Ajit Agarkar should never ever be given the new ball again. The feistyMumbai mediumpacer displayed such maturity bowling with the old balltoday that he should be asked to do just that at all times. Althoughhe has come in for a lot of flak for his recent bowling form, Agarkarregained some lost pride after his performance today. On a pitch whereno fast bowler got any assistance, Agarkar managed to extract reverseswing even when the ball was just forty odd overs old. Using reverseswing to superb effect, Agarkar scalped two good wickets, that ofStuart Carlisle and the all important one of Andy Flower. Aided byAgarkar, India picked six Zimbabwe first innings wickets while thevisitors amassed a healthy 359 runs, 50 less than what they need toavoid being asked to follow on.If Agarkar impressed then Sharandeep Singh certainly announced hisarrival on the international scene with a bang. The twenty-one yearold off spinner from Punjab scalped two wickets in the space of tenballs and set Zimbabwe firmly on the back foot at 166/4. Brought intothe attack for just two overs before the luncheon interval, Sharandeepcame good after lunch. Whatever the Sardar ate for lunch, it certainlydid wonders for his bowling. Extracting good turn from the wicket,Sharandeep made the ball jump on the batsmen, and this was thesingular reason for the dismissal of both Guy Whittall and AlistairCampbell. The first to go was the southpaw, presenting SadagopanRamesh at silly mid off with a sharp chance. Having floored a similarchance earlier when Campbell was yet to get off the mark, Ramesh madeno mistake the second time around. Diving to his right, Ramesh scoopedup the ball centimetres from the ground and Campell (4) made the longwalk back to the pavilion.Given the context of the game and the stubborn manner in whichWhittall had resisted the Indian bowlers, his wicket might very wellhave been even more crucial than Campbell’s. Trying to turn a ballfrom Sharandeep behind square, Whittall only managed to glove the ballto Rahul Dravid at leg slip. Whittall’s effective, if not entirelychanceless innings of 84 (12 fours, 164 balls) had come to an end.The period of play soon after lunch when Sharandeep Singh and AjitAgarkar were bowling was the only time that the Indians bowled withany real intensity. It was a serious case of blow-hot blow-coldotherwise and the Zimbabweans capitalised on this. No one more so thanGrant Flower. Having bagged a pair in the Delhi Test, Grant Flower wasdemoted to number six. At the end of the day, this has to be viewed asa wise decision. Hitting the ball crisply around the park, GrantFlower remained unbeaten on 91 when stumps was called. In the courseof his 220 minute essay, Grant Flower used his feet well to thespinners. Sharandeep Singh who met with early success was at thereceiving end of this ploy on more than one occasion. Against themediumpacers, Grant Flower took more chances than would have appealedto the purists. Then again, none of the balls that flew off the edgeof his bat went to hand.The same can’t be said of Andy Flower or Dirk Viljoen. When AndyFlower (55) went after a widish ball from Agarkar he looked back indismay as Vijay Dahiya dived to his left and picked up a good lowcatch. There were murmurs that India’s wicketkeeper problems werefinally solved. If any further proof was needed, it came soon afterwhen Viljoen slashed hard at a quick delivery from Zaheer Khan. Justwhen it looked like the ball would fly over the head of first slipDahiya leapt across and plucked the ball out of the air. Thesensational catch left Dahiya winded but a little medical attentiongot him back on his feet in a hurry.Zimbabwean skipper Heath Streak joined Grant Flower in the middle andsaw Zimbabwe safely through to stumps. The pair will return tomorrowwith the score on 359/6 to continue the quest to save this match.Although the visitors did better than expected on the third day, thereis still a lot of hard work to be done if they want to save this Test.

