New Zealand the third-ranked Test cricket nation in the world?That’s not the case at the moment but that possibility will be the extra incentive, if extra incentive was ever needed, New Zealand will have for its two National Bank Test series this summer.Bangladesh (two Tests) and England (three) provide the home cricket menu.If New Zealand could beat both, and assuming no extra series are created in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the ICC Test Championship table would see New Zealand in third place.New Zealand is ranked fifth at the moment, behind Australia, South Africa and England and Sri Lanka who share equal third place.However, even if England beats India, then loses to New Zealand, it will not have enough points to head New Zealand on the table.And if New Zealand could only draw the series with England that would be sufficient to leave both teams in equal third place.Of interest to cricket fans will be the outcome of the home and away series between Australia and South Africa, the No 1 and 2 teams respectively.Under the system in use to determine the Championship, South Africa can’t go down from its points position at the moment, because it lost both series when they were last played.New Zealand have removed Australia’s safety barrier by drawing their recently completed series.Australia stands to lose its position if it can’t win both series, even just drawing one of them would be enough to push it off the top position.New Zealand’s series with Australia also produced some notable changes in the statistical history between the two countries.Among the individual batsmen, Nathan Astle was a big mover. His 156 not out became New Zealand’s second highest score against Australia while he moved into the top New Zealand batsmen to have scored runs against Australia. He is ninth with 608 runs at 40.53.Chris Cairns’ batting feats moved him to the third highest run scorer against Australia with 863 runs at 34.52, behind John Wright and Martin Crowe.Adam Parore and Craig McMillan also moved into the 13 players who have scored more than 500 runs against Australia for New Zealand. McMillan is eleventh and McMillan twelfth.Cairns also swept past John Bracewell and Danny Morrison to be second behind Sir Richard Hadlee on the list of wicket-takers against Australia.Hadlee is way out in front with 130 with Cairns next on 39 at a costly average of 41.94.Daniel Vettori is the big mover, however, after his 13-wicket haul in the series. He has taken 33 wickets at 29.33 to be in fifth place on the list.

Scott Meuleman emulated his father and grandfather in making a first-class century as South Africa’s bowlers struggled in the cricket tour match against Western Australia at the WACA ground here today.Meuleman, 21, scored his maiden first-class century in his fifth first-class appearance for WA.At stumps, WA was 3-303 in reply to South Africa’s 367, with Murray Goodwin on 41 and Marcus North on 49.It was a hard day for the touring bowlers, especially Allan Donald, who was trying to build up some form and rhythm ahead of the first Test against Australia next week.Donald, with a new ball this morning and again in the evening, had a greenish pitch to bowl on but couldn’t trouble any of the WA batsmen.In a frustrating display, the man known as White Lightning struggled with his line and didn’t muster any real pace.The veteran paceman, who has 325 Test wickets but has been off the international scene since March, finished the day with 0-85 off 21 overs.Makhaya Ntini, whose Test spot is in jeopardy, responded by taking 2-36 in a strong display.The day belonged to Meuleman, who was making his fifth appearance for WA but with the weight of expectation on his shoulders given the deeds of his father and grandfather.Meuleman’s father Bob made 14 appearances for WA, making a highest score of 101 not out while his grandfather Ken played 117 state games for both Victoriaand WA, as well as one Test.Ken Meuleman, who once batted with Don Bradman – though not in a Test – finished his first-class career with 7855 runs at an average of 47.60 and a top score of234 not out.The latest in the Meuleman cricketing clan made his debut for WA last year but before today had made only 152 runs at an average of 19 with a high score of 46.He made 109 and featured in a partnership of 121 with captain Simon Katich (66).He was out when he edged off-spinner Claude Henderson (1-55) to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher with the score on 202.He lived a little dangerously this morning, edging more than once through the slips while a top edge off Donald, from an attempted hook, flew all the way over the boundary for six.His century featured 18 fours and a six.Ntini, who has taken only four wickets in his past four Tests, had Mike Hussey (21) caught in the slips and then removed Katich, who was caught behind when hechased a ball down the legside.It was a good display from a man under pressure – especially as he gave up only 36 runs off his 16 overs.

The Central Districts v Wellington Under-19 pre-tournament match at McLean Park, Napier was abandoned without a ball being bowled yesterday. The teams will take two points each from the game.

England all-rounder Ben Hollioake is on the verge of committing himself to Surrey for another year, according to his agent.Warwickshire have been chasing Hollioake after his contract at The Oval ended, but Surrey have now come up with a one-year package.Hollioake’s representative, David Ligertwood, says he is happy with deal.”Surrey have come up with what Ben originally wanted and he will give his final decision in the first part of next week. We have spoken to him in India and he’s happy with the new offer,” Ligertwood said.

