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Pakistan U17 231 for 4 (Adnan 76) beat India U17 230 by six wickets
Scorecard
Pakistan’s Under-17s struck a blow for their senior team by beating their Indian counterparts in the final of the Asian U17 tournament in Bangalore.Pakistan’s heroes were Adnan Raza and Fayyaz Ahmed, who stroked fine half-centuries to guide their side to a six-wicket victory. Pakistan had lost to India in their preliminary round match, but achieved the victory when it mattered, overhauling their target of 231 with more than six overs to spare.Adnan, the Man of the Match, top-scored with an unbeaten 76 from 90 balls, with five fours and a six, while Fayyaz hit 63 after having earlier picked up two wickets for 44 runs. The pair added 108 for the fourth wicket after Yasir Arafat (16), Nasir Jamshed (31) and Ramiz Raja (12) had all been dismissed.India had batting first after winning the toss, and were bowled out for 230 in 45 overs. Raza Ali Dar was the pick of Pakistan bowlers, bagging 3 for 40. Fahad Zaman snapped up 2 for 40. India’s Piyush Chawla scored a 54-ball 51, including two fours and two sixes.The victorious Pakistan team returns home on January 29.

The fast bowler Alex Tudor has signed for Essex for one year – but will join on a performance-related basis amid concerns about his injuries. Tudor, 27, moves to Chelmsford after being released by Surrey at the end of last season, following a career-threatening side injury.Essex had previously played down speculation of the move, after Graham Gooch, the former England captain who is Essex’s coach, joined Tudor when he went to Munich for treatment, prompting rumours that he would sign for Essex. Tudor has played ten Test matches since 1998-99, but never more than two in succession because of niggles and injuries.And for Surrey, he’s turned out for them in just 67 first-class matches since 1995 when he made his debut as a 16-year-old. He played just one County Championship game in 2004.But, despite his injury concerns, Tudor was confident of reaching his potential for Essex next season, and steer them back into the top flight. “I am determined to repay Essex for the faith they have shown in me by regaining my top form in 2005,” said Tudor. “This is a new start for me and I am now just itching to get out on the field. My aim is to help Essex get promotion.”David East, the chief executive of Essex, backed his new signing. “Alex is a proven performer who has had a difficult time with injury recently,” he said. “We are confident that, when fully fit, he will be a huge asset to the club.” Ronnie Irani, Essex’s captain, also lent his support. “I am absolutely delighted with the world-class signing of Alex Tudor,” said Irani. “Alex is an outstanding cricketer who will be a major factor with the new ball for Essex in the future.”

Steve Harmison has been enduring a rough time on England’s tour of South Africa, but in the very week that he admitted he would have happily returned to his family in the North-East if given the chance, he has been on the receiving end of some timely home comforts.At the North-East Sports Awards, held last night at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland, Harmison picked up two accolades: "Performance of the Year", for his outstanding 7 for 12 in the first Test against West Indies in Kingston, and "Sports Personality of the Year", for his spectacular rise to the position of No. 1 bowler in the world, and for taking an English-record 67 wickets in the year.Ian Botham, whose record Harmison overhauled, presented the "Performance of the Year" award to him before the second one-day international at Bloemfontein last week. Durham’s director of cricket, Geoff Cook, and the chief executive, David Harker, attended the ceremony to collect the Sports Personality Award on Harmison’s behalf.”This North Eastern Award will mean so much to Stephen and his family," said Cook. "No-one is more proud of the region than him. The England fixture list does not allow for too many county appearances for contracted players but we are looking forward to seeing him back in a Durham shirt this season.”

Surrey are confident that they will get the go ahead from the Indian board for them to sign Harbhajan Singh for the 2005 English season.”We are currently at an advanced stage of negotiation with Harbhajan,” a club spokesman told the BBC. “We are hoping to secure his services and are waiting to hear.”Surrey have been looking for a replacement for Saqlain Mushtaq for several months. Saqlain, whose season was cut short by injury, was generally regarded to have been a disappointment and Surrey are in need of a cutting edge.Harbhajan has not played county cricket before. Although he was signed by Lancashire as their overseas player in 2003, injury meant that he had to withdraw from the contract.

