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Post-match press conferences are usually about as interesting as watching a Madagascar giant tortoise chewing a blade of grass. “We should have bowled better.” “They were the better team on the day.” Yawn. Bring on the giant tortoises.The pre-match jousting, though, seems to have taken a few leaves out of the handbook of hype-maestro Don King. With the action on the field blowing hot and cold in this World Cup, the India-England clash at Kingsmead, Durban, was set up quite nicely. Both teams needed the win desperately, yet both teams could go through to the Super Six even if they lost. So it was little wonder that Andrew Caddick decided it was the best time to take a dig at the Indians.Speaking to journalists at practice sessions before the big match, Caddick suggested that India hadn’t really come to terms with themselves in the World Cup. “India hasn’t been up to the mark…both their batting and bowling have been unimpressive,” said the 34-year old medium-pacer.Perhaps he was right. India had lost disastrously to Australia, managed to sweep Zimbabwe aside, beat Netherlands only apologetically, and then got into something approaching form against Namibia. But there were sure signs that the Indians were turning things around. “India should not take pride in scoring 300-plus against Namibia. They were aided more by the nimble-fingered Namibians than their batting strength,” said Caddick, perhaps a touch more outspoken thanusual.The Indian camp would have taken quiet note of this, make no mistake about that. India and England have played each other often enough in the last year, and there has always been plenty of needle in the contest. The Indians, however, would have ordinarily been no more worried by Caddick’s remarks than by his bowling in the subsequent match.But then came the pippin.”Even Sachin did not play well despite his century. Sachin’s just like another batsman in the Indian team, and there are a lot of others in the Indian side.”Quoting statistics – Tendulkar has scored 34 one-day centuries, over 10,000 runs at an average of just under 45 – could prove that Tendulkar is not just like “any other batsman,” but the statistics are hardly needed. Even a little child on the streets of India could tell you that.Indeed, few people have dared to take verbal liberties with Tendulkar. Glenn McGrath has, and he has succeeded – but then again, he’s Glenn McGrath, backed up by years of performing phenomenally at the highest level. Caddick has not, and he is no McGrath either.Word has it, then, that Tendulkar walked out to bat with a quiet determinationto settle a score of sorts with Caddick.That Tendulkar did so, in the most emphatic fashion imaginable, was proved beyond doubt on the day. There was one cover drive that even left the normally garrulous television commentators gasping. There was an on-drive that could have easily been written into batting textbooks. For good measure, Tendulkar then unfurled the straight drive, placed impeccably between the bowler and mid-off.Fans in the stands were on their feet. Caddick huffed, Caddick puffed, and Tendulkar blew his house down. Seeing a short ball early, Tendulkar rocked back, shifted weight from one foot to the other perfectly, and essayed a pull shot that sent the ball soaring over midwicket, over the stands and straight out of the ground.There was something about the shot that appeared larger than life. There are enough and more good, clean hits in one-dayers, but the brutality of this particular stroke far surpassed willow hitting the cover off a leather ball. It was more like a guillotine coming down unerringly on its mark.Caddick, in a nutshell, was summarily dismissed from Tendulkar’s presence.That was only the beginning. A man famous for bowling brilliantly in the second innings of Test matches and yet being flat in the first was brutally taken apart and ended with 10-0-69-3, the three in the final column all coming in the last over when the Indians were caught out in the deep slogging. At Durban, Caddick registered his most expensive figures ever in one-day cricket.Then again, it was all hardly a surprise. As not a few bowlers have found out over the years, this is the price to pay by testing the anger of a patient man. Tendulkar was angry, got India off to a flyer, enabled them to reach 250 and then beat England comprehensively, cantering to a win.Any more comments, then, Andy?

