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South Africa A 161 for 2 (A Peteren 87*, van Wyk 60) beat Zimbabwe A 160 (Mazakadza 46, Thomas 3-26) by eight wickets
ScorecardIt might only have been a A-team match, but the manner of today’s eight-wicket win by South Africa over Zimbabwe at Bulawayo would have further deepened the gloom inside the already worried Zimbabwe camp weeks before the World Cup.South Africa’s batting stars of the first match – Alviro Petersen and Morne van Wyk – again shone, both notching up easy half centuries as Zimbabwe A failed to impress with bat or ball. The pair put on 139 for the second wicket as South Africa chased down a target of 161 with 12 overs to spare.Both sides made two changes. Zimbabwe brought in allrounder Keith Dabengwa and opener Vusi Sibanda in for Chamu Chibhabha and fast bowler Anthony Ireland, South Africa offspinner Thandi Tshabalala and Vernon Philander for Charl Langerveldt and Johan Van der Wath.After winning the toss, Zimbabwe’s batting again looked frail from the second over when Stuart Matsikenyeri was trapped leg-before by Albie Morkel for 4. Sibanda followed when he was clean bowled by van der Wath for 2 and the slide continued when left hander Friday Kasteni, who looked destined for a big score, had his leg stump uprooted by Morkel.Sean Williams and Hamilton Masakadza put on 63 for the fourth wicket, but the stand ended when Williams miscued a pull shot off Langerveldt to the towering Justin Kemp at midwicket who clung on to a difficult catch. Masakadza and Brendan Taylor briefly looked damgerous before Alfonso Thomas nailed Taylor leg-before for 13 and then dismissed Masakadza in a similar way.Elton Chigumbura, who scored an aggressive unbeaten 61 in the first match, could not reproduce that same form and only managed 15 before he became Thomas’ third victim, caught at long-on by van der Wath as he tried to clear the boundary. Roger Telemachus had earlier on dropped him in the same place off the same bowler.Needing just 3.22 an over, South Africa did not get off to a great start when Bosman fell to Trevor Garwe, brilliantly snared at midwicket by Utseya after he had been dropped off the same bowler by Keith Dabengwa when yet to open his account. From there, South Africa A took firm control of proceedings with van Wyk and Alviro Petersen scoring freely.A huge mix up saw van Wyk run-out attempting a single – his partner sent him back but Sibanda threw in the ball from point in the ball for Taylor to complete the dismissal.But the result was by then a certainty, and Zimbabwe will do well to avoid a whitewash in the final match tomorrow.

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Victoria were powered by Brad Hodge’s hurricane hundred © Getty Images

A thrilling hundred from Brad Hodge and some disciplined bowling earned Victoria a crushing 93-run win over New South Wales as they became the first Twenty20 champions. Cameron White’s decision to bat was promptly rewarded as Victoria, who were powered by Hodge’s 106 from just 54 balls with seven sixes, raced on to an imposing 7 for 233 in their 20 overs before dismissing NSW for 140.Hodge, whose only Twenty20 innings this season was a 15-ball 26 against South Australia on January 8, needed only 54 deliveries to post his maiden Twenty20 hundred, and it proved far too much for NSW. Hodge hoped the innings would increase his chances of returning to the Australian one-day team.”It is a very hard side to get into, whether it be the Test or one-day side,” he said. “I have just got to try and score runs and if they [selectors] are up there seeing me striking the ball cleanly, it can’t do any harm.”Hodge added 60 for the second wicket with Michael Klinger and 91 for the third with David Hussey as he battered the NSW attack. While Hodge punished the opposition with 18 boundaries, White was brutal in his final-overs assault, clubbing six sixes in his 46 from 16 balls. Aaron Bird, with 3 for 39 from his four overs, was the most successful NSW bowler, while Moises Henriques had figures of 2 for 38.NSW were given a positive start from Craig Simmons and Jarrad Burke, who added 64 before Simmons was bowled by Shane Harwood for 39. NSW then lost the plot as the remaining nine wickets collapsed for 76. Victoria’s bowlers were impressive in their ability to apply the pressure, with Peter Siddle (2 for 43) and Harwood (2 for 18) serving decisive blows before White ran through the tail with 3 for 8.The tournament was such a success that James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said it would be expanded next season, although he confirmed the current reluctance to introduce more matches involving Australia. “We don’t want to expose it at the international level and our plan is to play one international match a season and expand this [domestic] competition,” he said. “Each state has only hosted one home match apart from the final and we will look at doubling that next year.”

