The franchise for Eastern Cape will continue to be based in East London till the end of the 2005-06 season, after which it will move to Port Elizabeth for the next two seasons. This was decided by the General Council of the South African board after a meeting in Johannesburg. The council also stated that at the end of that period, the Eastern Cape Franchise Board will pass a resolution to decide on where the franchise will be based thereafter.Among the other resolutions passed was the agreement that domestic cricket in South Africa would continue to be played by six regional teams till the 2007-08 season. The teams are Southern Gauteng, Northern Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Central and Eastern Cape. The council also agreed that there would be no changes to the agreements pertaining to the franchises for the first four teams.The council also announced that since Griqualand West and Free State had not been able to reach an agreement regarding franchising for the Central region, status quo would be maintained for that region.Ray Mali, the president of UCBSA, was pleased that the franchise issues had finally been sorted out. “Our organisation has been temporarily paralysed by the uncertainty regarding the franchise system and these resolutions will allow us to progress operationally in the best interests of South African Cricket.”The decisions taken by the council were based on findings and recommendations made by the Franchise Review Committee, a group appointed by the General Council.

On the third day, the sun shone brightly and the mood was lifted all round. Okay, so England were still unable to practise out in the middle, but after yesterday’s misfortunes, it was a relief just to make it to the indoor arena at the BKSP – a quaint little tent of a building, set in the middle of a field of cricket and football pitches, that would fit four or five times into one of those giant complexes at Lord’s or Old Trafford.For Ashley Giles, England’s senior bowler in the absence of Darren Gough, Andy Caddick and now, Andrew Flintoff, it made a pleasant change to be able to talk cricket without having his tongue firmly embedded in his cheek. As he sat on the steps outside the building, the beads of sweat on his forehead were, for the first time, the only signs of moisture in the immediate environment.England have not enjoyed the best of luck on this tour so far, but for Gilesit is just a relief to be back in Asia, every spinner’s spiritual home. “I’ve looked forward to returning,” he said. “It’s been a year and a half since we were last on the subcontinent, and I enjoy being here. The pitches generally suit you, and you tend to get more overs and more responsibility, and so more wickets as well.”For Giles, the summer of 2003 was not one to remember – although in fairness, he let nobody down in his six Tests, and more than made up for his shortage of wickets (nine) with fruitful contributions with the bat. “I helped to create a few partnerships,” he conceded, “but I need to go on more. I’m never going to belt it like Freddie [Flintoff], but I should maybe go on to score a hundred.”The addition to the coaching staff of Mike Watkinson, a former England offspinner, is a clear bonus for Giles. While the rain has been pouring, the pair have kept busy by working on such menial tasks as rhythm and balance, and Giles’s approach to the wicket. “It’s no disrespect to the other coaches,” says Giles, “but I think Winker mentally appreciates the trauma that spinners sometimes go through. I like the way he’s thinking. He understands me.”Giles’s likely partner-in-crime, as and when the first practice match getsunderway at the Bangabandhu stadium on Sunday morning, is the Worcestershireoffspinner, Gareth Batty. The pair do not know each other too well at present, but Giles knows from experience that tours of the subcontinent are ideal places to forge a team spirit.”Those tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka were the ones that I have enjoyed themost,” he admitted. “I’m not just talking from a personal point of view, although it was nice to take wickets and contribute to victory [Giles took24 wickets in the six matches, including seven in England’s victory at Karachi, and six more as they clinched the Sri Lankan series in Colombo].”More importantly, it was the way the team bonded on that tour. There’s not a lot to do at nights out here, so we spent a lot of time eating, chatting, going into each other’s rooms and watching videos. We talked more about cricket, and more about each other as well, and when you do that, I think success comes hand-in-hand.”After a summer of doing a fill-in job when the seamers were tired, Giles is clearly relishing the chance to take centre stage once again. “Back home, it may be viewed as a build-up to Sri Lanka,” he said, “but I’ve been looking forward to this series – for my personal role in the team, and the opportunity it presents.”We dare not take these guys lightly. They had some impressive individualperformances against Australia and Pakistan, and if we underestimate them, we’ll get hammered.”

