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Lahore, August 18 – The Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board, Lt. General Tauqir Zia on Saturday granted the Lahore Country Club Muridke the status of the first class centre and desired the venue an ideal place for such ventures.He visited the club where a 17-member Qatar junior team is under training to prepare for future ICC Trophy tournaments. “I am delighted to see such suitable place equipped with all the necessary facilities including a lovely ground”, he said.General Tauqir Zia said a due share of first class matches will be allocated to the LCC in the coming domestic season. “I will hold a meeting with the members of the Management Committee to discuss this issue and to advise them to allocate first class matches to this centre”, he observed. Chairman PCB said, the board will extend all the necessary help in the departments of coaching, technical support and laying of pitches to help LCC become more attractive venue.”It is the responsibility of the Board to help such centres which are capable to stage first class matches to make them further improve”, he said.Tauqir Zia who was accompanied by Director Marketing Zahid Bashir and former acc leg spinner, Abdul Qadir demonstrated his skill in the role of a batsman playing some delightful strokes off the bowling of googly bowler.He said the PCB was endeavouring to motivate players from overseas to come Pakistan and to prove their talent for getting a place in the national junior and senior sides. “Such institution like LCC can help in sharpening the skills of overseas players and we must encourage them by extending all out help”, he said.Chief Executive of the LCC, Chaudhary Shujat in his address of welcome highlighted the facilities available in the club and said a modern cricket academy under the same roof was functioning very successfully. “A team from Qatar and a few player from UAE and America are ample proof to our struggle and hard work for giving the LCC a status in cricket coaching”, he said.He said the LCC offers all the necessary facilities and have the services of former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam for imparting finer points of the game to the aspiring cricketers. “It is just beginning of our journey and we hope to put in more efforts with the untired zeal to make this institutions a well known name in the game of cricket”, he said. Director Coaching, Intikhab Alam in his brief address requested the Chairman PCB to grant LCC the status of a first class centre. “Establishing a cricket academy was my long awaiting dream which has now turned into the reality and I hope that PCB will extend its help for making this institution a success”, he said.Later the Chairman, PCB, went around the different parts of the LCC and was also introduced to the young foreign players.

This was the first of the two one-day matches between the teams paled at the Clontarf ground in Dublin where the venerable Clive Lloyd and his team suffered from exposure during the 1999 World Cup. Despite the usual evil weather forecast, the morning of the match began dry, with occasional flashes of sunshine; the weather became increasingly bleak as the day progressed, but at least the match went the distance.Zimbabwe won the toss and decided to bat, while the weather conditions were relatively stable, on a slow pitch allowing considerable seam movement. Irish opening bowler Owen Butler took 12 balls to complete the first over of the match, beginning with four successive wides, Neil Johnson (0) was bowled shouldering arms to a ball that moved sharply, but Craig Wishart (35) and Murray Goodwin (13) stabilised the innings. Wishart has joined the team after sporting his talents notably for Zimbabwe `A’ in Sri Lanka, after being unlucky to miss selection for the main England tour party.The greatest encouragement for Zimbabwe was probably the return to form of Alistair Campbell (52) and Grant Flower (64*) batting down the order. Campbell took quite a while to hit the ball off the square, but once that was achieved he scarcely looked back, Flower got off the mark with a six over midwicket, and it to be hoped that both batsmen have now turned the corner, Dirk Viljoen batted briskly for his unbeaten 30 before the innings closed.228 was quite a stiff target in the circumstances, but with Australian Mark Waugh in the opposition nothing could be taken for granted. However Zimbabwe took an early grip on the innings and never relinquished it. The early Irish batsmen struggled to get the score moving, and even Waugh found it heavy going. At the halfway stage the score was only 67 for three, with the required rate almost 61 per over.Waugh finally began to open up against Paul Strang, who has also joined the touring team in preparation for the on-day series and otherwise bowled economically. He formed a useful partnership with the aggressive Irish captain Angus Dunlop, who got off the mark by hitting Viljoen for a huge six over long on. But, when Grant Flower bowled Waugh for 38, the required rate had risen to more than eight an over, when Dunlop holed out at deep square leg for 35, making Ireland 146 for six, it was as good as over. Paul Mooney reduced the margin of victory with an enterprising 25 not out.

