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Danish Kaneria, Pakistan’s 22-year-old legspinner, has signed for Essex, ending several weeks of negotiations. The deal was sealed when Essex received the sanction of the Pakistan Cricket Board."The PCB have now given us permission to sign him," said David East, Essex’s chief executive. "As with all overseas players, they have first call on the player should any international cricket be arranged during the English season.”And Graham Gooch, Essex’s coach, said that signing a top-class spinner was crucial. “We felt we needed a wrist spinner because here at Chelmsford it is difficult to bowl teams out twice," he explained. “We did have opportunites in the early part of last season but we couldn’t drive them home, so we thought Danish would be a welcome addition to the squad.”

After his disastrous performances in the 2003 World Cup, Inzamam-ul-Haq is pressing his claims for a recall to the Pakistan team. His prospects have improved no end since the withdrawal of Younis Khan from next month’s series against Bangladesh.Inzamam managed just 19 runs in six matches during the World Cup, as Pakistan crashed out in the first round. “World Cup 2003 was the worst phase in my career,” he admitted, "but that is now behind me and I am doing all-out efforts to get my place in the team back and further my career.”Since the World Cup was a major tournament everyone was disappointed with the team’s performance and especially with my batting but I assure my return will make them forget everything. I want to reach 10,000 runs and in this second phase of my career I will try to transfer my experience and guile to youngsters.”Pakistan host Bangladesh for three Tests and five one-dayers before playing a series against South Africa. Inzamam has scored 6,214 runs in 85 Tests, and 8,957 runs in 290 one-day internationals.

The England wicketkeeper James Foster has been severely reprimanded and fined by his county Essex for verbally abusing a spectator during Wednesday’s Championship match against Lancashire at Chelmsford.Essex’s chief executive David East said: “James has acknowledged that his outburst yesterday was totally unacceptable and has apologised to the spectator. He has been fined £400 by the club and made aware of his responsibilities for the future. With the agreement of the gentleman concerned the matter is now closed.”

Australia v Netherlands:Adam Gilchrist (AUS) needs 134 runs to complete 5000 ODI runsAndy Symonds (AUS) needs 95 runs to complete 1000 ODI runsMichael Bevan (AUS) needs 111 runs to complete 500 World Cup runsAdam Gilchrist (AUS) needs 227 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs

Commanders of Pakistan Cricket by Dr Tariq Raz.
Published by Saad Publications, KarachiIt was a pleasant surprise to read a new book on Pakistan cricket that crossed my desk the other day; another in a series by Dr Tariq Raz. His “Commanders of Pakistan Cricket” is a welcome addition to the few good books on this game published in Pakistan.

He has chosen a novel way to survey Pakistan cricket – through all the Pakistan captains over the years. It has a chapter on each captain who led Pakistan in test matches and One-day Internationals.First comes a biographical sketch on each captain, his achievements in the field, and the essential statistics about his performance, without which no book can be called complete.Pakistan’s famous cricket commentator and a former ambassador, Jamsheed Marker, while writing the book’s foreword has said, “All might not be in complete agreement with all of the author’s assessment”.A book about Pakistan captains is bound to flare emotions for the fact there have been so many, so often changed after short stints, and at times several playing in the team at the same time.Even the Pakistan President has had something to say about this in a remark to the team currently touring England: “You can run your unit when you have one commander and I am glad that this team has one captain who calls the shots.”Tariq Raz has tried to avoid controversial remarks or subjective observation that could termed in bad taste, but still his appreciation of Imran Khan, Mushtaq Mohammad, Javed Miandad and AH Kardar is tinged by his admiration for the quartet. The book leaves no doubt these four were the best of the lot that led Pakistan but there were others not far behind.Before penning the achievements of Pakistan captains, Tariq had written “Cricket Scene”, on cricket in Sharjah, “Focus on Pakistan Cricket”, a summary of cricket played by Pakistan, “Winning Account of Pakistan”, a book encapsulating the wins achieved by Pakistan in Tests and one-day cricket and “Pakistan Test Cricket Sojourn”, a summary of all Tests played by Pakistan.All his books were well received and “Focus on Pakistan Cricket” has found an important place in International Cricket Council’s (ICC) library at Lord’s.Going through the book one discovers that in all 25 captains have led Pakistan in both forms of cricket and have their own chapters. The write up is quite comprehensive despite being brief and highlights the high or low points of each one.Their performance as a player and as a captain has been surveyed. Career records of the players as captain in both forms of cricket have been given at the end of the write-up. Each captain’s sketch is accompanied by couple of his photographs in action.Some of these photos are rare and help enhance the value of the volume. The one showing Hanif Mohammad returning to the pavilion after his memorable 337 is one such. Another interesting photo is the one in which Hanif Mohammad and Inzamam-ul-Haq, the two Pakistan triple-hundred makers are seen standing together. However, some of the photos are rather small and the reader has to make an effort to recognize the faces.A very interesting feature of the book is the statistical section at the end that should interest any cricket statistician. It covers the individuals’ performance in great detail as a captain against each country in tests and one-day internationals. It also provides a summary of their performance in all matches they played as captain.The hardbound book is neatly laid out with an attractive cover, naturally the Pakistan green.To me it is obvious Tariq and his team has taken pains to compile the volume and it’s not just a cut-and-paste job. A venture involving records and statistics is tough in itself and one must appreciate the effort involved especially in Pakistan where very few books of this nature are published or researched.All cricket lovers would hope Tariq Raz will continue his mission of enriching the stock of cricket books about Pakistan.

