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It was a shame that it all happened so far away from family, friends and his beloved supporters, against a team so weakened by racial politics, but that does not deflect from the glory of Murali’s achievement. He’s an astonishing performer and a truly great cricketer.Most of Sri Lanka, from Hambantota in the south to Jaffna in the north, waited nervously during that third day in Harare, willing Murali on to the landmark, knowing full well that he could not be denied his triumph, but nevertheless sweaty-palmed in eager anticipation.Murali’s teammates, all strong and loyal friends, were anxious too, eager to be the one to pick up the historic catch. They hovered around the bat, twitching and squawking like delighted children, for seven overs without reward, Murali growing ever so slightly tense.But Murali eventually broke through as Muleki Nkala prodded a bat-pad catch into the mitts of Mahela Jayawardene – who has recovered his catching mojo and put an appallingly butter-fingered Australia series behind him – and the celebrations started.Murali reacted with a mixture of ecstasy and relief. For years his eclipse of Courtney Walsh’s record has been talked about throughout the world. Murali has admitted that the constant chatter about records, and the enormous expectation that it placed upon his shoulders, was hard to bear.But, finally, he reached the cherished landmark. A pressure valve was immediately released and that can only help him become a more relaxed character and better bowler (yes, perhaps its hard to believe, but Murali is still getting better). He steps out into the unknown and who knows where it will all end: 700, 800, 900 or even 1000?It’s mind-boggling to consider just how many he could end up with. He reached the landmark after just 89 matches, that’s an incredible 43 fewer games than Walsh. Now just 32 years old, he expects to play for at three years and who is to stay that he won’t continue after that.Currently he averages approximately 6.7 wickets per Test match, although the wicket-taking pace has picked up since the perfecting of the doosra: during his last seven Tests he’s bagged 62 victims at an average of 8.8 wickets a match. Bear in mind, too, that that includes three games against the Aussies, the world champions.So, let’s assume that he plays for three years and plays approximately 12 Tests per annum, taking seven wickets per game. He then finishes with a final tally of 773. Even if he was not tempted to carry on, which surely he would be being so close to 800, he would have set a record that will be close to unbreakable.Some people – mostly Australian journalists, former players and umpires – would loathe the thought that Murali could not be surpassed. They would love nothing more than to see him hounded out of the game prematurely because of the ongoing chucking scandal over his doosra.But I’m afraid we have some bad news for them. Murali’s doosra will not only soon be declared legal, but it will be a cleaner bill of health than some of their own stars. In the short term, the ICC have said it must be shelved – because his arm straightens by 10 degrees rather than the permitted five – but before the yearend it should be given the greenlight.Moreover, biomechanical research is set to send shockwaves through world cricket and prove that many international bowlers, some of whom have apparently clean actions, straighten their arms more than 10 degrees. Muralitharan has been pulled up because his weird action looks suspicious but others hide their straightening better.This is perhaps unfair on Muralitharan, but he should not be too downcast. On the contrary, the developments in sports science provide him with a welcome opportunity to protect his reputation and the legacy he leaves. Had he been born ten years earlier then world opinion would have been forever spilt. The chucking cloud would have lingered on for eternity.But, thankfully, advances have been made. The ICC recognised the need for a change in 2002 after preliminary research red-flagged the potential problems ahead for the chucking law. In September 2003 thresholds were agreed after research on various types of bowlers.Since then further research has been completed and both Bruce Elliott and Marc Portus, the two leading biomechanics experts on this issue in Australia, are convinced that the thresholds must be increased, possibly even to 15 degrees.The issue will be discussed in Dubai this week by the ICC’s Cricket Committee, headed by Sunil Gavaskar, a pundit not noted for his fondness for Murali’s action. But while they may make recommendations for the ICC’s Executive Board meeting in June, no change to the law is expected until after the completion of previously planned research during the ICC Champions Trophy.During this period, Murali must discard his doosra and rely on his offspinner and topspinner, which goes straight but unlike the doosra does not nip away from righthanders. This, as some commentators have suggested, may actually be a good thing for his bowling, forcing him to return to a more attacking offstump line.Even if it does limit his productivity, Murali must be patient. The time for the doosra will come again and he must wait for the scientists to finish their research. After all, six months is a short period to wait for a decision that will free him from the chucking controversy for ever.

NATIONAL LEAGUE AVERAGES (after Round 9, 16 March)Note: these averages are not accurate due to numerous discrepancies in the scoresheets submitted.

