Day 1 of 3Berkshire made full use of a very flat wicket at the delightful Alderley Edge ground, batting to the 100 over 1st innings closure for a total of 466 – 5 wickets.Richard Howitt carried his bat for 170 not out-a career best score. His innings was a model of concentration, and chanceless, with a powerful array of shots all around the wicket.There were three centuries in the Berkshire innings, something of a rarity in Minor Counties cricket.Lee Nurse and Howitt put on 181 for the first wicket off 43 overs, before Robin Fisher bowled Nurse for a stylish 108.Julian Wood joined Howitt and runs continued to come freely before Fisher too bowled Wood for 29.The innings continued to gain momentum as Paul Prichard joined Howitt, the two adding 176 for the 3rd wicket in 35 overs, before Prichard departed for 101 off just 109 balls.Fisher was Cheshire’s most successful bowler. He worked hard through 42 overs of slow left arm for his 3 wickets on a wicket that gave bowlers little encouragement and certainly no margin for error.A mixture of bad light and drizzle halted play briefly, before Cheshire batted through the remaining seven overs untroubled, finishing the day on 16 for no wicket.Day 2 of 3Cheshire lost early wickets. Danny Leecha little unluckilycaught at slip, one of three wickets for Carl Crowe; Simon Ogilby caught at mid-wicket and Andrew Hall bowled by seamer Steve Bloyce.There was no further encouragement for the bowlers as Richard Hignett and Nafees Din gradually got on top- though both were badly dropped when well setadding 181 for the 4th wicket from 37 overs.Hignett departed with the score at 247-4, caught miscuing to mid on for 81. Mike Bolger was needlessly run out for 3 and at 260-5, a follow on situation was looming. Simon Renshaw gave good support to Din, 92 was added for the 6th wicket before Din fell lbw to Wood for an attractive 160.The declaration came at 409-6 from 93 overs leaving Berkshire 14 overs in the day to get their 2nd innings under way.Nurse and Howitt took the score quickly to 54 before Nurse was lbw to David Pennett for 16 and Howitt edged a good one to keeper Simon Ogilvy off the same bowler. Night watchman James Ettridge was caught-a little unluckilyat short leg off Simon Fisher and the day ended with Berkshire on 71-3, a lead of 128 going into the final day.Day 3 of 3Batsmen again flourished on the final day. Crowe and Prichard batted attractively, adding 82 for the 4th wicket before Prichard sliced to Hignett on the cover boundary for 61, scored off 48 balls.Wood and Crowe added 61 for the 5th wicket before Crowe departed for 39. Wood, batting at his forceful best, took his score to 158 from 123 balls before charging Fisher to be stumped by yards and promptly declared at 365-8.Fisher’s return of 5-87 from 27.1 overs was just reward for his control of line and length on a batting paradise of a wicket.The target of 423 in 51 overs was indeed a stiff one, but on a wicket that provided ideal batting conditions throughout, this equation was always going to be a difficult one, with a draw always the likely outcome.Unexpectedly, Cheshire were soon on the back foot as wickets tumbled. Leech played loosely to be caught at slip and Din drove uppishly to be caught and bowled by Steve Bloyce. Bloyce sustained his pace and direction to trouble the batsmen. He had Hall caught behind, Hignett trapped lbw and at 108 for 6 with 14 overs remaining, a Berkshire win was on the cards.James Whittaker and Mike Bolger had other ideas, taking the score to 143-7 before Whittaker was taken at short leg off Crowe. There was no further drama as Dave Pennett and Bolger batted out the last five overs, taking the score to 180-7 at stumps.Bloyce finished with 5-58 off his 18 overs – a first 5 wicket haul for the young Finchampstead seam bowler.Both sides take 10 points from the match. Berkshire lead the table jointly at this stage with 33 points, with Cheshire just 1 point behind.

