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Graeme Smith plans to seek advice from his IPL captain Shane Warne ahead of South Africa’s four-Test series against England. Smith and Warne, who were once caught up in a verbal joust before Australia’s tour to South Africa in 2006, have since improved their relationship after becoming team-mates in the Rajasthan Royals outfit, which clinched the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 tournament.”It will be nice to swap a few ideas with him [Warne] when we are in England,” Smith told , an Afrikaans language newspaper. “I think I learnt most from him whenever we chatted about cricket in general. He has a great cricketing brain and it was great for me to work with him and learn the way he thinks and works.”Smith’s move is not surprising considering that Warne was England’s nemesis for close to 15 years, a period in which he claimed 195 wickets against them, which is the best tally by a bowler against a single opposition.He also praised Warne’s leadership during the IPL. “There is no question he is a genius of the game and it was very interesting to hear how he plans to get a side to submit. It was also nice to see how he thinks about the game and he is a self-assured, positive captain. He can get the best out of players and we worked well together tactically.”However, Smith is doubtful for the first Test at Lord’s, which begins on July 10, since he is recuperating from a hamstring injury sustained during the IPL. “I have a lot of pain at the moment,” he said. “I have just started walking again and I am hopeful that I will be ready when we face Middlesex in a warm-up game. But I am unsure if I will be ready by then, especially as I have never had an injury like this.”South Africa depart for England on June 23.

England captain Nasser Hussain admitted that he had been mistaken to put Australia in on the opening day of the first Test against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane.Australia declared their second innings on 296 for five, leaving England a winning target of 464, but they collapsed to 79 all out off just 28.2 overs to lose by 384 runs.”We played poorly in parts and today was not very good,” Hussain said. “We’ve lost in places like Sri Lanka and come back before, but Australia are setting the benchmark in world cricket at the moment and this will be our toughest test to date. We’ve just got to work hard in the nets and turn it round ourselves.””I read the wicket wrong on the first day and the buck stops with me on thatone,” he added. “I just thought if there was anything in the wicket we needed our young bowlers to get something, but there wasn’t anything in it.”Menwhile the Australian captain Steve Waugh was full of praise for man-of-the-match Matthew Hayden, who added a rapid 103 to his first-innings 197.”Matty Hayden is batting almost as well as anyone in the history of the gameat the moment,” said Waugh.”It was a pretty special Test match obviously, especially playing in front of my home crowd,” said Hayden. “It’s wonderful that you can get an opportunity to represent your country and then to achieve a milestone like that is something special.”

Bath Cricket Club triumphed in the South West regional finals of the ECB Under 13’s club championship that were held at Weston super Mare Cricket Club during last week.In the first semi final Bath narrowly defeated Mount Wise (Plymouth). Batting first Bath made 128 for 4 in their 20 overs thanks to James Campbell who made 30 and Patrick Ost who was unbeaten on 28.In reply Mount Wise were in sight of their total, thanks to Tom Saunders who ended on 32 not out, and needed just 12 runs from the final 11 balls, but in the end it was just out of reach and they finished 3 runs short.In the second semi final Bournemouth had a fairly comfortable win over Chippenham CC.The south coast side scored 143 for 8 from their overs, which was too much for Chippenham who ended on 97 for 9.Batting first in the final Bournemouth scored 100 for 9, which Bath reached for the loss of four wickets, thanks to Edward Jackson who hit two sixes in an innings of 29 not out.Bath are the South West regional winners and now go through to the national finals that will be played at Oakham School in Rutland.

Michael Vaughan could not hide his disappointment at missing a double century, although he regards the 197 he made against India at Trent Bridge as the best innings of his life.It was Vaughan’s highest first-class score and his third since he was handed the England opening slot on the tour of New Zealand earlier this year.”To be honest it was just one of those days when everything seemed to hit themiddle of the bat,” said Vaughan. “I would say it’s the best I have ever played especially given the situation in the game – it was important someone got a big score after India got 357.”This is a ground where there are a lot of boundaries to be had, the feetmoved as well as they have all summer and I just felt in good touch. I have never hit it as clean as I did today. When I got out I sat in the dressing room for two or three minutes, and I was gutted I didn’t get the double.”But if you had offered me that score at 11.50am I would have ripped yourhand off.”Asked whether he could carry the performance through to this winter’s Ashes series, he said: “It’s probably everyone’s dream to play against the Australians. But this Indian team is very dangerous so first and foremost we have to think about them.”This game is evenly poised; if they come out and get a couple of earlywickets they will feel right back in it. If we get somewhere near 500 we can put some pressure on.”

