New Zealand’s application for the relocating of its World Cup match against Kenya will be heard by the International Cricket Council’s executive board tonight (NZ time).The reason the executive board, and not the World Cup technical committee, is hearing the application is because it was raised by New Zealand before the event technical committee was formed just before the Cup started.The game is scheduled to be played tomorrow in Nairobi, and the New Zealanders are already practising in Durban for their next match which is against Bangladesh in Kimberley next Wednesday.An announcement is expected at the end of the meeting.No comment is expected from New Zealand Cricket until tomorrow.

The preparations for the introduction of the new style membership cards at Somerset County Cricket Club are now complete, and members who have already joined for the 2003 season will by now have received their new cards.Over the last few days two computer engineers have been busy installing the swipe card computer system into the office at the County Ground and linking it up to the terminals that will be situated at each of the entrances.The work has been undertaken by Hogue 100, a Birmingham based company who have also successfully installed a similar system at Worcestershire’s headquarters at New Road Ground, at Sofia Garden’s in Cardiff the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club, and several other first class county grounds.Membership secretary Jo Arnold told me: "Under the health and safety regulations we need to know at any given time exactly how many people are inside the ground and now that members have to swipe both in and out, this system will give us that information .It will also tell us exactly who the members are that are inside the ground which will be good for us to know particularly for our marketing strategy."Jo continued: "Interestingly the first year that Worcestershire introduced their new swipe cards, the club reported a 250% increase in gate receipts."At present the membership secretary is busy putting the finishing touches to the new 2003 membership guide book that will explain how the swipe card system will work, and will list all first and second team fixtures along with other information including the vouchers that will be needed for getting tickets if the club reaches the final stages of any of the one day competitions.With an exciting season in prospect until the end of February membership of the club can cost as little as £92 and that entitles the member to free entry to watch 53 days of top class cricket, which is remarkably good value.In order to cope with the expected demand from new members and existing members trying to rejoin whilst the discounted rates still apply, the office at the County Ground will be opening on Saturday mornings throughout February.Details of membership can also be obtained by telephoning 01823 272946.

Saturday, March 22, 2003:::
“I am not responsible alone for the debacle. The other seniors are equally responsible, but surprisingly they are ‘rested’ and I am dropped.” Former Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis, on being dropped from the one-day team for Sharjah
Source: The Dawn, Pakistan”We’ll find out how good they really are tomorrow. I concede that they are the best Test side in the world, but we have beaten them more than any other side (in one-day internationals) in the past.” Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, on his side’s final against Australia
Source: The Dispatch Online, South Africa”With the fast bowlers he’s always had a few problems. Sheer pace got him out against us – Binga (Brett Lee) got him out, and (New Zealand fast bowler) Shane Bond unsettled him a bit in another game.” Australian captain Ricky Ponting, on Sourav Ganguly
Source: AAP on NineMSNWednesday, March 19, 2003:::
“I won’t be encouraging any of our batsmen to do it. It’s up to them. I won’t tell any of our batsmen what to do – whether to walk or not. It’s how they see it on the day. I was surprised at the time. All of us in the dressing room were surprised.” Australian captain Ricky Ponting, on Adam Gilchrist walking despite not being given out against Sri Lanka
Source: AAP in The Age, Australia”I did leave the opening slot not because I had difficulty in scoring runs. I had to come down because Virender Sehwag was not doing well in the middle order.” Sourav Ganguly, on pushing himself down the batting order
Source: UNI in The New Indian Express, India”It’s very sad he will be leaving us. What he has done with the boys is amazing. I wish he could stay but I suppose he has his reasons not to extend his contract.” Kenyan captain Steve Tikolo, on the imminent departure of team coach Sandeep Patil
Source: Outlook, India

