will be a fantastic game,” he added.Sri Lanka too had a good home season last year when they won eight successive Tests. They beat India 2-0 before whitewashing West Indies and Zimbabwe. “Both Sri Lanka and Pakistan had a good run upto the final. And I do hope that it will be a good game,” Jayasuriya said.Pakistan and India reached the final after canning minnows Bangladesh in the league matches. The round match between the two teams was scrapped as it would have had no bearing on the final.The tournament went ahead after India pulled out after being drawn to play Pakistan at Lahore between Sept 12 and 16. The competition was devalued to an extent but Waqar said: “Who knows if India had participated, even then Sri Lanka and Pakistan would have qualified for the final.”I think the two best Asian Test sides are competing in the final. It would have been nice if India had competed in the event, nevertheless,” he said. In case of no result the trophy would be shared as first innings lead would not decide the fate of the game.Teams (to be selected from):Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Hashan Tillakaratne, Thilan Samaraweera, Chaminda Vaas, Bhuddika Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Nuwan Zoysa, Upal Chandana, Tillakarante Dilshan, Dulip Liyange.Pakistan: Waqar Younis (captain), Taufiq Umer, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Abdur Razzaq, Rashid Latif, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Malik, Saqlain Mushtaq, Faisal Iqbal, Mohammd Zahid.Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia), Athar Zaidi (Pakistan).Tv Umpire: Saleem Badar.Match Referee: Justice Ahmed Ebrahem (Zimbabwe).

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOnly Brendon McCullum showed any intent, but Ashish Nehra nipped him out before he could inflict serious damage•AFP

New Zealand were at the receiving end of another humiliation as a hapless batting performance led to their lowest score against India and sealed a 0-5 whitewash. On a dry pitch susceptible to the influence of the overcast weather, New Zealand were keen to make the most of initially favourable batting conditions. But their edginess against pace at the start of the innings, and capitulation to spin later on, ensured their misery in ODIs continued.The pitch offered limited assistance to the bowlers and was not responsible for the domination that India showed; New Zealand’s inability to survive perhaps was. The seamers were crafty enough to make use of the hint of swing and movement available early on, the spinners, led by R Ashwin, varied their lengths, pace and worked the angles well to prove more than a handful against the middle and lower orders.Praveen Kumar’s control and Ashish Nehra’s quick recovery from a Brendon McCullum onslaught in his first over set up India. Praveen earned his prize straight away, beginning with three straight-ish deliveries before getting one to nip away and prompt a fatal poke from Martin Guptill. Nehra had a contrasting start, struggling for line and length, dragging one short to be dispatched over square leg and providing width to be slammed through the off side for two boundaries. McCullum’s aggressive posture, characterized by his advances down the wicket as well as moving well across to look for scoring opportunities, promised an entertaining counterattack. It caused his downfall instead, as he shuffled across to Nehra and was done in by the inswing to be caught on the pads, leaving New Zealand 14 for 2.

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• This is the second time India have won an ODI series 5-0. The only previous instance was against England in 2008-09, when a seven-match series was curtailed to five due to the terrorist attack in Mumbai. India won each of those five games.

• For New Zealand, it was their fourth 5-0 drubbing in a five-match series. Three of those four series defeats have happened since 2003.

• New Zealand’s total of 103 is their lowest in a completed innings against India. It’s their second-lowest in India – they’d scored six runs fewer against Australia in Faridabad in 2003.

• India won with 173 balls to spare, which is their fourth-highest in all ODIs and their best against New Zealand. For the visitors too, it’s the fourth-heaviest defeat in terms of balls remaining.

• Over the five-match series, Indian batsmen averaged 56.95 runs per wicket, at a strike rate of 94.05 runs per 100 balls, and scored four hundreds. New Zealand averaged 24.38 at a strike rate of 80.43, and didn’t manage a single hundred.

• Ashish Nehra became the 11th Indian bowler to take 150 ODI wickets.

