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The highlights of Michael Clarke’s debut series in India had been limited to news bulletins and pay television, so most Australians were getting their first real look at the boy wonder. And in one shot Clarke united grandstands and lounge rooms when he pulled a four from the final ball before lunch to bring up a magical century. What an introduction.Eleven minutes earlier he had been 16 short, straining to go for it but running out of seconds. With one over to go he needed 11 and the mark was surely impossible. But he followed a four through cover off Chris Martin with a three to mid-on, Adam Gilchrist got off strike and Clarke had one ball to move off 96.Stephen Fleming posted two men in the deep at fine and square leg. Knowing the batsman was in the mood for risk, Chris Martin wanted a short ball rising to shoulder height or more above off stump. He delivered it. Clarke rocked back and slapped it in front of square, punching out his celebration like a Cup-winning jockey.Gilchrist, one of the game’s finest shot-makers, had been left behind and clapped in amazement as Clarke slobbered on his helmet, belted the Australia crest on his shirt with his bat and walked off to the appropriate backing music of Alex Lloyd’s ‘Amazing’. It was almost Doug Walters versus Bob Willis at the WACA in 1974-75.Walters trotted off for a beer; Clarke deserved a few breaths to settle down. It was a wild ride that had pulled him more history. Clarke had registered centuries on debut at home and away, joining Kepler Wessels at the Gabba and Kandy in 1982-83 and Harry Graham at Lord’s in 1893 and Sydney in 1894-95. It took Clarke, 23, less than seven weeks.Starting the morning on 31, Clarke was in a hurry and hit Kyle Mills through midwicket in the same over he hooked him for four. As he passed fifty his innings became a sprint and the lunch break hovered. Drives went on both sides to passthrough the 60s, fiercely timed pulls and back foot cover drives got him to the 80s. There were also surges of youthful, unrefined adrenalin that forced an inside edge and some minor miscues.Gilchrist had been Clarke’s Sherpa during his hundred at Bangalore and was again trying to be a calming influence. His message was there was no need to rush. Clarke was listening, but thankfully – and spectacularly – ignored the request for caution.

Barney Rogers cracked an unbeaten century, his second in first-class cricket, as Matabeleland recovered from a first-ball wicket to get on top of the situation on the first day of their Logan Cup match against Mashonaland at Queens Sports Club on Friday.Coming in at number three, Rogers finished with 133 runs to his name as Matabeleland, who lost the loss and were sent in to bat, closed the first day with 391 for the loss of six wickets from 98 overs.New Mashonaland captain Tatenda Taibu, probably trying to flex his muscles, tried in vain to have the start of the match delayed as slight drizzle started falling but he did not succeed.If Taibu’s move was meant to frustrate the batsmen, then it worked out as Matabeleland’s opening partnership of Charles Coventry and Mark Vermeulen did not last. Coventry was back in the pavilion for a firstball duck when he was dismissed by Douglas Hondo. The delivery was outside the off stump and Coventry would have been wise to leave it. Instead he lunged at the ball and Grant Flower was there at gully to take the catch. Matabeleland were one down with no runs on the board.Gavin Rennie joined Vermeulen and the runs started ticking along, with Rennie getting most of them. The usually hard-hitting Vermeulen was cautious with his strokes and took 14 balls to get off the mark, but when he did, he was on fire.The proceedings were eventually disrupted as the drizzle grew worse with play only resuming after nine minutes.Vermeulen and Rennie put on 99 runs for the second wicket before Vermeulen was dismissed by Waddington Mwayenga, caught behind by Taibu for 44 runs which came off 54 balls.The left handed pair of Rogers and Rennie restored the innings with Rennie getting his half-century from 72 balls, hitting nine fours after staying at the crease for 100 minutes. Mashonaland made a change to their bowling, bringing on veteran Craig Evans and the move worked out as he went on to dismiss Rennie for 71, having him caught by Dion Ebrahim.Rogers got his half-century after for 75 minutes at the crease, facing 54deliveries and smashing ten fours. His partnership with Andre Hoffman yielded 49 runs before Hoffman, who looked on his way to a big score, was run out for 17 runs with Trevor Gripper throwing in the ball for Taibu to finish off the dismissal.Captain Heath Streak joined in the hunt for the runs but he tended to be on the defensive most of the times, especially against young off-spinner Prosper Utseya.After 193 minutes at the crease, dispatching 19 fours and facing 150 balls, Rogers finally reached the century mark. He did it in style, hitting two consecutive fours from left arm spinner Grant Flower.Amos Maungwa grabbed his first wicket when he dismissed Streak, having him caught at gully by Grant Flower for 40, which came off 102 balls.Gavin Ewing, who grabbed a double-century against Midlands last week, came in and settled immediately, dispatching two boundaries off Grant Flower. He went on to get his half-century after facing 52 balls, hitting ten fours and a six.Utseya got his first wicket when he had Ewing given out leg before wicket for 68 runs which came off 75 balls with 13 fours and a six. Mluleki Nkala was the new man in but he was yet to open his account after facing up to four balls.Taibu used eight bowlers but none of them managed to offer any solution with Hondo, Evans, Utseya and Maungwa grabbing one wicket apiece but their figures were not impressive. The Mashonaland fielding was also disappointing.

Compared with the soul-searching and winter-long agonising that went intoEngland’s eventual refusal to visit Zimbabwe for lastyear’s World Cup, the decision that Steve Harmison reached this morning wasan absolute no-brainer. But it was no less laudable for that.In the 18 months that have passed since that World Cup,Harmison’s stock as a cricketer has risen exponentially, the standard ofthe Zimbabwean team has fallen through the floor, and the situation in that country becomes ever more objectionable by the day. In the eyes of those who seek to put a political spin on every step of this saga, he had muchto lose from taking the trip, but plenty to gain from taking a stand.The tour will probably benefit from his absence as well. At a time when theworld is debating whether cricket’s minnow nations have any place inthe big pond, it makes no sense for Harmison, one of the meanest pikes inthe game, to be let loose on such defenceless opposition in suchmeaningless circumstances. If England are obliged to take part in thisseries, then the least they can do is blood some young bowlers and makea competition of it.Harmison has long had a reputation as a somewhat reluctant traveller, sothe moral aspect of his stand is probably less relevant than was the casewith Australia’s Stuart MacGill, who might now be reflecting on whether his refusal to tour Zimbabwe had anything to do with his omission from nextmonth’s India series. Naturally, Harmison has no such fears.But looking at the bigger picture, this tour is an unwanted distraction forEngland. They have a crucial nine months coming up, with a massive series in South Africa in December, followed by next summer’s Ashes. The morale ofthe side is every bit as important as form and fitness, and all three couldbe jeopardised on this trip.Harmison has a young family to consider and a huge workload ahead of him.Secretly, the England management may be hoping that his influence rubs offon some of the other key players, not least that man Flintoff. For the timebeing, less is definitely more.

