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A near capacity crowd of 5,500 for this day night NUL match were treated to a thrilling encounter between relegation strugglers Somerset Sabres and Nottingham Outlaws at the County Ground in Taunton.Another exhibition of attacking batting from Kevin Pietersen, who picked up where he had left off the previous day added yet more misery to the Sabres NUL relegation plight as they slid to a second defeat at the hands of the Outlaws.The South African born, ECB qualified twenty two year old effectively put the game beyond a Sabres team who were desperate to gain revenge for their reverse at Trent Bridge 24 hours earlier.When Pietersen came to the wicket Nottinghamshire were 37 for 2. By the time he departed 36 overs later he had scored 147 and the Outlaws were 291 for 6.Whilst Pietersen was at the wicket he shared in a fourth wicket stand of 158 with Balal Shafyat (66) followed by a fifth wicket stand of 60 with Chris Read (21) until he eventually succumbed in the final over when he was caught by a grateful Simon Francis at long on from the bowling of Mike Burns. In all he had faced 101 balls, hit 5×6’s and 16×4’s in a breathtaking display.For Somerset the pick of the bowlers was Richard Johnson who ended with 3 for 41 from his 9 overs.Facing a daunting 297 for victory the Sabres got off to the worst of starts when they lost Peter Bowler to the third ball of the innings.Pinch hitter Johnson struck some lusty blows, until with the score on 34 he lost his partner Jamie Cox for 2. Mike Burns followed next ball, and then one run later Johnson himself was bowled by David Lucas for 25, and the Sabres were in dire trouble at 35 for 4.Ian Blackwell, who has not enjoyed the best of form in his last few innings smote a quickfire 31 to cheer the crowd, but after three successive boundaries he was bowled by Lucas, and the Sabres found themselves 80 for 5.Keith Parsons, who had shared the fifth wicket partnership of 45 with Blackwell now started to take on the attacking role, and in Matthew Wood found a very willing ally to support him.Parsons brought up the hundred in the fourteenth over,his own fifty seven overs later and then with the last ball of the twenty third over the Sabres one hundred and fifty.All the while that he remained at the wicket the Sabres realistic hopes of salvaging a victory remained intact, but after adding 91 with Wood, Parsons was adjudged LBW to Stephen Randall for 73 and Somerset were once again on the backfoot.Nine runs later Turner became another of Randall’s victims, which brought Keith Dutch to the wicket. He quickly warmed to the task and started to show the kind of form that won him the Man of the Match award in the C and G semi final last year.Meanwhile his partner Wood reached his fifty in the 36th over, by which time the Sabres required 74 runs to win off nine overs.Next ball however Dutch (18) hit Franks hard to long off where Logan took the catch, and the Sabres were once again struggling at 225 for 8.A glimmer of hope remained until Matt Wood was bowled by Paul Franks for 61 , followed shortly afterwards by Steffan Jones and the Sabres were all out for 237 to give the Outlaws victory by 62 runs.Immediately after the end of the game Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: "Of course this was a major disappointment to us all. Once again chasing a large total we lost early wickets which in the end proved crucial."He continued: "We put together some partnerships but not early on and when we did we were always short of wickets. Now we have just five NUL games left so we will just keep on going and try to win them all."The coach continued: “The lads are going to be hugely disappointed and they will be hurting after this home defeat. But we can’t dwell on that. We have to pick ourselves up and focus our attention on the county championship match that starts here on Wednesday.”

