Day 1 Close Bangladesh 86 for 3 trail Queensland Academy of Sport Invitation 201 (Caseldine 92, Hopes 53) by 115 runsBangladesh finished their first day of cricket in Australia evenly-placed at stumps. They dismissed the Queensland Academy of Sport Invitation side for 201 at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, and ended with a flourish, the last two balls being hit for a four and a six, closing on 86 for 3 – a deficit of 115 runs.However, the incumbent batsmen Mohammad Ashraful (33) and Rokon Al Sahariar (4), face the task of ensuring their side gain an appreciable first innings lead if they are to have a chance of a victory in this match which is part of the build-up to their forthcoming Test matches against Australia.When Bangladesh began their innings Javed Omar struggled against Damien MacKenzie and James Hopes, facing 37 balls before he was dismissed for a duck, caught in the gully by Craig Philipson off Hopes attempting a cut (23 for 1). Bowling his sixth over, Hopes had still not conceded his first run. Then off the last ball of the next over, Hannan Sarker, who had raced along to 19 was bowled by Steve Magoffin (27 for 2).The match may be a non-first-class fixture but six of the Queensland side have played first-class cricket, while Nathan Hauritz is an international. Both sides are playing 12 players in the match, with one batsman being replaced by a bowler at the change of innings.Bangladesh made good use of winning the toss and Tapash Baisya took two quick wickets to leave Queensland AIS struggling on 6 for 2. He claimed a third with the score on 10, bowling Aaron Nye for 3.Lee Carseldine held the top-order together during a 100-run stand with Hopes, although it nearly came unstuck when Hopes was dropped at forward square-leg off Anwar Hossain when the score was 33. Hopes eventually fell for 53 (110 for 4), but Carseldine continued in an increasingly dominant manner. He had reached 92 when he was caught by Baisya off Khaled Mahmud’s right-arm medium pace (165 for 5). Carseldine hit 15 boundaries and a six in his 115-ball innings. The Queenslanders were in trouble immediately when Philipson was run out for 5 two balls later (165 for 6).It was left to Chris Hartley to shepherd the lower-order through to 200 with his 20, off 43 balls, being only the third double-digit score of the innings.Baisya had good reward for tidy bowling during the day, taking 3 for 33 from his 14 overs while Mahmud took 2 for 34 from 12 overs.

South Africa women saw a narrow victory over ECB Women’s Development XI followed by a comprehensive defeat by England U21 Development XI in their second limited overs warm-up match ahead of the first npower Women’s Test match against England at Shenley.South Africa won the toss and batted first against an ECB U21 Development XI at Marston Cricket Club in Oxford – the tourists reaching 167 for eight from their 50 overs, with captain Alison Hodgkinson top-scoring with 56.She was assisted by Shandre Fritz, who made 23 from 25 balls before being run out. Some economical bowling, in particular from Steph Davies (Somerset) who returned 3-32 and Sarah Clarke (Surrey) 2-30, restricted South Africa.In reply, Arran Thompson led the chase with an unbeaten 84 to secure a seven-wicket victory for the England U21 team, as they reached 168 for three from 45 overs. South Africa left arm spinner Charlize Van Der Westhuizen took 2-32.The match followed a 10-run victory for South Africa the previous day at Marston against ECB Women’s Development XI. After their defeat to the newly crowned Frizzell Women’s County Champions Sussex the previous week, South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.They reached 179 all out in the final over, with the young Surrey spinner Sarah Clarke taking three wickets for 25 runs from her 10 over spell. Clarke’s excellent bowling was assisted by some high class fielding from the ECB team, including three smart catches by fellow spinner Laura Harper.South Africa’s highest scorer was right-hander Josie Barnard, who scored 31. Barnard, from Western Province, made her debut for South Africa last year against India.In reply, England reached 169 for nine off the last ball of the innings with Yorkshire’s Kathryn Doherty finishing the match on 42 not out. The ECB team rallied from 105 for eight, with a fine ninth wicket stand of 64 between Doherty and Jenny Gunn (22). Arran Thompson, the Lancashire captain, made 24 opening the ECB batting.South Africa’s leg spinner, Leighshe Jacobs, took 3-18 from 10 overs.

