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As the top two in each group go through, as well the best two runners-up, Worcestershire are virtually guaranteed their spot in the quarter-finals having won three out of four matches in the Midlands/Wales/West group. However, they will be wary of Glamorgan, who still have two matches to play, the second of which is against Worcestershire in what is likely be a top-of-the-table clash. Warwickshire, last year’s finalists, are currently second, and their last match against fourth-placed Gloucestershire could decide who takes one of those runner-up spots. Somerset and Northants, with only one win each, will have to wait another year.The North group is still wide open, with five of the six sides still mathematically able to make it through. Leicestershire, who made it to the semis last year, head the pack with six points, and a win at Derby tomorrow will take them through. Lancashire face Notts at Old Trafford in their last game, which will probably determine who else automatically qualifies with Leicestershire. Yorkshire, currently bottom with only two points, need wins against Lancashire on Wednesday and Durham on Thursday if they are to have any chance. Durham, though, are dead and buried after their defeat to third-placed Derbyshire yesterday.Surrey may be struggling in the Championship and the National League, but the Twenty20 Cup remains their speciality. They have made a faultless start in the defence of their trophy, and head the South group by two points without having lost a game. While they are already through, the race for second is between Essex, Kent and Hampshire. Essex, who benefited from their washout with Surrey with a point, currently lie second, and victory against Sussex – the only side in the tournament without a win at all – will rubber-stamp their position. However, if Sussex can at last find the winning formula, then the Kent v Hampshire clash at the Rose Bowl will be a shootout for the other qualifying place.Unfortunately for Middlesex fans, and the ECB, tomorrow’s first Twenty20 match at Lord’s will almost certainly be irrelevant as far as the table is concerned. Middlesex, one place off the bottom, will need a miracle to qualify. The game has been looked forward to – and sold out – for months, but Middlesex will need Essex to lose, Kent and Hampshire to tie, and then beat Surrey convincingly to go through on run rate. In other words, it’s as likely as a veteran MCC member joining in the Mexican Wave as Lance Klusener mows another six over the Mound Stand.The draw for next week’s quarter-finals takes place this Friday, with the finals day at Edgbaston on August 7.2004 Twenty20 Cup highlights
Andrew Symonds hit the first hundred of this year’s tournament, stunning Middlesex with a 43-ball 112 that included 18 fours and three sixes as Kent had no trouble chasing the Middlesex total of 155 at Maidstone, reaching the target in just 13.1 overs.Surrey equalled the tournament’s highest score when they amassed 221 for 8 against Sussex at Hove. James Kirtley bore the brunt of a blitz by Ally Brown (45) and Mark Ramprakash (46), going for 63 in his four overs. In the face of such a daunting target, Sussex, in keeping with their dismal domestic form, collapsed to 121 all out, with Adam Hollioake taking 4 for 14 in three overs.Brad Hogg may not have been in great bowling form earlier in the season, but he was Warwickshire’s matchwinner with the ball in their first game, against Somerset at Edgbaston. Hogg’s remarkable spell of 3.5 overs for just nine runs – and four wickets – set up a seven-wicket win. Hogg then took 4 for 30 with his mesmerising mix of slow left-arm spin and Chinamen against Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens to set up another victory, and has so far taken 12 wickets in the tournament at an average of only 6.66. Only Adam Hollioake has taken as many wickets.Worcestershire are top of their group largely thanks to the efforts of two players – Graeme Hick and Andy Bichel. Hick proved he isn’t a spent force with 72 off 53 balls against Gloucestershire, and 116 not out off only 65 balls against Northants. He is currently the leading runscorer in this year’s Twenty20 Cup, with 195 at an average of 65 – 17 ahead of Darren Maddy of Leicestershire. Bichel, meanwhile, is currently at the top of the batting averages, with 154 runs – he has only been out once – and has also taken six wickets.Darren Maddy has been in excellent form in this year’s competition. He smashed 51 from 27 balls against Lancashire in Leicestershire’s first match, had a rare failure against Durham, scoring a duck as Leics lost by 41 runs, but came back in some style with 111 off 60 balls against Yorkshire, the fourth Twenty20 hundred of the season. He is the second highest run-scorer so far, with 178 at an average of 44.5.

