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The best seats in house: if you have £8000 to spare © Getty Images

If anyone has a spare £8000 the final set of debenture seats for the Grandstand at Lord’s have gone on public sale. On offer is the right to purchase the best seats in the ground for all international and showpiece domestic matches from 2008 to 2015.Prime seats would be guaranteed for England’s two Tests a season, plus any one-day internationals hosted at the ground, along with the domestic one-day final and Middlesex’s home Twenty20 matches.Funds raised by the scheme will be spent by the MCC on promoting the game at home and abroad as well as on the continued redevelopment of Lord’s.”This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who loves cricket to become a season-ticket holder at the best cricket ground in the world,” said the MCC chairman Charles Fry. “Lord’s has played a huge part in the history of cricket and the MCC continues to encourage the game in all its aspects on a worldwide basis.”The projects we have completed, and those we are considering, reflect the MCC’sdetermination to continue investing in Lord’s to ensure that our famous Groundretains its unique attraction and world-class status.”In 2008 Lord’s will host the first Test against New Zealand from May 15 and the opening encounter against South Africa from July 10 along with two ODIs.

All but Sussex, Durham and Northants were still in the hunt for a spot in the quarter-finals before today’s matches, the last in the group stage. There were wins for Glamorgan, Surrey, Hampshire, Durham, Lancashire, Somerset, Glamorgan and Warwickshire. The match between Derbyshire and Leicestershire was called off without a ball being bowled, with both teams awarded one point, meaning that Leicestershire are assured of a place in the quarter-finals.Middlesex, who had virtually no chance of progressing anyway, slumped to a 37-run defeat in front of a full house at Lord’s, despite a typically aggressive half-century from Lance Klusener. Earlier, Adam Hollioake smashed five fours and two sixes on his way to 65 not out off 41 balls as Surrey, the defending Twenty20 champions, set an imposing 183 for 5.Shane Watson powered Hampshire to 177 for 3 at the Rose Bowl, smashing an unbeaten 97. Kent were never really in the hunt, and fell 64 runs short in reply. Dimitri Mascarenhas was once again among the wickets for Hampshire, picking up 3 for 20.Durham, who also had no chance of going through, beat Yorkshire by seven wickets at the Riverside, with Gareth Breese (24 not out) and Gary Pratt (35 not out) guiding them home with ten balls to spare. Vic Craven’s 44 not out was the only highlight of Yorkshire’s innings, as they closed on a disappointing 126 for 7.In a match reduced by rain to just eight overs a side at Old Trafford, Andrew Flintoff smashed 31 from only 11 balls as Lancashire successfully chased Nottinghamshire’s 79, reaching the target with seven wickets and more than an over in hand. Earlier, Dominic Cork’s hat-trick kept Notts in check after David Hussey and Chris Read put on 52 for the first wicket.The match at Bristol ended in dramatic fashion after a half-century from Nick Knight had put Warwickshire in a good position in pursuit of Gloucestershire’s 135. He was run out for 63 with 32 still needed, and the remaining batsmen managed to secure the win on the basis of fewer wickets lost.Northants went into this round with no chance of going through to the next round, but no-one remembered to tell David Sales, who batted as if he was in the final to take his side agonisingly close to what would have been only their second win. After Marcus Trescothick’s 56 and Keith Dutch’s 47 lifted Somerset to 211 for 5, Sales fought back with 60 not out off just 33 balls – but Northants fell four runs short.Worcestershire collapsed to 45 for 8 chasing 141 against Glamorgan, before a late charge by Kabir Ali, who hit 49 off 28 balls took them to 120 for 9 with two overs left. Glamorgan held their nerve, though, as Kabir sliced a catch to Dean Cosker at third man. Matthew Maynard (44) lead the way for Glamorgan early on, before Mark Wallace raised the tempo in the final overs with an unbeaten 32 off 16 balls.
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The Chairman of the Tasmanian Cricket Association, Denis Rogers AO today announced the following appointments within the structure of the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers for Season 2003/2004.

