Having batted well through 45 overs at the end of day two, Pakistan started day three with a lot of promise, but once the new ball was taken Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini ripped the heart out of the batting, taking six wickets for the addition of only 12 runs.The new ball was taken at the start of the 81st over with Pakistan 240 for the loss of four wickets. 46 balls later Pakistan was all out for 252, with Pollock taking two for two and Ntini four for ten. A collapse that is hard to express in words, a lot easier in feelings and emotions.Pakistan had started the day well on a pitch that was flat and almost made to order by the batsmen. It took Pollock and umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan 35 minutes to get the initial breakthrough, when Younis Khan was unlucky to be given out lbw when the ball clearly struck the pad outside off stump. Younis had looked for fifty, but to departed for 46 and the 116-run second-wicket record partnership had ended on 152.The turning point came when Inzamam-ul-Haq, once again showing signs of his ability with the bat, could not resist the pull, sending a short ball from Mornantau Hayward straight down the throat of deep square leg. His partnership with Taufeeq Umar was just starting to look dangerous for South Africa when lack of application cost Inzamam his wicket. Once again a batsman had got into the thirties but no further.Hayward got rid of Yousuf Youhana first ball, fishing outside off, and a collapse was in prospect. But Umar showed that with a bit of application plenty of runs were for the taking. Stuck in the nervous nineties for 50 minutes, he worked through it, going to his third hundred and eventually recording his highest Test score of 135.Ntini was first to strike with the new ball, getting one to go across Umar whoi was caught by Kallis at second slip. At 240/5 the stuffing had gone, and Pakistan went down like turkeys at Christmas.Kamran Akmal walked into a ball from Pollock to depart without scoring and Pakistan were 247/6. Faisal Iqbal, after playing and missing several times, was bowled trying to pull Ntini for 24, Pakistan 251/7. Waqar Younis wafted outside the off to Pollock, 252/8, and Ntini dispatched a swinging Saqlain Mushtaq and defensive Mohammad Zahid to end it at 252, still 368 behind South Africa’s 620/7 declared.The follow-on started disastrously, with Saleem Elahi caught at mid-wicket top-edging a pull, and Younis caught at gully to leave Pakistan two wickets down with nine runs on the board. It could have been worse, as Dippenaar put Umar down off the first ball of the second innings.Umar carried on from where he had left off, and with Inzamam played positive cricket to register another record, this time the third wicket for Pakistan against South Africa.A double strike on 130 from Boje and Pollock got rid of a far more committed Inzamam, stumped for 60, and a maturing Umar, caught behind for 67, to reduce Pakistan to 130/4.Youhana took an immediate liking to Boje, crashing four fours, a two and a six off the first over he received from the spinner. The first ball of the next over also went six, obviously the shots of a man resigned to defeat.With 47 in a 50-run partnership with Faisal Iqbal, Youhana created someentertainment by going to the second-fastest 50, in terms of balls faced, in Test history. It was one ball short of the 26 balls taken by Ian Botham against India in 1981-82.Boje, although expensive, had his revenge when Youhana was caught at deep mid-on for 50, and Pakistan were 184/5 at stumps with Iqbal not out on two.

• Matthew Hayden (AUS) needs 42 runs to complete 2000 ODI runs
• Inzamam-ul-Haq (PAK) needs 62 runs to complete 9000 ODI runs
• Shahid Afridi (PAK) needs 129 runs to complete 4000 ODI runs
• Waqar Younis (PAK) needs 48 runs to complete 1000 ODI runs
• Shane Warne (AUS) needs 9 wickets to join the 300 ODI-wicket club
• Wasim Akram (PAK) needs 10 wickets to join the 500 ODI-wicket club
• Michael Bevan (AUS) needs 111 runs to complete his 500 World Cup runs
• Glenn McGrath (AUS) needs one wicket to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club
• Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) needs 6 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club
• Shoaib Akhtar (PAK) needs 9 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club
• Waqar Younis (PAK) needs 10 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club
• Wasim Akram (PAK) needs 7 wickets to join the 50 World Cup wicket-club

Bowling 30 overs of teasing left-arm spin, Sunil Joshi took six wickets for 62 runs against Kerala in their Ranji Trophy Plate Final game against Karnataka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Tuesday.Winning the toss, Kerala skipper Sunil Oasis opted to bat first, but his side’s batting line-up could not deliver as it did in previous matches in this domestic season. Or perhaps Joshi’s bowling was just too good; either way, Kerala found themselves bowled out for 190 in 77.3 overs, squandering the advantage that batting first usually imparts in Indian conditions.The first three batsmen did well enough, with Sujith Somasunder (44) and MM Nathani (32) putting together 58 runs for the first wicket. C Hemanth Kumar at number three top-scored with 48 from 128 balls, with seven fours, but few other batsmen could stick around at the crease.Kerala’s last nine wickets fell for the addition of just 85 runs, with offie Udit Brijesh Patel giving slick support to Joshi and taking three for 42 in 19.3 overs in the process.Karnataka batted through 10 overs of play before stumps without any mishap, with J Arunkumar and Barrington Rowland making 16 and six respectively.

