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If anything, the second ICC KnockOut competition saw even moreenthralling contests and a higher standard of play, cementing itssuccess. In keeping with the globalisation process, the InternationalCricket Council this time held the competition in Nairobi from October3 to 15, 2000.

When the idea of such a competition was mooted, Bangladesh and Kenyaseemed next in line for Test status. By the time the Nairobitournament was held, Bangladesh had already been granted the exaltedstatus and were a month away from playing their first Test match.Kenya remained hopeful that the successful conduct of the mini-WorldCup as also a good performance from their cricketers – the number ofthe teams had been raised to eleven to include Bangladesh and thehosts – would move them a step nearer being given Test status.The tournament certainly was a success from the organisational pointof view and much of the cricket was of the ethereal variety, but therewas no storybook script for the hosts who lost to India by eightwickets in the opening match of the competition.Batting first, Kenya were restricted to 208 for nine in 50 overs. Thetotal was never going to be one to pose any problems for the Indiansand thanks to skipper Sourav Ganguly’s 66 and Rahul Dravid’s unbeaten68, they romped home with eight wickets and 7.3 overs to spare.Similarly, England faced little opposition from Bangladesh emergingwinners by eight wickets with 6.1 overs to spare. Bangladesh did wellin getting 232 for eight in 50 overs but against ordinary bowling,Alec Stewart (87 not out) and skipper Nasser Hussain (95) had littledifficulty in negotiating some ordinary bowling during their secondwicket partnership of 175 runs.The format again meant that one Test nation had to be knocked out inthe first round and this time the West Indies failed to cross thishurdle. A stroke-filled 132 by opener Avishka Gunawardene and histhird wicket stand of 160 runs with Mahela Jayawardene (72) saw SriLanka post 287 for six in 50 overs, a total that proved to be tooformidable for the West Indies who were dismissed for 179 in 46.4overs.The quarterfinals were marked by three one-sided results but thepulsating Australia-India game made up for this. Australia were firmfavourites but this was a rejuvenated Indian side, under the captaincyof Ganguly and including three potentially fine players in newcomersYuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and Vijay Dahiya. After Australia made theearly inroads, a breath-taking innings from Yuvraj saw India wrest theinitiative and the advantage thereafter stayed with India.The pugnacious left-hander hit 84 off 80 balls treating the pace ofMcGrath, Lee and Gillespie with utter disdain. India ultimately posteda challenging total of 265 for nine in 50 overs. Then it was the turnof another youngster to strike. Bowling with hostility, Zaheer Khanremoved Adam Gilchrist and Steve Waugh and some fine work by thevaried attack, backed up by some superb work in the field in whichYuvraj was outstanding saw Australia bowled out for 245 in the 47thover.Unfortunately, the other three quarterfinals lacked such heroics anddrama. In prosaic contests, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by ninewickets, New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by 64 runs and South Africaoutplayed England by eight wickets.The Pakistan-Sri Lanka game was billed as a scorcher. But once Lankawere bowled out for 194 in 45.4 overs no batsman reached 40 theywere always going to be up against it. Saeed Anwar’s unbeaten 105 sawPakistan home with 6.4 overs to spare. New Zealand’s total of 265 forseven in 50 overs, thanks in the main to Roger Twose’s bright 85,proved to be beyond Zimbabwe’s reach and despite a splendid 67 byStuart Carlisle they were bowled out for 201 in 42.2 overs with PaulWiseman finishing with four for 45.Similarly, England were no match for South Africa’s professional allround skills. Graeme Hick top-scored with a gallant 65 but England’stotal of 182 in 44.1 overs was always going to be inadequate. SouthAfrica with Jacques Kallis (78 not out) and Boeta Dippenaar (65)figuring in an unbroken third wicket partnership of 132 runs rompedhome with 11.5 overs to spare.Two splendid semi-final matches made up for the generally lacklustrefare in the previous round. Anwar hit a second successive hundred(104) as Pakistan scored 252 in 49.2 overs against New Zealand. AzharMahmood, then, reduced the Kiwis to 15 for two but Nathan Astle (49)and Roger Twose (87) initiated a recovery process by adding 135 runsfor the third wicket. Pakistan came back strongly and had a distinctedge when New Zealand were 187 for six. However, Craig McMillan (51)and Scott Styris (26) figured in an unbroken seventh wicket stand of66 runs to steer New Zealand home amidst much excitement with one overto spare.The other semifinal lacked a close finish but in many ways it was justas enthralling. The entertainment started early with Ganguly in hiselements. Doing pretty much what he liked with the attack thatincluded the likes of Pollock, Donald, Klusener, Kallis, Boje andTelemachus, the Indian captain hit a run-a-ball 141 not out in a totalof 295 for six in 50 overs. With Rahul Dravid (58), Ganguly dominateda second wicket