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ScorecardSri Lanka A ended their tour with a 154-run win against Durham after bowling them out for 217 on the final day. Chanaka Welegedara claimed four wickets as Durham collapsed following a fourth-wicket stand of 93 between Gordon Muchall and Gary Park.After batting on for a further 50 runs, Sri Lanka set the home side 372 for victory but they never threatened to get close. However, their bid to save the game started solidly with an opening stand of 71 between Will Smith and Mark Stoneman before Smith was trapped lbw by Dilruwan Perera.Park made 51, but he was caught behind off Welegedara shortly after Muchall had been run out. The lower-order didn’t offer much resistance as the last six wickets fell for 50 runs, the third run-out of the innings completing the victory for Sri Lanka and a highly satisfactory tour where a number of fringe players have shown pleasing form.

Daryl Tuffey, the New Zealand fast bowler, has been linked to the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and is ready to sign on the dotted line for an “attractive offer”. The ICL is expected to start next month and Tuffey hoped it would not stop him from playing first-class cricket for Auckland later this season.”I’m leaning towards [signing]. It’s the money and a bit of security,” Tuffey told the . “Nothing’s guaranteed with New Zealand Cricket, even the money you get playing domestic cricket back home. You’ve got to start looking after No. 1 at some point.”Tuffey, 29, isn’t contracted by NZC and last week turned down a provincial deal with Auckland. Tuffey said he spoke to Auckland coach Mark O’Donnell, who indicated there would be a place for him when his ICL commitments finish at the end of November. “Not signing with Auckland has just made me a free agent. I’m can play for match fees if Auckland choose to do that. It’s a bit more relaxed for me now,” Tuffey said. “I’m pretty keen to come back and play for Auckland and see what happens from there, if I’m bowling well.”If he does join the ICL Tuffey will join former New Zealand team-mates Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris and Hamish Marshall. It is believed Craig McMillan will hold talks with Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive, over his potential involvement.Tuffey has played 22 Test and 80 ODIs and has taken eight wickets at 15.25 in the opening three rounds for Sutherland in Sydney grade cricket, where he is playing for six weeks. Tuffey said the side, which plays under the former New Zealand coach Steve Rixon, was keen for him to return later in the season if he wasn’t required by Auckland.Tuffey, who played one match in this year’s World Cup before returning home, believed he had “four or five” good cricketing years left. “Who knows what happens if I go to India, but if the chance arose again that would be great,” he said. “But I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket and hoping to play for New Zealand any more. I’ve had a great time playing international cricket but there’s other opportunities outside of cricket that I’m putting first at the moment.”

The grand final between the two teams commenced amidst a packed house. The spectators must have enjoyed every minute of the game, but the result was one sided. Though it was unusual for Pakistan to surrender, they did so today.Bating first South Africa did not have a promising start losing 2 wickets for only 29 runs on the board. Gary Kirsten and Nicky Boje later succeeded in picking up the score and raising it to 70 in 15 overs, when the game was suspended on account of rain.On resumption the match was reduced to 35 overs each, thus prompting the players to score fast. As a result 40 runs were added in 5 overs. The rate of scoring going up created lot of excitement for the spectators. South Africa lost 3 wickets for 126 with Gary Kirsten having scored a marvelous 62 and Nicky Boje hoisting 50 in 36 deliveries.With full consideration of the reduced innings South Africa was trying to score the maximum runs. The batsmen at the crease were hitting all over the ground with a grand exhibition of slogging too. Pakistan’s poor fielding enabled them to pile up runs. Having survived a lot of chances, the Proteas were 152 for 6, eventually ending up the innings at 197 for 7. Daryll Cullinan remained unbeaten with a valuable contribution of 31 runs. Kabir Khan and Abdur Razzaq claimed 2 wickets each.Though the Proteas had scored 197 runs, the Umpires gave Pakistan a target of 215 runs in 35 overs to win. With a rain soaked pitch and wet atmosphere it was not an easy target.Pakistan opened with Imran Nazir and Saleem Elahi and lost the 1st wicket at 7, when Imran Nazir was out. He was followed on his trail by Yousuf Youhana rendering Pakistan to 33 for 2. Saleem Elahi who showed some courage to stay was trapped LBW for a useful 26 bringing down Pakistan to 44 for 3.All hopes now rested on the great pair of Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed but a good bowling – fielding combination of the Proteas did not let them flourish. Saeed Anwar was out after scoring a brilliant 24, while Abdur Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood followed him quick reducing Pakistan to a miserable 76 for 6.With the mountain of a target ahead, the players had lost heart and the spirit to fight. Ijaz Ahmed was the only batsman capable of pulling the team out of crisis but it was not a one man’s job. He was out after scoring a valuable 31 rendering Pakistan to 102 for 7. Rest was the matter of time. With no intentions to fight, the whole team was out for 121 runs in 28 overs.South Africa thus defeated Pakistan by 93 runs to win the Trophy. For his excellent all round performance Nicky Boje was declared Man of the Match.It was a very poor display of cricket by Pakistan. The players some how, did not have their heart in the game. Contrary to their previous performance they lacked the fighting spirit. South Africa certainly deserved to win. They gave a masterly performance to cause Pakistan’s demolition in less than the lesser quota of overs. Well done Proteas.

