When Nasser Hussain was captain and his players had an off-day in the field(contrary to rose-tinted opinion, this tended to happen once every otherinnings), his great lament was that English bowlers lack “mystery”. Hard aswe might dig, he would argue, Harbhajans and Saqlains are the exception, notthe rule. And until one is unearthed, England are sure to be subjected tothe odd day of toil.

That had palpably been the case on the first day here, when the lack of mysteryhad extended even to the captaincy. “England are bowling for run-outs,” itwas suggested by one observer. Today, for want of an alternative, thatsnide aside became a definitive game-plan. And you know what? It worked.On the face of it, South Africa blew it. Until Shaun Pollock and MakhayaNtini added 52 bullish runs after lunch, seven prime middle-order wicketshad gone down for 87. On a good wicket, and in prime conditions, even Englandwould have been hard-pressed to slump to such spectacular effect. Had theydone so, however, they surely wouldn’t have owed quite so much to sheer badluck.Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Pollock – South Africa’s three middle-orderveterans – were all sawn off one way or another. Kallis was cruelly run outby the tips of Ashley Giles’s fingers; Boucher, who clipped his pad with hisbat, was unfortunate that umpire Venkat missed Martin Bicknell’s initiallook of disappointment. All of which, and more, left Pollock high and dry -and flying – on 66 not out. Another 100 runs between them (a conservativeask on past form) and the series would have been secured.It’s one thing to give a sucker an even break. It’s another thing entirelyfor that sucker to respond to the gesture. But in Marcus Trescothick andGraham Thorpe, England found two batsmen with tentacles on their wickets.Not coincidentally, they were also the two batsmen with the most to prove inthis match.Their cases are also very different. At the age of 34, Thorpe is returningto the side for the first time in a year, and is understandably eager toimpress. Trescothick, on the other hand, has never been dropped, but for allthe stick he’s received lately, he might as well have been. With everythingto prove, his innings was a throwback to his debut at Old Trafford in 2000when, perversely enough, his awareness of his off stump was the definingaspect of his game.On that occasion, Trescothick took an eternity to get off the mark, battlingthrough an exemplary opening spell from Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose,en route to a hugely composed 66. And today, once again, he allowed himselfno jiggery-pokery as Pollock and Ntini teased his outside edge, and thecheer of the day was reserved for his first scoring stroke, after 23 dot-balls.The boo of the day, on the other hand, was reserved for the moment when heand Thorpe accepted the umpire’s offer of bad light. But unlike thatdreadful defining moment at Headingley, the catcalls were largely in jest. The crowd knew, as Trescothick knew, that his day’s work was very much complete.Wisden Day 2 Bulletin: England fight back

Grant Flower, who broke his thumb during a Logan Cup match last weekend, has been ruled out of Zimbabwe’s forthcoming tour to Australia. This means that, for the first time in 15 years, the name `Flower’ will not be on a full Zimbabwe team scoresheet.Flower, 32, was fielding in the slips for champions Mashonaland against Manicaland at Mutare Sports Club last week, when he was hit on the right thumb while attempting a tough catch. "It was very fast and low, and the ball swung at the last moment, causing me to misjudge it," said Flower, who left the field immediately in considerable pain.Speaking from Harare, Flower said he had just undergone an operation to insert a wire into the thumb, which would be in plaster for six weeks. He is hoping to be fit to play again when West Indies arrive in Zimbabwe at the beginning of November, but it will be a race against time.Flower is Zimbabwe’s most experienced player, with 65 Tests and 209 one-day internationals behind him, and on the recent tour to England he was the only member of the side to have scored a Test century.He has never quite regained the brilliant form and confidence he showedabout six years ago, when he looked on the verge of becoming a trulyworld-class player, but he remains totally committed to Zimbabwe cricket, and to lose him for Zimbabwe’s first Test-playing tour of Australia is a serious blow to a team that will, in any case, be looking down the barrel.The team to tour Australia is due to be announced on Wednesday morning. It is unlikely that Zimbabwe will travel to Australia without any Test centurion in their ranks, as Craig Wishart and Trevor Gripper, who were controversially omitted from the England tour, have both shown superb early-season form. Although both men scored their Test centuries against the inexperienced Bangladeshis, the omission of either would be even more controversial now.

