Sri Lanka began the serious business of their three Test tour of South Africa as if they meant serious business.After the hit-and-giggle frivolity of Nicky Oppenheimer’s game, they began their preparations for the coming internationals by dismissing Eastern Province in a session and three balls to take a stranglehold on their three-day match in Port Elizabeth.When they went into bat, the pitch miraculously flattened out and at the close the tourists had cantered along to 253 for nine – despite the fact that Garnet Kruger produced a hat-trick in the final session.Sri Lanka lead by 161, and having seen 19 wickets tumble on day one this game has every chance of being concluded on the second.The Jumbos never got out of the blocks after they lost the toss and were inserted on a green pitch under morning cloud cover.Only James Bryant reached double figures – his 37 being far and away the best knock of the innings as his side stumbled to 92 for nine at lunch and were skittled in the over following it.Seamer Dilhara Fernando finished with figures of four for 27 from 11 overs on the kind of pitch he probably wishes he could pack up and transport back to Colombo.Mutiah Muralitharan weaved his magic for the first time on the tour taking two for nine from six overs as he managed to deceive Murray Creed well enough to bowl him, and then turn another on Shafiek Abrahams to have him leg before wicket.Sri Lanka made a serene start in reply openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu each cracking five fours as they raced to 85 in 20 overs before the home side got the breakthrough.Jayasuriya (38) was taken at first slip as he drove at Nantie Hayward and Kruger followed up in the next over dismissing Atapattu for 42 to catch to the keeper.The third wicket pair of Kumar Sangakkara (37) and Mahela Jayawardene (87) carried Sri Lanka into a commanding lead with a 91-run partnership before Kruger produced his hat-trick.Sangakkara began the mini-collapse when he was caught at midwicket andKruger then had Russel Arnold lbw and grabbed the third when Tillekeratne Dilshan edged to Justin Kemp at second slip.A 48-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Jayawardene andRomesh Kaluwitharana halted the slide but then four wickets in the space of 12 runs reined in the tourists.Justin Kemp took two wickets in two balls but a second hat-trick wasavoided by Mutiah Muralitharan who was not out on two at the close withZoysa (19 not out).

Regional Academy Sheikhupura will be formally inaugurated on Friday June 1st 2001, by former PCB Chairman Syed Zulfiqar Bokhari at 9:15 a.m.PCB has already announced the names of 20 players for the Regional Academy who had been directed to report to Aaqib Javed at the Sheikhupura Stadium on Thursday. Former Test Cricketers Shafiq Ahmed and Aaqib Javed have been named as Coaches with Shafiq as the Incharge of the Academy.The present team of the Regional Academy at Sheikhupura will last till August 25th, 2001. Located at the Sheikhupura Stadium, both the training and lodging of the players will be at the same venue.The inauguration of the Sheikhupura Academy on Friday will complete the first phase of launching cricket academies all over Pakistan. The National Academy at Lahore and Regional Academies at Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar have been functioning smoothly since the start and the players undergoing their multi-faceted training and coaching under the respective panel of coaches and the experts, who are assisting them in their task. In addition to this PCB has also embarked on a programme to invite foreign experts and renowned former test cricketers, former test umpires and experts in their respective field to lecture the trainees.Under the plan besides lectures by local experts like former Test Umpire Khizer Hayat, an Australian Coach Mr. Richard Done is already in Pakistan on an eleven-day visit on a coaching assignment. A former senior coach of the Australian Cricket Academy and one time member of the Australian Coaching Council and a specialist coach in fast bowling sports, science and coach education. He is in Pakistan form May 25th to June 9. Having spent four days at Lahore, he is already visiting Peshawar and Rawalpindi Academies before arriving in Karachi on June 2 for conducting two days training session at Karachi.


