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West Indies were backed up against the ropes but still standing and still scrapping after another round of intense struggle in the second Test at Newlands yesterday. Once again, every punch was followed by a counterpunch but South Africa’s blows on opponents handicapped by significant injuries, were more frequent and more telling.Trailing by 25 at the start of a day of glorious, cloudless sunshine with half their wickets still in tact, the home team battled their way to an eventual lead of 78 and proceeded to further reinforce their position by removing four West Indies wickets for 96 by close.The equation entering the fourth day is a distinct advantage for the highly-ranked home team. The unexpectedly plucky contenders are ahead by just 18 with hopes of extending the 1-0 lead in the series – gained by their shock, deserving win in the first Test in Port Elizabeth – dependent mainly on sizeable contributions by their two best and most experienced batsmen, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain Chris Gayle, who resume their partnership this morning.On a thickly-grassed outfield that devalues shots, even though cut before the start, and a pitch that has yielded 14 wickets to catches off the outside edge between wicketkeeper and gully, apart from more playing and missing than is usual in an entire series, a winning target even as modest of 180 or thereabouts would not be as straightforward as it appears.But this would require an exceptional effort for West Indies, especially in light of the hamstring injuries that have incapacitated two key players.Gayle’s, sustained in Zimbabwe back on December 2 and aggravated while batting in the first innings, forced him to abandon the opening position he has filled in all but six of his 124 Test innings, and appear quarter-hour to the end at No. 6 in the company of a runner. The last time he dropped down the list was in South Africa four years ago, in the Johannesburg Test, once more because of a leg muscle injury.Fidel Edwards, the main strike bowler, was not available for the rest of the match and probably series by a grade-two strain that struck him down after 4.5 overs in the first innings. His absence placed heavy responsibility on the rest that may have taken its toll on their fitness.The contest had swung towards South Africa over the last two hours, 10 minutes of the second day when Ashwell Prince and the feisty wicketkeeper Mark Boucher lifted their team from the instability of 131 for 5 with an unbroken stand of 87.They defied steady bowling through the first hour, 10 minutes yesterday to stretch their partnership to 129 and the lead to 17. The closest they came to being separated was by Marlon Samuels’ throw from midwicket that missed its target with Boucher, at 51, well short of his ground.It took the introduction of Dwayne Bravo to make the break. The bowling hero of the previous day with his 24 consecutive overs and three wickets, lost a close lbw appeal against Boucher one ball and induced a misjudged pull the next that was diverted into the stumps in a replay of his second-innings dismissal in the first Test.Daren Powell, so short of control the previous day he conceded 69 from 19 wicketless overs, took up the slack left by Edwards’ absence with 16 consecutive overs. Reward for his tireless effort was the wickets of Paul Harris and Andre Nel, caught off tentative outside edges by second slip and keeper.South Africa were a manageable 41 to the good when No. 10 Dale Steyn joined Prince on Nel’s dismissal, carrying AB de Villiers with him as a runner in deference to a reported hamstring strain. It was a strange course since the injury didn’t prevent him from taking his place when West Indies batted again or from delivering nine overs for the return of Runako Morton’s wicket.A couple of missed catches in the deep, the first signs in the series of fallibility in the series, aided the addition of 37 valuable runs for the last two wickets. The first was by Morton off Prince’s top-edged hook off Bravo, when the left-hander was 91, the second by substitute Darren Sammy at deep midwicket off Steyn’s slog off Marlon Samuels.

Prince, excited by the prospects of his seventh Test hundred, did not make use of his opportunity – and had only himself, and Jerome Taylor, to blame. He was three short of his goal when he chose to chance a second run on a shot to third man. He lost. Taylor swooped on the ball and his return to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, fast and accurate if a little high, beat Prince’s dive for home by a yard to so. His statistics of just over five hours and 225 balls in changing such a delicate balance represented an innings of real character.Steyn and Makhaya Ntini put on a further 20 for the last wicket, vital runs in a low scoring match, until Rawl Lewis’ second Test wicket, in his fifth match, ended the innings to a catch at deep midwicket.Gayle returned to the team room between innings in such distress from his tender hamstring after 118.2 overs in the field that he reluctantly acknowledged it would be foolhardy to try to head back out to open the innings.A volunteer was sought and, according the media manager Philip Spooner, Ramdin immediately raised his hand. The wicketkeeper is a novice to the position and, for the 17 overs to tea in which three sets of leg-byes boundaries helped put West Indies at 30 without loss, he confirmed it.He seemed to be batting blindfolded, so repeatedly did Nel especially, Ntini and Steyn pass his bat. But he kept his composure under Nel’s usual verbal barrage and gradually found the middle of the bat with five aggressive boundaries in 32.He and his Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga lasted into the 27th over, putting on 59, before Ramdin finally touched a catch to the keeper, off Jacques Kallis.Morton followed in the next over to an inappropriate drive at Steyn that presented Boucher with another catch.The dismissals of Ganga and Marlon Samuels, both assured but always under threat from the occasional unplayable delivery from the tricky surface, tightened South Africa’s grip. Ganga’s vigil of two-and-three-quarter hours for 22 was ended by Ntini’s first ball of a new spell, bowled off the pad by one that cut back.Samuels fought hard for an hour and 25 minutes for 18 but was quarter-hour short of batting through to the end when Nel won an lbw decision against him. It scuppered Gayle’s hope of not to having to bat for the remainder of the day. He saw through the end comfortably but he carried his real job into the fourth day.

