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Owais Shah made the highest championship score at Durham’s Riverside ground before becoming a victim of Middlesex’s panic-stricken collapse in search of a fifth batting point.At 354 for three in the 118th over they still had 12 overs to reach 400. But 11 overs later they were all out for 386, with Shah sixth out for 190.In building so impressively on his seventh first-class hundred he added 50 to his own previous best, made against Yorkshire at Lord’s three years ago.Shah hit 18 fours and added three sixes once he had passed 150 before he swept his 330th ball to short fine leg as Michael Gough’s off-spin produced his first five-wicket haul in a spell of five for 12 in 29 balls.The previous highest Championship score on the ground was Michael Vaughan’s 177 in 1998, although Darryl Cullinan hit 200 not out for South Africa against Durham in the same season.Shah and Stephen Fleming put on 248 in 78 overs for the third wicket before Fleming fell for 114, clipping Nicky Phillips to square leg.There were ten balls left before the 130-over cut-off for bonus points when David Nash was last out, run out for 19.Durham had to bat for 18 overs in poor light and five warning lights were already shining when Gough was caught off bat and pad off Tufnell, prompting the umpires to call a halt 45 minutes early.

The United States were crowned Americas Cricket Champions on Saturday 16th March in Buenos Aires without a ball being bowled, officially, on the last day of competition.Overnight storms had renedered the grounds unplayable, and the only entertainment for the many spectators who made their way to the Belgrano Athletic Club was a hastily arranged 15 over a side bash between Argentina and Bermuda which, for the record, Argentina won.The two key games of the day were abandoned earlier in the day.The USA went into the day two points clear of Canada and the Cayman Islands, with their unbeaten four game run in the tournament. Earlier in the week they had accounted for World Cup qualifiers and defending champions Canada, while Canada had ended the Caymans three match winning streak the day before.The final day held various permutations. Had the USA beaten the Cayman Islands at Lomas, they would have won the title in straughtforward fashion wiht full points from their five games. However, had the Caymans beaten them, and Canada beaten the Bahamas at Hurlingham, that would have meant a three-way tie at the top of the table.With each team having beaten one of the others, and all three teams having won the same amount of games, they would have had to be ultimately separated by net run-rate. Going into the final day, the Cayman Islands had the best run-rate. Had Canada beaten the Bahamas, they would have had to do so in convincing fashion in order to boost their net run rate above that of the Caymans. Had Canada lost to the Bahamas, and the Caymans beaten the USA, the Caymans would simply have won the title by virtue of their victory on the day over the USA.Ultimately, rain, which wreaked havoc with the tournament throughout, had the last wet laugh, and an exciting finale was denied to players and spectators alike. Even the so-called dead game between Argentina and Bermuda held some interest.Argentina needed to beat Bermuda, and the Bahamas lose to Canada, to create a three-way tie between the three bottom placed teams, which woud have again boiled down to net run-rate separation to ascertain positions 4 through 6.In the end, it was perhaps a minor miracle that local organisers managed to find the facilities and venues for the completion of at least four rounds of the tournament. It is sad, though, that many months of hard work were not rewarded with a clear week of weather, as this was the only factor that disrupted an otherwise excellent and smoothly-run event.The heavy rain which fell on the first two days of the competition also meant that playing conditions at the various grounds were nowhere near the standard expected by the organisers before the commencement of the event. This resulted in somewhat low-scoring contests and the expected festival of cricket never materialised.On the positive side, the tournament showed what could be achieved from within the small cricketing community of Argentina, when many willing hands, minds and bodies worked so very hard to make the tournament successful, also bearing in mind the uncertain build-up to the event due the instability within the country.On the rain-affected wickets and grounds, batting and run-scoring was always difficult, and bowlers dominated the event. There were no centuries, and the highest individual score was 83 not out by Faoud Bacchus for the USA against the Bahamas. Good batting performances were restricted to fighting half-centuries rather than flowing batting, but a local highlight is that only one player features twice on the top ten list of highest individual scores, that being Argentina’s Donny Forrester, with scores of 63 and 55.There were many fine bowling performances throughout the tournament, the picks perhaps being Kevin Sandher’s 5 for 11 off 10 overs for Canada against Bermuda, and David Wight of the Cayman Islands taking 5 for 12 in 10, also against Bermuda. The 6 for 51 returned by Gary Armstrong of the Bahamas against the USA should also not be overlooked amongst a host of fine bowling performances.At the end of the tournament, Ryan Bovell of the Cayman Islands was named Player of the Tournament, and although these type of awards always incite much discussion, and there are always many candidates, Bovell’s nomination was thoroughly deserving of a player who performed consistently throughout the event.The next Americas Cricket Championship is due to be held in Bermuda in 2004, and all the teams have some work to do ahead of that event. Hopefully the weather will be kinder on that occasion, but also hopefully the spirit that prevailed amongst the nations of the Americas during the Buenos Aires 2002 event will prevail.A memorable event from all perspectives, and well done to the Argentine Cricket Association for hosting the event as successfully as they did, even with the natural odds that were loaded against them.

