CLUB CRICKET: NATIONAL FIRST LEAGUE, ROUND 6MATCHES PLAYED ON SUNDAY 5 JANUARYALEXANDRA SPORTS CLUB v TAKASHINGAAt Alexandra Sports Club. Takashinga won by 137 runs.TAKASHINGAA Maregwede b Blignaut 18H K Olonga c de Beer b Blignaut 3E Chauluka c Stannard b Barry 12*S Matsikenyeri c I de Grandhomme b Stannard 83+T Taibu c I de G’homme b D Marillier 65H Masakadza run out (?) 23E Chigumbura b Rennie 25T Mufambisi b Rennie 7P Utseya not out 2A Maungwa not out 1R N ManyandeExtras (b 6 lb 4 w 13) 23(8 wkts; 50 overs) 262Blignaut 8 0 41 2 (8w)Barry 8 0 40 1 (2w)D A Marillier 7.5 0 46 1Rennie 10 0 54 2Stannard 10 0 42 1 (1w)C de Grandhomme 5 0 22 0S J Marillier 1.1 0 7 0ALEXANDRAD de Beer c Masakadza b Olonga 2+G C Goosen c Taibu b Olonga 2*G J Rennie run out (?) 31D A Marillier c Maregwede b Chigumbura 4A M Blignaut c Taibu b Maungwa 9J Cameron c Masakadza b Maungwa 11S J Marillier b Matsikenyeri 23C de Grandhomme c Taibu b Maungwa 0I de Grandhomme st Taibu b Manyande 20S Barry not out 2D D Stannard lbw b Utseya 0Extras (b 1 lb 4 w 11 nb 5) 21(32.4 overs) 125Olonga 10 1 39 2 (4w 4nb)Chigumbura 5 0 22 1 (1w)Maungwa 5 0 17 3 (1w 1nb)Utseya 6.4 1 16 2 (2w)Manyande 3 0 10 0 (1w)Matsikenyeri 3 0 16 1 (2w)OLD HARARIANS SPORTS CLUB v HARARE SPORTS CLUBAt Old Hararians Sports Club. Harare Sports Club won by nine wickets.OLD HARARIANST Benade b Mwayenga 6R Kaschula b Mwayenga 5C H Brewer c Mwayenga b Gripper 46C Ervine c Penney b Kuhn 61H P Rinke c and b Bala 5G Ziegler lbw b Mwayenga 5A Smith c Mhandu b Johnstone-Robertson 0N Chari c Carlisle b Johnstn-Robertson 6+S Khan c Gripper b Kuhn 0R Ervine c Mwayenga b Johnstn-Robertson 4H Smith not out 0Extras (b 1 w 23 nb 2) 26(47.1 overs) 164Penney 7 0 28 0 (3w 2nb)Mwayenga 8 0 34 3 (14w)Kuhn 6.1 0 29 2 (2w)Bala 10 2 34 1Gripper 10 3 20 1 (1w)Johnstone-Robertson 6 1 18 3 (3w)HARARE SPORTS CLUBM A Vermeulen not out 87*T R Gripper c H Smith b Chari 2S V Carlisle not out 65R VermeulenB KuhnA MhanduA PenneyM LewisA MwayengaS BalaG Johnstone-RobertsonExtras (lb 2 w 9 nb 1) 12(1 wkt; 30.1 overs) 166Chari 5 0 21 1 (1w)Rinke 10 2 51 0 (7w 1nb)H Smith 3 0 10 0C Ervine 5 0 29 0Brewer 2 0 21 0 (1w)Benade 5.1 0 32 0KWEKWE SPORTS CLUB v BULAWAYO ATHLETIC CLUBAt Kwekwe Sports Club. Kwekwe Sports Club won by 229 runs.KWEKWE SPORTS CLUBT Duffin lbw b Nicolle 0V Sibanda c Williams b Nicolle 28T J Friend lbw b Ewing 109S M Ervine lbw b Ewing 58*D P Viljoen c Williams b Coventry 39J M Cornford b Coventry 38+D J R Campbell not out 16C MacmillanR W PriceE C RainsfordR IslandExtras (lb 3 w 39 nb 4) 46(6 wkts; 50 overs) 334J S Nicolle 10 1 69 2 (3w 2nb)M Nicolle 5 0 54 0 (21w 2nb)Hoffman 7 0 42 0 (7w)Coventry 7 0 49 2Dabengwa 6 1 40 0 (3w)Ewing 10 0 45 2 (1w)Williams 5 0 32 0 (3w)BULAWAYO ATHLETIC CLUBK M Dabengwa b S M Ervine 1A P Hoffman c S M Ervine b Friend 3C Mahachi b Friend 0C K Coventry c Campbell b S M Ervine 6+M G McKillop c Macmillan b Friend 4*G M Ewing c Macmillan b S M Ervine 33S Williams not out 10M Nicolle c Cornford b Friend 3R Kasawaya c Campbell b Friend 2J S Nicolle c Island b Macmillan 0B Mukondiwa c Viljoen b Price 18Extras (w 23 nb 2) 25(27.4 overs) 105Friend 10 2 33 5 (15w 1nb)S M Ervine 10 1 43 3 (4w 1nb)Macmillan 4 0 20 1 (4w)Price 3.4 1 9 1UNIVERSALS SPORTS CLUB v OLD GEORGIANS SPORTS CLUBAt Universals Sports Club. Old Georgians won by three wickets.UNIVERSALS SPORTS CLUBD D Ebrahim lbw b Mackay 2B A Murphy c Wishart b Mwayenga 