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Ireland captain Heather Whelan will sit out the three-ODI series with West Indies this month as she is expecting a child. Isobel Joyce will lead the side for the first time for the series which begins on June 24 and also includes a Twenty20, with Nicki Coffey her vice captain. The former skipper Clare Shillington has also been named in the 12-player squad.West Indies had managed to hastily arrange a tour of Ireland, England and Netherlands this summer in order to keep their World Cup ambitions on track. Although they had qualified for next year’s tournament in Australia – the ultimate prize in women’s cricket – they were in danger of missing out through having not played enough games.The European nations have stepped in to help and the matches will be useful experience for Ireland, who have missed out on both the World Cup and the World Twenty20 in England. Only the teams who qualified for the World Cup got to play in Twenty20 competition, and Ireland failed in the qualifiers in South Africa earlier this year.Squad Emma Beamish, Jean Carroll (wk), Nicki Coffey, Marianne Herbert, Cecelia Joyce, Amy Kenealy, Joanne McKinley, Ciara Metcalfe, Cathy Murphy, Eimear Richardson, Melissa Scott-Hayward, Clare Shillington.

Yorkshire stand in the way of Somerset’s bid to retain the Cheltenham andGloucester Trophy, as both sides seek solace in Saturday’s showpiece Lord’s final after suffering disappointing seasons.Yorkshire may have a fanatical following, but the outlook at Headingley isgloomy. With the club struggling financially it is believed that the Tykes will be forced to cut their staff in the close season. Stuck to the bottom of the Frizzell County Championship – which they won so convincingly last year – Yorkshire also look destined for mid-table mediocrity in the Norwich Union League. A win at Lord’s would do much to lift the gloom.Such is the enthusiasm for the game in the West Country that Somerset’s ticket allocation was sold out by August 1. Though they have an excellent squad on paper, Somerset have not lived up to their potential. Already relegated to Division Two of the Norwich Union League, they are in danger of suffering the same fate in the Championship.In spite of such form, it is expected that the teams will provide a memorable final. A full house is expected, with England’s centrally-contracted players available. Yorkshire are full of star names, while Somerset’s big-hitters, led by the in form Ian Blackwell, are capable of destroying any attack. Veterans Peter Bowler and Michael Burns add experience to the mix, with young seamer Matthew Bulbeck always dangerous.Injury could prevent Marcus Trescothick from making the final, while Craig White is desperate to play, and could feature as just a batsman. Trescothick’s broken thumb is taking longer to heal than expected.White has been in top form for the white rose county, turning in a superball-round performance in the semi-final victory over Surrey. He claimed 4-35before blasting a dismissive century in an easy win. Academy graduate Matthew Wood has performed well in the competition, and is likely to keep his opening spot despite the return of Michael Vaughan.Trescothick’s flashing blade made a rare appearance at Taunton for Somerset’s fourth-round clash with Hampshire. He hit a powerful century to lead his side to victory before breaking `that thumb’ after emerging second best from a battle with Graeme Hick’s cover drive.”Marcus has had plenty of nets,” said Somerset coach Kevin Shine. “We brought him up to Blackpool to net him and prepare him and we will make a final decision tomorrow morning – at the moment it’s reasonably bright for him, but you never can tell.”Trescothick is equally keen to play, stressing: “This game is the highlight of the domestic season. We’ve done well to get there and