The company behind the Bermuda Classic, the veterans Twenty20 tournament held in April, has gone broke after it appeared that government decided not to increase the funding to the Get Fit Foundation (GFF).The Bermuda government gave more than $1 million last year to help underwrite the event, but it was last week reported that GFF were looking for an additional $3 million this year after reporting losses of around $700,000.A spokesman for the company said that without government backing, and with little corporate interest, there was no money left to pay the bills. He added: “As a result, the GEFF directors have no alternative than to work with legal advisors with a view to placing the company into the hands of the official receiver.”The Royal Gazette reported that a number of local firms were owed money by GFF, and it also claimed that the rental charges for the pitches had not been paid.Keith Pont, the former Essex fast bowler who headed the GFF, had claimed that a loss was expected in the first year, but only half the tickets were sold and expected corporate sponsorship did not materialise. He was unavailable for comment.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has allowed the use of the Kookaburra brand of cricket balls for the first time in India’s domestic season. However, this will be tried out only in the Duleep Trophy, on an experimental basis, while the remaining competitions will continue to use the traditional Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) balls.Confirming this to Cricinfo, Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said that Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, had recommended the change. “Rahul Dravid had earlier suggested that we experiment with the red Kookaburra ball in one of the domestic competitions. Therefore, the committee decided that we try it out in the 2006-07 Duleep Trophy.”Legendary spinners Erapalli Prasanna and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar have welcomed BCCI’s move and have urged India’s current crop of slow bowlers to get rid of the mental block that kookaburra balls, with their less pronounced seam, would hinder their wicket-taking ability.”If India’s aim is to win the 2007 World Cup, our spinners will have to master the art with the Kookuburra,” Prasanna, the offspinner who took 189 wickets in 49 Tests in the 1960-70s, told PTI. “It is a matter of getting used to the conditions. If kookuburra balls are used throughout the world, should we also not follow suit? It will definitely be for the good of the Indian spinners, though it may not help them most compared to the pace bowlers.”No doubt it [Kookaburra] is a great advantage to the batsmen and the pace bowlers. But a spinner has to bring coordination of his mind and bowling arm while releasing the ball,” Prasanna said. “Has not Anil Kumble been able to adjust to different balls and remain match winner for his county Surrey in England?”Chandrasekhar, who picked 242 wickets in 58 Tests with his whippy action, concurred with his contemporary. “It is a question of whether you are playing against a weak batting side or weak bowling side,” he said. The art of spin bowling is that one should be able to bowl with any kind of ball, whether SG or the imported kookuburra balls. If I am playing today, I will accept the Board’s decision. I will not bother about what kind of ball is given to me to bowl.”.He believed that the bowlers would benefit from the use of Kookaburra in the “long run”.”If I take only a couple of wickets in the first four or five matches, I am sure I will be able to claim six wickets in the sixth match. It will definitely help the Indian spinners in the long run.”Among all the ten Test playing nations, India and England are the only two countries which don’t use the Kookaburra brand. England use the Duke ball, which has a raised seam, similar to the SG variety, while Kookubarra has a flatter seam. SG balls help finger spinners better, which could explain why spinners don’t get the same purchase when bowling outside the subcontinent.While the SG is handmade, the Kookaburra balls are assembly line-products, manufactured using modern technology. The BCCI had said that they were looking for alternatives, and would consider Kookaburra if they can bring their prices down. The Kookaburra white ball is currently used in one-day internationals played in India.”There was some criticism before England’s tour of India (earlier this year),” Shah added. “However, we did not receive any complaints during the series, so we’re happy with the SG balls. We have no plans yet of changing to Kookaburra completely.”

