Victorian all-rounder Ian Harvey has played the parts of rampaging middle order batsman, handy change bowler and key fieldsman to perfection to consign Queensland to difficulty by the halfway mark of the teams’ Pura Cup match in Melbourne today. By stumps on day two, the Bulls have slumped to a mark of 5/135 in response to the Bushrangers’ 9/384 declared – a tribute, in no small measure, to a belligerent Harvey innings, a crucial late wicket, and an excellent slips catch.Victoria’s ongoing injury crisis has seen to it that its side is still missing one of its key slips fieldsmen (Matthew Elliott), one of its most dependable middle order batsmen (Laurie Harper), and two of its main strike bowlers (Damien Fleming and Shane Warne). In the sort of all-hands-on-deck spirit that such emergencies necessitate, Harvey seemed to sense that his own pair might be sufficient to fill the breach.Only the mistimed pull that led to his dismissal in the nineties and one dropped catch served to take any gloss off his day today. And, in any case, those distractions scarcely seemed to make much difference to the extent to which his thumbprint loomed large over the final two sessions in particular.In truth, he should have been dismissed with his score at thirty. Joe Dawes stood under a miscued drive which ballooned high in the air toward him at mid on but barely laid a fingernail on the ball. It was a miss which not only failed to provide medium pacer Adam Dale (3/71 from a marathon forty-six overs) with appropriate reward for a wonderful morning spell but which also haunted Queensland for the remainder of the day.The dropped chance set the stage for a belligerent knock from Harvey (93) that carried the Victorians to the sort of total to which they should never have been allowed to ascend. With characteristic belligerence, the all-rounder proceeded to club sixty-two runs from his next forty-six deliveries. No part of the ground, nor any member of the bowling attack (not even the hitherto unhittable Dale), was spared his punishment.After Dale’s concession of just two scoring strokes during another dawdling morning session had threatened to place a tight cap on the Bushrangers’ progress, Harvey’s innings – replete as it was with ten fours and three sixes – swiftly altered the complexion of proceedings. He had been forced to rein himself in slightly after he had watched Brad Hodge (111) and Darren Berry (6) join Michael Klinger (3) in the pavilion during the pre-lunch period but wasted little time thereafter. His partnerships of fifty-one with Paul Reiffel (13) and forty-four with an equally aggressively-inclined Colin Miller (26 from twenty-six deliveries) proved crucial by the end of the day.Even the absence of Fleming – as a legacy of neck soreness – failed to remove much of the polish from the Bushrangers’ performance through the afternoon. It was an impression confirmed as in-form left armer Mathew Inness (1/36) lured Jimmy Maher (3) into unwisely padding up at a delivery cutting back in off the seam.Harvey’s blemish in the slips granted Martin Love (30) an early life and allowed the elegant right hander to add fifty-four with newcomer Jerry Cassell (28) for the second wicket. But it wasn’t long before the Australian one-day representative was back in the action again. Following the twin removals of Love and Cassell to lbw decisions in the midst of a feisty spell of medium pace from Miller (2/31), he lured Stuart Law (28) into outside edging a lazy cover drive and, at shoulder height, intercepted an edge from a fierce Andrew Symonds (18) drive at Reiffel (1/38).Another imploring Harvey (1/26) lbw appeal against Wade Seccombe (6*) before the wicketkeeper-batsman had scored was denied in the shadow of stumps. But, by then, the die had been cast; on a pitch showing far more variability in bounce than yesterday, his impact had been decisive. Still as many as ninety-nine runs shy of the follow-on mark as its team is, Queensland’s lower order now needs to play with fierce determination tomorrow. There certainly needs to be far more from them in the way of resistance to match that provided by Dale (whose thirteen over spell this morning remarkably cost just seven runs) and promising young off spinning debutant Scott O’Leary (4/105).