England fast bowler James Kirtley had his involvement in the NatWest Series ended when he suffered a hand injury during a training session at Old Trafford prior to the match against Sri Lanka. He will be out for between four and six weeks after suffering a dislocation to his right hand when attempting to take a return catch from Jeremy Snape in the nets.He was taken to hospital for an x-ray that revealed the damage that brings another halt to Kirtley’s international career after he had played in all England’s matches in this series. He had just back into the side after having remedial coaching on his bowling action after being reported during England’s tour of Zimbabwe last winter.England will not call up a replacement at this stage, thereby opening the way for Alex Tudor to have his first game or giving Matthew Hoggard another chance after his mauling at the hands of the Sri Lankans at Headingley.

Natal claimed a consummate seven-wicket win to finish on top of the final standings and earn a semi-final against the fourth-place finishers. An inept North West were dismissed for 141 and Natal cantered to 142 for three to win by seven wickets with all of 12.5 overs to spare.Not for nothing do North West turn out in maroon, because on the night – and for much of this seaon – they performed as mournfully as the bedraggled West Indies themselves. Played 10, lost eight was Potch plodders’ lot in this competition this summer, and it wasn’t difficult to see why. They batted as if they knew something Natal didn’t, namely that the home side would not have many runs to chase, and their bowling and fielding fairly creaked with the resignation of impending defeat.All that was left to Natal was to get the basics right, and this they managed without undue fuss. First they kept it tight to scythe through North West’s batting, before building their reply around the composed Wade Wingfield’s 73 not out.Shaun Pollock was a late inclusion in the Natal squad following the early finish to the third Test against Sri Lanka and the South African captain plainly revelled in the relatively stress free conditions to take two for 10 off 8.2 immaculate overs against batsmen who didn’t even try and forget who he was.Left-arm wrist spinner Gulam Bodi was the other star, using flight and intelligent variations of pace to take two for 26 off his full quota. Burton de Wett scored 35 before being stunningly run out by Wingfield’s throw from cover point, Arno Jacobs’ 26 was sprinkled with five fours and Gary Outram fashioned 33 runs off 71 balls. The rest should and will be spared a mention.Natal knew they needed just one half-decent innings to claim the points, and they got rather more than that in the shape of man-of-the-match Wingfield’s fine effort. It lasted 78 balls and included 10 fours and three sixes. Most of his support came in a third-wicket partnership of 80 shared with captain Dale Benkenstein, who scored 20.

Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, who led the team to aremarkable 2-1 Test series victory against the visiting Australiansrecently, was presented with a special Sir Donald Bradman cap onFriday as part of a programme to honour the legendary batsman’s firstclub St George Club.The Indian captain was presented with the prized gift at his Kolkataresidence by a representative of an Australian company dealing in SirDonald Bradman memorabilia.Three other Indian cricketers — batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, newstar V V S Laxman and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh — had also beenselected for the special Bradman caps for their performance in therecent India-Australia series. The three cricketers have already beenpresented with the maroon cap with golden and yellow strips which alsohas an embroidered bust of the late Bradman at the centre.”It is indeed a great honour to receive this special cap. I am veryhappy,” the Indian captain said after receiving his cap. Ganguly hasalso been presented a CD-ROM on the ‘art of cricket’ made by thecompany to commemorate the occasion. “It will really be worth watchingthe CD,” he said.On a request from the company, Ganguly presented one of his caps fordisplay at the State Library of New South Wales. The Indian captainpresented a cap which he had used during the recent home seriesagainst Zimbabwe.Sachin Tendulkar has also been requested to donate one of his caps fora special exhibition of the World’s Greatest Cricketers Caps to beheld at the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney on August 28this year.The travelling caps exhibition will include caps signed by Wisden’sfive cricketers of the century, including the English Test cap of SirJack Hobbs.Only 50 special caps have been made to honour the late Bradman’s firstclub St George Club where he played from 1926-32. Ray Lindwall andArthus Morris were some of the other greats who had played for theclub while leg-spinner Stuart MacGill had also represented the club.The four Indian players were the first to receive the special Bradmancaps. “The caps are for their efforts in advancing the spirit of thegame and also for the Indian team’s fightback in the recent seriesagainst Australia,” the representative said.