Shane Warne has appealed for a venue change after too many wickets fell at Hamilton© Getty Images

Shane Warne believes Australia’s one-day match against New Zealand at Hamilton in March should be moved after he played on the “terrible” pitch there for the FICA World XI yesterday. Warne, who captained the guest side as they were dismissed for 81, said New Zealand’s pitches in general were not up to the required limited-overs standard.”You couldn’t play a one-day international out there,” he said after his side’s four-wicket loss to New Zealand. “I think the authorities are probably going to have to look and see if the [Australia] game can be moved already.” Warne also criticised the surface at Christchurch, and said the series against Australia would be “hard work” for New Zealand on pitches providing too much assistance for the bowlers.Martin Snedden, the New Zealand Cricket chief executive, admitted that the Hamilton pitch was “not ideal”, but did not confirm if the venue’s international status was in jeopardy. “I don’t think the players were in danger,” Snedden said. “Until you talk to the people involved in the game … you can have thoughts, but I’d like to test them a bit on their thinking.”

A club match in Christchurch, New Zealand, turned ugly last Saturday when one player allegedly head-butted another before being punched himself.According to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), the incident occurred in the match between the Old Boys and Sydenham cricket clubs. An Old Boys batsman was dismissed, and was sledged by a member of the opposition as he walked off. The batsman reportedly then took matters into his own hands and head-butted the fielder. During the scuffle another Old Boys player ran onto the field and hit the Sydenham fieldsman from behind.Old Boys officials were unavailable for comment, but Sydenham’s vice-president Glenn Hooper thought the incident was appalling. He said, "This sort of thing has no place in what’s supposedly called the gentleman’s game." He added: "We are in the process of setting up a disciplinary hearing for the people involved from our side, and I would expect the Old Boys club to be doing the same."The Canterbury Cricket Association will conduct their own investigation into the incident, and may well ban the players involved. In England, the Surrey Championship recently imposed a three-year ban on the Hampshire offspinner Shaun Udal after he was found guilty of "physical violence on and threats to an opposition player" during a club game.

India plays host to the visiting Zimbabweans and the capital of the citrus fruit is the first venue for the Test match. For reasons beyond one’s comprehension the BCCI have allotted the same venues for the Tests as the previous year when the Zimbabweans visited India. So once again Nagpur, the Orange city, and New Delhi will witness the two teams as they fight it out on the 22-yard pitch.As the month of the Pisceans begins, Zimbabwe will be looking to swim out of the still waters that they are in at the present moment. After an educative tour of Sri Lanka, they would have sharpened their skills. Whether theory can be put into practice – time will tell.The Indians are fresh from a relatively satisfactory home series with the English. There will always be room for improvement. There are youngsters in the team who need to be nurtured, who need to be told that the art of performing on the international stage requires a resolute mind. There has to be constant interaction with the senior, more settled, players and the results will show automatically.Zimbabwe have their share of insecurities. A crucial election is just around the corner for them. The result of the national election could decide the fate of many of the national cricketers. Therefore to be playing a series away from home for them must be unsettling. But the fact of the matter is that the show goes on and cricket has no season any more. The games must be played and the series will go on, and matters of the mind must not matter.The Vidarbha Cricket Association pitch will be the stage for the next five days. Batsman will try to get the better of the bowlers and vice versa. Will the Sachins and the Souravs got on a run blitz? Or will the Flower brothers bloom and the Streaks strike the Indian batting? Questions that will be answered over the next few days.Andy Flower and Sachin Tendulkar have feasted on runs in Nagpur as both have scored double hundreds at this ground. Expectations run high, and so will the runs that will flow from the willow. So what if the oranges are not feasted on instead?