Every number 10 batsman dreams of pulling off a shock win, of hitting up a storm in the latter stages of a run chase to elevate his team from the depths of despair to the dizzying heights of victory. On Thursday, Douglas Anthony Marillier lived out that dream in full-blooded glory.With Zimbabwe chasing 275, Marillier played one of the most incredible one-day innings ever seen. They would have been rejoicing in Harare, Bulawayo and all over Zimbabwe as Marillier scripted one of the most remarkable one-day wins of all time. He brazenly stole the thunder from a marauding Indian side at Faridabad on a pleasant Thursday evening, pulling off the unthinkable with two balls to spare and winning by just one wicket.Walking in to bat with Zimbabwe well and truly on the mat at 210/8 in the 45th over, Marillier made merry with some memorable shots to stand tall and strong on an unbeaten 56 off just 24 balls. What made his heroics all the more incredible was the fact that he ruthlessly punished the best of the bowlers on the day – Zaheer Khan. For a country that has had little to celebrate of late, this amazing win will be something to cherish for a long time to come.Beating India on their home soil is not an easy task, although admittedly the fickle nature of one-day cricket makes the job somewhat easier. But after the dismissals of Andy Flower and Alistair Campbell, Zimbabwe never looked like winning until Marillier took over with his unique style of strokeplay, scooping the ball over the wicket-keeper’s head numerous times for four. The 23-year-old right-hander surely added a new term to the cricket vocabulary – “The Dougie shot.”Earlier in the day, Sourav Ganguly won the toss and decided to bat first on a track that promised runs by the ton. Dinesh Mongia (25 off 24 balls) and Ganguly gave India a brisk start before the former was caught off an inside edge by Tatenda Taibu off Heath Streak. Ganguly and VVS Laxman then added 77 runs in 14.3 overs, the partnership being broken only when Ganguly (57 off 70 balls) was brilliantly stumped by Taibu off Marillier. The Indian skipper, no doubt full of confidence after his Test century, smashed two sixes and half-a-dozen boundaries in his commanding knock.Rahul Dravid (23) was trapped in front of the wicket by Grant Flower (10-0-31-1), easily the pick of Zimbabwe’s bowlers. Laxman played his patented silken drives through cover and the wristy whips through mid-wicket, signs that India will interpret hopefully as a return to form. The stylish Hyderabadi batsman made 75 off 99 balls with five boundaries before Mohammad Kaif mis-called during a run. Laxman ended up at Kaif’s end, tragically run out.India further lost their way as Sanjay Bangar (0) and Ajay Ratra (6) departed in quick succession. It took a whirlwind knock from Ajit Agarkar (40 off 19 balls) to propel India to a score of 274 in 50 overs. Agarkar played some rousing shots, punishing some wayward Zimbabwe bowling and carting the ball to all parts of the ground. He hit one mighty six off Streak over mid-wicket and also struck six fours in his quick-fire knock. Kaif too played a good hand, scoring 39 off 45 deliveries. The two batsmen put together an unbeaten stand of 63 runs in just 6.2 overs.Zimbabwe could not have gotten off to a worse start during their chase of 275. Zaheer Khan picked up the wickets of Craig Wishart (1) and pinch-hitter Travis Friend (7) early to send Zimbabwe reeling at 21/2. It was the old firm of Campbell and Flower that defied the Indian attack, the two senior batsmen adding 111 runs for the third wicket and putting the run chase back on track.Flower was at his usual best, playing the smart sweep shots, the orthodox and the reverse. The senior Flower struck two huge sixes and eight boundaries to score 71 off just 72 balls before dragging a ball from Anil Kumble back on to his stumps. Zaheer was brought back into the attack, and he duly sent back skipper Stuart Carlisle (23) and Campbell (84 off 113 balls). Campbell was looking particularly dangerous, striking seven fours before being trapped lbw by Zaheer.Zimbabwe found themselves in something of a quagmire when Harbhajan Singh removed