I am desperate to beinvolved. It’s a big game to make a comeback in, but I have no qualms about that.”Physically I’ve been in the nets and hitting the ball well so I feel I can do myself justice in the final. The only time I have a problem is if I hit the ball in the wrong place or mis-time it but the jarring is not that bad.”Luckily for Somerset, Keith Parsons had the game of his life at Worcester, the all-rounder top scoring with 121 as the visitors chased down 272. Parsons’ aggressive batting and solid seamers helped the Cidermen to victory against Leicestershire in last year’s final, and he is more than capable of a repeat dose.The match of the tournament though, was Somerset’s incredible semi-final with Kent. In front of a raucous crowd, Blackwell hammered 86 as Somerset reached 344. Only a late-order collapse halted Kent’s charge, the home side eventually winning by six runs.Yorkshire fans had their adrenaline shot in the quarter-final. Having beenunceremoniously dumped out of the Benson and Hedges Cup by Essex, Gary Fellows and Anthony McGrath helped to redress the balance at Chelmsford. McGrath made 72 and Fellows 68 to tie the match and progress by losing fewer wickets.Though Somerset can rely on Jamie Cox’s presence, Darren Lehmann misses out for Yorkshire. Lehmann’s replacement is ideal, the phlegmatic Matthew Elliott sure to stand firm. Many will judge him by how he fares in tomorrow’s final, on his return to the ground where he made his maiden Test hundred five years ago.It is a high-pressure assignment, but Elliott is relishing the prospect. As well as his Test hundred he still remembers a Benson and Hedges Cup finaldefeat for Glamorgan against Gloucestershire two years ago – and he wants to setthe record straight.”I see that I have good memories from Lord’s but also some I want to make upfor,” he said. “It is not nice to get so close as we did at Glamorgan and then not win – so there is a lot for me to prove this time.”It is a great chance for me and for Yorkshire to make something of the last weeks of the season. There is a lot to be done, both against Somerset and in the county championship. But this Yorkshire team has a lot of talent in it.”Matthew Hoggard leads a much-lauded seam attack, with Chris Silverwood bowling particularly quickly. Silverwood, on the fringes of the England set-up, has also turned himself into a furious pinch-hitter.With Hoggard and Andy Caddick hoping to suppress two explosive batting orders, a classic is a distinct possibility. Somerset may have a more popular following in cricket circles, but perhaps, in this miserable year, even the most ardent Lancastrian might wish Yorkshire a little luck.

LOGAN CUP RECORDS (FIRST-CLASS): MASHONALAND v MIDLANDS

RESULTS OF MATCHES PLAYED1999/2000: At Harare Sports Club; 31 March, 1 April 2000.MASHONALAND 165 and 173/8 dec.MIDLANDS 31 (A J Mackay 6/16) and 56 (A J Mackay 5/19).Mashonaland won by 251 runs.2000/01: At Kwekwe Sports Club; 30, 31 March, 1 April 2001.MASHONALAND 357/7 dec.MIDLANDS 92 (B C Strang 5/13) and 222 (T J Friend 115; E A Brandes 5/19).Mashonaland won by an innings and 43 runs.2001/02: At Harare Sports Club; 22, 23, 24 March 2002.MASHONALAND 329 (C N Evans 163) and 263/8 dec (R W Price 5/68).MIDLANDS 211 and 133.Mashonaland won by 248 runs.Total: Played: 3Won by Mashonaland 3Won by Midlands 0Drawn: 0HIGHEST TOTALSBy Mashonaland: 357/7 dec Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01By Midlands: 222 Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01LOWEST TOTALSBy Mashonaland: 165 Harare Sports Club 1999/2000By Midlands: 31 ) Harare Sports Club 1999/200056 )92 Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01HIGHEST FOURTH-INNINGS TOTALSFor Mashonaland:To win: no instancesTo lose: no instancesTo draw: no instancesFor Midlands:To win: no instancesTo lose: 133 Harare Sports Club 2001/02To