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Tom Moody, the Kings XI Punjab coach, has said Wednesday’s clash against the Mumbai Indians his team’s “biggest” test in the Indian Premier League.Punjab have seven wins out of 10 games so far, which puts them second in the points table, but Moody felt the job was far from over as far as entry into the semi-finals was concerned.”(Only) Rajasthan Royals are so far in the box seat, but we’ve got some hard work to do. The game against Mumbai is going to be the biggest of the tournament for us”, Moody said as Punjab underwent a light training session at the Wankhede stadium.Mumbai became the first team in the tournament to notch six straight wins, a streak Punjab themselves were close to achieving when they strung together five in a row. Moody said his conversations with his team focused on the aspect of building on each victory. “I was telling the boys we need to focus on winning every game because momentum is very important.”Despite having beaten Mumbai by a comprehensive 66-run margin, Moody warned against complacency, saying his new-ball bowlers will once again play a crucial role in warding the batsmen away.”Their (Sreesanth and Pathan) performance has been crucial as they’ve taken wickets up front, used the new ball well and come back at the end,” he said. “It is said to be a batsmen’s game but bowlers have bounced back really well after initial beating they got which has made Twenty20 more interesting.”Sanath Jayasuriya, currently the fourth-highest run-getter, remains the biggest threat but Moody spoke of the plans they have for him and Sachin Tendulkar. “We are very much aware of Jayasuriya’s strengths and weaknesses. We know where to bowl to him but it’s about execution. We are happy that we bowled against him at Mohali [where Jayasuriya was caught and bowled by Brett Lee for 1] and hope to do the same here as well.”As for Tendulkar Moody said the presence of some of his India team-mates who “know his strengths at least” will prove to be crucial as that knowledge which could be used in making plans.

The ECB has cancelled next summer’s tour by Zimbabwe and suspended all bilateral arrangements with the Zimbabwe board.The news came minutes after Gordon Brown, the prime minister, told the House of Commons that he wanted the tour scrapped. “We want to ensure that Zimbabwe does not tour England next year and we will call for other countries to join us in banning Zimbabwe from the Twenty20 international tournament,” he said.In a short statement, Colin Gibson, the ECB’s head of corporate communications, said: “The ECB deplores the position in Zimbabwe and, like Cricket South Africa, finds this untenable. Therefore all bilateral arrangements are suspended with Zimbabwe Cricket with immediate effect.”The government has written to the ECB today and has made a clear instruction that Zimbabwe’s bilateral tour scheduled under the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2009 should be cancelled.”The ECB, which has been in constructive and extensive dialogue with the department for culture, media and sport for some time, welcome the government’s decision and share the government’s concerns about the deteriorating situation and lack of human rights in Zimbabwe.”Andy Burnham, the culture, media and sport secretary, told the ECB the government had “concluded that it would not be right to allow the proposed tour [to England] by Zimbabwe Cricket in 2009 to take place. The government has previously called on the ICC to reconsider its rules to allow teams to forfeit tours to countries, such as Zimbabwe, where serious human rights abuses are occurring. Unfortunately the ICC has declined to do so. Therefore, the government has decided to make it clear that it will take all necessary steps to prevent players from Zimbabwe from participating in that tour.”The ECB is now looking at identifying a replacement for the tour, which is scheduled to take place before the ICC World Twenty20 next June. “It’s a great relief in many ways,” said England’s one-day captain, Paul Collingwood. “It’s been going on since 2001, since I’ve been playing cricket [for England] and it’s good that it’s been taken out of our hands.”

