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Somerset needed to score at 5 runs per over to win this game but throughsome disciplined and aggressive bowling from the Leicestershire attack theywere always behind the asking rate.Jimmy Ormond once again was the pick of the bowlers and picked up his firstwicket in only the second over of the innings. Bowler edged a ball to secondslip to give Darren Maddy an easy catch. The ball previous saw Maddy drop achance given by Lathwell also at second slip.It wasn’t too long before Lathwell became Ormonds second victim when hefollowed a wide delivery which found the edge through to the wicket keeper.At this point Somerset were only scoring at 2 runs per over and the pressurewas beginning to show. Burns unable to pierce the in field then set off for a risky single which resulted in a run out.You felt that as long as Jamie Cox was at the crease there was always achance for Somerset but when Scott Boswell picked up his prize wicket inonly his second over, Somerset’s chances of victory were diminishing. He wasbrilliantly caught by the diving wicket keeper Neil Burns.Parsons tried to continue the fight and looked in good form. He struck themedium pace of Billy Stelling for a huge six over mid off giving impetous tothe innings. However, Stelling fought back by clean bowling Parsons in the29th over. By this time Somerset’s chances were almost gone and continued tolose their wickets consistantly.Leicestershire thoroughly deserved this win and they now can look forward toplaying once again in the top division.

Legspinning allrounder Collins Obuya, one of Kenya’s heroes in the 2003 World Cup, has struggled to live up to the potential he showed then. Shortly after the tournament he suffered a knee injury, and since then he has suffered from the yips and a crisis of confidence.But thanks to private sponsorship raised by the Kenyan Cricket Association, Obuya will fly to Australia next week to spend time with Terry Jenner, the legendary legspin coach who is widely credited for helping Shane Warne scale the heights of international cricket.”Collins has struggled with is bowling ever since that knee injury in 2003 and we decided it would be wise to have him work with a specialist on his action as we try to get the players fit for the World Cup,” explained KCA chief executive, Tom Tikolo. Obuya was signed by Warwickshire shortly after the World Cup, but the knee injury quickly ended his county ambitions. He suffered another blow when an appendicitis caused him to miss the 2004 Champions Trophy in England.Although he is now fit, Obuya has struggled to find any consistency with the ball. In four Intercontinental Cup matches this season his four wickets have cost 61.25. This has impacted on his batting, with only one fifty in six innings and an average of 18.00.Jenner is renowned for his one-on-one coaching technique, and it is expected that Obuya will stay with him while in Australia.

