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New Zealand will be spending eight days in Brisbane as build-up to their tour of India. The side, which is expected to be named later this week, will have from September 10-18 in Brisbane before returning home for a few days. They will fly out for India on September 21.Team manager Lindsay Crocker returned today from a trip to England, where he and acting coach Ashley Ross met with new team coach John Bracewell and captain Stephen Fleming, and India where Crocker met with Jagmohan Dalmiya and the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s operations manager Kunal Ghosh.He said there were several options open to the side for their practice but the closeness of Brisbane, and contacts he had with Queensland Cricket from his time as chief executive for Auckland Cricket, made it a good connection.”We need to get outside and stretch the bowlers’ legs while also building up their workloads. It will also give the batsmen a chance to bat in outside conditions,” Crocker said. “We will also work with the Queensland Bulls squad while at Allan Border Field.”It wouldn’t necessarily be all the touring party who went, he said, as someone like Fleming or Chris Cairns, who have been playing county cricket in England might prefer the break.”We did look to going to India earlier but it is still wet in some places there and it was too risky. We will still have 15 days there to acclimatise before the first Test. But in Brisbane the bowlers will be able to come in off their full run-ups and any variations they need to make to the length of their bowling can be worked on during their time in India,” Crocker said.New Zealand were happy with the itinerary for the tour, especially now that Ahmedabad Test had been confirmed. Crocker said his visit was not to inspect venues but to meet with Indian officials and deal with some of the logistics of the tour. It was already apparent to him that there is a great deal of interest in India in the tour.Australian officials have been looking into the venues for their visit there as part of the tri-series to be played in India and would be assisting New Zealand with information for their games.

Denis Aberhart, New Zealand’s coach, believes his bowlers still have enough time to force a win despite a fightback by Sri Lanka’s batsmen on day three of this opening Test.New Zealand claimed just three wickets in three sessions as Sri Lanka finished on 267 for four after half centuries from Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Hashan Tillakaratne.”It’s hard out there but I think they stuck at it pretty well today,” said Aberhart. “The lines were right and they created some opportunities which might have gone our way with a bit more luck.””In the first session, 75% of the runs were scored in boundaries and, although we pulled it back later in the day, there were too many four balls. We need to bowl more dot balls to put them under pressure.”Sri Lanka need another 49 runs to avoid the follow on target but even if New Zealand conjure up a spectacular collapse with the second new ball they will not enforce the follow on.”I don’t think we will be forcing the follow on now,” said Aberhart. “Instead, we will look to set a target, if we can get them out quick enough. There is a lot more work to be done but if we can get a couple more wickets and put some pressure on their long tail it is game on.”Mahela Jayawardene, who scored an unbeaten 58, adding 133 for the fifth wicket with Hashan Tillakaratne, was relieved to have contributed with the bat after a dismal World Cup in South Africa and then spilling four catches in the first innings here.”Things have not been going my way for the last couple of months,” said Jayawardene. “I found my timing and confidence in that knock against New Zealand in the warm-up game, where I worked on my balance and just stuck tothe basics.””Yesterday’s fielding was one of the most disastrous outings that I have ever had. Nothing went my way and a let the team down – I felt really bad. I try to not think about such things when I go out to bat but obviously it was at the back of my mind.”Jayawardene, who slowed down just before the close, conscious of the need to deny New Zealand a morale boosting wicket at the end of the day, warned that Sri Lanka were not yet safe.”The pitch is getting slower and there is some for bite for the spinners, but if you concentrate hard and don’t play loose shots then you can survive,” he said. “We fought hard today but the job is only half done. We have to survive for at least another session tomorrow.”

