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There were a couple of upsets in the First League in the opening round of the 2001/2 National League on October 21, with last season’s two top teams suffering humiliating defeats at the hands of newcomers.Champions Old Hararians surprisingly travelled with only nine players to Kwekwe and they were all out after 23.3 overs with the scorecard reading 107/8. The only meaningful batting came from Nyasha Chari who made 23. The hosts used only four bowlers Travis Friend, Campbell McMillan, John Vaughan-Davies and Doug Marillier who each took two wickets.Kwekwe reached 109/3 in 26.1 overs with Dirk Viljoen unbeaten on 38. Ironically Viljoen turns out for OH in the Mashonaland Vigne Cup. Opener Marillier was the second-best batsman with 28 runs.The match between Queens, last season’s runners-up, and Mutare was played at a neutral venue, Old Hararians Sports Club, with the latter posting a convincing 97-run victory in a 45-over match. Mutare opened the batting and compiled 258 runs for the loss of seven wickets off their 45 overs.Former national team players Alistair Campbell and Guy Whittall, who were recently dropped from the national team, led by example with match-winning fifties. Opener Campbell top-scored with 79 while Whittall weighed in with 67. Mluleki Nkala was the pick of theQueens bowlers with three wickets for 42 off nine overs.In reply Queens were dismissed for 161 in 38.3 overs. Richard Sims finished with three wickets for 19 off nine overs while Ian Coulson took three for 39 off seven overs.At Bulawayo Athletic Club, visitors Old Winstonians beat the hosts by seven wickets. They fielded national team pace bowler Henry Olonga who has moved from Bulawayo.BAC were dismissed for 109 in 26.1 overs. Old Winstonians captain Rangarirai Manyande led the attack with five wickets for 42 off 10 overs. Choki Panyangara finished with three for 13 off 6.1 overs whileOlonga took two for 29 off seven overs.Old Winstonians reached 110 for the loss of four wickets in 27 overs. Stuart Matsikenyeri, who is set to leave for Australia soon, made 43.At Universals the hosts continued their poor run which has seen them lose all three games in the Vigne Cup so far with a six-run defeat to Harare Sports Club in a closely fought battle. The two teams met a week earlier in the Vigne Cup and Harare Sports Club won by nine wickets with 61 balls to spare. However, this encounter was a close call with Universals being dismissed seven runs short of their victory target with four balls remaining.Harare Sports Club made 261/9 in their allotted 50 overs with opener Mark Vermeulen the top scorer with 75 runs. Fellow-opener Trevor Gripper and Donald Campbell added 32 runs each. Ali Shah took three wickets for 35 off 10 overs while Brian Murphy took three for 41 off 10 overs.Universals were all out for 255 after 49.2 overs with Shah the leading scorer on 50. Gripper took three for 59 off 10 overs.The other match was at Alexandra Sports Club where the hosts beat Old Georgians by seven runs in yet another close encounter. Alex made 234 for nine wickets in 50 overs with Ross Liddell making the round’s best score of 81. Old Georgians could only reach 227 for nine off their allotted 50 overs with Craig Evans making 61 and Grant Flower 54.