Daniel Marsh: Vice-Captain
Shane Watson: Deputy Vice-Captain
Dene Hills: Assistant Coach-Batting
David Saker: Assistant Coach-Bowling

Ricky Ponting has been re-appointed as the Captain of the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers.In announcing the appointments the Denis Rogers said: "Over the past months we have been reviewing our position and the Cricket Committee decided to appropriately address the challenge of re-building Tasmanian cricket. It was decided we should strengthen the coaching area in the senior structure from a batting and bowling point of view."The Chairman added upon the appointment of the Assistant coaches: "In our midst we had two relatively young men who have played a lot of 1st Class cricket and have been high achievers and we thought there was nothing better than to appoint Dene and David."This appointment of dual assistant coaches is a first in Australian cricket, with both being responsible for dedicated specific aspects of the game within the coaching environment.The Cricket Committee and the Board of Directors unanimously agreed that the leadership on the field be Ricky Ponting (Captain), Daniel Marsh (Vice-Captain) and Shane Watson (Deputy Vice-Captain).Mr. Rogers said of this announcement: "We are delighted with all these appointments and all concerned are looking forward to their challenges."Brian McFadyen, Head Coach of the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers expressed his delight with the new structure saying: "We needed to improve upon our support structure for the team and I am very excited with the support given to me this year and with this structure for the future. We are now a step ahead of the other states with the luxury of two full time assistant coaches with specific roles to develop the on-field performances of the team."Commenting on the appointment of Dan Marsh, McFadyen said: " Dan is a well respected person and player, he possesses an articulate knowledge of the game and has all the attributes of a good leader. He deserves the opportunity to Captain in Ricky’s absence."Upon the announcement of his elevation to Vice-Captain, Daniel Marsh who was in Adelaide with relatives after the birth of his daughter Ella said: "It is a fantastic honour to be named Vice-Captain of the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers and I am looking forward to the season ahead. With such a young squad of players I am sure that it will be an exciting one. To have people of the quality of Dene Hills and David Saker as assistants to Brian McFadyen can only be positive for Tasmanian cricket. With Shane Watson as Deputy Vice-Captain we have a good mix of people in the leadership positions."Shane Watson was extremely excited about his new role, which he hopes will lead to further leadership opportunities down the track. He was looking forward to helping the team move in the right direction and working with Brian, Dene, David and Daniel.Dene Hills and David Saker were equally looking forward to their new roles in the coaching area.Hills said: "I am proud to be wearing the badge in a different form. I played with a lot passion and I love Tasmanian cricket. I would hope that my experience at a 1st Class level and the passion I bought to the team will rub off on the current members of the Tigers."David Saker added: I believe we have produced some good bowlers in recent years and I am looking forward to the opportunity of working with some promising young bowlers and hopefully producing Australian bowlers for the future."Both believe they will work very well together. They also expressed a belief that their respective specific roles of batting and bowling inter link and they will assist each other in providing the best possible preparation for each and every player and the team in order for them to achieve the highest possible standard of performance.Profiles:Dene Hills: Assistant Coach- BattingDene Hills retired from 1st Class cricket in 2002/03. He is without doubt one of Tasmania’s most successful and celebrated batsmen. A left handed opener with a tight technique and a penchant for making big scores, Hills formed the other half of that famous opening pair, Cox and Hills. Dene played over 100 matches for Tasmania and was named Sheffield Shield Player of the Year in 1997/98. He served his state with distinction and his 265 in 1997/98 remains the highest by a Tasmanian. Dene is a Level 3 qualified coach and has recently coached the South Hobart-Sandy Bay Cricket Club in the TCA Grade competition after many years as a senior player and mentor at the University Cricket Club.David Saker: Assistant Coach- BowlingDavid Saker joined the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers in 2000/01 after a distinguished career with Victoria. And retired in 2002/03. David was a whole-hearted and resilient cricketer who was respected for his tenacity and determination as a player throughout the country. His leadership and competitive nature is sure to provide a good blend within the coaching staff. Saker has played 72 1st Class matches and 43 Domestic One-Day matches as a right-arm fast-medium bowler and was named Cascade Tasmanian Tigers Player of the Year in 2001/2002. He is a level 2 qualified coach.Daniel Marsh: Vice-CaptainDaniel Marsh first moved to Tasmania from South Australia in season 1996/97 and has since established himself as a respected cricketer of note and a senior member of the team. Daniel was named Cascade Tasmanian Tigers Player of the Year in 1999/2000 and was Man of the Match for the Prime Minister’s X1 against England in 1998/99. Marsh has played 87 1st Class matches and 62 Domestic One-Day matches. Coupled with his powerful stroke play in the middle order, all round skills as a left arm orthodox spin bowler and safe hands in the slips, his leadership qualities and experience have been utilised on many occasions in both forms of the game.Shane Watson: Deputy Vice-CaptainOriginally from Queensland, Watson moved to Tasmania in the 2000/2001 season and immediately enhanced his reputation as an exciting young all-rounder. In the following 12 months he caught the National selectors’ eyes and made his Limited Overs International debut against South Africa at Centurion Park in South Africa in 2001/2002. Shane has played 16 1st Class matches, 20 Domestic Limited Overs matches and 21 Limited Overs Internationals for Australia. He is currently making a full recovery from a back injury sustained during last season, which kept him out of Australia’s victorious World Cup campaign.

