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Mahendra Singh Dhoni made the most of the opportunity to bat up the order© AFP

At the post-match press conference Sourav Ganguly expressed satisfactionwith India’s win, saying that a 2-0 lead in the series would really putthe pressure on Pakistan going into the third game at Jamshedpur. He alsosaid he was pleased that the move to send in Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 3 hadpaid off so spectacularly.”When I looked at the wicket in the morning it looked like it wouldcrumble quite quickly, and might not even be good for batting for thefirst 50 overs,” Ganguly said. “So the toss was absolutely crucial, andonce we won it, it was important that we made as many runs as possible inthe first 15 overs. That’s why we made the decision to send Dhoni in and he played fantastically well.”Dhoni said he had been told by the team management that he might get anopportunity at No. 3 at some point in the series, and that he had beenpreparing for this in the nets. He said that the position was the one inwhich he felt the most comfortable anyway because he opens the batting orbats at No.3 in first-class cricket. Of his spectacular hitting after hegot to his hundred, Dhoni remarked, “After I got to a hundred I felt itwas important to push the scoring as much as possible so that we couldmake about 350. The ball was not doing anything off the pitch and I knewthat even a score of 350 might not be enough.”

Hong Kong 64 for 3 (Sharma 29*) v New Zealand 67 for 1 (Sinclair 33*)
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Dermot Reeve’s return for the Hong Kong side, two decades after his last match for his home city, with a waistline to match his 40 years, failed to inspire the hosts to an opening win, a victory they desperately needed to achieve their ambition of securing a place in the cup stages for the first time. Their batting failed to click, with Reeve struggling at No. 3, meaning New Zealand required just 65 for victory. Matthew Sinclair made short work of the target, bulldozing 33 from just eight balls.Sri Lanka 109 for (Indika de Saram 34*) v Kenya 97 for 1 (K Otieno 33*, Odumbe 35)
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Sri Lanka were considered outsiders coming into the tournament. But at the end of the first game it was clear that they could spring a surprise. Indika de Saram smacked the first three balls of the match for six, clumping 30 from the opening over bowled by Collins Obuya, before retiring after a whirlwind 34 from only seven balls. Kenya’s slow bowlers were flogged for 109 – one run away from a tournament record. But Kenya still made a good fist of the chase, with Kennedy Otieno (33) and Maurice Odumbe (35) both scoring freely, before a tight final over left them 12 runs short.India 82 for 2 (Kanitkar 35*, Kambli 28*) v Hong Kong 45 for 3
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India’s first game for the tournament was an easy win against the hosts, who dropped Dermot Reeve. Nevertheless, the batting was far from impressive. Reetinder Sodhi (5) fell cheaply and Vinod Kambli (28) dawdled during the early part of the innings. Hrishikesh Kanitkar provided some impetus with 35 from 10 balls. But Hong Kong were never in the hunt after tight opening overs from Nikhil Chopra and Rohan Gavaskar.South Africa 64 for 4 (Bosman 37*) v Sri Lanka 65 for 0 (Indika de Saram 31, Saman Jayantha 29*)
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Sri Lanka’s odds shortened further with a surprise win against South Africa, thesecond seeds after Pakistan. This time it was their bowlers who starred,restricting South Africa to 60 for 4 – a below-par score in this form of the game. Loots Bosman prevented a rout with a powerful 37. Sri Lanka then waltzed to victory within three overs. Once again Indika de Saram produced some fireworks, cracking 35 before having to retire. Justin Ontong had a nightmare, conceding 35 from his over.Pakistan 78 all out (Naveed Latif 22, Azhar Mahmood 26*) v New Zealand 79 for 0 (Horne 34)
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Pakistan, the tournament favourites after victories in 2001 and 2002, flopped intheir opening game against New Zealand. Their five-wicket defeat now meant that they needed to perform against arch rivals India in the afternoon. Andre Adams was the hero for New Zealand, completing a remarkable double-wicket maiden in the first over as Imran Nazir and Moin Khan miscued wild slogs. They did mount a recovery though – Naved Latif (22) steadied the innings and Azhar Mahmood (26 not out) tucked into an over from Tama Canning that cost 26 runs. But New Zealand cruised home, their task made easier by Pakistan’s sloppy fielding. Matt Horne scored a solid 34 from 13 balls, an innings full of neat deflections.England 82 for 4 (Brown 43, Dross 3-5) v South Africa 83 for 2 (Ontong 35*)
