Mark Ramprakash has vowed to continue playing in his natural, attacking manner – despite the criticism he received after his dismissal against Shane Warne in the second innings at Trent Bridge.Ramprakash was stumped by Adam Gilchrist as he came down the pitch to hit Warne over the top in the second innings. The manner of his dismissal, and its timing, coming as England battled to save the game and not long from the close of day two, provoked a furious reaction from some sections of the media.But Ramprakash defended his positive intentions, and reiterated his desire to carry his county style of play into the Test arena.”I wasn’t happy with the execution of the shot at Trent Bridge, I didn’t get close enough to the pitch of the ball and I was disappointed with that but I’m happy with the thinking behind it,” explained Ramprakash.”I was looking to play my natural game, the seam bowlers were bowling very well at one end and I felt confident enough to try and attack the spinner.”The barrage of criticism that Ramprakash has been subjected to since his dismissal in the Third Test is ironic considering that, in the past, he has been criticized for his caution at Test level.”Throughout my Test career I’ve been accused of not playing my shots, but this year I’m happy with the way I’m approaching the game and I will be looking to take the attacking option when I can – even if that means going down the pitch to Shane Warne,” Ramprakash said.”At the start of the summer both Ian Botham and Graham Gooch said England should try and attack Australia wherever possible and I think that’s the right way to go.”Ramprakash also expressed concern at the effect the level of criticism he had been subjected to would have on young players.”It’s a shame about the negative reaction,” he said. “We want young players growing up in England to come up and play aggressively and play their shots – we want them to go out and express themselves.”As a player you always have to be honest with yourself and accept when you’ve done something wrong, which is what I’ve done, but the general way of thinking should be to encourage players to go out and play their natural games.”It’s something in the past that has concerned me. It’s almost as if in England we’d rather a batsman get out playing a forward defensive shot than trying to take the attack to the opposition.”When you play for England you know there’s a lot of media attention on you and you know that everything you do is going to be under the spotlight.”As a player you have to come to a decision that if you’re going out to play for England the best thing is to play your natural way. When you go out on the pitch you have to be certain in your own mind what you’re going to try and do.”I realise it was a shot that didn’t come off, but I know how to play the shot and if I think the shot is on then I will have to weigh it up when I’m out there.”The Surrey man conceded that with Thorpe and Vaughan likely to return to the England side for The Oval Test, his place could be in jeopardy. So a good performance in Leeds is crucial.”I realise that Graham Thorpe and Michael Vaughan have been playing really well for England over the last 18 months and I could be one of the guys left out for the Oval,” he admitted.”For me, it’s a question of looking to play hard in this match and go on from there. I’m taking this as a one-off and we’ll see what happens after that.”

Duncan Fletcher has insisted that England still have plenty to play for in the remainder of the npower Test series, despite the Ashes having been lost.The England coach is determined that the good work of the previous 18 months should not be undermined by a morale destroying 5-0 whitewash at the hands of the Australians.”It would have been important that we won the series,” Fletcher said. “If there is a whitewash, it will set us back quite a bit, I’d have to honest about that, after the good work we have done.”Fletcher believes that England could have won at Trent Bridge, but knows that the there is a narrow divide between success and failure at this level.”At one stage we had a chance when we had them seven down,” Fletcher reflected ruefully. “If we had got a couple of wickets next day, it would have been an interesting Test match, if we’d have knocked them over for 120 and got a few more runs.”We’ve got to play a higher standard of