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ScorecardEngland’s tour of Australia lurched into further trouble in the second warm-up match, this time with a defeat at the hands of Australia Under-21s. Lowly state team Victoria had inflicted a humiliating nine-wicket win in the opener on Friday, while in this match the juniors won by 52 runs after dismissing England for 162 in reply to their 214.Alyssa Healy (Ian’s niece) made 45 and there was a fifty for Jessica Cameron, in her second season for the Shooting Stars, to boost them to 8 for 214 after Rachael Haynes (who had scored a fifty against them in Victoria disguise last week) chose to bat first.England vice-captain Nicki Shaw was on the receiving end in particular, recording 1 for 52 from nine overs. Stephanie Davies was the best bowler in only her second match, with 2 for 28 from her ten overs, which is one positive England can take away, along with Laura Marsh’s 2 for 36.Nevertheless, the home side’s score was below par for this level but proved more than enough as the bowlers, led by Rene Chappell, took regular wickets to shoot out England for 162. The opener Beth Morgan failed again with the bat, making 9. None of England’s Australia-ready players particularly shone, in fact: Lydia Greenway notching a nought, a wicketless Jenny Gunn making 13, Isa Guha struck twice but at a cost of 40 from six overs. On the positive side, England are gaining in some confidence and getting match practice as a unit.England’s captain Charlotte Edwards, while pleased with the bowling and fielding, couldn’t hide her regret. “We’re obviously bitterly disappointed. Our batting was well below-par with some soft dismissals. We were always up with the run-rate, but we didn’t establish any decent partnerships until it was too late.”Assistant coach Mark Lane, who arrived late Friday night in lieu of Vince Wells who couldn’t make it for personal reasons, added: “We’ve been knocked down, but it’s not how many times you get knocked down, it’s how many times you get back up. It’s not all doom and gloom – we need to stick together and stand up and be counted. We’ll practise really hard tomorrow and come out fighting on Wednesday.”If this is a glimpse into the future, Australia should be assured – like their men they are an enviable factory, thanks in part to their smooth system. As for England’s present, there may be one or two worries. They still have one more warm-up on Wednesday but with the first international looming on Friday they must be privately a little concerned.The side are a positive bunch, however, and will aim to improve again in their next match against the Shooting Stars.

