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Somerset stage the biggest match at The County Ground for two years when they play Yorkshire on Wednesday in the quarter finals of the Benson and Hedges Cup.The good news for Somerset is that they will include England stars Andy Caddick and Marcus Trescothick in their line up, dispelling rumours that they might not be able to play because of their England duties. Chief Executive Peter Anderson said, “Their England contracts state quite clearly that they are available for the Benson’s matches so they will be playing.”Also likely to return to the side is Keith Parsons who has been out for a couple of weeks receiving treatment for a knee injury. The final make up of the team is likely to be left until the morning of the match and will depend upon player fitness and the conditions.Somerset have met Yorkshire on three occasions in this competition and each time have been victorious. In 1981 in the quarter-finals at Headingley the Cidermen won by 3 wickets, in 1989, again at Headingley they won by 62 runs and in 1992 Somerset won a low scoring match at Taunton by 23 runs.Since the Benson and Hedges Cup competition started in 1972 Somerset have reached the quarter final stage five times, the last time being in 1997 when they disappointingly lost by 20 runs to Leicestershire at Grace Road , after Harvey Trump had taken 4 for 51.Yorkshire have reached the quarter finals on six occasions the last time being in 2000 when they lost to Surrey by 7 runs at Headingley.Somerset have been finalists and won the cup twice , in 1981 and 1982, whilst Yorkshire have appeared in the final three times, and won in 1987.If Somerset are successful on Wednesday they will go through to the semi finals which are due to be played on Monday June 25th, with the final taking place at Lord’s on Saturday July 14th.The last big match at the County Ground was against Surrey in the semi finals of the Nat West Trophy in 1999. On that occasion it was sell out, and Somerset are expecting the same for this match so if you haven’t got your ticket yet contact the club office 01823 272946.

When Auckland failed to qualify for last year’s Champions League T20 main draw, they were so downcast that a reporter who attended their press conference felt too bad to ask them anything. The journalist said she had never seen a team take defeat so seriously.This time Auckland have done as much as they can to ensure they do not suffer a repeat of 2011 because they see their participation in the CLT20 as reflecting on the state of cricket in their country as a whole. “As a team, we are representing New Zealand domestic cricket out here and we have a responsibility to do well for the rest and showcase our strength as a nation,” Gareth Hopkins, Auckland’s captain said. “We’re putting a lot more emphasis on preparation.”Auckland arrived in South Africa two weeks ago and have spent their days training at Pretoria’s High Performance Centre, known as one of the world’s top sporting facilities. Given that most of the players are coming out of a quiet period they saw the extra work as necessary to get themselves match ready. “We’re coming out of winter, so we haven’t played a game as a team in the last six months,” Hopkins explained. “We’ve played some warm-up games now, more than we had done at the same stage last year.”They have also acquired the services of Zimbabwe bowling coach Heath Streak, who is working as a consultant for them and has an intimate knowledge of conditions in this part of the world. “Heath was always going to be a good fit for us. He speaks the local language,” Paul Strang, Auckland’s Zimbabwean coach who seemed to have forgotten that English is spoken in Africa, said.Their trump card could be the inclusion of overseas players, Azhar Mahmood. Apart from experience, Mahmood will have inside information on some of the Sialkot Stallions, the Pakistan side who both Auckland and Hampshire admitted to knowing very little about. “We’ve seen three of four of the Sialkot players in the World T20 but the rest we’re not too sure about,” Hopkins said.Auckland know Hampshire fairly well. They even share a player in Jimmy Adams who has played for both teams. But they begin their qualifying campaign against Sialkot on Tuesday and see the match as a must-win. They hope Mahmood will be a key figure in that fixture, not only because of his knowledge of the opposition.”He’s just a great guy. He fits into our team culture very easily and he brings a lot of knowledge about the game of cricket,” Hopkins said. “He is more than happy to help our young players with techniques and with tactics of the game and he’s not afraid to open up and share that with them.”Other experience will come from veteran bowler Chris Martin, who Hopkins also anticipates will make a major impact. “He is quite a calming influence on the unit and the bowlers. And being in South Africa with the bouncier and quicker wickets than what we had in India, his pace and bounce could come in handy. He is also good against left-handers and Hampshire have a fair few of them.”Auckland’s intense focus is a result of what Hopkins called and “increased emphasis,” on the 20-over competition at home, the HRV Cup, and they are confident it will pay off, in more ways than one. “A lot of teams back home are striving to win to get into the position that we are in right now,” Hopkins said. “If we do well, players know they can get noticed by the national selectors or by an IPL team and then, who knows?”

