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Michael Vaughan was delighted with his team’s performance after England had dug deep to secure a draw on the final day of their series in the Caribbean. “I hope everyone is as happy as we all feel,” said Vaughan, whose 140 was instrumental in protecting England’s 3-0 series lead. “It’s a fantastic achievement by all who contributed, not just the 11 who played but the whole squad and the support staff.”We always felt like we had 12 on the field because of our support out here,” said Vaughan, in reference to the thousands of England fans who made the trip. “We really appreciate that. It’s been a historic tour. We are a young side and we must now build on this and drive forward for the New Zealand series in the summer.”England had entered the match with the prospect of inflicting West Indies’ first home series whitewash, but that ambition was dramatically thwarted by Brian Lara’s magnificent unbeaten quadruple-century. “It was a privilege to see Lara score 400,” said Vaughan, “but we played very well, and now we are looking forward to a good one-day series. Hopefully we can take that trophy as well.”Lara had mixed emotions about his achievement, as he spoke to Sky Sports after the match. “I am very happy, but at the end of the day my spirit is still dampened by the series result. If we are going to learn from this game, we must put in the hard work and maybe get the result another time. All I want is to bring more cohesion in the West Indies team and our people. These performances, let’s share them out, that would have more value than anything else.”The seven-match one-day series offers a new challenge. “We are now starting afresh and going to Guyana,” said Lara. “We need to start on a positive note. That is important for me and this team. I think we have learnt from England how to put a game together. They have batted and bowled in partnerships and they have played like a team over all five days. We need to learn to play five days to win Test matches.”The Man of the Series award went to Steve Harmison, for his series haul of 23 wickets. He had entered the match with the prospect of breaking England’s record of 27 wickets in the Caribbean, jointly held by Angus Fraser and John Snow, but could add only one more scalp on a featherbed of a pitch.”There was talk of a record but a wicket like that is not breaking any [bowling] records,” said Harmison. “I think Angus Fraser was happy in the commentary box. Before I came here I wanted to establish myself in the England team. I feel I have done that now and hopefully I can improve as a Test cricketer.”

In a tour that hasn’t gone to plan after a sparkling start, West Indies travel to a ground on which they posted both their wins on the tour so far against a formidable South African line-up.West Indies upset the hosts at St George’s Park in both the first Twenty20 international and the first Test, but have lost their way since. A loss in Sunday’s ODI would see them surrender the series, but the visitors are not the only team with a few worries.South Africa have done poorly in Port Elizabeth of late – their last win came in an ODI against India in November 2006 – and coach Mickey Arthur said the team were eager to perform.”I’m not a 100% sure why we haven’t played to the best of our abilities there, but all I do know is the team will be keen to put on a very good performance, because we’ve let Port Elizabeth down of late,” Arthur told the . South Africa, though, would take confidence from the convincing win in Cape Town, where West Indies never looked in the hunt while chasing 256.Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis failed in Cape Town, and it was the left-handed batsmen Graeme Smith and JP Duminy who did the bulk of the scoring. South Africa, however, were unable to pick up the momentum towards the close of their innings – perhaps falling 15-20 runs short – but it didn’t have a bearing on the final result.Arthur indicated there wouldn’t be many changes, given the series is still alive. The bowlers never looked in trouble against a brittle West Indian line-up. Shaun Pollock, playing his farewell ODI series, had impeccable figures of 10-5-13-2, while Morne Morkel’s career-best figures of 4 for 36 suggested he’d recovered fully from the injury that had ruled him out since South Africa’s tour to Pakistan last year.”Before we start looking to juggle the side too much, we want to try and get the series out of the way first, and then look to give our other squad guys an opportunity,” Arthur said. “We have quite a few niggles in the squad and we need to manage those. But I don’t foresee too many changes.”For West Indies, it’s the batting that’s the main concern. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was expected to play at No. 3 in Cape Town in order to provide much-needed momentum at the top, but a bruised knee meant he came in at No. 5 and batted with a runner. Chanderpaul’s 54 was the only significant resistance to South Africa’s attack and if he can’t take the field on Sunday, it would be another headache for West Indies, who are already missing the batting skills of Chris Gayle.Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards made a promising start in Cape Town. Taylor nipped out both Gibbs and Kallis, but his four-wicket haul was not backed up by his team-mates. Stand-in captain Dwayne Bravo, who bowled despite a side strain in the first ODI, might again have to send down a few overs himself. Bravo would also like to change his luck at the toss; he’s called it wrong the last three occasions, perhaps a right one could help bring about the right result.Teams (probable)
South Africa
Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Johan Botha, Charl Langeveldt, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel.West Indies
Brenton Parchment, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo (capt), Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor.

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Haryana took 15 Jammu and Kashmir wickets on the third day to inflict an innings defeat on J&K. Resuming their first innings at 92 for 5, in reply to Haryana’s 174, J&K could add only 82 and were asked to follow-on. Irshad Hassan scored 44 of those runs and ended up with 51. Amit Mishra took three wickets today to end up with a four-wicket haul in the first innings.An even more abject cave-in followed in the second innings as the 30 extras were the highest contributors in the total of 107. Gaurav Vashisht took five wickets and Jitender Billa took his second three-wicket haul of the match to hasten what always seemed an inevitable rout.
ScorecardIn a remarkable day’s play, Vidarbha lost their last six wickets for 6 runs, then skittled Gujarat out for 121 and made a steady start in pursuit of 226 runs to win the match outright. Resuming the day at 189 for 4, Vidarbha reached 202 without any further loss, but the next six fell within eight overs, the last four scoring ducks.Niraj Patel scored 71 out of Gujarat’s 121 as they folded up in 54.1 overs. Alind Naidu bowled 13.1 overs for 18 runs and took four wickets to bring Vidarbha back into the match. Sandeep Singh took three wickets. At stumps, Vidarbha had scored 31 runs without any loss, setting up an exciting last day’s play.
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Manish Vardhan, the Jharkhand captain, carried on from his overnight 113 to ensure Jharkhand went past Goa’s 336 and by stumps, Jharkhand had attained a first-innings lead of 69, which might not prove enough to force an outright result on the last day. Vardhan scored 179, while Saurav Tiwary and Arun Vidyarthi scored half-centuries. Vidyarthi ended the day at 72 not out. The scoring was surprisingly slow as only 188 runs were added during the 90 overs, even though they lost only three wickets.
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A good start by Madhya Pradesh came apart in the middle and they were asked to follow on by Railways after being bowled out for 221. MP had made 100 runs for the loss of one wicket when Sanjay Bangar and Madan Yadav struck twice in two balls. After that MP never really recovered, as Harvinder Singh and Karan Sharma took three wickets each to bowl them out with a day and eight overs left to force a result. Naman Ojha top-scored for MP with 44.
ScorecardServices attained a comfortable 147-run first-innings lead over Assam, but could not enforce a follow-on that could have allowed them go for an outright win. Assam, resuming the day at 92 for 3, never really got going, as the highest contribution in their innings came from Services, by the way of 59 extras. Rakesh Sharma, the left-arm medium-pace bowler, took a five-for on debut, and Arun Sharma and Ashish Mohanty took two wickets each.

