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Stephen Jones, a gentleman from Norwich is moving to the south coast in December and is looking for a club to score for.Mr Jones is fully ACUS qualified and has six years of scoring at a high level under his belt, having scribbed for Commercial Union CC in Norwich for five years (Premier Three standard) and Norwich CC last season (Division One level).He uses colours and run charts and is installing a scoring program to a laptop during the winter for use this coming season.If you are interested in engaging him as your official scorer (as per the rules of the competition you must have one), please contact him on 01603 702010.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsStafanie Taylor finished the four-match series with the most runs – 261•WICB Media/Randy Brooks of Brooks LaTouche Photo

Captain Stafanie Taylor’s unbeaten 87 carried West Indies to a 3-1 series win over Pakistan with a six-wicket victory in the fourth and final Women’s ODI. Taylor and former captain Merissa Aguilleira put on 94 for the fourth wicket to steer West Indies in their chase of 183.West Indies were 86 for 3 when Deandra Dottin departed in the 23rd over for 25. However, Taylor and Aguilleira ensured no further hiccups till the latter fell in the 42nd over with only three runs needed. Taylor hit ten fours in her 107-ball knock while Aguilleira made 37 off 62.Taylor had sent Pakistan in to bat, and regular strikes from seamer Shamilia Connell (3 for 32) and offspinner Anisa Mohammed (2 for 30) did not allow Pakistan to build momentum. They were down to 107 for 5 in the 37th over before captain Sana Mir (24 off 48) and Asmavia Iqbal (44 off 43) guided them to 182 for 5.

Tony Frost has been brought out of retirement by Warwickshire to cover for the potential absence of Tim Ambrose on England duty next season. Frost ended his first-class career after the 2006 summer and took up a position on the Edgbaston ground staff and continued playing club cricket with Knowle and Dorridge.The offer was put to him by Ashley Giles, the director of cricket, following Ambrose’s call-up for the tour of New Zealand which starts next month. If Ambrose cements a place as England’s wicketkeeper it will leave Warwickshire short of options behind the stumps.”Tony ticks all the boxes and can provide good cover should Tim be away for prolonged spells with England,” said Giles. “He is an experienced, capped player who is an accomplished batter and like-for-like replacement.”As a club we want to be positive and support our younger players and we feel that Richard Johnson [the reserve keeper] would benefit from more matches with the second XI before being thrust into first team cricket. Tim’s position in the England set-up is not guaranteed but until we know more about his long-term commitments we now have an experienced and committed replacement for what is such a crucial position in the side.”Frost was thrilled to be given the opportunity to relaunch his professional career. “It was a surprise to be having the conversation but it didn’t take me long to accept the offer,” he said. “I have enjoyed working with the ground staff and learning the other side of the game but I loved my time with [Warwickshire] and I can’t wait to get back with the team and playing.”In his last season before retiring Frost topped Warwickshire’s batting averages and was highly rated around the circuit as one of the safest wicketkeepers. Early in his career he was forced to bide his time while Keith Piper had the No. 1 slot, but enjoyed a consistent run when Piper vacated the role.