partnership of 145 runs while Yuvraj (41) matched hisskipper in stroke and run production in a third wicket stand of 82runs.The youngsters continued to excel with Zaheer Khan picking up thewickets of Andrew Hall and Dippenaar cheaply in his opening spell andDahiya effecting three dismissals. Even South Africa’s professionalskills came to nought against the new look Indian side and they werebowled out for 200 in 41 overs.And so in the title clash were two unexpected contestants, India andNew Zealand. None could say, however, that they were undeserving of aplace in the final. And the two teams, in keeping with the form theyhad displayed, produced a high calibre game, marked by much tensionand excitement, twists and turns. Ganguly hit another century (117)and his first wicket partnership of 141 runs with Sachin Tendulkar(66) paved the way for the challenging Indian total of 264 for six in50 overs.At various stages – 37 for two and 132 for five – New Zealand weregasping for breath. But they received timely oxygen in the form ofChris Cairns. The star all-rounder took charge and with the help ofthe old warhorse Chris Harris (46) revived New Zealand’s hopes with asixth wicket partnership of 122 runs. In true storybook fashion,Cairns reached an unbeaten 102 in the process of steering New Zealandto victory with four wickets and two deliveries to spare in agrandstand finish.

The England captain Nasser Hussain today admitted that England may have to go through the entire Ashes series without Darren Gough, who has been sent to the Adelaide academy for intensive treatment on his knee injury.Although Hussain did not rule Gough out of the series, he told the BBC: “It’s been going on for a year or so and Darren is very disappointed.”We need to get him right. I’m not worried about the Ashes as far as Darren goes now. I’m just worried about getting Darren back.”I’d have to be honest in that we’ve learnt to live without Darren. For me I’d like to see him back on the cricket field, whether it’s the Ashes or not, because it’s his career.”With Gough already out of the first Test which starts in Brisbane on Thursday,England have also to decide whether Andrew Flintoff is fit to play after taking part in just one match since his double hernia operation.Although Flintoff bowled 26 overs and took two wickets in this week’s drawn warm-up match with Queensland, he was noticeably stiff on the second day. England have the option of playing Craig White, who was added to the squad as cover for Flintoff.”That will be the main debate in the selection over the next few days,” Hussain said. “Both the all-rounders have played in a game and we will have to weigh things up.”Andrew has nothing to prove in our team. He’s been there for a year or two and has performed and the only thing he has to prove is whether he can do it two or three days’ running because of his body now and whether we take that gamble.”The first day of this week’s game he was fine, but on the second day he was stiff and I don’t know if he can do that over five days of intense Test match cricket if he’s not 100% fit.”Hussain also rebuffed suggestions in the Australian media that Flintoff’s Test record – he averages 19.48 with the bat and 47.15 with the ball – raises questions over whether he should have been selected for the tour in the first place.”Statistics aren’t everything,” Hussain insisted. “As captain there are certain players you like having in your side and there are certain players with the potential of doing things that other players can’t.”There are certain players that when the ball is 70 overs old and other people are hiding will hold their hands up and do the tough yards for you, will always want to stand at slip to take the catches and who are strong enough to go out there with those statistics with the belief he can do it and Andrew Flintoff is one of those people.”He’s got to improve those statistics definitely, but anyone who has watched us and watched Freddie progress over the last year or so will have seen him do certain things that other people in England can’t do.”A decision on who plays is likely tomorrow, when England will train at the Gabba for the first time tomorrow after a day off today.”Australia haven’t seen the best of the England cricket team for a long while and it’s up to whoever is selected to put that right this time,” added Hussain.”How we’ve done in the practice games does not have any great bearing on the Test, it’s how we are on Thursday and Friday that counts.”If Australia see the same old England then they will be very pleased, but if they see a new, strong, vibrant England with good body language who are doing the basics right then they will realise they are in a real fight this series.”You play differently when you’re under pressure, whatever side you are and too often now Australia have dictated terms by putting pressure on the opposition. When you have no fear of losing a game and you can show all your skills and the crowd can get behind you, it’s a very easy life and a very easy game.”I’ve played against Australia and I don’t believe our failings are down to a mental thing. It’s down to basic cricket skills. I believe they practise their skills at such a level that it pays off in those pressure situations. That’s what we have to learn.”

