England 137 for 3 (Vaughan 37*, Flintoff 70*) beat Bangladesh 134 for 9 (Rajin Saleh 32, Johnson 3-22) by 7 wickets
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England wrapped up an ultimately simple victory at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka, winning by seven wickets with 22.3 overs to spare after restricting Bangladesh to an inadequate 134 for 9. England thus took the short series 2-0. It could have been much worse: Bangladesh initially slumped to 7 for 4, and later on were 80 for 8 before the tailenders gave themselves something to bowl at. England lost three quick wickets as the ball zipped around under the floodlights, but then Andrew Flintoff came in and stopped the rot again.Entering after Paul Collingwood missed a big pull at Tapash Baisya and was bowled (37 for 3), Flintoff flicked his first ball behind square for four, eased his fourth through the covers for another, and smashed his seventh ball, off Mushfiqur Rahman, over long-on for six. He never looked back, depositing Rafique for two more sixes with effortless flicks that cleared the ropes at midwicket and wide long-on. The second one brought up his half-century, from only 37 balls, and he finished with 70 not out from 47 balls, with nine fours as well as those four sixes. For the second match running there was little argument over the destiny of the Man of the Match award, even if this time Flintoff was too unwell to collect it personally.Flintoff and Michael Vaughan, who dropped anchor at the other end after those early alarms, put on a round 100 for the fourth wicket. Vaughan survived a couple of close lbw shouts early on, but then played sensibly to shepherd his side home, and finished with a circumspect 37 from 69 balls.In many ways the match was a carbon copy of the first one, at Chittagong three days previously. Bangladesh’s top order struggled, but the tail gave the total some respectability: England lost three quick wickets, then Flintoff and a quieter partner finished things off quickly. There was one letoff for Flintoff this time, though. In the 20th over, he skyed Rahman to mid-off, where Moniruzzaman dropped a simple catch to complete a miserable debut – earlier he had departed for a duck after being called up as a surprise replacement for Bangladesh’s senior batsman, Habibul Bashar.

England’s openers went cheaply again. In the third over, Vikram Solanki still hadn’t scored when Tapash brought one back and thumped him on the pads. Aleem Dar, the umpire, reprieved Solanki that time – but not next ball, when another inducker hit a little lower (5 for 1). Marcus Trescothick slapped Mushfiqur Rahman for one imperious four over the covers, but next ball he tried another aggressive force and only under-edged it into his stumps (19 for 2). But once Flintoff joined Vaughan, the fun was over for Bangladesh.Bangladesh’s batting, meanwhile, continues to disappoint hugely. England adopted a simple policy – bowl fast, short, and wide of off stump, and the early batsmen followed the ball like lemmings, giving catches as if at pre-match practice. There is an argument that the only way Bangladesh will improve is by exposure to top-flight cricket, but that one is beginning to wear thin. Their shot-selection today gave no indication that they had learnt anything at all in recent months.The game was as good as over before many of the large and vociferous crowd had taken their seats, as Bangladesh slumped to 7 for 4 inside nine overs. James Anderson and Richard Johnson feasted like foxes let loose in a chicken coop. With the first ball of Anderson’s second over Hannan Sarkar aimed an expansive slashed drive, and Collingwood in the covers took a good head-high catch (3 for 1). With the first ball of his third, Anderson bowled short of a length, outside off, Moniruzzaman offered a nondescript jab, and Chris Read held a straightforward catch (3 for 2).Johnson then got in on the act, thanks to yet another poor shot. The ball was again short and wide, Nafis Iqbal tried to hit the cover off it, and a delighted Read held the thin edge. Iqbal had made 4 – all the runs Bangladesh had scored off the bat at the time – and then Alok Kapali’s feeble waft gave Read his third catch (7 for 4). The crowd, a sea of flagwaving support at the start, began to make their displeasure known.Rahman and Rajin Saleh then steadied the ship with a fifth-wicket stand of 57, made from 20 overs, but it was pedestrian stuff. Khaled Mahmud, Bangladesh’s hapless captain (who had won the toss and batted, as he did at Chittagong), cut a lonely figure. He batted like a man without a clue, and was twice leg-before to Ashley Giles. The umpire let him off the first time – not that leaving him in the middle was an act of mercy – but he had to go shortly afterwards. Mahmud sloped off, with the derision of the spectators ringing in his ears (69 for 6).A spot of swatting from Rafique, who slapped four fours in his 27 not out, helped Bangladesh put on 54 for their last two wickets – but it was never going to be remotely enough.Steven Lynch is editor of Wisden Cricinfo.