Essex captain Ronnie Irani hit a splendid unbeaten 87 as his side enjoyed a successful first day of the CricInfo Championship at Grace Road.Irani steered newly promoted Essex to 276-5 by the close on a day when a bitterly cold north wind whistled across the ground. Under the circumstances it was a good toss to win for the visitors but Leicestershire’s battery of seam bowlers stuck to their task well in the difficult conditions.Veteran Devon Malcolm, one of three debutants in the home side, bowled impressively, taking 1-29 in 17 overs. His victim was Stuart Law who was bowled off an inside edge pushng forward.Matthew Whiley, a 20-year-old left-arm paceman signed from Nottinghamshire, also claimed a wicket, yorking Will Jefferson with a fine delivery for 69.Jefferson, at 6ft 10in, is said to be the world’s tallest cricketer, and he certainly played a big role early on, sharing a stand of 85 with Darren Robinson.Then Irani took over, reaching his half-century off 92 balls with eight fours and a six and putting on 119 with Steve Peters for the fifth wicket.James Ormond removed Peters just before the close but, with Irani still there, Essex just about edged the day’s honours.

ScorecardSteven Davies kept alive Surrey’s hopes of clinching a semi-final place in the Clydesdale Bank 40 with a superb 101 off 85 balls as the Lions overcame the Unicorns by 66 runs at Wormsley.Davies, who shared in three-figure stands with Rory Hamilton-Brown and Stewart Walters, marked his 100th one-day appearance with his fifth century in List A cricket, and his first for Surrey, as the visitors posted 273 for 4. In reply, the Unicorns could only muster 207 for 8 as Steven Cheetham picked up career best figures of 4 for 32.Hamilton-Brown brought the 50 up for the Lions in the seventh over when he drove Neil Saker past mid-on for four. Seven overs later, the Surrey skipper reached his own half-century off 45balls, though not before he had lifted Saker over the rope at long-on for six. The fourth 100-plus partnership between Hamilton-Brown and Davies in this season’s CB40 arrived in the 14th over.But, moments later, Hamilton-Brown departed for 52 when he lofted Jahed Ahmed to mid-off.Davies, who pulled and on drove with authority, offered just one chance, on 67, when he was dropped by Josh Knappett off the bowling of Jackson Thompson. Two overs later, Walters went to his second successive half-century in the CB40, off 64 balls, by despatching Thompson’s offspin over wide mid-on for his fourth boundary.Glenn Querl, who was the pick of the Unicorns’ attack, then pegged Surrey back, bowling Davies and Jason Roy in successive overs with almost identical full-length deliveries. With Matthew Spriegel falling to a brilliant catch at long-off off the bowling of Jonathan Miles in the 38th over, the Lions had lost three wickets in five overs for 19 runs. But Walters finished with an unbeaten 78 off 85 balls to give the visitors a daunting total.Jackson Thompson briefly had Surrey worried when he struck three off-side boundaries in the first over of the Unicorns’ reply. But, three overs later, Steven Cheetham found a way through Thompson’s defences. With Chris Murtagh slicing to backward point in the 12th over, the 22-year-old had first-spell figures of 2 for 23.Any hopes the Unicorns had of pulling off a surprise were scuppered four overs later when Knappett, sweeping, fell leg before to Chris Schofield and Keith Parsons was run out at the bowler’s end, after working the former England legspinner to Jade Dernbach at short fine leg.After Sean Park fell to a catch behind off Gareth Batty, Mike O’Shea and Atiq Chishti added 66 in 13 overs for the sixth wicket. Atiq hit Schofield over long-on for six and then down the ground for four to bring the hundred up for the Unicorns in the 22nd over. But he was caught behind immediately upon Cheetham’s return to the attack, though not before O’Shea had posted a 61-ball half-century.Two overs later, Cheetham, who is on loan from Lancashire until the end of the season, picked up a fourth scalp when O’Shea holed out to deep square leg for 65.

ScorecardPakistan Under-19s notched their third straight win in the tri-nation tournament, with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Bangladesh Under-19s at the Kibworth Cricket Club. Once again, it was Pakistan’s openers Sami Aslam and Usain Talat who did most of the scoring after their bowlers, spearheaded by left-arm spinner Kamran Ghulam, had set up a modest chase.Bangladesh, choosing to bat, were bowled out for 149 runs in 43.4 overs. The left-arm spin pair of Ghulam and Zafar Gohar shared seven wickets as they built on the three early wickets from Zia-ul-Haq and Talat.Ghulam took four wickets in his 10-over spell that cost just 18 runs, while Gohar ended with 3 for 14. Nazmul Hossain Shanto’s 46 was the only innings of note for Bangladesh, as they struggled against spin for much of the innings.Pakistan produced a solid reply in the 150-run chase with an 81-run opening-wicket stand between the captain Aslam and Talat. Aslam struck nine fours in his 64-ball 58 but was eventually bowled by offspinner Mosaddek Hussain in the 19th over.However, Talat remained unbeaten on 71, as he took on the bowlers with eight fours and two sixes, and added 40 and 20 for the second and third wickets with Imam-ul-Haq and Hasan Raza respectively to take Pakistan home with 109 balls remaining. Legspinner Jubair Hossain was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh with 2 for 34 in his four overs.Bangladesh will next take on the England in Leicester tomorrow, with the hosts yet to register a win in the series.

West Indies’ stand-in captain Kieron Pollard praised his side for showing character in a tense one-wicket win over India at Sabina Park, despite the main batsmen failing to close out the game. Chasing 230, West Indies lost their ninth wicket with ten needed, but Nos 9 and 11, Kemar Roach and Tino Best respectively, held their nerve to seal their second consecutive win in the tournament.”At the end, we got over the line and that’s what matters,” said Pollard, who stood-in for the injured Dwayne Bravo. “In the recent past, West Indies teams would have capitulated completely, so it shows we have a bit of fight and character in this side.”We are West Indian cricketers. We attack. If we get into our shell, we get out. That’s how we play cricket and it has worked for us. At the end of the day you have to back yourself. We have to be happy for victories. We cannot say we are not feeling so good because No. 10 (sic.9) and 11 got us over the line. They are batsmen in the team as well.”A modest target of 230 was made to look complicated by West Indies, who lost wickets due to extravagant strokes, despite being well ahead of the required rate. Johnson Charles, who set the platform with 97, was one of those who perished trying to clear the infield. In the end, it was a level-headed partnership of 10 runs between Roach and Best that ended India’s five-match unbeaten streak in ODIs.However, Pollard wanted his team to assess the reasons for such a tense finish. “It’s just a matter of us doing the things that we haven’t done so well, especially in the middle overs.” he said. “As middle-order batsmen, we just have to take it upon ourselves and finish it for the team rather than letting No.10 and 11 (win the match).”Charles anchored the innings and added 116 with Darren Bravo to give West Indies control after losing three early wickets. After a labored 29 off 58 balls in the first match against Sri Lanka, Charles was pleased to get his rhythm back, hitting eight fours and four sixes.”I felt nice and relaxed at the crease. I was told to go out and play my natural game and that is what I did.” Charles said. “In the last game I had no rhythm but this game I came out with a bit more intent and I knew exactly where I wanted to score. I played to my strengths and played shots according to the fields India set”.On a damp wicket, India lost Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli inside the first ten overs, before Rohit Sharma’s eighth half-century against West Indies anchored the innings. A wayward Best returned at the death to claim the important wicket of India captain MS Dhoni first and Ravindra Jadeja in his next over.”We bowled well against the Indians and reduced them to a score we knew we could chase down,” Charles said. “The pitch got a bit flatter and was more of a batting pitch. I would have liked to have reached three figures and carry my team to victory but I’m happy we made it two wins in a row.”Pollard said he felt little pressure on his captaincy debut. “At the start of the game, there wasn’t any pressure. It came later on when we were trying to win the game.” he said. “We have experienced guys in the side, who have captained West Indies before, who have played all over the world and their knowledge was always going to help me go about the task of trying to lead West Indies.”

There is no point wasting time debating about the significance of this match. India versus Pakistan in cricket, anywhere, any series, at any stage of the tournament has never been, can never be, a dead game. It does not matter whether the stands are choc-a-bloc or there are a few thousand seats left vacant – the needle of the contest is as sharp as ever.India will take this final group match seriously only because they do not want to enter the semi-finals hit by a fresh bout of doubts in case of a defeat. Pakistan will look forward to playing some mischief as only they can by playing their best game. Confidence and momentum are important going into a big match like the semi-finals and MS Dhoni pointed out how important Saturday will be for India.Misbah-ul-Haq had already said that for Pakistan there would be no pressure. Asked to expand on whether Pakistan were more dangerous or less, Dhoni said it depended on the opposition’s mindset. “It depends on what they are thinking. If their thinking is they have nothing really to lose, let’s go out, be expressive on the field, don’t bother about the result, then they can be dangerous. But if the thinking is they are not qualified, this is a game against India, let’s win this game so we have it as a consolation prize, they’ll be in big trouble,” Dhoni said ahead of India’s training session on Friday.From being the underdogs before the Champions Trophy began, India have become the team to beat. The last time both teams played, in India earlier this year, Pakistan had won the ODI series. One of the biggest factors behind India’s struggle back then was the lack of momentum created by the openers.In that series, India had tried out three openers, who scored an aggregate of 78 runs in three innings, averaging 12.16 for the opening wicket. Ajinkya Rahane played just one match and scored four runs; Virender Sehwag got 35 runs in two innings while Gautam Gambhir could muster only 34 in three matches. Never once did the Indian openers raise a fifty-run stand, and kept exposing the middle order early.In contrast the back-to-back century stands between Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have been one of the pillars of India’s success so far in the Champions Trophy. Dhawan and Rohit have put on 228 runs, at a run-rate of 6.19, both numbers the highest by any opening pair.”We are a side that relies quite a bit on a good start,” Dhoni said. “It doesn’t really mean that we always need hundred-run partnership. We need some time, the openers need to spend some time in the middle, and that really comes from the dressing room. That has been the case whenever we have got off to a good start; more often than not we have been able to capitalize on that.”At the same time Dhoni is aware of that Pakistan have one of the better bowling line-ups, especially the threat of their spin twins Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez. The pair has been the most economical against India in the last five years from June 2008 (minimum five innings). Ajmal’s bowling average of 18.41 against India is the second best among spin bowlers against since 2000 after James Tredwell’s 18.18 (minimum five innings). In the same five years Hafeez has the best economy rate against India among spinners – 3.57 from 49 overs followed by Ajmal’s 4.03 from 77.3 oversDhoni said India were not getting worried too much and their focus was to carry on doing what they have been doing right so far. “The fact that we have quite consistently scored runs – that is something that is very important. The fact that we have been able to chase scores and good scores against good bowlers and good wickets where there was a bit of bounce for the fast bowlers. All in all it is a very pleasing aspect, and also the bowling department we have seen if there’s a bit of help for the fast bowlers, even though our fast bowlers can come back in the game, bowl really well in the middle overs, so overall I’ve been very happy. Fielding, we have not been known for our fielding standards, but we have seen I think right now we are the best fielding side. You can compare us to any other side, and most of our fielders, they are good fielders, and the rest are above average fielders.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Vusi Sibanda celebrated his century along with a series victory•AFP

Vusi Sibanda brought up his second ODI hundred by hitting the winning runs that secured Zimbabwe a rare series victory, against Bangladesh in Bulawayo. Zimbabwe’s seven-wicket success broke the deadlock between the sides and gave the hosts the series 2-1.Zimbabwe’s bowlers laid the foundation for the victory, operating with discipline to restrict Bangladesh to 247 for 9. Brian Vitori’s two-wicket burst with the new ball gave the hosts impetus, before Tendai Chatara and Prosper Utseya bowled expert line and lengths in the middle overs. There were no bowling heroes, but a collective effort did the job.The batting hero was undoubtedly Sibanda. He forged different types of partnerships, often played the less dominant role, and stayed until the game was won. Sibanda was stranded for an over on 99, when Sean Williams hit a boundary with five runs required, but Williams then blocked five balls and gave his partner the chance to get to his hundred. Sibanda edged the next ball for four, to move to 103 off 135 balls, and the celebrations began.Williams’ contribution to the chase was 55 off 46 balls, his second successive half-century. He gave Sibanda adequate support and put himself in line for a Test spot in the future.The fourth-wicket stand finished off what Zimbabwe’s openers had begun, with a 79-run partnership. Sibanda let Hamilton Masakadza dominate and their association produced Zimbabwe’s first 50-plus opening stand since September 2011. When Masakadza was dismissed for 41 off 46 balls, the platform had been laid for the rest.Sikandar Raza began his third ODI innings slowly, taking most of the strike during a steady 56-run stand with Sibanda. Raza made 37 off 52 balls, and though he batted quietly for most parts, the pair frustrated the visitors. Bangladesh had an opening when they removed Raza and the captain Brendan Taylor in the space of six balls, but that was their last strikes of the game.Bangladesh’s innings was remarkably different. Vitori’s successive dismissals of Mohammad Ashraful and Jahurul Islam rocked the visitors in the fourth over. He got one to climb on Ashraful, who gloved a catch to gully. Jahurul played around a straighter and fuller delivery, and was bowled.Despite recovering from those blows Bangladesh lost their way during the middle overs, when three of their senior batsmen fell without converting starts. Mushfiqur Rahim made 32 off 41 balls before holing out at deep midwicket, after adding 62 for the third wicket.Tamim Iqbal followed soon after, playing a shot in anger after having played only one forceful shot in his 70-ball innings. He made 32 with two fours and a six, and was more circumspect than usual, but was dismissed trying to slog Chatara. Shakib also threw it away after making 18 off 23 balls, giving Williams at short fine leg an easy catch while trying to clear mid-on.Bangladesh were 110 for 5 in the 28th over, but recovered through a 79-run stand between Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah. Nasir made 63 off 74 balls, and after his dismissal Mahmudullah took over and scored his ninth ODI half-century. They gave their team a defendable target, but Zimbabwe’s batsmen did not make too many mistakes in the chase.The 2-1 series win was a boost to Zimbabwe after their poor showing in the Caribbean, while Bangladesh will rue their performance after impressive showings in three previous ODI competitions.

ScorecardLions romped into the final of the Ram Slam T20 tournament with a 54-run win over Dolphins. They will take on the winner of the semi-final between Warriors and Titans.Put into bat, Lions piled up a score of 195 for 4. Quinton de Kock led the way with a 61-ball 97 that had three fours and eight sixes, while Alviro Petersen scored an unbeaten 55. The pair shared a stand of 87 runs off 52 balls for the third wicket.In reply, Dolphins never got their chase moving after losing openers Divan van Wyk and Cameron Delport. A 49-run partnership between Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Cody Chetty steadied the innings before their dismissals and David Miller’s wicket in consecutive overs left the Titans reeling at 81 for 5. A 25-ball 41 from captain Daryn Smit helped Dolphins reach 141 for 9 at the end of their 20 overs.
ScorecardWarriors routed Cape Cobras by eight wickets to set up a semi-final clash with Titans. Opener Christiaan Jonker’s unbeaten 64 off 39 balls held the Warriors’ chase together after Ashwell Prince was dismissed for seven. Jonker shared an 82-run stand with Colin Ingram to take his side past the target of 129 with more than six overs to spare.Earlier, Cape Cobras scored 128 runs in their innings as the batsmen fell regularly to the Warriors bowling. Owais Shah was the topscorer for Cobras with an unbeaten 33, while Rusty Theron picked up two wickets for the Warriors.

Luke Ronchi, the former Australia wicketkeeper, has earned his first call-up to a New Zealand squad after being picked for the one-day series against England and the Champions Trophy in June. Daniel Vettori also made a return after eight months out of international cricket with an ankle injury, selected in the one-day side.There were few surprises in New Zealand’s Test squad for the England tour, with opener Martin Guptill and fast bowler Mark Gillespie, both returning from injuries, added to the group that featured in the recent home series against England. With Gillespie’s return, seamer Ian Butler misses out, the only omission from those home Tests.Fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan, who was ruled out after the first game of the one-day series against England after suffering a side strain, returns to the one-day side. He had been quite effective in the one game he played, taking 4 for 56 though he could not complete his quota of overs. Guptill had been injured in the same match, pulling a hamstring.Gillespie last played for New Zealand a year ago, in the home Test series against South Africa. He then injured his ankle, before gaining a call-up for the T20 series in South Africa in December, only to pick up a side strain and miss out further.Batsman Hamish Rutherford and keeper BJ Watling are the ones to miss out from the home England ODIs. New Zealand lost that series 2-1, before going on to draw the three-Test series 0-0.Their tour of England includes two Tests, starting on May 16, followed by three ODIs. That is followed by Champions Trophy between June 6 and 23. Following the Champions Trophy, before they return home, New Zealand play two T20s against England.Test squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Peter Fulton, Martin Guptill, Mark Gillespie, Tom Latham, Bruce Martin, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wk), Kane Williamson
ODI Champions Trophy squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Andrew Ellis, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson