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Bangladesh have arrived for their maiden tour of England. The team landed at Heathrow Airport in the early hours of Saturday morning, and after a stopover in London they have travelled up to Cambridge where, tomorrow, they launch their campaign with a three-day fixture against British Universities.It is the start of one of the most widely overlooked Test tours in history. England’s sole focus is on the first Test against Australia on July 21, but for the Bangladeshis themselves, this is by some distance the biggest moment of their fledging Test careers. Consequently, for their coach, Dav Whatmore, it is the experience on offer, and not the results, that is of greater importance when the playing gets underway.”Success or otherwise is certainly not measured in the scoreline,” Whatmore told journalists at Fenner’s, as his team continued their acclimatisation process. “It is measured in other areas. Essentially we want to show progress and push the opposition as hard as we can, and there will be objectives both for individuals and the team as well.”Bangladesh have played 36 Tests to date, and given that they have won just once, and lost on 31 occasions – 20 by an innings – Whatmore has understandably set his sights low. “Playing on the fifth day of Test matches is very much an objective,” he added. “Being the underdogs is a reality. It is a huge challenge but along the way we have already managed to have some good times. That is probably the best tonic you can get as a coach with a developing team.”The steelier side to Bangladesh’s cricket has been on display since Whatmore came on board in 2003. They performably creditably in Australia, gave Pakistan and England several moments of discomfort, and then finally achieved their maiden Test victory in January this year, when they beat Zimbabwe in Chittagong. Soon afterwards, they came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in a tense five-match one-day series against the same opponents.”Our team is just realising the opposition is the same as us, with two arms and two legs,” said Whatmore, who added that they were looking forward to taking on some familiar faces from England’s inaugural series in October 2003. “These conditions are totally different, but it is always nice to play against an opposition you have played before to judge yourselves.””We have three or four players who in time will be stars,” emphasised Whatmore. “That is the big difference between the two teams now. Other teams already have big match-winning stars but we are still in the process of creating those.”With an average age of 22, the chances are that Bangladesh will become a force to be reckoned with within the next five years. For the time being, however, they have a chance to test their skills against a team of a similar age-group. Their opening fixture, against British Universities, ought to be an evenly matched contest, with the Universities side being captained by the young Essex batsman, Mark Pettini.

At SuperSport Park, Northerns captain Pierre Joubert lead from the front as he took 6 for 39 in nearly single-handedly bowling North West out for 204. Was it not for Goolam Bhayat, batting at No. 11, North West might well have faced a bigger first innings deficit than 60 runs. At stumps on the second day Northerns had moved to 79 for 2, a lead of 139.In Johannesburg, a last-wicket partnership of 128 between debutante Michael Masinga (48 not out) and Patrick Thompson (66) gave Gauteng a healthy 115 run lead over Easterns. The Easterns second innings started poorly as they ;lost both openers with one run on the board. By the close they had recovered to 126 for 4, with Goolam Bodi not out on 57.

