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Ben Hollioake guided Surrey to a comfortable victory over Hampshire on the first day of cricket at the £17m Rose Bowl, more easily achieved than the 23-run margin suggests.A crowd of around 1,200 watched the first day’s play at the new ground and saw a low-scoring game in which Alistair Brown’s 33 in the Surrey innings was the best individual total of the match.Hampshire captain Robin Smith, mindful of the damp wicket and outfield, chose to field first and watched with growing anxiety as Surrey openers Mark Butcher and Ian Ward put on 55 for the first wicket in 15 overs.But then Neil Johnson, Hampshire’s Zimbabwean overseas player, struck with his first delivery for his new employers when he had Ward caught at mid-on by Alex Morris and Surrey were never able to accelerate.Johnson finished with three for 41 and there were two wickets each for Morris and Shaun Udal as Surrey fell away to 194 all out. Alex Tudor, run out off the last ball of the 50 overs, made an important contribution with 26.Johnson was out without scoring to the fourth ball from Martin Bicknell’s first over of the Hampshire reply and Smith laboured uncharacteristically for 16 overs for his ten.Ben Hollioake made sure Hampshire failed to recover by dismissing Jason Laney, Dimitri Mascarenhas and John Stephenson in a three-over spell and also held a competent catch to get rid of Will Kendall.There was some late order resistence from Alex Morris, Adrian Aymes and Udal from 106 for seven but Hampshire never looked capable of overhauling the Surrey total and were 171-9 when they ran out of overs.Hampshire chief executive Tony Baker said: “We were pleased with the first day’s play and the spectators seemed to like the new ground. There is much work still to be done but we are off the mark.”

The proposed tri-series in South Africa, also involving Pakistan and probably Sri Lanka, is likely to be called off. The Pakistan Cricket Board was trying to arrange the tournament to fill the gap in the schedule caused by the postponement of the Champions Trophy.Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, confirmed that the event was facing several roadblocks. “A CSA official asked us for details on the proposal,” he told the . “He did say that South Africa’s leading players were not interested in playing in a series immediately after their tour of England.”As for the PCB’s next course of action, Naghmi said: “We are working on several options and will decide in the next few days as to which idea is the most feasible.”South Africa’s coach Mickey Arthur had expressed concerns that fatigue was hampering his team’s progress after their 4-0 loss to England in the recent one-day series. He also said he believed the tri-series was an unlikely starter.”I’m sure the tri-series is not going to take place and, in retrospect, it’s a relief the Champions Trophy was called off because we would have been back on a plane flying to Pakistan on Sunday,” Arthur said. “I’d like the administrators to remember the team is our product and because they’ve done so marvellously well it has led to commercial opportunities. But I don’t think we should be flogging a dead horse.”

It is not often that a man who has scored 195 in a Test match complains that he has got out, but Michael Vaughan was annoyed with himself after doing just that. He was 182 not out overnight, but added only 13 runs to that score on the second day before being caught behind off Zaheer Khan.Vaughan said: “I was disappointed to get out today because I was looking to go beyond 200. But it was decent ball. At least I didn’t get it when I was on nought.”Vaughan has enjoyed a very successful summer, joining an elite band of England players who have recorded four Test centuries in one season. He also just missed out on a double century at trent Bridge. He puts the success down to a change in attitude. “I am looking to be a lot more positive and Duncan Fletcher has been very helpful and taught me a few new tricks. I felt I could hit the ball all round the park yesterday.”Dominic Cork made a successful return to the Test side with the bat and now needs to contribute with the ball. “We have to stay consistent, get the ball in the right areas and try and take the edge," he said.Getting the ball in right areas consistently was what Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh did to become, amazingly, the first bowler in the series to take five wickets in anInnings. He believes there is still time for India to win this match, despite the England first innings total of 515.”We are pretty much back in the match, we just need to bat well tomorrow. It is now quite open, it’s only the second day and there is a lot of time left. We have batsmen in form and ideally I won’t have to bat. We have two spinners and the ball will turn more as time goes on.”