Zimbabwe Cricket has announced a revised domestic cricket structure that will see five national select sides play in a national league competition beginning next season.Five new sides – , the national team, Zimbabwe A, a Board XI, Zimbabwe Development and the National Academy – will take part. At a meeting on Friday, ZC said the objective of the new national league format was ”to create a professional, well organised and competitive domestic league that is free from individual politics”.It continued: ”The technical challenges being faced by ZC today relate to the lack of a clearly defined technical structure. ZC needs to put in place a technical structure that is well defined in terms of role with clear and defined outputs in order to measure performance.”It is against this background that a workshop on structure development is required before the onset of the 2006-07 season. This workshop will deal with issues of communication, job descriptions, politicking among others.”Meanwhile, the Logan Cup, the country’s first-class tournament, is set to resume with three new sides. Although Manicaland and Midlands remain as they were, the two old provinces of Mashonaland and Matabeleland have been disbanded and their places will be taken by Harare Metropolitan and Bulawayo Metropolitan. The fifth side will be Masvingo. “What will happen is that the smaller provinces will be swallowed up by these five for the Logan Cup,” source said. “With time, they say, they will become independent and play on their own.”ZC came under intense fire after it failed to stage the Logan Cup in 2005-06. At the time a spokesman insisted that it had merely been postponed and that the seasons had been rejigged.Cricinfo first broke the story that the board was planning the domestic overhaul earlier in the year.

After more than a year of reports of more concrete links between the USA and the Caribbean being established, the city of Lauderhill in Florida has announced a deal with Falmouth in Jamaica to use the newly-constructed stadium in Trelawny to promote cricket in Jamaica and the USA.The partnership was launched with a match between a USA Invitational XI and the Jamaican national team on September 30, which the Jamaica side won by 36 runs.The purpose-built venue was initially intended to form the basis of a plan for the USA to host matches in the World Cup, but that fell through for a number of reasons, and the ICC’s poor relationship with the USA Cricket Association cannot have helped.Lauderhill, sometimes referred to as Jamaica Hill, boasts the largest Jamaican population in Florida.The ground is the second major purpose-built cricket venue in Florida. Broward County Regional Park has already hosted matches played under the Major League Cricket banner.

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The oldest batsman in the Test side showed he still knows how to make a huge score just a day after Dennis Lillee voiced concerns the ageing top order could cost Australia the Ashes. Justin Langer was unbeaten on 188 when he declared Western Australia’s first innings closed 200 runs short of Tasmania’s total as he pushed for an outright result at the WACA.With Tim Paine and Michael Bevan (46) flying in the second innings – Tasmania were 5 for 149 at stumps with a lead of 349 – both sides will be battling for victory on day four. Langer had also scored freely, bringing up his hundred in 140 balls, including 20 boundaries, before declaring at tea with the score 5 for 353.The runs continued to pile up quickly when Luke Ronchi joined Langer and smashed 47 not out from 29 balls, 30 of which came in the space of two overs. Ronchi, who reached 40 from only 18 deliveries, hit eight fours and a six in a breathtaking cameo.In the first session Shaun Marsh made 50 before he was the first man out on day three, trapped lbw by Brendan Drew. Brett Geeves then made inroads into the Warriors’ middle order with two wickets in an over.When Tasmania began their reply Paine built on his first-innings 215 by racing to 56 from 77 balls before he was out lbw attempting to sweep the left-arm spinner Aaron Heal. Heal also troubled Michael Bevan and Dan Marsh to collect 3 for 36 from ten overs.The Tigers selected their squad for the Ford Ranger Cup match against the Warriors on Friday. They made no changes to the side that lost to Queensland by nine wickets on October 11.Tasmania FR Cup squad Michael Di Venuto, Tim Paine, Travis Birt, George Bailey, Michael Bevan, Daniel Marsh (capt), Luke Butterworth, Brett Geeves, Brendan Drew, Adam Griffith, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus.Western Australia FR Cup Squad Luke Ronchi, Justin Langer (capt), Marcus North, Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, Chris Rogers, Sean Ervine, Peter Worthington, Brett Dorey, Ben Edmondson, Steve Magoffin, Aaron Heal.

