With the nation holding its breath ahead of next week’s Ashes showdown, the C&G Trophy final could be seen as an opportunity to escape the international frenzy. However, even as Hampshire and Warwickshire battle it out at Lord’s, thoughts will never be far away from The Oval.The final of the C&G Trophy (or its previous incarnations) used to be the finale to the season. However, with the international calendar now extending into September, it is invariably sandwiched between the last two Tests, or played in the shadow of another tournament, such as last year’s Champion’s Trophy.And with the most anticipated Test match in decades five days away, the final is again battling for attention. In the past, this final would be the last chance for a player to stake a claim for a winter tour. This year there is a much more imminent match to focus on.Chris Tremlett will have a last opportunity to hone his skills in case he is required to replace Simon Jones, while Shane Watson can put more pressure on the Australian selectors to consider him in a reshuffled team, following his career-best 203 not out against Warwickshire this week.Along with two potential Ashes stars, Hampshire can also boast the exuberant strokeplay – and hairstyles – of Kevin Pietersen. He has spent the summer showing his appetite for the big occasion on the international stage and now has the rare chance to put a county attack to the sword.Not that Warwickshire’s bowlers will be a pushover. In the shape of Makhaya Ntini they have someone who can easily match Pietersen in the enthusiasm stakes and also has an impressive history at Lord’s. When he toured in 2003 he became the first South African to take ten wickets in a Test on the ground and utilised the slope with similar success to Glenn McGrath.After Ntini, though, Warwickshire’s attack becomes a bit of a mix-and-match affair. Dougie Brown is as steady as ever and will provide a level head in the final having performed in many big matches during his career. The availability of Ashley Giles is a major boost and he will provide the main spinning option although Alex Loudon has impressed some good judges this season with his offspin.As well as having Giles available, Ian Bell is taking a break from national duty and returning to the stage where he made his first mark on the big stage. It was during the B&H Final in 2002 that Bell’s immense talents were first displayed to a wide audience as he guided Warwickshire home with an unbeaten 65, showing composure that belied his, then, 20 years.Bell has been the one English player to appear slightly overawed by the intensity of the Ashes. Apart from his brace of half-centuries at Old Trafford he has failed to contribute much to England’s wins and his second-innings hook at Trent Bridge was out of character. However, this final is the ideal scene for him to spend time in the middle and, crucially, it is still a pressurised situation – if not on the same scale as the Test series.Bell told BBC Sport that he is looking forward to the day at Lord’s and enjoying being back with his county: “The guys in the team have done well to get us to the final and it’s nice for a guy like me who has grown up there and who has a lot of friends in the area to have the opportunity to go out and play in a Lord’s final. It’s quite good to take the pressure away from the Ashes.””The guys at Warwickshire are massive England supporters and want us to do well. Everyone wants to know what’s going on out in the middle – these guys are no different – but hopefully on Saturday, Ashley [Giles] and me can just go out there and contribute and help the other guys.”Warwickshire’s batting, with Bell available, is an ideal blend of youth, experience, attack and consolidation. Nick Knight continues to be a run-machine in county cricket and a one-day trophy would be a suitable way for him to leave the Warwickshire captaincy – especially with the Championship crown slipping away. Jim Troughton – who also stared with Bell in that 2002 Final – and Jonathan Trott form a powerful middle-order alongside Loudon and Brown.But if there is a psychological advantage to be had heading into the final, then it must lie with Hampshire, following their comprehensive innings-and-86-run win in the Championship. Hampshire are also the more complete allround side as Andy Bichel, Sean Ervine and Dimitri Mascarenhas form a formidable attack alongside Tremlett and Watson.The evergreen Shaun Udal will relish leading the side and you can be sure that Shane Warne will be keeping tabs on the progress. It was Warne’s time at Hampshire which has given them a belief and confidence which now shows in their play. Everywhere you look in this final the Ashes are not far away.

On the final afternoon of the longest first-class season ever, Somerset’s Ian Blackwell dramatically snatched the Walter Lawrence Trophy, for the season’s fastest first-class hundred, from the grasp of the previous joint-leaders, Shane Warne and Matt Prior.Blackwell eclipsed the previous best by five balls with his 67-ball century against Derbyshire at Taunton. He survived two chances in the slips off successive balls when he had made 35 before racing to 107, which included two sixes and 18 fours.Blackwell will receive the Walter Lawrence Trophy, prize money of £5,000 and a silver medallion from Aon Ltd, the Trophy’s supporters, at a ceremonial dinner to be held in the Long Room at Lord’s on October 4.Blackwell’s last-gasp hundred means that the Trophy will return to Taunton for the second year running: last year’s winner was Somerset’s Richard Johnson, whose 63-ball century was scored in the Trophy’s 70th year.

