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How they were out

England love it when a plan comes together, and their team were certainly on their A-game today as Marcus Trescothick hit an imperious century to complement his bowlers’ earlier destruction of Pakistan’s tail. By the close he was unbeaten on 135, with his side trailing by just 21 runs in the first innings, and with seven wickets left.Ian Bell may not have figured in England’s original thoughts, but he slotted in at No 3 with a stylish, composed 71. Together he and Trescothick put on 180 to hand England firm control of this match.England bossed proceedings from the off, skittling out Pakistan’s last four wickets for 30 runs – then batting calmly, serenely and at a fair pace, too. They coursed along at nearly four an over, although Inzamam-ul-Haq did slow proceedings after lunch with the introduction of Shabbir Ahmed and Danish Kaneria.Trescothick, England’s mainstay in their warm-ups, was their leader in Multan. He could count himself very lucky, though, that Billy Bowden kept his finger down when he was on 48, when Kaneria brought one back in at him which was going on to hit middle. He survived and cruised to his 13th Test hundred, his second against Pakistan.Bell responded to Trescothick’s example, and played well, off the back foot in particular. If his confidence was shaken before the match by the knowledge that he was only included because of Michael Vaughan’s absence, you wouldn’t have known it. Where he had hesitated against Australia, here he was positive, organised and decisive: sweeping here, picking the wrong’un there. His 71 was well deserved.There was some relief, finally, for Pakistan in the evening session when Shoaib Malik edged him out. The other Shoaib, Akhtar, believed he had got his man earlier – and he certainly celebrated as if he had – with a clever slow yorker that bowled Bell; but a not-so-clever overstepping gave the batsman a brief stay of execution.

After the wicket-that-wasn’t, Bell pulled himself together, and such was his concentration that he faced a delivery from the world’s fastest bowler without the aid of the sightscreen. After some frantic waving from the England dressing-room Bell had it sorted, going on to despatch Ahktar to third man with a sweet late cut, and digging out a second attempted slower one. Then Malik struck with a decent ball as Bell inside-edged to Salman Butt at forward short leg.The loss of Andrew Strauss for 9 was the only minor blemish in the first two sessions, while Paul Collingwood fared little better during Pakistan’s last dart, falling to Shabbir Ahmed for 10 just before the close. True, England were helped by some wayward bowling throughout – from Akhtar and Mohammad Sami in particular – but their timing and self-confidence was second-to-none.So nevermind England’s poor pre-Test preparations – it’s been all right on the night so far – it’s Pakistan, without a Test since June, who are looking undercooked. Even their premier bowlers, Akhtar and Kaneria, were thoroughly out-thought by England, so much so that at one stage Inzamam turned to the part-time spin of Malik in desperation.England bowled to a different script – their lines were tight and polished, their execution disciplined. Their aim had been to dismiss Pakistan for under 300. Mission possible. Matthew Hoggard was the first to strike, with just the fifth ball of the day he found Sami’s edge. Andrew Flintoff accounted for Inzamam five overs later as England made great use of the new ball and swinging conditions.Pakistan’s captain had wasted no time in bringing up his 40th Test fifty, working the ball round the ground and playing with confidence until he was undone with his first false shot of the day. Five balls later Flintoff added the all-at-sea Shabbir, who didn’t have time to find his sea legs before a searing yorker found his middle stump. Flintoff finished with 4 for 68.Steve Harmison ended proceedings with his second ball, a short-pitched delivery which had Kaneria flashing to Ashley Giles at gully. England were mightily – and rightly – pleased with their bowling effort: Collingwood aside, they each conceded fewer than three runs an over. Their batting was pretty handy, too – no Plan B needed for them. For Pakistan, though, it’s back to the drawing board.

