Gloucestershire have announced that Phil Weston is to leave the club at the end of the season to spend more time with his family. Weston joined Gloucestershire in 2003 after leaving Worcestershire, who he played with since making his debut in 1991.”I have asked to be released from the final year of my contract with Gloucestershire primarily for family reasons; this is to move back to my home in the north,” Weston said. “This has been a difficult decision and one which I have not taken lightly as I have enjoyed many happy and successful times during my four years at Nevil Road.””I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved at the club especially the supporters and players to whom I wish every success in the future.”Weston has enjoyed a solid final season, scoring 911 runs in the Championship at 39.60, with two hundreds and six fifties.”It was a great bonus to sign Phil in 2003 and he has been part of a very successful opening partnership with Craig Spearman,” Gloucestershire’s chief executive, Tom Richardson, added. “Obviously we are sorry that he is no longer playing with us but in this sense we do respect his wishes.”

The margin of defeat in the first game of the Champions Trophy – 37 runs – as Bangladesh succumbed to Sri Lanka was not an accurate reflection of the match as a competition. Sri Lanka had played their opponents well out of the game, and it was only a last-minute dash from Mashrafe Mortaza, heaving the bat merrily for 30, that took Bangladesh towards their target. Sri Lanka probably won’t have to worry about a repeat of that happening at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Ahmedabad, as they take on Zimbabwe.Again, it’s not going to be every day that Zimbabwe are rolled over as badly as they were – for only 85 by West Indies – so fans will be hoping to get a bit more from the game. And there’s no reason why that hope should go unfounded. The likes of Stuart Matsikenyeri and Brendan Taylor, if they get going, should ensure that the team does not collapse for sub-100 totals in consecutive games.The dilemma for Sri Lanka is an unusual one. Despite recent runs of form that has seen them brush aside teams with a confidence and nous reminiscent of Sri Lankan teams of the late nineties where they won virtually every tournament, there has been the suggestion that they were a bit short of match practice. This seemed to be the case in the first game against Bangladesh where the bowling was undisciplined and they did not go for the kill when they had the opposition on the mat.When they take on Zimbabwe, they will be hoping to win the toss, if only so they can have a bat. That would ensure that they at least got some batting practice in, and maybe then, in the face of a huge total, Zimbabwe would spend some time at the crease, giving Sri Lanka’s bowlers a chance to get through their paces. On the contrary, if they chose to bowl, there’s every chance that Zimbabwe could be shot out cheaply – Sri Lanka have dismissed them for 150 or less as many as six times, twice horribly, for 38 and 35.”If we win the toss we’ll be batting or bowling, not on the basis of the opposition, but on the basis of conditions and the gameplan,” Tom Moody, the coach of the Sri Lankan team, insisted on the eve of the match. “If the wicket’s dry and it looks like it’s going to be best to bat on first, then we’ll do that.”Mahela Jayawardene, leading the side though Marvan Atapattu is back in the mix after recovering from a back injury, for his part, did not rule out some players being rested as they continued with a rotation policy to keep players fresh. “We might think of rotating a few guys,” he said. “We haven’t finalised that yet, and we’ll do that after we have a good look at the wicket. We don’t have too many options, only 14 guys here, so depending on what the team needs we’ll think about it.”There’s really only one way tomorrow’s match can unfold as a thriller – if Sri Lanka slip up badly, get utterly complacent, collectively fail to apply themselves. Long Tom certainly will be drilling this into his team’s heads before they take the field. “Quite clearly we’ll be approaching this game just like any other – whether it’s Zimbabwe, England, Australia or India it makes no difference,” he said, perhaps a touch too emphatically. “My emphasis to the players will be that we’re going in to win this match, the opposition is irrelevant. Zimbabwe didn’t have the start that they wanted against the West Indies, but that doesn’t count for anything against us. Whether they have world-class players in their side or not is not relevant. If anyone thinks they can come into a match like this with a foot off the gas and not quite switched on they can be in for a rude shock.”