New Zealand wicket-keeper Robbie Hart admitted to a pang of regret when breaking a sequence of 85 unbroken matches for his Northern Districts side today, but it was only a momentary pang.As Northern Districts took on Otago at Carisbrook in the State Championship, Hart was with the New Zealand side preparing for his fourth Test match, his first at home, and on a ground he has many happy memories of, the Basin Reserve.Midway through last summer Hart would have been entitled to wonder if he would ever emulate his brother Matthew by playing for New Zealand. It seemed that Adam Parore would be a career-denying impediment to his advance.Then Parore said he had had enough and retired.Enter from stage left, and the plethora of contenders, Robbie Hart.While his introduction to Test cricket was at Lahore when Hurricane Shoaib Akhtar blew the New Zealanders to their worst Test loss, by an innings and 324 runs, happier days came in the West Indies.He scored 57 not out and 24 in the second innings in New Zealand’s historic 204-run win for their first Test win in the West Indies.Then as New Zealand attempted to stave off the prospect of the West Indies recovering to share the series, he batted for 142 minutes in the second innings to score 28 not out and help New Zealand draw the match.It was a heady start, but now the prospect of a home Test is a new delight.”It’s really exciting to play a home series, I’ve worked a lot of years to get the opportunity to do it.”I’ve always enjoyed it at the Basin. The atmosphere, this is a true Test ground and there’s been some good cricket occasions here over the years, some good tussles with Wellington,” he said.While there has been some movement in the quality of wicket-keepers starting to emerge, Hart has not been distracted.”I’ve just been totally focused on my own game. The minute you start looking over your shoulder it’s not a good mindset to be in. I want to give myself every chance to perform,” he said.The West Indies experience had been a good one because of what was achieved but also because of the lessons he took from the tour.It had been hard work mentally, yet exciting at the same time.He said the experience of playing at international level had resulted in him lifting the work he was putting into his game because that was what the experience did to you.Although New Zealand’s players have been hit hard by the weather, Hart admitted that his preparation for batting in the Test starting on Thursday in Wellington had been helped by having to face fast bowler Shane Bond on “an average pitch” at Rangiora.Hart said he had admired the Indian play for the last 10 years but he goes into the match confident New Zealand can compete with them in the two Test series.

Beleaguered Burridge have engaged specialist contractors in a desperate bid to solve the acute drainage problem at their Botley Road ground.Contractors are slitting the entire outfield in an attempt to get the water away from the ground which currently bears more resemblance to a swamp than a cricket pitch.The heavy rain of the past fortnight has waterlogged the entire outfield.Burridge’s scheduled ECB Southern Electric Premier League match against Liphook & Ripsley on Saturday is already off.”It has become totally depressing to everyone at the club,” said Burridge chairman Richard Bundy.”We have spent many a man hour trying to get the water away, but we are up against nature and so far there is little we have been able to do.”We spent a lot of money last winter mole draining the ground and, because of the dry winter we had, were able to get out and do quite a lot of pre-season work.”But we’ve not been able to get any machinery on to the ground for the past fortnight because it is so wet.”Burridge have managed to play only one home Premier League game so far and lie third from the foot of the table, with one win (at Portsmouth) in four outings.Burridge 2nd XI have only managed to play three Hampshire League County Division 1 fixtures since May 11.

