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Australia will continue its build-up for the 2003 Cricket World Cup withSuper Challenge II, a three-match series against Pakistan in June to betelecast exclusively on the Nine Network.The series could also decide who is the world’s fastest bowler withPakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar and Australian paceman Brett Lee bothexpected to play.Super Challenge II will see two matches played under the closed roof ofMelbourne’s Colonial Stadium on Wednesday, June 12 and Saturday, June 15and a third game at The Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday, June 19. Allgames will be day-night matches telecast live by Nine’s Wide World ofSports.The concept is similar to the Super Challenge staged in August 2000 whenAustralia and South Africa become the first teams to play aninternational in an enclosed stadium.With the three-game series falling in the winter football season,Colonial Stadium will be transformed to make it suitable forinternational cricket. The Australian Cricket Board will use a “drop-in”pitch prepared under hothouse conditions at Seymour in Victoria.In Brisbane, a pre-existing wicket will be prepared in co-operation withthe tenant AFL club, the Brisbane Lions.The Wide World of Sports coverage of Game 1 of Super Challenge II willbegin on Wednesday, June 12 at 2.00pm.Simon O’Donnell will host Nine’s broadcasts with Mark Taylor, Ian Healy,Tony Greig, Bill Lawry and Ian Chappell calling the action. RichieBenaud is unavailable due to commitments with Channel 4 in the UK.Also joining Nine’s commentary team for the series will be Mark Waugh,Australia’s leading run-getter in one-day internationals with 8500 runsat an average of 39.35 and a strike rate of 76.83.Wide World of Sports will also use the two matches at Colonial Stadiumto install a new camera position within the closed roof showing anoverhead view of the pitch and the action below.Super Challenge II Telecast TimesGame 1: Wednesday, June 12 at Colonial Stadium: 2.00pm to 6.00pm and7.00pm to 10.15pmGame 2: Saturday, June 15 at Colonial Stadium: 1.00pm to 4.45pm, 5.15pmto 6.00pm and 6.30pm to 9.15pmGame 3: Wednesday, June 19 at The Gabba: 2.00pm to 6.00pm and 7.00pm to10.15pm* Times are AEST. Viewers should check local guides for full telecastdetails.

Somerset County Cricket Club are inviting all girls in the south west region to go along to the County Ground in Taunton next week to watch the England Women play and at the same time enjoy some free coaching.Somerset host the four day Women’s Test Match against India starting at the County Ground next Wednesday, and all youngsters, both boys and girls up to the age of sixteen will get free admission.In addition all girls who attend on the first three days of the match will have the opportunity to enjoy a free coaching session, and those up to the age of twelve will be able to take part in a Kwik Cricket competition out on the pitch at lunchtime.Somerset Cricket Development Officer Andrew Moulding told me: "We are already doing good development work with women’s cricket in the county, and this year we have had an Under11’s Girls Kwik Cricket competition and our newly formed Under 15’s side has done very well reaching the final stages of the ECB national competition. We have also got Somerset player Laura Harper in the England squad, and it is likely that she will play in the match next week."Mr Moulding continued: "This is an opportunity for more girls to get involved, to watch top level cricket and get a taster of the game for themselves."He concluded: "Jackie Summers, who is the Women’s Cricket Development Officer for the south west region will also be present on the first three days actively encouraging the girls who are here to take join in."There has already been a good response to the invitation from girls across the region, but Mr Moulding would like to hear from any individual girl or groups who are intending to come along to the match so that he knows how many to expect, and how many coaches to organise. The Centre of Excellence telephone number is 01823 352266.Play gets underway on each of the days at 11am, and entry is free to Somerset members and £3 to all other adults who attend.

For the second year running, Lincs earned a third round Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy tie against a First Class county.But this time it was a close call as Cheshire came within four runs of snatching victory at Neston – and it was the final over bowled by captain Mark Fell which denied the home side the coveted third round clash.Earlier, having won the toss, Fell opened the batting with Cleethorpes’ overseas player Shane Deitz and the pair attacked the Cheshire bowling right from the first ball.Having put on 57 in a handful of overs, both were then dismissed, Fell bowled for 29 and Deitz lbw for 21 but this brought together Martyn Dobson and Richard Howitt who kept the momentum going with a stand of 84.And when Howitt was bowled for 31, the reliable Jonathan Trower joined Dobson in a partnership of 103 that ended when Dobson was caught for 90, which came off 118 balls.When Trower was stumped, having hit 67 off 54 balls, Lincs were 264 for five and at the close the total had reached 281 for seven.Simon Oakes and Jonathan Davies then denied Cheshire the chance to match Lincs’ flying start, both opening with maidens, and despite a first wicket stand of 122 between Currie and Bryson, the home side fell well behind the run rate.However, the dismissal of Bryson for 59, stumped off Dobson, saw Hignett’s arrival the crease and this turned the game, the number three hitting 84 off 56 balls and adding 122 with Currie before being bowled by Fell.Cheshire had 261 on the board when the third wicket went but the home side then lost the next three for the addition of only eight runs, Fell dismissing Currie for 94 and Oakes claiming his only victim.Fell struck again with the score on 274 and as he came in to bowl the last ball, the Lincs captain knew that, with a faster scoring rate off the first six overs, only a six from the batsman could lose his side the game. But instead the bails came off to give Fell four for 20 off five overs as Cheshire finished 277 for eight.Lincs now face several weeks wait to learn who they will face in the third round of the competition next May.