draw: no instancesHIGHEST MATCH AGGREGATES936 runs/37 wkts Mashonaland (329 and 263/8 dec) beat Midlands(211 and 133) by 248 runs, at Harare Sports Club 2001/02(Midlands batted one man short in the second innings)LOWEST COMPLETED MATCH AGGREGATES425 runs/38 wkts Mashonaland (165 and 173/8 dec) beat Midlands(31 and 56) by 251 runs, at Harare Sports Club 1999/2000LARGEST MARGINS OF VICTORYFor Mashonaland:innings and 43 runs Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01251 runs Harare Sports Club 1999/2000248 runs Harare Sports Club 2001/02For Midlands:no instancesBATTING RECORDSCENTURIES163 C N Evans (Mash) Harare Sports Club 2001/02115 T J Friend (Mid) Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01200 RUNS IN MATCHES BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMSCareer M I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50C N Evans (Mash) 1999/00-2001/02 3 5 1 325 163 81.25 1 1Best by Midlands: 147 (av. 73.50), by T J Friend4 OR MORE SIXES IN AN INNINGS7 C N Evans (163) for Mashonaland, at Harare Sports Club 2001/024 G W Flower (83) for Mashonaland, at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/0115 OR MORE BOUNDARIES IN AN INNINGS26 (19×4, 7×6) C N Evans (163), for Mashonaland, at Harare SC 2001/0218 (17×4, 1×6) T J Friend (115), for Midlands, at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01BATSMEN SCORING 50% OR MORE OF A COMPLETED INNINGS TOTALFor Mashonaland:No instancesFor Midlands:51.87% J M Cornford (69* of 133), at Harare Sports Club 2001/0251.80% T J Friend (115 of 222), at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01HIGHEST SCORE IN BOTH INNINGS OF A MATCHFor Mashonaland:No instancesFor Midlands:T J Friend (32/92 and 115/222), at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01HIGHEST PARTNERSHIPS (including all century partnerships)For Mashonaland:1st: 88 G J Rennie (37) and H Masakadza (85), at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/012nd: 93 H Masakadza (85) and G W Flower (83), at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/013rd: 30 K J Davies (45) and D J Peacock (22), at Harare Sports Club 1999/20004th: 92 B G Rogers (56) and C N Evans (163), at Harare Sports Club 2001/025th: 31 C N Evans (36) and D J R Campbell (19), at Harare Sports Club 1999/20006th: 68 C N Evans (163) and N B Mahwire (22), at Harare Sports Club 2001/027th: 106 B G Rogers (80) and D J R Campbell (61), at Harare Sports Club 2001/028th: 59* C N Evans (73*) and E A Brandes (24*), at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/019th: 3 E Z Matambanadzo (0) and G du Plessis (3*), at Harare Sports Club 1999/200010th: 77 C N Evans (163) and B T Watambwa (14*), at Harare Sports Club 2001/02For Midlands:1st: 5 T Duffin (3) and L K Mutyambizi (3), at Harare Sports Club 2001/022nd: 16 M J Vaughan-Davies (7) and C A Grant (7), at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/013rd: 22 L S Malloch-Brown (20) and K M Connelly (10), at Harare SC 1999/20004th: 36 S M Ervine (12) and D P Viljoen (78), at Harare Sports Club 2001/025th: 66 D P Viljoen (78) and J M Cornford (28), at Harare Sports Club 2001/026th: 108 T J Friend (115) and C Delport (44), at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/017th: 68 T J Friend (115) and B M Vaughan-Davies (21), at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/018th: 43 D P Viljoen (78) and C Macmillan (35), at Harare Sports Club 2001/029th: 43 J M Cornford (69*) and E C Rainsford (11), at Harare Sports Club 2001/0210th: 21 D T Hondo (29*) and C J Sanders (8), at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01BOWLING RECORDSFIVE WICKETS IN AN INNINGSFor Mashonaland:6/16 A J Mackay (6.5-2-16-6) ) Harare Sports Club 1999/20005/19 A J Mackay (10-6-19-5) )5/13 B C Strang (9-1-13-5) Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/015/19 E A Brandes (14.4-9-19-5) Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01For Midlands:5/68 R W Price (27.4-6-68-5) Harare Sports Club 2001/02TEN WICKETS IN A MATCHFor Mashonaland:11/35 (6/16 & 5/19) A J Mackay Harare Sports Club 1999/2000For Midlands:No instances. Best: 6/147 (1/79 & 5/68), by R W Price, at Harare Sports Club, 2001/02MOST OVERS IN AN INNINGSFor Mashonaland:23 (23-7-56-3) B C Strang, at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01For Midlands:39 (39-10-110-2) R W Price, at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01MOST OVERS IN A MATCHFor Mashonaland:32 (32-8-69-8) B C Strang, at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01For Midlands:46.4 (46.4-9-147-6) R W Price, at Harare Sports Club 2001/02MOST RUNS CONCEDED IN AN INNINGSFor Mashonaland:57 (12-1-57-4) B T Watambwa, at Harare Sports Club 2001/02For Midlands:110 (39-10-110-2) R W Price, at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01MOST RUNS CONCEDED IN A MATCHFor Mashonaland:101 (29.2-3-101-6) B T Watambwa, at Harare Sports Club 2001/02For Midlands:147 (46.4-9-147-6) R W Price, at Harare Sports Club 2001/02MOST MAIDEN OVERS IN AN INNINGSFor Mashonaland:9 (14.4-9-19-5) E A Brandes, at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01For Midlands:10 (39-10-110-2) R W Price, at Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/0110 WICKETS IN MATCHES BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMSCareer M O Mdns R W Av. BB 5wI 10wMA J Mackay (Mash) 1999/00-2001/02 3 50.5 17 154 14 11.00 6/16 2 1R W Price (Mid) 1999/00-2001/02 3 98.4 23 277 13 21.30 5/68 1 -B T Watambwa (Mash) 1999/00-2001/02 2 38.2 6 122 10 12.20 4/15 – -ALL-ROUND RECORDS50 RUNS AND 5 WICKETS IN A MATCHNo instances.100 RUNS AND 10 WICKETS IN MATCHES BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMSNo instances.WICKET-KEEPING RECORDS4 OR MORE DISMISSALS IN AN INNINGSFor Mashonaland:4 (all ct) D J R Campbell, at Harare Sports Club 1999/2000For Midlands:No instances. Best 3 (all ct), by E R Marillier5 OR MORE DISMISSALS IN A MATCHFor Mashonaland:No instances. Best 4 (all ct), by D J R CampbellFor Midlands:No instances. Best 4 (all ct), by E R MarillierMOST DISMISSALS IN MATCHES BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMSFor Mashonaland: 8 (all ct), by D J R Campbell, in 3 matches, 1999/2000-2001/02For Midlands: 4 (ct), by E R Marillier, in 1 match, 1999/2000FIELDING RECORDS3 OR MORE CATCHES IN AN INNINGSFor Mashonaland:3 A Flower Kwekwe Sports Club 2000/01For Midlands:No instances of more than 24 OR MORE CATCHES IN A MATCHFor Mashonaland:No instances. Best 3, by A FlowerFor Midlands:No instances. Best 3, by J M CornfordMOST CATCHES IN MATCHES BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMSFor Mashonaland: 4, by C N Evans, in 3 matches, 1999/2000-2001/02For Midlands: 3, by J M Cornford, in 1 match, 2001/02MISCELLANEOUSMOST MATCHES BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMSFor Mashonaland: 3, by D J R Campbell, C N Evans and A J MackayFor Midlands: 3, by R W PriceMOST CAPTAINCIESFor Mashonaland: 2, by A J MackayFor Midlands: no instances of more than 1

When will the woes concerning the opening batting in Indiancricket end? Every now and then comes a batsman who displays allthe qualities required for a good opening bat – courage,technique, temperament, skill – and the Indian cricket fan heavesa sigh of relief believing that the crisis is past. But thensooner rather than later, the same player comes a cropper, goesthrough a string of failures, is dropped and the search startsall over again.Indian cricket has been beset with many a perennial problem -the lack of medium-pacers, sub-standard fielding, question marksover who is going to be the next wicketkeeper, an abysmal recordoverseas etc. But there is little doubt that the most vexatiousproblem has been the one posed at the top of the batting order.

It would be tempting to trace the lack of a properly equippedopening batsman to the retirement of Sunil Gavaskar, 15 yearsago. In 106 Tests since the peerless technician called it a day,Indian opening pairs have registered just 13 three-figure stands.The long-standing problem is perhaps fitting, keeping in mind thesupreme irony of Indian cricket. The best start ever in Testcricket stands in the names of two Indians – Vinoo Mankad andPankaj Roy and their famous 413-run partnership against NewZealand at Madras that is yet to be broken, 46 years and some1200 Test matches later. And the worst-ever start in Test cricketalso stands in the name of India who lost their first fourwickets without a run on the board against England at Leeds in1952.While Gavaskar formed successful opening partnerships with ChetanChauhan and Anshuman Gaekwad, he and Krish Srikkanth, in theirown diverse ways, proved to be an unexpectedly durable pair. WhenGavaskar called it a day, Srikkanth suddenly found himself thesenior player while pairing with Arun Lal.Not long after they came together, however, Srikkanth’s fabledeyesight and reflexes began to fade, symbolised by his fallingaverage which stood at 33.88 in 1989 but fell to 29.88 by thetime he played his last Test three years later. Arun Lal, despitedisplaying courage and determination, never really inspiredconfidence against top-class fast bowling as illustrated by hiscareer average of 26.03, and by 1990 it was obvious that he hadplayed his last Test.Navjot Singh Sidhu, by his deeds in the West Indies in 1989, andRavi Shastri, no stranger to the opening slot, then seemed to bethe best bet for a durable opening pair. But though they did wellindividually they never really got going as a pair despite manyopportunities.Shastri’s obdurate qualities saw him get a double century againstAustralia in 1991-92 but a year later his career was over. As apure stopgap measure, Manoj Prabhakar was pushed to the openingslot. The latter’s tenacious qualities and fighting spirit sawhim make a fairly successful job of it. He was good enough totake a Test century off the West Indian pace attack at Mohali in1994-95.

Prabhakar and Sidhu formed an unexpectedly successful pair. Theyhad a stand of 109 against England in 1992-93 and also sharedsuccessive partnerships of 171 and 86 against Sri Lanka, the nextseason. Besides, Prabhakar also figured in century opening standswith Woorkheri Raman against New Zealand in 1990 and with AjayJadeja against the same opponents five years later.Just as Indian cricket seemed to have acquired a reliable openingpair after a long time, the problems started all over again. By1996, Prabhakar’s career had come to a sudden end following anindifferent World Cup. Then in England later that year, cameSidhu’s sensational decision to return midway through the tourand without playing a single Test following serious differenceswith the captain Azharuddin.The double blow re-opened the question mark over the opening slotand created havoc. Numerous combinations were tried out in quicksuccession – sometimes there were two different pairs in the sameTest – but nothing seemed to work. In desperation, Rahul Dravidwas pushed to open the innings and even wicketkeeper Nayan Mongiawas tried out.Others who donned the role of opening batsmen, though not verysuccessfully, during this period included Sanjay Manjrekar,Jadeja, Raman, Vikram Rathore and Venkatsai Laxman. But everycombination proved to be a sitting duck for the opposition.The return of Sidhu for the tour of West Indies in 1997 solvedthe problem partly in that he again showed why he was the bestopening batsman in the post-Gavaskar period. But the search for areliable opener who could partner him still continued.Mongia figured in a couple of century opening partnerships withhim during the 1997-98 season but this was a move designed topush an extra batsman into the team; it was never really asatisfactory or long-term arrangement. Sidhu and Laxman tooshared a 191-run partnership against Australia the same seasonbut even at this time it was clear that Laxman was happier downthe order.As Sidhu played his last Test in 1999 after figuring in fivecentury opening stands with three different partners, a tallleft-hander from Chennai, Sadagoppan Ramesh was presented as thenext big hope. Again, Ramesh seemed to have the qualities neededto succeed at this specialised position even though he attractedmuch adverse comment, with the purists faulting his footwork andtechnique.That did not stop Ramesh from figuring in five three-figureopening stands with three different partners over the next threeyears. Late last year, however, questions were raised about histemperament and with his state association not backing him, hefell out of favour with the national selection committee. In themeantime, Laxman had taken his rightful place in the middleorder.All too briefly, Bengal’s Devang Gandhi flickered on the horizon.He figured in two successive century opening partnerships withRamesh against New Zealand in 1999-2000 but proved to be easymeat for McGrath and company in Australia later that season.With Mongia not being considered, there occurred the mostdesperate action of fielding MSK Prasad as an opening batsman inAustralia. Prasad vs McGrath was potentially one of the mostlopsided individual contests in world cricket and notunexpectedly, the tall Australian spearhead dismissed the Indianwicketkeeper twice for single digits in the third Test.In the new millennium, the search commenced all over again. Thediscovery this time was Mumbai’s technically-correct Wasim Jafferwho had a tough baptism against Donald, Pollock and Hayward. Andastonishingly, the experiment with a reluctant Dravid continuedwith little success.At the start of the 2000-2001 season, the selectors then turnedto Shiv Sundar Das. The diminutive batsman from Orissa at lastseemed to be the answer to our prayers. He seemed to have all thequalities required to succeed at the job and in quick successionfigured in two three-figure partnerships with Ramesh.