South Africa are struggling to adjust to the heat and humidity in Pakistan, according to Eric Simons, their coach. Yesterday, they lost the opening ODI against Pakistan at Lahore by eight runs, during which Graeme Smith and batsman Neil McKenzie were hampered by cramps.”The dehydration and cramps suffered by some players in the match played a big role in our defeat,” Simons said. “We need time to settle down to the different conditions and humidity. I have talked about lack of preparation and it showed It’s all about cramps and dehydration. Our team for Sunday’s match will depend on how well the players recover.”South Africa only arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday and had less than four days to acclimatise. Their late arrival was caused by the possible cancellation of the tour which threw the schedule into chaos.Pakistan, meanwhile, were on a high after their sixth straight one-day win under Inzamam-ul-Haq. “The victory has certainly given us a big psychological edge,” Inzamam said. “We didn’t panic despite the fact that South Africa got off to a flying start. I knew once we got the breakthrough we could restrict them."

The row over ticket prices for next year’s West Indies-England series continued to rumble on, with Tim Lamb, the chief executive of the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), attacking the decision of the West Indian board (WICB) to impose hefty levies on sales to England supporters.The WICB has been roundly condemned by supporters’ groups after it was revealed that it was imposing a $260 (£160) levy on ticket sales to tourists, on top of substantial increases in the prices of tickets themselves. Seats for the most popular matches in Antigua and Barbados, which will cost around $560 (£350), will only be available if they are bought for all five days – and if the games finish early or are affected by the weather, the refunds will be minimal.Lamb explained that the ECB had no prior warning of the move, and that it had already expressed its displeasure. “The ECB has made strenuous efforts to try and convince the WICB that this cricket levy is an inequitable, disproportionate and unjustifiable way of treating England supporters,” Lamb said. “We are extremely unhappy about the situation, about which there was no prior consultation, and have made our views known – very clearly – to the WICB. However, they have refused to reconsider the imposition of this tax and, as our hosts, that is their prerogative.”The WICB has justified the move by claiming that the extra revenue will be used to improve the Caribbean’s poor facilities ahead of the 2007 World Cup.”The WICB have been accused of gratuitous and flagrant profiteering and we fully understand why so many of our supporters are so incensed about this issue,” Lamb continued. “We have taken the matter up at the highest level with the International Cricket Council, who, while being sympathetic, has no power to intervene in this dispute.”Lamb added that the ICC had agreed to review the situation at its next meeting to try to “avoid any repetition of this unfortunate practice happening again in the future”.

Close Day 2 Western Australia 437 (Hussey 138, Goodwin 72, North 90, Denton 4-94) lead Tasmania 216 for 6 (Mason 52) by 221 runs
ScorecardWestern Australia remained in control at the end of the second day of their Pura Cup match at the WACA, after taking six Tasmanian wickets during the day to finish with a lead of 221. In fact 13 wickets fell all told, as WA slid from 351 for 3 overnight to be all out for 437 – the last seven wickets added only 68.Marcus North took his overnight 70 to 90, with 13 fours, before he became one of four victioms for Tasmania’s Queensland-born seamer Gerard Denton. After that only Brad Hogg (21) reached double figures as WA subsided. There were seven catches in all for Sean Clingeleffer, the Tasmanian wicketkeeper.Brad Williams, steamed up after being left out of the Brisbane Test, steamed in for WA, but it was his new-ball partner Callum thorp who reaped the rewards. He started Tasmania’s slide by bowling Jamie Cox for 25, and later dismissed Shane Watson and Michael Dighton as well. By the end of the day Thorp had 3 for 39 while Williams – who induced the top-scorer Scott Mason to tread on his stumps for 52, trying a pull, and also dismissed Michael Di Venuto for 4 – had 2 for 75 from 16 costly overs.Dan Marsh, Tasmania’s captain, fell to Hogg’s left-arm assortments, which made it 163 for 6, but Clingeleffer (15 not out) and Damien Wright (38 not out from only 45 balls) survived till the close to give Tasmania some hope for the morning.