Mark Butcher may have been overlooked by England in their squad for the Champions Trophy, but he has proved to be a revelation in the 20-over format, scoring 53 off 38 balls against Hampshire, and 60 off 40 against Kent as Surrey won again. Adam Hollioake, his Surrey team-mate, took 5 for 34 in that match – the first five-wicket haul of the summer.Scott Brant took 4 for 20 to set up Essex’s second win, against Kent at Maidstone. Brant took the vital wickets of possibly the tournament’s most formidable opening pair – Shahid Afridi and Andrew Symonds.Dispelling thoughts that the entire competition would be dominated by batsmen, Durham’s Neil Killeen and Gareth Breese combined to send Leicestershire crashing to defeat at Grace Road. Killeen took 4 for 7 in four overs, one of which was a rare maiden, and Breese chipped in with 4 for 14.Nottinghamshire’s game against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge produced two remarkable innings, as Matthew Wood and Mark Ealham both narrowly missed out on centuries. After Notts won the toss and sent Yorkshire in, Wood cracked an unbeaten 96 off 62 balls as Yorkshire scored 207. But he was then outshone by Ealham, who hit nine sixes on his way to 91 in only 35 balls to help Notts scrape home by three wickets with one delivery to spare.In a low-scoring match at Hove, Dimitri Mascarenhas destroyed Sussex, taking 5 for 14 in 3.5 overs, including a hat-trick, as Sussex were bowled out for 67 in just under 15 overs. Hampshire didn’t do much better in reply, stumbling to victory in 19 overs as Kirtley and Robin Martin-Jenkins bowled their tally of eight overs for a total of 15 runs, picking up three wickets between them.

Sourav Ganguly will remain suspended from international cricket, but his ban has been reduced from six matches to four. Justice Albie Sachs, an independent arbitrator, ruled on Thursday that Ganguly’s original punishment for slow over-rates was “too severe”. Ganguly has already missed two one-dayers, so he will sit out the next two matches – the opening ties of the Indian Oil Cup – before returning to India’s squad at the start of August.The Indian board had appealed unsuccessfully to the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee about the ban imposed during the one-day series against Pakistan in April, saying that they were unhappy with the process used to deal with Ganguly’s first appeal.But the ICC said in a statement that Sachs had said the ban was correct. However, Sachs had “formed the view that […] the penalty imposed was too severe in the circumstances”, a view which relates to the fact that the Indian side was only five overs behind the rate.Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, said he was pleased the issue had been resolved at last. “Justice Sachs has dealt with all the issues raised by the BCCI in full and highlighted the fact that the process and application of the rules was appropriate.”

American ProCricket (APC) has finally unveiled the much-publicised big-name signings which it hopes will help attract fans and push the venture into the public consciousness in the USA.A month ago APC announced that it had secured the services of several high-profile cricketers, only to have to backtrack when various boards refused their players permission to participate. But it hopes that all the contractual issues have been sorted, although a quick glance at the list highlights a couple of potential issues.The most surprising name is Andy Caddick, who played the last of his 62 Tests for England in January 2003, but has since been bedevilled by injury. He is contracted to play for Somerset in the County Championship, a tournament which runs at exactly the same time as ProCricket. The other major English signing is Alec Stewart, who played 133 Tests for England – more than any other player – before he retired at the end of the 2003 summer.The organisers had hoped to attract a raft of current Indian players, but that intent was scuppered by the Indian board. Instead, it has gone for non-contracted players, including Nikhil Chopra and Ajay Jadeja, who last played international cricket four years ago, and Robin Singh, the former Indian one-day specialist who now coaches Hong Kong.The Caribbean also provides its fair share of names. Merv Dillon, Daren Ganga and Wavell Hinds, who were all omitted from the squad currently touring England, and former stars Curtly Ambrose, Cameron Cuffy, Dinanath Ramnarine, Richie Richardson, Franklyn Rose and David Williams are also playing.Three Australian cricketers – Simon Cook, Greg Matthews and Colin Miller – and a couple of Kenyans – Steve Tikolo and Brij Patel – complete the list.Each ProCricket club will field teams featuring three to four internationals and seven local players participating in each match.

