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Nepal’s success at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) women’s tournament has prompted the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) to consider organising an inter-school Under-11 combined (boys and girls) tournament in their bid to develop women’s cricket.Nepal reached the final of the week-long tournament at Johor in Malaysia where they lost to Bangladesh by eight wickets. Mohan Singh Rathaur, Nepal’s State Minister for Education and Sports, gave NPR 10,000 (US$ 153) to each of the 14 players and the coach Jung Bahadur Thapa for their achievements in Malaysia.Nary Thapa, the Nepal captain who won the bowler of the tournament award for her 12 wickets, said her side hadn’t imagined reaching so far in the tournament.Binay Raj Pandey, the CAN president shared her sentiments. “I would have been more than happy even if they had reached the last four but returning with runner-up trophy is simply an exceptional achievement,” Pandey told the . Thapa, the Nepal coach, was also pleased with the team’s performance. “We were an improved team in every other match,” he said.The matches at the ACC tournament were Nepal’s first-ever international fixtures. The tournament is expected to be played around the same time again next year.

Five foreign players, each of whom applied to join counties as Kolpaks, have been refused registration by the ECB. Wavell Hinds (Derbyshire), Johan van der Wath (Northamptonshire), Andrew Hall (Northamptonshire), Hamish Marshall (Gloucestershire) and Justin Kemp (Kent) – who coincidentally are all signed-up members of the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL) – will play no part for their respective counties all season.The situation is muddied by the Kolpak issue. Any cricketer who has played cricket (domestic or international) in another country 12 months prior to their Kolpak application can be turned away, at the ECB’s discretion. But in recent years, this stipulation has been waived several times, which has led to a number of counties expanding their squads with experienced internationals and former internationals. Now, however, with the ICL alive and kicking, the ECB has chosen not to exercise its discretion, which could be seen as sanctioning an event not officially recognised by the ICC.”We are obviously very disappointed that Wavell will be unable to join us this season,” Tom Sears, Derbyshire’s chief executive, said. “While we support the ECB’s stance on unsanctioned events we can fully understand why Wavell has accepted the Indian Cricket League offer.”Now we have a definitive decision we can turn our attention to securing a replacement and we can assure our members and supporters that we have the resources to compete for the very best players that are available.””It was something we expected and has been on the cards for a few days now,” Mark Tagg, Northamptonshire’s chief executive, told Cricinfo.The ICL signings have caused confusion for weeks. The county circuit has two captains who are also part of the ICL – Dale Benkenstein (Durham) and Nicky Boje (Northamptonshire) – but they are expected to play because they are already registered and no retrospective action will be taken by the ECB.

Three of Bermuda’s squad members who should have appeared in their side’s Stanford 20/20 campaign are facing lengthy bans after failing a drugs test.”If any athlete has tested positive with us we then send a portion of the specimen to the government lab for confirmation,” Cathy Belvedere, a spokesman for the Bermuda Council for Drug Free Sports, told newspaper. “And if it is confirmed positive they then get a one year infraction.”They can apply for the domestic application whereas they won’t be able to represent Bermuda during that year but can go back to playing gymnastics, football, cricket or whatever sport they are involved in,” Belvedere added. “They would also have to agree to some counselling, but that’s only if there’s a positive find.”Although the identity of the players is not yet known, it was confirmed that two of the trio represented Somerset – one of Bermuda’s domestic teams – while the other is “a prominent member” of St George’s, the domestic champions.”All of the players [in the national team] were tested, but unfortunately not everyone cleared the process which has policies in place that all national bodies must adhere to,” Reggie Pearman, president of the Bermuda Cricket Board, said. “All of the players knew what was required of them and what the consequences were.”

