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Tasmania survived a late onslaught from the tailender Shane Harwood to remain unbeaten in the ING Cup with a 43-run victory over Victoria at Bellerive Oval today. Harwood, batting at No. 10, hit an unbeaten 50 off 31 balls, and put on 75 for the ninth wicket with Andrew McDonald.Sent into bat, the Tasmania openers Michael DiVenuto, who was Man of the Match, and Michael Dighton put on 160 off 152 balls while the push towards 300 was continued by Michael Bevan. Xavier Doherty, the left-arm orthodox spinner, then inflicted the damage for Tasmania in collecting 4 for 41, including the important wicket of Cameron White for 31. Brad Hodge, who returned from the India tour with White to play in the match, managed 51 off 56 balls before being caught by George Bailey off Brett Geeves.White, the Victoria captain, wrote off the result as “a bad day”. “Hopefully it’s just a one-off thing and we’ll be right,” he said.

Ehsaan Mani has taken exception to Mohammad Azharuddin’s presence in Sri Lanka as a commentator. Azharuddin has been employed as a cricket expert by Aaj Tak, an Indian news channel, even though he was banned for life by the Indian cricket board. Mani wondered why, even then, Azharuddin was involved with the game.”I am extremely disappointed to see Mohammed Azharuddin doing commentary in the ongoing Asia Cup in Sri Lanka,” said Mani, according to Press Trust of India. “There is zero-tolerance for corruption in cricket and there should be no position in the game for a player who has been banned by his own cricket board. If he is deemed guilty and we have the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s word that he has been banned for life, he should not be involved in the game in any way,” Mani said, also admitting that the ICC had no say in the approval of commentators. “High profile cricketers are role models and there are better role models.”The television channel that employed Azhar has been supportive of him. Earlier, G Krishnan, the executive director of the TV Today network, confirmed that Azharuddin was doing work for Aaj Tak, and said, “His involvement in match-fixing is alleged. What has the fact that someone is alleged to have done something got to do with his commenting on a cricket match? He is not playing. Just being accused of something does not mean much. People are ministers in this country while they are accused of greater crimes. The point is they are not convicted. You have to be reasonable to everybody. Till you find someone guilty he is innocent.”

Canterbury have decided to appoint a new captain for their State Championship and Shield sides for next summer.They will not reappoint Gary Stead, their leader of the last five years.The selectors felt it was time for a change, the chief executive of Canterbury Cricket, Richard Reid said today. The chairman of selectors, Craig Thiele had approached him with the recommendation and it had been endorsed by the board of Canterbury Cricket.It is a bold move as Stead has been a significant factor in holding together a Canterbury side that has struggled over the last few seasons to maintain the dominance they achieved during the 1990s in New Zealand cricket, a period when they practically ruled the domestic one-day competition especially.Stead, who played a year of international cricket for New Zealand, also had the difficult job of providing a solid backbone for the side which contributed so many players to the New Zealand side.Stephen Fleming, Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan and Chris Harris over a long period of time, and Shane Bond and Chris Martin more recently, have left significant holes in the Canterbury side when called for international duty.That has made life difficult for Stead as he has tried to lead a side to maintain the competitive levels achieved when the internationals were playing.Reid commented further: “All reviews of the previous season have now been completed and this was a recommendation that came out of those reviews.”Thiele said the decision to replace Stead as captain did not suggest that he was not in consideration as a player for the future.”We see Gary as an integral part of our plans for this upcoming season and beyond. We certainly recognise and value the contribution he has made, particularly in leading the side to two Shell Cup titles over his time as captain.”It was the unanimous point of view, from the selectors, that it was simply time for a change. There are two or three possible candidates for the captaincy at this stage. We see that it is important to get the best person for the position and to that end we will not be naming a captain until later in the year.”