The hunt for the next pop idol, soap actor, and super model have allappeared on TV recently and now Nottinghamshire’s Usman Afzaal is to launcha national search for a future professional cricketer.Under a scheme organised by Afzaal¹s Cricketing Elite (ACE), the left-handeris to be joined by fellow international cricketers Graham Thorpe, MarkRamprakash, Andy Flintoff, Owais Shah and Chris Lewis to identify promisingplayers.It is also hoped, international commitments permitting, that the world¹sfastest bowler Shoaib Akhtar, will soon be confirmed among the elite band of”selectors”.Afzaal explained: “The players mentioned will all take part in a two-daycoaching clinic at Trent Bridge open to any youngsters aged 13 or above.”I suppose it¹s similar to the ‘Pop Idol’ idea but this time the cricketersof tomorrow will get a unique opportunity to be taught and chosen by theirheroes of today.”We are hoping for around 700 young players on the course over the weekendand from them, we will select a squad of 15 to take on an all-expenses-paidoverseas tour to further improve their game.”Afzaal added that on returning, the best of the bunch will also be referredto county clubs by their illustrious coaches with a view to obtaining trialsto become professional players.The clinics are to be filmed by Sony TV and will be held on Saturday October5 and Sunday October 6 with entry costing £149 per person.For further information and details of how to get a place on the coursecontact the ACE office on 0115 979 2512 or 0115 979 2514.PLEASE NOTE – This release was distributed on behalf of ACE by BowlesAssociates.All media enquiries should be directed to the ACE office on the number aboveor to Usman Afzaal on 07768 558122.

Consequent to the cessation of the contract between WSG Nimbus Pte Ltd and the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, bids were called for from interested parties for the following:COMMERCIAL RIGHTS OF THE BCCSL
1.Television rights outside Sri Lanka
2.Radio rights outside Sri Lanka
3.Title sponsorships
4.Forty ground runners
Bid documents were forwarded to nine interested parties from overseas, and the reputed international firm of Chartered Accountants PriceWaterhouse Coopers was requested to receive bids and evaluate same once tenders closed.Tenders closed on the 29th of October 2001 and several bids were received. The bids were opened in the presence of two Partners of PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Members of the Interim Committee of the BCCSL, a representative of the Ministry of Sports, a representative of Julius & Creasy the BCCSL’s lawyers and legal counsel. Also present were representatives from the bidders.Once the tenders were opened, an evaluation was carried out by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, who recommended Taj Television, who are covering the ongoing Champions’ Trophy in Sharjah.A press conference will be held within the next few days to give more details of the terms and conditions of the agreement entered into with Taj Television.bccsl.mu.2001.28

The England selectors have delayed announcing their squad for the first npower Test against India, which starts at Lord’s in a week’s time.The squad was due to be revealed this morning, but due to injury concerns it will not now be announced until Saturday. Both Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Caddick are unavailable due to injury.Trescothick may miss the whole series after suffering a multiple fracture of his thumb. The Somerset opener twice visited hospital yesterday to have the injury assessed, and will have his broken bones realigned once specialists representing his county and his country have decided what course of action should be taken.Trescothick injured his left thumb when he was hit by a fierce drive fromGraeme Hick while fielding for Somerset in their Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophyquarter-final victory over Worcestershire at Taunton.As he left the County Ground last night, he said: “The x-rays showed there were a few cracks in my thumb. If it is plastered it will be in the cast for a couple of weeks at least – and then it is a case of waiting and hoping.”It is always a shock to get an injury at any time, but with the Test series coming up obviously it is even worse. The ball hit me on the end of the thumb, and I saw it was bleeding. But it was not until I got back in the dressing room that I realised I was in real trouble.”England’s chairman of selectors, David Graveney, is also awaiting news on fast bowler Alex Tudor, who is struggling with shin splints.”We are aware that he has got a bit of a problem and it is one that needs to settle down,” Graveney said.”He has been involved in the one-day squad and all the boys that were involved in that are pretty tired. We may name him in the squad while also including someone else to cover his position.”Tudor’s Surrey colleague Mark Butcher has yet to play any competitive cricket following knee surgery, while Darren Gough has played only one-day cricket since returning from his knee injury.Both Gough and Butcher will play in the next round of Frizzell CountyChampionship matches, which start tomorrow.Meanwhile India are refusing to derive any satisfaction from Trescothick’s injury, having already suffered a setback of their own with 20-year-old Yuvraj Singh returning home for treatment on a chipped bone in a finger.”We are sorry about what has happened to Trescothick,” said Amrit Mathur, the Indian team’s communications manager.”It is a bad thing to happen when he is such a very good player. It is sad that he will miss out because of the injury. We are also disappointed that Yuvraj Singh has had to go back. It is better for the game and the spectators if the best players are playing.”

