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Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, has expressed interest in signing Shaun Pollock, the South Africa allrounder who retired from international cricket on Friday.”We were a bit surprised at the timing of Shaun’s announcement,” Giles said, “but, of course, we would be interested in signing Shaun. I would hope that he would give us the first bite of the cherry. He has played for Warwickshire before and knows the club well.”He’s a world-class cricketer and would bring experience to our side. As a player, he is the complete package.”Warwickshire are close to signing Monde Zondeki, another South African fast bowler, and Giles admitted they would consider employing Pollock – who first played for Warwickshire in 1996 – as a Kolpak player.”We are quite a long way down the road with Monde, and it’s still possible he might play for us during the first half of the season and then be involved in South Africa’s tour of England,” Giles said. “If that was the case, we might consider signing Shaun as a Kolpak player but then not sign an overseas replacement.”Pollock left the Test arena with 421 victims, and bowed out on his home ground in Durban after South Africa’s 2-1 series win over West Indies. The forthcoming one-day series will be his last appearance for South Africa.

Scorecard
“If we can come back from 89 all out, and from trailing by 149 runs, like the way we did in the last two days, then there’s reason to believe that we can go home winners,” an otherwise reserved and reticent Yere Goud stated after the fourth day’s play of their Ranji Trophy semi-final clash against Bengal at Eden Gardens.The Karnataka captain knew what he was saying. For, following one of the most dramatic turnarounds in a Ranji match this season, Venkatesh Prasad’s boys now fancy their chances against an under-pressure Bengal who need 236 runs on the fifth day — with eight wickets remaining — to book a title clash against Mumbai.Bengal were set a target of 307 after the visitors piled up 455 in their second innings, which ended an hour and a half into the second session today. In reply, Bengal lost their openers Subhamoy Das (30) and Arindam Das (27) after a solid 52-run start, finishing the day on a tricky 71 for 2 with young turks Manoj Tewari and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala at the crease.Even as Deep Dasgupta maintained that chasing down less than 250 with eight wickets in hand shouldn’t be too difficult, the home team are aware of how much the pendulum has swung away from them since the first day. To Bengal’s advantage, the pair at the crease – Tewari and Jhunjhunwala – have been their most prolific run scorers this season.That every moment of the fifth day promises to dramatic is evident from the challenge hurled at the Bengal think-tank by the Karnataka camp. “We will choke them for runs tomorrow, and we will make them get frustrated and throw away the wickets. That’s the ploy we will go out to field with,” was the warning sent down by Goud, whose tenacious 72-run knock today could eventually go on to make the difference between victory and defeat. Food for thought for the likes of Tewari, Jhunjhunwala and Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who are natural strokeplayers.Karnataka deserve full credit for the way their batsmen, in the second innings, made amends for their 89-run first innings total. And when Goud, accompanied by tailenders Raju Bhatkal (30) and Vinay Kumar (32), went about denying the remarkably insipid Bengal bowling attack, the writing was on the wall – Bengal will have to bat out of their skins to reach the target.And for the umpteenth in the tournament, Bengal may pay dearly for dropping sitters: today’s culprits being Sourasish Lahiri, skipper Deep Dasgupta and Arindam Das. Just when Bengal needed to skittle out Karnataka’s middle and lower-order on a wicket getting increasing slower, the sloppy fielding effort cost them.Capitalising on the lapses was the experienced Goud, who showed how to carve out a knock that can make the opponents bleed. As if Goud’s patient 325-minute knock wasn’t telling enough, Bhatkal dealtsome stunning blows, racing away to a quickfire 47-ball 30, courtesysome lusty hits down the ground and a couple of cheeky reverse-swept boundaries.Bhatkal departed after trying one slog too many, but Bengal’s agony continued, with Vinay Kumar’s breezy 36-ball 32 further leaving Ranadeb Bose and Sourav Sarkar frustrated.Bengal began the chase well, with both the openers adopting a strictplay-it-on-the-V policy, cutting down on chances of getting dismissed square of the wicket. But the odd boundary straight down the wicket didn’t dent Karnataka’s hopes, with Balachandra Akhil bringing his team back with two quick wickets. Persisting with a middle stump line relentlessly, Akhil was aptly rewarded with two leg-before dismissals to get rid of the set openers.If Akhil carries on the good work tomorrow, and if the spinners Sunil Joshi and C Raghu get enough turn on a wearing track, this amazing turnaround will be complete.

Jimmy Adams has not been directly involved with West Indies cricket since he played the last of his 54 Test matches back in 2001. But the former West Indies captain is certain of one thing: “If the flour is poor quality and the salt is poor quality, the bread will taste bad.”The Adams comment came yesterday when asked about whether the standard of the senior team had improved any since the left-handed middle-order batsman ended his international career following the 5-0 whitewash the West Indies suffered under his captaincy on their 2000/01 tour of Australia.Elaborating further, Adams, currently in Trinidad in his capacity as manager of the West Indies Under-19 team currently preparing for the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka, said: “The sort of (desired) improvement won’t start at the senior team, it’s going to start at the levels below.”But he was sceptical about whether such development was now taking place. “Speaking for Jamaica, standards can be higher,” he said. “The sort of lasting success that people want, more consistent (development) has to be made at the lower levels. I’m not sure culturally as an organisation we are inclined that way at the minute. Do we believe in it enough that all the resources will be put into it? Does everybody know what is expected at every level?”Stressing on the standards of cricket in the West Indies, Adams said the initiative must begin at the basic level. “If you want to raise the standard of a national team, you have to raise the standards at the level below. That’s a non-negotiable fact. If the standards below keep falling and they are falling,” he stressed. “What do you expect to see when players get to international level?”While the former WI skipper had his doubts about the present level of senior regional cricket, he was more positive about the little he has seen so far of the under-19s. The inclement weather which forced the postponement of the start of the Carib Sunday League competition this weekend, has also hampered the young Windies squad now encamped at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Development Centre in Balmain, Couva.Adams said the rain had kept the squad of 14 led by Leon Johnson of Guyana indoors. However, while there was not much cricket to see, the general approach was encouraging. “I’ve been very pleased with the attitude that I’ve seen. I feel that if that attitude remains, what talent they have, we should see some good cricket coming out of it.”Adams, who was hastily called on to replace Roger Harper who quit as manager to take up a coaching job with Kenya, stressed further: “I’m from the school of thought that the attitude is more important (than talent). It doesn’t matter how much talent you have, if the attitude is not right, it’s not going to happen. If we can help them to foster the right attitude, you have no doubt that with the general levels of talent that we have, we will see some good cricket resulting.”At the last Under-19 World Cup, West Indies, captained by Denesh Ramdin reached the final where they were beaten by Pakistan.West Indies Under-19 squad: Leon Johnson (capt, Guyana), Jason Mohammed (vice-capt, T&T), Richard Ramdeen (Guyana), Gajanand Singh (Guyana), Andre Fletcher (Grenada), Nelson Pascal (Grenada), Kemar Roach (Barbados), Javon Searles (Barbados), Shamarh Brooks (Barbados), Andre McCarthy (Jamaica), William Perkins (T&T), Sunil Narine (T&T), Kieron Pollard (T&T), Rishi Bachan (T&T).

Today a new batting star came into bloom in Bloem. Kevin Pietersen, in only his sixth one-day international for England, clouted his first century. It arrived at better than a run a ball, and he was rarely troubled. Each milestone in his innings – and the extravagant kiss of the badge on his England helmet – was a jolting reminder to the South Africans of what they lost when Pietersen turned Pom. It was a performance that deserved to bring victory – although he won’t be too upset after a thrilling tie.The Pietersen technique is fairly simple: an initial press forward, bat ready to kiss pad, then a rock back if the ball is short. He is especially strong on the whip to leg – one off his old sparring partner Andre Nel disappeared over the head of the leaping Jacques Kallis on the square-leg boundary, and his other six went roughly the same way off a blinking Shaun Pollock, in an over that cost 14. But Pietersen isn’t just a leg man – when the gurning Nel overpitched outside off he howitzered it through the covers before anyone could move.There’s a hint of nervousness early on as Pietersen sashays across his stumps, but once set there’s a solidity about his stance and approach that brings to mind Graeme Hick on one of his better days, with the same kind of intimidating Incredible-Hulk power. None of the South African bowlers – their first-choice Test attack, minus Nicky Boje and plus the chunky Justin Kemp – made much impression, all disappearing for more than five an over.The support came mainly from Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood. Vaughan helped add 80 for the fourth wicket after three quick dismissals derailed England’s handy start, before coming second to AB de Villiers’s A-plus throw from the boundary. But then Collingwood proved the perfect foil for the bludgeoning Pietersen, chipping and charging to 40 from 41 deliveries, somehow carving well-pitched-up balls that seemed set to arc in and remove his off stump down to third man.It is remarkable to think that Pietersen probably wouldn’t even have been here if it hadn’t been for the untimely injury to Andrew Flintoff. He did well as Flintoff’s stand-in in Zimbabwe, and he has certainly looked the part since his late call-up here. That technique ought to work pretty well in Test cricket, too.The one downer was the sight of large swathes of the Bloemfontein crowd turning their backs on the South African-born Pietersen as he walked off. A case of bad sports at Goodyear Park.Steven Lynch is the editor of Cricinfo.

The first day of August was greeted by incessant drizzle and heavier rain. Umpires Alan Jones and John Steele little option after consulting the captains but to abandon the match for the day at 5:00pm.There were a few spectators in the pavilion watching the depressing state of England’s progress at the Test match.A better forecast is expected for the weekend, where the visitors Northamptonshire will be looking to continue with their good start to the innings.

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.

Kolkata Knight Riders have signed Jacques Kallis as their new head coach for the upcoming season. Kallis will succeed Trevor Bayliss, who took over as head coach of England in June. Kallis, who has been with the franchise since 2011, was the team’s batting consultant in IPL 2015.”KKR is my family in India and the association since 2011 has been one of the most enjoyable experiences for me,” Kallis said. “I look forward to the new challenge and feel honoured to be part of the KKR family.”Venky Mysore, Knight Riders’ chief executive, said the Kallis signing ensured a smooth transition for the team. “We couldn’t be happier that Jacques agreed to take on the role as head coach of KKR,” Mysore said. “The respect and regard he commands in the dressing room as well as his fondness for KKR made him our ideal choice.”

The Indian board’s (BCCI’s) working committee has decided to change the Ranji Trophy format from 2008-09 season to enable the Plate Group toppers to fight for the trophy by including the top two in the knock-out quarter final phase with six elite division teams.As a consequence, the Plate Group knock-out will be done away with and the prize-money restructured. “This was done as per a suggestion from the technical committee [headed by Sunil Gavaskar’,” said N Srinivasan, the BCCI treasurer. “Some of the Plate Group teams felt they were not playing for the Ranji Trophy.”The BCCI also decided to double the infrastructure subsidy to associations from Rs 25 to Rs 50 crore (US$6,351,432 – 12,702,864). It also ratified the appointment of Gary Kirsten as the national coach and Dav Whatmore as the director of operations of the National Cricket Academy, besides appointing former India batsman WV Raman as the Under-19 team’s coach for the upcoming tour of South Africa, starting on December 28.The working committee also approved the three-Test tour of India by South Africa from mid-March 2008 and the England A team’s participation in this year’s Duleep Trophy as the sixth outfit.

The Canadian squad to play in the inaugural World Cricket League in Kenya in late January and early February has been named. It includes 12 of the 14 players who recently played in South Africa.Returning to lead the squad is allrounder John Davison. Two pace-bowlers supplement the squad – Austin Codrington returns while the experienced former West Indian international Anderson Cummins is set to make his debut for Canada. Questions may be raised about the wisdom of including Cummins, a 40-year-old who plays for Cavaliers in the Toronto and District Cricket Association but who has not played a high standard of cricket for more than a decade.Sanjay Thuraisingham and Steve Welsh (flown in as a replacement) are the two players who played in South Africa that are not going to Kenya.This is a key event for the six leading Associates. It not only provides warm-up opportunities on the road to the World Cup, but the top two sides will qualify for the ICC’s new Twenty20 Championship in South Africa in September 2007. These sides will also receive significant extra funding from the ICC to help with preparations for that tournament.Canada squad John Davison (capt), Kevin Sandher, Qaiser Ali, George Codrington, Desmond Chumney, Sundeep Jyoti, Don Maxwell, Abdool Samad, Henry Osinde, Austin Codrington, Ashish Bagai, Ashif Mulla, Sunil Dhaniram, Umar Bhatti, Anderson Cummins.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Sri Lanka began their last innings of this tour 508 runs behind, on apitch whose bounce and spin suited the Indian spinners, a templatethat beckoned a fourth-day finish. And yet they fought hard, despitebeing outplayed, and ended the day on 235 for 6, still 273 behind. Thedestination was probably beyond them, but they made a fist of it onthe journey, never giving up, always scrapping hard, but simply beingoutplayed by a superior team.The highlight of Sri Lanka’s innings was a fifth-wicket partnership of105 between Mahela Jayawardene and Tillekeratne Dilshan. They cametogether with the score on 96 for 4, and batted sensibly, mixingcaution with opportunism and frustrating the Indian spinners.Jayawardene was compact, eschewing the flamboyant strokes he sometimesindulges in, a gatherer instead of a hunter. Dilshan, who had handledthe spinners superbly in the first innings, played with an ease thatbelied the trouble some of the others had got themselves in.It took a fast bowler to break the partnership, Ajit Agarkar pitchinga yorker-length delivery to Jayawardene which was hit straight back tohim. Jayawardene thought it was a bump-ball, but replays showedconclusively that his bat had hit the ground and the ball had gonestraight off the bat (201 for 5).Dilshan went shortly after, lured into a drive by a ball from Irfan Pathanthat moved away just enough to get an edge through to the wicketkeeper(229 for 6). He walked back to the pavilion with an anguished slownessthat reflected the intensity with which Sri Lanka had approached thisgame. Jehan Mubarak and Farveez Maharoof saw Sri Lanka safely throughto the close of play, but three long sessions still loomed ahead.India began the day on 287 for 9, extending their overnight leadby 29 runs before declaring. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh had added a total of69 runs for the last wicket, demonstrating in the process that thepitch wasn’t quite such a nightmare to bat on. Strokeplay was possible- Harbhajan made 40 off 51 – and so was stodge – Kumble made 29 off68. It was a lesson Sri Lanka would surely have noted.But mere application simply wasn’t enough. Harbhajan opened thebowling with Pathan, and revelled in the conditions: he hadenjoyed the bounce of the pitch in the first innings, and generatedmore of it here, and some turn, too, with the new ball.Upul Tharanga batted with composure and assured footwork, and seemedup to the task of batting out sessions. Marvan Atapattu started uncertainly,and was lucky to be dropped at gully after an uppish cut off Pathanwas put down by Kumble. He was eventually out stepping forward toHarbhajan and edging to the on side, where a diving Mohammad Kaif,from forward short leg, took an excellent catch (39 for 1).Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga then added 45, and the manner ofSangakkara’s dismissal, for 17, showed the cunning and experience ofKumble. Bowling round the wicket, he went very wide of the crease andbowled a superb ball to Sangakkara that, turning sharply into him,squared him up. He was plumb in front (84 for 2).Tharanga was next, surprised by one that spun viciously into him,managing to just tamely glance it to leg slip, where Gautam Gambhirtook a good catch (89 for 3). Thilan Samareewera didn’t last long,edging a ball through to Kaif at forward short leg (96 for 4).Then Jayawardene and Dilshan came together, and contrived to make surethe match would go into a fifth day. Sri Lanka might lose, but theywould not capitulate.How they were outSri LankaMarvan Atapattu c Kaif b Harbhajan 16 (39 for 1)
Kumar Sangakkara lbw Kumble 17 (84 for 2)
Upul Tharanga c Gambhir b Kumble 47 (89 for 3)
Thilan Samaraweera c Kaif b Kumble 5 (96 for 4)
Mahela Jayawardene c and b Agarkar 57 (201 for 5))
Tillekeratne Dilshan c Dhoni b Pathan 65 (229 for 6)