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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.

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.

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.

Benson and Hedges Cup Final at Lord’s
Saturday 22nd June 2002Tickets for the Benson and Hedges Cup Final at Lord’s will go on sale fromthe Club to members only as follows:09.00 am – 11.00 am Tuesday 11th June – Southend Cricket Club09.00 am – 11.00 am Tuesday 11th June – Colchester Cricket Club>From 10.00 am Tuesday 11th June – County Ground, Chelmsford>From 11.00 am Wednesday 12th June – Ilford Cricket ClubApplications can only be made in person – telephone applications cannot beaccepted for this Final, although members residing out of the county maymake a postal application to the County Ground using the blue ticket voucherin their membership card.Tickets are currently restricted to four per member and are priced at £22,£24 and £35 per ticket with seats currently available in the Edrich, Grand,and Mound Stands. Tickets for juniors under 16 can be purchased in anyavailable stand for £5.Non members may purchase tickets direct from the MCC ticket office bycontacting them on 020 7432 1066, although you are encouraged to use the MCCwebsite booking service at www.mcc.org.ukDavid East
Chief Executive

It certainly has been a camp with a difference. After a morning session of nets, fielding practice and stretching, John Wright adjourned his wards to an indoor session of tape viewing in the afternoon. Using aids of this kind is not synonymous with Indian cricket, but Wright seems to bringing about a metamorphosis.On the subject of changing things, high on Wright’s priorities is India’s away record. Despite being champs at home, the away victory remains as elusive as ever. The Zimbabwe tour provides an ideal opportunity to set the record straight.To achieve this, India are likely to opt for a bowling attack that has room for as many as five seamers. The trio of Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan are certainties to make the trip. With two warm up games to be played in the course of the Test series, India need to have enough hands on board in the fast bowling department. Reetinder Singh Sodhi might squeak in on virtue of the fact that he is likely to play the one-dayers. With Robin Singh not being selected in the initial probables list, the young Punjab all-rounder is a strong contender for a place. The slot for the fifth mediumpacer is still wide open, with Debashish Mohanty and Ashish Nehra being the contenders. If indications here in Bangalore are to be believed, it seems as though the Delhi left arm mediumpacer might well get the nod.Skipper Sourav Ganguly, speaking to reporters recently has given strong indications that Sameer Dighe will be the man doing the job behind the stumps. The Mumbai stumper’s cause has been amply helped by the fact that the two other keepers in the squad, Deep Das Gupta and Ajay Ratra have very little experience between them. With a vital unbeaten 22 that saw India to victory on the final day of the decisive third Test against Australia at Chennai in March, Dighe seems to have done enough to catch the eye of the selectors.The opening batsmen, Sadagoppan Ramesh and Shiv Sunder Das will lose no sleep this evening. The pair have done more than enough to be guaranteed of their places. With almost no competition for the openers’ slots, Das and Ramesh will make the tour to Zimbabwe. In the middle order, India’s greatest strength, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Ganguly will call the shots. Hemang Badani has done well in the few chances he has got in limited overs cricket, and has impressed with his levelheadedness.No prizes for guessing who the number one spinner will be. With 32 wickets in the three match series against Australia, Harbhajan Singh is easily the strike bowler of the lot. Anil Kumble, still out with a shoulder injury has had an uneven record – doing exceptionally well at home while flattering to deceive abroad. Whether Harbhajan Singh will go the same way remains to be seen. The Punjab offspinner however, can take heart from the fact that the Zimbabwe batting line up has plenty of left handers in it. As during the series against Australia the second spinner’s place is still very much up for grabs.With only two of the five national selectors in Bangalore on Wednesday, one day before the final 15 is selected, indications are clear that the team is unlikely to be drastically different from the one that played against Australia.

On the first full day of play at the 2nd Americas Cricket Championships, hosts Argentina performed respectably against World Cup qualifiiers Canada, restricting the Canadians to 182 in their 50 overs, and mustering 142 in reply.The Caymans pulled off an upset, beating Bermuda by 4 wickets in a low scoring game. Bermuda were skittled for just 59, but the Caymans lost 6 wickets in passing their total.The USA crushed the Bahamas, despite a fine bowling performance from Armstrong, who had the US in trouble at 115/5 before captain Bacchus provided an unbeaten 83 to raise the total to 255. The Bahamian batting crumbled against the US bowlers, managing just 78.

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.

West Indian Test umpire Steve Bucknor called a Windward Islands bowler for throwing in a Busta Cup match yesterday.

