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Essex’s Will Jefferson and the Worcestershire batsman Kadeer Ali are among 15 players, named today by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), who will be considered for the 2003-04 National Academy intake.”As with last year, we wanted to concentrate our minds on the kind of players who might be invited to the National Academy this winter," said Rod Marsh, the ECB National Academy Director. "Creating such a list allows us to concentrate our resources and to film, study and analyse these players in-depth, which will enable us to create individual programmes for them in advance.”This is by no means an exclusive list and if other players perform well in the remainder of the season then they will also be considered for selection. Injured England players or other cricketers with international experience, not selected for next winter’s England overseas tours, will also be considered.”As this year’s National Academy programme and tour coincides with the Under 19 World Cup in Bangladesh, no U19 players are being considered, however we are planning a series of joint training sessions with the squad prior to their departure.”David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, will announce the final Academy squad, along with the England winter touring parties, at the end of the season. They will start their programme on Sunday, October 12, and will be based for the first time at the new facility at Loughborough University. The squad will tour Malaysia and India in the New Year.Provisional list of Academy players Kadeer Ali (Worcestershire), Simon Francis (Somerset), Alex Gidman (Gloucestershire), Will Jefferson (Essex), Shaftab Khalid (Worcestershire), Michael Lumb (Yorkshire), Tom Lungley (Derbyshire), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Philip Mustard (Durham), Graham Napier (Essex), Kevin Pietersen (Nottinghamshire), Matthew Prior (Sussex), Bilal Shafayat (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Graham Wagg (Warwickshire).

The sports ground that saw Walter Hammond score a world-record 336 not out for England against New Zealand, which was the ground on which Shane Warne took his Australian record 356th Test victim, which saw New Zealand’s first Test victory in 1956 and which saw some of the most remarkable one-day cricket during the 1992 World Cup, is no more.Eden Park’s turf has gone forever, along with its worn-out pitch, several generations of drainage pipes and vast amounts of sand and dirt, following 21 days of excavation work once the sixth New Zealand-India One-Day International was played last month.The ground, also something of a temple of rugby and on which on one famous occasion in 1975, a rugby international was played between the All Blacks and Scotland with 80% of the ground resembling a lake, has had world-class stabilised natural turf rolled out today as part of the reconstruction job on the main oval.The roll-out, as part of the whole project which is worth $4million, is expected to take six days.The chief executive of the Eden Park Trust Board which administers the ground, John Alexander said: “Eden Park is an icon in world sports, yet we began last season with a playing surface that was well and truly past its use-by date.”But come March 28 when the Blues take on the Brumbies, [in Super 12 rugby] Eden Park will have a natural turf playing surface that’s as good as anything in the world of sports. This stabilised turf, subsurface and high-tech irrigation system can take whatever Auckland’s weather and various sporting codes throw at it. Players and fans will love it.”The roll-out turf, is known as Motz Stabilised Turf and was grown on a farm south of Auckland. Recently it was cut into 1m x 30m strips, weighing one ton, in readiness for its transfer to Eden Park.Before its use in the Super 12 match, the ground will be fertilised, watered and mown.Other grounds to have used the same turf system include the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the ‘Gabba in Brisbane, Canberra’s Bruce Stadium and the Sydney Olympic Stadium.The concept had its origins in the United States were multi-purpose stadia hosted a variety of events.The managing director of H G Turf Pty Ltd, of Australia, Hamish Sutherland said: “The turf features a two-inch thick layer of natural grass that comprises a matrix of synthetic tufts, sand and a strong plastic backing.”It is incredibly tough and resilient and can easily be rolled up and reconfigured to meet the requirements of different codes. The turf can be rotated throughout Eden Park’s No 1 field to ensure it gets adequate sun, or it can be removed to the practice field or a turf farm for ‘rest and rejuvenation’. The turf system is tough, flexible and really well suited for Eden Park.”The chairman of the board of control for Eden Park, Malcolm Dick said: “This was a critical step forward for Eden Park and means we’re ready for another century of sporting excellence.”Whether we’re hosting the All Blacks, Super 12, NPC, one-day cricket or Test cricket, this natural playing surface will be superb. It’s proven itself overseas, and it’s well suited for Eden Park.”The new natural turf system will allow Eden Park to host more rugby and cricket matches, both professional and amateur. Eden Park also hopes to bring back school sports, giving tomorrow’s stars a taste of future glory. School matches were halted several years ago to reduce wear and tear on the deteriorating No 1 field.”

The Somerset County Cricket Club Appeal Year was officially launched this week when Club chairman Giles Clarke handed over a cheque for £5000 to chief executive Peter Anderson.