Khalid Butt
Media Manager
31 May 2001

Inspired by a brilliant display of pace bowling from Asim Butt, pre-tournament favourite Scotland has sounded a massive warning to its ICC Trophy rivals on the tournament’s opening day here in Toronto. The Scots’ win, by a margin of six wickets over Fiji at King City, was secured in less than three hours and with more than thirty-six overs to spare.Left armer Butt (5/11), a permanent fixture in the Scottish attack over recent years, set up the devastating win by snaring 4/1 in the space of ten deliveries. It was enough to rip the heart out of a Fijian order already unsettled by the sight of deliveries rearing wickedly off the pitch and the calamity of losing star batsman Neil Maxwell (2) to a disastrous run out in just the eleventh over.So grave did matters become that the Fijians threatened to wipe away from the record books the lowest-ever score by a team in ICC Trophy competition – the highly unflattering mark of 26 made by East and Central Africa against the Netherlands in Kuala Lumpur in 1997. In the end, some brave strokeplay from Iniasi Cakacaka (12) helped them past that score but not far enough to avoid the ignominy of posting their own nation’s smallest tally in ICCT competition.Taione Batina (2/13) also extracted bounce when it (rapidly) came Fiji’s turn to bowl, unsettling several members of the Scottish top order. Excellent pace was also generated by Maxwell but the attack never had vaguely enough runs available to defend. Emerging stars Drew Parsons (16*) and Douglas Lockhart (14) batted as well as anyone all day.Canada also confirmed its status as one of the leading contenders in the competition with a tremendous all-round display in a nine-wicket victory over Singapore at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club.The Canadians’ fielding and bowling was sufficiently solid to restrict Singapore to a modest 169 and was then complemented by controlled upper order batting. Opener Nick DeGroot (82*) was a standout, playing an innings full of rasping drives and exquisite cut strokes, albeit that he was the beneficiary of a major slice of fortune midway through his innings when a regulation catch was grassed at short mid wicket.Young middle order batsman Josh Dearing (77) had earlier played a superb innings for Singapore, joining with Zubin Schroff (27) to stabilise the cause after a disappointing start.It was a measure of how well he had played that Dearing’s departure – to the highly effective medium pace of Sanjay Thuraisingham (2/20) – sparked the beginning of the end for the Singaporeans. The final seven wickets crashed for just 54 runs to end the innings three deliveries short of their full allotment. Barry Seebaran (2/24) chimed in well with his spinners for Canada.A far more exciting finish came at Ross Lord, where Bermuda triumphed by two runs over a desperately unlucky Denmark. For as long as Morten Andersen (55) and Thomas Hansen (32) were together at the crease and assembling a superb partnership of 71 runs during the closing stages of the match, the Danes appeared to be in control. But a double bowling change with just three overs left to play yielded both wickets and tilted the odds, for the final time, in Bermuda’s favour.Before a respectably-sized crowd happy to offer plenty of verbal encouragement to both sides, Charlie Marshall (67) and Albert Steede (49) set the tone for Bermuda’s score of 9/200 after it had been invited to bat first in muggy conditions. Marshall hit the ball beautifully, stroking eight fours and clubbing four sixes in a powerful exhibition.Denmark’s interests were also powerfully represented by Hansen (3/11), who bowled economically at both ends of the innings.The Danes made a cautious beginning with the bat and fell well behind the required run rate consistently through the opening and middle stages of the innings. Andersen and Hansen reversed the situation to the point that only eight runs were needed off Herbie Bascombe’s bowling from the final over.Bascombe struck a crucial blow by trapping Andersen lbw with the opening delivery. To the horror of his teammates, a wide followed later in the over but the medium pacer held his nerve well enough to leave the batting team needing a boundary from the last ball to win or a three to tie. A beautifully aimed leg side yorker, the final ball crashed into nothing but pad and dribbled away through point. The batsmen set off immediately and, with nothing to lose, even attempted a second. The endeavour was, indeed, suicidal.Scenes also spilled over into jubilation at a sun-baked Eglinton Flats ground, where Argentina clambered to a four-wicket success over Israel with only four deliveries remaining. The Division Two teams fought out a magnificent contest, and the advantage fluctuated consistently between them for most of the day.In the end, it was a 55-run partnership at a crucial time between Paul Ferguson (38*) and Martin Cortabarria (36) which proved the difference. Sophisticated batting from the stylish Gaston Arizaga (57) at the top of the order was also invaluable, as was the bowling of Christ Tunon (4/41).Earlier, Israel had punctuated an innings of fits-and-starts and occasionally disappointing running between the wickets with two excellent individual hands. The Melbourne-born David Silver (58) and Adrian Vard (38*) played a major role in lifting their team to its eventual tally of 8/190. Despite a solid overall bowling performance, it was nonetheless not quite enough to push their side over the finishing line in front.By contrast, the Malaysia-France battle was lopsided from early in the piece. In the main, this was due to a brilliant stand between Malaysian opening batsmen Shankar Retinam (118) and Rakesh Madhavan (39) that foiled their rivals’ gamble in taking the option to bowl first on a generally hard, true pitch.There was only a small crowd on hand and few among them failed to be captivated by Retinam’s batting. Madhavan’s batting was less eye-catching but not significantly less influential on the destiny of the match. They each took advantage of undisciplined bowling – and an early dropped catch from which the former benefited strongly – in extremely competent fashion.Around some accurate bowling from L Brumant (4/48), there were runs too for Marimuthu Muniandy (31) and a succession of useful contributions down the order. But, by this stage, France had already all but conceded the match.In warm and humid conditions, they struggled with their line and length, bowling on both sides of the pitch and tending to drop the ball a little too short at times. Their batting later in the afternoon was plucky and, in finishing at 9/166, they lived up to their main aim by that point of seeing out their full fifty overs. The all-round talents of Brumant (30) again figured strongly.

