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The Christchurch Junior Cricket Association Draw for Saturday is:(All matches to start at 9am)Senior Traditional Two-day Section 1 and 2, second day of two.Senior Traditional One-daySection 1:Es4 v Bwu2 Burn5,Pk4 v Syd5 Beck2,Hsob1 v Bwu3 Hgsc,Sum1 v Es5 Bar1,Horn1 Bye.Section 2:Lpw2 v Bwu4 Ens2,Horn2 v Sum2 Dent1,Syd2 v Hals3 Hals2,Syd6 v Syd7 Syd2,Sum3 v Nb2 Raw2,Stc1 v Mp1 Emc1.Section 3:Bwu6 v Syd8 Burn7,Bwu7 v Stc2 Burn8,Lpw4 v Upr1 Rd1,Es6 v Bwu5 Cla2.Junior Traditional One-daySection 1:Syd17 v Es11 Stal1,Syd14 v Es10 Stal2,Heath1 v Pk5 Hd1.Section 2:Hals5 v Bwu9 Burn9,Horn3 v Es12 Stal3,Sum4 v Lpw5 Ens3,Hals4 v Nb3 Halss1a,Syd15 v Hare2 Cash1.Section 3:Lpw6 v Syd18 Syd4,Bwu8 v Upr3 Rd2,Hals6 v Pk6 Park1,Upr2 v Nb4 Ilam6.Junior ModifiedZone 1:Bwu10 v Hals7 Polo2a,Hals8 v Bwu11 Polo1a,Sum5 v Hsob3 Polo3a.Zone 2:Es15 v Syd21 Sis1a,Syd20 v Mp3 Polo4a,Nb4 v Es16 Southbd1a,Syd22 v Es14 Thor1a,Mp2 Bye.Junior AverageZone 1:Sum6 v Hals11 Brgn9,Lpw8 v Hals9 Brgn8,Heath2 v Lpw9 Brgn7,Hals10 v Sum7 Brgn6,Hals12v Syd35 Brgn5,Syd30 v Syd34 Brgn4,Syd33 v Syd31 Brgn3,Hh2 v Syd32 Brgn2.Zone2:Nb6 v Nb5 Walt4,Pk7 v Syd37 Brgn1,Es24 v Hare3 BurwN1,Syd36 v Es23 Brgn10,Es25 Bye.Zone3:Horn4 v Mp4 Jel2,Mp5 v Hsob4 Jel3,Hare4 v Ricc1 Jel4.KiwiZone1:Syd40 v Lpw10 Brad1,Syd42 v Hh3 Brad2,Sum8 v Hals13 Brad3,Hasl14 v Syd43 Brad4,Heath3 v Syd41 Brad5,Sum9 v Syd44 Brad6.Zone 2:Nb7 v Nb8 Walt1.Zone3:Pk8 v Ricc2 Jel1,Upr4 v Pk9 Jel5,Mp6 v Mp7 Jel6,Horn6 v Tait1 Jel7,Horn5 Bye.

Close England XI 225 for 5 (Butcher 105*, Jones 4*) lead Sri Lanka Cricket President’s XI 181 (Perera 55*, Kirtley 4-41) by 44 runs
Scorecard

Mark Butcher completed his first first-class century of the winter, as England’s batsmen reacquainted themselves with the middle of a cricket ground, after a frustrating week of washouts and waiting. Butcher had been worryingly out of touch during the Bangladesh series last month, but was back to his fluent best as England reached 225 for 5 at the rain-imposed close, a lead of 44.With Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick taking a break from this match, the onus was on England’s Test specialists to come up with the bulk of the runs. And, with the exception of Nasser Hussain, who was unluckily bowled off his thighpad for a second-ball duck, they have so far delivered. Butcher added 93 for the second wicket with Graham Thorpe, whose eye for the gap was as astute as ever, and by the time Freddie Flintoff had walloped 47 from 53 balls, England were in a handy position.After taking their time to settle, Butcher and Thorpe rattled along at more than four an over. But, just when Thorpe looked to be hitting top gear, he allowed himself to get carried away after smearing two boundaries off Dilhara Fernando, and was caught behind in the same over, as he snicked an attempted pull (96 for 2).As England’s captain, Flintoff announced himself in the only appropriate manner – by hoisting his first ball for a six over square leg – and all but trod on his stumps in the process. He thumped three sixes in all, one of which clanged off the corrugated-iron roof of the green hut at cow corner. But, with tea approaching, Russel Arnold turned to the legspin of Bathiya Perera, and Flintoff clubbed his first ball down the throat of Chamila Gamage at midwicket (189 for 3).Butcher reached his century in emphatic style, by hoisting Thilan Samaraweera down the ground for a straight six, although England’s progress was slowed by two run-outs – Chris Read, who was beaten by a throw from point, and Gareth Batty, who was cruelly sent on his way after Butcher’s straight drive had clipped Samaraweera on the way through to the stumps. Before Geraint Jones could make an impact on his representative debut, however, the rains rolled in once again.

In the morning session, England had endured a frustrating half-hour in the field, as Perera converted his overnight 29 into an opportunistic half-century. England didn’t help their cause by missing two catches in the slip cordon, and they watched a host of edges fly down to the unguarded third-man boundary as the President’s XI moved along to 181 in their first innings.Perera took full advantage with an unbeaten 55, although he ought to have added just five runs to his overnight 29, when Geraint Jones fingertipped a diving chance to his right off James Kirtley. Nandika Ranjith was later dropped at second slip by Thorpe – his second miss of the match.Flintoff had earlier persuaded Gamage to fend a sharp chance to Batty in the gully, and Batty himself wrapped up the innings with the wicket of Ranjith, courtesy of Jones, who redeemed himself with another smart stumping.

Gary Kirsten, South Africa’s leading Test runscorer, has been linked with a one-year contract with Sussex for 2004. Kirsten is tipped to replace the former Zimbabwean Test batsman Murray Goodwin, who was unhappy when the county champions could only offer him a one-year contract.Kirsten, 36, has played 95 Tests to date, and has scored nearly 7000 runs, with 19 centuries – all South African records. Yesterday he dropped out of the first Test against West Indies, which starts on Friday (Dec 12), as his wife is about to give birth to their first child. But Kirsten is keen to return and become the first South African to win 100 Test caps, which – barring injury or loss of form – he should do on tour in New Zealand early next year. He has confirmed that he will retire from Test cricket after that series.If Goodwin does leave, as expected, it will mean that his last innings for Sussex will be his 335 not out against Leicestershire at Hove in September – the highest individual score in the county’s history – in the match that sealed Sussex’s first County Championship title.Peter Moores, Sussex’s director of coaching, confirmed that Kirsten was in their thoughts: “There are a few names in the hat, and one of them is Gary Kirsten,” he said. “He’s defintiely our sort of cricketer.”

Close Auckland 213 for 3 (Vincent 115*) trail Canterbury 443 (Papps 130, Harris 103, Fulton 68) by 230 runs
ScorecardLou Vincent served a reminder to the New Zealand selectors in his first outing since being dropped from the national one-day side. Playing for Auckland against Canterbury, he ended the second day unbeaten on 115, scored off 119 balls. He emulated the performance of Chris Harris, the Canterbury captain, who scored 103 after being dropped from the international side, helping Canterbury reach 443.Aaron Barnes, the Auckland medium-pacer, did the damage in the Canterbury innings with career-best figures of 4 for 55 off 29.5 overs. Kerry Walmsley took 3 for 66. For Auckland, Mark Richardson contributed 41 as they ended the day on 213 for 3.Close Central Districts 350 and 1 for 0 lead Otago 209 (Mason 5-62) by 142 runs
ScorecardNot even a debilitating virus that swept through the Central Districts players at Pukekura Park could prevent them from taking control of the match against Otago. After scoring 350 in their first innings, Central Districts reduced Otago to 89 for 7. Jordan Sheed and Neil Rushton lifted the score to 169 for 9, and a useful 33 by Brad Scott helped the team finish with 209. Michael Mason took 5 for 62 for Central Districts, his best figures of the season. In the two overs before stumps, Central Districts were 1 without loss.Close Wellington 250 and 115 for 7 (Bell 60) lead Northern Districts 125 by 240 runs
ScorecardIn a match that seemed destined for an early finish, Wellington made good use of their 125-run first-innings advantage. Northern Districts had a poor start and were 54 for 7 before Mark Orchard and Bruce Martin added 70 runs for the eighth wicket. Orchard ended on 39 not out after 192 minutes of batting. James Franklin took 4 for 34, including the last two wickets off successive balls.But Wellington struggled with the bat in their second innings. After their openers had added 48, they lost six wickets for the addition of only 35 more. Martin, the left-arm spinner, took wickets off successive balls, and though Franklin denied him the hat-trick, he was out soon after.Martin had 4 for 30 and Gareth West 2 for 5. The solitary innings of defiance was provided by Matthew Bell, who scored for 60 off 110 balls.

Three of the top four teams, Northerns, Gauteng and Easterns, had to settlefor shared points as the two Standard Bank Cup matches scheduled for the wetJohannesburg area were abandoned without a ball being bowled.PointstableEasterns v Northerns Match abandoned due to rain
ScorecardGauteng v Free State Match abandoned due to rain
ScorecardNortherns and Easterns shared the points at Willowmoore Park while Gautengand Free State did the same at the Wanderers.KwaZulu-Natal 272 for 4 (Pollock 134*, Amla 54) beat EasternProvince 194 (Bradfield 41, Klusener 2-28, McLean 2-38, Kent 2-40) by 78runs
ScorecardAt Durban, KwaZulu-Natal at last completed a match without any raininterruptions. Shaun Pollock, having been given permission by the nationalselectors to bat but not bowl, surprised everyone when he strode out forNatal batting at No. 3. Just 111 balls later, he had scored his second and highest one-day century. His 134 not out included 13 fours and four sixes. Hashim Amla scored 54 with Lance Klusener, who has been recalled to the national team, unlucky to be run out for 17 two overs before the end. A target of 273 was always going to be a daunting task for Eastern Provincewho were eventually bowled out for 194 with an over to spare. Carl Bradfield,back in the team after resigning as captain, scored a fluent 41 while therest of the batting crumbled against a useful attack. Klusenershowed just why he had been recalled. taking 2 for 28 in 8.5tight overs. Nixon McLean and Jon Kent also took two wickets each.Griqualand West 252 for 7 (Afridi 72, Bosman 36, Albertyn 2-44)beat Boland 235 for 7 (Davids 122*, Afridi 2-29) by 17 runs
ScorecardA whirlwind 72 off 32 balls from Shahid Afridi lifted Griqualand West to 252for 7 against a shocked Boland attack at Kimberley. Afridi posted eight fours and five sixes in his 52-minute knock, and helped his side reach the hundred in the 12th over. A dramatic decrease in the runrate, after the departure of Afridi, saw Griquas reach 252 for 7 at the endof their 45 overs. Henry Davids fought a lone battle for Boland, but even his maiden one-dayhundred was not enough to take his side home. With no real partnershipsdeveloping and the next-best score 22 from Ersamus Hendrikse, Bolandwere never in the hunt.Border 174 for 2 (Kreusch 106*, Pope 47*) beat North West172 for 8 (Celliers 40, Graham 4-32) by 8 wickets
ScorecardAt East London, Border restricted wooden-spoonists North West to 172 for 8,with Liam Graham taking 4 for 32. Grant Celliers (40) and Davie Jacobs (32) werenot able to build on fruitful starts as wickets fell around them. In need of a bonus point, Border made a disastrous start, losing both openerswithin the first seven overs. This brought Steven Pope and the captain,Justin Kreusch, to the crease. Batting at a run a ball and striking 17 superbboundaries, Kreusch went to his maiden one-day hundred, while Pope made surehe kept his end going with 47 not out. Victory in 34.3 overs ensured thatBorder still have an outside chance of reaching the semi-finals.

ScorecardDay 1
Bulletin – Zimbabwe made to battle on opening day
Verdict – Rafique holds the keyDay 2
Bulletin – Streak caps off Zimbabwe’s day
Verdict – Zimbabwe slow off the markDay 3
Bulletin – Ashraful takes the fight to Zimbabwe
Verdict – A basement battleDay 4
Bulletin – Blignaut’s hat-trick takes Zimbabwe close to victory
Test hat-tricks
Verdict – Blignaut’s big finishDay 5
Bulletin – Zimbabwe complete the formalities
Verdict – Definitely maybe an oasis

Scorecard

Two men who started this series on the periphery of things grabbed the limelight on an enthralling opening day’s play at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. First, Umar Gul – a late replacement for Shabbir Ahmed – bowled a magnificent spell that reduced India to 147 for 7, and then Yuvraj Singh, in only his third Test, stroked a glorious 129-ball 112 to take his side to 287. By stumps, Pakistan had knocked off 61 from the deficit, for the loss of Taufeeq Umar.India’s innings, after Rahul Dravid won the toss, had three distinct phases – dominance, collapse, and eventual recovery to a total that was nevertheless somewhat below par. For a 90-minute spell either side of lunch, when Gul’s control of line and length fetched him splendid figures of 5 for 31, it appeared as though they might not reach 180, but Yuvraj and Irfan Pathan – who showed genuine class with the bat – evened up matters with a 117-run partnership characterised by some stunning strokeplay.After Aakash Chopra departed for 4, trapped in front by Mohammad Sami, Virender Sehwag took up where he had left off in Multan. A slashed six over point off Shoaib Akhtar set the tone, and he followed up with some beautiful off-drives as both Sami and Shoaib failed to make use of favourable conditions on a green-tinged pitch.The complexion of the match changed after the drinks break, by which time Gul had come on to replace the huffing-and-puffing Shoaib. He got Sehwag with one that pitched just outside off stump – Kamran Akmal, deputising for Moin Khan, took a regulation catch – and then delivered a real knockout punch. Sachin Tendulkar was struck high on the pad in front of the stumps, and Simon Taufel lifted the finger, though there was some doubt about whether the ball might have gone over the stumps (75 for 3).VVS Laxman played one withering square cut off Shoaib, but otherwise appeared ill at ease, and when Gul tempted him with one outside off, he nibbled it through to Taufeeq at second slip (94 for 4).Yuvraj was quickly into his stride with a nonchalant flick for four off Gul, but India’s innings was in tatters soon after. Dravid had rarely been troubled during his 33, but when he flashed at a fairly wide one from Gul, Inzamam-ul-Haq took a fine low catch at slip (125 for 5). Parthiv Patel didn’t trouble the scorers, bizarrely choosing to shoulder arms to a straight one from Gul (127 for 6).

Ajit Agarkar made just 2 before edging Shoaib behind the stumps – the only success for Pakistan’s ineffectual spearhead – but his dismissal set the stage for a remarkable rearguard action. Yuvraj was especially ruthless on the radar-less Sami – hooking, cutting and square-driving him for four fours in an over.Pathan got going with a sumptuous off-drive off Shoaib for four, and there were also two quite magnificent square-drives when Sami pitched it in the slot. Yuvraj continued to bat in imperious fashion, slamming Danish Kaneria for six over long-on, and then sweeping him over deep square leg for six more. By tea, it was Pakistan under siege, as both Yuvraj and Pathan struck the ball with a fluency that made a mockery of the supposedly bowler-friendly conditions.Yuvraj was dropped by Akmal off Sami – a sharp chance low to his left when he had made 97 – but Pakistan made the breakthrough soon after, when Pathan slapped a half-volley straight back to Kaneria. He departed having made an excellent 49, with his parents watching from one of the enclosures.A misfield at cover gave Yuvraj his century, and he celebrated with a disdainful pull for four when Shoaib returned for a new spell. But Sami, shockingly wayward in conceding 117 from 23 overs, got rid of Lakshmipathy Balaji, and Yuvraj was finally out, sweeping Kaneria down to Imran Farhat at deep midwicket, as India folded for 287 in just 64.1 overs.Balaji sneaked one through Taufeeq’s defence late in the day, but India knew that they would have to bowl extremely well on day two to wrest the initiative back from a rejuvenated Pakistan side that had rediscovered its appetite for the big occasion. After four days of one-way traffic in Multan, the series had finally become the contest that we all hoped for.

Brett Lee, who was forced to return home from Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka, will undergo minor surgery on his ankle on March 23. Lee suffered the injury during the tour match against the Sri Lankan Board President’s XI in Colombo, and underwent further evaluation by specialists, with diagnostic scans, in Sydney this week.He will be operated on for posterior impingement of his left ankle by Kim Slater at Castlecrag Private Hospital in Sydney, and will then undergo a lengthy rehabilitation process, though it is not yet known for how long he will be sidelined.”Obviously I have been bowling with some discomfort for a little while now, and despite receiving plenty of treatment on the ankle, it was still causing me some trouble,” said Lee. “After consulting with my surgeon and the Australian team support staff, the decision to have the ankle operated on and try to resolve the problem once and for all is the sensible option.”Lee hoped that a long-term solution would put an end to his injury woes. “While it’s disappointing not to be playing right now, I need to make sure the ankle is right so that I can look to be playing in the longer term, rather than trying to apply a short term fix,” he said. “After the operation, I will be doing everything I can with rehabilitation to get back to 100% fitness and hopefully playing for Australia as soon as I can.”Trevor Hohns, the chairman of Australia’s selectors, stressed the importance of Lee taking the rehabilitation process seriously. “Brett is a player we regard as a long-term prospect for Australia, and in that sense we need to make sure he is fully rehabilitated so that he can continue his career over a long period,” he said. “The most important thing for Brett is that the injury problem is addressed and he has ample time to heal properly, so that when he returns to competitive cricket, he is fully fit and injury-free.”Lee faces a battle to be fit for the tour of India later this year, as Australia – fresh on the heels of a superb series victory in Sri Lanka – bid once again to conquer what has been called their “final frontier”.

Australia have announced their Test and one-day squads for the forthcoming tour of Zimbabwe. Glenn McGrath returns to both the squads, having recovered from an ankle injury, while Cameron White, the all-rounder from Victoria, gets the national call-up for the first time. White comes into the squad in place of Stuart MacGill, who has pulled out due to personal reasons. The two to miss out from the squad that toured Sri Lanka last month are Andrew Symonds and Shaun Tait.Shane Watson has been recalled to the one-day squad following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a back injury. Watson last played in the VB Series in 2002-03.Trevor Hohns, the chairman of the national selection panel, confirmed that McGrath had fully recovered from an ankle injury. “Glenn’s 100% and ready to go,” he said, “so it’s sensible that he returns to the squad given his prior status as the premier fast bowler in the world. With the short nature of the tour it’s a good opportunity for Glenn to ease his way back into competitive cricket.”Hohns said that MacGill’s decision to skip the tour gave the selectors a chance to pick White. “We were keen to take two spinners to Zimbabwe and given Stuart’s unavailability for the tour, we now have an opportunity to look at one of our younger spinners in Cameron with a view to the future. His form in the Pura Cup with both bat and ball was very good, and we’re looking forward to seeing him take the next step on the international stage.”Hohns added that Symonds’s inclusion in to the squad for the Sri Lanka series was “exclusively based on the conditions in that country” and with the squad-strength being reduced from 15 to 13, an extra batsman would not be necessary. “We all know that Andrew’s a quality player and never out of our thoughts because of the flexibility he offers our squads with his all-round talents.”Both the squads will assemble in Brisbane for a three-day pre-tour camp on May 9. The Test squad will depart for Zimbabwe on Thursday May 13.Test squad
1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Justin Langer, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Darren Lehmann, 6 Simon Katich, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Jason Gillespie, 9 Michael Kasprowicz, 10 Glenn McGrath, 11 Shane Warne, 12 Cameron White, 13 Brad WilliamsOne-day squad
1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Darren Lehmann, 6 Michael Clarke, 7 Andrew Symonds, 8 Ian Harvey, 9 Brad Hogg, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Michael Kasprowicz, 12 Glenn McGrath, 13 Shane Watson, 14 Brad WilliamsTour itinerary
17 May Two-day game v Zimbabwe A CFX Academy, Harare
23 May First Test v Zimbabwe Harare Sports Ground, Harare
29 May Second Test v Zimbabwe Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
6 June First ODI v Zimbabwe Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
9 June Second ODI v Zimbabwe Harare Sports Ground, Harare
12 June Third ODI v Zimbabwe Harare Sports Ground, Harare

Scorecard

Runs might not have flowed off the bat, but the fourth day of the Lord’s Test was a pulsating affair with fortunes ebbing and flowing throughout. At the close, England were 8 for 0, needing another 274 runs to win.New Zealand’s hero was Mark Richardson, who made up for his first-innings disappointment by scoring 101. As with all Richardson innings, it was one savoured by the purists – and the Beige Brigade – rather than by anyone brought up on the crash-bang-wallop of one-day cricket. Cruelly sawn off by Darrell Hair on 93 late on Thursday, only the most hardened England supporter could have wanted him to miss out again as he struggled through the nervous nineties.He reached his hundred with a scrambled single, crouched down for a brief private moment, before jumping up and punching the air in delight. The warm appreciation from the crowd showed that they realised the importance of his innings. In a world which demands instant gratification, there is still room for a good old-fashioned plodder.Were it not for Richardson then New Zealand would be facing defeat as their other batsmen, with the exception of the unwell Nathan Astle, failed to ignite. The pace of play was slow – the last couple of days had not been frenetic, but cameos from Chris Cairns and Andrew Flintoff had enlivened them. Today, there was no such cameo, but it was gripping stuff nevertheless. The three-quarter-full ground obviously thought so, as there wasn’t a hint of a Mexican wave, usually the first hint of boredom.The Brendon McCullum who batted this morning was a shadow of the confident strokeplayer who hit the ball to all parts last night. As his hundred beckoned he retreated further into his shell with each delivery he faced, and with Richardson playing the anchor role at the other end, runs dried up.The turning point came with the introduction of Simon Jones. Getting considerable reverse swing with the old ball, he tormented McCullum, repeatedly beating the outside edge, and there was an inevitability when he finally found the outside edge for Geraint Jones to hold the easiest of chances (180 for 3). McCullum made 96 and for the third time in the match a New Zealander had been deprived of a deserved hundred.

His dismissal triggered a mini-collapse, and it was Giles who did the damage with two wickets in an over. Until then, he had cast a lonely figure as he wheeled away with the batsmen using their feet to him with what amounted to contempt. But Scott Styris’s record against left-armers is not good, and his defensive jab found the edge as Nasser Hussain took a good reflex catch at silly point (187 for 3). Craig McMillan clearly decided on a policy of hammering Giles, but his attempted sweep off his second ball tickled the bottom edge of his bat and Hussain took another good catch (187 for 4).When Jacob Oram was well run-out by Hussain shortly after lunch, New Zealand were 203 for 5, a lead of only 148. But Richardson and Astle dug in, and their sixth-wicket stand of 84 thwarted England through the afternoon. Giles, boosted by his success, bowled unchanged from the Nursery End for a session and a half, and Jones continued to probe without reward.England enjoyed their best period after tea when they grabbed four quick wickets, three to Stephen Harmison who took 3 for 16 in five overs – and eight of the runs he conceded were edged boundaries which on another day might have gone to hand. He dismissed Richardson, Astle, and Daniel Vettori, all caught by Geraint Jones, and Giles picked up a third when Mark Butcher held a diving catch at deep midwicket to remove the dangerous Chris Cairns for 14.But Geraint Jones then turned from hero to villain when he spilt an oh-so-routine chance from Daryl Tuffey off Harmsion. That was with the score on 314 for 9, and eight runs later Martin was bowled by a Simon Jones no-ball. Tuffey rode his luck, and with Chris Martin went on to add another 24 runs before Andrew Flintoff bowled Martin with the first ball of a new spell.England were left with a tricky five overs which they negotiated with few alarms. They will have to bat well tomorrow, but the pitch remains true and the weather forecast is good. It promises to be a belter.Admission at Lord’s on Monday is £10 (adults), £5 (U-16 and OAPs).Martin Williamson is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo.