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Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, believes that his bowlers can take plenty of positives out of the series against Pakistan despite the home team losing the final Test in St Kitts. Pakistan levelled the 1-1 with a comfortable 196-run victory, denying West Indies the chance to win a Test series for the first time in more than two years.”We did a great job getting the win in Guyana and we were looking for similar success here in St Kitts, but things did not go our way,” Sammy said. “Pakistan played some good cricket and you have to give them credit. Our bowlers did all that was asked of them all throughout the series. They bowled with heart and that is what we asked. This is one of the positives we could take out of the series.”We had momentum coming into the match, and we had them on the run in the first innings but the last-wicket stand switched the momentum a bit and took it away from us at that stage. When we batted we did not put enough runs on the board and we were always playing catch-up from that stage.”Especially impressive were Ravi Rampaul, who collected 11 wickets at 20.90 during the series, and Sammy himself, who took 10 at 17.90. The challenge for West Indies now is to regain their focus for the upcoming series against India, who will soon arrive for three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20.”It’s all about hard work and putting into play what we worked hard on during the training sessions,” Sammy said. “We have a full series against India coming up and it will be a tough series. We have to continue to put in the hard work and look to put totals on the board so the bowlers will have runs to work with. We are a confident group of young men and we will go into that series with the belief that we can win.”The first match against India is the Twenty20 in Trinidad on June 4.

Ozias Bvute, the managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket, has hit back at suggestions that his organisation reneged on an agreement to host Ireland for a ODI and first-class tour in late 2011. The change of heart, he said, came as a result of Zimbabwe’s commitments both to the Future Tours Programme and their own domestic competition, and not out of fear of being upstaged by a team that has been barred from participating at the 2015 World Cup, despite currently sitting above them in the world ODI rankings.”It is very unfortunate that recent media reports aim to portray Zimbabwe as unwilling to play against Ireland and insinuate that the reason is based on an attempt to ostracise them,” said Bvute. “Zimbabwe has suffered greatly from the politics of exclusion and we would not wish that on any one. Sport is about participation and increasing the numbers that participate to allow for the sustainability of any given activity.”Zimbabwe’s original proposal, in October 2010, had been for Ireland to play three ODIs and a five-day unofficial Test in October/November 2011, as preparation for their New Year visit to New Zealand. However, on March 23, a fortnight prior to the Mumbai meeting in which Ireland’s World Cup fate was sealed, that plan was shelved after New Zealand themselves confirmed they would be touring Zimbabwe in that period, having already postponed their scheduled visit in May/June.Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, confirmed that Zimbabwe had not been at fault in the negotiations. “Ozias is absolutely correct,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “In the recent Chief Executives Committee meeting, he was extremely supportive of the associates and spoke out strongly in their favour. There is nothing sinister in this whatsoever. We were initially in conversation about travelling to Zimbabwe at the end of the year, but as one of the smaller Full Member nations, they have to wait for the bigger members to organise their own schedules. Simply, there was a clash between the time we wanted to come down, and the contractual obligations they are required to fulfil through the FTP.”Bvute continued: “Cricket Ireland can confirm that when they toured here in September we voluntarily made them an offer to arrange fixtures against them and have since been in communication with their administrators.”Our last correspondence proposed January 2012 as a possible date. Zimbabwe has a full international and domestic calendar this season and we are not obliged to play against Ireland.”Our offer to arrange playing opportunities with them is spearheaded by nothing less than the spirit of sportsmanship and inclusion. With the Australian and South African A sides, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Pakistan all having confirmed to tour Zimbabwe between June and November this year there is simply no slot available to accommodate them in 2011.”In correspondence with ESPNcricinfo, Bvute emphasised the priorities for Zimbabwe cricket going forward, which are to build a sustainable domestic structure that will enable the team to hold its own in future ICC events, regardless of how future tournaments are organised. “So the question of having to possibly qualify for a slot in the World Cup poses no heartache for us,” he wrote. “Come the 2019 World Cup our strategy should have brought forth a crop of elite players who are able to stand their ground against any team, full-member or not.”Our long term strategy is to grow our domestic cricket and increase the spectatorship numbers for our local games. The people in Kwekwe, Mutare, Masvingo and Bulawayo will only support their franchises if they can expect to see players that they can identify. The greater the crowds the more likely the corporate world is to further support the game. It is our hope that in the future, with these efforts, we will have a domestic competition that is in itself financially viable and sustainable.”