Sri Lanka 1 for 81 (Atapattu 29*, Sangakkara 16*) trail Australia 220 all out (Lehmann 63, Muralitharan 6-59) by 139 runs
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Muttiah Muralitharan burst out of the blocks in the race to 500 wickets, ripping through Australia’s formidable batting order to leave Sri Lanka in pole position in the opening Test in Galle. Australia, wasting a crucial toss on a bald, sun-baked pitch, were bowled out for just 220 in 68.3 overs. Muralitharan snapped up 6 for 59, his best figures against Australia. Marvan Atapattu finished off the day with a brace of elegant cover-drives, and Kumar Sangakkara smashed Stuart MacGill for a magnificent six in the last over as Sri Lanka closed on 81 for 1 from 22 overs.It was the 40th time in his 86-match career that Murali had taken five wickets in an innings – extending his own world record – and it wiped out Shane Warne’s six-wicket lead as he extended to his career tally to 491 wickets. The chances of Murali reaching 500 in this game remain extremely remote, but Sri Lanka’s cricket board is taking no chances, speeding up the production of souvenir T-shirts and a commemorative award.Darren Lehmann, back in the side after an Achilles-tendon injury, used his experience and prowess against the spinners to hold the innings together with a battling 63. Lehmann added 72 with Damien Martyn (42) for the fourth wicket, and then 52 for the seventh with fellow returnee Warne (23), who was playing his first Test for 12 months after a drugs ban.The Australian innings, though was dominated by incendiary passages of play. First, midway through the afternoon with a small crowd tiring under a fierce sun, three wickets fell for 15 runs to bring the Martyn-Lehmann recovery to an abrupt halt. Then, straight after the tea interval, the last four wickets tumbled for just five runs in the space of 13 balls.Sri Lanka’s dream day continued as Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya added 53 for the first wicket. But Warne’s return to the bowling crease gave Australia something to cheer. There was no wonder-ball to relaunch his career, as eight runs were scored off his first over, but an innocuous straight one accounted for Jayasuriya (35), who missed an attempted sweep.Earlier, Sri Lanka opened the bowling with Chaminda Vaas, their only fast bowler, and Kumar Dharmasena, one of six slow men in the XI. Vaas found a smidgin of swing in his first couple of overs, but the pitch was back-breakingly slow from a fast-bowler’s perspective and, although Hayden offered a difficult return chance on 19, the spinners were always going to hold the key.Justin Langer was the first spin casualty of the series as he rocked onto the back foot and tried to punch Dharmasena through the off side. He was deceived by the low bounce of the offbreak, and Sangakkara took a juggling catch off the toe of the bat (31 for 1).Ricky Ponting, who had finally assumed the Test leadership from Steve Waugh, showed his aggressive intentions immediately. He had batted superbly in the one-day series, clocking up four consecutive fifties, and he started in an equally business-like manner here as 31 runs were added in 39 balls.Muralitharan was drafted into the attack with immediate success, courtesy of an athletic, full-stretch catch by Upul Chandana, sprinting around from a deepish square leg. Hayden, who had top-edged an attempted sweep, had scored 41 from 46 balls, with six fours. The introduction of Chandana was equally successful, this time accounting for the prized scalp of Ponting, stumped by two metres after being lured down the pitch by a flighted legbreak (76 for 3).Martyn and Lehmann steadied the innings for a while, adding 72 in 131 balls for the fourth wicket either side of lunch. Like their colleagues back in the dressing-room, they endeavoured to be positive whenever given an opportunity to score. Lehmann was the bolder, shuffling down the wicket to the slow bowlers as often as he could, even to Muralitharan, whom he lifted for six over long-on.As the partnership started to reach sizeable proportions, Sri Lanka slipped back onto the defensive. Dharmasena operated with a 7-2 field against Martyn, who hasn’t scored a Test century for 25 months. The ploy worked, as he paddle-swept an offbreak straight into the hands of Mahela Jayawardene at leg slip. Martyn had scored 42 from 81 balls and hit three fours (148 for 4).Muralitharan, called back into the attack for a second spell, then spun Sri Lanka firmly back into the driving-seat: Andrew Symonds was adjudged to have edged a fizzing offbreak via his pads to Jayawardene at slip for a debut duck, and Adam Gilchrist’s poor run continued as he toe-ended an awkward sweep to Dharmasena, running in from deep square (163 for 6).Sri Lanka were firmly in charge now, as three wickets had tumbled for 15. But Lehmann, dropped at silly point when 30 off Muralitharan, battled hard, along with Warne. Lehmann chugged past fifty for the fifth time in his career while Warne, riding his luck against Muralitharan, smacked four meaty fours in a valuable cameo.They carried Australia within sight of a competitive score by tea. But Muralitharan ensured that was never achieved after Lehmann fidgeted too far across his stumps, leaving them exposed. Vaas’s offcutter feathered Warne’s outside edge, and Murali mopped up the rabbits: Kasprowicz was bowled through the gate, and Stuart MacGill made a complete hash of a straight one, to leave Murali on a hat-trick in the second innings.

The forthcoming series between Pakistan and Australia will not be played at a neutral venue or in Australia as a last resort, the Pakistan board has reiterated., quoting an unnamed official, recently reported that the PCB would consider shifting the series – to be held in March-April 2008 – to Australia in a “worst-case scenario” in which conditions in Pakistan were not conducive to hosting the series. But Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, denied the report, stressing that the series will be played, as scheduled, in Pakistan.”The PCB has only one position on this series,” Ashraf told reporters in Hyderabad. “Australia will play in Pakistan as per their commitment in March-April 2008. There is no question of it being played at a neutral venue or swapping venues and playing in Australia at this time.”We have a visit to Australia at the end of 2009 and we will fulfill that as well. But the current series against Zimbabwe has shown that cricket is not affected by such things.”Pakistan has been rocked by a particularly turbulent year of political unrest and violence, which culminated with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, at the end of December last year. General elections were due to be held in the country on January 8, but have now been postponed to February 18.Several Australian players have voiced their concerns about touring Pakistan, but Cricket Australia’s stance on the issue has always been firm: any final decision on the tour will be made after a security delegation has assessed the on-ground situation in Pakistan. The visit is expected to take place soon after elections.”They are coming and the tour is on as far as we know,” said Ashraf. “We have given every assurance to the Australian High Commission. I am surprised but those statements [in the Australian press] were not made by any PCB official.”

