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The Gabba’s long-time curator, Kevin Mitchell jnr, has recommended that Australia pick a spinner for the first Test against West Indies starting on Thursday because the pitch is likely to deteriorate from the fourth day. That said, Mitchell expected the seam bowlers to exploit the conditions on the opening day, as it has traditionally been at the Gabba.”If the preparation goes as planned in a five-day Test match you would go in with three quicks and a spinner,” Mitchell told . ”It will be a fairly typical Gabba Test wicket – maybe a little more life than would be normal early.”You would generally think it will be pretty good for batting day two and three and wear a bit on day four and five. It will definitely deteriorate as the game goes on.”In the most recent Sheffield Shield match at the Gabba, between Queensland and Tasmania, the visitors were bundled out for 156 in 63 overs on the opening day and went on to lose by an innings.”If you get a bit of humidity the ball swings around like the first Shield match,” Mitchell said. ”[But] in that regard you’re in the lap of the Gods.”The offspinner Nathan Hauritz is the lone specialist slow bowler for the first Test and if he ispicked, Australia will have to drop one of their four specialist seamers. Doug Bollinger, the left-armer, made it to the squad on the strength of his recent ODI performances but his selection is not certain.Hauritz was omitted for Australia’s most recent Test at The Oval and the lack of a specialist spinner played a big part in Australia’s defeat, which also cost them the Ashes. Hauritz’s counterpart, Graeme Swann, exploited the turning pitch and took eight wickets.

In a fresh episode of disagreement, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has reacted with “disappointment” to the West Indies Players’ Association’s (WIPA) public call for a longer first-class season and claims that there had been no consultation with the board on the schedule. The WICB, instead, has decided to cut back on the number of matches in the upcoming season as a result of limited financial resources.The two parties had been involved in a bitter contracts dispute that led to senior players boycotting the Test series against Bangladesh, before reaching a compromise that paved the way for the selection of a full-strength squad for the tour of Australia.Last week, Dinanath Ramnarine, the WIPA president, had reiterated the proposal made in the WIPA’s 15-Point Development Plan for West Indies cricket. “West Indies first-class season should be made up of two rounds of matches with a minimum of 12 four-day games per year played alongside the international series. One round is insufficient in this modern era of cricket. We have seen that in recent years,” Ramnarine was quoted in the WIPA’s official website.Reacting to the statement, WICB’s CEO Ernest Hilaire said the WIPA was undermining the compromise reached between the two parties and creating ground for yet another public dispute. “My instinctive reaction to the release was one of disappointment with the President of WIPA,” Hilaire said in a statement. “After the recent dispute with WIPA, it was publicly expressed by the WICB that it would be seeking to establish a relationship based on mutual trust, respect and co-operation. As CEO, I expressed a desire for maturing our relationship by moving from a situation where every disagreement or difference becomes a public spat.It is unfortunate that behaviour patterns cannot change so easily and as WIPA has not gotten its way on this matter, it seeks public announcement of its position and creates the context for a public fight. It is ironic that WIPA is calling for a meeting and doing so not through the established and respected procedures but through the public medium.”The “fundamental issue”, Hilaire said, was the threat of a deadlock in the event of disagreement by either party. “The situation is that WIPA requested a minimum of 12 rounds as stated in the WIPA release and WICB expressed that in accordance with its strategic objectives it was not possible to host 12 rounds in 2010,” he said. “Once WIPA establishes its minimum requirements which remain in variance to the WICB position, who has the final call? If it is WIPA to make the final call, then consultation or agreement with WIPA in reality becomes a veto by WIPA on any proposal made by WICB.”The 2010 domestic season will feature seven rounds of matches including day-night fixtures. Though the first-class season last year was expanded to 14 rounds and the fees for players and officials increased despite the absence of a sponsor, Hilaire said a similar format for the upcoming year was unsustainable. “It begs the question – how can this be sustainable especially with the cricket development agenda increasing? As I said earlier, in an ideal situation there should be an expanded round and hopefully that can be achieved sooner rather than later.”Some of the savings from organising the next domestic season, Hilaire said, would be invested in other projects such as the A team programme, developmental tours and the High Performance Centre. “This can only be achieved if we use our limited resources efficiently and effectively and hopefully an active “A” Team programme will be more efficient and effective use,” he said. “The net effect is that the best regional players will not have any decrease in first-class cricket but rather increase and at a higher level. Further, they will be exposed internationally and learn to play under different conditions even before reaching Test level.”Hilaire acknowledged there would be objections to WICB’s plans but urged dialogue with the WIPA in an attempt to proceed with the understanding reached after the contracts dispute. “I am conscious that there will be objections to the changes in the four-day tournament,” he said.”I was warned that it reduces earnings for players and officials since they are paid per match, that territories would lose their home advantage and that decision making was proceeding too quickly. However, I am also conscious of the policy directions of the Board which requires that we do not remain in our comfort zones. The cricketing world has moved so far ahead of us that we need to take a giant leap forward, trying new and better ways of doing things. It is always easy to do new things but more difficult to determine that they are better. We need to be brave and trust our innate capacities to be creative and innovative. We will fail sometimes but that is a lot better than never trying.”I am anxious to engage WIPA in dialogue and discourse on the various issues facing West Indies cricket not in an antagonistic and hostile manner but with respect and regard for each other’s role. We have reached the point where it cannot be business as usual. We have to move forward and there must be no reverse gear.”

