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Scorecard
Trinidad & Tobago made a steady reply to Jamaica’s first-innings score of 316 by reaching 217 for 5 at the end of the second day. Fifties by Denesh Ramdin and Lendl Simmons – who added 115 for the third wicket – plucked Jamaica out of a precarious position at 43 for 2. Ramdin’s 84 was his highest score in his fledgling first-class career. His dismissal, just before play ended, tilted the balance back towards Jamaica.In the morning, Donovan Pagon reached his hundred (104 not out) in the company of the lower order. But Jamaica could add only 23 runs to their overnight total, as Reyad Emrit picked up the final wickets to end with 5 for 55 – his third five-wicket haul in only his ninth first-class game.Personal tragedy struck Shazam Bawah, who had to withdraw from the Trinidad & Tobago side upon hearing about the demise of his father. His withdrawal came as a blow to T & T as they sought to win first-innings points.

How do you fancy controlling the Southern Electric Premier League purse strings and being League Treasurer? It’s an important, enjoyable and rewarding role, but far from time consuming and onerous.What’s involved :-
1) controlling the actual League and Development Fund bank accounts (along with other signatories)
2) accounting for receipts and payments
3) preparation of Annual Budget for assessment of charges to clubs and arranging them
4) settlement of League expenses and collection of monies due
5) preparation of annual accounts for both the League and the Development Fund and submission for audit
6) presentation of accounts to Annual Meetings and reporting to the monthly Management meetings
It’s a role that would probably be ideal for a cricketer, or club member, embarking on a career in the banking or accountancy world and who would relish the opportunity of practical experience in treasurership.A responsible approach to handling third party funds is required, but the volume of book-keeping is not onerous.If you are interested, then have a word with our retiring treasurer Brian Funnell (01264 889793) who will be pleased to provide more information.

Tasmania struggled on day one of the Commonwealth Bank Under-19 Championship Series as they were dismissed for 130 against the Northern Territory.The Northern Territory players have come together from all over Australia, reflecting the fact that it is the off-season in the Top End. Wicketkeeper Martin Brown is playing for Lindisfarne in Hobart, with Tasmanian opening batsman Jamie Cox, but was pitted against his club cricket counterparts from the Apple Isle in the first round. Captain Sam McNally is playing with Woodville and batsmen Leigh Mauger and Shane Chatto are with East Torrens in Adelaide. Leg spinner Ryan LeLoux is showing the benefit of his stint with Easts-Redlands in the Brisbane grade cricket competition, taking 4/27 on the first day of the Championship series. Batsman Zac Pacey is playing with Norths alongside Bulls batsmen Jimmy Maher and Clinton Perren and will be looking to contribute to a large Northern Territory total today.Tasmania’s preparation for this year’s Commonwealth Bank Under-19 Championship has been somewhat disrupted. Talented batsman Nathan King was involved in a car accident on his way home from training in Hobart last month and is recovering in hospital – where he was visited by Steve Waugh and Shane Warne during the Test match in Hobart recently. Just last Thursday, Burnie-Yeoman all-rounder Kade Munday snapped his achilles tendon at training and was replaced in the side for Newcastle by top order batsman Nicko Aird. Coupled with the wintry conditions across Tasmania recently, yesterday’s top temperature of 37 degrees in Newcastle made for a tough and rapid day of acclimatisation for the Tasmanian team. Spirits should be boosted today by the arrival of left arm spinner Xavier Doherty following the completion yesterday of Tasmania’s Pura Cup match against Victoria at Bellerive, during which Doherty made his first-class debut.Victoria is faced with the challenge of recovering from its overnight score of 4/38 in pursuit of New South Wales’ total of 310. The storms that swept through the Hunter region yesterday afternoon happily caused no disruptions to the match – which is being played at Cahill Oval in Belmont – and it will be the only game today in which there is no need to make up for time lost yesterday.Victorian captain and state squad leg spinner Cameron White will not be joining his team following the Pura Cup match between the Tasmanian Tigers and Victorian Bushrangers. White will instead head to Canberra to represent the Prime Minister’s XI against New Zealand on Thursday. He also remains in contention to play in the Bushrangers’ ING Cup game against the Tigers in Hobart next Sunday and in their next Pura Cup fixture against the Southern Redbacks in Melbourne, beginning on Thursday 13 December.

