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Surrey are yet again dictating terms after posting an impressive first-innings total in their championship match against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl. After an innings of 55 by Saqlain Mushtaq had extended the champions’ first innings to 418 this morning, the Pakistani off-spin wizard took three wickets and James Ormond four as Hampshire were bowled out for 327, a deficit of 91. John Crawley (82) was the hosts’ top scorer, while John Francis made 59 and Jason Laney 48.Kent are in an excellent position against Lancashire after their captain David Fulton went on to reach 177 at Canterbury. The hosts reached 405, while Lancashire’s academy-bound young fast bowler James Anderson finished with three for 88. The visitors’ batting then turned brittle, as Martin Saggers, Majid Khan and Mark Ealham enjoyed themselves. At stumps Lancashire were 164 for eight, 241 runs behind.Bottom club Yorkshire had a poor first day at Edgbaston, as Warwickshire ended the day on 374 for five. Dominic Ostler (126*) and Tony Frost (103) were the prime movers after skipper Mike Powell had made 58, adding 140 for the second wicket with Frost.Somerset’s miserable season continued at Grace Road, where they were skittled for 191 despite 97 from Michael Burns. Javagal Srinath (four for 60) and Phil DeFreitas (three for 35) were the main beneficiaries. Trevor Ward then made 84 as the hosts took a first-innings lead within the day, closing on 207 for five.In Division Two, there was a clatter of wickets at Derby. In all, 23 fell in a day when the leaders Middlesex lost their last two while adding only one run to their overnight score. Both wickets went to Kevin Dean who finished with six for 59. Then Ashley Noffke had the even more impressive figures of eight for 24 as Derbyshire were skittled out for a mere 137. However, Dean then claimed another four wickets and there four for Jason Kerr as the Middlesex second innings came to a close on 150 to set Derbyshire 306 to win. At the close they had taken 45 off the target, but had lost a wicket in doing so.The last five Essex wickets fell for the addition of 95 runs on the second day of their match against Durham, who were then reduced to 99 for four before bad light brought a premature end to the day. Michael Gough is still at the crease, 41 not out, but Durham trail by 364.Two other sides with an interest in the promotion race are involved in a high-scoring match at Trent Bridge. Paul Franks was undefeated on 57 when the Nottinghamshire first innings came to an end with the total on 404. Worcestershire then got within 42 runs of that total and still have four wickets in hand thanks to an unbroken seventh wicket partnership between David Leatherdale (110) and Steve Rhodes (122) who have shared a stand worth 242 so far.Matt Cassar became the third batsman to score a hundred in the Northamptonshire innings of 592 for eight declared. Having held back the declaration for Cassar to reach his milestone, Northamptonshire then took two Gloucestershire wickets before Craig Spearman (64) and Matt Windows (53) stayed together to the close when Gloucestershire were 149 for two – still a daunting 443 behind.

Colts Cricket Club won the Premier League Trophy on Sunday after completinga comprehensive eight-wicket win over Sinhalese Sports Club at MaitlandPlace with over a day to spare.SSC had been on the back foot ever since the first innings when they werebundled out for 216 and were unable to pull themselves back into the gamedespite two brilliant innings from Mahela Jayawardene, who scored 137 in thefirst innings and 99 in the second, just missing out on his fourthconsecutive hundred.SSC had begun the day 99 runs in arrears with six wickets remaining. Theystarted positively with Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraeera extending theirfifth wicket partnership to 154.But Chaminda Vaas then trapped Jayawardene lbw and the wickets started totumble, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara picking up three wickets with hisoff-breaks to round off an impressive all-round performance and win the manof the match award.SS slipped from 192 for four to 234 all out, to leave Colts needing to scorea paltry 40 runs to win the game. Despite the loss of two early wickets,they breezed to that in just 7.2 overs.