The Sri Lankan board has launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct by two players during the Champions Trophy newspaper last month. newspaper said that Sri Lanka Cricket had been prompted to take action after being “tipped off by well-informed sources” that the two players – allegedly Avishka Gunawardene and Kaushal Lokuarachchi – were involved in a late-night drinking binge midway through their rain-interrupted match against England.Mohan de Silva, the cricket board president, confirmed to Wisden Cricinfo that a disciplinary probe was already under way: “Investigations have been started. We have instructed the disciplinary committee to look into these allegations and they are making preliminary enquiries now before the players return from Pakistan.”The allegations surfaced soon after Sri Lanka’s early exit from the Champions Trophy, but were not taken seriously at the outset after being flatly denied by Ajit Jayasekera, the team manager at the time, and the coach John Dyson.de Silva refused to confirm the identity of the two players, and insisted that the decision to drop both Gunawardene and Lokuarachchi for Sri Lanka’s second match in the Paktel Cup had not been triggered by the inquiry.Lokuarachchi was banned for four months from all forms of cricket last year after his involvement in a tragic late-night driving accident. Legal proceedings are still continuing in that case.

England will almost certainly have to tour Zimbabwe following the ICC’s decision to clear the Zimbabwe board (ZCU) of all allegations of racism.A delegation from the England & Wales Cricket Board arrives in Harare today to assess the security arrangements for the tour. It was over concerns with player safety that England refused to play in Zimbabwe during the 2003 World Cup.John Carr, the ECB’s director of operations, and Richard Bevan, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, will meet with ZCU officials, as well as representatives of the Movement for Democratic Change, the main opposition. The pair will report their findings to the ECB next week.The ICC’s decision to allow Zimbabwe to resume Test cricket will almost certainly mean that England again come under international pressure to play them. Whereas the ECB seems to have just about got away with the one-day series, the potential problems associated with a full tour would be significantly increased. The honeymoon period for David Collier, the ECB’s new chief executive, might be brief.

After a seesaw first day at Lord’s, Steve Harmison reflected on England’s fluctuating fortunes. The team received a rousing ovation from the MCC members when they went back through the Long Room at lunch, with Australia 97 for 5, and it was almost as if the Ashes were coming home already: “At lunchtime I thought we’d won, and I’d forgotten to pinch a stump.”Reality set in later, however. “I don’t think the pitch is as bad as 17 wickets describes,” said Harmison. “The team’s pretty disappointed with the way the second half of the day went.”But he was delighted with the way his own bowling went. “My plans worked – from early on the ball bounced a bit, so the idea was to get the batsmen on the back foot, then drag them forward a bit.”Plan A worked perfectly for Ricky Ponting, possibly helped by a smack on the cheek not long before. “That was ideal – I pushed him onto the back foot then pitched one up and he nicked it to slip. I was more pleased getting him out than hitting him on the head, though.”England’s master plan started to unravel when it came to their turn to bat. Glenn McGrath bowled superbly, helped by a bit of uneven bounce, and Harmison admitted ruefully: “If Vaughany and Fred had had eight-foot-wide bats I think they would still have got bowled. But McGrath’s 500 wickets – that’s a phenomenal achievement, He doesn’t have to prove any points, 110 Tests and 500 wickets says it all.”McGrath himself was only faintly embarrassed by the 500-wicket ballyhoo, which included the 12th man sprinting out with a special pair of “500” boots. “Yes, my sponsor made them up, and I was going to change into them later. But Kasper [Michael Kasprowicz] and some of the boys ran them out to me. I’m not much of a show-pony, but today I thought I deserved it!”McGrath could hardly have chosen a more appropriate stage than Lord’s for his 500th victim. “I couldn’t have scripted it any better,” he admitted. “I thought about it for the first time at breakfast this morning, which is a bit surprising I suppose, and there were a few butterflies first thing.”The big moment was made even more special as his family were all at Lord’s. “My wife Jane, James and Holly [children], and my mother and father are here. Everyone’s here for me.”He was just as pleased with Australia’s overall position: “In the end 190 was a good effort, as it’s an ordinary pitch batting-wise. There was probably a bit too much inconsistency for the first day of a Test. But getting them 7 for 92 at the end of play, you couldn’t ask for much better than that. Next innings hopefully our blokes will knuckle down and get a big score.”Like Harmison, McGrath stuck to a plan and found that it worked. “When we batted it was the guys that hit the deck hard – Harmison, Flintoff and Jones – that got a bit out of it. I found that I needed to bowl a slightly fuller length, and then the ball tended to come down the slope more than I’ve usually found here – all five wickets came like that really.”The on-field atmosphere was pleasant, too: “Yes, I even had a couple of friendly chats with the non-striker, when I wasn’t bowling! I think the series will be like that – hard on the field, but pretty friendly off it.”Someone asked whether McGrath had seen all the pre-match hype about how the Australian fast bowlers were over the hill and ready for a pasting. He smiled. “Yeah, I had a bit of a laugh when I read it.”And overall there were more Aussies than Poms laughing after the first day.