Bangladesh 171 for 6 (Mushfiqur Rahim 46) beat Pakistan 170 (Saqibul Hasan 4-34) by four wickets
Scorecard

A composed captain’s innings from Mushfiqur Rahim, which oozedinternational class, steered Bangladesh to a comfortable four-wicket winagainst a disappointing Pakistan side at the Nondescripts Ground. Rahim’s46 carried his side to the brink of victory, after Pakistan’s batting hadimploded – losing all ten wickets for 104 runs.Bangladesh, with one group match remaining against Uganda,can start thinking about the Super League stage. Pakistan, however, nowneed to beat New Zealand to keep their hopes alive of reaching the quarter-finals and will now be regretting their reckless approach earlier in the day.Mansoor Rana, the Pakistan coach, acknowledged his batsmen’s failings.”Their four spinners bowled well, but obviously I would blame my wholebatting side for playing unnecessary shots,” he said. “We were 80 for 1 and we shouldhave built some partnerships. Making the same mistakes again and again isunacceptable.”Rana, though, refused to be to downbeat, claiming his side will learn.”Sometimes we try to be perfectionists and that is wrong,” he said. “Theboys will go away, think about this, and try to put things right againstNew Zealand, which we know is now a vital game.”After speeding to 66 without loss, with positive stroke play against theseamers, there was then a collective loss of common sense from thebatsmen. It is a fine line between being aggressive and reckless – in thisinnings, Pakistan crossed firmly into the latter.Bangladesh’s four spinners – all left-armers – did the damage, claimingthe nine wickets to fall to bowlers. Familiarity obviously bred contemptamong the batting. There was no extraordinary help from the pitch, butthey flighted the ball intelligently, while the batsmen obliged bylocating the fielders.Saqibul Hasan, who claimed the Man-of-the-Match award for his fourwickets, halted the opening charge by removing Ali Khan when he slapped acatch to point. When Nasir Jamshed fell in the next over, as he attempted to loft one the over the infield, you would have thought the middle order would have learnt a lesson.However, instead of restraining themselves and building another stand – therun-rate was still above five-an-over – they continued to try and hit theball into the neighbouring SSC ground. The Bangladesh outfielding was assafe as houses, pouching each chance that came their way.The Pakistan running was not too smart either, a common trait of this tournamentso far from most teams, and the comical mid-pitch mix-up that resulted inImad Wasim’s run out summed up their innings.The senior side may have found a new level of consistency, but Pakistancricket still has the inbuilt ability to implode at any given moment.Failing to use up 41 balls of the innings was a major waste, especially asanother 30 runs could have made a significant difference in the chase.Rahim, with a Test cap at Lord’s behind him, showed them the way do it,after Bangladesh were wobbling at 88 for 4 and 119 for 5. Jamshaid Ahmedstruck twice, sustaining useful pace while bowling his ten overs straightthrough with impressive heart. However, his fielders let him down in a bigway; four went down and misfields aplenty occurred in the covers.But the key difference was the Bangladesh captain – cleverly used to bringstability to the middle-order – and he produced the most technicallycorrect innings of the match. With a straight bat he threaded the ball throughthe covers, without ever attempting to thrash the cover off it. When he opted togo over the top he did so with conviction, levelling the scores with astunning flick off his legs into the pavilion.He deserved to hit the winning runs, but picked out midwicket trying tofinish the match. That will only have been a minor disappointment.Bangladesh came into this tournament billed as one of the favourites. Theyhave, so far, managed to live up that standing and, one senses, are readyfor further challenges.