Sussex 321 for 3 v Hampshire
ScorecardSussex opener Ed Joyce scored his second century in consecutive weeks as his team made full use of a superb batting wicket at the Rose Bowl. The Ireland player recorded his 26th first-class century as Sussex finished the first day on 321 for 3 from 97 overs.Joyce also scored a century last week at Hove against Lancashire and continued his fine form at the expense of a toiling Hampshire attack, making 103.Sussex captain Murray Goodwin had no hesitation in choosing to bat first after winning the toss and was justified as Somerset raced to 100 without loss in the 30th over. Chris Nash also profited from the conditions in helping lay the foundations for a big first-innings total. Nash and Joyce put on 191 before Hampshire made their first breakthrough in the 55th over.Nash was the first to go, leg before wicket to Sean Ervine after making 78 in an innings which included 12 fours and came off 167 balls. Nash had one piece of luck, surviving a strong appeal for a catch at the wicket when he had made only 28.Joyce went on to complete his century before Hampshire removed him soon afterwards. He faced 221 balls and hit 18 fours before Friedel de Wet got a leg before wicket verdict at the end of the 70th over.The only other Sussex wicket to fall came at 263 at the start of the 75th over when Luke Wells failed to get to the pitch of the ball from spinner Danny Briggs and gave Johann Myburgh a simple catch at slip. Left-hander Wells made 37 and helped establish Sussex in a commanding position.Goodwin was then joined by Ben Brown and they added a further 58 runs in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand to see Sussex through to the close. Hampshire did themselves no favours, conceding 16 runs in no-balls but promising Briggs was not responsible for any of those.Briggs got through 28 overs and had the wicket of Wells to show in conceding 83 runs but there was little in the surface to help the Hampshire attack.Goodwin, leading the side in the absence of Michael Yardy, has so far hit boundaries while for Hampshire, their captain Dominic Cork, was economic, conceding only 55 from 22 overs.

Combined Campuses and Colleges beat Windward Islands by huge margin of 157 runs in Bridgetown to enter the final of the Regional Four-Day Competition.Offspinner Dalton Coulis ran through CCC’s middle and lower order, picking up five wickets, as they were restricted to 202 in their second innings. Opener Romel Currency was the only batsman to offer some resistance as he notched up his second half-century of the game while Kevin McClean (22) and Nkruma Bonner (14) added some handy runs down the order.A target of 286 was never going to be easy for Windward who were bowled out for 173 in their first innings. They started poorly, losing three wickets with just 18 runs on the board, with Kavesh Kantasingh once again among the wickets. Keddy Lesporis briefly showed some intent with a half-century, but failed to receive any support, as none of the other batsmen managed to get past 20. Kantasingh picked up four wickets, to add to his five-for in the first innings, while Ryan Austin ran through Windward’s middle and lower order to pick up his twelfth five-wicket haul and seal an easy win for CCC in three days.In the second semi-final in St. Augustine Jamaica hold the edge over Trinidad and Tobago after they notched up a whopping 664 in their first innings. In response T&T were 198 for 4 at stumps on the third day.Jamaica ended the second day on 574 for 7 with Wavell Hinds on 131. The last three wickets added a further 90 runs with Hinds finally getting dismissed after making 165. Jason Dawes picked up two quick wickets, including that of West Indies batsmen Darren Bravo for a duck, as T&T started shakily, losing three wickets with just 28 runs on board. The Ganga brothers – Daren and Sherwin then got the innings back on track with a steady 83-run partnership before Andre Russell struck to pick up his second wicket, dismissing Sherwin for 42. Any hopes that Jamaica would have had of a T&T collapse were put to rest by Daren, who stayed firm to add another unbroken half-century partnership with wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin. Daren was on 60 and Ramdin was giving him good support on 49 at the end of the day’s play.