Grant Flower (2) and Heath Streak (1) in the space of four balls. The visitors were in a hopeless position in the 45th over on 210/8 before Marillier decided to come to the party. He proceeded to take 20 runs off Zaheer Khan’s ninth over, improvising in stunning manner and using the scoop “Dougie” shot over the wicket-keeper’s head to great effect. He also hit one huge six over square leg in the same over, easing the pressure considerably.Marillier and Taibu put on 42 runs in just 3.2 overs, but a shocking decision by the umpire sent back Taibu, supposedly caught behind. Ajay Ratra’s appeal aimed only to distract the umpire from calling an obvious wide, but it succeeded in getting rid of the batsman.With 23 runs required off the last two overs, Marillier was at his best against Zaheer in the 49th over, playing repeatedly over the keeper’s head for easy runs and making a mockery of the field placements. Zaheer’s bowling figures stood completely wrecked, going from 8-2-15-4 to 10-2-47-4.Marillier struck two more boundaries in the 50th over, bowled by Kumble (9.4-0-70-1), to register the most astonishing of one-day wins. Marillier remained unbeaten after an explosive innings punctuated with 10 boundaries and the huge six. Gary Brent remained unbeaten on one, an admiring first-row spectator to the whirlwind that held centre-stage at the other end.

The push for an international window to stage the Indian Premier League is growing with Cricket Australia signalling its willingness to join talks about rearranging the ICC’s Future Tours Programme. The board has yet to release its players, including the soon-to-be-retired Adam Gilchrist, for the inaugural tournament in April amid concerns over protection of its sponsors.There are high-level negotiations between Cricket Australia and the IPL, who are demanding the Australians sign by Sunday or miss out, over this year’s event, but future series of the Twenty20 competition may experience fewer set-up problems. Paul Marsh, the Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive, has suggested the six-week international break and the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations also supports the move.James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, is now ready to debate the merits of the idea, which if implemented would keep the players happy. The issue is likely to come up when the chief executives of the game’s major countries meet next week in Kuala Lumpur.”James Sutherland is willing to participate in discussion and debate about creating a window in the Future Tours Programme so players can play in the IPL, as long as it is a window that recognises the genuine interests of the FTP and all ten ICC nations,” the Cricket Australia public affairs manager Peter Young told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We are still of the view that [the contract disagreement] is capable of resolution. It’s going to be tough, but we believe we can get through.”Jason Gillespie, who will be for sale to a franchise in the player auction on February 20, supports the idea of a Test and ODI break. “It’s certainly worth considering as this thing will really take off,” Gillespie said in the Herald Sun. “It’s a positive for the game and I think administrators are embracing Twenty20.”The amounts on offer from the IPL for a six-week competition dwarf players’ national payments and have already led to complaints from some Australians about the board’s slow pace at solving the current problem. However, if Australia’s tour of Pakistan goes ahead the negotiations will have been redundant as the trip clashes with the tournament.