Pakistan’s fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed has been reported to the International Cricket Council for having a suspect bowling action.Shabbir was cited by Darrell Hair and Billy Bowden, the two umpires, after they reviewed footage of his action taken during the fifth and final ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan at Wellington on Saturday. Chris Broad, the match referee, informed the ICC and the Pakistan management of the findings.”The umpires asked to review footage of Ahmed’s action from the matchand after seeing this footage decided to report the bowler to the ICC,” explained Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager. “This issue now comes under the ICC’s regulations dealing with this matter and over the next six weeks Ahmed and the Pakistan Cricket Board will have the opportunity to work on any areas of concern. Ahmed will be able to continue to play during this time.”There now follows a two-stage process. The first phase, which Shabbir has now entered, allows him to continue to play international cricket while working with specialist advisers to be appointed by his home Board and a human-movement specialist from an ICC specialist panel to review his bowling action. This stage will last up to six weeks, and at its conclusion a report will be sent to the ICC. No further report can be lodged within this six-week period: however, the bowler remains subject to being “called” on the field by an umpire in accordance with the laws of the game.If, after the first stage expires, Shabbir Ahmed is reported again then he would have to appear in front of a formal hearing of the ICC’s Bowling Review Group (BRG), and he could face a 12-month ban.

Glamorgan have unveiled ambitious plans for the redevelopment of Sophia Gardens which could see Test cricket being played in Cardiff by the end of the decade.”This is something that the whole Welsh public should want to see happen,” said Paul Russell, Glamorgan’s chairman, at the launch of the appeal to raise up to £12 million for the project. “Cardiff is the capital city of Wales and Glamorgan are the only county in English cricket from Wales. Therefore, this is the natural home of Test cricket in Wales and it will bring to the city and to the club a huge kudos.”The plans will see the ground expanded to a 15,000 capacity, with a new pavilion at the Cathedral End, and a grandstand built on the site of the existing pavilion. The redevelopment includes two other buildings and the usual corporate boxes.The first stage, costing around £4 million and starting at the end of the 2004 season (planning permission permitting), involves rebuilding the pavilion and erecting floodlights.”The 125-year lease that we have on the ground excludes the use of [permanent] floodlights,” Russell explained to the Western Mail. “We believe that we can get around this obstacle. It might be possible that the pylons are not as high as some, depending on how many we actually need.” If the floodlights get the go ahead then Glamorgan will stage about six extra day-night matches each season.When the redevelopment is finished then Russell believes that Cardiff will be suitable for Test cricket. “Durham have shown the way forward,” he added. “We have spoken to them at length.”

The Tasmanian Cricket Association in conjunction with the Office of Sport & Recreation and the Indigenous Sports Unit of the ACS are pleased to announce the Tasmanian Indigenous X1 to compete in the Imparja Cup to be held in Alice Springs from 26th February to 29th February 2003.All states and territories will be represented at the championship, with all teams playing four (4) preliminary matches. The two leading teams will then play off in the final in a 40 over a side match to be held at Traeger Park under lights.The Tasmanian team has a blend of youth and experience and a strong performance is expected.Sean Gower, an experienced player who has played many seasons of first grade cricket in the NWTCA competition, will captain the team. Sean also represented in the ATSIC X1 last season.The team will be coached by Tim Coyle and managed by Don Gardiner.The team is;
Sean Gower (Captain), Guy Grey (Vice-Captain), Colin Lamont, Greg Medcraft, Guy McLean, Jamie Green, Christian Nickolai, Bernie Lamont, Brett Stevenson, Brian Summers, Jarrod Wells, Dean Harris, Nathan Kopper.Coach: Tim Coyle
Manager: Don Gardner

