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If results were all that mattered then Kenya’s participation in the Carib Beer Cup would be judged as a failure. They have hardly set the world alight – in fact, they have been on the receiving end of more than one drubbing – but their presence in the Caribbean is all about gaining experience of competitive cricket, and in that regard it has been a success.Kenya’s surprising showing in the 2003 World Cup led some to predict that they would be front-runners in the Caribbean’s first-class tournament, but that never crossed the mind of Andy Moles, once of Warwickshire and now Kenya’s coach. “We could have brought the side that was in the World Cup,” he told the Barbados-based Nation newspaper. “But there was a 42-year-old, a couple of 37 and 38 year-olds, and they are past their best. They did well and got the side to the World Cup, but we’re building for the future.”At some stage, you have to look at your squad and say `the time is right’. We felt the time was right to bring a younger side here.”And Moles dismissed suggestions that Kenya had underperformed. “Everywhere we go, they are saying that we have been a bit disappointing. I’m not disappointed at all. We’re building for the future and the pleasing thing for me is to give these players an opportunity to come and learn how to play against good players in new conditions.”If Kenya are serious about becoming Test cricket’s 11th member, then they need exposure to the longer form of the game, and Moles said that was just what they were getting. “We’re learning to concentrate for longer periods of time. The pleasing thing has been the way the batsmen have developed in stages, grasping the skills of the four-day game. The concentration levels are longer.”If we’re going to be lucky enough to play Test cricket, the guys need to continue to play the longer version of the game.”

The eleven young cricketers who are currently attending the E.C.B. Regional Academy at the County Ground in Taunton are benefiting from Athletic Careers Advice (A.C.E.), a new initiative that originates from Australia.Regional Academy Director Mark Garaway told me: "The A.C.E. initiative is being funded jointly by Sport England and the E.C.B. and at present three people have been appointed to oversee the programme in the eighteen first class counties and the sixteen E.C.B. certified Academies."Mark continued: "Martine Woodward from Bath is working on the A.C.E. initiative in our region, which includes Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Worcestershire and ourselves, and she will be here to work with the Academy boys again on this coming Sunday. Martine will be here to consolidate the A.C.E. modules and provide careers and higher education advice to the members of the Academy."The A.C.E. programme has been running at the Regional Academy at Somerset County Cricket Club since September, and sessions so far have included, time management, personal presentations, media training, outward bound and public speaking. This Sunday’s session will focus upon personal image and presentation.The Academy Director stressed: "We have got to be able to cater for the career needs of the players outside of the game whatever stage they are at in their career. It is equally applicable to an 18 year old as it to a 35 year old who is at the end of his playing career."Mark concluded: "Currently Martine is spending quite a bit of time with us because the Somerset Regional Academy is now established and up and running."

Portsmouth have stolen a march at the top of Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 after fighting back to beat Lymington by four wickets after an absorbing tussle at St Helen’s, Southsea.With Sparsholt also losing their unbeaten record – they crashed to a nine-wicket defeat at Trojans – Portsmouth are out in front at the top.The prospects of Portsmouth’s solitary unblemished record remaining intact appeared unlikely as they dipped to 90-5, chasing Lymington’s 205-6.But a splendid 72 by former Hampshire all-rounder Lee Savident, which preceded a match-clinching partnership between Raj Maru (37 not out) and schoolboy Michael Barnes (26 not out), turned a yo-yo match on its head.The game, which swung back and forth throughout the afternoon and evening sessions, produced some exhilerating stroke play, often followed by woeful dismissals.Both teams began their respective innings as if the win points were to be decided after 16 overs, instead of 50.Australian all-rounder Brian Clemow set a familiar pattern, blasting Dave Tiller out of the Portsmouth attack inside six overs as Lymington progressed to 43-0 in quick time.But when Maru introduced his left-arm spin into the attack at the sea end, Lymington’s initial charge was checked.First, Maru lured former county 2nd XI team-mate Glyn Treagus out of his ground and then, several overs later, bowled Clemow for a hard hit 37.Maru (2-27) and Savident (1-24) applied the brake to such an extent that Lymington lurched unconvincingly to 112-5 before the tide began to turn again.Despite suffering from hamstring strains, Neil Trestrail (60) and Dave Coles (44 not out) put bat to ball to great effect in a 45-minute aerial assault immediately before tea to lift the Lymington total to 205-6.Portsmouth came out of the traps with all guns blazing – South African teenager Stephen Cook (30) and Matt Keech producing a selection of sweetly timed drives and pulls.Lymington looked set to buckle as Portsmouth swept majestically to 55-1 in the eighth over.But Cook tried one shot too many and spooned up a return catch, Keech was run out (by Treagus) in a mix-up with Savident, then Jason Carr claimed his third scalp when he bowled Paul Dew.Portsmouth had scored 56 runs, yet lost four wickets inside a bizarre opening ten overs – and the game was back in the balance.The city club needed a responsible innings from Lee Savident and got one – the former Hampshire player producing the key knock of the match, amid the loss of a fifth Portsmouth wicket at 90.But the ball from Daniel Peacock that bowled James Moon proved curiously counterproductive for Lymington.Wicket keeper Dave Burgess needed hospital treatment after the ball struck him in the mouth – and Lymington, already handicapped by a variety of injuries, were left to field for the last hour or so with only ten men.For the second time in the match, the experience of Maru took a decisive hand – and wrested the initiative away from the visitors.Maru, missed before he had scored, provided the ideal foil as Savident struck a six and eight fours in a splendid 72 before being stumped by deputy `keeper Dave Coles at the second attempt.But Hampshire’s Development Coach had no need to concern himself at Savident’s dismissal.He dabbed and swept his way towards a crucial 37 not out – but left the final accolade to schoolboy prospect Michael Barnes, who completed Portsmouth’s victory celebration in real style.Five times in what was to prove the last over, the highly rated 16-year old, who had earlier produced a polished performance behind the stumps, cracked Jason Carr to the boundary.It was a five-star finish by a youngster who has the potential to go a long way in the game …

