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Fair Oak’s young bowlers conceded a staggering 87 wides on the opening night of the NatWest Bank Under-16 Indoor Development League at the Hampshire Rose Bowl.It cost last winter’s champions dear against Basingstoke & North Hants and almost wrecked their chances of beating an inexperienced Andover side.Fair Oak fancied their chances of nailing Basingstoke after Richard Featherstone (33) had improved on a sound opening partnership between Ed White (30) and Ed Kemp (27) to post a handy 136-5.But their efforts were wasted as Fair Oak gifted Basingstoke 54 runs in wides alone – and lost the game by two wickets with an over to spare.Hampshire Academy all-rounder Mitchell Stokes hit 25 and then scored 26 in his team’s four-wicket win over Andover.Fair Oak were almost as profligate against Andover, who came within nine runs of overhauling a challenging 137-5.Featherstone (35 not out) again top scored, but Ollie Williams (27) and Chris Hadfield (26) profited from some erratic bowling and took Andover’s reply to 128-2.Results:
Andover 111 (Hadfield 22, Williams 2-14)
Basingstoke & North Hants 112-2 (Stokes 26, Williams 25)Fair Oak 137-5 (Featherstone 35)
Andover 128-2 (Williams 27, Hadfield 26)Fair Oak 136-5 (Featherstone 33, White 30, Kemp 27)
Basingstoke & North Hants 138-2 (Stokes 25)

For the first time in the history of Test cricket, two captains with surnames starting with the letter V wrote themselves onto the Lord’s honours boards on the same day, as Michael Vaughan and Daniel Vettori put the tedium of the past two days behind them with a pair of sparkling performances. Their efforts seem likely to be academic, given how much time in the match has been lost, but as a pointer for the remainder of the series, they were instructive nonetheless. England arrived at Lord’s with dominance aforethought but, not for the first time this year, they were forced to limit their ambitions because of the tenacity of their opponents.”It was a pleasing day’s cricket,” said Vettori, whose figures of 5 for 69 were his best against England. “I thought we’d played really well because most people predicted England would come out and dominate the day. I thought we didn’t start as well as we could, but from thereon in, particularly the way Chris Martin bowled, it set up a good day for us. For them to be only 40 in front, and both sides batted in completely contrasting conditions, is good reward for our day.”It was a Hamilton-lite performance from New Zealand. Just as they had done in the first Test of the previous series, the Kiwi bowlers operated with steady determination and under-rated skill, and a hint of assistance from the surface was all that was needed to squeeze the attacking intent out of England’s top-order. That they did so under clear blue skies, instead of the slate-grey mizzle that persuaded England to bowl first on winning the toss, was an added feather in their black caps. When Tim Ambrose fell first-ball to Vettori, England’s total of 208 for 6 was identical to that which New Zealand mustered on the truncated first day, which reinforced the notion that England’s bowlers had lacked ruthlessness in the formative stages of the game. By the close New Zealand’s openers, Aaron Redmond and Jamie How, had shown that they too can survive when the conditions are favourable, by wiping off the deficit in a 40-run stand.”We played good cricket and stuck at it, and we were on top for the majority of the day,” said Vettori. “If the day had gone to 2 for 250, they would have been able to dictate terms, but because we kept taking wickets it doesn’t allow teams to force the issue. The first session tomorrow is really important but so were the first 16 tonight. The way Aaron and Jamie handled it was particularly pleasing and a real confidence-boost for the dressing room. If they can go out there and do the same thing then it probably kills the game, because realistically the only way both teams can be brought into it is by us batting poorly.”In the circumstances, therefore, Vaughan’s hundred – though technically impeccable – was not the most pressurised he will ever make. But a score is a score nonetheless, and he seemed in a prickly mood as he reflected with satisfaction on his latest bout of doubt-answering. Displaying the same confidence in his own ability that had enabled him to weather England’s early jitters on the pitch, he revealed that the familiarity of Lord’s had instantly put his mind at rest. Today was his sixth hundred at the ground, which equals the record held by Graham Gooch, so it’s little wonder he feels so at home. “You walk in the dressing-room and see your name on the board five times it gives you a huge lift,” he said, “knowing that I’ve done it here before and certainly hope to do it here again.”Vaughan went on to dispel the notion that his hundred had been a long time coming – the Trent Bridge Test against India may have been 10 months ago, but only seven Tests have elapsed in that time. “People talk about form a lot,” he said. “I felt going into this game