Former West Indies fast bowler, Curtly Elconn Linwall Ambrose, has started a new chapter of his life. Yesterday morning, the retired fast bowler married his long-time girlfriend Bridgette Benjamin during a simple, but elegant ceremony at the Spring Gardens, Moravian Church in Antigua’s capital city of St John’s.An arch, which comprised cricket bats and balls, was formed in the couple’s honour as they left the church. The couple have two daughters, Tanya and Chloe.In attendance was Ambrose’s long-time former West Indies teammate Courtney Walsh. Other former West Indies and Leeward Islands players and officials, including Winston and Kenneth Benjamin, were present. Several government and business officials were also at the ceremony.Ambrose who retired from Test cricket after the West Indies’ tour of England last year, represented the West Indies in 98 Tests and took 405 wickets. Ambrose and Walsh formed one of cricket’s most feared and long-lasting attacks.Ambrose is currently employed as a cricket coach within the Ministry of Sports, as well as being one of two Ambassadors-at-Large, the other being Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards.The government of Antigua & Barbuda has indicated that it will confer special awards to both Ambrose and Walsh during the country’s 21st independence celebrations in November, for the duo’s outstanding contribution to West Indies cricket.

One of England’s bowling heroes, Andy Caddick, told how Australia had panicked on the evening of the first day of the Third npower Test at Trent Bridge.Caddick, who took three wickets in 11 balls as Australia collapsed to 105-7 in reply to the home side’s 185 all out, believes that Australia have now lost their aura of invincibility and shown that they are as vulnerable as any other side to quality fast bowling.”I am sure they may have just panicked in the dressing room,” Caddick said.”It just shows you that Australia are good players, but if you get stuck into them and get on top of they do anything that a human would do, and that is panic,” he reasoned.But Caddick was taking nothing for granted, and stressed that England still had a huge amount of work to do before they secure the game, let alone the Ashes.”I would say we have put ourselves in a pretty good position. But I would not say at the moment we will win. There is a lot of cricket to be played still,” he admitted.”The Australians are a very professional side and a talented one. They have some key players capable of doing the business for them in the second innings.”He pointed to the wickets of the Waugh brothers as the key moments of the day, but credited Adam Gilchrist, the not out batsman, as a pivotal figure in the morning”The key two wickets today were Steve and Mark Waugh,” Caddick revealed. “But the key thing tomorrow is to make sure Gilchrist does not get away from us.”The main thing is to ensure that the good 15 minutes we had tonight we finish off tomorrow morning. We will just plod on and stick to the basics and hope we can come out on top.”And Caddick could not help poking fun at Australian coach, John Buchanan’s much-publicised ‘Sun Tzu’ memo.”We will not be bringing any Chinamen into the dressing room, and I don’t suppose they will be either,” he joked. “We will just carry on putting it in the right places, and it is up to them to respond. They have not done that so far.”Meanwhile, opposite number Glenn McGrath – who had earlier earned Australia the initiative with 5-49 accepted that England had struck back in the final session.”They had a very good session there, and we had a very bad one,” he conceded. “But I hope we can bounce back and turn the tables again.”I am sure there will be a little bit of disappointment, but you have to give credit to England’s bowlers. They bowled well and got it in the right places.”Today they got the edges and held their catches, so we have a good game of cricket on our hands.”But McGrath insisted that his role in the match was far from over: “I haven’t got my first Test 50 yet,” he warned.But more seriously he revealed his confidence with the ball, pinpointing Michael Atherton for special attention in the second innings.”I have a lot of confidence, particularly bowling at Atherton,” he said. “I’ve picked him out 16 times now. My confidence is up and he’s always wary of me.”It’s not an ideal Test wicket but there’s a fair bit in it for the bowlers.”