Even as Ramesh fell out of favour, Das continued to prosper andwas in the process of challenging Sidhu as the country’s finestopening batsman in the post-Gavaskar era when he suddenly lookedout of sorts in the just concluded series against the WestIndies. This was a pity, for a recalled Jaffer seemed to havetightened up his technique and had a fairly successful outing inthe Caribbean.Too much should not be read into the brief experiment with DeepDasgupta despite the Bengal wicketkeeper getting a Test hundredand figuring in a century partnership with Das. The need of thehour is two specialised opening batsmen and unfortunately thesearch still continues. Will the England tour provide an answerat last?

CANTERBURY, England – Steve Waugh wants to rediscover the beauty ofcricket.The Australian Test captain admits the magic of the game which capturedhim as a boy is sometimes lost amid the money and pressure of modern dayprofessionalism, especially when things aren’t going your way.And things didn’t go all his way last year.Although Australia had resounding series wins over South Africafollowing a lucky escape against New Zealand, Waugh had a rare barrenpatch of form, was dropped from the one day team and was also underpressure off the field.He arrived in Canterbury yesterday for a 21-day stint with Englishcounty side Kent in a bid to find form before Australia’s series againstPakistan and England and rekindle his passion for the game.”I just want to get out there and enjoy my cricket. Last year wasn’t asenjoyable as I would have liked compared to the previous 16 years,” hesaid.”This year my goal is to enjoy my cricket, see the beauty of the gameand see the little things that when you played the game when you weresix or seven years old in the backyard were why you loved the game.”Sometimes that can be lost in the professionalism of the game and themoney and the pressure.”Waugh said his disillusionment last summer was the result of severalfactors.He scored a poor 314 runs from nine Tests at an average of 24.15 after adeep vein thrombosis developed on his return from the Ashes series inEngland opened his domestic summer under a cloud which did not lift.And as his form suffered, the Australian press started to question hisposition.”There are always issues which not everyone’s aware of, it was adifficult time in some ways,” he said.”I felt the media changed a little bit last year in the way they dealtwith the Australian side.”I just came off the DVT. I had the baggage of the fact Justin Langerwas dropped and Michael Slater was dropped and I was a selector whichwasn’t easy. It’s always tough to drop your teammates.”And things just didn’t quite work out on the field.”It’s no excuse, but I just didn’t quite enjoy cricket as much as Icould have.”Waugh starts his campaign of rediscovery in Kent’s one day match againstLeicestershire in Canterbury on Wednesday.

Captain Ricky Ponting will change his batting order for Tuesday’s final match as Australia tries to remain unbeaten in the one-day cricket series against South Africa.Ponting hinted that the likes of Michael Bevan, Ian Harvey and Shane Watson would receive an opportunity after limited batting time during the first six games.Bevan missed three matches with injury while Harvey and Watson rotated the all-rounder’s role before both playing in Saturday’s emphatic three-wicket victory in Port Elizabeth.Australian selectors will also play Queensland batsman Jimmy Maher in a match that won’t affect the series result with the tourists having built a 5-0 lead.”There are a few guys that haven’t played much on tour and hopefully they’ll get a bit of a chance to do a bit more in this game,” Ponting said.The Tasmanian insisted his players are ready for the match, even though the Australians are tired after a long summer which included nine Tests.Most of the players head home for two months’ rest on Wednesday and coach John Buchanan ensured his team would not be overdone by making training optionaltoday.”We should be right. We’ve got a lot of pride in our team performances and our own personal performances to make sure we get up for the last game,” Ponting said.”Everything we’ve done since we’ve been here is good and we don’t want to spoil it by playing a poor game to finish with.”Ponting wants a better performance by his bowlers tomorrow – something South African captain Shane Pollock also seeks after a miserable summer for the hometeam.The Proteas will again be without all-rounder Lance Klusener, who has returned to Durban for treatment on his injured hamstring.

