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BRISBANE, Nov 8 AAP – Australia could lose luckless paceman Jason Gillespie for the rest of the Gabba Test match as the fallout continues from England’s stunning Ashes fightback.Gillespie will be forced to prove his fitness in the nets tomorrow morning after feeling another niggle in his troublesome calf muscle as England roared back into contention in the first Test today.At stumps on the second day, the tourists were 1-158 in their first innings in reply to Australia’s 492, with Marcus Trescothick (63 not out), Mark Butcher (51 not out) and Michael Vaughan (33) leading an aggressive assault on the world champions.They faced only three overs from Gillespie (0-5), who jolted his ankle while batting and then felt tightness in his calf after bowling.The 27-year-old remained on the field but was kept from bowling, leaving genuine fears he would rejoin the injury list after missing Australia’s last two Test victories with a torn calf muscle.”You have to weigh up the situation and if we think he’s got a serious problem then we’ll have to think about what’s best for him,” Australian physiotherapist Errol Alcott said.”At this stage, he’s functional and he can field … and I’m pretty confident but the human body, being what it is, means we’ll have to see how he pulls up tomorrow morning after eight hours of not moving.”He’ll definitely have to bowl (in the nets) before he goes out if he wants to bowl tomorrow.”It was news Australia didn’t need after watching England pick itself off the canvas.The tourists conceded 364 runs for the loss of just two wickets on a dreadful first day but the combined fight of their batsmen and bowlers enabled them to finish the second day equal on points.

To avoid congestion on ticket sales channels, the public are to be given afour-week window of opportunity starting on October 8 to apply for ticketsfor individual matches for the ICC Cricket World Cup South Africa 2003.The Ticket Window, sometimes known as a ticket ballot or lottery, will giveevery applicant an equal chance of getting seats for individual matches.There are no guarantees of success, but no one will be prejudiced.Similar processes are used at the Wimbledon tennis championships, theOlympic Games and for the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia.A total of about 100 000 individual tickets are currently available.On any day between October 8 and November 8, members of the public can makeapplication for individual matches on any of the three ticket sales channels- at the CWC stadiums themselves, on the official website www.cricketworldcup.com or via the callcentre hotline on 083-123-2003.No one will benefit by being first in the “queue”. All applications duringthe four-week window will stand an equal chance of success.The games are classified Grade 1 and Grade 2 according to the number oftickets available for each. People applying for games for which 2000 ticketsor fewer are available (Grade 1) will be restricted to 4 tickets per gameand a maximum of 16 in all for Grade 1 games.For Grade 2 games (where 2000 or more tickets are available), people mayapply for up to a maximum of 50 tickets per game.There will be a random draw for each match. The names of all people whoapplied for a particular match will go into the draw. Names will be randomlyselected by computer until all the seats available for the match have beenassigned to winners. The random draw from November 25 will be closelymonitored by the auditing firm Deloitte and Touche.Current holders of Stadium Packages for Wanderers in Johannesburg,Supersport Park in Centurion, Kingsmead in Durban, Newlands in Cape Town andSt George’s Park in Port Elizabeth cannot apply through the Ticket Windowfor individual matches at those venues.The CWC 2003 Final in Johannesburg next March 23 is totally sold out anddoes not feature in the Ticket Window.CWC organizers point out that demand for tickets is again expected to faroutweigh supply. Not everyone will be successful, but at least would-bepurchasers will know that they have as much chance as the next person.The Ticket Window random draw will take place from November 25 andcustomers’ success or failure will be conveyed to them from December 2, atwhich time the successful applicants may make their purchases until thecutoff date on January 10. Thereafter, they will forfeit the chance topurchase the tickets allocated to them.No money will change hands until customers have been notified of theirsuccess. Tickets will then be sold to them on the sales channel of theirchoice.Apart from the website, Ticket Window applications may be made on thecallcentre hotline between 07h00 SA Time (05h00 GMT) and 19h00 SA Time(17h00 GMT) seven days a week; or at CWC stadiums from 09h00-16h00 Monday toFriday.Since July 15, tickets have been sold only in packages i.e. Stadium Packagesfor all matches at a particular venue and Follow The Team Packages for allpool matches involving a particular team.There are still Stadium Packages available at the following grounds: BolandPark, Paarl; Buffalo Park, East London; De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley;Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein; North West Stadium, Potchefstroom; MaritzburgOval, Pietermaritzburg; and Willowmoore Park, Benoni.The public should note that the sale of all packages will cease on October7, at which time all the remaining packages will be unbundled and theirtickets taken up in the Ticket Window.

Shaun Pollock left his best for last as he helped Warwickshire slip in the back door by beating Glamorgan and claiming a best third place finish to reach the Benson & Hedges Cup quarter-finals later this month.Pollock coming in at the fall of the first wicket scored 64 out of a total of 261 in the 50 over allocation. He then returned with a match winning bowling spell of 4/12 in nine overs helping to bowl Glamorgan out for 203. His efforts were rewarded with Man of the Match.Nottinghamshire were not as lucky and are out of the competition after being bowled out for 95 with Lance Klusener scoring four, Kevin Pieterson 20 and Greg Smith seven not out. Leicestershire reached the target in the 19 th over with none of the South Africans able to get a wicket. Klusener is now on his way back to South Africa and will be replaced by Nicky Boje.Middlesex needing six off the last ball of the match lost against Hampshire with Sven Koenig only managing to get two runs. For Hampshire Neil Johnson got a first baller while Nic Pothas scored 26 with the bat.Sussex beat Surrey by losing less wickets after both teams ended on 220. Mark Davis taking 2/47 and scoring 15 coming in at number nine. Davis, playing for Sussex, together with Pollock will be the only players with a South African connection going through to the quarter-finals.The eight South Africans playing in the Lancashire League seem to be enjoying a lot more success than the ones playing County cricket. After four matches most of the players have shown form in their various disciplines.Pierre Joubert is the leading batsman amongst the South Africans having scored a total of 216 runs which includes a 104 and a 71*. Joubert has also taken a total of 9 wickets with a best of 3/36.Martin van Jaarsveld with a 201 aggregate has a 107* and a 60* but it is his bowling that has caught they eye. 18 wickets with two six wicket hauls and a best of 6/46.Andre Seymore missing out on the first week of cricket in the league has 117 runs with a best of 68. He has also been in the wickets with seven to his name and a best of 5/39.Charl Langeveldt is the leading wicket taker with 20 and a best of 8/52 with the ball and 67 runs with a highest of 45 with the bat.Andrew Hall after scoring 49 in his first game has struggled since having scored a total of 62 runs in his four matches. Eight wickets and a best of 3/41 shows that he has so far not had a good start to the season.Likewise Jacques Rudolph has a high of 29 out of a total of 50 runs and 4 wickets with a best of 2/22.Con de Lange has 47 runs to his name with a best of 32 but has taken 13 wickets with his best being 8/20.Paul Adams has had no success with the bat scoring a total of 12 runs and a highest of 6 while he has taken 12 wickets with a best of 4/57 in his first match.

Somerset cricketers will be spending the Jubilee Holiday on Tuesday in Cornwall playing cricket against Callington Cricket Club in a match in aid of Rob Turner’s Benefit.There may be a more relaxed match day atmosphere than usual for the Somerset team, but for Callington this is a very big occasion, and they will be looking to score the double over the Cidermen, having beaten them two years ago in a similar match.Jamie Hatch, from Callington Cricket Club told me: "This is a very special day for the club. Two seasons ago Peter Bowler brought a side down to play against us and we beat them so we will be looking to win again on Tuesday."Rob Turner is bringing a strong side down to Cornwall, and is expecting to include England stars Andy Caddick and Marcus Tescothick in the line up.Earlier today Rob told me: "This will be a most enjoyable way to spend the Jubilee Holiday, it’s always good to go down to Cornwall. Most of the first team will be playing and I’m expecting Marcus and Andy to play for me. I look forward to meeting everybody down at Callington and I hope that a lot of people will come along and support the event."The forty over match gets underway at 2 pm, and there will be a bar and barbeque serving refreshments

