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England 225 for 5 (Trescothick 63, Vaughan 61) trail New Zealand 384 (Fleming 117, Styris 108, Richardson 73) by 159 runs
Scorecard

Chris Cairns produced a heroic bowling performance on his final Test appearance, to give New Zealand a slight edge at the close of the second day’s play at Trent Bridge. Cairns, who removed Andrew Strauss with his third delivery, and later returned to end bristling innings from Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff, finished with 3 for 61 from 15 overs, after New Zealand’s injury jinx had deprived Stephen Fleming of two strike bowlers in Kyle Mills and Chris Martin.By the close Graham Thorpe was unbeaten on 30, with the nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard alongside him on 0, and England still trailed New Zealand’s below-par 384 by 159 runs – a total that owed much to Scott Styris’s classy 108, his fourth Test century. It all added up to a situation very similar to the one that England had faced (and surmounted) in the second Test at Headingley, but given the paucity of the Kiwis’ bowling options, it was dicier that they might have bargained for.England were possibly guilty of a touch of complacency, after the ease with which they had dispatched New Zealand’s last six wickets in the morning session-and-a-bit. But all such thoughts were dispelled when they were reduced to 18 for 2 in the seventh over, and then 140 for 4 in 30th, after Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick had fallen in quick succession. Thorpe and Flintoff revived the innings by adding 81 for the fifth wicket, but Flintoff’s late dismissal put the match back in the balance.After two 150-run partnership in four innings, Trescothick and Strauss had become accustomed to setting out their stall for the long haul. But Strauss fell for a duck, nicking a thin edge through to Brendon McCullum off Chris Cairns, and when Mark Butcher continued his poor run of form by swishing James Franklin wildly to second slip, England were in a spot of bother.But you would not have known it while Trescothick and Vaughan were together. Vaughan, especially, has not looked in such good touch since his century against South Africa at Edgbaston last summer. His first shot of note was a screeching straight-drive, and he followed up by clipping Mills’s first ball in Test cricket for four. He did have a couple of moments of anxiety, however, when he was beaten twice in four balls by Styris, but he responded with an effortless swivel-pulled six off Franklin.At that stage Vaughan was motoring towards his 12th Test century, only for Cairns to produce one of his magical slower deliveries – an apparent half-tracker that kept deceitfully low and pinned him plumb lbw for 61. Trescothick responded with a thump through midwicket, but three overs later he too was gone – caught by Scott Styris at a floating fifth slip as he pushed firmly at Franklin.Flintoff and Thorpe set about rebuilding the innings, cautiously at first, but then with greater aplomb. Flintoff smeared a Cairns slower ball over long-on en route to his third half-century of the series, while Thorpe creamed a brace of drives to get his innings underway. But Cairns had the last say – after rain had forced a five-minute interruption, Flintoff reached his fifty with a steer through third man, but was trapped lbw for 54 with three overs remaining.Styris had earlier kept New Zealand’s first innings afloat with a wonderfully crafted century. Until today, it had been a disappointing tour for Styris – he had managed just 44 runs in his previous four Test innings, but made amends precisely when New Zealand most needed him. He brought up his hundred with a cool clip for four through midwicket, but celebrated with a grimace rather than a grin – he knew full well his team had squandered an opportunity to put the game beyond reach.

