MELBOURNE, March 7 AAP – Whatever happened to Brad Hodge during the last drinks break at the MCG here today, it certainly worked.The out-of-form Victorian No.4 transformed from a slow 16 to a blazing 68 in the hour before stumps as his side reached 4-245 t the close of the second day of the Pura Cup match against Western AustraliaWhether it was a refreshing drink, a message from the dressing room or just a decision on Hodge’s part to come out of his shell, he suddenly looked more like the batsman judged last summer’s Pura Cup player of the year.Jon Moss was also unbeaten on 18, with Victoria needing another 31 runs to take the first-innings points it desperately needs.Victoria and New South Wales had the same number of points going into their games this week, but the Blues will play Queensland in the Cup final if they stay deadlocked on Sunday because NSW has more outright wins.Victoria must have a better result over the next two days than the Blues.The home side will build a decent lead over WA tomorrow if Hodge can compile the decent score that has eluded him this campaign.After scoring four Cup centuries last summer, Hodge’s highest score so far this season is 96 last November against South Australia.WA resumed this morning at 9-262 and leg-spinner Cameron White soon wrapped up the innings to finish with 6-66.Openers Jason Arnberger (54) and Matthew Mott (61) had an opening stand of 107, but they were out in the space of 12 runs when they played poor shots and were caught.Left-arm spinner Beau Casson had 2-86, removing Mott and also No.3 Matthew Elliott for 25, but came in for some punishment from Hodge as the Victorian gained confidence.Hodge and Moss had put on 48 for the fifth wicket and the Bushrangers will expect them to take the score past the first-innings target on a slow, even pitch.

PERTH, Feb 28 AAP – New South Wales’ ambitions of making the Pura Cup cricket final lifted dramatically today as it moved towards outright points over Western Australia at the WACA Ground.WA was still in deep trouble at 3-216 in its second innings, despite a spirited unbeaten fourth wicket stand of 140 between Chris Rogers (89) and Marcus North (69).The Warriors still needed another 92 runs to make the Blues bat again at the end of the second day.And with second-placed Victoria struggling against Queensland at the Gabba, the Blues are on track to be equal points with the Bushrangers heading into the final round.The star-studded Blues are peaking at the business end of the season and look in ominous shape after securing the ING Cup trophy last Sunday.NSW host Queensland next week while Victoria play the Warriors at the MCG in what looks likely to decide the Bulls’ opponents for the final starting March 14.The Blues totally outclassed WA with some tight bowling and outstanding catching today while some undisciplined batting from the home side only aided the visitors’ cause.Resuming at 3-353, Steve Waugh closed the Blues’ first dig at 8(dec)-418 before dismissing the home team for a paltry 110.WA’s opening reply started disastrously, slumping to 3-28 at lunch after wicketkeeper Brad Haddin’s spectacular catch to dismiss Murray Goodwin (2) and captain Justin Langer’s (22) reckless stroke against burly Don Nash.The Test opener had hit a four over point the previous delivery and was attempting the same shot which flew into the safe hands of Mark Waugh in slips in the final ball of the session.Steve Waugh’s decision to bring on rarely-used medium pacer Greg Mail (4-18) proved an inspired one.The 28-year-old right-armer further stamped his mark on the match, backing up his 90 in the first innings with a four-wicket haul from just 6.1 overs.Mail had only bowled 15 overs in 26 first class outings before today, taking just two wickets for 51 runs.However his gentle out-swingers troubled WA after Stuart Clark (3-38) and Nash (2-28) had ripped through the top order.Forced to follow-on, Langer (33) came out in a hurry with his first seven scoring shots all boundaries in the second innings.But the left-hander again fell to NSW left-armer Doug Bollinger (2-36), who Waugh hinted before the match had the wood on the 59-Test veteran.Murray Goodwin (4) exited soon after but not before swinging his bat in disgust at his stumps after playing on to a Nash (1-8) delivery.ACB-contracted batsman Michael Hussey (12) continued a disappointing summer by feathering a catch down the leg side to Haddin for Bollinger’s second.However Rogers and North’s partnership handed WA a glimmer of hope at the end of an otherwise ordinary day for the Warriors.

