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Welcome to the first issue of Zimbabwe Cricket Online for the 2002/03 season. Despite the problems in the country at present, ZCU are looking positively to the future and we will try to reflect their approach and their plans in our weekly issues.Zimbabwe cricket faces the 2002/03 season with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. With the World Cup early in 2003 to be partially hosted in Zimbabwe, there is everything to look forward to, but the holding of this tournament could yet be scuppered by political events, while the future of Zimbabwe cricket itself will be very dependent on both political and economic developments.First of all, it is necessary to assert that the situation in Zimbabwe is nowhere near, and never has been near, a state in which visiting players would be in any kind of physical danger. Life goes on as normal in every area that visitors are likely to go, except for increasing economic hardships. The future is always unpredictable, but there is a long way to go before anybody in Zimbabwe would have any concerns about their inability, or even their need, to protect visiting players.Zimbabwe’s playing resources will be similar to last season, with Heath Streak having been invited and found willing to resume the captaincy. Stuart Carlisle captained the side for most of the previous season, a virtual third choice after Streak resigned and Brian Murphy was injured, but did not feel he had the confidence of the authorities as he tackled a difficult job that nobody else seemed to want. The team naturally found its resources stretched, but by the end of last season was beginning to pull together under coach Geoff Marsh. Apart from the World Cup, though, they face a rather slack season.In modern cricket there is always the chance of an invitation to yet another one-day tournament; at present the only one for Zimbabwe apart from the World Cup is the ICC Champions Trophy in September. In October all the players are expected to be available for the first half of the revamped Logan Cup competition; in November comes Zimbabwe’s only Test cricket of the southern summer. Pakistan, who know what it is like to be shunned by other countries for tours, visit Zimbabwe for two Tests and five one-day internationals.There have been two late additions to the international programme. In December Kenya make their first official tour of Zimbabwe to play five one-day internationals, and in January South Africa A come up for a brief tour that will allow young or fringe players on both sides good preparation for the World Cup.In January the first official limited-over inter-provincial competition is played, and then in February and March comes the World Cup. In April the Logan Cup is completed, and then immediately the players are off to England for their second official tour to that country, playing two Tests – Lord’s and the inaugural Test match at the impressive new Riverside stadium in Chester-le-Street, Durham – and a one-day tournament.The Logan Cup will for the first time be contested over the whole season, which precludes the CFX Academy from participating, as their year ends in December. Mashonaland A have also dropped out of the first-class arena, but several leading Mashonaland players are being deployed in other provinces to bring about a better balance of strength. The four provincial teams participating, therefore, will be Mashonaland, Matabeleland, Manicaland and Midlands. They will play each other both at home and away, six four-day matches each.An innovation is the introduction of a B Division in the Logan Cup. This will consist of the A teams of each of the four major provinces, plus Masvingo. The five teams will play four three-day matches each, which will not be first-class. There are therefore nine teams in Zimbabwe this season all playing competitive versions of the longer game, a healthy state of affairs that will benefit cricket in the country.In between times, the national club cricket league will continue. The first league, which struggled to maintain standards with twelve teams last season, has been pared down to ten, with Bulawayo clubs MacDonald and Bulawayo Sports Club dropping down to the second league. There remain six Harare teams: Harare Sports Club, Old Hararians, Old Georgians, Alexandra Sports Club, Universals and Takashinga. There are two Bulawayo sides, Queens and Bulawayo Athletic Club, and also Mutare and Kwekwe, from Manicaland and Midlands respectively.In Mashonaland the Vigne Cup club competition will take place, only Mashonaland Cricket Association general manager Gus Mackay (an interview with whom will appear next week) expects it to be renamed after a major sponsor. He believes it will be a stronger competition than the national league, where the country’s strength is split between ten teams. The Harare club competition contains seven teams, and many major players from other provinces return to the capital to play in that.First-round results are included in this issue. The format has been changed. Impressed with the format used by the Birmingham League, where Mackay played for several seasons, he has abolished the 50-over limitation, which however remains in the national league. Matches are played to a maximum of 110 overs, with the team batting first required to declare after a maximum of 55. No restriction is placed on the number of overs a bowler may bowl.They must then bowl out the opposition to win the match. Failure to do so gives them merely a `winning draw’ (6 points) instead of a victory, while their opponents are credited with a `losing draw’ (2 points). The reward for an outright victory is 20 points.