Adrian Barath, the West Indies opener, has said the 2011 World Cup gives West Indies the opportunity of showcasing their performances on the world stage and a chance to get back to what they were about two decades ago.”We fancy our chances and it’s good to have our name back on top of world cricket and showcase our performances at the world stage. There is no better place to do it than the World Cup. It starts right here acclimatising to the conditions similar to India where most of our games will be played. We will definitely be looking forward to having a good World Cup.”My personal thoughts on the World Cup are that the team clicking at that point of time will win it. To me it’s anyone’s tournament right at this point of time. The West Indies are looking at another World Cup win.”Barath who hails from Trinidad, the same island as the great Brian Lara, was thrilled to score his first hundred in ODI cricket in the first game of the ODI series against Sri Lanka. “It was a great moment for me and for West Indies cricket because it’s been a while since a century has been scored in Sri Lanka in an ODI. It was special for me. I had my eyes set on an ODI century last year but unfortunately the series got called off. Thankfully the series did come off and it happened. I am thankful for the opportunity that came to me to score the hundred.”Helping 20-year-old Barath achieve his maiden ODI hundred was the experienced middle-order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan. “I am a junior player and I try to learn as much from the senior players. Sarwan is someone who really showed me the way. Every so often he would come down the pitch and have a word with me.”Opening the batting with Chris Gayle, who is very different from Barath physically, as well as in his approach to the game, makes it difficult for opposing bowlers to settle. “With a left-hand right-hand combination and as he is tall and I am short it is difficult for bowlers to rally and strike their lengths especially if we are rotating the strike.”Gayle is someone who has been in the team for a while and I have grown up seeing Gayle playing for West Indies. It’s an inspiration for me basically to start my career and bat with someone like Chris. He is someone who can take the attack to the bowlers and I can play that role as well but on the day Chris really gets going I am prepared to play the supporting role.”Barath added that Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga was one to watch during the World Cup. “We all know that Malinga is a world class bowler in this version of the game and in T20. We all know his unique action. Most of the guys are not used to it but at the end of the day we are going to be looking at footage of Lasith and ways of playing him.”As a team already we have looked at these things but he is on spot at the moment and any player on spot is a force to be reckoned with. All credit to him, he’s been bowling well and he has good form at the moment. We’ll be definitely looking to counteract his bowling.”

Jason Krejza is in line for a surprise international comeback and Cameron White will captain Australia’s ODI team for the first time in the final match against England in Perth on Sunday. Australia have already wrapped up the series with a 5-1 lead and with the World Cup rapidly approaching, Michael Clarke and Shane Watson will be rested for the series finale.That has opened the door for the Western Australia batsman Adam Voges to make his return to the squad, nearly a year after he last played for Australia. And Steven Smith has been ruled out with a hip injury that he sustained during Wednesday’s win at the SCG, which will increase the chances of Krejza making his one-day debut as the sole specialist spinner in the squad.If Krejza plays at the WACA, it will be his first international outing since he was belted out of the Test attack at the same venue by South Africa in December 2008, when his aggressive bowling style that leaked runs proved costly. That was his second Test, and it undid much of the good work he achieved by taking 12 wickets during his debut against India in Nagpur the previous month.However, since then Krejza has been an effective offspinner in the shorter formats for Tasmania, and at times the Tigers have even used him to open the bowling. The absence of the preferred slow bowlers Nathan Hauritz (shoulder), Xavier Doherty (back) and Smith, could even give Krejza the slim hope of a World Cup call-up, despite not being in the 30-man preliminary squad.”Jason is a very skilled spinner and more than capable batsman who has already enjoyed international success and we are sure will seize the opportunity,” the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said. “Adam is having a very successful Ryobi Cup season for Western Australia and has good all-round skills with bat, ball and in the field. Adam was part of the Australian team’s one-day series win in India late in 2009 and we are sure will relish the chance to again represent his country.”The other major change is the leadership, which will be handled by White, who last month became Australia’s new Twenty20 captain. White has been vice-captain under Clarke during this series and the selectors are confident he will lead the side well, with the newly in-form Clarke in need of a break in the lead-up to the World Cup.”Both Michael Clarke and Shane Watson have had a very heavy workload this summer and as key players going into the ICC Cricket World Cup a decision has been made that they will not play in Perth for the final match of this series,” Hilditch said. “Shane and Michael will remain in Sydney until attending the Allan Border Medal on Monday which provides them a few days at home before departing for India next Wednesday.”Cameron White will assume captaincy of the side for this match and we are sure given his performance as vice-captain this series and record as captain of Victoria, he will do a fine job in leading this side.”White will become the 19th man to captain Australia in one-day internationals and the first Victorian since Shane Warne led the team in 11 matches in 1998-99. He will be in charge of a side thin on batting experience, with the backup wicketkeeper Tim Paine the likely man to replace Watson as Brad Haddin’s opening partner.Squad Brad Haddin (wk), Tim Paine, Callum Ferguson, Cameron White (capt), David Hussey, Adam Voges, Mitchell Johnson, John Hastings, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, Doug Bollinger.

