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BPL put it across hosts Hyderabad by two wickets in a seat edgethriller in the Moin-ud-Dowlah Cup at the AOC ground in the citytoday. SR Deepu had a brilliant allround game for the winners,grabbing 5/33 with the ball to shut out Hyderabad for 177 and thenmaking an unbeaten 42 to pilot BPL home with one ball to spare.Hyderabad elected to bat after winning the toss and a useful openingstand of 76 between Nandakishore (45) and Daniel Manohar (41) in lessthan 20 overs gave them a strong foundation which the later batsmencontrived to squander. After Syed Nooruddin made the initial inroadsby dismissing Manohar, Deepu took over, slicing through the middleorder with precision. Nooruddin also joined the party with a bag of3/32 as Hyderabad collapsed from 113/1, losing their last nine wicketsfor 63.In reply, BPL lost Nooruddin to Fiaz Ahmed in the third over and thesame bowler also sent back Yere Goud to leave them at 26/2. VinayKumar (30) and Nitin Mulki (52) then came together in the brightestspot of the innings, adding 55 for the third wicket. Mulki and Deepuput on a further 44 for the fourth wicket before the former was runout at 125.From there things steadily went downhill for BPL as the next threebatsmen fell for ducks and they slipped to 128/7, having lost fourwickets for three runs in a spectacular collapse. Deepu who hadsurvived all the carnage got a willing partner in BN Ramesh with whomhe added 37 to take BPL to the doorstep of victory. No.10 SandeepHebbar came out with 13 required in 15 balls and they just aboutsqueaked home.

The Twenty20 revolution apparently knows no boundaries. Now cricket’s hottest craze is poised to make inroads into one of the sport’s most elusive frontiers, the United States.Mohammad Azharuddin, Javed Miandad and Richie Richardson are the former Test captains who have agreed to take part in a privately-run, All-Star weekend in southern Florida in late May. The MAQ T20 International Cricket Tournament will combine three days of matches with ethnic musical concerts during the Memorial Day long weekend, May 23rd to 25th. It aims to attract 30,000 fans over three days to Central Broward Regional Park, a new cricket stadium, near Fort Lauderdale.The event will be funded by Cricket Council USA (CCUSA), a non-sanctioned organisation with no affiliation to the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), which was reinstated as an Associate Member of the ICC on April 1st after a one-year suspension.CCUSA, with a couple of former USACA officials among a full-time staff of 12, is backed by Florida-based, Pakistani-born businessman, Mahammad “MAQ” Qureshi. With an office in Boca Raton, it says its aim is trying to spread the gospel of Twenty20 across America.Tickets will range between just US$10 and $20, with free general admission for children on two of the three days. “Our ultimate goal is to get the local youngsters at high school level to try cricket as an alternative to baseball, basketball or American football,” said Nino DiLoreto, Director of Media for CCUSA. “We’re looking beyond the expatriate element to take Twenty20 to mainstream Americans.”With four teams competing for $75,000 in prize money, the Memorial Day tournament has attracted an impressive list of names from cricket’s past and present.The West Indies All-Star Team is managed by Lawrence Rowe – who, like one of his former international team-mates, Lance Gibbs – now lives in southern Florida. Richardson will have ex-Windies internationals Ricardo Powell, Stuart Williams, Franklyn Rose and Courtney Browne amongst his team-mates. Joining Miandad, 51, in the Pakistani All-Star side will be 20-somethings Mohammad Sami, Faisal Iqbal, Imran Nazir and Imran Farhat.The timing of the IPL rules out a significant Indian contingent, so Mohammad Azharuddin will captain an International All-Star team that includes former Australian spinner Nathan Hauritz, Ireland’s 2007 World Cup captain Trent Johnston and Brighton Watambwa, who played six Test matches for Zimbabwe in 2001-2002.Canada will provide players for the fourth side and intends using the tournament as a warm-up for an upcoming qualifying round in Ireland for the 2011 Twenty20 World Cup.”A Cricket Night to Remember” is the name of the concerts that will follow the first two days, featuring Caribbean and south Asian artists. The event is the first of four Twenty20 tournaments planned by CCUSA for 2008. On August 16th, the Azadi Cup will mark Indo-Pak Independence Day and will aim to attract some high profile subcontinental players to Central Broward Regional Park, recently completed and funded by public money at a cost of $71 million.”It’s the first purpose-built cricket stadium in the United States or Canada,” declared Nino DiLoreto of CCUSA.The diverse Broward County, a 30 minute drive north of Miami, is a unique, diverse pocket of the United States where cricket actually registers on the radar. Almost 4% of an estimated population of almost 2 million was born in Jamaica while there are also sizeable south Asian and British communities, many of whom subscribe to pay-per-view television to regularly watch international cricket. Broward County is the home to about 50 of the United States’ 750 registered cricket clubs, who play in two leagues. It’s estimated that the US has around 50,000 active players, making it the ninth largest cricket-playing country.CCUSA is still recruiting for the tournament and hasn’t given up hope of bringing another recent former Test captain to the impressive Central Broward Regional Park. “If he agrees to come, he’d be by far the tournament’s biggest name,” said Syed ‘Bobby’ Refaie, its president.Refaie, a former USACA secretary, added that CCUSA wasn’t trying to compete with the sport’s official body. “But we’re not waiting for USACA to bring the beautiful game of Twenty20 cricket to the American audience,” he said. “We’re hoping that we perhaps can join hands with USACA and work together in the future.”