Styris received scant support from his middle-order colleagues who, after weathering another mini-storm from Steve Harmison, allowed themselves to get carried away against the medium-pace of Martin Saggers. At Headingley, Saggers had struck with his first delivery of the match: here, he needed a solitary sighter before prising Jacob Oram from the crease. In truth, it was a wretched delivery – short, slow and on leg stump, but Oram’s eyes lit up and he top-edged a swipe to Strauss, and was already trudging back to the pavilion before the catch was completed.In his place came Cairns, who was given a rapturous reception by the Trent Bridge faithful, and a pretty friendly one from Saggers as well, who after four more unthreatening balls, was withdrawn from the attack to make way for Harmison. But the extra pace was just to Cairns’s liking, and he creamed two boundaries in Harmison’s first over – the first, on the up and outside off stump, whistled through the covers in an instant.So back came Saggers at the other end of the ground, and for the second time in the morning, he made an instant impression. Cairns had mowed his second ball over the covers for four, but his third was not quite there for the shot, and Thorpe had a nervy wait under a steepling drive, before clinging onto a vital catch (331 for 6).Styris eventually skewed a leading edge off Ashley Giles to the substitute fielder, Nottinghamshire’s Bilal Shafayat, in the covers, and the innings crumbled in just three overs after lunch. Matthew Hoggard took three attempts to cling onto a Brendon McCullum’s uppercut at third man, before finding Mills’s outside edge to bring up his 100th wicket in Tests. There was some doubt about whether the catch had carried to Geraint Jones, but four balls later Hoggard wrapped up the innings, courtesy of another juggling catch, this time by Vaughan at backward square leg.By tea, Martin had already limped out of the attack with a tight hamstring, and in the evening Mills joined him on the treatment table with a side strain. It was the last thing that New Zealand needed, but with Cairns desperate to impress on his final appearance, it has not cost them dear so far.

Plate Group Points Table
ScorecardDeepak Mangaraj ripped apart the top order with his medium pace, while S Sehgal tore into middle order and Sanjay Satpathy, the offspinner, spun out the tail as Orissa shot out Vidarbha for a paltry 87 to register a stunning victory on the final day at Nagpur. Earlier, half-centuries from Subit Biswal and Pravanjan Mullick allowed Orissa to declare their second innings after gaining a 261-run lead. by 5 wickets
ScorecardSyed Abbas Ali’s breezy 93 not out and 50 from Nikhil Patwardhan steered Madhya Pradesh to an outright victory over Jharkhand at Indore. Shahbaz Nadeem, the 16-year old left-arm spinner, struck twice to push MP to a wobbling 120 for 5 when Abbas Ali, the captain, decided to impose himself on the proceedings carting three sixes and eleven fours in a 79-balls knock.ScorecardA good allround performance from Shadab Jakati got Goa close to an improbable victory but in the end they had to settle for two points as Tripura hung on to draw the game at Margoa. Jakati reached his maiden hundred and Swapnil Asnodkar his double-century as Goa declared after stretching their lead, overnight on 7, to 119. Jakati and Robin D’Souza, the right-arm medium pacer, grabbed two wickets apiece to leave Tripura tottering at 96 for 5 in the 47th over.
ScorecardKerala earned two points from a drawn game as Rajasthan, having resumed at 23 for 0, batted out the final day at Jaipur. Anshu Jain hit 71 as he added 68 runs with Dishant Yagnik to lift Rajasthan to 231.
ScorecardHalf-centuries from Sajjad and Arshad Bhatt saw Jammu & Kashmir bat out a draw to give Assam two points in the Plate match at Guwahati. J&K, overnight on 12 for 0, settled for some batting practice on the final day.

David Saker is returning to his native Victoria as their assistant coach. Saker joins his former coach Greg Shipperd on the coaching panel in a role which also includes responsibility for Cricket Victoria’s high-performance unit.Saker, who is 38 on May 29, played for Victoria as a handy medium-pacer before transferring to Tasmania in 2000. In all he took 247 first-class wickets at 30.10, and also scored 1384 runs down the order at 19.77. Latterly he was Tasmania’s assistant coach.He said: “I’m indebted to Tasmanian cricket for the opportunities they have provided me, and I’m just thrilled at the chance to further my knowledge and experience with Victoria. The Bushrangers obviously had a great season but the real challenge is to now ensure that success is sustained over a long period of time.”Commenting on a move which will see him return across the Bass Strait to Melbourne, Saker added: “The wheel has certainly turned full circle, but I felt the timing was right. I’ve been out of the Victorian scene for four years now and honestly can’t wait to get back involved.”Ken Jacobs, the chief executive of Cricket Victoria, said the selection process had been a thorough and comprehensive one. “The assistant-coaching/high-performance role attracted an outstanding field of candidates, another positive sign for Victorian cricket. The selection panel were very definite in their requirements and the board had no hesitation in endorsing the panel’s recommendation of David Saker. David was a terrific player for Victoria and we look forward to him having similar success as a coach.”Saker played 49 first-class matches for Victoria – taking 182 wickets at 28 – before joining Tasmania for the 2000-01 season. His three seasons in Tasmania left an indelible mark on Shippered, his coach at the time: “David just had this wonderful ability to inspire his team-mates through his actions. His competitiveness and passion for the contest were second to none and I think he will be really important for our group and in particular our young crop of bowlers.”Shipperd concluded: “He has a great understanding of what is required to succeed at first-class level, and is a great communicator – both key factors in his appointment.”

