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Brad Haddin, Australia’s wicketkeeper, believes playing as a specialist batsman on last year’s ODI tour of India will help him when he plays his first Tests there next month. Haddin’s only Test appearances so far have been in front of small numbers in the West Indies and the Indian crowds will be something else entirely.But having played four of the one-day games this time last year, Haddin feels he is well prepared for the noise and buzz of Test cricket in India. “I really enjoyed the atmosphere [batting] over here last time, it was different with the crowd and the heat but it was something you don’t often experience, that sort of hostile crowd anywhere in the world,” Haddin told .”There’s so many people here and you’re out right in the middle of it and it is quite hostile but it’s something you’ve got to deal with and another challenge you’re looking forward to. New South Wales versus Western Australia at the SCG when there’s 200 people there you don’t have the luxury of playing in these pressure situations where you have to deal with the crowd.”Haddin is trying to fill the massive gap left by Adam Gilchrist, whose final Test came against India in Adelaide in January. His role as the No. 7 batsman will be important but his main task is to be sharp behind the stumps and keep the side buoyant through some exhausting days in the field.”I think it’s important over here as a keeper that your tempo’s consistent, because you do get long, hot days and it can get quite draining,” Haddin said. “You don’t want to be high at the start and have low patches and fluctuate too much during the game, you’ve got to make sure you have an even tempo so your game and the fielding is on even keel.”His first Test in India has been a long time coming. Seven years ago he was rushed there as a back-up when Gilchrist had a slight niggle between Tests, although in hindsight Haddin is glad the 23-year-old version of himself was not thrust into the first XI.”I’m actually lucky I didn’t play, I don’t think I was ready to play Test cricket seven years ago,” he said. “The experience was great, I was only here a short time, I was in and out in a couple of days because Adam was fine, but seven years down the track I feel pretty comfortable.”Haddin will be searching for some consistency with the bat during the four Tests after failing to post a half-century during his debut series in the Caribbean. He will also be aiming for an injury-free trip having nursed a broken finger through most of the West Indies tour.

Tom Westley will continue as England Under-19 captain for their two-Test series against New Zealand Under-19s at Taunton and Worcester. The first Test begins on July 26 in Somerset.Alex Wakely returns from the wrist injury that made him sit out their recent match against Bangladesh A. The news came on a day when Chris Woakes, who has also been included, took a career-best 5 for 37 for Warwickshire against Middlesex.Squad Tom Westley (capt), William Beer, Ben Brown (wk), Liam Dawson, Luke Fletcher, James Goodman, Alex Hales, Daniel Redfern, Ben Sanderson, Ian Saxelby, James Taylor, Alex Wakely, Chris Woakes.

Jeremy Snape, the Leicestershire allrounder who played 10 ODIs for England, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket.Snape, 35, joined Leicestershire five years ago, moving from Gloucestershire, and helped the club win two Twenty20 Cup trophies, in 2004 and 2006.”I have been very fortunate to play cricket for nearly 20 years and have some very special memories, including eight domestic trophies wins,” Snape told Leicestershire’s website. “In retiring now, Leicestershire have an opportunity to develop some younger players in the exciting Twenty20 format.”Cricket has provided me with many wonderful experiences and friendships and looking to the future, I can start to explore new opportunities with my sport and business coaching consultancy Sporting Edge.”His last one-dayer came against Zimbabwe in 2002, and he represented England in one match during the ICC World Twenty20 last September.”On behalf of the players and members at Grace Road, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Jeremy for his contribution towards the club’s one-day success,” Tim Boon, Leicestershire’s coach, said, “and in particular in the two Twenty20 Cup wins that were achieved in 2004 and 2006.”Snape’s last match is a Twenty20 Cup game against Nottinghamshire on Tuesday, June 24.