Tamil Nadu 269 for 9 (Karthik 102*, Sriram 51, Kulkarni 5-82) v Mumbai
ScorecardAn unbeaten hundred from 19-year-old Dinesh Karthik saved Tamil Nadu as they struggled against Mumbai on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group final at Chennai. At the close, Tamil Nadu were 269 for 9, with Karthik 102 not out.It was Nilesh Kulkarni’s 5 for 82 which broke the backbone of arguably the strongest batting line-up in the country. But most of the batsmen were guilty of irresponsible shots, and Tamil Nadu squandered a great chance to drive home the advantage of winning the toss. Were it not for Karthik, who was dropped at long-off on 45, it would have been so much worse.His innings showed tremendous maturity, and he was quickly into his stride with some neat drives. And it was not all dour defence – he had the tiny crowd on their feet immediately after tea as he laced Aavishkar Salvi for four fours in an over, in the process hitting him out of the attack. A flick off his pads was executed without fuss, a late-cut glided effortlessly. But two majestic cover drives made those who were still sitting stand up and applaud. He batted sensibly despite losing partners at regular intervals.The morning belonged to Mumbai. Munaf Patel found the spot immediately, inducing an edge from Sadagoppan Ramesh to Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper, in his second over (5 for 1). But Somasetty Suresh, dropped by Wasim Jaffer at second slip, and Sridharan Sriram guided Tamil Nadu to a comfortable position within sight of lunch. Suresh latched on to a few wide ones and slapped a few crisp drives through the covers.As expected, the pitch was a belter and a big total appeared to be on the cards until Suresh needlessly wafted at Kulkarni, was undone by the extra bounce, and gave Jaffer the first of five catches in the slips (74 for 2). And like a champion that had sniffed blood, Mumbai drove home their advantage when Kulkarni forced Subramaniam Badrinath to prop forward and Manoj Joglekar completed a sharp chance at forward short leg (74 for 3).Hemang Badani’s first four was a flourishing cover-drive off Kulkarni, but thereafter he grew increasingly frustrated. When Kulkarni threw one up, Badani didn’t hold back but only edged to Jaffer at first slip (122 for 4). And then Sriram’s impetuosity got the better of him. He had twice got himself into a tangle while attempting the reverse-sweep, and the third time he only succeeded in slapping it to Jaffer. His five fours were elegant, but his innings will be remembered for those three atrocious shots.As Karthik ploughed on, the rest succumbed. Sreedharan Sharath was unlucky to be given out caught in the slips – TV replays showed the ball struck his pad (207 for 6). And the tailenders were too intent on playing their strokes and hardly put up a fight, with Bahutule taking 3 for 46 in his final spell.But the day was Karthik’s. He reached his hundred off the final over, squaring up and carting Munaf over midwicket. Every Mumbai player shook his hand before he walked off and as far as the mood was concerned today, the kid had done his college proud.Syed Kirmani, chairman of selectors, termed it as a “gutsy, timely knock.” Chandrakant Pandit, the Mumbai coach, was more effusive. “I was looking at restricting them to 225 during the tea break. But Karthik played a fantastic innings. I don’t think we bowled too well after tea, but Karthik’s was a special knock.”But on this pitch, and given Tamil Nadu’s thin bowling resources, Mumbai already hold all the aces.

The Indian board has decided to telecast some domestic cricket matches live from the 2006-07 season. “At least 70 days of domestic cricket will be shown live on television,” Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said. “We will choose the important matches which would be broadcast.”The matches, involving Ranji, Deodhar, Duleep and the Challenger Trophy — comprising 93 first-class games, 83 one-day games and a number of Twenty20 games — would be marketed to provide fillip to domestic cricket.”It will encourage the domestic teams because when the matches will be telecast live on television they will get sponsorships also,” Shah said. Asked which channel would telecast the matches, Shah said the rights were with Nimbus and they would decide about it. “I don’t know because the right are with Nimbus and they will decide about it. We will be able to give a detailed information only after 10-15 days.”There has also been speculation that Nimbus would soon launch a channel of its own and the matches would be shown on it.

Close Australia 262 for 2 (Langer 115*, Ponting 52) v India
Scorecard

The best part of Sourav Ganguly’s day lasted for a few minutes, first thing in the morning. He won the toss and put Australia in. But winning the toss against Australia is about as useful as using an umbrella to keep dry under the Niagara Falls. Australia rattled up 262 for 2, on a rain-interrupted first day in which Justin Langer clattered 115, and the closest thing to batting failure was Matthew Hayden’s breezy 37.Langer’s innings formed the backbone of a strong Australian score, both literally and figuratively. He was gritty, solid, no-frills and vitally important for the stability of the innings. Around him there were batsmen of greater panache and ability who played dreamy drives and powerful thumps. But no runs look better than the ones on the scoreboard. The way Langer paced his innings put the Indians on the back foot, and kept them there all day.To begin with, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan bowled too full, floating the ball into just the right place for Langer and Hayden to drive. And drive they did, in contrasting styles. Hayden stood tall and bludgeoned, Langer punched and pushed, almost apologetically. Hayden’s booming drives pinged the advertising hoardings, while Langer’s shots trickled over the ropes, often with a ragged Indian fielder in tow.When Akash Chopra caught Langer smartly at short square leg off a Nehra no-ball, and the Indian fielders had to rein in their delight, it set the tone for the day. Lady luck turned her face away from the carnage. The ball beat the bat more than once, when Zaheer bent his back and produced a good spell, but did not result in an edge. The ball tricked the bat and hit pad more than once, but did not result in an lbw.But, as they say, you make your own luck. Australia kept their run rate hovering around the four mark with unwavering certainty. Hayden reached 37 from 52 balls before flashing a delivery from Zaheer into VVS Laxman’s lap in the slip cordon (73 for 1).India needed to tighten the screws at this stage. They had to slip in a few quiet overs and put pressure on Ricky Ponting, the new batsman. Ajit Agarkar achieved the exact opposite, with a string of half-volleys that Ponting pummelled back down the ground for boundaries. Ganguly, frustrated and sheepish in equal measure, removed Agarkar from the attack after a first spell of 5-1-40-0.

