Scotland ended their second season of National League cricket with an emphatic victory over Derbyshire at the Grange. Buoyed by their victory over Bangladesh earlier in the week, Scotland skittled Derbyshire for just 179, with Paul Hoffman taking 3 for 25. In reply, they were given the perfect start by Gregor Maiden and Douglas Lockhart, who added 65 for the first wicket, before the captain Ryan Watson wrapped up the win with an unbeaten 42.It was a good day for Scotsmen all round. At Scarborough, Gavin Hamilton reminded his former Yorkshire team-mates what they are missing with a hard-earned 76, after Matthew Hoggard had ripped through the top order with three quick wickets. It was not enough to secure victory, but after the trials and tribulations that Hamilton has suffered in recent seasons, it was an important statement nonetheless.At Worcester, Leicestershire were routed by five wickets, after being bundled out for just 107. The win secured Worcester the runner-up spot in Division Two, as Steve Rhodes bowed out of one-day cricket.

National League Division Two

Scotland 182 for 2 (Lockhart 58, Watson 42*) beat Derbyshire 179 (Hoffman 3-25) by eight wickets at Edinburgh
Scorecard
Worcestershire 111 for 5 (Smith 33*) beat Leicestershire 107 (Wigley 4-37) by five wickets at Worcester
Scorecard
Yorkshire 181 for 7 (Wood 46) beat Durham 178 for 9 (Hamilton 76) by three wickets at Scarborough
Scorecard

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Brian Lara’s West Indian team has pledged financial support to the islands ravaged by Hurricane Ivan. Speaking at a press conference ahead of his team’s match against Bangladesh at the Rose Bowl tomorrow, Lara announced that the team hoped they could lift the spirits of people in Grenada, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, through their performances.”It’s a really distressing time in the West Indies. People in Grenada and Jamaica are struggling with the hurricane,” said Lara. “Many of the guys have family from there, and all of us have friends in those parts. Most importantly West Indies cricket has got 100% support from these islands, and I think it would be great if our guys could go out there and perform and lift a bit of the burden.”Lara explained that some funds had been collected from the team members, but declined to say how much. He added that the funds would be channelled via the West Indies’ players’ association to the areas that needed them. “The team has pledged some funds through the players’ association,” said Lara. “I think it’s an opportunity for us to put a smile back on the faces of people in the West Indies.”Hurricane Ivan lashed through the Caribbean, devastating the islands of Grenada, Grand Cayman and Jamaica in the last week. Grenada was the worst hit, with more than 30 people killed and thousands of buildings flattened. Estimates suggest that over 5000 people are living in temporary shelters as a result.

The Indian selectors have named an unchanged 14-man squad for the second Test against South Africa at Kolkata, which starts on Sunday (Nov 28). With the Eden Gardens pitch traditionally not as spinner-friendly as the others in India the think-tank will probably include an extra medium-pacer – Irfan Pathan, perhaps – in the playing XI.Sourav Ganguly’s hearing regarding the two-match penalty imposed for slow over-rates is scheduled for tomorrow, and he will play at Kolkata if he is cleared. If Ganguly is suspended, the selection committee will draft in a replacement.Apart from Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman the rest of the batsmen made runs at Kanpur. And with Gautam Gambhir making an assured 96 in only his second Test the debate over the opening combination can rest for a while now.Dinesh Karthik is still on probation, but the selectors seem determined to give him a proper opportunity to cement his place. But more than anything else India will hope for a pitch that gives them more joy than Green Park had on offer.India squad for second Test
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly (capt), Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Irfan Pathan.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

It took a little under half an hour on the fourth day for India to wrap up a comprehensive victory by an innings and 140 runs and go 1-0 up in the two-Test series against Bangladesh. This was Bangladesh’s fourth successive innings defeat, their 19th overall, while India romped home to their most emphatic success away from home.Just as in the first innings, the lower order lent a modicum of respectability to the Bangladesh total with Manjural Islam Rana swatting four fours this morning, and 12 in all, to post his highest Test score, 69. Tapash Baisya also gave it a bash when the ball was pitched up and both batsmen managed to survive the vicious reverse swing that Irfan Pathan generated.But Baisya couldn’t handle a battery of short balls in the fifth over of the day. He flinched at one that was directed towards his ribs and the ball lobbed straight to Sachin Tendulkar at short midwicket. Manjural fell three balls when an attempt to pull Zaheer Khan to square leg only resulted in a feathered edge to Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps.Bangladesh’s lower-order batting and spirited bursts of bowling, especially from Mashrafe Mortaza, were the only silver linings in an otherwise gloomy sky. Their top order fell into similar traps, most created by Pathan, while their fielding was a shambolic mess. Five clear chances were grassed, two even before Sachin Tendulkar had reached 50, and the ground fielding oscillated between the dispirited and the bizarrely bad.India will probably remember this game for the landmarks achieved by Anil Kumble and Tendulkar, not to forget Zaheer with the bat, but it was the sizzling bursts from Pathan that proved to be the biggest fillip. He finished with match-figures of 11 for 96, for which he won the Man-of-the-Match award, and Bangladesh were rarely in the contest after his swinging salsa in the first half an hour of the game.

Although nearly four months have passed since allegations surfaced on the web hinting at serious concerns regarding team selections for the Champions Trophy in England in 2004, the USA Cricket Association has yet to investigate the matter.The stories concerned unsubstantiated allegations that a player had paid to be included in the Champions Trophy squad, and there was also confusion surrounding the withdrawal from the squad of another player for what were only described as extraordinary circumstances.While the USACA had maintained (and still maintains) a public silence on the matter, USACA officers privately assured Cricinfo that it was taking the matter seriously, and would proceed to investigate with all speed.Now, a series of e-mails has surfaced that casts some doubt on USACA’s handling of the matter.At the US National Tournament in Los Angeles in October, Mr. Sampath who is the Director of the USACA Northwest Region, summarized his discussion on the topic with Gladstone Dainty, the USACA’s president, and placed it on record in an e-mail. It appears that Dainty had declared that he would find a retired judge to conduct an impartial investigation of the matter. Sampath affirmed his approval of the approach, and also suggested that the ICC be asked to provide guidance on how best to conduct such an investigation.The next two e-mails from Sampath indicated his impatience with Dainty and the USACA, and the suggestion that the ICC be invited to look into the issue.Sampath has been considered a gadfly in USACA circles, because he often brings up issues that the association would rather not discuss or deal with. He is also the only USACA board member who had actively championed the semi-professional cricket league, ProCricket, which was seen by the vehemently anti-ProCricket USACA leadership to be something of a betrayal.However, it would be difficult to dismiss Sampath’s e-mails as mere trouble making. The allegations surfaced well outside his jurisdiction, and it is clear that USACA leadership admitted to him there was something that required investigating.What needs addressing is what the USACA will do about them.

Bangladesh A 309 for 9 (Mushfiqur Rahman 110*, Chibhabha 4-46) v Zimbabwe A
ScorecardA career-best 5 for 63 from Shahadat Hossain put Bangladesh A in a strong position on the second day of the second Test against Zimbabwe A at Bulawayo. At the close, Bangladesh had reached 78 for 0 in their second innings, a lead of 188.Shahdat had caused Zimbabwe problems with the bat last night, helping Mushfiqur Rahim put on 47 for Bangladesh’s ninth wicket – Mushfiqur added just one to his overnight 110 this morning – but in a post-lunch spell today he ripped through Zimbabwe’s brittle middle order.Reply to Bangladesh’s 311, Zimbabwe had reached 90 for 0 when the dismissal of Vusi Sibanda for 42 triggered a remarkable collapse, all ten wickets falling for 101 runs in little over a session. Terrence Duffin made a solid 59, but thereafter only Tafadzwa Mufambisi with 31 offered any real resistance. And there was more gloom for the out-of-form Dion Ebrahim, who laboured for 27 balls making an unimpressive 5.Shahriar Nafees (35*) and Raqibul Hasan (40*) underlined the gulf between the sides as they extended Bangladesh’s lead at more than a run-a-ball in the final session, with few alarms.

Ground security will not be increased for tomorrow’s one-day match at Christchurch after Martin Snedden, the New Zealand Cricket chief executive, reassured the Australia team they would not be under threat from unruly spectators. But the match will hold extra interest for local fans as Jeff Wilson, the former All Black, was named in the starting line-up to replace Scott Styris, who was ruled out with a recurring knee injury.Wilson played four ODIs against Australia in 1992-93 before embarking on an international rugby career and is the only change to the side that lost the opening match by 10 runs. James Marshall, the twin brother of Hamish Marshall, will be 12th man and the squad for the final three matches will be settled after the game tomorrow.Snedden said the crowd’s behaviour during the second innings of Saturday’s match was “unacceptable”, but he was satisfied with the security and police numbers at Christchurch. “All we wanted to emphasise was the need for security to be more proactive, which I don’t think was the case in Wellington.”Ricky Ponting had requested more policing throughout the rest of the tour following the ugly crowd behaviour that briefly stopped the opening match. Matthew Hayden said he was spat on while Simon Katich and Glenn McGrath argued with security guards after plastic bottles were thrown at them. “I assured Steve [Bernard, the Australia manager] we are taking it seriously and he has acknowledged it’s not a major issue,” Snedden told NZPA. “I’m confident there won’t be a problem.”New Zealand 1 Stephen Fleming (capt), 2 Nathan Astle, 3 Mathew Sinclair, 4 Craig McMillan, 5 Hamish Marshall, 6 Chris Cairns, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Jeff Wilson, 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Daryl Tuffey, 12 James Marshall.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Ian Bell dominated the opening day of England A’s unofficial two-Test seriesagainst Sri Lanka A with a chanceless 128 not out, a marathon innings thatwas characteristically workmanlike and patient on what was a baking hot day at the Colombo Cricket Club, leading his team to 272 for 4 at stumps.Bell, England A’s captain, added 116 in the first half of the day withAlastair Cook (63) and then 117 during the afternoon with Owais Shah (52),blunting a Sri Lankan bowling attack weakened by a spate of injuries duringthe last couple of weeks and frustrated by a hard, flat batting pitch.Nandika Ranjith, a 30-year-old left-armer, was the most successful bowler on a generally unsuccessful day for bowlers. He found the outside edge of Michael Powell (7) with the new ball and then returned after lunch to trap Cook lbw. But Mohamed Suraj, a young offspinner, was the most threatening bowler.Sri Lanka’s spinners, Suraj and Malinga Bandara, a legspinner that has pulledhimself back into international contention, pulled back some of England’sinitiative just before the close with two quick wickets. Shah was trappedlbw playing across a straighter ball and Rikki Clarke (4) was snapped up atforward short leg.The England A squad arrived in Colombo on the weekend after cruising to a4-0 series win against the UAE in Sharjah. They had expected a sternerexamination in Sri Lanka, but thus far they’ve continued their successfulrun.

Haryana v Services, Ranji Trophy Plate Final
ScorecardAK Mohanty made a determined 40 not out, but there was little support from the rest of the Services lower order, and he was left stranded as his side finished with 191. Joginder Sharma, who had taken three wickets on the second day, finished with 5 for 67. Haryana then coasted to 113 for 2, 264 ahead. Chetan Sharma, their first-innings hero, made 45.

Zimbabwe’s drawn-out 2004-2005 domestic season has come to an end with Mashonaland, as expected, winning the Logan Cup for the sixth time in a row. We take a look at how the four provinces performed

Mashonaland
The captain Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Barney Rogers and Stuart Carlisle were outstanding with the bat, while Waddington Mwayenga and the legspinner Graeme Cremer bowled really well in the last stages of the competition; Cremer seems to have learned a lot form the South African tour.
Star man Taibu. He was outstanding with the bat, with two well-made centuries and a top score of 151 against Manicaland – and he missed on a third when he was out for 91 against Matabeleland in the first match. His ability to bat for a long period shows he has really matured.
Young player to watch A complete allrounder, Chamunorwa Chibhabha is a composed player, a brilliant stroke player in the top order and an accurate medium-pace bowler with a bright future in the game.Manicaland
Back-to-back victories against Midlands and a surprise win against Mashonaland in the last round ensured that they finished second, a huge improvement from last season when they were bottom. Their captain Dion Ebrahim, Neil Ferreira and Hamilton Masakadza were in top form with the bat, but the bowling was a problem – although left-arm seamer Allan Mwayenga did well in the last stages.
Star man Ebrahim, two centuries and a brace of half-centuries made the difference for Manicaland.
Young player to watch Tino Mawoyo – the Zimbabwe Under-19 captain did not play much due to educational commitments, but the few times he did turn out, he showed that he is a good batsman. Mawoyo is also capable behind the stumps and he will be able to put his talent on display when he completes his studies this year.

Matabeleland
They started off their campaign with a 258-run defeat at home to Mashonaland but recovered to beat Manicaland by nine wickets. They were really affected by the departure of coach Pommie Mbangwa who took up a job as a commentator in South Africa. Captain Mluleki Nkala also missed out on the last four matches due to a nagging ankle injury, and Heath Streak was also not available due to county commitments. This left a lot of pressure on Tawanda Mupariwa and Christopher Mpofu to lead the bowling attack and they rose up to the occasion. Terrence Duffin was consistent with the bat at No. 1 and Keith Dabengwa and Sean Williams also impressed.
Star man Keith Dabengwa – a best of 161 against Midlands and three more half centuries was impressive, although he still struggled for wickets.
Young player to watch Sean Williams. Another of a crop of composed young players, the left-handed Williams has a good technique up the order. He is also a left-arm spinner and, should he learn to turn the ball more, he will become a complete allrounder.Midlands
A very disappointing season for a side that has spent the last few years challenging for honours. Midlands finished this year’s competition with six defeats in six. They were not consistent and relied on individual performances to bail them out: but these were never enough. For example Douglas Marillier’s 202 in the second innings against Manicaland could not save them from a ten-wicket drubbing. Friday Kasteni scored a hundred on debut against Matabeleland but he failed to find such brilliant form again.
Star man Prosper Utseya. He struck three half-centuries with a top score of 89, Utseya also did well with the ball with best figures of 5 for 32.
Young player to watch Anthony Ireland. He has the raw pace but ultimately he lacks control. If he learns how to maintain a good line and length, he could go far.