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Keith Parsons will remember the tedious final day that completed this rain-affected match long after it has been erased from the minds of slumbering spectators.The 27-year-old local product, from Taunton, ended an eight-year wait for his first County Championship century by hitting an unbeaten 108 as Somerset batted all day to reach 368-3 in their second innings, a lead of 400.When the declaration came to put the match out of its misery, Parsons and Peter Bowler had added 227 in an unbroken stand that was a Somerset record for the fourth wicket against Yorkshire.But it said everything about the final session that 21-year-old Yorkshire wicketkeeper Simon Guy marked his Championship debut by discarding his pads and bowling four overs of leg-spin.Tidy overs they were, too. And opening batsman Vic Craven could say the same about his eight overs of medium pace that cost only 15 runs.Acting-skipper Darren Lehmann had long given up hope of forcing a victory, while opposite number Jamie Cox had never entertained any other notion than batting right through from an overnight 33-0 – 65 runs ahead.There was a momentary chink of light for the visitors when Cox edged Chris Silverwood to Guy, having made 27, and Piran Holloway’s miserable season continued as he was bowled in the following over by Matthew Hoggard.At 56-2, Somerset were 88 ahead and not entirely safe. But Bowler joined Mark Lathwell in a stand of 85 for the third wicket, which dispelled any doubts about the outcome.Lathwell is still trying to re-establish himself after missing the whole of last season with a knee injury. The former England batsman produced some characteristic wristy shots, but was also out in trademark fashion, caught behind off Gary Fellows for 47 when looking well set.There were five minutes to go to lunch and it proved to be Yorkshire’s last success. After the interval Bowler and Parsons capitalised on a true and easy-paced pitch to survive without alarm, while Lehmann used his front-line bowlers sparingly.Bowler reached the fourth first class century of his benefit season off 196 balls, with 9 fours, and then became even more entrenched, taking a further 115 deliveries to add 39 to his score.Parsons lingered in the nineties, but then drove Craven through extra cover for the two runs he needed to reach a personal landmark.Somerset fans and team-mates were brought to life by the achievement. Parsons is a popular figure and a player who time and again has batted with effortless ease only to suffer a lapse in concentration to surrender his wicket short of a major score.By the close he had faced 185 balls and hit 11 fours. It will not be his last Championship hundred and perhaps the next one will be of more consequence.Promotion and relegation were meant to liven up the four-day game and may well do so in the final rounds of matches.But at present there is too much fear of losing among the sides either challenging for the title or looking to avoid a bottom three position. And that is doing the paying spectator no favours at all.Somerset took 11 points and Yorkshire 10.

