Matthew Hayden is now the undisputed Number One batsman in the world according to the latest PwC Ratings. In the final official international before the World Cup, Hayden has gone top of the PwC Ratings for one-day batsmen.This puts him simultaneously at number one in the Test and one-day tables, a feat achieved by very few batsmen in the past. Tendulkar, Lara and Viv Richards are other members of this exclusive batsman’s club.Brett Lee ends the VB series at fifth in the bowling ratings, his best ODI level yet. Lee is one of four Australian bowlers in the PwC top twelve.For England, Andrew Caddick has returned to the top ten, but Marcus Trescothick has dropped out of it, after a poor end to the tournament.The latest ODI tables are attached. More information on the PwC Ratings can be found at: www.cricketratings.com

The West Indies Cricket Board has been informed by the International Cricket Council that it will hear the case to allow the reinstatement of batsman Marlon Samuels in the West Indies team for the Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya on Friday.The ICC on Thursday contacted Rev. Wes Hall, president of the WICB, in South Africa and notified him of the meeting, after a formal written application by Roger Brathwaite, acting chief executive officer of the WICB, and telephone communication between Rev. Hall and Malcolm Speed, chief executive officer of the ICC, who also heads the World Cup technical committee."The president has already stated that we will do all in our power to have Marlon play in the CWC 2003 and resolution of this matter now rests with the ICC," remarked Michael Hall, the chief cricket operations officer of the WICB.West Indies face South Africa in the opening match of the CWC 2003 on Sunday at Newlands in Cape Town.

One of English cricket’s leading marketing executives is to become the first chief executive of the Irish Cricket Union.Thirty two year-old Peter Thompson will take up the post in May after almost four years as head of marketing of Warwickshire County Cricket Club atEdgbaston in Birmingham.Mr. Thompson has been responsible for all commercial income at Warwickshire and it will be one of his priorities within the ICU.He said to-day : "I have been impressed by the forward-looking attitude of the Irish Cricket Union and as the first chief executive in its history, Iwill be very conscious of the many challenges which lie ahead."The future well being of the game in Ireland of course depends on what happenson the field at all levels of representative cricket and I hope my experience, not least in the commercial sector, will add a beneficial dimension."I am well aware of the success of the international sides at youth leveland, of course, the major challenge for the men’s senior side is to qualify for the next World Cup in the West Indies in 2007. The fact that the ICCqualifying competition is to be staged in Ireland in two years’ time is a tremendous bonus and I look forward to working with the ICU Executive and thenational coach, Adrian Birrell, to ensure its success."Mr. Thompson has spent most of his career at Warwickshire since taking an honours degree in leisure – including business management and IT – justover 10 years ago.He has specalised in administration and marketing and since his appointment as head of marketing in 1999 his responsibilities have included sponsorship,advertising rights at the Edgbaston Test ground, membership and a range of other commercial activities.Mr. Thompson has also been responsible for the operational management of international cricket at Edgbaston and was Warwickshire’s coordinator for the1999 World Cup in England. He’s also represented the club on the England and Wales Cricket Board as well as Birmingham City Council’s Events Advisory Committee.The appointment of a professional chief executive was part of a ICU development strategy led by the outgoing chairman of the Union, John Caldwell.Caldwell said to-day : "I’m delighted at Peter Thompson’s appointment, bringing as it does a professional business acumen to the Union’s activities. In to-day’s sporting world, success on the field needs a strong commercial and administrative backbone and I have no doubt Peter will providethat."The chairman of the ICU, Derek Brennan, described the appointment of a chief executive as "an historic step forward" for the Union.He added : "The ICU was recently nominated as the best administered body within the European Cricket Council and Peter’s appointment can only add to thatreputation. I look forward to working closely with him for the betterment of cricket throughout Ireland."