Eighteen Southern Electric Premier League cricketers are set to be involved in next Tuesday’s Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy first round ties … Weather permitting!The bulk of them will play for the Hampshire Recreational Board side, who face a daunting task against the Kent Board at The Mote, Maidstone, 10.45am. Six others are selected for Wiltshire’s game against the Derbyshire Board at Chippenham.Hampshire skipper Raj Maru is fearful that his side’s total lack of pre-season practice could be costly at Maidstone."Apart from Richard Hindley, not one of our side has played a game yet this season, due to the awful weather," he said."Mind you, Kent are probably in the same boat – if you will excuse the pun."Hampshire will be without profilic Havant batsman Andy Perry, whose shoulder injury may take some time to heal.Hampshire Board XI: Rajesh Maru (Portsmouth), Dave Banks (BAT Sports), Chris Benham (Cove), James Hibberd (Calmore Sports), Richard Hindley (Havant), Ian Hilsum (Ventnor), Chris Knight (BAT Sports), Paul Marks (Winchester KS), Roger Miller (Andover), Ben Nolan (Portsmouth), Damian Sharizi (BAT Sports), James Tomlinson (South Wilts).Calmore Sports pair Paul Draper and Jez Goode, surprisingly over-looked by the HCB, will play in Wiltshire’s tie against the Derbyshire at Chippenham. Goode, the former Northamptonshire II and County Board captain, represented the East Midlanders in the 1999 Nat-West Trophy.Six Southern Electric Premier League players are in the Wiltshire squad, which also includes South Wilts pair Russell Rowe and Roger Sillence, Bashley seamer Kevin Nash, and BAT Sports left-armer Dan Goldstraw, who will be making his county debut.Winchester’s Jimmy Taylor is playing soccer for Havant & Waterlooville in the Hampshire Senior Cup final at The Dell.

FULL NAME: Jordane Stanley Nicolle
BORN: At Bulawayo, 20 December 1982
MAJOR TEAMS: CFX Academy (2001/02). Present club side: Bulawayo Athletic Club(Bulawayo), Universals (Harare)
KNOWN AS: Jordane/Jordi Nicolle
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Fast Medium
OCCUPATION: CFX Academy studentFIRST-CLASS DEBUT: 15-17 February 2002, CFX Academy v Manicaland, at MutareSports Club
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaitedBIOGRAPHY (March 2002)One of the most promising students at the CFX Academy in 2002 is Matabeleland’s young pace bowler Jordane Nicolle. After a good record in national Under-19 cricket, he continued to make progress by looking the Academy’s most dangerous bowler in the Logan Cup competition of 2001/02.He has the advantage of a cricketing background; his father is Gwanda farmer Terry Nicolle, who has had a career as Matabeleland Districts player and administrator and is now a national selector, while his grandfather was also a notable player. He is the middle of three brothers; his older brother is also a very keen player, but currently out of Zimbabwean cricket while he obtains his degree at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.Jordane remembers from his earliest years playing cricket in the net especially built on the family farm in southern Matabeleland. He attended Whitestone Primary School in Bulawayo as a boarder, first playing for the school in Grade Five, being something of a late developer, despite his background. It took him another two years to force his way into the school first team, which he did as a pace bowler – he admits he has never been much of a batsman. He remembers taking two sets of five wickets in an innings, with a performance against Milton Junior School his favourite memory. He played for Matabeleland primary schools but not for the national side.He then progressed to Falcon College, playing mainly in the B team for each age group, and feels that his cricket deteriorated with each year. By the time he was in the fourth form and Lower Sixth he was captaining the third team. He did take some good wickets for Matabeleland Country Districts against the Mashonaland side, though, and then suddenly made progress in his final year. He has played winter cricket regularly for Gwanda whenever he can, and he appreciates the `lovely green tops’ his father prepares on the home pitch; he has taken a couple of `five-fers’.How does he account for his sudden rise? "It was a lot of determination and effort on my father’s part, which got into my mind," he says. "I had a lot of encouragement, and I got a lot fitter and stronger. I continued trying to bowl as fast as I could, and it came right in the end." His best performance was seven wickets for 32 runs against Peterhouse, well timed in coming the weekend before the national trials. He pays tribute to the coaching he received from Dave Grant, the first-team coach at Falcon.In his final year at school, 2000, Jordane finally made the national age-group side, playing for the Under-19 team. He did not have great success as far as wicket-taking was concerned, never taking more than two or three in an innings, but he did impress some notable judges. He considered applying for the Academy for 2001, but after considering the situation of the country decided to secure his future at Stellenbosch University, following his brother there.He was still eligible for the Under-19 side and continued to play, going to New Zealand with the World Cup team. He stayed only a year at Stellenbosch, starting a Bachelor of Mathematical Science degree, before deciding it was not the right course for him and taking a break. "I passed three of my five subjects and these are valid for the next ten years, so if need be I can go back and finish it off, or do something else," he says. This time he did apply for the Academy and was accepted.As a batsman his highest score was 48, for the Under-19 team playing against a similar side from Easterns in South Africa in Bulawayo, sharing a century partnership for the last wicket, so he does have some talent in that area. "It’s probably my only claim to fame with the bat," he says with a smile. "I like to think of myself as an aggressive lower-order batsman, but I can hang around." He feels he has the ability to move up to number eight or nine.He has played his club cricket for Bulawayo Athletic Club, and took eight wickets in an innings against Queens, his best figures in any class of cricket, the weekend after the Under-19 trials. After joining the Academy he has played for Universals in Harare.As a bowler he uses the yorker regularly, especially in one-day cricket. His stock delivery is the inswinger, and he can also cut the ball back off the pitch, but he admits he needs to develop more accuracy. He likes to field in the point or backward point area, but is more often sent off to fine leg.Jordane feels he has already learned a great deal at the Academy, especially from Eddo Brandes, who is the bowling coach, and looks forward enthusiastically to developing and widening his range of skills in the near future.Cricket heroes: "Travis Friend is a guy I really look up to, and obviously Brett Lee, my number one hero."Toughest opponents: "I haven’t bowled at any of the main national players yet, but I’m looking forward to that challenge."Personal ambitions: "My goals have been to get six wickets in every Logan Cup game, and I’ve managed to do that so far. A ten-haul in one of the next three games would be amazing."Proudest achievement so far: "Making the Under-19 side, which was a big step for me. Going from the third team to the Under-19 side in one year was quite an achievement."Best friends in cricket: "Charles Coventry – he and I have grown up and played with and against each other over the last six years, and rooming together and touring together."Other qualifications: A-levels and started Bachelor of Mathematical Science degree.Other sports: First-team hockey at Falcon College.Outside interests: Riding motor-bikes – "which isn’t the greatest hobby for a fast bowler!"Views on cricket: "Things are slowly getting more professional in cricket circles in this country, from the top to the bottom, which is good. I’m sure things are going to get a lot better for Zimbabwe cricket in the next few years, especially with the World Cup coming up. I’m sure the main guys will do very well, and that will give the game a tremendous boost right round the country."

