Mark Butcher’s magnificent innings of 173* attracted tributes from all quarters as the England and Australian teams reflected on the gripping Fourth npower Test at Headingley.Adam Gilchrist summed it up neatly. “That has to be one of the greatest Ashes Test innings of all time,” he said.The Australian captain had inadvertently allowed England back into the game with his declaration on the fourth evening, but insisted that he had no regrets.” It was a great day for cricket. I have no regrets and will not be going into my shell over the declaration,” he said.Indeed, Gilchrist defended his decision, and suggested that rather than blaming the declaration, Butcher’s wonderful innings should be credited with the remarkable result.”I felt like we controlled the game up until the moment when Butcher came to the wicket,” Gilchrist explained. “We knew there was a risk of defeat. That is the risk you take, and it is a good feeling to sit back now and know it was such a great day for so many people.”We did not know the wicket was going to play so well, and we did not know someone was going to play the innings of their life. I have never seen so many of our guys going up to congratulate someone at once.”But Australia’s stand-in captain admitted that the pain of defeat was pretty hard to take, saying: “It means a great deal to me to be captain and it hurts a great deal to lose.”England captain, Nasser Hussain, whose return to the Test team has once again provided the catalyst for an incredible resurgence in the fortunes of his team, also praised Butcher’s great innings.”I have seen him play as well as that but get only 20s and 30s,” he said. “He has always looked an accomplished player and Duncan (Fletcher) and I have been left scratching our heads as to why he has got out. But today he took his game on to another level in a phenomenal innings.”He also praised Australia’s enterprising declaration and the positive manner in which they approach the game.”Australia are playing cricket the right way,” he said. “It is great to see, and I commend their team and captain for that. We would like to thank him for setting up that game with the declaration.”Mark Butcher’s father, former England player Alan Butcher, was understandably proud to state: “That’s the best innings he has ever played.””He played magnificently today, superbly well. It is difficult to see how he might have bettered that," Butcher senior, the man who Mark credits with rebuilding his game in the winter of 2000-2001, said.”I thought he has played well throughout the series without making a big score and I thought he was due a big score.”That is the best innings he has ever played. Given the circumstances of playing Test cricket against the best team in the world there is no comparison. This has been the icing on the cake and the cherry on top. The fact that he saw it through to the end was especially pleasing.”Former England great Graham Gooch was also quick to praise England’s man of the match.”I rate it as a great Test innings against a formidable attack on a Headingley pitch,” Gooch reasoned.”After the early couple of wickets and new ball had gone soft Butcher played magnificently and did not put a foot wrong.”But Gooch also noted the vital role played by Hussain in England’s triumph.”Nasser Hussain’s batting was also of great benefit to Butcher in a partnership which set up the win.”England veterans, Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart declared that they couldn’t recall ever having witnessed a better innings.”I cannot remember a better innings, certainly a match-winning innings,” Stewart said, while Atherton agreed: “I watched virtually every ball and thought ‘what a fantastic innings.’ It was a pleasure to watch him. You won’t see a better innings than Mark’s today.”

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan Thursday demanded the InternationalCricket Council (ICC) to impose sanctions on India after they withdrewfrom the Asian Test Championship.”The ICC should penalize India for not honouring the commitment,” thelegendary Khan said from Islamabad.The Asiad was left in a spin by India when it withdrew two weeksbefore the commencement of the championship citing security fears andpolitical hassles. However, the event manager decided to go ahead withthe tournament.”Had they not confirmed participation, it would have been a differentissue. But withdrawing two weeks back is a serious crime and it shouldnot go unnoticed. The ICC should impose penalty on India for breakingthe commitment,” Imran, who led Pakistan to the World Cup glory atMelbourne in 1992, said.The all-rounder said India had dented Pakistan’s kitty late last yearand did the same to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) while Pakistanhelped them earn revenues worth million when they toured India in1999. He demanded reciprocity and urged the Pakistan cricketadministrators to think seriously about its relations with India.India cancelled a scheduled tour to Pakistan early this year whichresulted in an estimated $15million loss to the Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB). On the contrary, India is expected to have earned $50millionwhen Pakistan played two Tests and then the tri-nation series in 1999.”I am perplexed as India has no problems playing Pakistan in any othersport except cricket. I am sure there is some other reason behind,” hesaid with reference to India’s acceptance to send a 350-athletecontingent for October’s SAF Games in Islamabad.The cricketer-turned-politician said Indian Prime Minister Atal BehariVajpayee was interested in talks with Pakistan and ease out tensionbetween the two countries but he was not being allowed to meet withthe demands of the public by the right wing extremists.Commenting on Bangladesh’s early days in the exclusive Test club andbeing thrashed mercilessly by Pakistan here, Imran was of the viewthat they needed time to settle down and get used to the demands ofthe standards at the highest level.”Once a country is awarded Test status, the improvement comes inquantum. If you go back, Pakistan and India were also called ‘B’ teamswhen they started cricket. I think the Test nation comes underpressure when they are new but they are bound to improve,” he said.