Close
ScorecardNew Zealand made a poor start to their one-off Test against India, ending the first day on 143 for 7. Asked to bat on a pitch that offered little suggestion of how it would play, they lost two key wickets to disappointing decisions, but were propped up by Katey Martin (46) and Haidee Tiffin (38 not out).Kate Pulford was given out caught behind in the first over of the match, even though her bat was well away from the ball (2 for 1). Then Maria Fahey, the other opener, was given out caught bat-pad when the ball went off her toe (21 for 2). The road to recovery was a slow grind and the scoring rate barely reached two runs per over throughout the 94 overs bowled.Martin, who was one of six New Zealand women making their Test debuts, settled in for the long haul. Maia Lewis, New Zealand’s captain, started aggressively but was caught off the bottom edge for only 9 (31 for 3).Martin was joined by Tiffen, and they grafted their way to 81 before Martin, in sight of a half-century on debut, played back to Neetu David, the left-arm spinner, and was caught behind. Her 46 came off 139 balls in 176 minutes of batting.The message was to build partnerships, but at every stage that one seemed to be developing, a wicket was lost. Tiffen produced a monumental display of control, given her natural attacking tendency, and by stumps she had batted for 264 minutes.The pick of the Indian bowlers was Nooshin Al Khadeer who took 3 for 36 from 27 overs. David took 2 for 37 from 29 overs.

Keith Medlycott, who managed Surrey to three County Championship titles and four other major trophies, has decided to leave the club after six years in charge.Medlycott said: “It has been a privilege to have managed the side since 1998 through a period of unrivalled success. To have been part of this era gives me enormous pleasure and pride. I now feel that following Adam [Hollioake]’s decision to stand down as captain that the time is right for me to leave to pursue other opportunities and fresh challenges. Adam and myself formed a fantastic winning partnership, and it’s now time for me to look forward to the future. I believe I have taken Surrey as far as I can, and that under a new manager and a new captain in Jonathan Batty, the Club can continue to be successful.”Medlycott, who’s now 38, played for Surrey between 1984 and 1992: he toured West Indies with England in 1989-90, without playing in a Test. He rejoined Surrey in 1997 as assistant cricket manager to Dave Gilbert, and took overall charge of the team the following year.Under Medlycott, Surrey won the County Championship in 1999 – their first title since 1971 – and repeated that success in 2000 and 2002. They won the Benson & Hedges Cup in 2001 (and 1997, when Medlycott was still Gilbert’s assistant), the second division of the National League in 2000 and the first division in 2003. They also won the inaugural Twenty20 Cup in 2003.But cracks began to appear in the strong Surrey side towards the end of 2003. First they squandered a commanding lead in the Championship, allowing Sussex to sneak past for their first title. Then several pillars of the squad decided to leave or were released: Alec Stewart retired, Ian Ward signed for Sussex, and there were whispers that Alistair Brown and Rikki Clarke were disenchanted. Then Adam Hollioake announced that the 2004 season would be his last, and stepped down from the captaincy: in a surprise move, he was replaced by Jonathan Batty. It will be a very different Oval in 2004 …