Responding to members’ requests, I’d like to outline the role of your Members’ Committee.As Rose Bowl Plc runs Hampshire Cricket – why have a Members’ Committee?Well, prime reason for our existence is to be your link to the PLC. We represent your interests/needs/concerns.How do we do this? David Robinson and I attend the monthly Hampshire Cricket board meetings. We can then express the views of members and hear their plans for Hampshire Cricket.So it’s important we communicate with you. How do we do this?a) by using Hampshire’s websiteb) by individual discussionsc) by producing 2 publicationsThe Newsletter (known as) Delivery – A well received andprofessional publication. Thanks go to Andrew Renshaw for his unstinting efforts in production of this and also The Hampshire HandbookOther publication is Rose Bowl Round Up (Previously Hawkeye)Name changed in order not to be confused with the TV Graphics companyof same name now based at The Rose Bowl.RBRU is available during the season giving up to date news on HampshireCricket. Production this year will be monthly during 1st championshipgame of the month and publication dates will be issued in advanceThere will be sufficient numbers printed this yearThanks to David Robinson and Vic Isaacs for their help in production inthe past. Alison Willcocks will take over from Vic this yearBest form of communication is face to face and that’s why we arrange Members’ Forums like the one to follow the AGM.Do you want more? – then let us know.These give opportunity for Q & A to those running the business of Hampshire CricketWe are flattered this year that Radio Solent will be broadcasting our forum live tonightIn order to broaden communication across the county we have 3 local associations, Bournemouth and New Forest, North & Borders and Portsmouth and SE.These provide opportunity to discuss Hampshire Cricket in social atmosphere.All 3 associations are looking for help in organising, so any volunteers please let us know.We don’t have an association based in Southampton. Do we need one?- let us know.Good example of benefits of fundraising tonight as Ray Cook and Brian Scrimshaw from N & B and P’Mouth and SE respectively will now present cheques to Tim Tremlett as contribution to the cost of cricket balls used by youth cricket in Hampshire.David Robinson has already present a cheque to Tim Tremlett on behalf of B’Mouth and New Forest.We still have our Committee Box situated on right of pavilion.Here we entertain visiting Committee/Officials.Do see us there and let us know your views:-For example we have arranged a jazz band after play on the May 4th Sunday Game v Sussex. Would you like more?There is a members’ golf competition on July 14th at the Rose Bowl’s own courseWe have arranged 3 dates to do tours of the facilities for new (and existing) membersWhat else would members like to have?It still remains the Committee’s responsibility to decide who receives a Benefit or Testimonial In fact ECB rules state that we must have a proposal in writing from a member supporting a candidate before we can make our decision.Again we want to hear from youFinally we take responsibility for fundraising for Hampshire County Cricket Youth Trust. This must be kept separate from Rose Bowl Plc’s own fundraising.Thanks for listening and I hope I’ve thrown some light on your Members’ Committee’s role.ROGER TREHERNE

Nepal’s effort in reaching the final of the Plate Championship of the ICC Under-19 World Cup at Lincoln University has been one of the highlights of the tournament.Nepal were only a fraction away from qualifying from the Super League stage of the World Cup, and they had victories over Test nations Pakistan and Bangladesh.But in terms of their own development they were probably best suited to learning in a less harsh environment in the Plate.The real test for Nepal lies in maximising the benefits to its players from the tournament.Whether coach Roy Dias is part of that may be decided by the Asian Cricket Council. Dias was appointed to the side by them, but he has been approached by United Arab Emirates and it could be the ACC that decides what he does.”My personal preference is Nepal – I know these guys so well,” he said.Dias believes Nepal could play at the top level in 10 years.”This has been a good tournament for them. They have had facilities to work in they have not had before.”But we find it difficult to get the kids interested back in Nepal. Soccer is their main game. And there is no schools set-up for cricket. Rumesh Ratnayake has been going around Nepal encouraging kids and trying to get them playing.”They have the talent but it is a long road ahead. There is some club cricket but it is all one-day cricket and mainly only 40 overs, so they haven’t been used to playing 50 overs.”But watching these guys the last three months I thought they could cause some surprises here, especially the spin bowlers. I knew the strength of my players,” Dias said.

Sri Lanka need to win at least one and possibly both of their remaining Super Six matches against India and Kenya to have any chance of reaching the World Cup semi-finals.Australia are already there after beating them by 96 runs at Centurion, and Sri Lanka’s captain Sanath Jayasuriya was injured while batting.”I was hit twice, the first one on the thumb and then I got hit on the arm later in the same over,” explained Jayasuriya. “It’s painful but we will have to wait and see about the next game.”When you’re chasing such a big total it’s important that one or two of yourbatsmen get big scores and we weren’t helped by me having to retire hurt andthen losing some early wickets but Aravinda played well.”Sri Lanka’s coach Dav Whatmore was less than impressed by the team’s performance, stressing the need to bounce straight back if they are to overcome India in their next match.”We weren’t very clever today,” Whatmore said. “It’s another test for our boys because India are not a bad side and we need to get points sooner rather than later – it’s a big test of our character.”Australian captain Ricky Ponting was made man of the match for his 114, and insisted that Jayasuriya’s injury would have no effect on their bowling strategy in the rest of the tournament.”You never want to see anyone get seriously hurt and hopefully he hasn’t beenseriously injured, but it’s a World Cup and we’re trying to bowl where theirbatsmen are least likely to score,” Ponting said.”If that happens to be at the body then it will be at the body. We’re not going to go out there and bowl him full wide ones because he’s going to smack us over cover or point every time – that’s a weakness in his game and we’ve picked up on that of late and we’ve been able to execute that pretty well.”It was a pretty good day for us. I thought they got a few more runs than I would have liked at the end, but that happens in those sort of games – they had nothing to lose at the end of the game and Aravinda got stuck into us a little bit.”The batting was very good and the bowling with the new ball was excellent,we had them under pressure right from the word go and we executed our plansparticularly well.”