Having come in with the scoreboard showing 71 for 5, Justin Kemp playedthe sort of audacious innings that he has become renowned for, smashing an89-ball century as South Africa turned a tough situation into acomprehensive 106-run triumph. Kemp had made just 35 from 62 balls when hedecided to step it up a notch. When he did, India had no answer.”We were just trying to play as well as we could,” he said, when askedwhat his thoughts has been when he arrived at the crease. “I only realisedthat I could get a hundred when I got to 99. [Andrew] Hall played well andmade it easy for me.”Kemp and Mark Boucher had pulled off a similar feat in the recentChampions Trophy, when they helped take South Africa from 42 for 5 to amatch-winning total against Pakistan. “I’ve done it before and that makesit easier,” he said. “The dropped catches helped.”Of late, South Africa have sent Boucher in at No.6 with Kemp followinghim. When asked if this innings might prompt a rethink and lead to apromotion up the order, Kemp wasn’t unduly bothered. “I’ve done well whenI come after 35 overs,” he said. “That’s a decision the coach and captainhave to make. That’s not an issue at all. I am just happy to contributewith the bat.”He said that the length the Indians bowled in the final overs had playedinto his hands. “We got the ball rolling in the last 10 overs,” he said.”The Indian bowlers changed tactics and went pretty full. That was perhapsa mistake. I think the ball just short of a length was difficult to play.They were bowling pretty full. When I hit my first six off Zaheer Khan,suddenly they changed tactics. It was a lot easier when the guys weretrying to bowl yorkers.”Not having had the best of years, Kemp was happy to be back in the battinggroove, having made his reputation with some blistering knocks againstEngland two seasons ago. “India [Champions Trophy] was quite tough,” hesaid. “We only played four games in a month. It was just a matter ofspending time in the middle.”Having spent a bit of time in the middle, it will make my job easy comingin the death overs. That’s my job in the side and I’ve got to do it to thebest of my ability. If I get an opportunity like this it’s a bonus.”India can only hope that Kemp doesn’t get opportunities like this too often.

An avulsion fracture on the middle finger of his right hand has ruledRahul Dravid out of the rest of the one-day series. He will also miss the Twenty20game on Friday, and the warm-up game for the Test series at Potchefstroom(December 7-10).He will stay on in South Africa for treatment, and experts expect him to be available for theTest series that starts in Johannesburg on December 15. In his absence,Virender Sehwag will lead the side.Meanwhile, VVS Laxman has been asked to join the squad in South Africa as replacement for Dravid. “He might or might not play the next ODI but will be available for the Centurion match, which will be preparation for the Tests as well,” Venkatapathy Raju, the national selector, told Cricinfo. In South Africa Laxman has played just two matches in October 2001, scoring 15 and 5.Laxman’s experience will complement the resources already available in the form of three specialist batsmen – Wasim Jaffer, Suresh Raina and Dinesh Mongia – who sat out the defeat at Newlands in Cape Town. However, the gap Dravid leaves will be hard to fill given the current travails of the Indian top order and his own consistent perfomance – he has scored two half-centuries and a 49 in India’s last five matches.Dravid sustained the injury while trying to catch Shaun Pollock off thebowling of Harbhajan Singh at first slip. The ball flew off the edge andappeared to snap the finger back. “He does not require surgery, and theinjury will be treated conservatively,” said Rajan Nair, the Indian teammedia manager, who also added that John Gloster, the team physio, would bemonitoring the situation in consultation with a local expert.Dravid batted through the pain for 179 minutes on Sunday, scoring 63 from103 balls as India went down by 106 runs in Cape Town. He was treated onthe field during the 38th over, but was taken for an X-ray on Mondaymorning after he complained of severe pain during the night. India arealready 2-0 down in the ODI series, with games remaining at Port Elizabethon Wednesday and Centurion on Sunday.Sehwag has captained India before but, significantly, is struggling with his own form; he was out without scoring at Cape Town on Sunday.Dravid’s is the latest injury problem for India on this tour after Sehwag missed the second one-dayer at Durban. Fast bowler Munaf Patel sat out of the third match on Sunday owing to a sore left ankle. Yuvraj Singh, who hurt his knee during the Champions Trophy in late October, was earlier ruled out of the entire ODI series.

