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Maia Lewis will captain the New Zealand Women’s team in next month’s Rosebowl Series against their Australian counterparts and will also lead their pursuit of defending the World Cup to be played in South Africa in March and April this year. Rachel Pullar and Emily Drumm returned to the squad after a break and will bolster the squad with their experience.Pullar last played for New Zealand on the 2002 tour to the Netherlands, Ireland and England before deciding work overseas. Her return, though, will add some much-needed experience and fire power to their bowling attack. Drumm’s work commitments forced her to skip New Zealand’s last overseas tour but she was recalled to the side as the vice-captain. The selectors also included Natalee Scripps, the medium pacer, who was rewarded for being the leading wicket taker in the State League. Anna Corbin, the offspinner, was also picked.New Zealand Women’s squad
1 Maia Lewis (capt), 2 Emily Drumm (vice-capt), 3 Nicola Browne, 4 Sarah Burke , 5 Anna Corbin, 6 Maria Fahey, 7 Sara McGlashan, 8 Louise Milliken , 9 Rachel Pullar, 10 Rebecca Rolls, 11 Natalee Scripps, 12 Rebecca Steele , 13 Haidee Tiffen, 14 Helen WatsonItinerary for the Rosebowl Series 2004-05
March 8 Practice Match at Lilac Hill
March 10 v Australia 1st ODI at Lilac Hill
March 12 v Australia 2nd ODI at WACA, Perth
March 13 v Australia 3rd ODI at WACA, Perth
Itinerary for the World Cup 2005
March 18 v Easterns at Witbank
March 20 v South Africa Under 19 at Witbank
March 22 v West Indies at Harlequins
March 24 v Australia at LC Oval
March 26 v Sri Lanka at Harlequins
March 28 v Ireland at Harlequins
March 30 v India at Technicon Oval
April 1 v England at LC Oval
April 3 v South Africa at LC Oval
April 5 1st semi-final at Potchefstroom
April 7 2nd semi-final at Potchefstroom
April 10 Final at Supersport Park

Division One

Points Table

Kent were indebted to an amazing last-wicket stand of 135 between Justin Kemp and Amjad Khan to rescue their first innings against Middlesex. The pair came together with Kent struggling on 249 for 9, after wasting the earlier efforts of Robert Key who made 94. But Kemp and Khan flayed the ball around, with Kemp reaching his second century of the season. Khan was no slouch, and actually struck more boundaries – 10 – than his more recognised batting partner. The stand began as a frustration for Middlesex and rapidly turned into something serious as they are in desperate need of a win to ease their relegation fears. Kent, meanwhile, will have gratefully welcomed the extra batting points as they chase Nottinghamshire at the top of the table. Jamie Dalrymple eventually ended the stand, but the pick of the attack was Alan Richardson who worked through 27 overs for his three wickets. Paul Trego also snapped up three in the morning, while Yogesh Golwalkar, the 25-year-old spinner signed to fill Middlesex’s overseas gap, managed three of his own on Championship debut.Mushtaq Ahmed bowled Sussex into a promising position against relegated Glamorgan as they attempt to keep pace with the Championship leaders. Mushtaq took 5 for 89 as he and James Kirtley shared nine wickets between them to restrict Glamorgan’s first innings. A number of batsmen made starts, but only David Hemp converted into anything approaching a substantial innings. Even his 71 was a wasted opportunity to reach a bigger score when he was bowled by Kirtley and Mushtaq quickly wrapped up the tail. However, Glamorgan did show some fight as they claimed two Sussex scalps before the close although Ian Ward remained firm on 42.