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was relieved to be fronting a press conference after India had won, and the smiles and jokes appeared more natural and less forced.”Well of course it was a tight match. They [Australia] got 200 [193] runs [batting first]. Personally I thought it was a good wicket though it does a bit under lights,” said Dhoni. “There was plenty of bounce and seam movement. So I knew it would be a tough match but I thought we would win comfortably, but I would take it [the two-wicket win] with an open heart.”When asked if it was a tough decision to leave Rahul Dravid out of the XI, Dhoni flashed his widest smile. “Well he was rested,” was all Dhoni would say before getting quite animated when speaking about Murali Kartik, a player he backed and who has delivered for him.”I think he was really excited specially if you look at the stage when he was called back into the side. He needed to perform, he was quite determined to perform,” said Dhoni. “He even had an injury on his right thumb, but still he was quite eager to play. The way he bowled I think it was brilliant. If a bowler keeps bowling in one place, you can set up an aggressive field. I think that was not the case in the previous matches. I think we bowled well, apart from the initial start when we were a bit erratic and gave too many runs with the new ball.”Kartik’s ten-over spell of 6 for 27 also came in for praise from Ricky Ponting. “Kartik bowled well today. He bowled well even in his first game [in Chandigarh],” Ponting said. “The wicket here was different because the top was a bit soft. Still you have to execute the skills and he did extremely well and deserved every wicket he got.”Like in Chandigarh, Australia had a firm grasp on the game before India made a winning fightback, something Ponting wasn’t pleased about. “Whenever we lose, it’s disappointing and more so when we lose from winning position.”I thought 193 was defendable because of the conditions as the ball was swinging and seaming. We wanted early wickets which we got but we could not get wickets in the middle and that’s why we lost.”Dhoni said it was not merely about backing Kartik. All players needed the backing of their captain. “Well of course I believe in each and every player. If you look at RP [Singh], the way he started [the series] he would have been sidelined and he would have never got to play,” said Dhoni. “You have to keep the confidence in the players and that’s how you gain their confidence. I want 14 players in my team whom I want to stand in front of a truck and they are willing to do it.”

Even with the series gone, well before this game began, Dhoni stressed that this match was a big one for his side. If anything, he said India were in a strong position in the Nagpur game, and should have won that one.”Well of course even if you see the last match, I think we were into the match and we could have won. But unfortunately we couldn’t, in between we made a few mistakes,” said Dhoni. “But we knew this was a very crucial match for us, we didn’t start the series well, but at least we wanted to end it on a positive note. We know we didn’t bat well, but as a team we played really well to win this match. With the new ball we got initial breakthroughs, but more accidentally. I thought the Australians bowled brilliantly. They made the batsmen play each and every delivery and that was very crucial.”Despite the defeat, Ponting agreed it had been an exciting contest. “It was a very entertaining game though it was low-scoring. The ball was swinging all day, which made it a pretty-even contest,” Ponting said. “It showed that even low-scoring matches can be entertaining because of the intensity right through the match.”Dhoni also counted quite a few positives from this series despite losing 2-4. “If you see Robin [Uthappa] he has matured a lot as a player. Although he is an opener he is the kind of batsman you can shuffle around to play at any place,” said Dhoni. “He is a big asset for the team. He plays positively and fielded well through the series. It was a good series for him.”At the end of his first ODI series as captain, Dhoni conceded there were differences in handling a young Twenty20 unit and a side like this one. “Well it’s a lot different. If look at Twenty20, we had a very young side so keeping the intensity going through out the 20 overs was never a problem,” he said. “But over here you have to keep the guys on their toes. At times you have to take help from people like Yuvraj and Robin Uthappa who are on the field and tell them ‘No boss, you have to pick things up, your intensity is going down.’ And that was one of things that we did really well today.”