As sponsorship arrangements go, the connection between Shell and cricket has been one of the more enduring relationships in New Zealand sport.But the connection that first began, in a small way with the sponsorship of the New Zealand Cricket Almanack in 1965, and was extended significantly in 1975/76 with the support for the Shell Series, is over.At the time the sponsorship for New Zealand’s domestic competition was in its infancy, limited overs cricket was a new phenomenon, and two rounds of first-class games were unheard of.The introduction of the new competition format was timely.New Zealand was in the middle of the advance from second-rate cricket nation to genuine international force. It was only a few years away from starting the run that saw it go unbeaten in Test series at home in the 1980s.Glenn Turner had become a significant force on the county scene in England and players like Geoff Howarth, John Wright and Richard Hadlee were soon plying their trade in that environment.Earlier, in the late 1960s and early 1970s the New Zealand team had regularly taken part in the Australian domestic one-day competition, several times winning the knockout competition.One-day cricket was still a novelty, and certainly nothing compared with the force it has become on the world scene now. New Zealand had made the semi-finals of the first World Cup in 1975, being beaten by the eventual winners, the West Indies.Since 1974 the country was also receiving an international team every year.The time was ripe for the greatest increase in New Zealand’s domestic programme in its history.The adoption of the Shell Series in 1975/76, which involved the abolition of the Plunket Shield – the prize for the first-class cricket champions since it was first awarded in 1921/22, involved a full round of games between teams for the Shell Cup, then a second round of knockout games which ended with a final.This programme continued until the 1979/80 season when the Shell Cup became the sole preserve of the one-day competition.In the meantime the Packer Revolution occurred in Australia and changed forever the shape of the domestic game around the world.Intense television coverage made the limited overs game much more appealing and one-day games became part of the staple diet of teams all around the world.For New Zealanders though, the increase in domestic cricket opportunities improved standards immeasurably.This carried through to the international scene where New Zealand enjoyed the greatest period of its history until that time. Much of that was bolstered by the increasing exposure of New Zealand players to English conditions during the winter. Martin Crowe joined the more established players on the county scene while countless others have played league cricket.It has all decreased the education time required for New Zealand players to be best equipped for international play.While alterations have occurred in the domestic programme, depending on whatever the motivation is for the time, it cannot be argued that the Shell involvement has gone hand in hand with the greatest advancement of the New Zealand game.The second great era of the game is underway with a group of players who have now become regular internationals on the basis of their upbringing in the Shell environment.The record books are now full of players who have made significant marks during this time and the best of these are listed in the statistical details listed below.There were many highlights to savour:

• Martin Crowe’s golden summer for Central Districts in 1986/87 when he scored 1348 runs at an average of 103.69 has never been matched. He hit six centuries in the season for CD and did the ground work for an amazing year in 1987 during which he hit more than 4000 runs.
• Canterbury’s outstanding consistency in the 1990s when the side won three Shell Trophies and seven Shell Cups. They started out with older hands like Paul McEwan and Rod Latham providing the leadership and performance as newcomers like Stephen Fleming, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris and Craig McMillan complemented the arrival of Chris Cairns in the region and set up the latest dynasty in New Zealand’s first-class game.
• Chris Harris’ outstanding summer of 1996/97 when he did everything possible to decry the accepted view of the time that he couldn’t be considered as a batsman. He scored two double centuries, including a 251 not out, the highest score for Canterbury, a 206, a 198 and a 93 to end the Trophy season with an average of 139.16.
• The phenomenal post-Test retirement run scoring of Wellington’s Bruce Edgar in the late 1980s. Claiming he was more relaxed in his batting, Edgar “loosened up” to the point where in successive seasons he scored: 676 (1987/88), 762 (1988/89) and 720 (1989/90) while in the 1988/89 season he shared in two 300-run opening partnerships. The highest was 333 with Andrew Jones against Auckland, and the second 310 with Robert Vance against Northern Districts, also at Wellington.
• The two golden Northern Districts summers of 1987/88 and 1988/89 when Graeme Hick paid an outstanding dividend for the association. He may have played only two seasons but in 17 matches he scored 2055 runs at 79.03, including 10 centuries, the most by an ND player, and his 211 not out against Auckland in 1988/89 was one of the great innings of Shell Trophy history.
• Then there was the amazing Canterbury-Wellington game of 1994/95 when 1945 runs were scored for the loss of only 18 wickets as Wellington won the game by six wickets. The aggregate was a world record for a four-day match, and it was the fourth highest in world first-class cricket history. The seven centuries scored equalled a record set in 1923/24. Wellington’s successful chase for 475 to win the game was a New Zealand record.
• The same two teams also played what still ranks as the greatest domestic one-day game in the final of the 1991/92 Shell Cup.
• The extended season when introduced proved a boon for New Zealand’s slow bowlers. Otago off spinner Peter Petherick was the first to show out in the first summer in 1975/76 with 42 wickets at 20.16. In the third summer of the new format in 1977/78 the slow bowlers were showing the benefits of their longer exposure at the bowling crease. Stephen Boock (then playing for Canterbury) 56 wickets at 15.66, David O’Sullivan (Central Districts) 44 at 20.22, Peter Petherick (Otago) 45 at 17.15. In 1978/79 Boock took 54 at 18.51 and in 1979/80 Cliff Dickeson 39 at 19.35.

