Sussex University overcame three over reducing rain breaks to ultimately triumph in this inaugural Varsity Cricket match at the Saffrons. Not helped by having their overs reduced on three separate occasions, Sussex were restricted early on by the combination of tight bowling from the impressive Matt Bibby and Dave Lester plus some athletic fielding from the infield.Sussex University took a while to show their pedigree until Robert Crufts arrived at the crease. Crufts and skipper Awais Asif found the required momentum and the last 10 overs yielded 68 runs, however, it still looked a meagre total whilst Brighton’s opening partnership of Geoff Raggett and Ben Hudson were at the crease.At 86-0 off 17 overs, the game was apparently won, however, a hostile spell from Ollie Wills changed the game completely as he cleaned bowled both openers and sped through the defences of the middle order. Reduced to 106-7 in a mere seven overs the game was up save for some lusty blows from Bibby.With Ollie Wills the unanimous choice as The Atlantis Man of The Match Award, the event sponsors handed over the trophy to Sussex’s delighted captain Awais Asif. Once again the cricket was good the weather and crowds not.

Despite the loss of a wicket close to stumps, Western Australia remains well and truly in control of its first-class match against the West Indies at the end of day one at the WACA ground in Perth.The Warriors, having earlier ended the visitors’ innings at a score of 132, will head into the second day trailing by just twenty-two runs with eight wickets still in hand, with Test batsman Justin Langer (40*) and nightwatchman Matthew Nicholson (0*) at the helm.After a woeful batting performance marred their opening first-class match of their new Australian tour, the West Indian bowlers did well to capture the scalp of the dangerous Adam Gilchrist just nine overs into the home team’s innings.It was a good start from the visitors, who had minutes before suffered a huge blow with the news that Kerry Jeremy had sustained a broken jaw while batting and might need to be sent home. To their credit, they were able to get some of their own back when they had the Warriors’ keeper caught behind off Mervyn Dillon. Gilchrist, who had taken five catches during the West Indian innings, was dismissed for 14 off twenty balls.Despite the fiery nature of the WACA wicket, the tourists found it hard to break through Western Australia’s batting. Mike Hussey (41) and Langer forged a solid partnership of seventy-six, before the opener was brilliantly caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Courtney Browne off the bowling of Marlon Black. The dismissal was particularly satisfying for the bowler, who had been struck for four through gully only three balls before.Black proved to be the most efficient of the West Indian bowlers, returning figures of 1/26 off his eleven overs. The other wicket taker, Dillon, finished with 1/33 off ten overs, while Colin Stuart was the most expensive, conceding thirty-four runs from his six overs.Earlier in the day, the West Indian batsmen had been given what might well shape as a taste of things to come when they were reduced to 4/18 at one stage on their way to their paltry total.But for the resistance offered by their last three batsmen – Jeremy (who retired hurt on 7 when a dogged eighty-five minute stay was ended by a nasty bouncer from speedster Nicholson), Black (11 in thirty-eight minutes) and Stuart (15 in thirty-two minutes), the tourists would not have even avoided the ignominy of being bowled out for less than 100. They must surely be hoping that the addition of Brian Lara to the lineup will add the much needed respectability by the time that the first Test begins in Brisbane a fortnight from now.For the moment, they will just hope to bowl as best as they can and try to limit Western Australia to a manageable total and provided a platform from which their batsman can make a more positive fist of things at some time on Saturday.

Orissa, served well by most of their top order batsmen, were in a position of considerable strength at stumps on the second day of their East Zone Ranji Trophy league match against Assam at the Tinsukia District Sports Association stadium on Friday. Replying to Assam’s first innings total of 167, Orissa were 302 for seven off 77.2 overs at stumps.The second day’s play started only at 12.25 pm due to the wet condition of the pitch following overnight rain. Resuming at 99 for two, Orissa enjoyed a fruitful day. First, RR Parida (75) and Sanjay Satpathy (41) added 75 runs for the third wicket off 16 overs. Veteran left arm spinner Sunil Subramaniam broke the stand by having Satpathy leg before. Satpathy faced just 39 ballsand hit six fours. Parida fell a little later. He faced 151 balls and hit six fours and a six. Mullick (5) did not last long and suddenly Orissa had slumped to 198 for five.However, Sanjay Roul (45) and P Jaychandra (13) initiated a recovery process by adding 37 runs for the sixth wicket off 12 overs. Roul, who made a valuable 45, was seventh out at 264. He faced 66 balls and hit five boundaries. The rest of the day belonged to Gautam Gopal who cracked an unbeaten 53 off just 36 balls with nine fours and two sixes. He dominated an unbroken eighth wicket partnership of 38 runs off 8.1 overs with Debasish Mohanty (7) to push the Orissa score past the 300 mark by close. Ganesh Kumar was the pick of the bowlers with three for 64 off 17 overs while Subramaniam picked up two for 90 off 18 overs.