There was never really any doubt that Waqar Younis would lead Pakistan in the World Cup. There was a lot of kite-flying and because the PCB maintained a silence , this kite-flying acquired a measure of credibility.It has been the PCB’s policy to appoint a captain on a series basis. It has adhered to this policy.It makes sense since form and fitness are of paramount importance and Waqar is no spring-chicken and is a high-risk when it comes to injuries. He is not alone in this as younger fast bowlers are falling by the wayside and are being patched-up and sent into battle.India rested Zaheer Khan in the one-day series against the West Indies, Mervyn Dillon pulled out of the tour of Bangladesh, Chris Cairns is still not fit to bowl, England seem to lose a fast bowler per match Allan Donald is being kept wrapped in cotton-wool and Zimbabwe had all its pace attack unfit, Muttiah Muralitharan is recovering from a hernia operation and Shane Warne has done his shoulder and is doubtful for the World Cup and our own Shoaib Akhtar has returned home to nurse a gammy knee.The PCB chairman has now confirmed Waqar as captain and hopefully the only kite-flying that will be done will be during the forthcoming basant.I think that Waqar will be the first to admit that he is no Imran Khan, Imran had the special gift of getting the best out of his players, even those he may not have personally liked. Like all humans, he had his likes and dislikes. He never allowed this to influence the way he handled the team.Waqar has never concealed that he is uneasy with Wasim Akram in the team. That, at least, is the perception and the selection of the playing eleven on tour has been whimsical. But he has done the job and led from the front and picked up wickets and given Pakistan the breakthrough. He has even started to make a few runs. The PCB has reposed confidence in him. This should cheer him up.The team management had asked for Saeed Anwar for the Test matches and the selection committee has sensibly refused to panic. Saeed should have been on the South Africa tour from the onset. There is no doubt that he was short of match-practice. But he is a near-certainty for the World Cup and he needs to get into the groove by playing domestic cricket. Pakistan will need his experience in the World Cup. He has time enough to get in the right frame of mind.We knew that the tour of South Africa would be a hard one but the margin of 4-1 is not a proper reflection of the difference between the two teams. Pakistan bowlers did everything asked of them but the batting seems to show no sign of the toughness that is required against quality opponents. The running between wickets left much to be desired, a sign that reflects not enough homework is being done on this vital aspect of the game.Running between the wickets is about judgement but it is also about communicating with one’s partner. There are only three calls, yes, no or wait. Simple words that do not put any stress on the mind and are unambiguous, not subject to interpretation, nor a basis for negotiation.While we are focused on the World Cup, a Test match comes around that is far more gripping than anything that the one-day version can dish out. Such a Test match was the one that was played at Hamilton between India and New Zealand.New Zealand won it in a tight finish. The first day’s play was washed out. But two days and a session were enough to get a decision. The wicket was certainly lively and the ball seamed but it was certainly not dangerous. Far too much was being read into it, the fault lay not in the wicket but in the lack of technique that was needed to cope with the moving ball. Far too used to batting-friendly pitches, this one had some juice. It was a low-scoring match, too much for batsmen of either team.In the days when wickets were not covered and we would get ‘sticky dogs’ there were batsmen who had developed special skills to play on them. I would like to see more pitches like the one at Hamilton. Batsmen have it far too good. They have all the protective gear while the fast bowlers can bowl no more than two bouncers per over.New Zealand were without Cairns. He is expected to play as a batsman in the one-day series. But probably will be fully fit for the World Cup. With the West Indies beginning to re-group. New Zealand the West Indies are two ‘outsiders’ that look most threatening for the World Cup.The West Indies will have Carl Hooper and Dillon back but there seems to be no news about Brian Lara, beyond, that he is unfit. But no progress report has been forthcoming. But not just the West Indies but cricket needs Brian Lara, still a prince among batsmen. But in Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels, they have two batsmen in the mould of Rohan Kanhai and that is high praise.

New Zealand have made it to the World Cup semi-finals six out of 10 times, but never further. However, Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, believes the momentum the current team has built over the last few months could help them cross the line this time.”We’ve still got a long way to go as a team, but we’ve made some significant strides in the last few months especially, and we’re starting to achieve some special things,” McCullum said. “It would be great if we could swallow a World Cup along the way.”The good thing is the style of play now is becoming so engrained with the group as well, that the personnel may change at times, but the style of play is pretty consistent,” he said. “We know what is going to give us our greatest chance towards success and we go about doing that. And the personnel within that group is as good as what I’ve been involved in.”New Zealand have played four ODI series in the lead-up to the World Cup, three of them at home, and have only lost one. That blip came when they were comfortably edged aside by South Africa in October. Since then, New Zealand have won a series in the UAE and thrashed Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home.”When you’re playing a team like South Africa and if you’re a little bit off task or not quite fully prepared, they’re going to expose you, and that’s what we found in that series,” McCullum said. “We’ve learned good lessons from it as well. We saw Luke Ronchi and his confidence that’s grown since those two knocks he had against him.”The confidence we’ve been able to build over a period of time in the situations we’ve found ourselves in and still being able to succeed is something which I think the team is now priding itself on as well. At least that gives us a reason for hope that we’ve got a chance in this World Cup.”Asked if playing a home World Cup was a cause of nerves for the players, McCullum said the team had worked hard on “maintaining the emotional level” and were prepared to handle the rapid swings of fortune during the tournament. Twenty years ago, if there was any effect, it was all positive as New Zealand won their first seven matches before losing consecutive games to the eventual winners, Pakistan.”We’ve sort of got fond memories of that campaign, and how it captivated New Zealand and the manner in which that ’92 team played and the innovation and sheer passion that they played with, and we’ve been able to glean some of those examples and try to integrate them into our current make-up as well,” McCullum said. “We haven’t exactly had people come in and sort of discuss it with us, but the lasting image of ’92 certainly resonates throughout the squad as well.”

County champions Surrey hold an almighty lead going in to day four in their Division One clash with Leicestershire at The Oval. The visitors lost their last five wickets for 58 runs with Tim Murtagh picking up three. Darren Maddy remained unbeaten on 127. Surrey then got off to an explosive start. By stumps they were 335 for four off 63 overs. Adam Hollioake had stuck 18 fours and three sixes in his 152-ball 146 and Ali Brown 89. Both remained undefeated with Surrey 468 in front.Warwickshire require another 297 runs for victory against Sussex at Hove. Sussex were finally dismissed for 341 in their second innings after Mark Davis and Keith Innes both batted sensibly with the former scoring 66. With seven wickets in hand Warwickshire will have it all to do on the final day if they are to wrap up victory.Yorkshire’s woes continued as they suffered yet another defeat. The already relegated penniless club were thrashed by Kent by eight wickets. Following on in the second innings the home side failed to make any significant start and lost wickets at regular intervals. Richard Blakey top scored with 94. Robert Key guided his side home with an unbeaten 33 and wicket-keeper Paul Nixon was there too at the end as the visitors rounded off a good season with a win.The Division Two title is in the balance at Chelmsford. Essex require another 210 runs while Nottinghamshire need to take eight wickets. The increasingly impressive Will Jefferson found the boundary 15 times and remains at the crease on 71 while Australian Mark Waugh ran diligently between the wickets. The visitors were bowled out for 280 with Bilal Shafayat hitting a well-deserved 70 to resist the Essex attack while the last three wickets put on a vital 131.Derbyshire were indebted to their middle order, which grew from strength to strength as the day progressed in their match against Worcestershire at New Road. Resuming on 98 for two, there were half-centuries from Steve Selwood, Jason Kerr and Nathan Dumelow. David Leatherdale took four for 50 as the home side bowled Derbyshire out for 391. Chasing 373 for victory Kevin Dean shook the visitors with an early wicket but Steven Peters kept his cool to remain undefeated on 23. At the close of play the home side were 30 for one.Darren Thomas claimed the last Northamptonshire wicket at Cardiff before Glamorgan began show again what a good pitch it is. Glamorgan lead by 388 after ending the day on 470 for five. Matthew Maynard was in awesome form as he scored 151 at more than a run a ball. In an innings which spammed just over three and a half hours, he hit 19 fours and two sixes and shared a 252 run stand for the second wicket with Darren Hemp, who also scored a hundred. Maynard was stumped by Torbin Bailey off Rob White, whilst Hemp was bowled by the same bowler for 108. Michael Powell (82 not out), Adrian Dale (50) and Robert Croft (47 not out) also found the batsman-friendly pitch easy going.Gloucestershire beat Durham by ten wickets at Bristol. Ian Fisher took four of the nine Durham wickets that fell on the third day for the addition of 198 runs. Michael Gough was the top scorer with 78, but the target of 170 posed no problems for Gloucestershire. Craig Spearman led them home with 114 not out.

