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Saturday, February 1, 2003:::
“The organising committee shares the disappointment of the Kenyan cricketers and their supporters. We must however, respect the autonomy of the New Zealand Cricket Council and its judgment in making this decision.” Dr Ali Bacher, on New Zealand’s refusal to play in Kenya
Source: Gulf Daily News, Bahrain”It is safe to play cricket in Kenya. The safety in Kenya is secured. There have been no incidences for the past three, four months.” Kenyan captain Steve Tikolo
Source: Gulf Daily News, Bahrain”I’m sure some of the other sides do fear us a little because we’re No 1, but we don’t think about that. We just go about our business, working hard, training hard and trying to improve ourselves all the time.” Australian captain Ricky Ponting, on their tag of favourites
Source: Maitland Mercury, Australia”I think the pressure’s going to be on the South African side. They’re playing at home and everybody’s expecting a victory from them. It won’t be an easy game, but we’re ready for it.” West Indian captain Carl Hooper, on his side’s game against South Africa
Source: Independent Online, South AfricaWednesday, January 29, 2003:::
“Not only do we eagerly await the match, but millions of fans all over the world are looking forward to it. I think it will be a classic encounter.” Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis, on the India-Pakistan encounter in the upcoming World Cup
Source: FoxSports.com
“This World Cup is not about Carl Hooper. It is about West Indies cricket. We have slowly but surely turned the corner. This is going to be a good launch-pad to say ‘Look, West Indies cricket is back and a force to be reckoned with’.” West Indies captain Carl Hooper
Source: The Jamaica Gleaner
“The players are trying to take in as much as possible and keep themselves informed about the situation. But it’s not fair that players should have to voice their opinions in any way.” New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, on playing in Kenya
Source: The New Zealand Herald
“I’ve just answered that question.” Nasser Hussain, after the 10th question from the press on England playing their World Cup game in Zimbabwe
Source: The Guardian, UK

Surrey seemed intent on winning by as large a margin as possible, taking few chances and dropping the scoring rate as they gradually approached the modest target of 159. They eventually finished comfortably, with all their wickets intact, hitting the winning runs with 22.5 overs to spare.By playing almost their strongest side available – Mark Ramprakash and Graham Thorpe are still unfit – in this third round Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy match against the Surrey Cricket Board XI, consisting of players from clubs around the county, Surrey showed just how seriously they were taking this match at Guildford.The only change in their side today from the one that belted a record-breaking total of 361 two days ago against Nottinghamshire was Jonathan Batty, behind the stumps, with Alec Stewart resting.For Surrey’s left-handed pair of opening batsmen, Mark Butcher and Ian Ward, it was a second successive century partnership in three days. They batted entirely unperturbed against the Board’s bowling and scored at ease from the start when Butcher made his intentions known with two boundaries in the first over. They continued taking eight an over until the fifty came up.The game was hardly a contest. The bowling obligingly provided practice for the Surrey openers. Ward was the first to his half-century, from 55 balls, and five overs later Butcher reached his, off 68. Their innings progressed without a blemish as they averaged six runs an over.Finally, Ward took a boundary at wide mid-wicket to take his score to 70 off 81 balls and the total to 156. Butcher then drove the next ball, the first of the new over, to mid-off for the winning boundary. It took the total to 160 and him to 73 from 85 balls. He had hit 12 boundaries, as had Ward.Earlier, the amateurs of the Board X1, having been put in to bat on a cloudy morning, which did brighten later, began well with the left and right-handed combination of Tim Hodgson and John Wileman. Both these batsmen have had some experience of first-class cricket, Wileman with Nottinghamshire and Hodgson with Essex.They started briskly at more than five runs an over which dropped to four by the tenth over but with 46 on the board, Wileman, 15, edged to second slip off Martin Bicknell. That brought about a top-order collapse which saw four wickets go down for seven within four overs.Hodgson was run out for 25 and then, man-of-the-match Ed Giddens, claimed the next two in his fifth over. The fifth-wicket stand brought a recovery with 45 when once again the Board lost quick wickets.The left-handed Scott Newman, who had played confidently for the second highest score of 27, struck four boundaries before being fifth out, leg before wicket to Adam Hollioake. With the seventh wicket falling on 124, the home side had lost three in the space of 27 runs.Chris Bullen, formerly with Surrey as an off spinner, showed his capabilities with the bat as his top score of 36, from only 38 balls, greatly helped the Board to reach 158 before being dismissed with 4.5 overs remaining. He had hit the only six of the innings – off Saqlain Mushtaq over mid-wicket – before the wily off-spinner trapped him leg before with the next ball.

