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Robin receives cheque from Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie

Robin Smith collected a cheque for £239,000 from Hampshire Cricket President Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie at the counties annual general meeting.An emotional Smith, thanked everyone who helped and supported him in his testimonial in 2003, and stated how much he would miss being part of the playing squad.A tanned Smith, just returned from the West Indies will retain contact with the club in an ambassadorial roll.

The Eastern Province Cricket Board Amateur Department received a major boost when the central government through the United Cricket Board of SA made available an amount of R 11 904.76 for the previously disadvantaged premier league clubs.This money is geared towards uplifting the standard of cricket through coaching at those clubs.The clubs who will benefit from this funding are Gelvandale, Motherwell, Northville and United Cricket Clubs.On site to present the cheques to the clubs are Mr.Tono Mle, who said the government is to be commended for this effort. "This money will be of great help as some of these clubs will be undergoing winter coaching programmes. We also wish to appeal to our local companies to follow suit as government and government alone cannot make it happen. We need to establish a partnership so as to ensure that we achieve excellency in all various spheres."

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.

Liverpool fans in the Transfer Tavern are delighted with how the transfer window has gone so far and can’t wait to see who will be arriving next.

Jurgen Klopp wasted no time in revamping his squad, signing Fabinho from Monaco for £40m just days after their defeat in the Champions League final. The Brazilian joined Naby Keita at the club on July 1 with both men set to feature against Chester in Liverpool’s first friendly. Our regulars are also delighted to see Mohamed Salah pen a new five-year-deal containing no release clause.

A title challenge is possible if Liverpool add a few more key signings. An attacking midfielder to replace Philippe Coutinho will be a priority in the summer. Following the collapse of Nabil Fekir’s move to Anfield, Klopp needs to find the right man to partner Keita in the engine room.

Our punters were gutted to see Fekir’s move fall through so Klopp should make an audacious attempt to sign James Rodriguez from Real Madrid instead. Valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, the Colombian is 12 months into a two-year loan with Bayern Munich. But following Zinedine Zidane’s dismissal, Madrid might surely be tempted to recall the 26-year-old.

Rodriguez has impressed for Colombia at the World Cup, notching two assists as his country topped their group to set up the round of 16 clash with England. His performances would likely spark a bidding war between some of the biggest clubs in Europe, though the Reds have recently shown a willingness to splash big cash in order to improve.

The former Monaco man is extremely suited to Klopp’s system, capable of playing out wide or centrally like Coutinho. His creativity and technical ability would compliment Keita in the centre of midfield and provide plenty of chances for Liverpool’s forwards.

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Reportedly (as per Don Balon) available for just £40m, this one is a no-brainer.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

Three countries have applied for ICC Affiliate membership and two more to be upgraded from Affiliate to Associate membership.Bulgaria, Estonia and Turkey’s applications for Affiliate membership will be considered by the ICC and its annual conference in Dubai at the end of June.Guernsey and Vanuatu have applied for an upgrade to Associate membership which, if successful, will mean a substantial increase in the funding available to their national associations.Consideration of Vanuatu’s application is subject to it meeting the playing standard criterion in its matches against existing Associates in the World Cricket League Division 5. An ICC team is inspecting the facilities in Guernsey this week.

