ScorecardSteven Davies and Joe Denly provided the impetus with a 160-run opening partnership as England’s Under-19s pulled off a relatively comfortable five-wicket victory at Eden Gardens in Kolkata to keep alive their hopes in the five-match one-day series. Chasing 222 for the win, Davies made 82, and Denly a sedate 71 before Piyush Chawla nipped in with three quick wickets to put a few seeds of doubt in English minds. But Michael O’Shea and Tom Smith ensured that victory would be achieved with four balls still remaining.The damage had been done much earlier in the day, with India Under-19s slumping to 72 for 5. Moeen Ali bowled both Ankit Rawat and Gaurav Dhiman, and with Mayank Tehlan – who led the side to victory in the last game – being run out, it was left to the lower order to restore some pride.They did that with some purpose, as Ravikant Shukla, a left-hander from Uttar Pradesh, smashed 85 from just 93 deliveries, including two big sixes. He was superbly supported by Andimoni Pradeep (34) and Chawla, who made 22 not out. Ali was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 46.

Titans 266 for 4 (Rudolph 96, de Villiers 62) beat Dolphins 254 for 5 (Watson 142) by 12 runs
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A superb 122-run opening partnership between AB de Villiers and Jacques Rudolph set the Titans up for an exciting 12-run win over the Dolphins in the second semi-final of the Standard Bank Cup at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Doug Watson’s career-best 142 went in vain as the Titans qualified for next week’s final, where they will face the Eagles.In a surprise decision, Hashim Amla, the Dolphins captain, chose to field on a very good batting pitch. Both teams had key withdrawals through injuries, with Shaun Pollock unavailable for the Dolphins and Justin Kemp missing for the Titans.A confident start from de Villiers and Rudolph, two of the six internationals who turned out for the Titans, brought the hundred up in 128 balls. de Villiers capitalised on a reprieve given to him by Watson at third man when on 30, and raced to 50 in 56 balls, which included seven fours and a big straight six off Andrew Tweedie. Rudolph’s 50 was slightly slower, coming off 78 balls and including six fours.Imraan Khan got the breakthrough at 122 when de Villiers (62) drove back down the pitch and Khan got down low to take an excellent catch off his own bowling. Zander de Bruyn hit two fours in his 31 before being well caught at midwicket by Ashraf Mall after mistiming a pull off Lance Klusener.Rudolph had moved on to 96 when some good fielding at short fine leg found him slipping as he tried to recover his ground, only to be run out four short of the hundred.The 200 came up in 242 balls as Daryll Cullinan had a little flurry, clearing the ropes on three occasions. However he was found inches short of the crease by Amla at mid-on while he was attempting a quick single. He made 25 off 18 balls.Albie Morkel took over the hitting role, and Tweedie was given some serious punishment and disappeared for 76 from his nine overs. The Titans ended with 266 for 4, their highest Standard Bank Cup total, with Morkel undefeated on 29 off 15 balls and Alviro Petersen making a quick 12. The last six overs produced 69 runs as the Titans kicked on from a steady start.Three maidens and a wicket in the first five overs increased the pressure on the Dolphins batsmen as they set off chasing a big target. Khan flashed at Andre Nel once too often as he edged to de Villiers after scoring four. But Watson relieved some of the pressure with three boundaries as he and Wade Wingfield took 15 runs off Ethy Mbhalati and then seven off Nelin the sixth and seventh overs. A near run-a-ball 100-run partnership followed, with Watson bringing up his 50 in 59 balls.Two quick wickets tilted the scales in the Titans’ favour with Wingfield,having scored 40, edging Mbhalati to de Villiers who dived full-length to his right to take a acrobatic catch. An over later, the Dolphins were 120 for 3 when Pierre de Bruyn clean bowled Amla for 1.A fourth-wicket partnership of 50 between Watson and Jon Kent kept the Dolphins in the hunt. However, the required run-rate was steadilyclimbing to above nine an over, with only ten overs left to be bowled.Watson reached probably the best hundred of his career, which includedten fours and a flat six over square leg, in 116 balls. He had singlehandedly kept the Dolphins in the game. Pierre de Bruyn swung it back towards the Titans with a perfect yorker which spread the stumps of Kent, who made 37 off only 30 balls.Klusener came in with the Dolphins needing 83 off 50 balls. Somegood bowling, attacking his leg stump, kept him cramped him up at first. Ones and twos took the Dolphins to 220, still 47behind with three overs to be bowled. Nel gave away 11 in one over but Thomas, the best bowler on view, followed it up with another excellent over conceding only six singles.The Dolphins nearly pulled off an unbelievable win as they attemped to get 30 off the last over. Two sixes gave them a chance, but Watson’s dismissal, for a career-best 142, sealed their fate and they fell 12 runs short. The Titans’ exceptional fielding, Amla’s decision at the toss, and Klusener again coming in too late were the three main factors that decided the game.