Holland 56 for 3 trail Ireland 407 for 4 dec (Bray 135, Botha 97, Joyce 54, Molins 53, Gillespie 50*) by 351 runs
ScorecardIreland eased into the semi-finals of the Intercontinental Cup after their match with Holland petered out into a tame draw, with the poor weather which had washed out the first day returning to bring a premature end to a game which had long since ceased to have any meaning.Ireland’s powerful batting performance yesterday had ended any hopes Holland had of reaching the last four, and they had to be content with some gentle batting practice. Resuming at 56 for 3, they soon lost Eric Szwarczynski but then Ryan ten Doeschate (84) and Alexei Kervezee (46*) put on 115 for the fifth wicket to ensure that at least they were saved the embarrassment of having to follow on. By the time ten Doeschate was caught behind off Andre Botha, the game had meandered into insignificance, and the return of the rain was not unwelcome.Holland have suffered appallingly from the weather. Their first match at home to Scotland was washed out, and almost half of this game fell victim to the elements, making it almost impossible for them to mount any serious challenge for a semi-final berth. What was, on paper, the strongest of the four zonal groups in the tournament was reduced to a meteorological lottery.But that does not ignore the fact that Ireland rallied superbly to defeat the fancied Scots, and then clinically batted Holland out of this game knowing that a draw was all they needed to book a place in Namibia. They will face the United Arab Emirates at Windhoek in a three-day game starting on October 23.

Belinda Clark, the country’s greatest female player, has announced her retirement less than a month after Australia lost a series to England for the first time since 1963. The two-Test defeat was a disappointing way to end a fabulous career that included two World Cup victories, the most ODI runs in history with 4844, and the highest individual score – 229 not out against Denmark in 1997 – of any player in a limited-overs international.Clark, who first captained Australia in 1994-95 and led the side for a record 11 Tests and 101 ODIs, will take up the position of Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence manager in Brisbane on Monday. Beginning her Test career with a century against India in 1991, Clark finished with 919 runs in 15 games at an average of 45.95 and played 118 limited-overs matches.In naming her Cricketer of the Year in 1998, said she was Australia’s “finest batswoman to date” with her “her free-flowing, classical style, technical brilliance and aggressive attitude to scoring runs”. Her reputation was enhanced over the past seven years until the slip against England, although Australia rebounded to take the five-match one-day series on September 1.Clark said the time was right to step down and she was confident that Australia would move effortlessly ahead under a new captain. “Playing cricket has been such an enormous part of my life that it’s certainly going to be strange not to be pulling on the gear anymore,” she said. “I leave the game on the field with a lifetime of memories and I’m pleased that I still have the opportunity to be involved and contribute to Australian cricket through my new role.”Clark ranked winning the World Cup in 2005 and 1997, when Australia beat New Zealand in front of 80,000 at Eden Gardens, as her highlights in a career that started at Newcastle High School. After joining an indoor cricket team – she also won Australian honours in the abbreviated game – Clark moved into a schoolgirl side and was quickly selected for the New South Wales Under-18s. When there were no local women’s matches at age 14 she moved into the under-16 boys’ competition for a season.”The women’s game is heading in the right direction and is a lot stronger both strategically and operationally than when I first played,” she said. “It’s really encouraging to see the sport growing, particularly among young girls, and to see exciting new, young talent coming up through the ranks.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said Clark was arguably the best female cricketer to play for Australia. “She has represented her club, state and country with enormous pride over the years and her genuine love and passion for the game is quite inspirational,” he said. “Belinda is a person of the highest integrity and while we are losing one of our greatest cricketers on the field, we are delighted she will remain as an integral part of Australian cricket.”Clark’s replacement will be named for Australia’s series against India this summer. After 14 seasons in the side, the hole created by such a wonderful player will be almost impossible to fill.