Tasmania fast bowler Andrew Fekete is the surprise inclusion in Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. Fekete and Western Australia opener Cameron Bancroft are the two uncapped members of the 15-man group, while Adam Voges has been named as vice-captain to Steven Smith for the two-Test tour next month.Australia’s selectors confirmed that Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood had been rested from the tour given their heavy workloads over the past few months, with Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle and Pat Cummins set to lead the pace attack. There were also recalls for Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell and spinner Steve O’Keefe, who made his Test debut in the UAE last year.The retirements of Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers, Brad Haddin, Shane Watson and Ryan Harris on or after the recent Ashes tour forced Australia’s selectors to look to the future with their squad for Bangladesh. A thumb injury suffered by David Warner during the ODIs in England also meant they had to find a new vice-captain, and Voges’ domestic experience tipped things in his favour.”It was a very tough decision to make, that,” national selector Rod Marsh said. “We’ve got a lot of people that have played very few Test matches. The fact that Voges has captained Western Australia, the fact that we’re playing in Bangladesh – it is quite possible to wake up in the morning and not be able to play if you’ve caught something … If Steven Smith did get crook, it would have been very tough to have anyone else captain the side but Voges.”He’s had a lot of experience at captaincy, he’s got a cool head, and I think he’ll be an excellent vice-captain for Steven on his first tour of duty away from home as captain of the Australian Test team. Having said that, we’re really going to miss David Warner. He was excited about his appointment as vice-captain and he’s bitterly disappointed he can’t make this tour.”At 35, Voges is comfortably the oldest man in a squad that is much shorter on experience than Australia is used to. The only other players aged in their thirties are Shaun Marsh, Siddle, O’Keefe and Fekete, 30.”The retirements of five players from the squad that went on the Ashes tour, as well as issues of injury, form and conditions have brought about a major change in the profile of the touring party from the one that toured the British Isles,” Rod Marsh said. “But with that change comes a fantastic opportunity for all the players going to Bangladesh.”They are going as a young group with seven of the players aged 26 or less, and all 15 have the opportunity to kick on and, in the case of Cameron Bancroft and Andrew Fekete, kick off their Test careers and establish themselves as the core of the side for years to come.”Although Bancroft’s inclusion was widely expected, as Australia sought top-order replacements for Rogers and Warner, Fekete was very much a left-field selection. He was the second-leading wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield last summer with 37 victims at 24.10, but his only prior first-class experience was six matches the previous season.The new man in Australia’s Test squad, Andrew Fekete has played only 18 first-class games•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Originally from Victoria, Fekete played a solitary one-day game for his home state before moving to Tasmania, where he made his first-class debut aged 28 in late 2013. Australia’s selectors were impressed with Fekete’s bowling on the recent Australia A tour of India, where he claimed five wickets in two first-class matches.”Andrew bowled really well last summer and followed that up on the A tour,” Marsh said. “He can generate reverse swing and that ability could be extremely useful in the conditions we expect to encounter in Bangladesh.”Bancroft, 22, is a patient opening batsman who last summer made a 13-hour 211 for Western Australia and his temperament should mean he is suited to the challenges of Test cricket. He was the third leading Sheffield Shield run scorer last season with 896 at 47.15 and he too played well on the A tour of India.”Cameron is a player who impressed everyone on the recent A tour of India,” Marsh said. “He can bat for long periods of time and scored an outstanding 150 against India A in Chennai. On that tour he played spin well, fielded brilliantly at bat-pad and his whole demeanour was that of a player who is determined to play Test cricket. He scored almost 900 first-class runs last season, he’s young, hungry and he could become a very good player for us over a long period of time.”Bancroft, Burns, Khawaja and Shaun Marsh loom as the candidates for the opening positions vacated by Rogers and Warner in Bangladesh. The make-up of the attack will depend on the pitches offered in Bangladesh, but there is every chance that a twin spin attack will be employed, with O’Keefe and Maxwell preferred to legspinner Fawad Ahmed as backup for Nathan Lyon.”Stephen did well on the A tour,” Marsh said. “We felt he bowled exceptionally well. It’s true that Fawad didn’t get many opportunities in either the West Indies or on the Ashes tour but when he did get them he didn’t bowl as well as I’m sure he would have wanted.”He will go back to Victoria and hopefully start taking wickets to give us the right type of problem to have as a National Selection Panel. With Stephen O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell we believe we have the right number and the right type of spinners for the conditions we expect to encounter.”The pace attack will be shorn of the speed of Johnson, who in challenging conditions in the UAE last year was the only Australian to average under 30 with the ball, and Bangladesh could be a tough place for Cummins to return to Test cricket for the first time in nearly four years. But Marsh said it was important that Johnson and Hazlewood were rested with six home Tests and a tour of New Zealand coming up.”Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood were not considered for the tour as, after heavy workloads over the past six months and with a significant amount of cricket to come, we wanted to make sure they are right to go at the start of our domestic summer,” he said.”We expect both players to start bowling again in the next week or so, hopefully play some Matador Cup and Sheffield Shield cricket for their states and be ready for selection for the first home Test of the season, against New Zealand.”The Australians will depart for Bangladesh on September 28 ahead of a three-day warm-up game in Fatullah from October 3 to 5. That is followed by two Tests in Chittagong and Dhaka, Australia’s first in Bangladesh since the 2006 tour on which Jason Gillespie famously made a double-century.Australia Test squad Steven Smith (capt), Adam Voges (vice-capt), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Patrick Cummins, Andrew Fekete, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc

MCC won by an innings and 128 runs – ScorecardSutcliffe and Leyland gave MCC a splendid start by putting up 223 for the first wicket – a record partnership for English teams against South Australia, and when stumps were drawn the score stood at 341 for five. Leyland, who might have been caught and bowled at 93, reached his hundred out of a total of 166, and when he was caught at point had hit 14 fours, mostly beautiful stroke through the covers. Sutcliffe hit out freely when he had reached three figures, and altogether claimed two sixes and thirteen fours. He gave no chance.On the second day an admirably placed field kept Jardine from scoring quickly, but the MCC captain scored a magnificent century, the only blemish being a chance in the slips when 105. Larwood hit with terrific force, his innings which included two 6’s and ten 4’s only lasting 42 minutes. Wyatt, after a shaky start, made some powerful hooks. He and Jardine established a record for the seventh wicket for an English team v. South Australia by adding 135. Jardine and Larwood also established a record by adding 106 for the eighth wicket, the previous best for a visiting English team against this State being 102 by J. T. Hearne and W. Storer in 1897-98. Grimmett gave the impression that he was taking things easily, and did not wish to put too severe a strain on his damaged ankle.Richardson and Nitschke gave South Australia a splendid start, the latter falling to Verity after he had twice hit the Yorkshireman to square leg for 6. Richardson was very severe on Bowes, his leg strokes being extremely powerful. He was not so successful against the slow bowlers. The remaining Australian batsmen did little against some very steady bowling by Brown and Verity, and, following on, they never appeared likely to save an innings defeat. In his second innings, Catchlove, a last-minute selection, batted very stolidly for four hours for his 65. Verity was the outstanding MCC bowler, and it was noticeable that he bowled a little shorter than in England. Bowes howled medium-pace most of the time and Larwood only sent down a few overs as he was suffering from a damaged toe. The English fielding on the whole was very disappointing.

Mark Ramprakash has proved that he can cut it on the big stage after all when he was crowned BBC TV’s Strictly Come Dancing champion on Saturday night. Both the judges and the public voted for Ramprakash ahead of the rugby player Matt Dawson in the final, with each competitor performing five dances with their professional partner.Ramprakash made some difficult lifts in the final dance, the free-style, and later confessed to some nerves at performing the manoeuvres with his partner Karen Hardy: “Being a cricketer,” he said, “I might have dropped her.” Instead his footwork was immaculate and the pressure told only one story: he can handle it.The title caps a staggering year for Ramprakash, helping Surrey to bounce back immediately to the top flight of the Championship with a phenomenal 2,278 runs at 103.54. At 38 he could not earn a recall to the England Test squad for the Ashes, although he had accepted way before this series that his days at international level were way over.But his victory has at last provided some cheer for cricket fans in England.”It’s been incredible,” he smiled as he became the second cricketer behind Darren Gough to pick up the silver, sparkly glitter-ball trophy with ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ emblazoned on it in pink writing. He had started the dancing series a 15 to 1 outsider, but soon became established as the favourite – and in the end victory was a waltz.