One opens the batting and has struggled for runs of late; the other, a middle-order batsman, has been in fine nick. Yet, come Thursday, the first is almost certain to find his name listed on the team sheet while the second is likely to miss out. Two left-handers, Andrew Strauss and Yuvraj Singh, both made confidence-boosting half-centuries in this game but their situations make interesting reading.Strauss arrived on the Test scene in splendid fashion, carving out a century on debut at Lord’s in 2004 and rattling off nine more since then, but has struggled to reach three figures for close to a year now. Yuvraj burst into the one-day arena in style, blasting his way into public consciousness during the Champions Trophy in 2000, but has been a part of just 19 Tests in seven years since.Strauss is part of a batting line-up in form; Yuvraj is part of a group that’s prone to inconsistency, often reliant on one or two batsmen. Strauss will mostly play because he’s done enough earlier to guarantee another chance; Yuvraj will mostly miss out because he’s done little to show he’s a finished article at Test level. Strauss’s failure made news on the first day while Yuvraj’s half-century was totally overshadowed. Strauss’s success made another story today, Yuvraj got just 25 minutes in the second dig.Strauss came to the press conference all staid and composed. “Lord’s is a special place to play cricket and I’m keen to go out there and score some runs this week,” he said as if to suggest there was no uncertainty. “But what you’ve done prior to the Test match matters very little when the first ball comes out. So it’s about reapplying yourself and sometimes when you’ve had a very big score [like Sachin has] you can settle back down and think you’re on a hundred. That’s the danger of being in good form but I’d prefer to be in good form than in bad form.”Yuvraj entered as if he was taking a jolly stroll in the park. “I’ve been out with injury, it’s been a while since I played a Test but I’ve had some good preparations and I’m looking forward to whatever game I play,” he said, almost in a resigned tone. “There was a bit of pressure yesterday so I thought I’ll take my time. But I got set and the moment I should have cashed in, I got out.He was asked if he would like to open, considering India’s brittle opening combination and also taking into account that he’s done the job in the past, but he dead-batted it with a “I wouldn’t like to comment”. But would he be frustrated if he missed out? This time he was more forthcoming. “It’s tough, I’ve had many disappointments in the past and I also know that the guys ahead of me have played a lot of Test cricket. They have a lot of experience. So I’ll just wait for my chance and whatever game I play in, I’ll try to perform.”Strauss left with a smile on his face, Yuvraj left as if he was continuing the stroll in the park.

The Twenty20 Cup comes to Nottingham on Saturday for finals day at Trent Bridge. For the hosts, Nottinghamshire, it will be their first experience of the electric atmosphere of finals day – and, facing thethreat of relegation in the County Championship, their motivation cannot be hindered.”This is our first appearance at finals day but I don’t see that as a disadvantage,” said Stephen Fleming, Nottinghamshire’s captain, wholast year took his side to their first Championship title since 1987. “It would be great to win a trophy for the club because not only would it add to the silverware but it would help bring new fans to Trent Bridge. I can’t wait for finals day.”But it is Surrey who start favourites, and Nottinghamshire face them in the second semi-final of the day, before which Essex and Leicestershire go head-to-head at 11.30am.Surrey’s season has gradually improved and, as the shadows begin tolengthen on 2006, the horrors of 2005 have been quickly forgotten. Perhaps instrumental to their success – not to mention creating a revitalised, happier squad – has been the return of Mark Butcher, the captain, who missed most of last season through injury. Indeed Butcher, in an interview with last week, revealed Surrey’s return of confidence can be put down to a restoration of the “old arrogance” which brought them so much success in the late 1990s. Surrey also took the inaugural Twenty20 Cup title in 2003.The most explosive example of their cocksureness comes from James Benning, their bristlingly aggressive opener who has injected suchfever and pace into Surrey’s innings. On four occasions he has passed 50 and his 326 runs have come at the superb strike-rate of 161.4. “I’m sure I will be nervous come next Saturday,” he told Cricinfo. “It is our fourth final, I’ve been at all four. I can’t wait to get there. We’ve worked so hard to pull it out of the hat and we’ve performed so well. We are going to give ourselves every opportunity to get to the final and bring the trophy back to the Oval, where it should be.”