Shell Series Statistics, 1975/76-2000/01Most runs

6202 Robert Vance (W) 1976/77-1990/916197 Bruce Edgar (W) 1975/76-1989/905870 Rod Latham (C) 1980/81-1994/955854 Paul McEwan (C) 1977/78-1990/915559 John Wright (ND/C/A) 1975/76-1992/935377 Martin Crowe (A/CD/W) 1980/81-1994/955235 Bruce Blair (O/ND) 1977/78-1989/905161 Mark Greatbatch (A/CD) 1982/83-1997/984789 Ken Rutherford (O) 1982/83-1993/94

Most wickets

482 Stephen Boock (C/O) 1975/76-1989/90345 Evan Gray (W) 1975/76-1990/91333 David O’Sullivan (CD) 1975/76-1984/85325 Ewen Chatfield (W) 1975/76-1989/90287 Mark Priest (C) 1987/88-1998/99262 Neil Mallender (O) 1983/84-1992/93249 John Bracewell (O/A) 1978/79-1989/90240 Cliff Dickeson (ND) 1975/76-1985/86234 Richard Hadlee (C) 1975/76-1989/90223 Gary Robertson (CD) 1979/80-1989/90

Highest scores

254* Robert Vance W v ND Wellington 1988/89251* Chris Harris C v CD Rangiora 1996/97242 Martin Crowe CD v O New Plymouth 1989/90241 Matt Horne O v A Auckland 1997/98237* Rod Latham C v ND Rotorua 1990/91222 Ian Rutherford O v CD New Plymouth 1978/79219 Matthew Bell W v ND Hamilton 1998/99216 Matthew Bell W v A Auckland 1997/98212* David Kelly CD v C Blenheim 2000/01211* Graeme Hick ND v A Auckland 1988/89

Best bowling

9-48 Alex Tait ND v A Hamilton 1996/979-93 Peter Petherick O v ND Dunedin 1975/769-95 Mark Priest C v O Dunedin 1989/908-24 Ewen Chatfield W v ND Lower Hutt 1979/808-27 Justin Vaughan A v O Alexandra 1996/978-31 David Sewell O v CD Invercargill 1996/978-37 Evan Gray W v C Lower Hutt 1985/868-46 Lance Cairns O v W Invercargill 1978/798-57 Stephen Boock O v A Dunedin 1989/908-59 Stephen Boock O v W Invercargill 1978/79

Partnership records

1st 333 Bruce Edgar & Andrew Jones W v A Wellington2nd 317 Ron Hart & Scott Briasco CD v C New Plymouth3rd 394* Peter Kennedy & Rod Latham C v ND Rotorua4th 280 Jeff Crowe & Dipak Patel A v ND Auckland5th 341 Gavin Larsen & Ervin McSweeney W v CD Levin6th 226 Evan Gray & Ross Ormiston W v CD Wellington7th 241 Nathan Astle & Mark Priest C v W Christchurch8th 180 Roger Twose & Matthew Goodson W v O Dunedin9th 188 Neal Parlane & Daryl Tuffey ND v W Wellington10th 160 Lee Germon & Warren Wisneski C v ND Rangiora

