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With the heat of the battle over, Glenn McGrath and Ramnaresh Sarwan have kissed and made up after their ugly confrontation in the fourth Test in Antigua. Speaking on an Australian radio station, Sarwan said he and McGrath had cleared the air over their mid-pitch altercation during the fourth day’s play, and insisted there were no hard feelings.Sarwan, whose 105 helped steer the West Indies to a record-breaking win, would not reveal what was said between the two players in the heated clash which caused umpire David Shepherd to step in and cool things down.

However, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, McGrath was seen to say: “If you ever f—ing mention my wife again, I will f—ing rip your f—ing throat out.” But, rather confusingly, Sarwan had made no reference to McGrath’s wife, and McGrath was said to be embarrassed about his over-reaction.That, however, cut no ice with Australia’s most famous cricket fan. The Prime Minister, John Howard – a self-confessed “cricket tragic” – waded into the debate during an interview with a Melbourne radio station, describing McGrath’s furious reaction as “a very Australian thing to do”.While admitting he didn’t know the exact sequence of events, Howard said: “Well, I’ve read, I mean if somebody did say something about his wife then I would understand fully his reaction. There seems to be some debate as to who started [it] and who said what but anybody who says something about somebody’s wife who’s had cancer, that’s pretty bad and I can understand a man defending his wife. I would, I’m sure you would, and it’s a very natural Australian thing todo.”Despite their war of words, Sarwan insisted they are now on friendly terms: “Both of us have apologised to each other and it’s good to knowthat both of us did that in the good context of the game, and what took place in the series and this game. It’s good to know that we have apologised to each other and appreciate each other’s friendship.”When quizzed on the issue of the Australian’s reputation as the world leader in sledging, Sarwan played it down by saying, “I’m not sure about that, who’s the leader of that [sledging], but obviously players have things to say on the field and it’s up to the individual or a team if you want to take it personal but, really and truly, we don’t have a problem with each other.”Steve Waugh attempted to play down the incident as well. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with exchanging a few words on the field. But we know it’s going to be replayed 10 or 20 times. It’s going to be seen over and over again and kids are going to see it as well.”Referring to McGrath’s fury, Waugh said: “He [McGrath] probably misinterpreted it. Ramnaresh Sarwan hasn’t got a mean bone in his body. He’s a great guy. It’s a moment all the players regret, we wish it hadn’t happened but it did.”Meanwhile, Mike Procter, the match referee, clarified that no action would be taken against the two players. “It got pretty serious out there for a time. Fortunately, Dave Shepherd stepped in at the right time.” Procter saw nothing wrong with Australia’s brand of aggression on the cricket field. “Australia has always played pretty tough cricket, I don’t think anyone wants them to change the way they play,” he said. “Sometimes, people like to knock the people at the top. They are a wonderful side and play in the spirit of the game.”

Pakistan cricket selectors left out eternally unfit “six-million Rupeeman” Shoaib Akhtar from the 16-man squad for the three-match one-dayinternationals series against New Zealand starting here nextWednesday.But in a comedy of errors, the selectors named Shoaib captain of thePakistan Cricket Board (PCB) XI which will test the muscles of NewZealand in a one-day warm-up match at the National Stadium on Sunday.What is mind boggling in the scenario is that the man who was notconsidered fit to play limited overs games, has been not only includedin the practice one-dayer but has been assigned to lead the team.If the selectors had any fitness doubts against Shoaib, they shouldhave removed them by naming him in New Zealand’s threedayer atRawalpindi between Sept 27 and 29 where he would have bowled longspells and stayed in the field for more than half the match.In addition to this, the selectors will have another excellentopportunity to scrutinize Shoaib’s fitness if he appears for KRLagainst Sui Gas in the Patron’s Trophy first-class tournament openerat the KRL ground between Sept 21 and 24.But with the selectors now accountable to the PCB after beingappointed on handsome salaries, bloopers like these will continue tohappen. Unfortunately, there will be no cross checks because theofficials at Lahore secretariat, who approve the squads, considerthemselves more knowledgeable than the people who are in the thick ofthe sport.It is for the second time in six weeks that Shoaib has failed to makeit to the team despite being invited to attend a training camp. The26-year-old, who has spent more time on the massage table rather thanin the field since bursting into international scene in 1997-98 and onwhom the PCB has spent over Rs six million on medical bills, hadearlier missed selection for the Test against Bangladesh in the AsianTest Championship at Multan last month.The injury-prone bowler has played just 15 Tests since making hisdebut against the West Indies at Rawalpindi. He has appeared in 40 oddone-day internationals.The selectors also left out Imran Nazir and Faisal Iqbal but namedleft-handed opener Taufiq Umer, paceman Shabbir Ahmad and uncappedNaved Latif and Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan. Saqlain Mushtaq and ShahidAfridi are also back in the side after completing their assignmentsfor Surrey and Leicestershire in the English County Championships.The chairman of selectors Wasim Bari has made it a habit of refusingto defend his teams. And this time too it was no exception when hesaid: “All I can say is that the team has been unanimously picked bythe selectors as well as the captain and coach. The skipper and coachwill now be all in all while finalizing their playing lineups.”Taufiq Umer’s preference over Imran Nazir is somewhat surprising asthe former has played just one Test in which he scored a century whilethe latter was recently considered for one-dayers only.Imran, probably the best fielder in the Pakistan team, was speciallyflown along with Shahid Afridi for the trination one-day series inEngland where he was not played in a single match.While Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan is tipped to be an allrounder for future,Naved Latif is living on the royalty of his 394 in a Quaid-i-AzamTrophy match for Sargodha against Gujranwala last season.The seriousness of the match can be judged from the fact that Navedlater opened the bowling in Gujranwala’s second innings and wasclobbered for five sixes in six balls while conceding 32 runs. Sincethen, Naved hasn’t performed anything of note.Inzamam-ul-Haq was included in the side though he will miss theopening two one-day internationals as he is under suspension.Squad: Saeed Anwar, Taufiq Umer, Shahid Afridi, Inzamam-ul-Haq,Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Naved Latif, Rashid Latif (wicketkeeper),Azhar Mahmood, Abdur Razzaq, Rana Naveed-ul- Hasan, Waqar Younis(captain), Wasim Akram, Shabbir Ahmad, Saqlain Mushtaq and ShoaibMalik.

Malaysia, Guernsey and Fiji were the victorious teams on the opening day of the World Cricket League Division Six in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.Adverse weather conditions meant one of the three games was shortened and the Duckworth-Lewis method applied after the rain clouds arrived in the late afternoon bringing thunder and lightning. No re-calculations were required for Fiji’s match against Nigeria, or Guernsey’s against Jersey, while hosts Malaysia had their game abandoned against Kuwait but not before D/L was imposed.After a delayed start at the Selangor Turf Club cricket ground, Malaysia’s Suresh Navaratnam dismissed Irfan Bhatti with his second delivery as the hosts made a spirited start against Kuwait. Watched by a small crowd of supporters at a venue that is surrounded by the Selangor Turf Club racetrack on the south-side of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia then removed Aamir Javed five overs later when the 22-year-old was bowled by Hassan Ghulam, while Navaratnam dismissed Sibtain Raza not long after for just one run.Captain Hisham Mirza briefly steadied the innings but the slide continued when he fell for 22, with six wickets being lost before the score had passed 100. After a series of sloppy shots Kuwait were bowled out for 151 in the 47th over, Navaratnam collecting figures of 4 for 15.Faris Almas had his stumps rearranged by Abdullah Akhunzada as Malaysia’s chase suffered some early blows, but captain Suhan Alagaratnam and Ahmed Faiz added an unbeaten 54 for the third wicket and put their side ahead of the required rate before the rains arrived. After a lengthy stop in play, the match was called to a halt and Malaysia won by 38 runs after D/L was calculated.”I am very happy to have won,” said Alagaratnam. “One win and we’re building momentum. I was surprised Kuwait chose to bat, the wicket was a bit sticky early on. Our bowlers, especially Suresh [Navaratnam], did really well and the spinners played a big part. It’s a little disappointing not to have finished the match but we know our strengths and I was glad to see how fast we were to the ball when fielding.””We’re very disappointed to have lost,” added Kuwait captain Hisham. “Our batsmen couldn’t cope with the early swing. If we win the toss tomorrow, I will think hard about bowling first.”We’re missing Mohammad Murad, he’s the kind of bowler that gets early breakthroughs and he works well with Saad Khalid. Nevertheless we’re looking forward to the rest of the tournament. One strong team would have lost today. We can bounce back.”At Kinrara Oval, Jersey took on local Channel Island rivals Guernsey in the sides’ hotly anticipated first round game. Stuart Le Prevost’s side won the toss and elected to bat against Peter Gough’s bowling attackGuernsey’s star allrounder Jeremy Frith made his intentions for the tournament clear after the 33-year-old smashed his way to 80 runs to be the cornerstone of the side’s innings. Frith departed after being caught by Jersey’s Ben Stevens off the bowling of Gough.Ross Kneller ably assisted Frith for some time, with the 28-year-old right-hander hitting a half-century, while after their departure Le Prevost and David Hooper added important runs. Jersey’s bowlers shared the spoils with captain Gough the pick of the attack with 2 for 11.Jersey initially looked like making light work of their target of 252, knocking off 131 runs before a wicket was lost. The fortunes began to change after a passing rain shower forced the teams from the field. Dean Morrison had been run out for 59 before the brief interval, and when the teams returned to the field Ben Stevens departed without a run to his name after being bowled by Jamie Nussbaumer.Nussbaumer then dismissed in-form batsman Ed Farley who dragged the ball onto his stumps to depart for 64, gathering thunderclouds adding to the drama at Kinrara. Corey Bisson added a hard-fought 29 but Jersey captain Gough managed just 17 runs.As thunder and lightning struck around the ground and the rain clouds converged, Jersey began to lose wickets and at six down in the 44th over, it began to look as though the threatening downpours might end the match. Jersey moved ahead on D/L after a 19-run over off Stuart Bisson, but the rain held off and a reinvigorated Guernsey bowling attack fought their way back into the game.Jersey fell just short despite Edward Farley’s half-century•ICC/Peter Lim

With two overs remaining, Jersey needed 14 with just one wicket in hand, and after some tight bowling the target was 10 from the final six deliveries. Tim Ravenscoft bowled James Faudemer with the second ball of the over to secure a nerve-wracking win.”Obviously gutted about today with the fact we couldn’t score a victory but to keep them down to 250 on such a good batting track was good,” said Gough. “I was really pleased with the way our two young lads worked out in the middle. Corey Bisson and Sam de la Haye both worked really hard and now it’s about improving for tomorrow.””I think we were 15 to 20 short of runs on the board and then we didn’t bowl well to begin with which didn’t help us,” added Frith, who was named man of the match. “I am a little disappointed that I didn’t make it to a hundred and got us to 270 but fundamentally today got us two points. Jersey played fantastically and all credit to them, they probably deserved to win. It was a tough game out there but it’s good to walk away with a win and take the two points.”Fiji got their tournament off to a flying start at Bayeumas Oval, beating the promoted Nigeria by 63 runs. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Fiji lost wickets early on but the Rika brothers, captain Joe and his brother Colin, came together and were soon batting fluently in the morning sunshine.Their fightback was cut short when the Fijian captain was removed by Kunle Adegbola, but Colin Rika’s 40 helped his team pass 100 before the lower order took up the challenge. Wicketkeeper Maciu Gauna made an unbeaten 37 from just 35 deliveries while No. 10 Mohammad Khan’s quickfire cameo helped Fiji reach 203 for 8.In reply the Nigerians simply could not handle the veteran Iniasi Cakacaka’s canny offspin, the 43-year-old dismissing key batsmen Ramit Gill and Sean Philips on his way to 4 for 27. Despite the best attempts of Oluwaseun Odeku, who reached 29, Nigeria were bowled out for 140 in 41 overs.the side was on its way to be all out for 140 when Lomani took two bottom order wickets and the victory was sealed for Fiji when Joshua Ogunlola was run out.”It was great to start off with a win and the boys are feeling good,” said Joe Rika. “Iniasi [Cakacaka] did really well to come back after making a duck with the bat, to come back and take four wickets was a great effort. The boys are really happy and we’re looking forward to our next match tomorrow.”

