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Western Australian cricket selectors today announced an Australian Cricket Board Cup Second XI with a distinct view to the state’s future.The team will be captained by experienced Western Warriors all-rounder Stuart Karppinen.With a clear indication of a youth policy within the Second XI round-robin interstate competition, the selectors have banked heavily on emerging young players from the Warriors squad.Australian Under-19 World Cup 2002 team winning team member Shaun Marsh has been named vice-captain.Subiaco-Floreat top order specialist Brett Jones replaces injured opener Scott Meuleman.The team, to play South Australia in a four-day match at Tompkins Park starting on Monday, is:Stuart Karppinen (Captain), Shaun Marsh (vice-captain), Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Geoff Cullen, Andrew James, Brett Jones, Luke Ronchi, Craig Simmons, Michael Thistle, Callum Thorp, and Adam Voges.The team will be coached by Western Warriors assistant-coach Noel Knight.

Former Northern Districts batsman Neal Parlane is the only newcomer named in the Wellington team to play Central Districts in their State Championship match starting at the Basin Reserve on Friday.The Championship-winning team two years ago has a formidable look to it, and with Central Districts at full-strength, a good test should be possible for the Basin Reserve pitch just out from the first Test.The State Wellington Firebirds team is: Matthew Bell (captain), Richard Jones, Neal Parlane, Stephen Fleming, Grant Donaldson, Chris Nevin, Matthew Walker, Mark Jefferson, Paul Hitchcock, Iain O’Brien, Andrew Penn, Mark Gillespie.

At the start of the third day, England were favourites to win, the draw could not be discounted and there was just an outside chance that India could get back into the match. At the end of the day, Indian hopes have been effectively extinguished. For that, they need look no further than an inept batting display. To be bowled out for 221 on this pitch indicates a serious lack of resolve that is likely to be punished in the course of the next two days.With Simon Jones claiming his first Test scalps, and generally causing the batsmen to hop around a bit, and with wickets falling at regular intervals, India found themselves in rapid decline. Without taking anything away from the England bowlers, the Indian batsmen will have asked some searching questions of themselves for allowing so many wickets to fall on this pitch. At least, they should have been asking themselves those questions.A full house gathered at Lord’s in anticipation of a Sachin Tendulkar run-feast came perilously close to disappointment when he had just ten to his name. Jones, working up a fair head of steam from the pavilion end, found a great delivery from around the wicket that opened up Tendulkar. An outside edge went low down to first slip where Graham Thorpe failed to cling on to a chance that just about carried and should have been held.After the drop, Tendulkar gave mere glimpses of his class, as did Dravid at the other end. Dravid had been watchful throughout his innings. At one point yesterday he went for 50 minutes without adding to his score. When he found the boundary off the 144th ball he faced, it was his first since the 33rd.The England bowlers kept the scoring rate in check with some controlled aggression. Jones in particular looked understandably more relaxed than the previous day and found sufficient rhythm to cause moments of anxiety as the batsmen hurried their strokes.England got the breakthrough for which they were probing when Matthew Hoggard found the first ball to misbehave on this otherwise perfect pitch. From just short of a length, he got one to lift appreciably as Dravid tried to withdraw his bottom hand, but the ball looped to backward point where Michael Vaughan held a simple catch.As ever, the major wicket was Tendulkar’s. White had been bowling well but as so often happens, it was not the best ball he has ever bowled that got one of his most valuable victims. It was short and outside the off stump, causing Tendulkar to have a wild slash that only succeeded in finding the edge and Alec Stewart made no mistake.As is always the case when a batsman of Tendulkar’s class and reputation is out, there was an extra bounce to the steps of the fielding side while those in the pavilion find their heads dropping. Sourav Ganguly gave a tame catch to Vaughan in the gully off Andrew Flintoff, before Jones managed to take his first wicket at this level when Ajay Ratra flashed at a short ball to edge to the keeper.Having waited 16 overs for that success, his lbw appeal was turned down next ball but in his next over had Ajit Agarkar caught at slip. White came back to bowl Anil Kumble with the score on 209 – still 79 short of avoiding the follow-on.By farming the strike, VVS Laxman managed to add another 12 runs and prolong the end, which came when Zaheer Khan was caught by Thorpe off Hoggard, leaving Laxman undefeated on 43. India were 266 behind, but Nasser Hussain opted against enforcing the follow-on and chose to bat again on a pitch that was showing little sign of wear.The openers were settling into their task without either Zaheer or Nehra getting the same movement as in the first innings. However, Kumble was introduced to bowl the ninth over and with his fifth ball claimed a wicket. Mark Butcher went to sweep and, although he protested otherwise, made no contact and was out lbw.Psychologists might have the answer to why Hussain has not gone beyond twenty in the second innings after scoring a Test hundred in the first, but whatever the reason, he maintained the pattern here. Agarkar got a lot of lift from just short of a length, for Hussain to have a wild flash and touch it to the wicket-keeper.Thorpe has not had a happy return to the international scene. One catch held, one dropped, four from one shot in the first innings, and now just a single in the second. He cut Kumble uppishly into the covers for Ganguly to dive forward to take the catch. Thorpe dwelt in the middle as his fate sunk in before leaving for the sanctuary of the pavilion.At that point, further wickets could have just opened a chink for India. Vaughan and John Crawley effectively closed even that small opening with some sensible batting that illustrated to their opponents what could be achieved in these conditions with the right application. That was reflected in the statistics for Vaughan’s fifty – 78 balls with just four boundaries – although he was dropped by the wicket-keeper immediately after getting there. That, and the earlier spurned chance by Wasim Jaffer at point that gave Crawley a life, will undoubtedly be a source of regret before long – if it is not already.Crawley completed a second fifty in the match as the pair started to increase the range of their strokeplay so that by the close of play, the only question left unanswered was at what point Hussain will declare. Time, along with everything else, is certainly on his side.

Newspaper reports from London and inputs from New Delhi suggest that top Indian cricketers and the International Cricket Council (ICC) have reached an agreement on the contract issue that has dogged the warm-up to the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.Speaking to CricInfo, Niranjan Shah, honorary secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said, “We have not received anything in writing from the players. Even if some agreement is reached, the players still have to sign the relevant contracts and give copies to the board.”It was earlier reported that the ICC and the players had reached a compromise agreement, wherein the following changes had been agreed on:1) The ICC would not have image rights to Indian cricketers. Previously, the ICC and its sponsors had the right to use footage and photographs of the Indian players for their campaigns for a period of six months.2) The Indian players will be allowed to advertise with rival sponsors shortly after the end of the ICC Champions Trophy. Under the earlier clause, cricketers could not advertise with rivals of the official sponsors of the ICC, for a period of 30 days before and after the tournament – and of course for the duration of the tournament. It is believed that this period has been reduced to a level acceptable to both parties in conflict and might actually work out to a figure of 17 days after the tournament.Shah further told CricInfo, “If the players have reached an agreement with the ICC, the Board is only too happy. It was good that the players could meet and sort things out. However, I must tell you that we have not got anything in writing from the players or the ICC so far on this matter.”A point of major concern to the board however, was its exposure to liability from various parties in case a fresh agreement is reached. “Let me make it very clear at this point itself. If the players reach any kind of agreement with the ICC and resolve the matter that is fine. But it must not cause any liability to the Board, now or on a future date,” added the secretary.It must be remembered that an ICC press release yesterday categorically denied that it was seeking any compensation from the Indian board in connection to this matter. The release goes on to say, “What has occurred today is that the BCCI sought a blanket indemnity from any damages claim that may be made in the future against it or the ICC in relation to the ICC Champions Trophy. It sought this undertaking from all other countries playing in the tournament. This request was considered by the countries and it was agreed that such an undertaking could not be given.”As it stands, there have been no claims for compensation from either the ICC or other countries. However, this does not guarantee that such claims may not arise in the future. With regard to this, the ICC says, “Should a claim emerge in the future, it would be a matter for that time to determine who, if anyone was at fault and the size, if any, of any compensation payout.”That might be the one clause that makes emphatic cries of a happy ending a bit premature. That said, this sticky issue has never been closer to amicable resolution. The Board secretary himself was confident, and concluded, “Hopefully, by the end of the day, we’ll be able to work things out and send our best team to the Champions Trophy.”

Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore said he was keen to play champion off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in the second cricket Test against England beginning at Edgbaston here on Thursday, but skipper Sanath Jayasuriya was however wary of exposing his trump card too early from injury.”Ideally we like to play everyone who is 100 percent fit. But there are occasions that can come up when players can do more than a decent job when they are not 100 percent fit, as long as everyone knows the boundaries and limitations,” said Whatmore today as his team was confined to indoor net sessions here because of bad weather. “In certain instances the risks are greater. In special sort of circumstances, the likes of which exists with Murali at the moment. That full 100 percent effort that he generally generates on the ball when he delivers, to me is as I see it, is not 100 percent. But the ball behaves abnormally and will still cause some problems,” he said.”There are a number of angles you have to consider before a decision is made. You’ve got to understand what he can and what he can’t do basically with the bat and in the field. You can see what he can do at the nets because he is performing the skills. But in terms of his fielding you know what he is like. He’s got no regard for his body at times. In his batting, he has to lift the bat with the left hand. There are a few things to cover before a decision is made,” Whatmore said.Whatmore said that Muralitharan has been bowling in the nets today as he has been over the past four to five days.”He is showing that he can run up and bowl and he’s still got a few tricks as you see the different varieties of deliveries that he’s got. He is not 100 percent fit, but he is building up to that and if he is selected in this Test match, it will be a calculated decision the selectors will have to take,” said Whatmore.Skipper Jayasuriya said: “It all depends on how Murali feels. We don’t know what his injury is like and what pains he is going through. We want him to play. As a captain I would love to play Murali, but if something happens to him, he will be out for another 3-4 months. We can’t take that chance”.”I would rate Murali’s chances of playing as still 50-50. He is still working hard with Alex (Kountouri). It all depends on what the doctors have told Alex and how he improves in his physical therapy. Murali hasn’t bowled for the last eight weeks and he needs a lot of practice also. Alex and Murali will have to talk with each other and decide. We can’t come to a conclusion at the moment. We will be knowing by tomorrow evening whether he will be playing or not. It is very unlikely, but you know,” said Jayasuriya.Muralitharan (30) has not bowled in a match since he injured his left shoulder while fielding in the Sharjah Cup final against Pakistan at Sharjah six weeks ago. He underwent treatment in Australia under the supervision of Dr. David Young and joined the Sri Lanka team in England a week ago. Since then he has got the sling which held his injured arm in place removed and has been working on his arm with Kountouri to try and regain full fitness.

Warwickshire powered towards their first home County Championship win since September 1999 as Durham meekly surrendered a position of strength on the third day.Melvyn Betts hijacked his former county by taking five for 22 in their second innings collapse for 102 and Warwickshire rattled along to make 176 for two, needing a further 51 to reach a target of 227.The only obstruction in their progress came when Paul Collingwood dismissed the openers in quick succession but otherwise it was a story of inadequate bowling. The lowest point for Durham was an over from Ian Hunter which included three fours from Mark Wagh and a drop at second slip by Collingwood.The former Oxford University captain profited from this let-off by making 76 not out and putting on 91 in 20 overs with David Hemp as Warwickshire rushed to grasp an opportunity presented by Betts’ outstanding performance.Durham were clearly mindful of inconsistent bounce when they lasted only as far as the 56th over after losing their first six wickets – five of them to Betts – for only 43.The former England A paceman, who moved to Edgbaston in the winter, had figures of 11-6-14-3 before lunch and came back to take two more from his first four balls in the afternoon.Danny Law (23) and Ian Hunter (37) then launched a recovery with a stand of 58 before Dougie Brown polished off the last three wickets for a final return of three for 16. Durham were a man short because James Brinkley had rushed away to attend the birth of a first child.

Former Test paceman Paul Wilson faces the daunting prospect of making his Pura Cup comeback in South Australia’s most important four-day match in three seasons.But Redbacks captain Greg Blewett is glad to have the 30-year-old back in the extended version of the game after an injury-plagued 12 months for the bullocking quick.Wilson’s bowling style should be well suited for the WACA pitch in the vital match against Western Australia starting tomorrow.The Redbacks and Warriors are two of the four teams still in the running for spots in the final heading into the last round of matches.Queensland is in the best position on 30 points, but needs first innings points against Victoria to ensure its third home final in a row.Meanwhile, Western Australia and Tasmania are locked on 24 points and need large victories to improve their chances of making the final.The Redbacks (20) have a slim hope of playing next week but need an outright victory over the Warriors and other results to fall their way.Blewett today welcomed the four changes made to the Redbacks’ line-up for the match after back-to-back losses at home.”We felt that we needed a bit of a change in personnel because we thought the guys who’d been beaten pretty soundly in the last couple of games were a little bit flat, so we have got some new guys in the team,” he said.Blewett said Wilson, who has played a handful of one-day matches since returning from a knee operation, had not been recalled earlier because of the Redbacks’initial run of good form post-Christmas.”I think Paul is one of the best bowlers in our state and he is always pretty tough under these conditions over here so I am glad to have him back,” Blewett said.”He’s really keen to do well as this is his only game for the season. He generally hits the right area and hits the seam so he’s a difficult customer.”Blewett said the pitch looked a little moist and could provide assistance for the bowlers early on.Meanwhile, for the Warriors, Murray Goodwin has been recalled to open the batting with Michael Hussey.And veteran paceman Jo Angel needs just five more wickets to become the second-highest wicket-taker in Australian domestic first-class cricket.Angel, who has taken 37 first-class wickets this season, has 380 career wickets in Austalian domestic first-class cricket while Clarrie Grimmett is the leading wicket taker with 513.Angel will also become Western Australia’s highest wicket-taker in Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup history if he passes Terry Alderman’s mark of 384 wickets.Teams:Western Australia: Simon Katich (capt), Jo Angel, Ryan Campbell, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Matthew Nicholson, Marcus North,Chris Rogers, Brad Williams, Brad Oldroyd (likely 12th man).South Australia: Greg Blewett (capt), Nathan Adcock, Chris Davies, Shane Deitz, David Fitzgerald, Ryan Harris, Ben Johnson, Paul Rofe, Mike Smith, Paul Wilson, Bradley Young, Daniel Harris (likely 12th man).

Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan captain, blamed the fact that his side did not get enough runs in the first innings in the second npower Test at Edgbaston for the eventual defeat by an innings and 111 runs.”Getting out for 162 makes it very difficult to come back. In the second innings, our batsmen got out to some good balls and they bowled very well. At the same time, some wickets were disappointing but they tried their best.”He refused to blame the toss or the conditions that favoured the Englishattack. “If I had won the toss I would have bowled but that is a matter of luck on the day. We can’t change the conditions or the wicket and just have to play.”Despite this heavy loss, the Sri Lankan captain still believes that his teamcan come back at Old Trafford. “The series is open. I think it depends on how we play in the next match. We have to take our minds off this one and play a fresh match at Old Trafford.”Coach Dav Whatmore was in no doubt that Muttiah Muralitharan would play at Old Trafford and thought his performance in this game justified his selection, even though he was not fully fit.”I think the fact that he bowled some 60 overs and took five wickets completely vindicates the decision to play him here. He has shown that he can make an impact against this opposition and I do not see any reason why he should not play in the next one.”England captain Nasser Hussain – not noted for his success with the coin -acknowledged the importance of winning the toss. “I thought we played bettercricket than them and I thought we deserved to win the game and that wasprobably helped by the fact that I finally won an important toss.”I would say that bowling them out for a second time for 272 on a flat wicket gave me most satisfaction. I have said before, when it gets flat we have struggled to bowl sides out,” he added.Much has been made of the fact that England have lost before when going into a final match in a series at Old Trafford with a one-nil lead. Hussain knows that it will not be easy this time.”Out of the three Test match venues it will be the one they were looking forward to most – Muralitharan in particular. We will have to up our game and be at our best again to beat them.”It transpires that Matthew Hoggard, the man-of-the-match, was by no meanscertain to play in the game. He arrived at Edgbaston suffering from a lack of confidence and form, and had a long chat with his captain on the eve of the Test. Hussain is an admitted admirer of the man “who would bowl through the proverbial brick wall”, but rated his chances of playing at no more than 50:50. His confidence might not have been too high after the way Hussain himself had hammered him playing for Essex against Yorkshire in a Benson and Hedges Cup quarter-final.”We knew we needed a good swing bowler here in the conditions if it got like it did here with the humidity. There were two to chose from, Cork or Hoggard, and in the end it wasn’t too difficult a decision because the younger lad will always win through and when someone has been there for you all winter like he has been and is a big trier and got a big heart, you will always stick with him.”He still has to iron out a few technical points in his bowling. He is stillnot bowling how he can do. He has to go away and iron out those problems. Like everyone, he is not always playing at one hundred per cent. There is always something creeping into you game but you just have to do your best at those times and he did that in this game.”Hoggard himself was delighted with his return of seven wickets in the match,especially after his self-doubts before it.”I was honest when I said that I was not full of confidence, so to come out of it as man-of-the-match after putting in some good performances is something to say about my character,” Hoggard said. “I now feel almost back to my best. There were times when I bowled with rhythm and it’s nice to come out with five wickets.”

Inspired by a four-wicket burst from Oliver Thomas (4/28), a South Australian Invitation Under-19 team has narrowly taken away the honours from the first match of the Sri Lankan national under-19 team’s current tour of Australia. The two-day encounter ultimately ended in a draw – with the South Australians at 0/63 in their second innings and holding an overall lead of eighty-three by the end – but not before there had been an exciting contest for a first innings victory.In the final analysis, it was the right arm pace bowling of Thomas which played the deciding role. He took a wicket early in the Sri Lankan innings before returning to capture the last three and seal the twenty run first innings win for the locals at the Adelaide Oval No 2 ground.But, for all of that, it was a generally satisfactory start to the Sri Lankans’ tour. The visitors fielded fourteen of their sixteen-strong touring party -under the specialised rules in place for this match – and several of them turned in heartening performances. Particularly pleasing were the stylishly crafted half-centuries from captain Thilina Kandamby (56) and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara (56) today.The local team had started proceedings in good style yesterday by assembling the respectable total of 274. Captain Andrew Crook (79) and wicketkeeper Jim Plant (49*) were the main contributors with the bat, while left arm paceman Chandana Nilantha (4/18) stole the show with the ball.

Warwickshire’s slim Championship hopes won’t have improved after Lancashire reached 352 for six on the first day of their encounter at Old Trafford. David Byas led the charge with 101, while Alec Swann (62) and Glen Chapple (65) made useful contributions. Neil Carter and Dougie Brown took two wickets each.Kent, the only other county with a mathematical chance of catching the leaders, fared worse still at Taunton, where Matthew Wood made a superb 196. Wood shared a first-innings stand of 150 with Jamie Cox (62), after which Keith Parsons chimed in with 68. At stumps the hosts had reached an impressive 433 for five.Craig White made 161 to lead relegation-threatened Yorkshire to a respectable 276 against Leicestershire at Scarborough. Only three other players reached double figures for the hosts. Leicestershire closed on 32 for one.In Division Two, leaders Middlesex started well, with Ben Hutton (85) and Sven Koenig (26) putting on 108 for the first wicket. Owais Shah then made 47, but after he fell to Ronnie Irani Middlesex subsided to 283 for seven.Tim Hancock made 54 as Gloucestershire were bowled out for just 192 by Derbyshire at Bristol, with Graeme Welch taking six for 60. But the hosts immediately hit back, Mike Smith taking three for 49 as the Derbyshire struggled to 153 for six at the close.