It happened 25 years ago, but the passing of a quarter of a century hasnot dulled Raghuram Bhat’s memory one bit. The former Karnataka and Indialeft-arm spinner, who is currently manager of the Karnataka team, brokeout in unrestrained laughter when asked if he remembered the time SunilGavaskar batted left handed against him to save a Ranji match.”That cannot be forgotten. The ball was turning right angles on the day. Iwas just pitching the ball in the good length spot, because I did not knowhow much the ball was going to spin; sometimes I tried to bowl an armerand it turned,” he said, in a freewheeling chat on the sidelines of theKarnataka-Saurashtra Ranji Trophy match. “The ball was beating the bat andthe only way to play on that day was to play left-hand and play forwardand offer pad. That’s how Gavaskar played and he really played well andsaved the game for Mumbai. It was a great thing to bowl to him and theguts he showed in batting left-handed, for some 12-13 overs, was amazing.”It’s often been suggested that Gavaskar was wrong to batleft-handed, and that in some ways it was a disrespect to the bowler, butBhat will have none of that. “I won’t consider it as negative batting, hewas trying to save the game and that was his duty than to get embarrassedby losing outright. His footwork on the day was something to be seen to bebelieved. If I had recorded that game on video I would have shown that toyoung cricketers as an example. Sunny was middling the ball, no edges, notension.”For Bhat, that was the red-letter day in his 82-match first class career.Although the match was drawn, Karnataka advanced to the final of the RanjiTrophy by virtue of a first-innings lead, and Bhat had 13 wickets in thegame, taking 8 for 123 in the first innings that included ahat-trick. Strong performances in domestic cricket won him a place in theIndian Test team, but that was to last only two matches, where he pickedup four wickets, including that of Javed Miandad and Clive Lloyd, but hewas dropped after that, never to be picked again.Since he retired from first-class cricket, just as a young Sunil Joshi wasmaking his mark for Karnataka, Bhatt has served in many capacities – asumpire, administrator and coach. Today, when he watches cricket, he, likeother quality spinners of his generation, is amazed at the lack of back upfor Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. “Basically, we have forgotten thespin bowling department unlike in the earlier days. There are left-armspinners but the quality is not there. The talent is missing somewhere. Wehave to put our spin department back on track.”Unlike some other veterans, though, Bhat does not simply bemoan the lackof talent. He is encouraged by the cricketers he sees coming through theyounger age groups, and is working with the Karnataka State CricketAssociation to put systems in place that will unearth fresh talent.Already people speak highly of KP Appanna, the 17-year-old left-armspinner who has picked up 21 wickets in his debut season. “What I feel isthe most important quality in a spinner is the consistency. They shouldnot get carried away by the success; it is important. They have to workcontinuously, they cannot say that I have taken 25-30 wickets this seasonand sit back,” he says.Bhat insists that it is quality spin that will win India matches.”Ultimately, spinners have to win the game for us. If you look at therecently concluded Cape Town Test, we would have won the game if Anilwould have been a little bit effective,” he said. “A left-arm spinner would havemade a difference. With a left-arm spinner your team is complete.”India have not had a left-arm spinner to play consistently since VenkatapathiRaju played the part. Murali Kartik has done the job when called upon, buthas not been able to go past either Kumble or Harbhajan in the race to bepicked. It’s too early to tell if there’s a young cricketer rising up theranks who can do the job, but people like Raghuram Bhat are certainlysearching hard.

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Having put up an awesome show in the current season, Baroda appear favourites in their five-day Ranji Trophy Elite group semi-final encounter against Bengal beginning at the Eden Gardens tomorrow.Bengal, who pipped Karnataka at the post with a last-over win against Railways which lifted them to the second place in Group A with 13 points, are also quietly confident. Deep Dasgupta, Bengal captain, has said that it is going to be just another match for the hosts. “There is no pressure on us as such. We are not taking this game as a semi-final. It is going to be just another match which we want to win. The young guys have played well and have shown that they can shoulder responsibilities.” With Rohan Gavaskar leading the run tally (422 runs) and with Arindam Das, Deep Dasgupta, Subhamoy Das, Avishek Jhunjhunwala – who hit a magnificient 139 to defeat Railways – and Manoj Tiwari in fine nick Bengal’s batting looks in good shape. It’s the bowling which will be bit of worry for the hosts. With Ranadeb Bose and Shiv Sagar Singh, the left-arm spinner, having a disappointing season Bengal will look once again to their in-form bowlers – Sourashish Lahiri and Shib Shankar Paul – to spearhead their attack.Meanwhile, Baroda, who coasted to outright victories in three Group B league games enroute to topping the pool with 19 points, the highest among all the 15 teams competing in the elite panel, are upbeat about their chances. “We have not lost any of the matches. And our confidence is at an all-time high,” BS Sandhu, Baroda’s coach, said. They had beaten Hyderabad by 220 runs, carved out an emphatic innings and 93 run win over Uttar Pradesh and humbled Punjab by 50 runs, riding on outstanding batting performances from the likes of Jacob Martin, Pinal Shah, Connor Willams and RK Solanki.In the bowling department, Rajesh Pawar, the left armspinner, and Rakesh Patel – who returns after missing out two Ranji games owing to injury- have served the team well. Martin, the captain, has been particularly brilliant, piling up 486 runs, including an unbeaten 251 against Uttar Pradesh. However, Baroda would miss the services of an injured Satyajit Parab – out with a knee injury – who could not be fit in time for the match. India u-19 wicketkeeper Pinal Shah is expected to open with Wiliams.Martin admitted that Parab’s absence will be felt in the match. “Obviously we are going to miss him and his experience,” he said. The Baroda team management announced the 12 for the match, and said that the playing XI would be decided tomorrow after a final look at the pitch. “We will then decide whether to go for an additional batsman or an additional seamer,” said Sandhu, a member of the World Cup-winning Indian team of 1983.