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England, watched by David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, suffered adisastrous collapse in their first match, losing four wickets for 11 runs. Gerald Dross, a giant of a man, was the chief destroyer, taking 3 wickets in the space of four balls. Fortunately for England, Dougie Brown, their last man, biffed 43 from nine balls, including five fours in the last over – the highest score so far in the tournament. Justin Ontong launched a spectacular South African reply, hammering 35 from nine balls. Glen Chapple’s over cost an embarrassing 33. Chris Silverwood steamed in for the penultimate over, conceding just 3 runs, but Darren Maddy’s medium pace provided less problems in the final over.India 89 for 2 (Sodhi 31, Kambli 31, Chopra 26*) v New Zealand 94 for 2(Sinclair 33*, Horne 29, Sodhi 2-14)
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New Zealand topped Pool 1 with their third win of the day against India – a tight match that leaves India facing a do-or-die clash against Pakistan. India had started well enough, as Reetinder Sodhi (31 not out) and Vinod Kambli (31 not out) blasted seven sixes in the early overs, but then faltered mid-innings as both Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Rohan Gavaskar were dismissed for ducks. They reached a competitive 89 for 2 thanks to Nikhil Chopra who stroked 26 from eight balls. But New Zealand, despite a slight wobble in the penultimate over when Sodhi claimed two wickets, powered home. Needing 10 to win from the final over bowled by Gavaskar, the weakest of the Indian bowlers, they won with three balls to spare. Matthew Sinclair, dropped in the first over, top scored with 33 from nine balls.South Africa 85 for 2 (Bosman 29*, Dros 35*) v Kenya 77 for 0 (K Otieno36*, Odumbe 31*, Hall 1-4)
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South Africa put one foot into the semi-finals with a eight-run victory against Kenya. If England lose either of their remaining games then South Africa will qualify. Kenya, who brought a full-strength squad for their first trip to Hong Kong, will now play in the plate. South Africa, asked to bat first, recovered well from a slow start – 19 runs from the first two overs – to post a decent 85 for 2. Loots Bosman (29*) was once again powerful, hitting three sixes, while Gerald Dros continued his fine start to the tournament with 35 from 12 balls. Kenya started well, crashing 17 from the opening over, before Andrew Hall, moments after a painful collision with the boundary fence, stalled the innings with a miserly over in which he conceded just four singles. Kenya, despite not losing a single wicket, never recovered sufficient momentum and were left needing an improbable 28 from the final over.India 58 for 4 (Sodhi 22, Nazir 1-2, Razzaq 2-6) v Pakistan 60for 2 (Mahmood 32*)
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The much-awaited heavyweight clash between India and Pakistan failed to live up to all the hype. But the one-sided nature of the contest mattered little for thelarge group of flag-waving, whistle-blowing, zinzabad-shouting Pakistanisupporters. India’s smaller contingent of fans burst briefly into song, asBahutale struck twice in three balls in the third over of Pakistan’s chase, butAbdul Razzaq (12*) and Azhar quickly ended any doubts over the result with aflurry of boundaries. Pakistan won with nine balls to spare – a countrymile in six-a-side terms. India’s problem was their batting. Vinod Kambli (10) and Ritender Sodhi (22) added 39 for the first wicket before India crumbled, losing four wickets for 13 runs. Only eight runs were scored from the final two overs bowled by Imran Nazir and Razzaq. Pakistan, the top seeds, now only need to knock over the hosts on Sunday morning to confirm their place in the cup competition.
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Darren Maddy held his nerve with the ball to keep English hopes alive in the final match of the day. Maddy conceded only six singles in the last over as Kenya, who needed 14, made a meal out of chasing a modest 72. England’s seven-run victory means they still have a chance of qualifying for the cup stages if they can beat Sri Lanka tomorrow morning. Asked to bat first by the Kenyans, England hobbled to 71 for 3. Robert Croft top-scored with 19 and Dougie Brown struck 18 from 5 balls. The total looked too small but Kenya lost their way in the last two overs after Croft grabbed the wicket of Kennedy Otieno. Steve Tikolo and Maurice Odumbe, needing 25 from the last 12 balls, struggled against the slippery pace of Chris Silverwood – the quickest bowler on show today – and the nagging medium pace of Maddy.

