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Jonty Rhodes, the former South Africa player, will be the top draw in a unique Israel team – including a collection of Jewish cricketers from South Africa, Australia, Ireland and India – that will take on an India A squad to mark the 60th anniversary of Israel’s founding.Rhodes, 38, who retired from the game five years ago, has confirmed his participation for the three one-dayers to be held in Tel Aviv and the port city of Ashdod from July 13-16, Stanley Perlman, the chairman of the Israel Cricket Association, told Cricinfo.Perlman said he was particularly happy at being able to give an international look to the Israel 60th Anniversary XI, which also has an Indian Jew – Bensiyon Songavkar, who has represented Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy. The squad has seven overseas players whose Israeli contingent includes a left-arm spinner from the Army and a wicketkeeper still in school.”It was very difficult to find enough first-class cricketers from around the world who are Jewish,” Perlman, who is also an ICC board member, said. “But as you can see, we finally managed to get a cricketer even from India.”Except for Rhodes and Netherlands’ Roland Lefebvre, who are “supporters of cricket in Israel”, the Israel team will comprise entirely of Jewish cricketers including Adam Bacher (South Africa), Steven Herzberg (Australia), Jason and Greg Molins (Ireland) and Songavkar. The two Israeli players who are sure to make the XI are Shai Chayun, the wicketkeeper, and Solomon Varsulkar, from the country’s armed forces.”I just hope Solomon gets leave and Shai’s exams don’t clash with this event,” Perlman said. “Israel celebrated its 60th birthday recently and it is a very special occasion for us. Believe it or not, no other sport here has organised any such celebration and I am so happy cricket is the game that has gone ahead. It is also a great opportunity to bring in a group of good cricketers and show Israel what the game is all about.”My first thought was who would I want to celebrate this with? The answer was clear: my friends from India, who share very rich historical ties with us.”The BCCI had accepted an invitation earlier this year from Perlman to send a team for the event, and Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, told Cricinfo that the squad would consist of a “collection of fringe India players and some under-19 cricketers”.Shah, who is based in Rajkot and is also the secretary of the local Saurashtra Cricket Association, said he had suggested Songavkar’s name for the event after receiving a request from Perlman to identify Jewish cricketers from India to be part of the Israel XI.”I will be playing against an Indian team in Israel for an Israeli team and that will be a bit strange. But I am looking forward to the trip,” Songavkar, 22, a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-spinner who works for the Indian Railways, told Cricinfo.

The fifth match between Australia ‘A’ and South Africa ‘A’ in EastLondon, South Africa, has been abandoned without a ball being bowled.The decision was made after heavy rain left the field waterlogged.The next match is in Bloemfontein on Sunday. Australia ‘A’ hold anunbeatable 4-0 lead in the series.

The first half of the Logan Cup season is over, and a number of players who have shown top form have played themselves into the national Test squad: Mark Vermeulen, Blessing Mahwire, Campbell Macmillan, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Sean Ervine, Richie Sims and Gavin Ewing. Congratulations to them all; Vermeulen has played in one one-day international and Ervine in eight, but none have yet played in a Test match.CONTENTS

• LOGAN CUP:
  • Division A:
    Mashonaland v Midlands, scorecard and reports
    Matabeleland v Manicaland, scorecard and reports
  • Division B:
    Masvingo v Mashonaland B, scorecard
    Midlands B v Manicaland B, scorecard
• Interviews:
  Alistair Campbell – captain again
  Andy Blignaut – back to the spotlight
  Andy Flower – a season with Essex
  
