ScorecardThe Eagles dominated the second day of their match against the Titans at Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein, first gaining a 123-run first-innings lead and then destroying the Titans to leave them at 110 for 6 at the close. Johannes van der Wath stood out for the Eagles with the second hundred of his career, and three of the six Titans wickets. The Eagles were 123 for 5 and appeared in danger of squandering a good start, but a 71-run partnership between van der Wath and Loots Bosman took them past the Titans’ total of 178. Bosman was caught behind for 41, but van der Wath went on to his hundred off 132 balls which included 18 boundaries and a six. Then followed a brief passage of play that went the Titans’ way: from 296 for 6, the Eagles crashed to 301 as Ryan McLaren, Dillon du Preez, van der Wath and Thandi Tshabalala got out in quick succession. The Titans’ second innings began as the first had: in disaster. But they were partially revived from their position of 41 for 4 by a stand of 52 between Alviro Peterson (46) and Pierre de Bruy. They were 110 for 6 at the end of the day, and all set for a heavy defeat.Dolphins 72 for 5 trail Lions 499 for 9 dec (Bacher 140, Motaung 80, McKenzie 80, Hall 74, Govender 5-87) by 424 runs
ScorecardAt the Wanderers in Johannesburg the Lions completely outclassed the table leaders, the Dolphins, by amassing 499 in their first innings. By the close the Dolphins could only manage 72 for 5. Adam Bacher could not add to his overnight 140, leaving it to Neil McKenzie and Andrew Hall to put on 133 runs for the fifth wicket. McKenzie finished on 80 while Hall contributed 74 as the two flayed the ball all around the Bullring. Wickets went down regularly in the search for a big first-innings lead, and the Lions slipped from 465 for 4 to 499 for 9 before the declaration came, just after Russel Symncox – the son of the former Test offspinner Pat – took a hat-trick by dismissing Werner Coetsee, Garnet Kruger and Goolam Bhayat. The Dolphins’ innings was in stark contrast to the Lions’ stint. Runs were scarce but wickets fell in a torrent. The sole joy for the Dolphins came from Ugasen Govender, who impressed with the ball on his debut, taking 5 for 87 with his medium-pacers.Warriors 154 for 6 trail Western Province Boland 482 for 9 dec (Puttick 206, Tsolekile 72) by 328 runs
ScorecardAndrew Puttick took the honours at Mercedes Park in East London as Western Province Boland took a 328-run lead over the Warriors into the third day. Puttick spent nine hours at the crease as he compiled a near-chanceless double-hundred, his third, which included 25 fours and a six. Puttick put on 124 with his overnight partner Vernon Philander (44) and then a quick 87-run stand with the aggressive Paul Adams, who made 49. Rory Kleinveldt biffed 39, including one six, off the bowling of Burton de Wett, that sent journalists diving for cover as the ball sailed through an open window of the press box. Despite this, de Wett finished with a career-best 3 for 36. Apart from an 81-run partnership between Mark Bruyns and Steven Pope, the Warriors’ wickets fell far to quickly on a placid pitch. Pope scored 44 while Bruyns was undefeated on 66. A lot will depend on Bruyns if the Warriors are to avoid the follow-on.