Former Sussex and Middlesex opening batsman Toby Radford wasn’t aware that he’d been walking under too many ladders or driven over a black cat or two in the past 12 months – but he reckons he’s surely done something to upset someone.Luck and Radford, it seems, don’t go hand in hand, particularly when it comes to picking up injuries on the cricket field.Radford, who spent four seasons on the professional circuit before becoming one of the ECB’s top national coaches, missed almost all of Hungerford’s 2001 season with a serious back ailment.If he thought that switching clubs to table-topping Andover would change his luck and fortune, he was sadly wrong.Last Sunday he made his debut for the Hampshire Cricket Board in the ECB 38-County Championship against the Channel Islands and ended the day in an all too familiar place … a hospital casualty ward !Radford, running in from the backward square-leg boundary, fractured his wrist in a head-on fielding collision with Richard Dibden – the pair going full tilt for a high catch.Dibden ‘escaped’ with concussion, but was in no state to comprehend that the nine-batsman Board team, chasing 241 to win, had pulled off a thrilling five-wicket victory.Recalling the collision, which has put him firmly in the Andover sidelines for the next six weeks, Radford said : “It was Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie (Australia v Sri Lanka) all over again.”It could have been a lot worse. There could easily have been broken legs or collar bones.”Whatever it was, it was certainly painful.””I had to do an enormous amount of core stability work – effectively strengthening stomach muscles to help support my spine – and fitness training to overcome last year’s sciatica problem”It meant a lot of running and cycling to help maintain aerobic fitness.”Now, I’ve got my left wrist in plaster, can’t play cricket and can only type with my little finger – and I’m off work for six weeks !” he groaned.Ironically, Radford only made his Andover SPL debut the previous day, but didn’t get a bat in the 48-run victory at Liphook & Ripsley, which put Roger Miller’s side top of the log for the first time in their history.Radford and prospective policeman Jerry Hayward were both set to miss today’s top-of-the-table meet against Havant at London Road.”It’s obviously a major blow losing someone of Toby’s experience,” said a disappointed Miller, who knows he won’t have Radford back until well into the all-day ‘time’ cricket format.”It’s not only his batting, but his general experience and tactical know how on the field that will be missed.”Nonetheless, Andover have started the season in great style, with wins over South Wilts and Calmore Sports preceding the victory at Liphook.They were defending the only unbeaten Premier 1 record against 2000 league champions Havant today.

Wasim Akram is set to topple another record Monday when he becomes the highest capped player in One-day Internationals by usurping former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin’s 334 appearances.But the 36-year-old veteran, who is already going great guns, has set his sights on next year’s World Cup – which is going to be his last assignment.”Every match in which I have wore the Pakistan colour is a memorable one. Despite all hiccups and turbulence in my career, it was worth playing for the country,” Wasim said Sunday.Wasim is already the leading wicket-taker with 463 wickets, almost 90 more than his closest rival and compatriot Waqar Younis.”I never played for records. My ambition was to take wickets. But naturally it is nice to have so many wickets in the bag. It makes me prouder when I look back at my career and recognize that I have done something for the country,” he said.Wasim had three tenures as captain and now believes he has to concentrate on his fitness and stay focussed for the World Cup.”I enjoyed captaining the country. It was an honour. But now in the twilight of my career, I don’t think I can afford extra pressures. I need to concentrate on my fitness and form because these will be the two factors that will keep me motivated to carry on.”Yes, there was a time when I was not enjoying the game. I don’t deny that I even thought of calling it a day. But then I am lucky to have sincere friends, especially my wife Huma, who lifted my morale and helped me get back on track.”If you ask me what I desperately need now, then the answer is to win the World Cup. I know how it feels to be a member of the World Cup winning team. If I ever think of a return of my achievements, then it’s the World Cup. I know the people want it desperately and so do I,” he said.Wasim was the Man-of-the-Match in the 1992 World Cup final. He led Pakistan to the final in the 1999 event where his team lost a lopsided match to Australia.”Pakistan is a multi-talented team and in my books, it is the favourite for next year’s tournament. The boys are working hard on that mission. But we need a bit of luck and support of our fan club to realize the dream,” the former captain added.Most one-day appearances (before the start of Morocco Cup):334 – Wasim Akram (Pakistan), Mohammad Azharuddin (India).325 – Steve Waugh (Australia).295 – Sachin Tendulkar (India).283 – Salim Malik (Pakistan).278 – Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka).273 – Allan Border (Australia).269 – Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka).268 – Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan).265 – Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka).

Somerset’s reserve wicket-keeper Carl Gazzard who hails from Penzance has just flown out to the sunshine of Perth in Western Australia where he will spend the winter training and playing cricket.Whilst he is `down under’ Carl will be living with Piran Holloway, another Cornishman who is on the Somerset staff, and will play for Scarborough Cricket Club who are coached by Holloway and who are one of the top Western Australian League clubs.Looking back over 2002 the twenty year old wicket-keeper batsman told me: "I feel pretty happy with the way that things went for me this season and I have come back well from a finger injury in the final second team game."He continued: " From a cricketing point of view I did all that was asked of me. I made my first class debut against West Indies A and developed as a cricketer which is what I want to continue with."At the end of the season `Gazza’ was given a new two year contract about which he is delighted. He told me: "It’s nice to know that the club want me to stay. My two years take me up to the end of Rob Turner’s contract, so by that time we will all know exactly where we stand.""I’m going out there to work hard at my batting and when I come back before the start of the new season I want to be a first class cricketer. I know that I can play at that level and aim to put the pressure on Rob Turner for the number one spot. I want to play first team cricket from the start in 2003."

Taking an early lead can always stand a team in very good steadand India have done well in going to the top of the table in theNatWest tri-series after the first round of matches. There isstill a long way to go – each country plays each other threetimes before the final at Lord’s on July 13 – but it must besaid the performance of this team has been heartwarming. I, forone, cannot see India being the team knocked out before the titleclash.The strengths and weaknesses of the three teams were all palpableon the eve of the competition and none of the sides had a reallysmooth build-up in the warm-up games. But India have been thefirst to shrug off the dubious qualities and play to theirstrengths. This, as well as the fact that the team management hasdone a bit of tactical thinking, has seen them make a dreamstart.True, they still have to maintain the momentum, and to thisextent the path ahead will be that much more difficult as Englandand Sri Lanka try to fathom their frailties and then exploit it.But with the kind of start they have made, India can afford toeven falter a bit and yet make the final. The only fear is thatthey will, as they have done so often, do the early running, peaka little too early and then crumble at the final hurdle.As I said in my preview, this is a contest between three fairlyevenly-matched sides. Despite India having won both their matchesand Sri Lanka losing two out of two, the competition still doesnot have a clear-cut favourite. With two sets of matches – sixmore league games – still to be played, there is still time forSri Lanka to regroup and show that they can win tournamentswithout the services of Muthiah Muralitharan. There were glimpsesof the old Sri Lankan magic in both the games and their bestcould still lie ahead.England with one win and one loss, have a lot going for them.They are a good all-round side and while their victory over SriLanka was convincing, their loss to India was narrow. It was amatch in which they were in a winning position more than once,but full marks to India for their gritty fightback, first withthe ball and then with the bat.

England certainly have looked more impressive than Sri Lanka andat the moment the odds must be on them making the final. But itmust be admitted that neither Sri Lanka nor England have caughtthe eye as India have.Their performance has been a revelation. The batting has clicked,the bowling has risen to the occasion and the fielding standardshave improved. What is most heartening, however, is the teammanagement’s readiness to go in for strategic changes. Twospinners against England but only one against Sri Lanka showsthat John Wright, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid are in a moodto ring in the changes if necessary and not go in with a fixedattack of three seamers and one spinner or two seamers and twospinners, come what may.They have also stuck to their gameplan of having Sachin Tendulkarat No 4 with Ganguly and Sehwag available to open. It certainlywas an encouraging sight to see Tendulkar walk in on Sunday withthe Indians tottering at 26 for two. The modest target of 203 hadseemed far away at that stage but Tendulkar’s brilliance sawIndia snatch back the initiative. It was the great man who ledthe fight back before Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh built uponit to seal the victory.The young one-day specialists Kaif, Yuvraj, Sehwag, Mongia andAgarkar have already proved that they can deliver and have doneso in the NatWest series again with Yuvraj’s success with theball being a bonus.As for Agarkar, whatever his dismal record in Test cricket, whenit comes to picking the limited-overs squad, he should be amongthe early choices. I have never ceased to wonder why and how suchan immensely gifted youth has not really done justice to hisability and potential.