I was in good form in terms of rhythm if not in terms of runs scored. Some people find that very hard to understand, but I was very relaxed today and very disciplined for the first 30 runs. From then on I knew a hundred was there for the taking unless I made a mistake, and I didn’t make one.”He might not have had the chance to reach three figures, however, had it not been for the cool support of Stuart Broad at No. 8, whose maiden Test innings on home soil lived up to the billing that such luminaries as Duncan Fletcher have been giving him this week. For Vaughan it was a first opportunity to examine at close quarters the composure and technique of his young colleague, but it was his opposite number, Vettori, who knows best what is required at that pivotal position in the order.”He’s got a good solid technique and he looks like a batsman which is the biggest start,” said Vettori. “That’s what he does do well. When he comes to the crease he’s got a presence, because he looks like he knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows where his off stump is and he plays the short ball well. Couple that with his bowling, and it’s a nice package, particularly coming in at No. 8.”The day provided an entertaining joust between two sides who are better matched than their egos would have you believe, although Vettori admitted that he wouldn’t be taking any satisfaction from his personal performance until he has seen his side safely to the draw. New Zealand won in Hamilton two months ago because they didn’t relax their guard for an instant, but they lost the next two Tests because of two critical lapses in concentration. The second occurred when Ryan Sidebottom skittled them in the space of a session at Napier.”Sidebottom is always in the back of our heads,” said Vettori. “He’s bowled tremendously well for a long time, and they are going to be constant threats all day.” Vaughan, meanwhile, was cautiously optimistic about England’s prospects. “It’s going to take something special to force a victory,” he said, ” but last-day cricket can spring all kinds of funny things. I’d like to see the ball swing, but Monty [Panesar] bowled beautifully so could have a big part to play. We’ll have to get wickets in little clusters to get them under pressure, but we’ve certainly got the attack to cause a few problems tomorrow.”

Queensland Cricket’s next generation is set to benefit from increasedexposure to the game at the highest level in the 2002-2003 season.The Queensland Academy of Sport cricket program squads announced todayfeature eight players who tasted action in two practice matches againstthe world champion Australian team and the touring Pakistan one-dayinternational side last weekend.Batsmen Craig Philipson, Chris Simpson and Duncan Betts, leg-spinningallrounder Steve Paulsen and pace bowlers Matthew Petrie, Ben Edmondson,Steve Magoffin and Nathan Rimmington played for the Queensland XIagainst Australia and Pakistan at Allan Border Field.Rimmington, whose younger sister Ricki-Lee was also named today in theQAS squad, returned the figures of 3-16 against Pakistan that were thebest for Queensland over the weekend.Philipson, Simpson and Magoffin were recently awarded XXXX QueenslandBulls Rookie contracts for the coming season.The 2002-2003 QAS intake is the largest since the introduction ofcricket into the Academy structure in 1992, with 25 men and 11 womengranted scholarships.In addition to the metropolitan-based squad of 13 men and six women, theQAS Regional squad will cater for 12 men and five women outsideBrisbane.On the playing field, Queensland will compete under the QAS banner inthe ACB Cup 2nd XI competition, the annual Colts clash against NSW andthe State Institutes’ Challenge in Darwin from August 24-31.QAS head coach Richard Done said a number of last year’s scholarshipholders had benefited from playing in matches against the touring NewZealand Test and One Day team and from touring New Zealand.”Some of those players went on to make their first class debuts for theBulls and perform strongly when given the chance,” he said.”We’ve already had some of this year’s squad exposed to cricket at ahigher level than they would have been used to and history shows thatsort of experience is very valuable,” he said.”The men in the metropolitan squad will train alongside the Bulls againthis season while the women will be involved with the Konica QueenslandFire team in the Women’s National League so they will all be givenplenty of opportunities to improve their performances,” Done said.METRO – Male: Bulls Rookies: Chris Simpson (Wynnum-Manly), CraigPhilipson (University), Steve Magoffin (Wests). Other: Matthew Petrie(Redlands), Ben Edmondson (Beenleigh/Logan), Nathan Rimmington(Sandgate-Redcliffe), Allan Rowe (Toombul), Scott O’Leary(Wynnum-Manly), Luke Davis (Beenleigh/Logan), Aaron Maynard (SunshineCoast), Duncan Betts (Norths), Nick Kruger (Valley), Steven Paulsen(Wests).METRO – Female: Ricki-Lee Rimmington (Sandgate-Redcliffe), Kirsten Pike(Sandgate-Redcliffe), Reanna Browne (Valley), Kasee Marxsen(Sandgate-Redcliffe), Jodie