2010 World Cup Committee sparing no effort
By Michael DaSilva

2010 World Cup Committee chairman John Yates

Already, the National Communications Network (NCN) has offered the committee, which is headed by former president of the Guyana Football Association (GFA) John Yates, $15M in sponsorship of airtime, which, according to the former basketball player, has already started.

The retired International Development Bank (IDB) employee told Chronicle Sport in an exclusive interview that NCN will have all the rights to the international friendly matches that the Golden Jaguars would be involved in leading up to 2010, but they would not be having the rights to those matches that come through FIFA, or organised by the world governing body, because, according to Yates who is based in Miami, "it's not under the GFF control".

The former Federation International Basketball Association referee is calling on other local business houses to come on board and show that they are truly committed to the development of local sportsmen and women. "What we're saying to them is: we'll put you (sponsor) on our website (www.GoldenJaguars.com), we'll put you on our billboards and you can even use any member/s of the Jaguars to promote your products.

The website according to Yates since its establishment has yielded positive results for both his committee and the Golden Jaguars team.

"Since we established this site, 11 players from Europe have made contact with us and to date five of them have paid their own way to come to Guyana to try out."

He said there are other Guyanese or sons of Guyanese who are playing in Europe's Premier League and could not participate in the two recent friendly matches Guyana played because of their obligations to their European clubs. They, however, will be released for national duties, if called upon.

"So once we get money into our accounts here in Guyana and in the United States, we'll be in a position to bring other players from Europe and North America to showcase them." he stated, adding "we'll play a scouting game to get money and let the technical people have a look at them and let the foreign scouts take the players who, are in possession or can acquire visas, with them to Europe or North America."

Yates indicated that the Committee is currently seeking a gear/equipment sponsor and according to him, proposals have already been circulated.

Asked about a venue here in Guyana where the Golden Jaguars can call their own, Yates said Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony has made Carifesta Sports Complex available to the team and an arrangement has been worked out with the Georgetown Cricket Club administrators for the team to use that facility if it is not water-logged.

In closing, Yates said, "the whole approach we have to some sports is not good”.

If we do good persons will come here looking for players. Some universities in the U.S. want players so here is an opportunity, but they must be academically qualified.

Deonarine is Berbice Cricketer-of-the-Year 2007…
Butcher calls for past cricketers to get more involved  
By Vemen Walter
WEST Indies batsman Narsingh Deonarine copped the 2007 Berbice Cricketer-of-the-Year Award when the Berbice Cricket Board of Control (BCBC) held its inaugural Presentation of Awards Ceremony last Saturday, at the J. C. Chandisingh Secondary School auditorium.

The talented left-hander, who is at present in the United States of America seeking medical attention to a back injury sustained recently that limited his participation in the just concluded Stanford 20/20 tournament to a solitary match, heads the list of awardees that includes fellow Albion and West Indies batsman Sewnarine Chattergoon, who carted off the Most Disciplined Player Award.

Delivering the feature address at the impressive ceremony, orgainsed by the Special Events Committee of the BCBC, former Guyana and West Indies batsman Basil Butcher told the gathering that included several young cricketers, businessmen and past and present administrators of the game that whatever is happening today in the West Indies team, has started at the bottom.

Butcher, one of twelve Berbicians to have represented the West Indies at the Test level, also pointed out the importance of having past cricketers involved in the administration of the game and encouraged young cricketers to seek advice from people who have played the game.

“Yes, of course, we must have a few people who may not necessarily have played the game but are successful in business, which is good, since they will be an asset in terms of marketing strategies but we must have former cricketers involved and playing a major role in the administering of the game.

“If you want to get good crops from your farm, you cannot have a tailor to do the farming but a farmer instead, likewise the cricket.”

The former Port Mourant cricketer also beseeched cricketers to get involved in their club affairs when their playing days are over and even before, which undoubtedly will be a tremendous asset for the development of the game.

Also speaking at the function were Guyana Cricket Board Secretary Bishwa Panday, former Chancellor of the Judiciary Cecil Kennard, Berbice Cricket Board of Control First Vice President Keith Foster and Chairman of the BCBC Special Events Committee Hilbert Foster, who gave a review of Berbice Cricket in 2007.

Panday, representing the GCB and the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA), stated the importance of having such an Awards Ceremony and suggested that every club, association and cricket boards in the country should have an Awards Ceremony.

He also took the opportunity to congratulate the awardees and advised them to continue working hard to achieve greater heights.

Kennard in his short address spoke of his involvement in Berbice cricket in the 1960s as an administrator and pledged his assistance towards the development of the game in the Ancient County.

Keith Foster, deputising for BCBC president Asrafally Jaferally, who reportedly was not present due to business commitments in Suriname, disclosed that cricket in Berbice has declined over the years and something should be done to uplift it.

He also said that there is need for young cricketers of today to follow the game more closely and be acquainted with the game’s history.