Australia’s selectors have today embarked on the unexpected step of removing Matthew Hayden from the squad that will play out the remainder of the VB Series of one-day international matches against New Zealand and South Africa.Hayden has played only two matches in the series but was Australia’s outstanding player of the Test summer, scoring four centuries in the space of six matches. Though his performances in the shortened form of the game suffered a lapse on the recent tour of England, the Queensland opening batsman was also in outstanding touch upon winning a recall to Australia’s limited-overs side in India early last year.Mark Waugh, with just 16 runs behind him in the series at an average of 5.33, retains his place and is now expected to partner Adam Gilchrist at the top of the batting order for the remainder of the preliminary matches.All-rounders Ian Harvey and Andrew Symonds, who have mustered only 14 runs between them in four innings, have also continued to hold their spots.South Australian batsman Darren Lehmann’s compelling form at domestic level has meanwhile not been deemed sufficient to win him a call-up. Lehmann hammered an explosive 143 from just 130 deliveries in a Pura Cup match against New South Wales on Friday on the back of form that has won him four Man of the Match awards from seven ING Cup appearances this summer.The growing claims of emerging Tasmanian all-rounder Shane Watson have also been put on hold.The news of Hayden’s omission, meanwhile, comes after the Australians scrapped to a 27-run win over South Africa in Brisbane last night to gain their first win in four attempts in the series.A loss to the same opponent in tomorrow’s day-night encounter in Sydney would go close to ending their hopes of appearing in the finals of the competition early next month.

Punjab scored a facile innings and 123 run victory over Jammu and Kashmir on the third and final day of their North Zone Cooch Behar Trophy (under-19) match at the Dhruv Pandove stadium in Patiala on Thursday. Punjab thus earned eight points from their opening fixture.Resuming at the overnight score of 68 for 6, Jammu & Kashmir lost the last four wickets for the addtion of a further 98 runs. The tail wagged particularly Anoop Mongotra (59) and Sumit Silwal (22). Anoop, who was at the crease for 125 minutes faced 119 balls while belting three fours and two sixes.On Wednesday, Punjab’s domination continued. The day saw Jammu and Kashmir tottering at 68 for 6 at stumps, 289 runs in arrears. Punjab had earlier declared at 415 for six.Resuming at the score of 140 for 2 on the second morning, SP Singh (200 not out) and Vikram Sodhi (111) continued from were they left off the previous day. The two forged a 238-run partnership for the third wicket from 46 overs. Sodhi was the first to be dismissed when he was caught by Jasritia off Mongothra. During his 185-minute stay at the crease, Sodhi faced 172 balls and found the boundary ropes eight times.Meanwhile SP Singh who was the more flamboyant partner, reached his double century. Singh, who faced 217 balls during his 320 minute stay, hit 14 boundaries and cleared the ropes six times. Three balls after the fall of Sodhi, Baljit Singh (0) followed him back to the pavilion after giving a catch to Sathyajit Singh off Mongotra. Punjab lost two further wickets, those of Rajan Singh (9) and C Madan (16) before skipper Gagandeep Singh declared the innings.Jammu & Kashmir started their second innings disastrously losing opener M Mir (3) off the first ball of the second over bowled by Uniyal. But I Thakur (26) and A Jalani (17) took the score to 45 when Thakur fell leg before to Sawal. Jammu and Kashmir were neck deep in trouble within the next four overs as they lost four wickets.Jalani and V Kaw took Jammu and Kashmir past the fifty run mark but with the score at 54, Jalani fell in the 29th over. They recieved a further setback five balls later when P Mahajan (0) was trapped leg before by SP Singh. In the next over they lost Jasrotia (0) when he was caught by Mandora off Sawal. Kaw (7) followed him in the next over bowled by SP Singh. A Mongotra (5) and Satyajit Singh (8) safely negotiated the remaining overs before play was called off for the day.