Ashwell Prince will replace Justin Ontong in the South African team for the first Test match against Australia starting at the Wanderers on Friday after a day in which the home team lost two of their first choice players.Ontong, who has a pulled hamstring, and captain Shaun Pollock, who strained the muscles in his left side in a provincial match last weekend, both withdrew from the South African team on Thursday. Andre Nel had already been placed on standby and will step up to win his third Test cap with Mark Boucher taking over the captaincy, but Prince’s elevation to the Test team was rather more dramatic.The 24-year-old Western Province left-hander had shoulder surgery during the winter and his first first-class innings of the summer was played against the Australians in Potchefstroom earlier in the week. He took 92 of the full-strength Australian attack and it was clearly this innings that earned him his unexpected call-up.Prince has been mostly regarded as a one-day player, a gifted batsman with a tendency to make good-looking 30s and 40s before giving his wicket away, and he surprised many observers in Potchefstroom with his willingness to knuckle down and work for his runs.Three other candidates for a Test place, Graeme Smith, Daryll Cullinan and Jacques Rudolph, all failed in Potchefstroom, but there has to be sympathy for Rudolph who has still to win his first Test cap. He played in the unofficial third Test against India in November and was picked for the third Test against Australia in Sydney in January only to be omitted when United Cricket Board president Percy Sonn rejected the team given to him by the South African selectors."I am very excited," said Prince. "The SA ‘A’ match against Australia in Potchefstoom wasa good experience for me and I am very honoured to be given this chance -it’s a dream come true for me. I will go out there and give it my very bestshot.”Australia were already firm favourites to take the Test series and their chances can only have been enhanced by these late disruptions to the South African side.

Victoria finished on top of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) ladder and will host the grand final at the MCG this Friday (17/01/03) and Saturday (18/01/03). Victoria will play New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Blues in a three match limited overs series. The third game, if required will be played at the Bill Lawry Oval in Northcote on Sunday January 19. Games commence at 10am and entry is free.The final is a rematch of last season’s WNCL final series, which the NSWIS Blues won 2-0. Victoria Spirit are on the front foot ready to break the winning streak of titles already won by NSWIS Blues. NSWIS Blues have won six titles consecutively.Left arm medium pace bowler, Natalie Wood, is a new inclusion into the Spirit attack. She played her first game this year against Qld Fire last Sunday and was player of the match, bowling 3/18 off 8 overs.VICTORIAN SPIRIT: Belinda Clark (c), Cathryn Fitzpatrick (vc), Clea Smith (vc), Kelly Applebee, Louise Broadfoot, Jodie Dean, Jane Franklin, Megan Foster, Amelie Hunter, Melanie Jones, Brooke McFarlane, Shannon Young, Natalie Wood.

The ICC has announced that an enhanced version of the Duckworth/Lewis system for rain-affected one-day internationals will be introduced from October 3, when South Africa begin their five-match series against Pakistan. Called the Professional Edition, the system has specifically been introduced to ensure fair computation of the target when the team batting first makes an exceptionally high score.”We have always been aware that when the total set by the team batting first is much greater than average, the revised targets and par scores can sometimes seem unrealistic,” said Frank Duckworth, one of the inventors of the method.The D/L rule almost spoilt Australia’s party in the final of the 2003 World Cup: requiring 360 to win, India were struggling at 145 for 3 after 23 overs when rain threatened, but the D/L charts indicated that India needed only 12 more from the next two overs to be ahead of the target.”We have had the answer to this problem available for use for several years,” explained Tony Lewis, the co-inventor. “Using the Professional Edition of the D/L method, India would have been 20 runs behind par – a much fairer reflection of the state of the game. With this system a team aiming at a very high total has to score at much closer to the required rate for most of the chase. This means the tables have to be adjusted to suit the target.”The catch is that this adjustment cannot be done manually, and hence the new edition is entirely computerised. The ICC had earlier insisted on a method which could be computed manually, which is why the computerised version could not be introduced earlier.David Richardson, the ICC’s General Manager – Cricket, indicated his satisfaction with the improved version: “The ICC believes that this change ensures that the system is now more accurate in setting targets in high-scoring matches. Teams and media will still receive sheets outlining the par score at the interval and after any subsequent rain delays and, where the facilities permit, scoreboards will also show the par score.”