The kite climbs higher and higher, like a bird in the sky at the Wankhede Stadium. The string is held by couple of Delhi players who are egged on by their team-mates. Some distance to their right, the Uttar Pradesh players are indulging in a bit of fun as well. The relaxed atmosphere belies the fact that come tomorrow, and both these teams will be fighting for the coveted Ranji Trophy.Eleven years have flown by since Delhi last reached, and lost, the final while Uttar Pradesh are back in the summit clash after two years. Both teams are, obviously, desperate to win. Delhi want to forget their recent sordid past, when political machinations and faulty selection processes used to hog the headlines. Surprisingly, cricket has been the sole topic of discussion this season. It’s a refreshing change for some of the senior players, who only a year back were considering switching states to get away from the mess.For the last few seasons, players from Delhi would make it to the national team, but at the domestic stage the team struggled. “Many players went on to play for India but the team was not winning anything,” says Vijay Dahiya, the coach, who played in that 1996-97 final. “That has hurt the players. They want to set that record right. If you talk to anyone this season, you will realise their focus is entirely on doing well for Delhi.”The senior players like Gautam Gambhir and Aakash Chopra concur. It is their first Ranji final and both want to make it memorable. “We want to experience that feeling of winning the Ranji Trophy, that’s the greatest motivation,” says Gambhir, Delhi’s captain. “I was always passionate about playing for Delhi. It has given me the platform to play for India and at one stage you have to give back to your state as well. This is my chance.”Mohammad Kaif, the UP captain, has tasted that winning feeling before and wants more of it. “Winning the title is the key focus and not individual selections for the national side. That will come when we win this. The last time we won, a few players went on to play for the country. But the focus was right – win the title and reap the rewards. Not the other way around.”If Delhi want to leave behind the past, Uttar Pradesh want to create a new future. Their success story has been despite the system. They have bypassed the infrastructural speed-breakers – poor practice facilities, the substandard gyms – to repeat the story of 2005-06. Like that year, they have come from behind to enter the final. They hope a victory here will help in sprucing up the system.One of the biggest challenges for both teams is the wicket that has been laid out by curator Sudhir Naik. The surface has a fair sprinkling of grass and promises to offer bounce and movement. Both teams, while praising the “international quality track” are pretty wary of it. Unless things change dramatically overnight, it’s almost certain that the captain winning the toss will choose to bowl. Naik, relieved of the pressure of producing a lifeless track for the usual hosts Mumbai, has laid out a wicket which should produce a decisive result. “A few players from both teams did come to me, enquiring whether the grass would be removed. I had to disappoint them,” Naik says with a chuckle. “It is definitely going to help the pacers and I won’t be surprised to see a team getting bowled out on the first day.” Dahiya admitted he would bowl first and Kaif hinted at the same.The pitch is hardly a greentop, but considering how domestic batsmen from all teams have repeatedly folded up whenever the wicket was a touch difficult – the semi-finals are the most recent examples – Naik’s assessment could well turn out to be right.

The contest will come down to how the either team’s batsmen measure up against the opposition fast bowlers. Both sides have a decent pace attack led by young promising talent. If it’s Sudeep Tyagi, who has the second-highest tally of the season with 39 wickets at 19.84, leading the attack for UP, then Pradeep Sangwan, with 24 wickets at 21.20 and fresh from a successful tour with the India Under-19 team, will be the spearhead for Delhi.If UP have Praveen Kumar, with 28 wickets at 16.28, to give able support to Tyagi, Delhi have Sumit Narwal and one of either Parvinder Awana or Amit Bhandari – Gambhir’s one selection headache will be which one of the two to select. In addition, both teams have a medium-pacer – the in-form Rajat Bhatia for Delhi and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for UP – to do the dirty job of performing as stock bowlers.The spin threat is posed by legspinners for both teams: Piyush Chawla – who was seen practising a lot in the nets, trying to bowl with a more round-arm action to get more fizz on the legbreaks – for UP and Chetanya Nanda for Delhi.The bowling attack balances out but what about the batting? Delhi outscore UP in this department, with three batsmen – Gambhir, Chopra and Mithun Manhas – who have scored almost 600 runs this season. In addition, they have Shikhar Dhawan with 502 runs and Bhatia with 386. UP’s batting has revolved around Kaif, who is in glorious form (670 runs) and Suresh Raina, with 582. However, the batting has dropped a notch after a fiery start. They will be happy to have Tanmay Srivastava returning from the India Under-19 outing in South Africa and will hope that he can give them a good start, something that UP have failed to produce consistently this season. However, Delhi clearly have the edge in batting, especially as their opening batsmen are of proven quality and can be expected to tackle the new-ball threat.What could work to UP’s advantage is the fact that they have played three consecutive pressure-cooker games and are battle-hardened as a result. They faced relegation before the game against Bengal but won by an innings and have rode on the momentum ever since. They swept aside Hyderabad by 132 runs in their last league game before clinching a low-scoring semi-final against Saurashtra.Considering they had taken a similar path in their championship year of 2005-06, UP also have the advantage of having been there and done that as recently as two years ago. Pitted against that bullishness is Delhi’s desperation to end the title drought. The stakes couldn’t be higher and the battle couldn’t be fiercer. It’s game on at the Wankhede Stadium.

