All six of South Africa’s regular Test venues will stage a Test match this summer despite speculation that some centres might miss out while others, like Newlands, would host two games.The itineraries of the Indian and Australian tours to South Africa were released on Tuesday with India playing Tests in Bloemfontein, St George’s Park and SuperSport Park, all in November.The Australians, meanwhile, arrive in South Africa next February with the first Test scheduled for the Wanderers at the end of the month and the second and third Tests being played at Kingsmead and Newlands.Kenya will tour South Africa concurrently with India with all three sides taking part in a triangular one-day tournament. The final will be held at Kingsmead on October 26.Despite the fuss over Chatsworth not being allocated a World Cup match, the ground will host the Indians in a three-day match against a President’s XI ahead of the first Test match. Kenya, meanwhile, will play a South African A side in Laudium and a South African Students XI in Belville.After their Test series, South Africa and Australia will contest a seven-match one-day international series.

A two-member team of ICC’s anti-corruption unit has left for New Delhito track down bookmaker Mukesh Gupta and obtain a formal testimonyfrom him. The team comprises Geff Rees and Alan Hawkins and is”expected to be in India for several days”, a spokesman of ICC toldPTI in London on Thursday.Gupta has been served with an ultimatum to substantiate charges thathe offered or paid nine non-Indian players money for information byJuly 1.The deposition of Gupta, a key witness in the CBI probe on betting andmatch fixing in cricket, is crucial for substantiation of chargesagainst international cricketers including England’s stand-in skipperAlec Stewart and West Indies star batsman Brian Lara.The ACU chief Sir Paul Condon had stated at a meeting of the game’sgoverning body in London on Monday that Gupta had been given adeadline till July 1 to become an approver in the worst ever scandalto have rocked the sport.If Gupta failed to cooperate, the charges that he paid money toStewart, Lara and others for match related information, might bedropped, Condon had hinted.

Sussex hauled themselves off the bottom of the second division after a narrow nine-run win over Derbyshire in their Norwich Union League encounter at Arundel.The Scorpions looked on course for victory when Chris Bassano, a former Sussex triallist, and Karl Krikken were putting on 67 for the sixth wicket in 12 overs.But Krikken was run out for 33 by Chris Adams’ direct hit running round from mid-on and Derbyshire faltered in the last five overs which began with 32 still needed.Bassano was bowled by Billy Taylor and Nathan Dumelow yorked by James Kirtley as they finished on 201-8 in reply to Sussex’s 209-9.Earlier left-armer Mike Yardy had taken two wickets in successive overs, removing former Sussex star Michael Di Venuto courtesy of a great catch by Taylor on the fine leg boundary before trapping Rob Bailey lbw.Sussex were indebted to Murray Goodwin and Bas Zuiderent whose 120 in 25 overs for the third wicket effectively won the match for them after Tim Munton had removed Richard Montgomerie and Adams with 23 on the board.Goodwin made 65 and Zuiderent 63, but the innings subsided badly after they were dismissed in the space of four overs, the last seven wickets falling for 62 runs in 14 overs. Munton (2-28) was the pick of the Derbyshire attack while Richard Illingworth took 3-52.

In a revolutionary move to revive cricket at the grassroots level, Pakistan Cricket Board has launched Instaphone Interschool Cricket Tournament in five major cities of the country. A total of 16 school-teams from each of the five cities – Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi – are taking part in the tournament, which got underway from the July 10, 2001.A brainchild of the newly established PCB Development Committee, headed by the former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja, the 15-day tournament is sponsored by a cellular phone company Instaphone, and has cash prizes and trophies on offer.The winner the tournament, whose finals would be staged on July 24, will get a cash prize of Rs. 10,000, while the runners-up will get Rs. 5000 each. Cash prizes would also be given on outstanding individual performances.The Board has appointed its organisers to oversee the smooth functioning of the tournament at each centre. In this regard, Kh Muhammad Zafar is looking after the affairs at Lahore, while Prof Sirajul Islam Bokhari is to oversee the tournament in Karachi. The organisers at Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi are Fazl-e-Habib, Yawar Aziz and Ashraf Qureshi, respectively.The 16 competitors at each centre have been divided into 4 pools of four teams each. These four teams would play matches against each other on single league basis, before the four semi-finalists are decided. The top teams would meet in the finals, which will be played simultaneously at the five centres on 24 July.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed Nigel Laughton, who previously worked as ICC European Development Manager, as the new National Academy Manager. He started work in the ECB offices at Lord’s on Monday 9 July.John Abrahams, currently the ECB National Coach for the North West Region, has been appointed as the National Academy Assistant Coach. He will start this post in September.On Saturday 14 July, Hugh Morris, ECB Performance Director, NigelLaughton and John Abrahams travelled to the Australian National Academy inAdelaide, which will host the National Academy for the first year, tofinalise plans for this winter’s programme.Full details on the 2001-2 National Academy programme, as well as the identity of the National Academy Director, will be announced in due course.