Gary Gilmour, the Australian swing bowler who famously took 6 for 14 against England in the 1975 World Cup semi-final, is fighting for his life and is in desperate need of a liver transplant.Gilmour, who is 54, needs an operation urgently and fund-raising efforts are being spearheaded by Ian Chappell, his former Australian captain. “His condition has deteriorated to the point where he is on three hours’ standby for surgery that will, hopefully, give him a new lease of life,” Chappell said. “It is vital that funds be raised to cover his medical costs and his family’s ongoing needs.”Chappell has organised a dinner in Sydney on September 23, and a number of past and present players have donated items for auction. “One of the guests may possibly end up being 13th man during the Australia-Rest of the World Test in Sydney in October,” Chappell said. “And that means being in the Australian dressing-room and carrying the drinks.”Gilmour, a burly allrounder, burst onto the scene at Headingley in June 1975 when, in ideal conditions, he destroyed England in a display rated by Wisden as the greatest one-day bowling performance ever. Then, set just 94 to win, Australia were in tatters on 38 for 6 when he hit a run-a-ball 28 not out to see them through to the final. Although Australia lost that game to West Indies, Gilmour was the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 48 off his 12 overs.Despite that remarkable start, Gilmour played only 15 Tests and three more ODIs. “A debilitating foot injury was a handicap,” noted Gideon Haigh. “So was a light-hearted attitude to training and fitness that owed more to the 1950s than to the increasingly professional era of which he was part.””I couldn’t play under today’s conditions, what with the travelling and training and scientific aspects,” Gilmour once said. “It’s not a sport any more, it’s like going to work. You know how some mornings you get up and don’t want to go to work – that’s how I’d feel playing cricket these days. I’d clock on for a sickie.”

The dispute between South Africa and Australia surrounding Shane Warne’s vociferous appealing promises to continue, with Andre Nel suggesting the South Africans are to match their opponents with their own enthusiastic questioning of the umpires.”If they can get away with it, why can’t we try and get away with it too,” Nel told reporters at Sydney airport. “Maybe we can try and put pressure on umpires, inexperienced umpires, which they do very, very well. Maybe we can learn from them to do that better.”Despite the South African’s protestations about Warne’s aggressive appealing in this week’s second Test at Melbourne, he wasn’t reported by the umpires. Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, said Warne was a master at pressuring the umpires but Chris Broad, the match referee, rejected suggestions that he should face disciplinary action for his robust appealing, particularly to rookie Test umpire Asad Rauf of Pakistan.”I think they are very, very clever about the way they do things with umpires,” Nel added. “They put a lot of pressure on the umpires and sometimes it counts in their favour. Maybe we can learn something from them in a certain way by doing this. But sometimes they go a bit overboard and it gets a bit annoying, but that’s the way they do it and it’s working for them.”Meanwhile, newly-arrived Johan Botha was shielded from the media at the airport. Off-spinner Botha, 23, who has yet to play a Test, joined the team last Thursday and could partner established spinner Nicky Boje in the third Test on the spin-friendly Sydney pitch. Nel described Botha as ‘a surprise package,’ but South African officials didn’t want to subject Botha to undue media pressure.Nel added that he was looking forward to opening the fast bowling attack alongside Pollock.”It’s always nice to get the chance with the new ball and to bowl with Polly,” he said. “If I can fill the boots Makhaya has filled the last few years, I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Nottinghamshire have announced a profit of £71,215 – a slight increase on the 2003 figure of £71,082. Turnover rose by 9.5% from £4.86m to £5.33m in the year Notts won Division Two of the Frizzell County Championship and also gained promotion in the Totesport League.During the year Nottinghamshire also completed the first phase of the redevelopment of the Trent Bridge pavilion, and successfully staged two one-day internationals and a Test match.David Collier, the Nottinghamshire chief executive who is leaving shortly to take over at the ECB, said: “We are pleased to report results which were above budget for 2004. During the year the Club has invested more than £500,000 in enhancing the facilities at Trent Bridge and has significantly strengthened our playing staff resulting in a ‘double promotion’ season.”It is particularly pleasing to record a 15% increase in membership income and a 24% increase in gate receipts, despite our floodlit totesport League match having been abandoned without a ball being bowled.”Commercial income from sponsorship and ground advertising has risen by 18% and hospitality and catering income by 6%, which was an outstanding achievement by our commercial department during a year in which cricket competed for this source of revenue with the Athens Olympics and Euro 2004.”Net income from the ECB has fallen from £901,366 to £756,937 and now represents less than 15% of the club¹s total turnover.”The 30% increase in policing and stewarding costs at Trent Bridge resulted from a comprehensive training programme for all stewards which has made Trent Bridge one of the best-stewarded and policed grounds in world cricket.Notts have named Lisa Pursehouse as Acting Chief Executive with effect from January 1, 2005, when Collier moves to the ECB. She is currently the sales and marketing manager at Trent Bridge, was responsible for the delivery of the inaugural Twenty20 Finals Day at Trent Bridge in 2003, and is widely respected as one of the leading commercial managers in English cricket.Notts expect to name their new chief executive shortly before the start of the 2005 season. Barry Pailing, the chairman, explained: “We have already interviewed a short-list of candidates for the position. The quality of applicants reflects the esteem in which we are held in world cricket, and I am confident that we shall announce an appointment of the highest calibre before the start of the season.”