1. Geoff Marsh – Mr. Nudist
A long-time room-mate of David Boon, Swampy lived and breathed cricket, mostly batting, as anyone who saw his bowling action would testify. He was so passionate that Boonie was often woken early in the morning to the site of Swampy – in his birthday suit – practising forward defences in front of the mirror! Never great at amusing himself, he would get annoyed if Boonie was reading a novel and not talking to him. On one occasion Boonie left the room, only to return to find his novel ripped to shreds by a smiling Swampy.2. Justin Langer – Mr. Sleepwalker
JL is known as a bit of a sleepwalker and also talks in his sleep. This alone might not seem like such a big problem, however Alfie is a black belt in martial arts, which adds some intrigue when you are woken by him screaming obscenities as he walks towards you throwing his kicks and punches. One of the major factors in the push for single rooms, not so much for solitude but for self-preservation.3. Steve Waugh – Mr. Messy
There is an old TV sitcom called The Odd Couple about Felix too neat, and Oscar too messy. When I roomed with Steve it was two Oscars and that meant trouble. I roomed with him once in Brisbane before the first Test against the Poms in 1994-95, and it was a disaster. We got along fine as blokes but we had a few problems with our domestication duties – shirts, shoes, socks, cricket gear and mini-bar wrappers were all sprawled around our room over the week-long stay. At the end of the Test, he left with half my gear and I left with half of his, although I didn’t get his cherished baggy green.4. Mark Waugh – Mr. Julio
I roomed a bit with Junior early in my career before I really got to know him. We didn’t have a lot in common in our touring life. I’m a massive Hawthorn fan in the AFL and his love was for the Bulldogs in the NRL. On a day off he loved nothing more than 18 holes of golf, while I was a non-golfer. He was one of the prominent members of the Julios, guys within the team who took a lot of pride in personal grooming. I was in the middle of the Nerd clan and very fashion-challenged. To motivate myself for big games I’d listen to Metallica, ACDC and Kiss, while Junior preferred the sounds of The Little River Band!

5. Michael Bevan – Mr. Mission Impossible
Rooming with Bevo was a bigger challenge than Tom Cruise had in any of his Mission:Impossible movies. Bevo was a perfectionist who needed the right amount of sleep to bring out his best game. He took objection to smokers, snorers, earlier risers, late-to-bedders, tall blokes, small blokes, drinkers etc. This is a man who has had the flu now for 36 years and took his own pharmacy on tour to maintain peak physical condition. Another individual who brought the notion of single rooms to the forefront.6. Darren Lehmann – Mr. McDonald’s
Would be Michael Bevan’s nightmare roomy from hell. Smokes like a trooper, loves a beer and the odd late night. Then when he does get home he proceeds to snore as loud as rioting elephants. We roomed together in Sri Lanka in 1996 for an ODI tournament which was under heavy security. We couldn’t leave the hotel, so that made the boys a little stir crazy for the three weeks. The highlight, for Boof and myself, was me questioning him about the McDonald’s menu. At that stage he had a McDonald’s card that gave him free food. I would ask questions like, “How much is a Big Mac meal deal, six nuggets and a caramel sundae?” He would have 15 seconds to answer. “Supersize or regular?” he would ask. “Supersize”, I would reply. “$9.55” . . . hours of fun!7. Brad Hogg – Mr. Fitness
Hoggy made his Aussie debut touring India in 1996 and was keen to set a good example. He was always first to training and last to finish, which would have impressed his team-mates except for the fact that the team bus couldn’t leave until he had finished! Jeez we watched him bowl a lot in the nets. Being from the country he was always up early and ready for action. Room-mates were woken to grunting noises as he punched out push-ups and sit-ups at 5.30am. And he is still the only Australian cricketer to actually buy weights on a tour and carry them around for the entire trip!8. Shane Warne – Mr. Entertainment
Rooming with Warney was always enjoyable as he loves his gadgets – DVDs, Minidiscs and the latest in mobile phones. He used to bring complete home entertainment systems on tour, lugging around a subwoofer and speakers in its own suitcase, before proceeding to play his music and movies – loud. Not a problem when he played some Powderfinger but I think Spice Girls should be listened to in the privacy of your own headphones. He once bought a mobile phone in Dubai in 1994 when they were only just new and the size of a house brick. He was disappointed with the low volume when speaking only to realise the phone was upside-down and back-to-front! Also a softie at heart, I once woke to find him crying during Notting Hill, when Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts reunite at the end.

