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Pleased with the “nice build-up” to New Zealand’s tour of Bangladesh, Daniel Vettori does not except anything less than series wins in the Tests and one-day internationals. A 3-0 sweep in the ODIs will elevate New Zealand to No. 2 in the ICC rankings, which Vettori said would be special.Despite whitewashing Bangladesh at home during their visit to New Zealand in December-January, Vettori said away conditions provided a tougher challenge. “I think most countries who come to Bangladesh know they are in for a difficult time. Their record may not be great but they have [Mashrafe], Mortaza, Shahadat [Hossain] and Abdur Razzak and it is a nice bowling line-up in their own conditions. They are going to be a formidable opposition for us. We expect to win the series but we also know that it is going to be a tough challenge.”Bangladesh’s recent results – they haven’t won against an ODI against Test-playing nation since the World Cup in 2007 – does not inspire confidence but Vettori was wary of a shock defeat. “It looks like that from the results so far but if you look at the Bangladesh players from an individual level you have got some guys who have performed at the world stage,” he said.”We all know Mohammad Ashraful can play and on his day he can be a world-beater. Their reputation or their results may not be what they wanted but we still look at them individually and they are exciting. If we are not on top of our game then they can upset us. That’s the thing we are trying to avoid here.”Vettori took 20 wickets in the two-Test series during New Zealand’s previous visit in 2004, and expected typical subcontinental surfaces on this tour. “I think it will have plenty of runs in it and as it wears it will start to take some turn,” he said. “I think we got that covered with myself and Jeetan [Patel] and guys like Scott Styris and maybe Jesse Ryder would bowl stock seamers.”We are pretty comfortable with the conditions and it is like anywhere you turn up you have to adapt to what’s going on. Bangladesh know their conditions better than anyone and it is up to us to make sure that we are on the same level as them.”New Zealand play a warm-up game on October 7 ahead of the ODI series, which starts two days later in Mirpur. The Tests begin on October 17.

SYDNEY, Oct 9 AAP – Michael Slater’s prospects of being named in the first NSW Pura Cup side of the summer suffered a blow today when he was comfortably outscored by both of his major rivals.Slater made just eight off 34 balls in a practice match at Bankstown Oval, currying little favour with selectors ahead of tomorrow’s announcement of the NSW team to play Queensland starting Wednesday.Other candidates scored heavily in early season grade and second XI games but Slater struggled for an invitational XI playing the NSW ING Cup team.Corey Richards and Matthew Phelps looked in good touch and likely to retain their places for the opening Pura Cup game in Brisbane.Phelps, who was yesterday left out of the Blues one day team, smashed 99 off 117 balls for the invitational team, having already scored three hundreds in his four previous grade and second XI innings.Richards, who has also scored three centuries this season, scored 61 off 62 deliveries, helping hand NSW a 25-run win.With Richards and Phelps demanding selection, Slater’s chances of being named in the team tomorrow could hinge on the fitness of all-rounder Shane Lee.A niggly knee problem is likely to prevent Lee from bowling in the match which might allow Slater to bat at number three.While he was dropped from both the NSW one and four day teams last summer, Slater was recalled to captain the Blues in their final Pura Cup fixture of the campaign where he batted at first drop.Richards and Phelps apart, the other batsmen expected to be named in a side to be captained by Simon Katich are Michael Bevan and Michael Clarke.Bevan scored 62 off 88 balls today and added 137 off 143 balls with Richards as NSW made 7-257.Katich scored 21 off 29 balls in his first outing for NSW and put on 60 for the fourth wicket with Clarke (36).Left arm paceman Nathan Bracken took 2-32 off 10 overs while leg spinner Stuart MacGill went for 84 off 10 overs as the invitational side finished on 9-232.

