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“Fergie” Gupte is no more. Those of us who grew up watchingcricket in the 50s remember the seeming effortlessness of hisaction and the mesmeric influence he had on batsmen despite histiny, frail physique. Subhash Gupte had a neat little action,and, unless my memory tricks me, he had the palms of his handspointing towards him even as his arms went up during his predelivery stride.For a leg-spinner, Gupta had a remarkably high arm action, andhis flight, while tantalising and deceptive, was rarelyextravagant. Like all great spinners, he had the uncanny knack ofinducing an optical illusion in batsmen of the ball heading for acertain spot on the pitch and invariably dropping just short ofthat. His control was perhaps unmatched by leg-spinners of mosteras, though his admirer and successor for a mere two Tests, V VKumar, came close to it, as did Shane Warne.My first memory of Gupte is from the Madras Test against NewZealand in January 1956, when his nine wickets in the match werecompletely overshadowed by the world-record opening partnershipbetween Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy. Yet he made an instantimpact on young spectators with his buttoned-down sleevesfluttering in the breeze and the clinical precision of hisbowling.For weeks on end, countless boys around India tried to bowl legbreaks and googlies in the Gupte manner, all with slightlydifferent results, no doubt a result of the complete absence offull-sleeved shirts in their wardrobes. The walk from school tobus-stop and bus-stop to home now became a succession of maidenovers and devastating googlies so that England or the West Indieswere reduced to two-digit totals for the loss of all theirwhimpering batsmen. (The love affair with Gupte continued throughthe next Test at Madras against Ian Johnson’s Australians, butgiven a boy’s natural inclinations, it was not long before GhulamAhmed took over, bringing with him a propensity to walk tallerand swing the arms in an imposing swagger.)Conversations with two great cricketers come to mind as I try toremember the little details of the Gupte magic. The first waswith Neil Harvey on a visit to Chennai during the 1998-99 ChennaiTest between India and Australia. Harvey remembered how he wentafter the little leg-spinner after his captain Richie Benaud hadleft a newspaper clipping under his breakfast plate at Bombay onthe morning of the Test match there in 1960. According to theleft-hander, the story had described what Gupte would do to him,and it had not been flattering. The message from the captain wasclear: it was Harvey’s job to hit Gupte out of the attack.Harvey recalled accomplishing his mission successfully. To hisastonishment and the utter delight of his team, the selectorsdropped the little leg-spinner for the next Test, even thoughAustralia had been in all sorts of trouble against him before theHarvey assault.I also had the privilege of listening to Sir Gary Sobers’ viewson Gupte at the Madras Cricket Club a couple of years later.Sobers’ evaluation of Gupte as a greater bowler than Shane Warneis by now common knowledge. After explaining to the smallaudience why he thought so, he turned to me – to my completesurprise – and asked who, in my opinion, was the next best Indianleg-spinner of the orthodox variety. Was it Baloo Gupte, hewondered. I pointed to the sprightly young fellow of 65 summerssitting just a few yards away.Why did I consider V V Kumar superior to other leg-spinners, thegreat West Indian persisted. "Because, not only did he bamboozlebatsmen with his flight and variety, he was also the mostaccurate wrist-spinner around," I told him. "Yes, I can see that.The old chap still lands it on a perfect length in the nets athis coaching camp," agreed Sir Gary, who had been flown in by theMAC Spin Academy for a brief stint. Sobers’ assessment of Gupteas the finest exponent of his craft will, given his stature,perhaps live on as the most famous eulogy of a great spinner.

