Andy Flower is a great cricketer. After his feats against the powerful South African bowling attack, this can be said without any doubt at all.He is not a batting genius in the mould of Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara. He is simply a very talented player who has made just about the most of his ability that any human being is capable of making. He is in the same mould as Steve Waugh, a batsman rightly respected and admired round the world for doing exactly the same. But Andy Flower, who has a higher batting average than Waugh and plays for a losing rather than a winning side, is still not a legend in the game worldwide, as he should be. Except to his fellow international cricketers, who voted him the International Player of the Year, even before the South African tour.Andy has now scored 4330 runs in his 54 Test matches at an average of 55.51; only Tendulkar, at 57.18, is higher among current players, and he has a better record in India than overseas. Andy has 11 Test centuries to his credit, and not a single one was easy. Perhaps it would be appropriate to list them, together with the circumstances in which they were made:1) 115 v India, at Delhi, 1992/93. Facing an Indian total of 536 for seven declared. Out of a total of 322; Grant Flower made 96 and nobody else much at all. Zimbabwe still lost by an innings.2) 156 v Pakistan, at Harare Sports Club, 1994/95. Went in with Zimbabwe 42 for three and the Pakistani bowlers moving the ball all over the place. Counter-attacked, shared a record partnership for brothers in Test cricket with Grant, who scored 201 not out – but it was Andy who seized the initiative from Pakistan and led to Zimbabwe’s first victory in Test cricket.3) 112 v England, at Queens Sports Club, 1996/97. In the first innings of the First Test, worked hard for his century to give Zimbabwe a total of 376. England just failed to win the only Test so far ever to end as a draw with scores level.4) 105 not out v Sri Lanka, at Colombo, 1997/98. No Test has such bitter memories for the players as this one, when television evidence shows that one umpiring decision after another went against Zimbabwe, allowing Sri Lanka to win by five wickets. Andy set up the position for what should have been a Zimbabwean win, with his century out of 299 in the second innings after a narrow first-innings lead of 26 and the match very much in the balance.5) 100 not out against Pakistan, at Queens Sports Club, 1997/98. Again the match was in the balance, as Zimbabwe had taken a first-innings lead of 65 but were staggering at 25 for four when Andy went in. Shared an unbroken partnership of 277 with Murray Goodwin (166 not out) that gave Zimbabwe the advantage, although Pakistan successfully fought out a draw.6) 129 against Sri Lanka, at Harare Sports Club, 1999/2000. Only Murray Goodwin and Guy Whittall gave him much support as his century in the second innings, after a first-innings deficit of 258, just failed to save Zimbabwe from defeat.7) 113 not out against West Indies, at Port-of-Spain, 1999/2000. The only batsmen on either side to pass 50 in the match on a difficult pitch, he scored his runs out of a total of 236, giving Zimbabwe a first-innings lead of 49. This should have led to victory, but the team crumbled under high pressure on a difficult pitch against Ambrose and Walsh in the second innings to be dismissed for 63.8) 183 not out against India, at Delhi, 2000/01. The first innings of the First Test, always critical, and his innings gave Zimbabwe a total of 422 before, in retrospect, a misguided declaration. Despite Andy’s 70 in the second innings, Zimbabwe lost.9) 232 not out against India, at Nagpur, 2000/01. Zimbabwe followed on early on the fourth day, 227 runs behind. Thanks to Andy, Zimbabwe saved the match.10) 142 against South Africa, at Harare Sports Club, 2000/01, in the first innings. Facing a South African total of 600 for three declared. Only Dion Ebrahim (71) of the leading batsmen gave him much support.11) 199 not out against South Africa, at Harare Sports Club, 2000/01, in the second innings. Only Hamilton Masakadza (85) of the others reached 20. This innings meant that Andy scored over half his team’s entire run total in the match and avoided an innings defeat, at least.All these centuries were also scored when keeping wicket, and three (numbers two, six and seven) when captain as well. As noted, all were scored in pressure situations with the match in the balance or Zimbabwe facing defeat. Surely no cricketer in the history of the game has for so long borne such a burden with such success as has Andy Flower.The commentators felt that his certainty of shot selection throughout the series was matchless. Rarely was he beaten; hardly ever did he play the wrong stroke. I would add to that his sheer mental strength. South Africa are fearsome opponents, second only to Australia, and at Harare they were in a position of strength and eager to rub it in. Andy yielded nothing. After ten hours keeping wicket, he spent almost 15 more at the batting crease, for hour after hour, never bogged down, never giving anything away.If Zimbabwe had even one more batsman with the mental strength of Andy Flower, we would have a much stronger team. Sometime in the near future, we hope to interview Andy and get him to share the secrets of his mental strength. He has spent endless hours perfecting his batting technique, with far more dedication than certain other players that could be named. He has also spent his life developing his mental strength. We need more players prepared to do this.THE NEXT ANDY FLOWER?