Younis Khan, Pakistan’s vice-captain, has admitted that pressures from the crowd distracted him and affected his batting during Pakistan’s 4-1 one-day series loss to India.”People need to understand that every player has his own style of playing,” Younis told the . “I’m neither Shahid Afridi nor Mahendra Singh Dhoni; I like to bat more in the mould of Rahul Dravid: staying around, accumulate runs and hit out at the right time. That’s the way I play my game.”Younis, the star of Pakistan’s 1-0 Test victory with 533 runs, said that he was sick of hearing taunts from the crowd yelling for him to get on with it. “Unfortunately throughout the series against England and India I’ve been constantly disturbed by the crowds passing personal remarks and making demands for big hitting,” he said. “I would like to appeal to the people to understand that I like to bat my own way and so far it has paid off for my team.”Younis also made it clear that he had no problems batting at any position in Tests or one-day internationals. “I want to clear this misconception that I like to bat at No.3 in Tests but not at the same position in the one-dayers,” he added. “I will bat wherever my captain or coach wants me to; I have no problems with that at all. My job is to make runs for my team. There are no personal preferences involved.”Inzamam-ul-Haq and Bob Woolmer have been derided by critics for ‘shielding’ Younis down the order in the one-day series, but Younis remained supportive of the decision. “Look, I agree to what Imran Khan says; the theory is simple: Tests and one-dayers are totally different in nature,” he said. “In one-day matches the game plan should be the in-form players should go up and play maximum overs. But if the captain and coach think otherwise I’ve no problems with that. And to be honest Shoaib Malik did get runs at number three. Now that we’ve started losing everyone is raising this issue.”On Pakistan’s dismal performance in the series, Younis maintained that the absence of Shoaib Akhtar was key. I think the biggest factor was the injury to Shoaib Akhtar. It cost us a lot,” he said. “If you look at the way Shoaib bowled against England and then in the Tests against India he was our main striking force. His injury did allow the Indians some breathing space. “No matter what the Indians say but we know they were not comfortable facing Shoaib. He didn’t take too many wickets but the pressure created by him allowed the other bowlers to break through.”He also added that there was pressure on the team and the management from critics and the media. “I think that sort of pressure leads nowhere because after all the common aim is the team should do well. I think the management should be left alone to take its decisions,” Younis said. “The team does not turn bad overnight. This very team has been performing well in the last one year or more. But yes we need to sit down and see where we went wrong. I think we need just one good match to turn things around and it should happen in Sri Lanka. We need to regroup strongly and quickly.”