Pakistan might have suffered an embarrassing innings and 54 run loss to New Zealand A at Bert Sutcliffe Oval today, but coach Javed Miandad said the side’s confidence was still strong heading into the National Bank Test series starting on Thursday.NZ A took only 27 balls to take five wickets for 16 runs to end the game this morning. The injured Saeed Anwar did not bat.It was a pathetic and limp response from a Pakistan team supposedly looking to get in some batting practice in preparation for the Test series after the disappointment of losing the one-day series.Coach Javed Miandad, who missed the rout as he was working in the nets with players not involved in the match, shook the defeat off by saying there were no real batsmen left in the game.”There were only bowlers left.”Saeed Anwar has a problem, it is difficult to say anything about that yet, it is too early,” he said.Miandad said it was obviously disappointing to lose a game in that fashion.”But you can’t do anything about it except work hard for the next game,” he said.The lack of experienced players in the side was a factor. Saeed, Wasim Akram, Moin Khan and Inzamam-ul-Haq were all missing from the game.The fact that all but Moin have injuries has to be a concern going into the first Test starting on Thursday.”They were all youngsters in this game. A few of them have just come from Pakistan. It is hard to adjust.”It is difficult after playing one-day cricket but the young guys have to look after themselves,” he said.But Miandad warned that Pakistan could still be a force in the Test series.”Everyone knows about the Pakistan team. In the 1992 World Cup we weren’t doing so well but once we clicked we won the World Cup.”We haven’t lost any confidence. When you lost Test matches then you can say your confidence is affected.”I’m not that disappointed, it was not a full-strength team.”There is no need to panic, You will see what this team will do in the Test match,” he said.The injuries are clearly a concern and Wasim Akram was not at the ground today as he was seeing a doctor about his side strain which developed during the last one-dayer against New Zealand.While Miandad admitted it was frustrating being so far from home and not being able to call up replacements quickly due to the 10 days required to process visas and the two-days of travelling.Miandad said there were no players on stand-by at the moment but the side would be talking to the selection panel to tell them what they were facing in New Zealand.”But the boys are confident. Wasim is confident and has said he will play. Saeed has said he will play and Inzamam has said he will play,” Miandad said.The NZ A players wasted no opportunity to complete the task.Andrew Penn removed the biggest potential stumbling block by bowling Younis Khan in his second over. Next ball, Mushtaq Ahmed tried to fend off a short ball from Penn and hit the ball high towards slips where Lou Vincent, fielding at third slip took the catch.Waqar Younis took the chance to hit out for six runs in the rest of the over and then from the first ball of Chris Drum’s next over, Saqlain Mushtaq wound up an excessively extravagant shot and was bowled easily. Then four balls later Arshad Khan was well beaten and bowled.Waqar took a single at the start of Penn’s next over, which was about the worst that could happen as predictably Mohammad Sami was out to Penn’s next ball, edging the chance to Glen Sulzberger at first slip.Pakistan all out for 124, having spent only 26 minutes in the middle and losing five wickets for 16 runs.

