The Somerset pace bowler, Richard Johnson, and the Gloucestershire off-spinner, Martyn Ball, have been called up by England as replacements for Andrew Caddick and Robert Croft for this winter’s Test series in India.Johnson, 26, who was called up to the England squad for the Trent Bridge,Headingley and Oval Test Matches against Australia this summer but did not make the starting eleven, is included after picking up 62 First Class wickets for his new county this season. The Warwickshire all-rounder Dougie Brown will replace Johnson in England’s squad for the Hong Kong Sixes event on November 10-11.Ball, 31, wins his place after a successful season with Gloucestershire in which he picked up 34 First Class wickets at a cost of 25.85 runs apiece.Chairman of Selectors, David Graveney, said: “It was a close call as to who was going to replace Andrew Caddick. We considered Chris Silverwood and Martin Bicknell as well as Richard Johnson. But we opted for Richard because he has the ability to swing the ball at pace, hits the deck hard and can bowl long spells. He has also taken wickets on one of the best batting pitches in the country at Taunton and is likely to face similar conditions in India.”Having talked to Dean Conway and taken advice from medical specialists, webelieve that Ashley Giles’ recovery from his achilles injury is very much ontrack. While he still has to regain his cricket fitness, we are confident from a medical point of view that he will pass a fitness test next week and be available for selection in India.”In the light of this, we decided to look for a ‘like-for-like’ replacement for Robert Croft. Martyn Ball had a very good season in four-day cricket with Gloucestershire and has been an integral part of their success in limited overs cricket in recent years. He is used to the big match atmosphere having played in several Lord’s finals, is an outstanding slip-catcher and a good team man.”Martyn Ball said: “I was ecstatic when David Graveney phoned me with the news and will be thrilled to bits to be getting on the plane with the rest of the squad. As a 31-year-old, I did wonder if perhaps my chance of an England cap might have gone. But the last season with Gloucestershire went extremely well for me and I feel that I have matured both as a spinner and with the bat during that time.”Richard Johnson said: “I’m very happy to have been chosen and after beinginvolved in the summer hopefully I will get a chance to show everyone what I can do. It didn’t really enter my head not to go on tour. This might be the only opportunity I get with England and I want to try and take it. But it is a difficult decision for people to make and I accept that not everyone faces the same set of circumstances as I do.”

The Kwekwe first team had a home game against Old Georgians on Sunday 4 November.The visitors batted first and scored 274 for six in their allotted 50 overs. Gus MacKay was the highest scorer with 57 runs, followed by Lance Malloch-Brown with 48 runs. Best of the six Kwekwe bowlers who were used was Dave Houghton who took two for 30 in six overs, John Vaughan-Davies 2/49 and Pete Albasini 2/50 in their allotted 10 overs.Kwekwe then batted after lunch and were all out for 243 runs in their allotted 50 overs. Best bat for Kwekwe was John Vaughan-Davies with a score of 60 runs. Best bowlers for Old Georgians were Gus Mackay who took five for 27 and S Seager who took three for 40 in their allotted 10 overs.Two old stalwarts of Kwekwe cricket, namely Ken Connelly and Pete Albasini, were taken out of retirement for this game due to the loss of our younger national players.As you can see by the scores, it was a very close game that could have gone either way and as news of the close finish spread throughout Kwekwe quite a crowd of faithful supporters gathered at the Sports Club who cheered every run that was scored and also every boundary that was hit. Old Georgians came out on top of this close encounter winners by 31 runs.The cricketers here in Kwekwe are very glad and grateful to have a coach like Dave Houghton who is willing to come and coach the team every Friday that we have a home game. These coaching sessions are well attended and they also include a rigorous fielding practice that is compulsory for all the players in the first and second teams on a Saturday afternoon.The Kwekwe second team travelled to Bulawayo to play against Queens second team.Kwekwe batted first and was all out for 309. The best batsman for Kwekwe was J. Friend with 49 runs, followed by T. Savoury with 44 runs. Best bowler for Queens was M. Strydom who took three for 55 in his allotted ten overs.Queens then batted after lunch and were 137 all out in 31 overs. Best bat for Queens was Compram with a score of 44 runs and best bowler for Kwekwe was M. Pretorius with 4/31 in nine overs. Kwekwe won by 172 runs.Kwekwe Queens had a home game and unfortunately lost. Details of the scorecard were not available at the time of writing. Once again I have nothing to report from Gweru.

