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Cricket Victoria is pleased to announce the 2002/03 State Selection Panel was re-elected last night for two years, until the completion of the 2004/05 season.The decision, made at last night’s April Delegates meeting, was a ground breaking one as it was the first time the State Selection Panel had been re-elected for a period of longer than twelve months.Cricket Victoria’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ken Jacobs, said the decision demonstrated faith and support for the job the selectors had done in the recently completed season. “It was agreed by all delegates that the selection panel be given a two year period in which they can continue to work with our coaching staff to develop a playing list that they believe will bring success to Victorian cricket in both the Pura and ING Cups”.He added ” the selectors were very diligent in their approach in ensuring the best sides were picked to represent the Bushrangers and we congratulate them for their commitment to the task”.The Victorian State Selection Panel comprises Michael O’Sullivan (Chairman), Ray Bright, John MacWhirter and coach David Hookes.

England’s short tour of Zimbabwe in September and October has been thrown into doubt following the recent unrest in the African country. England are due to play five One-Day Internationals against Zimbabwe before they fly onto India and then New Zealand this winter.The unrest in Zimbabwe has seen more than 50 white-owned farms attacked and their houses looted, raising questions about the safety of the England cricket team.Gareth Thomas, the Labour MP and secretary of the all-party parliamentary sports group, told The Times: “To play cricket matches in a country where the Government is clearly condoning violence against its opponents must be questionable.”Unless the situation improves dramatically this tour should be cancelled.”John Read, the England and Wales Cricket Board spokesman explained that they were concerned with what is happening in Zimbabwe, but still insured that the England tour will not be postponed.He confirmed: “We are still planning to go ahead but this is being reviewed daily. We will be guided by the Foreign Office.”A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We are in close touch with the cricket board. The situation is being monitored.”

Play in the final session of the Pura Cup match between New South Wales and Western Australia has lasted only nine overs after rain and thunderstorms hit the NorthSydney Oval this afternoon.After being dismissed for 226 in their first innings just on the point of tea, the Blues went out in search of early wickets to give themselves a chance of capturing twopoints in bowler friendly conditions. When the players left the field at 4:48pm the Warriors were 1/37 following the dismissal of Mike Hussey (1) who continued agenerally disappointing run this season.Ryan Campbell (30) was scoring at a rate of better than a run a ball prior to stumps, amassing his runs off twenty-nine deliveries in an innings which included fiveboundaries. Simon Katich joined Campbell following Hussey’s dismissal and is unbeaten on six.Nathan Bracken made the early breakthrough when he bowled Hussey.Don Nash was the Blues bowler to bear the brunt of the Campbell onslaught, conceding thirty off his opening five overs. Bracken, meanwhile, had the far morerespectable figures of 1/7 alongside his name from his four overs.Today’s play saw eleven wickets fall for 263 runs in an up and down day for both teams. After early wickets fell, the Blues were struggling at 5/49 before a middleand lower order revival, headed by Brad Haddin (87) and Mark Higgs (34), swelled the score to 226.