Apart from Deonarine and Chattergoon, Rose Hall Town’s Assad Fudadin received the Senior Inter-county Player-of-the-Year award with West Indies Under-19 left-arm-spinner Veerasammy Permaul and Harrinarain Chattergoon, both of Albion, grabbing the Under-19 and Under-17 Cricketer-of-the-Year Awards respectively.

West Berbice fast bowler Keon Joseph, a member of the Guyana Under-15 team last year was awarded the Under-15 Cricketer-of-the-Year while Young Warriors all-rounder Paul Wintz took home the Most Improved Player Award.

Other awards were presented to Albion, Club-of-the-Year; Port Mourant Community High, School-of-the-Year; Dhieranidranauth Somwaru, Umpire-of-the-Year; Adrian Amsterdam, Coach-of-the-Year; Tremayne Smartt, Female Cricketer-of-the-Year; Royston Crandon for making 101 on his National Senior Debut v the Windward Islands in the KFC Cup and Hubern Evans for Long and Dedicated Service as a First Division Player.

Batsman Domineque Rickhi, off-spinner Lloydel Lewis, leg-spinner Shawn Perreira, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, wicketkeeper Jermain John, fast bowler Shemain Campbell and all-rounder Kevin Ramdeen were all presented with trophies for being the Most Promising Young Cricketers in Berbice.

A posthumous award was also given to the late Leslie Amsterdam, former president of the BCBC, which was presented to his grandson Leslie Amsterdam (Jr).

Meanwhile, six persons were also inducted as Honorary Members of the Berbice Cricket Board of Control (BCBC). They are: Attorney-at-law Rohan Chandan, Basil Butcher, Cecil Kennard, Reginald Mathews, Manoj Singh and Collin Elcock.

Seeded players dominate in Plus Energy tennis
By Marlon Fernandes
SATURDAY was a day for the seeded players at the Le Meridien Pegasus Hard Courts when the Banks DIH Plus Energy lawn tennis tournament continued.

In the Boys’ 18-and-under division second seed Anthony Downes hammered Samuel Glasgow 6-0, 6-0 in a match which lasted for less than an hour while the number three seeded player Jeremy Miller had double success by defeating Seanden David-Longe 6-0, 6-2 in the same category and Kijana Lewis 6-1, 6-2 in the Men’s singles open in a match which was originally interrupted by rain Thursday evening.

In two other Boys’ 18-and-under matches Geraldo Alphonso outclassed Nicholas Glasgow 6-3, 6-1 while Samuel Glasgow defeated Ryan Vanslytman 6-3, 6-1 and Jonathan Antzack came from behind to defeat Seavion David-Longe 1-6, 6-4, 7-5. In the Girls’ 18-and-under Shanna Gentle ousted Maria Lopes 6-3, 6-0.

In the Ladies’ singles open, though, Gentle lost to number one seed Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan.

Daly-Ramdyhan won the first set 7-6 (7-3 in the tie-breaker) but had a comfortable second set win 6-1 to advance to the next round of competition.

In other results: Men’s singles open - Rawle Sue-Ho eased past Marlon Fernandes 6-2, 6-2 in the Men’s 35-and-over Harry Panday defeated Feroze Khan 6-4, 6-4 in more than two hours.

In the Boys’ Under-14 division Samuel Glasgow defeated Allan Correia, while on the distaff side, Lopes eliminated Nicola Ramdyhan 9-8 (7-3 in a tie break). In another match in the Girl’s Under-14 Aruna Ramrattan trounced Afruica Gentle 9-0.

In the Men’s doubles open the pair of Antzack and Nicholas Glasgow gained walkovers from Clinton Alphonso and Wayne Alphonso.

Father and son, Rawle and Ezra Sue-Ho, who eliminated Maxi Fox and Omar Persaud said a family who plays together wins together.

Tense win hands India U-19 World Cup trophy
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (CMC) – Young India were crowned the new ICC Youth World Cup champions after a tense finish to the Final on a rain-drenched Sunday night.

The Indian bowlers held their nerve in a mad dash after a lengthy rain break to capture the title for the second time, when they completed a 12-run victory over Young South Africa under the Duckworth-Lewis Method at the Kinrara Academy Oval.

Set a revised target of 116 to win from 25 overs after their innings was reduced because of rain, South Africa needed 26 runs from the last two overs, but failed to cross the threshold, despite their best efforts in front of a crowd of close to 6 000 comprising several flag-waving Indian fans.

The members of the Young India team were beside themselves when ICC president Ray Mali presented the Youth World Cup to their captain Virat Kohli following an eight-year wait to add to the title they won in Sri Lanka.

Young India, sent in to bat, were dismissed for 159 in 45.4 overs, but Ajitesh Argal, later named Man-of-the-Match, snared two early wickets to help set Young South Africa back on 17 for three in the ninth over.

The rain then interrupted and there was a near two-hour long stoppage for rain which saw the Young South Africa target revised under the D/L Method.

Reeza Hendricks, whose 35 was the top score, and Young South Africa captain Wayne Parnell, who made 29, set their side on course with a stand of 50 for the fifth wicket.

