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After edging out Pakistan in the final of the Videocon Cup in Amstelveen, Ricky Ponting reckoned that Australia were in fine shape to go on to England and annex the ICC Champions Trophy, the one bauble missing from a glittering trophy cabinet. “We have never won the Champions Trophy,” he said. “We want to win it this time.”In the aftermath of the victory, Ponting doffed his cap to the bowlers who engineered a collapse after Pakistan had appeared to be cruising at 148 for 4. He also suggested that Australia’s total of 192 for 5 had been more than adequate on a pitch where strokemaking was never easy. “Our bowlers bowled well,” he said. “We successfully defended the total. We had hoped to make somewhere around 200. It was very difficult to play the new ball on this surface.”Ponting was impressed however with the manner in which Pakistan – a seemingly reformed outfit under the guidance of Bob Woolmer – acquitted themselves. “They are a very good team,” he said. “We took some good catches. They had a couple of run outs in the middle. But still they batted and fought right up to the end.”A disappointed Inzamam-ul-Haq rued the middle-order collapse that cost his team victory. “Our bowlers bowled really well. 193 was not a big total,” he said. “But we could not reach our target as the middle-order batsmen did not play well. The two run outs took the game away from us.”He also defended the slow start – Pakistan made only 47 in the first 21 overs – saying, “It was difficult to play the new ball. So, we wanted see off the new ball and go for the shots.” He was optimistic though about the challenges that lay ahead. “My boys worked hard here. The batsmen did well in the first game. The bowlers performed well in the final. I hope to continue to play well in the Champions Trophy.”

Somerset failed to complete their hat trick of victories over international opposition when they were beaten by Zimbabwe at the County Ground on Tuesday.Chasing a total of 285 Somerset went into their final two overs needing eighteen runs to win, which had reduced to eleven by the last over, but try as they may the task was just beyond the young eighth wicket pair of Wes Durston and Gareth Andrew and they went down by just 3 runs.Earlier the visitors total had been based upon a fifth wicket partnership of 134 in 20 overs between Stuart Carlisle who made a fine 119 and Stuart Matsikenyeri who hit a breezy 66. Steffan Jones was the pick of the home bowlers with 2 for 40 from his ten overs whilst Simon Francis ended with 2 for 56.The key partnership in Somerset’s reply came from Peter Bowler and Keith Dutch who added 134 in 22 overs for the third wicket before Bowler was stumped for 93.His partner Dutch had the misfortune to be run out yet again, as he was on Sunday, whilst he was backing up at the bowler’s end when a fierce drive from Ian Blackwell was touched onto the stumps by bowler Heath Streak. The former Middlesex man had made 93, the highest one day score of his career and looked all set for a well deserved century.Skipper Mike Burns followed shortly afterwards to a sharp catch at backward square leg, and from 218 for 2 the hosts slipped to 270 for 5. Matt Wood and Blackwell were both run out which left the two Somerset youngsters facing a tough task that proved to be just beyond them.At the end of the game coach Kevin Shine said: "Once again we had an excellent pitch that produced a high scoring game, and once again we have got ourselves into a winning position, but failed because of two freak dismissals- Keith Dutch’s run out and Mike Burn’s catch at backward square.""We paced our reply well today, and Peter Bowler and Keith Dutch both played very well for us. Today we have played an international side and but for two freak dismissals we would have won," he concluded.

Mike Shrimpton, coach of the CricInfo Women’s World Cup winning New Zealand CLEAR White Ferns, has just finished a follow-up visit to Dunedin spending time with the Otago section of the New Zealand Women’s High Performance Squad.The sessions were mainly skill and drill based, backed by video analysis.Mike also introduced a number of game sense initiatives to assist in the decision-making process of Otago’s top female cricketers.Those to benefit from the visit included the majority of the Otago Sparks Squad, including captain Rowan Milburn who returned from the Netherlands only the night before having completed her overseas playing contract.A number of promising players were also involved.In addition to the Women’s Development Squad Shrimpton worked with a group of nationally recognized age group spin bowlers from Otago.New Zealand Cricket Women’s Development Squad – Otago: Rowan Milburn, Katey Martin, Hannah Rae, Suzannah Bates, Jenna Innes, Megan Kane, Alana Kane, Elizabeth Scurr, Kim Smith, Claire Thompson, Sarah Tsukigawa.Otago Spin Bowling Group: Mark Joyce, William Henry, Jordan Sheed.

