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ScorecardJames Vince led the way as Hampshire kept hopes of qualification alive•PA Photos

Hampshire kept their NatWest T20 Blast hopes alive following a thrilling four-run victory over Sussex at Hove.James Vince made an unbeaten 90 and Adam Wheater a quickfire 51 as Hampshire amassed 204-3 after being put in to bat but Sussex looked on course to pull off an unlikely win when Chris Nash and Luke Wright put on 98 for the opening wicket inside ten overs.Nash fell for a career-best 88 in the 17th over but successive sixes from Craig Cachopa in the penultimate over got the equation down to ten from the last six balls. But former Sussex bowler Yasir Arafat came back to haunt his old club with a brilliant final over to restrict Sussex.It means Hampshire can still secure a quarter-final spot if they win their final game against Somerset on Thursday while Sussex missed out on the chance of guaranteeing their progress.Vince and Wheater laid the platform for Hampshire’s biggest total for five years after Michael Carberry was well caught by Ollie Robinson off the bowling of Chris Liddle for 14. Wheater dominated a stand of 93 from 53 balls but could have been out without scoring as he survived a close run-out appeal.

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For much of this season Hampshire’s progress towards qualification was serene. More recently they have struggled and have not strung consecutive wins together since early June, but this win keeps them in contention for the quarter-finals heading into the final week. Wickets win matches. At least that’s what Sussex’s run-chase suggested. For the first 15 overs of the chase, the run rate remained steady at 10 – and then wickets started to fall. Sussex lost four wickets in their final four overs as they cracked under pressure. Hampshire live to fight another day.

The wicketkeeper pulled his fourth ball for six off Robinson and also cleared the ropes off the bowling of Will Beer and Liddle. He brought up his 50 with his fourth four off Chris Nash but was out the very next ball when he mistimed a pull and was caught at midwicket by Liddle.Wheater’s departure did not slow Hampshire’s momentum, however, as Owais Shah blasted a quickfire 40 in a stand of 72 from 36 balls.Vince also survived a scare when Robinson put a tough chance down on 41 and made the most of the reprieve. He brought up his 50 from 38 balls but was left short of a first Twenty20 century.Sussex needed to make a quick start and in-form opening duo Nash and Wright provided it. Nash smashed Will Smith for two sixes in the opening over as the Sharks raced to 66-0 at the end of the Powerplay.Nash brought up his 50 – from 28 balls – with a delightful inside out cover drive but was denied a third century partnership of the season with Wright when the Sussex skipper was bowled for 42 by Yasir Arafat. Legspinner Mason Crane picked up the wicket of Matt Machan in the next over to swing the momentum back in Hampshire’s favour.A partnership of 65 from 39 balls between George Bailey and Nash kept Sussex very much in contention until both fell in the space of three balls. Nash holed out to former Sussex player Joe Gatting at long-on off Chris Wood for 88 and then Bailey was well caught right on the rope by Gatting for a 21-ball 33.Sussex needed 35 runs from 19 balls at that point but there hopes seemed to have disappeared when the equation became 22 from eight balls. Successive sixes from Cachopa off Wood got it down to ten from the final over but Arafat produced a brilliant final over to deny his old club.

The Indian Cricket League has announced that its next tournament will feature international sides, as first reported by Cricinfo. The event called ICL 20s World Series 2008 is a Twenty20 tri-series that will have a team comprising Indian players, one with Pakistan players and a World side taking each other. Previous ICL competitions have all been contests between city-based sides.The ICL 20s World Series 2008 lasts for a week starting from April 9 and will be held at the Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium in Hyderabad. The competition, the fourth to be conducted by the ICL, involves seven matches, with each team playing against each other twice, followed by the finals.Inzamam-ul-Haq, currently captaining the Lahore Badshahs, will lead the Pakistan team while Chris Cairns will captain the World team. Moin Khan, John Emburey and Steve Rixon will coach the Pakistan, World and India sides respectively.Kapil Dev, chairman of the executive board of the ICL, said the Indian squad will be selected after the semi-finals of the ongoing Twenty20 tournament. The captain of the Indian team is also yet to be announced.