Nashua Titans, the current South African Standard Bank Pro20 Cup winners, have named their 15-man squad for the six-team inaugural International 20:20 Club Championship to be held in Leicester from September 15 to17.The squad will be led by Gerard Dros, the Titans middle-order batsman. The team includes Alviro Petersen, an explosive opener who has ripped apart the bowling in domestic competition, while the bowling line-up includes Pierre de Bruyn and Ethy Mbhalati, and the young Albie Morkel, the South Africa one-day player is also selected in the team.Delighted after having qualified for the first-ever Twenty20 club championship, Alex Balfour, director of strategy for investors in cricket, said: “The fact that five of the six teams participating in the inaugural International 20:20 Championship are current or recent domestic 20:20 champions gives this tournament real credibility. We will find out who really is the best team in the world at the 20:20 format.”Richard Pybus, the newly appointed coach of the Nashua Titans, said, “Although we miss some of our national players who are on duty with South Africa and South Africa `A’, we are looking forward to bringing a young and dynamic side. It will be a wonderful opportunity for the younger players in our squad to put down a marker for the rest of the season.”Other teams include Pakistan’s Faisalabad Wolves, Chilaw Marians, English Twenty20 Cup champions Somerset Sabres. Hosts Leicestershire Foxes, and the PCA Masters XI, which will feature a number of current and past England players, will also participate in the tournament.In the first round, teams will be awarded two points for a win and one for a tie with the top two teams in each group going through to the semi-finals. Winners of these will contest the final that evening.Titans squad
1 Maurice Aronstam, 2 Gulam Bodi, 3 Pierre de Bruyn, 4 Gerald Dros (capt), 5 Francois du Plessis, 6 Paul Harris, 7 Ethy Mbhalati, 8 Morné Morkel, 9 Johann Myburgh, 10 Alviro Petersen, 11 Aaron Phangiso, 12 Brendon Reddy, 13 André Seymore, 14 Kruger van Wyk (wk), 15 Albie Morkel

Tryphon Mirando, secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim committee died suddenly in London on Sunday. Mirando, 51 was visiting his wife and children when he suffered a massive heart attack. According to sources, he was rushed to hospital but it was too late.A Royal College alumnus, Mirando was a long standing member of Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club. He was a livewire at the club, being a former president and a past secretary. A charming personality, Mirando was also a good choir singer.At the time of his death, he was marketing director of Janashakthi Insurance Company Ltd and a director at Kotmale Company.

Glenn McGrath may have taken Brian Lara’s wicket 14 times in Tests, but the legendary fast bowler is deeply respectful of the the West Indian’s talents. McGrath’s dominance over Lara is almost double that of the next most successful bowler, Andre Nel, who has taken his wicket eight times.McGrath, who often nominates his batting “bunny” in the opposing team – for the Ashes this summer, he targeted Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss – but he chose his words carefully today before the second Test on Thursday at Hobart.”I think he is different now, he seems a little bit different to when I first played. I think there is more a mental aspect when I am bowling to him these days,” he said.”But once he gets set, he is still a great striker of the ball and can score very quickly, so I think a lot of times I have knocked him over, I have knocked him over quite cheaply. If I get him out early, then great, if not he sometimes goes on to make a great score.”Lara, who has scored 10,903 runs in Test cricket, needs just 25 runs to overtake the former Australian captain, Steve Waugh (10,927), and become the second all-time leading run scorer in Tests behind Allan Border.His form has been a concern, however, with a run of poor scores for the West Indies, and the World XI. However, it has been his determination to occupy the crease that has the Australians cautious of Lara.”I think on his day he still can be [as good as ever], it depends on how he is going, how much he wants it, and how things go out in the middle. He is still a dangerous batsman,” McGrath said.Lara’s Test record in Australia is 1,168 runs at 37.68, well below his career average of 53.45.West Indian opener Wavell Hinds, an outside chance of playing in Hobart after damaging a finger earlier in the tour, felt Lara was ready to produce a big innings.”Brian has been batting pretty well in the nets and is hitting them well, but he just needs some time at the wicket as he tried to do in the first Test,” Hinds said.”It did not come off, but I back him to come out and pull off a very good performance. Brian is obviously the best batsman in the world. He is a great motivator in terms of scoring runs and setting a platform for our team to follow.”

