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BRISBANE – Steve Waugh’s one-day international career is over after theTest captain was left out of the provisional 30-man squad forAustralia’s World Cup defence in Africa from February.The 37-year-old Waugh had held slim hopes of fighting his way back intothe team after he was dropped last February but the message was cleartoday when he was not included not among the top 30 Australian limitedovers players.Waugh’s 10 teammates from yesterday’s Ashes series triumph over Englandwere named in the provisional World Cup squad along with some outsidersin young Victorian legspinner Cameron White, Tasmanian paceman DamienWright, versatile South Australian Mark Higgs and former Test spinnerBrad Hogg.Selectors named three conventional allrounders in Shane Watson, AndrewSymonds and Ian Harvey while West Australian wicketkeeper-batsman RyanCampbell was also included.The squad will be trimmed to 15 players by December 31 according to theguidelines arranged between the World Cup’s 14 participating nations.Players can be brought in from outside the 30-man squad but that wouldbe unlikely in Australia’s case.”This is really the first phase in selecting the squad to attend SouthAfrica for the 2003 World Cup,” chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said.”There are a number of players we need to continue looking at over thecoming month as we move to cut the squad by half.”That will be a challenging task because there are several players thatcould fill a variety of positions for us at the World Cup.”So far we have selected a healthy mix of players – batsmen, bowlers,all-rounders and three wicket-keepers, which gives us a broad range tochoose from when finalising our list.”The Australian side is scheduled to depart for the World Cup on January29 next year following the Allan Border Medal presentation on January28.Australia’s provisional World Cup squad: Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist,Michael Bevan, Andrew Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, BrettLee, Darren Lehmann, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, ShaneWatson, Justin Langer, Jimmy Maher, Greg Blewett, Nathan Bracken, StuartClark, Michael Clarke, Ryan Campbell, Nathan Hauritz, Brad Hogg, MichaelHussey, Ashley Noffke, Andrew Symonds, Brad Williams, Brad Haddin, IanHarvey, Cameron White, Mark Higgs, Damien Wright.

Despite some brave batting by Rob Turner and Richard Johnson, Somerset eventually lost their unbeaten record in the county championship when they were beaten by Warwickshire by 88 runs earlier today.Resuming at their overnight score of 248 for 6 the Cidermen lost wickets until last man Richard Johnson came to the wicket to join his Rob Turner.The injured paceman hit some lusty blows including two sixes off Shaun Pollock, but in the end his luck ran out and he was dismissed for 38,leaving Rob Turner stranded on 83 not out as Somerset were all out for 357.After the game Kevin Shine told me: "I am very disappointed with the result, but we did put up a good fight. When `Johnno’ went in he played beautifully and started whacking it about. It was good to watch and for a time you felt that perhaps we could get there, but it wasn’t to be."The coach continued: "We sorely missed `Johnno’in the field and all of our bowlers did well. It was a great knock by Rob, very brave on an up and down wicket and he got hit several times."

