"The South African team are very disappointed with today's decision and remain extremely concerned about safety and security in Pakistan," Tony Irish, chief executive of the South African Cricketers' Association, told Reuters. "We hope Cricket South Africa (CSA) will sit down with us and talk to us about whether they are seriously considering sending a team to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan or not."

Paul Marsh, the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief executive, was also disappointed with the decision. "The ACA continues to have serious concerns with our players touring Pakistan for the Champions Trophy and we are disappointed with the ICC's decision," he said.

"Based on the independent information and advice received, we maintain that the risks are simply too great for the ACA to recommend that our players tour Pakistan at this time. We would expect Cricket Australia to adopt the same position."

Players from Australia and New Zealand, such as Andrew Symonds and Jacob Oram, have already stated their concern over touring Pakistan. Cricket Australia spokesperson Peter Young told the Age: "We're not willing to send our players or team officials anywhere that is not safe. We will always reserve the right to put player welfare first."

They believe it was an irresponsible decision by ICC by putting the lives of cricketers of the nations that are fighting the 'war on terror'. I can see why Eng, Aus and NZ might consider themselves in danger but why do South Africans consider themselves targets. They're Africans man. They haven't invaded any countries. They could send an 'all black' team I guess.They already have something like a 'half-black' quota. They could make it a full black thing just to be safe.

In Australia Andrew Symonds has been the most scared of them cricketers and that dude isn't even white. He's an Afro-Caribbean for God's sake. I mean what's he scared of? Nobody's gonna hurt him. He could blend in with those Caribbean cricketers.

Anyway until the 'task force' finds something new the champions trophy is still on in Pakistan.

Many of the boards which agreed that Pakistan should host then told press that they were actually trying to push their players to play and they were getting strong opposition regarding the same from their players. The worst hit were the South Africans. However ICC'c Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat, said that neither the players who are opting to pull out nor their respective boards would be penalised if they wish to.

Changing the venue would have been a big issue as the four Asian Nations will jointly host the 2011 edition of the World Cup. This gets me to think how will the players be able to concentrate and give their best when they aren't willing to play in a hostile location? They can't even easily give up as their Nation's pride is at stake.

	Sri Lanka 1st innings			R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
		MG Vandort	c Karthik b Sharma	3	18	13	0	0	23.07
		BSM Warnapura	c Dravid b Harbhajan Singh	115	268	202	14	0	56.93
		KC Sangakkara	c Dravid b Khan	12	47	21	1	0	57.14
		DPMD Jayawardene	c Karthik b Sharma	136	375	259	10	1	52.50
		TT Samaraweera	not out	111		187	16	0	59.35
		TM Dilshan	not out	20		55	2	0	36.36
		Extras	(b 4, lb 5, nb 16)	25
		Total	(4 wickets; 120 overs)	422	(3.51 runs per over)

To bat HAPW Jayawardene, WPUJC Vaas, KMDN Kulasekara, BAW Mendis, M Muralitharan

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Z Khan	27	2	112	1	4.14	(10nb)
	I Sharma	25	3	97	2	3.88
	SC Ganguly	8	1	24	0	3.00
	Harbhajan Singh	29	2	88	1	3.03
	A Kumble	27	3	75	0	2.77	(6nb)
	V Sehwag	4	0	17	0	4.25

	India team

V Sehwag, G Gambhir, R Dravid, VVS Laxman, SR Tendulkar, SC Ganguly, KD Karthik, A Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, I Sharma

Match notes

• Day 1
• Sri Lanka 1st innings
• Lunch: Sri Lanka - 0/0
• Tea: Sri Lanka - 0/0
• 15:00 local time: A delayed start due to rain and wet outfield, play to start at 15:30 local time.
• Drinks: Sri Lanka - 48/1 in 12.0 overs (BSM Warnapura 33, KC Sangakkara 8)
• Sri Lanka: 50 runs in 12.1 overs (76 balls), Extras 4
• 2nd Wicket: 50 runs in 55 balls (BSM Warnapura 34, KC Sangakkara 12, Ex 4)
• BSM Warnapura: 50 off 74 balls (6 x 4)
• Bad Light: Sri Lanka - 85/2 in 22.0 overs (BSM Warnapura 50, DPMD Jayawardene 16)
• End Of Day: Sri Lanka - 85/2 in 22.0 overs (BSM Warnapura 50, DPMD Jayawardene 16)