The first ball Virat Kohli faced in a tight and ultimately successful chase at SCG should have gone for four runs. Instead, the ball was called dead because it hit the spidercam on its way to the boundary. In the last Test that India had played at the SCG, Steven Smith dropped a sitter from KL Rahul because he was distracted by the spidercam. The ball might have even flicked the cable. India eventually won the fifth ODI, but who knows if Australia would have been held to a draw had Rahul not gone on to score a century in the Test last year?MS Dhoni, India’s limited-overs captain, has called for balance when it comes to intruding the field of play for TV gimmicks. He has also spoken about other gimmicks that have mushroomed with the advent of Twenty20. “I am quite a traditional guy,” Dhoni said. “I have always felt that… anything that disturbs the game of cricket I don’t like it. It all started right from the T20 where people would be like, ‘Why don’t you wear a mic?’, ‘Why don’t you wear a camera?'”I have always felt there is a need for balance. At the end of the day it is a spectator sport, people watching on television, but at the same time four runs can matter, especially when it is a close game. Those four runs can be crucial. Everyone gets penalised, why not have the same system for the spidercam? Say, ‘Okay if you get hit, 2000 dollars per hit.’ Let’s make it interesting.”People [broadcasters] are striving for more. When you have got out and walking off, the cameraman goes right under your face. The same way the spidercam is right next to you. You have seen players, they are like, ‘What is happening?’ It makes a lot of noise. At the end of the day it is also about the spectators. If spectators are not there, cricket won’t be played. It is a mix and match; 2000 dollars per hit is a good option.”During the Sydney Test last year, the camera was moved higher and away from the field of play rapidly after the incident. This time, though, the upper-cut from Kohli was not even a skier. Back then, a joint statement from Channel Nine and Cricket Australia said: “We have spoken about the matter involving spidercam and the dropped catch before lunch and it’s clear the ball did not hit the camera or its supporting wires. Captain Steve Smith was distracted by one of the wires in his eye line. Both CA and Nine will continue to work together on the use of spidercam in the broadcast coverage and will take on board any player feedback as necessary. As it stands, if any player has a concern about the placement of spidercam they can ask the umpires for it to be moved.”Dhoni’s larger point about the intrusion into the players’ space might hold some resonance too, especially shoving cameras up their faces when they have just got out or doing interviews just after their dismissals. Such interviews were the centre of conversation when, earlier in the Australian summer, Chris Gayle infamously made a female reporter uncomfortable in an interview as soon as he had walked off the field.

Scorecard
India A have won the two-match Test series against South Africa A by a 1-0 margin after the second Test in Dharamsala was abandoned with no play possible on three consecutive days due to heavy rain.Umpires SK Tarapore and GA Pratap Kumar called off the match at 10 am after the outfield was left waterlogged due to morning showers. Though this was a frustrating outing for both teams, South Africa will consider themselves hard done by, since they had ended the first day at 264 for 4.Paras Mhambrey, the India A coach, was satisfied with the teams performance in the series. “We were looking forward to win the game and get the series 2-0, but can’t help the elements,” Mhambrey told PTI. “I am happy with the first match in which we clinched the victory in three days. Our spinners troubled their batsmen and our batsmen scored double centuries. So it was a satisfying series for us.”India had won the the first Test in New Delhi by an innings and 242 runs.

