Cameron Borgas, the Sturt batsman, and Gary Putland, the 19-year-old fast bowler from Southern District, are likely to make their ING Cup debut for South Australia, when they take on New South Wales in their opening game on October 23. Matthew Elliott, the left-handed batsman, was included in both the ING Cup and Pura Cup squads, announced today, and is set to make his South Australia debut, after moving from Victoria.Ryan Harris, the Northern Districts allrounder, was not available for selection, owing to a knee injury he sustained during yesterday’s one-day Grade match against Adelaide. Harris is scheduled to undergo surgery today on torn cartilage in his left knee and it is still uncertain how long he will be out of action.With the introduction this season of the super-sub initiative into the ING Cup competition, South Australia will be naming a 13-man team throughout the year. Of this 13, one player will be named as the super-sub and one player the 12th man on the morning of the match.The Pura Cup match, against New South Wales, will be held on the SCG from Tuesday, October 25.Redbacks ING Cup squad
Darren Lehmann (capt), Matthew Elliott, Graham Manou (vice-captain), Callum Ferguson, Nathan Adcock, Jason Gillespie, Greg Blewett, Mark Higgs, Cameron Borgas, Gary Putland, Mark Cleary, Paul Rofe, Daniel CullenRedbacks Pura Cup squad
Darren Lehmann (capt), Daniel Cullen, Graham Manou (vice-captain), Shane Deitz, Cullen Bailey, Matthew Elliott, Greg Blewett, Callum Ferguson, Cameron Borgas, Jason Gillespie, Mark Cleary, Paul Rofe

Marlon Samuels believes his growing maturity and hard work while recovering from serious knee problems have paid off in the lead-up to the first Test against Australia. Samuels had a stunning warm-up for the three-match series when he scored 257 against Queensland at the weekend before following it up with 5 for 87.The impressive double will ensure greater responsibility as the young West Indian outfit test themselves against the world champions. “I wasn’t really surprised,” Samuels said of his efforts in the tour game. “I’ve been doing hard work and we all know hard work pays off in the end. I’ve worked on being more mature and patience is the most important thing for me at the moment.”Samuels said his greater emphasis on fitness had already shown strong results and he was in top condition. “I think it played a major part in my batting [against Queensland],” he said. “But with most of my centuries I like to go on and get a big one.”Knee problems have hampered Samuels’ Test career, which began in Australia five years ago, and the last instance of surgery occurred when he was forced to leave the South Africa tour in 2003-04. “I started out well, but if you know my story injury has played a major part in my career,” he said. “I’ve been working very hard on my knee so I can play as much as possible.”West Indies have picked a large pace contingent and Samuels expects to chip in with his part-time spin to break up the fast men’s load. “I’ve learned to vary my pace as much as possible,” he said. “I think they will get me to bowl longs spells and I’m up for it. I’m up for anything.”Samuels said the squad was close-knit and there was no lingering discontent over the team sponsorship issues that resulted in a massively under-strength side playing the Test series against Sri Lanka. He also dismissed the concerns of Michael Holding, who questioned the team’s attitude on tour.”We are spending more time together and we are working very hard as one unit,” he said. “We have a bunch of guys who are very positive and will go up against any team.”

ScorecardOn a below-par pitch at Boland Park, the Cape Cobras were beatenby four wickets by the Warriors. Without any wins in seven Standard BankCup matches, one more loss will put them out of the running for asemi-final spot. The Warriors, with this win are right back in thepicture for one of the final four spots.The Cobras were sent into bat, but they struggled to come to gripswith a pitch that produced awkward bounce. Thanks to 63 fromsuper-sub Gerhard Strydom and a partnership of 71 with Thami Tsolekile(28) they recovered from 44 for 5 to reach 172 for 9 in their 45 overs.Tyron Henderson was the major wicket-taker with 3 for 23, but it wasJustin Kreusch who had put the brakes on the scoring with nineconsecutive accurate overs of 2 for 18.Kreusch, who won the Man-of-the-Match award, scored an invaluable 58 opening theinnings and once he and Robin Peterson (47) had taken the score to 127for 2 the Warriors could almost afford to coast home, scoring the 176needed with six wickets down and seven balls to spare. Monde Zondekipicked up three late wickets for a return of 3 for 43.

