The Victorian Bushrangers today announced a strong team to contest the season’s opening ING Cup match against the NSW Blues at Bankstown Oval on Sunday. Australian stars, Shane Warne, Damien Fleming and Ian Harvey are welcome inclusions for the Bushrangers, in a match which should be one of the highlights of the domestic season.New leader of the Bushrangers ING Cup side, Matthew Elliott said he was looking forward to the match and season ahead. “Obviously it’s been an unusual build up due to the resignation of John Scholes, but he leaves us in great shape and we’re really keen to open our account with a win this Sunday. The side is well balanced with plenty of options, and I think we’re embarking on what should be an exciting season for the Bushrangers in the ING Cup”.The Bushrangers have also announced the team for next week’s ACB Cup match against South Australia in Adelaide. Leading the side is Bushrangers regular Matthew Mott.BUSHRANGERS v NSW BLUES: Sunday, October 7, 2001 at BankstownMatthew Elliott (c), Jason Arnberger, Darren Berry, Damien Fleming, Ian Harvey, Ian Hewett, Brad Hodge, Michael Klinger, Michael Lewis, Jonathan Moss, Ben Oliver, Shane WarneVICTORIA v SOUTH AUSTRALIA: October 8-11, 2001 at Adelaide Oval (no. 2)Matthew Mott (c), Rob Bartlett, Will Carr, Shawn Craig, Simon Dart, John Davison, Peter Harper, Shane Harwood, Nick Jewell, Andrew Kent, Andrew McDonald, Peter Roach

A stubborn 137 minute stay at the wicket by the eighth wicketpair helped Services reach 297 for the loss of nine wicketsbut the visitors were still 21 short of saving the follow-onat the end of third day’s play against Delhi in the North ZoneRanji Trophy tie here today.Coming together in the 51st over of the day with Servicesstruggling at 210 for 7 after Delhi left-arm spinner RahulSanghvi ran through the middle order claiming four quickwickets, a determined CD Thompson and JP Pandey thwarted therival attack for 34 overs frustrating Delhi’s attempts to wrapup the tail and enforce a follow-on today itself.Earlier, resuming at their overnight score of 62 for two,services continued their save-the-match tactics with overnightbatsmen cautiously defending for 22 overs before Delhi struckremoving Yahspal Singh (69), who while trying to sweep, edgedto keeper Pradeep Chawla off Rahul Sanghvi.Sanghvi struck again four overs later removing PMS Reddy (34,3×4), effecting a brilliant caught-and-bowled.Just when Services seemed to fold up meekly, skipper SanjayVerma played a blistering innings, which included tenboundaries. when the team seemed to claw their way back intothe game, Sanghvi came back with more venom and sent Vermaback.Verma (53) skied a Sanghvi full toss towards the mid-wicketand Sarandeep Singh committed no mistake.Four overs later, off-spinner Sarandeep produced a beauty andChawla latched on to a top edge flying out of new manSarabjeet Singh’s bat.The Sanghvi-Chawla duo continued working wonders for Delhi andthis time Sayed Javed perished to their designs for a duckgiving Chawla his fourth catch of the match.Delhi then prepared for the kill, bringing on seamers Bandhariand Arun Singh to finish off the tail. But the Thompson-Pandey partnership proved too stubborn.With his arsenal exhausted, Manhas brought himself on andeffected a turn-around six overs before close of playdismissing Pandey, who seemed to have lost concentration andended up snicking to Akash Chopra at first slip.He also worked a miracle with the last ball of the daydismissing Arun Sharma who hit a rash shot towards fine legwhere RS Gupta gleefully grabbed it.Delhi would have loved to garner full eight points with anoutright victory after dominating with a huge first inningsscore. For that to happen, they will have to grab 11 servicewickets on the last day tomorrow.On a dead Palam pitch, it is indeed an uphill task.