Fourteen and counting. Courtesy of the touring West Indians’ continuing ineptitude, Australia has extended its record-breaking streak of consecutive Test wins a level further today by inflicting a whopping 352 run defeat on the visitors in the Fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Throughout this series, a lack of application with the bat has been the West Indians’ most obvious Achilles heel. In crashing to a total of 109 here, they underlined that they are still yet to discover any meaningful way of addressing their collective frailties.This current Australian side has a ruthless tendency to punish inefficient teams; in the West Indians, it continues to find opponents who more than fit the bill. By contrast, the Australians themselves again looked sharp today, just as might be expected of a group of players with such a repetitive run of success behind it. In a series in which only one of the bowlers they have used has averaged more than thirty, Jason Gillespie (6/40) was the star today with a sizzling display of bowling that helped net him each of the first six wickets to fall in the innings.”I think we’re playing better in every match,” said a very pleased Australian captain, Steve Waugh.”We’ve got them down and they don’t know how to get out of it. They haven’t got the experience (in working out how to do that),” he remarked of his opponents’radically contrasting predicament.”We feel as if we’ve got a bit of an edge over some of them when they walk out into the middle. In their body language, you can detect that something is not quite right there. But that’s understandable.”Following a brief rain delay, the Australians had started the fourth day of the Test requiring another seven wickets for victory. And they were able to reduce thatnumber to six within the first half hour when Sherwin Campbell (6) played down the wrong line at a Gillespie delivery of good length, sending a catch at high speed toRicky Ponting at first slip at slightly above chest height.From the very next delivery, West Indian captain Jimmy Adams (0) continued his wretched tour of Australia when he unwisely reached for a Gillespie outswingerwithout much movement of his feet. Another slips catch was presented; this one heading in the direction of Mark Waugh, stationed one place to Ponting’s left.The South Australian fast bowler was unable to claim the hat-trick but took only another twelve minutes to add to his rapidly swelling haul of victims. NightwatchmanColin Stuart (4) was the next to go, deceived by a low full toss from Gillespie which crashed into his pads on the line of middle and leg stumps. It was a measure of thecomplete absence of confidence in the West Indian batting that Stuart had looked as technically correct as, and faced more deliveries than, any other player to thatpoint of the innings. The bowler’s figures were 6/18 by this stage.”We’ve got a good attack and we’re taking our catches. And, once you get a side down in Australia, we generally don’t let them get away with it. Mentally, we’ve gotit over the West Indies at the moment. But we’re still playing really good cricket and enjoying being out there,” said Waugh. Talk about ruthless.Just to exacerbate the tourists’ plight, easily their most resolute player on this visit to Australia, Ridley Jacobs (28), was then the victim of what looked a dubiouscaught behind decision off the off spin bowling of Colin Miller (3/40). As he pressed half forward at a delivery which bounced high and spun away from him, ballappeared to travel past both bat and gloves and to simply brush Jacobs’ shirt instead. But Umpire Simon Taufel upheld the beseeching appeal which was issued afterwicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist completed a fine catch on the second attempt.This ushered in another bad period for West Indies in the lead-up to lunch, Nixon McLean (1) soon run out when he called Marlon Samuels (46) through for a riskysingle and was beaten home by a direct hit at the striker’s end from Andy Bichel at short fine leg.For as bad as their performance had been again, though, at least some glimmer of hope was raised by the batting of Samuels and Jacobs. At the hopeless scoreline of6/23, the pair came together with their team only another four wickets away from defeat and still not past the lowest-ever total in Test cricket. Nor even halfway toWest Indies’ own all-time worst score with the bat in a single Test innings. Jacobs was given a life with his score at eight when Miller grassed a straight forward caughtand bowled chance but, for sixty-four minutes, they otherwise achieved a feat which represented something of an impossibility for their teammates. That is, they playedpositively, skilfully, and looked to place the ball into the many gaps created by a succession of very attacking Australian field settings.Tailender Mervyn Dillon (15) also showed some stomach for the fight in a stubborn partnership of thirty with the brave Samuels after lunch. But Miller ultimately spuna delivery past his defensive bat thirty-seven minutes beyond the break. Even Samuels soon lost concentration after this, and when he lofted a catch to long on a mereeight minutes later, the formalities were complete. It opened up, naturally, a 4-0 lead in the series; has handed the Australians twelve straight Test victories on homesoil; and sets them up to establish their third clean sweep at home in succession.For the West Indians, meanwhile, the events all assumed a disturbingly familiar tone and left them confronting a major challenge to regather themselves mentally for theFifth Test, which starts in Sydney in just four days’ time. Then again, maybe the fact that there is only that solitary Test still to come in this series might put them in theirbest frame of mind for some time.