9. Merv Hughes – Mr. Bodily Functions
I first roomed with Merv as an 18-year-old mulleted teenager straight from high school. I grew nervous when my fellow team-mates wished me luck. But we hit it off straight away; he became like a big brother to me. On arrival I would be sent to get food – maybe a couple of hamburgers, with a diet coke to even it out! I would also buy a Big M and Picnic each for sweets, to be saved for later that night. We would then “bat cave” our room by closing all curtains so no light could enter and have a couple of hours’ siesta, then wake up and go out that night. Merv would then leave earlier than me, and I would go home to find two empty Big M cartons and Picnic wrappers. No need for an alarm clock, we had Merv’s natural one. All I will say is that it was loud and smelly but very consistent – set for 30 minutes before departure. In those days for Victoria we used to swap roomies every second trip. I don’t know what I did wrong but I roomed with Merv for six years!10. Craig McDermott – Mr. Neat
Was the leader of our pace attack when I first came on the Australian scene and going from Big Merv’s laidback attitude to Billy was quite a contrast. It really was The Odd Couple with myself and Billy. Everything had to be packed neatly, clothes put into drawers and shirts hung up on their hangers. In my seven years touring with the Aussie team I never packed any clothes in hotel drawers. Any rubbish I had thrown around was picked up by Billy and put in the bin before he would even acknowledge me. He was a massive snorer. The night before an Adelaide Test against the Poms I was in bed early, wanting a long relaxing sleep. Just as I was drifting off, Billy starts snoring. After tossing and turning for hours I finally screamed out, “Stop snoring Billy!” In a semi-conscious state he apologised and proceeded to stop snoring. I don’t know how that works.11. Troy Corbett (Vic) – Mr. Fast Food
Special mention to one of the great blokes of Victorian cricket. I was rooming with him and our middle-order player Laurie Harper in Darwin for pre-season one year. The apartments had one double bedroom and one bedroom with two singles. Using my Australian experience, I pulled rank immediately and chose the double. I slept beautifully and woke to see Laurie camped with bed sheets in the kitchen looking like he’d hardly had a wink of sleep. He told me he’d had to move out as he was scared to sleep in the same room as Ronnie. Ronnie, who was working at McDonald’s at the time, was a sleepwalker and Laurie awoke to his team-mate above him, flipping burgers in his sleep, and of course … he was nude!

Despite the comprehensive nature of the 157-run victory in Durban, GraemeSmith asserted that there would be no hint of complacency as they took onIndia on a Newlands pitch that was likely to be a lot less pacy than theone at Kingsmead. Smith expected India to find form as the tour went on,but warned that his bowlers certainly wouldn’t be offering any freebies toan embattled batting line-up.”Obviously, we have worked hard and taken a lot of confidence from thefirst match,” he said. “We’ve talked at length on how to adapt to theNewlands wicket. I think the first 10 or 15 overs, whether we bat or bowlfirst, is going to be crucial. It will set up the game. We’ll make sure wedon’t allow the Indians any sort of chance to get in during that time.”His reaction bordered on the sympathetic when he was asked whether he hadbeen surprised by the ineptitude on display in Durban. “They arrived a dayor two before the first game [in Benoni],” he said. “They really didn’thave any net practice. The day after arrival is always a tough day withjetlag, and they went straight into the first game cold. There was a lotof rain in Jo’burg, no nets, and then a bit of rain in Durban. So theywere probably a bit undercooked going into it.”We expect them to bounce back here and we are not going to take themlightly. But we have sorted out our plans for tomorrow, and Newlands hasbeen a fantastic place for us.” Back in March, his team routed Australiaby 196 runs, with Makhaya Ntini taking 6 for 22 before the lights had beenfully switched on.Herschelle Gibbs’s loss of form has been written about in the SouthAfrican media, and Smith himself didn’t enjoy the best of starts to theseries at Kingsmead. “It’s not a worry,” he said. “If I can speak formyself, I’m feeling really good. It’s just that I have played only fivegames in four months, and we need a bit of time in the middle. I’m feelinggood at the nets, and it’s just a matter of getting it right in themiddle. I think Herschelle is pretty much the same. If both of us get astart, it’s important that we cash in.”

