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

Bangalore Royal Challengers’ woeful IPL campaign plunged new depths at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium as they slumped to a 65-run drubbing at the hands of Rajasthan Royals, who went one step closer to a place in the semi-finals with their eighth win in ten games.Apart from the toss, everything was perfect for Rajasthan as Bangalore put in another thoroughly abject performance with the ball, bat, and in the field. Swapnil Asnodkar and Graeme Smith were the protagonists for Rajasthan, putting together 109 in a mere 12.2 overs – the second first-wicket century stand for the team – before Shane Watson applied the finishing touches with a 28-ball 46. They finally settled for 197, which was far too many for a batting line-up, which is completely lacking in form and confidence. The first three wickets went down within 14 deliveries, and though Rahul Dravid struck a defiant 36-ball 75, the result was never in doubt.Dravid decided to field first despite afternoon temperatures soaring to 48 degrees Celsius, and if that wasn’t bad enough, his bowlers were subjected to a pummelling by Asnodkar and Smith, who cut, drove, pulled and edged the rivals to distraction.With two wins in nine games, Bangalore could have done with all the luck possible; instead, through the early exchanges it was Rajasthan that got the rub of the green as both batsmen pinged the third-man region regularly. Asnodkar got a 50, but it was one of the most unconvincing half-centuries of the tournament, as he got the benefit of an lbw shout, and then edged twice over the wicketkeeper off Jacques Kallis.After seven overs Rajasthan were motoring along at 63 without loss, mostly thanks to Asnodkar, but Smith soon joined in the act, making room and striking the ball cleanly over mid-on and midwicket. Abdur Razzak became the first Bangladesh player to get an IPL game, but his start was hardly auspicious: he began with a no-ball which was edged for four by Smith, and the free hit was deposited on the midwicket roof.

Those early exchanges swung the momentum Rajasthan’s way, and they ensured they never let it go. Anil Kumble finally got his first wicket of the tournament, but Asnodkar’s departure only brought in the even more destructive Watson, who quickly made his presence felt with a couple of superb pull shots when Kumble pitched it fractionally short. Smith reached his half-century in the same over, pulling the last ball of Kumble’s spell over midwicket for six. Dravid turned to pace, medium pace and spin, but the run-fest continued unabated as Watson teed off whenever the ball was pitched on a length, freeing his arms to cut, pull and drive the bowlers.As has happened throughout the tournament, Bangalore were let down in the field as well. Apart from Patil’s poor form behind the stumps, there were misfields galore in the outfield. Misbah-ul-Haq dropped a tough chance from Watson when he was on 19, Praveen didn’t react at all to a lofted shot from Smith four balls later when it dropped a few feet in front of him, and Vinay Kumar rounded off a miserable performance by missing a sitter from Watson in the final over.Bangalore’s run-chase was a non-starter. The out-of-sorts J Arunkumar holed out to mid-off in the first over. Misbah’s disappointing tournament continued – he has now scored 32 runs in four innings – as he hopelessly miscued a pull to mid-on, and when Virat Kohli chopped on onto his stumps off the impressive Sohail Tanvir, Bangalore’s total read a shambolic 5 for 3. Kallis’ method of moving across his stumps and flicking everything to the on side fetched him a disappointing 20 from 29 balls. The difference in the fielding of the two teams came out starkly too, as Shane Warne plucked off a stunning caught-and-bowled low to his right when Zaheer Khan clubbed one straight back to him.The only show of resistance came from Dravid, whose unbeaten 75 was a strong message to the rest of his batsmen. The result was admittedly a foregone conclusion, but Dravid made his point emphatically, carving six sixes, including three in an over from Yusuf Pathan. That knock lifted Bangalore to a somewhat respectable total, but it was hardly enough to stop Rajasthan, who have now won all six games at home.

