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The ECB has been boosted by a £37.8million grant over the next four years by Sport England with the money targeted at grassroots cricket.The board will invest in projects aimed at increasing participation at recreational level, especially among women, girls and disabled people. A large portion of the funding will be put into the Chance to Shine initiative.”This agreement is fantastic news for cricket and will enable us to continue our work to increase opportunities for people to take part in our sport,” said ECB chief executive David Collier.”The ECB has been awarded the largest grant of any national governing body which demonstrates the confidence that Sport England has in our ability to deliver grassroots programmes.””Sport England will also be bringing forward further lottery funding opportunities based on potential priority policy themes such as increasing participation by women and girls, improving school-club links and building sustainable community sports clubs.”

Simmons’ Kapil moment
Lendl Simmons running towards the boundary from square-leg to finish an extraordinary two-handed catch on the run to send back Gautam Gambhir was a spectacular athletic effort, but it also brought back sweet memories of a similar one 26 years ago by Kapil Dev at the very same venue. The only difference being Kapil chased a Viv Richards pull that came in front of square towards deep midwicket, while Simmons finished the catch at backward square-leg.India’s biggest supporter
You can’t keep this man away from cricket. Can you? Sachin Tendulkar was seen in the stands keeping a close tab at the events in Lord’s from the corporate box.Chipped six
Twenty20 encourages players to stretch their imagination. At times they come up with extraordinary efforts. Taylor speared it full on Yuvraj’s leg stump and, to the naked eye, he looked cramped for room. But Yuvraj didn’t move and at the last second flicked it over the midwicket for an outrageous six. The shot, never to be found in any textbook, looked like a golf chip, except that Yuvraj cocked his wrists while Tiger Woods and co. play the chip with a firm wrist. Even Tendulkar couldn’t stop smiling from the stands, and Dhoni didn’t stop nodding his head in acknowledgement, while Rohit Sharm couldn’t stop clapping.Singh is king
To bowl a maiden over in the final over of PowerPlay – and that, to Chris Gayle! – earns Harbhajan Singh a special award. Moreso it was the only maiden.Chak de West Indies!
Some of India’s fans, most of whom pledge their undying allegiance to their county, were nevertheless thrilled by the flamboyant batting of West Indies. They didn’t mind shifting allegiance, however, as they started chanting the chant: .

Ryan Harris, the Queensland allrounder, will be able to send reminders to the Australian selectors over the next month after joining Surrey for three County Championship matches. Harris made his ODI debut in January but did not add to the appearance and missed the latter stages of the home season with a foot injury.While he is unlikely to come into calculations for the Ashes, particularly after missing Australia A selection last week, he can impress ahead of the one-day series that follows the five Tests. “It is great to be joining up with Surrey as I’ve always loved playing cricket in England,” Harris said. “With the Australian domestic season and the IPL, I have played a lot of cricket recently and am very keen to keep getting out there and showing people what I can do.”Harris replaces New Zealand’s Grant Elliott and will play against Glamorgan in a four-day game on Saturday. “We have a very taxing stretch of matches coming up and bringing someone like Ryan into the squad will give everyone a boost,” Surrey’s Chris Adams said. “His pace, aggression and all-round capabilities mean that he will be a welcome addition to our squad for the upcoming games.”Harris was part of the successful Deccan Chargers squad in the IPL but missed a spot in Australia’s Twenty20 outfit. Last year he joined Sussex and was let go after one match following his incorrect signing as an England-qualified player.