Keeping the customer satisfied
A spectator in the crowd to the left of the press box was presumably tired of watching Sourav Ganguly and Irfan Pathan hit four after four and began to chat “We want a sixer”. Soon several hundred joined in and chanted in unison and it’s possible that Pathan heard them for he stepped out and lofted Danish Kaneria cleanly over the midwicket boundary the very next ball. The fans celebrated feverishly before chanting “We want another” as Kaneria ran in again.Entering uncharted waters
Ganguly’s celebration when he got to his century on the first day was subdued compared to Yuvraj Singh’s, after all he’d just scored one – his first in front of his home crowd – in Kolkata and celebrated with enthusiasm. However, on the second day, the Bangalore crowd witnessed another Ganguly first – his maiden double hundred – and as he sprinted through for the second run to reach the landmark, he raised his arms in celebration. There was no fist-punching or jumping but Ganguly savoured the moment just that little bit longer. Incidentally he went on to beat Vinod Kambli’s 227 for the highest score by an Indian left-hander.Doing it in style
Pathan was approaching his maiden Test century with confidence when there was a blip at the other end. After Ganguly was bowled, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh were dismissed in quick succession leaving Pathan four runs away from the hundred with No 11 Ishant Sharma at the crease. Sharma survived four deliveries from Yasir Arafat but evidently didn’t fill Pathan with confidence. Off the next delivery he got to face, Pathan stepped out and lofted Kaneria into the stands at deep midwicket and broke into celebration.Desperate times
Giving a part-timer a bowl shortly before the end of a session is a common practice. The batsmen are looking forward to the break and a relatively easier bowler could cause a lapse in concentration. However, when Younis Khan turned to Salman Butt for the last over before lunch on the second day, it was more due to lack of options than anything else. Arafat, Mohammad Sami and Kaneria had toiled through the first session because of Shoaib Akhtar’s forced absence and the other options were Yasir Hameed and Younis himself.Kaneria goes down
Ganguly was timing most of his shots impeccably but the straight drive in the 111th over against Kaneria was especially well struck. It would have certainly sped towards the straight boundary had Kaneria not attempted to stop it. The ball hit him hard on his foot and he hobbled away to the side. The physio came out to check and several of the other Pakistan players gathered around. With the injury to Shoaib on the first day, Pakistan could not afford another bowler in the medical ward.Akmal’s greasy gloves
The value of his match-saving hundred in Kolkata may have distracted attention from Kamran Akmal’s drop off Sachin Tendulkar and his general poor form behind the stumps. His bout of butterfingers continued in Bangalore when he grassed an edge off Pathan off the bowling of Kaneria. He’s also conceded 13 byes in the first innings. It’s time for another valiant hundred, Kamran.Shoaib’s forced absence
Shoaib’s fitness has been an issue throughout the series and he’s often gone off the field to recuperate after bowling short spells. Today, he had to spend 205 minutes on it before he would be allowed a bowl. The forced absence was because Shoaib went off the field after the 32nd over on the first day because of back pain and did not return. As it turned out, Shoaib did not bowl even after tea on the second day as India amassed a massive total.

Chris Gayle has been retained as West Indies captain for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka in March, which involves two Tests and three one-day internationals. Gayle has recovered from a hamstring injury and broken thumb that he sustained in South Africa and the selectors decided to name him as captain ahead of Ramnaresh Sarwan.Gayle was given the captaincy for the tour of South Africa in December 2007 because Sarwan was injured and he led West Indies to their first Test victory in South Africa in Port Elizabeth. However, he had to return home before the third Test because of a hamstring injury and a broken thumb and missed the one-day series that followed after the Tests.”I heard from Sarwan. He called me and congratulated me and we talked and so on,” Gayle told CMC Sports. “There is no noise between us or anything like that. This thing won’t affect us or get between us. But he did call me and I appreciate that.”Sri Lanka’s tour of the West Indies will be their first since 2003 when they lost the Tests 0-1 but won the ODIs 2-1. Australia are scheduled to tour the Caribbean in May, after Sri Lanka complete their tour.

