Glamorgan will enter the final day of their Championship matchagainst Northants at Cardiff needing a further 215 runs with6 wickets in hand to win their final home game of the seasonand maintain their bid for promotion into Division One.The visitors set the Welsh county a target of 382 after havingbeen dismissed for 265 in their second innings, with Robert Crofttaking 5/93 to record a ten wicket haul in the contest, and a matchanalysis of 10/147 – his best return for 11 years.Resuming on 80/2, Northamptonshire lost David Sales and Mark Powellin the first half hour as Glamorgan`s seamers struck in their openingspell. As in their first innings, Mike Hussey remained defiant atthe other end, but shortly after, he had reached his half-century, theintroduction of Robert Croft accounted for the visiting captain ashe was caught by Matthew Maynard for 50.This brought an abrupt end to Hussey`s productive sequence that had seenhim record five successive first-class hundreds – only Don Bradman, C.B. Fryand Mike Procter have scored six in a row.Despite some resistance from Jeff Cook and Graeme Swann, Croft proceeded towork his way through the middle and lower order, reducing Northants to 207/9,before a merry tenth wicket stand between Andre Nel and Jason Brownthwarted Glamorgan`s aspirations.The pair had added 58 before Nel was caught by Michael Kasprowiczto give Croft his fifth victim, but their lusty blows meant thatGlamorgan required a formidable target of 382 on a wicket giving some help to thespinners, and more than they had ever scored in the fourth innings ofa Championship match to win the game (367-4 v Essex at Chemsford in 2001).However, Jimmy Maher and Mark Wallace made a positive start, adding 63 runsin even time, until in the final over before tea, Maher went down the wicketto Brown and was stumped. Wallace was run out soon afterwards, and then AdrianDale was dismissed by Graeme Swann to leave Glamorgan 91/3.Matthew Maynard, drawing on all of his experience, stoutly defended againstthe Northants spinners, but in the final half-hour he lost Mike Powell asGlamorgan ended the day on 167/4, with Maynard unbeaten on 46.

With South Africa’s cricketers finding it difficult to secure insurance cover for their upcoming tour of Pakistan, a Pakistani firm has expressed its willingness to provide the same.The Adammjee Insurance Company indicated that they would be willing to provide up to Rupees 10 million ($17,240) as cover for the entire team if they were unable to get the insurance back home in South Africa.However, the firm issued a caveat, saying, “There is no insurance available in the market against terrorism.”Ramiz Raja, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief executive, had let it be known to the Pakistani media that the South Africans were facing insurance strife. A three-member South African delegation visited Pakistan over the weekend to check out the security arrangements, which have been planned on the level usually reserved for visiting heads of state.

South Africa have included three new bowlers in their line-up in an attempt to strengthen their bowling attack for their upcoming three-Test, three-ODI tour to Pakistan later this month.Alan Dawson, Charl Langeveldt and Andre Nel have been named in the squad, which is due to leave for Pakistan on Sunday. Dawson, a right-arm medium-fast bowler, has been included for the one-dayers only and his place in the Test team will be taken by Gary Kirsten. Paul Adams will travel with the squad but will not be considered for selection for the three ODIs.Dropped from the squad that toured England are Thami Tsolekile, CharlWilloughby, Dewald Pretorius, Morne van Wyk and Monde Zondeki, but with the exception of Willoughby, they have all been included in the South African A squad to play Sri Lanka later this month.Eric Simons will coach the squad but Vincent Barnes replaces Corrie vanZyl as assistant coach for the tour. A decision on a permanent appointment will be made at a later date.Tim Southey has been appointed as the new national team manager, taking over from Goolam Rajah who served with the team from 1994.South African squad Graeme Smith (capt), Mark Boucher (wk), Paul Adams, Alan Dawson, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, Neil McKenzie, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Rudolph, Gary Kirsten.

