All posts by csb10.top

First Division

Dale Benkenstein and Will Smith added 205 in 49 overs as Durham took a lead of 87 against Sussex at Hove and once again made inroads into the top order. Their partnership rescued Durham from 11 for 4 after Neil McKenzie had gone early in the day and there was precious little else around them. For Smith it was a notable return to the side, his initial first-team outing of the season after replacing Kyle Coetzer, as he brought up his first Championship century for Durham. He made Sussex pay for dropping him on 9 at slip, a simple chance by Carl Hopkinson. Benkenstein is a more familiar rock for Durham and reached his century off 152 balls, in a stand which fell 17 short of equalling the team’s fifth-wicket record. Ben and Steve Harmison shared a useful last-wicket stand of 34, pushing Durham to another batting point, then Steve struck early by removing Chris Nash. Harmison also had Michael Yardy dropped at short leg, but Callum Thorp removed Hopkinson to cement Durham’s strong position.Centuries from Justin Langer and Ian Blackwell put Surrey to the sword at Whitgift School and left Somerset well-placed for a important lead. The match was finely balanced when the pair came together at 134 for 4 in reply to Surrey’s 326. However, Langer had already been given one life when he was dropped on 0 by Mark Butcher. Blackwell, too, was put down at slip on 76 and reached his hundred, which included three sixes, off 111 balls. Langer took 141 deliveries as Surrey struggled to make an impact following earlier success for Jade Dernbach and Pedro Collins.Darren Stevens led Kent out of early trouble against Hampshire, as the action finally got under way at The Rose Bowl following a further delay for a wet outfield. Hampshire soon took advantage of winning the toss, reducing Kent to 44 for 3 with Shane Bond and Chris Tremlett both among the wickets. However, Stevens responded with a forthright innings although he had plenty of fortune, dropped three times on 4, 5 and 51 before reaching three figures off 129 balls with a drive off Bond. Martin van Jaarsveld set anchor in the fourth-wicket partnership and their alliance worked wonders for Kent, adding 210, with van Jaarsveld progressing to his first Championship century of the season.For John Ward’s report of Yorkshire against Lancashire at Headingley click here.

Second Division

Worcestershire are in a strong position against Essex, holding a lead of 288 after batsmen slowly began to prosper after 17 wickets fell on the first day at New Road. Ben Smith followed his vital 60 yesterday with 71, while Daryl Mitchell – dropped twice before reaching 20 – hit 70 then became Danish Kaneria’s second victim. Simon Jones wrapped up Essex’s first innings for a measly 116 with his first two balls of the day. It leaves him on a hat-trick in the second innings after he proved too quick for David Masters and Kaneria. Jack Birkenshaw, the pitch liaison officer, cleared the groundstaff of any blame for the previous day’s clatter of wickets, agreeing that the dampness was unavoidable given the recent heavy rain.Chris Taylor’s 104 and an incisive early burst from Jon Lewis put Gloucestershire in charge against Warwickshire at Gloucester, but half-centuries from Ian Westwood and Jim Troughton kept the visitors afloat. The fourth-wicket pair added 100 after Warwickshire slipped to 32 for 3 against Lewis and Anthony Ireland. But Westwood was run out by William Porterfield’s direct hit shortly before the close. Taylor carried his overnight 72 to a valuable century, while solid lower-order contributions pushed Gloucestershire over 400.It was another good day for South Africans as Leicestershire took control at Grace Road, where Glamorgan suffered another batting collapse. HD Ackerman’s fourth Championship century of the season lifted the home side from a tricky 172 for 5 to an imposing 390. Jason Gillespie made two early breakthroughs, but Ackerman was well supported by Paul Nixon (36) and Jacques du Toit (64). Leicestershire’s attack was soon causing problems, especially Dillon du Preez, who claimed three wickets in his opening spell. Jim Allenby’s gentle medium-pace was also too much for the middle order and Boeta Dippenaar held three brilliant catches at slip.For a report on Middlesex against Derbyshire at Lord’s click here.

