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Michael Vaughan, the England captain, insists that there will be no “Ashes let-down” for his side when they play Pakistan. On the eve of England’s departure for a three-Test and seven one-day match tour, Vaughan told reporters at the team’s hotel that his side would have to be at their best to win in Pakistan.”The Ashes are a massive goal and we attained that in the summer. It was great to play the cricket that we did in England. We’ll certainly keep our feet on the ground but we have to draw confidence from the fact we beat Australia and played some fantastic cricket in the summer.”There are only five players from England’s successful 1-0 win in a three Test series on their last tour of Pakistan in 2000-01 – Vaughan, Matthew Hoggard, Ashley Giles, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff – in the current squad and Vaughan said his team would have to adapt quickly to the conditions.”It’s a big challenge and opportunity for the team to continue the progress we made in the summer,” said Vaughan, who doubled up as a sightscreen pusher when England won five years ago in fading light at Karachi to clinch a dramatic series win. “The last two years the England team have played some good cricket and the tour to Pakistan is really going to test our skills in conditions which some of the players haven’t played in.”Pakistan’s pitches traditionally offer plenty of assistance to spin bowlers and although Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach and former England batsman, said he wanted to play the series on good rather than turning wickets, Vaughan was in no doubt about what sort of surfaces would confront his men.”I would be very surprised if we go to Pakistan and it doesn’t spin. But we have become decent players of spin over the last few years,” said Vaughan. “Look at the World XI team (in the recent ICC Super Test in Australia) and the success Stuart MacGill and Shane Warne (both leg spinners) had against the best players in the world. That shows what success we had against Warne. He managed to take 40 wickets but we took him for a few an over.”Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, said the lack of hype in comparison to the Ashes would also work in the squad’s favour. “After what took place it should be one of the best tours to go on. There should be very few distractions and I think that will be good for the side.”England will be without injured reverse swing specialist Simon Jones, one of their Ashes stars. “He will be missed because he has become a fantastic bowler with reverse swing, but it creates chances for Liam Plunkett, James Anderson and Alex Loudon,” admitted Vaughan. “It will be a real challenge, but an exciting challenge. We just need to stick to our basics and get our plans right.”England play their first tour match in Rawalpindi, a three-day game, starting on October 31 with the first Test at Multan commencing on November 12.

Scotland will play meet the qualifier from the Africa region – in all likelihood Kenya – while Canada will face the winner of the Asian group – either UAE, Malaysia or Nepal – in the semi-finals of the Intercontinental Cup in Sharjah in November. The draw was made at Edgbaston during the Kenya v Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy match.The decider in the African group will take place in Nairobi between October 1 and 3 when Kenya host Namibia. The Asian group’s final game is between Malaysia and UAE in Kuala Lumpur between September 17 and 19.The semi-finals will take place in the United Arab Emirates from November 16 to 18, with the three-day final starting on November 21.Scotland was the first Associate Member to qualify for the semi-finals, defeating Ireland by eight wickets in Dublin to win the European group. Canada was the second country to qualify, drawing the final match against Bermuda in Toronto and so squeezing out USA by three points.

Frizzell County Championship Division One

Essex 7 for 0 v Kent 381 at Chelmsford
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David Fulton celebrated his return to the Kent side by making 93 in only his second Championship appearance of the summer as Kent ended the day in a good position at Chelmsford. Fulton, who was sidelined by a serious eye injury, put on 138 for the first wicket with Michael Carberry (50), but thereafter Kent lost wickets as they pressed for quick runs. Geraint Jones cracked 84 off 81 balls before being run out, and Essex offspinner James Middlebrook capitalised on some unexpected first-day spin to take 6 for 112. Essex’s cause was not helped whenJoseph Grant hobbled off with a groin strain in the morning. “It would have been nice to have scored a hundred,” admitted Fulton, “but I would have settled for 93 before the start of play.”

Leicestershire v Nottinghamshire 90 for 3 at Leicester
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Rain and bad light limited play to less than half the allotted time as Nottinghamshire struggled to 90 for 3 at the close after winning the toss. It could have been worse. They were 11 for 2 as Phil DeFreitas struck twice in his first three overs before Guy Welton (41) and Russell Warren (32*) put on 78 for the third wicket. Welton fell to David Masters shortly before the rain set in.