Damien Martyn continued his golden run of form as Australia left Somersetwith an unlikely 417 for victory in the Vodafone Challenge match at Taunton.Martyn, dropped on nought by Jason Kerr at gully, progressed without furthertrouble to an unbeaten 176 in a total of 335-4 declared.It was his fifth century of the tour, one of which came in the limited-overs friendly with Northants, ­and his 231-ball innings included 25 fours.Guest player Shoaib Akhtar was comfortably the most potent of the homeside’s attack, but he only bowled seven overs before departing the fieldwith cramp in both legs.Akhtar’s new ball burst of 6-2-9-2 had removed Simon Katich, caught behindby Rob Turner for three, and Justin Langer, lbw for ten.But Martyn and Wade Seccombe instigated a recovery from 15-2 with a third-wicket stand of 156 and then Ashley Noffke and Mark Waugh shared partnerships of 42 and 142 with Martyn.Left-arm spinner Ian Blackwell claimed the other two wickets to fall when hehad Seccombe caught by Piran Holloway at mid-wicket for 76 and took a returncatch to dismiss Noffke for 22.Somerset were soon in trouble when they batted again as Piran Hollowaydeparted for seven to a fine catch by acting captain Ricky Ponting at thirdslip, from paceman Noffke.But Aamir Sohail and Mike Burns then put on 45 as Somerset closed the day on52-1, requiring a further 365 to win.Off the field, Australia have injury worries about openers Michael Slaterand Matthew Hayden and pace ace Brett Lee ahead of Thursday’s Second AshesTest at Lord’s.Neither Slater, who has a bruised left wrist after being struck by an Akhtardelivery, nor Hayden, whose right knee locked while fielding on Saturday,played any part in today’s proceedings.Australia expect both to be ready for the Test, but there is a bit moreconcern about Lee’s injured ribs which forced his late withdrawal from thismatch.

West Bromwich Albion striker Andy Carroll is a doubt for the Baggies’ trip to Bristol City this afternoon as Steve Bruce’s side look to build on Tuesday’s excellent win over Fulham

What’s the story?

According to Birmingham Live, the 33-year-old is a doubt, with Bruce saying prior to the match: “Andy has got a bit of a knock.”

The Englishman joined the West Midlands outfit from Reading in January and recently scored his first goal for the Baggies in the 2-2 draw against Huddersfield Town.

Steve Bruce will be fuming

The start to Bruce’s tenure as West Brom manager has certainly been mixed, with the Baggies winning just two of their eight matches under the 61-year-old. However, one of those came in their most recent match as Albion recorded an impressive 1-0 victory over table-topping Fulham at The Hawthorns on Tuesday night.

Currently in 12th ahead of today’s meeting with Bristol City, finishing in a play-off spot seems to be a big ask for West Brom, but they are six points behind sixth-placed QPR with nine games to go. Moreover, those remaining fixtures should be relatively straightforward on paper, with the Baggies playing just one of the current top six in Bournemouth before the end of the campaign.

Although he has only netted once so far for his new club, the addition of Carroll was a major coup for Bruce’s side given the striker’s experience. The 33-year-old has made 363 appearances during his career, with 248 of those coming in the Premier League, scoring 83 goals in the process.

He has also been impressive in recent matches, with Sofascore ratings of 7.9 against Huddersfield and 7.1 against Swansea. Also, the Baggies could miss his strong aerial presence in attack, with his match average of 6.7 headers won second only to centre-back Kyle Bartley among Bruce’s squad.

Recently, the duo of Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson have been starting up front, with the pair netting a combined 20 goals this term. In fact, the latter ended an 11-match goal drought when scoring the winner against Fulham in midweek.

However, having an alternative with the quality and experience of Carroll would certainly boost the Baggies’ faint play-off hopes, and they will want him to be available for every remaining match if Bruce’s side are to revive their campaign and finish in the top six.

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If the 33-year-old isn’t fit enough to feature today, the manager will be fuming over the absence of the ex-Newcastle striker, especially if Albion fail to secure all three points just as their season appears to be gaining belated momentum.