The last few weeks have been hectic for wicket-keeper batsman Rob Turner who has been awarded a well earned benefit by the club in 2002.In addition to working for west country stockbrokers and club sponsors Rowan Dartington in Weston Super Mare, Rob has been busy finalising the arrangements for some of the event that are scheduled to take place during the season.Earlier on today he told me, “I’ve fixed quite a few bits and pieces for next year,and the Launch Lunch will take place at the County Ground in Taunton on Friday March 22nd.”Before then Rob will be hosting a tour party of forty people to watch several of the New Zealand v England matches in the early spring. The tour which sets off on February has proved to be so popular that it is a sell out.For those who have missed out on the New Zealand trip Rob is organising a similar trip over Christmas 2002 and New Year to watch some of the Australia v England test matches.Rob told me, “I’m very much looking forward to my Benefit Year and I want to do well on the field. I need to have things in place beforehand so that I can concentrate on playing.”Several items relating to Rob’s Benefit Year are now available, all of which would make excellent Christams gifts including a traditional tie, a bow tie and a matching top pocket handkerchief.The tie is in two shades of dark blue, and features the Somerset Wyvern in maroon and the England crest in black, with Rob’s logo and signature in silver.The suggested donation for the traditional tie is £10, the bow tie is also £10, and the handkerchief is £2.50. The suggested donation for the whole set is £20.Certainly the traditional tie looked very smart indeed when I saw it modelled by Ian Blackwell this morning!Rob has also produced a Benefit Calendar for 2002 which features 12 pages of A3 quality glossy action shots taken during the 2001 season and featuring the C and G Trophy Final at Lord’s. Once again this is available by donation which is suggested should be £6.The highly acclaimed artist Terry Harrison has painted a montage to commemorate the Lord’s Final, and a limited edition run of just 500 copies has been produced. The print will be available before Christmas.Orders or further information about any of the above items, or any events for Rob’s Benefit Year can be made by contacting Doreen Barnes on 01455 230489, or e mail, [email protected] can also be obtained from The County Stores in Taunton, Boundary Sports at the County Ground, or the Somerset County Cricket Club office.

The Chairman of the England & Wales Cricket Board, Lord MacLaurin, says England will not play against India if they choose banned batsman Virender Sehwag for the first Test in Mohali.Sehwag, 23, was banned for one match by referee Mike Denness for excessive appealing in India’s second Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth.The International Cricket Council insist Sehwag has not served his ban, asthey have ruled India’s third Test against South Africa (which Sehwag missed) to be unofficial, after both teams refused to accept Denness as referee.Lord MacLaurin insists the tourists will not allow India, who have named Sehwag in their 14-man squad, to defy the ICC.”We will not play a friendly Test match,” MacLaurin told the BBC. “We are there to play real cricket and we support the ICC in that this gentleman has been suspended for one Test match so the gentleman concerned has a one-match ban to sit out.”We will not be playing against a team with a banned cricketer in it. I sincerely hope that doesn’t come to pass. To have had one Test match withdrawn from Test-match status in South Africa is very sad and if it goes on it will be very sad for the game of cricket.”I’m not unduly surprised. The situation is between the ICC and the Board ofControl for Cricket in India. The ECB’s view is that it’s a matter between theICC and the Indian board and we are awaiting developments.”We will be discussing the matter with our management board and we will decide what to do. The ICC want an answer from India by Friday morning. We are now taking it a day at a time. I sincerely hope good sense prevails for the good of everybody.”We support the ICC. They are the governing body of world cricket and I wouldlike to think all our other colleagues around the world would also supportthem.”

