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The much-anticipated attempt to rejuvenate one-day cricket took place under gloomy skies at Headingley, where a capacity crowd watched the new ODI rules come into effect for the first time. Sky Sports duly made its own contribution by introducing terms like “powerplay” and “supersub” into the cricketing lexicon. But with Australia’s waning dominance turning the match into a rather one-sided affair, cricket watchers were still left undecided as to whether the rules would make the games more exciting, or merely more confusing. This is what they saw:Vik the semi-sub
A sure shot question for trivia fiends three years from now. Vikram Solanki came on for Simon Jones right after Jones had completed an economical ten overs, thus becoming the first fully-functional substitute in cricketing history. The logic, one assumes, was that England would prefer the batting services provided by Solanki to that of Jones. In any event, Solanki sat in the balcony and cheered his captain and Marcus Trescothick to a facile nine-wicket win. Much like Jones did.The real supersub (well … somewhat)
Brad Hogg, the Australian supersub replaced Matthew Hayden, and had a slightly more useful day. Not only did Hogg send down six overs, he also picked up the wicket of Andrew Strauss, who for a change did not succumb to a Brett Lee yorker. Not that it mattered a great deal: Strauss was replaced by Michael Vaughan, who smacked an unbeaten 59 off 65 balls to seal the issue.Cryptic signals
Umpires Mark Benson and Rudi Koertzen were entrusted with the job of unleashing two more indecipherable signals on an unsuspecting public. Circles in the air denote the introduction of powerplays, while the bringing on of a supersub is signaled by the fingers of the left hand touching the palm of the right, a bit like the NBA ‘time-out’ sign. Watch out for more signals in the future, like the one that formally announces a change in Kevin Pietersen’s hairstyle, or the one that declares that Jason Gillespie’s bowling is now officially “garbage.”Powerplays that weren’t
Unhelpful conditions for the Australian batsmen, and a gettable target for Vaughan’s men meant that powerplay 3 (that’s the final block of five overs, for all you ageing purists out there) wasn’t really taken advantage of. Both Ricky Ponting and Vaughan finished off their powerplays at one go. Hopefully circumstances at Lord’s will be different.

The veteran New South Wales batsman Michael Bevan has signed a two-year deal with Tasmania.The move comes just 24 hours after the Tasmanian Cricket Association announced it had secured the services of sacked Zimbabwe allrounder Andy Blignaut. David Johnston, the TCA’s chief executive, said that he was thrilled they had been able to recruit a second player of international standing.Bevan’s appointment and transfer to Tasmania is still subject to a clearance from New South Wales, where he had played since 1990-91.Bevan, 34, recently lost his contract with the national team, signalling the end of his productive one-day career for Australia.

The West Indies will herald its hosting of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 with a Caribbean-style event on March 9 in Johannesburg.South African and international journalists and cricket officials, tour operators and other influential persons will be invited to get a taste of what the Caribbean has to offer the world in 2007.The event which is being hosted at a private venue by the Windies World Cup 2007 delegation now in South Africa is made possible through the support of a number of companies as well as cultural and tourism entities in the region. Video extracts of the event will be shown internationally to build awareness of the West Indies’ hosting of the next World Cup.During the party top Caribbean band, Square One will take the invitees on a musical journey throughout the region performing popular music from the various countries. Invitees will also get an introduction by video to the beauty of the Caribbean and the special experience of watching cricket “The Windies Way”.Elegant Hotels, Barbados will also be sending one of its chefs, Athlone Mc Collin to prepare an authentic Caribbean meal for guests to enjoy.WWC 2007 CEO and Head of the delegation, Chris Dehring addressing the purpose of the event party noted : “This event is our first invitation to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and presents an exciting opportunity for international media and others to get a preview of what the Caribbean has to offer.”WHERE: SAINTS ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX, CLOISTERS SHOPPING CENTRE, CNR 9th AVENUE & RIVONIA, JOHANNESBURG.WHEN: SUNDAY, 9 MARCH, 7.00-10.00 PMRSVP TO : Poppy Rangwaga on 011 888 7988 email: [email protected] ARE LIMITED AND RSVPS ARE REQUIRED TO GUARANTEE PLACES.

Leicestershire stayed on course for a one-day double by overwhelming Worcestershire by 118 runs to register an 11th consecutive victory in limited-overs competitions.The undefeated Norwich Union League leaders booked their place in the C & G Trophy semi-finals by piling up 297 for 9 and then bowling out the hosts for 179.The result was effectively settled in the opening 90 minutes when Shahid Afridi blazed 67 from only 44 balls to leave Leicestershire on a remarkable 150 for 3 when he was caught at cover in the 20th over.The Pakistan all-rounder hit four sixes – one which embedded the ball in the slate roof of the New Road Stand – and six fours in an impressive follow-up to his 70 from 32 balls in a Norwich Union fixture at the week-end.Afridi made himself a banker for the man of the match award while sharing in partnerships of 52 in nine overs with Trevor Ward (35) and 70 in six with skipper Vince Wells (34).Worcestershire’s target rate of almost six runs an over escalated as Anurag Singh and Graeme Hick fell cheaply to the new-ball pair, James Ormond and Scott Boswell.DeFreitas then took two wickets in successive balls in his first over and Jon Dakin bowled Philip Weston for 40 after the opener had batted with a runner because of a knee injury.Only an unbeaten 56 by Steve Rhodes allowed Worcestershire to escape their heaviest defeat in the 39 seasons of the competition. Their heaviest mauling stands at 143 runs – also by Leicestershire in 1979.Wells was delighted with his side’s performance.”That was fantastic,” he said. “The players took up the challenge and performed brilliantly out there.”It was an awesome effort. It was probably our best one-day performance ofthe season but the nice thing about this side is that winning is never enough. We are still looking to find areas where we can improve.”Worcestershire coach, Tom Moody, could not hide his disappointment, but paid tribute to Leicestershire, tipping them for the trophy.”It went wrong from the moment we lost the toss but I would like to start this game again with a fresh toss of the coin. I am sure the result would be different.”I hope we bounce back. We are talking about it and will continue to talk about it over the next few days. This is only a minor hiccup; we have been playing some great cricket in the last few weeks.”But you have to give credit. They are a very good side and they are playing to their potential. They outplayed us.”I would be very surprised if they don’t go all the way in this competition.”

Darren Bicknell hit an undefeated 139 by carrying his bat throughoutthe day for Nottinghamshire against Sussex at Trent Bridge in theDivision Two County Championship on day one. The giant left handerfaced 308 balls to take Nottinghamshire to 336 for 8 in 104 overs.Bicknell was helped by Aussie Paul Reiffel (74 in 95 balls) who camein when the team were in deep trouble at 163 for 7. They both put ona partnership of 143 for the eighth wicket before Reiffel was outattempting to cut spinner Umer Rashid.The crucial stand was put on at a time when Notts slumped to 163 for7 from 100 for 2 at lunch with John Morris (18), Paul Johnson (0) andChris Read (0) being out in consecutive overs.Andrew Harris joined Bicknell as Notts got a fourth bonus battingpoint when they crossed 350. For Sussex, Jason Lewry took 4 for 85and James Kirtley 3 for 62.

Scorecard

A superb fighting century by Chris Read, England’s forgotten wicketkeeper (by the selectors, if nobody else), lifted Nottinghamshire from a position of danger to one of dominance against Yorkshire on the third day at Headingley.”It’s not an easy pitch to score runs quickly on” seemed to be the common verdict. To all appearances, though, the pitch underwent quite a transformation after lunch, as Read and his enterprising sixth-wicket partner, Graeme Swann, tucked into the hapless Yorkshire bowling attack, which was missing Morne Morkel with a hamstring strain. For the first time in the matchthe scoreboard fairly galloped along as the pair added 136 runs, and in the process turned the match on its head.Until Read and Swann joined forces, Yorkshire were taking a grip. Their bowling was useful rather than threatening, while Nottinghamshire’s top order, with the exception of Mark Wagh, had disappointed. Matthew Hoggard and Morkel made the batsmen fight for runs, with Morkel wayward in direction at times, but then producing the odd vicious rearing delivery reminiscent of an inspired Steve Harmison.Wagh made a steady start to a solid innings, reaching fifty off 125 deliveries, but was handicapped by a heavy outfield. Darren Gough did not take the new ball for Yorkshire, but when he did come on, he proved expensive. In his second spell, though, he immediately took the vital wicket of Wagh, whose low slash to gully was splendidly held by Adil Rashid. Without his 56, the heroics that followed might never have occurred. Nottinghamshire were reeling at 115 for 5.Swann was the man who first began to change the complexion of the match. Until then, no batsman had really taken the bowling apart successfully, though Gerard Brophy had not done too badly on the first day, but Swann was not prepared to bow to convention and soon pulled Gough for six. In fact, apart from Wagh’s wicket, it was not destined to be a good day for the Yorkshire captain with the ball. Read decided to join the party, as the modern saying goes, and smackedhim for three fours in the next over.Legspinner Rashid was the next bowler to suffer, as Swann hit him for two sixes, over long-on and then straight, as he ran to his fifty off 57 balls. Read joined him in the following over, taking 80 balls. In all, 147 runs came in the afternoon session for just one wicket, by far the most productive batting period of the match.Morkel said after close of play that the pitch had become slower on the third day, while the bowlers were no longer able to get the ball to swing and they found conditions less favourable, especially with the old ball which lost condition badly.It took a surprise delivery from Anthony McGrath to break the stand: a quicker, straight ball kept a little low and trapped Swann lbw for an invaluable 68. But there was no respite for Yorkshire’s suffering bowlers, as Read had his sights set high and Stuart Broad looked every inch an allrounder, especially when he drove with power and élan through the covers.Read survived a difficult chance at second slip on 93, but reached his 12th career century with a handsome boundary through extra cover. It took him 168 deliveries, and Broad soon arrived at his fifty off 70 balls.The pair batted through a period of dim light until the sun-bathed close of play, by which time all Yorkshire had left to hope for was a salvaged draw. Nottinghamshire were 57 runs ahead with four wickets still standing, and everything to play for on the final day.

Outgoing West Indies Cricket Board president Ken Gordon last night gave his final address to the Board of Directors meeting at Hilton Trinidad, Port of Spain. In his speech, Gordon sought to outline the challenges he faced and the achievements that were made, and which could now serve as a road map for his successors.

One of the major commitments I made at the time that I assumed the Presidency of the West Indies Board was that there would be full transparency in the manner in which the Board conducted its affairs…We are pleased to take that promise of transparency to a new level with a resumption of the West Indian Cricket Board’s Annual Report. This will hereafter be done on an annual basis. The consolidated accounts for the years 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 are both contained in this Report. They tell a dismal story. But they represent the recent history of the organisation, not its current financial realities.The significant turn around of the WICB commenced during the second half of the 2005/2006 financial year and will be fully captured when the accounts for the current financial year, September 2006-August 2007, are published. Our focus in this report will therefore be on the major activities, including management accounts, of the current financial year and the foundation which has been put in place for the future.The process of transforming the WICB into a result-driven organisation has begun. At the beginning of my term I asked to be judged on the basis of results and now as I depart, this statement will report on what has been achieved and the structures, which have been in place for the development of West Indies cricket.1. Cricket: The performance of our team on the field has been for the most part disappointing. We have changed captains, altered selectors, lost one of the best batsmen the world has seen, had our coach depart prematurely, appointed a cricket committee and made innumerable adjustments to our team, but the results continue to be up and down and far more often down. With some exceptions, we remain a tragedy of unfulfilled potential. There were moments before the World Cup when we dared to dream of winning it. More recently there was the outstanding performance of the team in winning the ODI series in England. Hopefully, that may represent a new beginning, but the evidence suggests that with the best of intentions we have been tinkering for too long with a problem that requires a fundamental change of culture and commitment. A change that will impose discipline as a matter of course and make people accountable for their behaviour.Our team lacks the toughness, mental and physical, of professional sustainability. At a time when our players are amongst the best paid in the game, we hear complaints that a “curfew is too restrictive”, “training standards are too vigorous”, “the fellas need a break”. All this while we remain at the lower end of the international scale and the leading teams conform to the demands of today’s professional cricket as a matter of course.

