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Leicestershire fell short by 55 runs in their bid for victory in the Second X1 Championship clash with Essex at Oakham School.Set a target of 304 they were bowled out for 249 after Tom New and Damien Brandy had put them in with a chance with a century stand.But in the end the extra experience of an Essex side which included Mark Illott proved decisive, and Leicestershire were unable to achieve what would have been a memorable win.Coach Lloyd Tennant was more than satisfied with the effort however, and said that despite defeat there were a lot of plusses to come out of the match.Tennant said:”New batted really well to make 89,Brandy scored another 48 to follow up his half-century in the first innings, and Stephen Adshead returned to form as well with a fine 50.”When you consider that the oldest batter in our side was Ashley Wright at 21, then it was a good effort to go as close as we did.We have gone down the path of playing youngsters this season, and we knew it would be tough for them in many of the games.”But there are real signs of improvement,and the good thing is that we are now starting to compete and give the opposition a run for their money.”

KARACHI, Sept 4: The Pakistan team for this month’s ICC Champions Trophy is expected to be changed in the backdrop of recent performances in Nairobi.A meeting of the selectors has been convened by the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board in the next 48 hours to make the necessary changes.The selectors are expected to meet sometime early next week as the tournament begins Sept 12 with the opener between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The winner will be guaranteed a place in the semifinals as the other team in the group is Holland.Indications are that Misbah-ul-Haq, who was initially overlooked for the Colombo competition, would be included in place of Imran Nazir who has been a complete flop in the last four weeks.Shoaib Malik’s place also appears to be under threat as off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq is expected be recalled. It may be added here that Saqlain was keen to play in Colombo but was overlooked after he refused to tour Nairobi to look after his wife who is expecting a baby.However, if Saqlain fails to get the selectors nod, wrist spinner Danish Kaneria might be drafted in. Kaneria was initially recommended by the team management for the Champions Trophy. He was, nevertheless, not included in the 14-man squad.The selectors will also be taking a decision on Inzamam-ul-Haq who has missed three matches in the ongoing triangular tournament because of a bad knee.

One of the most prestigious events on the secondary schools’ sporting calendar in New Zealand, cricket’s Gillette Cup finals, will be played out over the weekend in Palmerston North.The teams who have qualified for this year’s event are: Kelston Boys’ High School, Hamilton Boys’ High School, Wanganui Collegiate and Southland Boys’ High School.The tournament opens at Fitzherbert Park on Friday when Wanganui play Kelson and Southland play Hamilton.On Saturday, Kelston play Hamilton and Southland meet Wanganui.On the last day, Hamilton play Wanganui and Kelston play Southland.Kelston qualified by beating Dilworth School, Sacred Heart College, Westlake Boys’ High School, King’s College and Whangarei Boys’ High School.Hamilton beat Te Awamutu College, Hillcrest High School, St Paul’s Collegiate and Tauranga Boys’ College.Wanganui beat Wanganui High School, St Augustine’s College, New Plymouth Boys’ High School and Wellington College.Southland beat Verdon College, James Hargest High School, Waitaki Boys’ High School, Otago Boys’ High School and St Andrew’s College.Over the years the tournament has fashioned an outstanding record of achievement by its participants. Thirty-three finalists have gone on to play first-class cricket and eight, Matthew Bell, Robert Kennedy, Brendon McCullum, Hamish Marshall, Jacob Oram, Andrew Penn, Mathew Sinclair and Scott Styris have gone on to play for New Zealand while former Otago, Auckland and Wellington player Ian Billcliff helped Canada qualify for the World Cup and is a strong chance to appear at it in February.The highest score in the tournament’s history was 122 not out scored by Jamie Rae of Wanganui Collegiate. Seven centuries in total have been scored while Bell and Robert Lawson each finished matches on 99 not out.The best bowling belongs to Mark Pearson who took seven for 32 for Auckland Grammar against Wanganui Collegiate in 2000.The highest score by a team was 337/6 scored by Wanganui Collegiate against Rathkeale College in 1997.The finalists’ teams are:Kelston Boys’ High School: Shaun Page, Michael Forbes, Jason Fuller, Roneel Hira, Chris Langdon, Barry Lynch, Ben Mailata, James Matthews, Paul Matthews, Fa’a’sao Mulivai, Anand Patel, Chris Scheib. Team management: Chris McGarvey, Blair Webby, Sagren Govender.Hamilton Boys’ High School: Jason Perrett, Keir Bettley, Daniel Boughtwood, Anton Devcich, Dane McLeod, Sam McLeod, Jono McNeill, Sam Thomas, Bryce Turner, Bradley Watling, Cameron Weight, Ben Wilcock. Coach: Chris Kuggeleijn.Wanganui Collegiate: Ben Collier, Josh Ambler, James Barton, Guy Bryden, Richard de Gruchy, Darcy Hooper-Smith, Jack Jefferd, Jonathan Kight, Tom Lance, Ben Orton, Willy White, Richard Wylie. Team management: Robert Wake, Rob van Dort.Southland Boys’ High School: Tim McClean, Matthew Anderson-Stewart, Mark Beer, Campbell Cuthill, Shaun Fitzgibbon, Hamish Hargest, Regan Mauheni, Mike McClean, Andrew Mills, Daniel Ramsay, Hamish Skelt, James Wadsworth. Team management: Lindsay McClean, Peter Skelt.Previous winners were: 1990, Palmerston North BHS; 1991, St Kentigern College; 1992, Otago BHS; 1993, Otago BHS; 1994, Whangarei BHS; 1995, Wanganui Collegiate; 1996, St Patrick’s College (Silverstream), 1997, Wanganui Collegiate; 1998, Palmerston North BHS, 1999 Christchurch BHS; 2000, Auckland Grammar; 2001, Wellington College.

