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The ICC board has decided to go ahead with staging the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, as originally planned, ending months of speculation over the venue in light of security concerns. Cricinfo has learnt that a majority of the governing body’s executive board, which conducted a teleconference on Thursday to decide on the issue, felt any shift would “set a precedent” and be “a tremendous blow to the region, especially ahead of the 2011 World Cup”, to be jointly organised by the four Asian boards.However, while seven of the ICC board’s ten Full Members, spearheaded by India, expressed their overwhelming support for Pakistan, it is believed that at least three – England, Australia and New Zealand – have informed the governing body that their players “don’t want to” play in Pakistan due to the prevailing security climate there”.The ICC’s chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, later told reporters in Colombo that no player opting to pull out would be penalised, nor would their respective boards.The teleconference lasted a little over two hours after which the ICC said in a press release that “the board considered various security reports and discussed at length the concerns of some members and stakeholders as well as the perceptions of Pakistan that may exist in some quarters”.The news was, predictably, greeted with great relief in Pakistan. “The Champions Trophy will stay in Pakistan and we thank all member countries for their kind support,” Naseem Ashraf, the PCB chairman, told reporters in Lahore after the ICC meeting. “Let me assure to you that it was a correct decision by the ICC keeping in mind that there should be unity in cricket. We are committed to providing the kind of security which we have promised to the ICC.”Security will still be the ICC’s main concern and, with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) strongly advocating a shift of venue, the ICC board – which was “deeply worried that a players’ pullout would devalue the event”- will set up a task force that will assess and monitor the security situation in the three Pakistani venues – Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.Apart from Ashraf, the task force comprises David Morgan, the ICC president, Sharad Pawar, the ICC vice-president, Lorgat and IS Bindra, the ICC’s principal advisor; it also includes representatives of ESPN STAR Sports (ESS), the official broadcaster, the ICC’s independent security advisors and FICA.To start with, this independent committee has 14 days to prepare an assessment and persuade the players otherwise. The terms of reference include ensuring the effective implementation of the recommendations of the ICC’s independent security advisors, and liaising with various stakeholders, including embassies within Pakistan and other governments, to address any related concerns.Besides the fear of setting a precedent ahead of the 2011 World Cup, the other key factor in Pakistan retaining the tournament was the absence of any specific recommendation from the ICC’s security consultants on hosting the event in Pakistan.Then again, “equal concerns” were expressed by some board members during the teleconference on Thursday about the security climate in Sri Lanka, the official alternate venue. Many of the ICC board members also felt that if they moved the tournament, their own national boards could be the ones affected next on the issue of security.However, the ICC board is believed to be aware that work still needs to be done on the security front and has gone ahead based on the ICC security consultants’ report and assurances from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that “levels of security seen during the Asia Cup will be delivered”. The ICC board was made aware that this could mean that “players will be subjected to effective hotel arrest, and not allowed out at all”.In fact, Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, is understood to have informed the board in “very clear terms” that he had tried to persuade his players to play in Pakistan and was told in return that they “won’t go”. Even South Africa, which backed Pakistan during the teleconference, admitted they were still trying to persuade their players to play in Pakistan.”This is not something I treat lightly but we can manage it,” Lorgat said. “We will use this task team to ensure that we properly communicated with players who have concerns. We are making sure FICA is a part of the process to understand the situation. We have to separate perception from reality. We will do our utmost to assure them that we would not go into an event where safety or security is going to be compromised.”