In a match in which some of the best batting came from the lower order, it was fitting that the winning runs were struck by a No 11.Wellington’s Jeetan Patel hit Matthew Hart to the midwicket boundary to give Wellington a one-wicket victory over Northern Districts and six points in the State Championship.Patel’s four concluded an unbearably tense passage of play after lunch at the start of which Wellington needed 46 to win with three wickets standing.From the first ball after the resumption, ND paceman Joseph Yovich trapped Wellington wicket-keeper Glynn Howell plumb lbw for the 13th and final duck of the match.Fortunately for Wellington, they possess two of the most talented Nos 10 and 11 in the game in Mark Gillespie and Patel. In turn, they supported James Franklin in partnerships of 27 and 20 to see their side home.With 21, Gillespie dominated the ninth-wicket stand. He stated his intentions by planting his front foot firmly down the pitch to cover drive Scott Styris for four. Two more boundaries came from the next over, bowled by Yovich.With Gillespie using the pace of the faster bowlers well, ND skipper Robbie Hart brought on his brother Matthew’s left-arm spin for the first time in the match, with immediate success. Gillespie rocked back to Hart’s first ball, which was short. An edge was taken by Robbie Hart behind the stumps. Nineteen to get, one wicket left.There may have been better last men than Patel, but there have surely been none whose batting style is more classical or who have remained so cool under pressure.He and Franklin picked the balls to score from and defended well against the rest.A straight drive for four by Franklin off Styris brought the target to within single figures.The second delivery of Hart’s next over squirted off Patel’s bat just wide of slip for two.In a bold move by Robbie Hart, slow left-armer Bruce Martin came on from the City End. Franklin pushed a single into the off side leaving victory within a boundary hit. Patel nudged another single to square leg.The winning strike came from the first ball of Hart’s next over.Wellington had started the day needing 125 to win with eight wickets left. Five fell in the morning session, with Styris having a hand in all of them.After a smooth start by Wellington, Styris dismissed three of their batsmen in seven deliveries for one run.Selwyn Blackmore was caught in the gully by Matthew Hart for 32. The vital wicket of David Sales fell later in the same over. He chopped the ball onto his stumps from an attempted cut. Sales scored 62 from 75 balls with 11 fours. His batting in the final hour last night was the most important individual contribution to Wellington’s win.Matthew Walker quickly followed for the first pair of the game. Styris took a brilliant jumping catch, as Walker attempted a forcing shot back over the bowler’s head.A partnership of 71 for the sixth wicket between Grant Donaldson and Franklin ended the possibility of an ND victory in time for lunch. At times, Donaldson found it easier to hit boundaries than to push for singles. There were four fours and a six in his 33.Styris removed him ten minutes before lunch, well caught by James Marshall at second slip.Andrew Penn fell from the last ball before the interval, Styris taking the catch at second slip off Yovich.The constant factor for the rest of the day was Franklin. In terms of scoring he was the junior partner in all his partnerships, his unbeaten 30 occupying 98 deliveries, but without his resolution Wellington would have lost by some margin.The day’s talking point was the suspension of Wellington skipper Matthew Bell for one match for dissent against umpire Mike George after being given out lbw yesterday. A code of conduct hearing early this morning reached the decision after receiving the umpires’ report.Bell misses next week’s match against Otago.Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson refused to comment on the Bell incident, but was happy to talk to CricInfo about his team’s victory. He spent the last tense hour of the match pacing around.”I’m not a great watcher. I tend to bat and bowl every ball with the players. I couldn’t say that I was calm!”He praised the maturity of Gillespie and Patel in the closing stages and Gillespie for his career-best bowling performance. Penn also registered a career-best, with his seven for 71 in the first innings.”Andrew is an experienced campaigner and we relied a lot on him in this game. If you look at the players around the first-class scene at the moment, Andrew rates up there right at the top.”Despite the generally low scores Johnson had no complaints about the WestpacTrust Park pitch.”It was a good cricket wicket. There was some poor batting and guys played outside the stumps.”ND captain Robbie Hart agreed.”I don’t believe that the pitch was bad, but on the first two days it was very bowler-friendly. Individual batsmen have to look at themselves to account for their performances.”Even with hindsight, Hart would not have done anything differently in the final overs.”My decision making gave us the best chance of winning in the final overs. I would like to have yesterday over again in terms of our batting performance.”He singled out Michael Parlane’s first-innings 146 as ND’s individual performance of the match.”A hundred on a green wicket was a huge achievement and it should have been a match-winning performance.”Today’s result was the first one-wicket win in New Zealand cricket since Southern beat Central at Wanganui in a Shell Conference match in 1997/98.Wellington go to third in the State Championship with 15 points. ND’s first-innings lead keeps them a point behind in fourth place.