Hopes that the USA would become a major force in world cricket were effectively ended with the announcement by the ICC that Project USA had been scrapped.An ICC statement said that “in light of the inability of the United States of America Cricket Association to address the fundamental governance issues of the game inthe USA, the executive board decided to immediately terminate its initiative to stage international cricket in the USA to generate funds to develop the game in this country.”Ehsan Mani, the ICC’s president, said that the board was left with littlechoice but to make this decision. “The decision to terminate Project USA is taken with some regret. Cricket is growing in America and Gary Hopkins who was appointed to run this project had done some excellent work in preparing the way for international cricket to be played there,” Mani said. “Nevertheless, the success of this project relies on having an effective governing body for cricket in the United States.”Our experience in dealing with the USACA and the current controversyover the governance of the game in this country has convinced the boardthat it cannot support investing ICC members funds in this project andit has been terminated.”Constant in-fighting within the board and growing animosity between senior officials led to the ICC suspending the project in February. But rather than grab the bull by the horns, the USACA executive did almost nothing except provide further examples of its inability to act decisively.In the same week that the ICC met, the USACA’s president, Gladstone Dainty, embroiled the association in further controversy when he suspended the secretary and attempted to disqualify candidates after the poll had closed.There was also a feeling in some circles that the ICC needed the USA more than USA needed it and that it wouldn’t dare to abandon the project. That was always a risky strategy, and that particular bluff has been well and truly called.

It was another predictable day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where West Indies played out its final preparatory match before next week’s first Test against Australia.As the tourists completed their third sub-200 total from four first-class innings played on this tour so far, a spectator fanned a banner pleading “Bring back Viv”. But the great Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards was nowhere in sight. And just as last week was Western Australia’s opportunity to upstage these once-feared tourists, so this week became Victoria’s chance to annihilate them.The result for the Windies: a seven-wicket loss in Perth, followed by today’s innings and sixty-three run drubbing inside three days by the bottom-ranked Australian domestic side. And both coach Roger Harper and captain Jimmy Adams are at a loss for explanations.”I have no explanation. It has been a disappointing performance to put it mildly. I’m not one to get angry but I’m very very disappointed,” said Harper.”It is very very frustrating because I know we are capable of a lot better cricket than we have displayed here and as we displayed in Western Australia. But it’s difficult to put an exact finger on it as to what will bring out the consistency we’re still striving for. Physically, I have no doubt that we’re working a lot harder, a lot better in terms of preparation. We’re still trying to get the precise, definite answer,” he said.Asked about what went wrong with the team’s batting – they were bowled out for 167 in the first innings and 114 in the second – Adams was direct.”I won’t take very long to describe, it’s just not good enough,” he said. “The bottom line is that we’re just not batting as well as we should be batting. We’re just not doing the basic consistent things. It’s just not happening.”For Victorian captain Darren Berry on the other hand, the match couldn’t have gone better. His bowlers began well in the first innings under overcast conditions on a helpful pitch, his batsmen continued the good work by amassing 7/344, and the Bushrangers finally tasted their opening first-class victory of the season. To top it all off, Berry himself claimed his four hundredth first-class catch today.”I think everything went right for Victoria. I think the toss was the start because it was a difficult wicket to bat on. I thought our bowlers bowled well and it was a good team effort. I don’t think it’s my position to comment on how the West Indies played, I’m more concerned about how Victoria played and I was extremely happy with our performance,” he said.The stars for Victoria were twenty-year-old paceman Mathew Inness (9/73 for the match, including career best figures of 6/26 in the first innings) and twenty-five year-old batsman Brad Hodge (134*), who was forced to retire hurt overnight after a Courtney Walsh delivery left his thumb severely bruised.There were other positives too. The patient batting of Jason Arnberger (99) in the first innings. The bowling of first-class debutant Ben Oliver (2/13 off six overs in the second innings, including the crucial wicket of Brian Lara). The successful return from injury of Damien Fleming (2/27 off tenovers today). And of course, the clever bowling of Test spinner Colin Miller (3/26 off 15.3 overs).After losses in the opening two Pura Cup matches, Berry believes today’s win will give the Victorians the confidence and inspiration they need for the next round of domestic matches.For the West Indians, the result simply exacerbates their woeful start to this Australian tour. With the first Test just four days away, the search is on for that elusive answer to their problems.Adams thinks the answer lies within. “I don’t think it’s so much a technical problem. I think what we have to do is to do whatever we can amongst ourselves to reinforce to the team that the players here are good players, quality players. I think they’re players that have done enough often enough, and ones who you figure will always carry that self belief. There might be a few younger players where it’s up to the rest of us to keep reinforcing that ‘You are good enough and you’re here because you’re goodenough’.”Adams says the most important thing is for the team to come together to solve the problems. “I think everybody has a role to play. I think even players who are struggling and might be young players, they still have a role to play. It’s not going to happen because one man stands up, it’s going to happen because the whole team comes together. And as well, you can’t get away from the fact that it is going to require discipline.”At the same time, coach Harper says the team still has time to realise its potential. “I still think we have it in us to play good cricket and precisely because of our unpredictability, it’s possible for us to getthrown out there and string it together. And hopefully we can achieve it come the Test match,” he said.