As expected, the English newspapers found it hard to contain their delight after England’s 77-run victory at Johannesburg, with even the usually football-mad tabloids joining in.”Hoggy bashes the Boks” was the lead story in The Sun, with a follow-up on England’s star, described as the King of the Swingers. “The Hogwarts Express served up some magic,” wrote John Etheridge, warming to a theme. “He stomped the ground like Shrek and made the ball swerve like a demented boomerang.” The Mirror found space on an inside page to praise “Hoggard’s Seventh Heaven”, but preferred a back page story on how David Beckham is not addicted to fame. What next? How Wayne Rooney loves doing social work?The Daily Mail was happier to concentrate on Hoggard the bowler.”He exploited the conditions perfectly,” it reported. “His ability to swing the ball was richly rewarded with England’s best match figures in a Test since Ian Botham claimed 13 for 106 in Bombay a quarter of a century ago.”Even the heavyweights struggled to contain themselves. “A hayrick-haired son of the soil with a heart of oak bowled England to a memorable victory,” wrote Mike Selvey in The Guardian “Hoggard is a country boy whose ploughman-plod has its roots in solitary dogwalking out on the moors. A brief conversation on the eve of the game, a statement rather than a question, was revealing: “Your pitch then Hoggy.” He just grinned and made that wristy twofingered glove-puppet motion that fast bowlers like to make when suggesting seam movement. He knew that this was his time and he had the wherewithall to make it count.”In The Independent, Stephen Brenkley reported that Hoggard would find all the media attention a bit too much. “Hoggard looked tired and slightly nonplussed by events, which were both understandable reactions. He will not like all the fuss, or the notebooks and cameras that will dance attendance on him over the next few days. His favourite pastime is walking his dogs (usually alone) in the countryside near his home close to Baildon in West Yorkshire and going home to open one of the many cans of beer he keeps in his fridge.”There was also praise for Graeme Smith’s rearguard which almost saved the match for South Africa. “He battled with immense pride to avoid defeat,” said Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times. “Having come in at No 8, ignoring medical advice that he should not bat because of the concussion he suffered when hit by the ball accidentally on Sunday morning, Smith was still there when Hoggard took his seventh wicket, and twelfth of the match. The injury to the tough young South Africa captain’s pride will be greater than that to his head.”Writing in The Guardian, South African journalist Neil Manthorp couldn’t contain his frustration. “South African cricket may yesterday have suffered its most damaging blow since its isolation ended in June 1991,” he fumed. “Last year was so packed full of disappointment that there were fears that the team’s supporters, most of them fickle at the best of times, would be drawn back towards following the resurgent Springbok rugby side. Now that has all gone, crushed as decisively as an elephant stamping on a cockroach. It was as dispiriting a defeat as South Africa have suffered in the modern era and now the ghosts of the past are set to re-emerge as the recriminations begin.”Back to the game itself, and in the Daily Telegraph, Geoff Boycott underlined the contribution Marcus Trescothick made to England’s win. “It was his innings that gave Hoggard the opportunity of winning the match,” he wrote. “He’ll find it difficult to play a better and more important innings in his career.”In the same paper, Derek Pringle highlighted Andrew Flintoff’s dismissal of Shaun Pollock. “Softening him up with a 90mph bouncer that struck the batsman a sickening blow to the head (the ball rebounded to deep mid-wicket), he got him three balls later, the ensuing edge the result of footwork scrambled by the earlier impact.”

Ricky Ponting has promised that Australia will turn in a far more clinical performance in the second and third one-dayers against Zimbabwe later this week. Although Australia won the first game at a canter, the manner of their seven-wicket win, and especially the way that they allowed Zimbabwe to score 205 for 9, was disappointing.”We were a bit rusty in the field and with the ball, but we batted really well,” Ponting admitted afterwards. “We weren’t as sharp as we could have been in the field. A lot of the guys haven’t played for a couple of months, so it was a good game to get under our belt. We should do better next time around.”Ponting could be satisfied with his own performance – he made 91 from 93 balls before falling to an excellent one-handed diving catch by Vusi Sibanda on the long-on boundary. “It got a bit tight," Ponting smiled. "I needed the last nine runs left in the game. But I got out to a pretty good catch so I can’t complain.”But Tatenda Taibu, Zimbabwe’s captain, was delighted with his side’s performance after most pundits had forecast that they would be crushed. “I asked my batsmen to give it their best shot, and I thought they did that." But he added that the bowlers had room for improvement.

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistani fast bowler currently being investigated on doping charges, is still eligible for the Emerging Player of the Year award at next month’s ICC awards. Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, confirmed this with Cricinfo while announcing the short-lists for the awards presentation on November 3 in Mumbai.”Under the anti-doping policy he is not ruled ineligible for awards for performance prior to his doping offence,” Speed said. Asif, who along with Shoaib Akhtar tested positive for nandrolone, a banned steroid, will submit his written statement at a second hearing of the tribunal investigating the case on October 26.Ricky Ponting has been short-listed in four categories for the ceremony. After averaging 58.22 and 48.42 in Tests and ODIs, Ponting, 31, picked up nominations in the Player, Captain and separate Test and ODI Player of the Year sections. Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Mohammad Yousuf were also short-listed for Test Player of the Year. In the ODI category, Ponting is up against his team-mate Michael Hussey, Yuvraj Singh and Mahela Jayawardene.In addition to the individual awards and the Spirit of Cricket prize, this year’s ceremony will also feature the Test and ODI Teams of the Year. And for the first time there is an award for Women’s Cricketer of the Year.”The past year has been another exciting one for cricket fans around the world and these players have contributed hugely to our enjoyment,” Speed said.”This is the third annual ICC Awards night and it promises to be a fantastic evening with some very tough decisions to be announced. It is also a pleasure that for the first time we will be presenting the award for the Women’s Player of the Year. Now that the women’s game is under the auspices of ICC it is important that we acknowledge the marvellous contribution that female players are making.”The short-lists were announced after the votes were submitted by members of the voting academy. The 50 Academy members were asked to pick players nominated by a selection panel chaired by Sunil Gavaskar. The period of contention was between August 1, 2005 to August 8, 2006