The last in our series of articles examining how the Indian team is shaping up for the coming 2003-04 season. This one focusses on the pace attack.It may be true that fast bowlers are born, not made, but even those who have the natural ability to bowl fast take a few years to mature at Test level. This year, observers of Indian cricket will feel that the years of apprenticeship served by Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra at Test level are finally over, and that they will take wickets at more than three a game – which is what they average so far – and make a decisive impression on the team’s fortunes, especially abroad. Sourav Ganguly will be hoping that Javagal Srinath hangs around for one more season to give them company, especially since his experience would prove invaluable when India tour Australia in December. If Srinath confirms that he has more Test cricket left in him, the Indian pace-bowling attack will have a settled look about it, while still leaving room for the best of the other contenders; if he calls it a day at last, then a place is immediately open for the contender with the most ambition. Zaheer, Nehra and Srinath are certainties for selection, if available; Wisden CricInfo sizes up the other contenders.Ajit Agarkar
Agarkar has been in and out of the Indian Test side for four seasons now. He had already taken over 50 one-day international wickets by the time he made his Test debut, and this made his inability to translate his obvious promise into good Test match performances all the more disappointing. His 35 Test wickets have come from 16 Tests, and his bowling average is over 46. Only the promise of his batting has kept him in the side in situations where another bowler could have been chosen. There are still those watchers of Indian cricket who think Agarkar is a long-term prospect as third seamer. This season might present his last chance to show that this may be the case.Aavishkar Salvi
Salvi was a fringe bowler for the Mumbai team a year ago, but last season he took 28 wickets in 6 games in the Ranji Trophy, 29 in 5 on the A tour to the West Indies, made an assured one-day international debut in Dhaka, and took another 14 wickets on the A tour of England. By all accounts, he is now ready for Test cricket. His high-arm action and accuracy have already earned comparisions to Glenn McGrath’s bowling style, and his ability to generate bounce from a good length is a special attribute. Of all the contenders not to have played a Test match yet, Salvi is the best prospect.Lakshmipathy Balaji
Balaji has taken the same route to national contention as Salvi, with impressive performances in domestic cricket over the last season and then good A tours of West Indies and England. He made his one-day international debut against West Indies last year and was given a brutal introduction to the rigours of international cricket by Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds, but the experience will have done him no harm, and in fact he returned to domestic cricket to apply himself with renewed vigour. Balaji was the main reason for Tamil Nadu making it to the Ranji Trophy final last season, with six consecutive five-wicket hauls.Irfan Pathan Jr
Just 19, Pathan is one for the future. A tall left-arm bowler – Indian cricket has no shortage of those right now – Pathan has combined with Zaheer Khan and Rakesh Patel to make up perhaps the best of the country’s pace attacks at domestic level. He was the top wicket-taker on the recent A tour to England, with 17 wickets at just over 28. That two other left-arm fast bowlers are already part of India’s Test make-up may actually prove to be a help to Pathan – there will be much to learn from bowling in conjunction with Zaheer at state level, and he can make progress steadily instead of being picked before he is ready.Tinu Yohannan
Yohannan’s has been a mystifying story. He was picked out of near-obscurity to spearhead the attack two seasons ago in the home series against England, after a disappointing performance by the Indian seamers in South Africa – Zaheer, Nehra and Agarkar among them. In his first game he looked immediately at ease on the Test match scene, dismissing the English openers in both innings, and his height and physique seemed to mark him out as a heir to Javagal Srinath. But he has only played two Tests since, for one more wicket. Yohannan has been on a number of tours now without breaking through into the side, and his inability to crank up his pace by a few more yards is said to have gone against him.Amit Bhandari
Bhandari is nearly 25, and the oldest of all those profiled here bar Agarkar. He has been in national contention for a few years now – he made an unmemorable one-day international debut as long ago as 1999, against Pakistan – and will perhaps be feeling the need to take the step up immediately a little more urgently than the others. Bhandari is not as quick as some of his rivals but moves the ball about, and took 16 wickets on the A tour of England at just under 30. If he keeps up the good work in the Challengers and the Irani Trophy, a national call-up may not be very far away.The rest
Other dark horses who could possibly be called up are Rakesh Patel and – this appears more likely – the 22 year-old fast bowler who has made such a stir lately because of the pace at which he reportedly bowls, Munaf Patel. Patel is yet to play a first-class match, but if Javagal Srinath hangs on for another season, then the Indian pace attack will have a stable look to it, and this could encourage the selectors to gamble on raw speed when they sit down to decide on the back-up bowlers.Expert views
Karsan Ghavri: Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar and Javagal Srinath form quite a formidable pace attack at the moment, one even capable of troubling the Australians on a hard, bouncy track. Zaheer and Nehra in particular can put any side under pressure. Among the contenders, the first person to strike my mind is Aavishkar Salvi. There are some other good young fast bowlers around – Irfan Pathan, for example, or L Balaji – but they will have to go through the grind of domestic cricket before they get into the top league. There is a bowler called Shabbir Ali, who plays for Bengal and is in Bangalore bowling to the Indian players. He is quite promising. A lot of credit goes to the MRF Pace Academy, which is producing these young fast bowlers.TA Sekhar: If Javagal Srinath stays on for another season, then the Indian pace-bowling attack appears quite stable, with Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra to support him. Among the other contenders, I would be inclined to give Munaf Patel a go. We could be taking a number of fast bowlers to Australia, and I think we could afford to pick Patel even if he is a largely unknown commodity, purely because of his pace – no batsman is ever entirely comfortable playing that kind of speed. That leaves another fast bowling slot, which will perhaps be contested by Agarkar or Salvi. Whether the selectors go for experience in the form of Agarkar or the promise of Salvi is their prerogative.Atul Wassan: Aavishkar Salvi is ready for Test cricket. It is time we dispensed with the services of Javagal Srinath, who in any case has been unprofessional about whether he is prepared to continue playing for India, leaving everyone in suspense about the matter. I think Ajit Agarkar has it in him to serve India with both ball and bat at Test level. I would pick him as my third seamer.Chandrahas Choudhury is staff writer of Wisden Asia Cricket.Openings for openers
The settled middle order
Finders, keepers
Turn, turn, turn

A groin injury may cause Herschelle Gibbs to miss South Africa’s forthcoming tour of Pakistan.Gibbs will undergo a tough fitness test on Friday, after which team physiotherapist Shane Jabaar and the team management will make a final decision on whether he can join the touring party.The South Africans depart for Pakistan on Sunday for three one-day internationals and three Test matches, but Jabaar is optimistic. “Since we’ve got five days to treat his injury, I’m fairly positive that Herschelle will be fit for the tour."Gibbs is also confident that he will be ready to take his place in the side. “I receive treatment daily, and I don’t believe it [the injury] will be a problem," he said. "It’s a strange sort of injury. I don’t even know how I sustained it."

The Pub Charity Youth Cricket Draw – November 1(Please Note: Colts & U14A are 2-day matches)U18 (1-day):Stac v Midd G Midd G 1,Pk v St Bedes Parkland Reserve,Pap HS v Syd Syd 4a,CBHS Bye.Colts (2-day)25 Oct & 1 Nov2nd day of 2Section 22nd day of 2U16A (1-day):CC v St Bedes CC 2,Stac v CBHS Straven 3,SBHS v Syd Cash HS 1.U16B (1-day):Ricc HS v LPW Ricc HS 3,NB v CBHS South Brighton Dom,OC v Upr Ricc Dom,Horn CC Bye.U15A (1-day):CBHS v CC CC 6,SBHS v Stac White Stac 6a,Stac Blue v St Thom Stac 5,Syd v Burn HS Burn HS 3.U15B (1-day):Burn HS v Upr Ilam 6,St Bedes v Pap HS St Bedes 5a,Pk v CC CC 3,CBHS Black v CBHS Blue Straven 6,Stac Bye.U14A (2-day)25 Oct & 1 Nov2nd day of 2U14B (1-day):CC v St Bedes St Bedes 3,Burn HS v CBHS Blue Straven 8,SBHS v CBHS Black Straven 7,Stac v Syd Cash 2a,Rang HS v Ricc HS Ricc HS 4,Pap HS v Nb Pap HS 3a.U14C (1-day):CBHS Black v SBHS Straven 5,BWU v LPW Han 1a,CC Bye.

Thilanga Sumathipala, the president of Sri Lanka’s cricket board, has hit back at the authorities who have ordered his arrest. He has questioned the motive of the timing by the attorney-general and the solicitor-general of Sri Lanka, and has denied any involvement with Dhammika Amarasinghe, the underworld leader who he is alleged to have helped to obtain a fake passport.In a press release issued by the board, Sumathipala said, about his arrest: “There is no order from any court, but only a letter issued by the attorney-general, which is an executive action. Regrettably this is on the very eve of the commencement of the England and Sri Lanka Test series, regardless of the damage to the country, that too, by the attorney-general and solicitor-general acting in random, giving rise to the question of the real motive.”He went on to say, “I regret to state that I am aware that the attorney-general and the solicitor-general have acted in a manner of not applying the law equally to all. I am able to cite several serious instances and I will at the appropriate time and forum.””I categorically deny any involvement with the said underworld character who had supposed to have travelled to the UK,” he continued, “as published in certain newspapers to tarnish my image.”Sumathipala then also alleged that he was the real victim in this case. “My lawyers have already made representations to the attorney-general and to the inspector-general of police of the leakage of the manner and the content of the investigative process to the Sunday Leader newspaper, which has carried on a scandalous campaign and conspiracy to kill me or have me killed.”

Rod Marsh former Australia team-mate and current England Academy coachIn many ways, I wish I’d been there on Sunday night, and been able to step in. As a young man Hookesy was always very outspoken – he was known as the bumptious brat of Dulwich while playing club cricket in England. But it seems that all he was doing was defending a player’s wife, who was being spoken to rudely by someone in the bar. He always stood up for his players, and you don’t deserve to die for that.He’ll forever be famous for those five fours in the Centenary Test, but they were all genuine cricket shots, and make no mistake, he could play. When he was on the attack, he was very dangerous indeed. Perhaps he wasn’t a great player of spin, but there have been a lot of blokes of lesser ability who’ve played a lot more Tests than Hookes. He made a lot of friends and had a very high profile in cricket. He will be sadly missed.Dean Jones former Australian batsmanI came up against Hookesy on many occasions for Victoria, the most famous time was when he cracked a 34-ball hundred for South Australia after a poor declaration. He could be devastating at times, and was very moody with the bat, although he’d have been disappointed with his eventual Test record.World Series Cricket might have set him back, but I think his footwork went after he’d been cleaned up by an Andy Roberts bouncer, and had his jaw broken in three places. But I’m just in shock – he’d only gone out to celebrate a win with his mates and their wives. You don’t expect that sort of thing to happen in Australia. Life can be bloody shocking at times.Tony Greig former England captain and opponent on Hookes’ Test debutI’m stunned. It’s absolutely horrific news, and the sort of thing you fear might happen to your kids after a night out. But when it happens to your friends, the shock is every bit as bad. He became an instant hero to 70,000 cricket fans at Melbourne on his debut, when he showed England – and me in particular – just what a fighting batsman he could be. I remember fielding at silly point when the youngster arrived, and I tried to niggle him a bit, as you do. But he was unfazed, and hit me for five fours in a row.I later got to know him through the work he did in cricket. He was a really nice guy who had a broad cross-section of interests.Bob Merriman Cricket Victoria President and Cricket AustraliachairmanDavid was one of those rare, gifted athletes and people whoinstantly captured attention, whether it was through his aggressivebatting, inspiring captaincy, aggressive coaching or his forthrightcommentary. It is well known that David was an outstanding sportsmanfrom the start and he demonstrated this at an early age for SouthAustralia, who he eventually captained to a Sheffield Shield title, forAustralia and also during the World Series Cricket era.Darren Berry Victorian Bushrangers captainDavid has been both a friend and mentor to us all and we are devastated at his passing. His impact on the group has been broad and under his leadership we havelearnt much, not only about cricket but equally about life.Wayne Clarke Western Australia coachDavid was a tremendous person and I am deeply saddened by his untimely death. Iplayed and coached against Hookesy and he was a tough-as-nails characterthat was still the first person into the rooms for a beer after thegame. He was respected by all who met him for the way he played thegame. He gave so much to the sport as a player and then as a coach, hewill be sorely missed.

Border 239 for 3 (Henderson 126*, Pope 50) beat GriqualandWest 236 (Koortzen 64, Gidley 52, Bosman 42, Henderson 3-45) by 7 wickets
ScorecardPointsTableBorder, with two games left to play, have made a bold bid for a Standard BankCup semi-final place with a win over Griqualand West in Kimberley. Griqualand West, losing, see their hopes of a place in the final four fall by the wayside.During the evening supper break some disgruntled members of the GriqualandWest community held an on-field peaceful protest against the recentannouncement that neighbours Free State had won the cricket franchise forthe area. A memorandum was handed over to the CEO of Griqualand West CricketBoard for forwarding to the United Cricket Board of South Africa.Winning the toss and batting first Griquas made the perfect start withPieter Koortzen and Martin Gidley putting on 89 for the first wicket. Gidley (52) was first to lose his wicket and was replaced by Benjamin Hector who added a patient 27. With the loss of Koortzen (64), on 148, Loots Bosman was allowedto score freely, and hit three sixes and two fours in his innings of 42from 22 balls.Losing five wickets for 32 runs in the final six overs did not do anyjustice to the Griqualand innings as they were bowled out for 236. Tyron Henderson the pick of the Border bowlers taking 3 for 45.Border starting slowly and lost two early wickets. They quickly fell behindthe required run rate. Henderson, sent in up the order, got the runs flowingwith his flurry bringing up his 50 in 47 balls and his first 100 in 85. StevenPope, a very willing partner and content to rotate the strike, lost hiswicket after reaching his 50 in 65 balls. The partnership was worth 138 runsand set Border up for the win.Craig Sugden, scoring a quick 28 off 17 balls helped Henderson, finishing ona career best 126, to reach the target in the 44th over.

Players and board officials on both sides of the border have expressed happiness at the Indian government’s decision to let the tour to Pakistan go ahead, and though security remains an issue, the Indian board insisted it would not pressurise reluctant players to tour.”India would be touring Pakistan after 14 years,” said Jagmohan Dalmiya, BCCI’s chief, “and not only do I envisage an excellent tour from the cricketing stand point but it would also help in strengthening the bond of friendship between the people of the two nations.”Speaking to Mid Day, Shaharyar Khan, chairman of the PCB, said that the move was a step forward, and would give peace talks a fillip. “I have been emphasizing the fact that if India played in Pakistan it would have a very positive effect on relations. Despite reservations and fears of some people I am confident the series would give the peace process a big push.”Pakistan’s captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, added that tensions associated with Pakistan-India matches would gradually dissipate if the teams played more often.On Monday, a three-man BCCI delegation will brief the board and the government about security issues on its return from Pakistan. But with security concerns still playing heavily on the players’ mind, Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain, said he would not force anyone to tour.Dalmiya took a similar stance and emphasized that players reluctant to tour would not be under pressure.”Since the government has cleared the tour, the major concern of safety and security is now put to rest,” Dalmiya said. “They are not going for war, but to play cricket. If somebody is not comfortable, he will not be forced to go. Someone else will go. These are the trusted lieutenants of the country.”

Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, said today that he believed England should be allowed to stage the Champions Trophy in September as planned. There had been speculation, ahead of tomorrow’s ICC meeting in New Zealand, that England’s reluctance to tour Zimbabwe might lead to the tournament – which features all ten Test-playing nations, plus Kenya and the United States – being moved elsewhere.But Mani said that his view was that the tournament should not be affected by any bilateral issues between England and Zimbabwe – no matter how serious they were. “Clearly there are potentially very serious issues that need to be resolved relating to England’s scheduled tour of Zimbabwe,” he said. “I believe that through the Board and the ICC’s disputes-resolution process there are mechanisms in place for these bilateral concerns to be effectively dealt with.”However, it is important that these genuine issues between two ICC members do not spill over and impact on broader issues that could affect all countries, such as the venue for the ICC Champions Trophy 2004.”He concluded: “Ultimately this decision is in the hands of the executive board, and I will be guided by the views of the directors – but I will put forward my view that we should be seeking to clearly separate these matters so that we avoid confusing bilateral issues with multilateral concerns.”By an ironic twist of fate England’s first match in the Champions Trophy is scheduled to be against … Zimbabwe.