• 10 Years on: Andy Flower’s memories of Zimbabwe’s first Test matches
• Letters

If selected, they will of course find there is a tremendous and unavoidable gap between Logan Cup and Test cricket. The Logan Cup matches were marked by fast, high scoring by the batsmen on fine batting pitches; bowlers for the most part struggled. But, as Heath Streak has said, this is probably the best possible scenario regarding our first-class competition. Batsmen get the best possible opportunity to play long innings, while bowlers will have to scratch their heads and get down to some really hard work to tighten up and improve their game if they are to enjoy any success in the future.It’s a hard game for them, but they will never elevate themselves to Test-match standard by taking easy wickets on seamer-friendly tracks, because that sort of pitch is rarely seen in Test cricket. When the going is tough, as it has been for most of our bowlers, seamers especially, the tough get going. When the second half of the programme takes place next April, perhaps we will see a more even contest – not because the conditions have changed, but because the bowlers will have changed, for the better.Here are the Logan Cup logs to date. Mashonaland and Midlands paid heavy penalties for their poor over rates in their recent match. Match points are 12 for a victory and 3 for a draw.

A DIVISIONMatch Bonus PenaltyP W L D pts Bat Bowl pts TOTALMashonaland 3 2 – 1 27 12 9 5 43Manicaland 3 1 1 1 15 8 11 0.5 33.5Matabeleland 3 1 2 – 12 9 6 2 25Midlands 3 – 1 2 6 9 10 9.5 15.5B DIVISIONMatch Bonus PenaltyP W L D pts Bat Bowl pts TOTALMashonaland B 3 2 – 1 27 8 11 0 46Manicaland B 3 1 1 1 15 10 10 0 35Matabeleland B 2 1 1 – 12 4 8 0 24Masvingo 2 – – 2 6 7 7 4.5 15.5Midlands 2 – 2 – 0 4 2 0 6

The Pakistanis are coming – but so are the rains. There have been widespread rains in Zimbabwe this week, longer in duration that is usual for this time of year. In October and November rains tend to be in short, sharp bursts rather than the prolonged rains that we have had. Hopefully the rain, much needed, will not interfere too much with the cricket, but that is always a risk that needs to be taken when teams visit Zimbabwe at this time of year. Some years, in January and February especially, cricket can be almost impossible, and we were indeed fortunate when Pakistan first visited us in 1994/95 that there was little rain in February to spoil a memorable series.Is there an award for the Selfish Player of the Week? Jacques Kallis, during South Africa’s mauling of hapless Bangladesh in the Second Test at Potchefstroom, was caught at the wicket fairly early on, off his glove. He refused to walk and was given not out. He went on to collect another Test century.This is at least the second Test century Mr Kallis has recorded after being fairly dismissed but mistakenly allowed to stay by the umpire. He did the same against Zimbabwe in Harare last year.Players give various excuses for not walking. There are those who claim it is always the umpire’s decision and they will abide by it – but should there be an umpiring error against them they will make their disapproval plain. Some say that if they walk it will be to the detriment of their team, which will suffer, and I imagine this to be a common excuse among Zimbabwe players, who often need all the help they can get. Some may say their place in the team is in jeopardy and by staying and taking another chance to play a major innings they can make it more secure.So what excuse would Mr Kallis give, if so required, for his failure to walk? His team was in a very strong position, and his own place in it is quite secure. He robbed the opposition of a valuable wicket they had fairly earned, as he did against Zimbabwe last year.And, as was also the case against Zimbabwe, he robbed his own team-mates as well. Ashwell Prince and Martin van Jaarsveld, both at the start of their Test careers, would have benefited greatly had they been able to come in to bat with the opportunity to play a major innings. Instead, Kallis shared a huge stand with Gary Kirsten, and these two youngsters did not get a chance to bat until a declaration was imminent and they had to look to score quickly. The aforementioned Mr Kallis’s decision to hog the crease and gorge himself against the easiest bowling available in Test cricket robbed the two youngsters of the chance to gain vital experience.Shame on you, Jacques Kallis! If that was not pure selfishness, then what other justifiable reason could you give for your refusal to walk when you knew you were out? One of the commentators described it as unprofessional behaviour in such circumstances. To add to the crime, this innings helped Kallis to win the Man of the Match and Man of the Series award, so obviously the adjudicators did not consider the moral element to be of any importance.The message coming across is that selfish behaviour pays very well. If I were an international umpire, I would be very eager to put my finger up against Mr Kallis, were I given half a chance. But then I probably would not last very long. Unlike certain players whose motto in life seems to be to look out for number one to the exclusion of all others.