The pitch largely behaved itself for the duration of the innings and the Indian bowlers, for their part, provided reasonable opportunities to ease the pressure. Ross Taylor looked confident, piercing the field with some delicious drives past mid-off, but his stay ended with an instinctive attempt at a pull against Nehra, and the ball scraped the glove on the way to Parthiv Patel. Jamie How appeared on course to lend some respectability to what’s been a miserable series with some lovely flicks off his pads and Scott Styris seemed determined to get the innings back on track, but the steadiness that they had painstakingly brought to the innings was obliterated by spin.The slow bowlers were expected to play a prominent role as the day wore on and it didn’t take long for Yuvraj Singh to step into the act. In the 17th over, after having built a stand of 43 with Styris, How tried to play across the line and was bowled as the ball straightened. Styris misread the length and played the sweep, almost as an afterthought, against Ashwin in the next over to be caught plumb. And Grant Elliott, included in the line-up to strengthen the batting, made no impact, failing to read the straighter one from Yuvraj to be lbw.Three wickets in three overs, and the departure of Daniel Vettori to a catch at slip not long after indicated New Zealand were in a hurry to finish the game even before the weather, overcast and ominous, was given a chance to intervene. Sure enough, Kyle Mills’ inability to read Ashwin’s carrom ball and Tim Southee’s gifting a catch to short leg marked a sorry end to a line-up that bats deep.The early wickets of the in-form Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli were the only consolation as New Zealand succumbed to a 0-5 battering, with their World Cup preparations in disarray following a bitter experience in two recent assignments in the subcontinent. India, for their part, have been boosted by the successful return of Yusuf Pathan and the consistency of Ashwin, while consecutive fifties from Parthiv Patel have further spiced up the selection race for the World Cup.

A contrite Gareth Batty effectively admitted that he made a mistake “in the heat of battle” in not withdrawing the appeal that resulted in Somerset’s Alex Barrow being run out for backing-up too far – a practice known outside England at least as ‘Mankading.’The Surrey captain accepted full responsibility for the decision and said: “The last thing I wanted was to bring the spirit of cricket into disrepute.”Although it has always been strictly acceptable within the laws, ‘Mankading’ is regarded by many within the English game as being a breach of etiquette and is an unpalatable act for many players, as well as fans.County cricket has remained wedded to such mores since the late nineteeth century but attitudes are now blurred, especially outside England, to the point where for the tradition to survive it might ultimately have to be written into England’s domestic playing regulations.Law 42.15, as adapted by ECB playing regulations for championship cricket, simply states: “The bowler is permitted, before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt to run out the non-striker”Somerset and their supporters were incensed when Murali Kartik, their former spinner, removed a bail and appealed for a run out after non-striker Barrow had wandered out of his crease.The young batsman had already been warned by Kartik, earlier in the over, for leaving his ground too soon – a caution the bowler did not need to deliver under the laws, but one which if delivered traditionally protects the bowler from allegations of sharp practice.*As captain, Batty was asked by umpire Peter Hartley whether he wanted the appeal to stand. “In the heat of the battle I made the decision that, according to the letter of the law, it was the correct decision for him to be out,” said the former England spinner.Batty said that “hindsight was a wonderful thing” and suggested that if – like India during last summer’s Test at Trent Bridge when Ian Bell was reinstated following a controversial run-out incident – he had enjoyed the luxury of a 20-minute tea interval to reconsider events, a different outcome would probably have resulted.”People obviously think the spirit of the game has been brought into disrepute – that was not my intention and I thoroughly apologise for that,” Batty said.He added that he would be speaking to Marcus Trescothick, Somerset’s captain. “I want to make sure it is right with Marcus and his team,” he said.Trescothick is not the sort of person to hold a grudge but he was clearly cross with what he had witnessed. “It’s not what you come to expect in county cricket – I’ve never seen it before,” the former England opener said. “That was quite astonishing and disappointing. The game doesn’t need to come to that. It’s not the game we like to play. It annoys the players and upsets the players. But we’ll move on, come back tomorrow and carry on playing the game.”Chris Adams, Surrey’s team director, was also in placatory mood. “I think in terms of upholding the laws of cricket it was the right decision but I think the situation certainly challenges the spirit of cricket,” said Adams. “That is regrettable.”I will support the captain in this because I have been out there in many, many situations where it is very intense. These are very intense days for a lot of teams, but especially us. It has been a very, very difficult summer [Surrey’s young player Tom Maynard died in an accident on London underground in mid-summer] and we find ourselves in a position where every point, every wicket and every run appears to be of the highest premium.”Adams also recalled the dismissal of Bell against India last year, run out after he thought tea had been called. “In that incidence they India had 20 minutes of a tea-break to reflect, discuss and consider and whether it was right to change that decision,” he said.”I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when that decision was overturned. I would like to think that had we been afforded the same 20 minutes that perhaps we would have come to the same outcome. Perhaps we wouldn’t.”I would suggest maybe in the goodness of time we could all say that the one thing that hasn’t been totally upheld is the spirit of cricket, and that is regrettable.”The issue has come to the fore because of a recent change in the ICC playing regulations – adopted by the ECB for domestic cricket – which now allow the bowler to run a batsman out until the point where he has completed his delivery stride – not entered his delivery stride as stated in the MCC laws. That has made the practice easier for the bowler and confused players and spectators alike.As for Kartik, he apparently could not understand what all the fuss was about, tweeting: “Everyone get a life please… if a batsman is out on a stroll, in spite of being warned, does that count as being in the spirit of the game?”*2:50 GMT August 31: The report had erroneously stated that the law relating to Mankading was rewritten last year.