Sharad Pawar, the Indian board president, has told Sourav Ganguly that he respected him as a “champion cricketer” who has done a lot for Indian cricket, when the two met in New Delhi on Tuesday.Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI spokesperson, said that Pawar and Ganguly discussed the state of Indian cricket and how best the team can prepare for the tour of Pakistan in January 2006.Pawar said, in a report in htcricket.com, that he was helpless in selection matters but told Ganguly that no further injustice, perceived or otherwise, would be done to him.Sourav Ganguly’s innings of 40 and 39 in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Delhi were not enough for him to retain his place in the Indian team for the third Test. The selectors, with one eye on the future and the other on addressing concerns over an opening slot, had picked Wasim Jaffer in the squad for the third Test against Sri Lanka.After the defeat of the Jagmohan Dalmiya camp – believed to have solidly stood behind Ganguly on all occasions – in the recent board elections the latest selectorial decision was widely seen as vindictive on the part of the new incumbents.However, Pawar, who categorically claimed that he was not party to the decision, had said, “As a cricket lover, I am hurt and shocked over the exclusion of Ganguly. In the Delhi Test his performance was satisfactory. Also, he was a victorious captain and we feel proud of him”.

A magnificent 209 runs partnership for the fifth wicket, between opener Kamran Sajid and skipper Faisal Iqbal, enabled Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to gain a big first innings lead over Pakistan Customs, on the second day at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Ground No.1.PIA ended on 318 for 5, which means that they are now 119 runs ahead of the Customs’ modest first innings effort of 199 all out, with five wickets still in hand. At one stage early in the morning, Customs looked like turning the tide their own way, as four PIA men were back in the pavilion with only 54 scored. The nightwatchman Umar Gul was gone soon after his team resumed at 46 for 2 and Bazid Khan lasted only four balls before perishing for a duck.However, Kamran and Faisal then took control with an excellent display that saw them both scoring centuries. The 22-year-old Kamran from Lahore achieved his career-best knock of 147, playing in his 50th first-class match. The all-rounder, who represented Pakistan at the 2001-02 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, reached his fifth hundred. It was a patient knock, as he stayed at the crease for just over six and a half hours, faced 313 balls and hit 21 boundaries.Faisal has so far scored an unbeaten 107, in almost five and a quarter hours, off 237 deliveries with the help of 15 fours and a six, his fourth century of the season. Even after Kamran’s departure, Faisal found another able partner in the veteran Mahmood Hamid and the two have added 55 for the unbroken sixth-wicket stand.An interesting match is developing at Sheikhupura as Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) equaled Service Industries’ first innings score, by the close of play on the second day. However, after Service had been bowled out for 191, ZTBL replied with exactly that amount of runs but they still have a wicket standing.At 65 for 6 it appeared that ZTBL would concede a first innings lead. The seam bowler Asim Butt and opening bowler Jamshed Ahmed had them in deep trouble but then came a useful cameo innings of 42 off 68 balls from wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal, the younger brother of Pakistan stumper Kamran Akmal. He helped add 45 for the seventh-wicket stand with Tanvir Ahmed (19). Later on, the tail-enders Kashif Daud (24) and Siddiq Khan (22 not out) continued the reconstruction.Butt has so far captured a career-best 6 for 29 in 18 overs, his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Earlier, after having resumed at 174-6, Service were all out for 191. Mustansar Ali added only one run to end his innings at 56 and Kashif Daud, a 19-year-old quick bowler, finished with figures of 5 for 47 in 14 overs.Struggling Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) turned the tables on Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) by claiming the crucial first innings lead, on the second day at the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Sports Complex.Faced with KRL’s under-par first innings total of 220, SNGPL were spun out for a poor 157 yesterday that handed KRL a 63-run advantage. By the close KRL had boosted their overall lead to 101 runs with all wickets intact. SNGPL were undone by the off-spin of Saeed Ajmal, who captured 4 for 25 in 17.4 overs. He was ably supported by 3 for 51 from Alamgir Khan. The only bright spot in the SNGPL innings was a 63-run fourth-wicket partnership between the Test duo of Mohammad Hafeez and the skipper skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (28). Hafeez hit 40 off just 56 balls with five fours and a six.Left-arm paceman Sajid Ali finished with 5 for 46 for SNGPL while wicket-keeper Mohammad Salman completed five catches. Even if KRL gain nine points from this match, they’ll remain faced with the danger of relegation to next season’s Grade-II circuit. They were beaten in all their first three matches and are making their last appearance in the league round.On yet another day curtailed by heavy fog and fading light Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) moved to 216 for 6 against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground on Thursday. A thick blanket of fog had reduced the first day’s play on Wednesday to a mere 45 deliveries.On the second morning two wickets fell with the score having got to just 23. Adil Nisar began the recovery with a watchful 37 in a little over two and a quarter hours. Then came an invaluable 123-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Aamer Sajjad top-scored with 74 runs off 139 balls with seven boundaries. Mohammad Sami took 2 for 60 in 18 overs and the medium-fast Yasir Arafat bagged 2 for 51, while Kamran Akmal held two catches.