A fighting unbeaten 90 by S Raza Ali went in vainas Railways lost to Uttar Pradesh by 17 runs inthe Central Zone Ranji Trophy one day match at theKarnail Singh stadium in New Delhi on Friday.Batting first, UP after losing Jyoti Yadav (5) at23, recovered with the other opener Nazir Ali (57)and M Kaif (77) adding 74 runs for the secondwicket off 17 overs. Nazir Ali was then out afterfacing 67 balls and hitting eight fours. Kaif andR Shamshad (26) maintained the momentum with athird wicket partnership of 54 runs off 12 overs.The innings received further impetus when Kaif andskipper GK Pandey added 84 runs for the fourthwicket off just 10.5 overs. Kaif, who was run out,faced 113 balls and hit four of them to the ropes.Finally Pandey and M Saif (14) slapped on 49 runsfor the unbroken fifth wicket off just 4.5 oversas UP closed at an imposing 284 for four in 50overs. Pandey faced only 59 balls for his breezyunbeaten 86. He hit eight fours and five sixes.Railways were off to a bad start but to theircredit they never gave up and went down by anarrow margin. They lost half the side for 128despite a fine knock by opener Amit Pagnis who hit46 off 49 balls with six hits to the fence. RazaAli and S Sahu (36) initiated a recovery processby figuring in a sixth wicket stand of 66 runs off16 overs. The tail tried their best to stay withRaza Ali but their efforts were not enough.Ultimately Raza Ali was left high and dry asRailways were all out for 267 in 48.4 overs. RazaAli faced 94 balls and hit three fours and a six.Kaif (3 for 50) and Dorai (3 for 48) did the mostto restrict Railways.

Calmore Sports are off the mark in the Southern Electric ECB Premier League, but they had to overcome a top-order batting collapse before clinching a last-ball victory over Bournemouth at Loperwood Park.Chasing Bournemouth’s 201-4, Calmore appeared set for an easy win after a century opening partnership between Tom Pegler and Paul Draper.But, having reached 143-1, they collapsed – and ended up scrambling in by three wickets off the very last ball.Earlier, Bournemouth teenager Chris Park carried his bat for an undefeated 90 and Geoff Warrington smashed 57 runs off 33 balls.Park, 17, batted sedately, but lacked any significant support until Warrington’s arrived at the crease to tuck greedily into the left-arm spin of Paul Draper, whose ten overs cost 84 runs.Draper (50) soon got his revenge, sharing a century opening partnership with Tom Pegler (65), who had Jez Goode (22) in support as Calmore reached 143-1.But Pegler’s dismissal prompted chaotic scenes in the Calmore camp – five wickets falling for only five runs, three of them in quick succession to Australian medium-pacer Peter Waite (3-20) – as the reply lurched to 148-6.James Hibberd (20) departed at 182-7, leaving teenager Paul Cass (26 not out) to guide Calmore to victory – Wilson’s penultimate over, which cost 12 runs, effectively ending Bournemouth’s prospects.Russell Rowe cracked his second consecutive century as South Wilts piled up a massive 298-4 before beating strugglers Hungerford by 135 runs.Rowe (103) and Rob Wade (74) shared a 178-run start for South Wilts, who profited further when Tim Lamb (50) and Tom Caines (40) came together.Hampshire’s Jason Laney (45) top scored as Hungerford sank to 163 all out.South Australian batsman Andy Loader was to the fore again as Bashley (Rydal) comfortably defeated Burridge by 112 runs at Bashley Common Road.The Adelaide right-hander hit 83 and shared a significant second-wicket partnership with Hampshire’s Andy Sexton (61) as Bashley took charge.Richard Knowles thumped 57 as Bashley moved to an unassailable 240-6 (Paul Jenkins 3-32).Dave Jackson (41) and Neil Cunningham (25) responded but got little support as, initially, Neil Taylor (3-14) and latterly John Whiting (3-16) created inroads as Burridge slipped to 128 all out.Title holders Havant stretched their lead at the top with a comfortable seven-wicket success at Andover, who plunged to a second consecutive defeat.The Miller brothers, Roger (33) and Mark (26) propelled Andover to 52-1 off ten overs, but the later batting gave away against Shawn Gillies (4-34) and Mark Copping (3-27).Andover’s 134 all out was never likely to test Havant, whose victory was based around second-wicket pair Andy Perry (64) and Richard Hindley (38).Second-placed BAT Sports slumped to a five-wicket defeat against Liphook & Ripsley after New Zealander Ben Jansen and Duncan Berry turned things around.BAT posted a handy 230-7 through Damien Shirazi (86) and Dave Banks (48) and looked set for victory as Liphook slipped to 135-5.But Kiwi Jansen hit 83 not out and skipper Berry an unbeaten 53 to guide Liphook home.