Shane Warne has urged Nathan Lyon to simply focus on his stock ball rather than worrying about developing any new tricks as he aims to lock in his place as Australia’s long-term Test spinner. And Warne said a potentially serious shoulder injury to the Victoria left-arm spinner Jon Holland, who he expected to be picked for next year’s Ashes tour, could be a big blow as Australian cricket would need Holland as well as Lyon going forward.Warne, who was at the MCG for his first net session since being named as captain of the Melbourne Stars, said there should be no question that Australia would play a spinner in the first Test against South Africa in Brisbane. The Gabba was Warne’s most successful ground as a Test spinner – he took 68 wickets there at 20.30 – but the seam-friendly nature of Sheffield Shield pitches at the venue often makes four fast men a tempting option for selectors.However, Australia’s desire not to ask too much of its young fast men, combined with the fact that Lyon picked up seven wickets in his only Gabba Test, against New Zealand last year, means he will almost certainly play. Lyon is trying to regain his form in the Sheffield Shield after a disappointing Australia A tour of England this year and Warne believes Lyon, who conceded he had struggled with the avalanche of advice he had received over the past year, should go back to basics.”Graeme Swann does okay [with only] the offbreak and the straight one. I think Nathan Lyon has done very well too,” Warne said. “I think if he can just concentrate on his offbreak and the straight one I’m sure he’ll be fine.”For Nathan it’s just to keep doing well. As a spinner, all you want to do is bowl well. Don’t try too much stuff, just bowl well, and over a period of time you’ll have better games than not. Keep spinning his offbreak, the odd straight one, think about the game pretty well, contribute to the team and that’s it.”Warne believed Lyon and Holland could both play roles for Australia in future and he said he had very impressed with what he saw of Holland last year, when they were both on the Stars roster. Holland had been mentioned by the national selector John Inverarity as one of the two best spinners in the country last week, only to suffer a shoulder injury while fielding in club cricket at the weekend.Holland was due to find out his prognosis after seeing a specialist on Tuesday, but there were strong fears within the Victoria camp that he would need a second shoulder reconstruction, having had one in 2010. Warne said Holland, who usually concentrates on a stock finger-spinner with subtle variations in pace and flight, was the kind of bowler who could provide value to Australia’s Test team.”Jon Holland is a big loss,” Warne said. “I had him pencilled in about 12 or 18 months ago that him and Nathan Lyon would be on the Ashes next year and I was hopeful that both of them would play, especially for the balance of the team when you’ve got guys like Watson, Mitchell Marsh who can play as allrounders, you can play two spinners and one or two other quicks.”It’s a real big loss to lose Dutchy. He’s really improved. I loved working with him last year. We worked on the mindset of bowling, how to approach bowling, and I think he really developed. He had a good finish to last year and he’s been bowling really well. I really feel for Dutch and hopefully he’ll be back as quick as possible because I really think Australian cricket needs him.”

