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ScorecardKent seamers Simon Cook and Matt Coles claimed four wickets apiece as Warwickshire were dismissed for only 250 in their County Championship Division One clash on a bright, yet breezy opening day in Canterbury.The chill wind that forced umpires Barry Dudleston and Neil Mallender to don black gloves all day, also helped Coles and Cook to swing the ball late and cause Warwickshire’s batsmen headaches throughout a first innings that lasted barely five and a half hours.By the close Kent had reached 43 for the loss of their captain Rob Key and will go into the second day facing a deficit of 207 with nine wickets intact. After luckless opening stints by Amjad Khan and South African Test legend Makhaya Ntini, on his home debut, Khan switched to the Pavilion End to hurry left-handed Ian Westwood into a cramped pull that spooned up to be caught at mid-wicket and make it 51 for one.Just when Kent’s decision to field first was coming into question, so former Middlesex right-armer Cook made further in-roads on his way to figures of 4 for 66. He had England’s Ian Bell well held at long leg off a top-edged hook for 10, then, to the last ball before lunch, he enticed Darren Maddy (39) to follow an away-swinger and edge to keeper Geraint Jones.Four more wickets fell in the mid-session, three of them leg before. Khan trapped Jim Troughton (one) three overs after the interval then Coles came on at 2.15pm and as fifth change to post career-best figures of 4 for 55 from his 14 overs.A muscular, right-armer from Maidstone, 19-year-old Coles is affiliated to his home town Kent League club, The Mote, and this was easily his most impressive stint to date for the county first team. He bowled an impressive line and nagging length and nipped the ball around off the seam to trap Rikki Clarke (eight) with an off-cutter and then catch Tim Ambrose (14) on the crease and also flush in front.Cook returned to the party just before tea to have Chris Woakes (11) caught behind and Coles took his tally to four soon after the resumption by feathering Jonathan Trott’s off stump with one that nipped back through the gate of an expansive drive and then having Naqaash Tahir (eight) caught low down at third slip.Trott, with 67 in a shade over two hours, was comfortably Warwickshire’s top-scorer. Neil Carter’s belligerent 43 included the only six of the day off Cook and helped the visitors to their second batting bonus point, but the bowler soon had his revenge by having the left-hander caught behind.In the 13 remaining overs Kent lost Key for 18, caught behind by Ambrose off Woakes though the former England man appeared disappointed by the decision as he trooped off with his side’s score on 36.

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Craig Kieswetter returned to the Somerset team with a half-century as the Group A leaders maintained their successful Clydesdale Bank record with a 71-run win over Worcestershire at Bath. A festival crowd of around 3,000, basking in hot sunshine, saw the England World Twenty20 hero hit 52, with three sixes and three fours, in a Somerset total of 235 for 9. Zander de Bruyn made 55, and Ben Phillips 51 not out, his first one-day half-century.That proved too much for the Royals on an unpredictable pitch, as they subsided from 63 for 1 to 164 all out, Mark Turner taking a career best 4 for 36 from 7.4 overs. Somerset have now won all five of their group matches, and already look hot favourites to reach the semi-finals.Kieswetter received a warm ovation from spectators when opening the Somerset innings after they had lost the toss, and soon helped them make up for the early losses of Marcus Trescothick and Nick Compton. He shared a third-wicket stand of 86 with de Bruyn, and was soon demonstrating the clean hitting that had earned him the Man of the Match award in the World Twenty20 final seven days earlier.Having faced 63 balls, Kieswetter got a leading edge to Imran Arif and was caught at cover. When the in-form James Hildreth followed for a duck and De Bruyn was caughtbehind having hit five fours and two sixes, Somerset were 125 for 5.Worcestershire continued to claim wickets, but the match was taken away from them by 34-year-old Phillips, who hammered seven fours and a six in 34 balls. Daryl Mitchell was the pick of the Royals’ attack, with 2 for 30 from his eight overs.When Vikram Solanki fell to the first ball of the Royals’ reply, a sharp lifter from Turner, their struggles in the competition looked set to continue. Phil Jaques and Moeen Ali briefly raised hopes with a stand of 63, but once Jaques was well caught by Murali Kartik attempting to pull Turner, there was a steady procession of batsmen.Peter Trego produced a delightful slower ball to york Alexei Kervezee for 19, and soon it was 141 for 8. Kieswetter’s glovework was nowhere near as impressive as his batting, and the 22-year-old still has work to do on his keeping if he wants to challenge Matt Prior for his Test place.

Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, has said his team didn’t know how to “finish them off” after losing the fifth ODI to South Africa during a tense finish in Trinidad. West Indies had South Africa at 246 for 9, chasing 253, and eventually lost with two balls to spare, consigning them to their second 5-0 whitewash at home against Graeme Smith’s team.”The game came close again, and we fell short again,’ Gayle told reporters after the match. “We don’t know how to finish them off. Losing has become a habit, but we have to put that behind us and look forward to the Test series.”The one-wicket defeat on Thursday followed a loss off the last ball in the fourth game in Dominica. “I think our team needs to learn from South Africa. They are a top team and we came close to victory against them many times this series. When you look at their performances, we can take something from their approach to the game and put it into our game.”Though they lost all seven games in the series so far, West Indies, according to Gayle, could take some encouragement from knowing South Africa “are beatable” as the teams prepare for the three-Test series. “We came close, and we fell short, but one positive we can take away is that we know they are beatable,” he said. “We just hope that we can change things around for the Tests. We can beat them, we have done it once in South Africa, so there is no reason we can’t beat them at home.”Gayle received mixed reactions from the Port-of-Spain crowd after the game and was booed by some and cheered by others. He wasn’t too fussed about it, saying it had “happened in the past in Trinidad and Tobago”.

American College Cricket has announced the dates of the 2011 Spring Break Championships – The Chanderpaul Trophy – which will feature more than 20 colleges from across USA and Canada.The tournament, which earned its name after West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul donated the trophy in 2009, will start March 15 next year and last five days with a final scheduled for March 20. After the success of last year’s event the games will take place again at The Cricket Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.The tournament began in 2009, with five Colleges, and quickly grew to 20 Colleges in 2010, when 47 games were played in five days. The 2010 competition, won by Canada’s York University, was the first major live video broadcast of any domestic cricket played in the USA, with games even carried live on the Jumbotrons at the Square One Mall in Toronto, Canada.American College Cricket vice-president Nino DiLoreto said he expects even better things next year. “The live webcast of the Semis and Finals was carried on our AmericanCollegeCricket.com, as well as by the International Cricket Council (ICC ), USA Cricket, Cricket Canada, and more. It was a huge success and we plan to broadcast more games in 2011.”The most recent event also saw innovations such as time limits that ensured games finished within three hours to make it more media and spectator friendly. American College Cricket president Lloyd Jodah said: “York University are eager to defend the Chanderpaul Trophy, and many new college clubs are joining American College Cricket. We are assisting in the formation of cricket clubs and developing teams at Universities all across the USA and Canada.”

