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Dean Jones, the Indian Cricket League’s operations manager, said the organisers of the new Twenty20 competition had drawn up a “hit list” of current and former players they hoped to sign up. Jones would not rule out trying to attract stars like Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, but said: “We haven’t got as much money as some people think”.He said the tournament would be another option for international players who could not get an English county contract. “It will fill a bit of a void for some of the international players around the world,” Jones told .”There are always concerns about Australians playing county cricket because they play so much, but there will be openings for them to play in our matches. A) they can earn some extra money and, b) it won’t be as taxing on their bodies. There are a few lining up.”The ICL, which was set up by Zee Sports, is set to hold its first matches in early November. Jones said the group was not out to compete with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “We won’t be playing matches at the same time they will be,” Jones said. “We’ll carefully schedule our matches and the times we are playing.”We’re not trying to be a competitor to the BCCI – far from it. If India saw a couple of young lads playing really well in our tournament and they needed them for an Indian A tour or even the India team, we’d welcome the BCCI with open arms and say ‘you can have him’. That’s what it’s all about.”

Pakistan are concerned there will be long-term implications if, as expected, Australia pull out of their scheduled tour there due to security issues. It has become increasingly unlikely the series will go ahead in Pakistan but Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, has continued to rule out playing the games outside the country.”Neutral venues are a dangerous option in terms of not benefiting the cricket of both the playing countries as there will not be a crowd from both the countries and such series are played for the sake of viewers of TV,” Naghmi said in the . “If we accept it [playing at neutral venues] then in future there will be no end to this practice and it can ruin cricket around the world.”A cricket series not only involves two playing teams but also millions of fans from both sides. There are always huge crowds to witness such encounters and cricket series are not just for the sake of cricket’s television viewers.”Naghmi was also confident that if the ICC was asked to assess safety in Pakistan it would find no reason teams should not tour. “All the countries have agreed to come here,” Naghmi told the . “If it comes to that it would be nine countries versus one in the sense that other countries have been happy to tour Pakistan. It is only Australia that hasn’t come here for many, many years now.”Cricket Australia was briefed by the Australian government this week following bomb blasts in Lahore on Tuesday. Australia’s players are reluctant to play in Pakistan and the Australian Cricketers’ Association will not send a representative with a pre-tour security delegation. Naghmi said Pakistan were ready for Australia to pull out, although they hoped that would not happen.”If they think they cannot tour we will think about the steps to follow at that stage,” he said. “We are bracing ourselves for all decisions. The worst is that they will not come. We will be disappointed, obviously.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Chris Gayle drilled six fours and nine sixes during his century•Caribbean Premier League

Chris Gayle continued his rich vein of form in Twenty20 cricket, blasting 105 off just 57 deliveries to set up Jamaica Tallawah’s 50-run victory against Trinidad & Tobago at Sabina Park. Gayle’s assault, his seventh 50-plus score in nine matches, also lifted the hosts up to second in the table, level on points with Barbados Tridents, who have played a game more, while Red Steel were left rooted at the bottom.Gayle came into the match boasting scores of 92, 151*, 85*, 90*, 72* and 64* for Tallawahs and Somerset in the last couple of months, and he did not take long to get going on Thursday, swinging Jacques Kallis for six over long-on off just the fourth ball he faced. Gayle launched two more sixes in the next over, by Johan Botha, before carting three fours off an over from Dwayne Bravo as Tallawahs raced to 70 inside seven overs. Gayle’s opening partner Chadwick Walton contributed just 13 in that stand.Suliemann Benn briefly halted the flow of runs, dismissing both Chris Lynn and Mahela Jayawardene in the 11th over, but Gayle continued to shred the Red Steel bowling, hitting a total of six fours and nine sixes to end with a strike-rate of 184.21. Gayle received ample support from Jermaine Blackwood, with who he added 68 for the fifth wicket off just 42 balls. Gayle eventually fell in the 19th over, but Blackwood’s 28-ball 38 took the team to 180 for 6, Tallawah’s highest of the season. It also meant that Gayle had accounted for more than half his team’s score.Red Steel never really got going in the chase and lost wickets right from the off, with three top-order batsmen getting out for ducks. Kallis top-scored with 46, but received little by way of support from his team-mates, as Krishmar Santokie (3 for 27), Daniel Vettori (2 for 22) and Jerome Taylor (2 for 21) struck at regular intervals to keep the visitors to 130 for 9.