Pakistan were dealt a blow ahead of their semi-final against New Zealand with Mohammad Asif in doubt for the match with an elbow injury.Nasim Ashraf, the chairman of the Pakistan board, said Asif had sustained the injury during the net practice before the game against Australia and has been in pain since then.”That is why he has looked out of sorts and struggled with his line and length, Ashraf told . “He has played because of the importance of the game against Australia but I think the team management should have given him rest for the match against Bangladesh.”Asif has taken nine wickets at 17 from five matches in the tournament so far. Ashraf said he had played after taking injections but he was still not 100% fit.”The manner in which Asif bowled against Bangladesh, he does not bowl like this even in the nets,” he said.Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, admitted that Asif was crucial to the team’s chances in the event.

Division One

Hampshire fought back well against Durham after Michael di Venuto and Will Smith’s century opening stand put them on the back foot at the Rose Bowl. Resuming on 160 for 5, Hampshire lost their last five wickets for 72 today and then watched di Venuto pile up a century, as he and Smith (28) added 116, then Gordon Muchall (58) joined him to add a further 94. But di Venuto’s dismissal, for 124, heralded something of a collapse, with Durham falling from 210 for 2 to 247 for 7.Brad Hodge’s 46th first-class hundred put Lancashire firmly in the driving seat against Kent at Old Trafford. Hodge helped the runs to pile up, assisted by half-centuries from Iain Sutcliffe, Mal Loye and Stuart Law and they reached 451 for 5 before declaring. Kent were 14 without loss by the close.Warwickshire managed to boost their total from 86 for 4 to 343 at Edgbaston, thanks to the efforts of Jim Troughton, who hit his 13th first-class century. Worcestershire lost just Phil Jaques before the close, reaching 77 for 1.The leaders Yorkshire were given a thorough working over by the champions Sussex after play finally got underway on the second day at Headingley. Jason Lewry and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan proved virtually unplayable as they combined to reduce the top order to 26 for 5. Robin Martin-Jenkins and Mushtaq Ahmed did further damage as Yorkshire slid to 139 all out. A rare bright point was the 32 not out made by Ajmal Shahzad in just his second first-class match this season. 21-year-old Shahzad shared in two stands, for the ninth and final wicket, which boosted Yorkshire from 85 for 8 to 139. But Sussex have an early glimmer of leapfrogging Yorkshire to the top.

Division Two

Essex’s seamers took three quick wickets to leave Middlesex struggling on 74 for 3 – trailing by 302 – on a curtailed second day at Lord’s. Essex’s lower order was quickly wrapped up – bowled out for 376 – but Alex Tudor made the most of the swinging conditions to remove Billy Godleman and Owais Shah, while Martin Saggers dismissed Nick Compton. Heavy rain ended the day early.Somerset continued to boss proceedings in a way to make Alan Sugar proud – with gritty authority – at Bristol, dismissing Gloucestershire for 121. But Andrew Caddick’s performance was from no apprentice – he took 7 for 30 from 18.5 overs. Marcus Trescothick took five of those catches, although he was later to lament a duck. With conditions favouring quicker bowlers, Justin Langer used just four bowlers; Charl Willoughby claiming two and Peter Trego the other. Langer was Somerset’s other faller as Neil Edwards and James Hildreth quickly erased the deficit and ended up with unbeaten half-centuries.Leicestershire piled on the misery for Northamptonshire on another truncated day at Northampton. Resuming on 53 for 3, they struggled to 105 for 6, before David Sales (72*) and Steven Crook (32*) put together the first meaningful partnership of the innings. They added an unbeaten 66 before an early stumps, with David Masters now having three wickets to his name.A ball has still yet to be bowled between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire at Nottingham.