Dean Jones, former star Australian batsman, admitted to feeling more than a little strange when walking out onto his beloved Melbourne Cricket Ground last summer sporting New Zealand’s colours, a move which couldn’t help but attract some pointed barbs from local patrons.But Jones, now plying his trade in coaching and the media in his after-playing cricket life, doesn’t regret that for a moment.He points to fellow Australian players like Geoff Marsh helping Zimbabwe cricket, Trevor Chappell having worked with Bangladesh and now a consultant to Pakistan, Bobby Simpson having done cricket consultancy work all around the world, Steve Rixon having coached New Zealand and New Zealand’s John Wright now coaching India.It was just the way of the cricket world, and Jones said he had a very enjoyable three weeks with the New Zealanders, helping to change some of their attitudes to playing a team like Australia.”I had a hoot of a time,” he said when speaking with CricInfo while taking a break in a coaching programme he is working on at New Zealand Cricket’s High Performance Centre at Lincoln University, a facility that he was most impressed with when seeing it for the first time.He said the liaison with New Zealand had also reminded him of what it was like to lose.The match in question was the One-Day International with Australia in Melbourne where Michael Bevan rescued Australia from the position of 82/6 to reach 248 and take victory with three balls to spare.”It took me three days to get over that loss, and I had forgotten what it was like to lose,” he said.Jones said he had seen enough to say that New Zealand should be a certainty for the top four at the World Cup next year. After that it was anyone’s guess.It was no use spending time worrying how they could get over their eternal bugbear of the moment, beating South Africa, because they might never meet in the Cup.”Don’t fight your battles before you have to,” was his advice.New Zealand just needed to keep doing what they were doing, to keep the belief and to stick to the team plan.”New Zealand play the underdog beautifully,” Jones said. Although a cynic might say jousting for the underdog status is New Zealand’s second national sport.But one of the advantages New Zealand did have was that they parked their egos at the door and got on with the job together.”It would be nice to see Stephen Fleming get some more runs. But he is an impressive captain and his handling of the team is brilliant. He is tactically sound and his management of the boys is good.”Shane Bond has the X factor. He is a workhorse who, if you used racing talk, needs a bit of work. He is that type of player but he impressed me,” he said.Jones would like to get more involved in coaching, it is something he enjoys, but he also knows it involves a commitment just as important as when playing.Being able to relate to players was important while his belief was that a coach should work with the aim of making a player believe he could do things better.It was also important to encourage players to think on their feet and for coaches to listen to them.Another must was the fun factor.”The fun aspect has been lost a bit. You have to be able to enjoy a win, and you have to be able to get over a loss.”Celebrating a win did not mean going out and over-imbibing but it was about enjoying the feeling.Jones was concerned that it was harder nowadays to get over a loss because there was so much cricket being played that the time for reflection was minimised.He wonders also about the consequences of concentration on elite players. One of the problems that has emerged is the number of players who walk out of elite programmes and expect to walk straight into state or provincial sides, or even into international cricket, as of right.He was concerned about the emphasis on age-group cricket, especially at the Under-19 level. He was not quite so concerned about the Under-17s.But the older players needed to be exposed more to senior men players rather than to playing against their age-group peers.He highlighted the example of the spin-laden Australian team that won the ICC Under-19 World Cup this year.The spinners did well because younger players generally didn’t know how to play spin, but when they came up against more senior players the spinners were murdered.”Our spinners need to learn to bowl a bit quicker, instead of 70kph they need to be up to 75-85kph and they struggle with that,” he said.Younger players also needed patience. The Australian team at the moment had its top six batsmen who had been in their positions for the last six or seven years, and there were no new players. That was how tough it was to break in.And it might be that of the Under-19 World Cup-winning team at Lincoln this year, one may break into international cricket.”That’s a lot of money being spent for one kid to make it. You might get five good first-class players out of it, but that is the reality,” he said.Jones also felt that younger players now had to cope with an awful lot of information coming their way from the time they played Under-13 grade through to senior. They were exposed to a lot of different coaches during that time and that was tough to cope with.One way around it was to have mentors for the young players, someone for them to talk to and to help them assess the information being provided.Jones still works with a mentor in his post-playing role and said he regarded it as vital to the way he operates. A mentor needed to be someone that players could put their faith and trust in.Cricket overall was in a healthy state and there would be no easy games at the World Cup. But the extent to which preparation and innovation for such an event has changed was highlighted by Jones talking about the plans being made for the 2007 World Cup which is being played in the West Indies.Batsmen nowadays needed to be scoring more in the region of 70 runs per 100 balls. Australia was working on developing players who could throw with both arms with equal skill. That way they would have no weak side when they were fielding in the 30-metre circle.But it was no use starting to work on something like that now for next year’s World Cup, it had to be that far in advance. Attention needed to be paid to bat speed and Jones predicted there would be significant changes made to bats in the near future.Handles on bats needed to be whippier and he compared the shafts of golf clubs used by the long hitters in golf being quite whippy to what needed to happen with bats.Because many of the grounds in the West Indies were smaller, there would be a lot of fours and sixes hit in the 2007 World Cup and countries needed to be working on developing batsmen capable of achieving that sort of work load.Jones was something of an innovator himself in the one-day game and was regarded as the finest exponent of the art of running between the wickets.It wasn’t something that came naturally to him, rather it was the result of watching Pakistan’s Javed Miandad in a match against Victoria in 1983/84 in which he scored 100 runs off 72 balls, yet he hit only three fours.”He ran a lot of twos and threes and didn’t run in circles. I talked to him a bit about it afterwards and then developed it for myself,” he said.Jones normally ran 40-50kms a week during his playing career but didn’t do any specialised sprint work to hone the skill of running between the wickets. Rather he worked on the principle of getting into the crease, then getting out, while running in a straight line. It also had to be worked on with having to run with pads on and holding a bat in the hand.It was like car racing where as drivers pass certain points they know they have to brake to get around the corner up ahead.Jones established where he had to prepare, then make, the turn. It didn’t worry him that he turned blind to the ball. He became very effective at it and more than a few teams thought they had contained him to one run only to find he picked up two, or three when only two looked on.”And when you have got two people running between the wickets like that, it is much harder to stop,” he said.Two other aspects of the modern game also had Jones thinking.He wondered about the amount of cricket being played and felt that if teams were playing 12 Test matches a year they couldn’t really play 34-36 ODIs as well. And he also wondered about the standards of the support mechanisms that many countries now utilise.Yet for all his concerns, the game still retained its fascination, one that has taken him to a new level of involvement which he would like to take even further. Clearly a case of ‘Watch this space.’