Warwickshire 81 for 1 trail Yorkshire 600 for 8 dec (McGrath 211, Sayers 173, Rudolph 62, Carter 4-129) by 519 runs
ScorecardSo easy you only need one hand: Anthony McGrath on his way to a double hundred•Getty Images

Like dollar millionaires in Zimbabwe, batting records at Edgbaston are starting to lose a little of their lustre.For the second championship game in succession at this ground, great names of cricket’s history were surpassed as new partnership records were established. In Warwickshire’s previous game, it was Brian Lara and Keith Piper’s fifth-wicket record stand that was broken; on this occasion it was Yorkshire’s third-wicket highest partnership between Herbert Sutcliffe and Maurice Leyland (323 against Glamorgan at Huddersfield in 1928) that was overhauled.There was much admirable about Joe Sayers and Anthony McGrath’s partnership of 346 in 98 overs, but both would admit that conditions were rather too batsman friendly. A slow, flat pitch offered little encouragement to bowlers and, as a contest between bat and ball, there was little to savour. It is not even as if the pitch is quick enough to encourage stroke play. It is moribund and rewards graft more than flair. It is becomingly a wearyingly familiar characteristic of four-day cricket.Under such circumstances, the veracity of such records is compromised. The currency of runs is devalued and , more importantly, matches like offer little of value to spectators. And cricket is meant to be a spectator sport, after all.It is not the groundsman’s fault. Steve Rouse has been asked to prepare such tracks and is merely following orders. But whether the tactic is right is debatable. Warwickshire’s safety-first approach has earned them the longest unbeaten record in the land (18 games and counting) and promotion back up to the first division. It has also brought just one outright result here since the start of 2008, however, and only two home wins since the start of 2007. Hard, they may be. Entertaining they are not. The decline in spectator numbers at Edgbaston is not hard to fathom.The bowlers and fielders must also take some of the blame, however. It is, remember, only two games since they conceded a triple-century stand at Taunton, and they cannot endlessly hide behind the conditions as an excuse for their failings.Not only did the bowlers squander both new balls, but they put down five chances in the field. Both Sayers (on 41) and McGrath (on 20) were reprieved before they had reached 50 on the first day, while Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was dropped by Tim Ambrose on the second. It mattered little, Naved-ul-Hasan departed to his next delivery, but by spurning three chances in the innings, Ambrose must have dented his own hopes of an England recall.Flat wicket or not, Warwickshire’s failure to gain even one bowling bonus point does not reflect well on their attack. It is believed to be the first time since June 2007 that any side has suffered such a fate in an innings that has run its course, while Warwickshire have not experienced such an indignity since 2000. On that occasion, Guy Welton and Darren Bicknell posted an unbroken stand of 406 here for Nottinghamshire’s first wicket.It would also be wrong to deny Sayers or McGrath any credit. Sayers is a compact, determined fellow who knows his limitations and is content to play within them. His lack of acceleration over this nine-and-a-half-hour marathon was hard to understand, however, and Yorkshire’s failure to gain full batting bonus points despite having eight wickets in hand, was surely overly cautious.McGrath, at least, did accelerate. Though his first 50 occupied a 142 balls, his second came off just 51. He attacked the anodyne Jeetan Patel with special relish, thumping him for 14 in three deliveries at one stage, the highlight being a six over long-on. This was the 29th century of his first-class career and the first time he has reached 200.Finally, Patel made the breakthrough. Sayers edged a drive to slip, before Neil Carter, with three wickets in eight balls, slowed progress. Andrew Gale and Adil Rashid guided catches to slip, while McGrath chopped on as he attempted to give himself room. Thedeclaration, made the moment they reached 600, gave Yorkshire 18 overs at the hosts before stumps.There was little to suggest Warwickshire will struggle to save this match. Matthew Hoggard has lost some of the nip that made him such a dangerous operator and was withdrawn from the attack after just three overs, while Rashid served up several full tosses in an erratic spell.Bell, in particular, looked ominously safe. Though Tony Frost was drawn into playing one that left him, Bell produced some delightful cuts off the seamers as well as a sublime drive off Rashid to underline the impression that Warwickshire will surely have to batexceedingly poorly if they are to lose this game.

