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Only three quarter-final places have been sealed going into the final round of Super League matches. Two others will be taken by teams coming up from the Plate League, which will be decided through the Plate semi-finals that will be played at the same time as the seventh round of league matches. Bengal will take on Goa and Himachal Pradesh will face Madhya Pradesh in the Plate League semi-finals. That leaves three spots still up for grabs, with five teams fighting for them. One of them, Uttar Pradesh, will not even be playing in the last round. Cricinfo looks at possible scenarios, and what these teams need to do to make it to the next round.

Group A

Mumbai and Gujarat are already through, and the fight for third place is between Saurashtra and Delhi. Saurashtra currently lead Delhi by one point, both have the same number of outright wins, and Saurashtra have a much better run-quotient.Saurashtra, 18 points, face Hyderabad in Rajkot

• They are the one team who can manage to qualify without having to keep an eye on what Delhi do.
• If they win with a bonus point, they would have put it across Delhi.
• If they win without a bonus point, Delhi would need to win with a bonus point to force a tie. In that case, Saurashtra could benefit from their superior run-quotient at present: 1.440, as opposed to Delhi’s 0.926.
• In other cases, Saurashtra need do only as well as Delhi do, and they will be through.
• Even if Saurashtra lose their match, they have an outside chance if Delhi manage only one point from their match.

Delhi, 17 points, face Rajasthan in Jaipur

• No matter what Delhi do, they will have to wait for the result in Rajkot.
• Even if they win with a bonus point, a win for Saurashtra can force a tie.
• If they win without a bonus point, they would have to hope Saurashtra do not win their match.
• If they manage only a first-innings lead, Saurashtra must concede the first-innings lead in their match.
• If they concede a first-innings lead, Saurashtra have to lose outright, and the matter is decided by run-quotient.
• If they lose outright, there is no way they can advance.

Punjab, 12 points, face Mumbai in Mumbai
A far-fetched thought, if ever there was one. If they beat group leaders Mumbai with a bonus point, they would equal Saurashtra’s current tally, 18. And there can be a tied scenario, if both Saurashtra and Delhi fail to score, or Saurashtra fail to score and Delhi get only one point. And Punjab will come out the best out of that tie, because they would have registered three wins (Delhi and Saurashtra have two). Surely even Punjab will not be thinking such thoughts, though.

Group B

Only Tamil Nadu have made it through so far. Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are frontrunners for the other two spots, but Railways haven’t been knocked out completely.UP, 17 points, don’t have a game left

• Still they will fancy their chances because they lead the next two teams by three points and six points respectively.
• The only way they can be knocked out is if Railways beat Tamil Nadu with a bonus point. In that case, Railways will be tied with UP, but will qualify by the virtue of one more win than UP.
• Even in that unlikely scenario, UP can go through if Karnataka fail to get a first-innings lead against Maharashtra. But if Karnataka get the lead, and are consequently tied with UP, Karnataka will pip them because of more wins.

Karnataka, 14 points, play Maharashtra in Bangalore

• It should be an easy game for Karnataka, and a win should not be a surprising result. That will clearly take them through.
• Even a first-innings lead will be enough for them to qualify because in a tied scenario they will score over UP, owing to more outright wins.
• Even if they don’t get a lead or lose the match, they can still qualify if Railways and Baroda don’t win their matches.

Railways, 11 points, play Tamil Nadu in Chennai

• Nothing less than a win will do for Railways. Because they have to go past Karnataka – if both of them are tied at 14, Karnataka will go through because of more wins.
• A win with a bonus point will surely carry them through, because if they are tied with UP at 17, they will have more wins.
• In case they win without a bonus point, and consequently fall behind UP, they would have to hope Karnataka don’t get a first-innings lead.

Baroda, 9 points, play Andhra in Vadodara

• Talk of outside chances. They will have to win their match and also hope that Karnataka don’t get a single point from their match, and also that Railways don’t win theirs. It will be a real convoluted surprise if Baroda do manage to go through.

