Opener Satyajit Sudhir Parab hit exactly 100 as good work by most ofthe top order batsmen helped Baroda to score 343 for six at stumps onthe third day of their West Zone Ranji Trophy league match againstGujarat at the Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. This gavethem a first innings lead of 45 runs.Parab and Connor Williams (57) put on 162 runs off 48.5 overs to giveBaroda a sound foundation. Connors batted patiently and compiled hisruns off 148 balls with four hits to the ropes. Parab, who haddominated the partnership was second out at 182. The 26-year-old righthander faced exactly 100 balls and hit 12 fours. M Jadhav (31) andJacob Martin (78) consolidated by adding 58 runs for the third wicketoff 28.2 overs. Then after a slight slump (Baroda were 253 for five),Martin and Nayan Mongia (39 not out) performed the rescue act byadding 83 runs off 20 overs for the sixth wicket. Martin was outshortly before close. He faced 197 balls and hit seven fours and asix.

London: It’s been often stated that the future is an extension of the past and that the present spans the two. The past has had both wonderful and disturbing memories for Pakistan cricket teams touring England. And, even though the last Test series in 1996 was saved the acrimonious interactions of the 1992 tour, unwarranted ugliness raised its head more then once during the ongoing series of Tests and ODI’s. If Old Trafford and Edgbaston were the past and best forgotten, Palmer’s wide ball signal nearly brought it up again. Mercifully, Pakistan won; otherwise one would have witnessed unwarranted sights that would have taken away the gloss of a really well contested match.Pakistan won by two runs, statistically very narrow, appreciatively larger in terms of heart and mind. Here was a team defending a moderate and according to Pakistani and British experts, a poor total to defend on a batsmen friendly batting strip. And with Pakistan only having one genuine, established fast bowler, 242/8 was far removed from what Pakistan wanted, and much nearer winning shores for England struggling to record their first win in this Triangular contest.Pakistan won, not because England collapsed under pressure, but because its ‘future’, the team of tomorrow, rose to the occasion and held their nerves. Imagine a centurion, the like of Trescothick, losing his nerve with fewer then a stroke to win a match for England. The Pakistan team has shown yet again that they have the poise and patience to extricate themselves from trying and testing conditions with a flair lacking from the armoury of the opponents.

Toss losing Pakistan went to bat minus two of the stars of yesterdays; Saeed Anwar, unavailable due extenuating circumstances, and Wasim Akram still nursing a sore shoulder. And showed it had what it takes to be classy winners. And what winners? With no contribution coming yet again from the bat of Inzamam-ul-Haq. The stars of tomorrow Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan, batted Pakistan out of hopelessness and thereafter the spin and guile of Saqlain Mushtaq, Shahid Afridi complimented Waqar’s opening efforts, to stall yet again, an England effort to reach the shore.Yousuf Youhana already has the credentials to support his batting. Younis Khan though, is fast blossoming into a ‘Mr Reliable’. And his innings of 41 from 56 balls an apt reminder that one can score against the most penetrative bowling without being flamboyant or rash. His innings did not contain any boundary. Youhana’s elevation to No.3 spot, though two matches late, was an opportune decision. And he endorsed his class through a very well planned innings of concentration and selective stroke-play. 7th out for 81, Youhana partnered Younis Khan for 80 runs and added another 50 with Rashid Latif. Then, Pakistan did well to score 35 runs from the last 27 balls, thanks yet again to Azhar Mahmood, who may not be bowling to his promise and potential, yet bats convincingly to put runs on the board, Cardiff notwithstanding.Yet another loss to Pakistan at Lord’s on Tuesday has more or less made England the ‘bridesmaid’ for June 23, the scheduled final. And even if England prove an exception to the rule by upsetting favourites Australia, twice in the forthcoming matches, a very unlikely happening, they may still miss out due a poor run rate. This is England’s 8th loss since that win over Pakistan at Karachi and fourth against Pakistan in succession.