Kenya and Bangladesh training and media arrangements for Thurs and Fri plus Dr Bacher to meet Kenya team on FridayKenya are practicing at Wanderers on Thursday morning until 1pm, both the coach and the captain will be available for interview.On Friday Kenya will practice at Wanderers from 2pm to 5pm. Dr Ali Bacher will meet the players at the start of the practice. Again both the coach and captain will be available for interview. Media wishing to speak to other Kenya players should contact Kenya media manager Mehmood Quarishy.Bangladesh will practice at Wanderers on Friday morning from 10am. Both the coach and captain will be available for comment at the end of the session and media are advised to arrive around 12pm.Media contacts:Kenya – Mehmood Quarishy: +254 733 605 224
Bangladesh – Abu Sharif Faruque 072 629 4604India and Pakistan practice and media arrangements for FridayIndia will be practicing at Centurion from 10am to 1pm on Friday. All ICC CWC 2003 accredited media will be able to attend and there will be a press conference at the end of the session.Pakistan will be practicing at Centurion from 2pm to 5pm on Friday. All ICC CWC 2003 accredited media will be able to attend. The timing of their press conference will be confirmed later today (Thurs).Media contacts:India: Amrit Mathur 084 513 5706
Pakistan: Sami Hasan 083 299 5920
Practice and media arrangements for England cricket teamThursday, Feb 27th: England will hold a press conference at 4.30 pm at the Holiday Inn Garden Court, Port Elizabeth with Andrew Flintoff. No practice scheduled.Friday, Feb 28th: England will practice from 9 am until 11 am approx at St George’s Park. A press conference will be held at the ground after practice.Saturday: March 1st: England are scheduled to practice at St George’s Park in the afternoon from 2-5 pm. Media arrangements tbc.Contact:Andrew Walpole, Team Media Mgr 082 8581011

Greg Blewett is back in Australian colours, this time for the Double Wicket World Championship on the paradise island of St. Lucia. Speaking to Wisden CricInfo after the first day’s play, Blewett spoke about the tournament, his hopes for his forthcoming spell with Kent, and the potential of Aussie new kid on the block Michael Clarke. Along with many of the assembled stars, Blewett was still taking stock of the competition’s format.”It’s interesting to see the tactics needed for the Double Wicket,” he said. “I think they will become clearer as the tournament progresses. You can either go for the aggressive Pakistani approach, or the more careful approach like West Indies. But there’s a definite advantage to bowling first so you can then play accordingly.”Like most of the spectators at Beausejour yesterday, Blewett was impressed with the immediate impact of Shahid Afridi.”The crowd want to see more of the Pakistan-style approach. But given that they lose 10 runs if they lose a wicket, if they lose a couple of wickets early on against some of the better bowlers, it will be interesting to see what they do.”The Double Wicket players were not the only ones on planes to the Caribbean last week. Steve Waugh’s Australians flew in to Guyana to begin their defence of the Frank Worrell Trophy.”Even with a couple of players out, the depth is pretty good. Michael Clarke (who replaces Damien Martyn) is a quality player,” Blewett enthused. “Everyone agrees he is the next Ricky Ponting.”Blewett also rates West Indies an improving side, especially on their home pitches.”I can’t see too many sides beating Australia.” It doesn’t come across as arrogance or a brash statement – simply factual.While the all-conquering Australians are headed for Guyana and the Test and one-day international tour of the West Indies, Blewett will be flying to England after the tournament for seven weeks with Kent – his third county following spells with Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.Blewett is a like-for-like replacement for Andrew Symonds in the batting order, expected to bat at number four. But the path to a county contract for the forthcoming summer was unexpectedly difficult.”I thought that with counties being able to bring two players in, it would be easier. As it’s turned out, it’s been more difficult,” Blewett said. “Either they’re struggling financially, or they are being careful trying to balance their sides so need a certain type of player.”But Blewett is looking further than his seven-week stay.”Kent haven’t signed a second overseas player, so it’s a motivation that, if I do well, they might ask me to stay. Robert Key will probably be away with England for quite a bit of the summer. If I stayed on, I could move up the order and open the batting while he is away.”Whatever happens, it is a motivating factor for his initial spell with Kent, and the carrot of a longer contract could be just what is needed. Spectators in England this summer could see the best of a player who would walk into most Test or one-day sides.

Rod Marsh, chief coach at England’s academy and recently appointed as a selector, has dismissed arguments that English cricketers play too much cricket during the year.In an interview with BBC radio, Marsh dismissed claims by some young cricketers that they are being asked to play too many games. “Name me another professional sport where you basically get seven months off,” he said. “What do they do in the winter time? Go away and play if they can. What do they do pre-season? Go and get ready for the season.”The more you play the better you should become because playing is a lot more fun than practising. That’s the attitude I want these youngsters to take.”But Marsh warned people not to expect immediate miracles from those at the academy, insisting that the set-up was “miles away” from where he wanted it to be.”You have to be patient and we have a lot of work to do still and it’s mainly the players who have to realise what it takes and make the commitment,” he explained. “There is the talent there but they have to understand all the things that go to make a great Test player. They have to make personal sacrifices and be prepared to develop what talent they have.”And Marsh also cautioned the media about building up the newest crop of young players, singling out James Anderson as one who should be given time to develop. “It’s early doors for him,” Marsh said. “He’s only been in the game five minutes. He’s got very good ability and I’m sure if he continues to develop he will be an outstanding bowler for England.”

South Wilts have climbed into a challenging second place in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League after a hard earned 84-run win over Andover at London Road.The Bemerton success was based around a half-century fifth-wicket partnership between Tom Caines and Jamie Glasson, and subsequent four-wicket hauls by Adam Smith and Paul Draper."That stand between Tom and Jamie really won us the game," said South Wilts skipper Rob Wade. "It wasn’t an easy track to bat on – in fact, it was downright poor – with some balls keeping low and others popping."And those two really worked hard to get us into a winning position."Russell Rowe (28), showing signs of a return to form, and Wade (22) helped South Wilts to 80-4 before Caines (40) and Glasson (40) added a precious 58 to steer South Wilts towards 184-8 off the full 66 overs.Andover began brightly through Mark Miller (25) and Steve Williams, but when the pair were respectively trapped leg before, the wickets began to tumble.Double breakthroughs by Adie Holewell (2-29) and Draper had Andover wobbling at 62-4 before Toby Radford (18) was bowled trying to pull a delivery which pitched and shot along the ground.Draper (4-18) went on to claim another scalp before Smith (4-4) cashed in by taking Andover’s last four wickets for two runs. They were 100 all out.Champions Havant were frustrated as Liphook & Ripsley captain Jez Bulled batted out for a draw at Ripsley Park.The recently appointed skipper hit an undefeated 57 as Liphook held on at 147-8, in reply to Havant’s 224 all out.Havant exile David Wade (3-36), relishing the opportunity to take the new ball against his former club mates, had the title holders in a fix at 17-3, with Steve Snell, Dominic Carson and Richard Hindley all quickly back in the pavilion.But Luke Sears (66) and Simon Barnard (85) shared a near century stand to tilt the balance in Havant’s favour.Liphook old boy Chris Wright (27) chipped in before Tim Wheatley (5-54), who removed Barnard, took three late scalps to reduce Havant to 224 all out.Bulled and Steve Riley (26) took Liphook’s reply to 94-2, but Havant maintained a typically mean line, with Phil Loat and Hindley complimenting Australian off-spinner Matt Cox, who finished with 4-46 as Liphook played out time at 147-8.

England v South Africa, NatWest Series, Match Five, Old Trafford

One of the greatest mysteries of the recent World Cup, along with the devastating losses of form of Mahela Jayawardene and Inzamam-ul-Haq, was the utter anonymity of Jacques Kallis. In front of his home fans and at the peak of his career, it was inconceivable that Kallis would finish the tournament with a paltry 63 runs at 15.75, and that he would fail to take a single wicket until that fateful evening against Sri Lanka at Newlands – by which stage, of course, it was all too late.Amid all the upheaval that followed – Shaun Pollock’s sacking and Graeme Smith’s careless choices of words – Kallis slipped quietly into the background. He pulled out of the subsequent tour to Bangladesh (a most unKallis-like decision, given the cheap runs on offer) and at the age of 27, there were more than a few rumours flying around that he had lost his appetite for the daily grind of international cricket.What we now know, of course, puts everything into perspective. Kallis’s father, Henry, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. His uncle, Denge, was claimed by the disease on the very day that South Africa flew into the country. And Kallis’s batting in this series has been at once moving and immoveable.England simply had no response to his iron will, and not even the vagaries of the Manchester floodlights could unsettle him. His form this series has been so effortless, he has not once felt the need to hurry – today’s half-century came off 73 balls, but that was his quickest effort so far. On 68, he passed 300 runs for the series, and had it not been for Andrew Hall’s appearance at No. 3, Kallis would surely have been celebrating his third one-day century in consecutive innings – a feat last achieved by his team-mate Herschelle Gibbs.Hall, a bullying striker of the ball, played a hit-and-mostly-miss innings that underlined the serenity of Kallis’s approach. Hall’s 29 from 39 balls came at a comfortably slower strike-rate than Kallis’s 82 from 105, and involved more risks than Kallis has taken all series. Instead, it was the more prosaic Jacques Rudolph who flourished in the conditions.Rudolph’s second half-century in ODIs was a compact affair, the likes of which only Anthony McGrath and Marcus Trescothick had been able to produce earlier in the day. Quite simply, England’s middle-order once again failed to make enough runs, a problem compounded by Michael Vaughan’s continued struggle for form. Although his failure today is forgivable, as Shaun Pollock had slipped a gear or three and found the perfect range and the most immaculate legcutter.Smith, South Africa’s captain, may have run-worries of his own, but with Pollock and Kallis coming to form at precisely the right time, the gradient of his learning curve has been reduced by a degree or ten. South Africa have earned their pre-eminence in the NatWest Series, and they are now playing with a solidity that augurs well for the Test series as well.Click here for the Wisden Bulletin

Dominic Cork has been given a three-match ban, suspended for 12 months, and fined £1000 at an ECB disciplinary hearing at Lord’s. Cork, Derbyshire’s captain, admitted he was in breach of ECB regulations after calling an opposition player a cheat.The incident occurred during Derbyshire’s fractious Twenty20 Cup match against Leicestershire at Grace Road. Derbyshire lost by one run, a result which cost them a place in this Saturday’s semi-finals, but the match was effectively decided when Brad Hodge took a catch in the deep, and then carried the ball over the boundary rope.A six ought to have been awarded to Derbyshire, who immediately lodged a protest, but the ECB refused to reverse the result. Cork had called Hodge a cheat after the teams left the field, which the ECB accepted was understandable in the heat of the moment, but then compounded the matter in an interview with the Daily Mail.”I blame the win-at-all-costs culture of cheating which is taking cricket down the road that has made football such a sleazy game," Cork was quoted as saying. "In football it’s diving, shirt-pulling, conning refs and feigning injury. In cricket, it is claiming catches on the bounce, pretending that the ball hasn’t gone over the rope and players standing their ground when they’ve thick-edged it to slip.”His statements were a clear breach of ECB rules 4.2 and 4.3, which prohibit players and officials from making any statement which constitutes a verbal attack on another individual who is subject to the same jurisdiction. Although Michael Vaughan and Dicky Bird both provided character references, Cork was handed a suspended sentence and fined £500, as well as a further £500 in costs.Meanwhile, Hodge is threatening legal action. Leicestershire’s general manager Kevin Hill told BBC Sport he expected to discuss the matter with Hodge on Tuesday. Any decision, however, would rest with the player.

Michael Vaughan has insisted that he has enough steel to be a successful England captain after Ray Illingworth accused him of "captaincy by committee" during the team’s crushing innings defeat against South Africa at Lord’s.Vaughan told reporters, “I ain’t soft. I can’t be soft, I play international cricket and I’ve scored quite a few runs against good teams.” The Lord’s match was Vaughan’s first Test as captain, and he found his relaxed style of leadership, much praised during England’s victorious one-day series, under scrutiny. The heavy defeat prompted Illingworth, who led England to an Ashes victory in Australia in 1970-71, to question Vaughan’s leadership skills. But Vaughan replied: “I’ll do the job my way. I’m a relaxed player and I believe people play better when they are relaxed.”He also insisted he had no problem captaining Nasser Hussain. “Lord’s was difficult for everyone. He [Hussain] didn’t get many runs, he dropped an easy catch. Anyone would be down in the dumps. But he gave a couple of rollickings to some of the lads in the field during practice and that’s the Nasser Hussain I want in the England team. He’s a hell of a role model when he’s playing well.”Vaughan was positive that England could turn the series around: “We’re only 1-0 down with three to play. Here and Headingley [the venue for the fourth Test] are result wickets." And to prove that the deficit was not insurmountable, he cited England’s series win against South Africa in 1998 when they came back to win 2-1 after being 1-0 down.On the final XI to start tomorrow, he confirmed that Ed Smith would make his debut in place of Anthony McGrath and that Gareth Batty had been released from the squad. But he was more cagey about his seam-bowling line-up, revealing that only Andrew Flintoff was guaranteed a place. That leaves James Kirtley and Glen Chapple competing alongside James Anderson and Stephen Harmison for the final spots in a four-man pace attack.