Speaking earlier this evening Somerset Coach Kevin Shine told me: “We are looking forward to tomorrow’s floodlit game against Surrey. It’s a big game in front of a big crowd for us.”He went on: “at the moment we are not performing very well in the white ball game, but we’re doing well in the CricInfo Championship and are through to the final at Lord’s, so we hope that we can build upon that. We need to put Sunday’s result behind us and put up a good performance at Taunton.”The side to play against Surrey is likely to include Mike Burns, who missed out on Sunday because he has had chickenpox. The final team selection will depend upon whether it is a batsman or a bowler who makes way for Burns.

Surrey have not found it easy in their effort for quick wickets in Yorkshire’s second innings with Michael Vaughan and Anthony McGrath battling it out with an unbroken century-stand for the third wicket at the AMP Oval.Their half-centuries, similar in style with Vaughan reaching his from 68 balls with the help of seven boundaries and McGrath taking 63 balls, hitting eight fours, have been a barrier that Surrey were unable to overcome for nearly an hour and a half.Before that Yorkshire had lost both their opening batsmen for 65 after 20 overs, having enjoyed a first-wicket stand of 57.For the second successive day bad light interrupted play with six overs deducted for stoppage late in the day. When play resumed, eight overs were bowled to stumps with Yorkshire taking their second innings total to 171 for two and reducing Surrey’s first innings lead to 110.This situation sets up an interesting final day’s play with Surrey striving for victory and having already achieved maximum batting and bowling points, an outright win, giving them 20 points will lessen their relegation fears as they go into their final match of the season next week.Earlier, in a little over an hour’s batting, following lunch, Surrey hit 79 with the help of Martin Bicknell’s 36 runs to increase their total to a massive 516 for nine before declaring. Bicknell had struck five boundaries and a six before having his off stump uprooted by Matthew Hoggard.But the significant wicket to fall during that brief period was that of Ben Hollioake who, upon reaching 118, fell lbw offering no stroke to a ball from McGrath who had been brought on for the first time in the day and he obliged with his first-ball wicket.The most successful Yorkshire bowler, however, was Andy Gray who finished with four of the nine wickets to fall for 128 runs from 39 overs in his second Championship match for the county.The declaration came with Surrey holding a substantial first innings lead of 281 which was reduced to 231 after Yorkshire were 51 without loss from 16 overs at tea.This morning a highly productive sixth-wicket stand between Mark Ramprakash and Ben Hollioake had put Surrey in a position of strength in this Cricinfo Championship match with a huge first innings lead of 202 with four wickets remaining at the dismissal of Ramprakash.They had extended their unbroken overnight partnership of 69 to 215 by lunch, taking the total to 437 when Ramprakash was bowled by Gray in the last over of the morning session for a superb 131, which he scored at the rate of a run every two balls and hit 17 boundaries.During the course of this magnificent stand, both batsmen reached centuries. Ramprakash, having batted for nearly four and a half hours, reached his third first-class hundred for Surrey and his fourth of the summer, having hit one in the last Ashes Test at The Oval.Ben Hollioake’s 150-ball century was his first for Surrey and the third of his career, the previous two coming on tour of Sri Lanka with the England A team in 1997-98.