But left-arm spin bowler Ravindra Jadeja made the breakthrough, when he removed Hendricks caught behind, and Young South Africa found scoring difficult in the closing overs, as they lost four wickets inside the last five overs chasing quick runs.

Young India too, had started shakily, when Taruwar Kohli miscued a hook and was caught at square leg off Parnell for one in the fourth over, and Shreevats Goswami was caught at second slip off Matthew Arnold in the 10th over to leave India on 27 for two.

Left-hander Tanmay Srivastava, whose 46 led all scorers in the match, and Young India captain Virat Kohli with 19 put on 47 for the third wicket to steady the innings.

But the two Indian batsmen were dismissed within three overs of each other to Roy Adams and Pieter Malan respectively – both victims of blinding catches at square cover to Sybrand Engelbrecht, widely regarded the best fielder in the competition.

Once Srivastava and Kohli were removed, India continued to bleed wickets at crucial times, and lost their last six wickets for 39 runs in the space of 64 balls.

Parnell, Arnold, and Adams collected two wickets apiece, but wicketkeeper Bradley Barnes played a vital supporting role with three catches and the run-out of Saurabh Tiwary in the 35th over just when Young India were looking to stage a comeback.

Young South Africa were buoyant when they started the chase, but things did not go exactly according to plan.

The new-ball pair of Argal and left-arm fast-medium bowler Pradeep Sangwan bowled good line and length, and put Young South Africa under severe early pressure.

Pieter Malan was caught behind off Argal for two in the fourth over, Rilee Rossouw was caught close to the wicket for a duck when he top-edged a pull off the same bowler, and Jon-Jon Smuts was run-out when he responded hesitantly in going for a single and failed to beat Manish Pandey’s throw from mid-wicket to the ’keeper in the eighth over.

The rain soon intervened, and the South Africans knew they had a real scrap on their hands, when Jonathan Vandiar was caught behind off Jadeja for three in the 11th over to leave them on 22 for four on resumption.

Hendricks and Parnell raised the stakes, but Young India never let things get out of control, although both batsmen benefited from dropped catches.

On Saturday, Young West Indies distinguished themselves, when they overpowered Young Nepal to win the Plate Championship by seven wickets in what seemed a complete mismatch.

YOUNG INDIA (50 overs maximum)
T. Kohli c Malan b Parnell 1

S. Goswami c Hendricks b Arnold 6

T. Srivastava c Engelbrecht b Adams 46

V. Kohli c Engelbrecht b Malan 19

S. Tiwary run-out (Barnes) 20

M. Pandey c wkpr Barnes b Arnold 20

R. Jadeja c Vandiar b Vallie 11

Iqbal Abdulla run-out (Malan) 9

P. Sangwan c wkpr Barnes b Adams 13

S. Kaul not out 1

A. Argal c wkpr Barnes b Parnell 1

Extras: (lb-2, w-10) 12

Total: (all out, 45.4 overs) 159

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-27, 3-74, 4-83, 5-120, 6-122, 7-137, 8-150, 9-158.

Bowling: Parnell 7.4-2-21-2, Arnold 10-0-30-2, Malan 9-1-23-1, Adams 8-0-38-2, Vallie 9-0-33-1, Engelbrecht 2-0-12-0.

SOUTH AFRICA (target: 116 runs from 25 overs)

P. Malan c wkpr Goswami b Argal 2

J. Smuts run-out (Pandey) 5

R. Roussouw c Jadeja b Argal 0

R. Hendricks c wkpr Goswami b Jadeja 35

J. Vandiar c wkpr Goswami b Jadeja 3

W. Parnell c Pandey b Kaul 29

R. Adams lbw b Iqbal Abdulla 1

B. Barnes b Kaul 19

M. Arnold not out 1

Extras: (lb-5, w-3) 8

Total: (eight wkts, 25 overs) 103

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-6, 3-11, 4-22, 5-72, 6-75, 7-102l, 8-103.

Bowling: Sangwan 5-2-14-0, Argal 5-2-7-2, Jadeja 5-0-25-2, Kaul 5-0-26-2, Iqbal Abdulla 5-0-26-1.

PREVIOUS Under-19 World Cup winners
1988: Australia beat Pakistan

1998: England beat New Zealand

2000: India beat Sri Lanka

2002: Australia beat South Africa

2004: Pakistan beat West Indies

2006: Pakistan beat India

Windwards bounce back from two defeats to beat CCC
… Floyd Reifer hits century
GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) – Windward Islands bounced back from two defeats in their first two matches to score an emphatic 10-wicket victory over Combined Campuses and Colleges on the third day of their Carib Beer Series match at the Beausejour Cricket Stadium here yesterday.

Set a victory target of 51, Windwards coasted to their target just after tea off just 37 balls, with Man-of-the-Match Devon Smith finishing unbeaten on 27 and his opening partner Miles Bascombe, 21.