Off-spinner Shane Shillingford was removed from the attack on the opening day of the Windwards’ game against Leeward Islands at St George’s, Grenada, on Thursday, after Bucknor called no-ball on three occasions because of the bowler “throwing”.Shillingford was called twice when Bucknor was standing at square leg. When he was switched to the same end at which Bucknor was standing, the veteran of 54 Tests and 80 one-day internationals called Shillingford again. Under Law 24 of the Laws of Cricket, the bowler had to be removed immediately from the attack for the remainder of the innings following his third transgression.Shillingford bowled 3.3 overs, taking 1/15 (Alex Adams, clean bowled), before he was banished. In three previous Busta Cup matches this season he has taken 13 wickets at 24.53, with a best haul of 7/66 against Jamaica. This is the first time this season he has appeared in a match umpired by Bucknor.At the end of the first day’s play, the Leeward Islands were 266 for 8.

The Hampshire-based Southern Electric ECB Premier League is poised to launch its 128-page fully illustrated handbook for the coming season.The book, recognised as one of the top publications of its type in the country, is crammed full of facts, figures and photographs of the top tier of recreational cricket in Hampshire.It tells of the inaugural season of ECB-accredited Premier League cricket in Hampshire, and includes a week-by-week account of how Havant became the first league champions.Read too how Channel 4 television plans to revolutionise coverage of this summer’s Ashes Series using an `umpire’s aid’ idea devised by Burridge batsman Paul Hawkins on `leg before wicket’ decisions.Copies of the yearbook, priced £3 inc postage and packing, can be obtained by writing to Mike Vimpany, 16 Radclyffe Road, Fareham, PO16 8SH.Some copies of last year’s Premier League yearbook are available at a reduced price of £2.

Lions captain Alviro Petersen doesn’t have any preferences for their opponents in the Champions League final on Sunday, but has a score to settle with both Sydney Sixers and Titans. Lions lost to the Titans in the final of the MiWay T20 Challenge earlier this year while the Sixers are the only side to beat Petersen’s side in this competition.”I don’t really mind any of them [Titans or Sixers],” Petersen said after they beat Delhi Daredevils by 22 runs in the first semi-final on Thursday. “We lost to the Titans in last year’s final. It would be nice to beat them there. The only game we lost in this tournament has been to the Sixers so we would like to put one over them as well.”Petersen believed that hunger and focus are the constants which the team will take to the final. “What I can assure you is the team will be up for it once more, the boys are hungry. We are playing good cricket. We know that the road that we are on doesn’t end here. We are focused on preparing for what lies ahead, and that will be our real focus.”I think the hallmark of this team is that the guys are so committed to each other. We know that everyone can’t perform every day. When it’s someone’s turn, they make the play for us,” he said.The Lions were also not put off by the forecast of inclement weather. Petersen said their performance had improved as they progressed through the tournament.”We wanted to get out there and play. There was talk of rain but the guys were really professional and mature, the way we have gone about our preparations and performance.”Running at 75% we have still beaten teams, and today I thought we really upped it to about 85-90% and we showed what sort of team we are. We will take that confidence to the final as well,” said Petersen.Neil McKenzie brought the experience of his 105 Twenty20 games after he walked into bat in the 11th over with his side on 63 for 3. He forged a 59-run fourth-wicket stand with half-centurion Gulam Bodi, McKenzie himself making a 28-ball 46 with four boundaries and a six. However, McKenzie still believed the Lions were ten runs short of a competitive total, but the confidence in the dressing-room made the difference.”We got off to a nice start with Gulam [Bodi] and Alviro [Petersen] but then we had a little hiccup in the middle there,” McKenzie said. “When I got in, there wasn’t much time to settle in. It was a case of getting in as quick as I can. Gulam played some nice shots and he got a fifty. But I thought we were ten [runs] light.”Back in the dressing-room, the guys were saying 140 is enough and the bowlers backed up with a huge effort. The Man-of-the-match could have gone to a lot of the bowlers – [Aaron] Phangiso, [Chris] Morris, Sohail [Tanvir], all the guys did the job. Alviro rotated the bowlers beautifully. It was a great team effort.”McKenzie, who was part of the Hampshire side that won the English domestic Twenty20 competition as well, said experienced batsmen like him also have a place in the format.”There’s definitely a room to bat my way and for the other ways. As long as the strike-rate is high at the end of the day, you can’t have seven hitters in the side or seven deflectors. We have a nice balance at the moment, we have a plan to go till a certain stage and then go big from there. It is all about communication, role clarification,” he said.