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

A superb unbeaten 31 from Dinesh Karthik led India to a thrillingpenultimate-ball victory in their first-ever Pro20 outing at theWanderers. Chasing South Africa’s 126 for 9, they were also indebted to aquickfire 34 from Virender Sehwag and a steady 38 from Dinesh Mongia. Thebowlers had done a sterling job earlier in the evening, with Zaheer Khanand Ajit Agarkar especially impressive in restricting a powerful battingline-up.With nine needed from the final over, Karthik eased Indian nerves byclouting Robin Peterson for a big six over midwicket. Four balls later, hecut one through point to round off a memorable evening, with India sealingtheir first win of the tour nearly three weeks after they arrived in theSouthern Cape.The Indian innings had started eventfully. After Sehwag had driven Van derWath through the covers for four, Charl Langeveldt had Sachin Tendulkaredging behind off a free hit. In his next over, Tendulkar creamed onethrough the covers before lofting another over point for four more. Butjust as the Indian flags began waving ever more animatedly, Langeveldt hadhis say, with Tendulkar dragging a full delivery back on to the stumps.Sehwag and Mongia then consolidated matters, and when Graeme Smith calledon Tyron Henderson, Sehwag weighed in immediately, slashing a six over therope at third man before deflecting wide of the keeper for four more.Another clever deflection to third man followed off Roger Telemachus, andwhen a short-pitched delivery flew off his helmet for four leg byes, Indianudged ahead of the asking rate.Henderson’s medium-pace offerings were to Sehwag’s liking, and a widedelivery outside off stump was sent soaring over point, but thecombination of Ashwell Prince, the substitute fielder, and Langeveldt witha full-length Jonty Rhodes-style dive cut short his scintillating 29-ballinnings.Mahendra Singh Dhoni lasted just two balls before being cleaned up by theimpressive Langeveldt, but Mongia, who returns home after the one-dayseries, kept up the momentum with some sweetly-timed strokes throughmidwicket. When Albie Morkel came on, he struck one beautifully over coverfor six, and with Karthik playing a gorgeous straight drive offTelemachus, John Denver’s Country Roads provided apt background music asIndia eased towards victory. Mongia fell to a slog to provide one finalhiccup, but Karthik and Suresh Raina saw that there would be no costlystutter at the finish.It was no less than India deserved after a disciplined bowling displaythat saw South Africa slump to 41 for 4, before Justin Kemp and thesix-hitting Morkel led something of a recovery. Morkel smashed 27 from 18balls, including one massive six off Harbhajan Singh that cleared thestands over midwicket. Having taken sixes off Sreesanth and Irfan Pathanearlier, he fell trying for another, caught at long-off off Sreesanth.Tendulkar had accounted for Kemp earlier, trapping him in front, even as asteady drizzle started to fall.Van der Wath’s 21 held the lower order together, but there weren’t thewickets in hand to launch any sort of onslaught. Robin Peterson wasrun-out off a free hit, after Harbhajan bowled a no-ball, and when Van derWath slogged the next ball into Raina’s hands at long on, India hadreestablished their stranglehold on proceedings.After quasi-Bollywood-style entertainment had set the stage, there weremassive cheers when Smith, with one run in the one-day series, got theinnings off the mark with a single to fine leg off Zaheer, and they becameeven more raucous when Sreesanth was cut for four and then drivenbeautifully down the ground. But it was too good to last, and in Zaheer’snext over, Loots Bosman edged one to Tendulkar at first slip.

Smith tried to up the ante by charging Sreesanth and lofting one down tothe long-off fence, and Herschelle Gibbs followed suit with a punishingpull for four off Zaheer. But when Agarkar replaced Sreesanth, India got areward right away, with Gibbs thumping one straight to short cover. Thatturned out to be a maiden over, and South Africa’s plight worsened whenZaheer crowned a quite magnificent spell with the wicket of his bunny,Smith once again trapped in front.AB de Villiers came in and slashed a six over point, but Agarkar exactedinstant retribution, inducing an edge behind. With the Indians buzzing, itwas left to Kemp to right the balance a little by smashing Pathan’s firstball to the cover fence, following it up with a top edge to fine leg forfour more.India were dealt a blow when Agarkar left the field midway through histhird over with a torn groin muscle. Tendulkar came on to replace him, andKemp latched on straight away, tucking one behind square for four. Butdespite his and Morkel’s efforts, there was no denying an Indian sidepiloted home by one of its future stars.

Scorecard

Namibia made a good start to their tour of Zimbabwe as the guest team in theone-day Faithwear Series, by winning their opening match against Midlands by89 runs at the Harare Country Club, the home of the CFX Academy.The most significant performance took place at the very start of the match: Jan-Berrie Burger where he left off on Namibia’s previous visit to Zimbabwe by torturing the local seamers and some unimaginative captaincy with a blistering innings of 61. He faced only 47 balls, hit 11 fours, and shared an opening stand of 85 with Danie Keulder, who made 37. Later the spinners were able to limit the damage, and only Gavin Murgatroyd contributed much in the final total of 220 for 7.Midlands were never in the hunt, losing their first six wickets for 50 and eventually being dismissed for 131. Keulder and Rudi van Vuuren were the main wicket-takers, but Karel Burger took the two crucial scalps of Vusi Sibanda and Alester Maregwede.
Scorecard
In an outstanding one-day match at the Harare Sports Club, Matabeleland beat the Faithwear champions Mashonaland by 10 runs, with the result in doubt until the penultimate ball. The match was dominated by two outstanding individual performances: by Chris Mpofu of Matabeleland, who took 6 for 42, and Mashonaland’s captain Tatenda Taibu, who scored 121 not out and very nearly took his team to a miraculous victory.Mashonaland, chasing 276, looked dead and buried at 25 for 5, thanks to the bowling of Mpofu, who took five wickets for five runs in his first four overs. Later they were 78 for 7, but Taibu was still there, and he almost turned the match with an incredible partnership of 134 with Kuda Samunderu (43). Then a brilliant return catch by Gavin Ewing turned the match again, and the task proved just too great for the gallant Taibu.Matabeleland’s 275 for 9 was set up by a dynamic 42 off 24 balls by Greg Strydom, and some more restrained batting by Ewing and Mark Vermeulen. Samunderu had also shown his skill as an offspinner, with 3 for 42.This match was a wonderful opportunity for Zimbabwe cricket to promote itself. Unfortunately, thanks to almost non-existent marketing, only about ten spectators were present, and the chance was totally wasted.

The Pakistan Cricket Board is reported to be having serious doubts about going ahead with this October’s planned home series against Zimbabwe.The PCB will discuss Zimbabwe’s status at this month’s ICC meeting in London, and while it has not yet formally made any overtures to the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, sources close to the board indicate that there is a growing feeling that the tour should be scrapped.Officially, Rameez Raja, the PCB’s chief executive, maintained that the series was on, although he admitted that “We are waiting and watching. We have some other options in mind that we will put forward to the ICC board this month if the crisis in Zimbabwe cricket is not resolved.”Unofficially, the PCB is believed to be looking at the international schedule to see who can be lineed up to replace Zimbabwe. The PCB is committed under its existing television contracts to schedule a certain number of home series each year, and so needs an alternative.West Indies and Sri Lanka are free to step in, and were England to withdraw from their own tour to Zimbabwe, they could be looking for something to fill the void before they travel to South Africa. A multinational one-day tournament could be the solution.Another option would be for Zimbabwe to be included in the one-day tournament, a compromise which would be acceptable to the ZCU. “We would be amenable to that” Vince Hogg, its chief executive, told the AFP news agency. “We haven’t discussed it yet with the PCB, but I’m sure that would be a practicable course to take.”The source told Pakistan’s The News that the PCB was “not keen on playing a Test series against a depleted Zimbabwe side, and will ask the ICC to reschedule the Test series instead of playing against a second-string side.”

The award for the New South Wales cricketer of the year is to become known as the Steve Waugh Medal in honour of the NSW and Australian Test captain.Waugh said he is taken aback by the accolade, but considered it a great honour.He also said he would like to win the medal but believed there are at least a couple of other players with a better chance.The medal, which is cast in nine carat gold, is decided on points awarded by each NSW player after every one-day and four-day game.It will be presented to this season’s winner at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 28.

Trveor Ward scored his third century in nine innings as Leicestershiredominated a rain-interrupted first day of the CricInfo Championship clash with Glamorgan at Cardiff.Ward shared in an impressive 198 opening stand with Iain Sutcliffe with the visiting county taking full advantage of Vince Wells winning the toss.And when bad light caused an abandonment 15 minutes from the closeLeicestershire had reached the healthy position of 210-1 off 48 overswith Sutcliffe still there on 86.Heavy overnight rain and morning showers meant no play was possibleuntil 2.30pm with a total of 49 overs lost before and after lunch.But by tea Ward and Sutcliffe had put Leicestershire in a healthyposition at 118-0 in just 24 overs with both batsmen reaching half-centuries, taking advantage of some pretty average Glamorgan bowling.Leicestershire reached 50 from just ten overs and then carried on thescoring rate to go to 100 in the 21st with skipper Steve James forced touse five bowlers in a curtailed second session.Ward was first to go to his 50 off just 61 balls with Sutcliffe takingjust nine deliveries more.And Ward then took only a further 50 balls to reach his century out of189-0.Glamorgan’s opening bowlers found it difficult to find their length andline. Steve Watkin went for 37 off seven overs while Simon Jonesconceded 24 from his first five overs.Watkin eventually secured the breakthrough when Ward drove straight atcover to end an impressive two-and-a-half hour innings that had included14 boundaries.