Division Two

Points TableIt was a day of wasted innings for Worcestershire as they shared the opening day honours with Yorkshire. Both teams are still fighting for promotion, with Yorkshire holding the third spot at the moment and they will have been happy with their efforts today. The bowlers chipped away at Worcestershire’s batting, as everyone except Shoaib Akhtar reached double figures but no one went beyond Vikram Solanki’s 48. Tim Bresnan took three wickets and the rest of the attack all chipped in but the total was boosted by a last-wicket stand of 58 between Matt Mason and Nadeem Malik. Yorkshire’s reply moved along a rollicking pace as Anthony McGrath raced to 65 from 54 balls with 12 boundaries.Ian Blackwell and Arul Suppiah made contrasting nineties as Somerset took control against Northamptonshire. Both teams are someway adrift of the promotion spots but produced a hard fought day of cricket at Taunton. Matthew Wood starred in the early proceedings with an aggressive half-century but Suppiah and Blackwell added the key stand of 91. Suppiah’s individual 91 came from 179 balls while Blackwell’s was a typically forthright innings, his 98 taking 122 deliveries with 13 fours and two sixes. It was a blow for Somerset as both fell because on a flat Taunton pitch one of them really needed to turn their innings into a big century. Monty Panesar toiled away for 24 overs – as did Jason Brown – with three wickets between them, while also keeping a lid on the scoring rate after the seamers had been dispatched at around four an over.

Pakistan have objected to playing in Ahmedabad after an inspection by their security team. Pakistan were due to play their second Test against India at the venue, which is in the state of Gujarat, where communal riots occured in 2002.Shaharyar Khan told the BBC that the Pakistan Board’s objections had been made officially to the BCCI. “We have reservations in playing there and we have suggested changes to the BCCI. We haven’t suggested any alternate venues. We will play anywhere else they want us to play.”This news is unlikely to please the BCCI, which has insisted that Ahmedabad is a safe venue and that precautions will be taken to avert any unpleasant incidents. And since matches are awarded to associations on a rotational basis, the Indian board will have to tread lightly to avoid stepping on toes at home and abroad.However, Shaharyar stood firmly behind the security report presented to him. “There are possibilities of security problems erupting and tensions running high,” he said. “We have informed the Indian board of our concerns and we hope to settle the issue mutually.”The BCCI was quick to move after receiving notice of the Pakistan board’s concerns, referring the matter to the government. “The PCB has written a letter to the BCCI president expressing some reservations over Ahmedabad as a venue,” quoted Rajiv Shukla, vice-president of the BCCI, as saying. “We have now taken up the matter with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs.”

New Zealand’s growing injury worries worsened with the news that Jacob Oram will not be fit enough to play as an allrounder at Headingley.Even if his side strain is not sufficiently bad for him not to be able to bat, New Zealand’s selectors need to find another bowler to balance the side. Oram, who made a breezy 67 at Lord’s, might still be picked as a batsman in a side which has several players struggling to find their form."Jacob bowled this morning without an issue. We wanted to see how he’d back up, he bowled again this afternoon and he did feel it a bit,” Lindsay Crocker, the side’s manager, explained. “He still feels it, and he’s got a bit of settling down to do before he’s a confirmed starter.””Jacob will be considered but not necessarily selected," John Bracewell, New Zealand’s coach, admitted "His inability to bowl does complicate the balance.”But there was a glimmer of hope regarding Craig McMillan’s finger injury, with some sources claiming that he is now 50-50 to be fit enough to play after successfully negotiating some fairly gentle throw-downs on Tuesday. He will undergo one more net on Wednesday before the final decision is made, but the New Zealand management were reported to be optimistic about his chances. “It will be based on how comfortable he is," Crocker said. "Really only he can confirm that.”

