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Stuart Clark, the leading wicket-taker in the Ashes series, said he was still getting used to being part of the Australia team, having been nothing more than an observer during the 2005 Ashes. Clark, who claimed 16 wickets in the first three Tests of this series, said it was only last year that he was wondering if he would ever have an opportunity to play Test cricket.”I wake up every morning and pinch myself wondering is this really happening,” Clark told . “Mike Hussey and I went on an Australia A tour to Pakistan about 13 or 14 months ago and we were talking about playing just one Test, any Test, so we could get one of those baggy green caps that everyone else seems to have.”I look back now, as he does, and we don’t know quite what to think. It’s been the most amazing year or so; we can’t believe what we’ve done.” Clark said although he and Hussey had not been part of the 2005 Ashes loss, they knew as soon as they joined the side that regaining the urn was the team’s ultimate goal.”You could see it [the pain] and it never went without mention,” he said. “Over the past 15 months, every time we won a Test match it was all a build-up to [Monday] and winning them back. We spoke about it all the time. It hurt the whole of Australian cricket. It hurt the team more than anyone else but it hurt everyone who follows cricket in Australia because we had held on to the Ashes for so long.”While Clark’s series has been ideal, Australia’s least successful bowler in the past three Tests, Brett Lee, said he remained satisfied with his performance despite taking only eight wickets at an average of 58. “Look, it would be great to be getting five wickets every Test match, that’s what most bowlers set out to achieve, but you can’t really do that day in, day out,” Lee said.”You have to be a pretty good player to do that. Warney might be able to. I’ve just got to remain nice and patient. The most important thing out of this Test series is that I’m happy with the way I’ve been bowling. If I wasn’t happy with the way the ball’s coming out, well, then it would be a different story and it would be time to change a few things, but I’m happy with the way the ball’s coming out and that’s all I can ask of myself.”

VVS Laxman has termed the Eden Gardens pitch on which his Deccan Chargers lost their IPL opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders “shocking” and said the power failure towards the end of the match contributed to the defeat as it affected the players’ concentration.”It was not a good pitch for any form of the game. It was a shocking wicket,” said Laxman after Hyderabad were shot out for 110 on a track that provided a lot of assistance to both seamers and spinners. “In the Twenty20 format you expect high scores. Though the match became exciting in the end, it was tough for the batsmen to go for shots.”Ricky Ponting later revealed that the curator had apologised to both the teams at the end of the match. “It was a shocker for all of us,” he said in a television interview, “but the curator apologised to both the teams later. Hopefully it will be a better surface when we’re out here next.”After the first two days of the IPL was dominated by the bat, Eden Gardens provided a bowler-friendly surface. It has everything from extremely variable bounce – the first ball Laxman faced kept low while the third jumped viciously from a length to crash into his gloves – and big turn as Andrew Symonds found out when a Mohammad Hafeez delivery landed well outside off and spun past him down the leg side. Even local boy Sourav Ganguly struggled to come to terms with the pitch, getting hit on the chest from a length ball that took off.Laxman felt that the nature of the Eden Gardens track was changing. “I played here in the Ranji Trophy and also a Test sometime back. The wicket was slow on both occasions. I think you are not getting the wicket we expect at Eden.”Laxman also complained about the floodlight failure as the match was heading towards a tight finish. Kolkata needed 22 from 20 with five wickets in hand when one of the light towers went off, holding play up for about half an hour. When play resumed, David Hussey guided Kolkata to victory with one over to spare. “The interruption definitely affected us. The momentum was towards us. And the bowlers were in great rhythm,” Laxman said. “But having said that, I must say that the bowlers were in great rhythm when play resumed.”Hussey, whose unbeaten 38 fetched him the Man-of-the-Match award, played down the difficult nature of the track and admitted his side were helped by the interruption in play. “It was a good break for us,” he said. “We got to collect our thoughts, have a drink and re-adjust our game plans and that probably worked in our favour.”