Andrew Symonds unleashed his second knockout punch on Western Australia in as many days to ignite Queensland’s cricket season at the Gabba today.After terrorising the Warriors in yesterday’s four-day Pura Cup match, Symonds delivered another blistering attack in the one-day ING Cup match to guide the Bulls to a seven-wicket win.He smashed 91 runs from 57 balls in the Bulls’ total of 3-191 in 29.5 overs, cruising past Western Australia’s disappointing 7-189 from 50 overs.The Bulls had to win the match in 40 overs to secure a bonus point and that was never in doubt once Symonds began his onslaught in the third over, almostovershadowing Jimmy Maher’s excellent 71 not out from 81 balls.After scoring an unbeaten 75 from 43 balls in yesterday’s six-wicket win, Symonds came to the rescue of a Queensland team limping at 2-10, following the loss of Matthew Hayden (zero) and Martin Love (two).He belted two boundaries from his first three balls to continue the trademark sideshow which has earned him a reputation as one of the most exciting players in the country.He finished with 13 fours and two sixes, falling short of his first domestic one-day century when he chipped a catch to third man.Purists might grimace at some of Symonds’ miscued swipes but cricket rarely tosses up pure entertainers in the class of the 26-year-old.”Some days things just click and you hit your first ball in the middle of the bat and your confidence is really good,” Symonds said.”You’re moving your feet well and you’re lining the ball up well.”I’ve trained hard early this season so it’s good to get some runs on the board early.”Symonds’ placement was as impressive as his power, and the Warriors will be happy to leave Brisbane tonight just to see the back of the right-hander.But the Warriors bowlers were left with a tough task after their batsmen failed for the second time in as many days at the Gabba.The Bulls quicks knocked over the Warriors yesterday but the visitors were unhinged by a teenage spinner today who was only called up at the last minute when swing bowler Adam Dale withdrew with a shoulder injury.Nathan Hauritz cashed in with 3-23 from eight overs as the Warriors became bogged down on a surface which has become one of the favourites for Australianone-day batsmen.Test batsman Damien Martyn (82 from 130 balls) did his best but the loss of international teammates Adam Gilchrist (eight), Justin Langer (three) and Simon Katich (10) left the Warriors without enough in the bank.”It was a frustrating, disappointing day and we have to learn from it,” Gilchrist said.”But Queensland’s bowlers did a terrific job in the Pura Cup game and they did it again today. Their spin bowling was excellent and that gave them a good mix-up.”The Bulls were delighted to take full points from their opening match after making a pact to improve on last season’s below-par one-day performance.

Scorecard and ball-by-balls detailsFast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile and legspinner Cameron Boyce shared five wickets but South Africa A being restricted to 171 was largely a result of their own poor batting. The chase then was rather matter of fact. Australia A won by nine wickets with 19 overs to spare, earning a bonus point to boot.Most of the South Africa A players are coming together after an off-season and they did not look prepared. They had a 10-day camp at home in the hope of getting themselves game-ready and then a few hits in the nets in Chennai. But come game time, the slowness of the pitch provided too many problems.After South Africa A elected to bat, Dean Elgar and his opening partner Reeza Hendricks managed well enough, adding 71 runs. But the other nine could only cobble 77 more and needed a leg up from the 23 extras. There were no fifties and 186 out of the 292 deliveries they faced were dot balls. Only two batsmen managed a strike rate above 60 and they could not last the 50 overs. Not the most ideal audition with the senior team set for a 72-day tour of India in October.Australia A openers Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns, on the other hand, waltzed to their fifties and knocked 142 runs off the target themselves. They stroked 16 boundaries between them.Hardus Viljoen was smeared for a hat-trick of fours in the sixth over as Khawaja put away ordinary deliveries – a wide one driven through extra cover, one on leg stump whipped through midwicket, and a short one crunched through point. Lonwabo Tsotsobe was clattered for successive fours by Khawaja in the next over and in the eighth, bowled by first-change bowler Beuran Hendricks, Burns benefited from easy pickings: two short balls banished to two ends of the ground at point and deep midwicket. The bad balls, they kept on coming. The good times, they kept on going. Representative of that were the seven no-balls South Africa A bowled. Three of the resulting free-hits were smashed to the boundary.In contrast, Australia A bowlers gave nothing away. They had the advantage of playing in these conditions for two unofficial Tests and it showed in how tight a middle and off line Coulter-Nile adopted. His first spell read 5-1-13-0. With the rest of his team-mates keeping that pressure up, he had a more profitable second spell: wicketkeeper Dane Vilas was caught down the leg side. Four balls later Khaya Zondo’s edge was found. South Africa A, caught in a downward spiral, were 142 for 6 in the 39th over.But it was legspinner Boyce, who bowled 10 overs on the trot, and left-arm spinner Ashton Agar who initiated that downward spiral. Agar knew that with the batsmen already struggling to adjust to a slow pitch, his best chance was bowl even slower. Boyce, on the other hand, used the crease well, angling the ball on middle and leg, and created doubts in the batsman’s mind when a few turned sharply while most did nothing. Their 20 overs cost a measly 60 runs and yielded three of the top four wickets.So the story of the match ended up quite simple: In walked a South Africa A batsman, he couldn’t manipulate the field, he got bogged down, played a rash shot and off he went. Then Boyce and Coulter-Nile kept hitting repeat.