Rudi Webster, the Grenada-based psychologist, is currently with the Indianteam for a short stint and is eager to carry on the interaction that beganon India’s tour of West Indies earlier this year.”This is my first visit to India,” Webster told Cricinfo after the team’spractice session at Jaipur in the Rajasthan Cricket Academy, “and I’menjoying it thoroughly. I enjoyed working with a few players when theywere in West Indies and can hopefully get some more time here.”One of the players who Webster closely interacted with during the WestIndies tour was Virender Sehwag, who’d been going through a lean phase atthe time. In his 19 innings before he met Webster, he’d crossed fifty justthree times and his lack of fitness was a serious concern. It’s fair tosay that the three-hour session transformed Sehwag during the tour and hehimself admitted, to at the end of the series:”If I hadn’t met Rudi on this tour, I was struggling. We spent aroundthree hours and I’ve never spoken to anyone so deeply.”It was surprising that Sehwag, who’d turned down an offer to interact withAustralian psychologist Sandy Gordon, felt so strongly about the meeting.”There’s a lot of difference between Sandy and Rudi,” he statedmatter-of-factly. “Rudi played county cricket for many years and workedwith great players. He knows more than Sandy about the game and players.He knows about the way sportsmen think. He’d worked with great playerslike [Brian] Lara, [Viv] Richards, great footballers, golf players . and it helped me alot.”The results were there for all to see. Post Webster, Sehwag spanked 95 inthe final one-dayer at Trinidad, a game when none of his team-matescrossed 30; thundered 180 on the opening day of the second Test at StLucia (reaching 99 in the opening morning and admitting he’d “not hit theball more cleanly than in that session”); chipped in with vital wickets inthe Tests, playing the role of a genuine fifth bowler; startled a few with hisemphasis on fitness; and, most significantly, appeared to settle into amantle of leadership.So what had prompted the change? “I needed to remind myself of some littlehabits,” Sehwag continued, “my thinking before a game, my mindset beforethe bowler bowls. There are certain things I used to visualise when thebowler was at the start of his mark, when he was running in, when he wasabout to deliver the ball. All your routines should be in place, for aparticular bowler, for a particular team, for a particular series.”Rudi was just chatting to me and I began recalling several things – ‘Iremember doing this in Pakistan’, ‘I did the same thing in Australia’. Iunderstood that I need to do these things for a longer time, need to do itcontinuously. He was telling me things I had done in the past, and I’dforgotten that. He told me how important it was to remember these things,said it would help if I wrote it down on a paper and read it over and overagain.”It helped that Webster had been following Sehwag’s career closely. “I’vebeen watching him play over the years,” he beamed, “and have been terriblyimpressed with his ability to hit the ball. Not many players have thatability. Viv Richards, who probably had a few more shots, comes theclosest. All great players have very simple methods and I was veryimpressed while watching Veeru.”Webster admitted that Sehwag had opened out to him. “My track recordprobably helped me to establish a rapport with him,” he revealed, “andonce he found that I was speaking his language, there was a belief that hefound. Once you establish a trust, and he believes in your credentials youwill find you’ll share a very good relationship with him. He discussed thingsthat he would probably not discuss with others.”Usually when people go into a little slump, a simple technique they usegoes through the window,” he continued. “All sorts of negative things gothrough their minds. They doubt themselves because of pressures from mediaand fans. Their thinking becomes negative. They forget some basic routinesthat brought them success.”

The Sri Lankan cricket board has been advised of the results of Muttiah Muralitharan’s suspect-bowling-action assessment, but they are yet to release the details publicly. Bruce Elliott, the biomechanist at the University of Western Australia who supervised last week’s tests, said on Monday that he had passed on the main findings to the Sri Lankan board.Elliott said he would complete a written report later this week and send it to the board. “They know what the numbers are,” Elliott told Reuters in a telephone interview from Perth. “Just the pure numbers at the elbow. That’s the key to the issue, I suppose, but that’s where we are with that.”I don’t know what the Sri Lankan board will be doing. I would hope theywould tell me that they would let us make it public, or they would make itpublic. Now really it’s up to the Sri Lankan cricket board and the ICC.”Muralitharan’s bowling was assessed after he was reported by Chris Broad, the match referee, during the recent Sri Lanka-Australia Test series. The legality of Murali’s doosra, which spins in the opposite direction to his stock ball, had been called into question.Elliott’s team analysed data relating to six doosra deliveries from a test session in Perth during which Muralitharan wore only reflective markers on his upper body.The Sri Lankan board is responsible for reviewing and, if necessary,remedying Muralitharan’s bowling action with the assistance of an ICC-appointed expert before submitting a report to the ICC within six weeks of Broad’s announcement on March 28.Muralitharan’s action has been the source of controversy ever since he was no-balled for throwing by Darrell Hair in a Test match at Melbourne in December 1995. He was later cleared by the ICC after biomechanical analysis – again at the University of Western Australia – which concluded that his bent-arm action created the “optical illusion” of throwing.