July 13th will always be remembered as a golden day in the annalsof Indian cricket hence. Under clear blue skies and with Lord’sbathed in golden sunshine, the Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly wentdown on his knees to kiss the hallowed turf after what could betermed as the greatest comeback win in one-day cricket history.The eventual win had looked highly improbable when India had lostfive of their top batsmen, including Sachin Tendulkar, with just146 runs on the board in 24 overs. But thankfully Saturday was towitness a miraculous recovery by the Indians and an end to ablighted sequence of nine straight losses in the finals of multiteam limited overs tournament.

As far as I was concerned, the most satisfying aspect of this winwas that the heroes were two young men, who refused to give up inthe face of almost impossible odds, and went on to ensure thatall of India rejoiced in sweet victory. Mohammad Kaif and YuvrajSingh have indeed infused a new life into Indian cricket whilealso instilling a new-found belief in the millions of fans whosupport their team.One of the best matches played at Lord’s witnessed a deluge ofruns – 651 runs were scored in a matter of 99.3 overs – in whatturned out to be a summer treat for everyone present at theheadquarters of world cricket, including even the prim and MCC members.No one would have imagined at the start of the day that thefortunes of the would fluctuate sodramatically from one team to the other.I was a bit bemused by the Indian management’s decision to dropAjit Agarkar, who it has to be said has had a brillianttournament with the ball. It is another matter altogether thatHarbhajan Singh, his replacement, contributed with the bat at thedeath. Had India lost the match, the decision to play twospinners would have definitely come in for some much-deservedcriticism. There, however, is nothing like winning, and theycould be forgiven this faux pas after a win of suchincandescence.England have been playing some smart cricket under the ableleadership of Nasser Hussain. I have only deep respect forHussain’s leadership qualities; here is a man who has instilled alot of character into the England team. His decision to bat firstagainst an Indian side, which went in with just two mediumpacers, was by all counts right.Having said that, Hussain disappointed with his decisions towardsthe closing stages of the game; the field placements were allawry and there was a certain complacency in his team’s approachwho it seemed almost expected India to buckle under the pressureof having to score 326 runs. In my opinion, Hussain, then, giftedIndia a memorable win.

This after Marcus Trescothick had ignited the England inningswith a luminescent start in the morning. Trescothick, in myopinion, must rank right up there in the order of merit with thevery best in the world. Along with Matthew Hayden, he must rankas the best opening batsman in business today.He played an impeccable innings, not resorting even once to anunorthodox short on a placid track; there were runs to be scoredand he showed how to get them in style without the slightestfuss. When you have efficiency, class and character blending likethey did in Trescothick’s innings, there is very little thatbowlers can do.In contrast to Trescothick, Hussain looked like a man who haddragged excess baggage with him into the middle. I was not amusedby his antics after scoring his maiden ODI hundred – pointing hisnumber three on the shirt to a few of his detractors. It was nota polished hundred by any stretch of the imagination.The England captain wasted too many scoring opportunities bytrying to play the reverse sweep. There is a time and place foreverything; a big final at Lord’s is simply not the place to trythings out – that is what nets are for.It is a completely different story that Andy Flower plays thatstroke to perfection; the many indefatigable hours of practicethat he put in has made Andy a master at it. I am sure that ifHussain had played sensible cricketing shots, England would havescored 20-odd runs more in the end. There were 59 dot balls inhis innings and on a belter of a track that simply wasunacceptable.Coming to the Indian challenge, it threatened to vapourise afterGanguly and Sehwag had given their team a good start with somebrave and innovative hitting. Yes, India has been playing somegood cricket in England. But on the day of the big final,Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar were guilty of notapplying themselves. Everyone knows that Tendulkar is a classbatsman, and this makes it the more difficult for me to believethat someone like Giles actually gets the better of him inpersonal duels.When it all looked dead and buried, the two young men – Kaif andYuvraj – refused to accept defeat, a very positive attitude thatmight soon change the face of Indian cricket. We have seen somany times in the past, the Indian team folding up when victoryis well within their grasp.

No words are enough to praise Kaif for a wonderful exhibition ofbatting; it was simply sublime, not one wild slog even whenthings looked so desperate. Yuvraj Singh also played yet anotherinnings of character, taking his time to settle before openingout to punish the part-time bowlers.The temperament, self-belief, natural talent and hunger forsuccess that they displayed, makes these two guys real matchwinners. I sincerely hope that the selectors take note of thisand retain them for the Test series too.Andrew Flintoff bowled very well in the end and almost gaveEngland a realistic shot at victory. But Kaif put paid to hishopes; the Indian middle-order batsman kept a cool head and tookhis team to a sensational victory.Great indeed as Kaif’s and Yuvraj’s contributions were, I cannothelp remarking that Hussain made it easier for the duo by somestrange field placements. Kaif was finding the ropes at midwicket with such ease and yet most of the fielders were on theoff-side.I am sure India will take the belief gained from this victory tothe upcoming Test series. The morale must be sky high in theIndian camp, and they now have a real chance of upsetting Englandin the Test series. This indeed is the time for a whole nationto rejoice.