Australia 5 for 318 (Martyn 70, Symonds 66, Katich 60) beat Sri Lanka 7 for 202 (Jayawardene 50) by 116 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Australia overcame an indifferent start to crush Sri Lanka by 116 runs in the opening match of this season’s VB Series at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome. Only briefly, when Australia struggled in their first 15 overs, was this even a contest but from the moment their batsmen cut loose, it became an increasingly one-sided affair. There was more than enough entertainment to keep a decent crowd amused, but it left a suspicion that Sri Lanka will struggle to retain a foothold in the competition.The game’s watershed came in the 16th over when Damien Martyn was caught off a no-ball from Chaminda Vaas. He certainly did not hear the call and was trooping off before he became aware of the reprieve. He celebrated by smacking Vaas for a massive six over cover and never looked back. With Simon Katich, he added 74 in 11 overs and Australia disappeared into the distance.Sri Lanka began brightly after putting Australia in, dismissing both Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting for 13 in a rather low-key beginning, Gilchrist missing an attempted heave over midwicket and Ponting, after an indifferent stay, gave Ruchira Perera the charge and missed. At the 15-over drinks break, Australia were 2 for 64 and Sri Lanka, coming into this match in dreadful one-day form, sniffed the slightest of openings.But the real strength of this Australian side is that it bats in depth, and that frees their batsmen to play their shots with little fear. There was a certain inevitability that Katich, who had been trying to run himself out all afternoon – surviving several close calls because the fielders kept missing the stumps – would go that way. His luck finally ended when he had made 60, Tillakaratne Dilshan scoring a direct hit after a classic yes-no mix-up with Martyn.To the crowd’s delight, that brought in Andrew Symonds, and rather than check the momentum it just resulted in it going into overdrive. It was one of those days when everything he tried came off, and even when he mistimed his strokes the end result was still the same. With Martyn he added 106 at more than a run a ball and Marvan Atapattu could do little other than shuffle his bowlers around. The outcome was the same whatever he did, although the fielding was at times sloppy – Atapattu himself dropped Martyn – and against the world champions, that’s a luxury no side can afford.

Martyn’s 64-ball 70 ended with a rather tired swish and Symonds (66 off 61) fell to a freak dismissal when his straight drive hammered into Michael Clarke’sboot and lobbed to Dilshan. It mattered little by then, and as Symonds departed he grinned at a smiling Clarke and indicated he was owed a post-match pint. You can laugh when you are cruising.Clarke and Michael Hussey then dismembered the corpse, improvising at will and smashing the ball to all parts as they added 90 in a little under 11 overs at the death.If Sri Lanka faced a daunting ask when they started their innings, it soon became almost impossible when Australia caught them cold. Brett Lee’s opening two-wicket burst and a third from Nathan Bracken all but ended this match as a contest as they slid to 3 for 31.Lee struck with his second ball, bring one back to clip Upul Tharanga’s off stump, and then in his second over Jehan Mubarak nicked one low to Ponting at second slip. With Australia’s fielding and bowling every bit as good as their batting had been, the game took on an increasingly one-sided feel, and when Kumar Sangakarra’s attempted leg-side flick looped to Clarke at mid-off, it was a question of by how much Australia would win.The remainder of Sri Lanka’s innings was of little consequence. Michael Vandort opted for crease occupation – always a good strategy in a one-day run chase – and made a turgid 48 off 117 balls before he ran himself out to end his and the crowd’s misery. Mahela Jayawardene made a breezy fifty of no consequence, James Hopes bowled a tidy spell, but it was all academic.Australia, in case anyone doubted it, looked to be back to their opposition-crushing best, but Sri Lanka have some serious issues to overcome. Since October they have won only two of the 12 ODIs they have played, and both of those have been in dead matches. On today’s evidence, that record is unlikely to improve during this series.