BRISBANE, Oct 19 AAP – Rookie quick Damien MacKenzie became Queensland’s unlikely hero against NSW today as the Bulls snatched valuable first-innings points in a tense Pura Cup clash at the Gabba.The match finished in a draw, but that result had been apparent since the third day when the main prize centred on the dogfight for first innings points.MacKenzie, who admitted he “didn’t deserve to bowl” yesterday, broke the back of the Blues with three quick wickets as they were rolled for 443 in reply to Queensland’s 5-507 declared.The Bulls then made the most of batting practice in sapping heat to reach 1-216 in their second innings when the captains agreed to an early finish, with Brendan Nash following his 176 with an unbeaten 81.Jimmy Maher (60) and Martin Love (56 not out) joined in the runs as both teams conserved some energy for tomorrow’s ING Cup one-day match at the Gabba.The day promised more for the Blues and they looked likely to take some rare points from Brisbane when they crept to 5-405 on a morning with temperatures soaring past 30 degrees.But MacKenzie (3-98), who wasn’t bowled during yesterday’s final session because of a wayward spell, claimed the wickets of Brad Haddin (23), captain Simon Katich (43) and Stuart MacGill (zero) in 19 balls to leave the Blues in deep trouble.The 22-year-old enticed Haddin into a careless catch to Andrew Symonds at deep point before Katich, who thumped consecutive boundaries off MacKenzie, chipped a slower ball to Maher at short cover.When MacGill was trapped LBW with the very next ball, NSW was gone and MacKenzie had redeemed himself despite conceding 48 runs from his seven overs today.”It’s been a mixed two days for me and I probably didn’t deserve to bowl yesterday after the way they came out,” MacKenzie said.”But I just tried to relax today and the ball was starting to go a bit Irish (reverse swing) and I was starting to get it fairly straight.”MacKenzie’s breakthroughs were the first real triumphs for the bowlers in a match dominated by the batsmen, including Nash, Lee Carseldine (124 not out) and NSW pair Matthew Phelps (147) and Michael Clarke (134).Phelps’ innings ran over three days before finally coming to a halt early today when he provided a regulation edge to wicketkeeper Wade Seccombe from the bowling of impressive quick Ashley Noffke (2-90 from 39 overs).Haddin then ignited the slow tempo with 23 from 26 balls, including five boundaries, before he went for one aggressive shot too many.While Queensland reflected on a tough but satisfying start to its chase for a fourth consecutive Pura Cup crown, the Blues would also be happy with some of the positive points to emerge from the match.They had been easybeats in some previous visits to the Gabba but the likes of Phelps and Clarke showed encouraging fight under new captain Simon Katich, who endured a trying time in the field against the Bulls batsmen.NSW quick Doug Bollinger (0-96 and 0-55) deserved a wicket during an encouraging debut, bowling Nash today with a no ball.The diminutive Queenslander had scored just eight when Bollinger took his off bail, only to watch the ball race to the boundary.

