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Badureliya created the biggest upset of the season by trouncing the formidable Nondescripts team by a 271-run margin at the Nondescripts Stadium. Led by captain Hemantha Wickramaratne, who scored 114, Badureliya managed 339 in their first innings after being put in by Nondescripts. Wickramaratne, though, narrowly missed out scoring a century in both innings when he was dismissed for 91 in the second innings as Badureliya topped 300 twice in the match. Nondescripts’ batting was dismantled by Badureliya’s all-round bowling strength, collapsing for totals of 191 and 187.The win placed Badureliya second on the points table.Sinhalese recovered from 52-3 to total 514 and beat Tamil Union by an innings and 104 runs at the P.Saravanamuttu Stadium. The foundation for their victory was laid by their fourth wicket pair of Thilan Samaraweera (125) and Thilina Kandamby (who scored a career-best 163), who figured in a stand of 261. Sachitra Serasinghe’s offspin then unsettled the Tamil Union batting as they were forced to follow-on. He ended the match with eight wickets.In a low scoring game played at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colts recovered from conceding a first-innings lead of 21 runs to beat Ragama by four wickets to retain third spot.Colombo recovered from their shock defeat at the hands of Moors last weekend to beat Bloomfield by 257 runs at the Colombo Cricket Club Ground. Discarded Sri Lanka batsman, Jehan Mubarak, was in great form for Colombo, scoring 121 and 49.Following their giant-killing performance last weekend, Moors were brought down to earth by Chilaw Marians, who beat them by 226 runs at the Moors Sports Club Ground. The architect of Marians’ victory was the former Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Dinuka Hettiarachchi, who took a match bag of ten wickets including six in the second innings.Player of the Week: Dinuka Hettiarachchi
Hettiarachchi got his first big break at the age of 24 when he was picked to represent his country against Nasser Hussain’s England at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in 2001, but after that he never came under the microscope of the national selectors despite consistent performances in domestic cricket for Colombo Colts, SSC and now Chilaw Marians with whom he has been for the past three seasons.Part of Marians’ success in the past few years has been due to Hettiarachchi’s presence but as team manager Godfrey Dabare noted: “Dinuka is a very talented cricketer who for some reason has been overlooked for selection even to the Sri Lanka A team. He was given one opportunity with the A side that toured New Zealand and he performed well. After that he has been performing consistently taking nearly 50 wickets a season without much luck.”It is frustrating for bowlers like Dinuka to bowl their hearts out and not get a look-in even for the A team. Unless they give opportunities to bowlers like Dinuka there’ll come a time when Sri Lanka will be stuck for a quality spinner the day Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] decides to retire.”

Points Table

The Indian Cricket League (ICL) has found further support, from the head of New Zealand’s players’ body, who is concerned that New Zealand will suffer most unless the ICC accommodates the ICL. The ICC is due to meet early September to determine whether the ICL will be officially endorsed.The players’ associations will convene at the same time in Johannesburg. Heath Mills, the manager of the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association, told the their message would be for the ICC to get behind the league, rather than ostracise it.”The ideal scenario from my point of view would be for the ICC to support it as long as it didn’t impinge upon international cricket,” he said. “I can’t see many negatives of third-party funding coming into cricket and another professional league would give players an opportunity to earn more income, just like those who go to county cricket. What would concern me greatly was if the league was not sanctioned and it became a ‘rebel’ league.”Mills said the comparatively low incomes of New Zealand’s players made them a prime target for the ICL, arguing that cricket’s big fish – the subcontinent, Australia, England and South Africa – have the resources to pay their players the sort of money that would ensure they don’t jump ship.”Our guys would be hugely at risk,” Mills said. “They’re paying their players close to a million a year so it’s a no-brainer. But a guy who is near the top of the [New Zealand] retainer list and plays most games a year is looking at $250,000 maximum. That makes us vulnerable.” Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle and Stephen Fleming have all been linked with the ICL.Mills’s comments provide further momentum for the ICL bandwagon. In recent weeks, the league has received some support from at least two senior Indian politicians; Digvijay Singh, a general secretary of the ruling Congress party, asked the BCCI to help promote the ICL instead of confronting it. Lalu Prasad Yadav, the federal railway minister, has also indicated his support, saying he would allow organisers to host matches in stadiums under his ministry’s control.On Friday, half the Hyderabad first-class team announced it had signed on. Imran Farhat, who is out of favour with Pakistan’s selectors in the shorter version of the game, has been released from his central contract with the PCB and has all but sealed a deal with the ICL.There have been continued reports of big-name but disgruntled Pakistan players signing on as well. Brian Lara remains the only star to have officially committed to the league.