Match facts

Thursday July 31 – Monday August 4, 2008
Start time 10.15am (0445GMT)

Big Picture

After the annihilation at the SSC, the Indians have plenty of questions to answer in the second Test at Galle. The gulf between the two teams was so vast, and India were so abject in all departments, that Anil Kumble will be justified in believing that things can only get better. The bad news is the improvement will have to be dramatic for India to have any chance of levelling the series; the good news is they have done it before in Sri Lanka. The last time India toured here, in 2001, they lost the first Test by ten wickets, and then bounced back to win the second by seven wickets.Sri Lanka’s display in the first Test was so emphatic, though, that it seems unlikely they will slip up like they had then. They’re coming back to a venue which has brought them plenty of success and one that is hosting only its second Test since being ravaged by the tsunami in 2004. Sri Lanka couldn’t finish the job against England last year despite dismissing them for 81; this time, they’ll hope to seal the series with one Test still to play.

Form guide (last 5 Tests)

Sri Lanka WLWDD
India LWLDD

Watch out for

The spin wizards: Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis didn’t give India a chance in the first Test, and they’ll ask plenty of questions of the batsmen’s technique in Galle as well.Sachin Tendulkar scored only 39 runs in two innings in the first Test but the manner in which he tackled the spinners bodes well for future contests. He needs 133 more to become Test cricket’s leading run-scorer, so there is plenty of motivation for him to turn on the run tap.The review system: The first experiment with the use of more technology in decision making wasn’t an unqualified success and the system will be under scrutiny again in Galle. Mark Benson, who reversed three decisions at the SSC after consulting with third umpire Rudi Koertzen, will be watching the replays this time while Koertzen does the on-field duty.

Team news

So utterly dominant were Sri Lanka at the SSC that they’re almost certain to field an unchanged line-up, unless a last-minute injury or illness forces a change. The only aspect which disappointed in the first Test was the fast-bowling department. The new-ball bowlers took only one wicket, and Chaminda Vaas didn’t take any, with his pace dipping to as low as 110 kph at times. Dammika Prasad has been added to the squad because of the pace he offers but it’s unlikely Sri Lanka will sacrifice Vaas’ swing, control and experience.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Michael Vandort, 2 Malinda Warnapura, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Muttiah Muralitharan, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Nuwan Kulasekara.Despite the first Test debacle, India’s batting and bowling line-ups are likely to remain unchanged as well. The only change they might consider is the wicketkeeper. Dinesh Karthik dropped a couple of chances at the SSC and failed with the bat as well. He attempted a hopeless slog off Muralitharan in the first innings and edged limply to slip in the second. However, Kumble indicated India wouldn’t make any changes, which suggests Parthiv Patel will have to wait to play his first Test since October 2004.India (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly, 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Anil Kumble (capt), 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ishant Sharma.Umpires: Billy Doctrove and Rudi Koertzen. : Mark Benson

Pitch & conditions

The pitch is likely to be another turner which will suit Sri Lanka. What might not suit them as much is the weather forecast with thunderstorms likely throughout the game. With India fighting to level the series, that’s a piece of information Anil Kumble won’t like either.

Stats & Trivia

PERTH, Aug 14 AAP – Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist hopes player threats to boycott next month’s Champions Trophy and next year’s World Cup over a sponsorship wrangle can be quickly resolved.His comments today came as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) indicated it would send a second-string team to the Champions Trophy if its players didn’t sign International Cricket Council (ICC) agreements for the Sri Lankan tournament.Plans for the two major international one-day tournaments are up in the air after leading players associations, including the Australian Cricketers Association, advised members against signing player agreements for the Champions Trophy starting September 12.The World Cup to be held early next year in South Africa faces a similar problem as the International Cricket Council will not budge on its efforts to protect major sponsors.The stand-off could create a major headache for the sport’s biggest names if players’ personal endorsements conflicted with those of ICC-backed events.Gilchrist, the 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, said it was a delicate situation.But he didn’t think any cricketers truly wanted to boycott such major events and felt a viable solution would be found.”I don’t know the individual status on sponsors, but it is fair to say any cricketer doesn’t like the word boycott in regards to any issue,” he said.”That is something that can hopefully be avoided.”And as I said the administrators are there working through it so I’m sure we will come out with an equitable result.”Though the BCCI is officially falling in line with the ICC, there does seem to be an undercurrent of sympathy for the players according to India’s Hindustan Times.It said Indian players had met this week on tour and decided to continue to defy the BCCI.Former Indian captain Ravi Shastri said the Indian cricketers should protect their interests.”It is high time the players stand up for themselves,” he told the Hindustan Times.”As far as India is concerned it should send an under-19 team to the ICC Cup. That way the first casualty will be the ICC itself.”India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the only three Test playing nations which don’t have player associations.One of the major grievances over the agreements is they restrict players’ endorsement prospects up until 2007.ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said it was vital to protect against ambush marketing tactics because of the $1 billion worth of rights at stake at ICC events.Speed has said national boards had agreed to certain personal endorsement and sponsorship restrictions for ICC events until 2007.

