Free State moved to the top of Pool A with a comprehensive innings and 52 run victory over the North West Dragons inside three days at Goodyear Park on Sunday.The 18 points from the victory leap-frogged Free State from third placeabove leaders Northern Titans although the latter can reclaim their placeshould they overcome Boland in their current match.For the second time in the match Victor Mpitsang was the chief destroyer.The quickie followed up his first innings figures of four for 33 with fivefor 24 to take nine wickets in a SuperSport Series match for the second timein a fortnight.His wickets came in only 12.4 overs and in all the Dragons capitulated injust 36.5 overs. Altogether it took the Eagles just 79 overs to bowl themout twice.The four points taken by the Dragons moved them eight clear of GriqualandWest in the race for the fourth Super Eight berth from Pool A.Both teams have one match to play. The Dragons are at home to pace-settersNortherns while Griquas meet Boland in Kimberley.The Dragons will have to get off to a better start to their innings thanthey did in this match however.Having been reduced to 10 for three in the first innings they foundthemselves effectively reduced to 34 for four in the second.Victor Mpitsang sent back opener Andrew Lawson and number three MorneStrydom for ducks and with Hendrik de Vos having to retire hurt after beingstruck the Dragons faced an uphill struggle just to make Free State batagain.Mark Lavine (28), Glen Hewitt (26) and Craig Light (22) all got starts butnone could hang around long enough to worry Free State and the onlypartnership of any note was for 35 for the fifth wicket between Light andLavine.Mpitsang – who took nine for 107 against the Titans a fortnight ago – wasnamed man of the match for his nine for 67.

CARDIFF, Wales – Shrugging and rolling his eyes, Steve Waugh admits he doesnot have the faintest idea how Australia will perform in the one-dayinternational against Pakistan tomorrow.Australia is vulnerable after losing to Middlesex and snatching a tie fromrun-of-the-mill Northamptonshire this week while Pakistan is flying highfollowing Test and limited-over triumphs over England.Damien Martyn, Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Ian Harvey are in good touchbut most of the tourists are still short of a gallop because of an extendedbreak between the Indian and England tours.A three-and-half-hour drive from Northampton to Cardiff last night was anuisance and Nathan Bracken (shoulder), Damien Fleming (calf) and Ponting(hip) are carrying niggling injuries.All Waugh could do was hope that playing by memory would be enough to gethis World Cup-winning side through against Pakistan in a game which startshere at 8pm (AEST).The Aussies then play England at Bristol on Sunday.”I’ve got to say our form’s been scratchy so far,” he said ahead ofAustralia’s back-to-back introduction to the tri-series.”It hasn’t been an easy preparation – we had to have some time off cricketand away from the game, which everyone needed really badly – but thedownside of that was that when we got back on tour we didn’t have much timeto get it right.”I must admit we’re going into our first game a fraction apprehensive.”We’re relying on what we’ve done before to get us there – our knowledge andexperience and know-how and obviously our talent – but we haven’t spent alot of time in the middle.”Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist was more upbeat, saying little should be readinto the Middlesex and Northants results because the team’s trademarksharpness and enthusiasm would return when needed.”We’re happy, settling in well, it’s very exciting now the real games arestarting – the competition games where the points are up for grabs,” hesaid.”The guys are very pumped up.”The Pakistan match should be a cracker and early psychological points forthe Ashes are up for grabs at Bristol.England’s batsmen crumbled twice to Pakistan this week and Australianpacemen Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie will be intent on kicking themwhile they’re down.Waugh rejected a suggestion that watching England crash and burn ontelevision would have given him great pleasure, but he did not soundthoroughly convincing.”It’s hard to be too harsh because they could say the same about the lasttwo Tests that we’ve lost to India,” he said.”We’ve collapsed under pressure as well.”Pakistan were always a chance if they could get one or two wickets becausethey have bowlers who can take wickets with reverse swing and all that sortof stuff.”I wouldn’t like to say the old signs were there because I think any sideput under that pressure on the last day is going to struggle to come up withthe goods.”Damien Martyn’s untouchable form – 108 against Worcester and 101 not outagainst Northampton – is tempting Waugh to leave him as an opener, where heaverages 232.5 in six starts for Australia.A possible XI to play Pakistan is: Stephen Waugh (c), Adam Gilchrist (vc),Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Ricky Ponting, Michael Bevan, Matthew Hayden, IanHarvey, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath.Changes will be made against England under the Australian system of rotatingplayers in one-day tournaments to ease the workload on each individual.”I don’t like the word rotation – I’ve got to think of another word,” saidWaugh who, as an author, should be able to come up with one soon.

Ricardo Powell the young West Indian batsman is turning out for Hampshire 2nd XI this week, in the Championship match v Essex at the Hampshire Rose Bowl (Nursery Ground) this week. The match is a four day contest, starting Tuesday 6th June.Powell who is playing League cricket in the North is short of match practise, and under Michael Holding’s recommendation turns out for the County.Tim Tremlett, Hampshire’s Director of Cricket is happy to give him the opportunity. “With a few of our Academy players taking exams at this time of the year, and the University members of the staff still unavailable, our resourses were stretched.”Details of this match and all 2nd XI cricket played throughout the season can be seen on the Hampshire Web Site.