ScorecardRight-arm pacer Mudassar Bukhari claimed career-best T20 figures of 4 for 7, as Netherlands routed UAE by 84 runs in Dubai. Bukhari’s burst and assistance from Michael Swart and Paul van Meekeren reduced UAE to 7 for 5 within four overs, the lowest five-down score in all T20Is.Mohammad Usman, the only UAE batsman to move into double figures, then launched a counterattack with an unbeaten 49 off 44 balls, including four fours and three sixes. However, it only offered scant consolation for UAE. Michael Rippon cleaned up the tail as they folded for 73 in 16.4 overs.The match, though, was set up by forties from Wesley Barresi and Peter Borren. The pair added 77 for the third wicket before they were dismissed in a space of three balls, in the 18th over. Earlier, opener Stephan Myburgh hit 35 off 26 balls to give Netherlands early impetus. They eventually finished with 157 for 5, which proved 84 too many for UAE.

The world’s top three global news agencies are set to continue their boycott of Australian cricket coverage through the Hobart Test, which begins on Friday. Agence France-Presse, Reuters and Associated Press did not cover the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka in Brisbane due to a dispute with Cricket Australia.Reuters reported that there had been a breakdown in negotiations, which would mean a likely continuation of the standoff during the second Test. Although progress has been made on some issues, the agencies’ right to distribute photographs freely is still a sticking point.”Reuters remains adamant on its right to distribute sports news pictures freely,” Monique Villa, the managing director of Reuters Media, told Reuters. “I met with Cricket Australia last Sunday in London and nothing has really changed. They want to control our news and who can receive it, which is totally unacceptable.”Cricket Australia’s spokesman Peter Young said the negotiations were complex but he was hopeful of a quick resolution. “The good news is that the agencies are talking to us again,” he said. “We were very disappointed when they wouldn’t come back to the table.”Young also denied that the Australian board was being greedy, an allegation that has been levelled against it by some Australian politicians and trade union leaders. “That is definitely not the case. There are a number of issues here that don’t just relate to cricket but to all sports,” Young said. “The world is changing and if people want to sit down and look at the issues instead of the lurid newspaper headlines then I think they’ll see that this really is a complex issue.”The Australian stand has already found some support, with the Indian board saying they might impose similar restrictions on the media for their home games.

Nayan Doshi, who walked out on Surrey last month, has signed for Warwickshire for the remainder of the summer.Doshi, 28, quit The Oval after becoming frustrated at the lack of first-team opportunities. He had become labeled as a one-day specialist, and was particularly effective in Twenty20 cricket where he had taken 53 wickets in 20 matches.Doshi was drafted straight into Warwickshire’s squad for their Championship match against Sussex at Hove but did not make the final XI after he was ruled ineligible by ECB umpires before the start of play on Wednesday.The ECB later said he was ineligible under Regulation 4.3 of the ECB conditions: “To transfer a registration between two first class counties in one season there must be agreement between the two first class counties involved.”Surrey released their own statement to say they had de-registered him as a player: “As such, Doshi is a free agent. We are awaiting advice from our lawyers as to the interpretation of all the issues involved, and will make a full statement on receipt of that advice.”