FULL NAME: Ryan Jason King
BORN: At Kwekwe, 6 March 1979
MAJOR TEAMS: Matabeleland (1998/99 and 2000/01), CFX Academy (1999/2000).Present club side: Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo)
KNOWN AS: Ryan King. Nickname: Jumbo (inherited from his father).
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Off Breaks
OCCUPATION: CFX Academy studentFIRST-CLASS DEBUT: Matabeleland v Mashonaland A, at Bulawayo AthleticClub, 19-21 January 1999
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaitedBIOGRAPHY (updated April 2002)Ryan King was one of the few 2000 Academy students to have had first-class experience before the start of the 1999/2000 season, having opened the innings for Matabeleland in a Logan Cup match the previous season. He was also the Academy team vice-captain, and led the side in their victorious Logan Cup match against Midlands in the absence of the injured Paul Strang.Ryan’s father John played cricket for Plumtree and the Matabeleland Under-19 team. He first introduced Ryan to the game at home. "My dad was a real big influence in my cricket," Ryan says, describing how they used to play on the family tennis court.The family lived in Kwekwe until moving to Bulawayo when Ryan was aged nine, when he was already in the small Goldridge school first team. He still remembers the `close unit’ they had at the school, when all ages were friends together and used to practise together in their spare time.In Bulawayo Ryan first attended Whitestone Primary School, where he captained the school team in his final year. He played for the Matabeleland team in the national primary schools cricket week for two years, and in the second was selected for the national side. His best school performance was a century opening the batting against Petra School, with a couple of eighties. He also bowled at times, mostly off-spin with a few leg-breaks.He moved to Falcon College for high school, a contemporary of Neil Ferreira, and the two opened the batting together throughout their school careers from the primary schools week onward. They also opened the batting together in the national schools sides at Under-13, Under-15 and Under-18 levels. "We really know each other’s batting, and running between the wickets as an opening partnership is very important, running the singles, and we enjoy batting together," he says. They travelled to Bloemfontein for the Under-13 and Under-15 sides and Benoni at Under-18 level for the South African schools weeks. His most successful tour was at Under-13 level, when his record included 67 against Natal.At Falcon, Ryan’s highest score was 114 against Christian Brothers College in Bulawayo, closely followed by 108 against Plumtree. That year his average was 42.2, and he was one of the few to score 1000 runs for the school, alongside such school heroes of the past as Dave Curtis and Glen Bruk-Jackson. He captained the side during his final year, but says, "I didn’t perform as well as I did before because of the pressure of being captain and thinking of the team. But I really enjoyed the challenge of captaincy overall." In a match against St John’s he also took five wickets for 42 runs with leg-spin.After leaving school at the end of 1998 Neil Ferreira joined the Academy, but Ryan went to Australia for a year, playing in two cricket seasons there. His uncles live in Australia, so he stayed with them on the Gold Coast near Brisbane, where they run a golf course. They arranged for Ryan to play in a club there while he repaid them by working for them at various jobs – "construction to labour to barman to cleaning toilets – pretty much anything!" Ryan played for the local club Palm Beach and also for Dolphins who play in the Brisbane competition, captained by Andrew Symonds and also containing Queensland players Scott Muller and Matthew Mott. The club president at the time was Craig McDermott.Ryan played first-grade cricket for Palm Beach and second-grade for Dolphins. "It’s very competitive," he says, and thinks first-grade cricket there and Logan Cup cricket in Zimbabwe are similar in standard of play. His best score was an eighty in the second grade.Ryan returned to Zimbabwe for Christmas 1998 and was quickly selected for the Matabeleland Logan Cup side. He scored 41 in the first innings and impressed national coach Dave Houghton enough to be encouraged to apply for the Academy. While still at school he played club cricket at times for Bulawayo Athletic Club, scoring a few fifties for them, but joined Queens on his return to the country. Just before moving up to the Academy in Harare he scored his first club century, 108 against MacDonald Club."I think the Academy has been very well organized and if you’re a hard worker you can really get some valuable points out of being here," he says. "We’ve had Bob Woolmer and Carl Rackemann come and talk to us, and if you just listen and take in the information you can improve your game. I felt it was an honour to captain the Academy side against Midlands, and we won, which I was very happy about."During the 2000 English season Ryan signed a contract with Liverpool Nalgo, who play in the first division of the Merseyside competition, his first experience of playing in that country. "That went very well and I learned a lot there," he said, "with the different pitches and facilities and how they played a different game. I got used to the pitches, which were much slower, and I scored a lot of runs; I top-scored for the club side."For his hard work and positive attitude Ryan won the `Academy Student of the Year’ award for 2000, a Gray-Nicholls cricket bat. He was posted back to Matabeleland