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New Zealand’s campaign in the triangular Academy tournament in Townsville ended with a five-wicket defeat by South Africa yesterday.The New Zealanders batted first at their own choice, hoping to maintain the record of teams batting first having won all the previous games in the tournament.However, they struggled against the South African attack. Friedel de Wet’s first six overs yielded only 11 runs, and to the normally quickfire New Zealand batsmen it was a struggle.At one stage New Zealand were struggling at 167/5. Jamie How had scored 45 off 65 balls and the consistent Rob Nicol 42 off 56 balls. Some impetus to the latter stages of the innings was given by Iain Robertson who scored 29 off 30 balls.New Zealand were dismissed in the 49th over for 197.De Wet took three for 23 off 9.5 overs and Alan Kruger took two for 41.South Africa looked to be in trouble at 17/3, courtesy of an outstanding start to his bowling by James McMillan. His first five overs resulted in two wickets for only five runs. His final figures in the game were two for 17 off eight overs.However, Davey Jacobs proved the key man in the game with an innings of 100 not out off 106 balls. He hit 11 fours and three sixes in an outstanding innings which combined caution as required and aggression when available. Gerhard Strydom gave him notable support with 32 off 36 balls.South Africa reached 198 with five wickets down off the first ball of the 44th over.Apart from McMillan, Joseph Yovich had one for 35 from 10 overs, Mark Gillespie one for 25 from seven and Jeetan Patel one for 44 off 10.

PERTH, Oct 24 AAP – England allrounder Craig White has been called into the Ashes touring party as cover for the injured Andrew Flintoff.The decision to draft the 32-year-old White reinforces fears in the England camp that Flintoff will not be fit for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane on November 7.Yorkshireman White, who has been playing grade cricket in South Australia, will fly from Adelaide to Perth tomorrow and is available for selection in next week’s three-day tour match against Western Australia at the WACA ground.Flintoff, who underwent a hernia operation only seven weeks ago, heads in the opposite direction to Adelaide tonight for intensive treatment.In a statement England coach Duncan Fletcher said: “Craig performed well against India this (northern) summer and is now fully recovered from injury.”He will provide us with cover in the allrounder position until Andrew Flintoff is able to return to competitive cricket.”White came over from England two and a half weeks ago to work on his fitness and play grade cricket for Adelaide CC.He scored 118 for Adelaide at the weekend and also got through nine overs with the ball.

A young Somerset Second team travelled to Street to play against Millfield School in a fifty over match, but proved to be far too strong for the opposition cruising to a comfortable 201 run victory.Batting first at the attractive Millfield School ground, Somerset got off to a good start as Neil Edwards and Chris Budd shared an opening stand of 72.But the highlight of the innings was a 158 fifth wicket partnership between triallist Dominic Joyce and Millfield old boy Wes Durston. Joyce looked impressive as he scored at ease before being out of 101. Durston stayed almost until the end of the innings before he was run out for 76.By the end of their allotted overs Somerset had reached 328 for 8.The Millfield batsmen were soon in trouble and had slipped to 13 for 3, before they were rescued by a gutsy innings from their skipper. In the end however their batsmen were no match for the Somerset attack and were all out for 107.Somerset return to Millfield School to play a second fifty over match tomorrow.