PAARL, Feb 25: Wasim Akram achieved another milestone in his distinguished career when he became the first bowler in one-day history to take 500 wickets in helping Pakistan earn four precious points against Holland on Tuesday.The victory keeps Pakistan’s faint hopes alive of advancing through to the Super Six stage in the World Cup.On a hot and humid day at Boland Park, Holland never threatened Pakistan’s 253 for nine and inevitably lost this Group ‘A’ fixture by 97 runs. The Dutch still remain without a point after four straight defeats.No one expected Holland to emulate Kenya’s stunning victory over Sri Lanka on Monday despite the fact that there is always a certain amount of expectancy of an upset when Pakistan play, regardless of the opposition’s strength.Pakistan’s four-pronged pace attack, backed up by off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, found Holland’s amateur batsmen easy prey. Holland crumbled for 156 in 39.3 overs.One surprise element was Pakistan’s attitude. They took things easy and never went for the kill against the ICC Trophy champions. Perhaps the heat got to them.Holland made a shaky start with Wasim, who had 499 wickets in 353 previous matches, dispatched opener Nick Statham for a duck with the first ball of his second over.Shoaib Akhtar, bowling within himself, skipper Waqar Younis, Saqlain and Abdul Razzaq proved a handful thereafter as only Daan van Bunge (31) showed some defiance to emerge as the top scorer for Holland.Shoaib (3-26) and Wasim (3-24) shared the bulk of wickets. Wasim now has claimed 12 wickets in the competition, second behind Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas who tops with 13 victims.Earlier, Pakistan once again wasted a golden chance of some useful batting practice. A total of 253 for nine was not convincing enough, especially just before the key clash against India at the Centurion Park on Saturday.Once again, none disappointed more so than Pakistan’s premier batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, this time going for a second-ball duck when Indian umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan adjudged him lbw. It was a harsh decision as the TV replays suggested that the tall right-hander may have got a thin inside edge.Not for the first time, Pakistan continued to play musical chairs with their batting order as, for the fourth innings on the trot, a new opening pair was sent, followed by a different No 3.Due to injury to Younis Khan, who needed three stitches on a gash on his leg sustained during the nets, Pakistan were forced to make two changes. Saleem Elahi and Taufiq Umar replaced Younis and Shahid Afridi.Apart from Inzamam, all the top order batsmen scored but none played a big innings. Yousuf Youhana was the top scorer with a 59-ball 58 – only the second Pakistani to cross the fifty mark in the competition – with four boundaries. He was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match by match referee Clive Lloyd.After Saeed Anwar fell in the 20s for the third time in a row, Taufiq (48 off 71 balls, six fours) and Abdul Razzaq (47 off 63 balls, four fours) were out when well set. Taufiq was unluckily run out after a misunderstanding with Razzaq while the latter threw his wicket away to a lazy stroke.There were other useful contributions from Rashid Latif (24) and Shoaib Akhtar, who justified his promotion with an unbeaten 26 off 27 deliveries.Pakistan were on course for a score of around 280 had Youhana not ran out Wasim Akram.

Somerset will have been heartened by the teams batting display at the Hampshire Rosebowl today, where they were 368 for 8, when the match ended in a draw.Resuming on 39 for 1, Piran Holloway was the first wicket to fall after the Cornishman had scored 48.Coming in at number four new signing James Bryant gave an impressive display, putting on 80 for the third wicket with Matt Wood before the opener was out for 57.Bryant played a patient innings before he was next man out for 78, which contained 3 x 6’s and 10 x 4’s, putting on 72 for the fourth wicket with Ian Blackwell.Playing his first innings for the county since returning from World Cup duty, `Blackie’ scored 69 runs from 81 deliveries, which included 2 x 6’s and 8 x 4’s.West Indian pacemen Nixon McLean came in towards the end of the innings and enjoyed himself at the crease against many of his former team mates hitting 16 runs from 15 balls, which included 1 x 6 and 1 x 4.Following the close of play Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: “I set the team the challenge of batting through the day and they have met that well. There were some decent runs from Matt Wood and James Bryant, who is really starting to be comfortable in English conditions and looks a quality bat .Ian Blackwell also had his first innings in six weeks and it looked like he had never been away judging by the way that he batted today.He continued: “It’s our target to bat on wickets like the Rosebowl, that is very different to Taunton, so what has happened today has been a good preparation and I am very pleased with the way that things have gone for us.”

Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has welcomed his side’s win in its tour opener against the British Universities at Edgbaston.”It’s a very positive opening for us and gets the tour off to a good start,”said Streak after Monday’s 10-wicket win, achieved on day three of thescheduled four-day match.”Our last international cricket was in Sharjah, so there is a great contrastin the conditions we played in over there compared to here, in an Englishspring. We only have three first-class games before the Lord’s Test, so itwas important to get off the mark with a win and to see good performancesfrom a number of players throughout the team,” said Streak.Coach, Geoff Marsh, said it was an encouraging team performance, highlightedby a number of strong individual contributions.”Having arrived in the country on Thursday, we have acclimatised quickly toplay well and wrap up the match in three days. We’ll be looking to build onthat in our next game against Worcester on Friday, which will provide uswith the sterner test we need as we approach the Test.”Among the batsmen, several of the guys have spent valuable time in themiddle. Grant Flower will be pleased to have started off with a solid hundred and Carlisle, Vermuelen, Streak and Blignaut backed him up with runs. Those that missed out here will be looking to make up with strong form at Worcester.”Bowling wise, Hondo did very well for a player making his debut in Englandand is improving fast. It was a pretty flat wicket so we did well to bowlthem out twice in three days,” Marsh added.

Marcus Trescothick, Ian Blackwell and a whole host of Somerset stars will be turning out to play in the Harry Burden Memorial Cricket match that is taking place at the new Taunton Cricket Club Ground in Gipsy Lane at Staplegrove on the outskirts of Taunton on Sunday afternoon.The match is the highlight of a festival of cricket that is taking place to mark the opening of the club’s new ground, and follows the official opening that will be performed by England star bowler Andy Caddick at 4.15pm.The Harry Burden Memorial Match will start at 4.30pm and will be played between a Taunton XI and a Somerset Celebrity XI, who in addition to Blackwell and Trescothick will include Jamie Cox, Peter Bowler, Mike Burns, Keith Parsons, Nixon McLean and Rob Turner as well as former player Andre Van Troost and the Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson.The Harry Burden Match will be umpired by Headley Thorne and former first class umpire Ray Julian who lived locally in Taunton for many years, who is returning to the town especially for this occasion.The Harry Burden Memorial Match first took place in 1996, in memory of seven year old Harry who was a keen cricketer and played for Taunton Under 11’s but sadly died of leukaemia just before his eighth birthday.As a result of his death a Memorial Fund was set up at Taunton CC by his friends and members of the club with the intention of benefiting young cricketers in the area. When the Tony Coles Charitable Trust was set up by Somerset CCC in 1998 with the same objectives it was decided to incorporate the Harry Burden Memorial Fund within it.Activities get underway at Taunton Cricket Club at noon with a display of basic skills from the club’s colt section that is followed at 1.30pm with a twenty overs match between a Taunton CC XI and Somerset CCC Academy XI.The festival of cricket will be a real family occasion with plenty of food, a licensed bar will be open all day, an ice cream van, prize raffle, `bowl at a star’, face painting and live music afterwards and a chance to meet the Somerset players.Entry on Sunday will be £2 for adults and £1 for children with all the funds raised going towards the Harry Burden Memorial Fund which is part of the Tony Coles Trust that helps young cricketers across the south west, a very worthy cause.Meanwhile Somerset Second XI lost their 3 day championship match against Gloucestershire by 54 runs at the County Ground in Bristol on Friday afternoon.In their first innings the hosts scored 318 for 8 declared with two wickets each for Michael Parsons and James Hildreth.Somerset replied with 340 for 8 declared, with Wes Durston making an unbeaten 104, which came from 83 balls and included five sixes and eleven fours, Piran Holloway made 43 and Aaron Laraman 42.Batting for a second time Gloucestershire scored 380 for 4 declared leaving Somerset requiring 359 for victory off 72 overs.The Cidermen put up a brave effort, but despite a century from Holloway who made 133 and 48 from Hildreth the visitors were al out for 305, to give their Gloucestershire counterparts victory by 54 runs

After Glamorgan had set Somerset a victory target of 424 intheir Championship match at Cardiff, the visitors ended the third day on 129/3,with Glamorgan`s bowlers needing to take a further seven wickets on the final dayto record their third Championship win of the season.As in their first innings, the Somerset batsmen struggled against Glamorgan`s seamattack, although it was off-spinner Robert Croft who made the early breakthrough,trapping Matthew Wood leg before with the Somerset score on 44/1. James Bryant then madea painstaking 7 from 50 balls before he was bowled by Michael Kasprowicz, and then in thefinal hour Darren Thomas removed the obdurate Peter Bowler one short of his half-century.In the morning session, Matthew Maynard compiled his 49th first-class century for Glamorgan,and the 55th of his career, reaching 100 from 106 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. The 37 yearold shared a productive 96 run partnership for the fourth wicket with Jimmy Maher who made 62 before becomingKeith Dutch`s third victim of the innings.Maynard then added a breezy 59 for the fifth wicket with Mark Wallace, before Maynard wasl.b.w. to Michael Burns for 101. West Indian Nixon McLean then took four wickets in succession,before Alex Wharf smashed 39 runs from 38 balls. The burly Yorkshireman had struck 4 foursand a six until he was the last wicket to fall, leg before to Aaron Laraman as Glamorgan were dismissedfor 307.Somerset need a further 294 runs to win on the final day with 7 wickets in hand, and much willdepend on their overnight pair of Australian Jamie Cox and captain Michael Burns. Glamorgan knowthat if they can remove these two experienced players in the first hour on Saturday, they willstand a good chance of maintaining their quest for promotion from Division Two.

England should concentrate on winning the World Cup in 2007, rather than worry about the next Ashes series, according to Rodney Marsh.Marsh, the Australian wicketkeeping legend-turned-England cricket selector, made his point after naming a provisional 15-man squad for England’s cricket academy. Marsh, who heads the academy, said that the team was selected with the accent on one-day cricket.In his opinion, a drawn Ashes series in 2005 would be a good platform from which England could build towards 2007. He was perhaps mindful of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s mission statement, which aims to establish England as the game’s premier Test and one-day power by 2007.Australia have won eight consecutive Ashes series since regaining the urn in 1989.

Hampshire Hawks moved back to the top of the National League Division Two table following a comprehensive victory over the Derbyshire Scorpions at The Rose Bowl. The sixth successive win (one short of their all time record) takes them into poll position with just four matches remaining.John Crawley won the toss and invited the Scorpions to bat on a warm but overcast afternoon, and was immediatly rewarded by a brilliant spell of seam and swing bowling from Dimitri Mascarenhas, he bowled his nine overs through and took two wickets for the paltry sum of 11 runs.Chris Tremlett and Alan Mullally took up the mantle and destroyed the Scorpions batting line up. Only skipper Dominic Cork managed the bowlers with some ease as he was last man out one short of a deserved half-century.It was not easy for the Hawks either when they started their reply, but James Hamblin and Simon Katich played carefully to reach 43 before the Aussie edged to the wicket-keeper. Hamblin and Kenway eached posted scores before falling, and when John Francis was bowled leg stump off spinner Lian Wharton, the home side still had much to do.Crawley and Mascarenhas then steadied the ship, and together they took the Hawks to vistory with some 9 overs plus to go.