Bangladesh’s frontline bowlers may not match Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie or Glenn McGrath in speed and experience, but New Zealand opener Mark Richardson found he was more nervous in the first Test today against Bangladesh, than he ever was in Australia.He finished the day on his highest Test score of 124 not out, with New Zealand 306/5, but said the first hour, in which New Zealand plummeted to 51/4, was very hard.”It doesn’t matter that they were not the Australians, they all hit the seam, they had very good wrists and they all swung the ball.”They bowled pretty well and their tails were up,” he said.Richardson was battling the ‘flu all day and he felt the innings wasn’t one of his better ones.Last summer’s maiden Test century in the final Test against Pakistan and today’s century completed a turnaround of fortunes for Richardson here.”I was desperate to get a total. I went about my work okay in Australia, I just didn’t get a century,” he said.Meanwhile, Craig McMillan said he had been conscious of his dismissal for 98 in the Pakistan Test last year, when he got into the 90s.”I was very determined to push through. From a personal point of view I just love playing here because it is one of only two pure cricket grounds in New Zealand, the other is the Basin Reserve.”It was a sign of the confidence in the batsmen in the team now that despite getting into a tricky position they were able to extricate themselves.”There wasn’t any panic,” he said.The frustrations with the weather and the limited chances for cricket had been a concern.”But I’m really happy today. I played my natural game.”We are in a very satisfying position and we are very happy with the day’s play. It was a good day’s cricket,” he said.The accident he had on Tuesday had also caused him to reflect and realise how lucky he was to be able to play cricket, and that had made the innings all the more satisfying, he said.

Australia won the battle but lost the war at the WACA on Sunday, beating South Africa by 33 runs, but failing to bag the bonus point that would have earned them a place in the VB Series finals.South Africa reached 250 for five in their 50 overs in reply to Australia’s 283 for seven, but much more importantly in the context of the competition, they got past 226, the score to which Australia had to restrict their opposition in order to claim the extra point.It is probably fair to say that while the South Africans would have preferred to beat Australia, keeping the hosts out of the finals was a perfectly adequate consolation prize. There is no doubt that South Africa fancy their chances against New Zealand and although they have beaten Australia only once in all games this summer, they will have found some satisfaction in thwarting their fiercest rivals.Australia, it must be said, gave themselves every chance of qualifying for the finals with a batting display that took wing in the closing overs of their innings. They would probably have aimed at around 280 when they set out and contributions from Adam Gilchrist (31), Mark Waugh (34), Ricky Ponting (26) and Damien Martyn laid a platform for a later charge.The opening stages of the match were no without incident. On 22 Gilchrist appeared to be caught at the wicket off an inside edge, Mark Boucher diving low to his right to take the chance off Pollock one-handed. Gilchrist, it seemed, was prepared to walk if Boucher confirmed the catch, but the South African wicketkeeper indicated that he, too, was not entirely sure that he had taken it cleanly.And so off it went to the third umpire and yet another instance of this particular use of technology causing more problems than it solves. In the crucial angle, Boucher’s glove was offscreen at the critical moment for all except those with expensive widescreen television sets. Whatever Darrell Hair’s faults as an umpire, he could hardly be faulted for giving this one not out. If television is so keen to involve itself in the game, it would seem the least the broadcaster could do would be to supply the third umpire with adequate equipment.Gilchrist did not last a great deal longer, though, getting out in bizarre fashion when a ball from Makhaya Ntini went off his thigh pad and helmet, by way of his shoulder, before looping up, over him and onto his leg stump.For all that the Australians were getting starts, Steve Waugh’s 42 was the highest score from the top and middle order (Michael Bevan lasting only four balls for 1 on this occasion) before Darren Lehmann and Brett Lee produced the best batting of the match. Lehmann, in the Australian team for the first time in the series, played an immaculate one-day innings, knocking the ball about for 49 off 46 balls, but it was Lee’s thunderous hitting that lifted the score to its impressive proportions.He hit the great South African fast bowler Allan Donald for six, four, six, four and six as the 48th over gave up 27 (the same amount scored by Shaun Pollock off James Franklin on Friday) and ended unbeaten on 51 off 36 balls as Australia gave themselves, at the very least, a fighting chance of reaching the finals.Pollock said afterwards that his side intended to wait until the final 10 overs before deciding whether to push for the outright win or settling for going past 226. Thus the innings tended to be watchful without being overly cautious as Jacques Kallis took up the anchor role and allowed his team-mates to bat around him.It was understandable, though, that the lesser score was South Africa’s primary aim and although Herschelle Gibbs (34), Boeta Dippenaar (33) and Jonty Rhodes (20) all got in, they all got out before capitalising on their starts.And so on went Kallis, at the end partnered by Lance Klusener, to take South Africa past 226, reaching his century off 117 balls and finish the match unbeaten on 104.In choosing Lehmann Australia sacrificed a bowler and in the end it may well have been their lack of a genuine fifth bowler that left them short of penetration. Certainly, Lehmann justified his selection with his batting, besides picking up two wickets, but Bevan and Steve Waugh cost Australia 43 from the six overs they bowled between them. The hosts played well, but they had not play well to start the tournament and in the end the two most consistent sides – in an inconsistent competition – have qualified for the finals.