FULL NAME: Innocent Murambiwa Chinyoka
BORN: At Harare, 21 June 1982
MAJOR TEAMS: CFX Academy (2001/02). Present club side: Uprising
KNOWN AS: Innocent Chinyoka. Nickname: Snake (`nyoka’ in Shona)
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Medium Pace
OCCUPATION: CFX Academy studentFIRST-CLASS DEBUT: 15-17 February 2002, CFX Academy v Manicaland, at MutareSports Club
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaitedBIOGRAPHY (March 2002)One of the 2002 Academy students who came seemingly out of nowhere to make a name for himself as an all-rounder was Innocent Chinyoka. He had not previously played first-league cricket, but from his first match in first-class cricket he was scoring useful runs, taking good wickets and particularly impressing in the field.Like most current black players, he has no family background in the game, but first gained an interest when in Grade 5 at David Livingstone Primary School in Harare. He did not play for the colts team, but later made his way into the school senior team. He remembers his main performance as the sixties he scored against Selborne Routledge and Banket schools. He also won success as a seam bowler.He progressed to Allan Wilson High School in Harare, playing for the school’s age-group teams throughout. He does not feel he achieved much success there, as the school did not really promote sport, and he was never in the running for any national or even provincial representative teams. In 1998 he joined Harare Sports Club, persuaded to join by friends from the neighbouring Prince Edward School. He did not stay there long, but switched to Uprising, a development club side based at Prince Edward and at that time playing in the national fourth league; they have now progressed to the second league.At the end of that year Innocent finished his O-levels and left school. In December 1999 he went to England for nine months, playing cricket during the summer of 2000 for Wayfarers in Bournemouth. He struggled at the beginning, but then turned in some useful all-round performances.Returning to Zimbabwe, he enjoyed success for Uprising, scoring 167 against Kwekwe Queens club, his highest score to date in any class of cricket. Against Universals seconds he took five wickets for 12 runs, also his career best bowling. He applied for the Academy for 2002 and was accepted.As a batsman Innocent likes to open, and he drives and cuts well. "It’s a good challenge to face the new ball," he says. He swings the ball predominantly into the bat. He is an outstanding fielder at backward point in particular, but also took some superb catches for the Academy in the gully area.Interestingly, Innocent names his mother as the biggest influence on his career, feeling he owes everything to her for her support, providing him with the necessary equipment and encouragement. On the coaching side, he names Claudius Mukandiwa, player-coach at Uprising, as his major influence."Right now my cricket is still primary," he admits. "I want to make sure the Academy does good for me and I’ll keep working hard."Cricket heroes: Viv Richards – "he’s a legend"; Andy Flower.Toughest opponents: So far, as a bowler Henry Olonga. As a batsman, Neil Ferreira from Manicaland.Proudest achievement so far: My selection for the Academy.Best friends in cricket: Luther Mutyambizi (Midlands), David Mutendera, Amos Maungwa.Other qualifications: O-levels.Other sports: Rugby – played scrum-half for Mashonaland Under-16 and Under-19 teams.Outside interests: Music and reading.Views on cricket: "They could improve on the umpiring!"

Unfortunate, but largely true – a high-scoring, tamely drawn Testmatch sometimes produces the most glittering of statistical nuggets.Antigua, after the fourth Test between the West Indies and India, willnow be in the record books for much more than Brian Lara’s 375 againstEngland.

Ajay Ratra, Man of the Match possibly for disproving GeoffreyBoycott’s assessment of his batting skills, had a hand in both of themore unique records set during the course of the Test. His century inthe first innings – one, incidentally, that made the 20-and-a-halfyear-old the youngest wicket-keeper to score a century – was followedby Ridley Jacobs’ hundred, making the Antigua match the only one inwhich the regular wicket-keepers of both sides reached three figures.The fact, no doubt, will come as a surprise to many, especiallyconsidering the calibre of wicket-keepers who have played in the sameTest. Alec Stewart and Adam Gilchrist, Andy Flower and KumaraSangakkara, Alan Knott and Rod Marsh, Farokh Engineer and Imtiaz Ahmedare just some names that instantly emerge from cricket’s rich trove ofstumpers.There was, however, another occasion on which men who kept wicket alsoscored hundreds – double hundreds, in fact. When Australia playedPakistan at Faisalabad in 1979/80, Greg Chappell slaughtered theattack to the tune of 235 runs, and his side was bowled out for amammoth 617.