England’s net session at the WACA today marked the start of what, in Kevin Pietersen’s estimation, is “a huge, huge week” for the team. “It’s crunch time,” he told the press in Perth, as England faced up to the prospect of a make-or-break Ashes showdown. “We’ll be coming out all guns blazing, wanting positive cricket. We mean business and we know what we need to do. I don’t want to be sitting here next week talking about being 3-0 down.”Pietersen is never a man to dwell on a difficult situation, and his pre-Test rallying cry was predictably gung-ho. “The boys have been put through their paces massively today,” he added, “and from the first ball that was bowled this afternoon, it was 90mph-plus. Our training sessions are huge for us, and we need to up it to Test intensity.”Even so, there is a feeling in the Australian camp that all this Sturm und Drang has arrived at least two Tests too late. At the exact time that England were going through their motions, a loud and celebratory function was taking place in a nearby marquee. Among the guest speakers was a certain Glenn McGrath, who announced over the microphone that he was “disappointed” how one-sided the Ashes battle had so far been.And McGrath’s sentiments were later echoed by Australia’s vice-captain, Adam Gilchrist, who spoke cryptically about his team’s wider goals and motivations before adding, damningly, that “the Ashes are not the be-all and end-all for this group.””That’s not disrespecting the title or what we’re trying to achieve or what we lost last year, but there’s other things around,” added Gilchrist. “We’re getting closer to achieving a goal that we set ourselves. That may not just be to win the Ashes, it might be something else within the group, and there’s certainly a good vibe around as we pursue that goal. There’s results, there’s trophies, there’s things where we stand up.”Gilchrist wouldn’t go far as to say that Australia were gunning for a 5-0 clean sweep (“Pigeon might say it,” he joked) but the underlying message from both players was clear. This Ashes campaign has been far, far too easy, and what is more, they no longer believe that England have the wherewithal to turn their fortunes around.

Not even Pietersen could sound quite as bullish as usual. “I don’t think people realise how good a feat it was for us to beat Australia in England,” he said. “Everyone thought we’d come out here and it’d be level pegging, but if you get a champion in the corner he’ll come back at you. These blokes are a champion team, the best Australian team they’d had, and they’ve come back doubly hard.Few have come back harder than Shane Warne, who masterminded that astounding last-day victory at Adelaide and now needs just six more wickets to become the first bowler to reach 700 in Tests. According to Gilchrist, he’s buzzing with excitement already. “He’s got a real spring in his step at the moment. He’s been quite vocal within the group, really vibrant and energising the group. It’s been really encouraging for a young guy like Adam Voges, seeing a 140-Test veteran so keen to get into the action.”He was at his brilliant best in Adelaide,” added Gilchrist. “He led us and we all followed. He knew the assistance was there from the wicket. He knew England had shut up shop and were trying to scramble, and he was like the vulture circling overhead but he couldn’t get down to have a peck. He just had to remain patient and he did, allowing the pressure to build up for the guys to get results at the other end.”There was a bit of a negative outlook on his performance in the first innings,” added Gilchrist, after Warne had managed just 1 for 167 in 53 overs, “but that was a combination of a lot of thoughts. It was the best approach to keep England, and particularly Pietersen, in check. It took them a long, long time to get those runs. Warnie did the work, took the blows to his ego, but then got a sniff in the second innings and was back to his brilliant best. The view from behind the stumps was fantastic, that’s why I play the game.”Pietersen’s wicket was the key breakthrough for Australia. After his first-innings 158, he was bowled by the first ball he received from Warne second-time around. “To be fair I missed it, but we’re all allowed to miss a ball occasionally,” he shrugged. “It was not a pre-determined shot, it was a way I was going to play Warne. I work on four areas when I bat, and when balls are in different areas I look to score first, then defend. I thought it was there in my area, and I missed it. I’m not too fussed.”

Even so, he wasn’t entirely able to shrug off the incident. “I’m a really positive bloke but it was hard,” he said. “I was in my bedroom that night and it was like ‘how the heck could that have happened? Am I dreaming, is this for real?’. But at the end of the day it’s one of the little wars lost. Warne is the greatest bowler who’s ever played the game. It only takes one ball from a great man to knock you over. You can’t really win the battle as a batsman.”England now face a major test of resolve, not least because of the doubts about the form and fitness of two of their key players. Andrew Flintoff trained with heavy strapping on his troublesome left ankle, while doubts continue to persist about Steve Harmison’s mindset, after managing just one wicket for 288 in the first two Tests.”I see him daily and Freddie just seems to be fine,” insisted Pietersen. “He’s got that belief and he knows how good he is. He’s a true champion, the best allrounder in the world, so there’s not a lot that can get to him.””Steve’s just a great bloke. Very giving, very thoughtful. He’s such a nice guy you can’t really hate him. If he has a bad day you pick him up because he’s always there for everyone else. It’s what the squad’s about. We’re all good mates and keep each other going. We work for each other and work as hard as we can with each other.”It’ll take more than mateyness, however, to unsettle an Australian side in full steamroller mode.

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Identical scores of 84 from Denesh Ramdin and Daren Ganga helped Trinidad & Tobago knock down a target of 248 with little hassle in their opening KFC Cup match, and avenge their three-wicket loss to Barbados on Monday.Ramdin, opening the innings, added 147 – a second-wicket record – with Ganga, whose unbeaten innings earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, after William Perkins departed for four in the third over.Dwayne Bravo didn’t last long, nibbling Ryan Hinds’ left-arm spin to slip in the 32nd over, but Kieron Pollard scored a plucky 44-ball 46 to assist Ganga across the finish line. Dropped by rookie Kevin Stoute at long-off off Hinds when on 15, Pollard took 15 off Kemar Roach’s final over and hit the winning runs with 51 balls left.Half-centuries from Dwayne Smith, Dale Richards, and Patrick Browne lifted Barbados to 247 for 4 from their 50 overs after the hosts chose to bat. Smith led the way with a 68-ball 71 that included two fours and four sixes, while Richards and Browne, opening the batting, both scored 52 and in a record 102-run stand for their team. Bravo, Dave Mohammed and Sherwin Ganga were the only wicket-takers for T&T.
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Leeward Islands captain Sylvester Joseph’s unbeaten hundred couldn’t stop a top-heavy Jamaica batting order from sealing a five-wicket victory at St Mary’s Park. Joseph, 32, was at the centre of Leewards’ 232 for 6 but half-centuries from Brenton Parchment, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Tamar Lambert proved too much.Asked to bat first, Leewards were reeling at 82 for 5 before Joseph and Omari Banks, who continued his good form with 76, added 148. Joseph was in top form, collecting six fours and a six and reaching his hundred with a double off the last ball of the innings.Jamaica were given a solid start with Parchment (63) and Gayle (54) adding 103 for the first wicket. Gayle his eight fours in his 58-ball innings and Parchment six fours and three sixes. Wavell Hinds, the captain, came and went for 0 but Lambert, with an unbeaten 51 from 52 balls, and Samuels, with a 63-ball 50, added 85 for the fourth wicket. With 14 to win from 15 balls, Samuels departed, but Lambert stayed on until the end. Banks finished with two for 40 while medium pacer Gavin Tonge took 2 for 62.
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Liam Sebastian and Rawl Lewis combined for a 126-run fifth-wicket stand to overshadow Royston Crandon’s hundred as the Windward Islands brushed aside defending champions Guyana at St. George’s. Set 255 to win, Sebastien and Lewis came together at 140 for 4 in the 32nd over, and took the attack back to Guyana, Sebastian hitting an unbeaten 72 and Lewis hitting three sixes in a 47-ball 54.Opener Devon Smith (59 from 49 balls) got the innings off to a flier, adding 54 in six overs with a in the company of Andre Fletcher (21 from 12 balls). Lewis won the toss and inserted Guyana on a flat track and a fast outfield, and Croydon, with a superb 101, led a solid start with his captain Narsingh Deonarine (54) and Travis Dowlin (42). Crandon, 23, survived a chance to Lewis at cover when on 38, but moved past his fifty from 79 balls and slammed two sixes off Sebastian en route to three figures. Kenroy Peters was the Windwards best bowler with 3 for 56.