Through this win, Pakistan has drawn a lot of confidence. This ‘future’ looking team did them proud through this achievement where one and all thought 242/8 was a poor total to defend. It certainly looked all the more poorer through that Tescothick 137 that nearly gave England the much sought yet elusive win. It augurs well for Pakistan and reflects a potentially greater significance, for it was achieved without the super stars. England’s 8th defeat in a row was yet another blow to morale. For Pakistan, this win erases those unhappy moments of Lord’s 1992 when they lost to England by 79 runs.Umpiring has been consistently inconsistent and even though Saleem Elahi was unfortunate earlier on, KE Palmer nearly ‘recreated’ Old Trafford, 1992. Here’s hoping conscience rules the hearts of the umpires in coming matches and they are also alert enough to spot no balls.Pakistan plays Australia next at Chester-le-Street and certainly would feel comfortable if Australia triumphs over England at Old Trafford, Thursday.

Essex have a tough battle to avoid the follow-on in their CricInfo Championship match against Lancashire after centuries from Warren Hegg and Mike Atherton put the home side in a formidable position.After Atherton had eventually gone for 160, Hegg moved on to 133 to allow Lancashire to post 431, their highest total of the season.Essex then slumped to 101 for four, still 181 short of saving the follow-on, with Muttiah Muralitharan claiming the impressive figures of two for 16 from 18 overs.Peter Martin had made the first breakthrough, bowling Paul Grayson with a beauty.But then Murali took over with the wickets of Darren Robinson and Richard Clinton, although Clinton had grafted 39 overs for 25 on his second Championship appearance.Essex skipper Ronnie Irani then drove a return catch to Gary Keedy just before the close to give the left-arm spinner his first Championship wicket of the season, and leave the visitors relying heavily on Stuart Law, unbeaten on 47.Law owed Essex a few runs as despite taking three slip catches, including Atherton off the debutant left arm spinner Michael Davies, he had also dropped difficult chances offered by Hegg on 57 and 92.The wicket-keeper capitalised with his second century in three Championship innings, following a match-winning unbeaten 107 at Northampton earlier this month.He faced a total of 242 balls and hit 15 fours and a six before falling an agonising single short of his career best, caught behind off the persevering Ashley Cowan, who ended with decent figures of three for 65 from 25.4 overs.Such ended with three for 124 from 45, and Davies claimed three for 121 in 34 – an encouraging debut in difficult circumstances.

Middlesex supporters who braved the cold, overcast day at Southgate saw their team go down by seventeen runs to Hampshire in the Norwich Union League.At no stage did the Middlesex batsmen seemed able to settle into a substantial partnership in the face of some steady, accurate bowling.Chris Tremlett, coming on as first-change, struck with his first ball, having Andy Strauss held at mid-wicket for 12 and the second bowling change proved just as effective with James Hamblin trapping Ben Hutton leg before wicket in his first over. Middlesex were 51 for two in the 17th over.They suffered another blow eight runs later, losing Stephen Fleming for ten but Mike Roseberry and Robin Weston added 29 before the medium pace of Hamblin caused further damage.Weston skied to short mid-wicket in the 28th over, with the total on 88, a run later Simon Cook also skied, this time to mid-off, and with Roseberry caught at deep mid-wicket for 22, Middlesex were reduced to 109 for six.It was good accurate bowling from Hamblin who, playing in only his third league match, finished with four for 29 from nine overs.After top scorer Paul Weekes’ departure in the 43rd over, the end came quickly. His was the eighth wicket to fall after David Nash was run out in the previous over. Middlesex needed 26 from the last over and managed only eight.Earlier, after deciding to make first use of a wicket that was cut only about an hour or so before the start, as water had leaked under the covers on the pitch that was first intended for use, Hampshire began poorly.They lost the first wicket on 29 when Neil Johnson dabbed a ball on to his stumps and a run later Dimitri Mascarenhas went without scoring. Chad Keegan had picked up both wickets.Hampshire’s highest partnership came for the third wicket with 66 added between James Laney and Derek Kenway. They picked up the scoring rate which had fallen to the extent that after the first boundary of the innings had been struck in the first over the second didn’t come until the seventeenth.Kenway continued with his big hitting while wickets fell at the other end. After Laney’s dismissal on 96, Hampshire lost four wickets for 43 when Kenway’s lofted shot was held at deep mid-wicket. His 65 had come from 77 balls and included four boundaries and a six over long-off.The end of the Hampshire innings came rapidly with Keegan running through three wickets in the 44th over, all with the total on 164. He finished with five for 17 from eight overs, his best figures in limited overs cricket. Robin Smith remained not out with 18 as his team reached 171 for nine in the allotted 45 overs.