cricket. Australia have got an experienced Test side and have come through those areas before. I think 250 would have been a good target.”But echoing the words of David Graveney – the chairman of selectors, who told the BBC that wholesale team changes were not on the cards – Fletcher expressed his faith in the current side.”This side has shown it’s got pride before – they want to come back and play with a lot of a pride and try and get a victory or two out of the next two Tests.”We’ve gone though five Test series undefeated before this. The guys played well. At the end of day, and I’ve mentioned this before, we probably peaked too soon to some degree.”Selection is always a very difficult task, it not an easy job to do. You pick someone you always get criticised in hindsight. Most of the time when you pick them you are not sure how mentally strong they are when they reach that level you only find out when they play out there.”Responding to the news that Nasser Hussain is to return to competitive cricket in an Essex second XI game against Notts on Wednesday, Fletcher was at pains to credit the importance of Hussain to the team.”Nasser is very important to the England side,” Fletcher said. “He’s been with us through that successful period, we were expecting the side to perform well in the series.”Suddenly to lose him was a very big blow – he’s a shrewd captain, assesses the situation well.”And he defended some of England’s old-guard, who are the centre of speculation concerning their international futures. He hinted that both players would feature in the side for the rest of the series.”It was very difficult for an individual (Mike Atherton) who hasn’t done the job for while, even with his past experience, to come in here in a situation like this and captain against Australia,” Fletcher reasoned.”Alec Stewart has done well, kept well, played some important knocks, Atherton’s played some very important knocks for us. Not only that, they are experienced.”It’s difficult to go into a Test match without experience, and they are our two most experienced players around at the moment.”Meanwhile Michael Slater reiterated Australia’s desire to complete a 5-0 whitewash.”That’s our attitude, that’s something we have addressed over the last couple of years, because in the past we’ve been guilty of winning a series and then pulling back a bit for the last couple,” Slater said.”You could call them dead rubbers, but there’s never a dead game because there’s the pride you have to play with for you individual performance.”So we are looking to win 5-0 now. You don’t to look too far ahead, the Headingley Test is the next important one for us, but certainly our sights are set on winning 5-0.”Consistency is winning us the matches. We’ve got an amazingly talented side and we’ve got a wealth of experience now. And all that talent has been harnessed now, and we’ve got individuals who believe in their talent,” Slater continued.”Those who are out their representing your country have got to believe they are good enough to be out there. I think England need to work overtime at really believing and getting the combination right.”I think they are up against a more experienced side and a side that has been winning for a long time. And because of that belief and optimism, you are always looking at the nicer side of things and you are used to winning those key moments.”

Sri Lanka’s third successive failure in Kandy leaves supporters and punditssearching for rational explanations. Forget talk of ground hoodoos and jinx,though, because there is a trend that suggests a more disturbing conclusion:This Sri Lankan Test side has forgotten how to win closely fought matchesand has become scared of success.To lose three Tests on the trot in one venue overseas could be explained byunfamiliar conditions, but against South Africa and England the crumblingpitch was perfectly suited to Sri Lanka’s medley of spinners while the pitch in the match against India was neutral, offering both sides an equal chance.Ground conditions then do not provide an adequate answer. Instead, one needsto look at the nature of the games themselves and there are clearsimilarities that can be drawn between all three matches. Sanath Jayasuriyaalluded to it when he said after the game: “We did not lose because we played inKandy, but because of the cricket we played.”Firstly, Sri Lanka lost in Kandy having won the first Test of a three-Testseries in Galle. Secondly, all three games were closely fought affairs inwhich Sri Lanka had established, but then squandered positions of dominance.Finally, Sri Lanka’s batsmen floundered in their second innings.All the above point to a sudden bout of timidity just when the final nailsin the coffin were to be banged in with gusto. When the time comes tofinish off the series, Sri Lanka’s players offer the opposition a kindlyhand of assistance back onto their feet.This week we saw it when India were 154 for six in their first innings,still 120 runs adrift of Sri Lanka. One hour later India had reduced thedeficit to 42 after a blistering 44 from 32 balls by Harbhajan Singh. SriLanka had undone all the good work earlier in the day with a profligatespell of bowling after tea.Then, in their second innings, Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara hadextended their slender lead to 94 at the end of the day with nine wicketsremaining. Even if they had played reasonably for two hours they would havebatted India out of the game. They responded woefully, losing eight wicketsfor 105 runs.India deserve some credit of course. Harbhajan Singh still had to capitaliseon the wayward bowling and Zaheer Khan and Venkatesh Prasad put the ball inthe right areas. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka were in charge of their destiny andthey opted for self-destruction.Sri Lanka’s problems, it seems, may be twofold and fundamental. Firstly,could it be that their great strength as humans, is their greatest weaknessin cricket: they are simply too unselfish and charming? Do their societalvalues that underpin each individual actually undermine the development of akiller instinct in cricket?They can surely be no better hosts in international cricket. During England’s last tour the cricket board actually forced the national captain and coachto miss a day of training in Colombo so that they could attend a pre-tourpress conference in Galle. Then, when England requested a last minute changein itinerary, they acquiesced without a murmur.To the hard-nosed Australia or South Africa such pliant behaviour by theiradministrators would cause outrage. They make life as hard as possible fortouring sides and reap the consequent rewards. Sri Lankan administrators,however, go out of their way to be amenable and co-operative, sometimes tothe detriment of their own side.The Test team follows cue, by letting the opposition back into games whenthey should be ruthless, ramming home their advantage and rubbing the nosesof the opposition into the dust.Ingrained benevolence can only be part of the explanation. The rest isexplained by a regression, not in talent or technique, but in attitude. DavWhatmore summed it up well before the Kandy Test when he said: “The playersdon’t know how good they are.”In one-day cricket Sri Lanka have mastered the art of winning, but in Testcricket success remains elusive because the team lacks the self beliefnecessary to finish the job, especially in tight situations. Too muchrespect is given to the opposition and too little to themselves, whichprompts bouts of negativity at pivotal moments.When one sees the old warhorse Arjuna Ranatunga pop up in the commentarybox, one is reminded just how much he gave to Sri Lankan cricket. He was notperfect by any means, but he was fearless and arrogant and that mentalitybrushed off on the team, who finally realised that they need not beinternational minnows.Ranatunga took the game to the opposition. Off the field he may have beensoft-spoken, but on it he was confrontational and aggressive. In shortRanatunga was a winner, who looked at an opponent in the eye and believed hewas better, even if he wasn’t.Sanath Jayasuriya has many qualities as a captain and his consensual stylehelped heal rifts in the early days, but he is lacking in the qualities thatSri Lanka now need most: a true leader of men who can make the team believein itself.So, what can be done? Nothing overnight is the unfortunate truth becausethere is no natural leader and Sri Lanka are faced with a catch 22 cul-de-sac.To overcome what is effectively an inferiority complex they need to startwinning Test series, but to do that they need to prevent their bouts ofintrospection.There is, however, some paradoxical hope. Sri Lanka invariably lose matchesthat are tightly contested, but can win emphatically, where the pressure isless and winning involves a slow kill. Sri Lanka’s best chance of winningthe series it seems is for them to establish an unassailable advantage inthe final Test, before slowly eking out the opposition.