After squaring the two Test series at Harare on June 18, a confidentZimbabwe team looks forward to a competitive triangular one-dayseries. The Coca Cola Cup pits India, Zimbabwe and West Indies againsteach other. The West Indies team, coming off a bit of a slump, havestarted off well, winning the first warm up game against the CFXAcademy by six runs. The skipper of the resurgent Caribbean side CarlHooper stated emphatically in the media that they had specific plansthat would enable them to tackle the threats that their two opponentsposed.Meanwhile, hosts Zimbabwe on Tuesday named a 13-member squad for thefirst clash of the tourney, between the hosts and West Indies on June23. Mluleki Nkala is the only change from the side that beat India inthe second Test. He replaces injured fast bowler Brighton Watambwa.Andy Flower who dislocated his thumb in the Test match is expected tobe fit in time for the first match. The Zimbabwe Cricket Union havedecided to play it safe and announced that promising young stumperTatenda Taibu would don the gloves if Flower was ruled medicallyunfit.Dirk Viljoen and David Mutendera, who were on the fringe of selectionfor the Tests have been named 12th and 13th men respectively.The team: Heath Streak (Captain), Guy Whittall (Vice-Captain), AndyBlignaut, Alistair Campbell, Stuart Carlisle, Dion Ebrahim, AndrewFlower, Grant Flower, Travis Friend, Brian Murphy, Mluleki Nkala, DirkViljoen (12th man), David Mutendera (13th man)Babu Meman (Manager), Carl Rackemann (Coach), Amato Machikicho(Physiotherapist), Malcolm Jarvis (Fitness Trainer)

Marcus Trescothick produced an innings of sublime quality to ease Somerset into the C&G Trophy quarter-finals with a seven-wicket win at Taunton.The England opener reduced what looked a testing target of 270 to win to a cakewalk, hammering 121 off just 83 balls, with 20 fours, as the home side skated in with 8.2 overs to spare.Trescothick needed only 23 balls to reach his half-century, hitting ten of his fours in that time. Steve Watkin’s first two overs cost him 25 and by the end of the 15th over when fielding restrictions were lifted Somerset were 126 without loss.Peter Bowler leant sensible support, making 43 in an opening stand of 143, but spent much of his time admiring his partner’s selection of powerful drives and pulls.By the time Trescothick was bowled around his legs by Robert Croft the total was 173-2 and Somerset skipper Jamie Cox ensured no late alarms with an attractive 63, including three sixes.Earlier, Matthew Maynard had rescued Glamorgan from 44-3 as they posted an 269-6 after losing the toss in blustery conditions.Maynard survived a difficult low chance to Somerset wicketkeeper Rob Turner on three and went on to hit 93 off 108 balls.After a bright start, lost three with the score on 44. Ian Thomas was caught at fine leg off a top edge and Keith Newell clean bowled in the same Richard Johnson over.Andy Caddick quickly removed Croft to a catch behind, but Maynard then came in to alter the course of the innings, sharing a stand of 93 with Steve James, who made 46 before loosely cutting Keith Parsons to Jamie Cox at backward point.Mike Powell kept Somerset on the back foot, reaching a half-century off just 58 balls and sharing another partnership of 93 with Maynard.But in the end their efforts counted for nothing as there was only onecandidate for the man-of-the-match award. Trescothick was simply magnificent.

Both Somerset Chief Executive Peter Anderson and Coach Kevin Shine were in buoyant mood at The County Ground on Monday morning, the day after seeing their team go to the top of the CricInfo Championship table after beating Glamorgan inside three days.The Chief Executive told me “I was very pleased with the way that we played. On Friday we bowled well to get them out cheaply, and then amassed a big score to put them under pressure. Yesterday was a day of attrition in the field for us but we bowled them out. It was a good wicket, and we have Phil Frost to thank for that.”When I asked him about the atmosphere at the club with regard to being top of the table, he told me “We’re all beginning to get a little bit excited about the possibilty of winning the championship,” but went on “what we have to do now is to hold our nerve and not fade away which is what we’ve done in the past.”Coach Kevin Shine summed up the game against Glamorgan by saying “There was something for everyone in the match,it was a good hard game of cricketbut that’s what First Division cricket is all about. The boys have had to fight hard to get that win. It was good disciplined team performance on a flat wicket, particularly yesterday to get them out.”How were Somerset going to approach the vital Championship game at Canterbury on Wednesday I asked him. He said “We will prepare and approach the game in exactly the same way as all of the others, we’re on top and can compete with the best.”The coach confirmed that the team to play against Kent would be the same eleven that beat Lancashire at Old Trafford which means that Piran Holloway and Matt Bulbeck return in place of Marcus Trescothick and Andy Caddick who are back on England duty.