I had so much hope for English cricket just a little while ago. Then the wheels came off. I had said what a cracking summer we were going to have, especially with the NatWest Series comprising of teams of the quality of Australia and Pakistan. I expected England to compete on even terms with them, but that was not the way it turned out.They were the champions and runners-up from the last World Cup, but even so, this was not what England expected. I went to the England-Pakistan match at Lord’s – not as a player, and not in the corporate hospitality areas. I went as Joe Public, sitting in the crowd on the top deck of the Compton Stand. It was a great experience. I like the atmosphere created by the Pakistanis, even if I did get a headache from the all the noise. At least, I presume the headache came from all the noise and not the half of lager I allowed myself – all a trained athlete should consider, you understand.England should have won that match, along with others in the competition, but managed to lose them all. We were promised a new plan after the last World Cup debacle, but it does not seem to have happened. I was pleased for Owais Shah, though. He has been batting out of his skin this season and deserved his chance and then deserved to succeed. I am pleased to say he got what he deserved on both counts.I kept on thinking that Australia were steamrollering everyone else in that series, but just before it started, we at Middlesex had beaten them. Mind you, it was the same Middlesex, give or take a couple of players including me, who then lost to Herefordshire in what we now call the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy. What a dreadful experience that was! All credit to the Herefordshire lads who deserved to win, but I can honestly say that fielding in front of all those home supporters was easily the worst three hours I have spent on a cricket field.I had some rather good figures in that game, and it has all been going well in the CricInfo Championship where, I hope the selectors notice, it has all been going pretty well too. There we are sitting on top of our division with the name Tufnell regularly featuring in the bowling statistics. I keep on bowling and batsmen keep on getting out. Lovely job!We would have been even further in front if the rain had not stopped us when we were on the brink of beating Nottinghamshire. They were a couple of runs in front with just two wickets to fall when following on. Then it rained. We were robbed as surely as if Robin Hood had still been around.It gave me a chance to watch a bit of the Test. How disappointing was that? Wonderful cricket played at the gallop, but such a shame for England. Obviously Australia are the best in the world and we knew they were, but Edgbaston just went to show that it’s going to be a long, tough summer. But let’s not panic, let’s stand up and fight. We’ve been one-nil down before, like in Sri Lanka where everyone said how tough it is to play, but we came back to win. Now we’ve got to turn this one round like we did then.It will be tough, because this Aussie side is amongst the best I’ve ever seen. It’s only the second time they’ve got the three quicks all together in a Test that makes it a pretty formidable attack, and backed up by a bloke they said was knackered. He was too fat, eats too many pizzas, had had several injuries and too old. But I’ve heard all that before (and not only about Shane Warne) and I reckon he’s still one of the very best. It makes a fantastic bowling attack.Even so, we’ve got to stay strong and work it out. I didn’t think we bowled at the top of our form. Conditions should have suited our guys, but you get days when it doesn’t go right. At the end of the day, we have to put that behind us, learn from our mistakes and introduce a bit more discipline. On the bating side, we have to build partnerships and get some runs on the board and go to Lord’s to turn it around.It won’t be easy with Captain Poppadom out again. It will be blow to Nass and a worry after just coming back from a broken thumb. He’ll start thinking “Blimey, what’s going on here?” I don’t know who you pick as captain. Perhaps Trescothick would be a good shout, but he’s in such good form you might not want to risk it. It’s a hard job, so perhaps it should go back to Athers. Or Goughie perhaps. Yes, give it to Goughie!