Over the last eight years, anyone who has followed Pakistan’s cricket team has seen selectors run around in circles. Now, despairing over the performance of their senior players, youngsters have been inducted and this move given all sorts of fancy names, promising an ‘unprecedented’ entry into a ‘new era’.Yet again such an ‘unprecedented’ step has been taken. Observers are apathetic that PCB has now set a ‘precedent’ of taking these ‘unprecedented’ moves time and time again. I would, therefore, advise fans not to get too carried away with this latest hype of preparing a team for next world cup, because PCB has a habit of blowing hot and cold.In Pakistan cricket there are countless examples of injustices done to young players, they are tried for a game or two and if not an instant success, discarded for the seniors to come back in. How things will be any different this time only time will tell but assuming that to be the case I would like to mention a few areas where I disagree with Rashid Latif.First is the inclusion of Naved Latif – very strong through the leg-side but can hardly drive to the off, thus an incomplete batsman at the international level. Such is his emphasis on the leg-side that I’ve even seen him slog sweep at times from outside off in 4-day FC cricket. So, to what extent his game has changed after appearing in only 3 matches in the recently concluded FC Quaid-e-Azam trophy is yet to be seen.Second is the apparent emphasis on ‘bowling all-rounders’ – bowlers who can bat. I mentioned in my previous article that Pakistan actually needs batsmen who can bowl, not the other way around. Among the new comers there is only one batsman who can bowl and that is Mohammed Hafeez, a welcome addition but I do not understand the inclusion of Shoaib Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan for the following reason:When I last saw Shoaib Malik play in an ODI he did not seem capable of bowling more than 4-5 overs in a match. He has had to remove the controversial delivery that moves away from a right-hander after the ICC took action. As a result his effectiveness is questionable as I cannot see him included in the side as a specialist spinner or an all-rounder.If included, then he must be as a batsman, but would you prefer him ahead of Misbah-ul-Haq, Saeed Bin Nasir, Farhan Adil and others is open to question. He did do well in the domestic one-day NBP Patron’s Cup with bat recently, and I do not doubt his credentials but he should not be considered an all-rounder when it comes to team selection.Naved-ul-Hasan did debut in Sharjah and bowled a good spell. The only real previous outing he had was in Hong Kong sixes. He is very much an orthodox all-rounder, someone who can do a decent job with both bat and bowl. How effective he is in either of the two roles is yet to be seen but I do not understand the inclusion of orthodox all-rounders in the side. I firmly believe that in one-day cricket you either need a specialist batsman who can bowl or a specialist bowler who can bat. This to me is the new definition of an all-rounder.Every team in the world has tried orthodox all-rounders but then reverted to specialists. India used Ajit Agarkar who now sits out on the bench and instead Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag bowl the replacement overs. Australia tried Ian Harvey who is now mostly a reserve, Darren Lehmann and Andrew Symonds bowl 10 overs as the fifth bowler. Symonds’ case is interesting – started as an orthodox all-rounder but then developed his batting a lot. Similarly, South Africa has time and time again unsuccessfully tried out Nicky Boje who has not found a permanent place.There is a lesson to be learned here, for a player to be able to do a bit of both is not enough. Such ‘bits and pieces’ players can do well in one or two games but cannot be consistently relied upon with both bat and ball. Pakistan’s problem is more with batting and we should address that by including specialist batsmen who can bowl as well.Third area where I disagree with Rashid Latif is the exclusion of Saeed Anwar – gradually coming into his own in the world cup to be dropped only on the basis of not being around for the next one is beyond comprehension. Perhaps a decision taken in haste because I feel that the young openers could have learned a lot from him. Having an experienced batsman at non-striker’s end relieves a lot of pressure off young shoulders. Saeed could have easily been retired in a couple of years after helping prepare a new opening pair for Pakistan.