England
Andrew Strauss lbw Sami 9 (18 for 1)
Ian Bell c Butt b Malik 71 (198 for 2)
Paul Collingwood c Akmal b Shabbir 10 (251 for 3)
PakistanShoaib Malik lbw Flintoff 39 (80 for 1)
Salman Butt c Jones b Udal 74 (161 for 2)
Mohammad Yousuf b Flintoff 5 (166 for 3)
Younis Khan lbw Harmison 39 (181 for 4)
Hasan Raza b Harmison 0 (183 for 5)
Kamran Akmal c Trescothick b Hoggard 28 (238 for 6)
Useful first-slip catch as the ball was dyingMohammad Sami c Jones b Hoggard 1 (244 for 7)
Inzamam-ul-Haq c Strauss b Flintoff 53 (260 for 8)
Shabbir Ahmed b Flintoff 0 (260 for 9)
Danish Kaneria c Giles b Harmison 6 (274 all out)

AB de Villiers, the South Africa opener, is the latest to join the war of words ahead of the first Test beginning at Perth on December 16, claiming that he has no fears facing Australia’s fast bowlers on the bouncy WACA pitch.Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, sparked the exchange by claiming his bowlers had the ability to wrangle Australia’s top order. Then, Pat Symox, the former spinner, warned the Australians to expect a barrage of sledging from South Africa. Lastly, Terry Alderman, the former Australia fast bowler, made some scathing comments on the South African batting after Western Australia defeated the tourists by an innings and 48 runs on day three of a warm-up match yesterday.After the tourists’ defeat, Justin Langer, Australia’s opener, said that he felt Australia had successfully put the fear of fast bowling in the forefront of South Africa’s batsmen’s minds. Langer also commented on the pitch at Perth, saying that it would be perfect for Brett Lee. de Villiers, however, has welcomed the challenge. “I hope it will be quick – that will turn me on. I enjoy pace,” he told , a South African daily. “I’m feeling pretty well balanced at the crease; I need a bit of luck and then there will be a century on the board.”Jacques Kallis and Smith, who both sat out the match due to injury, opted to tackle the steepling bounce of Lee by having throw-downs with tennis balls during a practice session at the WACA today. Smith is slightly ahead of Kallis in the race to be fit, but he may not be able to play in a one-day tour match on Friday. Undeterred by the loss against Western Australia, de Villiers added: “We got what we wanted out of the game. We all batted twice. It was hard to get up for that one – we were all pretty tired from travelling.” de Villiers, who is 33 runs short of 1,000 runs, hit three centuries in his first year of Test cricket.

The Indian players received their dues upto a sum of Rs.10 crore ($2,257,846) from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday, before departing for Pakistan.A BCCI official told : “All outstanding money up to December 31, 2005 has been cleared. This includes the match fees up to the third Test against Sri Lanka played at Ahmedabad. The 15 players for whom contract was awarded for the period October 1, 2005 to September 30, 2006 have been advanced 25 per cent of the contractual sum. That’s Rs. 12.50 lakhs (app. US$28,223) for the Grade `A’ players, Rs. 8.75 lakhs ($19,756) for Grade `B’ and Rs. 5 lakhs ($11,289) for the Group `C’ players. The cheques were given to them in Delhi.”Currently non-contracted players like Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik and Mahendra Singh Dhoni received a proportionate sum because they had fulfilled the criteria of five Tests or 15 one-day internationals.The BCCI’s gross earnings is expected to exceed Rs. 500 crore each over the next four years once the television rights contract is finalised. The earnings for the current fiscal year too look bright, and first-class cricketers stand to make maximum gain out of this. In the ongoing 2005-06 domestic season, the match fee could touch Rs. 1 lakh ($2,258).

Kevin Curran, Zimbabwe’s coach, has been accused of trying to persuade some of the country’s striking players to sign the controversial new contracts offered to them by the board.Curran replaced Phil Simmons last August, but he was not a popular choice among the players who felt he was too close to the board, and in October all the national squad signed a letter to Zimbabwe Cricket demanding Simmons’s reinstatement.Curran’s appointment was reconfirmed by the new interim executive last month, but it is claimed that last week he attempted to convince some players that the deal on offer was a good one, despite their stated reluctance to agree to the terms on offer.”All Kevin seems to be concerned about is that he has a team so that he can keep his job,” a source told Cricinfo. “The feeling among the players is that he will use them to keep his position. They don’t feel he has the same approach to them as Simmons did. Kevin sees the players as a product while Phil used to see them as individuals.”Curran is believed to have told ZC officials that he has to have a squad to train by the start of the week or he will not be able to get them ready in time to play Kenya or Bangladesh. Not only does that seem highly unlikely, but this latest news shows that the rift between players and board – and players and coach – is widening all the time.

Brett Dorey, the Western Australia fast bowler, has been released from the Australia one-day squad and will figure in tomorrow’s crucial Pura Cup match against Western Australia at the SCG. Dorey played three ODIs in the VB Series after the selectors were impressed with his domestic first-class form of 26 wickets in five matches. However, he has been a fringe figure in the 14-man national finals squad and arrived in Sydney this morning to train with the Warriors.The Blues had hoped some of their international players would also be available, but with the VB Series heading into a third game they have had to rely on their strong squad base as they attempt to keep pressure on the competition leader Victoria. Jason Krejza, the 23-year-old offspinner, will play his first game of an injury-hit summer and is expected to combine with Stuart MacGill on the turn-friendly surface.Phil Jaques and Brad Haddin also give New South Wales some star quality and their fast bowling will be led by Matthew Nicholson. Dorey’s addition is the only change to Western Australia’s side that beat Tasmania by seven wickets two weeks ago. The Warriors, who are on 14 points, need to win outright to retain a chance of making the final. New South Wales are third on 20 points, four behind Victoria.New South Wales Phil Jaques, Craig Simmons, Matthew Phelps, Dominic Thornely, Brad Haddin (capt, wk), Aaron O’Brien, Grant Lambert, Jason Krejza, Matthew Nicholson, Aaron Bird, Doug Bollinger, Stuart MacGill.Western Australia Justin Langer (capt), Clint Heron, Marcus North, Chris Rogers, Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh, David Bandy, Luke Ronchi (wk), Beau Casson, Steve Magoffin, Ben Edmondson, Shawn Gillies, Brett Dorey.

Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, Hampshire’s president and former captain, died yesterday at the age of 72. A legend among his county followers, Ingleby-MacKenzie played in 343 first-class matches in a 14-year career between 1951 and 1965. His batting typified the man – never dull, always looking to attack, and that meant that his career average did not do his talent justice.He will be forever remembered as the man who led Hampshire to their first Championship title in 1961, and especially because he did so in style. A throwback to a less intense era, he led the side in a manner which would horrify modern disciplinarians – he is best remembered for telling his players to be in bed by breakfast time on match-days. Fittingly, he was the county’s last amateur captain. He was also a genuine eccentric – an avid punter, he once persuaded umpire Harry Baldwin to bring a radio on to the pitch so he could listen to a horse race while he was fielding. But his apparent indifference and easy-going manner belied a determination to succeed, which he did with style and daring.As a left-handed batsman and wicketkeeper, he also played for MCC between 1956 and 1962, and later went onto become the club’s president. A successful businessman, he was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2005, and as popular and charismatic president of the MCC and was a key figure in opening the club up to women.

Hampshire’s chairman, Rod Bransgrove, led the tributes. “We are absolutely devastated to hear this news. Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie embodied everything that was good about Hampshire cricket and he was a source of inspiration and encouragement to me personally. His loss extends beyond the Hampshire cricket family and the game as a whole will miss his ebullient character and acute sense of humour. My thoughts, of course, are with Susan and his family at this sad time.”Robin Marlar, the president of MCC, paid his own tribute. “Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie was a big name and a big man. As a player, he was Ingleby-Macrackajack; either you got him before he exploded or you suffered from a bat touched by magic. As captain, he won over his team and his rivals and indeed the whole country by his basic rule: in bed before breakfast. In short, he lightened the world of cricket.”

The office of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 has expressed disappointment with the situation which has seen cement shortages across the Caribbean affecting preparation for the tournament. Don Lockerbie, the venue development director for the tournament, said the Caribbean was “let down” by the cement industry and called for something to be done immediately to `rebuild the situation’.”The Cricket World Cup office is very seriously monitoring the situation and we have made demands to the Local Organising Committees as to the nature and seriousness,” Lockerbie said. “We are aware of the shortages – there were shortages in nearly every territory. I am personally quite surprised that the industry could let down the region, when in the region of (US) $300 million has been invested in this project. The stadium development for the tournament deals with cement and blocks should have been a major one on everyone’s agenda.”Lockerbie said that the Cricket World Cup has called for reports from all the nine countries – with 13 stadiums, which will be hosting matches. He said Jamaica and Guyana have been the worst hit, but other countries also faced difficulties.The other countries hosting matches are Barbados, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.Lockerbie said the situation was especially worrying as the senior assessors from the ICC will be touring the venues at the end of April to determine readiness.”Here we are, one month before the ICC’s tour, and the time where I wanted to see the greatest progress, is now hampered by an industry we needed the greatest help from. It’s a major let down,” Lockerbie said.”At this point it’s not unsolvable, we are far enough along and we hope the tournament is important enough that the Cricket World Cup project and the stadium development will be given priority, but this is an annoyance.”

Justin Langer has dropped a clear hint that he is considering retiring from international cricket after the Ashes. Langer, 35, has thought long and hard about his future after returning home early from South Africa following a blow on the head from Makhaya Ntini in his 100th Test.”I have always said that the day you decide to retire, do it,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Don’t announce it ahead of time, because it will just lead to huge distractions. I can’t say what the future holds beyond the Ashes. I would hate to say something now and it become a big distraction through something that is as big a deal as the Ashes. The last Ashes series really hurt. I would love to leave the game knowing that we had regained the Ashes, and the next Ashes team would have it in their possession.”He said several people close to him had recommended he quit immediately after the Ntini incident, but he had decided to carry on. “I promised that I would go away for three weeks and make a decision,” he said. “When I first came back home I thought that possibly it was the time to go. But I know that now isn’t the right time.”I don’t know if that means I’ve got one series to go or whatever, but I know that I really want to play in the Ashes. It would definitely be nice to leave the game with the Ashes in our possession.”

Langer’s departure, if he does go, could signal the breaking up of the current highly successful side, with several other players coming to the end of their careers. Although Andrew Hilditch, Australia’s new chairman of selectors, was keen to point out that improved diet and training meant players could go on for longer, Langer explained that the time spent away from home was a big factor.”We are compensated well and looked after well, but to be frank, the hardest thing for me now is the time away from home, and it has become excruciatingly hard,” he told the paper. “I am feeling it even more at the moment because I have just had three weeks of spending every day with my kids. It is the hardest thing ever to keep leaving them for long stints.”

Division One

Middlesex’s revival at the Rose Bowl did not last into the third day and ended with a ten-wicket loss to Hampshire. The dismissal of Andrew Strauss for 141 was the key as Middlesex lost their last seven wickets for 92, all of them falling to Shane Warne, who finished for 7 for 99. Middlesex have now lost their first two Championship matches and sit at the bottom of the table.Sajid Mahmood celebrated his probable England call-up with 4 for 24 to put Lancashire on course for a six-wicket victory over Kent at Old Trafford. Lancashire’s last seven wickets added only 70 this morning, but if they were disappointed to take a first-innings lead of only 37, they were soon in better spirits as Kent were skittled for 124 – Gary Keedy took 4 for 44, while Geraint Jones made 60, almost half his team’s total – leaving them needing 89 to win.At Hove, Naved-ul-Hasan took 7 for 62 (11 for 148 in the match) to bowl Yorkshire out for 221 and set Sussex a target of 193. Michael Lumb (69) and Darren Lehmann (87) added 136 for Yorkshire’s fifth wicket but that aside, the other nine wickets added only 85 between them. Matthew Hoggard grabbed two early scalps to reduce Sussex to 26 for 2, but Murray Goodwin (41) and Chris Adams (44) led a recovery and they ended on 138 for 5, still requiring 55 to win.Another county who failed to capitalise on a strong overnight position at Trent Bridge were Warwickshire who lost their last seven second-innings wickets for 92. That still left Nottinghamshire chasing a stiff 377, and that grew less likely when Heath Streak struck twice to reduce them to 13 for 2, and when they slid to 77 for 5 it looked to be game over. But Mark Ealham (50*) and David Alleyne (61*) put on an unbeaten 113 for the sixth wicket to keep the champions in the hunt, and they resume needing another 187 to win.

Division Two

At The Oval, Surrey crushed Gloucestershire by an innings and 297 runs. Click here for a bulletin.Leicestershire wrapped up an eight-wicket victory over Essex at Chelmsford. After following-on 175 in arrears, Essex resumed on 72 for 1 but never looked like threatening an upset despite a dogged stand of 47 between the Flower brothers. When both fell before lunch, the die was cast and Claude Henderson (5 for 69) wrapped up the innings. Essex’s frustration was all the greater because six of their top seven passed 20 but only one went on to fifty.Monty Panesar’s hopes of playing in the first Test were boosted by his 5 for 32 as Northamptonshire cruised to an innings-and-46-run win over Somerset at Northampton. Somerset were struggling after conceding a first-innings deficit of 191, and after reaching 44 for 1 then lost their remaining wickets for 101.At Cardiff, an exciting final day is in prospect asGlamorgan, chasing 213 to beat Derbyshire, closed on 16 for 2. Dean Cosker (4 for 78) and Robert Croft (4 for 51) shared the spoils after Ian Hunter grabbed four quick wickets to bring the Glamorgan first-innings to a swift conclusion. But a poor forecast for tomorrow could be the deciding factor.

North Conference

A fine allround performance from Yorkshire’s Darren Lehmann kept them alive in the C&G Trophy with an exciting six-wicket win over Lancashire, who were previously unbeaten this season, at Headingley. Mal Loye clobbered 95, and there were a pair of 40s from Brad Hodge and Mark Chilton, but Lehmann pegged Lancashire back with two wickets while conceding just 38 from his 10 overs. Set 288 to win, Craig White got Yorkshire off to a steady start with 59, but it was Lehmann’s perfectly-paced and unbeaten 92 which saw off Lancashire. He and Anthony McGrath (54) put on 111 in just 13 overs as Yorkshire sneaked home with an over to spare.Ryan Watson’s magnificent 108 led Scotland to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Derbyshire, after a polished bowling performance knocked over the hosts for just 180 at Derby. Dewald Nel, the South African, struck two early blows when he removed Michael Di Venuto and Chris Taylor to rock Derbyshire who stumbled to 53 for 5. That they reached the lofty heights of 180 was thanks to 39 from their captain, Graeme Welch, and a solid 42 from Ant Botha – but Scotland’s bowling was too disciplined and tight, with Derbyshire failing by two balls to bat out their 50 overs. After the early loss of Corey Richards (1), Scotland were never in any trouble, with Watson punching nine fours and a six in his 110-ball 108 as the visitors reached their target inside 41 overs.Four wickets from Zaheer Khan prevented Northamptonshire from chasing down 257 against Worcestershire at Worcester, after Phil Jaques had smashed 112 from 117 balls. Jaques was indebted to Ben Smith (60) with whom he put on 133 for the third wicket to set Northamptonshire a tricky-but-gettable 257. However the visitors were never in the hunt after Khan reduced them to 14 for 3. Though Chris Rogers (51) and Lance Klusener (85*) entertained, Gareth Batty’s three tidy wickets helped mop up the tail to hand Worcestershire a 50-run win as Northants ran out of overs.

South Conference

Middlesex cruised to a nine-wicket win over Ireland at Lord’s, with Chad Keegan continuing his good form and Ed Joyce hitting a feisty 95. Joyce’s 24-year-old brother, Dominick, helped lay a platform for Ireland with a breezy 45, containing four fours – but Keegan removed both Jeremy Bray (11) and Andre Botha (0) as Ireland fell to 109 for 5. Peter Gillespie played enterprisingly for his 43, but Keegan (4 for 24) and Jamie Dalrymple (2 for 33) mopped up the tail as Ireland reached 184. Ed Smith creamed 13 fours and a six in his unbeaten 81 for Middlesex, and Joyce – though he fell with his side needing just four more for a win – was equally punishing, as Middlesex reached their target inside 25 oversA magnificent 158 from Murray Goodwin helped Sussex edge past Essex in a thriller against Essex at Chelmsford. Chasing a sizeable 297, Sussex were in disarray at 56 for 4 after Andre Adams nipped out Matt Prior (0), Richard Montgomerie (13) and Mike Yardy (5). However, Goodwin was unfazed; together with Carl Hopkinson, the pair put on a brilliant fifth-wicket stand of 146 as Sussex crept home from the last ball of the penultimate over. Earlier, Ronnie Irani struck a characteristically pugnacious 132 not out, containing three sizes and 11 fours – and the promising young batsman, Ravinder Bopara made a fifty – but in the end their competitive total was simply not enough.As he has so often done, Ian Harvey’s fearless fifty led Gloucestershire to an easy five-wicket win over Glamorgan at Bristol. In a reduced-overs match of 36 overs per side, Glamorgan hobbled to a paltry 168 for 9 with the captain, Robert Croft – in his role as pinch-hitter – top-scoring with a brisk 27. Though Gloucestershire lost five wickets, with Croft picking up two, Harvey (53) and Chris Taylor (34*) led the hosts to a convincing win.