West Indians 618 (Chanderpaul 245, Jacobs 149) and 289 for 3 dec (Ganga 101*, Baugh 158*) drew with Free State 264 (Venter 79, Rampaul 5-55) and 97 for 2 (McLaren 53*)
ScorecardThe West Indians’ only first-class match before the Test series gets under way at Johannesburg on Friday (Dec 12) ended in the draw that was the only likely outcome once Brian Lara opted for batting practice rather than enforcing the follow-on yesterday – but a rumbustious innings from Carlton Baugh, who slapped 158 not out in less than three hours, enlivened the final day and further dispirited the Free State bowlers.Resuming at 39 for 2 the West Indians soon lost Ramnaresh Sarwan for 1, but that only brought Baugh to the crease. Perhaps stung by the century his rioval for the wicketkeeping gloves, Ridley Jacobs, completed on the second day, Baugh hit out, collecting five sixes and 18 fours as he skeetered to a career-best innings. In all he faced 154 balls, in 178 minutes, and added an unbeaten 249 for the fourth wicket with Daren Ganga, whose own century – 12 fours and a six – was somewhat overshadowed.When Lara eventually put an end to the bowlers’ torture Free State needed the little matter of 644 to win. They satisfied themselves by pottering to 97 for 2 from the 32 overs possible before the captains shook hands. There was time for Ryan McLaren to complete his maiden first-class half-century before the close.The West Indians had an enjoyable time in Bloemfontein, with a heartening bowling performance in skittling Free State for 264 to set alongside two dominant batting displays. But as they travel down to Jo’burg they will be aware that South Africa at the Wanderers is likely to be a different kettle of fish indeed.

Gavin Hamilton has been recalled to the Scotland squad. Hamilton last represented Scotland in the 1999 World Cup, and now he has served a mandatory four-year absence after playing one Test for England in 1999, he is eligible again for selection.The Scotland selectors today confirmed the 14-man squad for the ICC Six Nations Challenge Tournament in Dubai between February 29 and March 6. Scotland will join five other associate member countries, including the hosts United Arab Emirates, Namibia, Holland, USA and Canada. The winners will then take part in the ICC Champions Trophy, to be played in England in September 2004.”It’s an exciting time to be back involved with Scottish cricket," said Hamilton, who recently joined Durham from Yorkshire. "I hope I can push the team forward by playing my part in the Six Nations Challenge and ultimately qualify for the Champions Trophy at the end of the season."The tournament should also give me a chance to spend some time in the middle and ensure I’m on top form for Durham when the campaign begins in April.”Craig Wright, Scotland’s captain, was also pleased with Hamilton’s return to the squad. “It’s exciting for us to go into a tournament of this stature," he said. "It’s also great to see Gavin back in Scotland colours. His ability and experience can only assist us in our desire to win this competition. The guys have been training really well and showing some good form in practice.”Squad Craig Wright (capt), Ryan Watson, Douglas Lockhart,Greg Williamson, Dougie Brown, Gavin Hamilton, Jamie Kerr, Fraser Watts, James Brinkley, John Blain, Majid Haq, Gregor Maiden, Ian Stanger, Paul Hoffmann, Tony Judd, Peter Drinnen, Euan McIntyre.

Australia 225 for 8 (Gilchrist 95, Ponting 42) beat India 296 for 4 (Yuvraj 139, Laxman 106*) by 2 wickets with a ball to spare (D/L method)
Scorecard