Northern Districts have decided to recognise some of the leading lights from their past by presenting annual awards in their honour.The move was announced at tonight’s annual presentation evening in which Matthew Hart was named the Air New Zealand Travelcentre Northern Districts’ Player of the Year.Hart, 30, who made his debut for ND in 1990/91, scored 546 runs during the State Championship, including a double century against Auckland.In the State Shield he scored 301 runs at 30.10.TelstraClear Black Cap Scott Styris was awarded the batsman of the year. He achieved a Test century on debut in the West Indies midway through last year and scored a century at the recently-completed World Cup against Sri Lanka.The bowler of the year was Joseph Yovich who took 24 wickets at 34.00 in the State Championship and headed the State Shield bowling statistics with 23 wickets at 18.86.James Marshall was the fielder of the year and Nicola Browne the women’s cricketer of the year.Other winners were:Eric Petrie Cup for top club team in Northern Districts – Eastern Suburbs, ND Women’s District Association Championship – Hamilton, Bruce Pairaudeau Cup for the top Under-19 District Association team – Hamilton, Basil McBurney Trophy – Hamilton, Fergus Hickey Rosebowl – Northland, Brian Dunning Cup for the inter-district one-day competition – Northland and Hamilton, Allan McBride Trophy for Service to Junior Cricket – Mike Nitz, Umpire of the Year – Ian Shine, Young Cricketer of the Year – Matthew Drake.

A one-day triangular series involving Australia, India and Pakistan is likely to be held in Amstelveen, Holland, in August. According to a report in the Times of India, a spokesman for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that the VRA Ground in Amstelveen had been chosen as the venue, but also added the rider that the ICC would first inspect the facilities there.”The ICC inspection committee, in consultation with senior representatives of the Pakistan, Indian and Australian Boards, will clear the venue for the tournament,” the spokesman said. “The VRA Ground has already hosted a one-day international, when South Africa and Kenya played there in the 1999 World Cup.”The boards of Australia, India and Pakistan have already agreed to play a triangular tournament in Europe before the ICC Champions Trophy, which will be held in England in September 2004.

Day 1 of 3 Central Districts 36 for 2 trail South Africans 286 for 5 (McKenzie 100*, Boucher 58) by 250 runs
ScorecardNeil McKenzie ran up an unbeaten 100 to provide the South Africans some solidity after a shaky start to their match against Central Districts at Napier. After McKenzie reached his hundred, Mark Boucher, the captain, declared the innings at 286 for 5 and gave his bowlers a dozen overs in which they reduced their opponents to 36 for 2. Andre Nel and David Terbrugge bowled with hostility and picked up a wicket each, and left Central Districts with a rebuilding job on their hands.McKenzie walked in with the South Africans tottering at 86 for 3, and struck 12 fours and four sixes in the kind of innings his team sorely needed after their failures in the one-day series. He found an ally in Boucher, who scored 58 in a 115-run partnership for the fifth wicket that rebuilt the innings. Then Nicky Boje tonked a quickfire 38 and added 81 runs with McKenzie before the innings came to a close.Jacques Rudolph struck 42 and put on 44 with Herschelle Gibbs, who was the first of Andrew Schwass’s three wickets. However, Rudolph could not convert his start into a more substantial innings, and when Schwass removed Gary Kirsten (4) and Martin van Jaarsveld (21) soon after, the score was 90 for 4. It was then that McKenzie made his case for selection.

Malcolm Speed: “The confirmation of this team does not change the need for the stakeholders in the game to come together and resolve their domestic differences’ © Getty Images

The ICC has confirmed that USA will participate in the ICC Trophy after their cricket association named a squad and also stated that the team would not be disputed by a faction which has been contesting the legitimacy of the USACA.In a media release, Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, said: “The nomination of the team and the confirmation from the opposition group that it would not be disputing the squad through any domestic legal or other type of challenge or submitting an alternative team clears the way for USA’s participation in the event.”Though the immediate issue of participation in the ICC Trophy has been resolved, Speed warned that there were other matters that needed to be sorted out. “The confirmation of this team has addressed the ICC’s most immediate concern regarding cricket in America but it does not change the need for the stakeholders in the game in the United States to come together and resolve their domestic differences in the overall interests of the sport.” Earlier, the ICC had indicated that USA might not be allowed to participate in the tournament after internal bickering between the two factions who both claim to represent the USA Cricket Association.”The ICC does not and will not unilaterally get involved in the domestic issues that affect its members,” Speed said. “The ICC has repeatedly offered to assist the disputing parties in the USA to help find a way forward but these offers have not been accepted by both sides. These offers have now been withdrawn.”It is now up to the factions within cricket in America to find a solution to their internal dispute through the mediation, arbitration or legal systems that are available to them. I hope this happens quickly and that a resolution can be found.”

Viv Richards, the chairman of the West Indies selectors, has called on the West Indies Cricket Board to select different sides for Tests and one-dayers to try and prevent player burn-out as the international calendar becomes more and more demanding."We are probably cash-strapped and can’t afford to be transferring people back and forth," Richards told reporters, "but I’d like to think that if we are looking at cricketers’ development and moving forward in the future, we must implement certain things that we see. It has become necessary where we have players who have been assigned as Test-match players and others who are assigned as one-day cricketers. We are hoping we can have that put in place."Richards’ comments come as the West Indies start a grueling schedule in which they play Test and ODI series in Zimbabwe and South Africa, then host England before traveling to Bangladesh, from there move on to England for a return series and then finish off next September with the ICC Trophy, also in England."It is a serious period where we are looking to rebuild," Richards continued. "We have picked the individuals we believe are suited for the rebuilding process. We have alerted several reserves that they are on the shortlist and we want them to remain in programmes so that when called upon they would be ready to play a part."And Richards also warned several unnamed senior players to look long and hard at the way they behave both on and off the field. “It’s not probation, but we are looking very hard at some individuals, mannerisms, attitudes,” he said. “More than anything else, we would like them to commit themselves to scoring runs, all the runs necessary for us to be successful.”

Michael Vaughan: back in the side © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan has recovered from his groin strain and will play against Australia at Edgbaston in the eighth match of the NatWest Series. Vaughan, who was forced to sit out of the last two matches, will be seeking to reimpose England’s authority at a time when Australia are showing signs of galvanising after their shaky start to the tour.Both sides are guaranteed a place in Saturday’s final thanks to their victories over Bangladesh at the weekend, so this match has become a high-profile dress rehearsal. Australia have the momentum at present, having won their day-night encounter with England at Chester-le-Street, although it is unlikely that England will choose to field first if they win the toss today – which was the mistake that Marcus Trescothick made last time around.Australia have made a solitary change to their side. Michael Clarke has recovered from his back injury and reclaims his place ahead of Shane Watson, with Mike Hussey slipping down the order to No. 7. Meanwhile, England’s Ian Bell and Jon Lewis have been released to play in the Twenty20 match between Warwickshire and Gloucestershire at Bristol this evening.England 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Michael Vaughan (capt), 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Simon Jones, 10 Darren Gough, 11 Steve HarmisonAustralia 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Mike Hussey, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath.

Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle have parted company with their attorney, Sanjeev Datadin, after he released a statement on their behalf expressing their disappointment with the manner in which the ongoing contracts dispute had been handled.In a press release dated July 27, 2005, Sarwan and Gayle hit out at the “painful and difficult situation” in which they had been placed regarding the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka, adding that they had been presented with two equally unpalatable options:”Firstly, to refuse to play … and appear to be selfishly abandoning West Indies Cricket and the many loyal fans who have supported them faithfully over the years … and secondly, to choose to participate [and] appear to be abandoning their team-mates and colleagues who have sought their support.”The July 27 release also criticised “the unrelenting and unnecessary dispute” between the West Indies Cricket Board and West Indies Players Association. “Both players wish to express their disappointment with the handling of the entire matter. They fear that the current approach to the resolution of the dispute is only likely to deepen the divide between the stakeholders.”However, the pair have since gone on record to distance themselves from those remarks, and have released an independent follow-up to Mr Datadin’s remarks:”In order to provide clarity and remove the speculation that has been rife as a result of a press release issued by Mr Sanjeev Datadin on the 27th day of July 2005, we wish to state the following:

We have never given any instructions to say or suggest that we will break or have broken away from, disapproved of or had any complaint about WIPA or its handling of any matter.

We have been made aware and have been involved in the decision-making by WIPA on our behalf and other players throughout.

We deny categorically that pressure was placed on us by WIPA to make any decisions at any time.

We have informed Mr. Sanjeev Datadin that his services will no longer be required with immediate effect.

We are totally committed to West Indies Cricket.