The Southern Electric Premier League annual meeting will be at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday 19 November 2003 at 7.30pm.Any club wishing to submit any alteration to the constitution, rules and playing conditions should do so, in writing, to Colin Savage by no later than Monday 15 September 2003.The Premier League is seeking player representation, particularly from Division 2 and 3 clubs, on its Management Committee and, again, nominations should be made by 15 September. These roles are not onerous.

Danish Kaneria and Naved Latif have been included in Pakistan’s squad for the third one-day international against South Africa, at Faisalabad on October 7.Kaneria replaces Mushtaq Ahmed, who has been ruled out of the one-day series because of an abdominal muscle strain. Naved has been brought in as a standby for Inzamam-ul-Haq, whose hamstring injury may keep him out of the game. Salman Butt has been dropped.

Reports that the International Cricket Council were going to refuse to pay out monies owed to countries in connection with the World Cup proved unfounded as its executive board meeting in Barbados said that funds would conditionally be handed over.The potentially explosive issue was diffused by some political cunning on the part of Ehsan Mani, president of the ICC. Several countries, spearheaded by India, had been demanding that the ICC hand over payments due from the tournament, but the ICC had been unwilling because of the possibility that it would be sued by the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), its commercial partner in the World Cup, for loss of earnings. The compromise means that the payments will be made, but only if the recipients agree to sign a guarantee that they will return whatever sums are needed by the ICC to settle with the GCC.The meeting also agreed that there would be 16 countries represented at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, with teams divided into four groups of four with each side playing all its matches on the same island. It is expected that up to ten different countries in all, including the USA, will host games.Another area of concern, that of cancelled tours, was also high on the agenda, and the meeting announced that from now on an independent panel will have to be consulted before any tour or match is called off because of player safety.Several such incidents, the most recent being South Africa’s refusal to play a Test against Pakistan following a bomb blast in Karachi, had forced the subject onto the agenda. The panel, which would be advised by a team of security experts appointed by the ICC, would then file a report and if concerns still existed then a consultation process would be undertaken to try and resolve the situation.”Introducing this protocol is a sensible step in dealing with this issue,” explained Mani. “It provides the opportunity for all the parties involved to get a clear and fact-based assessment of the security issues before a decision is made. It recognises the right of each Board to determine when and where its team plays and allows all parties to have their views considered in the decision making process. The ICC will continue to remain independent of the two parties and act as a mediator or facilitator in this consultation process.”The growing power of players was also acknowledged with the ICC’s decision to recognise the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA). From now on FICA will be consulted on various matters including player safety, clothing regulations and the amount of international cricket played. At the moment FICA only covers the interests of players from Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Some ten months after he was banned, Shane Warne is beginning the process of planning his comeback, and Terry Jenner, his coach and mentor, is hoping that he might start his rehabilitation as early as this weekend.Both Warne and Jenner will be in Adelaide for the second Test, and Jenner admitted that he is ready to roll. “I’ll have a bag of balls in the boot,” Jenner said, “and when he wants to release the cobwebs, we’ll have a crack somewhere.”Warne hopes to bowl at former team-mates Mark Taylor and Ian Healy, and all that remains is to find the place. The indoor nets at the Adelaide Oval would be the preferred choice, but were that to prove a little too close to home for Cricket Australia, then an alternative venue would not pose any issues for Warne. Cricket Australia, however, explained that Warne could hire facilities as long as those facilities were also available to the general public.But Jenner acknowledged that a session at the Adelaide Oval might not be a realistic aim. “It’s unfortunately not as easy as it should be,” he said. “Shane’s intentions are good but if they put too many spokes in the wheel, I don’t know what to do. It’s not just finding a venue, it’s Shane finding time away from the commentary and other things, something that fits in for him and for me. But if it’s at all possible, we’re going to have a bowl.”Warne is especially keen to dust off the cobwebs following comments from Trevor Hohns, Australia’s chairman of selectors, to the effect that he had not been ruled out of the reckoning for the squad to tour Sri Lanka which is announced shortly after his ban ends.Jenner believes that Warne is capable of finding his form by then, although he advised against trying to do too much too soon. “I think, sensibly, he will ease himself into it,” Jenner explained. “The selectors have said they may need to have a look at him in a game or two, so that’s what he’s gearing towards, I’m sure.”

