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Rain affected more than half a day’s play as Tamil Nadu and Hyderabadsettled for a tame draw in their KSCA Coca Cola Under-25 Tournamentmatch at the Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodayar Sports Complex inBangalore on Saturday.Play started only at 14.15 hours on the third and final day due to acontinuous drizzle in the morning. Resuming at the overnight score of262 for 8, Hyderabad’s first innings folded up at 290. Ravichandra(104), who was stranded at 97 overnight, completed his century in notime. However he was the first to go when he was caught at square legby K Velmurugan off DS Doss. Then Fatima Reddy (17 notout) andMallikarjun (6) took the score on to 290 when Mallikarjun foundhimself stranded out of his crease.Tamil Nadu in reply made a disasterous start to their second inningslosing opener Ravindra John (0) off the fifth ball of the innings whenhe offered a catch to Saberwal off Ghouse Baba. Then the other openerS Badrinath (3) and N Lokesh (19) took the score upto 26. Badrinathwas the next to be dismissed when he gave a chance to Fatima Reddy atmidwicket off the bowling of Ghouse Baba. Ghouse Baba claimed histhird wicket of the innings, that of Lokesh, when he shattered thebatsman’s defences.C Hemanth Kumar (11) and R Satish (10) then took the score on to 49for 3 when play was called off for the day. Tamil Nadu got 5 pointswhile Hyderabad had to be content with three. Tamil Nadu now take onKarnataka in the finals which is to be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadiumin Bangalore from October 9 to 11.

Andrew Flintoff’s return to action after his ankle surgery has been delayed by England’s inclement summer. The first day of Lancashire’s 2nd XI match against Derbyshire, at Blackpool, was abandoned due to a waterlogged outfield and puddles on the pitch.Play was due to start at 11am, but a brief inspection by the umpires made it clear that play wouldn’t be possible and officials are not hopeful of any action over the remaining two days.Flintoff is confident of returning to England colours for the one-day series against India next month. He hasn’t played international cricket since the World Cup after feeling discomfort in his ankle while bowling against Hampshire, before the first Test against West Indies, in May and underwent his third operation.David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, is pleased by Flintoff’s progress. “Andrew Flintoff’s rehab is on course and there are not the same deadlines we have had in the past,” he told . “The original plan was for him to be fit for the one-day series and I haven’t seen or heard anything to the contrary.”

It is being reported in the UAE that Dubai Sports City (DSC) is trying to get the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to relocate a little more than a year after it lured the ICC away from Lord’s.A report in the Khaleej Times claims that an offer has been made to the ACC and that a move could be almost immediate. The ICC is in temporary accommodation while the DSC is finished, and a similar arrangement could be implemented for the ACC.The newspaper quotes a senior ACC official as saying: “The offer needs to go through the finance committee. It would then go to the executive board and the general body.”The proposal is believed to include rent-free office space, relocation expenses, a subsidy for the staff and sponsorship of ACC events totaling around $1 million per annum. While living expenses would be considerably higher than in Kuala Lumpar, where the ACC is based at the moment, the soruce added that as “there is no taxation in the emirates and for the employees that could be a major attraction.”The newspaper concludes that the final decision is likely to depend on the Indian board “as they call the shots within the ACC”.

Scorecard

Somerset have already caused one or two upsets this summer – just ask Australia – and today was no different when they defeated the favourites Lancashire to lift the Twenty20 trophy for the first time. And, again, it was the imperious Graeme Smith who led from the front to mastermind victory in a rain-reduced, relatively low-scoring chase under the lights.Smith was in control from the outset, mixing up his bowlers, setting fields with aplomb and then striking 64 not out to take them home after Lancashire made just 114 for 8 from their 16 overs. James Hildreth, who hit the winning runs, joined Smith in a matchwinning fourth-wicket stand of 53 from 36 deliveries.Earlier, the pace bowlers Richard Johnson and Andrew Caddick had taken five wickets between them to put Somerset in a dominant position. Stuart Law topscored for Lancashire with a battling, brave 59 after some injudicious batting had left his side reeling at 40 for 5, with Mal Loye and a brace of Andrews – Symonds and Flintoff – all back in the pavilion. Another Andrew, Crook, added 15 but there was little else to cheer about for Lancashire’s batsmen.Somerset made steady progress in their reply, until Flintoff struck two vital blows, removing Marcus Trescothick and Matthew Wood. But by this time, Somerset had more than half of the runs they needed, and they knew that from there on in it would be a case of hanging around, playing a patient game. Ian Blackwell showed no such patience, holing out for 3, but no matter, for this was the last wicket to fall, and Smith seized control of the match from there.Showing shades of the former Somerset bighitters Viv Richards and Ian Botham, Smith casually swatted boundaries like flies. Lancashire’s captain Mark Chilton threw Symonds and Flintoff at the latest incarnation of Somerset brawn, but neither of these experienced campaigners could make a dent in Smith’s well-fashioned armour. Smith stood firm and did the job, but admitted later such efforts had taken their toll. “I’m going to go and put my feet up for a bit,” he said. He deserves it.Lancashire’s total, though, had never seemed enough after their middle order was dismantled by Johnson. He followed up from where he had left off in the semi-final, with nagging, wicket-taking form. He took two wickets in successive balls to continue the slide started by Andrew Caddick, who had decided that he, too, was coming to this Twenty20 party. Johnson brought his own bottle – having dropped a sitter from Loye in the first over off Caddick, he stayed calm to hang on to an identical chance three balls later. That was the first of Caddick’s two big wickets, and his second was even bigger: Flintoff, for 2, caught by Blackwell (15 for 2).Symonds was next to fall, run out for 12. Just one run later, Dominic Cork (a skier to Marcus Trescothick) and Glen Chapple (golden duck, bowled) joined him, both cleaned up by Johnson. Chilton followed soon afterwards. At 69 for 6, a dire Lancashire were in the mire and, although Crook followed the long handle of the Law – they shared a stand of 32 – it was too little, too late.

