Eagles 181 for 3 (Bosman 94) beat Zimbabwe 85 for 9 by 98 runs
ScorecardA lethal Loots Bosman condemned Zimbabwe to an awful 98-run defeat at the hands of the Eagles in their Standard Bank Pro20 match in Bloemfontein.Zimbabwe’s bowlers took some quite sickening punishment as Bosman plundered 94 off just 50 balls to take the Eagles to 181 for 3 after 17 overs in a rain-interrupted innings. He started sedately, scoring three singles off his first 12 balls, but then exploded into action, hitting six fours and a six off his next 10 balls. Busy innings by Morne van Wyk (21 off 21), Dean Elgar (24 not out off 15) and Ryan McLaren (27 off 17 balls) were the sideshows because the limelight was where it belonged, firmly on Bosman. He reached his half-century in 31 deliveries and struck seven fours and six sixes in all and it was a major surprise when left-arm spinner Keith Dabengwa eventually dismissed him in the 13th over. Bosman’s onslaught ensured that four of the six Zimbabwe bowlers would go for more than 10 runs an over.Zimbabwe’s target was adjusted to 184 because the home side’s innings was interrupted after 9.5 overs, and the Eagles struck a massive early blow in the Zimbabwe innings when former captain Tatenda Taibu was run out off a wide, without facing a ball, in the first over. Chamu Chibhabha was run out by Bosman in the next over and Zimbabwe simply had no chance of overcoming the escalating required run-rate. Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor baled some of the water out of the sinking ship, both scoring 28 of 26 balls. But offspinner Thandi Tshabalala then tormented the middle-order, who were hitting out in desperate fashion, to finish with 2 for 16 in his four overs.Cobras 143 for 6 (Gibbs 60) beat Dolphins 132 for 6 (Khan 50) by 11 runs
ScorecardThe Dolphins buckled under the pressure of good death bowling to give the Cobras an 11-run victory in their Standard Bank Pro20 match at Newlands. Tight bowling in mid innings by Tyron Henderson (2 for 16) and captain Con de Lange (1 for 18) had applied the pressure that was exploited in the final four overs. Charl Langeveldt took the wickets of grant Rowley and Morné van Vuuren with successive deliveries to tilt the game decisively in the Cobras’ direction.Vernon Philander conceded only seven off the penultimate over to leave the Dolphins requiring 19 from the last six balls and although the impressive Kent finished with 46 not out from 32 balls, Langeveldt had the final word. He took two more wickets in the final over to finish with figures of four for 26 from his four overs.The target had been largely posted by dropped Proteas star Herschelle Gibbs who took out his frustrations on the Nashua Dolphins attack. He powered to a quickfire 60 in the Cape Cobras 143 for 6 after being left bizarrely kicking his heels in the dug out for four overs while rising young star Richard Levi had a taste opening the batting in Pro20. Levi looks a fine prospect – and smashed all Jacques Kallis’s batting records at Wynberg Boys’ High – but he scratched around for four overs before being caught behind for 4. That opened the way for Gibbs to stride to the wicket and pull the Dolphins apart hitting seven fours and two sixes in his 42-ball innings. Andrew Puttick made 36 in 40 balls and Rory Kleinveldt hit two late sixes in his seven-ball 15 to lift the score beyond the Dolphins’ reach.

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Eagles	1	1	0	0	0	5	+5.765	183/17.0	85/17.0
Cape Cobras	1	1	0	0	0	4	+0.550	143/20.0	132/20.0
Zimbabwe	2	1	1	0	0	4	-2.596	208/36.5	305/37.0
Warriors	1	0	1	0	0	0	-0.102	122/20.0	123/19.5
Dolphins	1	0	1	0	0	0	-0.550	132/20.0	143/20.0

	Ramnaresh Sarwan, the Player of the Series, averaged 77.75 in the two Tests © Getty Images

