Sri Lankan left-arm seamer Chaminda Vaas has agreed to join Hampshire Cricket on a short-term contract to the end of the 2003 season.Vaas, who has not played county cricket before, arrives in England over the weekend and is expected to make his debut in the National League Division Two match at the Rose Bowl on Monday August 4 against the Scottish Saltires.First-team manager Paul Terry was delighted that the man who has played 68 Tests and 227 one-day internationals for his country has agreed to join Hampshire.He said, before the start of the floodlit National League match with Northamptonshire Steelbacks on Wednesday evening, “I am delighted that Chaminda had agreed to join and received clearance from the Sri Lankan Cricket Board to do so.”It is especially pleasing that we have a player of such quality coming to join us.”It is left-arm bowler for left-arm bowler, as Vaas replaces Pakistani Wasim Akram, who left the county two weeks ago.

The Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2 championship trophy is the prize for victory in tomorrow’s winner-take-all clash between Old Tauntonians & Romsey and St Cross Symondians at the Romsey Sports Centre, 1pm.Three points separate the pair who have fought a season-long battle for the leadership – and now the championship itself.OT’s will certainly want to forget their mid-June visit to St Cross, when they were shot out for 98 and thumped by a massive 135-run margin."That was as bad as its got this season, although mixed in with some top performances, we have had some we’d rather forget – and that was one of them," reflected OT’s skipper Stuart Tulk.Charles Forward (699 runs) and Indian all-rounder Raj Naik, whose 20 wickets have come alongside 544 runs this summer, will be the main OT’s player tomorrow.Nick Wood (hamstring) remains sidelined, but fellow spinner Mark Padwick is missing for St Cross, who recall Marc Rees.St Cross are holding a Memorial Day on Sunday (10.30am) for New Zealander Mark Parker, who was killed in last September’s Bali terrorist bombings.They have helped set up a Trust Fund and proceeds from Sunday’s six-a-side tournament at the Royal Green Jackets Ground will go towards it.Desperate to pip Easton & Martyr Worthy to a third-place finish, Lymington bid to field the SPL’s tallest wicketkeeper against United Services at Burnaby Road."Lee Savident kept for Portsmouth last weekend (and took five victims), while we’ll have Ben Craft donning the gloves tomorrow. They’re both big six footers," said Lymington captain Dan Peacock.Glyn Treagus hopes for a repeat of his 152 for Dorset (against Wiltshire this week) as Lymington bid to boost Sparsholt’s prospects of avoiding the drop.It’s a must win situation for Sparsholt at Purbrook, who have won three of their last four games – and haven’t given up hope of staying up.Without a win for five weeks, Sparsholt lie second from bottom, five points adrift of United Services."We could go bottom if we lose at Purbrook. We’ve got to win. It’s as simple as that," skipper Ian Stuart said.Former Hampshire wicketkeeper Adrian Aymes plans to boost his claim for the Premier 2 batting prize as Hursley Park entertain Easton & Martyr Worthy.A win against Burridge at Botley Road should be enough to keep Gosport Borough out of the relegation zone.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Indian board, has indicated that there would be a thrust on improving the standards of Indian coaches and physical trainers so as to reduce the reliance on foreigners. “We are not going to continue with foreign support all the time. Very soon, we are going to have a number of our own men having the required expertise and doing the jobs.”Currently, the coach (John Wright), physiotherapist (Andrew Leipus) and trainer (Gregory Allen King) have all been hired from other countries. “Through these foreigners, we’re trying to make sure that our support system is in place,” said Dalmiya, who is in Kolkata for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the BCCI which takes place over the weekend. “At the same time, we’re making every effort to ensure that there’s a culture whereby even the junior teams realise the importance of fitness training. Maybe, in the future, we will no longer need to seek foreign help and offer our help to the other countries instead. In fact, we have now made it mandatory for every affiliate unit of the board to have a qualified fitness trainer.”Dalmiya, who is expected to be re-elected board president at the AGM, stated that the BCCI had undertaken a number of steps to restructure junior cricket and ensure that the benefits of fitness – traditionally ignored in Indian cricket – were understood by players at an early age.Addressing the issue of India’s search for a reliable opening combination, Dalmiya informed that the Indian board has roped in the services of Sunil Gavaskar, one of the all-time great opening batsmen, to try and find a solution to the problem.According to the Times of India, Dalmiya said that Gavaskar, who is the chairman of the BCCI technical committee, had recently helped Sourav Ganguly with his batting. “Gavaskar’s tips to Sourav Ganguly, during the recent Bangalore camp, have been filmed and we are willing to release it at the right forum if anyone would be interested.”Dalmiya also indicated that the issue of graded-payments system for the players would be discussed over the next couple of days, as would the World Cup contracts dispute with the ICC, which still has not been sorted out.

A remarkable seven-wicket haul by WPCC’s strike bowler Ryan ten Doeschate scuttled UCT, who were tumbled out for 103 at Groote Schuur.ten Doeschate’s return of 7 for 49 provided an ironic twist as the medium-pacer had skippered UCT last season when the students won the local league championship. He did well yesterday to extract an effective marginal lift off the pitch, also succeeding to swing the ball, and his short pitched deliveries forced the opposition onto the back foot, resulting in two of his victims being caught.The remaining three wickets were picked up by Andrew Mazina, a former Eastenr Province B offspinner. Responding to the students’ meagre total WPCC’s opening pair, Geo Colussi and Neil Quale, cracked a swift 71 before Quale departed for 37. Colussi continued his onslaught and went on to form the backbone of the innings. Together with Steven George (24), this pair continued the momentum in raising 65 for the second wicket.Colussi went on to carry his bat until the visitors declared at 227-8, the opener notching an unbeaten 109 off 163 deliveries, which included 14 fours. At stumps, Western Province had lost the wicket of Rob Sherwood – promoted to open and see off the remaining five overs of play, and were at 29-1. WPCC are well in control with a lead of 151.At the Boon Wallace Oval Marc Adams looked well set for a century for Claremont against Cape Town but was deprived Kyle Coetzer ran him out with a direct hit on 73. Adams hammered eight boundaries and with Marc Barham (46) put on 95 runs for the fourth wicket. Barham reached the fence on seven occasions while Alan Dawson (38) also batted well.Claremont eventually declared at 225 for 6 after 68 overs. Cape Town made a poor start, losing three wickets for 32 ,but Lloyd Moore and Kyle Coetzer(23) took the score to 96 before Moore had to retire with an injured back. At the close Cape Town had 102 for 4.Friday’s rain seeped under the covers at Pinelands with the result that the groundsmen had to battle to prepare the pitch for a prompt start. Bellville won the toss and did not hesitate to send the home side in, who battled with the pitch and were all out for a paltry 127. Bellville are in the driving seat with their openers, Ryan van Niekerk and JB Burger, putting on 128 for the opening stand. Burger was eventually out for 105 (13 fours and six sixes) after an excellent knock that included no chances. At the close Bellville were 152 runs on with seven wickets standing.

UCT v WPCC

UCT First inningsD Slater c Dourans b Ten Doeschate      9D Worth c Mazina b Ten Doeschate        14R Short b Ten Doeschate 0N Kruger b Ten Doeschate        2A Cronje c Roberts b Mazina     21C Vadas c Mazina b Ten Doeschate        0B Murphy c Roberts b Ten Doeschate      2E Lepine b Ten Doeschate        25R Sherwood b Ten Doeschate      9D Cooke c George b Mazina       0Z Meyer not out 3Extras  8TOTAL (After 38,3 overs)        103Falls: 1/19, 2/19, 3/25, 4/32, 5/32,6/60, 7/87, 8,90, 9/90.Bowling: Martyn 9-0-18-0, Ten Doeschate 12,3-2-49-7,Preston 12-4-26-0, Mazina 7-3-7-3
WPCC first inningsG Colussi not out       109N Quale c Lepine b Meyer        37S George c Sherwood b Meyer     24R Hendricks c Sherwood b Murphy 2R Ten Doeschate lbw Murphy      10A Martyn b Worth        16B Roberts lbw Worth     4J Doerans lbw Murphy    8N Preston st Sherwood b Murphy  1B Clark not out 6Extras  10TOTAL (for 8 decl)      227Falls: 1-71, 2-136, 3-141, 4-161, 5-179,6-183, 7-196, 8-204Bowling: Worth 4-2-67-2, Cook 5-1-29-0,Murphy 24-3-96-4, Meyer 12-1-33-2
UCT second inningsR Sherwood c George b Martyn    0R Short not out 20C Vadas not out 8Extras  1TOTAL (for 1)   29Falls: 1-15Bowling: Martyn 5-1-9-1, Ten Doeschate 3-0-3-0,Preston 2-0-17-0
Cape Town v Claremont
CLAREMONT First inningsP Lawson c and b Palmer 24G Stoffberg b De Beer   1W Havenga c Thornton b Holman   27M Adams run out 73M Barham lbw Holman     46A Dawson c J Holgate b Thornton 38D Loebenstein not out   13B Swanson not out       0Extras  3TOTAL (for 6 decl)      225Falls: 1-6, 2-49, 3-66, 4-161, 5-207, 6-215Bowling: Gie 8-2-31-0, De Beer 10-2-32-1,Martin 10-2-36-0, Palmer 24-10-60-1, Holman 14-0-51-2,Thornton 2-0-13-0
CAPE TOWN First inningsM Ritchie c Havenga b Stockton  5D Holgate c Havenga b Stockton  3L Moore retired hurt   46J Holgate lbw Stockton  6K Coetzer not out       23D Thornton lbw Dawson   11Extras  8TOTAL (for 4)   103Falls: 1/7, 2/24, 3/32, 4/102Bowling: Dawson 12-4-19-1, Stockton 13-6-20-3,Cullen 8-4-17-0, Loebenstein 4-1-9-0, Barham 7-2-22-0,S van Duiker 5-1-10-0.
Pinelands v Bellville
PINELANDS first inningsC Ambrose c Ackermann b Smith   24R Bannatyne c Vermaak b du Plessis      20R Clark c Vermaak b Smith       20R Beukes c Theron b Trott       1S Tarr c Theron b Olivier       23A Little c Smith b Trott        4B Wilkinson lbw Smith   0N Nickonnoche c Theron b du Plessis     16L Katz b Olivier        2T Franke lbw du Plessis 4G Williams not out      0Extras  13TOTAL   127Falls: 1-37, 2-68, 3-69, 4-75, 5-81, 6-84,7-116, 8-120, 9-126Bowling: Olivier 10.1-3-25-2, du Plessis 14-5-31-3,Smith 14-2-39-3, Trott 9-2-19-2
BELLVILLE first inningsR van Niekerk c Williams b Tarr 26JB Burger c Little b Tarr       105J Trott not out 72L Ferreira lbw Franke   58S Ackermann not out     14Extras  4Total (for 3)   179Falls: 1-128, 2-133, 3-244Bowling: Franke 24-5-74-1, Tarr 16-0-77-2,Williams 12-1-83-0, Bannatyne 9-3-43-0
Tygerberg v Almar
ALMAR first inningsA Gray not out  151A Kalis c Kotze b Philander     6K Jackson c Philander b L Simpson       63N Johnson not out       74Extras  26TOTAL (for 2 decl)      320Falls: 1-14, 2-145Bowling: Philander 21-2-108-1, Gilbert 12-0-12-0,Harris 5-0-29-0, L Simpson 15-4-66-1, Timmet 10-0-40-10,Buys 2-0-20-0
TYGERBERG first inningsA Simpson b Tatton      70B Johnson b Berg        9S Agulhas c Randal b Berg       0A Botha lbw Tatton      17B Gilbert not out       25V Philander not out     4Extras  11TOTAL (for 4)   136Falls: 1-41, 2-41, 3-78, 4-125Bowling: Johnson 5-0-21-0, Berg 10-3-23-2,Hemmings 6-0-23-0, Tatton 12-3-41-2, Snyman 4-2-11-0,Liebrecht 7-2-10-0

Stephen Harmison has been ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka with a back injury.Harmison was forced to return home early from the Bangladesh Test series with a dodgy back, and even there he missed the second Test after picking up match figures of 9 for 79 – and the Man of the Match award – in the first game at Dhaka.After a scan showed no serious damage, he was planning to rejoin the squad in Sri Lanka. He has been undergoing treatment at the national academy at Loughborough, but today failed a fitness test.”He bowled at the national academy a week ago and he was sore for a few days afterwards,” said Peter Gregory, England’s chief medical officer. “Then he returned for a fitness test on Monday in front of the selectors, England’s Test-squad physiotherapist Kirk Russell and myself, and, when bowling his second spell in the nets, it was clear that he could not continue.””I’m disappointed not to be leaving tomorrow for Sri Lanka as planned because of my back injury especially when I feel my Test career is going forward with every game,” Harmison said. “Missing the tour is hard, but I know that injury is just part of the highs and lows of being a professional sportsman. My main aim now is to get fit as soon as possible and return to the England team, hopefully before the end of the Sri Lanka tour.”As a result, Richard Johnson will retain his place in the Test squad after originally being called up as a replacement. The three-Test series begins at Galle on December 2.

Sourav Ganguly may have scored a stirring century and inspired an incredible day for India, but the column inches in Australian dailies were dominated by an incident which was unfortunate but dramatic, and which made the Indian fightback even more memorable. Steve Bucknor’s shocking lbw decision to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar for a third-ball duck, was received with outrage by the entire Australian media.”Thankfully, Steve Bucknor is Jamaican. If he was an Australian citizen, one hell of a diplomatic row would be under way following his astonishing leg-before verdict against Sachin Tendulkar,” announced Mike Coward in The Australian, before adding: “This was an aberration and an insult to the peerless Tendulkar.”Commenting on the decision in the same daily, Robert Craddock brought into focus Bucknor’s performance in recent years, which he felt had been steadily deteriorating. “World cricket does not need electronic help to sort out lbw decisions. It just needs better umpiring. Steve Bucknor shouldn’t have needed a camera to give Sachin Tendulkar not out when he was struck high … Bucknor, a delightful fellow, was a great umpire at his zenith but there have been signs in recent times he is slipping and there is a gap emerging between his still high reputation and his performance.”Meanwhile, Rajan Bala of the Asian Age had his own take on Bucknor the umpire: “In an earlier birth Bucknor might have been one of those Roman emperors who ensured that the crowds at the Coliseum were kept in suspense before he gave the thumbs-down signal to end the life of a gladiator or a Christian.”The lbw decision also opened old wounds of Tendulkar being wronged the last time he was in Australia. “Given the fate which befell him on his last visit to Australia four years ago, Tendulkar had every right to be enraged,” fumed Coward, reminding readers of the rough decisions – there were arguably three of them in six Test innings – he had copped in 1999-2000, the worst being an lbw verdict when he ducked into a bouncer.As on that occasion, Tendulkar received this blow with amazing grace, something that wasn’t lost on the Australian media. “If there was ever a definitive example of the spirit of cricket, the creed which has so occupied the Australian cricketers and their governors in recent times, this was it,” said Coward, while Craddock gushed: “Tendulkar proved he is a Sir Donald Bradman clone not just in technique but in spirit. As he left he did not look back at Bucknor, nor shake his head or even try and look up at the big screen waiting for a television replay. It was inspiring stuff. In a season where we have heard some fairly pretentious chest thumping about the spirit of cricket there we have a stellar example of what it all means.”Meanwhile, there was the small matter of Ganguly’s century. Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Peter Roebuck extolled not only the batsmanship of Ganguly and VVS Laxman, but also the mental strength that both – especially Ganguly – displayed.”Because he does not look gritty and tends to wander around with his head apparently in the clouds, Ganguly has been underestimated. He has been mistaken for one of those toffs who featured prominently in the drawing-room dramas of the 1930s. Ganguly’s career tells another story, a tale of determination and commitment … He is an inspirational figure within his team, the only place that matters.”Talking about the innings itself, Roebuck accorded it perhaps the highest accolade: “At times, he resembled Brian Lara, though his shots lack the Trinidadian’s brilliance and violence. Throughout, the momentum was carefully controlled and though the climax was exciting the previous passages were more significant because they indicated a weighty and undefeated mind at work.”Laxman’s vital innings didn’t go unnoticed either. “In his hands, a bat becomes a wand … He played some sumptuous strokes off the back foot and also flicked the ball to leg with a roll of the wrist so late it was almost a postscript. Watching him bat counts among the joys of the game,” wrote Roebuck, before concluding, “This match might peter out but interest has been aroused in the ensuing contests.”

David Hookes, the former Australian Test batsman and Victoria’s coach, died in a Melbourne hospital today after being injured outside a St Kilda hotel.Hookes, who was only 48, was treated by paramedics for half an hour at the scene of the assault before being rushed to intensive care. He was in a coma for a while but eventually his family took the agonising decision to switch off the machine at 7pm local time.A 22-year-old man, Zdravco Micevic, was charged with assault after a brief appearance in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.Hookes made a memorable Test debut against England in the Centenary Test at Melbourne in March 1977, scoring 56, including five boundaries off a single Tony Greig over. He went on to play 23 Tests between 1977 and 1986, making 1306 Test runs, including a top score of 143 not out, at 34.36. When he retired from first-class cricket in 1992 he was the highest runscorer in Australian domestic cricket. In retirement Hookes has become a successful coach and an outspoken media pundit.Community members wishing to send messages of support can fax The Alfred Hospital on 03 9276 2928, or e-mail [email protected] .

Ricky Ponting will miss the one-day international against India to be played on February 1. Cricket Australia has decided to rest him so as to ensure that he is fresh for the finals, which will be contested between Australia and India. Adam Gilchrist will captain the side in his absence, and Simon Katich will replace him in the squad.Announcing this, Trevor Hohns, the chief selector, said: “Just as Matthew Hayden and Gilchrist have benefited from a short layoff during this VB Series, we felt that a break would help Ricky in the lead-up to the series finals and upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. Gilchrist is a proven leader and is the right man to captain the side in Ricky’s absence.”

Maurice Odumbe, the Kenyan allrounder, is to be investigated by the International Cricket Council after it received reports that he had “inappropriate contact with a bookmaker and influenced the result of matches”. Odumbe’s response was unequivocal – “My conscience is clear,” he told reporters.Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, explained that the hearing came after investigations by the organisation’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) and a recommendation by Michael Beloff, the ICC’s code of conduct commission chairman. “As a result of the work of the ACSU and on the recommendation of [Beloff] the executive board accepts that there is a prima-facie case against Odumbe and has directed the Kenyan Cricket Association (KCA) and the ICC to conduct a formal hearing into the matter.”Ahmed Ebrahim, a former Zimbabwean supreme court judge, has been appointed to conduct the hearing which is expected to be held in May. But his appointment did not impress Odumbe. “I see a lot of intimidation in the whole affair, especially where Justice Ahmed Ebrahim is involved,” he told the AFP news agency. “He’s the same guy who sent me off during the triangular series in South Africa in October 2001 when he was the match umpire.”Odumbe hit the international headlines last year when he averaged 42 with the bat and took nine wickets as Kenya reached the World Cup semi-finals. The investigation is thought to concern Kenya’s win over Sri Lanka in that tournament.

Scorecard

The third day of the third Test at Bridgetown will probably decide the outcome of this match, and much depends on whether Brian Lara can find his touch. After two wretched matches in Jamaica and Trinidad, he looked to be finding his form in the first innings, and was out on the ground early today to familiarise himself with the conditions. He had the look of a man with a point to prove.The first session will be crucial. Neither side’s batsmen – with the marked exception of Graham Thorpe – have managed to really stamp their authority, and runs have been at a premium throughout. Today will probably offer the best conditions for batting, and West Indies must make the most of that and look to set England a target in excess of 250.Another full house – once again predominantly sunburnt and English – packed into Kensington Oval before the start, and there were a few more clouds than there had been on the first two days to give them some relief from the sun.