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ScorecardA powerful performance from South Africa A’s top order made short work of National Performance Squad (NPS) total of 252 in the third-place playoff of the Quadrangular Series in Darwin. The visitors’ top three – Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw and Cody Chetty – made half-centuries to complete the chase with 69 balls to spare.After winning the toss, NPS relied on fifties from opener Alex Keath and No. 4 Travis Head to set up their score. Keath made 55 of 96 balls, while Head’s 60 came off 61. Seven of the other nine batsmen made it into double figures, but Sean Abbott’s 24 was the highest. NPS slipped from 2 for 130, when Keath was dismissed, to 8 for 218 and did not have the propulsion they needed at the finish. South Africa’s quicks – Marchant de Lange, Beuran Hendricks and Hardus Viljoen took eight wickets between them.Chasing 253, South Africa made a cracking start with the openers added 138 in quick time. Rossouw’s 69 took only 53 balls and Hendricks’ 90 came off 75. They were dismissed by Mark Steketee and Keath respectively, but Chetty made brisk, unbeaten 55 at No. 3 to see the chase through to the finish. It was done in 39.3 overs.

ScorecardJohann Myburgh helped ensure Somerset did fall away on the final day•Getty Images

Johann Myburgh celebrated the signing of a two-year contract by guiding Somerset to a draw against Northamptonshire on the final day at Taunton which confirmed the visitor’s relegation.Myburgh, the 33-year-old South African, whose new agreement was announced on Tuesday, made 87 as the hosts closed on 235 for 6 in their second innings, leading by 101 runs as David Willey took 3 for 47.Marcus Trescothick and Tom Abell helped frustrate a Northants attack delayed from taking the second new ball by poor light in the final session.By the time it was made available Somerset were 196 for 4, 62 runs ahead with only 23 more overs possible and about to condemn their opponents to the mathematical certainty of dropping back to Division Two.David Ripley, the Northamptonshire coach, said: “While it’s disappointing to be relegated with such a small points total, I think we can genuinely point to a fair bit of misfortune this season.”We had three overseas players lined up and for one reason or another none of them joined us. Add to that a catalogue of injuries and it has been difficult. We have had good sessions, but not enough good matches. This was as well as we have played and I felt we were in control of the game for a lot of the time.”Ben Duckett played a fantastic innings and if we can hang onto our good young players we can build for another crack at first fivision cricket.”Northamptonshire took 12 points from the game, while Somerset’s 10 ended their mathematical chance of lifting the title.They began the day on 38 without loss, trailing by 96. Myburgh, who has enjoyed a consistent first season at Taunton, and Trescothick took the total to 74 before the latter fell lbw on the back foot to Willey.It looked a situation tailor-made for Nick Compton but he had made only 7 when Andrew Hall beat his forward defensive push and knocked back the off stump. Abell, who also signed a new contract this seek, helped move the score to 98 for 2 at lunch, which was taken with Myburgh on 36.The pair continued to play solidly in the afternoon session, Myburgh reaching his half-century off 155 balls with a six over long on off James Middlebrook.Abell followed up his 95 on debut in the previous Championship game against Warwickshire with another mature innings for a 20-year-old before losing his wicket with a lapse in concentration.Myburgh played a shot to short fine leg and was called for a quick single by his partner, who was run out by Willey’s direct hit at the wicketkeeper’s end.Tea was taken at 175 for 3 with a draw looking certain. But James Hildreth, having survived a chance to midwicket in the first over after the break, was bowled by occasional offspinner Rob Keogh for nine attempting a forced shot off the back foot.Keogh was only bowling because of the light. When it brightened Northamptonshire took the second new ball for the 86th over and Willey immediately struck twice with it.Myburgh’s patient 255-ball innings – featuring 10 fours and a six – ended when he was pinned lbw by a ball that appeared to keep low and two balls later Peter Trego, who had edged his first delivery to third-man for four, was bowled.At 200 for 6, Somerset led by 66 with a further 22 overs possible and Northamptonshire sniffed an opportunity to claim their first Championship win of the summer.But Alex Barrow and Craig Overton snuffed it out, the latter surviving a slip chance on 8 off Willey as they added 35 before the players shook hands at 5.15pm.

Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan batsman, has once again expressed his disappointment at missing out on an opportunity to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), while urging the Pakistan board to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.Yousuf signed up for the Indian Cricket League (ICL) last year before he was urged to renege on that contract by the PCB, with the carrot of the IPL acting as one of the incentives.But the ICL insisted that as Yousuf had signed a contract he should not be allowed to play in any other league including the IPL. The matter went to a court of arbitration in Mumbai, which [please link] passed an interim order earlier this month barring Yousuf from playing in the IPL.On the eve of his departure to England to play for Lancashire, Yousuf reminded Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, of his promise to resolve the matter.”It’s very sad missing out on the IPL. I left the ICL on the insistence of the chairman and I did that for the country,” Yousuf told . “I ended up playing for neither. This matter should be resolved because the chairman promised me he would do it and it should be done quickly.”How quickly it can happen is open to question. The PCB wants to file an appeal against the interim order in the Mumbai High Court but has yet to do so. Other legal matters, according to the board’s lawyer, such as the Shoaib Akhtar defamation lawsuit and the Salim Malik appeal, have prevented an appeal from being filed so far.”We have appointed a senior Mumbai advocate, Iqbal Chagla, to represent us in this case in the Mumbai High Court,” Taffazul Rizvi, PCB’s lawyer, told Cricinfo. “In the next few days we will discuss the issue amongst ourselves and then direct our representative in Mumbai to file the appeal.”Yousuf signed a short-term contract with Lancashire to keep himself busy in an otherwise empty international calendar. He has played one championship game for them so far, before returning to Pakistan briefly, and will now resume his contract, which runs till the beginning of June.

ISLAMABAD, July 31 AFP – Former Australian player-turned coach Trevor Chappell today said Pakistan was a safe venue as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) mulled playing a Test series here later this year.”I found Pakistan a safe place, but what I think and what the Australian Cricket Board does on their team’s tour are two different things,” Chappell told AFP.”It’s up to the ACB and they would take all things into account before making a final decision.”The 49-year-old Chappell, younger brother of former captains Ian and Greg, is here to help Pakistan team and national pool members to improve their fielding.The fate of Australia’s Test tour to Pakistan in October hangs in the balance as security remains a key concern amid the US-led war against terror in neighbouring Afghanistan.“I even visited the Khyber Pass near the Pakistan-Afghan border and didn’t feel unsafe,” said Chappell.Leading Australian players Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Mark Waugh have said they won’t tour Pakistan, but Test captain Steve Waugh left the decision to the ACB.A proposed tri-series, also involving Australia, next month has been shifted to Nairobi, Kenya.”Pakistan is capable of providing full security but it would be tough for players,” said Chappell, who played five Tests and 20 one-day internationals for his country.