An unbeaten 41 from all-rounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla helped Bengal complete a memorable comeback win against defending Ranji Trophy champions Railways at Siliguri on Saturday. Chasing 154 for victory after dismissing Railways for 129 in their second innings on the third day, Bengal reached the target with three wickets to spare. Debang Gandhi, who made 37, and opener Deep Dasgupta with 29 were the two other batsmen who played a part in setting up the win that earned Bengal two points.Rajasthan’s 159-run first innings lead proved vital in gaining them a four-wicket win on the final day of their elite group encounter against Hyderabad at Jaipur. Hyderabad, who began the day on 226-4, were eventually dismissed for 350 in their second essay; opener Daniel Manohar the top-scorer, making 101 before being run out. For Rajasthan, off-spinner Rahul Kanwat claimed 5-37.Kanwat (41) along with opener Gagan Khoda (51) and captain PK Krishnakumar (43*), then, ensured that their team reached the victory target of 192 with four wickets and a little over four overs to spare despite a four-wicket haul from opposing skipper Venkatapathy Raju. The hosts were rewarded with two points for their efforts.A monumental effort from opener Sandeep Sharma helped Himachal Pradesh gain a nerve-wracking draw against Delhi in another elite group four-dayer at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Sharma, who began the day on 25*, went on to make 170 off 354 balls with 24 fours and two sixes, before falling to the last ball of the day, as his side ended the final day at 336-8 in their second innings. Virender Sharma (48), who shared a crucial 90-run sixth wicket partnership with Sharma, also played a role in ensuring that Delhi only got one point from the match (for earning a 262-run first innings lead).At Guwahati, Punjab went on to complete a comeback win against Assam. The hosts, who began the day chasing 286 runs, wilted against the spin of Navdeep Singh (5-59) to be dismissed for 196 in 79 overs. The margin of defeat might have been much larger if it had not been to the spirited efforts of Kiran Powar (55) and Manoj Joglekar (49). Punjab walked away with two points for the win.At Chennai, meanwhile, Tamil Nadu earned a lucky draw against Uttar Pradesh. An umpiring error, which saw the match being called off twelve minutes before the scheduled close, denied the visiting Uttar Pradesh team an opportunity to end a frustrating 34-ball last-wicket stand between Laxmipathy Balaji (3*) and MR Shrinivas (14*). The duo’s hung on grimly to ensure that Tamil Nadu, who were set a target of 298, staved off defeat by ending on 194-9. Uttar Pradesh, however, did not have to leave empty-handed; they got one point for having earned a 44-run first innings lead.Mumbai, for their part, completed an innings and 72-run win over Andhra Pradesh at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday morning. With left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni claiming four wickets, the hosts dismissed Andhra, who resumed their second essay on 133-7, for just 184 to claim three points, including a bonus point, from the match. For the visitors, Hemal Vatekar waged a lone battle, ending on 75 not out. Mumbai now have seven points from three matches as against Andhra’s tally of just one.Kerala thrash Tripura at KochiThe plate group encounter between the two sides ended 14 minutes before lunch on the fourth day. Tripura, who after being asked to follow-on were 62-3 at the end of the third day, capitulated to 139 all out in their second essay as Kerala completed an innings and 148-run win. Opener R Deb Burman, who made 58, was the only batsman to put up any resistance against spinners KN Ananthapadmanabhan (leg-spin) and Suresh Kumar (left-arm spin), both of whom ended up with three wickets each. Kerala now have won all their three group matches and are on the verge of clinching a semi-final berth.At Nagpur, hosts Vidarbha emerged winners, thrashing Goa by 203 runs. The visitors, who began the final day at 10-1, chasing 369 for victory, were dismissed for a paltry 165. Spinners Pritam Gandhe (5-33) and Madhusudhan Acharya (3-65) were the wreckers-in-chief. Vidarbha, after gaining two points for the win, now have three points from as many matches while Goa have only one.The Haryana-Maharashtra match at Rohtak was one of the few drawn matches on the day. Maharashtra, who resumed their second innings at 124-2 declared after notching 262-4; Abhijit Kale completing his second century of the match, reaching 104 not out of 211 balls.Chasing 276 for an improbable win, Haryana settled for a draw, making 121-4 before stumps were drawn. Maharashtra secured one point for having gained a slender 13-run lead on the third day.

A spate of bomb attacks in India has caused some concern in Australia ahead of the four-Test tour in October and November 2008. Representatives from Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association, possibly a security consultant too, are due to leave for India on August 10 for an inspection.The concerns have emerged in the same week when players’ associations in Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa have lambasted the ICC decision to go ahead with the Champions Trophy in Pakistan despite security concerns.Peter Young, Cricket Australia’s general manager of public affairs, was to discuss the situation with James Sutherland, the chief executive, the reported. “We have a principle which supports a consistent process of having a pre-tour inspection and assessment before every tour,” Young said.The BCCI, though, played down any talk of the tour being put off. “We don’t have to go by media reports,” Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI chief administrative officer, told Cricinfo. “We will take a stand if it has to be taken and we don’t have to publicly announce it”Australia had postponed its tour to Pakistan earlier this year, after a series of bomb blasts rocked the country. Players such as Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds had expressed their concern over the visit in March-April, and have reiterated the same ahead of the team’s defence of the Champions Trophy in September.The proposed tour begins with the first Test in Bangalore on October 9. Bangalore was hit by a series of blasts on Friday, though the low intensity of the explosives caused marginal damage.

