Warwickshire 348 for 1 (Knight 179*, Bell 119*) v Middlesex
Scorecard

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.

Weakened by internal politics and the departure of their top players, Zimbabwe are to host an India A team expected to provide strong opposition. Indian board officials confirmed that the tour in August would consist of three four-day matches which would take place after the tri-series against Kenya and Pakistan A in Nairobi.In June, Zimbabwe had agreed to stop playing Test cricket until 2005, so it has enough time to sort out the quality of its team. The move was provoked by threats to ban Zimbabwe from international cricket after a terrible showing against Sri Lanka at home – the two Test defeats were among the heaviest of all time. The matches against India A are thus crucial to Zimbabwe’s future.And if the ICC accepts Bob Woolmer’s proposed restructuring of the international cricket hierarchy, only eight nations will play Tests. This means Zimbabwe, along with Bangladesh, will be relegated to a lower rank, competing with the likes of Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.India A itineraryJuly 22-25 v Zimbabwe XI at Harare Sports Club, July 29-August 1 v Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club, August 5-8 v Zimbabwe at CFX Cricket Academy

The England & Wales Cricket Board’s XI beat Ireland 2-1 in a bowl-out after the first match of the ECC Championship following heavy rain which left the Kampong ground in Utrecht unplayable.The result of the match was decided by 10 players from each side – the wicketkeepers wisely chose to stand down – taking it in turns to bowl at a single stump after the ECB XI refused to play on the soaked artificial surface.Both teams agreed to the method, and the ECB XI took the lead when Chris Mole, from Devon, hit the stump. Naseer Shaukat levelled the scores for Ireland, but Lincolnshire’s Emmett Wilson eventually sealed a win for the ECB XI.Adrian Burrell, the Irish coach, was obviously not happy with the result, saying: "We’re obviously disappointed at the way things panned out. The umpires needed the consent of both sides to be able to play. We were quite keen to get a game going, but it didn’t work out like that."The ECB XI take on Denmark today (July 19), and Holland face Scotland, with both matches being played at Deventer, where fair weather is expected. The results of the ECC Championship will be used to rank teams for the ICC Trophy in Ireland next year.

Rina Hore, a former New South Wales player, has become the first woman to be appointed to the state’s cricket board. The six-member board endorsed Hore’s induction to the panel for “her skills and experience”, according to Bob Horsell, the chairman of the NSW board.Hore, who was also manager of the women’s under-19 team, was happy with her appointment and positive about the future. “In accepting the nomination, I thank people for their hard work that first led to a woman being nominated,” quoted Hore as saying. “Now that I’m on the board I look forward to working hard with a talented and committed group of people and continuing to promote women’s cricket.”While serving as vice-president of the Women’s Cricket Australia Board, Hore played an important part in bringing men’s and women’s cricket under one body.

Mike Hussey, the Australian batsman, will replace Jon Lewis as Durham’s captain next season. Durham will be Hussey’s third county side, after a successful three-year stint with Northants, and half a season with Gloucestershire this year.Hussey, who has also captained Western Australia and Northants, said he would relish the challenge: “There is a lot of young talent within the team and I’m really looking forward to helping them develop. I am convinced that Durham are more than capable of achieving promotion in both one-day and Championship cricket in 2005.”Martyn Moxon, the former Yorkshire and England batsman, who is now Durham’s coach, explained: "It was felt that a change in leadership would help the team’s progression. Mike will bring a new approach to the squad in addition to the wealth of experience he acquired as captain of Northants and Western Australia."Moxon praised Lewis, the outgoing captain, saying that he had done a superb job throughout his tenure, while David Harker, Durham’s chief executive, added that the club were looking to Lewis to support Hussey in his captaincy.There will be another Australian addition to Durham’s 2005 squad – yesterday they announced that Ashley Noffke, the 27-year-old Queensland fast bowler, was also being drafted in.

The Australian batsman Phil Jaques will join Yorkshire for the 2005 season after the county fought off competition from other clubs for his signature.Jaques, 25, has already played for Yorkshire this season, when he was brought in to cover Darren Lehmann’s international duties for Australia. And he established himself quickly, averaging over 58 in 19 innings in the Division Two championship, while he has also performed well in the one-day form of the game.”I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Yorkshire and I’m delighted to be going back next summer,” Jaques told the Stellar Group Website.”Everyone at the club made me feel very welcome and I was pleased to be able to repay them in some way with the runs I managed to score,” he added.”Hopefully next season we will be able to improve and launch a promotion challenge in both the four-day and the one-day games.”

Justin Langer
On the heat
I feel pretty good and we’re in a pretty goodposition. I started cramping – I tend to do that atAdelaide – after lunch and that probably affected myconcentration. But that went away and I felt prettygood.On the century
I don’t think it’s one of my best. Besides the firstcouple of overs and a couple with the second new ball, it wasa gritty innings. But my balance was really goodbecause footwork is one area of my game that I’ve hadto improve over the last 12 to 18 months.On it being his 20th hundred
Statistics are a really funny thing in cricket. Whenyou are playing the game they mean a lot. I spoke toTugga [Steve Waugh] a couple of months ago and he saidthat in retirement statistics mean nothing. While I’mplaying and getting paid to score runs it means Ihopefully get a game next week.On the pitch
It’s a very good wicket and is actually getting morecarry than I’ve seen before. I’m not sure it’s goingto get up and down. We’re going to have to giveourselves plenty of time to get 20 New Zealandwickets.On Hayden’s caught-and-bowled
It was a big banging double noise so he must havethought that he’d thumped it into the ground. He wasprobably hoping it was a bump ball because he wasstarting to hit it pretty well. I thought it was out.On using the third umpire for a catch
I’m not saying it was obvious, but it looked to methat it was it probably out. The umpires did the rightthing. If the technology is there they might as welluse it.On New Zealand’s performance
They fought hard all day. Jacob Oram is an outstandingcricketer to bowl that economically on that track.Chris Martin runs in hard all day and hasn’t had thatmuch luck, but definitely has the spirit.On their mood in the field
They were a bit quiet, but I’m not sure how they play.They had a tough week last week, it was 38 degrees orso, they lost the toss on a good wicket. They did anadmirable job.On his run-burst in the first two overs
I keep telling Haydos that he’s the blocker and I amthe aggressor. I can’t believe he’s playing one-daycricket and I’m not. [The rooms laughs loudly] Heknows how I feel about this.Paul Wiseman
On his performance
I started off a bit rusty but came back well in thesecond spell and had good rhythm.On the heat compared to Bangladesh
It was hot and dry; Bangladesh was humid. You don’tget wet out there, it’s just dry, your mouth’s dry.But we had a breeze today.On Hayden’s catch
I thought it was just a regulation caught-and-bowled.He wasn’t sure whether he’d squeezed it into theground. I was pretty sure, but it put doubt in my mindwhen he didn’t go. He’s entitled to stick around. Itwas pretty amicable, no dramas.On the feeling in the side
It was good honest toil. We lost the toss on a prettygood batting wicket and the Aussies played very well.There weren’t too many chances and the boys stuck atit. Jacob Oram bowled beautifully, Chris Martin ran inwith good rhythm and Dan [Vettori] did a good job on awicket that’s not turning much yet. The guys are okand certainly not down.On the side’s position
It would have been nice to get a couple more at theend and maybe we could have done better with thesecond new ball, but we had an opener who was 120 bythat stage.On the pitch spinning
I think it will start turning quite a bit by daythree, especially if the heat stays. If we get to bowla second time I look forward to it.

At least half a dozen of England’s travelling fans were caught up in a scare en route from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth, when their train was derailed near the town of Westley in the Free State. Seven coaches were involved in the accident, which occurred at 5pm on Tuesday evening, and though police confirmed that there had been no fatalities, up to 15 people were taken to hospital with injuries.The fans, members of the Barmy Army’s hardcore following, had been at Potchefstroom to cheer England through their defeat against South Africa A. They had been due to meet up with several hundred fellow fans that evening, but were instead ferried down to Port Elizabeth by bus from the town of Vereeniging, along with 400 other commuters.Spoornet, the South African rail authorities, said that the cause of the accident hadn’t been confirmed, although it would be the subject of a detailed investigation. "The scene looked severe," said a spokesman, "but no-one has died in the incident. An internal investigation is being launched to determine the cause."It is not the first stroke of ill fortune to befall England’s supporters this winter, and the tour has yet to get underway in earnest. Last week, the holiday plans of several hundred fans bound for Port Elizabeth were thrown into disarray, following the collapse of the budget airline, CivAir, which had been due to ferry them direct from Stansted Airport in London.

Scorecard
Andre Adams unleashed a career-best bowling performance to take 6 for25 as Wellington plummeted 107 all out on the fourth morning of their State Championship match at Eden Park today. The win kept Auckland squarely on top of the Championship ladder, the only points they have conceded in four rounds being the first innings points in this match to Wellington.Adams finished the match with 10 wickets for 118 runs, his first10-wicket haul, and fired himself back into international consideration with Jacob Oram having suffered a back strain that may be a stress fracture.Wellington had no response to his assault and Auckland, instead offacing a potential 300-plus run chase needed only to score 207 forvictory. Neal Parlane’s 41 was the only score of note in a sorryWellington effort which, as defending champion, highlighted the holdAuckland have taken on the championship this year.In their quest for runs, Matt Horne was to the fore again with 75before he was caught behind by Iain O’Brien. But Lou Vincent and AaronBarnes steadied the innings and took the side through to a comfortablevictory. While Barnes was dismissed just before the win was recorded,his 28 backed Vincent’s patient 53 in 144 minutes, and it was left forTama Canning to hit one six in his eight to see Auckland home by sixwickets.Jayesh Patel was the main source of concern for the Auckland batsmen ashe took 3 for 65. But the final target was too few for Wellington to betruly able to apply the pressure and Auckland confirmed their status asthe front runners in the championship this year.

Shoaib Akhtar has submitted his reply to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in response to the charge that he violated the terms of his central contract. Shoaib’s written reply will now be considered by an inquiry committee set up by the board.”The committee will go through his reply on Wednesday to decide if there is any ground for forwarding it to the PCB disciplinary committee,” said Abbas Zaidi, the PCB director, quoted in The News. “If the committee is satisfied with his answers, the issue would be closed.”The PCB had asked for a clarification from Shoaib on four issues: his late return from Australia; consulting a private trainer [Dr Taufeeq Razzak] instead of Greg Compton, the PCB-appointed trainer; his comments in the media, and also alleged stories of nightclub appearances.Shoaib didn’t sign the central contract until the Test series was over, and according to the PCB, he is in breach of that if found guilty of these four trangressions. However, Zaidi asserted that it didn’t necessarily rule Shoaib out of contention for the Indian tour, saying, “Just because we feel he has violated four clauses of the contract does not mean he is automatically ruled out of the Indian tour.”Shoaib’s supporters would have been boosted however by a statement from Inzamam-ul-Haq that rubbished earlier reports that he and other senior team members wanted Shoaib sidelined. “I am surprised to read reports that we have threatened to boycott the tour if Shoaib is in the side; it’s not true,” said Inzamam. “We have never had any such discussions.”If he [Shoaib] is fit and that is for the doctors and selectors to judge – he should be in the touring side because he is our main strike bowler and will be valuable to us on the Indian pitches and against their batsmen.”There have been rumours of a frosty relationship between Inzamam and Shoaib for a while now, with certain quarters of the media suggesting that Shoaib was gunning for the top job, But Inzamam insisted that he considered him a valuable member of the side. “There are no problems between us; he is there to perform likewise it is the same with me,” said Inzamam. And when asked about the brouhaha over the length of Shoaib’s run-up, he was just as forthright, saying, “If it has been suggested that he should reduce his run-up, it is in the team’s interest but it’s a suggestion and not an order.”On Tuesday, the Shoaib injury saga took another sharp twist, with the news that the three foreign trainers and physiotherapists employed by the PCB had left on vacation. Murray Stevenson and Darryn Lifsun left for London, while Compton, the trainer who was supposed to be supervising Shoaib’s recovery at the National Cricket Academy, left for South Africa.Shoaib apparently needs another two to three weeks to recover from the torn hamstring, and he was clueless when asked what course of action he saw fit to take, with Compton having departed. “I don’t know the situation but Compton told me he was leaving for South Africa,” said Shoaib. “I will ask the Board officials for guidance and what I am supposed to do.”