Ramnaresh Sarwan has made a convincing return to the West Indies side ten months after a shoulder injury forced him out of action. His second-innings century in Trinidad helped West Indies hold off a first-ever series defeat to Sri Lanka at home and won him the Player-of-the-Series award. Satisfied with his performance, Sarwan said the months spent outside the team had given him time to think of what he needed to do.”I’ve been out for 10 months, players tend to mature around 26-27 and then it carries on till they are 33-34 and I hope that is going to be the case for me,” Sarwan said. “I’ve certainly gained a lot of experience and I think I can use that.”West Indies were set to chase 253 by Sri Lanka and they lost only four wickets in knocking off the runs on day four. Sarwan added 157 with Shivnarine Chanderpaul and fell when West Indies needed only 23 more to win. “After we lost Marlon [Samuels] I knew I had to form a good partnership with Shiv [Chanderpaul]. The good thing was that Shiv was flowing and I didn’t have to do all the scoring, he was positive and that paid off for us.”I’ve been getting off to good starts in this series, I wanted to do the same, pick the bad balls and fortunately I was able to do that and go on and get the hundred.” Sarwan scored 311 at 77.75 in the two Tests.Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, was pleased to have Sarwan back in the side. “Missing Sarwan really hurt us and it is good to have him back out there,” Gayle said. “He showed how important he is at No. 3. It is good to have him back, he looked the part and I have to give him credit. I hope he can build on this and capitalise on his good starts and get those hundreds – big hundreds.”

The BCCI has submitted a written request to the Maharashtra government to create a sports integrity Intelligence Gathering Unit (IGU) that will see the board and the Maharashtra Police come together to tackle corruption in Indian cricket.The IGU, which will operate out of Mumbai, will be the first instance of the BCCI tying up with the security agency of a state to counter corruption, and might empower the ICC to adopt similar measures with Shashank Manohar having recently taken over as its chairman.According to the , Manohar submitted a request to Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis following their meeting last week to discuss the issue, which elicited a positive response from Fadnavis. The BCCI was open to part-funding the creation and administration of the IGU, which is expected to be operational within two months. The IGU will work in coordination with the BCCI, and share information it collects on cases pertaining to corruption with security agencies of other states to facilitate preventive steps.Manohar has been a staunch advocate of a system to eradicate spot and match-fixing, and had mentioned it as one of his “commitments” when he took over as BCCI president in October. He has also often bemoaned the lack of investigative powers at the disposal of the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).”The ICC and BCCI are educating the players at every level [about corruption],” Manohar told recently. “There is one difficulty in that the ACSU does not have the investigative powers which are with the police authorities. That’s the reason we have to take the help of the investigative agency to curb this menace.”I have approached the state (Maharashtra) government, not the central government. The Mumbai Police has all the powers. What we want basically is intelligence input from the government. If the investigating agency shares information with the board, that would solve most of our problems.”

Corey Anderson celebrated his return to the national side with an 87-ball 88, but his effort was not enough to help Northern Districts chase down 279 against Auckland in Hamilton.ND began shakily in the chase, losing Dean Brownlie for a five-ball duck. Daniel Flynn and Daryl Mitchell then laid a strong base, adding 76, before Anderson took over. He struck six fours and two sixes, and was aided by contributions from BJ Watling and Tim Seifert. However, fast bowler Lachie Ferguson dismissed Anderson in the 46th over to tilt the contest in Auckland’s favour. ND ran out of fuel, losing their last four wickets for 21 runs.The match was set up for Auckland, thanks to fifties from Brad Cachopa and Robert O’ Donnell, after they were reduced to 109 for 4 in 20.2 overs. The pair repaired the early damage and then lifted the innings with a 130-run partnership off 142 balls. The stand ended when Scott Kuggeleijn got rid of Cachopa for 93, but O’Donnell ensured that his side passed 250 and eventually finished with 278, which proved 11 more for ND.Peter Fulton’s half-century, followed by a collective bowling effort, led Canterbury to their second successive win in the competition, after beating Otago by 65 runs in Alexandra.Having been inserted, Canterbury lost their openers cheaply before Fulton revived the innings with his 36th List A fifty, which contained 10 fours and one six. Each of the middle-order batsmen had starts but failed to build on it, with allrounder Sam Wells claiming three wickets. However, it was enough to haul Canterbury to 228.Otago’s chase had begun on a poor note with both the openers falling for ducks. It was a sign of things to come with Otago sliding to 163 all out within 40 overs. Hamish Rutherford and James Neesham mounted some resistance with a 45-run fourth-wicket partnership, before No.9 Neil Wagner swung his way to an unbeaten 37. Todd Astle, one of the three bowlers to pick up two wickets, put the seal on Canterbury’s win when he bowled Warren Barnes for a duck.George Worker’s century trumped Luke Woodcock’s, helping defending champions Central Districts to a 32-run win against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.After Ben Smith was dismissed by Dane Hutchinson for 4, Worker and Jesse Ryder added 126 together at a rapid pace only for the middle order to fumble. From 139 for 1, Central Districts slumped to 199 for 6 and Worker soon followed for 114 off 120 balls. Marty Kain’s (22) cameo lower down the order meant that Central Districts were pushed to 241.Woodcock followed three wickets with a counterattacking century, his first in List A cricket, and helped Wellington close to the target from a shambolic 35 for 5. The collapse seeped into the lower order as well as the hosts were skittled for 209. Woodcock hit two fours and six sixes before he was the last man dismissed. Central Districts’ new-ball bowlers – Seth Rance and Bevan Small – claimed combined figures of 17-3-65-7 to trip up the chase.