Scorecard

Devon Smith ensured West Indies would have a capable replacement for Wavell Hinds in the first Test with a century against Queensland at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field. Smith stepped up after Hinds broke his little finger on day one of the four-day tour match, and the tourists were in a strong position at 3 for 252 with Brian Lara still to arrive.Lara suffered a minor finger injury on his right hand when dropping a slips catch yesterday but team management confirmed he would be fit to bat on day three. Marlon Samuels was not out 20 and the captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul was 17 at stumps, with the West Indians 71 behind Queensland’s first-innings 323.Heavy overnight rain delayed the start until 1pm and the West Indians, who started on 0 for 13, performed solidly during the afternoon with Smith, who was dropped by Martin Love at slip on 43, leading the way. Smith struck 21 boundaries during his 197-ball innings, which included a bright opening stand of 130 with Chris Gayle.Ryan Le Loux, the legspinner, ended their partnership when he picked up his first first-class wicket, Gayle edging down the legside to the wicketkeeper Chris Hartley. Queensland tried seven bowlers but only the slow men Le Loux, Andrew Symonds and Chris Simpson were successful on a low surface that has not offered ideal preparation for the bouncy and seaming pitch expected at the Gabba next week.Queensland skipper Jimmy Maher was impressed with West Indies’ display and believes that they have the capability to surprise Australia. “Their top six batsmen … they’re pretty strong,” Maher said. “It’s a pretty good batting side so Australia have to bowl well against that sort of batting. They’re pretty positive players and I reckon it will be a closer Test series than people think.”Bennett King, the West Indies coach, was pleased with the display of his fast bowlers and believes they have enough pace to trouble the Australian batting line. “We have the bowling that can unsettle the Australian batsmen. We know we can get good players out. We have to make sure we get runs as well. History shows they have two of the best bowlers in the world so our batting is in for a real tough time I guess.”

Shane Watson will have an operation on his dislocated left shoulder on Tuesday and is expected to be out of action for two months. Watson, who has played three Tests, suffered the injury diving in the field as Australia wrapped up the first Test with a 379-run win in Brisbane yesterday.As his team-mates rushed to Watson at mid-on he told them he was “gone” and the physiotherapist Errol Alcott helped him from the ground. “He partially dislocated his shoulder and he’ll have arthroscopic surgery tomorrow,” a team spokeswoman told . “They’ll know more about the time frame after the surgery tomorrow, but as a rough estimate they’re saying two months.”Watson’s injury throws out Australia’s plans for the summer as he was expected to receive at least a series to settle as the side’s allrounder. Australia must now decide whether to revert to a normal six-man batting line-up, which would encourage Brad Hodge’s prospects of a debut, or keep Adam Gilchrist at No. 6 and pick five bowlers for the second Test at Hobart next week. Gilchrist has suggested Andrew Symonds would also come into contention for the allrounder’s berth.Ricky Ponting said after the Test win Stuart MacGill was a likely inclusion while dropping Nathan Bracken would be difficult after he took four wickets in the West Indies second innings. Australia are also waiting on news of Justin Langer’s recovery from the fractured rib that ruled him out at Brisbane.Watson did not bowl in the first innings at the Gabba but was introduced as first-change in the second, picking up his second Test wicket when he induced an edge from Chris Gayle. Struggling for effectiveness in his three matches, Watson’s injury is still untimely as Australia introduce new players following the Ashes loss.