New Zealand’s hopes of success in the tri-series with India and Australia starting today will rest on resolving the long-standing puzzle of bowling at the death. This has consistently been a weak area in the New Zealand game but one which will again be sorely tested given the batting line-ups both the world champion Australians and, the runners-up, India possess.The death phase of games has so often been shown to be the vital stage of matches, the true difference between winning and losing. Control is something of an art form, and was an area where New Zealand enjoyed some ice cold composure during its outstanding era in the 1980s in the one-day game. More recently, the attention to this phase has not resulted in any significant formula being achieved.But if the side is to advance in the one-day game it is the area that most needs addressing. The facts are revealing. New Zealand has the worst of the Test-playing nations, even Bangladesh does better, albeit with less games to throw into the equation. However, New Zealand’s plight can be seen from the fact that the Netherlands has a superior record.Average runs conceded by each country in the 47th-50th overs of completed innings, between September 1 2001 and September 1 2003 (instances in brackets):

1st innings 2nd innings All innings————————————————————Pakistan (16) 28.8 ( 6) 25.3 (22) 27.9South Africa (22) 30.2 ( 6) 22.7 (28) 28.6England (13) 31.7 ( 4) 24.3 (17) 29.9West Indies (14) 31.1 ( 2) 24.5 (16) 30.3Australia (19) 31.7 ( 3) 27.0 (22) 31.1Sri Lanka (21) 32.9 ( 5) 27.0 (26) 31.7India (19) 35.1 ( 4) 24.8 (23) 33.3Zimbabwe (22) 37.5 ( 2) 17.0 (24) 35.8New Zealand (17) 38.5 ( 1) 35.0 (18) 38.3Netherlands ( 3) 36.7 – ( 3) 36.7Bangladesh (13) 38.1 – (13) 38.1Namibia ( 6) 40.5 – ( 6) 40.5Kenya ( 8) 43.5 – ( 8) 43.5Canada ( 1) 52.0 – ( 1) 52.0

On Asian soil:

All innings—————————-Pakistan (11) 24.3Sri Lanka (10) 27.9England ( 2) 28.5West Indies ( 3) 31.0India (12) 34.3New Zealand ( 7) 34.7South Africa ( 3) 34.7Zimbabwe (12) 36.7Australia -Netherlands ( 1) 33.0Bangladesh ( 9) 42.9Kenya ( 4) 43.8Canada -Namibia –

Again, a measure to be considered by a side looking to be competitive on the international scene is the absence of New Zealand bowlers among practitioners regarded as death specialists. Daryl Tuffey, is the only New Zealander to feature, and his placement is a further indication of how under-valued he was by some critics before the just-completed Test series with India. But to see Jacob Oram, Scott Styris and Andre Adams on the list for worst bowling at the death is of significant concern.INDIVIDUAL BOWLING AT THE DEATH:Best death bowlers (minimum qualification 10 overs):

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-AR Caddick ENG 11 59 5.36M Muralitharan SL 18 97 5.39A Flintoff ENG 27 161 5.96CD Collymore WI 16 96 6.00GD McGrath AUS 27 170 6.30Wasim Akram PAK 22 140 6.36SM Pollock RSA 57 363 6.37Shoaib Akhtar PAK 19 131 6.89ST Jayasuriya SL 21 145 6.90TJ Friend ZIM 13 90 6.92

On Asian soil (minimum qualification 5 overs):

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-Shahid Afridi PAK 5 14 2.80HDPK Dharmasena SL 8 40 5.00M Muralitharan SL 10 50 5.00Wasim Akram PAK 7 40 5.71RP Arnold SL 7 42 6.00Waqar Younis PAK 5 30 6.00D Gough ENG 7 43 6.14Harbhajan Singh IND 5 31 6.20DR Tuffey NZ 9 56 6.22SM Pollock RSA 9 57 6.33

