Now that New Zealand have done the hard work, they can’t afford to let their momentum slip when playing the minnows of Canada and Bangladesh in their remaining games at the World Cup.The prospective loss of points from the Kenya game allows no margin for error and while New Zealand should be safe from missing the Super Six, the issue is still not beyond doubt.Every possible advantage in terms of run rate must be utilised by the TelstraClear Black Caps, and at the same time that involves ensuring that some of the key players for the later matches get quality time in the middle.New Zealand has had a great challenge in the first three games of their tournament, but they are not even halfway up the mountain yet.Yesterday’s outstanding win over South Africa highlighted the ability in the side.This was one of the great fightbacks.It may be that some look at the Duckworth/Lewis involvement and claim that it helped New Zealand.To do so would be to ignore the basic fact.New Zealand were so far in front of the D/L requirement that once the game was reduced to 39 overs they were never in danger of missing out on a win.Often, the D/L method has been criticised because it favours the team batting first.But those with memories long enough to recall what happened when teams batting second in the past were virtually handed matches without having to work for victory will appreciate that here was a classic example of using the method to advantage.New Zealand put such outstanding pressure on the vaunted South African attack that the home team were baffled and didn’t really have a response.New Zealand teams in the past have not generally provided these sorts of problems for South Africa.It was a classic example of everything coming right on the day, with the obvious key point being captain Stephen Fleming’s outstanding innings. There were signs during the Indian series at home, that there was greater things around the corner from the captain, more from the types of shots he was playing, than from anything else.That was borne out from some of the classical strokes he played so effortlessly, with the great advantage of timing, during his 134 not out.There is something to be said also, for the quietly assured approach Nathan Astle has been taking in the matches against the West Indies and South Africa.Two 40-plus scores with an increasing confidence in stroke making suggests he is much more comfortable on the World Cup stage than has previously been the case in his career.The signs are better from a batting perspective.The bowling was put to the sword by the South Africans, but clearly the pitch was a factor in that as evidenced by the home team suffering similarly. What is needed is for more bowling consistency in the remaining pool games.It is also to be hoped that the back spasms suffered by Daniel Vettori are not something that New Zealand cricket overall should be worrying about after the problems he suffered three years ago.Fleming’s men have seized the initiative, the challenge ahead of them is to make sure they do not repeat the fault of many of their predecessors and let it go.

The Somerset Mini Sabres Cricket Club that was launched earlier this week was heralded as a great success by the organisers.Fifteen budding young cricketers between the ages of three and five years old turned up for the first of the four one hour coaching sessions that will be held over the next few weeks at the Centre of Excellence at the County Ground in Taunton.The sessions were run by Brian Hoyle and Guy Wolfenden from the Centre of Excellence and Somerset county cricketer Matt Bulbeck.Guy Wolfenden told me; "We are very happy with the response that we have had for the Mini Sabres. The first session went very well indeed and all of the youngsters seemed to enjoy themselves."He continued: "This week we concentrated on ball skills. We did some catching and some batting as well and we tried to make it fun for all of them. I was quite impressed with the level of skills that some of the minis showed, they were much better than I expected.We have some very talented four year olds in Somerset. Next week we will be moving onto bowling."Somerset’s Matt Bulbeck told me: "I certainly enjoyed working with the Mini Sabres and they all seemed to enjoy it as well."Guy Wolfenden concluded: “In view of the response to the first four coaching sessions there are plans now that we will run the club on a termly basis.The level of interest surprised us all and in fact we may even have to have a waiting list for our future Mini Sabres sessions."Anybody wishing to find out more about the Mini Sabres should contact Guy Wolfenden on 01823 352266