Perhaps Hamilton Masakadza will be our next Andy Flower. Hamilton again frustrated the opposition in his second and third Test matches, scoring 85 in Harare and a vital 42 not out to help save the match in Bulawayo.The Bulawayo match was a particular test of his temperament, as Claude Henderson was bowling dangerously well on a crumbling pitch and Zimbabwe were suddenly facing the possibility of defeat without being mentally prepared for it. Hamilton was visibly edgy at first, but he toughed it out. When he hit Henderson for a six and a four in an over, taking Zimbabwe to four runs of parity with South Africa with 20 minutes left for play, the tourists knew they could not win and called the match off.Hamilton has played very significantly in each of his three Tests to date, although only in the second innings so far. He is a more accomplished player at 18 than Andy Flower was; Andy did not even make the full Zimbabwean side until he was 20, when he was still very limited in attack but with a strong defence.Next year, though, Hamilton plans to go to university, and is hoping for Cape Town. He believes he can handle both a full university course and his cricket career for Zimbabwe, but he will certainly be tested. So far he has shown great mental strength, and it is to be hoped he will manage to combine his two `careers’ for as long as is necessary and become our next world-class batsman.ZIMBABWE BOWLING
I have never seen our bowling, which hardly constituted an `attack’, look more helpless than on the first day of the series in Harare. Openers Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten were away at a rate of knots, scoring at a run a ball and taking only 50 and 53 balls respectively to reach their fifties. South Africa looked in midafternoon as if they were going to score 500 runs in the day, but with one-speed Kallis batting at only four an over they slowed down in the final session, being content with `only’ 414 for one.It should have been two, as Kallis snicked a catch to the keeper when on 22, but it went undetected by the umpire. But a slaughter was always likely for Zimbabwe’s feeble bowling. True, the bowling was seriously weakened by injuries, with Andy Blignaut, Bryan Strang and Brighton Watambwa all missing the series. But we should have adequate reserves, certainly bowlers who can at least bowl accurately.The accuracy of Bryan Strang was sorely missed. The selectors did not look around for another bowler who could be relied on to keep a brake on the scoring, and so there was nobody able to put the slightest pressure on the batsmen, who had to do nothing more than wait for the loose balls, delivered regularly, and climb in. They need have looked no further than the commentary box. Pommie Mbangwa, a forgotten man these days it seems, had to sit upstairs and comment on the play when he could have done the job far better. Gary Brent is another of lesser pace but greater accuracy than those on display.Sadly, it must be admitted that Heath Streak on current form is no longer a great bowler, although still the best paceman we have. He took no wickets in the series, but hopefully this will bring home to him the need to pay extra attention to that side of his game. He has rarely bowled his best since taking over the captaincy. His batting has flourished with the responsibility, although not in this series, but his bowling has declined.He is not hitting the gloves as hard, his line strays too often and he is not moving the ball as dangerously as he used to. At 27 and fast-medium rather than genuinely fast, he should be in his prime. Whatever the problem is, Zimbabwe needs him to sort it out, even if it means resigning the captaincy.His captaincy too appeared limited, as he showed few ideas of how to winkle out the South African batsmen. On a turning pitch in Bulawayo, with Paul Strang injured, he might for example have tried leg-spinner Masakadza, or even Alistair Campbell. Anything for a change, as the established bowlers were getting nowhere. It was disappointing, and it hurts to say so of one of Zimbabwe’s greatest players, but we know he can do far better.Finally, a word of praise for the new Harare Sports Club ground curator, Dirk Moore-Gordon, who has come over to headquarters from the Academy ground at Country Club. During the past two seasons the Harare Sports Club pitch earned a notorious reputation for surfaces over-friendly to pace bowlers, which so often played into the hands of Zimbabwe’s opponents – especially when they won the toss and put us in, as invariably happened. It was a very good pitch for the South African Test, and hopefully it will force our bowlers to improve their game if they want to take wickets on it.WHY AUSTRALIA ARE BETTER THAN SOUTH AFRICA
Australia and South Africa are the two strongest teams in world cricket at the moment, with Australia slightly ahead. The Bulawayo Test, I believe, shows why South Africa are still a little behind their great rivals.After the loss of the second day’s play, South Africa seemed to be satisfied with the prospect of a draw. Although it was never easy to score runs on a pitch that was benign, but a little too slow and dry, they made no real effort to chase the Zimbabwe total of 419 in quick time. They batted on until tea on the final day, when they declared with a lead of exactly 100.One session was hardly enough to bowl Zimbabwe out a second time – although with some of our batting collapses nothing was impossible. But, with the ball turning sharply, South Africa suddenly scented possible victory. They crowded the batsmen, applied the pressure and the game came alive again. In the end the determination of Andy Flower and Hamilton Masakadza saw Zimbabwe through.Australia would have played it differently. After the close of the Zimbabwean innings, they would have been hell-bent on victory. They would not have pottered around as Kallis and his companions did at less than three runs an over. They would have gone for the runs, possibly even declared behind, and got Zimbabwe in to bat again certainly before lunch on the final day – even if they did not have Shane Warne in their team.South Africa do not have that same intense hunger for and determination to win that Australia have, and that is why Australia remain the top team. South Africa are extremely good, there is no doubt of that, but the Australians have that extra commitment to victory that has made them top and will probably keep them there for some time to come.

In a move that could have serious repercussions for international cricket, South Africa and India have told the International Cricket Council and match referee Mike Denness that the third Test at SuperSport Park on Friday will go ahead without him.The South African and Indian boards have instead asked Denis Lindsay to officiate in what seems almost certain to be regarded as an unofficial Test.Despite negotiations at the highest level over the past two days, the ICC has refused to replace Denness while Denness himself turned down a request to step down voluntarily.According to a statement from the United Cricket Board,”South African cricket and the South African public in general cannot affordthe cancellation of this Test match. Although the crisis has not been of ourmaking, we have received reports of protests at South African embassies inIndia and our country has been caught up in this issue. The South AfricanGovernment, through Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour, has instructed theUCBSA to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that the Test matchgoes ahead.”The UCB also said that chief executive Gerald Majola had telephoned ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed “to inform him that the UCBSA had no alternative but to ask Mr Denness to recuse himself and, facing his refusal to do so, had indicatedthat the UCBSA was unable to allow him access to the Match Referee’sposition at the ground for the Test Match.”

New South Wales has snatched away the advantage from Queensland in this year’s National Under-19 Championship Final in Newcastle, inspiring a middle order collapse to leave the visitors at 7/152 at tea as they chase a victory target of 243 on the concluding day of the tournament.The Queenslanders looked to be wresting away favouritism from the hosts when they moved swiftly to a mark of 2/93 in the hour after lunch. But the loss of two wickets in the space of three deliveries to guileful medium pacer Brad Roworth (3/31) caused their best-laid victory plans to unravel.Roworth landed arguably the most important blow of the match when he lured opener Aaron Maynard (42) into a mistimed drive. Having snared a series of slips catches himself in the match, Julian Nielsen (0) then fell to one, edging a delivery of good length from Roworth to Brett Eriksson at first slip.It was suddenly 4/93, and worse was to come for Queensland as Greg Moller (35) was disastrously run out after a ball had been turned off the line of the hip to backward square leg.Murray Bragg (19) and Chris McCabe (16) stabilised the cause with a gritty stand of 28 runs for the sixth wicket but it wasn’t really enough to shift the momentum back their side’s way. And New South Wales’ position of strength was soon reinforced when Roworth came around the wicket to find the edge of McCabe’s bat and when captain Jarrad Burke eased a delivery straight through Bragg’s defences.Queensland’s tail is by no means the worst in the competition and there’s still a full session of play available to them as they mount one last effort to score the 91 runs still required for triumph. But genuine aspirations of victory are dwindling quickly, and a major reversal would now be required for such an ambition to reach fruition.Elsewhere in Newcastle, Tasmania and Victoria have enjoyed great days to fill third and fourth placings respectively. The Tasmanians earned their place in Section A next season when they scored a tough five wicket win in a low-scoring contest with Western Australia. Victoria, meanwhile, relied on an innings of 99 from Adam Crosthwaite to amass a score of 6/252 in response to South Australia’s total of 175 from yesterday.At last report, Northern Territory is placed at a total of 4/109 as it chases 234 for victory over the Australian Capital Territory in the duel for seventh place.

Karnataka retained the K Subbiah Pillai Trophy by finishing at the top of the South Zone points table in the Ranji one-dayers, beating Kerala in a tight contest at Visakhapatnam on Monday.Winning the toss, J Arunkumar opted to bat. For the first time in this cycle of matches, though, he failed with the bat, falling with the score on just four. Barring knocks in the thirties from Barrington Rowland (30), Thilak Naidu (31) and Vijay Bharadwaj (34), only Sunil Joshi’s 54 off 50 balls lent substance to the Karnataka total.Bowled out for 212 in 38.4 overs, Karnataka faced a tough task to defend their total, but they did so successfully. Dodda Ganesh spearheaded the attack, taking three wickets for few runs. For Kerala, SR Nair took his side to the threshold of victory, making 62 off 74 balls. His effort, however, was not enough, as Karnataka bowled their rivals out for 209 in 39.4 overs to snatch a three-run win.

Sri Lankan umpire, and former Test player, Asoka De Silva will be the overseas umpire for New Zealand’s first Test against England, starting in Christchurch on March 13.De Silva is one of several overseas umpires officiating at the ICC Under-19 World Cup being held at New Zealand Cricket’s High Performance Centre at Lincoln University near Christchurch.He is to stand in the tournament final on Saturday with New Zealand Test umpire Tony Hill, who made his Test umpiring debut in New Zealand’s first Test against Bangladesh in Hamilton in December.No New Zealand appointments have been made for the Test series year and may well not be made until the completion of New Zealand’s One-Day International National Bank series against England which starts in Christchurch on Wednesday of next week.The ICC match referee for that one-day series is South Africa’s Denis Lindsay who is travelling to New Zealand straight from the India-England series where is also in charge.

A victory off the last ball. There can’t be a more exciting finishthan this and while there have been quite a few such results in thehistory of one day internationals, the six-match series between Indiaand England on the 1992-93 tour could not have gotten off to a betterstart. For England won the first game at Jaipur byfour wickets off the last delivery.

The man of the match however was on the losing side. Put in to batbefore a capacity crowd at the Sawai Man Singh stadium on a coolJanuary morning, India could not have made a worse start with the lossof Navjot Sidhu without a run on the board in the second over. VinodKambli entered at this stage but soon lost Manoj Prabhakar, who made aquick 25. Paul Jarvis had taken both wickets. Mohammad Azharuddin toodid not last long, out leg before to Chris Lewis for six.Three down for 59 was no way to start an innings but now SachinTendulkar joined his old Bombay school chum and there was a suddentransformation. The two put the bowlers to the sword while sharing anunbroken 164-run stand for the fourth wicket. Kambli and Tendulkarmatched each other in both stroke and run production. It was the lefthanded Kambli’s 21st birthday and he could not have wished for abetter gift than an unbeaten 100 which ensured him the man of thematch award.He faced 149 balls and hit nine fours and a six. Tendulkar finished ona brilliant 82 not out, compiled off just 81 balls, hitting six foursand a six as India could post a challenging total of 223 for three in48 overs.Kapil Dev gave an early breakthrough by removing skipper Graham Goochfor four in a total of 29. But then vice-captain Alec Stewart tookover. First, he added 56 runs for the second wicket with Robin Smith(16). This was followed by a third wicket stand of 60 runs betweenStewart and Mike Gatting (30). By the time Stewart was third out at145 for 91, the match was nicely balanced. Stewart played the spinnersAnil Kumble and Venkatpathi Raju particularly well and twice he usedhis feet to hit the left arm spinner over the ropes.He faced 126 balls and besides the two sixes, hit six fours. NeilFairbrother and Graeme Hick (13) supplied the necessary accelerationat a vital stage by adding 39 runs for the fifth wicket. Prabhakar andKapil came back to bowl the final overs but the left-handedFairbrother was equal to the task. He and Chris Lewis inched Englandtowards the target and when Prabhakar started the last over, six runswere required for victory. The bowler was left to rue an overthrow ofhis own penultimate delivery that enabled England to draw level. Ascrambled single off bat and pad from the last ball signaled apulsating victory. Fairbrother remained unbeaten on a timely 46, madeoff only 38 balls with the help of five fours and a six, and Lewis oneight. England went on to take a 3-1 lead before India took the lasttwo matches and ensured that honours remained even.

First innings points were Auckland’s profit from a day in which they set about trying to shut Northern Districts out of any benefit from this sixth round State Championship match.In a day of changing fortunes, they ended up in danger of leaving the initiative to the visitors until their bowlers struck late in the day.Northern, just 36 behind on the first innings after Auckland folded to 419, finished on 57/4 after three wickets were spread around and a fourth, Michael Parlane for one, came courtesy of a mid-pitch mix up with Matthew Hart. Richard Morgan, Chris Drum and Brooke Walker, with a wicket each, did the damage as Auckland hurried through 34 overs in the last two hours and 10 minutes.The major contributor to the total was Hart, falling to Walker for 25.Auckland started the third day at 244/3, the initial target Northern’s first innings 383. They got there for the loss of four wickets, three of them in the first hour as Graeme Aldridge, Grant Bradburn and Joseph Yovich threatened to upset the home side’s plans.The most welcome wicket was that of Tim McIntosh, who looked the complete batsman as he carried his overnight total from 20 to 52 before Aldridge trapped him in front with the score 292/5.Nick Horsley (10) and Rob Nicol (6) contributed little, Nicol going to the Robbie Hart/Yovich combination at the same score as McIntosh departed.The resurrection of the Auckland innings was left in the hands of the captain, Walker, and Reece Young. Walker looked to be in attacking mood as he picked up seven and eight from consecutive overs by Yovich and Aldridge in the second and third of his innings. That was an illusion. When he was finally removed, bowled by Matthew Hart, for 63 with the score 413/8, he had faced 177 balls – most of them approached with a forward defensive push.With Young (19) he had taken Auckland within sight of the target at 359/7 and then past it with Sanjeewa Silva, who during his accomplished 30 in a partnership of 54 looked interested in opening out.Auckland’s plans to bat on and on were foiled by the Hart brothers. Captain Robbie brought Matthew back after the left-arm spinner had taken a hammering from Mark Richardson, disappearing from sight on the second day after being plundered for 33 from four overs. He returned late in the innings to take the last three wickets in quick succession, including Walker’s, to finish with three for 51 off 15.With major assistance from the other left-arm spinner, Bruce Martin (three for 94 from seven), Hart dried up the scoring, his three wickets coming during a six-over spell that cost just four runs. Yovich, two for 72, Aldridge one for 56 and Bradburn one for 48 were the other wicket-takers.Northern come back on the last day with Bradburn (12) and Hamish Marshall (7) leading the effort to set Auckland a challenging total. They might, in the process, appreciate a little traffic control, a steady stream of vehicles moving behind the bowler’s arm on the Outer Oval access road at the city end distracting some of the batsmen.

PERTH, Dec 18 AAP – The glitz and glamour of Australian cricket player Shane Warne has been replaced by a humble country boy made good.Spin wizard Warne’s busted shoulder today opened the door for the surprise selection of West Australian allrounder Brad Hogg for Sunday’s day-night match against Sri Lanka at the WACA Ground.His call-up completes a remarkable turnaround for the 31-year-old Hogg after six years out of international cricket following his single appearance in a Test loss to India by seven wickets in Delhi.He’s played seven international one-dayers.The Hogg family farm is located near the country town of Williams about one-and-a-half hours drive south-east of Perth.It is the same district where former Australian coach and vice-captain Geoff Marsh grew up and it was Marsh who identified Hogg’s talent and brought him to the city as a youngster.But despite years of city living Hogg has stated that his ideal job outside of cricket would be as a farmer.It marks a sharp contrast to city-slicker Warne who has achieved worldwide notoriety for his theatrical antics on and off the field to go with his extraordinary cricketing achievements.Injured Australian vice captain Adam Gilchrist said postal worker Hogg deserved the chance after falling out of the national selection picture almost as soon as he arrived.”That has just capped off a great reversal of fortunes for Hoggy,” he said.”He sort of flew into the Australian team some six years ago, but sort of left just as quickly, but he has reinvented himself again.”He is very versatile in one day cricket and I guess that is what the selectors are looking for and he really deserves the chance.”Left-arm legspinner Hogg’s ability as a dangerous batsman at the death and his standing as one of the best fieldsman in the country would have helped sway the selectors.But while Warne’s misfortune is Hogg’s gain, the major loser is young Queensland spinner Nathan Hauritz who failed to inspire selectors with his efforts for Australia A this summer.Hogg said today’s call-up had meant more to him than his initial Australian selection.He admitted he thought he might have been a chance to be picked following Warne’s shoulder injury and having performed well for Australia A this year.”I was sort of shocked, I was sitting there with my wife at the time on the couch watching it and it’s not something you want to see,” Hogg told reporters in Adelaide.”But obviously things do go through your mind and I was probably in with a show.”But you never think of it like that, I’d prefer to be playing a game with Warney rather than doing it this way, but you take opportunities with both hands.”Hogg must now be rated a chance to make Australia’s World Cup squad given the uncertainty over Warne’s future, and an outside chance at Test selection.Wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Campbell was predictably recalled for his second international one-day appearance in place of Gilchrist who is expected to be back for the Boxing Day Test after suffering niggling groin and knee problems.Campbell said fans could expect some more party tricks this weekend after some inventive shots in his 42 off 28 balls for Australia A against Sri Lanka at the Gabba on Saturday.”I don’t feel like I’m a massive hitter and sometimes I feel like I need to get a little bit funkier,” he said.He scored two unconventional boundaries by kneeling down and flicking the ball over the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper’s head in the match, but joked he might injure himself next time he tries it.”Next time I try it I’ll probably hit myself in the head,” he said.Campbell and Hogg learnt of their selection while in Adelaide with their WA teammates preparing for tomorrow’s Pura Cup match against South Australia, but had made plans to fly home tonight.But Gilchrist denied his unavailability at the top of the batting order would disrupt the Australian team’s batting order and that Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann or Campbell would all be suitable replacements.”There are a few options and I think that is a good sign for Australia and for the team that we are so versatile,” he said.”Damien Martyn opened here (at the WACA Ground) in a one-dayer (in 2000-01 against Zimbabwe) and got a hundred and batted through the innings.”Him or (Darren) Lehmann or Ryan (Campbell) might do it himself although he has been batting down the middle order a bit but there are plenty of options but I guess the one certainty is that Hayden will be there.”

In a game interrupted twice by rain, Northern Districts defeated Otago at Carisbrook in a revised Duckworth/Lewis run chase by 90 runs.In a game which never reached any great heights, on a good pitch for batting, the highlight was a fine 98 from Matthew Hart for ND.He was backed by a fine 53 from his team-mate Joseph Yovich. They put on 120 for the fifth wicket.Winning the toss and batting, ND slumped to 77 for four wickets, but were still only in the 20th over.But led by Hart and Yovich they reach 197 before the fifth wicket fell in the 45th over.Hart faced 94 balls and hit three sixes and eight fours in his 98 and fell with two balls of the innings left. Meanwhile, Yovich had faced 80 balls in scoring his 53, only the second half century of his 41-match domestic one-day career.Shayne O’Connor with none for 39 from his 10 impressed again and has one of the better economy rates of the season at 3.96. However, Kerry Walmsley with two for 53 and James McMillan (two for 59) came in for some stick. Nathan Morland again impressed with his control and tenacity in ending with none for 41 from 10.The day which had promised 26 degrees never quite reached it but warm conditions of the type prevailing today meant that rain at some stage of the day was inevitable.Over an hour was lost and the revised total for Otago of 199 from 33 overs at 6.31 was always going to be too much for a bedraggled-looking Otago team. The original five per over was testing enough but the rain gods saw to it that a further challenge was necessary.Only Otago’s captain Craig Cumming, with 32, showed any batsmanship and the southerners failed miserably to be all out for 108.Coach Glenn Turner must be tearing at his hair as his long-awaited Indian summer which started to beckon in late-December and early-January has turned to custard.Bowling for ND, Scott Styris took three for 20 from seven overs while Yovich rounded out a good day with two for 13. Daniel Vettori had two for 17 off 6.3 overs while Daryl Tuffey and Ian Butler took a wicket each.Yet, because of the nature of the points table which has become separated by only four points between the six sides, there is still a chance that Otago could qualify for the second and third-place playoff to decide the second finalist. But it will require a significant turnaround in fortunes.

HOBART, Feb 9 AAP – Western Australia skipper Justin Langer’s bold knock set up a comfortable ING Cup victory over third-placed Tasmania, leaving his cricket team just one point behind leader Queensland.The Test opener top scored with 89 runs off 92 balls as WA cruised to victory with five wickets and 2.2 overs to spare after being set a target of 246 at Bellerive Oval.Langer’s innings included 11 fours and one six that soared over the top of the Stuart Spencer stand before he fell LBW to Dan Marsh.Tasmanian cricket officials would have been relieved to hear Langer and Tigers counterpart Jamie Cox praise the Bellerive Oval wicket.Today’s match came just four days after the Pura Cup fiasco when play between Tasmania and WA was abandoned on the second day after the umpires declared the pitch – adjacent to today’s wicket – unsafe for batsmen.An ACB investigation into that embarrassment is underway but both captains were satisfied with today’s wicket, which was last used for an ACB Cup match in January.”Today was fantastic,” Cox said.”There’s quality in there, but it certainly has to improve.”Sent in to bat, Tasmania made 7-245 from its 50 overs.Warriors paceman Callum Thorp destroyed the Tigers’ chances of a big total after openers Michael Dighton and Michael DiVenuto rattled on 92 runs off 104 balls.He made a double breakthrough by dismissing Dighton (33) and DiVenuto (54) and was on a hat-trick when he claimed the wicket of Graeme Cunningham.Playing in only his fifth one-day game for the Warriors, Thorp finished with 4-46 from his 10 overs.Batting at No.7 George Bailey top scored for the Tigers with an unbeaten 57.The home team felt the absence of leading bowler Damien Wright keenly.Wright, who is suffering a back injury and is likely to be out for the rest of the season, was replaced by fellow paceman Shane Jurgensen, who proved expensive with 0-66 from 10 overs.Langer shared an opening stand of 81 with Ryan Campbell (31) while Michael Hussey saw the Warriors home to victory with an unbeaten 65.”Wrighty was a big loss,” Cox acknowledged.”You can’t just replace one of probably the top three bowlers of the competition all that easily.”It hurt us. You know, you take two for 30 out of our bowling and it’s going to hurt any side.””It looks like he will probably miss the rest of the season.”Queensland leads the Cup table with 27 points followed by WA on 26 and Tasmania on 20.