Former manager of Pakistan team, Fakir S. Aizazuddin, has called for a democratic cricket board in this country.In a statement, released Thursday, Aizazuddin says “this oligarchic system of governance by the board where a small coterie holds sway taking all the decisions must stop if any real and worthwhile progress is to be made in the rehabilitation of the present team.”Aizazuddin, who toured England as member of national squad in 1967, argues that all sports bodies in the country have democratically elected councils except the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).”This speaks volumes for the self interest seeking ad hocists, deeply entrenched who are eating into the vitals of the board and are desperate to maintain status quo,” he said.Aizazuddin believes it is cricket board’s ad hocism that is the root cause of all ills which was damaging the morale and destroying the unity of the team.”It was the ad hocism on which the board and itsfactotums were operating,’ he says and adds, “arbitrary appointments and dismissals, ill-planned action, unfair selections generally the pattern on which the functionaries were working. Hasty orders issued and just as hastily withdrawn.”Further, Aizazuddin points out that this kind of working was playing havoc with the team discipline and cohesion thus emboldening the players, encouraging them to form power groups and strut about like prima donnas caring little for authority.Aizazuddin, who managed the Pakistan squad in New Zealand last year, gives a couple of suggestions to improve the situation.Firstly, he says, the institution of the board has to be put on a sound footing by providing it with a constitution in which all the members are democratically elected and they should be technocrats who have played the game at the highest level.Secondly, the elected council will discuss the points of the agenda and after obtaining a consensus from all the participating members of the council decisions will be taken which will then bear the stamp of authenticity and legality and as such will be respected and followed by all including the players.Lastly, Aizazuddin added that all other cricket playing countries have their boards working on democratic lines and the system has proved highly successfully, so why not adopt the same for PCB.

England, as expected, have resisted the temptation to recall Andrew Flintoff to the squad for the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s next week, and have instead put their faith in the same squad of 12 players who carried them to a 2-0 series victory against New Zealand last month. If, as is widely anticipated, the same starting 11 is named on the morning of the match, England will become the first country ever to name an unchanged side for six matches in a row.England have won four out of five Tests since taking the dramatic decision to drop Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison for the Wellington Test back in March, and so it would appear that consistency breeds consistency. Miller, however, was ready to play down suggestions that the Test team become a closed shop.”It is not a cosy club,” he said. “There are people knocking on the door, youngsters and seniors, and everyone has got to perform. We left bowlers out in New Zealand, and that made a difference, and at one stage we left Andrew Strauss out. It’s not a cosy club at all. If there was someone in the situation where they could overtake them and we thought they could perform better, then we would do that. But at this moment in time we feel we have got solid players, strong in technique and good mentally as well.”The one man who could really destabilise the status quo is Flintoff, who bowled with pace and hostility for Lancashire against Sussex earlier this week, before sealing victory with an unbeaten 62, his first half-century since May last year. “We’ve had long chats with Andrew and we’ve been in constant communication with him,” said Miller. “We need to see a few more miles in the legs and runs from the bat, but England are a better side, as we know, with a fully-fit Andrew Flintoff. We just need to see a little bit more from him.”Miller did, however, concede that if Flintoff’s comeback continues as it has begun, he would be in the frame for the second Test at Headingley, which gets underway on July 18. With that in mind, there are a host of players in the current settled line-up who might fear for their spot, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood among the batsmen, and James Anderson and Stuart Broad among the bowlers.”Our focus is for the first Test, we’ll see what that produces, then we’ll reassess for the second Test,” said Miller. “Andrew’s got a chance and he knows it, but we’re looking for him to be involved in all kinds of cricket – five-day, one-day and Twenty20 – so it’s essential that we monitor him properly. We want him to be involved for a long time now.”The other threat to England’s current settled situation is the fitness of their captain, Michael Vaughan, who reported soreness in his troublesome right knee while playing for Yorkshire against Durham earlier this week. He did, however, make 72 before being bowled by Steve Harmison – another player who is “knocking on the door” – and Miller reiterated his belief that there was no question about his availability. “It’s an injury he’s had operated on, so he’s going to get niggles and twinges,” said Miller. “But I had a chat with him in Yorkshire, we’re monitoring him, and he’s fine.”Such is England’s confidence in their captain, they have once again chosen not to name a deputy. “We have contingency plans for the captaincy, but we won’t make that decision until we have to,” said Miller. “We’ve got senior players who’ve captained the side in different modes – Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen – so we’ll make that decision when we have to.”Test squad Michael Vaughan (capt), Tim Ambrose (wk), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss, Chris Tremlett.