Kenya opening batsman Kennedy Otieno is planning a return to the Southern Electric Premier League cricket scene with BAT Sports this summer – after the small matter of playing in the World Cup semi-finals!Otieno, who also plays under the name of Kennedy Obuya, is set to link up with the Tobaccomen in time for BAT’s opening league game at Bournemouth on May 3.But before he contemplates counting the number of sweaters he’ll need to pack into his coffin for a summer in England, the popular Kenya opener and wicketkeeper has more immediate matters on his mind.Like facing Australia this weekend and then playing in the World Cup semi-finals against India next Thursday!”We play Australia in the last of the Super Sixes under the Durban floodlights on Saturday, and then it’s the semi-finals. It’s unquestionably the highspot of all our careers and we’re aiming to make the most of it.”I’m really looking forward to facing Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee at the weekend and hope I manage to keep everything bodily intact so I’m fit for the semi’s,” chuckled Otieno, who hit a World Cup best 85 against the Aussies in the 1996 tournament.Otieno, whose teenager leg-spinning brother Collins has been one of the stars of the Kenyan side, reckons he’ll enjoy cult hero status when he returns home to Nairobi after next week’s final.”With South Africa knocked out, everyone has taken to us here. It’s an amazing experience – but one I really think we’ve deserved.”Our bowling, acrobatic fielding and catching here has been quite exceptional – it’s been a real joy to see up close,” said Otieno, who has so far bagged eight tournament catches and four stumpings behind the stumps.Yesterday’s (WED) seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe – in which Otieno snapped up three catches and a stumping before being trapped leg before wicket for 19 – was Kenya’s second Test scalp in a fortnight.”We did really well to beat Sri Lanka last week and gave India the fright of their lives before Sourav Ganguly hit that marvellous ton to turn the game around,” he added.Otieno’s block-bash batting style has certainly proved effective with knocks of 60 against Sri Lanka in Cape Town and 79 against India.BAT are hoping that Otieno’s aggressive batting will help them regain the Premier League championship pennant they conceded to Havant last summer.”Kennedy will add real quality to our batting, which proved our nemesis last year,” said Richard Dibden, the former Hampshire 2nd XI off-spinner, who has taken over the BAT captaincy from David Banks.”He’s a terrific player but, above all, a super guy to have in the dressing room. He coached the colts here three years ago and all the youngsters are relishing his return to Southern Gardens.”BAT are hoping they get a full summer out of Otieno this time around. Three years ago, he scored 319 runs, including centuries against Hungerford and South Wilts, at an average of 53.17 – before being ordered home for squad training in late July by the Kenya Cricket Association.Otieno, who celebrated this 31st birthday this week, said he was delighted to be rejoining his old BAT team-mates.”I really enjoyed my time there in 2000. It is a thriving club and I got enormous satisfaction from coaching the youngsters, some of whom have begun to make their mark in the senior teams,” he said.But before Otieno arrives back at BAT, there’s some pretty serious cricket to be played …

Collins Obuya, Warwickshire’s new overseas signing, will take a somewhat roundabout route from Nairobi to Birmingham, after being invited to play for the University of West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI against the touring Australians in Barbados next week.Obuya, 21, who took 13 wickets in Kenya’s astonishing march to the World Cup semi-finals, has been named in a 12-man squad for the three-day match which begins on Saturday. He will be captained by the former West Indian opening batsman, Philo Wallace, in a side that includes four other Test cricketers.The most prominent of these is Chris Gayle, who missed the first two Tests against Australia after taking part in an unofficial double-wicket competition in St Lucia, and now has an opportunity to reclaim his place for the third Test in Barbados. David Bernard jr, who is currently making his debut in Trinidad, Corey Collymore and Ricardo Powell complete the set of international players.Squad
Philo Wallace (Barbados, captain), Dary Balgobin (UWI), David Bernard jr (Jamaica), Maurice Clarke (UWI), Corey Collymore (Barbados), Chris Gayle (Jamaica), Jason Haynes (UWI), Dwayne Jordan (UWI), Collins Obuya (Kenya, guest player), Ricardo Powell (Jamaica), Andrew Richardson (Jamaica), Matthew Sinclair (Jamaica)