The executive board of the International Cricket Council is preparing to meet in Delhi in the next few days, and one of the key items on their agenda will be the Test status of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, two Test nations whose performances continue to lag far behind the pack.If there was any doubt about how critical the question has become, then the shenanigans of the past week will have served to sharpen everyone’s focus. South Africa wrapped up their two-match series against Zimbabwe in less time than most teams take for one Test, and the most damning indictment of their opposition is that they barely broke sweat for full sessions at a time.Happily, today was not one of those days for coasting. After a limp first-day performance that was, frankly, insulting to the game, South Africa’s intensity was back for the final phase of this game. They batted with purpose, declared with intent, and bowled with menace, and though the cynic would suggest that their primary motivation was the chance for a lie-in tomorrow and an afternoon of golf, there were at least a handful of South Africans who were treating the match as more than just a glorified net session.Shortly after the close of play, South Africa unveiled both its list of contracted players for the 2005-06 season, from which Monde Zondeki had been removed, and their squad for the tour of the West Indies, to which he had been added, quite possibly at the last minute. You can’t read much into an alphabetical list in which Zondeki naturally appears at the bottom, but given that he had just produced a matchwinning spell of 6 for 39, the juxtaposition seems significant.Zondeki’s performance gave renewed significance to this fixture, and was the most refreshing sight of the series. He bowled like a man with a point to prove – with pace, accuracy and penetration – and in doing so, he also conferred some hard-earned dignity on Hamilton Masakadza, whose skillful 47 can only have enhanced his confidence for future engagements. Masakadza now knows he’s been in a Test match, and that is more than can be said for several of the participants.Development is the only use for such one-sided matches as these, for Zondeki and Masakadza were not the only players to make strides. Ashwell Prince, for example, came into this match as the only top-seven South African without a Test century, which was a stigma in its own right. But, he also had the grim memory of his embarrassments against Bangladesh in 2002-03, when his contribution to a pair of innings victories had been scores of 0 and 2. With that sort of mental baggage, try telling him that yesterday’s innings was not significant.On the other hand, it is impossible to see what on earth Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis gained from this series. For such proven performers, it was a damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don’t scenario. Smith and Gibbs went to one extreme – throwing their wickets away with grotesque shots that reeked of disinterest – while Kallis went to the other, jeopardising his hip injury to snaffle six cheap wickets for 53 runs. It’s hard to say which was the more cynical attitude. As Charles Colvile commented during Sky Sports’ coverage: "Kallis is an occasional bowler. By that, I mean he occasionally wants to bowl …”Who knows what Dale Steyn would have made of Kallis’s candy-swiping. Steyn is precisely the type of eager young thruster who could make a contest out of these games. He endured a torrid baptism against England this season, but was in full cry for the Titans in their last round of SuperSport matches and like Zondeki, he would have relished the opportunity to impress the selectors and gatecrash the Caribbean party.These are thoughts that the ICC might like to consider when they meet in Delhi. Test cricket is 99% a mental challenge, but that challenge is cheapened if the players involved give anything less than 100% commitment to their cause. Zimbabwe learned more from the challenge posed by Prince and Zondeki than from the posing provided by South Africa’s hotshots. Everyone’s a winner if the incentives are in place.

