Peter McGlashan of Northern Districts fell just six runs short of what would’ve been the first century in New Zealand’s Twenty20 competition as his side defeated Wellington in a high scoring match at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. Chasing Wellington’s 185, McGlashan faced just 49 balls for his 94, with nine boundaries and three sixes. He shared a second wicket partnership of 124 with Nick Horsely, the opener, who scored 51. For Wellington, Chris Nevin, the opener, got his team off to a good start, scoring 45 off just 17 balls with three sixes. Grant Elliot and James Franklin put on fifty runs in just 12 minutes towards the end to take their team to 185. Graham Aldridge took 4 wickets for Northern Districts, including that of Stephen Fleming early in the innings.A Canterbury line-up studded with national stars defeated Otago comfortably by 6 wickets in the inaugural Twenty20 league match at the Hagley Ovalin Christchurch. Chasing Otago’s total of 153, Craig McMillan led the charge scoring 47 off 32 balls with six boundaries and shared a fifty partnership with Chris Cairns. Peter Fulton and Chris Harris guided Canterbury to the target with over three overs to spare. Earlier, the Otago innings was rocked by Carl Anderson, the Canterbury left-arm spinner, who took three wickets for just 15 runs off his four overs. Jonathan Trott top-scored for Otago with 35 and Greg Todd struck two boundaries and sixes for his 28 off 13 balls.

Guyana 245 for 8 (Sarwan 104*) lead Windward Islands 189 by 56 runs
ScorecardAn unbeaten 104 from Ramnaresh Sarwan, the Guyana captain, gave them a crucial first-innings lead of 56 as they finished the second day of their Carib Beer match at 245 for 8 against Windward Islands at St Georges in Grenada.Responding to Windwards’ first innings score of 189, Steven Jacobs and Narsingh Deonarine took the score to 50 when a sudden collapse saw Guyana losing three wickets for just two runs. Sarwan and Travis Dowlin then took the score to 102, adding 50 for the fifth wicket.Guyana were in further trouble at 143 for 8 but Sarwan and Rayon Griffith built a crucial 96-run partnership for the ninth wicket. Griffith scored five boundaries in his innings of 36, before holing out to Daren Sammy at midwicket off Jean Paul. Sarwan, dropped on 61 by Junior Murray, the wicketkeeper, reached his 20th first-class century off 222 balls, scoring 12 boundaries and a six. Rawl Lewis and Kenroy Peters took three wickets each for Windwards.

Gauteng made a stiff chase appear easy as they powered to a five-wicket success against North West on a featherbed at Potchefstroom. Driaan Steyn made 137 off 145 balls for North West, as they amassed 268 for 3, but he was overshadowed by a fine team effort from Gauteng. Enoch Nkwe smashed 87 off 76 balls, adding 106 with Blake Sinjman and 78 with Dumisa Makalima. However, when he fell to leave the score 203 for 5 there was still work to do. Marthinus Otto (32 not out) and Diaan van Wyk (33 not out) completed the job with ease, hitting the winning runs with 6.2 overs to spare.Eastern Province came up against very little resistance as they cruised to a seven-wicket win against Boland at Port Elizabeth. Boland had reached 95 for 1 in the 18th over, but then collapsed in dramatic style as they crumbled to 148 all out – without using 11 of their overs. Grant Howell produced the brilliant figures of 4 for 13 with his legspin. The chase proved a formality for Eastern Province, with Colin Ingram and Chad Baxter added 112 for the first wicket.

Jimmy Maher’s team enters the Pura Cup final against Victoria on Friday as the competition’s dominant team, but the Bulls know the familiar position isn’t a guarantee to lift the huge gold trophy. Queensland, the most consistent side over the past decade, have earned a spot in their eighth consecutive decider and their seventh at home as the bonus for topping the table. However, they have not won the title since the 235-run success over Tasmania in 2001-02.The memories of last year’s one-wicket loss to New South Wales are still fresh and Maher and Andy Bichel, who collected the Pura Cup Player of the Year award on Wednesday, will be desperate to wipe away the tears created by Stuart MacGill’s swiped boundary under the Gabba lights. Rain and greasy conditions ensured the 2004-05 final was wrapped up in three days and Queensland’s wet autumn will again have an influence with lead-up showers predicted to be followed by more damp weather.As hosts, Queensland need only a draw to seal the trophy but modern stalemates have been rare; the last one was between these sides in 1999-2000 when Stuart Law collected a controversial double of 129 and 84. The game was partly responsible for the air in subsequent Queensland and Victoria matches being as blue as the Bushrangers’ caps, but Law and Darren Berry have since retired and the tension has eased.The Bulls’ most experienced player is now Martin Love, who will walk out for a national-record 10th final after making his debut in the 1992-93 disaster against New South Wales in the days when “Queensland” and “Sheffield Shield” were perennially linked with the word “lose”. This defeat was made worse by the newspaper headline “Queensland – perfect one day, out for 75 the next” as they were beaten by a team including pre-Test versions of Slater, Gilchrist and McGrath. Since then Love has been part of four victories and has scored centuries in three finals, including 116 in last season’s low-scoring thriller.Despite a sleepy start to the summer that put him on the endangered-species list, Love returned to his easy accumulation methods in the second half of the ten preliminary rounds and collected 659 runs at 38.76. Maher was ninth on the run-scorer’s list with 683 and the state’s lack of regular productivity was a problem usually overcome by Bichel and Michael Kasprowicz, who finished with 45 and 44 wickets respectively.Gerard Denton, Victoria’s leading man with 33 victims, was ruled out of the match following appendicitis surgery on Tuesday night and Shane Harwood (30) and Allan Wise (27) are the most successful fast men in the visitors’ squad. However, the battle between Mick Lewis, the Australia one-day bowler who gave up 0 for 113 in his last major match, and the combination of Bichel and Mitchell Johnson will have a major say on the outcome.

The game contains many quality performers with the international allrounders Shane Watson and James Hopes taking aim against Cameron White, the Victoria captain, batsman and legspinner. Jason Arnberger and Nick Jewell have both had 600-plus seasons and Brad Hodge, who was a Test batsman only two months ago, has his last opportunity to push for a spot on next month’s Bangladesh tour squad.Victoria lost both four-day games to Queensland during the summer, the first by 225 runs at the Gabba and the second, three weeks ago at St Kilda, by 106 runs. The most recent victory sealed the Bulls top spot and they ended the group phase on 34 points, four ahead of Victoria, who secured their place by beating Western Australia as their final opponents were overpowered by Tasmania.One area where the Bushrangers have a distinct advantage is in their history of 26 Sheffield Shield-Pura Cup titles to Queensland’s five. Victoria’s last triumph in 2003-04 is as memorable for Bulls supporters as the most recent miss against New South Wales. Playing at the MCG, Victoria abused their hosting rights by batting into the third day, reaching 710 in 834 minutes and 212 overs. The eventual margin of 321 came after they avoided enforcing the follow-on and created a debate about the relevance of the final concept.It was a match that had the desired effect of demoralising Queensland and the threat of a batting repeat this week is impossible with the Gabba pitch showing its usual green tinges and the weather providing more help for bowlers. The Bulls are at home in the conditions but after waiting 69 years for their first title they understand the dangers of end-of-season hurdles.Victoria squad Jason Arnberger, Lloyd Mash, Brad Hodge, Nick Jewell, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Jon Moss, Nathan Pilon (wk), Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Dirk Nannes, Mick Lewis, Shane Harwood, Allan Wise.Queensland squad Jimmy Maher (capt), Lachlan Stevens, Martin Love, Clinton Perren, Shane Watson, James Hopes, Brendan Nash, Chris Hartley (wk), Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Daniel Doran, Mitchell Johnson.

ScorecardNamibia’s bowlers gave their team a real chance to beat Nepal with a strong allround performance on the third day. But with the first day already lost to rain, when play begins on the fourth day, they will have to work quickly if they are to force a result. After bowling out Nepal for 143 in their first innings, Namibia now have a lead of 139 to take into the final day.Things didn’t begin so well for the home side at Windhoek after Deon Kotze failed to capitalise on his dominance of the day before. Starting the day on 90 not out, he stumbled six short of his century, edging through off Binod Das.From there, Das ripped right through the Namibia tail to flatten them from a healthy 245 for 6 to an anaemic 272 all out. He did not stop till he had taken 6 for 80 from his 30.2 overs.But Nepal’s batsmen could not build on that good work. Namibia’s bowlers could – they rattled through the line-up to knock them over for 143. All six bowlers who were used bagged at least a wicket each. Paresh Lohani and Kanishka Chaugai gave Nepal a decent platform, putting on 46 for the opening wicket but when they both fell in quick succession, the batting subsided.JB Burger and Dawid Botha had time for a quick knock before the end and they emerged unscathed to take their team to 10 without loss, 139 runs ahead.

The recent one-day batting collapses of both Bangladesh and Australia have left Habibul Bashar and Ricky Ponting concerned and searching for answers.With their second straight win, Australia won the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh but Ponting expressed concerns over the collapses. “The only concern that has come out in the last couple of games for us has been the fact that we have lost groups of wickets,” Ponting told AAP. “Some of them we always talk about not doing, but unfortunately we have done it in the last couple of matches, we have another game now to make sure we rectify that.”However, Ponting added his satisfaction over the series victory with one match in hand. “It is always nice to win any series. We had a lot of pressure in both the games. Today it was pleasing to see that Andrew [Symonds] and Michael [Clarke] play very well in tough situation and we are looking forward to the other game. The innings by Andrew was a sign of his maturity, and how far he has come in this game. Michael didn’t play a typical knock too.”Symonds, who was dismissed for a first-ball duck in the first ODI, reckoned the wicket didn’t allow him to play his natural game. “It was difficult to play a free-flowing game,” he said. “It was a working-class day. Clarke and I bat a lot together so we got our heads together.”For the second match in running, the top order didn’t perform for Bangladesh. “I am upset and worried with the way we lost too many wickets in the early stage,” Bashar, the captain, said. “We did it in the first match and repeated in the second. I think this was the reason we lost our way.”Bashar was grilled about the decision to send Khaled Mashud, the wicketkeeper, ahead of Alok Kapali. Mashud made a scratchy 36 off 62 balls. “It could have been better if we had sent Alok early, said Bashar. “But holding Alok back was a management decision as we wanted to keep one batsman late in the order so that someone could bat through, if required. Mashud went in early because we lost quick wickets. We wanted to be flexible in the match. If we didn’t lose wickets early, we would have sent Alok ahead.”Bashar admitted that the absence of Aftab Ahmed was felt. “The last minute omission of Aftab definitely affected us. Ashraful [who was axed ahead of the game] might or might not have scored and nobody can control these things in cricket. Batting in the second-half wasn’t that easy on this wicket, unlike the situation in Cardiff. Also, losing too many early wickets forced us on the back foot. I think we were struggling to use this wicket to our benefit. Symonds and Clarke batted really well and we failed to take wickets when we needed them.”

Cricket South Africa may discard the final of the SuperSport series because of complaints over the format of the competition. The board will consider a proposal on Wednesday where each team plays five home matches and five away matches and the one with the highest points will win the championship.”Tame draws are not what we’re looking for. We’re looking for a result and it hasn’t happened in the last two finals. Things have now got to the stage where we wonder whether there’s any point in having a final,” Brian Basson, the general manager of cricket affairs, told SuperCricket. “All the sides will play five home matches and five away matches, they each will have played each other home and away. So no particular side has been favoured and the team with the most points at the end of it all should be the champions.”There needs to be some objective for teams to be playing towards even if they are out of contention for the title by the halfway stage,” said Basson. “So we are also proposing that there be financial rewards – the team finishing fifth will earn more than the side finishing sixth, and so on. Rather than questioning their keenness once they have no chance whatsoever of winning, the ranking order in the competition will see teams rewarded according to a sliding scale.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has decided to commission a financial review of all 18 first-class counties. This action has been taken following criticism of disproportionate funding of clubs that stage Test cricket and those that do not, and a reported loss for major counties.Speaking to BBC Radio Leicester, David Morgan, the ECB chairman, said: “There is concern on the part of the non-Test match grounds and that is being addressed in this review. It will report within a six to eight month time frame, I would think.”The move was backed by Neil Davidson, Leicestershire’s chairman. “It’s got to be welcomed,” Davidson said. “There is a view in certain counties that there is too much mystery surrounding revenues from Test match receipts. We need to get some clarity there and some fairness in the distribution system.Davidson raised concern over the allocation of funds on the county circuit. “[Hampshire chairman] Rod Bransgrove has identified that there’s as much as £40 million being raised and only £1.6 million going into general distribution of the funds,” he said. “I don’t know whether he’s right or wrong but that’s what the audit has to get to the bottom of.”Of the 18 first-class counties, only six – Durham, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Warwickshire and Yorkshire – take revenues from the sales of Test match tickets. Last season, Leicestershire suffered a £94,000 loss, while Derbyshire and Kent had six-figure deficits. Morgan’s own club Glamorgan reported a £175,000 loss. However, it was recently announced that Cardiff would become a Test venue in 2009 when Australia return for the Ashes.

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has decided to establish an international cricket stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. The identified sites were located in Kazhakoottamand Kudapanakkunnu, near to the proposed Collectorate. The stadium will be built with the help of the State Government and Capital Development Forum.SK Nair, the president of the Kerala Cricket Association, said two possible locations to establish the stadium, with all modern facilities, have been identified and a proposal to get the required land on a long-term lease would be submitted to the government soon.KCA’s bid to construct its own international stadium was also one of the main goals of its `Vision 2010′ project. Also, considering the costs involved in the development of infrastructure and the establishment of the District Coaching Centres and two Rural Coaching Centres in each of the 14 districts in the State, the KCA decided to increase the budget for the project from Rs 5 crore (US$1.75 million approx) to Rs. 7.5 crore (US$1.62 million approx).

Jamie Dalrymple has been added to the England squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford starting on Thursday. Andrew Strauss will continue to lead the side in the absence of Andrew Flintoff, who has been ruled out for the next three months with an ankle injury.Liam Plunkett has been retained despite sustaining a side strain playing for Durham yesterday. David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, said that Plunkett’s fitness will be re-assessed over the next 48 hours. “We have taken the precaution of including 14 players in the squad for this Test match,” he said. “As Plunkett injured his side his fitness will need to be re-assessed over the next 48 hours.”As we will now be without Flintoff for an extended period, the selectors have appointed Strauss as captain for the rest of the Test series against Pakistan. A decision on the captaincy of the one-day side for the NatWest Series [also against Pakistan] will be made in due course.”We are very disappointed to lose Flintoff as both a player and a captain. The medical staff from both Lancashire and England had worked extremely hard to try and help him overcome the injury without recourse to surgery and Andrew himself had done everything that was asked of him. His priority now will be to ensure he is fully fit for the Ashes in Australia.”Squad – Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Geraint Jones (wk), Liam Plunkett, Matthew Hoggard, Stephen Harmison, Monty Panesar, Jon Lewis, Sajid Mahmood, Jamie Dalrymple.