Sussex maintained their slim promotion hopes and denied Glamorgan a title-clinching victory when they won this evening’s NUL Division Two match by 34 runs at Hove.A fourth win in eight days has given Sussex a slim chance of finishing in the top three while Glamorgan will have to wait until their final game against Middlesex on Sunday week before they can make sure of going up as champions.Sussex skipper Chris Adams was the architect of the victory, making an unbeaten 100 as his side posted 225-2 on a slow pitch.Adams had to face the second ball of the innings after the division’s leading run scorer Richard Montgomerie had fallen lbw to left-armer Andrew Davies.He rebuilt the innings, first with teenager Tim Ambrose with whom he added 80 in 22 overs before Ambrose was caught and bowled by Dean Cosker for 46.But they had laid the platform for an onslaught by Adams and Murray Goodwin in the second half of the innings, which brought them 145 runs at over a run a ball.Adams reached his first one-day hundred for 14 months by taking six off the final over from Darren Thomas. He hit six fours and two sixes and faced 122 balls while Goodwin’s unbeaten 67 came off 73 deliveries with a six and four boundaries.Billy Taylor took the wickets of Keith Newell and Robert Croft in successive overs to stall Glamorgan’s reply and the visitors were reduced to 54-4 when Will House trapped Steve James lbw and Mark Robinson bowled skipper Matt Maynard for three.Australian Jimmy Maher (54), Adrian Dale (29), Michael Powell (26) and Davies (24) offered some resistance, but Sussex wrapped up victory with 13 balls to spare.

The Tasmanian Cricket Association has all but put the finishing touches on a spectacular new grandstand at its home ground. But it may not be enough to prevent local fans from tearing down the facilities at the Bellerive Oval if Jamie Cox is never chosen to play for his country.At a time when Australian cricket continues to struggle to find its best Test opening combination, Cox continues to make runs. By the bucketload.And so it was that New South Wales suffered badly at his hands at the opening of a new Pura Cup season here at the Sydney Cricket Ground today. Though a sensational burst with the second new ball from Stuart Clark (4/24) significantly improved matters for the locals in the last half hour, the Tigers dominated the first day of this contest, powering their way to a scoreline of 4/328 by the time that bad light forced an early finish.Devastated by a stand of 205 for the opening wicket between Cox (107) and Dene Hills (136), and then another of 113 for the second between Hills and captain Ricky Ponting (75*), an attack that contained even the likes of Glenn McGrath (0/86) and Stuart MacGill (0/87) looked powerless to halt the onslaught.”I was actually very disappointed (in some ways); I feel as though I left a lot (of runs) out there as well. To get small hundreds is a bit frustrating to be honest, but overall it’s still very satisfying nonetheless,” said Cox after stumps.It was Tasmania’s openers who did all the day’s hard work, their approach watchful initially before they expanded their range of shots expertly even against a new ball which seamed sharply at times on a pitch tinged with grass at both ends.As always, Cox’s driving and cutting through the off side was a feature, albeit that the Blues did not seem to heed the message from earlier years that straying for length on the off side is generally not the best method of either containing or conquering him.Even by the time that MacGill spilled a hot caught and bowled chance when the Tasmanian vice-captain’s score was 70, he had already become the first player in history to score 10,000 first-class runs for the island state.His forty-second first-class century (and his twelfth against this opponent) also swelled his phenomenal haul of runs against New South Wales alone to a whopping 1574 from his last 15 completed innings.The reigning Pura Cup Player of the Year was a controversial omission from the Australian squad which toured England this winter. He has also ceded the state captaincy to Ponting, the one representative that Tasmania does provide to the national team these days. But his thirst for runs seemingly remains undiminished.”Enormous hopes – I’ve had them all my life,” he said of his aspirations for the Test opening role that might well be opening up for him after Michael Slater’s removal from the position in England.”Whilst I’m still playing and feeling good and feeling young, then they’ll stay. If I keep scoring runs, then hopefully a door may open.”It’s one of the things with selection: you never know how close or how far away you might be.”After enduring fluctuating fortunes in 2000-01, Hills was also back to his fluent best, striking the ball beautifully to both sides of the wicket. Ponting was similarly in control in driving, hooking and cutting with savage intent through the middle and late afternoon, even slamming three successive boundaries off Test teammate McGrath at one point. By the time that they reached a scoreline of 1/318, an imposing position by stumps looked a near formality for the visitors.Clark had other ideas, generating a devastating spell that yielded figures of 3/0 in the space of eight balls and forced all-rounder Scott Kremerskothen (0*) to hospital with a broken nose and an horrific wound above his left eye. That blow came courtesy of a lifting delivery that spat off a length and chiselled its way between the peak and grill of a hooking Kremerskothen’s helmet en route to the bridge of his nose.The Tasmanian all-rounder was not the first player to head from the ground to the casualty ward, though.Mark Waugh had also ventured there earlier in the day – needing two stitches to repair split webbing on his right hand – after grassing a chance to accept an edge from Hills (then on just 7) at second slip off McGrath.And, if it hadn’t been for Clark’s intervention, then the whole Blues’ side might have been on their way there after stumps too.