BATTING AND FIELDINGM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct/St R/OAdam, A (U) 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 – – -Adam, H (U) 5 3 1 21 12 10.50 – – -Adam, S (U) 2 2 0 3 3 1.50 – – 1Ali, W (HSC) 4 4 0 10 9 2.50 – – 1Anticevich, C M (Alex) 5 3 1 30 17 15.00 – – 1Austin, I (Q) 3 3 0 8 8 2.66 – – 1Bala, S (HSC) 8 5 1 52 23 13.00 – – 2Barrett, G F (OG) 3 3 0 84 51 28.00 – 1 2Barry, S (Alex) 3 1 1 2 2* — – – -Bartlett, T G (Alex) 1 1 0 2 2 2.00 – – -Bath, B (Alex) 4 4 2 21 9 10.50 – – 1Benade, T (OH) 9 9 0 320 63 35.55 – 1 4Benhura, B Z (Alex) 6 5 0 100 37 20.00 – – 1Bennett, R J (OG) 7 5 2 46 18* 15.33 – – 1 1Biggs, J (OG) 2 1 1 1 1* — – – -Blignaut, A M (Alex) 6 5 1 78 25 19.50 – – -Brent, G B (Mut) 5 3 0 12 12 4.00 – – 1Brewer, C H (OH) 9 9 1 273 88 34.12 – 2 6 1Broadbent, S (Q) 1 1 1 3 3* — – – -Brooks, A A (HSC) 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 – – -Brous, P (HSC) 1 1 0 1 1 1.00 – – -Brundle, M R D (HSC) 4 4 0 64 39 16.00 – – 3Burki, A (OH) 5 2 1 2 2* 2.00 – – 3Burmester, M G (Mut) 3 3 0 239 133 79.66 1 1 -Butterworth, R E (OH) 8 8 0 151 92 18.87 – 1 4Cameron, J (Alex) 3 2 1 44 33* 44.00 – – -Campbell, A D R (Mut) 4 4 2 324 100* 162.00 1 2 1Campbell, D J R (K) 7 5 2 75 26 25.00 – – 6/1Carlisle, S V (HSC) 6 6 3 389 129* 129.66 2 1 4Chari, N (OH) 9 7 3 53 15* 13.25 – – 2Chauluka, E (T) 4 4 0 83 38 20.75 – – 1Chawaguta, W R (T) 4 4 1 43 15 14.33 – – 2Chengetere, R (OG) 5 4 0 18 10 4.50 – – -Chibhabha, C (T) 3 3 0 46 40 15.33 – – 3Chigumbura, E (T) 7 7 0 209 70 29.85 – 1 1 1Chinyoi, M (K) 1 – – — — — – – -Chinyoka, I M (K) 5 4 1 60 45 20.00 – – 4Chiradza, R (U) 2 1 0 22 22 22.00 – – -Chirwa, T (Q) 6 6 3 26 11 8.66 – – -Chitare, N (T) 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 – – -Chiwara, D (OH) 4 3 2 34 19 34.00 – – 1Chouhan, N (U) 5 3 1 57 31 28.50 – – 1 2Cloete, S (OG) 2 2 0 59 38 29.50 – – -Connelly, K M (K) 1 1 0 21 21 21.00 – – -Cornford, J M (K) 4 4 1 73 38 24.33 – – 3Coulson, I M (OG) 7 4 1 12 9* 4.00 – – 4Coventry, C K (BAC) 5 5 0 204 124 40.80 1 – 3Cremer, G (HSC) 4 3 0 25 17 8.33 – – -Crouch, D (Q) 1 1 1 30 30* — – – 1Croxford, G M (U) 7 7 2 237 48* 47.40 – – 1Croxford, R (HSC) 2 2 1 14 12 14.00 – – -Dabengwa, K M (BAC) 7 6 0 32 10 5.33 – – 1de Beer, D (Alex) 4 4 0 113 66 28.25 – 1 1de Grandhomme, C (Alex) 3 3 2 50 36* 50.00 – – 1de Grandhomme, I (Alex) 5 4 1 53 24* 17.66 – – 3de Sousa, M (OG) 4 4 0 24 13 6.00 – – -Delport, C (K) 2 2 0 11 8 5.50 – – 3du Plessis, G (Alex) 4 3 2 17 15* 17.00 – – 1Dube, F (Q) 1 1 0 3 3 3.00 – – -Duffin, T (K) 8 8 0 229 71 28.62 – 2 1Durham, A M (HSC) 4 3 0 30 28 10.00 – – 2Ebrahim, D D (U) 3 2 0 94 92 47.00 – 1 2Engelbrecht, P N (Q) 1 1 0 6 6 6.00 – – -Ervine, C (OH) 9 8 0 155 83 19.37 – 2 3 1Ervine, R (K) 1 1 0 1 1 1.00 – – -Ervine, R (OH) 2 2 1 4 4 4.00 – – 1Ervine, S M (K) 4 4 0 252 96 63.00 – 3 3Evans, C N (OG) 7 7 1 214 88 35.66 – 2 6Ewing, G M (BAC) 6 5 2 240 85* 80.00 – – -Ewing, K (Q) 1 1 0 1 1 0.50 – – -Ferreira, N R (Mut) 5 5 1 294 125 73.50 1 1 10/2Flower, A (Mut) 2 1 0 1 1 1.00 – – -Flower, G W (OG) 4 4 1 117 67* 39.00 – – 3Fourie, H (K) 1 – – — — — – – 1Fraser, A (OG) 1 – – — — — – – -Friend, T J (K) 4 4 0 143 109 35.75 1 – 3Gilmour, A R G (Alex) 3 2 0 19 15 9.90 – – 3Goodwin, M (BAC) 1 1 1 0 0* — – – -Goosen, G C (Alex) 8 7 0 113 51 16.14 – 1 10/1 3Grant, C A (K) 1 1 1 8 8* — – – -/1Gripper, T R (HSC) 7 7 0 232 102 33.14 1 1 3 1Hamid, A (OH) 1 1 1 4 4* — – – -Hitz, J H (BAC) 3 3 0 73 51 24.33 – 1 5Hoffman, A P (BAC) 7 7 1 131 55 21.83 – 1 2Hondo, D T (U) 4 3 1 35 21 17.50 – – 1Hundermark, B (K) 3 2 1 1 1* 1.00 – – -Iqbal, J (OH) 2 1 0 5 5 5.00 – – -Ireland, A (K) 2 – – — — — – – 1Irvine, D (HSC) 2 2 0 38 31 19.00 – – -Ismail, H (U) 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 – – -Johnston-Robertson, G (HSC) 5 1 1 0 0* — – – -Jones, S (OG) 3 3 1 1 1* 0.50 – – 4Kalas, W (OG) 1 1 1 4 4* — – – -Karamba, T (K) 1 – – — — — – – -Kasawaya, R (BAC) 6 5 0 104 75 20.80 – 1 2/1Kaschula, R (OH) 8 8 1 75 28 10.71 – – 3Khalid, S (OH) 1 1 0 3 3 3.00 – – 1Khan, S (OH) 9 6 1 31 12 6.20 – – 