Adam Gilchrist lbw b Perera 13 (1 for 25)
Missed attempting swing over midwicketRicky Ponting b Perera 13 (2 for 58)
Simon Katich run out (Dilshan) 60 (3 for 132)
Damien Martyn b Fernando 70 (4 for 238)
Andrew Symonds c Dilshan b Mubarak 66 (5 for 241)

Upal Tharanga b Lee 2 (1 for 2)
Inswinger clipped off stumpJehan Mubarak c Ponting b Lee 2 (2 for 11)
Edged low to second slipKumar Sangakkara c Martyn b Bracken 16 (3 for 32)
Leading edge to attempted leg-side flick, looped to mid-offTillakaratne Dilshan b Bracken 29 (4 for 93)
Missed straight oneMichael Vandort run out (Ponting) 49 (5 for 118)
Poor judgment, well shortMarvan Atapattu c Katich b Hogg 8 (6 for 137)
Acrobatic catch above head at widish mid-offMahela Jayawardene c & b Hopes 50 (7 for 176)
Bowler held back ball, chipped return catch

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.

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.”

Scorecard

A 70-ball 72 from Piet Rinke helped Zimbabwe to a series-levelling victory in the fourth ODI against Kenya at Harare Sports Club. Zimbabwe made 231 for 9 in a match which was reduced to 44-overs-a-side by heavy overnight storms which left the outfield sodden. Their total proved more than enough as Kenya were bowled out for 122, with Ryan Higgins grabbing 4 for 21. With one match to go, there’s now everything to play for.While it had been optimistic to expect the full tally of overs to be fitted in before the light faded – two and a half hours had been lost to rain first up – Zimbabwe’s use of spinners combined with a dire collapse by Kenya meant that the game was settled just as it was getting dark.Rinke and Terry Duffin gave Zimbabwe a solid start with an opening stand of 99, and when Duffin departed Brendan Taylor kept up the tempo with a brisk 40. But, as had been the case on Wednesday, Zimbabwe’s lower middle order and tail offered little, as they lost five wickets for 14 runs at the death.The pitch was expected to give the seamers some early assistance but, if so, the Kenyans never bowled well enough to find out. Their seamers just could not find consistent line and length, and Duffin and Rinke played sensible cricket, hitting the bad ball well and not having to wait long for it.Duffin excelled with the drive, while Rinke was less orthodox, playing some rustic pulls with power but good judgement. The bowlers were unable to put any consistent pressure on them.

The batting became bogged down after Duffin’s departure – even Rinke, who ran himself out in frustration. Charles Coventry briefly threatened to break the shackles with two skimming drives for four, but didn’t last. Elton Chigumbura played some superb strokes, showing what talent he has, even though still undisciplined, and Taylor later blossomed to give Zimbabwe a good score on a slow outfield.Duffin again showed courage and enterprise as captain, bringing on offspinner Prosper Utseya for the ninth over and then adding legspinner Higgins at the other end three overs later. Higgins immediately made a crucial breakthrough by yorking Steve Tikolo and, since Kenya had fallen behind the run rate, this looked likely to seal their doom.Kennedy Otieno alone looked capable of getting the ball off the square – while those who did got out. And even though Otieno made 69, he never looked dominant. Zimbabwe’s fielding improved along with their confidence, and three of the catches taken fell into the brilliant category.A crowd of about 400 watched the match. They were lively and enthusiastic when Zimbabwe were doing well, which meant that today they had plenty to cheer about.Kenya currently are not a patch on their 2003 World Cup side, though, while the Zimbabweans might as well have come from another country, as none of their former World Cup players were in today’s team.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

