It took six days of Test cricket before genuine Test match conditions were available and New Zealand had played themselves into the best position to take their second victory of the National Bank series when beating India by four wickets at Hamilton today.This will long be remembered as a Test series dominated by New Zealand’s miserable early-summer weather, where bouncy pitches were complicated by excessive sideways movement.But it will also be recalled as a series where New Zealand took their chances, and after a dreadful first day of catching in Wellington, they lifted their act so impressively that they never dropped a chance for the remainder of the series. And with so much movement creating so many edges that was crucial.Such had been the competitive nature of this match that it was the first time since England played Australia in 1981 that any batsman had failed to score a half century in a Test. Of the 13 occasions in which that statistical oddity had occurred, this was only the second time, after the Birmingham Test 21 years ago, it involved a covered pitch.Yet out of the disappointment of an uneven contest, where the conditions dictated more than any self-respecting cricket connoisseur would want, a marvellous last day emerged full of all the intensity that is associated with Test cricket at its best.India fought superbly. They lacked the firepower of New Zealand, but left-arm medium pacers Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra were outstanding, while Tinu Yohannan was accurate and unrelenting in his control.Had the match been a day older, and New Zealand chasing another 100 runs, off spinner Harbhajan Singh would have been a big player in this game. But circumstance dictated otherwise and the New Zealanders, with the same patience that has served them so well in much of their successful cricket over the last 12 months, ground down the margin until two newcomers in Jacob Oram, in his second Test, and Robbie Hart, in his fifth, were able to stay together while the last 24 runs were scored.It had been a restless morning for New Zealand. The run rate had been laborious, and rightfully so given the state of the match. But no-one in the large pre-Christmas crowd was complaining.Ninety-six runs were added in the elongated morning session, and five wickets fell – just the sort of script to have the cricket purists salivating.Lou Vincent was the first of the New Zealanders to be dismissed, hanging his bat to a ball from Yohannan that was comfortably taken by wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel. Vincent scored nine in 79 minutes and off 52 balls.Mark Richardson kept the prospect of errors to a minimum until a lovely ball from left-armer Nehra straightened up on him and took the edge to give Patel the catch. Patel’s response, and that of his team-mates suggested they were well aware of the importance of Richardson’s wicket to their own aspirations of victory.Skipper Stephen Fleming seemed to set himself to bat the team home. He worked the quick singles, and also took advantage of Khan tiring toward the end of his first spell to hit three fours in four balls.He and Craig McMillan, who was sorely in need of a good performance, had added 37 runs for the third wicket, when an attempted pull shot by Fleming, a shot that has not succeeded at all in this Test, was skied high to mid-on where Khan and bowler Nehra did their best to foul up the catching chance. But Khan was steadfast and completed the catch to dismiss Fleming for 32, scored in 87 minutes.McMillan got his scoring underway with four behind square off Yohannan and was untroubled in coming down the pitch to Harbhajan and hitting him for six over long on. Harbhajan bowled only two overs, conceding 14 runs before being taken off.But McMillan was the next man to depart, at 90, when Nehra trapped him leg before wicket for 18.Nathan Astle saw the 100-up, a vital psychological boost for New Zealand, with Scott Styris. However, five runs later he attempted to swing a leg-side ball behind square only to be beaten by the bounce, gloving the ball to Patel to be out for 14.Styris and Oram reached 120 by lunch and were going well after the break until Styris tried a cut shot against Harbhajan and had the faintest tickle taken by Patel to be out for 17 with New Zealand 136/6.Hart, playing on his home ground strode out to find Oram taking control. Oram’s batting in the two earlier innings he played showed nothing of the potential he possesses, but there was no doubt this time.A flowing cover drive from Harbhajan signalled his attitude and he backed that up with a lovely square drive to the boundary off Nehra. New Zealand couldn’t miss out and when a run out attempt of Hart, which would have been successful had it hit, produced four overthrows to take them within seven, the damage was well and truly done.The two batsmen just worked the ball around and Hart was able to flick the winning single off his hip to give New Zealand the win.The Indian pressure was outstanding and Nehra, especially, with this three for 43, kept the home team on their guard. Harbhajan really needed more runs to bowl at while Khan’s figures do not reflect the menace he represented.In the final outcome, New Zealand played the conditions best, and while they are more used to them, they certainly are not expert in dealing with the movement off the pitch that occurred in the series. They had the benefit of winning the toss in both matches, but they also had the better bowling attack under the circumstances to make best use of the conditions and that ultimately told the story of the series.

