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Following the announcement last week that Sir Vivian Richards would be making an appearance at the County Ground for Lashings C.C. later this summer, Somerset have been inundated with enquiries regarding tickets.The match against Lashings C.C. will take place on Monday July 21st starting at 1pm, and is certain to be one of the highlights of the Somerset County Cricket Club Appeal Year.In response to the early interest in the return of Sir Viv to the club where he started his career, Somerset have announced that the match will be all ticket, and that everybody will pay.Admission for non-members will be £10 for adults and £5 for juniors under the age of 16, whilst admission for members will be £5 and £2 for juniors.Tickets can be purchased on the gate on the day of the match, but they can also be purchased in advance by calling in person at the Main Office in the Colin Atkinson Pavilion at the County Ground which will be open Monday to Friday between 9.00 a.m.and 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m., or by telephoning on 01823 272946 with a credit card.Tickets purchased in advanced however are non refundable.The Appeal Year Opening Lunch will take place on Friday April 4th at the County Ground when former Somerset player Roy Palmer, who is now a First Class umpire, will be the guest speaker.Tickets for the lunch are priced at £27.50 and are available from Robert Appleyard, telephone number 01225 313906.

It has been drizzling for four days and the BKSP grounds are completely wet. The ground where the National Squad always carry on their net practice is absolutely unworkable. The cricketers are keeping on their net practice sessions in the Indoor of BKSP.For Saturday and Sunday, the team completed its fielding sessions in the rain-drenched ground-1. But it was impossible to run that yesterday. Both fielding and net practice were done in the Indoor." Certainly the rain is hampering the practice. You see it makes a lot of difference between playing in the field and in the Indoor. We hardly practiced in the ground this week, " conceded Habibul Bashar." I am afraid we are not getting enough practice matches this time which is very vital before playing with teams like Pakistan, India or Sri Lanka. And we have to play all those in the overseas grounds. We played a good number of practice matches before the Zimbabwe Tour. Now we are missing it, " said he.Bikash Ranjan Das looked a bit erratic when he was trying to pitch the ball too fast. Trevor Chappell gave him some guidelines quickly. He seemed meditative and was keeping a keen eye on his boys.Mohammad Sharif, one of the youngest members of the side, is missing the practice sessions. This quick bowler got himself hurt in the shoulder while attempting a catch in net sessions a week before. Gavin Benjafield and a local physiotherapist were taking care of a gloomy Sharif who is hopeful about joining the practice soon.The squad is going to attend the Test Cap giving ceremony in Winter Garden at Hotel Sheraton, Dhaka tonight.

South Africa captain AB de Villiers has been fined 40% of his match fee for maintaining a slow over rate during the first ODI against India in Kanpur, while his team-mates were docked 20% of their match fees.The charge was laid by the on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Vineet Kulkarni, the TV umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin, and the reserve umpire Anil Dandekar. The fine was imposed by the match referee Chris Broad, who ruled that South Africa were two overs short of their target after time allowances were taken into consideration. De Villiers pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.De Villiers had previously been found guilty of minor over-rate offences on two occasions in the last 12 months, and subsequently served a one-match suspension during the first ODI against Bangladesh in July. If South Africa commit another over-rate breach in ODIs within 12 months with de Villiers as captain, it will be deemed a second offence by de Villiers and he will again face a suspension.South Africa won the first ODI by five runs, thanks to a 73-ball 104 from de Villiers, who was named Man of the Match.

Rangers are one of the clubs eyeing in-demand Scottish youngster Luke Graham, according to The Courier’s George Cran. 

The lowdown

The 18-year-old centre-back is yet to make a first-team appearance for Mark McGhee’s first team at Dundee, but his ‘stature’ and ‘ability on the ball’ have apparently caught the eye of academy recruitment staff.

Graham is currently in the midst of a week-long trial at English Championship outfit Sheffield United, who may choose to offer him a deal if they like what they see.

The latest

Sharing his article via Twitter, Cran said that Rangers are one of the ‘big clubs having a look’ at Graham, with ‘more interest’ emerging.

The Gers had scouts watching him in action on Saturday, as did their arch-rivals Celtic and Premier League giants Arsenal.

Cran wrote that Dundee ‘have a fight on their hands’ to retain Graham before he has even played for their senior team.

The verdict

If Rangers win the intensifying race for his signature, then Graham will probably slot into their B team at first, but the signing would very much be regarded as one for the future.

The Gers themselves are struggling to keep hold of one of their brightest prospects in Rory Wilson, who has resisted a lucrative deal and advances from Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson as he eyes a move to a Premier League club (via Football Insider).

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They are now looking to prise away a coveted young starlet from Dundee, who sit bottom of the Premiership and on course to be relegated, in what is perhaps a further illustration of the footballing food chain.

In other news, Ally McCoist fumes at an ‘inexcusable’ error from one Rangers star

	Nasim Ashraf: ‘This is a wrong impression that Pakistan has no voice in the ICC’ © Getty Images

The Pakistan Cricket Board is unhappy with the appointment of Mike Procter for the five-match one-day series against Bangladesh, starting on April 8.Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said the board will talk to the International Cricket Council regarding this issue. “I will have our director (cricket operations) speak to his counterpart in the ICC on this issue,” Ashraf said.PCB’s reluctance to have Procter be the match referee in Pakistan matches has its origins in the infamous 2006 Oval Test where Australian umpire Darrell Hair’s five-run penalty culminated in a forfeiture.Ashraf did not see Pakistan as a weak member of the ICC even though the world governing body reinstated Hair into its Elite Panel. “This is a wrong impression that Pakistan has no voice in the ICC,” he said. “That is not true. Let me tell you in clear words that Hair will not officiate in our matches even though the ICC has reinstated him.”The ICC allowed Hair back because he had completed a six-month rehabilitation process and all the concerned people gave him good reports for his improvement in man management. Hair has been a top umpire as far as his decisions are concerned, but he was sidelined because of his poor management skills.”

Adam Gilchrist still enjoys one-day cricket but concedes he may have to give it up to prolong his Test career © Getty Images

Adam Gilchrist has hinted at his possible retirement from one-day cricket to extend his Test career, although he is not ready for such a move yet. Gilchrist had always believed in playing all forms of the game but the birth of his third child, together with the busier international cricket schedule has forced him to reconsider.”Up until the last 12 months, I had never been a guy to consider phasing out one form of the game and just focusing on one,” Gilchrist told . “But I am open to thinking about that now. I have been quite firm on playing both forms in the past, but I guess that things have changed a little.”When a few of the guys started retiring last year, it made me stop and reflect on where I was at personally. And, while the appetite is still very strong to keep playing, I’ve just noticed the hunger and the drive for Test cricket that guys like Warney and Justin Langer had when they didn’t have one-day cricket to consider.”Gilchrist, 35, indicated he would resist the temptation to bow out of the limited-overs game after one of his most masterful displays – his blistering 149 that led Australia to victory in the World Cup final. “That’s not to say that I am announcing right now that I am retiring from one-day cricket, but it’s just that I am more open-minded about the issue these days,” Gilchrist said.Australia are expected to play a record-breaking 20 Tests in 2008. Combined with various ODI series, including the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September-October, that could mean unprecedented fitness challenges for an Australia squad that could still feature more than ten players aged over 30.

Sachin Tendulkar: one step closer to returning to Test cricket © Getty Images

Sachin Tendulkar says he is back to full fitness and looking forward to the four-Test series against West Indies starting on June 2. Tendulkar, who underwent a surgery on his shoulder in March, has already been ruled out of the preceding one-day series.”I am fit now. I am looking forward to the West Indies tour,” Tendulkar told reporters. Tendulkar has made satisfactory progress with his rehabilitation following the shoulder surgery he had in March. The third and final phase was completed on May 1, and this week Tendulkar began light batting drills and has expressed his satisfaction at the work out.Meanwhile, Niranjan Shah, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, said a decision on Tendulkar’s availability for the Test series will be known after physio John Gloster submits his report. Gloster is expected to examine Tendulkar next week and based on his report, the BCCI would take a decision on the master batsman.

Naseer Hussain: ‘If I were Australia I wouldn’t be panicking too much because the same thing happened in 1997’ © Getty Images

Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, has suggested that Brett Lee’s return to the Test squad for the Ashes would add fire to an ageing bowling line-up. Lee, who hasn’t played a Test since January 2004 , returned after a shoulder injury in the NatWest Series.”I think that Brett Lee would add something to any side, to be honest,” Hussain was quoted as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald. “Looking from a distance, even before this last week happened and the bowlers looked to have lost a yard of pace, as an Englishman I was quite pleased to see Brett wasn’t part of the Test side in New Zealand.”Hussain further compared Australia’s performance in the current series, where the bowlers have struggled to make an impact, to a similar beginning in the 1997 Ashes series. “If I were Australia I wouldn’t be panicking too much because the same thing happened in 1997,” Hussain explained. “In ’97, Glenn was struggling with his rhythm, Gillespie was injured; it just takes something to click and it clicked for Glenn at Lord’s and he turned everything around. You can do that at 27 – whether you can do it at 35 I’m not so sure.”Australia got off to a worst possible start to their Ashes campaign losing four successive matches. However, they registered their first win in the NatWest series with a 57 runs win over England.”At the moment, what they are missing is what Australia has had for so many years – a bowling attack that everyone has been in envy of. From looking at them so far, it could be they’re struggling to find rhythm, they could be a bit undercooked or they could be feeling their age. You can rectify the first two, but I don’t think you can fight age.”Speaking about their batting, Hussain added, “Australia’s batting is fine. The only question is, and I’m sure the selectors are looking at it … They’ve been expert at retiring off batsmen when they are still playing well and getting new guys in, but have they done the same with their bowlers? Are they all going to come to a shuddering halt?”

Maurice Odumbe: hearing set for May© Getty Images

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.

Australian cricketing icon Bob Simpson will be the guest speaker at Otago Cricket’s annual dinner in mid-April.Simpson played 62 Tests for Australia in a career which spanned two distinct eras. After appearing on 52 occasions between 1957/58 and 1967/68, Simpson came out of retirement a decade later at the age of 41 to lead Australia to series wins over India and the West Indies.His recall was forced by the advent of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket which split the Australian game in two. Simpson scored the last of his 10 Test centuries in the fifth and final Test of the home series against in India at Adelaide in 1977/78, a score pivotal to Australia taking the Test and the series 3-2.Simpson’s first century was his highest, 311 against England in the fourth Test of the 1964 Ashes series in Manchester, and he is just one of four Australian players to score a triple-century at Test level. Don Bradman (twice), Bob Cowper and Mark Taylor are the others.In his 62 matches Simpson scored 4869 runs at an average of 46.81, he recorded 27 50s to compliment his 10 centuries, took 71 wickets and snared 110 catches.After retiring a second time Simpson coached New South Wales before embarking on a spectacularly successful decade as Australian coach before taking his talents offshore. He is still involved in coaching today.Otago Cricket’s event manager Steve Davie says it is especially fitting to have Simpson involved in this year’s dinner with the function to be held in honour of the elite ‘300 Club’.There are just five members of this club – being New Zealand batsmen who have scored 300-plus runs in an innings, either for their province or for New Zealand. All five were Otago representatives at the time of their feat, creating an exclusive and unique group.The five are Roger Blunt (338* for Otago v Canterbury in 1931/32), Bert Sutcliffe (385 for Otago v Canterbury in 1952/53 and 355 for Otago v Auckland in 1949/50), Glenn Turner (311* for Worcestershire v Warwickshire in 1982 – that score also registering his 100th first-class century), Ken Rutherford (317 for New Zealand v DB Close XI in 1986) and Mark Richardson (306 for New Zealand v Zimbabwe ‘A’ in 2000/01).”It will be a fitting tribute to our players to have one of Australia’s greatest and world’s best players present to celebrate this special occasion,” Davie told CricInfo.”With Bob Simpson himself scoring a triple century his presence will cap the evening superbly.”Part of the dinner will comprise the presentation of Test Black Caps to Turner, Rutherford and Richardson and to the families of Blunt and Sutcliffe. Iain Gallaway, the doyen of radio broadcasters in this country and a recent president of New Zealand Cricket, will be one of the evening’s special hosts as will Jeremy Coney.A book, written by CricInfo editor Lynn McConnell, honouring the exploits of the five ‘300 Club’ members will be launched at the dinner.