Daren Ganga: ‘We showed a lot of character and strength’ © Getty Images

It wasn’t until midway through this week’s third Test at Old Trafford that a lugubrious series finally sparked into life. England’s effortless dominance of the first two Tests was threatened, albeit briefly, by Darren Sammy’s inspirational spell on the third afternoon, and by Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s dogged insubmission thereafter, and it took the very best efforts of Monty Panesar and Steve Harmison to put the result beyond doubt.And so, for all that there is nothing tangible to play for as the teams decamp to Chester-le-Street, there is plenty pride at stake for both parties. England’s captain Michael Vaughan may have made it two wins out of two since his return to the helm (and 21 out of 35 all told), but he was rightly demanding more ruthlessness after his team’s hit-and-miss performances.Vaughan’s West Indian counterpart, Daren Ganga, on the other hand, would simply settle for more consistency. His side showed their best and worst traits at Old Trafford – the game was won and lost during a pitiful first-innings surrender in which their last six wickets fell for 13 runs, and yet such was the tenacity with which they batted second-time around, with the big-hitting Runako Morton epitomising a new over-my-dead-body attitude, that they fell just 60 runs short of squaring the series.”We showed a lot of character and strength,” said Ganga. “There are a lot of positives from this game that we are going to take to Durham.” Among these was the performance of their debutant allrounder, Darren Sammy, who showed strength, stamina and an eye for the big occasion in taking 7 for 66 in England’s second-innings collapse. However, Sammy was forced to go for a scan after injuring his groin while batting in the run-chase, and his fitness is not yet guaranteed.”It would be disappointing after he had such a good role in his first Test match,” said David Moore, West Indies’ coach. “It will leave a bit of a gap after what he has done for us – but I am very hopeful he will play. Sammy is just a complete example of hard work. If you wanted to hold up someone to say ‘this is what hard work can do’ [then] he’s your man.”Sammy himself told Cricinfo that his ambition is to be “the workhorse of the team”, and in that regard he could have no better role-model that his opposite number in the England set-up, a man who is himself returning to action after a groin injury. Matthew Hoggard played in 40 consecutive Tests for England until he missed the Sydney Test in January. Since then he has bowled just 10.5 overs in three Tests, but he proved his fitness on Wednesday, taking 1 for 55 in ten overs during Yorkshire’s one-run victory over Northamptonshire at Headingley.

Michael Vaughan in the Durham nets on the eve of the match: © Getty Images

“It was great to go out there and play in a game,” Hoggard told The Guardian afterwards. “You can’t replicate that in the nets. It was a good workout and I’m happy with the way it’s coming out. The only issue is going into the game without a lot of match practice, but It’s not as if I’ve come back feeling like a bag of spanners.”That’s more than can be said for the man headed in the opposite direction. Had he taken his opportunities over the past three matches, Liam Plunkett might have been anticipating a first Test in front of his Durham faithful. Instead he has been dispatched to the Rose Bowl to rediscover his form in the County Championship against Hampshire. England will, however, have two local representatives in Paul Collingwood and Harmison – and for Harmison in particular, it promises to be an eventful homecoming.England haven’t quite despaired of getting him back to his best, but it’s been a near-run thing this summer. At Lord’s he was dreadful; at Headingley he was distinctly average, save for a three-wicket burst to seal the match on a dank fourth morning. At Old Trafford, he started with a memorably desperate first over (that Ganga was unable to survive), but improved steadily as the game went by. By the time the match had been won after lunch, he was pounding in with an enthusiasm that few had witnessed for months.”He showed more character than any of us,” said Vaughan. “I’ve never been a bowler so I can only imagine how hard it must be when you know you are not at your best. He looked at himself, answered a few questions and came back in the second innings. He really worked hard. I don’t like to say he’s back to his best but he was certainly back to some real consistency in the second innings.”England 1 Andrew Strauss, 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Michael Vaughan (capt), 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Matthew Hoggard, 9 Ryan Sidebottom, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Monty Panesar.West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Daren Ganga (capt), 3 Devon Smith, 4 Runako Morton, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Fidel Edwards, 11 Corey Collymore.