It was heartbreak for Bangladesh in Palmerston North, as Pakistan staged a spectacular comeback to snatch a penultimate-ball victory from the jaws of defeat. Chasing 251 to maintain their 100% record and top Group D, Pakistan seemed to be going down when they lost their sixth wicket at 199, with 21 balls to go. But Mohammad Waqas who came in at number eight had other ideas, smashing two sixes and three fours in his 14-ball 34 that turned the match on its head in less than 15 manic minutes. The win put Bangladesh out of the tournament, while West Indies qualified at their expense to the quarters.The day had begun well for Bangladesh, whose decision to bat was vindicated by a strong batting show. Openers Anamul Haque and Amit Majumder laid the foundation with a steady stand of 92 in 23.1 overs. Anamul carried on his good form in the series, before he fell for 55. Mominul Haque kept the Bangladesh flag flying in the middle overs and set them up for a strong finish, which was provided by captain Mahmudul Hasan who slammed 63 at close to run-a-ball. Shabbir Rahman upped the ante with Hasan, striking two sixes and two fours in his 34. Alauddin Babu who came in for the last ball of the innings smote a six to take his side to 250.Pakistan employed a watchful approach to their chase, with Babar Azam and Ahmed Shehzad cutting out the risks in their steady 104-run opening stand, before Shehzad fell for 52. When Rameez Aziz fell at 113 in the 32nd over, Mahmudul Hasan had choked the innings of all momentum and Pakistan were in desperate need of a move-on. Azam provided the impetus in the company of his captain Azeem Ghummam, adding 60 in 56 balls. Bangladesh then hit back hard, removing both batsmen without addition to the score. Pakistan faltered further, losing two more wickets as their victory-hopes dimmed. But Waqas played out a script of his own, with a dramatic twist in the end.”We thought we might be losing the game,” said Pakistan captain Azeem Ghumman. “But Waqas kept telling me that he was confident that he could score the runs. It was incredible – it turned from the impossible to the possible. Waqas really played well, the guy was confident and he showed it. It was the best debut by anyone.”Last-over thrillers seemed to be the order of the day, as Australia and South Africa played out another nail-biter at Queenstown Events Centre. Australia’s decision to bat first ran into rough weather when they lost Tom Beaton cheaply to Graham Hume. Mitchell Marsh made light of the loss to give his side a good start, with a stroke-filled 26 before Hume struck timber for the second time in the day. That was the last success for South Africa for over 25 overs as Alex Keath and Jason Floros added 127 runs to set the platform for a sizeable score. Keath was more circumspect in his approach, hitting 64 off 97 balls before he was dismissed, while Floros reached 96 off the same number of deliveries. He was denied a well-deserved hundred by Hume who finished with fine figures of 3 for 35. Tim Armstrong hustled 48 with three sixes to take his side to 276.South Africa’s chase was led by Dominic Hendricks, who got them off to a flier in the company of Josh Richards, as they added 65 in lesser than ten overs. Stephan Smith kept up the momentum with Hendricks after Richards’ dismissal, as South Africa seemed to be on course. Despite two quick wickets, Hendricks joined hands with Malcolm Nofal to add 49 and reclaim ascendancy. Kane Richardson and Keath kept the fight going for Australia, as wickets fell at regular intervals. Hendricks dismissal, four short of a hundred, sparked some panic in the South African ranks. Cody Chetty and Kirk Wernars fell within the space of two runs, with the target still 54 runs away. With the run-rate under reasonable control, Dale Deeb, Jerry Nqolo and Hume played sensible hands to take their side home with two balls to spare. The result of the match was of little consequence, with both sides already having booked their places in the last eight.The winning captain Josh Richards was relieved to end on the winning side, despite the match being only of academic interest from a qualification point of view.. “It was close – Australia batted pretty well,” he said. “I think in the batting we had it pretty much wrapped up with only four or five down, but then we had a few soft dismissals so it was closer than it should have been. The guys batted well today – it was good that they managed to bring it through even under pressure.”Meanwhile, in another contest between the best two teams in a group, New Zealand emerged comfortable victors as they beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets at Village Green. The hosts took the first spot on the group’s points table, thanks largely to an impressive bowling effort from fast bowler Logan van Beek and offspinner Tim Johnston, who grabbed three wickets each. Sri Lanka’s failure to measure up to the bowling was underlined by the fact that just three batsmen managed to reach double-figures. Rumesh Buddika contributed 39 and Kithuruwan Vithanage chipped in with 35 to lend some stability to the innings after a poor start. Their dismissals triggered another collapse but a fighting 69 from Dhanushka Gunathilleke, who struck six fours and two sixes in his counterattack and added 59 for the last wicket, pushed the score up to a more respectable 195.But the effort proved terribly inadequate, for New Zealand’s batsmen chased down the target with ease. Opener Harry Boam struck a patient 85 and was aided with some aggression at the other end from Jimmy Neesham (47), who ensured the scoring rate didn’t dip. The hosts notched up their win in the 44th over to qualify for the knockout phase with plenty of confidence behind their backs. Sri Lanka, having finished second with two wins in three games, have also gone through.Man of the match Boam was happy with his match-winning performance. “I found it a little bit tough early on and during the middle Sri Lanka bowled really well, but I had a bit of freedom later on and that was pleasing. Overall I was thrilled I stuck to my game plan when it got a bit tough, and didn’t throw my wicket away when it was a bit slow. Today was a real test for us so it was nice to win and keep the momentum going.”