Match facts

Friday May 23 to Tuesday May 27, 2008 Start time 11.00 (10.00GMT)

Big Picture

There is nothing to split these two teams after a truncated opening Test at Lord’s, but New Zealand will have travelled north to Old Trafford heartened by their performance. They batted when conditions were best for bowling and restricted England to 319 when the sun came out. For all England’s talk about positive cricket there wasn’t an awful lot of it on show as the middle order failed to build on a century opening stand and the bowlers struggled for breakthroughs with the older ball. However, they have positive memories of Old Trafford having won three of their last four Tests on the ground and drawn the other with Australia nine wickets down. But New Zealand have shown they are up for a fight and with three of their big guns – Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum – finding form it should be another compelling contest.

Form guide

England DLWWD
New Zealand WWLLD

Watch out for…

Monty Panesar Match-winning performances at Old Trafford against Pakistan and West Indies have brought 18 wickets in two Tests. He bowled well at Lord’s without always getting the rub of the green, but is back on a happy hunting ground where he enjoys the extra bounce as much as the quick bowlers. He needs six wickets for 100 in Tests.
Daniel Vettori It could become a battle of the left-arm spinners. Vettori had an outstanding Test at Lord’s and if the pitch turns he will come to the fore again. Even if the surface remains flat, Vettori is New Zealand’s key weapon because he can both keep the scoring rate down and trouble England’s batsmen. Is also proving to be an astute captain.

Team news

England have named an unchanged team for the fourth Test in a row. James Anderson did enough at Lord’s to be given a chance on his home ground, although the temptation will have been there to utilise Chris Tremlett’s extra bounce. The middle order is again under pressure after a below-par effort in the first Test, especially Paul Collingwood who has shown precious little form this season.England Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughan (capt), Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Tim Ambrose (wk), Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, Monty Panesar, James AndersonNew Zealand could be forced into a change after Tim Southee picked up a stomach bug between Tests. He has been laid low for two days and if he doesn’t recover Iain O’Brien and Michael Mason would be the favourites to come in, although don’t rule out Jeetan Patel as a second spinner. The main concern remains the top order, but the other options in the squad – Peter Fulton and reserve wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins – have had little cricket in recent weeks. Daniel Flynn showed huge promise on the final day at Lord’s, while the success of McCullum at No. 5 and the return to form of Oram means the batting line-up is deep.New Zealand (probable) Jamie How, Aaron Redmond, James Marshall, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum (wk), Daniel Flynn, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori (capt), Kyle Mills, Tim Southee/Iain O’Brien, Chris MartinUmpires: Simon Taufel, Darrell Hair

Pitch and conditions

Old Trafford could argue that it now has the quickest pitch in the world and this surface is expected to be another with something for everyone. The batsmen will enjoy the ball coming onto the bat, the quicks know they’ll get reward for bending their backs and the spinners can expect some turn later in the game. On the weather front it looks like typical Manchester. There is a forecast for showers on Friday, Saturday looks the best day at the moment with some uncertainty over rest.