• Day 2
• Sri Lanka: 100 runs in 24.6 overs (153 balls), Extras 4
• 3rd Wicket: 50 runs in 82 balls (BSM Warnapura 17, DPMD Jayawardene 35, Ex 1)
• Drinks: Sri Lanka - 141/2 in 34.0 overs (BSM Warnapura 73, DPMD Jayawardene 43)
• Sri Lanka Innings: 34th over - 7 balls; (Z Khan, called by Umpire MR Benson)
• Sri Lanka: 150 runs in 41.2 overs (258 balls), Extras 11
• 3rd Wicket: 100 runs in 181 balls (BSM Warnapura 46, DPMD Jayawardene 47, Ex 7)
• DPMD Jayawardene: 50 off 93 balls (7 x 4, 1 x 6)
• Drinks: Sri Lanka - 173/2 in 47.0 overs (BSM Warnapura 92, DPMD Jayawardene 55)
• BSM Warnapura: 100 off 163 balls (13 x 4)
• 11:18 local time: Over 45.4 Kumble asks for a lbw referral of the bowling of Harbhajan Singh, the batsman was Warnapura.
• Sri Lanka: 200 runs in 56.5 overs (353 balls), Extras 14
• Lunch: Sri Lanka - 205/2 in 59.0 overs (BSM Warnapura 110, DPMD Jayawardene 66)
• 3rd Wicket: 150 runs in 287 balls (BSM Warnapura 74, DPMD Jayawardene 66, Ex 10)
• Sri Lanka: 250 runs in 71.5 overs (445 balls), Extras 17
• Drinks: Sri Lanka - 251/3 in 72.0 overs (DPMD Jayawardene 82, TT Samaraweera 22)
• 4th Wicket: 50 runs in 88 balls (DPMD Jayawardene 19, TT Samaraweera 29, Ex 3)
• DPMD Jayawardene: 100 off 207 balls (8 x 4, 1 x 6)
• Sri Lanka: 300 runs in 86.3 overs (535 balls), Extras 19
• TT Samaraweera: 50 off 86 balls (8 x 4)
• Tea: Sri Lanka - 305/3 in 88.0 overs (DPMD Jayawardene 105, TT Samaraweera 51)
• 4th Wicket: 100 runs in 183 balls (DPMD Jayawardene 41, TT Samaraweera 53, Ex 9)
• New Ball Taken: Sri Lanka 336/3 after 95.1 overs (DPMD Jayawardene 123, TT Samaraweera 58)
• Sri Lanka: 350 runs in 99.6 overs (617 balls), Extras 25
• Drinks: Sri Lanka - 360/3 in 102.0 overs (DPMD Jayawardene 136, TT Samaraweera 69)
• 16:39 local time: Over 106.3 TM Dilshan asks for a referral, when he was caught behind.
• TT Samaraweera: 100 off 174 balls (15 x 4)
• Sri Lanka: 400 runs in 114.5 overs (706 balls), Extras 25
• 5th Wicket: 50 runs in 84 balls (TT Samaraweera 38, TM Dilshan 14, Ex 0)

• 17:34 local time: Over 119.1 Kumble asks for a lbw referral of the bowling of Harbhajan Singh, the batsman was TM Dilshan.
• End Of Day: Sri Lanka - 422/4 in 120.0 overs (TT Samaraweera 111, TM Dilshan 20)

- About Cricket -

Sandesh Kumar

It was a fun day. The wives put on a huge lunch in a local hall, which was very nice (and included Coronation Chicken - a first for me...). The club also has a side market selling second hand English books, so I snapped up a handful of them, having all but made it through the lot my sister brought for me. I combed through all the boxes and snaffled the prize picks, only to put my pile down 'safely' waiting for Martin to pick his, and when I turned around it had gone!! So I had to go through again, knowing all the best ones were gone! Ah well.

A nice day. There also happened to be a Brocante fair on in the town that day (you know, kinda trash and treasure!), so after lunch I had a browse. No purchases - just don't think Customs would be that impressed with an old stuffed flamingo. I don't think Entrecasteaux play 'the young fellows' again for a little while (got to give the seniors a turn!), but M is on the list. Oh yes, and they won by about a hundred runs I think! Martin hitting a six and a four to impress all.

The old olive mill, recently restored

The cricket itself. Yes, of course I paid attention!!

The ICC has finally taken the right decision today, that is to let the Champions Trophy stay in Pakistan instead of moving to an alternate venue.  The ICC had to take a decision in this regard because although the last few months has seen Pakistan holding a successful Asia cup with 0 problems,  players from teams such as Australia, England and South Africa were still not convinced over traveling here and playing cricket amidst such security fears.

Sadly security is not just a problem that plagues Pakistan.  the last big and proven terrorist attack happened right smack in the middle of London so why is it that teams have no problem touring their while they think they will never make it out of Pakistan alive?  Are we to believe London is safer than Karachi from a terrorist attack? The probability of it happening here may be more but that does not mean it is going to happen?

I personally think this difference is the difference between perception and reality. First of all yes Pakistan does have security issues, yes it can be a dangerous place for anyone but so can any other country in the world today. Terrorism is a global and not local phenomenon these days as illustrated by my above example so what exactly can the PCB do aside from providing VVIP presidential security to the visiting teams?

I think it is time we do something to change the perception of visiting teams. Foolproof security should be arranged yes but take them out for a tour of some of the better known spots of say Lahore or to a beach in Karachi, surround them with machine guns if that makes them feel safe but let them mingle a little with the local populace instead of making them sit in their hotel rooms all day. Our cities have theater, music, cinemas, golf and fine dining.  Show them a little of our positive side for gods sake! If we can do just a little bit of this perhaps  we will see more than one team agreeing to tour here.

In september we the fans of cricket in Pakistan and the rest of the people in this country should make it a point to welcome the incoming foreign teams, even if their will be some names missing it seems, with a show of what is tradition for us. All around genuine hospitality and one hell of an attitude for fun!

To the players who will opt to stay out all I can say is "tough luck" cause with the 8 teams participating this is going to be one hum dinger of a contest. Plus i really fail to understand how you thought Sri Lanka was a safer alternate to Pakistan with regards to security anyways?

Enough is enough, its time to lay aside our differences and let the games begin!!!

A quick, 'well done', to the South African's who, in the end, handed England a bit of a pasting.  Winning the toss was highly conclusive, but when it came down to it, England crumbled at key times.

However, considering the above, I fully expect England to bounce back and square the series, starting July 30th.

In the Tour De France, the new kid on the block, Carlos Sastre, who seems to have slipped under the radar, is actually heading up the standings and holding (wearing) the yellow jersey.

This all leans towards an amazing finally, and I believe there will be around 4/5 riders who could win going into the final stage.  For me, Cadel Evans should just get there, but there is a long way to go, and we all know how many twists and turns that sport can throw up.

In the Tennis, the Murray boys are doing their stuff and winning the doubles, and Andy Murray is through to the third round against Djokovic, who by the way, I expect to pick up his game after the disappointment of Wimbledon.

The big one this weekend here in the UK, is the 20Twenty competition finale at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire.

Essex take on Kent in the first game of the day at 11am GMT.  Shortly followed by Durham against Middlesex.