Steve Harmison’s place in England’s World Cup squad is in doubt after he twisted his ankle in the field during England’s 19-run win over Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval.Harmison, after bowling two overs which cost 27 runs, had just been taken out of the attack when he slipped while fielding at mid-on.”He’s hobbling around but the physio says it hasn’t swollen up too much,which is a good sign,” said the England captain, Nasser Hussain. “He will go for the regulation scans.”Hussain was full of praise for Andrew Caddick, who was made Man of the Match for his four wickets, two of which were taken in a key period near the end of Sri Lanka’s innings.”Andy’s had a really good couple of weeks,” Hussain enthused. “We’ve missedDarren Gough’s experience on this tour but Andy has got his rhythm andconfidence back.”The wicket in Sydney at the Test match helped him regain his confidence. The bounce at Sydney gave him his confidence back and he has always been fit, which means he will always grow as a tour continues whereas others fade away.”I thought it was the best game in the tournament so far. Sri Lanka thought they had it in the bag for a while but we used our brains well. “I think we need a point now to make the final but we’ll play our next game (against Australia in Adelaide) normally and see what we can get from it.”Caddick said: “Things are going well for me at the moment. There’s plenty of rhythm there and I’m getting the ball in the right area.”I’m quite happy to take responsibility but it would be nice for our youngerplayers to pull through and get experience under their belts.”England also had Alec Stewart to thank for another sterling performance with the bat and behind the stumps.”Alec had an excellent game and I thought he should possibly have been man ofthe match, Hussain added. “It was typical of him when in our management meeting yesterday he said he would like to bat at five. If you back yourself that much you bat at five.”Michael Vaughan justified the confidence Hussain showed in his bowling, with seven overs of off-spin at a cost of just 35 and the wicket of Chaminda Vaas.”He bowled well against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford last year and bowls well atleft-handers, tucking them up a bit, and he did well under pressure because it’sthe first time he’s bowled in a long time,” Hussain said.Both captains agreed that the turning point of match was when Sanath Jayasuriya was run out attempting a straightforward single which would have brought him his third ODI hundred in four innings.Kumar Sangakkara obstructed his captain, who was left stranded as Hussain hit the stumps from mid-off.”It was a lot closer than the result and probably the best game of the tournament so far,” Hussain said. “Our coach has told us we don’t hit the stumps enough so it was nice to hit and Sangakkara also did us a favour. That was the turning point because Sanath was playing beautifully.”Jayasuriya said: “It was the crucial thing because I was batting well. The match would have changed if I had been there but unfortunate things happen.”

Somerset County Cricket Club Junior Sabre members are all invited to go along and watch Bristol City play against Peterborough United absolutely free of charge.Over the next few days all paid up Junior Sabres members of the club will be receiving their invitation in the post from membership secretary Joanne Arnold to go along to Ashton Park in Bristol on Saturday March 15th to see the match.All Junior Sabre members have to do then to receive their free ticket is to complete the form at the bottom of their letter and return it to Jo Arnold with a stamped addressed envelope before March 5th.Accompanying adults will have to pay £10 at the turnstiles, or alternatively they can book in advance by calling the Bristol City Hotline on 0117966 6666.Earlier today the membership secretary told me: "This offer is all tied in with the link that we have developed with both Bristol City Football Club and Bristol Shoguns Rugby Club, that gives our Junior Sabre members the chance to watch top class sporting action in the region absolutely free of charge. However it is only on offer to those who have joined for the 2003 season."On the day of the match the Junior Sabres will be joined by Somerset’s friendly dragon mascot Stumpy. Several members of the playing staff are also expected to be present at Ashton Gate.Anybody who has any queries regarding the arrangements for the day should contact Jo Arnold at the County Ground on 01823 272946.

