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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.

The success of the bowlers in a low-scoring series has left the batsmen with plenty to do as the bandwagon moves back to Colombo for the last three matches. The indifference of the batsmen in the first two matches in Dambulla has given both sides cause for concern, and both captains have banked on a more traditional ODI track to nudge ahead in the series. Regardless of the nature of the track, the two sides need to sort out their batting problems.On Wednesday, Sri Lanka were 44 for 6 by the 18th over of their innings and India were 75 for 5 by the end of the 20th over. The damage had been done by the bowlers and India were only saved by a smart 60-run partnership between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and debutant S Badrinath. The orthodox approach the two took, getting down and dirty to knuckle towards victory, could be the best way for the two teams’ batsmen to approach the first of three fixtures at the Premadasa Stadium, a ground built on swamp land, and with a spin-friendly reputation.Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper, feels the batsmen have been indecisive so far, and felt that orthodoxy would pay out over panache. “We’ve seen two low-scoring games in Dambulla, where it was hard to know when the time was to play your shots,” he told Cricinfo, “because at the start it was hard to get into rhythm when the ball was doing a lot. There was not enough solidarity. That attitude is vital in any form of cricket: stick around, watch the ball, and hit it. In one-day cricket there are field restrictions so a batsman can try his luck with the new ball but good orthodox cricket and patient shots always wins in the end.”In eschewing the extravagant shots and nudging the ball around for singles and the odd harried double, Dhoni and Badrinath proved that Mendis could be thwarted. In contrast, India’s top order perished even before spin had arrived in the first match. Similarly, Sri Lanka’s batting order capsized in trying to dominate from the outset.”We were a bit disappointed the way we handled that situation,” said Mahela Jayawardene. “We knew it was going to be a tough period in that morning session and wanted to execute certain plans. We couldn’t, and that game is gone.”

For starters, the teams would do well to identify what a match-winning total is. The average score at the Premadasa since 2000 has been 230. The difference, starting tomorrow, could well be who plays the patient innings. During his Asia Cup final hundred Sanath Jayasuriya batted time out while four early wickets fell, set himself up, and played a match-winning century. Gautam Gambhir played the prototype of the perfect one-day innings against Sri Lanka in Brisbane earlier this year, and remains the man India need to bat around.Given the threat posed by Muttiah Muralitharan and Mendis after the Powerplays, the role of a player like Gambhir is significant, given his success against them in the Tests. Dhoni, a noted floater, needs to come up the order and aim to bat for a long time. Bumping Yuvraj Singh, better against pace than spin, down the order may be a wise move. If the others before him can handle Mendis and Murali and set a platform Yuvraj can be devastating at the end.Sri Lanka’s preferred opening combination in the series, Jayasuriya and Sangakkara, has yet to fire and bar two innings from Jayawardene and Chamara Kapugedera in the opener, the middle order has been poor. Instead of playing their shots, like they did in Dambulla, the batsmen may find success working themselves in and accelerating later.India’s nervous victory in the second Dambulla fixture has revived a series which many reckoned Sri Lanka would sweep after Mendis and Murali walloped India in the Tests. Now, with the series level at 1-1, both teams have everything to play for at the Premadasa. A traditional one-day venue it is, and a traditional approach from the batsmen could prove crucial.

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."

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 first Test served as an eye-opener for the rest of the series, especially for the purist in favour of Test cricket. For some reason, it seemed that neither team was really ready for the match, only becoming aware of the requirements after either team had lost two or three quick wickets.For the West Indies, their obvious strength lies in their batting. With Carl Hooper, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan in the middle, the West Indies have three Guyanese who lend solidity to the proceedings.India’s batting is also their strong point, with Sachin Tendulkar looking ominous very early in the series. While Rahul Dravid managed to notch up a century, it was VVS Laxman who looked the best of the lot.Both teams, however, must be worried about their bowling, since neither side seems able to bowl their rivals out twice; that, of course, is what Test cricket is all about.Mervyn Dillon, Adam Sanford and Cameron Cuffy did an excellent job for the West Indies, as did Mahendra Nagamootoo, but with the latter out of the second Test, the choice of four fast bowlers looks infinitely better.The one thing very obvious in this series already is that the team that wins a game first will probably win the series. Neither of the teams seems able to distance itself from the other; it is seldom that we see two cricket sides that are so similar in endeavour, effort and relative ability.The captains are also similarly equipped, at least in thought and word, if not in deed. Both seem unsure of their bowlers’ abilities and seldom give them bowlers the support they should have. Perhaps Carl Hooper is more at fault in this respect than Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly seems to be somewhat at loggerheads with his players, but then he has the larger pressure, with a billion people looking at him to produce. Hooper only has about 11 million.With leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo out with a hamstring injury, the change in the West Indian bowling has been dubbed “unfortunate” by their captain Carl Hooper, since Nagamootoo and Cuffy were the best performers with the ball for the West Indies in the first Test.India are more concerned with their batting, and Deep Dasgupta, their struggling wicket-keeper/opener, has lost his place to allow Sanjay Bangar, the batting all-rounder, to open the batting. It is also an experiment, but it allows Ajay Ratra from Harayana to make his Test debut as wicket-keeper.Because of the recent rains, the pitch should be conducive to fast bowling, with spin perhaps dominating the final two days. If there are five full days of cricket, and that is very doubtful going by the weather forecast, then there should be a result, with one team going 1-0 up in the series. Again, as in the first Test, it will depend completely on which team really wants to win more and which can be more aggressive. Taking chances and being aggressive will win every time.The West Indies must also be concerned with their opening batsmen. Stuart Williams has failed again, as he normally does when brought to the top level of international cricket, while Chris Gayle seemed confused in Guyana. Both he and Brian Lara somehow give the impression of wanting to do something big, and with Lara lagging badly behind India’s Sachin Tendulkar thus far in the series, he will want to impress now.The Indian middle-order will change, with either Rahul Dravid or VVS Laxman replacing Sourav Ganguly at number three. The West Indies will, on the other hand, be more comfortable with the recent efforts of Ramnaresh Sarwan, captain Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul Even so, Hooper is not too sure.”Those innings of mine lately – 222, 149 and the Test 233 – are all in thepast. I have to start all over again,” he said.The Indian fast bowling too has struggled, with little or no support for Javagal Srinath from Zaheer Khan, even though Sanjay Bangar did a fair job as the make-shift third seamer. The West Indies fast bowlers too must up their ante, with Dillon and Sanford wanting to do much better.This could be the decisive game of the Test series, since it could well be the only game in which the batsman should not be in full control; they will thus have to work doubly hard to make big scores. The bowlers, at the Queen’s Park Oval, should be in with a good chance of getting a result.

Hostile bowling by Reetinder Singh Sodhi (5 for 40) and debutant Vineet Kumar (4 for 25) helped Punjab to rout Rajasthan for 111 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy pre-quarterfinal at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Saturday. The batsmen followed the good work and at close, Punjab were 175 for three.Rajasthan captain Gagan Khoda won the toss and opted to bat on a wicket which looked green. Vineet Kumar had a fine start to his career. He removed Nikhil Doru (3) with the total at 4 in his first over. The other opener Vineet Saxena (1) was out in his second over as he was brillantly caught behind by Punjab skipper and wicketkeeper Vikram Rathour. Sodhi who replaced Gagandep Singh bowled his heart out and soon Rajasthan were five down for 31. At lunch Rajasthan were reeling at 75 for six.Rohit Jalani in the company with Devander Pal showed some fight and the twoadded 31 runs in 36 balls for the eighth wicket. Sodhi bowled with a lot offire and made short work of the tail. Rathour was quite comfortable in hisrole of wicketkeeper and took three catches.Punjab opened with Rathour (39) and Ravneet Ricky (40). They gave a flyingstart and put on 73 runs off 18.4 overs. Rathour was in an attacking moodand hammered eight fours in his knock which came up off just 48 ballsbefore he was leg before to Yadav.Ravneet Ricky, in trying to pull a short delivery from Sanjeev Sharma,scooped an easy catch to wicketkeeper Jhalani. Yuvraj Singh (18) and PankajDharmani were looking in good nick but the former snicked an outgoingdelivery from Sanjeev Sharma and was held at second slip. He was third outat 113.Dinesh Mongia came in and he and Dharmani kept the scoreboard ticking. Dharmani completed his half century in style as he drove Mohd Aslam to the cover boundary. At draw of stumps, Dharmani was batting on 53 (86 balls, 8×4), while Mongia was batting on 23 (30 balls, 5×4). The home team were sitting pretty with a lead of 64 runs and seven wickets in hand.

Half-century hero Mario Mohammed shelved his normal flamboyant Caribbean style of batting for the day to haul Trojans out of the mire and set up a four-wicket win over arch Southern Electric Premier League rivals Old Tauntonians & Romsey at Stoneham Lane.Defending a modest 100-run total, OTs eyed an improbable victory with Trojans reeling at 43-6.But Mohammed, with a splendidly crafted 50 not out, and seventh-wicket partner Jamie Donaldson (22 not out) got their heads down to graft Trojans towards their second win in three Division 2 matches.A low scoring affair was always likely on a Stoneham ground which, through neglect and lack of investment, has failed to keep pace with the general overall improved club ground standards in the Premier League.The square, traditionally low in bounce, is in poor condition – inconsistent bounce was the order of the day – and the outfield unkempt and bumpy after use by winter sportsmen.Batsmen had to battle for every run and 16 wickets had fallen for an aggregate 143 runs before Trojans’ seventh-wicket pair got to grips with the situation.That said, few batsmen could blame the poor surface for their various dismissals, though few ever really got themselves in to play with any degree of confidence.Past encounters between the sides have often been fraught and Simon Williams and Stuart Tulk, the respective captains, certainly don’t appear on each other’s Christmas card list.It set the tone for a `derby’ full of niggles, over-excessive appealing and noise from the fielders which often drowned the M27 traffic hum.Pumped up by Williams’s aggressive and vociferous leadership methods, Trojans were buzzing after Giles Lancaster had taken a spectacular catch at second slip to remove the dangerous Charles Forward for seven.When West Indian all-rounder Tim Subnaik, who had jetted in from Trinidad the previous day, had Max Smith caught behind in the next over, OTs faced problems.Ian Tulk (20) played several handsome cover drives to lift OTs spirits, but the introduction of Pat Douglas, coming down the Stoneham slope, had a far reaching effect.Douglas (4-24) produced an unplayable ball which caught Richard Rapley’s top edge, and then clean bowled injured Australian Cameron Sterling, whose first knock on English soil lasted barely two minutes.The Tulk brothers were beginning to redress the balance when, at 53-4, Stuart was run out (attempting a third run) after unwisely challenging Subnaik’s strong arm from the deep.Liverpudlian Stuart Caldicott (15) and Mike Trodd helped the score on to 98-8, but the last two wickets fell for two runs to leave OTs 100 all out in the 46th over.But the contest was far from over as Mike Trodd’s left-arm medium-pace and Jeremy Ord’s nagging accuracy planted Trojans deep in trouble.Trodd (4-35) removed Williams and Le Bas, and Ord (1-13) had Subnaik caught behind as Trojans lurched to 18-3 and later 31-5, with Lancaster and Mike Durand following their team-mates back to the pavilion.But two factors were to turn the match – Mario Mohammed’s resolute batting and the absence by OTs of a third recognised seamer, caused by an injury to Sterling which the Western Australian had apparently taken into the match.Tulk juggled his bowlers and winkled out a sixth Trojans wicket … only to see by far the best and most responsible batting of the day by Mohammed and Donaldson turn the match on its head.The seventh-wicket pair knuckled down to the task and run by run turned the game in Trojans favour.Mohammed, selective with his shots, played with extreme care, while Donaldson, missed by Nick Wood off a fierce return catch late on, punished anything pitched up but generally produced a timely supportive innings.Aided by a spate of wides, the pair added 60 to guide Trojans to a victory which, an hour or so after tea, had looked improbable.

The Warwickshire Cricket Board will be hosting the annual District Cricket festivals for Under 15, Under 13 and for the first time ever, Under 11 age group on 4th to 7th of June across various venues around the County.The Festivals are a fantastic spring board for talented cricketers providing a greater number of youngsters the chance to shine. The unique set-up will be watched by some of Warwickshire’s finest coaches and exceptional talent may be rewarded with a place in a County youth team.The Festivals have gone from strength to strength over the last few years, receiving accolades from the ECB and securing a sponsorship package from Listers VW. Past players who have taken part in the Festival, have even gone on to represent England, namely Moeen Munir who has been selected to represent the current Under 15 England squad. That’s not to mention several players who now appear in the Warwickshire Academy set-up and County Youth cricket.The District Schemes success is down to the vast number of capable youngsters playing club cricket in the County. Demand for a high standard of cricket has always been apparent at Under 13 and 15 age groups but research indicated that there was a bottle neck of talented Under 11 club cricketers who’s thirst for quality cricket had to be quenched. So for the first time ever the WCB host the Under 11 District Festival.Warwickshire CCC player, Dougie Brown, is a staunch supporter of the set-up and when asked if he’d of liked to play in such a festival he said “I’d have snapped your hand off! I never played ANY form of representative cricket until I played for Scotland against Australia in 1989. I was always overlooked for all age group squads so the opportunity to play at this kind of festival would have been fantastic at that time in my career.”