R Ashwin, India’s No. 1 spinner, has said he is close to full fitness, which should come as relief to the team after losing both the T20I and ODI series to South Africa.”I’m close to full fitness and I’m confident of bowling well in the Test series,” Ashwin said at a promotional event in Chennai.Ashwin strained his side during the first ODI, played in Kanpur. When he pulled out of that game, his figures read 4.4-0-14-1 and had dragged India back into the contest after a fiery South Africa start. India missed Ashwin throughout the series.Over the last few seasons, India’s home Test cricket has gone back to revolving around spinners, especially with the whitewash of Australia in 2012-13. Ashwin was also Man of the Series in India’s last Test series, in Sri Lanka in August. He will be India’s main weapon against a side that has a well-earned reputation of being the best travellers in world cricket.Ashwin’s fitness becomes more important considering the uncertainty around legspinner Amit Mishra, who has been booked by Bangalore Police for an alleged assault on a woman. Mishra remains free to travel and should be eligible for selection, but it is unknown yet how the BCCI sees this. Or indeed what kind of mental space Mishra will be in should he play the Mohali Test in nine days time. The third spinner in the squad is Ravindra Jadeja, who returned for the South Africa Tests after being dropped for the recent tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.About India’s performance in the ODIs, Ashwin said, “Ours is a relatively inexperienced side. We have just a few players who have played 100-odd games. We need to give some cushion and time to this side. They have players like AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis who are very experienced players. We knew it was going to be hard-fought series. Had the last over in Kanpur gone our way, the result could have been different.”

As expected, Tatenda Taibu has been recalled to the Zimbabwe squad for next month’s Twenty20 World Championship almost two years after he quit international cricket following threats against his family.Brendan Taylor, who also fell out with the board after ignoring its demand that he should not play cricket abroad this summer, also made a return, as did Sean Williams who had been in South Africa undergoing treatment for a back injury.There were some new faces. Timycen Maruma, an offspinner, was rewarded for a good domestic season in which he took 36 wickets at 17.62.Johnson Marumisa, a veteran by Zimbabwe standards at 24, is an opening batsman whose form has been solid rather than spectacular. He edged out Tino Mawoyo who has failed despite being given a long run in the side, and the other established opening batsman, Terry Duffin, was considered far too pedestrian with bat and in the field for Twenty20.Slow left-armer Keith Dabengwa elbowed his way into the squad with an outstanding domestic season in which he took 34 wickets at 12.88, and his style should be well suited to the format.Zimbabwe squad Prosper Utseya (capt), Gary Brent, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Keith Dabengwa, Timycen Maruma, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikinyeri, Johnson Marumisa, Christopher Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams.

Division One

Shane Warne’s negotiating skills were almost sufficient to wangle a result at Lord’s, but in the end Hampshire and Middlesex were forced to settle for the draw with both sides within touching distance of victory. Middlesex had resumed on 181 for 2, but with Warne calling upon all 11 of his bowlers, including the wicketkeeper, Nic Pothas, they eventually declared on 309 for 4, leaving Hampshire a stiff 330 for victory. It looked highly improbable when Hampshire slumped to 170 for 7, with Chris Silverwood in the thick of things with 3 for 41, but Warne and Pothas combined superbly with an unbeaten 113-run stand that first averted a crisis, and then turned the pressure right back on Middlesex. In the end though, time ran out for both parties.Craig White and Anthony McGrath both struck hundreds for Yorkshire on the final day at Old Trafford as the Roses match ended in a predictable draw. White, who resumed on 78, eventually fell for 116 to Gary Keedy who ended with 3 for 156 from 59 overs. Oliver Newby bowled tidily for Lancashire in his 4 for 69, and Matthew Lumb played neatly for his 68 as Yorkshire declared on 450 for 9 as the match dribbled into a draw.Warwickshire pulled off a fine win over Nottinghamshire in the closing overs of the day at Edgbaston, thanks to 5 for 83 from James Anyon. Jason Gallian and Darren Bicknell got the visitors off to a confident start in their second innings with an opening stand of 109, and Stephen Fleming batted fluently for his 60 – but Warwickshire struck back to cut a hole in Nottinghamshire’s middle-order who rather fell away. It was left to Paul Franks, batting at No. 9, to see Notts home – and he appeared to be on course as Charlie Shrek, the No. 11, hung around for nearly an hour. However, Neil Carter struck to remove Franks, handing Warwickshire a 59-run win.

Division Two

Another remarkable innings from Cameron White couldn’t prevent Derbyshire from securing their first home victory in the Championship in four years when they beat Somerset by 80 runs. Despite White’s valiant and unbeaten 260 – which took him just 246 balls and included no less than 40 fours – Somerset were soundly beaten, with Stefan Jones (4 for 119) impressing against his former county. The victory – their first at Derby since beating Glamorgan on June 1, 2002 – was celebrated with champagne and cheering outside the dressing room. Graeme Welch, their captain, bowled through his Achilles injury in order to see his team home safe. “It seems that long ago I can’t remember,” he told BBC Sport. “It’s been embarrassing not winning at home for the last four years. We needed to get the monkey off our backs.”Kadeer Ali and Hamish Marshall both struck fine hundreds to lift Gloucestershire to 596 for 6 against <b<Northamptonshire, as their match at Northampton petered out into a draw. Ali faced 279 balls for his knock of 145, while Marshall was marginally more aggressive in his 133, smacking 18 fours and a six. Northamptonshire batted out the remaining 21 overs without alarm and took 12 points to Gloucestershire’s 10.

John Buchanan, the Australia coach, has no qualms about seeing his side’s ageing attack involved in back-to-back Tests against England. Australia are 1-0 up after Lord’s, but there is just a two-day gap scheduled between the second Test, which starts at Edgbaston on Thursday, and the third Test at Old Trafford.Before this Ashes campaign got underway Matthew Hoggard, the England seamer, questioned whether the 35-year-olds Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne could stand up to the rigours of back-to-back games. The pair took 15 wickets between them at Lord’s, a match where McGrath joined Warne as one of only four bowlers with 500 Test wickets.McGrath’s long-time new-ball partner Jason Gillespie is also the “wrong” side of 30, as is Michael Kasprowicz, his rival for a Test place, while Brett Lee is 28. By contrast the left-arm spinner Ashley Giles is the only frontline England bowler over 30.”These next 14 days are pretty crucial to the whole tour,” Buchanan said. “One of the aspects of playing back-to-back Test matches is the fitness and mental toughness of individuals in both teams. It’s a pretty big issue. The weather will dictate that a bit. There’s no doubt that a team that is fit and mentally strong will have some advantage by the end of these two games.”Everybody will be tested if that’s the case, particularly bowlers. But one of the strengths of our side has been we are able to front up game after game. I don’t see at this point in time it being any different. If you’re in a winning frame of mind, a confident frame of mind or you are playing well, that confidence aids your physical recovery and therefore also your mental strength.”If England play as well as they can play, potentially I see a little bit of a rollercoaster ride. But if we play the way we know we can play over this period of time, and there are good signs that we will, then I would expect to come out certainly in front by the end of this 14-day period.”Buchanan refused to be drawn too deeply into commenting on the media storm surrounding Giles. The spinner hit back at his critics on Monday with a bizarre newspaper column where he demanded “more respect”. “I’m not here to tell England how to cook their eggs,” Buchanan said. “I don’t know Ashley Giles and obviously there’s been a lot of talk about him and from him in the lead-up to this Test match. We look at the way England unfold their strategy and he’s one part of that.”

A second XI fixture between Warwickshire and Leicestershire was abandoned on compassionate grounds after just 16 overs, when a spectator collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack at Dorridge’s Broadcare ground near Solihull.Warwickshire’s acting captain, Dougie Brown, a qualified first-aider, was called into the crowd to help Colin Harding, 59, from Leicester, but not even the prompt arrival of the paramedics could save him, and he was pronounced dead on arrival at Solihull Hospital."It’s something that you hope that you never have to do and it’s not something I want to repeat," said Brown, who learned his first-aid while qualifying as a teacher in the early-1990s. "I tried my best to get his heart going again while the physio gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."There were a couple of occasions when we thought we had got him breathing again, but we couldn’t keep it going. It does put everything else into perspective but I would hope that, if it was my dad in a similar position, someone would have tried their best to save him."The incident occurred near to where the Warwickshire players were sat, and the umpires John Holder and Keith Little were given permission by the ECB to abandon the game soon afterwards. "It was the only sensible course of action," said Warwickshire’s wicketkeeper, Keith Piper. "I was far too upset to even think about playing cricket. I don’t think any of us could focus after that."