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The Eagles beat the Lions by 59 runs at Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein, and in so doing extended their Standard Bank Cup lead to 10 points.After being put in, the Eagles started off in a rush. Morne van Wyk and Jonathan Beukus brought up the 100 up in 17 overs with the Lions pace attack struggling with their length. Far too many short balls were bowled giving the two plenty of opportunity to hook and cut.David Terbrugge broke through with the wicket of Beukus for 45 and then Benjamin Hector was needlessly run out for 4. Adam Bacher and Derek Crookes slowed the run rate but innings’ foundation had been laid. Van Wyk had laboured to 78 when Bacher trapped him in front, leaving it to Davey Jacobs to score 50 off 53 balls before he too was run out helping the Eagles to 247 for 5.The Lions batting just never looked the part while the bowlers, with home ground advantage, found their length early on. Stephen Cook struggled to 58 as the middle order failed dismally, collapsing to 116 for 7. Throwing caution to the wind, Enoch Nkwe showed some attacking spirit to register a career-best 49 not out while Adam Bacher (27) and Garnett Kruger (10 not out) were the only other batsmen to get into double figures. At the end of the 45 overs the Lions were 188 for 9, 10 runs short of saving the bonus point.
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An exciting match at Willowmoore Park in Benoni ended in victory for the Titans as they chased down the 219 set by the Dolphins.Batting first after being sent in, the Dolphins recovered well with Doug Watson and Wade Wingfield putting on 51 after the early loss of Imraan Khan. Dale Benkenstein, the in-form ex-Dolphins captain, scored 59 as he upped the tempo. Lance Klusener, again batting at No. 8, swung the bat for a quick 30 but was again left not out after only facing 30 balls. With one of the most lethal strikers of a cricket ball batting so low down the order, one wonders about the Dolphins tactics. In they end they could only muster 219 for 7 in their 45 overs.The Titans made heavy work at the start. Alviro Petersen was out in the third over and then AB de Villiers and Goolam Bodi put on a subdued 69 before Bodi was caught for 30. de Villiers followed, caught behind for 50 while Daryll Cullinan hardly troubled the scorers. Needing eight an over – and rising – things looked all over the Titans. Justin Kemp and Gerald Dros then turned the game around with some lusty blows, and by the time Kemp was caught for 54 only 20 runs were required off 21 balls. The partnership had been worth 96 runs in 14 overs. In the end the Titans won with an over to spare and Dros undefeated on 59.