Zimbabwe has confirmed its team for the first npower Test match versus England at Lord’s, beginning on Thursday 22 May. The 11 players selected are:Heath Streak, captain
Tatenda Taibu, vice captain and wicketkeeper
Dion Ebrahim
Mark Vermeulen
Stuart Carlisle
Grant Flower
Andy Blignaut
Travis Friend
Sean Ervine
Douglas Hondo
Ray Price
There are two changes from the team that drew with Sussex in the last lead up game at Hove. Seam bowling all rounder Travis Friend replaces Douglas Marillier, while pace bowler Douglas Hondo replaces Mluleki Nkala.Zimbabwe coach Geoff Marsh commented: “All 15 players were fit and available for selection. The final eleven gives us depth and variety in bowling, while the top order batting is supported by a number of genuine all round performers.”Despite losing a lot of play against Sussex our build up to the Test has gone well, with a win, a tie and a draw. Most of the batsmen have spent time in the middle and three have already produced big hundreds”.Captain Heath Streak added:”Our bowlers have all acclimatised pretty well to early-season English conditions and have delivered good spells in all three of the tour games. With unsettled weather forecast for Lord’s and a pitch that might favour the faster bowlers, the luxury of being able to call on five seam bowlers gives us plenty of options.”Streak will lead a five-pronged pace attack on a ground where he returned his best Test figures of 6-87, against England in 2000. Andy Blignaut, Douglas Hondo (12 wickets in two tour games to date), Sean Ervine and Travis Friend complete the seam attack. Ray Price provides contrast with left arm spin and will be backed up by fellow left armer Grant Flower.Three of the top order batsmen go into the Test with substantial centuries to their credit on tour: Grant Flower:130 v British Universities, Stuart Carlisle: 159 v Worcestershire and Mark Vermuelen:198 v Sussex.Nine of the starting line up are first class centurions (Hondo and Price being the exceptions).ZCU Media Contacts: Lovemore Banda, ZCU Communications Manager
Cell: + 44 (0)7818 881443
or
Mark Harrison, Media Consultant
Mobile: + 44 (0) 7776 182506

Dunstable:
Cumberland 370-6d & 198-3d v Bedfordshire 296-9 & 273-5
Bedfordshire won by 5 wickets
Bedfordshire 20, Cumberland 8March:
Cambridgeshire 414-7d & 67-0 v Suffolk 200 & 280
Cambridgeshire won by 10 wickets
Cambridgeshire 24, Suffolk 4Oxton:
Dorset 196 and 313-6d v Cheshire 258 and 255-4
Cheshire won by six wickets.Truro:
Cornwall 218 & 211-1d v Devon 218 & 138-6
Match drawn
Cornwall 9, Devon 9Luctonians:
Herefordshire 320-7d & 334-6 v Shropshire 536
Match drawn
Herefordshire 11, Shropshire 11Grantham:
Lincolnshire 308 & 296-5d v Norfolk 328 & 134
Lincolnshire won by 142 runs
Lincolnshire 23, Norfolk 8Jesmond:
Northumberland 322-6d & 260-9d v Staffordshire 303 & 162-8
Match drawn
Northumberland 10, Staffordshire 9Pontypridd:
Wiltshire 434-7 v Wales 130 & 298
Wiltshire won by an innings and 4 runs
Wiltshire 24, Wales 3

England v Zimbabwe, NatWest Series, Bristol

It was always the line in those melodramatic B movie westerns. The medic would peer and prod into the bullet wound while the hero struggled to say the words: “Give it to me straight, doc….”The match between England and Zimbabwe was a western of sorts, in that it was played in Bristol, but if there was no wounded gunslinger to utter the line, England captain Michael Vaughan might well have felt like saying it.He was armed with an all-pace attack to fire out the opposition, but instead of rifling every ball on target, his bowlers adopted a scattergun approach. They bowled enough good balls to get the job done, with the help of some pretty ordinary batsmanship from the Zimbabweans, but it is difficult to find a justified excuse for 16 wides in 25 overs.The ball was swinging, umpires are very strict on no-ball judgments inone-day cricket and some of the calls were the result of excessive bounce. All fair comment. However, this was an attack chosen to do a job in a one-day international in these particular conditions.The fact remains that swing is a potent weapon only when it is controlled, the umpires could and probably should have called a few more wides than they did, while the bounce was reasonably consistent and a ball banged in closer to the bowler’s toes than the batsman’s was always likely to balloon over the top.As part of a plan to get the batsman onto the back foot and then follow it up with a yorker, it is worth the odd extra. However, it would be surprising if the management found the number of wides bowled acceptable, even if the opposition were bowled out for less than a hundred.Now there is time to get it right for the final. There was a good,aggressive mood in the English approach that proved too much for aninexperienced Zimbabwean batting line-up. The question now is whether this policy can be harnessed in a way that will cause problems to Kallis, Gibbs and Co.If England continue to bowl wides at this rate – a rate which would produce 32 in 50 overs – they would have only two chances of beating South Africa in the final. And, to quote another favourite line from westerns, “Slim’s just ridden out of town.”Click here for the Wisden Bulletin

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sent the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a proposal regarding a two-match one-day series to be played later this year.Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, the PCB’s chairman, told a press conference on Tuesday that the friendship series would consist of one match in each country. “We have proposed that India first come to Pakistan to play the first one-day international of the friendship series in September,” said Zia. “Pakistan will then find a slot and visit India in October to play the second match.”India and Pakistan have rarely clashed on the cricket field since the Kargil skirmishes in 1999. They did play each other in the Carlton and United World Series in Australia in December 1999-January 2000, but have met only once since then – at the recently concluded World Cup. The Test matches scheduled between the two teams as part of the ICC’s World Championship have also not taken place, with the Indian government refusing to sanction the participation of the national side.

In a departure from his earlier stand, VVS Laxman has indicated that he is willing to bat at the top of the order. According to a report by the Press Trust of India, Laxman said: “I would not mind opening the innings.”Talking about his performances as an opener, Laxman expressed his disappointment with his record as a Test opener: 658 runs at 28.60. "I tried my best as an opening bat, but I think I did not live upto my own expectations. Also, the moment I failed one or two times they branded me a non-regular opener. I thought I could do better as a middle-order batsman because that’s the position I have batted throughout my career."Looking back at his omission from the World Cup squad, Laxman said that it was a "huge shock". "It was the most depressing moment in my cricketing career. For the past one year prior to the event, I was preparing really hard to contribute."Shrugging off that disappointment, Laxman said that he was back in top shape after having recovered from his side strain. "I had sustained a side strain on the West Indies tour [with the India A team] and had to take a month’s rest. Since then I have been doing exercises to strengthen my back."Laxman was also full of praise for the idea of holding a preparatory camp at the start of the season. "It is a really good idea to have this camp and it is good that they are emphasising a lot on fitness. Already, this camp has helped me recuperate and make the back really strong."India play a two-Test series against New Zealand next month, and Laxman was keen to make up for his failures on India’s tour to New Zealand. “We had a bad away series in New Zealand and the entire team is looking forward to this one. It is important that before we go to Australia our confidence level should be really high, so this series is important.”

All Today’s Yesterdays – August 21 down the years

August 20 | August 22

1986
Nobody had a greater sense of theatre than Ian Botham. Restored to the England side after a ban for admitting to the use of marijuana, he took a wicket with his first ball against New Zealand at The Oval, having Bruce Edgar caught by Graham Gooch, whose remark said it all: “Who writes your scripts?” Botham had just taken his 355th Test wicket, equalling the world record. Naturally he soon got the 356th, Jeff Crowe lbw – and followed it up with a rapid fifty. Beefy was well and truly back.1914
One of England’s most prominent and controversial legspinners was born. Doug Wright was prominent because he took seven hat-tricks, still a record in first-class cricket – and had his moments in the Test team too, including 7 for 105 at Sydney in 1946-47. But controversial because his 108 Test wickets cost 39.11 each: he simply bowled too many bad balls. Against the strong Australian teams he faced, this was asking for trouble. He was on the winning side only once in 14 Ashes Tests.1988
Yorkshire beat Surrey by three wickets at Chingford to win the inaugural women’s County Championship.1907
Birth of the first woman to captain England in a Test. In the inaugural match, at Brisbane in 1934-35, Betty Archdale hit an unbeaten 32, her highest Test score, out of an unexceptional total of 154 – which was enough to win the match by nine wickets. Australia made only 138 and lost the three-match series 2-0. Archdale went to live in Australia, where she died in January 2000 aged 92.1878
Against Kent at The Oval, Surrey wicketkeeper Ted Pooley made his eighth stumping of the match, then a record in first-class cricket. Against Sussex on the same ground in 1868, he made 12 dismissals, another world record at the time and still the record for a first-class match in England. One of the best keepers of his day, he never won an England cap – although he would have played in the inaugural Test, at Melbourne in 1876-77, if he hadn’t been in jail. He was arrested following a betting scam in New Zealand.Other birthdays
1905 Stan Worthington (England)
1905 Errol Holmes(England)
1935 Ken Taylor (England)
1961 V.B.Chandrasekhar (India)
1970 Keith Semple (West Indies)
1975 Simon Katich (Australia)