Leeds United fans have been handed an update on their pursuit of Rangers star Ryan Kent ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window…

What’s the story?

Last year, Leeds had a number of offered rejected by the Ibrox outfit, but it appears their interest in the winger has not ended, with journalist Pete O’Rourke claiming that he has some big admirers behind-the-scenes at Thorp Arch.

He said: “I think Marcelo Bielsa was a big fan of him, as is Victor Orta, so that one does seem to have some credence to it.”

Imagine him and Raphinha

After enjoying a superb season last year – he scored 13 goals and set up another 15 – Kent has continued his good form into the new campaign, managing an impressive 16 assists in just 36 games across all competitions.

The £20k-a-week earning ace was hailed by team-mate Conor Goldson as “magnificent”, while the defender also added: “He has got a lot of ability. (He is) 24-years-old, two-footed. It is not nice when he runs at you, I can tell you that personally from training. He has got everything.”

The praise does not stop there however, with Neil Dewsnip, his former coach at England U17 level, saying: “He seems to relish the atmosphere, so I think he’s in the bracket of players who think ‘the bigger, the better’. Ryan is very exciting so, when he’s good he’s devastatingly good.

“But that’s a trait of a lot of wide players. The challenge is to be consistent and I’m sure that’s what Steven and his staff will be working to achieve.”

The interest in Kent is certainly understandable especially when you consider the uncertainty surrounding the future of Raphinha.

The big talking point this summer will of course be whether the Brazilian stays put at Elland Road, and while Premier League survival would certainly help the Whites’ chances of keeping hold of him, news of Barcelona’s interest is sure to have the club sweating.

Letting Raphinha go in the transfer window would be a massive blow for Leeds given his performances for them – even this season he has managed nine goals in 28 Premier League games, and done his level-best to preserve the Whites’ top-flight status.

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But while the Brazilian’s exit would hurt, bringing in Kent would provide that same level of excitement and end product that Raphinha has brought to the table.

The man with 34 senior goals to his name could be the arrival that offsets any potential Raphinha departure this summer.

AND in other news – Leeds must finally offload £15k-p/w outcast who last played at Elland Road in 2018

Kavesh Kantasingh and Ryan Austin wrested the advantage away from the Windward Islands by cutting a swathe through their top order, before Kantasingh and Carlos Brathwaite completed the job to knock Windward over for 173, and hand Combined Colleges & Campuses an unlikely 83-run first-innings lead at the Three Ws Oval in Bridgetown. CCC extended that lead to 168 for the loss of three wickets, with Romel Currency once again at the forefront with an unbeaten 32 following his 95 in the first innings.The left-arm spin of Kantasingh and the offspin of Austin were introduced early on a pitch that had rewarded the Windward spinners when they bowled, and the move paid off immediately with Kantasingh trapping West Indies opener Devon Smith plumb in front for 6. Austin got into the act shortly after, picking up two quick wickets, and when Kantasingh added two more, Windward were tottering at 54 for 5. Kantasingh’s third wicket was his 100th in first-class cricket, and came when he had Andre Fletcher (31) snapped up at silly point by Shacoya Thomas. A 68-run partnership between the two James, Kevin and Lyndon, added some respectability to the innings, but Brathwaite bowled both men, and Kantasingh snapped up the last two wickets to finish with 5 for 38. Austin picked up 2 for 53, while Brathwaite had figures of 3 for 24.Brendan Nash powered to his maiden first-class double century and Wavell Hinds added an unbeaten hundred of his own as Jamaica amassed 574 for 7 against Trinidad & Tobago at Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground in St. Augustine. Nash had already been involved in two century stands when Hinds joined him after Tamar Lambert fell for 41, and the pair made sure there was no respite for the T&T bowlers, adding a further 166 for the fifth wicket. Nash was eventually dismissed by West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard, who had him caught behind for a career best 207 from 349 balls, an innings that included 20 fours and two sixes.Hinds continued the momentum after Nash’s dismissal, getting to his second hundred of the season and ensuring that Jamaica are in pole position to reach the final. Nash and Hinds are now the second and third-highest run scorers in the tournament, with team-mate Marlon Samuels leading the way.