The fourth and final day was by far the most dramatic with the hosts Mashonaland A winning by two wickets in a tight finish soon after lunch.The day began with Mashonaland A claiming the remaining Manicaland wicket two overs into the first session. The visitors could only add one more run totheir overnight total of 205 before number 11 batsman Ian Coulson was out, bowled for a duck by Rennie who finished the innings with three wickets from 49 off 21 overs.This meant that Mashonaland A had the whole day to reach a victory target of 155. But it was not to be an easy target for them and it needed the experience of Board XI members Mark Vermeulen and wicketkeeper Alester Maregwede to claim maximum points eventually. Opener Vermeulen scored 43 off just 57 balls whileMaragwede, batting at number six, topscored with 45 off 80 balls.While the players had expected the final day to belong to spinners, it turned out to be the opposite as seamers Guy Whittall and Justin Lewis took thefirst seven of the Mashonaland A wickets to fall. Whittall ripped through the Mashonaland A top order as he claimed the wickets of opener Taylor (5), numberthree Andre Neethling (0) and number four Gavin Rennie (6) to leave them struggling at 51/3 after 12.5 overs.Lewis then took over and claimed the wickets of Elton Chigumbura (15), Vermeulen and number seven Norbert Manyande (0), while Whittall returned to remove captain Henry Olonga (11) as Mashonaland A looked set for adisappointing finish at 118/7 after 36.4 overs.With 37 more runs needed to with three wickets in hand Maregwede and 17 year-old Prosper Utseya added 22 runs with the former looking increasingly comfortable with the Manicaland attack. Just when Maragwede was looking at scoring a half-century he lost concentration and edged a Soma delivery to the wicketkeeper. Pressure returned to Mashonaland A as they still needed 15 more runs to win as number 10 David Mutendera went to the crease.Mutendera hit two fours while Utseya added singles to leave the scores level after 49.2 overs. Needing a single to win, Mutendera was deceived by a Somadelivery and only managed to sky the ball. As Mutendera completed a run, Ferreira went under the ball and with everyone expecting a routine catch, theball dropped between his gloves and the match went to Mashonaland A.It was Mashonaland A’s second win in three matches with Matabeleland and Mashonaland remaining while Manicaland are still looking for a win with just twomatches against Midlands and Matabeleland remaining.

West Indies captain Carl Hooper said he was very disappointed with theresult yesterday as the West Indies fell to defeat by 37 runs in thesecond Cable & Wireless Test against India at the Queen’s Park Oval,Trinidad.I think coming into the last day here, we really fancied our chancesand it was disappointing the way we sort of ended up, 30-odd runsshort, Hooper told reporters after the match.Set a challenging 313 runs for victory, the Windies fell for 275,digging their own grave with most of the batsmen falling to falsestrokes rather than brilliant deliveries from the visitors.The captain said that at no stage did he give up on the West Indiesgetting the runs needed for victory.Right to the very last end, I thought that we had a chance. Thirtyodd runs is not a lot runs but you needed somebody. Shiv [Chanderpaul]maybe needed to take a few more chances but that’s the game, Hoopernoted.Chanderpaul remained 67 not out as wickets fell all around him.I thought from the outset they would try to make runs difficult tocome by and that’s what they did. They bowled straight and locked upboth the offside and onside, He said.The thing to do, I suppose is to capitalise on the bad balls and keepthe scoreboard ticking with the singles. I think it was a bitunfortunate we lost Brian [Lara] and then almost immediately after,myself.That set us back a whole lot and obviously put the pressure on peoplelike Chris Gayle, who I thought played well and ShivnarineChanderpaul, Hooper said.Despite losing his second consecutive Test at the venue after the lossto South Africa last year, Hooper said he could find no fault with thepitch.We had the knowledgeable experts predicting how it was going to playand so on but I thought we had a belter of a Test wicket, Hooperdeclared.Coach Roger Harper also expressed disappointment with losing the Testand going down 1-0 in the five-match series.This is very disappointing. We had a similar situation here againstSouth Africa last year and most members of the team were here and weshould have learnt from that experience and unfortunately we came upshort, Harper said.I think, you can’t fault the effort. Everyone fought hard but I thinkwe need to play a little smarter, added Harper.He noted the batsmen’s failure to carry on for bigger scorescontributed to the Windies’ inadequate totals of 245 and 275 in theTest.In Guyana, we managed to put a very good total on the board. One ofthe things we talked about there was that batsmen that got in, got tostart carrying on. I think here we didn’t see that, Harper noted.He also zeroed in on the West Indies’ bowling in the first session onthe opening day after India were sent in to bat.I thought we definitely could’ve bowled a lot better in that firstsession. Had we done that, it may have meant India making 40, 50 less,Harper conceded.