A 185 run 3rd wicket stand between captain Sitanshu Kotak and PJ Bhattlaid a solid platform for Saurashtra as they progressed to 285/5 from90 overs at stumps on the opening day of their Super League matchagainst Haryana at Rohtak today.After Saurashtra won the toss and chose to bat, openers Vasanth Kumarand Merchant fell cheaply. Kotak and Bhatt then came together in anassociation that lasted three and a quarter hours. Kotak’s 83 came off177 balls with 11 fours. Bhatt followed up scores of 61 and 88 in alosing cause against Tamil Nadu last week with 110 (158 balls, 17fours, 1 six). Although Haryana’s bowlers toiled for the better partof the day they pulled back 3 wickets for 47 runs towards the latterpart as V Jain and P Thakur finished with two wickets each.

Mohammad Asif’s rehabilitation from elbow injury could rule him out for another three months, which means he may face a race against time to be ready for the home series against Australia in March.Asif missed four ODIs out of five against South Africa in October and also the entire tour to India because of his right elbow. The problem is a long-standing one, having forced him to miss three Tests last year against England as well.He has just undergone successful keyhole surgery on the elbow in Sydney, Australia. The surgery was carried out by a prominent specialist on Monday. “The initial reports are that it was not a major operation and it has been successful,” Shafqat Naghmi, Chief Operating Officer of the PCB, told .”But Asif’s recovery could take up to three months before he resumes playing,” Naghmi said. A specialist will soon determine how long the full rehabilitation period will be.”We fear he would require a three-month rest, which means he is certainly out of next month’s home series against Zimbabwe,” he stated.Naghmi also said that Asif might then face a race against time to be completely fit for the home series against Australia, tentatively scheduled to begin from March 9.

Yorkshire’s off-field problems have surfaced again with the news that former England allrounder Anthony McGrath has left the club with immediate effect.It had been widely reported that McGrath was unsettled, and he had been linked with other counties even though he had three years remaining on his contract.In a statement issued through his agent, McGrath announced that he had left Yorkshire. “It is obviously very sad for me that I will not be playing for Yorkshire any more,” he said. “I have been here since I was 11 years old and have been a professional at the club for 14 years.” He strenuously denied reports that the decision was made for financial reasons.A statement from Yorkshire said that the county had only learned of the player’s decision through the press release. “The club would like to put on record that it has worked tirelessly over the past few months trying to find a solution to the grievances raised by Anthony,” it said. “This has included the offer of releasing him from two years of his contract at the end of the 2007 season if he was still unhappy. In addition, he has subsequently been offered the captaincy of the club, an improved package of personal terms and the chance to lead the team he has played for since his childhood thus being able to address many of the deficiencies he complained of in 2006. In all cases he chose to turn down the club’s offers.”

Stewart Regan, the county’s chief executive, added that legal advice was being sought. “We believe he is in breach of his contract in trying to terminate his agreement with the club in this way. We have tried endlessly to resolve the differences Anthony has with the club and feel very hurt that he has chosen to try and break his contract in this manner after being with us for so long. We are now in discussions with our solicitors regarding the possibility of legal action against Anthony and also prospectively against his agent regarding his role in this matter.”Recent events, including the departure of David Byas and the farcical transfer that never was of Chris Adams, have added to the feeling that Yorkshire are in the sort of mess than dogged them through the 1970s and 1980s.

Michael Vaughan is confident that he will be fit for the tour of India in February. The England captain missed the one-day series against Pakistan to return home for surgery on a long-standing knee problem, which had forced him out of the first Test at Multan and affected him for the other two matches.He has yet to return to full training following his operation. However, he has made sufficient progress to remain optimistic about leading the squad on the tour, which consists of three Tests and seven one-day internationals.”The injury is fine,” Vaughan told the Press Association. “I’ve taken a really positive step in the last two weeks and I’ve been able to get on the machines and work very hard for two or three hours a day.”I don’t think it will be a problem for me getting on the plane with the rest of the lads in February. It’s moving nicely, but I don’t want to say too much too soon because I’ve not done any running or twisting and turning yet – and that’s going to be the real test for me.”England name their squad for the second leg of their sub-continental winter on Friday, with Vaughan one of three key players aiming to return after injuries. Ashley Giles is progressing well after an operation on his hip, while Simon Jones is recovering from the bone spur that forced him to miss the final Test against Australia and the Pakistan trip.