In other news: Bruce must now unleash “confident” WBA gem who “plays with his heart on his sleeve”

Group II

Multan‘s lower-order collapse on the final day, triggered by pacer Mohammad Saeed’s four-wicket haul, resulted in an eight-wicket rout at the hands of Lahore Shalimar, who brushed aside a 76-run target and moved to second place in Group II.Lahore Shalimar won the toss and chose to bowl, and were handed an immediate advantage when Mohammad Bilawal took seven wickets to dismiss Multan for 69.In spite of a shaky start, Lahore Shalimar grabbed a substantial first-innings lead, posting 282, built around Mohammad Saeed’s maiden first-class hundred. The No. 9 batsman scored 113 off 114 balls with 16 fours and four sixes. Offspinner Haziq Habibullah was the pick of the Multan bowlers, returning first-innings figures of 4 for 81.Faced with a 213-run deficit, and with a risk of an innings defeat at 117 for 4, Multan staged a recovery led by Ahmed Rasheed. Rasheed’s 170-ball 89 had 11 fours and contributions from Abdul Rehman Muzammil (47) and openers Usman Liaqat and Ahad Raza helped Multan clear the deficit. However, Mohammad Saeed struck with a four-wicket haul to skittle Multan out for 288 as the batting side lost its last six wickets for 38.The Lahore openers put on a 55-run stand in pursuit of the 76-run target and the side needed just 18 overs to complete an eight-wicket win. Mohammad Bilawal finished with match figures of 10 for 111, his maiden first-class ten-wicket haul, while Saeed added to his first-innings tally to finish with a seven-wicket match haul.A high-scoring match between Islamabad and Hyderabad petered out in a draw in Islamabad.Put in to bat first, Islamabad scored 303, helped by contributions from all batsmen, including a fifty from Moed Ahmed. Fast bowler Farhan Ayub picked up six wickets for 106, but regular partnerships between the Islamabad batsmen ensured they reached a solid score.In reply, Hyderabad, powered by fifties from openers Zeeshan Gul and Darya Khan eked out a slender 17-run lead. The openers added 113 for the opening stand to notch up important innings where other Hyderabad batsmen failed to convert their starts. Gul fell for 50, while Darya Khan missed his maiden first-class hundred by five runs. Hyderabad’s bowlers then gave their side a solid shot at victory, reducing Islamabad to 56 for 5 in the second innings, before a lower-order rally saw Islamabad climb to 200.Set a target of 184 runs, and running out of time, Hyderabad stuttered to 41 for 5 in 21 overs by close of play. Shehzad Azam, the Islamabad fast bowler, picked up 4 for 29 in 11 overs.

Group I

Abbottabad and Sialkot held each other to a high-scoring draw, which featured three centuries at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.Mohammad Ali (133) enjoyed a memorable debut as he rescued the home side from 38 for 2. Ali, whose innings included 19 fours and lasted just a shade under six hours, and 18-year-old Kamran Ghulam (157) carried Abbottabad to a daunting 513 for 7, before the declaration . Ghulam, though was the more aggressive of the two centurions, as his 23 fours helped him maintain a strike rate over 80. Another debutant, Baber Khan, came in at No. 9 and struck 54 off 55 balls. Hasan Ali, 19, was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 133.In reply, opener Majid Jahangir (107) and Naved Sarwar (80) stabilised Sialkot after quick wickets. A brief collapse in the middle order hurt Sialkot’s momentum but No. 8 Nabeel Malik arrested the slide – three wickets for 36 runs – with his second first-class fifty. The rest of the tail, however, could not muster similar resolve and Sialkot lost their last four wickets for 13 runs to finish at 360.Abbottabad’s second innings lasted for nine overs in which the openers hit 64 runs before the match was drawn.It was a case of first-innings blues as Rawalpindi met Peshawar in the Quaid-e-Azam tournament at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Both teams put in strong performances in their second innings, with Isarullah scoring the only century of the match, as it ended in a draw.Seamer Azam Khan snared four of the top-five Rawalpindi batsmen, including opener Shoaib Nasir, whose 38 remained the highest score of the innings. Azam’s new-ball partner Afaq Ahmed chipped in with three wickets as Rawalpindi benefited from lower-order contributions – the last four wickets added 117 runs – to reach 180.Peshawar’s steady start was interrupted when Ashfaq Ahmed was forced to retire with the score on 42. Iftikhar Ahmed’s 92 was the saving grace after the top-order could not consolidate on their starts. Striking 15 fours in his 107-ball innings, his counterattack helped Peshawar claim a 63-run lead, which proved vital in their claiming three points off this match.Rawalpindi’s solid start was dented when their first two wickets fell within four runs. The score was 99 for 2 and by the time they had added five more runs, another wicket had fallen. Regular wickets became the order of the day until Zahid Mansoor (91) and wicketkeeper Talha Qureshi (45*) steadied the innings, taking Rawalpindi from 186 for 6 to 278 before the partnership was broken. Qureshi remained unbeaten until the end of the innings, taking his side to 384.Azizullah, the 21-year-old fast bowler, toiled away for 42.4 overs and reaped good rewards as he claimed his maiden five-for in first-class cricket.Chasing a target of 322 runs, Isarullah’s ton helped Peshawar set a good pace as they made 181 for 2 in 51 overs, but in the end the honours were shared.

