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Hamilton Masakadza was surprisingly included in Zimbabwe’s 16-man squad for the first two one-day internationals against England, to be played at Harare Sports Club on November 26 and 28.The last time Masakadza, 21, played a competitive match was in 2002, since when he has been in South Africa studying at university. In 2001 he became the then-youngest player to score a century on Test debut, against West Indies.The rest of the selections were as expected, with recent one-day form being the main criterion.Zimbabwe squad
Dion Ebrahim, Brendan Taylor, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Hamilton Masakadza, Mark Vermeulen, Tatenda Taibu (capt and wk), Elton Chigumbura, Vusi Sibanda, Donald Samunderu, Douglas Hondo, Tinashe Panyangara, Mluleki Nkala, Chris Mpofu, Edward Rainsford, Prosper Utseya, Gavin Ewing.

ScorecardMashonaland, shocked by their position at the bottom of the heap after three successive defeats, invited rebel players Trevor Gripper and Neil Ferreira, both of whom have been doing well playing club cricket, to strengthen their battered team; it is not yet known whether Zimbabwe Cricket approved their selection.In the event, the pair almost certainly made the different between victory and defeat for Mashonaland, who beat Manicaland by 14 runs with just four balls to spare at Mutare Sports Club. Ferreira, opening the innings, made a solid 45, while Gripper made a sound 71 batting at four. With Barney Rogers, who was captain in the absence of Tatenda Taibu who was preparing England’s visit with national squad, scoring a brisk 35 and Chamu Chibhabha making an undefeated half-century from 41 balls, Mashonaland reached a daunting total of 280 for five wickets. Blessing Mahwire had bowled very well but took none for 41; in contrast, Waddington Mwayenga was erratic but took three wickets at a cost of 86 runs in 10 overs.In reply, Manicaland fought hard being three wickets down for 46 and then six for 140. Only Piet Rinke of the top order flourished, with 61, before Mahwire hitting a belligerent 37 from number six. But the most surprising innings came from Patrick Gada, who nearly turned the match. Gada, normally cautious, hit 62 off just 49 balls. He received good support from the rest of the lower order, but in the final over Manicaland fell just short.
ScorecardA good team performance from Matabeleland ensured that they maintained momentum in the 2004-05 Faithwear Series, as they completed their fourth successive victory, a 58-run win over Midlands at Kwekwe Sports Club.Matabeleland began badly after deciding to bat, losing their first four wickets for 43 runs before Charles Coventry batted with for 44 to steadied the ship with determined 44. Sean Williams provided the finishing touches, hitting 61 from 63 balls to boost the total to 222. Ian Nicolson, bowling with more discipline than usual, and Innocent Chinyoka took three wickets each.Midlands’s chase began well, as Alester Maregwede, made 37 off 37 in an quick opening stand of 58. Midlands then reached 132 with only three wickets down, but they proceeded to lose their last seven wickets falling for only 32 runs, a disastrous collapse. Left-arm spinner Keith Dabengwa was its architect-in-chief with four for 20, and ensured that after a brief scare, Matabeleland triumphed again.

ScorecardChaminda Vaas powered his club, Colts Cricket Club, to the Premier League title with a superb all-round performance over the weekend. Vaas set up a large first-innings total of 374 with his 134 and then snatched 5 for 32 with the ball as Burgher Recreation Club were bundled out for 178. The match petered out into a predictable draw with Colts finishing on 162 for 5 in their second innings. They lifted the trophy by virtue of their first-innings advantage.BRC had started the final day with seven first-innings wickets remaining, but Nuwan Kulasekera, who won back his place in the national team after his fine performances in the tournament, struck early and paved the way for Vaas and Indika Gallage to cut through the middle order. BRC lost seven wickets for 53 runs and Colts’s victory was in the bag by lunch.This match marked the end of Romesh Kaluwitharana’s cricket career. He left with a typically lively and entertaining cameo, hitting five fours in his 36, before falling and walking off to a standing ovation and a guard of honour from his teammates. Kaluwitharana will now concentrate on his job with Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation.The tournament awards followed the conclusion of the match. Rashan Peiris, an exciting young wicketkeeper-batsman, was adjudged the man of the tournament, while Sajeewa Weerakoon, a left-arm spinner who grabbed 3 for 60 on the final day, was the best bowler and Russel Arnold was adjudged the tournament’s best batsman.

