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Players at the Under-19 World Cup in Colombo are having their bowling actions filmed and assessed in order to try and spot any problems earlier enough so that they can be corrected. Dr Marc Portus, a human movement specialist with the Bowling Review Group (BRG), is travelling around the grounds collating footage.Javagal Srinath has also made a brief visit to Colombo in his capacity as a member of the BRG. He and Portus were part of the committee that upheld Shabbir Ahmed’s 12-month ban after he had appealed his case to the ICC.”It is more a preemptive move [being in Sri Lanka], to try and catch the actions while the bowlers are still young enough to work with,” Portus told Cricinfo during the match between Pakistan and Bangladesh. “We haven’t come out here with any blacklist of players to look for, our remit is just to watch as many as we can and report back. If there is anyone we think might have suspect action we will tell the board that it is probably worth looking at them.”Bowling actions are now assessed around the 15-degree limit imposed by the ICC. South Africa’s Johan Botha is the latest bowler to fall foul of the regulations, having his international abruptly halted when he was found to breach the limit following a report made during the third Test against Australia at Sydney.The new limit has come in for some criticism, opponents saying it could allow players with suspect actions to continue playing. However, Portus says that spotting 15 degrees of straightening is almost impossible to pick up without technology – in other words there would have been no questions raised about the action before this new ruling.”The thing is with the 15 degrees, is that it’s actually a very small margin. With the naked eye you probably wouldn’t be able to detect someone with a straightening of that amount, in other words the action would look fine. If an action appears dodgy to the naked eye it is generally going to be well passed that 15-degree margin, I’ve seen bowlers hit 30.”Portus explained that the ruling helps to accommodate the natural movement of the arm in bowling, something that doesn’t give any additional advantage. “Even the players who appear to have a completely sound action come up as something around seven, eight, nine or even 10 degrees. That’s really how the whole system started. Over about 18 months we filmed 20 bowlers in different match conditions and we produced 3D images and found that all of them were straightening to some extent. It’s a very rare occasion when it came up as zero or one.He also admitted that the development of the doosra is making the job harder, as it is very difficult to build up information. “The problem at the moment is we lack the match analysis of the delivery. When we do analysis in the field there is a much greater error factor, whereas in a control environment that is greatly reduce. But when bowlers perform in laboratories they know why they are there.”We try to reproduce match conditions but it is very difficult. You can’t recreate the situation of a final day in a Test when you are trying to win a match for your country. We are actually trying to develop technology at the moment, with the ICC, to allow us to come up with accurate 3D numbers from game situations, but it is a few years away yet.”

Ricky Ponting crushed New Zealand’s hopes of taking control in this Test© Getty Images

New Zealand’s hopes of tying the Test series rested on a counter attack from the lower-order batsmen on the second morning. Had that occurred, yesterday’s snail-pace scoring by the top order may have been overshadowed but New Zealand’s tail, so often a key strength, was again easy pickings for the Australians.On a fine Auckland day Nathan Astle and Brendon McCullum resumed at 199 for 5 and of those to come, only Chris Martin is without claims with the willow in hand. However the moment was again missed through a combination of indecisiveness, bad shots and poor umpiring.The final five wickets yielded just 93 runs, a figure inflated by Daniel Vettori’s unbeaten 41. While Vettori rockets towards the coveted No. 1 position for the next round of New Zealand player contracts, McCullum, especially, is treading water in defiance of his real ability.Shots of authority such as McCullum’s brilliant pull for four off Glenn McGrath were mixed with plays-and-misses and no-mans-land prods against a consistent rather than relentless Australian opening burst.Astle’s soft dismissal to a ball in no danger of hitting his stumps belied his Test-veteran status and while McCullum needed to play at McGrath, he did so with bat away from pad. If Vettori, at the non-strikers end, had been annoyed to see McCullum depart, he would have been justifiably irate when James Franklin was genuinely unlucky to be given out.So with two bad shots and one regrettable decision it was another session to Australia. One session soon became two as Ricky Ponting dismantled the New Zealand attack.When Stephen Fleming opted for Astle’s medium pace after nine overs, Matthew Hayden never let him settle. On the two occasions Chris Martin erred in length in his opening spell, Ponting dispatched him over the fence and the scene for the afternoon was set.On the first day New Zealand had totalled 142 runs at tea: today Australia rattled on 143 between lunch and tea. When Ponting went past 100 in a scarcely believable 104 balls those that blinked would have been forgiven for thinking they’d missed something, such was the skill of Ponting’s accumulation.There were the big shots – Franklin and Vettori were both sent over the ropes – but, just as much as Australia’s bowling was a routine effort, Ponting’s breathtaking century was a blinder. Perhaps it was not as destructive as the mayhem fans have come to associate with Adam Gilchrist, but it certainly appeared as though Ponting was on a mission to bat New Zealand out of the game. That is something he may well have achieved.

