Eagles 259 for 3 (Dippenaar 92, Jacobs 82) beat Titans258 for 5 (de Villiers 89, Rudolph 60) by 7 wickets
ScorecardThe Eagles were crowned the 2004-05 Standard Bank Cup champions after anexciting seven-wicket win over the Titans at Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein. A match-turning innings of 92 from Boeta Dippenaar and a well-timed 151-run third wicket partnership in 147 balls with Davey Jacobs ensured that the Eagles reached their target – the highest made on the ground this season – with eight balls to spare.Winning the toss and batting first, the Titans once again made the perfect start with Jacques Rudolph and AB de Villiers stamping their authority on the game in putting together a 134-run opening partnership. De Villiers was first to go to his 50, in 44 balls as he adjusted well to a good batting strip. Rudolph followed, after being bowled by a no-ball with the second ball of the innings, with his 50 coming up in 65 balls.Thanks to some tight disciplined bowling from Nicky Boje, Deon Kruis and Cliff Deacon, the Titans lost their way in the middle overs. Johannes van der Wath took advantage as he became the first bowler this season to take 20 wickets, inducing Rudolph into a false shot to be caught behind for 60. Zander de Bruyn had added 25 when he edged a slower ball from Kruis to the keeper while de Villiers followed five balls later for 89 after failing to clear mid-on off Deacon. The big-hitting Justin Kemp ran himself out on 18 as Boje did some fine fielding from short cover.The final overs saw Daryll Cullinan and Albie Morkel take 50 runs off the last five, with Morkel striking the only six of the innings to end on 22. Cullinan was run out off the last ball of the innings for 32 as the Titans ended on 258 for 5.The fielding was well below the normal Eagles standard. Sloppy ground fielding allowed extra runs to be taken while Rudolph was dropped twice and de Villiers, Cullinan and Morkel all enjoyed reprieves.The Eagles made a solid start, getting to 49 before Loots Bosman was caught behind off Ethy Mbhalati for 16. The 50 followed, three balls slower than the Titans’ 50, as Morne van Wyk became the third player to score 500 runs in the current season. The wicket of van Wyk, caught at mid-on off Morkel for 44, slowed the run rate down with the second 50 taking 84 balls.Dippenaar, dropped early in his innings, and Jacobs both started off conservatively but with the rate climbing above seven, the accelerationstarted in the 26th over when 144 was required off 20 overs. The next six overs produced 51 with Dippenaar going to his 50 off 52 balls, and the 100 partnership came up in 107 balls.Dippenaar was run out for 92 with 29 runs required for the win, leaving the stage for Jacobs to hit the winning runs with a six in the 44th over. Boje finished on 10 while Jacobs scored 82 not out as the Eagles added the Standard Bank Cup to their Standard Bank PRO20 Series trophy.

Pakistan, who will be hampered by the absence of Shoaib Akhtar during the forthcoming Indian tour, received another major blow when the board announced that Shoaib Malik was unlikely to bowl in the series, as he didn’t meet the ICC’s bowling requirements. Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, wasn’t optimistic about the chances of Malik’s action being cleared.Footages of Malik’s bowling action and his medical reports have been sent to the ICC for analysis, Shaharyar confirmed while speaking to the Press Trust of India. “We are hoping against hope that he will be available for us as a spinner in India,” he said. “We have asked the ICC to permit him to bowl again on medical grounds but I don’t think he will get the reprieve.”The Pakistan board had had attributed the problem to a road accident that he was involved in two years ago, which resulted in the loss of control of his tendon in his bowling arm. But it appears as though Malik will mainly play as a batsman on the Indian tour.Malik was reported to the ICC in October last year by Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar for a suspect bowling action. The ICC recently modified the elbow restrictions – which come into effect from March 1 – to 15 degrees. The previous limit was five degrees for spinners. However, according to the reports sent by the University of Western Australia to the PCB, Malik bent his elbow at 20.8 degrees for his offbreaks and 33.4 degrees for his doosra, the delivery that left the right-handed batsmen.