Worst death bowlers (minimum qualification 10 overs):

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-SM Ervine ZIM 14 148 10.57JDP Oram NZ 11 110 10.00TM Odoyo KENYA 15 148 9.87DT Hondo ZIM 24 235 9.79PW Gunaratne SL 11 104 9.45IJ Harvey AUS 10 93 9.30AR Adams NZ 21 192 9.14A Nehra IND 10 90 9.00WPUJC Vaas SL 17 150 8.82JN Gillespie AUS 11 97 8.82

On Asian soil (minimum qualification 5 overs):

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-DT Hondo ZIM 13 118 9.08SB Styris NZ 6 55 9.17TCB Fernando SL 5 46 9.20JDP Oram NZ 9 87 9.67Z Khan IND 12 120 10.00SM Ervine ZIM 8 82 10.25M Dillon WI 6 62 10.33Mohammad Rafique BDESH 9 96 10.67V Sehwag IND 6 67 11.17TM Odoyo KENYA 7 83 11.86

All New Zealand bowlers at the death:

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-KD Mills NZ 4 15 3.75NJ Astle NZ 1 5 5.00CL Cairns NZ 7 43 6.14DR Tuffey NZ 11 83 7.55PA Hitchcock NZ 2 17 8.50SE Bond NZ 16 138 8.63DL Vettori NZ 5 45 9.00AR Adams NZ 21 192 9.14SB Styris NZ 8 78 9.75JDP Oram NZ 11 110 10.00CD McMillan NZ 2 25 12.50CZ Harris NZ 2 25 12.50JEC Franklin NZ 4 57 14.25

On Asian soil:

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-KD Mills NZ 2 2 1.00DR Tuffey NZ 9 56 6.22AR Adams NZ 4 31 7.75SE Bond NZ 2 18 9.00SB Styris NZ 6 55 9.17JDP Oram NZ 9 87 9.67CD McMillan NZ 2 25 12.50DL Vettori NZ 1 13 13.00

Most expensive death over:

runs player for against venue season—————————————————————-28 RJ van Vuuren NAMIB AUS Potchefstroom 2002/0327 AA Donald RSA AUS Perth 2001/0227 JEC Franklin NZ RSA Perth 2001/0226 MA Suji KENYA IND Paarl 2001/0226 AR Adams NZ ZIM Bloemfontein 2002/0325 WPUJC Vaas SL PAK Tangier 200224 JN Gillespie AUS PAK Nairobi (Gymk) 2002/0324 SM Ervine ZIM PAK Sharjah 2002/0323 SM Pollock RSA WI Cape Town 2002/0323 CZ Harris NZ ZIM Bloemfontein 2002/0323 GD McGrath AUS PAK Brisbane 200223 DT Hondo ZIM PAK Sharjah 2002/03

Most economical death over:

runs player for against venue season—————————————————————-0 Mohammad Sami PAK NL Colombo (SSC) 2002/030 Alok Kapali BDESH WI Benoni 2002/030 AA Donald RSA BDESH Benoni 2002/030 DR Tuffey NZ PAK Dambulla 20030 B Lee AUS RSA Melbourne 2001/020 Shahid Afridi PAK BDESH Dhaka 2001/020 A Symonds AUS BDESH Darwin 20030 A Flintoff ENG NAMIB Port Elizabeth 2002/030 Shahid Afridi PAK BDESH Dhaka 2001/020 KD Mills NZ SL Dambulla 20030 GD McGrath AUS WI Gros Islet 2002/030 Inzamam-ul-Haq PAK BDESH Chittagong 2001/02