Seasonal individual centuries and top scorers

100s HS1975/76 16 177* Glenn Turner O v W1976/77 15 177* Glenn Turner ND v CD1977/78 14 133 Ian Rutherford CD v C1978/79 13 222 Ian Rutherford O v CD1979/80 13 152* Bruce Edgar W v CD1980/81 21 193* David Stead C v CD1981/82 11 150 Martin Crowe A v CD1982/83 21 179 Ross Ormiston W v CD1983/84 21 167* Ron Hart CD v C1984/85 18 181 Trevor Franklin A v ND1985/86 25 209* David White ND v CD1986/87 33 192 John Wright C v CD1987/88 32 205* Ervin McSweeney W v CD1988/89 37 254* Robert Vance W v ND1989/90 29 242 Martin Crowe CD v O1990/91 33 237* Rod Latham C v ND1991/92 39 204 Dipak Patel A v ND1992/93 18 167 Shane Thomson ND v CD1993/94 13 202 Michael Austen W v CD1994/95 28 193* Martin Crowe W v C1995/96 23 202 Mark Greatbatch CD v ND1996/97 24 251* Chris Harris C v CD1997/98 15 241 Matt Horne O v A1998/99 19 219 Matthew Bell W v ND1999/00 18 167 Blair Pocock A v W2000/01 39 212* David Kelly CD v C

Season five wicket innings hauls and best bowling

5wi BB1975/76 25 9-93 Peter Petherick O v ND1976/77 16 7-62 Dennis Kay CD v C1977/78 24 7-46 Peter Petherick O v C1978/79 29 8-46 Lance Cairns O v W1979/80 22 8-24 Ewen Chatfield W v ND1980/81 22 7-79 Cliff Dickeson ND v CD1981/82 22 7-9 John Bracewell O v C1982/83 19 7-28 Vaughan Brown C v W1983/84 18 7-40 Peter Visser CD v A1984/85 24 7-17 Steve Maguiness W v C1985/86 18 8-37 Evan Gray W v C1986/87 32 8-83 Ewen Chatfield W v O1987/88 18 7-52 Michael Holding C v O1988/89 17 7-97 Grant Cederwall W v ND1989/90 26 9-95 Mark Priest C v O1990/91 29 7-39 Chris Cairns C v CD1991/92 27 7-34 Chris Cairns C v CD1992/93 17 7-50 Richard de Groen ND v O1993/94 24 7-56 Chris Pringle A v O1994/95 19 7-34 Justin Vaughan A v CD1995/96 14 7-50 Paul Wiseman O v W1996/97 37 9-48 Alex Tait ND v A1997/98 16 8-107 Brooke Walker A v C1998/99 15 6-49 Chris Drum A v C1999/00 20 7-33 Bruce Martin ND v A2000/01 28 7-12 Daryl Tuffey ND v W

Seasonal century partnerships and highest stands

100s Best1975/76 17 165 Glenn Turner & Warren Lees O v W1976/77 20 173 Ian Rutherford & Warren Lees O v A1977/78 12 178 John Parker & John Wright ND v CD1978/79 24 179 Barry Hadlee & Murray Parker C v A1979/80 15 176 Robert Vance & Richard Reid W v CD1980/81 15 237 Grant Gibson & Chris Kuggeleijn ND v C1981/82 27 226 Evan Gray & Ross Ormiston W v CD1982/83 19 220 Matthew Toynbee & Ian Smith CD v A1983/84 24 317 Ron Hart & Scott Briasco CD v C1984/85 22 211* Kevin Burns & Andrew Jones O v W1985/86 40 278 Trevor Franklin & Dipak Patel A v C1986/87 38 276* Martin Crowe & Scott Briasco CD v C1987/88 31 341 Gavin Larsen & Ervin McSweeney W v CD1988/89 47 333 Bruce Edgar & Andrew Jones W v A1989/90 43 199 Martin Crowe & Mark Douglas CD v ND1990/91 44 394* Peter Kennedy & Rod Latham C v ND1991/92 40 346 Graham Burnett & Ross Verry W v ND1992/93 23 211 David White & Bryan Young ND v A1993/94 23 316 Michael Austen & Ron Hart W v CD1994/95 31 287 Blair Hartland & Gary Stead C v W1995/96 30 305 Robbie Lawson & Martyn Croy O v CD1996/97 35 290 Chris Harris & Gary Stead C v CD1997/98 27 287 Matthew Bell & Jason Wells W v A1998/99 18 244 Craig Spearman & Mathew Sinclair CD v ND1999/00 26 188 Neal Parlane & Daryl Tuffey ND v W2000/01 56 274 Richard Jones & Stephen Mather W v O

