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ScorecardIndia Under-19 hammered England by ten wickets at Eden Gardens in Kolkata to take a winning 3-1 lead in their five-match series. After winning the toss and putting England in, India picked up wickets at regular intervals, with only Joe Denly, the right-handed opener from Kent, defying the bowlers with 80. Denly faced 150 balls and collected seven fours, but sorely lacked support, with the next-best score being Michael O’Shea’s 31. England managed only 174 for 9 in their 50 overs.Anirudh Srikkanth, the son of the former Test opener and captain Kris, and Ankit Rawat made life miserable for England’s bowlers. They relished the prospect of chasing a moderate total, and did so with an unbeaten opening stand of 178. Rawat, who scored 76 not out from 103 balls with 14 fours, was the slower of the two – Srikkanth belted 88 from only 74 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes, as India romped home with 21 overs to spare. England’s bemused captain Steven Davies tried eight bowlers, but none of them managed a wicket.

Deposing before the review committee on Tuesday, Sourav Ganguly professed his respect for Greg Chappell and pledged to play under him. According to a BCCI source, it was one of the key moments of a drawn-out drama that finally ended in compromise, with both men asked to work together for the betterment of Indian cricket.With the Indian board having a gag order in place, none of the cast involved was willing to talk on record, though Ganguly himself told reporters in Kolkata that he was looking forward to “some rest”. However, a member of the review committee told the Press Trust of India: “Indian cricket has reasons to be pleased with the outcome. Unfortunately, the media has missed the bigger picture and worked itself into a frenzy over the Sourav vs Greg theme”.The committee has neither worked out a compromise nor made Chappell’s position untenable, the member has claimed. “It’s rubbish to believe that Chappell is quitting. It is also absolutely wide off the mark to believe that Ganguly has gained ground and Chappell has been slighted,” he added. It was also stressed that if the committee had made public its disposition either in favour of Ganguly or Chappell, “the next few weeks would have whipped up extreme public reactions in favour or against the two gentlemen and it would have meant disastrous preparation ahead of the visit by the Sri Lankan team.”The contents of Chappell’s contentious e-mail have clearly not been forgotten though. According to the source: “As things stand today, the ball is in Ganguly’s court. He would be under pressure to perform in the next two series. If he does well, Indian cricket will move forward. If he fails, even then a new chapter in Indian cricket will take place.”Ganguly is conscious that the accusations by Chappell are still in the public domain, and every action of his would now be minutely observed. The next few series are in India which would imply that he can’t escape the glaring spotlight, observed the source. It was learnt that the only time Chappell was caught off-guard during the meeting was when Ganguly brandished two e-mails which the coach had written to journalists in which he had portrayed a poor picture of the Indian captain.One of the other significant issues discussed at the meeting was the possibility of the Indian team having separate Test and one-day captains. An eye was also cast at the five-member selection committee as it exists today. According to the source: “These are peripheral issues at best. Much of it will also depend on which way the board’s elections shape up.”Meanwhile, it was also revealed that Chappell had received an important “thumbs up” for his man-management skills from an official who toured with the Indian team in Sri Lanka in July-August. “It is distressing to see that Chappell is being portrayed as some kind of control-freak in relations to team members. From my Sri Lanka experience, I can safely say that he was most open and honest with team members and encouraged everyone to speak up their minds.”He has been encouraging everyone to develop their own rationale. It’s just not six-hat theory and all. I find it amazing when I read that he is stifling to others because my observation was exactly the opposite.”Ganguly has made known his intention to play in the Challenger Series, scheduled for Mohali between October 10 and 14. Interestingly, Chappell has also expressed his desire to watch the proceedings from the sidelines. The Irani Trophy, the curtain-raiser for the domestic season, is to be played in New Delhi from October 1 to 5, but neither Ganguly nor Chappell is likely to be seen there.

England A 228 for 7 (Solanki 94, Bell 61, Khuram Khan 3-56) beat United Arab Emirates 186 for 9 (Ashgar Ali 42, Khuram Khan 41, Shah 4-40) by 42 runs
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England A recorded a 42-run victory in the first of four matches against the United Arab Emirates. Batting first in a floodlit match at Sharjah, they made 228 for 7, with most of the runs coming in a second-wicket stand of 138 between Vikram Solanki and Ian Bell, the captain.Solanki and Bell came together after Matt Prior was caught and bowled for a duck by Ahmed Nadeem. Solanki smashed five sixes – but only two fours – as he romped to 94. Bell was slightly more circumspect, managing only two sixes and three fours himself, as he scored 61. Both eventually fell to Khuram Khan, the UAE’s 33-year-old captain and left-arm spinner, who finished with 3 for 56.Wickets fell at regular intervals after that, although Alex Gidman (21 not out) and Alastair Cook (20 from 14 balls) played brightly towards the end.The UAE’s innings began badly. They slumped to 23 for 3 after Rashid Khan was run out and David Harrison and Jon Lewis took a wicket apiece. Then Khuram and Asghar Ali shared a handy partnership of 79, before Asghar fell for 42. The wicket came from an unexpected quarter: Owais Shah, who didn’t bowl at all in 21 one-day games for Middlesex at home last season, and who has taken only eight one-day wickets in a ten-year county career, had Asghar caught by Solanki. Shah’s offspin then accounted for the dangerous Khuram for 41, after he had hit two sixes and a four. Shah also removed Ahmed Nadeem and Fahad Usman, to end up with 4 for 40.Shah’s surprise burst left the UAE struggling at 138 for 7, and although Ali Asad (24) and Sameer Zia (22 not out) played sensibly, there was never much danger of an upset.The second of the four floodlit matches will be played tomorrow (Sunday Feb 27) at Sharjah.