Newcastle United reportedly ‘would like’ to sign Lazio shot-stopper Thomas Strakosha on a free transfer this summer.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Strakosha is out of contract in the summer, having not been able to agree a new deal with I Biancocelesti.

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This means that he will be able to leave as a free agent, and given that he currently holds a market value of £6.3m, signing him could represent a real bargain for any club looking to secure his signature.

The Latest: Strakosha eyed

As per Corriere della Sera’s Roma edition (via Sport Witness), the St. James’ Park faithful ‘would like’ to sign Strakosha once his contract expires, and they are one of a few ‘admirers’ in England.

It does not look like a new deal with Lazio will be struck, as manager Maurizio Sarri wants ‘someone else’ between the posts, and so this is a move that could well happen should they manage to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Verdict: No-brainer

With the chance to sign Strakosha for free, it is surely a no-brainer for the North East club.

Crucially, he is just 27 years of age, and so would hold a healthy sell-on value, even if it does not quite work out on Tyneside.

Nonetheless, there is no reason why it should not work out, given how highly he is regarded in Italy, with former Lazio goalkeeper Silvio Proto once dubbing him as ‘explosive’ and a ‘phenomenon’.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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At six-foot-four, the Albania international is a colossus, and with Martin Dubravka now 33, Strakosha is a worthy and cheap replacement, allowing the new owners on Tyneside to splash their cash in other areas of the pitch.

In other news, find out which £51m-rated star who outshone Cristiano Ronaldo NUFC are now eyeing here!

	Australia’s players celebrated an ODI win over India on Sunday, which was also the original deadline for them to join the Indian Premier League © Getty Images

Five unnamed Australian cricketers did not meet the original Sunday deadline to register for the Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction, however they were given a one-day extension as they sought clarification on contract details. The reported the players were all likely to register after receiving approval from Cricket Australia.Neil Maxwell, the agent who has been liaising between the IPL and Australia’s players, said there was no reason to expect any surprise absences at Wednesday’s bidding war. “There is always a chance [of a player not signing] but at this point we have alleviated any issues they have had,” Maxwell told the paper.The Australians only received a revised version of the IPL’s long-form contract on Thursday, which Maxwell conceded gave them little time to digest the details. But apart from the five expected to register on Monday, the remaining players returned their signed contracts by the Sunday deadline.The agreements came after Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, said the issues regarding Cricket Australia’s sponsorship concerns had been resolved. Cricket Australia had been intent on receiving global protection for its major supporters – it did not want to risk its players promoting rival companies – but Modi said the Australian board had acquiesced.The rush of Australian signatures coincided with reports that another former Test player, Michael Kasprowicz, was poised to join the Indian Cricket League (ICL). The said the newly-retired Kasprowicz, who played his last game for Queensland on Saturday, was ready to agree to a three-year ICL deal.