7/2King, R J (Q) 7 7 0 168 99 24.80 – 1 -Koen, B (HSC) 2 – – — — — – – -Kugotsi, A (Mut) 4 3 0 32 14 10.66 – – 1Kulinga, K (T) 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 – – -Lamb, G A (K) 1 1 0 77 77 77.00 – 1 -Lewis, J M (Mut) 4 2 1 4 4 4.00 – – – 1Lewis, M (HSC) 2 1 0 1 1 1.00 – – – 1Lombard, R (Q) 5 5 1 37 20 9.25 – – 1Lurie, A (HSC) 1 1 1 10 10* — – – -Mabuza, M (Q) 4 4 0 121 70 30.25 – 1 2/1Mackay, A J (OG) 6 6 0 121 39 20.16 – – 2Macmillan, C (K) 6 5 1 46 23 11.50 – – 3Mahachi, C (BAC) 6 6 2 50 27* 12.50 – – 1 1Mahwire, N B (U) 6 3 0 46 24 15.33 – – 1Makoni, G (T) 6 6 0 69 29 11.50 – – 2Makovah, B (T) 1 1 1 1 1* — – – -Makunura, S T (T) 3 3 0 9 4 3.00 – – 1Malloch-Brown, L S (OG) 5 4 0 65 43 16.25 – – 5Manyande, R N (T) 7 6 0 73 44 12.16 – – -Maregwede, A (T) 8 8 1 190 52* 27.14 – 1 6/0Marillier, D A (Alex) 5 5 1 111 51 27.75 – 1 3Marillier, S J (Alex) 7 6 0 130 70 21.66 – 1 2Marisa, S (Q) 1 1 1 5 5* — – – -Marodza, A (K) 2 1 0 12 12 12.00 – – 2Marumisa, J (T) 1 1 0 32 32 32.00 – – -Masakadza, H (T) 3 3 0 159 69 53.00 – 2 3Mashanganyika, T (OH) 4 3 1 8 5 4.00 – – 2Matambanadzo, D R (U) 6 5 1 65 39* 16.25 – – -Matsikenyeri, S (T) 5 5 0 136 83 27.20 – 1 2Maungwa, A (T) 4 3 3 4 2* — – – -Mawoyo, T K (Mut) 5 3 0 36 24 12.00 – – 4Mbangwa, M (Q) 3 3 0 58 29 19.33 – – -Mboyi, T (Q) 4 3 2 11 7* — – – 1Mbwembwe, A (T) 4 3 0 3 2 1.00 – – 1McCormick, C (Alex) 2 1 0 15 15 15.00 – – 1McKean, M (HSC) 1 1 0 2 2 2.00 – – -McKillop, M G (BAC) 3 3 0 83 40 27.66 – – -McTaggart, A (Q) 2 2 0 4 3 2.00 – – -Meman, I (U) 6 4 1 43 29* 14.33 – – 1 1Meth, K (Q) 5 5 2 81 62* 27.00 – 1 1Mhandu, A (HSC) 8 5 2 24 11* 4.33 – – 2 1Moyo, V (BAC) 1 1 0 1 1 1.00 – – -Mufambisi, T (T) 2 2 0 42 35 21.00 – – 1Mukondiwa, B (BAC) 1 1 0 18 18 18.00 – – -Mukondiwa, N (BAC) 5 4 0 38 22 9.50 – – 1Mupariwa, T (BAC) 5 3 1 34 29 17.00 – – 1 1Murphy, B A (U) 5 5 0 295 174 59.00 1 1 2Musundire, O (Q) 3 3 0 21 8 7.00 – – -Mutendera, D T (U/T) 4 3 0 32 14 10.66 – – -Mutendera, L (HSC) 3 1 1 1 1* — – – -Mutyambizi, L K (K) 3 3 1 25 21* 12.50 – – -Muzah, G (T) 1 1 0 5 5 5.00 – – -Mwayenga, A (HSC) 5 3 1 7 4 3.50 – – 4Mwayenga, W (OG) 5 3 1 18 7* 9.00 – – 1Ncube, N (QU) 2 2 0 15 13 7.50 – – 1Ncube, V (BAC) 1 1 1 1 1* — – – 1Neethling, A J C (OG) 6 5 0 45 17 9.00 – – 2Nicolle, J S (BAC) 6 4 0 10 7 2.50 – – 3Nicolle, M (BAC) 1 1 0 3 3 3.00 – – -Nkala, M L (Q) 6 6 1 207 74 41.40 – 2 6Nkala, Q (Alex) 4 2 0 11 11 5.50 – – 1Nyumbu, J (Q) 8 6 0 15 8 2.50 – – 1Obank, P (Mut) 2 2 1 22 22* 22.00 – – 1Oberholzer, D (Mut) 1 – – — — — – – -Olonga, H K (T) 4 4 0 28 11 6.00 – – 3 1Panyangara, T (T) 3 3 3 11 7* — – – 1Penney, A (HSC) 3 2 1 22 18 22.00 – – 1Preston, C (HSC) 1 1 0 2 2 2.00 – – -Price, R W (K) 6 5 0 114 64 22.80 – 1 4Rainsford, E C (K) 5 3 0 7 4 2.33 – – 1Rennie, G J (Alex) 6 6 0 57 31 9.50 – – 4Rinke, H P (OH) 8 6 0 48 19 8.00 – – 1Robb, D (OG) 2 1 0 4 4 4.00 – – 1 1Robbie, J (HSC) 1 1 0 23 23 23.00 – – -Rogers, B G (U) 6 6 1 263 126 52.60 1 1 4 3Ruswa, T P (T) 1 – – — — — – – 1Saidi, W (Alex) 1 – – — — — – – -Sanders, C J (K) 1 1 1 2 2* — – – -Sanyika, B (U) 5 2 2 8 4* — – – 1Saunders, N V (K) 1 1 1 1 1* — – – -Scroobie, D (K) 1 – – — — — – – -Seager, M S L (OG) 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 – – -Shah, A H (U) 1 1 0 6 6 6.00 – – -Shah, C (U) 1 1 1 5 5* — – – -Shah, S (U) 5 2 0 15 15 7.50 – – 2Shambare, A (HSC) 1 – – — — — – – -Shamuyarira, A (OG) 2 2 0 4 4 2.00 – – 1Sibanda, T (BAC) 2 1 0 0 0 0.00 – – -Sibanda, V (K) 5 5 0 183 79 36.60 – 1 2Sibanda, V (T) 2 2 0 21 20 10.50 – – 1Sims, R W (Mut) 5 3 0 53 40 17.66 – – 2Siziba, W T (Q) 5 5 0 92 67 18.40 – 1 2/0Smith, A (OH) 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 – – -Smith, H (OH) 1 1 1 0 0* — – – 1Soma, A D (Mut) 6 4 1 49 17 16.33 – – 2Soma, L J (Mut) 5 3 0 31 20 10.33 – – -Staddon, B (BAC) 5 5 0 42 26 8.40 – – -Stannard, D D (Alex) 7 4 2 31 31* 15.50 – – 1 1Strang, P A (OH) 6 6 2 220 77* 55.00 – 2 5Streak, H H (Q) 1 1 0 75 75 75.00 – 1 -Strydom, G M (Q) 4 4 0 127 51 31.75 – 1 1Swanepoel, G (Q) 2 1 0 22 22 22.00 – – 1Taibu, K J (U) 5 2 0 42 23 21.00 – – 