Jamie How smashed 95 as Central Districts beat Canterbury by seven wicketsin their State Shield match at McLean Park in Napier today. The hosts passed Canterbury’s 162 in the 40th over. How was run out in the 33rd over with the hosts 137 for 2, but the captain had already ensured a victory that put Central firmly on top of the State Shield ladder. Mathew Sinclair hit the winning runs to finish not out on 23. How’s innings was remarkable for the fact that the opening 49 runs of his opening partnership with Geoff Barnett all came from the bat of How. Canterbury, stacked with international stars, were woeful when they batted. Lance Hamilton, who finished with three for 33, made early in-roads removing both openers, Shanan Stewart and Nathan Astle with just 17 on the board. Canterbury were soon reeling at 48 for five when Chris Cairns fell to Hamilton trying to fiddle the ball to third man. Chris Harris top-scored with 63.Otago easily dealt with Wellington with a six-wicket victoryin a dull match in the capital. Chasing 227 for 8, Otago reached the target in 45.1 overs with Neil Broom (48) and Gareth Hopkins (9) the not out batsmen. In the chase Aaron Redmond was the top scorer with 63, while Jonathan Trott, who earlier took 3 for 33, scored 43. Wellington’s innings never got going, despite skipper Stephen Fleming’s 45. A middle order collapse was averted by Matthew Bell who scored a patient 67 not out.

Nottinghamshire have handed contract extensions to Mark Ealham and Andrew Harris which will keep them at Trent Bridge until the end of 2007.”They were very influential in our success and deserve to be rewarded,” Mick Newell, the county’s director of cricket, told BBC Sport. “Their experience and enthusiasm were very important in the dressing room.” Ealham and Harris were star performers for Nottinghamshire last season, sharing 103 wickets.”We do have an ageing squad and we have to be very conscious of that,” said Newell. “It will soon be time to introduce fresh blood into the team – but having older and wiser heads around will help the youngsters to progress.”Ealham, who topped 50 wickets in a season for the first time and won his first championship medal, said: “I’ve enjoyed two great seasons with Notts and still remain as keen to play cricket as when I started my career. This club is going places, and I have no intention of missing out on that.”Harris, whose career has been hampered by injury troubles, took a match-winning 6 for 76 as Nottinghamshire clinched the title. “I’m delighted to have signed the extension and am looking forward to helping the squad collect more silverware,” he said. “My personal target is to play for another five years.”

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has announced it is to pay West Indies players $135,000 of outstanding sponsorship fees and incentive payments for their tour of Australia last year.The board were quick to confirm that the sponsors, Digicel, weren’t responsible for the delay in payment. In a press release on Saturday, the board said that “it has put facilities in place to settle these outstanding liabilities,” which would take place on Monday January 30. The board also reiterated that “payments from the team sponsors Digicel are fully up-to-date and Digicel is in no way responsible for the delay in payment.”This isn’t the first payment dispute to surface in the West Indies. Speaking to CaribbeanCricket.com, a source was quoted as saying “[the] WICB is always in breach of the contract. This is something that happens all the time, every time”.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

