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Graham Thorpe missed a big score in his first appearance in first-class cricket for more than six weeks, but otherwise new county champions Surrey looked worthy of the accolade at The Rose Bowl. Ian Ward hit a century against relegated Hampshire in Surrey’s first match since they clinched the title at the weekend. Ward (112) shared a second-wicket partnership of 197 with Nadeem Shahid (82). Thorpe made 19 before he was bowled by Shaun Udal, who added two more wickets as the middle order showed uncharacteristic frailty. Ali Brown (49*) steadied the ship, helming his side to the calmer waters of 348 for seven at stumps.Robert Key didn’t let his England omission get him down, opening up with 75 against Lancashire at Canterbury. Key shared an opening stand of 148 with his captain, David Fulton, who was still there on 137 as the hosts closed on an imposing 286 for two. After Glen Chapple bowled Key, Ed Smith (68) added another 138 with Fulton before being stumped off Gary Keedy.In Division Two, Kevin Dean did Derbyshire’s outside chances of promotion no harm, with four wickets to peg back leaders Middlesex’s push for the title. Sven Koenig (72) and Paul Weekes (88) were the visitors’ weightiest contributors at Derby, but no one else got beyond 33 as Middlesex finished on 291 for eight.Mark Waugh provided plenty of entertainment at Chester-le-Street, but unfortunately at the expense of the hosts. The Australian Test veteran made 117, adding 218 with Aftab Habib (123) after Essex, hot on Middlesex’s heels at the head of the table, were teetering after losing their first three wickets at 83. It was pretty much one-way traffic after that, with Essex on 368 for five at stumps.Robert White didn’t mess about on his way to his maiden first-class century. He got it before lunch and finished with a magnificent 277 (325 balls) as Northants racked up a daunting 417 for four against Gloucestershire at Northampton. It may be a meaningless match, but it wasn’t short of entertainment as White and Mark Powell (107) put on 375 before the visitors took a wicket. When they finally did there was almost a clatter, but the damage had already been done.Nottinghamshire compiled a respectable 344 for seven against promotion rivals Worcestershire at Trent Bridge. It was built around 112 from Darren Bicknell, whose innings included 20 boundaries. Bicknell added 102 with Jason Gallian (62) and Chris Read, picked for the England academy this winter, made 50. There were three wickets for another academy selection, off-spinner Gareth Batty.

Herschelle Gibbs scored an unbeaten century as South Africa crushed Sri Lanka by eight wickets to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in this five-match series at the De Beers Diamond Oval on Wednesday.Sri Lanka had high hopes of leveling the series here after a resounding win in third game at Benoni but a combination of ill-fortune, electric fielding and sloppy batting now leaves them fighting for only pride in the final game on Friday.Sri Lanka threatened a competitive score after being asked to bat first, racing to 57 without loss after the first ten overs, but a freak run out sparked a dramatic top order collapse and they were bowled out for 184.Such a meager target was never likely to be sufficient on a flat batting surface, but new ball bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Pulasthi Gunaratne sent jitters through the South Africa top order with the early wickets of Andrew Hall (2) and Neil McKenzie (7),However, the experienced Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis quickly reasserted their authority over the visitors in a record unbroken 173 run partnership for the third wicket.Gibbs, who came into the game with three successive failures in the series, finally hit form after an awkward start, smashing a succession of boundaries, including a remarkable punch over mid-wicket to bring up his 11th one-day century.The right-handed opener finished with 108 from just 92 balls having hit 14 fours and three sixes.Kallis has had no such problems with his form coming into the game and he carried on where he left off at Benoni, cruising to his third half-century of the series, finishing unbeaten 64 from 83 balls having hit five fours and a six.Under pressure to take quick wickets, the discipline shown by Sri Lanka’s bowlers last Sunday evaporated and South Africa reached their target with an embarrassing 19.1 overs to spare.But it was the batsmen who shouldered most responsibility for the defeat, like they did at Wanderers and Centurion where they were bowled out for an unacceptable 140 and 128.They had started the day well enough with Marvan Atapattu playing gloriously against the new ball, driving through the covers on the up and cutting imperiously, as he raced to 39 from 46 balls.But his purple form was wasted by a lackadaisical piece of running, as the right-hander was adjudged to have not ground his bat or foot the crease by television umpire Brian Jerling after a cheeky backwards flick from wicket-keeper Mark Boucher.The Sri Lankans, who were seething immediately after the decision, will claim with some justification that there was too much doubt for Jerling to press the red light, but Atapattu was guilty of ignoring the basics as he failed to run in his bat properly after ambling back from a comfortable two.The incident changed the course of the game, visibly rattling the impulsive Sri Lankans, who hit the self-destruct button, losing four wickets for just seven runs.Kumar Sangakkara (1) pulled a Kallis long hop straight into the hands of square leg and Aravinda de Silva (0) followed his fine 71 in the last match with a duck as he top edged an attempted hook.An astonishing one-handed airbourne catch by McKenzie – playing his first game of the series – then accounted for Jayasuriya (27 from 33 balls) andMahela Jaywardene (9) was trapped lbw by Alan Donald to leave Sri Lanka on 97 for five.Russel Arnold produced provided some timely resistance with the Sri Lankan selectors set to finalise their squad for Australia on Saturday, scoring 50 from 88 balls, adding 34 for the seventh wicket with Hashan Tillakaratne.But the fight-back proved shortlived as Tillakaratne swung across the line against Pollock and was bowled. The rest of the tail were then blown away, although Gunaratne did add 29 for the last wicket with Arnold.Donald was the most successful bowler, taking three wickets for 18 runs from his allotted ten overs. Pollock also claimed a three-for.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Lancashire County Cricket Club(LCCC) today announced that sports fans will be able to watch both the npower Test Match against Sri Lanka live as well as the England v Denmark World Cup Football match at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on Saturday 15 June.The ECB and LCCC have arranged for a big screen to be erected in the car park at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, enabling thousands of fans to watch the football when not cheering on the nation’s cricket team. Extra television sets have also been hired to increase viewing points of the football around the ground.Jim Cumbes, LCCC Chief Executive, said, “We have sold 14,000 out of a possible 18,000 tickets for Saturday, but we want to have a full house. Some sports fans may have been put off coming to the cricket because they feared missing the football, but they need no longer worry as we will be showing the game here as well on a big screen.”In order to encourage as many people as possible to come to the cricket, weneed to embrace the football – not ignore it. People will be able to watch the football as well as the majority of the day’s cricket and we hope that the party atmosphere generated by it all will guarantee a great day out. With any luck we’ll be celebrating two England successes over the next few days!”The screen, provided by Screenco, will cost £10,000 and has been paid for bythe ECB.Adult tickets are from £15, with tickets for under 16s from £7.50. Advancetickets are still available by calling 08705 33 88 33. It is also possible to buy tickets on the gate with cash or credit card.

Durham all-rounder Paul Collingwood is the latest casualty to withdraw from England’s one-day squad to go to the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka later this month. Collingwood is suffering from a neck injury and will be replaced in the side by the 20 year-old Surrey all-rounder Rikki Clarke.Clarke has impressed since coming into the Surrey side this season in both first-class and limited overs cricket. As recently as Monday evening he guided Surrey to a win in the Norwich Union League with a calm innings of 98 not out. Like Collingwood, he is more of a batsman who bowls than a genuine all-rounder, but there is time for him to develop his bowling skills. In first-class cricket, his seven hundred runs come at over 50 while his 11 wickets have cost 41 runs each.Collingwood is the fifth player to pull out of the squad as originally selected. Darren Gough, still not recovered from knee surgery, was replaced by James Kirtley, Ian Blackwell came in for Andrew Flintoff who has had a hernia operation. Owais Shah has been named as the replacement for Michael Vaughan who is to undergo knee surgery. Dominic Cork has also been added to the squad as Craig White has withdrawn with an abdominal muscle injury.Chairman of selectors, David Graveney, said: “Rikki Clarke has had anoutstanding season for Surrey. He is a young player of enormous promise andthis is a good opportunity for him to test himself at a higher level.”Owais Shah was a member of the one-day squad last winter but only hadlimited opportunities to impress. He has shown he can succeed ininternational cricket and the trip to Sri Lanka will give him a furtherchance to press his claims for a regular place in our one-day line-up.”Dominic Cork was called up into the one-day squad as cover for the NatWestSeries Final and the selectors feel that his all-round qualities will beimportant in the conditions that we will face in Sri Lanka.”

After scoring his third century in Test cricket and his second against India, Shivnarine Chanderpaul would be an unlikely person to raise an objection if the West Indies were to play India much more often.”I was determined to do well this time. I have had too many 50s and 60s. But I wanted to go on once I was set. Carl (Hooper) was playing superbly at the other end. That boosted my confidence. And it is my home-ground; I had support behind me,” said Chanderpaul.Among the West Indians of Indian descent in Guyana, he is a celebrity. Those who could not get the tickets to enter the ground temporarily stayed in tents outside the Bourda Oval. There, after the third day’s play, Chanderpaul was almost mobbed. He was made to dance to the tune of “Soldier Soldier,” have the compulsory glass of beer and chat with everyone present. His wife, father and friends from the United States were also present.”This is an important hundred for me at a crucial juncture of my international career. I was not getting big scores for so many days. Once you get one, it paves the way for others. Now I have to continue this good work,” he said.The fact that his best effort in Tests came in front of his own crowd, of course, was the most satisfying aspect of his knock for the left-hander.

Somerset recorded their first one day victory of the season today when they comfortably beat the Yorkshire Cricket Board at Scarborough to progress to the next round of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.Batting first the holders scored 255 for 7 in their 50 overs thanks to Peter Bowler who scored an impressive 104 and Jamie Cox who made 64. Coming together with the score on 11 after Matt Wood was dismissed cheaply the pair added 159 for the second wicket.When the Yorkshire Board batted they never recovered from losing their first three batsmen for 9 runs, and eventually reached 168 for 8 when their innings closed.After the game Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: "I’m very happy with the result. It was a good clinical performance from the boys today. Peter Bowler had a great knock to get us into a good position, and then our bowlers did the business for us."The Cidermen’s opposition in the next round is looking likely to be Hampshire who are in a strong position in their unfinished game with the Kent Board at Folkestone.

Umpires Graham Burgess and David Shepherd had planned a 1.15pm inspection following an early lunch, but the weather was not about to relent.Further heavy rain during the afternoon ruled out any prospect of play before tea, and with puddles forming on the outfield, play was finally abandoned for the day without a ball bowled at shortly after 4pm, much to the frustration of a Lancashire team also concerned by tomorrow’s forecast.Somerset were due to resume on 106-6 in their second innings, still needing68 runs to make the visitors bat again.Their hopes rested on left-handed opener Piran Holloway, who was unbeatenon 52.

Mr. Bob Woolmer and Mr. Michael Holding have written to the International Cricket Council and the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, to say that their alleged comments regarding Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action were misquoted by Wisden Cricket Asia magazine.In a letter to ICC General Manager David Richardson, Mr. Woolmer says: "I would like to pass on my unreserved apologies to the Sri Lanka Cricket Board if I have in any way upset them… Indeed I am a great admirer of Murali’s ability… Muralitharan is a unique spinner and his action and ability are and always will be of great interest to me."Mr. Holding said that his “quotes were skillfully used by a journalist trying to create some sensationalism… helped by a just as zealous sub-editor with the headline used for the article ‘Holding says Murali doubtful’.”The BCCSL is happy to hear that Mr. Woolmer and Mr. Holding did not make the comments, and trusts that a correction will be published by Wisden Cricket Asia magazine, since the comments had upset the cricket-loving public in Sri Lanka.

Saurav Ganguly has been retained as the captain of Indiancricket team for the tour of Zimbabwe from May 27.The selection committee met in Baroda on Saturday under its chairman ChanduBorde and took “two minutes” in arriving at the decision, CricketBoard secretary Jaywant Lele said.”No other name was considered by the selectors,” Lele said,adding that the decision was unanimous. Indian team will play two Testmatches with Zimbabwe followed by a triangular one-day series alsoinvolving West Indies.All national selectors, Madan Lal, Ashok Malhotra, Sanjay Jagdaleand TA Sekhar, were present when the committee took this decision.Ganguly will join the selectors here tomorrow to pick the probablesfor the tour, Lele said.The selection committee will pick 22 probables who will attenda five day conditioning camp beginning at Bangalore from May 13th, hesaid.The final team will be selected on May 18 and it will leave forZimbabwe on May 24. The Indians will also play two side games againstCPX academy at Harare (from May 28 to 30) and Zimbabwe A at Mutare(from June 2-4), Lele said.The first Test will be played in Harare from June 7-11 while thesecond will be played at Bulawayo from June 15-19. The triangularseries would be held from June 23 to July 7.

ScorecardIndia A began their tour of New Zealand on a winning note, beating New Zealand A by three wickets in the first unofficial ODI in Lincoln. India chose to bowl and broke through early, with left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat getting opener Hamish Rutherford for a duck. From there on, India struck at short intervals, reducing New Zealand to 54 for 6. It was left to keeper Derek de Boorder and captain Andrew Ellis to rescue them, and they did, putting on 80. De Boorder was the only batsman in the match to score a half-century, making 62 off 85. Unadkat finished with the best figures: 44 for 4.India began their chase decently, with Abhinav Mukund and Unmukt Chand putting on an opening stand of 52 in a little under 15 overs. Once Mitchell McClenaghan had Abhinav though, a mini collapse ensued in which India lost 4 for 26. A 38-run stand between Mandeep Singh and Ambati Rayudu got them briefly back on track, before two more quick wickets courtesy McClenaghan – one of which was a run out – caused another wobble. Rayudu batted through though, and found support from No. 8 Rahul Sharma, to take India home with 16 balls to spare.The match was initially scheduled to be played on Tuesday, but had to be postponed to Wednesday because of an unfit pitch at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. Only six overs were possible on Tuesday, before the umpires, Phil Jones and Wayne Knights, abandoned the game. Wednesday’s match was at the same venue but on a different track.