Moin Khan
We hadn’t made much of an impression on the batting till then – they were 150-odd for 2 and Dravid looked set and comfortable. Then, right after a drinks break, Shoaib produced this amazing yorker which took Dravid’s leg stump.I remember those two balls really well, particularly the second one, which got Sachin. When he walked in, the crowd had gone wild and given him a standing ovation.Shoaib was bowling really well at that period in the game, and he had found some good rhythm in that spell. For a brief while he looked as if he was going to get a wicket with almost every ball. The way he was charging in, his attitude, it was phenomenal. He just wanted to impose himself on the game and do something; you could really see it.The ball that got Sachin looked the better of the two to me – middle stump and fuller. Both the deliveries were quick obviously, but it was more the swing that did it, and the lateness of the swing. I had seen some Wasim and Waqar specials but these two weren’t far off. When Sachin was bowled, the crowd went completely quiet and you could only hear Shoaib and some of the other players going ballistic.Rahul Dravid
I was batting with Sadagoppan Ramesh and we had been in for a while. Shoaib had come on to bowl and had completed a few overs when we had a drinks break.He was bowling sharp but not with much venom. I told Ramesh, “We’ve got a good partnership here. Let’s keep it going. Shoaib generally bowls three or four good overs and after that we can cash in.” The ball had just started to reverse swing a little bit.First ball after drinks, bang! I saw it clearly as it left his hand – it looked like it was going to be overpitched. It started from outside off stump and came back in a long way. The ball was too good for me on the day.I walked back to thunderous applause. Having scored only 24 runs, I found this a bit strange, till I realised it was for Sachin, who was coming out.I had hardly settled down in the dressing room when there was a roar and then pin-drop silence. I looked up at the television screen in the dressing room, but I needn’t have. You could sense what had happened. Because the television pictures are slightly delayed, I saw Sachin being bowled.It was too good a ball to receive first up. I was set for a while and yet he got me. Sachin had no chance. Those two balls turned the Test match around.

The XXXX Queensland Bulls will stick with an unchanged line-up for Friday night’s ING Cup clash with Victoria at the Gabba following their opening win of the season against Tasmania.The Queensland selectors have also shown faith in the one-day line-up by naming the same twelve players for the Bulls opening Pura Cup match against the Bushrangers starting on Sunday at the Gabba.The Pura Cup selection means that former Tasmanian and Western Australian representative Shane Jurgensen is set to make his first class debut for his home state.If Jurgensen plays, he will become the 13th player to represent three States in Australian first class cricket.University of Queensland batsman Steve Farrell, who was 12th man in the four-wicket win over the Tigers, is also a chance to making his first class debut while left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson is in line to play his first Pura Cup match since 2001.The Bulls players will take to the field against Victoria in their opening first class match of the summer with their initials and their order of selection for Queensland featured on their playing shirts.Friday’s ING Cup match starts at 2.30pm, with gates opening at 1.30pm.A crowd in excess of 10,000 is expected, with the game being promoted as Volunteers’ Day.This is the third season in a row that Queensland Cricket, Volunteering Queensland and the Brisbane City Council have combined for a “thank-you” to the hard-working volunteers and voluntary organisations of Queensland.Volunteering Queensland have provided complimentary tickets to their registered volunteers and organisations, with the BCC providing free Council buses to the game.ING Cup, Friday, October 31 (D/N).
XXXX Queensland Bulls v Victorian Bushrangers: Stuart Law, Daniel Payne, Martin Love (c), Clinton Perren, Lee Carseldine, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, Nathan Hauritz, Mitchell Johnson, Joe Dawes, Shane Jurgensen, Steve Farrell (12th man to be named).Pura Cup, Sun Nov 2 – Wed Nov 5:
XXXX Queensland Bulls v Victorian Bushrangers: Stuart Law, Daniel Payne, Martin Love (c), Clinton Perren, Lee Carseldine, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, Nathan Hauritz, Mitchell Johnson, Joe Dawes, Shane Jurgensen, Steve Farrell (12th man to be named).

