Ashwell Prince, South Africa’s middle-order batsman, has been named vice-captain of the side following Jacques Kallis’s departure home due to a shoulder injury.Prince, 28, has been a regular member of the South African one-day side for over a year now, contributing key knocks apart from being a superb asset in the field. He has played 15 Tests and 33 one-day internationals, and included in his resume is the fact that he captained South Africa A and the former Western-Boland franchise on the South African domestic circuit.Haroon Lorgat, the convenor of South Africa’s selection panel, said today that these two factors were an important factor in Prince getting the nod. “Ashwell is now well established and respected as a senior member in the Proteas’ squad. He will provide excellent support to Graeme Smith in the absence of Jacques Kallis,” Lorgat said. “He has also played representative cricket at all levels from Under-13 to thenational team, and so is fully conversant with the ethos of South Africancricket.”Kallis, the third South African to return home during the tour to Australia, flew back in order to ensure his full fitness for the return series against Australia, which starts at the end of February.

Scorecard

Nepal produced one of the major upsets of the tournament when they defeated South Africa by two runs in the semi-final of the Plate competition. Their reward is a place in Saturday’s final against Ireland.Nepal scored 214 for 8 with captain Kanishka Chaugai (59) leading the way before restricting South Africa to 212 for 5, despite Dean Elgar’s 66 not out from 65 balls.South Africa required 16 from the final two overs, 10 from the last six deliveries and three off the last ball but Basanti Regmi and Paras Khadka bowled superbly to earn their side a famous win. It is the second time in successive U-19 World Cups that Nepal have beaten South Africa – the last time by one wicket in Bangladesh.Roy Dias, Nepal’s coach, said: “That finish today was really tense but the boys handled it well and I am very proud of them. I told them beforehand that South Africa would be under pressure after looking at that last result and with our spinners bowling well it was a great win.”Elgar, the South Africa captain, was gracious in defeat: “Our fielding let us down and they got 20 or 30 more runs than they should have but there are no excuses. They were the better side today.”Chaugai’s contribution, his second fifty of the tournament, was crucial in ensuring Nepal more than held their own against their more illustrious opponents. Playing in his third and final U-19 World Cup, he faced 81 balls in a stay of 106 minutes, hitting six fours and a six during his innings. He added 67 for the first wicket with Mahesh Chhetri (15) and 38 for the second wicket with Sarad Vesawkar (19) and at 105 for 1 Nepal looked well placed. They were also helped by an injury to South Africa fast bowler Craig Alexander, who was only able to bowl 3.1 overs before breaking down with a suspected cartilage tear.But Nepal’s innings was checked with the appearance of spinners Jean Symes and Richard Das Neves in the attack as both applied the brakes in remarkable fashion. Left-armer Symes bowled his ten-overs at a cost of just 15 runs and also picked up three wickets including Chaugai, while offspinner Das Neves was almost as economical, delivering his ten overs at a cost of just 25 runs.No one went on to play a major innings for Nepal and it was left to Gyanendra Malla, whose 64 in the previous match against Uganda was vital in helping his side to a defendable score, to once again hold the middle order together. He made an responsible unbeaten 46 in 71 balls with six fours, but Malusi Siboto ensured Nepal were unable to break freeing the latter stages of their innings. He picked up 4 for 47 while the other wicket-taker for South Africa was Brett Thompson with 1 for 38 and their contributions were vital after Alexander left the field.Having got runs on the board, Nepal gradually squeezed the life out of the South Africa innings through their spinners and from 92 for 1 the Proteas slipped to 99 for 4. Basant Regmi led the way with the ball for Nepal. The left-armer bowled superbly to take 3 for 31 and the other bowlers responded to his lead.Khadka, who opened the bowling alongside Amrit Bhattarai, was equally impressive and although he did not take any wickets, his 0 for 36 in a full compliment of ten overs, including the last of the match, was priceless.”Our batsmen in the middle period played very slowly and by the time I was with Romano (Ramoo) we were wanting eight an over,” said Elgar. “They put us under pressure and although we got 15 from the 48th over we could not get there in the end.”Ramoo made 38 before he was dismissed in the penultimate over by Regmi but those runs took him 64 balls and his inability to score more quickly turned out to be a key difference.

