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Ian Billcliff, Canada’s captain, has said that John Davison’s absence would be felt during their ICC Intercontinental Cup semi-final against UAE at Sharjah, but that it would give others a chance to display their skills. He believed that the team’s sense of self was a strength, and though they had not played UAE much, they would reply on getting their basics right in order to win."John is obviously a very important player for us and has been our most successful performer in the qualifying matches so it goes without saying that he will be missed," said Billcliff. "But his absence gives some of the others a chance to shine. We’ve got some good players and I’m still confident we can do well."Billcliff said that the experience his team got in the tournament would be vital, and that facing different countries and conditions hurried their learning. "Any opportunity we have to play cricket against quality opposition is a great experience for us. Playing in different countries against varied opposition is a very steep learning curve, and what we have experienced so far is that the team that comes to terms with the conditions the quickest and executes their plans efficiently comes out on top."It [playing the three-day game] definitely has been helpful to learn to be able to build an innings and to be patient with the ball and build pressure. The experience will definitely benefit the team’s growth and I think that we have grown closer as a unit over the series of three-day games. The wearing pitch is the biggest factor. To be able to adapt one’s game as the match progresses is the key."We have had limited experience playing these teams so there will have to be a lot of input from various members of the team. There will be a fair bit of thinking on our feet but in the end it is a fairly simple game, and the team that executes the basics the best will win the tournament.

The Cidermen travel to Cardiff later today to take on Glamorgan in search of their first win in the Twenty20 Cup.Having lost their opening match in the new competition Somerset will be keen to get a favourable result tonight, and nobody more so than Steffan Jones who played at Sofia Gardens for Wales in their One Day International against England last weekend.The Welshman from Llanelli told me: "Every game my bowling is getting better, and at last it’s going right for me this season. Just when everybody else is going down with injury I’m starting to get going."He continued: "It will be a bit strange for me going back to play against the team who I played for last weekend and I expect that I’ll get a few jibes but I’m looking forward to the match this evening."Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: "This is a competition that we think that we should do well in, and in our first game we played ourselves into a good position and then let it slip away.If we can get a grip of these situations then we can win this one tonight.With Aaron Laraman suffering from a side strain, all rounder Gareth Andrew comes into an otherwise unchanged team from the one that played on Friday evening.The full Somerset team will be – Jamie Cox, Mike Burns, Carl Gazzard, Ian Blackwell, Keith Parsons, Wes Durston, Keith Dutch, Simon Francis, Gareth Andrew, Rob Turner and Steffan Jones.

Pakistan’s defeat in the Lord’s Test was their 68th in test cricket. Out of 278 tests played to date, Pakistan have lost 18 against Australia, 16 against England, 13 against West Indies, 6 each against New Zealand and Sri Lanka, 5 against India, 3 against South Africa and 2 against Zimbabwe. 51 of these defeats have come on away grounds, against 17 at home.West Indies and Sri Lanka have most victories (4) against Pakistan on Pakistan grounds. Pakistan suffered their heaviest defeat – by an innings and 185 runs – against New Zealand at Hamilton in 2000-01. In terms of runs, Pakistan have lost two matches by a margin of over three hundred runs – against Australia (Melbourne 1976-77) and South Africa (Johannesburg 1994-95).Pakistan’s heaviest defeat at home was by an innings and 156 runs at Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore, against West Indies in 1958-59. Pakistan’s inaugural test against India at Delhi in 1952-53 resulted in an innings defeat. Their 10th defeat came against England at Lahore 1961-62, 25th against England at Edgbaston 1978 and 50th against Sri Lanka at Sialkot 1995.The complete break-up of Pakistan’s 68 defeats against each country in chronological order, followed by margin-wise and venue-wise defeats, is presented below:

Defeats against each opponent

India

Sr.#	Year	Venue	Margin
1.	1952-53	Delhi	Innings and 70 runs
2.	1952-53	Bombay	10 wickets
3.	1979-80	Bombay	131 runs
4.	1979-80	Madras	10 wickets
5.	1998-99	Delhi	212 runs.