Just like his batting, Akash Chopra has a confidence that is not demonstrative. His batting is a mixture of careful consideration, precise and unfussy footwork, and unostentatious execution. While his more illustrious colleagues have hogged the headlines so far this series, Chopra, in only his first tour abroad, has worked tirelessly, and succeeded, in the job assigned to him. Defying the new ball, laying the bricks and paving the way. He has been India’s quiet hero of the series so far.”I have been given a job,” Chopra says, “to play off the new ball and to occupy the crease.” He has complied in outstanding manner. In no first innings so far has Rahul Dravid, who was a virtual opener on India’s last tour to Australia, been dragged out of the dressing room before the tenth over, and thrice Chopra has blunted the Australians for more than three hours. He has been the anchor to Virender Sehwag’s buccaneering strokeplay. Together, they have driven the Australians to distraction.”They complement each other very well,” concedes John Buchanan. “Chopra is somewhat limited in his strokeplay, but he has played well within himself. Sehwag is limitless in his strokeplay and presents a different kind of challenge. We know exactly how to bowl to the two of them, and we have stuck to our plans. But they have come up with some good performances in crucial times.”Though Chopra and Sehwag have been team-mates in the Delhi Ranji teams, they have rarely batted together in domestic cricket. While Chopra has forever been an opener, Sehwag has only opened for India. But they have an intrinsic understanding which is evident from the way they trust each other for singles. “Singles are a part of our strategy in the opening overs, when boundaries haven’t been easy to come,” Chopra says. “I know Veeru very well, we are very close friends, so it’s easy to strike an understanding.”Chopra missed a good part of India’s domestic season last year owing to a fractured finger, but managed to secure a place in the Indian side by performing in two trial matches against New Zealand. He prepared for the Australian tour by seeking advice from Sunil Gavaskar, Geoff Boycott and Mohinder Amarnath. “They told me to give the first hour to the bowler because the Kookaburra balls move more than the balls used in India. I have tried to do that.”If there’s one worry about Chopra’s batting, it’s been his inability to build on his start and play an innings of substance. He was out to a brute of a delivery today, but his dismissal has often been caused by a lapse of concentration. Chopra isn’t unduly worried, though. “This is a new level of cricket for me,” he says, “the standard is much higher than what I have been used to. But I have coped quite well I think. I am sure that a big innings will come anytime now.””If I can stay there for three hours, I am good enough to stay in for three more.”

The Pakistan side returned to Karachi from their New Zealand tour yesterday, but all the questions from the media were about the forthcoming series against India.”I have never seen the Indian team playing with such strength or confidence … our strength is that we have never been so united and played with so much spirit as we are doing at the moment,” Javed Miandad, Pakistan’s coach, admitted. “We are going to face a very tough series against them. It’s going to be an emotionally charged series because of the little cricket we have had against each other in the recent years.”Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, was a little more upbeat, while acknowledging that it would be tough. “We are ready for the series. Our young team played well in New Zealand and with a superior bowling attack we think we can stop the Indian batting which has been performing very well in Australia.”We will rely on our pacers and with Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami we have two match winners,” he continued, while dismissing reports that he had fallen out with Shoaib in New Zealand. “We lost the one-day series and that allowed baseless rumours to float and once we start winning, all this will die down.”Some local newspapers have been calling for changes to the side following the heavy defeat in the one-day series, but Inzamam said that the same side was more than capable of beating India. “It needs no changes,” he insisted. “It has been shaping up well since we won a Test series against South Africa last year.”