Somerset Under 11’s travelled to West Buckland School last weekend, to play against their Devon counterparts.Somerset won the toss and batting first amassed 199 for 7 before declaring. Will Robinson dominated the innings with a fine 85, and there were also useful contributions from Jamie Howson (15) Dan Tomkins (14) Chris Dent and Ross Jenkins who both made 12.In reply the hosts were dismissed for 142 to give Somerset victory by 57 runs.For Somerset Jack Leach enjoyed figures of 10 overs, 2 maidens, 3 wickets for 18 runs.

International cricket will again move indoors when Pakistan visits Australia for a series of three limited-overs matches in June, it was announced in Melbourne today.In accepting an invitation to play two matches against the host nation at Colonial Stadium, Pakistan will become the third country to compete in one-day international games in an enclosed arena.Pakistan’s abbreviated tour, which will be conducted in the depths of Australia’s winter, will also feature a third one-day international – played outdoors – at the ‘Gabba ground in Brisbane.”One of the difficulties in scheduling the summer season is trying to provide cricket followers with enough opportunities to see the Australian team play live,” said Australian Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer, James Sutherland, in unveiling a series that will become known as Super Challenge II.”This series allows us to give more people the chance to see their team play and ensures that the team is able to continue its build-up for the 2003 World Cup.”Colonial Stadium is a proven venue for international cricket, and the dry climate of Queensland in June will allow us to showcase the game at the ‘Gabba,” he said.The only one-day internationals previously played indoors were also staged in Melbourne, when Australia hosted South Africa in a series of three matches at Colonial Stadium in August 2000.That series was acclaimed as an outstanding success by players, administrators and spectators. Close to 100,000 fans flocked to the three games, and officials from both countries expressed optimism that they would act as a forerunner in paving the way for more international cricket to be played outside of its traditional base in the summer months.Australia was poised to further explore the concept last year when India accepted an invitation to compete in another stand-alone series in September. But an increasingly congested international schedule ultimately forced the cancellation of those matches and ensures that Pakistan’s arrival in Australia will now provide the country with its first taste of winter cricket in two years.In being slotted into the international calendar between the three-cornered Sharjah Cup competition in April and the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in September, the series will also provide further important match practice for Pakistan in the lead-up to the 2003 World Cup.”We have the Sharjah Cup against tough opposition in Sri Lanka and New Zealand this month, which should see us ideally placed for the three matches against Australia in June,” said Pakistan Cricket Board Director, Brigadier Munawar Ahmed Rana.”Taking on Australia is not only important to our preparation for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, but it is also a great challenge, as Australia has defeated our team in some important fixtures in recent times.”The Melbourne fixtures in this year’s series will be contested at Colonial on Wednesday 12 June and Saturday 15 June, while the Brisbane match will be staged at the ‘Gabba on Wednesday 19 June.Both grounds are extensively used in hosting Australian Rules Football matches during the winter months, meaning that intensive preparation of pitches will be undertaken in the days immediately leading up to each of the three games.A specially-tailored ‘drop-in’ pitch will be created off-site for the two games at Colonial, while groundstaff at the ‘Gabba will use the advantage of a slightly longer break between football commitments to prepare a strip in the centre of their existing block of wickets.

The day began in a moment of solemn silence and ended in a dramatic eruption of joy at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. With their thumping seven-wicket win, the West Indies leveled the series 1-1 with one game to go.The day started in silence observed to mark the death of two cricketers – former Indian spin legend Subhash Gupte and Hansie Cronje. Matchfixing and its attendant tarnishing aside, the death of a cricketer at the young age of 32 leaves a sadness that is sobering. The cricket world was in shock and as is so often the case, the game threw up a performance that did a bit to soothe the wounds of fans worldwide.Christopher Henry Gayle creamed 84 of the most sublime runs as West Indies easily overhauled a meagre Indian score of 123 in a rain-shortened 25-over-a-side slog.But it was no slog from Gayle as a packed house at Trinidad were well repaid for their three-hour wait in the rain.Gayle has on earlier occasions shown patches of sublime touch. In this match his raw, brutal power coupled with a fluid, fluent arc of the bat sent the Indian bowlers scurrying for cover. Suffering most at the hands of Gayle was the success story from the previous one-dayer – Tinu Yohannan. Getting clattered to every part of the park in an over that cost 25 runs, Yohannan quietly retired to the outfield.Gayle did not slow down. The fact that fielding restrictions did not apply after the seventh over did nothing to deter him. After all, if you’re hitting the ball several rows back into the stands, it hardly matters where the fielders are standing. Three sixes were struck in an innings of 84, each one bigger than the previous, as the on-side fence bore the brunt of his savage attack. The excitement is always greatest when the ball goes the full distance, but the strokes that went along the turf to the fence were no less sweet.Overpitched deliveries seem to be the favourite cuisine of this man who has an insatiable appetite for big strokes. Consecutive cover drives off Yohannan left fielders with no chance whatsoever. There was a sigh of relief for the Indians when Gayle’s storm came to an end on 84. A top-edged pull landed safely in the hands of Ganguly at square leg. West Indies needed just seven to win though, at that stage.Just minutes before Gayle was dismissed, his opening partner, Wavell Hinds played a loose shot to be clean bowled for a well-made 30.With clouds gathering in the hills surrounding the ground, the Indians would have had hopes that they could delay things as much as possible. But even the dismissal of Ramnaresh Sarwan, who dragged a Yohannan delivery back onto his stumps, did nothing but change the eventual margin of victory. The popular pair of Carl Hooper and Brian Lara finished things off soon after.While it’s the batting that is usually remembered in a great victory, it is often the bowling that makes such a triumph possible. Today was no exception. The West Indies bowlers rocked the Indian top-order with a series of telling blows. All India managed was 123 all out in 25 overs.The first man to go was Virender Sehwag, in just the third ball of the match. Attempting to clear the infield on the leg side, Sehwag mis-hit Merv Dillon to Lara at mid on. India were 1/1 and Sehwag was gone for a duck.Dinesh Mongia (13) showed hints of defiance but did not last long enough to make a difference.Then came a slew of wickets. VVS Laxman (2) was run out by a sharp throw from Hooper and Yuvraj Singh (1) nicked Pedro Collins through to the ‘keeper. India were in deep trouble at 56/4.A stroke-filled Ganguly innings (39, 44 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) then came to an end. With the fine leg up in the circle, the Indian skipper moved across his stumps and tried to glance the ball fine. Rapped on the pads and adjudged lbw to Colleymore, Ganguly could consider himself a touch unlucky. The ball appeared to be missing the off stump.Rahul Dravid did his best to take India towards respectability, making 26, the second highest score of the Indian innings. He too was undone by a clever piece of bowling, bowled by Hooper while attempting to play a cut shot.Mohammad Kaif made 12 but he too could not get going. Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan and company did little to contribute. However, it’s hardly fair to expect them to make a difference when three of the top five managed just three runs between them.With the last ball of the Indian innings, the West Indies sealed a superb performance out in the field. Collins had Harbhajan Singh (6) caught behind and India were all out for 123.It’s never easy to bowl in rain-shortened matches, but the West Indies did it to perfection. Colleymore, with 3/14 from his five overs, was outstanding. Hooper’s 2/19 from five overs helped keep the pressure up and made life very difficult for the Indians.

Despite captain Sanath Jayasuriya’s comments to the contrary, Sri Lanka remain firm favourites to win the final of the Morocco Cup 2002 on Wednesday.Jayasuriya appeared uncomfortable with the favourites’ label after his side’s comfortable six-wicket defeat of South Africa on Monday, their third consecutive win."No, you can’t say that we are favourites, South Africa can always come back," said Jayasuriya, wary of Sri Lanka having lost their last two Sharjah finals after dominating the group stages.However, coach Dav Whatmore admitted that South Africa were now underdogs.”Played four, won three – I suppose you could say that, but we’ve played them a lot in the past and we know what they are capable of. The conditions might be different but that’s no reason to think it’s your God-given right to win the final,” Whatmore said.The fact is that as this tournament has progressed, the conditions haveincreasingly favoured Sri Lanka’s spin-based attack, which has been able toextract significant turn from the pitch.Sri Lanka bowled 30 overs of spin in their last game, despite the absence oftheir star off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, and will consider playing justtwo fast bowlers in the final.That would allow them to bolster their middle order, which has so far not been tested because of the form of Aravinda de Silva, who has won two Man-of-the-Match awards, and Jayasuriya, the tournaments highest run-scorer with 228 runs at 57.By sharing ten overs between Jayasuriya, De Silva and Russel Arnold, Sri Lanka would be able to play Tillakaratne Dilshan at number seven.But it’s a difficult decision to make, with pace bowler Pulasthi Gunaratne, the one who would stand down, having taken four wickets in his last game.South Africa captain Shaun Pollock is certainly keen to take early wickets,believing the key to winning will be to put pressure on the Sri Lankan middle order."At the moment the lower order has not really been tested, we have to make inroads upfront," said Pollock.They will be targeting de Silva, who has nudged and nurdled his way to two match-winning unbeaten half-centuries against the Proteas."De Silva is the key, he is their rock that they are batting around at themoment," Pollock said.And despite two comprehensive defeats, he remained upbeat about his side’s chances."We know what we have to do – where we have gone wrong and improve," he said. "If we put that right I can’t see why we can’t win."South Africa have been boosted by the news that Jacques Kallis will play a full part in the final, despite sustaining a knee injury during his 84 yesterday. Jonty Rhodes, suffering from a bruised finger, has also been given the all clear.South Africa, though, are also faced with selection problems, particularly theidentity of Pollock’s new-ball partner.Both Roger Telemachus and Mahkaya Ntini have proved expensive and appearunlikely to play, meaning Kallis takes the new ball and left-arm spinner Nicky Boje bowls his full quota of overs.With only five specialist bowlers, Justin Ontong, who has thus far failed with the bat, may play ahead of left-handed batsmen Graeme Smith because of the back-up provided by his part-time spin.Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (Capt), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, MahelaJaywardene, Russel Arnold, Aravinda de Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, UpulChandana, Hasantha Fernando, Chaminda Vaas, Chamila Lakshitha Gamage, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Pulasthi Gunaratne, Charitha Buddika Fernando.South Africa: Shaun Pollock (Capt), Mark Boucher, Paul Adams, Nicky Boje, Boeta Dippenaar, Allan Donald, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten, Lance Klusner, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Jonty Rhodes, Graeme Smith, Roger Telemachus.

Both captains have given pass marks to the pitches in the five Testsof the recent Cable & Wireless Series.West Indies captain Carl Hooper, saying he “couldn’t afford to bebiased”, was satisfied that the pitches were good at all five grounds.South African skipper Shaun Pollock agreed and picked out Sabina Parkfor special mention.”If I had to pick one of the five, I’d probably say this one,” hesaid of the Sabina pitch for the fifth and final Test where SouthAfrica lost their only match of the series.”I thought it played nicely and was pretty similar to what we have athome. It had a bit more bounce and carry [than the others] and was agood Test pitch.”Hooper quipped that, since Sabina had given him his first Test win ascaptain, he should identify it as the best, but his assessment wasthat “they’ve all been good tracks, at all the venues”.He used the pitch at the Queen’s Park Oval as an example of what hethought was a general improvement.”In Trinidad, the pitch normally plays much lower than it did but,this time, the bounce was more even and it held up fairly well,” hesaid.Chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board, GregoryShillingford, announced before the series that cash incentives of “acombined amount of between US$8 000 and $15 000” would be awarded toground staff for the best pitch and grounds for both Test and One-DayInternational series.Shillingford said the judges would be the two captains and ICC matchreferee Mike Denness, the former England manager, who fill out formsassessing the pitches and grounds after every match.He gave the assurance that the scheme would be continued and possiblyeven extended to the domestic Busta Cup and Red Stripe Bowl.

Together in academics – together in sports
Nike Cricket Nursery (NCN) is a non-profit, community project for 7-9 year olds. The idea is to develop basic cricket skills in a healthy, fun-filled environment. This encourages them to learn tolerance and teamwork as children who play together.The initiative for Nike Cricket Nursery (NCN) was well conceived by renowned Pakistani cricket commentator and critic, Omar Kureishi who has always been a guiding light for the promotion of cricket at grass root level here. Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, Chairman – Pakistan Cricket Board, immediately approved Nike Cricket Nursery on behalf of the PCB. Nike runs the program in association with Pakistan Cricket Board.

“Nike Cricket has been conceived as a community project and the accent is on participation. I hope the children will achieve excellence but that will be a bonus. It will be sufficient if they begin to learn the fundamentals of a game that has so much to teach not only on the field but off it as well.” These are the views of Omar Kureishi, the man who visualized the community project and launched it last November.

Omar Kureishi adds, “It’s my good luck that we were able to get a sponsor like Nike. When I approached Ghous Akbar (MD Nike) for sponsorship, he agreed without any hesitation. Neither he nor I can take any credit. The credit belongs to the children themselves. They have taken to Nike Cricket enthusiastically and are having a lot of fun.”True to Omar’s words, the children have responded overwhelmingly.

On February 10, 2002, the PCB Chairman witnessed the children from 7-11 years being taught the basic skills of the game at National Stadium Karachi and immediately approved of it promising to help take Nike Cricket nationwide. He said that PCB has hired coaches including former Test and First Class cricketers to provide their assistance and coaching for the Nursery’s future programs. An interesting point is that Nike is holding the cricket nursery at NSK for the past three months and coaching more than 200 children aged 7-9 free of charge.

PCB Chairman lauded this decision to promote cricket at grass root level and assured them of all possible cooperation for organizing more of such camps. He said that PCB intends to promote the sport at grass root level, open to all without any discrimination as is evident from this camp where children from public sector schools, special schools and SOS Villages are participating.He appreciated the fact this idea of coaching was conceived by Omar Kureishi and PCB always pays high regard to his good guidance and suggestions. Tauqir Zia also lauded the services of MD Nike, for promotion of cricket.

Omar Kureishi also addressed the ceremony, which was attended by participating children, their parents, teachers and a large number of cricket enthusiasts.The Nike Cricket Nursery simplifies the game of cricket. Rules are modified according to conditions. Played on a grassy ground (National Stadium Karachi) with specially designed equipment made from high quality moulded plastic, light enough for small hands. The equipment is light, tough, hardwearing and safe, so there is no need for any protective wear.Presently there are about 200 children enrolled and the highlight is children from low income groups are trained free of charge and also provided free transport.

Parents and teachers provide a lot of support and being cricket enthusiasts themselves often join the children on the ground for a few overs. Children play five days a week at the Stadium. The program is not just meant to coach but train them into developing basic cricket skills and to have fun while doing it.

Doug Watson is set to replace Johan Rudolph as the coach of the Namibian national team, Cricket Namibia has confirmed. He will take charge of the team from October 22. Watson, who played first-class cricket in South Africa for 15 years, has been involved with Namibian cricket for the past two years in various capacities.”I’m extremely privileged and humbled to be the national coach for Cricket Namibia,” Watson said. “It is an exciting period of life for me, I believe that cricket in Namibia can only go forward, we have an exciting international and South African cricket calendar ahead of us and we’ll be looking to achieve our goals and objectives.”Watson has previously had coaching stints with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2009, where he was the assistant coach to Shaun Pollock, and the head coach of the Kwa-zulu Natal Inland team between 2009-11. He played 139 first-class matches, scoring 7692 runs at an average of 36.80.