2Taibu, T (T) 4 4 2 164 66* 82.00 – 2 4/3Taylor, A L (Mut) 1 1 1 3 3* — – -Taylor, B R M (HSC) 6 6 0 224 134 37.33 1 – 2/2 1Taylor, K J (Mut) 6 3 2 23 11* 12.00 – – -Townshend, M W (Q) 5 5 0 35 14 7.00 – – -Utseya, P (T) 6 6 2 75 39* 18.75 – – 3van Rensburg, N R (Q) 5 5 0 114 67 22.80 – 1 3Vaughan-Davies, M J (K) 5 5 1 117 67 29.25 – 1 2Vaughan-Davies, W J (Alex) 1 1 0 8 8 8.00 – – 1Veheremi, E (K) 1 1 1 0 0* — – – -Vermeulen, M A (HSC) 5 5 1 320 143 80.00 1 2 6 1Vermeulen, R (HSC) 1 – – — — — – – -Viljoen, D P (K) 6 6 0 157 55 26.16 – 1 5Waller, A C (OG) 1 1 0 4 4 4.00 – – -Went, K R P (Mut) 5 4 0 101 45 25.25 – – 3Wharam, T (Q) 1 1 0 4 4 4.00 – – 1Whittall, G J (Mut) 3 1 1 16 16* — – – – 2Williams, C R (BAC) 3 3 1 22 15 11.00 – – -Williams, S (BAC) 3 3 1 30 20 15.00 – – 2 1Wishart, C B (OG) 3 3 1 177 112* 88.50 1 1 3Ziegler, C (OH) 2 2 0 24 19 12.00 – – 1250 OR MORE RUNSM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50Carlisle, S V (HSC) 6 6 3 389 129* 129.66 2 1Campbell, A D R (Mut) 4 4 2 324 100* 162.00 1 2Vermeulen, M A (HSC) 5 5 1 320 143 80.00 1 2Benade, T (OH) 9 9 0 320 63 35.55 – 1Murphy, B A (U) 5 5 0 295 174 59.00 1 1Ferreira, N R (Mut) 5 5 1 294 125 73.50 1 1Brewer, C H (OH) 9 9 1 273 88 34.12 – 2Rogers, B G (U) 6 6 1 263 126 52.60 1 1Ervine, S M (K) 4 4 0 252 96 63.00 – 3HIGHEST AVERAGES (100 or more runs)M I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50Carlisle, S V (HSC) 6 6 3 389 129* 129.66 2 1Campbell, A D R (Mut) 4 4 2 324 100* 162.00 1 2Wishart, C B (OG) 3 3 1 177 112* 88.50 1 1Taibu, T (T) 4 4 2 164 66* 82.00 – 2Vermeulen, M A (HSC) 5 5 1 320 143 80.00 1 2Ewing, G M (BAC) 6 5 2 240 85* 80.00 – -Burmester, M G (Mut) 3 3 0 239 133 79.66 1 1Ferreira, N R (Mut) 5 5 1 294 125 73.50 1 1Ervine, S M (K) 4 4 0 252 96 63.00 – 3Murphy, B A (U) 5 5 0 295 174 59.00 1 1Strang, P A (OH) 6 6 2 220 77* 55.00 – 2Masakadza, H (T) 3 3 0 159 69 53.00 – 2Rogers, B G (U) 6 6 1 263 126 52.60 1 1Croxford, G M (U) 7 7 2 237 48* 47.40 – -Strang, P A (OH) 4 4 1 136 77* 45.33 – 1Nkala, M L (Q) 6 6 1 207 74 41.40 – 2Coventry, C K (BAC) 5 5 0 204 124 40.80 1 -BOWLING AVERAGESO M R W Av. Best RateAdam, H (U) 23.5 2 89 3 29.66 1/12 3.73Adam, S (U) 7 0 17 4 4.25 3/9 2.42Ali, W (HSC) 2 1 8 1 8.00 1/8 4.00Anticevich, C (Alex) 13 4 35 3 11.66 2/14 2.69Austin, I (Q) 10 0 58 0 — — 5.80Bala, S (HSC) 68 14 191 11 17.27 3/22 2.80Barrett, G F (OG) 1 0 17 0 — — 17.00Barry, S (Alex) 22 1 85 4 21.25 2/14 3.86Benade, T (OH) 59.1 4 295 8 36.87 2/49 4.98Benhura, B (Alex) 39 2 174 6 29.00 2/34 4.46Bennett, R J (OG) 50.3 4 268 11 24.36 3/34 5.56Biggs, J (OG) 3 0 19 0 — — 6.33Blignaut, A M (Alex) 55.4 6 241 13 18.53 6/18 4.32Brent, G B (Mut) 34 2 162 6 27.00 2/15 4.76Brewer, C H (OH) 32 2 187 6 31.16 3/33 5.84Broadbent, S (Q) 3.5 0 35 0 — — 9.13Brooks, A (HSC) 10 1 38 1 38.00 1/38 3.80Brundle, M R D (HSC) 13 2 53 0 — — 4.07Burki, A (OH) 37.2 4 173 8 21.62 3/12 4.63Burmester, M H (Mut) 18 4 43 3 14.33 2/26 2.38Butterworth, R E (OH) 44.1 2 243 6 40.50 3/36 5.50Cameron, J (Alex) 10 0 36 2 18.00 2/36 3.60Campbell, A D R (Mut) 20 0 96 3 32.00 2/38 4.80Campbell, D J R (K) 2 0 21 0 — — 10.50Carlisle, S V (HSC) 13 1 64 0 — — 4.92Chari, N (OH) 56 3 267 11 24.27 3/33 4.76Chawaguta, W R (T) 17 1 54 5 10.80 4/21 3.17Chibhabha, C (T) 2 0 14 0 — — 7.00Chigumbura, E (T) 41 3 184 6 30.66 2/24 4.48Chinyoka, I M (K) 25.1 1 118 5 23.60 2/41 4.68Chirwa, T (Q) 29 1 221 2 110.50 1/44 7.62Chitare, M (T) 2 0 18 0 — — 9.00Chiwara, D (OH) 13 0 69 6 10.60 5/53 5.30Chouhan, N (U) 13 0 62 0 — — 4.76Coulson, I M (OG) 35 5 136 6 22.66 2/17 3.88Coventry, C K (BAC) 13 0 80 3 26.66 2/49 6.15Cremer, G (HSC) 11 0 46 2 23.00 2/23 4.18Croxford, G M (U) 45 2 196 11 17.81 4/29 4.35Dabengwa, K M (BAC) 59 8 264 8 33.00 3/45 4.47de Grandhomme, C (Alex) 19 1 72 2 36.00 1/15 3.78Delport, C (K) 12 0 61 1 61.00 1/55 5.08du Plessis, G (Alex) 28 4 75 4 18.75 2/21 2.67Duffin, T (K) 12.4 0 73 0 — — 5.76Durham, A M (HSC) 36.3 2 167 10 16.70 3/19 4.57Ervine, C (OH) 19 0 114 6 34.66 3/10 6.00Ervine, S M (K) 31.4 1 180 11 16.36 4/47 5.68Evans, C N (OG) 39.3 3 172 5 34.40 