The naming of Australian Rob Smith is one of the features of the State Otago Volts cricket side for the first two rounds of the State Championship, beginning next Monday.Smith (27), a right-arm leg-spin bowler and useful lower-order batsman, has a solid playing pedigree.A member of the extended Queensland Bulls squad two seasons ago, Smith has also been part of the New South Wales squad, a second XI player for the English county Glamorgan and a talent scout for the Queensland Under-17 squad.A first-grade player for 10 years, Smith has taken 257 senior club wickets at 27.7 and scored 834 runs at an average of 18.In seven matches for the New South Wales Colts he took 26 wickets at 21.3 and in five games for the Queensland and New South Wales second XIs he secured 11 wickets at 26.A former league player in the United Kingdom, Smith’s best season (1998) saw him secure two hat-tricks and record a best bowling return of 7-6 for Bridgend.Smith is a qualified teacher and is completing a Masters in Sports Marketing and Management.

Victoria faces a big test of character if it is to save its Pura Cup cricket match after Tasmania batted itself into an almost impregnable position in Hobart today.At stumps on day two, Tasmania was 6-435 with a first innings lead of 296.Its overwhelming position was built on a Michael Dighton century and big half centuries by Daniel Marsh, Shaun Young and wicketkeeper Sean Clingeleffer.The Victorian attack, minus the injured Damien Fleming, laboured long and hard to keep the Tasmanian scoring rate under control on a sullen first day of summerwhen a cold and swirling wind dislodged bails and sent rubbish skidding across the ground.Dighton and Marsh laid the foundation, batting through the rain-shortened morning session and well into the afternoon.Dighton, who had scored only 23 runs in four previous innings after being recruited from Western Australia, hit 126 in 319 minutes with 18 fours and a six.He was marooned on 90 for 37 minutes in an innings punctuated by elegant drives and sweetly timed flicks off his pads.With regular No.3 Michael Di Venuto due to return from injury, Dighton’s form gives Tasmania some needed competition in the top order.Marsh, who was once regarded as a spinner who could bat but now holds his position almost entirely through his batting, deserved his century.But he fell, from his first seriously false stroke, for 97 – an innings built largely on his powerful cutting.After Marsh and Dighton, having put on 184 runs, went in successive overs to the second new ball, Young and Clingeleffer continued the Victorian torture.They batted until deep into the evening, adding a further 119 runs before Young lofted a drive off part-time spinner Brad Hodge and went for 70.Clingeleffer batted on, steadily blossoming after a scratchy start, to finish on 73.In his last three first class innings he’s amassed 242 runs without being dismissed and has given Tasmania a batsman of quality at No.7.He’ll resume in the morning with Damien Wright on 16.

Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town will come alive on 2nd January 2002, with a day of cricket unlike any previous tournament. Regional stakes between locals and holiday makers are expected to be high, as Western Province prepare for battle against Natal Dolphins, Northern Titans and the Highveld Strikers in a limited overs tournament guaranteed to provide pure entertainment from start to finish.Discovery, in partnership with SuperSport, leading provider of sporting broadcast content to the African continent, today announced the re-launch of the exciting Discovery Knockout Challenge. Neville Koopowitz, Marketing Director of Discovery says, ‘The Discovery Knock-out challenge is an exciting sporting concept which Discovery is proud to be associated with’.Two `20 over’ semi-finals and a `25 over’ final will ensure the matches are truly spectacular to watch. "This format is unique to South African cricket and is an exciting injection of adrenaline into the pulse of local sport. We expect boundaries galore with plenty of big hitting," says Craig Matthews, ex-South African cricketer and Marketing Manager at Western Province Cricket Association, hosts of the event.A 15m high SuperSport `S’ on the boundary rope, used as a target for batsmen to hit in exchange for cash prizes is only one of the many innovations being used to mix entertainment into the Sporting activities and offer exceptional value to the anticipated 10,000 spectators.`Preparations for a wide range of unique fun activities are already well underway in an approach aimed at providing a holistic entertainment experience’, says Tara Kamp, Promotions Manager-SuperSport Marketing and Project manager of the event.Many of the SuperSport presenters such as Mike Haysman, Pat Symcox and Neil Andrews will be at the grounds signing autographs, shoulder to shoulder with all of the participating cricket teams. The great looking SuperSport tattoo girls will be circulating all day running a body painting competition where 3 DSTV decoders with free satellite dish and installation will be up for grabs. The Electronic Arts PS2 Cricket challenge and numerous free give aways such as Discovery t-shirts and caps and items from the exclusive Woolworths SuperSport clothing range will keep the crowds occupied all day long’ she concluded.To end the day off in style, leading South African band and current chart toppers Mean Mr Mustard will be performing over 1½ hours of their latest hits. Perfect cover versions of international superstars such as Bryan Adams combined with their own unique style of songs and a dynamic live stage act will ensure this truly is a `knock out’ finish to a spectacular day.Tickets are selling fast through Computicket or directly from WPCU, and given the amount of entertainment and outstanding cricket on offer, with a family or a bunch of friends, Newlands is the only place to be on 2nd January.

