England v South Africa, 1st Test, Edgbaston, Day 1

This was not a day of turning points, of twists and turns. It was a straight road to South African domination. They ended the day on a monstrous 398 for 1. Last week Australia scored at 3.45 an over on a similarly slow pitch against Bangladesh; here South Africa flew at 4.37. It was England’s worst start to a series since 1999-2000, when, amid a riot of fends and edges, they careered to 122 all out in Johannesburg.The worst of the carnage came between lunch and shortly after tea. From 100 for 0 at lunch, Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith blazed past 300 before England’s 12th man had even thought about preparing the post-tea drinks. But the most spectacular session of the day was not the most important, and the key to what Gibbs did after lunch lay in what he didn’t do before.A natural strokeplayer, Gibbs’s batting often walks the tightrope between the carefree and the irresponsible. His reputation for misjudged flashes outside off stump is matched only by his reputation for misjudged asides to the press, the latest of which revealed that he treated his six-month ban for match-fixing as a "holiday". But before lunch he watched countless deliveries whistle past off stump, took 25 balls to score and never gave in to temptation. His restraint was a study in willpower. The time he took to play himself back into form allowed him to change the tone of the match in the afternoon, when he scored 96 in a session and pulled the attack apart.What was disappointing for England as the tide turned against them was not that Gibbs and Smith hit boundaries, but that the boundaries were smashed to every corner. Gibbs scored 77 on the off side, 102 on the leg. Though wickets weren’t coming, England could still have stemmed the bleeding by bowling on one side of the wicket, but no-one seemed able to do it. For the first time in an England shirt Anderson, who was smashed for nearly eight an over by Gibbs, looked what he is: a 22-year-old who was still playing for Burnley last year.And leaky bowling was topped off with butterfingers. On a day when England beat the bat less than 20 times, three dropped catches were three too many. But they can take heart from history. In the last three series where they have bowled first (Australia in 2002-03, Sri Lanka in 2002 and 2000-01), England have tripped up by conceding at least 470. But only in the recent Ashes debacle did the first innings set the tone for the summer. In both series against Sri Lanka, England hauled themselves back and eventually won the rubber. So, while the first day was a disaster, there may be a few twists and turns yet.Wisden Bulletin – Gibbs and Smith put South Africa in complete control

Hampshire Hawks recorded their fourth successive victory in the ECB National League Division Two in their clash against Sussex Sharks under the Hove floodlights to augment their second place in the table behind Lancashire.An impressive bowling display from the countries leading NCL wicket-taker Dimitri Mascarenhas at the start of the Sussex innings left the home side with too much to do, while Mascarenhas broke a long-standing Hampshire record in the process.Winning the toss was important as the Hawks chose to bat first in warm evening sunshine. They got off to the best possible start with James Hamblin and Simon Katich posting a century opening stand, both batsmen getting to half centuries.John Crawley and John Francis continued where they left off the previous day against Scottish Saltires in adding a 77-run partnership which brought Hampshire to a respectable score of 250-5, with Mascarenhas chipping in with 20 runs off just 11 balls at the end.Sussex Shark, in reply, lost their first five wickets for 37 runs, which made their task of chasing the score extremely difficult, especially after bad light stopped play when two of the main floodlights failed and readjusted the target to 244 to win off 41 overs.Mascarenhas took the first three wickets to fall and with some sprightly bowling from Chaminda Vaas and James Bruce decimated the home sides top order.Some late uninhibited hitting from Michael Yardy and Mark Davis kept the crowd entertained, and a couple of missed catches delayed the inevitable.Dimitri Mascarenhas’s four-wicket haul was his fourth of the season, the most ever in a season by a Hampshire bowler. Two bowlers have achieved three in a season – Tom Mottram in 1976 and Trevor Jesty in 1978.