A convincing five-wicket win over Canterbury on Saturday gave Auckland their fourth consecutive State League title.The defending champion Hearts returned to Christchurch’s Redwood Park with recent memories of twice losing to the Magicians in round-robin play.Keen to avenge the losses, Hearts’ skipper Michelle Lynch won the toss and gave Canterbury first use of a bouncy pitch and lightning-fast outfield.Early breakthroughs by pace bowler Natalee Scripps and off-spinner Debbie Ramsay brought key Magicians pair Haidee Tiffen and Nicola Payne together at the crease with the score at 18 for two wickets and the innings delicately poised.A partnership of 82 runs between the TelstraClear White Ferns pair had their side well placed at 100 for two when a low, diving catch by Emily Drumm in the covers sent Tiffen back to the pavilion for 38.Payne, who had struck some crisp straight drives and was punishing of anything short, followed soon after for 34 when Rebecca Rolls gloved a fine edge off Scripps.The Magicians middle and lower-order were unable to sustain any momentum as the last eight wickets fell for 42 runs.Capable left-hander Maria Fahey was left stranded on 13 not out as run outs and the medium pace of Helen Watson, with two for 31 from 10 overs, claimed the final wickets.Scripps finished with the impressive figures of three for 13 from 8.3 overs as the Magicians were all out for 142 in the 47th over, no doubt grateful for the Heart’s contribution of 17 wides.Hearts’ opener Rolls signaled how she was going to go about chasing the meagre total with a cracking back foot drive for four through cover point from the first ball of the innings.In a player of the match performance, Rolls peppered the boundary and dominated the scoring, putting on 33 for the first wicket with Lynch and 67 with Drumm for the second.A premeditated sweep shot lead to her demise on 82, bowled by left-armer Helen Daly with the score at 132.In similar fashion to the Magicians, the Hearts’ middle-order made hard work of scoring the remaining 11 runs, losing two more wickets before Watson finished the match with a boundary through the covers in the 38th over.

With the staff covering the ground to protect it from the driving wind and rain the County Ground in Taunton was a sorry place to be on Tuesday morning.After some of the best ever weather for this time of year, the day before the Cidermen play their first pre-season three day friendly against Glamorgan, the heavens opened and the players were sadly confined to indoor nets in the Centre of Excellence.As he sat looking out across the windswept ground former Somerset favourite Peter Robinson explained that April 1st was a bit of a special occasion for him. "This is my first day as a part timer here since I joined the club all those years ago, and it’s just about typical that it’s pouring down with rain. Still I suppose one good thing is that it will help to germinate my parsnip seeds!" he told me.The former Worcestershire player who made the journey down the A38 in 1965 has held almost every job that there is at the club since then, including being first team coach during the `Glory Years’ when Somerset tasted the first success of their long and colourful history.Since 1999 one of `Robbo’s’ major responsibilities has been that of Ground Safety Officer at the club, a job that has increased considerably since he took it on.Earlier this year he celebrated his sixtieth birthday and decided that it was time to relinquish the post and give himself more time to concentrate on doing the job he enjoys most, cricket coaching.`Robbo’ told me: "The Ground Safety Officer’s job started in 1999 with the World Cup, and since then it has just got more and more to do, so I wasn’t sorry to hand it over yesterday to somebody else."However the former Somerset all rounder will not be lost to the club. When I spoke to him he had just finished working with a group of youngsters from Minehead Middle School who were working at the Playing for Success Centre at the County Ground as part of the Exmoor Extension Project.He told me: "I shall have more time to coach cricket now, and will spend time working on one on one and group sessions, as well as continuing my role as cricket secretary which involves sorting out the second eleven fixtures, dealing with the cricket balls and other jobs on match days."`Robbo’ is also the official coach to the Somerset Women’s Cricket team, which includes the Somerset Under 17 and Under 15 Girls teams, and on Wednesday evening he will be attending their pre season meeting in Taunton.The job of Ground Safety Officer at Somerset County Cricket Club has been taken over by Paul Bulbeck.The former police inspector who lives in Taunton is the father of left arm seamer Matt, and his son in law Guy Wolfenden works in the Centre of Excellence at the County Ground, so he is certainly no stranger to the Somerset cricket scene.

Jimmy Maher blasted a century in his maiden first-class innings for Australia as the tourists took control of the three-day tour match against the University of West Indies XI in Barbados.Maher, also playing as a makeshift wicketkeeper, hit 142 from 187 deliveries in a double-century stand with Justin Langer (96) which ensured Australia was the only team with a realistic chance of winning at the seaside ground at Cave Hill.At stumps on the second day, the University XI was 2-32 in its second innings – trailing Australia by 36 runs after captain Steve Waugh declared at 6-358 in the first innings.Maher continued his impressive match after taking two catches and making one stumping on Saturday while top ‘keeper Adam Gilchrist rested ahead of Thursday’s third Test against the West Indies at nearby Kensington Oval.The 29-year-old Queenslander belted 21 fours and one six, hitting out on the lush surface before he was caught off the bowling of invited Kenyan spinner Collins Obuya.Langer’s knock was encouraging ahead of the third Test, although the West Australian has been dogged by controversial LBW decisions this tour.He was within sight of his second century of the month before given out LBW to Ricardo Powell (2-66) after batting for almost four hours.Waugh received valuable time in the middle after not batting during the second Test victory in Trinidad last week.The 37-year-old made a solid 46 in 95 minutes while Martin Love (10) and Michael Clarke (eight) failed against the enthusiastic University attack led by former Test quick Corey Collymore (2-54).The University XI made a disastrous start to its second innings later in the day when recalled Test batsman Chris Gayle was run out without scoring.Brad Williams (1-7) then bowled Jason Haynes (two) to complete a satisfying day for the Australians.The Australians would hope to race through the University batting line-up to restrict their time in the sticky conditions ahead of the Test.