Sixty-six players were put through a full day of skills and fitness tests at Indianapolis World Sports Park in the initial evaluation process to compete for a spot in an ICC Americas Combined squad for January’s WICB Regional 50-over competition. ICC Americas High Performance Consultant Tom Evans was impressed by the way the candidates responded to some of the obstacles on the day.”I thought it was a really good day,” Evans told ESPNcricinfo. “It was a pretty long day. With a little bit of weather around, it made it extra challenging from a logistical standpoint but I thought the coaches and the players were able to adapt to that really well. To go to the indoor centre and do the fitness testing there and using St. Vincent Sport Performance (SVSP), who were excellent doing the testing, I think they showed that level of professionalism that we’re keen for these guys to strive towards.”The ICC brought four strength and conditioning coaches from SVSP, renowned for their training and testing methods to improve speed and agility in NFL, NBA and track athletes, to test all participants. Due to morning rain in Indianapolis, the players were brought to an indoor training facility and measured on a broad jump, a 20-metre sprint and a modified shuttle run to simulate three runs between the wickets.”When we look at this group today of cricket players, what impresses me is that when you challenge people to be athletic and they respond,” said Ralph Reiff, executive director of SVSP. “They were very attentive, they were ready to go, no one was an outlier on the backside of the bell curve so no one demonstrated that they don’t belong here so I was impressed by that. There was a very high level of athleticism within this group.”Rain cleared by the afternoon to allow the trial to shift back to the Indianapolis World Sports Park. The players were divided into seven groups, with one coach specifically assigned to track each group. Separately, the four specialist evaluators – Mike Young for fielding, Courtney Walsh for pace bowling, Venkatapathy Raju for spin bowling and Evans for batting – each ran a station checking on specific skills.”The love that these guys are showing in wanting to be here, the pride, it’s kind of blown me away a little bit,” Young said. “I didn’t know what to expect but they made me more excited as well. I was pumped up to start with but I’m like, man these kids want it so bad. Talking to Courtney and all the other coaches, they all agree. They’ve just been fantastic.”Though 83 players were invited to come to Indianapolis, 17 were absent from Saturday. Among those were four Canada players – Hiral Patel, Jeremy Gordon, Shaheed Keshvani and Srimantha Wijeratne – and two USA players, Japen Patel and Mrunal Patel, who were part of their country’s respective squads at July’s World T20 Qualifier. Evans said some withdrew due to injury and others might show up by Monday but may find it more difficult to make it into next weekend’s second phase.”There were a variety of issues why people didn’t come and we expected that when you ask people to get themselves here,” Evans said. “We really respect the fact that 66 did and even more wanted to but just couldn’t do it. But we were really pleased that people were willing to make that investment. In terms of the guys who might be late arrivals, they’ll be putting themselves under more pressure because they’re going to get seen less so they’ll probably have to do something outstanding when they get here.”Players will compete in trial matches on Sunday in the next step of the phase one evaluation process before more trial matches are scheduled for Monday.

The prospect of a full-strength West Indies squad boycotting the World Twenty20 due to a contracts impasse appears less likely after the team captain, Darren Sammy, informed the West Indies Cricket Board that the team wants to play the tournament, which starts in India from March 8.

‘You cannot continue to be unfair, unreasonable’

Dear Sir,
As captain of the WT20 team, I wish that we can settle this matter and focus on preparations for the tournament. I want to state on behalf of the players that we want to play and will represent the West Indies to the best of our abilities. The embarrassment and fiasco of the Indian Tour which was called off by the Board must not be allowed to happen. However, it is the arrogance and high-handedness of the Board which cause these problems. You cannot continue [to] force players to be represented by a body that they are not members of and do not want to represent them. You cannot continue to be unfair and unreasonable. Issues like this will continue to plague West Indies cricket unless you have an MOU and arrangements for non-WIPA players are fair and just. ‎We are aware that, win or lose, this may well be the last tournament for most of us as reprisals will set in but we will speak out for what is fair. We are players and we know that unless radical changes take place, players will always have the grievance of which we complain.