The West Indies board has confirmed the itineraries for both the Zimbabwe and India tours. Following Zimbabwe’s self-imposed withdrawal from Test cricket they will play a seven-match one-day series, while India have agreed to maintain the four-Test program originally outlined.Discussions took place between the WICB, Zimbabwe Cricket and the BCCI in Dubai, where the chief executives are currently meeting. While the need to change the Zimbabwe tour has been known for some time, the WICB were keen to ensure India played four Tests after recent requests from the BCCI to reduce it to three.The Zimbabwe series begins with back-to-back matches in Antigua on April 29 and 30 then, following a tour match against a UWI Vice Chancellor’s XI, there are back-to-back games in Guyana. A day/night clash in St Lucia follows, before the series concludes with two matches in Trinidad.Roger Brathwaite, the chief executive, said: “In adjusting the itinerary for the Zimbabwe tour we have attempted to ensure that international cricket is played in Guyana, as they would have been without cricket with the cancellation of the Test scheduled for Guyana.”India will arrive in West Indies on May 12 and play five one-day internationals between May 18 and 28. There has been a minor alteration in the dates to eliminate back-to-back matches, a concession to the Indian board so they would agree to keep four Tests.

Essex have announced a pre-tax profit of £26,129 for the year ended December 31, 2005. This is slightly down on the 2004 figure of £27,707, while the balance sheet stood at £2,573,726.David East, the chief executive, said the profit was reward for hard work during a tough year. “We are pleased that we have been able to show a profit once again, but this should not detract from the fact that 2005 was a very challenging year.”We have worked extremely hard on examining all areas of expenditure, whilst ensuring that our cricket remains competitive and properly resourced. It is a fine balance, but the combination of our [National] League success and a modest surplus in 2005 indicates that the club is moving in a very positive direction.East added that there were ambitious plans in the pipeline to try and secure the future financial health of Essex. “We have an exciting plan for a major redevelopment of the ground which is progressing well. Our objective is to have a top-class stadium with fantastic facilities, whilst ensuring the financial security of the club for the future.”As guardians of the game in the county it is vital that we continue to support the recreational and developmental activities of the Essex County Cricket Board, whilst retaining our focus on achieving excellence on the professional field.”

Just as there is settlement of one damaging dispute at regional level, another arises in Barbados to further heighten public disenchantment with a sport once revered as a religion on this island.Increasingly in this antagonistic age, the courts have been called upon to rule on disagreements between sporting organisations and members.Whatever the opposing arguments in the latest court challenge – Bristol’s objection to the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) decision to promote the UWI and another combined youth team, and not them, to the top division this season – it is staggering that it could halt the start of an entire annual tournament that has survived and grown for over 100 years and produced some of the game’s greatest players.Heaven knows how much longer the delay will last. If not soon, by the time the first ball is bowled keen, talented young men who were all primed for action yesterday might well have found other sporting ways to pass their time on a weekend.It is no wonder our cricket is in such a mess.

Following England’s defeat to Sri Lanka in the final Test at Trent Bridge, the former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas has urged Pakistan to exploit England’s dip in form during their tour next month.England were outdone by Muttiah Muralitharan, whose brilliant 8 for 70 crushed England’s hopes of winning the series. However, Abbas was surprised at the condition of the pitch which, he felt, played into Murali’s hands.”I am amazed they [England] prepared a dry wicket against Sri Lanka and were routed by Murali,” he told AFP. “My advice to the Pakistan batsmen will be to be patient, take your time at the crease and play late…this is the main trick to bat in England,” said Abbas, who added that Inzamam-ul Haq was again the key to Pakistan’s batting.”With both Pakistan and England having good bowling attacks, I think batting will be crucial and Inzamam will hold the key for Pakistan because he knows the conditions having toured England thrice,” he said.”Pakistan’s batting revolves around Inzamam and the way he batted against England when they came here was remarkable.”Abbas should know, given his love for England. He hit two monumental double hundreds against them – 274 at Edgbaston in 1971 and 240 at The Oval in 1974 – and enjoyed years of success with Gloucestershire at county level.

Virender Sehwag has been fined 20% of his match fee for excessive appealing during the tense final stages of the drawn first Test between India and West Indies in Antigua.Sehwag was found to have breached section 1.5 of the ICC Code which relates to “the practice of celebrating a dismissal before the decision has been given”. He removed Dwayne Bravo and Denesh Ramdin on the final day as West Indies hung on by one-wicket to save the match.All level one breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee. The charge was brought by the umpires Asad Rauf, Simon Taufel and Billy Doctrove.Jeff Crowe, the match referee, reached his conclusion after a hearing attended by Sehwag, the Indian coach Greg Chappell and the umpires following the conclusion of the Test.