Johan Botha, the South African offspinner, has been reported for having a suspect action following his Test debut at Sydney.Chris Broad, the ICC match referee, said: “Concerns have been raised by the match officials over the general legality of his bowling action and, in particular, his ‘doosra’ and quicker deliveries when viewed with the naked eye. We are therefore requesting the ICC to commission a biomechanical report into the bowler’s action in accordance with the process introduced last year.”Botha will be allowed to bowl for South Africa in this month’s triangular one-day series against Australia and Sri Lanka and until the biomechanical report has been completed. He took 1 for 26 and 1 for 77 at the SCG as Australia won by eight wickets.The report will be handled under the ICC’s standard bowling review process. Botha will now undergo independent analysis of his action by a member of the ICC’s panel of human movement specialists.Gerald Majola, chief executive officer of Cricket South Africa, expressed his disappointment at the decision to report Botha. “He has bowled at first class domestic professional level for two seasons without once being reported for an unfair action by our leading umpires, match referees and players. We hope that Johan’s promising career will continue to progress at a time when everybody in world cricket is trying to encourage the art of spin bowling in South Africa and elsewhere.”Meanwhile a South Africa team spokesman said Jacques Kallis would remain with the squad in Australia for the one-day series after checks on his elbow injury, while Nicky Boje, the left-arm spinner, and AB de Villiers, the opening batsman, will return home.The South African team was also fined by Broad for a slow over-rate on the final day of the Sydney Test, with the players docked five percent of their match fees and Graeme Smith 10 percent.

On his team’s display over the three Tests
We got better but there’s lots of room for improvement. We can bat better. It was interesting that our bowling was tested by Australia and to see how the bowlers fitted in this type of cricket.On Shoaib Akhtar’s series
He’s complaining of a hamstring injury and he’s having a scan tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll see how fit he is after that. Certainly in this Test match he’s been a shadow of himself. He bowled pretty well in the first two Tests. If you want to run that far in this country you have to be triathlete fit. Either he shortens his run-up or he gets triathlete fit.On Akhtar’s attitude in this Test
He was tired and in a way everyone was disappointed with his commitment. From a team point of view we understand he’s given his all in the first two Testmatches.On Danish Kaneria and Kamran Akmal
Danish is a very exciting Test legspinner and I think he’ll grow as he starts to learn and play more. He has all the tricks of the trade – probably more than heneeds. Kamran kept brilliantly and is one of the best wicketkeepers I’ve seen for a long time. His batting needs to improve, but he played well in the firstinnings and has a super future.On Inzamam’s back injury
He wants to play in the one-day series and he’s captain of Pakistan until the end of the West Indies tour. He desperately wants to play and is trying toget fit. He had a net today.On Shoaib Malik’s remedial work on his suspect action
He went to Perth today, we’ve been working on his action and we want to get him cleared before the one-day series. He’s going for re-testing on January10 and he’s worked very hard on his action. I watched him and from what he’s done I can’t see any semblance of a throw.

Brendon McCullum smashed 62 from 22 deliveries to propel Canterbury to a six-wicket win over Auckland in the inaugural Twenty20 final at Eden Park’s Outer Oval.Chasing 180, McCullum went hammer-and-tongs at the Auckland bowling attack, smashing six sixes and four fours in an opening stand of 80 with Nathan Astle. Swinging the bat at almost every delivery faced in a 25-minute stay at the crease, McCullum effectively signalled the outcome of the match – Canterbury’s fifty came up in 13 minutes and 17 deliveries – by the time he holed out to Mayu Pasupati off Paul Hitchcock.Astle, reserved in comparison to McCullum, hit 74 from 52 deliveries with 11 fours and two sixes before being run out by New Zealand team-mate Lou Vincent with victory just 2 runs away.After being inserted by Chris Harris, the Canterbury captain, Auckland’s total of 179 for 7 was centred around Scott Styris’s 62 from 32 balls, complete with five sixes and four fours. Vincent and Hitchcock also contributed with 37 and 36 respectively. Chris Cairns, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, picked up 2 for 31 from four overs..