That happened only on the fourth day, and a draw loomed decisively inthe offing. Taslim Arif, Pakistan’s wicket-keeper and opening bat,took the opportunity to hit 210 not out. With any result absolutelyout of the question, Australia decided to have some fun. Chappelldonned the wicket-keeping pads himself and let Marsh bowl 10 overs for51 runs.Australia, thus, used 11 bowlers in that innings, but in this uniquefeat, they were pre-empted by the old enemy, England, who did soagainst the visiting Australians at the Oval in 1884. The Hon. AlfredLyttleton, England’s wicket-keeper for the match, was actually thehighest wicket-taker in the first innings, taking four for 19.Ratra, thus, was instrumental in creating another notable highlightwhen he bowled the penultimate over of the Test. He may not have hadLyttleton’s stunning success, but India became the third side to use11 bowlers in an innings.

Auckland Hearts opener Shelley Fruin, of the Grafton United club, was last night awarded the RT Cup as the Auckland Cricket Association’s Women’s Club Player of the Year during the Crown Relocations Awards night for Auckland Cricket.Fruin also took home the Don Coleman Cup for the most meritorious batting performance at any level of Auckland Cricket.That was in recognition of her brilliant innings of 97 during the State Auckland Hearts victory over Canterbury in the final of the State Insurance Cup in February.It is the second time a woman cricketer has been a recipient of this award. CLEAR White Ferns captain Emily Drumm won it in 1994/95.Aaron Barnes was awarded the Auckland Cricket Association Trophy for the most runs in Men’s Premier Grade.The State Auckland Aces representative scored 949 runs at an average 47.45 helping his Cornwall side to win the Crown Relocations Premier Men’s One Day Championship.East Coast Bays and State Auckland Aces player Mark Haslam won the Platypus Trophy for the most wickets in Men’s Premier Grade. With best bowling performances of 7-34 and 7-62, Haslam finished with 51 wickets at an average of 13.41.The newly established Ken Deas Memorial Trophy for the Men’s Premier Grade Rookie Player of the Year went to Suburbs New Lynn’s Michael Bates.At 17 years of age, the left arm quick bowler has a promising future having already represented the Auckland Under-17 and Under-19 XI’s at the respective National Tournaments.The Carson Cup for Outstanding Contribution to Auckland Cricket was awarded to Nick Craig of the Howick Pakuranga club, in recognition of his contribution to club and representative cricket.Other major award winners on the night were:Best Novice Umpire, Peter Gasston; Best Women’s First Year/First Grade Player, Catherine Bristow (Parnell); Most Improved Women’s First Grade Player, Ingrid Cronin-Knight (University); Most Promising Women’s Player, Catherine Bristow (Parnell), Most Improved Men’s Player, Bradley Nielsen (Howick Pakuranga).