Brett Lee unleashed his fastest-ever delivery by clocking 160.8kmh in the first over of New Zealand’s innings at Napier. Lee bowled a consistently menacing spell early on and New Zealand, who were already staring at a big defeat, were groping against some thunderbolts.Lee let rip two deliveries which were more than the 160kmh range in the very first over. The first one was a wide down the leg side but the next ball, to Craig Cumming, was full outside off-stump and the speed gun captured it at 160.8kmh.Lee’s fastest ball before today was clocked at 160kmh during the Port Elizabeth game in the 2003 World Cup. Shoaib Akhtar holds the record for the fastest officially-timed delivery. It was achieved when Shoaib managed to bowl one at 161kmh at Craig McMillan in Lahore in 2002.Michael Kasprowicz joined in the demolition act and New Zealand didn’t even threaten to come close. Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist had ended the game as a contest by the half-way stage and it was just a matter of time before the whitewash was completed.New Zealand were completely battered ahead of the Test series, starting in Christchurch on Thursday, while Australia were spoilt for choice with regard to which of the three fast bowlers to pick. Lee’s fury, Kasprowicz’s canny variations, Glenn McGrath’s metronomic accuracy and Jason Gillespie’s lethal methods – a heady mix for an irrestable team.

On the fourth day of the Mohali Test, Dinesh Karthik had every reason to be nervous. Not because he was bleeding byes off some wayward bowling, not because he had wasted a golden opportunity to prove to the world that he could handle a bat, but because there was a realistic possibility that he would not be picked for the second Test. It is no secret that Kiran More, the chairman of selectors, prefers Parthiv Patel, and has been making a strong case for his return to the fold. And Sourav Ganguly certainly wasn’t averse to the idea. But, in 208 minutes of dazzling batting, Karthik banished such ideas into the deep recesses, for the moment anyway.”I was not really under pressure. I had confidence in my ability. Rahul [Dravid] was there at the other end, and that made my job easier,” Karthik would say at the end of the day. Yet, when Karthik came out to bat India were trickily poised at 156 for 4, with VVS Laxman having retired hurt after a sickening blow above the left eyebrow. For a moment India, though powered by a Dravid special, were in danger of squandering the initiative. Had they lost a wicket, Pakistan would have been into the tail, and in with a serious chance of getting right back into the game.Karthik had other ideas. The one consistent complaint about his batting is that he tries to play far too many shots. He does not believe in offering a dead bat, and tries to manufacture strokes. But, that is only a manifestation of the confidence he has in his own ability, and on the day it served India well.Karthik refused to be cowed down when the bowlers, inspired by a hostile spell from Mohammad Sami, put in maximum effort. It certainly helped that he had Dravid, batting at his peak, as a partner. The two ran for each other, pinching singles and irritating fielders in the circle, on a swelteringly hot day. Their fluency made it impossible for Pakistan’s bowlers to build up any sort of pressure.Danish Kaneria, forced to resort to a restrictive line, bowling into the rough created by bowlers’ footmarks, suffered the most from Karthik’s nimble hand-work. Karthik came down the wicket and half-flicked, half-drove the ball through midwicket; he rocked back and pulled square when midwicket was back on the fence; he swept hard and fine. But the first indication of the manner in which he rattled the Pakistanis came when they sent four fielders, stationed at fine leg, square leg, long-on and long-off, to the ropes. And then, Karthik, after carefully surveying the field, reverse-swept Kaneria from a foot outside leg stump for four.Even when Dravid was finally dismissed, after a stand of 165 that had put India right back on top, Karthik, who was on 85, did not slow down. There was a century for the taking, but he refused to think about that, constantly looking to innovate and score boundaries. When he finally fell for 93, scored from 140 balls with 13 fours, he got a standing ovation from a noisily appreciative crowd. Had he been more careful, and selfish, he could have plodded along meticulously and got the seven more runs he needed to reach a milestone that is the holiest of them all to most cricketers. But he would not have won the hearts of the crowd, the absolute confidence of his team-mates or the faith of the selectors.