to play and coach, but found it difficult to put large innings together for a while. "I do gym and practise in the mornings, coach in the afternoons and practise in the evenings," he says. "I’m learning a lot through playing with people like Heath Streak and Mluleki Nkala." He finally reached a maiden first-class fifty opening the innings against the CFX Academy, a dour but determined effort that laid a firm foundation for a match-winning total.The 2001/02 season became a further struggle for him with the bat, and many were questioning his place in the Matabeleland team. He was appointed captain for the first match, but then superseded by Colin Williams, still without finding his form."I think it’s mental, to be honest," he said. "I try and protect my wicket too much when I should be out there playing my shots. I’ve got to overcome that. I’m a pretty positive person so I think I’ll get through that. But I’m really enjoying my cricket, and I really love the sport and I want to make more of all the opportunities I’ve been given. I set very high standards for myself and I don’t think I’ve lived up to them. I need to perform better if I am to keep cricket as my career."Ryan feels his main strength is his front-foot driving, while he also likes to hook and cut. He is working at present to improve his back-foot play. "I love the challenge of opening, getting the shine off the new ball, working ones and twos, getting a nice base on the scoreboard and then we can play our shots," he says. He generally fields in the cover or midwicket area and is working very hard on this area of the game.Naming the coaches who have helped him the most over his career, Ryan names his father first of all, along with Bill Flower, who coached him at Under-13 level and still gives him regular advice. He also names Noel Peck, former national pace bowler and groundsman at Queens. "Every lunchtime he would come and bowl to me, or get a bowling machine, and tell me what to do," Ryan says. "He’s a big help to me, always preparing pitches for me and giving me good advice." Also providing valuable advice were Graham Mackie, the Dolphins coach in Australia, and he had a session with Jimmy Cook once.He has also found Dave Houghton an inspiration as a coach. "Everything he tells me is so worthwhile," said Ryan. "Other people can tell you things, and you can either take them or throw them away, but when Dave tells you something, it is so true. I think I need to come back and get more advice from him as I did when I was at the Academy."Ryan continues to play and coach in Matabeleland and hopes to continue under contract to the Zimbabwe Cricket Union in the future.Cricket heroes: "Grant Flower. I really admire the way he works out his game and how hard he trains, how much he puts into preparing for a game. He’s a really hard worker, and we’re both opening batsmen. Also Steve Waugh for mental toughness; I think he’s brilliant. Sometimes he never looks like getting anything, but he’ll end up getting a hundred. And Sir Donald Bradman."Toughest opponents: "Raymond Price and Bryan Strang. Bryan Strang I find very hard to read; he disguises his balls very well. I’ve played a lot against Adam Huckle; he turns the ball a lot and he’s a very good bowler."Immediate ambitions: "My main ambition is to play for the national side. I managed to get into the squad for the development side playing in the ICC tournament here, and by the end of the year my ambition is to represent either the Zimbabwe A side or the Board team."Proudest achievement: "Whenever I contribute with my batting to a good team score, when I get an eighty or 100 and I know I’ve done my job and the team has won because of it. I can name one when I got an 80 against Peterhouse at school, when everyone was going out and I had to stay there and try to save the game. I batted with our last batsman (Ian Coulson, I think) and I rotated the strike; I was on 30 when he came in, and we ended up winning, getting 145."Best friends in cricket: "Neil Ferreira – we’ve been together for so long that we know each other, and when one of us is going through a hard time we can help each other out. I’d like to get back and start opening the batting with him again."Other qualifications: "I did a sporting fitness course in Australia which got me a certificate. When I came back I did a lot of marketing with my father in his business, which is raw materials, and I did a few courses while I did that."Other sports: "I’ve represented the Zimbabwe Under-15 and Under-19 sides at hockey; I’ve played rugby in my junior years; I’ve played polocrosse for Zimbabwe Under-13; and I was captain of first-team tennis at Falcon."Other interests and hobbies: "I love reading about sportsmen. I’ve just read a book about Michael Johnson and found it very interesting: his goals, how he did it, what he’s achieved, how he goes about training, what he does to focus. I enjoy being social with friends, going out for a drink and getting away from the pressures."Views on cricket: "I think that what’s happening now in Zimbabwe is very good. As Dave Houghton was telling us last year at the Academy, he wants to try and get every province professional, and I think this is the first year that we have all the provinces playing and some ex-Academy batsmen, and you can actually see it is helping. I think in five years’ time Zimbabwe cricket will be very good. This longer game is very good and I think you need more of it, two rounds of the Logan Cup. I think we also need to play something like they do in South Africa, play a one-day competition between the provinces and then a four-day competition."