John Buchanan, the coach of the Australian team, wrote what he insisted was a “private” letter to the players after they were bowled out for 196 on the fourth day of the Adelaide Test. The Press Trust of India (PTI) has got hold of that letter, one that reveals his disappointment and the deep-rooted bond between him and his players.Buchanan’s disappointment was evident when he wrote, “I am so disappointed with the soulless, un-Baggy Green, immature performance [at Adelaide]. I love each and every one of you but like my own family, you thrill, you frustrate, you anger. I question, what progress have we made as a team, as individuals.”He also voiced his concern over the player’s priorities. “In the lead-up to this game and up till tonight, the issues that have dominated conversations, priorities and by definition (I may well be incorrect), your attention/focus/clarity-deal-making; sponsors, Tug’s [Steve Waugh’s] farewell to Adelaide; helmets; what the media is saying about you.”He cited a specific example to bring out the tough situations that the team had responded to in the past. “About this time, four years ago in Hobart [against Pakistan in 1999], Gilly [Adam Gilchrist] and JL [Justin Langer] responded to a `no-win’ situation with courage, conviction, and a toughness of character and concentration that is the pure fabric of the Australian cricket team. Today the only similar response I saw was Willo [Brad Williams who had injured his shoulder] bowling, batting, throwing and diving at mid-off!! What has happened in the interim?”Buchanan concluded by looking forward to the next two Test matches at Melbourne and Sydney. He adds, “However if the result does not go our way [in the Adelaide Test] then we would expect to see the Baggy Green spirit…the courage of Willo, Gilly, JL to be clearly on show to you all so that we march to the MCG and the SCG playing in the spirit.”When asked about the letter, Buchanan said it was “disappointing if it found its way anywhere.” He added: “It’s a matter between myself and the players, not just the players, the whole team. That would be my only comment.”This is not the first time that a leaked letter from Buchanan has found its way into the newspapers. On the Ashes tour in 2001, an inspirational note invoking theories put forward by Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, intended as a gee-up for his players, was pushed under the door of a reporter by accident.

Glenn McGrath, the Australia fast bowler, is considering returning to play county cricket again after opting out of Australia’s tour of Bangladesh. McGrath, who ruled himself out of Australia’s current tour of South Africa, is in Australia with his wife, Jane, who is suffering from cancer.Despite having not played a Test since January McGrath’s manager, Warren Craig, insists that his career is certainly far from finished. “Absolutely – he’ll be back,” he said.”Things are going well at the moment [with Jane]. I can’t say great because we won’t know for a few months with all the tests, but Glenn is certainly expecting to be back next summer.”We’ll talk to the selectors about whether it might be best for him to play a month of English county cricket before then.”A return stint this summer in county cricket, assuming his wife is well enough, would enable him to find some form in the off-season ahead of Australia’s summer later in the year. Clearly, McGrath’s aim is to be fit – and, crucially, in form – for the Ashes which gets underway in November before which Australia host New Zealand in October.McGrath is no stranger to county cricket, having played a season with Worcestershire in 2000 and six matches with Middlesex in 2004. During the Ashes last year, he indicated where his allegiances lay.”I’ve played for two counties and I don’t really want to make it three. I would say that Worcestershire are probably still top of my list.”

Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC, has said the corporation is considering bidding for the television rights when they next come up for tender in 2009. Last year, the ECB sold the rights to BSkyB who, from this year, hold an all-encompassing exclusive deal for the next four years.Thompson, who was appointed director general in 2004, believes the BBC “should look very closely at cricket again,” while refuelling the debate that the ECB’s asking price was too high.”I thought that the last round the amount the English cricket board were asking for the rights was very high [sic],” he told BBC Radio Five Live. “It’s a more specialist audience – it’s not as big, for example, for live Premiership football.”We have to think about value. If you buy one thing, you can’t buy another so what you’re trying to do when you’re thinking about the portfolio of rights is what’s your priority.”The decision to sell the rights to BSkyB caused an uproar among supporters and even in government. John Grogan, a Labour MP, tabled an early-day motion in the House of Commons calling for home Test matches to be returned to free-to-air TV. And lobbyists, notably Keep Cricket Free, campaigned for the decision to be overturned.Last November it was revealed that the BBC did attempt to reach a deal with the ECB by pushing for a “dip in dip out” basis; their proposal was to show shortened portions of the day’s play allowing Sky to retain their ball-by-ball live coverage. However, as Thompson concedes, the limiting factor was the money involved.”It depends not just on the choice of the sport, he said, “but also on how much it’s going to cost.”