Successful New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was at last able to reflect on a victory where conditions were well down on the list of things to talk about from the game.New Zealand took full advantage of a good one-day pitch in Napier to beat India by 35 runs and go 2-0 up in the seven-match series.”It was a good game of cricket, the guys played very well and they enjoyed the challenge of the wicket today, the bowlers probably enjoyed the challenge as well actually having to muck in and get the ball in the right areas and do some hard yards. I’m very pleased with our fielding performance and very, very pleased with the win.”We felt pretty comfortable with 254. You could always ask for more but we thought the groundwork was done pretty well. We had a good partnership at the top and there were good cameos throughout. The running between the wickets was a stand out and probably the basics were done very well throughout the day and that’s where we out-scored India the most.”You saw some very good shot-making today and you also saw a very good game of cricket,” he said.The New Zealanders have been on the receiving end of the Indian batting in the past and have known all through the tour what they were likely to do in good conditions. Fortunately for them it was only Virender Sehwag who took advantage of the situation.”You finally saw today what they are capable of. We’ve known that the whole way through. It was good today to see one of them fire but us still have a win.”The bowlers had continued the good job they had been doing all season and Daryl Tuffey was leading the way.”We bowled in good channels and good areas to these guys,” he said.Mathew Sinclair went a long way towards cementing his World Cup berth with a score of 78 and a share in a 136-run partnership with Nathan Astle for the second wicket, a stand that fell two runs short of equalling the record for the wicket against India.”It’s been a long time coming,” Sinclair said, “but obviously with the World Cup coming it’s good to get some of that form under my belt.”He said that his prior knowledge of what to expect from the pitch as the result of playing in the Central Districts side that met India in their pre-Test warm-up match had been useful in his batting today.Wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum, in only his second One-Day International wearing the gloves had an outstanding day with a highly-polished performance and a share of the New Zealand record for ODIs. His four catches and a stumping equalled the five dismissals made by Adam Parore against the West Indies in Goa in India in 1994/95.”I wasn’t aware of the record. The bowlers have got to nick them and it was nice to get underway with a straightforward one at the start.”I’m happy with the way things are going at the moment.”It’s great to turn in a reasonable performance,” he said.McCullum said the players were feeling the heat from other players around the country but he thought that was good for everyone.And as the ‘keeper who has to do the hard work behind the stumps no matter the pitch conditions, he found the going a lot easier today than in the first match in Auckland.

Captain Simon Katich said Western Australia’s first outright win of the season, over South Australia at the Adelaide Oval today, was a reward for patient bowling and sharp fielding.The Warriors dismissed South Australia for 154 to claim the 76-run victory, with paceman Matt Nicholson taking his second four-wicket haul of the game to benamed man of the match.”It was good for the bowlers to get the rewards,” Katich said.”Brad Williams, Matt Nicholson and Jo Angel were all good.”The fielding was excellent, that could have been the difference, although it was a 70-odd run game, but we fielded very well in both innings.”WA’s 227 in the first innings was the highest score of the match, but Katich said the pitch was not that difficult to bat on and the low scoring was a credit to the accuracy of the bowlers.”The wicket was good, yesterday it was a bit up and down and a bit hard to score on but the bowlers just hit good areas and bowled to their fields,” he said.SA started today at four for 52, needing to reach 231 to win the game, but lost Brad Young in the first over of the day without adding to the score and Ben Higgins nine runs later to fall to 6-61.Wicketkeeper Graham Manou and all-rounder Mike Smith provided the only real resistance, hitting a rapid 68-run seventh wicket partnership, with Manou topscoring with 43 from 38 balls.But his aggression cost him his wicket, when he skied a sweep shot attempting to loft Brad Hogg over mid-wicket, giving WA keeper Ryan Campbell an easy catch.That virtually ended the South Australian fightback, with the last three wickets falling cheaply, Nicholson picking up the final wicket of Mark Harrity 25 minutes after lunch.WA left-arm spinner Brad Oldroyd was unable to celebrate the win with his team-mates after being knocked unconscious and being taken from the ground on astretcher after an accidental collision with SA’s Peter McIntyre just before lunch.McIntyre was running between wickets while Oldroyd was attempting to get back to the stumps, and the pair clashed heads.Oldroyd was hospitalised with concussion but was not believed to have suffered any more serious injuries.SA skipper Darren Lehmann said while his team was disappointed with its batting, there were several positives to take from the match, including eight wickets to20-year-old paceman Paul Rofe in just his eighth first-class match, and a first innings unbeaten 121 from opener Ben Johnson.Johnson only made the team because regular opening pair Jeff Vaughan (concussion) and David Fitzgerald (illness) were unavailable.The two sides meet again here on Friday for a limited overs day-night match.Oldroyd will miss the game, with Angel expected to replace him.