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The United Cricket Board of South Africa has given the all-clear for Graeme Smith, their captain, to play for Somerset in 2005. Albie Morkel, another South African, has also been given approval and will be their second overseas player next summer.Smith, 23, last month agreed a one-year deal with Somerset, but has had to wait for the move to be sanctioned by his country’s board. Smith is expected to join Somerset in May, after South Africa’s tour of West Indies. He will take over from Mike Burns as Somerset captain on his arrival. Morkel, an allrounder who bowls right-arm fast-medium but bats left-handed, has been touted as a bright prospect by Ray Jennings, his national coach.”The cricketing experts in the club identified the captaincy as an area that needed attention,” Peter Anderson, Somerset’s chief executive, told the . “We chose to go down the route of recruiting a proven international captain. We [had] tried to sign Stephen Fleming before he opted to join Nottinghamshire, but we are delighted that Graeme has now been given permission to join us.”

Worcestershire start their Frizzell County Championship season against Hampshire at New Road with Graeme Hick just one century short of matching Tom Graveney’s total of 122 first class hundreds.Hick, who has a top score of 405 not out, currently lies 13th in the all time list of leading century makers behind Jack Hobbs 197, Percy Hendren 170, Wally Hammond 167, Phil Mead 153, Geoff Boycott 151, Herbert Sutcliffe 149, Frank Woolley 145, Len Hutton 129, Graham Gooch 128, WG Grace 126, Denis Compton 123 and Graveney 122.The 12 for the opening game are: Singh, Peters, Hick, Smith (capt), Solanki, Leatherdale, Batty, Rhodes (wk), Kabir Ali, Harrity, Hayward, Mason.

Full marks to Adam Gilchrist.Sure, he might have been in charge, the man with whom the buck stopped as England reversed a humiliating run of defeats and produced its remarkable six wicket victory over Australia at Headingley.Sure, he might have effected a declaration that turned out to be a miscalculation from his own team’s point of view.Sure, he might have carved an unfortunate place in Ashes history for himself by becoming the first Australian captain to lose a Test after making an early target-setting closure.Sure, he might have paved the way for some in England to decry his tactics as arrogant.But a less impassioned reading of the circumstances surrounding this Fourth Test would suggest that he is to be lauded for his enterprise.Had he been a more frugal captain, an inflexible man, or a character imbued with a meanness of spirit, Gilchrist could have chosen to kill England’s chances of victory in this Test. At a number of junctures. Instead, he risked a real possibility of defeat in the pursuit of a glorious win.It is no accident that Australia has not drawn a Test match in two years: it is because its captains and its players bring imagination and daring to the game. Its extraordinary success over recent times is not only due to the talent of its players. It also owes much to an attacking philosophy, a frame of mind which says that Test cricketers of this age should play with more freedom and instinct than has traditionally marked the game.All who seek to paint Gilchrist’s decision to set England a target of 315 to win as contemptuous would do well to consider his move in a far broader light.He had little control over weather on the fourth day that severely hampered Australia’s chances of establishing a more commanding position. He was as aware as anyone that the prospect of a 5-0 series ‘greenwash’ was a dream craved by all of his players and the team’s supporters. He was not to know how an eminently unpredictable Headingley pitch would play after the new ball lost its shine on the last day. He was not to imagine that his bowlers would produce their most disappointing display of the series. He was also not to know that Mark Butcher would construct an innings of extraordinary quality.In voicing their censure, maybe such critics failed to lift their eyes toward Headingley’s banks of filled seats, to allow their ears to hear the rousing and delighted cheers that continually greeted England’s progress toward victory, or to tilt their noses far enough to discern the scent of a struggle between two teams locked in an intriguing battle.Gilchrist is a great wicketkeeper-batsman, arguably one of the best of all time. He made a decision which ultimately did not conjure another victory for his team but, as a captain, he also shows some wonderful qualities. One of them is knowing how to play cricket in exactly the right spirit. It is doubtful that 15,000 fans will disagree; what is more likely is that they will remember this day for the rest of their lives.