Brett Lee may be losing his race to be fit in time for the opening Testagainst Sri Lanka, which starts on Monday. Lee, who injured his left ankleduring Australia’s practice match against a Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, satout training on Saturday and Sunday.Lee’s ankle, the same one from which bone spurs were removed last year, sufferedsoreness and swelling during the warm-up game. Hospital x-rays revealed nostructural damage, but the prospect of a heavy workload on a spinner’s pitchwould make his inclusion a gamble.”Brett is continuing to receive treatment and stayed back at the teamhotel,” Jonathan Rose, the Australian media manager, said. “A decision will be made tomorrow [Monday] on his availability.”The pitch may be loaded in favour of the spinners, but Ricky Ponting insisted that Lee could still be a huge factor. “We are hoping that he will come up fit and we will be giving him until the last minute. We just have to keep a real close eye on him and keep our fingers crossed because he could be very dangerous in these conditions.”On Saturday, John Buchanan, Australia’s coach, said that Lee was still in contention, saying that he would be given every possible chance to regain his fitnessbefore the final XI was chosen by the selectors. “There is obviously concern there, but that is the reason why he is not out here today,” said Buchanan. “In a bowling sense he does not actually need to bowl so we are trying to give him an opportunity to get right for Monday.””We will make our final decision tomorrow and that will be as much based onhim and his feelings as Alex’s [Kontouri], the physio, as well as thecaptain and selectors.”Buchanan said that Lee’s availability could influence the final decision onthe balance of the attack. He kept his cards close to his chest atthe team’s practice though, saying that there would be either three fast bowlersand one spinner or two pacemen and two spinners.”If he is deemed fit enough to play then that might swing us either way,”said Buchanan. “We need to take that it account and I think it is fair tosay that there are a few schools of thought.”Buchanan expected the ball to turn square on a dry, grassless Galle pitch:”There is no doubt that the wicket is what we expected. There is no grass onit and it will certainly turn, virtually from ball one. Given that there isno grass on it, there is a question as to how long it will actually last.”One would expect it to offer quite a lot to spin bowlers. Having said that, itcould give something to the quick bowlers as well, with reverse swing andpossibly a variation in height and pace.”

England XI 347 and 13 for 2 beat Carib Beer XI 129 and 229 (Joseph 50, Batty 5-53) by 8 wickets
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Sudden collapses have been a feature of England tours of the West Indies in recent times. For once, though, on this trip the dramatic demolitions have been happening to the opposition. And true to form, today the Carib Beer XI – effectively a West Indies 2nd XI – did a passable impersonation of the senior side and subsided from 163 for 3 to 195 for 9, and only some last-wicket resistance prevented an innings defeat. England still wrapped up another satisfying victory shortly after tea.The unlikely destroyer was Gareth Batty, the Worcestershire offspinner, who was playing his first match of the tour. Enjoying the chance to get into the selectors’ ribs ahead of the third Test, with Ashley Giles having failed to set the world alight in the first two, Batty inspired the collapse with four quick wickets, and finished with 5 for 53.After Tonito Willett fell to Giles shortly before lunch, top-edging a sweep to the substitute Steve Harmison at short fine leg for 21 (165 for 4), Batty stole the limelight. After the interval Dwayne Bravo was trapped in front for a handy 35 (175 for 5), Denesh Ramdin drove a catch to Paul Collingwood (179 for 6), Omari Banks was caught by Rikki Clarke (182 for 7), and Dave Mohammed was caught behind by Geraint Jones (193 for 8). Earlier Batty had ended Daren Ganga’s long vigil, persuading him to chip a return catch after he’d made 39 (116 for 3).James Anderson returned to remove Ravi Rampaul (195 for 9), and although Jermaine Lawson had a bit of a slog, it didn’t delay the end for long. Anderson ended the fun – and a last-wicket stand of 34 – by bowling Dwight Washington for 8.England needed only 12 to win, and knocked them off in 2.4 overs, although they did lose two wickets. Collingwood was caught behind off Lawson for a duck, and Batty, promoted to No. 3 after his bowling exploits, was leg-before to Lawson for 5. But Clarke ended the wobble with a couple of meaty blows.The main resistance had come earlier in the day, when Ganga and Sylvester Joseph took their second-wicket stand to 82. Clarke thought he’d made an early breakthrough when he bowled Joseph, but it was a no-ball. England had to wait till Joseph reached 50 before they finally broke through, when Joseph – who clouted ten fours in his 60-ball knock – holed out to Matthew Hoggard in the deep off Giles (91 for 2).Ganga – restored to the Test squad yesterday as cover for the injured Devon Smith – took the opportunity to have a look at the England attack very seriously, adding only ten runs to his overnight score in the first hour. But after their captain became the first of Batty’s five victims, the wheels of the Carib Beer XI’s delivery lorry fell off.