Having literally flung himself into injury in an ODI late last month, Brendon McCullum earned a four-week glimpse into his future. McCullum aggravated a back complaint when he dove into advertising hoardings, attempting to save a boundary in the second ODI against Sri Lanka.

Azhar hopes for bowling improvement

Azhar Ali said his team had dissected the Wellington loss and knew they needed to put in a more complete performance on Sunday. The bowling had been one area of concern, having had New Zealand at 99 for 6 at one point, before letting them reach 280 for 8.
“In 22 overs we had picked up the best part of their batting line up, but it taught us a lesson that until we get the last wicket, it’s not over,” Azhar said. “We have the capability to take 10 wickets. These days you need to get wickets to stop the flow of runs. In the last game, the last five overs went for too many. We looked at that and we’ll try and rectify that in this game.”
On the batting front, Azhar suggested Pakistan have no plans to move Sarfraz Ahmed up the order, although he averages over 40 when batting in the top three, as opposed to a career average of less than 30.
“He’s a wonderful player and I always say he’s a wonderful team man. Wherever you want him to bat he accepts that and tries to perform well. But at this moment we aren’t looking to make too many changes. It’s not in our cards yet.”

Since then he has watched Kane Williamson lead the New Zealand side, and spent time on his horse racing hobby – both of which he seems destined to spend more time doing when he draws the curtain on his career at the end of February. He had decided horse racing was “a tough business” on the eve of his likely cricketing return, against Pakistan, but was more impressed with the New Zealand team’s performance in his absence. They had won two out of three ODIs and four out of five T20s under Williamson this season.”I thought Kane did an outstanding job as captain,” McCullum said. “You’re pretty proud when you step back and see that the team still has the same strong values that you tried to instill within the group over the period of time.”Henry Nicholls hit his first international fifty, and Corey Anderson made a successful return from back injury, while McCullum was unavailable.”It’s hard because you don’t want to pry too much either. You want to give guys the space to operate without you. I’ve been really impressed with what we’ve seen from the younger guys as well. They’ve taken to the environment really quickly. They’ve had some clear role clarity as well, which is easily seen when they come in and have success in their positions.”New Zealand’s success has come despite a slew of injuries to key players. McCullum said the constant change in personnel over the past few weeks did not necessitate a substantial change in strategy, thanks largely to the depth in New Zealand’s stocks at present.”We’ve tried to play a reasonably consistent brand of cricket,” he said. “Credit to the selectors and the coaching staff on being able to implement a gameplan which has built up some depth. When guys do come in, they don’t have to differ their roles greatly from what they’ve done at domestic cricket. That’s why we’ve had some success this year with guys on the periphery of the squad as well. They know what their job is, and can go out and execute.”McCullum has four ODIs and two Tests remaining in his international career, and he said the break had not dulled his desire. He spoke of his decision to retire as having given him mental freedom.”If anything, it’s probably a release of pressure when you know that the time in the spotlight is starting to come towards the end,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to the last month of being around the boys, playing amongst the New Zealand cricket team, and having a good time. Hopefully if we can win a few games and continue what we’ve done over the last 12-18 months – the things that have put smiles on the faces of New Zealand fans.”Those that know me know I’m either all-in or all out. I’m committed through to the end of the Australian series. I’m really excited about that. I’ve got a little bit of fight left in me for that series.”