BARBADOS’ players are not likely to be involved if the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) proceeds with strike action against the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in their pay dispute.Speaking to NATIONSPORT yesterday, captain Courtney Browne said he personally was uncomfortable with the situation and hoped it could be amicably resolved at today’s meeting between the two parties.Browne held meetings with his players on Tuesday and again yesterday to bring them up to date on the matter. Later in the afternoon, Barbados Cricket Association president Stephen Alleyne and first vice-president David Holford also met with the players.Browne, who was in contact with WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine several times yesterday, said he was not one for confrontation and urged both parties to settle the matter so the competition could go on."I don’t believe in striking and a few of my players have expressed the same view," Browne said after yesterday’s net session at Queen’s Park."We must be able to negotiate in good faith and come to an amicable settlement. We need some stability in West Indies cricket."Barbados are due to host Trinidad and Tobago in tomorrow’s Carib Beer International Challenge semifinal at Kensington Oval.Ramnarine threatened the WICB with strike action and a refusal to wear sponsors’ logo if some "outstanding issues" were not ironed out.At today’s meeting, the WICB will be represented by acting chief Roger Brathwaite, and Barry Thomas, the chief financial officer; while Ramnarine will represent WIPA.Sponsors Carib Beer have stayed out of the matter, and last night Farid Mansour, the local brand manager for Carib Beer, said: "This is a WICB and WIPA dispute and does not include Carib, but obviously we would like an amicable resolution as soon as possible."One of the major issues of contention is pay increases in regional first-class cricket. The original proposal from the WICB was 20 per cent for junior players and ten per cent for players with international experience. The present fees per match are $450 for juniors with under 15 matches while seniors start at $600 on a sliding scale.Browne also added that his players were reluctant to sign a document circulated by WIPA, which was aimed at negotiating on behalf of all players in the region."I can’t advise my players to sign up. I have been told that Guyana and Jamaica have signed up but we must be clear on the facts."In a statement yesterday the WICB outlined the issues surrounding the dispute."Players without international experience were given an increase of 20 per cent and players with international experience were given an increase of ten per cent, starting with the ongoing Carib Beer 2003 Cricket Series," the WICB said."The increase meant the WICB would be paying out over US$250 000 in players’ fees for the Carib Beer 2003 Cricket."It continued: "Ramnarine publicly suggested that this industrial action may be necessary because the WICB had `waited to the last minute’ to discuss these issues."The facts are that in January this year, the WICB asked the WIPA to support their claim of representing all of the players participating in senior domestic competitions with documentation showing their membership of WIPA and consent to be bound by the organisation’s negotiations."It must be noted that to date the WIPA has only been recognised by the WICB as the representative of West Indies players for international competitions."

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.

Graeme Hick will be out of action for up to six weeks after breaking a bone in his left hand while batting for Worcestershire against Glamorgan last Sunday.The news is a big set-back for Worcestershire, who immediately felt its effect when they were deprived of Hick’s services for their Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy quarter-final against Leicestershire. Club doctors were hoping Hick would be available for the game, but it was confirmed shortly before that he has in fact broken a bone and is likely to be sidelined for four to six weeks.Worcestershire are currently riding high at the top of Division Two on the back of three consecutive wins, and Hick has contributed 424 runs in six Championship games at an average of 50. Along with the injured Nantie Hayward, who has a damaged ankle, he will be sorely missed in their bid for promotion.