Purves (Wests), Kerryn Matthews(Sandgate-Redcliffe).The QAS Regional squad enters its second year under the direction ofTownsville-based Queensland Cricket Regional Manager Steve Baker.Included in the squad are Toowoomba trio Nathan Stains, Peter Reimersand Cameron Glass who were members of the Queensland Country team thatwon the National championships last season, Australian Under-17selection Mathew Turich from Gladstone and Laura Bates (Townsville),Jessica Rowlands (Townsville), Catherine McRae (Dalby) and Britt Easton(St George) who were members of the Konica Queensland Under-17 team thatwon Queensland’s first ever women’s national title at last season’sAustralian championships in Perth.The Regional squad will gather in Townsville from July 2-5 for atraining camp which Done said would allow greater opportunities forathletes outside of Brisbane to improve and develop their skills.”This aspect of the QAS program complements Queensland Cricket’sexisting talent identification and development schemes in regionalareas,” he said.”Importantly, it provides regionally-based athletes with the advantageof being able to benefit from advanced coaching and training methodswithout needing to relocate to Brisbane,” he said.REGIONAL – Male: Nathan Stains (Toowoomba), Peter Reimers (Toowoomba),Mathew Turich (Gladstone), Cameron Glass (Toowoomba), Clint McMillan(Mackay), Rhys Williams (Clermont), Ryan Schulte (Bundaberg), DamienWatts (Charleville), Reece Neyland (Mackay), Brett Wightman(Townsville), Dean Hanrahan (Cairns), Mathew Burton (Townsville/ChartersTowers).REGIONAL – Female: Laura Bates (Townsville), Catherine McRae (Dalby),Britt Easton (St George), Jessica Rowlands (Townsville), LeteyshaRandall (Biggenden).

All eyes were on how the Rose Bowl wicket would play on Hampshire’s first return there since losing points two weeks previously, but there were no hidden fears as a good days cricket in good weather in front of a good crowd alleyed any doubts.Losing the toss at the Rose Bowl has become a bad habit for Hampshire captains, Robin Smith back after a bout of chicken pox made it 5 tosses from six attempts that have gone against the home county, and not surprisingly Jamie Cox chose to bat first.Somerset made a slow start with Cox managing 30 runs by the lunch interval, and after the cloud cover had gone and the promised sunshine arrived, the innings picked up tempo. Parsons and Turner made painstaking half centuries before Richard Johnson hit an exhillerating 61 in just 37 balls, with 2 sixes and 9 fours.Alan Mullally was the pick of the bowlers taking four wickets, whilst Shaun Udal did most of the spade work, being rewarded with three wickets, on a pitch that showed signs of turn early on.At the close Hampshire had safely negotiated 5 overs (3 from Caddick) but we suppose the most relieved man of the day would have been Head Groundsman Nigel Gray.

Australia has withdrawn from its scheduled tour of Zimbabwe.Citing safety and security concerns for the team and its management, theAustralian Cricket Board (ACB) had little choice but to accept the advice ofa number of government and non-government sources who had identified anincreasing risk for the Australian side.The postponement of the tour is the latest in an increasing number ofpolitical factors on the international cricket scene.Last year New Zealand postponed their October tour of Pakistan after theSeptember 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and the New Zealandwomen had their tour of India cancelled due to the inability of India toprovide security for the side while the Afghanistan conflict was takingplace.The last occasion an Australian side was unable to tour a country was duringthe 1996 World Cup when the team was unable to play scheduled games in SriLanka when player safety there could not be guaranteed.Australia’s position in Zimbabwe was the result of increasing unrest thereafter the recent election and the subsequent suspension of Zimbabwe from theCommonwealth.The chairman of the ACB, Bob Merriman said: “Given this situation, the ACBhas now advised the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) that the Australian cricketteam is unable to travel to Zimbabwe in the current climate but that we arevery keen to re-schedule the games in the next two years.”This is a decision that the ACB has deliberated on deeply and it isrecognised that it will impact most on the cricket community withinZimbabwe. This is something that is deeply regretted.”Nevertheless, the safety of the players and team management must takeprecedence and I hope that there are other initiatives that the ACB and theZCU can adopt that will provide much needed support to the game inZimbabwe.””Over the last week, the advice we have received from our own securityadvisors, the High Commissioner in Zimbabwe, the Department of ForeignAffairs and from other sources within the country has clearly indicated thatthe situation is worsening for Australians in particular and that there arenow real and unacceptable risks to our people should they travel toZimbabwe.”