With the experienced trio of Ganguly, Dravid and Tendulkarquickly into their stride, the batting has bloomed. Ashish Nehradid reasonably well in the one game he played against Sri Lankawhile the bowling of Zaheer Khan and Agarkar against England wasan object lesson in how to bowl at the death. It is also good tosee Ganguly bowl a lot more than usual. In English conditions, hecould have a major role to play.The one question mark hangs over the spin bowling. Anil Kumble in20 overs has conceded 89 runs without taking a wicket or bowlinga maiden. Harbhajan Singh in ten overs against England conceded50 runs without taking a wicket or bowling a maiden. The figuresby themselves are enough to cause major concern. What’s more,they have rarely troubled the batsmen, and the cavalier andobviously pre-meditated manner in which Nasser Hussain treatedHarbhajan does not bode well for the off-spinner. But then he hasalways been a fighter, loves a challenge and one would not besurprised if he bounces back before the tournament is over.

• It was the 1715th ODI in cricket history.
• It was West Indies’ 421st and South Africa’s 226th match.
• It was the 22nd match between these two sides. The record now reads: South Africa 15, West Indies 7.
• Umpire Glanroy Johnson was officiating for the first time in a ODI. The other umpire Eddie Nicholls was standing in his 25th match. He became 45th umpire to officiate in 25 or more matches.
• Jacques Kallis was missing a match for the first time since March 28, 2000 when he did not appear against Pakistan in the final league match of Coca-Cola Cup. Since then Kallis had made 32 consecutive appearances for South Africa.
• Brian Lara playing in his 187th match (183rd innings), completed his 7000 runs in ODIs when his score reached 5. He became second West Indian after Desmond Haynes (8648 runs from 238 matches) and 12th batsman in cricket history to reach this landmark.
• Lara, with 183 innings and 187 matches, has now become the quickest among the 12 batsmen to get to this mark. The previous record for the quickest 7000 was on the name of former teammate Desmond Haynes who did so in 187 innings and 188 matches on December 14, 1991. The following table gives details of matches and innings taken by all 12 batsmen with 7000 plus runs in a career.

  Batsman For Mts Inns NO Ave Hs 100s 0s Vs seriesBC Lara WI 187 183 18 42.42 169 14 11 SA 2000-01DL Haynes WI 188 187 24 42.94 152* 16 6 Ind 1991-92SR Tendulkar Ind 196 189 18 40.94 143 16 8 SL 1997-98Saeed Anwar Pak 197 194 16 39.33 194 17 12 Aus 1999-00ME Waugh Aus 203 198 16 38.46 130 13 11 Pak 1999-00Javed Miandad Pak 215 204 40 42.68 119* 8 6 WI 1992-93Inzamam-ul-Haq Pak 219 208 28 38.89 137* 7 9 WI 1999-00PA de Silva SL 222 216 24 36.46 145 10 9 SA 1997-98A Ranatunga SL 247 233 47 37.63 131* 4 13 Ind 1998-99M Azharuddin Ind 252 233 46 37.43 111* 4 7 SL 1997-98Salim Malik Pak 272 246 38 33.65 102 5 18 Ind 1998SR Waugh Aus 303 271 55 32.41 120* 3 15 Zim 2000-01

• The fifth wicket partnership of 67 runs between Carl Hooper and Marlon Samuels was West Indies’ best for this wicket against South Africa in all matches. This obliterated the previous highest of 62* between Keith Arthurton and Hooper at Johannesburg on 22-01-1999.
• The sixth wicket partnership of 46 runs between Samuels and Ridley Jacobs was West Indies’ alltime best against South Africa for this wicket putting into shade the 24 run-partnership between Hooper and Jacobs at Bloemfontein on 05-02-1999.
• Allan Donald (4-38) took four wickets in a match for the 12th time in his career. This was also his best bowling against West Indies bettering the 3 for 21 at Port Elizabeth on 11-02-1993.
• Donald’s figures were also the best by any South African on West Indian soil beating Shaun Pollock’s 3 for 23 in the previous encounter between these two sides on this same ground just a day before.
• West Indies have now lost three matches at a trot in the series – its worst losing streak at home soil. West Indies had faced defeat in two successive matches on three occasions – vs Australia in 1990-91 on two occasions and vs Pakistan in 1992-93.
• Allan Donald was winning his eighth Man of the Match award. His last award had come against Australia at Melbourne on 23-01-1998.
  