In an email sent to the board over the last 24 hours, Sammy, however, reiterated his original demand asking the WICB to double the match fees, and share 50% of the sponsorship revenue and 100% prize money with the players. Sammy also asked the board if they would be ready for a mediation to settle the matter in case of a disagreement. Sammy’s latest communiqué comes after the WICB had set February 14 as the deadline for the players to agree to the terms of the contract, failing which it would be assumed they had refused selection for the World T20.”As captain of the WT20 team, I wish that we can settle this matter and focus on preparations for the tournament,” Sammy said in his third e-mail this week to WICB CEO Michael Muirhead. “I want to state on behalf of the players that we want to play and will represent the West Indies to the best of our abilities.”All through this week Sammy, who is playing for the Peshawar Zalmi franchise in the Pakistan Super League, has been involved in a dialogue with the WICB through a series of e-mail exchanges with Muirhead. In his previous two e-mails to Muirhead, Sammy said the WICB needed to double the players’ remuneration for the World T20 and stated they did not recognise the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) as their representative. Muirhead told Sammy that WIPA was the “exclusive collective bargaining agent for West Indian players.”Muirhead also let Sammy know that the WICB did not agree with the “old hierarchical system” of payment to players for ICC events under which senior players received “grossly disproportionate” amounts solely based on the number of international matches played.Sammy said that he would not be happy to repeat the “embarrassment and fiasco” of West Indies’ pull-out from the India tour in 2014 but pointed out that the WICB could not continue with its “high-handedness”, the main reason behind the frequent run-ins between both parties.”You cannot continue [to] force players to be represented by a body that they are not members of and do not want to represent them,” Sammy said referring to the WIPA. “You cannot continue to be unfair and unreasonable. Issues like this will continue to plague West Indies cricket unless you have an MOU and arrangements for non-WIPA players are fair and just.”Sammy said he was aware, yet unafraid, of the “reprisals”, and stated that “unless radical changes take place, players will always have the grievance of which we complain.”For the third time this week, he also asked the WICB to double the match fee of $6,900 on offer in addition to sharing 50% of sponsorship fees and 100% of the prize money with the players. “If you don’t agree to the above, would you consider that this matter goes to mediation for a settlement,” Sammy asked.

Ashwell Prince has resigned as president of the South African Cricketers’ association (SACA) following a report in , an Afrikaans newspaper, that 30 cricketers had signed a memorandum calling for the eradication of the quota system in South African cricket.Prince, who was currently touring India with the South African A squad, alleged that details of the meeting between Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the cricketers had been leaked to the media.”I trusted people and that confidentiality has been broken. I was betrayed and used”, Prince told . “I feel strongly that SACA had nothing to do with this. But the fact that it could have been a player, or players, made me realise that I cannot represent people whom I cannot trust””My standpoint about certain aspects of CSA’s policy has never been a secret. Those who conspired against me should have known it,” Prince said. “Someone who was at the meeting we held last week has leaked [details of] the discussions to the news media.”Prince’s resignation was the latest in a period of off-field turbulence in South African cricket: Jacques Kallis’ resignation as vice-captain of the national team following his omission from the ICC World Twenty20, disciplinary hearings involving Mark Boucher and Loots Bosman, and Andrew Hall’s retirement from international cricket.

Inzamam-ul-Haq has been charged with bringing the game into disrepute along with changing the condition of the ball and, if found guilty, faces a ban of up to eight ODIs or four Tests. The ICC have confirmed that Inzamam will face a Code of Conduct hearing on Friday in London.Both Inzamam’s charges will be considered during a hearing to be conducted by the ICC chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle. Madugalle has been appointed to chair the hearing because Mike Procter, the match referee at The Oval, was involved in the incidents that took place on Sunday afternoon and is likely to be asked to present evidence to the hearing.Inzamam has been charged, as captain, with a breach of level 2.10 of the ICC code which relates to changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 42.3 of the Laws of Cricket.This charge was brought by Billy Doctrove and Darrell Hair, the on-field umpires, on Sunday. If Inzamam is found guilty of breaching this provision he faces a fine of between 50 and 100% of his match fee and/or a one-Test or two-ODI ban.Inzamam has also been charged with a breach of C2 at level 3 of the code which relates to conduct that brings the player or the game into disrepute. This charge was brought by Doctrove and Hair, along with Peter Hartley and Trevor Jesty, the third and fourth umpires, following a meeting on Monday morning.If Inzamam is found guilty, an appeal must be made within 24 hours and he would be allowed to continue playing until that has been heard.