England 300 for 6 (Butcher 61, Hussain 58, Thorpe 81*, Best 3-60) lead West Indies 208 by 92 runs
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The old’uns are always the best, as the hundreds of England fans who spent the afternoon worshipping Sir Mick Jagger would heartily agree. On an attritional and absorbing day of old-fashioned Test cricket, Nasser Hussain, Mark Butcher and Graham Thorpe each contributed an obdurate half-century as England closed on 300 for 6. Their lead is already 92, and on a mischievous surface, that might just prove decisive.It is no coincidence that those three are England’s only veterans of a previous Caribbean tour. For it took every ounce of their collective knowhow to subdue a spirited West Indian attack, which was admirably led, once again, by the irrepressible Tino Best. The day began with Hussain and Butcher clinging on for dear life (Hussain’s contribution to the first hour’s play was a mighty two runs), but by the close the boot had been emphatically transferred to the other foot, as Thorpe played on through the fading light to flog his way towards a 13th Test century, shrugging off an accidental beamer from Best, that hit him on the arm, along the way.The first two sessions were gritty, but seldom pretty, as Butcher and Hussain laid England’s foundations with a 120-run partnership that came at barely two runs per over. It was a carbon copy of their decisive stand in the Jamaica Test. Neither man could ever claim to be comfortable at the crease, and both could be seen cursing themselves for every false shot that they produced. But they batted all the way through the morning session as West Indies began to run out of ideas.Corey Collymore kept things tight with a Fraserish line and length, and Adam Sanford was much improved on his wayward efforts on the second day. Best, however, was the only reliable attacking option at Brian Lara’s disposal, and sure enough he eventually made the breakthrough – albeit in controversial circumstances – as Billy Bowden adjudged Butcher caught behind for 61. The replays, however, suggested that his bat had clipped the turf, but not the ball (128 for 3).The usually mild-mannered Butcher was not impressed, and chuntered his way back to the pavilion – and probably all the way into the match referee’s diary. But Best had earned his wicket. He had already clipped Hussain on the elbow with a brutal bouncer, and had suckered Butcher into such a rash shot by tucking him up with a tight line into the body.Thorpe’s arrival spurred on Best even further – he had beaten him for pace in Jamaica to claim a notable first Test scalp, and almost pulled off the same trick again as Thorpe skidded an attempted pull over the slips for four. But with Hussain finally beginning to connect with his regular flails through the covers, England consolidated their position as Lara turned to his spinners to hurry along the arrival of the new ball.Best’s first over with the new ball was scattergun to say the least – one delivery barely landed on the cut strip, a second skidded away for four byes and a third was swatted for four by Thorpe. But he got it just right soon enough, as Hussain’s stumps were rattled by a good-length ball that nipped back through the gate and stayed fractionally low. Hussain was gone for 58, precisely the score he had made in Jamaica, and at 186 for 4, West Indies had a timely breakthrough.

But the arrival of Andrew Flintoff signalled a change in tempo. His innings began in bizarre fashion, as Best came haring in to bowl what appeared to be the first delivery, only to reveal at the last minute that he didn’t have the ball in his hand (it was in umpire Bowden’s pocket, unlike the bails, which the umpires had forgotten to bring out to the middle at the start of play). Flintoff, unusually, was about the only person not to see the funny side, although he made his displeasure known in eloquent fashion, with a brace of cracking cover-drives to take him to 10 not out at tea.On the untrustworthy surface, 50 minutes of Flintoff could have put the game beyond West Indies’ reach. But just as he appeared to be hitting his straps, Lara called on Dwayne Smith to take the pace off the ball. As if on cue, Flintoff chipped a tame return catch off the leading edge, and trudged off with 23 from 24 balls (218 for 5).Pedro Collins had been keeping a low profile for much of the day, but he was the next to strike, producing another wonderful one-two – an outswinger followed by a sharp inducker – to trap Chris Read lbw for 3. It was an exact replica of Michael Vaughan’s dismissal on the second day, and at 230 for 6, West Indies were a couple of quick strikes from getting back into contention.But they had reckoned without the admirable batting qualities of Ashley Giles, who used his height to stretch forward to the spinners and prod away the seamers, and kept Thorpe company in his no-nonsense compact manner. They had added 70 invaluable runs for the seventh wicket, and Lara’s frustration was plain to see by the close as he sensed that the series was slipping from his grasp.Andrew Miller is assistant editor of Wisden Cricinfo.