Queensland all-rounder Chris Simpson crashed Victorian captain Cameron White’s party on the opening day of the Pura Cup cricket match between the Bulls and Bushrangers at the Gabba today.Up until the last hour of play, everything White touched turned to gold but a superb 83 from 21-year-old Simpson in only his second match for the Bulls stole Victoria’s thunder.At stumps, the Bushrangers were one for 31 in reply to Queensland’s total of 277 but the Victorians could have been in a far more dominant position if not for Simpson’s lower order heroics.Simpson – who made his first-class debut last season against a star-studded NSW at the SCG – was called into the Queensland side as a replacement for offspinner Nathan Hauritz who suffered a hamstring injury in Friday night’s ING Cup loss to Victoria.He smashed nine fours and five sixes in his innings which started slowly as he and left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson came together with the Bulls in dire straits at 7-154.Their slow and steady 52-run stand gave Queensland some respectability but Simpson continued the salvage operation in spectacular style when he and Joe Dawes put on 65 runs for the tenth wicket.Their entertaining partnership equalled a 70-year-old record for Queensland against Victoria and featured some lusty hitting to all parts of the Gabba outfield.The late Bulls charge was no fault of the Victorian skipper who led by example all day in his first appearance as Bushrangers captain in the first-class arena.The 20-year-old leg-spinner won the toss and sent Queensland in on a typically lively Gabba strip.The Victorian attack made the most of the conditions and the Bulls were struggling at three for 51 with White taking a superb diving catch at first slip off the bowling of Allan Wise to remove Bulls captain Martin Love for 11.Debutant Steve Farrell joined forces with veteran Bull Stuart Law for a 78-run partnership but when White took another screamer at first slip off the bowling of Mathew Inness to send Law back to the pavillion, the rot set in for Queensland.The Bulls lost four wickets for 25 runs with White trapping Farrell then dangerman Wade Seccombe in front of their stumps as the Queensland middle order crumbled.He also claimed the wickets of Johnson and Shane Jurgensen to finish with the impressive figures of 4-27 off 17 overs.But he could not stop Simpson who said he was not overloaded with instructions before his innings and had a simple game plan when he was in the middle.”Watch the ball and hit it,” Simpson revealed.”Absolutely nothing was said to me which I think is a sign of the trust that these guys have in us and that probably made me feel better than anything because I knew there was no dramas.Simpson was a specialist batsman and only started his offspin bowling 15 months ago at the direction of AIS coach and former Bulls boss Bennett King.

In the latest episode to fuel the controversial issue of throwing, Abdur Razzaq, the Bangladesh bowler, has been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action.Razzaq, the left-arm spinner, was reported by the three match umpires and by Roshan Mahanama, the match referee, after Bangladesh’s Asia Cup clash against Pakistan at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo.Razzaq, playing in only his second one-dayer, bowled his full quota of 10 overs, with the complimentary return of 2 for 36 – but not everyone was impressed. Mahanama later told both the ICC and the Bangladesh management of his decision to report Razzaq. He said: “The umpires were of the opinion that the player’s action needed to be looked at and it is in the best interests of the player that this is done at this early stage of his career.”Under the two-stage process, Razzaq, 22, will be able to continue playing international cricket, but under the eye of a specialist advisor, as well as a specialist from the ICC panel, who will constantly review his bowling action.After six weeks, the Bangladesh board will have to file a review to the ICC, which will then be shown to all the match referees and umpires.

The Australian women’s team due to tour India for seven one-day internationals is all set to feature two identical twins. The selection panel announced a 13-person squad including Kate and Alex Blackwell. Alex has played eight ODIs but Kate, if selected to play in a match, will be making her debut. If this does happen, this will be the first pair of twins representing Australia in women’s cricket. Shelly Nitschke, the 27-year old left-hand bat, was named in the squad as replacement for Kris Britt, who made herself unavailable for personal reasons.Australia and India have met 14 times before in women’s one-dayers, with India winning just once. The only time India were successful was in 1995.The Blackwells will inevitably draw comparisons to the Waugh twins. But, they insist they aren’t the female equivalent of the more famous cricket twins. “I guess we are progressing along similar to the way Mark and Steve were early in their careers and we appreciate the comparison,” Kate told the Australian Associated Press. “We look up to them a lot but female cricketers should be recognised for themselves, not as the equivalent of Mark Waugh or Steve Waugh or Matthew Hayden or anybody.”While Alex has played two Tests and eight one-dayers, this tour is a first for Kate. “We were fighting for the same position and I got used to living up to what she had achieved.” she said. “I had seen her go through the steps (to get to international level) and I thought that if she could do it, I could do it. She’s a role model for me and we’re all really, really excited – it’s a big celebration day.”Squad 1 Belinda Clark (captain), 2 Karen Rolton, 3 Alex Blackwell, 4 Kate Blackwell, 5 Leonie Coleman, 6 Shelley Nitschke, 7 Cathryn Fitzpatrick, 8 Julie Hayes, 9 Melanie Jones, 10 Lisa Keightley, 11 Clea Smith, 12 Lisa Sthalekar, 13 Emma Twining

Life is never dull when Daryll Cullinan is concerned, and he is again in trouble after a well-publicised confrontation with HD Ackerman at the weekend. Following a private hearing on Monday with Michael Kuper, the South African board’s disciplinary commissioner, he was banned for one match after being found guilty of contravening two clauses of the board’s Code of Conduct.Cullinan, who captains Titans, was summoned along with Ackerman, skipper of Lions, after the pair clashed during a match between the two sides at Potchefstroom last week. Witnesses said the trouble started when Cullinan spoke to Ackerman as he came out to bat. Ackerman was clearly upset by the comments and got involved in a heated confrontation, later making a formal complaint to the umpires.Cullinan, who will not appeal, will miss the match against Eastern Cape Warriors starting on January 6. Ackerman was “severely reprimanded” for his part in the incident.The exact details of the face-off are not known, but it left Lions’ officials deeply unhappy. Shukri Conrad, the coach, was reported in some newspapers as saying it was time Cullinan retired, and he slammed the player for not speaking to any of the Lions team after the match. “If he can’t take time out to thank us, then that just sums up the man.”It is understood that Titans officials have fully accepted the punishment and also that Cullinan has apologised to them for his conduct.

Zimbabwe’s capitulation in Sunday’s third one-day international against Sri Lanka, in which they were bowled out for a new record-low of 35, could have far-reaching consequences in the corridors of the ICC, according to Mihir Bose, the Daily Telegraph reporter who was deported from Zimbabwe last week.For most of the winter, it has been England, not Zimbabwe, that has been threatened with suspension from the ICC, for their unwillingness to fulfil their tour obligations in October. But, ever since the sacking of 15 white Zimbabwean cricketers – including the captain Heath Streak – the ICC has been concerned about the devaluing of international cricket. If yesterday’s humiliating result is compounded by a farcical first Test in Harare next week, the clamour for their removal will grow ever louder.Meanwhile, the escalating crisis in Zimbabwe cricket is something of a deus ex machine for the England & Wales Cricket Board, which had been bracing itself for an inevitable backlash, whatever the outcome of their deliberations. To tour would have flown in the face of government and public opinion; to stay away would have invited the wrath of the ICC, and might have resulted in a year’s suspension from international cricket, the cancellation of next summer’s Ashes series and up to £50 million losses.Instead, the prospects of an England suspension have receded dramatically. Senior sources within the ICC told the Daily Telegraph that it would require the backing of seven of the ten Test-playing nations to implement such a course of action. If England can present a good case for staying away, they are likely to escape punishment.That outcome, however, cannot be taken for granted, given the clumsiness with which the ECB have so far approached the issue. An emergency meeting of the First-Class Forum has been called in Gloucestershire today, which will be attended by the chairman, Mike Soper, as well as Tim Lamb and David Morgan of the ECB. One of the topics on the agenda is the role of Des Wilson, whose paper arguing for a moral stand against Zimbabwe yesterday received the support from the anti-apartheid campaigner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Support has been less apparent on the home front, however, and Wilson is contemplating resignation.

Football heartthrob David Beckham and rugby hunk Jonny Wilkinson have been caught out this summer by England’s cricket team whose skill against Australia and good looks have won a bevy of female fans. The whole country has gone cricket mad over the past few weeks as England battles to beat Australia in an Ashes series for the first time in nearly 20 years, with a nail biting climax set for the final Test.For a sport that is traditionally worshipped by men, cricket is also attracting more women thanks to the success of the England team and the appeal of certain members, such as charming allrounder Andrew Flintoff, chiselled fast bowler Simon Jones and cheeky blue-haired batsman Kevin Pietersen. “The players look good and they are charismatic, which is partly why the game is spreading to new audiences,” said Clare Connor, captain of the England women’s cricket team, which won its own Ashes against Australia last month. “Everyone male or female gets interested as soon as the team starts doing really well against the top side which is Australia,” she told AFP.England will go into the final Test 2-1 up and needing just a draw to win the overall contest – a feat that will turn the squad into national heroes. “Everyone is talking about cricket,” said a spokesman for the England and Wales Cricket Board. “The fact that the team is potentially in line for an Ashes victory is something that has swept the country.” Asked how the players were handling their heightened fame and adoring throng of female fans, the spokesman said: “They are coping very well. Essentially they don’t have time to do much else other than concentrate on the job at hand – and that is trying to win the Ashes.”Despite their gruelling training regime, some of the team have found time to pose for photo-shoots and give interviews. Their pictures dominate the sports sections of newspapers and also appear increasingly in glossy men’s magazines. They even feature as pin-ups inside women’s monthly magazines. Cosmopolitan magazine sent female hearts racing when it published a naked, smouldering photograph of 26-year-old Jones, who will miss the last Test with an ankle injury, in its August edition. “We were the first people to identify the sexual appeal of the England cricket players,” said a spokeswoman for the magazine. “Suddenly cricket is sexy for young women,” she told AFP, noting that the picture of Jones – which is part of a monthly feature to raise awareness about male cancer – triggered a flood of emails and phone calls from readers wanting a poster-size copy of the tanned, muscle-bound cricketer.The Barmy Army, a colourful group of cricket fans who typically wear fancy dress and sing funny songs at matches, said they welcomed the influx of women who were travelling to the games or watching them on television. “I think the girls like coming along now that there are a few sex symbols on the pitch,” said Paul Burnham, one of the founders of the fan club. “The more girls who get into it the better for cricket,” he said, adding: “The more girls who like cricket, the more times their husbands and boyfriends will be allowed to play or go and watch it.”Highlighting the sport’s popularity, Channel 4, which broadcasts live coverage of cricket in Britain, enjoyed a 21% share of the country’s television audience on August 28 when England clinched the fourth Test at Trent Bridge. The figure was more than double its normal rating and higher than the other stations – ironically it comes in the last season that terrestrial television broadcasts home test matches after the ECB judged it better to move it to BSkyB who offered a lot more money.In addition, one supermarket chain is selling more replica England cricket shirts than football shirts, according to the series sponsor. England captain Michael Vaughan said last month: “We can’t go anywhere without people wishing us luck. It’s great to know that the nation will be right behind us when we take on the Aussies.”With the football and rugby seasons up and running, however, the sponsor’s spokeswoman Sue Newton said it would be naive to think cricket’s new-found popularity will last throughout the winter months when the sport is not played in Britain. At the same time, she hoped enough momentum had been generated to see cricket once more in the headlines when the new season starts next year. As for the female fans, their passion for the game – and in particular the players – shows no sign of fading. “I like the appeal of the characters and personalities who are playing, and the fact that they are doing well,” said Hannah Mervis, 25, a policewoman who lives in a flat overlooking The Oval.

On how he feels about his recent displays
I’ve worked pretty hard, and things have been very positive, starting in Zimbabwe. I try to take it one game at a time.On what’s changed for him
Not much really. I’ve worked a bit with Ian Frazer who pointed out a couple of things that needed tweaking in my action. Just technical things like my right hip not going through and the entire body momentum being behind the ball at the time of delivery. Sometimes, it’s the basic things that you miss.On how disheartening it was to be in and out of the side despite being India’s best ODI bowler since the 2003 World Cup.
That’s in the past now. Each time you’re not picked, you view it as a challenge and go back to try and do well in domestic cricket. We play so much cricket now that there are bound to be opportunities and you just have to make the most of what comes your way. You can only control what’s in your hands, and each time I go out, I give a 100% for the team.On criticism from former greats
I don’t read it. What can you do anyway? They can have their opinion, and I certainly can’t stop them talking. I just go out there and try my best, and play the game because I love it.On whether he has enjoyed the new-ball responsibility
Yes, I have. But I feel I can do a job both with the shiny hard ball first up, and the soft one at the end of an innings.