Veteran fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad returns to the Indian cricketteam for the three Test series in Sri Lanka which comences on August14.The national selection committee, which met in Mumbai on Thursdaypicked a squad of 16 for the tour which included one three day game.Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid (vice captain), Shiv SunderDas, Sadagopan Ramesh, Hemang Badani, Javagal Srinath, HarvinderSingh, Dinesh Mongia, Samir Dighe, Rahul Sanghvi, Mohammad Kaif,Sachin Tendulkar, Sairaj Bahutule, Zaheer Khan, Venkatesh Prasad andHarbhajan Singh.Sachin Tendulkar has been picked conditionally. He has to undergo afinal bone scan on his injured foot on August 10. If after that,Tendulkar is still unfit, Baroda’s Jacob Martin will replace him inthe squad.Ashish Nehra and VVS Laxman were both ruled out through injury.

LEEDS, England – Steve Waugh has made a shock appearance in the nets atHeadingley, fuelling speculation he might recover from a torn calfmuscle in time for next week’s Fifth Ashes Test at The Oval.Waugh’s first thought while being stretchered from the field at TrentBridge 11 days ago was his tour was over and he may as well pack up andgo home to his family in Sydney.But the Australian captain decided to undergo 12 laborious hours oftreatment every day from 8.30am in the faint hope he would recover intime for one last appearance on English soil.Waugh is refusing to ask team physiotherapist Errol Alcott the mosttempting question – “will I be able to play?” – because he doesn’t wantthe answer to affect his determined bid to regain fitness.When Waugh thought the nosiest onlookers had left, he snuck into thenets and batted for about 15 minutes without any discomfort as coachJohn Buchanan threw him balls from short range.”Stephen was fine, but he hasn’t got much time left – one week,” said anAustralian Cricket Board spokesman.”Having a light hit is a different matter from playing a Test match.”It would be nothing short of remarkable if 36-year-old Waugh was able tolead Australia onto The Oval for a farewell appearance in England.But Alcott, masseuse Rebecca Lauder and fitness coach Jock Campbell areworking overtime to expedite his recovery from an injury which normallytakes between four and six weeks to mend.Last week, Waugh said: “When I did the injury I gave myself a nought percent chance of being back for The Oval and while I’ve improved sincethen, I still have to give myself only a tiny chance of being right.”Tiny has become just a little bigger.Full days of physiotherapy, massage, pool work, bike work and lightweights give cause for optimism but there is still no guarantee he willavailable.Motivating him is the fact that Australia will be awarded the substituteAshes trophy at the Oval, he might never again play in England, andentering the twilight of his career, every Test is special.He posed for the cover photograph of his upcoming Ashes diary thisafternoon.In Waugh’s absence, interim captain Adam Gilchrist leads Australiaagainst England in the Fourth Test at Headingley tomorrow, starting at11am (8pm AEST).England is yet to trim its 13-man squad because captain Nasser Hussainis completely flummoxed by the pitch.”I’m not sitting on the fence,” said Hussain.”But it could seam, swing, spin or it could be flat.”Australia: Adam Gilchrist (c), Ricky Ponting (vc), Matthew Hayden,Michael Slater, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Simon Katich, Brett Lee,Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer (12th man).England (from): Nasser Hussain (c), Michael Atherton, MarcusTrescothick, Mark Butcher, Mark Ramprakash, Usman Afzaal, Alec Stewart,Alex Tudor, Robert Croft, Andy Caddick, Darren Gough, Alan Mullally,Richard Johnson.