One of the most satisfying aspects of South Africa’s reaching the final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Christchurch, New Zealand to coach Hylton Ackerman was the contribution of the eight players of colour in his side.Compared to when South Africa returned to international cricket in 1992 the differences were immense.”To have eight players of colour is a huge difference to what it was,” he said.Those players also made an immense contribution to the side and Ackerman referred to team captain Hashim Amla as his “Graeme Pollock”.He could also reflect on an outstanding innings today by wicket-keeper Zwelibanzi Homani whose half century got the side over 200 runs in the final.But it was the run outs of his two best players of spin bowling Amla and David Jacobs that crippled South Africa in the final.”Three weeks ago I said to the players imagine if they ran out Graeme Pollock in front of 30,000 people at a ground in South Africa, which side of the ground would they leave from, and my Pollock ran himself out today,” he said.”But the Australians deserved to win, for the way they played the entire tournament. And I think it was great that they played four spinners in a one-day team.”Their captain Cameron White was also outstanding. With all respects to my own captain, he was yards ahead of anyone else here. And their left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty really impressed me.”We may have lost the final but the learning process for our team here has been unbelievable.”

Victorian-born Marcus North led a grinding West Australian fightback here today on day three of the Pura Cup cricket match against the Bushrangers at the MCG, ensuring the match would go into its last day.The 22-year-old, born in Pakenham near Melbourne, reached his highest first-class score of 127 and helped WA to 6-278 at stumps, an overall lead of three.The day’s play finished at 7.20pm, with Brad Hogg the other unbeaten batsman on 18, partly because of two rain delays which had the players off the ground for atotal of 46 minutes.More rain is forecast for tomorrow morning, but it is expected to clear.Victoria must gain outright points from this match to maintain a slight chance of playing in the Cup final later this month against Queensland.It was North’s second ton of the season and while it was slow – 355 minutes and 258 balls – it was precisely what his team needed.WA followed on yesterday when it could manage only 175 in reply to the home team’s first innings of 6(dec)-450.Victorian Brad Hodge did not field today, having been hit on the hand while compiling his innings-high 131, and WA batsman Ryan Campbell needed a runnerduring his innings of 29.The Warriors resumed at 2-16 and Victoria strengthened its position when Will Carr had captain Simon Katich caught behind for 11 to leave them 3-39.North shouldered arms the next ball, but survived an lbw appeal.There was also a big appeal for a stumping when North was on 55, but otherwise his innings was chanceless.He first shared in an 84-run stand for the fourth wicket with opener Mike Hussey, who appeared unlucky when given caught behind off Jon Moss for 61. The replay suggested the ball might have come off Hussey’s thigh pad.Rain started falling as Hussey left the field, reflecting his dark mood, and stopped the game for 31 minutes.There was another rain delay just before the tea break and the lights were on soon after players came back on the field.North then combined with Campbell for a stand of 55, broken when Campbell cut Carr to Moss at point.Ian Harvey bowled Chris Rogers for 15 to leave WA 6-231, but North and Hogg survived the bleak early-evening conditions.Carr, playing in his second Cup game, continued to impress with 3-61 and Harvey had 2-50 from 20 accurate overs.