New Zealand found a cool head in Daniel Vettori and held their nerve to sneak home in a low-scoring ODI against West Indies at Queenstown to take a 2-0 lead in the series. When West Indies were put in to bat and restricted to 200 for 8 it appeared as though New Zealand would saunter to victory. But Ian Bradshaw and Fidel Edwards reduced New Zealand to 13 for 4, and wrested the initiative back for West Indies, but watched in dismay as Vettori made a calm and collected unbeaten 53 to guide New Zealand home with three wickets to spare.West Indies’ inability to close out a game once they had a grip on it – they simply lacked the firepower in both batting and bowling departments – once again came to the fore, and New Zealand’s depth in batting, with Vettori coming in at No. 8 ensured that even the loss of early wickets could be overcome. Had New Zealand been asked to score at more than four an over the situation may have been different, but in the end all it took was for one man to bat sensibly.When New Zealand began their pursuit of 201, though, the pace of Edwards and the probing accuracy of Bradshaw proved too hot to handle. Edwards hustled the batsmen from the word go, and struck in his first over, trapping Jamie How lbw for a duck. Bradshaw ensured that Edwards’s effort was not wasted, backing him up well with some controlled swing bowling. Lou Vincent played down the wrong line to a perfectly pitched delivery that straightened and hit the top of off stump.One run later Edwards put New Zealand in deeper trouble, getting rid of the dangerous Nathan Astle. Edwards fired one in short and Astle went for the pull, but was beaten for pace and could only hit the ball to Wavell Hinds at square-leg. Again Bradshaw backed up Edwards, trapping Stephen Fleming in front of the stumps. At 13 for 4, New Zealand were in serious danger of collapsing.Scott Styris and Peter Fulton were left to arrest the slide and they were helped by the fact that their target was only 201, and a few quiet overs would not overly affect their chances. Fulton, graceful and considered, became the fulcrum of the New Zealand innings, and even the fall of Styris, who played away from his body to one from Jerome Taylor that bounced a bit more and presented a catch to slip, did not deter him. At the halfway mark of the innings New Zealand’s hopes rested largely with Fulton, who was motoring towards his half-century. But he fell soon after – one run shy of 50 – edging to Denesh Ramdin off Rawl Lewis.When Brendon McCullum, shouldering additional responsibility in the absence of Chris Cairns, was run out by a sharp bit of fielding after he had made a better than run-a-ball 45, West Indies had New Zealand on the run at 141 for 7, and should have swooped in for the kill. They did what they could, mixing spin with pace, rotating things around, but no single bowler looked consistently threatening.Vettori, realising that all he needed to do was stay at the crease to ensure victory, settled in and began to score freely. He used angles to good effect, squeezing the ball through third-man and shoveling it past square-leg to pick up boundaries at regular intervals. Before they realised it, the match had slipped from West Indies’ grasp as Vettori (53 not out) shared in a 60-run unbroken partnership with James Franklin for the 8th wicket that took New Zealand to victory.But it wasn’t as though West Indies were particularly in control when they first began. Their batsmen showed excessive caution against disciplined and tidy pace bowling, and Bond, although excellent, should not have been allowed to get away with a first spell of 6-4-2-1. While not looking to score quickly West Indies’ top-order lost wickets, and at 60 for 4 from nearly 21 overs, were in need of something special to boost their score to respectability.Runako Morton diligently ground out 93 balls at the crease for 39, but it was Wavell Hinds who did the bulk of the scoring, showing what could be achieved by positive intent. Although he did not at any stage attempt to attack the bowling outright, Hinds was constantly on the lookout for ones and twos and eventually the loose ball came along. When it did – mostly off the mediumpace of Styris – Hinds made sure he made it count, slicing through the off side with good bat speed.Hinds could not have done it all himself, and he was fortunate to have Morton drop anchor at one end and ensure that the bowlers were forced to work hard. From the precariousness of 60 for 4 Hinds pushed the score along to 184 for 6 before Bond, returning for a second spell, had him caught behind for 76. The tail had little to offer after Hinds was gone, but managed to push the score to an even 200 for 8 off 50 overs. In the end, that proved to be too little to stave off defeat.

Chris Gayle b Bond 0 (5 for 1)
Daren Ganga c McCullum b Mason 7 (10 for 2)
Ramnaresh Sarwan c McCullum b Mason 14 (37 for 3)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul b Franklin 17 (60 for 4)
Runako Morton c Astle b Vettori 39 (130 for 5)
Dwayne Smith run out (Styis/McCullum) 17 (158 for 6)
Wavell Hinds c McCullum b Bond 76 (184 for 7)
Ian Bradshaw b Patel 5 (197 for 8)
Fidel Edwards run out (Franklin/Bond) 2 (200 for 9)
New ZealandJamie How lbw b Edwards 0 (10 for 1)
Lou Vincent b Bradshaw 5 (13 for 2)
Nathan Astle c Hinds b Edwards 2 (13 for 3)
Stephen Fleming lbw b Bradshaw 0 (13 for 4)
Scott Styris c Gayle b Taylor 10 (49 for 5)
Peter Fulton c Ramdin b Lewis 49 (120 for 6)
Brendon McCullum run out (Morton/Ramdin) 45 (171 for 7)