So long as player power was confined to money matters, someone like me, a spectator who saw more of the game, supported it. But as with trade unions which interfere with management, player power must not be allowed to run the game.One after another, Australian players are issuing statements that they are not prepared to tour Pakistan. The latest is Mark Waugh who, probably will not even be selected.Mark Waugh may have other reasons for not visiting Pakistan. It was he and Shane Warne who opened the can of worms of match-fixing. Having accused Salim Malik of offering them a large sum of money for “throwing” a Test match, it transpired that both these players had been regularly receiving money from a bookie for providing him with information.The Australian Cricket Board had fined them but had kept this under wraps until a newspaper got hold of and published the story. Both Mark Waugh and Warne had refused to appear before Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim who had been asked by then BCCP to carry out an inquiry.I don’t really want to go over the tawdry match-fixing business but simply to put Mark Waugh’s statement in perspective. It is Australia’s tour of Pakistan later this year that is of concern to me.The tour is in jeopardy because of an unrelated bomb blast in a hotel adjoining the one where the New Zealand and Pakistan teams were staying and which led to the Karachi Test match being abandoned.Bomb blasts, unfortunately, have become a fairly common occurrence. This does not make them any less abhorrent. They can occur in London or New Delhi or any other country but when they occur in Pakistan, they somehow make Pakistan a volatile and unsafe country and cricket tours, somehow, appear to be the first casualty.India refusing to tour Pakistan is for reasons wholly political but the West Indies refusing to do so, for security reasons, was a bit too much and ultimately, the matches against them were played at a neutral venue, Sharjah.Now there is talk of the Australia series being played at a neutral venue and Tangiers, of all places, is being mentioned. The statements being issued by Australian players, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Warne constitute interference in administrative matters and their purpose is not only to bring pressure on the Australian Cricket Board but they serve to build-up public opinion against the tour. This is a case of the tail wagging the dog.When the ICC had given its blessings to the idea of neutral venues, I had warned that a terrible precedent would be set. And if players are allowed to decide which countries they will tour and which they won’t, it would be curtains for international cricket. The PCB is not saying much beyond that it is allowing the dust to settle.I have no doubt that the PCB is in touch with the ACB but something must be done to counter the adverse public opinion that is building up in Australia and Pakistan must put its case, not only to the ACB but to Australian media.We need to counter the statement being issued by certain Australian players, who, in case, must not be allowed to go public with their ill-informed views. There is still some time for the tour. Why are these players rushing to judgment?Steve Waugh has been sacked as Australia’s captain for the One-day Internationals. His captaincy of the Test team is hanging by a thread. Does he feel that his team will lose to Pakistan in Pakistan and in the process, he will lose the captaincy?We have had to hear, ad nauseum, about the flat tracks that visiting teams, particularly from England, must encounter in the subcontinent. What about the flat track at Lord’s on which the Test match against Sri Lanka was played?They don’t come any flatter unless we take into account the wicket at St. John’s at Antigua. The wicket at Lord’s fooled both teams, both went in with four seamers and left out the spinners.In fact, it was being mentioned by the commentators, Ian Botham and company that had England won the toss, it would have put Sri Lanka in. Just as well for England’s think-tank that Sri Lanka won the toss and batted.Sri Lanka piled on 555 and at that, some of their batsmen threw away their wickets including Sanath Jayasuriya who ran himself out foolishly. The Sri Lankans brought the sun with them and Lord’s was lit up. And we saw the Sri Lankan batsmen at their brilliant best and England without Darren Gough and more importantly Ashley Giles was stuck with four mediocre fast-medium trundlers.The Lord’s wicket which is seamer-friendly was never so flat and so batsman friendly though England had to follow-on, confirming that English cricket is not yet on an upswing.It is an insult to Sri Lankan cricket that this is the first ever Test series it is playing in England. Sri Lanka has been playing Test cricket since 1982 and yet never managed more than an one-off Test match in England.A tour of England is still considered important just a Wimbledon is important in the tennis circuit. I am not so sure that I approve of all the changes that have been made at Lord’s ever since I first went there in 1962.There is still something special about a Test match at Lord’s and as one enters the Grace Gates, one senses a kind of spirituality. Cricket crowds in England have changed but not the crowd at Lord’s.There are fewer yahoos and none of the drunken louts that one encounters on other grounds. Lord’s is still a social occasion and going to watch cricket at Lord’s has a snob value of which I approve.