While Surrey have puffed out their chests with greater confidence this season, Essex, too, have strutted like peacocks. “We believe when we walk out onto the pitch we’re going to win the game,” James Foster, the Essex wicketkeeper said. “When you get on a roll and win matches it turns into a habit and that has happened with Twenty20.”Foster was instrumental in Essex’s quarter-final win over Yorkshire when, coming to the wicket at 73 for 5, he put on 76 with Ryan ten Doeschate to take his side through to finals day. But it is DarrenGough, twinkletoes himself, who has arguably been the key to Essex ‘s Twenty20 campaign. Bowling at the death, his and Andy Bichel’s late wickets and starving of the runs have helped Essex strangle opponents on more than one occasion. For all his claims in various magazines and newspapers this summer that England would be daft to ignore him any longer, it appears the selectors do acknowledge his worth: yesterday he was called up for the provisional squad of 30 for the Champions Trophy in October.While Gough is Essex’s cheerleader, Darren Maddy is Leicestershire’s – albeit without so much of a Samba. Maddy, 32, is the world’s highest run-scorer in the format, not to mention a match-winner and, while Leicestershire’s Championship form has been less than satisfactory – with just two victories this season – they continue to excel in Twenty20 cricket. “We have always had a good one-day team,” Maddy explained, “butprobably under-achieved and somehow Twenty20 has suited the way weplay. We’ve got some very good game plans and we’ve been very lucky at Leicester that we’ve had some fantastic support.”The day kicks off with the first semi-final at 11.30, followed by the second between Surrey and Nottinghamshire. The final starts at 19.15.

In the Logan Cup this weekend, Matabeleland travel to Harare to play what was once the major domestic fixture of the season against Mashonaland, while Midlands host Manicaland at Kwekwe Sports Club.Mashonaland again will be favourites to overcome their rivals, especially after the way they dispatched Manicaland last weekend. Matabeleland have not beaten the champions since 1995/96, which was actually the last time Mashonaland lost at first-class level at all. In 11 matches between the two teams since the Logan Cup was granted first-class status in 1993/94, Mashonaland have won seven and Matabeleland just that one. Both Andy and Grant Flower average over 100 in matches between the two provinces.Mashonaland still lack Douglas Hondo, whose strained shoulder has not yet healed, and have named the same team as last week. Matabeleland too expect to play an unchanged team.Manicaland and Midlands have met only twice at first-class level, excluding a washout at Mutare Sports Club two years back, and have recorded one victory each. Midlands will be favourites to win this match, especially on their home soil, where the bowling of Raymond Price, who took ten wickets in the drawn match at Queens Sports Club last weekend, is so often the vital factor. Midlands also have a strong pace attack and powerful batting line-up, and may well prove too powerful for the young Manicaland side.Manicaland are still without Guy Whittall, not yet fit, and have made four changes to their team, dropping the Soma brothers, Lance Malloch-Brown and Justin Lewis. In come Kingsley Went, who had a good innings for the B team last weekend; Paul Strang, grabbed from Matabeleland B; former Academy all-rounder Blessing Mahwire; and Harare off-spinning all-rounder Prosper Utseya. This gives them a long batting line-up, with captain Henry Olonga either having to bat at eleven himself or giving that post to one of the all-rounders. They will be putting their hopes on off-spinner Richie Sims to emulate Price and take advantage of a helpful pitch. Midlands expect to play the same team that drew with Matabeleland.The nominated teams are as follows:Mashonaland: Trevor Gripper, Stuart Carlisle, Dion Ebrahim, Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Craig Evans, +Tatenda Taibu, Andy Blignaut, *Brian Murphy, Gus Mackay, Alfred Mbwembwe.Matabeleland: Gavin Rennie, Mark Vermeulen, Charles