Forty-two teams, including the Afghanistan national side, will takepart in the Quaid-e-Azam Cricket Trophy Grade-II, starting in all thefour provinces from Oct 15.The Afghanistan team is placed in NWFP pool’s group-I and will playits first match against Nowshehra at Peshawar from Oct 15 to 16. Thecompetitions in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will be played on the samepattern of the Under-19 Grade-I tournament with 2-day matches. Thesemifinals and final will be played between the provincial championsand duration of the matches will be of3- day.Following is the schedule (tabulate mentioned, date, teams, venue,):Sindh (Pool “A”). Oct 15-16: Sukkur vs Shikarpur, Niaz Stadium,Hyderabad, Nawabshah vs Jacobabad at Nawabshah Stadium,Group-I. Mirpurkhas vs Dadu, KCCA Stadium, Karachi;Thatta vs Badin,Makil ground, Thatta, Group-II. Oct 18-19: Larkana vs Sukkur, NiazStadium, Hyderabad; Jacobabad vsShikarpurat Nawabshah Stadium, Group-I. Mirpurkhas vs Badin. KCCA Stadium, Karachi; Thatta vs Mirpurkhas,Makli ground, Thatta,Group-II. Oct 21-22: Larkana-Nawabshah, Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad;Sukkur vs Jacobabad at Nawabshah Stadium Group-I. Thatta vsMirpurkhas, Makil ground, Thatta; Badin vs Dadu, KCCA Stadium, KarachiGroup-II. Oct 24-25: Larkana vs Shikarpur, Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad;Sukkur vs Nawabshah, Nawabshah StadiumGroup-I. Oct 27-28: Larkana vs Jacobabad, Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad,Shikarpur vs Nawabshah, Nawabshah StadiumGroup-I. Oct 31 to Nov 1: Winner of Group-I vs Winner of Group-II.Balochistan (Pool C). Oct 15-16: Sibivs Loralai, Bugti Stadium,Quetta;Pishin vs Chagi, Shola ground, QuettaGroup-I. Quetta vs Kalat, PCB Academy ground, Kararchi; Turbat vsNaseerabad, Asghar Ali Shah Stadium, KarachiGroup-II. Oct 18 to 19: Sibi vs Pishin, Bugti Stadium,Quetta; Loralaivs Chagi, Shola ground, QuettaGroup-I. Quetta vs Turbat, PCB Academy ground, Karachi, Kalat vsNaseerabad, Asghar Ali Shah Stadium,KarachiGroup-II. Oct 21-22: Sibi-Chagi, Shola ground, Quetta; Loralai vsPishin, Bughti Stadium, QuettaGroup I. Quetta vs Naseerabad, Asghar Ali Shah Stadium, Karachi; Kalatvs Turbat, PCB Academy, KarachiGroup-II. Oct 25-28: Winner of Group-I vs Winner of Group-II.NWFP (Pool B). Oct15-16:Mardan vs Swat, University ground No.2Peshawar; Afghanistan vs Nowshera, Gym ground, Peshawar; Haripur vsNorthern Areas, University ground No.1 PeshawarGroup-I. Dera Ismail Khan vs Abbotabad, DI Khan Stadium, at Arbab NiazStadium, Peshawar,Group-II. Oct 18-19: Mardan vs Haripur, University ground No.1;Afghanistan vs Northern Areas, Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar; Swat vsNowshehra, Gym ground, PeshawarGroup-I. Kohat vs FATA, Kohat Stadium, Kohat; Abbotabad vs Bannu,University ground No.2Group-II. Oct 21-22: Mardan vs Northern Areas, University ground No.1,Peshawar; Afghanistan vs Swat, Arbab Niaz Stadium,Peshawar; HaripurvsNoshera at Gym ground, PeshawarGroup-I. Dera Ismail Khan vs Fata, DI KhanStadiums; Kohat vs Bannu,Kohat Stadium,KohatGroup-II. Oct 24-25: Mardan vs Nowshera, Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar;Afghanistan vs Haripur, Gym ground, Peshawar; Swat vs Northern Areas,University ground No.1, PeshawarGroup-I. Dera IsmailKhanvs Bannu, DI Khan Stadium, DI Khan; Kohat vsAbbotabad, Kohat Stadium, KohatGroup-II. Oct 27-28: Swat vs Haripur, University ground no. 2,Peshawar; Afghanistan vs Mardan, Gym ground, Peshawar; Nowshera vsNorthernAreas, University ground No.1Group-I. Kohat vs D I Khan, D I Khan stadium; Abbotabad vs Fata, ArbabNiaz Stadium, Peshawar Group-II. Oct 31 to Nov 1: Winner of GroupvsWinner of Group-II.Punjab (Pool D). Oct 15-16: D G Khan vs Vehari, Vehari Stadium; RahimYar Khan-Rajanpur, Mahmood StadiumGroup-I. Okara vs Kasur, Okara; Sahiwalvs Multan,Multan CricketStadiumGroup-II. Attock vs Jhelum, Attock; Mianwali vs AJK, KRL Stadium,RawalpindiGroup-III. Jhang vs Hafizabad, Chenab College, Jhang; Gujrat vsKhanewal, Zahoor Elahi Stadium, GujratGroup-IV. Oct 18-19: Rahim Yar Khan vs Vehari,Mahmood Stadium; DG Khanv Rajanpur, Vehari StadiumGroup-I. Okara vs Sahiwal, Biscuit Factory, Sahiwal; Kasur vs Multan,Multan StadiumGroup-II. Attock vs Mianwali, Attock; Jhelum vs AJK, KRL Stadium,RawalpindiGroup-III. Gujrat vs Jhang, Chenab College, Jhang; Hafizabad vsKhanewal, Zahoor Elahi, GujratGroup-IV. Oct 21-22: Vehari vs Rajanpur, Vehari Stadium;Rahim Yar Khanvs DG Khan, Mahmood StadiumGroup-I. Multan vs Okara, Municipal Stadium, Okara; Sahiwal vs Kasur,Biscuit Factory, SahiwalGroup-II. Attock vs AJK, Attock; Jhelum vs Mianwali,KRL Stadium,RawalpindiGroup-III. Khanewal vs Jhang, Chenab College, Jhang; Gujrat vsHafizabad, Zahoor Elahi,GujratGroup IV. Oct 25-26: Winner of group-I vs Winner of Group-II; Winnerof Group-III vs Winner of Group-IV. Oct 29-30:Winners of Oct 25-26 will play the regional final. The top teams ofeach province will qualify for the semifinals to be held from Nov 5 to7.The first semifinal will be played between the winners of Pool A andWinner of Pool C.The second pre-final will be played between the Winners of Pool B andthe Winners of Pool D.The final will be held on Nov 10-12. The venues for the semifinals andfinal will be announced later.U-19 finalMeanwhile the final of the National Under-19 Grade-I (four-day) willbe played between Lahore Blues and Peshawar at Pindi Stadium,Rawalpindi from Oct10to 13.Meanwhile, the second semifinal of national Under-19Grade-I (One daytournament) will be played between KCCA Whites and LCCA BluesonOct4 atNational Stadium, Karachi. The winners will meet KCCA Blues in thefinal of the championship to be held at the National Stadium Karachion Oct 6.

Bangladesh is fighting to avoid an innings defeat as they were all out for 251 in their first innings and forced to bat again. To avoid the follow on the hosts needed 343 runs, but a horrendous come-and-go of the local batsmen led the squad to end up with 92 runs short of their target. The only consolation was the swashbuckling hundred that came from Habibul Bashar’s bat, who batted exceptionally well all through and arranged his innings with 15 sparkling boundaries.With the overnight 57 for 1, Bangladesh lost Al-Sahariar in the first hour today, when the opener failed to fend off an Olonga delivery that trapped him lbw. He got three lucky survive throughout his 29.The next partnership was looking auspicious as Aminul Islam was batting sensibly, though Bashar was scoring most of the runs. Aminul gave a return catch to Marillier at 21 and the leggie took it comfortably. The people of Chittagong were much disappointed to see their local hero Akram Khan back soon after Aminul’s exit. Again it was Marillier to remove him for a scanty 6 besides his name.Bashar was retaining the strike as much as possible and batted fearlessly. He deserved a century long before, at least in one of the five half centuries he made; but fate remained stern on him on every occasion. This ground was the opportunity to score big runs and he knew it.He hit four boundaries after he reached eighty and reached his hundred (108) by flicking Olonga to third man. Bashar lost his concentration a bit and Grant Flower took this advantage to beat him lastly by a delivery that turned sharply, slopped through his bat and clipped his bails off.After Bashar, Mohammed Ashraful put some resistance to score a patient 33. The kid overcame the initial nervousness and batted prudently. He played 140 balls while his teammates were dropping quickly. Skipper Naimur Rahman could not take control of his run drought once again scoring 5 runs only.Bangladesh were packed up for 251 with more than two days ahead. Left arm off spinner Grant Flower bagged four wickets.The remaining session allowed 10 overs of play and the hosts were 15 for no loss at the close of the day.

The Indians are once again in a familiar situation with their backs tothe wall. At the moment, they can only hope that rain will save themfrom defeat in the second test at St. George’s Park. The ordinaryperformance notwithstanding, the team management faltered from thevery outset with regard to the team composition. Logic and commonsense were put on the back burner before the final eleven was picked.Being diplomatic is one thing, but being wishy-washy is another thingaltogether, and a reluctance to take tough and hard decisions cannotbe deemed as diplomacy at any point of time.