which takes place on Friday 13 September 2002, is set to be an evening of all-round entertainment of cricket, music and fun, one which we are sure both the brothers would have enjoyed.The gates open at 4pm with speeches and special presentations to take place at 6pm. The match will start at 6.30pm.We will be having live music from LA Zakatek, a band from Croydon who have just signed a five-year recording deal in America. They have a wide following in the South East and before moving to the States in October have offered their support at the Memorial Match.Leon and Amber Zakatek, who front the band, are the children of Lenny Zakatek, former lead singer of The Alan Parson’s Project and Gonzalez and who had the Eighties hit `I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet’. Leon was a friend of Umer Rashid and will sing a number of songs, including some of Umer’s favourites, before the match and during the break in innings.As well as the entertainment on the pitch between a Sussex XI and Angus Fraser XI (team to be confirmed very shortly) there will be a family entertainment area including face-painting, bouncy castle, jousting and junior coaching.Entrance is by programme at £5 available on the gate or from the Club. Donations to the Umer Rashid Memorial fund are most welcome and should be sent to the County Ground.

Somerset fast bowler Richard Johnson is likely to be missing from the scene for the next few games after pulling a hamstring whilst bowling in the Benson and Hedges match against Northants at Taunton yesterday.This morning Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson told me: "Richard has suffered yet another a hamstring injury and whilst he is sidelined recovering from that he will undergo minor manipulative surgery to remove some floating debris from a troublesome knee that will keep him out of the game for nearly three weeks."Reflecting on yesterday’s defeat the chief told me: "Clearly the coach, the captain and the players are all very disappointed. They performed under par against Warwickshire and then repeated this at Taunton in front of a home crowd yesterday. Our bowling display was poor on a good pitch and the fielding was not up to par. This was doubly disappointing after the professional and technical approach to the pre-season."The chief continued: " The Somerset coach, captain and the players will be having discussions about what can be done to sort things out, but supporters can take heart because we didn’t get perform very well last season early on."The Somerset squad for the game at Bristol tomorrow against table topping Gloucestershire will be strengthened by the return of Andy Caddick and Marcus Trescothick.Even though the presence of the two England stars is unlikely to be able to help the Cidermen to qualify for the next stage of the competition, this may well be the only time that the two teams meet this season so there will be a lot of personal pride at stake tomorrow.

New Zealand can expect to meet a much more disciplined West Indies team, on their tour starting next week, than the side which toured here in 1999/00.That team lost both Tests and suffered a clean sweep of defeats in the five One-Day Internationals.That’s the view of former New Zealand captain John Wright, who has been coaching the Indian team during their tour which has seen the West Indies take the Test series 2-1. A five-match one-day series is just about to start.”They looked a pretty good unit,” he told CricInfo today.”We’re disappointed, we should have played a lot better in the last Test.”They batted very well, and batted in depth. We had eight hundreds scored against us.”They are a lot tougher now. They are like us, they find it hard to win away from home but only South Africa and Australia have beaten them at home amongst all countries for the last 10 years,” he said.Wright said the opening combination of Wavell Hinds and Chris Gayle was a good one while Ramnaresh Sarwan was a very solid batsman. Brian Lara had been a little out of touch while the tail-enders didn’t offer too much trouble with the bat.”They have four quicks again and they have been bowling good patterns.”Mervyn Dillon and Cameron Cuffy have been very disciplined and both bowled well against us,” he said.They were not fast bowlers in the most recent West Indies mould.”Adam Sanford gets it through but Dillon and Cuffy are not out-and-out quick bowlers, they are not by any means express,” he said.New Zealand leave for their tour on Tuesday. They play five One-Day Internationals and two Test matches in Barbados and Grenada.