Group B

Andhra took a big step towards securing a semi-final berth as they took 12 wickets on the third day at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur, leaving Kerala 218 runs behind with seven wickets in hand. With Services looking likely to pick up points from their match against Maharashtra, Andhra need to complete the win on Saturday to qualify for the knockout phase. It was a joint effort by Andhra’s bowlers on Friday, as they bowled Kerala out for 137, enforced the follow on and then reduced them to 92 for 3 in their second innings. Seamers Doddapaneni Kalyankrishna and Duvvarapu Shivkumar, and legspinner Sairaj Bahutule took three wickets each in the first innings and one each in the second. Kerala were hapless with the bat in their first attempt, with only four batsmen reaching double figures. In the second, Abhishek Hegde provided some resistance with his unbeaten 53.Services look set to pick up three points against Maharashtra at the Harbax Singh Stadium in Delhi, after opener Pratik Desai’s 109 and captain Yashpal Singh’s 82 took them to within 41 runs of the first-innings lead, with six wickets in hand. But they need to push for an unlikely win to secure a semi-final berth, as Andhra look set to take maximum points from their match against Kerala. Desai had set the foundation for Services’ innings on the second day leading them to 109 for 1 at stumps. He and Jasvir Singh, who made 62, continued building their partnership on Friday. Maharashtra got themselves back into the match, taking three wickets for one run to leave Services at 188 for 4. But Yashpal and Soomik Chatarjee, who made 45 not out, steadied the ship for Services and took them to 346 for 4. Services will have half an eye on Andhra’s match on Saturday, as a recovery from Kerala there looks more likely than a win for them.Vidarbha are in pole position to win their first match of the season, against Jammu & Kashmir, at the Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu. Vidarbha reduced the hosts to 224 for 6 in their second innings, leaving them with 43 runs still to get to make Vidarbha bat again. Azhar Sheikh, who made 69 not out in Vidarbha’s first innings, continued to have a productive game, as he took 2 for 53 in J & K’s second innings. J & K wicketkeeper Arshad Bhatt scored 75 and ensured they at least did better than their first attempt when they were all out for 165.

Group A

Rajasthan made absolutely certain of their semi-final place, as centuries by opener Aakash Chopra and Rashmi Parida took them to 466 for 8 against Jharkhand at the Field Club Ground in Udaipur. Chopra, who started the day on 88 not out, made 109 and then Parida went on to get 174 as Rajasthan built on their overnight total of 186 for 3. Rajasthan lead by 163 and could even push for a win on Saturday.Shadab Jakati led a fightback by Goa’s lower-order that has given them a slim chance of making it through to the semi-finals. Goa are 78 runs ahead of Tripura, with two wickets in hand, in Porvorim. They will need to beat Tripura and then hope Hyderabad somehow avoid giving Madhya Pradesh any points. It’s an unlikely situation, but Goa can take heart from the fact that Tripura have been bowled out for less than 100 runs four times this season. They will be hoping that the visitors’ 353 in their first innings was an aberration. Goa had almost no chance of making anything out of the match when they started the day at 128 for 4, but Jakati’s 75 and useful contributions from the rest of the tail took them to 319 for 8 at the end of a rain-hit third day. Play only started after lunch on Friday. Tripura seamer Timir Chanda completed his first ten-wicket haul in first-class cricket, taking 6 for 107 in Goa’s second innings.Madhya Pradesh look set to pick up three points from their game against Hyderabad at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad, after reducing the hosts to 168 for 4. MP declared on 422, with captain Devendra Bundela scoring 121. Bundela’s century made him MP’s highest-ever run-getter in the Ranji Trophy. Bundela completed 5798 runs in the tournament, which beats the earlier record held by Amay Khurasiya. Bundela also equalled Khurasiya’s record for the most number of Ranji Trophy centuries by an MP batsman, with 16. Hanuma Vihari provided some resistance for Hyderabad with his 81 not out, but will need to bat for long tomorrow to avoid giving MP three points.

