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Someone in the Zimbabwe Cricket Union must have broken quite a few mirrors in recent months, so wretched is its luck. First there was the dispute which robbed the side of 15 players, then Blessing Mahwire’s action was reported to the ICC, and now Dion Ebrahim, their vice-captain, has been banned for one Test for making disparaging comments about Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action.Ebrahim’s offending remark came on the first day of the second Test, when he was reported for saying in a telephone interview that Muralitharan’s legbreak was “the first legal delivery he bowled – that’s my personal opinion”.Sri Lankan officials wrote to Mike Procter, the match referee, saying they took “very serious offence” at the remark. A hearing was held at the end of play today and Ebrahim pleaded guilty. He explained that he had not realised the seriousness of his statement, and that he had said it more in jest.Procter said that while he was not going to fine Ebrahim, he took his statement in serious light and so decided on the one-match ban.

Canada 224 for 9 (Bagai 68) beat USA 137 for 9 by 76 runs (D-L method)
ScorecardCanada pulled off a resounding victory against North American rivals United States at the picturesque St. David’s Cricket Club with a 76-run win. Although the result was officially determined by the Duckworth-Lewis method, by the end Canada were clear winners.Canada started the day badly, as they slumped to 47 for 4, after electing to bat. But Haninder Dhillon (33) and Ashish Bagai dug in to take the score to 106 before Dhillon was dismissed, but Don Maxwell (27) and Austin Codrington (25) both shared in crucial partnerships with Bagai, first 45 for the 7th wicket and then 41 for the 8th wicket, to take Canada to a respectable total of 224 for 9 in their 50 overs.All the while Bagai, later named Man of the Match, stood firm, and was undefeated on 68 from 90 balls. Charles Reid impressed with 2 for 18 from 10 overs, while Islam (3-39), Javed (2-47), and Howard Johnson (2-52) were also among the wickets.USA got off to a sound start. Rahul Kukreti (13) and Mark Johnson (33) batted with assurance to post 54. But in one devastating over, Ashish Patel struck, claiming three key wickets. USA were reduced to 55 for 3 and could not recover.From then on wickets fell at regular intervals, with only Richard Staple, the captain, offering any real resistance with a knock of 21, as the Canadian spin attack of John Davison, (2-15), Sunil Dhaniram, (2-20) and Zahid Hussain, (1-20), combined impressively to tear the rest of the USA batting line-up apart .Four wickets fell with the score on 99 as USA crashed from 99 for 5 to 99 for 9.A brief shower forced the players off the field, and with 9 overs lost, USA were left with a target of 214, but with the last pair at the wicket and only 4 overs remaining, the game was effectively over. Nasir Javed (26 not out) and Howard Johnson (10 not out) added a further 38 runs between them as USA finished on 137 for 9 in 41 overs.Bermuda 267 for 5 (White 78, Marshall 64) beat Bahamas 96 (Leverock 5-18) by 171 runs
ScorecardBermuda inflicted another crushing defeat on the luckless Bahamas, with an emphatic 171-run victory at the National Sports Centre. Sent in to bat, Bermuda got off to a hesitant start, and stuttered to 90 for 3. However, Wendell White and Charlie Marshall shared in a scintillating fourth wicket partnership of 131 runs, and Bermuda’s innings eventually closed on 267 for 5 from 50 overs.White (78 not out) batted impressively while Charlie Marshall (64) put together a fine 64. Along with 33 from Cann and 26 from Smith, Bermuda’s total was always going to be out of reach of the inexperienced Bahamians. Narendra Ekanayake (2-46) was the pick of the Bahamas bowling attack.In reply, the Bahamas got off to a bright enough start, with Whitcliff Atkinson and Dwight Weakley, both making 23, taking the score to 51 for 2. The introduction of Leverock rocked the Bahamas into submission, eventually all out for 96 in 35 overs. Leverock, later named Man of the Match, finished with 5 for 18 from his ten overs.Argentina 99 (Paterlini 49) lost to Cayman Islands 102 for 2 by 8 wickets
ScorecardThe Cayman Islands turned in an impressive performance at the Southampton Rangers ground to register an easy eight-wicket win over Argentina. Cayman Islands bowled out Argentina for only 99 in 40 overs, and then eased comfortably to the target for the loss of only two wickets, from 28 overs.For the Argentines, only opening bat Lucas Paterlini put up any real resistance, with a fine innings of 49 (4 fours). Alejandro Ferguson contributed an unbeaten 19 but the rest of the Argentina batting line-up failed dismally.When it was their turn to bat Cayman Islands faced no hurdles. After Chris Wight’s 21, Best (29 not out) and Lawrence Cunningham (23 not out) shared in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 45 to take the Caymans to a resounding win.This win keeps the Cayman Islands in the hunt for a top-three finish, and an automatic qualifying spot for Ireland.

Dave Orchard is among six umpires named by Cricket Australia in their national panel for the 2004-05 season. The 55-year-old Orchard represented South Africa in the ICC’s elite panel and has officiated in 44 Tests – including two matches in the recently concluded series between Sri Lanka and Australia – and 107 one-day internationals. However, he has been an Australian resident for the past seven years and is expected to be granted Australian citizenship soon. His contract with the ICC ended earlier this year.The appointment makes Orchard eligible to officiate in Pura Cup, ING Cup, and national second XI competitions, and also in some international fixtures like Australia A games and tour matches.A left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler, Orchard scored 1634 runs and took 47 wickets in a first-class career which lasted 11 years, before he took to umpiring. Over the years, he gained a reputation for being among the less conservative umpires, often giving batsmen out lbw when they stretched forward to spinners without offering a stroke.Orchard’s exit means that Rudi Koertzen is the only South African currently in the elite panel. Meanwhile, Australia have three of them – Darrell Hair, Daryl Harper and Simon Taufel – while three more, Steve Davis, Peter Parker and Bob Parry, are in the international panel. The international panel umpires are allowed to officiate in one-day internationals, and can also, if required, provide back-up to the elite panel by officiating in Tests during the peak season.

Warwickshire have announced that former New Zealand batsman Mark Greatbatch has been appointed as their new director of coaching on a three-year contract.Greatbatch, 42, who was already the director of Warwickshire’s academy, was previously coach of Central Districts before moving to the UK 18 months ago after becoming frustrated with the pay and lack of opportunity in New Zealand. He briefly took over coaching Giggleswick School in Yorkshire before moving to Edgbaston.Greatbatch played 41 Tests and 84 ODIs for New Zealand between 1988 and 1996.Dennis Amiss, Warwickshire’s chief executive said: “We are all delighted that Mark has accepted this position with the club, and we look forward to him moving the team and the club forward over the next three years”.

In Durban, KwaZulu-Natal beat Border by 11 runs thanks to 71 from Rivash Gobind who, almost single-handedly, took Natal to 201. After a solid start, Burton de Wett caused Natal to collapse from 155 for 4 as he took 3 for 19 to clean up the tail. Border made an indifferent start but a 67-run partnership between Kevin Bennett (53) and Laden Gamiet (62*) brought them back into the game but in the end there was just too much to do as they finished on 190 for 5.In Potchefstroom, North West registered an exciting one-wicket win over Free State, which went down to the last over. Set a target of 288 to win, North West were almost out of the game at 187 for 9 with 10 overs remaining. A last wicket partnership of 102, with 51 coming off thefinal three overs, allowed them to win with two balls to spare. Diminutive ThandoBula struck four boundaries and three sixes in his career-best 76 notout, while Friedel de Wet smashed seven fours and three sixes in hiscareer-best 56 not out. Bennett Sekonyane (4 for 38) and Quinton Samson(3 for 51) also achieved career-bests, but still ended on the losingside. Having scored 287 for 7, thanks to an innings of 127 fromJonathan Beukes and forties from Riel de Kock and Craig Thyssen, FreeState must have been confident of a win.In Cape Town, Western Province had to work hard to gain a controlled six-wicket win over their unbeaten neighbours Boland. Boland were asked to batand were soon in trouble at 20 for 3. But 49 from Gerhard Strydom and a career-best 96 not out from Warren Swan put them back on track for a good total. A further 43 from Godfrey Stevens allowed Boland to reach 242 for 8 in their 45 overs. Western Province’s innings was never in any real trouble as they controlled the chase with Alistair Gray (70) and John Geoghegan (77), the Supersub, scoring their first limited overs fifties. A further 43 from Bob Homani, another career-best, saw Province pass the target with six wickets and three overs in hand.

Saleem Malik, the former captain of Pakistan who is currently serving a lifetime ban after being found guilty of match-fixing, has spoken out about his country’s weak performances against Australia. Pakistan are 2-0 down heading into the third Test, which starts this Sunday (January 2), at Sydney.”Pakistan had the upper hand in both the matches as they started off well but due to lack of maturity they failed to press the Australians hard,” he told AFP on Thursday. “I am deeply disappointed by the manner we lost both the Tests in Australia and it was mainly due to lack of maturity in boys who are otherwise very talented. The batsmen have been too emotional. Besides the team, the management and the Pakistan Cricket Board lack maturity as they have appointed a foreign coach, Bob Woolmer, which is not our culture.”Malik, 41, also took a swipe at Shane Warne. “Warne has never been good against India, and if our batsmen played him with patience he wouldn’t get as many wickets as he gets against us,” he explained. “He is a negative bowler and tries to frustrate the batsman by bowling round the legs.”Malik, who made his highest Test score of 237 against Warne at Rawalpindi in 1994-95, rated him below Muttiah Muralitharan. “I think Sri Lanka’s Muralitharan is a better bowler because he comes good even when a pitch doesn’t suit spin bowling. Because I had trained with Pakistan’s great legspinner Abdul Qadir I had no problems against Warne. I used to play him with ease.”

Shoaib Malik has undergone successful surgery on his elbow to correct his suspect bowling action. He should now be fit for the tour of England later this summer. Malik has been reported twice by match officials in the last two years and has primarily played as a batsman, though he has occasionally bowled. He was reported last in the Test series at home against England last year.Malik, backed by the Pakistan board, has unsuccessfully argued that his damaged elbow has caused his action to appear suspect but now that he has undergone surgery to rectify it, the problem should not crop up again.Malik went to Cape Town for the operation, which involved removing floating bones from his right elbow and repairing tissues. He has been advised to rest for six to eight weeks before batting and bowling again.”I suffered pain in my right elbow while batting or bowling and it was one of the reasons why I had problems extending it properly,” Malik told . “I am happy that this problem is done with now. I am confident I will be fit by the time the team leaves for England in late June. It is a tour I have been looking forward too for a long time.”Malik damaged his elbow in a road accident in 2003 but due to busy playing schedules he has been unable to find time to have the problem seen to. Although he cemented his place as a versatile top-order ODI batsman some time ago – and has now played 117 ODIs – he only recently secured his place in the Test side. Malik has been transformed into a Test opener in the last eight of his 15 Tests and he scored his first Test century – a match-saving one – against Sri Lanka recently.

Michael Vaughan’s first-class comeback for Yorkshire lasted just 13 balls, as he was dismissed for 1 by Hampshire’s Billy Taylor in their County Championship fixture at Headingley.Opening the innings, Vaughan was caught behind by Nic Pothas, as Yorkshire slumped to 13 for 3 on the opening morning of the match. He had tested his knee during his 67 against Scotland on Monday in a limited-overs match, his first game since undergoing surgery just before Christmas last year. But while he was happy with that innings he wouldn’t make any big statements about when he aims to come back for England.”I’ve been quiet because I was very confident and I didn’t want to come out with any rash statements,” he told reporters. “And I won’t now because I know the knee is still a bit of a problem and I have a lot of hurdles to overcome before I’m available for England.”This is the beginning. I need to get through a few games and test it out over two or three weeks. I’ll try to play all the games I can for Yorkshire and see how it reacts to some four-day cricket.”

Day 4
ScorecardKarachi Urban became the new Quaid-e-Azam Trophy champions as they defeated Sialkot by eight wickets, on the fourth day at the Multan Cricket Stadium.After being asked to follow-on, with a deficit of 220, Sialkot averted an innings defeat as they scored 288 in their second innings. Karachi Urban polished off the required 69 with little fuss, losing just two wickets.Sialkot resumed their overnight 175 for 3, and Tariq Mahmood’s stubborn resistance – he scored 29 off 203 balls in over four hours – kept the opposition bowlers at bay. Shahid Yousuf made amends for his first-ball duck in the first innings with a worthy 70 the second time round. He faced 105 balls and hit nine fours and two sixes. The rest didn’t contribute much as four wickets fell for only 15 runs.Yousuf found an able ally in Kashif Raza (25) as the pair added 78 for the eighth-wicket. The last three wickets fell at the same score of 288. For Karachi, seamer Tanvir Ahmed and offspinner Tahir Khan picked up three wickets each.Karachi Urban then reached their victory target in just 12.3 overs. Hasan Raza, the Karachi Urban captain, was declared the Man of the Match after his unbeaten 161 in the first innings.Babar Naeem (Rawalpindi) was declared the best batsman of the tournament, Tahir Khan (Karachi Urban) was adjudged the best bowler and best fielder while Zulfiqar Jan (Peshawar) bagged the award for the best wicketkeeper.Sialkot won the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for the first time last season. No Karachi team had qualified for the tournament’s final in the last five years. This is the 18th title by a Karachi team, a record.

Dennis Lillee says Shane Warne deserves his record for the most wickets in a calendar year and won’t be sad if it gets passed during the first Test. Warne enters Friday’s South Africa match with 84 victims for 2005 and needs only two to pass Lillee’s 1981 collection.”It’s all his. He deserves it,” Lillee said in . “He can come and get it. There isn’t a bit of sadness there for me in passing on the record to the greatest bowler we have seen. I have always really enjoyed Shane’s career and what he has brought to the game.”Lillee, the Western Australia Cricket Association president, will be at the WACA and should get a first-hand look if Warne can make some breakthroughs on his least successful Australian ground. Warne’s role in Perth is as a support bowler to the fast men and he has taken only 26 wickets in ten Tests.”We have always got along well and he has had to overcome a lot of setbacks to get where he is,” Lillee told the paper. “He has had an amazing career and I am really looking forward to being at the WACA when he breaks the record.”Lillee’s incredible 1981 included 85 wickets at 20.95 in 13 matches with Test series against India, England, Pakistan and West Indies. In the first Test against West Indies he broke Lance Gibbs’ world record of 309 wickets with first-innings figures of 7 for 83.