ScorecardMegan Schutt picked up 4 for 26 as England went on to the back foot•Getty Images

At 5.52pm, the announcement came that England, at 125 for 5, had avoided the follow on. That they began their first innings at 12.56pm paints as bleak a picture as any of a possibly series-losing day in this Ashes series for an England side battling with some familiar issues.It was on this score that England then lost both Nat Sciver and Georgia Elwiss, who had combined for 32, the joint second-highest partnership in the innings. At the fall of Sciver’s wicket, the run rate dropped below two an over. The statistic that really jars though is that in an innings of 508 legitimate balls, 436 were dots.The question should be asked: did England bring it on themselves? Megan Schutt, who impressed with 4 for 26, reckoned so. With their lead of 106, Australia will look to move the game along on a pitch that Schutt reckons is still very good for batting. She would go so far as to call England’s cricket negative but admitted that Australia were aware they would call on this style, one that saw them secure a draw when the two sides met at Wormsley in 2013. England will need to summon something greater to avoid defeat here.There was little to the English batting that inconvenienced Australia’s impressive seam attack. At times, the hosts shut-up shop completely, with Heather Knight, Lydia Greenway, Sciver and even Charlotte Edwards seemingly unwilling – certainly not unable – to manufacture singles and rotate the strike. Despite the character and skill throughout the batting card, England have a habit of being too safe for their own good. In battening down the hatches, they only ensured that their escape was nigh on impossible.Following a delayed start, Australia declared on 274 for 9, with Jess Jonassen falling one short of what would have been a deserved century and No. 11 Holly Ferling coming out to bat for just one ball.After lunch, the Australia bowlers sensed England’s tepidness and attacked accordingly. In the third over, Ellyse Perry showed her worth by forcing Lauren Winfield to edge behind with a fantastic delivery that got big on the opener. The very next ball, she trapped Sarah Taylor in front of leg stump. The hat-trick ball, to Charlotte Edwards, was negotiated well.Taylor’s duck sees her Test average drop to 20.46. It’s hard not to be frustrated by Taylor on days like these, especially in a format where, in 14 innings, she has a high of only 40. It is a frustration brought about partly by a selfish desire to see her in full flow: feet moving, wrists snapping, bat bus-wheeling. The flip side is today, where she attempted to work her first ball into the leg side and ended up falling over herself.Edwards responded with a gloriously typical cover drive for four. She would go on to hit four more in her 30, taking her past Janette Brittin – her opening partner on her Test debut – to 1,025 career runs against Australia, the most by any English woman. It was perhaps the only bright spot.Schutt then produced a challenger for ball of the match, as she flicked the edge of off bail, squaring up Edwards in the process.However, even in England’s turgid approach, Greenway (22) and Sciver (35) were starting to show signs of pushing on, only for both to fall to umpiring calls that would seem more at home in the amateur game than an Ashes Test.Both were lbw decisions, the worse of the two when Greenway was given out by Alex Wharf despite the ball pitching well outside leg stump. Neil Mallender was at fault for the second, as Sciver swiped across the line, with the ball clearly heading down the leg side – as shown by the keeper, Alyssa Healy, who ended up joining the appeal seemingly closer to square leg than behind the stumps. It looked like she was given out for the shot rather than the impact.It was left to Katherine Brunt to show her side the folly of their method. She was clearing her front leg to hit short balls square of the wicket and committing to drives in typical, full-blooded fashion. And, in attacking so brutally, she forced changes in the field and errors in a ring that had been airtight for most of the day. In being proactive, she took a portion out of Australia’s lead. That Anya Shrubsole was the last to be dismissed for a 47-ball duck – the third longest in women’s Tests – was a fitting end.To the credit of the England squad, they emerged from a disappointing day to take part in a mass autograph signing. These particular players are the sport’s finest ambassadors, allowing the game to grow with their skill, approachability and willingness to grant every selfie and sign every bit of paraphernalia.But for women’s Test cricket to really prosper, England need to find it within themselves to be as forthcoming on the field as they are off it.

Speaking to in an Anfield Watch Q&A, journalist David Lynch has made a very promising transfer claim involving Liverpool target and Fulham forward Fabio Carvalho.

The Lowdown: Liverpool reach agreement…

In the January transfer window, Liverpool were painfully close to sealing a deal for Carvalho but couldn’t complete the necessary paperwork in time to make the move official.

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Indeed, the Reds shook hands on £8 million to sign the scintillating teenager in winter but Anfield officials couldn’t finalise his documentation before the 11pm cut off.

Jurgen Klopp, however, hasn’t given up on signing Carvalho and is a big admirer – having previously stated to the press that Liverpool would be ‘crazy’ not to maintain their interest.