Just when you think you’ve had enough cricket, having dozed through one ODI series and awaiting another, here’s a match that could prove to be a classic, and a match deserving of being the Ranji Trophy final. Bengal and Mumbai have taken contrasting routes to get to here: Bengal reached their second consecutive final via a smooth, composed, and assured march, and face red-hot Mumbai who – much like Uttar Pradesh last year – have risen dramatically from the shambles they were in midway through the season.Bengal, too, have had a turnaround of sorts, but far more gradual, having to pick themselves up from their loss in last year’s final. “There are more reasons to celebrate our performance throughout the season than to mourn this loss,” said Ranadeb Bose exactly a year ago in Lucknow after Bengal had lost a close match to UP. The team was wrapped in gloom, thanks to a dodgy umpiring decision and a dodgy wicket, and finally the fact that UP, the hosts, had started the presentation and speeches before the Bengal players had arrived. Yet even then, as Bose’s fellow pacer Shib Shankar Paul organised a game of volleyball, they were probably aware that better things were to follow, that it would be them and not the champions carrying the “favourites” tag.Their performance this season has lived up to that billing. They have been consistent; their batsmen solid, their bowlers penetrative; and they have raised their game in crunch situations, as they showed against Punjab, Hyderabad, and Karnataka. “We have come back a better team,” Bose said at the nets before the final. Paul stands on the sidelines, practising with the team but unable to play following a pre-season knee operation. “We have recovered well from his loss, with Sourav Sarkar and Ashok Dinda doing well,” says Bose.But when it comes to recoveries Mumbai are past masters. From zero points in three games, and from 0 for 5 – the worst start ever in first class cricket in India – in the second innings of the semi-final, Mumbai have absorbed everything, and returned in kind. Three straight wins in the league stages and a dogged fightback by the tail in the semi-final have given them loads of confidence.Add to that the four India players who will be joining the side for the final – Sachin Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, and Ramesh Powar – and all of a sudden Nilesh Kulkarni’s statement that Bengal have got to be intimidated sounds more conviction than boasting.However, the presence of stars presents its own problems: With the inclusion of Tendulkar and Zaheer’s debut, Mumbai would have tried 21 players over the season, a reflection of the turmoil they’ve been through. The stars will have to straightaway gel into the team. Bengal, on the other hand, have operated as a well-oiled machine, never having to look beyond the original fifteen. They also have the psychological advantage of having made Mumbai follow-on, for the first time in their history, earlier this season.That match in Kolkata must seem so long ago for this Mumbai on the up. The last time they lost in the Ranji finals was a thrilling two-run defeat to Haryana in 1990-91; they have won six finals since; and seven of the likely eleven have tasted Ranji success before. They have beaten Bengal in all the six finals they have met in before. Sourav Ganguly is the only Ranji champion in the Bengal team – they last won in 1989-90 in an undecided match but due to better run quotient – apart from coach Paras Mhambrey who won with Mumbai in 2002-03.The wicket looks a perfect Wankhede track: hard and bouncy, with a tinge of grass. Sudhir Naik, the curator, says it is a fair track that will suit pacers early on and spinners in the latter parts of the match. Unless the cricket is very unenterprising, there should be a result on this wicket. A perfect test for the batsmen would be to face Bengal pacers on the first morning and Mumbai spinners on the final afternoon.Bose, on the losing side last year at Lucknow, said the biggest difference in the two matches would be the wicket which is more sporting. “There should be a lot of bounce and carry, and sideways movement too,” said Amol Muzumdar, the Mumbai captain.For the neutral seeking a team to support, the choice is difficult. Bengal are a team that experienced heartbreak last year and instead of disintegrating, consolidated on their progress; a team that treated the previous loss just as the first lap of a race, and are now at that final step. Mumbai are a team that have been ridiculed for letting down the glorious past, and have come back with the most emphatic of replies. The best way to decide, and that’s what makes it a perfect finale, would be to sit through five days at the Wankhede. One of the teams has to present reasons more compelling than the other’s to lift the Ranji Trophy.Teams
Mumbai (likely) Amol Muzumdar, Wasim Jaffer, Sahil Kukreja, Sachin Tednulkar, Rohit Verma, Abhishek Nair, Ramesh Powar, Vinayak Samant, Ajit Agarkar, Nilesh Kulkarni, Zaheer Khan, Wilkin Mota (12th man)Bengal (likely) Deep Dasgupta, Arindam Das, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Manoj Tiwary, Sourav Ganguly, Rohan Gavaskar, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Saurashish Lahiri, Sourav Sarkar, Ranadeb Bose, Ashok Dinda, Subhomoy Das (12th man)