Shane Bond’s return to international cricket continued with his inclusion in the New Zealand A team to play Sri Lanka A in three one-day matches starting next week.Bond hasn’t played for New Zealand since he broke down with a back stress fracture nearly a year ago. He played club cricket in Christchurch over the last two weekends and Sir Richard Hadlee, New Zealand Cricket’s (NZC) selection manager, said it was time to assess his fitness at a higher level.”As part of his managed return to international cricket Shane will available for selection for the first game,” Hadlee said. “He will then be rested for the second game and, assuming he gets through the first game without any problems, he will then be reconsidered for selection for the third game.”Hadlee added that the side would be led by Chris Harris. “Chris is New Zealand’s highest capped ODI player and has been playing very good cricket this summer. His experience at the highest level will be of enormous benefit to those less experienced players around him.”New Zealand A Chris Harris (capt), Shane Bond, James Franklin, Jamie How, Gareth Hopkins, Hamish Marshall, Bruce Martin, Michael Mason, Kyle Mills, Mathew Sinclair, Ross Taylor, Lou Vincent

Former Australian cricket captain and Nine Network cricket commentatorMark Taylor today vigorously denied quotes attributed to him in a Sydneynewspaper calling on Steve Waugh to retire from international cricket.The back-page report in today’s Daily Telegraph was based on commentssupposedly made by Taylor on the World Cup’s official website.”Since arriving in South Africa on February 9 I have not made any publiccomments concerning Steve Waugh, nor have I given any interviews on thesubject,” said Taylor. “And in the two World Cup matches that I have sofar been part of as a commentator I made no reference to Stevewhatsoever.”Taylor said: “I completely refute comments attributed to me in aso-called interview reported on the official ICC World Cup websitedealing with Steve Waugh and several other issues.””I have steadfastly stayed clear of the public debate concerning SteveWaugh’s future,” Taylor said from Johannesburg.”Having been through something similar myself back in 1997, I can wellappreciate what Steve is going through. That’s why I have consistentlyrefused to enter the debate as to whether he should keep playing orretire.”(Issued by Mark Taylor’s management, The Fordham Company.)

A ninth-wicket stand of 65 between John Morris and Greg Smith late on the second day enabled Notts to recover from another disappointing batting display to reach 280 all out, still 74 runs adrift of Sussex’s first innings total of 354 all out.An opening stand of 42 between Darren Bicknell and Guy Welton should have laid the platform for a sizeable score from the home county but once Welton had edged Mark Robinson to Chris Adams at slip wickets fell at regular intervals.Greg Blewett ran himself out for 13, Bicknell for 29 and Usman Afzaal for 40 both fell to lbw decisions and Paul Johnson made 25 before falling to a spectacular one–handed catch by Jason Lewry.After tea Chris Read (18) and Gareth Clough (2) provided Adams with more catching practice, although the fielder had to make good ground to his left to claim Read’s mishit sweep.John Morris batted watchfully in his first game of the season and inched Notts towards the follow–on target, reaching 200 by hitting Mark Davis straight down the ground for the first six of the contest.A swept four by AJ Harris, from the bowling of Davis, took Notts past the 205 needed to avoid the follow on and he had shared in a vital stand of 22 before falling leg before to James Kirtley.Some rustic slogging from Greg Smith boosted the total and allowed Morris to ease his way to a well–merited half-century (154 mins 126 balls 3x4s 1×6).Smith then took centre–stage, three consecutive boundaries off James Kirtley rocketing him into the 30s, and he then clubbed Davis, his team–mate at Northerns, for another explosive boundary.The stand was worth 65 when Morris unluckily saw the ball loop off bat and pad to give Adams his fourth catch of the day.Just two balls later Kirtley clean bowled Richard Stemp to wrap up the innings on 280, leaving Smith unbeaten on 44.Earlier, Notts had sealed the Sussex innings during the first hour of the day, with Harris collecting three of the last four wickets to fall, to finish with figures of 6–98, his best for the county.