Brad Hodge will miss Victoria’s Ford Ranger Cup match against Queensland on Friday with a strained quadriceps. Hodge has been left out of the 12-man squad for the Gabba clash but is considered an outside chance of playing in Sunday’s FR Cup game against New South Wales.Hodge said the injury was disappointing given his hopes of a recall to the Australia side this summer. “There’s never a good time to be injured, and this is less than ideal,” he said. “I’ve been battling the injury for a little while and have been unable to shake it. Hopefully I can prove my fitness for the game against New South Wales and get back amongst the runs.”Naturally I want to help generate victories for Victoria, but at the same time, if I can remind the national selectors that I’m in form and ready to go, it certainly couldn’t hurt my chances for higher honours.”Victoria will regain Shane Harwood for Friday’s match after he recovered from a minor buttock strain. The Bushrangers, whose fast bowlers had a horror injury run early in the season, are beginning to return to some normality in their attack with Mick Lewis set to test his hip muscle in a Victoria 2nd XI game next week. Brad Knowles, Peter Siddle and Dirk Nannes are also recovering well from injuries.Squad Michael Klinger, Jon Moss, Cameron White (capt), David Hussey, Rob Quiney, Aiden Blizzard, Andrew McDonald, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Grant Lindsay, Shane Harwood, Clinton McKay, Darren Pattinson.

Scorecard

Queensland maintained their 100% start to the KFC Twenty20 with a nine-run victory at the Gabba. The Bulls’ total was based around a set of solid contributions, with Clinton Perren and Chris Simpson both striking 39. Daniel Christian restricted the late-over slogs with three wickets. New South Wales stuttered from the start as Mitchell Johnson, who after a series of conflicting messages was asked to remain with Queensland rather than fly back to Sydney for the Ashes celebrations, struck early as the Bulls’ strong seam attack made inroads. The Blues’ main hopes went with Phil Jaques, who departed in the 11th over for 29 to leave them 5 for 80. Ashley Noffke completed an impressed four-over stint with two late strikes and conceded just 14 runs.
ScorecardVictoria have moved to second and Tasmania to fourth on the KFC Twenty20 table after their match at Hobart was rained out. Constant drizzle at Bellerive Oval appeared unlikely to ease, so the game was called off without a ball being bowled. Victoria opened their account on Monday with a 34-run victory over South Australia, while Tasmania are still winless after their opening loss to Queensland.

Tony Dodemaide will return home to Melbourne to accept the post of Cricket Victoria’s chief executive after taking a globetrotting path to the job. Dodemaide, who played 10 Tests and 24 ODIs, was a swing-bowling allrounder for Victoria during his playing days before he spent five years as Marylebone Cricket Club’s head of cricket at Lord’s.In 2004 he joined the Western Australian Cricket Association as chief executive and oversaw a period where the organisation tackled severe debt problems and experienced an executive takeover led by Dennis Lillee, who is now the president. Dodemaide is expected to start his role with Cricket Victoria by the end of the current season.”I’m looking forward to returning to Victorian cricket immensely,” Dodemaide said. “The challenge of leading Cricket Victoria into the future is one that is extremely exciting and I’m pleased to be returning to where my cricket first started.”Geoff Tamblyn, the Cricket Victoria chairman, said Dodemaide had outstanding administrative credentials. “He led a strong list of candidates and we’re excited to have him at the helm,” he said. “Tony was an exceptional contributor to Victoria as a player and we look forward to him providing similarly strong performances in his new role.” Dodemaide will replace Ken Jacobs, who resigned in November after 26 years in the position.

Andrew Symonds faces an uphill battle to get to the World Cup despite having a successful operation on a ruptured biceps tendon in his right shoulder. Alex Kountouris, the Australia team physio, said Symonds’ recovery time was unclear but with Australia’s first World Cup match only five weeks away it would be hard for him to make it.”It’s going to be tough for the World Cup, they tend to take a little bit of time to recover,” Kountouris said on . “But we’re not really looking at that right now, we just want to see how he goes over the next couple of weeks. There’s no fixed time for any sort of surgery you do – you can’t say he’ll be right definitely in four weeks or five weeks or ten weeks.”So we’re just going to look at it, take it week by week at a time. We’re still aiming for him to get to the World Cup but we’re still just looking at where he’s going to be in the next one or two weeks.”Symonds injured his shoulder in Australia’s 92-run loss to England at Sydney on Friday. He made 39 in the unsuccessful chase and tried to bat on but was forced to retire hurt at the insistence of Kountouris and Ricky Ponting.”His tendon was actually probably a bit worse than we expected it,” Kountouris said. “The surgery went really well by the looks of it. The surgeon was really happy.”The tendon is basically the thick part of the muscle and allows that to anchor onto the bone and what’s happened to Andrew’s is it’s ripped off at the shoulder. They’ve re-attached it to a slightly different part of the bone by using a screw.”

29.1 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX Gibbs charged down the track and hoicked it over long on.
29.2 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX Floated on the leg and middle-stump line and Gibbs sends it soaring over long-off.
29.3 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX Flatter one this time but it makes no difference to Gibbs. He just stands there and delivers. This one also has been sucked over long-off
29.4 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX Low full toss and guess where this went Yep. A slap slog and it went over deep midwicket! He is going to go for six sixes in this over!
29.5 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Short in length, on the off-stump line and Gibbs rocks back and swat-pulls it over wide long off. Simply amazing. What a batsman
29.6 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, He’s done it! One-day record. No one has hit six sixes in a row. GIbbs stands alone in that zone. And the minnow bashing continues! Full and outside off and bludgeoned over deep midwicket

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, said he has faith in his side’s World Cup chances even if his strike bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, have to sit out the tournament. Shoaib and Asif are nursing injuries and there is speculation that they may not pass a dope test next week.The duo, though, turned up for the training camp today and are expected to make a trip to England in the next few days, to get a scan of their injuries.”Shoaib and Asif are our main strike bowlers and it would be a big blow for us if they don’t play,” he told . “But it isn’t right to say that we are incapable of doing well without them. Pakistan has done well and won matches in the past when Shoaib couldn’t play due to injury or other reasons and when Asif had not even started his international career.”Both fast bowlers tested positive for banned anabolic steroid nandrolone last October and may still be carrying traces of the performance enhancing substance. They have avoided undergoing dope tests being conducted by the Pakistan board as a precautionary measure.Woolmer maintained Pakistan were still a competitive side in the absence of the duo, and stressed on the role of the batsmen: “We are not a bad side even if you take Shoaib and Asif out of the equation. Ours will still be a good side, capable of delivering good results. One of the best ways to win (one-day games) is to score runs,” he said. “We have a good batting order and I believe there are bowlers in the team capable of defending any decent score”.”I believe fitness and injuries are two different issues. Speaking of my team, the fitness aspect is fine but there are some injury problems,” he added. “Umar Gul looks fine, Asif seems okay. It’s just Shoaib.”Shoaib, 31, said he hoped to be fit for the World Cup despite struggling to recover from knee and hamstring problems.”I am going for another reassessment of my knee and hamstring injury in England later this week and only after that I am able to know about my chances of playing in the World Cup,” he told AFP.Asked when he was due to appear for testing, Shoaib refused to comment and said his first priority was to get over his injury: “Right now I want my injury to heal and only after that I am going to think about anything else”.