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
HawkeyeJacques Kallis celebrates his 34th Test century•AFP

Jacques Kallis defended like a rock, attacked like The Rock, put behind him the odd play and miss, and scored 120 out of South Africa’s 193 for 2 by tea. Hashim Amla, whom he joined at 6 for 2, gave him the strike when he was in the zone and took charge after tea when India slowed the scoring down with defensive fields and reverse-swing. Both scored unbeaten centuries to put together South Africa’s highest partnership against India and, by stumps, render Zaheer Khan’s opening spell of 6-4-2-2 to a footnote.Zaheer’s burst seemed to have arrested dramatically the chain of events going against India. VVS Laxman couldn’t regain his fitness in time, Rohit Sharma injured himself at the last minute playing football, reserve wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha made his debut as a specialist batsman and MS Dhoni lost the toss. Then Zaheer brought relief, but not without some luck.A sharp bouncer from Zaheer hit Ashwell Prince on the arm guard and the batsman was given out caught behind. Perhaps used to the review system, Prince wanted to challenge the decision but had to walk off. There was no luck involved in how Zaheer set him up, though. He beat him with deliveries coming in, got an edge with one that left the batsman, and then finally slipped in the bouncer. Not too short, headed for the face, not giving Prince any room to get out of the way. It didn’t take Zaheer long to squeeze past Graeme Smith’s angled bat either.Then Kallis and Amla took over. Not through a brilliant counterattack right away. When they came together, Ishant Sharma was disciplined in support to Zaheer, and the spinners found disconcerting turn. Scoring took a backseat: the first boundary came in the 10th over, a square cut by Amla, also the first sweetly-timed shot of the series.Spin came on in the 12th over, at 16 for 2, and immediately there was turn. Perhaps too much turn. Amit Mishra spun legbreaks across batsmen on more than one occasion, was denied an lbw because the ball spun too much, and started looking for too much, bowling outside leg too.Kallis remained serene with all this happening around him. Not at the cost of urgency. Frustrated, Mishra tried too hard, looking for the unplayable quick delivery, and when he pitched ever so short, Kallis pulled him over midwicket in back-to-back overs. It ended the period of struggle, taking South Africa to 47 for 2 in the 22nd over, and Kallis level with Amla’s score – 21 not out. Few would have imagined what was to come: when Kallis reached his 34th Test hundred – level with Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara – Amla had moved to 38. In close to a couple of hours, Amla had scored 17, Kallis 79, and India had lost initiative.That shouldn’t take credit away from Amla. He came in to bat before Kallis, but by then had faced 50 deliveries fewer, making sure the better batsman faced more bowling.After hitting Mishra out of the attack before lunch, Kallis turned his attention to Harbhajan. Consistently he got outside the line of off stump, making Harbhajan bowl closer and closer. When he got too close and too full, Kallis slog-swept twice, and later played the trademark inside-out drive.Zaheer came back for a spell before lunch, managed some reverse, but he was taken for runs too. Two Kallis shots either side of the break against Zaheer stood out among the many special ones. Zaheer was getting the ball to straighten from round the stumps and managed to square Kallis up on the odd occasion, but twice he strayed narrowly. Kallis waited for those deliveries like only the select few can, and closed the face at the last moment, beating deep fine leg on both occasions. The second of those took him to 85 off 138 balls, out of South Africa’s 124. He had been 12 off 39 at one point.Mishra still kept getting deliveries to spin across Kallis, but none of that carried into the next ball he would face. Of the 89 balls Kallis faced from Mishra, he scored 54 runs. Not bad at all when the bowler is troubling you. The century came in typical fashion. Kallis read a topspinner from Harbhajan from round the stumps, went deep into the crease, let the ball speed on to him, turned the bat face, got it past leg slip, and strolled through for a single. Harbhajan too was picked on by Kallis, going for 45 off 69 deliveries. He couldn’t even manage a maiden.After tea India came out with more defensive field sets, and Kallis with a more peaceful mindset. That’s when Amla took over, using his feet well to Harbhajan and Mishra, scoring through covers against both. Unlike Kallis, he did present two chances. When on 61, he edged Zaheer between Dhoni and M Vijay, closer to the slip than the keeper. On 82, he hit uppishly towards S Badrinath at short mid-on, but the debutant couldn’t dive in front.In the final session, Amla scored 55 of the 92 runs, hitting six boundaries. One of those, a sweep off Virender Sehwag, took him to his eighth hundred. Apart from those two half chances, India failed to create any opportunity on a pitch that had become slower still, and a solid Kallis had eyes firmly set on the elusive double-century.

David Houghton, the former Zimbabwe captain who is now a consultant with the team, believes the side should be back on the Test scene by the end of the year after improvements on and off the field in recent times.Zimbabwe Cricket has laid out an 18-month plan for a return to the top flight – after Zimbabwe took a self-imposed exile in 2005 when it became clear they couldn’t field a competitive team – but as the squad arrived in Trinidad for their short tour of West Indies, Houghton said the comeback could happen more quickly.”I personally think that we should be playing Test cricket again by the end of the year,” said Houghton. “We have been playing one-day cricket, but you cannot judge a team on one-day cricket.”Since I returned to Zimbabwe four-and-a-half months ago, things have improved with their cricket. They have a very good franchise system going in their domestic tournament, and it is helping the game back home.”Zimbabwe recently appointed Alan Butcher as their new coach but Houghton will oversee the early part of the tour before Butcher joins up with the squad midway through the tour. Houghton isn’t expecting miracles from the team, despite West Indies’ winless tour of Australia, but knows how important it is that they are competitive to show a Test-match return should be considered.”We have a young team that is talented, and we are hoping to win, but more importantly we want to be competitive with West Indies,” he said. “We have some very talented players in the Zimbabwe team and they are ready for a good battle.”West Indies were blasted out by really quick bowling in Australia. We offer them a different attack, so West Indies losing in Australia is not really that important to this series.”Alongside Butcher the new coaching structure will be made up of former players Heath Streak and Grant Flower. “This is an important tour for us and the world is looking at Zimbabwe cricket in terms of our progress,” said Streak. “We have got to start winning matches and our goal is to get back into Test cricket in a year-and-a-half. The guys are working very hard at this, and this tour is very important in this regard.”Zimbabwe open the tour with a 50-over match against a University of the West Indies Vice-Chancellor’s XI on Friday before the Twenty20 international on Sunday. The one-day series then begins in Guyana next Thursday.