England will be grouped with Kenya and either Sri Lanka or New Zealand in Pool 3 in the first round of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. The final groupings will be determined by the rankings of the teams on April 1, and there are two series to be concluded before then: Australia play New Zealand and South Africa face Zimbabwe.Sri Lanka will be in England’s pool unless Australia whitewash New Zealand in the current five-match series which they lead 2-0. But Australia, the reigning World Champions, be grouped with South Africa regardless of the result of South Africa’s series with Zimbabwe which starts this week. South Africa, currently ranked fifth, cannot move higher even if they whitewash Zimbabwe 3-0.And, although South Africa would fall down the table if beaten, a pre-seedings policy means that the World Cup groups would remain unaffected. Australia, England, India and the hosts West Indies have been pre-seeded into different pools for the World Cup because of logistics: they will attract the largest support at the venues.More teams than ever will take part in the World Cup: 16 teams will be split into four pools of four, with the top two teams progressing to the Super Eights ahead of the semi-finals. The competing teams comprise the 11 who currently have one-day international status, while the top five teams in the ICC Trophy, to be held in Ireland in July, will form the remainder.”The LG ICC ODI Championship has proved to be a robust mechanism for rating teams since it was introduced in October 2002,” said Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, “so it’s the obvious base from which to determine the seedings for the ICC Cricket World Cup.”

Comments from Chris Lewis, the curator at Christchurch, that the pitch for Thursday’s first Test between New Zealand and Australia will favour fast bowlers will boost Brett Lee’s chances of playing.Lewis said that the drop-in pitch would be hard and fast, which will be ideal for Lee who clocked 160.8 kph in the final one-day at Napier at the weekend. Lee is vying with Mike Kasprowicz for the final place in the side.Kasprowicz has taken 47 wickets at 23.74 in 13 Tests since being recalled for the tour to Sri Lanka last year, while Lee hasn’t played a Test in 14 months. But Lee’s out-and-out pace makes him the favourite.”I feel like I can go a bit quicker," Lee told the Sydney Morning Herald, while admitting that speed was not the be all and end all. “I’ve just been concentrating on that line and length and doing what Glenn [McGrath] does so well, knowing I’ve got a lot more in the tank. There are certain times in your life when it all clicks, it all feels right.”If Thursday comes and I don’t get the call, I’m 12th man or 13th man, I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll have to go back and maybe work on something else. I’ll do whatever it takes to get back into the team.”I think I’m at the stage where I think, personally, I’m bowling the best I ever have. I’m confident bowling now, I know what I’m doing and I’m working to a plan. I’m not just running in and letting the ball go. I’m working in conjunction with what Ricky Ponting wants.”And Ponting hinted that Lee was the favourite when he described him as being "fairly irresistible at the moment.”

The controversy over telecast rights in India took another turn with the Chennai High Court ruling that the cancellation of the tender process by the Indian board was improper, and that Zee Telefilms could sue the BCCI for damages.The court also severely criticised Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former president of the BCCI, for his conduct: “The cancellation of the tender process by the board is improper and vitiated by arbitrariness and unfair action of the Board and Dalmiya in particular. Dalmiya had presented a story or picture by clear misrepresentation of what had happened before the court at Bombay and thereby successfully prejudiced the committee against the petitioner and wrested from them a blank cheque to do whatever he liked.”Zee had appealed to the Chennai High Court to protest against the board’s decision to cancel the bidding process after having granted the telecast rights to Zee for US$308 million dollars. Reacting to the judgement, PS Raman, a lawyer for Zee, said that their stand had been vindicated: “Our stand that the board’s action in going in for a re-tender was unfair, unreasonable and vitiated by malice has been found true and sustained by the Madras High Court and to that extent we are happy with the judgement.”Zee also indicated that they were seriously considering taking legal action against the board. “We can now sue the board for damages. We are discussing the matter with our management and legal advisers and will take a decision soon,” Ashish Kaul, vice-president, corporate brand development group, told Business Standard. “Let us first get a copy of the judgement.”The court also ruled that the BCCI could ask for fresh tenders for the telecast of international matches in the country, and said that both Zee and ESPN-Star could put in new bids.

