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The XXXX Queensland Bulls will be without pace spearhead MichaelKasprowicz for their Pura Cup clash with Tasmanian Tigers in Hobart nextweek.The Queensland selectors last night named a 13-man squad for the matchstarting on Thursday at Bellerive Oval but Kasprowicz was ruled outtoday after a session with team physiotherapist Stephen Partridge andcoach Terry Oliver.Kasprowicz suffered a hamstring injury in Queensland’s outright win overthe Western Warriors three weeks ago and will now set his sights onbeing fit for the return clash at the WACA in Perth from January 4-7.Left-arm pace bowler Scott Brant comes into the twelve that defeated theWarriors in place of Kasprowicz.Brant had been named in the Queensland Academy of Sport team to playTasmania at Allan Border Field in their ACB Cup 2nd XI match from Mondaybut has has now been replaced by off-spinner Scott O’Leary.Bulls squad bowler Adam Dale returns to the QAS line after missing theirlast match against NSW due to a groin strain.The Bulls depart on Monday at 11.10am on Qantas Flight QF525.XXXX Queensland Bulls v Tasmania, Pura Cup, Thurs Dec 19 – Sun Dec 22,Bellerive Oval: Jimmy Maher (c), Brendan Nash, Martin Love, AndrewSymonds, Stuart Law, Lee Carseldine, Wade Seccombe, Ashley Noffke,Nathan Hauritz, Joe Dawes, Damien MacKenzie, Scott Brant.QAS v Tasmanian 2nd XI, , ACB Cup, Mon Dec 16 – Thurs Dec 19, AllanBorder Field: James Hopes (c), Nick Kruger, Daniel Payne, Duncan Betts,Clinton Perren, Aaron Nye, Chris Simpson, Chris Hartley, Adam Dale,Matthew Anderson, Scott O’Leary, Steve Magoffin.

PERTH – Australian cricket selectors might be tempted to impose tearawayBrett Lee on the fragile English batting lineup on a WACA pitch whichcould be the fastest in 20 years.While incumbent Andy Bichel is still favoured for the third paceman’sspot for the third Ashes Test starting Friday, Lee has an imposingrecord at the famed fast bowling paradise.Lee, one of the quickest bowlers on the planet, has taken 15 wickets at19.6 in his two Test appearances in the west and has been in career-bestform at first-class level.”We have potential for the fastest Test pitch since the early 80s,” headcurator Richard Winter wrote in Cricket WA magazine.That can only aid Lee press for a recall after Bichel played in theopening two Ashes Tests this summer.It was a devastating bowling display for NSW at the WACA three summersago which elevated Lee to his Test debut against India in the Boxing DayTest in Melbourne.Bowling with frightening pace and swing Lee broke WA tail-ender JoAngel’s arm as the Blues claimed a rare outright victory in WesternAustralia.The 32-year-old Bichel has taken five wickets at just over 36 againstEngland in the Test series having missed out bowling in the tourists’second innings capitulation at the Gabba.But while the statistics don’t make great reading he took key wicketsduring the Adelaide Test including opener Michael Vaughan at the end ofthe first day.Speedster Lee meanwhile has responded to his demotion with 21 wicketsfrom two Pura Cup matches.With weather expected to remain fine and warm this week, Winter expectedit to be a good deck on which to bat first.”It will still be a good pitch to bat on first, whoever survives thefirst two sessions will do well on it,” he said.Already trailing 2-0 in the five Test series, England returns to Perthtomorrow facing its eighth successive Ashes series defeat.And the road doesn’t get any easy for the tourists with Australia’sopening bowling combination of Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespieexpected to extract every bit of bounce from the WACA pitch.In its opening tour matches, two England bowlers found success on theWACA pitch but one has been ruled out of the series (Simon Jones), andthe other is under a serious injury cloud (Andy Caddick) with a backproblem.