Most expensive death spell (2 overs):

runs player for against venue season—————————————————————-40 RJ van Vuuren NAMIB AUS Potchefstroom 2002/0336 JEC Franklin NZ RSA Perth 2001/0235 WPUJC Vaas SL PAK Tangier 200234 TM Odoyo KENYA RSA Cape Town 2001/0233 LJ Burger NAMIB ZIM Harare 2002/0333 CM Willoughby RSA IND Dhaka 200333 ML Nkala ZIM PAK Bulawayo 2002/0333 IJ Harvey AUS RSA Port Elizabeth 2001/0233 Z Khan IND ZIM Faridabad 2001/0232 D Gough ENG RSA The Oval 200332 V Sehwag IND WI Vijayawada 2002/03

Most economical death spell (2 overs):

runs player for against venue season—————————————————————-0 Shahid Afridi PAK BDESH Dhaka 2001/022 KD Mills NZ SL Dambulla 20032 JM Anderson ENG PAK Manchester 20033 GD McGrath AUS WI Gros Islet 2002/033 SM Pollock RSA IND Colombo (RPS) 2002/033 Alok Kapali BDESH WI Benoni 2002/034 RC Irani ENG NAMIB Port Elizabeth 2002/034 TM Odoyo KENYA CAN Cape Town 2002/034 Mohammad Hafeez PAK ENG Manchester 20035 V Sehwag IND KENYA Paarl 2001/025 A Kumble IND KENYA Paarl 2001/025 MR Ramprakash ENG ZIM Harare 2001/025 SM Pollock RSA KENYA Benoni 2001/025 CRD Fernando SL BDESH Colombo (SSC) 20025 GD McGrath AUS WI Jamaica 2002/03

Run scoring in death situations is also not healthy. The statistics show that New Zealand, especially in the second innings of matches, is the worst performed of the Test-playing nations in scoring runs at the death. It is better placed in the first innings of games, but only slightly.BY COUNTRY AVERAGE RUN SCORING AT THE DEATH:Average runs scored by each country in the 47th-50th overs of completedinnings (instances in brackets):

1st innings 2nd innings All innings————————————————————Pakistan (25) 40.2 – (25) 40.2South Africa (26) 39.1 ( 3) 30.5 (29) 38.2West Indies (15) 38.5 ( 4) 31.3 (19) 36.9India (18) 37.2 ( 1) 30.0 (19) 36.8Zimbabwe (10) 38.3 ( 7) 28.3 (17) 34.2Australia (23) 33.9 ( 2) 30.0 (25) 33.6New Zealand (16) 33.1 ( 4) 24.8 (20) 31.5Sri Lanka (26) 28.7 ( 3) 26.3 (29) 28.4England (20) 27.3 ( 1) 25.0 (21) 27.1Kenya ( 9) 27.2 ( 1) 10.0 (10) 25.5Bangladesh ( 3) 28.7 ( 4) 19.3 ( 7) 23.3Netherlands ( 3) 25.7 ( 1) 11.0 ( 4) 22.0Canada – ( 1) 16.0 ( 1) 16.0Namibia – ( 1) 14.0 ( 1) 14.0

On Asian soil:

All innings—————————-West Indies (11) 39.0India ( 9) 39.0Pakistan (13) 37.8South Africa ( 4) 35.8Australia ( 1) 35.0Zimbabwe ( 5) 33.4Sri Lanka (13) 30.8New Zealand ( 7) 30.4England ( 4) 28.3Kenya ( 1) 29.0Bangladesh ( 5) 19.2Netherlands ( 1) 19.0Canada -Namibia –

Statistics compiled by Duane Pettet.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the ICC today announced the venues for the ICC Champions Trophy, taking place in September 2004.The Oval, Edgbaston and The Rosebowl are the three grounds which will stage the 15-match tournament, taking place from September 10 to 25, with rain days scheduled for all matches. Teams will be seeded on the basis of their official one-day international ratings on December 1, 2003.”The ICC is very pleased that the ECB will be hosting this showpiece tournament next year", Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, said." Using the official ODI ratings is the fairest way to seed teams. This system ensures that all teams are treated in an equal manner as it provides an objective assessment of form over the last two to three years”.The tournament will be contested by the ten main countries along with Kenya and the winner of the ICC Six Nations Challenge, to be played in the United Arab Emirates in March 2004.Tim Lamb, the ECB chief executive, said: “The ECB is looking forward to welcoming the world’s top teams here next year and the ICC Champions Trophy will provide a terrific climax to our summer of international cricket throughout England and Wales in 2004”.