The off-field behaviour of champion Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne’s has again been thrust into the spotlight, with allegations arising from a South African newspaper that he has sent suggestive mobile phone messages to a Johannesburg woman.The Sunday Times quoted Helen Cohen Alon, 45, who claimed, among other things, she met Warne during the Australian tour of South Africa in 2002 and dated him several times.In a statement issued through his management, Warne refused to comment further.”We regard the allegations of the South African woman, Helen Cohen Alon, as a personal issue between Shane, Simone [Warne’s wife] and the relevant parties,” the statement said.Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland said at this stage the issues raised rest between the individuals involved.”Cricket Australia is aware that international cricketers attract more public and media scrutiny than private individuals,” Mr Sutherland said.”There are obligations and standards incumbent on players, but there is also a boundary between their public lives and their lives as private citizens.”

Marcus Trescothick: time to reassess his opener’s role?

Team England does not go in for wholesale changes these days. In ordinary circumstances, this would count as A Good Thing. The modern regime enables English players and fans to relax between Tests, knowing that continuity is the key to success. A hint of job security here, and a little TLC there, and today’s turkeys will be transformed into next week’s nighthawks. Or so the theory goes, at least.But continuity can sometimes breed contempt, and as next Thursday’s all-important fifth Test looms large, England’s prospects are getting niffier by the day. For one night only, they need to forget the long-term future. Forget the “We’ll Be Taking The Challenge Very Seriously” tour of Bangladesh in October. And preferably, forget everything that has gone before in this most flawed of summers. When England square up to South Africa in that decisive one-off tussle at The Oval next week, nothing less than a victory will do – and the selectors must do whatever it takes to secure it.The teams have been here before, of course. In 1994, South Africa’s rampant start to the series was first halted by Michael Atherton’s obduracy under pressure at Headingley, then utterly vaporised by Devon Malcolm’s never-to-be-forgotten nine-wicket haul … at The Oval. And four years later at Trent Bridge, Atherton was once again instrumental in turning the tide, with Darren Gough applying the coup de grace in the fifth Test at Headingley.But the difference between then and now is all too apparent. On any given day (except, of course, when it mattered at Headingley), England have the batsmen to drive home the slimmest of advantages. But quite where they hope to find a strike bowler of the requisite quality is anyone’s guess. Perhaps they could follow the example of the Qatari Athletics Association, and borrow an African to boost their medal prospects – in this case Worcestershire’s Nantie Hayward, who is surplus to South Africa’s requirements, but is bowling as fast as anyone on the county circuit.The sad truth is that England selected five right-arm seamers for the most conducive of conditions in Headingley, and they blew it. Martin Bicknell performed creditably at first, but tired visibly towards the end; James Anderson (strangely rested from the latest round of County Championship matches) continued to blow cold and colder; Kabir Ali and James Kirtley were energetic but ineffective. Only Andrew Flintoff – plagued as ever by bad luck and no-balls – emerged with credit, but his stillborn strike-rate suggests he lacks the guile to find the edge against top-class batsmen.What is needed, almost as urgently as a 90mph yorker through Graeme Smith’s defences, is a change of attitude from England’s attack. To a man, the incumbents are too nice, too demure. They have perhaps been shocked by the ferocity of South Africa’s ambitions, but once