Bashley (Rydal) plan to have the Southern Electric Contracting Cup firmly in their grasp before they face neighbours Bournemouth in an ECB Premier League, Division 1 revenge clash at the Bashley Cricket Ground tomorrow (SAT), 11am.The Foresters will be the proud holders of the SEPL knockout trophy for the second time in three seasons if they beat South Wilts in this evening’s (FRI) final at the Hampshire Rose Bowl.But they have a score to settle with Bournemouth, who skittled them for 101 before romping to a ten-wicket win at Chapel Gate earlier this season."That was probably our lowest point of the season," reflected Bash skipper Neil Taylor."Kristian Wilson returned his best Premier League figures and we just caved in.Bashley go into tonight’s final – provisionally scheduled for the main Rose Bowl arena – as firm favourites.South Wilts, minus Hampshire left-armer Jimmy Tomlinson and all-rounder Paul Draper, have had their bowling attack seriously blunted."But they can all bat a bit," Taylor warns."South Wilts will be looking to rise to the occasion and we’ll have to play to our full potential if we are going to win."Players like Jamie Glasson and Russell Rowe will thrive in a big match atmosphere – and we must match them."Bashley will be at full strength for tomorrow’s Premier League derby – the last of the all-day "time" matches.The Premier League reverts to 50-over matches next weekend, with BAT Sports currently 16 points clear of Havant at the top.Bournemouth, who checked BAT’s amazing 15-match winning sequence last week, delay naming their team for the Bashley trip.BAT Sports are back to full strength as they bid to step up their title challenge against Portsmouth at Southern Gardens.Kirk Stewart, a key absentee in last week’s drawn match at Bournemouth, returns to spearhead the BAT attack alongside 32-wicket Dan Goldstraw, who bagged 20 scalps last month alone.Teenage duo Graham Noble and Ricky Rawlins also play, despite a heavy workload for Hampshire’s successful Under-17 side."We are grateful to Raj Maru for allowing them both to play tomorrow," said BAT skipper David Banks, who has some catching up to do in the overall wicketkeeping award stakes."It’s an ideal platform for these two lads to show Raj just what they can do, especially as the Hampshire Development Coach will be captaining the Portsmouth team."Calmore Sports, minus newly-wed Mark Boston, can give BAT’s back-to-back title hopes a boost if they can beat Havant at Loperwood Park.Havant, 16 points behind, have a critical weekend, with Stanmore set to visit Havant Park for an ECB Club Championship quarter-final replay on Sunday, 1pm.The teams began their last-eight qualifier in North London last Sunday – but the match was abandoned because of the dangerous state of the Stanmore pitch.The ECB directed that the game should be replayed at Havant, who will receive Saffron Walden in the semi-finals on August 11 if they win.Apart from Neil Cunningham, Burridge will be at full strength for the visit to Andover, where skipper Roger Miller faces a late check on a twinged hamstring picked up scoring a century at Havant last week.Younger brother Mark is back in the side alongside Jerry Hayward and Ian Langdown, but Toby Radford is absent, as is university student Martin Docis, who is treading the boards in the musical Chicago."We didn’t realize Martin had hidden stage talents, but he’s pretty switched on musically," Miller explained.Watching the outcome with interest will be Liphook & Ripsley who aim to enhance their own survival prospects at South Wilts.

KARACHI, Aug 17: Temperamental and controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was named Saturday in Pakistan squads for the Kenyan three-nation and ICC Champions Trophy tournaments.Off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, however, was not considered for the events in Nairobi and Colombo at his own request for family reasons.Shoaib, who was instrumental in Pakistan’s stunning 2-1 win over world champions Australia in June, chose to skip the ongoing Morocco Cup and instead committed himself to club cricket in England. However, given his unpredictable mannerism and the fact that he is the favourite player of Pakistan Cricket Board, it is hardly a surprise to find Shoaib Akhtar back in the side.Shoaib, ironically, replaces Saqlain in the only change to the squad now playing in Tangiers. But batsman Misbah-ul-Haq has been omitted for the Champions Trophy in Colombo because the tournament rules require teams to have squads of 14 players each.The Pakistan team flies straight from Tangiers to Nairobi where the tournament starts Aug 29 with Waqar Younis’ men taking on Kenya. All matches in the double league tournament will be played at Gymkhana Club Ground.Kenya not only stepped in to host the tournament on behalf of the PCB after Australia opted against playing in Pakistan for security reasons but also accepted the invitation after New Zealand pulled out of the event.After the final on Sept 7, all three participating teams depart for Colombo for the Champions Trophy.The 12-nation championship opens with Pakistan playing hosts Sri Lanka at the Premadasa Stadium on Sept 12.Pakistan then play Holland in their final Pool One tie at the SSC Ground nine days later (Sept 21).Only the four pool winners qualify for the semifinals on Sept 25 and 27 respectively. The final is slated for Sept 29.Squad for Nairobi: Waqar Younis (captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood, Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Sami, Misbah-ul-Haq.Squad for Champions Trophy: Waqar Younis (captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood, Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Sami.Tri-Nation schedule:Aug 29: Pakistan v Kenya.Aug 30: Pakistan v Australia.Sept 1: Pakistan v Kenya.Sept 2: Australia v Kenya.Sept 4: Pakistan v Australia.Sept 5: Australia v Kenya.Sept 7: Final.

