Baroda facing Gujarat in the Ranji One-Day West Zone League at theAlembic ground won the toss and elected to bowl first. Baroda bowlersH Ali (4/33) and Rakesh Patel (3/21) made merry of the conditionssending Gujarat batsmen packing for 117 in 38.2 overs. Skipper PathikPatel (36) returned unbeaten.Bhavin Mehta gave Gujarat a hint of an upset victory when he hadopeners Connor Williams (16) and Atul Bedade (16) stumped bywicketkeeper Pallav Vora. Jacob Martin ( 2) followed soon, holing outto skipper Pathik Patel off Bhavin. Baroda were 84 for four at onestage but veteran Tushar Arothe (40 not out) stuck to his task andguided Baroda to a comfortable six wicket victory in the 28th over. Hehit six boundaries in his patient innings.

Philip Weston’s application and Andy Bichel’s stroke-play ensuredWorcestershire had the better of the opening day at Bristol.After winning the toss the visitors closed on 298-6, with Bichel unbeaten on71, having lifted the scoring rate by making his runs off just 90 balls,with 11 fours and a six.Until the Australian’s arrival, it had been a day of steady accumulation forWorcestershire on an easy-paced pitch, which offered little encouragement toGloucestershire’s bowlers.James Averis bowled a good ten-over spell of 2-27 with the new ball,removing Anurag Singh and Graeme Hick, who was caught behind down theleg-side after his one scoring shot had brought a boundary to third-man.Weston dug in to compile his best Championship score for two years, sharingstands of 55 with Vikram Solanki (30) and 103 with David Leatherdale, whocontributed 45.The left-handed opener had made 83 off 249 balls, with 10 fours and astraight six off Jeremy Snape, when the drive which had brought most of hisboundaries let him down and offered a slip catch off Jon Lewis, with thetotal on 209.Kadeer Ali fell cheaply having laboured for more than an hour for his fourruns. But Bichel provided the most fluent batting of the day in the finalsession, with Steve Rhodes content to play a supporting role in an unbrokenstand of 46.Gloucestershire stuck to their task, with lanky seamer Mike Cawdronreturning the miserly figures of 1-39 from his 24 overs.

Australia are set to launch their Ashes tour with a crushing win overWorcestershire at New Road. By the close they led by 424 runs with six second innings wickets remaining.The rampant tourists continued their total domination after piling up a188-run first innings lead and opting to gain further batting practice bynot enforcing the follow-on.Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Mark Waugh and Michael Bevan all tookadvantage of their chances against a largely second-string Worcestershireattack.Hayden and Ponting both made 65 with Waugh cracking 48 and Bevan 34.Hayden and Waugh set the scene for the run bonanza with an openingpartnership which yielded 103 in 19 overs.It finally came to an end when Hayden was bowled by Mathew Rawnsley after stroking ten fours off 63 deliveries. When Ponting finally fell he had blasted one six and 11 fours off 62 balls.Earlier, six of Worcestershire’s wickets had been shared by pacemen NathanBracken (3-29) and Glenn McGrath. He picked up 3-31 against his formerteam-mates who were removed in 63.4 overs for 163.Worcestershire were particularly grateful to opener Anurag Singh for giving an air of respectability to their score after they had resumed on 50-1.The 25-year-old made an accomplished 62 to register his maiden first-classhalf-century for Worcestershire following his winter move from rivalsWarwickshire.Along the way he put on 42 in 14 overs for the fourth wicket with David Leatherdale (22).

The Netherland’s chances of qualifying for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa took a major blow when star batsman Bas Zuiderent announced his unavailability for the Toronto qualifying tournament. Zuiderent has been playing for Sussex in the UK this year, and has shown signs of maturing into a top class player. He made his maiden first-class hundred against Nottinghamshire, and is averaging 30 in first-class matches. He is also averaging nearly 40 in limited overs matches with another fine century. As one of the few players in the ICC Trophy regularly playing first-class cricket, there is little doubt that he would have been one of the stars of the tournament, and with his absence, the Netherlands may struggle in a tough group, where they will face first-seeded Scotland, and hosts Canada.The Netherlands Cricket board had reached agreement with Sussex earlier this year, and the county was willing to release him for the duration of the tournament. Zuiderent however, has made a personal decision and feels his cricket career will be furthered by remaining with Sussex and building on the fine start he has made to the season.The 24 year old right hander played in the 1996 World Cup as a teenager (many will recall a fine half-century against England), and has been a regular for the Dutch National team ever since.Thanks:: Louis van Dompselaar

The three-day first-class friendly match between Zimbabwe A and the West Indian tourists at Kwekwe Sports Club ended in a tame draw, as the tourists concentrated on batting practice. Three of their batsmen came close to scoring centuries, only to fall at the final hurdle, but they did provide good light entertainment for a small weekday crowd, mainly comprising schoolchildren.The West Indians began the day 57 runs ahead with all their second-innings wickets standing. Daren Ganga and Chris Gayle found no fears in the pitch or the bowling and it came as a surprise when, after twenty minutes’ play, Ganga (19) came down late on a full-length delivery from Travis Friend and played the ball on to his stumps to end an opening stand of 48.Gayle continued to bat with great fluency, contemptuously pulling anything short to the boundary with time to spare. He reached his fifty with a huge six over the sightscreen at long-on off the out-of-form Mluleki Nkala, and hit another next ball. Bryan Strang was still absent with an injured hand, a memento of his fifty the previous day – he expects to be fit if selected for the First Test – so the home side had a seriously depleted attack.Gayle continued his onslaught until he reached the eighties, whereupon he slowed down in anticipation of his second century of the match and third in succession. Chanderpaul (17) was out to a sharp return catch by Barney Rogers, while Gayle, completely changing his game, crawled to 99 and was then out to a low catch at short extra cover off Rogers, failing to reach a memorable achievement by just one run.Ramnaresh Sarwan enjoyed a brisk innings of 43 before being caught at short leg off the occasional left-arm spin of Gavin Rennie. Then Marlon Samuels and Carl Hooper, with some good clean straight hitting, knocked the spinners out of the attack. Hooper raced to his 50 off 39 balls, reaching the landmark with a fierce lofted drive for four over extra cover. Samuels, overshadowed for a while, later blossomed to match his captain, and both batsmen looked set for centuries when a mix-up led to Samuels being run out by Raymond Price for 84. The fifth-wicket partnership was worth 175.Hooper too fell frustratingly short, also run out, for 95 while attempting a quick single to Hamilton Masakadza at short fine leg for the benefit of Neil McGarrell on the stroke of tea. West Indies, clearly more intent on batting practice than the possibility of victory, were 370 for six at tea and batted on afterwards. As Ridley Jacobs was down with flu, they were probably not too keen to field anyway, but experience so far on this tour suggested that the tail, boasting Colin Stuart at number nine, were not likely to pay more than a flying visit.This time they did hang around for longer than usual, almost an hour, perhaps under instructions to see if they could prevent the West Indians from having to take the field again. The final total was 395, 424 ahead, with Jacobs absent ill, and a maximum of 21 overs left for play. Gayle kept wicket as Zimbabwe A scored 55 without loss before the match was called off.

After seeing his side end the day on 385 for 9, 65 ahead of Lancashire, Somerset Coach Kevin Shine said: “It was an excellent day for us; good fighting cricket on a wicket where the ball was turning a lot.”Peter Bowler, Jamie Cox, Rob Turner, Ian Blackwell and Mike Burns all batted well for us, and at the end there was a super little knock by Matt Bulbeck and Steffan Jones.”Looking forward to Saturday the caoch went on: “Tomorrow we will be hoping that the last pair can stay together to get us past 400 to gain maximum batting points.”He added: “Keedy and Schofield bowled well for them, and the wicket is not getting any better. We have two spinners in our team and will be looking to get as many runs as possible so that we don’t have a nasty little run chase at the end.”

HOVE, England – Steve Waugh is working around the clock in a determinedbid to overcome his torn calf muscle in time for the fifth and finalAshes Test against England at The Oval.Waugh, 36, taken from the field on a stretcher during Australia’sseven-wicket triumph at Trent Bridge last weekend, threw away hiscrutches two days later to the astonishment of his team-mates.Desperate to play one last Test in England before retiring in a coupleof years, the Australian captain is having up to eight hours ofultrasound, hydrotherapy, bike work and massage every day.England batsman Graham Thorpe took seven weeks to return from a pulledcalf at the beginning of the summer but Waugh, with two tears to hisleft calf, is desperate to make a more hasty recovery.He will skip this weekend’s trip to Belfast to have more treatment withteam physiotherapist Errol Alcott in Birmingham before linking with thesquad in Leeds on Sunday night.The first Test starts in Leeds next Thursday.”My priority is to get right again and I really don’t have a time frameon that,” Waugh said.”I’m in the best hands in the business in Errol Alcott and by being hereI’m ensuring I get intense treatment, plus pool and bike work.”I have to be cautious about my chances of returning for The Oval but atthe same time I’m maintaining an optimistic outlook.”When I did the injury I gave myself a nought per cent chance of beingback for The Oval and while I’ve improved since then, I still have togive myself only a tiny chance of being right.”Alcott gave a similarly non-committal assessment but refused to discountthe possibility of Waugh making a miracle recovery.Adam Gilchrist will lead Australia in the fourth Test at Headingley.”Steve is having constant treatment and doing everything possible withinthe boundaries of what we will allow to make as quick a recovery as hecan,” said Alcott.”He’s got a huge mountain in front of him, but if there’s anyone willingto try and climb it, it is him.”He just wants to do all the treatment possible and see what happens.”He’ll do what we tell him every day, put in the work.”That’s all he can do.”He has improved, but there are two tears and there’s only so much youcan achieve in such a short time frame.”Asked if Waugh was a genuine chance of playing at The Oval from August23, Alcott said: “I wouldn’t like to say.”Time is obviously the factor here – there’s very little when you lookat it realistically.”But he is a tough man and it takes a brave one to write him off tooquickly.”Australia travels to Belfast on Saturday morning for a one-day gameagainst Ireland on Sunday.The second day of the three-day game against Sussex today was wrecked byrain.Only 13 overs were bowled as Australia reached 2-86 in reply to theSussex first innings of 4(dec)-355.Michael Slater and Mark Waugh hammered 67 runs from the brief day,reaching 46 and 32 respectively from their overnight scores of 16 andnought.More rain is forecast.

Irked by the pressure tactics of the two continental cricket bodiesregarding participation in the Asian Test Championship, some seniorBoard of Control for Cricket in India members demanded that thecountry pull out of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).Taking exception to the recent statements of the ACC and Asian CricketFoundation (ACF) that if the Indian government failed to clear itsteam, the championship would be held without India, senior BCCImembers said the Board should not hesitate to withdraw from the ACCitself.Putting pressure on the government or blaming it for non-clearancewould be detrimental to the game in the country, senior board memberstold PTI in New Delhi.According to them, the government is in the process of clearing theteam but ACF’s threats that the tournament would be held withoutIndia, could not be tolerated, they said adding “if it comes to that,the BCCI should withdraw from the ACC itself”.Maintaining that the country’s pride and prestige should takeprecedence over matters of playing cricket against any country, theyquestioned ACF’s decision to go ahead with the tournament withoutIndia.”We are at a loss to understand as to how ACF could take a decisionwithout involving BCCI” they said adding “the venues for theChampionship have not yet been finalised at all nor (has) the ACFresponded to BCCI’s letter of objection that Bangladesh should not bethe venue for the final of ATC”.They said BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele had written to ACF as early asJune 20 and so far the ACF has not responded with its decision inwriting. Lele has objected to Dhaka being the venue for the final andstated that it should be played in either of the countries figuring inthe final match.The ACF has given time to the BCCI till Monday afternoon to get thegovernment’s clearance for India’s participation in the Championship.The Board members expressed optimistic that the government was likelyto clear the Indian team’s participation in the ATC but said suchpressure tactics by the ACF would mean that the Asian body has norespect for the BCCI, one of the founder members of the ACC and also along term full member of the International Cricket Council.Based on these credentials of BCCI, the Indian cricket administrationshould not hesitate to withdraw from the Asian Cricket Council, theysaid.

Looking forward to the final two matches at The County Ground, Chief Executive Peter Anderson told me, “Whether we survive in the top division of the National League will all depend on the final match of the season against Northamptonshire Steelbacks on Sunday. The weather could well play a part in the situation. We have made representation to England Coach Duncan Fletcher to see whether or not Andy Caddick can be released to play for us, which would be a tremendous boost.”Regarding the County Championship match which starts on Wednesday he said, “We have to take 5 points from the Championship game to be certain of securing second place, which we are hopeful of doing. This would round off a pretty good season for us.”

WP who normally open their program with a few away matches to avoid rainy weather in early October have been drawn to play Easterns in Cape Town from 5 October to 8 October.With record rainfall over Newlands in August and September this year WP management will decide on Monday if the match will be played at Newlands or move the match to a lower catchment area like the Bellville Cricket Club. This has been confirmed by WP CEO Arthur Turner.