Bangladesh XI 199 and 174 beat Zimbabwe A 183 and 161 (Aziz 6-46) by 29 runs
ScorecardBangladesh gave themselves a massive morale boost ahead of next week’s first Test, by beating Zimbabwe A in a tense finish at the Harare Country Club. After losing their last three wickets for four runs in the morning session, it seemed as though Bangladesh’s bubble had burst, but Tareq Aziz popped up with career-best figures of 6 for 46 to seal the win.Overnight, Bangladesh had led by 186 runs – hardly an advantage to crow about, but an advantage nonetheless, especially in a match where neither side had exceeded 200. But by the time Doug Hondo had torn through their tail, Bangladesh had left themselves much to do to turn the game back around. Hondo needed just two overs to whip out the remaining three wickets for four runs, including Khaled Mashud for his overnight 22.But the wickets continued to tumble when it came to Zimbabwe’s turn to bat. Trevor Gripper and Richard Sims fell for ducks in consecutive deliveries from Aziz, and though Stuart Matsikenyeri and Vusimusi Sibanda added 55 for the third wicket, they too fell in quick succession, as Alamgir Kabir and Manjural Islam got in on the act (72 for 4).Doug Marillier was next to go, caught behind off Aziz for 4, and Aziz struck a huge blow with his very next delivery, as Zimbabwe’s first-innings hero, Gavin Ewing, was bowled for a duck (82 for 6). Travis Friend followed suit four runs later, and when Manjural picked up his second wicket, Zimbabwe were still 80 runs from victory with two wickets remaining.One of those, however, was the captain Alester Maregwede, who had played extremely sensibly. He received excellent support from the tail, and slowly chewed up the runs required. But it was clearly Aziz’s day, and he picked up his sixth wicket – and third bowled of the innings – to send Maregwede on his way for 41. There was yet more resistance to come from Zimbabwe’s last pair, but the target was just too far away and Manjural duly completed the victory.

South Wilts’ reign as Southern Electric Contracting Cup holders is over after a nine-run second round defeat by Old Tauntonians & Romsey.Raj Naik was the inspiration behind OTR’s success, hitting 41 of their 122-3 and later taking 3-36 as South Wilts were restricted to 113-9.Max Smith (29) and later Ian Tulk, with a quick-fire 33 not out, left South Wilts chasing six runs an over from the start.Jason Laney (25) and Paul Draper (21) began well for South Wilts, but the required run rate gradually increased, causing the cup holders to sacrifice wickets for quick runs.Three stumpings by Keith Trodd complimented tight bowling by Jeremy Ord (4-26) and Naik as South Wilts reached 113-9 (Webb 23)."We needed one big over and didn’t get it," sighed losing South Wilts skipper Rob Wade.Terry Rawlins (4-10) and Chris Thomason (4-17) did the damage as BAT Sports skittled Trojans for 73 (Nigel le as 24) to set up an easy nine-wicket win. David Banks hit 37 not out to carry BAT into the quarter-final draw.Paul Marks hit a gallant 72 but was unable to save Winchester KS from a 23-run defeat at Rowledge, who posted 156-2 through David Lloyd (62) and Dave Bootton (56 not out).Weakened Hursley Park (97-9) were no match for Lymington, with Glyn Treagus’s unbeaten 72 carrying the New Forest club to a nine-wicket win at 99-1.Division 3 promotion contenders Alton raised a few eyebrows by beating Andover, who were Rose Bowl finalists two seasons ago. New Zealander Ben Jansen, who claimed four victims, helped peg Andover to 104 – a total he and JulianB allinger gleefully polished off.Havant emerged comfortable seven-wicket winners over Waterlooville (85-6), with Matt Cox taking 3-23 and Bev Moynan hitting 30 not out.Portsmouth comfortably accounted for Hambledon.