* Ganguly has a supporterWith the five wise men who make up the National selection committee set to meet on September 6 to name the captain for the South African tour, Sourav Ganguly has won the vote of a man whose cricketing wisdom has been acknowledged by one and all. Ravi Shastri, the man many observers thought would have made one of India’s finest captains, feels Ganguly needs to be retained for the arduous tour.”There has been a great deal of talk about the captaincy, at times justified, but not clearly answered. What everybody is agreed upon is that South Africa will be a tough tour and whoever is captain will have a rough ride”Sourav Ganguly, at least as I have seen in the last few Tests, has shown the inclination to communicate with youngsters, which is so important in captaincy. He has also made the much-delayed, but right decision to bowl a lot more, which puts the balance of the side much better. There is also the aspect of continuity. Too many changes at the top do not help. With a full side playing under him, Ganguly might get the boost he requires. I would persist with him,” Shastri wrote in his column in The Times of India. The former India all-rounder said that the youngsters who replaced the injured seniors also failed and it was time for the “battle-hardened” players to return.”Some of the youngsters who were chosen for these tours have been major letdowns. They had a grand opportunity — three Tests in Sri Lanka without four seniors — which may not happen again for a long, long time. Sadly, this opportunity was squandered, and I’m afraid they will have to go back to domestic cricket and serve some more time there before they are reconsidered.”There is room to groom only two players, not more (sic.) a wicketkeeper and an opener. The others should be the tried and tested, but with the provision that they have to deliver the goods.”* Lessons from the masterShiv Sunder Das is a very keen young man – keen to improve his batting and take his place amongst the best. So there was no way that he would pass the opportunity of receiving batting tips from South African legend Barry Richards.Richards, whom the ‘Don’ named as one of the openers in his Dream XI, was a TV commentator during India’s recent tour of Sri Lanka. And, that was where Das approached him.”Since I am short, Barry sir felt I should stand a step further to play the ball a little earlier. I can’t meet the ball before it swings while standing in the crease – that’s why I was truly uncomfortable with the early movement of Chaminda Vaas’ deliveries in the Kandy Test,” Das said while explaining what the master told him. “I should not allow the ball to move in the direction the bowler wants.” Richards also told Das to drop his right shoulder slightly and stand facing the bowler a bit more.The little man from Orissa has impressed in the course of his short Test career. We hope that advice from Richards, which the young man is sure to take to heart, will help him achieve greater success by the time India take on South Africa. Here then is to hope and great openings.* Do cut-down on India’s international schedule: ChauhanFormer India opener and long-time partner of Sunil Gavaskar, Chetan Chauhan feels that the hectic schedule drawn up by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is responsible for the long injury-list that we have at present.”If the board does not pay urgent attention to the issue, the injury list would get longer which would further push the team down in the international matches,” Chauhan told Press Trust of India in New Delhi on Tuesday.To prove his point he said how Tendulkar, despite maintaining high-level of fitness over the years, was forced to miss the Sri Lankan tour because of an injured right toe.”We missed Sachin’s blazing willow during the just concluded Sri Lanka series. His presence could have made a sea of a difference to India’s fortunes.”It is high time the board thought seriously about lengthening the gap between two series and I believe this would definitely fetch better results,” Chauhan said.