Already banned by the Pakistan board for five years, there was more bad news for the beleaguered Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar as Nasim Ashraf, the chairman of the PCB, filed a Rs 22 crore (approx US$3.37 million) defamation suit against him.Shoaib had alleged on a TV show that Ashraf had demanded a share of his salary from the IPL. He also alleged that Ashraf had tried to extort money from other Pakistan cricketers as well. Shoaib later retracted his claims and also made an unconditional apology for “any grief or embarrassment that may have been caused to the nation, particularly to the PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf”.Tafazzul Rizvi, the legal counsel for Ashraf, filed the suit in a civil court in Lahore and hearings will start from Saturday.Ashraf had earlier served a legal notice that called upon Shoaib to “retract” his statements against him, and “tender an unconditional apology”. The notice also sought damages of Rs100 million (approximately US$1.6 million) to Ashraf for “defaming him personally” and another Rs100 million to the PCB for “sullying the name of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan Cricket team.”

After being the dominant team for three-quarters of the tournament, New Zealand A were unable to maintain their peak at the business end and were easily over-run by South Africa Emerging Players in the final at Allan Border Field. South Africa, who inflicted the only group defeat of James Marshall’s team on Wednesday, were again in control after a strong batting performance and a restrictive bowling display.South Africa’s 9 for 254 was set up by half-centuries from JP Duminy and Vernon Philander, who provided a late flurry of 59 off 50 with two sixes. Philander also made an important impact with the ball, taking 3 for 30 as New Zealand folded for a disappointing 172.New Zealand were in a comfortable position at 1 for 71, but Philander quickly collected his victims and five wickets, including Marshall to Johan Botha, fell for 15 runs. Nathan McCullum tried his best with 43 before the team which performed so well in the early stages finished with an 82-run loss.
The hosts sneaked home with a ball to spare to avoid the wooden spoon and end a difficult week on a high. Karnataka beat the Academy on Wednesday and they were on track for a repeat after posting 264, with V Cheluvaraj’s 69 and KD Pawan’s 57 leading the way before Aaron Heal stepped in with four wickets.Luke Ronchi provided a start that is becoming typical – he smashed two sixes and nine fours in his 45-ball 56 – and Michael Hill produced a mature 66 to steer the Academy chase before Phillip Hughes (38) and Ben Cutting (7) combined for the final 20 runs. The win sealed third place for the Academy, which was without the suspended Mark Cosgrove, Aaron Finch and David Warner.

Chris Read admitted that he was surprised to be given a chance to resurrect his career as England wicketkeeper after thinking rival Geraint Jones had become “part of the furniture”.Read’s inclusion in the England side for the Headingley Test ended a run of 31 consecutive Tests for Geraint Jones, who himself usurped Read for the final match of the 2003-04 series in the Caribbean.”I was pretty surprised to be honest but delighted,” Read told the media at Headingley, where England gathered to prepare for Friday’s Test. “After someone’s played 31 consecutive Tests they are part of the furniture a little bit. He hasn’t scored the amount of runs the selectors have demanded. But they’ve stuck with him and supported him for a long time so I didn’t necessarily see any change coming midway through a series particularly after a victory.”The irony was that Read lost his place as Jones was considered the better batsman, although few doubt that Read is the better keeper. But one fifty in Jones’s last 15 Test innings led to him being left out.Read admitted after making 150 not out for England A against the Pakistanis at Canterbury last month that he was thinking of the challenges ahead. “I had half an eye on this winter, which is a phenomenal winter to be involved in – an Ashes tour and then the World Cup.”But now I’m not looking too far past this Test. Keeping to a high standard goes without saying, because I still believe that’s my number one role, but runs are crucial.”And Read insisted that despite almost constant comparisons in the press over the last year, there was no animosity between himself and Jones. “Geraint and I have always got on exceptionally well. But at the same time there’s only one of you, like a goalkeeper in football. I’ve been given this opportunity now and, if I’m ruthless about it, I’ll hopefully tie it down for the near future.”

Asked whether he thought that his public spat with Mushtaq Ahmed at Hove earlier in the summer had helped or hindered, he admitted that it might have “changed a few opinions, because in the past people have said ‘he’s too mild-mannered’,” before quickly adding: “But it didn’t help me. I regret what I did because it was wrong.”Almost inevitably, he was asked about his dismissal on his Test debut in 1999 when he was bowled ducking a slower ball from Chris Cairns. “The general public probably remember that but I’d like to think the cricketing public see me as a talented gloveman who probably needs to prove himself with the bat.”And what of Duncan Fletcher? The England coach has been a public supporter of Jones, sticking by him even thought public pressure on the selectors to ditch him had grown by the match, and Read was asked if he still needed convincing. “For sure. My average is under 16 in Test cricket. That’s not what they’ve picked me for.”