Northants Steelbacks have breezed to a seven-wicket victory over Derbyshire Scorpions in a floodlit Norwich Union League second division tussle at Wantage Road.The Steelbacks were stronger in all departments as they made light of the Scorpions lowly 143 all out, crossing the winning line with more than 17 overs to spare thanks to Mike Hussey’s fine unbeaten 72.The win takes the Steelbacks second, and in a good position to push for promotion. The Scorpions are left in the bottom three, contemplating another season in the second division.Earlier in the day the Scorpions, shorn of Dominic Cork (England duty), Michael Di Venuto and Graeme Welch (both injured) simply could not get going against a disciplined attack, despite choosing to bat on a pitch that remained good for batting throughout.A tight opening spell from Cousins and Greenidge (who finished with career best one-day figures of 3-22) set the tone, with Stephen Stubbings falling to a good, low catch by Sales at slip off Greenidge as he played an extravagant drive.Gait, slashing at Greenidge without any foot movement, followed for 23 and after 15 overs the Scorpions had compiled just 42-2.Selwood, who came out to bat to Kenny Rogers’ ‘Coward of the County,’ lived dangerously. Dropped by Sales at slip off Penberthy, he eventually fell to the same bowler. In attempting to turn the ball on the leg side he succeeded only in dollying a leading edge to Hussey at point.Bassano’s innings was tortuous. His 11 occupied 49 balls, and included a reprieve from Sales at slip, slashing at Penberthy. But the bowler got his man, when the batsman missed an expansive heave and was struck on the back leg. Penberthy, the Steelbacks beneficiary, finished with 2-16 from nine miserly overs.The Scorpions could ill afford another slip up, but when Sutton drove to a diving Brophy at cover and was sent back by his Dowman it left the innings in disarray at 63-5.A couple of good drives from Jason Kerr, in partnership with stand-in skipper, Matthew Dowman, gave the visitors some hope in a stand of 39, though the pair enjoyed plenty of fortune. Kerr was lucky not to be caught when turning Brown away on the leg-side, but instead benefited with five runs as the throw-in struck Dowman and the ball ran away to the boundary.Together the pair brought up the 100, before Jeff Cook responded to being driven through the covers for four with a quicker ball that Dowman, attempting to dab away on the off side, nicked to Bailey, standing up behind the stumps.Kerr greeted Swann into the attack with the shot of the innings, dancing to the pitch of the ball and drilling it for four. His 65* against the same opponents earlier in the season took his team to victory, and for a while he made batting look easy. Certainly his foot movement and straight hitting were an example to his less orthodox team-mates as he compiled an attractive 45.But when he was sent back by Lungley, looking for an optimistic single, the Scorpions were 135-7 and their last hope of setting a really competitive target was over.A super direct hit to the bowler’s end from Hussey at point did for Mohammad Ali, Dean skied Greenidge to Swann at long-on and Lungley became the fourth man run out when attempting a pretty desperate single off Swann as the Scorpions failed to bat out their overs. The target was never likely to be enough.In reply Hussey, the Steelbacks skipper, and Loye started as if they had a train to catch, taking 20 off the first two overs.Loye was in particularly aggressive mood, following an on-driven boundary with a swept six over mid-wicket off Kevin Dean to bring up the 50. But later in the same over Loye fell, caught at cover-point, driving uppishly.The Steelbacks wobbled somewhat as Sales fell to another Kerr long-hop, helping it straight down the throat of Selwood at long leg and Brophy, a South African who qualifies through EU regulations, was beaten for pace by Mohammad Ali, edging an attempted pull to the keeper.But Hussey continued untroubled, first pulling, then driving Dean for boundaries before swatting Kerr’s first ball, a pretty friendly long-hop, to the square leg fence. His 50 came up in just 47 balls, with seven boundaries.Cook provided the stability Hussey needed. He on-drove Kerr for four before square cutting Ali for four more in an attractive cameo of 37 not out as the pair added an unbroken 58 for the fourth wicket to see their side to the most comfortable of victories in just the 28th over.

North Zone’s Duleep Trophy side may boast some splendid batsmen, but a target of 432 was always going to be out of reach for them, and West Zone duly won their match at Pune by a whopping margin of 178 runs.North had made it through to the close of play on the third day without losing any wickets, and the openers added a further 34 runs before they were separated. Vikram Rathour fell for 44 off 74 balls, with seven fours, to Sairaj Bahutule.Of the batsmen to follow, only Shafiq Khan even crossed 20, making 26 off 33. The show was dominated by Rathour’s opening partner, Akash Chopra. Remaining unbeaten, Chopra scored 119 off 257 balls, striking 18 fours in his knock.For West Zone, Irfan Pathan, Ramesh Powar and Bahutule were the successful bowlers. Pathan and Powar picked three wickets each, and Bahutule took 4-58, cementing his position as the player of the match. With a century and nine wickets, Bahutule proved to be the trump up West Zone’s sleeve.

Opener Derek Kenway hit a chanceless century as Hampshire moved themselves into a powerful position on the second day of their CricInfo Championship match against Gloucestershire at the Rose Bowl before rain brought an early end to the day’s play.Kenway and captain Robin Smith shared an unbroken stand of 136 in 47 overs for the third wicket to take Hampshire to 244 for two before rain washed out the final session.The pair had resumed the day on 122-2 and were quick to seize on any loose deliveries as they moved smoothly along with few alarms.Kenway resumed the day on 55 not out and brought up the third century of his career soon after lunch off 206 balls which included 17 crisply struck boundaries.The opener had batted for nearly five hours and hit 20 fours in an unbeaten knock of 124 off 234 deliveries when the weather brought an early close.Smith, six not out overnight, was content to play second fiddle in the stand to finish the day unbeaten on 55 but his knock included some fierce trademarks square cuts.Gloucestershire captain Mark Alleyne turned to six bowlers to no avail as he desperately searched for a breakthrough before the rain brought a welcome end to proceedings for the visiting team with more than two hours of play still left.

Dean Elgar, JP Duminy’s replacement in the South African squad, is counting on his ability adapt to strengthen his case for a spot in the Test XI. Elgar arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday and has four days to settle in before the squad regroups on Sunday.It is thought that Elgar is unlikely to play because Faf du Plessis was already in the touring party and will probably be promoted, but Elgar’s selection indicates he is in the national selectors’ future plans. He was called a “like for like replacement” for Duminy by convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson because apart from being a frontline batsman, his left-arm spin is a useful part-time option.But there is dissimilarity too, because Elgar has played most of his cricket in the top order and if he were to come in for Duminy, he would have to bat in the lower-middle order. It will require him to play a slightly different role, one which Duminy noted provides less batting time but more freedom because “the bowlers tend to forget about you.”Elgar thinks it’s a position he will be able to fit into with ease. “I don’t think it will be a problem to adjust to the middle order, it’s just a bit of a mind-set change,” he said. “I see myself as a versatile, flexible player and I can bat in the top order or middle order, whatever the case may be. It’s one of my better assets.”During South Africa’s one-day series against England in August, Elgar batted at No. 4, No. 3, where he made his top-score of 42, and No. 7 as part of the floating line-up. Although he did not manage any milestones on the trip, Elgar believes the experience he gained from being around the team will stand him in good stead on this tour.”Being someone who is not as active in the side and then coming for the first time to a place Australia tour, which is a tough tour, could be quite difficult.” He said. “But luckily I have had a taste of some international cricket and that does help.” He has also toured Australia before with the South African Emerging side in 2008 and 2009.Elgar’s previous involvement also means he does not need the Gary Kirsten coaching method explained to him. He understands it as being based on a philosophy in which players are accountable for their own actions. “You can prepare like an adult, they don’t treat you like children. It’s an adult’s set-up and they trust you to do what you have to do before a game. They trust you to prepare the way you want to prepare for a game or for a net session. There is a lot more responsibility on you.”Those who have followed Elgar’s career may believe he will develop quicker in an environment like that, especially as his ability to lead is clear – he captained the Under-19s in the past – and his discipline has been obvious. They may also believe he is finally getting an opportunity in the format to which he appears best suited. When Elgar was making his name at the domestic level, it was in the longer version that he was most proficient. Elgar has played in the South African A side with great success over the last few years, most recently during his 177 against Sri Lanka A in June.Elgar, too, is pleased that he has been recognised in the longer format. “I love first-class cricket because that’s the finest, purest form of the game,” he said. “I also love my one-day cricket because it adds a different dimension to the game, but if you had to put the two on the table and say chose one, I would have to say the longer format.”His penchant for spending hours at the crease is something the circumstances may not allow for on this tour, but Elgar hopes it will remain a feature of his game. “I think you reach a point where you just want to keep on batting – ask guys like Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla. It’s just the enjoyment factor. You’ve got to look at the finer things and realise that the longer you bat, the more you are going to score and the better it is for your side. That’s something I have worked on in the past, especially in four-day cricket.”

Auckland may have the big cricketing names, but Central Districts had the spirit – and three heroic new chums – to bring them their astounding Shell Cup eight-wicket win over Auckland at Eden Park this afternoon.In their most inefficient and humbling effort of the season Auckland lost their 10 wickets in 25.5 overs for only 73 runs, only three runs short of their lowest score, against Northern Districts 13 years ago.After what appears to be a mix-up which extended the lunch break to 82 minutes, CD lost an early wicket, had a fright when misty rain appeared, but then cruised to their win at 75 for two wickets in 14.4 overs.Veteran Auckland cricket-watchers maintained at lunch they had never seen a weaker Auckland performance, but that did not give credit to the whole-hearted CD performance, headed by the deeds of Ewen Thompson and Andrew Schwass, the bowlers, and Bevan Griggs, the wicket-keeper.Thompson was in his first Shell Cup game, Griggs in his second after not getting a catch or a run in his first against Canterbury earlier in the month, and Schwass was the comparative old hand, after four Cup games this summer.Thompson was first in the limelight when he had Adam Parore, an experimental opener, caught by Griggs in his second over. Thompson struck again when Ben Smith took a dazzling gully catch to send back Lou Vincent, the other half of the Auckland opening gamble, and at 39 had Dion Nash caught by Griggs.Thompson finished with figures of 7-0-31-3, and was overlapped by an even more spectacular haul by Schwass, who is brisk medium-pace and not really of spectacular method.Schwass cut the heart out of the Auckland innings by dismissing Tama Canning (2), Kyle Mills (4) – both caught by Griggs – and Andre Adams (0) and eventually had Blair Pocock caught by Griggs after the Auckland skipper had hung about for 14 runs in 70 minutes from 41 balls while his team-mates disappeared from the other end.Facing an easy winning target, but worried about the low clouds over Auckland, the CD players and management were most annoyed when they found the lunch adjournment, supposed to run from 2-2.40pm after the short Auckland innings, was to be extended an extra 40 minutes.The first critical target was Sky Television, broadcasting the match live and with their planning schedule messed up by the sudden Auckland collapse. New Zealand Cricket supposedly had a hand in the delay.In the event Martin Crowe, the Sky executive producer, said he had nothing to do with the delay, and would have preferred to carry on with the regulation lunch-break.In the end it appears the match management apparently wanted more time to prepare lunch for the players and officials.After a slowish start Craig Spearman put his foot on the accelerator, hit three sixes and three fours in 34 runs from 24 balls, and CD hustled along through some light mist before reaching clear weather and their incredible win.It was just as well they wrapped up the match by 4.19pm. Fifteen minutes later some very substantial misty rain drifted over the ground. Had the match still been in progress there would have been every chance that CD, the bad-luck team of the competition with four washed-out games, might have suffered another heart-breaking.

England’s ability to adapt, especially the younger players, to New Zealand conditions at Jade Stadium will determine the course of the first Test match of the National Bank series according to captain Nasser Hussain.England went into the game, and the series, slightly under-cooked but with Graham Thorpe and Marcus Trescothick returning to the side after the Canterbury game, and backed by himself and Andy Caddick, England would be prepared.”It is how the young lads step up on Wednesday and adapt to the conditions,” he said.Hussain said pitches were never of concern to him and, in fact, he got quite excited about wickets that did a bit.”It is a cliche but it is exactly the same for both teams,” he said.Wickets that did a bit meant there was never dull cricket.”It’s exciting, it might do anything. I prefer to play on a variety of wickets,” he said.But at the same time he said the drop-in pitch being used for the game was a very new experience for him and he would need to have a good look at it over the next two days.In England, most grounds had wickets that had a historical perspective which would give a fair idea of how they were going to play.This portable pitch had no real history and no-one could honestly say how it would play, he said.”You have to back your gut feeling. You can’t presume the best or worst about it,” he said.”The first session will be crucial, that will determine the course of the series,” he said.However, even if the strip was the greenest of green he didn’t think that would necessarily mean the non-selection of left-arm spinner Ashley Giles. Although Hussain said he was suffering a strain in his back that was not Test-threatening.Conditions with breezes often blowing across grounds in New Zealand meant there was still a role for slow bowlers and the contest between two very similar bowlers in Giles and Daniel Vettori would be an interesting one.It wasn’t only because Hussain was Vettori’s first first-class victim, back on the 1996/97 tour of New Zealand, that he regarded him as a “very fine bowler.”As with Giles, he had natural flight and guile and was a left-arm bowler of the old variety and the two were probably the best in the world of their kind. And Vettori had progressed nicely, as borne out by the fact he was the youngest spinner to get to 100 wickets.England were keen to reverse the 2-1 series loss they suffered in England in 1999.”I think we should have won that series,” Hussain said. He blamed himself for not having led the side better in the last Test at The Oval.But the side had also moved on since then and Duncan Fletcher had come in as coach. The performances of the side and the selection policy were more consistent as well, and young players brought into the side had come in and held their hands up which had been a good thing for English cricket.Some of those young players were still a little short of experience but the three Tests would advance that process.The young players, like Michael Vaughan, Trescothick and Matthew Hoggard now knew that they had every chance of having a good, long run in the side and that was important for their development.Hussain repeated his assertion that the Kookaburra ball in use for the game would demand accurate bowling in the first 25 overs before the seam softened.The side will have a final practice session tomorrow to complete their match preparation and a Test 12 will be named tomorrow evening, if Giles is fit for consideration.

A solid batting performance enabled Central Districts to consolidate their position at the top of the points table in a drawn encounter with Northern Districts in Whangarei. Peter Ingram (105) and George Worker (52) led the way with a big opening stand, and Tim Weston (99) and Kruger van Wyk (92 not out) boosted CD past ND’s 342 with a century sixth-wicket partnership. Graeme Aldridge took four wickets but there wasn’t much going for the other bowlers as CD surged to a 155-run first-innings lead. Kieran Noema-Barnett, Doug Bracewell and Michael Mason had earlier grabbed eight wickets between them to restrict ND to 342, despite Daniel Flynn’s 135 and half-centuries from Peter McGlashan and Aldridge.ND recovered from 24 for 3 in their second innings to post 275, but the match had meandered into academic realms by then. BJ Watling was dismissed for 99, and Brook Hatwell got 71. Worker helped himself to three late wickets with his slow left-armers, but it was the seamers who did most of the damage upfront. In a short but frenetic second innings, CD made 28 for 3, with two batsmen being run out. But they had already assured themselves of two points.Otago fell two runs short of beating Canterbury in their game at the Queenstown Events Centre. Chasing 345 for victory Otago reached 343 for 7 with Shaun Haigh unbeaten on 94.Earlier, centuries from Reece Young and Andrew Ellis and 95 from Michael Papps, propelled Canterbury to 496 in their first innings. In reply Otago reached 171 for 3 at the end of the second day. On a rain-interrupted third day, they could only add a further 70 runs and they declared overnight. Canterbury raced to 89 for 2 in 15 overs, before declaring to set Otago a target of 345 in 90 overs.Otago started steadily with openers Cumming and Aaron Redmond putting on 90 runs in just under 23 overs before Redmond was dismissed. Cumming, who made an unbeaten 127 in the first innings, continued to look in fine nick, hitting 17 fours as he reached his second century of the match. At 234 for 1 with 30 overs remaining, Otago looked well on course for victory. However Willie Lonsdale struck a crucial double blow dismissing Cumming and Neil Broom in the 62nd over. Otago seemed to lose momentum after that as Todd Astle and Ellis picked up four middle and lower-order wickets between them. The seventh wicket fell with the score on 308 and at the stage Otago needed 37 runs off 46 balls. But Haigh and No 9 Neil Wagner were only able to add 35 runs and the match ended in a draw.Wellington beat Auckland by five wickets at the Basin Reserve to record their first outright win of the season and joined Northern Districts at third position in the points table.Andy McKay and Mark Gillespie picked up seven wickets between them as Auckland were bowled out for 330 in their first innings. Andrew de Boorder made 124 and Jimmy Neesham made 67 but none of the remaining batsmen could get past 35. Wellington declared their innings on 332 with Michael Pollard making 131 and Stewart Rhodes an unbeaten 71. McKay, followed his four-wicket haul in the first innings to pick up five wickets as Auckland declared their second innings on 277 for 9. Their top six batsmen all got past 20, but failed to go on and make a big score with Boorder top scoring with 55. Set a target of 276, Wellington started poorly losing opener Stephen Murdoch with just six runs on the board. However Neal Parlane, who made an unbeaten 127, put on a half-century partnership with Pollard, and an unbroken 134 runs with Joe Austin-Smellie (63), to take Wellington to a victory.The next round of games begin on February 24.