Darren Sammy, the West Indian allrounder, was the only uncapped player to be named in the 15-man one-day squad to play England and New Zealand in the Natwest Series, which starts on June 24.Sammy, 20, was selected ahead of the more experienced Ryan Hinds after a successful domestic Carib Beer series in 2004. He was the fourth highest scorer for Windward Islands with 261 runs at 26.1, and his total of 22 wickets in the competition was the second highest for the sub-regional team. Should he play, Sammy will become the first player from St Lucia to represent the senior West Indies side, though he was a member of the Young West Indies team that reached the semi-finals of the ICC Youth World Cup in New Zealand in 2001. The selectors choice of Sammy over Hinds will have been influenced by Sammy’s experience of English conditions. He played for Barnes Cricket Club in the Middlesex Premier Cricket League last season, averaging 29.50 with the bat and 25.35 with the ball. He scored his runs at a strike rate over 90, and took 17 wickets in his 10 matches for the side.Neither Merv Dillon nor Corey Collymore has been named in the squad, having made little impression in the one-dayers against England in the Caribbean earlier this month. Dillon took only three wickets at an average of over 69 in the series, while Collymore failed to take a single scalp. Sylvester Joseph, who played against England and Bangladesh, has also been left out.Fidel Edwards and Tino Best, both 22, will lead the West Indies attack in the triangular series. Best recently battered Bangladesh into submission with his aggressive fast bowling, while Edwards has taken 12 wickets at 10.41 in the four one-dayers he has played in, though these were against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Ravi Rampaul and Ian Bradshaw will play the role of back-up seamers. West Indies will arrive with a young and fairly inexperienced one-day side, 11 of whom are under the age of 25.West Indies squad for NatWest Series
Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Smith, Ricardo Powell, Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Smith, Ridley Jacobs (wk),Dwayne Bravo, Carlton Baugh (wk), Ian Bradshaw, Darren Sammy, Tino Best, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul.

Jehan Mubarak has been named as Sri Lanka A’s captain for their tour of England at the end of this month. Mubarak, a graceful six-foot lefthander, will lead a squad of 16 picked yesterday for the one-month tour, starting on June 30, which will comprise 10 matches – nine against English county sides and a 3-day game against the touring West Indies.Mubarak, 22, has been on the fringe of international honours ever since he played against Bangladesh two years ago, and he has been a consistent member of the Sri Lanka A teams that toured South Africa, Kenya, India and New Zealand in the past nine months.Thilina Kandamby, a lefthander from Bloomfield, will be Mubarak’s deputy on the tour. Kandamby, 22, made his one-day international debut against Zimbabwe last month.The squad also comprises two hard-hitting batsmen in Saman Jayantha and Avishka Gunawardana, who have been included to give them some practice ahead of next month’s Asia Cup tournament in Sri Lanka. Ian Daniel, Bathiya Perera and Malintha Gajanayake are the other frontline batsmen in the squad.Prasanna Jayawardene, who lost his Test place to the veteran wicketkeeper, Romesh Kaluwitharana, for the short tour to Australia later this month, will be the No. 1 glovesman in the side. Charith Sylvester will be his understudy.The team also includes two allrounders, Ranga Dias and Gayan Wijekoon, two spinners and four fast-medium bowlers.Kaushal Lokuarachchi is one of the main spinners in the side, with Suraj Mohammad included as the second spinner. At 19, Mohammed is the youngest member of the team.Once again Michael Vandort misses out, and according to selection committee sources he is struggling to come to terms with the moving ball. To help him rectify that lapse in his batting he is to be sent to the Max Academy.Mubarak, Gunawardena, Jayawardene, Lokuarachchi and Thilina Thushara are players with Test experience, while Kandamby, Jayantha, and Nuwan Kulasekara have appeared in one-day internationals for their country.Sri Lanka A squad (subject to Sports Ministry ratification)
Jehan Mubarak (CCC, capt), Thilina Kandamby, (Bloomfield, v-c),Saman Jayantha (Bloomfield), Avishka Gunawardena (SSC), Ian Daniel(Bloomfield), Bathiya Perera (Moors SC), Prasanna Jayawardene (NCC), Charith Sylvester (Chilaw Marians), Ranga Dias (Tamil Union), Gayan Wijekoon (Tamil Union), Kaushal Lokuarachchi (Bloomfield), Suraj Mohamed (Matara), Nuwan Kulasekara (Galle CC), Dhammika Prasad (SSC), Thilina Thushara (NCC), Malintha Gajanayake (Tamil Union).

Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s captain, has slammed the format of the NatWest Series, saying that it is unfair to expect top international teams to play back-to-back matches.The tight ten-match NatWest Series schedule means that 10 matches are played in 17 days, with back-to-back games on successive weekends. The visiting sides almost always draw the short straw and have a double-header over one of the weekends, while England play only the once with time to rest between matches.”I’m not happy full stop with back-to-back games. I’ve strongly stated that for some time," Fleming told reporters after the first game in the series at Old Trafford was abandoned. “The fact that it is the case in this tournament so be it, now is not the time to complain about it. But on principle, looking further ahead, I don’t think they should play a part because I don’t think it is realistic to expect high-class performances during a whole weekend.”Two teams do it and it tends to be one team that misses out. I’m strongly in favour of the scheduling having at least one day, even three days in between games. That’s just to make sure the paying public get the opportunity to see athletes at their best, not those that have had a big day before and are trying to repeat that which can be quite tough over 100 overs.”

Ozais Bvute, the Zimbabwe Cricket Union board member who is no stranger to controversy, is again at the centre of a row after it was alleged that he offered Vumindaba Moyo a job within the ZCU so that Moyo would campaign for him in Matabeleland, where Bvute wanted to become chairman.Bvute’s sudden interest in provincial cricket politics is thought to have come about after it became clear that local associations had the power to dismiss the ZCU board. Another controversial member of the board – Max Ebrahim, who was previously chairman of the Mashonaland Cricket Association – went out of his way to became chairman of a little-known province called Masvingo, in what was seen by many as a bid to prevent him being usurped by those opposing the ZCU.Bvute’s aspirations in Matabeleland were not helped by the fact that he has almost no support there, hence the approach to the influential Moyo, a leading candidate to become chairman and an opponent of much the ZCU has done of late. In return for the job, the intention was that Moyo would influence the clubs to back Bvute. But a local source said that Moyo dismissed the approach, going so far as to tell the middle man to “go to hell”.This helps to explain the background to the chaos which surrounded the Matabeleland Cricket Association AGM held at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on June 26 when Bvute, accompanied by the Mashonaland Cricket Association chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani and general manager Givemore Makoni, effectively hijacked the meeting. Moyo and his supporters walked out, and even when they came back they refused to stand for any post on the board.Sources claim that Bvute telephoned Moyo after the meeting and tried to distance himself from the job offer, but Moyo was left deeply unimpressed. Several administrators in Matabeleland have confirmed that Bvute did make a specific approach to try to influence Moyo. Attempts to contact Bvute for a comment were unsuccessful.Recently, the ZCU constitution was amended to give provinces four slots on the board. The provincial chairmen of Matabeleland and Mashonaland automatically become ZCU board members, while the provinces also nominate two individuals to be on the board.The ZCU holds a crucial AGM in Harare on Friday, August 6, and it is yet to be seen whether Bvute and Ebrahim, who are thought by many to be the key figures in instigating and fuelling the current crisis in which 15 rebel players refused to play for Zimbabwe, will still be on the board after the meeting.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has distanced itself from the scathing comments Wasim Bari, the chairman of selectors, made against David Shepherd. Bari lashed out at Shepherd for a poor performance in the final of the Videocon Cup in Amstelveen, which Pakistan lost to Australia by 17 runs.”We have no comment to offer on this issue. Whatever Bari has said are his personal views and don’t reflect that of the board,” said a PCB spokesman, according to a Reuters report. Bari, a former Pakistan captain, who played 81 Test and 51 one-day internationals, had said that Shepherd was too old and that he should step down from umpiring in international cricket.Meanwhile, Bari stood by his remarks. “I don’t think I said anything different from what people are talking about after the final,” said Bari, in the full knowledge that the International Cricket Council frowns upon its members making negative comments regarding umpires or officials who run the game.The report goes on to say that a source in the board revealed that Bari had been reminded not to make comments about umpiring in the future.