Australia 288 (Symonds 88, Clarke 63, Agarkar 6-42) beat India 270 (Ganguly 82, Tendulkar 63) by 18 runs
Scorecard

The opening match of the VB Series didn’t quite produce the enthralling cricket which was on view during the Tests, but it was another close contest which, in the end, Australia nailed by 18 runs at Melbourne. After Andrew Symonds (88) and Michael Clarke (63) – both players who had missed out on the fun in the Tests – revived the Australian innings to take them up to 288, their bowlers just about managed to keep the in-form Indian batsmen in check.The Indians had a couple of heroes in the match: Ajit Agarkar kept the Indians in the hunt with a career-best haul of 6 for 42 to restrict Australia to a sub-300 total, while Sourav Ganguly led the run-chase with a superbly paced 82, but his run-out proved to be the turning point, as the Indian lower order fell away and handed Australia with the first points of the VB Series.The Indian run-chase got off to a splendid, if chancy, start. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar put together 103 for the first wicket, but the partnership could easily have ended in a single-digit score, as both Sehwag and Tendulkar played and missed on numerous occasions. With Sehwag, a regular dose of play-and-miss was only par for the course, but more surprising was the way Tendulkar struggled to come to grips with the pitch and the bowlers.Gillespie was especially superb, homing in around the corridor and shaping the ball away from the right-handers. On more than one occasion, Tendulkar groped for the ball, which shaped away just enough to beat the outside edge. As if those near-misses weren’t enough to ruin the day for Gillespie, Tendulkar added to his misery, top-edging a pull over the wicketkeeper’s head for six, and then clipping one off his legs for four.Sehwag was rather subdued throughout his 59-ball 35, which finally ended when he dragged a drive off Ian Harvey back onto his stumps. The next three pairs all put together useful stands, but each time a pair seemed to have the measure of the bowling, a wicket fell. Tendulkar fell to a miscued pull off Symonds, which Ricky Ponting, at short midwicket, hauled down with a perfectly timed leap to bring off a one-handed catch (134 for 2). Tendulkar’s 63 came off just 69 balls, but he was nowhere near his best.VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid made 16 apiece, and fell attempting to force the pace, bringing Yuvraj Singh out in a familiar scenario – 94 required at over a run a ball. He immediately got to work, working the ball into gaps and running hard. In the process, he forced Ganguly, normally fairly slack between the wickets, to sprint the twos and threes as well.Ganguly struck the big blows well too, giving himself room to club the ball on the off side and over the bowlers’ heads. The pair had added 62 in just more than nine overs, when Australia dealt the fatal blow to the innings, dismissing both batsmen in successive balls. First, Clarke at short midwicket held on to a scorching drive from Yuvraj, whose 24-ball 25 included just one boundary, and next ball, Ganguly failed to regain his crease after being sent back by Sanjay Bangar (257 for 6). The lower order was ill equipped to deal with an asking rate which had climbed to well over eight.Earlier, Symonds and Clarke revived an Australian innings that was in danger of being bowled out well within 50 overs. After Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden had got the innings off to the customary frenetic start, four wickets fell in the space of 39 balls, as Australia slumped from 59 without loss to 89 for 4. Agarkar caused most of the damage, taking three of those wickets. He wasn’t particularly impressive in his first spell – in fact, Irfan Pathan, with his ability to swing the ball late, troubled both batsmen far more.However, Agarkar was the chosen one for the day, as Gilchrist flicked a leg stump half-volley to Pathan at fine leg (59 for 1), and Hayden slashed one to Yuvraj at point (70 for 2). Agarkar then nailed Damien Martyn first ball with a superbly directed shot ball, which Martyn pulled despite being cramped for room, and top-edged to Lakshmipathy Balaji at fine leg. When Ponting spooned a return catch to Balaji, a dream start for Australia was suddenly going sour, but Symonds and Clarke turned it around.Both were unhurried in their approach, putting the bad balls away in style, but without taking undue risks. Whenever given the opportunity, Symonds freed his arms to awesome effect – Balaji and Ganguly, especially, felt the heat. Balaji was slammed for six over extra cover and then square cut for four off consecutive balls, while Ganguly was tonked for consecutive sixes over midwicket when he pitched short.Clarke, on the other hand, was altogether more polished, essaying some superb flicks and cover-drives, and showing some twinkle-toed footwork against Anil Kumble, whom he pulled with exquisite timing for his only six. Kumble did finally nail him, when Clarke miscued a lofted shot to VVS Laxman at midwicket (232 for 5), but by then, the Australian innings was back on track.Even a rare failure by Michael Bevan, chipping a flick to Ganguly at midwicket for 1 (233 for 6), didn’t affect the momentum, as Ian Harvey chipped in with a vital cameo of 28 from 24 balls. Agarkar came back with a much-improved second spell, though, ensuring that Australia failed to bat out their 50 overs, and ended up with a score which was about 25 short of what seemed likely at the 35-over mark. As it turned out, the total proved enough to win the match for Australia.

