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ScorecardIt was never designed to be a contest, and so it proved, as Pakistan’s new-improved unit overwhelmed the rookies of Zimbabwe by 144 runs in an echoingly underpopulated Multan stadium. But for the first 40 overs of the match, Pakistan’s prospects were not quite as cushy as they seemed, and it required a blizzard of sixes towards the end of their innings for the prospect of an upset to be completely banished.After a woeful start to their innings and a cautious rebuilding process, Pakistan had slipped to 146 for 6 when Shahid Afridi came out to join a cautious Adbul Razzaq, whose 95-run partnership with Inzamam-ul-Haq had rescued the team from a sketchy 38 for 4. Without so much as a by-your-leave, Afridi set about the bowling with typical fury, smacking four sixes and five fours in a 26-ball 58, and Razzaq took up the cudgels as well, racing to his second one-day century – 107 not out from 114 balls – of which the second fifty came from just 21 balls.At 292 for 7, that was effectively that, although Vusi Sibanda did his best to hold up Pakistan’s victory surge with a spirited half-century, as Zimbabwe trickled to 148 all out in 38.3 overs. He received little meaningful support, however, apart from an adhesive 29 from Dion Ebrahim that, if anything, erred a little too far on the side of caution given the massive asking-rate. Nevertheless, it was a useful learning experience for the Zimbabwe team, especially their bowlers, who could not have been expected to prosper on a typically batsman-friendly subcontinental wicket.But instead, they came storming out of the blocks. The last time Tinashe Panyangara had been called upon to bowl the first over of a one-day international – against England at Edgbaston in the Champions Trophy – he had sent down seven wides in a fretful performance. Today, however, he was right on the money immediately, as Yasir Hameed edged his first ball straight into Tatenda Taibu’s gloves behind the stumps (0 for 1).Matters got worse before they improved for Pakistan. Douglas Hondo struck with his fourth delivery, as Shoaib Malik attempted to whip across the line and was adjudged lbw by an inducker for 1, and even Yousuf Youhana couldn’t turn the tide. Youhana had amassed 405 runs in five matches (average: 405) on Pakistan’s previous trip to Zimbabwe, but this time he feathered a good-length ball through to Taibu off Hondo, as Pakistan slumped to 6 for 3.Panyangara then struck for a second time to remove the debutant opener, Bazid Khan – son of Majid – for 12 (38 for 4), and all eyes were on the captain, Multan’s favourite son, Inzamam. He had attracted immense criticism for his decision to bat first in the Champions Trophy, but this time he was utterly blameless for his team-mates’ shortcomings, even though he might have been a part of the collapse, had Taibu held onto a thin leg-side tickle when Inzamam had made 7.But surely and maturely, Inzamam set about rebuilding the innings, in partnership with the cool and collected Razzaq, who picked the gaps and stole the singles off Zimbabwe’s second-string pairing of Elton Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya. Razzaq had one moment of good fortune, when a checked drive burst through Stuart Matsikenyeri’s fingers and clattered him on the nose, but in the very next over, Utseya removed Inzamam for 73, courtesy of an unfortunate lbw decision.When Moin Khan was stumped off Brendan Taylor’s speculative spinners for 7, Pakistan looked set for a second wobble, but Afridi had other ideas. He and Razzaq launched into their brutal onslaught, and before long, Zimbabwe’s spirited start to the match was just a distant memory.Sibanda did his best to forge a reply, batting with great common-sense for his 57 from 69 balls, which included a six over long-on to bring up his fifty. But the rest of Zimbabwe’s top-order found survival rather harder to cling to. Matsikenyeri was pinned lbw by Naved-ul-Hasan for 0, before Brendan Taylor had his off stump plucked out of the ground by a fizzer from Shoaib Akhtar, that would have cleaned up many more experienced players (8 for 2).It was left to the spinners Afridi and Malik to wrap up the match. Afridi’s spell was particularly buoyant – he bowled Taibu for 3 with his very first delivery, and caused havoc among the tailenders as he whistled topspinners and legbreaks past cagey defensive shots. He even sent down a venomous 76mph bouncer, before wrapping up the innings by bowling Hondo for 1.