Marcus Trescothick has declared himself unavailable for September’s Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa as well as England’s winter tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand.Trescothick hasn’t played for England since pulling out of the Ashes tour of Australia last November with a recurrence of the stress-related illness which dogged him throughout last year. And although he said two weeks ago was “delighted to be named in the [Twenty20] squad”, he insists he has not yet sufficiently recovered to give England his all – in South Africa for the Twenty20 World Championship, or for England’s other two tours.”Whilst I have been enjoying my cricket for Somerset this summer and feel that I am making good progress, I need to ensure that I am completely ready for a return to international cricket before making myself available for selection,” Trescothick said. “I recently informed the selectors that I was happy to be included in the 30-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup to leave all options open but I am now clear that I should take more time to complete my recovery. I still have ambitions to play for England.”The Twenty20 World Championship had appeared to be the perfect halfway house for Trescothick’s comeback. Such a short tournament it would, as Trescothick himself admitted two weeks ago, have acted “as a way of testing myself in an international environment abroad”. And though disappointed, the England chairman of selectors, David Graveney, insists that Trescothick has made the right decision.”The selectors have been acutely conscious that it would be counter-productive to try to rush Marcus back into international action before he was ready,” Graveney said. “We appreciate the fact that Marcus has alerted us at the earliest opportunity of his decision which will avoid there being any disruption to the team’s one-day planning processes.”Marcus has proved himself to be a very special talent on the international stage and we look forward to his making himself available again for England when the time is right and to his pushing his case for selection through his performances for Somerset.”

He’s been around for close to 18 years, in a career spanning 124 Tests, but Anil Kumble had no hesitation in calling the victory at Perth as his “best win ever”. He felt his side had adapted better to the conditions but said it was more satisfying because of what had gone on before.Kumble, it must be mentioned, wasn’t part of the historic triumph in Kolkata in 2001 but put this win ahead of other memorable contests from the past. He also added that his team now had the claim to being the second best side in the world. “It’s right at the top,” he said when asked to place this win in context. “It’s not just overseas but when I look back at wherever I was involved, both home and away, it’s right up there. Definitely, I think we have competed well with Australia. It’s important we take this momentum forward and square the series.”The most important thing – after what had happened in Sydney – was to play good cricket. We wanted to show that the Indian cricket team is a good Test unit. Even in Sydney, we put in a good effort but didn’t get the result that we wanted. What’s heartening is that we’ve shown that in what’s regarded as the home turf for Australia.”It’s been close to 11 years since Australia last lost a Test in Perth and few gave India a chance when they got here. Kumble, though, felt his side had read the conditions perfectly. “We came fully prepared what to expect,” he said. “Maybe people had other things in their mind but we knew that this was not that kind of a quick, bouncy track. It was important to pitch the ball up and swing it. We did that. And the batsmen stood up to all the challenges that came their way.”Did he have any hesitation about batting first on this surface? “Not really. We have the quality and experience in the team,” he said. “There are four [players] with more than 100 Tests and others who have been around for a while. It’s important we all got together and played good cricket. It was important we batted first on this pitch and knew if we put runs on the board, we could apply pressure on the Aussies.”What made this win even more astonishing is that it came on the back of a serious crisis. The mercury levels had risen after the Sydney Test and there was speculation that the tour was in doubt. Within a few days though, especially after India dropped the charge against Brad Hogg, it was clear they wanted to move on. “We were determined to win much before even Melbourne,” he said, “but it was important we stuck together in the week in Sydney and Canberra.”Going to Canberra was probably a good thing for us,” he said. “We were away from everybody. We did discuss how we’re going to go forward, how to play as a team. That’s when we had decided we’ll concentrate on cricket. We focussed all our efforts into concentrating on this game. I did discuss it individually and also collectively. I’m delighted they all came together. We needed to think positively and the kind of bonding we had is special.”Would he put the Indo-Australian rivalry ahead of India-Pakistan, especially given the recent contests? “It’s very difficult to take away the kind of equation we have in India-Pakistan [matches]. But India-Australia is about the kind of cricket that is played. At Sydney the game went right down to the wire, probably [till the] last five minutes, and here too. The thing when you play a side like Australia is you need to keep the intensity right throughout the game.”

