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The Konica Queensland Fire face a must-win series against Victoria thisweekend if they are to feature in this season’s Women’s National CricketLeague Finals.Queensland is fourth coming into the final round of matches but couldsnatch a spot in the Final later this month if they can win both oftheir games against second-placed Victoria in Geelong this weekend.Third-placed NSW play the winless Western Fury and could potentiallyfinish ahead of current competition leaders Southern Scorpions.The Queensland selectors have omitted Jodie Purves from the team andrecalled allrounder Kelly Klibbe in the only change to the team thatlost both of its matches to NSW before Christmas.Queensland will hope that the Konica Queensland Under-19 trio of KaseeMarxsen, Belinda Matheson and Kirsten Pike will bring with them some ofthe form they have displayed at the Australian Under-19 championships inCanberra this week.The unbeaten Queensland combination will meet NSW in the Final tomorrow,with Marxsen, Matheson and Pike all producing outstanding performancesso far in the championships.Marxsen has scored 261 runs at 65.25, including a championship record126 off 118 balls, while off-spinner Matheson and pace bowler Pike areamong the leading wicket-takers for Queensland.This weekend also represents one of the last chances for the Fireplayers to press their representative claims with the Commonwealth BankSouthern Stars team and Shooting Stars Youth teams to be named after theWNCL Finals from January 17-19.The Southern Stars will play a four-way international series in NewZealand at the end of January and next month featuring New Zealand,England, India and Australia.Australia will then play England in an Ashes Test series, with the FirstTest being held at the Gabba from February 15-18.Konica Queensland Fire v Victorian Spirit, Geelong, January 11, 12:Julia Price (c), Belinda Matheson, Melissa Bulow, Joanne Broadbent,Sally Cooper, Tricia Brown, Kasee Marxsen, Megan White, Kelly Klibbe,Cindy Kross, Renee Lee, Kristen Pike. Coach: Richard McInnes.

* CAB to appoint outstation coach for Ranji teamThe Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has decided to obtain theservices of an outstation coach for its senior team for theforthcoming domestic season. The decision, taken by the workingcommittee, is aimed at bringing more accountability andprofessionalism into the approach of Bengal cricketers who havestruggled to make a mark at the national level for the past few years.Though no names have been finalised yet, former Indian all roundersKarsan Ghavri, Madan Lal and Roger Binny were shortlisted for thepost, according to CAB sources.The working committee has decided to retain MP Parmar as the CAB’sdirector of coaching. Vece Paes has been appointed physical trainer tolook after the physical conditioning of the senior side. The CAB hasdecided to shortlist 25 players for the conditioning camp to beginearly next month.* Cuttack venue for East Zone Ranji Trophy one day gamesThe East Zone Ranji Trophy one day matches will be held at Cuttack.This was decided at a meeting of the East Zone fixtures committeerecently.The following is Bengal’s Ranji Trophy schedule for the 2001-02season: Bengal vs Assam (Nov 30 to Dec 3 at Assam). Bengal vs Tripura(Dec 21 to 24 at Tripura), Bengal vs Bihar (Dec 29 to Jan 1 at Bihar),Bengal vs Orissa (Jan 5 to 8 at Kolkata).* TNCA plans to set up academy in ChennaiThe Tamil Nadu Cricket Association has plans to establish a cricketacademy at Chennai on the lines of the national and regionalacademies, according to Ashok Kumbat, secretary of the TNCA. Theproposal would crystalise before the end of this year or early nextyear, he added.Speaking to PTI in Tiruchirappalli on Tuesday, Kumbhat said the TNCAwas very keen to promote the sport by imparting right training tobudding cricketers, adding the proposed academy would be a permanentcoaching centre.On the funding for the project, he expressed the hope that the TNCAwould be able to generate the necessary amount and ruled outsponsorships.* Bal Mahaddalkar passes awayMumbai Cricket Association’s long serving and tireless administratorBal Mahaddalkar passed away in Mumbai on Tuesday following a cardiacarrest. He was 62.Mahaddalkar was associated with Mumbai cricket for nearly threedecades and has served as its joint secretary for two terms (eightyears) and vice president (from 1998 to 2000). He was the firstcricket administrator to be awarded the Maharashtra State’sChatrapathi Shivaji Award in 1993-94. He also served on variouscommittees of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and was onceappointed observer for a home series.

ScorecardFile photo: Malcolm Waller hit 10 fours and three sixes during his 118•Associated Press

Regis Chakabva and Malcolm Waller both scored hundreds and shared a 199-run partnership, as Zimbabwe A built a huge lead going into the final day against Ireland at the Harare Sports Club.Ireland, who began the day at 292 for 6, could add only 61 runs to that score. John Mooney, the No.8 batsman, chipped in with a valuable 30, but received little by way of support from the other tailenders, as Ireland fell 40 runs short of taking the lead. Fast bowler Trevor Garwe was the pick of Zimbabwe A’s bowlers, collecting 4 for 61.Zimbabwe A’s openers Hamilton Masakadza and Peter Moor began the second innings brightly, adding 40 inside seven overs, but a mini-collpase led to the hosts losing three wickets for just 34 runs. Chakabva and Waller, however, led a counterattack, batting together for 45 overs, and guided Zimbabwe A towards the 300-run mark. Chakabva hit eight fours and six for his 101, while Waller’s 118 featured 10 fours and three sixes. Both batsmen fell towards the end of the day, but Zimbabwe A still ended strongly at 320 for 6, with a lead of 359 runs.

Ian Harvey (73*) and Brad Hodge (63*) have led an excellent fightback to rescue Victoria late on day three of the Pura Cup match against Queensland at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane. The pair’s unbroken stand of 133 for the fifth wicket has carried the visitors to a second innings score of 4/216 by stumps, a tally which affords them an overall lead of 118 runs.The memory of Victoria’s disastrous late collapse in its first innings, though, will continue to fire the Bulls’ prospects of claiming outright points at some time tomorrow. Queensland captain Stuart Law admitted as much after play when he indicated that his team unarguably still holds the whip hand in the contest.”They’ve got their backs to the wall and it’s up to them now if they want to salvage something,” he said. “I’m confident of winning.”Before Harvey and Hodge had come together, Queensland’s charge toward outright victory had been ignited by rugged paceman Joe Dawes (4/64). Dawes snared all four of Victoria’s second innings wickets when he spectacularly removed Jason Arnberger (20), Shawn Craig (35), Matthew Mott (19) and Michael Klinger (2) in quick succession in mid-afternoon. Showing all the hunger and passion that might be expected from a player who has been twelfth man for his state almost as many times as he has played, he claimed 4/38 in the space of ten overs at one stage, and also had Craig dropped by Law at second slip.Earlier in the day, Queensland’s first innings had ended at a total of 347. Around a fine spell from Michael Lewis (4/74), the Bulls owed their progression to their ninety-eight run lead largely to the efforts of Wade Seccombe (35), Adam Dale (25) and Andy Bichel (21). Colin Miller (1/93) also bowled well, albeit without producing particularly flattering figures, as he continued to press his claims for Test selection later this month.

In a mix-up over the interpretation of the eligibility rules, Kevin Stoute, the Barbados opener, has been withdrawn from the squad for all the remaining matches of the Stanford 20/20 in Antigua. He has been replaced by Rashidi Boucher, the 17-year-old Barbados youth team opener.Stoute was not in the 16-member squad originally submitted by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) to the board of directors of the tournament. This was pointed out to the BCA by Stanford officials, who made it clear that players away on West Indies duties at the senior or junior level are eligible to be included in the squad and the selection of other players will have to be approved by the tournament directors first.Last week, Stoute and Patrick Browne, the wicketkeeper, had replaced Ahmed Proverbs and Carlo Morris in Barbados’ 13-member squad for Friday’s quarter-final match against Grenada. Browne was away playing for the West Indies’ senior team on the tour of South Africa, which meant he was eligible for selection.A section of the tournament guidelines stated: “Should a country want to include a player not originally selected in its squad of 16, it shall be required to submit a written request to the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors for its consideration. The decision of the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors will be final and binding.”You will also at that time submit a new 16-member squad, indicating the players who will be replaced. Please be guided that this 16 will be your 16 for the tournament and those omitted will no longer be eligible for selection unless there is injury and an application sent to the committeealong with a doctor’s certificate.”Rollins Howard, the BCA’s operations manager, expressed regret over the mix-up.”It was a misinterpretation of the word “new” as it related to changes in the squad,” Howard was quoted in a report in the BCA’s website.In the same report, Roddy Estwick, Barbados’ chairman of selectors, said, “It was a very, very unfortunate misunderstanding pertaining to the ruling of the Stanford policy.”The information given to the selectors was that we were to pick a new 16-man squad so we selected Kevin Stoute, who was in our initial squad of 20, only to be told by the Stanford committee that he wasn’t eligible for selection based on the fact that he was not in the original 16. I will be apologising to Kevin personally and on behalf of the selectorsand all of the relevant parties.”Stoute said he had put the unfortunate events behind him and was now looking ahead to the remaining matches of the Carib Beer Cup.”With every disappointment, you can take some positives from it and something like this can only make you stronger,” Stoute told the . “There are three more Carib Beer games left, so right now I am focusing on them. If selected, I would be looking to give 100% for Barbados.”Revised squad – Dwayne Smith (capt), Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Derick Bishop, Rashidi Boucher, Patrick Browne (wk), Jonathan Carter, Ryan Hinds, Alcindo Holder, Ryan Nurse, Dale Richards, Khalid Springer, Kenroy Williams

Ricky Ponting scoffed at the idea that there would be any element ofcomplacency in Australia’s approach to the game against Ireland, andpredicted that the stars of the Irish team would need to perform like theynever had before to even get a whiff of an upset.”There’s no such thing as complacency in the World Cup, it is just a mediaterm,” he said. “I’ve played a lot of international cricket, I have playedalongside a lot of very good players, and I have never seen that. I lookat [Friday] as another opportunity to impose ourselves on this event andshow everyone how good a cricket team we are. We will seek to go in forthe kill.”Three of Ireland’s starting XI have roots in New South Wales – “It willmake them look forward to doing well against us” – but Ponting was certainthat little would stand between his side and the victory that willguarantee a place in the last four.”They need five or six players to play cricket like they’ve never donebefore,” he said. “Stranger things have happened. Favourites don’t alwayswin, but if they do the things that they normally do to even 85% oftheir potential, they always come off best in these situations.”Australia brushed aside Scotland and The Netherlands with contemptuousease in the group stage, and Ponting expected a similarly emphatic displayagainst a side that have been the Cinderella story of the competition. Theonly thing in Ireland’s favour is the element of surprise, with theAustralians not having a great deal of footage to review to pinpointstrengths and frailties.For Trent Johnston, the Irish captain who watched as a fan when Australiastumbled on home soil in 1992, it will be a match to savour. “If you can’tget yourselves up for a game against Australia, then you should not beplaying in the World Cup,” he said. “We need to play at least ten to 15% better than we did against Pakistan. We have to bring our A gameto the park in every department and if even that’s not good enough at theend of the day, it is after all Australia against Ireland – professionalsagainst amateurs.”Having pitched his tent in Ireland years ago, Johnston initially workedfor a clothing label owned by U2’s Bono and took citizenship in 2003. Hehas few regrets about what might have been. “I did dream of playing forAustralia in the World Cup, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Irelandgave me the chance to play in the World Cup, and I am grateful for that.”

For Adrian Birrell, the coach, just being here is achievement in itself.”I had planned a holiday in Mexico,” he said with a smile. “I had tocancel that after we got to the Super Eights! I told the boys that bygetting through to this stage, they’ve given me the greatest present ever.There’s a great deal of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment, thisis the result of the hard work of five years.”Having acquitted themselves with credit in previous games before the blipagainst New Zealand, Ireland’s main aim on Friday will be damage control.”We are under no illusion what awaits us tomorrow,” Birrell said.”Australia will come out trying to annihilate us. This is the toughestgame in the history of Irish cricket, but we’ve got to stick to our gameplans, to our processes and be disciplined. I’ve told the boys to just goout and enjoy the day. To play Australia in this awesome stadium will bean experience of a lifetime. We’ve had just one bad game in thecompetition, and even there, there were a lot of pluses.”Ireland will be hoping that Andrè Botha, the allrounder who is so centralto their plans, is fit to play after a hamstring strain, while Australiacould give Glenn McGrath a day off with Mitchell Johnson stepping in. BradHaddin might also get a game with Adam Gilchrist sitting out. Whatever the playing XI is though, they should be far too strong for an Irish sidethat must hope that their indefatigable spirit can bridge the massivechasm that separates the teams in terms of ability.

Netherlands 474 and 202 for 5 (van Bunge 70*) drew with Kenya 367 (Tikolo 212*)
ScorecardSteve Tikolo’s classy double-hundred led Kenya to safety on the final day of their Intercontinental Cup match against the Netherlands at Nairobi Gymkhana. Tikolo, resuming on 186 and with Kenya trailing the Netherlands by 142, remained unbeaten on 212 when Hitesh Modi was the last man out. It was a dull end to a match which the Netherlands had dominated on the first two days and, despite a fifty from Daan van Bunge, time was always going to be against them after Tikolo dropped anchor.Tikolo wasn’t the only name on show in Kenya’s innings today, though. Yesterday, Modi wasn’t expected to bat after breaking a finger on his left hand on the first day, but hung around for 17 balls almost batting one-handed. Modi helped Tikolo edge Kenya towards a position of safety, with a heartening last-wicket stand of 52. Kenya were finally bowled out for 367, with van Bunge bowling impressively to pick up 3 for 51.This still left the Netherlands with a lead of 107, but in order to enforce victory they needed to score quick runs in the first session and bowl Kenya out in the afternoon. However, when the Netherlands slipped to 61 for 3, a draw was the only possible outcome. van Bunge made amends for his cheap dismissal in the first innings to contstruct a solid anchor-innings of 70 which was made from 176 balls.His team-mates, though, were less impressive; the next highest score after van Bunge’s fine knock was Alexei Kervezee – who has played just three first-class games and is just 16 years old – who made 29. Kenya shared the wickets around as the Netherlands reached 202 for 5 as the game petered out into a draw.

It is raining cats and dogs in Potchefstroom. The Indian women’s team couldn’t care less. They are just happy the rain came down they had beaten New Zealand comprehensively in the semifinal, to reach their first ever final. The music is on full blast, several players are dancing and yelling, while one is dispatched to brew up some hot . In the background, kicking back and briefly enjoying the moment, are two senior women, who have played an equally important role in the team’s success.Sudha Shah, the coach and Shubhangi Kulkarni, secretary of the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI), have been the pillars from which the girls have derived most of their strength.Shah and Kulkarni, good friends from their playing days, both former captains of India, came together as a team two years ago. Till then, the WCAI had been the poorer version of the body that ran the men’s game. There was plenty of petty politicking, there were strong rivalries on zonal and team lines, and things simply were not moving in the right direction. At least the men’s board was financially well off; the same could never be said about the women’s association. Yet for the first time in years, India’s home series against England was televised. Mandira Bedi – you may not like her antics on television – cashed in on her popularity, joined forces with Kulkarni. One of the first results of that partnership was a sponsorship for one series. Soon, for the first time the team had a long-term sponsor. Sahara, sponsors of the men’s team, came forward with a three-year deal for the women’s team, something unimaginable thus far.But both Kulkarni and Shah have braved lot of rough tides to reach the present smooth sail.“Anything we wanted was given to us”

Kulkarni hated it when the joke went around cricket circles as she took over as secretary of the WCAI. People called her the female Dalmiya, and she is anything but that. Soft spoken, professional, polite to a fault, sincere and hardworking, whether in her role as director of a leading sports goods company, or as secretary of the Indian women’s cricket association, she is anything but Dalmiya.Shah is quick to acknowledge the role Kulkarni has played in the team’s success. “Anything we wanted was giving to us by the association,” she told Cricinfo from the team hotel in Potchefstroom. “All she [Kulkarni] wanted from us is that we concentrate on the cricket, and win. We owe her a lot. That fact that she has been running the show made a great difference. She gave us the confidence and the support we needed.”Shah has personally ignored the past to continue building the team. The last time around, when India left for World Cup in 2000, Shah was the coach. Yet somehow, by the time the team reached the Hagley Oval, Christchurch, for their first match against South Africa, she was relegated to “cricket manager”, thanks to some typical machinations within the association. Refusing to lament about the past Shah is happy living in the present. “It was very unprofessional last time. This time we’ve gone about it well. Off the field and on it, our team is more prepared. We paid a lot of attention to our fitness and our fielding and that has really paid off. The girls getting fit has also made them much more positive in their approach and outlook. All these factors came together well for us.” “She’s the best person to bring out the best from a team”
Shah has never been the overbearing kind. You may know her for years, and never once hear her raise her voice. But don’t be fooled. She’s no softie. When she’s unhappy, you’ll hear about it, but quietly, and directly.”I have always been very confident of Shah’s knowledge of cricket and her ability to bring out the best in the team,” Kulkarni says. “When we were still playing I had seen her work with the Tamil Nadu team and the South Zone team. I’ve always felt she’s the best person to bring out the best from a team, and apart from her knowledge as a player, this is the one thing you look for in a leader or a coach. She has a very good judgment of players and people. Overall she has a good brain for strategy. She doesn’t talk too much, but when she speaks you know she’s going to talk sense.”One of the keys to the Kulkarni-Shah partnership is that each knows exactly what the other person’s role is. “I leave all the cricketing decisions to her. As a former player I make some suggestions, but I believe she knows the game better than me,” adds Kulkarni. “The final decision on anything cricketing is hers. When she is taking care of the team, I don’t have to worry about anything. This leaves me to think about administrative matters. As a secretary it’s great to have her around. She knows her job, she sticks to it, and we don’t tread on each others’ toes.”This delineation of roles has served the team well and the results have just started to come.

Australia 5 for 359 (Hayden 126, Martyn 67, Symonds 66) beat India 151 by 208 runsScorecard

In a performance which was, if anything, even more ruthless than the one they put up in the 2003 World Cup final, Australia crushed India by 208 runs, clinching the VB Series in style and proving, quite emphatically, that they remained by far the best one-day side in the world. In the process, they inflicted on India their second-worst ODI defeat (after the 245-run loss against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 2000-01), and ensured that a series which had so many memorable moments for India ended in dismal fashion.The match ran almost exactly to the script that was written at Johannesburg almost a year ago. For Ricky Ponting, who smashed an unbeaten 140 in that match, read Matthew Hayden, who struck a beautifully paced 126 here. Damien Martyn played the ideal foil for the second time with a fluent 67.Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke then gave a brutal exhibition of power-hitting in the slog overs, as 110 came off the last eight overs, lifting the total to 359, exactly as many as in the World Cup. The best India could have hoped for from there was to salvage a semblance of pride, but even that turned out to be too much to hope for as the top five were back in the hutch within the first 15 overs.The Indians were on the back foot right from the start, after Ponting won the toss and opted to bat on a shirtfront. Already handicapped by the absence of Anil Kumble and Ajit Agarkar, the Indian attack had little in their bowling armoury to challenge the might of the Australians, and showed all the fatigue of having spent three gruelling months on tour. By the time the slog overs approached, Sourav Ganguly, like in the World Cup final, could only watch helplessly and wait for the 50 overs to be bowled out.Adam Gilchrist and Hayden began in typically frenetic fashion, bringing up the fifty in the eighth over, as both Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji, in an attempt to cramp the batsmen for room, drifted on leg stump and were duly punished. India briefly mounted a comeback, getting rid of Gilchrist and Ponting in quick succession, but then came the 173-run second wicket stand which laid the perfect platform for the final assault.Hayden’s was a typically characteristic innings, punctuated by plenty of clunky blows at the start off the seamers – his fifty took just 37 balls – and then some meaty slog-sweeps and down-the-pitch hoicks off the spinners. Equally importantly, he nursed a circumspect Martyn back into form during the crucial middle overs, keeping the runs coming at a fair clip and allowing Martyn to find his groove by milking the attack for singles.

Realising that the pitch didn’t have much pace or bounce, Ganguly pressed the slower bowlers into service, and while that briefly reduced the run-glut briefly, regular service resumed as Hayden tonked a couple of sixes off Virender Sehwag and Murali Kartik, whose nightmare tour continued to get worse. Martyn gained in fluency too, reaching his fifty off 58 balls, and then unveiling some sumptuous square-drive and flicks.The third wicket partnership finally ended when Martyn holed out to Hemang Badani at midwicket off Pathan (3 for 230), and though Hayden went soon after, missing a too-ambitious reverse-sweep off Sachin Tendulkar (4 for 248), that proved to be a blessing for Australia, for it brought on stage Symonds and Clarke.Pulling and flicking the ball with awesome power, the pair put together a tremendous exhibition of power hitting. It wasn’t as if Ganguly didn’t try out different bowlers: Pathan, Tendulkar, Kartik, Nehra and Balaji all tried their luck, and they all disappeared for more than ten per over, as the pair added 99 in a mere 7.5 overs as the Indians became increasingly ragged in the field. Nehra finally landed a yorker on target to dismiss Symonds, but by then the demolition job had already been done to perfection.Thoroughly demoralised by the utter carnage in the afternoon, the Indians came out to bat knowing that the only question that remained was the margin of defeat. There were the odd sparks of defiance – Sehwag clipped the first ball of the innings, from Jason Gillespie, over fine leg for six, while Tendulkar played a couple of delightful flicks and punches off the back foot, but both were done the Gillespie-Lee combine – Lee, fielding at short fine leg, picked up a stunner when Sehwag attempted to hoick one to leg, and then picked up a more straightforward catch to get rid of Tendulkar.From there it went rapidly downhill for India, as 2 for 49 became 6 for 59 in the space of eight overs. VVS Laxman spooned a catch back to Lee, a dismissal which needed the third umpire to confirm it wasn’t a bump ball, Rahul Dravid was run out by Martyn’s direct hit for 0, ending a record 120-match run without a duck, Ganguly slapped a drive straight to point, and Yuvraj Singh nicked one to the keeper. The rest of the batsmen helped themselves to a few meaningless runs, but the contest was over well before Brad Williams got through Balaji’s defences to put an end to the Indian misery.

Auckland lifted themselves off the bottom of the State Shield ladder after a solid three-wicket win over Canterbury on the much-maligned Boxing Day portable pitch at Eden Park in the third round of the Shield.Aaron Barnes (56) and Llorne Howell (51) led the Auckland assault on Canterbury’s 197 for eight, a total that had looked doubtful until a late-innings flurry and was helped by the contribution of 14 wides by the Auckland bowlers.Barnes’ effort was particularly valuable, arriving as he did when the Auckland innings had started to get the shudders. With Craig Pryor (21 not out), he contributed to an 85-run partnership that was only broken in the shadow of victory.Timing – or the lack of it – was the key to most of Canterbury’s innings. Michael Papps worked his way to 57 but it took 117 balls. And that was a reflection of the Canterbury top order. Chris Harris was next in the scoring stakes with 33 but not a very comfortable 33 at that.It was the medium pace of Barnes and the leg-spin of Brooke Walker that provided the most difficulty. Barnes took the wickets, three for 42 from eight overs, while Walker put the clamps on, his one wicket costing just 26 off his 10 overs.If there were demons in the Boxing Day pitch, Cleighten Cornelius put them to rest, a rollicking undefeated 31 late in the innings pushing Canterbury to a defendable total.Howell followed his example at the top of the Auckland innings, an occasionally lucky, often skillful but always belligerent 51 coming from 60 balls. But, with his departure and that of Matt Horne for 34 and Lou Vincent (0) and Rob Nicol (five) in quick succession, a rebuilding job was required.Barnes and Pryor were the men for the job. With diligent use of singles into the wide open spaces and the occasional smite in anger, particularly by Barnes, they cruised to the shadow of victory in an 85-run partnership before Barnes departed for 56 from 66 balls.The Canterbury bowling attack was limited by the absence of Paul Wiseman, injured as he took his first runs of the day when opening the batting. The wickets were shared around and so were the runs – except for Harris, celebrating his recall to the New Zealand squad with one for 26 from his 10 overs, the same as his Auckland spinning counterpart. Carl Anderson and Stephen Cunis picked up two apiece but were never on top of the batsmen.Calm accumulation of singles with the occasional strike in anger saw Auckland home with an over and a ball to spare in a textbook lesson of pacing a run chase, ending on 201 for seven.