	New Zealand judge John Hansen will hear Harbhajan Singh’s appeal over his three-Test ban © Getty Images

New Zealand judge John Hansen has been appointed commissioner for Harbhajan Singh’s appeal against the finding that he was guilty of making racist comments during the second Test against Australia in Sydney.Justice Hansen is a High Court Judge and New Zealand Cricket’s appointee on the ICC’s Code of Conduct Commission.Harbhajan was given a three-Test ban after match referee Mike Procter upheld a complaint from Ricky Ponting that he insulted allrounder Andrew Symonds by calling him a “monkey”. The finding and sanction enraged the Indians, who were already upset by several umpiring decisions that went against them in the Test.The ICC said it had received official notification of the appeal from the Indian board on Monday and appointed Justice Hansen in line with ICC Code of Conduct processes. No time, date or venue for the appeal have yet been fixed, but an ICC release said the process “indicates that the appeal should be heard within seven days of the commissioner being appointed.” This time period, it added, may be extended depending on circumstances.In the meantime, Harbhajan may continue to play pending the verdict of the appeal being given. The BCCI announced late Tuesday that the tour in Australia would go ahead.

Herschelle Gibbs will appeal his two-Test ban handed down by the ICC © AFP

The South African board (CSA) has said Herschelle Gibbs will appeal against the two-Test ban imposed on him by the ICC for alleged comments made by him during the first Test between South Africa and Pakistan. The decision has led to the CSA’s hearing of the issue being postponed till the ICC appeal process is completed.The CSA’s hearing, chaired by Judge Mervyn King, is to determine whether the alleged remarks were in breach of the Rules and Code of Conduct of Cricket South Africa. If found guilty, Gibbs would have breached the board’s clauses on abuse “on the basis of race, religion, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin” and on “unbecoming conduct which brings the board or the game into disrepute”.”As the ICC findings and suspension have a bearing on CSA’s disciplinary matter, I have postponed the hearing until after Herschelle Gibbs’s appeal proceedings have been completed by the ICC”, King said.Gibbs comments came shortly before lunch on the fourth day of the Test. According to the ICC Rules, all fines and punishments are suspended till a decision is taken on the appeal. Gibbs had 24 hours to appeal against the ban handed down by Chris Broad, the match referee.Gerald Majola, the chief executive of the South African board, said that the CSA’s charges against Gibbs were laid before those of the ICC. “As Judge King has pointed out, the ICC procedures have a bearing on our own hearing and so no further statements will be forthcoming from CSA on this matter until after the ICC and our own disciplinary procedures have been completed,” he said.

Mushtaq Ahmed will continue in his current role on the request of the team management © Getty Images

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has again accepted a request by Inzamam-ul-Haq to appoint Mushtaq Ahmed, the veteran legspinner, as the bowling consultant of the senior team for the home series against India.A senior Board official confirmed that Mushtaq would continue in the role on the request of the team management. “We didn’t have time to call an ad-hoc committee meeting to discuss future appointments due to the Eid holidays and other problems. But because the team management made a request we decided to retain Mushtaq as consultant after speaking to the committee members.”Mushtaq, 35, was originally recalled to the Test squad for the series against England in November but didn’t play in any of the matches. He was dropped for the one-day series against England but retained as a bowling consultant by the Board. But he was released after the series.Mushtaq was seen working with the players at the nets and was confident he would be getting the nod once again. It is no secret that Inzamam and coach Bob Woolmer are both comfortable with him working with the other players and remaining attached with the team. “Mushtaq is a very experienced cricketer and knows all these players well,” Inzamam said. “He is a good communicator and they can discuss things with him without any problems. He is a big help which is why we wanted him as a bowling consultant.”Mushtaq, who has a contract with English county Sussex for this year, has taken 185 wickets in 52 Tests and 161 in 144 one-dayers. The official said this contract was a big hindrance in the Board appointing him as an assistant coach on a long-term basis. The official also said that a decision on the assistant coach would be taken after the Indian series now.In a statement to the press, the PCB revealed that it has also called upon three other former Pakistani bowlers to assist the current crop. “Shahryar Khan [PCB Chairman] has invited Pakistan legends Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis to help out the national team with their bowling whenever they are available to do so,” a PCB official said.