With the help of some supreme batsmanship by three centurions VishwasBhalla (159), Gaurav Gupta (134) and Abhinav Bali (101), North Zone piled up a massive 557 in the first innings of their Vijay Hazare Trophy Under-16 Tournament semifinal match at the Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wodayar Sports Centre in Bangalore on Monday. West Zone were 160 for 3 at stumps on day two.Resuming at their overnight score of 338 for four, North Zone lost Bhalla soon. Having added just nine more runs to his overnight score of 150, Bhalla departed to a catch by Chetan Suryavanshi off Kunjan Fadia. During his 375 minute stay at the crease, Bhalla had faced 260 balls and hit 20 boundaries and a six. Kuldeep Rawat who was the next man in did not trouble the scorers much as he lasted just five balls and was trapped legbefore by G Yadav for a nought.This brought A Bali and Gupta together and they responded with a 98 run seventh wicket partnership before the second centurion of the match Gupta was caught behind by Parthiv Patel off Nikhil Rathod. During his 252 minute stay at the crease, Gupta faced 195 balls and hit 18 boundaries. Thereafter, Bali found ample company in Abhishek Sharma (43) and two added 95 runs off just 13 overs for the eighth wicket to take the score to 557 before Bali fell to Rathod after completing a well deserved century. Abhishek Sharma was run out for 43 of the next ball and Rathod finished North’s innings when he dismissed last man Punit Sharma for a duck. North Zone lost its last three wickets with no further addition to the score of 557. For West, G Yadav (3 for 132) and Nikhil Rathod (3 for 84) were the pick of the bowlers.In response, West Zone made a confident start to their innings as theopeners Sahil Kukreja (53 not out) and Bhushan Chauhan (24) added 49 runs in 11.1 overs. Chauhan was the first to be dismissed when a direct throw from Abhishek Sharma found the mark. Then Parthiv Patel (37) joined Kukreja and took the score to 97. Patel was the next to be sent back stumped by Bhupinder Singh off Abhishek Sharma. Nikhil Rathod added 48 run for the third wicket with Kukreja. Rathod was trapped leg before by Abhishek Sharma in the 39th over. At close of play, Kukreja and Chetan Suryavanshi (7) were holding the fort for West Zone.

Till the very last minute, fast bowler Wasim Akram’s inclusion in the England-bound squad remained a matter of conjecture and suspense. That he finally made it, apparently in the face of stiff opposition by the team captain, his one-time bosom pal Waqar Younis, has been attributed to the desperate, almost pathetic, efforts that he was forced to make on his own behalf. It was reported that he sought the intervention of various people, including his mentor Imran Khan, to achieve his cherished desire of a fourth tour of the island nation on whose greens the game of cricket had originated.This running-from-pillar-to-post mode of selection by one who has been termed as an all-time great fast bowler in the annals of cricket, makes for sorry reading. In the normal scheme of things, his unrivalled record of 400-plus wickets in both Test and one-day cricket, and his vast experience of English conditions (three tours, a World Cup and numerous years for his county Lancashire) would have made him an automatic choice for the tour. Also, Pakistan, seeking to avenge its recent 0-1 loss to England in the home series would have preferred the strongest possible side, and dropping Akram would have been tantamount to neglecting a `force-multiplier’ weapon in its armoury.All’s well that ends well, goes the clichéd saying, but it must be recorded that the doubts and uncertainty surrounding his berth had little to do with Akram’s undoubted cricketing skills. Many non-cricketing reasons were cited in a bid to keep him out. Maybe it was Akram’s offhand treatment of Younis that still rankled with the latter. Or it may be those numerous instances when various captains felt that when he was not leading the side, Akram was not only not giving of his best but also distracting other, younger and more impressionable members of the team.There is also this feeling in the PCB boardrooms that with Moin axed in a bid to make a few examples, Akram remains the last vestige of player power that has dogged Pakistan cricket through the ’90s.

Anyway, now that Akram has survived – albeit after considerable humiliation – it remains to be seen how well he does in England. Despite the weight of his performance over the last decade and a half, it would be extremely difficult for Akram to maintain his place in the outfit if he fails to produce anything less than really high-calibre stuff.Akram, however, is a great survivor. In the last eight years or so, this champion all-rounder had to undergo many a setback and ignominy – charges of ball-tampering (1992), rebellion against his captaincy (1993), allegations of match-fixing (1994 to date), debilitating effects of diabetes (1997 to date).Almost always he emerged stronger than before. Despite having 16 years of a fast-bowling career behind him, that this most `natural’ of southpaws is still a force to reckon with is reflected from his performance in the year 2000. At St. John’s, Antigua, he took a 10-wicket haul against the West Indies – it would have been a match-winning effort had a couple of umpiring decisions not deprived Pakistan of a much-coveted first series triumph in the Caribbean.Then he had a big hand in Pakistan winning its first Asia Cup, and immediately afterwards two back-to-back Man of the Match awards in Tests in Sri Lanka for his all-round performance. Pakistan ended up winner in both encounters.His fitness is not an issue at this point, for he seems to have recovered from his injuries and one has to believe him when he says that he is all fired up to do well in England. Clearly, if he were not fit he would not have gone to such great lengths to secure a place in the squad.So Wasim Akram, the `temperamental team man’ but a great performer nevertheless, has to do well to silence his many detractors. And, considering his track record, especially when he wants to make a point, that is bad news for England!

The series I’m referring to is neither between Pakistan and England nor is it the famous Ashes, but it is to be played on Zimbabwean soil and the team pitted against them will be India.The clash between these two teams certainly cannot be termed `the clash of Titans’, but it is expected to provide cricket lovers, not necessarily from these two countries, with something absorbing and enthralling, keeping in view their recent track records.While the Indians are buoyant after their great series win over the unofficial world test champions, Australia, the Zimbabweans are also happy after whitewashing Bangladesh. And, both these victories have come on home grounds. So it would be an added challenge for India, as they are playing away after a long time.

Indians certainly look stronger on paper, having the likes of Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and the newly found talent in VVS Laxman, not to mention, arguably the best batsman in the world, Sachin Tendulkar.History is also in India’s favour. They have lost only one match against Zimbabwe, having played five Tests since 1992, after Zimbabwe attained test status. Incidentally, that one-off Test, after which Zimbabwe became the 8th test-playing nation, was played against India.However, India’s away record is not something they can be proud of. Of the 157 Tests played away, they have managed victories in only 14, losing the enormous number of 70 matches. It was in 1993-94 when they last won a test series against a formidable opposition (a 1-0 victory over Sri Lanka), before setting aside the modest challenge posed by Bangladesh in the one-off Test played last year in Dhaka.

As far as records go, Zimbabwe have nothing much to be proud of either, yet they have always proved worthy opponents especially on home soil. Their individual talents might not be comparable to the artistic prowess of say Sachin, yet as a team, they are always hard to beat.Andy Flower, regarded their most reliable batsman and probably the most successful wicket keeper/batsman of recent times, will be the key against India. Without doubt, he has been the most successful batsman for Zimbabwe in recent times, having scored 1141 runs in 11 tests since January 2000, making for an average of 76.06. In these 11 tests, he has scored 3 hundreds, including a double ton at Wellington against New Zealand, and 6 fifties. Moreover, the last seven of his 8 innings have yielded scores over fifty.

Another important member of Zimbabwean squad is Alistair Campbell. Since handing over the captaincy to Heath Streak, he has discovered a new self and is getting runs more consistently. Also, the left-hander’s record against India is better than his overall showing in test cricket. He maintains an average of over 34 against them, while his overall average is 26.45. Moreover, his only test hundred has also come against India (102 at Nagpur in 2000-01).Apart from these veterans, Zimbabwe will have some fresh faces in their side like Brighton Watambwa, Ray Price and Andy Blignaut – the first two being pacers and the last a left-arm orthodox spinner. All these youngsters possess immense talent and always seem keen to perform for their side.

