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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."

Lancashire Lightning’s home Norwich Union League fixture against Derbyshire Scorpions, which was originally scheduled for Monday 15th July, will now be played at Blackpool Cricket Club on Sunday 14th July with play starting at 1pm.The game was scheduled to take place just 48 hours after “Move”, a 3-day series of pop concerts sponsored by Virgin Trains. However, the addition last week of an extra date sees David Bowie playing at Old Trafford on Wednesday 10th July. This means an unforeseen increase in the scale of the stage and the additional time needed to dismantle the equipment has necessitated the switch of the Monday night game to an outground.The change to a Sunday afternoon game is designed to make it easier for members and supporters to attend the fixture in Blackpool as opposed to Monday evening.In order to assist Members with their travel arrangements, the Club has decided to provide free coach transport from Old Trafford to Blackpool CC. Places are limited and further details will be available from the Ticket Office from Monday 13th May on 0161 282 4040.

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.”

Dinesh Mongia hit his second double hundred in this year’s DuleepTrophy championship as North Zone piled up 690 for eight beforedeclaring on the second day of their match against Central Zone at theFeroze Shah Kotla grounds in New Delhi on Friday. At close, Centralhad replied with 81 for one off 13 overs.Mongia had hit 201 in the opening round encounter against South Zone.On Friday, the 23-year-old Punjab batsman hit 208 and added 316 runsfor the fifth wicket with his Punjab colleague Reetinder Singh Sodhi.Resuming at the North Zone score of 391 for four, Mongia and Sodhicarried on from where they left off and did pretty much what theyliked with the bowling. The stand was not broken till the score was620 after an association that lasted 80 overs. Then Mongia was finallydismissed after batting 433 minutes. He faced 319 balls and hit 27fours and two sixes. Sodhi did not last long after Mongia’s departure.His 137 was compiled in 375 minutes. He faced 245 balls and hit 13fours and three sixes. Harbhajan Singh then flogged the tired attackfor a breezy 42 off 43 balls with four boundaries and two sixes. TheCentral Zone bowling made for sorry reading with four of the bowlersconceding over 100 runs. Indian left arm spinner Murali Kartik was themost expensive conceding 178 runs off 53 overs and finishingwicketless.When Central Zone batted, they lost the wicket of Amit Pagnis earlybut the other opener Jai P Yadav and skipper Amay Khurasiya thenshowed that there was nothing in the bowling or the pitch and rattledup 65 runs for the unbroken second wicket off only 9.3 overs. WhileYadav has hit 23 off 37 balls with four hits to the fence, the moreaggressive Khurasiya is batting with 45 off just 28 balls. He has hiteight fours and a six.

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.

ScorecardTanmay Mishra held Kenya’s innings together•ICC/Helge Schutz

Tanmay Mishra’s maiden first-class hundred helped Kenya towards a useful total on the opening day of their Intercontinental Cup match against Namibia. Mishra’s 108, alongside a half-century for Collins Obuya, guided Kenya to 297 for 7 at the close.Mishra struck 17 boundaries in his 200-ball innings before falling in the final over of the day, bowled by Ian Opperman, to even the scales. The early advantage had gone to Namibia before the visitors fought back during the second two sessions.Jason Davidson, making his first-class debut, claimed the first two wickets when he had Irfam Karim and Duncan Allan caught behind and when Alex Obanda departed Kenya were 71 for 3.Mishra and Obuya, the captain, steadied the innings with a stand of 99 until Christi Viljoen returned to trap Obuya lbw for 56 and he soon added Rakep Patel. Mishra then found another solid partner in Maurice Ouma to add 65 for the sixth wicket and Hiren Varaiya also played a valuable role.The match was originally scheduled for Mombasa but was moved due to safety concerns, although still classes as a home fixture for Kenya.

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.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRyan ten Doeschate smashed 64 off 32 balls•BCCI

Ryan ten Doeschate’s bruising 64 from 32 broke the back of a mediocre Kandurata Maroons total, and all but secured Otago Volts’ place in the Champions League proper, while very nearly damning their opponents to the opposite fate. The match had been set up again by the discipline of the Otago’s fast men, who kept Kandurata down to 154 for 9, despite the best efforts of Upul Tharanga, who hit 76 from 56.Ten Doeschate had not played the first match of the qualifiers, having not been released in time from Essex to come to India. The match was finely poised at 45 for 2, when he arrived at the crease, but within three overs, he had injected Volt’s innings with the adrenaline that would not abate until the finish.Kandurata’s spinners had prospered in the first ten overs, but legspinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi could extract little turn from the surface, and it was off his first three balls that the match pivoted. Ten Doeschate charged the first, striking it long and straight, before hanging back to wallop his second six, over mid-on this time. The third six was swept flatter and squarer, and after that 20-run over, Otago needed only play sensibly to achieve the target.A short period of consolidation followed that burst, but the boundaries began again in earnest in the 15th over, with James Neesham joining in. A square boundary off Nuwan Kulasekara’s third over gave ten Doeschate his fifty off 26 balls, and when he had departed after another lucrative over, Otago needed only 9 from 17 balls. Neesham needed only five of those.In Kandurata’s innings, Tharanga was starved of his early penchant for off-side boundaries by a shrewd Otago strategy that prevented the kind of start he had achieved in their first match. McCullum placed a cover sweeper almost from the outset, and had his pace bowlers pitch it full and wide. If Tharanga flashed at the ball, he brought the two slips and catching infielders into play. If he played it along the ground, he would not muster enough power into the stroke to earn more than two.Kandurata hit only 25 in the Powerplay as a result, and it wasn’t until Nathan McCullum’s offspin was introduced that Tharanga’s innings finally gained traction. Two balls disappeared long and straight during the eighth over, and Tharanga exacted as heavy a toll in McCullum’s next over, which also went for 15.While he propelled the innings though, Otago made regular gains at the other end. Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne had both hit fifties in the first match, but were dismissed cheaply here, as short spells from Nick Beard and ten Doeschate crimped the scoring rate.Having been 132 for 4 after 17 overs, Kandurata might have felt they should have surged beyond 160, but a fine 18th over from Ian Butler, from which three wickets were gleaned, left Kandurata at a sub-par total. Butler finished with the best figures for the Volts, earning 3 for 21, with James McMillan having taken 1 for 17 from his three overs.This was Otago’s 12th consecutive T20 win, the joint third longest streak in the format and, more importantly, leaves them on the verge of qualifying to the main tournament.