Since his appointment as chairman in December, Mr Clarke, who is vastly experienced in the business world, has wasted no time in setting about his task of helping the club to become financially independent by recruiting Ian Botham one of the county’s greatest cricketer to spearhead the 2003 membership drive.Sitting looking out across the County Ground shortly after the launch Mr Clarke spoke of his vision for Somerset. He told me: “This club should be open to all and we are keen to have every facet of the community in the West Country associated with it. We are the first class opportunity for young players across the region, so supporting our Academy is vital.”He continued: “This appeal is to strengthen the club’s balance sheet and the funds that are raised this year will go towards achieving this.”Regarding his task as chairman Mr Clarke said that a business plan had been drawn up that listed several major objectives.He told me: “We want success on the playing field and to achieve this we need to ensure that the club has the best coaches and the best possible resources. Secondly we want to win the County Championship, and that will be a tough target. Thirdly we want to have the finest facilities for our loyal supporters here at the County Ground and we need a good wicket to play cricket on, and these all cost money.”He went on: “We have had a very successful start to the sponsorship campaign, and these are the first steps towards the club achieving financial independence, that doesn’t rely upon the E.C.B. hand out.”He concluded: “Our attention is focussed upon helping to get the clubs assets in a position so they generate enough income to pay for the high quality players and staff and coaches needed to achieve our objectives. We have to set ourselves high targets for the solid financial management of the club and we must get the economics right to achieve this.”The Somerset Appeal Year gets underway on Friday April 4th with an opening lunch that will be held at the County Ground, when former Ciderman Roy Palmer, who is now a first class umpire will be the guest speaker.Regarding the new chairman of the club Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson said: “The appointment of Giles Clarke and Andy Nash has provided us with a new direction. You can quite easily see why the pair of them have been successful in their business careers. They are ambitious and are connected with a lot of people who could be good for the club. They are risk takers and ruthless.”Mr Anderson continued: “From my own point of view I have always felt that I needed to keep a brake on the activities of the club because of the financial situation. We perhaps haven’t always been as ambitious as we should have either on or off the field, and I must say that they have changed my attitude in certain areas.The most important thing that we do is play cricket and Giles and Andy Nash have made it very plain what the team and the coaches have to achieve.”He concluded; “Giles Clarke has been very busy in the corporate sector pushing the club’s case that it could be a very valuable tool in their marketing strategy, and this is already having results.”The new chairman may have only been in post for a few months but in that short time he has already started to achieve a considerable amount for the club.He is well aware of tough task that lies ahead, but his undoubted enthusiasm for the game and for the county he holds so dear to his heart is clear to anybody who meets him.If the response there has already been to recruiting Ian Botham to spearhead the 2003 is anything to go by Mr Clarke will be successful in achieving his aim of making Somerset a financially independent club and that will be of benefit to all concerned with cricket in the county.

New Zealand has played a significant role in the development of Bangladesh’s international advance, but there is likely to be little celebration of that once the National Bank Test series starts in Hamilton on Tuesday.Once the Bangladeshis were in line for Test status their first first-class matches were played in New Zealand.They came to take part in the Conference Cricket series in the 1997/98 season, a programme of games designed to strengthen the first-class programme in New Zealand.Playing against the Northern, Central and Southern Zones that comprised the Conference sides, the visitors were well beaten on each occasion, the first two by an innings and by seven wickets in the third.A match against the New Zealand Academy XI was also lost by an innings.As a newcomer it is interesting to compare their advance with that of New Zealand when it was looking for Test status during the last 10 years of the 1890s and the first 30 years of the 20th Century.New Zealand had tours to Australia (1898/99, 1913/14, 1925/26, 1927/28), to England (1927), while also hosting tours from the MCC (1902/03, 1922/23), Australia (1904/05, 1909/10, 1920/21, 1927/28), New South Wales (1889/90, 1893/94, 1895/96, 1923/24), Victoria (1924/25), Queensland (1896/97), Tasmania (1883/84) as well as Arthur Sims’ Australian team of 1913/14.In that time they played 103 first-class games at home, and 37 overseas for a total of 140 games.Bangladesh, by comparison, has played 20 first-class games (only 10 before their first Test). Seven games of the 20 have been Test matches.New Zealand’s teams won 19 of their first 140 matches and drew 45.Bangladesh has lost 13 of their 20 games with the other seven drawn.They have had a total of 71 days of first-class cricket out of a possible 80.Their Test record reads: v India (2000/01) lost by nine wickets, v Zimbabwe (2001) lost by an innings and 32 runs, v Zimbabwe (2001) lost by eight wickets, v Pakistan (2001) lost by an innings and 264 runs, v Sri Lanka (2001) lost by an innings and 137 runs, v Zimbabwe (2001) drawn, v Zimbabwe (2001) lost by eight wickets.It is going to be a hard road for Bangladesh to establish itself with such limited background.It will be interesting to compare how quickly it can register its first Test victory although its exposure to top level cricket through One-Day Internationals may be the sort of foundation on which the Bangladeshis develop.Yet, even that is not the greatest harbinger of future good fortune for them as in 44 ODIs to date, they have won only three games.Even Kenya, surely the next Test nation, has won seven ODIs out of 37.What makes life even more difficult for the Bangladeshis in New Zealand is that this two-Test series is the first time their players will have been exposed to different conditions to those they have faced in their earlier Test matches.And it won’t come much greener than Hamilton, or Wellington’s Basin Reserve, after the wettest spring and early summer in recent memory.