Middlesex 311 for 7 v Surrey at Lord’s
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Championship leaders Surrey struggled to assert their authority at a gloomy Lord’s, with Ben Hutton leading the Middlesex resistance with 101, his second successive Championship hundred. Middlesex started well, but the dismissal of Andy Strauss for 47 triggered a mini collapse as they slid to 148 for 5. But Hutton and Paul Weekes (39) added 102 for the sixth wicket as Surrey ran out of ideas. Hutton was bowled by Ian Salisbury 14 balls before the close. Veteran seamer Martin Bicknell was the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 71.Sussex 395 for 5 v Warwickshire at Hove
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Tony Cottey played the innings of the day, smashing 188, including 31 fours, in his first century at Hove for four years. Sussex started badly, losing Murray Goodwin to Waqar Younis for a duck, but thereafter it was one way traffic as Cottey added 165 with Richard Montgomerie (66), 71 with Chris Adams (35), and 103 with Tim Ambrose (50). Cottey had one life when he was dropped by Mark Wagh on 85.

Frizzell County Championship Division TwoGlamorgan 228 for 7 v Worcestershire at Cardiff
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Play didn’t start until after lunch at Cardiff, but that didn’t worry Michael Powell as he scored an unbeaten 116 to rescue Glamorgan from a poor start. Matthew Mason struck twice to help division leaders Worcestershire reduce Glamorgan to 31 for 3, but thereafter Powell never looked in trouble, striking a 148-ball hundred.Hampshire 17 for 0 v Gloucestershire 185 at Southampton
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Gloucestershire never got going at the Rose Bowl, being bowled out for 185 to give Hampshire hopes of their first win of the season. Phil Weston (39) and Chris Taylor (24) took Gloucestershire to 70 for 1 before Taylor’s diligent innings was ended when he fell leg-before to Ed Giddins, and thereafter only extras (second-highest scorer with 29) made any significant contribution. Wasim Akram made the most of overcast conditions to take 3 for 31, and Dmitri Mascarenhas weighed in with 3 for 48. Hampshire had made 17 for 0 in 12 overs when bad light intervened.

Northamptonshire 203 v Derbyshire 46 for 3 at Northampton
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Wickets tumbled at Northampton, with ten falling between lunch and the close. Northants were cruising at 116 for 1 after winning the toss, thanks to a second-wicket stand of 80 between Phil Jacques (60) and Michael Hussey (59). But both fell shortly before lunch, and the collapse really set in after the break as Northants lost nine wickets for 87, Nathan Dumelow taking 5 for 82 and Lian Wharton 4 for 50. Derbyshire were soon in a mess themselves, slumping to 22 for 3 before Mohammad Kaif (17*) stopped the rot.

Somerset 275 v Yorkshire at Taunton
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Somerset had to thanks Rob Turner for rescuing them after Yorkshire had threatened to bowl them out for under 100 in another match whcih didn’t get underway until after lunch. Chris Silverwood (3 for 46) and Steve Kirby (5 for 74) ripped through Somerset’s top order on a green pitch to leave them 64 for 6, before Turner (81) and Aaron Laraman (39) fought back. Even when those two were removed Yorkshire’s frustrations continued as Steffan Jones (39) and Simon Francis (44) added 71 for the last wicket.Varsity MatchOxford University 552 for 7 dec v Cambridge University 181 at Fenners
A superb allround performance from Jamie Dalrymple put Oxford in a winning position in the Varsity match, as Oxford extended their overnight 415 for 5 to 552 for 7 before declaring and then bowled Cambridge out for 181. Jamie Dalrymple took toll of tired bowling to make 236 not out, and then weighed in with 5 for 49 on a two-paced pitch.

The following squad has been selected for the Warriors ING Cup game vthe Queensland Bulls, on Sunday October 21, following the Pura Cupmatch, and the WA v Tasmanian Tigers ING game on Wednesday 24th October.Adam Gilchrist (captain), Justin Langer (vice captain), Jo Angel, Sean Cary, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Brad Hogg, Mike Hussey, Stuart Karppinen, Simon Katich, Damien Martyn, Matthew Nicholson, Gavin Swan, Darren Wates, Brad Williams.The final team of twelve for this game will be announced following ananalysis of the condition of the WA bowling for the conclusion of thePura Cup game.In their Mercantile Mutual Cup encounter at the Gabba last season, WAlost to Queensland by 65 runs. In that game Murray Goodwin and Brad Hoggboth scored 59, Michael Hussey 57, and Kade Harvey took 3-49 from tenovers.For the Queensland Bulls Martin Love scored a match winning 124 andJimmy Maher 87, in a partnership of 174 runs for the second wicket.