Since Somerset County Cricket Club gained first class status in 1891, over five hundred and fifty different players have represented the club, and in the near future the Somerset Cricket Museum is hoping to produce a book containing a statistical and photographic record of each of these players.Over the last few months local author Eddie Lawrence, who has already published several other books relating to the club, has been working tirelessly in association with the museum to produce the book which is now nearing completion and it is hoped that it will be published just before the start of the 2003 season.The book will be hard bound and will be strictly limited to five hundred copies, each of which will be numbered and signed by Eddie Lawrence, and those who are prepared to purchase their copy in advance have got the chance to have their name included in this prestigious publication.When the book eventually goes on sale to the general public next year it will be priced at £30, but those who sign up and pay before the end of 2002 will be able to obtain their copy for £25 as well as being named in the list of subscribers.This will be the first publication of its kind and has presented the author with a real challenge. Despite his endless hours of research and countless letters, telephone calls and many many miles travelled there are still some fifty players whose photographs Eddie Lawrence has been unable to locate.Nevertheless this book will be another milestone in recording the history of Somerset County Cricket Club and I am sure that there will be no shortage of takers from fans and collectors who will want to support this venture.Anybody who wishes to reserve a copy of `Somerset CCC Statistics and Photographs’ should send a covering letter and cheque to the value of £25 made payable to Somerset Cricket Museum to The Curator, Somerset Cricket Museum, 7 Priory Avenue, Taunton, TA1 1XX.

When the subject of Australian pacemen is raised, three names immediately spring to mind – Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and, of course, Glenn McGrath. Yet this talented trio is but the tip of the iceberg.Sitting just below the surface is a plethora of talented pacemen biding their time, primed and ready to step up at any opportunity. Perennial wicket-takers like: Brad Williams, Andy Bichel, Michael Kasprowicz, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken, Matthew Inness, Ashley Noffke and Damien Wright, are but a few who would no doubt represent their country with distinction, but who are perhaps destined to end their careers not having played a fraction of the senior Australian matches that their talent would demand in a different era.Dig a little deeper still and you will find an emerging crop of youngsters who are set to burst onto the Australian domestic scene at any given time. Names like Mitchell Johnson, Damien MacKenzie, Brett Geeves and Aaron Bird may not be household names just yet, but all of these boys have got talent to burn and may head the Australian attack well into the next decade.Johnson (20) is the most well known of this group. He is a potential express paceman of rare ilk, one who can hurl a cricket ball at speeds of around 150km/h, is tall at 1.91m (6 feet 3 inches) and is also a left-armer. Johnson was clocked at 138km/h at the Australian Cricket Academy when he was 18 but he was on the road back from injury and was operating off only a few paces.Last year in interview Johnson said: “When I get stronger and reach my peak, I want to be the fastest bowler in the world, there’s no two ways about that.”For many, such a statement may seem like the words of a cocky kid but the softly spoken Queenslander is far from a braggart. A couple of years ago an official from the Academy told me that Johnson was faster than Lee at the same age, and last year in Dennis Lillee’s regular weekly newspaper column, he described Johnson as a “once-in-a-lifetime talent”.Injuries, particularly spinal related, have held Johnson back in recent seasons. But as his body matures and strengthens, he should start to string together periods of injury-free speed and given the opportunity he will wreak havoc on the Australian domestic circuit.A fellow Queenslander who is gaining a reputation as one of the fastest guns around is MacKenzie. MacKenzie (22) has been in the shadow, or should I say blur, of Johnson for a couple of years now, but MacKenzie is a fast-man in his own right and is ripe and ready to burst onto the Australian domestic scene like no paceman has done since 1999, when the 23-year-old firebrand Lee emerged.With all the hype surrounding some of the young ‘fast men’ in international cricket of late, it’s easier to get a gauge on where a guy like MacKenzie stands in the matter of bowling speeds.When Shane Bond came to Australia last season and played his debut Test, his fastest ball of that match was 142km/h. MacKenzie’s current speed could be placed slightly higher than this mark, with the potential to emulate Bond and take his speed up to, and over, the 150km/h mark. MacKenzie was clearly Queensland’s fastest bowler against NSW in the recently completed ING Cup one-dayer and looked to be a clear 5km/h faster than Kasprowicz who is regularly clocked around 138km/h in his international matches.Watching MacKenzie’s action from various angles in frame-by-frame shots it was noticeable just how similar in action he is to Bond, even down to the customary dragging of his back foot. His action is uncomplicated and explosive, with a strong shoulder element. MacKenzie does, however, tend to fall away a little in his action, and in striving for that extra yard of pace perhaps doesn’t gain the maximum benefit from his height.At close to 1.93m (6’4″), MacKenzie is well-built for a youngster and his delivery is so smooth and uncluttered. It is not until you see him next to the likes of Kasprowicz and Andrew Symonds that you realise what a large man he really is.The problem immediately confronting MacKenzie and Johnson is that they are playing for a state which has undoubtedly the most powerful domestic bowling attack in world cricket.Queensland has at its disposal 10 bowlers who would walk into any state/provincial team in the world, but they can only field six of them at any given time. Both pacers for varying reasons played only one Pura Cup match last year. If this figure does not increase all but tenfold this season then the talented duo may follow Shane Watson’s lead and defect to another state, where their talents can be showcased as they deserve to be.Whenever these two men are fit then they should be honing their skills in the first-class arena and not biding their time in grade cricket, waiting for their next break-down.One youngster who is close to the complete package is Geeves (20) of Tasmania. Geeves stands at around 1.85m (6’1″), generates good pace from a smooth, high, front-on action and comes from the McGrath/Lillee school of hostility and intimidation. Geeves was ready and, no doubt, would have played almost every game for Tasmania last season but for an osteo-pubic injury.Geeves’ action is very similar to that of Lee although Geeves is a little less explosive at this stage. Still, he is deceptively sharp and when he’s fit and firing, Geeves would be bowling around 140km/h. His pace and hostility are not his only weapons as he possesses fine line and length and can swing the ball both ways, a la McGrath.In August of this year, Geeves played for the Cricket Academy side against touring teams comprising of the cream of South Africa’s youngsters and a side from the New Zealand Academy. Geeves ended the mini-tournament with the best bowling averages of any player in both forms of the game. He played two matches and took 10 wickets at 14.70 in the longer game and took 4 wickets at 10 apiece in his two one-dayers.If Geeves can get himself fit and stay that way for an extended period of time, then he could well do as did Paul Rofe last year, and find himself amongst the top wicket-takers in Australia’s domestic competition. A national call-up to the senior squad or the A side may be close behind.One young man who performed brilliantly at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year was Bird. He was one of the leading wicket-takers in the competition with 15 wickets @ 14.33 runs apiece. Bird (19) is lithe in stature standing 1.85m (6’1″) and earlier this year was listed as weighing only 70kg, yet from a slight frame his whippy action can generate serious speed.Although Bird performed admirably for Australia in the Under-19 competition, it was one single ball whilst playing for Bankstown which temporarily catapulted the youngster into the public eye. His hostile bouncer catapulted into the side of Michael Slater’s forehead, above the eye, causing blood to stream and Slats to leave the field in a fit of rage. The story ran in every major news service in the country and everyone wanted to know who was the youngster who had felled one of our best all-time opening batsmen. Bird was quickly signed up on a rookie contract by New South Wales and his career seems to be somewhat fast-tracking.As Bird grows in strength and stature, an extra 10kg may well add an extra 10km/h to his already impressive pace. The name Aaron Bird does not quite instil fear into many senior batsmen at the moment but this cagey customer may soon be soaring with the eagles and preying on batsmen the world over.All four of these boys possess the potential to be world-beaters, but talent can be a poisoned chalice. Whether all, or none, of these youngsters grow to represent Australia with distinction will be seen in time, but with rising stars such as these on the horizon the future of Australia’s pace stocks has never looked so bright.

Dougie Brown and Neil Smith guided Warwickshire to a famous victory in a classic Benson and Hedges semi-final with Lancashire at Old Trafford on Friday. It was a game which does justice to 31 years of the competition, which ends this year. The pair, both England internationals, added 60 from 64 balls for the seventh wicket as the visitors held their nerve in an incredible finish.But it was Neil Carter, Warwickshire’s pseudo Englishman, playing on a Britishpassport, who swept his first ball – and the final ball of the match – for four to hand Warwickshire victory by one wicket. Carter, who pinch-hits for his county occasionally, was unfazed and ran off the field to embrace Brown who had fallen victim to Andrew Flintoff’s wonderful arm from the penultimate ball.Brown and Smith came together after a flurry of wickets had threatened to stop Warwickshire’s victory chase in its tracks. With a mixture of power hitting and deft touches, they kept the visitors in the game and the run rate manageable. John Wood, who had bowled with admirable accuracy, conceded two boundaries in his final over. Kyle Hogg conceded another four, which would have been six had Graham Lloyd not brilliantly palmed the ball back at long-off. Next ball, Smith went for another big shot and was easily caught at long-on for 29.Ashley Giles was well caught by Mark Chilton at point, leaving Warwickshireneeding more than a run a ball with two wickets left. Brown kept his cool, then Carter ensured his picture would make tomorrow’s papers with a boys’ own final ball.Chasing 212 for victory on a sluggish pitch, Warwickshire’s reply fluctuatedthroughout. Glen Chapple removed Nick Knight, nibbling outside the off stump, in his first over. Shaun Pollock found the off-side boundary before Lancashire captain Warren Hegg brilliantly stumped the South African down the leg-side.Jim Troughton joined Ian Bell, who looked like settling down for the long haul. Troughton, the 23-year-old who hit a century and a fifty in Warwickshire’s last Championship game, was the more expansive partner. He hit beautifully through the off-side, as left-handers tend to do, punishing any width with a gleeful flourish. Bell’s settled technique will see him representing England in the near future, and he was content to nudge singles. The pair added 60 before Chris Schofield, who looked more minor counties than Test match bowler, trapped Troughton leg before.Just as Bell was threatening a match-winning innings, he hooked the accurate Wood to 18-year-old Hogg, who took a fine running catch in the deep. Trevor Penney soon followed, and with Andrew Flintoff working up some pace, it was looking like a glum trip home for the Bears. But Brown and Smith, both consummate county performers, were not prepared to lie down and took Warwickshire towards victory with some old fashioned hitting.Unfortunately, the impact of an excellent century will be diminished. Chilton, Lancashire’s 25-year-old opener, continued his good form in the competition with 101. Hegg must have questioned his decision to bat first after Lancashire slumped to 36-3 on a cloudy Manchester morning in front of a crowd more interested in the fortunes of England’s football team. Realising his limitations, and those of the sluggish track, Chilton set himself up to bat through the innings. Though he only hit four boundaries in his 146 ball knock, it was a fascinating century. The innings earned him the Man of the Match award, the scantest conciliation.Chilton was educated at Manchester Grammar, Michael Atherton’s old school, and batted with an uncomplicated stubbornness which Atherton would have admired. He was unfazed when Smith dropped a sitter, and he was lucky to win the benefit of the doubt on several leg before decisions. Uncomfortable against the spinners, Chilton nevertheless utilised a chip shot, over the infield but bouncing before the sweepers, to good effect.Chilton found an ally in Flintoff, whose 41 was compiled with uncharacteristic patience. The pair added 89 in 21 overs, Flintoff’s only extravagance an edged straight six from Giles’ bowling. Giles and Smith kept good control after Pollock had been wonderfully miserly in his opening spell.Mini contributions followed down the order from Graham Lloyd, who tried every variation of the reverse sweep in his 18, and Hegg, who snicked a couple of boundaries. Pollock finished the innings off with two wickets in two balls and figures of 4/27 which did not flatter him. His length at the death was admirable. Carter also bowled well, picking up three wickets, including the dangerous Neil Fairbrother. At the interval the game looked closely balanced. Despite this, such thrilling conclusions are rarities to be savoured. In time, even the Lancashire players will realise they were in a terrific game.Warwickshire will play Essex in the last Benson and Hedges final on Saturday22nd June.

Nasser Hussain was not flinging idle praise around when he termedMichael Vaughan’s 197 one of the best innings he had ever seen fromthe blade of an English bat. The classical opener’s highest firstclass score was quite definitely an innings that would done the bestof his tribe proud.

Vaughan’s shot selection on the day he held everybody in thrall wasadmirable, with his driving off the back foot in particular being ofsuch a high order that former England all-rounder Vic Marks was movedto liken it to that of the great Peter May.The Yorkshireman was helped in no small measure by the Indian bowlers,who played a significant part in the transformation of the 27-yearold, whom many had previously marked as the ideal replacement foranother Michael – the very correct and very stodgy Atherton – into abatsman who tore the opposing attack to shreds.Pitching short and spraying the ball everywhere, India’s bowlershelped the England opener feel at home immediately upon his arrival atthe crease. High on confidence after his hundred in the England secondinnings at Lord’s, Vaughan was not in the mood to miss out on sucheasy pickings.With dozens of short-of-a-length deliveries on offer, the regionbetween point and third man naturally proved a productive one,yielding as many as 43 runs. Another area that provided runs by thebucketful was mid-wicket, where Vaughan creamed as many as 44 throughfine back-foot pulls and front-foot drives. It is also telling thatonly 20 runs out of 197 – a measly 10.15 % – came in the vee betweenmid-off and mid-on. On that Trent Bridge wicket, India should havebeen pitching the ball up much further, allowing it to swing and usethe juice in the wicket. If Vaughan had made 197 with the bowlerssticking to the appropriate length, many more runs would have come offstraight drives.

The sole variety in the Indian attack – Harbhajan Singh – wascountered by either staying on the back foot and playing the fineflick, or by sweeping. The pitch afforded only slow turn, enablingVaughan to play the offie on the back foot, something not normallyadvised on more vicious tracks. Harbhajan Singh only helped thattactic along by constantly drifting to leg, unable to bowl the classicoff-spinner’s line just outside the off. The success of Vaughan’sstrategy is best represented by the fact that he scored 27 runs in thefine-leg region and 11 runs to the square-leg against the Harbhajan.Harbhajan also made another fundamental error, not only againstVaughan but against the rest as well. Not once did he succeed inflighting the ball and luring Vaughan into the expansive drive.Ironically enough, then, it was Vaughan who, in India’s secondinnings, reminded everybody of the efficacy of that classic offspinner’s tactic. The ball with which he brought about SachinTendulkar’s downfall was exactly the kind that Harbhajan himselfshould been attempting.

Pakistan Customs stormed into the final round of the National One-day Cricket Championship with an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Karachi Whites in the last Pool ‘A’ fixture at National Stadium here Wednesday.Karachi Whites, who sent in, were bundled out for 163 in 48.4 overs despite skipper Arif Mahmood’s 50 off 81 deliveries. The burly all-rounder slammed six boundaries after coming to the crease with the Whites in tatters at 61 for five.Arif and Shahid Iqbal, who made 38 off 60 balls with four fours, were involved in a sixth-wicket partnership worth 74. Among top-order, only opener Maisam Hasnain managed to enter double-figures. He hit six fours in making 28 off 61 balls.Pacer Waqas Chughtai claimed three for 25 while spinners Salman Fazal and Tabish Nawab chipped in with two wickets each, giving away 31 and 33 runs respectively.Customs made a shaky start when they lost opener Shadab Kabir for a duck in the first over of the innings. Fellow left-handers Azhar Shafiq (25) and Kashif Siddique (17) had also perished with their side still 104 runs away from the target. But skipper Aamir Bashir and the bearded left-handed Asim Kamal guided Customs home with both scoring unbeaten half-centuries.Aamir Bashir struck exactly 50 off 107 balls with the aid of three fours while Asim stroked 57 off 99 deliveries. His knock was studded with four hits to the fence.

When will it end?The depressing sequence of inevitable West Indies defeats was extendedto No. 5 yesterday after South Africa taught them a lesson in how todefend a seemingly modest total.Utilising conditions that were friendly for bowlers, South Africadisplayed the tenacity that have made them one of internationalcricket’s most feared teams.For once, the West Indies appeared to have a genuine chance of winningafter they restricted the visitors to 190 in mainly overcastconditions at a packed Queen’s Park Oval.The South Africans, however, admirably defended the type of totals theWest Indies could not in previous matches to the extent that they wonby a relatively comfortable margin of 53 runs.They bowled straight for the most part, produced a few wicket-takingdeliveries and fielded with their customary efficiency in spite of thedistractions over the recent revelations of marijuana use by some oftheir team members.West Indies’ response to the target was encouraging for a period. Theypassed 100 with three wickets down, but as the asking rate keptincreasing, so too did the fall of wickets and the last seven fell for29.By the time they were all out for 137, many fans were already on theirway home.It was the West Indies’ fourth lowest total at the ground, but Hooperrefused to blame the pitch.It wasn’t the best track that we played on in the six games, but itwasn’t poor by any means, he said.The ball kept a bit low but South Africa worked and got 190 on it andwe struggled to even get 150. I don’t think you can blame the wicket,but it wasn’t the best One-Day wicket.Instead, the West Indies captain was singing a familiar tune.It’s disappointing to set games up and then not being able to finishthem off, Hooper said. We can’t drop in the towel and get negative anddisillusioned. We’ve got to keep working hard and try to rectify theareas which are giving us problems.West Indies found the pitch even more challenging than South Africadid and it took them the better part of four overs for their firstrun, courtesy of a no-ball from debutant Andre Nel which ShivnarineChanderpaul edged to the ‘keeper.Nel did get his just reward when Daren Ganga edged a beauty to firstslip.It made way for Brian Lara, who immediately raised the tempo instroking 41 off 63 balls. The Prince of Port-of-Spain was just aboutgetting into top stride when a combination of his misjudgment andJonty Rhodes’ typically outstanding fielding silenced a crowd of morethan 20 000.Lara pulled Justin Kemp through mid-wicket and mid-on off successiveballs and 11 were taken from the 26th over when he and ShivnarineChanderpaul were indecisive over a single to point. Lara virtuallygave up and he was well short of his crease when Rhodes’ direct throwhit the stumps at the bowler’s end.Struggling ChanderpaulChanderpaul (27 off 84 balls) never came to terms with the surface orthe bowling and most of the spectators were relieved when left-armunorthodox spinner Paul Adams spun one away from him for Mark Boucherto complete the stumping.The match was still in the balance at 108 for three in the 38th overbut Nel delivered telling blows in consecutive balls by dismissingHooper and Ricardo Powell. Even if the pitch was not the easiest forbatting, the West Indies bowlers should still be given credit fortheir control after Hooper asked South Africa’s new-look XI to batfirst on a strip with an extra tinge of grass.With the exception of a third-wicket stand of 92 in 21.5 overs betweenNeil McKenzie and Kemp, South Africa, who made four changes from theline-up that wrapped up the series three days earlier, struggledagainst an attack in which almost everyone played his part.The leg-breaks of Dinanath Ramnarine were expensive after he came onat the half-way stage, but Cameron Cuffy, Corey Collymore, KerryJeremy, along with the off-spin combination of Hooper and MarlonSamuels each chipped in with two wickets apiece.Cuffy and Collymore, in for his first match of the series, applied theearly pressure to the extent that the first ten overs produced only 20runs.By then, Cuffy’s sharp break-back had accounted for Herschelle Gibbs,whose run-scoring and off-field activities have commanded just as muchattention in recent days.The tall Vincentian removed Boeta Dippenaar after he laboured 37 ballsfor seven runs. Cuffy’s inward movement earned him a lbw verdictbefore South Africa recovered through the aggression of Kemp and themore measured strokeplay of McKenzie, who showed little effects fromthe hamstring injury that sidelined him for the previous four matches.Especially strong off the pads, McKenzie counted eight of SouthAfrica’s 14 boundaries in an innings of 73 off 117 balls. He was theone who looked likely to boost the total to over 200, but Collymorekept him scoreless for three balls in the 41st over before removinghim with the help of a diving catch by wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs.Before McKenzie went, Hooper tightened West Indies’ grip with adouble-strike in successive overs. The victims were the dangerousKemp, whose 46 included a stunning six over long-on off Jeremy, andJacques Kallis, bowled between bat and pad attempting a nondescriptshot.The West Indies captain was again tight throughout his ten overs andwhen Samuels replaced him after 40 overs, he was just as effective inclaiming the wickets of Pollock and Paul Adams.Jeremy, under the microscope after he was not given a single ball inBarbados, conceded 28 runs from his first six overs, but came back totake two wickets in a commendable second spell.

Andrew Strauss has announced his retirement from professional cricket, ending a 10-year career at international level, the last three of which he was England’s Test captain. Alastair Cook, the one-day captain, will take on the Test job.His decision comes after a week of soul-searching during a family break following the 2-0 loss against South Africa which meant England lost the No. 1 Test ranking and also comes at a time when Kevin Pietersen’s exile from the team has dominated the agenda.Strauss played down the significance of the current Pietersen situation in his decision saying it “was not a factor at all” and retiring was on his mind before the series against South Africa started. He did, though, admit that his lack of runs had played a major part.Strauss’ decision ends a career that began in 1997, an international career that started in 2003 and captaincy reign that began early in 2009 in the wake of the Pietersen-Peter Moores fall out.”After much thought over the last few weeks, I have decided to step down as England Test captain and announce my retirement from all forms of cricket,” Strauss said. “It has clearly been a tough decision to make, but I believe that it is both in the best interests of the England cricket team and myself to step down at this stage.”There are too many people who have helped me on this incredible journey to mention them all by name, but I would like to thank all the Middlesex and England players I have played alongside, as well as the phenomenal coaches and support staff with whom I have been fortunate enough to work.”Particular mention has to go to Andy Flower and Duncan Fletcher in that regard. It would also be remiss of me not to thank Middlesex, the ECB and the PCA for their support and guidance over the years.”No one can play international cricket for any length of time without having an incredibly strong support network around them, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family for going through it all alongside me over the course of my England career.”I am extremely proud of everything I have achieved as a cricketer, and I have found myself very fortunate to play in an era when some of English cricket’s greatest moments have occurred. I have loved every minute of it. All that remains is for me to wish Andy, Alastair and the rest of the team the very best for the coming months. I will be an interested spectator.”Strauss, 35, played his 100th Test at Lord’s against South Africa and after the loss he said he still had “a lot of desire” but did not categorically declare his intention to continue leading the side. Strauss said at the time he was keen to take a break and then discuss the future with the coach Andy Flower.ESPNcricinfo were the first to suggest immediately after the Test that perhaps Strauss was considering resignation.The South African series was a difficult one for Strauss, who not only had to deal with the ongoing Pietersen saga but also his own struggle for runs – his best score during the three Tests was 37. Cook, who took on the ODI captaincy last year, will now step into the Test role and will start with the tour of India later this year.Cook said: “Andrew’s contribution to England cricket in recent years is evident to everyone who follows the sport but only those of us who have been lucky enough to share a dressing room with him are fully aware of his immense contribution to our success.”He has been a fantastic captain, has led from the front for three and a half years and is a true ambassador for the game. To have played 100 Tests for your country is a phenomenal achievement and I want to congratulate him on a superb career. I know this can’t have been an easy decision for him and everyone in the dressing room will be sad to see him go.”I’m very excited by this new challenge, it is a huge honour to be appointed Test captain and am very much looking forward to captaining the side in India this winter and beyond, but my immediate focus is on this current NatWest one-day series. Once the series is over I will turn my attention to the Test captaincy and building on the work Andrew has started.”David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said: “On behalf of the ECB and everyone involved in cricket I’d like to thank Andrew Strauss for his outstanding contribution to the game.”Andrew has been a highly successful captain and opening batsman for Middlesex and England, who will be remembered for leading the side to two Ashes victories and to the top of the Test rankings. He has shown tremendous integrity, dedication and commitment both on and off the field and under his leadership the side has grown immeasurably and reached new levels of professionalism.”Andrew’s calmness and authority when dealing with some of the most difficult moments in our sport in recent times should be applauded and I have no doubt that his contribution as an ambassador for the game will be recognised by anyone who has had an opportunity to spend time with him. His legacy within the game will be felt for many years to come and we now need to continue to build on the progress we have made under his leadership.”Strauss made his debut for England in 2004, scoring a century against New Zealand at Lord’s in a performance that was enough to push former captain Nasser Hussain into retirement, and his most recent Test against South Africa was his 100th Test. When talking recently to mark the occasion he spoke about his desire to continue but events of recent weeks, including the controversy surrounding Pietersen, appear to have changed his mind.As captain, Strauss led England to new heights, including back-to-back Ashes triumphs in 2009 and 2010-11 plus the No.1 Test ranking which they held for a year before losing the series against South Africa. That was the first home Test series England had lost under Strauss’ leadership and just the third of his entire stint.However, the runs had largely dried up for Strauss in recent years. The two hundreds he scored against West Indies earlier this season hinted that he could recapture some of his best form but reality hit home against South Africa when he scored 107 runs in six innings. Having started his time as captain with three hundreds against West Indies in 2009 he managed just four more. He will finish with 21 Test centuries, one behind the England record held by Geoff Boycott, Colin Cowdrey and Wally Hammond.In his 100 Tests Strauss has scored 7037 runs at 40.91 and in the 50 Tests he captained (which included four before being appointed fulltime captian, against Pakistan in 2006) he won 24 of them.Strauss is the third England captain to resign either during or after a series against a South Africa side led by Graeme Smith. Hussain stood down early in the 2003 series and Michael Vaughan ended his time as captain after South Africa won the 2008 series with victory at Edgbaston.

A breathtaking 99 from Sadagoppan Ramesh and unbeaten half centuries byskipper Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman helped South to a formidable 296/2 onthe second day of their Duleep Trophy clash against West Zone at Surat’sLalbhai Contractor’s Stadium. This was after a dismal collapse earlier inthe day by West, which slipped from their overnight 310/3 to 376 all out injust over 21 overs.After a trying time for the South bowlers on the first day, they swiflyclaimed the ascendancy on the second morning as West lost four wickets inthe first six overs for the addition of sixteen runs. With the fourth ballof the day, Dodda Ganesh removed Jacob Martin for 89, caught by Laxman inthe slips. The other overnight batsman, Vinod Kambli duly completed hishalf century in 60 balls before knocking one back to Ganesh for 56.Three balls later Abhijit Kale was run out for one and skipper Nayan Mongiafollowed shortly afterwards for the same score, caught off Aashish Kapoor.Ajit Agarkar and Sairaj Bahutule added 30 for the eighth wicket beforeGanesh fired out both men in successive overs. Sunil Joshi claimed histhird scalp by bowling last man Lalit Patel to terminate the innings in the112th over. The persevering Ganesh collected the best figures of 4/81 in 29overs.South openers Sridharan Sriram and Sadagoppan Ramesh proceeded to add 139for the first wicket in just 29 overs. They scored the runs in contrastingstyles, Sriram labouring for 95 balls to make 38 before he was caughtbehind off Iqbal Siddique. Ramesh on the other hand caned a 99-ball 99, 76of which were scored off boundaries, before being bowled by Bahutule. Fromthere on Laxman and Dravid forced the West attack into submission, addingan unbroken 141 in 32.2 overs. Laxman, with nine centuries in his last ninegames, marched inevitably towards yet another, unbeaten on 80 (111 balls,12 fours) while Dravid was keeping him company on 60 (106 balls, 7 fours).

Tapping the existing base in the Pacific Islands for derivatives of cricket has the potential to open up vast areas for the development of the game.ICC East Asia-Pacific manager Matthew Kennedy told a New Zealand Cricket development conference in Christchurch today that the potential exhibited in the region during the recent Pacifica Cup tournament, won by New Zealand Maori, was only the start of development efforts.Much will depend on a decision over what the Associate and Affiliate members agree should be a World Cup structure.One suggestion has been an expansion of the traditional ICC Trophy tournament which finds three teams to attend the World Cup every four years, although in future as many as five associates may be included in the world event.That would allow for regional tournaments, such as the Pacifica Cup, to be played every two years.The second option was to have a world cricket league where the associates and affiliates were ranked from one to 62. That provides problems of its own however. Seeding teams from one to six and seven to 12 was fine, based on the performances at the ICC Trophy.But ranking teams from 13 to 62 was much more difficult. The issue of whether a New Zealand Maori, and a New Zealand Islands, team take part in regional tournaments was an issue for New Zealand Cricket.Another issue in the East Asia-Pacific region is a request from Hong Kong/China to go with the Asian region. That would involve them more in the richer Asian development region which on its own receives half the funding development allocation from the ICC.Kennedy, an Australian who works out of the ACB headquarters in Melbourne, said the Pacific offered a prime area for development because of the cricket culture that exists already and the spaces that were available in which to play the game.One of the most productive areas for development was Papua New Guinea.”They have truckloads of players and a real cricket culture. They receive Australian television and get all the cricket, and the players are naturally talented.”Japan is our target for the next affiliate members in our region. They have seven competitions and 30-35 teams, and for the first time this year locals and ex-pats have united to play each other,” he said.What Kennedy did ask for from the delegates attending the three-day meeting from each of New Zealand’s major associations was to consider entering into a partnership with one of the emerging countries in the same way that Auckland has done with Samoa and Tonga.Victoria has links with Japan and South Korea and New South Wales is linked to Fiji and Vanuatu.This was a way of providing any old playing kit, advice or experience to those countries and whatever was offered was bound to be appreciated by those countries, he said.Support provided by the ICC to the countries was not just a monetary handout but more in the field of support and that had been well received to date.Kennedy said the establishment of practice nets in Samoa and Tonga, the first such facilities, and the development of a ground and practice facilities in Fiji had made a big difference to those countries and would make a difference in the future.