The CCC started the day on 96 for three in their second innings, following on 198 behind the Windwards’ first innings total of 347 after being dismissed for 149 at the stroke of tea on Saturday.

The situation was identical on yesterday’s third day with the CCC being dismissed at tea for 248.

The highlight of CCC’s innings was a knock of 101 by the veteran left-handed Barbados and West Indies batsman, Floyd Reifer, but it was insufficient to save his team from defeat.

Reifer started the day on 13 not out and posted his hundred in 275 minutes, facing 210 balls and striking 14 fours.

The 35-year-old Reifer and overnight partner Nikolai Parris added 53 for the fourth wicket before Parris edged medium pacer Deighton Butler to wicketkeeper Lyndon James for 26.

Captain Shirley Clarke went without any further addition to the score, bowled middle stump by Butler, to leave CCC 138 for five.

The visitors lost two other wickets before the lunch interval when Chadwin Walton (12) was caught by Nelon Pascal at long-off off off-spinner Shane Shillingford and Gavin Wallace (1) was leg-before-wicket to pacer Pascal, as CCC went to lunch at 180 for seven.

After the break, Jason Bennett (12) offered a catch to Darren Sammy at slip off Shillingford and Reifer, looking to farm the bowling was run-out scurrying for a quick run to mid off, just after he had posted his hundred.

CCC’s resistance ended when Liam Sebastien bowled the left-handed Kavesh Kantasingh around his legs for eight.

Shillingford continued his impressive bowling form for the Windwards with a haul of four for 69 off a marathon 31 overs. Butler claimed three for 65.

The Windwards then sped to their target to achieve victory and a maximum 12 points - their first points of the competition.

Bravo, Ramdin lead T&T fightback against Jamaica
… Nash completes first regional century
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo fell five runs short of a century and Denesh Ramdin struck his second half-century of the match, as Trinidad & Tobago fought back against Jamaica on the third day of their Carib Beer Series match yesterday.

Bravo’s 95 and Ramdin’s unbeaten 59 hauled the hosts around from 111 for five and left them on 247 for six, at the close at Queen’s Park Oval.

Ahead by 159 runs, the final day today is expected to produce a thrilling finish to the fourth round encounter.

Bravo, eyeing his fourth regional hundred, was dismissed with the penultimate ball of the day’s play, trapped in front to left-arm spinner Nikita Miller for 95, compiled in 211 minutes off 183 balls and including 10 fours and one six.

His dismissal ended a superb stand of 136 for the sixth wicket with Ramdin who has so far spent 156 minutes at the crease, faced 137 balls and struck two fours.

Pacer Daren Powell has been the leading bowler for Jamaica with three for 71 while Miller has picked up two for 46.

Earlier, Brendon Nash completed his maiden regional first class century as Jamaica, resuming on their overnight 330 for eight, were dismissed for 345.

Nash, unbeaten on 96, achieved the landmark with a boundary through square-leg off pacer Ravi Rampaul before falling to the same bowler for 102. His knock came in 291 minutes off 197 balls and included 13 fours.

Rampaul was the top wicket-taker with four for 78, while there were two wickets each for Rayad Emrit (2-56) and Amit Jaggernauth (2-73).

In arrears by 88 runs, T&T started shakily as young openers Lendl Simmons and William Perkins were unsettled by the pace of West Indies fast bowlers Jerome Taylor and Powell.

Simmons was eventually beaten for pace and trapped lbw to Powell for four with the score on 13 and Perkins fell to the same bowler for 25 after he had added 28 for the second wicket with captain Daren Ganga.

Perched at 49 for two at lunch, Powell accounted for Jason Mohammed (7) after the break, as T&T stumbled to 66 for three.

Bravo joined his skipper and pushed the score to 108, before Taylor, in his second spell, had Ganga leg-before-wicket for 40.

Three runs later, T&T slipped further into trouble when Keiron Pollard (2) lofted an easy catch to Dave Bernard at long-off from Miller’s bowling.

Not a ball bowled again in Barbados, Leewards match
SALEM, Montserrat (CMC) – After another frustrating day, the fourth round Carib Beer Series match between Leeward Islands and Barbados seems to have been effectively ruined after wet conditions forced an abandonment of the third day at Salem Park, yesterday.

Not a ball was possible for the second successive day because of early morning rain and light afternoon showers that again left soft areas on the edge of the square.

Umpires Goaland Greaves and Clancy Mack called off play just before 15:00 h. to the disappointment of a fair-sized crowd that came in, hoping the Leewards would have resumed from their opening day position of 166 for two.

“The conditions were very bleak for cricket. We made an inspection at 13:15 h hoping to start at 4:00 h but a shower came and wet the area that we had problems with. It was a very saturated area,” Greaves said.

“The covers are very inadequate. They need some covers. There are so many covers and all of them have leaks.”

The weather was fair for most of the day but rain in the early hours of the morning left conditions unfit for play at the scheduled 09:30 h start.

With the sun out, it looked likely there could be play in the post-lunch session, but two light showers wiped out the possibility.