ScorecardKithuruwan Vithanage struck his fourth consecutive fifty-plus score on this tour•Getty Images

Kithuruwan Vithanage’s 120 off 104 balls had set Sri Lanka A on track to chase down New Zealand A’s 305, but a dramatic late collapse sparked by Adam Milne saw the hosts prevail by 15 runs at Hagley Oval. The victory gives New Zealand A a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.Sri Lanka A had required 29 runs from 33 balls and had six wickets in hand before Vithanage was caught off Milne’s bowling. They had batted deep, with Niroshan Dickwella and Chaturanga de Silva coming in at No. 7 and 8, but the visitors lost six wickets for 13 runs nonetheless. Milne claimed two more late wickets to finish with the game’s best figures of 3 for 49. Four Sri Lanka A dismissals, including two of the last five, had been run-outs.Earlier, a brisk 132-run fourth wicket stand between Michael Bracewell and Henry Nicholls had formed the body of New Zealand A’s total. Bracewell top-scored for his side hitting a 72-ball 83 that featured two sixes and seven fours. Nicholls remained unbeaten on 79 from 65, as he and Colin Munro combined to hit 35 runs from the last 23 balls of the innings. Michael Pollard and Grant Worker had contributed 54 and 40 respectively, while seamer Kasun Rajitha claimed 2 for 63 for the visitors.The chase had begun well for Sri Lanka A when Vithanage struck up a 119-run second-wicket stand with opener Danushka Gunathilaka. Both men have been on form on tour, having scored four consecutive fifty-plus scores. Vithanage also shared a 58-run stand with Chamara Kapugedara, but could not see his team through to the target. Milne’s charge left the visitors needing victories from the two coming unofficial ODIs in Lincoln to level the series.

Opening bat Sam Harper powered Melbourne Stars to a six-wicket win against Adelaide Strikers to extend their perfect start to the BBL season.With captain Matt Short top-scoring with 56 from 42 balls, the Strikers posted 155 for 8 as Stars’ quicks Haris Rauf (3 for 28) and Tom Curran (3 for 35) claimed three wickets each. Stars’ Harper struck 55 from 36 balls as they chased down the target at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday night with 11 balls to spare, reaching 161 for 4 to bank a second consecutive win to open their campaign.Stars’ usual opener Tom Rogers couldn’t bat after injuring a shoulder in the field. But Harper and Joe Clarke (23 from 19 deliveries) set an ominous tone, smacking 52 runs from the initial 24 balls.Stars’ openers reached 67 before the partnership was broken when legspinner Lloyd Pope (1 for 22) bowled Clarke with a wrong’un from the top shelf on the last ball of the seventh over.Harper posted his half-century from 35 balls but was dismissed next ball when skying to mid-on from the bowling of Jamie Overton (1 for 39) in the tenth over.The visitors were at a comfortable 90 for 2 at the halfway stage, but lost Glenn Maxwell (2 from four balls) cheaply. Campbell Kellaway (28 from 22 deliveries) and Marcus Stoinis (32* from 22), who hit a six to win the game, ensured there were no following hiccups.Earlier, Strikers’ innings was rocked by a double blow in the second over when Stars paceman Curran snared two wickets in three balls. Curran bowled veteran Chris Lynn (4 off four balls) with an offcutter through the gate, and then produced a superb legcutter which clipped the off stump of Jason Sangha, who failed to score.Short and Liam Scott steadied, registering a 50-run stand from 34 balls, and taking the total to 62 in the eighth over. Stars allrounder Stoinis (1 for 23) ended the union when Scott (25 from 19) was trapped lbw, and soon after, Short was given a reprieve on 40 when a hesitant Tom Whitney turfed a simple skied chance at cover from Curran’s bowling.At their midpoint, Strikers were 83 for 3, and Short soon after posted his half-century from 38 balls.But just when the skipper was set to wind up, he smacked a Curran delivery to extra cover, where Stoinis took a sharp catch with both arms outstretched above his head.Short’s departure left Strikers at 110 for 4 in the 14th over, and the home side couldn’t gain any late traction, with Rauf taking two wickets in consecutive balls in the 19th over.

Mohammad Yousuf surprisingly pulled out of the first Test against South Africa in Karachi at the very last minute, citing a lack of batting practice as the cause.Yousuf has not picked up a bat since the ODI series between an Asia XI and Africa XI in June this year. He was dropped from Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad, to much surprise, and has since been on Islamic preaching missions through Pakistan.Yousuf told reporters at the end of day one, “I haven’t practiced for the last two months and I told the selectors I will not be playing the first Test yesterday. “I have no injury, but I felt I was not match fit.”Asked why he had not told the selectors he needed more time in the middle before he was selected for the 15-man squad, Yousuf said, “The selectors did not ask me about my match fitness when they announced the squad.”During nets yesterday I felt I needed some more time before I should play in theTests. I’m sure by the time second Test begins I will regain my match fitness.”Inevitably, there was speculation over Yousuf’s decision, and the Indian Cricket League (ICL) reared its head in discussions on the matter. Yousuf was one of four players from Pakistan to sign up for the league, before he revoked his decision after discussions with the Pakistan board and announced he would play for his country instead.But Yousuf downplayed the rumours, insisting that the decision was taken purely on the basis of his match fitness. He also denied reports that he had received any communication from the ICL indicating their unhappiness on his decision to not honour his contract. Rumours had it that there might be legal ramifications had he played for Pakistan.However, Gaurav Seth, ICL’s marketing and communication head, also denied any communication. “We’ve not sent any legal notice. It’s not yet clear whether he wants to be a part of the league or not and we’re waiting for his response. We hope to hear from him over the course of the next few days. We will then decide on a course of action.”

WinnersOne-day cricket has been a feature of West Indies cricket since 1972-73 when a knock-out tournament took place between Barbados (the winners), Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago took place. After a three-year hiatus, a more formal tournament – the Gillette Cup – was set up and the Leeward Islands and Windward Islands were added to the quartet. The format was two groups of three, and again Barbados won the final against Trinidada & Tobago, a result that was repeated in 1976-77. As happened around the world, sponsors for the one-day competitions came and went, although it was Jamaica who established dominance on the field. In the early 1990s, Leeward Islands took over, and in 1995-96 Canada and Bermuda were experimentally brought in – winless, both finished bottom of their groups. By then, the tournament was established as a curtain-raiser for the season, and in 2000-01 two more teams were added, with USA producing a major upset by defeating Barbados … they still finished bottom of their group. All four non first-class sides were jettisoned in 2001-02 and instead Leeward Islands were divided into Antigua and Barbuda and the Rest, while the Windward Islands were divided into a North and a South group. The temptation to tinker continued, and in 2002-03 Windwards were divided into Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Rest, a university XI was introduced, and Canada returned. In 2004-05 there was no sponsor, but KFC came on board in 2005-06.

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Sachin Tendulkar has praised Shane Warne by calling him `God’s gift to cricket’. He has also predicted that Australia would retain their superpower status even after their current ageing crop of players retire.”[Warne] plays his cricket the hard way and has the ability to bounce back from the dead. He’s God’s gift to cricket,” Tendulkar was quoted as saying by . “How many guys can bowl like him and how many guys can be as exciting as him? I’m least worried about what he does in his private life. It’s his life. On the field he has delivered incredibly.”Tendulkar said that Australia’s bench strength was the reason they would remain a formidable force even after Warne’s retirement. “They have a very high standard of domestic cricket in Australia. We haven’t seen many [new] players because it’s tough to break into the Australian side. But as and when it does happen, I’m sure they will be equally good.”Sachin Tendulkar, who has outstanding averages of 53.11 and 49.02 against Australia in Tests and ODIs respectively, has not recovered fully from a surgery he underwent for a tennis elbow. As a result he will miss the Super Series against Australia in October 2005. Tendulkar had been selected in both the Test and ODI squads for the Super Series.

His wasn’t the most notable resignation in recent weeks, but it was probably the most controversial one. Mohammad Naeem, the treasurer of the Pakistan Cricket Board for over four years, handed in his notice on May 13, but details of the four-page document containing the reasons behind his departure have only just been made public, at the ongoing probe by the Senate Standing Committee in Sports into the PCB’s affairs, and they make for some explosive reading.Naeem levelled a number of serious charges against the board, ranging from gross financial misdemeanours, mismanagement and favouritism, to the lack of transparency and accountability and misuse of power in the workings of, in particular, Shaharyar Khan, the chairman, and the former chief executive Rameez Raja, who resigned last week. He questioned, among other things, why an amount of US$3million that was deposited with the Allied Bank had been held back by the bank, despite written instructions by Shaharyar to transfer the amount from the Board’s account as long bago as April 9 this year.”This is a serious violation and unacceptable behaviour on the part of this bank and the same is liable to be reported to the State Bank [of Pakistan] for penal action,” Naeem said in his letter. “Obviously Allied Bank Ltd would not have taken such a daring step if one of their employees was not the CEO of the PCB.” The employee and the CEO in question was Rameez, who has held a senior position with the bank for some years now, alongside his Board and commentary duties.Other allegations included a lack of transparency in awarding a number of contracts for various services such as the provision for lunches and seating during the home series against India. Naeem also criticised the ongoing involvement of Riaz Mahmood as marketing consultant to the PCB. Mahmood, who was hired by the PCB chairman, had thus far received, according to Naeem, Rs2million for his services, plus, possibly, a percentage of the total income generated from the Pakistan-India series. Shaharyar has been persistently criticised for hiring Mahmood as an expensive consultant – whom, it is alleged, he knew personally – and not a fulltime marketing employee.While the accusations constituted a serious blow to Shaharyar’s continuing campaign to transform the PCB into a modern, efficient, and above all a financially transparent organisation, there were concerns that they are little more than part of a wider agenda by Naeem and the Senate Committee to discredit the PCB. reported, the day after the allegations were published, that Naeem’s anger stemmed from the decision by the PCB in March to cancel 400 tickets that he had bought for his friends and family for the Lahore one-dayers against India.The newspaper, quoting a source in the board, reported that the chairman had allocated a certain quota of paid tickets for board officials and their family and friends for the one-dayers against India. But owing to the increased demand from the public for tickets halfway though the series, it was decided at an emergency board meeting to reduce drastically the number of tickets allotted to officials, and instead offer them for sale to the general public. And it was here that the trouble apparently began; while other officials had their ticket allocation reduced, Naeem’s allocation of 400 was scrapped altogether.The Senate Committee, led by the vociferous Enver Baig, has hounded the PCB relentlessly since the end of the Indian tour. The committee meeting, at which Naeem’s resignation was made public, was the third in a series of uncomfortable grillings for the PCB’s top brass. Their inquisitions were a belligerent mix of the incisive and the comically ill-conceived, encompassing questions of the PCB’s continued ad-hocism, but also including thinly veiled personal attacks on Shaharyar and Rameez.At times, the questioning revealed poor research and knowledge on the part of the committee. The committee had previously asked Wasim Bari, the chief selector, whether he was involved in the controversial selection of Tauqir Zia’s son Junaid, overlooking the fact that it was Aamir Sohail – and not Bari – who was in charge of selection then. And they continued to ask, with a dangerously nationalistic fervour, for the reasons behind Pakistan’s loss to India at home.The PCB hasn’t yet replied to Naeem’s charges officially, although it had expressed its displeasure at the way the committee leaked what is essentially confidential information. A source in the PCB, while talking to Wisden Cricinfo, suggested that the whole affair was little more “than a childish tit-for-tat spat. It is like an argument between children. The treasurer is just annoyed at the way he has been treated and is taking it out on the PCB. And the committee, well, they are just committed to dismantling the PCB at whatever cost.”Whatever the reasons behind the charges, they come on the back of a harrowing period for the PCB. Rameez’s resignation came after those of other senior PCB staff, including the media manager Samiul Hasan and Irfan Mirza. And little over a month ago, Javed Miandad was replaced as coach of the national teamby Bob Woolmer. Unlike the resignations, this issue is likely to drag on and on.