The strength of the East Christchurch Shirley Cricket Club lies in its depth of young talent, which consistently provides representative players for Canterbury.There are seven international or first-class players in the squad – Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan with the CLEAR Black Caps; Carl Anderson, Michael Papps, Ryan Burson and Marcel McKenzie with the Canterbury Wizards; and Andrew Ellis who played in the New Zealand Under-19 team last year and was also part of the Canterbury winter training squad.Add to those Scott Pawson who has represented Canterbury in the past, Peter Broom who was in the Canterbury Under-19’s last season, and Jason Pawson, Tim Papps and Michael Ford who were in the Canterbury Development Team which toured Australia in January.Making up the senior squad is the consistent opening batsman Tom Music, former Wellingtonian Aaron Klee and the obstinate Dave Neill.Captaining the team this year will be left arm spinner Anderson.East Shirley’s wealth of young talent can be attributed to the quality infrastructure of the junior club. With a team of outstanding volunteers coaches, which is uncommon in many regions, led by club stalwart Bill Duncan, the club has managed to groom players until High School cricket, then retain their services back into the senior club.With so many players unavailable for a large part of the club cricket season, it is imperative the club develops a strong second tier of players to remain competitive. That depth has shown with East Shirley’s impressive array of championships in recent times, having won the Senior One-Day Championship for the last two seasons and winning the one and two day double in 1999/00.East Shirley also finished fourth at the Sovereign National Club Championships last season with an under-strength side due the wedding of a team member during the same week.Also attributable to the successful player development at East Shirley are the facilities at Burwood Park. The main oval at Burwood provides a fantastic setting for club cricket, very similar to the common village greens in England. The pitch at Burwood is also arguably the best pitch in club cricket in Christchurch.Easts will ferociously defend their one-day title whilst attempting to emulate their success with the double two seasons ago. Given a full-strength squad, they should also go close in this season’s National Club Championships in Auckland.

XXXX Queensland Bulls squad member Brendan Nash will captain theQueensland Academy of Sport team that embarks on a mini-tour of NewZealand next week.Fellow Bulls squad members Matthew Anderson, Chris Hartley and ScottO’Leary will join Nash in the QAS team that will spend a week in NewZealand, playing a four-day match in Christchurch against the NZAcademy.Those four players, as well as Souths left-hander Lance Kahler, have allplayed first class cricket.QAS coach Richard Done said the match would continue an excellentlearning curve for many of the players.”The majority of the team have played in the tour games against NewZealand in the past fortnight where they have been opposed to some topclass international players,” he said.”Now they have the chance to experience different internationalconditions against another quality opponent. It is only a short tour butit will provide great opportunities for the QAS players who are thefuture of Queensland Cricket,” Done said.QAS touring squad to NZ from November 4-9: Brendan Nash (C), MatthewAnderson, Chris Hartley, Lance Kahler, Damien Mackenzie, Steve Magoffin,Scott O’Leary, Daniel Payne, Craig Philipson, Allan Rowe, Chris Simpson,Boyd Williams. Coach: Richard Done.

It has been a year now since John Wright took over as the Indiancricket coach, and this is as good a time as any to look back on whathas been an eventful year for Indian cricket. It would be worthwhileto examine Wright’s personal contribution to a rather dramatic phasein which the Indian team has had its fair share of ups and downs.It must be recalled that Wright took over the position at a verycritical juncture. Kapil Dev, his predecessor, resigned midway throughhis two-year term after playing a cat-and-mouse game with the Board ofControl for Cricket in India in the wake of the match-fixingallegations hurled at him. Secondly, it was not smooth sailing even asWright was appointed. No one doubted his credentials as a player,captain and coach, but criticism centered around whether a foreigncoach was the panacea to the ills plaguing the Indian team. Many feltthat there were enough former Indian players with the necessaryqualifications. Thirdly, Wright himself had to fend off thecandidatures of Greg Chappell and Geoff Marsh to get the job. But hedid have the backing of former Australian captain Bobby Simpson, whohad served in the capacity of advisor for some time, and Rahul Dravid,who already seen at close quarters Wright’s style of functioning whilefulfilling his contract with Kent last summer.