Hampshire’s big day was ruined when umpires Trevor Jesty and John Holderdecided it would be impossible to stage the first ever scheduled match attheir new £17 million ground at the Rose Bowl, West End.Jesty and Holder, both former Hampshire players, surveyed the pools of wateracross the new pitch and decided play in the Benson & Hedges Cup matchagainst Essex couldn’t go ahead some 90 minutes before the game was due tostart.Hampshire captain Robin Smith said: “There was never any chance. The waterhas got everywhere and it would have been impossible which is a great shamebecause this was due to be such a memorable occasion in Hampshire’shistory.”Around 200 spectators had made their way to the new ground but left as soonas the announcement of the abandonment was made.Hampshire chief executive Tony Baker said: “This is very sad becauseeverything had been geared to this first match but it has been typical ofour bad luck.”The whole project has been fraught with disappointment in one form oranother. We just hope that the pitch will have dried up by Friday when we’redue to play here again but with more rain forecast even that can’t beguaranteed.”I feel sorry for our groundsman Nigel Gray who has put in hundreds of hourswork on the new pitch but there was nothing he could have done and the storywould have been the same if we were still at Northlands Road.”Gray added: “There was never any real chance even if it had been a dry day.The wet weather has been awful and I have not been able to work on thesquare as much as I would have liked.”

One has a penchant for tall scores in domestic contests. The other has made a name for himself as a ferocious batsman who revels in hitting the cover off the ball to the point of driving bowlers to desperation. Dinesh Mongia and Yuvraj Singh’s styles meshed perfectly and took India to a mammoth 333 for six in 50 overs, practically batting Zimbabwe out of the fifth and final one-dayer at Guwahati. Triumph by 101 runs followed as Zimbabwe wilted under the pressure of having to chase the huge score.All things considered, it must be said that the match was taken far away from the visitors at the end of the Indian innings. Sure, cricket is a funny game and all that, but it is not that side-splittingly humourous. India had the better measure of a wicket that was on the slower side, had the superior firepower, and they held their collective nerve better on the big day.Getting used to the pace of the track, Mongia was content working the ball well into the gaps, chipping away efficiently. Using the angled bat to great effect, Mongia provided a superb display of common-sense cricket.Earlier in the innings, however, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman both fell cheaply. Rahul Dravid (26), who was clean-bowled by Douglas Hondo, and Mohammad Kaif (5) also failed to get going. India were then in a spot of bother at 157/4 in the 31st over, and there was a chance that the scoring rate would dip and pressure would build.In the form he is in, however, it seems difficult to put pressure on Yuvraj Singh. The young left-hander, in sublime nick, got going from the very first ball. Punching through the covers with great placement and timing, Yuvraj sent the ball scurrying across the turf to the fence. Punjab teammate Mongia enjoyed the fireworks, and the pressure to score quickly lifted.Zimbabwe’s slow-medium bowlers struggled in the face of an all-out assault. Full tosses popped up with alarming regularity, and Yuvraj Singh nonchalantly clattered them away into the stands. There was almost no need for innovation as powerful drives had just enough zip to beat fielders who were scattered, jaded, and mostly reduced to spectators.The last 10 overs of the Indian innings provided the kind of power hitting that makes the shoulders of the opposition sag. A mammoth 121 runs came in that period, and came rather freely. Gary Brent, who replaced the injured Pommie Mbangwa, took the brunt of the punishment, returning figures of 9-0-74-0.Yuvraj’s entertaining knock came to an end abruptly in the 49th over when he hit Douglas Marillier straight to Travis Friend at long on. Most captains, however, would have been pleased with Yuvraj’s contribution – a sparkling 75 in just 52 balls with six fours and three sixes.Mongia then set his sights firmly on a century and achieved the task with ease – and then some. Although it took him 121 balls and 11 boundaries to reach three figures, Mongia’s foot seemed to be glued to the accelerator thereafter.Making room on the legside and slicing the ball through point with disdain, hitting back over the bowler’s head with power and placement, Mongia reached a mammoth 159 (147 balls, 17 fours, 1 six) as India amassed 333/6.Then came the Zimbabwean reply. What would it take? A long, steady hand from Alistair Campbell at the top of the innings? A blinder of a ton from Andy Flower? Some late heroics from the unorthodox Dougie Marillier? All of the above, perhaps, but