Heavy shower stopped the proceedings of the match midway while Mohammedan Sporting were taking on Bangladesh Biman in their vital confrontation at BNS today. Since Victoria Sporting confirmed the GrameenPhone Premier League trophy this year, both Mohammedan and Biman were going all-out for the runner-up. Biman, set off for 203 to collect full points, managed to play only three deliveries off Taposh Kumar Baiso, the Mohammedan pacer, when the downpour hampered the remains of the match.Mohammedan had little luck with them for today when Minhajul Abedin lost the vital toss to Biman’s Faruk Ahmed, were asked to bat first in a slightly damp wicket that favored the pace bowlers with lateral movements. Al-Amin and Anisur Rahman, the new ball operators for Biman, camped down on the Mohammedan top order and eliminated three well-in-form front-line batsme (Ehsanul, Habibul Bashar & Steve Tikolo) with the score on 24.Vice captain Sanwar Hossain (15), when his presence was needed most, fell prey to Imran Farhat dejectedly when he tried to sweep the leggie only to become lbw. Opener Rashedul Haque and veteran Minhajul Abedin batted patiently for nearly 11 overs. An impatient Rashedul Haque (43) gifted his wicket away to Farhat again while he endeavored to lift the bowler over long-off fence, mistimed it and Anisur grabbed a spectacular catch.Minhajul put on 30 runs from 12 overs in the next wicket with slow coach Anwar Hossain, the diminutive wicket keeper, who took 43 balls to manage his 14. Faruk Ahmed set up an excellent fielding position on the off side, tempting the batsmen to play at on and forced them into error. They carried off to pick up the important wicket of Minhajul Abedin (31) thus.However, Mohammed Rafique, the left-handed all rounder, notched up a brilliant 42 off 38 balls, flogging the bowlers al around and did some renovation. He, along with another all rounder Shabbir Khan, took the score off to 196. Rafique was bowled by Khaled Mahmud in the final over and Shabbir (29) became not out till the end while Mohammedan finished with 202 for 8.The heavy shower made the ground condition quite unplayable alike yesterday, so, the game was called off.

Until it receives an official response from its equivalent body in India, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) has no plans to look for a new opponent for the series of three one-day international matches to be staged in the country in September.Following a decision late last week from India to play in Asian Test Championship matches against Pakistan and Bangladesh instead, it now seems that the ACB’s first-choice guest will be unable to commit to the series unless its proposed dates are the subject of significant revision.Originally, the ACB had been seeking India’s participation in matches on 14, 16 and 18 September. But, after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s rumoured move to accept a request to play against Pakistan – from 13 to 17 September – as part of the Asian Test Championship series, hopes that such a contest would proceed now appear to have been scuttled. Following that Test – which will be their first in Pakistan since 1989 – the Indians are also committed to playing a home Test against Bangladesh from 21 to 25 September.Reports emanating from India today have quoted BCCI spokesmen as confirming that a decision to decline the Australian invitation has been taken.An ACB spokesman said late this afternoon, however, that no official response from the BCCI has been received at this stage and that no contingency plans necessarily exist at this point in time.If it were to be received, a negative reply from India would likely force the ACB to quickly direct its efforts to seeking a positive response from another team. Sri Lanka, to which strong attention reportedly turned in original discussions, would shape as one strong contender to be invited to play in the match at the ‘Gabba ground in Brisbane and the two matches at Colonial Stadium in Melbourne that are expected to form the core of the series.South Africa, the Australians’ opponent in the corresponding series last year, is not likely to receive a return invite as it will be involved in Test and one-day international cricket in neighbouring Zimbabwe throughout September.