Wicket-keeper/batsman Rashid Latif will miss the entire ongoing tour of Zimbabwe due to his neck and back injuries as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) retracted its earlier decision and has now opted to use its own panel of doctors for treatment instead of making arrangements in South Africa.A PCB spokesman while quoting PCB chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia said Tuesday that decision to recall Rashid was to help him regain fitness under the supervision of PCB panel of doctors. Naturally, they (panel of doctors) would have all the opinions of the specialists along with the tests reports of the injuries that would help them constitute a rehabilitation programme for him.No replacement for Rashid would be sent to Zimbabwe, the spokesman added.PCB chairman also took a bold step to determine if Rashid was injured prior to his departure for Zimbabwe. PCB will seek a report from Pakistan physiotherapist and trainer Dennis Waight in this connection. If it is discovered that Rashid was already injured before leaving on the tour, he would be liable to pay a fine upto US 1000 under the players contract clause 8.7 which relates to those players who report unfit or is not upto the fitness standard required for international cricket. The team physio and doctor shall determine the amount of fine.It was learnt that Rashid was unfit before the tour and it was also in the knowledge of captain Waqar Younis and PCB too. This is evident from the fact that a second wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal was included in the Zimbabwe tour, a decision taken after many years.Rashid who has been touring with the team for the last one year as sole wicketkeeper could do the job singularly in Zimbabwe too if he was fit. The decision of not sending any replacement for Rashid also proved that lone wicketkeeper was enough for the Zimbabwe’s and Kamran was only included because the first wicketkeeper (Rashid) was not fit.

He was dropped from the Guyana Test on India’s last tour of the West Indies in 1996-97. This time around he will walk out to toss with Carl Hooper on the very same ground.For Sourav Ganguly, the captain of the Indian team, that is a great feeling. And, “by the grace of God,” as he puts it, he has always come back stronger at the places where he was dropped earlier. Remember Toronto? He earned four consecutive Man of the Match awards in his second Sahara Cup after being dropped for a couple of matches in the first one.But this is a different ball game altogether, and he will have to best the average Caribbean bowling attack to ensure a good first-innings total for the team, coming in at number three.With one more Test victory, he will be the most successful Indian captain on foreign soil. At the moment he has three victories, the same as MAK Pataudi, Bishen Singh Bedi and Sunil Gavaskar. This is his and his team’s best opportunity to do so. Twenty-four hours before the first Test, he chatted exclusively with our correspondent:Do you remember being dropped from the Guyana Test in 1997?Of course, yes. I can never forget that. It keeps pinching me every time I look back at the previous tour. Believe me, it will be a great feeling when I’ll be going out with Carl Hooper to toss the coin for the first time. It is a coincidence, but a wonderful one, I must admit.Do you think your team is capable of winning a test series in the Caribbean?Definitely. Ours is a much stronger team than the team touring here in 1997, especially in the bowling department. We have two of the finest spinners of modern-day cricket, and Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan are operating in tandem with the new ball. It is quite a balanced attack and capable of taking 20 wickets to win us a Test match. In 1997, Sri [Srinath] was not there, neither was Harbhajan. So we are hopeful.But will Harbhajan play in the first Test?I hope so, if he is fully fit to play. I don’t want to aggravate the injury by picking him when he is not fully fit to take the strains of five days of cricket. It is up to our physio to take the final decision tomorrow morning.It seems that you are destined not to play the full team you desire abroad. Anil Kumble played under you first in the South African tour, Sachin Tendulkar and Srinath were missing from the Sri Lankan tour…What can I do about it? It really hurts. But at the same time, you must not forget that we are playing throughout the year, and anybody can pick injuries. We should be prepared for that. But there are some positions you just cannot fill up. Bhajji [Harbhajan] was an integral part of our planning. If he misses the Test, we will have to change our strategy.Then will you be playing with three seamers and Kumble?That is yet not finalised. At the moment we are not ruling out the possibility of playing Bhajji at Guyana. If he is not available, then of course we will have to think otherwise.Will India continue with Deep Dasgupta at the top of the order?Why not? He is averaging nearly 40 in Tests as an opener, and that is enough for the team management to allow him one more chance. He deserves it. I know he was not tidy behind the stumps in the recently concluded series. But keeping to Anil [Kumble] and Bhajji on Indian wickets is always tougher for a newcomer. I hope he will keep better here. And you cannot drop a performing opener who showed tremendous guts in South Africa.You had said that Rahul Dravid would get back his number three spot after the Delhi Test. Will that be true, or you will continue at that position?I think I will continue. We need Rahul to play the second new ball at the bottom of the innings. And personally I was getting frustrated waiting so long to bat in Tests, especially after opening the innings in one-dayers. My vice-captain has faith in me to allow me one or two more opportunities.You did not come here with the team. A section of the media was not at all happy at that. Your reactions?I simply fail to understand why there is such a furore about it. If your wife is ailing, isn’t it your duty to be beside her bed for as much time as you can? I just did that and came here right before the tour-opener. Not only that, I did play in that match too. Yes, I didn’t come with the team, but there were some unavoidable reasons, and I took the permission of the Board president. That is enough, I suppose.But what about playing so slowly in the limited over match following the first class match here?We were trying to spend as much time at the wicket as possible. There was only one preparatory match before the first Test. The batsmen wanted to have a feel of the wickets here. That is why they played so slowly. It was in the interest of the team.