The MCC’s ambitious plans for a £200 million redevelopment project at Lord’s could be under threat, after the England & Wales Cricket Board revealed they are considering a new staging agreement that would guarantee the venue only two Tests in five years from 2012 to 2016.Since 2000, Lord’s – which has the largest capacity of any cricket ground in England with more than 28,000 seats – has successfully bid for two Tests a year, but Keith Bradshaw, the MCC chief executive, told The Daily Telegraph that any prospect of increasing that capacity hinged entirely on continuing their current volume of international cricket.”We are disappointed that the ECB don’t recognise Lord’s as an iconic venue in the same way that Wembley and Twickenham are viewed by football and rugby,” said Bradshaw. “We had big plans to redevelop the ground. If we don’t have assurity of major matches, which underpins future investment, we will have to ask ourselves if those plans are still justified as a major investment.”The ECB’s new plans are intended as an extension of the existing deal, which runs until 2012, and is designed to assist the counties with their financial planning. The intention is for all nine category A grounds to be guaranteed a minimum of 11 days’ international cricket over the course of the five years, although this covers only 50 percent of the games in that period, which means the remainder will be the subject of fierce bidding.The new longer staging agreements have been proposed to the ECB by the independent Major Matches Group, chaired by Lord Morris, and documents were sent out to the counties last week. “This is a step in the right direction,” Jim Cumbes, Lancashire’s chief executive, told the paper. “Without Test match cricket these grounds are just not viable. It is not about making fat profits it is more a matter of being able to support the infrastructure needed to host major international cricket.”

Sir Allen Stanford said earlier this week that judgement on his tournament should be reserved until the millions had been divvied out, and the bigger picture had come fully into focus. By the end of a seismic night in Antigua, the point of his enterprise had become as chandelier-clear as the breathtaking fireworks that erupted over the ground, as eleven West Indian cricketers were welcomed, blinking and incredulous, into a world in which they need never to struggle again.”This is better than anything in the world, I’ll tell you straight up,” said the Superstars captain, Chris Gayle. “We created history tonight. If anyone said to me that one game would bring so much pressure I’d have said it was a lie. But this is the most pressure I have ever felt, coming into this game. I’m just grateful for the way my family brought me up. My back is broad. I can handle the pressure.”But for some alarming running between the wickets in the early part of the Superstars run-chase, and the odd over-ambitious swipe across the line, you would never have known the extent of Gayle’s anxieties. His 33-ball half-century dominated an extraordinary contest to such an extent that the pressure, unbelievably, had evaporated long before the halfway mark of the innings. As the Superstars linked arms on the boundary’s edge, with their benefactor right in the thick of things as ever, their wives were seen weeping in the stands, overcome with the realisation that their dreams were about to come true.”I’m just happy and grateful it’s come to an end,” said Gayle. “I’ll be taking a couple of days to myself, definitely, because I’ve been really, really stressed out. The thing is with me, no one can tell when I’m under pressure because I don’t show emotion much. If something’s wrong you don’t know, but that’s just the person I am. Sometimes I keep so many things inside – these days I’m a bit more outspoken, I’m getting there somehow.”The notion of Gayle, the coolest cat in the cricketing jungle, expelling so much as a bead of sweat comes as a shock, but his week has encompassed far more than just cricket. He missed the first warm-up against Trinidad after his father and brother were both taken ill – the latter with a heart condition – and has been plagued all weeks by nefarious rumours about his private life. All those woes were compounded by the shooter he received against Middlesex on Thursday. A second-ball duck was no way to prepare for a contest such as this.But now he has emerged smiling onto the other side. After his flippant vow to “spend it, man” if he won the jackpot, Gayle revealed that his first priority would be to “hook up my brother to a doctor to fix his heart.” He added: “This experience will definitely help me as a person as well. I’m really, really happy to be in this situation, and gain more knowledge, and get to know people more. This is the best thing in the world.”England, to their credit, were magnanimous to a fault in defeat, with Kevin Pietersen positively beaming as he reflected on the social justice that had been meted out on his watch. “At the end of the day you look at the happy faces of those boys who have nothing, it brings a smile to my face to see how happy they are,” he said. “I’m a human being, and these guys are fellow professionals. It is so great to see a guy fall over on his back crying, with a million dollars in his bank account.”

Pietersen conceded that England had never really bought into the whole winner-takes-all notion, having allowed themselves to be distracted by off-the-field “nonsense”. But the Superstars never once suffered from the conflicting attitudes that dogged the visitors, and somehow, given the history of the Caribbean and England’s central role therein, it was utterly fitting that the bounty on offer on this occasion was not pillaged by ungrateful invaders and carted back across the seas.England probably never got quite that deep during the self-examinations that they have been putting themselves through this week, but perhaps they will now embark on their tour of India with a greater appreciation for the blessings their talents and nationality have granted them. Pietersen perhaps took it a step too far when he informed Gayle before the toss that “he didn’t need the money” – an exchange that Gayle himself brought up after the game (“Who doesn’t want a million, you got to be crazy!”) – but his point was well-meant if clumsily expressed.Money cannot buy happiness – it merely faciliates a standard of living that makes happiness in the long term more probable. The England team that routed South Africa in the summer ODIs was undoubtedly a happier mob than the rag-bag outfit that let a million dollars go up in smoke before their eyes in Antigua. But I’ll bet, despite the inevitable pangs of disappointment, they sleep soundly in their beds tonight. One team wanted the riches, but the other team needed them. And gloriously, it was the desire that made the difference.