County Championship
Two-up, two-down is the right balance for two leagues of nine teams. So, 2005 was a good season to get promoted back to the top flight as Lancashire, Yorkshire and Durham managed, but not such a great time to go the other way like Glamorgan, Surrey and Gloucestershire. The points system remains the same, but there should be some attacking cricket in the second division with just two promotion spots up for grabs, although safety in division one is now even more attainable with high-scoring draws.C&G Trophy
This is an interesting one. Previously the premier one-day tournament has been a knock-out format, under various sponsors, and dubbed the ‘FA Cup of cricket’. Now it has been changed into a league format, with two groups, leading straight to a Lord’s final. Each group – tagged North and South – consists of 10 teams. Scotland join nine counties in the north while Ireland take their place with the south. Each team plays each other once and the top team in each group progresses to Lord’s on August 26. But the changes appear to not have really been thought through. The idea was to give more 50-over cricket, the international standard, to county sides before the Natwest Series starts, therefore giving players a chance to hone skills and press claims for selection. However, because there are no quarter or semi-finals there will be a lot of dead matches with many teams out of the running for the final early on. In a busy season, counties could see these games as a chance to rest players therefore defeating the object of high-standard 50-over matches. C&G are not thrilled about the changes, apparently: they have already pulled their sponsorship for next season.Twenty20
This is quickly becoming the lifeblood of the domestic game and will again form the major entertainment in mid-summer. However, it will have to compete with the football World Cup so the attraction of Twenty20 will be given a eral – and tough – test. The group matches will be played from June 27 to July 11, with the quarter-finals two weeks later and Finals Day at Trent Bridge, the inaugural venue in 2003, on August 12.Pro40
If in doubt, stick ‘Pro’ somewhere near a one-day tournament and people will come flocking through the gates. Well, maybe not, but the ECB haven’t been able to find a new sponsor for the re-jigged, and in many ways downgraded, National League. It has been shunted to the back third of the season, following the C&G and Twenty20, and reduced to a 40-over contest where each team plays the others once. There are still two divisions with promotion and relegation and like the Championship this has been amended to two-up, two-down. However, a play-off between the seventh-placed team in Division One and the third-placed team in Division Two has been added and will provide the finale to the county season on September 24.Now, if you understand all that, you are ready for the 2006 season.

Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson have been ruled out of the Twenty20 International against England tonight at the SCG due to illness and injury. Lee is suffering from a chest infection while Johnson, who partnered Andrew Symonds in hitting balls from a driving range in a public relations exercise on Monday, has a stomach strain.Shane Harwood, the Victoria bowler, and James Hopes, the allrounder who has played nine ODIs and two Twenty20 games, have been called into the squad. Alex Kountouris, the team physiotherapist, said Lee’s illness had developed over the past 24 hours.”He will be assessed by a doctor later today,” Kountouris said. “Mitchell has a minor abdominal strain which occurred late yesterday and as a precautionary measure we have decided it best for him not to play.” Both players will be monitored over the next couple of days in the lead-up to the first game of the tri-series against England at the MCG on Friday.Australia (from) Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Cameron White, Brad Hogg, James Hopes, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Bracken, Shane Harwood.England (from) Michael Vaughan (capt), Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Ed Joyce, Jamie Dalrymple, Paul Nixon, Chris Read, Liam Plunkett, Sajid Mahmood, Jon Lewis, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Monty Panesar.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