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

The best one-day matches are decided in tight finishes and, when the life of a series hangs in that balance, it makes the tension that much more real. Led by a magnificent 94 from Sachin Tendulkar and an icy-cool unbeaten 47 from Robin Uthappa, India hunted down the target of317 with two balls to spare. England fought hard and never let go but the price India paid for playing only four bowlers was compensated – if only just – by the decision to play seven batsmen.The last few overs were dramatic, and none more than the final one. Uthappa, playing in his first match of the series and batting in the unfamiliar role of the finisher, found himself facing Stuart Broad, England’s best bowler of the day, with 10 runs needed to keep his team in the series. The first ball yielded a hard-run two but Broad fired the next in the blockhole; Uthappa could only dig it out straight to the bowler who comfortably ran out Zaheer Khan, backed up too far.The next ball was another full ball, aimed at the middle stump. Uthappa, though, was outside the off stump by the time the ball got to him and deftly helped it over the short fine leg. The fielder was pushed back and in came long-off. This time Uthappa was down the wicket and the ball went screaming past mid-off. Through these two high-quality and calculated strokes, one young man had out-thought the other. It was a nerveless innings when the run-chase had threatened to go horribly wrong.India began their pursuit with their heaviest artillery, Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, firing in unison. Ganguly set the tone, putting James Anderson away through his favourite point region. Tendulkar then responded with a flick off Broad that flew off the bat and it was game on. There was decisiveness to the calling as the pair pinched quick singles. While they still traded largely in boundaries, there was no hesitancy in the running between wickets, a refreshing trend after the last few games.Tendulkar picked off Anderson for three consecutive boundaries – an off drive, a flick through square leg and a repeat of the earlier stroke – in the eighth over, and Ganguly was keen not to be left out. Off the next over he came breezily down the pitch to Broad and carved him over cover. There was an exchange of words as Broad clearly wasn’t enjoying bowling to two highly skilled one-day batsmen on an unhelpful pitch. All this did was spur Ganguly on further, and another trip down the pitch sent the ball several rows back in the stands behind long-on.The fifty for India – hardly maniacal – came off 49 balls, and soon enough Tendulkar brought up his 83rd half-century. The next Indian fifty came even sooner, off 37 balls, and suddenly the target of 316 appeared manageable.With Tendulkar sweeping past short fine leg when the man was in the circle, and hitting inside-out through cover when the field changed, there was little the bowlers could do. Needing to score at more than six an over for the 50-over span, it needed runs from both ends, and Ganguly matched Tendulkar in volume and entertainment. He even unfurled the pull, timingand placing the ball perfectly, one bounce and over the ropes.What made India’s progress particularly pleasing was the fact that barely a serious appeal had passed in the course of the partnership. Then, against the run of play Ganguly fell, on 53, when he made room and tried to hit over the off side. He just failed to clear Kevin Pietersen at coverand India lost their first wicket for 150. Broad, who had bowled with purpose amid the run-glut, finally had reward for his toil.

Then came a passage of play that Indian fans are familiar with. One wicket was followed by another as Tendulkar, cramping and struggling on, hit Monty Panesar inside-out, much like Ganguly, and was caught by Paul Collingwood. Tendulkar had fallen in the nineties for the fifth time on this tour, and soon after the complexion of the game changed.Dravid fell to a soft dismissal; Yuvraj Singh hit a couple of pleasing shots but checked a drive and popped a catch back to Dimitri Mascarenhas; Gautam Gambhir threatened to consolidate but threw his wicket away at 47. When he fell, India had 234 on the board and stillneeded 83 from 58 balls. Then Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Uthappa shepherded India through a passage where the required rate rocketed over 10.The two kept their cool, and despite some intelligent bowling from Broad, the runs came. Uthappa scooped one over short fine leg, pulled off the front foot, and a couple of edges either side of the wicketkeeper put India within touching distance of the target. Still, with 23 needed from the last two overs, and the bowlers sacrificing their wickets, it came right down to the wire with 10 needed from the last over. Then Uthappa, with 47 from only 33 balls, went from being a passenger to a hero.From very early on, this game had the makings of a cracker, with the balance of power shifting one way and then the other, never quite settling decisively in either team’s favour. Zaheer continued his torment of Alastair Cook, removing him with the second ball of the day when Cookplayed slightly inside the line and nicked to the keeper. A straight delivery from Ajit Agarkar had Matt Prior trapped leg before as he moved a long way across his stumps and England were 20 for 2.Ian Bell, who has been in rollicking form all series, continued to pile on the runs, hitting crisply through the off side and working the ball away through leg with clever deflections. He went quite effortlessly to 49, and took his overall tally to 386 from six matches, before playing a looseacross-the-line heave to a loopy delivery from Piyush Chawla, only to have his stumps disturbed.England’s other in-form batsman, Collingwood, was dismissed soon after, in slightlydramatic circumstances. Kevin Pietersen played one to cover and set off for the single. Dinesh Karthik provided a strong return and as Dhoni whipped the bails off, Collingwood was stretching to make his ground. Peter Hartley, standing in his first ODI, did not call for the third umpire, but swiftly changed his mind once the big screen at the ground replayed the action. Ian Gould, correctly, gave Collingwood out, and England’s captain trudged off, muttering angrily to himself. At 83 for 4, having chosen to bat on a good surface, England appeared to be squandering a golden chance to seal the series.But Pietersen, who has little to show in terms of runs in this series, andOwais Shah, who still didn’t seem to be picking either of India’sspinners, put together a gritty and determined 54 for the fifth wicket.Neither batsman was completely comfortable, especially early on, but theyboth placed a high price on their wickets.It took the second run out of the innings to separate Pietersen and Shah, and when the two ended up at the same end, and the bails were taken off at the other, it was Pietersen who had to go with Shah standing his ground. Pietersen made 53, but it had come off as many as 82 balls, and that was a measure of how tight Ganguly, Chawla and Ramesh Powar keptthings.If Shah felt a burden for his part in the run-out of Pietersen, he carriedit lightly, playing the innings of his 24-ODI career. He began with a thumping drive through off, and despite going momentarily off the boil, found his groove as the overs wound down. His strong bottom-handed grip proved ideal to tackle the low full tosses that were sent down as thebowlers strived for yorkers. The fours piled on, occasionally were converted to sixes, and in the penultimate over of the innings a clip to long-on off Tendulkar brought Shah his maiden ODI hundred.But while Shah scored the most runs, it was Luke Wright, making his ODI debut, who brought a smile to the face. He batted in the manner that has propelled him to this level – strong, forthright, ambitious and powerful – hitting cleanly especially down the ground. He wrested the initiative away from India, scoring quickly and running hard to make 50 off 39 before a strong throw from Uthappa nailed him short of his crease.Shah’s unbeaten 107 took England to a good score. Mascarenhas’ going berserk took them to a truly imposing one. With Zaheer having bowled out, Dravid went to Yuvraj to bowl the final over. Mascarenhas missed out with the first ball, but deposited the next five into thestands in the arc from square leg to long-on. England finished on a high, with the last pair adding 73 from 34 balls, with 316 on the board. That was a lot, but not quite enough to seal the series.

Indian batsman Virender Sehwag has said that teams can consistently post over 200 in Twenty20 matches if they are prepared to bat out 20 overs. Speaking ahead of the Indian team’s departure for the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, Sehwag said that teams tend to get the strategy wrong by going for quick runs early, often getting bowled out before the allotted quota of overs.”The plan should be to play out the full 20 overs,” Sehwag told PTI. “A score of 200 is on the cards if a team plays out the full quota. I have seen this happen often in England where I have played this format.”Sehwag was ignored for the tour of England owing to a loss of form. He spoke about how he had been preparing himself for the tournament, simulating the conditions the Indians would expect in South Africa, in terms of the pace and bounce of the wickets.”I have been doing yoga,” he said. “I want to control my game and aggression during the match days and hopefully I will do well. I have been practicing with synthetic balls on cement courts to get used to the bounce. I have also practiced against yorker-length balls as bowlers tend to get thrashed to all parts of the park. Therefore they are bound to resort to bowling yorkers and bouncers.”Sehwag added that the spinners will have an important role to play, taking the pace off the ball to make the batsmen check their strokes. “Hitting slower balls would not be easy and spinners have been successful in this game. I would also like to contribute with my offbreaks.”Commenting on the team composition, Sehwag said India’s lack of experience at the Twenty20 level shouldn’t count against them as a few members of India’s young squad had been exposed to the format in England. He captained India in its only Twenty20 international, against South Africa in Johannesburg last December and won.”Only five or six of us have not been playing but at this level one should be able to play in the tournament straightaway,” he said. “It’s good that youngsters are getting chances which will stand them in good stead when they have to assume bigger responsibilities.”