There were several inspections throughout the day, the last of which was at 14:50 h when the umpires decided that conditions could not improve.

Barbados, the defending Cup champions, are second in the standings on 24, while the Leewards are third with 16.

Carib Beer Scoreboards
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO v JAMAICA
T&T 1st innings 257

JAMAICA 1st innings (o/n 330-8)

B. Parchment run-out 25

C. Gayle lbw b Bravo 6

X. Marshall lbw b Jaggernauth 47

D. Hyatt c J Mohammed b Jaggernauth 72

B. Nash c wkp. Ramdin b Rampaul 102

D. Bernard c Jaggernauth b Emrit 14

C. Baugh b Emrit 0

N. Miller c wkp. Ramdin b Rampaul 6

J. Taylor c Simmons b Rampaul 11

D. Powell c Jaggernauth b Rampaul 30

O. Brown not out 5

Extras: (b-5, lb-6, nb-5, w-11) 27

Total: (all out, 104.2 overs) 345

Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-64, 3-107, 4-224, 5-262, 6-262, 7-271, , 8-290, 9-336.

Bowling: Rampaul 17.2-1-78-4 (w-11, nb-5), Emrit 14-1-56-2, Bravo 16-5-38-1, Jaggernauth 25-3-73-3, Dave Mohammed 22-10-66-0, Pollard 3-0-15-0, Jason Mohammed 5-1-8-0.

T&T 2nd innings

L. Simmons lbw b Powell 4

W. Perkins c Marshall b Powell 25

D. Ganga lbw b Taylor 40

J. Mohammed c Marshall b Powell 7

D. Bravo lbw b Miller 95

K. Pollard c Bernard b Miller 2

D. Ramdin not out 59

Extras: (b-2, lb-4, nb-9) 15

Total: (six wkts, 81.5 overs) 247

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-41, 3-66, 4-108, 5-111, 6-247.

Bowling: Taylor 13-3-40-1, Powell 18-3-71-3 (nb-1), Bernard 10-2-26-0, Brown 16-3-58-0 (nb-2), Miller 24.5-5-46-2.

Position: T&T lead by 159 runs with four wickets in tact.

WINDWARDS v CCC
WINDWARD ISLANDS 1st innings 347

CCC 1st innings 149

CCC 2nd innings (following on)

S. Jackson c & b Shillingford 18

J. Parris b Butler 0

K. Wilkinson c Lewis b Shillingford 50

F. Reifer run-out 101

N. Parris c James b Butler 26

S. Clarke b Butler 0

C. Walton c Pascal b Shillingford 12

G. Wallace lbw b Pascal 1

J. Bennett c Sammy b Shillingford 12

K. Kantasingh b Sebastien 8

J. Noel not out 4

Extras: (b-3, lb-10, nb-3) 16

Total: (all out, 82.3 overs) 248

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-62, 3-85, 4-138, 5-138, 6-158, 7-175, 8-204, 9-243.

Bowling: Butler 22-4-65-3, Pascal 9-0-57-1 (nb-1) Sammy 16-2-42-0 (nb-2), Shillingford 31-6-69-4, Sebastien 4.3-2-2-1.

WINDWARD 2nd innings

D. Smith not out 27

M. Bascombe 21

Extras: (nb-3) 3

Total: (without loss) 51

Bowling: Bennett 3.1-0-26-0, Noel 3-0-25-0 (nb-3).

Points: Windwards 12, CCC 0.

Kallicharran compares Aussies to mighty Windies of past
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) – Former West Indies batting star Alvin Kallicharran has compared the current cricket superpowers Australia to the juggernaut West Indies team of the late 1970s and 1980s.

“That West Indies side was really good, but at this point of time we’ve got to give it to the Australians,” said the 58-year-old Guyanese, who toured here last week with the Lashings Club from England.

“They are the only nation playing cricket right now, while the rest of the world is fighting with each other. That itself shows the great divide which exists between Australia and the rest of the teams.

“They (Australia) have so many great players right now and that’s why you just can’t touch them; they’re way up there.”

Kallicharran, an elegant left-hander, scored 4 399 runs in 66 Tests between 1972 and 1981 and formed part of the mighty West Indies team under renowned captain Clive Lloyd.

He averaged over 44 and also scored 12 centuries, four of which came against Australia, against whom he averaged 42.

Kallicharran said the Australia team was a strong one with several top players while the other teams had only a few.

“The entire Aussie team is filled with stars and apart from them you can count the top cricketers in the world on one hand,” Kallicharran said.

“You still have guys like Sachin Tendulkar, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene and Jacques Kallis around, so there are a few good players still out there, but they are very few and so unlike Australia.”

A former West Indies captain, Kallicharran took a jab at the current state of West Indies cricket.

“I’m not into the West Indies cricket anymore. The problem is we have to have a good foundation, a proper set up to compete with the rest of the world,” he said.

Bangladesh reduced to 54 for five after asked to follow-on
… Ntini becomes S.A’s second-highest Test wicket-taker
By Azad Majumder
CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (Reuters) - South Africa paceman Dale Steyn took three wickets for four runs to reduce Bangladesh in their second innings, to 54 for five at close of play on the third day of the second Test yesterday.

Bangladesh, replying to South Africa's record-studded score of 583 for seven declared, were dismissed for 259 and were asked to follow on just after tea.

Steyn removed Zunaed Siddique for a duck and Mohammad Ashraful (4) both batsmen sending catches to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. Shakib Al Hasan (2) was caught by Neil McKenzie at forward short-leg.

Steyn, who took four wickets for 66 runs in the first Bangladesh innings, has bagged 14 wickets from the two Tests. On Saturday he reached his 100 Test wickets from only 20 Tests.

Tamim Iqbal (9) was caught at mid-on by Steyn off a delivery from Robin Peterson in the second over of the innings. Peterson later removed Shahriar Nafees (31) caught at slip by Jacques Kallis.

QUICK EXIT
After tea Bangladesh had quickly lost the remaining three wickets of their first innings to South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini who became his country's second highest Test wicket-taker.

Nafees made his fourth Test half-century before being caught by captain Graeme Smith at slip off Steyn for 69 in the fifth over of the afternoon session.

Aftab Ahmed retired hurt on 21 after being hit on the cheek by a ball from Jacques Kallis. He was taken to hospital to treat an injury to his right eye and cheekbone.

"Though there was no fracture of the bone, Aftab will be under observation at the hospital overnight," said Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Rabeed Imam.

Steyn and Ntini claimed four wickets apiece, the latter removing Mushfiqur Rahim (15) and Shakib Al Hasan (40), both caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

Ntini moved passed Allan Donald as South Africa's second-highest Test wicket-taker behind Shaun Pollock, ending the innings on 334 victims. Donald took 330 Test wickets during his career.

A delighted Ntini said: "It was one of those big moments I was waiting for."

Ntini commended Steyn adding: "He is going to be one of those great weapons that we will have in South Africa."

Nightwatchman Abdur Razzak contributed 33 runs for Bangladesh before he was caught by Ashwell Prince at point off Robin Peterson for 33.

Smith (232) and Neil McKenzie (226) shared a world record Test opening stand of 415 in South Africa's innings.

South Africa lead the two-match series 1-0.

SOUTH AFRICA first innings (583-7 dec.)
BANGLADESH first innings

T. Iqbal c de Villiers b Steyn 14

Z. Siddique c Boucher b Steyn 18

S. Nafees c Smith b Steyn 69

M. Ashraful c Boucher b Steyn 0

A. Razzak c Prince b Peterson 33

A. Ahmed retired hurt 21

S. Al Hasan c Boucher b Ntini 40

M. Rahim c Boucher b Ntini 15

M. Rafique c Smith b Ntini 10

M. Mortaza c Boucher b Ntini 1

S. Hossain not out 13

Extras: (lb-11, w-1 nb-13) 25

Total: (all out, 70.4 overs) 259

Fall: 1-39, 2-49, 3-49, 4-118, 5-176, 6-232, 7-241, 8-246, 9-259.

Bowling: Steyn 22-8-66-4 (nb-5), Ntini 13.4-3-35-4, Morkel 13-0-71-0 (nb-8), Peterson 16-2-61-1, Kallis 6-1-15-0 (w-1).

BANGLADESH second innings
T. Iqbal c Steyn b Peterson 9

Z. Siddique c Boucher b Steyn 0

S. Nafees c Kallis b Peterson 31

M. Ashraful c Boucher b Steyn 4

S. Al Hasan c McKenzie b Steyn 2

M.Rahim not out 4

A. Razzak not out 0

Extras: (b-2, nb-2) 4

Total: (five wickets, 25.3 overs) 54

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-44, 3-45, 4-49, 5-54.

Bowling: Ntini 5-3-10-0, Steyn 4.3-2-4-3, Morkel 4-1-17-0 (nb-2), Kallis 6-3-13-0, Peterson 6-0-8-2.

First tri-series final
Tendulkar seals India win with masterly century
By Julian Linden
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) - Sachin Tendulkar scored a masterly century to lead India to a comfortable six-wicket win over Australia in the first tri-series final yesterday.

Tendulkar batted through the Indian innings to post an unbeaten 117 off 120 deliveries as the tourists cruised past Australia's 239 for eight with 25 balls to spare at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Rohit Sharma provided valuable support to Tendulkar with an impressive 66 in their fourth-wicket partnership of 123 as the Indians drew first blood in the best-of-three finals series.

"The first blow is always extremely important," Tendulkar told a news conference.

"But we can't get too far ahead of ourselves. It's really important we carry this momentum forward."

The Australians were always in trouble after they had to settle for a modest total following a top-order batting collapse.

Opener Matthew Hayden top-scored with 82 and Mike Hussey kept the tail wagging with a watchful 45 but the world champions failed to impose themselves on the Indian bowlers.