A fighting 70 by P Patel helped Saurashtra come good in their secondinnings and salvage a draw against Gujarat in their West Zone LeagueUnder-14 tournament match at the Gujarat Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday.Opting to bat on the opening day on Saturday, Gujarat amassed 357 runs, thehighlights being that three batsmen got into the eighties. Opener S Patel(89) was the first significant contributor. He shared a opening stand of 59runs with A Padhya (13) and then a second wicket stand of 66 runs ensuedbetween S Patel and M Patel. The second batsman to be dismissed in theeighties was F Guard (87). He put on 124 runs for the fifth wicket with TBrahmbhatt (86). Thereafter none of the other batsmen made any substantialcontributions and the innings folded up in the 121st over.Saurashtra’s response was a disaster as Guard (4 for 51) and Sunny Patel (3for 13) ran through the side. The topscorer in the total of 143 was P Patelwith 34 runs to his credit. Saurashtra followed on, 214 runs behind. On thefinal day, however they put up a gallant fight even after losing an earlywicket, that of S Jackson (0) trapped leg before by S Patel in the first over.Then the other opener K Makwana (53) was joined by V Rajan (61) andtogether they took the score to 101. After their dismissals, P Patel (70not out) and R Dave (35) took the score along to 192. But it was P Patelwho saved the day for Saurashtra as he remained unbeaten at the end whilesharing an unbeaten 63 run stand for the fifth wicket with P Parmer (21 notout). During his 179-minute stay at the crease, Patel faced 159 balls andhit eight boundaries as Saurashtra closed at 255 for four wickets.

Matt Finnigan of Ladbrokes previews the NatWest Triangular One-Day series between England, Australia and Pakistan.If the one-day series proves to be as exciting as the two Tests between England and Pakistan, we are in for a real treat. At lunch on Monday, Ladbrokes priced the Test match at 9/4 England, 8/15 the draw and 5/1 for a Pakistan victory.Ladbrokes make current World Champions Australia favourites at 4/5 to win the series. I believe Steve Waugh’s team will win the series, but at 4/5 there is no value backing them.My advice would be an Australia series double (Triangular/Ashes) at just over 6/4 with LadbrokesThe series curtain raiser is between England and Pakistan on Thursday at Edgbaston, and as with the Test series Ladbrokes cannot split the pair. They are both 5/6 to make a winning start.With a number of England batsman already amongst the runs this summer, top bat for the first one-day game poses many questions. An obvious choice would be Graham Thorpe and Michael Vaughan after they made impressive hundreds in the second Test. However Marcus Trescothick was outstanding last summer in the One-Day Internationals and at 4/1 could well be worth a flutter.My advice is Marcus Trescothick to be England top bat at 4/1 for the first one-day internationalLadbrokes have also released series specials on top run scorer and top wicket-taker.If Marcus Trescothick gets off to a flyer on Thursday there could be no stopping him and at 9/1 he represents very good value. As always Australia have a strong batting line up, and as they are most likely to reach the final it may be worth siding with one of their batsman.My advice is Mark Waugh to be top series run scorer at 5/1Choosing a bowler to be top wicket-taker can be a bit of a lottery, as many wickets can tumble if the team chasing a total needs to up the run rate. With this in mind, considerations should be made on bowler that bowls well with both new & the old ball.My advice is Wasim Akram to be top wicket-taker at 10/1Click on the logo below to place your bet, and to claim a free bet of up to £20 for new users.

Ed: Maria Naureen is our correspondent from Karachi, a FM 101 radio talk-show host, cricket radio commentator and sports journalist

After several days of shimmering heat, the fourth day of action dawned cold and windy here at the ICC Trophy tournament in Toronto. But the break in the weather failed to bring a corresponding change in the form of four of the competition’s hottest teams: wins for unbeaten sides Bermuda, the Netherlands, Uganda and Argentina dominating the day’s events.The Netherlands’ seven-wicket success over Fiji at Ajax emphatically confirmed its status as one of the teams to watch in this year’s event. The Fijians lost a wicket just four balls into the match and never really recovered, surrendering their scalps at regular intervals to finish at a disappointing score of 127.While a far better return than the Fijians managed in a disastrous first outing against Scotland three days ago, it never seemed vaguely enough for their bowlers to defend. Andre van Troost (3/20) produced some outstanding bowling and, as good as they were, even his figures did not do full justice to how many times he beat the bat.Despite the early loss of Zulfiqar Ahmed (8) to an excellent yorker from Atunaisa Tawatatau (1/24), the Dutchmen duly made reasonably light work of their task, raising their win with forty-nine deliveries to spare. Although they were made to work hard for their runs, Robert van Oosterom (52) and Feiko Kloppenburg (40) went most of the way to securing the victory on their own with a composed partnership for the second wicket.Bermuda’s nine-wicket win over Papua New Guinea was similarly emphatic. The Papua New Guineans had secured a wonderful victory over the United States twenty-four hours earlier. But, as today’s match began, their batsmen failed to live up to the standard they had set for themselves in that win and their tally of 131 was never enough to challenge a team as powerful as Bermuda.After Herbert Bascombe (4/23) had led an outstanding all-round effort from Bermuda’s bowlers, batsmen Clay Smith (60) and Albert Steede (43) then secured the win with an unbroken century stand.Uganda continued its fairytale story at ICCT 2001 with a commanding six-wicket win over East and Central Africa in the all-African affair at Eglinton Flats. The Ugandans have formerly been a part of the East and Central African combine and only became a team in their own right in the lead-up to this event. But the continued good form of the leaders of Division Two’s Group B ensured that the match was largely devoid of the kind of emotional and spirited character that such a meeting might ordinarily have demanded.Junior Kwebiha (5/22) devastated the East and Central Africans during the morning, shattering the top order before a stabilising 99-run association between Virendra Kamania (55) and Feroz Munshi (26) helped swell the total to 170. An injury-plagued East and Central African attack fought bravely as Uganda replied but struggled to completely stifle the attractive strokeplay of Joel Olweny (59) and Charles Lwanga (48). Before a crowd that numbered close to 400, Kwebiha (39) then finished proceedings with a mighty six into the swamp beyond the mid wicket boundary.Having made a late arrival in Toronto after a series of difficulties in obtaining entry visas to Canada, Nepal suffered from another slow start as it replied to Gibraltar’s modest total of 133/6 at Malton. The Nepalese crashed to 52/5 on a rock-hard pitch at one point but had their cause brilliantly revived by Parash Luniya (36) and Kiran Agrawal (26) in a gritty stand of 58 runs for the sixth wicket.This was all after Gibraltar had also battled to come to terms with the prospect of scoring its runs quickly on Malton’s slow outfield, only Christian Rocca (54) standing out as it made its way to its score from a rain-reduced allotment of 43 overs.Bowlers dominated the match, the best figures being returned by Daniel Johnson (4/23) as he went close to powering Gibraltar to an unlikely win.The Argentine players and coaching staff ensured that, whatever happens in the remainder of this tournament, they will fondly remember events in Toronto. They still have their two hardest group games (on paper, at least) to come but, with three opening wins, have nearly doubled their entire previous total of wins in the history of ICC Trophy competition.Like the two which have come before it, the South Americans’ victory over a plucky French side was not secured until the very last over of the match. Although Marias Paterlini (57) played beautifully at the top of the order, Argentina’s innings lost impetus as a series of batsmen failed to capitalise fully on good starts.The final score of 220/5 from 40 overs came under threat from the Frenchmen throughout the afternoon session, particularly while Shabbir Hussain (86), George James (46) and Simon Hewitt (38) were in full flight. It was only when paceman Hernan Pereyra (3/34) snared three late wickets that the bowling side finally gained the upper hand.After rain had forced its players to cool their heels for 75 minutes at the start of the day, Malaysia prevailed comfortably by a margin of six wickets over Israel with as many as nineteen overs to spare. Unfortunately, the icy conditions under which the game was played also detracted from the spectacle.Invited to bat first, Israel at no stage found the conditions easy and lost wickets at regular intervals through the morning. Their captain, Isaac Massil (23), fought valiantly for his runs and Steven Shein (26) struck a few lusty blows but a score of 117/9 was not likely to seriously threaten a side regarded as one of the better combinations in Division Two.Albeit that there was a serious hiccup in the middle stages of the chase as four wickets tumbled for the addition of only 24 runs, the victory was duly achieved in comfortable fashion. The contributor in chief was opener Rakesh Madhavan (41).

David Acfield has announced his resignation as Chairman of Essex County Cricket Club. David, who is 54, played for the Club between 1966 and 1986 and succeeded Doug Insole as the Club’s chairman in 1993. David has been having increasing difficulty juggling his business and cricketing commitments, and feels the time is right to hand the future direction of the Club over to another.On the announcement of his departure, David Acfield commented: “In the present circumstances it is in the best interest of the Club for someone else to take over the reins. The role of chairman in the modern game has become increasingly time consuming, and for many years I have tried to balance the conflicting demands of my various responsibilities in cricket, whilst holding down a full-time job. Unfortunately the situation has become impossible to sustain.”He continued: “After 35 years involvement with Essex it will be a huge wrench but I will, of course, be available to help the Club in any less demanding role. I would urge all of our members and supporters to get behind the players and committee at this difficult time, so that the Club can prosper once again.”David Acfield will remain on the ECB Management Board, and will continue with his committee responsibilities at both the MCC and ICC.On hearing the news of David’s resignation, Club President Doug Insole said: “David has made a huge contribution to Essex cricket in both playing and administrative capacities. He was an integral part of the great team of the 1980s, and since his retirement has worked tirelessly to further the Club’s cause off the field. We fully respect his decision, but sincerely hope that this will not be the end of David’s involvement with the Club.”The Essex Executive committee will meet in the near future to appoint David Acfield’s successor.David EastChief Executive

Usman Afzaal advanced his claims for a place in the Third Test at Trent Bridge next week with a century as he and John Morris slaughtered the Derbyshire bowling.Afzaal, who played in the First Test at Edgbaston, made 138 and shared a stand of 316 in 63 overs with Morris who followed his decision to retire at the end of the season with a brilliant hundred.It was the 51st of his first-class career and the second against Derbyshire, the county he played for from 1982-93.Derbyshire could not contain him on a flat pitch and he and Afzaal raced along at five an over as the temperatures rose into the eighties.They came together just before lunch and were not parted until deep into the final session when Afzaal pulled Rob Bailey’s gentle off-spin into the hands of mid-wicket.Afzaal had earlier offered two hard chances but Morris did not put a foot wrong as he cruised to his hundred which came off 116 balls and contained 14 fours and two sixes.A third six, driven over long on off Bailey, brought up his 150, easily his best score for Nottinghamshire, and he advanced to 170 before he was run out by Dominic Cork’s throw from mid on.The 37-year-old had batted for 248 minutes, hitting 22 fours and three sixes in an innings which earned him a standing ovation and put the visitors in complete control of the game.Although Kevin Pietersen was lbw without scoring shortly before Morris was dismissed, Nottinghamshire were 478-6 at the close.

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has pulled out of the three-matchTest series in Sri Lanka starting on August 14, after the second scandone on Thursday night revealed that the hairline fracture on hisright toe had not healed properly. This is the first time Tendulkar will have missed a Test match since he made his debut against Pakistan at Karachi in November 1989, making it a total of 84 Tests on the trot.The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) executive secretary Sharad Diwadkartold PTI in Mumbai today that Tendulkar, who underwent a third scan,informed BCCI secretary Jayawant Lele in Baroda that he would pull outof the Test series as the injury had not healed properly.Radiologist Dr Bhujang Pai, who is treating the master batsman, saidthat Tendulkar would now consult a senior orthopaedic surgeon as thebone scan and CT scan done showed that the fracture had not healedcompletely.Sports medicine expert Dr Anant Joshi will decide which orthopaedicdoctor has to be consulted, he added. “Tendulkar, who was to undergobone scan today, was suffering from acute pain, after he returned fromChennai where he had gone to shoot a commercial. He called up head ofHinduja Hospital nuclear department Dr BA Krishna and the decision todo the bone scan was taken immediately,” Pai added.Baroda’s Jacob Martin, named as a standby, will take Tendulkar’splace on the tour.