These games should prove to be highly enthaling and I would like to see Essex go on to at least make the final in the evening, and secure a champions league place.

Another cricket game taking place, is Sri Lanka v India, and the Sri Lankan's are turning the screw ever so slightly, however, I suspect we are looking at a very flat wicket and I expect India to come out and knock just as many runs, when Sri Lanka finally decide to give them a turn!

Where did the selection of Darren Pattinson come in? If England wanted a specialist swing bowler for the game rather than a pace bowler, ruling out Chris Tremlett who has been the 12th man for the past few Tests is understandable, but why then did the selectors decide against Matthew Hoggard? A former England player on his home ground with something to prove, will surely do everything he can to produce that massive performance that puts him in the team for the rest of the series. Does he not tick all the boxes? I guess not unluckily for him.

Can one player upset a team so much? Usually I'd say no, but on this occasion it may have. In the past few years, the players that get into the England Test team have already been talked about for many months beforehand and are on the periphery of the England set up before they get their chance, usually in the ODI side before getting promotion to Test team should they be good enough. This has several advantages as a player wishing to make the England Test team, can do the business in County cricket and catch the eye of the selectors, who may give them a try in the ODI side, before they push for the Test team. It is a very logical and understandable process, to get straight in to the Test team from County cricket you would need to be an exceptional player. So to pick someone on a "horses for courses" basis who is not in and around the England setup, like Pattinson, dents the confidence of all those players in and around the England set up because it gives an element of uncertainty.

Prior to the Pattinson selection, players in the team in the squad could identify the other players that are competing for their spot. The batsmen in the team know they have guys like Shah, Bopara, Key, etc pushing to get in. Known quantities. Similarly the swing bowlers like Jimmy Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom know their competitors. Hoggard, Jones, Onions are pushing for their places. Again known quantities. But the selection of Pattinson blows a hole in the certainty of knowing your enemy, how do you perform if someone can come randomly out of left field and take your place? Or indeed your place in the theoretical pecking order.

This is not to blame Pattinson himself as he tried manfully and did not completely disgrace himself. It was a measure of having a man he did not know about thrust upon him, that Michael Vaughan sent him into the deep field after the 3 overs that made up his first spell. The selectors have took a risky punt for only average results.

So where do England go from here? Their first innings batting in that game was irresponsible and though on paper England have the batsmen to match any team in the world, they rarely all perform to a necessary standard. To me though Tim Ambrose looks too high up the order at no.6, his keeping has been excellent and the criticism of his rival Matt Prior was that he dropped too many catches, though he is thought to be the better batsman. So is it better to score 30 and not drop any catches or score 50 and drop two catches? I would vote for the former so I would keep Ambrose in the team.

My team for the 3rd Test at Edgbaston would line up like this:

• Strauss
• Cook
• Vaughan
• Pietersen
• Bell
• Ambrose
• Flintoff
• Broad
• Sidebottom
• Anderson/Jones
• Panesar

To me this is a decent England batting side, but lacks a bit of pace in the bowling department, so should the pitch in Birmingham be deemed to have a bit of pace in it, I maybe tempted to pick Jones over Anderson, but it would be a seriously close call between them.

Marvel at these captains

At Headingley, Michael Vaughan became the second England player and the eleventh overall to captain his country in 50 Test matches:

When South Africa wrapped up victory, Graeme Smith overtook Hansie Cronje's record of 27 victories as South Africa captain.

Paul Collingwood missed out on being selected for this Test, so his consecutive matches streak ended at 33. It was the second-longest of any of the current squad - this match was Pietersen's 41st consecutive Test.

Darren Pattinson's brother James has recently played for Australia in the Under-19 World Cup. Only once in Test history have brothers played against each other. In March 1892 at Cape Town, Alec & George Hearne played for England while brother Frank played for South Africa.

It has occurred once In One Day Internationals. At Stormont in June 2006, Ed Joyce took the field for England while brother Dominick played for Ireland.

Playing the averages

Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie have the highest average opening partnership of any pair who have added at least 1,000 runs together for the first wicket:

The second Test was just the second time in their history that both South African numbers 5 and 6 have scored centuries in the same Test innings. The only previous occasion was earlier this year by the same two batsmen against West Indies at Durban.

James Anderson and Alastair Cook have only batted together twice for England but have put on at least fifty on both occasions. They added 66 at The Oval against India last year and 59 at Headingley.

Century men

Ashwell Prince's century was his third in consecutive matches on this tour. However, he is some way short of the most consecutive matches in which a touring player in England has scored a century:

Working together

Mark Boucher has now taken 73 catches from the bowling of Makhaya Ntini, which places the pair fifth all-time:

http://www.skysports.com/experts/expert_story/0,19793,14265_3859915,00.html

Finally good news arrives for Pakistani cricket fans. Recently the condition of Pakistan was, and still is, pretty bad. But when the conditions are bad, sports mainly cricket comes in as a lifesaver. Any news that would take us away from the bombings and expense is good news.

So today the ICC chose to keep the champions trophy in Pakistan. After a good decent Asia Cup in Pakistan where there were little security lapses it seems that Pakistan have been awarded the chance to hold the second biggest Cricketing event known to the world.

Unfortunately, there will be some players who will complain and decide not to participate in this event. But who cares about them? :P

As for India, the intensity wasn't there. After all the "we need more intensity" statement making by Zaheer Khan, he ended up being the more erratic bowler with the second new ball.Umpire Mark Benson wasn't helping either. Is it just me or did he seem too harsh (to the point of getting his revenge from the Sydney Test fiasco) with the no-balling of Zaheer? I thought that c&b decision early on Day 2 no-balled by Benson wasn't right. Kumble wasn't amused either. Technically, if the foot lands on or before the line, that is what counts, not that it skid later. Remember that dismissal of Jaffer in the Sydney Test. Allright, I'll move on ahead from here - back to the match. I only watched the highlights, so I won't comment on the Sri Lankan batting or the teams' use of the review system. While that is case, it was interesting that the young members of this squad - Gambhir and Kathik - dropped more catches than fielding howlers by the India seniors. But I'm pretty sure, if things go badly, the BCCI and Dhoni will have their way with branding the seniors. (Ok, couldn't resist that taking at dig at MSD).