Bruce for bowling coach? © Getty Images

The Indians have sought the services of Bruce Reid as bowling coach during their 84-day tour of Australia. According to a report by the Press Trust of India, the request has already been passed on to the Indian board, and a decision on the matter is expected on Sunday, when the working committee of the board meets in New Delhi.The report also says that Reid has already been approached by John Wright and is ready to work with the Indian bowlers, and the only issue that needs sorting out is the financial terms.Reid, who has been credited for the phenomenal rise of Nathan Bracken, performed a similar role during Zimbabwe’s tour to Australia earlier this year. With three out of India’s five seamers being left-armers, it is believed that Reid, who was a top-class left-arm fast bowler himself, would be the best man to help the Indians out. India go into the four-Test series with a highly inexperienced seam attack -Ajit Agarkar is the only one of the five who has played international cricket in Australia before.The decision to rope in a bowling coach might also have been prompted by India’s lacklustre performance in their tour-opener against Victoria, who hammered 518 against a toothless Indian attack, with Brad Hodge making a mammoth 264.

India wilted under sustained England pressure in the field as the tourists successfully defended a total of 250 in the second one-day international. From the seemingly comfortable heights of 99 for two, the hosts subsided to 234 all out as England won by 16 runs to level the six-match series at one-all. Paul Collingwood was made man-of-the-match for his unbeaten 71, which was the highest score of the day.Sourav Ganguly again won the toss and asked England to bat in the hope of extracting some morning moisture. In the event they began steadily, posting 75 for the loss of both openers in the first 15 overs. Marcus Trescothick, the hero at Kolkata, took two boundaries before Ajit Agarkar made the first breakthrough. Trescothick was fractionally late on a pull, giving Dinesh Mongia time to run behind the square leg umpire to take a straightforward catch.Nasser Hussain joined Nick Knight, and well-judged running between the right and left-handers kept the scoreboard ticking over. Hussain found the mid-wicket fence by pulling a marginally short ball from Agarkar. But it was the pull that lost England their second wicket, as Knight hit Srinath straight to Harbhajan Singh at deep mid-wicket.Hussain was missed on 36 as he edged Ganguly and Ajay Ratra couldn’t hang on to a thickish edge behind the stumps. The England captain then swept Harbhajan behind square to bring up the tourists’ hundred, and Michael Vaughan caught the mood next ball by pulling Ganguly handsomely over mid-wicket. After surviving a close run-out decision, Hussain inexplicably lost patience against Ganguly, holing out to Agarkar at deep mid-on. Vaughan restored the momentum with a handsome boundary through extra cover.Vaughan went to his half century (59 balls, 4 fours), with a sweep off Sachin Tendulkar, and Collingwood used his feet to clip Anil Kumble wide of mid-on for his second boundary. The 36th over went for ten runs, six of them coming off the first ball as Collingwood swung Tendulkar to square leg where Harbhajan, having caught the ball just inside the boundary, was unable to release it as he stepped back on to the rope.Vaughan was then needlessly run out after miscuing a reverse sweep. As the ball went towards square-leg he hesitated when there should have been a straightforward single, and was left short of his ground at the bowler’s end. Andy Flintoff followed for five, swinging across a full-length ball from Harbhajan to lose his off stump. Kumble then bowled Ben Hollioake through the gate, leaving England on 192 for six and in danger of squandering their solid start. Amid the adversity Collingwood was still able to reach his 50 in style, swinging Kumble over mid-wicket. Following up with a mid-wicket six off Agarkar, the Durham all-rounder went on to see England through to the 250 mark, assisted by Jeremy Snape and then James Foster.India made a perfect start to the chase as Ganguly dispatched Darren Gough twice to the backward point boundary in the first over. A flashing square drive off Matthew Hoggard took Tendulkar off the mark in the second. It was a ball of fuller length from Hoggard that made the breakthrough as Ganguly, with minimal foot movement, edged a straightforward catch to Knight at second slip. But India kept up the momentum as Tendulkar took boundaries through mid-wicket off Hoggard, then through extra-cover and back down the ground off Gough, who made way for Flintoff after four overs.Hussain constantly shuffled his attack, with Snape coming on in the 19th over and England increasingly desperate for a breakthrough. It came fortuitously when Tendulkar was run out by a deflection, Hollioake getting a fingertip to a drive by Mongia which hit the stumps with Tendulkar, backing up, stranded yards out of his ground.England broke through again when Laxman failed to make his ground as he attempted a single after Mongia had clipped the ball to Collingwood at backward-point. Virender Sehwag then failed to get on top of a pull, Knight taking a good, tumbling catch at short mid-wicket. At 121 for four India were wobbling. They had a let-off when Badani was missed by Foster, who was standing up to Collingwood and couldn’t gather cleanly as Badani went down the track.Foster soon redeemed himself by playing a key role in yet another run-out. Mongia, trying for a second to Matthew Hoggard at long leg, failed to ground his bat as Foster took the return one-handed to break the wicket with milli-seconds to spare. Hollioake struck next, as Badani skied a slower ball to wide mid-on, where Flintoff jubilantly held the catch.A double bowling change led to more England euphoria as Flintoff trapped Ratra in front for 30 with the first ball of his new spell. Harbhajan immediately swung the Lancastrian to the fence at long-on, but India descended further into the mire as Snape trapped him lbw sweeping. Agarkar and Kumble batted sensibly to keep flickering Indian hopes alive, but with four overs remaining and India’s last two wickets still needing 30, Hussain turned to Gough. The Yorkshireman did the trick for his skipper with his 150th wicket in one-day internationals; Kumble slogged at a slower ball and Collingwood did wonderfully well to take a running catch over his shoulder at mid-wicket.Gough eventually finished it in the 49th over as Agarkar got a thin edge to Foster. England had triumphed amid the tension, and the series is still very much alive.

The first day of cricket at the island’s newest first-class venue wasone in which both Barbados and South Africa ‘A’will claim some degreeof satisfaction.Having only arrived in the Caribbean four days earlier, the visitorsadapted well to the conditions and were making fine progress up untilthe evening session at the lovely setting of the Windward Club groundin Lucas Street. St. Philip.A new-look Barbados team, featuring seven debutants, might have beenslightly worried when South Africa ‘A’reached 213 for four inside thefinal hour. But, as so often happens in cricket, one unlikelydismissal changed the course of the match.Dale Benkenstein, no stranger to Barbados as he once served a stintwith Wanderers, had just completed a solid half-century and was wellset when he was prised out by an outstanding piece of fielding byShirley Clarke.The South Africa ‘A’captain, whose polished 57 was made with hardlyany bother from 141 balls in three hours’ batting, was run out at thebowler’s end by a direct throw from Clarke at mid-on.The dismissal ended a fifth-wicket partnership of 67 betweenBenkenstein and Ashwell Prince, who ended the day unbeaten on 57, andlaunched a Barbados fightback.On the whole, the hosts were able to restrict the scoring after teawhen 89 runs were scored in comparison to the 125 that came in thesecond session.The revival was instigated by fast bowler Hattian Graham, whoseperformance up to then was somewhat indifferent.He claimed the second wicket of the day with a fine delivery that tookthe edge of left-handed teenager Graeme Smith’s bat for a catch to the’keeper.During the pre-tea session, Graham was off line on occasions, but hedid well to hit back with a double strike in the dying stages.He won a leg before verdict against the tall right-hander Justin Kemp,but there was no doubt about the dismissal of Robin Peterson, who wasembarrassed when he offered no stroke and had his stumps disturbed.It meant that three wickets had gone by for the addition of 16 runsand the close of play total of 240 for seven was one which Barbadoswould feel reasonably happy with after they opted to field first onwinning the toss in overcast conditions.It was a relief to the fair-size crowd that as many as 77 overs weredelivered during the day.The dark clouds that hovered to the east of the ground and a lightdrizzle were enough to delay the start by an hour-and-a-quarter.The sun, however, made its presence felt for most of the day and thebatting of the South Africans was impressive against a bowling attackthat appeared to lack depth.There were many who felt that Ryan Hinds, a specialist batsman anddecent part-time left-arm spinner, should not have been given the roleof fourth-choice bowler.Both he and Shirley Clarke, who trundles off-breaks, were required tobowl as many as 30 overs between them. Mind you, they did so fairlytidily, and Hinds struck a blow with his third ball by removing thedengerous opener Doug Watson.The 26-year-old Watson, who averaged nearly 50 in the 1999-2000 SouthAfrican first-class season, cracked seven boundaries in making 30before Hinds deceived him in flight and bowled him an hour afterlunch.By then, Justin Ontong had already reeled a few exciting front-footstrokes and continued to play with authority until he gifted his hand15 minutes before tea.The 20-year-old arrived at his half-century at a run-a-ball before hewas bowled by left-arm fast bowler Ian Bradshaw.Bradshaw was the best of the Barbados bowlers on the day and deservedmore than two wickets.

Australians 413 for 9 (S Marsh 101, Warner 101, Watson 61, M Marsh 53) v Derbyshire
ScorecardShaun Marsh retired after reaching his hundred•Getty Images

Derby’s low-slung county ground was once a place of indifferent achievement by Donald Bradman, who never made a hundred here in four innings. It was also first of the four counties Chris Rogers has called home, in an unpretentious part of the world he still regards fondly.Rogers, though, was not in Derby this day, still recovering from the inner ear problems that have affected his balance since he was struck on the side of the helmet by James Anderson at Lord’s. Instead, Shaun Marsh had the opportunity to audition for the role of opener in case of Rogers not recovering in time for the Edgbaston Test. He made the most of it by sculpting 101, thus pressing his case by bettering Bradman.David Warner also cantered to a hundred against a Derbyshire bowling attack that emulated the ensembles put out by Kent and Essex in proving to be diligent and persistent but not of international class. There was a significant omission from the hosts’ attack also, for the left-armer Mark Footitt, who journeyed to Spain for Trevor Bayliss’ orientation week with England, was not selected by way of resting.If England wanted to hide their intentions for the rest of the series, the Australians were somewhat less opaque. Apart from Marsh, the rest of the batting order favoured those who had played at Cardiff and Lord’s, leaving the rest in positions that looked very much those of reserves. Shane Watson was at seven behind Mitchell Marsh and Peter Nevill, and Brad Haddin as far down as eight.Watson and Haddin found themselves batting together in the final session, and Haddin at one point called for the physio Alex Kountouris to examine some apparent tightness or cramping around the left hamstring. After a brief consultation Haddin kept on batting, and he and Watson went on to add an entertaining 66.Much as he did against Sri Lanka during the World Cup after being dropped and recalled, Watson looked far less anxious and immeasurably more fluent than he had seemed earlier in the tour and particularly in Cardiff. Watson suffered from a virus during the Lord’s Test and lost his voice – his bat was rather more fluent here to remind all present of his talent, until a leg glance too fine made its way into the wicketkeeper’s gloves.Watson’s were runs the captain Michael Clarke would dearly have liked, after watching Warner and Marsh add a more or less untroubled 154 until the swifter of the pair reached his hundred and promptly retired. Clarke wore a helmet with the neck guard that had helped prevent Rogers from suffering a heavier blow from Anderson, and looked intent on a longer stay than he had managed in either of the first two Tests.But after 37 balls and one boundary, a well-pitched delivery from the 19-year-old debutant Will Davis found the outside edge and was snaffled by Tom Knight in the slips. Clarke’s present stiffness at the crease will be a source of some concern for the coach Darren Lehmann and his batting assistant Michael Di Venuto, for it is readily apparent that he is not merely out of runs but certainly out of form.Clarke’s exit also brought a low score for Adam Voges, who was pinned in front of his stumps by Davis and trudged off lbw. He too has struggled for a score of import thus far, though it must be said he has looked more comfortable at the crease than Clarke and twice edged useful deliveries behind. Nonetheless Voges will not want to wait too much longer than Edgbaston for a score beyond 50, lest Marsh find another way into the XI other than the opener’s path that may be left open by Rogers.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly now behind in the race to sign Josh Stones this summer.

The Lowdown: Plotting move

It has previously been reported that the Teddy Bears are plotting a move to bring Stones to Ibrox, but face competition for his signature.

The striker is impressing at National League North side Guiseley, where he was scoring goals for fun earlier this term, while he also plays for England at youth level, and put in an ‘excellent‘ performance against Crystal Palace Academy last month after scoring in a 1-1 draw.

The Latest: Wigan ahead

As per Football Insider, Wigan Athletic are now leading the race to sign Stones ahead of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers.

A recruitment source has revealed that the Latics are in ‘pole position’, and are ‘favourites’ to agree a deal.

Stones ‘impressed’ during a training stint there, and the English League One club are now ‘keen’ to offer him a contract.

The Verdict: Blow

It is certainly a blow for the Teddy Bears that they now look set to miss out on Stones.

At just 18 years of age, he is clearly one for the future going by his plaudits so far and the intense interest in his services, and has already shown a lot of promise at youth level.

Stones was rewarded with a place on the bench in Guiseley’s FA Cup first-round game against League One side AFC Wimbledon back in November, who play three divisions above them, and so he is clearly destined for a good career in senior football.

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Nonetheless, the Gers will now be hoping that it is not too late to persuade him to play in Scotland instead.

In other news, find out which RFC star could now be sold to the English Premier League here!

Derbyshire have called their £22,024 profit for 2007 an “excellent result” after a season that was severely hit by poor weather and produced a £40,000 fall in gate revenue. The club had two Twenty20 matches washed out and the Chesterfield festival was postponed from mid-summer to the end of the season.”To be able to announce a strong surplus in a year so badly affected by the weather is a testament to the strong foundations we have put in place at Derbyshire,” Tom Sears, the chief executive, said. “It was important to follow the excellent results of 2006 with another year of sound financial performance and we have done that.”The weather affected all our match day revenues significantly with gate revenue down by £40,000 and this had a knock on effect with our secondary revenue streams such as retail, hospitality, bars and catering. In addition we again invested significantly in our cricket and facilities as we will continue to do.”Derbyshire have made some significant signings over the winter, bringing in Rikki Clarke as captain and also signing his former Surrey team-mate Nayan Doshi. The overseas duties will be shared between Mahela Jayawardene and Western Australia batsman Chris Rogers.

Jacob Oram last played for New Zealand in December © Getty Images

Jacob Oram has been called into the New Zealand squad for the CB Series after recovering from a hamstring injury and Kyle Mills could also be a surprise addition, according to the New Zealand camp. Oram will fly to Adelaide on Sunday ahead of the team’s must-win match against England two days later.Lindsay Crocker, the team’s manager, said the selectors would assess Mills’ chances after his performance for Auckland against Canterbury today. “If the New Zealand selectors are satisfied with his fitness and form he will also head to Adelaide,” Crocker said.Oram, who hurt his hamstring during the Test series against Sri Lanka last month, returned to first-class cricket two weeks ago. On Thursday, he impressed with an unbeaten 70 and two wickets for Central Districts against Otago.Oram said he was looking forward to the trip despite New Zealand’s poor start to the CB Series. “The guys have played in Hobart and that’s the smallest of the four venues, so we’ll be at the better and bigger parks, with more people and more abuse,” Oram told the .”So it’s a massive challenge. I’ve played over there a couple of times already and you know you’re in a fight. But, at the same time, you look at it as being the ultimate challenge in cricket. I know it’s a cliche, but it’s kinda what you play for.”However, the news wasn’t all good for New Zealand as an injury scare delayed allrounder Scott Styris’s return. He was expected to join the team before their match against England on Tuesday but had to prove his fitness by playing against Canterbury. Styris withdrew from the game after feeling a twinge in his calf muscle and will not fly to Australia on Monday. However, he could join the team later in the Commonwealth Bank series.