Mark Bruyns, who had to left Natal during the off-season in search of a regular game, guided Border to a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Boland in a Standard Bank Cup match at Buffalo Park in East London Sunday.Bruyns batted all 36 overs of the Border innings for his unbeaten 89 as the home team made light work of Boland’s modest 169 all out. Bruyns shared a 101-run opening stand with Craig Sugden (45) and then, in harness with Stephen Pope (25 not out), saw Border home with something to spare.Earlier, Benjamin Hector had top-scored for Boland with 59 while Monde Zondeki returned his best limited overs figures of four for 32.

The information carried by the second scoreboard which is situated next to the old Stragglers Pavilion at the County Ground, is to be substantially improved before the start of the new season.Chief Executive Peter Anderson told me, “Improvements are being carried out on the second scoreboard at Taunton which will be able to give more information than last season, especially regarding the number of overs.”He continued, “The moving message which was installed over the main board for 2001 will also move across to the second board so that more people can see it.”The changes to the scoreboard will be funded by money raised by the Taunton Area Committee of the club.The Chief Executive said, “The improvements have been made possible by the dedication and fund raising of the Taunton Area committee, who stood for many days in the cold and wet collecting car parking fees at the County Ground in the pre Christmas period. This raised over £3000 which will fund the improvements to the scoreboard.”

If there was any doubt that early 2002 is the time of a changing of the guard in Australian cricket, then today’s developments represent the most indisputable evidence of all.The decision of national selectors Trevor Hohns, Allan Border, Andrew Hilditch and David Boon to relieve Steve Waugh of the country’sone-day international captaincy is a clear statement of their determination to start rejuvenating a team that is showing signs of fraying at theedges.It also signals that no player is potentially immune from their axe. Because, if Australia’s most statistically successful long-term limited-overscaptain can be dropped, then no-one can assume their position in the team to be safe.This new year started with Australia looking as invincible as ever, its completion of a 3-0 series whitewash of South Africa a comprehensivere-assertion of its superiority over its rivals in the Test arena.But, in the weeks since, it has been impossible not to detect hints of deterioriation in the performances of the country’s limited-overs line-up.Nor to imagine that the decisions of the team’s selectors over the next few months will be anything other than crucial to its hopes of success inthe years ahead.In finishing behind both South Africa and New Zealand in the recently-concluded VB Series, Australia not only failed to qualify for a homeone-day international finals series for just the third time in 22 years. But its batsmen also struggled to produce large scores on a consistentbasis; a number of its biggest names endured lacklustre individual campaigns; and its policy of rotation – of which Waugh has generally been astrong advocate – did not work well.Against that background, impressive performances from a range of players pushing for inclusion in the team helped to foster the sense thatsome form of renewal might be required.Through this period, the symbolism of thumping wins by Australia ‘A’ – a collection of the nation’s second-tier players – over each of the twotouring teams was especially hard to ignore.Outstanding cricket at domestic level from youngsters like Shane Watson, Paul Rofe, Michael Clarke and Sean Clingeleffer, meanwhile,effectively poured cold water on claims from some quarters that Australia might not have the depth to effectively cover the eventual loss of itssenior players.The country’s unbeaten run at the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand has been another telling recent development.In itself, Waugh’s swift demise as one-day leader represents a major shock.He has been one of the world’s most distinguished players and it is not as though his recent performances have been in any senseunderwhelming. The second-most capped player in one-day international history, he has scored 387 runs at an average of 48.38 in his last 11innings; guided the side to 22 wins from its last 29 matches; and been far from the worst of its players.Waugh’s ruthlessness, his drive and his iron-willed determination were also crucial factors behind Australia’s World Cup wins of 1987 and1999 and the acquisition of its mantle as the world’s number one side over recent years.Yet pressure was always likely to remain centred on his team for as long as it even gave the impression of toying with decline. And, if theselectors hadn’t detected the message during recent weeks that at least some tinkering with the side was needed, then any ambitions of asuccessful World Cup defence might as well have been surrendered.It is likely that Waugh won’t be the only player to experience first-hand the impact of such changes. His brother, Mark, is another for whomhope of a sustained career at one-day international level must now be cast in grave doubt. The futures of all-rounders Ian Harvey andAndrew Symonds will doubtless also be carefully considered.But, as captain of the side, the buck has most immediately stopped with him.At some point in the early part of this decade, Australia’s selectors were always likely to have to confront the stomach-churning decision ofknowing when to end Waugh’s one-day international career.In attempting to determine exactly how Australia’s limited-overs fortunes will shape up without him, they have decided there is no better timethan the present.

