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Kent 259 for 5 (Dexter 101*, Key 73) beat Somerset 222 (Kieswetter 90) by 37 runs
ScorecardKent booked a semi-final meeting at Durham with a 37-run victory over Somerset at Beckenham thanks to a 113-ball hundred from Man of the Match Neil Dexter.Dexter, who blasted an unbeaten 101, and Robert Key provided the bulk of Kent’s runs after they had won the toss and opted to bat. Key and Joe Denly gave them a breezy start in an opening stand of 68, and then Key and Dexter maintained the momentum in adding 104 in 20 overs.Dexter, who only came into the side after Martin van Jaarsveld withdrew for family reasons, rode his luck well – he was dropped at deep midwicket by Steffan Jones – rubbing salt in the wound by thumping Jones for a straight six soon after. Key also scored freely until he edged Ben Phillips to the keeper the ball after smashing him for six.Dexter continued to score swiftly even though he found only fleeting support once Key had departed, reaching his hundred with two off the final ball of the innings.Somerset lost Marcus Trescothick to a sharp second-slip catch in the fourth over, but Craig Kieswetter and Justin Langer appeared to put them on course with a solid second-wicket stand of 80. The innings checked after Langer was caught behind trying to run the ball to third man, and then really wobbled when Ian Blackwell was run out by a direct hit from Darren Stevens.Somerset’s remaining hope all but disappeared when Kieswetter was held on the midwicket boundary aiming for a fourth six, and their last four wickets added only 18 runs.The game, which should have taken place at Canterbury yesterday, was switched to Beckenham after heavy storms left the St Lawrence Ground underwater.

We apologise to our readers for a smaller issue than normal this week, due to circumstances beyond our control.CONTENTS

• Interviews: Dirk Viljoen on Midlands v Manicaland
• Logan Cup:
  • Round Three Preview
  • Logan Cup statistics: – Mashonaland v Midlands
  • Logan Cup statistics: – Matabeleland v Manicaland
• Career statistics: Andy Flower in first-class cricket
• Letters

A one-man business or a one-man show has nobody else to fall back on, and apart from an interview with Dirk Viljoen on the exciting match between Midlands and Manicaland last weekend, we found it impossible to arrange the interviews we wanted, including the one we have been seeking for weeks with the reluctant Andy Flower. Hopefully we may be able to catch up during the Logan Cup match at Harare Sports Club – should the run of play permit. Other problems encountered helped to prevent substitute articles.As noted in our Logan Cup preview, three of the teams in the competition are very evenly matched and the matches between them have been extremely well fought. It is just Mashonaland that spoils the show! – despite giving out spare players to the other teams they can also field a B side strong enough to overwhelm all opposition there as well.On the statistical side we include records of matches involving Mashonaland and Midlands, and Matabeleland and Manicaland, who meet in the Logan Cup this weekend, before Pakistan arrive. We also include a complete overview of Andy Flower’s first-class career, correct to the start of the current season.

Batting first against Warwickshire at the delightful Orleton Park ground, MCCA failed by some 30 odd runs to post a competitive total.Howitt and Dobson looked comfortable, adding 64 for the second wicket in 18 overs, but after Howitt’s unfortunate run out and Dobson’s acrobatic caught and bowled dismissal, the innings went into decline in spite of an attacking innings of 32 from Nagra. Ian Westwood bowled his off-spinners accurately, taking 4-42 off his 10 oversWarwickshire’s cause was helped by two dropped catches just when some pressure was being applied. Thirty-nine extras conceded was evidence of some undisciplined bowling which assisted the visitors to a 6 wicket victory with 8 overs to spare. Cornwall’s Justin Stephens was the pick of the bowlers with 2-22 off seven overs.