SHARJAH, Oct 16: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s decision to call up Shahid Afridi as a replacement for ‘out of commission’ Abdul Razzaq to face the rampaging Australians in the third Test is another mind-boggling step which defies logic.This only confirms PCB’ management’s incompetency and lack of imagination.Shahid, who arrived here early Wednesday, first of all should have been in the original team. He was overlooked for reasons better known to the PCB selectors and the top management.Shahid’s record as an all-rounder at Test level is better than Razzaq’s. Even the unavailability of Razzaq is no excuse to replace him with Shahid as the second all-rounder Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan is in the original squad and so far done nothing but act as a “drinks carrier”.In case the PCB’s blundering management decided to use Shahid as an opener in place of a mediocre Imran Nazir there is already a third opener in the squad – Imran Farhat – who should be given a chance because he too was regarded as a better option than Shahid in the first instance by the selectors.It is certain that Shahid will play in Saturday’s Test. The all-rounder will be under tremendous pressure to perform well in this one-off given to him. And if he fails with the bat here then the selectors and the team management should be blamed.One cannot expect a player of even a bigger stature than Shahid to performhis best when the team’s morale is so low and especially when the rivals are the world’s best side. So it seems that Shahid is once again being sacrificed by PCB.With the series already decided, another victory for Australia will give them a second clean sweep against Pakistan, which is the most likely outcome barring a mini-miracle from beleaguered Waqar Younis’ boys.And the Aussies are determined to heap further humiliation on Pakistan by winning sixth successive Test success, a perfect retort to uncalled for empty threats from Shoaib Akhtar and coach Richard Pybus.The Australians did their talking on the field and the result of the second Test amply illustrated the steely determination of Steve Waugh and his colleagues.Majority of the diehard Pakistan team’s followers believe that the third Test is not going to last the distance as Waqar’s boys are not in the same league as the Australians. They are not accepting PCB’s excuses that the team tackling Aussies is short of experience.Another example of PCB’s bowing to player power is Razzaq’s presence here when he should have been flown back to Pakistan to give his injured wrist time to heal. Why he is still wandering around Sharjah and Dubai shopping centres with his left hand in sling is anybody’s guess.And as he has been ruled out playing cricket for six weeks there is no justification of him being with the team as one of its members.Reuters adds: Wicket-keeper Rashid Latif has been passed fit to play in the final Test.The former Pakistan captain was unable to keep wicket in the humiliating second Test defeat because of a muscle spasm in his back.Rashid, who went for an MRI scan on Tuesday said: “The scan showed no major problems, and the problems which surfaced will be treated with ultra sound, massage and icing.”I have started training and will play the third Test as wicketkeeper and batsman.”

Pakistan’s second innings total of 53 in the recent second test matchagainst Australia at Sharjah is their record lowest completed innings total in test cricket. Unfortunately the team had already suffered the agony of scoring their previous lowest score of 59 in the first innings of the same match. There is no other example for a team to have suffered such humiliation in recent times.Presented below is a list of Pakistan’s completed innings totals below 100 followed by their lowest innings totals against each opponent:

Completed Innings Total Below 100Total Opponent Venue Series53 Australia Sharjah 2002-0359 Australia Sharjah 2002-0362 Australia Perth 1981-8277 West Indies Lahore 1986-8787 England Lords 195492 South Africa Faisalabad 1997-98Lowest Innings Total against each opponentOpponent Total Venue SeriesAustralia 53 Sharjah 2002-03West Indies 77 Lahore 1986-87England 87 Lords 1954South Africa 92 Faisalabad 1997-98New Zealand 102 Faisalabad 1990-91Zimbabwe 103 Peshawar 1998-99India 116 Banglore 1986-87Sir Lanka 132 Colombo (CCC) 1985-86Bangladesh 465-9dec Chittagong 2001-02Lowest Completed Innings Total for other TeamsTeam Total Opponent Venue SeriesNew Zealand 26** England Auckland 1954-55South Africa 30 England Birmingham 1924Australia 36 England Birmingham 1902India 42* England Lords 1974England 45 Australia Sydney 1886-87West Indies 51 Australia Port of Spain 1998-99Zimbabwe 63 West Indies Port of Spain 1999-2000Sri Lanka 71 Pakistan Kandy 1994-95Bangladesh 90 Sri Lanaka Colombo 2000-2001** Lowest in test cricket* Batted one man short