Rahul Dravid’s match-winning performance in Kolkata has lifted him to the top of the ICC Test Player Rankings. Dravid’s twin centuries, 110 and 135, boosts him to 892 points, a career-best tally, just ahead of Jacques Kallis who has 886.Anil Kumble, India’s other Kolkata hero, has jumped to fourth in the bowling rankings after his 10-wicket haul, which included 7 for 63 in the second innings to wrap up the Test. Kumble has moved ahead of Shoaib Akhtar, who has missed this series with injury, while Danish Kaneria, Pakistan’s legspinner, remains in 13th position having not quite reached the heights of his first Test performance.India have two further batsmen in the top 10, Virender Sehwag is at No. 6 and Sachin Tendulkar, after two half-centuries in Kolkata, is No. 7 as he waits for that elusive 35th Test century.Inzamam-ul-Haq remains Pakistan’s highest-rated batsman, in 14th spot, despite not being at his best in Kolkata where he was given continuing problems by Kumble – who has dismissed him three times in four innings during the series.

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Uganda launched a spirited fightback on the second day of their Intercontinental Cup fixture in Kampala, but Kenya still finished with a healthy advantage of 236 runs before bad light ended play early.Steve Tikolo followed-up his first-innings century with 54, as Kenya pressed for quick runs, but was out to the last ball of the day, caught by Lawrence Sematimba, the keeper, off Emmauel Isaneez. The Ugandan attack did an impressive job in restricting the Kenyan run rate as they looked to build on their first-innings lead of 151.Thomas Odoyo was the star bowler, taking 5-34 with his brisk medium-pace. He helped reduce Uganda to 84 for 6 before a fightback from the seventh wicket pair of Sematimba and Frank Nsubuga. They added 59, with Sematimba making a determined half-century, before Odoyo returned to wrap up the tail.

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Durham’s spectacular run of four consecutive victories was halted in a thrilling finale at Chester-le-Street, as they were forced to settle for a draw by a spirited Yorkshire side that had matched them blow-for-blow throughout the four days. The final act of a see-sawing match began with Durham needing a further 192 runs with 10 wickets standing, but a rain-delayed start ensured that the game would be a race against the clock as well as a battle against Yorkshire’s bowlers. They endured the worst possible start as Jonathan Lewis and Paul Collingwood were dismissed by Deon Kruis without addition to their overnight 53, but Mike Hussey and Gordon Muchall added 129 for the third wicket to tilt the balance back Durham’s way. But Yorkshire struck back again, as four middle-order wickets caved in for 45, leaving Dale Benkenstein to shepherd an increasingly nervous tail. Gareth Breese’s run-out persuaded Durham that discretion was the better part of valour, although they were just 19 runs from victory (and two wickets from defeat) when honours were declared even.Scorecard
Graeme Hick and Stephen Moore made light work of Worcestershire’s target of 167, as they raced to victory in 25 overs on the final day at Chelmsford. Despite slipping to an uncomfortable 21 for 2 overnight, Hick and Moore were unstoppable as they knocked off the 146 runs still remaining of their target. Hick, on his 39th birthday, finished unbeaten on 76 to take his season’s tally past 500 runs, and Moore was on 63 (and 496 for the season) when Worcestershire wrapped up their third win of the summer.
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Iain Sutcliffe and Brad Hodge spanked rapid centuries to enliven a meaningless final day at Taunton, as Somerset and Lancashire finally made it out to the middle for a decent length of time, after three rain-wrecked days. Sutcliffe made 150 from 139 balls, with 22 fours and two sixes, and Hodge 110 not out from 112, with 11 and three, as Lancashire secured an improbable 11 bonus points before the two captains agreed to call off the match. Earlier, Muttiah Muralitharan whet the appetite of Lancashire’s fans by ripping through Somerset’s lower order for figures of 5 for 56 from 26 overs. Murali’s victims included his Sri Lankan team-mate, Sanath Jayasuriya, who added just one to his overnight 72, as Somerset collapsed from 195 for 3 to 294 all out.