Indian coach John Wright won’t be attempting to stifle his players’ batsmanship as they go out to bat in the second National Bank Test against New Zealand starting in Hamilton tomorrow.While India were twice dismissed in less than 100 overs in total in the first Test, Wright said it would be dangerous for him to be telling his batsmen how best to do their job.”Coaching is more of a process. Obviously you can hope for the outcome but you don’t necessarily control that,” he said.It was unrealistic to expect the Indians to change their approach overnight.They had come to New Zealand from playing a series against the West Indies on some of the flattest pitches they had ever seen.His side were definitely the most attractive batting line-up in the world and he was hopeful that New Zealanders would get to see them playing their natural game.”It’s very important that you may give a message to players of what you want to achieve, it’s very dangerous when you start telling them how to do it.”I really don’t think that Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid and [V V S] Laxman and [Sourav] Ganguly have achieved what they have in the game by playing a certain way. They have to express themselves.”Obviously there are guidelines about how to play in the conditions, and they have to work that out for themselves. If you start changing natural inclination, the way you play, that’s what’s got them there. I believe that from a coaching perspective. So hopefully, we will perform better with the bat and we know we’ve got a reasonable chance of getting 20 wickets.”It is dangerous to tell players how to achieve what you try and set out to do.”The biggest thing they need to achieve is the self-belief and confidence to go out and play their game,” he said.Because all of them wanted to go out and get runs, he added.India had shown several times in recent years that it could come back from 1-0 down in the series. While it was a little disappointing that this series only involved two Tests that was the way circumstances dictated.But a three-Test series at least allowed the chance for a comeback because players got to know each other better, he said.

On the eve of 2003 Somerset County Cricket Club received another boost when they heard that they have the two best qualified cricket coaches in the country.Kevin Shine and his assistant Mark Garaway who recently completed the first ever ECB level 4 coaching course have just heard that they have come out as the top two in the group.For the past thirty months Kevin Shine and Mark Garaway have been attending the ground breaking course amounting to fifty days in total, in addition to carrying out their normal workload.Earlier this week the Somerset head coach told me: "This was the pilot course and it’s been tough covering twelve different modules and a massive time constraint. We were both lucky enough to be selected to take part in this and once we were, we were determined to stick with it."He continued: "The course was not just about batting and bowling but covered all aspects of life. It is really all about giving the players different options. There isn’t just one way because it’s all about what is best for the player and the club.""Now it’s our job now to spread the word and hopefully the players at Somerset and English cricket will feel the benefit of this course and help the E.C.B. achieve their aim which is to become the top cricket playing nation by 2007."Chief executive Peter Anderson said: "It is very satisfying to know that we have the top two qualified coaches in the country, and I’m sure that this will enhance our chances of making sure that the most talented young players get the best possible coaching and hopefully develop into top class players."