Even losing 16 overs to a lightning-illuminated thunder shower did not dampen a cracker of a game at the SCG. Yuvraj Singh (139) and VVS Laxman (106 not out) lifted India to a commanding 296 for 4, only to watch in shock as Adam Gilchrist made a mockery of the target. He blasted 95 from just 72 balls and set up a platform from which the supporting cast merely had to hold their nerve to go past the finish line. They did so, but not before several twists and turns, with just one ball to spare.When he began his innings Gilchrist was still looking at a long, hard climb, with Australia needing to score at nearly six an over for 50 overs. But Gilchrist knows no plodding. He slapped the second ball he faced to the cover-point fence, and proceeded to hit every bowler off his line and length. Ajit Agarkar, returning to the team, kept the ball up in quest of swing, and was duly thrashed. Lakshmipathy Balaji began promisingly, but soon discovered that there was no room for error when bowling to Gilchrist outside the off stump. Irfan Pathan was promising, and had Simon Katich out in just the second over, pulling awkwardly to mid-on (1 for 1).From then on, however, Gilchrist took over. He went after anything that was loose, unafraid to slash hard even if he was not to the pitch of the ball, and threaded gaps in the off side with ease. Any width outside the off was mercilessly exploited. Soon the bowlers were forced to keep it straighter, and began to stray onto leg. That, of course, was simply playing into Gilchrist’s hands. His nonchalant flick over midwicket for six was a case in point.But when play was stopped with 9.2 overs bowled and Australia on 73 for 1, India still held the edge. Scoring close to 300 would never be easy, no matter how deep a team bats. When over an hour of play was lost and the players returned, Gilchrist was a bit more circumspect. Ricky Ponting, nowhere near his fluent best, had made 13 before the interruption. The break had obviously done him good. He grew in confidence, dispatched Sourav Ganguly for a six over square leg, and now appeared to be in control.Completely against the run of play, Pathan snaffled two wickets in as many balls. Ponting and Damien Martyn went in identical fashion, feathering nicks to Parthiv Patel (150 for 3). Just four runs later, Gilchrist (95, 72 balls, 14 fours, 1 six) presented Murali Kartik with a return catch (154 for 4), and India were back in the hunt.Andy Symonds (16) creamed one delicious six over cover off Ganguly, but then hit the very next ball down Agarkar’s throat at square leg (176 for 5). The situation was tailormade for Michael Bevan. Unfortunately for Australia, though, he was edgy at the crease, and made just 12 from 20 balls before playing down the wrong line and losing his off stump to Ganguly (195 for 6). The pressure was on, and Michael Clarke jumped down the wicket off the first ball he faced. He was comprehensively beaten, but then so was Patel, who fumbled the stumping.Clarke clattered 21 from just 20 balls, but fell with the score on 210, holing out to Hemang Badani at long-on. Andy Bichel and Brett Lee were charged with the task of making 15 runs in 12 balls. The penultimate over, bowled by Agarkar, went for four runs, and now 11 were needed off the final over, bowled by Balaji. He fired the first three balls into the blockhole, and only four runs were conceded. Going for the yorker once more, Balaji dropped the fourth ball in the slot. Lee lined up and teed off. The ball sailed into the stands over long-off and that settled the matter. With one ball left, Australia were home.The Indians, deflated, walked off the field a dejected lot. After all, they had done everything right when they won the toss and chose to bat first. On a true wicket, Yuvraj played an innings he will remember for a long time to come. He hit the ball with amazing power and precision, never more so than in the penultimate over, when he belted Ian Harvey for 22 runs, and powered India to 296 for 4. While Yuvraj (139, 122 balls) battered the bowling to the tune of 16 fours and two sixes with his long blade, Laxman caressed and coaxed his way to an unbeaten 106, his fourth ODI century. With a little help from Patel (28), who was once again promoted to the opening slot, and Rahul Dravid (12), who stroked three gorgeous boundaries in his short stay at the crease, India finished just four runs short of the 300 mark. In the end, though, the total was inadequate.

Scorecard

England A were set a daunting target of 367 on the third day of their Duleep Trophy match against East Zone in Amritsar, after a day of hard toil for their bowlers. East Zone resumed in the morning on 65 for 3, and though they soon slipped to 132 for 5, the tail showed impressive resilience to hoist the total to a daunting 308.England’s bowling honours were shared by Sajid Mahmood, leading the attack since the departure of Simon Jones, and the captain James Tredwell, who added four more wickets to his first-innings 5 for 101, but conceded his runs at exactly five an over.East Zone, who had secured a first-innings lead of 58, took control once again in a sixth-wicket partnership of 106 between Laxmi Shukla (60) and Devang Gandhi (59). Tredwell eventually broke through, but England A’s prospects were dented by the sight of Shiv Sunder Das striding out at No. 9. Das, who has already played 23 Tests, made a century in the first innings and had decided to put his feet up in the second, but he eventually used his feet well to make 55, before Mahmood dismissed him to bring an end to the innings.England, who learned a thing or two about approaching tricky targets in their humiliating defeat against South Zone last week, made the worst possible start to their chase when Scott Newman was bowled by Shib Paul before for a fourth-ball duck. Michael Lumb then followed, lbw for 13 (25 for 2) and that victory seemed rather a distant prospect. But Ed Smith (33) and Kevin Pietersen (29) carried England safely through to the close without any further alarms, leaving them needing a further 288 on the final day for victory.