Amid much press speculation that the England players have come out strongly against fulfilling their World Cup fixture in Harare on February 13th, ECB chief executive Tim Lamb and players’ representative Richard Bevan have both indicated the likelihood that England will be in Zimbabwe as scheduled.Speaking on BBC Radio, Bevan, managing director of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), said there was legitimate concern over the security situation among the players. However, he refuted widespread reports about more sinister developments.”The players have not received death threats, they have not received letters. They have received propaganda about the disastrous state Zimbabwe is in.”He went on to say that England captain Nasser Hussain had asked him to confirm this point.Speaking on the same programme, Lamb said, “We can understand the players’ misgivings but the best information we have is that the players are fully committed to going.”There will be a statement tomorrow and I very much hope that the outcome of that statement will be that the players will reaffirm their intention to go, providing the security situation is kept under review in the run-up to the match.”Bevan continued, “The players over the last few months have had numerous discussions about this. Certainly in the minds of some of the players they’re going to be torn, but ultimately they are contracted to the ECB, and their responsibility is to their contracts."They have had reservations for a number of weeks, but that’s not to say they weren’t going to commit to the ECB and actually go. The players are supportive of the ECB, they are supportive of what Tim Lamb is trying to do.”The statement from the players is expected tomorrow. As well as reaffirming their position, they are likely to take the opportunity to express their dislike of the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe in order to distance themselves from any accusation that, by appearing in Harare, they are in any way supporting his policies.At the same time, all sides will be watching the security situation and any significant deterioration could trigger an immediate change of attitude.

The Chairman of England’s cricket selectors, David Graveney, today issued the following statement in response to media reports that the Kent batsman, David Fulton, had been put on official stand-by for this winter’s tour of India and New Zealand.David Graveney said: “I did tell David Fulton at the end of the season that he was unlucky not to have been chosen for the winter tour squads and that he would be in our thoughts as a possible replacement if anyone withdrew from the tour party.”But I would like to make it clear that at this stage we have not formallyappointed any players to be on stand-by for this winter. We will not make any decision on replacements until we hear from the five players who have yet to confirm whether they are available for the tour of India.”

With less than 24 hours to go before the start of the crucial second Castle Lager/MTN Test match against South Africa, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly narrowed down the candidates to open the batting with Shiv Das to a choice between two – either himself or wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta.What seems certain, however, is that neither Rahul Dravid, who opened in Bloemfontein, nor VVS Laxman will be asked to go in at the top of the order."I’m keen," said Ganguly on Thursday. "It’s not a question of sacrifice. It’s a question of somebody pushing up the order. At six sometimes you get to play the new ball."It is, nevertheless, a far from ideal situation for India who need to win, or at the very least not to lose, to stay in the three-match series.Indian coach John Wright confirmed that both Dravid and Laxman were unwilling to open the batting, although he said: "I reckon we’ve got the matter under control."Wright said that as an opening batsman himself, "you realise that it’s a specialist position".He said he understood the reluctance of Dravid and Laxman, "particularly so in Laxman’s situation where he has tried for 22 Tests and he does feel uncomfortable in that position".And so the captain, who now seems the most likely candidate despite the suggestion that Dasgupta might go in first, has had to put up his hand.Ganguly confirmed that three of the 15-man squad – Venkatesh Prasad, Connor Williams and Zaheer Khan – were not in contention for Test places. This means, however, that India still have to choose four from Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to make up their attack. And this decision, almost certainly, will be delayed until the tourists have studied the pitch and the weather on Friday morning.If they are interested local knowledge, they might well have a word with Dave Callaghan, the former South African one-day player who is now in his 17th season at St George’s Park."It will probably be a slow seamer on the first day," said Callaghan on Thursday, "before it flattens out on days two and three when it will be good to bat on with the ball coming onto the bat. Then it starts to get lower and it will probably take a bit of spin."Callaghan qualified this assessment, however, by saying "it still all depends on the wind. If it blows from the east it helps the ball to swing, and if it comes from the west it dries the pitch out. It normally blows from the west, but we’ve had the easterly blowing for nearly three weeks now which is a bit unusual."And the pitch seems a bit softer today than it did yesterday. Which makes it interesting, doesn’t it?"

The threat of being dropped has not weighed on Shoaib Akhtar’s mind during the current Bank Alfalah Cup, according to the Pakistan captain, Rashid Latif.

“I don’t think he [Shoaib] is feeling any pressure in this series. Other players have taken the pressure off him,” Latif insisted. “He has bowled impressively in both the matches and proved that he is still one of the best strike bowlers in the world. This tour could be the turning point of his career.”Shoaib was warned by Lt-Gen. Tauqir Zia, president of the Pakistan Cricket Board, before the start of the series that the series would be the last chance to kick-start his career. Shoaib was dropped following Pakistan’s dismal performance in the World Cup.Latif said that the threat was not affecting Shoaib. “He is a match-winner and we’d like him to keep a low profile," Latif explained. "We’ve told each player not to fear failure, but to play positive and competitive cricket. So I don’t think he is under pressure to deliver.”Zia’s warning appeared to have done some good. In his first match of the series, Shoaib grabbed two crucial wickets for 19 runs in eight overs to set up Pakistan’s 79-run victory over Sri Lanka.

Just where do New Zealander’s cricketers rate in the world?Things are not as bad as some would have you believe, if you regard the figures with any respect.The PriceWaterhouseCoopers rankings system of players has become the accepted standard of assessment and the latest figures provide some interesting reading.Of the top nine Test-playing nations, New Zealand ranks only behind Australia in the number of players represented in the top 40.Australia has nine batsmen on the list: Steve Waugh (placed third), Adam Gilchrist (6), Mark Waugh (equal 10), Justin Langer (17), Ricky Ponting (22), Matthew Hayden (24), Damien Martyn (28) and Michael Slater (31).New Zealand has six players in the group: Craig McMillan (12), Mark Richardson (equal 14), Chris Cairns (18), Stephen Fleming (32), Mathew Sinclair (34) and Nathan Astle (37).Sri Lanka’s five are Mahela Jayawardene (5), Marvan Atapattu (26), Aravinda de Silva (27), Kumar Sangakkara (35), Sanath Jayasuriya (39).South Africans has five: Jacques Kallis (equal 8), Daryll Cullinan (equal 10), Gary Kirsten (16), Herschelle Gibbs (21), Lance Klusener (40).England also has five: Graham Thorpe (equal 14), Alec Stewart (20), Marcus Trescothick (23), Mark Butcher (36), Nasser Hussain (38).Four West Indians are there: Brian Lara (7), Ridley Jacobs (29), Carl Hooper (30) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (33).India has three: Sachin Tenulkar (2), Rahul Dravid (equal 8) and VVS Laxman (25).Pakistan has three: Inzamam-ul-Haq (4), Saeed Anwar (13), Yousuf Youhana (19).Zimbabwe has only one in the list, Andy Flower, but he sits on top at No 1.Similar standings apply to the New Zealand bowlers in the top 30 positions.New Zealand sits second equal with South Africa and Pakistan, with four bowlers in the top 30, although Shayne O’Connor is in 31st place. Australia leads with seven bowlers on the list.The list is:Australia – Glenn McGrath (1), Shane Warne (6), Jason Gillespie (10), Colin Miller (equal 16), Brett Lee (19), Damien Fleming (20), Stuart MacGill (22).New Zealand – Chris Cairns (8), Dion Nash (21), Daniel Vettori (26), Chris Martin (27).South Africa – Shaun Pollock (2), Allan Donald (4), Jacques Kallis (14), Nicky Boje (30).Pakistan – Waqar Younis (7), Saqlain Mushtaq (9), Wasim Akram (16), Arshad Khan (24).England – Darren Gough (5), Andrew Caddick (18), Dominic Cork (25).India – Anil Kumble (11), Harbhajan Singh (12), Javagal Srinath (15).Sri Lanka – Muttiah Muralitharan (3), Chaminda Vaas (23).West Indies – Mervyn Dillon (equal 28), Dinanath Ramnarine (equal 28).Zimbabwe – Heath Streak (13).The latest ratings for New Zealand and Australian players involved in the current tour are:Batsmen:

Rank Player Team Points Average Highest Rating3 (-) Steve Waugh Aus 861 51.60 909 v WI at Melbourne 19966 (-) Adam Gilchrist Aus 804* 52.57 813 v Eng at Nottingham 200110= (-) Mark Waugh Aus 724 42.67 803 v RSA at Port Elizabeth 199712 (+1) Craig McMillan NZ 703 42.51 713 v Zim at Bulawayo 200014= (+4) Mark Richardson NZ 687* 52.86 687 v Aus at Brisbane 200117 (+5) Justin Langer Aus 682 41.80 767 v NZ at Hamilton 200018 (+4) Chris Cairns NZ 677 33.03 705 v Zim at Harare 200022 (-5) Ricky Ponting Aus 658 42.79 829 v Ind at Sydney 200024 (+7) Matthew Hayden Aus 655* 40.77 655 v NZ at Brisbane 200128 (-7) Damien Martyn Aus 628* 48.76 658 v Eng at The Oval 200132 (+1) Stephen Fleming NZ 617 36.89 676 v Eng at Auckland 199734 (-6) Mathew Sinclair NZ 606* 47.57 643 v Pak at Christchurch 200137 (+3) Nathan Astle NZ 601 35.88 648 v Aus at Wellington 200064 (+1) Adam Parore NZ 424 25.75 533 v SL at Galle 199881 (-4) Matthew Bell NZ 334* 22.85 359 v Pak at Hamilton 200183= (+6) Dion Nash NZ 317 23.51 324 v Zim at Harare 200093= (+1) Daniel Vettori NZ 279 18.07 309 v Eng at The Oval 199996= (+11) Brett Lee Aus 273* 26.11 293 v WI at Perth 2000

Bowlers:

Rank Player Team Points Average Highest Rating1 (-) Glenn McGrath Aus 911 21.63 919 v Eng at The Oval 20016 (-) Shane Warne Aus 724 26.19 907 v Eng at Melbourne 19948 (+1) Chris Cairns NZ 682 29.20 733 v WI at Wellington 199910 (-) Jason Gillespie Aus 665 25.00 783 v Eng at Lord’s 200119 (+12) Brett Lee Aus 581* 22.64 754 v WI at Perth 200021 (-2) Dion Nash NZ 567* 28.48 695 v WI at Wellington 199926 (-3) Daniel Vettori NZ 513 33.31 610 v Aus at Wellington 200027 (-1) Chris Martin NZ 498* 28.10 503 v Pak at Hamilton 200131 (-1) Shayne O’Connor NZ 461* 32.52 513 v RSA at Port Elizabeth 200054 (-1) Daryl Tuffey NZ 321* 36.26 324 v Pak at Hamilton 2001

Figures in brackets represent change in ranking since last ratings issued. An asterisk signifies player has yet to play enough Tests to attain a full rating.

Warwickshire tightened their hold on third place in the First Division of the Norwich Union League by taking swift and emphatic revenge for their C & G Trophy semi-final defeat at Taunton.Openers Nick Knight and Mark Wagh blasted the visitors out of the water with an unbroken century partnership to clinch a ten-wicket win with 25 overs to spare.Somerset suffered a pre-match blow with the absence of Mike Burns because of chickenpox and merely escalated the problem with their undistinguished demise for 120.Dougie Brown and Alan Richardson claimed three lbw dismissals in 11 overs and Warwickshire’s seamers became so dominant on an unreliable pitch that the innings included as many as a dozen maidens.Richardson flattened Keith Parsons’ middle stump and came back to bowl last man Jamie Grove for a league-best return of 3 for 17 in his first one-day game of the season.Matt Wood survived Somerset’s mishaps – which peaked when Rob Turner was sent back and run out by Trevor Penney – and made a resolute 29 before lapsing himself with a loose drive to short mid-wicket.His wicket went to off-spinner Neil Smith during a stint of 3 for 19 and, despite a useful 15 not out by Peter Trego, Somerset folded two balls short of completing their 43-over allowance.A short break for rain with the last pair together meant that Warwickshire were set a revised 119 for their sixth win of the season. This turned out to a cruise.Wagh, dismissed for nought in his three previous league innings, found his form with 15 fours in a one-day personal best of 70 and Knight reached 40 in his first appearance since he was struck on the head by a ball from Andy Caddick in the Trophy semi-final.