2/24 4.35Ewing, G M (BAC) 39.3 2 187 2 93.50 2/45 4.73Ewing, K (Q) 5 0 21 0 — — 4.20Flower, A (Mut) 17 1 49 3 16.33 2/37 2.88Flower, G W (OG) 32 3 66 8 8.25 4/14 2.06Fraser, A (OG) 3 0 21 2 10.50 2/21 7.00Friend, T J (K) 20 2 93 7 13.28 5/33 4.65Gilmour, A R G (Alex) 0.4 0 12 0 — — 18.00Gripper, T R (HSC) 55 7 201 5 40.20 2/20 3.65Hitz, J H (BAC) 3 0 31 0 — — 10.33Hoffman, A P (BAC) 52.2 6 266 11 24.18 4/29 5.08Hondo, D T (U) 10 3 27 2 13.50 2/27 2.70Iqbal, J (OH) 12 1 54 1 54.00 1/34 4.50Ireland, A (K) 5 0 27 1 27.00 1/27 5.40Johnston-Robertson, G (HSC) 18 2 68 4 17.00 3/18 3.77Karamba, T (K) 1 0 4 0 — — 4.00King, R J (Q) 0.3 0 4 0 — — 8.00Koen, B (HSC) 6.1 0 29 2 14.50 2/29 4.70Kugotsi, A (Mut) 7 0 55 1 55.00 1/34 7.85Kulinga, K (T) 9 1 21 3 7.00 3/21 2.33Lamb, G A (K) 9 1 40 2 20.00 2/20 4.44Lewis, J M (Mut) 31 8 119 6 19.83 5/25 3.83Lombard, R (Q) 19 0 129 1 129.00 1/21 6.78Lurie, A (HSC) 3 0 22 0 — — 7.33Mackay, A J (OG) 53.2 7 165 14 11.78 3/21 3.09Macmillan, C (K) 43 2 197 9 21.88 3/38 4.58Mahwire, N B (U) 21.2 1 115 2 57.50 1/27 5.39Makoni, G (T) 2 0 18 2 9.00 2/18 9.00Makunura, S T (T) 12.3 0 52 4 13.00 4/14 4.23Manyande, R N (T) 26 1 144 2 72.00 2/53 5.53Marillier, D A (Alex) 47.5 1 206 5 41.20 2/33 4.30Marillier, S J (Alex) 37.1 1 197 7 28.14 2/22 5.30Marisa, S (Q) 7.3 0 46 0 — — 6.13Marumisa, J (T) 3 0 17 1 17.00 1/17 5.66Masakadza, H (T) 11.4 0 52 7 7.42 6/43 4.45Matambanadzo, D R (U) 31 0 138 3 46.00 3/60 4.45Matsikenyeri, S (T) 25 3 100 7 14.28 3/43 4.00Maungwa, A (T) 19 1 73 5 14.60 3/17 3.84Mbangwa, M (Q) 21.4 3 61 2 30.50 1/35 2.81Mboyi, T (Q) 20 0 151 1 151.00 1/34 7.55Mbwembwe, A (T) 20 2 91 2 45.50 1/17 4.55McKillop, M G (BAC) 1 0 5 0 — — 5.00Meth, K (Q) 17 0 84 2 42.00 1/24 4.94Mhandu, A (HSC) 28 1 187 3 62.33 2/44 6.67Mukondiwa, N (BAC) 28 2 152 3 50.66 1/19 5.42Mupariwa, T (BAC) 38.2 3 185 6 30.83 3/49 4.82Murphy, B A (U) 50 6 183 8 22.87 4/26 3.66Mutendera, D T (U/T) 19 1 91 1 91.00 1/18 4.78Mutendera, L (HSC) 1 0 8 0 — — 8.00Mutendera, L (HSC) 3.1 0 20 0 — — 6.31Mutyambizi, L K (K) 5 0 36 0 — — 7.20Muzah, G (T) 1 0 9 0 — — 9.00Mwayenga, A (HSC) 30 2 151 10 15.10 5/34 5.03Mwayenga, W (OG) 45 6 163 11 14.81 4/35 3.62Ncube, N (Q) 5 0 30 1 30.00 1/30 6.00Neethling, A J C (OG) 4 0 33 0 — — 8.25Nicolle, J S (BAC) 46 4 222 8 27.75 3/32 4.82Nicolle, M (BAC) 5 0 54 0 — — 10.80Nkala, M L (Q) 37 1 197 3 65.66 2/31 5.16Nyumbu, J (Q) 40 1 189 8 23.62 3/55 4.72Olonga, H K (T) 37 7 119 6 19.83 2/22 3.21Panyangara, T (T) 19 2 85 4 21.25 3/29 4.47Penney, A (HSC) 11 0 46 0 — — 4.18Price, R W (K) 52.4 13 134 8 16.75 2/21 2.54Rainsford, E C (K) 20 1 94 3 31.33 1/45 4.70Rennie, G J (Alex) 41 7 134 3 44.66 2/6 3.26Rinke, H P (OH) 74 6 319 6 53.16 3/43 4.31Rogers, B G (U) 46 5 169 6 28.16 2/25 3.67Ruswa, T (T) 2 0 23 0 — — 11.50Sanders, C J (K) 8 0 62 0 — — 7.75Sanyika, B (U) 15 0 104 3 34.66 3/39 6.93Scrooby, D (K) 3 0 18 0 — — 6.00Shah, C (U) 1.1 0 4 2 2.00 2/4 3.42Shah, S (U) 19 1 107 3 35.66 2/34 5.63Sibanda, V (K) 8 0 41 1 41.00 1/41 5.12Sims, R W (Mut) 36.2 6 121 6 20.16 2/5 3.33Smith, H (OH) 3 0 10 0 — — 3.33Soma, A D (Mut) 8 0 64 2 32.00 2/52 8.00Soma, L J (Mut) 35.1 2 128 10 12.80 5/32 3.63Staddon, B (BAC) 6 1 52 0 — — 8.67Stannard, D D (Alex) 50.4 2 196 5 39.20 1/17 3.86Strang, P A (OH) 43.2 8 138 7 19.71 3/13 3.18Streak, H H (Q) 7 4 10 0 — — 1.42Strydom, G M (Q) 13 1 62 2 31.00 1/26 4.76Swanepoel, G (Q) 2 0 11 0 — — 5.50Taylor, A L (Mut) 2 0 23 0 — — 11.50Taylor, K J (Mut) 8.5 2 36 4 9.00 4/19 4.07Townshend, M W (Q) 9 0 66 0 — — 7.33Utseya, P (T) 52.4 14 150 6 25.00 3/25 2.84van Rensburg, N R (Q) 18 0 74 2 37.00 2/36 4.11Vaughan-Davies, M J (K) 39 5 159 8 19.87 3/35 4.07Vermeulen, M A (HSC) 10.4 0 70 2 35.00 1/32 6.56Viljoen, D P (K) 42.2 3 149 8 18.62 2/23 3.51Went, K P R (Mut) 1 0 20 0 — — 20.00Whittall, G J (Mut) 22 5 73 4 18.25 2/28 3.31Williams, S (BAC) 15 1 76 3 25.33 3/44 5.0610 OR MORE WICKETSO M R W Av. Best RateMackay, A J (OG) 53.2 7 165 14 11.78 3/21 3.09Blignaut, A M (Alex) 55.4 6 241 13 18.53 6/18 4.32Mwayenga, W (OG) 45 6 163 11 14.81 4/35 3.62Ervine, S M (K) 31.4 1 180 11 