The explanation of John Wright that the best four bowlers were playedwas about as convincing as the Indian batting. It appears that Wrighthas adapted himself very well to the Indian way of thinking and theprevailing system. Regardless of whatever explanations he dishes out,the think-tank has failed terribly in its moment of reckoning. Thegame plan was very obvious, with the Indians determined to field onwinning the toss. What was inexplicable was the decision of playingjust the two seamers; after all, playing two spinners can be fullyjustified only if the Indians were to bowl in the second and thefourth innings.The decision to drop a spinner was always going to be a tough one, butthe conditions warranted the inclusion of a third seamer. I hasten toadd that I am not being wise in hindsight; I had written about this inmy earlier article. It would not be unfair to presume that the teammanagement was weak-kneed and did not want to ruffle any feathers, andhence took the easy way out. They had a choice of five seamers, andthe reason they are in the squad is that they are required on SouthAfrican pitches.

The shuffle in the batting order had mixed results; to be fair, theyoung stumper Deep Dasgupta acquitted himself rather well, bearing inmind that he had kept wicket for a day and a half. Sourav Ganguly keptshouting wolf and threatening to open the innings, but it was fairlycertain that he would not. One should make some allowances for him,though, as he is not among the runs in a big way. Rahul Dravid yetagain became a yo-yo by acceding meekly to the wishes of the teammanagement. He should remain at one particular batting slot, simplybecause he has such a good record abroad. VVS Laxman batted muchbetter in this Test, and it is good to see that he has altered hisapproach towards batting. He was more at peace with himself, and hisshot selection was percentage-based rather than mere flamboyance.

Javagal Srinath was the only real silver lining in the cloud, and hisbowling in this Test was probably his best. His discipline wasexcellent, and when he bowls like this, he is on par with any topperformer in the business. But he has been given an excessiveworkload, and he will be better off when used in short bursts.Returning to the strange decisions involved in team selection, it waseven stranger to see Anil Kumble hardly being pressed into service. Itis normally difficult to see a leading wicket-taker for the countryunder-bowled and that too with just four bowlers in the ranks. If thatis the confidence level of the captain, then all the more reason forhim to have left Kumble out and played a third seamer. India mightstill have been in a similar situation with three seamers playing, butwhatever happened to that element of strategy?

PERTH, Dec 7 AAP – Tour rookie Jacques Rudolph went a long way towards securing a Test cricket debut by making a half-century for South Africa against Western Australia here today.South Africa was 2-115 at lunch with Rudolph on 52 and Jacques Kallis on 20.Rudolph, 20, had some anxious moments on a lively pitch but stayed positive and pulled out a wide variety of attacking strokes.He hit 10 boundaries – a couple through the slip cordon – in bringing up his 50 off 55 balls.With his main rival Boeta Dippenaar left out of the team for this match, Rudolph is now a strong contender to make his Test debut against Australia at the Adelaide Oval next week.With Kallis he’s added 69 for the third wicket after the tourists lost their openers inside the first hour.Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten departed early as WA’s pace bowlers Matt Nicholson and Stuart Karpinnen made the most of the well-grassed strip.Gibbs (two) went in the fifth over when he was caught behind off Nicholson and Kirsten (31) paid the price for chasing a wide ball from Karppinen and was snared at first slip by Simon Katich.Rudolph took some time to find his bearings but also played some dazzling strokes through the offside field in a spirited showing.Kallis, who has been in fantastic form in South Africa’s home series this summer against Zimbabwe and India, struggled to lay bat on ball in the early part of his innings.His four boundaries came from two edges and two crashing back foot drives.Acting South African captain Mark Boucher elected to bat first on a deck which offered more life and bounce than the one used for the drawn Test between Australia and New Zealand.Tour captain Shaun Pollock opted to sit out this game to allow pacemen Allan Donald and Steve Elworthy to put forward their Test claims.

Tamil Nadu captain Robin Singh claimed four wickets to lead his side to a seven-wicket win over Goa at the STRSA Stadium, Visakhapatnam.Goa, who won the toss, lost their captain VV Kolambakar in the fourth over of the day and they never recovered from there, being dismissed for 177 in 44.1 overs. For Tamil Nadu, medium-pacers L Balaji and MR Shrinivas also bowled well claiming two wickets each.A 84 off just 76 balls from No. 3 J Madanagopal meant that Tamil Nadu then overhauled the target with minimum off fuss in just 32 overs. The seven wicket-win that they achieved in the end was enough to guarantee them the maximum of five points.