ScorecardCraig Kieswetter carried his Twenty20 form into 40-overs•Getty Images

A brilliant unbeaten 126 from Craig Kieswetter put Somerset clear at the top of their Yorkshire Bank 40 group after they beat Gloucestershire by seven wickets with 39 balls to spare.Gloucestershire posted a challenging 263 for 8 a total based on an unbeaten 131 from Michael Klinger but he had little support from his team-mates, Chris Dent the next highest scorer with 32.Marcus Trescothick scored 39 to help put on 87 for the first wicket, after which Kieswetter and Peter Trego, who made 59, took the hosts to 182 in the 22nd over by which time Somerset all but had the game in the bag.At the start of the afternoon Klinger, who was dropped at slip by Trescothick before getting off the mark made 23 with Hamish Marshall, before Marshall was caught by Trego at short mid wicket off Steve Kirby. Klinger and Chris Dent added 71 before Jamie Overton returned and accounted for Dent with his first delivery, caught by wicketkeeper Kieswetter for 32.Klinger was enjoying himself and reached his 50 off 50 balls. Max Waller, bowling at the River End, looked dangerous and was rewarded when he bowled James Fuller with a quicker ball. There was further joy for Somerset when Alviro Petersen came on at the River End and first ball had Ian Cockbain caught by Waller at mid-on for 12.Klinger had moved on to 65 when he was put down for a second time, this time at deep mid off by Overton. The opener brought up the 150 with a lofted four to long off from Petersen, to take him on to 75, but two runs later he was missed for a third time, this time by Craig Meschede who failed to hang on to a tough caught and bowled chance. Klinger went to his century when he clipped Kirby off his legs to the midwicket boundary.The fifth wicket pair had taken the total on to 203 when Alex Gidman was caught at deep midwicket off a Kirby full toss for 19. The partnership added 71. Klinger remained at the crease until the end of the innings by which time he had moved on to 131 off 126 balls, including 14 fours and two sixes.Somerset’s reply started quickly as Trescothick and Kieswetter hurried the hosts to 50 off the last ball of the fifth over. Trescothick was missed on 35 but four runs later was caught at short cover by Klinger off Howell with the score on 87 in the ninth over.Kieswetter went to his 50 with a single off Young to short cover off 37 balls including six fours and a six. Trego wasted no time in joining the run spree and hit off spinner Tom Smith high on to the Old Pavilion roof and went to his 50 off 38 balls, including six fours and a six with two to deep backward point off Dent in the 18th over.Kieswetter carried on with the plunder and drove Smith high back over his head in his next over. The second-wicket partnership was worth 95 when Trego drilled a ball from Dent to short extra cover where Klinger held on to the sharp chance. Petersen stayed a short while before he was caught at deep mid wicket by Howell off Fuller with the total on 202.Kieswetter went to his century with two to backward square leg off Fuller, the 11th List A of his career, which came off 88 balls with nine fours and three sixes. Kieswetter hit three sixes off the 33rd by Howell to level the scores and Compton rounded things off with a four off Smith off the third ball of the next over.

South African fast bowler Monde Zondeki has decided to retire from all forms of cricket following persistent back-injury problems. He was advised that even a major back surgery wouldn’t be enough to help him get back to play competitive cricket. Zondeki, who is one of the five black cricketers to have represented South Africa in Tests, played six Tests, 13 ODIs and one T20I.”The prognosis by his doctors is that Monde has multiple level degenerative changes in his lumbar spine and that it is highly unlikely that his back would stand up to sustained fast bowling,” Andre Odendaal, the chief executive of Cobras, said.Zondeki last played an international match in 2008 and has remained out of action since October 2012. “It’s been a good innings for me, though at times frustrating because of the injuries, and I look forward to remaining involved and giving back to the game in future,” Zondeki said. “I owe the different provinces I have played for and my team mates over the years a special word of thanks.”