The International Cricket Council have restated their position thatEngland’s World Cup match against Zimbabwe in Harare on February 13th willgo ahead as planned, following today’s teleconference over security at thetournament.According to the ICC as neither England nor Australia or the Netherlands -the other countries that had expressed concern about going to Zimbabwe – hadrequested a change of venue, no decision had to be taken by ICC. New Zealandhad requested that their fixture in Nairobi be switched but the ICC saidthat it was felt “there were not sufficient reasons to move the game.”In making the announcement at a press conference in London, ICC chiefexecutive Malcolm Speed said: “On the issue of Zimbabwe no country sought tohave the matches moved so no decision was required."Concerns have been raised by England, Australia and Holland over scheduledmatches. We need to sit down with these countries to see if adequatesecurity is in place. No-one went to the stage of requesting a formalmotion.”Although the ECB delegate, new chairman David Morgan, did not formallyrequest a change of venue, the ECB issued a statement immediately after theannouncement in which it said Mr Morgan did “make strong remarks to theboard about the broader issue of safety and security at all matches.”The ECB statement also made it clear that the captain, Nasser Hussain, wasfully briefed by the chairman last night on the approach he was going totake.Morgan gave his account of what happened during the meeting. "It was clearfrom the mood of the teleconference that there was an implacable andoverwhelming feeling that the recommendations of the report should beaccepted,” he said.Morgan added: “I want to put the broader issue of the possibility of civilunrest and the threat of terrorism into very stark perspective.”If there are demonstrations and rioting in Harare during the England versusZimbabwe match this is not just an issue for the two countries directlyconcerned it is an issue for all the countries taking part in the World Cup.”We should all be concerned about this matter, just as we should all beconcerned about any safety and security concerns in Kenya affecting NewZealand, Kenya and Sri Lanka.”The security risk at all matches will, of course, vary according to wherethe match is being played and which countries are taking part in the match.”In that sense, the risk factor at each match must be individually assessedand evaluated.”If there are significant security and safety problems, it will blight thewhole 2003 World Cup with an indelible stain.”It will reflect very badly on cricket and, indeed, everyone associated withthe World Cup. No one will escape blame. We will all have to bear collectiveresponsibility.”If, in the next few days/weeks, there is a discernible deterioration insafety and security surrounding particular matches then decisions must beurgently reviewed and, if necessary, matches moved. We must all reserve ourright for this to happen.”The ICC’s decision was taken after lengthy consultations with all boards,player representatives, the diplomatic corps, the World Cup organisingcommittee which takes responsibility for all security matters, and securityconsultants, Kroll, who had been asked for a report on the situation.The Kroll report, according to the ECB statement, was “categorical in itsultimate assessment that it is safe and secure for all six matches inZimbabwe to proceed as planned. It was clear from the mood of theteleconference that there was an implacable and overwhelming feeling thatthe recommendations of the report should be accepted.”This is the same organisation that reported to the State Department inWashington who have issued the following advice to United States citizens:”The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of travel toZimbabwe. Zimbabwe is in the midst of political, economic, and humanitariancrises with serious implications for the security situation in the country.All U.S. citizens in Zimbabwe are urged to take those measures they deemappropriate to ensure their well being, including consideration of departurefrom the country.”Dealing with the point about New Zealand’s match against Kenya in Nairobi,Mr Speed said: “New Zealand sought to have the game relocated. This wasopposed by Kenya.”New Zealand provided a report into the security situation but the decisionthe board made was there were not sufficient reasons to move the game fromKenya.”As from next week, the conduct of the event passes to the World CupOrganising Committee. Among the personnel on that committee are MalcolmSpeed, another Australian in ICC commercial director Campbell Jamieson andWorld Cup director Dr Ali Bacher. They are joined by two former players inSunil Gavaskar from India and Michael Holding from the West Indies and amember of the South African board, Brian Basson.

Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire’s captain and new player/coach, has been included in the New Year Honours list in recognition of his success with the county in the past five years, in which time they have won six one-day titles.Alleyne, 35, played 10 one-dayers for England between 1999 and 2000. Speaking today, he admitted that both he and his wife, Louise, were astonished and overwhelmed when they heard the news of his MBE. “I was very surprised. I never thought I would be considered for anything like this,” he said. “We were both pretty much in tears when we found out. But it was when my wife started to cry that I realised how important it was.”I have seen her cry only twice before. One was when our first child was born, and the other was when we beat Somerset in the NatWest final in 1999. That meant a lot to Gloucestershire people.”That victory set the wheels rolling for Gloucestershire and their incredible success. Alleyne, along with John Bracewell, the former coach, masterminded Gloucestershire to three Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy victories, the latest against Worcestershire last summer. And that was capped off with promotion to the first divsion of the County Championship.”We had a vision for the club, to be one of the premier teams in England,” Alleyne added. “We do kind of look back at what we have achieved, and it has been outstanding. I am really proud of that – it has been a great moment to be involved with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.”Now we have a chance to build on all that. It is a new challenge altogether, and I want to keep it going. To truly be a top club you need to be in the top bracket in both forms of the game, and I am pleased to have helped Gloucestershire up where they belong.”David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, expressed his congratulations to Alleyne. “It is a great award. It is not often that a person who has achieved success in the county game has been rewarded with an MBE,” said Graveney. “I am sure he would be the first to say it is an honour for the team. He has played his part in Gloucestershire’s success over the years.”I have known him since he first broke into the Gloucestershire team when I was his first captain. I remember him very vividly. He was a very good cricketer he has played his part.”

Recent claims by the Kenyan Cricket Association (KCA) that it had arranged tri-nation one-day tournaments for the next four years appear to be a triumph of hope over reality. An investigation by Cricinfo reveals that none of the overseas boards we asked have committed to participate.In November, Sharad Ghai, the KCA’s chairman, announced that the board had struck a deal with an unnamed American company to invest US$6 million (Sh486 million) to guarantee four home series between August2005 and November 2008. The tournaments would have involved each sideplaying each other three times, with the top two going through to afinal, a total of ten games.”Hosting these teams is impossible for the KCA given our financial position and that is why this arrangement with this company is very good for us because we cannot lose money,” Ghai explained. But critics were quick to point out that Ghai had declined to identify the company, raising concerns as to the strength of its commitment. It has still not been named.The weekend before last, Jasmer Singh, the KCA’s communications and publications manager, gave more information, explaining that the four tournaments would involve India, South Africa and Kenya in 2005; Australia, West Indies and Kenya in 2006; South Africa, Pakistan and Kenya in 2007; and England, Sri Lanka and Kenya in 2008.A spokesman for the South African board confirmed that the KCA had approached it to participate next year. “We have responded to them that we cannot play in the 2005 tournament due to a prior commitment,” he explained. “The 2007 tournament is being considered by the playing affairs department.” The Indian board was equally non committal. ‘Nothing has been finalised regarding the one-day tournament in Nairobi,” we were told by an official. “I can’t say anything at this stage.”The following year’s tournament looks equally doubtful, with Cricket Australia stating that it had “no commitment to play cricket in Nairobi in 2006,” and the West Indies board maintaining it had not received any approach. With regards to 2008, a spokesman for the England & Wales Cricket Board said quite firmly that “we haven’t agreed to participate,” and Sri Lanka Cricket said it knew nothing about the proposed games. A reply is still awaited from the Pakistan Cricket Board, but there have to be serious concerns asto the likelihood of any of the events happening.Without the cricket, there will almost certainly be no Americansponsor, and equally the players will grow increasingly frustrated. Atthe outset of the ongoing strike by Kenya’s leading cricketers, theywrote to Ochilo Ayacko, the minister for sport, highlighting theirgrievances. At the top of the list was “a lack of matches at theinternational level.” The letter added that it was “the duty of theKCA to organise such fixtures while all this time we had beenhoodwinked to believe it was the duty of the ICC.”Singh admitted that attracting sponsors was an ongoing problem, onenot helped by the walkout. But to attract sponsors, there have to bemore matches (Kenya’s next serious outing is not until June when theyplay Uganda in the Intercontinental Cup) and without the moneysponsorship brings, arranging games becomes that much harder.Cricinfo contacted the board, and a spokesman told us that ” at no stage has it been stated by KCA that the three-nation tournaments have been confirmed. We stated that these are the proposed schedule of tournaments, which will depend on how and when Test-playing countries can accommodate Kenya in the already clustered 10-year schedule. Some boards have already responded.”The countries are aware of this and are looking at the available proposed dates. Kenya has previously organised threeand four-nation tournaments involving all Test-playing countries on various occasions, most successfully. The proposed tournaments full costs have been underwritten by an American company. Therefore the tournaments will be self sufficient.”