Frizzell County Championship Division One
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Sussex 537 v Middlesex 392 and 157 for 5 at Hove
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Sussex edged towards their first-ever Championship title with another dominating day, against Middlesex. Resuming the day on a nervy 97 not out, Mark Davis went on to make 148, his second first-class century and career-best score as Sussex added 136 for the last two wickets. Last man Billy Taylor gave Davis good support with a patient 35 not out to give Sussex a 145-run lead. All five Sussex bowlers then chipped in with a wicket apiece. Ben Hutton, Owais Shah and Ed Joyce all made thirtysomethings, but Middlesex ended the day only 12 ahead with five wickets left.Kent 535 beat Surrey 125 and 255 by an innings and 155 runs at Canterbury
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Kent required just 11 overs on the final morning to wrap up a thumping innings victory against Surrey at Canterbury – a result that has put Sussex within sniffing distance of the County Championship title. Overnight, Surrey were already dead in the water on 169 for 7, and it required some token resistance from James Ormond and Franklyn Rose to carry them to the relative respectability of 255. But Muttiah Muralitharan ended Ormond’s resistance, to complete innings figures of 4 for 90, as Kent consolidated their mid-table position in magnificent style.Lancashire 781 beat Warwickshire 449 and 187 by an innings and 145 at Edgbaston
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Lancashire’s late bid for the Championship went into overdrive on the final day at Edgbaston, as Glen Chapple sealed the most improbable innings victory of the season with 5 for 86. Warwickshire could not have conceived of such a thumping when they rattled up 449 in their first innings, but Lancashire’s riposte of 781 destroyed their resolve. Both openers, Michael Powell and Nick Knight, fell in single figures to Chapple, and at 126 for 6, only divine intervention could have saved Warwickshire. And lo, the heavens opened, and Lancashire were forced to chew their fingernails in the dressing-room as the day’s allotted overs dribbled away. Eventually though, they re-emerged with 24 overs to go, and after some late defiance from Dougie Brown, they inched home. With Surrey’s challenge virtually over, Lancashire are now breathing down Sussex’s neck in third position.Frizzell County Championship Division Two
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Gloucestershire 401 and 209 for 8 dec beat Derbyshire 321 and 269 by 20 runs at Bristol
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Gloucestershire reaped the benefits of a generous declaration, as Derbyshire fell 20 runs short in a gripping run-chase at Bristol. Needing 290 to boost their hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon, Derbyshire looked to have the game cracked while Michael di Venuto and Steve Stubbings were adding 109 for the third wicket. But Ian Fisher and Jon Lewis plugged away, and when di Venuto fell for 80, the rest of the team were caught between defence and attack. Luke Sutton chipped in with 41, but there were just 16 balls of the day remaining when he was bowled swinging across the line, when batting out for the draw might have been the sensible option. It was, nonetheless, a vital win for Gloucestershire, who still have their beady eyes on a third-place finish in the table.Worcestershire 364 and 313 for 9 dec beat Hampshire 265 and 311 by 101 runs at the Rose Bowl
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John Crawley’s 88 led a bold pursuit of an unlikely total, but the spin of Gareth Batty proved too much for Hampshire to contend with as they slumped to a 101-run defeat at the Rose Bowl. Batty tweaked out the tail to finish with 4 for 94, and Worcestershire are closing in on the second division title.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to pay tribute to their former Test captain Wasim Bari by awarding the first one-day international between Pakistan and South Africa as his benefit match."Wasim Bari is being honoured for his meritorious services to the game of cricket and the country," said the PCB’s chief executive Rameez Raja. "He has been and is still one of the greatest ambassadors of the country. A certain percentage of the income from the proceeds will be awarded to Wasim as his benefit."Wasim had originally been allocated a match on October 26, but this had to be rearranged after South Africa’s security fears ahead of the tour. Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, the PCB chairman, is expected to present him a memento in recognition of his services to Pakistan cricket."I grateful to the PCB Chairman for making the match as my benefit," said Wasim, who also served as chairman of selectors between 2000 and 2003.