After being subjected to their second consecutive whitewash in an ODI series, West Indies go into the two-Test series against Pakistan decidedly short on confidence. Their record at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown might give them just a little bit of cheer, though – out of the 42 Tests played on this ground, West Indies have won 20 and have lost only seven. However, four of those seven defeats have come on the trot since 2002, with New Zealand, Australia, England and South Africa all getting the better of them. Pakistan have never beaten them here, though, losing twice and drawing three times. The closest they came to a win here was in 1987-88, when West Indies clinched a thriller by two wickets.The Test also marks the return of Brian Lara, who was rested for the one-day series. Though, Lara couldn’t change his team’s fortunes against South Africa, his record at this ground is excellent. In 14 Tests, he has amassed 1161 runs at 50.47 with two hundreds. Surprisingly, he holds a fairly ordinary record against Pakistan, scoring only 394 runs at 30, with no centuries. In comparison, Wavell Hinds has done much better, averaging 51.78 in five Tests.For Pakistan, the absence of Inzamam-ul-Haq, who will be serving a one-match ban, could hamper their batting. In 11 matches against West Indies, Inzamam has scored 840 runs at 52.50, including three hundreds and as many fifties. Yousuf Youhana, the other big gun in the Pakistan line-up, has an even more imposing record against West Indies, with three centuries in five Tests, at an average of 78.

The ECB will announce the name of its new chief executive at a press conference at Lord’s tomorrow morning (Oct 13). Although officials remained light-lipped about the identity of Tim Lamb’s successor, many of today’s newspapers tipped David Collier, who is currently Nottinghamshire’s chief executive.Collier, 48, is already a member of the ECB’s management board, and is the favourite of the three candidates on the short-list. The others are Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers Association, and Matthew Wheeler, a former Northamptonshire player who has worked in sports marketing.Collier has considerable domestic experience, having worked at four counties – Essex, Gloucestershire and Leicestershire before moving to Trent Bridge. He also has worked in sports marketing, and the leisure industry for Sema, a Cheshire-based computer-systems company. He’s also a hockey referee, and in 2003 played an important part in organising a rescue package which bailed out the England Hockey Association.Wheeler’s stint with Northamptonshire was brief – he played just two matches for them as a fast-medium bowler in 1985 – but he made more of an impression with Octagon, the group currently advising the ECB on the new television contracts, and he has made a success of his two sports-marketing companies.Bevan’s was the surprising name on the short-list, given that he has often crossed swords with the ECB in the past in his dealings on behalf of the players.A firm of headhunters has been working on behalf of the ECB to find a replacement for Lamb, who resigned in May after six years in charge.

The 21-year-old allrounder, Sean Ervine, has become the fourth Zimbabwean rebel cricketer to join the county circuit, after completing a two-year deal with Hampshire.Ervine, who quit international cricket earlier this year, joined Western Australia in June and intends to build a new life Down Under. But he is keen to spend his summers in England and told Hampshire’s official website that he was thrilled by the new challenge.”This is a challenge I relish,” he said. “I want to develop my career with Hampshire.” In spite of this week’s ECB moves to clamp down on overseas imports, Ervine will be registered at the club as a non-overseas player, under the provisions of the Kolpak ruling, which allows free movement of players with EU passports.Ervine played 42 one-day internationals for Zimbabwe, scoring 698 runs at an average of 25.85, with his highest score of 100 coming against India at the Adelaide Oval in last season’s VB Series. He took 41 wickets at an average of 39.07. He also played five Tests in his short career, averaging 32 with the bat and 43 with the ball.Ervine joins his fellow rebels, Heath Streak (Warwickshire), Grant Flower (Essex) and Ray Price (Worcestershire) on the county circuit, and he is Hampshire’s second signing of the week, following the arrival of the seam bowler, Richard Logan, earlier this week. The newly qualified England batsman, Kevin Pietersen, may soon be joining the pair at Hampshire, after rejecting a new contract at Nottinghamshire.

Rob Turner, the wicketkeeper, has signed a new one-year contract with Somerset.Turner, who turns 37 later this month, joined Somerset in 1991 after having captained both Cambridge and British Universities.His opportunities at Somerset were initially limited as Neil Burns was the first-team wicketkeeper, but a patient Turner bided his time. And when the chance came, he took it. In 1994 he won his county cap, and has been a regular ever since. The last County Championship match he missed for them was in 1998, before the advent of two-division domestic cricket.”I am delighted to have agreed a new deal,” he said “and [I] will be looking to continue my playing career with Somerset for the foreseeable future.”In addition to his 659 dismissals for Somerset, which places him fourth on their all-time list, Turner has so far scored more than 9,000 first-class runs, and passed 1000 in the 1997 and 1999 seasons.