Hampshire have left many options open for their Cheltenham & Gloucester match v Somerset at Taunton on Wednesday, taking a squad of 14 to the West country.The main problem for Hampshire is Robin Smith’s back injury, and he will face a late fitness test before deciding whether to lead Hampshire out. Will Kendall would captain the side.Lawrence Prittipaul and Jason Laney will be vying for the vacant spot should the captain be unable to play.Hampshire from: Derek Kenway, Will Kendall, John Crawley, Robin Smith (Captain), Neil Johnson, Giles White, Nic Pothas (wicket-keeper), Shaun Udal, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Chris Tremlett, Alan Mullally, Jason Laney, Lawrence Prittipaul, James Hamblin.

A half-century from Matt Windows led champions Gloucestershire to afive-wicket victory over Yorkshire in the Norwich Union League match atBristol.Set 160 to win, the game was in the balance when Gloucestershire were 77-3in the 27th over.But Windows, with an 87-ball innings of 51, helped seal a second win of thecampaign for Mark Alleyne’s side with four deliveries remaining.Yorkshire’s total was always going to be more challenging than it appearedon a slow, seaming pitch that was not conducive to positive strokeplay.Visiting captain David Byas opted to bat first, but his team were soonstruggling at 53-5 in the 22nd over.It needed a partnership of 73 in 15 overs between Darren Lehmann and Gary Fellows to rescue affairs.Lehmann required 24 deliveries to make double figures – unusually cautiousplay from the free-scoring Australian – but he then stepped up the tempo tostrike seven fours in his 78-ball innings.Kim Barnett’s occasional seamers eventually had him caught behind by ReggieWilliams as he attempted to cut.Fellows departed three overs later when he swung across the line at MartynBall’s off-spin and was lbw.Richard Blakey made an unbeaten 16, but the rest of Yorkshire’s tail offeredlittle.Gloucestershire skipper Alleyne claimed 2-17 in his nine overs andthere were also two wickets apiece for Jon Lewis, James Averis and Ball.Tim Hancock and Barnett gave the Gloucestershire reply a good start with astand of 43 in 12 overs before the former was caught at cover by CraigWhite off Chris Silverwood.Chris Taylor fell lbw to Fellows for a duck and then Barnett, back in theside after a foot injury, was run out for 29 by James Middlebrook’s throwfrom short fine leg.Windows and Rob Cunliffe then put on 63 in 15 overs for the fourth wicketand, although both departed in the closing stages, Alleyne and Jeremy Snapecalmed any nerves by taking ten off the penultimate over from Fellows.