Derbyshire’s acting captain Matthew Dowman had a dream day as their match with West Indies A builds towards a fascinating finish.Dowman, an occasional medium-pacer, picked up career best figures of 4-38 asthe West Indian innings fell apart in spectacular style. He then thrashed aquickfire 71 to compound the tourists’ misery. Two late wickets from MarlonBlack kept West Indies A in the game.West Indies A lost their last five wickets for 32 runs, three batsmen failing to score, as they threw away a potentially advantageous position. Then, after nipping out Derbyshire’s openers, their bowlers lost all accuracy under Dowman’s onslaught.The 28-year-old hit 12 boundaries, taking particular advantage of Black andJermaine Lawson. Andrew Gait made only nine in a 56 run stand with the skipper. It was left to Sulieman Benn’s left-arm spinners to keep a modicum of control.Black returned to get his man, giving Keith Hibbert – the day’s other hero -his fifth catch of the match. He restored some balance with the late wicketof night-watchman Lian Wharton, bowled for a duck. Derbyshire closed the day on 112/4, with Dominic Hewson (24*) and James Pyemont (0*) at the crease. They lead by 130 runs.Hibbert’s belligerent 83 had earlier carried West Indies to 220, givingDerbyshire a first-innings lead of 18. Hibbert crashed 16 boundaries in his 148-ball knock, which was a welcome antidote to stubborn early batting. TheJamaican added 83 for the fifth wicket with teenager Lendl Simmons, (42) asWest Indies looked set for a big lead.After Simmons was bowled by Wharton, Runako Morton (22) joined Hibbert and set about the bowlers with typical zeal. 20 minutes and four boundaries later, Morton was caught close by Dowman, and the wheels began to come off.Black, two places too high at number eight, was clean bowled. Benn and Lawson lasted eight balls between them, bewitched by Dowman’s seamers. Paul Aldred returned to dispatch Reon King as the innings subsided.Debutant pacer Neil Gunter picked up the two early wickets of Donovan Pagon (12) and Dwayne Bravo (0) after the visitors had resumed on 23-1. Dowman’sfirst wicket was vital, terminating Daren Ganga’s two hour vigil. The skipperhad made only 26, again getting himself set before giving his wicket away.With two days to go, the match looks destined for a positive result. A defeat for the touring side would harm an already fragile outfit.

A triple hundred from Graeme Hick was the highlight of the second day of the latest round of Frizzell County Championship matches. Hick made an unbeaten 315 (386 balls, 2 sixes, 49 fours) against Durham in the Division Two match at New Road. It enabled him to declare Worcestershire’s first innings on 643 for seven, a lead of 523. It was the highest-ever score by a Worcestershire player at New Road, and surpassed John Crawley’s 272 as the highest score of the season. Durham closed on 50 for no wicket, still 473 behind.A maiden double century by Abdur Razzaq provided another batting exhibition, and enabled Middlesex to rack up 633 for seven against Glamorgan. Razzaq made an unbeaten 203 (2 sixes, 19 fours) and Ed Joyce completed a century as Middlesex’s magnificent batting form continued unabated. Spinners Phil Tufnell and Paul Weekes then bagged three wickets each to put the home side on the rack at 173 for seven.In the First Division, Lancashire took a slender first-innings lead after bowling Kent out for 214. Peter Martin (five for 54) played the starring role, while Paul Nixon was Kent’s top scorer with 49. But Amjad Khan and Mark Ealham have taken three wickets each to put the hosts back under pressure, ending the day on 197 for seven, a lead of just 209.Richard Montgomerie and Matthew Prior helped ensure a healthy lead for Sussex over stragglers Yorkshire. Montgomerie made 78 and Prior 85, and Mark Davis and unbeaten 70 to propel Sussex to 392 all out by stumps, a lead of 137.Graham Wagg (four for 43) precipitated a Somerset collapse at Edgbaston. After being handily placed at 121 for three, the visitors were dismissed for 208, and Dominic Ostler (110*) then consolidated Warwickshire’s position, taking them to 236 for five, a lead of 258, by the close.In the other two Second Division games, Aftab Habib led Essex back from the depths of 100 for six at Gloucester. With help first from Jon Dakin and then from John Stephenson, Habib (66) helped Essex to end the day on 283 for nine, still 100 behind. Ian Harvey (four for 59) and Jonathan Lewis (three for 63) were the main wicket-takers.At Northampton, Nottinghamshire extended their first innings to 489, with Paul Franks making 67. But Mal Loye has kept the hosts in tough, with an unbeaten 105, well supported by David Sales with 61. Their third-wicket partnership is so far worth 186, with Northants 248 for two at stumps.