Indians have always relied on spinners to deliver the goods. Their success against Australia weighed heavily on off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who found a lot of help in the home pitches. His 32 wickets, at 20.02 apiece, in a three-match rubber is amazing stuff, a fair warning for the Zimbabweans.Considering India’s strength in spin, one wouldn’t be surprised to see fast and bouncy tracks in Zimbabwe – a country where wickets have traditionally suited pace bowling. Also, the Zimbabwean bowling strength lies mainly in their pace department, with skipper Heath Streak being quite an inspiration for the younger members of the side.India, on the other hand, would heavily depend on how Srinath, the most experienced pacer in their line-up, fares on such pitches. They will also be looking up to Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar to help crack their opponent’s batting wall, so that other more experienced hands, can turn them into full fledged gaps.The two Test matches of the series, to be played, at Bulawayo (7-11 June) and Harare (15-19 June) will be followed by a tri-angular series involving West Indies as the third team.Thus, this month-and-a-half long tour is going to be a real test for India, who are beaming with confidence and looking to show the world they are winners away from home too.

Michael Vaughan hit his first one-day century to send Yorkshire cruisinginto the Benson & Hedges Cup semi-finals at Taunton.A contest with Somerset that promised much, with five current Englandplayers involved, eventually proved one-sided as the Tykes skated to theirvictory target of 211 with eight wickets and 13.2 overs to spare.The result never looked in doubt once man-of-the-match Vaughan had won hisearly battle with Andy Caddick, who finished with the sorry figures of 1-57from his ten overs.Vaughan hit 15 boundaries in reaching an elegant century, sharing anunbroken third-wicket stand of 140 with Darren Lehmann, who reached hisfifty with the winning hit, and going on to make a chanceless 125 not out.By the end Somerset looked a bedraggled unit. Yet they had started the matchpromisingly, despite the early loss of Marcus Trescothick to his Englandcolleague Darren Gough.Skipper Jamie Cox, who had elected to bat first in glorious sunshine, lookedin fine form coming in at number three, hitting two sixes and five fours in his62.Cox had added 108 with Peter Bowler for the second wicket when hooking aslow full toss from Lehmann straight to Michael Lumb at long leg.It proved a turning point in the match. Although Bowler reached ahalf-century off 91 balls, the rest of Somerset’s batting was woefully weakagainst some tight Yorkshire bowling and fielding.Darren Gough finished with the excellent figures of 1-18 from his ten overs,while Ryan Sidebottom was also a model of accuracy in taking 2-34 from histen as the home side slumped from 131-1 to make only 210-7.Afterwards Somerset coach, Kevin Shine, tipped Yorkshire as likely Cup winners.”If they play like that, with Darren Gough opening the bowling and Vaughanand Lehmann providing the batting strength I would be surprised if they don’t dovery well in this competition,” Shine said.”That’s probably the best I have ever seen Vaughan play and they will have tohave a serious look at him with regards to international one-day cricket if hecan play like that. He never looked like he was in trouble and he hit the gaps at will.”Man of the match Vaughan admitted that his one-day record to date has not done him justice.”I was probably not regarded as a one-day player until recently and rightlyso. My record for Yorkshire is not great,” Vaughan said.”I have batted everywhere from one to seven and this year is the first time Ihave been told that I will open. Once you know what you are going to do it’squite easy to plan. I’ve tried to be positive in the first 15 overs and go onand get a big score after that.”If you look to bat a full 50 overs you should score 100. Obviously this wasa bit different as everything seemed to hit the middle of the bat. I seemed toscore a lot of boundaries and it doesn’t always happen that way.”Ask the Yorkshire lads and they will tell you I do play my shots but therehave been certain situations with England, especially when I started, where itwas necessary to save the match.”I know I can play all the shots, it’s just picking the right balls. But for England I will bat anywhere. You can’t be too picky!”

