South African provisional 24-man Under-19 squad to tour England in 2003This squad will be reduced to 15 after a training camp in May 2003.Easterns – Jaco Booysen – Right-hand batsman
Western Province – Ryan Canning – Wicket-keeper, Right-hand batsman
Western Province – Andrew Cronje – Right-hand batsman; right arm medium
Free State – Rieel de Kock – Right-hand batsman; Leg-spin
Northerns – Abraham de Villiers – Wicket-keeper, Right-hand batsman
Western Province – Jean-Paul Duminy – Left-hand batsman
Northerns – Francois du Plessis – Right-hand batsman, Leg-spin
Western Province – William Hantam – Left-arm medium, Left-hand batsman
KwaZulu-Natal – Imraan Khan – Right-hand batsman
Northerns – Heinrich le Roux – Right-hand batsman, Right arm fast
KwaZulu-Natal – Wayne Madsen – Right-hand top-order batsman
Northerns – Frans Nkuna – Right arm fast
Boland – Vincenco Penazza – Right-hand batsman, Right arm medium
Northerns – Aaron Phangiso – Left arm orthodox spin
Western Province – Vernon Philander – Right arm fast
KwaZulu-Natal – Tyron Pillay – Leg-spin
Easterns – Brendan Reddy – Right arm fast, Right-hand batsman
Boland – Waylin September – Left arm orthodox spin
KwaZulu-Natal – Darren Smith – Wicketkeeper
KwaZulu-Natal – East Springer – Right-hand batsman
Eastern Province – Craig Thyssen – Right arm medium
Free State – Thandi Tshabalala – Right-hand batsman
Gauteng – Vaughn van Jaarsveld – Left-hand batsman
Free State – Divan van Wyk – Left-hand batsman
Coach: Dave Nosworthy
Assistant coach: Nqaba Matoti
Manager: Morgan Pillay

Winchester’s dreams of another trip to Lord’s in the ECB Indoor Cricket Championships were dashed by a 22-run defeat by Newport.The Hampshire champions struggled to assert themselves in the cramped Sandown Grammar School sports hall and were dismissed for 61, having restricted the Islanders to 83-5.Winchester have also failed to cling on to the South Hants Indoor League championship at Fleming Park.BAT Sports snatched the title in the final game of the season when Lymington, the overnight leaders, weresurprisingly beaten by Sarisbury Athletic.

JOHANNESBURG – The 2007 Cricket World Cup could be a billion-dollar industry for the Caribbean.So says Chris Dehring, head of Windies World Cup 2007, the company formed by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to plan and manage the tournament.He said he was expecting the next tournament to inject US$500 million into the economies of the Caribbean countries."Having seen the contribution of the 2003 World Cup to South Africa, I’m confident of US$500 million being injected into the Caribbean when we host the tournament," Dehring said yesterday.He is heading a delegation of West Indies cricket and government officials to observe the organisation and conduct of the World Cup in South Africa.The scale and organisation of the tournament was impressive, said Dehring, who promised the West Indies would deliver an improved version."The World Cup has brought tremendous tourism and economic drive to South Africa and we’re hoping to replicate the success in the West Indies."This has been the best World Cup ever, and it will remain so until 2007 when we’ll raise the bar further."He said the geography of the West Indies posed challenges but would "add a distinct West Indies flavour to the cricket World Cup".The backing of Caricom governments was essential for the successful conduct of the World Cup."The Caricom officials know, we know and the world knows that the World Cup cannot be staged without their assistance," he said."South Africa has been able to create an atmosphere where everyone got involved in the World Cup. We’re taking back ideas to be adapted to the West Indies scenario. We’ll bring the West Indies pride into the World Cup’s organisation."

County CricketTractor Towing Covers
The practice of using a tractor towing the covers to drive across the match pitch is not allowed – it is not within cricket Law, and ICC do not allow it in their regulations.Denmark
Denmark can stage home matches in the C&G Trophy from the beginning of the 2004 competition (Round 1 to be played at the end of the 2003 season).One-day pitches & potential penalties
One-day pitch policing and penalties – click hereUCCEs
First-class status awarded to Loughborough. (Oxford, Cambridge, Durham retain first-class status).Fielding of under strength teams
Fielding of under strength Teams – Counties must at all times field full strength teams.

Replacement of Players called up for England
In addition to the current regulation, a player in the England squad not required for the actual match shall be allowed to join a County match and take the place of a nominated player participating in the match. Additional wording to the existing playing condition as follows:Penalty for a Wide
The penalty for a wide shall be one run in all competitions – ie a change from two to one in the Frizzell County Championship. (No change to the penalty for a No Ball – this is two runs in all domestic competitions).Nomination of Players
If an un-nominated player takes part in the game, then if consent is not given by the opposing Captain for that player to continue to play (not to be unreasonably withheld), then the player shall take no further part in the match and no substitute (including the originally nominated player) shall be allowed.Frizzell County Championship Points System
Points for a win shall increase to 14 (seven for a tie and to the side batting fourth in a drawn match when the scores are level). Points for a draw remain at four. Maximum points in the match are therefore 22, and this shall be the penalty for an “Unfit” pitch.Corresponding changes shall also be made in the Second Xl Championship.Eligibility in Second Xl Trophy
Eligibility criteria relaxed to allow qualifying and scholarship players to take part in the Second Xl Trophy, (genuine overseas players are still not be allowed). (In the Second Xl Championship, a genuine overseas player continues to be allowed in addition to qualifiers/scholarships).Public Lightmeters
Public Lightmeters are to be discontinued in domestic cricket (to remain in npower Test Matches).International Cricket / tourist matchesTest Match – Hours of play
npower Test Series – please note new scheduled timings

All days – Start – 10.45amLunch – 12.45pm – 1.25pmTea – 3.25pm – 3.45pmClose – 5.45pm

As 2002, there is provision for playing time to be extended by the amount of time lost in the day up to a maximum of one hour.If any time is lost and cannot be made up as stated above, additional time of up to a maximum of one hour per day shall be added to the scheduled playing hours for the next day, and subsequent day(s) as required (to make up as much lost time as possible). All time carried forward in this way shall be added to the last session.Three-Day and Four-Day Tourist Matches – Hours of play
Scheduled hours of play and the provision for time to be made up on the day or carried forward to subsequent day(s) will be exactly the same as npower Test Matches – see above.One-Day Tourist Matches – Extra time
In the same way as in One-Day Internationals, a period of “extra time” is playable in one-day tour matches where time has been lost. This period is set at a maximum of one hour in day matches and 30 minutes in floodlit matches. Essentially, this means that no overs are lost from the match until that period of time has expired.One-Day Internationals – over-rate penalties
Teams will still have three-and-a-half hours plus allowances given by the referee to bowl 50 overs and each member of the bowling team will be fined 5% of his match fee per lost over. However, under the amended playing conditions, penalties will be doubled for the captain of the bowling side.If the shortfall in an ODI is more than two overs, the captain will also be charged with a Level Two breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for deliberate time wasting. This will result in a disciplinary hearing with possible penalties of a fine of between 50% and 100% of his match fee and/or a two ODI ban.The penalty of reducing the overs for a team batting second that failed to complete its overs in the allotted time has been removed.The principles of the new approach will also apply in Test Match cricket with the increased penalties coming into effect after five rather than two overs.The amendment reflects a decision taken at the ICC Cricket Committee – Management (CC-M) meeting in Cape Town from 7th – 8th February 2003.Safety and security at international matches
The CC-M meeting also approved the introduction of a process for a match referee to suspend play due to safety and security concerns and this too will come into effect from the opening match of the Sharjah tournament.The new provisions can be viewed in full on the ICC website www.icc.cricket.org. The over-rate penalties are in section J of the ICC Code of Conduct (p20) and s12.4 of the ICC ODI Playing Conditions. The safety and security suspension provisions can be found in s3.6 of the ICC Test Match and s3.6 of the ICC ODI Playing Conditions.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Apr.9, WICB: Devon Smith is set to make his Test debut for West Indies after he was named in the final 11 for the first Cable & Wireless Test Match against Australia, starting at Bourda Oval on Thursday here.The 21-year-old left-handed opening batsman blessed with an array of strokes has gained his place following two seasons of heavy scoring in the West Indies first-class domestic competition.He becomes the third player from the Spice Isle of Grenada to play Test cricket for the West Indies.Final West Indies 11: Brian Lara (captain), Wavell Hinds, Devon Smith, Daren Ganga, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Ridley Jacobs, Vasbert Drakes, Mervyn Dillon, Pedro Collins, Jermaine Lawson; Reserves: Carlton Baugh Jr, Dave Bernard Jr

Ajit Agarkar is relishing his return to Ranji cricket. After claiming a five-for on Friday, the mercurial all-rounder hit a half-century on Saturday as Mumbai gained a stranglehold on their five-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group semi-final against hosts Baroda. When play ended on the second day, Baroda, who had conceded a 260-run first-innings lead, were in dire straits at 16/1 in their second essay.Mumbai, who resumed on 138/3, lost overnight not out batsman Nishit Shetty early. He made 74. But with Bhavin Thakkar (77) and Ajit Agarkar (65) following in Shetty’s footsteps, the powerful Mumbai team were not to be denied a massive lead. By the time the last wicket fell with Mumbai’s score reading 360 all out, the outcome of the match had almost certainly been sealed. For Baroda, Zaheer Khan toiled gamely, claiming five wickets. Tushar Arothe, who claimed three wickets with his intelligent spell of spin bowling, was the other successful bowler on the day.When Baroda, who have made it to the Ranji finals in the last two seasons, began their second innings, they desperately needed an exceptional start if they were to mount an almost-impossible fightback. But the loss of the experienced opener Connor Williams put paid to those aspirations. At 16/1, they would now be looking to avoid the ignominy of an innings defeat.