As Mumbai and Tamil Nadu toil in the morning sun at the Wankhede Stadium, Swamiji walks past me. He is not the kind of man you would expect to see at a cricket match. Lean and white-haired, he wears a cream satin lungi and kurta. An elegant red tilak adorns his forehead.Swami A Parthasarathy is a specialist in Vedanta. And yes, that has plenty to do with sport. Sportstars go to him regularly in an effort to become better at their game – Geet Sethi, former Billiards World Champion, paid him one such visit a short while back. But what draws him to cricket?To begin with, he used to play it. "I played cricket in my youth," he tells me, "and just when I had started to represent Madras in the early 1950s, I left it." He is 76, but looks anywhere from one to two decades younger. The secret of his vitality – and the area in which he has helped many sportsmen in his time: concentration."The human mind is always wandering," Swamiji – as he is known – tell me. "That affects concentration, which is vital for a human being and even more so for a sportsperson. Vedanta helps you concentrate better. What makes you lose concentration is the nature of the mind, which is constantly worrying about what happened in the past and anxious about what is going to happen in the future."In the process of controlling the mind, peace of mind is achieved. Swamiji elaborates: "players are very tense: thinking about past failures or future selections, the cricketer’s mind is always lost." He says that when there is peace of mind one becomes more productive.So what is the route to peace and productivity? Swamiji says: "At the Vedanta Academy in Malavli, in Maharashtra, we have developed this scientific course by which we try to teach the student to achieve the balance between peace and productivity."Swamiji has never worked with any particular cricketer individually, but he had conducted a session for Sourav Ganguly’s men during the India-Australia Test match at the Wankhede in 2000-01. He had spoken to them about the three Cs. "I told them how to concentrate, how to be consistent and how to cooperate with each other."What about sports psychologists? Don’t they teach players the same things? "They are mad men," Swamiji retorts, "some of the psychiatrists attend my sessions themselves." His face turns red, and before he can lose his peace of mind, I change the subject.In all his years of watching cricket, I ask him, how has cricket evolved? Swamiji says that during his time the cricket was more relaxed, but "unfortunately these days there’s a lot of money involved in professional cricket". He has no problem with cricketers earning money – but he feels that the financial stakes can make a cricketer anxious about his performance, and thus affect the way he plays.Swamiji says that there is scope for improvement even in a player like Sachin Tendulkar. "He [Tendulkar] is also a human," Swamiji says. "Where he differs from others is in his talent, but when it comes to concentration, he too needs to train more."

The Championship match between Glamorgan and Northamptonshire continued to be a realdogfight as Glamorgan after being bowled out for 220 fought back gamely to dismissNorthants for 172 to win by 55 runs with Michael Kasprowicz taking 6-72, including a spell of 4-39 bowling unchangedfor 14 overs after tea.The Australian`s fine bowling saw the Welsh county to their first Championship win of theseason and they were also indebted to a seasons best 73 from Jonathan Hughes and an unbeaten50 from Robert Croft, who astutely marshalled some tailend resistance, adding 80 forthe last two wickets with Michael Kasprowicz and Alex Wharf. In the end, these proved to bevital runs and with the conditions still helping the bowlers,this left Northants chasing a tricky target of 228.In the opening overs, it looked as if the gods were not smiling on Glamorgan. Firstly DavidHarrison, who had been so impressive on Saturday, was forced out of the attack after damaging afinger as his hand hit the stumps as he ran in to bowl his fourth ball. Then Kasprowicz hadboth of the Northants openers caught in the slips, but each time the big Queenslander hadoverstepped the crease.However, the luck change in Kasprowicz`s next over as he clean bowled Rob White, and then in thefollowing over he dismissed Hussey as the left-hander cut a ball into the hands of Dean Coskerin the gulley. Phil Jacques and Jeff Cook survived a few scares before Croft came on andimmediately had Cook well caught by Powell at first slip. After receiving treatment onhis hand, Harrison returned to the attack and removed David Sales as he attempted to flick one offhis legs.Northants took tea on 102-4, still needing 126 with six wickets in hand, but the gamedecisively changed complexion in then overs after the interval, firstly as Dean Cosker brilliantlyran out Mark Powell as the young batsman tried to scramble a single. Then Jacques who had reachedhis fifty with six fours and a six, edged Kasprowicz to the wicket-keeper Wallace as he attempted a cut .The lion-hearted seamer then claimed two more victims as he trapped Tobin Bailey leg before, andthen forced Carl Greenidge to spoon up a catch to Jonathan Hughes at short-leg. Kasprowicztook his sixth wicket when he clean bowled Ben Phillips, and then David Harrison returned to the attack,and with his very first delivery, he applied the coup de grace as Alex Wharf held onto a steepling catchas Nel holed out at mid-off to give Glamorgan a well deserved victory.Earlier, play had resumed with Glamorgan 78 runs ahead with six second innings wickets inhand. Hughes