For the second time in a few days, a side chasing a large total has found itself five wickets down and in trouble before coming through to win at the last gasp. On Saturday at Lord’s it was India who extricated themselves from what appeared to be a losing situation. Now Yorkshire have done the same thing against Essex at Chelmsford in the quarter-final of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy to avenge their Benson and Hedges Cup defeat on the same ground at the same stage of that competition in May. This time Yorkshire won by virtue of losing fewer wickets with the scores level.Batting first, Essex reached 283 for nine, which was not quite as many as at one time looked likely. After Nasser Hussain had fallen early, Darren Robinson and Jon Dakin put on 72 for the second wicket before Dakin was run out by a combination of ridiculous running and a piece of brilliance from Michael Vaughan who threw down the wicket on the run from square leg.There were sizable contributions from Andy Flower (75), Ronnie Irani (32) and Aftab Habib (40) and a total in excess of 300 looked likely at that point, but Yorkshire captain Darren Lehmann brought himself into the attack to make life difficult for the batsmen and restrict Essex to their eventual total. They would have envisaged another twenty or thirty runs at the midway stage of their innings.Irani himself struck twice to remove the Yorkshire openers with only 22 on the board. Vaughan and Lehmann were on course to repair the damage after Chris Silverwood had gone for a rapid 37, before Lehmann was bowled by former Yorkshire off-spinner James Middlebrook. When Vaughan followed for 42 and Yorkshire were 155 for five, the game looked to be all over.That was when Gary Fellows joined Anthony McGrath. Batting with great common sense and by taking at least a single off very nearly every ball, they brought down the asking rate down to manageable proportions. Even so, they got to the last over, bowled by Dakin, needing four to win. That became two from two balls, and they got a single off the fifth ball of the over to bring the scores level and to ensure that Yorkshire got into the semi finals because they had only lost five wickets to the nine of Essex when the scores were level off a final dot ball.The other quarter final – Kent against Gloucestershire at Canterbury – was not nearly as tense. Gloucestershire were in trouble from the outset. After Kim Barnett and Craig Spearman had taken the score along to 17, pace bowler Martin Saggers struck three times in an over. He had Spearman caught by Mark Ealham, Ian Harvey caught by James Tredwell second ball and then, two balls later, bowled Tim Hancock.It took a century partnership for the sixth wicket between Barnett and Jack Russell before Gloucestershire even glimpsed a total that might have caused Kent problems. But then Barnett was out for 108, Russell went for 66 and a total of 232 for eight never looked to be quite enough.That view was confirmed when Matthew Fleming and Robert Key put on 72 for the first wicket, with Fleming taking only 42 balls for his 53. Key and James Hockley soon followed and it was left to Andrew Symonds (47) and David Fulton (43 not out) to restore order and put the innings back on course. Symonds was run out and Barnett turned bowler to dismiss Matthew Walker before Paul Nixon used his experience to score an undefeated 39 to steer Kent home with five wickets and more than five overs to spare.