The Ashes may have been lost, but England have received a boost with the news that Nasser Hussain is ready to return to competitive cricket.The England captain is likely to play for Essex in a second XI game against Nottinghamshire on Wednesday. Essex do not have a CricInfo Championship game before the Fourth Test, though they do meet Worcestershire in Division Two of the NUL.Whether the selectors feel that Hussain has had sufficient preparation in order to pick him for the Fourth Test remains to be seen.The England captain’s hand was broken during the first innings of the First Test at Edgbaston by a ball from Gillespie.Hussain’s role as captain has been widely credited as one of the key ingredients in England’s resurgence as a Test force, and his absence was felt keenly in recent weeks.Meanwhile some of England’s other injured players are planning their returns too. Matthew Hoggard and Michael Vaughan are playing league cricket this weekend and hope to return for Yorkshire soon.Chris Silverwood is hoping to play in Yorkshire’s next CricInfo Championship game, against Lancashire, starting on Tuesday.

New Zealand Cricket’s High Performance Centre is entering another phase of its development at Lincoln University, a move that will enhance its status as the finest cricket resource of its type in the world.Already the home of the Cricket Academy, the HPC is expanding to incorporate a third first-class ground, a new outdoor practice facility and a new soil and pitch research area.The complex is enhancing its status as the development and scientific home of the game in New Zealand.The director of the Cricket Academy, Dayle Hadlee said the complex will become the annual home for one of New Zealand’s age group tournaments each year and this year will be the base for the ICC Under-19 World Cup being staged in January and February.This follows the outstanding success of the hosting of the CricInfo Women’s World Cup last summer.The new, and as yet unnamed, ground is to be ready in time for the tournament, as will the new practice facility which is situated just off the centrepiece of the HPC, the Bert Sutcliffe Oval.While the relationship with Lincoln University started out as venue for the Cricket Academy, it has developed far beyond that to the point where the Academy is only one level of five for player education.The HPC is the home for the CLEAR Black Caps and White Ferns, for New Zealand A players, the Academy and New Zealand Cricket’s specialist squads.It is also the base for coach and umpire education and for resource development.The HPC also has among its resources, the original indoor centre, its accommodation units (the Hadlee-Watt pavilions), the three grounds and the pavilion on the Sutcliffe Oval.The HPC has also become a centre for regular cricket and this year’s programme leading into the new summer is an example of the use being made of the complex.From October 1, the playing programme is impressive. The Otago side will play a four-day game against the Academy from October 2-5. On October 7, the Central Districts team will arrive for a two-day camp before a four-day game against the Academy, starting on October 9.On October 12 the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy of Australia will arrive for two three-day games, October 15-17 and October 19-21, and four One-Day Internationals against their New Zealand counterparts on October 23, 24, 26 and 27.No sooner will the Australians depart than Auckland will arrive for a four-day game from October 30-November 2.Then the Queensland Pura Cup side will arrive for a four-day game from November 5-8.

An inquiry into alleged match fixing in Pakistan cricket has been announced. Hon’ble Mr Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari of the Lahore High Court has been appointed Commission of Inquiry and has issued the following terms of reference:Inquiry – World Cup 1999

Before Hon’ble Mr Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari, Commission of Inquiry, Lahore High Court, Lahore.

1. Whereas the Federal Government of Pakistan in pursuance of the power conferred by Section 3 of Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act, 1956 and sub Section (1) of Section 5 thereof has appointed Hon’ble Mr. Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari, Judge Lahore High Court, Lahore as commission of Inquiry to inquire into the allegations of match fixing attributed to Pakistan Cricket Team.
2. The Terms of reference of commissions of Inquiry are as under:
1. To Probe and ascertain whether there was match fixing between Pakistan and Bangladesh (World Cup-1999).
2. The probe and ascertain whether there was match fixing between Pakistan and India (World Cup-1999).
3. To determine whether some persons were involved and responsible for match fixing and betting.
4. To recommend appropriate action and measures that in future this episode is not repeated in case of an affirmative finding.
5. To inquire into the conduct of Umpire Javed Akhtar in the match between South Africa and England during South Africa tour to England in 1998.
3. The public-at-large is informed that the Commission of Inquiry has decided to hold the inquiry at Lahore w.e.f. 22.9.2001 in the premises of the Lahore High Court, Lahore. Those having some information or evidence about the points in issue may get their names registered as witnesses with the Registrar. Commission of Inquiry by or before 20.9.2001. Statement of only those will be recorded during the inquiry, who have their names registered by or before the target date. Such registered witnesses will be separately summoned.

(sgd)
(Kazim Ali Malik)
Registrar,
Commission of Inquiry,
Lahore High Court,
Lahore.

Phone No: +92-42-9212418
Fax No: +92-42-9212281

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is likely to beef up the starstudded PIA in the second round of the Patron’s Trophy Grade-I CricketChampionship Thursday.Akram skipped the five-wicket victory against Allied Bank in Sialkotlast week after indicating that he would only play in matches atLahore and Sheikhupura.PIA, who surprisingly have won this tournament only twice – when itwas known as the BCCP Trophy – in 1970-71 and 1971-72, take on lastseason’s runners-up National Bank at Sheikhupura Stadium.If Akram plays in this four-day clash then he will be in directconfrontation with his old pace partner Waqar Younis. The Pakistancaptain, alongwith with his deputy Inzamam-ul-Haq, were given specialpermission by the Pakistan Cricket Board to play for National Bank.Inzamam, who was unable to play in the opening match because of somedomestic commitments, is also likely to get back in action againstprobably the most potent pace attack in the country. Besides Akram,PIA have Abdur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Fazle Akbar and Mohammad ZahidSenior at their disposal.Reigning champions Pakistan Customs started the new season on aperfect note when they thrashed Wapda by innings and 111 runs. Buttheir young team will be severely put to test by a vastly experiencedHabib Bank side at Iqbal Stadium.The seven-time champions were rarely troubled by newcomers Pak PWD intheir first game, which they won by 227 runs.Second round schedule (Sept 27-30):PIA v National Bank at Sheikhupura Stadium (Umpires: Masroor Ali andZamir Haider). Match referee: Saadat Ali).Habib Bank v Habib Bank at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad (Umpires: AtharZaidi and Nadeem Ghauri. Match referee: Anwar Khan).Allied Bank v ADBP at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore (Umpires: Saleem Badarand M. Akbar Khan. Match referee: Farrukh Zaman).KRL v Wapda at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi (Umpires: ShakeelKhan and Z.I. Pasha. Match referee: Azmat Rana).Pak PWD v Sui Gas at Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot (Umpires: Riazuddin andRasheed Bhatti. Match referee: Fahimuddin Alvi).

An elegant century from captain Carl Hooper gave West Indies a perfect start to their sub-continental campaign, as the tourists took on a youthful Sri Lanka A team at Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo on Saturday.The tourists were in trouble after the first hour having lost three wickets, despite a whirlwind cameo from Chris Gayle, but Carl Hooper and Brian Lara rescued the innings and the West Indies piled up 334 for seven before the close of play.In fact, as these gentle limbering up exercises go, this was about as good as it gets, especially when most of the players are still suffering from jet lag. Four out of the top six scored runs and three of those – Gayle, Hooper, Marlon Samuels – looked in prime form.Brian Lara, the star attraction for the smattering of members who reclined sleepily on the wicker chairs in the pavilion, was out of sorts, but battled hard and still spent two hours in the middle with Hooper as the pair added 129 for the fourth wicket. More importantly, he showed no signs of being hampered by his hamstring.Hooper was all that one has come to expect him to be. Seemingly laid back throughout, he looked comfortable against the seamers and batted with old-fashioned simplicity against the spin; stepping down the wicket to drive straight down the ground, but also quick to sweep and cut when the opportunity arose.He scored freely from the moment he came to the crease, chugging along at nearly a run-a-ball. He hit four sixes and seven fours in all in his 117, which came from 135 balls.Sri Lanka A, captained by Hashan Tillakaratne, who was forced to leave the field late in the day after a blow to the hand, had won the toss in the morning, but after seeing the fresh looking pitch and the broad shouldered West Indian fast bowlers limbering up on the sidelines they understandably decided to bowl first.The small Saturday crowd were delighted. The West Indies are a rare treat in these parts and people had come to watch Lara and Hooper entertain. The pair were quickly at the wicket too, after a flurry of activity in the first hour.Opened Daren Ganga lasted just two balls before he edged into the gully, which Gayle reacted to with a ferocious aerial assault in the second over. Poor Dilhara Lokuhettige, the latest fast bowler to join the A squad from the Fast Bowlers Unit, was hooked for six and thrashed for 19 runs in his first over.West Indies raced to 50 in just 4.5 overs before a double Sri Lankan strike restored some semblance of order. Gayle was bowled by Ravindra Pushpakumara, having made 41 in 21 balls, as he tried another expansive cover drive, and Ramnaresh Sarwan was caught at short leg for seven.Lara had hit six boundaries, but the edges and bottom of his bat received such a pummeling that he was forced to switch blades. Immediately he edged to second slip.Samuels came to the wicket and looked entirely at ease, watchfully stroking ten boundaries in his 102-ball 55, before being trapped leg-before wicket to the innocuous looking leg-spin of Upul Chandana.Hooper was dismissed shortly afterwards, which gave Ridley Jacobs (20) and Neil McGarrell (34*) some useful time in the middle. Jacob’s first first-class innings since July ended, however, when he edged to the wicket-keeper moments before bad light stopped play.