ScorecardConsidering that cricket bats have normally been packed away at this time of the year in Toronto, it is hardly surprising that the T20 Canada tournament is proving tough for batsmen, but Shoaib Malik and Fawad Alam combined in thrilling style to steal this match away from Sri Lanka with a ball to spare.Pakistan had little hope at 91 for 7, following a four-wicket return for debutant Kaushalya Weeraratne, but Malik and Alam added 50 in four overs in front of a packed ground. Malik hit the winning boundary off the penultimate ball to send Pakistan to the top of the table.This was the glamour tie of the tournament (although a repeat in the final is likely) and the local supporters responded. There was plenty of support for both sides, and they got the match they deserved. Following closely on from the bowl-out win for Zimbabwe, it was a cracking day for the tournament.Sri Lanka were left regretting their decision to leave out Mahela Jayawardene and Ajantha Mendis, among four changes from the Zimbabwe game. Their absence took something away from the contest, but Jayawardene is probably expecting a rematch in the final, and the finish more than made up for it. Sri Lanka, though, will accept that it was one that got away.In four matches there has been only one half-century, by Salman Butt, but he went early this time, given lbw to Farveez Maharoof. He seemed far from pleased and appeared to think he grazed the ball, although replays weren’t totally clear. Shoaib Khan jnr had already departed and Pakistan were 13 for 2.Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq played sensibly, adding 48 in seven overs, until the introduction of Weeraratne – as the fifth bowler – changed the game, but not for the final time. He bowled Younis with his fourth ball and two deliveries later had Misbah caught behind. Shahid Afridi only plays one way and his attempt to launch the ball into a neighbouring suburb ended with a boundary catch.Weeraratne continued to shine when he claimed his fourth as Sohail Tanvir got a leading edge. Between Weeraratne’s display, Dilhara Fernando – whose first over cost 16, including a free-hit that went for six – chipped in to remove Kamran Akmal.But the captain Malik was still there and Alam showed immense power. Alam launched three sixes, including two into the VIP area and, before Sri Lanka knew it, Pakistan needed 13 from the final over. Alam slammed his third six and Malik sealed the rapid reversal with consecutive boundaries off Nuwan Kulasekara.The first over of the match suggested a good contest was on the cards as Sanath Jayasuriya launched the innings with consecutive boundaries off Shoaib Akhtar, but fell next ball when he top-edged to fine leg.Mahela Udawatte and Jehan Mubarak added 51 for the second wicket with Mubarak the more dominant, continuing positively after Udawatte was bowled round his legs by Afridi. Mubarak had struck six fours when he came down the track and was beaten by turn from Malik, with Akmal completing a safe stumping.As has been the case in all matches, scoring off the spinners was tough and the middle order struggled to push on against Afridi and Malik. However, the action came from Umar Gul, who showed why he has developed into one of the most effective death bowlers in the world.His first wicket was Chamara Kapugedera, who was setting himself for a late assault. Gul then bowled full and straight at the tail – who kept swinging and missing – and finished with healthy returns of 4 for 13 off three overs. For much of the second innings it looked to have been a wasted effort, but nothing can be taken for granted in Twenty20.

Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, has no serious problems with his back and is expected to begin rehabilitation on Wednesday. Oram was forced to return home before the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur after experiencing pain during the first game.Oram visited Rob Campbell, the New Zealand Cricket doctor, in Christchurch and was cleared after undergoing an MRI scan. “It is reassuring to know that it is only a soft tissue injury,” Oram said. “I have had some major lower-back problems over my career and, while you are always hopeful that the latest problem is not a pointer to something more serious, you can never be certain. Back problems and fast bowling go hand in hand.”I will be reassessed in a week’s time by the medical staff and we should be able to get a better indicator then of when I am likely to get back to the bowling crease.”Oram has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. He was forced out of the Napier Test against England earlier this year and, in the return series, he pulled out of the Twenty20 international at Old Trafford after hurting himself during the warm-up. He was ruled out of the first three ODIs but returned for the last two matches.

There is US$20 million up for grabs in the Stanford 20/20 for 20, but Steve Harmison knows it is not the biggest challenge for England in the coming year. The winner-takes-all match against the Stanford Superstars on November 1 is the biggest in cricket, yet Harmison is more focused on regaining the Ashes.”This is going to be an exciting and intense 12 months of cricket and I cannot wait. People will go on about the Stanford series and the money that is on offer, but every single Englishman knows the Ashes series against Australia is the one to really win,” Harmison told the . “The money on offer for the Stanford tournament is a lot, but you’ve got to win it first. We are going out there to represent our country, just as we will do in India and the West Indies this winter.Harmison hit back at critics who said he returned to England’s limited-overs side for the Stanford millions. “I think we will get a certain amount of stick about playing in the Stanford games, but it was the ECB who organised it, not the players,” Harmison said. “We’ll get stick if we win and we’ll get stick if we lose. I even offered not to play because I knew people would say I’ve only started playing one-day cricket again for England because of the money, but that wasn’t the case.”Harmison said winning the Ashes next year was a “realistic goal”. England won the last home contest, in 2005, but were whitewashed 5-0, only the second such result in the Ashes, in the return leg in 2006-07. “I do feel I’ve got a bit of a score to settle. I know what it’s like to win the Ashes and I know what it is like to lose the Ashes 5-0. It’s the same for Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Andrew Strauss.”I think it can happen, I really do, but we’ve got a hell of a lot of cricket to play between now and then. I think we’ve got ten different series in the next 12 months and I’d like to play in and win them all.”Less than seven months ago, Harmison’s future with England looked in doubt. He was dropped after the first Test against New Zealand in Hamilton along with Matthew Hoggard. However, he forced his way back with a stellar county season; he finished with 60 wickets in 12 games as Durham won their first Championship. Harmison was recalled for the final Test against South Africa at The Oval, under new captain Kevin Pietersen, and was later convinced to walk out of his exile from international limited-overs games.”It is a season which began with me at my lowest ebb, but it is one I will look back on with an enormous sense of satisfaction,” Harmison said. “I’ve achieved my own personal goal of getting back into the England team and Durham have won the title, I couldn’t have asked for much more. This has been a fantastic season for me, unbelievable really. We had our disappointments at Durham, losing in two semi-finals, but we kept on going. We got a bit of momentum behind us and it never really stopped. I’d set my heart on winning the title with Durham this season, I did that months ago, so to have achieved it really is something special.”

Scorecard
How they were out

Scotland waited a long time to face England at cricket – it’s 136 years since they first met at football – but unfortunately rain meant the chance of a result was washed away at The Grange. However, a fighting 60 from Gavin Hamilton, who has played internationals for both teams, ensured Scotland put up a more than respectable effort. Given their early position of 11 for 3, the final total of 156 represented riches and although it was unlikely to have been enough the sell-out home support of 6000 will insist that England couldn’t beat the Auld Enemy – if only because of the rain.The start was delayed by nearly two hours and another stoppage midway through Scotland’s innings cut their allocation to 44. Hamilton’s innings held them together, along with a fourth-wicket stand of 64 with Colin Smith, after Tim Bresnan impressed on his international recall, while Samit Patel made his mark on debut with a run out, catch and a wicket. England’s target was adjusted to 159 and Ian Bell and Matt Prior, the latest opening pair, knocked off 10 before the rain came back and made this the sixth ODI out of the last 10 held in Scotland to be a no result.However, Scotland can hold their heads up, especially as they had to bat in tough conditions against a swinging ball. With the ball darting around the last thing a batting side needs is to gift wickets to the opposition, but Ryan Watson was run out at the non-striker’s end by Patel from midwicket.Scotland’s two current county batsmen then departed for ducks as Bresnan, recalled for the first time since 2006, bowled an impressive opening spell. He had Kyle Coetzer comfortably taken by Andrew Flintoff at second slip then Navdeep Poonia got a slightly thicker edge, which flew to Patel at third as his lively day continued.At 11 for 3, Scotland could easily have folded without a trace, but to their immense credit they fought hard to repair the innings. Hamilton used all the experience he has gained from his lengthy professional career – which included a Test for England in 1999 – as he left anything wide of the stumps early on. But he and Smith weren’t afraid to put bat to ball as both took sixes over an inviting third-man boundary, and Smith also had the gumption to come down the pitch and drive Bresnan straight down the ground.England’s bowlers maintained their disciplines, but the fielding didn’t quite match those standards. Hamilton was missed twice on 24, firstly by James Anderson at the unaccustomed position of second slip then by Luke Wright on the boundary. At 75 for 3 Scotland had the base to push towards a competitive total, however two quick wickets stunted their progress.The profitable third-man area brought Smith’s downfall when he tried to clear the rope but found Alastair Cook, on as a substitute, right on the boundary edge. In the next over Patel, in the middle of a tight spell of left-arm spin, collected his first international wicket when Neil McCallum top-edged a sweep to deep square-legRain then interrupted the innings, but on resumption Scotland continued to stand up to their more illustrious opponents. Kevin Pietersen made the curious decision to bowl himself for a couple of overs and Hamilton started to express himself with meaty sixes off Patel and Stuart Broad, as he and former captain Craig Wright added 42 in 10 overs.Broad got one on target to remove Wright and Flintoff, who enjoyed some good-natured banter with a well-lubricated crowd, removed Hamilton as he tried to find the boundary in the closing overs. However, his innings meant Scotland kept their pride intact and they would have fancied giving England a few uncomfortable moments in the run chase. The weather put paid to that, but the day will still go down as a success for Scottish cricket.