Scorecard’Sir Geoffrey’ should be proud of his lads today. In difficult batting conditions, Yorkshire fought out a truncated first day at Headingley in dogged fashion to register a century opening partnership and build an excellent foundation for their first innings, with the credit going to their left-handers Jacques Rudolph and Joe Sayers.It was a good toss to win, and Worcestershire could have had little hesitation in fielding first, against a background of two enormous cranes engaged in building the new Headingley pavilion. The sky was grey, the light was poor, rain was anticipated, the ball swung and the re-laid outfield was slow. Given these circumstances, the Yorkshire openers did extremely well. They began with great caution, which was indeed the only wise way to play, and laboured to double figures before Rudolph slapped a ball from Ashley Noffke over the covers for four. After ten overs the score was 16 without loss.With the ball moving as it did, batting was never going to be easy, but it must be said that Worcestershire did not always use the conditions to best advantage. Even with Simon Jones and Kabir Ali on the injury list they have a useful attack on paper, but the bowlers at times strayed in line. Often a good ball would beat the batsman, only to be followed by deliveries that were wide enough for him to let pass through to the keeper.Even then discrimination is needed by the batsmen to pick out the balls that can be safely scored from, and Rudolph in particular was adept at doing this. Sayers, though often bogged down, hung in there in traditional Boycott fashion and fought it out admirably. It took him 63 balls before he leg-glanced a ball for four to reach double figures. Rudolph registered a six off the top edge over fine leg off Matt Mason, and the 50 came up in the 24th over. Sayers celebrated with a superb cover drive for four off Imran Arif, by common consent the shot of the day.Rudolph reached his 50 off 86 balls and not long after a cut brought up the century stamd. The ball went down a drain – Worcestershire supporters may have felt this was ironically symbolic – and one hopes the man who eventually climbed down to retrieve it was licensed to do so by Health and Safety. With the light ever worsening, Sayers reached 49 and then played a stroke he has had plenty of time to rue, an uncharacteristic hook off Chris Whelan that skied towards fine leg and was caught by the wicketkeeper Steve Davies running back.For Sayers it was particularly regrettable, as Michael Vaughan came in to face only two balls without scoring, before the light became so bad that the umpires took the teams off the field. Before long a steady drizzle began and steadily worsened so that further play was impossible. In half a day’s play the advantage lay with Yorkshire; they now have to fight the weather as well as the opposition if they are to win this match.

ScorecardKarim Khan top-scored for Afghanistan with 92•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Afghanistan held their own against one of the pre-tournament favourites, Scotland, in a tense and impressive 42-run win in Benoni, successfully defending 280. With 92 from Karim Khan and a spirited effort in the outfield, where they took several athletic andclean chances, Afghanistan left Scotland the nail-biting task of needing to beat UAE on Friday if they are to retain their financially crucial ODI status. International cricket might be coming to Kabul after all, and the final round of matches will provide a fitting denouement to an exciting two weeks.Scotland have been a disappointment all tournament. Unlike their nearest neighbours, Ireland, whose coattails they have chased in the last four years, Scotland’s batting in the past two weeks has been too brittle to chase down anything competitive. And when Afghanistan marched off the field with 279, it left Scotland needing to post their highest total of the tournament.That they came reasonably close owed much to Kyle Coetzer, who made 91, and Gavin Hamilton’s 71, the pair putting on 133 in a nicely-paced partnership. Coetzer, who turned 25 yesterday, was strong off front and back foot, flicking Shapoor Zadran for consecutive fours and clouting Khaleqdaad Noori for the most nonchalant of sixes to bring up his patient 92-ball fifty. Hamilton provided stabilising support though he was savage on anything too short, as Mohammad Nabi found when he was elegantly lofted over long-on.With twenty overs remaining, however, Scotland were up against it with 158 needed at nearly eight-per-over. Coetzer took on the challenge in thrilling style, lofting and driving the surprisingly wayward Hamid Hassan for three fours in succession before holing out to Karim Khan at gully. And it was now that Afghanistan stepped up a notch. Neil McCallum was expertly caught by Raees Ahmadzai at deep square leg, swooping to his right to take a grass-cutter out of the sun, before Hassan made up for his disappointing spell with a wonderfully judged dive at long-on to remove Hamilton.