16.36 4/47 5.68Hoffman, A P (BAC) 52.2 6 266 11 24.18 4/29 5.08Bennett, R J (OG) 50.3 4 268 11 24.36 3/34 5.56Bala, S (HSC) 68 14 191 11 17.27 3/22 2.80Chari, N (OH) 56 3 267 11 24.27 3/33 4.76Croxford, G M (U) 45 2 196 11 17.81 4/29 4.35Soma, L J (Mut) 35.1 2 128 10 12.80 5/32 3.63Mwayenga, A (HSC) 30 2 151 10 15.10 5/34 5.03Durham, A M (HSC) 36.3 2 167 10 16.70 3/19 4.57BEST AVERAGES (25 overs)O M R W Av. Best RateFlower, G W (OG) 32 3 66 8 8.25 4/14 2.06Mackay, A J (OG) 53.2 7 165 14 11.78 3/21 3.09Soma, L J (Mut) 35.1 2 128 10 12.80 5/32 3.63Matsikenyeri, S (T) 25 3 100 7 14.28 3/43 4.00Mwayenga, W (OG) 45 6 163 11 14.81 4/35 3.62Mwayenga, A (HSC) 30 2 151 10 15.10 5/34 5.03Ervine, S M (K) 31.4 1 180 11 16.36 4/47 5.68Durham, A M (HSC) 36.3 2 167 10 16.70 3/19 4.57Price, R W (K) 52.4 13 134 8 16.75 2/21 2.54Bala, S (HSC) 68 14 191 11 17.27 3/22 2.80Croxford, G M (U) 45 2 196 11 17.81 4/29 4.35Blignaut, A M (Alex) 55.4 6 241 13 18.53 6/18 4.32Viljoen, D P (K) 42.2 3 149 8 18.62 2/23 3.51du Plessis, G (Alex) 28 4 75 4 18.75 2/21 2.67Strang, P A (OH) 43.2 8 138 7 19.71 3/13 3.18Olonga, H K (T) 37 7 119 6 19.83 2/22 3.21Lewis, J M (Mut) 31 8 119 6 19.83 5/25 3.83Vaughan-Davies, M J (K) 39 5 159 8 19.87 3/35 4.07BEST RUN RATES (25 or more overs)O M R W Av. Best RateFlower, G W (OG) 32 3 66 8 8.25 4/14 2.06Price, R W (K) 42.4 12 99 6 16.50 2/21 2.32du Plessis, G (Alex) 28 4 75 4 18.75 2/21 2.67Bala, S (HSC) 58 11 162 9 18.00 3/22 2.79Utseya, P (T) 52.4 14 150 6 25.00 3/25 2.84

Well it’s me again, writing from the bustling city of Bulawayo. The two-Test series against West Indies gets under way amid a new round of political wrangling within the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.Cricket has now made the front page of our newspapers, with stories pertaining to racism that exists in cricket in this country. Certain lobby groups have engaged the media to fight their corner and seem intent on taking full advantage of the political climate of this country, even if it means the destruction of Zimbabwe cricket. It is a sad day when politics takes centre stage in sport, but I suppose when this happens we just have to soldier on and hope that sanity prevails and a solution is found – cricket needs to be the winner.As professional cricketers, though, we have to put what is going on behind the scenes, out of our minds and concentrate on the business of playing cricket and playing well. It is going to be a very tough series as the West Indies are very confident and playing good cricket. After winning the Coca-Cola triangular series, they have played well in their warm-up games and look to be getting their house in order.Their batsmen have scored lots of runs, which is a good sign for them as it has been a bit brittle in the recent past. Although they have had some injuries in the bowling department with Dillion and Cuffy having to go home, their reserves have been impressive. All in all they seem to have got a very good unit together, even without Lara, and we will have to pull out all the stops if we are to produce some of the cricket we played to win in the last Test against India.Without Andrew Flower we have a big hole in our batting line-up; this was proved in the recent tri-series. However, we are going to have to raise our game another notch to make up for his absence and get competitive totals on the board.Tatenda Taibu is set to make his Test debut which will be a real test for him, but he is a confident young man and should pull through with flying colours. The selectors have asked yours truly to open the batting after scoring 140 against the tourists in the just concluded war-up game this will be a different but great challenge.All in all it is set up to be a great series, even though the best players on either side are out of action. It will be nice to get back into the swing of things after a two-week break from international cricket. I only hope that everyone can focus on the cricket and clear their minds of these other very real issues – we owe it to ourselves and to the game of cricket.