Somerset 249 and 115 for 3 dec (Durston 32*, de Bruyn 9*) drew with South Africa 515 for 3 dec (Amla 172, Kallis 160*) and 215 for 6 dec (McKenzie 63)
Scorecard

South Africa’s batsmen gained some valuable time in the middle and their bowlers enjoyed another useful work-out, as the tour match against Somerset drifted to stalemate on a soporific final day at Taunton. Neil McKenzie atoned for his first-innings duck with a composed 63, while the spinner, Paul Harris, pounded an entertaining 47-ball fifty, his second first-class half-century. The only South African who really missed out over the three days was Mark Boucher, who was bowled in the third over of the day for 7 by a beauty from Steffan Jones that plucked out his off stump.After resuming on 56 for 1 overnight, South Africa eventually declared on 215 for 6, 45 minutes after the lunch break. In the hour that was available before tea, Morne Morkel took his fourth wicket of the match when Neil Edwards pushed hard outside off and was comfortably taken by McKenzie at second slip, but his first five-over spell went for 41 runs, largely thanks to Arul Suppiah, who batted with great freedom until he was caught at short cover off Harris for 41. Suppiah added 46 for the second wicket with James Hildreth, who swatted Makhaya Ntini over midwicket, for six, but then chased a wide one from Andre Nel to be caught behind for 16.With nothing at stake in the game, both sides were content to go through the motions, and a decent smattering of a crowd was equally content to bask in the warmth of the hottest day of the year so far. McKenzie was particularly keen to make his chance for crease occupation count. He resumed on 37 not out overnight, and it took him 72 minutes to pick off his first boundary of the day, a straight drive off Suppiah that took him to 48. Shortly afterwards he brought up his half-century from 80 balls with seven fours, as he and AB de Villiers settled in for a 74-run stand for the third wicket.De Villiers, who made an attractive 47 not out in the first innings, was the most fluent of the pair, although he also enjoyed a moment or two of good fortune as Somerset’s fielding became understandably ragged. On 20, he miscued a pull and lobbed a tantalising chance over the head of the keeper, Craig Kieswetter, and 17 runs later he was dropped by Andrew Caddick at mid-on, who compounded the misery of his spinner, Michael Munday, by flinging the very next delivery clean over the keeper’s head for four overthrows.De Villiers took that as his cue to step up the tempo, and Munday was sent sprawling in the covers as he drove Suppiah handsomely to the pavilion boundary. One ball later, however, he tried a similar shot but picked out Mark Turner’s midriff at short cover to fall for 48 from 89 balls. With lunch approaching, McKenzie contrived to flat-bat a full-toss from Munday down the throat of Zander de Bruyn at deep backward square-leg, and straight after the break, Morkel clipped Suppiah off his toes, only to be run out by Turner’s direct hit from square leg.Suppiah, who was the pick of the Somerset attack, bowled Ashwell Prince off the inside-edge for 21 to hasten the declaration, which followed as soon as Harris had completed his fifty. His innings was the undoubted highlight of an underwhelming day’s play, as he attacked from the word go with seven fours and two sixes in his innings, one of which landed in the hospitality boxes at deep midwicket.Somerset went to tea on 76 for 2 with the draw all but secured. Suppiah’s dismissal raised the brief prospect of a wobbly final session, especially with a hint of rain and cloud cover in the air, but Wes Durston resisted gamely for the second time in the match, to finish unbeaten on 32, with Zander de Bruyn alongside him on 9. South Africa, however, were unperturbed by the lack of result after a useful three-day workout. “I think we got everything we wanted out of the game,” said South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur. “In fact I don’t think we could have scripted it better.”