their pre-series swagger was whipped away, they lost all right to reply. England’s alleged strike bowler, for example, has been Steve Harmison. He was injured for Headingley but is likely to return at The Oval, despite managing just five wickets in 83 overs this series. He continues to bowl as he did on the Ashes tour, with plenty of hope but little expectation, and Smith and Co. have cashed in accordingly.In years gone by, a spitting-and-snarling Dominic Cork would have been rustled up for this sort of make-or-break encounter. He would probably have been handed the new ball as well, ordered to send down a volley of bouncers and invective, and an infuriated opposition would self-destruct. Even Corky is probably beyond a comeback this year, but instead England could do worse than send for Yorkshire’s firebrand, Steve Kirby, who is loose, limber, and pretty damn quick as well. In the absence of Bicknell and Kirtley, Richard Johnson must be recalled as the straight man of the attack.In the absence of that great Oval-ophile Phil Tufnell, England hardly possess a spinner worthy of the name. But that isn’t to say that Ashley Giles is worth nothing but abuse either. In seven Test innings this summer, Giles has cobbled together 216 runs at 30.85, with just a solitary score below 21. He is every bit as important for those 20-odd overs he hangs around with the bat, and at least at The Oval he might get a hint of assistance off the track. With Alec Stewart facing the final curtain on his home ground, Giles’s role is especially delicate. Stewart remains head-and-shoulders above his young rivals for the wicketkeeper’s gloves, but of late even he has been batting as if with misty eyes. Expect either a furious century or an emotional zero from the Gaffer – not a lot in between.On the whole, the batting is less problematic than the bowling, but it still far from a bed of roses. Bicknell’s selection at Headingley has already set the precedent for thirtysomething recalls, so there can be no further excuses for ignoring Graham Thorpe, especially with Nasser Hussain ruled out with a broken toe. But even if Hussain had been fit, Thorpe needed to be recalled anyway, at the expense of the unfortunate Ed Smith, whose two matches to date have been on duff pitches. Then, with Mark Butcher and Andrew Flintoff in the batting form of their lives, England’s middle order would have a reassuringly solid look to it (although looks can and have been deceptive).If only the same solidity could be applied to the opening partnership. Vaughan is too classy a batsman to let the pressures of captaincy unsettle him for long, but Marcus Trescothick continues to be a worry. In the NatWest Series, Trescothick fooled everyone into thinking he was back to his best, but since then he has made only 199 runs in eight Test innings, and is considering taking out a copyright on that flat-footed prod to slip.Trescothick, like his old mirror-image Graham Gooch, is too good for England to drop. But perhaps it is time for a drop down the order, just as Gooch, at a similar stage of his career, took a step up. Trescothick remains among the most swashbuckling of one-day opening batsmen, but he seems to lack the discipline to ride out the rough times in Test cricket.It is a hard transition from buccaneer to blocker, and very few of the great one-day openers have been required to do both jobs simultaneously. Mark Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar, even Adam Gilchrist, have all made their Test names in the middle order. Maybe it is time for Trescothick to do likewise. Given that England cannot afford another batting debacle at The Oval, there is no time like the present.Possible squad 1 Michael Vaughan (capt), 2 Robert Key, 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Marcus Trescothick, 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Alec Stewart (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Richard Johnson, 10 Kabir Ali, 11 Steve Kirby, 12 James Anderson, 13 Steve Harmison