England

Sr.#	Year	Venue	Margin
1.	1954	Nottingham	Innings and 129 runs
2.	1961-62	Lahore	5 wickets
3.	1962	Edgbaston	Innings and 24 runs
4.	1962	Lords	9 wickets
5.	1962	Leeds	Innings and 117 runs
6.	1962	The Oval	10 wickets
7.	1967	Nottingham	10 wickets
8.	1967	The Oval	8 wickets
9.	1971	Leeds	25 runs
10.	1978	Edgbaston	Innings and 57 runs
11.	1978	Lords	Innings and 120 runs
12.	1982	Edgbaston	113 runs
13.	1982	Leeds	3 wickets
14.	1992	Leeds	6 wickets
15.	2000-2001	Karachi	6 wickets
16.	2001	Lords	Innings and 9 runs

New Zealand

Sr.#	Year	Venue	Margin
1.	1969-70	Lahore	5 wickets
2.	1984-85	Auckland	Innings and 99 runs
3.	1984-85	Dunedin	2 wickets
4.	1993-94	Christchurch	5 wickets
5.	1996-97	Lahore	44 runs
6.	2001	Hamilton	Innings and 185 runs

Australia

Sr.#	Year	Venue	Margin
1.	1959-60	Dacca	8 wickets
2.	1959-60	Lahore	7 wickets
3.	1972-73	Adeliade	Innings and 114 runs
4.	1972-73	Melbourne	92 runs
5.	1972-73	Sydney	52 runs
6.	1976-77	Melbourne	348 runs
7.	1978-79	Perth	7 wickets
8.	1981-82	Perth	286 runs
9.	1981-82	Brisbane	10 wickets
10.	1983-84	Perth	Innings and 9 runs
11.	1983-84	Sydney	10 wickets
12.	1989-90	Melbourne	92 runs
13.	1995-96	Brisbane	Innings and 126 runs
14.	1995-96	Hobart	155 runs
15.	1998-99	Rawalpindi	Innings and 99 runs
16.	1999-2000	Brisbane	10 wickets
17.	1999-2000	Hobart	4 wickets
18.	1999-2000	Perth	Innings and 141 runs

West Indies

Sr.#	Year	Venue	Margin
1.	1957-58	Port of Spain	120 runs
2.	1957-58	Kingston	Innings and 174 runs
3.	1957-58	George Town	8 wickets
4.	1958-59	Lahore	Innings and 156 runs
5.	1976-77	Port of Spain	6 wickets
6.	1976-77	Kingston	140 runs
7.	1979-80	Faisalabad	156 runs
8.	1986-87	Lahore	Innings and 10 runs
9.	1987-88	Bridge Town	2 wickets
10.	1990	Faisalabad	7 wickets
11.	1992-93	Port of Spain	204 runs
12.	1992-93	Bridge Town	10 wickets
13.	2000	St John’s Antigua	1 wicket

Sri Lanka

Sr.#	Year	Venue	Margin
1.	1985-86	Colombo	8 wickets
2.	1995	Faisalabad	42 runs
3.	1995	Sialkot	144 runs
4.	1999-2000	Rawalpindi	2 wickets
5.	1999-2000	Peshawar	57 runs

Zimbabwe

Sr.#	Year	Venue	Margin
1.	1994-95	Harare	Innings and 64 runs
2.	1998-99	Peshawar	7 wickets

South Africa

Sr.#	Year	Venue	Margin
1.	1994-95	Johannesburg	324 runs
2.	1997-98	Faisalabad	53 runs
3.	1998-99	Port Elizabeth	259 runs

Summary of defeats against each country from 1952-53 to date

Opponent	Home grounds	Opponents’ grounds	Total
India	–	5	5
England	2	14	16
New Zealand	2	4	6
Australia	3	15	18
West Indies	4	9	13
Sri Lanka	4	1	5
Zimbabwe	1	1	2
South Africa	1	2	3
Total	17	51	58