Coventry, Barney Rogers, Andre Hoffman, Mluleki Nkala, Gavin Ewing, +Wisdom Siziba, *Pommie Mbangwa, Keith Dabengwa, Jordane Nicolle.Manicaland: +Neil Ferreira, Kingsley Went, Alistair Campbell, Richie Sims, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Guy Croxford, Paul Strang, Blessing Mahwire, Gary Brent, Prosper Utseya, *Henry Olonga.Midlands: Terry Duffin, Vusi Sibanda, Doug Marillier, *Dirk Viljoen, Sean Ervine, Travis Friend, +Alester Maregwede, Don Campbell, Raymond Price, Innocent Chinyoka, Campbell Macmillan.B DIVISION TEAMSMatabeleland B play at home against Mashonaland B, while Masvingo make their debut, travelling to Mutare to play Manicaland B. Midlands B have a bye.Mashonaland B: Tafadzwa Mufambisi, +Glenn Goosen, *Darlington Matambanadzo, Ryan Butterworth, Conan Brewer, Tom Benade, Ishmael Senzere, Neeten Chouhan, Elton Chigumbura, Nyasha Chari, Stephen Zesengwa.Matabeleland B: *Ryan King, Clement Mahachi, Neil van Rensburg, Jason Hitz, Mark McKillop, +Romeo Kasawaya, Piet Rinke, Steven Brown, Michael Springer, Norman Mukondiwa, Tawanda Mupariwa.Manicaland B: Paxton Chatura, +Adiel Kugotsi, +Kudzai Taibu, Shepherd Makunura, *Glen Barrett, Paddy Obank, Sintu Khan, Guy Penford, Gerald Makota, Marvin Vogel, Keegan Taylor.Masvingo: No team list has yet been forthcoming from Masvingo.

Darren Gough is preparing to play international cricket in the Caribbean for the first time in his long career, after winning a recall to England’s one-day colours for the seven-match series that follows the Tests against West Indies. Also back in the fray is Steve Harmison, England’s star bowler from the Jamaica and Trinidad Tests, who won the second spare fast-bowling slot ahead of Simon Jones.Gough was Man of the Match in his last one-day outing, the final of the 2003 NatWest Series against South Africa in July, but was controversially overlooked for the pre-Christmas trips to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He has since completed a high-profile move to Essex in a bid to relaunch his international career, and has successfully convinced the selectors that the dodgy knee that forced his retirement from Test cricket will not hamper him in one-dayers.”Darren has proved his fitness to our medical team,” said David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors. “His inclusion will give us valuable experience and knowhow within our bowling attack. He is a proven international performer, and I’m sure that he will be relishing the prospect of his first England tour of the Caribbean.”Harmison’s inclusion follows a stunning coming-of-age in the first two Tests against West Indies, in which he has taken 16 wickets, including a record-breaking 7 for 12 in the second innings at Kingston. “Stephen has performed superbly against West Indies in the Test series,” said Graveney, “and we hope that he can carry this rich vein of form into the one-day arena.”Harmison travelled to South Africa for last year’s World Cup, but his accuracy was not able to match up to his pace and he was a peripheral member of England’s set-up. Since then, however, he has worked on his rhythm and approach to the crease, and has established such a psychological hold over the West Indian batsmen that his inclusion was virtually guaranteed. “He is an important part of our plans for the future,” added Graveney, “in both forms of the game.”England squad for one-day series
Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood,Andrew Flintoff, Anthony McGrath, Rikki Clarke, Ashley Giles, Ian Blackwell, Chris Read (wk), Gareth Batty, Darren Gough, Stephen Harmison, James Kirtley, James Anderson.

Sunday, March 16, 2003:::
Tendulkar a man on a mission
Ever since this tournament began there has been something different about Tendulkar, a look in his eye, something about the way he has been carrying himself, a maturity suggesting that he believes his time has come, writes Peter Roebuck.
Source: The Sunday Age, Australia
Kenya bowl establishment a wrong ‘un to make semis
In Kenya cricket used to be something for the wahindi – Hindi speakers – or the wazungu, the whites. But with their World Cup success, the times they are a changing.