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Australia entered the first Test with concerns over their fast bowlers, but South Africa’s batsmen were the ones with problems on the opening day as Stuart Clark’s five wickets on debut dropped them for 205. While much of the lead-up was spent wondering about the missing Glenn McGrath, Clark, a 30-year-old first-gamer, and Michael Kasprowicz, one of Mark Boucher’s “Ashes rejects”, were responsible for flooring the host’s ambitious plans after winning the toss.Clark’s stunning welcome of 5 for 55 was the best by an Australian since Brett Lee’s 5 for 47 against India in 1999-2000 and Lee’s three wickets finished off the work his back-up bowlers had started. It was not a day for fluent batting and by stumps Australia had cut the deficit to 142 for the loss of Justin Langer for 16.Langer escaped a caught-behind decision in the first over before leaving to a doubtful lbw to Andre Nel, and South Africa craved the tight and penetrative Shaun Pollock towards the close. A back injury forced Pollock out before play and his absence was a relief for Matthew Hayden, who strolled past Don Bradman’s career tally of 6996 and 7000 runs in making 22, and Ricky Ponting (20). Australia coped brilliantly without their key manRecovering from Sunday’s unbelievable one-day demolition, the visitors found their Test groove much more quickly than the edgy batsmen and showed that at least in the short-term they could cope without McGrath. The true tests will come on pitches offering nothing and batsmen showing confident blades, but under bowler-friendly skies all the fast men gained considerable movement off the pitch. Nobody created more problems than Clark, who narrowly won his spot on a hunch ahead of Stuart MacGill. Australia guessed correctly and collected.Religiously described as McGrath-like, Clark performed a perfect impression of the man Australia are desperately trying to replace after taking his baggy green from Merv Hughes. Three wickets before lunch, including the brilliant removal of Herschelle Gibbs’s off stump, sparked contagious smiles from the Australians and he added Boucher and Nicky Boje to complete his haul. The only downsides of a remarkable entry were a dropped catch off Lee and being belted for a six by Andre Nel during a team-high last-wicket partnership of 32 that lifted South Africa above 200.Kasprowicz had to wait three Tests for his first wicket in 1997, but Clark picked up his maiden dismissal – a vital one – after only nine deliveries. Held back until Andrew Symonds’s had delivered an over of medium pace, Clark continued Graeme Smith’s poor long-game run against Australia when he forced him to push forward on 19 and gave Adam Gilchrist an easy take.After a superb wicket and the lucky one of Jacques Kallis, who cut a short delivery straight to Hayden at gully, Clark produced a sensational ball that nipped away to collect Gibbs and leave South Africa struggling on 61 for 4. The faith in the untried pairing of Kasprowicz, who collected 2 for 44, and Clark was shown when Ponting gave them long spells after lunch ahead of Lee and Shane Warne – the two big guns expected to fire while McGrath cares for his sick wife. Instead, the lesser lights combined for the first six wickets with the help of some sharp and clever catching.

Marking his return after eight-Tests with an early off-cutter that knocked over AB de Villiers, Kasprowicz picked up Jacques Rudolph shortly after lunch with a piece of footwork from Warne that would have had Mark Viduka bullocking towards the home supporters. Warne was surprised to see Rudolph’s edge heading for him at first slip and fumbled it on to his thigh, but as the ball fell towards the ground he flicked it up with his toe to Gilchrist.At the other end Clark was running into a fresh breeze and doused Boucher’s positive 16 with another fine leg-cutter that was accepted by an in-form Gilchrist, who dived low to his right. Clark’s fourth wicket – and the team’s sixth at 104 – was quickly followed by Lee’s first, with another sharp Hayden catch ending Ashwell Prince’s 17-run resistance.The recovery was left to the lower order and Andrew Hall picked up 24 at No. 8 while Boje top scored with 31 and Nel (18) and Makhaya Ntini (17 not out) gave the home crowd some late fun. South Africa’s batsmen found it hard to find the right tempo after such a short gap between the end of the one-dayers and the start of the Tests. The problem was expected to be more damaging for the Australians, but at the end of day one they had lost their worries and regained the momentum.

South Africa
AB de Villiers b Kasprowicz 8 (24 for 1)
Graeme Smith c Gilchrist b Clark 19 (42 for 2)
Jacques Kallis c Hayden b Clark 6 (48 for 3)
Herschelle Gibbs b Clark 18 (61 for 4)
Jacques Rudolph c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 10 (76 for 5)
Mark Boucher c Gilchrist b Clark 16 (104 for 6)
Ashwell Prince c Hayden b Lee 17 (124 for 7)
Andrew Hall c Hayden b Lee 24 (148 for 8)
Nicky Boje lbw 31 (173 for 9)
Andre Nel lbw Lee 18 (205)