Pakistan’s defeats – 1st, 10th, 25th & 50th

1st	1952-53	India	Delhi	Innings and 70 runs
10th	1961-62	England	Lahore	5 wickets
25th	1978	England	Edgbaston	Innings and 57 runs
50th	1995	Sri Lanka	Sialkot	144 runs

Defeats – by margin

Margin	Opponent
	Ind	Eng	NZ	Aus	WI	SL	Zim	SA	All
Innings and 150 runs	0	0	1	–	2	–	–	–	3
Innings and 100-149 runs	–	3	–	3	–	–	–	–	6
Innings and 50-99 runs	1	1	1	1	–	–	1	–	5
Innings and 1-49 runs	–	2	0	1	1	–	–	–	4
10 wickets	2	2	–	3	1	–	–	–	8
9 wickets	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
8 wickets	–	1	–	1	1	1	–	–	4
7 wickets	–	–	–	2	1	–	1	–	4
6 wickets	–	2	–	–	1	–	–	–	3
5 wickets	–	1	2	–	–	–	–	–	3
4 wickets	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	1
3 wickets	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
2 wickets	–	–	1	–	1	1	–	–	3
1 wicket	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	1
300 Plus runs	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	1	2
250-299 runs	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	1	2
200-249 runs	1	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	2
150-199 runs	–	–	–	1	1	–	–	–	2
100-149 runs	1	1	–	–	2	1	–	–	5
50-99 runs	–	–	–	3	–	1	–	1	5
25-49 runs	–	1	1	–	–	1	–	–	3
1-24 runs	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Total	5	16	6	18	13	5	2	3	68

Biggest defeats

Sr.#	Year	V/S	Venue	Margin
1.	2000-2001	New Zealand	Hamilton	Innings and 185 runs
2.	1957-58	West Indies	Kingston	Innings and 174 runs
3.	1958-59	West Indies	Lahore	Innings and 156 runs
4.	1999-2000	Australia	Perth	Innings and 141 runs
5.	1954	England	Nottingham	Innings and 129 runs
6.	1995-96	Australia	Brisbane	Innings and 126 runs
7.	1978	England	Lords	Innings and 120 runs
8.	1962	England	Leeds	Innings and 117 runs
9.	1972-73	Australia	Adelaide	Innings and 114 runs
10.	1984-85	New Zealand	Auckland	Innings and 99 runs
11.	1998-99	Australia	Rawalpindi	Innings and 99 runs
12.	1952-53	India	Delhi	Innings and 70 runs
13.	1994-95	Zimbabwe	Harare	Innings and 64 runs
14.	1978	England	Edgbaston	Innings and 57 runs
15.	1962	England	Edgbaston	Innings and 24 runs
16.	1986-87	West Indies	Lahore	Innings and 10 runs
17.	1983-84	Australia	Perth	Innings and 9 runs
18.	2001	England	Lords	Innings and 9 runs
19.	1976-77	Australia	Melbourne	348 runs
20.	1994-95	South Africa	Johannesburg	329 runs
21.	1981-82	Australia	Perth	286 runs
22.	1998-99	South Africa	Port Elizabeth	259 runs
23.	1998-99	India	Delhi	212 runs
24.	1992-93	West Indies	Port of Spain	204 runs

Margin-wise defeats – highlights

• 19 of Pakistan’s defeats were by an innings, 28 by wickets and 21 by runs.
• Three innings defeats were by an innings plus 150 or more runs (v New Zealand at Hamilton 2001, v West Indies at Kingston 1957-58 and v West Indies at Lahore 1958-59).
• Six innings defeats were by an innings plus 100 to 149 runs (v Australia at Sydney 1999-2000, v England at Nottingham 1954, v Australia at Brisbane 1995-96, v England at Lord’s 1978, v England at Leeds 1962, v Australia at Adelaide 1972-73).
• Two defeats by a margin of over 300 runs (v Australia by 348 runs at Melbourne 1976-77 and v South Africa by 329 runs at Johannesburg 1994-95).
• Pakistan also suffered three other defeats of over 200 runs (by 286 runs v Australia at Perth 1981-82, by 212 runs v India at Delhi 1998-99 and by 204 runs v West Indies at Port of Spain 1992-93).
• Pakistan’s narrowest defeat, by one wicket, was recorded at St John’s Antigua v West Indies 1999-2000.

Defeats – by venue

Home/Away	Ground	Ind	Eng	NZ	Aus	WI	SL	Zim	SA	Total
Home
	Karachi	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
	Lahore	–	1	2	1	2	–	–	–	6
	Dacca	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	1
	Rawalpindi	–	–	–	1	–	1	–	–	2
	Faisalabad	–	–	–	–	2	1	–	1	4
	Peshawar	–	–	–	–	–	1	1	–	2
	Hyderabad	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
	Sialkot	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	1
	Total	–	2	2	3	4	4	1	1	17
Ind
	Delhi	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2
	Bombay	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2
	Chennai	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
	Total	5	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	5
Eng
	Nottingham	–	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	2
	Lords	–	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	3
	Leeds	–	4	–	–	–	–	–	–	4
	The Oval	–	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	2
	Edgbaston	–	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	3
	Total	–	14	–	–	–	–	–	–	14
NZ
	Auckland	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	1
	Dunedin	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	1
	Christ Church		–	1	–	–	–	–	–	1
	Hamilton	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	1
	Total	–	–	4	–	–	–	–	–	4
Aus
	Adelaide	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	1
	Melbourne	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	–	3
	Sydney	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	–	3
	Brisbane	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	–	3
	Perth	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	–	3
	Hobart	–	–	–	2	–	–	–	–	2
	Total	–	–	–	15	–	–	–	–	15
WI
	Port of Spain	–	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	3
	Kingston	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	–	2
	George Town	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	1
	Bridge Town	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	–	2
	St John’s Antigua	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	1
	Total	–	–	–	–	9	–	–	–	9
SL
	Colombo	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	1
	Total	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	1
Zim
	Harare	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–
	Total	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	1
SA
	Johannesburg	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1
	Port Elizabeth	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1
	Total	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	2

Venue-wise defeats – Highlights

• 17 out of 68 defeats have been recorded at home grounds while the remaining 51were suffered on opponents’ grounds.
• Most number of defeats (6) on one home ground have been suffered at Lahore.
• Outside Pakistan, the most number of defeats (3 each) have been recorded at Lords, Edgbaston, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Port of Spain.
• West Indies and Sri Lanka have defeated Pakistan on four occasions each on Pakistan grounds, Australia thrice, England and New Zealand twice and Zimbabwe and South Africa once each.
• On their own grounds, Australia have beaten Pakistan in 15 tests, England 14, West Indies 9, India 5, South Africa 2 and Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe one each.
• India is yet to win a test match on Pakistan soil.

Sam Johnstone, Conor Townsend and Callum Robinson all struggled in West Brom’s disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Swansea City.

The Baggies were desperately looking for a victory at The Hawthorns on Monday night as they aimed to keep their increasingly slim Championship promotion hopes alive. Instead, Steve Bruce’s side endured yet another bad day at the office, losing 2-0 to the Swans amid much dissatisfaction from the home supporters.

According to Sofascore, three West Brom players stood out as the poorest performers on the night, among those to have played more than 45 minutes.

Sam Johnstone – 6.4

Johnstone could leave The Hawthorns for a Premier League club at the end of the season but this was not the most impressive showing from him.

The Englishman should have done better for Joel Piroe’s goal in the second half and his distribution was erratic, with nine of his long balls misplaced overall. Johnstone also only completed 72% of his passes on the night and lost the ball nine times.

Conor Townsend – 6.4

Townsend was another man who was below-par for the Baggies on a poor night for the left-back.

He lost possession 10 times and failed to make a single tackle or interception, as the Swans got the better of West Brom’s back-line. Also, both of Townsend’s attempted crosses were inaccurate, while he was beaten in three duels.

Callum Robinson – 6.4

Robinson was another underwhelming for Bruce’s side, failing to bring an attacking spark throughout the match.

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The 27-year-old didn’t manage a shot on target during the game and he also only won four out of 12 duels against the Swans. Robinson was wasteful in possession, too, losing the ball 14 times.