South Africa 316 and 82 for 3 (Smith 46*) need 152 more runs to beat New Zealand 297 and 252 (Styris 73, Boje 4-69)
Scorecard

Another riveting day of Test cricket ended with all three results still possible: South Africa needed 152 to pull off a win and level the series, New Zealand needed seven wickets to wrap up a 2-0 win, while the inclement Wellington weather – which delayed the start of play by 90 minutes today – meant that there was a chance of rain ruining what could be a fascinating finish to the series.In keeping with the trend throughout the last two Tests, the fourth day’s play witnessed many ebbs and flows. Chris Cairns and Scott Styris snatched the initiative in the morning session with some blazing strokeplay, adding 50 in just 30 minutes. Then, both fell in successive overs as the pendulum swung back in favour of South Africa. Chasing 234 for victory, Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith started off in a hurry, before Chris Martin, yet again, pegged South Africa back.Getting appreciable swing with the new ball, he forced Gibbs to steer one to Stephen Fleming at first slip (29 for 1). Gibbs was in ominous touch, creaming a couple of gorgeous cover-drives and an astonishing front-foot pull for six off Martin, on the way to a 12-ball 16. Then, Martin uncorked an absolute jaffa to nail Jacques Rudolph – scorer of 154 not out and 93 not out in his last two Test innings – for a duck. The ball pitched on leg, swung late, beat Rudolph’s tentative defence, and knocked off stump out of the ground. After having raced to 28 without loss in four overs, South Africa were suddenly 31 for 2.Five runs later, they had lost another wicket, as Jacques Kallis (1) was trapped in front by an indipper from Jacob Oram. Smith and Gary Kirsten then knuckled down to grind 46 for the fourth wicket. Kirsten, playing his last Test, displayed all his famed resolve and determination, and was unbeaten on a 58-ball 19, while Smith was on an assured 46.It seemed South Africa would be set a much higher target than 234 when Cairns and Styris were blazing away in the morning session. On a cold and grey morning, both batsmen lit up the Basin Reserve with some scintillating strokeplay in what could have been an awkward 30-minute session. Cairns sent out the message early in the piece, pulling Shaun Pollock’s first delivery – a gentle half-tracker at 120 kmph – over midwicket for six. He then waded into Nicky Boje, whipping two fours in an over. Styris joined in the fun, smashing a couple of off-side fours to bring up his half-century, as the lead – just 109 overnight – galloped past 150.

The lunch break gave the South Africans time to think out a plan, and they came out with one: Boje changed his line of attack to over the wicket, and bowled well outside leg stump with a deep midwicket and a long-on. It was an obvious trap, but Cairns fell for it, charging down and hoicking to leg. Martin van Jaarsveld ran around from deep midwicket and judged the catch to a nicety despite the swirling wind (198 for 6). Cairns made 41, in what could be his last Test innings.More madness followed as Styris, who had motored along to 73, fetched a wide one from Andre Nel and slapped back a sharp return catch, which was well held by the bowler (201 for 7). Daniel Vettori edged a catch to the slips off Makhaya Ntini, and when Michael Mason was run out attempting a third run to give Oram the strike, New Zealand were 224 for 9, a lead of just 205.Oram helped stretch the lead to 233 with some lusty hitting, including a pulled six over midwicket off Ntini, before he was trapped in front by Boje, who again bowled with superb control to return figures of 4 for 69.In the Boxing Day Test earlier this season, Pakistan were set a target of 274, and romped home with seven wickets to spare. Martin’s early wickets ensured that it wouldn’t be quite as easy this time around. The stage was ideal for Kirsten to come up with a typically gritty effort. With only a single in each of his last three innings, he was certainly due a big score. Would he deliver, one last time, for South Africa?

