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quoteAfter Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle helped New Zealand salvage a draw inthe first Test at Ahmedabad, coach Ashley Ross sounded confident about his team’s ability to succeed under any conditions.”I am pleased with the players and their ability to adapt to differentconditions. We are fully prepared for the challenge ahead,” Ross said.He also mentioned that the team might make changes to the final XI for thesecond Test after considering the conditions at Mohali. “There is everychance that we may choose a different eleven for this Test match. We willdecide later,” he said.On the Mohali wicket, Ross said: “We played here four years back and we aremindful of its reputation. We are excited by the challenge. It’s aninteresting wicket. I have seen the wicket yesterday and today. There aresome cracks.” But Ross did warn that India’s penchant for preparing slowdustbowls would let them down abroad. “India may face problems when they goabroad if they continue with such slow wickets. To play well in Australiaor New Zealand, you need to have the experience of playing on fast wickets.”New Zealand’s batsmen handled the spinners better than expected, albeit ona slow track, and Ross drew confidence from that performance ahead of theMohali Test. “It is great for the New Zealand players to face such greatspinners in Indian conditions. Facing them is a great challenge,” he said.When asked whether New Zealand were contemplating a victory at any stage oftheir second innings, Ross said “We were playing for a win throughout. Butgiven the conditions on last day and with some quick wickets falling, wesettled for a draw. It wasn’t a win, but it wasn’t a loss either,” he said.Ross did however caution against complacency and hinted that there wasstill much room for improvement. “There are still a lot of areas where wecan improve. With every match you have to improve. What is important is toadapt to a given set of conditions,” he said.Underlining New Zealand’s emphasis on planning well in advance, Ross said:”It helps us enormously. We prepare for all the eventualities. We work hardto be successful in unfamiliar environment.”When questioned about why Nathan Astle was playing at Mohali despitecarrying a knee injury, Ross said that the medical panel felt it wasunlikely that he would aggravate the injury further by playing.

After losing a match which showed that great players don’t necessarily make a great team, Shaun Pollock, the captain of the World XI side that embarrassed itself with a batting performance worthy of minnows, said his team will have to play for pride to get back in to the three-match series.”It was disappointing,” Pollock said of the batting performance. “We discussed about taking responsibilities and roles but we didn’t get it right. The guys are hurting, there is no doubt about that. We are going to have to play like one hell of a team to come from 1-0 down. The guys have a lot of pride and it is dented tonight so I expect the guys to be really motivated for Friday.”As the World XI restricted Australia to 255 for 8, Pollock was confident of a successful chase with his high-profile line-up. “We spoke at the break about partnerships and someone to bat through but there were quite a few soft dismissals and we didn’t get going. Sometimes it’s not that the fact you lose, but it’s the manner in the way you lose and that we were seven or eight down for very little was disappointing.”Pollock refused to blame the team’s limited preparation for the loss and said the team was here to win. “We’re not doing it for the crowd or for show. We have to do it for ourselves. We enjoy each other’s company and we want to play well and win. I don’t think you’ve got to panic, they are good players and you’ve got to give them an opportunity to fight back.”I don’t want the guys to get down. It’s no time for them to be hanging their heads and sulking. I think you’ll see them lift quickly.”Ricky Ponting, however, was understandably delighted with the victory. “I’ve said all along that I still think we’re the best cricket team in the world,” he said. Criticised relentlessly since their return from the Ashes tour, Ponting’s side were pleased to return to playing competitive cricket and to put the Ashes defeat behind them. “It’s great to get out there and express ourselves the way we have. We’ve been looking forward to this for a while to play the brand of cricket we know we can play, so it’s very satisfying.”He added: “We have worked very hard for the last few days and all the players were up for it. We always knew 250 would be a hard total to chase and, although we did drop a few chances, in the end it was a great allround effort.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Tatenda Taibu’s maiden Test hundred gave Zimbabwe a great chance of winning the second Test and leveling the series after four days of the second Test at Dhaka. But Bangladesh’s openers launched a brave fightback in the final session and were in a good position to save the game, and maybe even post an unlikely win. At the close, Bangladesh were 98 for 0, needing another 276 for victory.Taibu’s 153, which could yet prove be a match-winning one, spanned 292 balls and included 19 fours and two glorious sixes and put Zimbabwe in a position to win the match. It was particularly special as he rescued the team from a dangerous position – they were struggling at 37 for 4 on the third day – and displayed a wonderful range of strokes once he reached his hundred. It was fitting he reached his century with a sweep, his most productive stroke of the innings, before cutting loose. He swept and pulled Enamul for two sixes and lofted effortlessly over the infield. Bangladesh were handicapped by the availability of only three frontline bowlers with Mashrafe Mortaza picking up a hamstring injury.Douglas Hondo contributed only 3 in a 65-run stand for the ninth wicket but it was a valuable knock as Taibu toyed with the bowlers and regularly jumped out of the crease while facing the medium pacers. In the last over before lunch, Enamul had Hondo caught at short leg but by then Zimbabwe had a healthy lead. Enamul, the star in the series for Bangladesh, then snapped up Taibu’s wicket to finish with 12 in the match and a third successive five-wicket haul.