South Africa will be at full strength in the opening Castle Lager/MTN Test match against Sri Lanka at Wanderers starting Friday after key all-rounder Jacques Kallis passed a fitness during the team’s final practice session on Thursday morning.Kallis had injured his hamstring during South Africa’s crushing defeat overBangladesh at Potchefstroom 10 days ago and had been sufficiently doubtful for the selectors to call up Easterns all-rounder Andrew Hall as cover.But Kallis batted in the nets and bowled off a full run-up during three-hourpractice, satisfying Physiotherapist Shane Jabbar that he could play a fullpart in the Test.That leaves South Africa needing to decide whether to gamble on playing fivefast bowlers and no specialist spinner on a green-tinged pitch that promisesplenty of seam movement.According to skipper Shaun Pollock, the final decision will only be made on the morning of the match: "We will have see what the overhead conditions are like tomorrow morning and see what the wicket is like. It is always a bit risky going into a Test match without a spinner but maybe the conditions will warrant playing five fast bowlers."Pollock admitted that Sri Lanka posed a far tougher challenge than Bangladesh and urged his side to raise their game accordingly."It is definitely a step up for us this series," he said. "Bangladesh are the minnows of world cricket whilst Sri Lanka are far more established with some quality players."They have Murali, who is probably going to become the world’s leading wicket taking in the future, and have a batting line-up that has been settled for some time now."They have a pretty balanced side and are going to be a tough nut to crack.We are going to have play some good cricket."Muttiah Muralitharan, who has taken 70 wickets in just 10 Tests against South Africa was identified by Pollock as the major threat even if conditions are not expected to be in his favour."Murali is the main man and the one to watch out for," he said. "He is a hell of an effective bowler – anyone who turns the ball as much as he does is going to cause problems, not only for the top class batters but the tail which he can wrap up very quickly."But Pollock believes his batters have done their homework and will be equal to the challenge posed by the dangerous off-spinner."We have played against him enough times and have had some good discussions bout playing him," he revealed. "It is all about each individual working out a game plan that he is comfortable with."South Africa have recalled middle order batsman Neil McKenzie to the squad ater the right-hander, an excellent player of spin bowler, scored an impressive hundred against Sri Lanka in the tourists first warm-up game at Kimberley.McKenzie’s Titans team-mate, fast bowler Steve Elworthy, is another to berecalled, having also impressed the selectors for the A side. His last of two Test matches was at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand in 1999.Elworthy and left-arm spinner Claude Henderson appear to be battling out forthe last place in the side.South African preparations have been overshadowed by high profile comments from Sports Minister Ngonde Balfour that suggested he was less than supportive of the white members of the team.Pollock revealed that Balfour had faxed a personal assurance that this wasn’t the case and that the team had his full support on the field. Nevertheless, Pollock confirmed his disappointment with the comments."The Sports Minister sent me a fax and I read that out to the guys today before practice and we have put it behind us," he said. "It was disappointing because when guys go out to represent the country you want them to have the full support of the minister."South Africa squad: Shaun Pollock – Captain, Mark Boucher – Vice-captain, Steve Elworthy, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Mornantau Hayward, Claude Henderson, Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten, Neil McKenzie, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, Graeme Smith.Coach: Eric SimonsAssistant Coach: Corrie van ZylPhysiotherapist: Shane JabbarFitness Trainer: Andrew GrayManager: Goolam Rajah

Any doubt to the ability or character of Jacques Rudolph was laid to rest this weekend when playing in the Transco Lancashire League the 21 year old Northern Titans opener set a new club record for Lowerhouse with his third century in as many matches.Following the selection debacle in Australia many thought that Rudolph’s confidence had been shattered. With the start of the English season it appeared to be true, but hard work and hours of practice has paid off. A 154 not out on Saturday and a 115 on Sunday followed his 149 not out the previous weekend.Pierre Joubert is back in the runs after a 69 and a 102 not out over the weekend. He also took 1/17 and 2/31 with the ball.Martin van Jaarsveld with a 45 failed on Sunday with a duck, but made up for it bowling his team to victory with 5/24 after 1/74 on the Saturday.Con de Lange improved with the bat scoring 45 and 11 and took 2/84 and 4/37 with the ball.Andrew Hall continues his form with a 77 not out and a 27 and taking 2/18 and 0/17.Paul Adams only playing once over the weekend was once again in the wickets with 4/87 but only managed one off the bat.Andre Seymore could not take any wickets and scored 37 and 12.Goolam Bodi making a late start in the league could not get a run but took 3/91.During this weeks County Championship matches low scores seemed to be the order of the day for the South Africans.A pair for Andrew Gait in a loss for Derbyshire against Durham.Two innings of one run each for Mark Davis in a Sussex draw against Kent. Davis took 2/40 and 0/3 with the ball.Nottinghamshire registered a win against Glamorgan with Nicky Boje scoring a duck and a two not out. Greg Smith managed 14 not out and Kevin Pietersen 31. Boje only bowled one over in the match while Smith returned figures of 0/28 and 1/50. Pietersen did not bowl.Sven Koenig on the winning side for Middlesex against Gloucestershire scored 59 and 38.Leicestershire and Hampshire drew with Neil Johnson scoring four and 25 but unable to get a wicket. It was left to Nic Pothas with a 63 to flutter the home flag. He however followed the half century up with a duck in the second innings.The weekends Norwich Union matches showed a slight improvement for the South Africans but for some a weekend to forget.Gait made his third duck of the weekend in another loss for Derby against Lancashire.Warwickshire went down to Leicestershire with Shaun Pollock getting out for a duck and Neil Carter for two. Pollock took 1/34 and Carter 1/35.Davis did not bat and took 2/24 as Sussex beat Northamptonshire.Sven Koenig failed, scoring four, as Gloucestershire turned the tables on Middlesex.Boje 39 and 1/31, Smith 4 and 0/44 and Pietersen 36 were on the losing side as Glamorgan beat Nottinghamshire.Neil Johnson, with a 83 and no wickets, and Nic Pothas one not out also had to be content with a loss for Hampshire against Essex.