none were forthcoming.As if chasing 334 for victory in a series decider were not difficult enough, match referee John Reid docked Zimbabwe two overs for not completing their quota of 50 in the allotted time.A series of token contributions from the top order – Campbell (31), Dion Ebrahim (42), Travis Friend (31) – suggested that the Zimbabwe team were not about to keel over in a hurry. But the fact that none of the visitors made it to even the half-century mark made it nigh on impossible to put up a serious chase.Grant Flower, with a valiant 48 (47 balls, 6 fours), helped keep the visitors’ hopes alive before he became Zaheer Khan’s first victim late in the order. Two balls later, a similar inswinging yorker took out the dangerous Marillier before he could get off the mark.Tatenda Taibu too fell for a duck, being run out just before the innings ended. Gary Brent, who was punished earlier in the day, was the last wicket to fall, reverse-sweeping Harbhajan Singh to short third man. With 4/33 from 9.1 overs, Harbhajan Singh was easily the most successful bowler on the day. Zaheer Khan with 3/29 was not far behind.The joy and relief on the faces of the Indian players was there for all to see when the game ended. Dinesh Mongia expectedly walked away with the Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards, and the youngster was all smiles. Success has come quite early for the hard-working Mongia, buth he should not get too carried away quite yet.Funnily enough, a member of today’s team, Vijay Bharadwaj, was the Man of the Series in his first-ever series – the LG Cup in Nairobi – only to be left out of the Indian team for some time to come. The youngsters of this Indian team thus need to keep their eyes keenly focussed on the World Cup that is now less than a year away.

Yorkshire are no strangers to inclement weather. They lost more overs to rain than any other county side last season, and seemed to have brought the rain with them to Cape Town when their crucial game against Mumbai Indians was washed out on Thursday night. To add to their woes, both Ryan Sidebottom and Moin Ashraf suffered potential injuries during the game, but coach Jason Gillespie insisted his side still had their sights on a semi-final spot with two games left to play.Sidebottom limped off the field after his second over, though he eventually returned and bowled a third before the rain came down, while Ashraf lasted all of three balls before he appeared to hurt his hamstring early on in proceedings. Adam Lyth, who had never bowled for Yorkshire in a Twenty20 match before, was forced to complete Ashraf’s over with his offspin.”I’ll have to speak to Scott McAllister our physio, but at this stage we’re just going to monitor the progress of both of them,” Gillespie said of Sidebottom and Ashraf. “Ryan came back out to bowl, so we’re quietly confident that he’ll be ok. He’ll probably be a little bit stiff and sore, but he should be ok.”Early signs at the moment, it looks like Moin’s tweaked his hamstring. But we’ll just let it settle down in the next 24 hours, and then Scott can have a really good look at it, and then make a decision from there.”Yorkshire are fortunate in that they have a somewhat bowler-heavy squad, with Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Iain Wardlaw in reserve, but they will need to be at their best in a must-win game against Highveld Lions – still buzzing from their victories over Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings – at home in Johannesburg.”You obviously need to cover all your bases with illness, injury and things like that,” Gillespie said. “They’ll be on their home patch, the Lions, and they’re a very good side, there’s no question of that. We believe if we can play the T20 cricket that we know we can, that we’re in with a good shot, no question.”As we’ve said all along, we have nothing to lose. We’re not here to make up the numbers, we’re here to compete and we’re here to win games of cricket, and that’s certainly the attitude we’ll take into the next game.”Gillespie has had a successful first season as Yorkshire’s coach, masterminding their promotion back to Division One of the County Championship and their trip to the Champions League. Indeed, he is revelling in the opportunity to lead his charges on a South African jaunt that few in the squad would have expected at the beginning of the English summer.”Andrew Gale just mentioned that at the start of the season, in pre-season when we were in Barbados, who would’ve thought that we’d be in Cape Town playing against the Mumbai Indians in the Champions League,” Gillespie said. “Sometimes we pinch ourselves I suppose. It’s just been a wonderful journey.”It must be said, these lads have worked incredibly hard, and they deserve this. The opportunity to play against some of the greats of not just now, but of all time, is pretty special and something that I’m sure these guys will remember for the rest of their lives.”