Kerala, led by fifties from Jalaj Saxena and Rohan Prem, finished the second day only five runs behind Haryana‘s 208 in Lahli. Kerala, who stand a good chance of progressing to the knockouts, have seven wickets in hand.Haryana managed to add only one run to their overnight total of 207 for 9. The visitors’ batsmen then batted out 85 overs in the day to all but wipe Haryana’s total. Saxena and Prem added 172 for the second wicket, before the former was bowled by legspinner Amit Mishra on 91. Prem, however, remained unbeaten on 79 at stumps, with Basil Thampi for company.Table-toppers Gujarat finished the day with a 313-run lead after their bowlers took three early wickets against Jharkhand in Ranchi. Early in the day, Rujul Bhatt helped Gujarat go past 400, with an unbeaten 145.Gujarat were at 295 for 5 early in the day, after overnight batsman Manpreet Juneja was out for 67, but Bhatt then batted well with the tail. The last five batsman added only 28 runs, but Bhatt took charge in his 224-ball innings that had 22 fours and three sixes. Ashish Kumar (4-118) cleaned up the lower order.Jharkhand’s innings started poorly, with Chintan Gaja taking two early wickets. But opener Nazim Siddiqui’s unbeaten 52, together with Ishank Jaggi (27*), who has three centuries so far this season, took the hosts closer to 100 at stumps. Like Kerala, Gujarat must win if they are to qualify into the play-offs in their own terms.Saurashtra, the team that’s chasing Gujarat and Kerala, were also, fascinatingly, on course posting 534 in their first innings against Rajasthan in Jaipur. After overnight centurion Avi Barot was out for 130, Sheldon Jackson made 94 following which their lower-order batsmen Jaydev Unadkat (88, who is leading the side, and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (79*) chipped in with fifties to make Rajasthan’s bowlers toil for almost 144 overs. Jadeja then returned to take two Rajasthan wickets, as the hosts finished the day on 60 for 2.Barot could add only two runs to his overnight total, when he was dismissed for 130 in the opening hour. Prerak Mankad and Chirag Jani were soon to go as well, as Saurashtra were at 313 for 6. But then Jackson and Unadkat added 71 for the seventh wicket, after which the former was out six runs short of his century. Unadkat carried on, putting on another 98 for the eighth wicket as Saurashtra score swelled. The two lower-order batsmen together smashed 17 fours and two sixes.Rajasthan started their innings well, with openers Amitkumar Gautam (26) and Chetan Bist (30*) adding 60 for the first wicket, but Jadeja’s double-wicket 28th over – the day’s last – pegged the hosts’ progress as they finished the day on 60 for 2, still trailing by 474.

Michael Neser is turning into an Ashes hero for Australia after admitting he started the summer unsure if he would ever play Test cricket again.Neser, 35, top-scored with a vital 35 from 49 balls when Australia were bowled out for just 152 on day one at the MCG. He then took 4 for 45 with the ball, nicking off Jacob Bethell, Joe Root and Ben Stokes to tear the heart and soul out of England as they were bowled out for just 110 on a stunning 20-wicket opening day.He had started the summer outside of Test calculations coming off a serious hamstring injury last year and was then not picked in Australia’s initial 15-man squad for the first Test in Perth, but was called in when Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott suffered injuries.Related

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He earned a recall for the pink-ball Test in Brisbane, where he took a maiden Test five-wicket haul on his home ground. However, he was squeezed out for the returning Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon in Adelaide.But with both men injured, he earned his fourth Test cap and his first red-ball Test at the MCG and was in shock after starring in front of a record crowd of 94,199.”I didn’t know if I was going to be playing for Australia again and to be in the position I am now, I’m very privileged,” Neser said. “It’s unreal. I dreamt of this as a kid. Every Boxing Day I would wake up early, and me and my brother would play back out at cricket for hours and come back in and watch cricket. The whole day just is cricket for us and to be part of it, it’s a dream come true. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.”Neser’s Sheffield Shield experience proved invaluable as the surface played very similarly to domestic seam-friendly MCG pitches in recent times. Neser’s experience for Queensland and for Australia A in the last two years saw him take an aggressive approach with the bat and a patient one with the ball.”The ball definitely nipped around a bit there with the new rock,” Neser said. “So it was just a matter of trying to find ways to put pressure back on their bowlers, and knowing that when we bowled, we had to just be patient and let the wicket do the work.”