Stats and Trivia

A sample taken from random testing at the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League has tested positive, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has confirmed to Cricinfo. This is the first step of the verification process, Modi said, and there are several stages before a player is deemed to have failed the test.The tests were carried out by IDTM, a Sweden-based independent agency, in accordance with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards after the IPL adopted the ICC’s anti-doping code. The samples were forwarded to a WADA-approved laboratory in Switzerland for testing. “Two days ago the IPL received a letter from the Swiss lab, mandated by WADA, which said one sample had tested positive,” Modi said. “The IPL will follow set procedures from now on.”The first step, he said, is to match the identity of the player with the sample. Next, the player’s form, filled out before the match, will be scrutinised for any pre-declared or prescribed drug by the IPL medical committee, consisting of an IDTM representative and Dr Anant Joshi; if that matches the drug found in the sample, the matter ends there and the player’s name won’t be revealed.If the medical committee investigation reveals the player had not applied or been granted an exemption for using the drug found in the sample, the player, the concerned IPL franchise and national board will be informed in writing of the positive test that violates the anti-doping code. The player has the right to request that his ‘B’ sample [supplied at the same time as the one that tested positive] be sent for analysis, which he and his representative can attend along with an IPL representative.If that too is positive, the matter will be taken up by the IPL’s drugs tribunal, comprising of Sunil Gavaskar, Dr Ravi Bapat (ex-Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences) and lawyer Shirish Gupte. The tribunal will study the issue and take a decision in accordance with the code. “This is just the procedure,” Modi said, “as of now we are at the first stage where one sample has tested positive. The issue is now with the IPL’s medical committee. The identity of the player will matter only after we check on the pre-declared drugs.”The ICC, in a release, said it had been informed of the “adverse analytical finding” and that it was the responsibility of the ICC member, in this case the BCCI, to deal with the process. The ICC stated it will “be closely monitoring the situation to ensure the correct action is taken by the BCCI”, and “retains a right of appeal if any penalty that may be imposed is inconsistent with the WADA code”.

The second match of the season for me and we’ve won another toss; we’ll bat first again. East Shirley haven’t won a match yet and we want to gain an early advantage. Our openers establish a 100-run stand and we’re off to a good start. Lancaster Park total 219 for nine off 50 overs (Gould 50, Tiffen 53) and then bowl East Shirley out for 69 off 26 overs. A very good day in all departments.There are only four teams in the league – we play four rounds against each team so the next match was the second against St. Albans. First toss lost, first time that we had to field first. Our pitch is settling down nicely now, good even bounce if still a little green. Saints scored 194 for five off 50 overs after a strong start, slowing up in the later stages of their innings.I opened the batting with Tamara Gould, a promising 15-year-old (selected for the Canterbury full squad) who travels up to Christchurch from Lake Tekapo each Saturday (a three-hour trip each way). We establish another 100 opening stand, scoring 70 off the first 15 overs whilst the fielding restrictions are in place.I scored a good 78 before being caught in the covers and, after an intelligent 51 not out from Tiffen, we secured the game in the 48th over.After the match against Saints I travelled down to Geraldine for the two trial matches against Otago. Unfortunately the weather gods were not with us and both matches were rained out. The first after only 2.5 overs and the second after 28 overs with Otago struggling in awful conditions on 49 for nine. 14 will be selected for Canterbury training and the squad will be reduced later.Later that week I travelled over to the West Coast to help Haidee Tiffen with some development work. In her role as Women’s Development Officer for Canterbury Cricket she will visit each of the districts to promote women’s and girl’s cricket and set up small competitions.The scenery on the West Coast is amazing and the drive through the Lewis Pass – beautiful! Neither Reefton or Westport will top my list of must-see towns in New Zealand but the people were friendly and there was a good response to Haidee’s visit.First impressions of club cricket in Christchurch are good. The league is smaller and more matches seem to be competitive. On average the teams are younger than in England. I’m the oldest in my club at 27 which in England would put me in the middle.This leads I think to better fielding with most players able to field anywhere. The one outage could be in the slips – as the oldest in the team I’ve bagged that spot! There’s also less travelling involved in getting to matches, the longest trip is probably 15 minutes (except for those travelling up from the country!) which means higher availability as matches take up less weekend time.I’ve settled in well now. Canterbury training has started up and the next task is going to be combining that schedule with the England training schedule that I’ve been given. I’ll have to ensure that I get enough rest days to let my body recover since the emphasis is now on high intensity, power & speed building work.I’ve been exploring over the past couple of weeks; I have driven up the east coast very early in the morning to photograph sunrises and have been to the beaches of the west coast. I’m planning to go on a “tramp” – a Kiwi walking holiday whilst on my next training break.We’re not allowed to do anything hazardous so no bungee jumping, white-water rafting or winter sports, but there’s plenty of other things that I want to do whilst I’m over here.Last weekend’s match was against Riccarton. An awful day with a freezing wind and it had been raining overnight. We got to the pitch at 10am and agreed to return later that day to see if we could get a game in.Once the covers were off, the pitch and square dried quickly and we agreed to play a 40-over match. Riccarton scored 174 for five off their 40 and Lancaster Park took the match in the 38th over on 175 for five (Taylor 51, Tiffen 54*). Five matches into the season and Lancaster Park are unbeaten and top of the league!