Gold League
Sialkot beat Peshawar by two wickets inside three days chasing 221 after they had conceded a first-innings lead of 50 on the third day of their fourth-round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Gold League match at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar.Resuming on their overnight score of 137 for 8 Peshawar only added 33 more. Sialkot’s bowling hero was Tahir Mughal who took 5 for 65 and finished with a match haul of 10 for 121.Sialkot got off to a sound start with 63 from the opening pair but Waqar Ahmed, the left-arm seamer, with 4 for 29, and Peshawar’s other bowlers appeared to have swung the initiative their way when Sialkot were at 162 for 7 needing 59 more. Mohammad Ayub, however, scored a fighting unbeaten 55 off 99 balls. The unbroken ninth-wicket stand between Ayub and Asim Butt was worth 61 and proved to be match-winning in the end.Peshawar will now meet last season’s runners-up Faisalabad at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad in their fifth-round match from February 1. Sialkot, who took only six points from this win, will host Lahore Shalimar on the same day.Karachi Harbour set Lahore Shalimar a target of 383 after declaring their second innings at 242 for 6 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.Having already piled up a first-innings lead of 140, Karachi Harbour pushed towards victory as Khalid Latif, the opener, made 103 and added 124 with Naumanullah for the fifth wicket.This was Latif’s second first-class century and his 103 came off 201 balls while Naumanullah made 64 off 102 balls. Sarfraz Ahmed, the wicketkeeper, followed his 75 in the first-innings with an unbeaten 36 that came off 52 balls with four fours.Junaid Zia, Lahore Shalimar’s right-arm medium-fast bowler, took 4 for 69 to match his first-innings figures of 4 for 82. At stumps Lahore Shalimar were at 44 for no loss with 339 more needed on the final day.Despite a 50-run stand for the last wicket Faisalabad conceded a first-innings lead of 51 to Rawalpindi who then extended their lead to 328 by the end of day three of their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship match at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.Misbah-ul-Haq, unbeaten on 93, added 31 for Faisalabad’s tenth wicket with Asad Ali who stayed with Haq for nearly an hour making only four.Babar Naeem, the Rawalpindi opener, who had made 55 in the first innings, top-scored in the second innings with 75 while Mohammad Wasim, the Rawalpindi captain, followed his first innings 62 with a score of 57. Saeed Ajmal and Asad Ali took three wickets each for Faisalabad while Ahmed Hayat took two. At stumps Rawalpindi were at 277 for 8 with Sohail Tanvir and Yasim Murtaza at the crease.Silver League
Lahore Ravi won by an innings and 53 runs after they bowled out Quetta for 107 inside 48 overs on the third day of their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Silver League match at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground.Quetta didn’t put up a fight at all, following on 260 runs behind after being bowled oyt for 248 in the first innings. Their second innings began on an encouraging note with a second wicket stand of 69 between Shoaib Khan and Umar Javed. But then they lost the last nine wickets for 30 runs.Wasim Khan, Kashif Siddiq and Waqas Ahmed took three wickets each. Khan, a right-arm fast-medium bowler, ended with a match haul of 7 for 89 while Siddiq got 5 for 12 with his legbreak bowling.While Quetta will next play in Hyderabad, Lahore Ravi will host Abbottabad in the fifth round starting February 1.Trying to remain in contention for the Silver League final, and a possible return to the Gold League, Multan were 71 for 3 chasing a target of 321 against Abbottabad at the Multan Cricket Stadium.Multan seemed to have the game in their grasp when the first five Abbottabad wickets fell for 101 but the last five then added another 121 more to give them a total of 222.Zafar Janoon and Nasir Jalil added a crucial 50 runs for the eighth wicket. Jalil remained unbeaten on 39 off 75 balls. Abdur Rauf, Multan’s right-arm medium-fast bowler, took 6 for 66 and Mohammad Irshad took 2 for 39. Multan lost three wickets for 71 when stumps were called and need another 250 to win.

Matthew Hayden – set for a return to Hampshire? © Getty Images

Hampshire have confirmed they are holding talks with prolific Australian batsman Matthew Hayden with the view to signing him as an overseas player. The captain Shane Warne has been leading the county’s search for a second overseas player for 2006 and has approached a number of his Australian team-mates over the festive period.Hayden had a spell with Hampshire in 1997, when he scored 1446 runs at an average of 53.55. “He is one of three or four of Australian cricketers we have been speaking to,” Tim Tremlett, Hampshire’s director of cricket, said. “It depends on availability. Australia do not have a lot of international cricket but they do have a series against Bangladesh. There is no immediate rush to sign anyone but it would be good to have it tied up by the end of the month.”Hampshire are pursuing Hayden after ruling out a return for another Australian, Simon Katich, because he is due to get married. The allrounder Shane Watson, who made a huge impression at the Rose Bowl last year, has also been overlooked for a return as he is nursing an injury.

Happier times have arrived for Jeff Wilson since the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales© Getty Images

Jeff Wilson’s transition from Black Cap to All Black and back became another step closer today when he was named in New Zealand’s squad for the first two one-day matches against Australia. Kyle Mills joins Wilson in the 13-man squad for the Twenty20 match on Thursday and 50-over games at Wellington and Christchurch after recovering from an Achilles injury.Wilson, who played 60 rugby Tests, first showed his all-round cricket talents for his country almost 12 years ago and has been given an opportunity to add to his four international matches following success against the FICA World XI. “Jeff has slotted in very well and probably surprised a few people, especially with his pace," John Bracewell, the coach, said. "He has given us glimpses of his potential and now he will get the chance to give us an eyeful." Wilson, a bowling allrounder, took 3 for 9 in the third match of the series last month.Bracewell said Mills was not showing any lingering effects from the injury that restricted his involvement in the Auckland Aces’ last State Shield match and ruled him out of the State of Origin fixture at New Plymouth. New Zealand will release one player for domestic duties after the Wellington game on Saturday.New Zealand Stephen Fleming (capt), Nathan Astle, Mathew Sinclair, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Hamish Marshall, Chris Cairns, Brendon McCullum (wk), Jeff Wilson, Daniel Vettori, Andre Adams, Kyle Mills, Daryl Tuffey.

Zimbabweans 149 and 255 for 9 dec drew with Rockingham-Mandurah 123 and 135 for 6
Scorecard
Craig Wishart completed a boundary-laden century and Sean Ervine enjoyed his third impressive performance of the match, to ensure that Zimbabwe finished the stronger in a testing first encounter of their Australian tour, against the grade cricketers of Rockingham-Mandurah.Zimbabwe had resumed their second innings on a ropey 107 for 6, a modest lead of 133. But Wishart, 32 not out overnight, found a solid ally in Ervine, and between them they added 136 for the seventh wicket to push Rockingham-Mandurah onto the defensive. Wishart’s innings was distinctly two-paced. Although he hung around for 235 balls, his innings included 11 fours and six sixes.Ervine’s contribution was a tenacious 51, including five fours and a six, and it was something of a surprise that he was overlooked for the man of the match award after his 41 and 5 for 37 in the first two innings of the match. Instead, that honour was shared by Wishart and Rockingham-Mandurah’s Luke Ronchi, who smacked his second brisk 40-odd of the match to ensure the draw.After being set an improbable target of 282, Ronchi came to the crease with Zimbabwe on something of a roll. Ervine was once again in the thick of things, dismissing Scott Meuleman early on and Craig Simmons for 35. But it was the left-arm spin of Ray Price that really put the skids under Rockingham-Mandurah. He finished with 4 for 55 including the dismissals of Steven Glew and Adam Voges in quick succession. But from 71 for 4, Ronchi’s run-a-ball 47 stalled Zimbabwe’s momentum and saved the match.Day Two bulletin

The Kwekwe first team entertained Bulawayo Athletic Club at home. Bulawayo Athletic Club won the toss and decided to field first.Kwekwe batted first and scored 267 runs for seven wickets in their allotted 50 overs, the top scorers being Raymond Price with 68 runs which included 6 fours and Terrence Duffin with 53 runs which included 5 fours. Best bowlers for B.A.C were R. Rixon-Fuller with 2/42 and T. Mparira with 2/49.Kwekwe batted with confidence and all who watched were treated to some excellent attacking batting. It looks as though Kwekwe are back on the winning track as a result of being strengthened with the return of our National A side players as well as our experienced captain Dave Houghton.B.A.C. then batted after lunch and were dismissed for a total of 134 all out runs in 30.2 overs. The top scorer for B.A.C.. was Jason Hitz who included a six and 10 fours in a very fine spell of attacking batting.The best bowlers for the home team were Raymond Price who took 4/17 in 7 overs, Ed Rainsford who took 3/23 in 5 overs and Dirk Viljoen who took 2/13 in 7.2 overs which included 2 maiden overs. It was a very impressive spell of bowling by all concerned. Ed Rainsford’s three wickets came in just four balls in the very same over. He was on a hat-trick when the pressure got to him and he bowled a wild delivery down leg side which was `wided’ and then with the very next ball he produced a snorter of a delivery that cut the batsman in half and clipped the top of leg stump..The second team travelled to Mutare to play their second team. Unfortunately at the time of going to press there are no results available with regards to this game, but I am sure those who are interested will be able to follow the Manicaland Report.Kwekwe Queens hosted Uprising here in Kwekwe and once again there are no results for this game.This Coming weekend sees the Zimbabwe A side take on the Gauteng A side in a Bowl game and full details of this game will follow in the next report.I am pleased to report yet again that the development sides here in the Midlands are doing well and continue to have their friendly games on Saturday Mornings and there are plans underway for this little tournament to include the Gweru Sports Club side. This weekend one of the younger development players from these two teams was picked as the 12th man for the first team.

The final of the Asia Cup was as absorbing as expected considering there was hardly anything between the two sides. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka had the ammunition in their ranks to blast the opponents out. The one thing that the final proved was that if the main strength of any team falters on the day of reckoning it would be disastrous. The fielding of Sri Lanka was incredibly appalling with as many as six catches being dropped and the three beneficiaries, Anwar, Inzamam and Moin Khan made them pay.The customary efficiency of Vaas in the early overs was absent and the Pakistanis got off to a good start. Saaed Anwar has the ability to come good at the right time and he decided that the final was as good as any other important game. He used the sweep shot to maximum effect to counter the Sri Lankan spinners. The key to his sweeping successfully was that he concentrated on placing the ball rather than hitting hard. Inzamam took his time to settle down and the onus was on him to consolidate the innings as the main batsmen were dismissed.The Sri Lankans depend heavily on Muralitharan and he delivered as efficiently as a postman to stem the flow of runs during the middle overs though it was Zoysa who got the wickets. Realising that there was some aid for the spinners from the wicket, Jayasurya brought himself on. In fact he dismissed Anwar who was out to an ordinary shot after a very good effort. The arrival of Moin Khan always gets the crowd excited in anticipation not to mention the discomfort in the opposing camp. As usual he walked in to bat at a pivotal time and alot depended on him to steer the course of the innings. Inzamam in the meanwhile developed cramps in the calf muscle and there was no way hecould have kept up with his captain in running between the wickets.At the end of 40 overs, the match was in balance and neither had established any authority over the other. It was expected of Moin Khan to get some quick runs, but what he ended up doing was simply mind-boggling. The improvisations were out of this world and at times definitely too cheeky. His blitzkrieg motivated Inzamam to come out of his shell and the pounding this duo gave the Sri Lankan bowlers was akin to the Hiroshima bombing. The final ten overs were a nightmare for Jayasurya and his boys and Moin Khan ran away with the match with his superb innings.The Sri Lankans needed Jayasurya to fire on all cylinders along with Kaluwitharana to keep their hopes alive. With Kaluwitharana departing without facing a ball, Vaas was sent to tonk the ball around the park. It is not an easy job pinch-hitting when Wasim Akram has the ball in his hands. In no time the Sri Lankans lost three wickets and much depended on the experienced pair of Aravinda and Atapattu. De Silva looked a shadow of himself and he could not force the pace like he normally does. His dismissal left Attapattu on his own along with the inexperienced lower order. Arnold provided Atapattu company to put up the highest partnership of the innings.Atapattu’s century may not have won the match for his team but it was an innings of high quality. Chandana gave some hopes towards the end of taking Sri Lanka to an unlikely victory but the re-introduction of Akram ensured that nothing of that sort happened. In the end it was a convincing victory for the Pakistanis and the first success in the Asia Cup. This triumph is coming on the heels of victories at Sharjah and the triangular series in the West Indies. Moin Khan led from the front and the main batsmen produced runs as and when required. The Sri Lankans can draw some solace from the fact that it was one of those days where nothing went right for them.The Asia Cup provided the public of Bangladesh with some fantastic entertainment besides sidelining the controversy of match fixing currently prevailing in the sub-continent. The only country, which would forget this edition of the Asia Cup in a hurry, is India, as they were knocked out of sight far too early. In comparison with the other full member countries, the attitude, fielding and motivation level of individuals was far below par and it is a pity that the trend has carried on for far too long. Somebody must be accountable for the continuing debacles but there are enough shelters to hide under for the time being.

Leeds United are now facing a real battle to sign Middlesbrough right-back Djed Spence in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

It was reported back in January that the Whites were interested in striking a deal for the defender, who is currently on loan at Championship side Nottingham Forest.

Now, Football League World have claimed that fellow Premier League side Spurs have also got their eye on Spence as they look to bring in a new full-back come the summer.

Raphinha would love him

After falling down the pecking order at the Riverside, the defender has been a real star for Steve Cooper at Forest – as per WhoScored, he has averaged 1.4 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game, and a team-high of 1.8 dribbles and 0.8 key passes per game too.

That ability to be a real threat going forward is something that someone would like Raphinha would surely love to play with down the right flank, with Spence’s overlapping runs and being able to beat players himself giving the Brazilian a genuinely quality player to link with and form an understand with.

Spence really hit the headlines earlier this year when he shone against Arsenal in the FA Cup in January, a display which had Ian Wright positively raving about him.

The Gunners icon said: “Let me say, that was one of the best right-back performances I have seen for a very long time. A very long time. I have not seen a combative, technical, swashbuckling performance like that for a very long time.”

And, with transfer insider Dean Jones telling GIVEMESPORT that it would take a fee in the region of £10m to sign him, it’s certainly a price tag that seems reasonable when you consider some of the big-money moves being made by clubs in the modern market.

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When you think of some of some of the Premier League’s top sides like Manchester City and Liverpool, who have formidable wide partnerships in the likes of Joao Cancelo and Raheem Sterling, and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, Leeds could have one of their own if they were to bring in Spence.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this attacker…

	Andrew Symonds: “Even with opposition players, if I do know them well and they want to joke about something like that, it doesn’t stir me up” © Getty Images

Andrew Symonds says he is not overly sensitive about racism but considers comments unacceptable when they come from opposition players with whom he has no friendship. Harbhajan Singh was suspended for three Tests for allegedly calling Symonds a monkey during the Sydney Test and while Symonds would not discuss the specifics of the case he said he would not kick up a fuss with players he got along with.”I’m not a sensitive person about it,” Symonds told the . “If you know me well you can have a joke to me about anything and any part of racism and I’ll laugh.”I mean, I’m not sensitive about it but if I’m not your friend, if you’re an opposition player or something like that, it is unacceptable. Even with opposition players, if I do know them well and they want to joke about something like that, it doesn’t stir me up so what’s happened is something I and the Australian boys have taken very seriously.”But the Indian camp has strenuously denied that Harbhajan used the term “monkey” and has launched an appeal, meaning Harbhajan is free to play for India until the appeal is heard. No date has been set for the hearing and there is no guarantee it will happen before the final Test in the series, which starts in Adelaide on January 24.”It is a really difficult thing for me to comment on as it hasn’t been totally resolved,” Symonds said. “Obviously, people are very interested in what’s happened but they probably won’t actually know exactly what’s happened for quite some time, until the dust has settled.”Symonds said he became used to hearing comments about his appearance during his school years and he was not easily offended. “I’m very relaxed about life and I understand there are many different types of people,” he said.”You know, I used to have a bit of fun and people used to have a bit of fun with me in the playground when I was at school so I understand that kids are very blunt about that sort of thing. But it [racism] is one of those things that, in the modern day, is obviously very publicly unacceptable.”

Zimbabwe A 293 and 295 for 3 (Williams 85*, Chibahaba 70) drew with Bangladesh A 380
ScorecardZimbabwe A ended their short tour with a draw against Bangladesh A at Fatullah on a day where both sides agreed to forgo the final session as the match meandered to stalemate.The only chance of a result was for Bangladesh A to take quick wickets, but on a batsman-friendly pitch only one wicket fell in 59 overs on the final day, that of Chamu Chibahaba. Resuming on 106 for 2, 19 runs ahead, Zimbabwe A made steady progress with few alarms as Chibahaba and Sean Williams added 138 for the third wicket. By the time Chibahaba was beaten by an Alok Kapali legbreak for 70, the game was dead.Williams finished on 85 not out, adding to his 82 in the first innings, while Stuart Matsikenyeri finished the afternoon session with a quickfire 32 off 37 balls which included three sixes. Play was called off by mutual agreement at tea.Zimbabwe were happy to end the tour with a draw as all their previous ODI and first-class matches had finished in defeat. Despite the result here, the trip highlighted the major problems facing the Zimbabweans as they prepare for their return to Test cricket next November.