Division Two

The game of the day – although, in truth, there wasn’t much competition – came at Taunton where Marcus Trescothick and Neil Edwards helped to hunt down 121 in the last session to help Somerset climb to the top of Division Two.But Trescothick injured his quad muscle and had to bat with a runner during his innings of 69. Nevertheless, he and Edwards batted with an Australian-like aggression to post 50 in the first five overs. In the end, their stand was worth 95, with Cameron White then anchoring as Trescothick saw them home with 69 from 42 balls.Earlier, Lance Klusener’s 122 led Northamptonshire‘s brave battle to hold out for the draw. Starting with three down and trailing by 161 runs, Northants lost three quick wickets and were in some trouble at 120 for 6. Then came a remarkable seventh-wicket stand of 173 between Klusener and Alex Wakely, who added 66. Johan wan der Wath contributed 37 as Northants reached 358 to make Somerset bat again.Andrew Caddick ended with 4 for 91 in the second innings, to finish with seven wickets this match. He now has 46 in his nine Championship matches this term.Two days of rain at Trent Bridge, rendered Nottinghamshire‘s match with Gloucestershire a draw, as Somerset eased past them to the top. Notts moved on from 271 for 4 to 400 for 8 – David Hussey moving on to 180 and Chris Read made 52 – before Gloucestershire declared after the first ball to bring an early finish.

Division One

A similar story at Edgbaston where, also after two rained-out days, Yorkshire had to settle for a draw with Warwickshire. In another parallel, Yorkshire made 400 before declaring (with nine down). Anthony McGrath was left unbeaten on 188. Warwickshire eased to 254 for 2 in reply, Darren Maddy not out on 135 and there were fifties too for the Ians Westwood (51) and Bell (65). Yorkshire gained enough bonus points to squeeze ahead of Sussex at the top of the table.Division One

Division Two

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Younis Khan lodged himself firmly between India and a series triumph on the final day of the second Test at Eden Gardens, leading his side to an unlikely, morale-boosting draw. Younis, standing in as captain for the injured Shoaib Malik, hit his 15th Test hundred and fifth against India, accepting help from a familiar face as he kept Pakistan alive to fight another day. A 136-run partnership with Mohammad Yousuf dragged them from peril to safety, both captains calling it a day at 214 for 4 with half an hour of play left.India were disappointingly lethargic, except for brief periods in the afternoon or when Anil Kumble was involved. Kumble had brought the game alive in the afternoon, with two wickets. But as the two Y’s came together with another century partnership – their ninth – even Kumble’s tenacity wasn’t to be enough.Younis especially was determined: as captain, his side had to be rescued and following low scores against his favourite opponent, here was the perfect opportunity to rectify that. He was also familiar with the situation, having faced similar ones against South Africa recently. So familiar in fact that he graced the occasion with a third hundred in four Tests, each of them in the fourth innings of a Test.It says much about his character and his batting that you can’t call the innings a dogged, dour rearguard. There was much studious defence, but he never dawdled. What runs were on offer, were gladly taken. Having arrived in the first over after lunch, he brought up his fifty in the last over before tea.After it, he seemed to speed up, pulling Zaheer Khan to bring up the fifty stand and continued in much the same manner through the session. Only Kumble posed a serious challenge, troubling him with googlies and trapping him plumb when in the 90s (Rudi Koertzen disagreed) but even he was driven and cut for pleasing boundaries. No shot better captured the innings than the reverse-sweep which brought up his hundred: defiant, unbowed and positive.Yousuf meanwhile helped himself back into some form. He was unusually quiet to begin with, recognition of the pressure of the Test and his own lack of runs. But a fluid punch through point off Munaf Patel eased him gently into the role of Younis’s second fiddle, one in which he didn’t falter. By tea, he was set and after it was rarely hassled, choosing occasionally to stroke a cover drive, but opting generally to pat balls back.

India helped them with a surprisingly inert display after tea. The inactivity was captured best by the inside edge on to Yousuf’s pad, which looped up in the air, barely a foot from two close-in fielders. Bizarrely, neither made even an attempt. Harbhajan Singh, the bowler, complained rightly, but perhaps not too much for he was flat through much of the day, mirroring Danish Kaneria’s disappointing last-day performance at Delhi. He searched constantly, for the right angle, the right line, the right length, but fruitlessly.Only Kumble it was who pushed and it was because of him India had a sniff at all. They had declared almost an hour into the morning, setting Pakistan 345 runs or 81 overs to survive. Zaheer got rid of Yasir Hameed before Kumble took over.Second ball after lunch, Kamran Akmal was bowled by a rare, fair-spinning leg-break. The situation thereafter was made for Kumble: no real chance of the opposition chasing, a fifth-day surface and nervy batsmen naturally keen to push on, trying instead to defend. The appearance of threat was there in every ball, even if the actuality of it wasn’t. Fielders encircled batsmen as a lynch mob might an unfortunate, dust flew up off the pitch, and Kumble was the centre of all focus.Even though nothing happened for nearly an hour after that breakthrough – Harbhajan as much as a cussed Salman Butt to blame – Kumble was not to be denied. Coming round the wicket, he soon trapped Butt. He then replaced Harbhajan with Munaf Patel just after mid-day drinks, who produced in his first over what seemed then to be a pivotal moment. It was touched by genius as well, a slow off-break that nevertheless turned sharply enough to go through the defences of Misbah-ul-Haq, leaving Pakistan rocking at 78 for 4.Both Patel and Kumble sniffed away, but it wasn’t to last and as tea approached Younis and Yousuf dug themselves in. There they would stay after it, despite Kumble’s best efforts.

Virat Kohli, the captain of India’s Under-19 squad for the World Cup, may still be in his teens but he’s already aware of the kind of spotlight an Indian cricketer faces when playing on the international stage. As the team prepared to depart for Malaysia, Kohli said India were “expected to be favourites” and hoped to fulfill those expectations – backed by a strong batting line-up and a bolstered attack – during the 15-day tournament.The squad spent the last week at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, fine-tuning their preparations under the guidance of Dav Whatmore, who will be their coach for the tournament. Kohli said the team had worked hard on their fielding skills, which he felt needed to be improved, during the camp and the time spent together had helped build team-spirit.India have had a successful run in the lead-up to Malaysia. They won a Youth Test series in South Africa 1-0 as well as a triangular limited-overs tournament involving South Africa, who are grouped with India in the World Cup, and Bangladesh. The batsmen performed impressively in the tri-series, with Kohli, Saurav Tiwary, Tanmay Srivatsava and Manish Pandey all averaging above 50.”We have a deep batting line-up and most often our No.7 and No.8 batsmen have not had a chance to bat on the last two or three tours. So batting is a big strength,” Kohli said. “The fast bowling was lacking on the last tour so we’ve got more fast bowlers to strengthen that area.”India’s group also includes West Indies and Papua New Guinea and their practice-matches before the main tournament kicks off will be against two teams Kohli considered among the toughest in the competition – New Zealand and England.”We know most of the England team and the New Zealand team, which are the difficult teams. We don’t know much about Pakistan because I think the team has changed. But we’ve seen South Africa, England and New Zealand which are the strongest teams, so we know about them.”For most of the team, the World Cup will be their first experience of playing in front of a television audience. Kohli, however, said that thinking about factors such as television would only add to the pressure. “You don’t have to think about it much,” Kohli said. “We just have to play like we have been playing on the last four or five tours. We’ve been winning all the tours so we would like to keep up the winning streak.”While Kohli and his team-mates are thinking of the immediate future, and how it could be the launching pad for future international careers, their coach is able to look at the larger picture. The challenge, Whatmore said, was to “create the right pathways and competitions for the youngsters to come through.”

Opening batsman TS Prasad hit 111 and shared a century partnershipwith Arjun Kumar for the fifth wicket as Andhra ended the second day’splay in the KSCA Coca Cola Trophy (under-25) match against Goa inBangalore on Monday with a score of 285 for five wickets.Overnight rain prevented a prompt start and play got underway only at2.10 pm. Resuming at 101 for two, Andhra lost Balaji Krishna (15) withthe score on 108. Raj Kiran (25) helped Prasad add 48 runs for thefourth wicket. Then Prasad and Arjun Kumar came together and added 126runs off 30 overs. Prasad, who had batted patiently was finally out inthe 80th over with the total on 282. He batted 316 minutes, faced 233balls and hit ten of them to the ropes. Arjun Kumar however camethrough unbeaten with 70 at stumps. He faced 99 balls and hit sixfours and a six.

Glenn McGrath believes no side will threaten Australia in their push for a third successive World Cup, provided the defending champions keep up their current form. McGrath, who is poised to become the leading wicket-taker in World Cup history, said Australia had the ability to win every match in the tournament, as they did in 2003.”If we go and play the way we have I can’t really see any team getting close to us,” he told . “In any Australian sport it seems that attitude is carried right across the board.” McGrath said his confidence was genuine, like when he correctly tipped a 5-0 win in the Ashes a few months ago.”I don’t say anything I don’t believe,” he said. “We’ve been so successful over such a long time, we know how to win, what we’ve to do.”He said the experience within the squad was a major factor in their belief. McGrath and Ricky Ponting have each played in the last three World Cup finals, Adam Gilchrist in the last two, while Andrew Symonds, Brad Hogg and Matthew Hayden also tasted success in the 2003 decider.”When you walk on the field you just have to look around you, the guys that are walking with you,” McGrath said. “There are some amazing players, some of the greats of all time. It does give you a lot of confidence.”McGrath has 54 World Cup wickets from his four campaigns and is one short of Wasim Akram’s tournament record. However, McGrath said winning a third successive title with his team-mates was his main aim.”Guys like Akram are sort of heroes of mine,” McGrath said. “He is known as one of the best bowlers of all time. To finally go past him, if I get a couple of more wickets, that would be something special. It’s nice to get little milestones along the way but they are not the be-all and end-all.”McGrath, who is farewelling international cricket after the World Cup, said he had no regrets about retiring and spending more time with his wife Jane, who has had cancer and a brain tumour. “If it was just about playing, I think I could continue all the time,” he said.”It’s everything else that goes with it. The travel, the training, you name it, the time away from Jane and the kids. So I’ve been lucky enough to have 14 years at the top level so it’s my turn to move on.”McGrath has the chance to break Akram’s record when Australia take on Bangladesh in Antigua on Saturday. Should Australia win it will be their 17th consecutive victory in World Cup matches.

Harbhajan Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who missed the mandatory fitness tests prior to their inclusion for the first two Tests against South Africa, will undergo the procedure at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on March 21.Both Harbhajan and Dhoni were included by the selectors in the 14-member squad, and were asked to report to the NCA for fitness tests on March 21. Harbhajan was a doubtful starter for the series since he had been suffering from a hamstring injury, while Dhoni had sprained his finger during the second final against Australia in the CB Series.If Dhoni doesn’t clear the test, Dinesh Karthik will take up the wicketkeeping duties, while Harbhajan’s absence may pave the way for Piyush Chawla to take over the second spinner’s role behind captain Anil Kumble. Fast bowler Ishant Sharma has already been ruled out of the first Test, and his selection for the second is subject to fitness.Sachin Tendulkar is another member of the 14-man squad who has not taken the test. According to new BCCI norms, players who have been out of action for a month need to prove their fitness at the NCA ahead of any series. Although Tendulkar had taken part in the CB Series earlier this month, he had been advised two weeks’ rest by John Gloster, the outgoing team physio. However, Tendulkar later said he was fit to take part in the series.

Pakistan 147 for 4 (Nazir 59) beat New Zealand 143 for 8 (Gul 4-15) by six wickets
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