Hampshire’s Charlie van der Gucht is back playing cricket – just 13 months after suffering horrific injuries in a road accident last summer.And he even celebrated with a wicket as he helped the Hampshire Academy take another step towards the Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2 championship with a 32-run win over Old Tauntonians & Romsey.Van der Gucht, 22, broke both his legs and was on a life support machine after being hit by a taxi in Twickenham last July.But, little more than a year after his accident and after courageously battling his way back – and landing a 2.1 history degree at Durham University in the process – the left-arm spinner took his first positive step towards a comeback in the professional game.Van der Gucht bowled a full 12-overs and finished with satisfying figures of 1-34."I was really pleased with the way things went, but it was obviously very tiring, particularly the fielding aspect," he confessed."It was the first time I had stood around for three hours and I came off from fielding totally drained – but nonetheless pleased."Playing again was an important physiological barrier to overcome, but I’ve done it and now I’m looking forward to next week’s match (against United Services) with the Academy team."The Hampshire youngsters certainly had their work cut out beating a tenacious OTs side.Although three of the top order failed, Irfan Shah (55) gave the innings momentum before becoming Max Smith’s third victim at 94-4.Martin Bushell (60) shared key middle-order partnerships with David Wheeler (31) and Tom Burrows (34) as the Academy advanced to 233 all out, Nick Wood (3-56) and Jeremy Ord (3-59) sharing the spoils.There was even an opportunity for Van der Gucht to bat, but he was run out for four."Batting really was weird. It was the first time I’d held a bat for some time and I got myself run out when I fell over after my spikes got caught in the pitch," he laughed.Charles Forward (60) fired OTs’ response and with Smith (49) his partner, took the reply to 104-3 before Wheeler’s direct-hit throw ran the latter out.Van der Gucht bowled his 12 overs in mid-innings, having Keith Trodd caught by Luke Merry."The first eight overs were fine, but the last four were a physical drain."But it was something I had to get through," he said.The Academy gradually chipped their way through the batting after that, the Romsey club finishing with a creditable 201-8 … and van der Gucht returning home knowing that he had taken his first positive step on the comeback trail.Second-placed Easton & Martyr Worthy kept in touch with a five-wicket win over Winchester KS at Cockets Mead.Mark Stone (4-25) and Shaun Green (3-36) took the credits as WKS were bowled out for 118 (Raj Naik 28) – a total Easton passed after losing five wickets in an unconvincing run chase.Simon Williams (96) and Mario Mohamed (72 not out) shared a 169-run opening partnership as Trojans trounced weakened United Services by eight wickets at Stoneham Lane.But the victory had little significance as fellow strugglers Rowledge and Hungerford also won.Zimbabwean Warren Gilmour hit 52 of the US total of 184-7 (Jamie Donaldson 3-33), but with only one recognised front-line bowler in their ranks, the visitors were never able to curb openers Williams and Mohamed.Newly promoted Rowledge boosted their hopes of survival with a 20-run win at Lymington, who lost their way after Danny Peacock (76) and Aaron Heal (39) were parted.Chasing 195-9, Lymington were cruising at 90-1and still in the driving seat at 132-3 when Peacock was bowled by Chris Yates junior, who finished with 3-28.Apart from Matt Molloy (26), Lymington’s middle-order fell apart against the three-pronged Yates attack and slumped to 175 all out.Earlier, Nick Morant (48) and Chris Yates jnr (37) produced a useful third-wicket stand for Rowledge, whose 195-9 owed much to Jeff Anning (30) and Chris Yates senior (26).Peacock’s off-spin yielded 4-30, but no other tangible reward for Lymington.Sparsholt are not entirely out of the woods after losing by six wickets to second-from-bottom Hungerford.Despite a useful new-ball spell by Paul Warren, Tim Richings (26), Larry Cook (25) and Ollie Kelly (21) eased Sparsholt into a useful position at 93-2.But only Tim Simmonite (41) of the later batsmen made an impact as Alistair Tuttle (3-36) and Jason Williams (3-57) reduced the visitors to 171 all out.Former Sussex batsman Nick Wilton (35) fired Hungerford’s response and set up Danny Williams (54) and Steve Wyatt (57) for a century partnership which settled affairs.

BRISBANE – Australian captain Steve Waugh will tell Brett Lee to senddown his quickest deliveries against England at the Gabba on Thursday ifthe fast bowler retains his place in the bowling attack.Lee and Queenslander Andrew Bichel will fight for the last bowling spotif paceman Jason Gillespie proves his fitness with a searching workoutin the Gabba nets today.Gillespie expects his injured calf muscle to be ready for the Ashesseries opener after bowling 10 overs for South Australia against NSW ina one-day match on Saturday.Selectors will have the final say on 12th man duties, weighing up Lee’smodest record in the last two seasons against Bichel’s hometownexperience and his impressive recent statistics.But Lee, who has averaged 38.55 in his 17 Tests since elbow surgery,should not foresake his pace as he tries to improve his controlaccording to Waugh.”Brett is a quick bowler and that’s what he does best and what he shoulddo,” Waugh said.”He’s naturally quick and when he bowls quick, bowls well, he bowls agood line. I’ve always encouraged him to be himself and that’s be aquick bowler.””It’s a tough decision for selectors and you have to get the best fromwhichever combination you go with.”Brett is an explosive bowler so he’s going to be bowling short spellswhile Bich has been used in longer spells.”But I’m not going to get into who is a better bowler or who is bestsuited.”The Australians will train for the first time at the Gabba today, withGillespie expected to complete only a light session before tomorrow’sdemanding workout.The South Australian has been dogged by bad luck in previous seasons andhe has played only one Test at the Gabba, taking three wickets againstNew Zealand last summer.He was a last-minute withdrawal against the West Indies two years ago,enabling Bichel to play in front of his home crowd for the first time.Waugh said Bichel was now a more complete bowler, picking up “a yard ofpace” since last season.England continues its preparations with the final day of its three-daytour match against Queensland at Allan Border Field.The tourists will resume at 1-106 in their first innings in reply toQueensland’s total of 582.

ScorecardIt was far from Roses tradition, but Yorkshire’s 8749 spectators went home very happy after a thrilling match that swung from one side to the other with almost every over, and ended with the result that most of them wanted. With two balls and two wickets to spare, Yorkshire were triumphant as Darren Gough showed he still has that match-winning quality.With powerful hitting Gough slammed three fours off his first four balls, 13 coming off an over from Dominic Cork, and six were needed off the final over, bowled by Tom Smith. Adil Rashid took a single and then, crucially, came four byes, the keeper perhaps handicapped by the now enveloping gloom. Gough slashed the next ball to the point boundary, and Yorkshire had won a thriller in the darkness.Yorkshire avoided the usual practice of batting on winning the toss and put Lancashire in; they may well have preferred to lose the toss, because the light was poor and the conditions damp. As they had the previous evening, Lancashire enjoyed a good second-wicket partnership between Mal Loye and Stuart Law, the former as unpredictable and the latter as forceful as ever. They showed little respect for Matthew Hoggard, whose three overs cost 25 runs for the wicket of opener Lou Vincent, caught at backward point for 3.Yorkshire’s key bowler was Richard Pyrah. Before he came on, Lancashire were going well, but he immediately yorked Law for 23. By the end of his four overs he had also accounted for Faf du Plessis (10) and Steven Croft (2), caught at long-on and bowled respectively. He did not remove Loye, but the dangerous opener again fell a little short of a major innings, scoring 43 off 33 balls before lofting a ball from Anthony McGrath to Pyrah at long-on.With Lancashire 91 for 5 in the 15th over, Yorkshire had recovered the initiative, but then Gareth Cross and Kyle Hogg swung the balance again with a dashing stand of 45 at ten an over. Cross finished with an invaluable unbeaten 42 off 24 balls, including three successive boundaries off the last three balls of the innings, bowled by Darren Gough. Lancashire were glad to close on 150 for 6, thanks to his fine work.Despite the loss of Andrew Gale in the first over, Yorkshire set off at a cracking pace. The instigator was Michael Vaughan, who played a masterly little cameo at number three of 21 off 12 balls. Eschewing the exotic strokes of so many batsmen in this competition, he stuck to skill and orthodoxy, hitting three fours and an effortless driven six over long-on from a slower ball from Hogg. He galvanized Gerard Brophy (28) into action and Yorkshire raced to 45 off the first four overs. So commanding did he look that it came as a surprise when he played over Smith’s first delivery and was bowled.After this, and with Yorkshire ahead on Duckworth-Lewis – an important factor with rain always threatening – the innings began to stagnate. Jacques Rudolph tried to take command before being stumped for 16; Anthony McGrath was still there, but biding his time. Again the balance swung as McGrath started to open out, and with four overs left Yorkshire needed 32.But there were still more twists to come. Saj Mahmood, economical earlier, was lethal now, dismissing Pyrah and then the key man McGrath, yorked for 46 off 39 balls. At 121 for eight in the 17th over it was all but Lancashire’s match now. But then Gough stood up to be counted.

COLOMBO – Steve Waugh is not entirely sure whether he will know some ofthe players who turn out for Pakistan in the first cricket Test startinghere on Thursday.Pakistan has been hit by withdrawals and injuries to senior playerswhile others have been dumped, meaning a bevy of young and unprovenPakistanis will take on the world champion in the first of three Testsat neutral venues.”I’m not even sure who’s in their team to tell you the truth,” Waughsaid.”The young Pakistani players have got a lot of talent and I’m surethey’ll pull out someone who does very well at Test cricket without useven knowing about them.”With other countries you know what you’re going to get but withPakistan, half the time they don’t even know what they’ve got.”The changes include openers Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar, middle orderbatsmen Hasan Raza and Faisal Iqbal, leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and fastbowler Mohammad Zahid, who have all played for Pakistan in Tests orone-day internationals.Those six have played only 28 Tests between them. Uncapped allrounderRana Naved-ul-Hasan also makes the squad.Waugh said the injuries to middle-order batsmen Inzamam-ul-Haq andYousuf Youhana were a big blow.”Inzamam’s a big loss, particularly on the flat, low Sharjah wicketswhere he likes to dominate.”And Youhana’s probably one of their better batters as well so thatleaves a big hole in their batting.”Waugh said Australia’s line-up had not been discussed but said the pitchconditions would dictate whether young Queenslander Nathan Hauritzplayed his first Test.”I think you’d have to consider two spinners if the wicket’s like it wasfor the (Champions Trophy) semifinal the other night, you’d be silly notto look at it – but the word is the Test wicket will have a bit of grasson it.”

MELBOURNE, June 14 AAP – The fatal bombing in Pakistan today “increases concern” about the upcoming cricket tour of that country, according to the Australian Cricket Board (ACB).But board chief executive James Sutherland stressed again tonight the ACB would not be rushed into a decision about its tour, scheduled for later this year.”This tragic event increases concern about the tour,” Sutherland said in a statement.”As I’ve said before, any decision of this nature is based on the safety of our players and team management.”We are continuing to take advice from the relevant experts and hold discussions with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).”We will make the decision at the right time, there is no reason to rush into a decision today.”AFP reported eight people were killed in a powerful car bomb attack on the US consulate in Karachi.The ACB cancelled this year’s tour of Zimbabwe because of security concerns.New Zealand called off its cricket tour of Pakistan last month because of another car bombing, also in Karachi, which killed 11 people.That attack and ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India raised concerns about the Australian cricket tour.Some key members of the Australian squad said they were not keen on touring Pakistan unless the situation there improved.Australia and neutral venues such as Morocco and Sharjah have been suggested as alternative venues if the decision is taken not to tour Pakistan.Sutherland said this week the venue decision primarily belonged to the PCB, while Pakistan captain Waqar Younis added he hoped the tour of his country would go ahead as planned.Pakistan will play the second match of its three-game series of one-dayers against Australia here tomorrow night at Colonial Stadium.

The 2002 Red Stripe Competition will now be played in St. Lucia atMindoo Phillip Park, and Beausejour Stadium.The teams are: Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Canada, Rest of the Leewards and the Windwards Champions.The Event in St. Lucia starts on August 14th and ends on August 25thTravel day is August 26thAugust 27th and 28th Rest & PracticeAugust 29th and 30th Semi Finals (Barbados?)Sept. 1st FinalsFurther details will follow.The Canadian Cricket Association wishes to thank the West Indies Cricket Board and the ICC for their generous support and their sterling efforts to have Canada participate in this year’s Red Stripe Event. The WICB has further assisted our preparation by sending a WICB `A’ team to Canada later this month. Come out and see the future and present WICB stars of cricket. See further details on this website.Canada needs top level competition and lots of it in order to compete successfully at the Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2003. The Red Stripe competition is just an appetizer for the tremendous amount of preparation needed by Canada.Canada’s preparation is compounded by the fact that the 2003 Cricket World Cup will be held in our winter or off-season.Canada desperately needs supporters and sponsors for our dedicated players and volunteers, all of who make tremendous sacrifices to promote the sport we love.Cricket World Cup tickets go on sale to the public on July 15th. Further information is obtainable from the websitehttps://www.cricketworldcup.com.Get your tickets and help support the Canadian team’s entry to this World Cup. Your support is needed to ensure that we shall also be qualifiers for the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies and the Americas

Mark Waugh has announced his retirement from international cricket todayafter being dropped from the Australian squad for the first Test againstEngland.Waugh, 37, told a media conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground he felthe still had the ability to play at international level. However, the128-Test veteran said he might not have made the most of opportunitieslast season against New Zealand and South Africa to consolidate hisposition in the Australian side.Waugh said he had played in a great era for Australian cricket, whichincluded a 16-Test winning streak and the 1999 World Cup victory. He didnot see age as an issue in selection, and said his replacement DarrenLehmann, 32, might have five years or 50 Tests ahead of him.In Tests, Waugh made 8029 runs at 41.81 and claimed 59 wickets at 41.16,while his extraordinary fielding yielded 181 catches. He also scored8500 runs and took 85 wickets and 108 catches in one-day internationals.Waugh plans to play for New South Wales this summer, and has alsoreceived offers from counties in England to play at the end of theAustralian domestic season.

Double Hampshire junior indoor cricket champions. That’s Havant, who proudly show off their medals after winning both the Hampshire Under-13 and Under-16 Indoor Cups at Winchester’s River Park Leisure Centre.Stuart Ransley, Chris Morgan and Simon Hodgson sparkled as Havant saw off plucky St Cross Symondians and near neighbours Waterlooville to lift the Under-13 crown.The Under-16s comfortably beat Sarisbury Athletic in the final, after scraping a one-run semi-final win over Hursley Park.Matt Palmer cracked a superb 71 as Hursley were dismissed for 141, chasing Havant’s 142-5.Results – Under-13 Semi-finals
Waterlooville 195-5 (Shephard 61, Burnett 34, Robson 28, Hillman 26)
Hook & Newnham Basics 44Havant 153-2 (Morgan 39, Ransley 28, Hodgson 27, Hardacre 22)
St Cross Symondians 132-4 (Bayliss 26, Jenkins 25, Porter 25, Lovett 20, Walker 2-26)Final:
Havant 143-4 (Ransley 50, Morgan 37, Hodgson 24)
Waterlooville 116-3 (Hillman 35, Robson 28, Hudson 23)Under-16 Semi-finalsBasingstoke & North Hants 88-2 (Davies 26, James 23)
Sarisbury Athletic 90-0 (Journeaux 28, Evans 26, Ingram 24)Havant 142-5 (Wade 44, Molyneaux 33)
Hursley Park 141 (Palmer 71, van der Merwe 28)Final:
Havant 136 (Wade 57, Molyneaux 32)
Sarisbury Athletic 87 (Evans 43, Molyneaux 2-24).