Sanath Jayasuriya: back in contention © Getty Images

Sanath Jayasuriya has been named in Sri Lanka’s 12-man squad for the third Test at Trent Bridge, which gets underway on Friday morning, and has a “very good chance” of making the final 11, according to his captain, Mahela Jayawardene.Jayasuriya, 36, retired from Test cricket after Sri Lanka’s last home series against Pakistan earlier this year, but was persuaded to come out of retirement by the new chairman of selectors, Asantha de Mel. He was overlooked for the six-wicket defeat at Edgbaston, as Sri Lanka’s think-tank opted to invest in youth, but now – in a must-win match – he seems set for a recall.”If we have Sanath it gives us more depth and experience, as well as another bowling option,” Jayawardene explained to BBC Sport. And on a pitch that looks dry and is expected to turn, that final factor may well be the clincher, as his left-arm spin has been an underrated weapon in the course of his 102-Test career, accounting for 92 wickets at 33.18.Chamara Kapugedera, the 19-year-old middle-order batsman, could be the man to miss out. England will name their final 11 later, with Gloucestershire’s Jon Lewis once again expected to be overlooked.Sri Lanka (from) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Michael Vandort, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Chamara Kapugedera, 7 Farvez Maharoof, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Muttiah Muralitharan, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan Zoysa, 12 Sanath Jayasuriya.

Taj Television, who own the broadcasting rights for international cricket matches played in Sri Lanka, have decided not to make any comments at this stage on the upcoming Test and one-day triangular series involving hosts Sri Lanka, West Indies and India.The series has become a somewhat low-key affair after the West Indies board left out such top-class cricketers as Brian Lara, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan because of the latest contract dispute and then named instead a second-string team under the captaincy of Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The team comprises eight players from the West Indies A team who are currently touring Sri Lanka.Taj’s director of sales and marketing, Jude de Vallier, said that this is not the appropriate time to make any comments with regard to the series, but added that they would review the situation and issue a statement if it is necessary. In January, Taj Television, the holding company of the Dubai-based sports broadcaster Ten Sports, signed a US$ 50 million broadcasting rights deal with Sri Lanka Cricket for three years.But now it seems that the television company is going to make a rather inauspicious start in trying to sell TV rights for the two-Test series and the seven-match one-day triangular tournament. The first Test begins on July 13.

Shoaib Akhtar: preparing to let his bowling speak for itself© AFP

I’ll go flat out against the Indians,” Shoaib Akhtar told reporters on the eve of the first one-day international at Karachi. “I’ve been waiting for this match for a long time.” More flat than flat out, Akhtar went for 55 runs from 10 overs, and picked up the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.Akhtar, famous for mouthing off before big matches, was conspicuously low-key one day before his 100th ODI, at his home ground, Rawalpindi. After being chased repeatedly, he consented, and told reporters, "Obviously, it’s an honour for me to represent the country in 100 matches. But for me, the most important thing is that we should win tomorrow. I know I didn’t bowl well in Karachi, but I have performed against all teams — including world champions Australia — so I see no reason why I should not perform against India." Perhaps the Pakistan team realises that the time for mind games is over. They are 0-1 down and words will not help at this stage. It’s what happens on the field that counts.The Indian camp, though, had worries of their own. Akhtar or no Akhtar, they were more concerned with the fact that Sourav Ganguly was suffering from a fever. Ganguly came to the Pindi Stadium, but did not take part in the practice. There was worse news still, as Ashish Nehra was ruled out of the second one-dayer with a swollen ankle. Nehra, who bowled a fine last over to deny Pakistan victory at Karachi, had inflamed his left ankle. Irfan Pathan is likely to take Nehra’s place in the playing XI. On the bright side, India will have the services of VVS Laxman, who missed the first one-dayer after injuring his knee in the nets.Pakistan had no such problems, and if the manner in which Inzamam-ul-Haq tonked the ball around in the nets was any indication, they were relaxed and confident. Javed Miandad, their coach, never seems nervous, but even by his standards the pre-match press conference was a relaxed one. When one journalist asked if the bowling was a concern, as over 600 runs were scored in the first match, he turned to a section of the press, winked, and said “Has someone scored 600 runs in 50 overs of a one-dayer?” He could well be adopting this attitude since his team is strengthened by the return of Shabbir Ahmed, the fast bowler. “Shabbir bowled in the nets today, and fielded too. God willing he will play tomorrow,” said Miandad. Shabbir is likely to replace Rana Naved-ul-Hasan who, despite taking three wickets at Karachi, was erratic and expensive.The return of Shabbir gives the Pakistan pace attack further firepower, as Akhtar and Mohammad Sami attempt to get their act together. The two fast bowlers spent some considerable time in the nets working on the no-ball problem that dogged them in the first match. Simon Taufel, one of the elite-panel umpires standing in this series, took up his position in the nets, as though it were an actual match situation, and was seen signaling no-balls, and talking to Pakistan’s bowlers.But Shabbir’s comeback means that Pakistan’s attack will be a potent one, despite the fact that the pitch looks similar to the one for the first one-dayer: hard, light-coloured, with just a smattering of grass on it. Even if the pitch is on the slower side, Pakistan’s quick men have enough pace, and all bowl what cricketers call a “heavy ball”. If only they can add discipline to this, they will ensure that 300-plus scores are the exception rather than the rule. And once they do that, the pressure will be back on the Indians.Pakistan (probable): 1 Yasir Hameed, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Yousuf Youhana, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Younis Khan, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shoaib Malik, 8 Moin Khan (wk), 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Shabbir Ahmed.India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 4 VVS Laxman, 5 Rahul Dravid (wk), 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mohammad Kaif, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Murali Kartik, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Lakshimpathy Balaji.

Sudbrook CC, semi-finalists in both 2000 and 2001, defeated reigning champions Madisons from Northamptonshire in tense final of the ECB Indoor Six-a-Side Championship at Lord’s.The Welsh Champions, electing to bat first in the Final at the MCC’s Indoor School, built up a formidable score with three of the first batsmen each being forced to retire having reached an individual score of 25.Andrew Harris was caught at mid-off from a miss-timed drive for 22, the first and only wicket falling at 113. Despite coming together for just the last over, Robert Voke and Ian O’Leary kept the scoring rate going with 13 as Sudbrook reached 126 for one from their allotted 12 overs.Madisons were seeking to become the first club to successful defend their title, but after a bright start they lost four wickets in three overs to reach 64 for four after the seventh over. Two wickets for Ian O’Leary, one from captain Mark O’Leary and a direct hit run out by Voke firmly put the initiative in Sudbrook’s favour.When Marcus Steed was clean bowled to give Mark O’Leary his second wicket, Madisons, at 77 for five, looked dead and buried. However, experienced captain Richard Dalton set about trying to recover a lost situation and with a combination of finely placed shots began chipping away at the lead.He survived one chance and took the game into the last over requiring 12 runs to win. A four from the first ball kept the tension high. One run came from the second ball and Dalton seemed to have gained another life as a hard off drive from the next was palmed by Voke but Carl Morgan reacted like lighting to dive and complete a caught and bowled to give Sudbrook victory by six runs. Richard Dalton scored 44 and added 43 runs for the last wicket.Bob Cherry, Chairman of the ECB Clubs & Leagues Sub-Group, presented the trophy to Mark O’Leary and mementoes to each of the two finalists, the scorers and umpires. Ian O’Leary was named as the Player of the Day for his record bowling performance of being the first player to take four wickets in an innings at the National Finals, and following this up with 2-27 in the Final.Sudbrook wicketkeeper Ross Lewis won the Fielder of the Day Award for a fine performance including two stumpings and two catches standing up.Semi-Finals:
Sudbrook 80 for 0 (Mark O’Leary 25ret) beat Walkden 79 for 5 (Richard Slater 42 not out, Ian O’Leary 4 for 13) by 6 wicketsMadisons 83 for 3 (Rob Williams 26ret, David Hawkes 24 not out) beat Canterbury 82 for 6 by 3 wicketsFinal:
Sudbrook 126 for 1 (R Lewis26ret, C Morgan 26ret) beat Madisons 120 (R Dalton 44) by 6 runs