Ashish Nehra contemplates his webbing© Getty Images

Ashish Nehra has been ruled out of the rest of the one-day international series between India and Pakistan after injuring the webbing of his left hand. He will be replaced by Amit Bhandari.Nehra sustained the injury during his last over in the second one-dayer in Rawalpindi, where he took 3 for 44 in the 10 overs he bowled. He had bowled the crucial last over in the first one-dayer at Karachi, and was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the second one.Amrit Mathur, the media manager of the Indian team, told reporters that Nehra’s injury was expected to take around two weeks to heal. Sourav Ganguly, meanwhile, said that Nehra would still be considered for the Test series if he recovered in time.SK Nair, the secretary of the BCCI, told reporters, "The selectors had already decided that Bhandari would accompany the team if Nehra was found unfit even before the Indian team embarked on the 40-day tour. He was the first-choice replacement." Bhandari is expected to join the Indian squad before the third one-dayer at Peshwar.

The aftermath of England’s decision not to go Harare to play against Zimbabwe in the World Cup continues to make the headlines. There is now a suggestion that Zimbabwe might retaliate by pulling out of their forthcoming tour to England.The Zimbabwe Cricket Union has a board meeting on March 29th when the question of the tour to England will be discussed. There are fears that the ZCU will come under government pressure not to fulfil the scheduled fixtures.However, chairman Peter Chingoka has indicated that his organisation are likely to go ahead with the tour, but the final decision will not rest with the cricket body. All international tours by sporting organisations in Zimbabwe have to be sanctioned by the government-appointed Sports Commission."The British have asked us to reconfirm our tour and we are havingdiscussions. An official position will be made after our board meeting. We will then seek a blessing from the Sports Commission," Chingoka said.One factor working for the tour to go ahead is that the ZCU are desperately short of money and rely on income from foreign tours to balance the books.In addition, it would be interesting to see if the ICC would award the series to England if Zimbabwe refused to fulfil their fixtures in the ICC Test championship. The points were awarded to Zimbabwe when England missed the Harare World Cup match, while Kenya’s path to the semi-finals was made easier by the fact that they were awarded the points when New Zealand refused to go to Nairobi to play their group match.

Nothing depicts the bankruptcy of the PCB more than Ehsan Mani’s elevation to the highest global office in cricket – the position of ICC’s Chairman, on rotation in 2003 on Pakistan’s turn. It reflects that either the Pakistani cricketing establishment is totally devoid of credible faces back home or it lacks in ideas to promote genuine articles.First some background. In the ’90s, such cricketing icons with management background as Colin Cowdrey and Clyde Walcott have remained the ICC Chairmen, followed by cricket management gurus Jagmohan Dalmiya and the current incumbent Malcolm Gray. This quartet had for long years been part of the cricketing establishment in the nations they represented. In case of Dalmiya, he still remains a very powerful member of the Board and head of the prestigious Bengal Cricket Association.Let us look at it from another angle. Dalmiya, Madhavrao Scindia, IS Bindra and Raj Singh Dungarpur have all been presidents of the Board of Cricket Control in India in recent times – and hence represented their country in the ICC. None of them is president now, but they retain positions as members of the Board. This continuity factor is something that helps the Indians establish their credibility in the ICC.Mani, little known even in the Pakistani cricket circles, on the other hand, has never been associated with the PCB directly. A chartered accountant by profession, Mani is a London-based businessman, said to be involved, among other things, first in shipping and afterwards in telecommunications. He was nominated to represent Pakistan as the third member in mid ’80s. A situation, which has continued to this day, especially because of the high turnover factor in the PCB. Not only has it made continuity impossible, but made other permanent members of the ICC very much wary of the representatives from Pakistan (a malaise which has of late afflicted Sri Lanka as well).In the case of PCB, it merely is not a case of continuity but also the quality of individuals that it keeps sending over to represent it – people with little idea of the game or its management.Look at it this way. Since the late Abdul Hafeez Kardar in mid ’70s, we have only sent very few really capable people to represent us. The honourable exceptions being Air Marshal (Retd) Nur Khan and Majid Khan, and perhaps Arif Abbasi (the general opinion about him being that he was too clever by half). Khalid Mahmood too came from a cricket management background, and right from the grassroots level, but his period at the helm was too short to make a real impact.The enduring problem with the PCB has been that mostly either three-star generals wangle their way in or political cronies land up as Chairmen. They have a whale of a time at the swing, but Pakistan cricket is poorer because they end up contributing little or next to nothing. Actually, they are not equipped to do the job and their knowledge of the game, and sports management – which are highly specialised fields these days – is less than elementary. To Pakistan’s immense discredit, when they rub shoulders with the elite of the elite in the world at the ICC level, they stand badly exposed. Hence, they require props like Mani to bail them out.And, apart from being a slick operator, since Mani has been there for too long and obviously understands the intricacies and the machinations far better, he has ingratiated himself with everybody who is anybody in the game. That said, he has to his credit some genuine service to the game as well. Since 1996, when the ICC was reformed, he has been its Director Finance and Marketing. In this position he has done some pioneering work, like devising a formula by which the World Cups are now allotted and organised, which is indeed known as the ‘Mani Papers’.Mani, however, should have remained there as the ICC’s Director, Marketing and Finance. But he finds himself elevated, because the PCB Chairman, never inviting any debate or discussion in the media, decided in his wisdom to nominate Mani. Wouldn’t it have been better, that like Cowdrey and Walcott, had the PCB too nominated someone of impeccable credentials? Someone like Majid Khan, who was highly respected as a player and then as CEO of the PCB. Or maybe Imran Khan. Someone like Majid or Imran would have lent his stature to the ICC and earned credit for Pakistan. Let us see what India did when it was time to nominate someone to the ICC’s Cricket Committee. They put forward Sunil Gavaskar’s name, and he has done, quite predictably, such a great job that it has enhanced the credibility of ICC and Indian cricket.The question is why can’t the PCB emulate other front-line nations while making such decisions? Perhaps, it is a case of a financially rich Board’s unimaginative, bankrupt decision-making, which is contributing not only in a nosedive in the Pakistan team’s fortunes and credibility but also stunting development in other avenues.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Leeds United are on the verge of sealing a deal for Derby County forward Matej Vydra. The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to the Whites in recent times and has reportedly been left out of Derby’s squad for their pre-season tour of Tenerife, and with a deal for the Czech star close, the Yorkshire giants must now seek to add Jordan Rhodes to their ranks in a bid to storm the Championship.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, 26-year-old Vydra finished as Derby’s, and indeed the Championship’s, top goal-scorer last term in netting 21 goals in 40 appearances for the Rams, thus continuing to prove his credentials as a hugely adept forward at second tier level.

And with 65 goals in 187 appearances in the Championship, the Czech Republic international will add a significant amount to the Leeds striking ranks, while the addition of Sheffield Wednesday’s Rhodes would add even more to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad.

The 26-year-old made the move to Hillsborough initially on loan in 2017 before making the move permanent later that year, yet things haven’t quite gone to plan for the Scotland international given he has scored just eight league goals in 51 Championship appearances for the Owls.

However, his struggles in Yorkshire shouldn’t detract from an otherwise outstanding second tier record, with Rhodes having scored 83 goals in 159 games at Championship level for Blackburn Rovers, as well as six in 18 games for Middlesbrough to help them win promotion back in 2016.

So while things haven’t gone to plan at Hillsborough, one mustn’t forget that just a matter of years ago, Rhodes was scoring goals for fun in the second tier, and alongside the equally-prolific Vydra, they could strike up quite the partnership in Bielsa’s side.

And even if the Leeds chief decided against playing both of them together, there aren’t many better players to have on the bench if one isn’t quite producing the goods – it would be a striking department to be feared.

What do you think of the World Cup so far? Let us know

Yes, the Whites weren’t the lowest goal-scorers in the second tier last season, but only two men reached double figures in Kemar Roofe and Pierre Michel Lasogga, and with the latter not returning after spending last term on loan at Hamburg, goals could be a problem this season.

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Yet they certainly won’t be if Vydra and indeed £5.4 million-rated Rhodes (as per Transfermarkt) join the club this summer, which is why with the former closing in on a move to Elland Road, the Whites must seek to add the latter in a bid to take the Championship by storm this season.

Leeds fans… what do you think? Let us know!

	Beau Casson collected 29 Pura Cup wickets this season and earned himself a surprise elevation into the Test squad © Getty Images

Simon Katich says he has no hard feelings towards the Australia selectors after spending nearly two and a half years out of the Test side. Katich finally earned his recall in a 15-man squad to tour the West Indies following a record-breaking domestic summer during which he made 1506 Pura Cup runs at 94.12.It might take an injury to one of the established top six for Katich to play his first Test since late 2005, however he is just pleased to be back in the mix. “The last time I was dropped I knew I deserved to be,” Katich told the . “I wasn’t playing well enough. I had a poor Ashes series and I was bitterly disappointed.”I do know my game a lot better now. I have experienced a lot in that time. Having been in and out of the team has taught me a lot of lessons. This time around I probably appreciate it a lot more. I know that the older you get, the more you realise that you just never know when the end is near.”Despite his outstanding year Katich was still surprised to receive the call, given the quality of players in the Test frame in recent years. It is fair to say he was not half as shocked as his New South Wales team-mate Beau Casson. The left-arm wrist-spinner moved from Perth to Sydney last season and struggled with a shoulder injury, collecting seven wickets at 72 before improving in 2007-08 and being chosen as the back-up for Stuart MacGill in the Caribbean.”I’m a little bit hazy,” Casson said while sitting beside Katich and Michael Clarke, Australia’s vice-captain, at an SCG press conference after the announcement. “I feel on cloud nine. I’m not sure if it’s actually real. Just sitting next to those guys was a huge thrill. I idolise those guys.”Casson said he had taken a little while to settle in at New South Wales but was now confident with where his cricket was heading. “In the first year in a team, you are a little bit timid, not showing your full personality and lacking self-belief,” Casson said.”But it’s been great with Simon [Katich], he has given me a chance and given me the confidence to be Beau Casson. My girlfriend has made it incredibly easy for me. It’s been a fantastic ride. I was down in the dumps last year with the shoulder and Sally kept me up through all the down times.”The same elation was not so evident when Ashley Noffke reacted to his inclusion in the Test squad. Although he was pleased to take another step towards a baggy green that eluded him during the 2001 Ashes tour and his 2003 trip to the Caribbean, Noffke had other things on his mind when the team was announced and he spoke to the media outside a hospital on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.”My three-year-old daughter Breanna was going in to get her tonsils out this morning so the focus was on that really and how she was going to react,” Noffke told . “I didn’t even know when it was being selected. It was a pretty traumatic thing for her to go through. Even though it is minor in the scheme of things I didn’t really enjoy today very much.”After collecting a sensational double of 51 wickets at 19.03 and 741 runs at 46.31 in the Pura Cup, Noffke is likely to be Australia’s first-choice reserve fast man in the West Indies. That means Ben Hilfenhaus, who was also picked, is unlikely to see any Test action. But after a summer that brought a disappointing 28 wickets at 43.82, the Cricket Australia-contracted swing bowler was simply pleased to be considered.”It shocked me at first, and probably still is,” Hilfenhaus said in the . “I thought I would spend the winter playing some golf and working out in the gym. It’s obviously a real buzz. It tells me the selectors have real faith in me.”

Michael Di Venuto scored 204 not out and 58 for Durham © Getty Images

Michael Di Venuto and Stuart Clark made the most of their county outings this week but widespread rain washed out a string of one-day matches. Di Venuto became the leading run-scorer in Division One of the County Championship with his unbeaten 204 for Durham against Kent at Chester-le-Street.It was his second century of the season and he followed up in the second innings with 58 to continue the outstanding form he showed during the Australian summer in the Pura Cup. Di Venuto scored his double-century quickly but safely – he took only 241 balls to reach the milestone and offered only one chance, on 156.His effort set up a 157-run victory for Durham, despite an impressive reply from Kent’s Robert Key, who made 169. Steve Harmison’s nine-wicket match confirmed the win.Clark has wasted no time making his mark in his first season at Hampshire. He claimed 7 for 82 against Lancashire at The Rose Bowl and among his victims were Brad Hodge (4) and Stuart Law (20).Lancashire struggled to 207 but escaped with a draw in the rain-affected match. The biggest news to come from The Rose Bowl was an ankle injury that put Lancashire’s Andrew Flintoff in doubt just days before England’s first Test against West Indies.The runs kept coming for Simon Katich, who led Derbyshire to victory over Leicestershire at Derby. In a low-scoring affair, Katich made 94 in the first innings to give his side a 50-run lead and then steered them home in the second innings with an unbeaten 45. He was without his prolific team-mate Ian Harvey, who was forced out of the side when Tasmania’s Travis Birt became available. Birt had little impact, making 25 and 1.Justin Langer confirmed his position as the top run-getter in Division Two of the County Championship when he made 86 for Somerset against Northamptonshire at Northampton. However, his was only a supporting role as Marcus Trescothick again reminded everyone of his capabilities with a sensational 284 in just over eight hours.Jason Gillespie played a small part in Yorkshire’s comprehensive win over Worcestershire at Leeds. After Yorkshire rattled up 521, Gillespie took 3 for 56 as the visitors were bundled out for 129. He was barely required in the second attempt, when Worcestershire managed only 132 and lost by an innings and 260 runs. Phil Jaques, opening the batting for the visitors, made 38 and 21 and was one of only three men to reach double-figures in each innings.At Kennington Oval, Matthew Nicholson snared 3 for 68 as Surrey dismissed Warwickshire for 329. The match was drawn but Surrey took the first-innings honours when Mark Ramprakash and Jonathan Batty each made centuries in an unbeaten 283-run stand.David Hussey, who is captaining Nottinghamshire, helped his side stay on top of the Division Two table. Hussey made 48 and was one of several Nottinghamshire batsmen to get a start as they racked up 336 against Middlesex at Trent Bridge. Middlesex were dismissed for 176 but Andrew Strauss made up some ground in the second innings when he made 120, which was his first century since last August.

Division One

Middlesex’s Ed Joyce on his way to a big hundred at Southgate© Martin Williamson

Ed Joyce celebrated his England one-day call-up with a fine unbeaten 154 for Middlesex at Southgate, as Yorkshire squandered a commanding position with a dire collapse in the morning session. After resuming on 337 for 5, Yorkshire lost their last five wickets for 18, with Chris Silverwood finishing as the pick of the attack against his former team-mates, taking 6 for 51 in 22.2 hostile overs. Jason Gillespie responded by trapping Ed Smith lbw with the second ball of Middlesex’s reply, but Joyce added 131 for the third wicket with Ben Hutton to put the innings back on track.Durham revived their fortunes on the second day at Edgbaston, as Dale Benkenstein was joined by a furiously wagging tail to leave Warwickshire playing catch-up. At 73 for 5 in reply to 208, the match was evenly poised, but Benkenstein added 70 for the sixth wicket with Phil Mustard, before Ottis Gibson lifted his side into the ascendancy with an uncharacteristically measured 81 from 150 balls. As Benkenstein continued to accumulate, eventually finishing on an unbeaten 144, Graeme Onions chipped in with a useful 40 before grabbing an early wicket as well. Nick Knight and Ian Bell put the innings back on course with a stand of 53, but Bell’s late dismissal tipped the scales firmly in Durham’s favour.

Chris Read falls to Dmitri Mascarenhas, as Hampshire took control at the Rose Bowl © Getty Images

Dmitri Mascarenhas led the way for Hampshire as they lorded it over the county champions, Nottinghamshire, on a one-sided second day at the Rose Bowl. The day didn’t start so auspiciously for Hampshire as Charlie Shreck shredded the tail with figures of 5 for 94, but from that moment on there was no looking back. Mascarenhas took 4 for 25 from 12 overs, and was ably backed up by Billy Taylor and James Bruce, before Dominick Thornley wrapped up the tail. Notts were all out for 147, a deficit of 254, but Shane Warne’s decision not to enforce the follow-on was amply justified when John Crawley and James Adams piled on the runs in an unbeaten 96-run stand.

Division Two

3rd dayGlamorgan edged ever closer to victory on the third day at Derby, as the spin pairing of Robert Croft and Dean Cosker twirled their way through Derbyshire’s defences, sharing six of the seven second-innings wickets to fall. Michael di Venuto resisted as best he could with a doughty 183-ball innings, but when he was sixth out for 95, the writing was on the wall. Earlier, in an ominous indication that the conditions were in the bowlers’ favour, Glamorgan lost their last seven wickets for 90, including Mark Cosgrove who was unable to add to his overnight 233.2nd dayGraeme Hick and Ben Smith extended their fifth-wicket partnership to 330 at Taunton, as Worcestershire racked up a vast total of 618 against Somerset. Hick was eventually dismissed for 182 leaving Smith to push on to 203, one run shy of his career-best score. Charl Willoughby was the pick of Somerset’s beleaguered attack, finishing up with 6 for 104 in 33 overs, although Keith Parsons was instrumental in whittling through the tail, as he finished with 3 for 33. By the close, Somerset were fighting hard in reply on 199 for 3, with Wesley Durston (89 not out) closing in on his second first-class century.For a full report of Surrey against Leicestershire at The Rose Bowl click here

Alex Tudor: discarded by Surrey© Getty Images

Surrey have finally lost patience with Alex Tudor, and despite his 10-year history with the club, have released him with one year left on his contract. Tudor played in only one County Championship game for Surrey this season, as a back problem limited him to 2nd XI and club cricket for Spencer, where he played as a specialist batsman.”Alex has been struggling with his fitness for a while now,” said Paul Sheldon, the club’s chief executive, “and unfortunately he has only been able to complete one Championship game this season. Alex has been a wonderful servant to the club over the past ten seasons and we all wish him the very best in the future.”Tudor, now 26, made his England debut against Australia at the age of just 20 in Perth in 1998/99 series where he picked up the wickets of both Waugh twins. But even then, injuries had already started to plague him, and he had to withdraw from the fourth Test of the series with a hip problem.He retained his place for the first Test of the next home series, against New Zealand at Edgbaston, and although his bowling was not of the standard he’d have liked, it was his contribution with the bat that created headlines. He hit an unbeaten 99 as England beat New Zealand by seven wickets. It was the highest-ever score by an English nightwatchman, and helped win him the Cricket Writers’ Club Young Cricketer of the Year award.”Following a phone call from the chairman of cricket I was told I was being released,” said Tudor. “Surrey has been my home for the past ten years and I am sad to be leaving. It has always given me enormous pleasure and pride to be a Surrey player and I have always given 100% both on and off the field for the club.”I have recently seen a specialist who has diagnosed my injury and we are both confident that I can regain my fitness in the next six months and continue my cricket career in 2005.”His Surrey release may well be a chance for Tudor to make a new start – free from injury, he will be hoping – although with his injury record it must be doubtful whether any club will risk offering him a long-term contract.

MCC 266 for 5 (Bell 88, Flower 76) lead Sussex 200 by 66 runs
ScorecardA combination of bad light and heavy rain meant that only 34.1 overs were possible at Lord’s today in the second day of the season-opener between MCC and Sussex. In that time, MCC progressed to 266 for 5, with both batsmen to fall – Ian Bell and Andy Flower – missing out on their hundreds.There was no play before lunch, and hence Bell and Flower were keen to make up for lost time, starting brightly as the Sussex attack took a while to warm-up in the damp and chilly conditions. The batsmen cruised along with little trouble until Mohammad Akram warmed his side’s spirits by removing Bell for 88, courtesy of a good catch by Michael Yardy (195 for 4).Flower, 40 not out overnight, continued his warm-up for the season ahead with Essex – as a non-overseas player this time – as he eased past his half-century, and gave MCC the lead. He added 59 with Alex Gidman before edging Akram, a county colleague last summer, behind to Tim Ambrose, the wicketkeeper, for 76 (254 for 5).Gidman was named as England A’s captain for their tour of India this winter, but had to fly home early with an injury. Today, though, he had his chance to put that frustration behind him, and he showed his credentials with five fours and a six on the way to 42 not out. Bad light inevitably forced an early close around 5pm, with MCC leading by 66 runs.