Robin Singh, the former Tamil Nadu and India allrounder, has announced his retirement from first-class and international cricket. His decision does not come as a surprise, as he has not played a competitive game for almost two years now. Speaking to Wisden Cricinfo from Chennai, Robin said, “I’ve been thinking about retirement for a while now. It’s not a sudden decision or anything.”Robin last played for India in April 2001, against Australia. He went for 37 runs from six overs and scored 16 as India slid to a massive defeat in pursuit of 339. But, there were many other days that Robin can look back fondly on. “There are many games that are special to me. There was the time we beat Pakistan, in Pakistan, for the first time, then beating Pakistan in Dhaka, and of course the tied match against Zimbabwe. The World Cup match against Australia was a big one too, though, we didn’t win.” But, the highest point of Robin’s career was not any of these games.After first being selected to play for India against West Indies at Port-of-Spain, 1989, Robin was left out in the cricketing wilderness for seven years. Mohammad Azharuddin, the Indian captain for much of that period, was an outspoken supporter of Robin, but the selectors did not come round till the Titan Cup in 1996-97. “Making a comeback after all those years was the high point of my career, no doubt about that,” said Robin. But, by that stage, he had lost the pace that made him a feared quick when he first arrived in Tamil Nadu from Trinidad. He was 33 years old, and yet in fine physical condition. Among the quickest between the wickets and a sharp fielder who pulled off stunning catches and saves in the cover-point region, Robin went on to play 136 one-day internationals.As a cricketer, Robin was a curious one, for the sum of the parts was much less than the whole. As a purveyor of military medium-pace, or as a cheeky, aggressive batsman, alone, he could never have made it. His fielding, and a never-say-die attitude, were the glue that bound his various facets together and made him a useful man to have in the one-day side.

In a recent interview, Robin suggested that it was wrong to brand cricketers as Test or one-day specialists. “I think slotting players is a foolish concept. We all learned cricket playing fourand five-day games, so if a player does well in that, obviously he has the temperament to succeed in the longer form of the game as well.” Yet, on retirement, he betrayed no bitterness about not playing more than the solitary Test against Zimbabwe. “Frankly, it’s not a regret that I didn’t play more Test cricket. It just happened that I didn’t get the opportunity to play more than one Test,” he said, matter of factly.Robin certainly enjoyed success in the longer version of the game, and although his reserved nature was sometimes misconstrued, he is a popular man in Tamil Nadu. “I always enjoyed playing for Tamil Nadu. We won the Ranji trophy once, came to the finals twice, and were often in the semi-finals. We should have done better as a team, but I still always enjoyed myself,” he said. He played 137 first-class matches, and racked up three short of 7000 runs at an average of over 46, and picked up 172 wickets at just under 36.Some cricketers find it extremely hard to adjust to life after cricket, but Robin seems to have planned things carefully. “Coaching is one of the things for the future. I’ve also started a company, called Robin Associates, that is into property development and housing for the general public. That keeps me really busy. And there’s always coaching, so my hands are full. Actually, I’m more busy now than ever,” he said, laughing. And there will be a bit of travelling too, as Robin visits the West Indies off and on to meet his parents. But, he has no plans of moving back permanently. That will be well received in Tamil Nadu, for Robin was always one of Chennai’s favourite – if adopted – cricketing sons.

West Indies 284 for 6 (Marshall 106) beat South Africa 250 (Rampaul 3-41) by 34 runs
ScorecardXavier Marshall scored a fine 106 from 133 balls to book West Indies’ place in the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup. His effort, plus crucial contributions from Tishan Maraj, Lendl Simmons and Jonathan Augustus, guided the Windies to 284 for 6 in their 50 overs, a total that proved to be too much for South Africa, who slumped to a 34-run defeat.Both sides began the day with one win and one defeat under their belts, so the game was effectively a straight knockout. South Africa won the toss, but were soon made to rue their decision to bowl first, as Marshall and Maraj raced to a 93-run opening partnership in the 17th over. But their eagerness eventually got the better of them, and Maraj sacrificed his wicket after they both found themselves at the same end of the pitch.Marshall knuckled down after his reprieve and with Simmons providing good support, the pair took the score along to 161 in 30 overs. Simmons then became the second run-out victim, and Marshall the third, but a late scoring spree lifted the West Indies to an imposing total.No side had successfully chased down such a large target, but South Africa’s top order made a positive start. They reached 100 in 19.4 overs for the loss of only two wickets, but from that point onwards wickets began to fall at regular intervals. Their lower-order fought gamely to the end, but they were still well adrift when Ravi Rampaul bowled Mpumelelo Silwana for 42 with the final ball of the match.Rampaul, who made his senior international debut in South Africa last month, had missed most of West Indies’ pool matches because of illness. But he finished with 3 for 41 – all three clean-bowled – and had found his rhythm for the first time in the tournament.West Indies’ manager Roland Sampath was pleased with his side’s positive attitude. “We treated today like a quarter-final and we’re all delighted to get through,” he said. Their captain Denesh Ramdin, however, believed there was room for improvement. “We still need to work on our batting, our bowling and our fielding,” he admitted. “It was a good contest today. There was something in the wicket for the bowlers if they did well, but there also runs there for batsmen if they didn’t.”South Africa’s captain Divan van Wyk was philosophical in defeat. “We are obviously disappointed with today’s result but we have learned a lot,” he said. “This has been the best-run tournament I have ever been involved in.”West Indies will face the winner of tomorrow’s match between England and Pakistan in the second Super League semi-final on Tuesday, March 2.

Apart from the three Australian signings, who have yet to arrive at The Rose Bowl, the whole Hampshire squad are off to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst on Thursday until Sunday, for what is described as a fitness and leadership course.A number of businesses and organisations have already gained enormous benefit from training developed and conducted at Sandhurst through the auspices of this agreement – most prominent being the Grand Slam and World Cup winning England Rugby Team.This training course is followed by a 2 day friendly match at Hove against neighbours Sussex, followed by a 2 day match at The Rose Bowl on Wednesday and Thursday against Warwickshire.After the open day on 10th April (10:00am start), the squad then travel to Canterbury for another practise match against Kent, leading up to the opening Frizzell Championship encounter with Durham starting on April 16th.

Maharashtra 501 (Jadhav 251) and 202 beat Madhya Pradesh 370 and 293 (Ojha 70, Pitre 57, Dholpure 56) by 40 runs
Scorecard
Despite Madhya Pradesh’s valiant attempt to chase 334 on the final day, Maharashtra scraped through by 40 runs in the thrilling Plate Group final in Pune. Shantanu Pitre’s heroics, including four sixes, took Madhya Pradesh to 283 for 7 allowed them to entertain hopes of a fantastic win. But his dismissal in the fifth mandatory over dashed their hopes, and Maharashtra sealed it soon after.Madhya Pradesh’s fightback came after being dominated for almost four days. Maharashtra piled on a massive 501 in their first innings with Dheeraj Jadhav, whose marathon 251 built over more than 12 hours, playing the lead. Madhya Pradesh could manage only 370 in their first innings, with Devendra Bundela top-scoring with a patient 83. Iqbal Siddiqui, the former Indian medium-pacer, was the most successful bowler with 5 for 101.And in the second innings, Maharashtra were cruising along at 111 for no loss and were all but assured of the title. But Yogesh Golwalkar, the legspinner, grabbed 5 for 73 and spun them out for just 202.That gave Madhya Pradesh an outside chance. On the final day, Naman Ojha and Sachin Dholpure got them off to a flier, before Pitre, the wicketkeeper, swung his bat effectively. In the end, they fell just 40 runs short.Both teams, though, will play in the Elite Group next year. Rajasthan and Kerala, who were relegated earlier, will take their places in the Plate Group.

Scorecard

Strange game, this cricket. In the morning session here at Arundel, Sussex’s opening batsman Ian Ward found the very meat of the bat in an assured half-century on a true pitch: it looked as if only a piece of wizardry or a thermonuclear strike would remove him. Then, shortly after lunch, and with no obvious explanation, he became part of a landslide of Sussex wickets, five in 17 balls.Robin Martin-Jenkins and Mushtaq Ahmed then put that collapse in embarrassing perspective, adding 88 for the eighth wicket. But they were revelling in the freedom of a lost cause: Gloucestershire had only 25 to dash off for victory. They breezed it in four overs after tea, thus ensuring a good match at a charming ground was ended before going into the one day when most members of the working population could actually come and watch it. A strange game indeed.Sussex’s collapse was astonishing. There was little to explain the huge swing other than the confidence of the batters: Ward’s surfeit, after averaging more than 80 in his last two games, and the run-less middle-order’s lack. Perhaps that is a disservice to Gloucestershire’s seamers, unspectacular but relentless, who bowled a good line and length and built pressure, restricting the batsmen to just above two an over in the morning, despite Ward’s assured cuts and cover-drives. Mark Alleyne also managed to winkle out two of Ward’s partners with his medium-pace all-sorts before lunch.Afterwards the dam-wall burst: Chris Adams was caught by a tumbling second slip; Ward padded up to a straight one; Tim Ambrose tried to cover up and edged to the keeper; and then two classic Mike Smith deliveries from left-arm over took wickets: first the inswinger had Matt Prior lbw, then the one that holds its line had Alex Gidman caught behind. From 113 for 2, Sussex were 115 for 7 inside 15 minutes. Gloucestershire’s worries about a nasty forecast for tomorrow had evaporated.The same could not be said of the worries of the Sussex accountants, who pay rent to Arundel to stage games here. An early finish deprived them of a valuable day’s gate money, though not of revenue from their corporate guests, who inexplicably disdain Saturdays and prefer to take their entertainment on weekdays.