Viv Richards, the former West Indies captain, has criticised the manner in which the recent sponsorship dispute was handled, and has urged the administrators involved to leave. The impasse, which stormed Caribbean cricket and threatened to end careers of Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle, was resolved with Cable and Wireless terminating their personal contracts with the players, owning to its conflicting nature with Digicel, the team sponsor.”One of the things which I know for sure, which I can say now,” Richards was quoted in The Nation, “is that for the embarrassing period and the way it was played out. I was ashamed and I am certain a lot of us who are associated with West Indies cricket felt the same.”I believe that it could’ve been handled much better. We see the disciplined side of things where Lara and Gayle and Sarwan and these people would’ve been left out in Guyana,” he added. “We saw the discipline administered. What about on the other side of the administrators? I cannot see a happy working relationship between board and players at this time.”I am going to take this opportunity as well to say that I believe if these guys are not given an opportunity to part, you’re going to ask them to jump … The people who were involved in the negotiating business must go, have to go in order for us to have a much better playing field and you can put that in all the capital letters you like.”

Rageb Aga, who captained Kenya in Sharjah last November, has withdrawn from the squad for the Intercontinental Cup tie against Namibia which starts at Windhoek next Friday.Tom Tikolo, head of the selectors, said Aga had sent a message saying he would not be available as he was sitting his examinations at university. Cricinfo revealed that Aga was unavailable for the previous match in Uganda, although on that occasion he was not even contacted by the selectors.Tikolo said Aga would be replaced by Alex Obanda, an Under-19 player who was among the four youngsters coach Mudassar Nazar asked to train with the main team as part of a national policy to give as many promising players have experience with the senior squad.Obanda is a member of Kongonis and is one of those who benefited from the regional tournaments organised by Tikolo when he was the ICC development officer for East Africa.Kenya’s other players who are currently in England are expected back in Nairobi on June 1 and then squad will leave for Namibia the following day.

Welcome to the online home of Club Cricket in the Wellington region. Visit our site weekly for all your information needs, with draws, scores and points tables updated weekly.If you are looking for a club to play for, call Cricket Wellington on 384 3171 or go to the club contacts and web site links provided through this site.In the Pearce Cup, Eastern Suburbs will be looking for their third straight title. However, they will have to do without the services of seamer Paul Hitchcock who has moved to Auckland to further his first-class and international claims. They are also unlikely to see much of Stephen Fleming during a busy international campaign.Their closest challengers may again be Onslow who were second by only two points last season. They will be strengthened by the arrival of prolific first-class batsman Michael Parlane from Northern Districts who joins his brother Neal at the club.Petone-Riverside have returned to the Pearce Cup after an all-conquering season in Hazlett Trophy. They were convincing winners by nearly forty points, and replace Hutt Districts in the top grade. North City win promotion into the Hazlett Trophy after winning Senior 2 last summer. They will replace Hutt Districts second eleven.Naenae won last seasons womens competition.Play for all grades commence on the 25th of October 2003 and finishes for the Christmas break on the 20th of December. Club cricket resumes on the 10th January 2004 and finishes on the 27th of March.Take some time to peruse the following Club Cricket information. We hope this will become your best source of information all summer!Pearce Cup 2002/03:Eastern Suburbs 137.83,Onslow 135.68,Upper Valley 112.17,North City 98.19,Karori 86.58,Taita 80.88,Naenae 80.16,Hutt Districts 68.81.Hazlett Trophy 2002/03:Petone/Riverside 146.58,Johnsonville 118.29,Upper Valley 101.30,Collegians 97.94,Wainui 97.50,University 86.33,Eastern Suburbs 84.97,Hutt Districts 56.49.

Steve Tikolo, the former Kenya captain and unofficial spokesman for the 13 striking players, has slammed the Kenya board (KCA) after none of them were included in the squad for next month’s Intercontinental Cup semi-final in Sharjah.Sharad Ghai, the KCA’s chairman, said that none of the players who boycotted the recent match against Namibia had been picked as they had not reapplied for selection. “We only read about the whole thing in the press,” fumed Tikolo. “Is this the way to get in touch with players?”No KCA official has ever contacted us asking us to apply,” he continued. “We have only been reading about it in a section of the press recently and before taking note, the team was named. Now we are the ones being blamed for not applying.”The announcement by Ghai that the players had to ask to formally reapply for selection caught them on the hop, and when he made the statement earlier in the week it raised suspicions that they were about to be omitted.Against Namibia, the players drafted in to replace the strikers were subjected to considerable heckling, but Tikolo offered those chosen his full support. “We have no problem with the team which has been selected and we wish them all the best since they are our brothers,” he said. “I hope they will continue with their form.”