The last ten or twelve years have seen major improvements in playing standards, in coaching, and in umpiring.The one area of development which was perhaps tackled last – and in which many miles have still to be travelled – is groundsmanship and excellence in pitch standards.No one championed these areas of development with greater diligence than George Winkles, whose sudden death last weekend stunned the local cricket fraternity.From the quiet but firm example which he set at Burridge, through the painstaking work he put in to Hampshire Cricket Board and Southern Premier League accreditation, to his final and well deserved position as Regional ECB advisor, George simply stuck to straightforward and honest views.What you saw and heard was what you got.Self effacing as many groundsmen are, George always received the brickbats of players and critics of his judgements with the same whimsical good humour.Good characters like good pitches aren’t made in a day. They develop through experience and reflection.Mr Winkles, 66, who lived in Locks Heath, near Fareham, played for many seasons for Alverstoke as a leg-spinning all-rounder.When Alverstoke disbanded, George joined Burridge, where he shared in the club’s record opening partnership of 238 against Paultons with Peter Tugwell.He was hugely involved in the development of the club’s superbly appointed ground at Botley Road and cherished enormously the recognition bestowed upon him two years ago, when he won the Southern League’s Groundsman of the Award.George, from all of us who benefitted from your wisdom and your friendship, thank you for a job well done.*** The funeral service is at St John’s Church, Locks Heath, on Tuesday 7 August 2001 at 11.30am. It will be followed by a private family cremation.

Australia coach John Buchanan believes Adam Gilchrist’s declaration has left the Headingley Test open for either side to win.Gilchrist declared to leave England with 315 to win the Fourth Test, though bad light forced them off the field after facing only 2.3 overs with the score on 4-0.Buchanan said: “Where the game is poised at the moment both sides have an opportunity to win.”In the context of this game and the way the weather has been, both sideshaving that opportunity to win is a good scenario going into the last day onthat wicket.”We will continue to attack as long as we can. That will give themopportunities to score and us opportunities to take wickets, so it is a goodcontest and it should be an exciting last day.”But he did add: “We feel there will be sufficient chances tomorrow – at least ten – in which to take those wickets we need.”England batsman Mark Butcher emphasised the need for the home side to be positive in pursuit of victory, rather than try to bat out 90 overs.”It is very important that you go out there with a positive attitude and lookto try and win the game,” said the England number three.”If we do not manage that then of course we have to look to hang on, but ifyou go out there looking to draw a game at the outset you put yourself indifficulty which is not necessary.”England were criticised for their last-day defeat against Pakistan at OldTrafford this summer when many felt they played for a draw too early, having been set 370 for victory.”These are a slightly different set of circumstances,” said Butcher.”But if you go out there basically looking to survive for 90 overs againstthat sort of bowling attack on a pitch offering a little bit of assistance youwill get yourself into a little bit of trouble.”

Perennial ‘unfit’ fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was rewarded when named tolead PCB-XI in the warm up match one-day match against New Zealand tobe played at the National Stadium, Karachi on Sept 16.Opener Imran Nazir has been appointed as vice-captain of the team.Both captain and the vice-captain have been failed to get a place inthe Pakistan squad announced for the three one-day match seriesagainst New Zealand, starting from Sept 19 at Karachi.Aftab Baloch has been named as coach and manager of the team.The team is: Imran Nazir, Salman Butt, Faisal Iqbal, NaveedLatif, Hasan Raza, Shoaib Malik, Atiq-uz-Zaman, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan,Shoaib Akhtar (captain), Mohammad Zahid, Yasir Arafat. Asim Kamal(12th man).

New Zealand Cricket will honour its commitment to tour Pakistan, when the time is right.In the event of New Zealand not being able to complete a re-organised tour over the next six weeks, another tour will be organised as soon as it can be reasonably scheduled in the calendar.New Zealand has an obligation to fulfil its requirements under the International Cricket Council’s 10-year Test plan and world championship.However, it is understood no penalties exist in the rules of the championship at the moment for failing to compete.NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said today that he had told Pakistan of New Zealand’s commitment to honour the tour.”The health of the 10-year plan is based on reciprocal tours and we fully acknowledge our obligation to tour Pakistan within the foreseeable future,” he told CricInfo today.Pakistan interests have targeted the period between May and September next year as the most likely time for the tour to be re-scheduled.However, New Zealand has a tour to the West Indies in the last week of May and all of June.Its next commitment is the ICC KnockOut tournament to be played in Pakistan in the last two weeks of September. After that it hosts India from the last week of November through to January, its only home tour that year, with the World Cup being held in February-March 2003.While the period from July to mid-September 2002 was a window of opportunity, New Zealand also had to consider its need to rest players, a lesson learned after the horrific injury toll the side suffered last summer.Snedden said New Zealand would continue to work with Pakistan to resolve the matter.