13B G Rogers c Jones b Mackay 11G M Croxford b Flower 38N B Mahwire c Wishart b Mackay 1H Adam c Mackay b Bennett 8*I Meman c Flower b Bennett 3D T Hondo c Wishart b Flower 21S Adam lbw b Flower 0B Sanyika not out 4A Adam b Flower 0Extras (lb 1 w 10 nb 9) 20(37.5 overs) 121Mackay 8 1 22 3Mwayenga 7 1 19 1Evans 4 0 17 0Bennett 7 0 33 2Flower 7.5 0 14 4Coulson 4 0 15 0OLD GEORGIANSC B Wishart c Croxford b Murphy 61A J C Neethling b Hondo 0G W Flower c Ebrahim b Murphy 5C N Evans b Murphy 0*A J Mackay c Mahwire b S Adam 28S Jones c Hondo b Murphy 0W Kalas not out 4M de Souza lbw b Hondo 3W Mwayenga not out 7R J BennettI M CoulsonExtras (lb 1 w 12 nb 3) 16(7 wkts; 30.2 overs) 124Hondo 10 3 27 2Mahwire 5.2 0 54 0Croxford 2 0 8 0Murphy 10 2 26 4S Adam 3 0 8 1

MUTARE SPORTS CLUB v QUEENS SPORTS CLUBThis match will be played at a neutral venue, Harare Sports Club, on Saturday 11 January.

Jamaica and St Vincent and the Grenadines have confirmed the names of their delegates while several other Caribbean countries have expressed their intention of being represented on the official Windies World Cup 2007 (WWC 2007) delegation to the Cricket World Cup in South Africa.CEO (designate) of WWC 2007 Inc and Head of the delegation, Chris Dehring expressed satisfaction with the response to the invitation sent to Heads of Government of potential Caribbean venues for the World Cup to send representatives to get first-hand experience of the operations of the only Cricket World Cup before 2007.” Most countries have recognized the importance of this visit to observe the operations of the World Cup in South Africa as they seek to present the best bids possible and deliver on those commitments if they are awarded World Cup 2007 matches.” Dehring noted.The former WICB Chief Marketing Executive added that the organizing team for the delegation including world games specialist, Don Lockerbie was hard at work to ensure that the trip was well worth the countries’ investment.”Our delegation consultant, Don Lockerbie who has worked on Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup venues will be taking the delegates through a 53- point list of almost every aspect of staging a World Cup match.” Dehring added.Dehring is currently in South Africa meeting with the various parties and making arrangements for the two-week visit of the Caribbean delegation of government and cricket officials.Jamaica was the first country to confirm the names of their venue delegates – Jackie Hendriks and Dr Wayne Reid while St. Vincent and the Grenadines followed by confirming Mike Findlay’s participation.Hendriks, a former outstanding West Indies wicket-keeper/batsman has been the President of the Jamaica Cricket Association since 1997 and has served at West Indies level as Chairman of Selectors, Chairman of the WICB Cricket Committee, senior team manager and as an International Cricket Council referee.Dr Wayne Reid, is Chairman of Jamaica’s Steering Committee for World Cup 2007. An engineer by profession, he is a director of Jentech Consultants, a civil and construction engineering firm in Jamaica.Mike Findlay, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ representative, is Chairman of the WICB Cricket Committee and a former West Indies wicket-keeper. A sports journalist and commentator of many years experience, Findlay served West Indies cricket as Chairman of the Selectors until last year.