Source: The Observer, UK
India’s success should be enshrined
“Whatever has been done to bring about this modern miracle should be documented and placed in a shrine. If it could be recorded there would be a number of prospective consumers in the cricket world willing to pay considerable royalties to access the secret” – Greg Chappell.
Source: Rediff.com
India deserves all the luck
The Indians, as I mentioned, cannot be faulted for starting to plan for the finals. The only area that a change could be made in at this stage, observes Barry Richards.
Source: Mid-day, India
Read anything interesting lately? Send us the link for the CricInfo weblogs.Saturday, March 15, 2003:::
Flower: A true all-rounder
Martin Gough looks back at the career of Andy Flower, the consummate professional who was also something of a ‘patron saint for lost causes’.
Source: BBC, UK
Parthiv Patel faces a real test
Parthiv Patel, the youngest wicket-keeper in the 2003 World Cup, may not have played a single match but being the good young man that he is, he has gainfully employed the free time at his disposal, reading his text books and preparing for the big test that awaits him on his return to India.
Source: Cricket365.com
Indians ready for Aussie showdown
I didn’t think any team could challenge Australia at the start of the tournament – they were untouchable. But after watching India’s performances over the past few weeks, I think Sourav Ganguly’s team now have a very good chance of winning the final in Johannesburg next Sunday, writes Imran Khan.
Source: BBC, UK
Aussies in a spin over St George’s pitch
Australian batsman Darren Lehmann is the latest to vent his frustration over the state of the Port Elizabeth pitch where the world champions are due to play their World Cup semifinal on Tuesday.
Source: The Independent, South Africa
Read anything interesting lately? Send us the link for the CricInfo weblogs.Friday, March 14, 2003:::
Kenya next up where England failed to tread
It is natural for countries knocked out early to lose interest, or sometimes feel a little aggrieved, but you have to say that Kenya deserve full recognition for what was the greatest achievement in their cricketing history, writes Michael Bevan.
Source:Guardian
Kenyan progression gets the drums beating across the Serengeti
Kenya has played sound cricket, giving nothing away and taking its chances. It is an old formula and it works. Every time the team has faltered it has fought back. There is resolution in this team from Africa, and considerable ability, writes renowned cricket writer Peter Roebuck.
Source:The Age, Australia
Renewed Tendulkar seeks final revenge
Sachin Tendulkar has vowed to avenge India’s nine-wicket loss and his own lacklustre World Cup innings against Australia with a win over Ricky Ponting’s team in the final.
Source:The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Team India turns laptop warriors
At the heart of the Indian cricket team’s performance in the World Cup, and their general cricketing revival, is the use of technology.
Source:Times of India
Kenya laughing their way to success – McGrath
Glenn McGrath believes that South Africa could have avoided early elimination if they had gone about their cricket as Kenya have in this World Cup.
Source: The Independent, South Africa
Read anything interesting lately? Send us the link for the CricInfo weblogs.Thursday, March 13, 2003:::
Kenya’s youngsters long for home after incredible win
Apart from the bright green and red training kit, there is only one other thing common with all the Kenya players off the pitch: mobile phones. But if you have ever been away from home for a long time, you will understand that the little gizmo is the closest you can get to your loved ones.
Source: Allafrica.comWhere the cricket is something that eats crops
They are arranging a side trip from the main centre of the cricket World Cup to play in a state notorious for brutal executions and for a dodgy election that produced a leader reviled round the world. This is the next World Cup, scheduled for West Indies in 2007, you understand. And the state concerned is Florida.
Source: The Guardian, UKMcGrath lauds smiling giant-killers
Glenn McGrath said that Shaun Pollock’s perennially stressed-out team would have benefited from enjoying themselves as much as Australia and the underdog Kenyans, who booked a semi-final berth by beating Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein.
Source: The Australian, AustraliaGreg Chappell revives Bradman-Tendulkar debate
Australian batting great Greg Chappell yesterday wondered if the legendary Don Bradman would have handled the modern game as well as India’s Sachin Tendulkar does. Chappell called Tendulkar a “genius” after watching him score a record 571 runs in the World Cup so far.
Source: AFP in Arab News, Saudi ArabiaUtter rubbish!
These are the only two words that can describe yesterday’s pathetic performance by the Zimbabwe cricket team, who were knocked out of the 2003 World Cup when they suffered a humiliating seven-wicket defeat with 23 overs to spare against non-Test-playing Kenya — of all teams — in a Super Six match at the Goodyear Park.