World champions Australia will play two Test matches and three one-day internationals on their tour next year of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh board announced in Dhaka on Wednesday.Australia will arrive in the country on April 6 and play their first Test at Dhaka on April 9, according to an itinerary released by the BCB. The second Test will begin at Chittagong on April 16.The opening one-dayer will he at Chittagong on April 23, followed by matches on April 26 and 28 in Dhaka. Australia have so far played just two Tests against minnows Bangladesh,winning both of them by an innings at home in 2003. Bangladesh have won just one of their 38 matches since gaining Test status in 2000, their lone victory coming against fellow-strugglers Zimbabwe at home last year. They have lost 33 Tests and drawn four.Bangladesh were under fire recently after tamely losing a two-Test series in England, with the former Australian captain and noted commentator Richie Benaud calling for them to be removed from Test cricket along with Zimbabwe. But the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland came to the defence of the struggling side, saying that a sport with only ten Test-playing nations could not afford to dump teams.”They have (Test) status,” Sutherland said, “and we have commitments under the future tour programmes to play against those countries.”

The crime branch of the Ahmedabad police has revealed that Shobhan Mehta, allegedly a Mumbai-based bookie, had told them that he knew several former international cricketers, including Mohammad Azharuddin, Nayan Mongia, Ajay Jadeja, Mark Waugh and Hansie Cronje. DG Vanjara, the Additional Police Commissioner, also said that Mehta admitted he had no links with players currently representing India.The alleged disclosure from Mehta was met with an angry response from Azharuddin. Speaking to from Amsterdam, Azharuddin, who led India in 47 Tests, said: “This is absolutely rubbish. I have never met this man [Mehta]. It is not fair to make such allegations and tarnish my image. I am being made a scapegoat by all and sundry. It is highly irresponsible of this man to make such allegations and it is sad that I’m being singled out in such a manner.”Mongia too denied any association with Mehta, saying that he had had no conversations with him, let alone pass on any information. Saying that the CBI inquiry had cleared his name, Mongia added: “The first time I saw this man was when he was shown on television a few days ago. I don’t know on what basis he has made these allegations when the CBI and BCCI have given me a clean chit. Such a statement should not be entertained because it’s a matter of my image.”Vanjara also dismissed rumours that Sachin Tendulkar’s name also cropped during the investigations. “Mehta had links with several players,” Vanjara told . “But as far as Sachin is concerned we do not have any information.”Tendulkar himself was livid at his name being dragged into the controversy. “It is ridiculous,” he told the daily. “I just don’t know who this guy is. I have never met him. It’s happened before when there was news of him claiming to have attended my marriage, which is totally untrue. Time and again these things are cropping up and I have absolutely no clue who is bringing up these things. This just can’t go on. It needs to end.”According to Vanjara, Mehta had allegedly begun his journey to cricket’s dark side as long ago as 1992, with himself and his associates regularly visiting the players – even inside dressing-rooms – to siphon information on the conditions, team composition, strategy and the toss. The police also claimed that Mehta had admitted to his links with an Australian who was allegedly involved, Mark Peter, and also one from England going by the code-name Black 0365.Mehta had also allegedly confessed to running a network that encompassed Pakistan, Australia and England, in addition to the major cricketing centres in India. Vanjara said Mehta had not named any of the present players — national or overseas — as being involved with him. Mehta, who was out on bail after being arrested last month on charges of gambling and cheating, was again arrested in a Mumbai hospital on June 9.Waugh and Jadeja have yet to comment on the revelations.