The Plight of the Proteas
The Proteas entered the World Cup 2003 as runaway favourites along with the Aussies. While Australia’s campaign to retain the trophy (despite the disqualification of their leading wicket-taker in Shane Warne) is pretty much on course after it tamed the two sub-continental giants to be certain for qualification for the Super Sixes, Proteas have neither been as lucky nor nearly as awesome.Having lost to the West Indies in a tight opening match and despite putting 306 on the board, they were rather conveniently brushed aside by the resurgent Black Caps, by nine wickets. Such was the resolve of the Kiwi skipper, Stephen Fleming, whose run-a-ball unbeaten 134 stole the thunder from a devastating Herschelle Gibbs (143) effort. Though South Africa could again blame rain and the Duckworth-Lewis formula for their demise, yet it is indeed debatable whether the absence of rain would have made a difference.Anyway, South Africa’s cup of woes is now brimful. They need to win all their matches, and even that would not be enough, for they would still be dependent on the West Indian largesse for survival. That is because only if the Caribbeans win their encounter against Sri Lanka in Cape Town on February 28 would the Proteas be able to progress to the round-robin Super Sixes.Can it get tougher than that?
But teams painted in a corner have survived such odds and gone ahead to capture glory. Remember Pakistan in 1992, and Australia in 1999? But the problem with the Proteas is that they have been unable to conquer self-doubt, and unless they do so, they wouldn’t be able to subdue opponents who matter.Fleming shows the way
Well, this skipper is one of a handful leading from the front. Stephen Fleming’s never say die spirit saw the Springboks humbled in the Wanderers bullring with the third innings in a week that had written greatness on it, following those of Andrew Symonds 143 and Herschelle Gibbs’ identical score in the first innings of the match. But unlike Pakistan which had thrown in the towel after conceding 310, the Black Caps captain facing 306, refused to cave in, and as a result carved a niche for himself as the scorer of one of the great winning knocks at the World Cup. His unbeaten 134 sank the Proteas rather deep – an outcome after which they are gasping for survival.No longer the Lightning
Allan Donald, the great white fast bowler of the 1990s who had earned the sobriquet of ‘White Lightning’, is no longer the threat that he used to be. In this World Cup, after which he is likely to bow out of the game along with a galaxy of stars, he has been treated with complete lack of respect. His 5.5 overs in the crucial game against the Black Caps on Sunday went for 52 runs; the Windies too had plundered 54 runs off his nine overs. No wonder, there were calls for the axing of the spent up lightning.Shoaib has no peers in pace
With wickets coming thick and fast as Namibia collapsed to 9 for 42 before being bowled out for 84, few noticed that one of Shoaib Akhtar’s deliveries was recorded at 159.1 kmh (about 99 mph) – by far the fastest delivery bowled in this World Cup. When Shoaib had bowled at 161 kmh against the Black Caps last year, instead of being hailed for breaking the 100 mph barrier, questions were raised, on the lines of whether the speed gun used in the match was good enough. While Akhtar says he is eschewing speed for the sake of accuracy in this World Cup, 99 mph with a ‘reliable’ speed gun shows that he has no peers in pace.Lying in wait for India
Liable to shoot his mouth with speed matching his fearsome thunderbolts, Shoaib Akhtar says that he is lying in wait for India. “I am anticipating the duel with the Indian batsmen, and I know that I would prevail over them”. You may call it a psychological ploy or the usual Akhtar hyperbole. But the fact is that when Pakistan takes on its arch-rival for the first time in nearly three years at the Centurian on March 1, the same venue where India was buried by Aussie pace, there would be concern in the Indian ranks about Akhtar’s speed and Akram’s wiles.