Play was abandoned for the third successive day in the Carib Beer Series match between the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands at the Mindoo Phillip Park.Eddie Nicholls and Lawrence Thomas, the umpires, made the decision to call off proceedings just around tea after it became clear that play would be impossible. Rain fell through the night and during the day again, leaving the already-waterlogged field even wetter with pools of water on the outfield.With only one day remaining and the ground still wet, it is quite likely that this match will be called off without a ball being bowled.

That Mahendra Singh Dhoni shredded a bowling attack is no surprise; that he did so in just his fourth Test against the ferocity of Shoaib Akhtar, with his side skidding into disaster-zone, was what caught Pakistan unaware. Rahul Dravid had no qualms in admitting that Dhoni’s was “one of the best counterattacking innings” he had seen in a long time, and warned that he could only get better after this.”It’s one of the best innings I have seen under pressure,” he said while speaking to the media at the end of the day. “He had to face the new ball and he attacked the bowlers.” Dravid also stressed that this wasn’t just a crash-bang-wallop sort of knock but one executed with a lot of planning. Having reached his fifty in a 34-ball blaze, he settled into a relatively sedate mood in the second half, taking 59 balls for the second fifty. “It was a very sensible innings,” he added. “He played his shots initially but later controlled the innings along with Irfan Pathan. It was a great innings and I am confident that he will play much better after this. He would have gained a lot of confidence.”Watching Dhoni get even better is surely a mouth-watering prospect. Having seen him pound one-day hundreds against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and then play the way he did today, one wonders what lies in store if he in fact does get better. Dravid revealed that he hadn’t sent out any instructions and hailed Dhoni for the character he showed. “There were no instructions,” he added, “I just told him to go out and play his game and do what he knows best. And he attacked brilliantly. It’s one of the best counterattacking innings I have seen in a long, long time. Considering the situation of the game when he came in, to play the way he did showed a lot of character, it showed courage and ability.”Struggling at 281 for 5, India might have been concerned not only about their relatively inexperienced lower order, but also with the fact that they were a batsman short in this game. Dravid explained their thinking before the game and was happy that their selection was vindicated. “We went in with five specialist bowlers knowing that Dhoni and Irfan can bat really well. Both are top quality players with minimal experience at this level, especially Dhoni, but we were confident that they could do well. We knew that we’ve got a bit of back up if we go wrong.”Dravid wasn’t too perturbed with Yuvraj Singh’s dismissal, pulling despite two fielders stationed in the deep. “We’ve entrusted faith in Yuvraj Singh because he’s a very good cricketer. He’s got two 70s in crucial situations in the last two Test matches to help us win them. He was the Man of the Series in the one-day competition leading up to this series so we have entrusted him with responsibility and confidence because he’s a proven performer. We all make mistakes, and it’s not the first one he’ll make in his career. He’s a kind of cricketer who’ll learn from it. If there’s talent we have to give them the opportunities.”On a day that one batsman overshadowed most, it was the Dravid-Laxman combine that had warded off the early danger. “My partnership with Laxman was very important just from the point of view of calming the nerves,” he added, “Chasing 588, to go in there and have a big second-wicket partnership sort of calmed everyone down in the dressing-room. It settled the nerves. It’s unfortunate that both of us got out just before the new ball came on. One of our goals was to be there when the new ball was taken.”

Darren Lehmann’s frustration at losing the ING Cup final by a wicket has been added to with him being charged by Cricket Australia for his post-match comments on Sunday. Lehmann was annoyed at the decision to start the game at 9.30am and believed losing the toss was crucial as South Australia were dismissed for 154.”I think it was pretty plain obvious how important the toss was,” he told on Sunday. “Cricket Australia need to work out if they want a decent final. It ended up being a great final only because we bowled well. The [pitch] was pretty flat when they batted.”The match, which was won by New South Wales, ended ING’s 14-year association with the competition and Lehmann delivered a parting shot to the sponsor. “A 9.30am start, I don’t know how many times you have to say it,” he said. “Thank God we might be changing sponsors. That might allow us to play at different times. I don’t know whether I can say that, but I have.”Lehman was cited under two Cricket Australia rules for “unbecoming behaviour” and “detrimental public comment”. His hearing will be in Adelaide next week after South Australia return from Perth, where they are attempting to remain in Pura Cup contention against Western Australia from Friday.South Australia’s performance in the one-day competition, which was their best result for ten years, has led to the SACA extending the coaching contract of Wayne Phillips for another two years. “We have made some genuine progress in both one-day and four-day competitions,” Phillips said, “and the next two years promise to be challenging and exciting.”