Lancashire have awarded Mal Loye a benefit for his fifth season at the club. He joined the club in 2003 following 12 years with his home county Northamptonshire.He has scored more than 13,000 first-class runs at 41, and has played for England, as well as the Under-19s and the A side.Jack Simmons, the Lancashire chairman, said: “I know one or two people will question that he hasn’t played for Lancashire for a number of years, but what Mal has given to county cricket both with Northants and us, we always regard that as ‘giving something to the game’.”What he has done for the club to date has been superb. He has endeared himself to everyone associated with Lancashire, and there isn’t a nicer player in the sport.”Loye said: “Not only do I feel proud and privileged to play for Lancashire, but to be awarded a benefit by such as prestigious club is a great honour, and I would like to thank them for their support.”

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

AB de Villers was the only South African batsman to offer any resistance © AFP

Dilhara Fernando and Muttiah Muralitharan scalped four wickets each as Sri Lanka shot out South Africa for a meagre 169 and then drove home the advantage, reaching 128 for 2 when bad light brought the first day to an early close at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. There was little joy for South Africa – only a bustling 65 from AB de Villiers – as Sri Lanka were right on top.South Africa did all they could to claw their way back into the game, after lasting just 50.2 overs in their innings. Dale Steyn hurried the batsmen, and prised out two early wickets, sending back Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga.Jayasuriya was the first to go, nailed in front of the stumps by a fullish delivery. On 14 Tharanga joined him in the dressing-room, when he tried to work a leg-side delivery away and ended up gloving the ball to the keeper. Just for a brief moment South Africa entertained hopes of staying in the game, but Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene ensured that their joy was short lived.One probing over where Sangakkara was first dropped and then bowled off a no-ball gave Sri Lanka the jolt they needed. Sangakkara and Jayawardene then buckled down and batted beautifully, each motoring to half-centuries as the partnership for the third wicket burgeoned to an unbeaten 114. Sri Lanka were just 41 behind in the first innings when play was called off early, with 13 overs lost in the day. Sangakkara and Jayawardene had done well, but it was the Sri Lankan bowlers who did the damage in the first half of the day.With a longish batting line-up at his disposal Ashwell Prince chose to bat first on a good-looking pitch but it all began to go wrong shortly after the opening spell from Lasith Malinga and Farveez Maharoof. Fernando, coming on to bowl first change, struck two crucial blows, sending back both openers before 50 runs were on the board.Andrew Hall, the makeshift opener, looked to come forward to a fullish delivery from Fernando, and the ball nipped in just enough off the pitch to take the inside edge and ricochet onto the stumps. Hall had contributed 17 in the 32-run first wicket partnership.Gibbs, not quite his usual aggressive self, misread the length of a Fernando delivery and drove with a sizeable gap between bat and pad and that allowed the ball to sneak through and disturb the stumps. South Africa were 45 for 2 and just for a moment Prince would have wondered if he did the right thing in choosing to bat.

Mahela Jayawardene put his side in a strong position at the end of the day © AFP

Hashim Amla played a couple of pleasing cover-drives, and in the company of Jacques Rudolph, looked to consolidate after a shaky start. But where Fernando left off Maharoof took over. Rudolph played an airy drive immediately after lunch and feathered an edge to Prasanna Jayawardene behind the stumps.Prince then provided an action replay for those who might have lingered at the lunch and missed the Rudolph dismissal. He chased a ball that was angling away from him and could only manage an edge, having scored one run.Muralitharan, who had tied the South African batsmen up in knots and did not concede a run in his first four overs, then came to the party, as Amla came down the pitch and was beaten all ends up. Jayawardene fumbled the ball slightly but still had enough time to whip the bails off. Mark Boucher attempted a sweep and only top-edged to Jayasuriya at short fine leg. Nicky Boje, who can bat a bit, failed to pick a doosra and was adjudged lbw although the ball struck the pad quite high up. At 128 for 6 South Africa were heading for a disastrously low total.de Villiers was the one batsman to resist, and his method was efficient. He played without hesitation, committing himself to the front or back foot. He also ensured that he played late, batting with supple hands to place the ball into gaps. But there was no-one to keep him company.Fernando came back for a second telling spell, with the ball reversing just a touch, and trapped Andre Nel in front of the stumps with a full delivery. Off the very next ball Steyn shouldered arms and lost his off stump.de Villiers managed 65 before an attempted heave off Murali ended in the hands of Chamara Kapugedera in the deep. At the stroke of tea South Africa folded, for just 169, in two balls more than 50 overs, and left Sri Lanka in total control. Luckily for Sri Lanka, their batsmen did not make the same mistakes as the South Africans.How they were outSri LankaAndrew Hall b Fernando 17 (32 for 1)
Herschelle Gibbs b Fernando 19 (45 for 2)
Jacques Rudolph c Jayawardene b Maharoof 29 (78 for 3)
Ashwell Prince c Jayawardene b Maharoof 1 (80 for 4)
Hashim Amla st Jayawardene b Muralitharan 19 (112 for 5)
Mark Boucher c Jayasuriya b Muralitharan 4 (128 for 6)
Nicky Boje lbw b Muralitharan 5 (148 for 7)
Andre Nel lbw b Fernando 0 (151 for 8)
Dale Steyn b Fernando 0 (151 for 9)
AB de Villiers c Kapugedera b Muralitharan 65 (169 for 10)
Sri LankaSanath Jayasuriya lbw b Steyn 4 (6 for 1)
Upul Tharanga c Boucher b Steyn 7 (14 for 2)