Things could only get better after the disastrous one-day domestic summer in New Zealand.And to a certain extend they did.The annual CricInfo New Zealand survey of the State Shield has revealed an upturn in trends, all the more important because the members of the New Zealand team were available for only two rounds of the Shield this year.This has meant that what improvements there have been have been achieved by the lower echelon of players.That will need to continue next year when most of the international players will again by involved in games with India in the warm-up to next year’s World Cup.There are still some disquieting trends; the inability of Otago to be more competitive, the inability of players in the areas below the opening partnerships to post big stands and the seeming inability for players to register individual centuries in the two rounds of games.Against that, it must be said that to have an improvement this year, when pitches were not all that they could have been, was highly encouraging and a good sign for continued improvement.Wellington were the big movers in performance levels during the State Shield domestic one-day series this summer.Their Shield win saw them improve their placing on the overall standings by 3.8%. With Canterbury dropping from their lofty perch with a 1.5% decline, the margin between the two rivals is now just over 10%, compared to 16% last year.Northern Districts were the other significant mover with the second best winning ratio in the competition since 1993/94 when the two rounds of play was introduced. They have a winning percentage of 59.1.Otago recorded a 0.5% improvement but still linger well below other sides with their winning ratio of 28.0.Auckland and Central Districts both suffered declines in performance this year.Win/loss records in Shell Cups and State Shield (1993/94-2001/02):

Played Won Lost NR %—————————————————-Auckland 93 36 55 2 39.7Canterbury 107 72 33 2 68.2Central Districts 91 37 52 2 41.7Northern Districts 104 61 42 1 59.1Otago 89 24 63 2 28.0Wellington 100 57 42 1 57.5Total 292

There was a significant improvement in scoring levels achieved during the State Shield this year. The greatest lift came in the number of sides reaching 250-plus. This was up from six last year to 13 this year, and this in a season marred by frustrations with rain and the subsequent effect on pitches. As a result there two more teams that reached more than 270, which occurred in five matches.This may have been attributable in part to the best bowlers in the one-day game being tied up in Australia with the New Zealand team, however, the best batsmen were also in Australia which makes the achievement all the more impressive from a batting perspective.Innings score ranges in Shell Cups and State Shield (1993/94-2001/02):

-200 200+ (240+ 250+ 270+ 300+)————————————————————–1993/94 45 23 6 2 2 11994/95 33 35 14 9 3 11995/96 27 41 11 10 7 11996/97 28 36 12 9 7 11997/98 26 40 21 19 7 -1998/99 25 43 10 6 4 11999/00 31 33 12 8 7 12000/01 34 24 11 6 3 22001/02 31 28 16 13 5 1Total 280 303 113 82 45 9

Batsmen did seem to be still struggling to achieve centuries however. With one extra game played this summer there were only two extra centuries and with only seven through the whole programme that must still be a concern.Total individual centuries in Shell Cups and State Shield (1993/94-2001/02):

Matches Centuries————————————-1993/94 34 31994/95 34 131995/96 34 81996/97 32 131997/98 33 141998/99 34 31999/00 32 92000/01 29 52001/02 30 7Total 292 75

While the number of centuries may be down, there is clearly a much greater appreciation of the need for better scoring from openers in the competition. There were five century opening stands, one short of the record, and up from only two in the previous summer. While there were 14 half-century stands which was up from seven. The average opening partnership also increased from the lowest since recordings began in 1993/94 of 22.3 last year to a more robust 29.9.Opening partnerships in Shell Cups and State Shield (1993/94-2001/02):

Matches Average 100+ 50+————————————————1993/94 34 33.5 4 151994/95 34 31.1 2 151995/96 34 30.8 5 141996/97 32 35.1 6 151997/98 33 27.8 1 151998/99 34 35.1 6 161999/00 32 30.6 5 122000/01 29 22.3 2 72001/02 30 29.9 5 14Total 292 36 123

Further down the order, however, things were not so impressive. The number of century partnerships for all wickets actually decreased to 12, the lowest since the first summer of recording in 1993/94 with 12.Century partnerships for all wickets in Shell Cups and State Shield (1993/94-2001/02):

Matches Partnerships——————————————1993/94 34 121994/95 34 131995/96 34 151996/97 32 221997/98 33 171998/99 34 191999/00 32 162000/01 29 132001/02 30 12Total 292 139

The average team scores offered some interesting statistical phenomena. Wellington, the champions this year, actually performed less impressively with the bat and scored an average of 4.1 runs less per innings than they did last year. That may be a reflection of their potency of their attack, and especially their lowly dismissal of teams like Central Districts in some games.CD actually managed an impressive lift in their overall scoring by 11.7 runs per innings, although their 180.7 was still the lowest of all sides.Canterbury dropped 4.6 runs per innings while Auckland dropped 1.9. Northern Districts managed a 7.9 runs per innings increase. Otago too, despite their lack of success, continued an upward trend with their batting performances being the only team to average over 200 per innings with 201.8.Average team scores in Shell Cups and State Shield (1993/94-2001/02):

Auck Cant CD ND Otago Well Average———————————————————————-1993/94 153.5 194.2 172.1 193.3 173.9 180.8 178.61994/95 199.5 197.6 205.6 204.4 186.2 199.0 198.91995/96 191.0 238.5 159.2 197.3 180.0 226.5 200.51996/97 179.8 193.8 207.6 210.5 189.0 199.1 197.11997/98 188.0 206.0 234.5 194.2 218.9 228.8 212.11998/99 174.9 220.5 202.0 199.4 203.2 205.1 198.11999/00 188.8 218.5 185.5 201.0 193.7 180.1 194.92000/01 199.3 187.1 169.0 185.9 196.6 196.2 188.52001/02 197.4 182.5 180.7 193.8 201.8 192.1 191.1Average 185.8 202.6 190.6 198.0 193.3 202.0 195.7

As was indicated by the decline in the value of all batting partnerships, the average value of wickets throughout the competition, continued a decline which began after the peak of 28.12 in 1997/98. It has now reached 24.67, with only Wellington (27.05), Auckland (25.63) and Northern Districts (25.08) managing to score the annual average.Average value of wickets in Shell Cups and State Shield (1993/94-2001/02):

Auck Cant CD ND Otago Well Average———————————————————————-1993/94 20.19 31.50 23.45 23.43 20.13 32.60 23.171994/95 26.76 27.26 33.16 26.95 20.23 22.60 27.161995/96 21.65 39.20 17.49 26.45 21.42 26.64 25.071996/97 26.54 33.60 25.60 25.00 21.97 27.38 26.501997/98 22.65 29.08 31.85 24.56 28.80 31.93 28.121998/99 24.98 32.66 24.93 25.73 26.38 25.64 25.671999/00 28.21 36.42 20.12 26.63 22.78 20.46 25.362000/01 24.16 26.74 23.80 23.83 23.28 27.63 24.902001/02 25.63 24.19 23.24 25.08 22.74 27.05 24.67Average 24.47 30.70 24.53 25.30 22.32 26.65 25.62

Auckland and Canterbury (706) and Central Districts (707) have lost the fewest wickets in the all-time records of the competition but apart from Canterbury the figures do not reflect a dominance in batting performance.Auckland in the past season lost 11 more wickets than in the previous season while Canterbury lost six more. CD lost one fewer, ND lost seven more, Otago lost five fewer and Wellington remained the same.Total wickets lost in Shell Cups and State Shield (1993/94-2001/02):

Auck Cant CD ND Otago Well Total——————————————————————–1993/94 76 79 95 99 95 80 5241994/95 82 87 62 91 92 84 4981995/96 97 73 91 97 84 102 5441996/97 61 75 73 101 86 80 4761997/98 83 85 81 87 76 86 4981998/99 77 81 81 93 97 96 5251999/00 87 66 83 83 85 88 4922000/01 66 77 71 78 76 71 4392001/02 77 83 70 85 71 71 457Total 706 706 707 814 762 758 4453

Perhaps one of the most telling figures, and one of the most encouraging is the climb in runs scored per over. CD, the champions from last season were the only team to decline. The overall average increased by 0.16 to 4.41 runs per over. Interestingly, Canterbury achieved the biggest increase with a lift of 0.31 runs per over. They are still the historical leader in the survey with their runs coming at an average of 4.53 while Wellington is back on 4.37. Auckland also achieved an outstanding change with a 0.28 lift in their annual figure. Otago too, increased by 0.19 to 4.54.Runs per over in Shell Cups and State Shield (1993/94-2001/02):