The leaders of Division One of the Norwich Union League – Warwickshire Bears – are not in action this weekend, giving Worcestershire Royals the opportunity to bounce back to the top of the table. The Royals are away to Somerset Sabres and a win will take them back to level points with their Midland neighbours, but they enjoy a slightly better net run rate.It was expected that the Royals would win last week, but they suffered defeat at the hands of Durham Dynamos, who registered their first points of the season. The Dynamos are still humming away at the foot of the table but, who knows, perhaps they will have taken a liking for winning and will be trying to repeat the trick when they visit Kent Spitfires.There is one other match in the top flight this week with Leicestershire Foxes travelling to Wales to meet Glamorgan Dragons, with both sides knowing that they could be in for a difficult few weeks should they lose.In Division Two there are three sides locked on 14 points. Surrey Lions lead the way by virtue of having the best run rate, Gloucestershire Gladiators are second and Derbyshire Scorpions are third, but have a game in hand over other members of the 14-point club.The Lions should not be too travel-weary as they only have to cross the Thames to play Middlesex Crusaders this week. But the match of the day involves the Scorpions playing host to the Gladiators.The two other contests in the division see bottom-placed Sussex Sharks, who go along the South Coast hoping to bring the Hampshire Hawks down to earth, while Lancashire Lightening will be hoping to strike against Northamptonshire Steelbacks. Sparks might fly in that one.

A late run of form in the Norwich Union League might have come too late to save them from relegation, but Durham Dynamos have recorded their second win this week, beating Nottinghamshire Outlaws by seven wickets at Trent Bridge.The Outlaws, who themselves are already relegated, began well enough with Darren Bicknell (64) and Usman Afzaal (75) putting on 145 for the first wicket. But then it all went wrong and the later batsmen failed to capitalise on that good start and the Outlaws were restricted to 229 for six in their 45 overs.It was the Australian pairing of Ashley Thorpe with 53 and Brad Hodge who made 91 that got the Dynamos purring along towards victory by seven wickets with three overs and a ball to spare.

Somerset County Cricket Club announce they have signed James Bryant from Eastern Province, South Africa on a two-year contract.JDC Bryant is a 26-year-old right-hand top order batsman. Until the end of last season, he averaged 38.25 in first class cricket, which included six centuries. This season, he is averaging 57.57 for Eastern Province.Although born in Durban of British parents, he holds a British passport and plays for Eastern Province as an overseas player and therefore qualifies under England & Wales Cricket Board regulations to play first class cricket as a non-overseas player.Somerset Head Coach, Kevin Shine said, "As everyone knows, we need a proven top order batsman and we think James is a good signing for the Club".James Bryant said, "I am very happy to have the chance to play in England for Somerset and I know I have a lot to do to prove myself to the knowledgeable Somerset fans. Jimmy Cook has warned me that they are very demanding".

Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister, Johnston Fernando, has decided to revoke hisdecision to nominate former cricket board president Thilanga Sumathipala asthe Sri Lanka’s main representative at the forthcoming International CricketCouncil (ICC) Executive Board meeting in June.The minister backed down after four members of the 10-member interimcommittee currently managing the affairs of the Board of Control for Cricketin Sri Lanka (BCCSL) threatened to resign if protocol was broken andSumathipala, a non board member, was asked to attend the high profilemeeting.Speaking to CricInfo, the minister, who maintains that Sumathipala wastreated unfairly by the previous PA government, which dissolved hisadministration in March 2001, said that Hemaka Amarasuriya, the recentlyappointed chairman of the interim committee, will represent Sri Lanka at themeeting, but Sumathipala will be his standby.Before minister’s decision, the secretary of the interim committee, KushilGunasekera, treasurer Tryphon Mirando, chairman of selectors Michael Tisseraand former Test batsman Sidath Wettimuny confirmed that they were willing toresign over the issue as a matter of principal.But although Fernando backed down, the decision to appoint Sumathipala asstandby has still irked the four, who believe that an interim committeemember should be appointed. They are now waiting on the minister to confirmhis decision before considering what action to take.But the minister’s request had received some support in the interimcommittee at an emergency meeting on Thursday night. Lawrence Amarasena, amember of Sumathipala’s previous executive committee, along with newappointees Ajith Jayasekara and Lucian Merrinnage are believed to havesupported the proposed appointment.Nalin Ladduwahetty said he would support the view of Interim Committeechairman Hemaka Amarasuriya whilst Roshan Mahanama did not attend themeeting.The chairman did not call for a vote on the issue, deciding instead to handover the decision to the minister.