It took an innings of raw courage, as much as instinctive class, from Brian Lara, and high-quality bowling by the constantly improving Pedro Collins for the West Indies to overcome Kenya’s spirited challenge in the ICC Champions Trophy yesterday.It ended with a distressed Lara in a Colombo hospital for the second time in nine months, awaiting tests on suspected hepatitis, a liver ailment.During the West Indies tour here last December, he fractured and dislocated his left elbow in an on-field accident that kept him out of the game for four months.Careless Kenyan fielding that missed the double world record-holder at 37, 45 and 61 on his way to 111 – and, less significantly, Shivnarine Chanderpaul at three and 36 in his laboured 40 off 76 balls – also aided the West Indies to get home by 29 runs.Had they not converted a clear chance of victory into a stunning, last-ball loss to South Africa in their opening match last Friday, the result would have booked their semifinal place.That possibility is now beyond their control, depending as it does on Kenya somehow upsetting South Africa on Friday.Summoning the willpower to survive the physical torment that he clearly endured throughout his two-and-a-half hours in the middle, Lara defied the sweltering 35-degree heat and high humidity to compile his 15th One-Day International hundred.His first, unconvincing, 50 took him 80 deliveries as he battled against the illness that began to take hold the previous day.Although needing the on-field attention of his non-playing teammates and lying flat on his back, panting uncomfortably, during the refreshment break, he plundered his next 61 runs off a mere 41.It was acceleration, complemented by Ramnaresh Sarwan’s busy, run-a-ball 20 and Wavell Hinds’ two breathtaking sixes in 20 from just seven balls, that gave the innings an emphatic conclusion.The last five overs yielded 56 runs, boosting the 50-overs total to 260 for six. Kenya were bowled out with five balls left, for 232.Collins, offering nothing to the batsmen with his controlled, accurate left-arm movement, immediately set Kenya back with a wicket in his second over, bowling Kennedy Obuya round his legs.Every time he was called back to check Kenya’s worrying advance, led by captain Steve Tikolo’s 93 off 91 balls with nine fours, the left-armer responded with a restraining spell.His figures when he appropriately formalised the result with the first ball of the last over by bowling Martin Suji were 9.1-4-18-3. They were his best in the shorter game. Not many have had better.On a pitch of slow pace offering encouraging turn, batting was never straightforward. Chanderpaul, as he did against South Africa, made it seem as difficult as wringing water from stone. Until he finally found his range, and rode his luck, it also mocked Lara’s timing.The off-spin of Maurice Odumbe, Man Of The Match in Kenya’s unforgettable win over the West Indies in the World Cup six years ago, and Tikolo, another survivor from that time, and the leg-spin of Collins Obuya presented the main problems.Odumbe gave up only 21 from his ten overs for the wicket of Chanderpaul, caught behind cutting for 40 in the 29th over.At the start, the faster bowlers kept Chris Gayle scoreless his first 15 balls but the tall left-hander then lashed two long sixes off successive balls from Thomas Obuya, one of three Kenyan brothers in the side – two named Obuya and the other Otieno. He had made 33 off 42 balls when he topedged a catch. For the next 17.4 overs, as they added 55, Chanderpaul and Lara could hardly get the ball off the square, so the West Indies were only 115 for two when Chanderpaul went.At Hooper’s dismissal in the 41st, caught at deep midwicket, they were 179 for three but Lara was then finding his range, finishing with two sixes and eight fours when bowled by Tikolo with 11 balls remaining in spite of his distress. Sarwan and Hinds simply added to the momentum.Collins apart, the early West Indies bowling was ragged, as Tikolo, long since proven a batsman of Test quality, made it look even more so.

B & H Quarter Final
Gloucestershire CCC v Worcestershire CCC
at Bristol on Tuesday 21st May 2002
Ticket are on sale in the Club Office priced at:

Adults £12.00OAP £9.00Under 16 £6.00

For more details please call the Ticket Office on 0117 910 8010

Pitch punditry is best practiced with extreme caution. Few present at Chelmsford could have anticipated that Essex would roar to 262/9 in their Benson and Hedges Cup semi-final with Worcestershire. Ronnie Irani smashed 57, with Andy Flower hitting a mature 45 after Nasser Hussain’s rollicking 35 put Worcester on the back foot. It was only a late order collapse which prevented Essex turning a good total into an excellent one.Essex captain Irani glanced ruefully at the dressing-room as Graeme Hickinserted the home side on a green top. Torrential rain yesterday hamperedpreparations, and the pitch looked damp with tufts of live grass. Heavy cloud cover, and Allan Donald opening the bowling should have spelled trouble for Essex.In the event it was Kabir Ali, and poor running between the wickets, which prevented a massive score. Kabir, the leading bowler in England this year, bowls a skiddy away-swinger with admirable accuracy. He was more effective than Donald at the death, finishing with 4-34. David Leatherdale and Stuart Lampitt also helped to keep the brakes on.A mixture of poor bowling, excellent timing and agricultural heaving coupledwith what was, in essence, a fairly docile pitch helped Essex into a potentially winning position. The drizzle which delayed play by four hoursmeans that a result will probably not be attainable tonight. Play can continue until 8pm, by which time the direction of the game should be a little clearer.Putting all thoughts of the pitch aside, Nasser Hussain took advantage of anawful opening spell from Alamgir Sheriyar. The England skipper hit fourboundaries in a row, two cover-drives, one through point, and a hooked six.At the other end, Donald was accurate without being unplayable.Kabir Ali replaced Sheriyar, and the youngster immediately found his length.Bowling with a little nip, Kabir hit the seam, moving the ball away from theright-hander. Sure enough, Kabir claimed the first success, Hussain brilliantly caught above his head by Anurag Singh at mid-on.Graham Napier joined Darren Robinson, the pair initially unable to keep themomentum Hussain had set. Stuart Lampitt was his usual miserly self, thoughKabir looked the more threatening. After attempting several lusty blows, Napier was caught by Lampitt at long-on from the bowling of Sheriyar. Andy Flower announced his arrival with a classy straight drive and a lazy clip over the leg side to the fence. Robinson’s stoic 46 ended with a misjudged single, and fast work by David Leatherdale negated the need for the third umpire.While Flower’s runs came with an almost nonchalant ease, Irani was all hustle and bustle. Eager to go over the top, he hammered Donald over long-on as Flower turned the strike over regularly. Irani’s first six would have looked good on the baseball diamond, a mighty heave over mid-wicket from a Lampitt full toss. A mid-pitch mix-up ended Flower’s knock, Leatherdale claiming his second run-out with an easy run to the stumps. Not one to brood for long, Irani launched the hapless Sheriyar – who had already missed two catches – over the on-side for six.Irani celebrated his fifty with another huge six, Sheriyar dispatched overlong-on again. Next ball, thinking the ball had passed `keeper Steve Rhodes,Irani left his ground. Rhodes whipped off the bails to end an innings whichmust leave the Essex faithful wondering why Irani is not in England’s one-day set-up. A third run-out saw Aftab Habib floundering, bringing big-hitting Jon Dakin to the wicket. An impressive death spell from Kabir bought three more wickets, as Dakin and England player Paul Grayson failed to capitalise.Despite a disappointing end, Essex will be delighted with their final total.Worcestershire’s strong batting line-up are capable of anything, but thehome side should be confident of a trip to Lord’s.