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Brad Hodge justified his bold day-three declaration by setting up another chasing win for Victoria as they moved to the top of the Pura Cup table. Hodge closed the Bushrangers’ innings 117 runs behind South Australia on Sunday and his gamble paid off as he and Michael Klinger were the key contributors in running down the target of 322 for a three-wicket win.Klinger was unbeaten on 87 after steering the final stages of the chase and the home side ended the game with three overs to spare. While Klinger applied the finishing touches, Hodge kept the Bushrangers in sight of the result with 84 from 124 balls, including 11 fours and a six.The dismissal of Nick Jewell, who crawled to 36 off 111 deliveries, allowed Hodge and David Hussey, the first-innings century-makers, to accelerate and they produced a crucial stand of 79 in 71 balls. Hussey fell to a reflex take by Tom Plant at short leg and Hodge left with his side at 4 for 225, edging to first slip off Cullen Bailey.Bailey, the legspinner, was the most successful of South Australia’s bowlers with 4 for 103, but he was unable to stop Klinger. The Redbacks, who kept their two points, reached 5 for 204 before their first-session declaration, with Ben Cameron unbeaten on 51.

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Ramnaresh Sarwan hit an unbeaten century (106 off 117 balls) to take Guyana to a three-run victory over Barbados at Crab Hill in the opening round of President’s cup on Monday. Chasing 244 runs in the allotted 50 overs, Guyana recovered from 33 for 3 to 206 for 6 when they accepted bad light at 5.30 pm, two runs ahead of their target score and prevailing on the Duckworth-Lewis system. Earlier Kurt Stevenson propelled Barbados to a score of 243 with a well made 75 but they added to their own woes in the field by dropping three catches, including one off Sarwan when he was on 57.
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Powered by Runako Morton’s 87, Leeward Islands crushed Jamaica by nine wickets in the opening round of the President’s Cup in Wildey at Barbados. Batting first, Jamaica floundered when they lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for a meager 145 in 38.1 overs. Curtis Roberts, the opening bowler, bowled out his quota of 10 overs in one spell and snapped up three wickets. Leeward Islands’ batsmen then polished off the required runs in 29.2 overs.
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Trinidad & Tobago, the defending champions, got their President’s Cup campaign off to a disastrous start when they fell 14 runs short against Windward Islands. Chasing 191 runs for victory, T&T were comfortably placed at 123 for 3, when Daren Sammy, the medium-pacer, removed both Ricardo Powell and Samuel Badree in successive deliveries and triggered a collapse. They lost their last five wickets for 35 runs and ended up losing a game that was well within their grasp. Earlier, the Windwards recovered from a worrying position of 44 for 5 to register a respectable score of 190 for 9 – a total that proved just enough.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and three other former office bearers of the BCCI appeared today before the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Crime Branch, which is probing alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 21.74 lakh (approx US$49000) from the World Cup 1996 account.Dalmiya, SK Nair, former BCCI secretary, Kishore Rungta and Jyoti Bajpai, both former treasurers, were accompanied by their lawyers. According to PTI, all four of them were questioned by the police till 5 pm, local time, in the absence of their lawyers.Earlier, Dalmiya and the others had petitioned the Bombay High Court for anticipatory bail claiming they apprehended arrest following the case filed against them by the BCCI on March 16. Dalmiya contended that the case was filed by his rivals with a view to pressurise, harass and humiliate him. The other office bearers told the court that they were being implicated in the case only because they were Dalmiya’s supporters.Dalmiya denied discrepancy of any nature with respect to of the World Cup 1996 (imprest) account. He said it had been audited regularly and that this account stood merged with accounts of the BCCI every year.He also said that after ceasing to be the PILCOM [Pakistan-India-Sri Lanka Committee] secretary from January 23 this year, he closed the account and handed over all records to the BCCI.