Nasser Hussain has reiterated his determination to continue as England’s Test captain as the World Cup team arrived back at Heathrow this morning.Hussain wants to captain England this summer, and will be available to tour Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the West Indies next winter, whether or not he keeps his job as skipper.Hussain spoke to reporters after emerging from flight SA226 from Johannesburg, and was greeted with applause and a couple of shouts of `Good old Nasser’ from supporters.Hussain faced the cameras and microphones, saying he was “just wanting to get home after five months away.” He insisted he had no regrets about his decision to quit as one-day captain after England’s elimination from the first stage of the World Cup.”I had to play in both forms of cricket and captain both forms,” he said. “I had five months away from home and you just can’t do everything. A lot of that went into my decision.”I don’t like giving away any side, but one-day cricket and me haven’t got onvery well recently. The reason I did it was to carry on as captain in the Test match arena. I made my decision throughout the winter.”He refused to be drawn on the issue of who should succeed him as one-day captain. “It’s nothing to do with me. It’s up to the selectors to decide.”But he repeated that he hopes to continue as Test captain. “I would like to carry on for a long while yet. I’ve got some unfinished business,” he added.”My form has been very good. I want to get the Test side back to where it wasin the past and my captaincy record speaks for itself. I would like to play 100 Tests, it’s been an ambition of mine. Whether this is as captain or not is up to the selectors.”Describing England’s World Cup campaign as “frustrating”, Hussain nonetheless wished Zimbabwe well for the rest of the competition and hoped their Test team would still come to England during the summer.”I hope they have a good run in the World Cup. I wish them well for the rest of the tournament and I hope they come over here,” he added.”They have got Test matches at Durham and Lord’s and I hope they come, I’m sure they will. We always play good Test matches against them and we get on well with their players. I hope we can continue our friendly rivalry against them.”

Go to any country, town, or one-horse pit-stop in the world, and the chances are that there’ll be an Australian somewhere in the vicinity. Maybe it’s something to do the tyranny of distance, but whatever the motivation, the fact remains that Aussies love to throw on the old backpack and travel the globe.Here in Guyana, it’s the same old story. The cricket’s in town, and the Australians have come to support the team, soak up the local flavour and savour the spectacle. They’ve come from Melbourne via South Africa. They’ve come from Sydney via Caracas. They’ve come with blow-up kangaroos, Aboriginal flags and vital supplies of Vegemite. And they’ve come with the expectation of great cricket and an experience that will last a lifetime. So far, they haven’t been disappointed.”Everyone warned me not to come, but I’m glad I didn’t pay attention,” says Dean from Melbourne. “So many people told me Guyana was too dangerous, but I’m having a fabulous time. There are dodgy spots in town, but aren’t there places like that everywhere?”He’s not alone in this thinking. Official sources, including the Australian Foreign Affairs Department, emphasise the high crime rate and political instability of the region. But according to those who have made the trip, the fiction of this South American section of the Caribbean is very different from the fact.”The people here are fantastic,” says Luke, from Point Lonsdale in Victoria. “We’ve had nothing but hospitality and friendliness.” Luke runs Waving The Flag, an outfit specialising in cricket tourism. In two years of operation, the WTF crew have made the trek to India, Sri Lanka and Sharjah. This year alone they’ve taken groups to the Ashes and the World Cup. But the West Indies tour is the most popular. There are 35 in the group in Georgetown, but they’re expecting a further 80 to join the ranks by the time the circus reaches Barbados. “Cricket in the Caribbean has such a different atmosphere,” says Luke. “It’s the game, the music, the crowds, the noise … the whole shebang that makes that bloody long trip worthwhile.”For