Somerset Under 19’s had by far the better of their 2 day match against Worcestershire at Kiddermintster on Thursday and Friday last week.After winning the toss and batting first Somerset scored 383 for 5 off 116 overs.Tom Webley top scored with 70, Richard Timms made 66, James Hidreth 50 whilst Steve Davis was unbeaten on 58.In reply Worcestershire made 295 for 6 from 93 overs, with W.Gifford, a familiar name with the ‘Black Pear’ making an unbeaten 94. For Somerset Tom Webley ended with 3 for 64 from 28 overs, and James Hildreth 2 for 36 from his 16 overs.In the two day match against Warwickshire at Stratford upon Avon that got underway yesterday Somerset seem to have unearthed a new talent.Tom Moss, a last minute replacement in the Under 19’s team, who plays for Nailsea Cricket Club helped Somerset to bowl the hosts out for 200, ending with the impressive figures of 5 for 38.

In a tense finish, Minor Counties won a remarkable match by two wickets, with five balls to spare.Sir John Paul Getty’s X1 had earlier amassed 282 – 0 wicket off 51 overs before declaring, leaving Minor Counties with what turned out to be 47 overs to respond.David Ward was awesome as he dominated the earlier proceedings with magnificent stroke play in a chanceless opening partnership of 282 with Tim O’Gorman. Ward’s 211 not out contained 35 fours and 4 sixes.Minor Counties responded positively and kept up with the required run rate despite losing wickets regularly. Nagra contributed a stylish 61 off 37 balls and formed useful partnerships with Boroughs (26) and Dobson (44).With the score at 144-6, Minor Counties looked to be heading for defeat but Ajaz Akhtar swept his way to a match-winning 78 not out to earn a twowicket victory with 5 balls to spare.The real winner was the Wormsley groundsman who provided a perfect batting wicket which made for excellent cricket and a match worthy of this delightful cricket ground.

Another classical hundred by Michael Vaughan, his third of the series, has given England the platform from which they should reach an impregnable total in the fourth npower Test against India at The AMP Oval. After Nasser Hussain won a vital toss under hazy late summer sunshine, Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher both made half centuries, bot once again the plaudits belonged to Vaughan, who finished unbeaten on 182 as England ended the day on 336 for two.From the third ball of the morning, which Trescothick drove with characteristic brio to the extra cover boundary, England were in the ascendant. Vaughan was edgy at the outset, but Agarkar was expensive as Trescothick took three mid-wicket boundaries to hoist England’s fifty. The Somerset left-hander completed his comeback fifty by twice driving Zaheer straight for four. But it was Zaheer who made India’s first breakthrough, as Trescothick hooked from outside the off stump for Bangar to take a good catch, making ground to his left at deep backward square leg. Trescothick had made 57 (76 balls, nine fours).Butcher joined Vaughan, who went to his 50 in the third over after lunch with a delightful cover drive off the back foot as Agarkar dropped short. He had a scare when he called for a single after pushing Agarkar to mid-off, and narrowly made his ground after Butcher sent him back. Offered room on his pads Butcher took a boundary off Zaheer, before stepping out to dispatch Harbhajan through extra cover. The two batsmen mixed strokeplay with caution, no doubt sensing a first innings holy grail of the type India found at Headingley. Ominously for the tourists, England’s 200 came up for the loss of just one wicket just before tea.A square cut off Kumble took Vaughan to 97, and after successive singles, a horrible misfield by Agarkar at mid-off let the Yorkshireman through to his fourth Test hundred of the summer (195 balls, 13 fours). He is the first to achieve the feat since Graham Gooch in 1990, and only four other batsman – Herbert Sutcliffe, the great Don Bradman, Denis Compton and Allan Lamb – have achieved it in the game’s history. The 150 partnership was swiftly followed by Butcher’s 50, as Ganguly searched for a breakthrough with growing desperation.It came when Harbhajan, who had threatened more than most with turn and bounce, found the inside edge of Butcher’s bat as he tried to sweep, and the ball ballooned up via his pad for Rahul Dravid to complete a two-handed catch above his head at slip. Butcher’s disciplined 54 had included six fours and came off 145 deliveries.Crawley, entering ahead of Hussain, began crisply with a swept four off Harbhajan. Vaughan went serenely to his second 150 of the series with a single off Agarkar, before bringing up England’s 300 with a late cut off Kumble to the rope at third man. The new ball, taken without delay, failed to stem the flow as Crawley clipped Agarkar to the square-leg fence to take England to the highest Test total reached within a day this summer. If it felt like an Indian summer, the tourists would have preferred an early autumn.