Source: The Harare Herald, ZimbabweRead anything interesting lately? Send us the link for the CricInfo weblogs.Wednesday, March 12, 2003:::
Lankan Buddhists join Indian victory celebrations
A group of Sri Lankan Buddhists joined thousands of Kolkatans in boisterous celebrations over India’s thumping victory against Sri Lanka at the World Cup. “We are monks. All are equal in our eyes. So we shouldn’t be partial,” a smiling Dipak Lama said.
Source: The New Indian Express, IndiaAll rise for the bullet-proof genius
Sachin Tendulkar arrived in southern Africa with two runs in three matches in New Zealand, a shadow over his batting position and the ever-insatiable expectations of millions, yet he steadily made the World Cup his own.
Source: The Guardian, UKWorld Cup veterans standing strongest
How wrong those pundits were who predicted a youth-spurred World Cup! Peter Roebuck discovers that it is the ageing veterans who are propelling their sides further into the tournament.
Source: The Age, AustralianPonting escapes censure after Cairns run-in
Ricky Ponting escaped a ticking off from officials today after a prolonged verbal send-off to Chris Cairns. After Cairns was dismissed for 16, Ponting ran in from cover to eyeball Cairns and let rip with some choice adjectives as he was trudging off.
Source: Stuff, New ZealandTravel agents make hay as fans rush to South Africa
India’s entry into the World Cup semi-finals has resulted in cricket-crazy fans heading for South Africa in droves. While the number of queries for tickets have gone up by almost 50 per cent at agencies after the team’s victory over Pakistan, travel agents have sold more packages over the last 10 days.
Source: Business Standard, IndiaRead anything interesting lately? Send us the link for the CricInfo weblogs.Tuesday, March 11, 2003:::
Prisoners in Mumbai fast for TV
When India is reeling under cricket fever, is it tantamount to a denial of human rights to withold cricket matches from prisoners? Some in the Azad Maidan Police Station seem to think so, and fasted until they got their cricket!
Source: Mid Day, IndiaWest Indies to host “greatest-ever World Cup”
When the West Indies World Cup organising committee delegation hosted a tete-a-tete with journalists after studying the World Cup, World Cup 2007 committee CEO Chris Dehring seemed sure that he could top the current tournament for organisation and quality.
Source: The Gulf News, UAEAmerica to play in the next World Cup
Those who hold cricket as one of the last bastions of un-Americanisation have reason to weep. As part-hosts of the 2007 World Cup, the USA will get automatic entry into the next edition of the tournament.
Source: The Guardian, UKRussell Crowe wishes Kiwis well against Australia
Adopted Aussie Russell Crowe is going in to bat for New Zealand at the cricket World Cup, switching allegiance to the Black Caps in South Africa after close friend Shane Warne was booted out of the Australian side for failing a drugs test, said cousin Jeff Crowe.
Source: The New Zealand Herald, New ZealandRead anything interesting lately? Send us the link for the CricInfo weblogs.Monday, March 10, 2003:::
Condemned by colourful fingers of fate
One employs an arthritic, crooked finger to condemn a batsman, another occasionally hops from foot to foot while a third had to take evasive action to avoid a knockout blow from the world’s greatest batsman. Under the glare of the television lights here, World Cup umpires are beginning to shine just as much as the players.
Source: The Independent, South AfricaBodyline antics have Fleming yawning
Stephen Fleming is not about to be dragged into a debate over Australia’s use of bodyline tactics against key opponents, or the question of launching a pre-emptive strike if given the opportunity.
Source: The New Zealand Herald, New ZealandGreat rivalry deserves world stage
Certainly it is appropriate that Australia and New Zealand are going head to head at this eighth World Cup for their great rivalry deserves a world stage, writes renowned cricket writer Mike Coward.
Source: The Australian, AustraliaFacing the old rivals
There’s one thing no self-respecting Aussie can do and that’s lose against a Kiwi. It doesn’t matter what sport you’re playing – cricket, rugby, tennis – they won’t accept back home, writes Darren Lehmann.
Source: The BBC, UK,The World Cup of the morons
Raj Subramanyam rolls up his sleeves and gets down to the pleasurable task of naming the morons – men who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory – of the ongoing World Cup.
Source: Rediff.comRead anything interesting lately? Send us the link for the CricInfo weblogs.