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the former India captain, has said the BCCI – which in his words is “in a mess” over the IPL – no longer enjoys the goodwill it once did in the global cricket community and the time had come for it to back its financial clout with moral leadership.”The ICC may well be the voice of cricket; the BCCI is an invoice,” Pataudi said in New Delhi at an event commemorating the 75th birth anniversary of former board chief Raj Singh Dungarpur. “We would like to see a more proactive, more eloquent and a more constructive BCCI in world matters. It is of course a democratically elected body and we are fine with that. But it keeps its doors very closed so that none of us actually know what is happening behind closed doors.”The BCCI’s financial growth in the last two decades has however, he indicated, not been matched by the goodwill it had enjoyed in the world during the Packer crisis. “When Kerry Packer arrived on the scene, going back a few years, there was a huge shake-up in world-cricket administration. But at that time India and Indian cricket earned a huge amount of goodwill and gratitude.”He said “not a single Indian cricketer” had signed with Packer even as “the English captain was surreptitiously recruiting for Kerry. Not only that, but India was host to a number of, what I would call, second-rate teams, but to full houses. A lot of money was made and shared between the countries and cricket survived. Whether that goodwill still continues with the BCCI I am not quite sure.”The board’s handling of the IPL’s current controversies and legal disputes would be closely observed, Pataudi said. “Today the BCCI is facing a crisis. It has got involved in the complexity and the complications of the IPL and the debris left behind by Lalit Modi. The world is watching how well it can climb out of this mess.”Pataudi had refused to be part of the IPL governing council this October after it was reconstituted by the BCCI, which made memberships honorary as opposed to paid roles, as was the case earlier.One of the key areas where Pataudi felt the BCCI needed to show leadership was in the development of more stringent laws pertaining to illegal betting in India. “Everybody said the money [in the spot-fixing allegations] emanated from India. That is an accusation that hurts but it rings true, especially for those of us who live in this country and have been reading about the scams that have been taking place in the last few days and weeks; it is quite possible to believe the kind of money that is generated illegally in this country,” he said.Mazhar Majeed, a player agent who is at the centre of the spot-fixing allegations involving Pakistani cricketers, claimed to have links with Indian bookies. Hansie Cronje, the former South African captain, had told the King Commission in 2000 that he had received money from Indian bookmakers for information on team selection and daily forecasts in the mid-1990s.There have been calls to legalise betting in India. Most recently, a Delhi court, in October, said, “It is high time that our legislature seriously considers legalising the entire system of betting online or otherwise so that enough revenues can be generated to fund various infrastructural requirements for the common man and thus check the lucrative business in organised crime.”Pataudi called on politicians within the BCCI to work towards tightening laws concerning illegal betting. Rajiv Shukla and Arun Jaitley, currently vice-presidents in the BCCI, are also key figures in the Indian Parliament. Jyotiraditya Scindia, a Minister of State, is the president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, and along with Jaitley, is part of the three-member disciplinary committee looking into the ongoing investigations into the IPL. “The BCCI itself has several central cabinet ministers, it has leaders in the opposition; it can certainly lobby for more stringent laws. Lobbying continues in this country as indeed it does everywhere in the world,” Pataudi said.