Set 374 – only three sides have scored more to win a Test – Javed Omar and Nafis Iqbal set them on their way with an unbeaten 98-run opening stand, a Bangladesh record. They were helped by the superb state of the pitch which has got better for batting throughout – few balls kept low and the batsmen were free to play off the back foot. And Omar and Nafis easily negotiated the turn that the spinners extracted thanks to the slowness of the pitch.Both openers dug in deep as runs came at an dreadfully slow rate. Nafis, playing the best innings of his short career, dealt with every ball on merit. Both negotiated a tricky 23-over phase before tea, when they added 36, and Omar survived a lucky reprieve when he was on 5 when Hamilton Masakadza grassed a straightforward chance at first slip off Chris Mpofu. Soon after he survived two extremely close lbw shouts and escaped a close run-out chance.Taibu shuffled his seamers after tea but the batsmen were up to the challenge. Nafis grew in confidence as his innings progresses and soon opened up as he pierced the cover region with a couple of wonderful drives. Graeme Cremer and Stuart Matsikenyeri, the two spinners, didn’t make too much of an impact with the batsmen taking no risks and Nafis soon brought up his third fifty in Tests by lofting one over widish long-on.Taibu grew increasingly desperate, trying eight bowlers to break the partnership but for the first time in this Test, Bangladesh dominated an entire session. Both batsmen played out 57 overs either side of tea and any one of four results is possible on what should be a fascinating final day.

Shoaib Akhtar is likely to get away with only a warning from the Pakistan board for his conduct during the recently concluded series against India. A verdict on Shoaib is expected soon, after a four-man medical commission, which was appointed after the series to look into the spate of injuries suffered by Pakistan’s bowlers, submitted its report to Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan board, on Wednesday (May 5).According to a report in Mid Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid, a senior PCB official clarified: “We are not looking for a scapegoat to justify the defeat against India. But we have to convey that we mean business and the players should know what is expected of them.”Rameez Raja, though, wasn’t entirely satisfied with Shoaib’s attitude. “There is no doubt that Shoaib is carrying an injury,” he said. “But the medical commission has given its report to the chairman after studying videotapes of the players, including Shoaib batting and bowling. They have their views of how old the injuries are.” The article stated that Shoaib would be told that this was his last chance to improve his attitude.Earlier, Shaharyar Khan met Shoaib and assured him that he would be given a fair deal. “The basic objective of the meeting was to give Shoaib a complete background of the situation that led to the appointment of the medical commission, and also related cricketing issues. Shoaib was assured that the PCB would be fair to him and that he would be given every opportunity to explain his conduct.”

Mark Ealham’s whirlwind hundred, scored off just 45 balls for Nottinghamshire against MCC in the season opener way back on April 16 at Lord’s, has won him the Walter Lawrence Trophy for 2006.Ealham smashed 11 fours and seven sixes in his century, which was scored in the traditional opening first-class fixture between Nottinghamshire, the champion county and MCC, making it the fastest-ever hundred from balls faced and non-contrived bowling, in history of the competition. Ealham, 37, who played in 8 Tests and 64 ODIs for his country, will be presented with the Walter Lawrence Trophy and a cheque for £5000 at a special lunch in the Long Room at Lord’s on November 2.Mark Pettini of Essex hit an unbelievably fast hundred off a mere 27 balls against Leicestershire on September 23, the final day of the Championship, but this was scored off joke bowling and is therefore considered invalid for the award. Pettini’s century included 11 fours and 10 sixes, but it was achieved from 9.4 overs of what the competition organizers described as “dross” from Leicestershire’s opening batsman, Darren Robinson, and wicketkeeper, Paul Nixon, to induce an early declaration.