A quick look at the scorecard might suggest that this was another case of win the toss and win the match. In fact, the rapid Essex demise having been put in by Warwickshire had more to do with some indifferent batting against good bowling supported by efficient fielding. It appeared that Essex had an unquenchable belief in their invincibility as they produced a series of reckless strokes that could have carried them to glory, but it was the Warwickshire batsmen who called, and played, all the shots to bring an early finish to the last-ever Benson and Hedges Cup final as they won by five wickets.Warwickshire captain Michael Powell would have been more than happy to win the toss on an overcast morning. He was even happier when the second ball of the day from Shaun Pollock from the Nursery end saw Nasser Hussain, averaging over a hundred in one-day cricket at the time, nibbling at it as it went down the slope to be caught by wicket-keeper Keith Piper.Graham Napier came in with the intent of taking the game to Warwickshire, even from this early stage, and for a time succeeded. With Darren Robinson unfurling some elegant strokes, particularly through the off-side, and Napier on the charge, it appeared that Hussain’s dismissal might have been a momentary aberration on the part of Essex.Subsequent events proved otherwise. There was a touch of farce about Napier’s dismissal when it came in the eighth over. A shot to deep square leg went to Jamie Troughton, whose throw was on the way when Napier decided not to take the third run on which he had embarked. As he regained his ground without any undue urgency, the return hit the stumps, the batsmen went for an overthrow, but a television replay showed that Napier was out at the moment when the throw from Troughton hit the stumps direct.Next ball, from Neil Carter, John Stephenson got an inside edge and dragged the ball onto his stumps for his fourth duck in the competition this season. He might be keener that most to see the end of the competition.Three overs later, Robinson played a horrible swish against Carter and only succeeded in sending the ball high into the covers where Dougie Brown took a simple catch.Enter the talismanic figure of Ronnie Irani, captain, saviour and hero of all Essex. For a time he and Andy Flower stabilised the innings and there was the possibility of a revival. The pair had put on 21 runs that, in the circumstances, represented a major advance before Irani drove tamely at Brown to send a catch out to Neil Smith at mid-off.In Smith’s first over of off-spin, the 25th and scheduled halfway mark of the innings, Flower tried to glance down the leg-side, got an edge and Piper took the catch to leave Essex struggling deep in the mire at 86 for six.Aftab Habib was next to go, moving down the pitch to Ashley Giles and clipping a simple catch to Nick Knight at short mid-wicket that did not extend the former Essex player’s powers as one of the best fielders in the game. The catch to mid-on offered to Powell by Jon Dakin off Brown left Essex on 134 for eight in the 43rd over was equally simple.Paul Grayson, who had come in amid the carnage at eight in the order, and Ashley Cowan demonstrated what could be done with sensible application. They did not manage the boundaries that might have given Essex some sort of total to be defended, but to occupy the crease for the full 50 overs at least gave an air of respectability that at one time appeared unlikely. Cowan even managed a boundary in the final over – the previous one had been recorded in the 23rd – to finish on 27, while Grayson made 38 as they added 47 from 48 balls.Warwickshire began their reply at a rate of knots. Eight runs came off Irani’s first over of the innings. But the slender hopes of the men from the east were raised by the fall of two wickets in the space of six balls.Cowan struck first when he induced a catch behind by Powell when he had 11 and the score was 19. It had advanced by just two runs when Knight edged Irani through to Flower to elicit thoughts of a real contest that never quite materialised.Ian Bell demonstrated his burgeoning class while Troughton, the son and grandson of actors, displayed no nerves on the big stage as the pair launched into a third wicket partnership that made the game safe for Warwickshire. They added 84 in 12 overs with 14 fours. There had been but nine in the entire Essex innings.Irani switched and changed his bowlers, but to no effect. The Warwickshire pair went to a 50 partnership in 29 balls as the ball flew to all parts from all bowlers. There might have been the odd stroke that did not come off the middle of the bat, but the aggression of the partnership deserved a little fortune and the lack of quality in the bowling did not.It came to an end when the sixth bowler to be used, Napier, persuaded Troughton to chase a wide one to give Flower his third catch of the innings. There had been eight fours in Troughton’s innings of 37 off only 33 balls.Pollock joined Bell, who went to his fifty from 66 balls with seven fours with a push into the covers off Cowan. There was no stopping Warwickshire as soon as Pollock picked up the rhythm of the innings, even when Pollock drove Irani high to mid-off and Stephenson got Trevor Penney lbw in the next over.Warwickshire eased to the target with a minimum of fuss, thanks to the calm assurance of Bell which must surely have impressed the England captain, Hussain, who for once was forced to look on helplessly as Brown clipped the winning runs through midwicket off the second ball of the 37th over.

Lahore Blues moved into the final of the National One-day Junior (Under-19) Grade-I Cricket Tournament with an easy six-wicket victory over Fata at Gaddafi Stadium Friday.Lahore Blues’ second win in the triangular series was set up by pacer Wahab Riaz’s four wickets and an unbeaten 54 from Asim Ijaz.Set a modest target of 152, Lahore Blues occupied the crease for 46.5 overs with Asim striking four boundaries in his 120-ball innings. Earlier, Fata, who lost the toss, were bowled out for 151 in 40.3 overs.Left-arm pacer Wahab, who gave away 31 runs for his four wickets was ably supported by leg-spinner Raheel Abbas.Raheel was economical as he conceded just 16 runs while snapping up three wickets.Mumtaz Afridi, who was left high and dry on an undefeated 36 and opener Johar Hussain (29) were the only Fata batsmen to make significant contributions.

West Indies star, Phil Simmons, has given his support to all the teams participating in the Western Union Cricket Trophy, a tournament intended primarily for West Indian heritage teams, on the eve of the round robin stage of the competition (Sunday, 27 May).The former West Indies and Leicestershire all rounder, who holds the record for the most economical figures by a bowler, a dream 10 over spell against Pakistan at Sydney which included 8 maidens and 4 wickets for only 3 runs, was quick to give his backing to the Western Union Cricket Trophy.Phil said: “Having played for the West Indies for several years it is great for me to support a national cricket competition which encourages players from all backgrounds to play the game. It should be a wonderful competition that will entertain cricket fans up and down the country, and I would like to wish every team participating the very best of luck.”This season’s competition, formerly known as the Clive Lloyd Cup, was officially launched at the North Middlesex C.C. ground in April this year, where West Indian cricketing legend, Joel Garner, was unveiled as the tournament’s patron.Garner said: “It’s a great honour to be associated with the Western Union Cricket Trophy, which is playing a role in establishing the West Indies as a cricket force again. It promises to be a great breeding ground for aspiring cricketers whilst providing some top class entertainment.”24 clubs have entered this year’s competition, which is divided into eight groups of three teams for a round robin stage. The top two teams from each group then progress to the knock out stages with the final being played at Dagenham on 2nd September 2001, where the winners will walk away with £3,000 prize money.Former first-class cricket stars who are participating in this year’s Western Union Cricket Trophy include Ricardo Anderson (Essex), Darren Foster (Somerset), Gary Headley (Glamorgan), Carlos Remy (Sussex) and Frank Griffiths (Surrey). Gloucestershire star Mark Alleyne is also one present player who has previously played in the competition.Paul Foster, Western Union’s marketing manager for Northern Europe, said: “Western Union’s sponsorship of the Western Union Cricket Trophy further demonstrates our intention to support cricket at all levels in this country. It is great to be involved with such a high level of cricket which will hopefully unearth a few stars of the future.”Teams participating in the Western Union Cricket Trophy are as follows:

Group A
• Sheffield Carribbean C.C.
• West Bowling C.C.
• Huddersfield C.C.Group B
• Sutton C.C.
• B.O.C.A
• Lambeth Enterprise C.C.Group C
• Milton Keynes C.C.
• Luton Caribbean C.C.
• Hawks Combined C.C.Group D
• BWIA Cavaliers (London) C.C.
• Leyton County C.C.
• Wilkinson Way C.C.Group E
• Fords C.C.
• Barking C.C.
• Homewood Unity C.C.Group F
• Birmingham Cavaliers C.C.
• Wycombe West Indians C.C.
• Birmingham Cavaliers C.C.Group G
• Baileys XI C.C.
• Islands C.C.
• Lambeth C.C.Group H
• Tony Leslie’s XI C.C.
• Shepherds Bush C.C.
• Bristol West Indians C.C.

There was no shortage of incident on the first day of this match, althoughnothing could match the drama of the downward spiral that marked the end of theHighveld Strikers’ first innings.In a minor and somewhat meaningless competition for those teams which didn’treach the Super Eight phase of the Supersport Series, in which all threematches thus far have been drawn, a result seems inevitable after 17 wicketsfell on day one, unless the weather gods intervene.The home side, put in by Griquas captain Wendell Bossenger, had progressedrelatively uneventfully to 170 for four when the carnage started, withoff spinner Martyn Gidley getting a touch as Marthinus Otto drove onestraight down the pitch and running out Geoffrey Toyana, who was backing up,for 10.Two runs and a handful of overs later, the Strikers were back in the hut andGriquas’ paceman Zahir Abrahim had a devastating spell of five for two infive overs under his belt, including the scalps of Brendan Horan, NeilFusedale and Johnson Mafa, all bowled for ducks in the space of five balls,to end the innings.As undignified as that collapse was, though, Griquas didn’t fare muchbetter, with opener Gidley holding his end up while wickets tumbled aroundhim as the visitors were reduced to 93 for seven. Mafa took four for 22 in ahostile nine-over spell after tea from the Golf Course End, the same endfrom which Abrahim had earlier sown destruction.Abrahim continued his major contribution, however, helping Gidley arrest theslump as he hit Mafa out of the attack and at the close, he had 28 out of anunbroken stand of 33 with Gidley, who was on 56, leaving Griquas on 126 forseven, 46 behind.

A patient unbeaten hundred from opener Akash Chopra and his undefeated 70-run seventh wicket partnership with Sarandeep Singh has kept North Zone in the hunt for the vital first-innings lead in their Duleep Trophy tie against Central Zone. When stumps were drawn at the end of the second day’s play at the Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground, Indore, North had reached 288 for six in reply to Central’s first innings total of 368.In the morning, Central Zone’s Devendra Bundela completed a well-deserved hundred. The middle-order batsman eventually reached 116 before running out of partners. North’s new ball bowler Vineet Sharma, who claimed the last two Central wickets, was the most successful bowler for the visitors, claiming four scalps. Sarandeep Singh also ended up with four wickets but he conceded 142 runs in the bargain.When North’s replied, Chopra and Vikram Rathour (33) added 62 runs for the first wicket before the latter fell. No. 4 Shafiq Khan was another batsman who was involved in a fruitful stand with Chopra at the top of the order. Khan, who made 28, added 51 for the third wicket with Chopra before finding himself out lbw.At 127 for three, North appeared to have the platform on which to build a healthy total. But the fall of their next two wickets for next to nothing plunged them into deep trouble.Fortunately for them, former India wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya, who came in next, proved useful in helping Chopra mount the first stage of the salvage operation. Wielding the long handle to good effect, Dahiya clouted six fours and a six on his way to a rapid 33 off 45 balls before hearing the death rattle. His sixth wicket partnership of 50 runs with Chopra ensured that the North total regained a semblance of respectability.Next came an even better partnership, in fact the best of the North innings, as a cavalier Sarandeep provided the ideal foil to the steady Chopra. The duo put on 90 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket that also saw Chopra reach his 100 off 209 balls. At the end of the day’s play, Chopra was batting on 113 off 242 balls, an innings laced with 18 fours, while Sarandeep was on 48 off 69 balls.

A low-scoring thriller at the Wanderers, saw Lions win their first match of the tournament.They beat the Dolphins by 53 runs after taking six wickets on the final morning, when defeat was still more of a possibility than victory. Dolphins captain Daryn Smit said his side “dominated most of the match,” and he was not simply talking them up. After choosing to field on a surface with a fair amount of grass on it, Dolphins had plenty to show for it.Craig Alexander and Kyle Abbott took two wickets apiece and Robert Fylinck one to reduce Lions to 76 for 5. Two men who grew up on the same street in the township of Langa, in Cape Town, steadied Lions. Temba Bavuma and Thami Tsolekile shared a partnership of 68, while Tsolekile went on to make 70, something the national selectors would have watched with interest as they pick the Test squad to Australia.Lions’ lower order took them to a competitive first innings score of 265. Pumelela Matshikwe and Imran Tahir added 55 for the 10th wicket, runs that proved vital as the match went on.Dolphins’ innings was held up by a 121-run partnership between Imraan Khan and Jonathan Vandiar. Chris Morris broke through and Dolphins stumbled. None of the bottom seven batsmen managed anything more than Smit’s 24 and Lions took a two-run lead into the second innings.That looked set to increase that enormously as stand-in captain Stephen Cook led the charge with what he called the “scratchiest 92,” he ever scored. He batted through the innings but lost partners too frequently as Alexander and Dane Paterson shared seven wickets. From 155 for 3, seven wickets tumbled for 78 and Lions set Dolphins a gettable 241 to win.Vandiar made sure the Dolphins were on track and they went into the fourth day needing 92 runs with six wickets in hand.An inspired spell on the final morning from Morris changed all that. He hit the deck hard and bowled at good pace to make the major breakthroughs. Hardus Viljoen, from the other end, chipped in with two wickets but it was Morris who stole the day. His 8 for 44 took his match tally to 12 and made him the most successful Lions bowler in a match and an innings to date.In Port Elizabeth, the Warriors had to work harder to earn their first win of the season. Having endured a torrid two seasons in first-class cricket, they opened their account much more positively and upset the defending champions, Titans by 161 runs.Warriors had national players Ashwell Prince and Colin Ingram to thank for their first innings total. The pair shared 100 for the fourth wicket and Prince top-scored with 76 after Ethy Mbhalati tore through the top order. Rowan Richards accounted for the the tail and Warriors’ 276 would have been fewer than what they hoped for.Their bowlers did not disappoint though. Only Jacques Rudolph, who made 94, had some measure of them as the rest of the line-up made starts but could not build on them. Basheeru-Deen Walters was the leading paceman, with 5 for 57 and Andrew Birch claimed three wickets as Warriors took a 60-run lead onto their second innings.They built on that with little trouble. Michael Price and Davy Jacobs, who made a return from a lengthy injury break, both scored centuries. Their first-wicket stand was worth 201, in hindsight enough for them to win the match. Colin Ingram scored a quick 58 off 69 balls and Warriors declared on 353 for 5, giving the Titans a massive task – 414 to win.At 41 for 5, the Titans must have known that was barely possible. Gurshwin Rabie took three top-order wickets to ensure all Warriors seamers were among the wickets. Heino Kuhn and David Wiese put on 177 for the sixth wicket but when Kuhn was trapped lbw by Simon Harmer, the end was near for Titans. Rabie and Birch finished them off to give Warriors a big win.