many from a land down under, coming to this neck of the woods is a sporting dream come true. “This is my first trip outside the country,” says Bern from Melbourne. “I’ve thought about this my whole life and now I’m here. The weather’s warm, the beer’s cold and there’s wonderful cricket in the centre. Does life get any better than this?” Bern’s brought along his green-and-gold wig for the occasion. “It’s a beauty isn’t it?” he says, patting it proudly. “I’ve been offered a lot of money for it, but it’s not coming off my head. It’s a kind of cultural-exchange gesture.”Mat from Sydney is on his first trip to the Caribbean, and is impressed with what he’s encountered so far. “It’s brilliant,” he says. “The people make it so easy to like the place. We played a game against a local team yesterday, and they couldn’t do enough for us. We’re as far away from Australia as we can get and yet there’s this bond between us.”Diplomatic missions aside, however, there is ample evidence of that other well-known aspect of Australians abroad. They do like a drink. Belinda from Sydney has momentarily lost interest in the game, and is sipping vodka mixed with something suspiciously green. “I have no idea what’s in here, but it doesn’t taste too bad,” she says, sharing around a concoction that has the consistency of soup and the smell of cough medicine.They haven’t all come on organised tours. Anton from Brisbane is going solo at Bourda, but hasn’t let that spoil his fun. He’s joined forces with a sombrero-wearing local called Rupert, who’s brandishing maracas, a feather duster and an unbelievably large bottle of rum. “I think I’ve been invited home to meet the family,” says the boy from Brissie. “Or maybe I’ve promised to marry his daughter. I’m not sure which, but who cares? I’m having a great day.”Dave from Canberra has become best mates with Vishnu, a Georgetown resident. Apparently they share a common interest in unusual statistics. “Vishnu reckons Shane Warne is the only bowler with a fat arse to average under 30,” says Dave, who is on his fifth beer and waved goodbye to logic (and the Wisden Wizard) hours ago. Vishnu nods, before the new bosom buddies return to their discussions of other anatomically related sports trivia. As the sound system pumps out the unofficial Aussie anthem; Cold Chisel’s Working Class Man, the cheer goes up and the Southern Cross flags wave. It seems that even in Guyana, there is a little corner that is forever Australia.Christine Davey is a freelance writer based in Melbourne, Australia.

Carl Hooper is set to join for Lancashire this week and could make his county debut against Middlesex at Lord’s on Friday (May 9).Hooper has been signed as a short-term replacement for the injured Harbhajan Singh and is only expected to remain with Lancashire for five weeks.Lancashire admitted that they have been inundated with calls from players’ agents since it was revealed that Harbhajan had suffered a finger injury. Although they have asked him for clarification of his position, it is not clear when he will be fit to play for the county.Hooper’s arrival would be timely boost as Lancashire have been laid low by a `flu bug which has left them struggling to field a side.

A report in the Pakistan-based International News claims that Abdul Razzaq was left out of the side to tour England because of his attitude, despite originally being included in the 16-man squad.Apparently Razzaq was originally picked by the selectors, but told them he would only be able to join the squad three days before the first of the three one-day internationals as he was committed to playing for Middlesex. He did much the same in the recent Bank Alfalah Cup, linking up with the side two days before the tournament began.The situation was further clouded with a claim that the decision was made to replace Razzaq with Bilal Asad, an uncapped allrounder, after two of the selectors had returned home, and that Rashid Latif, Pakistan’s captain, had been a key instigator of the change.The report quotes a source close to the selectors as claiming that Razzaq was only included because of his experience, and the general feeling was that he had become stale. When Razzaq tried to dictate his own terms, it is suggested that the change was made as it was felt that allowing him to do as he wanted would be detrimental to team morale.