Suspicious starter of the Day
By the time Matthew Hayden had faced 18 deliveries in his last matchagainst South Africa at St Kitts he had boshed his way to 32 not outwith three fours and two sixes. Today, on a virgin pitch at Antigua’sbrand-new stadium, it took him that many balls to dribble his firstrun, a cagey steer behind point. It was a deceptive beginning,however. By the time he’d gauged the pace and bounce of the pitch andclobbered the highest Australian score in World Cup history, few couldrecall its humble beginnings.Misjudgment of the Day Mark 1
Ricky Ponting was looking ominously set, as he pretty much alwaysdoes, when he poked one into the covers and set off for a tight,though not entirely suicidal, single. Waiting for him, however, wasnone other than Ramnaresh Sarwan, who picked up in an instant and pinged downthe stumps at the non-striker’s end. Ponting was gone for 35 from 36balls, and Australia’s momentum had been stunted at a crucialjuncture.Misjudgment of the Day Mark 2
But the next time Sarwan clearly felt that Antigua’s boundaries were quite bigenough. Standing ten yards in from the ropes at long-off, he wasnutmegged, David Seaman-style, by a rare miscued drive from Hayden on109. He leapt backwards but failed to get even a fingertip to the ball,and gestured that the ball had gone for six, perhaps to save face asmuch as anything else. In fact the shot had dipped late and bouncedsix inches inside the rope. Had he been right back to start with, whoknows what would have happened?Catch of the Day
Nothing much could stem Hayden’s march, and in the final ten overs,he demonstrated that short boundaries were only a partial excuse forall the six-hitting that went on at St Kitts. His slap over long-onoff Jerome Taylor was a beauty – a shot that managed to be both high and flatat the same time. And yet … positioned in the deep, 15 rows back inthe top tier of the grandstand, an Aussie fan (it always is …) leaptout of his seat and back-flipped his way to a remarkable one-handedpluck. He didn’t even let go of the beer in his other hand (as it always is…).Let-off of the Day
By the time the drizzle eased with just under two hours of play stillpossible, the word doing the rounds in the stadium was that we wereall set for a 20-over slog fest. Duckworth and Lewis had decided on atarget of 163, a figure which may have been justified by the old ruleof thumb that you take your score after 30 overs and double it, but inthis era of Twenty20 cricket it was generous in the extreme. In theend, the rain rolled in to leave Australia quite content with theirday’s work.

Nottinghamshire will announce to members at the AGM on Monday that they have made a profit for the seventh successive year. The club made a pre-tax profit of £137,831 and are also on course to complete the £8.2 million Bridgford Road Stand and other improvements on budget in late April.Despite the results, finance chairman Richard Tennant still sounded a cautious note. “We cannot afford to stand still in what is a very dynamic competitive environment,” he said. “Since last year’s AGM, not only have Cardiff completed their re-development but the Rose Bowl, The Oval, Headingley and Old Trafford have all announced their own very ambitious plans.”We are fortunate to have a staging agreement with the ECB which guarantees international cricket at Trent Bridge until the end of the 2011 season,” he added. “But 2012 will be on us before we know it and we must ensure that our business is in the best possible financial shape as we are forced to bid with other venues for major matches – without any staging agreement certainty.”Barry Pailing, the club chairman, will announce at the meeting at that he will not be continuing in his role after four years, but he will remain on the general committee for a further year.