The last thing beleaguered Zimbabweans are wanting in these turbulent times is to be stabbed in the back by those who claim to be on our side. Yet many are thinking that is exactly what the Australian government and their cricket Board of Control have done by cancelling the tour.It is impossible to guarantee total security for any team on any tour, but all we can honestly say in Zimbabwe is that conditions for the visiting Australians are scarcely more dangerous than they have ever been for any tourists. They would never have gone near any of the problem areas in the country, and the chances of any danger to any of them were absolutely minimal.This is scarcely the place to talk politics, but I am willing to give my personal views of the situation to readers outside the country, should they wish to contact me personally.On the other hand, the effects of the cancellation can only be to the detriment of Zimbabwe cricket. In this current difficult situation, people need something to distract their attention, to provide another side of life, and what better than following a tour by the best team in the world? Now this is denied them.A number of players are probably considering emigration. Apart from the local situation, they could make more money playing elsewhere, as Murray Goodwin and Neil Johnson have done. Now their chances of representing their country have been brutally reduced, especially at home, the temptation will be greater. We noted not so long ago a number of good players just outside the Test team who have already done that.Financially the loss is very serious. We rely more than any other country on television revenue, and this season we have only had short tours by South Africa and England. How can cricket in this country develop without money? The Australians were a major attraction, and whatever the results their tour would have been a massive financial success for Zimbabwe.The reaction of the ICC is deeply disappointing. It appears they have not even troubled to investigate the situation, but merely accepted the Australian refusal that throws their five-year plan into further disarray.It is difficult enough in normal circumstances to build a team from this small country. When the present troubles are over, will Zimbabwe still have the resources to compete at international level at all? If Australia and the ICC are content to have this tour cancelled – and their lead may well be followed by others – are they content to see cricket in Zimbabwe wither as a consequence?**********In this issue we have, unexpectedly, two interviews with Stuart Carlisle, one by Trishna Bose conducted while he was in India, and one by Larry Moyo who contacted him on his return for his views on that tour.We also continue with biographies of the Academy players, this week’s being opening batsman and leg-spinner Neeten Chouhan, and we update the biography of former Academy and current Matabeleland all-rounder Mathew Townshend. More players were interviewed, but our busy schedule during the last week means they well have to be held over for the present. At least the postponement of the two Harare Logan Cup matches scheduled for this weekend (until 19 April) will give us a chance to catch up on the backlog.

Graeme Smith scored an impressively disciplined 183 to help earn WesternProvince an ominous lead of 194 runs on the third day of the SupersportSeries final against Border at Newlands on Friday.With two days left and Border having spent much of the previous two in thefield, the trophy would seem destined for Cape Town for the second time inthree seasons.Off-spinner Geoff Love put in a titanic effort in taking four for 107 off 49overs, but it will take more than that to win this one for Border asProvince reached the close on 446 for seven in reply to the visitors’ firstinnings of 252.Smith and HD Ackerman resumed on 229 for two, and from the outset it wasclear their intention was occupation of the crease rather than chasing runs.And who could blame them, what with Province needing just a draw to claimthe championship.But Border were not about to allow the home side to dictate matters and theyanswered Province’s reticence with over after over of watertight bowling.Vasbert Drakes, Tyron Henderson, Piet Botha and Love all made Province workfor their runs, and just 34 of them were scored in the 29 overs sent down inthe morning session.Border’s efforts paid dividends three overs before lunch when Ackerman, on17, advanced up the pitch to a ball from Love and squeezed it onto his padfor Craig Sugden to take a good catch at silly point.But the big fish, Smith, got away again. Having gloved a simple catch to theslip cordon off a Drakes no-ball on 19 on Thursday, Smith, on 138, chopped adelivery from slow left-armer Pieter Strydom into the pitch and onto the topof his off-stump. The bail blipped up and gently settled back into itsgroove.Ashwell Prince joined Smith at the crease and they batted through the secondsession, which yielded 81 runs and featured increasingly desperatestrokeplay as Border tightened the noose through Love and Strydom.Ten minutes after tea the pressure boiled over and Smith attempted to cut awide delivery from Love, only to get a bottom edge that was well held bywicketkeeper Ian Mitchell to end a fourth-wicket stand of 100.Smith was at the crease for 10 hours in which he faced 477 balls and hit 18fours and a six.Two balls later Love struck again when Neil Johnson lunged forward with anill-judged sweep and was hit on the back leg plumb in front.Thami Tsolekile showed a recklessness against the spinners which delayedStrydom taking the new ball until the 83rd over, and in the next over Drakestrapped Prince in front for 53 to make it 378 for six.Three wickets in the space of ten overs after toiling so long for scantreward must have raised Border’s hopes. But with the runs flowing off theunorthodox Tsolekile’s bat and Dawson steady at the other end, the toeholdthat Border had regained on the match was deftly prised off.Tsolekile flayed 53 off 70 balls with six fours and a six before slashing acatch to extra cover eight overs from the close. That came with Dawson 11not out and Claude Henderson on 18.