An inquiry into Bangladesh’s disastrous performance in the World Cup has concluded that a combination of politics, partying and complacency was to blame for a set of results that embarrassed a nation.Bangladesh finished bottom of their group after defeats to Kenya and Canada, their only points coming from a rained-off fixture against West Indies. The Bangladesh Cricket Board established the inquiry in March, and was set to announce its findings at a press conference on Saturday, until the report was leaked to the national Daily Star newspaper.”The truth remains that there was noticeable inadequacy and complacency on the part of both the [present and past Bangladesh Cricket] Boards,” the committee said in its report after an inquiry lasting nearly three months. “[This had been] adequately reflected in the quality of our team’s performance. The sooner things are put right, the sooner cricket will improve.”Bangladesh have lost 18 out of 19 Tests since their inaugural Test against India at Dhaka in 2000. Their only draw came in a rain-hit fixture against Zimbabwe two seasons ago. They have not won a one-day international since defeating Pakistan in a dead World Cup match in 1999.The committee laid the blame for the World Cup debacle squarely at the door of the team management. The captain, Khaled Masud, who has since been dropped from the team, “fought with the manager on the issue of tickets, and there were instances where he spent nights out of the hotel.”In particular, the night before the Kenya match, [Masud] was seen outside the hotel at well past midnight, and this obviously contributed to the deterioration of his ability as a player and it is no wonder that he dropped three regulation catches against Kenya the following day. It appears that his conduct and captaincy do raise questions about his motives.”The report added that there was no consultation among the captain, physio and trainer over the team line-up. Bangladesh’s Pakistani coach Mohsin Kamal, now succeeded by Australian Dav Whatmore, had a communication and language problem with the team. “One gets the impression that the selection of the coach, to say the least, was poor and gives the impression it was more a political choice rather than a selection of an able and competent hand.”Following interviews with Kamal and his assistant Ali Zia, the committee concluded that “neither of them was really competent, dedicated, sincere or committed enough to perform their duties. The fact is, they were being paid well and were quite happy.”The team manager, ASM Faruque, also came in for criticism.

Worcestershire County Cricket Club has awarded Tom Moody a Testimonial Year in 2004.World Cup winner on two occasions with Australia in 1987 and 1999, Moody has been with Worcestershire since 1991 as both a Player and Director of Cricket. As a Player he enjoyed much success with the County including scoring 25 first class centuries. He captained the County from 1995 until 1999 and scored a thousand runs in a season on four occasions. He was a key Member of the team that won both the B & H Cup in 1991 and the NatWest Trophy in 1994.In 2001 the Club appointed him to the new position of Director of Cricket. Over the last three seasons Moody has overseen a transformation in the County’s cricket fortunes including an overhaul of the Worcestershire CCC Academy which is already producing a fine crop of young players.Upon receiving the news, Tom Moody said “I am honoured the Club has awarded me a Testimonial Year. It has been a privilege to have been involved with the County since 1991 as a Player and now the Director of Cricket.”

Australia’s government will be left feeling embarrassed if the arbitration ruling allowing Shane Warne to play charity and testimonial matches results in games being organised to allow the legspinner an easier return to international play once his ban ends.Players who play alongside Warne in such matches will also be seen as condoning his eluding the ban, according to David Howman, chief operating officer and special counsel of the Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency. The WADA body has been formed to attack the problems of drug use in sport and has been supported by the International Olympic Committee and 75 governments around the world, including the cricket-playing countries of Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Britain.WADA has established a world anti-doping code that is an attempt to harmonise rules and regulations in regard to anti-doping across the world. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has so far only indicated an interest in the code and has not signed on. However, cricket bodies in the countries that have signed the code have to comply with it.Howman said WADA would be concerned that any stakeholder allowed sham games or competitions to be effectively used to avoid or defeat bans. “In this case, perhaps the Australian government might be a little embarrassed and upset. So might the ICC if they ever choose to adopt the code. The ban must be upheld by all and that is the underpinning of the Code to achieve global harmony,” Howman said.”Without seeing the decision and the process, it is difficult to be firm in a comment, but from the information available, it shows an attitude that is less than expected and an approach that puts Australia back in the firing line of being critical of others but protective of their own. WADA is hopeful that this will not continue under the Code.”Australia has come under fire for highlighting drug issues among overseas sports people – like the Chinese swimmers in the late 1990s – but protecting their own, as happened with rugby player Ben Tune recently. The Warne situation is being seen as yet another example of that. Warne has been commentating for Australian television on the Bangladesh series.The Australian Players’ Association had sought clearance for Warne, but this was disputed by Cricket Australia and went to independent arbitration. The independent arbitrator, Peter O’Callaghan QC of Victoria, found that the Memorandum of Understanding between the two bodies did not allow Cricket Australia to prevent Warne from playing. His decision was expected to have been released in full last week but has so far not been presented.Howman said the Australian government was one of the first to sign the world anti-doping code, and he anticipated that cricket associations in the member countries should be the driving force behind the ICC adopting it.”Sports or sports administrators who fail to introduce compliant rules put their sport or their country in jeopardy for partaking in international events like the Olympics and world championships,” he said.