A special DVD marking England’s 3-0 Test series victory in the West Indies will be released in May. will feature over two hours of highlights from England’s Wisden Trophy triumph – the first time for 36 years that England have won a series in the West Indies.Highlights of this memorable series include matchwinning performances from Stephen Harmison, Graham Thorpe, Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan. The release includes Harmison’s demolition of West Indies for their lowest-ever Test score (47 in Jamaica), Graham Thorpe’s invaluable knocks, Matthew Hoggard’s hat-trick, and the Antigua run-fest, which included Brian Lara’s new world-record score of 400 not out, and valuable centuries from Andy Flintoff and Michael Vaughan.This production is a DVD exclusive, and is Region 0 (viewable worldwide). The DVD is being produced by Green Umbrella, the sports specialists who are also releasing 400 not out – Brian Lara’s World Record Innings.Caribbean Calypso – West Indies 0 England 3
Running time: 130 mins approx
Release date: May 17, 2004
Publisher: Green Umbrella
Price: £14.99Customers can pre-order this DVD at Cricshop. An exclusive Cricinfo version of this release features a number of special DVD extras.Click here to order a copy from Cricshop

The Pakistan Cricket Board has hired Greg Chappell, the former Australian captain, as a consultant to their national team and their cricket academy. According to sources in the PCB, Chappell has telephonically given his consent to accepting the offer, but the contract remains to be signed.As per the terms of the proposed contract, Chappell will have to set aside 30 days per year to work with the PCB. He will be required to deal with players from the national team, and perhaps even the national cricket academy as required.When Chappell was contacted at his Sydney residence he preferred to play it safe. “I don’t think it’s right to comment on this until the contracts are signed, sealed and delivered,” said Chappell. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the PCB has said that Daryl Foster, a bowling coach also from Australia, will have a similar contract with the PCB. He is set to take up his first on-site assignment by conducting a 16-day coaching camp from June 24 onwards. The board was also considering using the services of Barry Richards in a similar fashion.Foster has worked with the Pakistan team before while Chappell has been evolving his own brand of coaching, called Chappellway, over the last few years. He has also been coach of the South Australian team and has conducted various coaching seminars in India and Australia.

Bill Frindall, the statistician for the BBC’s and known as the Bearded Wonder, has been honoured with the MBE, on the occasion of the Queen’s birthday. Clare Connor, captain of the England Women’s team, was given the OBE for her services to women’s cricket.Frindall, who began working for the BBC in 1966, was surprised by the award. The BBC Sport website quoted him as saying, “It was a bit of a shock to find out I had been awarded an MBE but a nice shock. I’m absolutely chuffed. It’s a tremendous honour and one I never expected to get for doing my hobby and getting paid for it for 40 years. It’s an honour for all scorers across the land – that’s the most wonderful aspect of it.”The only other cricket statistician to have won the prestigious medal was WH Ferguson, the Australian who was handed a British Empire Medal in the 1950s. “I share the same initials as him and I found out he died in Bath,” said Frindall. He added with a tinge of humour, “My nearest hospital is in Bath but I hope I don’t follow him in this trend as well.”Frindall has also answered Radio Four listeners’ questions and BBC Sport website punters’ emails. His columns were titled `Ask the Bearded Wonder’ and were extremely popular with the cricketing community. Astonishingly, he not missed a single Test match in England since his BBC debut against West Indies at Old Trafford in 1966.