Two Sri Lankan club cricketers were nabbed at London’s Heathrow airport by officers of the anti-terrorist branch when they were about to board a Sri Lankan Airlines flight to Colombo.The incident which took place on Wednesday saw one of the cricketers, Manoj Hettiarachchi, being remanded and the other, Bathisha de Silva, escaping any punishment. They were playing league cricket for Sudbury CC in Harrow.According to sources, the officers of the anti-terrorist branch had acted on a tip-off. They had been on the trail of some Sri Lankans in the UK and one of them was Batisha de Silva, whom they suspected of being involved in terrorist activities.When the cricketers were nabbed at the airport and searched by Special Branch officers, they found 22 cloned credit cards and four cheques to the tune of £20,000 on Hettiarachchi.Both men were interviewed last Thursday by Detective Sgt Fahey at Heathrow Police station. During the interview, Hettiarachchi had said that De Silva had handed the credit cards to him before arriving at the airport, saying that his wallet was full.Hettiarachchi had then asked De Silva whether it was alright to carry so many cards, and the reply he got was that he too had similar cards in his pocket and that he was scared because a few days earlier he had been assaulted by some criminals whom he had been associated with. Hettiarachchi had also told the Heathrow detectives that he was carrying the three signed cheques drawn from three separate English banks, for a friend in Sri Lanka. De Silva when questioned had denied any knowledge about the cards which he had handed over to Hettiarachchi.According to sources, Hettiarachchi was under obligation to carry the cards and cheques because it was De Silva who had secured a position for him at the club, and also found him accommodation in the UK.At the end of the interview, De Silva was released because no evidence could be found on him, but Hettiarachchi was charged with the offence of handling stolen property and intention of supplying the same. He was produced at Uxbridge Magistrate Court on Friday and remanded for trial, which is expected to take at least another two months.However, though the Special Branch Officers could not pin anything on De Silva, they believe that he is behind the fraud, and suspect him to be involved in terrorist activities – the cards they say are used for funds.Alan Wahab, Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) UK committee representative, who is also an employee of Scotland Yard, assisted the Heathrow police at the interview.De Silva (27) plays for Tamil Union in the Premier division I competition. A right-hand batsman and an off-break bowler, he has been playing first-class cricket since 1995-96 and has previously played for Bloomfield, BRC and Antonian SC. He was also a Sri Lanka `A’ cricketer.Hettiarachchi (25) plays for BRC in the Premier division I tournament. A right-hand bat and wicket-keeper, he made his first-class debut for BRC in 1998-99.

The British government has stepped back into the debate surrounding England’s sporting relations with Robert Mugabe’s regime in Zimbabwe, and is putting pressure on the ECB to cancel their proposed tour in October 2004.The government has voiced its concern in the wake of comments by Lord MacLaurin, the former ECB chairman, and current chief of England’s main sponsors, Vodafone. In an interview with the London-based Guardian newspaper, MacLaurin warned that Vodafone might be forced to withdraw its support, worth roughly £3 million per year, if the tour goes ahead.In February this year, a huge furore surrounded and eventually overshadowed England’s World Cup campaign, with England pulling out of their Pool A match in Harare at the eleventh hour. It was a decision that ultimately cost the ECB close to £1 million in compensation, and the dust has barely been allowed to settle since, despite Zimbabwe’s recent visit to England passing relatively peacefully.But, with exactly a year to go until England’s next tour, the various parties concerned are determined not to make the same mistake again, and are airing their views well in advance. “Essentially our position has not changed,” said a spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. “Ministers made it clear before the World Cup that they did not want an England cricket team to play in Zimbabwe and nothing has changed on the ground to alter that view. The tour is still a long way away but if things remain the same in Zimbabwe we would suggest that the team does not tour.”The ECB had originally set itself a spring deadline to decide on the trip, but it now seems likely that a decision will be made in early 2004. Despite Vodafone’s concerns, Des Wilson, the head of the ECB’s corporate affairs committee, insisted that all the evidence would be assessed and any decision reached would not be motivated by money alone.”We fully accept that this decision must be taken early,” said Wilson. “We frequently monitor the situation in Zimbabwe. It is under review and early in the new year we will look at all the evidence. I am advised that there is a Commonwealth head of states’ meeting in December and we will wait to see what comes out of that.”The ECB was heavily criticised for its prevarication during the World Cup, but on that occasion the situation was largely out of their hands, given that it was an ICC event, with contractual implications for television and sponsors. This time, however, the ECB has not committed itself to any tour, something that their chairman, David Morgan, was careful to avoid on his bridge-building trip to Harare after the World Cup. “Zimbabwe have not been given a guarantee,” explained Wilson, “and unlike the World Cup there is no contractual obligation for us to go. What we indicated at the time [of Morgan’s visit] was that it was our intention to have the tour to Zimbabwe, but that we would have to monitor the situation.”The Professional Cricketers’ Association, who became heavily involved in the stand-off between England’s players and the ECB during the World Cup, have this time leant their support to the board. Their CEO, Richard Bevan, has been in communication with both Morgan and Tim Lamb, the ECB’s chief executive, and has expressed his satisfaction with the procedure and the timing of the latest discussions.”We are not going to rock the boat,” said Bevan. “The ECB is correct in taking the line it has in seeing what comes out of December’s Commonwealth meeting. Mistakes were made by all parties before the World Cup and these will not be made again. There is no point in making a decision now when the political climate may have changed in six months.”The Zimbabwean Cricket Union, however, remain adamant that the tour will go ahead as planned. “The relationship between Vodafone and the England Cricket Board is their own affair,” said Vince Hogg, the ZCU’s managing director. “The England tour is part of the future tours programme and, as far as we are concerned, they are coming.”