Australia will treat Friday’s dead-rubber against Sri Lanka as their first final ahead of the best-of-three CB Series deciders with India starting on Sunday. Sri Lanka have only pride to play for but Australia know they cannot afford to lose momentum after winning their past four games of the tournament.”We’ve certainly taken the approach that our finals campaign starts now,” Gilchrist said in the lead-up to the Sri Lanka match at the MCG. “You could say it would be better not playing the game and have a clear run into the finals and preparation. But we’ve got this game to use how we want to use it, and it’s not as a practice game. If we get lethargic we lose momentum.”I’m sure every individual is looking to have their own specific things. I’m sure Ricky [Ponting] will want to back up now, the runs that he’s scored, and Symmo. I’ve had a few teens, twenties scores since my hundred in Perth, so it would be nice to get a bit of momentum back up.”Australia lost last year’s tri-series finals to England and Gilchrist said with he and Brad Hogg farewelling international cricket during the deciders – and with the CB Series itself on the way out – it was important the hosts were in form to face India on Sunday. “We don’t have that trophy in the cabinet and it’s the last tri-series that there will probably ever be,” he said.”It’s been an integral part in the success of Australian cricket and the Australian cricket calendar, and indeed the world cricket calendar. Although it’s become tired and everyone’s ready to move ont o a different format this triangular series, when it used to be called the World Series Cup, countries used to covet this trophy and loved to be here.”Mahela Jayawardene’s men cannot make the finals following their disappointing run since their win over India in Canberra more than two weeks ago. They have suffered four defeats from that moment on and Jayawardene said their pride was definitely on the line in Melbourne.”No team wants to lose four-five games in a tournament and not have a successful run,” Jayawardene said. “Every game we play, we play to win and give everything. Things haven’t gone our way, we have one more chance to rectify those things.”They are unlikely to risk Farveez Maharoof, who has a side strain, while Australia will regain Mitchell Johnson after he was rested for their match in Sydney earlier this week. It will be the last match Gilchrist plays at the MCG and he said as the CB Series had continued the reality of retirement had really hit home. However, he remains at ease with his call.”There’s not a decision I’ve made in my life – and this is all due respect to my wife about marriage because I’m pretty certain that was the right decision – but I’ve never been surer every single day that I wake up, that this is the right thing to do,” Gilchrist said. “I’m getting more and more reflective and it’s natural to do that. The way people are expressing their emotions and thoughts and opinions of me, and to me, that’s making it even more of an emotional time.”Australia (likely) 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 James Hopes, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Brad Hogg, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Nathan Bracken.Sri Lanka (likely) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Dilruwan Perera, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Ishara Amerasinghe.

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.

Former England fast bowler Simon Jones isn’t ruling out a return to international cricket, spurred on by the thought of playing an Ashes Test in front of a Welsh crowd. Continual injury setbacks have hampered him for two years and he has not played international cricket since 2005, but he is clinging to the hope of participating in Cardiff’s first Ashes next year.”I would do anything to be involved in that game,” Jones told the Mirror. “Playing against Australia in front of a Welsh crowd would be something special.”Reprising the 2005 Ashes-winning bowling quartet of himself, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard is a further dream, however distant. “I would hate to think the four of us will never bowl together again,” said Jones. “That would be a real shame, and we’re all young enough to make our comebacks for England, so you never know.”Flintoff hasn’t played a Test since the last Ashes in Sydney early last year, while Hoggard and Harmison were dropped after the first Test in new Zealand because of poor form in the opening Test.Jones has county cricket and staying injury-free to focus upon long before he can think of playing for England again.

It’s taken two decades to achieve but Victoria has broken through for its first four-day win at the Gabba since 1983 with a five-wicket Pura Cup victory over Queensland today.Despite some last-day heroics from Bulls all-rounder James Hopes, the Bushrangers overcame some anxious moments to make 5-160 to post an outright victory and erase 20 years of disappointment at the Gabba.Stand-in skipper Cameron White, who was only four months old when Victoria last won at the ground, said the hoodoo was now broken.”Hopefully next year we come up here with more confidence and look forward to having another win,” said White, who was also named man of the match.”It’s a good start (to the season) and I guess it’s not a hoodoo anymore.”But there were concerns the young Victorians would crash to another ignominious defeat when Hopes captured 4-2 in 16 balls to have the Bushrangers teetering at 4-54 just after lunch.They recovered somewhat on an uneven pitch before Joe Dawes dismissed Jonathan Moss for 22 to leave Victoria at 5-93 an hour before tea.It took an unbeaten 67-run partnership between White (38) and Andrew McDonald (45no) to secure the landmark win.The victory was Victoria’s first at the ground in a four-day game since December, 1983, when Ray Bright led the team.Before that match, the previous Victorian win at the home of Queensland cricket was in 1965.The victory had looked a formality just before lunch with the Bushrangers reaching 0-50.But Hopes, whose bowling in the match had previously failed to live up to his promise, hit a purple patch.The 25-year-old had opener Matthew Elliott lbw for 23 just before lunch and after the break caught Jason Arnberger in front without offering a shot for 27.In his next over, he had Brad Hodge caught at gully for two with a searing bouncer and then caught and bowled first innings century-maker David Hussey for a duck.Regular captain Darren Berry, who missed the game because of injury, flew to Brisbane to enjoy the celebrations.But after hearing of the collapse he said he almost got back on the plane.”When I got on the plane it was 0-50 and I thought you beauty,” Berry said.”When I arrived Hookesy (Victorian coach David Hookes) told me we had lost 4-4 and I thought I should just get back on the plane and go home.”Hopes finished with 4-63 and Dawes 1-54.Bulls paceman Mitchell Johnson was unable to bowl because of a side strain and is in doubt for the match against Victoria at Junction oval next week.Queensland started the day on 7-233 aiming to soak up as much time at the crease as possible.But with the aid of the new ball, the Queensland made 256 after Moss captured 3-12 off four overs.Moss ended up with 3-61 while Mathew Inness had 3-42.

From being the toast of the country for becoming the first Indian to score a Test triple-century, Virender Sehwag has been brought back down to earth with a string of below-par performances in one-day cricket. Now we know why they say that six months is a long time in Indian cricket.Had an opening batsman failed in such a manner a few years ago, his house may have been tarred, and his car stoned. And a different coach might have put him out to pasture after doing his best to revitalise his game with a sharp word or two. But this Indian team works differently. John Wright, the coach, and Sourav Ganguly, the captain, have backed their players to the hilt.Just as it has taken England more than five years of investment to turn Andrew Flintoff from a lad with ‘potential’ to a potent strike force, this team has put their not-inconsiderable weight behind the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. Now, it appears, they’re prepared to do the same with Sehwag.It is not as though the team has not taken note of Sehwag’s increasing frustration. Ganguly said that the Indians did have a chat with Sehwag. “We have spoken to him. You have to understand that he’s a strokemaker,” said Ganguly. “But he scores runs in Test cricket all around the world. It’s not fair to ask him to just go and defend, or leave balls outside the off stump. That’s not the way he plays and that’s not the way he has scored all his runs. He should probably bat the way he does in Test cricket. He should look to play the ball on merit rather than just trying to get the maximum runs straight away and accelerate.”The opening slot is still the place for Sehwag. The team’s decision to give Sehwag a go in the middle order was only a window of respite. The move did not quite have the desired effect, and India are moving Sehwag back to his original place. “He’s been opening all the time and he’s been exposed to the new ball and its not gone his way recently. Sometimes it helps if he can sit with his pads on and watch the play for a bit,” explained Ganguly. “It just changed the system which he has been going through for quite some time. The shine would go away a bit and the ball would get older by the time he came in to bat. The main bowlers would have finished 5-6 overs, whether it was Harmison or Gough. It was just a bit of a change for him so he could get runs, get his confidence back and get back to opening.”In the last three matches that Sehwag has played, he has found different ways to get himself out. At Trent Bridge he spooned Darren Gough to Michael Vaughan. At The Oval match he was late on the ball, and his lack of footwork caught him plumb in front of the stumps. In the final match, which India won at Lord’s, Sehwag dropped down to the middle order, but made just one run before popping a simple return catch to Ashley Giles. His scores were 4, 0 and 1, the cause of fierce media criticism being directed his way. At the moment, though, the Indian team are keeping the faith with his flashing blade.

Bournemouth are shaping up for a long overdue challenge in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League after dominating neighbours Bashley (Rydal) in the last of the initial batch of 50-over matches.A 50-run victory brought Bournemouth a third successive win – and, when the nine-week stint of all-day matches begin next Saturday, the confidence to interrupt the Havant-BAT Sports monopoly of Premier League affairs for the past three seasons.With twice-champions Havant losing by three wickets at South Wilts, Bournemouth and BAT are now the only unbeaten Division 1 clubs. "I think we’re up for it this season," says skipper Matt Swarbrick."This is the best side we’ve had since we won the old Southern League championship back in 1996 and I fancy we’ll be challenging."We’ve got a nice blend : plenty of experience – a top ex-pro in Richard Scott and a quality overseas player in Adam Voges. And plenty of others who can play a bit as well."Bashley, in contrast, have started badly – a third defeat in four suggesting that they are going to have to get their heads down to avert a struggle for ECB survival.The margin of Bournemouth’s victory at the BCG was more emphatic than the 50-run statistic suggests.The game was in the balance for 20 overs or so, but once Geoff Warrington and Richard Scott had steadied an uncertain 73-3, Bournemouth gained command and went on to post an unassailable 252-9 off 50 oversBournemouth owed much to their fourth-wicket pair, whose 126-run partnership effectively put Bashley out of the reckoning.Bournemouth lost Matt Swarbrick second ball and teenager Nick Park at 58-2, but were buoyed by the class of Western Australia’s Adam Voges.The former Australia Under-19 all-rounder survived a missed run-out and a spill at mid-on, but caught the eye with several imperious shots.He got off the mark with a blistering on-boundary drive and soon afterwards sent a venomous hook for six so far over the square-leg boundary that play was delayed for almost ten minutes while spectators searched to retrieve the ball !To Bashley’s relief, Voges tried one ambitious shot too many and was trapped leg before attempting to whip a Matt King delivery off his pads.Bournemouth lost the momentum for a while – King frequently beating the outside of Warrington’s bat – but once the fourth-wicket duo played themselves in, the runs began to flow.Scott, in particular, was timing the ball sweetly; Warrington hitting straight and hard – frequently to the boundary.Bashley rotated their bowlers – seven in all – but were unable to stem the tide – Scott piercing the ropes with a six and seven fours, and Warrington hammering three sixes and ten boundaries.It took an outstanding one-handed catch by Kevin Nash six overs before tea to remove Scott for a splendid 62.But Warrington plundered on, cracking a league best 91 before King rearranged his stumps at 237-8.Nash picked up 4-40 as late wickets tumbled, while Joe Wilson scored his first league runs since August 2001 as Bournemouth closed at a formidable 252-9.With a player of Luke Ronchi’s quality in their armoury, Bashley might have been optimistic of challenging the Bournemouth total.But with the Western Australian starlet wintering at the famous Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy in Adelaide and his overseas replacement Brad Thompson nursing a badly broken finger, they had neither the depth – nor any real confidence in their batting – to muster anything significant.They began well enough through Chris Sketchley (27), but wickets fell all too easily – Dorset left-armers David Kidner and Martin Mixer taking two each as Bashley lurched to 72-5.Stephen Phelps, who played County Championship cricket for Glamorgan in the mid-1990s, hit 23 before perishing leg before at 93-6.As Bournemouth relaxed their grip, so Neil Taylor (43) and Shaun Lilley (26) used their experience to add an air of respectability to the run chase.Although they added 58, the outcome was inevitable – Scott (3-34), the former Hampshire and Gloucestershire all-rounder, completing a good day’s work with the last two wickets as Bashley were dismissed for 202.