Scorecard

Hu Ting Ting, playing despite a ligament strain, ensured that China made it through to the semi-finals © ACC

China made their way into the semi-finals of the ACC women’s tournament after beating UAE by seven wickets in Johor.China’s was a schizophrenic performance throughout. At times they looked at par with Bangladesh and Hong Kong in the field yet at other times they looked the rawest of beginners. “”, said China’s manager afterwards: “A fault is one step away from the truth.”Invited to field, China’s bowlers, with the exception of the seamer Wang Meng, bowled a succession of wides and deliveries. But in between those extras they bowled decently and fielded with precision effecting three-run-outs. UAE’s top score was six and six batsmen didn’t score at all. China had UAE on the rack in the ninth over when they took three wickets in three deliveries but they undid the good work with some undisciplined bowling.With China bowling so sloppily UAE cashed in for a while by nudging runs of any delivery on the stumps. Overs passed, extras mounted and suddenly UAE felt they could not only pass 50, they could bat out the 30 overs.Crushed by Bangladesh in the opening game, ACC Development Officer Rumesh Ratnayake had been invited by the UAE manager to speak to the team before this game, and his simple advice to “take things one ball at a time” became the inspiring mantra which the UAE team adopted.Though UAE didn’t bat out the full quota of overs they did pass 50 and it meant China, having given away 37 extras, would have to work on their bowling before they face up to Hong Kong in the semi-finals. They will have an opportunity to correct their faults when they take on Bangladesh tomorrow.UAE are a better bowling side than they are batting with Natasha Michael and Jesar Shah bowling wicket to wicket, hitting the deck, and extracting bounce off the pitch. Left-armer Samiya Salim spears in yorkers off a short-run up. Three Chinese wickets fell quickly and the UAE were sensing the possibility of a major upset.But the early wickets just meant that China’s best batsman, Hu Ting Ting (19) had more time to influence proceedings. The first delivery she faced was edged high just short of third man but after that she played with calm assurance. Michael and Shah induced both inside and outside edges but Hu Ting Ting remained unperturbed.Her 31-run partnership with Duan Qiong took China to victory. Back in the shade, she stripped off her pads, rolled up her trousers and showed off some humungous strapping around her left knee. Having strained a ligament in training, she was playing against doctor’s advice. “I have played with worse injuries when I was a footballer. I wanted to help my team win this match,” she said. “I am playing for them.”

Leicestershire have confirmed that legspinner Mansoor Amjad will stand in as their overseas player while Dinesh Mongia is away on international duty.Mansoor, 18, is flying direct from his country’s participation in the Top End Series in Australia and officials hope he will arrive in time to play in Wednesday’s Championship match.He had been scheduled to play for Leicestershire’s 2nd XI for the remainder of the summer anyway, and spent time working with Tim Boon, Leicestershire’s coach, earlier in the season.”This is very much an investment in potential and follows the Club’sphilosophy of developing emerging talent which can grow with us in thefuture,” Boon said. “I first spotted Mansoor when I was out in Pakistan last winter when he took five wickets against England in Lahore. He also comes highly recommended by Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer.”He is a wrist spinner who will hopefully give us a vital cutting edge which we have been missing in Championship matches on occasions when we have been in strong positions. He is also a more than capable middle order batsman who at 18 already has two first-class hundreds to his name.”