Luke Ronchi has won the prestigious ECB Southern Electric Premier League batting award after hitting a half-century in Bashley-Rydal’s comfortable six-wicket win at Andover.His 53 ensured he finished the leading run scorer in Premier Division 1 – 28 ahead of Liphook’s South African all-rounder Alistair Gray and in front of Damian Shirazi, who finished with a league runners-up medal after BAT surrendered the championship to Havant.To cap a double celebration for Bashley, Kevin Nash grabbed three Andover wickets to win the August Southern Electric Cricketer of the Month prize.Nash took 3-33 to take his August wicket tally to 16 and his season’s haul to 36 – one more victim than team-mate Matt King achieved last year.Toby Radford, the former Sussex and Middlesex opener, fought a lone battle for Andover, who dipped from a promising 80-1 to 150-9.Radford hit a painstaking but nonetheless invaluable 64 – out of 134-7 before he was dismissed – and was the only Andover batsman to master a mean Bashley attack.Ronchi, on his farewell appearance, took 1-11 off ten overs, while Chris Sketchley (2-23) and Neil Taylor (2-27) dictated terms with the ball as Andover struggled on the low-bounce London Road surface.Bashley-Rydal lost promoted opener John Whiting and Andy Sexton, but bright and breezy half-centuries by Ronchi (53) and Neil Thurgood (55) swept them to the brink of a six-wicket win.Thurgood took a distinct liking to Andover spin pair Martin Docis and Gareth Tate, who were hit for a combined total of 74 off 5.3 overs.Dale Middleton’s 22 not out eased Bashley home with 22 overs to spare.Burridge bade their Premiership farewells, losing by four wickets to South Wilts at Lower Bemerton.Ironically, former Burridge all-rounder Tom Caines played a major role in their demise, taking 3-34 before hitting a key 60 in the South Wilts run chase.Only Jo Dixon (25), Paul Hawkins (20) and Paul Ancell (19) made any real impact as Burridge tumbled to 133 all out, Paul Draper (3-21) and Caines sharing six of the wickets.South Wilts promptly lost two wickets for one run, but Caines (60) steadied the slide and, with help from Colin Moody (22) and Tim Lamb (23), eased the Salisbury club to 134-6.Portsmouth fielded only three first team regulars as they too dipped to 133 all out (Dean Oliffe 57) at Liphook & Ripsley.Neil Randall (57) hit his first half-century of the season as Liphook cruised home, with Ali Gray making 43 not out.

Pakistan captain Waqar Younis brushed aside speculations that therewas disharmony among the players saying his team lost because itplayed poorly.”There is no disharmony in the team neither am I at odds with theselectors over the selection of the team,” Waqar said in a post-matchconference while trying to put up a brave face.”We can’t decide by one defeat that the team is not united. I wouldsay the team selected for the match was a unanimous decision and theplayers did support me,” he said, while stressing that the defeat wasa result of bad cricket his team played throughout the match.”I am pretty satisfied with the cooperation of my players. Winning andlosing is part of the game,” he repeated.There is disagreement amongst the team management and the captain overthe exclusion of Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq for the Asian TestChampionship final.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is to investigate reasons for thedefeat and if there is any truth in the reports of disharmony.Waqar blamed his batsmen and bowlers for not putting up a decentperformance. “The batsmen didn’t hang in there and failed to buildpartnerships by losing wicket oneafter another. I think we should havescored 350 to 400 on this track. “Then the bowlers bowled at bothsides of the wicket. I think if we had bowled properly, we would havenot missed any bowler,” he said, referring to controversial exclusionof Wasim and Saqlain, adding: “We spilled chances at crucial stages ofthe game.”Waqar said one-off Test was always difficult and added that his teamhad not been playing enough cricket at home to prepare a winningcombination. “The series against New Zealand and Australia willprovide us a better chance to prepare and bounce back after a poorshow since they would be full series.”The Pakistan captain said although it was disappointing to lose theTest, plus points can be picked from the game. “I think the best thingthat happened was the return to form of Inzamam-ul-Haq who had a leanperiod lately. Then I think Shoaib Malik showed a lot of character anddiscipline by hanging in there.”Pakistan coach Mudassar Nazar, when asked where the team would go fromhere particularly after losing sixth Test in 14 Tests at home, said:”We will go to Sharjah and I think we are fortunate to go straightthere since it is a happy hunting ground for us. We are happy to begoing where we are strong.”The former Test opener defended Shahid Afridi and Yousuf Youhana underthose conditions.”I must commend Shahid Afridi for playing a sensible and responsibleinnings despite being an aggressive batsman. He made one error andpaid the price. “As regards Yousuf, his most productive area isbetween mid-on and mid-wicket. But I think he was foxed by MuttiahMuralitharan when he attempted a similar shot off a delivery thatstayed straight.”Mudassar admitted that he was concerned with the openers problem butruled out sweeping changes in the team for Sharjah.Waqar and Mudassar were unanimous in saying that Saeed Anwar’s absencewas badly felt as he was a class act and when firing all guns blazing,the bowlers run for cover.Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya said he was glad that his teamkept the momentum going by winning nine Tests in a row.”The players did what was expected of them and I am happy that theyare realizing their responsibilities. “The plus point of my team isthat they have the ability to adjust to the conditions quickly whichis so vital to the outcome of the team and performance.”Jayasuriya said the victory was a morale-booster for the team thatmakes its first-ever full tour to England this summer. He attributedthe success to a team effort but singled out Kumar Sangakkara andMuttiah Muralitharan for their performance. “It is always essential topost a big total to pressurize the opponents. I think we did exactlythat.”He said days when Sri Lankan batting was the strong point of his teamwere gone. “I think we are as formidable and penetrative in bowling asin our batting.”