Nathan Astle’s ‘dismissal’ said it all about New Zealand’s first innings on day three in the first Test against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo.All the signs before the Test were of a confident batting unit looking to impose itself on its opposition, not only in Zimbabwe but through the rest of a summer in which it will face South Africa, Zimbabwe again, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.But the old cliches, about ‘best laid plans’ and all that, can still be undone in cricket by what former Kiwi batting great Glenn Turner used to describe as “outside influences”, or those factors over which the player has no control.In Astle’s instance it was a judgement by umpire Russell Tiffin of his being caught behind by Andy Flower from Paul Strang’s second ball after the dismissal of Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming.From a position of developing strength, the Black Caps were facing their executioner, a short, back-from-injury leg-spinner in the shape of Paul Strang.As a distraught Astle stood at the crease coming to terms with his fate he could possibly have been thinking that the sooner video technology was employed in decision-making the better for all concerned. He might also have been thinking what a jolly fine bowler Strang was, and still is.But it can be safely assumed that Mr Tiffin would be wasting his time if he ventured to his letter box on a daily basis expecting a Christmas card from Astle.Strang did exploit a tentativeness among the New Zealanders in their handling of his variations, particularly his googly. His recovery from a wrist injury will no doubt be welcomed by Zimbabwe which needs him as a foil to pace man Heath Streak and an example to what is clearly an impressive group of developing bowlers.His six wicket haul was just reward for the indecision he created among all who faced him. He clearly has a lot more influence to cast before this Test, and series, is finished.Just which way the Test now heads could depend on what sort of mood Chris Cairns wakes in this morning. If he’s at his most competitive, and can get full support from Adam Parore and Daniel Vettori, there will be a lot of batting left in the New Zealand innings.However, if Zimbabwe is able to get a breakthrough and a comfortable lead, then there could yet be some fascinating last day activity. Though to give themselves a chance of setting New Zealand a big enough target, the Zimbabwe batsmen will have to bat at a much faster clip which means taking more risks.And for the Kiwis there is the need to come to grips with Strang’s leg-spin, before the second Test and the One-Day Internationals coming up.

Day two in Sydney was one to stretch the patience of the most ardent cricket follower. Five times play was started and then stopped due to rain, before the showers intensified and blotted out the remainder of play completely. A hardy 14,266 souls turned up, including 501 Richie Benaud impersonators, whose trio of trumpeters gave rousing renditions of the old Channel Nine cricket fanfare.It was fitting then, that the day’s dominant figure – in the 11.2 overs play that were possible – was a cricketer who exudes an enthusiasm for the game that is familiar to its most committed fans. Carlos Brathwaite has been a revelation on this tour so far, as much for his infectiously enthusiastic approach to the game as a pair of freewheeling half centuries. When numerous other West Indian players have seemed unwilling to show too much of themselves on the field, Brathwaite’s heart is very much on his sleeve.

Still time for a result – O’Keefe

Though he has at least enjoyed the feeling of taking a wicket in a Test on his home ground, Steve O’Keefe spent most of a rain-affected day two like everyone else – waiting, hoping, and ultimately leaving early.
“It is annoying. It’s hard for the guys to just continually switch off then get back up,” he said. “I think it’s much easier if you’re batting. You can sort of come out then start again, it’s only really the two guys out there. Very rarely do you play games of cricket where the conditions are perfect and game plans go exactly to plan. The support staff get us switched on and Smithy makes sure that with 10 minutes to go we’re ready and out there to do a job.”
Nevertheless, O’Keefe reckoned that there was still a result possible on a pitch offering spin and swing. “There’s still a hell of a lot of cricket to go,” he said. “If you can get three days in it’s close to 300 overs and hopefully if the skipper sees that spin will play a big role then we might get more overs in towards the back end of the match. If the wicket keeps spinning … it’s spinning already. Without a doubt.”