Titans 153 for 6 (de Villiers 46, Bodi 45) beat Dolphins 135 (Mbhalati 3-18) by 18 runs
ScorecardThe Titans were at their sharpest with bat and ball as they turned the Dolphins into sushi with an 18-run win in the Standard Bank Pro20 final in Durban. The win marked the Titans’ second triumph of the summer in the wake of their successful MTN domestic championship campaign.Led by a third-wicket stand of 60 between Gulam Bodi (45) and AB de Villiers (46), the Titans posted 153 for 6 – the highest total scored in this competition at Kingsmead this season. The Dolphins struck back by dismissing Bodi and de Villiers 10 balls apart, but Albie Morkel steered the Titans to their challenging total with an unbeaten 33 that he blasted off 17 balls with two fours and two sixes.Then, spearheaded by Ethy Mbhalati’s 3 for 18, they sent the home side packing for 135 in 19.1 overs. The Dolphins crashed to 49 for 5 in reply before Pierre de Bruyn (29) and Daryn Smit (36) dragged them back into the game with a stand of 60. But the Titans turned the tide conclusively when Faf du Plessis had Smit brilliantly caught on the midwicket boundary and Albie Morkel bowled de Bruyn.

Andrew Flintoff has been ruled out of the second Test at Headingley starting on Friday after failing to convince the selectors that he was fit enough to bowl.”It was deemed that Andrew’s ankle did not demonstrate sufficient improvement after his first bowling session today (Wednesday),” the ECB said in a statement. “In order to allow the ankle to rehabilitate effectively and continue to improve it was felt the best decision was to rule him out now without a further assessment tomorrow.”Flintoff will rejoin his county “where he will continue to undergo rehabilitation and revue. He will only begin to bowl at an appropriate stage and any participation in Lancashire’s forthcoming county matches will be made in due course.”Flintoff missed the opening Test after suffering discomfort in the same ankle that has already been operated on twice in three years.With Matthew Hoggard also ruled out through injury and with England’s lack of firepower at Lord’s so evident, it seems likely that Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson will be recalled for the match with a batsman – probably Andrew Strauss – missing out to make way for Michael Vaughan.Squad Michael Vaughan (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Stephen Harmison, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior (wk), Monty Panesar, Liam Plunkett, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss.

Sussex 373 for 9 (Naved-ul-Hasan 69, Hopkinson 62, Wright 59, Goodwin 55 ) v Middlesex
Scorecard

Last summer at Lord’s, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan destroyed Middlesex almost single-handedly, smashing a hundred with the bat and then taking seven wickets.On that occasion, he rescued Sussex from a parlous 199 for 6 to set up a rousing innings victory. He arrived at the crease at Horsham with Sussex again wobbling on 231 for 7 and launched a stinging counter attack which helped propel the Championship leaders to 373 for 9 at the close. His 64 off 51 balls, largely off the innocuous offspin of Jamie Dalrymple, turned a match in which Sussex had largely been the architects of their own problems.On a slow and soft pitch with the ball not really coming on to the bat, Sussex nevertheless struggled against some ordinary seam bowling, and until Naved-ul-Hasan’s arrival the run-rate had hovered under three-an-over all day.Five of the top six got starts. Carl Hopkinson looked assured for his 62 until he cut straight to backward cover shortly after lunch, while Chris Adams’ breezy 31 was ended by a ball from Ben Hutton which kept low. All the time Murray Goodwin was playing a solid anchor innings, but he had just begun to show signs of opening up when he was well caught by a diving Chad Keegan at wide mid-on.

When Robin Martin-Jenkins, whose 37 had included some delightful drives, perished to a juggled return catch by Mohammad Ali, Sussex’s batting, not their strongest feature this season, was again threatening to let them down. But Naved-ul-Hasan and Luke Wright laid into Dalrymple, smashing him for 38 off three overs before Middlesex’s seamers at least stemmed the avalanche of runs, even if they failed to break through. Although Chris Silverwood removed them both shortly before the close, the damage had been done, and with runs hard to come by there is a feeling that Middlesex are already in trouble.At the weekend, John Emburey, Middlesex’s coach, talked of Keegan as being a potential England player. On the evidence today he looked anything but, and this has to be as weak an attack as Middlesex have fielded since the dark days of the 1960s. While Silverwood has some pep, it looks very unlikely that the likes of Johann Louw and Ali will get enough wickets to heave the county off the bottom of the table. It is going to be a long summer for the Londoners.

Brad Williams has been called up to replace Jason Gillespie in Australia’s one-day squad for the tri-series in India. Gillespie, who missed the second Test against Zimbabwe due to a side strain, was ruled out of the series after he attempted to bowl in the nets at Sydney today. Gillespie suffered the injury during the first Test against Zimbabwe at Perth last week.Gillespie’s withdrawal further hampers a line-up which is already missing Glenn McGrath and Darren Lehmann. Lehmann is suffering from soreness in his left Achilles tendon. He has been overlooked for the Indian tour following medical advice.Trevor Hohns, the chairman of the national selection panel, said: “We have accepted the view that the demands placed on the body are sufficiently different in a one-off Test match compared to the intensity of a one-day tournament. The Cricket Australia medical team believes that although Darren might be able to get through this Test match, he will not be able to endure the rigours of a one-day tournament without suffering further damage. Darren is fully accepting of that view. From a team perspective it’s disappointing because he has been a key member of Australia’s success at one-day level.”Nathan Bracken, Gillespie’s replacement during the World Cup, returns to India, where he first played ODIs in 2001. He will be accompanied by Michael Clarke, also from New South Wales, who made his ODI debut during the tour to the West Indies earlier this year.The squad leaves for India on Oct 22.Squad
Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Jimmy Maher, Ricky Ponting (capt), Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Michael Bevan, Michael Clarke, Ian Harvey, Brad Hogg, Andrew Bichel, Brett Lee, Brad Williams, Nathan Bracken.

