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India Under-19s continued their good form with a seven-wicket win over South Africa, to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.India’s win was set up by their bowlers who restricted South Africa to less than 200 in both innings. Ravindra Jadeja, the left-arm spinner, took seven in the match including 5 for 32 in South Africa’s second innings.Bowling first, India put themselves in an excellent position after dismissing the hosts for a paltry 164. Only Riley Rossouw stood in their way with 83, and just two other batsmen reached double figures. Pradeep Sangwan took 3 for 37, while Harshad Khadiwale, Garikina Prasad and Jadeja bagged a couple each.Khadiwale then led India’s reply, putting on an unbeaten century stand with Abhinav Mukund at the close of the first day’s play. South Africa’s bowlers performed little better on the second, restricting India to a lead of 95. Khadiwale, Mukund and Virat Kohli, the captain, scored fifties for India, but the rest of the batsmen failed to drive home the advantage.South Africa’s top order then wiped clean the deficit, finishing day two on 116 for 1, leading by 21. However, India fought back on the final day to dismiss the hosts for 176, with Jadeja picking up five, leaving them a mere 82 to chase.India’s batsmen needed only 15.4 overs to complete an emphatic seven-wicket win. Tanmay Srivastava was unbeaten on 34, while Roy Adams picked up two wickets in his three overs.The second and final match of the series begins in Chatsworth on January 16.

Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, has calmed speculation that England’s top players could be lured into the financially lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).The IPL – which is officially sanctioned by the ICC, unlike the Indian Cricket League – has attracted some of the biggest names in world cricket. Dimitri Mascarenhas is the only Englishman to have signed up so far, largely due to the IPL clashing with the county season, but Clarke insists no player can be poached without the ECB’s consent.”We have a contract with BCCI,” Clarke told . “In that contract, they’re not allowed to take any English players of any kind to play in IPL if there is no ‘No Objection Certificate’ [NOC].”IPL will not play any player who has not received an NOC.”Clarke would be powerless to prevent the likes of Kevin Pietersen joining the non-sanctioned ICL, although any player who went down that path could be barred from playing Test or county cricket in the future. Two days ago, the ECB rejection the registration of five county players for their association with the ICL.”If they obtain a No Objection Certificate from their home board then we’re going to consider their cases,” Clarke said. “I don’t think we’re telling players they can’t earn a living. We’re saying here are the rules in our country. Our job is to nurture, to protect and to develop cricket in England and Wales. We make those judgements as to how we go about doing that. We do so with clarity, legally. If people from other countries have different views as to how we’re doing that, I’m sorry but they’re not in our country.”We’ll run the game according to our regulations and our rules and we expect them to comply. We have no interest in seeing rogue leagues in other countries develop. We have no interest in seeing rogue leagues in our country develop.”Some of England’s higher profile names, such as Pietersen and Alastair Cook, have poured water on the attraction of the IPL, committing their immediate future to England. Ali Brown, Surrey’s pugnacious batsman, also turned down an offer. However, earlier this month Lalit Modi, the Indian IPL commissioner, said the tournament’s second season could be moved in order to accommodate England players.

With Shane Warne’s Test spot suddenly left vacant, New South Wales leg spinner Stuart MacGill has today produced a perfect demonstration of his suitability as a replacement in the Pura Cup clash with Victoria in Melbourne. On another stop-start day at Punt Road, MacGill sensationally claimed three wickets in the space of ten balls midway through day three to help reduce the Victorians to a score of 6/140 by stumps in reply to the Blues’ 250.Just as this game appeared to be drifting along aimlessly in mid-afternoon, the fiery spinner re-ignited proceedings with a series of spectacular dismissals. At a scoreline of 2/57 in the thirtieth over, stodgy opener Jason Arnberger and number four Bradley Hodge appeared to be laying the foundations for the Bushrangers to claim first innings points. But, in the space of ten minutes, MacGill (3/34) changed all that completely, masterminding a dramatic collapse that saw the home team lose four wickets for five runs and crash to 6/62.Arnberger (20) was the first of MacGill’s three victims, losing his off stump after advancing a pace and playing over the top of a perfectly pitched top spinner. Ian Harvey (0) was the next to fall, succumbing to a fine reflex caught and bowled as he looped back a misplayed off drive. A driving Shawn Craig (0) illustrated no clearer clue of how to conquer the former international, gloriously beaten by the best ball of the match – a sharply spinning delivery which landed in footmarks outside the line of left hander’s off stump before shooting straight through the gate and into his stumps.To an extent, the classy Hodge (60*) and captain Paul Reiffel (34*) were able to rectify matters thereafter for the Victorians with a courageous unbroken stand of seventy-eight runs for the seventh wicket. But, with the injured Warne unlikely to bat, the havoc wreaked by MacGill served as a shattering blow to the Vics’ hopes of taking any points away from this rain-marred contest. It was indeed just as well for the locals that two comfortable-looking catches – the second a particularly costly miss as Reiffel had only twelve alongside his name at the time – were grassed by Michael Slater at point.Earlier in the day, a breezy half century from all-rounder Shane Lee (53) had helped the visitors clamber their way to what proved to be a competitive first innings total. Around some fine bowling from off spinner Colin Miller (4/71) that is similarly unlikely to have escaped the attention of the national selectors, there was also some positive strokeplay at times from tailenders Brett Lee (14), MacGill (13) and Don Nash (11).

Dermot Reeve, the former England allrounder and Warwickshire captain, has admitted that he was addicted to cocaine and even confessed to have commentated on a Test match for Channel Four under the influence of the drug. The Test match mentioned was the Lord’s Test between England and New Zealand last year and Reeve said he had “no recollection of seeing the ball” on two days of the game.”I had to watch the match video to hear what I said,” he told . “No-one seemed to notice much difference, they just said I was my usual self but more chirpy – and kept doing Imran Khan impressions off-screen. They said it was the funniest commentary they had ever heard.”Reeve, 43, quit Channel Four on Friday after five years as a member of their commentary team. Apart from leading Warwickshire to great heights in the early 1990s, Reeve also played 25 one-day internationals for England, including the World Cup final against Pakistan in 1992.Reeve also suggested there was widespread use of “illegal substances” within cricket when he played. “If every cricketer I knew at the time I played was banned from playing, you would not have seen very good teams out there,” he said. “I occasionally smoked marijuana at that time out of season, but it was never a problem.”He added, though, that his marriage to Fiona, his second wife, had helped him get over the addiction and said, “I have given up cocaine for a month at a time, but I have to be honest and say that I think about it every day that I have given it up. I want to be clean and healthy and fit for my kids and have normal highs that aren’t due to cocaine. If I need professional help, I will seek it.”

The first NatWest Challenge match at Old Trafford went right down to the wire, but Pakistan just came out on top after quite a scare. Pakistan were cruising towards their target of 205, but the middle order capsized, as so often, under pressure from resolute bowling while chasing a total.The most impressive part for Pakistan was the commitment and attitude on the field, thanks to all the charged-up youngsters in the team. Except for the odd lapse, the overall fielding was outstanding. A brilliant catch by Yasir Hameed and Mohammad Sami’s direct hit were just two of the highlights. On top of all that, Rashid Latif managed his men astutely – the decision to bring on Mohammad Hafeez so early was one of many bold decisions.Past Pakistan sides have looked lost if the opposition got off to a quick start as England did at Old Trafford, but there was none of that this time as the youngsters fought back in style. Umar Gul was particularly impressive, which made the decision to give Azhar Mahmood the new ball even harder to understand. In Shoaib Akhtar’s absence Umar should have been the automatic choice as Sami’s new-ball partner, as he can make good use of the prominent seam early on.What was pleasing for Pakistan followers was the good show put up by the allrounders. Abdul Razzaq’s axing from the original squad seems to have fired him up, and he bowled a tight spell, something that had been lacking recently. Mahmood did better in his second spell, cutting down the loose balls and sticking to the basics. It will be tough if one of them has to step down now to accommodate Akhtar, who is eligible again after his two-match ban.The early-order batting – ironically the most inexperienced part of the line-up – was the most solid. Imran Nazir and Hafeez batted well, showing the right application at the start. Imran showed his usual flamboyance: he has not fully sorted out his footwork, but his good eye and timing were evident in all his strokes.It was refreshing to watch a Pakistan opening pair post a fifty partnership at last. And then came Yasir Hameed, well organised and orthodox at the crease, although he got out to a poor stroke against Ashley Giles. Yousuf Youhana’s disappointing run continued. He showed only a glimpse of a return to form before being run out. His running has always been poor, with a terrible habit of setting off without calling. His wicket is too valuable to be thrown away, and this is definitely an area for Javed Miandad, the coach, to work on.Pakistan’s batsmen have done well post-World Cup, but they now need to start converting promising beginnings into eighties, nineties and hundreds.

Nottinghamshire 259 for 7 (Gallian 68, Franks 64) beat Somerset 225 (K Parsons 116*) by 34 runs
ScorecardNottinghamshire completed an impressive double by securing promotion from the second division of the totesport league, to match their return to the top flight of the Championship.Needing a win to leapfrog Yorkshire and nab the third promotion spot, Notts were indebted to Paul Franks, who emerged at No. 7 and proceeded to spank five fours and four sixes in a turbo-charged finish to the innings. He was eventually dismissed for 64 from 37 balls, which built on Jason Gallian’s 68 from 70 balls that had anchored the top of the order.Somerset, whose punishment for a bottom-four finish is an all first-class tie in the opening round of next year’s C&G Trophy, needed 260 to win, but that prospect looked bleak as Mark Ealham and Andrew Harris grabbed an early wicket apiece, before Greg Smith got in on the act with two rapid breakthroughs (71 for 4).Ian Blackwell didn’t last long either, but Keith Parsons wasn’t about to roll over and die. He counterattacked supremely in a thrilling century, finishing up on 116 not out from 114 balls. He was supported for a while by Aaron Laraman and Gareth Andrew, but the end – and Nottinghamshire’s promotion – came courtesy of a messy run-out.

2nd day
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A marathon innings of over nine hours saw Martin van Jaarsveld, two runsshort of his career best of 238, still at the crease when the Titanseventually declared their innings closed at 524 for 4.Zander de Bruyn was out early but Godfrey Toyana and Van Jaarsveld then tormented the Western Province bowlers who had toiled hard on a Willowmoore Park pitch that had little to offer for the bowlers.A shock followed for Graeme Smith as he was dismissed first ball of theWPBOL innings. Andrew Puttick and Herschelle Gibbs put on 40, whileAshwell Prince stroked a quick 50. Four quick wickets however left WPBOLon 125 for 5 when bad light stopped play early.2nd day
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Neil McKenzie and Ahmed Omar, the debutant, notched up crucial fifties as the Lions managed to get a lead of 40 in their first innings. With the pitch at Goodyear Park playing true, the Eagles bowlers took another 36 overs to capture the final four wickets. Deon Kruis the star with the ball taking 5 for 40 and was ably assisted by Victor Mpitsang (3 for 35).The Eagles second innings had one small hiccup, the early loss of David Jacobs, but Gerhardus Liebenberg (65) and Boeta Dippenaar got them back on track. Ryan Bailey failed to score but an aggressive Morne van Wyk (59) and Dippenaar (52 not out) saw the Eagles to 190 for 5 at stumps.2nd day
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A brilliant undefeated 173 from Arno Jacobs saved the Warriors as they were bowled out for 349. Andrew Tweedie, the man who wrapped up the Warriors tail, helping himself to four wickets.There were several problems for the Dolphin batting as they faced up to the pace attack of Makhaya Ntini, Mornantau Hayward and Tyron Henderson. Fifties from Imraan Khan and Lance Klusener restored some pride but by stumps theDolphins had struggled to 201 for 7.

Bangladesh have dropped Javed Omar and included three new faces into their one-day international squad to face England.Omar scored only 50 runs in four innings in the recent Test series against England, and he has been replaced by the young and talented Nafis Iqbal, who England know all about already. He gave them the run-around with a stylish 118 for Bangladesh A, and later called the bowling `ordinary’. Iqbal, 18, also captained Bangladesh in the Under-19 World Cup 18 months ago.Meanwhile, Mashrafe Mortaza was forced to pull out after he injured his knee in the second Test at Chittagong and he has been ruled out for five weeks. Anwar Hossain Monir comes in for cover. Jamal Uddin, an offspinner, was called up in place of Enamul Haque Jr while Mohammad Moniruzzaman, a batsman, was also included.Khaled Mahmud has been retained as captain.The three-match series begins at Chittagong on Friday, while the last two matches are day-night games in Dhaka on November 10 and 12.Squad Khaled Mahmud (capt), Habibul Bashar, Khaled Mashud (wkt), Hannan Sarkar, Rajin Saleh, Alok Kapali, Mushfiqur Rahman, Mohammad Rafique, Tapash Baisya, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Anwar Hussain, Mohammad Jamaluddin, Nafees Iqbal.

Division One

Points TableEssex remain hot favourites to win the National League Division One, but they squandered a chance to increase their eight-point advantage as they let Gloucestershire off the hook at Cheltenham. Gloucestershire were bowled out for 182, with Darren Gough and Grant Flower sharing six wickets, but even then they were let off the hook – they had been 118 for 6 before Malinga Bandara and Martyn Ball put on 59 for the ninth wicket. On a dry and crumbling track, Essex lost their way from the first ball when Flower was bowled by James Averis. At 49 for 7 a three-figure score seemed unlikely but Andre Adams, batting with a runner because of a toe injury, clubbed 46 to see them to 122.At Colwyn Bay, Lancashire moved into fourth spot with a convincing eight-wicket win over Glamorgan, with Dominic Cork doing the bulk of the damage with four wickets – all lbw – for 37. Set 174 to win, Lancashire eased home with nearly 14 overs to spare, Mal Loye hitting an unbeaten 79 off 95 balls.

Division Two

Points TableIt was a bad day for the division leaders as Sussex suffered a three-run defeat at the hands of Derbyshire, a result which will give Warwickshire renewed hope. Michael di Venuto’s unbeaten 129 off 131 balls formed the basis of Derbyshire’s 232 for 3, and Sussex’s chase appeared well on course as they started briskly, but they lost their last three wickets for six runs as time ran out.The match of the day came at Taunton where Yorkshire came within two runs of an astonishing victory. Somerset had looked odds-on winners after posting 345 for 4, Matthew Wood smashing a 105-ball 129 off 105 balls and Ian Blackwell 114 off 61. Yorkshire set off at a pace, with Matthew Wood (52), Phil Jaques (66) and Ismail Dawood (57) all keeping them in the hunt. With 38 to win off two overs and 25 off one, the game seemed over, but a brutal 27 off 10 balls from Deon Kruis took the match to the wire with five needed off the final ball – Kruis could manage only two.

The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) will embark on a massive coaching programme from which approximately 120 persons will be certified as West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Level One coaches.There will be six courses, five in Trinidad and one in Tobago, with the first programme scheduled to get underway in the south zone on Friday September 15. Each course will run over a six-day period between 9am to 4.30 pm and will cater for 20 participants from each zone. According to Forbes Persaud, chief executive officer/general secretary of the TTCB this is just another one of the several development programmes to be undertaken by the board in their efforts to improve the standard and quality of local cricket.”We are hoping that through this exercise there will be more qualified coaches who will be available to teach the proper techniques to local cricketers at the zonal, clubs and schools levels,” Persaud said. He added that according to the board’s investigations, there are several zones and clubs operating without sufficient qualified coaching personnel.”We have found out that there is a shortage of qualified coaches in several parts of the country and as a result it is our view that an exercise of this nature is very critical for the development of young cricketers and the game in general.”We are therefore calling on all interested persons to get in touch with their respective zonal officers in order to be a part of this massive exercise.”As far as the youth development programmes were concerned, Persaud claimed the new initiatives introduced this year were successful. These included the Star Programme for form one students across the country, the High Performance Centres and three developmental tours.”The Star Programme attracted approximately 2500 boys and the main aim of this programme was to get the participants to enjoy the game of cricket”, he said. “However, we will be modifying the programme in the new season which will culminate with a cricket festival for form one cricketers.”Persaud also claimed success for the TTCB’s High Performance Centres. “The High Performance Centres catered for 128 elite under-15 cricketers at eight centres, seven in Trinidad and one in Tobago. These camps were conducted on weekends over a three-month period and will continue every other Saturday from September. Also in September, we will be starting the High Performance Centres for under-17 cricketers.”Persaud pointed out that at these centres, the aim was not only to develop the young cricketers’ skills but a lot of emphasis will be placed on their all-round development.Following are the dates for the WICB Level One courses.Course 1 South Zone Sept 15,16,17, 22, 23, 24
Course 2 North Zone Oct 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15
Course 3 North East Zone Oct 27, 28, 29, Nov 3, 4, 5
Course 4 South East Zone Nov 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19
Course 5 Central Zone Nov 24, 25, 26, Dec 1, 2, 3
Course 6 Tobago Zone Dec 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17