Pakistan Customs were not only forced to follow on by Habib Bank, but they will now also be relegated to the non-first-class Grade-II circuit next season. Needing to score 356 to avert the follow on after Habib Bank had put up 506 in their first innings, Customs were all out for 283 at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex. They ended the third day on 49 for 1, still 174 runs short of avoiding an innings defeat.However, no matter what happens on the final day today (Thursday), Customs will have to suffer the ignominy of being demoted to the Grade-II tournament, from where they will have to start the process of seeking promotion all over again. Starting at their overnight score of 74 for 3 and needing another 282 runs to make Habib Bank bat again, Customs were 168 for 6. Fawad Alam, who had earlier helped add 59 for the fourth wicket with Azhar Shafiq (32) continued to take the fight to the opponents.He and Murtaza Hussain shared a seventh-wicket partnership of 80. Fawad was unlucky to fall six runs short of a well-deserved hundred, which would have been only the second of his short first-class career. He batted for just over four hours facing 184 balls and hit nine boundaries. Murtaza’s unbeaten 43 included three fours and a six and came off 124 balls in about three hours.Two quick wickets at the end by new-ball bowler Shahid Nazir, who finished with 3 for 33 from 16 overs, and Shahid Afridi’s legbreaks hitting twice at the middle order, broke the Customs’ resolve. They lost an early wicket in the second innings before the batsmen took control.The two top teams from either group are looking for qualification to the tournament’s Quadrangular Stage round that gets underway from January 15. Habib Bank, the record seven-time winners of the Patrons Trophy, are currently placed second behind Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).They need a win in this match to stay as one of the two top teams in their group. Customs have collected only six points from their three previous matches and find themselves placed at the bottom of the points table.Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited’s (SNGPL) splendid effort for a first-innings lead fell a mere eight runs short on the third day at the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Sports Complex on Wednesday.Chasing Pakistan International Airline’s first innings score of 384, SNGPL finally fell for 376. PIA faced an uneasy situation in their second innings, and lost two wickets with only 15 runs on the board.SNGPL received an early setback as they lost their first wicket without any addition to the score after a brilliant start of 149 runs by their openers. Ayub Dogar perished for 66 off 108 balls with seven fours and a six. His partner, Mohammad Hafeez, took his score to 88 off 180 deliveries with nine boundaries, but four wickets fell with only 34 runs added. It needed a 144-run fifth-wicket partnership to give SNGPL the hope of taking a lead.Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain, hit seven boundaries in his knock of 81 in just short of three-and-a-half hours off 162 balls. Saleem Mughal scored 72 off 117 balls with seven fours.Unfortunately, the last five wickets added a mere 49 further runs and SNGPL fell behind. Kamran Sajid, filling in for Umar Gul who was unable to bowl because of fever, captured 3 for 57. Fazl-e-Akbar took 3 for 65. Samiullah Niazi, the left-arm opening bowler, took two quick PIA wickets when they batted the second time. They are now only 23 runs ahead with the final day remaining.SNGPL, with nine points from their three previous matches, also need a win to take their tally to 18, something which could even have taken them into the Quadrangular Stage ahead of PIA. With only one more day to go in the match, this may not happen.PIA, who have never won the Patron’s Trophy but shared the title last season with Habib Bank after the final was rained off, currently have a total of 15 points. They require an outright win to stay in contention for the next round.Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) had Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) reeling at 108 for 8 as their match finally got underway on the third day at the Sheikhupura Stadium.With the first two days washed out, first because of heavy rains and then due to the unplayable conditions at the ground, WAPDA immediately put PTCL in after Adil Nisar won the toss.Sarfraz Ahmed and Faisal Irfan, the new-ball bowlers, struck early as two wickets fell with only five runs on the board. After a third-wicket stand of 51 runs, Farooq Iqbal played havoc with the ball and took 5 for 37 in 17.3 overs.Babar Naeem, the Rawalpindi left-hander, top-scored with 33 off 81 balls with four fours and a six. Zulqarnain Haider, the wicketkeeper, contributed a patient 26 off 102 deliveries in a little over two hours with a four and a six. Six of the nine batsmen who came to the crease failed to reach double-figures. Tahir Mughal scored 18 at No.8.WAPDA, who were the Patron’s Trophy runners-up in 2003-04, are at second spot in the five-team table with 12 points from three appearances. PTCL, who have a total of 18 points, have never won a national title. They need a win, or at least a draw with three points, to retain their position, though they can advance to the next round even if they drop to second place.If the poor playing conditions persist and no points are gained by either team in the other Group B match being played in Peshawar — between National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) — then PTCL and WAPDA will qualify for the Quadrangular Stage round.There was no play for a third consecutive day in the match between National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the Arbab Niaz Stadium.The match, originally scheduled to be played at the Lahore City Cricket Asociation (LCCA) Ground in Lahore, was shifted because of the poor conditions there mainly due to heavy fog and poor visibility. In Peshawar, first heavy rain and then unplayable conditions have prevented any play so far.The sun was out on Tuesday, but the ground didn’t dry up as expected. The two teams wanted to play yesterday but the umpires felt that the pitch and the surroundings were not conducive for the match to begin. With only the final day left today (Thursday), it is doubtful whether even the first innings issue would be resolved here.NBP, five-time winners of the tournament, are at third place in Group B with only nine points. They needed an outright win over ZTBL to stay in contention for the Quadrangular Stage round, for which the top two teams from either group will qualify.If there’s no play even on the last day and no points are gained from the fifth and final round matches, then Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) will qualify for the Quadrangular Stage round.Service Industries, after having gained no points from their four matches of which they lost three and drew one, have already suffered demotion to the non-first-class Patrons Trophy Grade-II circuit. Ironically, they had qualified for the ongoing tournament after having won the last season’s Grade-II championship.