Kristian Wilson produced his best competitive bowling figures as Bournemouth thrashed Bashley (Rydal) by ten wickets at Chapel Gate to propel themselves into the thick of the ECB Southern Electric Premier League leadership race.The 19-year old former Poole Grammar School medium-pace man took 5-19 – 11 of the runs he conceded were either wides or no-balls – in a splendid ten-over spell as Bashley were skittled for a meagre 101.Matt Swarbrick blasted a boundary-strewn 66 not out as Bournemouth raced to a second consecutive Division 1 victory inside 19 overs.The result was totally demoralising for Bashley – scorers of a daunting 301-5 at Burridge only seven days previously – who were looking to press home their own claims.In many respects, Bashley – who have never won at Chapel Gate – contributed to their own downfall.”I’m sure quite a number of the Bashley batsmen will look back upon some poor shot selection,” said Swarbrick, the Bournemouth skipper.”But I thought we bowled pretty well, putting the ball in the right areas and, after some erratic early stuff, kept things very tight.”Bashley must have realised it was going to be one of those days after only three minutes of play.Andy Sexton pushed a shot to point, went for a quick single – only to see his batting partner Neil Thurgood run-out without facing by a direct hit throw from Bournemouth debutant Dan Jackson.Thurgood was the Premier League’s leading individual run scorer last month.Bashley dipped into further trouble when Jo Wilson, moving his modest medium-pacers into the batsman, breached Sexton’s defences at 15-2.It needed a major contribution from Luke Ronchi if Bashley were going to dig themselves out of the mire. For a while, it looked as though it might happen.Watchful at first on an unusually green Sports Club surface, Ronchi took a distinct liking to teenager James Elliott-Square, who – blissfully unaware of the Western Australian’s pulling prowess – dropped in a few short-pitched deliveries.Two leg-side sixes, 19 runs and a potentially critical Dave Kidner dropped catch later, a bemused Elliott-Square departed from the Bournemouth attack.But, just as Ronchi (25) looked as though he might rebuild Bashley’s fragile start, Kristian Wilson came on at the scoreboard end – and promptly removed the Australian.Ironically, he was caught low down at mid-on in the 11th over – by a much relieved Kidner !It was the beginning of the end for Bashley as Wilson (no relation to the Liverpudlian), bowling away swing, cut through the visitors middle-order. He had Richard Knowles picked up at slip and, next ball, trapped Andy Neal leg before to leave Bashley rocking at 66-5.So effectively did Wilson bowl that only eight runs came off the bat in his decisive ten over stint.”Kristian has benefiting from the coaching of former England fast bowler Graham Dilley at Loughborough and he’s come on great strides.”He hadn’t been able to bowl out-swing before this season and, if he’s able to cut out his extras (11 wides and no-balls against Bashley), he’ll become a very good bowler,” praised Swarbrick.Wilson and Dorset left-arm new boy Matt Mixer (3-15) reduced Bashley to 86-9 before John Whiting, eager to bat higher in the order, enjoyed a late flurry to take the total into treble figures.It took Swarbrick and Tom Webley just 18.5 overs to put Bashley out of their misery. The Bournemouth captain launched onto the offensive, hitting Whiting out of the attack and Kevin Nash going for 39 off his six overs.Webley, anxious to spend some time in the middle after only two innings for Somerset 2nd XI this season, played a watching brief as Swarbrick smacked a straight six and ten fours in an undefeated 66 off 57 deliveries.Webley finished with 28 out out as Bournemouth completed a thumping ten-wicket victory over their near neighbours.Bashley, having beaten Havant and Burridge in the past fortnight, go into next Saturday’s nine-week session of all-day ‘time’ cricket with three losses in five matches.Bournemouth, 19-run winners over champions BAT Sports last week, travel to table-topping Andover buoyant after beating two of the Premier League’s strongest sides.