A day truncated first by a wet outfield and then bad light ended saw only 27.2 overs being bowled at Napier as West Indies reached 95 for 1 thanks to sensible knocks from Daren Ganga and Brian Lara. West Indies may have been happy to have been saved by rain in the first two Tests which they lost, but their last shot at redemption was seriously jolted in the final Test.When Stephen Fleming won the toss and chose to put West Indies in at 3pm, with 47 overs to play, he held all the aces. Shane Bond had recovered fully from his illness and was firing on all cylinders, the skies were overcast and the outfield damp and slow. It was the condition of the outfield that had delayed the start of play in the first place, leaving both sides hanging. Despite all this, though, Chris Gayle and Ganga began well, as they have done more than once in this series.Gayle in particular disregarded the 0-2 Test series scoreline, coming on the back of a 1-4 hiding in the ODIs, and played some sumptuous strokes. He drove through the off side well and played his favourite pick-up shot through the on side with ease, only occasionally struggling against the pace and bounce of Shane Bond. Gayle had struck five boundaries in his 30 when a moment of indiscretion cost him his wicket. He punched Chris Martin on the up towards short cover where Peter Fulton was placed for just such a shot.After Gayle’s error in judgment a determined Lara knuckled down and blunted the New Zealand bowling. Defensive for the best part, Lara moved exaggeratedly in his crease getting right behind the line of the ball. He was able to handle the pace of Bond quite well and even unfurled an attractive cover-drive, full flourish of the MRF bat sending the ball screaming to the cover fence.Fleming, leading New Zealand for the 75th time in Tests, behind only Allan Border the former Australian great who led his team 93 times, sensed that his main fast bowlers were not getting much assistance from the conditions and threw the ball to Nathan Astle who bowled a tight line and length and kept one end very quiet. He troubled Lara with his nagging line, getting in a good lbw shout from which Lara was only saved by the height. When tea was taken, after 22 overs of play, Lara was on 17 while Ganga had reached 23 in West Indies’ 75 for 1.Soon after a tea break which both team really could have done without, considering the fact that they were cooling their heels in the dressing-room for the best part of two sessions, West Indies pressed on. They consciously looked to put runs on the board, and this almost resulted in a second wicked when Lara pushed Bond to gully and set off. Fortunately for the West Indies the shy at the stumps missed and Lara lived to battle on. He slapped Bond over point for a boundary, and two balls later, when the light was offered, the batsmen accepted it. Lara was on 28 and Ganga on 31, the second wicket partnership of 58 pushing West Indies along to 95 for 1, the score on which stumps were drawn soon after when the light situation failed to improve.

Chris Gayle c Fulton b Martin 30 (37 for 1)

Sussex have announced that Gus Mackay, currently operations director at Leicestershire, has been appointed as the club’s new chief executive to succeed Hugh Griffiths in October 2006.David Green, the Sussex Chairman, said: “After an exhaustive process we are delighted to have found Gus who has an excellent blend of business and cricket experience, with a background in finance and as a player for Zimbabwe. In recent times he has been a very effective administrator at Leicestershire and established a positive reputation for himself within county cricket”.Mackay added: “I am delighted with the appointment and look forward to leading the Club to further success both on and off the field. The challenges ahead are very exciting for all involved at the club with a new ground development. It is vital, however, that the club balances the books in the near future and continues to remain competitive in all competitions.”It is essential that we maximise the ECB’s performance related fee payments by developing English qualified players and the club has an excellent youth structure which will enable it to do so. Building on the success of Team England, we need to attract new audiences and increase participation at all levels.”Mackay will take on the role of Chief Executive in October following a three-month hand over period when he will work alongside Griffiths. “I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of the 11 years spent at Sussex in various roles,” said Griffiths, “I am delighted at the prospect of working with Gus in the future and wish him every success in his new role”.

Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMAIt seems like yesterday – well, maybe last week! – that a 16-year-old kid was charging down the pitch and hitting Abdul Qadir into the crowd. Sachin Tendulkar is 33 now, and as his career enters his last phase, he struggles with injury and a desire to play that simply isn’t matched by his physical fitness. In this interview with Dileep Premachandran, which was conducted for the , he talks about his “desire to get back into action” and “the hunger to go out there and perform.”He tells us of “sleepless nights”, of “nights full of frustration” as he waits to get back into action. He also talks of the vagaries of time, and of how he ignores what the outside world says about him. “I don’t need a newspaper to make me believe that I’ve scored a double-hundred,” he says, remembering the time a journalist asked him during the Sydney Test against Australia in 2004 if he would read the papers the next day.It’s our greatest batsman at his most candid. Listen in!Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA