Frizzell County Championship Division One
Table

Sussex 614 for 4 dec beat Leicestershire 179 and 380 by innings and 55 runs at Hove
Scorecard
Jason Lewry rose above the hangovers, to ensure that Sussex’s celebrations will be all the wilder this evening – assuming, of course, that any of the team can look a champagne glass in the face. Lewry’s career-best figures of 8 for 106 secured an innings victory for Sussex with a day to spare, but they were made to sweat off the alcohol in the first half of the day, thanks to a fifth-wicket stand of 208 between John Sadler and Darren Masters. Masters, who came in as a nightwatchman, made 119 – the first century of his first-class career. Sussex had grabbed two early wickets, including George Walker, who lost concentration when a lady with a shopping bag wandered across the outfield. But with Mushtaq Ahmed off the field with a sore hip, it wasn’t until Masters skied a catch to Robin Martin-Jenkins off Billy Taylor, that Lewry took command. Darren Maddy and Paul Nixon fell to consecutive deliveries, and Phil DeFreitas and Vasbert Drakes lasted three balls between them, as Leicestershire’s last five wickets tumbled for 27 runs.Nottinghamshire 376 for 9 dec and 319 for 8 dec v Lancashire 219 and 6 for 0 at Trent Bridge
Scorecard
Lancashire’s forlorn hopes of sneaking the Championship died long ago, but Nottinghamshire are still desperate to avoid the wooden spoon. On this evidence, and with news of Leicester’s capitulation filtering north, they will do so with room to spare. Glen Chapple hadn’t given up the good fight, however – he picked up all six wickets to fall as Notts slumped to 151, but then Paul Franks led the revival with an even 100. He needed just 112 balls for his innings as he cracked 12 fours and two sixes, and Notts were able to declare for the second time in the match. That left Lancashire facing a tricky period of batting, but bad light came to their aid after three overs.Surrey 318 and 194 lost to Essex 464 and 49 for 2 by eight wickets at The Oval
Scorecard
Surrey’s second-string team was no match for Essex’s Mohammad Akram, who steamed through their flimsy line-up for career-best figures of 8 for 49. Surrey were already up against it after Andy Flower’s double-century on the second day, but when they lost Scott Newman and Nadeem Shahid without a run on the board, the end was only a matter of time. Jonathan Batty and James Benning resisted for a time with a pair of 47s, but the only real contest was between Akram and the rest of Essex’s bowlers. Akram had picked up all eight of Surrey’s early wickets, but Graham Napier ruined his chances of a ten-for with two wickets in three balls. Essex were left to score 49 in their second innings, and eased past the total in less than 10 overs.Kent 594 beat Warwickshire 267 and 257 by an innings and 70 runs at Canterbury
Scorecard
Warwickshire’s captain Michael Powell did his best to defy gravity, but Kent nevertheless romped to an innings victory with a day to spare, to consolidate fourth place in the Frizzell County Championship. Warwickshire contrived to lose 17 wickets in the day, including 11 for 122 in the morning, as Mark Ealham’s canny medium-pace and Andrew Symonds’ liquorice allsorts sent them crashing to 55 for 4 in the follow-on. Powell refused to be suckered, and counterattacked impressively in his 110, but Warwickshire’s attitude was very end-of-termish. Their lower-order redeemed themselves to a certain extent with a batch of 20s and 30s, but the damage had already been done.Frizzell County Championship Division Two
TableNorthamptonshire 196 and 379 beat Worcestershire 172 for 8 dec and 311 by 92 runs at Wantage Road
Scorecard
To the loser, the spoils. Yesterday, Worcestershire made a crafty decision to declare their first innings at eight-down, which deprived Northants of a vital bonus point and the Second Division title. But Northants did at least extract a measure of revenge with a comprehensive victory today, as their three-pronged spin attack of Jason Brown, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann twirled through the Worcestershire second innings. Brown was the pick, finishing with 5 for 89, and though Northants encountered some resistance in the lower-middle order, they were comfortable winners by 92 runs. But it is Worcestershire who take the title – by three-quarters of a point.Yorkshire 476 and 29 for 2 v Gloucestershire 344 at Headingley
Scorecard
Yorkshire have no option but to win this match if they are to regain their place in the First Division, but the elements were not in their favour today. A paltry 7.5 overs were possible, in which they lost two big wickets. With a frugal lead of 161, they will be forced to go for broke tomorrow. Damien Martyn may be the key – if he can clobber a brisk half-century or better before lunch, they might yet have time to bowl Gloucestershire out on a juicy pitch. Glamorgan 270 and 464 for 8 dec beat Durham 247 and 118 by 369 runs at Chester-le-Street
Scorecard
Never mind the overcrowded fixture list – Mike Kasprowicz must wish he could play against Durham every week of the year. For the second time this season, Kasprowicz bowled Glamorgan to a thumping victory over Durham, and for the second time, he picked up nine wickets in their second innings. Kasprowicz’s stunning figures of 9 for 45 in 12.5 overs did not quite outshine his 9 for 36 at Cardiff back in August, but the upshot was very much the same. Chasing an unlikely 488 for victory, Durham were reduced to 44 for 7 before Shoaib Akhtar muscled into the picture to slog 37 from 27 balls. But Kasprowicz, bowling fast, full and straight, soon sent him packing. Of his nine victims, seven were lbw or bowled, and the other two were caught by the wicketkeeper, Mark Wallace. Kasprowicz had earlier been involved in a bullish, unbeaten 93-run partnership for the tenth wicket with Darren Thomas – a foretaste of things to come.Derbyshire 317 and 160 for 4 v Hampshire 580 at Derby
Scorecard
This week Derbyshire have all but lost their captain, Dominic Cork, and now they have all but lost this match – the wooden-spoon decider. Derbyshire were already up against it overnight, but by the time Hampshire’s tail had wagged along to 580 all out, they faced a first-innings deficit of 263, and near-certain defeat. James Hamblin and Shaun Udal were Derbyshire’s main tormentors with the bat – Hamblin was eventually dismissed four runs short of his maiden first-class century, while Udal contributed a brisk 57. Their problems were compounded in their reply when Andrew Gait was forced to retire hurt after being clattered in the ribs, but Michael di Venuto and Rawait Khan both scored half-centuries to steady the ship. By the close, however, Derbyshire were four wickets down, and still more than 100 runs adrift.Yesterday’s Championship review

Wasim Khan, Azam Hussain, Junaid Zia and Abdul Rauf stole the bowling honours during the opening day’s play in the second round of the Inter-Departmental qualifying tournament.Wasim captured eight for 41 as Habib Bank were bundled out for 97 in 22.3 overs. In reply Sui Gas had reached 196 for one from 46 overs at close of play. Test opener Mohammad Hafeez was batting on 93 and with him was another Test batsman Misbah-ul-Haq who was unbeaten on 47.Azam Hussain helped Defence Housing Authority (DHA) skittle out KESC for a paltry 156 in 58 overs. Azam captured seven wickets for 40 runs. DHA, at the close of play, had reached 42 for two in 25 overs.Junaid Zia followed up his five-wicket haul in the tournament opener against PIA with six for 19 as Pakistan Navy were dismissed for 86 in 37.4 overs. Customs, in return, were 217 for five off 45 overs.Allied Bank Limited taught a lesson in cricket to Pakistan Education Board when they bowled out the students for 52 in 16.3 overs. Then, helped by a rapid century by Wajahatullah Wasti (107 not out) ABL declared their first innings at 252 for two. With a lead of 200 in the bag, ABL ended the day with PEB reeling at 64 for four. Abdul Rauf took five for 36 in the first innings while Tanvir Ahmed followed up his four for 15 with two for 20.Scores in brief (day 1 of 3):
Pool A:
At Quaid-e-Azam Park, Pak PWD 144 in 52 overs (Zeeshan Pervaiz 33, Umar Gul 5-51, Fazle Akbar 3-32, Nadeem Khan 2-31) vs PIA 81-1 in 26 overs (Kamran Sajid 33 not out, Yasir Hameed 25 not out)
At PCB Academy, Pakistan Navy 86 in 37.4 overs (Junaid Zia 6-19, Imran Ali 3-29) vs Customs 217-5 in 45 overs (Kashif Siddique 76, Azhar Shafiq 65)
At UBL Sports Complex, KESC 156 in 58 overs (Javed Mansoor [3×4, 108b, Kamran B.Mansoor 42 [5×4, 106b], Azam Hussain 7-40) vs DHA 42-2 in 25 overs (Wasim Naeem 23 not out)
Pool B:
At KRL Stadium, KRL 213 in 80.5 overs (Saeed bin Nasir 89 [13×4, 181b], Yasir Arafat 41 [6×4, 2×6, 38b], Mohammad Khalil 4-51, Mohammad Hussain 4-85) vs PTCL 8-0 in 1 over.
At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Pakistan Army 160 (Zubair Watoo 44, Farooq Iqbal 3-7) vs Wapda 45-1 in 8 overs.
At Shalimar Ground, no play between PTV and PoF because of wet pitch.
Pool C:
At Railway Stadium, Railway 295 in 83 overs (Afzal Shah 75 [9×4, 146b], Asif Butt 50 [5×6, 30b], Khalid Bashir 40, Fahad-ul-Haq 40 [4×4, 68b], Mohammad Shoaib 3-33, Atif Ijaz 2-50, Shoaib Maqsood 2-78) vs HEC 4-0 in 1 over.
At Country Club Muridke, ZTBL 282 in 77.1 overs (Zeeshan Mohsin 46, Zahoor Elahi 42, Javed Hayat 40, Faisal Naved 37, Imran Abbas 30, Aleem Mosa 3-85, Mohammad Javed 3-56) vs NBP 13-0 in 2 overs
At Gymkhana Ground Okara, PAF 302-9 in 83 overs (Shakeel Sharif 118, Naseer-ud-din 45, Nadeem Farooqi 33, Rizwan Ahmed 4-67) vs Service Industries
Pool D:
At Jinnah Stadium Sialkot, HBL 97 in 22.3 overs (Wasim Khan 8-41) vs Sui Gas 196-1 in 46 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 93 not out, Misbah-ul-Haq 47 not out, Ali Hussain 40)
At Saga Ground, PEB 52 in 16.3 overs (Abdul Rauf 5-36, Tanvir Ahmed 4-15) and 64-4 (Shahid Pervez Abbasi 34 not out, Tanvir Ahmed 2-20) vs ABL 252-2 in 42 overs declared (Wajahatullah Wasti 107 not out, Farhan Adil 65, Ijaz Ahmad Jnr 35 not out)
At Jinnah Stadium Gujranwala, Saga 292 in 74.5 overs (Ashraf Ali 107, Kamran Younis 42, Shaiman Butt 39, Mustafa Basher 4-83, Usman Nabi 3-69) vs LEO International 0-0 in 0.2 overs.

Sri Lanka A 192 for 4 (Jayawardene 76, Nawaz 72*) and 244 (Herath 51, Bhandari 6-55) lead India A 369 (Gavaskar 60, Kaif 53, Badani 50, Herath 6-89) by 67 runs
Prasanna Jayawardene and Naveed Nawaz made vital contributions as Sri Lanka A clawed back into the game against India A on the third day. India A added 65 more runs in the morning session, largely due to a plucky 42 by Ramesh Powar, before they were bowled out for 369. Rangana Herath, the left-arm spinner, was the chief destroyer with 6 for 89.Both Jayawardene and Nawaz had fallen cheaply in the first innings, but they rescued their team from a precarious situation (49 for 2) by putting on 94 runs for the third wicket. Jayawardene hit nine boundaries, while Nawaz’s innings included four boundaries and a six. However, Jayawardene fell 24 runs short of a century when he was bowled by Ramesh Powar. Nawaz remained unbeaten at the end of the day and received good support from Thilina Kandamby, who hung on for more than an hour.Rohan Gavaskar(60) was the top scorer for India A, and Mohammad Kaif and Hemang Badani chipped in with useful fifties. Ramesh Powar ensured some late-innings impetus with a 61-ball 42, which included six boundaries. But Herath took the last three wickets and finished with six overall. He had also hit a fifty in the first innings, a useful contribution when his team was struggling.