For the first time in my life I was going to watch cricket from the stands: without using my journalistic eye, without using the pen or the laptop or the scrapbook. And, more importantly, without any of the comforts of the press-box.With a pass for the H-Stand in hand I walked eagerly towards the entrance gate. Unfortunately the usher pointed towards the mile-long queue and asked me to join it. "Holy crap," I uttered to myself in disgust as I made my way to the tail end of the line. How easy it is for the journalist to just flash the press pass and make his way in, I thought. The fan, on the other hand, has to stand in line for hours to get in. So, even as Sehwag was belting the bowling around, I could only imagine him playing his shots every time I heard the loud howls from the cauldron inside.Finally, after an hour-long wait, I entered the stands to have a view of the Chinnaswamy Stadium. On my pass was printed "Invitee, Club Members". Quite naively, I presumed there would be cushy seats where I could lounge comfortably. How wrong was I! The security guard inside asked me to sit anywhere within the enclosure. As I looked around, the seats for the best view were still empty. Immediately I rushed to one of them.But as the minutes passed, I realised why nobody was ready to take them. The searing Bangalore heat, with the mercury hovering around 36 degree centigrade, had pushed the fans back towards the seats that were protected by the roof.With a flimsy cap for protection I decided to stick around adamantly and get myself sunburnt (a decision I would regret later in the evening as I suffered from a mild sunstroke). The fun had just begun, I told myself. And it had: Sehwag was effortlessly finding the gaps and stroking boundaries, and the fans were going hysterical.It took me a while to fathom why these people would shriek, howl, whistle, dance, bang chairs, blow horns and paper trumpets even when the batsmen scored only a single. Immediately I realised that I was still watching the match from a journalist’s viewpoint, and not as a frenzied fan. Steadily, though, I started enjoying the revelry. A father-and-son duo next to me went crazy every time Sehwag flashed his bat. The boy, only around eight years old, had this gleam in his eyes as he watched Sehwag fulfill the aspirations of every Indian fan.But being a fan comes at a cost. In that simmering cauldron, the urge to quench thirst was high, but the quest to find drinking water was a struggle. The fans are not allowed to take water bottles inside the stadium, for fear that the bottles might be used as missiles that could harm the players. What about making arrangements for water coolers near the stands, then? That wasn’t available either. To buy a glass of water – each glass cost two rupees – one had to come out of the stands. No wonder, then, that the lack of such basic facilities deter many from coming to the ground to watch cricket.The afternoon heat was steadily sapping my energy, but it didn’t seem to affect most of the fans. A bearded guy, clad in a white shirt and a white dhoti, preferred to stand and watch the game almost throughout the day – perhaps it was some superstition. Then, there was this young couple who had valiantly brought their newly born. It was like the month-old baby was being trained to enjoy the favourite pastime of the entire country. And it didn’t take her long to get used to it – when the heat irritated her and brought her to tears, it only needed some flag waving and screaming from the fans in the stand to get her to wave along happily. Cricket had become her baby-sitter.My moment of the day, though, came when Sehwag got his double-hundred. When Sehwag was on 199, I noticed the man sitting in front of me get up. His right leg was immobile, and he was using a wooden crutch to walk. As Sehwag’s miscue landed in empty space and he reached his landmark, the man clapped and shrieked, joining the thousands who were going wild in celebration. It was a sight that the fan inside me will treasure.

Stuart Carlisle has been named captain of Zimbabwe A for the visit of their Pakistan counterparts. The selectors have named a 15-man squad for the four-day matches and a 14-man squad of the one-day games that follow.The squads include a number of Zimbabwean Test players including Brendan Taylor and Stuart Matsikenyeri, who both struggled against South Africa, and are given an opportunity to hone their skills. Graeme Cremer, the legspinner who came in for some fierce punishment at the hands of Jacques Kallis, will also face the less daunting prospect of Pakistan’s second string.Taylor will share the wicketkeeping duties with Charles Coventry after Tatenda Taibu was not considered for selection to allow him a rest. Macsood Ebrahim, the convenor of selectors, said: “We are going to select the teams on a rotational basis because we want each player in either squad to play at least one game.”The tour runs from May 6-23 with two four-day games at the CFX Academy and Harare, followed by three one-day matches. Four-Day squad Stuart Carlisle (capt), Blessing Mahwire, Brendan Taylor, Mark Vermeulen, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Sean Williams, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Tawanda Mupariwa, Graeme Cremer, Allan Mwayenga, Trevor Gripper, Neil Ferreira, Keith Dabengwa, Anthony Ireland, Charles Coventry.One-Day squad Stuart Carlisle (capt), Blessing Mahwire, Keith Dabengwa, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Brendan Taylor, Mark Vermeulen, Douglas Marillier, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Sean Williams, Tawanda Mupariwa, Anthony Ireland, Ian Nicholson, Gavin Ewing, Charles Coventry.

Cricket Australia’s coffers were boosted by US$500,000 in prizemoney today as reward for leading the ICC championship tables on April 1. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, accepted the cheque that included two amounts of $250,000 for topping the Test and one-day ladders.Sutherland said the prize recognised the performance of the team and its behind-the-scenes management. “Off the field we have strong and dedicated administrative bodies at national and state level that provide tremendous support for the Australian and state teams.”Simon Katich, the Test and one-day batsman, said Australia were excited about the next five months and wanted to remain No. 1. “The ICC tables have us on top at the moment, but we are certainly not taking anything for granted,” he said. “Our immediate focus is on defending the Ashes before turning our attention in October to the Super Series.”The Test Championship was introduced in May 2001 while the ODI table was introduced in October 2002. However, this was the first time there was a financial incentive for finishing in front.