Kiran More, the former wicketkeeper and one of the executive directors of the Indian Cricket League, says that the formation of the so-called breakaway initiative was by no means intended to provoke the Indian board (BCCI). Seeking to assuage tensions between the ICL and the BCCI, More said the Rs 100 crore (US$ 23 million approx) project would only benefit the game in India.”We should see the ICL as an opportunity which will provide few more matches. There is no question of any confrontation. BCCI has still not said anything against it. ICL should be seen like just another tournament,” he told AFP. “There are a number of private tournaments being organised in India.”More did not see the ICL – launched by Subhash Chandra, who heads the Essel Group, owners of the Zee brand – as a spinoff of the infamous Kerry Pecker rebel series. “It is not right to compare ICL with Packer’s cricket,” he said. “It is an opportunity for those who could not play for country due to one reason or the other.”He also denied reports that Sourav Ganguly had been linked to the ICL: “The news that Ganguly is also in touch with ICL is only a rumour.” Zee Sports earlier denied the report circulating in the media that Brian Lara, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Inzamam-ul-Haq were signed up for the series.On India’s current tour of Bangladesh, More said: “After every big failure, teams need time to recover. They have started the process but will need more time to come back in same flow.”

Four weeks ago, as England struggled to believe summer was on its way, the most curious of sights was seen on the streets of London: a 28-foot tall statue of Shane Warne, atop a lorry, racing past various landmarks in the city. At least, we assumed it was Warne.No sooner had the giant (and altogether rather frightening) statue been unveiled slap bang in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, to the incredulity of Londoners, than it was whisked off again to another location. A six-foot-tall Warne is a fearsome enough prospect for England, but 28-feet of Warne rather takes the biscuit. Indeed, it was revealed today, that is precisely Cricket Australia’s intention.The whole event forms part of Cricket Australia’s TV campaign, titled `Big Warnie’, to advertise the forthcoming Ashes in November. Cue humorous clichés of “Warne wreaks havoc with the English: again!”.”The excitement ahead of the Ashes series is building by the day and being a part of it, in any shape or form, is an honour,” Warne commented. “Hopefully the excitement and passion about the series translates into some really vocal Aussie support when it all starts at the Gabba in November.”The statue, made of wire and plaster, was ushered past many of London’s most iconic landmarks on its way to its final destination, Piccadilly Circus, where it was officially unveiled to the bemusement of hundreds of stunned English onlookers.Some of the places ‘Big Warnie’ visited during his tour included Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, the Millennium Bridge and Tower Bridge.Speaking to the BBC at the Stella Artois Tennis Championship in London, Warne – commenting on the Ashes tickets farce a couple of weeks ago, said: “It will be 95,000 people every day for five days. They’ll all be behind us unless there are 75,000 tickets sold to the Poms.”All of Australia is looking forward to seeing something like last year, with the same spirit and the same sportsmanship. Let’s hope it’s exactly the same series as last year but with a different result.”The commercial airs on Sunday, June 18 or can be viewed at Cricket Australia’s site by clicking here. Alternatively, have a look at our gallery.

Alan Dawson’s contribution to South African cricket over the years was rewarded yesterday when he was named one of five cricketers of the year by the Mutual & Federal South African cricket annual. Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Andre Nel and Makhaya Ntini were the other four cricketers honoured at a banquet in Johannesburg on October 4.Kallis was an obvious choice after scoring five centuries in successive Tests against the West Indies and New Zealand last season. Gibbs, Nel and Ntini did well against the West Indies and this swung things in their favour. Gibbs made centuries in three successive Tests against the West Indies, while Nel and Ntini were South Africa’s main strike bowlers against the tourists.Nel gave an extra dimension to the South African attack by taking 22 wickets in the series including the key wicket of West Indian captain Brian Lara five times. Ntini was the leading wicket-taker in the series with 29, a record for a South African bowler in a four-Test series. Ntini was also the leading Test wicket-taker in the world during the calendar year 2003, taking 59 wickets.Colin Bryden, the editor of the annual, said: “South Africa played some dominant cricket in the home series against the West Indies and there were several outstanding individual achievements.”