Neil McKenzie, the South African Test batsman, has been released by Easterns and will now play for the new Highveld Lions team. McKenzie, 28, has scored 2028 runs in his 41 Tests, with two centuries.McKenzie had not been selected for the Titans in their first two Standard Bank Pro 20 matches, Brandon Foot, Easterns’ chairman, explained that he had been released by the franchise to further his career. He said: “Neil has indicated to me that, as a national player striving to achieve recognition in the limited-overs version of the game, it is important to him that he play as many Pro 20 matches as possible. We have elected not to stand in Neil’s way, but to afford him the opportunity of competing for the Highveld Lions, in the best interests of his career. This is, of course, also in line with the decision of the UCBSA to reduce the number of professional teams competing in South African domestic cricket and to ensure that playing strength is spread evenly amongst all the franchises in the country.”Dave Nosworthy, the Titans’ coach, said it was obviously a blow to lose a player of Neil’s calibre. “Neil has served Northerns well and is a player of quality. We wish him all the very best for his future career.”McKenzie concluded: “I would like to thank Northerns Cricket Union for all that they have done for me. Northerns is a truly professional set-up from their administration right down to the change-room attendant. I believe other unions can take a leaf out of Northerns’ book, who always allow cricket to prevail. I am sad to be leaving the Nashua Titans and will always be grateful to them for having afforded me the opportunities necessary, to allow me to be selected for South Africa. I wish them well in the future.”

Big occasions usually demand that the big boys stand up and both Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting admitted that the vast rift in bowling experience was the deciding factor in Australia’s comprehensive victory. While Australia’s new-ball pairing had 378 one-day caps between them India’s fast-bowling trio had a combined experience – if you want to call it that – of 99 one-dayers.Both sets of bowlers took some time assessing the pitch: Australiaconceded 36 in the first seven overs while India gave away 45. But whatfollowed was a study in contrast. Australia’s bowlers adjusted theirlengths – in fact, Ponting revealed that he thought the surfacewould play differently – while the Indians resorted to pitching it shortand facing the music.Glenn McGrath conceded a miserly 12 runs in his first six overs whileBrett Lee, despite taking some tap early on, came back admirably.Bowling at the death, not only did he dry up the scoring but also crankedup some ferocious pace to intimidate the batsmen. Slow balls and variationdefinitely helps at the death but sheer pace remains one of the most lethal weapons.”One of the reasons why I gave McGrath the new ball was because heenjoys the battle with Sachin [Tendulkar],” revealed an elated Ponting atthe end of the day. “I was asked about their battle yesterday and I said Ithought Glenn would have his nose ahead. After today, he might have edgedhis nose ahead a bit.”Lee, though, couldn’t sustain the pressure at the other end, leaking 27runs in his first spell with an erratic effort. “Probably our new-ballbowling wasn’t as good as we would have liked,” said Ponting when askedabout the areas where he’d be looking for improvement. “But I think weadjusted very well. Our overall bowling from then, I thought, was verygood. We just managed to take wickets at regular intervals which didn’tallow India to get away. I thought our bowling in the last six or sevenovers was really great today. We didn’t give any freebies away so that wasreally pleasing for us.”India’s faster bowlers, though, were guilty of a large chunk of freebies.”They had a fairly inexperienced attack,” said Ponting reflecting on oneof the main differences between the two sides. “Sreesanth replaced Ajit Agarkar.Pathan goes for quite a few runs upfront because he’s mainly awicket-taking bowler. He did the same today. It gave us a chance to getoff to a flying start which was crucial on that wicket. I knew it wasgoing to spin after Symonds got it to turn. But the run-rate was so goodthat we didn’t have to take too many risks against Harbhajan Singh.”India’s new-ball problems weren’t lost on Dravid but he felt it would beunfair to be too critical on the bunch. Several experts, prominentlyJavagal Srinath, the former fast bowler, have spoken about lack of guidanceand Dravid admitted that Agarkar’s absence had probably hurt the side onthis track. “It probably helps to have a senior player,” he continued. “Ajit was injured and being the one who’s working a lot with these young kids, it was unfortunate. His experience would have helped on a wicket like this.”I won’t be too critical on this inexperienced side. They came up againsta very good attack and it was a good experience for them. They’ve a lot ofpotential and we’ve seen that over the last few games. The Australianattack has experience and we need to give these young seamers time.Sreesanth came back well in the second spell. It’s encouraging to seeyoung bowlers with pace and fire. We’re going to need that in SouthAfrica.”On this tournament’s evidence, they’re going to need that and much more.