Somerset Sabres are off the mark in National Cricket League Division Two after they beat Nottinghamshire Outlaws by 49 runs(Duckworth Lewis method)to give their supporters something to cheer about in the 45 over game.After being put into bat the Sabres at last found their Sunday batting form when they posted an enormous 293 for 4 from 35 overs, after the game had been shortened because of the rain, thanks to a fine century from Jamie Cox and valuable fifties from debutant Carl Gazzard and new boy James Bryant.The Sabres innings got off to a flying start with makeshift opener Gazzard, who was playing in place Aaron Laraman and Cox taking runs with ease. However after putting on 131in the 16th over Gazzard gave a catch to wicket-keeper Chris Read off his fellow Cornishman Charlie Shreck and was out for 58, which contained one magnificent six off Aussie Test bowler Stuart MacGill and nine fours.Keith Dutch bought up the 150 with a leg glance off Gareth Clough, and added a bright and breezy 26, before the players left the field for rain. First ball back after the break MacGill tempted Dutch to a give a catch to the wicket-keeper.New batsman James Bryant stood and watched as Cox hit MacGill for a six and a four over square leg and then saw his partner bring up the 200 in the next over.The Tasmanian went to his century in some style when he hit MacGill over the Ridley Stand into the St James Churchyard and had moved onto 110 to equal his National League highest when he went down the wicket to Clough to became another victim for wicket keeper Read. As he walked back to the pavilion he received a standing ovation from the good sized crowd.Bryant and Ian Blackwell added a swift 45, the left hander contributing 23 including six into the churchyard before he was bowled by Smith. Bryant went to his fifty with the first ball of the final over, by the end of which the Sabres had reached 293 for 4, by far their Sunday best so far this season.Chasing a revised total of 315 under the Duckworth Lewis method the Outlaws appeared to be cruising towards an unlikely victory as Jason Gallian (69) and Usman Afzaal (105) put on 161 in 17 overs for the third wicket. Gallian then fell to a superb catch by Simon Francis at long on who appeared almost from nowhere to take the chance.However from 201 for 3 the Outlaws collapsed to 265 all out, with Gareth Andrew and Francis ending with three wickets apiece to see the Sabres home to their first NCL victory of the season.At the end of the game coach Kevin Shine told me: ” After today’s match you have to say that the game is pushing the boundaries out, and you are left wondering what is a safe score to defend.”He continued: “However we did mount some scoreboard pressure after posting our total, which was not easy for our batters after the interruptions that there were in our innings.””Carl Gazzard had a fine debut, and took his chance when it came along which is what it is all about. It was great to see Jamie Cox back in that sort of form, and there were some responsible contributions from several of the others to set them a big total to chase. Then when we fielded we dealt with the pressure and took some vital catches,” he concluded.Regarding his first appearance for the county at this level Gazzard told me: “It was amazing really, and I must admit that I felt a bit nervous to start with, but I soon put that behind me. I only knew that I was playing late in the morning when Aaron Laraman dropped out, so I didn’t have much time to think about it.”He continued: “We had such a good start and Jamie was a great help to me, he kept me going. I tried to treat every ball on it’s merits, it didn’t matter to me who was bowling it , even though they had Test bowlers like Australian MacGill and South African Steven Elworthy.playing for them.””It was just a perfect start for me, and having got to where I did I would have liked to have gone on and got a hundred! However tomorrow I will be playing for the Seconds in a two day match at Bristol, and I will have another chance to score some more runs,” the youngster said.

Duncan Fletcher will continue to combine his role of head coach with that of tour manager in all of England’s overseas series.Following a report from the ECB on the 2002/03 Ashes series, the proposal for a separate tour manager was rejected.Dennis Amiss, the International Teams Management Group (ITMG) chairman, produced the report which also recommended measures to be taken to improve day-to-day communications on tour. As a result, Fletcher will report directly to John Carr, the ECB’s director of cricket operations, rather than to the chief executive.Carr is to receive a daily bulletin from Phil Neale, the team operations manager, and new protocols are to be put in place to ensure the management, ECB personnel and the Professional Cricketers Association are appropriately updated on administration and injury news.

A career can end in many ways. Some prefer a planned exit, others an impromptu departure. Some retire too quickly, others too slowly. Some Asian cricketers drag out their demise, eking out every morsel of acclaim and monetary reward. The bigger they come the slower they fade. Kapil Dev and Javed Miandad are two prime examples. This is not just an Asian trait, but it certainly runs more strongly in our blood.Such dithering can become a little bothersome for a cricket board intent on a clearout. What to do with a great cricketer who won’t let the fat lady sing? The answer is genius in its simplicity: announce a farewell match and stop the debate. The question is, why has nobody thought of it before? And the man with a chance to go down in history as a pioneer is Waqar Younis.Waqar has had some difficulty in the last few months. He hasn’t quite got the message. After Pakistan’s abysmal World Cup performance it seemed inevitable that he would retire from international cricket. Indeed, if Pakistan were to fail in the World Cup, a bad failure probably suited the purposes of the Pakistan Cricket Board best. Off the record, Pakistan officials will admit that it was a relief – they now had a mandate for change.Instead Waqar vowed to fight for his place, with a return to county cricket as part of his comeback plan. But in the meantime Pakistan’s young fast bowlers have rendered Waqar obsolete. And the recent public tiff between Waqar and Shoaib Akhtar underscores the painful tussle between old warhorses and young bucks that has paralysed Pakistan cricket over the last year. In offering Waqar a farewell home game against South Africa the message from the Pakistan Cricket Board is clear and simple: thank you and goodnight. The subtext is that this is Waqar’s best chance of a dignified exit, whereas the alternative is adding his name to the long list of great Asian cricketers who have departed with acrimony.It is touching too that this planned farewell will be hand in glove with Wasim Akram’s. Together they formed the most potent fast-bowling partnership in the history of Asian cricket, perhaps in world cricket. Together they will reward their fans with a final hurrah. Wasim, as ever, has shown a shrewder touch. Sensing that the mood was against him, Wasim announced his retirement and was instantly rewarded with a farewell game. During the NatWest Challenge in England I asked Wasim if he thought he should be playing. His reply? "I’ve had my time. It is time for the youngsters to enjoy themselves in the middle."Waqar should have taken a hint from Wasim’s retirement. Now the ignominy of having a farewell game foisted upon him can only be surpassed if he refuses to accept this unique offer. Waqar’s glittering career has brought many records. But there are no more on the horizon, except the dubious one of the first forced farewell. Waqar has still not accepted the Pakistan board’s proposal. He should. The selectors have said goodnight to Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram. Against South Africa in Pakistan it will be time for thank you.Kamran Abbasi, born in Lahore, brought up in Rotherham, is deputy editor of the British Medical Journal.

Muttiah Muralitharan has admitted that he feared an abrupt end to his cricket career after being called for chucking by Darrell Hair in 1995-96. In an exclusive interview published in the August issue of Wisden Asia Cricket, Murali gave a detailed account of the controversy, and how the Sri Lankan board, Arjuna Ranatunga and the rest of the team helped him overcome the crisis.

“I was shocked,” Murali said, remembering the occasion when he was first no-balled by Hair. “I had never considered the possibility of my action being illegal. I first thought they [the Australians] were scared of me, and that it was just one umpire. But when Emerson and the other guy called me again, I wondered if there might be a problem.”Deep down I believed everything was all right because throwing and bowling are completely different: one requires the shoulder and the other the elbow. You can feel the difference. But there were times when I thought that it might be the end of my career. I thought: `I can’t change my action … this is how I have bowled from the start.’ I even considered taking up legspin as I can bowl that pretty well.”Murali survived that tour, but it wasn’t the end of his ordeal. When Sri Lanka toured Australia next – in 1998-99 – he was called for chucking again, despite having been cleared by the University of Western Australia. Having experienced the situation once, Murali was much better prepared the second time around.”We expected that,” said Murali, recounting the incident. “Leading up to the match we knew it was going to happen. In 1995-96, it had been a shock – Hair had even umpired me before that Boxing Day Test and not called me or indicated any problem. So in the next tour it was not a problem for me. Yes, we were disappointed, and Arjuna was very upset, but it was not so much of a problem for me.”Murali also spoke about how Ranatunga, the captain on both those tours, supported him throughout the controversy. “The cricket board, Arjuna, Aravinda (de Silva) and the team all gave me their full backing and that reduced my fears. He [Ranatunga] really pushed the cricket board, and maybe he did save my career.”Despite his altercations with Hair, Murali said that he shared a cordial relationship with Hair. “We said hello in the matches where he has officiated since. There is no problem. People make mistakes and that episode is now gone for me. I want to look forward.”