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Jacques Rudolph hammered an unbeaten 201 to ensure that there were no last-day shocks for the South Africans as they drew their tour match against a Western Australia XI at Perth’s James Oval. His masterclass which included 24 fours took some of the pressure off the tourists’ injury concerns and enabled the tourists to declare on 9 for 395 at tea. They set the Western Australia XI a nominal target of 388 and allowed their bowlers a last stretch before the first Test on Friday.The South Africans batting had earlier wobbled again, and it took a 175-run ninth-wicket stand between Rudolph and Andre Nel (64) to finally ensure that the match would end as a draw. Ten Western Australian bowlers were used in all, and Matthew Petrie was the pick, finishing with 4 for 78. The final session was very low key, and Shaun Pollock picked up the one wicket to fall.Jacques Kallis has now been given until Wednesday to prove his fitness for the first Test against Australia but the tourists look likely to have a worthy batting replacement in Rudolph should Kallis miss out.Kallis has had just ten minutes’ practice since arriving in Perth and tearing a tendon in his elbow and team officials said he would have to prove himself in the nets on Wednesday or miss selection for the Test, which starts on Friday. He had earlier been given until Tuesday to prove his fitness.Although this match ended in a draw, the damp and dull wicket offered the tourists little experience of the conditions they will experience on the bouncy WACA wicket which will host the Test.But it did show that Rudolph, who has been the stand-out batsman of the tour for South Africa, could easily slot in at No 4 behind AB de Villiers, Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs if Kallis is ruled out.South African coach Mickey Arthur said he was still confident of a competitive showing against the world champions despite his team’s lacklustre form. “I’m upbeat, I really am,” he said. “You just have to be at the heart of the team to see our team spirit is fantastic and the guys are up for it. It hasn’t gone our way yet, but our intensity and discipline has got better and better. I think the guys will be up for it come Friday, I really do.”Despite Arthur’s optimism, losing Kallis, currently ranked the world’s best Test batsman, would be a massive obstacle for the tourists to overcome. With a batting average of 57.07 plus 184 wickets from his 94 Test matches, Kallis rivals England’s Andrew Flintoff as the world’s premier allrounder.Australian captain Ricky Ponting said he hoped Kallis would recover in time to play on Friday. “We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope he does come up, because we want to play the best South African team that we can,” he said. If he’s not the best, he’s one of the very best batsmen in the world. He’s a pretty handy bowler for them as well and he’s a vital member of their side.”Australia’s only injury concern was fast bowler Glenn McGrath who has the flu and missed training on Tuesday. “We believe he’s fine and he’s improving,” said the team spokesperson, Belinda Dennett, “and he’s expected to train with the team tomorrow.”

There was an eerie sense of calm surrounding Port Elizabeth on the eve of the first Test at St George’s Park. All that can be said has been said, and at some length as well, with both sides jostling for the psychological high ground before, during and since England’s little hiccup at Potchefstroom. But now, with just a day to go until the first ball is bowled, it comes down to two proud sides, with two even prouder records.Since England embarked on their spectacular run of 10 victories out of 11 Tests in 2004, it has been a conveniently overlooked fact just how formidable their opponents are when placed on home soil. Regardless of their slide down the ICC world rankings, South Africa have suffered just eight home defeats in 59 Tests since their readmission to international cricket in 1992, and in their last ten Tests at St George’s Park, they have won six and lost just the once – a low-scoring thriller against the Aussies in 1996-97. “This is our back garden,” has been the oft-repeated message. Over their dead bodies will South Africa allow England to dictate terms here.It is a message that has sunk in as well, if Michael Vaughan’s pre-match remarks are anything to go by. Since he returned from an attritional and ultimately disappointing tour of Sri Lanka last winter, aggression has been the watchword of Vaughan’s captaincy. In Jamaica last March, it gave us the surreal sight of Steve Harmison steaming in to a nine-man slip cordon; at Lord’s and Trent Bridge in the summer, it provided us with a pair of exuberant run-chases en route to a clean sweep against New Zealand. But on Monday, we saw the flip side of such a heady approach, as England’s top order flashed a succession of edges into the slips, and stumbled to a cocksure downfall against South Africa A.

It was an abrupt and faintly embarrassing end to their year of unmatched dominance, and called into question the wisdom of such a limited build-up to such an important series. But it was nonetheless a timely reminder of the challenge that lies ahead, and in this climate of mild uncertainty, Vaughan has called on his players to tap into their mental reserves, as they contemplate the renewal of hostilities with a side that is much changed from the one they beat so memorably at The Oval in 2003. “Patience will be our keyword,” declared Vaughan. “Patience with the bat and patience with the ball.”The mental side of England’s game is not all about introspection, however, and Vaughan let it be known that Clive Lloyd, the ICC’s match referee, could be a busy man in the coming days. “We have our plans for certain players,” Vaughan revealed. “It’s all about how a man reacts in certain situations. A few verbals in the right direction can affect some players more than others. There’ll be plenty of battles and confrontations out there, but we’re certainly up for it. We’ve done our research.”South Africa have done theirs as well, although patience doesn’t seem to rate quite so highly in their game plan. In the selection of the thrusting young batsman AB de Villiers, and the probable appearance of the raw quickie, Dale Steyn, South Africa have invested their faith in youthful exuberance. It is a gamble, albeit one that is backed up by veterans such as Shaun Pollock, who has been stealthily silent in this week’s build-up. But South Africa’s hand has also been forced by circumstance, in particular the injuries to Jacques Kallis, who will play but may not be able to bowl in the first innings, and Nicky Boje, who has been ruled out after an operation to remove his thyroid gland. Smith explained: “There are still too many ifs about his fitness at the moment. He is bowling in the nets, but he’s just not doing enough physical work to make it through a Test match.”