The victorious series against Zimbabwe last November was the firstwith Wright in charge. There was certainly no overnight transformationin Indian cricket, but, over the past year, there is little doubt thatthere has been a certain professionalism in the approach. Greateremphasis has been laid on matters of fielding and physical fitness,and, while he has also touched upon some of the basics, aspects likerunning between the wickets remain a problem. But he has definitelybeen responsible for making the players mentally tougher, not sparinganyone, and his frank appraisals have gone down well. His honesty ispatent, and his observations are analytical and to the point.At the time he took over, Wright said “discipline and team effort”were the two aspects on which he would concentrate. In an interview,he said, “I believe in discipline and team effort. Individualachievements are not all that important. I want all the 11 players inthe team to function as a unit.” It was just as well, for a commoncomplaint was that the Indians looked strong as individuals but weakas a team. He also made it clear that his main target was the WorldCup in South Africa. “I will be building up the team keeping in mindthe 2003 World Cup. I firmly believe that India has the talent tomatch any other side in international cricket,” he said.There was another positive aspect to Wright’s appointment. Boardcircles felt that he would not be biased towards any of the factionsthat normally exist in the Indian set-up. From this viewpoint, it hasbeen a healthy sign since the players have been encouraged to performbetter and not expect any favouritism whatsoever from the coach. Butthen, in all his roles, Wright has been a quiet achiever. Never onefor the grandiose stance or plans, his motto has been simple andstraightforward – knuckle down and do your job well.Wright’s professionalism was seen immediately in the use of the latestcomputer technology to formulate crucial strategies. This was anaspect that no Indian coach had covered. On landing in India, he wentstraight to Bangalore to purchase the right software. He also insistedthat instilling the pride of playing for the country would be thetopmost priority, a happy theory, for what is a coach if not amotivator?By having the knack of saying the right thing at the right time, therewere indications that he was the right man for Indian cricket. Overthe past year, he has developed a close rapport with the captain, theplayers and the physio. And, even if the results have not exactly beenspectacular, they have not been poor either. Far from it, in fact. Anybalance sheet that displays arguably the greatest series triumph athome has to have a healthy, if not opulent, overall look.Indian cricket followers have always been impatient. Expecting fastresults, we are too quick to hire and fire, when what is really neededis understanding, patience and perseverance. There are certaininherent weaknesses in Indian cricket that Wright is working on. Thesewill not go away overnight. He himself made it clear at the beginningof his tenure that he was building a team for the 2003 World Cup. Letus give him time till then.

The Pakistan cricket selectors retained controversial fastbowler Shoaib Akhtar and recalled forgotten man Shadab Kabirin the 16-man squad for Bangladesh tour starting Jan 2.Shoaib has been named after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)rejected International Cricket Council’s offer to utilizethe services of West Indian Michael Holding.Shoaib, currently in Stage 2 after being reported twice thisyear, will be banned for a year if he gets on the wrong sideof the umpires and match referee again in Bangladesh.Shoaib is presently playing club cricket in Australia andhas been given a clean sheet by Western Australia Universitywhich also cleared Sri Lankan spinner Muthiah Muralitharan.The PCB has urged the ICC to consider Shoaib as a specialcase and constitute a medical board to examine the findingsof the Perth institution.The squad includes no surprises and all the players, more orless, select themselves.Shadab has earned the selectors nod after averaging 48.57 inthe Patron’s Trophy. He edges out fellow left-hander ImranFarhat who accumulated 733 runs and averaged 56.38.Shadab last played for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in 1996-97after making his debut on the 1996 tour to England withWasim Akram’s squad.Taufiq Umer, who slammed a century on debut againstBangladesh at Multan, was included in the side after hepassed a fitness test for a suspected injured knee.The selectors also decided to make three changes for theone-day squad.Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Azhar Mahmood will bolsterthe team for the shorter version. They will replace FaisalIqbal, Danish Kaneria and Mohammad Sami although Faisal mayfind himself a bit unlucky to be branded only a Test player.Faisal is an excellent fielder besides being an improvizer.He could have made a one-day player. With Saeed Anwar,Shadab and Taufiq picked as openers and Naved Latif alsoscoring a century at the top of the order, either of thefour could have been dropped to accommodate Faisal.On the domestic front, wrist spinner Mushtaq Ahmad (39wickets) and paceman Waqar Ahmad (51 wickets) and Abdur Rauf(50 wickets) might consider themselves unlucky not to earnplaces. But fact of the matter is that they are tied withDanish Kaneria and a battery of experienced fast bowlers.Danish captured 12 wickets against Bangladesh at Multanwhereas Wasim has 414 Test wickets, Waqar Younis is thecaptain and Sami and Shoaib are promising future quickies.Squad: Saeed Anwar, Taufiq Umar, Faisal Iqbal,Inzamamul Haq (vice-captain), Yousuf Youhana, Naved Latif,Younis Khan, Rashid Latif, Saqlain Mushtaq, Danish Kaneria,Waqar Younis (captain), Wasim Akram, Mohammad Sami, AbdurRazzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Shadab Kabir.Manager: Yawar Saeed.Coach: Mudassar Nazar.