ScorecardAn intriguing final day looms at Chesterfield as Derbyshire look to establish a new county record for a fourth-innings run chase. Set 408 to win, the hosts have taken encouragement from an unbroken second-wicket stand of 91 in 25 overs between Garry Park and Wayne Madsen. They resume on the final day requiring another 272 runs to win.They can also take encouragement from the increasingly threadbare nature of the Surrey attack. Already without Stuart Meaker, Jade Dernbach and Chris Jordan going into this game, they have been further weakened during its course.Though Tim Linley batted with a runner, he is unable to bowl after sustaining a foot injury, while Andre Nel was reduced to operating off four paces after suffering from a tight hamstring. Gareth Batty is suffering from a problem with his ankle ligaments, while wicketkeeper Gary Wilson required prolonged treatment after sustaining a blow to the thumb. Unlikely though it may sound, Chris Tremlett is the only fully fit man left in the attack. There’s a sentence you thought you’d never see.But while Surrey might resemble Monty Python’s Black Knight in terms of affliction, they seemed to lack his fighting spirit. In circumstances in which a team is expected to show their mettle, their ground fielding wilted and heads dropped. Chris Adams really has taken on an enormous job here.History does not favour Derbyshire, however. Not only have they never made 400 in the fourth innings of a first-class game (their highest to date is 396 against Leicestershire in 2007), but the highest fourth-innings total by any side at Queen’s Park is 336 (by Derbyshire against the Australians in 1968). Derbyshire lost both games.They shouldn’t get anywhere near. Not only does this pitch offer turn for the spinners, it offers unpredictable bounce for the seamers. Glenn McGrath would love it.In such conditions, Tremlett should be a horrible proposition. Yet, though he lacked neither effort or pace, this was a disappointing display from a man blessed with so much ability. In circumstances in which his captain, his coach and the England selectors would all love to see him to rise to the challenge, he was surprisingly anodyne, lacking control of either line or length and proving largely ineffective. It says much that Rory Hamilton-Brown, bowling seam, replaced him in the attack.Derbyshire’s resilience was especially impressive bearing in mind the early departure of Chris Rogers. It might have been expected that the Australian was the one man who could have led such a chase. But though he started well, cutting Batty for a couple of fours and unleashing a glorious cover drive off Tremlett, his departure, edging a fine delivery that turned sharply, appeared likely to precipitate an inevitable demise.It was not to be. Madsen and Park defended stoutly and, utilising the fast outfield and short boundaries, inched their way up the mountain. They have a long way to go, but Madsen’s conversion rate offers encouragement. He’s not been dismissed between 50 and 100 this season.Earlier Nel top-scored in Surrey’s second innings as the visitors squandered a chance to put the game out of Derbyshire’s reach. The hosts deserve credit for an impressive bowling performance, however, as they demonstrated the length to bowl on such a wicket.Arun Harinath had to play a beauty that bounced to take the edge, while Usman Afzaal edged an arm ball and Younis Khan’s pleasing innings was ended by a good inswinger. Mark Ramprakash, 11 short of 1,000 first-class runs in the season, most uncharacteristically steered a ball to slip, while Stewart Walters was drawn into driving at a ball they turned and took his edge.Had the last two wickets not added 52, Surrey would have been sitting much more precariously. But Tremlett resisted sensibly and Nel swung judiciously to take the lead above 400.If Derbyshire do fall just short, they may rue the no-ball that reprieved Nel. On just 13 he was very well caught by Lee Goddard only for Tom Lungely to be called for over stepping. In an increasingly tight match, such moments could be crucial.

ScorecardSurrey’s hopes of putting County Championship Division Two leaders Sussexunder pressure were frustrated by the weather at Guildford. Umpires Steve Garrett and John Steele abandoned the second day’s play at 4:15pm because of persistent drizzle.Heavy morning rain had cleared and play had been due to start at 2:10pm afterthree inspections, but the rain returned just before the players were about tocome out. Surrey will resume tomorrow on 47 for 0 in reply to Sussex’s first inningstotal of 217.

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Kevin Pietersen reached his first hundred in any format for 18 months at Hove•Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen’s rehabilitation in county cricket seems to be paying off after he made his first hundred in any format for 18 months as Surrey tied a thrilling Clydesdale Bank 40 clash with Sussex Sharks. Pietersen, who is finishing the season by playing four games in a two-week loan spell at Surrey after he was dropped from England’s one-day squad, made 116 in front of a crowd of around 5,000 at Hove.It was Pietersen’s first domestic one-day hundred for seven years and he never looked in any trouble even though the Sussex attack contained three players with Test experience. He came in to face the fifth ball of the innings after Surrey skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown had holed out to deep square leg after hitting the first three balls from James Kirtley for four.Pietersen shared a second-wicket stand of 105 in 17 overs with Jason Roy although it was the youngster who played more aggressively, making a one-day best 60 off 49 balls with seven fours and a six before he was bowled by Monty Panesar. Apart from those two, nobody in the Surrey side scored more than 18 and Pietersen had to watch a succession of wickets fall at the other end, one of which was his responsibility.In the 20th over he took a very risky single after pushing the ball into the off side and Gary Wilson was left well short of his ground as Joe Gatting ran in from cover and broke the stumps. Stewart Walters was also run out for a duck, although Pietersen could not be blamed on that occasion as he rightly turned down his partner’s call for a single and Walters was again beaten by Gatting’s sharp reflexes.Pietersen took 55 balls for his first 50 runs but just 46 for the next 50 and although he played well within himself there were moments when the confidence and class which seemed to have deserted him this summer returned.He struck eight fours and six sixes, four of them off offspinner Ollie Rayner, and after reaching his hundred with a single in the 37th over he twice cleared the rope in the next over off successive Kirtley deliveries, the first crunched with brutal power through extra cover followed by a straight hit down the ground.But Kirtley, playing his final game before retiring after 16 years with Sussex, had his revenge when he yorked Pietersen with the next ball, his 116 coming from 105 balls. Kirtley finished with 3 for 61 as Surrey were dismissed for 240.Matt Prior, like Pietersen surplus to requirements in England’s one-day side, played aggressively until he mis-timed a drive and fell for 19 but acting captain Murray Goodwin and Chris Nash kept Sussex in touch.Nash made 53 off 46 balls, his fifth half-century in the competition this season, and Goodwin 81 from 76 but it was Rayner who levelled the scores when he hit the last ball of the match from Tim Linley down the ground for four as Sussex finished on 240 for 8, with Rayner unbeaten on 35.

Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura has promised aggression from his team on the tour of South Africa which gets underway on October 8. The teams play two Twenty20 internationals and three ODIs.”We are looking forward to this tour, as the underdogs we have nothing to lose and we will be playing more aggressive cricket in comparison to our previous tours,” Chigumbura said upon his team’s arrival in South Africa. “The coach and I have chosen to go in a more aggressive route with the team; we will no longer be playing just for the sake of playing a match, but we will be playing to win.”The best way to build team confidence and to move Zimbabwe cricket forward is to win and that is our objective for this tour. We are concentrating on us and not so much on the opposition this time.”Zimbabwe recently beat Ireland 2-1 in an ODI series and have recalled Grant Flower, who’ll bolster the batting line-up. However, Flower’s arrival has been held up due to invalid travel documents, a problem his team manager Lovemore Banda hoped would be resolved in a day’s time.The teams have never played each other in a Twenty20 game and Zimbabwe coach Alan Butcher was looking forward to the challenge. “Pro20 cricket is about who is the better team on the day, the uncertainty of this format is what makes it so exciting. When a team plays Pro20 cricket, the outcome can never be set in stone as the margin for an upset becomes wider,” Butcher said. “The key is to focus for all twenty overs.”

The Global Cricket Academy, comprising state-of-the-art cricket facilities for international as well as local cricketers, was launched in Dubai on Tuesday. The academy, first announced as a project in 2004, is part of the Dubai Sports City – a project to construct world-class sporting infrastructure in Dubai – and is managed by the ICC.It includes an indoor training facility featuring a fielding area and seven pitches of varying character – ranging from those supporting turn to those which are seamer-friendly. These will be monitored by cameras for technical analysis while ball-tracking technology cameras will also be available for recording each delivery.The indoor facilities also include class rooms, meeting rooms, a technology suite and a gymnasium. In addition, they academy boasts of 38 floodlit outdoor practice pitches, including 28 turf tracks, that replicate playing conditions across the various Test-playing nations.Apart from being used for developmental and grassroots purposes, the facilities will also be used by teams for their preparation for the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent. The venue will also be hosting the Intercontinental Cup final between Afghanistan and Ireland in December and the World Cricket League Division Two in April next year.The global cricket academy has also recruited three coaches – former Australia wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, former Pakistan allrounder Mudassar Nazar and former New Zealand fast bowler Dayle Hadlee.”This outstanding academy will provide a pathway for the world’s current and emerging international players to excel. It will also become the centre of excellence for cricket’s best and brightest administrators, coaches, umpires and curators,” ICC president Sharad Pawar said. “With its state-of-the-art programmes, facilities and coaches, the ICC GCA will provide a home for a wide range of our stakeholders from both the traditional Full Members and the developing Associate and Affiliate Members. We believe the ICC GCA is key in making our great sport, even greater.”The managing director of Dubai Sports City, Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, said: “This is indeed a historic and momentous occasion for world cricket and another significant milestone in the evolution of Dubai Sports City. This academy project has come about through our excellent partnership with the ICC.”The academy is world class and will provide top training conditions for elite cricketers from all over the world. It will also have a significant and positive impact on UAE cricket.”The ingenuity of the various programmes and the design of the ICC GCA enable young and developing cricketers to benefit immensely. This is a great day.”

Series Facts

October 29, Abu Dhabi
Start time 15:00 (11:00 GMT)All eyes will be on Younis Khan who will making his comeback to international cricket•AFP

The Big Picture

It’s no state secret that Pakistan’s Achilles heel is their batting. Watching their familiar collapses leaves you with a feeling of numbness these days. It’s the same script that seems to be playing on an endless loop: the openers combust mindlessly, Umar Akmal plays couple of pretty shots before throwing his wicket away, Shahid Afridi biffs a few big shots before holing out, and the innings meanders aimlessly in the end.Will the one-day series against South Africa turn out to be different? Younis Khan is back but there is no Mohammad Yousuf or Shoaib Malik. Much will depend on how fast the hugely-talented Umar Akmal matures and how long Shahid Afridi can remain calm. Mohammad Hafeez bowled well in the Twenty20 games but didn’t last long with the bat. Again, it was the same-old failing: couple of quality hits preceded an adrenalin rush that led to his dismissal. Can he turn it around in the ODI series?South Africa will be reinforced by the return of Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, and Dale Steyn. It will be interesting to see who makes way for Kallis in the middle order. Will it be the impressive Colin Ingram, who played such a cool finishing hand in both Twenty20s, or will it be David Miller? While Ingram offers stability, Miller offers explosiveness – who will they choose?

Form guide

(most recent first)
South Africa: WWWWW
Pakistan: LWWLL

Watch out for…

Younis Khan is back but won’t get much breathing space to ease into the team. The middle order lacks the experience of Yousuf and Malik, and Pakistan will hope that Younis can hold the innings together in the middle overs. He has struggled in the last two years, though: in the 27 games he played during that period, he averaged 25.11 with just one hundred. In the eight matches he played in the last year, he averaged just 11.12. He doesn’t have a great record against South Africa: he averages 25.92 from 29 ODIs at a strike rate of 66.97
Graeme Smith He averaged 28 from three games against Zimbabwe. He hit a painstaking, but vital, 38 in the second Twenty20 game against Pakistan where he struggled against the spinners but didn’t throw his wicket away. It will be interesting to track his progress through this series.

Team news

Pakistan have a few tough batting decisions to make. It’s a battle between the old and the new: Younis and Misbah v the youngsters they will displace. Will Asad Shafiq and Fawad Alam get chances? Will Shahzaib Hasan be dropped or will it be Imran Farhat? Will Hafeez be played as an opener?
Pakistan (possible): 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Mohammed Hafeez, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Umar Akmal, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shahid Afridi (capt), 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Zulqarnain Haider (wk), 9 Umar Gul, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Saeed Ajmal.South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (wk),5 JP Duminy, 6 Colin Ingram/David Miller, 7 Albie Morkel/Rusty Theron, 8 Morne Morkel, 9 Johan Botha, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Dale Steyn.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have won their last nine ODI games. Their previous eight wins have come against West Indies and Zimbabwe.
• Johan Botha’s career bowling average is 39.57 but it skyrockets to 102.50 from five matches against Pakistan. His economy rate climbs from a career average of 4.62 to 5.06 against Pakistan. Dale Steyn is yet to play an ODI against Pakistan.
  

  Quotes

  “You’ve got two guys [Morkel and Steyn]. One has bounce and he can hit 145 kph, the other has swing and can hit 140 to 150kph. They are wonderful assets to have. “