Warwickshire 348 for 1 (Knight 179*, Bell 119*) v Middlesex
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Warwickshire made the most of a placid pitch and some innocuous bowling to close the first day of their Championship match against Middlesex at Lord’s on 348 for 1, with Nick Knight and Ian Bell both making hay – and hundreds – in the sunshine.From the moment that their stand-in captain Owais Shah lost the toss, Middlesex appeared to accept that their bowlers would struggle, and so opted for a policy of containment. It was a gamble that effectively admitted that their only chance of winning was to rely on Warwickshire’s generosity and a fourth-day run-chase. The attempted strangulation of runs worked to a degree, although Knight in the morning and Bell in the evening both broke the shackles and scored with relative ease.From the off, Knight and Mark Wagh (43) put pressure on the fielders with some sharp singles. Knight’s only real false shot of the morning came off the first ball, when he airily flicked Nantie Hayward to leg for four, narrowly evading the close-in fielder. But thereafter, Knight was largely untroubled and was severe when given width on the off or on anything short on the leg.Wagh started cautiously, not hitting a boundary for an hour, but then he opened up with some exquisite flicks off his legs and one sumptuous drive off Paul Hutchison. Shah turned to Jamie Dalrymple’s offspin on the point of lunch, Wagh’s concentration lapsed, and he tamely edged straight to Paul Weekes at first slip (118 for 1). That was to be Middlesex’s last success of the day: Knight and Bell have so far put on 230.The spinners – more second-stringers than the new Edmonds and Emburey – undertook the bulk of the afternoon’s bowling duties, and the mystery was why the one specialist, Chris Peploe, only bowled ten overs all day. The left-arm spin successor to Phil Tufnell – he even has a hop in his run-up – the lanky Peploe has already impressed many with his flight and attitude, and he should have had Bell (then 24) with his second ball, but Ben Hutton dropped a sharp bat-pad chance at silly point. Shah appeared wary of using him – Peploe’s second (three-over) spell only came to hasten the taking of the new ball – and on a day more adventurous captains might have taken the opportunity to let him learn, he was consigned to fielding duties.Knight brought up his hundred midway through the afternoon and then contented himself with steady progress, safe in the knowledge that a four-ball was never too far away. Bell collected his boundaries in braces, reaching his fifty with successive drives off Dalrymple and, in the final half-hour, his hundred with two crisp cover-drives off Peploe. But although Bell completed his second century of the summer, he never dominated, and too often found the fielder rather than the gap.Bell should have fallen shortly before the close when he drove loosely at Hutchison, only for Dalrymple at first slip to juggle several times before both he and the ball ended up motionless on the ground. he had another reprieve in the next over, Ben Scott, the stand-in keeper, the culprit. On a day in which there was not a single shout for leg-before, and not even many deliveries which beat the bat, every chance was priceless.Of Middlesex’s two imports, Hayward bowled well and, after a mediocre first spell, was the one bowler who troubled both batsmen with movement and pace. Lance Klusener, however, looked limited and rarely threatened. That he bowled more overs than any other bowler owed more to the idiosyncratic captaincy of Shah than anything he did with the ball.Shah’s leadership was a puzzle. He didn’t give much impression of imposing his authority on the proceedings, allowing some bowlers to bowl too long and others not enough. The fields he set were defensive – understandable given the policy of containment – but he was inconsistent. Ed Joyce, the ninth bowler used, warranted a slip … but Hutchison at the other end apparently didn’t. Shah also failed to stem the steady flow of sharp singles.The portents were bad for Middlesex when Hayward left the field in the morning and there was no 12th man available. Shah called to the balcony for someone to come out as a replacement, and a disembodied voice from the dressing-room intoned that “They’re looking for him”. Middlesex resumed with ten fielders. As it turned out, they could have done with another half-dozen or so.

Glamorgan lost their friendly one-day match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, with the home team winning by 18 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method.The Welsh county batted first and made 209-9 from their 45 over allocation with opening batsman Ian Thomas top scoring with 50. Robert Croft, David Hemp and Jonathan Hughes all got into the thirties, before Nottinghamshire replied with 156-3 from 34 overs, with their captain Jason Gallian unbeaten on 77 when the rain brought a premature end to the contest.Middlesex will be Glamorgan`s opponents in another 45 over friendly at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on Friday.