duly reached his half century of the season after strikingnine boundaries, but shortly afterwards he lost his partner Matthew Maynard whofell to a fine one handed catch by a diving Mark Powell at cover point.Five overs later Glamorgan lost their second wicket of the morning as Mark Wallacewas leg before shouldering arms to Andre Nel. But Hughes continued to playfreely and was two runs short of a career best when he was adjudged leg beforeplaying forward to Carl Greenidge. Only one run had been added when David Harrisonwas stumped as he advanced down the wicket to Jason Brown, to leave Glamorgan on140-8.As in the first innings Robert Croft defended resolutely, but the Glamorgan captainwas not afraid to punish any wayward deliveries. Kasprowicz also lent useful support,and the Australian mixed caution with aggression, striking Brown high over mid-wicketfor six.The pair had added fifty in 14 overs when in the third over after lunch Kasprowiczedged a delivery from Nel to the wicket-keeper, but any thoughts that Northants mayhave had over quickly finishing off the innings were dispelled by Alex Wharfwho flicked Phillips nonchalantly off his legs for a six over square-leg. Croft remainedresolute at the other end and reached a most deserved half century after over two hours at thecrease, glancing Nel for a single. But next ball Wharf edged Nel to Sales at first slip havingadded a valuable 30 for the final wicket with his captain to set up the run chase in the finalinnings.

Bangladesh cricket got a welcome boost with the news that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been handed a new stadium in the capital Dhaka.Until now the BCB has had to share the almost decrepit Bangabandhu National Stadium with a number of other sports organisations, and pitches had to be laid before major games. This not only proved extremely expensive, but also meant that players were unable to practise before matches.The BCB have been given the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, and the grant of US$500,000 which it was given by the International Cricket Council will be used to make the stadium the most modern in the country.The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium was built in the 1980s and, until now, has been used mostly used to stage athletics and football. Athletics meetings will now switch to the Bangabandhu National Stadium, while football will also get its own new venue at Kamalapur.

Within a day of Dennis Lillee’s accusation that the International Cricket Council (ICC) was placing television-generated revenues ahead of the interests of the game, Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the ICC, hit back, clarifying that all the measures taken by the ICC were only to develop the game further. Lillee had lashed out against at the ICC Future Tours Program, which forced strong teams like Australia to play against minnows like Bangladesh. However, Speed defended the system, citing past examples of minnows who struggled to arrange Test series against the established teams.”Dennis is winding two or three unrelated issues into one. Firstly, in relation to the schedule, the ICC Future Tours Program is driven by the desire to have all Test-playing countries play each other on a regular basis. This is to ensure that everyone has the chance to play at the highest level regularly.”Up until recently the smaller countries were at the mercy of the bigger nations. Zimbabwe is still yet to play a Test in Australia despite being a full member for 11 years. In 1995 Sri Lanka had no home Test and had just two the following year against Zimbabwe.”The ICC has already announced that it will review this program to ensure that it is still operating in the best interests of world cricket.Speed also clarified that the ICC didn’t make any money from the revenues generated from television coverage. “In relation to the money that is generated from these tours, apart from the ICC Cricket World Cup and other ICC tournaments, any television money from these series is paid directly to the home board, not the ICC. In the case of the Bangladesh tour, this is the Australian Cricket Board.”Though he expressed disappointment at Bangladesh’s lack of development as an international team, Speed pointed out that the need was to support Bangladesh cricket, not abandon it.”In relation to the performance of Bangladesh since they became a Test-playing country, I think everyone recognises that this has been disappointing. Only last week, the ICC president, Ehsan Mani, highlighted a number of steps that are being taken to assist Bangladesh lift its performance. This includes the prospect of reducing the amount of Test matches that it plays away from home.”I think Steve Waugh summed this up quite well when he said recently `You’ve got to give them opportunities and chances, and I think they have to get some help as well’. Like Steve, I also think Sri Lanka is a good example of what is possible. Only 10 years after starting Test cricket Sri Lanka won the ICC Cricket World Cup. It is time to provide Bangladesh with assistance rather than punish them." Lillee had earlier suggested a two-tier system, with teams like Bangladesh being relegated to the second rung in order to preserve the value of international runs scored and wickets taken.Speed continued: “The ICC’s mandate is to develop the sport as a global game and to protect the spirit of cricket. The steps that have been taken in ensuring that all teams are able to play each other and the assistance that is being given to Bangladesh both reflect this role.”