"We pride ourselves on the way we prepare and play in finals so I expected a better performance than this," skipper Ricky Ponting said.

Spinner Harbhajan Singh was a unanimous winner in the latest round of his feud with the Australians when he captured two wickets, dismissing Andrew Symonds for 31 then denying Hayden the chance of a century.

Hayden and Symonds, both embroiled in recent disputes with Harbhajan, had steadied the innings with a fourth-wicket partnership of 100 when the combative Indian dismissed them.

Symonds, who accused Harbhajan of racially abusing him during the Sydney Test, holed out to Praveen Kumar in the deep when he tried to smash him out of the ground.

Then Hayden, reprimanded on Friday after describing Harbhajan as an "obnoxious weed" and challenging Ishant Sharma to a fight, swept straight to all-rounder Piyush Chawla.

Harbhajan, who described Hayden as one of the most disliked cricketers in the international game, then cheekily taunted the Australians by shadow boxing with his team mate Yuvraj.

"They were probably the defining moments in the game," Ponting said.

"They had put together a nice partnership and if they had continued on a bit longer I'm sure we would have got around 270."

BRIGHT START
India made a bright start to their run-chase when Tendulkar and Robin Uthappa put on 50 for the opening wicket before the Australians broke through.

Hussey held a spectacular low running catch at deep square, to dismiss Uthappa for 17 then James Hopes ran out Gautam Gambhir with a direct throw at the non-striker's end for three.

Australia briefly threatened to stage a comeback when Hogg bowled Yuvraj for 10 to reduce the visitors to 87 for three before Tendulkar and Sharma steered their team to safety.

Tendulkar survived a difficult dropped catch off Hogg on 88 then a full toss from Lee that struck him on the shoulder to reach his 42nd one-day international but his first in Australia.

"To score a hundred in Australia was something I always wanted and this was a terrific occasion to do it," Tendulkar said.

The second match will be played at Brisbane tomorrow with the third scheduled for Adelaide on Friday if the teams are level.

AUSTRALIA innings
A. Gilchrist c Y.Singh b Kumar 7

M. Hayden c Chawla b H.Singh 82

R. Ponting b Kumar 1

M. Clarke c Dhoni b I. Sharma 4

A. Symonds c Kumar b H. Singh 31

M. Hussey run-out 45

J. Hopes c Dhoni b Y. Singh 15

B. Hogg not out 23

B. Lee c R. Sharma b Pathan 17

M. Johnson not out 6

Extras: (b-1, w-7) 8

Total: (eight wickets, 50 overs) 239

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-19, 3-24, 4-124, 5-135, 6-173, 7-212, 8-231.

Bowling: Kumar 10-1-49-2 (w-1), I.Sharma 8-0-32-1 (w-1), Pathan 7-0-63-1 (w-1), H. Singh 10-0-38-2 (w-2), P. Chawla 10-0-33-0 (w-2), Y. Singh 4-0-18-1, R. Sharma 1-0-5-0.

INDIA innings
R. Uthappa c Hussey b Hopes 17

S. Tendulkar not out 117

G. Gambhir run-out 3

Y. Singh b Hogg 10

R. Sharma b Hopes 66

M. Dhoni not out 15

Extras: (b-4, lb-2, w-6, nb-2) 14

Total: (four wickets, 45.4 overs) 242

Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-56, 3-87, 4-210.

Bowling: Lee 9-0-33-0 (nb-2, w-3), Bracken 8-0-42-0, Johnson 10-0-70-0 (w-2), Hopes 8.5-0-42-2, Hogg 7-0-38-1 (w-1), Clarke 3-0-11-0.

Second final match: Brisbane, March 4 (0315)

Third final match: Adelaide, March 7 (0315)

Spurs escape with victory in Milwaukee
NEW YORK, NY (Reuters) - The San Antonio Spurs won their eighth straight game on Saturday, Manu Ginobili scoring 30 points and Tony Parker 26 in a narrow 96-94 road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

"We're certainly very fortunate to get the win," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters.

The NBA champion Spurs are now the top seed in the Western Conference and hold a one-game lead over the New Orleans Hornets in the Southwest Division.

After a late Milwaukee surge, Ginobili hit a shot with 13.2 seconds remaining to give San Antonio a 95-94 lead and it was 96-94 when Milwaukee's Michael Redd was fouled with one second left.

He missed the first shot and deliberately failed with the second before Andrew Bogut got the rebound and missed at the final buzzer.

Parker was 11-for-16 from the field in the best of the five games he has played since returning from a foot injury on February 21.

"That was the best game since he came back off the injury," Popovich said. "He looked really confident. He looked more like the Tony that we're used to."

San Antonio's Tim Duncan was held to nine points and seven rebounds.

Redd had 25 points and Bogut added 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Bucks, whose three-game home winning streak was snapped. Milwaukee lost point guard Mo Williams in the third quarter when he was ejected for arguing with officials with his team leading 58-51.