Marcus North, the Western Australian batsman, has been rewarded for his consistent form by being appointed as deputy vice-captain. North, who will be entering his seventh season with the Warriors, will be the third member of the leadership group along with Justin Langer and Mike Hussey. With both Langer and Hussey expected to be involved in Australia’s international assignments, North is likely to lead the side in a few games next season.”It’s a great honour to be given the responsibility of helping to lead your team-mates,” North said. “We’ve built an exciting group of players and I’m looking forward to assisting Justin and Michael in taking them to a Pura Cup title.”North was one of the key members of the middle order last season and finished as the eighth-highest scorer in the Pura Cup and fourth highest in the ING Cup. “Marcus has been a critical member of our middle order for a number of seasons now and continues to show exceptional leadership qualities,” Wayne Clark, the coach, said. “His innings in Hobart earlier this year when we chased down 396 in less than a day was a perfect example of not only his batting ability but also his leadership skills. With Langer and Hussey both expected to be involved in Australia’s international schedule over the summer Marcus was the natural choice to be the next leadership option.”The WACA board also endorsed the other recommendations of the State Cricket Committee regarding the make up of the State Selection Panel. After three years as Chairman Wayne Hill, the former WA wicketkeeper, has stepped aside, handing the reigns to Tom Hogan, the former Test spinner. Joining Hogan, Hill and Peter Capes on the panel will be former Andrew Farmer, the Joondalup coach, who has replaced Lee Bott.”With my other WACA board commitments I decided that it was best for me to hand the position of chairman to someone else,” Hill said. “That said I’m looking forward to continuing my involvement with team selection simply as member of the selection panel.”

New Zealand A 337 for 5 (Vincent 93, Hopkins 56) beat Pretoria High School Old Boys 236 for 7 (van Woerkom 101, Sherlock 5-59) by 101 runs
Scorecard
New Zealand A beat Pretoria High School Old Boys (PHSOB), the MTN National Club champions, by 101 runs in a one-day warm-up game at Willowmoore Park, Benoni. Losing the toss, New Zealand managed 337 for 5 with Lou Vincent top-scoring with a 76-ball 93. PHSOB were then restricted to 236 for 7, despite a century from Nick van Woerkom. Richard Sherlock, though slightly on the expensive side, was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers, taking 5 for 59.PHOSB had started steadily, with Cobus Pienaar grabbing the wickets of both openers before they had really settled, but Ross Taylor and Vincent then took control of the match with a 96-run stand, which ended when Taylor was run out for 65. Gareth Hopkins and Vincent then put on 104 to keep the momentum going in the final overs, and New Zealand set a very imposing total.The Old Boys’ reply got off to a terrible start, with the top four batsmen all dismissed cheaply, before a fighting 74-run partnership between van Woerkom and Roelf van der Merwe, who was a member of South Africa’s Under-19 squad at this year’s World Cup, saved their blushes. But the asking rate was always above them, and the match was easily won despite van Woerkom’s heroics.New Zealand A face South Africa A in the first of three one-day matches starting at the Wanderers on Wednesday.

Curtly Ambrose, the former West Indies fast bowler, has lashed out at West Indian players for demanding higher pay at a time when the team’s performance has been poor. The West Indies Cricket Board and the Players Association have been at loggerheads over sponsorship and endorsement rights, which has led to the selectors picking a second-string squad for the upcoming Sri Lankan tour.”If it is [not] all about money [so why are] you looking for a pay rise when you and not producing any results,” Ambrose said on Observer Radio’s Voice of the People programme on Wednesday. “If I employ you to do a job, and you are forever coming up short, you can’t come to me with any argument that you want a pay rise. I mean, for what? On what grounds really?”WIPA has been demanding an appearance fee of US$150,000 for the Sri Lanka tour, but the WICB said it could only offer US$50,000. Both parties have failed to resolve the dispute which has been going on for the past nine months and it has resulted in the exclusion of top players like Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle.Ambrose, who was part of the last great West Indies sides, added: “We are getting licks for many years. We are last in the world ratings [among the top teams] because you can’t count Bangladesh. We can’t win a series. We can’t even draw a game.”

It was certainly not a Good Friday for two of Glamorgan`s bowlers on the opening day of the Championship season against Derbyshire. Darren Thomas twisted his knee and had to be carried from the field, whilst Andrew Davies, after bowling just four overs, had to return to the team hotel suffering from a stomach virus.Thomas` knee injury came in his 20th over of the day, and shortly after the lion-hearted seamer had claimed his fourth wicket of the day. After bowling the fourth ball of the over, Thomas collapsed in his follow through clutching his left knee, and the stricken bowler had to be carried off the field on a stretcher. The early indications are that Darren may have twisted and pulled a muscle in his knee, and he will have a scan in a Derby hospital tomorrow morning.The day had begun quite promisingly for the Glamorgan bowlers, as Alex Wharf claimed two wickets in his second over as Derbyshire, after electing to bat first, slumped to 9-2. However, the home team recovered thanks to a century from Michael Di Venuto and an unbeaten 77 from wicket-keeper Luke Sutton, and finished the day on 356-8.

Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, has said that Jason Gillespie’s place in the team will be closely scrutinised before the fourth Test against England gets underway at Trent Bridge on August 25. Gillespie has been in poor bowling form since the tour of England started in June.Ponting, whose vital 156 was instrumental in securing a draw at Old Trafford, said that Gillespie’s performance during the match did not live up to expectations. “He only bowled four overs in the second innings of the game and it was a pretty crucial time for us,” said Ponting according to an report. “We needed guys to be able to bowl, and bowl well for us there, to slow the scoring down. Unfortunately Jason couldn’t do that in the second innings, but that’s one of the things that we’ve got to look at.”Trevor Hohns, the chariman of selectors, said Gillespie’s bad run was a mystery since he had ample oppurtunity to find his form. “He’s obviously not doing what he’d like to be doing,” Hohns said in . “Why? Who knows? He’s played nearly every game on tour including the one-dayers. Everyone was hoping his form would return but unfortunately it doesn’t look as though it has done.”The problem caused by Gillespie’s poor bowling is magnified because Australia play just four specialist bowlers. He had match figures of 1 for 137 off 23 overs at Old Trafford. He struggled in the first two Tests at Lord’s and Edgbaston and in this series has bowled 67 overs, conceded 300 runs and taken just three wickets at an average of 100.The poor form of the Australian top order is another cause for concern. “We haven’t made many runs either,” Ponting said. “We’ve had a chance to bat on a couple of very good wickets and have just managed to get to 300 twice. The reason we did that here [Old Trafford] was because of our tailenders in the first innings. So we’ve got to start scoring some more runs and that’ll take some pressure off some of our bowlers.”

Ricky Ponting arrived home declaring he still wants to be captain and his team has a burning desire to retrieve the Ashes in 2006-07.The Australians have returned home amid calls for heads to roll after the world champions had gone to England in June with expectations of a comfortable series victory. Ponting has taken much of the blame for the failure with Dennis Lillee calling for Shane Warne to replace him as captain.Ponting confronted a large media pack shortly after his arrival at Sydney Airport and said he wasn’t aware of Lillee’s comments. “I’m not concerned about those things,” he said. “As long as I am doing the right thing by everyone in my dressing room and the team and the coaching staff, well then that’s all I can do.”I know I’m not going to keep everybody happy along the way, I am sure I’ve done things even before this series that other people haven’t been that happy with. But as long as I am looking after the guys in my dressing room, then I’ll be happy.”Ponting, who was criticised for conservative field placements and bowling changes, said he wanted to remain in charge. “I still want to be captain,” he said. “It’s a 2-1 series defeat, it’s not as if we have been completely wiped off the planet and it’s not as if we have to make wholesale changes to our set-up.”Hopefully, I will keep the job. I’ve loved doing it, love every opportunity I have to captain Australia. It’s one of the best jobs in world sport, there’s no doubt about that, and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. In saying that, it wasn’t all that enjoyable over the last couple of weeks, but it’s going down as one of the all-time great series and it’s been great to be a part of it.”Ponting responded to Lillee’s comments that Warne should be captain, and that he made more decisions than Ponting during the series: “I like to talk to a lot of guys out on the field and use their ideas and thoughts. I’ll go to Gilly [Adam Gilchrist] and even Matty Hayden, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn. The guys who’ve been around cricket for a while, I like to hear what their thoughts on the game are.”The way I think is not going to be right 100% of the time, but that’s the way I do it. Shane has got a cricket brain as good as anybody around. But I wouldn’t agree [he was the pseudo captain].”Ponting admitted England had outplayed Australia in the series and he will sit down with team management and go over what went wrong. “We said all the right things and we trained very hard right through the tour, everything was as it would normally be,” he said. “But it was in the crucial moments where we didn’t stand up and that’s unusual for this team.”Ponting said there was a burning desire within the team to regain the Ashes when the series resumes in Australia late next year. “I rate our chances very highly of getting the Ashes back,” he said. “It’s only 15 months away and I know the feelings around our dressing room were poor and that’s the way they should have been, but there’s a burning desire to get those Ashes back very soon.”Adam Gilchrist, the vice-captain, said in the that he had the “utmost support for Ricky”. “I’d be really disappointed if this turns into some sort of public slanging match over who should be or shouldn’t be leading the team,” he said. “Ricky has been an outstanding captain up to this point and will continue to be so. He has the whole team’s backing, I’m certain of that.”