Andhra 262 (MSK Prasad 61) and 72 for 1 trail Railways 441 for 8 dec (Bangar 116, S Rao 4-96) by 107 runs
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Sanjay Bangar completed a well-deserved century to stake a strong claim for a return to the Indian side for the Australian tour. The other highlight of the day was a quickfire blitz from lower-order batsman Siddharth Verma, who smacked 79 off only 83 balls and enabled an early declaration. Shankara Rao was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 96. The Andhra openers applied themselves much better in the second innings, putting on 72 for the first wicket. Tomorrow the rest of the batsmen must show similar application if Railways are to be denied an outright win.Baroda 213 (Mongia 74, Salvi 5-42) and 219 for 4 (Parab 121) lead Mumbai 324 (Kambli 114) by 108 runs
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Satyajit Parab hit a fluent hundred and, along with Connor Williams (50), laid the foundation for an effective Baroda reply at the end of the third day against Mumbai. Vinod Kambli, 108 overnight, fell early in the day after adding only six runs to his overnight score, then the Mumbai innings folded up for 324. Shekar Joshi, who took four wickets, was the most successful bowler. Parab stroked 17 fours, and Baroda’s fightback set up a fascinating final day at the Wankhede Stadium.Delhi 478 (Gambhir 147, Oberoi 80, Gupta 5-143) lead Uttar Pradesh 206 for 7 (Pandey 60*) by 272 runs
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After putting up a solid batting performance on the first day, Delhi picked up six wickets and restricted UP to 206 on the third day at Kanpur. Most of the UP batsmen gave it away after getting starts, and only Gyanandra Pandey’s dour 60 stood out for mention. All the Delhi bowlers shared the spoils, with Sarandeep Singh picking up two wickets in a marathon spell where he gave nothing away. The rain on the second day denied Delhi valuable time, and if Pandey can continue his rearguard, Delhi may not be able to force the issue and grab an outright win.Hyderabad 245 (Lalit Patel 5-58) and 185 (Trivedi 4-45) lead Gujarat 129 (NP Singh 6-33) and 75 for 3 by 226 runs
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Wickets continued to tumble at Ahmedabad, and Gujarat need 226 runs more to beat Hyderabad on the final day tomorrow. The Hyderabad batsmen struggled to 185, with only Daniel Manohar (45) and Arjun Yadav (44) offering much resistance. Siddharth Trivedi capitalised on the helpful track, and snapped up four wickets, while Timil Patel supported him with 3 for 29. The Gujarat batsmen need to show much more steel on the final day – but 226 runs may be too much taking into account the bowling and the pitch.Punjab 541 for 7 dec (Mongia 151, Ricky 125) lead Kerala 213 for 4 (Hemanth Kumar 61) by 328 runs
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Kerala put up a brave fight at Palakkad, finishing the third day at a respectable 213 for 4 against Punjab. After chasing leather on the first two days, the batsmen did not succumb to the pressure and gave a good account of themselves. Hemanth Kumar top-scored with 61, and was given good support by his captain, Sunil Oasis, who made a half-century. The Punjab bowlers suffered on a belter of a wicket with the two Sharmas, Samrat and Rajesh, picking up two wickets apiece. Punjab may have to settle for first-innings points, unless Kerala collapse tomorrow.Rajasthan 253 (Khoda 86, Paul 6-68) and 268 for 5 dec lead Bengal 118 (Sharma 6-18) and 9 for 1 by 394 runs
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Rohit Jhalani, the wicketkeeper, hit a priceless 85 as Rajasthan stamped their authority on Bengal at the end of the third day at Jaipur. Anshu Jain (53*) also made a valuable contribution as Rajasthan declared at 268 for 5 to set Bengal a target of 403. Jhalani cracked 11 fours in his 149-ball stay, and will be looking for Sanjeev Sharma and co. to repeat their first-innings bowling heroics. For Bengal the most successful bowler was Saurasish Lahiri, who finished with 3 for 69, but Rajasthan are favourites to press for an outright win tomorrow.Karnataka 208 (Balaji 4-51, Ramkumar 4-42) and 235 (Binny 54, Ramkumar 6-51) lead Tamil Nadu 184 (Prasad 6-51) and 81 for 2 by 178 runs
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Tamil Nadu’s left-arm spinner Ramkumar grabbed six wickets as Karnataka frittered away the advantage on the third day at Bangalore. L Balaji also impressed with three wickets before TN’s openers put on 51 runs to begin the chase in right earnest. Stuart Binny, son of the former Indian allrounder Roger, played a lone hand for Karnataka with a hard-hitting 54, which included nine fours and a six. A few other batsmen got starts, but fell to Ramkumar’s wiles. Tamil Nadu look all set to begin the seaon on a winning note, unless Venkatesh Prasad has another fine bowling performance up his sleeve.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Wisden Cricinfo.

Close West Indies 410 (Lara 202, Ntini 5-94) and 31 for 3 require another 347 runs to beat South Africa 561 and 226 for 6 dec
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After Brian Lara’s heroics yesterday, South Africa responded with a sparkling allround display to put them on course for victory in the first Test at the Wanderers. They wrapped up West Indies’ first innings for only 47 more runs in the morning – including Lara for 202 – and extended their lead to 377 with some aggressive batting. Makhaya Ntini then provided the finishing touches with three late wickets to leave West Indies staring at defeat on 31 for 3, and 346 runs behind.It was unquestionably South Africa’s day, right from the moment the impressive Ntini made the early breakthrough through to his late three-wicket burst. The only blemish in their day of domination was a horrific injury to Herchelle Gibbs, who had to leave the field with a broken nose in the afternoon.However, it was West Indies who were left feeling the pain as they surrendered their competitive position with firstly a lower-order collapse of four wickets for 30 runs, and then with their nightmare ending. After Graeme Smith had declared South Africa’s second innings on 226 for 6 with ten overs left in the day, Ntini roared in and did all the damage. He clean bowled Wavell Hinds and the nightwatchman Vasbert Drakes, and then trapped Daren Ganga lbw to hammer home South Africa’s advantage.Ntini, along with Andre Nel, was also responsible for West Indies’ poor start to the day as well. They both bowled with good bounce and lift, exploiting the cracks developing in the pitch. Merv Dillon was the first to go, beaten by a lightning inswinger from Ntini which sent his leg stump flying back (380 for 7). And that was a sign of things to come. Chris Gayle limped down the long staircase and out on to the pitch with Hinds as a runner. Still suffering from a torn left hamstring, he tentatively poked around for 15 balls before he became Ntini’s fifth victim of the innings (405 for 8).Lara tried to step up the tempo and he murderously cut and drove Nel in same over. Nel looked resigned to Lara’s breathtaking form, and when he brought up his sixth Test double-century with a slash over cover, it was a case of here we go again. However, the very next ball, Lara attempted the same shot and drilled it straight to Martin van Jaarsveld at extra cover (409 for 9). Fidel Edwards didn’t last long, and it represented a job well done by the South African attack.Gibbs and Smith carefully negotiated a solid start to the second innings, before Smith put his foot down on the accelerator. He smashed some wayward bowling to all parts of the ground, cutting and pulling anything remotely loose. But just as the innings was starting to pick up pace, a sickening injury to Gibbs slowed things down. He tried to hook a Drakes bouncer, and the ball flew past his bat and crashed between the peak of the helmet and the visor. Gibbs immediately fell to the ground with blood pouring from his nose. The team physio rushed on the pitch and mopped up the mess, and a startled Gibbs staggered off the field looking like a bloodied and beaten boxer. The result was two nasal bone fractures, and he will undergo surgery on Wednesday morning to reset his nose.Jacques Rudolph took Gibbs’s place and he made a cautious start, perhaps wary that his place in the side is under threat. The innings gradually became slower and slower, and in an attempt to get things going again, Smith paid the price for a loose shot. He drove Drakes on the up and squirted the ball to Devon Smith, the substitute fielder, who took a smart catch, diving to his right at point (72 for 1).

After a typically cautious start, Jacques Kallis upped the pace with some searing square-cuts and a huge heave over square-leg for six. Smith applauded the shot heartily from the balcony – and he had clearly given the signal for the charge. The innings took on a different dimension as the batsmen sacrificed their wickets in search for quick runs. After Kallis played all around a straight half-volley and was plumb lbw to Hinds (145 for 2), Rudolph carved Ramnaresh Sarwan for two consecutive fours. Going for another big hit, he slashed Hinds to Sarwan at extra cover, who took the catch at the second attempt (158 for 3).Boucher was promoted to No. 5 and he muscled his way to a quickfire 18 before he was stumped trying to smash Sarwan down the ground (180 for 4). Van Jaarsveld unleashed a pearling cover-drive and brutish hit down the ground. His innings was cut short, though, when he was run out by a direct hit by Sarwan at mid-on (188 for 5). Pollock was then undone by one that nipped back from Collymore and clipped his off stump (206 for 6). By that stage the lead was 357, but Smith chose to carry on.At least it gave the chance for Robin Peterson to amend for his shocking bowling display yesterday, and he whipped a sprightly 18 from 11 balls. And after he had added 20 more runs with Neil McKenzie, Smith finally called them in to leave West Indies with a tricky last ten overs, and Ntini made sure it was as difficult as possible.

India A 556 for 7 dec beat Sri Lanka A 340 and 124 (Kartik 4-27) by an inninga and 92 runs
ScorecardMurali Kartik’s omission from the national team might hurt them in Australia, but it proved to be a blessing for the India A side, as he starred in a convincing victory in the second Test against their Sri Lankan counterparts at Pune. Trailing by 216, Sri Lanka A were bundled out for a mere 124 in their second innings, giving the Indians victory by an innings and 92 runs. Kartik ripped through the Sri Lankan middle order to finish with exceptional figures of 4 for 27 from 23 overs.Kartik got into the act after Amit Bhandari had done the early damage, dismissing Prasanna Jayawardene and Jehan Mubarak cheaply. Lanka de Silva (20) and Ian Daniel briefly threatened a revival with a 35-run stand, but Kartik broke through when he had de Silva bowled round his legs. Daniel was then controversially given out caught at silly point off Kartik, after which the Indians never loosened their hold.SS Das kept up the pressure with plenty of close-in fielders, and appeals for catches and lbws went up with monotonous regularity. It all proved too much for the Sri Lanka A batsmen, who crumbled in less than 56 overs. After Bhandari and Kartik had run through the top and middle order, Munaf Patel wrapped up the tail, as the Indians completed the win 20 minutes before tea on the final day.

Marvan Atapattu, Sri Lanka’s vice-captain, has strenuously denied any connection with a sum of money that is alleged to have been found in his hotel after the second Test at Kandy.Atapattu’s denial followed a report in the state-run Sunday Observer that revealed that 11,000 lakh of rupees (around £7000) had been found by an hotel employee after the team’s departure.”Was it a bribe to fix the match?” speculated the article. “Has any interested bookie had a hand in the matter similar to what happened to India’s former captain Mohammad Azharuddin and his South African counterpart Hansie Cronje?”Ajit Jayasekera, the Sri Lankan team manager, read out a statement before the start of the fourth day’s play in Colombo, and announced that the cricket board had called upon the police to make a full investigation:”There was a news item today in one of the English newspapers stating that some money was found in a Kandy hotel room that had been occupied by one of our players,” said Jayasekera. “It implies that it was found in a room occupied by Mr Marvan Atapattu. To prevent any speculation we decided to speak to the media.”Marvan has denied totally that it is his money. We left the hotel on the morning of December 14 and money had been found subsequently. There were several people that occupied that room after Marvan had left. It could be possible that the money belongs to someone else.”The cricket board will be conducting an enquiry into this. They will get the CID to look into this to find out what really took place.”Atapattu denied any connection with the money: “The coach told me yesterday that the president [Thilanga Sumathipala] was expecting a call from me. I called him and he told me what the hotel had said and asked me ‘Is it yours?’ I told him I didn’t know anything about it.”

Zimbabwe batsman Mark Vermuelen has undergone surgery at the Mater hospital in Brisbane to repair a skull fracture sustained in the VB Series match against India on Tuesday. The operation, which lasted three-and-a-half hours, was a complete success.”Mark’s recovering well from the surgery and should make a full and complete recovery from the injury,” Brad Robinson, Zimbabwe’s physiotherapist, said. “He will stay in hospital for the next few days at least while his progress is monitored.”In addition to reconstructing the impact area above his right eye, the surgery also repaired damage he had sustained in a previous fracture incurred while practicing during the World Cup.”Vermuelen will travel to Perth to spend some time with his family before returning to Zimbabwe.

Lunch Sri Lanka 3 for 162 (Jayawardene 43*, Dilshan 14*) trail Australia 220 by 58 runs
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After their dream start to the series, Sri Lanka tried to consolidate on thesecond morning. The pace of the game slowed with Australia’s bowlersproducing a far more disciplined display. They nipped out a couple wicketstoo, but Sri Lanka still had their nose ahead as they went into the lunch break on 3 for 162, just 58 runs in the arrears.Ricky Ponting handed the ball to Michael Kasprowicz and Shane Warne in themorning. The pair bowled tightly and Sri Lanka, clearly trying toconsolidate upon the advantage won yesterday, crawled along during the firsthour, scoring just 37 runs.Kasprowicz, who bowled five overs for 13, snatched an importantwicket, clinging on to a sharp one-handed return catch off a firm push-drivefrom Kumar Sangakkara. Sangakkara, who had started his innings the previousevening with a majestic six over midwicket off Stuart MacGill, had scored 22 (2 for 92).Atapattu, meanwhile, dug in on the slow pitch. He forced away one eleganthigh-elbowed back-foot drive behind square off Kasprowicz to the boundary,but was otherwise content to accumulate his runs with pushes and neat clips.But the entry of Jason Gillespie created more problems.Atapattu came within a whisker of being bowled as he shouldered arms to adelivery that jagged back from outside off stump. Next over, straight aftera sweetly timed legside flick, Gillespie found the inside edge as Atapattuchopped onto his stumps for 47 (3 for 123).Mahela Jayawardene (43 not out) showed more adventurous intent at the otherend, slapping Warne through extra cover on one occasion and also sweepingone for four. But Warne was also settling into his groove, probing away fromover and round the wicket, and keeping Jayawardene on his toes.Tillakaratne Dilshan’s arrival at the crease was followed byanother bowling change. Gillespie, who bowled a superb spell of 1 for 12 from six overs, was replaced by Kasprowicz. Dilshan had a couple of narrow escapes, surviving a close lbw shout off Kasprowicz and then getting into a tangle with a well-directed yorker. However, David Shepard, pale-faced under the scorching mid-day sun, kept his fingerfirmly down.MacGill, ignored until 15 minutes before lunch, finally entered thefray as Warne collected his cap after a long 13-over morning spell. MacGill made an inauspicious start, serving up a full-toss first up which was heaved to the leg-side fence.Jayawardene finished off the session on a positive note, steering away adelicate late-cut and then, next ball, slog-sweeping Andrew Symonds oversquare leg. The late boundaries sealed Sri Lanka’s morning but Australiaweren’t out of the game yet.