The recently appointed Sri Lankan selection committee, headed by Tikiri Banda Kehelgamuwa, has confirmed that it will continue with the youth policy that has been followed since the 1999 World Cup.Kehelgamuwa said : “Our policy to emphasise on youth for the past two years has produced the desired results. There may have been the odd hiccup or two, but overall we are quite happy the way the national team is shaping up”.”Our goal is the 2003 World Cup and we will continue to build a team with emphasis being based mainly on youth,” said Kehelgamuwa, who is continuing in his tenth successive year as a cricket selector.Kehelgamuwa succeeded Sidath Wettimuny as chairman of selectors soon after the tour of Pakistan last year, and has continued the policy of basing selections on youth despite pressure from certain quarters to include experienced players.There were moves to expel him from the selection committee recently, but as happened two years ago, the hand of fate saved Sri Lanka cricket again with the change of administration.Following Sri Lanka’s debacle in the 1999 World Cup the new selection committee headed by Wettimuny completely revamped the national team and changed selection policies. Experienced cricketers like Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Hashan Tillakaratne and Roshan Mahanama, all past captains, failed to find a place in the Sri Lanka one-day squad, which led to criticism from certain sections of the public and also in cricketing circles.But the selectors stuck to their guns and continued their policy with youth. Test victories over Australia, Zimbabwe and Pakistan matched by one-day wins in the Aiwa Cup and the Singer Triangular Series kept the critics at bay.While Ranatunga and De Silva were retained for the Test matches, Mahanama quit the game internationally and Tillakaratne has not given up trying to regain his place.Test defeats at the hands of Pakistan, South Africa and England in recent times has ruffled a few feathers and questioned the policy of the selection committee once more. Although it might be admitted that the youth have some way to go in Test cricket, there is no doubt that they have the makings of a champion outfit when it comes to the overs-limit game.The recent Test losses has been somewhat compensated by victories over New Zealand (4-1), England (3-0) and in the ARY Gold Cup triangular in Sharjah.After Wettimuny quit as selector, Kehelgamuwa continued the policies of his predecessor and Sri Lanka cricket can thank its present standing in world cricket to the bold stand taken by these men in the past two years.The present committee comprises Kehelgamuwa, Brendon Kuruppu, Kapila Wijegunawardena, Amal Silva and K.M. Nelson.Kehelgamuwa said the 27 players selected to represent Sri Lanka `A’ in next month’s unofficial test and one-day series against Pakistan `A’ were the future prospects of the country.”What these youngsters require is not skill and technique which they already have, but someone to psyche them,” said Kehelgamuwa. Cricket is a mind game and no amount of skill can bring success unless the player is mentally strong.Kehelgamuwa welcomed the decision by the interim council to obtain the services of former South African batting `great’ Barry Richards.”If his services can be obtained before the Indian series, it will be of immense help to our batsmen,” said Kehelgamuwa, who has noticed a few flaws in our top order batsmen.Richards is expected to come on and off on four occasions with each visit lasting a fortnight with the intention of helping our cricketers prepare for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.The interim council is presently working on a plan at the R. Premadasa Stadium to put up wickets of different pace and bounce to assist the batsmen. It is a priority which the interim council has identified, following our batsmen’s poor showing on the last tour to South Africa.The senior team will come up against India and New Zealand in a one-day triangular tournament commencing in July followed by a three-Test series against India in August.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPoonam Raut played a crucial knock of 25•Andy Campbell/UTPMEDIA

A determined effort from India in the field, after being bowled out for 81, led them to the Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup title in Guangzhou. They took Pakistan’s last eight wickets for 32 runs to complete an unlikely 18-run victory.India’s decision to bat after winning the toss was a brave move by stand-in captain Harmanpreet Kaur, considering they were without Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami because of injuries. It seemed to have backfired, however, when India’s openers Anuja Patil and Sulakshana Naik were dismissed early, leaving them 4 for 2 in the second over. Poonam Raut and Kaur then led a recovery, playing cautiously to take their team to 36, before Raut fell for 25 to Bismah Maroof in the ninth over. Kaur held the innings together thereafter, much like she had done through the tournament, until she was bowled by Pakistan captain Sana Mir for 20.At 65 for 5, with four overs remaining, India needed to accelerate to post a competitive total. However, Mir led from the front, allowing India only 16 runs. The legspinner took three wickets in a stifling final over, to end with 4 for 13. At the break, Pakistan would have been the happier of the two sides, and based on previous batting performances they may have felt they could overhaul the target.Pakistan’s innings started slowly, with opener Qanita Jalil getting a single off seamer Shubhlakshmi Sharma’s opening over. Sharma struck in her second over by dismissing Jalil, and Pakistan were 4 for 1 in three overs. Mir and Maroof held India at bay for the next six overs with clever batting. Sharp running between the wickets and a few well-timed boundaries swayed the momentum back towards Pakistan, until Mir was caught off Nagarajan Naranjana, with Pakistan needing another 51 runs off 11 overs. Nida Dar, who has been consistent with bat and ball in the tournament, posed a threat to India’s title hopes, and with Maroof at the crease, the contest was even.The vital wicket of Maroof was taken in the next over, though, and the climbing run-rate turned the match in India’s favour. Much like their previous group match, India’s bowlers proved too strong for the Pakistan lower order. Besides the vice-captain Nain Abidi, who made 13, no other batsman reached double figures. India’s fielders claimed the last Pakistan wicket with a sharp run-out off the first ball of the final over.It was a complete performance by India in the field. Every bowler took wickets, the fielders contributed four catches and two run-outs, and wicketkeeper Naik had two catches and two stumpings. It highlighted India’s all-round effort to win the final after a below-par total.Maroof was adjudged the Player of the Tournament, having topped the run charts with 113 and took five wickets.

Just when England’s players looked to be wilting under the oppressive wetheat of Colombo they once again displayed their new-found propensity to fightthemselves out of tricky situations with a stirring comeback in the lateevening sunshine. Now, after the first day of this crucial Third Test Match,an historic series victory remains a distinct possibility.Sri Lanka, like they did in Kandy, batted themselves into a strong positiononly to frivolously surrender their hard-fought advantage, losing four wicketsfor 14 runs to finish the day on 221 for seven. With their tail weakened bythe replacement of Kumar Dharmasena with left arm spinner, DinukHettiarachchi, their immediate goal tomorrow will be to score 250.So far in the Test series it has been the fast bowlers that have keptEngland’s hopes alive, as they claimed 18 of the 25 Sri Lanka wickets tofall in the first two Test Matches. At the Sinhalese Sports Club today,however, the spinners finally played their part. Ashley Giles and RobertCroft bowled 58 of the 91 overs, both conceded less than two runs per overand took five precious wickets between them.It was Giles, who only had one solitary wicket and a sore Achillestendon to show for his efforts in the Test Matches before today, whostarted the Sri Lankan slide, when he had Aravinda de Silva smartly caughtoff bat and pad by Michael Vaughan for 38 to end a 97-run partnership forthe fourth wicket.The loss of de Silva was followed soon after by that of Russel Arnold, whoonce again padded up, only to be adjudged out leg before by umpireDavid Orchard without scoring.Tillakaratne Dilshan was deceived in the air by Croft as he slogged across the line and, although he lingered like a man wronged, he can have no complaints about his decision.Moments before the close England then added the prize scalp of MahelaJayawardene to their late-evening pickings. Jayawardene scored yet anotherelegant half-century today, leaving him with a run of 61, 101 and 71 in thefirst innings in this three-Test series. Well as he batted, however, hisdismissal – caught behind as he tried to square cut Croft – was casual andmay cost Sri Lanka dear, for it has now exposed the Sri Lankan lower orderto the new ball.Earlier in the day Sanath Jayasuriya won his 16th toss in 18 innings. Theonly Buddhist cricket captain in world cricket is clearly on a differentplane when it comes to this important job. Unfortunately, his team hasgenerally failed to profit from his hand-spun advantage and they have onlywon three of those 16 Test Matches.When Andrew Caddick ripped through the usually tight defences of MarvanAtapattu in just the second over of the day, Sri Lanka’s cricketers may havefeared the worst. However, they enjoyed an excellent morning as SanathJayasuriya returned to form with 45, his highest score in six Test matches, surpassing the 26 he made in Durban.He was well supported by Kumar Sangakkara, the devil dressed in flannels, ifyou listen to the English players. Like Sangakkara or not, you could notdeny the elegance of his stroke-play, as he flowed to 45, only to betray hisinexperience again with a loose back foot drive immediately after theluncheon interval.Jayasuriya and de Silva then added 20 runs before the Sri Lankan captainskewed a catch to backward point – not for the first time in the series – ashe tried to loft Croft. Sri Lanka’s innings was back in the balanceon 108 for three. Jaywardene and de Silva then weathered the immediatedanger, but failed to finish the job.