All in all, a difficult night for him and West Brom as a whole.

Mitchell Marsh was waiting to bat when a voice behind the players’ viewing area piped up. “I was waiting to bat and some bloke yelled out in the crowd,” Marsh said. “He just said ‘well done, you’ve gone for $1 million [INR 4.8 crore] in the [IPL] auction’, and I was just sort of ‘yeah, whatever mate.'”Events in India on Saturday afternoon were undoubtedly significant for Marsh and his bank balance, but in years to come he is more likely to remember what happened next. Marsh walked to the middle with Australia’s chase and Chappell-Hadlee chances in serious jeopardy, but the iron-willed innings he conjured in the company of John Hastings allowed Steven Smith’s team to ease to a series-leveling win.Marsh is still a developing member of the Australia side, something that may be underlined by his possible omission from the squad for the World Twenty20 to take place in India before the IPL. Nevertheless, there were signs of a prospective leader in how he controlled things in Wellington, vitally setting down the ground rules for a match-clinching stand with Hastings.”It was just a great partnership with Johnny Hastings,” Marsh said. “We were in a bit of strife there, not sure how many we needed when he came out, 80 or so, and the way he batted and the way we batted together was extremely satisfying. We came here to get back into the series and we’ve done that now. So that’ll give us great momentum going into Monday [series decider in Hamilton].”We kept on saying we knew we were ahead of the run rate so we had plenty of time, and I just told Duke [Hastings] to give himself a bit of extra time to get in, watch the ball extremely hard and if it’s in his area smack it, because that’s when he bats his best. We kept it pretty simple and just tried to take it as deep into the innings as we could, because we knew we had plenty of time and overs left.”This summer Marsh has arguably evolved more as a bowler than a batsman, due at least in part to opportunity. A fully functioning top order left him short of meaningful innings during the home Tests, and it was not until he made a first international hundred in an ODI loss to India at the SCG that he was able to make a decent mark. This innings, guiding Australia home, was further progress and evidence of his increasing mental toughness.”During the Test match series I didn’t get a lot of opportunity because the top five were making a hell of a lot of runs and I just kept working hard,” he said. “I wanted to take the opportunity when I got it. When you’re under pressure for runs, certainly at this level, you think about a lot of things.”When you haven’t spent a lot of time in the middle things just don’t come naturally and you don’t think as clearly as you do when you’re in form. That’s been the biggest thing for me to work on, just worry about watching the ball and the rest will take care of itself. The last few weeks with my batting has given me great confidence to keep going now.”That toughness extended to blocking out the news of his IPL auction price until the match had been successfully finished off. For Marsh, at least, the prospect of winning a match for Australia still takes precedence over glad tidings from the game’s financial crucible.”I just tried to block it out because it was pretty amazing, and then Shaun [Marsh] came and sat next to me with a little grin and gave me a little nudge so then I found out,” Marsh said. “Really happy I was able to block that out and focus on the game today, because playing for your country is the most important thing to me, so while that’s great I’m really rapt we’re back in the series now.”

Kevin Pietersen has often talked about the huge demands on the leading international players © AFP

Giles Clarke, the new ECB chairman, says that England are heading for a rotation policy that will allow more cricket to be played without burning out the leading stars.”We’re heading towards rotation, more specialists and different sides put out in different forms of the game and against different types of opposition,” Clarke said in the January issue of magazine.Currently only Australia have the strength and depth for such a rotation policy, as witnessed by resting Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden for the Twenty20 against New Zealand, but Clarke says the likes of England will have to build larger pools of players to pick from. “It’s not unreasonable to consider that England could field some highly effective XIs against some of the Test sides.”Those who want less international cricket are therefore likely to be disappointed. “Everyone recognises we have to fund the game,” says Clarke. “And funding is increasingly about academies and bigger grounds. And, if we are going to have bigger grounds, then we have to give them games to stage.”Larger grounds, he believes, will allow tickets to be graded more affordably which, given the exorbitant prices being charged at Lord’s and The Oval in 2008 – up to £103 – would be welcomed by the publicPrior to his election Clarke was best known for brokering the controversial TV deal with BSkyB. In less than a year the ECB will be finalising its next four-year broadcasting deal and he expects it to be very different. “Everything’s changed. Twenty20 is a fascination for broadcasters because the time-frame is almost equivalent to that of a football match. I would expect a different approach to highlights and a different approach to Pro40.”He recently helped the ECB secure a five-year deal with ESPN-Star to show English cricket in Asia. “We are now in negotiations with two broadcasters in other parts of the world just for the Twenty20 Cup and the Pro40,” he says. “I hope to build supporter bases for county cricket in the subcontinent, like football has done.”