A spectacular thunderstorm interrupted a Sri Lankan fight-back on the fourth afternoon of the second Test at SuperSport Park on Monday, frustrating the visitors who need to win this Test to level the series.Marvan Atapattu’s side had responded strongly in their second innings afterbowling out the South Africans for 448 in the morning with left-hander KumarSangakkara scoring a brilliant boundary-studded 89 from 132 balls.But shortly after the dismissal of Sangakkara, who was athletically caught down the leg-side by Mark Boucher for the second consecutive Test, the players were forced off the field for bad light.Sri Lanka were 180 for three with a 55 runs lead. Although play will start half an hour early on Tuesday, Sri Lanka do not appear to have sufficient time to build a sufficient lead and then bowl out a long South African batting line-up.South Africa, however, believe they can force a result having just claimed the crucial wicket of Sangakkara, ending a 119-run partnership with Mahela Jayawardene that was shifting the initiative towards the tourists."If we can strike early tomorrow morning and break this partnership then they have a long tail and we can chase down a target in the second innings," said Shaun Pollock afterwards.But he warned against complacency: "You can’t rule out anything in cricket. However, the Sri Lankans will have to bat quickly tomorrow and be inventive with their declaration if they are going to have a chance."Earlier in the day, Pollock had narrowly missed out on a third Test century,left stranded on 99 not out when last man Ntini was caught at mid-off attempting an ambitious lofted drive.Pollock looked crestfallen, ignoring Ntini as he marched back to the dressing room, but he had contributed to his unfortunate fate by deciding not to shield Ntini from the strike and taking a first ball single against Chaminda Vaas.He had started the morning in aggressive fashion, taking the attack to Muttiah Muralitharan whom he reverse-swept for four and then slog-swept mightily for six to move within touching distance of his hundred.If Pollock had scored a hundred it would have been the third time that he had passed three figures at this venue, after 111 against Sri Lanka on their last tour and 113* against the Indians in a warm-up game.He finished with 99 from 170 balls, having hit eight fours and two sixes during an innings that ensured his side a valuable first innings lead by the time they were finally bowled out for 448, an innings that started on Saturday morning and spanned a total of 166.3 overs.Pollock thus becomes the fourth batsman in Test history to be left stranded on 99, after England fast bowler Alex Tudor (1999), opener Geoff Boycott (1979-80) and Steve Waugh (1994-95).Left-armer Vaas finished the innings with two for 81 from 33.3 overs andMuralitharan ended up bowling 57 overs for his two wickets.The Sri Lankan innings had then started disastrously when rookie opener Jehan Mubarak (15), so impressive in the first innings, was adjudged to have edged a catch to Mark Boucher off Makhaya Ntini. Replays showed clear daylight between bat and ball.Stand-in captain Marvan Atapattu (22) – cracked on the helmet early on in his innings during a brisk new-ball burst from Ntini – then became the 13th Sri Lankan in the series to be dismissed between 20 and 50 when he flashed a catch to Boucher.Sangakkara and Jayawardene were given a searching examination by the freshSouth Africa fast bowlers, who had spent the best part of two days with their feet up in the dressing room. But the pair gradually settled and in the half hour before tea they pushed their foot down on the accelerator.Jayawardene nearly threw his wicket away when Pollock grabbed his helmet in jest when the right-hander top edged an attempted hook. Furious with the South African captain for touching him, he lost his cool and clearly distracted he could have been run out shortly afterwards whilst ambling through for a leg bye.The umpires were forced to intervene, asking both sides to calm down. In theevent the tea interval allowed Jayawardene to regain his composure and hefinished the day unbeaten on 40. Tillakaratne, the first innings centurion, is yet to score.

Somerset Sabres, who are already doomed to the second division next season, give two young players their chance to shine when they play against Durham in the NUL National League at the Riverside Ground at Chester le Street tomorrow.Wes Durston and Arul Suppiah are brought into the team and will both be looking to continue the run of good form that they have been showing in recent second eleven matches.Durston, who is a former Millfield School pupil is twenty one years old and hails from Glastonbury is a middle order right handed batsman and an off break bowler. Suppiah is also a former Millfield pupil, and celebrated his nineteenth birthday last Friday. He is a top order right handed batsman and slow left armer, who is currently attending Exeter University.Ahead of tomorrow’s game Kevin Shine told me: "We are having to rest a few people at the moment to try to make sure that we get them right for the vital championship match against on Wednesday. We have got two players making their NUL debuts, Wes Durston and Arul Suppiah who have both performed well in the second eleven and also gave a good account of themselves against West Indies ‘A’ recently."The side will be captained by Marcus Trescothick who gets another outing for the county before playing for England in the final test match on Thursday.The full Somerset team is: Marcus Trescothick, Matt Wood, Pete Trego, Arul Suppiah, Ian Blackwell, Wes Durston, Rob Turner, Keith Dutch, Matt Bulbeck, Simon Francis, Steffan Jones.

