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John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, has confirmed the side will retain the same batting line-up for the third and final Test at Trent Bridge starting on June 5, despite their six-wicket defeat at Old Trafford. New Zealand’s inexperienced batting was exposed after they capitulated for 114 in the second innings, squandering an imposing first-innings lead of 179.Bracewell said the top three – Jamie How, Aaron Redmond and James Marshall – would be retained and was he willing to give Marshall more time to settle into his No. 3 position after scores of 0 and 28.”We’re not really concerned about our opening batters, they’re making progress and we want to be consistent with that throughout this series, so Redmond and How will open in the next Test,” Bracewell told . “We don’t want to muck around with James Marshall by shifting him up the order, we want to secure him in that position as well. We don’t want to be shifting guys in and out of positions when we’re trying to develop a young side and try to build their confidence and experience.”Looking ahead to the three-day tour game against Northamptonshire starting on Friday, Bracewell said Peter Fulton would open the batting with Redmond, as cover for the injured How. How suffered a cracked left index finger in a fielding session during the second Test but is likely to be fit in time for Trent Bridge. Bracewell also confirmed that Jacob Oram, Chris Martin, Iain O’Brien and the captain Daniel Vettori would sit out the tour game.New Zealand are still waiting on the fitness of batsman Daniel Flynn, who’s yet to recover after being struck on the face while batting at Old Trafford. If Flynn isn’t fit for Northampton, Vettori will come in.On New Zealand’s bowling composition, Bracewell said Tim Southee would have a chance to compete with O’Brien and Kyle Mills for two spots in the final Test. O’Brien was the most impressive of the seamers at Old Trafford with match figures of 4 for 111, including the wickets of the in-form Andrew Strauss in both innings.”Northampton gives us a chance to look at some other players and bring them into Test contention, in particular Tim Southee, and see what option that gives us. I was pretty happy with what Iain O’Brien did, but the Trent Bridge surface and conditions indicate it does swing a lot more there, so that brings both Kyle and Tim back into contention and that makes those positions competitive.”

Former Somerset skipper Peter Roebuck has predicted that Matt Bulbeck will be playing for England by the time that the next Ashes series takes place.Writing in the Sunday Times this morning, Roebuck who is based in Australia says that Bulbeck has `the pride needed’ to play for his country against the old enemy when they next lock horns.Peter Roebuck’s comments will come as a real fillip to the Taunton born left armer who made an impressive comeback to the first class scene in 2002 after being dogged by injury for the last couple of seasons.During this summer he played in fifteen championship matches during which he bowled 312 overs and took 53 wickets, as well as making a number of valuable contributions with the bat.Near the start of the 2002 season many pundits were predicting that Matt Bulbeck would be given a place on the England Academy in Adelaide this winter, and he did in fact make the short list of twenty, but in the end did not make the final party.`Bully’ was however philosophical about the situation when I spoke to him recently and told me that he feels his best is yet to come, and he would rather wait until he was at his peak.The twenty three year old is already back in training for the 2003 season and along with his Somerset bowling colleague Richard Johnson is looking at developing his batting as well as his bowling during the closed season.

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.

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.

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.

Hampshire Hawks suffered yet another defeat in the Norwich Union League Division II match this time against Lancashire Lightning, their sixth successive reverse in this league.There were perhaps a few more optimistic points to this performance than of late, in particular the batting of Jason Laney, and the bowling of the young James Tomlinson.Choosing to bat first, as is the norm in these floodlit matches, Hampshire struggled early on against the Lancashire seamers, the muggy conditions making the ball wobble about alarmingly.At 60 for 5, an early finish looked on the card, but this time the batting fought back, and posting 187 in the end was a testament to the grit that this team has at times. Jason Laney who has not been having the best of seasons scored a gritty 71, and he was helped in partnerships with Kendall, Mascarenhas and Tremlett.A partnership of 116 between Stuart Law and Mark Chilton gave Lancashire a platform that should have seen them coast to victory, not without controversy, when Law edged Tremlett to Johnson at slip, and was three parts back to the pavilion when he was called back, for the umpires to consult the third TV umpire, who was undecided by numerous replays, and had to give the benefit of the doubt to the batsman.On Law’s dismissal finally, Lancashire began to panic, and wickets fell at intervals, until with seven required off the last over skipper Warren Hegg drove Tomlinson for four to win it for the home side.Some questions however remained. Why was Law allowed to hang around when he had first accepted the catch from Johnson, why did Mullally and the economical Tremlett not bowl their full allocation of overs and why was Stuart Law awarded the Man of the Match award, an overpaid overseas star, when really Mark Chilton deserved the honour.

Coach Phil Whitticase still believes Leicestershire can win the Frizzell County Championship title – despite the fact that Surrey have increased their lead at the top with a sensational victory over Kent.Surrey are now 24.75 points ahead of second placed Leicestershire with seven games to go.This week Leicesteshire take on Kent,who are fourth, and still have to meet Surrey twice before the end of the season. Whitticase feels it is those two games which could decide the outcome of the title.On the eve of the Grace Road clash with Kent he said:”It is getting very tight at the top with Sussex right in there as well, and I can see it being a very close finish.”It was a tremendous win by Surrey and full credit to them for successfuly chasing more than 400 for victory.But from our point of view it is still in our own hands. We are now one win behind Surrey, and we still have to play them twice.”Those two matches could be crucial. But this week’s game against Kent is now a massive one as well, and it is important that we get a good result to stay in touch with Surrey.”Leicestershire go into the game in confident mood after three successive wins in the Norwich Union League and improved performances in the last two Championship matches, both of which were rain affected.The return of captain Vince Wells after a neck injury is likely to be the only change from the side on duty against Hampshire in the last Championship game.The squad is: Wells (captain),Ward, Sutcliffe, Maddy, Bevan, Stevens, Burns(wicket-keeper), DeFreitas, Crowe, Malcolm, Whiley, Cunliffe.

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

New Zealand’s women completed a clean sweep of three victories over the Netherlands when taking a 210-run win in their 45-over match in Utrecht today.The TelstraClear White Ferns batted first again and took the chance once more to change the batting order so that all players have ended the series with an opportunity to enjoy the chance to shake the New Zealand winter out of their systems before they get into the more demanding tri-series against India and England in the next few weeks.While Kathryn Ramel was trapped leg before wicket for a duck in the first over she faced, Nicola Payne and Haidee Tiffen added 138 runs for the second wicket. Tiffen scored 87 off 89 balls, her highest score for New Zealand, bettering her 69 scored against Australia last year.Payne scored 45 off 72 balls. While she had scored at least that many runs five times in her decade-long career for the Netherlands, it was her highest score for New Zealand, beating the 37 made in the first match of this series.Sara McGlashan was not out 41 off 48 balls faced. Frances King and Aimee Mason scored 31 and 26 respectively before each being run out. Rachel Pullar was unbeaten on two when the innings ended with New Zealand having scored 263/5.Emily Drumm, Nicola Browne, Kate Pulford and Louise Milliken did not bat.New Zealand’s bowlers were untroubled in wrapping up the victory. Pulford achieved outstanding figures of four for five off 3.1 overs.They were her career best figures for New Zealand, as she had only taken two wickets previously for the side. King capped off a great day with three for nine off seven overs, adding best bowling figures to her best batting performance earlier on. The other wicket takers were Mason with two for 15 from 10 overs and Browne who took one for two off her solitary over.

Dispute and discontent over a Sheffield Shield “debacle” in Brisbane has highlighted the immense challenge confronting Cricket Australia (CA) this summer.Stunning details of Tuesday’s sudden postponement of a Shield match between Queensland and Tasmania, set to feature star Marnus Labuschagne and a stack of Ashes hopefuls, have been laid bare.Queensland Cricket (QC) chief executive Terry Svenson first learned of what he termed a “rushed” and “panicked” decision via a groundsman at Ian Healy Oval.Svenson told he then called CA counterpart Nick Hockley, who at that stage was also unaware the game had been aborted because of Covid-19 cases in Brisbane that prompted Tasmania’s squad to flee the state.There is hope the sides’ first four-day match of the season will be played next week, with discussions between CA, QC and Cricket Tasmania (CT) continuing.But the circumstances that led to the postponement, which legend and QC board member Ian Healy lashed as an “absolute debacle” that “disrespected” the integrity of the Shield, underlined how this season’s schedule – domestic and international, male and female – remains a precarious beast.England are expected to name a men’s Ashes squad soon but the prospect of the final Test being staged in Perth has significantly diminished. The Shield chaos will have done little to soothe the various concerns of Joe Root’s squad.The AFL and NRL navigated another season of lockdowns, border closures and coronavirus-related scares.Part of CA’s problem is that it is trying to appease multiple state governments but also state associations – effectively its shareholders – in addition to players and foreign cricket boards. Common ground can often be hard to find.”We should still be playing,” Svenson told Healy on the latter’s radio show. “We have to be better at making decisions like this and not panicking.”That decision to postpone and ultimately cancel the match was done before we heard from the Premier and CHO [chief health officer].”There’s a flaw in the decision-making process. There has to be a sign-off process. Surely if there’s a material change in the game, has to be the CEO of Cricket Australia and the relevant state CEOs. That’s what I’ve appealed to Nick to do and Nick is aligned with my view.”Healy was stunned by the visitors’ haste. “Tasmania decides ‘we’re out’ … can you imagine the [Canterbury] Bulldogs flying home and deciding not to play a [NRL] game without Peter V’landys knowing? It’s unbelievable,” he said. “What the hell were Tasmania thinking?”CT made its decision because of fears that players could be forced to quarantine upon returning home, while it was also worried about future travel to South Australia and Western Australia.”To some extent, I certainly understand that,” Svenson said. “I would have liked to have seen them hang around for another 24 hours.”CT counterpart Dominic Baker claimed “players were happy to come home”, having debriefed with captain Matthew Wade on Tuesday.”He said the sentiment of the group was, if we can get out and get back, that’d be preferable. They don’t want to be sitting around, doing nothing,” Baker told . “No doubt there would be a level of frustration amongst the group.”