Bengal 239 for 8 (Das 67) beat Delhi 225 (Gambhir 64, Paul 3-25) by 14 runs
Scorecard
Bengal kicked off their campaign with a 14-run win over Delhi in the first match of the knockout stage of the Ranji Trophy one-day tournament at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The tournament involves the five teams that won the one-day tournament in their respective zones. Chasing 240, Gautam Gambhir got Delhi off to a steady start with his steady 64. Even after he fell (145 for 4) Delhi were well placed with Ajay Jadeja (49) controlling proceedings. When 57 were required off 50, Jadeja fell and the lower order wilted under the pressure. Shib Paul, the Bengal medium pacer, conceded only 25 in his 9 overs and snapped up two important wickets in the final stages. He had earlier dismissed Aakash Chopra for only 4. Bengal reached 239 largely due to Arindam Das (67), the opener, who anchored the innings with his 100-ball knock. There were valuable contributions from Deep Dasgupta (39 off 48) and Laxmi Ratan Shukla (41 off 51), which propped up the total. It was a fighting score, and Delhi’s lower order collapse made it a matchwinning one.Mumbai 237 for 5 (Indulkar 77*, Shetty 53) beat Rajasthan 236 (Khoda 82, Yagnik 50) by 14 runs
Scorecard
Vinit Indulkar (77 not out) and Nishit Shetty (53) cracked crucial half-centuries that helped Mumbai overcome Rajasthan in their opening game of the tournament at the Jadavpur University Campus in Kolkata. Chasing 237, Mumbai suffered an early hiccup when Vinayak Mane was caught at the wicket of S Mathur. Robin Morris and Vinod Kambli, who scored 32 each, added 56 for the second wicket and shared 10 fours between them. Though both fell in quick succession, Indulkar and Shetty ensured against further alarms and their 107-run association put Mumbai in command. Shetty was out after his 81-ball innings, but Indulkar stayed till the end and took them home with two overs to spare. Earlier in the day, Rajasthan frittered away a great start provided by DH Yagnik and Gagan Khoda, the captain. Yagnik creamed nine fours in his breezy 50 off 56 balls and along with Khoda (82), provided an ideal launching pad for a late-over surge. Nilesh Kulkarni (3 for 34), the left-arm spinner, and Sairaj Bahutule (3 for 48), the legspinner, struck vital blows in the middle overs. Munaf Patel ensured against any tail-end resistance and finished with 3 for 42.

Yet to win a Test series in England since their return to international cricket, the South African team is going all out to ensure that they break this jinx. The latest initiative is the hiring of Ravi Shastri to help the South Africans deal with the English media. Shastri, a respected commentator and media personality, will arrive in South Africa later this week to conduct a one-day session with the team.Graeme Smith, South Africa’s 22-year-old captain, spelt out the reasons for hiring Shastri. Speaking to Beeld, an Africaans daily, Smith said: “We are fully aware of the poison pens that are being readied ahead of our arrival [in England]. That’s why we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that we are thoroughly prepared for what awaits us. We know we’re not going there as favourites. It’s not a coincidence that we haven’t been able to win a series there since we were re-admitted in the international cricket.”Ravi can guide us from a player’s point of view, as well as from a media point of view about what we can expect there. We know that it’s going to be tough and that there will be huge pressures on us, but we want to prepare in a way that will enable us to handle them.”Smith said that Shastri’s guidance could also help in improving relations between the South African media and the team. The South African squad received plenty of flak for the World Cup debacle, when they failed to qualify for the Super Six.Meanwhile, the South African board (UCBSA) has decided to terminate its contract with Goolam Raja, the team manager, after the tour of England. Raja was manager of the team for the last decade. Though recognised as an excellent organiser, Raja, apparently, wasn’t firm enough in dealing with the players. This decision is seen as another step by Smith, coach Eric Simons, and the selectors in their attempt to rebuild the South African team.