Lendl Simmons’s place in the side was on the line and the opener responded with a fifty and a hundred © Trinidad & Tobago Express

Cockroach ain’t ‘fraid fowl no more … again. Success at long last for Trinidad and Tobago, and when it comes so emphatically against the most dominant team in the 41 years of senior regional first-class cricket competition, it is all the sweeter.Crushing Barbados by 265 runs – their worst loss since the inception of the then Shell Shield in 1966 – in their own backyard is an impressive enough feat in itself. To do it in a must-win situation, after being dismissed for just 259 on the opening day, and so close on the heels of a shockingly poor performance against the Windwards the previous weekend, are circumstances that place this success in a context that would favourably compare with their three previous triumphs in 1970, 1971 and 1985, along with the shared title (with Barbados) in 1976.More than anything else, however, particularly in light of the successes of the national footballers in reaching the World Cup finals and the men’s hockey team in making it to next year’s Indoor World Cup, this first title in 21 years reinforces just what is possible when team spirit, discipline and commitment coincide. Make no mistake, the talent is there as it has always been. Man for man, woman for woman, this country is often superior talent-wise to their counterparts in other Caribbean territories in most sporting disciplines. Yet for any number of reasons, most of them associated with selfless dedication, we often find ourselves lamenting what could have been at the end of so many tournaments and qualifying campaigns.Mervyn Dillon is a classic case in point. The Man of the Match in this critical encounter, he lifted his team with a decisive spell late on the first evening on Thursday and, with the exception of the pre-lunch session on the second day, remained a persistent threat, crowning his return to national duty with a five-wicket haul in the second innings to finish with eight victims in the match. Just listening to the analysis of Roland Butcher, Barbadian-born former England batsman, and Henderson Wallace, former Barbados youth pacer, during the radio commentary, it was obvious that Dillon still has a lot to offer at the highest level, so threatening was he with his accuracy, pace and purpose.He will not be on the plane with the squad leaving for New Zealand tomorrow, but there can be no doubt that the selectors will be taking another close look at the 31-year-old when the second stage of the competition gets underway with the semi-finals in April. Having been dogged by inconsistency in the nine years since his Test debut, so much so that he has been dropped more times than he would care to remember, no one can be so foolish as to rush the Toco-born pacer back into the regional side for the visit of the Indians in May. No doubt a recall for this decisive clash, when it seemed his career at the national level was over, gave him the motivation, the fire and desire to produce his best. His challenge now, as it has always been, is to achieve consistency instead of inspiring all too briefly. Just as Rawl Lewis has been recalled to West Indies duty after an absence of seven years, Dillon could yet become another example of a growing phenomenon in the regional game where players are slow to achieve their full potential and actually perform best on the other side of 30.Dave Mohammed is not yet 30, but the left-arm wrist-spinner must certainly merit consideration at West Indies level again especially if, like Dillon, he maintains his prolific wicket-taking rate in April. His prospects, of course, will be dependent on how Lewis performs in New Zealand. The success in Barbados, fully deserving of all the boisterous celebrations among the players and few supporters at the Carlton Club ground yesterday morning, was a real team effort, even if the epidemic of dropped catches from the Shaw Park fiasco hasn’t been completely eliminated.Lendl Simmons’s place in the side was on the line and the opener responded with a fifty and a hundred. Dwayne Bravo emerged from a desperately poor run with an attacking second innings half-century at the top of the order that set the tone for a period of dominance that few Trinidad and Tobago fans would have enjoyed against the Bajans in their lifetime, especially in Barbados.In the last session of the second day and the first period of day three, Bravo, Simmons, Daren Ganga and Brian Lara pulverised a hapless home side in a manner usually associated with recent West Indian bowlers at the hands of international top-order batsmen. It was wonderful to see such majestic, stroke-filled batting from a national team in pursuit of an elusive title. Conditioned by years of frustration and near-misses, it was almost natural to expect that, somehow, we would find a way to mess it up. But this was a team with a different mood and a different attitude, and those two sessions revealed a commanding ruthlessness that we need to see more of.Whether it was the domineering presence of Lara, Ganga’s leadership or the behind-the-scenes work of the manager, coach and physio, all must share in the credit for this enormously satisfying moment. There will be plenty time for further analysis and charting the way forward. For the moment though, let’s just enjoy the feeling.