Asked to rate his first-innings knock a couple of days ago, Rahul Dravid had responded with the realism that is a feature of his persona. “It is satisfying to score a hundred in Australia,” he had said, “but the true value of the innings will only be judged by what result it achieves for the team.” After ensuring the unbelievable for his team, he was willing to term his performance, a staggering 305 runs from 835 minutes of occupying the crease, as the greatest of his life. His captain was more effusive. “Rahul batted like god,” said Sourav Ganguly.God indeed. Because he offered India deliverance. From 85 for 4, he forged a partnership with his old ally, VVS Laxman, that first frustrated Australia and then drove them to desperation. And then, as they sought frantically for a breach in the second innings, Dravid stood before then like an immovable object, offering a straight bat to anything remotely threatening and latching on to every scoring opportunity. Australia blew their chance when Adam Gilchrist dropped him early because after he had got over his early tentativeness, he didn’t offer them a sniff. “It was a remarkable achievement,” said Steve Waugh, paying Dravid repeated compliments after the match, “to come back after a double-hundred and to be able to concentrate so hard, it is an outstanding performance.”Dravid said there were times today when his concentration flagged. “But it has always been a strong side of my game, so it wasn’t difficult to get it back. The motivation wasn’t hard to find. There was history for the making, there were many team-mates, our coaching staff, who have worked so hard over the last two or three years, I knew I had to do it for them.”He said the gameplan had been simple. “I knew that if we batted out the overs, we were going to win. It was my job to stay there and let the others bat around me. I had a few partnerships, a brief one with Sehwag, a good one with Sachin and another good one with Laxman. To be able to stay there till the job was done is a quite a special feeling.”Inevitably, comparisons were sought with Eden Gardens. “I have not had a chance to sit back and think about this. May be things will sink in better a few days later. But Eden Gardens was a very emotional affair, very special. But in terms of what it could mean to us as a team, and what this could lead to, this win is significant.”Ganguly offered the same sentiments. “We have been winning Tests abroad in the last couple of years. But to win in Australia, to go one ahead is special. I have been here as vice-captain in 1999. I remember the atmosphere in the dressing room then, and I can feel the difference now.”When asked if his team was not intimidated by Australia, Ganguly said while many members of his team may look soft from outside, there was a lot of steel within. “Don’t go by how they look,” he said, “we have plenty of tough guys. Rahul, Laxman, Kumble, Zaheer, Ajit, they are all very strong in their head. I am proud of them.”We know Australia will come hard at us in the next two Tests. But we will be ready for them. We know, and they know, that we can beat them. I have always said that we are the second-best team in the world. And now if we beat them, and with some of their top players going out, well …”The job isn’t done yet. “Perhaps we will party tonight,” Dravid said. “We have a few days of break coming up. Then it’s back to work.”Sambit Bal, the editor of Wisden Asia Cricket magazine and Wisden Cricinfo in India, will be following the Indian team throughout this Test series.

Brett Lee, who was savaged by India’s batsmen in the recently concluded 3 Test series, has been recalled to the squad for the VB Series match against Zimbabwe at the Bellerive Oval on Friday (starting 2300 GMT Thursday). Brad Hogg also gets a look in, with Jason Gillespie and Ian Harvey being rested for the game.Lee took eight wickets in two Tests against India, but they came at a cost of 59.5 apiece. In the first innings at Sydney, he went for 201, the first genuinely fast bowler to suffer such an indignity in the game’s history. Ricky Ponting, who has led Australia to victories in their first two games of the tri-nation tournament, reckoned that Lee was now ready to set the record straight.”He probably wasn’t bowling well a couple of weeks ago and that’s why we decided to give him a rest,” said Ponting. “I think he was a bit tired, which was hindering the way he could bowl and the way he could perform, so we’ve given him a bit of time to recover and I’m sure you’ll see him perform better over the next couple of weeks.”The decision to rest Gillespie was no surprise, given the load he has had to shoulder since coming back from a calf injury for the Sydney Test. With Brad Williams in splendid form, Australia clearly fancy their chances of knocking over Zimbabwe, even with their premier fast bowler on the sidelines.”Jason’s been up for a while, played a fair bit of cricket and is bowling well at the moment, and with the tournament the way it is at the moment, it just presented itself to give him a bit of a rest,” said Ponting. Zimbabwe’s top order will need to show a great deal more skill and pluck if they are to take advantage of his absence.Australia squad Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Michael Bevan, Brad Hogg, Andy Bichel, Brett Lee, Brad Williams.

