Andrew Flintoff has given England another cause for concern ahead of the first Test after reporting discomfort in his left ankle following Lancashire’s Championship match against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl.He didn’t bowl in England’s net session at Lord’s on Tuesday – which is a worrying sign – but an ECB spokesman is hopeful he will bowl on Wednesday. “We will then assess his chances of playing.”He underwent a scan on Sunday after the Championship match, and the ECB said the results would be released on Monday. So far, there is no news.However, on Monday he was positive about his chances of playing: “I’m still hopeful for Thursday. Sometimes when it is the ankle the alarm bells start ringing a bit but I’m still very hopeful.”When I was operated on it was on the back and the inside of the ankle but this pain is more on the outside. This discomfort is something I felt during the winter so it is not something completely new.”Flintoff’s left ankle has been a constant source of problems and last summer he needed surgery following an aborted comeback for Lancashire. He was ruled out of the series against Pakistan before slowly returning to full bowling duties for the Ashes series. However, his workload continues to be carefully monitored by the England management.During his three appearances for Lancashire this summer he has bowled a total of 23 overs (14 in one-day cricket and nine at the Rose Bowl last week) and generated decent pace.England’s build-up to the first Test has been hit by a list of injuries with Michael Vaughan ruled out with a broken finger and Kevin Pietersen picking up a calf strain playing for Hampshire, although he is expected to be fit for Lord’s on Thursday.

The ongoing dispute between the Kenya Cricket Association and the provincial boards marred the opening weekend of matches in the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association league, as umpires boycotted games in a strike over pay. But, that aside, the season started well.According to the KCA, its own rival league will start in three weeks time, but it already appears to be strangled at birth. Almost all leading players and clubs have opted to play in the NPCA league, and those clubs who have backed the KCA version have lost players in droves.Last week, Ruaraka withdrew from the NPCA league and are reported to be unable to field a side after seven top players walked out as a result. It is a sad time for Ruaraka, who were one of the pioneers of cricket in Kenya. Three Obuya brothers – Kennedy, Collins and Charles – all left Ruaraka for the Narobi-based Jafferys. "We had to leave because we want to play cricket," Kennedy told The Daily Nation.Ruaraka officials claim the club’s withdrawal from the NPCA league so late in the day was not motivated by politics. But its grounds are the home of the KCA, and the other high-profile club to boycott the NPCA league – Simba Union – are home of the KCA’s Academy. Simba Union also suffered defections following its decision.It was rumoured that a third side – Sir Ali – would also pull out as they are home to the national squad net facilities. But an official of the club said that the view was that is was more important for their cricketers to play the game at the highest level.

Division One

Paul Wiseman and Graham Onions made useful inroads into Hampshire’s strong batting lineup who struggled against Durham on the first day at The Rose Bowl. Choosing to bat, Hampshire lost Michael Brown and John Crawley, both for ducks, before Michael Carberry and Michael Lumb put on 82 for the third wicket. After hitting 10 fours in his 70, Lumb was trapped lbw by Wiseman as Hampshire went to stumps on 160 for 5.Lancashire moved to 164 for 1 on the opening day against Kent at Old Trafford. Only 50 overs were possible due to the heavy rain affecting large parts of the north of England, but there was enough time for Iain Sutcliffe and Mal Loye to each notch half-centuries. Loye was typically aggressive, crunching nine fours and a six in his 62 while Sutcliffe played the anchor role.Kabir Ali took three quick wickets for Worcestershire who reduced Warwickshire to 86 for 4 on a damp day at Edgbaston. Rain delayed the start of play by 75 minutes before Ali’s new-ball partner, Doug Bollinger bowled Darren Maddy – shouldering arms – for 5. And then Ali struck, removing Ian Westwood, Kumar Sangakkara and Jonathan Trott in quick succession. He ought to have had Jim Troughton caught, too, when he edged him to first slip but the wicketkeeper, Steven Davies, dived in front and spilled it. Half-an-hour after lunch, rain and bad light forced the players off for the day.There was no play between Yorkshire and Sussex at Headingley due to heavy rain.