The first day of the Ranji Trophy Central Zone League match beingplayed at KL Saini Stadium, Jaipur on Wednesday, saw Railways finishat 208/5 in 90 overs. Amit Pagnis steered Railways out of trouble witha steady innings of 86 studded with 11 fours. South paw Amit Pagnisadded 74 for the first wicket with S Bangar (24) in 24.6 overs. He wasalso associated in a 60 runs partnership for the third wicket in 32.4overs with Yere Goud who made 37. At the close of play PS Rawat with13 and S Sahu with 5 were at the crease. For Rajasthan, Sanjeev Sharmawas the best with the ball with figures of 25-11-41-2

West Ham United manager David Moyes has been dealt a blow ahead of tonight’s crunch clash with Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie.

The Lowdown: West Ham without key men…

The Hammers have had to cope without some influential figures in recent weeks/months as Moyes seeks to maintain his side’s push for Champions League qualification.

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West Ham are still in contention for a top-four place in the Premier League and take on La Liga giants Sevilla tonight as they also eye a run in Europe.

As the Irons fight on two major fronts, players who have proven integral over this last year have been absent recently, including defenders Angelo Ogbonna and Vladimir Coufal.

Both men are sidelined and unavailable tonight with there being plenty of fears in this last week surrounding another star player in Jarrod Bowen.

The Englishman was forced off in West Ham’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on Saturday, and despite the club confirming his knock isn’t a serious one, it appears Moyes will also be without his star player for Sevilla alongside the likes Coufal and Ogbonna.

The Latest: Bowen blow…

Speaking to the press, via football.london, West Ham’s manager confirmed Bowen won’t be playing at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium this evening.

“It [missing Bowen] will limit us as Jarrod has an X factor,” he said when asked about the winger.

“He has been in good form the last two to three months, it will not change us a great deal but we are missing an important player.

“We hope Jarrod can make it for the second leg. He has had three or four scans and there is noting severe but we are hoping to find the cause and to get him back as he is important.”

The Verdict: Huge miss…

Bowen is undoubtedly a contender for West Ham’s player of the season so missing him for tonight is a major blow.

As consistently reiterated by Moyes, Bowen has been ‘really important’ for the club this season, as evident by his WhoScored statistics in the Premier League.

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Not only is the 25-year-old West Ham’s top provider of goals and assists combined (8G, 8A), he’s also averaged the highest overall match rating out of their entire squad (7.23) and an even better number than big name star Declan Rice (7.17).

Completing more dribbles per 90 (1.6) than any man in Moyes’ squad, Bowen is consistently the Hammers’ most potent threat and his absence could well be detrimental.

Labelled ‘incredible player’ by Noel Whelan, West Ham will sorely miss him tonight.

In other news: Chief sports writer says West Ham have opened talks to sign ‘out of the ordinary’ £22.5m-rated star, find out more here.

“Lendl Simmons had limited success in spasmodic appearances that did not allow him to establish himself.” © Getty Images

The West Indies selectors have always been a contrary lot. The present generation has maintained the reputation with some confusing choices among the 23 called to the High Performance Centre at Cave Hill to prepare for the imminent tours of Zimbabwe (for five ODIs) and South Africa (three Tests, five ODIs, two Twenty20s).The most baffling are the omission from the group of Lendl Simmons and Keiron Pollard, the two young Trinidadians who had been seemingly identified as among those for the future but have quickly been shunted aside.Over the past year, Simmons, the slim, 22-year-old opener, was in the ODI teams in Pakistan, the World Cup and England. Pollard, 19, was picked for the World Cup on the evidence of his spectacular power-hitting in both Carib Beer Series and KFC Cup in his debut season.Simmons had limited success in spasmodic appearances that did not allow him to establish himself. Pollard has not been called again since his solitary opportunity against South Africa in the World Cup, a decisive contest in which he achieved nothing.Both did no less than most in the recent KFC Cup and Simmons’ ability as a back-up wicket-keeper and Pollard’s stiff medium-pace might have added to their credentials.While they are excluded, all of the “incumbents”, as Andy Roberts calls them, are retained, even the several with little to recommend them. It is a sad reflection on the present state of West Indies cricket.

Ryan Watson will miss Scotland’s Intercontinental Cup match against UAE in Sharjah next month, but his hopeful he will be back in time for the triangular ODI series with Kenya and Canada in Mombasa.He was struck in the face while he top edged an attempted hook in the first ODI against Bangladesh last week. He underwent surgery in Dundee earlier this week to repair a fractured cheekbone and eye socket.”I’m told it’s a four-to-six-week healing process after the operation,” he said, “so at best I am looking at being back for the tri-series in Kenya.”

Simon Jones: ‘I want to try and become world No.1 in the next year’ © Getty Images

The fit-again England fast bowler Simon Jones wants to become the best bowler in the world in 2006, beginning with the tour of India next month.In a major interview in the February issue of , Jones says: “I want to try and become world No.1 in the next year. I want to have a go at it.”To achieve his goal Jones, currently ranked 18th behind top-of-the-table Glenn McGrath and England team mates Andrew Flintoff (5), Matthew Hoggard (11) and Steve Harmison (15), will once again need to prove his fitness.Talking about his well-chronicled injury problems he tells the magazine: “I’m pretty realistic, I’m as fit as I ever can be, but you can’t exactly prepare your bones to play. My knee was a freak injury. There’s nothing I could have done about that. This one has just come from wear and tear. Everyone gets injuries, every bowler in the world. I’ve just been unfortunate that mine have been quite lengthy ones.”You realise you get sent these tests every now and again, they’re there to see how you deal with them and if you can’t push yourself that extra bit harder to get back from them.”Jones believes last summer’s Ashes success has raised his stock with the England captain Michael Vaughan. Before Australia he was regarded as a reverse swing specialist, often not tossed the ball until it was dirt-brown. “There’s nothing I could do: I couldn’t go up and say ‘Look, Vaughany, I want to bowl,’ because maybe I wasn’t in his plan of attack. So I took it on the chin and worked my socks off last summer.””People labelled me a one-trick pony at the start of the series,” he says. “But when I bowled those spells at Trent Bridge I was bowling with a normal ball and swinging it conventionally.”Jones claimed 18 Aussie scalps in four Tests. “I think I’ve gone up a little bit in his [Vaughan’s] estimations,” he says modestly.But not content with his current armoury of deliveries, Jones has been working on a looping trajectory, Shoaib Akhtar-like slower ball. “I can bowl one at 95 miles-an-hour; I did it in South Africa. It’s just about getting it right; Troy [Cooley] and I have been working on different ball positions. Hopefully this year I’m going to be rolling out a good slower ball.”Talking of Cooley, Jones says his decision to return home is, a “sickening blow”. “England are going to lose a very, very good bowling coach and I’m going to lose a very good friend,” he says.A new approach to his game includes curbing his temper, which has made him the England player with the shortest fuse and the most frequent visitor to the match referee’s office. It was not always the case. “When I first came to the Academy I was a lot shyer than I am now. Rod Marsh really brought me out of my shell. Now I’m thinking you’re here to do a job and, if you’re intimidating someone, then you’re doing a good job and don’t worry about it.”So does he ever regret his actions? “No, I’ve never regretted them to be honest because I’ve never done anything that bad.” Nevertheless, he does plan to learn more self-control. “Yeah definitely. I’d be skint otherwise.”