On behalf of the family of David Hookes, the South Australian CricketAssociation (SACA) can confirm that a public funeral service tocelebrate the life of David Hookes will be held at the Adelaide Oval at11am on Tuesday, January 27.The Clarrie Grimmett (northern) gates and Phil Ridings (southern) gatesto Adelaide Oval will be open for public access from 10am.Seating for the public will be available in the Bradman stand and thewestern grandstands, with reserved seating for family, friends anddignitaries in the George Giffen stand.The Adelaide City Council have made the Pinky Flat and northern AdelaideOval carparks available to the public at no charge. Both carparks willbe accessible from 8am on Tuesday.The public are encouraged to attend what will be a fitting celebrationof the extraordinary life of David Hookes.

New South Wales 4 for 177 (Bevan 71*, S Waugh 65) trail Queensland 9 for 418 dec (Bichel 112, Nye 102) by 241 runs
Scorecard

New South Wales ended the second day of their Pura Cup match against Queensland on 4 for 177, with Michael Bevan on 71 and Mark Waugh yet to score in reply to Queensland’s 9 for 418 declared, a healthy total made possible by Andy Bichel’s career-best 112 and Aaron Nye’s 102 on debut. Meanwhile, Tasmania were on the verge of taking first-innings points against Victoria at the Bellerive Oval, a result which would effectively knock NSW, the defending champions, out of the competition and ensure that Steve and Mark Waugh bow out of first-class cricket this weekend.A typically defiant 65 from the Steve Waugh sparked another standing ovation – and chants of Steve Waugh (clap, clap, clap), Steve Waugh (clap, clap, clap) – from 3509 spectators in his last game at the SCG. He’ll go to bed tonight convinced there’s still some way that NSW can defend their title.But their chances nosedived when he was dismissed in the shadows of dusk, caught by Chris Hartley, the wicketkeeper, off Nathan Hauritz. Steve was unhappy with the decision of the umpire Ian Lock and hesitated before walking off.Earlier, Bichel was in a belligerent mood with the bat. Exactly 12 months ago, back when he was still considered worthy by the national selectors, he was in the middle of a golden run at the World Cup. He had just taken a riproaring 7 for 20 and made 34 not out in a matchwinning partnership with Bevan against England at Port Elizabeth, and was about to crack 64 alongside Bevan against New Zealand to keep Australia’s ultimately successful tournament on track.Bichel has since seemingly been assigned to the international scrapheap, but his abilities and competitiveness remain. His celebrations at the World Cup were almost tame compared to his reaction to reaching three figures today – his second ton for the Bulls. He whipped off his maroon helmet, kissed it, threw his arms in the air, bolted past the stumps and pointed his bat towards his hootin’-and-hollerin’ team-mates on the players’ balcony.Bichel, whose 189-run partnership with Nye rescued the Bulls from the perils of 6 for 202, went on to take the vital wicket of Michael Clarke, who fell for 13 to a tempestuous pull-shot that was caught on the square-leg fence. Bichel took 1 for 33 from 14 overs.Queensland limped into this crucial game with seven regular players unavailable against a NSW side overflowing with stars, but their veteran batsman Stuart Law predicted before the match that his side would thrive as underdogs.”Queensland, who are Queensland?” said Law. “Down this part of the world, it’s in everything we do. NSW and Victoria are supposedly better, but that’s good for us. If we come here and no-one is really talking about us, there’s no pressure on us. There’s a lot of pressure for the other team to get into that final.”Especially now, given that Waugh had said on Wednesday that there would be “no excuses” if his full-strength XI failed to win outright. Queensland can still make the final if they beat NSW outright, but only if second-placed Tasmania fail to beat top-ranked Victoria by the maximum margin in Hobart.Law dropped a hot chance off Bevan at second slip before he had scored. The full ramifications of that are yet to be seen.