Titans 176 for 2 (Rudolph 71, Hall 59) beat WPBOL 162for 4 (Kallis 50, Johnson 44) by 14 runs
ScorecardJacques Rudolph and Andrew Hall shared a 130-run opening partnership in 16 overs, to set Titans on the way to victory against Western Province Boland. No bowler was spared in the onslaught, as Rudolph top-scored with 71 from 50 balls, including 10 fours to all parts of the ground and a six over midwicket. Meanwhile Hall, back in cricket after undergoing back surgery, scored 59 off 51 deliveries, including six fours and a six. With a licence to hit out in the final overs, Justin Kemp and Gerald Dros then added 31 off 13 deliveries.Neil Johnson and Jacques Kallis kept WPBOL in the game with a 95-run partnership from 69 balls, but when Johnson fell for 44 and Kallis for 50, the game hung in the balance. Jean-Paul Duminy and Henry Davids made a valiant effort but the 23 runs required off the last over proved to be out of their reach.Eastern Cape Cricket 116 for 5 (Boucher 44) beat Eagles114 for 7 (Jacobs 47) by 5 wickets
ScorecardDavey Jacobs and Nicky Boje were the only two Eagles batsmen to offer any resistance, as Eastern Cape Cricket bundled them out for 116 en route to a five-wicket victory. The Eagles were always on the back foot and continually lost wickets as they stuttered to 114 for 7 in their 20 overs. Jacobs scored 47 and Boje 25, but playing on a slow rain-affected pitch, one that had seen a lot of rain in the past week, proved too much for the Eagles.Chasing 114 should have been an easy task, but ECC made heavy weather of it. It took some heavy hitting from Mark Boucher to relieve the pressure, although they only managed to win with three balls to spare.

Glenn McGrath, fresh from the rare indignity of being overlooked as Australia’s opening bowler, says he is prepared to reinvent himself as a wily old first-change operator.One of the most brutally effective fast men in history, McGrath was relegated behind Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz for new-ball duties in Australia’s eight-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in Harare on Saturday. It was the third time in his past six matches that he has come on first-change; before that, he had opened Australia’s bowling in his previous 87 one-day internationals dating back to the 1999 World Cup.Now aged 34, he is willing to embrace a new, subtler role in Australia’s attack. "I think Allan Donald did it through the latter part of his career – came on first change, really tied it up, put the pressure on and took wickets," said McGrath."And it worked very well. Whatever’s best for the team, I’m happy to do."McGrath’s preference, however, is to carry on as normal. "I still like opening with the new ball. I’ll have to improve my form to get back there."His form in Zimbabwe was merely acceptable, neither dispiriting nor particularly encouraging, for someone returning from two lots of ankle surgery. In three matches he took one wicket and went for 3.35 runs an over; Gillespie (seven and 3.21) and Kasprowicz (five and 2.62) finished with substantially more earth-shattering figures against substantially less-than-challenging opponents.On form and available evidence, McGrath would seem likely to bowl first-change in his next scheduled Test outing too – a fate which last befell him in the first innings of a Test way back in April 1995 at Kingston. In his most recent five-day appearances, against Bangladesh a year ago, McGrath looked flat and entirely without zip. He was not a patch on the hitherto unsung Michael Kasprowicz, who bowled with fire, bounce and zest during Australia’s 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka."After such a long break you need overs under the belt," said McGrath. "I bowled 50 on tour, including the practice match, and felt I was just starting to get it back. Another 50 would be handy."Asked what pluses came out of the Zimbabwe tour, Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting replied: "Good question." At a pinch he nominated the performances of Gillespie, Kasprowicz and Michael Clarke, whose unbeaten 105 from 102 balls on Saturday was his maiden one-day hundred.Five members of Australia’s squad will return home at various times throughout today. The rest are bound for the English county scene, where the calibre of opposition should prove more formidable than that which they have encountered over the past drab, morally dubious, utterly forgettable week.