The pitch, though currently green, mottled and not a little unsettling at first glance, is unlikely to assist either pace battery greatly, and South Africa could well rue the absence of Boje, given the assistance that St George’s Park has offered to the spinners in the past. “It’s pretty soft,” was Vaughan’s assessment of the strip, although with a baking hot weekend and a dry westerly breeze in prospect, any early demons ought quickly to be flattened out.Whether the demons in Steve Harmison’s mind can be as easily erased is a different matter. A reluctant tourist at the best of times, Harmison was well below his destructive best on a pacy pitch at Potchefstroom, and as the world’s current No. 1 bowler, he is sure to have been targetted by South Africa’s batsmen, in particular de Villiers, who has been given licence to play his natural attacking game, and intends treating Harmison as “just another bowler”.Vaughan, however, has no doubts about the potency and variety of his four-pronged pace attack, which has carried all before it in the past 12 months. “It’s all about bowling as a unit,” he explained. “We’ve come out on top in all sorts of different situations, and on different surfaces this year. We have some fond memories to fall back on as we go into this series.”As for Harmison himself, Vaughan was adamant that his man would rise to the challenge of defending his No. 1 status. “I’m sure South Africa have a game plan to get on top of Harmo,” he said. “It’s only natural because he’s a genuine threat. But I have no doubt that at some stage of the series, he is going to produce a spell that changes a game.”South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 AB de Villiers, 3 Jacques Rudolph, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Boeta Dippenaar, 6 Andrew Hall, 7 Shaun Pollock, 8 Zander de Bruyn, 9 Thami Tsolekile (wk), 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Dale Steyn.England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Michael Vaughan (capt), 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Simon Jones, 10 Matthew Hoggard, 11 Steve Harmison.

Close Sri Lanka 129 for 5 (Jayawardene 32) and 208 lead West Indies 191 (Nissanka 5-64) by 146 runs Prabath Nissanka led a Sri Lanka fightback with the ball on the second day of this decisive second Test, exploiting a juicy Sabina Park pitch to claim his first Test five-for, as West Indies were skittled out for 191. But West Indies’ pace quartet then made deep inroads into Sri Lanka’s top order to leave the match on a knife-edge at the close.West Indies held a clear advantage on the first evening after dismissing Sri Lanka for a paltry 208, but Nissanka – playing in only his fourth Test – clawed the visitors back into the game with 5 for 64. Muttiah Muralitharan chipped in with the prize scalp of Brian Lara – his 50th wicket against West Indies, in his seventh Test.The bowler’s dominance continued though the final session. Corey Colleymore livened up the Kingston crowd with the wickets of Sanath Jayasuriya (13), who was trapped lbw, and Kumar Sangakkara (12), the first innings top-scorer, who edged behind (43 for 2). When Marvan Atapattu (28), Sri Lanka’s sheet anchor, flirted at a good-length delivery to give Jerome Taylor his first Test wicket, the Sri Lankans were back in trouble (80 for 3).Mahela Jayawardene (32) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (23) shepherded Sri Lanka back into a more comfortable position during a 38 run stand for the fourth wicket. But two wickets in three balls just before the close meant it was West Indies that finished with their nose ahead. Jayawardene nicked a Fidel Edwards outswinger and Taylor flattened Kalauwitharana’s stumps. Sri Lanka closed on 129 for 5 with a slender 146-run lead.Earlier, West Indies had been given a good start by Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds. Gayle smacked 14 off Thilan Thushara’s third over, and then Hinds smashed successive fours of Chaminda Vaas. It had all the hallmarks of being a bad day for Sri Lanka when Muralitharan dropped a skyer from Gayle at mid-on. But then Nissanka weighed in. Gayle tried to leave a ball but gloved it to Sangakkara at gully for 31 (54 for 1) and then Hinds’s flashing drive got an edge through to Kaluwitharana, the wicketkeeper. Hinds made 19 (59 for 2).Lara arrived to a hero’s welcome after his double-hundred in St Lucia, but this time Muralitharan won their personal tussle, trapping the flummoxed Lara leg-before with his arm ball. Muralitharan’s delight and the crowd’s stunned silence testified to the importance of that wicket. Lara had made 10 and West Indies’ decision to play the extra bowlers meant that their tail was almost exposed to the eager Muralitharan.Much depended on Ramnaresh Sarwan, but he was bowled behind his legs by Vaas as he shuffled across his stumps for 31 (107 for 4). Thereafter, wickets tumbled. Nissanka removed Omari Banks and Marlon Samuels, both caught low at first slip by Hashan Tillakaratne, and Muralitharan bamboozled his way through the tail.Collymore and Edwards added an idiosyncratic 16 runs for the last wicket as Tillakaratne mystifyingly left Nissanka kicking his heels at long leg. When Nissanka was eventually summoned it took him four balls to end the resistance. In a low-scoring match, the runs eked out by the West Indies tail could be decisive.Day 1 Bulletin: Edwards enjoys a fairytale debut