1993
Makes his first-class debut for Somerset aged 17.1994
Cracks his first fifty (81) against Hampshire and follows that up with his maiden first-class hundred against Surrey (121).1996, 1997
Denis Compton Award for “most promising young player”.1998
Duncan Fletcher, the Glamorgan coach and soon-to-be England’s,watches Trescothick smack 167 on a slippery Taunton pitch. The next highest score in the match was 50.July 8, 2000
Makes his ODI debut against Zimbabwe, stroking 79 in a losing cause.August 3, 2000
His Test debut against West Indies at Old Trafford. Like a duck to water, he scores 66 and an unbeaten 38.February 24, 2001
Hits his maiden Test hundred against Sri Lanka in Galle, a fine innings of immense concentration in sapping heat, though England still lost.June 12, 2001
Launches 137 from just 142 balls against Pakistan in the NatWest Series, again in vain.May 2002
Hits 161 in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston. England win by an innings and 111 runs.June 20, 2003
Gained revenge against Pakistan, battering 86 from 55 to lead England to a win.2005
Spearheaded a no-holds-barred approach against Australia with 431 runs and a top score of 90, as he – and England – finally reclaim the Ashes.Later that year Trescothick scores 193 in a lost cause against Pakistan in Multan.February 2006
The beginning of the end. Word is out that Trescothick will fly home before England’s Test series against India for ‘personal’ reasons.April 2006
Makes himself available to play for Somerset throughout the first weeks of the season, as he seeks to put his winter problems behind him and regain his England place ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka in May. Marches into form with a breathtaking assault on Kent.May 2006
Signals his return to international cricket with a robust first-day century against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, his 14th in all.September 2006
England’s Champions Trophy preparations, already weakened by injuries, receive another blow with news that Trescothick will miss the tournament after receiving specialist medical advice.November 2006
A troubled Trescothick flies home from Australia with a reoccurrence of his “stress-related illness” and plays no part in the Ashes.March 2007
Already ruled out of the World Cup in the World Cup in the Caribbean, Trescothick undergoes a double hernia operation to be fit for the start of the domestic season with Somerset.July 2007
Despite an encouraging county season he declares himself unavailable for September’s ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa as well as England’s winter tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand.September 2007
Speaks out for the first time about the depressive illness which blighs his career and threatens to curtail it prematurely.March 2008
Announces his retirement from international cricket.

North Division

Derbyshire held on for a notable one-run win against defending champions Durham at Derby, although Ben Harmison and last-man Neil Killeen almost engineered a terrific fight back when Killeen was run out by Rikki Clarke off the final ball trying to level the scores. At 147 for 7, needing more than a run-a-ball, Durham appeared out of contention, but the lower order chipped away at the target while Harmison held firm to set up the thriller. Phil Mustard (45) gave the chase a positive start before the batting fell away to Graham Wagg and Charl Langeveldt. Derbyshire’s total was mainly due to an opening stand of 132 from Chris Rogers (72) and Steve Stubbings (52) and although the middle order failed to capitalise against a strong Durham attack they had just enough. The match was twice delayed by the setting sun, a common problem at the ground because of the East-West facing pitch.

South/West Division

Kevin Pietersen’s return to action wasn’t enough to inspire Hampshire as they went down by six wickets to Somerset at The Rose Bowl as he was overshadowed by an unbeaten 90-ball 112 from James Hildreth, one of the rising talents in the game. Pietersen cracked 62 off 59 balls and Sean Ervine 55 off 36 deliveries, but Somerset had few problems chasing the runs down despite being without Justin Langer and the loss of stand-in captain Marcus Trescothick for 1. Hildreth added 159 for the third wicket with Zander de Bruyn (79) and he ensured a minor wobble against Greg Lamb’s offspin was nothing more than a blip as the winning runs came with nine balls to spare. Hampshire were handicapped when Shane Bond limped off after five overs with a calf strain.