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.

Shane Warne might be serving a one-year ban from cricket for drug abuse, but the Australian board showed its support for him by naming Warne as one of 12 players who will participate in a media session in Sydney on Friday, July 11. The session is part of the Australian Test Cricketers’ Cap Presentation Reunion ceremony, and the players have been selected to represent Australia’s rich cricketing history – there is at least one from each of the last seven decades.Warne’s off-field exploits have been as controversial as his on-field ones have been spectacular. His latest controversial act – and the resulting one-year ban – raised speculation that he might not return to international cricket, but Warne himself has stated that he has been working hard to stay in shape for a comeback. The decision to name him in such an august list indicates that the board has forgiven him for his past sins.The representatives from each decade
1930s Bill Brown
1940s Sam Loxton and Arthur Morris
1950s Alan Davidson and Bob Simpson
1960s Ian Redpath
1970s Jeff Thomson
1980s Allan Border, Merv Hughes and David Boon
1990s Shane Warne and Justin Langer

The Indian fans who took umbrage at India’s drop to eighth place in theICC’s latest ODI rankings can take heart from the Test ratings. India havemoved up one spot to fifth place in the ICC Test table. In the latest updateto the table, India have gained three points for a tally of 94, primarilybecause results from the period August 1999 to July 2000 were dropped off.India lost five out of eight Tests during that year – a 0-3 drubbing inAustralia was followed by a 0-2 whitewash at home against South Africa.

Meanwhile, England, who lock horns with South Africa in a five-Test, have achance to make some big moves in the rankings. Even if they win the series1-0, they will supplant New Zealand in third place on the table. This comesabout because results from three years ago drop off the official table, andthat includes the 2-1 series victory New Zealand achieved over England in1999.

To move to second, England needs to achieve at least a 4-0 series win. Thisis despite the fact that in the re-shaping of the championship South Africaare the team to have benefitted most. South Africa could consolidate itsplace on the table by winning the series. But even if it were to achieve animprobable whitewash of England it would not be sufficient to overhaul therampant Australians in top position.

When the update occurs on August 1, the positions will be: (with ratingchange in brackets)
1 Australia 129 points (presuming it beats Bangladesh in second Teststarting Friday in Cairns) (0), 2 South Africa 119 (+ 4), 3 New Zealand 107(+ 3), 4 England 101 (+ 3), 5 India 94 (+ 3), 6 Sri Lanka 91 (- 6), 7Pakistan 90 (- 1), 8 West Indies 83 (+ 1), 9 Zimbabwe 58 (0), 10 Bangladesh(-2).

A resounding 126 run victory for Lords Cricket Club against Vienna Cricket Club enabled them to temporarily dislodge Concordia CC at the top of the Open League, although Concordia do now have a game in hand over Lords. Winning the toss and batting, Lords posted the highest total of the season, 344 for 9, against a weakened Vienna CC attack, for whom only Neil Foster (10-1-43-2) and Andrew Simpson-Parker (6-0-29-3) made any impression, with Arvinde Ghai, playing his first game of the season making 94, Wasif Mohammed 67 and Deepak Sharma 61 – his second fifty in consecutive games.Vienna CC’s reply was stopped in its tracks by the bowling of Ajay Grover and Sukhvir Hira, both of whom were on hat-tricks at various points of the innings, although Andrew Simpson-Parker kept the runs coming from his end before ultimately being 9th out for 144 – the highest score of the season, and only four runs short of his highest ever – made against Greece in 1997. He shared in a sixth wicket partnership worth 134 with Michi Nedoma (11), but any resistance was put pay to by the introduction of Parivesh Padhe who cleaned up the tail to finish with 3-28.The victory by Lords CC puts them ahead of Concordia CC, with the fixture calendar pitting the two teams against each other next Saturday, in a winner-takes-all clash, in which the winner is likely to gain the “easier” semi-final draw, although Lords will be wary of this draw having slipped up to unfancied Pakistan Falken CC teams in 2001 and 2002 in the semi-finals. The same day will see Vienna CC take on Pakistan Falken CC, with a victory likely to confirm their third place, with Five Continents and United Nations CC both chasing the fourth and final qualifying place.