Victoria 113 and 2 for 73 trail Queensland 341 (Noffke 82, Nye 57, Wise 3-63, Denton 3-65) by 155 runs
Scorecard

Ashley Noffke continued his incredible all-round season with 82 but during the innings was struck down with a hamstring injury that left him unable to bowl in Victoria’s reply. Noffke had top scored in Queensland’s 341 and by the close the Bushrangers had reduced their deficit to 155, reaching 2 for 73 with Nick Jewell on 40 and Brad Hodge yet to score.The extent of the problem with Noffke’s right hamstring is still unclear but his batting bonanza virtually assured him of the Man-of-the-Match award after only two days, following his first-innings 6 for 33 as Victoria crumbled to 113. Noffke is now in the remarkable position of sitting second on this year’s Pura Cup wicket tally and fourth on the batting list, where only Simon Katich, Luke Pomersbach and Michael Di Venuto are ahead of him.He built an important 98-run partnership with Aaron Nye, who made 57, and then Chris Hartley (33) and the rest of the Queensland lower order continued to frustrate Victoria. Noffke missed the chance for his second century of the season when he was removed by Allan Wise, who had the best of the bowling figures for Victoria with 3 for 63.Jewell and Rob Quiney made a much more promising start than in the Bushrangers’ first innings, adding 73 for the first wicket. But Nye showed Noffke was not the only allrounder capable of hurting the visitors, removing Quiney (32) and the nightwatchman Gerard Denton from consecutive balls in the final over. Hodge survived the hat-trick delivery but there was not much else to celebrate for Victoria on another day of Noffke domination.

New Zealand’s decision to hand Daniel Vettori the Test captaincy after ten years with Stephen Fleming at the helm was a fair call, according to several former New Zealand players. The consensus was that although there could have been benefits in leaving Fleming in charge, appointing Vettori would bring a freshness to the team.Martin Crowe said Vettori would need to learn quickly and would face challenging decisions over how often to bowl himself. “Stephen’s had a pretty good whack and at end of the day it is sport,” Crowe told the . “I don’t have a major problem with the call.”But I just wonder whether Fleming would have got more out of Vettori as a bowler in the upcoming Test matches than Vettori will out of Vettori, just in his first year. They are big shoes to fill for Dan and things will need to go his way. Flem was a scientist in the one-day game and Dan will need to learn that. You can’t go five overs umming and ahing.”Ian Smith said the writing was on the wall for Fleming when he quit the ODI captaincy after the World Cup as split leadership would not work. “If you have sides that are six or seven players different then two captains might work,” Smith said.”But I can’t see how the same sides can have two different leaders in a dressing room. It just wouldn’t work. As far as Dan goes I have no problem. He is a great student of the game and he is genuine allrounder whose place in the side is never in doubt.”Adam Parore described Fleming’s captaincy as outstanding and said the only other leaders who had come close to matching him were Steve Waugh and Michael Vaughan. “He was the best going around,” Parore said. “It’s inevitable with age and time that you get sameness no matter who you are. It is not a problem you can fix.”

Shaun Pollock is likely to be dropped from the South Africa team for the first Test against Pakistan after the team management decided to rely on faster bowlers for matches on the subcontinental wickets.”We have been speaking to Polly about bowling less on the subcontinent since we were in Ireland in June,” Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, told . “We feel the faster bowlers will get more assistance [from the wicket].”Pollock averages 130kph to 135kph while Dale Steyn consistently bowls at speeds above 140kph and Makhaya Ntini also clocks 135kph and more. Between 1997, when he first toured the subcontinent, and 2006, Pollock has played 17 matches in the region and taken 60 wickets at 23.18 against the four sides – India (13), Pakistan (18), Bangladesh (7) and Sri Lanka (22). In comparison, Ntini has taken 28 wickets from 11 Tests at 39.42 between 2000 and 2006.Paul Harris, the left-arm spinner and Morné Morkel look certain to make the XI. “We will then select two of Ntini, André Nel and Steyn to complete the team,” Arthur said. “It’s a chance for Dale and Morné to show what they can do. It will also help strengthen our depth in bowling.”He [Pollock] is a proud player and he still believes he has a role to play in the team,” Arthur said.Pollock, who is South Africa’s highest Test wicket-taker with 416 wickets in 107 Tests, has been excluded from the team for the ongoing warm-up match against Patron’s XI.The first Test of the two-match series starts on October 1 in Karachi.