The England team arrived in rain-drenched Bangladesh today for their month-long tour, which includes two Tests and three one-day internationals. Officials of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) greeted the team at Dhaka’s Zia International Airport upon their arrival aboard an Emirates flight.England, without the injured Lancastrian duo of Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson, will face a Bangladesh team buoyed by an improved display during their recent tour of Pakistan. They put up a tough fight against Pakistan, coming within one wicket of registering their first Test victory in the third Test at Multan.Michael Vaughan, leading England on tour for the first time, told reporters on arrival that he was looking forward to a good series and will not be underestimating the home side. “In their last Tests, Bangladesh played positive cricket against top-class teams like Australia and Pakistan,” he said. “We will not take them lightly.”Bangladesh, who were granted Test status in 2000, have lost 23 of their 24 Tests to date. The only draw came in a rain-hit match against Zimbabwe. They have also gone 44 one-day internationals without recordiung a win, since their surprise victory over Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup.The Test series starts in Dhaka on Oct 21. After the Bangladesh leg of the tour, which ends on Nov 12, England go on to Sri Lanka for three more Tests and three ODIs.

Mohammad Ashraful has been omitted from a Bangladesh training camp, and is likely to miss the series against England.Ashraful shot to fame in 2001 aged just 17, when he became the youngest player to score a century on his Test debut. His subsequent scores, however, have been patchy, although he showed signs of a return to form with a gutsy 77 in the second Test against Peshawar last month.But he has been left out of a squad of 20 that began training on Wednesday, along with his fellow batsman Sanwar Hossain and the pace bowler Manjurul Islam. Fahim Muntasir, an offspinner, has been recalled after nearly a year while the slow left-armer Musaddeq Hossain is called up for the first time.”Our target is to improve individual performance,” said coach Dav Whatmore, who has overseen an impressive upturn in fortunes since taking over after the World Cup. In their most recent Test, against Pakistan at Multan, Bangladesh came within one wicket of their maiden victory.England arrive in Bangladesh on October 8 for two Tests and three one-day internationals.Bangladesh squad Khaled Mahmud (captain), Hannan Sarkar, Javed Omar, Habibul Bashar, Rajin Saleh, Alok Kapali, Mohammad Rafique, Khaled Mashud, Tapash Baisya, Mashrafe Mortaza, Alamgir Kabir, Hasibul Hossain, Fahim Muntasir, Musaddeq Hossain, Tushar Imran, Mushfiqur Rahman.

Munaf Patel, the much-hyped fast bowler from Bharuch, will play for Mumbai in the forthcoming Ranji Trophy season. Munaf made his first-class debut a month ago for India A against New Zealand, and there was much speculation which Ranji team he would play for. Baroda and Gujarat, his home state, were the other sides in the running.Ratnakar Shetty, joint honourary secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), told the Press Trust of India that Munaf met him at the MCA office on Saturday to submit the transfer certificate from Gujarat to Mumbai.This move gives Mumbai a problem of plenty. They already have a host of medium-pacers in the reckoning, including Ajit Agarkar, Aavishkar Salvi, Swapnil Hazare, Robin Morris and Santosh Saxena. But Munaf, with his raw pace reported to regularly cross 140kmph, should have no trouble being a regular in the first XI.

The showdown between Phil Jaques and the England & Wales Cricket Board moved a step closer with the news that Jaques has signed a three-year deal with Northamptonshire despite being told that he is no longer regarded as an English-qualified player.In 2003, Jacques, a 24-year-old Australian whose parents are English, turned out for Northants as a domestic player, but in October he made his debut for New South Wales. Under ECB regulations that meant his qualification status changed to that of an overseas player – as even those holding British or European passports are classified as overseas players if they appear in first-class cricket in their homeland in the preceding 12 months.Jaques’s lawyers have warned the ECB that they are prepared to take legal action unless their client is recognised as a domestic player. He has the backing of Northants, who are known to be keen to challenge the existing rules.If the ECB backs down then it could open the floodgates to even more overseas players to play in England using their ancestral qualifications. And ff the board does not, then it seems likely to face a potentially expensive outing to the law courts.