Auck Cant CD ND Otago Well Average———————————————————————-1993/94 3.62 4.13 3.89 3.92 3.79 3.81 3.871994/95 4.05 4.37 4.20 4.38 3.79 4.39 4.201995/96 3.98 5.16 3.38 4.29 3.87 4.58 4.251996/97 4.04 4.92 4.62 4.42 4.11 4.36 4.421997/98 4.20 4.86 4.74 4.24 4.51 4.77 4.571998/99 3.63 4.34 4.46 4.38 4.38 4.45 4.271999/00 4.13 4.53 4.10 4.43 4.07 4.24 4.262000/01 4.40 4.08 4.13 4.36 4.35 4.25 4.252001/02 4.68 4.39 4.11 4.37 4.54 4.36 4.41Average 4.06 4.53 4.18 4.30 4.14 4.37 4.27

Championship leaders Surrey enjoyed a good second day at The Oval after the frustrations of rain on the first. Mark Ramprakash enjoyed a very good day, for he went on to 210 not out as Surrey made 475. Rikki Clarke helped him add 175 for the sixth wicket before he was out for 79 – one of Dougie Brown’s wickets as he finished with seven for 110. It was a very good day for Brown as well. It was not so good for Warwickshire’s batsmen as they finished on 120 for five.There is no doubt that third-placed Hampshire enjoyed the better of the second day against second-placed Leicestershire. In reply to Hampshire’s 311, Leicestershire made 98 for five on a rain-affected day of only 63 overs. Not exactly riveting watching.Neither was the fare on offer at Scarborough, for followers of Yorkshire, at least. Somerset went on to declare on 498 for nine, with Rob Turner making 63 and Keith Dutch 74 as the pair added 130 for the seventh wicket. Off-spinner Richard Dawson took four wickets. In reply, Yorkshire were 46 for the loss of Matthew Wood at the close.Ed Smith went on to 141 not out as Kent reached 349 all out against Sussex at Hove. Amjad Khan, who had taken six wickets in the Sussex innings, added 58 going in at number nine. Sussex were 114 for three in their second innings, still trailing by 90.In Division Two, Worcestershire are in a commanding position against leaders Essex. They were 332 for six at the close of the second day, leading by 135. Anurag Singh made 124 and Vikram Solanki continued his good form with 56.It might be early to say so, but Middlesex and Gloucestershire could be heading for a draw. After Gloucestershire had made 388 in their first innings with Kim Barnett carrying his bat for 182, the Middlesex openers had reached 98 at the close. Andy Strauss is 56 not out as his side trail by 290.115 from Guy Welton and 88 by Usman Afzaal helped Nottinghamshire to a first innings lead of 115 over Glamorgan for whom Mike Kasprowicz took five wickets. With three catches for wicket-keeper Chris Read in Glamorgan’s second innings, they have reached 69 for three to end the day still 46 in arrears.Derbyshire’s run of success – and Durham’s run of failure -could be over. Durham lead by 264 with four second innings wickets in hand after extending their second innings to 169 for 6. Nicky Peng is top scorer so far with 57.

In an exclusive interview with CricInfo, Pakistan’s ex-captain and Member PCB Advisory Council, Rameez Raja reveals his thoughts about the Pakistan players touring England. He reviews the prospects and makes a frank analysis of each player. Agha Akbar fires the questionsQ: What are your views on Pakistan’s prospects in England?A: I think that possibly this is the best team that we could have selected for the tour of England. A lot would depend on the fitness of Shoaib Akhtar, who, I hope, would be joining the team later. As far as bowling is concerned, I think it is a very balanced pace attack. We’ve got Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed to lend some variety. The chances are if they bat well in seaming conditions, I think they would do well.Q: But it is the Pakistan batting which has proved brittle whenever the conditions were not suited to them…?

A: Well, I guess our batsmen would have to put a good first innings total on the board. Because that is how you win or lose Test matches. Once again the pressure would be on Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar, and also on Yousuf Youhana, who would be playing Test cricket after a break due to being unfit. Overall, it would be a good learning curve for the youngsters, especially the batsmen because it is really very difficult to judge the movement of the ball. More so because they play both their Tests in May, when there’s extra bit of movement. Knowing that the Pakistani batsmen are not very comfortable against extra movement, I’m sure England would prepare green tops.
But then again, a different plan, a different strategy has to be evolved and I’m sure Richard Pybus and Waqar Younis, with some senior players pitching in with suggestions, would be able to devise a winning formula. The conditions would be difficult, and performance would for a great part depend on the names that I’ve mentioned.Q: But don’t you think that the Pakistani attack, especially the pacers, would also relish the helpful conditions?

A: Well, in theory they should love the conditions in the month of May. But at times it becomes difficult, especially for the youngsters, to find the right line on that off-stump. The last time we were in Australia, we found that the pacers found it difficult to adjust to the extra bounce. They bowled within the stumps and got massacred while the Aussies bowled a couple of stumps outside the off-stump and reaped good dividends. So the line has got to be extremely good in England also. While I’m sure Waqar and Wasim Akram would enjoy the conditions, it would be a test for someone like Mohammad Sami, who is alien to the conditions. And that is the reason why the experience of Wasim Akram would come really handy, given the scenario that Shoaib Akhtar has not been able to go on tour. Not only do you need to pick up wickets, but also there are times when you need to bowl tight spells for an hour or maybe a session to create a sense of pressure. I believe the experience of Waqar and Wasim would come in handy in those situations. Mohammad Sami, if he finds that line – his length is really good, it is up to the bat, he doesn’t bowl short and is very quick to boot – outside the off-stump, that corridor of uncertainty, I feel that Pakistan would have an extremely potent attack.Q: So what would your advice be to the younger bowlers?A: Well, to bowl as naturally as they can, and try and find that off-stump line and stick to it. In case they have problems, go to Waqar and Wasim for advice. Above all, not to bowl short. Because there is so much of rain in England these days that the wickets would be soggy and the ball would not be coming on to the bat, especially at Lord’s, where there is a lot of seam movement rather than the ball carrying through at a good pace. I really wouldn’t want to advise them to bowl within themselves because that becomes a little negative. As a fast bowler you have to be aggressive, back your instincts and hope that things fall in place.Q: While the main thrust of responsibility would again be on Saeed, Inzamam and Youhana, do you think that inclusion of Mohammad Wasim would give a semblance of solidity to the upper order?A: Well, he is an experienced Test player now. Somebody was telling me that he has changed his stance drastically, and has become squarer on, which is not a good idea especially if you are playing on seaming tracks. But then if he can adjust to the conditions in England, his experience and also his ability to hang in there on the crease might be useful. He has all the motivation to do well because if he does so he would be able to cement his place in the team. He got a couple of good scores in the West Indies, and I feel that he would be able to deliver on this tour as well.Q: And what about Imran Farhat, the third opener?A: Well, Imran is hugely talented but in the last few games in New Zealand and in Sharjah his shot selection was poor. He however has the ability to play a solid innings; he is a straight bat with a good technique, and he was rated very highly by Geoff Boycott. I think some work needs to be done with the youngster – he needs tips on how to organise his innings.Q: There was this comment in the English press that since Pakistan seem to be unsettled at the moment, they have a new captain and reports of infighting, so they should win the series in England. What do you say to that?</BA: (Laughs). Well, I think that Pakistani cricketers do add a lot of spice and flavour to the game. They are quite unpredictable, as people say, which is great for the game. On their day there can be 11 geniuses on the field and when they are not in that mood they can capitulate to Bangladesh. The unpredictability factor is definitely there, but the way Waqar handled the team in Sharjah points to better things. He was exceptionally good to the youngsters, he communicated with them well and kept his temper in check on the field. In England, the only area of concern would be how he gets along with Wasim Akram. I'm sure that being a true professional, and the Pakistan captain, he would look at the broader picture instead of his personal feelings. Now that he has had a word with Wasim, I believe that things would have cooled off.Q: It was reported that the PCB Chairman had to intervene and request both Waqar and Wasim to bury the hatchet…A: Yes, that did play a role, but above all both of them are grown-ups. Waqar has come to realise that in England Akram would be one of his key players and he has to give him his full backing as captain. He has to make Wasim feel comfortable – this, to my mind, is very important because every top professional would want to feel comfortable to give of his best. I’m sure Waqar understands all this and would do accordingly.Q: What would you say on the persistent reports of indiscipline and player power in the Pakistan team? What has the PCB done to curb these tendencies? Was Moin’ssacking a part of the effort to make primadonnas pay heed?