A decision on the venues for the semi-finals and final of the 2011 World Cup – to be held jointly in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – will be made over the next three to four months, the Pakistan Cricket Board said today.Addressing reporters at the National Stadium, in Karachi, the chairman Shaharyar Khan denied that a decision had already been taken for Pakistan to host the final and for India to host the semi-finals. “During the next few months together we will decide where opening ceremonies, super eight venues, semis and the final will be held.”Reports had previously suggested Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium may play host to the final, as it had done in the 1996 World Cup but Shaharyar said that wasn’t certain yet. In India meanwhile, it was reported that the BCCI were keen on hosting the final, given that Pakistan had held the last one. “I have said and will say again that it would be good to replicate the 1996 scenario but we are open to other suggestions. That is just my own feeling but it will be decided in the forthcoming months with the Indian board.”Shaharyar also lauded the efforts of the co-hosts in putting together a successful bid, claiming that the one-month grace period they received having failed to hand in the bid on time, helped them in the end. And he reconfirmed that had it not been for the board’s reminder to their Indian counterparts about the compliance book – the final bid document – Asia may well have lost the bid. “Sharad Pawar sent us a letter thanking us for the timely reminder we gave them about the compliance bid, barring which we would not have won.”The PCB, as part of their preparations, are also planning on bringing the administration of stadiums in Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi – all venues for 2011 – under their control. Currently, the PCB are in charge of affairs at the Gaddafi and National Stadium in Lahore and Karachi respectively, as well as a host of others.”Our preparations for the World Cup have to begin in earnest from now and one of the first things we must accomplish is gaining control of stadiums in Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi. We need to bring these stadiums up to international standards and at the moment they aren’t. But I will impress upon the government that these stadiums need to be in our control for them to be upgraded to the requisite standard.”

Brian Lara has demanded his batsmen rediscover their killer instincts in the remaining five one-day internationals against Zimbabwe. West Indies enjoyed back-to-back wins by five wickets and 98 runs against the tourists at the Antigua Recreation Ground on Saturday and Sunday but Lara, in his third spell as captain, wants to see bigger contributions from his batting line-up.”We lost too many wickets on Saturday chasing 152, and on Sunday, we were almost bowled out,” said Lara. “We have to start thinking about 300 runs-plus for the remainder of the series and then I’ll definitely be happy about it.”I think we have been a little slow off the mark because it’s our first couple of games back after the trip to New Zealand and you can tell by the way that some of the guys have been playing. They are still feeling their way, but I am sure that by the time the series resumes next weekend in Guyana, we are going to have all the guys pumped up and really going.”Lara’s decision to drop down the order to six has been the topic of some debate, but he indicated it was part of his side’s tactics to expose some of the players in preparation for the upcoming series against India next month. “The top four or five batsmen should dominate the batting in these 50-over games,” said Lara, who celebrates his 37th birthday on Tuesday. “If this takes place, the lower order batsmen will not get a knock, so I am trying to get some of the guys lower down the order to get a knock.”Terrence Duffin, the Zimbabwe captain, acknowledged his side were on a learning curve and expects to see them improve by the time the series is over. “After getting a few early wickets, I think we did well to keep them down to 242. We lost too many wickets too early. We’ve got a few days before the next two matches, and it gives us some time to go and polish up.”The series continues on May 6 and 7 at Georgetown’s Bourda Oval when the two teams contest back-to-back matches. They will also play the first limited-overs international under lights in West Indies at Gros Islet’s Beausejour Stadium on May 10 before the series ends with a double-header on May 13 and 14 at Port of Spain’s Queen’s Park Oval.

Amit Varma and S Rajesh discuss the first day of the Antigua Test
Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMARahul Dravid’s decision at the toss, to bat first, was vindicated when India made 361 for 4 on the first day, at 4.24 runs per over. But did he perhaps choose the wrong team, going in, once again, with just one specialist spinner in Anil Kumble. Amit Varma discussed that and more with S Rajesh. Listen in.Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA

Durham 76 for 2 trail Kent 179 (van Jaarsveld 59) by 103 runs
ScorecardOut ground cricket these days is not particularly fashionable for counties: too expensive to move all the required technical support; too much of a lottery when it comes to quality of pitch; too many moans from county staff that the changing rooms are too small. It is much more bother than its worth.Yet it was something equally unfashionable that had driven Durham to schedule this week’s fixture against Kent at Stockton – Elton John. Thanks to a concert on Saturday at the Riverside (and an impending one-day international), this suburban district played host to a Championship game for the 11th time since Durham became a first-class county.Stockton is a suburban town, just outside Middlesbrough and the ground,while clearly not blessed with the architectural beauty of Durham City oreven the Chester-le-Street ground, has a gentle, picturesque atmosphere.Out-ground cricket may be dying – or regularly ignored – but here’s aprime example why it shouldn’t be.Stockton CC is a successful club in the high-class North-East PremierLeague – the same league the Durham Academy play in. Lee Daggett, theyoung Warwickshire swing bowler who dismissed Durham at Edgbaston for 141last week, played here while at Durham University, so this is an area – anda pitch – clearly immersed in the county’s cricketing fortunes.And the ground was full of passionate fans, most bedecked in Durham logoson shirts and caps, the bar and food stalls didn’t stop and the crowdcould hear the players’ chatter and the general noise of the game,something never too clear at most headquarters. Okay, the quality of thewicket might not have matched the quality of the atmosphere – but it didproduce entertainment.A slow morning session that ended with Kent on 100 for 2 – David Fultonbattled to 27 from 105 balls, Martin van Jaarsveld 59 from 127 – gave wayto fireworks in the afternoon. Ottis Gibson found rhythm and swing as thesun disappeared and Kent lost five for five in eight overs. A brief blitzfrom Andrew Hall and Darren Stevens, then the tail collapsed – all out179. This may be the lottery pitch counties try to avoid but only two ofthe dismissals – van Jaasveld and Jon Lewis in Durham’s reply – couldreally blame demons. The only other demons were in the batsmen’s heads,worried about what could (but rarely did) happen, as the home side’s toporder showed.As the Kent batsmen came and went from the changing rooms at square leg -the building looks more like a working men’s club than a sporting facility- the Durham crowd’s buzz increased. Gibson and Graham Onions keptstriking from the Grangefield Road end and the bar beside the pavilion,designed bizarrely like a football dugout giving the patron’s a sunken,worm-eye view, became busy through celebration and compulsory refreshment.The locals were on top and enjoying the day out.But the politics of staging such games are enormous and in the north-east,with such an isolated and young first-class county, these politics areworse. The clubs need endorsement and financial support from localcouncils, then they need to prove they are the best alternative in thearea, before crossing their fingers and hoping the county simply likesthem and can be bothered to move from home for a few days. It is nosurprise Durham, like many other counties, avoid out-ground fixturesunless their own marketing department – along with an internationalpop star – compels them to.But the members love the day out – 300 can seem like 3000 in this closeand intimate surrounds – many who find it difficult to travel toChester-le-Street have cricket coming to their doorstep and they don’twant to waste the opportunity. It really does bring cricket to the peopleand is a good experience of high-quality sport in a relaxed and accessibleatmosphere.So maybe it was the informality of the setting that did for Kent’s firstinnings – their skipper Rob Key was playing frisbee on the outfield duringlunch in flip-flops and shorts – but then this is the charm and the reasonout grounds are great: kids throw balls around next to a first-classcaptain enjoying his break. It’s not going to happen at Lord’s …

Kevin Pietersen was adamant that he would be fit to resume his innings on the second day of the third Test between England and Pakistan at Headingley, after retiring hurt with cramp shortly after recording his fifth Test century.”I’m facing the first ball tomorrow unless something drastic happens to me this evening,” Pietersen confirmed, after the late dismissal of Matthew Hoggard left England handily placed on 347 for 6 at stumps. “I was [scheduled to go] in before Hoggard and after [Chris] Read,” he added, “but then we used the nightwatchman for the last five overs.”Pietersen enjoyed a charmed life in his innings, surviving a clear-cut appeal for caught-behind on 2 followed by a dismissal off a no-ball, and then, on the stroke of his eventual retirement, he was dropped at midwicket by Salman Butt.”It did inconvenience me because that’s why I came off the field,” explained Pietersen, who had called for treatment on his forearm three times in a single over as he raced through the 90s with a series of typically bombastic shots. “Instinct and adrenalin took over,” he added, “but after each shot, [my forearm] would freeze into a certain position. It wasn’t fun and it’s certainly never happened before.””I couldn’t grip the bat as well as I should have done,” he continued. “I had some treatment but I had to come off. I’ve had it needled and massaged and hopefully with some rest and more treatment, I’ll be able to face the first ball tomorrow.”Pietersen was satisfied with his performance in typically tough, overcast conditions at Headingley. “I was happy to get out there and play,” he said. “Other batsmen have been fantastic this series, so it’s nice to get another hundred. I’m really satisfied with this one, especially after getting 20,30, 40 in my last innings. Hopefully, if Ian [Bell] and I can bat for an hour or more in the first session, we can get a score in excess of 400.””That’s the first time I’ve ever suffered with cramps in my life,” claimed Pietersen. “I think the problem today was that I didn’t have lunch, I don’t generally eat when I’m batting, and I had breakfast at 8am. It’s probably just my salt levels, because my fluids were perfect and my urine was crystal clear.”