A large proportion of the crowd at Old Trafford would have thoroughly enjoyed their day. They watched England’s footballers win their World Cup tie against Denmark 3-0 on the big screen and returned from the car park to their seats to see England’s cricketers reach 500 for the third consecutive innings for the first time in Tests. Among other notable events of the day was an innings of 123 from Alec Stewart and Chaminda Vaas taking his 200th Test wicket. At the close, Sri Lanka were 130 for one.Play began an hour late after mopping up the deluge of the previous evening. The partnership of Stewart and Tudor continued in regal fashion for another half dozen overs with Alex Tudor picking up useful runs to add to the partnership. He played one savage carve through the off side for four off Vaas but, in trying to repeat the shot, slashed a catch to Russel Arnold who took it well at slip.The fact that hordes of spectators began leaving the ground at this point had nothing to do with disappointment at Tudor’s demise. They were off to catch the kick-off. Stewart is a well-known football fan, but he kept his mind on the job in hand. It could be said that he acknowledged England’s first goal in Japan by stroking a boundary off the very next ball, but there was an inevitability about the way he went to his fifteenth Test century.He spent no time at all in what could have been nervous nineties. He was on 86 as he faced the start of an over from Dilhara Fernando. Four balls and four fours later, he was raising his bat in acknowledgement of his ton, from 146 balls with a dozen previous boundaries. He makes a habit of picking occasions for his centuries at Old Trafford. Last year it was in his one hundredth Test on the Queens Mother’s one hundredth birthday. Some had forecast that this would be his last Test, but his form would make it difficult to dispense with his services now.He was helped by a not inconsiderable contribution from Ashley Giles who helped him put on 102 for the eighth wicket to establish a new record for England against Sri Lanka. Not many of Giles’s 45 runs came in front of square, but his innings blossomed to produce the runs that he has frequently promised.Giles eventually fell to a juggling catch by Kumar Sangakkara off the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan, and Stewart went to a bat/pad catch on the off side from the same bowler who has a happy knack of continuing to take wickets. It was Fernando who took the last, finding an inswinging yorker that was too good for Matthew Hoggard with his first ball of a new spell.The combination of the weather and the length of England’s innings had effectively excluded Sri Lanka from winning the match and squaring the series. The Sri Lankans did not appear to appreciate the fact as they set off at nearly five an over. Arnold slashed the first two balls he received from Hoggard over slips to the boundary, and added a third to force the bowler out of the attack after two overs costing 17 runs including four no balls.He was replaced by Andrew Flintoff who proceeded to bowl a fiery spell that did not produce any wickets but accounted for the unfortunate Marvan Atapattu who was struck on the right index finger and left the field for an x-ray after writhing in pain. Early indications are that there is a slight fracture, but it could be an old injury.Sangakkara replaced him to take the score along at a healthy rate. Andrew Caddick withdrew from the fray with a side strain that caused him to depart mid-over, but Tudor replaced him bowling like a man with a point to prove. Circumstances caused him to be under-bowled at Edgbaston.It was Tudor who took the one wicket to fall when Arnold, having reached an attractive fifty from 53 balls with his tenth boundary. He went to hook a short ball, got a top edge and sent a steepling catch to deep backward square leg where Michael Vaughan was precisely positioned to take the catch.Giles plied his left-arm spin from the Warwick Road end, seeking assistance from the rough of the footholds, but the batsmen survived with only a few alarms to end the day in bright sunshine still 382 runs behind.

Dan Goldstraw is within eight victims of becoming only the fourth bowler in Southern League history to take 50 wickets in a season.Since the competition began 34 years ago, only Bob Laishley, Andy Hooper and South African Angus Small have ever claimed a half-century of wickets in a summer session.Laishley did it for Winchester way back in 1980, taking a record 58 wickets at a time when there were no restrictions on bowlers.Andy Hooper took 56 scalps with his left-arm spin for Andover in 1989, while Small, who played provincial cricket for Eastern Province and Natal, took 50 wickets to help South Wilts to their only SL title success a year later.Now Goldstraw is homing in on a place in the Premier League’s order of merit.The 6-54 return in last week’s abandoned match against Portsmouth lifted Goldie’s tally for the season to 42 wickets."Dan’s bowling better and better as the season goes on," praised BAT skipper Dave Banks."We’ve been able to let him off his leash in the nine-week session of all-day games, where there are no restrictions."But now we’ve resumed 50-over cricket, he’ll have to get his wickets inside the only ten overs he’s allowed to bowl, which will doubtless concentrate the mind."Goldstraw looks a near certainty to lift the Premier Division 1 bowling award for the second consecutive season.Team-mate Damian Shirazi went into today’s match with South Wilts with a 63-run deficit to make up on Bashley’s Western Australian star Luke Ronchi.Latest individual statistics:Premier 1
Batting: Luke Ronchi (Bashley Rydal) 617, Damian Shirazi (BAT Sports) 554, Russell Rowe (South Wilts) 508, Paul Draper (South Wilts) 494, Matt Swarbrick (Bournemouth) 492, Neil Thurgood (Bashley Rydal) 483, Roger Miller (Andover) 468, Alistair Gray (Liphook & Ripsley) 457, James Hibberd (Calmore Sports) 420, David Banks (BAT Sports) 359, Richard Hindley (Havant) 340.Bowling: Dan Goldstraw (BAT Sports) 42, Malcolm Hobson (Havant) 29, Paul Draper (South Wilts) 29, Richard Dibden (BAT Sports) 26, James Hibberd (Calmore Sports) 26, John Whiting (Bashley Rydal) 25, Kevin Nash (Bashley Rydal) 25, Shaun Adam (South Wilts) 24, Kirk Stewart (BAT Sports) 23, Richard Hindley (Havant) 22, Richard Taylor (Andover) 22, Christof Bothma (Calmore Sports) 22, Terry Rawlins (BAT Sports) 21.Premier 2
Batting: Charles Forward (OT & Romsey) 582, Aaron Heal (Lymington) 453, Danny Peacock (Lymington) 447, Iain Brunnschweiler (Hampshire Academy) 435, Tim Richings (Sparsholt) 416, Owen Dawkins (Hungerford) 413, Jason Laney (Hungerford) 406, Jeff Anning (Rowledge) 406.Bowling: Nick Wood (OT & Romsey) 30, Damien Carson (United Services) 27, Steve Green (Easton & Martyr Worthy) 25, Aaron Heal (Lymington) 24, Danny Peacock (Lymington), David Wheeler (Hampshire Academy) 22, Jason Williams (Hungerford) 22, Raj Naik (Winchester KS) 21, Owen Dawkins (Hungerford) 21, Jeff Anning (Rowledge) 20.Premier 3
Batting: Will Prozesky (Purbrook) 717, Mark Parker (St Cross Symondians) 612, Chris Baumann (Waterlooville) 605, Matt Digweed (Hartley Wintney) 539, Michael Heffernan (Alton) 456, Jimmy Castrisos (Hartley Wintney) 452, Michael Howard (Leckford) 429, Simon Greenfield (Havant II) 428, Colin James (Paultons) 411, Steve Watts (New Milton) 385, Ian Hunter (Purbrook) 381.Bowling: Nathan Collins (Gosport Borough) 35, Neil Dodds (Ventnor) 26, Julian Ballinger (Alton) 25, Bob Paul (Bashley Rydal II) 23, Andy Cattle (Leckford) 23, Andy Snellgrove (New Milton) 22, Ben Neal (New Milton) 22, John Barrett (Hambledon) 22, Nick McMurray (Flamingo) 21, Mark Stanley (Purbrook) 21, Stuart Charman (St Cross Symondians) 21, Peter Anderson (New Milton) 21, Darren Bartlett (Hook & Newnham Basics) 21, Matt Truckle (Redlynch & Hale) 20.Wicketkeeping: Dave Coles (Lymington) 19, Martin Miller (Bournemouth) 19, Dave Banks (BAT Sports) 18, Warren Gilmour (United Services) 17, John Burton (Redlynch & Hale) 16.

Saeed Anwar, Pakistan’ dashing left-handed opening batsman, indicated Monday he may feature in the last couple of games of the Super League One-day Ramazan Cup in Lahore.Saeed has been forced to miss the first part of the tournament because he had to rush down to Karachi for family reasons.His father-in-law is in critical condition with renal failure and other complications and is currently admitted in an ICU of a local hospital where he is undergoing dialysis.Saeed, who was inexplicably ignored by national selectors for the current tour of Zimbabwe, hopes to play in the Super League matches later on.”I am forced by circumstances beyond my control to miss the start of the Super League tournament,” a visibly disturbed Saeed told Dawn. “My father-in-law is seriously ill and I can’t expect myself to keep away from family matters in this hour of need.”The Karachi-born, who now lives in Lahore, said that he has taken permission from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to skip playing in the early stage of the tournament, which got under way Monday at Gaddafi Stadium.”With six matches available, I can afford to take it easy and God willing, if matters improve here, I shall play at least three games,” Saeed remarked.When asked how he felt as far as his motivation is concerned, Saeed replied, “I am raring to go and prove them (the selectors) that there is still a lot of cricket left in me.”After all, I have averaged 35 over the last 25 One-day Internationals. My performances in Morocco Cup and ICC Champions Trophy were quite good.”Saeed dearly wants to figure in another World Cup campaign before he ends his distinguished career. He was easily Pakistan’s best batsman in the last edition in England three years ago. Then he made 368 runs in 10 matches with match-winning centuries against Zimbabwe (103) in the Super Six tie at The Oval and the semifinal against New Zealand (113 not out) at Old Trafford.Saeed, who also led Pakistan both in Tests and one-dayers, is the proud holder of a batting world record when he smashed that memorable 194 off 146 deliveries with 22 fours and five sixes against old foes India, at Chennai in May 1997.At the age of 34, Saeed still has a lot to offer at the international level.Dogged by huge problems at the top of the order, Saeed is the ideal man to lend his experience – 4052 runs in 55 Tests and 8605 runs in 242 One-day Internationals – to a Pakistan side lacking in confidence after their recent drubbing by Australia.Pakistan’s only Test win over South Africa – their next opponents after Zimbabwe tour – was based on a fine innings of 103 by none other than Saeed Anwar at Durban in 1998.

Round 3 Draw (to be played on Sunday May 26)Bramshaw v Sparsholt
Flamingo v Hursley Park
Leckford v Rowlands Castle
Tichborne Park v Appleshaw.

The battle was hot and the victory was sweet. The Kingston grand finale was a shot of redemption that West Indian cricket needed more than ever.It was appropriate, too, that it coincided with the last Test appearance of the great Courtney Walsh.The symbolism represented the end of an era and the beginning of another which one hopes will bloom into fruit, the likes of which we tasted before the famine set in in the mid-90s.The shower of blessing that was the triumph at Sabina should have served to refresh stale taste buds and rekindle the will to win. After all, success in the fifth Test was the teams’ first in 13 Tests.That in itself would have been instructive of what it will take in the future to remain successful.No one can argue that the key to the humbling of the South Africans was not based on discipline, the one area in which the series winners held the upperhand consistently.There was no talent divide. The teams were equal in this department but the South Africans were simply able to execute their game plan better, playing within their limitations and allowing the West Indies to make mistakes.You could say that the West Indies finally gave the visitors a lethal dose of their own medicine.I fail to believe that we can’t play like that more often. Nobody holds a monopoly on discipline or the desire to play with pride and professionalism.But lest the current players forget, these are some of the core qualities that made us a dominant force for 15 consecutive years.Even more significant than that, Walsh was virtually the last torchbearer remaining from the halcyon days, and he was there to pass on the torch to a newer generation whose social upbringing would have been much different from that which affected and impacted on the lives of loyal soldiers like Walsh.Yes, money was important and still is, because the world system demands that finance is required to secure goods and services, a comfortable lifestyle and the rest of it.But those from Walsh’s time felt aggrieved when their professional standards fell below the level they had established,And so they were driven by something more fundamental than material gain to keep on top of their game.I wish I could be wrong, but I sense that this generation is not tied to this principle with any great allegiance and this may be the reason for much of the inconsistency we continue to see in West Indies cricket.But they must realise no matter what time you’re living in more than likely you’re going to get back what you put in, especially in a situation where you have some responsibility to decide your own destiny.Cricketers, batsmen in particular, often have the luxury of doing just that.Therefore, if the present team have any aptitude at all to pay any attention and due respect to their history and the heroes that have paved the way for them, Walsh’s legacy should be more than enough to inspire them to be as outstanding and resourceful as their abilities, and more importantly their industry and dedication would allow.Their future is in their own hands. The Sabina triumph was a great way to start and a timely reminder that they have what it takes to make the grade.

Hampshire threw away the chance of a second successive Rose Bowlchampionship victory against Gloucestershire.Needing 56 off the last ten overs of the match they had dominated, blindpanic saw them finish on 55 for six.At the start of the day it seemed they might finish off Gloucestershire intime to take in the final action at the Dell for the visitors were 181behind with only eight second innings wickets standing.And, when shortly before lunch three more prime batsmen had been sentpacking by Alex Morris and Alan Mullally, they were still 102 adrift.There seemed no escape but Dominic Hewson and Jeremy Snape turned thingsaround and finally showed the bottle to make a fight of it.Hewson, whose career-best 87 had come against Hampshire on his debut fivesummers ago, and Snape added 119 in 31 overs before Snape was leg before toMascarenhas.Hewson’s maiden century beckoned until on 89, after five hours at thecrease, he was bowled by Mascarenhas.The last three wickets squeezed the total to 272 and Hampshire’s target was56 but where a cool head was required they went for the big yahoo and whenthe last over came they still needed eight runs to win.That was reduced to four from the last two balls but they managed only threeand Gloucestershire escaped with a draw.

On the second day of the Frizzell County Championship Division One match featuring the leaders, Surrey, Ian Blackwell led Somerset to a 33 run first innings lead at The Oval. When he was out lbw to Ian Salisbury, he was just two short of a century and had faced 112 balls, striking 15 fours. Had anyone else other than Rob Turner and Jamie Cox with 34 apiece been able to support Blackwell, Somerset’s lead would have been that much greater. Martin Bicknell was Surrey’s most successful bowler with four wickets.In Surrey’s second innings, Mark Butcher fell early to Andrew Caddick and Mark Ramprakash was run out when Surrey had moved one run in front. They had lost Graham Thorpe before the close at which point they led by 54.Although Shaun Udal played a useful innings of 43 not out for Hampshire at Headlingley, a major contribution to the total came from extras. There were 54 of them, including 36 no balls. Matthew Hoggard came through a difficult time for him with four wickets. Michael Vaughan had an innings of 54 for Yorkshire, which at least negated the extras, and Craig White played an uncharacteristically slow innings to be 49 not out at the close from 132 balls as Yorkshire finished 180 runs in arrears.Robin Martin-Jenkins made sure that Leicestershire could not make significant progress from their overnight position by taking the last three wickets to fall to finish with seven for 51 at Horsham. Richard Montgomerie then carried his bat to finish 122 not out as the rest of the Sussex batting collapsed in the face of Devon Malcolm. The 39-year-old paceman finished with seven for 76. Batting again, Leicestershire extended their first innings lead of 17 to finish the day on 94 for two.In Division Two, there were runs all down the order for Durham as they declared on 470 for eight at Chester-le-Street against Gloucestershire. Top scorer was Andrew Pratt who was run out for 93, while acting captain Paul Collingwood and Gordon Muchall both recorded half-centuries. Gloucestershire soon ran into trouble when they batted, losing six wickets before the hundred has been posted. At the close, they trailed by 375.At Trent Bridge, Tony Penberthy and Darren Cousins extended their last wicket partnership for Northamptonshire to 81 before Cousins was out, leaving Penberthy undefeated on 106. Andrew Harris took the last wicket to finish with four in the innings. Cousins then entered into a bowling partnership with Carl Greenidge as the Nottinghamshire top order failed to show the same resilience as the Northamptonshire tail. When bad light stopped play, the home side were 184 for seven, still 93 runs behind.

ScorecardSouth Australia claimed their first Sheffield Shield victory in 21 matches with a tense 15-run defeat of Tasmania in Hobart – coincidentally the same team and venue where the Redbacks last won, in November 2010.The Tigers lost regular wickets throughout their chase of 212 to win, but the 9th wicket pair of Luke Butterworth and Ben Hilfenhaus crept to within 18 runs before both lost their wickets in the space of two runs to the SA captain Johan Botha and the allrounder Dan Christian.Playing his first four-day match of the season, Kane Richardson had earlier scooped four wickets to set SA on the path to victory. Before Butterworth and Hilfenhaus, the most substantial partnership of the innings had been a union of 47 between the opener Ed Cowan and the captain George Bailey.Cowan was out for 23, meaning he will enter the first Test against South Africa with a run of starts and no major scores this summer.