On the umpire review system, while it a step ahead, I'm afraid it will induce a new parameter to deal with, espcially with the three unsuccessful appeals. When to use/save these referrals will add a new needless dimension. What if you've used all the appeals, you are nine down on Day 5 of a Test match and a tail ender is given out off a delivery he didn't nick? Isn't that just as bad as not having the system at all. If you're wonder if I'm going the Ian Chappel way with this, no, I'm not. If you ask me, why cap the number unsuccesful appeals. Also, why stop with only the decision of whether the batsmen is out or not. Any decision that seems wrong should be referred. Umpires are human and that is respected, but when help is available to enable the right team win, I don't see why it shouldn't be used.

Meanwhile a thing that has been bothering me for a while. Why isn't there a better rating system for umpires? If a batsmen/bowler isn't worth a spot in a squad, he is forced out of the door. When this is the case, why should the umpire survive after giving several howlers. Yes there is shortage of umpires, but that is perhaps for a reason too, which need addressing. There seems to be no way to tell the incompetent from the good ones, which is unfair to the good umpires. Perhaps incompetence and fear of that fact that might get hightlighted even more is why Benson feels the way he does about the review system.

As for the rest of this match, I see it inching towards a draw, unless India tumble to the spinners.

There has been a lot of talk about Englands failings in the second Test, which they lost by 10 wickets to a far superior South Africa, from selection problems, to Vaughns form, and lack of balance in the line up. While these are points that have some merit, the selection of Pattinson was strange, Vaughn has been found wanting by Steyn, and Ambrose at 6 is too high, and Broad is scoring runs but not taking wickets.

The selection of Pattinson was odd, not because he isn't good enough, or because he's Australian. He has done enough in a very limited time to suggest that he can bowl, be at that he has not been fully tested. The fact that he was born in England, but is an Aussie, having been brought up there, learned his cricket there, and speaks with an annoying accent, seems to have gotten to some people. Yet Kevin Pietersen is ok. He was born in South Africa, brought up in South Africa, and learned his cricket in South Africa. But he has the three lions tattooed on his body so it's all good. He's English now. That's a bit hypocritical of some the English public. The main difference is that Pietersen, having been a South African with no English claim,had to qualify to play for England, and so had to play years of county cricket before he could play for the country he wasn't born or bred in. Pattinson didn't have to go through the slog of seasons of county cricket, and played just 11 first class games before making his debut. Most of his team mates had never seen him bowl, and that includes Vaughn, who has seen him once on TV. How is a captain supposed to handle a bowler he knows nothing about?  Something isn't right there and the selection smells a lot like desperation, and his a slap in the face to Tremlett, Hoggard, Harmison, and the young bowlers who would love to play for their country. With Pattinson hoping to get another call up, this debacle may have harmed him more then anything.

Vaughn's form has not been good. When he has to face a very good attack it becomes all the more apparent. Against the pace of Steyn he has no chance. His footwork, his balance, his timing and his confidence are all missing. If England are to post consistent big totals they need their captain at his best. The problem for now is that South Africa wont let him settle. As soon as Vaughn comes in there can be no doubt that Steyn will be brought into the attack, with Morkel or Ntini from the other end. Vaughn needs time at the crease, something South Africa will look to curb.

The English bowling attack is over relent on Anderson, and Flintoff and Sidebottom, when fit. The work load is not shared amongst the attack, and with Tests coming thick and fast, and little to no recovery time in between, Anderson is very much in danger of being over used. South Africa have the luxury of Steyn, Ntini and Morkel bowling in shorter bursts and with Kallis and Harris helping to ensure they they are kept fresh and ready. Broad has shown a lot with the bat, but not as much with the ball. Unlike Flintoff, who is a genuine all rounder (and so should bat at 6) Broad is a bowling who can bat, and will be a bowling all rounder in the future. His job is to bowl though, with the batting a bonus. He needs to step up his bowling if he is to both keep his place in the Test team, and help Anderson from bowling himself into injury.

Things looked so promising for England in the opening 3 days of this series. How quickly things can change, and they have been exposed brutally. It now seems that the opening 3 days where more of a very poor one for South Africa rather than a good one for England. England have a week to get their house in order before South African come right back at them. Perhaps they aren't as good as they think they are.

His innings finally came to an end when he was dismissed by Harbhajan Singh. It was then Mahela Jayawardene's ( 136 ) turn to dominate the Indian attack. He was at his very best and milked the bowlers with ease. He was chasing Sir Don Bradman's record of most number of centuries at a venue. Sir Don Bradman had scored nine centuries at MCG and Jayawardene succeeded in equalling that feat. He has also scored almost a quarter of his test runs at SSC which also turns out to be his home ground. He has scored 2,167 runs at an average of 83.34 in 20 tests which is also a record for the most number of runs at a venue.

Then it was the turn of another lad from the same place, the hard hitting Thilan Samaraweera ( 111* ), to score his ton. He paced his innings beautifully at looked very comfortable against the Indian attack. He will come out tomorrow to start of afresh. But this innings was a treat to watch. This is the first time that three batsmen have scored centuries at the Singhalese Sports Club.

The other notable points were the review system which came into play in the 46th over when umpire Mark Benson ruled down a decision. However the batsman was declared not out. There were two more such reviews, both unsuccessful from the Indian perspective. Overall, a very productive day for the Lankans who now sit merrily atop.