Darren Lehmann, who was named in the squad to face New Zealand at Brisbane ahead of Simon Katich, will find his preparation time severely limited by having to testify in the court case investigating the death of David Hookes, his close friend. Zdravko Micevic, a Melbourne nightclub bouncer, faces manslaughter charges over the attack that led to Hookes’s death, and Lehmann will give an eyewitness account of what happened in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda last January when he appears before the Magistrates Court next Monday.The rest of Lehmann’s team-mates will arrive in Brisbane on Sunday evening, and there is no guarantee that he will be able to make it there before the Australians have their first net session at the Gabba on Tuesday. Lehmann has admitted that the legal obligation makes for difficult preparation ahead of the two-Test series, more so since he is just coming off a hamstring injury suffered during the Nagpur Test against India last month.In his column for an Adelaide newspaper, Lehmann wrote, “It [the court case] isn’t a nice thing and will be a difficult preparation. It’s something I’m not looking forward to but it has to be done. It is a responsibility I have to fulfil.”Undoubtedly, Hookesy will be in my mind when I go out to bat in Brisbane.”John Buchanan, the Australian coach, said there were no fitness worries over Lehmann, and even suggested that Lehmann might benefit from the court appearance. “It obviously was an important moment in his life, considering his association with David,” he said, “and so it will probably be very good for him to have all that cleared behind him before the summer season starts.”

After holding posts as the president of the ICC and the Indian board, Jagmohan Dalmiya is all set to head the Asian Cricket Council. According to a report in The Indian Express, Dalmiya will take over from Mohammad Ali Asghar, currently president of the ACC and the Bangladesh board, when his term ends on June 29.The post of ACC president works on a rotation basis, and it is now India’s turn to take the chair. The election, which is expected to be a formality, will take place in London, where the heads of boards will be present for an ICC executive board meeting.Dalmiya’s term as president of the BCCI ends only in September, which means that there will be a period of three months when he will head both, the ACC and the BCCI. Dalmiya had earlier been the secretary of the ACC between 1993 and 1996.

Billed as `twice the action; half the time’, the new Twenty20 Cup cricket competition being launched at The Rose Bowl appears to be an appealing concept as over one thousand tickets have already been booked within the first week of sales.At 5.30pm on Friday, 13th June, the Hampshire Cricket team will face the Sussex squad for two hours and 45 minutes of fast-forward cricket that should produce a summer’s evening full of high scores and fast action. Following on from the cricket action, The Rose Bowl will also be hosting a live concert starring both Mis-Teeq and D’Side plus additional supporting acts.With all seating around The Rose Bowl being allocated, the Hampshire Cricket membership and ticket office has been inundated with enquiries and bookings for the reserved seating, car park spaces and new park & ride facility."The telephone has just not stopped ringing." said membership and ticketing manager, Jill Smithers. "There has obviously been incredible interest from our members, but interestingly, the fast action concept and the after-match concert are proving a big hit with a much wider audience, including office and business social groups planning a great Friday night out, school parties and many people who would not normally be attracted to a standard cricket match. They are all anticipating a really great atmosphere around the ground."The Rose Bowl has also had considerable interest for the special `hospitality’ package that provides a hot supper and complimentary bar of beer, house wine and soft drinks for £60 per person.The Twenty20 Cup is the first brand new competition for county cricket for almost 30 years.Tickets covering both the cricket match and the concert are £15 for adults and £10 for under sixteens and senior citizens Further information and advance tickets can be obtained on 0870 243 0291.EndsIssued by: Hampshire CricketPress Contact: Jane Kerr 07976 549705Simon DalySales Manager – The Rose BowlTel. 023 8047 2002Fax. 023 8047 2122Mob. 07766 505794