The pressure on Vikram Solanki grows by the day, and his five-ball duck in England’s loosener on Saturday has only added to the weight on his shoulders.His wretched form of late has been well documented – his three one-day innings against Bangladesh produced 11 runs – and despite bullish comments to the contrary, as he sloped around the team hotel on Sunday he had the air of a man who knows that the noose is tightening around his neck. Duncan Fletcher, the coach, has continued to publicly support Solanki, but even his belief that players should have a good run in the side might not save him.What Fletcher has to decide is whether Solanki is a capable player going through a rough patch or simply not quite good enough to play international cricket. In 21 ODIs Solanki has passed fifty only twice, and worryingly the nature of his dismissals have often raised doubts regarding his tendency to play loose shots early on.Solanki’s team-mates were quick to offer words of support. “He [Solanki] has only played three games, or four including yesterday, where he has not scored too many runs," Marcus Trescothick said. “I am not sure how it will pan out over the next couple of weeks. We have three one-day games left, and I hope he will get some form back pretty quickly. I have tried to help a little bit, but there is only so much you can do.”Luck plays a crucial part in a player’s career, and it was hard not to feel for Solanki after he received what was generally considered a harsh leg-before decision at Moratuwa on Saturday. But as the door came closer to closing on him, it opened for Andrew Strauss, who made the most of his chance with an impressive 83.Whereas Solanki is a hitter, Strauss is happy to accumulate. “I’ll never be a blaster of a cricket ball," he admitted. "My game is based around trying to work the ball around and keep the scoreboard ticking. We have enough players in our squad here who can hit the ball over the ropes. So, hopefully, at some stage there will be a role there for a nudger and nurdler like me. It’s not a glamorous role, but it is there.”Strauss’s chance could come as soon as tomorrow.

Greg Shippard, who coached Victoria to Pura Cup victory after the tragic passing of David Hookes, has been appointed as coach for the next two seasons by the Cricket Victoria board."I am naturally thrilled and extremely proud to have been appointed coach of the Victorian Bushrangers," Shippard said. "The playing group has displayed many great qualities over the past season and it is an exciting time to be involved as we develop a new era of Victorian dominance."Ken Jacobs, the head of Cricket Victoria, said that Shipperd’s promotion was logical, and commended him for his work during a difficult period. "Greg has done an outstanding job with the squad in the past two years and the Board had no hesitation in appointing him state coach for the next two seasons.""Greg’s leadership and guidance during what has been a devastating and challenging time in Victorian cricket has been exceptional and the Pura Cup win was testament to this. He has the total respect of his players and Cricket Victoria looks forward to a successful reign under his leadership."

Canterbury Cricket reported a disappointing $NZ96,937 loss during the last financial year, $NZ42,706 worse than the previous year. The situation was compounded when an investigation revealed that income believed due of $80,345 was unrecoverable.David Shackleton, the chairman of the Canterbury board, commented: “Very late in the financial year the board became aware that some financial information presented to it on a regular basis was inaccurate. A thorough investigation occurred and a report was commissioned seeking an external review of the Association’s financial position and systems.”This report highlighted that there were significant accounting errors in the presentation of reports to the board. This meant that the breakeven position that the board had been advised would occur in the year ended May 31, 2003 was subsequently determined to be a loss of $NZ96,937,” he said.Part of Canterbury’s accounting processes will now be handled by New Zealand Cricket which would allow for more reliable information to be presented to the board each month. Shackleton did say that since the balance date, the financial position of the association had improved substantially.The Jade Stadium connection is still troubling Canterbury Cricket. Shackleton said it was paramount that Canterbury retain the right to play cricket at Jade Stadium. Negotiations between the two parties have been protracted but were close to finality. However, no Test play has been allocated to the ground next season, although there will be two one-day internationals at the ground.Canterbury has been looking for an alternative ground, and while the extensive work that has gone into the ground at Queen Elizabeth II Park was a vast improvement, there was still a desire for another ground.”We have been able to identify an alternative second-tier ground, and a number of meetings have been held with interested parties in an effort to reach a win-win outcome for all concerned. Once a Heads of Agreement is concluded we will be in a position to make a joint announcement concerning this venue. The board is confident that all involved in cricket will agree that this proposal, when announced, will be in the best interests of cricket,” said Shackleton.Richard Reid, the CCA chief executive, hinted further that the venue would be close to the central city, somewhere at Hagley Park. He said: “Following the success of the 125th jubilee match at Hagley Oval it was obvious, to me as an outsider, that the long term venue needed to be somewhere within the confines of Hagley Park. I am hopeful that we will be in a position very shortly to publicly state our intentions with regard to our preferred option as to a long term venue for Canterbury Cricket.”Canterbury have also been undergoing a change to their metropolitan club structure in time for the season of 2004-05. Shackleton commented on the change: “We consider that if the status quo remained there was little likelihood that there would be any improvement in the quality of club cricket at the top level. It is important that clubs take full advantage of all the opportunities that are available to develop their resources in order to enhance their opportunity to either remain in the premier competition or to advance to that level.”Reid also reported that the intended coaching and development plan for the province was underway in what will be a three-to-five year plan. He said that the Association’s new indoor centre, which is part of its office complex, had been a revelation. “It makes me wonder how we did things beforehand,” commented Reid.

South Africa’s one-day squad got down to work this afternoon when they practised at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore ahead of Wednesday’s floodlit match against the City Nazim XI. After a 36-hour journey from Johannesburg and the effects of jet-lag, it was a deliberately low-key session.”They were probably between 70 and 80% of optimum capacity, which is fine at this early stage of the trip,” said Eric Simons, the coach. “But it’s going to be a really tough tour, so we will be winding up the pace over the next few days.”For some, like Boeta Dippenaar, the session offered a first taste of the conditions so peculiar to these parts. “The nets were superb, flat and a decent pace, the ball came on to the bat very nicely, I hope they are the same in the middle.”The bowlers all had brief spells of target bowling as they eased themselves back into the different lines and lengths demanded on pitches of such benign nature. Alan Dawson, who won the Man of the Series award in the ODI series in Bangladesh in April, enjoyed his first outdoor net since playing against England in July.”The winter in Cape Town is good for business, but not great for outdoor practice,” said Dawson, who is a professional landscape gardener. But with pace variation a prime weapon on the subcontinent, Dawson was pleased with his control. “Yes, it came out really well today – particularly the slower ball, which is good news.”Simons is hoping to get the go-ahead to use all 14 players on a rotation basis in the warm-up match. “It’s not the best way to prepare for a major international game, but time and circumstances mean that we need to give everyone a fair crack in the middle so that they can all make the necessary adjustments in batting and bowling disciplines. These are very different conditions from those we experienced in England.”The City Nazim XI is made up of Lahore-based players with a sprinkling of international experience. Misbah-ul-Haq will captain the team, although the batsman Faisal Iqbal is the only member of the current Pakistan ODI squad who will play tomorrow. The opening match of the series is on Friday under the lights at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Pakistan’s performance at The Oval was certainly one they willneed to eradicate from their minds going into the NatWest Challenge deciderat Lord’s. They faltered in all departments, and it’s hardto draw any positives other than Yousuf Youhana’s welcome return to form.Rashid Latif’s decision to bat first was perfectly justified. Thepitch held no terrors with its consistent bounce very conducive forstrokeplay. Although Imran Nazir would count himself unlucky to get agood delivery first up, the same cannot be said for Mohammad Hafeez. He wasclearly tempted by the vast open spaces on the legside, and had flirtedwith danger plenty of times by playing across the line before beingtrapped in front of the wicket by Andrew Flintoff.Pakistan have too often been guilty of thrusting their frontfoot across to the off stump, which means they have to play around theirpads, making them serious candidates for a leg before decision. That isa technical flaw that has to be addressed immediately by Javed Miandad, as the youngsters will find it hard to progress at this level if they do not sort it out soon.The shot selection from most of the Pakistani batsmen again left a lot to bedesired. Yasir Hameed once again threw his wicket away afteranother impressive start, and Abdul Razzaq attempted an adventurous shotat an inopportune time.Another alarming aspect was the appalling running between the wickets.Youhana may have played an excellent knock, but one cannot forgive theconfusion in calling while he was at the crease. Shoaib Malik lost hiswicket to a ridiculous piece of running, while both Razzaq and AzharMahmood escaped on various occasions when the fielders missed thetarget. Youhana has a definite problem when it comes to running andcalling, and it is affecting the other batsmen.The low total of 184 to defend forced Latif to instruct Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami to try and blast out a wicket every ball before settling into a line and length. If this was the planned strategy then it failed miserably.The new-ball bowlers, especially Sami, must seriously considerbowling round the wicket to Marcus Trescothick from the outset. Hethrives on room outside the off stump, but a change in anglewould definitely counter that problem and rule out his smashing shotsover point or gully.Shoaib’s comeback was disappointing to say the least as he over-pitchedtoo many balls and offered too much width. It was a spell that was not farremoved from the drubbing he got from Sachin Tendulkar in the World Cup,but this time it was Trescothick and Vikram Solanki in the action. To cap that off was the ineffective bowling by Azhar Mahmood, who was pulled and cut atease. Pakistan have gone into both matches with a bunch of allrounders and theattack lacks diversity.By trying to pad out their batting, Pakistan are compromising with thepresence of a genuine wicket-taker like Danish Kaneria. Hewould do well against England, who are traditionally weak facingquality spin. While Razzaq and Mahmood lack penetration, Pakistan must seriously consider drafting in Kaneria for the decider, a game in which Pakistan need to go flat out.After forgetting this one the Pakistanis must go to Lord’s in a positiveframe of mind. It will be a test of nerves for the younger players of both sides.