Both captains were in agreement as to the crucial difference between the teams as they reflected on the Second npower Test at Lord’s.”I think the fielding was the difference between the two sides,” Steve Waugh reasoned. “England missed a few chances and today we were pretty sharp. It makes a huge difference to the overall outcome of the match.”Mike Atherton agreed. “We dropped few chances and you can’t afford to give good players two or three lives,” he said.”We dropped three or four early chances yesterday and that could have produced a lead in the region of 100 and could have given us an opportunity to set Australia a smallish total.”But Waugh praised the English bowlers, and insisted that his team deserved credit for the victory, rather than England the criticism.”I know as a batsmen you have got to work hard out there, it certainly is not easy. They are a very competitive side and it (fielding) can be the difference. In a Test match you only get a couple of chances, but we are playing good cricket and putting England under a lot of pressure.””Lord’s has some great memories,” Glenn McGrath said as he was presented with the man of the match award. He, too, paid tribute to the Australian fielders, but acknowledged a couple of the other fast bowlers involved in the game too.”Jason Gillespie should also be commended on his effort and also Andy Caddick for continuing the attack,” McGrath praised. “With the slip squad we have there and Mark Waugh with his new world record, they help a lot because they seem to catch every one of them."Asked about the chances of Thorpe being fit for the Third Test the England coach Duncan Fletcher revealed that the batsman was to see a specialist tomorrow after an x-ray had proved inconclusive.”It would be a big disappointment if Graham was out,” admitted Fletcher. “He’s really played well for us, he looked good in the first innings and we need him in the side because he’s a very experienced and top class player.”Nasser Hussain will undergo a fitness Test next weekend when a decision will made about his availability for the next Test. Asked by Channel 4 if Hussain would be fit for Trent Bridge Atherton said with feeling “I hope so!”

Pentasoft ousted Canara Bank by two wickets to enter the semifinals of the Moin-ud-Dowlah Cup in Hyderabad on Friday. With ONGC having withdrawn from the tournament, this Group D encounter was a cut throat game at the ECIL ground, both protagonists having beaten Hyderabad Districts, the only other team in the group. Brothers S Ramesh and S Mahesh were the leading participants in the Pentasoft run-chase as the Chennai based software company reached their target of 200 with seven balls to spare.In the morning session, the bankmen after being put in to bat, made 199/9. This was a palpable recovery for they had been lost four wickets for 30 at one stage, including the important scalp of Vijay Bharadwaj for 11. But the lower order applied themselves to the task of batting out the full 50 overs. Sunil Joshi (29) and Somasekhar Shiraguppi (31) commenced the rearguard action. And it was completed with gusto by Srinivas Murthy who remained undefeated on 46 (53 balls, 4 fours) and skipper Venkatesh Prasad who revealed some hitherto unrevealed flair with the bat with a run-a-ball 24. S Mahesh and S Satish both had identical figures of 2/30.In reply, Openers M Arvind and S Ramesh added 62 for the first wicket and skipper Ramesh in the company of SS Das compiled another 58 for the second. At 134/2 Pentasoft were sitting pretty but the loss of three wickets (Ramesh, Kanitkar and Jaffer Ashiq) in the space of four overs left them slightly perturbed at 139/5. Ramesh’s 59 was a quickfire effort, coming off 71 balls and inclusive of eight boundaries. Although C Raghu (4/30) kept Pentasoft on their toes, Mahesh (43 not out, 60 balls, 4 fours) retained his composure to see Pentasoft home from the last ball of the penultimate over and round off a good match for him.

Ishant Sharma is set to undergo a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on Sunday in order to determine his availability for the third Test against South Africa in Kanpur, which starts on April 11. The team for the final match is expected to be selected at the end of the Ahmedabad Test.Ishant, who starred in the Tests and the ODIs on the Australia tour, was advised complete rest for three weeks by the then physio, John Gloster. He had a problem in the big toe of his landing foot as well as an inflammation in the right forefinger.He underwent some tests at the NCA before the start of the South Africa series but had not attained full fitness. He was with the team at both Chennai and Ahmedabad, and has been monitored by Paul Close, the physio. Anil Kumble hoped Ishant would be fully fit for the Ahmedabad Test but the team decided to give him a bit more time.Murali Kartik, the left-arm spinner, is also expected to be tested in Bangalore on Sunday. Kartik was included in the squad for the first two Tests but an ankle sprain sustained on the day of the selection ruled him out for three weeks.Joginder Sharma, VRV Singh and Sudeep Tyagi are the others currently undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA.