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No one present at the DY Patil Sports Academy just under three weeks ago could have thought of it as anything more than a huge upset. The Delhi Daredevils had journeyed west with four wins from their first five games and the label of likely tournament winners. The Mumbai Indians had barely left the starting block. After four straight losses and the loss of Harbhajan Singh to a slap-and-ban double-play, they had managed a victory at Eden Gardens. But with Sachin Tendulkar still nursing a groin injury, few gave them a chance against a Delhi side boasting Virender Sehwag’s strokeplay and Glenn McGrath’s precision.In the event, one of Delhi’s McGrath clones, Mohammad Asif, had a poor outing and cameos from Sanath Jaysuriya and Shaun Pollock helped Mumbai to 162. And though Sehwag came out intent on blasting his way to the target, wickets for Pollock and Ashish Nehra stemmed the angry tide. Once Sehwag fell, the decline was swift, with the last five wickets adding just 14 runs. Nehra and Pollock starred on the scoresheet, but the likes of Dominic Thornely, Dhawal Kulkarni and Rohan Raje had also done their bit in strangulating a line-up full of potential matchwinners.At the time, the result was considered a blip. Looking back, it may be seen as a decisive fork in the road. Mumbai, confidence coursing through the veins after knocking off a top side, stitched together a six-match winning streak, ended only by a last-ball defeat to the King’s XI Punjab. The Delhi slide encompassed three more losses before victory against the freefalling Deccan Chargers revived the team’s hopes.When the top three of Gautam Gambhir, Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan click, Delhi look like they could pulverise anyone. Get them out fairly early though, and you’re into a middle that’s as fragile as Frank Bruno’s chin. Dinesh Karthik and Manoj Tiwary haven’t had many opportunities, while the overseas contingent – AB de Villiers, Shoaib Malik and Tilllakaratne Dilshan – haven’t impressed much.The bowling has been similarly top-heavy. McGrath and Farveez Maharoof have both been magnificent, but a clearly unfit Mohammad Asif has been one of the flops of the competition, conceding more than nine an over. And after bright starts, Rajat Bhatia and Yo Mahesh have gone for more than eight an over. Batsmen also appear to have worked out Pradeep Sangwan, one of the stars of India’s Under-19 side.Sehwag himself has been the worst culprit with the ball, and his 22-run over undoubtedly cost them the rain-affected game against Punjab after McGrath had once again provided the perfect start. And with Daniel Vettori now leading New Zealand in England, all the spin eggs are in Amit Mishra’s basket. So far, he’s proved up to the task, but how will he respond if Tendulkar or Jayasuriya take him on?Mumbai have revived their campaign so beautifully because the load has been shared. Jayasuriya has reprised his mid-90s glory years with the bat, but there’s also been sterling support from the likes of Abhishek Nayar and the now-departed Dwayne Bravo, one of four Mumbai bowlers to have at least 10 wickets in the competition.With Tendulkar joining Jayasuriya at the top of the order, you could forgive most new-ball bowlers for losing sleep. But if anyone can stymie that Simon-and-Garfunkel combination, it’s McGrath, who enjoyed considerable success against both at the highest level. His counterpart for Mumbai, Pollock, will also be quietly confident of his chances against Delhi’s marauding top three.This isn’t quite a quarter-final, but it’s as close as the league will get to one. If Mumbai win, the remaining six league games will be of importance only in deciding the semi-final pairings. A Delhi triumph would push Mumbai to the brink. They would then need to beat the Rajasthan Royals at Fortress Jaipur (where no team has come close) and then see off the Bangalore Royal Challengers, in a rearranged fixture in Bangalore, to ease Delhi out of contention.The match has extra spice because of the traditional cricket rivalry between the two cities. Mumbai have undoubtedly been Indian cricket’s top dogs, but for two decades leading into the 1990s, Delhi were one of the teams that was a persistent thorn in the side. And after years of underachievement, last season’s Ranji Trophy success suggests that cricket in the capital is on the upswing again.

Ravi Shastri, who played his part in several of those ’80s dogfights, is one of several experts who insist that Mumbai will be devilishly hard to beat with a home crowd behind them in the last four. They have to get there first though. Delhi have good reason to feel aggrieved about the rain that has brought some respite to a baking-hot city, but at least they know where they stand. Should Chennai lose at home to the table-topping Rajasthan in the early game on Saturday, Delhi will go into their fixture knowing that a win will pile the pressure on both the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai, who finish off with fixtures away from home.The Feroz Shah Kotla hasn’t quite been a citadel – Chennai pulled off a last-ball win, and Punjab prevailed thanks to Duckworth and Lewis – but Delhi’s batsmen have been a frightening proposition in familiar conditions. They need to unveil one more no-fear performance, and hope the bowlers don’t bottle it like they did in the two losses that have pushed them to the precipice.Then again, if Jayasuriya and Tendulkar turn up in smash-bang-wallop mode, all the bottles, lucky charms and incantations in the world won’t help. Not even in the City of Djinns, not even with McGrath taking the new ball.

Hampshire’s second XI lost their third one-day Trophy final in four years against Kent yesterday – by five wickets with just two balls remaining, writes Simon Walter.Jimmy Adams and John Francis made 58 and 49 respectively after resuming their partnership when rain forced the 50 overs clash into the reserve day at The Rose Bowl.Alex Morris had smashed a 31-ball 38 before the rains came on Monday but yesterday James Hamblin provided the impetus to Hampshire’s middle order, belting 40 off 26 deliveries, including two sixes and a four.That was after Adams and Francis had put on 72 for the fourth wicket but Hampshire’s last four wickets fell for 26 runs and they were bowled out for 238 with five balls left of their allocation.Off spinner Irfan Shah took 3-45 in his ten overs but Kent skipper James Tredwell won the match for his side with 111 at the top of the order before he was stumped by Iain Brunnschweiler off the medium pace of Lawrie Prittipaul.James Schofield was Hampshire’s only other wicket taker while first teamer James Tomlinson was the most economical, going for 34 off his ten overs.Adams, Francis, Prittipaul and Hamblin were also in the second XI side that lost the first of the three recent one-day trophy finals, also against Kent, at Canterbury in 1999.

Derbyshire CCC can today confirm that exciting left arm fast bowler, Mohammad Ali, has committed his immediate future to the Club by signing a new two year contract – keeping him at the County Ground until at least the end of season 2004. Meanwhile, left arm spinner, Lian Wharton, who bowled Derbyshire to victory in two Championship fixtures last season, has signed a one year contract."It is good to know that despite attention from other Counties, the belief has been engendered in the squad that it can go on from this years base of performances, and has encouraged promising players to stay with us. Both of these guys were part of arguably the most potent attack in the country last season, and long may that continue."

Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former ICC and BCCI chief, has agreed in principle to contest the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) elections at the end of this month, marking his first attempt at returning to cricket administration after resigning from the same post in December 2006.Dalmiya said he was pressurised by existing members of the CAB to contest the polls, though he is yet to formally give his consent.”I’ve agreed to contest in the CAB poll after the members came and pressurised me,” Dalmiya was quoted as saying in the . “They requested me to fight for the betterment of CAB and I could not say no to them. The official announcement will be made in due course. Let me settle down first.”Dalmiya is however currently caught in a court case filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police for alleged embezzlement of funds during the 1996 World Cup. The hearing, originally adjourned for June 16, was later adjourned to December 29 after his lawyers had asked for more time to study the case.He said the case wouldn’t deter his ambitions of returning to cricket administration. “I’m more determined now,” he said. “It seems a real possibility to come back to cricket administration.”Dalmiya headed the CAB for 13 years before being expelled from the BCCI over the embezzlement case. He resigned as the CAB president and Prasun Mukherjee, Kolkata’s police commissioner, took over. Mukherjee is reportedly under fire for Bengal’s ordinary performance in the Ranji Trophy after they were relegated from the Elite Group last season.

Five wickets for Shane Bond, a first Test victory in the West Indies – only the fourth time they have lost in Barbados in 39 Tests – and all with a day to spare. What a day for New Zealand cricket.The manner of the triumph makes the moment all the more satisfying, especially when remembering some of the trials previous New Zealand teams have had in trying to win in the West Indies.Players like Glenn Turner, Bevan Congdon, Bruce Taylor, Geoff Howarth, Ken Rutherford, Jeremy Coney and many others will all appreciate what a triumph this has been.The 51st Test victory by the side caps what has been a remarkable season for New Zealand.It has been a time of innovation but it has also been a demonstration of the worth of a genuine fast bowler in Bond.What a triumph also for New Zealand Cricket and their policy of taking Bond to Darwin to help him prepare in good conditions for this trip. Add in also wicket-keeper batsman Robbie Hart who played such a key hand with his first innings half-century and also Mark Richardson who scored key runs at the top of the first innings.Surely this result has allowed New Zealand cricket to shrug off some of the perceptions of their own doubting public.The criticism of New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming’s decision not to enforce the follow-on in this country defied belief.For a start, he was in Barbados, his critics were not.But it is doubtful Fleming had ever been in a more powerful position in a match. He had three days to play with and was able to call all the shots.His bowlers did exceptionally well to knock the West Indies over so cheaply in the first innings. And certainly the requirement of the bowlers had not been exceptional.However, it is worth remembering that his main strike weapon Bond was still making his first tentative steps back from a broken foot while his spinner Daniel Vettori was still on a managed work load.Surely keeping them fresher for later in the match and, more importantly, for the second Test to follow, was a far greater requirement for Fleming.For anyone to claim that if the players were not capable of bowling with a normal work load then they should not have been playing was to have ignored the last decade of Test history for New Zealand.Such criticism lives in the realm of fairyland. It is not worth pondering the thought of what might have happened had a West Indian batsman or two got settled in and worked the New Zealand bowling around. Fleming never allowed that eventuality to occur and his position was the stronger for it.And if the West Indians were as exhausted as many of them claim, then why not put them back out in the field for another day while you build a position of utmost ascendancy. Every run you score leaves them with the knowledge that they face the devil of a job to save the match.This has been a clinical and outstanding display of thinking.It is about time some of the critics of the New Zealand captain gave him his due for having become the most successful leader in the game in this country’s history and while there may be times when his field placings upset traditionalists, he has nevertheless achieved a record of significance when so often he has been denied the full strength in his attack that he would like.He isn’t the first captain not to have asked the opposition to follow-on. When New Zealand won their second Test, at Cape Town in 1961/62, John Reid decided not to ask South Africa to follow on. His position wasn’t as powerful as that of Fleming, but he knew the situation best and how his attack could best cope.This is a significant achievement in New Zealand cricket history. The first Test victory in the West Indies has been a long time coming but it completes the set of victories against every country overseas now, apart from Bangladesh where New Zealand has still to tour.

BRISBANE – Australia’s cricketers will play in Sri Lanka next month eventhough three New Zealanders have withdrawn from the Champions Trophy forsafety reasons.Craig McMillan, Matthew Horne and Brooke Walker were today left out ofthe New Zealand squad after making themselves unavailable for theInternational Cricket Council’s one-day tournament.The trio were part of the New Zealand squad which abandoned its tour ofPakistan in May when a bomb blast outside its Karachi team hotel killed14 people.”I don’t want to go into specifics and I’ve not needed counselling but… I didn’t think I was mentally ready to cope,” McMillan told NZPA.”It is only sport after all.”But the Australian Cricket Board, which cancelled its October Test tourof Pakistan last Friday, is satisfied with the security arrangements inSri Lanka.An ACB spokesman said the 14 players selected for the Champions Trophyfrom September 12-29 had not expressed any concerns about playing in SriLanka.Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Tim May said the NewZealand players would have taken a different view than the Australiansafter their Karachi experiences.”There is a clear differentiation with matters to be considered forAustralian players and New Zealand players,” May said.”They might be trying to manage a trauma of the past and, from ourperspective, we haven’t experienced any of those traumas first hand.”We have gone through an identical process for every tour where weassess security risks and we are quite satisfied with the security thatwill be offered to the players in Sri Lanka.”New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden said the Black Capswere not placed under any pressure to tour Sri Lanka.New Zealand cricket has experienced security problems in Sri Lanka, withtours in 1987 and 1992 disrupted by bomb blasts, while there was civilunrest in Colombo during the Black Caps’ latest tour last year.”It is accepted that when travelling overseas we cannot make anyabsolute guarantees about safety,” Snedden told NZPA.”When deciding whether to attend the tournament the safety of the teamwas our top priority.”We made a thorough assessment of risks to the team which includedspeaking to government agencies and a visit to Sri Lanka by team managerJeff Crowe and security adviser Reg Dickason, to speak to American,British and Australian Foreign Affairs staff and to check securityarrangements.”We have been advised that a ceasefire has been in place in Sri Lankasince February and the country is the most stable it has been for sometime.”Snedden said New Zealand Cricket accepted the decisions of McMillan,Walker and Horne.

The Sport Relief Kwik Cricket Tournament 2002 and a Pay to Play cricket weekend are among the exciting events being organised by ECB in support of Sport Relief.A joint Comic Relief and BBC concept, Sport Relief is aimed at uniting theworld of sport to raise money for vulnerable children and young people, both in the UK and across the world.The campaign will culminate in a entertaining night on Saturday 13 July on BBC1 featuring sport, celebrities, entertainment, and fundraising – hosted by BBC cricket presenter Jamie Theakston alongside Gary Lineker, Ulrika Jonsson and Clare Balding.Alongside the Football Association, the Lawn Tennis Association, the RugbyFootball Union and other sports bodies, the ECB hope to raise considerable funds for the Sport Relief pot.One of the big ideas across several sports is Pay to Play, with sports men and women at every level being encouraged to pay to play their own sport.Cricketers all over the country – from England captains Nasser Hussain andClare Connor and the rest of national squads to local village players – will be asked to ‘pay to play’ the game on a nominated weekend during the summer. This is looking like being the weekend of 15/16 June, but has still to be confirmed.As a grassroots initiative the involvement of children is key to the campaign, and the Sport Relief Kwik Cricket Tournament 2002 will provide the younger cricketers with their chance to drive the funds total in the right direction.Fundraising takes place during the second round of the competition when theKwik Cricketers taking part can be sponsored for every run their team scores. As an extra incentive, the winning team will earn a 30-minute coaching session with England coach Duncan Fletcher as well as skipper Hussain.The involvement of the game’s top stars doesn’t end there, as members of both the England men’s and women’s teams will be taking part in a Celebrity Cricket Challenge in the studio on 13 July.Other events with cricket involvement include the Sport Relief MemorabiliaAuction, and the Sport Relief Competition – which offers the winner the chance to attend every major sporting event in Britain and selected events around the world in 2003.Sport Relief is encouraging the public to get active in a variety of waysranging from the very simple to the highly physical. This could be as simple as walking to work to snowboarding. The campaign is not only targeted at sport enthusiasts but also people in offices, who could organise their own sports days, stage an office Olympics or simply ‘pay to play’ to do anything active.All schools will be mailed with a Sport Relief schools pack and video, supported by Sport England, that will show how schools can fundraise, forexample by adding a fundraising dimension to their existing sports days.Children and young people around the world will benefit from every penny raised through Sport Relief. Half of it will stay here in the UK, and the other half will reach the most vulnerable children and young people in some of the poorest countries in the world. The Government’s Commonwealth Education Fund, launched in Jubilee Year, will match the international efforts of Sport Relief to improve educational opportunities in the Commonwealth.

Adrian Dale cracked the first double-century of the CricInfo Championship season as Glamorgan turned the screw against their fellow first division newcomers Northamptonshire.The Welsh county had dominated proceedings on the opening day, and continued in the same vein as their overnight 339-4 became 548-6 declared. Dale hit 204 in six hours, featuring 31 boundaries, and posted a record-breaking 248 for the fifth wicket with Keith Newell (103).Northants’ reply then ran into trouble and they struggled to 181-5 from 50 overs at the close, still needing a further 218 to avoid the follow-on with two days remaining.Dale joined Maurice Turnbull, Roy Fredericks and Steve James in the ranks of Glamorgan’s double-centurions against Northants, and also passed 10,000 first-class runs in the course of his 276-ball knock.Newell proved an admirable foil for his acting-captain and completed his first Championship hundred since joining the Welsh county from Sussex two years ago. He and Dale eclipsed Glamorgan’s previous fifth-wicket best against the Midlanders – 206 by Bernard Hedges and Jim Pressdee at Northampton in 1961 – before Jason Brown broke through, yorking Dale.Mike Hussey’s throw from backward point ran out Newell to end his stay of four hours 40 minutes, including 16 fours, and the declaration came soon afterwards.Northants then lost the wickets of Hussey, Mal Loye and Jeff Cook for 53 before tea, and with Robert Croft removing the Swann brothers in the final session it was left to Russell Warren (72 not out) to keep the home side afloat.

With three modest contributions behind him, Australian captain Ricky Ponting came good in the fourth Standard Bank one-day international in Bloemfontein on Saturday to fashion a masterful century and guide his side to a 37-run victory.Australia’s win gives them an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the seven-match series (the third game in Potchefstroom was tied) and although it is still mathematically possible for South Africa to tie the series, after six defeats in eight one-day encounters against Australia this summer, no one will be holding their breath waiting for this to happen.Ponting’s 129 was the highest one-day score made by an Australian against South Africa and it was about as close to flawless an innings as you could ask for. He came in in the 11th over of the innings and stayed there until the 48th as Australia posted 290 for six, their second-highest total against South Africa.His runs came off 126 deliveries and included 15 fours and a six and it was, by some distance, the major contribution to the total. All along the way, though, Australia’s batsmen chipped in to help the skipper. Adam Gilchrist, who has still not quite fired in this one-day series after his breathtaking exploits in the Test series, made 34; Damien Martyn 24 and Darren Lehmann a typically crafty 39 as South Africa found themselves largely unable to cope with the flow of runs.Once again South Africa changed their attack around and once again the pick of thwe bowlers was Makhaya Ntini who started with two maidens and, although he failed to take a wicket, conceded only 42. In the circumstances, it was a remarkable effort.If South Africa were to make a contest of it they needed a decent start. For this match they changed their opening pair, fielding their third different combination in as many matches with Graeme Smith coming in to partner Gary Kirsten. Boeta Dippenaar, who was promoted to open after looking the best of the middle order batsmen in the first two games, was dropped along with Herschelle Gibbs.The change made precious little difference. Kirsten was out for 3 at 7 and Andrew Hall, sent in at three, was gone for the same score at 14 as South Africa again suffered at the hands of Glenn McGrath.There was some fight left, though. Smith, who has been in outstanding one-day form at provincial level this summer, made a fighting 41 on debut until he was bowled off an inside edge by Ian Harvey.Jacques Kallis, too, looked in good touch, making 43 while Neil McKenzie, left out of the side for the first two games, made an inventive 67. With Jonty Rhodes also chipping in, South Africa weren’t dead and buried until the 41st over.Then Brett Lee came on, bowled McKenzie through his legs and bowled Mark Boucher, first ball, with a yorker. From 202 for four, South Africa had slipped to 202 for six in the space of two balls. Jason Gillespie came back to have Shaun Pollock caught behind at 207 for seven and the last of the batsmen, Nicky Boje, was also caught at the wicket at 224 for eight.Rhodes was eventually last man out for 56, but the game had already been won and lost by then.As in the first two games, Australia once again had far too much expertise and too clear a vision of what they hoped to achieve than the home team. Only in the third match of the series have South Africa been able to put Australia under pressure, and even then the tourists wriggled out of jail thanks to Jimmy Maher and Nathan Hauritz, two of the least experienced members of their squad.For this match South Africa named a squad of 14 for reason only the selectors understood. It made no difference. In fact had they chosen 24 it would have made no difference. The simple truth is that Australia are a better equipped, better coached and better managed team than South Africa. The possibility of a 6-0 series victory for Australia still beckons. It is by no means out of the question.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChamara Kapugedera’s innings lifted Uthura Rudras to 149•Shaun Roy/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

Nagenahira Nagas left the door open for Ruhuna Royals – who play top-placed Wayamba United in a must-win match today – to usurp them in the top four, after succumbing to a 15-run defeat to Uthura Rudras in Colombo. Chamara Kapugedera struck 43 from 32 to take Uthura to 149 from their 20 overs, before Naved-ul-Hasan bowled his best spell of the tournament to derail Nagenahira’s chase.Nagenahira lost five wickets for 40, and were never able to build any fluency into their innings, despite a valiant 43 from Colin de Grandhomme in his first appearance in the SLPL. Angelo Mathews was unlucky to be run out off an Udara Jayasundera straight drive that flicked the bowler’s fingertips on the way to the stumps, but several of Nagenahira’s batsmen were guilty of throwing away their wickets to poor shots. Ahmed Shehzad was caught heaving across the line, before Travis Birt danced past a straighter one from Jehan Mubarak that hit the top of middle stump. Needless run outs compounded Nagenahira’s woes as both Mushfiqur Rahim and Angelo Perera charged down the wicket when a run was not on offer. Suraj Randiv and Ajantha Mendis continued swinging at nine down, but 42 from the last three overs was always going to be beyond the pair.Kapugedera’s second strong performance in two matches underpinned Uthura’s innings, after he had missed out on selection for Sri Lanka’s World Twenty20 squad earlier in the week. Arriving at 57 for 3 after 8.4 overs, Kapugedera was assured from the outset – striking two boundaries from Saroj Pathirana’s tenth over. His teammates, though, continued to flounder at the other end. Despite Kapugedera’s lively progress, Uthura’s scoring rate had dipped below 6.5 by the end of the 14th over. Farveez Maharoof came and went attempting to boost the rate, but managed only 12 from 14, before Kapugedera took it on himself to provide the late charge. He made 18 from his last 8 balls to propel Uthuras towards 150, before departing in the penultimate over.