Australian players will be allowed to opt out of the tour to Pakistan if it goes ahead following CA’s security team visit to the region in February. The tour, doubtful due to the political unrest after the imposition of emergency by President Musharraf, was dealt a severe blow after Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, was assassinated on Thursday.Paul Marsh, Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive, said that a briefing will take place on the crisis in Pakistan while the players are in Sydney for the second Test against India. According to Marsh, each player was legally entitled to make an individual decision abouttouring Pakistan without breaching his contract.”We want to reach a collective decision but the players obviously have thatultimate right,” he said. “We would rather it’s a one-in, all-in either way, but if a player comes to us and says that if the tour was to proceed they don’t want to go, then we would supportthat and we believe the players are entitled to do that.”The players have the right to make a decision. If Cricket Australia decided the tour should proceed, the players will obviously then be faced with the decision, do we go or do we individually or collectively decide not to go?”However, Marsh said Cricket Australia and the ACA had a track record of making theright calls about security and it was premature to make a decision on Pakistan. Although Cricket Australia are prepared to wait for a decision, Andrew Symonds seem to be reluctant to be part of the team if the tour was to go ahead.”I’m not interested in going into a situation that’s dangerous, where people are getting killed and hurt,” he told the . “At the end of the day it’s a game of cricket. I take my cricket very seriously and I love playing for Australia, but I’m not going to put myself in a situation where I can be harmed.”You personally choose whether you want to play for Australia,” he said. “If you’re selected, you can choose to decline the offer of going on a tour or playing a game.”Pakistan’s deputy high commissioner to Australia, Tanveer Akhtar, said Cricket Australia should do everything it could to ensure the tour happened. “We hope and we wish that they come and visit because people in Pakistan love cricket and they’ll be more than happy to welcome the Cricket Australia,” he told the . “We wish and hope things settle down quickly and as soon as the elections happen and new government is formed things will be business as usual.”The tour is scheduled to include three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 match. If the tour goes ahead three Tests are expected to be played between March 17 and April 6.

ScorecardThe Lions eased to a 68-run victory over Zimbabwe in their Standard Bank Pro20 match at the Wanderers on Thursday. It was the hard-hitting of Vaughn van Jaarsveld and the wonderful new-ball bowling of Cliff Deacon that set up such a comfortable win, the Lions scoring 158 for 5 and then bowling Zimbabwe out for just 90.Deacon’s swing back into the batsmen was a potent tool and Zimbabwe lost their way early on as they crashed from 25 for 1 to 29 for 5 in the space of three overs. Deacon, a left-arm swing bowler, finished with fine figures of 4 for 15 and after his top-order demolition job there was no more hope of Zimbabwe registering their second victory in this year’s competition. Stuart Matsikenyeri delayed the rout with 32 off 27 balls, but there was no other resistance from the Zimbabwe batsmen.It was Van Jaarsveld who provided the Lions innings with a late surge, biffing five sixes in his 65 not out off just 37 balls in a top-class display of power hitting. Justin Ontong had motored to 35 off 27 balls to see the Lions to a solid start. Keith Dabengwa, the left-arm spinner, was the most successful Zimbabwe bowler with 2 for 34 as he bowled both Alviro Petersen (19) and Stephen Cook (22). But he was not the most impressive of their attack: Prosper Utseya conceded just 23 runs in his four overs.Zimbabwe were sluggish in the field, whereas the Lions had a pair of fielding stars in Deacon and Blake Snijman, who shared five outstanding boundary catches between them. The Zimbabweans will be cursing their poor batting displays in their last two matches after starting the campaign with a victory over the Eastern Cape Warriors in Port Elizabeth.
ScorecardAn all-round performance by Roelof van der Merwe helped the Titans to a convincing 31-run victory against the Warriors at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. van de Merwe hammered 66 off 30 balls, took 3 for 41 with his left-arm spin to lead his side’s domination in the tournament.Walking in at the end of the first over after the Titans opted to bat first, van de Merwe dominated a stand of 82 with Gulam Bodi, slamming ten fours and two sixes in just over half-an-hour at the crease. After Bodi’s dismissal with the score at 98 for 3, Francois du Plessis and Albie Morkel took control and added 43 in 4.3 overs before Wayne Parnell accounted for du Plessis. Morkel and Farhaan Behardien then combined to push the score past 170.The Warriors top order failed to convert their starts as Morkel and Ethy Mbhalati took early wickets to reduce them to 49 for 4. du Plessis, the legspinner, claimed two wickets in as many balls in his first over to sinks the opposition further. Davey Jacobs top scored with 33 off 24 balls before falling to van de Merwe in the 16th over. By then, the score read 118 for 8 and the target proved way out of reach for the lower order. du Plessis finished with 3 24, the best figures of the match.