Division Two

Andy Bichel cracked a brilliant 102 from 138 balls to give Essex the upper hand on the opening day against Middlesex at a gloomy Lord’s. In ideal bowling conditions, Chris Silverwood and Chaminda Vaas reduced Essex to 55 for 5, before Ryan ten Doeschate and James Middlebrook rescued a sinking ship with a sixth wicket stand of 42. But it was Bichel who transformed the whole feel of the day with his destructive hundred coming from 137 balls and containing three sixes and nine fours. Owing to the slow, damp outfield, his team-mates had earlier struggled to gain full value from their strokes, but Bichel had no such problem and brought up his hundred with a huge six over square-leg. He perished in the following over to Murali Kartik, attempting an equally ambitious shot, but his knock has put Essex in command when all seemed lost.Andy Caddick rolled back the years with three wickets in 17 balls to help Somerset reduce Gloucestershire to 69 for 4 at Bristol. Caddick, returning to the team after a side strain, began the day with four successive maidens before the rain came down after 7.5 overs. The match resumed at 5.15pm and, with his seventh ball after the break, Caddick had Kadeer Ali caught by Marcus Trescothick low at first slip. Hamish Marshall and Chris Taylor both fell in the same fashion, caught by Trescothick, as Somerset made the most of a shortened day.Only 18 overs were possible on the opening day at Northampton, but Leicestershire’s bowlers made the most of the shortened day to reduce Northamptonshire to 53 for 3 at stumps. That they reached the heady heights of 53 owed much to Riki Wessels who, coming to the crease at 9 for 3, cracked 37 from 46 balls to restore some respectability. David Masters picked up 2 for 24, and Stuart Broad 1 for 24.There was no play on the opening day at Nottingham between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire due to rain.

The MCC and the ECB will have urgent talks to discuss worries that Lord’s may lose one of its summer Tests in 2009, when the new staging agreements take hold.Lord’s has traditionally received two Tests each summer, owing to being the home of cricket and its grandeur, but with increasing competition from other grounds, there are worries that one of the two Tests may be in jeopardy.The MCC needs to make a good case to the ECB as to why they should continue to stage the amount of internationals that they do. Part of that will be capacity increases, which could be part of the redevelopment proposals.Iain Wilton, the head of communications and public affairs, confirmed to Cricinfo that imminent talks were planned, but said that the £100million rumoured to be the cost of the planned redevelopment was “entirely speculative” at this stage.He said: “The MCC Committee has yet to decide on how, for example, the ground’s capacity should be increased – or by how much. When it has developed its thinking further, the club’s first priority will be to consult its members.”Lord’s is not the only traditional ground to think about redevelopment amid worries of increasing competition. Earlier this week, Surrey unveiled plans to overhaul The Oval in a £35million revamp.

Michael Owen-Smith, the South African journalist, has been appointed Cricket South Africa’s media officer on a three-year contract, replacing Gordon Templeton on September 1.Owen-Smith comes from a strong cricketing background, having spent 30 years as a newspaper journalist; been part of the judging panel for the annual Wisden Cricketer of the Year and is the son of Tuppy Owen-Smith, the former South Africa allrounder.”Michael Owen-Smith is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and experienced cricket correspondents both here and abroad. He will be a major asset to both CSA and the Proteas,” Gerald Majola, CSA’s chief executive said. “Apart from his writing abilities, Michael comes from an outstanding sports background as his late father was the famous Tuppy Owen-Smith, who played cricket for South Africa and rugby for England.”Michael has also been a talent-spotter of note, and many young cricketers he wrote about later became top players. His CSA assignment will include liaising with the media on Proteas’ matters, as well as preparing senior and junior representative players to deal with public issues.”The new appointment is one of a raft of changes for South Africa’s board, following the selection of Joubert Strydom as convenor of selectors.”After 37 years of being directly involved in the newspaper industry, I feel the need for change,” Owen-Smith said. “I am delighted to join the team of Cricket South Africa as I feel the game in this country is entering its most exciting period since unity in 1991.”This was born out by the fully representative squad that represented South Africa at the recent Emerging Players tournament in Australia which we won. Although one of my main focuses will be to communicate with the local and international media, I will also have the opportunity to carry on writing which I will do through the medium of CSA’s website”Understandably the mainframe media tend to concentrate on the Proteas, but there is much else to CSA including the High Performance Centre, the academies, the national youth teams, the franchises and domestic cricket generally.”