All Today’s Yesterdays – August 9 down the yearsAugust 8 | August 101992
The last day of Test cricket for David Gower, bowled for 1 by Waqar Younis in the second innings as Pakistan won by ten wickets at The Oval to take the series 2-1. In the previous two Tests, Gower had scored 73 and 31 not out – so there seemed to be something personal in Graham Gooch’s decision not to take him to India that winter, an omission that did England no good. Gower’s languidly brilliant shotmaking brought him 8231 Test runs, an England record broken shortly afterwards by … Gooch himself.1991
The day Ian Botham “just, just couldn’t quite get his leg over”. Botham’s hit-wicket dismissal against West Indies at The Oval sparked that comment from Jonathan Agnew, and a fit of hysterics in the Test Match Special box as Agnew and Brian Johnston fought an irresistible attack of the giggles. Johnston was still fighting for composure long after Agnew had given up the ghost, and the exchange has been replayed time and time again since.1977
As well as taking 143 Test wickets for England, Chris Old could bat a bit, as he showed in hammering a century in only 37 minutes for Yorkshire v Warwickshire at Edgbaston. He hit six sixes and 13 fours and scored his second fifty in only nine minutes.1976
In a typically powerful and merciless assault, West Indies captain Clive Lloyd scored an unbeaten 201 against Glamorgan at Swansea. Wisden called it “the fastest double century since Gilbert Jessop’s days in 1903”. In the next match of the tour, Lloyd’s side completed a 3-0 series win over England.1944
Birth of Terry Jenner, a Test legspinner who was best known for being hit on the head by England fast bowler John Snow at Sydney in 1970-71 but made a genuine contribution to Test cricket by recognising and nurturing the talent of Shane Warne.1965
Hostile fast bowler Peter Pollock completed his second five-wicket haul of the match to win the Trent Bridge Test. It was South Africa’s last Test victory in England until 1994.1926
Birth of Denis Atkinson, who took 47 Test wickets but is best remembered for his only Test hundred. Facing an Australian total of 668 at Bridgetown in 1954-55, West Indies were 146 for 7 when Atkinson was joined by Clairmonte Depeiza. Their stand of 347 was a record for the seventh wicket in first-class cricket. Atkinson scored 219 then took 5 for 65 to become the first to do that double in Tests. His brother Eric also played Test cricket.1946
Death of Ernie Vogler, one of the quartet of South African googly bowlers who toured England in 1907. The following winter, he took all ten wickets in an innings for Eastern Province – and his 36 wickets helped win the 1909-10 series against England. As far as Wisden can discover, he was the first batsman to be dismissed for a king pair in Test cricket, at Sydney in 1910-11. Some modern sources call him Bert – but one of his contemporaries, BJT Bosanquet the inventor of the googly, referred to him as Ernest.Other birthdays
1897 Ted Badcock (New Zealand)
1902 Edward “Nobby” Clark (England)
1911 Khurshed Meher-Homji (India)

A record-breaking stand of 125 in 24 overs for the 6th wicket between TrevorWard and Paul Nixon completely transformed Leicestershire`s floodlit match with Glamorganat Sophia Gardens. Although Ward was dismissed for 104, his partnersaw his side home with an unbeaten 67, with the doughty wicket-keeper hitting the winning runs offthe last ball as Leicestershire won by 3 wickets.The pair had come together with their side on 52-5, chasing 227 to win, after aremarkable early spell from David Harrison who took 4 wickets for 3 runs in thespace of 14 balls. His victims included the prolific Brad Hodge and captain PhilipDe Freitas, and with 175 runs still required from 34 overs, Glamorgan looked tobe in the box seat.But Ward and Nixon carefully milked the Glamorgan bowlers and rotated the strike to keep thescoreboard ticking over, and maintain the asking rate of 5 an over. Ward was also not afraid toopen his shoulders, and theirstand, a record in all one-day cricket against Glamorgan, turned the game around asWard reached his first League century of the season.Shortly after reaching three figures, Ward chipped Robert Croft into David Hemp`shands at mid-wicket, and the equation was 50 runs from the final 49 balls. JeremySnape then came in to give Nixon valiant support, and they added a further 44 runsbefore Snape was fortunate to survive an attempted run out in the penultimate overbowled by Adrian Dale.Andrew Davies returned to bowl the final over with 6 runs