* A good year for the BCCIThe Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has made a netprofit of 37.99 crore during the financial year 2000-2001.This despite the cancellation of tournaments in Sharjah andToronto and the heavy investments made to get the services ofGeoff Marsh and John Wright. Marsh was reportedly paid Rs 25lakh for the three brief visits he made to India during theperiod.The Press Trust of India which carries the report says thatthe huge profits were courtesy sale of television rights, teamsponsorship deals and also “professional marketing of the homeseries against Australia and Zimbabwe”. Strangely, despite the”professional marketing”, the Zimbabwean tour yielded morerevenue (Rs 6.1 crore) than the Australian tour (Rs 3.77crore).The BCCI’s income also tripled in the period from Rs 30.23 inthe last financial year to Rs 91 crore this year. The balancesheet as on March 31, 2001 shows total assets of Rs 201.84crore as against Rs 144.92 crore last year.The major expenses include the allocation of Rs 6 crore forinfrastructure development and Rs 1.92 crore to set up theNational Cricket Academy in Bangalore.Meanwhile, Rs 2.06 crore was spent on coaching camps of whichRs 83 lakh went to the foreign coach (name not mentioned) andRs 29 lakh to the physio.Ace leg-spinner Anil Kumble was given Rs 6,23,182 fortreatment of his shoulder injury while former wicket-keeperSaba Karim received Rs 1,69,261 for his eye operation, PTIadded.* Hey guys, we did a great jobThe BCCI feels that it has saved Indian cricket from beingdragged into the mire of match-fixing.”Far from descending into a slough of despair, the game hasemerged stronger from the crisis brought about by match-fixingand related malpractices. The alacrity with which the boardacted during the year may have helped save a crumbling image.It took great moral strength to condemn our very own,” saysthe BCCI’s annual report prepared by secretary Jaywant Leleand joint secretary Jyoti Bajpai.”But all of us know that welfare of the game and thepreservation of its fair name is greater than individuals.Suffice it to say, cricket in India is on a good wicket now,”says the report which will be tabled during the 72nd AnnualGeneral Body Meeting in Chennai on September 29.”To say the game is back on the rails after going through avery severe crisis of confidence would be most appropriate.Justice is truth in action, is a homily no one will disagreewith. Yet it is a secure future that we look to as we leavethe great scandal behind.”That will be a future free of the kind of disruptiveinfluence that bookmakers brought to bear on the game as theytoyed with the integrity of some of the players of the game.”The board had to take several difficult decisions during theyear. The hardest of all had to do with those of our playerswho may have at some time or the other compromised theintegrity of the game."”The board hopes that by virtue of the decisions of thedisciplinary committee and the punishment it meted out to someplayers, all cricketers will have received a stern warning ofwhat fate awaits them if they indulge in influencing thecourse of matches for a consideration. As Mark Twain said`truth is the most valuable thing we have’.”All this eloquence is followed by a a few words on currentBCCI president AC Muthiah, who is seeking a third term inoffice. “While he faced challenges in his first year that werenot quite cricket, in his second year, Muthiah had to takefirm action and tough decisions to save the fair name of thegame, when cricket was gripped by an unprecedented crisis.”The duo then point out the achievements of the BCCI – “theappointment of national and international consultants, theplacing of orders for video aided analysis for the nationalteam, the setting up of regional and national cricketacademies to give thrust to Indian cricket on par withinternational standards, were the success stories, besidesmany other matters like eradicating the overage problems ofcricketers in age group tournaments, improvement of pitchesand strict financial governance.”Did you say the BCCI can’t make the right pitch?

