England 285 (Edwards 117, Newton 103) lead New Zealand 215 by 70 runs
ScorecardPersistent rain in Scarborough meant no play was possible on the third day of the one-off Test between England and New Zealand’s women. England were bowled out on day two for 285, a lead of 70, despite centuries from Laura Newton and Charlotte Edwards, their openers. But there is still plenty of time for a result in this match, with a strong series finish for England very much on the cards.

We received a large number of complaints about the organisation of the England v Sri Lanka match at the Rose Bowl last Friday and Saturday. This letter, from Richard Seeckts of Alton, summarises the points raised in many of them:

The Rose Bowl is not capable of successfully hosting England matches. Several journalists mentioned the long queues for buses to the park-and-ride car park on Friday afternoon, but that was not the half of it.Last Friday morning, the M27 was blocked solid as thousands of spectators sat in their cars for up to two hours queuing to get in to the official park-and-ride (price £7) which had only one gate. There was no traffic control and chaos reigned on every roundabout. To add to the frustration, we listened as the Test Match Special radio commentators remarked that the ground was only filling up slowly.When I finally reached the ground – 16 overs into the game – the seat numbers printed on my tickets did not exist. I was helpfully told they had been reissued, but then I had to find the right steward with the replacement tickets. I eventually took my seat two hours after I started queuing on the M27. An hour later play was washed out for the day.Before the long wait for the bus back to the park-and-ride, there was ample opportunity to queue for toilets, overpriced bars and food outlets, all of which were far too scarce for a crowd of 16,000. Shelter from the rain was non-existent.With Saturday dawning sunny, and big Freddie at the crease, I drove to Southampton again, knowing the crowd would be smaller and more manageable. I arrived at the park-and-ride to be informed that it was not in operation, and that parking was at the Rose Bowl (in the acres that had been mysteriously unused on Friday). Nobody had thought to announce this on Friday, or put notices up, or print it among the information sent out with tickets. The ICC preferred to focus on stern warnings about which fizzy drinks could not be taken into the ground.The big screen for replays and information was gone by Saturday, short-changing spectators again. A reserve day was set aside for the match, but not the spectator facilities! Fortunately the portable toilets were still in place, but the stench from them was nothing next to the whiff from the administrators. The ICC, Hampshire CCC and the ECB all had a hand in the disorganisation of this fixture, which will conveniently allow them to create a smokescreen as each denies responsibility for such poor planning.Leaving the ground by car in Saturday’s rain was a breeze. It took just under one hour.We have asked the Hampshire authorities to reply to the complaints raised in this letter. If you have any comments please email us.

New South Wales 7 for 373 (Haddin 154, Katich 78, Krejza 57*) lead Victoria 235 by 138 runsScorecardBrad Haddin blasted a career-best 154 from 162 balls in a brutal display to earn New South Wales first innings points against Victoria at the Junction Oval. Haddin, batting at No. 7, hit 22 fours and four sixes in a stunning counter-attack that lifted the Blues from 5 for 105.Haddin, who dominated a century stand with Simon Katich, was dropped by Matthew Elliott on 52 and by the time he departed New South Wales had a lead of 105. While the offspinner Jason Krejza moved to his maiden first-class half-century, Haddin added his third fifty from only 38 balls.New South Wales lost 3 for 7 before lunch, including the nightwatchman Nathan Bracken, who was lbw to Cameron White. White ended day two with 3 for 102 from 25 overs.

Muttiah Muralitharan has spoken out yet again as the chucking controversy rumbles on. He says that despite years of suffering comments about his action, science has finally vindicated what he already knew – that he is not a chucker.”For years I have suffered at the hands of the prominent cricketers past and present who have categorically stated that I am a ‘chucker’,” Murali said in a statement issued through his agent. “I have attempted to maintain my dignity in the face of these unjustified allegations, and have tried to keep away from personal controversy pending the results of the recent ICC committee’s investigation and analysis of the entire issue.”And he says that science has finally cleared his name. “The people who have accused me are ignorant of the biomechanics of the arm. I have always known that I am innocent of the accusation of chucking. I have never been never scared to be scrutinised by experts, cameras or commentators. I believe that science has vindicated me.”

Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, has dismissed an appeal by the Coast Cricket Association over the controversial constitutional review currently being undertaken by the Kenya Cricket Association.Samir Inamdar, the CCA’s chairman, wrote a long letter to Speed last month highlighting concerns that the review was unconstitutional and designed to endorse the existing regime with a hand-picked membership. The current KCA board is in conflict with most of the country’s clubs who object to the way it is run, and the ongoing players’ strike showed the depth of feeling as most of their complaints were against the KCA.The CCA has since May this year been embroiled in a court battle with the KCA in which it alleges that the board has violated its own constitution.But Speed rejected Inamdar’s request, insisting that the review was the way ahead. Claiming that he did not see the court proceedings as an impediment to the review process, he went on to say that it was “vital that all stakeholders of cricket in Kenya maximise their input within the review via the written submission and visitation processes which the commission has duly put in place. We strongly encourage the CCA and all its clubs to actively participate in this regard.He concluded: “The ICC is sure that the CCA would share its desire for Kenya cricket to be a vibrant, progressive and all-inclusive entity and is also sure that you will do all that is possible to work towards achieving that end.”The letter was greeted with dismay by many within Kenyan cricket, who accused Speed of simply looking to brush the matter under the carpet and of ignoring the virtual civil war between the KCA board and the cricketing community.”Speed refers to the input of the stakeholders,” one said, “but he doesn’t care that the commission hasn’t made any real attempt to consult with most of them. Yet again the ICC appears to want to wash its hands of getting involved.”The exact state of the review is shrouded in mystery. After the initial media coverage, Cricinfo has not been able to find any clubs or groups of individuals who have actually been involved in the process. Even finding out who is on the review panel is far from straightforward. After making an initial announcement, a number of proxies were nominated which left many bemused.The ICC’s representative on the panel, Bob Merriman, who heads Cricket Australia, spent less than 24 hours in Nairobi at the start of the process and is understood to have been in Australia ever since. Sammy Obingo, the KCA’s general manager who was appointed at the insistence of the ICC in April this year, has been keeping a low profile as well, and is currently involved in a bid to become chairman of the Kenyan Football Federation.Repeated questions to the KCA requesting clarification have not been answered.

Shoaib Akhtar has pulled out of the fundraising game between ICC XI and Asian XI to be played on at Melbourne on January 10. Shoaib ruled himself out after complaining of a hamstring injury.”It’s more sensible [to withdraw] rather than to just go in and rip my hamstring off and rip my back off and [be] out of the team for six months or a year,” Shoaib said, according to a Reuters report. Shoaib played all three Tests in the recently concluded series against Australia, and was Pakistan’s best bowler in terms of averages – his 11 wickets came at 30.36.Earlier, it had been announced that Sachin Tendulkar would not bat in the match due to a tennis elbow injury. Despite the absence of these two players, a capacity crowd of 80,000 is expected to turn up for the game, which is in aid of the victims of the tsunami which affected 13 countries and killed over 150,000 people.

ScorecardA five-wicket haul by Kerry Jeremy, the medium pacer, was the highlight of the second day of the seventh round match between Barbados and Leeward Islands. Jeremy finished with 5 for 53 and Carl Simon, another medium pacer, snapped up 4 for 53 as Barbados were dismissed for 204 in reply to the Leeward’s 195. Early in their innings Barbados were wobbling at 52 for 3 when Kurt Wilkinson and Ryan Hinds, who both top-scored with 41 each, added 71 for the fourth wicket and staged a recovery. But once they were seperated, Jeremy and Simon wrapped up the lower order. Barbados, though, gained a slender lead of nine and struck back late in the day as Leewards finished on a precarious 64 for 3.
ScorecardTrinidad & Tobago were tottering at 219 for 8 as Windward Islands stood on the verge of gaining the first-innings lead in the seventh round of the Carib Beer Series. Jean Paul, the Windards fast bowler, snapped up four wickets and was supported by Rawl Lewis, his captain, with 3 for 41. T&T lost wickets at regular intervals with only Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin crossing 30. Earlier, the Windwards extended their score to 346 as Deighton Butler, the allrounder, produced a plucky 66.
ScorecardThe second day of the top-of-the-table seventh round match between Guyana and Jamaica was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Guyana were set to resume at 221 for 3 but persistent showers prevented any play.

1st Test: Match Drawn
ScorecardThe drawn first Test produced some remarkable figures and records: Zaheer Abbas became the first batsman from this sub-continent to score 100 centuries; Mohsin reached his 1,000 runs in Tests in a calendar year, while Gavaskar not only passed the 7,000 Test run mark but in the process became only the second batsman after Greg Chappell to score over 1,000 runs against Pakistan in Tests.With Abdul Qadir unfit, Pakistan went into the match with four seamers plus Mudassar and there was so much speculation about the wicket that Gavaskar took the unprecedented step of putting Pakistan into bat after winning the toss. Only the first day produced uneven bounce and once the bright sun evened that out, the wicket became typically placid, giving absolutely no help to the bowlers. The Indian team added to their own misery by dropping Mohsin and Zaheer, who built his innings like a master craftsman. As Pakistani batsmen tried to get quick runs in the later part of their innings, Doshi captured all the last four wickets to finish with five for 91.Pakistan had a chance of exerting some pressure on the third day but the entire afternoon session had to be abandoned due to bad light and rain. Once this chance was lost, the draw was inevitable. Mohinder Amarnath, back in the Indian team after an absence of nearly two years, could not have played a more valuable innings for his team. He and Gavaskar saw India safely past the follow-on danger and then Sandeep Patil, who, like Majid Khan and Zaheer, has a fraction more time to play his strokes, played a gem of an innings. There is going to be plenty more of him as the series progresses and hisuninhibited stroke play is likely to be one of the highlights of this series.Test match hundreds are never easily scored but one felt that Gavaskar allowed one to Mohsinin the second innings rather too easily. Sarfraz, who had announced his intention to retire from Test cricket after this game, captured 4 for 63 and was easily the best Pakistani bowler. Imran then prevailed upon Sarfraz, who decided not to retire in ‘national interests’.Perhaps the most tragic aspect of the first Test was the poor crowd response. Tests betweenIndia and Pakistan have always been great crowd pullers and this should have been no exception. However, in order to earn quick and easy money, the BCCP auctioned the entire series against India to a private party for approximately £800,000. The contractor fixed exhorbitant rates for entry, forcing the cricket crazy public of Lahore to stay away. The yawning empty stands, even on a holiday, compelled the contractor to reduce the rates by half after the second day but the spectators never returned.No game can survive without crowd support and unless the BCCP learns to respect the public all interest in the rest of the series might well be lost. The person most disappointed about the shortage of spectators was Zaheer Abbas: ‘For me, the hundredth hundred was a dream come true but there were hardly any spectactors to see this feat and cheer me up. It made me very sad and took part of the pleasure out of this achievement’.The Cricketer

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Three quick wickets in the final session of the second day reignited New South Wales’ hopes of the outright victory they need to ensure a spot in the final, after Jason Arnberger and David Hussey had threatened to bring Victoria right back into the match with a pair of half-centuries. From 1 for 155, however, Victoria lost three wickets for seven runs, before closing on 4 for 170 – a lead of 47.After being bowled out for 169 in their first innings, Victoria had been in some trouble at the start of play, as NSW resumed on 1 for 132. The nightwatchman, Matthew Nicholson, fell early, but Phil Jaques completed a fine century, adding 88 for the third wicket with Matthew Phelps (43). But Jaques then gloved to Adam Crosthwaite for 115 off Mick Lewis and the slide began.With Lewis and Shane Harwood combining to good effect, NSW lost 8 for 66 to collapse to 292 all out. Lewis collected four wickets while Harwood picked up three to limit the deficit to 123 at tea. Jaques became the second batsman of the season behind Michael Bevan to reach 1000 runs with his third century.

England 180 for 2 (Edwards 99, Taylor 55*) beat South Africa 174 for 6 (Brits 46) by eight wickets
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England’s women wasted no time in getting back to winning ways, as they brushed aside the hosts, South Africa, to secure an eight-wicket victory that will all but guarantee them a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup.Charlotte Edwards was the mainstay of England’s innings. Chasing 180 for victory, Edwards racked up 14 fours in her 133-ball innings, and though she was dismissed one short of a richly deserved hundred, Clare Taylor was on hand to seal the contest in style. With one needed for victory and more than 10 overs to spare, Taylor clobbered Shandre Fritz for the only six of the match, to bring up her half-century and cue the celebrations.Following their dispiriting loss to India on Sunday, England were back on song with the ball and in the field, as they restricted South Africa to 174 for 6 from their 50 overs. Isa Guha and Lucy Pearson grabbed two wickets apiece, while Arran Brindle executed a fine run-out to remove Fritz for 19. Only Cri-Zelda Brits, who top-scored with 46, was able to hang around long enough to set a competitive total, but it never looked like being enough.New Zealand 184 for 9 (McGlashan 57) beat India 168 for 9 (Milliken 5-25) by 16 runs
ScorecardFollowing their top-of-the-table victory over England on Sunday, India lost ground on the new log leaders, Australia, as they stumbled to a 16-run defeat against New Zealand at the Technikon Oval in Pretoria. Despite being set a modest target of 185 in 50 overs, India faltered in the face of a hostile spell from Louise Milliken, who finished with 5 for 25, as they collapsed from 136 for 3 to 162 for 9 in 38 chaotic deliveries.The match seemed to be going to plan for India, after they won the toss and asked New Zealand to bat. Neetu David bamboozled her way to 5 for 32 with her left-arm spin, and the wicketkeeper, Anju Jain, held onto three catches and two stumpings. Only Sara McGlashan, with 57 from 73 balls, was able to get to grips with the attack, although Aimee Mason (36) and Rebecca Rolls (23) both made starts.Milliken, however, soon rocked India with two quick wickets (10 for 2), and though Anjum Chopra and Mithali Raj battled back with a 91-run stand for the third wicket, India were chugging along at a run-rate of less than three an over, and looked ill-prepared for a late push. So it proved, as Milliken returned to make the breakthrough, and India’s tail folded meekly.Australia 58 for 2 beat Sri Lanka 57 (Nitschke 3-5) by eight wickets

Australia confirmed their status as favourites for the Women’s World Cup by marching to an effortless eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at Hatfield. Shelley Nitschke epitomised a suffocating performance by taking 3 for 5 in six overs, as Sri Lanka used up almost 39 overs in making a pathetic 57. Shashikala Siriwardena top-scored with 14 from 40 balls, while Julie Hayes and Emma Liddell both took two wickets.Australia, in reply, hardly broke sweat. Lisa Keightley and Belinda Clark strolled to a first-wicket partnership of 52, as the match was wrapped up with more than 33 overs to spare.West Indies 162 for 2 (Nero 71*, Lavine 66*) beat Ireland 159 for 6 (Joyce 37) by eight wickets
West Indies eased to an eight-wicket win over Ireland at the Laudium Oval, thanks to half-centuries from Juliano Nero and Pamela Lavine. Ireland, who have yet to win a match in the tournament, had given themselves an outside chance of pulling off an upset by posting a competitive 159 for 6 after losing the toss and being asked to bat first, but in the end it wasn’t enough.Ireland’s openers, Cecelia Joyce (37) and Anne Linehan (25), added 79 for the first wicket, before Catriona Beggs (31) and Una Budd (21) completed a spirited performance by adding 40 for the sixth wicket.