Scorecard

Lancashire were perhaps fortunate to complete to a comfortable 23-run victory over Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford and secure their quarter-final spot. With the prominent exception of Lou Vincent, they misfired with the bat, but in response the visitors were even less capable, and were never really in a position to challenge a rather disappointing total.Vincent started like a house on fire, but his colleagues proved to be more in the nature of damp squibs. They would indeed have been a sorry sight without the New Zealander, who has gone virtually from hell to heaven in the last week. He began as if he had a personal vendetta against Charlie Shreck – which is quite possible considering some of the bowler’s past behaviour in matches against his team – twice moving across his stumps in the first over to glance audaciously to the fine-leg boundary, and then hitting him for a straight six and a four to midwicket in the following over. Shreck went for 26 in two overs, and after that, as far as further action at the bowling crease was concerned, it was “Goodnight, Charlie.”Andre Adams was the next to travel, with two classic fours through extra cover, and after five overs Lancashire were 54 for one, Mal Loye out bowled by Darren Pattinson for 8. Vincent raced to his fifty off 25 balls, overshadowing a series of fleeting partners at the other end, though Faf du Plessis did contribute 19. Later, Gareth Cross also made 19; nobody else could scrape into double figures. Andrew Flintoff scored 9, including a six, off seven balls, but fell when driving away from his body and lofting a catch to backward point.So Lancashire’s innings, which had promised a great deal, fizzled out at 155 for 8. Credit must go to some good Nottinghamshire bowling, with Mark Ealham especially doing a fine job with 3 for 21, and two wickets each for Pattinson and Samit Patel. On the other hand, several difficult chances were missed in the field.Flintoff opened the bowling for Lancashire and worked up quite a pace. Adam Voges slashed him twice to the third-man boundary before flashing a catch to the keeper. Thereafter the Nottinghamshire innings chugged along at quite a distance behind Lancashire’s equivalent score for each over, thanks to the latter’s good start.The one man most likely to have changed that, Chris Cairns, hit two sixes in his 21 off 16 balls before falling victim to cricket’s most unfair law: run out backing up when the bowler accidentally deflected Will Jefferson’s straight drive on to the stumps his end. Jefferson batted soundly for a run-a-ball 35, but didn’t get much of the strike, and the desperation grew as the score reached 100 after 14 overs, leaving a required rate of 9.3 an over. Trying to steal a bye, he was run out by the keeper.And that was really the end of the road for the visitors. Neither Ealham or Adams looked remotely like coming off, and steady all-round bowling by Lancashire made sure the finish was not even close. Two wickets each fell to spinners du Plessis and Simon Marshall, while Flintoff apparently survived his four overs, bowling better than his 1 for 27 suggest, to fight another day.

A Hall of Fame for US Junior Cricket, a project that has been on the drawing board for two years, could be ready to welcome visitors when the International Junior Tournament for Under-15 and Under-11 teams is held in the Bay Area during the Independence Day weekend in July 2008.The Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Mayor and the city council of Cupertino in Northern California, which is providing space for the exhibit. Officials from other cities in the area, such as San Jose and Foster City, have also expressed interest and promised their support.The Hall of Fame is expected to house dozens of sterling silver cups and trophies and souvenirs from Cricket Academy tournaments, as well as those earned from overseas tours. Photographs of past tournament winners, a cricket bat donated by Ricky Ponting and signed by the members of the Australian team that won the World Cup, and framed congratulatory messages from Sachin Tendulkar and other figures of distinction in world cricket, will also be displayed. Also available will be newspaper clippings from the USA and overseas, featuring the exploits of the junior squads.This is the right time for inaugurating for the Hall of Fame, according to Hemant Buch, co-founder and President of the California Cricket Academy. Junior cricketers from all over the world, as well as their siblings and parents, are expected to be at the International Junior Tournament, and opening the Hall of Fame would be a fitting inaugural event.