Wellington’s secondary school 1st XI cricketers and their coaches were treated to a special night out in Wellington tonight.They were the guests of Cricket Wellington at a dinner to celebrate secondary school cricket, a first for the Capital and likely to be the forerunner of similar events in the future.The evening was hosted by Wellington College, the home of the national boys’ secondary school trophy, the Gillette Cup.Teams from 12 district 1st XIs were mixed up at various tables at the dinner and at the head of each table was a former New Zealand cricketer. Among those in attendance were former players: Jeremy Coney, who was one of the guest speakers, Ian Smith, Martin Crowe, Roger Twose, Andrew Jones, Ewen Chatfield, Evan Gray, Robert Vance, Bruce Morrison, John Morrison, Mark Greatbatch, Richard Petrie, Gavin Larsen, Ken Rutherford, Bruce Murray, Trevor McMahon, Martin Snedden, Ervin McSweeney, Grahame Bilby and Jonathon Millmow.The evening was organised by cricket historian and former national selector and president of New Zealand Cricket Don Neely.It also allowed him to present each player with a coaching journal he has been working on for three or four years. The publication is a coaching manual with a difference, it recognises the place of left-handers in the game by demonstrating every aspect of the game that has been traditionally the preserve of right-handers, by providing a mirror image for left-handers.The lack of coaching material for left-handers has long irked Neely and the journal, which will eventually be available to all schoolboy players in Wellington, and probably throughout the country if major associations cotton on to its worth.Former New Zealand manager, All Black, principal of Auckland Grammar and now Chancellor of Auckland University John Graham was the first guest speaker on the subject of developing lives through participation in sport.Graham used his time with the CLEAR Black Caps to round out his speech.He said it was vital for players in any sport to have belief in themselves and belief in their team. Belief wouldn’t necessarily guarantee winning but without belief or confidence you would not win in sport, or life.Graham said when he first joined the New Zealand team he felt they had an attitude that they “hoped” to win.One of the first things instilled in them was the belief that they could achieve anything when they walked in the company of those who believed in them.”That attitude gives you belief to get through the golden days as well as the tough days,” he said.Whatever people were involved in in life, they had to have a dream, a goal.When Gilbert Enoka was introduced into the side he developed the BTB formula – better than before. And that was something that could be applied to every aspect of the game, just as it could be in every aspect of life.For example, a statistical study had shown that if a team could bowl 30% of its overs as maidens it would win a Test match, and if they bowled 25% they still had a chance to win.”BTB became a very essential part of the team development. It stretched outside the team so they looked better, behaved better and dressed better,” he said.Another aspect of the team’s development was the hard work ethic. Graham said that when he first toured Australia he watched how much effort the best Australian players put into their game.New Zealand’s players became required to write down what they were trying to achieve at the nets. They were given hours of fielding practice by coach Steve Rixon.Discipline to both external needs and from within were demanded of players and there were some non-negotiable rules.The development of sacrifice, such as the first occasion the players had to prepare for a Boxing Day Test in New Zealand, when the players had to give up celebrating in the normal Kiwi fashion because they had a Test starting the next day was a classic example of this. The reward had been a Test victory over India, spearheaded by the Boxing Day seven wicket bag to Simon Doull.Loyalty was another aspect developed, to each other, to the game and to their supporters in New Zealand.”New Zealand cricket supporters are the most loyal in the world because of the way they get bashed around every year. They are immensely loyal,” Graham said.The final ingredient in the mix was the competitive edge where nothing other than excellence should be acceptable to players.”Respecting the laws and customs of the game is important. In sport it is called sportsmanship, in life it is called honesty, trustworthiness,” he said.And once those are all in place there was enjoyment.”It is about enjoying the daily challenges of playing sport at the top level, and enjoying living,” he said.More than any other sporting tour he had been on, his cricket journey showed him that for personal development as a sportsman players had to work at it daily, he said.Coney then spoke in his usual humorous manner about how cricket grabbed him like a virus that he has never been able to shake off.He pointed out that many young players had graced New Zealand teams immediately after leaving school, the earliest versions being Giff Vivian in 1931 and Martin Donnelly in 1937 and the most recent being Daniel Vettori in 1997.Coney also spoke about his weekly game of pulpit cricket on Sundays with a friend where the weekly sermon at their local church was the vehicle, depending upon however the minister gesticulated, for runs or dismissals. The visit by a Salvation Army speaker on the demons of drink had been enough to dismiss an entire international side so often was the finger of dismissal pointed at the congregation.But Coney told the players: “It is easy to be mediocre, just be as good as you can be. Find out what you like and if it’s cricket, grab it and go for it, it’s a beaut game.”

West Indies were struggling at 197/6 at stumps on the second day of their second Test against India being played at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. They still trail by 142 runs in the first innings with just four wickets in hand. At close of play, Carl Hooper was unbeaten on 30 while Mervyn Dillon was on six not out. Javagal Srinath was easily the best Indian bowler on view with figures of 16-4-56-3.After bowling India out for 339, the home side got off to a brisk start with Stuart Williams smashing the ball to all parts of the field. His fellow-opener Chris Gayle (13) was the first batsman to be dismissed, falling to a well-laid trap, caught at short cover by Shiv Sunder Das off the bowling of Javagal Srinath. Williams, who struck three consecutive fours off Srinath, was dismissed just before the tea interval, caught bat-pad at short leg by Das off Harbhajan Singh. He made 43 off 62 balls, striking eight boundaries.Ramnaresh Sarwan (35), who came in at his customary No. 3 slot, as always promised so much but failed when he looked set for a big score, caught by Rahul Dravid at slip off Ashish Nehra. This brought together the experienced pair of Brian Lara and Carl Hooper in the middle. Lara looked in ominous form, but fortunately for India was caught behind off Zaheer Khan soon after he reached his half-century. He made 52 off 78 balls, striking half a dozen boundaries.Umpire Daryl Harper has had a nightmare of a Test match; he gave Shivnarine Chanderpaul (1) out leg before off Srinath, when the ball had clearly pitched outside the leg. There was more joy for Srinath in the same over, Junior Murray being trapped plumb in front for a duck. The home team had lost three wickets in the space of ten deliveries, and were struggling at 180/6 at that stage.Hooper and Dillon might have ensured that the West Indies did not suffer any further jolts on the day but there is no denying the fact that the Indians will be calling the shots come Sunday. The tourists find themselves in a strong position thanks largely to some dubious umpiring decisions over the first two days of the Test match. It would take a Herculean effort from Hooper to bail West Indies out of trouble on the third day.Earlier, in the morning, India resuming on 262/4 were bowled out for 339 in the second over after the luncheon break. Sachin Tendulkar, resuming on his overnight score of 113, was the first to go after adding only four more runs in the morning. But not before surviving a very confident shout for lbw off the bowling of Cuffy; umpire Asoka de Silva once again ruling in the batsman’s favour after Tendulkar had padded up to it.The whole of the Caribbean must have wondered about this endless run of bad luck. However, with the very next ball, Cuffy had Tendulkar shuffling back and across, rapped on the pads. The ball would have gone on to hit the middle stump. Umpire de Silva after a dramatic pause put his finger up and Tendulkar was finally dismissed for 117 (260 balls, 14 fours).Ratra making his Test debut couldn’t do much with the bat, caught behind of Cuffy for a duck, which also made him his counterpart Junior Murray’s 100th victim as a wicket keeper. Harbhajan Singh too was dismissed for a duck, caught by Cuffy at long leg off the bowling of Sanford. Zaheer Khan (5) played and missed too many times outside the off and was finally bowled by Sanford after playing all over a full length delivery. India were 298/8 at that stage.Srinath and Laxman staged a mini-recovery adding 41 runs for the ninth wicket. Soon after lunch, though, Marlon Black trapped Javagal Srinath (18) plumb in front of the wicket. Last man Ashish Nehra lasted only three balls, caught by Hooper at second slip for a duck. Laxman was left stranded 69 not out (123 balls, 11 fours). Black finished strongly with figures of 17.5-7-53-3, while Cuffy (30-12-49-2) and Sanford (29-5-111-3) also bowled well before lunch to share the remaining four Indian wickets that fell on the day.