Carlisle Best wants the pitch at Kensington Oval dug up.Coach Henderson Springer returns from Trinidad to report that, inBarbados Busta Cup match at the Queen’s Park Oval, balls actuallyrolled around the ground at some stages and were squatting even fromthe first day.Albert Smith, the Guyana coach, bemoans the flat, low surfaces histeam had to contend with in the two home matches at Bourda and Albionand asks for something faster.The Trinidadians, according to captain Richard Smith, were upset atthe pace and steep bounce they had to contend with on the opening dayof their match against Jamaica at the Alpart ground on Friday.And so on and so forth.It is a Caribbean theme as perennial, and as controversial, ascalypsos at Kadooment.Pitches are the centrepiece of the game, both literally andfiguratively. They not only dictate the course of a particular matchbut fashion the style of the teams that play most regularly on them.It explains, partially at least, why fast bowlers and stroke-makerstended to come from Barbados, Jamaica and Antigua, with their fast,true surfaces, fine batsmen from the run-producing environment ofGuyana and spinners from the turning tracks of Trinidad.A general change has occurred almost everywhere in the Caribbean(Anguilla seems to be the exception) and has gradually, but surely,altered the very character of West Indies cricket.The lack of pace and inconsistency of bounce that has become auniversal complaint are as good a reason as any why fast bowlers arenow in such short supply, and batsmen find it difficult to stay longenough to amass big scores.It is a problem accepted and recognised at all levels. It influencedthe West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) two years ago to initiate itsannual seminar for groundsmen of all the main grounds and appointRichard Prof Edwards as its main man is assessing and advising onpitch preparation. But it is not an exact science and solutions arenot easily found.The soil varies widely from territory to territory, even from groundto ground within an individual territory. So do the methods ofpreparation. The watering and rolling prescribed, say for KensingtonOval, differ from those at the Queen’s Park Oval.The most common recommended remedy is the straight-forward dig it upand there is no doubt every square needs to be periodically relaid.Repeated use inevitably kills the grass that binds the soil, ensuresits firmness and prevents it flaking at the surface.Several seem to have reached, and passed, that stage. Kensington isamong them.More cricket is played on the square there than ever before,especially since its resident club, Pickwick, has been obliged topractice in the middle on the International Cricket Council (ICC)directive banishing prepared pitches on the outfields of Test grounds.It is showing unmistakeable signs of wear and tear and the time hascome for the excavators to move in and for fresh soil to beinserted.The process would need several months to complete but, with theBarbados club season overlapping with the regional and internationalseason, the only way that could be done is if Pickwick could beprovided with an alternative ground and club house for the duration.It is a real dilemma.However, an entirely renewed square always the answer.Twice, in 1968 and more infamously 30 years later, they have got it sowrong at Jamaica’s Sabina Park they have had to do it all over again.The effect in 1998 was so disastrous that the Test against England wasabandoned after 9.1 overs because it was palpably too dangerous, anunwelcome entry into the history books.One of the many innovations of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket wasthe external pitch, specially prepared away from the ground inconcrete trays and brought in by cranes to be laid in the middle priorto the season and taken back out at the end.It was necessary because his tournament was initially confined tofootball grounds with no cricket facilities but it has been used morerecently in both Australia and New Zealand, even for specific matches.They have even discussed its potential at Lord’s.But we’re talking about the West Indies here where floodlights andcomfortable seating remain a dream, even at the start of the 21stcentury. Imported pitches? Not likely.Instead, we have to rely on the knowledge and dedication of theground staff and the attention the WICB and member boards now appearmore inclined to pay to such an essential aspect of the game.

The Indian selectors announced the India ‘A’ squad that will leave shortly on a 32-day tour of South Africa.The squad will be led by Dinesh Mongia, who has also been selected for the one-day series against Zimbabwe. Abhijit Kale, who impressed in Zimbabwe’s tour opener, and the talented Mohammad Kaif also get a look-in.Baroda medium-pacer Rakesh Patel, Orissa medium-pacer Debasis Mohanty, and all-rounder Rohan Gavaskar, son of Sunil Gavaskar, who did well in the current Ranji season, are the other notable inclusions in the touring party.The India ‘A’ squad:
Dinesh Mongia(captain), Abhijit Kale, Y Venugopal Rao, Mohammad Kaif,Parthiv Patel (wicket-keeper), Jacob Martin, Gautam Gambhir, AmitPagnis, Rohan Gavaskar, L Balaji, Rakesh Patel, Amit Bhandari, AmitMishra, Murali Kartik, Debasis Mohanty.