A second round of interviews will be undertaken before the appointment of a coach for the CLEAR Black Caps is announced.The board of New Zealand Cricket at its meeting today was briefed about the short-listed candidates and was advised the New Zealand team manager Jeff Crowe will also be involved in the process.He was not available for the first round of interviews due to an overseas commitment.New Zealand Cricket’s operations manager John Reid said today: “The inclusion of Jeff Crowe in a second round of interviews with the leading candidates will add an important team management perspective and is crucial to the decision-making process.”It was expected an appointment might be made today by the board, and annnounced next week.However, the board said there was no urgency in the appointment and they wanted to make sure the decision was right.The position will be made in time for the successful candidate to be able to join the New Zealand team on its tour of Pakistan in September.

Somerset Under 13’s were beaten by the narrowest of margins when they took on Dorset at Sherborne School last Sunday.Batting first Somerset were all out for 93 in 39.1 overs, with Ben Rudge top scoring with 19, James Fear made 12 and Harry Livingstone being unbeaten on 14.In a thrilling finish, with the last pair at the wicket Dorset hit the winning run with just two balls to spare.Left arm seamer Ben Rudge completed a good afternoon by having the impressive figures of 8 overs 1 maiden 3wickets for 12 runs.

* Pakistan plans tight security for Indian cricket team’s visitTight security will be in place when the Indian cricket team travel toPakistan for an ice breaking Test match in September, Pakistan CricketBoard (PCB) chief Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia said in Karachi onSunday.”We have planned special tight security during the Lahore Test inSeptember this year,” Zia told reporters, adding that he hoped theBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would be given the allclear by the Indian government for the visit. India is scheduled toplay their first Test in Pakistan for 12 years when they feature in anAsian Test Championship match from September 12-16.When India played their last Test series in Pakistan in 1989-90, areligious party activist attacked then-Indian captain KrishnamachariSrikanth during the Karachi Test. Srikkanth though was unscathed assecurity personnel arrested the attacker.* Baroda, Mumbai to play triangular series in KenyaRanji Trophy champions Baroda and former champions Mumbai will play atriangular limited overs cricket tournament in Kenya, with the hostteam being the third team, from September 10 to 24.The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) joint secretary Mayank Khandwalatold PTI in Mumbai on Monday that the Mumbai team will play Baroda andKenya three times each in the league phase. The final is slated forSeptember 24. Mumbai will also play a three-day match against Kenya.Kenya had invited Mumbai last year as well but the tour was cancelleddue to non-availability of star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who was busywith the Indian team’s conditioning camp for the International CricketCouncil’s (ICC) Mini WorldCup.* Manoj Prabhakar’s remand extendedA court in Bhawali has extended judicial remand of the former Indiancricketer Manoj Prabhakar till August 3 in the chit fund case, policesaid in Dehra Dun on Sunday. The judicial magistrate Devraj Prasadissued orders to this effect after visiting the private nursing homein Haldwani, where Prabhakar has been admitted to enquire about hiscondition on Saturday evening, the assistant director general ofpolice Anil Raturi told PTI in Dehra Dun.Prabhakar was admitted to the hospital on July 3 following suspectedbrain stroke and doctors attending on him have stated his condition tobe stable.

Warwickshire took up the challenge thrown down by the Notts captain – Darren Bicknell – when left-hander David Hemp blazed 105 off 101 balls to set up a positive finish to the CricInfo Championship game at Edgbaston.Bicknell reclaimed the Notts captaincy when Jason Gallian, in his first Championship match of the season following knee surgery, suffered a broken knuckle that may keep him out for the rest of the season when batting against Vasbert Drakes.Bicknell promptly declared Notts’ innings at 350-6 – 23 behind, after Greg Blewett, Usman Afzaal and Kevin Pietersen had all fallen with centuries within sight.This put the onus on Warwickshire and, after losing two early wickets, they came good with a stand of 163 in 28 overs between Hemp and Nick Knight.Hemp hit two sixes and 17 fours before his middle stump was flattened by Greg Smith. But Knight stayed unbeaten on 74 as Warwickshire reached 214-3 – 237 runs ahead.

The Antigua Cricket Association Inc. (ACA) has vowed to participate as a separate entity in this year’s Red Stripe Bowl Competition. This, despite a recent resolution of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association (LICA) that would require them to participate as part of a combined Leewards team.During the LICA regular general meeting held on Saturday, 18th August, in Anguilla a motion was passed “not to allow Antigua to accept the invitation from the West Indies Cricket Board Inc. (WICB), to field a separate team in the Red Stripe Bowl.” Instead, LICA voted for two teams (i) Leewards East (Antigua, Montserrat, and Combined Virgin Islands) and (ii) Leewards West (St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla), both representing LICA in the competition. However, the ACA representatives – John Maginley and Zorol Barthley – voted in favour of the ACA accepting the said invitation from the WICB. Enoch Lewis, the ACA’s president was also in attendance as LICA’s representative to the WICB.Communication to this effect was today sent to the WICB and the matter is now being considered (again), and a final decision on this delicate matter is expected tomorrow. Meanwhile, ACA today confirmed that they are still going ahead with plans for their solo participation in this year’s Red Stripe Bowl. A 24-man squad has already been called up for training.The WICB’s Chief Cricket Operations Officer – Michael Hall – weighed in on this latest controversy. Hall indicated that at the WICB’s meeting of 21st July, the LICA representatives (Enoch Lewis and Carlisle Powell), advised that the winner of the Leeward Islands one day tournament – Antigua – would be the “individual” team and a “rest” team will compete in the Red Stripe Bowl 2001.Hall stressed that the WICB is committed to expanding the Red Stripe Bowl competition, but are not able to go through with the desired expansion plans “primarily for financial reasons.” He also confirmed that the WICB at its 21st July meeting in Barbados had “no prior indication that the Leewards participation was in jeopardy”. The Board accepted the proposal as put forward by the two LICA representatives and only learned of the situation today.According to Hall, “the Windward Islands could not devise a mechanism by which they could transparently select an individual island”. For this reason, special dispensation has been made in which there will be a “Windwards North” and a “Windwards South” team for the competition. Hall stressed that this is a “one off” situation.The WICB will make a ruling on this latest controversy in West Indies cricket tomorrow.

A ninth-wicket partnership of 77 in 17 overs between Robert Croft and Dean Cosker lifted Glamorgan from a gloomy 170-8 and helped them secure two batting points on the rain-interrupted opening day of the CricInfo Championship match against Surrey in Cardiff.Glamorgan were eventually dismissed for 258 in 74.4 overs but the rain that had already cost 23 overs of the day then returned to wash out the final four overs of play and save Surrey from what could have been a testing few minutes.In theory at least, Surrey began the day needing a further four points to ensure against joining Glamorgan in the second division next season and they set off strongly after Steve James had won the toss and chosen to bat first under heavy skies.Ben Hollioake, who shared the new ball with Martin Bicknell, sent back Jimmy Maher and Ian Thomas in successive overs and Bicknell then accounted for James and Adrian Dale to reduce Glamorgan to 62-4 in the 21st over.Michael Powell and Jonathan Hughes began the recovery with a partnership of 81 for the fifth wicket. Hughes, a 20-year-old right-hand bastman, played plenty of aggressive shots, including a straight six off Ian Salisbury, and showed few nerves on his Championship debut.Powell reached his half-century off 91 balls with five fours and had moved on to 56 when he edged Ed Giddins to first slip. Giddins, who did not bowl until the second over after lunch, then sent back Hughes for a well struck 38 off 66 balls, Mark Wallace and Darren Thomas to finish with 4-71 from 16 overs.It left Croft and Cosker to lift Glamorgan’s spirits with their encouraging late partnership and Croft was eventually unbeaten on 70 from 83 balls with eight fours and a six.