Yorkshire have Michael Vaughan, Craig White and new pace sensation Steve Kirby in their side to play Leicestershire at Grace Road. But the champions-elect are not taking anything for granted as their challenge for their first championship title since 1968 continues.”Obviously there is a lot of talk about the championship but my aim is to make sure everyone concentrates on the next game,” Yorkshire coach Wayne Clarke said.”At the moment we are going well and there is a lot of confidence and ability in the squad but we’ll just concentrate on one session at a time.Essex travel to Glamorgan at the other end of Division One.Essex appear to be doomed to life in the lower division next season, but Glamorgan still have realistic hopes of staying up. They beat Surrey in the last round of games, but remain in the bottom three.Their coach, Jeff Hammond, admits they have a tough month in front of them if they are to stay up.”We’ve got Essex, Yorkshire, Leicestershire and Surrey to come and that’s a hard road home,” Hammond warned. “But if we can play well in all those games and don’t drop a game we will have a good chance of avoiding relegation.”We have been working on a few disciplines and it has taken a while for them to hit home but I think we are starting to play well now. We are still a game behind the top sides and another thing is that we have lost over 1,100 overs of playing time to the weather this season.”Hammond is waiting on news of Robert Croft. The off-spinner is currently with the England squad but will make up a spin duo with Cosker if released.Lancashire and Northampton battle it out elsewhere in another match that could have a crucial bearing on the final relegation places.Meanwhile, it’s top against bottom as Sussex travel to bottom placed Derbyshire in Division Two. Captain Dominic Cork and overseas player and vice-captain Michael Di Venuto miss out for the hosts in a game that Sussex are strong favourites to win.Gloucestershire entertain Nottinghamshire at Bristol. Both teams retain slim promotion hopes, though Gloucestershire have a 16-point lead over Notts. Worryingly for both sides, three of the four teams above them have a game in hand.Elsewhere Worcestershire travel to Warwickshire, the fourth placed club, desperate for the win that would help them into a promotion position.

Kapil Dev, the former Indian captain who is heading the unofficial Indian Cricket League, has said the tournament will go ahead despite pressures from various boards around the world.The ICL has been facing a slew of problems since its launch, from the active opposition of the Indian board to the massive wage bill incurred by promising dozens of players’ hefty packages that start at Rs30 lakhs (US$ 80,000 approx). But Kapil was determined to prove the doubters wrong.One key problem is the availability of grounds, with the BCCI barring the use of any of its facilities to the ICL. However, he claims to have found a functioning ground at Panchkula near Chandigarh. “We have done the pavilion and the lights will be ready,” Kapil was quoted as saying in the London-based . “The advertisements are running on Indian television, the publicity has started, and we have prepared the uniforms for all six teams.”We are very determined and very proud of what we are doing, which will promote the game of cricket and give many young players the chance to build a career. If people think they can block us, that’s fine. The best thing is just to wait and watch.”News related to the ICL has been trickling into the Indian media on a daily basis. It has conducted two camps so far, the second of which ended in Chennai on October 25, and is now planning regional camps in Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi. The Kolkata camp, starting on Friday, will be overseen by Daryll Cullinan, the former South African batsman roped in to coach the Calcutta Tigers team.However the reported that the camp could run into difficulties because the venue, the Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CC&FC), is an affiliated unit of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). It’s also one of the founding members of the CAB. The connection could force the ICL organisers to look out for another venue.The Calcutta Tigers currently comprises 13 players from the domestic circuit — seven from Bengal, four from Assam and two from Jharkhand – while the names of the five international players allocated for the side from the east zone will be announced in a couple of days’ time. Following the Kolkata camp the players will fly down to Mumbai for a round of warm-up matches before heading to Panchkula.Meanwhile there was some controversy surrounding ICL in Bhopal, in central India. Former Indian allrounder JP Yadav and Mohnish Mishra, another first-class cricketer, were not allowed to play in the All India Manish Agnihotri Memorial Cricket Tournament in Bhopal because of their alignment with the league.

The Cobras have allowed five of their players, who are currently in India with the South African squad, to stay on for the IPL instead of returning home for the domestic Standard Bank Pro20 tournament. Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince will thus remain in India after the third Test in Kanpur, which starts on April 11.Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, indicated that the Titans might also follow suit and allow three of their IPL players who are in India – AB de Villiers, Albie Morkel and Dale Steyn – to miss the domestic tournament. He also said that talks were on with the franchises of the three other South African players who are involved in the IPL – Eagles (Loots Bosman), Dolphins (Shaun Pollock) and Warriors (Makhaya Ntini) – to grant exemption to these players.The Pro20 Series, South Africa’s domestic 20-over tournament, involves seven teams, including Zimbabwe, and concludes on April 25. With the IPL starting on April 18, this means the Cobras’ players will not miss the first week of the tournament. The IPL franchise which benefits the most from this decision is the Bangalore Royal Challengers, who have Kallis, Steyn and Boucher in their ranks. Gibbs is with the Deccan Chargers, while Smith has been signed up by the Rajasthan Royals.