Rain at tea, followed by hail, ended this match, but it was cricket’s equivalent of euthanasia as there was no chance of a result being reached.When the rain came, Natal were 292 for nine in their second innings – a lead of 270 runs after Griquas replied to the visitors first innings of 258 with 280. Natal scored at more than three runs an over but still did not have the time to set Griquas a reasonable target. So the contest was dead on its feet.Natal resumed on 85 without loss, and Mark Bruyns and Doug Watson took the score to 103 before Bruyns edged a delivery from Johan Louw to the slip cordon in the seventh over of the morning to be dismissed for 41.Eleven balls later, without a run added, Watson was bowled by Zahir Abrahim for a 58 that included 10 fours, followed by Ashraf Mall being caught behind off Abrahim’s next delivery.Dale Benkenstein denied Abrahim a hat-trick, but he, Jonty Rhodes and Wade Wingfield did not last long and Natal were suddenly 174 for six.But, just as he did in the first innings with the top score of 79, Errol Stewart came to Natal’s rescue with a defiant 53.Stewart arrived at the crease at the fall of the fourth wicket, for 125, and stayed there for 102 balls of which he hit four to the boundary – an indication of the hard work the veteran put in. He found a reliable partner in Gulam Bodi, and they added 87 for the seventh wicket.Bodi was there until the mercifully premature end, having scored 74 not out in more than two hours at the crease, off 110 balls and with 10 fours and a six.The match came close to ending on the highest note for Wayne Kidwell. The former Gauteng paceman had Robbie MacQueen caught behind and bowled Andrew Tweedie with consecutive deliveries, and incoming batsman Gary Gilder is as prime a hat-trick candidate as they come. Sure enough, Gilder edged Kidwell’s next ball to first slip – where Deon Kruis promptly botched the head high catch.Instead of leaving the field on the wings of euphoria, Kidwell trooped off having taken a mediocre looking three for 70 off 18 overs. Abrahim claimed three for 56.

Fast bowler Steffan Jones has set himself the target of bowling at 90mph this season.To help him achieve this target Steffan, who joined the county in 1997, has built a home gymnasium in his garage .”I’ve always wanted a gym of my own, so I saved up some money and kitted it out. I’ve painted the garage and put a carpet on the floor. I’ve bought some free standing weights, and other equipment to help me do some power work.”During the winter Steffan has spent at least two hours a day , six days a week in his home gym, and feels he is well on the way to achieving his target.”I’m not there yet, but since I joined the club I reckon that I’ve increased my speed by six or seven miles per hour.”Steffan has been helped this year by Richard Johnson who joined from Middlesex during the winter. “As an opening attack they have worked together well and forged a good relationship, which has been a great benefit to Steffan,” said Somerset coach Kevin Shine.

Chris Tremlett has committed his short-term future to Surrey after a signing a one-year deal following the loss of his ECB central contract.Tremlett had an injury-hit 2012 season, with back and knee problems, which restricted him to a single Championship appearance. He has since undergone knee surgery and is now targeting a full return for Surrey’s pre-season training.”I’ve signed the new contract at the end of the season and I’m absolutely delighted to stay at Surrey for another year,” he told Surrey TV. “We’ve got a big year ahead of us next year so I’m looking forward to that challenge. In the meantime it’s all about working hard and getting my body in the best shape ready so I can hit the ground running for the new season.”Tremlett last played for England in the first Test against Pakistan, in Dubai, in January before being forced out of that trip with his back injury. When the latest round of central contracts were announced earlier this month his name was absent meaning he now goes back on Surrey’s payroll. However, Tremlett does not see this as an end to his international career.”I’m very keen to get back out there and almost start a new chapter in my career,” he said. “I still feel as though I have a lot to offer at Surrey and hopefully again at England at some point.”

Just when you thought Australia couldn’t become any stronger, it duly appeared to emerge from today’s Carlton Series encounter against Zimbabwe in Sydney in even more formidable shape. Beyond the mere matter of a crushing eighty-six run win, this was a game which offered it a great chance to experiment. And it did so in particularly successful style.In again reshuffling its batting order, in again rotating its playing list, in setting Test-style attacking fields, and in turning to unlikely change bowlers, the home team’s most difficult challenges today were again provided by its own brains trust – and not the opposition. Captain Steve Waugh conjured up one of the sternest tests of all, perhaps, when he won the toss and decided that his team would bat in possibly the most demanding conditions of the day.But, after Adam Gilchrist (63) and a slightly-tentative Mark Waugh (36) had weathered the swing and seam extracted by new ball bowlers Heath Streak (1/56 from ten overs) and Bryan Strang (1/50 off ten) in muggy, humid conditions, this proved another stroll in the park. The fifth successive Australian opening stand to exceed the half-century mark in this series provided the platform for a brutal onslaught that ultimately took the Australians to within twelve runs of their highest ever one-day international score against Zimbabwe.Ninety-eight runs had been added by the time that the Gilchrist-Waugh stand was eventually ended – by means of a bizarre run out. Waugh was the unlucky batsman, departing after Gilchrist had powered back a straight drive with such force that his partner had no chance to regain his ground at the non-striker’s end as the ball went past him. He could only watch in horror as it took a thin deflection from bowler Brian Murphy’s fingers back on to the stumps. Gilchrist made his own exit shortly afterwards, when he was deceived by a Strang delivery and lofted a simple catch to mid wicket.For as much encouragement as the sight of the two openers returning to the pavilion must have provided, though, there was only more in the way of punishment for the Zimbabweans to follow. Characteristically, Michael Bevan (74*) proceeded to anchor a succession of productive stands.Importantly for the Australians, theirs was an innings which offered valuable time in the middle for a number of players who have barely been required to bat in this series. Together with Bevan, Steve Waugh (36) and Andrew Symonds (21) also capitalised upon chances that have been far from readily forthcoming.The Zimbabweans, for their part, toiled manfully. With the new ball, Streak and Strang were steady and also generated sideways movement and variable bounce at different moments. Spinners Murphy (0/38 from eight overs) and Dirk Viljoen (3/62 off ten) also bowled tidily during the middle stages of the innings.But there were times when the bowlers and fieldsmen looked helpless, powerless even. At no point was this more obvious than during the closing eleven overs of the innings, when Bevan, Darren Lehmann (36) and Symonds combined to help themselves to a gargantuan 110 runs and clobber the total toward 6/291. It was a feast of brilliantly improvised strokeplay and electrifying running between the wickets that again served to underline the vast gulf that exists between Australia and its opponents in this series.Despite a gallant stand of ninety-two for the third wicket between Stuart Carlisle (44) and Andy Flower (39), Zimbabwe never really looked like challenging the rival score. Let alone overhauling it. Carlisle and Flower responded attractively upon being joined in the fifth over after another poor Zimbabwean start. In composed style, they defied excellent new ball bowling from Damien Fleming (2/21 from six overs) and Glenn McGrath (1/26 off 6.5) before cutting loose against the pace of Nathan Bracken (0/25 from five) and, more specifically, the leg spin of Shane Warne (2/52 off ten).It was Flower who frustrated the Australian star early with some contemptuous reverse sweeping through the off side. But Carlisle was quick to join in. He hit two massive sixes over mid wicket in quick succession to have Warne looking unsettled at the bowling crease for one of the few times in recent memory.However, a dubious shot and a dubious decision soon had matters reverting to type again. Ironically, Flower was removed almost as soon as Steve Waugh had turned to another unlikely slow bowling option, left arm wrist spinner Bevan (1/25 from seven overs). He cut, in rash fashion, at a ball spinning well away and landed a comfortable catch in the hands of Symonds at point. Carlisle was far more unlucky, harshly adjudged lbw by Umpire Peter Parker after being struck in line with off stump by a Warne delivery that appeared to be turning even further away.And that was about the end of that. Another disappointing Zimbabwean batting collapse ensued around some valiant strokeplay from Viljoen (31) and Grant Flower (30) as Waugh threw the ball to Symonds (2/35 off eight overs) and medium pacer turned off spinner Ricky Ponting (1/12 from five) just for good measure. Paradoxically, it was Australia – delighting in its success at stumbling upon new strategies – which seemed the team more interested in staying on the field by then.