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Scorecard

Trinidad and Tobago had victory over Barbados, and their first regional first-class title in 21 years, in sight after three days of their Carib Beer Series match yesterday. Chasing 412 runs to win, Barbados were 112 for 6 in their second innings when bad light stopped play six overs early at the Carlton Sports Club.Dave Mohammed snared three wickets for 21 runs from ten overs in the 50 minutes before the close of play, Mervyn Dillon collected two early scalps, and Amit Jaggernauth added another to put the Barbadians on the back foot. Ryan Hinds’ 32, Dale Richards’ 31, and Wayne Blackman’s 25 have been Barbados’ best efforts with the bat. T&T, leading by 92 runs on first innings, were dismissed for 319 in their second innings about 45 minutes after the lunch interval. Lendl Simmons, the opener, hit 115, his second first-class hundred to top-score for the visitors, Daren Ganga, T&T’s captain, retired hurt for 59, and Brian Lara scored 47 at better than a run-a-ball. Fidel Edwards was the most successful Barbados bowler with 4 for 56 from 11 overs, and Ryan Austin took 3 for 64 from 14.2 overs of offspin.Barbados, though, appeared to be making a fight of it when Richards batted for almost an hour to put up a 41-run opening stand. Dillon, however, made the breakthrough when he had Richards adjudged lbw for 31 playing across a full-length delivery, and in his next over added the scalp of Kurt Wilkinson, brilliantly caught at mid-off by a flying Richard Kelly for a duck. Hinds, Barbados’ captain, came to the wicket and with Blackman carried Barbados to 41 for 2 at tea. The two consolidated Barbados’ position with a partnership of 45 for the third wicket, after rain delayed the resumption after the break by almost half-hour. Blackman had dropped anchor and looked solid enough until he played back to a googly from Mohammed and was adjudged lbw.The most controversial moment of the game, however, was just around the corner, when Hinds, moving down the pitch to loft a delivery from Mohammed, was deceived by the flight and was dubiously adjudged lbw by Tunley Franklyn, the Barbadian umpire. Two more wickets fell in the space of seven balls, when Alcindo Holder was caught at square cover for 8 advancing and unleashing an ill-advised almighty heave, and Patrick Browne was neatly caught behind off Jaggernauth for a duck.Earlier, the runs continued to flow for T&T, after they resumed from their bedtime position of 145 for 1. Simmons and Ganga scored as they pleased, with the younger batsman arriving at his landmark with a single on a misfield. The pair added 122 for the second wicket before Simmons was caught at backward square leg top-edging a sweep after batting for just over three hours, facing 151 balls and striking 14 boundaries.Lara arrived and was simply Lara, adding 72 with Ganga for the third wicket in the last 45 minutes before lunch. He struck half-dozen fours and a couple of sixes – one over the pavilion at square leg off Austin, the other over long-on off Ryan Nurse – from 31 balls before he was caught inside the deep midwicket boundary. Ganga, who had been struck on his forearm by Edwards, retired hurt during lunch and was whisked away for a precautionary X-ray that did not contain bad news. His absence energised the Barbadians, and they removed the last six T&T wickets for 32 runs in the space of 4.2 overs. None of them scored more than ten, but the lead was significant enough by then. No team has scored more than 400 runs to win a regional first-class match. The Windwards have come closest, scoring 371 to defeat the same T&T by two wickets more than two decades ago at Queen’s Park Oval.Victory would draw T&T level with Barbados on 36 points and, based on head-to-head results, the Trinis would finally be able to get the monkey off their backs. T&T last won the regional first-class title in 1985 under Ranjie Nanan, former West Indies offspin bowler.

This has been a Test match of two pitches – one for Virender Sehwag, and one for everybody else. While his less-cavalier team-mates and opponents played with excessive caution and a distinct lack of initiative, Sehwag blazed away with the insouciance that has come to be his calling-card. While the watch-and-wait set eked out 747 runs from 1600 balls, Sehwag’s thrilling 164 occupied just 228 deliveries, with 56 coming from only 35 balls after lunch.After withstanding probing spells from Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock in the morning, Sehwag teed off with élan once the second-stringers came on. Three overs from Andrew Hall, Zander de Bruyn and Robin Peterson disappeared for 46, as shots started to streak past the fielders – and over them. And like Sachin Tendulkar in his pomp – who can forget that 114 at the WACA in 1992 in a match where India were eviscerated? – the match situation didn’t faze him one bit.With the afternoon blitz, he also became the seventh batsman past 1000 runs in the calendar year, though his 1020 runs at 72.85 against top-notch bowling – he has only played Australia and Pakistan – puts him a country mile ahead of his rivals, some of whom have filled their boots against the likes of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, in the quality stakes.It’s the 13th time that an Indian has surpassed the 1000-barrier, with Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar both doing it four times. And Sehwag now has three more Tests – one against South Africa and two against hapless Bangladesh – to overhaul Sunil Gavaskar’s Indian record of 1555 runs, set in 1979, a year immortalised in song by the Smashing Pumpkins. Sir Vivian Richards’s tally of 1710 appears to be safe, though you can never take anything for granted when Sehwag is in the mood.But while Sehwag will justifiably take the plaudits, due credit must go to Gautam Gambhir, who kept pace with him for all but the last half-hour, when nerves induced by the nearness of a century paralysed his hitherto dashing strokeplay. There was also an interesting little cameo from Sourav Ganguly, who remains the favourite whipping boy of the Indian media despite averaging 50.16 over the past nine Tests he has played.It won’t stop the conspiracy theories or the innuendoes about likely prospects being kept out because of the captain’s insecurity, but it should remind the men that matter that Ganguly – for all his flaws, and every batsman has them – still has plenty to offer with the bat alone. If nothing else, he still times the ball with a sweetness that others can only envy: the shot to the long-on fence that raised his fifty was little more than a defensive tap, and there was one scorching square-drive off Pollock which was as gorgeous as anything he ever produced in his heyday.Interminable time, rather than timing, characterised Rahul Dravid’s effort, as he chiselled out perhaps the ugliest half-century of a career epitomised by laid-back elegance. It’s a mark of the man’s bloody-mindedness, and refusal to be enslaved by the vagaries of form, that he’s still there after four hours of playing, missing, edging, prodding and strokes of luck.South Africa certainly won’t whine about Dame Fortune, though. Simon Taufel’s decision to give Sehwag out off a borderline call allowed them to regroup after a manic post-lunch phase when the dark and murky sky above appeared to the only limit for a shotmaker who is currently superior to every other when it comes to consistency and entertainment value.

Faisalabad set Sialkot a stiff victory target of 389 runs, on the third day of their Pentangular Cup match at Lahore.By stumps, Sialkot in their run chase reached 25 for the loss of one wicket. Faisalabad, following their emphatic nine-wicket triumph over Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in the first round last week, now sense their second win coming their way.Sialkot resumed at their overnight score of 208 for 7, still needing a further 51 to avert the follow-on. Thanks to a 51-run eighth-wicket stand and another worth 42 for the last wicket, they saved themselves and took their first innings total to 271.Faisalabad still attained a big first innings lead of 137. In their second outing, they compiled 251 for eight and declared 388 runs ahead to leave Sialkot a rather tough task to conjure up an improbable win.Tahir Mughal, the Sialkot captain, scored 51 runs off 75 balls with five fours. Asim Butt, following his bowling effort of 6 for 85, scored a rapid 32 off only 19 balls with five fours and a six in a crucial last-wicket partnership with Sarfraz Ahmed.Faisalabad got off to a flying start in their second innings, putting on 107 for the first wicket with Mohammad Hafeez following his first innings 113 with another important knock of 60, his runs coming off 101 balls with seven fours and a six.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has given the players an April 21 deadline to settle the retainer contracts or face being axed from the squad.The WICB cricket committee – comprising the chairman Clive Lloyd, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Desmond Haynes, Deryck Murray and Ian Bishop – issued a statement regarding the retainer contracts issue which said, “The WICB made a proposal to the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) on January 12 on the issue of retainer contracts for West Indies players. It was a good offer, fully competitive with other full member countries of the world. After some three months, we have been unable to conclude an agreement in spite of an increase on our original proposal of five percent.”We have been at a loss to understand the reasons for this matter being dragged out as long as it has, until today. Information has now reached us that discussions are taking place between certain players and interests in direct competition with our major sponsor.”We continue to hope that this information is incorrect. Nonetheless, time has run out on us and we can no longer permit this situation to be dragged out interminably. We shall therefore recommend to the WICB board of directors that a firm cut-off point be established on Friday April 21 for the retainer contracts to be settled. Thereafter the team shall be selected based on those players who make themselves available.”Dinanath Ramnarine, the WIPA president, had said that the WICB was slowing down the process of trying to conclude an agreement over long-standing issues. He said that Lloyd had called on WIPA to try and reach an agreement over retainer contracts by mid-April but maintained that the WIPA would not rush to sign a contract for the sake of signing”The gist of it and the question we have to ask ourselves is if we sign the retainer contracts, are the players going to be better off,” Ramnarine told the . “We are not going to be pressured by anybody into signing a retainer contract because we are the only team that does not have a retainer contract. We will sign the retainer contract once we believe that it is a fair and reasonable contract and it is in the best interest of the player. We are not going to be put under pressure by anybody. I don’t have any pressure from my members. They are well aware of what is taking place and are very supportive.”

Ireland coach Adrian Birrell has admitted his side is “desperate” to beat United Arab Emirates in the final group match of the ICC Intercontinental Cup, the first-class tournament for the top Associate sides, which starts at Abu Dhabi on Saturday.Reflecting on Ireland’s performance in winning just one match in five in the recent World Cricket League tournament in Kenya, Birrell said: “This match is a good opportunity for us to get back on track after a difficult couple of weeks. We lost some very close matches in the World Cricket League and I don’t think we deserved to finish fifth overall.”We played better than that but sometimes your performance is not always reflected in the results. We are desperate to get something from this tour and if we beat the UAE it will be a big boost for us. Not only will it put us in the final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup but it will help us psychologically as we make our final preparations for the West Indies.”Ireland are the defending champions after beating Kenya in a thrilling final in Namibia in late 2005 and they must win at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in order to pip European rivals Scotland to a place in the final against Canada.But that will be easier said than done. Trent Johnston’s side are understandably low after their losses in Kenya, especially as the failure to reach the final of the tournament for the top six Associates has cost them the chance to play in the Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa later this year.Qualification would have earned the Irish Cricket Union US$250,000, boosted the side’s profile at home and abroad, and left everyone on a high ahead of the side’s first ever appearance in the World Cup in the West Indies next month. But now the players need to pick themselves up and perform against a UAE side that has already shown they can be a tough side to beat on their own turf.Last month, they came close to beating the Scots in Sharjah, and although their failure to do just that means they are playing for pride rather than a spot in the final after a previous defeat to Namibia, Emirates Cricket Board Administrator Mazhar Khan said the players would try to make full use of the Ireland game.”I know we are out of the final race but we want to carry over our good performance against Scotland into this game, although it will be difficult against a side that has recently played some tough cricket,” he said. “We would not only try to win the game (against Ireland) but would like to take it as our preparations for the next season which will be a long and tough one.”The next ICC Intercontinental Cup is likely to start for us in June and after two matches in the tournament we will head to Pakistan to take part in the Asia Cup.Ireland is the better team and we are keen to learn from anyone who is better than us. The Ireland game certainly provides us an excellent chance to develop into a more competitive team.”There are plenty of positives for Ireland to take into this must-win game, despite the recent setbacks. The batting was the main plus in Kenya as the side notched up five of the ten hundreds that were compiled in the tournament. William Porterfield led the way with two of those three-figure scores and his tally of 332 runs was bettered by just one man, player of the tournament Ashish Bagai of Canada, who made 345 runs.Ireland could boast two other players with more than 250 runs in Nairobi, Kevin O’Brien (264) and Eoin Morgan (261), and both of those also notched up hundreds, as did Jeremy Bray. So runs should not be a problem, even allowing for the absence of wicketkeeper-batsman Niall O’Brien, who is missing through suspension after an ICC Code of Conduct violation during Ireland’s match against Scotland last year.But the real issue is whether Ireland can take the 20 wickets they will almost certainly need if they are to give themselves the best chance of victory. The Ireland bowlers struggled to achieve control and penetration at vital times in Kenya and those failings may prompt some shuffling of the pack in Abu Dhabi.Tall seam bowler Boyd Rankin, also on the books of English county Derbyshire, may get the chance to show his worth while Kevin O’Brien’s left-arm wrist-spin, something he worked on during the recent ICC Winter Training Camp in South Africa, may also get an airing.One advantage some of the Ireland players have is that the venue for this match will be familiar. Five of the squad – Kenny Carroll, Porterfield, Kevin O’Brien, John Mooney and Rankin – played there last year in a tournament that also included sides from Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, the Netherlands and the UAE.The home side has made two changes to the squad that played Scotland with right-arm medium-pacer Ali Asad, one of their leading bowlers, replaced by Wasim Bari, while offspinning allrounder Rameez Shahzad makes way for Fahad Usman. Asad is absent with a groin injury while Shahzad has been dropped after scores of 0, 10, 6 and 2 in the previous two games against Namibia and Scotland.One certainty is that under Johnston’s positive leadership, Ireland will be at full throttle to make amends for the disappointments of Kenya as the players look to put the smile back on the face of coach Birrell, who is quitting his post at the end of the World Cup. However, whether the players’ efforts will be enough against a determined UAE outfit only time will tell.Apart from Ireland and UAE, the other sides in Group A are Namibia and 2004 champions Scotland. Group B is made up of Bermuda, Canada, Kenya and the Netherlands with all matches now having been played. Canada won the group having beaten Bermuda and Kenya and although it lost to the Netherlands, it had done enough to qualify for the final.The new format of the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides will play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament, increasing to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when it is hoped the event will be a full round-robin format. That compares to a minimum of just two three-day matches per year under the previous structure which, until the semi-finals, was regionally based rather than global.The ICC Intercontinental Cup began in 2004 to give the leading players from Associate sides the chance to improve by exposing them to a longer form of the game.UAE (from): Mohammad Iqbal, Arshad Ali (captain), Gayan Silva, Saqib Ali, Khurram Khan, Kashif Khan, Fahad Usman, Ahmed Nadeem, Wasim Bari, Qasim Zubair, Ahmed Raza, Naeemuddin Aslam, Ausaf Ali, Shadeep Silva.Ireland (from): Trent Johnston (captain), Kyle McCallan, Andre Botha, Peter Gillespie, Kenny Carroll, Jeremy Bray, William Porterfield, Kevin O’Brien, John Mooney, Paul Mooney, David Langford-Smith, Eoin Morgan, Andrew White, Boyd Rankin.

Ashley Giles will fly home to undergo hip surgery after England’s third Test against Pakistan. This means that he will miss the five one-dayers, but he hopes to be fit for the tour of India in March, the start of an intensive 19 months’ cricket for the England side.Football physiotherapists have advised that Giles may need three months to recover after the operation which will take place in Cambridge two days after he returns to England. He will spend Christmas on crutches.Giles has been carrying the injury since April, when he damaged his right hip playing for Warwickshire against Sussex in April. He missed the two-Test series against Bangladesh but physiotherapy and cortisone injections allowed him to play in the Ashes and the current Pakistan tour. But now the effects of the injections are wearing off.”It’s got worse between the first and second Test,” he admitted to reporters on the eve of the third Test. “I’ve tried to manage it but I’m fed up with it being in front of my mind. You feel old once you start to carry injuries and I feel I need a bit of closure on this now by getting it sorted.”The surgery will be performed by Richard Villar who has operated on many sportsmen. “Surgery will involve going in to either repair or whip out a piece of cartilage,” Giles explained. “There is also a little bit of a bone spur on the ball of my hip and he [Villar] may have to shave that down because that may be the thing that is catching on the cartilage.”I have worries because there can always be complications when you go into a major joint. But it comes hand in hand with the job. You are always going to pick up injuries but if you want to perform at your best you have to get them done.”