It may not have healed the scars of their battering in England, but SriLanka will be hoping that normal service has resumed after an emphaticinnings and 196 run victory against Bangladesh, the largest ever win in their 126 Test history.Unfortunately, as captain Sanath Jayasuriya admitted afterwards, the hardtruth is that the win only glosses over the side’s current problems. Despitewinning within three days and scoring a record 509 runs on the second day,Sri Lanka can take few positives out of a game they were expected to win bya country mile.The fast bowlers were poor in both innings: Dilhara Fernando and hisnamesake Buddika were short and erratic; debutante left-armer Sujeewa deSilva swung the odd ball, but did little to suggest he would prosper againstone of the major Test nations.The normally mild mannered Jayasuriya was scathing afterwards: “It was goodto see us winning a Test match again but I am not happy with the bowlers.They failed to bowl a consistent line and length and there were too many noballs. We bowled poorly in England and again here. It’s a problem – we havegot to sort it out as soon as possible.”And the batting coughed and spluttered against teenage medium pacers untilAravinda de Silva pulled on his 19 years of experience to rescue the hostsfrom severe embarrassment. Sanath Jayasuriya’s tenth Test century, asentertaining as it was, meant little against such a flimsy attack, even ifit was made in the middle order, his new home.The fact that it was the experience players that dug Sri Lanka out of a holeearly on the second day was not lost on Jayasuriya, who is unhappy that theselectors have decided to rest five more players for the second Test matchstarting Sunday, including vice captain Marvan Atapattu, star batsman MahelaJayawardene, Russel Arnold, Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan.”You need some experience,” he argued. “Yesterday we were 56 for three andit was only because of the experience in the middle order that we managed toget the runs. Next game there will only be Hashan Tillakaratne and ThilanSamaraweera with me.”He wants Muralitharan to play: “He’s naturally disappointed, as anyone wouldbe to miss a game. If Murali is fit we should go with him. But the selectorshave picked the side and I have to go with it. I don’t know anything aboutmost of the youngsters, as I have not played with them.”Muralitharan was man of the match here. Playing on his home ground for thefirst time in his Test career, the off-spinner spun out the middle order toclaim his 36th five-for, equally Sir Richard Hadlee’s world record. Hefinished with ten for 98 in the match, his 11th tenth wicket haul.Bangladesh’s Pakistan coach, Mohsin Kamal, in charge for the first time,identified Muralitharan as the major factor: “It was only Muralitharan, whogets wickets against the bigger teams as well. Him taking five is not a bigdeal against us, but we have to make sure he conceded more runs. We have tominimise our mistakes against him.”It was, however, Sri Lanka’s new ball bowlers that made the early inroads,reducing Bangladesh to 14 for two before a 77 run stand between top scorerAl Sahariar (67) and the experienced Habibul Bashar (34).Eventually, Jayasuriya’s exasperation with his aerosol attack forced him toturn to spin at both ends. Muralitharan struck in his sixth over, cleanbowling Bashar as the right-hander tried to force through the off-side. 22minutes later he was left on a hat-trick as both Akram Khan (5) and AminulIslam (0) popped up bat-pad catches.When Muralitharan dismissed Al Sahariar in a similar manner, straight afterthe luncheon interval, Bangladesh knew they could not last into the fourthday, despite a brave two-hour 26 from captain Khaled Mashud. When he topedged a sweep of Aravinda de Silva, the tourists were all out for 184.For Bangladesh, the greatest positive, apart from the news that they don’thave to face Muralitharan next game, was the performance of their teenagemedium pacers. Khan, a fast bowler himself, praised their effortsafterwards: “They bowled according to the conditions, keeping their line,and got the results. The rest of the day they were on and off, but they areyoung and have shown good improvement in the last month.”

Another disastrous top order collapse ruined any hope Western Province had of chasing down a mountainous target on the final day of this SuperSport Series Super Six match.Despite dismissing the visitors quickly on the final morning, the target of 372 in a minimum of 97 overs was always going to be a tough ask. Eventually, despite some brave batting from Andrew Puttick and Alan Dawson, KwaZulu-Natal ran out comfortable winners by 159 runs.Strangely, and in contradiction to the playing conditions, the seven overs lost to bad light the previous evening were not made up. However, Roger Telemachus and Alan Dawson soon compensated for that by dismissing the last three batsmen in the space of less than five overs. Nixon McLean was visibly disappointed when he was adjudged lbw despite playing far forward, the fifth batsman to be dismissed in this manner in the innings. The free-scoring Goolam Bodi faced just three balls in 22 minutes before being last man out.The WP openers made a confident start, with Andrew Puttick looking impressive. A confident lbw appeal by Lance Klusener against Rashaad Magiet failed, prompting the fast bowler to come all the way down the pitch to have a quiet word with Magiet. This did the trick for KZN, as Klusener’s next delivery uprooted the middle stump, prompting a collaps which saw the next three batsmen out for ducks as WP slumped from 24/0 to 25/4 in the space of 21 balls, and the match was all but lost.Puttick and Jonathan McLean weathered the storm until lunch, aided by a hamstring injury which forced Nixon McLean to leave the field after bowling just eight overs. He did not return, nor indeed did he need to. After lunch, they extended their partnership to 72 before being well caught in the covers by Doug Watson. Thami Tsolekile batted with some spirit before going the same way.Still needing 249 in 42 overs after tea, Dawson and Puttick both started hitting out in a desperate charge. Puttick was fortunate to be dropped twice by the inappropriately named substitute, Lucky Dladla, hooking Klusener. It was third time lucky for KZN as Puttick took on Dladla, fielding on the mid wicket boundary this time, to end a useful partnership of 68 from just 73 balls. Claude Henderson perished driving uppishly, but Telemachus hooked well for two boundaries before Dawson plucky innings of 48 from 49 balls, which included 4 fours and two sixes, came to an end.Charl Willoughby was unable to bat due to his injury sustained the previous day, and KZN won by 159 runs to ensure themselves a home final against Northerns. Jon Kent’s consistent all round play, twice making important contributions with the bat and picking up some vital wickets, earned him the Man of the Match award. Andrew Puttick, already assuming the veteran tag in the WP team at the tender age of 21, was named Recruit of the Match.

Former West Indies captain and Antiguan cricketing hero, Richie Richardson, has decided to enter party politics. The announcement came in a press release — jointly issued by the Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda (Lester Bird), and Richardson.Richardson said that he was “proud to join the (Antigua) Labour Party team under the leadership of Lester Bird. I intend to bat for the Labour Party with the same diligence and fervour with which I served the Antigua and West Indies cricket teams.”PM Bird revealed that he intends to appoint Richardson to the Senate immediately. Bird said: “Richie will be made a Senator in the Upper House within the next few days, and he will be a Labour Party candidate in the next elections.”Bird, the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) leader remarked, “I am delighted that Richie has joined our team and I look forward to the contribution I know he can make to our work for the people of Antigua and Barbuda. Just as he has filled us with joy on the cricket field, I expect to see him make us proud in the cause of our country’s development.”The release however, did not give a clue as to which constituency the former West Indies batsman will be contesting. PM Bird however conceded that “Certain procedures have to be satisfied within the Labour Party before a decision is made on a constituency for Richie. An announcement will be made when consultations have been held and the procedures met.”Richardson becomes the latest ex-West Indies player to aspire to high office in the land of his birth. Other past West Indies players who have gone on to such high office include current WICB president, Rev. Wes Hall who was a senator then a parliamentary representative for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), Desmond Haynes, a current Barbados Labour Party (BLP) senator and the late Roy Fredericks who served as Minister of Sports in his native Guyana.

The ICC was meant to be a regulatory body, the game’s supremo. It was never intended that it should itself go into marketing. It is, as if, a civil aviation authority decides to float its own commercial airline.It was bad enough that the ICC should have set up a private detective agency by way of an Anti-Corruption Unit to combat match-fixing, a vote of no-confidence in the police of the respective cricket playing nations, will it be long before the ICC goes into the business of manufacturing cricket equipment?I recall, with some horror, ICC’s plans to take cricket to Disneyland. Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya was then at the helm of the ICC and there was much talk of the globalization of the game. Globalization was not then the ‘dirty’ word it has now become. The world may have become a global-village but the heads of the village are the same, old multinationals and the villagers themselves the cheap-labour work-force.It is necessary to provide this background so that the contract row can be put into perspective. However, it is resolved, one fact has emerged that the cricket world is a shadowy one and the cricket boards have been less than open with the players. The contracts that they have been asked to sign and which affect their livelihood were sprung on the players and there was an innuendo of coercion.When the cricket boards signed on board the merchant-ship of the ICC, were they unaware that many of the players would be affected by the ‘ambush’ marketing clause? It is no secret that the players have sponsors of their own and, of all persons, Mr Dalmiya who now heads the BCCI, should have known this and being a businessman, should have seen that there would have been a conflict of interest in the ICC contracts. Good management is about preventing fires and not about putting them out when they have started.Sunil Gavaskar said on ESPN that the main problem was that the Indian players did not have an Association and in his loud-thinking recommended that the subcontinent players should get together and form a collective-bargaining association. This is all very well but in the impasse created by the Indian government in not allowing the Indian team to play against Pakistan, the Indian players have remained silent.Not a word of support for the Pakistan players who have been financially affected because there is no cricket between the two countries. On the contrary, people like Kapil Dev have been at the forefront of backing the Indian government’s boycott of cricket with Pakistan nor have they said a word about the refusal of countries like Australia to tour Pakistan.All this has seriously hurt the finances of the PCB and is bound to affect the earnings of the Pakistan players. Some show of solidarity with Pakistan cricket would have been welcome. But this is a different matter but it does create road-blocks in finding a common cause.But it is a matter of principle and I have backed the players in the present row. There is one aspect that I find intriguing. There seems to be some resentment in our psyche that cricket stars should be making so much money, as if, by doing so they are defiling the game and are being unpatriotic in the bargain. We don’t seem to resent lawyers and doctors and accountants making money. Somehow, we feel that because cricketers represent the country that should be honour enough. In our heart of hearts, we have not accepted that cricket is a profession.When the question of paying Test cricketers match fees first came up in Pakistan, this was many many years ago, the then Pakistan cricket board was headed by a civil servant and in a column I had asked him whether as a civil servant he drew a salary? If Sachin Tendulkar has become a very rich man, it is because he has cashed in on his talent, he hasn’t robbed a bank or received back-handers for awarding government contracts.While making money, Tendulkar gives the cricket public a great deal of joy. I know of many who make fortunes but give no joy at all to anybody except themselves. The cricket boards should back their players against the ICC’s bid to go into business for itself. The ICC contract is bad in law and is a violation of the right of players to earn a living. The ICC is not a business concern.The Australians have named a full strength team for the Test series against Pakistan to be played at, not one, but two neutral venues, Colombo and Sharjah. The Waugh brothers are included and Steve Waugh retains the captaincy. On paper, it is a terrific side and it should be a very good series.Obviously, we are disappointed that the home series will be played away from home and we will have to watch it on television. One way of compensating the cricket public in Pakistan is for Pakistan to win the series. But in order to do so, Pakistan will have to match Australia in mental toughness.The Australians play their cricket hard and they play to win. But before Pakistan takes on Australia in a Test series, there is the triangular in Nairobi and Pakistan will be up against Australia. All one can say is that Pakistan will have to raise their game several notches.The way that Pakistan played at Morocco will not do. Pakistan will be strengthened by the return of Shoaib Akhtar but it was not Pakistan’s bowling that was wanting in Morocco. It was the batting and the key, one feels, will be Inzamam-ul-Haq. It is important that big man runs into form. And one hopes that this time Saeed Anwar will not be dropped to make way for Shoaib Malik.The Australians will not allow Imran Nazir the freedom he needs and he will have to devise means to break free. It will be a supreme Test for him, a choice between abandon and a more circumspect shot selection. No one questions his talent.

Pakistan’s final warm-up game prior to Thursday’s First Test at Lord’s was abandoned without a ball being bowled on the third and final day in Canterbury.Match umpires David Shepherd and Roy Palmer had no option but to the declare the Vodafone Challenge game with Kent a draw, much to the disappointment of a small crowd and the Pakistan top order batsmen.The game had been intriguingly poised with Kent just 100 runs ahead with seven second innings wickets intact.Although touring openers Saeed Anwar and Saleem Elahi hit form by posting a record first wicket stand of 307 here yesterday, the players at three, four and five in the Pakistan order are still crying out for batting practice – yet the next time they take guard in anger will be against England in three days’ time.In the three warm-up games on tour to date Abdur Razzaq, Inzamam-Ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana have scored just 64 runs between them, hardly ideal preparation for Test cricket or batting on a likely seamer-friendly pitch in St John’s Wood.

Ali Azmat’s half-century combined with some strong lower-order batting helped Water and Power Development Authority post a challenging first-innings score of 369 for 9 declared against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Azmat led all batsmen with 79, laced with 12 boundaries, as the last five wickets added 222. He was ably supported by Sarfraz Ahmed, who made 33, and Umaid Asif, who made 47, whil Kashif Raza chipped in with an unbeaten 31. Left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan was the best of the bowlers, taking 3 for 45.Both teams are still in the hunt for a spot in the finals, but probably need an outright win to get there, so ZTBL opener Yasir Hameed came out swinging the bat with intent. He had reached 18 from 21 balls, with three fours, before seamer Umaid Asif had him caught behind. At stumps, ZTBL were 34 for 1.Rain continued to play spoilsport on the second day of the game between Sialkot and Rawalpindi, with only 29 overs being bowled, but that was enough for the Rawalpindi bowlers to reduce Sialkot to 16 for 4, before the hosts staged a semi-recovery to end the day on 89 for 5 at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Rizwan Akbar produced a devastating opening spell to remove three of the top four batsmen, claiming two wickets with two balls, while Sadaf Hussain prised out Sialkot captain Mansoor Ajmad. Majid Jehangir and Shehzad Malik then added 49 to stem the rot somewhat before Jehangir was caught behind off the bowling seamer Nasir Malik for 34. Shehzad and Nabeel Malik then managed to avoid further damage, with the former on 22 and the latter on 14. Rawalpindi are currently tied second in the points table with Water and Power Development Authority, and potentially need a big win to qualify for the finals.A half-century by Mohammad Kashif got Islamabad back into their game against Multan on a curtailed day at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Islamabad were in trouble after they lost two quick wickets on the second morning to leave them at 48 for 4 in response to Multan’s 244. But, Kashif’s 61 and contributions from Imad Wasim and Kamran Hussain helped them recover to 189 for 6 by the end of the 46 overs that were played on the day. Multan seamer Tahir Maqsood dismissed overnight batsman Zeeshan Mushtaq and then got Faizan Riaz for a duck next ball. Kashif and Farrukh Hayat shared a 54-run partnership before Hayat was run out. Kashif got his runs quickly, hitting 10 boundaries in his innings. For Multan, who have lost all of their ten games so far this season, the match is a last hope to gain some pride, while Islamabad can finish no higher than eighth even if they win.Karachi Blues managed to take a 72-run first-innings lead against Faisalabad by the end of the second day at the National Stadium in Karachi. It didn’t look like that would happen after the first few overs of Karachi’s innings. Faisalabad fast bowler Ahmed Hayat ripped out three early wickets to leave them 3 for 3, and facing a top-order collapse. Unfortunately for Faisalabad, Hayat could only bowl five overs in the day, and Rameez Raja (2) counterattacked, racing to 67 off 55 balls. Most of Karachi’s middle-order batsmen got starts but left-arm spinner Hasan Mahmood kept chipping away at the wickets, picking up five in the end, as Karachi were all out for 264. The lead was pushed past the 50-run mark thanks to a 57-run tenth-wicket stand between Babar Rehman and Malik Aftab.Habib Bank Limited continued to be frustrated by the conditions as only nine overs were bowled on the second day of their match against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. HBL reached 19 for 0, but with no play on the first day as well, the win they need to make absolutely certain of their spot in the finals is unlikely. The good news for HBL is that Rawalpindi and Pakistan International Airlines’ matches have also been affected by rain. PIA, Rawalpindi, Water and Power Development Authority and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited are the four teams who have a chance to catch up with HBL. WAPDA and ZTBL are playing each other, which also helps HBL’s cause.There was no play in the game between National Bank and Pakistan International Airlines for the second straight day.

Knights beat current Momentum One Day Cup table-toppers Lions by six wickets in a rain-affected match in Potchefstroom. Lions chose to bat and several cameo contributions helped lift them to 250 for 7. Stephen Cook and Neil McKenzie both scored half-centuries, No. 4 McKenzie remaining 67 not out of 105 balls to anchor the innings, while Chris Morris provided a final surge with 30 off 17. In the shortened chase, Knights needed 204 from 33 overs, and went at over a run a ball to knock off the runs with seven balls to spare. Incidentally, Knights’ top-scoring batsman, Obus Pienaar, also made 67 not out, but his came at a strike-rate of 155.81 to beat the Duckworth/Lewis requirements.A century from opener Imraan Khan helped Dolphins chase down 251 against Titans with four wickets and eight balls to spare in Durban. Titans chose to bat, and apart from a 142-run second-wicket partnership between Mangaliso Mosehle had no contribution of note. Mosehle hit a century too, his 118 being the top score in the match. But only one other batsman got into double digits as Titans were bowled out for 250 in the 46th over. It was not enough, as the rest of the Dolphins’ top-order batsmen batted around centurion Imraan to help their side home.Cape Cobras slipped to their third defeat in four games, losing to Warriors by 76 runs in East London. Cobras needed 263 to win, and the only sizeable innings for them was opener Richard Levi, who hit a rapid 83. With the Warriors bowlers sharing the wickets around, Cobras suffered regular blows and finally faded quickly: they went from 158 for 4 to 186 all out in the space of 7.2 overs. Warriors total, after they had chosen to bat, built their innings around half-centuries from Wayne Parnell and Michael Price.