The ICC board will now take a final decision over the next 72 hours after its members discuss the issue over the phone, the official said. The ICC board, while taking a final decision, will also consider a report on Sunday's security briefing.

"The briefing was detailed and comprehensive and it looks 50-50 at the moment for Pakistan," the official told Cricinfo. "The players of four countries, Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa, have expressed some reservations over the security climate in Pakistan, and I would expect their boards to back them."

Reports in British newspapers suggest that the ECB has already told its players that it cannot guarantee their safety in the light of recent bombings in Karachi and Islamabad.

Asked whether Sunday's meeting discussed alternate venues for the tournament, the official said, "That topic was not touched upon at all in this meeting. That is for the ICC board to discuss." South Africa has been projected as the possible alternate host, in case the ICC board decides against Pakistan, after Sri Lanka, the original stand-by venue, was found to have significant security concerns of its own.

The ICC said in an official statement that "until or unless the board decides otherwise, the tournament will proceed in Pakistan." Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, later told reporters that Sri Lanka remains the alternate venue.

Lorgat said that the briefing by the ICC's security consultants stressed "great satisfaction" at the security measures in place during the Asia Cup but added: "If it was up to the player representatives, they would prefer not to be in Pakistan. They have concerns because no guarantee on safety and security can be given by the PCB, the ICC or the security consultants. We can do everything in our power to secure and safeguard officials, but we can never issue guarantees."

The ICC statement said, "While there was recognition the PCB had gone to great lengths to provide a high level of security during the Asia Cup and would do so again during the ICC Champions Trophy, concerns were expressed about the potential for threats beyond the PCB's control."

One compromise being touted is to move matches away from Karachi, considered the most risky destination, to Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Source: http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/iccct2008/content/current/story/361880.html

Going by what I see at the SSC in Colombo, this match is going to be yet another high scoring draw. Even after losing King Kumar early, Sri Lanka are still at a formidable position at 3/305, scoring at a run-rate of 3,5.

The future of test cricket however looks very bleak.

If the curators continue to dish out pitches like the SSC and Lords, test cricket will suffer a premature death.

This could not have come at a worser time, when the shorter versions threaten to put an end to this unadulterated form of the game.

The players that passionately talk about upholding test cricket tradition will some day complain about the five-day duration in future. If they don't want to do that, they'll feign injury and prefer to play the more-lucrative LOI edition.

Already, the youth want a heavy dosage of T20 cricket. If the curators continue to prepare test pitches where there is nothing in for the bowlers, even the most ardent test cricket audience will ask to put an end to test cricket.

You can call that mercy killing.

When India toured Australia last summer, we got excellent sporting wickets. If not for the batting belter in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth were excellent test match wickets.

It is also a noteworthy point that both teams played for a result and did not look to draw matches like South Africa and England.

The curators have to make sure that they prepare sporting wickets for test matches, taking a cue from their Australian counterparts.

Else, we'll have to be prepared for the untimely demise of test cricket.

RIP Test Cricket

Born: 1861 Dead: 2008

If a week is a long time in politics, then a fortnight can be an eternity in sport.

At the end of June, Yorkshire where top of the county championship and through to the knockout phases of both the Friends Provident and the Twenty/20. With the resultant spring in our step and song in our hearts doing an excellent job of masking the sound of the papering over of cracks coming from our increasingly brittle batting line-up.

Two discordant, disappointing weeks down the line and that melodious song has been replaced with the sound of needle being knocked across vinyl. Shoddy defeats to Durham and now Kent find us hovering just outside the relegation zone in the championship. A frankly embarrassing performance against Essex saw the end of Gough’s chances for a final fling at Lord’s. Whilst a combination of clerical incompetence and not having one of ‘our old boys’ in the ECB, at least saved us from a similar fate against Durham in the pyjama pat-and-run version.

How quickly a season can change.

It doesn’t take long to work out where this particular game was lost. Just compare Yorkshire’s two innings, where 341/2 fell away to 410 and 173/4 became 196 all out, with Kent’s late rally from 305/7 to 467. A tale of two tails then. One wagging like a Jack Russell that’s got hold of the Sunday roast and the other hanging limply like Pele waiting for viagra to be invented.

We’d gone into the match missing Gough, who’s currently auditioning for his future career as a ‘Casualty’ extra. Method acting at its finest. Whilst our quest to find openers who’ll spend enough time at the wicket this season to actually get a suntan, continues to cause chaos to the rest of the batting line up. This weeks roll of the dice saw Jacques Rudolph dropped back into the middle order where he belongs, with Andy Gale moved in the opposite direction for his opportunity to take part in the regular 11:05 traipse back to the pavilion. If only trains where as punctual.

The other notable change was Young Zimbabwean Gary Ballance making his championship debut at number five. No need to worry about paperwork with Ballance though. An old school tie coming from Harrow, Middlesex, rather than Holgate, Barnsley, should ensure no difficult questions from the ECB.

For most of the first day we actually looked like getting ourselves into a winning situation, with Mags and Rudolph putting on over two hundred for the third wicket. But once that marathon partnership was broken, a combination of the second new ball, overcast conditions and excellent bowling from Azar Mahmood saw us hitting the wall. The only saving grace from the rest of our innings being when we finally limped past 400 to earn a final batting bonus point. Not even a collapse this bad could see us fall tantalisingly short yet again.

With Kent having to start their reply in similar conditions, our seam attack failed to deliver Mahmood’s quality. It was pretty woeful stuff, with the exception being Tim Bresnan, who was unlucky to find himself demoted to second change after a recent stint taking the new ball - a decision that was thankfully reversed in the second innings. But even wayward bowling needs to be exploited, and fully exploited it was, by an innings of great determination from Robert Key.

Key is one of the unsung players of English cricket - an astute captain who can score big runs, high in the batting order. He might not have ‘the right background’ like an Andrew Strauss or the high profile of a Kevin Pietersen, but if England is ever looking for a replacement for Michael Vaughan, they could do a lot worse than Robert Key. In fact, they almost certainly will.

Despite Key’s efforts, the quick removal of Kent’s middle order by Adil gave us a good chance of a first innings lead, before an old familiar problem reared its head – our inability to quickly knock over the tail. Their last three wickets putting on 160 runs was a blow we never recovered from, with the last pairs 69 in particular, really, erm, sticking in the throat.

Now, in the modern era you have to expect this to happen occasionally. More emphasis, time and coaching than ever before are going into improving the batting of a teams lower order. Sometimes you suspect, to the detriment of the player’s main skill. But this kind of resistance happens far too often to Yorkshire and there’s no real excuse, as in the reverse swing of Rana and leggies of Adil, we should have the tools to do the job far better.

Yorkshire’s second innings followed a similar pattern to the first, with the last six wickets falling for just twenty-three. In fact our lower order was being dismissed so quickly they where having to get a hurry on as they walked off in case they got beaten back to the pavilion by the man below them on the scorecard.

The end result was a modest fourth innings target for Kent of 140. No problem then. Except they almost managed to balls up their innings as badly as we had. Much improved bowling by Hoggard and Rana had them at 63/4 and 108/7, before Jones and Arafat held their nerve to see the home side home.

It was heartening to see the improvement in our seam attack at the second time of asking and the return to form of Mags with the bat and Adil with the ball will be important in the games to come. But the success we had in the last innings just further highlights our shortcoming in the match as a whole.

We allowed Kent to score a hundred runs more than they should in their first innings, with both of our totals 50-100 runs short of what was achievable. If we’d done that, Kent would have been chasing 400 and we’d of won the game comfortably. Instead, Yorkshire’s season is in real danger of sliding away to disappointment and possible relegation.

Si’thee later,

Len

(Match photos: By kind permission of Dave Morton)

My Man of the Match: Jacques Rudolph

Result: Kent (22 points) Beat Yorkshire (8 points) by 3 wickets

I mean both up in the sky and down on earth @ Carol Pager -Exchange field in Green Street, Somerville, NJ.

 Minnal (Lightning) & Clouds (Somerville Cricket Clouds) meet up for the second heated quarter finals of Somerville Premier League.

 With Chennai Stars bagging the first quarter finals and with all hulla-bullas after the match, there is huge rush among players to throw out their bats and zoom in the balls to get a huge victory. Both captains of Minnal and SCC being a bit level-headed the heat is all saved up for the ground attack. Probably thats why their icons (cloud & lightning) are making a war in the skies today.

 Surprisingly (pun intended), the secretary of the club has put up the code of conduct for both teams which has been circulated earlier this week.

 There are quite some changes between the pack of players from the first quarter final, with Minnal having some added weight with the ball and SCC on the batting. There will certainly be tough competition within the team as to who bags more runs or packs more wickets.

 Here are the teams for this Saturday,

 MINNAL

Anbu (c), Balaji, Austin, Arasu, Kamal, Lachu, Rajkumar, Ragu, Janaki, Sakthi, Gopi,Thiagu, KP,             Yuvaraj

 SCC

Oli (c), Snow, Martin, Rajesh, Senthil, Sriram, Govind, Sachin, Ramdoss, Vivek, Kumar, Marichamy,    Prakash, Jayan, Zenith, Shiva

Let's pray that the "Thunderstorms" prevail only on the ground

And the sky up is clear and Sunny!!

Twenty two overs and rain stops play. That's cricket for you. It's been raining all over the world.. Or atleast where I am and Colombo. Sometimes you wonder 'why can't they just play in rain?'. I mean it would save them tons of money, and it wouldn't take the fun out either. Oh well that's the ICC for you.

Warnapura has played a good innings, he's started his career off with a bang. Perfect replacement for Jayasuriya? Nah, Jayasuriya can never be replaced. From his stats though it seems like he can throw a ball too. 115 Frist class wickets for him at an average of 26.86. I don't quite know the level of Cricket in Sri lanka though.

On another note, it's good to see Zaheer Khan back. He's a decent bowler. It bothers me when I see Ganguly bowling 5 overs when Kumble hasn't bowled anything in the day's play. It's a bad time to play this test match because reports say that there is a chance of rain every single day of this week.

But Harry has excelled in this environment and has had a remarkable programme having been in excellent nick with the bat. The highlight of his time in Australia came in October when he scored a century for his club on debut.  It was a knock that ultimately changed the course of the match. His team were serious trouble at 10/4 before Harry’s 103 helped them to reach a match winning total of 340 from their 80 overs. He described it as an ‘amazing experience,’ one which I’m sure he will carry with him throughout his playing career.  Harry’s performances have helped his team reach the end of season Grand Finals which will take place later this month.

By Eddie Taurus

The AFL is clearly suffering delusions of grandeur.

There are some big noises coming from some big mouths in AFL land at the moment. And the three words most mentioned will strike terror into the heart of cricket fans all over the country.

Drop in pitch.

Not content with ruining the MCG as a Test cricket venue, now the AFL spin doctors have their sights set on the best cricket pitch in the land - the Gabba.

Cricket authorities, previously watching on silently with interest as the AFL push for a drop-in pitch at the Gabba reached levels of whingeing not seen since the underarm ball, have been hitting back hard as the battle begins in earnest. Matt Hayden has lent his considerable weight to the debate, blasting the AFL for basically trying to sabotage cricket to further their own little agendas.

We have even had a story surface that a Brisbane Lions player is threatening to sue over an injury he blames on the hardness of the wicket. My esteemed colleague Rufus Güütz has already had his say on AFL players in a previous story. The AFL are not letting the issue die. Well, I can assure you that we won't let it die either.

Why can't they get it through their heads that they do not have the sway over what happens in the domain of other sports? Just because AFL rules Victoria doesn't mean the Kingdom of Cricket recognises their crown.

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou suffers some serious embarrassment whenever he dares to venture outside the fortified walls of Faire Victoria. His influence wanes dramatically the minute he crosses the border. He expected the Premier of Queensland to jump when he said he wanted a meeting over the stadium deal. Did you end up getting that meeting Andrew? How'd you go getting out of that pesky deal?

AFL is like a jack russell that thinks it's a rottweiler - but like any jack russell that takes on a rotty - it's gonna get it's head bitten off.

Cricket is a massive, multi-billion dollar international sport with a long-running world cup and more than a billion fans and players spread across dozens of countries. AFL is a niche sport popular in three or four states of a small Southern Hemisphere nation with a population barely over 20 million.

The AFL is in dire need of a massive reality check over its place in the world pecking order of sport - which is right down at the bottom rung of niche, one-country pro sports. Even Beach Soccer, Synchronised Swimming and Table Tennis have genuine international competitions that make AFL look like a friday arvo school sport comp.

So why is all this happening now?

The Gabba pitch didn't seem to be too hard when the Lions won three flags in a row. Why is it so bad to play on now? And don't blame the drought. That has been going for years. Why has it become an issue all of a sudden? Could it have anything to do with the State Government deal for the Gold Coast team that they have had such a hard time breaking?

Call me a massive cynic, but it seems a coincidence that after all the AFL's huffing and puffing about the proposed Gold Coast team not having to play at the Gabba was ignored that now they are trying to blow Queensland Cricket's house down if they don't get a drop in pitch.

It is just a subtle change of tactics. A flanking move. And they have re-enlisted one of their great generals - Leigh Matthews - to fire the opening salvos. Breaking the stadium deal didn't work. So let's just break the stadium.

Are they angling to make such a fuss - and have cricket fans so up in arms - that the State Government just HAS to kick in for a new stadium so as not to upset everyone? And...maybe let the AFL out of that nasty old deal?

Am I really that cynical?

No matter how the team tried, they coundn't get Kallis

to bend his legs.

AB de Villiers scored a superb 176 and showed how he has matured over the years and is now able to play a composed innings as well as an attacking one if it is required of him. What England wouldn’t give to have batsmen who can read the game and what is required of them and actually do it too. We showed them how to bat out a Test match at Lord’s with McKenzie, Amla and Smith all scoring slow, time-consuming hundreds. And at Headingley, again our batting proved superior to England’s, with the Proteas top 6 showing England how to bat in their own conditions where it is of vital importance of knowing where your stumps are and knowing when to leave the ball is crucial. England played at many deliveries they weren’t supposed to and all the catches taken by the slips and the 9 by Mark Boucher are testimony to this and the good line our bowlers kept bowling. Ashwell Prince also batted extremely well for his 149. He was intent on staying out in the middle and worked hard for his runs in the beginning and started to flourish later on. Difficult to believe that the only batsman who struggled for runs before the 1^st Test is now our leading scorer. On that subject isn’t it strange that our top 6 have all fired with the exception of a certain Jacques Kallis. Not that this worries me in the least. Kallis will come good some time and I don’t really care if he scores any runs for the next year. He has, in fact, underlined his worth to the the team by picking up the most valuable of wickets in the bowling department. Kallis doesn’t run in like a steam train the way he used to. He doesn’t take the amount of wickets he used to either. But he can contain from one side and he does pick up the odd wicket now and then. What makes him even better is who he gets out when he takes a wicket. It’s always a big player or a big partnership he breaks. And who did Graeme Smith turn to when Kevin Pietersen walked to the middle. This perception probably only exists in my mind, but I reckon Kallis is the one person in the South African line up that has a better record than KP. And when Kallis exchanged a few words, I just think it got under the skin of KP and he wanted to prove himself. Kallis had put out the bait and when Pietersen pushed a bit too hard and too attackingly at a gentle outswinger, it was hook, line and sinker for Kallis. Let’s see in the rest of the tour if Smith continues to call up Kallis when it’s KP’s turn to bat. And let’s pray it keeps working.

You put your left foot in... Morne Morkel

shows Andrew Flintoff how to do the Hokey Pokey

The only slight worry I have with our Protea team is the quota players. Quota player – players not good enough to play at a certain level but are put/kept in the team because of outside circumstances. Now before you stop reading. I’ll never write about politics in my column. I love our guys all playing in England with such a good representation of our country and that all of them deserve their place in the team completely. The quota player I’m referring to is Paul Harris. I think we’re simply playing him for the sake of having a spinner in the team. Because we might one day need a spinner to bowl a team out. But Harris doesn’t look like taking a wicket. I’d rather play Andre Nel to be honest. Harris didn’t really turn the Indians into a knot when we played there either. They say he is a containing bowler. He’s not there to take wickets. Firstly, there are so many better containing bowlers in South Africa. Secondly, for most of the two Tests, he had the most expensive figures of everyone. Thirdly he doesn’t even bowl a total of 20 overs in a Test. And finally, Paul Harris can’t turn a cricket ball. I really think that Harris is simply there because our lack of a spinner has cost us in the past. Rather play Johan Botha or Thandi Tshabala who at least have a slight chance of taking a wicket in an innings. Shit, rather play Goggo Adams who is more of a threat than Harris even if Adams can’t bowl two balls on the same side of the pitch. At least Adams’s frog-in-a-blender action, might confuse a batsman for long enough to not play a shot. I don’t know. He’s a very nice guy so I really hope he proves me wrong and at least ties up one end or convinces one of the English batsman to give him his wicket. Maybe he and Stuart Broad could come to some deal that they give up their when the other one is bowling. It could only improve both of their figures. Please post a comment if you think he is worthy of his place. Maybe you can change my opinion.