The Hong Kong Sixes are set to return to the cricketing calendar thisNovember after a four-year absence.A victim of the late-1990’s Asian economic downturn and a failed attempt toset up a rival Super 8 competition, the seventh six-a-side carnival of itskind in Hong Kong will be staged on the weekend of 10-11 November.The Hong Kong Cricket Association made the announcement yesterday of thetournament’s revival, backed by the sponsorship of Cathay Pacific Airlinesand Standard Chartered Bank. WSG-Asia will be the tournament organisers inconjunction with the HKCA.Eight national teams will be taking part, including the home side, and mostof the major Test-playing nations. The final eight has yet to be announced.It is not clear how strong the international teams will be, as the tournamentwill fall in the middle of a busy time for Test cricket – Australia arepitted against New Zealand, and India against South Africa, in Test matcheson the weekend of the 2001 Sixes.Total prizemoney for the tournament will be $HK two million (approx $US256,000), with the winners walking away with $HK 623,000 ($US 80,000). Allmatches will be played at Kowloon Cricket Club.Pakistan were the winners on the last occasion this event was held inSeptember 1997. They also won the first such event in 1992, other winnersbeing England (1993 and 1994), South Africa (1995) and West Indies (1996).Each team in Sixes cricket consists of six players who play two innings offive overs each. Each member of the fielding side except the wicketkeeperbowls one over. Batsmen are forced to retire once they have scored 31.

Lisa Sthalekar will make her Australian debut today when the Southern Stars take on England in the first of three one-day internationals in the CricInfo Women’s Series at the County Ground, Derby.The 21 year-old all-rounder from the Gordon club in Sydney is one of two changes from the side which defeated England by an innings and 140 runs in the First Test at Shenley earlier this week. Fellow New South Wales all-rounder Julie Hayes also comes into the Australian eleven, with spin duo Olivia Magno and Avril Fahey the players replaced.Sthalekar, who first played for the Australian Under-23 side in 1997/98, has been a key member of the New South Wales team which has won the Australian national women’s titles for the last five years, with her economical off-spin and ability to score quick runs in the late overs. In 32 national league appearances for New South Wales, she has scored 288 runs at 20.57 and taken 35 wickets at 21.31.Hayes, from the Balmain club, made her Australian debut during the 2000 CricInfo Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, where she made four appearances without batting in a strong lineup, and took 5 wickets at 13.80.In total, there are four changes from the Australian one-day side that lost narrowly to New Zealand in last December’s World Cup Final, with Cherie Bambury and Zoe Goss not selected for this tour. Michelle Goszko, who scored a world record-equalling 204 on her Test debut on Monday, makes her first one-day international appearance since playing against Ireland in July 1998.Karen Rolton, yet another all-rounder in an Australian lineup with plenty of batting depth, will today play in her 50th one-day international. Rolton was arguably the star of the 2000 Women’s World Cup, where she set a new record for the fastest century in a women’s one-day international.England will be very much the underdogs today as they attempt to put the disasters of the World Cup behind them and assemble the nucleus of a young side for the future. Middle-order batsman Kate Lowe made an impressive Test debut earlier this week, while captain Clare Connor, with five wickets in the Test, showed that she can pose a genuine threat to the Australian batting. And she does have a one-day international hat-trick (against India in 1999) to her credit.Play begins today at 10.45am local time (0945 GMT, 7.45pm in eastern Australia). The remaining matches of this one-day series will be played on Monday July 2 at Northampton, and Tuesday July 3 at Lord’s. Today’s match, and that on Monday, are being televised live in the UK by Sky Sports as part of their ongoing arrangement with the England & Wales Cricket Board to screen two games of women’s cricket per year.The Australian team for today’s first one-day international in the CricInfo Women’s Series is: Belinda Clark (capt), Lisa Keightley, Karen Rolton, Michelle Goszko, Louise Broadfoot, Julie Hayes, Julia Price, Therese McGregor, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Charmaine Mason, Lisa Sthalekar. Sally Cooper is 12th man.

Champions Western Province will start the defence of their SuperSport Series title against last season’s wooden spoonists, Highveld Strikers, at the Wanderers on October 12, according to the preliminary round fixtures released by the United Cricket Board this week.Province and the Strikers are in Pool A of the competition for the 2001/02 season along with Easterns, Griquas, North West and Boland. Pool B is made up of Border, Eastern Province, Free State, Northerns Titans and the Nashua Dolphins.The preliminary round will run from October 12 to early November after which the top four teams in each pool will go forward to the Super Eight round of the competition.

