Martin van Jaarsveld gave away international cricket when he moved to Kent as a Kolpak player, so domestic triumphs are all the sweeter. He led the way as his South African side, the Titans, secured the Supersport title, racking up 828 runs in the series, with three centuries.”Having stopped playing international cricket, I made it my personal goal to collect as many domestic trophies this season as possible and this Series triumph is a major boost,” he said.”This win is made even sweeter by the fact that we had to wield in a lot of players from our amateur side following the national call ups of most of our top guns and to see the young guns blend in is extremely satisfying”.Three players who emphasised the mixture of youth and experience were Gulam Bodi, Alfonso Thomas and Albie Morkel. Bodi finished the series with the second highest batting average; in his eight matches, he amassed 672 runs at an average of 61.09 scoring two centuries and three fifties.Thomas led the bowling stocks becoming the leading wicket-taker with 37 victims and Morkel claimed 26 wickets in seven matches.

Andrew Symonds could return from his biceps injury even sooner than anticipated, with Australia revealing they might play him against Netherlands on March 18. That is nearly a week before the South Africa group match that was his original priority.Alex Kountouris, Australia’s physiotherapist, said Symonds’ rehabilitation was going so well there was a slight chance he could be ready ahead of schedule. “It’s unlikely but I won’t rule it out,” Kountouris told the .”The 24th [for the South Africa game] was what we were roughly looking at. If he happens to get ahead of time, we won’t discount that. He is making good progress. He is meeting all the rehab goals we have set, so he is on target to what we expected. We haven’t had any setbacks.”Symonds, who had surgery on his ruptured right biceps on February 4, continued his recovery with his first catching practice at St Vincent before Australia’s warm-up win over England. The previous day he faced genuine spin bowling for the first time since the operation.Kountouris said Symonds was keen to keep pushing himself harder but his biggest challenge would be when he started more strenuous activities. “The plan next week is to do the more dangerous things for him, which is throwing, bowling and more aggressive batting,” Kountouris said.Should Symonds make a surprise appearance against Netherlands, it would be exactly six weeks since his surgery. Some sports physicians said at the time six weeks was the minimum recovery he would need, although it was more likely to be a three-month injury.

David Harrison, the Glamorgan seamer, has been ruled out for the whole season with a bulging disc in his back leaving the county desperately short of pace bowling options. They are now considering signing an overseas player as cover with Simon Jones still not ready for a return to four-day cricket.Harrison will undergo surgery on his lower back in the next two weeks and Adrian Shaw, Glamorgan’s coach, told : “It’s a huge disappointment because Dave was going to spearhead the attack and we were looking for him to get 50 or 60 wickets.”Jones isn’t considered quite up to four-day fitness yet and is expected to play for Glamorgan’s second eleven, against Lancashire, at Swansea. His return from the knee injuries which have plagued him for the past 18 months has been carefully managed with two Friends Provident outings in the early stages of the season.If Glamorgan do opt for a second overseas player, it will signal a complete turnaround after they were facing a season without any due to financial constraints. However, contributions from supporters allowed them to recruit Jimmy Maher, the Queensland opener, who is due to arrive shortly. Matthew Elliott is currently acting as short-term cover before Maher joins.

Duncan Fletcher has resigned as England coach. “This has been a difficult winter for the team and for me personally,” the head coach of eight years said in a written statement. “I feel it is in the team’s best interests over the long term that I should move on.” After a woeful winter, David Morgan, the chairman of the ECB, refused to say whether Fletcher would have been sacked anyway.The most successful coach in his adopted country’s history leaves immediately after the dead game against West Indies on Saturday. By the end of that match a temporary replacement should have been announced – though the ECB have not ruled out making a permanent appointment at that stage. The first home Test against West Indies begins on May 17, so the need is urgent.The leading candidate as stand-in is Peter Moores, a uniquely successful coach of Sussex and the current director of the national centre of excellence. “I am sure he’s a strong candidate,” the board’s director of cricket operations John Carr said.It seems unlikely that any of the other suggested contenders – led by the successful Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody – would accept a temporary appointment. Morgan described Moores’ work in his first winter with the academy as “excellent”, but refused to speculate on a replacement. “We are well down the track of identifying someone who will come in, be a selector in Duncan’s place and be in position quite quickly,” Morgan said.It transpired that Fletcher first offered his resignation to a board official on April 10, the eve of England’s laboured win over Bangladesh. “Obviously we were aware of the importance of keeping that information highly confidential through the tournament, in the best interests of the England team performing in the World Cup,” Carr said. The players were told at training this morning.The deadline for appointment of a permanent coach was set by Morgan at July. “But I believe that we can move far more quickly than that.” One possible barrier to an early announcement is the Schofield review of England’s desperate winter, which included the second Ashes whitewash. The report is not expected until mid to late May. “We are in contact with Mr Schofield to establish the direction of the recommendations regarding the England management,” Morgan said.Appointed in a climate of despair in 1999, Fletcher has been by far England’s most successful coach. He raised the Test side from the bottom of the ICC’s table to become arguably the world’s second-best Test team. “Our performances in the Test match arena have been transformed,” Morgan said. “I believe Duncan Fletcher has done a tremendous job for us. But the last winter has been a difficult one and a disappointing one.”England’s only experience of temporary coaches ­is woeful. Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting took charge after the 1999 World Cup, a showing described by as “not so much disastrous as farcical”. It was that mess that Fletcher inherited when he took over later that summer, so it seemed faintly bizarre when Morgan described the stand-in solution as “elegant”.One-day performances, however, have remained miserable under Fletcher. England won just 42% of limited-overs games against serious Test sides during his time, as opposed to more than half before.The chairman of selectors David Graveney, a man often sidelined in controversial circumstances by Fletcher, described his departure as “very sad”. Morgan praised the outgoing coach’s work behind the scenes. “Duncan was instrumental in persuading the ECB and the first-class counties to introduce central contracts and provides an excellent legacy for his successor.”

But more recently Fletcher has been hit by criticism, mainly for inflexible selection policy and apparently poor preparation for the Ashes. Always disdainful of the press, they turned against him over the winter, with even this year’s calling for his departure.A recovery in the CB Series in Australia had left Graveney calling for an apology from the press. But this time it was the ECB which was saying sorry. “I would like to apologise for the manner of our exit from the World Cup,” Morgan said. “We’ve been unsuccessfully in yet another World Cup and I apologise.”The resignation means that five Test sides are either looking for a new coach or likely to have to do so soon. Bob Woolmer’s murder leaves Pakistan bereft, Tom Moody is expected to end a successful stint with Sri Lanka at the end of the Cup, while Dav Whatmore has made noises about looking for a new challenge away from Bangladesh. India and Greg Chappell parted ways after things went horribly wrong in the Caribbean.Morgan dismissed speculation that any of these candidates had already been tapped up. “I can assure you that the board had not approached anyone in advance of finalising the position with Duncan Fletcher.” The future of the rest of a much-criticised coaching team – the bowling coach Kevin Shine and assistant Matthew Maynard – is unclear.Morgan has a clear vision for England’s one-day future. “It would be very easy to say we need to look four years ahead and start again and have yet younger people playing,” he said. “I don’t believe that is the answer. I do believe we need to re-address our policy on the one-day game both domestically and internationally”.So, he was asked, was England’s strategy at the World Cup flawed? “With the benefit of hindsight the answer must be yes.”

Graeme Smith has undergone surgery on his left knee and now faces a careful period of rehab before he will be considered for a return to action.Smith twisted his knee during the World Cup match against England. Although treatment ensured he was able to play the semi-final against Australia he further exacerbated the problem in the field. He had the operation on Tuesday after extensive scans revealed a small tear in his knee ligaments.”Graeme was treated extensively before the semi-final and probably regained about 95% of his function for that game,” said South African physio Shane Jabaar. “However, during the game he again dived to stop a ball and further exacerbated his knee. This time the injury appeared to be a bit more debilitating and on his return home he was sent for an MRI scan and assessment by a knee specialist.””Given the extent of the disability it was causing him the specialist decided to do an exploratory arthroscopy with a view to repairing both the meniscus and any other pathology that was found. Graeme will now undergo an intensive rehabilitation programme and based on his response to the programme, we will be able to indicate when he’ll be able to get back to practice and then play.”Smith will not be rushed back into action and has already been ruled out of the Afro-Asia Cup in India. His participation in the ODIs against Ireland and India at Stormont towards the end of June must also be in doubt. “I am experiencing some pain after the surgery to my left knee and will follow medical advice before making any decisions to play again,” said Smith.”We have another trying season ahead and preparation for that is priority. I want to make sure I have fully recovered from the operation to my knee.”

Vince Hogg has announced his intention to resign as managing director of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. Hogg, who has been increasingly worn down by the protracted player dispute, will take leave of his office on August 6, after which time he will return to commercial life in Zimbabwe.”The past few months in office have really been strenuous on me," said Hogg, who was caught in the crossfire between the 15 rebel players and the ZCU’s heavyweights. "I have decided to resign because I was no longer enjoying the work."My view is that the recent player dispute was ill-conceived at the outset and has left both parties and cricket in Zimbabwe worse off. I personally did not agree with the action taken by the players in boycotting games and breaching their contracts. Unfortunately, there have been no winners in this dispute."Hogg expressed his hope that some of the disaffected players might one day return to Zimbabwe to play alongside Tatenda Taibu, and remained adamant that the ZCU was not an institution that had been influenced by government appointees. "I can state in all conscience that I have never been pressured by any political force or government department during my tenure as managing director."I have in fact received a great deal of support from the Sports and Recreation Commission during my time in office. It has been a privilege to work for cricket in Zimbabwe and to see the emergence of many talented young cricketers, both black and white, over the past couple of years. As a former national player, it has been my wish to contribute to the building of a Zimbabwe team that can hold its own and earn the respect of all opponents."Peter Chingoka, the chairman of the ZCU, said Hogg’s resignation had been accepted with regret. “While we are sorry he wants to go, we respect his decision and the personal reason for it. He leaves the union in a healthy financial state, and we wish Vince all the best in his future endeavours.”

Scorecard

Hong Kong booked their place in the semi-final of the ACC women’s tournament with a six-wicket victory over Thailand at Johor.Thailand put up a gutsy performance, but Hong Kong’s class and composure saw them through.Winning the toss, Hong Kong captain Neisha Pratt put Thailand in under cloudy conditions. The Thai top order confidently negotiated the new ball and scored runs against one of the best attacks in the competition. Hong Kong were guilty of bowling short on the rather slow ‘moonchong clay’ surface.Pratt got an early breakthrough for Hong Kong, after which Chan Sau Har picked up the critical second wicket in the 14th over, of opener Arissa. From then on, the Hong Kong bowlers dominated, with the last eight Thai wickets accounting for only 12 runs. Fifteen-year old Godiva Li bagged three wickets in her second spell, all three deliveries being yorkers.In reply, Hong Kong had a jittery start, losing an early wicket. The Thailand team, marshalled by captain Sornnarin Tippoch, were enthusiastic in the field as they defended their total of 40. The shuffled Hong Kong batting line-up looked wobbly against the Thai attack, and wickets tumbled.At the fall of the fourth wicket came Pratt – who had to change in a hurry after opting not to open – and she steadied the chase with Keenu Gill to eventually take them home.Lal Jayasinghe, the Hong Kong coach, said after the win: “All of our bowlers with the exception of Neisha Pratt are under 18 and their lack of experience of bowling on turf showed at the beginning but once they worked things out, they made things happen.”

Admitting that he was embarrassed by his on-field behaviour during the second Test against England at Trent Bridge, Sreesanth said he wanted to apologise to England captain Michael Vaughan for the body-barge incident.”To be honest, I’m embarrassed by what I did and I think I will have to change,” Sreesanth said. “I want to say sorry for that [the Vaughan incident] but no one should question my commitment,” said Sreesanth, who was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for the incident.”I am thankful to Rahul bhai [Dravid] for showing faith in me,” Sreesanth told ESPN. “He was upset with a few things, but after the game he came and told me when we were celebrating in the dressing-room, ‘Sree, after all this, after all the explanations I had to give for you, I still love you and want you to do well.'”Sreesanth said he did a few unwanted things during the second Test out of sheer frustration and wanted to make amends for that. “Frankly, that was the worst part, may be that’s the reason I did a few silly things like coming around the wicket to batsmen when I should have continued bowling the basic stuff.”I was really feeling sad that I haven’t contributed. I was trying too many things and last two nights of the Test match slept clutching my India cap thinking it will get me luck,” he said.However, Sreesanth said he did not hurl the beamer at Kevin Pietersen on purpose. “Nothing is more dear to me than the game itself and I swear by this game that I was attempting a yorker but my wrist position went horribly wrong and it went as a beamer.”See, I don’t stride to the wicket, I sprint. Ask any cricketer and he will tell you that it is impossible to bowl a beamer with a run-up like mine. I had bowled two deliveries on a good length and was trying to bowl a yorker which went horribly wrong,” he said.Sreesanth said he loved to play his game hard and a few errors could have emerged out of that.”Look, I’m a proud Indian and play the game hard. I’m still new to international cricket and can have an odd slip but that doesn’t mean I’m not putting that extra effort.”In fact, I was happy that I kept coming hard at the batsmen all day long but as an Indian I wear my heart on the cuff not even on the sleeve.”Sreesanth, who has an interesting habit of writing letters to God before every game, said that he had hoped to play a crucial role in India’s Trent Bridge victory.”Yes, I did write a letter to God before the fourth day of the Test. I wrote in that, ‘Tomorrow I will win the Test match for my country. I will be the one, God please help me.’ But it didn’t go that way. Well, maybe I didn’t write my name in the end and God thought it came from Zaheer bhai,” he said.

The Indian Cricket League (ICL) has received support from an unexpected quarter with West Bengal sports minister Subhash Chakraborty saying the ICL would be allowed to use the Eden Gardens and other grounds in the state.”Whatever facilities we have, we will make available to the boys who have been punished, particularly by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB),” Chakraborty told , an Indian television channel. “I have no objection. All the fields will be available for them as all the fields are available for CAB. The owner of the fields is the state government not any other body. The Eden Gardens was looked after by CAB. Now the lease period is over and it is state government’s property. If Kapil and others like to play in Eden Gardens, I would allow it. What is the harm in it?”The minister’s public support for the Subhash Chandra-owned Essel Group’s venture has come as a surprise as the current CAB president Prasun Mukherjee has the backing of the Sharad Pawar-led BCCI regime.The BCCI decided not to recognise the league and barred the defecting players from playing for India or at the domestic level, besides withdrawing all financial benefits.The ICL has managed to lure as many as 44 Indian first-class cricketers and seven overseas players, including Brian Lara and former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq, in the initial list for its proposed Twenty20 tournament expected to be held in October.

Scorecard
Weighed down by a mountain of runs, South Africa A crumbled against two spinners of different varieties and a lively young seamer to give India A an innings victory at the Feroz Shah Kotla. A rejuvenated Ishant Sharma got the breakthroughs early in the day but it was left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, with eight wickets, and legspinner Amit Mishra who stifled the tourists and forced the win inside three days.Sharma, who overstepped a fair deal on day two, was far better in his six-over spell this morning. Having sorted out his no-ball issues, Sharma struck a good line and got into fast-bowling rhythm. Crucially, he was able to extract reverse-swing from a fairly dormant surface. Morne van Wyk, whose 67 was the highest contribution by some distance, was suckered into a tame drive outside the off stump and was well caught at first slip. The ball flew high to Mohammad Kaif, who had little time to react but dived to his right and intercepted as it veered towards second slip.Sharma then removed Ashwell Prince with one that was fuller and shaped away after pitching. Prince initially came forward but then stood his ground, pushing ever so slightly and nicking into Parthiv Patel’s hands. Sharma’s discipline on the day paid off and India were right into it.134 for 4 became 145 for 9 as South Africa collapsed against the spinners. Mishra only bowled two overs on the second day but in the four he got in the morning, he was spot on. Boeta Dippenaar missed a googly and was taken off the inside-edge by Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg. Pujara failed to hold onto a tougher chance as Thami Tsolekile swept hard two balls later, but Mishra had his man just after. He tossed it up a touch more, held it back in the air just a second, and Tsolekile was beaten only to push it to Aakash Chopra at silly point. In between two strikes from Ojha, Mishra dived full stretch to his right to pluck an on-drive from Rory Kleinveldt. Three wickets for eight runs.Ojha defeated Justin Ontong in the flight as well to hold onto a return catch and bowled last-man Friedel de Wet as he slogged across the line.The follow-on was enforced and South Africa were in a similar predicament. Pankaj Singh had Werner Coetsee leg before for just six, though the ball may have pitched outside the line of off. Five minutes before lunch Ojha got van Wyk with one that spun away, the batsman playing forward then trying to withdraw only to for Patel to pick up a smart catch.From 28 for 2 at the interval, there were a few further dents in the South African innings before it was stabilized by Prince. It was Ojha again, bowling Hashim Amla with one that stayed low and came on faster, and using the flight to lure Boeta Dippenaar into chipping to cover. Ashraf Makda dropped a sitter at mid-off from Alviro Peterson, with the score 45 for 3, but it only cost one run. Peterson played down the wrong line to Sharma and was adjudged leg before for 6. Pankaj Singh then came back and on the stroke of tea removed Prince, fishing at a wide one off the back foot and finding Kaif at second slip.Ontong and Tsolekile pushed back the inevitable with a 66-run seventh-wicket stand but Ontong (35 from 88 balls) edged an attempted lofted on-drive to Kaif at second slip to give Ojha his fourth wicket. The fifth came as Kleinvedlt cut into Kaif’s hands at slip but Tsolelike raced to a half-century with a flurry of fours and sixes. With less than two stipulated overs to play, de Wet heaved Mishra to midwicket and South Africa fell to 198 for 9. The umpires consulted and agreed to extend play and Mishra needed just two deliveries to wrap up a comprehensive victory.Where three of India’s batsmen managed centuries – two of them doubles – there were but two half-centuries from South Africa. The teams now head to scenic Dharamshala for the last of the four-day fixtures before the one-dayers start. India will look to wrap up the series, while the visitors would hope the change in altitude brings some much-needed oomph.