It was wonderful while it lasted, but it probably was too much too late, or too little too late,whichever way one wants to take it. To be very honest, no team that makes 140 in any innings of aTest match deserves to even have a chance to win a Test match, yet the West Indies did have thatchance, albeit a slim chance, while Brian Lara was at the crease.At least Lara showed that he still has the goods to produce, especially under duress and severeexternal stimuli. While he played well, he still needs, as he suggested, "to be as consistent asplayers like Steve Waugh and Sachin Tendeulkar." For the sake of West Indies cricket, I hope thatconsistency starts now. The youth of the West Indies team need some positive batting example.Lara batted like a man possessed for his 91, and while, in the end, it was futile, it was wonderfulto watch, enjoy and even think "If only …" His innings included eight fours and four sixes, and evena chance too, badly dropped by Makhaya Ntini at square leg, a catch which would have given Nicky Bojehis fifth wicket. Ntini would have been overjoyed when Lara was eventually out.However, Lara would find little solace in the fact that South Africa won by "only" 82 runs. WhileLara did all in his power, and was ninth out, the rest of the West Indies batting, especially themiddle order, should look at themselves in the mirror, and hopefully, they would not like what theysee there. In a few words, as Carl Hooper suggested, "We batted badly." At least Hooper is startingto learn a bit too. He is now using tremendous understatements.The final day was truly South Africa’s captain Shaun Pollock’s, and no-one would argue that he was not the eventual man of the match as he took the morning session for his team.The hosts meandered from 101-4 overnight to 155-7 as Ramnaresh Sarwan, after looking better andbetter with every delivery he faced, again lost his concentration at the wrong time, nibbled at aleg-cutter, and that was that – out for 26.Ridley Jacobs, looking rather tired of the entire proceedings, drove at Pollock’s slower ball toexit for no score.Neil McGarrell probably found out that making 20s and 30s in first class cricket equates to maybe30 percent of that at Test level, his 6 being just about par for the course.Boje got his fourth wicket, that of Merv Dillon, caught at slip off the glove by DaryllCullinan, but it was left to Jacques Kallis, with the second new ball, to complete the demolition afterLara’s heroics, and including Lara’s wicket.Pollock may have been somewhat worried at Lara’s onslaught, but he would also have realized that themiddle was already gone, so the tail would seldom stand in those circumstances. It was just amatter of time.Strangely, the pitch did not play as badly on the last day as expected, but Boje still finished with4-118 from 45 marathon overs, while Pollock had 3-41 and Kallis 2-23.South Africa, by winning this game, and taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead with onlyone Test left, thus becomes only the second team to beat the West Indies at home since 1973, afterAustralia in 1995.Maybe two quotes here from former Test captains might be apt."There is nothing else we can do," says (Sir) Vivian Richards, the only West Indies captain never tohave lost a series when in the position of captain. "We simply have to have a better attitude, abetter approach, if we are going to play with the big boys."Jimmy Adams, who was replaced by Carl Hooper, on the other hand, at least was tremendously honestwith himself when he suggested, "Many think that losing so much on tours is as bad as it can get.That is not entirely true. We can also start losing at home." That has started.How the West Indies retaliate in Jamaica in a week’s time could be interesting. They panicked badlyin Barbados and in Antigua & Barbuda. Now, somehow, they have to regroup.In the meantime, South Africa deserves all of the kudos, since they certainly played the bettercricket over the last five days and over the last four Tests.