Peter Ingram, the New Zealand opening batsman, has said his international career is “pretty much gone” after being left out of the 30-man preliminary 2011 World Cup squad that was announced last month.I’ll just play for Central Districts and Taranaki if I get a chance,” he told the yesterday. Ingram, who played eight ODIs in 2010, scoring 193 runs at an average of 27.57, said he didn’t even get a call from the selectors telling him he hadn’t made the cut for the World Cup.”I was third in the one-day averages last year for New Zealand and I didn’t even get a call. It just shows what they [selectors] are like.”Ingram plays domestically for Central Districts, which narrowly failed to defend their HRV cup title, losing to Auckland by four runs last weekend. “We’re pretty gutted, but that’s cricket,” he said. “We’re still pretty pumped, we’ve still got two competitions that we want to win and we’re pretty excited about that. It can still be a pretty good summer.”New Zealand Cricket decided to move the HRV Cup to December from its traditional spot in January so that it wouldn’t clash with the international calendar, which resulted in lower attendances, but Ingram said the change was the right move. “We have to have the Black Caps available. We need the likes of Rossco [Ross Taylor] playing. He brings an extra 1000 people into the ground, I reckon.”Central Districts currently lead New Zealand’s domestic four-day competition, the Plunket Shield, having notched up three consecutive victories.

While Pakistan will look to select as many experienced players as possible for their limited-overs tour of India in December, Shahid Afridi will not be a sure pick, according to chief selector Iqbal Qasim.”India tours have always been tough ones,” Qasim said in Lahore. “We are wary about India being a very strong host and we want to pick a combination very carefully. Expect no sweeping changes. We need to strengthen the combination with experience but there is always room for an outstanding young talent.”Nobody, not even Afridi, gets an automatic place in the side at the moment. Afridi is a fine player and has performed well in past, but the upcoming [domestic] Twenty20 cup is the opportunity for him to perform and we will watch him. I am optimistic about him, as he has done a lot in past and still has a lot of cricket left in him.”Pakistan’s selectors will pick the squad for what is their first bilateral series with India since they toured India in late 2007 after the conclusion of their domestic T20, which ends on December 10. Pakistan had dropped seniors Younis Khan and Umar Gul from the one-day squad for the three-match series against Australia in the UAE in August-September; the selectors plan to back experience could see them return. It appears Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami and Abdul Razzaq’s places will also be debated by Qasim’s panel.Qasim also hinted that Mohammad Yousuf, the veteran batsman of 90 Tests who hasn’t played any cricket in over a year due to personal reasons, could be in contention for Pakistan’s tour of South Africa early next year. “We obviously need experienced batsmen for the difficult South Africa tour, and we intend to use Yousuf’s services if he steps up and shows us he’s in form.” Pakistan play three Tests, followed by two T20s and five ODIs in South Africa in February and March.Yousuf had said earlier this year that he is keen to make a comeback to the national team and was asked by the selectors to play domestic cricket first. He hadn’t played any domestic tournaments since June 2011, but has been included in Lahore’s team for the national T20, and had applied – though is yet to be cleared by the PCB – to play for Port Qasim Authority in the ongoing first-class President’s Trophy.

6th T20
ScorecardUpul Tharanga hit 48 and 52 on the final day of matches against Kenya•AFP

Sri Lanka A took a 5-1 lead in the Twenty20 series against Kenya, on the final day in Colombo, as they chased down Kenya’s 131 for 6 with five wickets in hand and four balls remaining. Upul Tharanga provided the platform for the chase with a 45-ball 48, before the middle order completed the victory, despite losing quick wickets.Irfan Karim had set up Kenya’s total with an unbeaten 53 off 55 balls, after the top three had failed. Karim and captain Collins Obuya put on a 52-run stand after coming together at 12 for 3. Rakep Patel’s 28 from 12 balls pushed the total above 130, as opening seam bowlers Ishan Jayaratne and Lahiru Jayaratne took two wickets apiece.Tharanga and Mahela Udawatte put on 74 for the first wicket, and though Hiren Varaiya caused a setback by taking 3 for 15 with his left-arm spin, an unbeaten 12-ball 20 by Kithuruwan Vithanage sealed the match for Sri Lanka A.7th T20 – Match abandoned
ScorecardSri Lanka A had hit 129 for 4 in 16.4 overs when rain forced the abandonment of the second match, in Colombo. Upul Tharanga followed up his 48 in the first match with 52 from 42 balls, striking up a 79-run third-wicket partnership with Niroshan Dickwella, who hit 42 from 34.Seam bowler Elijah Otieno took two wickets, and the teams did not return, after rain interrupted play, just as Sri Lanka A’s fourth wicket fell.

Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn have been named in South Africa’s T20 squad for the two-match series against Pakistan in the UAE next month. Batsman Farhaan Behardien and the seamer Rory Kleinveldt were the two players left out of the T20 squad that toured Sri Lanka in July.Amla last played a T20 in December 2012. He relinquished the limited-overs vice-captaincy in February when South Africa announced separate captains for all three formats. He had asked not to be picked for T20s in 2013, but it appears as if he is willing to commit to the shortest format. He is the third opening batsman in the squad, with Henry Davids and Quinton de Kock in the mix.”Hashim is a world-class player across all the formats,” said Cricket South Africa (CSA) selection convener Andrew Hudson. “His experience and stability at the top of the order are qualities that we believe will strengthen the squad in a key area.”Steyn last played in the World T20 in Sri Lanka in 2012. With the next edition of the tournament in March-April in Bangladesh, the coach Russell Domingo had made it clear that players had to be part of the squad regularly if they wanted to be picked for tournaments. Steyn took part in the Champions League in India for Sunrisers Hyderabad.”It is great to have Dale back as it means we now have all our senior players available again,” Hudson said. “There was also some encouraging form shown at the Champions League T20, notably by Henry Davids, who was unquestionably the batsman of the tournament until the Titans were knocked out.”The allrounder Chris Morris was not named in any of the limited-overs squads for the tour. South Africa play the two T20s in Dubai after the two Tests and five ODIs.Squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, David Wiese

N Srinivasan has said he will stand for re-election as BCCI president at the Indian board’s annual general meeting, to be held in Chennai on September 29. The announcement is not a surprise but his success, a foregone conclusion a few months ago, is now hostage to several legal and judicial issues that are beyond his control and may crystallise formal opposition to him.Under BCCI rules, any presidential candidate has to be nominated by two associations from the incumbent’s home zone – south zone in Srinivasan’s case, and that is where the focus is shifting.As Srinivasan left the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday after attending a meeting of the board’s marketing committee, he was asked if the other members from south zone were standing besides him. His response was succinct: “I am going to stand,” he said, before taking a dig at the media for speculating on the numbers game in the event of an election.While Srinivasan has made his candidature public, it cannot be ascertained at this point if the murmurs within the board opposing Srinivasan’s stubbornness to hold on to the chair will turn into a credible organised lobby sufficient to match Srinivasan both in terms of stature and power. The early runner seems to be Shashank Manohar, Srinivasan’s predecessor, a lawyer with a no-nonsense yet low-profile attitude.Manohar hasn’t yet made any concrete or public move towards returning to job he left in 2011 but it is believed that efforts are on to persuade him to contest against Srinivasan. One official privy to the developments told ESPNcricinfo that Manohar has shown interest but he is still gauging his support, especially from the south zone.Manohar, who hails from the central zone, will need a proposer and a seconder from the south zone – most of whose members are staunch Srinivasan loyalists. It is believed that the anti-Srinivasan lobby – comprising senior politicians in New Delhi who are also part of the BCCI top brass – has been exerting political pressure on the Goa Cricket Association to shift its allegiance from Srinivasan.The same lobby is also working on the Andhra Cricket Association to be the other member needed to set up a candidate. “Our stand is still undecided. We will discuss with our member units and then decide, since there is no hurry as such,” an ACA official said on Thursday.Both sides also have an eye on two important legal developments that could impact the election. One involves the IPL fixing case, in relation to which Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested in May. Mumbai Police is expected to file its chargesheet any day and the gravity of the charges against Meiyappan could play a part.Srinivasan himself has already been chargesheeted – in his capacity as managing director of India Cements – in a corruption case involving a top political leader from Andhra Pradesh. If he is arrested in this case – and it is not impossible, given the high-level political machinations at work – then the board might agree to replace him as the BCCI president, even though the issue has nothing to do with cricket. “If that happens, we will have to find a new face,” a Srinivasan confidant conceded.It is these uncertainties that the Cricket Association of Bihar has sought to tap into through a public appeal to the BCCI members. The CAB – which is not a part of the BCCI – had filed the petition in Bombay High Court against the constitution of the IPL probe commission and on Tuesday made a “sincere appeal” to BCCI members to reject Srinivasan’s candidature. “He continues to be in a ‘step aside’ situation as president,” the appeal said. “The BCCI cannot afford to have a president who will be in a permanent state of ‘step aside’ and not be involved in its day-to-day affairs.”Despite all this, Srinivasan remains the most powerful person in the board and the man to beat in the elections. He has the support of many member associations but, as the BCCI AGM draws closer, the equation within the board could yet change dramatically.