Since pace clearly did not work, Gangly turned to Harbhajan Singh, his lone spinner. Harbhajan, picked ahead of Anil Kumble for this Test, was welcomed to the attack with a savage Langer cut that raced to the point fence. Ponting, who was dismissed no fewer than five times by Harbhajan when Australia last toured India, made a bold statement by coming down the track and smashing Harbhajan into the stands over long-on.Spin and pace had both failed in the face of the Langer-Ponting combination, which added 89 runs for the second wicket. Almost against the run of play, Ponting (52) then dismissed himself, when he top-edged a pull to Parthiv Patel behind the stumps (162 for 2). Zaheer allowed himself a smile, having taken Ponting’s wicket with the unlikeliest of deliveries, a short one.Damien Martyn began his pleasurable stay at the crease with a tickle down to the fine-leg boundary. He waited on the ball, was in no hurry, and built his innings. With Australia scoring as quickly as they were, Martyn didn’t need to take any risks. Playing his natural game, treating the bowling on merit, Martyn helped himself to 36 runs. Langer, unbeaten on 115 (175 balls, 16 fours), was happy to walk off the field when Steve Bucknor offered him the light. Although only 62 overs were bowled in the day, Australia scored quickly enough, at 4.22 runs per over, to reach 262.The Indians were also happy to walk off, as that was perhaps the only way they were going to get any respite from this onslaught. Ganguly walked off just behind Langer, applauding him as he crossed over the ropes to a waiting Hayden. That might be just about the shape of things to come for the Indians in the gruelling weeks ahead.

Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka’s former captain, has bemoaned the decision toappoint two separate captains for Test and one-day cricket in a recentinterview with the .

Ranatunga also criticised the selectors for not consulting Marvan Atapattu,the current one-day captain, who they believed would be overburdened by theresponsibility of handling both jobs at the outset.”I vehemently object to having two captains for the national team,” saidRanatunga. “If Marvan (Atapattu) was not good enough for the (Test)captaincy then they should have handed it to someone who could have handledboth. I think the selectors should have consulted Marvan on the issue.””If you look at the last two one-day international championships (in Sharjahand Dambulla), where we failed to make it to the final, the problem was notthe captaincy issue but the fact they were not given a proper team. AvishkaGunawaradene, Romesh Kaluwitharana and even Upul Chandana, who made usefulcontributions in the Caribbean, were not given the nod when they were ingood touch.”

Ranatunga doesn’t doubt the captaincy skills of his former colleague, HashanTillakaratne, but he believes that he should have been given a chanceearlier instead of Sanath Jayasuriya, who was appointed after Ranatunga’ssacking. “I don’t say that Hashan is not fit for the captaincy,” he says.”He should have been made captain in 1999.”Ranatunga only recently lost the race for the cricket board presidency,winning just seven votes compared to the 121 clinched by ThilangaSumathipala. But Ranatunga rubbishes the suggestion that his candidacy was amistake.

“Actually, I am very happy with the way things went,” he claimed. “I cameforward to prove a point, which many people did not want to accept. But theman on the street understood. I chose to bell the cat, which in future willbe an example to BCCSL aspirants.””Experience has shown how an organized group is influencing the BCCSLaffairs. It culminated on June 6 when the election was held. I don’t thinkwith this situation and single good cricketer or administrator would want tocome forward.””The situation is such that even if you led Sri Lanka to five world crowns,you cannot win the BCCSL election. It is very hard to beat them. If RanilWickremasinghe, the Prime Minister, had contested, he would have lost too.”Defiant to the end, Ranatunga pledged to continue his battle. “I think thegeneral public is aware of the corrupted system and I will continue toexpose these things in the future as well.”