Manawatu bowler David Rankin has won an unexpected call-up to the Central Districts side for the January 2 State Shield match against Otago at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth.Rankin gets his chance with Michael Mason having been called to Christchurch to join the TelstraClear Black Caps in their preparations for tomorrow’s National Bank Series match against India.Rankin had been selected in CD’s A team to play at Lincoln University. His place will be taken by Ewen Thompson.The CD team is: Craig Spearman (captain), Jesse Ryder, Peter Ingram, Glen Sulzberger, Ian Sandbrook, Bevan Griggs, Greg Loveridge, Campbell Furlong, Andrew Schwass, Lance Hamilton, Brent Hefford, David Rankin.

MELBOURNE, Jan 28 AAP – Adam Gilchrist says the Australian team will re-assess their attitude to playing its World Cup match in Zimbabwe in light of an appeal made by England players to have their match moved from Harare to South Africa.After receiving the Australian international one-day player of the year award tonight, Gilchrist said there’s “definitely” concerns over playing in Zimbabwe next month.”We haven’t really learnt too much more about the scenario since hearing what the English team have come out and said …we’ll assess that over the next few days,” he said.”It’s really hard to comment because we’re trying to learn and be informed about what the scenario is …”We’ll learn a bit more about it but I think it’s fair to say that there’s enough interest in it and enough concern from the player group to warrant assessing it again.”But Gilchrist denied that the team didn’t want to travel to Zimbabwe.”That doesn’t mean the players are standing up and saying ‘we’re not going’ and it doesn’t mean that everyone is totally happy with it,” he said.”We’ll assess it over the next few days and learn a bit more about it.”I don’t know of anyone who’s stood up and said ‘I’m definitely not going’ but, as I say, there’s definitely concerns there, and enough concerns to warrant investigating the scenario a little bit further.”Gilchrist’s comments came after England’s Professional Cricketers’ Association made an “urgent request” on behalf of the England players in London for their match against Zimbabwe on February 13 to be shifted from Harare to South Africa.It followed warnings received from Zimbabwean activists to the England team in Australia and reports that opposition groups would use the England match to demonstrate against President Robert Mugabe’s regime.However, Australian Cricket Board (ACB) chief executive James Sutherland said he’d learned of no new security risk which would prevent the Australian team playing its match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on February 24.”As far as we can gather in the reports that we’ve had, there’s no material change in the conditions that we found when we had the security delegation there in late November,” Sutherland told ABC Radio today.”I was a part of that with (Australian Cricketers’ Association chief) Tim May, but at the same time we continue to monitor that.”The Australian Cricketers’ Association was in talks today and was expected to comment further on the issue tomorrow.Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) remained adamant that the six World Cup matches scheduled for Zimbabwe next month would proceed.The England team statement in London today came amid reports of escalating political violence and food shortages across Zimbabwe.The England players stopped short of threatening to boycott their match but said proceeding with it in Harare could have serious consequences.”We are all greatly concerned about the moral, political and safety issues that the fixture in Zimbabwe has raised. We strongly feel a fresh review should take place immediately,” the players said.”There are many difficult decisions to be made in life, and in this case the consequences could be very severe for all concerned, including players, the ECB, the game of cricket in the UK, the rest of the cricket playing world, and, perhaps more significantly, for Zimbabwe cricket and the people of Zimbabwe.”Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) managing director Richard Bevan said British government officials last week warned the England and Wales Cricket Board and PCA representatives that the situation in Zimbabwe was highly volatile.A government office had been firebombed, the mayor of Harare had warned that he could not guarantee security and Zimbabwean police had reportedly found an opposition arms cache allegedly for use against England cricketers, he said.The ICC’s Australian chief executive Malcolm Speed insisted there was no security-based reason to move the games and that it was not the ICC’s role to take a moral stand.He insisted that calls for the ICC to pull out of Zimbabwe in protest at the human rights abuses of President Robert Mugabe were misplaced.”The ICC is an international sporting organisation with 84 members with a variety of cultures, beliefs and political systems,” said Speed.”Its members are in place to make judgments on cricket administration and not to take a political stance on foreign policy issues.”This is the role and responsibility of governments.”Speed will meet Bevan and ECB chief executive Tim Lamb on Thursday to discuss the players’ request.Meanwhile, the situation could change at late notice, with World Cup organisers saying there was no logistical impediment to moving the games at short notice.