Damien Fleming bowled Australia to a first innings lead of 81 by taking 6-59on the second day of the Vodafone Challenge Match at Taunton.The pace bowler’s best haul of the tour saw Somerset dismissed for 267 afterAustralia had declared on their overnight 348-3.Rain delayed the start of play until 1.45pm, with 31 overs lost. But Flemingsoon made up for lost time, sending back Piran Holloway, Mike Burns andPeter Bowler with clever variation of pace to leave Somerset 33-3.Aamir Sohail, one of two Pakistan Test players guesting for the county,helped launch a recovery, with 20-year-old Devonian Matthew Wood (39)helping to add 78 for the fourth wicket.Sohail went on to a half-century off 118 balls, with seven fours, survivinga dropped chance in the slips off Fleming when he had made only six.He eventually fell for 50, but useful contributions down the order from RobTurner (42), Keith Parsons (38) and Ian Blackwell (30) allowed Somerset toreach a respectable total.Fleming returned to clean up the tail, removing Turner, Blackwell and JasonKerr, only to be denied career-best figures when Ashley Noffke spilled astraightforward chance at mid-off offered by last man Jamie Grove.It was left to Colin Miller to dismiss Grove in the final over of the day,leaving Australia in control.Michael Slater did not take the field for Australia because he was resting abruised wrist, sustained while batting of Friday. But the injury was notthought to be serious enough to threaten his participation in the SecondTest Match, starting at Lord’s on Thursday.

West Indies met with unexpected resistance in the final session of the third day against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, when the home team’s openers put on 112 together without loss. However, they were still 292 behind and it will take a massive team performance to make West Indies bat again, let alone avoid defeat in the final two days.Zimbabwe made their own bad luck on the first day; on the second day the breaks did not go their way – except for the one to Stuart Carlisle’s finger. He broke it in the field and will therefore be out of the rest of the series. Their misfortunes continued early on when a good-looking lbw appeal by Bryan Strang against Ramnaresh Sarwan, then on 48, was rejected. This was shortly after Carl Hooper cut Andy Blignaut for four to bring up 400 for West Indies.But again it was a matter of making their own luck, as two chances were missed and the team’s attitude was one of resignation rather than anguish.Sarwan, perhaps in sympathy, cut Strang to backward point when on 58, making the score 420 for four after a partnership of 131. Marlon Samuels was content to play second fiddle, while occasionally playing an exquisite stroke of his own, while Hooper progressed to his century, which came off 143 balls. It was his tenth in Tests, and his first since his return to the game.Another four through the covers by Hooper brought up the highest team total in the ten Tests (four this season) played on this ground to date, overtaking Zimbabwe’s 462 for nine declared (Dave Houghton 266) against Sri Lanka in the ground’s first Test match in 1994/95.Zimbabwe seemed unable to reproduce their sterling, if unrewarded, efforts of the second day, with some ragged bowling being served up and the fielding uninspired.Hooper seemed almost to toy with the spinners now, driving and sweeping with ease and at times displaying remarkable footwork to attack. The first 500 to be recorded on the ground came up very soon after lunch, as West Indies batted on, taking full advantage of ideal batting practice on a perfect pitch against a dispirited attack in mild but sunny weather with plenty of time in hand.Samuels, though, was perhaps a little too confident, as he swept at left-armer Raymond Price, bowling over the wicket, and was bowled behind his legs for 42 after a partnership of exactly 100 with his captain. Hooper (149) fell shortly afterwards, trying to dab Strang for a single to reach his next landmark but was well picked up off the edge by wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu standing up, thrilled at his first (allowed) Test catch. Hooper hit 18 fours and a six off 211 balls, and West Indies 538 for six.The third new ball came but Streak, presumably nursing an injury after bowling only five overs during the day, continued with Price, who had Jacobs missed off a hard chance to slip in his first over. Zimbabwe also felt they had been hard done by with another couple of appeals.Then finally came the declaration, at 559 for six, second only to India’s 609 for six declared at Nagpur earlier this season for totals recorded against Zimbabwe. The lead of 404 was also the highest first-innings lead ever recorded against Zimbabwe, the previous record being 360 by South Africa in Harare in 1999/2000.Zimbabwe survived six overs until tea, and batted with what, in the context of the match, was surprising confidence afterwards, especially Dion Ebrahim.When Campbell cut Colin Stuart for two fours in an over, the pair began to take runs freely.Ebrahim, for once finding the freedom to play his natural game, had a rare piece of good fortune on 40 when dropped at midwicket off Hooper, and that seemed to send him into his shell for a while. Then he broke out again and a quickly-run two took him to his first 50 in 12 international matches, batting in his unaccustomed position as opener.In the 32nd over Zimbabwe recorded their first century opening partnership for almost three years, when Gavin Rennie and Craig Wishart put on 138 together, a major factor in Zimbabwe’s victory over India. Campbell’s 50 soon followed.With the pitch taking spin, both sides used spinners more than before, and there was another noteworthy feat for modern Test cricket when the day’s full quota of overs was actually completed early, and three extra overs bowled. Zimbabwe had regained some honour by the close, at 112 without loss, with Ebrahim on 51 and Campbell 58.

The Bland Bankart plc ‘Cricketer of the Month’ Award for July 2001 has beenawarded to Ben Smith.During the month of July, Ben scored 418 Championship runs in five innings. Thehighlights of his performance were 185 vs. Surrey, 117 vs. Glamorgan and 166vs. Kent.By the end of July Ben had scored 841 Championship runs at an average of44.26, accumulating four 100s and one 50.Congratulations are extended to Ben from all at Bland Bankart plc.,Leicestershire County Cricket Club, and the selection panel.The ‘Cricketer of the Month’ Award for July was presented to Ben Smith byPhilip Bland, Chairman of Bland Bankart plc.

With a 1st innings lead of 85 and 8 wickets still in hand Pakistan reign supreme over Bangladesh in the 1st Test of the Asian Test Championship at Multan. A fabulous century by Saeed Anwar, an impressive 77 not out by debutante Taufeeq Umar and a haul of 6 wickets by Danis Kaneria were the features of the day. The Bangladesh bowlers, fasties as well as spinners, failed to make a serious impact on Pakistani batsmen. The game is headed Pakistan’s way.The ATC’s 1st fixture set off at the newly built Multan Cricket Stadium amidst immense enthusiasm among the local cricket fans, who thronged the stadium in bulk despite scorching heat. The Provincial Governor performed the inaugural ceremony.After winning the toss Bangladesh opted to bat on a pitch that was described to help the spinners. This reading came out absolutely true when young Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria helped demolish Bangladesh’s batting line for a paltry 134. He mesmerized the side with his magic, claiming 6 wickets for 42 runs and none of the batsmen could face him with confidence.This total posed no threat to Pakistan, opening the innings the pair of Saeed Anwar and young Taufeeq Umar started punishing the bowlers from the word go and continued so till the end. Playing some smashing strokes all over the ground Saeed Anwar hoisted his 11th century as well as completing 4000 runs in test cricket.On his part Taufeeq Umar is on the verge of playing the best innings of his life. At a magnificent 77 not out, he genuinely nourishes the hope of achieving the distinction of scoring a century on debut. He enjoys full support of a giant like Inzamam-ul-Haq ( 25*) batting at the other end to help see him through.With a lead of 85 runs and 8 wickets in hand, Pakistan is in full command of the game. If the batting continues to flourish as it did on the 1st day, the 2nd day may end up with a big lead for Pakistan causing a spell of gloom over the vistors.

Shane Warne has tipped Australian team-mate Michael Slater to come back stronger than ever from his Test cricket axing.Warne arrived back in Australia tonight from the Ashes tour after staying an extra week in England to promote his new autobiography.He said Slater, who was dropped from the final Ashes Test because of a combination of poor form and personal problems, would sort things out and return a better player.”I think Slats is obviously going through a bit of a time in his life that he needs to sort out for himself and I’m sure he will,” Warne said.”He’s thinking rationally, he knows what he wants. It’s just a matter for him to sort it out.”It’s nothing to do with anybody else – it’s something personal to do with him. I’m sure he’ll sort it out and his cricket will be fine.”He’ll come back stronger and better for sure.”While Slater’s form went into freefall on the Ashes tour, Warne’s form returned to the orbit where it’s spent most of his cricket career.After a dismal tour of India, Warne took 31 Test scalps in England, passed 400 Test wickets and moved into fifth place on the all-time Test wicket-takers list.And he can now add best-selling author to his list of achievements – Warne’s autobiography is now No 1 on The Sunday Times’ best-sellers list in England.Warne also revealed he was still hoping to be a candidate for the Australian captaincy or vice-captaincy once Steve Waugh retired.He said the Australian Cricket Board had told him the door was not closed, despite being sacked as Australian vice-captain last year over a phone sex scandal involving an English nurse.”It’d be a great opportunity to be one of the candidates down the track, but if my time’s been and it’s up to somebody else, then so be it,” Warne said.”I’d like to think I’d be one of the candidates.”But it might be four or five years down the track and it would be past my time and they’d obviously be looking for somebody else.”Warne said he was looking forward to spending time with his family at home in Melbourne and doing “two weeks of nothing”, before gearing up for Australia’s showdown with South Africa and New Zealand over summer.