With only one round of matches to go in the ICC Six Nation Challenge, five teams were still in with a chance to take the single berth on offer for the Champions Trophy, to be held in England in September. Scotland and Netherlands led the points tally going into the final round, but USA, Namibia and UAE were all in the hunt as well.
Points tableScotland 214 (Stanger 84, Codrington 4-39) beat Canada 178 (Stanger 3-11) by 36 runs
ScorecardA superb allround performance from Ian Stanger helped Scotland ease to a 36-run win against Canada, who slumped to their fourth consecutive defeat in the tournament. Stanger steadied the Scotland innings with a patient 84, allowing them reach 214. He then chipped in with three late wickets as Canada were bundled out for 178 in the 46th over. For Canada, Austin Codrington was the star performer with four wickets, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to take his team to victory. Scotland play USA in their last match, and need a win to be assured of a place in the ICC Champions Trophy.Namibia 177 (Keulder 64, Khuram 4-35) beat UAE 107 (Kotze 3-4, Burger 3-24) by 70 runs
ScorecardAfter starting the tournament with consecutive defeats, Namibia bounced back with their second win in two games, beating UAE by a handy 70-run margin in a low-scoring game. After being put in to bat, Namibia managed just 177, with Danie Keulder, their opener, top-scoring with a patient 64. UAE made a reasonable start, but then slumped from 46 for 1 to 67 for 6, and were never in the hunt thereafter.Netherlands 249 for 2 (van Bunge 79*, Reekers 67, Zuiderent 64*) beat USA 248 (Staple 94, Reid 55, Schiferli 5-45) by 8 wickets
ScorecardA superb batting display by Netherlands helped them register their third win in the competition. Set a challenging target of 249, Netherlands reached there for the loss of just two wickets, and with 11 balls to spare. Daan van Bunge anchored the run-chase with an unbeaten 79, while Darron Reekers (67) and Bas Zuiderent (64*) provided the impetus to the innings. Earlier, Richard Staple (94) lifted USA to a respectable total after they had slumped to 20 for 3.

Simon Katich headed an unusual trifecta as three former Western Australia representatives filled the placings in the Steve Waugh Medal for the NSW Cricketer of the Year. Prolific left-hander Katich polled 219 votes to win comfortably from Matthew Nicholson (144) and Stuart MacGill (130).Katich and MacGill were both born in Western Australia and made their first-class debut for the Warriors before moving to NSW. Nicholson was born in Sydney but broke into interstate cricket with WA before returning to NSW for this season.Katich, who is in his second year with the Blues, also won the team’s Pura Cup Player of the Year award for the second year.MacGill, who moved east several summers ago, claimed 20 ING Cup wickets at 15.90 and won the Blues ING award ahead of Steve Waugh, who was NSW’s leading run scorer in the competition, with Katich third in that category. Votes were cast on a 3-2-1 basis by the players after they participated in every one-day and four-day fixture. The votes for both competitions were combined to produce the final tally which Katich headed with 219 from Nicholson (144) and MacGill (130).Katich, who added six Test appearances this season to his debut game in 2001, received the Steve Waugh Medal at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.He scored a team high 896 first class runs at an average of 99.55 with three centuries and five fifties, despite missing four matches. Katich added two centuries in six ING Cup innings in which he scored 345 runs at an average of 69.00 and strike rate of 99.14.Nicholson, 29, was the Blues leading first-class wicket taker with 39 at an average of 30.35 and their second most successful bowler in one-day competition with 18 wickets at 24.33.NSW and Australia opening batter Lisa Keightley was the inaugural winner of the Belinda Clark Medal presented to the NSW Breakers Cricketer of the Year for performances in the Women’s National Cricket League. Keightley, who scored 394 runs at an average of 35.81 for the title winning Breakers, polled 158 votes to win from Lisa Sthalekar (140) and Shannon Cunneen (120).Keightley’s tally was the second highest in the competition behind Clark, who was on hand to present her with the award which was voted on by the Breakers players after each of their games.