The day’s truncated rhythm, damp outfield and greasy ball suited the sort of smash and grab innings Brathwaite clearly enjoys playing, and in the day’s longest stretch of play he took on the Australian bowling in a fashion that exploited bowlers still finding their lines. While Denesh Ramdin dropped anchor, Brathwaite moved from his overnight 35 to 69 from 71 balls, including a handful of strokes that will stay long in the mind’s eye.”I just went out there and tried to play my game,” Brathwaite said of a tally that included 23 runs in two overs from a fast but wayward James Pattinson. “Thankfully I got from 30-odd overnight to 69. I’m not satisfied with the fact I didn’t carry on to get three figures or to see out the day but still happy in the sense that I managed to record my highest Test score so far.”Watching Brathwaite making use of his height and the leverage it offers him, numerous heavy hitters came to mind. The man himself had been inspired by Kevin Pietersen, a batsman of similar reach and a matchless capacity to put a bowler off balance with agile footwork and blazing shots, not all of them in the coaching manual but plenty played with disarming flourish. But there is a twist to this tale – until he grew tall and broad, Brathwaite was a top-order player, dropping his bat on the ball with obstinate intent, inspired by none other than Rahul Dravid.”Funnily enough when I was growing up I used to bat No. 3 and I was very defensive,” Brathwaite said. “I used to bat the majority of balls and Rahul Dravid was my idol. A little shift now, in the years since I’ve bulked up and changed my game a bit I’ve looked to Kevin Pietersen, the way he puts bowlers under pressure, the way he stamps his authority on the game. If I can have half the career he had I’ll be happy with that.”In taking the West Indies as far as 7 for 248, Brathwaite has given the visitors a chance to put some pressure on Australia’s batsmen. Even so, Brathwaite still felt there were more runs to be had down the order, and there was plenty to like about the detailed way in which he looked at the talents of the lower-order batting Ramdin will have for company on day three.”We always go out there with a positive mindset,” he said. “Kemar Roach has been batting very well, Jerome Taylor has a Test hundred, and Jomel Warrican will never let any of us forget he’s averaging 45 in Test cricket, only being dismissed once. So the guys in the dressing room can back their talents and see how far we can go from here.”It was a source of considerable frustration to Brathwaite that he would not be able to join them, having continued on his positive path right up until the instant Pattinson found some late swing to beat his bat and flick the outside of the off stump. A fine delivery ended Brathwaite’s day, but it was nothing compared to the warm reception he was given by an SCG crowd who knew the preceding interlude was likely to be the highlight of the day.”I was very, very upset, not on the dismissal because I think it was a good nut – didn’t handle it as well as I could have though – but walking off I was upset that once again I got a start and couldn’t carry on,” Brathwaite said. “One of my mantras in cricket is when things are going good you maximise, because when things are going bad it’s very hard to play yourself out of a slump.”But reaching halfway off and hearing the applause and seeing some people standing, I took a step back and just enjoyed the feeling, raised my bat and looked around. It was a very good feeling, I felt at home and really appreciated it.”Unlike the MCG’s BBL derby or even the first day of this match, a rainy afternoon at the SCG was only ever going to draw a crowd of the most committed fans to the grand old ground. Their affirmation of Brathwaite was genuine and touching, for in his attitude to the game many of the gathering saw a hint of their own delight in the game, and their own desire to see it played this way.