Robert Croft has been appointed as a spin bowling consultant to the England ODI side. He played 21 Test and 50 ODIs during his England career and will spend 12 days with the limited-overs team in South Africa.A vastly experienced offspinner, Croft represented Glamorgan for 23 years and, even into his 40s, proved highly effective as a limited-overs performer with changes of pace – even changes of action – helping him make a successful transition to the T20 age.While the ECB do already have a full-time spin bowling coach – Peter Such – Croft retired from playing recently enough to have played against most of the England squad and has experience of playing international limited-overs cricket. Such, who never played ODIs and retired before the advent of T20, also already has a wide area of responsibility and was in the UAE with the performance squad before Christmas and is expected to travel with the England U19 squad as they prepare for the U19 World Cup. While Such might be described as a coach in the traditional sense, helping bowlers build a technique, Croft’s role may relate more to specific match situations and tactics.Since retiring as a player at the end of 2012, Croft has moved into coaching. He is currently with Glamorgan and has previously been invited to work with the England performance squad. He hopes to complete his Level 4 coaching qualification in 2016.”Robert has had success in both domestic and international cricket during his career and he’ll have plenty to offer the dressing room,” Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, said. “It’s an opportunity for players and coaches to exchange different ideas which is so important particularly at this stage in the side’s development.”He has worked with our performance programme in the past and has proved a popular and valuable addition and I’ve no doubt this group of players will also gain a lot from his involvement. I’m sure he’ll return with ideas that Glamorgan will benefit from as they prepare for the coming season.”The appointment of Croft continues England’s policy of utilising the skills and experience of recently retired former players. Paul Collingwood, the only man to lead England to a global limited-overs trophy at the 2010 World T20, is also expected to join up the squad for the World T20 in India while Mahela Jayawardene spent time with the Test players at the start of their tour of the UAE. The other coaches for the ODI segment of the South Africa tour will be Trevor Bayliss, Paul Farbrace, Ottis Gibson and Graham Thorpe.The development will surely do Croft’s own coaching credentials no harm. With Toby Radford having recently left the role of head coach at Glamorgan, Croft is probably the favourite to replace him. A coaching appointment with the England side coming 10 days before the closing date for applications would seem perfectly timed.”It’s extra experience for me and if the opportunity presents itself to help the lads I will,” Croft said. “I’m there to observe and primarily be a sounding board for the spin bowlers, but will give any additional help as required.”It is another opportunity to increase my coaching experience. The November before last I was invited out to work with Andy Flower with the development squad in Sri Lanka and this time it’s the full squad in South Africa. I’m looking forward to meeting up with two excellent coaches with different styles in Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace and to absorbing their ideas.”It is always good to have an open mind in the profession you are involved with, you can learn every day, so I hope to pick up things that will help me be a better coach.”The England squad flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg on Sunday and, after a brief break, will resume training on Monday morning.

David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, believes Andrew Flintoff will be fit to play in the one-day series against India later this month.Flintoff stepped up his return from ankle surgery by playing in Lancashire’s Championship match against Sussex this week and Graveney expected to see him in action against India. Flintoff’s contributions against Sussex so far have included a 34 off 36 balls in Lancashire’s first innings and bowling four overs – off which he conceded just one run.”It’s great that he’s back playing,” Graveney told BBC Radio Four on Wednesday. “He’s started to bowl in [the] nets and there’s nothing that I’ve heard to the contrary that would prevent him from playing in the one-dayers towards the back end of the month. Hopefully he will available for that, and he has certainly indicated that will be the case.”Mike Watkinson, the Lancashire manager, also confirmed that Flintoff was progressing as per physiotherapist Dave Roberts’ programme. He told Sportinglife.com, a British sports website, “He has done a little bit of bowling in the nets, and four overs is not a heavy workload. He just looked in good rhythm, he wasn’t pinning his ears back and giving it the full whack, but he looked very smooth.”Flintoff missed the entire Test and one-day series against West Indies after he underwent a third operation to rectify his recurring ankle problem. He was also ruled out of the ongoing Test series against India but is on course to play the first ODI at the Rose Bowl on August 21.

Mark Vermeulen, who was banned from all first-class and league cricket in England for 10 years on Wednesday, has issued a statement through his lawyers claiming he only learnt of his ban through the media the following day.Following a chain of incidents at a Central Lancashire League match between Werneth and Ashton the league imposed the decade-long ban. However, Andrew Fitch-Holland, a barrister and principal with Line & Length Sports Consultants, who is acting for Vermeulen claimed the league thought the batsman had left the country.”Mark Vermeulen learnt of the imposition of this ban from a news story appearing on Cricinfo’s website on September 14th,” the statement read. “Mr. Vermeulen had received no communication from any official of the Central Lancashire League that disciplinary proceedings were being taken against him and therefore was not present when this matter was considered.”We understand that this action was taken in circumstances where the League believed that Mark was no longer in the country, which is not the case. Mark is devastated to find himself in this position and understands that his behaviour at the match in question was far from acceptable. Naturally he wishes to offer his heartfelt apologies not just to those who witnessed the incident, but to the League and his team-mates.”We have been in contact with the League and have made it clear that Mark wishes to have the opportunity to have a personal hearing as a matter of urgency. At the present time we anticipate that such a hearing will now be held within the next few days.”At such a hearing mitigation will be offered in the hope that the League would then be fully aware of all the circumstances surrounding this incident,” the statement continued.”We would expect that any punishment that might be imposed would then be made with all the relevant factors having been properly considered. In that regard we are actively working with the CLL in a spirit of contrite co-operation to resolve this situation as soon as possible.”Click here to see the video of the incident at bbc.co.uk

.Ganguly belongs to the hall of fame which includes the likes of Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Bedi, Vishwanath, Vengsarkar, Amarnath, Prasanna et al. But it is time that Ganguly, if he wishes to continue in the present team, proves himself and what better way to do that than to go back to Ranji Trophy cricket. One century on a placid wicket against a weak bowling attack doesn’t prove anything. The Indian team is more important than a person, no matter what the record books say about that person. Lakshmi Challa FloridaLet Ganguly be India’s vice-captain. Keith Massay UKI guess everyone will agree that a team of 10 good players is better than 11 individual performers. Ganguly has been the only Indian captain in history to mould a team out of individual players. If not for anything else, Ganguly deserves a place in the team for that. When people say that Ganguly should step down for the likes of Yuvraj and Kaif, I must remind them that the same Yuvraj and Kaif have had long bad patches and they are today in the team because of Ganguly’s backing. He backed them because he believed that they had potential. Does Ganguly himself not deserve the same backing from the public and the media? And lastly, even if people believe that he should be replaced, do we have better players to replace him with. When Venugopal Rao and J P Yadav can play in the Indian side, is a place for Ganguly so unimaginable? Shobhit Aggarwal IndiaChappell has been appointed coach for the Indian cricket team and he should focus on that. He seems to be crossing his jurisdiction getting involved in matters like the selection of captain and the team — there is no harm in an informal consultation by a captain for selection of the final eleven with the coach, but nothing beyond that. The BCCI needs to intervene immediately and deal with the conflict between the captain and the coach. If this conflict persists, it would hurt the very soul of our team. Ram Chopra TorontoGanguly should go. Chappell knows what he is doing. Eshwar IndiaIt is sad to see that even the media is taking sides. Cricinfo is probably the only media outlet which has reported fairly on the issue. Observation is something very different from judgment. And I don’t really understand as to why the media is taking potshots at Chappell. Chappell is an honest guy, and he should be given the best team if he wants to make any meaningful contribution to Indian cricket. Partha IndiaGanguly has done enough damage to the Indian team over the last couple of years due to his egoism and continuous failure as a batsman. It’s time he should be shown his place. If Kaif has to sit out of the playing eleven, let’s not talk about building the team for the next World Cup. Instead let’s call it an employment exchange to keep non-performing bozos in business. Anand Chitre IndiaHe needs to speak out and get some support. Maybe it’ll help his form. Ann Singh IndiaIt pains my heart that a person of Ganguly’s stature can stoop to such a low level and unnecessarily stir a hornet’s nest. It was Ganguly who originally backed Chappell as the coach of Team India. Ganguly’s obsession with the captaincy, which is of course a much-prized possession, is like a small baby refusing to part with a toy. Mukul Maheshwari IndiaClick here to send us your feedback on the issue

The exodus from the England & Wales Cricket Board has continued, with the news that John Read, their director of communications, is to quit his post. His announcement comes only weeks after Tim Lamb, the ECB’s chief executive, tendered his resignation in the wake of the Zimbabwe affair."I’ve enjoyed enormously working for the ECB and being part of the executive team that has helped to drive the game forward," said Read in a statement. Among his achievements in his time in office, was the inception of the Twenty20 Cup, which has exceeded all expectations with its popularity, and a drive towards marketing cricket as a young and stylish and socially-inclusive sport.At the boardroom level, it was Read who, earlier this year, warned the ECB that they faced dire financial consequences if they undertook a boycott of their Test tour to Zimbabwe, and with that in mind, he issued a cautionary piece of advice. "The Board has achieved a great deal since its inception in 1997, but there is also no doubt that the ECB needs to move to the next stage of its development and modernise its corporate governance processes."Lamb himself was fulsome in his praise for Read’s contribution. "John has been an immensely popular member of the executive team and has always managed to maintain both his sense of perspective and his abiding good humour even during the most challenging times."In particular he played a pivotal role in the promotion of the inaugural Twenty20 Cup competition in 2003, and did as much as anyone to ensure its successful launch as an innovative and exciting new form of the game. I wish him every success for the future."

Hampshire v Glamorgan, Cardiff ScorecardCaptains past and present, Robin Smith and John Crawley, added 123 for thesecond wicket as Hampshire enjoyed the better of the first day at Cardiff.Crawley’s share was 65, and though Smith eventually fell eight runs short ofhis 62nd first-class century, Nic Pothas ensured his good work was notwasted by reaching the close on 81 not out. Alex Wharf was the pick of abeleaguered Glamorgan attack, finishing with two wickets.Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire, Wantage Road ScorecardNorthants survived a trial by spin to close on a creditable 338 for 8 atWantage Road, a considerable improvement on their woeful efforts againstYorkshire last week. Gloucestershire’s pair of Martyn Ball and Ian Fisherbowled a staggering 73 overs between them, and picked up but one of theeight wickets to fall. But they were thwarted by regular contributions alldown the order. Mark Powell and David Paynter put on 126 for the firstwicket, David Sales added a gritty 59, and the ninth-wicket pair of TobyBailey and Andre Nel reached the close unbeaten after a 63-run stand.Somerset v Durham, Taunton ScorecardFifteen wickets fell on the first day at Taunton, as Durham and Somersettraded blow for blow. Jon Lewis scored a composed 78 and Marcus Trescothickresponded in kind with 60 from 81 balls, but overall it was a day for thebowlers. Richard Johnson was the pick for Somerset, with figures of 5 for64, although Vince Wells struck two vital blows in the final over of theday, as five Somerset wickets fell for 35 runs.Kent v Leicestershire, Canterbury ScorecardKent made a stuttering start to their Championship campaign, as they werebundled out for 245 after winning the toss at Canterbury. Greg Blewett andMichael Carberry picked up a brace of fifties, but three wickets for CharlieDagnell made the difference. When their turn came, Leicestershire slumped to48 for 3, with Mark Ealham, the stand-in Kent captain, grabbing two wickets,but Darren Maddy, and the returning Paul Nixon stood firm to the close.Lancashire v Nottinghamshire, Old Trafford ScorecardMal Loye made history as the first batsman to score centuries in each of hisfirst two innings for Lancashire, but Nottinghamshire fought backimpressively in the evening session. Loye, who signed from Northants in thesummer, scored 113 and added 137 for the fifth wicket with Andrew Flintoff(97). With a few overs of the day remaining, Lancashire were cruising at 340for 5, but Steve Elworthy (5 for 71) and Greg Smith (3 for 50) ripped outthe last five wickets for 14 runs.Middlesex v Sussex, Lord’s ScorecardJason Lewry and James Kirtley were Sussex’s heroes with bat and ball, on aday of fluctuating fortunes at Lord’s. Middlesex had the upper hand earlyon, with Joe Dawes and Paul Weekes taking three wickets apiece to reduceSussex to 172 for 9. But Lewry clubbed a run-a-ball 45, and Kirtley kept hisend up for 55 deliveries in a vital last-wicket stand of 67. They followedup by each grabbing an early wicket, as Middlesex closed on 79 for 4.Warwickshire v Essex, Edgbaston ScorecardJim Troughton and Dougie Brown picked up a pair of centuries as Essex weregiven the run-around on a day of high-scoring at Edgbaston. Troughton (107not out) and Brown (120) added 201 for the sixth wicket after Scott Branthad kept the top-order in check with three early wickets. Ronnie Iranigrabbed two wickets as well, including his England team-mate Nick Knight,and though Brown fell before the close, Troughton will resume in themorning.

It’s not even the silly season but sport’s pre-occupation with the production of lists, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, has produced a couple of pearlers over the last month.The Sir Donald Bradman Memorial XI announced as part of the latest book on the recently-deceased legend of cricket has taken pride of place. It was only one man’s opinion, but what a man. It is no wonder he didn’t want it named until after his death.Suffice to say that it was an interesting selection.More intriguing has been the release of the Wisden 100 lists for batting and bowling.Wisden, the name, carries an inordinate amount of weight on these matters. It is an institution in the game.But it has left itself wide open to criticism for the manner of its choices in this exercise. Every country in the world will take exception to some of the selections.New Zealand is but one example of this. Each country will no doubt have several efforts not listed that meant more to people in those countries than can be represented by bald statistics. That is why cricket holds its local appeal.By making its choice as long as 100 in both sections, it is also leaving itself open to more criticism.Before getting down to specifics it is worth noting that the 12 factors Wisden has used in making its assessment are: Batting base points, pitch index, bowling quality, percentage of score, point of entry, after point of entry, wickets falling during innings, support, shepherding the tail, highest score, match status, result contribution.Then for bowling the eight factors considered vital are: Bowling base points, pitch index, batting quality, dismissed batsman quality, bowling accuracy, most wickets, match status, result contribution.All worthy aspects of any list.However, many of the factors are capable of differences in assessment, after all what is one umpire’s leg before wicket decision is not always that of another. What is one man’s assessment of the quality of a side is not automatically that of another.And therein lies the risk in compiling such lists.Everyone sees things differently. Memorable shots or deliveries are remembered by people in different ways.There is also the prospect when dealing with nations whose teams have fluttered around the middle to lower order of cricketing ranks that assessment is based on figures alone without regard for the facts and emotions of battle.One of the great appeals of cricket is that victory is not always the vehicle of achievement. Numerous are the examples of an honourable draw being achieved by outstanding effort.The emphasis on results being achieved rather than draws, points are awarded in favour of result matches on the ratio of 10:3, is flawed.From a New Zealand perspective it is interesting that the only batsman from this country to be included in the top 100 innings is Bryan Young for his 267 against Sri Lanka at Carisbrook. It was a memorable innings, but the best by a New Zealander?Not on your life.New Zealand’s bowlers are better represented by Richard Hadlee (5th), Simon Doull (64th), John Bracewell (89th) and Chris Cairns (91st).An immediate point of contention concerns the difference between Hadlee’s 9-52 against Australia at Brisbane in 1985, a match won by an innings and 41 runs and the batting in the match.If Hadlee’s nine wickets are worthy of fifth place on the order, why is Martin Crowe’s 188 in New Zealand’s innings not a feature of the batting list?The fact that Crowe’s 299 or Andrew Jones’ 186 during their world record stand of 467 against Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve in 1991 is not included is a reflection of the emphasis on winning results rather than match-saving innings in drawn circumstances.Similarly, why no place for one of the great defensive innings of all-time played by Mark Greatbatch at Perth in 1989 when he scored 146 not out to deny Australia victory? His working with the lower order on that occasion was a textbook demonstration of the craft. It came after a lengthy performance in the first innings of the game.What also of Bevan Congdon’s 176 in New Zealand’s fourth innings total of 440 in its quest for 479 to beat England at Trent Bridge in 1973?Again, what of Glenn Turner’s century in each innings on the occasion of New Zealand’s first Test victory over Australia at Lancaster Park in 1974?It is this overlooking of lesser-ranked nations’ achievements by outside-based assessors that upsets the rationale of these sorts of lists.For sheer drama and guts, the effort of Bert Sutcliffe at Ellis Park, Johannesburg on Boxing Day in 1954 might, again, have helped ensure a draw, but what an innings, what a draw.What of wicket-keeper Ian Smith’s brilliant dismemberment of a rampant Indian attack at Eden Park in 1990 when his 173 off 136 balls faced helped New Zealand recover from 131/7 to reach 391? Sure the Test was drawn, but what an innings!Then there is Nathan Astle’s 102 not out during his memorable 106-run unbeaten last wicket stand with Danny Morrison at Eden Park in 1997 to deny England victory.Emotion still has a role to play in assessment, both for the player concerned and for the spectator or interested fan. There is no room for this quality in the guidelines listed.Similar complaints could be made of the bowling assessments.What of a 21-year-old left-arm spinner in Daniel Vettori taking 12-149, including his 100th Test wicket, against the undoubted world champions in a losing match?And what of Bruce Taylor’s 7-74 against the strong West Indian batting line-up at Bridgetown in 1972 in another drawn match?Hadlee’s six wicket bag in New Zealand’s first victory over, admittedly, a weakened England team in 1978 would still mean far more to many local people than, with all due respect, some of the other New Zealand performances listed.What is one man’s drama is definitely not that for another.The manner of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack choice of the players of the century, when involving an electoral panel drawn from around the world, seems a far more appropriate format.If, as seems likely, it is the Wisden intention to develop a rating formula before every Test match played, it should seriously reconsider aspects of its analysis.