Owais Athar, the 22-year-old fast bowler, extended his match haul to 11 wickets as KESC were in sight of a crushing victory against Pakistan Navy in the Kardar Trophy match at National Stadium here Tuesday.Owais, who took seven for 69 Monday, claimed four for 19 to send Navy hurtling to 56 for six in their second innings after KESC had taken a substantial lead of 162 on the first innings.Resuming at the overnight score of 66 for two, KESC collected 369 for eight in the allotted quota of 80 overs with opener Agha Sabir blasting 13 fours in scoring 88 off 134 balls.Other notable run-getters were skipper Arif Mahmood (66 off 69 balls, 11 fours, one six) and Amin-ur-Rehman (63 off 61 balls, five fours, four sixes) and Tahir Khan (52 off 60 balls, five fours and one six).Pakistan Education Board (PEB), meanwhile, staged a spirited fightback after conceding huge first innings lead of 223 to Karachi Port Trust (KPT) at KCCA Stadium.Kamran Younis followed his first innings knock of 61 with a belligerent 77 off just 54 balls. He stroked six sixes and as many fours as PEB closed the second day at 203 for four.Earlier, Maisam Hasnain completed a fine century as KPT rattled up 374 for eight declared in 79 overs.Maisam scored 105 after Zafar Jadoon added nine to his Monday’s tally of 106. Fahadullah was the other major scorer with 80 off 72 deliveries.Sui Gas were denied an early win as Pakistan Air Force (PAF) reached 115 for two in their second innings at PCB Regional Academy Ground.Sui Gas had earlier taken a first innings lead of 194 by making 297 for eight with Sohail Idrees (66) and skipper Saleem Mughal (52) being the main contributors.Our Sports Correspondent adds from Lahore: Speedster Tahir Mughal returned a magnificent match haul of 15 wickets for 74 runs as Saga thrashed Army by innings and 203 runs at Saga Cricket Ground in Sialkot.Tahir captured seven for 42 as Army were bundled out for a just 71 in their second innings.Saga, earlier, made 374 with Ashraf Ali going onto hit 130.Another outstanding bowling performance by former Test slow left-armer Mohammad Hussain guided PTCL to an innings and 221 runs win over PTV at Lahore Country Club Ground in Muridke.Hussain first took a remarkable six wickets for five runs in nine overs with seven maidens as PTV were spun out for 70 and then picked up another bag of six wickets.PTV fared marginally better in the second innings before being bowled out for 97. Tailender Nadeem Sikander top-scored with 44.Hussain’s match analysis were 12 for 21 in 18 overs.

The Centre of Excellence in Taunton was a busy place to be on Saturday morning where ECB South West regional coach Keith Tomlins was leading a group of cricket coaches from across the region who are working towards gaining their Level 3 qualification.The former Middlesex player is in charge of the seven day course, that started on Friday morning at the County Ground and will run over the next three weekends.Two current Somerset players, the 2003 skipper Mike Burns and young opening batsman Matt Wood, former player Mark Davis and Somerset Under 14’s coach Mustafa Sheikh were amongst those attending the course.Before the course started Mark Davis, who is now the cricket coach at Millfield School told me: "I’m looking forward to the next three weekends. I know from looking at the programme that we will be following that it will be pretty intense and hard work, but it will be well worth it."Somerset coach Kevin Shine who was at the Centre told me: "To have four Somerset representatives on this course is something of an achievement in itself and bodes very well for the future of the game in the county. We already have more Level 3 qualified coaches in Somerset than in any other of the first class counties."

South Africa, already full of confidence after their emphatic three-day win against the Sri Lankans, have been further boosted by the news that opener Herschelle Gibbs is set to make a return in the second Test at Centurion after recovering from a back injury.Gibbs was forced out of the opening Test at Wanderers minutes before the start of play after complaining of back spasms, providing right-hander Martin van Jaarsveld with a surprise chance to press his claims for a regular place.Van Jaarsveld missed his opportunity as medium-pacer Hasantha Fernando knocked back his middle stump with a curving inswinger and South Africa will revert back to their planned top three with Graeme Smith and Gibbs opening and Gary Kirsten first down.Gibbs played a full part in training on Wednesday and passed a fitness test on Thursday. Barring another last-minute mishap he will play. "I’m not feeling any after affects and I am sure that I will be alright," said Gibbs after practice."Herschelle is obviously a fine player, he’s been playing well this season and it’s good to have him back in the fold," said Shaun Pollock. "I hope he goes out there and scores some runs."Pollock warned his players against complacency: "If you perform like we did in the last game then you are going to gain confidence, but although we have a slight psychological advantage, this is a new game and we have got to go out there and produce the goods again."South Africa may be reluctant to change a winning side, successfully gambling on a five-pronged pace attack in the opening Test, but the selectors will seriously consider the inclusion of left-arm spinner Claude Henderson on a brown, flat-looking pitch that is less well-grassed than had been expected.However, that would mean dropping Andrew Hall, who produced a good all-roundperformance in the first Test, adding valuable depth to the batting order, or Steve Elworthy, who bowled well in both innings, troubling the Sri Lankan top order."The wicket doesn’t look as grassy as normal," said Pollock. "It might wear later in the game and we will have to weigh that up."Despite a pitch that promises a fairer contest between bat and ball and thepossibility of complacency after such a commanding victory, South Africa’s fast-bowling strength makes them firm favourites to win the game and the series.The improved bowling form of Pollock only adds to the suspicion that South Africa possess the firepower to overcome a Sri Lankan top order that is struggling to come to terms with unfamiliar conditions.Coach Eric Simons was delighted with Pollock’s performance in the first game, revealing that he’d made mental and technical adjustments in an effort to reclaim his best form."He bowled quicker in the first Test than he has done for quite a while and I believe that it will get better from here on," said Simmons. "Part of the problem is that he has stopping think himself as a fast medium bowler and that has had an effect."He has to start reconditioning his thoughts and we have worked on that. It is a psychological thing, basically. But opening up his action has helped. He had become a little bit closed in his delivery and that had inhibited his rhythm."South Africa squad:Shaun Pollock (capt), Mark Boucher (vice-capt), Steve Elworthy, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Mornantau Hayward, Claude Henderson, Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten, Neil McKenzie, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, Graeme Smith.

The PCB will not object to any decision by the Supreme Court of Pakistan to lift the lifetime ban on former captain Saleem Malik.Malik was banned in 2001 from playing cricket, holding any office and from involvement in any cricket-playing activity on the recommendations of an inquiry into match-fixing conducted by Justice Qayyum, then a high court judge and currently Pakistan’s Attorney General.Malik appealed against the ban in the Lahore High Court, but after it was turned down, approached the Supreme Court the same year. The matter lingered on in Pakistan’s highest court until earlier this month, when they granted Malik a right to appeal.Malik had regularly expressed his desire to move into coaching and in the recent past toyed with the idea of opening up an academy, only to have the suggestion shot down because of his ban.And as the court prepares to hear the appeal tomorrow, in a further boost to Malik’s hopes, the PCB has said they will not stand in the way if the ban is overturned.”This was not a ban imposed by the PCB or any administration,” Tafazzul Rizvi, the board’s lawyer, told Cricinfo. “This was a recommendation of an independent inquiry and the board at that time only implemented the recommendation. If the Supreme Court now overturns the ban, we will have no issues with that decision.”