Dhaka 72 for 3 beat Chittagong 71 (Mahmud 3-10, Arafat 4-17) by seven wickets with 31.1 overs to spare
ScorecardArafat Sunny turned in a matchwinning performance, scalping 4 for 17, as Dhaka beat Chittagong comfortably by seven wickets. Put in to bat, Chittagong could not resist the mediumpace of Khaled Mahmud (3 for 10), who accounted for the first three batsmen with just 32 on the board. From there it was all downhill. Mohammad Rafique (3 for 13 from 9 overs) got rid of Faisal Hossain (20), the top-scorer and Chittagong slid to a paltry 71 all out in 32.3 overs.Things happened in such an unseemly haste, that GM Nowsher Prince, a national selector, arrived slightly late, and missed the fall of the first six wickets. He was in time, however, to witness the fall of the first two Dhaka wickets, Al Sahariar and Fahim Muntasir, with just 15 on the board. From there on, though, it was smooth sailing for Dhaka, who reached their victory target in 19.5 overs.Khulna 238 for 4 (Bashar 81, Tushar 69) beat Barisal 157 (Ahmed 49, Bashir 5-32) by 81 runs
ScorecardHabibul Bashar (81) and Tushar Imran (69) powered Khulna to a sizeable total of 238 for 4 from 50 overs after they were put in to bat by Anisur Rehman, the Barisal captain. The two hit three fours and two sixes apiece, and shared a 93-run partnership for the third wicket.Barisal’s run chase got off to a reasonable start when Imran Ahmed (49), added 43 runs with Rashedur Rehman for the first wicket. The fall of Rehman, caught and bowled by Abdur Razzaq, however, triggered off a slide. Wickets fell at regular intervals, and only Nahidul Haq, with 43, provided any substance to the total. Tamim Bashir helped himself to 5 for 32 as Barisal slumped to 157 all out.Rajshahi 223 for 8 (Siddique 43, Rehman 54) beat Sylhet 171 (Parvez 76) by 52 runs
ScorecardAnisur Rehman’s 54, coupled with Junaid Siddique’s 43, was enough to see Rajshahi to 223 for 8 from 45 overs. This ended up being a matchwinning score against Slyhet. Siddique struck five boundaries in his 63-ball stay at the wicket. Sylhet used as many as seven bowlers, but only Tapash Baisya, with 2 for 44 and Enamul Haque Jr, with 2 for 39, troubled the batsmen.Parvez Ahmed, the Sylhet captain, waged a lone battle, making 76 off 90 balls at number three. He struck five boundaries in his innings, more than the rest of his team put together. Wickets were shared all around for the Rajshahi bowlers, but that was not a concern, as Sylhet were all out for 171 in the 43rd over, and lost by 52 runs.

Habibul Bashar: the new man at the top © Getty Images

Khaled Mahmud has announced his retirement from international cricket, after being overlooked for Bangladesh’s forthcoming tour of Namibia and Zimbabwe. Mahmud, who captained Bangladesh in nine winless Tests, had been under severe pressure for several months, in particular from his home crowds who took exception to his own run of poor form.Habibul Bashar, the new captain, urged Mahmud to reconsider, saying that he was a good influence on the discipline of the team, but Mahmud claimed he had taken the decision after close consultation with his family.Usually the Bangladesh board selects a captain and then names a side, but earlier this month it announced that it would let the selectors pick the squad before naming the captain, and Bashar was deemed as the best man for the job.Bashar, 31, averages over 36 in Test matches, and has scored two Test centuries, against Zimbabwe and Pakistan. Faruq Ahmed, the chief selector, said, “We chose the best player for the captain’s job.”Dav Whatmore, the coach, added: “This is the best possible side we have now. They are confident of doing better.”The squad also included Manjurul Islam Rana, the uncapped left-arm spinner, while Shariar Hossain was recalled three years after his only Test appearance.The squad is due to tour Namibia from January 28, where they will play a three-day match and five one-dayers before moving to Zimbabwe on February 10.Squad Habibul Bashar (capt), Rajin Saleh, Khaled Mashud (wk), Tapash Baisya, Hannan Sarkar, Shariar Hossain, Mohammad Ashraful, Tareq Aziz Khan, Manjurul Islam Rana, Anwar Hossain Monir, Mushfiqur Rahman, Alok Kapali, Mohammad Rafique, Alamgir Kabir, Monjurul Islam, Al Shahriar.

The Chief Executive of Cricket NSW David Gilbert has announced the NSW 2nd XI to play Tasmania’s 2nd XI in a Cricket Australia Cup match at the T-C-A Ground in Hobart from Monday February 9th to Thursday February 12th, 2004.

Matthew Phelps (C)
Ed Cowan
Grant Lambert
Paul Maraziotis
Damien Wallace
Nathan Pilon
Liam Zammit
Jason Krejza
Aaron Bird
Don Nash
Mark Cameron
Glenn McGrath (subject to fitness)

12th man to be named on the morning of the match.The 2nd XI will train at the SCG Nets on Thursday February 5th, 2004 at 4:00pm when Glenn McGrath will undergo a final fitness test.