still required, and aftera scampered leg bye and a dot ball, Snape lofted the ball into the air and Hemptook another good running catch. However, the batsmen had crossed and Nixon was ableto loft the penultimate ball to the boundary fence to bring the scores level, beforehitting the winning runs off the final ball.Earlier , Michael Powell had made a career best 91* as the Welsh countytook first use of a slow Sophia Gardens wicket, and he anchored their innings of 226-7 afterhis side had slipped to 114-5 in the 30th over. He then shared a record 6th wicket partnershipfor Glamorgan against Leicestershire with Mark Wallace, adding 78 in 11 overs as the pair upped thetempo against a Leicestershire side whose fielding at times was rather laboured.Powell survived a sharp chance when on 48 and then recorded his third consecutivehalf-century before picking off some wayward bowling as Glamorgan scored 85 in thefinal 10 overs. During the course of his innings Powell also passed 500 runs for the season in thecompetition – the first time he has passed this landmark – and his 91* came from 92 balls with 8fours and a six.

The likelihood of India and Pakistan playing against each other regularly moved closer with the news that the Indian government has proposed a number of measures to its Pakistan counterpart in a bid to normalise relations between the two countries.At the moment Pakistan are scheduled to tour India in February next year, with India in turn visiting Pakistan 12 months later. But the strained political relationship has meant that sporting contact between the two countries has been almost non-existent of late, with the Indian government opposing sporting contact with the exception of multination tournaments. India last toured Pakistan for a Test series in 1989, when Kris Srikkanth was captain, while Pakistan’s last tour of India was in 1999.”Obviously, the government have decided now is the right time to restore cricket ties,”said Ratnakar Shetty, the joint secretary of the Indian cricket board. “We are happy for this.”And Rameez Raja, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief executive, welcomed the news, insisting that his board had always maintained that politics should not interfere with sporting ties. “I wholeheartedly welcome India’s decision to send its team to Pakistan. We are very delighted and appreciate that Indian government has put cricket first. The PCB has always maintained that sports and politics should not be mixed. To improve the relationship, there has to be a people-to-people contact and cricket can be a good medium. I remember in the 1989 Test at Lahore, people came from New Delhi and Amritsar – and likewise when Pakistan played in 1997 and then in 1999, people from Pakistan went to Chandigarh and other Indian cities.”Last month Rameez Raja attended an ICC meeting in Mumbai, but he refused to take the credit for India’s change of mind. “I went there as a sportsman, as Pakistan’s ambassador and the PCB chief executive. I did the convincing or lobbying as part of my duties as a sport-loving individual.”I want to put it on record that our Indian counterparts were also lobbying to in New Delhi for the revival of cricket, while our chairman and the ICC played their role at the ICC platform. I would like to say that it has been a collective effort.”India are scheduled to play three Tests and as many one-day internationals – but Rameez said he would like to see three Tests and five ODIs. “Our public has been starving to see India play in Pakistan for nearly 14 years. I think eight international matches would generate huge excitement and interest, while almost every centre will also get its due share.”Rameez said he hoped that the itinerary would be discussed during the next ICC executive board meeting, which is in Barbados on October 29.Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, welcomed the announcement . "The international cricket community is delighted with this positive step. The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is one of the great rivalries, not only in cricket but also in world sport, and the resumption of series between these countries is a boost for the game. I believe that these matches will help build greater understanding between the two countries."Mani praised the efforts of all parties involved in reviving the series. “The Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Pakistan Cricket Board have both worked hard to revive the series and I am very pleased that the Indian government has taken this step today. “