The Philadelphia 76ers won for the ninth time in 12 games and tasted victory in Phoenix for the first time in six years by posting a 119-114 win over the Suns. Phoenix fell to 2-4 since Shaquille O'Neal became active after being acquired from the Miami Heat. Andre Iguodola scored 32 points and Andre Miller had 25 points and 12 assists for Philadelphia.

Dwight Howard scored 26 points and grabbed 22 rebounds and Hedu Turkoglu had 25 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic to a 118-92 home rout of the New York Knicks.

The Utah Jazz have struggled on the road but came through with a 113-92 win over the Grizzlies in Memphis led by Deron Williams' 13 points and 19 assists. Memphis have lost eight straight games.

Tayshaun Prince scored 22 points and dished out 10 assists as the Detroit Pistons surged to a 103-73 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers. It was the 14th win in the last 17 games for the Pistons.

The privileged and the damned
By Ian Chappell
THE IPL is making the BCCI pots of money. But what are the rest of the cricket-playing countries getting out of it?

Now that the money has been spent and the hype has diminished to a dull roar, it's time for a few observations and questions about the IPL concept.

The most obvious question: why didn't the ICC strike a deal in return for sanctioning the IPL contests?

Is this further proof that the ICC is an offshoot of the BCCI? The IPL concept is an enormous boost to Indian cricket, but what about Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies? They all need major assistance to boost a game whose progress is being hampered by political unrest in the case of the first two, and financial problems for the latter pair.

There should have been a levy imposed on IPL to compensate other countries for the players they developed who then signed for a franchise. This should have been a priority in the negotiations between the ICC and the BCCI.

In the case of New Zealand, a country where the depth of cricket talent is about as much as that of an above-ground pool, their playing strength is being further evaporated by defections to the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) competition. New Zealand cricket is religiously banning players who sign with the ICL, in accordance with directions from the ICC, and yet it is apparently getting no financial compensation for backing the IPL.

Did the IPL franchise owners seek advice on players' personality and work habits before signing them to lucrative contracts? The skill of the players is there for all to see, but the intangibles are something only a shrewd cricket person can judge. If that advice hasn't been sought then some of the owners are going to get burned: lazy or mentally weak players will become a huge financial burden.

Will the Indian public barrack for Brett Lee to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar? The new-generation Indian cricket fan will, according to former captain and now commentator Ravi Shastri. If that is the case they are more magnanimous than their Australian counterparts, who will have difficulty cheering Ishant Sharma on to knock over Adam Gilchrist.

That leads me to the decision Australia's Channel 10 made to splurge about $15 million for the rights to five years of coverage of IPL. Will this turn out to be a coup or a cock-up? Australia is a delineated society when it comes to sport.

There are very distinct cricket and football seasons and the IPL will be encroaching on the winter game. Australians will stay up late to watch an Ashes series in the middle of winter but the IPL tournament will be a serious test of whether the country has fully embraced the idea of being part of a global sporting village.

Players taunting and abusing each other has been big news during the current Australia-India series. With the IPL featuring players from both countries - along with those from other major nations - will an unwanted disease spread even faster?

The IPL's organisers would do the game a huge favour if they stamped out a cancer that the ICC has either been unable or unwilling to eradicate.

The IPL could start by getting the captains to publicly state they'll put an end to all unnecessary on-field chatter.

The award for the smartest move so far goes to the Jaipur franchise for appointing Shane Warne captain/coach. This has the potential to be an ongoing involvement and Jaipur is smart to tap into Warne's vast knowledge and highly active cricket brain. If his talents are used wisely, it will be a huge boost for young cricketers in the region.

Twenty20 is currently flavour of the month but what about the future? For cricket to thrive on a global basis the longer versions of the game need to survive in order for young players to hone a wide range of skills. However, Test cricket is struggling in many countries and even the 50-over game is considered a tired format in some regions. In addition, the star players are now in such demand that there's a danger they'll eventually be drained of all their enthusiasm and flair.

The ideal programme for the future could well consist of Test matches played purely between the major cricket countries, and those sides plus the appropriate developing nations then competing in hybrid 30-over tournaments.

With strong administration, thoughtful scheduling and reasonable financial arrangements in place, cricket could flourish worldwide with that form. (Cricinfo)

Khan leads Good Success to victory
IMRAN Khan weighed in a fine all-round performance to lead Good Success to a comfortable 37-run win over Sans Souci in the inaugural Nazeer Mohamed and Son Twenty20 cricket final recently in Wakenaam, Essequibo River.

Khan made a cameo 33 for his team who made 137 for six from the full quota of 20 overs while he grabbed three for 30 from his allotted four overs to restrict Sans Souci to 100 for nine when the overs ran out.

Abdool Salim made a breezy 44 for Good Success while Goorunauth Khanai took three for 30 from four overs. In Sans Souci’s innings, Veeroni Sasepaul made 30.

Both teams, along with man-of-the-match Khan, collected a trophy each while Mohamed promised to continue his support and said he was happy to be a part of cricket on the island.