Graeme Smith is doubtful for the NatWest Triangular Series clash against England at Old Trafford on Thursday after injuring his shoulder during South Africa’s 46-run victory against Zimbabwe at Canterbury.Smith fell twice while attempting to catch Travis Friend in the outfield and though scans and X-rays revealed no serious damage, he faces a race against time to be fit for the day-night game.”It’s not the best preparation for the next match, but Shane (Jabbar) [the physio] and I have been working extremely hard and will continue this evening,” he said. “I had a couple of injections today which seem to have helped as well as I’m not feeling nearly as much pain. It has definitely improved a lot from Monday. If I play I will play with a fair bit of pain – but I would love to play and give 100%. I am working very hard on getting myself fit.”A final decision regarding Smith’s participation will be taken on Thursday morning. South Africa are currently bottom of the table, though they have played one game less than the other two teams. A continuous light drizzle prevented them from practising on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka A completed their second successive win over the Kenyan national team, by six wickets at the Ruaraka Sports Club in Nairobi yesterday. Sri Lanka A now lead the five-match one-day series 2-0.Kenya’s Maurice Odumbe was named Man of the Match for his impressive 119. His century came from 92 balls, and he hit 15 fours. Odumbe shared a fourth-wicket stand of 183 with Kennedy Obuya, who made 72. This helped lift Kenya’s total to a healthy 273 for 8 – but it wasn’t enough. Poor fielding cost Kenya dearly, as Sri Lanka A overhauled the target with seven balls to spare.Jehan Mubarak made 102, but he did have two lives: the first came when he had only made 9, when the ball slipped through Francis Otieno’s hands as he was preparing to throw it up. His celebrations turned sour when the umpire disallowed the catch.

Pakistan’s 2003 World Cup campaign has come to a challenging pass, which may seem virtually impossible. They need to beat Zimbabwe here at Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo tomorrow, but just a win would not be enough. They must meet exceptionally stiff targets whether they bat first or second.There are so many permutations that the match could be called a statistician’s dream and the nightmare for any cricket fan, let alone Pakistan supporters.On sheer ability, the target is not an unrealistic one for Pakistan, although one has to concede that it falls in the realm of a super-human effort. That is the optimistic view. The flip side is rather stark, and judging by Pakistan’s performances so far, they would be catching a plane home next morning.Zimbabwe is one of the weaker outfits in this World Cup, and the fact that the country and the team has suffered because of its political problems and resulting isolation, has had a bearing on the morale and unity of Heath Streak’s team.Pakistan did not do themselves justice against the much weaker Namibia and Netherlands. Had they scored 300-plus against these two minnows, which Zimbabwe did, their net run-rate would have been far superior to what it is now, and their present predicament much lighter.But that is water under the bridge. Pakistan need to lift themselves, and each member of the eleven needs to play out of his skin. In three of five outings in their recent series in Zimbabwe, Pakistan scored well over 300. They need to repeat it.Coach Richard Pybus has promised that the boys would go flat out, but it is difficult following the gut-wrenching defeat by India, after which a pall of gloom has descended over the team. But Pybus said: “They’ve pulled themselves up after that loss, and they’re aware that they can still make it if they play flat out.”So Pakistan need one big final effort. Though the Australian batting must have given them quite a fright (the entire Pakistan team watched the Sunday match on television and there was visible relief at the outcome), the Aussies in the end gave them a lifeline with their narrow win over England.Beggars cannot be choosers. When you leave your fate in the hands of others, you live at their mercy. And Pakistan must blame their pathetic bowling against India, and lack of application in other games, especially the less important ones against the two bottom-ranked outfits.The Queen’s Sports Club wicket is slow-paced, and if Pakistan win the toss, it would give an opportunity to their batsmen to go after the Zimbabwe attack, which only has a couple of good performers with the ball, captain Heath Streak among them.Zimbabwe will be happy with the return from injury of all-rounder Grant Flower,who along with brother Andy is a world-class performer. Grant missed the game against Holland because of a finger injury, and neither opener Mark Vermeulen or all-rounder Doug Marillier would make up for him. Henry Olonga may still notfind a place in the side, as his replacement Andy Blignaut has blasted runs in quick time.As for Pakistan, Pybus has hinted at a couple of changes, but refused to divulge what these would be.The toss will again be vital, but Pakistan has to make sure that if Waqar Younis loses on the spin of the coin, they still make a fist of it, with sharp and incisive bowling and then some big-hitting.The task is difficult in the extreme, but Pakistan know what is required to achieve a slot in the Super Sixes. If they play up to their potential, with self-belief and a can-do spirit, their comeback may just be achievable. Take a look at the permutations below.