The Latest: Lynch makes Carvalho claim…

Speaking to AW, journalist Lynch backs that Liverpool are fully expected to complete the move this summer, saying that personal terms shouldn’t be an issue.

When asked for an update on the Carvalho situation, he said:

“Liverpool already reached an agreement to sign Carvalho in January, they just weren’t able to finalise things due to time restrictions. Both clubs were happy, however, to shake hands on the same agreed figure and simply push back to the summer in order to avoid going through a tribunal. With personal terms unlikely to be an issue (let’s be honest, those tend to get agreed in advance anyway) I expect Carvalho to become a Liverpool player at the end of this season.”

The Verdict: Promising update…

Judging by this update, it appears Carvalho is far more likely than not to be a Reds player this summer in a big boost for Klopp.

The 19-year-old has shown real signs of promise in the Championship for Fulham at such a young age, scoring seven goals and assisting six others over 27 appearances.

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He’s also been called the ‘perfect fit’ and ‘perfect style of player’ for Klopp by ex-Leeds striker Noel Whelan, while members of the English press have lavished Carvalho with even more praise.

South London Press sports editor Richard Cawley branded the Portugal Under-21 international ‘absolutely unplayable’ earlier this season and news of his likely move to Liverpool could very well excite supporters.

In other news: ‘Told…’ – Big name journalist shares Salah update right out of the Liverpool ‘dressing room’, find out more here.

Dasun Shanaka will be Sri Lanka’s T20I captain until the end of the forthcoming T20 World Cup. The move to replace Charith Asalanka as captain in the format had been floated by the previous selection committee under Upul Tharanga, whose term expired this month. But new chief selector Pramodya Wickramasinghe confirmed that Shanaka would lead the team as he announced the preliminary squad for the tournament.”We decided that Dasun Shanaka should be captain until the end of the World Cup, after talking to head coach Sanath Jayasuriya as well,” Wickramasinghe said on Friday. “The previous committee had chosen a list of 25 players. We spoke to Jerome Jayaratne, the head of the high performance, as well as Sanath Jayasuriya. We decided to announce that same 25 as a preliminary squad for the World Cup.””We are looking at Dasun as an allrounder. We’ll have to talk to Sanath Jayasuriya and work out what is required of him.”Shanaka had been made stand-in captain for the tri-series in Pakistan last month, after Asalanka was sent home from that tour to recover from an illness, although standard protocol is to keep unwell players within the team for a minor illness of the kind Asalanka had. Sri Lanka had lost to Zimbabwe through the course of that tournament, but managed to earn qualification for the final, in which they were comfortably defeated by Pakistan.”For now we’ve got to continue with what the previous committee was doing,” Wickramasinghe said. “They had been following a plan. If I were to come in and change a lot of things, that would not be ideal. My plan is to keep this team together for the World Cup, and then see how best we can build after that.”Although sacked as captain, a job he had been doing since the last World Cup in mid-2024, Asalanka remains in the squad. It has been his modest form in the format that had helped prompt his ouster. Asalanka had hit 156 runs at a strike rate of 122 from 12 innings this year, and he has not had a history of being an outstanding T20I batter, with his overall strike rate at 126. He remains among the new selectors plans, according to Wickramasinghe.The preliminary squad also opened the door for the return of Niroshan Dickwella, who last played for Sri Lanka back in March 2023, and that in Tests. But Wickramasinghe said the wider squad wanted for a top order batter who could keep wickets, which has seen Dickwella come back into contention.Sri Lanka preliminary World Cup squad:Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Janith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Rathnayake, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Traveen Mathew.

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	Sudeep Tyagi claimed three wickets as Saurashtra stumbled to 93 for 7 chasing 162 © Cricinfo Ltd.