St.Kilda all-rounder Nick Jewell will make his ING Cup debut when the Bushrangers tackle the Queensland Bulls at the GABBA on Friday.In the only change, Jewell comes in for Jason Arnberger who will miss with a back injury. His elevation comes after registering his second century last week, in the ACB Cup competition this year against the England Cricket Academy at the MCG.The son of Victorian football identity Tony Jewell and a former Richmond footballer himself, Jewell was looking forward to the match. “I’ve been happy with my improvement over the season and feel I am ready to contribute to the side at the next level. Cricket has always been my passion and to get this opportunity is very exciting”.In other Victorian cricket news, the Second XI travel to Perth on Sunday to take on W.A in a clash likely to determine the 2001/02 ACB Cup champion.Captain Damien Fleming will spearhead the Vics bowling line up after some encouraging recent form against the England Cricket Academy and in Victorian Premier Cricket.BUSHRANGERS ING Cup team to play QLD Bulls at the GABBA on 1/2/02
Matthew Elliott (c), Rob Bartlett, Brad Hodge, Michael Klinger, Nick Jewell, Jon Moss, Andrew McDonald, Darren Berry, Ian Hewett, Damien Fleming, Mick Lewis, Mathew Inness.Victorian ACB Cup team to play WA in Perth from Monday Feb 4-7th
Damien Fleming (c), Tim Welsford, Andrew Kent, Nick Jewell, Andrew McDonald, David Hussey, Peter Roach, John Davison, Bryce McGain, Brett Harrop, Anthony McQuire, Will Carr.

CFX Academy go into the third day of this Logan Cup game at Mutare Sports Club with a lead of 305 runs, three batsmen still in hand, and are clear favourites to prevail with time to spare. In a day which saw the Mutare track flatten and batsmen prosper, the youngsters have created a near impregnable position from which Manicaland will do well to draw.Resuming his overnight score of 69, Manicaland captain Neil Ferreira pushed on to 106 (14 fours) in the best knock of the match so far. Granted another life by the Academy wicketkeeper off unlucky speedster Nicholle in the 80s, Ferreira accumulated runs calmly, showing his teammates what a four-day temperament can achieve. He left well, defended well and was happy to attack when opportunities arose.For the Academy, blond rugby-forward-proportioned Peter Rinke improved his control greatly from the previous day to capture four for 39 with his inswinging off-cutters. Bowling a similar line but with more zip the unlucky Nicholle – recently returned from Zimbabwe Under-19 tour of New Zealand – looked the best and most likely to progress to the next level. Chouhan picked up one for 24 with his leg-spinners and, whilst he varied his pace and was prepared to toss it up, the Manicaland batsmen were guilty of letting him settle. The Academy will encounter better batting line-ups than Manicaland and their failure to put them away will worry chief coach and team manager Dave Houghton.The second century of the day went to left-arm spinner Ian `Coolbox’ Coulson, who suffered violent treatment at the hands of Glen Barrett for a second day running. Smacking consecutive missiles over the clubhouse and scorebox and another right through the top right corner of the sight-screen, Barrett continued his dominance of Manicaland’s bowlers and ominously remained unbeaten on 74 (6 sixes, 4 fours in 52 balls) at stumps. An entertaining batsman who is much more than a slogger, it is however unlikely that his flamboyant technique would survive the more detailed examination of a Wasim Akram or Saqlain Mushtaq. The unlucky Coulson was left to contemplate a catch offered by Barratt in the 50s that resulted in a high-speed head-collision between Tino Mawoyo and Nyeem Sheth.As the two (and the cricket ball) lay motionless at backward square leg, visiting Hippo Valley MD (and square-leg umpire) Mark Deary was able to verify that everyone would live and the game resumed after a 10-minute time-out. Also amongst the runs was Chouhan with 72 (12 fours) who drove and pulled well but, as with his bowling, Manicaland allowed him too much free time to acclimatize.Manicaland face huge problems of survival on the third day, having under-performed for most of the match to date.