As the pressure mounted, Scotland crumbled; the run-rate now climbing beyond 11-per-over, panic inevitably set in but Afghanistan’s bowlers gave little away, bowling a disciplined line and were athletic and alive in the field. Shapoor, a lively, accurate and tall left-arm seamer, finished with 3 for 36 and is one to keep a very close eye on in the future. Afghanistan are still outsiders to reach the final six and achieve ODI status but their cricket continues to improve with every tournament and they fully outplayed Scotland today.Disappointing with the bat, Scotland were equally lackadaisical in the field. Noor Ali (24 from 42 balls) and the enjoyably unconfined Karim Khan smacked 57 for the opening wicket. Karim’s 92 was an innings of maturity from a fiery and competitive individual determined to take on the world. The clean-striking of his 10 fours – exuberant uppercutsover the slips and two savage pulls off Dewald Nel – spoke volumes for his talent, but said more about Scotland’s own misguided tactic of short-pitched bowling. Shouldersdrooped in the outfield, and several singles were easily converted into twos by Afghanistan, prompting angry kicks at the turf from Scotland’s wicketkeeper.Nowroz Mangal again stood up with a captain’s innings of 72, hammering the hapless Jan Stander for the day’s most authoritative drive straight back past the bowler. Afghanistan’s major issue to work on is their middle order, which again misfired as they lost 3 for 4 in 10 balls, but Mangal was able to chivvy the tail along until he fell in the 48th over.In the end, a target of 280 was plenty and, not for the first time in this tournament, Afghanistan outplayed and out-thought a team ranked far higher. Their chance of gaining full ODI status is by no means a fantasy, while Scotland’s own standing as one of the sixAssociates hangs by a thread that will survive or be severed on Friday when they take on UAE.”I am very happy at the moment that my team won against a team like Scotland, who are one of the big teams in the tournament and who have played in two World Cups,” Karim said after the game. “It was very hard batting today and I was very disappointed to miss out on my century. But it was good to get two wickets as well. I am hoping that I can score a century on Friday as I want to give Afghanistan a big chance of getting to the World Cup.”Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan said that the result showed that “it wasn’t a fluke that we got through the World Cup qualifying rounds.””I have always had faith in my batting order and I have always maintained they are very good batters,” he said. “They are very quick learners and in the first round they saw how the top players play an innings under pressure and that is what they are doing in the Super Eight stage. We are making some really good scores against the top teams and if we keep playing the way we are playing then we can beat Namibia.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Write off Australia only if you wish to be called a fool. South Africa’scoronation as the world’s best Test side was put on hold as an Australianteam with three debutants in the ranks routed them by 162 runs at theWanderers. Each of the four pace bowlers was absolutely superb asAustralia choked the life out of the South African batting beforeadministering the lethal blows. Mitchell Johnson led the way with 4 for112, but Peter Siddle was just as impressive, summoning up a magnificentspell that accounted for JP Duminy in the second session.There was no dramatic collapse, as on the fourth day, but Australia’spersistence was eye-catching and by the time Johnson slipped one throughDale Steyn’s bat and pad, eight wickets had fallen for 85 runs. Havingstarted the day needing a further 276 to win, South Africa lasted justeight balls after tea, with tidy, restrictive bowling the key to theAustralian success. They simply blocked off the runs and waited for themistakes.Not long ago, Duminy had marshalled a tremendous rearguard action at theMCG that ultimately inspired a South African series win. There was to beno such repeat on Monday though, with Siddle’s spell irrevocably changingthe game after lunch. Accurate, hostile and tireless, he kept running inuntil Duminy finally fended a brute of a delivery to Ricky Ponting atsecond slip.What followed wouldn’t have thrilled the South African dressing room much.Morne Morkel had fallen to a poor pull stroke in the first innings, butthere was no instance of twice shy here, with an ill-advised hoick atJohnson ending up in Phillip Hughes’ hands at midwicket. That left MarkBoucher as the lone hope for survival, and when the hugely impressive BenHilfenhaus got some late movement to take the inside edge of his bat,South Africa were left to ponder a post-tea miracle.Hans Christian Andersen wasn’t at the Wanderers though, and Paul Harrisdeflected a Siddle delivery to short leg to start the countdown. Two ballslater, Johnson finished it off to spark jubilant celebrations from Pontingand his supposed underdog side.Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla had started the day with all three results very much a possibility, but when Hilfenhaus got one to rear and strikeKallis on the glove in the day’s opening over, you sensed the magnitude ofthe task that they faced. Even so, the duo survived the initial burst fromHilfenhaus and Johnson to raise hopes among the sparse crowd.A superb cover-drive off Johnson took Amla to his half-century from 103balls, and when Kallis flicked an errant delivery from Siddle for four,South Africa had 200 on the board. It all went wrong soon after. Thepartnership was worth 76 when a ball from Siddle appeared to stop a littleon Amla. His click off the toes only found Hughes at midwicket.Five runs later, it got worse. Andrew McDonald bowled at pedestrian pace,but was so accurate that South Africa simply couldn’t get him away. As thepressure built, AB de Villiers attempted to turn one away off the pads.The Australian appeal was spontaneous, as was Billy Bowden’s response, andthough de Villiers went for a referral, it was futile.The grip was tightening, with just 10 runs from 10 overs, and when the newball was taken, there was another moment of drama. Johnson’s firstdelivery with it kept low and struck Kallis plumb in front of the stumps.But as soon as Bowden’s crooked finger went up, Kallis went for thereferral. This time, fortune was on South Africa’s side, with the replayshowing that the ball might have pitched just outside the line of legstump.Kallis didn’t stick around long enough to make much of the reprievethough. When Johnson pitched one full and wide of off stump, he went forthe flamboyant drive on bended knee. Unfortunately for him, it onlyproduced an inside edge on to the stumps. Kallis had scored just 4 fromthe last 42 balls that he faced, and his exit drastically reduced SouthAfrica’s chances of saving the game.Duminy played one gorgeous on-drive off Johnson, but there was little elsefor South Africa to savour before lunch was taken. If the slips hadn’tbeen so deep, Australia might even have had another wicket, as Hilfenhausinduced an edge from Boucher. Ultimately though, it mattered little, withthe Australian progress to victory inexorable.

Donald Peters, the chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), has said that his board are not prepared to “take the risk” of ever playing at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium again, 24 hours after the second Test between West Indies and England was abandoned due to a sandy outfield.The match only lasted 10 balls, as both Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards struggled to gain traction on a bedding made largely of soft sand, and it was soon consigned to history after the match referee, Alan Hurst, deemed it too dangerous for play.”I would recommend they play soccer there from now on,” Peters told BBC’s . “The amount of funding it would take to make that into a Test venue again will be significant. I would advise the government and local cricket association to put their resources into restoring the Recreation Ground. The West Indies Cricket Board will not go back to the Viv Richards Stadium. We are not prepared to take the risk.”The newly built stadium at North Sound has attracted criticism and complaint ever since its erection for the 2007 World Cup. Much as the tournament was slammed for its lack of atmosphere, so has the stadium been condemned for its location out of town, but attempts were made by the architects to inject more of a Caribbean feel by introducing grassy banks, contrasting starkly against the concrete stands.Judging by the poor attendances, however, the ground has not been a favourite among the locals. With the hasty rebirth of the Antigua Recreation Ground today – which generated a cacophonous, deafening noise by home fans in its pomp – one local official told Cricinfo that he was confident the fans will return in numbers for Sunday’s Test, providing further concern that North Sound could be consigned to the rubbish heap.Peters’ forthright comments about the future of the Sir Viv Richards ground will not douse the fiery criticism of his board, however. Both England and West Indies voiced their concerns at the pitch prior to the second Test, and an insider close to the construction of the ground said the game “should never have been allowed to start.”Dr Julian Hunte, the WICB’s chairman, may not publicly share Peters’ views, but instead offered an unreserved apology. “Let me apologise to everyone on behalf of the board for what is quite rightly called an ’embarrassment’,” he said. “The ultimate responsibility lies with the board and we are not shirking it.”