Western Australia still scents an outright, but New South Wales has improved its chances of escaping with a draw, after a fierce battle between thesides on the third day of their Pura Cup match here at the Sydney Cricket Ground today.After the Warriors established a massive 363-run advantage on the first innings, the Blues opted primarily to occupy the crease during the day’s finaltwo sessions. They closed at a second innings scoreline of 3/188, reducing the overall deficit to 175 in the process with six hours left to play in thematch.Attacking cricket was put firmly on the shelf by the Blues as captain Michael Bevan (78*) and opener Greg Mail (59) combined to add an even 100runs in a vigilant stand for the second wicket. After Michael Slater (24) was dismissed from the first delivery he faced after lunch, Bevan and Mailbatted together for the best part of the remaining two sessions to frustrate the Warriors and heighten the chances that the Blues might be able toscramble away from this game with a draw.Western Australia’s first innings was finally wrapped up at a mammoth 578 during the morning session, leaving the Blues with the task of extendingtheir salvage mission over a total of five and a half sessions.Mail and Slater used up the remainder of the pre-lunch period to compose an opening partnership of 32, though the latter’s innings wasn’tnecessarily a vintage one. Slater characteristically attempted to dominate the attack but one uncontrolled shot sent the ball flying over the slips andanother had the ball clearing Brad Williams by a matter of inches at fine leg.His mixture of an innings ended swiftly after lunch when he edged a delivery of high pace from Williams (1/56). The ball flew quickly towicketkeeper, Ryan Campbell, who wrapped a glove around it but fumbled the catch and had to watch as second slip fieldsman, Marcus North,came across to his left to tidy up the dismissal.Enter Bevan and a go-slow show with Mail that utilised as many as 304 deliveries.Mail’s own half century came from 173 balls, while Bevan was similarly defiant in accumulating his milestone from 148.Ultimately, it took the shock of a bowling change, and a wonderful catch from Scott Meuleman, to separate them. Right arm off spinner North (1/24) was the partnership breaker, luring Mail to drive a flighted ball hard and low to Meuleman in a position just forward of short leg.It was just the fifth ball North had wheeled down and only the fourth over of spin in the innings as a whole.With a change in partner came something of a change in heart from a suddenly flamboyant Bevan. The left hander promptly struck two majesticboundaries to reach fifty then transformed his scoring curve even further by serially cutting Williams to raise another four boundaries in a single over.A half-century stand with Michael Clarke (17) consequently came in a positively dizzy 64 minutes, though the attacking bent reached a prompt halt again when Brad Hogg (1/15) terminated the youngster’s innings with a leg side lbw decision that replays suggested was a touch dubious.

Michael Slater’s disastrous season took another turn for the worse today when selectors axed him from the New South Wales team to play Victoria in a Pura Cup match starting in Sydney on Friday.The former Test opener has surrendered his place in the Blues’ line-up after a lean patch with the bat that has seen him score just 257 first-class runs this summer at an average of 25.70 from his 11 Pura Cup innings. It follows his exclusion from the Australian team late last year.”It’s always distressing to leave out a talented player, especially one with a career record like Michael’s,” said John Benaud, chairman of the New South Wales selection panel, in a short statement.”He’s sadly out of touch at the moment.”Hopefully, some time in the middle away from the pressure cooker of first-class cricket might help him get back to his very best form.”Slater, an aggressive right handed batsman, has played 74 Tests and 42 one-day international matches for Australia but lost his place in the national side when Justin Langer was preferred to him for the fifth and final Test of the 2001 Ashes series in England. Langer has subsequently enjoyed a record-breaking season with Matthew Hayden at the top of the Australian order in an association that has already produced four double century partnerships in the space of seven matches.Slater, 31, enjoyed a meteoric rise at the start of his career, winning a call-up to the Australian side in the same season as he made his first-class debut for New South Wales. He was omitted from his country’s team for a period of 18 months between late 1996 and early 1998 but otherwise remained a fixture in the side for the eight years that led up to his axing in England.His omission today from his state team – which comes only five months after the loss of his Australian position – was part of two changes made to the squad which suffered a 67-run defeat at the hands of South Australia in Adelaide last weekend.The Blues, who chose batsmen Graeme Rummans and Matthew Phelps over Slater and twelfth man Anthony Clark, have now dropped to fourth on the Pura Cup table with four rounds remaining.The full New South Wales team to play Victoria is: Stuart MacGill (c), Greg Mail, Brett van Deinsen, Matthew Phelps, Corey Richards, Graeme Rummans, Michael Clarke, Mark Higgs, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken, Don Nash, Stuart Clark (12th man to be named).

The Indian board (BCCI) is considering filing a counter claim against Global Cricket Corporation (GCC) for its “failure to properly market the World Cup.” Addressing the media for the first time after attending the board meeting of the ICC Development International (IDI), BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya stated: “We definitely reserve our right to file a counter-claim against GCC.”According to an Associated Press report, Dalmiya had raised this point in the board meeting of the IDI. The IDI has withheld guarantee money of approximately US$9 million in view of the likely claims for damages from the GCC for violation of ambush-marketing clauses by Indian players during the World Cup in South Africa.It is not entirely clear what this counter claim will be based on.

Arunkumar leads Karnataka to a massive winAn aggressive hundred from captain Jagadeesh Arunkumar and his 206-run fourth wicket partnership with Vijay Bhardwaj ((94) guided Karnataka to a comprehensive 84-run win over Hyderabad in the Ranji one-dayer between the two teams at the Indira Priyadarshini stadium, Vishakapatnam.In the morning, Arunkumar won the toss and elected to bat. Opening the batting, he saw the first three Karnataka batsmen depart when the score had only reached 57. But it was then that Vijay Bhardwaj arrived and soon a grand stand between the two unfolded. Arunkumar began to open up as the innings progressed and by the time he was dismissed his 151 off 138 balls, with sixteen fours and four sixes, he had all but sealed his side’s win. A few lusty blows from tailenders B Akhil and Dodda Ganesh helped Karnataka pile up a massive 336 for seven in their 50 overs.Hyderabad made a spirited reply, rattling close to 140 runs in the first 20 overs. But they lost four wickets in the bargain and that proved to be their undoing. No. 3 D Vinay Kumar, who made 104 off 104 balls, was the top-scorer for Hyderabad, who were all out for 252 in 45.4 overs. Karnataka claimed five points for the win.Andhra thrash KeralaFormer India wicket-keeper MSK Prasad and Y Venugopal Rao were the stars in Andhra’s 52-run win over Kerala at the Trishna Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Saturday.Prasad, who also happens to be the Andhra captain, made 82 off 82 balls and Venugopal Rao 91 off 100 balls as Andhra made 270 for four in their 50 overs.MP Sorab’s 72 off 112 balls meant that the Kerala reply got off to a decent start. But his dismissal with the score on 155, saw the visitors lose their way; they were dismissed for 218 off 49.1 overs. Andhra were rewarded with four points for their win.TN prove too strong for GoaTamil Nadu captain Robin Singh claimed four wickets to lead his side to a seven-wicket win over Goa at the STRSA Stadium, Visakhapatnam.Goa, who won the toss, lost their captain VV Kolambakar in the fourth over of the day and they never recovered from there, being dismissed for 177 in 44.1 overs. For Tamil Nadu, medium-pacers L Balaji and MR Shrinivas also bowled well claiming two wickets each.A 84 off just 76 balls from No. 3 J Madanagopal meant that Tamil Nadu then overhauled the target with minimum off fuss in just 32 overs. The seven wicket-win that they achieved in the end was enough to guarantee them the maximum of five points.

With the annual Academy Cricket Week just around the corner,the Lennons EP Cricket Academy is busy with their final preparations toleave on Sunday, 9 September, to Bloemfontein to participate in this year’sAcademy Cricket Week.The Free State Cricket Union will host the week this year,from the 10-14 September and matches will be played at Goodyear Park,the University of the Free State and the Free State Technikon.According to Russell Domingo, Lennons EP Cricket Academycoach, this week provides the perfect opportunity for the various localAcademies to match their skills against one another after three months ofhard work during the winter months.”The EP Lennons Academy have been engaged in various three-dayfixtures and this week will provide the players the opportunity of testingtheir one-day skills against quality players from other provinces,” he said.”The EP Cricket Academy will play against FreeState, Border, Gauteng, Northern Cape and Northens. The week is sure toprovide some high quality cricket, and players who are still eligible forthe under-19 World Cup team that will be taking place in New Zealand in February2002 will be keen to impress the national selectors who will be inattendance.”The Academy Team is: B Kops, S McGillewie, U Nquma, L Brown, E Potgieter, A Mazina, L Dipha, J Stander, C Birch, H Keeton, G le Roux, M Antoni, G Steenkamp, W van der Westhuizen, L Meyer, G AndersonIssued by newzwise on behalf of EP CricketFor more information pleas contact Ronel Dawson of newzwise on 041-5817083 or 0824960773