ScorecardA battling unbeaten century by opener Khurram Manzoor kept Karachi Urban afloat against Mumbai as the hosts ended the third day of their Nissar Trophy tie still 284 behind the visitors’ mammoth first innings total of 623. Manzoor’s sixth-wicket partnership of 175 with Saeed Bin Nasir rescued the home team from a possible follow-on position after a shaky start.Resuming from an overnight total of 30 for 1, Karachi lost their second wicket in the fifth over of the day as Amin-ur-Rehman was trapped in front by Aavishkar Salvi for only 9. Asif Zakir did not last too long either as he edged an outswinger from Abhishek Nayar to be dismissed for 11. Hasan Raza, Karachi’s captain, and Asim Kamal, who has played 12 Tests for Pakistan, failed to provide any support to Manzoor and gave away their wickets cheaply as well. Raza was run out for 12 while Kamal could only manage 25.Nasir then joined Manzoor with half of Karachi’s side already back in the pavilion for only 163 runs. Their 175-run stand, off only 51 overs, brought some stability to the innings. Nasir, the more aggressive of the two, smashed 12 boundaries and looked all set for three figures before being run out on 92 three overs before stumps.Anwar Ali, more renowned for his bowling skills than batting, failed to protect his wicket and was the last man out on the third day. Manzoor, who faced 340 deliveries for his 167, will resume tomorrow with the tail, hoping to take as much strike as possible and ensure the match heads towards a draw.Nayar and Salvi picked up two wickets each while debutants Vikrant Yeligati and Iqbal Abdulla grabbed one each.

Scorecard

Luke Ronchi continued his habit of bullying New South Wales with a composed 104 that set up a one-run win for Western Australia. Phil Jaques and Simon Katich tried valiantly to overhaul the Warriors’ 268 but none of their top-order team-mates were any help.While the scorecard indicated a nailbiting finish the margin shrunk with a final-ball six when the Blues needed eight. Matthew Nicholson belted 35 and Nathan Hauritz hit 38 in a late flurry but a spectacular save by Chris Rogers in the 48th over was crucial. Nicholson pulled Sean Ervine flat and hard to deep midwicket where it seemed destined for six when Rogers jumped, flung out his right hand and flicked the ball into play before falling over the rope.Hauritz and Nicholson were the only Blues besides Jaques and Katich to reach double-figures. The top-order pair added 148 with Katich’s 82 showing glimpses of why he used to open in ODIs and Jaques’ 83 displaying why he might fill that same role in the future.However, the batting star of the day was Ronchi. His power is well known and although he tried a more cautious approach this time, he still only required 87 balls to reach triple-figures. His highlight was four fours in a Doug Bollinger over – two conventional cover drives and two driven over mid off. Ronchi also troubled the Blues last summer when he finished with a 56-ball hundred, the fastest in Australian domestic one-day history.Although plenty of his runs this time came along the ground – he later said he tried “using my head more” than in previous innings – he brought up his milestone with a flat pull over long on for his only six. Most of his support came from Adam Voges, the stand-in captain, who was unusually circumspect in compiling 68 from 71 balls.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has offered central contracts to 33 players, with top-grade cricketers being offered a whopping Rs 60 lakhs. The retainership for various categories was hiked and the BCCI announced that it would offer contracts to a record number of players. All top players have received A-grade contracts, while an extra category, the D-grade, has been created to include promising cricketers.The A-grade contract, which comes with a retainer of Rs 60 lakh, was offered to Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan. Of this lot, Zaheer is the biggest gainer as he was on a C-grade contract last year.Grade B comes with a retainer of Rs 40 lakh, Grade C 25 lakh and finally grade D Rs 15 lakh. In the final category the BCCI has included people like Subramaniam Badrinath and Cheteshwar Pujara, who have done well for India A but not yet made it to higher honours.Any player from outside this list who played for India would automatically fall into the D grade, and when a player from the D grade notches up five Tests or 15 ODIs in the year he would automatically be upgraded to the C category.Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors was part of the gradation committee that decided on which player would get what contract, along with Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, and Niranjan Shah, the secretary. Soon after the contracts were announced Vengsarkar said, “This is very good for the players. They are being rewarded for their performances. This will create a wider pool of players.”Full listGrade A
Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer KhanGrade B
VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Wasim Jaffer, S Sreesanth, Dinesh Karthik, RP Singh, Virender Sehwag.Grade C
Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Ramesh Powar, Munaf Patel, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Suresh Raina.Grade D
Rohit Sharma, Joginder Sharma, Manoj Tiwari, Ishant Sharma, Ranadeb Bose, Mohammad Kaif, Cheteshwar Pujara, Parthiv Patel, S Badrinath, Aakash Chopra, Yusuf Pathan.