Mark Cosgrove, who was dropped for the Pura Cup match against Victoria, has been dumped from South Australia’s ING Cup side for the game against Western Australia at the WACA on Friday. Daniel Harris replaced Cosgrove in both teams and is the only change to the squad that beat New South Wales on January 23.South Australia Graham Manou (capt, wk), Ryan Harris, Nathan Adcock, Mark Higgs, Greg Blewett, Trent Kelly, Daniel Cullen, Paul Rofe, Callum Ferguson, Shaun Tait, Daniel Harris, Shannon Tubb.

Andrew Hall and Yousuf Youhana have been hauled before an ICC Code of Conduct meeting after their mid-pitch confrontation in the second ODI at Lahore last Sunday, following a review of video footage of the incident. And Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, will also have to appear at the hearing, which will be conducted by the former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, the ICC match referee for this series.Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, reviewed television replays of an incident in the match before laying the charges.Smith has been charged with a Level 2 offence under the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to the use of obscene or offensive language. A Level 2 offence carries a penalty of a fine between 50 and 100% of the player’s match fee and/or a ban covering one Test or two ODIs.Hall is facing two charges. The first is a Level 2 offence for inappropriate and deliberate physical contact, while the second is a Level 3 offence for conduct that brings the game into disrepute. A Level 3 offence carries a penalty of a ban of between two and four Tests, or four and eight ODIs.Yousuf Youhana has been charged with a Level 1 offence of bringing the game into disrepute. The penalty for this, if proved, is an official reprimand and/or a fine up to 50% of the player’s match fee.An alleged breach of the ICC Code of Conduct can be reported by the umpires, the team managers, the chief executives of the participating boards or the ICC chief executive. Under the Code of Conduct, the chief executive has five days from the close of play on the day an incident took place within which to lay a charge against a player or official, and this is what Mr Speed has done.

He’s the most unlikely hero. It’s five years since he played a Test match for India. Carrying at least a few extra pounds and even making the occasional foray outside cricket to the movies, he’s not the person you back to torment a touring international team. Yet, Vinod Ganpat Kambli found his feet, unveiled strokes people said he couldn’t play anymore and stormed his way to 109 of the finest runs against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It’s lamentable that Indian cricket found no more use for this attractive left-hander after just 17 Test matches. It bears repetition that even this short career yielded 1084 runs at an average of just under 55 and included two double tons.

The fire is still there, assures Kambli. Speaking to pressmen at the end of the day’s play, Kambli said, “I’m keenly looking forward to playing Test cricket for India again. This knock today has given me a great deal of confidence and I hope I can keep going in the same spirit. I’ve certainly not given up hopes of playing for India.” Unfortunately, it might just be a case of too little much too late.The bowling attack of Matthew Hoggard, James Ormond, Craig White and Richard Dawson will remember Kambli for a long time to come. As much as they would like to forget him, the powerful drives, the delectable late cuts and the booming pull shots will be etched in memory. Yet, one should not get too carried away by Kambli’s innings. There is no place in the Indian middle-order for Kambli to make a comeback. There will be no dream ending to this fairytale. Yet, the fact that one can travel to a venue and watch high class entertaining batting like this makes the innings special in its own right.Kambli was the first one to realise this. His celebratory gestures on reaching three-figures bordered on the excessive. Beginning with a pumping of fists, moving on to a bat-wave to every section of the stands, Kambli ended by making the sign of the cross and looking to the heavens. The prayer of a man lost in the wilderness?There’s something about the England bowling attack that inspires the best in Kambli. For a moment, take a walk down memory lane. On February 19, back in 1992, Graham Gooch won the toss and elected to bat at this very same venue, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. When Graeme Hick, whose career path has alarming similarities to Kambli’s, notched up 178 and England posted 347, he might have harboured hopes of putting victory out of the reach of the Indians. But what the Hoggard-led foursome learnt today, the attack of Phil Defraitas, Chris Lewis, John Emburey and Phil Tufnell discovered all those years ago – it was next to impossible to bowl to Kambli on song.Coming to the wicket at 109/1 Kambli took the Indian score to 563/8, cracking a sizzling 224 that included 23 spanking hits that found the ropes. India made 591 and bowled out England for 229, winning the Test by an innings and 15 runs.There are many wise cricket lovers in Mumbai, who have seen the unfolding and subsequent unraveling of Kambli’s career, while continuing to believe to this day that he is the best batsman in Mumbai. Enough has been said of the Amol Muzumdar’s and Wasim Jaffer’s of Mumbai cricket. At the end of the day however, it takes an out-of-shape Kambli to charm the fans, put the runs on the board and keep the Mumbai flag flying high.