Shell Trophy winners

1975/76 Canterbury (Shell Cup for first round: Canterbury)1976/77 Otago (Northern Districts)1977/78 Auckland (Canterbury)1978/79 Otago (Otago)1979/80 Northern Districts1980/81 Auckland1981/82 Wellington1982/83 Wellington1983/84 Canterbury1984/85 Wellington1985/86 Otago1986/87 Central Districts1987/88 Otago1988/89 Auckland1989/90 Wellington1990/91 Auckland1991/92 Central Districts and Northern Districts1992/93 Northern Districts1993/94 Canterbury1994/95 Auckland1995/96 Auckland1996/97 Canterbury1997/98 Canterbury1998/99 Central Districts1999/00 Northern Districts2000/01 Wellington

Shell Cup winners

1980/81 Auckland1981/82 Wellington1982/83 Auckland1983/84 Auckland1984/85 Central Districts1985/86 Canterbury1986/87 Auckland1987/88 Otago1988/89 Wellington1989/90 Auckland1990/91 Wellington1991/92 Canterbury1992/93 Canterbury1993/94 Canterbury1994/95 Northern Districts1995/96 Canterbury1996/97 Canterbury1997/98 Northern Districts1998/99 Canterbury1999/00 Canterbury2000/01 Central Districts

Unbeaten Kent Spitfires held their nerve to land a 31-run win over last season’s undisputed one-day kings Gloucestershire in a rain-affected clash in Canterbury.The odds seemed stacked against a Kent victory after they were unceremoniously dismissed for 114 inside 30 overs in an innings reduced to 33 overs because of rain.The hosts were struggling at 45 for two when the heavens opened, but worse followed the resumption as veteran Kim Barnett ripped out their late order with his medium-paced swingers to finish with four for 12 – the best return of his 23-year, 313-match career and figures that included his 100th one-day wicket.Only David Fulton (23) and Rob Key (21) made it into the 20s on a difficult, green-tinged pitch that also helped Mark Alleyne and Michael Ball to claim two wickets apiece.Chasing a revised total of 118, Gladiators lost Dominic Hewson to Ben Trott and then Matthew Windows and Chris Taylor from successive deliveries from Martin Saggers, who then trapped visiting skipper Mark Alleyne leg before in his next over.Trott removed Jeremy Snape to a catch at the wicket and Mark Ealham replaced Saggers to have the experienced Barnett caught in the slips after becoming Gloucestershire’s first player to reach double figures.At 32 for six much rested on the shoulders of Australian Ian Harvey, who teamed up with Jack Russell to double the Gladiators score before Ealham struck again by having the former England wicketkeeper taken at second slip.Harvey hit two fours and three sixes, one of which flew straight into a hospitality box at long off, on his way to a top score of 39 but once he holed out to deep mid-wicket off Saggers Kent began to scent victory.It was left to Saggers to finish the game in style, uprooting the off stump of James Averis to end the innings on 86 and secure career-best limited overs’ figures of five for 22 and help Kent maintain their unbeaten record as well as the joint-leadership with Leicestershire.

New South Wales will hope the weekend forecast of rain, hail and thunder allows at least an over of cricket at Punt Rd in its Pura Cup cricket match against Victoria.The Blues were 5-257 at stumps tonight, three runs short of first-innings points after the Bushrangers were all out for 259 before lunch.Michael Bevan, with a top score of 116, and Brad Haddin (15) were the not-out batsmen, while 20-year-old Michael Clarke again showed his potential atVictoria’s expense with a well-crafted 111.Blues captain Shane Lee, out in controversial circumstances late in the day, said he was happier to be five down tonight and two runs behind than have lost seven or eight wickets and have passed Victoria’s total.”It would have been nice – it’s forecast to rain for the next couple of days, but saying that it was forecast for showers today…we should be able to get on, in the next couple of days, it would be disappointing if we didn’t,” Lee said.”We’re happy with the way it ended up.”Lee was the last out in a mini-collapse that sent NSW from 2-187 to 5-206 and gave Victoria renewed hope of scoring its first points of the season in eitherfour-day or one-day games.He stood his ground and Bevan questioned umpire Bob Parry at the non-striker’s end when an edge from Lee off the bowling of Colin Miller popped up tosubstitute fielder Cameron White at silly mid-on.Lee and Bevan thought the ball hit the ground as White lunged forward, but the batsman was sent on his way after Parry consulted with Richard Patterson.”I thought the ball had touched the ground at some stage – I waited around for the umpire’s decision,” Lee said.”They said they thought it carried, you leave the field, it’s the way it goes.”Bevan then combined with Haddin for a 51-run stand that again put the Blues in control.Victoria resumed at 6-221 and only lasted another 13 overs, Ian Harvey top scoring with 74 and Nathan Bracken (4-76) and Stuart MacGill (4-71) the onlybowlers used today.The Bushrangers’ slow scoring and cautious attitude at the crease appeared vindicated when Test batsman Michael Slater was out for a duck on the fourth ball of the innings and fellow opener Greg Mail went two overs later for one, leaving NSW 2-1.It was not the best time for a 20-year-old to come to the crease, but Clarke combined with Bevan for a 186-run stand.Clarke offered only one chance, dropped by Brad Hodge at third slip off Michael Lewis.Lee said the former national under-19 captain, who suffered from a back injury a few weeks ago, was not scared to play his shots regardless of the circumstances.”Michael hasn’t had a chance this (season), all our Test boys have been playing, (but) to come out and get a hundred and steady the ship showed some realmaturity,” Lee said.It was Clarke’s highest first-class score, beating the 106 he made last season – also against Victoria.Clarke’s dismissal sparked the brief NSW scare, but Bevan also showed poise in recovering the innings.He took great delight in saluting a small, but vocal, anti-Bevan section of the crowd with his bat once he reached his ton.Victorian captain Matthew Elliott had to leave the ground after tea because of illness.

A sparkling 108 from young opener Jonathan Trott helped defending Standard Bank Cup champions Boland to their first win in the competition this season at Boland Park on Friday night. After posting a score in excess of 200 – always a good effort in Paarl – they eventually ran out winners by 28 runs over North West.The nineteen year-old Trott emphasised exactly why he is rated so highly by those who have seen him at the crease over the past twelve months, overcoming a stodgy start before finding his timing and dominating the North West attack. The Stellenbosch student was a revelation last year and is looking to build on a good start to what promises to be a long professional career.North West do a laudable job, making the best of limited resources, but they never looked likely to threaten the Boland total. After being tied down by the left arm spin of Con de Lange, who opened the bowling for Boland, the visitors failed to give their innings any real momentum and faded to finish a clear second. Although Arno Jacobs batted beautifully for his 79, when he was seventh out with the score on 148, Boland knew they had the points.Boland had never looked likely to reach 200 after a lethargic start which saw them pass the 50 mark as late as the 19th over. At that stage, Trott’s opening partner James Henderson was already back in the pavilion after offering a chance to Jacobs at point when he had made just five.Trott meanwhile was struggling to find his rhythm, trying to force the ball away on a pitch which was playing extremely slowly. He was lucky his frustration did not get the better of him as twice he was let off by North West, first on 13 when Corrie Jordaan failed to hold a tough chance atmid-on, and then just an over later offering another difficult chance which Mark Lavine failed to pouch.While Trott battled, Louis Koen, Justin Ontong and Pieter Barnard were all offering reassuring support at the other end, scoring more freely and helping Boland accelerate away from their sluggish opening. But while they wasted good starts, Trott was building on his more shaky foundations, finding his timing and the boundary ropes more and more frequently. His 100 came in the final over and was followed by a cracking six over midwicket. The coup de grace was then supplied by Steve Palframan who smashed the most unorthodox of sixes over the square-leg ropes off the final ball of the innings.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:29