ScorecardAnother seesawing day between Lancashire and Sussex left proceedings intriguingly poised at Liverpool. The first session was fairly even, as Stuart Law played defiantly with reasonable but not dominating support at the other end. First Sussex and then Lancashire surged ahead in turn during the afternoon session, only for Sussex to redress the balance during the final two hours.Law has often been the scourge of Sussex bowling, and he looked like adding another century to his tally of five against them. It was a grafting innings, with few memorable strokes, but was of immense value. Without him, Lancashire would probably have been out of this game by now.More memorable during the morning was the return of Andrew Flintoff to the crease after missing half a season. He quickly played a superb cover drive for four and ran up 34 off 36 balls, with six boundaries, before he tried to turn a straight ball from Naved-ul-Hasan to midwicket and was trapped lbw.After lunch, Law showed more aggression, taking 14 off an over from Jason Lewry, but soon after he was caught for 95, slashing the same bowler to third man, Lancashire were nine wickets down with a deficit of 23. Then came their best hour of the match to date.Their last pair, Glen Chapple (30 not out) and Muttiah Muralitharan (28), produced a highly entertaining stand of 50 in quick time, the latter in particular playing some exotic strokes that were enjoyed by the crowd as much as himself. By the time he backed awayfrom a low full toss from Naved to be bowled, Lancashire had gained a lead of 27.The home side’s golden hour was not yet finished, as the opener Chris Nash, the topscorer of the first innings, was caught at the wicket off the first ball of the Sussex second innings, and his partner Richard Montgomerie scored only a single before being caught at slip. Then came the Sussex fightback. Mike Yardy and Murray Goodwin got their heads down and blunted the Lancashire attack with a sound partnership. Lancashire, searching for a breakthrough, decided Flintoff was ready to rise to the challenge.He began with a harmless bouncer to Yardy, and bowled two spells of two overs each at reasonable pace without either falling over or taking a wicket and conceded just a single. Even Murali failed to trouble the two batsmen.Goodwin was especially impressive through the covers, and by the close had 68 to Yardy’s 52, with their team now in the ascendancy. Even though the sun shone little this time, there was still a crowd of more than 2000 to enjoy another fine day’s play on a prominent outground. Most had left, though, by the time the match finished more than 30 minutes late due to another pathetic over-rate.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Pakistan showed they are focused on finishing their tour on a positive note as they warmed-up for the one-day series with a comfortable five-wicket win, and had 13 balls to spare, in the Twenty20 at Bristol. As expected, Shahid Afridi provided the fireworks in the run chase with a crackling 10-ball onslaught, before Mohammad Hafeez played a measured hand. Stuart Broad gave England hope with a memorable two wickets in two balls on debut, but their total was about 30 runs short after the Pakistan pacemen had ripped through the top order.Marcus Trescothick prevented a total collapse after three wickets had fallen in five balls as England slipped to 40 for 3, but the batsmen struggled to find the boundary and only managed one six in their innings. Boundaries are not something Afridi often struggles for and he didn’t hang about trying to open his account, despite walking in with Broad on a hat-trick.Broad, too, had wasted little time in making his mark on proceedings and gave a glimpse of the ability that has got the cricket world talking. His first over went for just two, then with his 10th ball on the international scene he trapped Shoaib Malik lbw. Throughout the season Broad has proved himself to be a thinking bowler and he then showed his adaptability by bouncing Younis Khan first ball, who gloved his pull shot to Chris Read. He wasn’t afraid of a stare towards the batsmen and while he hasn’t picked up bowling skills from his father, Chris, he certainly has traits of his combative spirit.Afridi, though, isn’t a player to give an inch and negotiated the hat-trick ball by heaving Broad over mid-off for a couple – and he never threatened a defensive shot. He was responsible for the majority of the 22 runs that came off Sajid Mahmood’s first over, then Broad was shown the other end of international cricket as 20 came off his third.Pakistan were 26 runs ahead of England after the fielding restrictions, but Afridi wasn’t about to take stock and tried to launch Jamie Dalrymple over the river to Wales. However, Michael Yardy – whose performance made it a good day for England’s debutants – ran backwards from long on, leaped, and held a stunning catch to at least keep the match interesting.When Yardy claimed Mohamamd Yousuf as his first international scalp, the equation almost came down to a run-a-ball. But through all the action, Hafeez had played a composed hand, working the strike, but also crunching the ball to the fence. A couple of cheeky sweeps were the highlights of the innings and when he was stranded by Paul Collingwood’s direct hit the job was nearly done. Inzamam-ul-Haq made a statement by launching Darren Gough – in his comeback match – effortlessly over long on and this week is looking rosier for him than the last seven days.With the striking power all the way down Pakistan’s order, England knew they needed an imposing total to have a real chance. Trescothick and Ian Bell had started promisingly enough, but Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif reduced them from 39 without loss to 40 for 3 within five balls. Asif removed Kevin Pietersen first ball for the second time in three innings and Strauss only faired one ball better. This left England needing to rebuild, but with Asif bowling four economical overs and the returning Rana Naved-ul Hasan also not giving much away the overs quickly ticked by.Trescothick held the innings together and showed a pleasing return to form after a difficult Test series. He’d kick-started his innings with three fours in a row off Shoaib and his trademark meaty thumps were quickly rocketing in the boundary boards. When spin was introduced, Trescothick went into slog-sweep mode and his fifty came off 33 balls. However, with England needing him to bat through the innings Abdul Razzaq produced a decent ball, which kissed the outside edge, and Kamran Akmal held his second low catch.It wasn’t until the final over that England cleared the ropes as Yardy’s quick-fire 14-ball effort at least handed them something to bowl at. But the ease with which Pakistan completed the chase showed they would have been capable of knocking off many more.

How they were out

Click here to read Cricinfo’s description of each England wicket
Click here to read Cricinfo’s description of each Pakistan wicket

Murali Kartik, the Indian left-arm spinner, has made an impressive debut for Lancashire, taking 5 for 93 against Essex. After being reduced to 145 for 7, an 86-run partnership between James Middlebrook and Andre Adams helped Essex reach 267 at Chelmsford.Kartik struck in his very first over by bowling Andy Flower who tried to execute his trademark reverse-sweep. Kartik then ripped through the middle order by removing Ronnie Irani and James Foster in quick succession. A couple of sixes, courtesy Danish Kaneria, and a spate of no balls, spoiled to a certain extent Kartik’s fantastic debut for Lancashire.Meanwhile, Dinesh Mongia, the former Indian middle-order batsman, hit a useful 71 that included ten fours and a six, as Leicestershire declared after amassing a gigantic 552 for 6 against Derbyshire at Leicester.