Tama Canning is bowled by Mohammad Sami in Pakistan in 2003© AFP

New Zealand received some rare good injury news when Daniel Vettori was cleared to play in the final one-day match against Australia at Napier tomorrow. Vettori missed the Wellington match with back soreness but wants to return to bowl some overs before the first Test at Christchurch on Thursday.The desperate injury situation means Tana Canning will replace Nathan Asle, who has a shoulder problem, as New Zealand try to avoid a 5-0 series cleansweep. Canning, the allrounder, was a late call-up on the Australia tour last year and is expected to bat at No. 8. Born in Adelaide, Canning was a graduate of the Australia academy with Brett Lee and Michael Clarke, and will return for his first one-day match in 14 months.An Australia win would take them to a record 140 points on the ICC one-day table and force New Zealand to drop from second to third.New Zealand 1 Stephen Fleming (capt), 2 Craig Cumming, 3 Hamish Marshall, 4 James Marshall, 5 Craig McMillan, 6 Chris Cairns, 7 Brendon McCullum, 8 Tama Canning, 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 Jeff Wilson, 11 Kyle Mills, 12 Lance Hamilton.

South Africa 658 for 9 dec (Kallis 177, Gibbs 142, Kirsten 137) beat West Indies 264 and 329 (Sarwan 114, Chanderpaul 109) by an innings and 65 runs
Scoreboard

Andre Nel yorks Wavell Hinds with his fourth ball of the day © Getty Images 2003

South Africa duly wrapped up the second Test at Durban by an innings and 65 runs, and so took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-Test series. But the day itself belonged to Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who salvaged a degree of pride for West Indies with a pair of battling centuries.Sarwan, who was felled by a Makhaya Ntini bouncer when he had made 29, shook off the ill-effects to make 114, his third Test century. West Indies had been deep in the mire at 32 for 2 when he set about his rearguard, and he eventually found an ally in Chanderpaul, with whom he added 113 for the sixth wicket. It was not enough to carry the match into a fifth and final day, but it was something to cling to and carry forward into next week’s Cape Town showdown.West Indies had begun the day in a hopeless situation, still 376 runs away from asking South Africa to bat again. And it took just six overs for the first breakthrough of the day. With his fourth ball, Andre Nel produced a perfect yorker that zipped under Wavell Hinds’s bat and into his stumps for 11 (31 for 1). And almost before the dust had settled, Shaun Pollock struck Daren Ganga on the back pad with a typically accurate wicket-to-wicket delivery (32 for 2).That brought Brian Lara to the crease, in his 100th Test. He made 72 in the first innings, after the Windies had slumped to 17 for 4, and looked determined to produce something even more substantial, as he took his time to settle into his innings. Sarwan, by contrast, set off like a train, cracking six fours in his first 29 runs, including consecutive cover drives off Makhaya Ntini. But he was considerably shaken by his crack on the helmet, took the rest of the session to regain his momentum.To make matters worse, Sarwan lost his partner. After inching to 11 from 70 balls, Lara couldn’t resist taking on Andrew Hall, and spooned a simple catch to Neil McKenzie at square leg (78 for 3). Shortly afterwards, Jacques Kallis picked up his first wicket of the match as Carlton Baugh drove loosely to Ntini at mid-off, and West Indies were staring down the barrel.Ridley Jacobs thumped two typically unorthodox boundaries in his 15, before skidding a low catch to Gary Kirsten in the covers off the legspinner Jacques Rudolph, and Rudolph might have had a second wicket, but Martin van Jaarsveld couldn’t cling on at short leg when Chanderpaul had made 2.Sarwan went to tea on 95 not out, and brought up his century in the first over after the break, as Rudolph was met halfway down the track and on-driven for four. Chanderpaul took a liking to Rudolph as well, hoisting him into the midwicket stands and driving him down the ground. But Ntini returned after the drinks break, and instantly made the breakthrough, as Sarwan underedged onto his stumps (243 for 6).It was the cue for Chanderpaul to cut loose, and he had raced to 79, by the time Andre Nel grabbed two wickets in three balls to leave South Africa in sight of victory. Vasbert Drakes flinched a short ball to Rudolph at short leg, before Merv Dillon fished a comfortable catch to Herschelle Gibbs at third slip (271 for 8).But Adam Sanford proved a resolute ally, although he was aided by a Gibbs dropped catch when Chanderpaul was on 92. The pair added 46 for the ninth wicket, with Chanderpaul reaching his ninth Test century with consecutive fours off Nel. With little reason to hold back, he then chanced his arm once too often and pulled Ntini to Neil McKenzie, who clung onto a fierce chance at square leg. Ntini completed the rout by having Fidel Edwards caught behind for 5, but thanks to Sarwan and Chanderpaul the margin of victory was less emphatic than had been feared.