	Ajantha Mendis has become the Kolkata Knight Riders’ latest buy © AFP

The Kolkata Knight Riders have signed Ajantha Mendis, the Sri Lankan slow bowler, till the end of the current season. Mendis, who shot into prominence in the ODI series against West Indies with his unusual action and crafty variations, flew into Kolkata yesterday.The agency which manages Mendis’ affairs was certain that their client will be able to deliver the goods. “Kolkata is a place where the pitches are generally slow and receptive to spin and a bowler like Mendis would be able to make the maximum use of the conditions,” the spokesman told the , a Colombo-based daily.Mendis, 23, made a sensational debut when he took 3 for 39 against West Indies in Port-of-Spain on April 10. He flummoxed Chris Gayle and Darren Sammy as the Windies batsmen struggled to pick his assortment of deliveries. Mendis, however, failed to take a wicket in his second match, and did not get an opportunity to bowl in the third.Meanwhile, Mendis’ compatriot, allrounder Kaushal Weeraratne, has been invited to join Kolkata in training for a week. Weeraratne has scored 97 runs in 13 ODI innings at 16.16, and taken six wickets. He is also the record holder for the fastest fifty in List A cricket, which he completed off only 12 balls while playing for Ragama against Karunegala in Sri Lankan domestic cricket in 2005-06.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson says there is no chance of him returning to Inter Milan as Jose Mourinho's successor.

Hodgson, who coached the club between 1995 and 1997 before having a second stint as caretaker in 1999, had been rumoured to be set for a third spell in charge, while Fabio Capello and Rafa Benitez have also been mentioned as possible candidates as well as Pep Guardiola and Sinisa Mihajlovic.

However, 62-year-old Hodgson said:"I don't know who could be the coach (of Inter). I saw an interview where Capello said he wanted to stay with England, but in that type of situation it is impossible to know where the truth lies.

"There has been so much speculation on Benitez's future. The last thing I heard was that he wanted to stay at Liverpool, as he still has a four-year contract.

"I haven't spoken to anyone or heard anything from Inter. There is the same type of speculation around my name as you get with Capello and Benitez.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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"I have a contract with Fulham. The day I receive a call from someone, then that is the moment I'll think about these things. For the moment I'm not thinking about them."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

There wasn’t much to say about England’s performance against Algeria on Friday, but Westwood managed to describe it in three words, and as you can imagine he wasn’t exactly complimentary! You won’t find the phrase ‘free-flowing football’ anywhere in his second 2010 World Cup article for the News of the World, something that England failed to produce in the whole 90 minutes in Cape Town. After time to reflect on the match, Westwood comes up with his own reasons for the Three Lions’ dreadful display that leaves them on the brink of an early exit from South Africa.

He feels that the England team are scared. Scared of failure, scared of being criticised, scared of taking the bull by the horns and really going for it. This fear is something that the Fabio Capello and the whole England team have to banish on Wednesday afternoon if they’re to have any chance of triumphing over Slovenia. Westwood thinks that to be successful you have to take risks, something England simply haven’t done so far and time is running out for the Three Lions to do so. The 2010 World Cup is passing England by and we just don’t seem to be ready or to be able to do anything to stop it drifting away.

The big dawg is at as much a loss as the rest of us. He doesn’t buy the ball excuse and refuses to lay blame with the manager, as it’s the players who ultimately have to take responsibility for their shocking performances. Where’s the passion? Nobody is stepping up to the plate and the team is letting the whole nation down. In terms of booing, the Radio 1Xtra DJ thinks that the fans have a right to express how they feel and it’s important that they players hear the criticism. But Westwood still believes, even if he is getting rid of all his England team Panini stickers!

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To read Tim Westwood’s second NOTW World Cup article in full head to: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/world_cup/852867/Tim-Westwoods-second-exclusive-World-Cup-blog.html