Group A

Denmark produced the biggest shock of the opening two rounds in following up their opening day victory over Uganda with a comprehensive 103-run defeat of USA. Denmark took full advantage of batting first, intelligently stretching an aging USA side by working the ball around the field. Frederik Klokker carried his bat for an unbeaten 138 while Carsten Pedersen, the captain, contributed 64. In reply, the USA never recovered from a poor start and were all out for 177 runs. Klokker is due to travel to England for a trial with Warwickshire on Sunday night after performing well with the gloves in an earlier trial with the county side.Bermuda were struggling against UAE on 158 for 7 when Lionel Cann hit an explosive 45 off 17 balls to lift them to 217 for 9. UAE collapsed from 67 for 1 to 84 for 6 and a 64-run contribution from Fahad Usman was not enough to bring UAE back into contention, as they went down by 30 runs. For a further report click here Ireland maintained their positive start to the event with a comfortable 127-run victory over Uganda. Ireland’s total of 231 for 8 was built on solid innings from Ed Joyce (40) and Eoin Morgan (39) with Andrew White top-scoring with 45. Uganda were quickly in trouble in their reply, slumping to 30 for 7. A 59-run contribution from Frank Nsubuga added a degree of respectability to Uganda’s final score of 104 all out from 32 overs.

Group B

Colin Smith, Scotland’s wicketkeeper-batsman, provided a perfect tonic to his teammates before returning to Scotland tomorrow for police duties during the G8 Summit. Smith top-scored in Scotland’s seven-wicket victory over Canada, at Bangor, with 86 not out. After winning the toss, Scotland’s bowlers took full advantage of the morning moisture in the fast pitch to restrict Canada to 189 for 8 in their 50 overs. A strong breeze dried out the pitch out by the time Scotland came to bat. Despite losing two wickets without scoring and a third with the score on 37, Smith and Fraser Watts, the opener, remained calm and safely guided their side to victory with Watts finishing on 81 not out.Holland completely overwhelmed Oman in a totally one-side contest, winning by 258 runs. Bas Zuiderent hit 119 while Daan van Bunge made 92 as Holland scored 325 for 4. Oman were unable to deal with Holland’s pace attack and crumbled to 67 all out.Namibia’s 98-run victory over Papua New Guinea was also convincing with JB Burger and Kola Burger both hitting half-centuries and Serel Burger grabbing three wickets. However the early part of Namibia’s innings was a stuttering effort and at 129 for 5 they were grateful for Kola Burger’s 58 from No. 9. This ultimately comfortable victory will be a boost to Namibia, one of the pre-tournament favourites, after their two-run defeat against Canada.Sunday is a rest day in the ICC Trophy. There will be a full programme of six matches on Monday.

England are expected to find out today [Monday] if Graham Thorpe is fit for the Ashes. Thorpe has been struggling with a back injury, although he was back to his fluent best this week, striking 73 for Surrey in their Championship match against Gloucestershire. He is expected to speak to England’s chairman of selectors, David Graveney, at the end of that match at Bristol.If Thorpe announces that he is not fit enough to be considered for the first Test, which starts on July 21 at Lord’s, then his batting spot is likely to be filled by Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen has demonstrated that he is a man for the big occasion in the one-day arena at least, with a match-winning 91 already against Australia this year, but he is yet to play a Test, with Thorpe favoured in the Bangladesh series earlier this summer.

Only nine days have elapsed since the grandstand finish to the Old Trafford Test, but an entire season seems to have rolled by in that time. Manchester’s mellow evening sunshine has given way to an autumnal gloom at Trent Bridge, and given that both England and Australia were driven into the indoor facilities at nearby Loughborough to complete their fine-tuning ahead of the fourth Test, one could be forgiven for thinking that tomorrow’s resumption of hostilities has become slightly low-key.But, if the weather is hinting that the end of the cricket season is nigh, then the state of the series would beg to differ. Locked at one match apiece after three titanic tussles at Lord’s, Edgbaston and Old Trafford, there could hardly be more at stake over the next five days. Victory for England, and the end of an 18-year Ashes hiatus could be on the cards. Defeat, on the other hand, and regardless of the result at The Oval next month, the prize will have slipped away for yet another 18 months.With that in mind, England are set to adopt the very same up-and-at-`em approach that has served them so well for the past two games. Incredibly, given their historic inability to take 20 wickets in a match in Ashes contests, only one Australian scalp has eluded them all series – and that was the desperate last-wicket stand between Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath that saved the match at Old Trafford. Suddenly, England’s five-man bowling attack, spearheaded by three men capable of 90mph performances – Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff – is the talk of the world game.On such cornerstones, world-beating sides are built. But, for all that Jones and Flintoff, and their remarkable mastery of reverse-swing, were England’s trump cards at Edgbaston and Old Trafford, the Trent Bridge Test may be decided by more mundane values. Matthew Hoggard has as yet been under-bowled in this series – his tally of 56 overs in three Tests is half the number that Flintoff has pounded down. But, with a showery forecast for the opening exchanges of the match, and a juicier, skiddier wicket in prospect than the rough, abrasive landing strip at Old Trafford, those old English virtues of seam and swing may be much more in evidence.

In ordinary circumstances, Australia would not mind such conditions one little bit. In McGrath they possess arguably the finest English-wicket bowler of the modern era, and as he demonstrated so amply in the first Test at Lord’s, with a hint of atmospheric or geological assistance, he can be unplayable. But Australia’s support act is in something approaching disarray – Jason Gillespie is about to be pensioned off, and the raw and rapid Shaun Tait has already guaranteed a first Test cap. Against that backdrop, McGrath’s possible absence with an elbow injury is a grievous blow to Australia’s match strategy.Tait and Lee are capable of unplayable deliveries, such as the Tait snorter that rattled Justin Langer’s stumps in net practice on Tuesday, but without McGrath’s metronomic presence at the other end, they can be cannon fodder as well, as England proved with their first-day batting onslaught at Edgbaston. Australia are officially optimistic about McGrath’s prospects of playing, and he will surely be included regardless of the pain, but his aching limbs are just another visible sign of Australia’s rapidly diminishing aura of invincibility.One man, however, has been raging against the dying of the light all summer, and he will once again have a pivotal role as this contest reaches its denouement. Shane Warne has been the most effective player on either side – more of an allround influence even than Flintoff – and no cause can be considered lost while he still has the ball in his hand or, increasingly this summer, pads on his limbs.On Tuesday, Warne offered a personal guarantee that his one-man show was about to come to an end and that the real Australia was about to take centre stage again. But for that to happen, then two men must emerge from arguably the biggest sloughs of their career. It is now 28 innings since Matthew Hayden last reached a century in a Test match, and no other Australian cricketer has ever been afforded such a long time to reassert his authority. Both he and Adam Gilchrist – Australia’s most notable absentee in the pyrotechnics department – have been tied in knots by England’s reverse-swingers, particularly Flintoff, whose round-the-wicket line has denied them both valuable space to free the arms.The one bonus for Australia, however, is that they know they have room to improve. While England are playing at pretty much the limits of their game, with one or two minor exceptions, there is hardly an Australian – Warne excepted – who can feel proud of their performances to date. Justin Langer has looked in supreme touch all series but has a top score of 82 to his credit, while Ricky Ponting’s 156 in the last Test was the sort of overdue flourishing that any one of the top seven is capable of.England’s players, however, have confidence coursing through their veins and a licence to enjoy their cricket and play to their own strengths. It is a luxury that has been exclusive to the Australians for more than a decade. Add to that mix a frenzied home crowd who are sure to ignore the sporadic showers to play their part as a virtual 12th man, and England will start this contest as favourites. It is an unfamiliar scenario, but so long as they do not develop vertigo while they ponder this turn of events, they are a tight enough unit to justify the unrivalled hype.England 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Michael Vaughan (capt), 4 Ian Bell, 5 Kevin Pietersen, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Matthew Hoggard, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Simon Jones.Australia (probable) 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Justin Langer, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt),4 Damien Martyn, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Simon Katich, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Glenn McGrath, 11 Shaun Tait.

It cannot be denied that Sri Lanka weren’t fully tested in their recent three-match one-day series against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka outplayed the tourists, convincingly beating them in each game, prompting Tom Moody, Sri Lanka’s coach, to comment that his side couldn’t make full use of the new, experimental one-day rules. Moody was, however, delighted with the efforts of several younger players who were given the chance to shine.Speaking of the experimental one-day rules, he said: “When you are allowed to have a super sub, it allows you to have a lot more depth depending on which way you go. There are a lot of options for the captain whether it be batting or bowling,” said Moody. “We found that it wasn’t effectively used in this series because we weren’t in any sort of pressure situation where it could be tested.””We won the three matches rather [more easily] than we expected. It is very hard for those new one-day rules to be really gauged properly. We used them to our advantage through the series, but not from a point of view in a pressure match situation,” said Moody. “It was more so from the balance of the team giving players more opportunities. In a tighter match situation we will be in a better situation to judge the new rules and regulations.”It was the first time that Sri Lanka had the opportunity to use the new experimental rules. Sri Lanka won 3-0 and it was so totally one-sided that the series lacked a competitive edge.”We never wanted the series to be this easy,” said the Sri Lankan captain, Marvan Atapattu. “It came to us in an easier way than we [expected].””Bangladesh are a much improved side from the last time we met them, but we are playing well. It is another series win after all. It doesn’t mean that we have achieved all our goals. We still have areas where we can improve. We have won more series at home. It is time for us to concentrate on winning [more matches overseas] and make our mark there,” said Atapattu.Through no fault of theirs, in the past couple of years Sri Lanka has been confronted with very weak opposition. Last year, they toured Zimbabwe and thrashed an under-strength side in two Tests and three one-day internationals. Prior to Bangladesh’s arrival here, they came up against a weakened West Indies team and the result was the same.”The positive side of it is that we have managed to keep our intensive levels high to beat teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. We have done our homework well. We respect teams and we do what we can do best, without thinking too much about the opponents. It is shown by our results,” said Atapattu.”The difference between a good side and an average side in world cricket as I see it, is team work. Take Australia for that matter. Why they have been a good side is that there is somebody who will carry the burden on any given day,” he said.Moody, though, was more sympathetic towards Bangladesh and said his team had a lot of respect for them.”Sri Lanka was in a similar position quite a few years ago. There is a metre of respect there. You’ve got to understand they are an emerging side. It is not going to happen overnight,” he said. “But we’ve seen the success that Sri Lanka has had with some hard work and perseverance. From our personal point of view we know there are areas we can improve on, and we will improve. We can’t expect Bangladesh to come over here and look to beat us 3-0 in this stage of their development.”He added that when playing against weaker sides like Bangladesh, it can be difficult at times to keep his team motivated.”The ability of moving the side around, changing batting orders, resting three of the most senior players today was one way of motivating the side because you are giving opportunities to other players. Hopefully, they will grab those opportunities with both hands and create a competitive environment within the squad,” said Moody.The weakened opposition meant Sri Lanka could give opportunities to younger players, like Upul Tharanga, Dilhara Lokuhettige and Farveez Maharoof, who might otherwise have been overlooked, had the resistance been stronger.Moody said: “We are very conscious of looking to build for the future. We were lucky enough to see the success of Upul Tharanga. He had a slow start in the Indian Oil series but proved his class in this series.””Lokuhettige is another one who is a player who could play an important role in Sri Lankan cricket in the future. It is important [younger players] get exposure. A series like this has given us the opportunity to look at a few players and for them to gain confidence.”Moody said the plus points to come out of the series was the comeback of fast bowler Dilhara Fernando and the bowling of Maharoof.”Fernando’s had a bit of a tough time with injury. He’s come back well and bowled with good pace and fire. His confidence is up and that’s a good positive for Sri Lanka,” said Moody. “Maharoof bowled superbly well in the Indian Oil series and has shown here that he going to be a more valuable bowler going into the future.”Atapattu expressed confidence that Sri Lanka’s new generation of cricketers signalled Sri Lankan cricket was in good hands.