By May 2011, three major changes to the shape of the South African cricketing landscape will have taken place. A new national coach will have started work as Corrie van Zyl steps down and a new one-day international captain will take over the reins from Graeme Smith. Off the field, one or more new sponsors will take over Standard Bank’s deal which includes sponsorship of the national one-day and Twenty20 teams, all Twenty20 international matches and the domestic 20-over competition.On Friday, the financial institution announced its decision to pull out of all sports sponsorships when its current contract expires in May next year. It had pumped over R100 million (US$ 14.3 million) a year into Cricket South Africa (CSA), which included funding the National Cricket Academy, High Performance Programme, Schools Pro20 Challenge, Schools Development Programme and Under-13 National Cricket Week.Standard Bank announced its decision on the same day as a CSA’s internal commission of inquiry into bonus payments made to chief executive Gerald Majola revealed its findings. Majola was cleared of all charges of financial impropriety but will have to pay back R28,169 (US$ 4,024) that was spent on travel for his children. The commission found that Majola had made an “error of judgement” by not declaring the bonuses through CSA’s remunerations committee but the CEO escaped with a formal caution.CSA President Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka said there was nothing sinister about Standard Bank making public its decision not to renew its sponsorships on the same day as the investigation into Majola’s bonuses concluded. “The reasons for Standard Bank not renewing its contract with CSA are clear, they are economic issues,” Nyoka said.Standard Bank is also cutting ties with South Africa’s two most popular football clubs, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, but insiders say there is more to the decision than pure mathematics. Rumours in cricketing circles are that Standard Bank felt it was not getting its worth from CSA, while the cricketing body was tired of coping with the Bank’s constant demands.CSA put on a brave face when the announcement was made and said that they have no doubts about lining up other sponsors. Vice president AK Khan said there has been “a tremendous amount of interest from other parties.” Early suggestions are that some of the existing sponsors may enter into Standard Bank’s territory. CSA are currently sponsored by Castle beer, cellular telephone operator MTN, and fast-food company KFC, but may look to engage another global sponsor.The hunt for a new national coach is also on. Van Zyl announced in October that he will be stepping down as national coach after next year’s World Cup and returning to his post as head of the High Performance Programme. He is part of a five-person committee that will seek a replacement.Also on the committee are Majola, Andy O’ Connor, chairperson of CSA’s Cricket Committee, and Andrew Hudson, the convenor of selectors and a representative of the SA Cricketers’ Association.

Simon Katich has added to Australia’s injury concerns ahead of the Ashes as he battles to recover from a broken thumb. Katich suffered the fracture in India at the start of the month, but did not realise how bad it was until after he returned home to Sydney.The problem is hampering Katich’s preparation, although he hopes to be available for New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield game against Victoria from November 10. The opening Test of the Ashes series begins in Brisbane on November 25.”The specialist said there was no point having surgery because I’d be out for some time so we just have to see how it settles down,” Katich told the Australian. Katich is struggling with the injury when he bats and was originally given a recovery time of between three and six weeks.”It definitely hindered me during the first Test in Mohali,” Katich said. “I felt like I was batting one-handed. It felt better in the second Test but the big problem was it affected my preparation. I had to stop hitting balls.”While Katich managed 110 runs in the 2-0 defeat in India, he remains a crucial figure for Australia and his opening partnership with Shane Watson has guided the side through some tough times. Australia also have question marks over Brad Haddin (elbow), Peter Siddle (back), Ryan Harris (knee) and Doug Bollinger (stomach) as the Ashes approaches.

Scorecard
Namibia completed a clean-sweep over Uganda with a 44-run win in the solitary Twenty20 at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek. After Namibia opted to bat first Uganda’s bowlers once again did a decent job of restricting the home side’s batsmen before Louis Klazinga and Tobias Verwey boosted the total to 159 for 6 with an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 42 in under three overs. Klazinga then burst through Uganda’s top order to pick up four quick wickets with his fast-medium seamers, and their chase never recovered.Uganda’s bowling has been competitive more often than not on this tour, and they managed to keep Namibia’s top order in check as four of the top five made starts but were dismissed before reaching 20 after captain Craig Williams won the toss and elected to set a total. Left-arm seamer Charles Waiswa made the first incision when he had opener Ewaid Steenkamp caught behind, and Deusdedit Muhumuza then chipped away with three wickets in four overs of accurate medium pace as Namibia slipped to 58 for 4 in the ninth over.Frank Nsubuga kept a lid on the scoring rate, giving away just 13 runs in four overs of offspin and when Davis Arinaitwe had Gert Lotter caught behind Namibia were 83 for 5 and in danger of setting a sub-par total. Raymond van Schoor and Verwey built some momentum with a 34-run stand in good time before Klazinga joined Verwey and quickly launched a brutal assault at the death. Following on from his match-winning cameo in the second limited-overs match, Klazinga laid into Uganda’s bowlers to plunder 25 runs from just eight balls, with two fours and two sixes, while Verwey cracked five boundaries of his own to finish unbeaten on 33.Uganda’s chase got off to a catastrophic start as Klazinga had Roger Mukasa caught behind off the first ball of the innings. He then struck three times in six balls in his second over to rip the heart out of the visitors’ middle order and reduce them to 11 for 4. Former captain Akbar Baig and Arthur Ziraba fought back with a 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket but the required rate continued to climb and Ziraba’s dismissal to Louis van der Westhuizen’s left-arm spin for 23 effectively ended the chase.Namibia’s spinner kept chipping away at the lower order, and despite a defiant knock from Ronald Ssemanda – who cleared the boundary twice – Uganda were skittled for 115 with nine balls remaining in the innings.