New Zealand’s least-favourite claim to fame is their status as cricket’s most reliable semi-finalists. In five of the nine World Cups they have reached that stage of the tournament and gone no further, and that pattern was repeated in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20.Chasing 144 for a place in the final, a late wobble from Pakistan’s middle-order wasn’t enough to turn the match back in New Zealand’s favour. Imran Nazir led the assault with a 41-ball 59, adding 60 in seven overs with Mohammad Hafeez, before the captain, Shoaib Malik, sealed the match with a six with seven balls remaining.New Zealand’s participation in this match was unexpected to say the least – South Africa’s astonishing capitulation against India at Durban on Thursday gave them a lifeline, and for much of the match it looked like they were still clinging to it. Pakistan’s bowling was accurate and committed throughout, with Umar Gul outstanding with 3 for 15 in his four overs, and when their own turn came to bat, Nazir and Hafeez flogged the new ball with such gusto that Pakistan were always ahead of the rate.All the same, New Zealand contributed immensely to their own downfall. Ross Taylor enduring a particularly high-profile shocker – while batting he managed to run out both Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond with his non-existent calling, and later in the field he dropped Nazir on 44 at mid-off as Jacob Oram came into the attack.It proved to be a pivotal miss – Nazir smacked two sixes before the over was out to reduce the requirement to 49 from 48 balls with nine wickets in hand, and not even the loss of three wickets in 13 balls could derail their momentum. Nathan McCullum later missed Shoaib in the deep with five runs still to get, but New Zealand’s day in the field was summed up when Lou Vincent was cracked on the back of the head by a pinpoint shy from deep cover. It was an uncharacteristically ragged display all round.Take nothing away from Pakistan, however, whose cartwheeling celebrations at the moment of victory summed up the spirit that has carried them to the final. They dominated the match from the very first over, when Mohammad Asif once again set their agenda with his tight line, length and nip off the seam. Though New Zealand’s openers, Vincent and Brendon McCullum, survived the test to add 50 for the first wicket, they were never able to break the shackles.An untimely rain-break sealed New Zealand’s fate. Vincent fell just nine balls after the resumption, superbly caught by the bowler, Fawad Alam, as he drilled the ball back down the pitch, and McCullum followed soon afterwards for 26, as he swung lustily at a low long-hop from Afridi, and was pinned lbw dead in front of middle stump.Scott Styris thumped a four and a six in his first seven balls before picking out Tanvir with a lofted drive to deep point, and two balls later, Peter Fulton slapped a length delivery to cover. Craig McMillan went for broke and holed out to long-off for 12, as did Oram, who swished across the line and was caught behind off Gul. Taylor’s running then did for the next two batsman, and though he made some amends by taking 17 off Asif’s final over, New Zealand’s total of 143 for 8 never looked like being enough.In response, New Zealand’s bowlers were off the pace – most notably Shane Bond, who was flogged for a first-ball four by Hafeez and was later picked up off a good length over midwicket. Mark Gillespie leaked three boundaries in his first over as well, and at 54 for 0 after six overs, Vettori had no option but to bring himself into the attack at the earliest opportunity. He was as tight and probing as ever with his subtle variations, but Nazir picked the right balls to take on, and both Vettori and Scott Styris were lofted into the stands.Styris made a timely breakthrough when Hafeez went down to sweep his first delivery and was adjudged lbw, but Pakistan were unruffled. They had progressed to 96 for 1 by the time Nazir fell to Jeetan Patel – also lbw – and not even the loss of Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi in quick succession could stop them. Shoaib and Misbah-ul-Haq combined to pick off the remaining 37 runs, and Pakistan’s joy at the finish was unfettered.

Jersey will host the ICC World Cricket League Division Five (WCL Div. 5) tournament in 2008.The ICC’s decision follows a recent visit to the island by a development team to inspect the country’s suitability for promotion to Associate membership, which will be voted on at the ICC Annual Conference at Lord’s in June.Jersey has been an Affiliate Member of the ICC since June 2005 and as such is one of the more recent additions to the ICC’s Development Program. Selection to host this global event is recognition of the successful developments that the Jersey Cricket Board (JCB) has achieved over the past two years since gaining membership.The largest of the Channel Islands, Jersey is located off the north coast of France and has a population of around 90,000 people. Approximately 3,500 participate in the game in Jersey. There are six grounds with turf squares on the island, which play host to a league structure made up of more than 40 teams competing across two weekend divisions, three evening league divisions and two indoor league divisions. There are also a further 47 teams that compete at junior level.Chris Minty, JCB’s director of cricket, said: “This is tremendous, not only for Jersey cricket, but also for Jersey. We are looking forward to the challenges that this will present and will be doing all we can to ensure it is a successful tournament.”Keith Dennis, chairman of the JCB, commented: “We feel very proud and honoured that the ICC has awarded this big tournament to Jersey and it’s a tribute to the structure we have in place here and, of course, our facilities, together with support from our local government and sponsors. This has created the opportunity to be in a position to host such a tournament and we are looking forward to it.”The WCL Divison 5 is scheduled to take place sometime in May or June of 2008, but the exact date is yet to be confirmed. Originally planned to be an eight-team event, a recent decision at the ICC Development Committee meeting earlier this month opted to expand the league to include 12 teams – Botswana, USA, Afghanistan, Norway, Nepal, Singapore, Jersey, Mozambique, Bahamas, Germany and two teams yet to qualify from the East-Asia Pacific region.The WCL is made up of five divisions with the Europe region contributing eight teams to the overall event: Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland (Division 1), Denmark (Division 2), Italy (Division 3), Norway, Jersey and Germany (Division 5).ICC Regional Development Manager for Europe Richard Holdsworth said: “Jersey’s excellent facilities and administration will ensure this is a memorable event for those countries participating. This will do the game of cricket a tremendous service in Jersey.”The top two teams from the Division 5 tournament will progress to WCL Division 4 which is a six-team round-robin event to be staged in late 2008 at a venue yet to be confirmed.