ScorecardKenya cruised to an eight-wicket win in the opening one-day international against Bermuda in Nairobi. Peter Ongondo led the way with the ball as his three wickets knocked the stuffing out of Bermuda’s weak batting line-up then Alex Obanda, the impressive 19-year-old, made short work of the target.However, anything less than this emphatic result would have been a disappointment for Kenya against a Bermuda side which is struggling to justify its status as a leading Associate. On Tuesday they lost to Uganda by 43 runs and the top-order woes, which had them on 18 for 5, returned again in this match after they’d been put in.Ongondo began the rout with his seventh ball when Steve Outerbridge edged a rising delivery to second slip and thereafter Bermuda were unable to cope. Irvine Romaine chased a wide one and edged to the keeper and when David Hemp drove a half volley into the covers they were 51 for 5 and sinking rapidly.Some respectability was ensured with a sixth-wicket stand of 61 between Lionel Cann and Janeiro Tucker as Cann crunched 52 off 32 balls before missing a drive at Jimmy Kamande. Bermuda’s lower order showed more fight than their earlier colleagues with Rodney Trott (22) and Malachi Jones (21) adding 35 for the ninth wicket as the total edged to 174.Kenya, though, were barely troubled in the run-chase despite David Obuya’s golden duck when he padded up to Kevin Hurdle. Maurice Ouma eased along at a run a ball, adding 105 with Obanda who again showed his range of strokes. Captain Steve Tikolo dominated the unbroken third-wicket stand of 70 as he and Obanda completed a professional display with more than 21 overs to spare.

Tasmania 1 for 266 (Dighton 146*, Ponting 111*) beat New South Wales 264 (Haddin 74, Katich 56, Geeves 3-47) by 9 wickets
Scorecard

Twin tons for Michael Dighton and Ricky Ponting drove Tasmania to an emphatic nine-wicket victory against New South Wales, as they chased down their target of 265 with 25 balls to spare. The pair added an unbroken 263 following Travis Birt’s dismissal for 1, edging Nathan Bracken’s first ball, to continue a miserable FR Cup campaign for the Blues.Dighton and Ponting rained down fours and sixes against a sorry Blues attack which had no answers to their venom. It was a polished display of batting, with boundaries to all places, but particularly square of the wicket.Doug Bollinger may have been their midweek destroyer in the first-class game, but today he got a taste of his own medicine, as he went wicketless from eight overs. Dighton, in particular, punished him, with two fours from one over, a six in another and then a whopper of a four and three sixes. The Tasmanian pair were in control from the off, never offering a false stroke, and they took their side home with ease.Simon Katich and Brad Haddin gave them a target to think about, each making fifties after choosing to bat at the North Sydney Oval. But having been well set at 5 for 204, the tail-end of their innings subsided. Brett Geeves was the most successful of a polished bowling unit, with 3 for 47, and there were two each for Ben Hilfenhaus and Brendan Drew.Their job done, they could then put their feet up and enjoy a masterclass of powerful hitting from their team-mates who truly delivered. With the Chappell-Hadlee one-dayers looming, Ponting will be particularly pleased with his workout.