Thanks to the rain, which washed out three sessions on the first two days, and a two-paced flat pitch, the match between Sri Lanka and a Rest of South Africa XI petered out into a tame draw at the Lenasia Cricket Stadium.Sri Lanka declared their first innings on 336 for five after good contributions from Mahela Jayawardene (76), Hashan Tillakaratne (79*) and Hasantha Fernando (57*). The South African bowlers had toiled long and hard, with Garnett Kruger (1/81) and Jon Kent (2/32) the pick.The South Africans replied with 392, thanks primarily to a fine 146 from Davey Jacobs. Dropped on 43, he was most aggressive against the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan, taking 67 from the 60 balls he received from the wrist spinner, who finished with figures of 31-1-136-3.Ruchira Perera was most impressive among the rest of the bowlers, taking 2/65, with Fernando angling for his first Test call-up with 1/34.Sri Lanka started their second innings with less than a day to go. Having been restricted, due to the wet conditions in the Johannesburg area, to indoor nets, their batsmen enjoyed a welcome practice session.Russel Arnold, who had failed on three occasions, showed that time at thecrease might be the best remedy. His timing improved as his innings progressed, and he looked set for a hundred when he chased one outside the off to be caught behind for 98.Marvan Atapattu, also caught behind for 81, showed that he could be a thorn in South African flesh in the Test series. Seldom playing the ball in the air, he showed solid defence and played some classy cover drives in his 12 boundaries.Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara also made the most of the flat pitch. Both were uncharacteristically defensive, but after Sangakkara went to his fifty he unleashed a flurry of shots, including consecutive fours and a six off James Henderson.The moribund game was called off 30 minutes early with Sri Lanka 265/2, a lead of 209, with Sangakkara on 61. The Sri Lanka coach, Dav Whatmore, was pleased with his players’ performance, which sets them up well for the WanderersStadium on Friday.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming achieved another captaincy career milestone with the series victory over the West Indies today when becoming this country’s most successful Test captain away from home.It was only New Zealand’s eighth series victory, from 52 attempts, away from New Zealand’s shores, and Fleming has achieved three of them.He led New Zealand to victory in England in 1999, Zimbabwe in 2000/01 and now the West Indies.Jeremy Coney won two series away from home in Australia (1985/85) and England (1986). Graham Dowling (Pakistan, 1969/70), Geoff Howarth (Sri Lanka, 1983/84) and Martin Crowe (Zimbabwe, 1992/93) were the other away-winning captains.Only India and South Africa remain on the countries in which New Zealand has not won a series, although both countries have featured in drawn series on their home soil with New Zealand.The sequence of away victories, and the attempts to win the first series, is: Pakistan (1969/70- third attempt), Sri Lanka (1983/84 – first), Australia (1985/86 – third), England (1986 – 10th), Zimbabwe (1992/93 – first), West Indies (2001/02 – fourth).Scott Styris’ achievement of a century and a half-century on debut had previously been achieved by just two other New Zealand batsmen, Rodney Redmond against Pakistan in 1972/73 and Lou Vincent in December last year in Australia.Styris’ tally of 176 runs for the match was the second highest by a New Zealand batsman on debut after Mathew Sinclair’s 214, also against the West Indies in 1999/00.The West Indies failed to win a Test match in a home series for the first time in 27 series and in their Test history had only failed to win a Test in a series on seven occasions. They have now been denied twice by New Zealand, along with two times by Australia and England and once by India.Mark Richardson may have found a new ally at the top of the order in Vincent. In eight opening partnerships, Richardson and Vincent have scored 318 runs at an average of 39.75. They shared stands of 61 and 117 in Grenada, the second innings effort surpassing their previous best partnership of 77 scored in the second innings against Australia at last year Perth, the first match they batted together.In all the occasions they have batted together they have scored 563 runs at 43.40, with their highest being 119 for the second wicket against England in the second Test at Wellington this year.This goes some way towards matching the formidable partnership formed by Richardson and Matthew Bell last season. They scored 524 runs in eight innings together at an average of 65.50 before Bell was dropped in favour of Vincent for the Perth Test.

Phillip DeFreitas has been named as Leicestershire’s Player of the Month for July. The 36-year-old all-rounder received the award, sponsored by Bland Bankart, during the current game against Surrey at Grace Road.Although there was a shortage of cricket during the month – Leicestershire had only three Championship matches – DeFreitas was comfortably the side’s most consistent performer with bat and ball.He scored 200 Championship runs at an average of 40 with a magnificent 114 in the second innings against Kent the highlight.It was his fourth century for Leicestershire and the ninth of his career.In the Norwich Union League he also showed his all round ability. He took nine wickets including 4-24 against Glamorgan, and when promoted to “pinch hitter” at the top of the order against Warwickshire, scored 49 off 37 balls to help the Foxes to a four-wicket win.His seven Championship wickets during the month brought his total for the season to 33.