Lions 145 for 6 (Rowley 69*) beat Titans 135 for 8 (Cullinan 40*) by 10 runs
ScorecardThe second game of the Standard Bank PRO20 Series between the Titans and the Lions, at SuperSport Park, resulted in a thrilling encounter, with the Lions trumping their opponents by only 10 runs.Winning the toss, Daryll Cullinan, the new Titans captain, put the Lions in to bat on a hard flat surface. A good start of 13 off two overs was halted when Marthinus Otto and Adam Bacher fell off consecutive balls – the Bacher dismissal was a blinder with Alviro Petersen taking a brilliant low catch at backward point. Justin Ontong scored a slow 7, and his dismissal brought Hylton Ackerman and Grant Rowley to the crease. Together they took the total to 56 for 3 at the halfway mark of 10 overs. A 56-run partnership came to an end when Ackerman holed out to long-on for a run-a-ball 27. Vaughn van Jaarsveld made a brief visit to the crease before Derek Crookes flayed 15. Grant Rowley, however, was the hero for the Lions, scoring 69 off 45 balls and striking nine fours and a six. His effort helped the Lions to end on 145 for 6.A combination of good bowling and conservative batting had the Titans struggling at 42 for 1 after 10 overs with Petersen losing his wicket early and Jacques Rudolph and Martin van Jaarsveld making heavy work of the conditions. The match turned on its head when, with the pressure mounting, van Jaarsveld tried to force the pace and was caught on the fence. Rudolph was run out off the very next ball, followed by Kemp – also run out without facing a ball. Three wickets in three balls left the Titans on 68 for 4 in the 13th over. A third run out, that of Albie Morkel, increased the pressure, which even a short flurry from Brendon Reddy did nothing to relieve. And when Goolam Bodi was run out, it was all over. Cullinan smashed the ball around, scoring 40 off 21 balls but in the end, the four run outs and the miserly bowling of Charl Langeveldt was just too much for the Titans.It’s two games down and 13 to go. On current evidence, there’s still a lot of homework to be done to come to terms with this shorter version of the game. For the 7425 spectators, however, it was an evening of packaged entertainment and excitement and worth every cent of the entrance fee.

SYDNEY, March 3 AAP – Western Australian cricket selectors swung the axe today ahead of this week’s Pura Cup match against Victoria.Wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Campbell, batsman Michael Hussey and swing bowler Callum Thorp were omitted from the team which lost to NSW at the WACA Ground yesterday.Allrounder Peter Worthington will make his first-class debut if selected in the final XI.The 12th man will be named on the morning of the match, which starts in Melbourne on Thursday.Chairman of selectors Wayne Hill said with WA out of contention for the final, the last match of the regular season presented an opportunity for some of the young Warriors.”We have lost our last two completed matches by close margins,” Hill said.”It is the form of some of our senior players that has become questionable.”We have decided to look at the potential of some of the state’s developing young players.”Western Australian cricket is losing games and we have to look at ways to rectify that.”Paceman Brad Williams, who missed the match against NSW with an elbow injury, was also included in the 12-man squad named today.WA (from): Justin Langer (capt), Jo Angel, Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Matthew Nicholson, Marcus North, Chris Rogers, Luke Ronchi, Adam Voges, Brad Williams, Peter Worthington.

England today named Michael Atherton as their stand-in captain for the Second Ashes Test starting next Thursday at Lord’s.He replaces Nasser Hussain after the skipper broke his finger during the defeat against Australia in the First Test at Edgbaston.It had appeared that it was a two-horse race for the captaincy between Atherton and opener Marcus Trescothick.England initially drew up a shortlist comprising Atherton, Trescothick and Alec Stewart. But Stewart and Mark Butcher ruled themselves out of the race, although opening bowler Darren Gough said he would be interested in leading the side for a one-off match.It will be the first time that Atherton has captained England since heresigned from the position in Antigua more than three years ago.Chairman of slectors David Graveney said: “We believe that Michael’s previous experience of Test captaincy makes him the right person to stand in for Nasser.”He fully understands the predicament the team finds itself in and was veryhappy to take on the responsibility.”We looked at all our options within the team, in particular MarcusTrescothick who continues to play a central role in decision-making, but at thisstage of his career, the selectors felt the captaincy was an unnecessary burdenfor Marcus to undertake.”Atherton said: “I had no intention of doing it again but these are exceptionalcircumstances and when David Graveney asked me if I would do it I said yes.”Clearly there were not too many candidates because of the injury listand I obviously thought there was a chance of being asked to do the job.”I didn’t push myself forward. I just kept quiet and went away after thelast Test for a fishing trip and thought things through for myself but Ispoke to Duncan (Fletcher) and didn’t want to turn my back on him in thisinstance.”Atherton can at least take comfort from the fact that his last AshesTest as captain resulted in a narrow 19-run victory for England at The Oval.He said: “You never stop learning from the game and being a distance away from the captaincy will help. I’ll go out there and give it my best and theteam will give it a good go.”Each individual has to step up to the mark – it’s a great challenge becausewe’ve had a bad four or five weeks with injuries and the Test matches againstPakistan and Australia and it’s up to the team to turn it around.”All good teams have a bad patch and we’ve proved in the last 18 months thatwe’re a good team.”He added: “I’ll speak to Nasser in the next day or two to sound out how hewants to play it. He’s still captain of England and I’m happy to have him atLord’s.”Australian skipper Steve Waugh said: “I’ve never actually captained a Test against Michael, but I’m looking forward to locking horns with an old adversary.”Michael is a respected opponent and I’m sure his experience will be valuablefor England at this time.”Atherton will take over his duties next week when the squad assembles inLondon on Tuesday.