All Today’s Yesterdays – September 11 down the yearsSeptember 10 | September 121911
One of the great figures in world cricket was born. Lala Amarnath’s century on debut, against England in 1933-34, was India’s first in Test cricket. A dashing batsman and versatile bowler, he twice took five wickets in an innings in the 1946 series in England – ten years after being sent home from a shambolic tour of the same country. He captained India to victory in their first official series against Pakistan (1952-53) – and his Test career lasted 19 years to the day. His sons Mohinder and Surinder also played for India.1985
One of Sri Lanka’s greatest days. The match at Colombo’s Sara Stadium was their 14th in Test cricket – and their first win. Thanks to Rumesh Ratnayake’s 5 for 49 and Amal Silva’s five dismissals, India were all out for 198 and lost by 149 runs. A draw in the next Test gave Sri Lanka a series for the first time.1999
Another big one for Sri Lanka, this time at Kandy. Led by new captain Sanath Jayasuriya, they beat Australia in a Test match for the first time, at the 11th attempt. Once the visitors had been dismissed for only 140 on an uneven pitch, Sri Lanka won comfortably by six wickets.1912
West Indies’ youngest Test cricketer was born. When he made his debut, against England at Bridgetown, Derek Sealy was only 17 years 122 days old, the youngest Test cricketer from outside the subcontinent. A strong attacking batsman, he made 58 in his debut innings and went on to score 92 and 91 in different Tests against the same country in 1934-35. He didn’t do so well away from home, averaging only 10.00 in Australia in 1930-31 and 23.75 in England in 1939.1999
A new member joins a relatively exclusive club. Tasmanian batsman Jamie Cox scored a double-century and a century in the same first-class match, making 216 and 129 not out for Somerset v Hampshire at Southampton. On what the Wisden Almanack described as “a perfect batting wicket”, he was dropped twice in the first innings but “his second was chanceless”.1995
Much better known as an opening batsman who scored 205 at Old Trafford in 1992, Aamir Sohail was an occasional slow left-arm bowler who did the trick on this occasion. His 4 for 54 helped dismiss Sri Lanka for 233 at Peshawar and win the first Test by 40 runs.1849
A long-lived great-grandfather was born today. When William Henry Cooper died in 1939, he was 89 years old. He liked to take his time with other things too: when he played first-class cricket for the first time, he was already 27. In the first of his two Tests, against England at Melbourne in 1881-82, he bowled 98.2 overs in the match, finishing with 9 for 200. His main claim to fame is ancestral: the only player whose great-grandson was also a Test cricketer. Paul Sheahan played his first Test for Australia in 1967-68.Other birthdays
1874 Charles Prince (South Africa)
1907 Oscar da Costa (West Indies)
1976 Murali Kartik (India)

What a wake-up call! Two Jamaican fast bowlers are learning some of the finer points of their craft from an Australian at India’s pace academy. It’s like the ladies at the breakfast shed travelling to Moscow to get certification from a Moroccan on how to make a decent callaloo.This is the reality of West Indies cricket. It doesn’t really matter whether the Stanford 20/20 is staged again next year, the year after that or ever again. It makes no fundamental difference to the state of the game in the region whether the money-spinning Super Stars showdown with South Africa comes off any time in the foreseeable future.Ken Gordon and Dinanath Ramnarine can sign off on MOUs, agreements and procedural protocols till they run out of ink and the situation will remain the same. Former players can fall out with administrators, and vice-versa, and all we will have at the end of the day is more bacchanal to sir into the mix.The fact that Jermaine Lawson and Andrew Richardson are benefiting from the tutelage of Dennis Lillee in Chennai is not in itself reason for alarm. No one in the Caribbean should be so swell-headed as to believe that it is a step down to learn from others about fast bowling, especially from someone so accomplished as Lillee, a man generally accepted to be one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time.Nor should we be holding our noses at our players seeking to brush up on their technique by journeying to India, a country that, before the advent of Kapil Dev almost 30 years ago, seemed to consider fast or medium-fast bowlers as the human equivalent of sandpaper.What this reality reinforces, however, is that other nations are well advanced in their recognition of the need to implement effective systems, along with importing the necessary expertise, to literally get up to speed with the requirements of the modern game.The likes of S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh may be a poor imitation of the fearsome Holding, Roberts, Croft and Garner, but the point is that Indian cricket is progressing significantly in one aspect of the game that they previously ignored altogether. And, of course, we don’t need any reminding of who won the decisive final Test just over two months ago on a “result” pitch at Sabina Park.To suggest that bringing an end to two years of bitter disputes between the West Indies Board and the Players’ Association with some words on sheets of paper, or trumpeting that the glitz, the money and the organisational efficiency of the Stanford Twenty20 have put our cricket back on track are utter foolishness.Just in case anyone forgot, West Indies were at the bottom of the ladder among established Test-playing nations before all of these threats and stand-offs began. The confrontational climate certainly would not have helped the situation, but the fractious arguments didn’t trigger the decline.Ironically, it was just as WIPA was starting to rumble that Brian Lara captained the regional side to a remarkable Champions’ Trophy triumph in London almost exactly two years ago. Now, in his third stint at the helm, Lara leads the Caribbean squad on a three-month journey through Asia that I expect will underline why we should be one of the favourites to lift the World Cup in our own backyard next year, although a potential downside is that we will also again realise how far behind we are in the longer version of the game.Put aside the embarrassment of having to qualify for a competition in which we are defending champions, and the upcoming schedule offers real possibilities to solidify a limited-over squad that performed so impressively against the Indians in the Caribbean earlier this year. A potential 18 one-day internationals, from Kuala Lumpur next Tuesday to Karachi on December 16, represent an ideal proving ground to not only fine-tune skills and tactics, but, more importantly in the context of the West Indian psyche, to build momentum and confidence in the countdown to the World Cup.Yet along with all of that fast-paced action, there is a three-Test series in Pakistan where we will get a true appreciation of how far we have to go to get back to being consistently competitive in what is still the ultimate proving ground in cricket. Even in the heyday of the pace quartets and the great batsmen, the West Indies struggled to win in Pakistan, so expecting a series win, or even a draw now seems decidedly unrealistic.But, more important than the actual results will be how these talented but still inconsistent cricketers play the longer version of the game. There is no question that the talent is there, however it is the attention span that remains the greatest challenge to captain, coach and the individual players themselves. The shorter the game, the better we are. Bowl with discipline, bat brilliantly, field spectacularly, we can do all of that. But sustaining that effort for session after session, day after day remains an elusive quality collectively.Given the current trends in our cricket, this is more than likely to be an Asian adventure of mixed returns, underlining why, for all of the God-given ability, we probably need to take more of our players away from their comfort zones-to Chennai or elsewhere-to re-learn the disciplines that once seemed to come so naturally.

Rahul Dravid came to England intent upon doing justice to his role as one of Scotland’s overseas professionals, which was evident in his visible disappointment when he was out for 25 in his first game in the National Cricket League, against Hampshire. He made a first-ball duck in a tour game against Pakistan, but then unleashed a majestic 120 not out against Somerset. Scotland still lost that match, a scenario which was repeated a few days later against Nottinghamshire, when Dravid’s 129 not out wasn’t enough to earn them an upset victory. Dravid remained in sublime form, but the quality of his team-mates meant that his back was against the wall throughout the season.
Scotland averagesAugust 28 National Cricket League
Scotland lost to Sussex by 1 wicketDravid’s superb season with Scotland ended in disappointment, as Scotland batted first and Dravid made just 1. His fellow overseas pro, Jon Kent, also failed to reach double figures, and Scotland ended up with 191 in their 31 overs. Sussex won by the Duckworth-Lewis method after rain stopped play, though they were precariously placed at that stage, with just one wicket in hand and 19 runs to get.
Scorecard ReportAugust 26 National Cricket League
Scotland lost to Northamptonshire by 8 wicketsDravid made 24 off 45 as Scotland batted first and were skittled out for 119. Northamptonshire got there easily, for the loss of just two wickets.
ScorecardAugust 6 National Cricket League
Scotland lost to Northamptonshire by 75 runsDravid scored a magnificent 114 – his third century of the season – but, like his two previous hundreds, this one was in a losing cause as well, as Northamptonshire triumphed by 75 runs. Dravid knock was laced with eight fours and a six, and came off just 102 balls, but with little support from the rest of the batsmen, the target of 320 was way beyond Scotland’s reach.
Scorecard ReportAugust 4 National Cricket League
Scotland lost to Hampshire by 7 wicketsJust the previous day Dravid and Jon Kent had won Scotland a game, and here again they added 103 runs to lift Scotland to 225 for 5 in their 45 overs. Dravid made 81 off 99 balls, with eight fours. John Crawley’s 83 not out won Hampshire the match, but Scotland’s overseas pros had, once again, gained them some respect..
Scorecard ReportAugust 3 National Cricket League
Scotland beat Sussex by 6 wicketsA magnificent victory for Scotland, fashioned by its overseas pros, Dravid and Jon Kent. Chasing 270, Scotland added 57 for the first wicket, before three wickets fell without the addition of a run. Dravid and Kent then added 167 runs before Dravid was out for an efficient 69, off 79 balls, with seven fours. Kent stayed unbeaten with 115 as Scotland won by six wickets.
Scorecard ReportJuly 9 National Cricket League
Scotland lost to Lancashire by 10 wicketsScotland sank to yet another defeat, with Dravid making a bright 26 off 30 balls before being caught behind off fast bowler John Wood, who took 4 for 22 as Scotland laboured to 168 in their allotted 39 overs. Lancashire got there with ten overs, and as many wickets, to spare.
Scorecard ReportJuly 7 National Cricket League
Scotland lost to Durham by 114 runsShoiab Akhtar blew Scotland apart with four early wickets after Durham made 267. Dravid evaded Shoaib’s menace, but made only 5, the fifth man out with Scotland’s score on just six. Scotland’s lower order salvaged some pride by taking the score to 153, but all in all, it was an awful outing for both Dravid and Scotland.
ScorecardJuly 6 National Cricket League
Scotland lost to Nottinghamshire by four wicketsDravid played a sublime innings of 129 not out, but like his previous century for Scotland, this too went in vain. Coming to the crease at 7 for 2, Dravid paced his innings masterfully as wickets fell around him. At 40 for 4, Scotland were in dire straits, but Dravid, hitting 14 fours and four sixes, counter-attacked magnificently on a wicket that offered generous assistance to the fast bowlers. Scotland finished on 222 for 7 in their 45 overs, and were in the hunt for a while, until Chris Cairns took the game away for Nottinghamshire with an unbeaten 65.
Scorecard ReportJune 17 National Cricket League
Scotland lost to Middlesex by 112 runsMiddlesex made 255 and Scotland was never in the game, slipping to 36 for 5. Dravid was lbw to Ashley Noffke for 6. None of Scotland’s top five made it to double figures.
Scorecard ReportJune 15 National Cricket League
Scotland lost to Somerset by 1 wicketDravid made a magnificent 120 not out off 97 balls to take Scotland to a commanding 296 for 4 in their allotted 45 overs. The quality of their bowling was appalling though, and Somerset overhauled the target with five balls and one wicket to spare. Dravid’s innings was magnificently paced: his first fifty came off 57 balls, his next fifty off 34, and he reached his hundred with a six. In all, Dravid hit 10 fours and three sixes.Scorecard ReportJune 7 Tour match
Scotland lost to Pakistan by 1 wicketDravid made a first-ball duck – caught behind of Shabbir Ahmed, as Scotland, asked to bat after Pakistan won the toss, made 169. Pakistan made a meal of the chase, eventually squeaking through by just one wicket.
Scorecard ReportJune 1 National Cricket League
Scotland lost to Hampshire by 7 wicketsDravid seemed upset with himself when he was out for 25, off 41 balls, and with good reason. With his dismissal, Scotland could make no more than 201 in their 45 overs, which was not enough to hold off Hampshire. Robin Smith made 82 not out as Hampshire won with two overs to spare.
Scorecard Report

Pakistan’s experienced left-handed opener Saeed Anwar is likely to miss the all-important World Cup Group ‘A’ clash against Australia on Tuesday.Saeed, hit on the elbow by a Shoaib Akhtar thunderbolt in the nets, has not recovered fully from the injury and the team management is unlikely to gamble with him.Pakistan contingent arrived from Cape Town on Sunday afternoon after attending the opening ceremony at Newlands and had a practice session at the Wanderers later in the afternoon.Apart from Saeed, all players seemed fit and eager to take on everybody’s favourites Australia, in a match that could be a forerunner to the final result of the World Cup.Saeed’s absence could be a big blow for Pakistan as he is no doubt a class act in his own, especially when considering the openers have not done too well in recent outings.Saeed’s likely replacement is Saleem Elahi. The right-hander is expected to open the innings with the flamboyant Shahid Afridi with utility all-rounder Abdul Razzaq once again filling the vital number three slot.On the contrary, the Australians who too turned up for practice appeared confident and have no injury problems. Spin magician Shane Warne is certain to play as he has recovered from injury and raring to go at the Pakistani batsmen in his last World Cup.Although both camps are confident of winning, the bookmakers here have installed Australia as firm favourites to beat Pakistan.

High Noon? For a Few Dollars More? Unforgiven? Hang ’em High?Hollywood’s western movie classics offer some interesting word play for the plight New Zealand find themselves in on the eve of their World Cup Super Six decider against India at Centurion tomorrow.Judging by the amount of comment swamping the newswires out of South Africa, it is not a case of whether India beat New Zealand but by how much?It is a High Noon for Stephen Fleming’s men, several of them cannot expect to play in another World Cup. All the effort of some pretty tempestuous years in the game, years that have marked significant changes in New Zealand cricket and its administration goes on the line.That is what it comes down to.New Zealand go into their game in a situation that for them is life or death.When they folded miserably in their batting against Australia, largely through their own fault in the supposedly solid top-order, and through an inability to contain the rampant fast man Brett Lee through the lower-order, New Zealand still had three hopes for making the semi-finals.The first, and most obvious, was to beat India in tomorrow’s game.The second was to hope that Zimbabwe might beat Sri Lanka on Saturday and the third disappeared yesterday when Kenya beat Zimbabwe.Hard as it might have been to believe, especially after the way they batted themselves out of a hole against New Zealand in their first Super Six match, Zimbabwe couldn’t put together anything resembling a reasonable effort against the Kenyans.What an indictment the Kenyans have been of the management of world cricket. The more the Kenyans have continued on their winning way, the greater the emphasis on the folly of Bangladesh’s promotion to Test status. And, dare it be said, the greater the folly for not taking New Zealand’s security concerns in Kenya more seriously.Realistically, New Zealand have only one option. They must beat India.Sri Lanka, if they are given the chance for a semi-finals berth as the result of New Zealand’s failure to beat India, will not falter. The prize is too great for them to even contemplate a loss to Zimbabwe.The India that New Zealand will face at Centurion is a different Indian team than that which lined up against it during the National Bank Series in New Zealand this summer.It is a side flush with confidence, untroubled by movement off the pitch or troublesome bounce. A side with their batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar in full cry and already having broken the record for most runs in a World Cup tournament.It is a side with left-arm medium-fast bowler Ashish Nehra having backed up some solid form in New Zealand with some potent displays, a great support to the most improved bowler on the tour in Zaheer Khan. And then there is the old master Javagal Srinath – the most persistent of India’s bowlers in the one-day series and a key factor in the Indian attack.Back that up with some batting form from Tendulkar’s supporting cast of Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh and there is a much more complete look to this Indian side.New Zealand know that India will probably use revenge for the series earlier this year as a motivation.But that could be a wasted notion. If they could take the home series, or a win tomorrow over India, there would only be one winner.Series come and series go, but there is much greater reward at the World Cup. New Zealand know that, just as they know they are at their last chance for a reasonable result in this campaign.However, as long as they contribute to their own demise with reckless stroke making of the order seen against Australia, when there was no pressure to accelerate the run rate at any stage of their innings, then they are going to minimise their chances.India don’t have a Lee to fire in inswinging yorkers. They do have bowlers who are entitled to some respect. But if two Test matches and seven One-Day Internationals didn’t alert them to what they can expect, nothing will.Centurion being the smaller ground that it is should be the scene for a high-scoring game, and if it is New Zealand who are on the chasing end of a formidable Indian target, some significant batting support for Fleming and Scott Styris is going to be a must.Greater discipline from Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns would be a start, more of the typical Lou Vincent working of the ball and speed between the wickets would be a help should he be named, while Craig McMillan, if he were to return to the side, or whoever is given the job of opening with Fleming, needs to hang around long enough to be a long-burning accelerant instead of the short-fused double happy variety that has been seen so far.The greatest test of all for the New Zealanders will be picking themselves up from the disappointment of knowing that they were within an ace of ending Australia’s winning run in their last match.New Zealand does not have a great record of scoring centuries at World Cups. Going into this tournament only five had been scored, two of them in the first tournament in 1975 by Glenn Turner.Already this time, Styris, Fleming and Astle have reached three figures and chances are it is going to require another player to do it tomorrow.India start as raging hot favourites, but given the results that have happened in this tournament, can anything be taken for granted?Will it be an epic result in the shape of The Magnificent ’11’ or farce in the form of Blazing Saddles?Tomorrow will tell.

1. All matches are 20 overs per side, with the teams divided into three groups – North (Derbyshire, Durham, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire), Midlands/West/Wales (Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, Worcestershire), and South (Essex, Hampshire, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex).2. Matches start at 5.30pm (although there might be some changes to fit in with television schedules), with a 15-minute interval before the start of the second innings at 7.00pm.3. Each innings should last no longer than 75 minutes.4. Teams will incur a six-run penalty if they fail to bowl the full 20 overs within the 75 minutes.5. New batsmen must be in position within 90 seconds of a wicket falling.6. Only two fielders are allowed outside an inner circle during the first six overs of a team’s innings.7. Bowlers are permitted a maximum of a fifth of the total overs in a completed innings (ie four overs if there is no delay or interruption caused by rain).8. Umpires can impose a five-run penalty for time-wasting by batsmen. They are expected to be ready as soon as the bowler is ready.9. No-balls will be penalised by a free-hit next ball with standard rules on no-ball dismissals applying.10. Each side must face a minimum of five overs for a match to be valid. The Duckworth-Lewis method will be used to calculate run targets in rain-affected games.11. The three group winners and best second-placed team will progress to the semi-finals/final day on July 19.12. The overall winners will receive £42,000, the runners-up £21,000 and the losing semi-finalists £10,000 each.

RICKY PONTING has been named captain of the Australian one-day cricket team for the tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe.ADAM GILCHRIST has been named vice-captain by the Australian Cricket Board.The appointments follow STEVE WAUGH’s shock axing as skipper earlier this week.