Neil Carter has signed a new one-year deal with Warwickshire© Getty Images

Neil Carter has signed a new one-year contract with Warwickshire, thus ending speculation about his future. Michael Powell is also expected to extend his contract with the county until 2006.Northamptonshire and Derbyshire had both expressed an interest in signing South-African born Carter, 29, who eventually chose to remain with the county who he has played for four years since leaving Boland.But claims in the suggest that Carter, a seamer, was only offered the new contract after Warwickshire failed in their bid to sign another seamer, Jon Lewis, who plays for Gloucestershire.However, Carter’s position would have been strengthened by the loss of his team-mate, the 21-year-old Graham Wagg, who was banned earlier this month from playing for Warwickshire until 2006 after failing a drugs test. And, to further bolster his claims for a new contract, Carter was his county’s second-highest wicket-taker after Dougie Brown in 2004, taking 27 wickets at just over 44.

Eagles 185 for 5 (Bosman 84*) beat Dolphins 181 for 5(Sugden 50, Klusener 63*) by 4 runs
ScorecardAfter losing the toss and being asked to bat first in front of 8,025spectators at Kingsmead, the Eagles smashed the highest total of the Standard Bank PRO20 Series. Thanks to Loots Bosman’s undefeated 84, they racked up a total of 185 for 5, with the last 100 runs of the innings coming off 8.1 overs.Boeta Dippenaar and Nicky Boje set the tone of the innings, with both batsmen scoring at better than a run-a-ball. Bosman came to the crease at 55 for 2 after eight overs and a high total was already onthe cards. But he took the bowling by the scruff of the neck, smashingsix fours and six huge sixes, two of which ended up on the roof ofthe stadium. His 84 was scored off only 44 deliveries and he wasinvolved in a 78-run partnership, in six overs, with Benjamin Hector,who madde 29 off 17.In reply, the Dolphins needed a solid start, but disaster struck when they lost two wickets in the first two overs. Craig Sugden, back in Durban after a stint with Border, picked things up with 50 from 35 balls, before holding out to long-on. Lance Klusener thenstrode to the crease with the Dolphins’ hopes squarely on his shoulders.His 50 came up in 26 deliveries, but needing 24 off the last six balls was always going to be a big ask. Jon Kent managed two fours and a single in the first three balls, and Klusener two fours and a two thereafter, but he finished stranded on 63 from 30 balls. The Dolphins should have got him in earlier.

Ariz Kamal failed by seven runs to score a century as Karachi Greens strengthened their grip on Nawabshah in the Cornelius Trophy match at Nawabshah Stadium on Thursday.At close of play on the second day of the three-day tie, the home side were staring at innings defeat, having lost five wickets for 96 runs in the second innings after conceding a huge first innings lead of 226.Earlier, Karachi Greens amassed 368 in 79.1 overs with Ariz making 93, Rashid Ali 73 and Mir Rashid 60.Slow left-armer Farooq Ahmed captured five for 71. Meanwhile, the second day of the match between Islamabad and Lahore Greens at Rawalpindi’s KRL Stadium was completely washed out without a ball being bowled because of rain.Summarised scores:*At Nawabshah Stadium, Nawabshah:NAWABSHAH 142 (Nasir Khan 28, Shahid Hussain 21, Abid Ali 20; Ariz Kamal 3-28, Zeeshan Essa 3-28, Faraz Ahmed 2-14, Adeel Malik 2-29) and 96-5 (Kamran Qureshi 27, Farooq Ahmed 24; Adeel Malik 2-12);KARACHI GREENS 368 (Ariz Kamal 93, Rashid Ali 73, Mir Rashid 60, Adnan Kalim 41, Nasir Aziz 41, Azmat Ali 35; Farooq Ahmed 5-71, Hafeez Ahmed 2-76)).*At PCB Regional Academy Ground, Karachi:QUETTA 331-8 innings closed (Javed Iqbal 123, Naseem Khan 110, Abdul Rehman 25, Abdul Wali 20 not out; Mohtashim Ali 3-73, Shahbaz Bashir 2-49);SIBI 112 (Afzal Shah 30, Khuda Bukhsh 28; Arun Lal 7-56, Abdul Rehman 3-32) and 200-5 (Afzal Shah 59, Haroon Ishaq 29, Mian Nafees 28 not out, Mohammad Naveed 26, Maqbool Ahmed 20 not out, Shahbaz Bashir 20; Naseer Khan 4-64)*At KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi (no play on second day):LAHORE GREENS 132 (Imran Qadir 29; Stephen John 7-54; Mohammad Altaf 2-28);ISLAMABAD 246-1 (Ashar Zaidi 112 not out, Hammad-ul-Haq 96 not out).*At Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad:SUKKUR 193 (Aqeel Ahmed 119; Sharjeel Ali 5-53, Anwar Ali 3-45);HYDERABAD 305-8 (Shamim Bashir 90, Kashif Jilani 64, Javed Shaikh 47, Hanif Malik 41 not out, Taj Wali 24; Khalid Sohail 4-112).*At Asghar Ali Shah Stadium, Karachi:NASEERABAD 145 (Salman Khan 35, Talib Hussain 24; Nisar Niazi 4-48, Mohammad Amin 3-28, Kashif Habib 3-29) and 98-2 (Khurshid Malik 50 not out, Salman Khan 32);PISHIN 264 (Samiullah 117, Nisar Niazi 58, Salman Khan 28, Nasrullah 21; Wajihuddin 6-80, Jurial Jamali 2-62)

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) today confirmed that it will host athree-match one-day international series between Australia and Indiaon 21, 23 and 26 September in Melbourne and Brisbane.The Melbourne fixtures will take place at the Colonial Stadium onFriday, September 21 and Sunday, September 23, and on Wednesday.September 26 at the Gabba in Brisbane.The series follows on from last year’s history making tournamentbetween Australia and South Africa, which saw international cricketplayed indoors for the first time.ACB Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed said that the series willbuild on the success of last year’s event.”The success of Super Challenge 2000 has paved the way for moreinternational cricket out of the traditional summer season. ColonialStadium is now a proven venue for cricket, while the warmer climate atthe Gabba in Queensland provides us with an alternative to take theseries to other parts of Australia.”Australia and India had a terrific battle in India earlier in theyear and Super Challenge 2001 will give Australian cricket followersthe chance to enjoy the rivalry between these two teams,” Speed said.Australian captain Steve Waugh said that he was looking forward to theseries.”It’s going to be great for the boys to play on home soil again aftertours to India and the UK and the event should prove an excellentstart to the new season.”Super Challenge 2000 was a superb and innovative event that was agreat experience to be involved in. The matches against India, both atthe Colonial Stadium and at the Gabba promise to be an equallyimpressive spectacle, especially after the high-quality and closelyfought cricket the two sides produced in India last autumn.”I know some of the players, like myself, have family commitmentsaround that time and that’s a difficult situation, but both sides, theACB and the players, understand the other’s point of view. I’m happywe’ve been able to reach an amicable solution that means Australiawill field the strongest side available,” Waugh said.In order to prepare Colonial Stadium for Super Challenge, the ACB willagain use a “drop-in” pitch to make the transition from an AFL groundto a surface suitable for international cricket. The pitch will bedeveloped off-site, using similar technology to last year’s event.The Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club, who play at the Gabbahave agreed to move any training session they have scheduled for theground, should it coincide with the Super Challenge event on September26. The Lions would only be training on this date should they winthrough to the AFL Grand Final.Speed said he was very appreciative of the Lions’ support. “I wouldlike to thank the Lions for their flexibility in allowing the ACB totake Super Challenge to the people of Queensland,” he said.The Nine Network will televise the series in Australia. Ticketingdetails, sponsorship and overseas television arrangements will beannounced in due course.