Michael Clarke was stunned by Darren Lehmann’s offer to stand down when Ricky Ponting returns, but the third Test, starting at Nagpur tomorrow, will be the first of a series of unofficial bat-offs between the two.Ponting’s comeback from a broken thumb, either in the fourth Test against India at Mumbai next week or the first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba from November 18, means one of the current batsmen will be squeezed out. Lehmann, at 34, is the most vulnerable unless the selectors make the unlikely move of dumping Clarke, 23, despite an amazing start to his Test career.Lehmann said after the first Test that he may stand down when Ponting returns to keep Clarke in the side but Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, rejected the selfess suggestion. Clarke himself was unhappy at the situation: “It was an unbelievable comment from such a great guy and someone who has been such a great player for Australian cricket. I want to keep playing but that call comes down to the selectors. I hope ‘Boofer’ [Lehmann] does not step down. I call him the veteran. He is the veteran of the team and like the father. Everybody goes to him for support.”In this series Clarke is well ahead of Lehmann, making 212 runs at 70.67 to Lehmann’s 62 at 15.50. As unlikely as his sacking seems, Clarke said he would be fine if the selectors omitted him when Ponting comes back. “I was selected because Ricky got injured,” he said. “If I got dropped I would not have an issue with it at all.”Clarke unwound from his heady first fortnight of Test cricket by spending four days at a luxury resort in Singapore with Damien Martyn during the team’s mini-break. “After the first day of the Chennai Test he [Martyn] was on 25 or 26 and I said if you make a hundred I’ll go with you,” Clarke said. “He initially wanted to go on his own. It turns out I was booking on the flight that night. We just had a good time and relaxed. We sat by the pool.”Clarke’s dream-like efforts with the bat at Bangalore and Chennai were marred slightly by two dropped catches at second slip. “There’s nothing worse in cricket than dropping a catch,” he said. “It’s definitely disappointing but we’re standing so close to the bat over here that the ball is coming pretty quickly.”

MELBOURNE, March 5 AAP – Shane Warne will know by next month what he can and can’t do in cricket during his year-long doping ban.But Victoria coach David Hookes would like him to at least visit the Bushrangers’ dressing room some time this week.Hookes again called for the state captain to be able to train with his team-mates so Warne can be ready to play once his ban ends on February 10 next year.The Australian Cricket Board’s legal department is working on the parameters of Warne’s ban, while its cricket operations manager Michael Brown will soon speak to Hookes about the issue.”I think it would be very unfair if he’s not allowed to practise cricket,” Hookes said ahead of the Pura Cup match against Western Australia from tomorrow at the MCG.”I concede his playing ban ends on February 10, but surely he should be ready to play on February 11.”I’m not sure if he can or not, but that’s certainly one thing we would fight on his behalf.”I don’t think anybody anywhere, even Dick Pound, would say he shouldn’t be allowed to at least play on the 11th.”Pound, the World Anti-Doping Agency chairman, has been scathing of Warne during the doping controversy that led to the leg spinner’s ban.An ACB anti-doping committee suspended Warne late last month after he tested positive to banned diuretics.ACB public affairs manager Peter Young said apart from working out the details of the suspension, the board was also keen to help make sure Warne was ready to play once his ban ended.”What we’re trying to do is we’re seeking to understand what he can and can’t do – obviously he can’t play,” Young said.”We also want to help work out a plan that will have him in peak condition and form once he returns to cricket.”Michael Brown is consulting with stakeholders in this and he’s due to speak to David Hookes.”Once the ACB lawyers finish their document, it will be signed off as policy.Young said this would probably not happen until next month.Meanwhile, Hookes was hopeful Warne would attend this week’s match and also talk to his state team-mates.”My understanding is Warney will come down during the game at some stage, just to stay away from the media people and sneak in the back door,” Hookes said.”I’d love to see him during the game – his great strength, Warney, is also his dressing room presence, because he understands the game.”He’s a big calming influence in the changeroom at the right time.”Hookes was also adamant Warne needed to bowl to national-quality batsmen during his ban.”There’s no point saying to Warne, go to some club ground and bowl against yourself, he needs to bowl against batsmen of quality,” he said.