A typically clinical bowling performance overcame a less distinguished fielding effort as Australia dismantled a star-studded World XI, winning the first of the three Super Series matches by 93 runs under lights, and a roof, at the Telstra Dome while it rained on the rest of Melbourne. Ricky Ponting’s men chose to bat, put 255 on the board, and then made it seem more like 355 with canny bowling.Kumar Sangakkara must have wondered if he was back in Colombo batting for Nondescripts Cricket Club as he ploughed a lone furrow, stitching together a stylish, yet occasionally streaky, half-century while all around him faltered and fell. The target of 256 appeared on the lower side, even accounting for a sluggish outfield, but Glenn McGrath showed why he is still the most lethal thing with a new ball in hand.Virender Sehwag found that you cannot pull McGrath off a length and get away with it, hitting straight to Michael Hussey at midwicket. Jacques Kallis was audacious enough to come down the pitch and hit McGrath over cover, but was soon trapped in front by one that swung in late. Then Brian Lara – a big draw in this team – drove Nathan Bracken straight to short cover. Rahul Dravid battled to steady the ship, but 50 for 3 became 75 for 4 when he mis-hit a pull off Brett Lee, who bowled with pace and bounce in his second spell.Kevin Pietersen, who tormented the Australians all through the Ashes summer, came upon a bowler who he had not taken apart, and was trapped in front by one that Shane Watson got to jag back in. Soon after Watson should also have had Andrew Flintoff, who pulled straight to Lee at deep backward square-leg, but the catch was floored. Watson barely had time to bemoan his luck before inducing another false shot – this time from Sangakkara who cut towards point – only to see Ponting, juggle, fumble and somehow manage to hold on to the ball.If the road ahead looked difficult at 101 for 6, it became next to impossible when Shahid Afridi, the Supersub, was trapped in front for 2 by a flat, quick offbreak from Andrew Symonds. Watson then capped off an excellent display on the field by swooping in from deep backward square-leg, picking the ball up one-handed and throwing the stumps down from outside the thirty-yard circle to find Shaun Pollock short of his crease.Flintoff, like Sangakkara had earlier on, battled on, but without support there was never any real chance of launching an assault on 256 from 118 for 8. Sangakkara’s 65 included some fine strokes as he uninhibitedly took the aerial route whenever offered width outside off, and flicked and drove wristily through the on-side when the ball was full and straight. But it was nowhere near enough. Flintoff kept the crowd interested with 38, but when he holed out to long-on with the score on 150, giving Watson his third wicket, the game was over.Australia’s batting could well have gone the World XI way, with wickets falling at regular intervals after a fine start. Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich, opening the batting, put on 80, thanks mainly to Gilchrist, who went after the bowling while Katich was content biding his time. Gilchristhad rattled up 45 off just 48 balls before being cleaned up by a full one from Kallis that came in just a touch. Ponting said hello to Flintoff with a cracking pulled six, but played one shot too many and perished on 23, trying to come down the pitch and loft Pollock out of the ground.

Then Muttiah Muralitharan applied the famous Kandy choke. Big spinning offbreaks garnished with the odd fizzing doosra proved too much to digest for Damien Martyn, who tamely chipped to mid-on, and Katich (68) who closed the face of the bat early and popped back a return catch. What Murali began Daniel Vettori ended. The hallmark of quality finger spin is accuracy, and Vettori held the ball virtually on a string, varying his pace, trajectory and angle of delivery like an old master.Vettori accounted for Symonds, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Watson, but not before Symonds and Hussey had compiled invaluable 30s. When the Australian innings ended on 255, thanks to a late flurry from Lee, Vettori would have believed his 4 for 31 had put the World XI on track to victory. Then again, this is Australia, and dominating half the game is often not enough to ensure victory.

AustraliaAdam Gilchrist b Kallis 45 (80 for 1)
Ricky Ponting c Lara b Pollock 23 (128 for 2)
Damien Martyn c Lara b Muralitharan 0 (128 for 3)
Simon Katich c & b Muralitharan 58 (142 for 4)
Michael Clarke c & b Vettori 6 (154 for 5)
Andrew Symonds c Flintoff b Vettori 36 (206 for 6)
Shane Watson c Lara b Vettori 8 (223 for 7)
Michael Hussey c Pietersen b Vettori 33 (231 for 8)
World XI
Virender Sehwag c Hussey b McGrath 6 (18 for 1)
Jacques Kallis lbw b McGrath 8 (45 for 2)
Brian Lara c Symonds b Bracken 0 (50 for 3)
Rahul Dravid c Ponting b Lee 4 (75 for 4)
Kevin Pietersen lbw b Watson 2 (82 for 5)
Kumar Sangakkara c Ponting b Watson 65 (101 for 6)
Shahid Afridi lbw b Symonds 2 (104 for 7)
Shaun Pollock run out (Watson) 5 (118 for 8)
Andrew Flintoff c McGrath b Watson 38 (150 for 9)
Daniel Vettori c Ponting b Lee 15 (162 for 10)