Our performance in the World Cup was our moment of truth. Now we must acknowledge the failure of not only our cricketers, but even more pointedly the failure of those of us who have had the responsibility to do the things we have not done.The other fundamental objective to which I committed myself at the beginning of my term was to pull together a foundation from which West Indies cricket could be rebuilt. Too many things flowed in different directions. Cricket was and still is all over the place and because of the intense emotion it generates in our six million-plus people whatever goes wrong is fed into a media circus. Those with agendas feed this and there is little breathing space to take considered coordinated action when addressing one or other of the myriad problems which occur daily.But the truth is that it is impossible to do so when you are also insolvent and kept alive only by the good will of your debtors. You live in a state of firefighting rather than managing effectively. Clearly then the underlying problem in the belly of it all was the finances of the WICB. And that had to be the first order of transformation, for without it nothing else was possible.2. Finance: The parlous state of WICB’s finances was accelerated on its downward slide with the introduction of the Future Tours Programme.The past ten years have been a building financial disaster. When our administration took office in August 2005, the WICB was bankrupt. That is a simple statement of fact. We were unable to pay our bills, lines of credit had dried up, we had suffered a loss of US$6.5 million the previous year and there was in addition a consolidated loss built up over the preceding years of US$15 million. After two frequently unpleasant years the situation has been fundamentally altered: Our credit is good, we made a profit of US$1.5 million at the end of 12 months (Sept 05-Sept 06), an improvement over the previous year of US$8 million, and we are on target for the current financial year with a small profit. This during a year when there were no “at home” games and therefore a notoriously difficult financial period. Also, assisted by the returns from the World Cup we have discharged our liabilities and subject to final audit we expect our consolidated loss of US$15 million to be virtually discharged.It is important to emphasise that the World Cup assisted. It was not responsible for the turn around which had commenced one year earlier with an improvement of US$8 million in our performance between 2005-2006 and the previous year. The WICB can therefore look forward to being clear of all major debt for the first time in more than a decade and operating in a healthy financial environment.3. The World Cup: Before I comment on the structure and changes that must prepare the foundation we need for our cricket, let us look at the World Cup as the major project of the WICB calendar. This event has been heavily criticised for its rigidity, high prices, being too up market, not delivering opportunity to the small man, and requiring too heavy an investment. Some of the criticisms are not without merit. We must acknowledge that there were weaknesses which might have been addressed differently and from which we must learn for future planning of mega events. I will not explain the circumstances which led to these problems, for this is not a World Cup Report. But it is necessary to put these criticisms into perspective. Let us therefore quickly look at some of the achievements of the World Cup:- On time delivery of 12 world-class stadiums and 22 practice grounds and facilities.- The skills development benefit from producing one of the largest events in the world, which has never before been attempted across nine sovereign states and which many thought was impossible.- The recruitment, training and outstanding performance of 4,300 volunteers- Training and certification of over 3,000 security personnel across the region delivering an incident-free match day operation- Global execution of the largest ticketed event in Caribbean history with almost flawless distribution of 672,000 tickets.- The movement of 16 teams and officials with “plane side pick up” throughout the region over 57 days with a 90 per cent on time record for all flights.- Moving 7,000 pieces of baggage across the region without losing one.- The management of over 9,000 men and women across the region- Delivery to cricket Boards a sum expected to be in excess of US$6 million for cricket development.- Delivering to LOCs a benefit of some US$32 million in ticket sales.Earning an estimated profit of US$59 million from the project as compared to South Africa’s US$27.2 million in 2005 and England’s US$22.3 million in 1999. Further, the benefits of destination exposure simply cannot be quantified, neither can the benefit to sport, if we manage our stadiums right.Much can be added, but what has been said makes the point. Our World Cup was much more than a learning experience. The WICB fought to get it. We won it, managed it and we delivered the approximate results we said we would. This was corporate achievement at its best and of which we can all be proud. I thank our CWC Board, CEO Chris Dehring and his able staff for their outstanding performance.

4. The Academy: Now I turn to the foundation we must put in place. Over the past two decades all the major cricketing nations of the world, other than the West Indies, have established cricket academies. That is where they work on developing the whole cricketer: the player, his mind and the man the type of development we have been talking about for 22 years, according to Clive Lloyd. It is long overdue that we broaden the horizons of our players and lift them above learning on the job.Now finally it is going to happen. The Academy will operate on the basis of a hub, with five spokes. The hub will be in Barbados and it is proposed that the spokes be in Jamaica, Leewards, Windwards, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.The University of the West Indies and the WICB have already signed a MOU which makes the facilities at the 3Ws ground in Barbados available to the WICB. Similar assurances have been given by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda for the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and with the Trinidad and Tobago government for the Brian Lara Stadium. We are pleased to advise that a Caribbean company has now agreed in principle to the sponsorship of the Barbados hub for the first five years and this is likely to be confirmed in a matter of days. We also hope to be in a position to shortly announce the sponsors of the spokes in the other five countries.The Academy will not only train and develop, it will give cricket a home. The debates on issues need no longer be conducted as a knee jerk reaction in the public gaze. When former West Indies Test players can be programmed to meet systematically with current younger players, this lifts the level of communication, assists understanding and tends to shift us all closer to the same page. Less tangible, perhaps, but in the longer term an unquantifiable benefit.A project which has been talked about for more than a decade will now ensure the ongoing viability of the Academy. The Governments of Caricom have collectively made a commitment to assist in its financing. They have agreed to make a percentage of the funds from a Caribbean Superball Lottery available for this purpose. The Trinidad and Tobago government, which will not be participating in the lottery for policy reasons, has made a commitment to provide an annual sum via a Trust Fund or otherwise, equivalent to what would have been earned had they participated. Finally therefore, Caribbean people will have the long awaited opportunity to demonstrate their support for Cricket by participating in the lottery. We expect their response to be loud and tangible.Professor Beckles of UWI, who has done an excellent job in developing the 3Ws Centre of Excellence in Barbados, has been appointed Chairman of the Committee responsible for implementation and will shortly be meeting the media to outline the details of the Academy Structure. The sum expected from the lottery is US$6 million per annum and the start-up date to which Caricom Governments have committed is October 1, 2007.5. Restructuring: We undertook a major restructuring of the WICB management team which took longer than anticipated. Nonetheless, this exercise contributed significantly to the success of our cost reduction efforts and is now near completion with the recent appointment of an experienced CEO heading our team. Mr Bruce Aanensen has come in to face a strong headwind with many internal distractions. Even so he has made a good start and I have every confidence in his ability to get the job done.6. WICB/WIPA: Our relationship with WIPA continues to be a matter for concern. The arbitration process has assisted in that strikes have been avoided. But communication between the two organisations remains adversarial. There are reasons for this which I will not address in this report. But I recommend to the new administration that this remains at the top of the list of priorities.

7. Stanford 20/20: We continue to hope that we may find common ground with Mr Stanford. We have done everything possible to do so and accommodate his requests but our overriding concern must be the growth and development of West Indies Cricket and this is not limited to a four- or five-year cycle. Neither can it be restricted to 20/20 cricket. It is unfortunate that the position of the WICB has from time to time been misrepresented in the media, so it may be helpful to restate our position.We have from day one sought whatever approvals were requested of us on behalf of the Stanford organisation from our international allies on the ICC Board. Where these were not forthcoming it was not from lack of effort on our part.Of course there is an inescapable reality in all this which is that Mr Stanford is a businessman. Whatever his desire to assist West Indies cricket this cannot be expected to occur without concern for a return on his investment. He has frankly acknowledged this. But marketing strategies, important as they are, can never be more important than the right development plan and scheduling for our teams and this has to be our primary consideration.We support 20/20. We admire the Stanford initiative and we are happy to hear that Mr Stanford is having fun, but however attractive the short-term benefits, these must fit in the overall plan for rebuilding West Indies cricket, not the other way round. Once this is understood and remains the common objective of us both, there is no reason whatever why a satisfactory formula should not be found.8. Digicel Contract: This contract has been a source of concern and has not operated in our favour. It has now been renegotiated with more favourable results for WICB. We expect to earn approximately US$2.6 million more per annum as a consequence. Even more significantly we have been able to negotiate out of the contract the offending clauses which had been inherited and we have included a termination clause which had not previously existed. Perhaps it is necessary to add a further word particularly since its passage was only secured by the use of my casting vote as president, the only occasion on which I have done so in my two-year term.Our administration met this contract mired in controversy. There was ongoing conflict over various interpretations resulting in unfavorable consequences to the WICB which led to earning even less than was expected from the contract. This led to high level intervention and eventually a complete transformation of Digicel’s approach which resulted in the renegotiation to which I have referred. Now a completely new environment exists between Digicel and ourselves and they have committed to additional projects which have already commenced. We now have a contract which is vastly superior and one we can with appropriate notice end when it is in our interest to do so.

9. Business Plan: The ingredients for our business plan are now all in place. This will be one of the early tasks of our CEO and his team and should prove an invaluable guideline to plot the way forward.10: Governance: And finally I address the issue of the governance of West Indies cricket. We commenced a review of the governance of the WICB a little more than one year ago. It was intended initially to reduce the size of the board by having one representative, instead of the two who now sit from each regional Board. It was proposed to fill the six vacancies that would have been created with a mix of outstanding achievers from throughout the caribbean. Immediately before the meeting it became clear that this proposal would not have obtained the necessary support. Our options were therefore to continue as we were going or add brandy to the water. We chose the latter and increased the existing number of directors by three. These gentlemen have served us most ably and I publicly thank Sir Alister McIntyre, Dr Grenville Phillips and Mr Clive Lloyd for their important contributions.Now we have moved to the second phase of the Governance review: A small high-powered committee led by former Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Honourable PJ Patterson, has been appointed to undertake this exercise and to make appropriate recommendations. The other members are Sir Alister McIntyre and Dr Ian McDonald. This is probably the most important committee the WICB has ever appointed for its remit is to chart a course that will move the structure of WI cricket from its largely untouched colonial antecedence into the challenging new world of highly-competitive professional cricket.The preliminary report which was submitted to the WICB on Saturday July 14 speaks volumes for the manner in which they have approached their task. Their Report was warmly received by the board.The opening statement of their report is “West Indies cricket does not belong to the WICB; it belongs to the people of the West Indies”. A message that goes to the heart of the wider involvement in the decision-making process which is now required.The Patterson committee has promised its final report by September 15. Meanwhile, the interim report will be discussed at the levels of the regional boards and their comments will have the opportunity of shaping the final recommendations of the committee. I have requested Mr Patterson to make one or other members of his committee available to the regional boards when the matter is being discussed and he is agreeable to doing so.It is also important to add that as popular as it has become to be critical of the West Indies Cricket Board, the decision to appoint this committee was one which was freely taken by the board of the WICB and the board must be commended for this.Gentlemen, let me end by saying that it has been an honour to have served West Indies Cricket. We have not achieved the ultimate objective of turning around the performance of our team, which has been sliding for more than a decade, but then it was always more a hope than an expectation that this could be done in two years. We have neither the foundation, the facilities for preparation and certainly not the professional end product which is so much more evident in the other major cricketing nations. Even more fundamentally we have not had the money to do these things and have barely been able to survive. But now we have changed that. There is a new dawn, with new opportunity to rebuild West Indies cricket and we must move forward aggressively to build on what is now in place.We can take satisfaction in the knowledge that we have lifted our environment from bankruptcy to financial viability; that the challenge of the World Cup has been successfully met and we have delivered where so many expected us to fail; that our 22-year discussed Academy will now become a fact of life on September 14; that the governments of the caribbean continuing the unprecedented collaboration inspired by the World Cup are committed to a start-up date of October 1, 2007 for the Caribbean Lotto; that the controversial Digicel contract has been favourably revised: that the path for the future can be guided by a realistic business plan and that the long overdue examination of the structure of West Indies Cricket, which is perhaps the most fundamental initiative of them all, is fully under way.These are conditions precedent to any serious expectations that West Indies Cricket can be restored to its former glory. Unfortunately, without foundation and structure, many have behaved like crabs in a barrel, who fight because they do not know how to get out of the barrel. Now, hopefully, that will begin to change for we have a road map.So it has not been smooth sailing and there have been very difficult moments. I have no apologies for this, for our structure has outlived its usefulness with its limitations and qualitative shortcomings. It is a sad truth that it is virtually impossible to discuss any serious matter at board level without having this leaked to the media. On one occasion a sensitive decision was leaked and reproduced in the media while the meeting which took the decision was still in progress. At another level, one of our independent members was sufficiently moved recently to write to another director who was the source of some 14 emails sent over eight days to remind him that our role is to serve West Indies cricket rather than feed individual egos and that behaviour is all part of a deliberately disruptive pattern. Fortunately, it comes from a very small pocket of the board.So the governance/constitutional exercise now taking place is of critical importance and cannot be over emphasised for I am convinced that without changes to the structure in place everything else would have been in vain. The ultimate challenge then is one to which you the people who love cricket in the West Indies must respond.The WICB has opened the door for fundamental change, the Patterson Committee is in place to facilitate a new direction now, you must ensure that the process of consultation be widespread, constructive and successful.I say farewell. I thank PM Keith Mitchell of Grenada who, as chairman of the caricom prime ministerial sub-committee on cricket, has been of tremendous assistance in mobilising the support of Caribbean prime ministers. I thank so many of you on the board for your support. I thank the CEO and his team which I am confident will serve you well and wish the new President and his administration every success.”

Division One

The Roses match at Headingley ended in stalemate even though Lancashire took the one wicket they needed this morning to make Yorkshire follow-on. Matthew Wood fell shortly after lunch, but then Joe Sayers (75*) and Matthew Wood (81*) added an unbeaten 147 for the second wicket before the captains agreed to an early end. The loss of 124 overs to bad weather made the draw almost inevitable.At Trent Bridge, most eyes were on Steve Harmison and his return to action, and he worked through 15 overs in two spells without alarm – and without a wicket – as Nottinghamshire avoided the follow-on after Durham had declared on 404 for 8. Darren Bicknell got the champions off to a good start with a brisk 40, and then Jason Gallian and Will Smith (41) took them to 163 for 1 before Gareth Breese (4 for 77) snatched three quick wickets to put Durham in the box seat. Gallian completed his hundred, the 34th of his career, but fell to Mick Lewis for 114 as Nottinghamshire ended on 255 for 6.

Division Two

There was no play before lunch at DerbyWhere Derbyshire maintained their good early-season form by taking a commanding grip against Leicestershire. Declaring on 401 for 6 after two balls, Derbyshire reduced the visitors to 49 for 4 before John Sadler (52*) and Jeremy Snape (30*) finally offered some fight. By the time bad light brought a premature close, they had taken their fifth-wicket stand to 88 and the score to 137 for 4.The weather also had a say at The Oval where overnight rain delayed the start, and when they did get going Worcestershire’s batsmen frustrated Surrey. Phil Jaques (61) and Stephen Moore (75) put on 109 for the first wicket and all Worcestershire’s top order got starts, with the spin of Ian Salisbury and Nayan Doshi accounting for the six wickets that did fall. Worcestershire, needing 352 to avoid the follow-on, closed on 314 for 6, and with heavy rain forecast for Saturday, a draw seems to be on the cards.

Canada 284 (48.1 overs, Davison 125, Billcliff 90) beat Namibia 282 (49 overs, Keulder 83, Sandher 5-57) by two runs
ScorecardsCanada got just the start they needed against a powerful Namibian side in the opening round of the ICC Trophy. A century by Man-of-the-Match John Davison, well supported by 90 from vice-captain Ian Billcliff, allowed Canada to set a big total. Namibia came within two runs of victory, but brave captaincy, coupled with five wickets at the death from Kevin Sandher, gave Canada a thrilling win.Canada were put into bat by Deon Kotze and immediately Davison celebrated Canada Day by smashing two boundaries off the first over. However Desmond Chumney was dismissed in the third, caught by Louis Burger off the bowling of Sarel Burger. The other opening bowler, Kola Burger, struck next, with Zubin Surkari judged lbw for 4, leaving Canada on 26 for 2 in the sixth over.Billcliff also started aggressively, taking two boundaries from Kola Burger’s fourth over. The fifty came up in the 11th over, and Davison reached his personal half-century (out of 73) four overs later. Davison treated the bowling of his counterpart, Kotze with scant respect, and the hundred came up in the 20th over. At the halfway stage of the innings Canada were 141 for 2.Davison completed a superb 86-ball hundred, including four sixes and 12 fours, and with Billcliff added 169 before he was caught by Stefan Swanepoel off the fourth Burger to bowl. His 125 equalled the third-highest innings by a Canadian in the ICC Trophy (Muneeb Diwan made 125, also against Namibia in 1996-97). Billcliff reached his half-century and brought up the 200 in the 35th over, but Namibia halted the Canadian acceleration with three quick wickets. When Billcliff fell for an excellent 90 in the 44th over a post-300 score seemed possible, but Canada failed to bat out their overs and it almost cost them dear.When Namibia batted, Don Maxwell made the initial breakthrough, bowling the dangerous Andries Burger for just 8. Sarel Bruger (42) and Keulder (83) however were harder to dislodge, but tight bowling meant they gradually slipped behind a challenging run-rate, and both were dismissed as they tried to accelerate.George Codrington, a late addition to the touring party, proved his worth as he came on third change and bowled his first five overs for eight runs, capturing the wickets of Danie Keulder and Gerrie Snyman. As the required crept towards double figures, Louis and Kola Burger were forced to hit out, which they did to some effect. Kotze came in and took up the challenge, taking on Davison, and hitting a quick 22.Davison persevered with the initially expensive Kevin Sandher, and that faith was rewarded as he grabbed wickets as Namibia hit out, taking his fifth with the final ball of the penultimate over as Canada squeaked home by just two runs.A win over one of the strongest teams in the group is the perfect start for Canada. Assuming that they have no trouble with Papua New Guinea or Oman (both crashed to heavy defeats), Canada can assure World Cup qualification with a win over Scotland or Netherlands.

Sri Lanka have decided to rest five of their key players, including their captain Marvan Atapattu, for the fourth one-day international against Zimbabwe in Harare tomorrow. In Atapattu’s absence, Mahela Jayawardene will captain his country for the first time, but even with a second-string team at his disposal, defeat is inconceivable against a side that was bundled out for 35 in the third match on Sunday.Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan and Nuwan Zoysa have all been rested to give opportunities to the lesser names in the squad. The uncapped left-hander Thilina Kandamby, the fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara and the legspinner Upul Chandana will all play.Vaas has been the star of the series so far. He has picked up successive Man-of-the-Match awards on the way to becoming only the sixth bowler in one-day international history to take 300 wickets. "There is probably a lack of experience in the side," admitted Jayawardene, as he looked forward to his captaincy debut. "But the guys who are playing tomorrow have enough experience going on A tours and I hope they use it and do well."Meanwhile, the onus falls on his opposite number Tatenda Taibu to provide the runs, if Zimbabwe are to be remotely competitive – his first-ball duck on Sunday sounded the death knell for his team’s hopes. "The batting in the first 15 overs has been a concern," he admitted. "It is the main area we are concentrating on. We haven’t given the bowlers enough runs to play around with. It is up to the individuals really to find out how they can play their best cricket."Before this series we said to ourselves we are young, we are inexperienced. Let’s not hide from the fact that we will face some tough times and we will have some interesting and good times as well," said Taibu. "But the main thing was to stay together throughout every stage. It is good to see that the boys have listened and are giving their 100 percent."