Karnataka 145 and 350 (Rowland 81, Arunkumar 58, Bharadwaj 50) beat Rajasthan 168 (Khoda 61, Kanwat 54, Ganesh 5-72) and 254 (Kanwat 84, Gupta 58, Ganesh 6-91) by 69 runs
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Karnataka registered their first victory of the season as Dodda Ganesh’s six-for dashed Rajasthan’s hopes at Jaipur. Chasing 328 for victory, Rajasthan were on course at 200 for 5 with Rahul Kanwat (54) and Pankaj Gupta (58) at the crease. But three wickets from Ganesh and two from Sunil Joshi settled the issue as Rajasthan fell 69 runs short.The bowlers made merry on the first two days as Karnataka were bowled out for 145. Ganesh made sure that Rajasthan gained only a slender lead despite half-centuries from Gagan Khoda and Rahul Kanwat. But the Karnataka batting showed marked improvement the second time around, with Barrington Rowland leading the way with a patient 81. However, the match belonged to Ganesh, who fittingly took the final wicket, to complete the victory.Railways 234 and 244 for 7 (Jai Yadav 101) beat Delhi 195 (Manhas 62) and 278 (Chawla 82, Dahiya 61) by 3 wickets
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Jai Prakash Yadav’s century steered Railways to a thrilling three-wicket victory over Delhi at the Karnail Singh stadium in Delhi. Pradeep Chawla got good support from the tail as Delhi added 80 runs to their overnight total. At 96 for 4 Railways’ task seemed insurmountable, until Yadav stood up to be counted.Both teams had disappointed in the first innings with the bowlers calling the shots. Mithun Manhas’s 62 was the only half-century scored by either team in the first innings. Delhi put up a better show in the second innings with Vijay Dahiya giving good support to Chawla. Even that was just not enough as Delhi tumbled to their second defeat in as many matches.Tamil Nadu 188 (Badrinath 86, Paul 7-44) and 397 for 4 (Badrinath 190, Sharath 101*) and 188 (Paul 7-44) drew with Bengal 400 (Haldipur 100, Sanyal 89)
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S Badrinath and S Sharath hit centuries as Tamil Nadu hung on for a draw against Bengal. Badrinath hit a massive 190, which included 32 fours and one six, while Sharath remained unbeaten at the end with a composed 101. Shib Paul toiled all day and took three wickets in his 35.4 overs.Earlier in the match Nikhil Haldipur and Sanjib Sanyal ensured that Bengal, for the first time this season, posted a worthy total. A depleted Tamil Nadu, without three of their main batsmen, crumbled to the medium-pace of Paul on the third day. Badrinath played the lone had with a fighting 86. Bengal were definitely better off at the end, but an outright victory would have smelt sweeter.Uttar Pradesh 205 (Pandey 77*) and 205 for 7 (Raina 50, Bahutule 6-48) drew with Mumbai 332 (Morris 93*, Thakkar 71)
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The Uttar Pradesh batsmen grimly hung on for a draw even though Sairaj Bahutule threatened to run through them at Lucknow. Suresh Raina and Jyoti Yadav shared a useful partnership, and Rizwan Shamshad also contributed with 35. Bahutule picked up six of the seven wickets to fall, but in the end Mumbai had to be content with first-innings points.The UP batsmen had struggled on the first day with only Gynendra Pandey’s 77 saving their blushes. The Mumbai top-order also found the going tough, although Robin Morris flayed the bowlers in his quickfire 93 and gave Mumbai a great chance. In the end, it counted only for first-innings honours.Hyderabad 410 for 9 (Yadav 91, Khaleel 89, Anirudh 68, Vinay 53, Konwar 6-141) drew with Assam 537 (Sathish 133*, Sukhvinder 112, Saravanan 89, Das 71)
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It was batsmen all the way at Guwahati as Hyderabad refused to get bowled out and finished the match unscathed. Assam did not even get first innings points since they could not bowl out Hyderabad even once. Arjun Yadav and Ibrahim Khaleel missed out on hundreds, but spent sufficient time in the middle to ensure a drawn result.Ono the first two days, the Assam batsmen had made merry with R Sathish and Sukhvinder Singh feasting on centuries. Only the two offspinners, JS Yadav from Hyderabad and Assam’s Arnald Konwar, had a good time with the ball, picking up five and six wickets respectively.Andhra 458 (Venugopala Rao 115, Srinivas 116, Prasad 82) drew with Kerala 354 (Hemanth 94, Oasis 51)
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Andhra gained valuable first-innings points against Kerala at Vishakapatnam. After Andhra piled up 458 on the first two days, Shahid Shabuddin and Shankara Rao picked up four wickets apiece to bowl out Kerala for 354. Hemanth Kumar hit 94 and Sunil Oasis chipped in with 51, but in the end their efforts were in vain.Plate Championship First Round
Vidarbha 220 (Khare 56, Kapoor 6-84) and 287 (Gawande 60) drew with Tripura 336 (Sachdev 110, Jaiswal 76, Acharya 6-65) and 70 for 4
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A six-wicket haul by Aashish Kapoor could not ensure victory for Tripura, as the game petered out to a dull draw. Vidarbha’s innings closed at 220, after the lower order rallied around Samir Khare (56), which set Tripura a target of 172. But 34 overs were not enough, and Tripura shut shop, ending the day at 70 for 4.The match was notable for Kapoor’s match haul of 10 for 185, which kept his team in contention. Vidarbha’s batsmen spent a lot of time at the crease, but unlike Tripura’s Chetan Sachdev (110), could not convert their starts into substantial scores.Orissa 466 for 8 (Mullick 134, Behera 87, Mohapatra 83, Jakati 5-99) beat Goa 235 (Swapnil 126, Mohanty 5-44) and 132 (Bipin 5-46) by an innings and 99 runs
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Goa’s first match of the season ended in defeat, as it took Orissa only 33.3 overs to wrap up a comprehensive win. Goa’s second batting collapse dashed any hopes of a draw, as Orissa bundled out nine batsmen on the final day for only 91 runs. Bipin Singh, the medium-pacer, played the lead role, claiming a career-best haul, dismissing half the side for just 46 runs.In Goa’s first innings, Ashok Swapnil scored an unbeaten 126, even as wickets tumbled at the other end in the face of probing bowling by Mohanty and Bipin Singh. More than half the Goa total of 235 came off Swapnil’s bat. The Orissa openers replied with a hundred partnership, but were both dismissed when centuries were there for the taking. Pravanjan Mullick did not miss out, however, scoring a blazing 134 off 163 balls, and Orissa declared at 466 for 8. Goa’s best bowler by far was Shadab Jakati, who claimed 5 for 99 with his left-arm spin. Ultimately, the batting was toothless and Goa succumbed to a heavy defeat.Haryana 304 (Shafiq 71, Sunny 66, Ganda 57, Khajuria 5-117) and 102 for 2 (Jitender 56*) beat Jammu & Kashmir 96 (Vashisht 6-32) and 309 (Mahajan 63, Dar 50, Vashisht 6-102) by 8 wickets
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Gaurav Vashisht picked up 12 wickets in the match as Haryana comfortably beat Jammu & Kashmir by eight wickets at Rohtak. After following on, J&K put up a better batting display in the second innings, but a target of 102 was hardly threatening and Jitender Singh, Haryana’s captain, hit an unbeaten 56 to ease them home.After collapsing for 96 in the first innings, the J&K batsmen built useful partnerships with Dhruv Mahajan and Manzoor Dar notching up half-centuries. Haryana had scored 304 after batting first, with Shafiq Khan top-scoring with 71. Himachal Pradesh 291 (Virender Sharma 134, Fazil 5-73) and 118 for 5 (Bisla 76*) beat Services 233 (Reddy 66, Verma 58, Malik 5-56) and 175 (Chawda 56, Malik 6-42) by 5 wickets
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Maninder Bisla hit an unbeaten 76 and helped Himachal Pradesh begin the season on a winning note against Services. Services, 79 for 2 overnight, collapsed in a heap as Vikramjeet Malik picked up 6 for 42. Krushnasinh Chawda, the opener, was the only one who passed 50 in the Services second innings.Earlier, Virender Sharma’s 134 had swelled the HP innings to a healthy 291. Services too had a good start, but ultimately had no answer to Malik’s tricks.

South Africa 175 for 1 (Gibbs 93*, Smith 58) beat Zimbabwe 174 for 8 (Streak 54) by nine wickets

From a neutral spectator’s point of view, this was one-day cricket at its most unappetising. The side batting first – Zimbabwe – never scored enough runs and their lack of firepower meant that they had little chance of springing an upset when South Africa batted. The only surprise was that the half-full ground at Sophia Gardens had not left in search of a more even contest – the school bully picking on the smallest boy in the local playground for example – long before the formality of Herschelle Gibbs hitting the winning run.With South Africa finding their form, the odds were stacked against Zimbabwe anyway, and when Heath Streak lost the toss in conditions which were going to favour the bowlers early on, and on a ground where the side chasing is historically at an advantage, Zimbabwe were on the back foot. From the start of their innings through to the premature end of the match, they never got off it.South Africa’s decision to field under leaden skies at Cardiff was justified by a polished bowling performance which left Zimbabwe struggling to post any kind of total. Only a defiant fifty by Streak enabled Zimbabwe to reach 174 for 8 in their 50 overs, but that was far more than looked likely at the halfway stage when they were languishing at 67 for 4. South Africa were in no mood to be generous, and Graeme Smith and Gibbs powered them to within touching distance of the finishing line with clinical efficiency.Zimbabwe’s innings never gained any real momentum – the run-rate hovered under three an over almost throughout – and none of the top-order batsmen tried to break the stranglehold first applied by Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini. Only one over in the first 25 went for more than four runs – the eighth of the innings from Ntini which produced 13 – and the batsmen found the combination of a seaming ball and some good ground-fielding almost impenetrable. The early frustration accounted for Doug Marillier – caught for 4 when he tried to pull a ball from Ntini which was on him quicker than he expected (11 for 1) – and Travis Friend, who was bowled by Charl Langeveldt attempting a indescript leg-side waft for 12 (36 for 2). When Jacques Kallis got one to leap at Dion Ebrahim there was little the batsman could do except fend the ball to the wicketkeeper, Mark Boucher (38 for 3).Grant Flower and Tatenda Taibu set about rebuilding, and for a time looked to have stemmed the flow of wickets. Taibu rode his luck, edging Ntini over Boucher’s fingertips off an attempted hook, but the introduction of Paul Adams brought the stand to an end. Adams’s variety worried the batsmen – some balls were bang on target, others surprisingly wayward – but Taibu was deceived by a straight one and trapped leg-before with the last ball of the 25th over. When Stuart Matsikenyeri clipped Andrew Hall straight to Jacques Rudolph at backward square-leg for 1 a sub-100 total loomed (80 for 5).Streak had other ideas and, circumspect at first, he then counter-attacked, smashing two fours off in one over from Hall, then cracking Kallis for a four and the next ball bringing up his fifty with a lofted six over extra cover. The crowd, subdued for most of the morning, finally, briefly, came to life. Kallis got his revenge with the first ball of his next over when Streak dragged a wide ball into his stumps for 54.Faced with an undaunting asking rate of under three-and-a-half an over, Smith and Gibbs could have bored the crowd into submission, but they chose to smash the bad balls, and there was no shortage of them from the wayward Zimbabwe bowlers. Smith reached his fifty without really looking convincing while Gibbs, who came into this match wondering where his next run was coming from, was not going to waste the opportunity to make a score, even if he will face more testing challenges in his local club’s nets. England’s bowlers will not have appreciated Zimbabwe’s profligacy in bowling him back into form.Gibbs, who was named Man of the Match, had two pieces of luck. He survived a confident appeal for a catch behind off Streak – the replays were inconclusive but Streak clearly through he had his man – and was then bowled off an Andy Blignaut no-ball. Gibbs might look back on this match as a watershed, but even if he had been dismissed on either occasion the outcome of the match would not have been affected.Smith eventually fell for 58, nibbling at Sean Ervine with 21 runs needed, but by then Zimbabwe’s body language showed that the white flag had long since been raised. They travel to Bristol to play England tomorrow needing to improve on every single aspect of their game. The gulf between them and South Africa today was a chasm, and their win over England at Nottingham must feel as if it was an age ago.

Jimmy Adams and Chris Tremlett return to Frizzell Championship action for Hampshire, when they take on Glamorgan at The Rose Bowl this week (Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri 15,16,17,18 July). Robin Smith and Alan Mullally are still unfit and there is still no place for Ed Giddins.Jimmy Adams returns having played the opening Championship match of the season at Worcester, having captained Loughborough University and impressed with a string of good scores for the Hampshire 2nd XI.Chris Tremlett who bowled well in the National League defeat on Sunday, returns after a 7 week absence.Robin Smith and Alan Mullally both with hamstring problems were close to selection, however it was decided not to risk either. It is hoped both will be fit for the floodlit encounter at Trent Bridge next Monday evening.Hampshire Team: Derek Kenway, Jimmy Adams, Simon Katich, John Crawley (captain), John Francis, Nic Pothas (wicket-keeper), Dimitri Mascarenhas, Shaun Udal, James Tomlinson, Chris Tremlett and James Bruce.

Kent today announced a new coaching structure for next season, with a three-man team to work with all ages at the club, down from the first team to the Under-10s.Paul Farbrace, the former Kent and Middlesex wicketkeeper, will join Simon Willis and Chris Stone on the coaching team for 2004. Farbrace will take over Willis’s current role as academy director on January 1, 2004, while Willis becomes coaching co-ordinator with responsibility for the senior team and coaching programmes. Chris Stone will continue in his current role as youth director."Following Ian Brayshaw’s departure at the end of September 2003 we have spent time considering the best possible coaching structure for the club," Mike Denness, Kent’s chairman, said. "We have settled on an all Kent team having had a run of successful Australian coaches in recent years. The structure we have evolved is new. Simon, Paul and Chris will all be involved in the coaching of our top players, our academy youngsters and our youth teams at different times during the year."This way we believe we can get the very best out of our players while, at the same time, developing the very best talent from within. The coaching team will be supported by physiotherapists, Martyn Sigley and Nimmo Reid, and additional, specialist coaches will be brought in over the year as required."David Fulton, the captain, also gave his approval:"I am very excited about working with three home-grown coaches, all of whom have Kent in their blood. We have already begun discussing our prospects for next season and the talent we have available. It will be invaluable to have all three coaches accessible to us throughout the entire year and I know that the players are going to respond positively to this innovative initiative."Jamie Clifford, the director of cricket development, commented that the "`One Kent’ philosophy is exciting and a coaching team that works with all levels from the first team to the Under-10s is a powerful structure." He added: "Kent is special, Kent cricket is special: and this new coaching team have it in their blood.”

DION EBRAHIM: RECORD IN ALL FIRST-CLASS CRICKETDion Digby Ebrahim – born Bulawayo, 7 August 1980
Right-handed batsman, occasional right-arm medium-pace bowler
Career: 1999/2000-2001/02

Abbreviations: Capital letters for team namesdenotes a Test match.Man – ManicalandMash – Mashonaland * indicates not out inningsMat – Matabeleland + indicates wicket-keeperMCD – Mashonaland Country Districts *+ retired hurt/illMid – Midlands # batted firstZim – Zimbabwe/ZimbabweansGrounds:Alex – Alexandra Sports Club OG – Old Georgians Sports ClubBAC – Bulawayo Athletic Club OH – Old Hararians Sports ClubHSC – Harare Sports ClubNo. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1999/2000 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl TotalDion came out well from a traumatic debut against the Sri Lankan tourists,when the inaugural Academy team was dismissed for 44 in the second innings,then the record lowest total by any Zimbabwean team. He was the onlybatsman to reach double figures in both innings. Although he lived inHarare, at the end of the 1999 calendar year, he was posted to coach andplay in Matabeleland.1 CFX Academy v Sri Lankans (3) 15 126 – — #302(Kwekwe, 12 Nov – drawn) (3) 10 442 Matabeleland v Manicaland (4) 76* #175 – — 116(HSC, 10 March – lost) (4) 3 150 – (4) 2 0 7 0 213/63 Matabeleland v Midlands (4) 0 292 – — #204(Kwekwe, 17 March – lost) (4) 43 180 – (4) 4 2 2 1 2824 Matabeleland v Mashonaland (4) 10 256 – — #170(BAC, 24 March – lost) (4) 0 86 – (6) 1.2 0 25 1 448/4d5 Matabeleland v CFX Academy (4) 26 #176 1 (5) 7 0 24 0 316(Country Club, 31 March – D) (4) 13* 207/21999/2000 (ZIMBABWE) SEASONM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM5 10 2 196 76* 24.50 – 1 1 14.2 2 58 2 29.00 1/2 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1999/2000 (Sri Lanka) bat Score Total bowl TotalDion struggled in unfamiliar conditions on tour with Zimbabwe A.6 Zimbabwe A v Sri Lanka Board XI (4) 2 #344 1 — 283/7d(Colombo Sav, 19 April – D) (4) 20 105/47 Zimbabwe A v Sri Lanka A (1st) (4) 12 #306 – — 474(Kurunegala, 24 April – D) (4) 13 174/88 Zimbabwe A v Sri Lanka Board XI (5) 18 173 – — #212(Moratuwa, 30 April – D) (5) 3* 81/4 – — 229/6d9 Zimbabwe A v Sri Lanka A (7) 3 #126 – — 244(Matara, 11 May – L) (7) 1 971999/2000 (SRI LANKA) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM4 8 1 72 20 10.28 – – 1 –Career 9 18 3 268 76* 17.86 – 1 2 14.2 2 58 2 29.00 1/2 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2000/01 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl TotalDion returned to Harare for this season and was selected for the Mashonaland ALogan Cup side. At the selectors’ request he started opening the batting inmid-season, and although he did not really enjoy this position it proved to behis opening into the Test team.10 Zimbabwe A v New Zealanders (6) 2 168 – (8) 6 2 11 1 #677/7d(Kwekwe, 7 Sept – D) — 72/3 – — 137/3d11 Mashonaland A v Matabeleland — — 1 — #128/8(Alex, 16 Feb – D)12 Mashonaland A v Mashonaland — forfeit 1 — #171(HSC, 2 March – L) (3) 53 122 1 — 66/5d13 Mashonaland A v CFX Academy (4) 71 359 – — #207(Alex, 9 March – W) – — 13714 Mashonaland A v Midlands (1) 21 #248 – — 175(Kwekwe, 23 March – D) (2) 90 263/5d – (5) 2 0 9 0 274/915 Mashonaland A v Manicaland (1) 33 #325 – — 244(Mutare, 30 March – W) (1) 1 225/9d 1 — 23216 ZIMBABWE v BANGLADESH (1st) (2) 2 457 1 — 257(Queens, 19 April – W) 2 — 16817 ZIMBABWE v BANGLADESH (2nd) (2) 39 421/9d – — #254(HSC, 26 April – W) (2) 10 100/2 – — 26618 Zimbabwe A v Indians (1) 46 175 – — #336/9d(Mutare, 28 May – D) 1 — 150/719 CFX Academy XI v Indians (1) 9 192 – — #447/4d(Country Club, 2 June – L) (1) 0 157 1 — 128/5d20 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (1st) (2) 12 #173 1 — 318(Queens, 7 June – L) (2) 0 328 – — 184/221 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (2nd) (2) 49 315 – — #237(HSC, 15 June – W) (2) 20 157/6 1 — 23422 ZIMBABWE v WEST INDIES (1st) (1) 0 155 – — 559/6d(Queens, 19 July – L) (1) 71 22823 ZIMBABWE v WEST INDIES (2nd) (1) 19 #131 – — 347(HSC, 27 July – D) (1) 12 563/9d2000/01 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM14 21 0 560 90 26.66 – 4 11 8 2 20 1 20.99 1/11 – -Career 23 39 3 828 90 23.00 – 5 13 22.2 4 78 3 26/00 1/2 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2001/02 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl TotalTwice Dion strangely equalled his highest Test score of 71 against South Africa.24 ZIMBABWE v SOUTH AFRICA (1st) (1) 71 286 – — #600/3d(HSC, 7 Sept – L) (1) 0 391 – — 79/125 ZIMBABWE v SOUTH AFRICA (2nd) (2) 71 #419/9d – — 519/8d(Queens, 14 Sept – D) (2) 4 96/3M I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wMCareer 25 43 3 974 90 24.35 – 7 13 22.2 4 78 3 26/00 1/2 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2001/02 (Bangladesh) bat Score Total bowl Total26 ZIMBABWE v BANGLADESH (1st) (1) 3 431 – — #107(Dhaka, 8 Nov – D) – — 125/327 ZIMBABWE v BANGLADESH (2nd) (1) 41 542/7d 1 — 251(Chittagong, 15 Nov – W) (1) 0 11/2 1 — 3012001/02 (BANGLADESH) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM2 3 0 44 41 14.66 – – 2 –Career 27 46 3 1018 90 23.67 – 7 15 22.2 4 78 3 26/00 1/2 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2001/02 (Sri Lanka) bat Score Total bowl TotalDion again found Sri Lankan pitches difficult, and after failures in the oneday tournament preceding the Test series he was omitted from the first two Tests.28 ZIMBABWE v SRI LANKA (3rd) (8) 1 236 – — #418(Galle, 12 Jan – L) (8) 5* 79 – — 212/2d2001/02 (SRI LANKA) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM1 2 1 6 5* 6.00 – – – –Career 28 48 4 1024 90 23.27 – 7 15 22.2 4 78 3 26/00 1/2 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2001/02 (India) bat Score Total bowl TotalDion looked set for a Test century, which would also have been his first infirst-class cricket, when he was the victim of a dubious lbw decision.29 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (2nd) (5) 94 #329 – — 354(Delhi, 28 Feb – L) (5) 22 146 – — 126/62001/02 (INDIA) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM1 2 0 116 94 58.00 – 1 – –Career 29 50 4 1140 94 24.78 – 8 15 22.2 4 78 3 26/00 1/2 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2001/02 (Zimbabwe, cont.) bat Score Total bowl TotalDion now played Logan Cup cricket for Mashonaland, his third different LoganCup team in three seasons.30 Mashonaland v Mashonaland A (2) 45 362/8d 2 — #483(HSC, 5 April – W) (5) 43* 340/3 – — 218/3d31 Mashonaland v CFX Academy (4) 30 413 – — 122(Country Club, 19 April – W) – — 1282001/02 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM4 7 1 264 71 44.00 – 2 2Career 31 53 5 1258 94 26.20 – 8 17 22.2 4 78 3 26.00 1/2 – -RECORD SEASON BY SEASONM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM1999/00(Z) 5 10 2 196 76* 24.50 – 1 1 14.2 2 58 2 29.00 1/2 – -1999/00(SL) 4 8 1 72 20 10.28 – – 1 –2000/01(Z) 14 21 0 560 90 26.66 – 4 11 8 2 20 1 20.99 1/11 – -2001/02(B) 2 3 0 44 41 14.66 – – 2 –2001/02(SL) 1 2 1 6 5* 6.00 – – – –2001/02(I) 1 2 0 116 94 58.00 – 1 – –2001/02(Z) 4 7 1 264 71 44.00 – 2 231 53 5 1258 94 26.20 – 8 17 22.2 4 78 3 26.00 1/2 – -RECORD IN EACH COUNTRYM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wMZimbabwe 23 38 3 1020 90 29.14 – 7 14 22.2 4 78 3 26.00 1/2 – -England -Australia -South Africa -West Indies -New Zealand -India 1 2 0 116 94 58.00 – 1 – –Pakistan -Sri Lanka 5 10 2 78 20 9.75 – – 1 –Bangladesh 2 3 0 44 41 14.66 – – 2 –Kenya -31 53 5 1258 94 26.20 – 8 17 22.2 4 78 3 26.00 1/2 – -RECORD ON ZIMBABWEAN GROUNDSM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wMAlexandra 2 1 0 71 71 71.00 – 1 1 –Bulawayo AC 1 2 0 10 10 5.00 – – – 1.2 0 25 1 25.00 1/25 – -Country Club 3 5 1 78 30 19.50 – – 2 7 0 24 0 –Harare SC 7 13 2 440 76* 40.00 – 3 5 2 0 7 0 –Kwekwe 4 7 0 181 90 25.85 – 1 – 12 4 22 2 11.00 1/2 – -Mutare 2 3 0 80 46 26.66 – – 2 –Queens SC 4 7 0 160 71 22.85 – 2 4 –23 38 3 1020 90 29.14 – 7 14 22.2 4 78 3 26.00 1/2 – -LOGAN CUP RECORDM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wMFor Matabeleland:1999/2000 4 8 2 171 76* 28.50 – 1 1 14.2 2 58 2 29.00 1/2 – -For Mashonaland A:2000/01 5 6 0 269 90 44.83 – 3 4 2 0 9 0 –For Mashonaland:2001/02 2 3 1 118 45 59.00 – – 2Total: 11 17 3 558 90 39.85 – 4 7 16.2 2 67 2 33.50 1/2 – -RECORD AGAINST OTHER LOGAN CUP TEAMSM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wMFor Matabeleland:V CFX Academy 1 2 1 39 26 39.00 – – 1 7 0 24 0 –v Manicaland 1 2 1 79 76* 79.00 – 1 – 2 0 7 0 –v Mashonaland 1 2 0 10 10 5.00 – – – 1.2 0 25 1 25.00 1/25 – -v Midlands 1 2 0 43 43 21.50 – – – 4 2 2 1 2.00 1/2 – -4 8 2 171 76* 28.50 – 1 1 14.2 2 58 2 29.00 1/2 – -For Mashonaland A:v CFX Academy 1 1 0 71 71 71.00 – 1 -v Manicaland 1 2 0 34 33 17.00 – – 1v Mashonaland 1 1 0 53 53 53.00 – 1 2v Matabeleland 1 – – — — — – – 1v Midlands 1 2 0 111 90 55.50 – 1 – 2 0 9 0 –5 6 0 269 90 44.83 – 3 4 2 0 9 0 –For Mashonaland:v CFX Academy 1 1 0 30 30 30.00 – – -v Mashonaland A 1 2 1 88 45 88.00 – – 22 3 1 118 45 59.00 – – 2For any team:v CFX Academy 3 4 1 140 71 46.66 – 1 1 7 0 24 0 –v Manicaland 2 4 1 113 76* 38.66 – 1 1 2 0 7 0 –v Mashonaland 2 3 0 63 53 21.00 – 1 2 1.2 0 25 1 25.00 1/25 – -v Mashonaland A 1 2 1 88 45 88.00 – – 2v Matabeleland 1 – – — — — – – 1v Midlands 2 4 0 154 90 38.50 – 1 – 6 2 11 1 11.00 1/2 – -Total: 11 17 3 558 90 39.85 – 4 7 16.2 2 67 2 33.50 1/2 – -HIGHEST SCORE94 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (2nd Test) Delhi 2001/02MOST RUNS IN A MATCH121 (21 and 90) Mashonaland A v Midlands Kwekwe Sports Club 2001/02TWO FIFTIES IN A MATCHNo instances.`PAIRS’No instances.BEST BOWLING FIGURES1/2 (4-2-2-1) Matabeleland v Midlands Kwekwe Sports Club 1999/2000MOST OVERS BOWLED IN AN INNINGS7 (7-0-24-0) Matabeleland v CFX Academy Country Club 1999/2000MOST RUNS CONCEDED IN AN INNINGS25 (1.2-0-25-1) Matabeleland v Mashonaland Bulawayo Athletic Club 1999/2000DETAILS OF DISMISSALS AS A BATSMANbowled 7 14.58lbw 11 22.92caught 16 33.33caught by wicketkeeper 9 18.75caught and bowled – 0.00stumped 3 6.25run out 2 4.17TOTAL 48 100.00%DETAILS OF DISMISSALS AS A BOWLERbowled – –lbw 1 33.33caught 1 33.33caught by wicket-keeper – –caught and bowled – –stumped 1 33.33TOTAL 3 100.00%MOST CATCHES IN AN INNINGS2 ZIMBABWE v BANGLADESH (1st Test) Queens Sports Club 2000/012 Mashonaland v Mashonaland A Harare Sports Club 2001/02MOST CATCHES IN A MATCH3 ZIMBABWE v BANGLADESH (1st Test) Queens Sports Club 2000/01