ScorecardTom Abell gave a further illustration of his rich promise•Getty Images

Warwickshire are on the brink of LV=County Championship victory over Somerset after a third day on which young batsmen Sam Hain and Tom Abell showed their rich promise.Twenty-year-old Hain completed an unbeaten 103 (169 balls, 12 fours) – his sixth century in only his 18th first-class match – to lift Warwickshire to 365 all out and a first innings lead of 100 at Edgbaston.As Somerset then folded all out for 170 in their second innings, the exception to some tatty batting was 21-year-old Abell. The Taunton-born opener, in his 15th first-class match, batted through the innings for a skilful 88 (142 balls, 13 fours).It was the second time in five weeks that he had carried his bat, having achieved the feat against Nottinghamshire at Taunton in June, and he was only denied a deserved career-best (which remains 95) and maiden century by the ineptitude of his colleagues.While Abell resisted, the rest failed to deal with the aggressive seam-bowling of Rikki Clarke (four for 43) and the astute spin of Jeetan Patel (four for 47). Their supine efforts left Warwickshire a victory target of 70 and they reached six without loss before rain lopped of the last 15 overs.After Warwickshire resumed in the morning on 319 for eight, Hain and Patel took their partnership to 83 before Patel (41, 47 balls) was bowled by Overton who then removed Oliver Hannon-Dalby first ball to finish with a career-best six for 74.If a lead of 100 looked useful, it soon appeared mountainous after Somerset, having advanced with relative comfort to 32 without loss, lost three wickets in 14 balls without adding a run.Marcus Trescothick fell lbw, sweeping at Patel, and Clarke delivered fast, straight balls too good for Michael Bates, lbw, and James Hildreth, bowled.Abell dig in admirably but nobody else passed 21. Tom Cooper was trapped in front by Hannon-Dalby and Jim Allenby edged Chris Woakes to second slip before Clarke and Patel hoovered up the rest.Clarke ousted Peter Trego lbw and Overton who thumped two fours then sent up a skier in search of a third. Patel removed Abdur Rehman, who played an appalling shot, and had Alfonso Thomas and Tim Groenewald caught behind off successive balls to finish with match-figures of nine for 136.Twenty overs remained in the day when Warwickshire set off in pursuit of 70 but drizzle forced the players off after 26 balls.

Former Pakistan captain turned politician Imran Khan, who gave authorities the slip over the weekend as a state of emergency was imposed through the country, has vowed to oppose President Pervez Musharraf from hiding.Imran, leader of the (The Justice Party) opposed to Musharraf, escaped from his family home while it was being searched by police as part of a government crackdown on the legal fraternity and opposition politicians.In a message passed to Reuters by his ex-wife Jemima, Imran said: “The police have ransacked my house and ill treated my family members.” He went on to accuse the USA of being complicit in Musharraf’s actions.”Our aim is to continue the struggle and mobilise the youth of the country from underground.”Jemima told the Daily Mail: “The police ransacked his house and roughed up his family. He managed to escape just before they returned with an arrest warrant to cart him off to Kot Lakpat jail. He is now in hiding along with most of his party and thousands of others who fear reprisals for criticising the government.”Imran turned to politics soon after retiring from international cricket in 1992. Though his party has limited grassroots support and has enjoyed scant electoral success, Imran has been among the most vociferous critics of the Musharraf regime.