Alex Kountouris, the former Sri Lanka physiotherapist, will replace the long-serving Errol Alcott in Australia’s set-up this summer. Kountouris worked as Alcott’s understudy for the past three years – he toured South Africa and Bangladesh with the squad early in 2006 – and is currently with the Australia A side for the Top End Series.Alcott resigned last month after more than 20 years as the side’s physiotherapist to take up a role with the South Sydney rugby league club and Michael Brown, the Cricket Australia general manager of cricket operations, was pleased with his replacement. “[Alcott’s] are big shoes to fill but there is no doubt we’ve found an excellent successor,” Brown said. “Alex handled a collection of demanding situations and injuries on the recent tours of South Africa and Bangladesh, and it is clear that he is already creating a positive environment in the changing room.”Kountouris spent seven years with the Sri Lanka squad, including being part of the 1996 World Cup win, and began assisting Alcott in 2003. “It is a fantastic honour to be given this responsibility and a really exciting challenge,” Kountouris said. “Errol has done an outstanding job with the team for a long time and I look forward to continuing to implement the structures he has developed.” Kountouris, who worked in soccer before moving to Sri Lanka, has helped develop the Master of Sports Physiotherapy course at Melbourne’s Latrobe University and is currently researching fast bowling injuries for Cricket Australia.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Twin double-centuries from Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene left Sri Lanka in control of the first Test against South Africa as they ended the second day on 485 for 2, thanks to a record unbeaten 471-run partnership for the third wicket. Their lead was 316 and with the pitch already taking turn, South Africa have a massive job on their hands if they are to stave off defeat.The ease at the crease and grace of strokemaking of both batsmen made viewing a pleasure even as the runs came at a fast clip. Neither batsman looked to hit the ball hard, and after a watchful period in the start of the day they settled into a comfortable groove and picked off runs at will. And as the runs came the records tumbled. This partnership is now the second best in the history of Tests, only Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama with 576 against India are ahead of this pair. This partnership is also the best ever for the third wicket beating the 467 that Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe added against Sri Lanka.To be fair to the South Africans the pitch was slow and the bounce was evenly on the low side. Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn ran in with enthusiasm, but even when they banged the ball in short of a length it barely rose past stump height. This meant that both Sangakkara and Jayawardene only had to pick the line early and they could then play whatever shot they wanted without fear of extra bounce beating the bat.The Sangakkara-Jayawardene association was only Sri Lanka’s fourth 300-plus partnership in Tests, and South Africa could do nothing to stop the march towards a big score that Sangakkara and Jayawardene were on. There were shades of that famous Test against India at the Premadasa Stadium in 1997 where Sri Lanka put on a massive 952 for 6 declared. Of course, they will not go that far in this Test, but it might feel just as terrible for South Africa’s bowlers.Sangakkara, who was dropped on 28 by Jacques Rudolph at gully received another reprieve, from the same gentleman, on 99. Dancing down the wicket to Nicky Boje, Sangakkara lofted to long-on without quite being to the pitch of the ball but Rudolph, running around, could not hold onto the catch.

But that was the only moment where either batsman’s wicket was threatened. It was an otherwise blemishless performance. Sangakkara, who began the day on 59, and Jayawardene, who had 55 on the first day, spent the early overs reacquainting themselves with the conditions, but once that was done the runs flowed freely. Both batsmen timed the ball well, playing late and easing the ball into the gaps with consummate ease. Sangakkara was the quicker of the two, and raced along to 100 off only 116 balls.When Mark Benson and Billy Bowden, the two umpires, took the players off at the end of the day it was almost an act of mercy. Sri Lanka had not lost a wicket all day, and reached 485, a lead of 316. Sangakkara (229 not out) and Jayawardene (224 not out) matched each other, run for run, stroke for stroke, and the two old friends appeared to be enjoying every moment of their stay at the crease. “When you’re in you have to make the most of it,” a tired Jayawardene said in a snap interview immediately after the day’s play. And what’s Sangakkara’s secret? “I just like batting,” he said, smile plastered across his face.Already Ashwell Prince, South Africa’s stand-in captain, has a massive task on his hands. Facing Muralitharan in the second innings is going to be a tough ask. Sri Lanka have plenty of time on their hands, and it is in their interests to bat on. After all, with some wear and tear already on the pitch, the ball is turning sharply from the rough. And it’s hard to see any of the South African batsmen matching either of the two Sri Lankans on display today.

Pakistan’s cricketers made a big mistake on Sunday at The Oval in London. Having refused to take the field immediately after tea in the aftermath of umpire Darrell Hair’s decision that the ball had been illegally tampered with by the tourists, Inzamam-ul-Haq and his men should have abandoned the fourth and final Test against England then and there.But by belatedly emerging from the dressing-room some 45 minutes later, at a time when Hair and Billy Doctrove had already ruled that England were the winners by virtue of their opponents’ forfeiture, they had significantly weakened their own principled position, ultimately succumbing to pressure from within or without that playing a cricket match, and more than likely going on to win it on the final day, was more important than dignity and integrity.If the Pakistanis were really serious with all of the post-match comments about their country’s honour being at stake, they should have boarded the team coach back to their hotel and left the officials to wonder what to do next. Being vilified in the British press or roundly booed by thousand of blind loyalists is a very small price to pay for making an emphatic statement that enough is well and truly enough.What is it about us former colonials that we feel compelled to measure ourselves by our one-time masters’ yardstick of what constitutes civility and fair play? Giving up a Test match is as legitimate a protest as any other, especially if the degree of the perceived offence goes beyond issues of umpiring incompetence, or even bias. Those strident defenders of Victorian values, who will tut-tut and mutter disapprovingly about such behaviour being just not cricket, need to come to terms with the reality that this is only a game, and if it means being disrespected and insulted – as the Pakistanis claim – then it isn’t a game worth playing.It is of course not unprecedented for a team to threaten to abandon a Test. The all-powerful West Indies side came extremely close to walking out on the second match of the turbulent 1979-80 series in New Zealand, so incensed were they at what are generally accepted to be a litany of blatantly biased umpiring decisions against them (I say that on the basis of not just having read about that tour, but listening to the comments of those who saw it “live” or were actually involved during the West Indies trip there earlier this year).Unlike Pakistan, Clive Lloyd’s team eventually took the field after a similarly prolonged tea interval before it was too late. Everything continued as before: the bad decisions, the West Indian complaints, the New Zealand rebuttals about poor sportsmanship. The chance to make an attention-getting statement had been lost.Would it have made any significant difference to the future course of the game if the West Indians had walked out in the middle of the match more than 26 years ago? More than likely not, just as you would usually say that this latest raging controversy will probably run its swift course before it’s back to regular programming, courtesy of some creative negotiating, all for the sake of ensuring that the lucrative global business of cricket is not significantly interrupted.But the conciliatory mood might just be changing, especially as this latest issue comes in the midst of allegations of terrorist plots and a deepening mistrust between two distinct cultures. Will the players rally behind Inzamam and refuse to play in the scheduled limited-over series against England if he is slapped with a ban at Friday’s hearing for his team’s ball-tampering and then bringing the game into disrepute?There seems to be no easy way out this time, especially as the umpires have clearly drawn the line in the sand by first penalising Pakistan on the field and then apparently standing by the decision that the match was over as far as they were concerned when the visitors chose to stay in the dressing-room immediately after tea.On the evidence of those two issues alone, Inzamam is guilty, and if the International Cricket Council is consistent in applying its Code of Conduct, then some sort of ban is inevitable.What this matter has also highlighted is the continued polarisation of the traditional cricket establishment and the increasingly assertive and aggressive nations of the Indian subcontinent, never mind the best public relations efforts of the ICC.While Hair is being mocked and ridiculed in the streets of Karachi and Lahore, across in his native Australia, he is being hailed in the media as forthright and courageous. Not for the first time, there is no definitive border between right and wrong, especially as that line is so often blurred by the perceptions of different people conditioned by the mores and standards of very different societies.In the modern era of sport, of course, the common denominator is not fair play, but money, and while Pakistan will complain long and often about being insulted and humiliated yet again, they will also be made aware of the severe financial consequences of failing to fulfill their contractual obligations should the heavy hand of cricketing law come down on Inzamam in two days’ time.What price, if any, will they determine is too high to pay in defence of their honour and dignity?