Alistair Campbell was perhaps rather reluctant to take on the mantle of Zimbabwe cricket captain again, but he saw it as a duty to Zimbabwean cricket, with no other obvious willing and capable candidate for the post in the absence of Heath Streak. He spoke to ZCO about his temporary reappointment.The position regarding the post of national captain is decided each July by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union board. In July 2001 Heath Streak had been reappointed by the board, which was quite taken aback by his resignation in October.Then followed an unsatisfactory season: Brian Murphy was appointed as Streak’s successor, but had hardly started the job when he was sidelined by a hand injury. Stuart Carlisle stood in for him until he returned, only to be beset by another injury, which eventually forced him out of cricket for the rest of the season.Carlisle continued in the job therefore for the rest of the season, but was appointed on a tour-by-tour basis, uncertain how long he would hold the job and feeling he did not have the confidence of the selectors.At their meeting in July 2002, the ZCU board had perhaps a three-way choice. They could continue with Carlisle, they could return to Murphy, or they could look elsewhere, which would mean returning to a senior player who had already held or been offered the job.They decided against Carlisle, perhaps also because he is not a leading international player and a loss of form might make his place in the team difficult – which in fact was to happen at the start of the 2002/03 season. The problem with Murphy was perhaps that during his absence Raymond Price had bowled superbly in Test matches and the reappointment of Murphy would mean either dropping Price or playing two specialist spinners all the time.So they decided to sound out the senior players in the hope that one of them might relent. Reportedly Andy Flower and Alistair Campbell were approached and found unwilling, on a long-term basis at least. Heath Streak was won over and he agreed to return to the post.Then came the fateful accident in Colombo, during the wasted week that Zimbabwe were required to stay in Sri Lanka after being knocked out of the ICC Champions Trophy. According to Alistair Campbell, he was riding in a rickshaw in Colombo when apparently a car went through a red robot, forcing the rickshaw driver to take evasive action and rammed into a tree, overturning the vehicle with Heath at the bottom. “Everything landed on top of him and he was scraped along the kerb. Thankfully the injury is in his left shoulder, not his bowling shoulder, but he’s had an operation and had pins put in it. He’s likely only to start bowling again in the middle of December, and hopefully will be fit and raring to go for the World Cup.””At the beginning of the season (the ZCU) wanted me to do the vice-captaincy job,” says Alistair. “I declined, but said that if Heath Streak was injured I would take over. But I thought that might be one game, if it happened, but it turned out to be quite a serious shoulder injury, so, good to my word, I said I would take over this Pakistan series and the Kenyan one-dayers when I was asked.”According to Alistair, the mood in the team to face Pakistan is very good, despite Streak’s injury. “We’ve got a very good work ethic, a very good sense of professionalism at the moment under Geoff Marsh and Kevin Curran, and we’re looking forward to it. We’ve just come off Logan Cup and there have been some good performances there, and it’s been good to get into the longer game. We’re playing at home after a long gap, the grounds are looking fantastic at both venues, and we know the opposition are very good. It’s going to be a test, but something we’re looking forward to.”Who does Alistair regard as the key Pakistan players, those who will receive most attention from the Zimbabwe team think-tank? “No one can forget Shoaib Akhtar,” said Alistair. “I think he’s a match-winner in his own right and he’ll be one to watch. But they have some very good cricketers. They are a side fully of match-winners, and if you just go through their bowling they’ve got Shoaib and Waqar Younis, who are very good, and then Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Zahid are very good young fast bowlers. Sami bowls quicker than you think and swings the ball. Then obviously Saqlain Mushtaq speaks for himself as well, a world-class off-spinner.”Then their batting is full of stars as well. They’re obviously missing a few of the so-called veterans, like Saeed Anwar and Wasim Akram, who’ll be here for the one-day series, but we’ve played against guys like Hasan Raza before when he was supposedly a 14-year-old and looked very good, so if he’s progressed then he must be quite a good player now. Then obviously you have your Yousuf Youhanas and Inzamam-ul-Haqs; we’ve played them before and they’re premium performers at world level.”So it’s going to be tough, really tough. But we’re playing at home, we’ve had a good break over the winter and played some good cricket leading up to it, so the guys are fit and raring to go. We’re very happy Wasim Akram won’t be here for the Test matches, but he will be here to hunt us down for the one-day games. Wasim is an awesome performer, because I’d have like to play against him at Test level, as he’s just about to retire; it would have been nice to have one last battle against him, but that’s not to be.”Zimbabwe has a particular game plan to use against Pakistan, but of course Alistair cannot divulge it. He does say, though, that he recognizes the need to strike early, before Pakistan have the chance to dominate, but without Heath Streak in top form this may be an area where Zimbabwe will struggle, especially if Douglas Hondo is not fit in time for the First Test. “They respect us as a dangerous team,” he said, so nothing can be expected by way of complacency.Alistair himself has batted with remarkable consistency this season for Mutare Sports Club in the national club league and for Manicaland in the World Cup, even if it does stop in the nineties, where he has been dismissed several times. He didn’t claim any particular incentive, either positive or negative, but said, “I’m feeling good and I hope it augurs well for the future. They say you peak at 30, and I’ve just reached 30, so I’m making a conscious effort to enjoy the last four or five years of my career. My mind has been my greatest enemy, but at the moment my mindset is right, my mind is clear, and we’ll see what happens.”Zimbabwe cricket followers will be hoping this new-found application will extend to the coming series, when he will add to his list of centuries, which is so meagre for one of his ability. Alistair acknowledges that Zimbabwe’s batsmen should be aiming to average around 40 in Test cricket, so perhaps he has had a look at his current average of 36 and decided it needs a major boost before it is too late.

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.

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.

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.

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."