Lionel Cann, the former Bermuda captain, has hit back at Michael Holding’s comments about Associates taking part in the World CupI was surprised and appalled by Michael Holding’s remarks that minnows ‘devalued’ the World Cup. He was brought in be the guest speaker at our first ever World Cup function and he says we shouldn’t be there!I was not at the function because I was ill, but I read his remarks in Monday’s paper. He is obviously entitled to his opinion but there is a time and a place.Hearing something like that from someone who has been such an ambassador for the game, put me in a real down frame of mind. It seemed like all that we have accomplished and worked towards was nothing in his eyes. With all the negativity that’s been directed towards the team, it’s just one more downer. It’s something that will motivate us and make us want to succeed even more.I actually feel, as someone who has played cricket his whole life, it was quite a selfish statement to make. I don’t think he’s looking at the big picture. It wasn’t that long ago people were calling Bangladesh minnows, now they’ve beaten Australia. There are now 96 countries that are associates and members. The dream of playing in the World Cup is an incentive for all of them. The more competition there is internationally, the higher the standard will be worldwide.Is he going to say Trinidad shouldn’t have been in the football World Cup? I have a lot of respect for such a gentleman, but this is one occasion where I believe he has faltered in his comments.We had a different kind of speech from the Minister of Sport, Randy Horton. He had a meeting with us and let us know he expects us to be ambassadors for this country. He reminded us that there were people before us that laid the foundations and now we have reached the pinnacle.He told us to take this opportunity to get to know the other players off the field – take every little experience we can. He said he was proud of us and that the ministry and the government were behind us. He wished us the best and told us to play with heart and dignity.We’ll take another step forward when we play Bangladesh on Sunday – our first ODI against a Test-playing nation. They’ve beaten teams like Australia, Sri Lanka and India so we are going to have our hands full.I’m currently at home with the flu, along with my daughter, and am not scheduled to fly out to Antigua until Friday but I’m hoping to play. It’s a perfect opportunity to see where we are with all the training we have been doing. They have a lot of players that have been together for a long time and some talented youngsters.Bermuda may have beaten Bangladesh in the past but that was before they became a Test playing country. They have taken their cricket to new heights. You can’t compare Bangladesh then to what they are like now. You can’t compare Bermuda now to teams of the past either, as we’ve had all this exposure. Bangladesh have sorted out their infrastructure and they have world class youngsters coming through. They are going from strength to strength.Hopefully I should make it. I had the flu when I was in Kenya and I played with it through the tournament, so I didn’t have time to recuperate. I caught it again when I came back to Bermuda and I’ve been suffering ever since. Now my daughter has it too, so I couldn’t fly with her being sick. She’s down and I’m down and we’re helping each other through it. With regards to not travelling with the team, I had to put my family first. Family is more important than sports.Reproduced with permission from the Bermuda Sun

Gloucestershire have admitted they are interested in bringing New Zealand’s batsman Hamish Marshall to the county next season.Marshall has recently established himself in the Kiwis side and averages 48.58 in Tests. “He’s someone we’re interested in,” Tom Richardson, Gloucestershire’s chief executive, told Cricinfo. “We wanted to bring him in last season as an overseas replacement and he was very keen but it didn’t quite fit his schedule with New Zealand.”Gloucestershire were relegated from the top tier of the County Championship last year, and they are keen to add strength to their batting as they look to bounce straight back. “We’re looking for a top-order batsmen who can bring real quality to the county,” said Richardson. “We believe someone like Marshall would be a huge benefit on and off the field and is the kind of man who can enthuse our younger players.”