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly upset that Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of the Indian board, held his press conference to announce the itinerary of India’s tour to Pakistan earlier than scheduled. The schedule for the tour was to be announced simultaneously by the two boards, with Dalmiya holding a press conference at 5pm IST, and Rameez Raja, PCB’s CEO, holding it at the same time, at 4.30 pm Pakistan time. (Pakistan is half-an-hour behind India.) However, Dalmiya’s press conference began at 4.40pm IST. The tour schedule was later touted in the media as a victory of the BCCI over the PCB.Speaking to the Indian Express, Rameez said: “We [Dalmiya and he] had agreed that we announce it at a promised time. But the BCCI gave out the details half-an-hour before us. I will certainly speak to Mr Dalmiya about it.”Dalmiya refused to be drawn into the matter, saying that it was a controversy created by the media. The puzzling aspect of the story, however, was that journalists in India knew a day in advance that Dalmiya’s press conference would be at 4.30pm the next day, which makes it all the more curious that the PCB did not know. The PCB, in fact, seems to have panicked to try to make their announcements before the Indian one. Agha Akbar Khan, the sports editor of the Lahore newspaper, The Nation, told The Indian Express about the confusion: “The whole event was so hurriedly organised that everything happened at the last minute. The PCB was not aware of Dalmiya’s announcements and when they got to know they sent out invites to one and all. Luckily, one of my reporters was around and could attend the briefing.”Dalmiya announcing the itinerary is a minor issue,” he concluded, “but the whole thing gives me a feeling that Indians want to show that they are in charge.”

ScorecardUganda beat Namibia by five wickets with nine overs of the match remaining, to take the honours in their opening match of the ICC Intercontinental Cup. Namibia began the day on 130 for 2 – a lead of 21 – and batted sensibly to secure a lead of 181, despite the best efforts of Kenneth Kamyuka, who finished with 5 for 83.Uganda’s run-chase began badly, when M Naiko was caught-behind for a duck off the medium-pace of Bernie Berger (2 for 0). But their other opener, Benjamin Musoke, provided the solid foundations with a well-crafted 72. He added 136 for the fourth wicket with Frank Nsubuga, who made 41, and by the time they both fell within two runs of each other, the task was all but complete. Junior Kwebiha and Uganda’s first-innings hero, Nand Kishar, wrapped up the match.Uganda’s next fixture is on July 23, on their home turf in Kampala, when they take on the group favourites, Kenya. The African pool concludes on October 3, when Namibia and Kenya complete their match in Nairobi.

Desmond Haynes, one half of one of the greatest opening combinations Test cricket has ever seen, has expressed concerns about the West Indian team’s readiness for English conditions, and said that unfamiliarity with the moving ball could hamper the players.The Barbados Daily Nation reported Haynes’s doubts about the possibility of West Indian success in England – a far cry from the confidence his team exuded while touring in the past. “We are going to England in a couple of weeks’ time and there is no preparation in place where the guys can go into an indoor facility somewhere in the Caribbean to start playing against the moving ball.”I am not too sure of our preparation for that tour and that is why I have a little problem with how well we will do in England,” he said. “Because we just came off two tracks that were very, very flat. There was no sideway movement, playing against Bangladesh. That preparation, to me, is not adequate at this level.”Haynes, who played 116 Tests, most of them in concert with his fellow Barbadian opening partner Gordon Greenidge, pointed out that few players had experienced English conditions, unlike in the past, when many West Indian team members (including Haynes himself, in a prolific career with Middlesex) were fixtures on the county circuit. Of the one-day squad picked for the tour, only four players – Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ridley Jacobs – have significant experience in England.”It is harder on these players now than it was with us because there were about nine guys in the West Indies team that would have played in England or were playing in England for a county or something like that,” said Haynes. “We were strong back in the 1980s because we had the opportunity to play county cricket.”His comments came after the West Indian team’s dismal performances against South Africa, England and – to the mortification of many – even in the first Test against Bangladesh. The loss to a resurgent England earlier this year raises the possibility of a whitewash – and for a change, it’s England that will go into a series against West Indies wielding the whip.