Friday the 13th, unlucky some may say, but that was certainly not the case at The Rose Bowl, where superstition was put aside as a sell out crowd came to the cricket and the pop concert.The sun shone brightly, it was a very warm summer evening, and everything was right for an exciting cricket match, and that was certainly what they got, as the Hawks got their campaign off the mark (see separate match report).A lot of preparation had gone into this major Rose Bowl event; it was a window to the world of cricket. The sceptics said it would not work; I have to admit that perhaps I was one, although I did believe it deserved a chance if just for its innovation.There was a carnival atmosphere long before the cricket, bouncy castle, fun fair, NatWest fast bowling competition, Saints football shoot out and much much more.The food outlets were doing a roaring trade, where the dear old traditional Rose Bowl Café (Sunshine Café) suddenly found itself surrounded by Baguettes, Fish and Chips, Sweets, Ice Cream and an abundance of other delicacies.Many of the staff that did the whole show proudly had arrived at 8 am and many were still there gone 11pm, a devotion to a concept that had started as a pipe dream in the minds of the old Hampshire County Cricket Club, to the magnificent facilities we have today.I was over by the entrance to the Western Berm when a family of five came in "Good grief" said the wife to her husband, "this is magnificent". Obviously a first timer and we hope a regular from now on. Later when coming into the Atrium bar, I overhead another lady exclaim "This is super, I had no idea, and I only live just down the road in Hedge End".Seeing the crowd converge onto the outfield to watch Mis-Teeq and the other pop acts after the match, may have given head groundsman Nigel Gray a few palpitations, but it was a superb sight.Rod Bransgrove, Nick Pike and all the staff of Rose Bowl plc and Hampshire Cricket can lift their heads up high today, and say we did it. There will be other days like this, the One Day International amongst some, but this day will go down in history in the young days of the ground, alongside that amazing win over Australia in 2000 …Watch this space …

Hampshire II’s continued their fine run of form as they beat Worcestershire at the Rose Bowl, making it six wins out of six in the Second Eleven Trophy.Chasing 213 for victory, it was some good batting from Jimmy Adams (72) and Lawrence Prittipaul (62no) that paved the way to the finish line, despite another middle order wobble from the young Hawks.Looking to be cruising home, with the score at 180/2, Hampshire proceeded to lose 6 wickets for 21 runs, to give the away team a chance of an unlikely win, but Prittipaul guided his side to a two-wicket win.Worcestershire will be sick of the sight of Adams, who smashed 127no against them last week at Kidderminster, and he continued where he left off on home turf. The left-hander played off the new ball well, before accelerating as the change bowlers came on, with one huge pulled six into the golf course sticking in the memory.However, his demise as he got a thin edge through to the `keeper, sparked off the tumble of wickets for Hampshire.Prittipaul played with supreme confidence again, with several cheeky sweep shots finding the boundary, and he kept his head well to finish off the win.Chris Tremlett (1/27) and James Hamblin (2/27) were the pick of the bowlers earlier in the day, as both bowled their allotted ten overs economically, and picked up vital wickets.Hamblin clean bowled ex-England wicket-keeper Steve Rhodes for 41, as he looked dangerous, and 17 year-old Steve Davies batted well for his 60no, but it was in vain as Hampshire clinched victory with seven overs to spare.

Rumours about Sourav Ganguly seeking a new marketing agent intensified even as World Sports Nimbus strongly denied reports that it had offered Ganguly Rs 60 crore (US$12.5 million approx) as guarantee money over a five-year period. The Times of India quoted Harish Thawani, co-chairman of WSN, as saying: "We have given no such proposal to Ganguly, nor are we contemplating to. There is no resolution even in the company board of taking cricketers on board for celebrity management."Earlier reports had suggested that WSN wanted to sign up Ganguly once his current marketing agreement with Percept expires on August 31. According to the , Nimbus had supposedly offered a deal whereby Ganguly would be guaranteed the money, regardless of whether or not the firm made a profit. It was also not contingent on his remaining captain of India.Ganguly is in Sydney for a commercial shoot, and has refused to either confirm or deny the rumours.

Frizzell County Championship Division OneSussex 521 for 8 v Essex at Colchester
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Murray Goodwin maintained Sussex’s momentum at the top of the County Championship with a superb 210, as Essex’s bowlers were thrashed to all corners of Colchester on a brutal day of run-scoring. Goodwin’s innings was the cornerstone of a puzzlingly all-or-nothing effort from Sussex. He opened up with a 202-run stand with Richard Montgomerie (97), and added a further 113 for the sixth wicket with Matt Prior (104 not out), but until Jason Lewry joined Prior towards the end of a tiring day, none of Sussex’s batsmen got a look-in. The main reason was the menacing presence of Mohammad Akram, the only Essex bowler with any bite, who took 5 for 98, including four batsmen in single figures.Nottinghamshire 177 v Kent 242 at Trent Bridge
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Another astonishing innings from Kevin Pietersen, the Graeme Hick de nos jours, could not prevent Kent from taking a first-innings lead on another substandard Trent Bridge pitch. Twenty wickets fell in the day, five of them to Kent’s Martin Saggers (who on this week’s evidence can expect his long-awaited England call-up in roughly 2008), as Notts were bundled out for 177 in 40.5 overs, and Kent replied with 242, their last wicket falling to the final ball of the day. Nottinghamshire’s innings, however, owed everything to Pietersen, who thumped 18 fours and two sixes in his 99-ball 100. Only two other batsmen managed double figures. Kent were under no illusions about the state of the wicket, and sure enough they struggled when their turn came to bat. Mark Ealham fared the best, thumping 11 fours and a six in his 83, but once again there were only two other scores of note. But, if the recent Test is anything to go by, Kent’s first-innings lead is likely to be decisive.Frizzell County Championship Division TwoSomerset 296 v Worcestershire 86 for 2 at Worcester
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Somerset’s captain, Michael Burns, top-scored with 89 to give his side a competitive total against the Division Two leaders, Worcestershire, on the first day of their match at New Road. By the close, Worcestershire had lost Anurag Singh and Graeme Hick, both to Aaron Laraman, but Stephen Peters had helped the score along to a healthy 86 for 2, with a composed 44. Somerset had earlier been bowled out for 296, with Nantie Hayward showing the sort of wicket-taking form that might, one day, earn him a recall to the South African Test team. He finished with 3 for 53, including Burns himself in a brisk second spell, and Matt Mason also impressed with 3 for 56. Gareth Batty, overlooked by England this week, took wickets and a bit of tap in his 25 overs, while Steve Rhodes picked up five catches behind the stumps.Derbyshire 138 v Northamptonshire 224 for 1 at Derby
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Fresh from his unbeaten triple-century against Somerset, Mike Hussey continued his eye-popping vein of form with an unbeaten 103, to take his runs tally in his last three Championship innings to a Graeme-Smith-esque 534 (for once out). He was joined by the barely-less prolific Phil Jaques, who closed on 99 not out, as Derbyshire faced up to yet another drubbing at the Racecourse Ground. They had earlier been decimated for 138, the only resistance coming from their No. 3 Rawait Khan, whose 76 was his second Championship half-century. Andre Nel started the damage with the wickets of both openers, and Jeff Cook swung through the middle-order with 4 for 35.Durham 388 for 7 v Hampshire at Chester-le-Street
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Martin Love converted his first century of the season into a magnificent unbeaten 181, as Durham took charge against Hampshire at the Riverside. Love’s labours tidied up a ragged start to the innings for Durham, for whom Paul Collingwood was making his first start of the season. He didn’t last long, making just 9, but Love and Gary Pratt (66) added 161 for the fourth wicket to swing the day away from Hampshire. Dmitri Mascarenhas kept plugging away with 3 for 59, but Hampshire have it all to do on the second day.Second Division – Day 2Gloucestershire 237 for 7 v Glamorgan 331 at Bristol
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Glamorgan remained on top by the end of another tense day’s play in their Second Division promotion battle at Bristol, as Gloucestershire’s batsmen made heavy weather of their first innings. The morning session had belonged to Gloucestershire, after Jon Lewis had revived their prospects by wrapping up all four of Glamorgan’s remaining first-innings wickets in double-quick time, but runs were equally hard to come by in Gloucestershire’s innings. Phil Weston and Tim Hancock added a steady 98 for the second wicket after the early loss of Craig Spearman, but wickets fell at regular intervals thereafter. Hancock made 64, and Alex Gidman reached the close on a vital 63 not out.