Scorecard
Sameer Khajuria spun Jammu and Kashmir to a five-wicket win against Jharkhand at Jamshedpur. Khajuria, an offspinner, returned amazing figures of 7 for 39 from 18 overs as Jharkhand, trailing by 77 on the first innings, were bundled out for 183 the second time around. Requiring just 107 for victory, J&K stumbled to 56 for 4 and then 72 for 5, but finally made it across the finish line, thanks to an unbeaten 36 from Dhruv Mahajan.
Scorecard
Strong performances by the middle order allowed Railways to escape with a draw against Assam at Guwahati. Assam were assured of at least two points after Railways were forced to follow on, and when Railways lost three early wickets in the second innings, there was even a chance of an outright victory for Assam. However, Shreyas Khanolkar fought back with 60, Jai P Yadav made 48, while Sushant Manjrekar and Raja Ali shared an undefeated 120-run stand to lift Railways from a shaky 133 for 5 to more safe waters.
Scorecard
Kerala took two points from their drawn game against Madhya Pradesh at the Fort Maidan in Palakkad. With Kerala already having taken the first-innings lead by close of play on the third day, the last day’s play was only of academic interest. Kerala were finally bowled out for 345, a lead of 38, while Madhya Pradesh used the last two sessions for batting practice, with Monish Mishra finishing on an unbeaten 69.
Scorecard
Madhusudan Acharya, the offspinner, and Sandeep Singh, the right-arm fast bowler, shared seven wickets between them as Vidarbha thrashed Goa by ten wickets at Margao. Resuming their second innings at 87 for 4 on the final day, Goa were shot out for 156, with only Swapnil Asnodkar (59) and Rohit Asnodkar (48) making substantial contributions. Acharya finished with 4 for 52 while Sandeep took 3 for 64. Vidarbha got to their target of 27 in less than five overs to take all five points.
Scorecard
Sarandeep Singh led a spirited fightback by Himachal Pradesh after they had conceded the first-innings lead, but Orissa hung on to force a draw and taken two point from their clash at Dharamsala. Sarandeep took 5 for 53 as Orissa were bundled out for 166 in their second innings, with only Pravanjan Mullick (79 not out) offering resistance. Set a target 218, Himachal finished on 80 for 4.
Scocecard
Services rode on a solid bowling performance and an undefeated 115-run stand between their openers to clinch a convincing ten-wicket win against Tripura at the Palam A Stadium in Delhi. None of the Tripura batsmen managed a half-century in their second innings as they were bundled out for 154, with Manish Jha, a right-arm fast bowler, taking three wickets. Services knocked off the target of 115 without losing a wicket, with Soomik Chatarjee, the left-handed opener, remaining unbeaten on 62.

Steven Outerbridge in action for the ICC Winter Training Camp XI, © Touchline

ICC Winter Training Camp (WTC) Head Coach Andy Moles is convinced the whole of Bermuda cricket will benefit from the presence of four of their players in Pretoria.”This has been a real success for Bermuda,” said Moles, reflecting on the presence of Jekon Edness, Jim West, Steven Outerbridge and Azeem Pitcher at the residential camp for players from the six Associate countries to qualify for the 2007 World Cup.”These players might not jump straight into their national side but if they continue to show the improvements they have shown here then they will certainly be in contention. And if they can persuade a large percentage of their team mates back home about the benefits of what they have done in South Africa it will help the whole of their squad.”The scope to broaden Bermuda’s playing base is limited by the fact the county’s overall population is just 68,500 but the hope is that base can still be widened if the players are able to put into action some of the skills they have learnt at the WTC.”They have all done their Level 2 coaching course so they are going home with a qualification,” said Moles. “If they can go back not only with their improved levels of performance but also able to work with youngsters and pass on their skills then that has to benefit Bermuda cricket. It is a perfect illustration that the ICC’s Development Program (started in 1997) is not just about playing but also infrastructure, like coaching, too,” added Moles.The WTC has been made up of 23 players from not only Bermuda but also Canada, Kenya, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland and the Bermuda players have been among the most popular members of the group according to Moles.”They have all worked hard, enjoyed the experience and everyone here has enjoyed their company,” he said. “The fitness and training was a bit of a culture shock for them all at first and they struggled, they would all probably admit that, but they all really bought into the regime. That showed when everyone had their fitness tested about 10 days ago, a follow-up to the test they did when they arrived, and the Bermuda lads showed great improvement. They have been very enthusiastic and attentive and I would even go so far as to say that, as a group, they have benefited the most from the last 11 weeks.”Bermuda captain Clay Smith was involved in the camp at the start in a coaching capacity and even though he could not stay for the whole 11 weeks Moles felt he would have picked up enough in his time in Pretoria to make it a worthwhile exercise. The hope now is that Smith, together with the other Bermuda players attending the WTC, can pass on the positives from their experience in South Africa to coach Gus Logie and the rest of the squad back home.Moles offered the ICC his assessment of the progress the Bermuda players have made at the WTC.Jekon Edness – In the same way that Kenneth Carto, the Canada wicketkeeper, has benefited from this camp so the same is true of Jekon. He arrived here as a player who kept once a week but now, after 11 weeks of catching balls every day, fitness work, pilates and stretching he will go home a totally different `keeper and person and Bermuda will see that.As a batsman what we have tried to do is make him aware of his plus points rather than focussing on what he can’t do. We have looked to get him to play in his areas of strength and we saw the benefit last week when we played a match and he saw his side home by working the ball around off the seamers and spinners.Jim West – Jim has been a fantastic team man and has also improved out of sight, a fact recognised by his fellow players as they voted him the most improved player of the WTC. He has worked so hard. He has been laid low by injuries but has battled through them and given everything to everything he has done. With his bowling he has done great work with Bob Cottam (WTC bowling coach) to change his action. He has not added all that much pace but what he has done is add a great deal of control. As for his batting, when he arrived he just tried to hit every ball for four or six but now we have shown him all about shot selection and batting in partnerships, especially if there is a recognised batsman at the other end. Jim has developed so much on this course and it has been a pleasure to have him here.Steven Outerbridge – Steven’s a top-order batsman and a more senior player than some others at the WTC. Initially he had a few problems knowing where his off stump was and also falling over to the offside by over-balancing. He has shown himself to be a good listener who has worked hard and now, I think, he knows what it will take for him to build big innings on a regular basis. He has improved as a fielder as well but now it is a case, as with so many others here, of him going on and proving he can put into practice what he’s learnt here. He was especially keen to work on his play against spin bowling and a block or slog approach is a common failing at Associate level instead of players backing themselves to work the ball into gaps. He has definitely improved in that area and has also learnt the art of playing the sweep shot.Azeem Pitcher – Azeem has really worked hard and you rarely saw him without his notebook, whether it was a psychology briefing, the Level 2 coaching course or even a net session – he took notes on everything. He is a very dedicated and organised cricketer. Like Stephen, a fellow left-hander, he had a problem falling over to the off-side and over-balancing but along with Stephen we have worked to ensure they keep their heads up and don’t look to play around their front pads. He made a classy 60 not out in a match last week and I got the impression he really does understand how to go about playing well now. The understanding of his game is there and in that innings he was able to see the benefits. Azeem was not able to bowl very much because of a shoulder injury but, typical of him and the rest of the Bermuda guys, he showed himself to be a great team man. He was always one of the first to make drinks for fellow players and he also made sure that shoulder injury did not stop him working hard on other areas of his fitness.

Lancashire came within two wickets of defeating Worcestershire but in the end they were denied by Steve Rhodes, who batted for almost an hour in his final first-class match to earn a draw. It wasn’t enough to save Worcestershire from the drop, but it leaves Lancashire having to beat Gloucestershire in their final match, and they also need to get three more bonus points that their opponents who sit 17 points ahead of them in the table.Gloucestershire took seven vital points from their match against Sussex, bad weather on the final day limiting play to less than three hours. At Lord’s, Northamptonshire, whose own relegation was confirmed yesterday, drew with Middlesex after being set 355 to win at five an over, largely thanks to 90 from David Sales.In Division Two, Leicestershire took a little over an hour to complete their six-wicket win over Durham, a result which gives them a remote chance of catching Glamorgan for the third promotion spot. Glamorgan were left kicking their heels at Cardiff where a third successive day was severely disrupted by the weather. At Taunton, Somerset bowled Yorkshire out for 304 and then, looking to make up for lost time, declared on 141 for 0 before reducing the visitors to 125 for 4 at the close, a lead of 308.

County Championship Division One

Latest tableGloucestershire 178 and 304 for 5 (Gidman 82, Hancock 77*, Spearman 65) drew with Sussex 199 (Averis 5-45) at Bristol
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Accurate Averis puts Sussex on back foot – The Times
Day 2: no play because of rain
Day 3 report: Sussex struggle to stay afloat – The Sunday Times
Northamptonshire 282 and 224 for 4 (Sales 90, Huggins 82*) drew with Middlesex 425 and 212 for 6 (Joyce 59, Koenig 51) at Lord’s
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Shah and Joyce lift Middlesex – The Times
Day 2 report: Afzaal props up Northants – The Telegraph
Worcestershire 352 for 9 dec and 199 for 8 (Smith 50) drew with Lancashire 403 for 9 dec and 242 for 6 dec (Hooper 75*, Chapple 63) at Worcester
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Law leads Lancashire’s survival bid – Wisden Cricinfo
Day 2 report: Hegg gives Lancs fresh hope – The Guardian
Day 3 report: Rhodes refuses to go quietly – The Sunday Telegraph

County Championship Division Two

Latest table B>Leicestershire 508 and 71 for 4 beat Durham 298 and 280 by six wickets at Chester-le-Street
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Mustard adds dash of class – The Daily Telegraph
Day 2 report: Durham’s bowlers fail to contain Maunders – The Times

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Essex wilt as wickets tumble – The Daily Telegraph

Day 1: No play because of rain
Day 2 report: Croft inspires Glamorgan – The Sunday Times

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Rain takes edge off needle match – The Guardian

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Jacob Oram was delighted with his first major contribution with the bat inTest cricket on the third day of the second Test in Kandy.Oram scored a career best 74, sharing crucial partnerships with MarkRichardson and Robbie Hart, as New Zealand scored a respectable 305."It is nice to get a first milestone although I would have liked to got ahundred," he said afterwards. "It was tough against world-class bowlers indifferent conditions but I really enjoyed it."At 75 for 4 we were in a bit of trouble and it was a matter of getting apartnership going, so I was more than happy to just bide my time."Normally renowned for playing big shots, Oram believes he needed "to put hisend in the bin and put the shots away" to survive."I like to hit the ball hard and see the boundaries but you can’t do thatevery innings. I have been more consistent back home in first-class cricketbeing a bit more circumspect."Oram, 24, enjoyed the challenge of facing the world’s leading spinner,Muttiah Muralitharan, who claimed 3 for 90 in 34 overs."I did not want to die in the hole to Murali, which can happen if you justsit and wait, because sooner or later he is going to bowl you an unplayabledelivery – I therefore used the sweep as an option."Oram said New Zealand were still hopeful of forcing a win: "It is a matterof us getting early wickets tomorrow and then trying to progress as much aswe can with the bat before a final day declaration."