The Pakistan board has asked the ICC to stand two neutral umpires in one-day internationals and review all the decisions from the VB Series in Australia, Reuters has reported.Pakistan had a handful of lbw decisions go against them during the two finals losses against Australia, where one neutral umpire was employed alongside a home official in line with ICC regulations. Rudi Koertzen gave Adam Gilchrist a reprieve in the first over yesterday while Andrew Symonds survived a couple of close shouts at Melbourne. Michael Clarke was trapped in front by Rana Naved-ul-Hasan at the MCG and three Pakistan batsmen were given out lbw in the two matches.The news agency reported a source close to the board saying a letter had been sent to Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, asking for a review of all decisions because of "inconsistent" umpiring. Abbas Zaidi, the PCB director of media, said it was a "confidential document".Inzamam-ul-Haq said he did not have a problem with the one-day umpiring. "But I think it’s good for the game to have neutral umpires," he said. "There is a lot of pressure and umpires are human too.”

There’s a guy works down the betting shop swears he’s Hansie. Well, not yet there isn’t, but one might well turn up if the Cronje cult gathers much more momentum. The increasingly sorry saga of Wessel Johannes Cronje took one of its more bizarre twists on Sunday with the publication in Britain of suspicions that his death, in a plane crash last June, was no accident. According to The Observer‘s monthly sports magazine Cronje, the corrupt former South African captain, may have been silenced.Dark forces that stood to lose too much should Cronje ever come entirely clean on his involvement in and knowledge of match-fixing would be the most obvious suspects in this crime, if that’s what it was. The Observer didn’t lay it on quite that thick – it didn’t have to.Accordingly, for a few hours in South Africa today Cronje again ruled the media roost. "Was Hansie murdered?" asked the lead headline on a newspaper held aloft by a vendor in mid-morning traffic. "Who cares?" the nation replied as it drove by.By lunchtime Cronje was once more a memory, and the cricket news concerned itself with more lively matters. "We’ll bring you updates from the Lord’s Test," announced someone brightly on the radio. "Oh, no we won’t, because we stuffed them yesterday!"The simple, wonderful truth is that Graeme Smith, a man whose passion is incandescent, not hidden in some offshore bank vault, has proved to all cricket-minded South Africans that there is life after Cronje. Smith has taken on the job of restoring South African cricket to the status it enjoyed before the triple disaster of Cronje, the thrashing by Australia in 2001-02 and the 2003 World Cup, with irresistible enthusiasm and confidence.Shaun Pollock, who manfully stepped into the breach created by the first of those calamities, couldn’t avoid the last two, both of which were haunted by Cronje’s ghost. Smith has no connection, cricketing or otherwise, with Cronje. He was never part of the group that were somehow all smeared by their former captain’s greedy folly, and who reacted to that slight by embalming his memory to the extent of stencilling his initials onto the collars of their playing shirts.Those players could well find themselves among the sad souls to whom the embellished legacy of a dead Cronje means more than a captain, a team and a nation that has moved on to better things. Better? Yes, Smith is already a better player than Cronje ever was, and while he is a novice Test captain there can be few better foundations on which to build a career in leadership than insatiable hunger. A hunger for runs, records and success, that is – not for brown paper bags stuffed with illicit cash.For most South Africans the legend of Hansie Cronje is recent history. For an unfortunate few it is right up there with those of Jim Morrison, Marilyn Monroe and JFK. Perfect material, in fact, for a dodgy country song.Telford Vice is a cricket writer with MWP Sport in South Africa.