SYDNEY, Jan 4 AAP – Steve Waugh failed to add to his stunning century of yesterday but Adam Gilchrist took up the challenge as Australia closed in on England’s first innings total in the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground today.At lunch on day three, Australia was 8-336 in reply to the tourists’ 362.Waugh, who resumed on 102 after hitting a four off the last ball yesterday to equal Sir Donald Bradman’s record of 29 Test centuries, was out on the fifth ball he faced today.He was caught at second slip by Mark Butcher off the bowling of Matthew Hoggard in the second over of the day.Hoggard struck again when he had Andy Bichel caught by John Crawley for four and, with his next ball, had Brett Lee caught behind by Alec Stewart.Jason Gillespie survived the next delivery to deny Hoggard the hat trick.Gilchrist reached his century off just 94 deliveries to be not out 127 from just 116 balls at the break.He was well supported by Gillespie, who remained unbeaten with 11 with the pair putting on a partnership of 69.

HOBART, Feb 15 AAP – Tasmania kept NSW in the hunt for a third straight ING Cup final appearance with a 77-run defeat of Queensland at Bellerive Oval today.NSW’s hopes looked dead and buried when WA beat Victoria at the WACA last night and Tasmania slumped to 4-60 against the Bulls today.A Bulls win would have resulted in the Queenslanders hosting WA in this season’s final.But a spirited fifth-wicket partnership between skipper Jamie Cox (87) and allrounder Dan Marsh (100 not out) turned the match Tasmania’s way – and left the Blues’ fate in their own hands.A NSW victory over last-placed South Australia at Telstra Stadium tomorrow would thrust the Blues into the final against WA.Cox and Marsh, whose brutal century came from just 97 balls, helped the Tigers to 271 from their 50 overs.The pair amassed 158 off 154 balls before Cox fell LBW to Nathan Hauritz.Hauritz was under the watchful eye of ACB selector Allan Border who may send the Queensland offspinner to South Africa should Shane Warne be permanently outlawed from the World Cup.Man-of-the-match Marsh’s century was his second in one-day cricket and helped him pocket $5,000 after winning the ING Allrounders Award, easily achieving a season target of 250 runs and 10 wickets.In reply, Queensland was all out for 194 in the 45th over.Opener Daaniel Payne fell LBW to Adam Polkinghorne for 15 after just 13 balls and 12 minutes at the crease.Rookie Nick Kruger, who scored 41 off 51 balls against the Southern Redbacks in his one-day debut last week, was caught by Michael Di Venuto at second slip for a disappointing 6.The prize scalp of captain Martin Love (33) went to wicketkeeper Sean Clingeleffer.Losing four wickets for 30, the Bulls victory hopes faded.Love said if the Bulls had got Cox or Marsh out early on, the result may have been different.”But they batted well, they’re experienced campaigners now, and took the game out of our hands,” Love said.”I think the Tassie guys probably utilised the wicket better than we did.”Unfortunately, we lost too many wickets at the start, in the first 15 or 20 overs, and couldn’t get back from there.”He said the Bulls would miss much of the game between the Blues and the Redbacks tomorrow as they were travelling back home.Tasmania picked up four points for today’s win, plus a bonus point for dispatching the visitors under the 216 target.Meanwhile, the results on an ACB investigation into the Pura Cup abandonment at Bellerive earlier this month are due to be released in Melbourne on Monday.

JOHANNESBURG, March 9 AFP – Sri Lanka’s star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan will not target Sachin Tendulkar in Monday’s World Cup Super Sixes clash against India at the Wanderers here.He does not know how to do it.Muralitharan, voted Wisden’s best bowler ever in the history of the game, conceded it was not easy to bowl to the Indian maestro.”You just can’t fox Sachin,” the wily off-spinner said after his team’s nets on Sunday.”He reads the ball so early. The class in him comes out when he picks the ball as soon as it is delivered from the bowler’s hand.”It’s always a challenge to bowl to Tendulkar and the other Indian batsmen.”You just can’t target any one batsman. They are all so good. My aim will be to keep a tight check on the Indians.”If I can pick up 4-5 wickets and help Sri Lanka win, I will be very happy.”Tendulkar, one-day cricket’s leading batsman, and Muralitharan form a mutual admiration society.When the duo met at the opening ceremony of the World Cup at Cape Town last month, Muralitharan walked up to Tendulkar and said: “I hope you get four or five centuries in the tournament.Tendulkar responded: “That is if you allow me to. I hope you get 30 wickets.”Muralitharan has so far taken 13 wickets in seven matches, three behind the leading tally of 16 by team-mate Chaminda Vaas and West Indian Vasbert Drakes.Tendulkar is the top scorer in the tournament with 474 runs, which includes a 152 against Namibia, 98 off 75 balls against Pakistan and three other half-centuries.