Three new caps have been named in the New Zealand women’s team for their Test and one-day international tour of India next month. Maria Fahey, Natalee Scripps and Katey Martin are the new players.Mike Shrimpton, the coach of the White Ferns as the world champion New Zealand women’s team are known, said he was pleased that places were found in the team for the newcomers. “Scripps was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s State League [New Zealand women’s domestic competition]. She is an experienced bowler and a constant performer in domestic cricket who is deserving of an opportunity at the highest level.”Fahey was a member of last year’s NZC Academy and is a stylish left-hand top-order batsman who has worked hard on her game in recent months and is a very exciting player. Martin is a member of this year’s Academy. She is a promising wicketkeeper who excelled at age-group level. The tour will provide Martin with the opportunity of developing her allround skills as she is also a talented batsman.”Anna Corbin returns to the team after she was forced to miss the World Series of Women’s Cricket held in Christchurch last year due to a broken thumb. “Those missing selection will have an opportunity to be selected in theNZ A team to play warm-up matches against the White Ferns and Australiabefore next year’s Rosebowl Series and a four-match series against AustraliaYouth at Lincoln University in early February,” Shrimpton said.The White Ferns will have four days preparation at the Cadence Academyin Puna on their arrival in India. The last time they played in India was in the 1997 Women’sWorld Cup, however, the last time the team played a series in India wasin 1985. The team drew the three-match Test series and the three-matchODI series.”The players are excited about the opportunity to play a Test match. Itwill be the first Test Match played by a White Ferns team since the 1996tour of England,” said Shrimpton.New Zealand’s itinerary is:November:Sunday 23 – Monday 24 v Warm-up Match at MumbaiThursday 27 – Sunday 30 v India Test Match at Hindustan Inks Ground,VapiDecember:Tuesday 2 v Warm-up Match at MumbaiThursday 4 v India 1st ODI at Cricket Club of India Ground,MumbaiSunday 7 v India 2nd ODI at Aurangabad CricketAssociation Ground, AurangabadWednesday 10 v India 3rd ODI at Chinnaswamy Stadium,BangaloreSaturday 13 v India 4th ODI at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium,HyderabadTuesday 16 v India 5th ODI at Chidambaram Stadium, ChennaiThe team is:Maia Lewis (captain – Wellington), Haidee Tiffen (vice-captain – Canterbury), Nicola Browne (Northern Districts), Anna Corbin (Wellington), Maria Fahey (Canterbury), Amanda Green (Wellington), Michelle Lynch (Auckland), Sara McGlashan (Central Districts), Katey Martin (Otago), Aimee Mason (Central Districts), Louise Milliken (Northern Districts), Kate Pulford (Central Districts), Natalee Scripps (Auckland), Rebecca Steele (Canterbury).

Until the end of the Indian tour of Pakistan, we will be running a daily Paper Round of what newspapers in India and Pakistan, and from around the world, are saying about this series. This is what the media had to say today:So what will Andy Atkinson serve up for the India-Pakistan series? Atkinson is the curator hired by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to get its pitches in shape for the series against India, and he was as enthusiastic about the next month-and-a-half as the players are. “An Englishman developing pitches for a high-profile series like an India-Pakistan series is a great honour, although there will be pressure,” he said, speaking to The News. “But I promise the pitches will help create the excitement the fans seek from this series. All the pitches will be sporting, with equal chances for batsmen and bowlers. Pitches in Pakistan have been relaid in the last two-three years and they have improved a lot in that period.”Atkinson, an advisor on pitches for the ICC, worked in South Africa between 1993 and 2001. He denied that there were any specific instructions on the pitches from the Pakistan board or captain.* * *Bishan Bedi, speaking to Press Trust of India, has some advice for the Indians on how to deal with partisan crowds in Pakistan. “Stuff cotton in your ears and play the game,” he said. Bedi pronounced India capable of beating Pakistan, because “we have three batsmen who [can] show stars in the day to Pakistani bowlers. They are Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and, finally, Sachin Tendulkar.” Bedi wasn’t too impressed with Ganguly, though. “Short-pitches balls continue to trouble him as [they did] about three years ago,” he said. “It is a problem of mindset, which he would have to address himself.”* * *Virender Sehwag is not worried about reverse-swing. Sehwag, displaying his form with 109 off 69 balls in a practice game at India’s conditioning camp in Kolkata, told The Asian Age that he wasn’t worried about what Shoaib Akhtar or Mohammad Sami could get up to with the old ball.”So much talk is going on about how reverse-swing will play a role in Pakistan,” Sehwag said. “In the one-dayers there is virtually no scope of exploiting this art. In Test matches, maybe it can be a factor, provided conditions favour reverse-swing.”Sehwag also said that, in the absence of Harbhajan Singh, he would look to do more bowling in both forms of the game. Sehwag bowls offspin, and was looked upon as a batting allrounder when he made his international debut for India.* * *Zaheer Khan is aware that the burden of being India’s spearhead rests on him after the retirement of Javagal Srinath. Speaking to the news agency, AFP, he said, “I don’t want to say that I am leading the attack but there is definitely additional responsibility on me and I will try to carry out my job as best as I can. There is extra pressure on me only because of my injury as I have missed a lot of cricket this year. But I am quite fit now and hope to do well in Pakistan.”Zaheer said the time he has spent with Dennis Lillee and Kapil Dev has helped him develop as a bowler. He told The Asian Age, “Lillee gave me some invaluable tips about run-up and other technical aspects of bowling at the MRF Pace Foundation recently. Kapil Dev also advised me about stretching and mental aspects.”Like Sehwag, Zaheer was dismissive of reverse-swing. “There’s nothing hidden about reverse-swing any more,” he told The Times of India. “It depends on the ground and the conditions. I think we’ll have to swing the ball first [and then worry about reverse-swing].”* * *Rameez Raja, the chief executive of the PCB, has written a column for Gameplan, the syndication agency, where he has spoken effusively about the Indian batting line-up. “This is not a robotic line-up where every player is a replica of the other,” he has written. “Tendulkar’s genius and Sehwag’s impetuosity is tempered by the solidity of Rahul Dravid and [Mohammad] Kaif. In between, you have the flair of VVS Laxman, the time of the captain [Ganguly; presumably he meant `timing’ and not `time’] and the flamboyance of Yuvraj Singh. It’s a batting line-up worth coming miles to watch … It’s this combination and variety that Pakistan’s batting lacks at the moment.”* * *Even artists use technology. VVS Laxman has told PTI that “I have prepared myself to face the Pakistan bowling with confidence. I have watched video recordings of Pakistani bowlers in action in New Zealand and South Africa.” Laxman also said that his good form during India’s tour to Australia had filled him with confidence. “I have gained a lot of confidence through my performance,” he said. “I will continue my form in Pakistan. Australia was a world-class team and we played well against them, but Pakistan is another team.”* * *The News reports that tickets for the first one-day international between India and Pakistan, at Karachi on March 13, have “sold like hot cakes”. Unlike Sunday, when there had been angry clashes between authorities and disgruntled ticket-seekers, the sale proceeded smoothly on Monday. Zakir Khan, the general manager in charge of cricket operations for the PCB, said, “We would have liked to have more seating capacity for the people who are so eager to watch this match. But the fact is that the stadium capacity is [a] maximum [of] 32,950, and 20% of these were sold out on the internet. We also had our obligations towards our sponsors and companies, which left around 23,000 tickets for sale to the public.”

Allied Bank Limited (ABL) are the only side in the 24-team Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship to maintain a clean sheet after two rounds of matches.The bankers will begin their quest for a third straight victory on Thursday when they take on defending champions Karachi Whites here at the National Stadium.Karachi Whites, no doubt depleted by loss of key players to departments, are already feeling the going extremely tough. They have so far collected just three points against Bahawalpur in the first round.The Karachiites now have the huge challenge of stopping ABL in their tracks as former Test off-spinner Arshad Khan is in the midst of a great spell. He claimed a haul of 15 wickets against Bahawalpur at the end of last year.National Bank, meanwhile, must make up for that uncomfortable two-wicket win over Faisalabad with a convincing performance when they meet Group-I leaders Wapda in Muridke in the pick of third round fixtures.Third round schedule (Jan 2-5):Group-I: National Bank v Wapda at Lahore Country Club, Muridke (Umpires: Aleem Dar and Rasheed Bhatti. Match referee: Abdul Sami); Lahore Blues v Servis Industries at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore (Umpires: Riazuddin and M. Akbar Khan. Match referee: Azhar Khan); Faisalabad v Sargodha at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad (Umpires: Islam Khan and Waqar A. Mughal. Match referee: Mahmood Rasheed).Group-II: Karachi Whites v Allied Bank at National Stadium, Karachi (Umpires: Iftikhar Malik and Zamir Haider. Match referee: Sadiq Mohammad); Bahawalpur v Dadu at Bahawalpur Stadium, Bahawalpur. Umpires: Masroor Ali and M.H. Dars. Match referee: Farooq Shera); Multan v Pak PWD at Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan (Umpires: Siddique Khan and Javed Iqbal. Match referee: Taslim Arif).Group-III: Lahore Whites v Habib Bank at LCCA Ground, Lahore (Umpires: Salim Badar and Ehtesham-ul-Haq. Match referee: Mohammad Anees); Gujranwala v Pakistan Customs at Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala (Umpires: Ijaz Ahmed and Tasaddeq Jamal. Match referee: Sultan Rana); Sheikhupura v Sialkot at Sheikhupura Stadium, Sheikhupura (Umpires: Junaid Ghafoor and Tariq Cheema. Match referee: Naeem Ahmed).Group-IV: ZTBL v PIA at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi (Umpires: Sajjad Asghar and Nadeem Ghauri. Match referee: Ehteshamuddin); KRL v Karachi Blues at KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi (Umpires: Zafar Iqbal Pasha and Kaukab Butt. Match referee: Saadat Ali); Peshawar v Rawalpindi at Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar (Umpires: Afzaal Ahmed and Mohammad Nazir Junior. Match referee: Ishtiaq Ahmed).Points Table(Tabulated under played, won, lost, drawn, points):Group-IWapda 2 1 0 1 15Sargodha 2 1 0 1 15National Bank 2 1 0 1 12Faisalabad 2 0 1 1 3Lahore Blues 2 0 0 2 0Servis Industries 2 0 2 0 0Group-IIAllied Bank 2 2 0 0 24Pak PWD 2 1 0 1 15Multan 2 1 1 0 12Karachi Whites 2 0 0 2 3Dadu 2 0 2 0 0Bahawalpur 2 0 1 1 -1Group-IIIPakistan Customs 2 1 0 1 15Lahore Whites 2 1 0 1 12Habib Bank 2 1 0 1 9Sheikhupura 2 0 1 1 3Gujranwala 2 0 1 1 3Sialkot 2 0 1 1 0Group-IVRawalpindi 2 1 0 1 12PIA 2 1 0 1 12KRL 2 0 0 2 6ZTBL 2 0 0 2 3Peshawar 2 0 1 1 3Karachi Blues 2 0 1 1 0Note: Bahawalpur were docked one point for non-submission of captain’s report on umpires.

The New South Wales and Australian quick bowler Brett Lee will warm up for this summer’s Ashes battle by playing in a Second XI Championship match for Nottinghamshire.After talks between John Buchanan, the Australian Coach, and Clive Rice, Notts Director of Cricket, it was agreed that Lee would play for the county’s second string in a match against Hants Second XI, to be played at Finchampstead between 19-21 June.Rice said: “It is not only an arrangement which will help Brett’s match fitness but also an opportunity for some of our younger bowlers to play alongside, and learn from, one of the great fast bowlers in the world today.”Lee will then re-join the rest of the Australia tour party ahead of this summer’s Test Series, which begins at Edgbaston on 5 July.