A masterly innings of 197 by Michael Vaughan, his third Test hundred this season and the highest score of his burgeoning international career, was the centrepiece of an entertaining England reply to India’s 357. It was the highest individual score in Tests between England and India at Trent Bridge, and the best of Vaughan’s first-class career. When bad light ended play nine overs early, England were on 341 for five, just 16 runs behind.Vaughan’s innings included an array of off-side strokes of characteristic elegance. He was missed once, on 30, off Harbhajan Singh in the last over before lunch, a difficult, leg-side chance to wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel. Otherwise he utterly dominated on both sides of the wicket, pulling both Ashish Nehra and Sourav Ganguly to the rope at mid-wicket with real ferocity.Nehra took the first England wicket, when Robert Key tried to pull a short ball that lifted less than he expected. All he got on it was glove, and to his dismay the ball then bounced back on to the stumps. Key (17) had put on 56 with Vaughan. It was India’s only wicket of the afternoon session. Mark Butcher, also strong on the off-side, was missed by Harbhajan – a difficult return catch as the batsman played too soon.Butcher survived a confident appeal for a catch by Wasim Jaffer in the gully off Nehra, when replays didn’t confirm whether the ball had carried. He had reached 53 (115 balls, eight fours) when he edged a turning delivery from Harbhajan straight to Rahul Dravid at slip. Butcher and Vaughan had added 165 for the second wicket. Nasser Hussain then encountered a rare failure in recent outings; sweeping at Harbhajan, he presented Patel with his first Test scalp as the ball ballooned up off his glove.John Crawley, after looking secure for three quarters of an hour, had made 22 when he got an inside edge on to his pad to be caught in the gully off Zaheer Khan. But the arrival of Alec Stewart upped the tempo again, as two crisp boundaries through mid-wicket off Harbhajan hoisted England’s 300. Vaughan was within just three runs of a double century when he drove a trifle tiredly at Ajit Agarkar, for Patel to pouch a thin deflection. His 197 had included 23 fours and came off 258 balls.Earlier India kicked on to their total of 357 thanks primarily to a rumbustious half century by Harbhajan, who provided tremendous entertainment while adding 61 off 62 balls with Zaheer. Coming off just 33 balls, Harbhajan’s was the second-fastest fifty in Indian Test history; only the great Kapil Dev, who reached the landmark off 30 balls against Pakistan at Karachi in 1982/3, has got there quicker.The fun ended for India when Harbhajan got a leading edge to Steve Harmison, to be caught by Hussain running in from extra cover. Matthew Hoggard, switching ends, then found Nehra’s outside edge with a perfect outswinger.

PERTH, Nov 14 AAP – Victorian cricket captain Shane Warne may feel he spoke a little too soon.The Australian spin wizard said yesterday it could be the Bushrangers’ season to break its 12-year drought in the Pura Cup competition.But he would probably reconsider his words after watching Western Australia hammer his side on a boiling opening day at the WACA ground.The Warriors had already claimed first innings points to be 3-134 at stumps in reply to Victoria’s first innings score of 110.Damien Martyn and Ryan Campbell were both unbeaten on 23.But it only gets worse for the visitors with dashing Warriors captain Adam Gilchrist still to bat tomorrow.Opener Michael Hussey guided the home side to 50 off just 42 balls before partner Justin Langer (10) was caught behind chasing a wide ball from Michael Lewis.Warne introduced himself with the score at 1-74 off 17 overs and it took the master leg spinner just eight balls to dismiss Chris Rogers (12).WA safely negotiated within five runs of the Bushrangers’ tally before promising all-rounder Cameron White removed Hussey (56) with his third delivery.Campbell was fortunate to still be there after being dropped at first slip by Warne and almost being run out by Brad Hodge at cover in the third last over on 17.Evergreen West Australian quick Jo Angel (4-29) and young left-arm seamer Michael Clark (4-33) earlier led a much-improved display from the Warriors’ pace quartet.The Bushrangers’ batting lineup was easily cracked through consistent line and length and a couple of questionable hometown rulings.The competition leaders lasted only 51.5 overs and 216 minutes in very warm conditions after Warne opted to bat on a track which had a few noticeable cracks before the first delivery.Opening bowlers Matthew Nicholson and Paul Wilson (2-18) set the tone early, restricting the scoring rate to a trickle.Wilson removed opener Jon Moss (4) after he padded up to a ball which appeared to be going well over the stumps.The 34-year-old Angel dismissed Klinger (4) and then Hodge (11) just before lunch after the gifted right-hander played a lazy shot off the back foot and was caught behind.Clark trapped former NSW batsman Graeme Rummans (1) in front to close the visitors’ wretched first session at 4-47.But the Warriors’ disciplined bowling effort was sustained after the break with Wilson ending opener Jason Arnberger’s (28) 137-minute knock.White (13) became the second unlucky victim of the umpires, with Clark’s delivery crashing high onto his front pad.Angel then put a stop to Darren Berry’s (8) scratchy knock before taking a fine return catch low down to remove Warne (25).Clark cleaned up the tail removing Lewis (5) and bowling Will Carr (0) first ball to be on a hat-trick next innings.Gilchrist celebrated his 31st birthday by taking four catches while national teammate Langer spent a short time off the field with a stomach complaint.