Powerhouses Piton Dover and the relative unknowns MTW will clash inthe final of the Barbados Fire & Commercial Shield cricket competitionnext week.The two sides booked their final date with hard-fought wins in thesemifinals, yesterday. Dover, the kings of lower division cricket,worked hard for a four-wicket victory over Combermere School, making144 for six after the original target of 175 was reduced due to rain.MTW, at home, reached their first final by restricting Central to 197to win by 12 runs.At Waterford: Experience got the better of youth as Dover’s middleorder chose the right ball and the right moments to launch theirattack.Man-Of-The-Match Jerry Kirton blasted three sixes in the space of fiveballs just when it was needed. Kirton’s 28 off 16 balls came with hisside still needing 52 runs off eight overs. Together with Wilbur Bruce(50 two fours and two sixes off 79 balls), he added 45 in six decisiveovers to which the students had no answer.This festival of power hitting came after rain had forced the umpiresto reduced the target from 175 in 40 overs to 144 in 33 overs. At thebreak the score was 76 for three in 22 overs with the game truly inthe balance.I’m an attacking player and I knew I had to be positive in order forus to win the game, said Kirton, who like Bruce is a former CarltonFirst Division captain.From the time I left the pavilion I was planning to attack. We arefull of confidence but not over-confident. Any team (MTW) which makesthe final must be good. We won’t be taking them lightly in the final.Kirton paid Combermere the ultimate compliment, saying they were thebest school side he had ever played against. The level of fitness, thebatting and the bowling was very good. They really made us fight, andfight hard.Kirton also starred with the ball, snatching four for 23 as theschoolboys lost their way at the end, losing the last five wickets for18 runs after Calvin Watson (49) and Rohan Nurse (34) both battedattractively.Maybe the boys could write this one down to experience.At Pine Basin: Cheers and shouts greeted MTW’s victory over theseasoned Central.Fortunes fluctuated all day and the margin of victory said it all. MTWhad to battle back from a difficult start but took control after thevisitors bowlers’ rocked them at the start.Led by their captain and Man-Of-The-Match Geoffrey Padmore with aflamboyant half century, they transformed a position of uncertainty toone of comfort.Padmore belted out seven fours and two sixes in a entertaining knockof 73 which took his team from 70 for five to a respectable total of212.Padmore enjoyed two good partnerships;the first was a seventh-wicketstand with Peter Blackman worth 69 and an eighth-wicket stand withWinston Gittens for 59 runs.The tail rallied around their captain until he was last out.Central started positively posting 50 in six overs with in-formopening batsman David Forde striking four sixes in a quickfire knockof 37.However, the introduction of left-arm spinner David Payne saw theinnings quickly slumping to 112 for six, before Arglye Catwell, with42, brought some glimmer of hope back to the Vaucluse men, but with 19needed in the last over, he only managed four before he was stumped bykeeper Peter Blackman.

Chris Hassell, the Yorkshire Chief Executive, was not at Scarborough to seehis team clinch the CricInfo Championship. Confined to Headingleyheadquarters on administrative duties, he found time to comment on thecounty’s triumph.”Personally, I’m delighted for the team, because I do think it’s been a teameffort. We’ve used two dozen players in the first team this season and allof them have contributed. In addition, the coach and the captain havecontributed enormously, as have the coaches behind the scenes. They haveprepared the young players to come into the first team to counter thenumerous England calls and injuries that we’ve suffered.”He went on, “This has been a triumph for all Yorkshire cricket, from thegrass roots up to the first team which has actually won the title. TheAcademy side is going for the Premier League title, and the second team arefighting for that title as well, so there is success right through the club.All Yorkshire cricket will benefit, from marketing to cricket development.It’s just so good for cricket as a whole in Yorkshire.”Hassell has been in charge of Yorkshire for 11 years and, despite allhis tireless work behind the scenes, this is the first title he has beenable to celebrate and will be all the sweeter for that.

Left-arm spinner Nicky Boje, out of action since April when he left South Africa’s tour of the West Indies prematurely for shoulder and knee surgery, has been recalled to the South African squad for the next two games in the Standard Bank Triangular One-Day Series.Boje, who had an outstanding 2000/01 summer, joins the 12-man squad fielded by South Africa for the first two matches in the tournament. There are no other changes.There had been speculation that South Africa might add another fast bowler to their squad, particularly now that Allan Donald is again out of action with a strained stomach muscle and missed Free State’s weekend Supersport Series match against Northerns.Boje, on the other hand, played, bowling 44 overs in the Northerns Titans first innings.The squad will do duty in the game against India at Centurion Park on Wednesday and against Kenya in Kimberley next Sunday.Squad: Shaun Pollock (capt), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Jonty Rhodes, Lance Klusener, Mark Boucher, Claude Henderson, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Kemp, Nicky Boje