Shitanshu Kotak and the Saurashtra tail stood between Uttar Pradesh and a place in the Ranji Trophy final for the second time in three years. Saurashtra’s bowlers had given the side an excellent chance of going through by bowling UP out for 100 in the second innings and setting up a target of 162 but the batsmen, continuing the match trend of rank bad batting, threw away the advantage to end the day needing another 69 with three wickets in hand.Saurashtra have an uphill task, given that the match has an average score of 13.73 per wicket so far, but Sandeep Jobanputra and Sandip Maniar, the batsmen to follow, have shown an aptitude to stick around with a specialist batsman – Jobanputra scored 17 in the first innings and shared a 34-run ninth-wicket stand with Rakesh Dhurv. In any case the current 30-run eighth-wicket partnership between Kotak and Kamlesh Makvana is the highest in the innings so far.The wicket here at the Moti Bagh Stadium had a covering of live grass and a firm surface but didn’t warrant such a meek batting display. Saurashtra, in their second innings, belied the feeling that they couldn’t play worse than in the first and never looked like putting up a fight once they lost Jaydev Shah, their best batsman in the first innings, in the second over. Kanaiya Vaghela followed two balls later in similar fashion, edging behind to Amir Khan.Sagar Jogiyani and Cheteshwar Pujara looked like building a partnership and took the score to 25 before Pujara tickled one down the leg side to give the Tyagi-Amir combine its third success. In the next over Bhuvneshwar Kumar got Jogiyani, who had looked comfortable. That brought together Kotak and Nikhil Rathore and, as another partnership looked like building, Praveen Kumar produced a legcutter to take Rathore’s edge. Praveen Gupta followed it up with a good low catch off his own bowling to dismiss Rakesh Dhurv.Kotak, meanwhile, had seen off the early jittery period and nudged and late-cut his way to 41 by stumps. He waited for the last moment before playing a shot – then too only if necessary – and when he did so it was with soft hands. By the time Kotak took them to beyond the first-innings deficit, they had lost six wickets and one more followed soon after but that brought in Makvana. UP, thinking they were closing in on the win, opted for the extra half hour but the bowlers were perhaps too tired and failed to have any impact. It turned into the most comfortable period of play for Saurashtra, who added 17 in that period.UP’s batting began early in the day, Saurashtra’s two overnight wickets lasting 16 minutes to concede a potentially crucial lead of 61. Though UP had a better start to their second innings – making Saurashtra wait 10 overs for the first wicket – they showed their over-reliance on Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif. After Rohit Prakash was adjudged lbw, Suresh Raina once again started in a confident manner before letting it away for just 25. He got off with a beautiful cover drive, down on one knee, off Vaghela. In Vaghela’s next over, Raina pulled him for a six and pushed him out of attack. That was followed by a straight hit for four. Spin, in the form of Dhurv, was welcomed by dancing down to hit two boundaries in the first over. Then against the run of the play, Raina missed Makvana’s first ball – a full toss – and was adjudged lbw.That triggered the collapse as the spinners bowled a controlled line and length and let the wicket and the batsmen do the rest. Amir Khan was done in by an arm ball from Dhurv that he was late to react to. Ravikant Shukla, who had batted well in the first innings, was caught on the back foot as another arm ball took his edge and made its way safely to Kotak at slip. Kaif got one from Makwana that didn’t break, bounced more and took the glove on the way to the ‘keeper who, after some juggling, hung on to it. With two balls to go to lunch, Piyush Chawla played a poor shot and turned Jobanputra – brought on only for the last over before lunch – to midwicket.Five overs after lunch Praveen Kumar, all at sea against Dhurv, was beaten comprehensively and was bowled. Bhuvneshwar Kumar followed his first-innings effort with another sensible innings for close to an hour, but Dhurv’s big break was too good for him and bowled him. Rahat Elahi, the specialist batsman brought in to replace Tanmay Srivastava and who came in to bat at No. 9, stayed back to one that kept low and was beaten to give Dhurv his fourth first-class five-wicket haul.

Runako Morton, in search of an eighth first-class century, partnered Austin Richards for 212 runs © Getty Images