Promising XXXX Queensland Bulls left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson willmiss the next two months of the 2001-2002 season after it was confirmedtoday that he has a stress fracture in his back.The Queensland selectors today named allrounder James Hopes as Johnson’sreplacement for the Pura Cup match against NSW starting on Sunday at theGabba, with a decision on 12th man duties to be left until match day.Hopes made his first class debut in the Bulls most recent Pura Cup matchagainst the Western Warriors at the WACA.Scans last night revealed Johnson had a stress fracture in his right L3vertebrae, an injury unrelated to the previous stress fracture hesuffered during his time at the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy.Queensland Cricket medical officer Dr Simon Carter said today thatJohnson could be fit to resume bowling towards the end of the season andcould be able to playing as a batsman in club cricket in approximatelysix to eight weeks.”The scans revealed a new injury but also confirmed his previous stressfracture was fine,” Dr Carter said. “Mitchell underwent a degree ofcorrection to his bowling action to return from his previous injury andobviously the coaching and medical staff will review all aspects of thatbefore we embark on his next period of rehabilitation.”Johnson, who was bitterly disappointed at the news, said today he woulddraw solace from the fact that he was facing a situation thatgenerations of fast bowlers had encountered and overcame.”Having had a taste of bowling with the Bulls this season, I reckon Iwill be even more fired-up to do well when I get back,” he said.”I know that fast bowlers have to deal with these sort of injuries andhaving seen Dennis Lillee and Brett Lee overcome them so successfullygives me plenty of inspiration. I’ve been rapt with the experience ofplaying for Queensland and I’ll be keen to do everything I can to getback.”Johnson joins swing bowler Adam Dale as the Bulls long-term bowlingcasualties, with Dale not expected back until late in the seasonfollowing shoulder surgery earlier this month. On a positive note, Bullspaceman Scott Muller, who missed last season with a knee injury and hasbeen hampered again by knee problems so far this season, hopes to make areturn to bowling in club cricket next month.Meanwhile NSW will arrive late this afternoon and will train tomorrow atthe Gabba from 10.30am to 12pm.The opening day of the Pura Cup match will be the Pura Milk Dollar Day,with entry $1 and all patrons eligible for a $1 pie and a $1 coke.XXXX Queensland Bulls v NSW Blues, Pura Cup, The Gabba, Sunday throughWednesday: Stuart Law (c), Jimmy Maher, Jerry Cassell, Martin Love,Clinton Perren, Andrew Symonds, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, Ashley Noffke, Michael Kasprowicz, Joe Dawes, James Hopes, Nathan Hauritz (12th man to benamed).NSW Blues: Shane Lee (c), Michael Slater, Greg Mail, Michael Bevan,Michael Clarke, Mark Higgs, Brad Haddin, Stuart MacGill, Anthony Clark,Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Don Nash (12th man to be named).

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:51

Agarkar: Tough conditions for bowlers

Rohit Sharma became the 15th centurion in T20 internationals and India’s second after Suresh Raina but he was overshadowed by JP Duminy, who is South Africa’s leading run-scorer and second overall in the format, as he scripted a stunning series-opening victory in Dharamsala. Duminy shared a 105-run fourth-wicket partnership with Farhaan Behardien to see South Africa chase down 200 for only the second time in T20Is after AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla set them up with a 77-run opening stand.India would have thought their total was safe, albeit short of what they seemed headed for at 158 for 1 with five overs to go, after R Ashwin and debutant S Aravind removed de Villiers and Faf du Plessis in successive overs adding to South Africa’s reputation for middle-order meltdowns. But the temperament of Duminy and the tactical nous which resulted in Behardien promoted to No. 5 ahead of David Miller kept South Africa in the game and took them over the line.That line would have seemed distant when Rohit and Virat Kohli were shredding the South African attack’s traditional strength – the short ball. The first one was delivered by Marchant de Lange and Rohit met it with an authoritative pull. Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada supplied many more and Rohit relished each one of them.Not even South Africa’s banker, Imran Tahir was spared. Kohli crossed 1000th T20I runs off him with a six over deep midwicket, to become the first Indian to reach the mark. Rohit also reached a milestone – a hundred in all formats – and saved it for de Lange, who had dropped him on 24 off his own bowling, when he cleared long-off to bring up the century off 62 balls.The ball was changed after that over and it worked for South Africa’s seamers. Kohli and Rohit both mis-hit pulls and were caught near the boundary in Abbott’s next over to end their stand of 138 and put the brakes on India’s charge. South Africa kept India to just 41 runs in the final five overs to give themselves a chance with the bat.Amla immediately showed their intent to make that chance count when he clipped the first ball of the reply to the fine-leg boundary. De Villiers was not to be outdone and sent the second ball he faced over his Royal Challengers Bangalore team-mate Aravind’s head.India’s seamers did not fare much better than South Africa’s on a surface that was packed with runs and a outfield heavy with dew, and their attempts at varying lengths were unsuccessful. With what seemed like casualness, Amla and de Villiers racked up 67 runs in the Powerplay, finding the boundary off short and full balls alike.Spin was cited as being the difference between the sides and Axar Patel almost showed why. He threatened to end the opening stand, when he induced a thick edge from Amla but MS Dhoni put down a tough chance. The breakthrough came in Ashwin’s over, but not by his doing, when Amla was run-out searching for a second run.Ashwin enjoyed more success in his next over with a superb delivery to remove de Villiers, just after he had brought up a half-century with a four. De Villiers advanced on Ashwin and sent him to the deep midwicket boundary for his fifty off 31 balls but on the 32nd, Ashwin saw him coming. He held back the pace and had de Villiers in no-man’s land when the ball hit his back thigh and deflected onto the stumps.South Africa needed 107 runs off 61 balls when Duminy arrived at the crease and his task was immediately made more difficult. Aravind got his first international wicket when he bowled du Plessis with a slower ball that slanted across the South African captain as he reached for it with rooted feet and India would have thought the game was over.Duminy might have felt the same when Ashwin appealed for a stumping off him, off the fourth ball he faced, but replays showed Duminy was safe. In the next over, Axar had an lbw appeal against Duminy which looked close enough to be out but was not given. Duminy was determined to make the two chances count.He swung hard at the next ball and sent it for six to restart South Africa’s chase and Behardien, prompted by the positivity, joined the party. The pair took 30 runs off three overs and then Duminy seized the advantage with a trio of sixes off Axar’s final over. He brought the required run rate down from 13.20 to 11 per over and with four overs left, gave South Africa reason to believe.Bhuvneshwar bowled a boundary-less third over but conceded nine runs, before Duminy hit back to take six off the first ball of Mohit Sharma’s last over and ten off the first two balls of Bhuvneshar’s final one. Behardien provided the perfect foil and rotated strike confidently to put Duminy in command.Unintentionally, India ended up leaving their newest player with the most to do. Aravind had to defend 10 runs off the last over and backed himself to bowl yorkers. He got the first two in the right area but missed the length on the third. Duminy pulled it over deep midwicket to level scores and with a single off the next ball, gave South Africa the series lead.

Australia’s growing sick list now includes Matthew Hayden after he succumbed to a knee injury. Hayden’s tendonitis means both of the country’s Test openers are out – Phil Jaques has the mumps – of the Pura Cup games starting on Friday while Andrew Symonds has an ankle problem, Michael Clarke is fighting hamstring tightness and Stuart MacGill’s struggles continue.It is a relief for Australia that there is no serious cricket due until the Twenty20 international in Perth on December 11. Hayden will not play for Queensland against South Australia after Cricket Australia’s medical staff said he needed on-going treatment. The injury does not threaten his prospects for the Boxing Day Test.The future of MacGill is still unclear after a specialist analysed his hand and wrist on Wednesday and a Cricket Australia spokesman told the Australian he would return for more scans. MacGill is having trouble with a bone-on-bone knee problem, but he also experienced numbness in his hand during the Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart.”I have had nothing confirmed at this stage by anyone qualified to do so, but can guarantee you that I will not be taking the field again until I am at the top of my game,” MacGill told the paper. “I will do anything necessary to achieve that, including surgery.”MacGill’s manager, Leo Karis, said the legspinner did not know what to do. “He’s assessing his options,” Karis told AAP. “Whether that option is A, B, C or D, his main focus is playing cricket pain-free and that’s up to him to see how he does that.”