Lancashire 0 for 0 trail Gloucestershire 311 for 8 dec (Hancock 61, Taylor 60, Adshead 52*, Keedy 7-95) by 311 runs
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If, as now seems almost certain, Lancashire are relegated sometime in the next three days, no fault will be attached to Gary Keedy, whose career-best figures of 7 for 95 kept their outside chances of survival alive a little longer.Keedy bowled unchanged from the 11th over, taking the first seven wickets to fall as Gloucestershire, who won the toss, ploughed towards three batting points. When they declared on 311 for 8, shortly before bad light ended play early, they were within one point of safety. The ECB had warned them that any declarations made with a view to deliberately depriving Lancashire of bonus points would be penalised, but not even the harshest critic would claim that this one one made anything other than perfect tactical sense.Craig Spearman and Phil Weston gave Gloucestershire a sound start after Chris Taylor won the toss, adding 55 before Keedy struck twice. He had Spearman stumped by Warren Hegg for 34 and then bowled Weston for 19 (60 for 2). Gloucestershire reached lunch on a sedate 156 for 2, but shortly after the restart Keedy struck three times in as many overs.But after that flurry of activity, Tim Hancock and Steve Adshead put on a vital 97 for the sixth wicket, and in so doing almost extinguished Lancashire’s slim hopes. Keedy broke the stand, dismissing Hancock and Ian Fisher in quick succession, but Gloucestershire passed 300 – and earned another batting point – before, with the gloom enveloping Old Trafford, both in the skies and the pavilion, they declared.”Although it would obviously be a big disappointment, it wouldn’t be the disaster that being relegated from the Premiership has become in football,” Jim Cumbes, Lancashire’s chief executive, told the Daily Telegraph. “Financially, all counties receive the same central funding no matter which division they are in, and we wouldn’t be looking at a mass exodus of players or anything like that. But we see ourselves as one of the top four or five counties, which doesn’t square with being in the Second Division.”

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Maharashtra were overwhelmed by an innings and 238 runs in a no-contest at Mohali. Having gained a massive 443-run lead, Punjab declared overnight and wrapped up the game without facing too much resistance. Navdeep Singh, the left-arm spinner, snared 4 for 79 as the Maharashtra batting line-up, which was unstoppable in the Plate Group last season, crumbled for the second time in the game. Kaushik Aphale and Hrishikesh Kanitkar delayed the inevitable with a 102-run stand, but the rest came apart in quick time. Punjab gained a bonus point by virtue of this innings victory and extended their lead at the top of their group.
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Rishikesh Parab lead the Baroda run-chase in what promised to be a tense finish in Hyderabad. Chasing 276, Baroda needed 94 more with Rishikesh unbeaten on 56 when stumps were drawn. Earlier in the day, Baroda fought back through their bowlers as Hyderabad lost their last five wickets for just 19 with Ibrahim Khaleel, the wicketkeeper, stranded on 65. Rajesh Pawar, the left-arm spinner, mopped up the tail with a hat-trick. Having collapsed for just 93 in the first innings, Baroda put on a better display the second time around with Satyajit Parab and Pawar supporting Rishikesh in the bid for victory.
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Ramesh Powar had Bengal in a spin as Mumbai took complete control of their game in Kolkata. Powar snapped up five of the first six wickets before returning to mop up the tail. Arindam Das, Sanjib Sanyal and Saurishish Lahiri managed to compile half-centuries but it was too little in the face of Mumbai’s 552. Bengal were 14 for no loss in their second innings with an uphill task on the final day.
ScorecardRajagopal Sathish made a crucial 178 not out and defied Tamil Nadu, his former team, at Guwahati. Satish, who plays in the Chennai league, cracked 29 fours in his unbeaten effort and helped Assam whittle down the lead to just 89 at the end of the third day. Vasanth Saravanan, who also played for Tamil Nadu earlier, made 50 and his 86-run stand with Zakaria Zuffri (49) gave Assam a solid platform. MR Shrinivas, the opening bowler, finished with 4 for 105 but for most of the day Tamil Nadu were thwarted by one of their own.
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The Karnataka tailenders eked out some valuable runs in the morning session, extending their lead to 91 before their bowlers gave them a sniff of victory in Bangalore. Andhra threatened to build a big lead through Venugopal Rao and Alluri Varma, who both made half-centuries and shared a 91-run stand. But four wickets towards the end of the day gave Karnataka the distinct edge. Sunil Joshi picked up his 300th wicket in Ranji Trophy when he bowled Varma.
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Devendra Bundela, who scored a match-saving hundred against Mumbai, came up with a crucial 87 as Madhya Pradesh gained the first-innings lead at the Jamia Millia Ground in Delhi. Resuming at 207 for 4, the MP lower order fell cheaply but a 55-run lead may prove very handy. Delhi fought back through their bowlers with Ajay Jadeja and Rahul Sanghvi, the left-arm spinner, snapping up three wickets apiece. But with just one day to go, MP might have done enough to get the better of the draw.
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Lalit Patel’s five-wicket haul restricted Railways to just 200 as Gujarat took control on the third day at Ahmedabad. None of the Railways’ batsmen managed half-centuries and the Gujarat medium-pacers struck at regular intervals. Tejinder Pal Singh and Siddharth Verma made dogged 40s, but Railways didn’t have too much else to cheer.

England have not yet arrived in Zimbabwe for the five-match one-day series that few of their players seem to have any appetite for, but David Morgan, the ECB’s chairman, yesterday said that there was every chance that England would be back there soon to play Tests.Morgan, who is accompanying the England side to Zimbabwe, made his comments as the team arrived for a short period of acclimatisation in Namibia. He told The Guardian that Zimbabwe’s impending return to the Test arena meant that England would “have to return to play two Tests at some stage, as will Australia.” He added: “We will be in discussions with Zimbabwe Cricket about when that will happen during the course of this tour.”He also denied suggestions that the board had leant on players to persuade them not to back out of the tour. “I made it absolutely clear to the coach, captain and the other players that anybody for reasons of personal conscience who did not wish to go to Zimbabwe would not be penalised,” he said. “Is that leaning on players?”

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Auckland rocketed to the top of the State Championship table with another outright victory, this time within two days, after beating Canterbury at the Hagley Oval by an innings and 60 runs. The innings victory, though, didn’t give Mark Richardson a chance to score the six runs that he needed to reach 10,000 first-class runs. Instead he left with 9994.Auckland batted into the second morning with Lou Vincent staking a claim for a national spot with a patient 90. He was supported by Brooke Walker. Once Vincent was dismissed, Andre Adams spent some useful time in the middle and blasted 56 off 49 balls, including two sixes and six fours. Hayden Shaw and Chris Martin snapped up six wickets between them for Canterbury.Canterbury started their second innings 185 runs behind and were in trouble from the outset as both their openers, Tim McIntosh and Michael Papps, fell for zero. Things soon got worse for them and it was only lower-order defiance from Andew Ellis, who batted for 69 minutes, and Shaw that extended the game late into the day. Kyle Mills achieved the first 10-wicket haul of his career, and in the process notched up 100 first-class wickets to end the game with 10 for 82. Adams also chipped in with three fine catches toward the end of the Canterbury innings.
ScorecardNorthern Districts were in a deep hole at McLean Park as Central Districts batted into the second day to reach 479. Northerns still trailed by 225 with just two wickets standing at the end of the second day.After being kept on the field for 109.3 overs, Northerns’ poor fortune continued with James Marshall out for just 1. But Llorne Howell (35) and Mark Orchard(48) steadied the nerves with a 71-run stand for the second wicket. However, the middle order floundered after the solid platform. Several batsmen threw it away after getting starts and they were soon left with the danger of having to follow-on. Matt Hart made the only other sizeable score with 48. Michael Mason and Lance Hamilton were the most successful bowlers for Central Districts.
ScorecardWellington, the defending champions, were staring down the barrel at 49 for 4 in their first innings, thanks to some fine bowling by James McMillan and Jeff Wilson. But they were rescured by a fifth-wicket stand between James Franklin and Jesse Ryder. Ryder had to foresake his usually attacking instincts but handled the pressure well to score 72 off 121 balls. Franklin notched up 79 and Wellington were back on track.McMillan, though, who finished with 4 for 36, struck with the new ball and restricted them to 291, helping Otago gain a 36-run lead. By the end of the day, Wellington managed to snap up the wicket of Mohammad Wasim to leave Otago at 14 for 1 when stumps were drawn.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

David Hussey welcomed the West Indians with a century in the first match and his older brother Michael caused them more trouble with a crucial 70 in the second. But it was a horror collapse – the last seven wickets fell for 34 runs – that allowed Australia to level the two-match warm-up series.West Indies were easing towards their target after an aggressive opening from Chris Gayle and a half-century to Wavel Hinds, but the match turned when Cameron White accepted Ramnaresh Sarwan’s sharp chance off Nathan Hauritz and they freefell from 3 for 158. Hauritz and Brett Lee, who is likely to face the same opposition in the VB Series opener at the MCG on Friday, both picked up two wickets as all six of the attack were successful.Michael Hussey top-scored for Australia A as he and White saved the side from another top-order topple to reach 9 for 243. White, scoring his second half-century of the weekend, combined for 88 with Hussey at 5 for 84 in the 19th over after Brad Hodge had fallen to a spectacular catch from Xavier Marshall at backward point and Brad Haddin was caught behind by Courtney Browne. Browne’s third catch came from Hussey and further contributions from Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz pushed Australia A to a competitive total.Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the stand-in captain for Brian Lara who joined the tsunami charity game today, won the toss and had economical returns from his spinners Gayle and Samuels while Reon King took three expensive wickets.