Mitchell Johnson has won the backing of his captain Ricky Ponting for an extended run in the Test team despite a disappointing tour of the Caribbean. Johnson was generally wayward in all three Tests and too often relieved the pressure on the batsmen that had been built up by Brett Lee and Stuart Clark, but Ponting said it was unfair to judge him on one series.”There are a few others on this tour and others in the wings,” Ponting told the . “No doubt in the next couple of months you will see some of those guys play in some one-dayers or in Tests if there are injuries, but right at the moment I am pretty comfortable with the attack that we have got.”Ashley Noffke and Doug Bollinger were the two backup fast bowlers on the Test tour but neither was required for anything more than carrying the drinks. Shaun Tait is also likely to return to first-class cricket at the start of Australia’s home season and Johnson will need to improve his results in order to stay ahead of the pack.In the West Indies he failed to swing the ball in to the right-handers, relying entirely on pushing it across, and when the pitch did not offer speed and bounce he was barely threatening. He turned things around slightly with a career-best 4 for 41 in Barbados, although those wickets came mostly in the lower order, and he finished his first Test series on foreign soil with ten wickets at 34.70.”Mitch is still a work in progress,” Ponting said. “He has got everything there to become a very, very good Test bowler, with his pace and being left-arm and his ability to swing the ball. We just need to keep aiding him along a little bit, helping him out.”While Johnson’s form was a slight concern for Australia, the left-arm wrist-spinner Beau Casson impressed Ponting on debut as Australia searched for their next long-term Test slow bowler. Casson picked up three wickets in the second innings in Barbados, including the dangerous Xavier Marshall and Dwayne Bravo, and Ponting said Casson had clearly improved after showing some nerves in the first innings.”The way he handled himself throughout the game was terrific,” Ponting said. “He kept changing things up. He never let the batsmen get too settled. He changed over and around the wicket, he changed his fields all the time.”His second innings bowling was a terrific return for someone playing their first game. What you want from your spinner on day five is to get you those crucial breakthroughs, and he got those for us. That was a top debut for him.”Despite the challenges of overseeing a less experienced side than usual, Ponting said he was enjoying being able to help the younger players develop. It is a process that will continue when Australia play their next Test, in India in October.”I said when some of the senior guys moved on that it was going to be one of the more exciting periods in my career to have some fresher faces around the team,” Ponting said. “I enjoy having some guys who have made their debuts and some guys who have played just a handful of Tests in the side because I feel I’ve got a lot that I can offer to those guys.”

A journey that began for a 25-year-old Richard Hayward looking for some employment in the English winter in 1979 reaches a new level when he takes up the position of Canterbury’s coaching director next month.The former English county professional with Hampshire and Somerset, has been living in Nelson where he was the first full-time professional coaching director appointed by a district association four years ago.It was a bold move by the Nelson association, always a front-runner in advancing cricket in its own region, and now the stage has been reached where most district associations should be employing full-time coaching co-ordinators as the result of a drive for increased coaching for districts and clubs by New Zealand Cricket (NZC).But Hayward is moving into the next phase of cutting edge cricket with Canterbury.”I’m really looking forward to it. It is a new challenge and something different.”It is a step-up from what I have been doing and with Canterbury Cricket doing some very exciting things, with their new building and their four-lane indoor training facility, it is a good time to be involved,” he said.Hayward’s role will be to look after coaches at all levels of the game, from junior schools with their MILO programmes through to clubs, with the new initiatives that will see all clubs have some coaching available to them through NZC’s efforts.From a broad-based role in Nelson, the job will be much more specific in Christchurch and he will not be so hands-on with teams.In Nelson he was dealing with all representative teams from Form One through to the Nelson senior side.Not surprisingly, given it is his trade, Hayward believes coaching development deserves a higher priority.”Coaching education has taken a back seat to player development. But if you can’t get coaches, you are not going to develop players.”One of my aims in Canterbury will be to get good quality coaches, and lots of them,” he said.Hayward is motivated solely by the desire that young players should enjoy their game sufficiently to want to be involved in it for a lifetime.”I am putting something back because I want people to get the same enjoyment out of cricket that I got.”And I do worry that kids are not enjoying the game as much as I did,” he said.The lack of players mingling after games, whether due to drink-driving regulations or because longer hours of work result in players having to get home quickly after games, is a real concern to him.”It is the responsibility of coaches to encourage mingling between sides. The most enjoyable part of cricket is meeting people.”And I know that Richard Reid, as chief executive, is looking to improve the enjoyment for clubs down there,” he said from Nelson.”We’ve got to make cricket more enjoyable, and we have to keep some of the older people in the game for longer,” he said.Having players retire at 30 was not good. It affected the quality of club cricket, and then districts cricket.The coaching side of the game started when Hayward was 25 and just starting to play professionally in England. He was looking for a job in the winter, and an uncle in Nelson happened to mention to Nelson cricket identity Jock Sutherland that he had a nephew seeking some work.”Billy Ibadulla had just finished coaching in Nelson and they were looking for someone. Jock Sutherland rang me and over a couple of phone calls we sorted things out. I was an English Level II coach by that stage.”I came out six years in a row. Then I bought a shop in Nelson and did some summer coaching and when Nelson appointed a full-time coach four years ago I jumped at the chance.”It was a bit of a financial punt for Nelson at the time, they were the first district association in New Zealand to do it,” he said.But since the news was relayed yesterday that Hayward was leaving the Nelson area, he has had nothing but goodwill and support for his decision.The only problem is that because Sutherland, his mentor, has been in England, he hasn’t been able to let him know.That apart, Hayward says he is “raring” to go in his new role.

After demolishing Bangladesh with a brilliant spell of fast bowling and capturing four wickets, Shane Bond told the media that he was not too happy with his rhythm.”I look up at guys like Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock as world class, and that is where I’d like to get to. I’ll have to work hard to reach that level around the World Cup time.”Bond reckoned that it swung a lot today unlike the game against Australia, with the humid conditions in Colombo.”It is a bit of a shame that we didn’t have such conditions against Australia.”The winning captain Stephen Fleming said that today’s win against Bangladesh was only convincing statistically, and he was not too happy with the tentative batting.Fleming pinpointed the problem with New Zealand one-day cricket as the lack of ability to convert the starts to big scores.”Starting with me, we are reluctant to kick on and get the big score. We have been flirting with partnerships and getting partnerships of 60s and 70s. We are creating a lot of pressure for guys down the order,” said Fleming.Fleming was quick to add that the successful teams in the tournament have had someone getting a hundred up the order and making big scores to help chase or set big targets.Talking about their performance in the ICC Champions Trophy, Fleming said, “We are disappointed with the Australian game, and were not really there in that game. We have finished on a much better note; the bowling and catching were very good today.”Fleming said that the team had put in a lot of hard work in the last eight days, keeping in mind the tour to Sri Lanka coming up next year.”We have been working out a few things, playing spinners, and different types of practice and getting used to the conditions. So when we come back here, we will be more prepared.”The New Zealand skipper is a disappointed man that they could not defend the trophy they won in Kenya. He made no excuses though.”Each individual tournament has its own character. It was a tough game against Australia first up. You always want to compete whether it is a series or a World Cup. We wanted to play well here, and we didn’t do it this time.”New Zealand had some success against the all-conquering Aussies last summer, and Fleming explained the recipe for success against the Australians.”You’ve got to absorb pressure. If you don’t absorb pressure, you are not going to be there in the ball game.”They have the ability to apply pressure in batting and bowling. You’ve got to be on song from ball one. If you go behind in any game, it is very hard to catch up with them. The key to success against them is to be in the game and competing.”It was indeed quite disappointing to see the Bangladesh batsman taking a few steps back against the likes of Mills and Oram. Bangladesh fly out to South Africa tomorrow and are to play two Tests and three ODIs. Fleming reckons that the Bangladeshis have some work to do to stay in the game with the South Africans.”They don’t get much exposure to quicker and bouncier pitches. They have to look at it as a real learning experience. If they get spooked up, they are not going to learn anything.””They have to show a lot more steel and face up to the South Africans, not an easy task, but you got to learn that way at the highest level,” Fleming added.It was a disappointed Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud who addressed the media. After the Kiwis had dealt the knockout punch, there was nothing much for the skipper to say.”We have a tough tour of South Africa coming up. It is going to be seaming tracks and the boys would have learnt something from here.”Talking about his sore right shoulder, Mashud said, “I had an injection three weeks back and had one right after the game.”

Left-arm spinner Anderson Sealy snared six scalps for the BNB Western Blasters, who grounded Caribbean Star Southern Blazers for a modest total on an easy-paced pitch in bright, sunny conditions.But the South boys admirably lifted themselves in the last hour on the opening day of their second round Arawak Cement Cup match, and were flying high with their opponents still 46 runs adrift with only three first innings wickets intact.Sealy, 20, was still the day’s star, following up a five-wicket haul in the first round with six for 42 off 13.3 overs, even though most of the South batsmen fell to a series of injudicious strokes as he cleverly flighted his varied deliveries.The athletic fast bowler Callitos Lopez also impressed with three wickets in an impressive eight-over newball spell.Apart from Alcindo Holder, who hit three fours and two sixes in a breezy 33, only skipper Ian Bradshaw and the last-wicket pair of Reunel Agard and Winston Reid showed any kind of application.By lunch, the South were in serious strife at 104 for seven with Kurt Wilkinson, Shawn Graham, Carlo Morris, Dwayne Smith, Rohan Nurse and Dave Marshall all departing cheaply.Another 57 runs were gathered, including 26 by the last-wicket pair, Reid and Agard, before Sealy put a seal on the innings.In response, the West XI, suffered a dramatic collapse after a 62-run second wicket stand between Owen Birch, who made 40 and left-handed opener Jason Haynes, who made 34, including four boundaries in two overs off the wily Reid.After Roach removed both Haynes and Birch, Edison Rock, skipper Sherwin Campbell, Lopez, and Glasgow all perished to the experienced combination of Reid and Marshall in the space of ten runs as the West slumped from the relative safety of 98 for three.

Match facts

Sunday, May 25, 2008
Start time 20:00 (local time), 14:30 (GMT)

The Big Picture

Kings XI Punjab will play their second dead match in two days when they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata. Sealing a spot in the semi-finals did not stop Punjab from putting on a convincing performance against the Deccan Chargers and they will want to match the consistent form of their fellow semi-finalists, the Rajasthan Royals. Their previous two games went down to the last over and Punjab will look to avoid that this time round.For Kolkata, it is the final game of the season and they will want to end on a positive note, giving the Eden Gardens spectators something to cheer about. In their last four games, Kolkata haven’t scored more than 149, and only one of their batsmen has managed a half-century – Salman Butt against the Chennai Super Kings.When the two sides played in Mohali, Kolkata fell nine runs short despite a 73-ball 71 from David Hussey.

Tournament position

Kolkata Knight Riders: P13, W5, L7, NRR -0.167
Kings XI Punjab: P12, W9, L3, NRR +0.431

Form (last five matches, most recent first)

Kolkata Knight Riders: LLLWW
Kings XI Punjab: WWWWL

Watch out for …

SYDNEY, Oct 7 AAP – NSW look certain to be without Australia A paceman Stuart Clark when it start its ING Cup cricket defence next weekend.The right arm fast bowler tore ankle ligaments in his left ankle in the latter stages of Australia A’s recent limited overs tour of South Africa.Clark was the Blues’ most consistently economical one day bowler last season conceeding just 3.65 an over.Arguably the most improved cricketer in Australia last summer, 27-year-old Clark is also likely to miss the Blues’ opening Pura Cup match against Queensland starting in Brisbane on October 16.His place in the one day team could go to all-rounder Grant Lambert who took five wickets for NSW against Tasmania in a second XI match last week.The only other forced change to the Blues team which beat Queensland in last season’s final in Brisbane will involve prize new recruit Simon Katich.Left handed batsman Katich, who has moved from Western Australia, blasted nine sixers in an innings of 177 in a club game for Randwick-Petersham on Saturday.When the NSW team for Sunday is announced tomorrow, 27-year-old Katich should fill the vacancy left by another left hander Mark Higgs, who has moved to South Australia.Higgs and Clark apart, the NSW selectors are likely to stick with the remainder of the team which beat the Bulls in last season’s final.However, international leg spinner Stuart MacGill who was the competition’s leading wicket taker last season but was unavailable for the final, should be available despite sitting out last weekend with a hand injury.Several NSW players displayed good form in round two of Sydney grade which finished today.Red hot batsman Matthew Phelps followed up centuries in the first club round and the second XI game with 136 for Manly against Penrith today.Australian limited overs star Michael Bevan made 38 while another of Manly’s NSW representatives Shawn Bradstreet scored an unbeaten 60.Corey Richards followed up twin centuries in the second XI match with 112 for Bankstown against University of New South Wales while Michael Clarke scored 78 for Western Suburbs against Sydney University.Shane Lee, who is likely to captain the Blues in the absence of Steve Waugh made just seven for Mosman against Randwick-Petersham.Michael Slater was unlikely to force his way back into the NSW one day line-up after being dismissed for four playing for University of NSW against Bankstown.The NSW side announced tomorrow will play a practice match on Wednesday against a team made up of other squad members and the half dozen New Zealanders who are currently playing club cricket in Sydney.