Shane Warne has been confirmed as the captain of the Melbourne Stars for this season’s Big Bash League, and he will be joined by Lasith Malinga in the line-up. The Stars unveiled their latest signings on Tuesday in Melbourne, which brings their list to 16 and leaves them with two more spaces to fill before the November 30 deadline.Warne, who turns 43 next month, was widely tipped to lead the Stars after Cameron White stepped down as captain in July. Warne no longer plays in the IPL and has not played a match since last summer’s BBL, in which he took seven wickets at an average of 26 and a strike-rate of 6.74.”I’ve always admired his attacking captaincy and in addition to his bowling guile we believe his leadership will have a positive influence on the team both now and in to the future,” the Stars chairman of selectors Ian Chappell said of Warne. “This is a strong addition to what was always a highly competitive squad.”The addition of Malinga also provides a major boost for the Stars, who reached the semi-finals of last year’s tournament but could not progress to the decider. Malinga, 28, did not take part in the BBL last season and his appearance for the Stars will help him move up the list of all-time Twenty20 wicket-takers – he currently sits fourth with 161 victims at 16.91.Malinga joins the England all-rounder Luke Wright as the two internationals on the Melbourne Stars list. Chappell said Malinga would be valuable for several reasons.”For quite a few years now Lasith Malinga has been one of the premier short-form bowlers,” Chappell said. “He fulfills two important roles – he takes wickets and there’s no better finishing bowler in the game.”Lasith has always been a popular player on tours of Australia and with a large Sri Lankan population in Victoria, his presence is sure to add to the atmosphere wherever he plays. Indicative of the confidence on both sides, the Stars were delighted when Lasith agreed to a multi-year contract.”

Mumbai were 83 for no loss in 28 overs when stumps were drawn on thesecond day of the warmup game against Australia at the CCI on Friday.Mumbai now have an overall lead of 208 runs. Vinayak Mane (45) andWasim Jaffer (36) were at the crease at close of play.The Australians were all out in the second over after tea. Theyfinished on 203 for nine off 64.3 overs in reply to Mumbai’s 328 fornine declared. Mark Waugh could not bat owing to a finger injury.The Australian skipper Steve Waugh left his mark on the day’sproceedings with an unbeaten century. Waugh bailed his team out with afighting knock of 106 runs off 162 balls, studded with 10 boundariesand three sixes, after the Mumbai bowlers ran through the battingorder. Paras Mhambrey bagged four for 59 and left arm spinner NileshKulkarni picked up four for 39.Earlier, Mumbai skipper Sameer Dighe declared the innings at theovernight score. He was happy at the lunch interval as his bowlers hadscalped four Australian wickets for 87 runs.Paras Mhambrey accounted for Michael Slater and Ricky Ponting, whereasfrom the other end Nilesh Kulkarni scalped Justin Langer and MatthewHayden in the first session.Soon after lunch, a determined Waugh appeared onto the field and tookthe game away from the opposition. He applied himself very well at thecrease, picking up the gaps in the field, first in a brief 31-runpartnership with Adam Gilchrist for the fifth wicket and then a 70-runstand with Glenn McGrath for the ninth wicket.Waugh was severe on all the spinners, Kulkarni, Sairaj Bahutule andRamesh Powar. He tore apart the off spinner with two consecutive sixesthat landed six rows behind in the Brabourne stadium stands. In all hetook 21 runs of Powar in the 60th over, the most expensive over of theday.The Australian innings suffered a setback when four wickets fell forjust 30 runs. Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Damien Fleming and ColinMiller were dismissed in quick succession as Steve Waugh steadily ranout of partners.Mumbai took a 125-run lead on the first innings and then openers WasimJaffer and Vinayak Mane came good in the last session. Mane was themore aggressive of the two. Both relished the new ball attack ofFleming and McGrath. Fleming was dispatched to the boundary on fouroccasions by Mane.Shane Warne however bowled brilliantly. He extracted both spin andbounce from the wicket. The only runs to come off him were twoboundaries to the cover area hit by Jaffer.