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Keith Dabengwa collected five wickets as Westerns completed a 77-run win over Centrals at Queens Sports Club, the foundation of which was laid by Sean Williams’ fine match double of 76 and 129. The 129 was Williams’ maiden first-class century and acted as the centrepiece of Westerns’ second innings 254, leaving Centrals needing 259 for victory. They stumbled to 50 for 4 on the fourth evening and continued to struggle on the final morning. Dabengwa was well supported by offspinner John Nyumbu, who picked up 3 for 53 as Centrals fell for 181 after lunch. Dabengwa’s five-wicket haul was completed when he had Taurai Muzarabani caught at first slip by Williams – a fitting way to wrap up the match as the two key figures combined.In Mutare, Easterns clung on for a draw against Northerns as they ended nine down at the end of the match. The four days were dominated by Graeme Cremer and Tinotenda Mawoyo, whose first-innings 124 built a 119-run lead for Easterns after they’d dismissed Northerns for 178 on the opening day. However, Cremer led the fightback with an unbeaten 171, aided by Elton Chigumbura’s 67. From being 28 for 2 Northerns recovered to set a target of 265. Initially, Easterns made promising progress with opener Johnson Marumisa reaching 49 before he was trapped lbw. Cremer then came to the fore again, this time with his legspin, as he removed the dangerous Stuart Matsikenyeri. Wickets continued to fall, including Prosper Utseya for 26, but they couldn’t quite force the final scalp before time ran out.

The Indian Cricket League (ICL) is the only tournament of its kind that can keep alive the “great India-Pakistan rivalry”. That’s the view of the ICL’s business head, Himanshu Mody, who was explaining its positioning vis-à-vis the ICC-backed Indian Premier League (IPL), which has a much higher profile and is operating on a larger scale.The launch of the Lahore Badshahs team, which will participate in the tournament that begins on Sunday, will “add a whole new dimension to the league,” Mody told Cricinfo. The side features 15 Pakistanis, including Inzamam-ul Haq, Mohammad Sami and Saqlain Mushtaq, and is coached by the former wicketkeeper, Moin Khan.The one who got away is the middle-order batsman, Mohammad Yousuf, who signed up with the ICL before moving over to the IPL. Mody said there was “no question of a compromise” on the issue. “It is the case of a signed contract that has not been honoured. There is no question of a compromise and we will fight the case to its logical conclusion,” he said.Incidentally, Yousuf was not picked by any of the eight IPL franchises during the players’ auction on February 20.That auction saw a turnover of US$42 million, and several players crossing the million-dollar salary bracket, and established the IPL as a force to reckon with. Mody, though, sought to play down the significance of those figures. “Cricket is a team-based sport where team dynamics and cohesiveness as a unit are critical, important ingredients for producing a high-quality cricket product. A mere assortment of star players does not guarantee a successful sporting product, as has been seen with past initiatives like World XI sides and the Afro-Asian games.”The ICL’s second international tournament, beginning on March 9, will span 30 days across three venues in India, with 13 additional international players and a second broadcaster in Dubai-based Ten Sports. This time, the ICL is riding a surge of international support with its star New Zealand recruit Shane Bond and the FICA appealing to the ICC to lift the ban on those associated with the venture.The ICL’s latest tournament will be called the Edelweiss 20s Challenge, after it struck a title sponsorship deal for its second season reportedly worth US$5 million with the financial services firm. That’s half of what the IPL gets every year from its title sponsors, the Indian construction major DLF.

Michael Clarke was desperately unlucky to miss out on a place in Australia’s side for the first Test, according to Darren Lehmann. Clarke lost the battle with the allrounder Shane Watson for the No. 6 spot when the 13-man squad was announced on Thursday.Lehmann, who offered to give his Test place to Clarke in India in 2004, said the selectors needed to show faith in Clarke. “Michael Clarke is the one I still like. I think he has a great future in Australian cricket,” Lehmann told the . “I think Michael Clarke can play for ten years. I would like to see him play and give him an opportunity. He has all the shots, plays the right brand of game and could be a future leader.”Clarke said he was not surprised that Watson had got the nod. “I probably always think the worst so it doesn’t hurt so much,” he said. “Deep down I did think they would go with Watto. I guess I knew I didn’t do too much batting at the ICC Champions Trophy, simply because all the guys were doing so well above me, and that was terrific. I am obviously disappointed to miss out, I’d like to play for Australia in every Test but I guess my focus now is to just get back to New South Wales and make as many runs as I can in one- and four-day cricket.”Clarke has had limited opportunities to play for his state since being dropped from the Test team last summer. “That’s the hardest thing,” he said. “I think in my last three games for New South Wales I’ve scored 170, 200 and then 50 and 70 [against England] early this week. That comes with playing a lot of one-day cricket, and where I’m batting you don’t always spend a lot of time in the middle. And you know what, I wouldn’t swap being part of Australia’s one-day team, and playing every game I can. I love it.”

The Asia Cup will be played every alternate year and Pakistan will host the next round in 2008, as has been decided by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in its annual general council meeting in Kuala Lampur. It will be the first time that Pakistan willl host the tournament.Apart from that, as per the rotation policy, the presidency of the ACC will be handed over to Jayantha Dharmadasa, the Sri Lankan board president, Saleem Altaf, the PCB director-operations told . Dharmadasa will take over on July 1.The 2006 Indian edition of the tournament was to be played in February, but was postponed to 2008 after the Indian board complained of an already hectic schedule for the season. Sri Lanka are defending champions of the cup, which they hosted in 2004.

Sussex pace bowler Ollie Robinson left Middlesex facing the prospect of their heaviest County Championship defeat of the modern era after a rain-affected third day at Lord’sThe right-arm seamer tore out the heart out of the home side’s top order with figures of 4 for 23, which included a burst of 3 for 8 in 14 balls.When the weather closed in to provide temporary respite for the beleaguered Seaxes they were 61 for 4 still needing 282 to make Sussex bat again.Perhaps more pertinently, Stuart Law’s side require a further 51 to better their loss by an innings and 232 runs to Sussex at Lord’s in 2005 – their worst defeat against a county side since before the outbreak of World War II.Robinson, in his first match since injuring his shoulder against Durham in April, had taken three wickets on the first day as the Lord’s tenants were hustled out for 138. In more seamer friendly conditions he was close to unplayable second time around.The 25-year-old and his new-ball partner Mir Hamza set Middlesex openers Max Holden and Sam Robson a searching examination in the morning gloom.Both bowlers beat the bat a number of times and it was no surprise when Holden edged a ball leaving him a touch on the off-stump line to Luke Wells at fourth slip.Holden will have been left doubly frustrated by the fact just four balls later, rain and bad light intervened for the first time, driving the players off for an early lunch.The shortened first session meant Robinson had plenty of energy in reserve to take up where he left off upon the resumption and he did so to devastating effect.Moving the ball both ways off the seam, he castled Robson with one which trapped the batsman on the crease and bowled him through the gate.Home skipper Dawid Malan was then undone by one which went the other way, feathering the thinnest of edges to Chris Jordan at first slip.Worse was to come for Middlesex when Stevie Eskinazi poked tentatively at another ball on a nagging off-stump line to give Wells his second catch of the day.Nick Gubbins and James Harris staved off any further drama before the rain came again to prevent any further play.

Muhammad Akmal Siddique, the father of Pakistan’s wicket-keeper-batsman Kamran Akmal was attacked and injured by assailants in Lahore over the weekend.They reportedly shot at and injured Siddique before fleeing the area. Some armed men held up Siddique outside the Data Darbar shrine and drove him towards Sheikhupura Road. As he put up resistance, the gangsters shot and injured him and drove away with the vehicle, as well as taking away cash and a cell phone.Having been left on the road, Siddique was taken to the nearby Mayo Hospital where he was admitted and is now said to be in stable condition. Akmal, who eventually played such a vital role in Pakistan’s fine five-wicket win in Port Elizabeth, was told about the incident during the Test.

ScorecardNew Zealand opener Martin Guptill and the touring captain Brendon McCullum opened their shoulders with a pair of percussive innings in their attempt to find some rhythm batting against the pink ball on the second and final day of the practice match against a Western Australia XI at the WACA Ground.Since his recall to the New Zealand Test side, Guptill has been counselled by the batting coach Craig McMillan to use more of his aggressive instincts at the top of the order, and there were signs of former anxieties less prevalent as he breezed to his hundred in a stay of 109 balls before retiring.McCullum, meanwhile, seemed to equate the pink ball with its white equivalent as he clattered seven boundaries and two sixes in a 28-ball innings that tallied 49. It had been a more sedate McCullum at the Gabba as he tried to stave off an opening defeat, but it seems he has some more pugilistic intentions for the pink ball in Adelaide.Most New Zealand batsman were able to get in at least half an hour of batting against the pink ball under the WACA lights, with last week’s double-centurion Ross Taylor reaching 21 from 30 balls. Trent Boult was again absent from proceedings, having not bowled on day one of the fixture.The local bowlers were largely subject to plenty of punishment, though the performance of the young left-armer Joel Paris may be cause for some interest from the national selectors. Considered a paceman of considerable promise, he claimed three wickets despite being treated with plenty of respect by the tourists. Andrew Tye’s four wickets came at somewhat greater cost.