Kyle Mills, the New Zealand fast bowler, will test his knee during Auckland’s State Shield game against Central Districts on January 25 before leaving for Australia two days later for the five-match Chappell-Hadlee Series. Mills decided to skip domestic games in the past two weeks to rest his right knee, but believes the niggle will not prevent him from leading the attack against Australia.”The knee’s pretty good. It’s just something that’s been hanging around now for the last year or so,” Mills told . He had missed the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies after undergoing surgery on a tendon on his left knee, and is facing a similar problem with his right knee at present.”It’s not a major or anything like that but we decided I should have a few days off because we’ve got a pretty intense schedule once the one-dayers against Australia start. I’ve had a rest now and will be playing again on Sunday against Central Districts. I’m feeling very comfortable with where I’m at right now.”He said he was pleased with they way he bowled against West Indies on their recent visit, and was ready to take charge in Australia. “Dan Vettori and I need to lead the bowling attack,” Mills said. “We are the most experienced bowlers within the side, so it’s no surprise the responsibility to take wickets falls on us.” New Zealand’s 14-man squad includes two uncapped players in 19-year-old fast bowler Trent Boult and allrounder Brendon Diamanti, while the likes of Tim Southee and Iain O’Brien do not have a lot of ODI experience.Mills has also been called up in the past to take on leadership roles off the field, among them being mentoring Jesse Ryder during the Test tour of Australia last year after Jacob Oram had been ruled out of the series. “I was just giving Jesse a helping hand throughout the tour and just keeping the lines of communication open with his support group back in New Zealand,” he said. “I was a link between the two really. That was all my role was.”I’ve been around this side for a number of years now and as one of the leaders I need to help take responsibility for my team-mates. Jacob Oram is the main guy who has been helping Jesse through everything and the fact that Jacob didn’t tour Australia due to injury meant I put my hand up to fill that role in his absence.”It was only a temporary situation because Jacob knew Jesse through Central Districts. I stood in his shoes while we were over there. It wasn’t a major thing or anything like that.”Ryder has fallen into trouble since the tour; the batsman was fined for missing a team meeting and a training session after a late night of drinking, and was omitted for the fourth ODI against West Indies in Wellington. Mills, though, is unsure if there will be a mentor on the upcoming tour as well, with Oram out due to injury.”Nothing like that has been set in stone for this upcoming trip,” he said. “All of us support each other when we are on tour.”We all know Jesse has been going through a pretty tough time and hopefully he’s coming out the back-end of it. As team-mates of his, we all support him. I’m not the only one. There are quite a few guys in this side who are helping him through his issues.”

Nawroz Mangal, the Afghanistan captain, has been suspended for two matches for maintaining a slow over rate during his team’s 13-run win against Hong Kong at Belgrano on Sunday. David Jukes, the ICC match referee, found the team five overs short of the target after taking the allowances into consideration.Mangal was guilty of a Level 2 offence in the Code of Conduct, which entails a suspension of a minimum of two one-dayers. As a result, he will miss the matches against Argentina and Papua New Guinea in the World Cricket League Division 3 in Buenos Aires.Afghanistan were beaten by Uganda in their first match but beat Hong Kong in their next game.