Somerset will be hoping for some quick wickets in the morning if they are to obtain the victory that they need so vitally from their championship match against Kent at Taunton, where the visitors finished the day on 300 for 3 in reply to the hosts 460 all out.Resuming on 433 for 5 any hopes that Somerset would add substantially to their overnight score were dashed as they lost their remaining wickets in the space of forty five minutes, three falling to Amjad Khan and two to Martin Saggers.The Kent opening pair of David Fulton and James Tredwell had taken the score onto 52 when Fulton chopped a ball from Simon Francis onto the stumps. Tredwell and Ed Smith saw Kent past the hundred but with the score on 135 Tredwell was caught by Rob Turner off the bowling of Matt Bulbeck after the ball had rebounded off Mike Burns.Tredwell’s departure bought Aussie star Steve Waugh to the wicket but his stay was short lived. Jamie Cox moved Peter Bowler to leg slip, and shortly afterwards before he was off the mark the former Somerset player edged a ball from Steffan Jones to the waiting Bowler.Wicket-keeper Paul Nixon joined Smith, who was increasing in confidence and steadied the situation. Nixon looked unsettled at the start of his innings but the pair remained in place until the end of the day by which time they had taken Kent to within 160 runs of the hosts with seven wickets remaining. At the close Smith was unbeaten on 115 and Nixon was 79 not out.After the close Kevin Shine told me: "This was tough day for us. We lost a bit of momentum this morning when our wickets went down too quickly, but then we really fought back and did well to contain them to 300 in their innings."He continued: "What we will be hoping for is to go out there hard in the morning and take some quick wickets like they did today. Today the boys have dried them out well without making it boring."He concluded: "I wouldn’t put it beyond Kent to try to set up a result, because they are pressing for runners up spot. We don’t want to run the risk of losing a ten point draw, but we do need a win from this one. If they don’t set it up then we will have to think very hard about the situation."

N Gautam, who died on May 7 after battling cancer, was one of the mostpopular cricketers of Tamil Nadu. Tall and slightly built, thisAlwarpet CC, MRF and Tamil Nadu middle-order batsman batted in aclassically correct, erect style, playing mostly in the ‘V’ andbuilding innings with care.

If Gautam’s batting was solid and dependable, his medium-pace was morethan useful, sometimes breaking partnerships when the main bowlers hadfailed and slowing things down when the opposing batsmen were on thewarpath. He was a swift mover and hard-working fielder who gave 100per cent all the time. Gautam was the quintessential team man thatevery captain loved to have in the side for his never-say-die spirit,the same spirit that enabled him to face his personal crisis withcourage and confidence.When I played against Gautam for the first time, I bowled him with anunplayable ball. He was barely 18 or 19 then, I perhaps 40, and heflashed a boyish smile at me when I assured him it had been a fluke.We later played for the same club in the senior division league andenjoyed several moments of friendship despite the age differencebetween us. I enjoyed pulling his leg and, judging by the size of hisgrin, he enjoyed being teased by me too.Tamil Nadu did not give this game young cricketer a fair deal,dropping him at the first sign of loss of form rather than nurturinghis undoubted talent and big-match temperament. It was as much thestate’s loss as the youngster’s, as cricketers of the stature of KapilDev and Mohammad Azharuddin were heard to remark on occasion.Gautam later played for Goa, and even scored one of his three firstclass hundreds for that state, but by that time he was past his prime.He never let his disappointments at the first-class level interferewith his contributions to MRF and Globe Trotters in local cricket. Hewas one of the mainstays of the side and often came to the team’srescue when the bigger stars had failed.Almost every cricketer who came into contact with Gautam was convincedthat he was that rarity among cricketers – a good human being. I couldnot agree more.

Alan Mullally and John Francis are almost certain starters for the vital Norwich Union League match this Thursday, as Gloucestershire’s Cheltenham College Cricket Festival gets under way.Hampshire Hawks name the eleven that played in the disastrous defeat against Essex Eagles at Southend plus left-armer Mullally and batsman Francis as they face leaders Gloucestershire Gladiators.The hosts have lost twice this season, including a 46-run reverse at the Rose Bowl back in May. But on the back of the events at Southend on Sunday, the Hawks will need to return a similar result if they are to hold any ambition to linking up with the promotion race.Hampshire squad of 13: Neil Johnson, Derek Kenway, Dimitri Mascarenhas, John Crawley, Lawrence Prittipaul, John Francis, Giles White, Nic Pothas (w-k), Will Kendall (capt), Shaun Udal, Chris Tremlett, Alan Mullally, James Tomlinson.

England international cricketer Ben Hollioake has been killed in a car accident in Perth overnight.The English camp playing in the second Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve had just resumed their first innings when news first came through and it has shocked the side.England’s team management will request that the England flag at the Basin Reserve be lowered to half-mast at lunch-time today and both teams will observe a minute’s silence before play tomorrow morning in tribute to Hollioake.New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden said: “On behalf of NZC I would like extend our deepest sympathy to the family, friends and team-mates of Ben Hollioake following his tragic death this morning.”As well as being a talented cricketer, from all accounts Ben was a much loved member of the England squad whose contribution in all areas will be sorely missled.”Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ben’s family and friends at this very sad time.”According to reports, Hollioake was driving a Porsche which crashed on Mill Point Road in South Perth. The car spun out of control and hit a brick wall just after the Kwinana off ramp.A 22-year-old woman was also in the car and received head and chest injuries.West Australia police inspector Greg Medhurst said Hollioake had died at the scene of the accident while the female passenger was taken to Royal Perth Hospital.Another police spokesman, Constable Raphael Perez said Hollioake’s Porsche failed to negotiate a bend and hit a pylon which rolled the vehicle.He confirmed members of Hollioake’s family were following his vehicle and were on the scene immediately. He was identified straight away and the family were now receiving counselling and treatment for shock.Hollioake, who played for Surrey, had a 75-match first-class career and was a member of the England one-day squad which was recently beaten 3-2 in New Zealand but he did not play in the series due to a knee injury.He left the side at the end of the series when England embarked on the Test programme.Hollioake, born in Melbourne on November 11, 1977, made his Test debut in 1997 for England in the same game as his older brother Adam, in the fifth Test against Australia at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. It was the only occasion in the 20th Century that brothers made their Test debuts together.At 19 years, Hollioake was the youngest player to represent England since Brian Close in 1949.He only played two Tests and was regarded as more of a one-day specialist. He made his One-Day International debut in 1997 scoring 63 at Lord’s against Australia in the third match of the series.He was named the Young Cricketer of the Year by the Cricket Writers’ Club that season.In 20 ODIs he scored 309 runs at 20.60 and scored two 50s. His first game 63 remained his highest score.He played sparingly until last summer when he was recalled to the side for the triangular tournament against Pakistan and Australia, scoring 37 not out against Australia at Bristol and shared a 70-run stand with Owais Shah in 7.2 overs against Pakistan at Headingley.That saw him included in the squad selected to tour Zimbabwe, India and New Zealand as part of England’s build-up to next year’s World Cup.In his first-class career he scored 2794 runs at 25.87 and took 126 wickets at 33.45.