Mark my words – the Poms will come back in this series. The easy part is over – come on, we all knew we were gonna go 1 – 0 up in the series. That is why we need to finish this series off with a win in the next Test. A draw simply won’t suffice. We need our bowling as sharp as ever and our batting as steady as it has been and put them under early pressure. We got them good in the Rugby World Cup. Next week we can take an unassailable lead in the cricket and after that Bafana can take on Beckham and Lampard in the soccer.

For more articles... http://blogofbam.wordpress.com/

Despite the threat of rain, spirits were high as the players arrived at the ground. Old friends, sharing a joke and an embrace, reminisced about times of yore. This, it seemed, was to be an amicable affair – until everyone realised there were women to impress, and suddenly became violently competitive.

Mothership skipper Hammond-Chambers won the toss and elected to bat. Given the seamer-friendly conditions, it was an odd decision, not befitting a master of geography. Nevertheless, he and his young charges oozed confidence, in the much the same way that gutter-dwelling vagabonds ooze an odour of sweat, vomit and stale beer.

Butler and Munton opened the batting, Wilson and Gaskell the bowling. A fearsome pair of keg-chested firebrands, they immediately posed problems with the new ball. Just as sex-traffickers exploit 15-year-old Bulgarians, so they exploited the overcast skies, nipping the ball around off a good line and length. Extravagant swing proved to be the undoing of the Mothership top order, with five wickets tumbling for a paltry 55.

The home side were in a perilous position, prompting Hammond-Chambers to remove his flat cap and scratch his head, like a farmer who has misplaced a tractor. Things were not going according to plan, he mused, although an early finish would leave a window for that photo-shoot with Country Life.

Cue ADM Gully. As with Greg Norman, the burly Celt’s recent nuptials proved inspirational. Not only did he smash the Chin attack to all corners of the park, but he also managed to knee-cap Duberly, their premier batsman, with a searing cover drive. The big man hobbled off and put some frozen peas on his leg, which he ended up eating in the absence of any other foodstuff.

Ably supported by Tayabali (20) and Baillie (16), Gully pushed his team’s score towards respectability. More importantly, he pushed his own score towards 100. Nobody would have begrudged him a maiden ton, except the two despicable bastards that contrived to dismiss him for 97.

Gully’s departure marked the beginning of the end for the Motherships, who were all out for 177 following a calamitous run-out. Considering the poor start, a decent total, but perhaps a few runs short of par . . .

After a splendid tea – during which Hammond-Chambers, somewhat inexplicably, revealed that his sister is disease free – the players returned to the field. A sprightly Mackintosh-Walker marked his run. Awaiting him, the cherubic Valentine. The question on everyone’s lips: would the newly-published author notch more runs than book sales?

We were about to find out.

Mackintosh-Walker loped in, his charcoal mop flowing in the breeze, as though he’d mistaken his role as a strike bowler for a role in a shampoo commercial. To general surprise, he unleashed a thunderbolt. Unbowed, Valentine danced down the track and clattered the ball to the mid-off boundary.

Four on the board, and an instant answer to that question about book sales.

Thereafter, runs came as easily and voluminously as a schoolboy in a brothel. Valentine and Backhouse made the most of a flat pitch, denting Mothership resolve. Both retired on reaching 50, with the former muttering something about anally raping the opposition as he returned to the pavilion.

This brought the brothers Bowman to the crease, evoking memories of Waugh and Waugh. Not least because George, like Mark, refuses to play the pull shot. Unfortunately, it is not the only shot he refuses to play, with the forward defensive, cover drive, straight drive, leg glance, sweep, hook and square cut also off-limits. He was thus quickly dismissed, brilliantly caught by a diving Meiklejohn. Wells had made a breakthrough and immediately followed it with another: the prize wicket of Dewar.

At last, the Motherships were putting up a fight. Would the Chins succumb to the pressure, crumbling like ossified turd?

Not a chance, thanks in no small part to the efforts of AB Speers. He played a captain’s knock, hitting a rapid 47 and rounding off an eight wicket victory with two almighty sixes.

Nuns, Monks, Cockerels, Willy Wonker, Mr Invincible, Superman, Lifeguards, Pamela Anderson and Elvis Presley were all in attendance at Headingley on day 3 of the international test match between England and South Africa, but not too many eyes were directed towards the field.

As a cordial, yet skillful South Africa asserted their dominance over England in a slow non eventful affair, the West Terrace did a sterling job entertaining the masses with games of lob the chicken, balloon racing, Mexican waves and record breaking beer snakes, much to the frustration of the staid stewards.

As one close member in the Wintershed Upper observed, “this is classic English” – albeit with some irony as the comment was made during one of the many Mexican waves.

However, the comment was delivered with aplomb; it’s an accepted certainty that the English have many flaws, but a quality they possess in abundance is the ability to see the lighter side of dire circumstances; on this occasion those dire circumstances happened to be a cricket match in the north of England in unfavorable whether conditions with thinly spread moments of interest occurring on the field.

Off the field though, Pamela Anderson in Baywatch attire created merriment by simulating slow motion bouncers between the aisles, tossed rubber chickens bought excitable oohs and arrhs and the ebullition generated by the building of snake like shapes out of part-empty plastic pint glasses occupied cricket devotees from the Kirkstall Lane End and in the East Stand with this alternative form of cricket.

Just like the famous song, the English do try to All Ways Look on the Bright Side of Life and even though on this day, the circumstances wasn’t exactly finding laughter through tears, the theory of Python's concept was most definitely applied; for though the game was uneventful, the experience was memorable.

Seeing the funny side of life

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