A maiden hundred from Austin Richards and an unbeaten 73 from Runako Morton put Leewards Islands in a healthy position on a rain-hit opening day against Windwards Islands at St Maarten. Electing to bat, Leewards closed on 213 for 1 thanks to the 212-run second-wicket stand between Richards and Morton.Rain delayed the start for just over an over, and when play began Leewards lost Codville Rogers leg before to Deighton Butler’s left-arm pace in the third ball of the innings. Richards and Morton denied the Windwards any further breakthrough and took their side to 62 for 1 at lunch and quickened the scoring rate after the interval.The rain returned to hold up play for 35 minutes in the second session, but it had little effect on the batsmen. Dropped by captain Rawl Lewis on 54, Richards moved to 96 with 15 boundaries before rain forced everyone off the field shortly before tea. The players resumed action later, and Richards soon pulled Kenroy Peters for four to reach three figures. Morton has so far faced 161 balls and hit six fours and a six.Despite a second first-class hundred from opener Brenton Parchment, Jamaica struggled on the first day of their final-round Carib Beer match against Trinidad & Tobago at St Elizabeth.Asked to bat first, Jamaica stumbled to 254 in the face of a disciplined bowling attack led by offspinner Amit Jaggernauth, left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed and fast bowler Ravi Rampaul.Parchment, 24, was the mainstay of the innings with a 195-ball 111, laced with ten fours and a pair of sixes, before he was ninth man out. With Lorenzo Ingram (29) he added 64 before Jaggernauth removed the other opener in the over before lunch, and a further 75 for the third wicket with Wavell Hinds, his captain, whose contribution was 38 from 58 balls.Hinds became Jaggernauth’s third victim when he chipped to mid-on at 142 for 2, and from here on T&T swung matters their way. Tamar Lambert (2), David Bernard (11) and Carlton Baugh (1) all fell cheaply as Mohammed and Rampaul joined the party. Jaggernauth claimed 4 for 99 to sustain his excellent form, Mohammed picked up 3 for 51 and Rampaul 3 for 62.Jamaica struck back just before stumps, however, when Jermaine Lawson bowled Lendl Simmons for 8 to leave T&T at 10 for 1.Three late wickets from Ryan Hinds, the left-arm spinner and captain of Barbados, caused a Guyana collapse on day one of their match at Bourda. Well placed at 276 for 5, Hinds’s strikes reduced Guyana to 285, with the last five wickets falling for just nine runs.Guyana were boosted by a 98-run third-wicket partnership between Sewnarine Chattergoon (68) and Assad Fudadin (49), and a 106-run stand for the fifth wicket between wicketkeeper Derwin Christian (54) and Azeemul Haniff (46), in his first season for Guyana since 2003. Ramnaresh Sarwan, the captain, was forced to retire on 18 when he was struck on the right thumb by Fidel Edwards.Hinds finished with 3 for 67, Edwards claimed three for 60 and Tino Best 2 for 55.

Keith Bradshaw: from Tasmania to St John’s Wood © Marylebone Cricket Club

Marylebone Cricket Club has appointed a 42-year former Australian first-class cricketer as its new secretary and chief executive. Keith Bradshaw will take up the reins in October, when Roger Knight’s 13-year stint comes to an end.Bradshaw, who played for Tasmania for three years between 1985 and 1988, and captained the state team when David Boon was away on international duty, has since forged a successful business career, including spells with both PriceWaterhouse and Deloitte, where he is a Partner.”We are delighted to have found Keith for this appointment,” said MCC chairman, Charles Fry. “He has all the attributes we were seeking. As well as having played first-class cricket in a highly competitive environment, Keith has a high level of commercial and management experience, which is essential for an organisation with a turnover of more than £23 million a year. Equally importantly, we believe that Keith has the right skills and personality for the task of leading one of the country’s largest members’ clubs.”A commitee member put things more simply when he said: “We needed someone who will not only be financially savvy but completely at home when talking cricket with ex-Test players.”Bradshaw himself was equally thrilled at his appointment. “I am delighted and extremely honoured to have been selected,” he said. “I have long regarded MCC as the finest, most active and most respected cricket club in the world. I am determined to play my part in maintaining its values, upholding its traditions and continuing to improve Lord’s – which is not only MCC’s home, but the spiritual home of world cricket.”The appointment of an overseas chief executive reflects MCC’s growing desire to cast off its traditional image. “MCC is a truly international organisation,” added Bradshaw, “which works for the good of the game right across the globe. It is fantastic, for example, that one of its teams is currently touring Argentina – playing some of the 500 or so fixtures that MCC arranges each year.”Lord’s hold a very special place in every cricketer’s heart and I know from my ownexperience that every young Australian who ever put on a pad aspires, as I did, to one daywalk through the Long Room on to the ‘hallowed turf’. This is true the world over. While I never fulfilled that dream as a player, I will be incredibly fortunate to start playing a part in keeping Lord’s truly special for players and spectators alike.”