• 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

It is not often that a No 11 batsman gets a hundred in first class cricket. And in 67 years of the Ranji Trophy competition, no player going in last had reached the three figure mark – until Sunday. The record score had been held by S Mubarak Ali who scored 90 for Nawanagar against Bengal way back in 1936-37. In the process, he and Yadvendrasinhji added 138 runs, a record in the national competition that stood for 47 years. On Sunday, at the picturesque IIT-Chemplastground in Chennai, Vidyuth Sivaramakrishnan created Ranji history by scoring 115 in the Ranji Trophy pre quarterfinal against Delhi.When the second day started under clear blue skies and a burning sun, Delhi would undoubtedly have hoped for early wickets to wind up the Tamil Nadu first innings. So they did, enjoying a period of fortune and some good cricket to restrict Tamil Nadu, who resumed at 287/3, to 434/9 in the 127th over. A score in the region of 450 is not insurmountable in Indian domestic cricket. Indeed, Robin Singh must have been kicking himself for playing the delicate cut stroke, which he missed and was bowled after making an impressive 63. The Tamil Naduinnings went on a tailspin after the skipper’s dismissal.At the fall of the ninth wicket, Vidyuth, the junior India left-arm spinner, walked out to join the young MR Shrinivas. Delhi captain Vijay Dahiya persisted with spin to get the last wicket. What followed was history. The left handed Vidyuth made 115 off just 122 balls, striking 17 boundaries and three huge sixes out of the ground. In one over from Virendra Shewag, he smashed three fours and a six, as the Delhi players hung their heads in disbelief. By the time the fast bowlers were called in to the attack, Vidyuth was in full flow,pulling and hooking the short stuff bowled at him. He got to his hundred with a hook shot to long leg, where Amit Suman dropped the easy catch to give away two runs.While Vidyuth had his moment of glory, the unsung hero at the other end was Shrinivas who played with a lot of responsibility to make an unbeaten 42 off 141 balls with four strokes past the ropes. It was his assuring knock that helped Vidyuth to go on the rampage. By the time, the reliable Delhi seamer, Robin Singh Jr, bowled Vidyuth, the two batsmen had added 158 runs for the last wicket to take Tamil Nadu to an imposing 592 runs. The only higher last wicket stand in the national competition is 233 between Ajay Sharma and Maninder Singh for Delhi against Bombay in 1991-92.Earlier, JR Madanagopal raced to his fifty but was then brilliantly run out by Amit Bhandari. Madanagopal made 54 in the score of 297/4, hitting five boundaries and a six.Hemanth Kumar carried on in his good form and added just 13 more runs to his overnight score. He was caught by Bhandari off the bowling of Shewag for 121, the fifth wicket falling at 336. S Mahesh (6) was the next batsman to be dismissed at 357, caught behind by Pradeep Chawla off Amit Suman’s bowling. Mahesh might have been a shade unlucky to be given out as he walked back to the pavilion dejected.Reuben Paul and Robin Singh added 60 runs for the sixth wicket in double quick time. Robin struck nine boundaries and a massive straight six in his knock. Paul was more adventurous, striking the ball clean and sweet. He played a hook shot that easily cleared the ground and sent the ball sailing into the woods. Paul was dismissed to the ball which followed Robin Singh’s dismissal, Mithun Minhas taking a stunning catch at gully off a powerful square cut. Paul made 35 off just 32 balls. Ashish Kapoor (12) was the ninth wicket to fall at 434bowled by Robin Singh Jr. who finished with 3/96 in 33.5 overs.Delhi had spent almost two full days in the scorching sun. They were left with the uncomfortable prospect of batting for ten overs in the evening, as the shadows grew longer. Shrinivas who showed amazing skills with the bat, bowled a fiery spell, hurrying and beating the batsmen with sheer pace. This enabled the other medium pacer Mahesh to bowl Akash Chopra (11). At close of play Delhi were 32/1 with Gautham Ghambir on 17 and Rahul Sanghvi on four.

Flying high after the series triumph over the mighty Australians, the Indian cricketers are now aiming to set right their dismal record abroad, during the coming tour of Zimbabwe.As the probables engaged themselves in fitness and fielding drills at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, where the six-day conditioning camp began yesterday, skipper Sourav Ganguly said on Monday that a series victory over Zimbabwe would set right a “lot of things.””Our aim is to win a series abroad which will set right a lot of things,” Ganguly said and emphasised the need for India to play competitive cricket and as a team to the hilt.The Indian captain warned against any complacency, saying that Zimbabwe should not be taken lightly. “They are a good side and have home advantage…the last time we lost a Test match which we should have won. Our team is working on the fitness part since it has a hectic international schedule ahead,” he added.Coach John Wright said the focus was on fielding, catching, running between the wickets and improving the fitness levels of the players. He was interacting with players to find the reasons for India not performing well overseas.”We have to play the same way as we did against Australia. If we play up to our potential, we can beat good sides,” he said.The Indian team is to be announced in Bangalore on May 17.