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said on Tuesday that his lean phase with the bat was over, and expressed confidence of striking form again in the coming Zimbabwe series. “I failed in only one series (in the recent one against Australia)…there is a lot of talk going on….I have been around for five years. It’s the first time I have struggled. This is bound to happen…it’s past now,” Ganguly said.Stating that he was now looking forward to the series against Zimbabwe, Ganguly told reporters after the morning session in the ongoing conditioning camp at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore that he was working hard on his cricket the same way as he used to do before. “I am pretty positive about the nextseries,” he said.”It is important to take forward the good work done against the Australians. We played well against Australia. We hope to continue that in Zimbabwe. If we play well, I don’t think there is any reason why we should not win.”Stating that the Zimbabwe series was going to be challenging, he said “Zimbabwe is a good side. They are a much improved side than what they were. They are a formidable side at home.”Asked if the Test series win over the mighty Australians had given the Indians a new confidence, he said “Every win gives you confidence. It’s important winning abroad.”Ganguly indicated that Samir Dighe was going to be the first choice as far as wicket-keeping is concerned. “Samir Dighe has done well in the series against Australia. He has probably won the series for us. He has also scored important runs. He should be a handy prospect for Zimbabwe.”Ganguly said the team would be picked on May 17, but its final composition would be decided only after reaching Zimbabwe.On the preparatory camp here, he said “it has been organised well and the players are working hard. The facilities are fantastic and the climate is superb.” The players were also practising yoga in the camp. “I think yoga is good for the body and the mind. You stretch a lot better.”Declining to compare coach John Wright with any other coach, he said “He (Wright) is a good man. He is gelling well with the team. All the boys have a good rapport with him.” Ganguly also refused to discuss India’s prospects in the tri-series involving the West Indies, saying “it is too far (away).”He said he did not see any problem if the wicket favoured seamers in Zimbabwe. “That’s going to help us. We have some fast bowlers in the team. It is important to put enough runs on the board for seamers to take wickets.”On the Indian team’s hectic international schedule in the next few months, Ganguly said: “You got to accept it. You are playing professionally for India. The itinerary is fixed. You play ten years of international cricket and should make the most out of it.”

Nepal is to host the Asian Cricket Council Under-19 Tournament fornon-Test playing countries which will be played in Kathmandu fromOctober 11 to 18.Eight nations will compete in the tournament which serves as aqualifying competition for the ICC Under-19 Tournament for associatemembers.The countries participating in the tournament, being hosted by theNepal Cricket Association, are the UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Maldives,Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Nepal. Pakistan’s Sultan Rana has beenappointed as the tournament director while four umpires from AsianTest playing countries and as many referees will supervise thematches.The same number of umpires and match referees will also be picked fromthe participating countries.