The Perth Test, which begins on Friday, will be the decider in the three-match series between Australia and New Zealand, after rain again hit Hobart to ensure that the Second Test ended in a frustrating draw today.The rain gods had already wiped out around ten hours of play in the match but still weren’t satisfied with their work, duly venting their anger to eliminate all but 86 minutes of action on its fifth and final day. There was less cricket today than on any of the four days which preceded it.In such cricket as could be squeezed in, New Zealand’s batsmen had continued their battle to try and ward off Australia’s bowlers, albeit without a great degree of success. In the main, it was pacemen Jason Gillespie (3/45) and Glenn McGrath (2/46) who confounded them, each exhibiting methodical control as they set about removing arguably the tourists’ three finest batsmen. It left the New Zealanders at the ultimately rather irrelevant score of 7/243 as they responded to the somewhat distant memory represented by Australia’s total of 8/558.”It’s just the way it goes. It’s unlucky, but it’s just the luck of the draw,” said Australian captain, Steve Waugh, after an official abandonment had been made at 3:08pm.”It’s certainly bad luck for everyone, because we played some pretty good cricket. I thought today was the best day that our bowlers have bowled for a long time; if they continue that, then we’re going to be very hard to beat. I thought it was superb.”There was a bit in the wicket, but the bowling was top class.”We were keen to get a result any way we could. It worked out that we had to try and take 16 wickets so that was a lot. But I really believe, (even) if we’d had a full day today, we were a chance of achieving that,” he enthused.As it was, his opposite number Stephen Fleming (71) fell to the very first delivery of the day, the victim of an interminably delayed lbw decision as he padded up to McGrath. Maybe it was the mass of grey clouds behind the bowler’s arm that helped to distract him but, whatever the reason, Fleming had misjudged the line as the Australian spearhead came around the wicket to cut one back in from outside the line of off stump.Stopwatches conservatively put the length of the time needed by umpire Steve Bucknor to form his decision at around seven seconds. Fleming’s walk to the gate, after an innings in which he was unable to convert a half-century into a century for the 31st time in Tests, rivalled it for speed.Craig McMillan (55) was similarly content to continue leaving most deliveries bowled to him as well. Unlike his captain, though, the practice didn’t land him in trouble until much later in the morning. His error came after a patient 209-minute stay during which he had generally shown excellent knowledge of where his off stump was; fatally, he had not counted on the prospect of Gillespie cutting a ball significantly back in off the seam to take a mixture of off and middle.Chris Cairns (20) played a restless innings, slamming his first delivery imperiously through the covers and then serially attempting to increase his score with a mixture of aggressively-executed vertical and horizontal bat strokes. It was a spectacular exhibition that came to be ended by an equally spectacular catch when wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist launched himself horizontally to his right to intercept a thick outside edge at McGrath.The position might have been even worse for the tourists if umpire John Smeaton had upheld a confident appeal for a gloved catch down the leg side as Adam Parore (10*) fended off the line of hip at Gillespie before he had scored. But that was denied; the Australians were unable to shift Daniel Vettori (10*) either; and then the heavens unleashed their fury upon the second-driest capital city in Australia to honour the rain dance that could well have been going on in the New Zealand dressing rooms.”We have to be,” said Fleming, when questioned whether his team was content with the outcome.”Particularly in this game: we were always behind the eight ball. To get out with a draw … we’re happy.”If we want to compete in a Test match, we have to be there or thereabouts at the end of day one. Otherwise, we’re just chasing. Up against a very good side, it’s very rare that you can then get them on the run.”Their countrymen from Crowded House would be proud of them, for the Black Caps are truly taking one form of weather with them almost wherever they go on this trip. Now they head, with the series artistically still deadlocked at 0-0, for Perth.