‘Bowlers bounced back in the last five overs’ – Mendis

Cinderella crashed the World Twenty20 Qualifier in style in Malahide on Thursday as Oman continued their improbable journey by storming away with a five-wicket win over Namibia. The win sealed Oman’s first ever spot in a major ICC event with a trip to India now booked for next year’s ICC World Twenty20 and victory for Oman also secured T20 international status for the next four years. Zeeshan Siddiqui’s sixth four over long-off capped the chase with an over to spare and brought up his half-century off 32 balls.Oman’s chase was aggressive from the start after being set a modest target of 149. They powered to 41 in five overs thanks to confident hitting from Khawar Ali and Zeeshan Maqsood. Khawar fell off the first ball of the sixth for 18 after being done in by a Sarel Burger slower ball while Maqsood fell for 28 after trying to sneak a second run off a misfield. Aamir Kaleem was Bernard Scholtz’s 14th wicket of the tournament, caught behind after gloving an attempted sweep for 8 to make it 67 for 3 in nine overs.However, Oman did not let Bernard tie them down as he had done successfully against other teams, using their feet to shuffle around the crease and create room for scoring options, mainly with deft glides for singles and twos in the gaps in front of square. After the game, Siddiqui indicated that Oman’s daily net sessions against their own arsenal of left-arm spinners – Ajay Lalcheta, Aamer Kaleem and Maqsood – had prepared them well for the challenge posed by Bernard. His figures of 1 for 29 were Bernard’s second-worst of the tournament as Siddiqui and Jatinder Singh manufactured a 62-run stand to put Oman in total control.When Jatinder was run out for 33 attempting a tight single, Oman were left needing 20 off 19 balls with six wickets in hand. Gerrie Snyman prized out another wicket in the following over, getting Mehran Khan inside-edge an attempted slog onto his stumps. But Siddiqui washed away any nervous energy by bashing Gerrie for six over long-off which prompted his new batting partner Aamer Ali to race down the wicket and give him a bear hug.Another four by Siddiqui to end the over through cover spurred another embrace from Aamer. Six balls later, Siddiqui sealed the match to spark emotional celebrations on the pitch. Namibia have now lost four consecutive opportunities to clinch a spot in the World T20, after two playoff losses in 2012 and now a couple in 2014.Oman opted to field first, and found immediate success, as Gerrie Snyman was trapped lbw for a second-ball duck. However, for the rest of the first 10 overs, Oman showed their nerves as Namibia capitalised on four missed chances to race to 80 for 2. The biggest misses came off Stephan Baard, who survived on 26 and 33 to make a 52-ball 62 – after a skier at midwicket and a thick edge to short third man went to ground.However, Oman found renewed focus towards the death overs, as Namibia slipped from 134 for 4 to 148 for 9. The spirit came in the form of the slingy Munis Ansari. Just as he did in the win over Netherlands, Ansari struck multiple times at the death to rein in any chances of a big finish from Namibia. The major blows came on consecutive balls in the 18th over, when Nicolaas Scholtz was caught at square leg for 6 and Baard was pinned walking across his stumps as the Oman bench erupted.Aamir Kaleem had Gerhard Erasmus stumped in the 19th over for 2 before Ansari came back in the 20th to have JP Kotze caught at backward point by Mehran Khan. A run-out off the final ball prevented a second run and Ansari’s final figures of 3 for 23 were a big bounce back after a rocky start. In the end, it helped put Oman into their first World Cup in any format.

The Melbourne Stars have named David Hussey their new captain and James Faulkner the vice-captain for the upcoming fifth season of the Big Bash League. The Stars had to pick a new captain after recently retired Michael Clarke, who was supposed to lead them, pulled out of the tournament, and Cameron White, who led them last season, switched to Melbourne Renegades.Hussey was upbeat about captaining the side with Faulkner as deputy and described his appointment as “interesting”.”It’s an interesting decision by the Melbourne Stars,” Hussey told . “James Faulkner’s going to be the vice-captain and he’s going to be a great person to bounce ideas off. I’ve also learnt from two great captains before me in Shane Warne and Cameron White. In terms of me being captain, it’s a tough one.”The Stars have made the semi-finals in all four seasons so far, but have not reached the final even once. Addressing that was Hussey’s main concern. “I’m really focused on helping the Melbourne Stars. I want to win some silverware,” he said. “It is frustrating. We’ve been semi-finalists every year since the inception of the competition.”Hussey, 38, was not sure of his appointment as a long-term plan and said Faulkner could be the future captain of the Stars in the coming years. Hussey had played only four matches last season with an unimpressive tally of 37 runs at an average of 12.33 and strike rate of 97.36.”I’m always for never standing in the way of a younger player coming through,” he said. “James Faulkner, hopefully we can work together and maybe he’s going to be a future captain of the Melbourne Stars, maybe next year or the year after.”The Stars will also have a new coach for this season – former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming who has coached IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings. Fleming was banking on the familiarity he shares with Hussey and was eager to have their international star Kevin Pietersen in the camp. Their other international recruit is an England batsman as well – Luke Wright.”It’s nice to have a strong Victorian presence as captain,” Fleming said. “To be working with him is quite a key component because I know him so well.”There’s been a lot written about Kevin, and whether or not he should be playing international cricket. I’m pretty pleased he’s playing with the Stars,” Fleming had said after his appointment earlier this year.The Stars will start their tournament on December 18 against the Adelaide Strikers at the Adelaide Oval.

Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja have been preferred to the younger Cameron Bancroft in Australia’s 12-man squad for the first two Tests against New Zealand. Burns is set to be the new opening partner for David Warner following the retirement of Chris Rogers at the end of the Ashes, while Khawaja’s most likely position is at No.3 if Steven Smith moves down to No.4 as expected.There was no room for either Bancroft or Shaun Marsh, both of whom were part of the squad for the abandoned tour of Bangladesh. Not surprisingly, four fast men have been named – Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle – with one of them likely to be made 12th man for the first Test at the Gabba starting on Thursday.It will be Australia’s first Test since the post-Ashes retirements of Rogers, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and Shane Watson, but the inclusion of Burns and Khawaja means that no new baggy greens will be handed out. Khawaja played the most recent of his nine Tests on the 2013 Ashes tour, while Burns scored twin half-centuries in the second of his two Tests against India last summer.National selector Rod Marsh said Burns had earned his place through weight of runs over the course of his first-class career, and that he had been unlucky to be dropped after the Indian series last season.”He’s got more runs than the other contenders,” Marsh told reporters in Adelaide. “He averages more than the other contenders. He got two fifties in his last Test match, extremely unlucky not to be going to the West Indies and England, he was chosen to go to Bangladesh, would have opened the batting there. Any other explanation?”Bancroft, 22, is expected to feature in future Test squads and impressed last summer with 896 runs in the Sheffield Shield, making him third on the competition tally. However, the selectors hope Bancroft might benefit from some more time in the Shield before he wins a baggy green.”He’s a good young player, he’s as tough as nails, and we all think he has got what it takes to play Test cricket,” Marsh said. “But we think he’s a few runs shy at the moment; he’s a few hundreds shy. And we’d like to pick him when he’s in sparkling form and getting first-class hundreds, that is when we’d really like to pick a young player.”What we tried to do was pick the best side. We know New Zealand are going to be very, very worthy opponents. In fact they’re a damn good side. And it’s very important for Steve Smith and David Warner, the two leaders of our group, it’s very important they get off to a good start.”And I don’t personally think it was time for just wild experimentation. I think we had to be very measured in what we did with this team to allow the new captain the best chance of getting off [to a good start]. It’s all very well saying `pick youth and go with youth all the time’ but you have got to pick the best side.”Khawaja, 28, and Burns, 26, now have the chance to make long-term positions in Australia’s top order their own, while the older Adam Voges, 36, is viewed as an important leader with plenty of first-class experience during this period of changeover. Voges has retained his spot at No.5, while the allrounder Mitchell Marsh is set to stay at No.6 as what Rod Marsh called a batting allrounder.”Harking back to England, the thing we were most worried about was his bowling, but now because he hasn’t made many runs recently I think everyone is worried about his batting,” he said. “I’ve got faith in him. He’s a good young bloke, with a good technique and a desire to play well for Australia.”He played beautifully [on debut last year] and he backed it up in the second innings in conditions that were difficult and conditions he wasn’t used to. The Gabba and Perth pitches should suit his batting. That’s where he was brought up in Perth with a bit of bounce, and he should be well suited to those two pitches.”Peter Nevill will play a Test match at home for the first time after he replaced Haddin during the Ashes series, and the make-up of the attack remains the main question leading into the Gabba Test. Hazlewood was dropped for the final Ashes Test at The Oval, where Siddle performed well as his replacement, and it is likely that one of them will be the bowler to miss out.”We are pleased with how our bowling unit is going at the moment,” Marsh said. “Both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood had fantastic performances in the Matador Cup and Mitchell Johnson looks ready to fire after a decent break. Off the back of a great bowling performance in the last Test Peter Siddle earns his selection with Nathan Lyon, a proven performer in the side rounding out our attack.”Australia squad David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (capt), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

The European Commission is poised to close the Kolpak loophole and allow the ECB to limit the number of non-European players taking part in county cricket.At present, several countries, most notably South Africa and some in the Caribbean, are signatories to the Cotonou treaty with the European Union, which was agreed in 2000. This has, until now, been interpreted as allowing freedom of labour for people from those countries inside the EU, and that has led to an explosion in the number of Kolpak players in county cricket. At present, there are approximately 64 on contract.At a conference this week, Michal Krejza, the head of the commission’s sports unit, said: “It is the decision of individual member states to admit Cotonou players, not the European Union.”This will give an opening for the ECB to take action and it may well be that it will now dip a toe in the water and start refusing Kolpak registrations, although it will not invalidate any existing contracts.”The Kolpak issue is an interesting one; our players are all on contracts that take them to at least 2010 so any change in the ruling I guess would have to be phased in,” David Smith, Leicestershire’s chief executive, told Cricinfo. “But it would have an impact on all sports in the longer term. I believe Kolpaks have added value to the county game.”