If former South African coach Graham Ford wishes his successor Eric Simons anything, it is mostly that his bowlers stay fit. "It helps if you’ve got a settled attack," reflected Ford this week. "It helps quite a lot."Ford, who is weighing up his future options as he negotiates a settlement with the United Cricket Board, is as well-placed as any to understand the pressures and demands that will now placed on the shoulders on the 40-year-old Simons as South Africa head into a summer that includes the 2003 World Cup."I’ve spoken to Eric about coaching quite a few times," said Ford this week. "We have similar views on a number of things. I think he’s a quality coach and I wish him everything of the best. But it will be important to him to stick to his principles and the methods that got him the job in the first place."He’s going to experience a lot of pressure from the outside, from ex-players, the media, the public and administrators as he steps up into the spotlight and the simple truth is that you can’t please all these different people."In a sense it’s a bit like the things you tell young players when they make the step up: you’ve got where you are now by doing things a certain way so don’t try and make yourself a different player. Stick to what you know and what works for you," said Ford.In one respect, Simons may a significant advantage over Ford. "The way I understand it from what I’ve read, Eric’s role has been much more clearly defined. He’ll play a significant role in planning strategy and he’ll be working with knowledgeable people. If he can get the right strategy and the selectors give him the players to implement this strategy, South Africa will have an excellent chance of winning the World Cup."Also in Simons’ favour, suggests Ford, will be the relationships he already has with the Western Province members of the national team."I know I was criticised at times for being `too friendly’ with the Natal players. I think it was unjustified. If you come out of a provincial set-up you have those relationships and you use them to build relationships with the other guys in the team. I can assure you, and it will be the same for Eric, that when you’re in the job, the last thing you think about is petty provincialism. You just want the team to win."Ford believes that notwithstanding the results against Australia during the past summer, South Africa have to be counted among the favourites to win the World Cup.""Look at our record at home. You have to go back to when Australia were last here, back in 1997, for a defeat at home. And over the past few years, we haven’t just been beating other countries, we’ve been hammering them."Apart from ourselves and Australia, I’ve always admired the way Sri Lanka play one-day cricket, but a lot will depend on how well the adjust to our conditions. Pakistan have the firepower to use the new bouncer rule in our conditions, but they’re always an enigma. They often seem divided among themselves and you don’t know how their problems at home, with tours being cancelled, will affect them. Maybe they’ll be a little short of cricket, maybe the problems will pull them together."New Zealand are very much a team and their success is always a team effort. They have a game plan and they stick to it, but I’m not sure they have the individual players capable of taking games away from teams like South Africa. India have fantastic batsmen and if they progress in the World Cup they’ll be fantastic to watch because it will mean their batters are firing, but I don’t know if they have the attack to win the World Cup in South African conditions."In a different way I don’t know that England could go all the way. They’re an improving team, but I don’t know about winning the World Cup."South Africa’s prospects, though, could depend on how well the attack functions."I think that’s where we fell short last season. If you look at how settled the Australian attack was compared to how many guys we used, there was quite a big difference. We had injury problems, of course. Someone like Mfuneko Ngam was not available while when we got to Australia guys like Allan Donald and Nantie Hayward had been troubled by injury and they, along with someone like Steve Elworthy, weren’t quite sure what roles they were expected to fill."We batted well enough a lot of times, but our bowling often couldn’t contain the Australians. If we can get the bowling settled and firing, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t win the World Cup."

After ten weeks in Caribbean sport’s most critically analysed job,Carl Hooper appreciates that West Indies’ cricket is facing turbulenttimes.In recent years, successive captains, coaches, managers, performanceconsultants and whoever else have endured the burden of moderateresults, especially overseas.For most of the period Hooper was one of the lieutenants. He is nowthe general and the new West Indies captain would have observed thekind of pressure that his successors went through.I’m prepared for that. I’ve seen it with (Courtney) Walsh. I’ve seenit with Brian (Lara). I’ve seen it with Jimmy (Adams), Hooper said.It is nothing new for me. It’s nothing different. All the criticismand the flap that is going to come down, I am prepared for and expect.The most important thing is to make sure that the team is focussed,not swayed by outside influences and try to take one step at a time inbuilding what we think will be a very good West Indies team in yearsto come.The truth of the matter is that the knowledgeable West Indian publicalways demands success and, based on results alone, Hooper has notbeen able to deliver.One should not forget that he came into the job as West Indies captainafter almost two years in the wilderness and in the aftermath of theteam’s 5-0 Test series drubbing in Australia.West Indies were able to show admirable fighting spirit in the firstphase of the series against South Africa, but in the end, they couldnot win either the Vivian Richards Trophy for the Test series or theCable & Wireless Trophy for the One-Day Internationals.And while supporters around the region have started to pile onpressure, Hooper remains unflustered.I’ve got to hold up. I can’t let that get to me. If I let it get tome, it will start affecting my game, he said.His players, however, have been hot and cold with their performances.Take Chris Gayle, for example. On the opening day of the Test series,he cracked several off-side boundaries on the way to 81. There were afew other scores of 40-odd, but there were times when his footwork andshot selection often caused his downfall.Others were affected by similar problems, but Hooper is satisfied hismen were committed to the task.I think they’ve been trying in all honesty, he said. We’ve just beencompletely outplayed. I don’t think it is a lack of determination ordesire.When those like Gayle made mistakes, the captain tried his best tosolve their problems.When they’ve got out, I’ve sat down and had one-on-ones with a numberof young players and they all want to do well. It’s just that we’velacked the depth, experience and the know-how to go about dealing withthe South Africans. I hope they will learn from it and put it down tojust an experience and be better for it at the end of the series.As one who was part of the West Indies side that went through thehumiliation of a whitewash in South Africa a little over two yearsago, Hooper knew the type of quality opposition he would be facing.The South Africans are a highly professional unit which has madeimmense strides since their re-entry to international cricket in 1991.We were always aware that they would be a tough team to play. Itdoesn’t make it any easier, Hooper said.Unfortunately, the gap between the two teams has been shown, but we’renot going to lose heart. It’s a good time to sit and gauge where weare at the moment and where we want to go.As the series winds down, have the West Indies moved any closer tonarrowing the distance between the two sides?It’s hard to bridge that sort of gap in just a few weeks, the WestIndies captain responded. South Africa have worked for years to get tothe level of where they’re at and it is going to take us the same timeto get up there.I don’t expect to see it overnight. You probably won’t see it foranother year or so, but certainly we know where we want to go.

DURBAN, South Africa – Ricky Ponting will begin his one-day captaincycareer against Shaun Pollock on Friday after the South Africanallrounder declared himself fit for the seven-match series againstAustralia.Pollock has bowled at full pace without a problem for the first timesince he suffered a side strain last month, ruling him out ofAustralia’s 2-1 Test series win.Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher led the Proteas to a five-wicket win in thefinal Test in Durban yesterday before selectors announced Pollock’sreturn for the one-day series along with Lance Klusener and JontyRhodes.The experienced trio, especially Pollock, will ensure Ponting has atesting series after taking over the Australian leadership from dumpedcaptain Steve Waugh.”I started bowling at about 60 per cent in the nets at Kingsmead onFriday, then I worked up to full speed on Sunday and Monday,” Pollocksaid.”I felt absolutely fine. I’ll continue with the bowling tomorrow beforeheading up to Johannesburg.”Pollock and Klusener give South Africa genuine batting depth even thoughKlusener has been told his bowling is the main priority after he wasoverlooked for the Test series.”Lance is now a bowling allrounder and we are looking for him to bowlfast,” convenor of selectors Rushdi Magiet said.”Since being dropped from the Test team he has apparently redoubled hisefforts. We know Lance is a very good allrounder – he just went off theboil.”The Australian squad will train at the Wanderers tomorrow with selectorsyet to decide on the team to play the opening match.Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden will open the batting while selectorsmust decide when to introduce new faces Shane Watson and Nathan Hauritzduring the 10-match tour through South Africa and Zimbabwe.Ponting is leading a 15-man squad in the first serious step towards theWorld Cup defence in South Africa next February.

Mark Lavine smashed 113 runs off 108 balls to temporarily keep North West’sheads above water in Potchefstroom on Friday.However, by the close Border were 86 for three in their second innings for alead of 102. Border were dismissed for 274 in their first innings onThursday, and ended North West’s reply at 248 on Friday.Glen Hewitt and Lavine held together an otherwise lacklustre North Westfirst innings in which the first three wickets fell in the space of 18deliveries with just 23 runs on the board.Vasbert Drakes bowled Riaan Niewoudt for 15, before Piet Botha had AndrewLawson caught behind for four and trapped Morne Strydom in front for afourth-ball duck.In fact, the home side dwinded to 68 for five before Hewitt and Lavineintervened. The next 33 overs belonged to them as they took on thepreviously rampant Border attack.Their partnership grew to 165 before Hewitt was trapped in front byoff-spinner Geoff Love for a 62 that included 10 fours.However, Hewitt’s dismissal was the start of another slide that claimedthree wickets in the space of five deliveries – the last of them Lavine’s,caught off Tyron Henderson for a sparkling 113 struck off just 108 ballswith 16 fours and three sixes.Henderson had Alfonso Thomas caught first ball and dismissed Lavine twoballs later on his way to figures of four for 53.Allrounder Botha then put on his other hat and featured in a solid-lookingopening stand of 57 he shared with Craig Sugden and then in scoring acompetent half-century.However, medium pacer Francois van der Merwe refused to allow Border to getgoing. He removed Sugden in the 23rd over and accounted for Botha and LadenGamiet, for a duck, in the space of four balls six overs later to head forthe showers with figures of three for 27.

ScorecardNottinghamshire hit their highest-ever score in 40-over cricket to defeat Durham by 43 runs in the Clydesdale Bank 40 at Trent Bridge.Led by a blistering 84 off 51 balls from opener Michael Lumb and an unbeaten 71 from skipper Chris Read, Nottinghamshire raced to 294 for 8 after being put in to bat. Despite the in-form Mark Stoneman hitting his second successive century in the competition, Durham were unable to keep up with the hefty run-rate required and were bowled out for 251.Fast bowler Andy Carter claimed 4 for 45 – his best figures in List A cricket for Nottinghamshire – while medium-pacer Steven Mullaney accounted for Stoneman for 102, Paul Collingwood and Dale Benkenstein to finish with 3 for 44.Both sides were all but out of the semi-final places in Group B before the match started but ICC World Twenty20 winner Lumb looked like he had a point to prove ahead of the announcement of England’s final 15-man squad to defend their title in Sri Lanka.The left-hander hit three fours off the fourth over, delivered by Ben Stokes, and launched Chris Rushworth and Mitch Claydon for six as he raced to 50 off 31 balls. Nottinghamshire had reached 77 without loss at the end of their first eight overs and although they lost Alex Hales for 22, bowled by Claydon, Lumb and Riki Wessels smashed 40 off the bowling powerplay that followed.That Powerplay finished with Lumb hitting Claydon for four consecutive boundaries, before the 32-year-old was then bowled by the Australian-born paceman having struck 14 fours and two sixes in total. Wessels kept up the momentum with 43 from 28 balls, hitting three sixes and four fours, before he holed out to long-on attempting to lift Gareth Breese over the ropes.Scott Elstone, Samit Patel and Mullaney all fell in the teens as the run-rate dropped but a terrific late assault from Read boosted the score once more – with 69 coming off the last six overs, Read hitting six fours and three sixes.Durham had a decent start despite losing Phil Mustard to Carter in the third over, and the muscular power of Stokes briefly threatened to keep the visitors in touch.Stokes reached 34 off 23 balls when he holed out to long-on after Patel and no Durham batsman was then able to give Stoneman – who had hit his first Championship century of the season against the same opposition earlier in the week – the support he needed.Stoneman slog-swept Mullaney to deep midwicket to end his 90-ball innings, having hit 13 fours, and Carter then returned to mop the tail.