Manicaland seconds came down to earth last Sunday with a six-wicket thrashing from Kwekwe Sports Club (Midlands) at Mutare Sports Club. Missing their captain and a few talented schoolboys on Christmas leave, Manicaland looked title no-hopers rather than title favourites.Sent in to bat on an underdone pitch, the home side stumbled to 240 for five in their 50 overs. Top scoring with 60 not-out was Manicaland debutante Jan Oosterhuisen. 22-year-old son of ex-Makoni leg-spinner Jan Oosterhuisen senior, he threatened to destroy the Midlands attack with a series of early sixes but grew curiously watchful the longer he batted. A former Zimbabwe Under-19 and Harare Sports Club player who divides his time between Scotland and the family Halfway House farm, he and his older brother plan to play regularly for Manicaland in future.Schoolboys Mike Robinson and Keegan Taylor both scored 34, including one straight drive by Taylor into the armpit of diving umpire Alan Walsh. Other batsmen to make starts were James Cripps (23), Sheth Naeem (25) and Don Percival (28 not out).Assuming they had scored enough on an outfield resembling the short-rough on nearby Hillside golf course, Manicaland did little to protect their position. Using a Z$7000 (US$23) Kookaburra `Turf’ ball they bowled like millionaires, gifting Kwekwe a never-ending supply of long-hops, full-tosses and wides. Naeem conceded nine an over whilst Taylor, Tafadzwa and Wright each went for six.Particularly appreciative of this unexpected happy hour was Craig Grant who plundered 134 (16 fours, two sixes) before literally collapsing from over-indulgence. Helped by eccentric field settings from stand-in skipper Dave Wright, Grant spent the afternoon flicking the ball over the in-field to the vacant boundaries. Also feeding at the trough was Kwekwe captain correspondent Ken Connelly. Hitting a characteristic in-your-face 48 he perished finally to a cross-bat swipe to yet another free-lunch delivery. Inexplicably Wright waited until the 31st over to introduce Oosterhuisen whose spell of 8-0-26-2 came too late to save the Manicas.The Manicaland first-team game against Bulawayo Sports Club due to be played at OH in Harare was called off because BSC failed to arrive. Air Zimbabwe have withdrawn a number of inter-city flights, making it impossible to fly to cricket games at weekends. It will be interesting to see if the modern pampered cricketers will rough it on the overnight train in future.It has been confirmed that Manicaland’s Justin Lewis has finally been drafted into the Zimbabwe Under-19 side to tour New Zealand. He may find a heavy workload awaits him – most reports indicate he will be the best bowler in the party. As a personable and modest cricketer, this overdue selection corrects a glaring injustice.It has also been confirmed that Test umpire Kevan Barbour has been appointed ZCU Manicaland Cricket Administrator. A long-time resident of Mutare with over 20 years of part-time cricket and hockey administration, he assumes this new post at a critical stage ofZimbabwe’s cricket history.

Punjab were on course for an outright win over Assam at the end of daytwo of the five-day pre-quarterfinal between the two sides at thePunjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali. The hosts had reducedAssam to 53 for two in the second innings after securing a 187-runlead.Resuming at 130 for three, Punjab were well-served by opener RavneetRicky, who pushed his overnight score of 46 to 88, before beingdismissed. Later, Hari Krishan Kali (48) and Navdeep Singh (51) put on76 runs for the eigth wicket and this was followed by debutant IshanMalhatra run-a-ball 37 made with the aid of four fours. Malhatra’sbatting exploits follow his fine bowling performance on Wednesday; heclaimed 7 for 59 in the Assam first innings. Punjab’s final score of357 meant that Assam were left to make 188 to avoid an innings defeat.Opener Parag Das, who smashed 40 off 43 balls with nine fours, almostsingle-handedly ensured that Assam got off to a better start in theirsecond dig. Assam will be looking to him and the rest of the batsmento deliver to avoid an embarassing elimination.

Looking out from his office overlooking the County Ground on a bright sunny morning earlier today, Somerset Chief Executive turned his thoughts to the new season which is only just over two months away.Mr Anderson told me, “Structured practice is now underway, and the attention is turning to the make up of our best side in all competitions.”The Chief Executive said, “The key to it all rests really on the unknown factors. On the batting front will Piran Holloway rediscover his form of two years ago, when he was the second highest run scorer in the National League in the country, will Peter Bowler in the autumn of his cricketing life continue with the form that he displayed in 2001, and will Keith Parsons develop into a top order County Championship batsman?”He continued, “Will our young bowlers Bulbeck, Tucker and Trego come through to fill what is perceived to be a bowling vacancy?”The Somerset Chief went on, “Further down the line the big question is will Caddick be discarded by England after the World Cup next winter and be available for Somerset for the whole of the 2003 and 2004 seasons? This factor alone clearly has an impact upon the expectations placed upon Bulbeck, Tucker and Trego.”Mr Anderson concluded, “The players as a group all feel that we are well positioned to challenge for one or more of the one day competitions, but in the championship we really need the gaps to be filled by people in form.”