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 has handed over to a Soweto centre for disabled children a cheque for R100 000 as part of a contribution to needy causes.The Sunshine Centre in Soweto was this week nominated by Johannesburg Executive Mayor Mr Amos Masondo as his choice of charity to benefit from a fundraising dinner that will be hosted by the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 on October 12 at the Sandton Convention Centre.During the function on October 12, the 40 African Sporting Ambassadors will be officially announced. The ambassadors’ role will be to promote the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003.They are men and women who have achieved highest sporting honours in their respective sporting codes and are internationally renowned. More than 30 of them will be present at the function.Commenting on the fundraising dinner, ICC Cricket World Executive Director Dr Ali Bacher said: "This is part of our commitment to what we believed in; that the tournament is far bigger than cricket. In our minds, it is about empowering people, transfer of skills as well as the development of people."No matter the outcome of the fundraising function on October 12, we would like to hand over to the Sunshine Children’s Centre R100 000 from the outset."We trust that by hosting the planned six charity dinners before and during the Cricket World Cup, we will be in a position to help the needy, the disabled as well as other people in our country who for whatever reason are not in a position to fend for themselves. This is our contribution to the nation."We would like to urge companies, government, utility concerns, embassies, and other organisations including sporting bodies to buy tables and invite their guests or staff; mingle with the sporting ambassadors; while at the same time contributing towards worthy causes. It is a unique, yet exciting event and we hope it will be a memorable one too," Dr Bacher said.The Sunshine Centre looks after children with special needs. Among others it helps to encourage family and community initiatives, builds partnerships with parents and it enhances child and family growth and well-being.Two companies, Remba Connections and Events Company have been appointed to jointly organise the event. To book a table contact Charlotte at (011) 783 5783 or e-mail [email protected]

Rarely has a young cricketer’s continued presence in the Indianteam attracted such heated discussion. While critics of a varietyof hues, belonging to different media, have been baying for DeepDasgupta’s blood, at least one newspaper has headlined a demandfor his exclusion. Surprisingly vehement, Ravi Shastri, normallysympathetic to youngsters, has been the most vociferous advocateof the Bengal wicket-keeper’s ouster.While Dasgupta’s wicket-keeping has been poor overall, I agreewith Sourav Ganguly’s assertion that Carl Hooper’s snick in theGuyana Test would have taken some catching. It seems unfair tojudge the young man on the basis of his first Test duck and thehalf-chance that might have stopped Hooper on his march to 233.In his short career, Dasgupta has batted with character andconsistency. The moment the selectors picked him and Ajay Ratrafor this tour, it became quite clear Dasgupta was first choicebecause he could also open the innings; further, Ratra’s keepingis as yet an unproven quantity, at least in Sunil Gavaskar’sopinion. If Ratra has to come in, then the only logical courseopen to the selectors for the next Test is to make Sanjay Bangaropen the innings – unless, of course, they decide to replace theskipper with a regular opener like Wasim Jaffer.The Dasgupta controversy has, however, served to distractattention from the listless Indian bowling performance. JavagalSrinath was the only bowler to make any impact in the match. Theold warhorse was admirably hostile on a wicket that apparentlyoffered nothing to the other Indian bowlers, prepared as he wasto bend his back. Sarandeep Singh looked the part of a friendlyneighbourhood off-spinner, and Anil Kumble was about as dangerousas Geoffrey Boycott’s grandmother’s lollipops.Ravi Shastri has openly stated his preference for a mediumpacer to replace Kumble unless the playing surfaces in the comingTests promise to aid spinners. The question is whether our spinattack without Harbhajan Singh is capable of inducing snicks andstumpings and, if so, whether we have a wicket-keeper to latch onto them. Unfortunately, the answer to both questions seems to bea sad “No.” The strengthening of the pace department with theinclusion of Ashish Nehra seems unavoidable under thecircumstances.India have generally been lucky in the wicket-keeping department,right from the time Syed Kirmani took over as number one stumper,although we have had trouble replacing Nayan Mongia, the subjectof a completely different controversy. Before Kirmani, except forfive Tests in the West Indies when P Krishnamurti donned thegloves, one of two flamboyant batsmen usually did duty behind thestumps for India.In the days before television coverage of India’s Tests, many ofus were under the impression that Farokh Engineer was a top classwicket-keeper, if you overlooked one bad day at the office whenhe let Australia off the hook at Chepauk from a precarious 24 forsix. However, according to some not-so-charitable stories, theBombay and Lancashire stumper went round to the Press Box in theevenings to nip in the bud any attempt to report chances he hadmissed! With his not-inconsiderable charm, he would proceed toconvince the reporters that those had not been chances at all, orif they had been, they were first slip’s and not his.

Ticket sales for the NatWest challenge match between Wales and England atSophia Gardens, Cardiff, on Monday 24th June, have been selling steadily in the last ten days and the Club is now urging any Glamorgan members who haven’t yet purchased their tickets for the game to do so before close of play this coming Friday, June 21st, in order to take advantage of the discounted price of £18.Adult tickets priced £25 will be available for cash and cheque purchases onthe day, as will junior tickets at £8, but the special Glamorgan Members’discounted tickets, priced £18, are only available up until close of business on Friday.Chief Executive Mike Fatkin said:
“We’ve been quite pleased with the way ticket sales have gone recently butwe want to make sure that as many Glamorgan members as possible takeadvantage of the discounted price, hence the reason for publicizing it now.Whilst there will be some tickets available on the day of the match itself,it was always the intention to be encouraging advance purchases as sales onthe day will be restricted to the full adult price of £25, and juniors at£8. We’ve publicized the £18 members’ subsidized price for some months nowand hopefully any Glamorgan members who haven’t yet bought their tickets forthis historic match will do so before the end of the week.”

Havant are hot favourites to retain the Southern Electric ECB Premier League title they won so convincingly last summer.They won both the 50-over and all-day ‘time’ game pennants and finished the region’s inaugural season of Premier League cricket with a commanding 44-point advantage over Calmore Sports, their nearest rivals.BAT Sports, Calmore Sports and, may be Bournemouth, look the best bets to challenge Havant’s crown.But, with Shane Gillies arrived from Perth and Mark Copping back in the fold, Havant boast an arguably stronger squad than that which won the championship last season.They had a scare when Andrew Perry dislocated his shoulder (for the fifth time) earlier in the year.”But the specialist has given him the all-clear to play again – and have his shoulder pinned later in the year,” explained Havant skipper Paul Gover.Perry’s injury, originally sustained playing rugby at St John’s College, put the Havant batsman out of last week’s handsome seven-wicket win over Hungerford.Even without Perry, Havant possessed enough firepower to douse any threat much-weakened Hungerford offered.Significantly, Havant’s three probable title challengers have all snapped up useful A-Grade imports from Australian clubs.BAT’s Dave Carson needs little introduction after displaying his run-scoring prowess for Hambledon during the past two summers.Carson, who plays alongside Test opener Michael Slater for the University of New South Wales, will not only provide BAT with a prominent number 3, but also a more than useful spin bowler.Glen Motschall, due to make a weather-delayed debut for Calmore at Burridge today, hails from the renowned Carlton club in Melbourne.A left-arm ‘quick’, the Aussie will share the new ball attack with either James Lucy or Allan Hurst, who both bowled effectively for the Loperwood Park club last season.Another Australian eager to get his hands on the new ball every Saturday is Peter Waite, who arrived at Chapel Gate through Bournemouth’s productive ‘exchange’ links with South Perth.A Champion cricketer in the past at Richardson Park (South Perth’s delightful headquarters alongside the Swan River), Waite is a prodigious swing bowler, whose link up with Devon Minor Counties paceman Paul Warren will give Bournemouth’s attack a distinct sharpness.But, while three prominent foreign nationals have arrived, the Premier League could be short on overall quality through the loss of at least eight past top performers.Players such as Andy Hooper (Andover), Martin Kellaway (Calmore Sports), Mayu Pasupati (Liphook & Ripsley), Luke Ronchi (Bashley), Roger Sillence (South Wilts), Mike Stonier (Bournemouth) and Hungerford duo Jim Ettridge and David Pryke will be hard to replace.Hungerford, beset by a exodus of first team players, could be pressed to keep their heads above water this season, as could also newly-promoted Liphook, beaten by Bournemouth last week.Pryke and Pasupati were undoubted match winners.Burridge, who escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth after winning their final match at Cove last September, look in better shape.They sprang a real opening day surprise, winning by nine wickets at Andover, where former Hursley Park batsman Dave Jackson struck a splendid 91 not out.”Obviously the win at Andover has given us a great platform from which to build,” enthused skipper Paul Ancell.”We are more of a team now – and that showed in the field. Our out-cricket was of a very high standard, as was Andover’s I should add.”Andover seemed a little lost on how to cope without the left-arm spinning skills of evergreen Andy Hooper, who ironically was playing – and getting wickets (naturally) – at London Road … for the club’s 3rd XI in Hampshire League County Division 4 !Courtesy of MV and Southern Daily Echo

Hampshire Cricket are holding an Open Day at The Hampshire Rose Bowl on Sunday 14th April at 11:00am – 4:00pm.More information will appear here shortly.

The New South Wales Blues have defeated the Western Warriors in convincing fashion, securing for themselves a much-needed win and four crucial points, in the Mercantile Mutual Cup match at the North Sydney Oval today.It was very much a case of going from the ridiculous to the sublime for the Blues today. At the outset, the writing appeared to be on the wall. Michael Slater (0) was dismissed courtesy of a questionable caught behind decision within one minute of arriving at the crease. Then Brad Haddin (13) was surprised by a blistering delivery from Darren Wates (1/34 from five overs) and made his exit in the third over.But, from there, the Blues went on to score 8/302 and to completely overwhelm the top-ranked Warriors.The total was surprisingly big and no-one was more surprised than captain Shane Lee, especially when it came to tail-ender Don Nash’s (61*) incredible turn with the bat. Nash posted the second fastest fifty in the history of Australian domestic one-day cricket when he used just twenty-four balls to score a half ton, smashing three fours and five sixes in the process.”With about ten overs to go I would have been happy with 260, and I said that to the team. Then Nash played unbelievably. He’s always been able to hit the ball cleanly and some of the shots he was making out there, he’s obviously a really good striker and it was his day. I’ve never seen an innings like that before. But I hope to see a few more, especially as captain,” Lee said.In fact, Lee’s only disappointment for the day was in not doing away with the visitors in time to score the bonus point as well. Ultimately, the Western Australians averted that prospect when they scrambled up to a final total of 242.”It would have been nice to get rid of them for under 240 and get that bonus point. It may make a difference towards the end of the season, but overall I’m very happy. The boys played very well and the bowlers stuck to their job very well,” he added.Lee played a pivotal role in the victory, scoring 115 off 140 deliveries, but most importantly keeping his head when all around were losing theirs. Hanging onto a partner became a problem for him around the twenty over mark, before he was finally able to build a ninety-six run partnership with Graeme Rummans (29). Lee’s steady, but prolific, rate of scoring boosted the Blues and while they suffered a minor late blip, losing four wickets – those of Rummans, Lee, Scott Thompson (7) and Shawn Bradstreet (1) – in the space of four overs, Nash strode in and delivered an amazing finishing touch.Nash was typically low-key when discussing his attention-grabbing first one-day appearance of the year.”Shane just said to get a quick thirty so I set out to do that and it paid off. I’m definitely a tailender, I love batting,” Nash said.”It’s just a confidence thing. I’ve scored a couple of thirties (already this season) and so that really gave me the confidence.”The value of such a decisive win is in the confidence boost it gives the players, and Lee said this victory would help enormously in the vital match against Tasmania at the SCG in a fortnight’s time.”I think everyone contributed well. Brad Haddin had probably his best performance ever behind the stumps, so it’s unlikely that any changes will be made for the next game,” Lee said.”Tasmania won’t be easy, but everyone really lifted and I hope they can do it again.”For their part, all the Western Warriors could do was play defensively. They set out to chase an almost-impossible target with determination, but found their rivals too dominant. Captain Tom Moody’s departure at the end of this season to take on the position of cricket director at Worcester has given added impetus to the Warriors’ desire to secure the Cup again this summer. It is to be his last on Australian soil and also his last as a player altogether. That kind of motivation usually serves well, and Moody has done exceptionally so far, guaranteeing the Warriors a place in the Final already. But some days just aren’t as good as others.The bowling figures looked reasonable for the most part, particularly the contribution delivered by Brad Hogg (3/49 off seven overs). But it was simply the case that there was not enough support.Simon Katich (72) shaped as the Warriors’ key batsman, and seemed in dangerous touch from the first ball he faced. Together with Murray Goodwin (44), he looked like pulling off another amazing batting feat as they set out on a rapid run scoring flurry. However, the required run rate, which began at 6.04, only climbed higher and the sense of urgency induced some elementary mistakes. Katich ultimately fell to a lbw decision and, with him, went any real chance the Warriors had of turning the match around. When Goodwin succumbed only four overs later – around the loss of Moody in the meantime – the Warriors really didn’t have much hope.Hogg’s 27 showcased his all-round skill but wickets fell with too much regularity toward the end for it to be fully appreciated.Regardless of today’s outcome, the Warriors still have a place in the Final. The Blues now have a better chance of meeting them there.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMeg Lanning top scored for Australia Women but once again England were up to the chase•ICC/Getty

England Women completed a sweep of the group stage with a seven-wicket win over Australia. They were given their sternest challenge of the competition, asked to chase 145, but again showed their excellence in all departments by winning with 11 balls to spare.Sarah Taylor made the highest individual score of the tournament, 65 not out, to guide her side’s chase. She shared a stand of 63 at more than 11 runs per over with Danni Wyatt to reach the target comfortably. Wyatt arrived at the crease with 62 required from 44 balls but played a breezy innings with six boundaries that took the game away from Australia. She finished with 33 in 17 balls, winning the match with a boundary.Australia had played well after choosing to bat first. Opener Meg Lanning led the way with 39 from 31 balls and Lisa Sthalekar’s 28-ball 38 boosted the total. Both batsman fell to Anya Shrubsole but she and the usually dependable Laura Marsh and Holly Colvin went at eight-an-over. Dannielle Hazell was the most economical in holding Australia to a total they could eclipse.Australia captain Jodie Fields said her team’s batting performance was a positive but was disappointed at not finishing the game well.”It felt like we were right in the match right up until the last couple of overs. Our batting innings went the way we wanted it to do, we aimed for 140 and we got that target.”Her team would take on West Indies in the second semi-final of the tournament on October 5. “West Indies are a strong team and we were lucky enough to play them in a warm-up match which gave us an idea about how we can play against them,” Fields said. England go on to play New Zealand in their semi-final.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe other match of the day was a low-scoring thriller that brightened up the dead rubber, with Pakistan Women heading home with a victory by the smallest margin against India. With four required off the final delivery, Nagarajan Niranjana was run out attempting the tying third run.Pakistan chose to bat but only three players made double figures. Sana Mir with 26 and Nain Abidi’s 25 had laid a platform at the top of the order but their failure to go on exposed the rest of the order, of whom Asmavia Iqbal with 10 was the top score. Rasanara Parwin returned the best figures, going for just 15 in her fours overs and picking up the wickets of Mir and Bismah Maroof for 3.India also struggled for a significant contribution with the bat but Jhulan Goswami looked to be guiding them home. But when she fell for a 24-ball 21, 16 were needed from 10 balls which became 14 from the last over. Niranjana struck the first ball for four and worked a target of four off the final ball but it proved just beyond them.