Two or three hours of unresolved discussion on the remuneration issue separating the parties in the New Zealand cricket pay dispute has resulted in a mediator being called in tomorrow.New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Martin Snedden said the terms of the player response to NZC’s offer were confidential but he said it was clear after discussions today that no progress was being made.It was mutually agreed that a mediator should be brought in tomorrow to assist in breaking the deadlock that has paralysed the upper echelons in the game for the month of October.Tomorrow is the last scheduled day of the players’ withdrawal from contact with NZC and the Major Associations.Snedden said a mediator had no power to make a decision in the dispute unless both parties agreed, and that was not the case at the moment, he said.The mediator will be from the Department of Labour.”We just want to try and find a resolution, we are so far apart and it is a difficult issue to resolve so we will go through the process tomorrow and see if we can reach a resolution finally,” he said.

His job is to maintain the scorebook while a match is going on. The thing that is notable is that he is always found wearing black trousers in the stadium. Is it some special affection for the dark color that makes him do that? We, when got such rumor from a sports periodical, asked Mr. Habibullah who prefers to call himself Habibullah Scorer how far it is true. The jovial man burst into laughter and added," All because of playing a sometime double-role in the match." The thing is that our umpires at times become precarious on their duty days-becoming the victim of deep sleep syndrome. Such a weird day was left for the viewers fifteen days earlier in a Premier Division match between Abahani and Dhanmondi. One of the umpires could not be spotted anywhere when fielders and batsmen are on the field waiting for the game to start-it was already twenty minutes late. Now Habibullah Scorer stretched his hand to assist the other umpire who was seemed to be in dire straits-started the match with him without making further delay. Mr Habibullah was wearing his dark slacks like any day and he borrowed a white T-shirt from one of the players to become a square leg umpire. After ten overs the missing umpire was seen approaching hurriedly. Why late?-" Sleeping, I just got over-slept" he rattled off. However, a black slack saved the match from being doomed any way! Cheers for Habibullah!

Before a ball of the new first class cricket season has been bowled, Somerset County Cricket Club membership is looking in a healthy position, thanks to the large numbers who have signed up for 2002.Membership secretary Joanne Betsworth told me earlier today: "Membership numbers for the new season are looking very good indeed, and we are well ahead of where we were at the same stage last season, which is all very pleasing. We are especially pleased with the number of new members who have signed up and also the numbers of Junior Sabres, which is a category we have worked very hard to promote."Accounts manager John Fitzgerald confirmed the financial situation and told me: "At the present time we are 20% ahead of where we were at this time in April 2001, which is largely due to the increased membership numbers."With the first home game of the new season against Glamorgan in the Benson & Hedges Cup scheduled to take place at the County Ground a week tomorrow, anyone intending to join should do so now to make the maximum use of their membership.Joining the club could not be simpler, just click on to the membership section on the website and complete the required sections, or telephone 01823 272946 and talk to Jo Betsworth.The club is looking to recruit people to work in the catering department on match days at the County Ground. For a Somerset fan this is a unique opportunity to combine business and pleasure and anyone interested should contact Brian Lee or San Safe on 01823 272946.

There was once a man who said “cricket’s a funny game.” If indeed thatis true, and a truer statement you cannot hope to hear, then VVSLaxman was the master comedian at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on thefourth day of the second Test. Making a chanceless unbeaten 275,Laxman put smiles on the faces of thousands of spectators. RahulDravid, whose image took a bit of a beating in the press recently,emerged as a potent force making an unbeaten 155. No wickets were loston the day, 335 runs were scored, not a single catch given and ninebowlers were used. Tell Steve Waugh that cricket is a funny game. Oneis sure he won’t see the humour in the situation.To fully appreciate the magnitude of the day’s proceedings, one wouldhave to be one of 50,000 odd people crammed into the stands at theEden Gardens. But that is not a privilege everyone was blessed with. Alook at the records that fell will tell a story of it’s own. Laxman’s275 not out is the highest ever score by an Indian in the history ofTest cricket. When he surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s mark of 236, whichthe little master made against the fearsome West Indies at Chennaimore than 17 years ago, there was a colossal roar in the stands. Inthe press box however, there was a hush in some sections, as many oldtimers were visibly saddened by the fact that Gavaskar’s record hadfallen.The partnership between Dravid and Laxman, an unbeaten 357 thus far,easily bettered the highest partnership for India for the fifthwicket. The previous best for the same wicket was 214, betweenMohammed Azharuddin and Ravi Shastri against England in 1984-85. Thepartnership is also the highest for any wicket by an Indian pairagainst Australia, beating the 298 (unbroken) for the sixth wicketthat Dilip Vengsarkar and Ravi Shastri put together in the 1986-87series. Laxman’s score is also the highest score by any batsman at theEden Gardens, surpassing the 256 made by the great Rohan Kanhai in the1958-59 series.Phew.That is a lot of records to tumble in one day. And to be sure, this isnot the end of it. Tomorrow, when Laxman (275 not out, 438 balls, 44fours) and Dravid (155 not out, 318 balls, 18 fours) come back, morerecords will fall. John Edrich’s record of 52 boundaries in hisinnings of 310 against New Zealand in 1965 is under severe threat. Butenough said about statistics.Today was one of those days when every pressman in the Eden Gardensfelt like abandoning his seat and rushing out to the join thechanting, hooting, yelling crowds. With Tendulkar gone, it was timefor some of the other batsmen in the Indian team to stand up and becounted. The manner in which Laxman and Dravid destroyed the high ofthe 16 win on the trot Australians was a sight to be seen. The EdenGardens as a venue lends itself supremely well to the big occasion.The atmosphere is that of a bull ring rather than a quiet cricketground. There’s no Long Room, there are no WG Grace Gates and there isno Father Time on the weather vane looking down at a match inprogress. This is as different from Lord’s as you can possibly get.And yet, the place inspires a sense of history and draws on a greatwell of human emotions. Steve Waugh was the first to acknowledge thatwhen he made his century. Dravid today let go a great deal more onreaching his hundred than he normally does. If waving the bat at thedressing room and crowds was not enough, the Karnataka batsmanspecifically gestured to the press box. The young man was obviouslyupset by something written earlier. Today, he let his bat do thetalking.Spearheaded by Laxman, India have made one of the most dramaticrecoveries in Test cricket. From being down and nearly out, India arenow 589/4, leading by 315 with one day’s play left. With the pitchplaying more true than Robin Hood’s straightest arrow, India will beguarded against making a premature declaration. While Laxman marchestowards becoming the first Indian to see 300 against his name in aTest scorecard, Dravid will be asked to accelerate the scoring firstthing in the morning. Perhaps in the middle of the first session, theIndian captain might decide to let his bowlers have a go at theAussies. When he does so, anything can happen.However, Laxman will sleep soundly today, in the knowledge that he hasmade the number three slot his own for some time to come. What willinspire the soundest sleep however, is the fact that Laxman has, inone stroke, singlehandedly revived India’s sagging fortunes and gone along way in ending Australia’s long run of victories.

Adam Gilchrist wants to remain Australia’s No.7 batsman even though he has moved into territory surpassed only by Don Bradman.Gilchrist pushed his Test average beyond 60 when he blasted another century against South Africa yesterday, taking just 108 deliveries to make 138 not out in the Second Test in Cape Town.He is on the path to batting greatness, with a record matching the likes of Gary Sobers and Len Hutton after 41 Test innings, but Gilchrist remains convincedwicketkeeping should be his No.1 job in cricket.His latest century was perhaps more devastating than the unbeaten 204 he made in Johannesburg two weeks ago because the left-hander came to the crease withAustralia in trouble for the first time in the series.Less than three hours later, Gilchrist had his sixth Test century, a blistering career strike rate of 81.3 and an average of 61.48 – a mark only Bradman bettered among international batsman to have played at least 15 Tests.He has scored 398 runs on the South African trip and been dismissed only once – in a tour match – while his Test average has soared past the likes of HerbertSutcliffe (60.73), George Headley (60.83) and South Africa’s Graeme Pollock who was previously second best on 60.97.Gilchrist doesn’t possess the classical style of the likes of Greg Chappell or Sachin Tendulkar (average 58.57) but he boasts a brutal ability to score on both sides of the wicket against any attack in world cricket.But he doesn’t want to move from his lower order position, even as the Waugh brothers again come under pressure after twin failures in Australia’s first innings total of 382 after two days of the Test against South Africa (239 and 0-7).”I’m really comfortable there. It’s been a feature of my career at first-class standard but whenever I’ve strung a couple of scores together the question arises do I need to bat higher,” Gilchrist said.”It’s a well-balanced team and we’ve been successful. I’ve got no need to think of any other changes.”Other Test teams would rush Gilchrist into their top ranks, especially with a strike rate that is peerless in modern day cricket.At more than 81 runs per 100 balls, it is miles better than some of Australia’s most aggressive batsmen, including Michael Slater (53.29) and Mark Waugh (52.13), and powerful New Zealander Chris Cairns (54.14).”I’m a bit amazed at those sorts of figures and I just try my best to maintain that and keep going,” Gilchrist said.”It’s certainly not what I could have expected or hoped for but it’s going well.”The key is trying to maintain it for as long as you play because there is going to be down times and I’ve experienced a couple of those.”I don’t want to get too high when I’m high or too low when I’m low.”I’ll talk about the average when I’m finished.”Gilchrist was satisfied that his rescue mission yesterday, featuring in a 135-run partnership with Shane Warne (63 from 65 balls) resulted in his first consecutive centuries in Tests, helping ease his disappointment from India last year when his lightning 122 in Mumbai was followed by scores of 0, 0, 1 and 1.”I’ve always felt the innings after a big innings is important and I’ve tended to miss out straight after,” he said.”It was one of those days when they seemed to bowl in the areas you like to be bowled to in and … as far as an innings goes it’s one of the best I’ve been able to string together and play, particularly at Test level.”While Gilchrist received a standing ovation from the Newlands crowd, the Waugh brothers did nothing to buck the pressure tightened by their axings from thenational one-day team in the last month.Steve was out for a duck, making a mess of a delivery from recalled spinner Paul Adams (4-102) which deflected from his pad to the stumps.Mark lasted longer but he did not get out of second gear in his scrappy 25, leaving the job ahead of the 36-year-olds to prove they can remain dominant forces in the Australian team.

The West Indies Cricket Board has voted to retain their current selection panel for another two years. Clyde Butts, Robert Haynes and Courtney Browne will continue until September 2014.Butts will continue as chairman of the panel, which has presided over an unstable period in the last two years, with player availability become an increasingly difficult issue. Impasses developed between the board and several players, including Chris Gayle, Jerome Taylor and Ramnaresh Sarwan – the latter two having not returned to the national side.The selection panel will hope their control of players will be helped by an increase in the number of annual retainer contracts being offered – as also voted for by the board. Twenty contacts will be offered to the men from 2012-13, an increase of five from the previous year.The list of 20 players to be offered contracts was also voted through and will be announced at a later date, after the players have been advised of their deals.It was the last board meeting for outgoing chief executive Ernest Hilaire, who is stepping down on September 30 and being replaced by Michael Muirhead, whose appointment was rubberstamped.