Group C

One of the tournament heavies Faisalabad Wolves began their campaign by crushing Abbottabad Rhinos by 90 runs at the National Stadium. Mohammad Hafeez and Asif Hussain set up the win with an opening stand of 89 before Asid Afridi, the left-arm seamer on debut, dismissed Hussain. Afridi later made a big impact in the final over, taking four wickets in five balls to leave Faisalabad at 165 for 7. The astute Misbah-ul-Haq, with 40 off 26 balls including four sixes, ensured it didn’t derail his side from an impressive total.Abbottabad’s chase was never on, throttled early by Samiullah Khan Niazi. It turned out to be an evening for left-arm seamers as Samiullah dented the top order with three wickets. Abbottabad then lost three wickets with no addition to the score, including two to the excellent Shahid Nazir and at 57 for 7, the contest was long gone. Saeed Ajmal cleaned up the tail to finish with 3 for 4. Abbottabad are a traditionally weak side but were strengthened this year by the inclusion of a number of Peshawar players such as Yasir Hameed, Yasir Shah and Riffatullah Mohmand and will look to improve results.

Group D

Karachi Dolphins got off to a winning start making light work of Hyderabad Hawks at the National Stadium. They had much to thank the visitors for pressing the self-destruct button before crawling to 119, a target that was always going to be easy.Opener Shahzaib Hasan, a World Twenty20 winner, provided the fireworks during the chase, smashing 46 off 21 balls, including six fours and two sixes. Once Karachi had reached the halfway mark in just the fourth over, Khalid Latif continued the momentum, blitzing 32 off 15 balls. The openers’ charge was enough as the hosts sealed the win in the 10th over. Hyderabad had made a watchful start with opener Sharjeel Khan managing a near-run-a-ball 39, but three run-outs in the space of three overs meant they ended on a well below-par score. Fawad Alam was Karachi’s most successful bowler with 2 for 20.

Group A

Multan Tigers recorded their second consecutive win after cruising past Quetta Bears by seven wickets. Mohammad Hafeez and the tall Mohammad Irfan – at six foot ten, one of the tallest bowlers going – set it up by sharing seven wickets between them to restrict Quetta to a poor 99. Rameez Alam then scored an unbeaten half-century to guide them home within 17 overs. Irfan and Hafeez cut through the middle order to reduce Quetta to 59 for 5 and it was a position from which they never recovered. Hafeez finished with 4 for 17 while Irfan took 3 for 14 before wrapping up the innings off the penultimate ball. Multan lost Babar Ali off the first ball of the chase but Rameez piloted the innings to help them coast home.

Andy Blignaut is set to return to international cricket after a hiatus of almost five years after he was included in Zimbabwe’s squad for the World Twenty20 in West Indies.His inclusion completes a remarkable return by Blignaut, 31, who was one of the ‘rebel’ cricketers whose row with Zimbabwe’s cricket board resulted in the sacking of 15 senior white players in 2004. He subsequently returned to the side, and had been tipped as a potential national captain, but then walked out again in 2006 over after a disagreement about money owed to him by the board.Blignaut hinted at a possible comeback in January this year, and after his fitness had been assessed by the Matabeleland Tuskers franchise he returned to action in Zimbabwe’s domestic Twenty20 competition, striking 111 runs in four innings at an average of 37.00 and a strike rate of 133.73, including a matchwinning half century on his return to competitive cricket. He was then included in a provisional squad for Zimbabwe’s tour of the West Indies, but didn’t make the final touring party.The 15-man group also includes batsman Craig Ervine, the younger brother of former national player Sean Ervine, who has returned to Zimbabwe but is still tied to a contract with Hampshire. Shingi Masakadza and Stuart Matsikenyeri, who were both members of the Zimbabwe side that toured the West Indies in March, have not been included in the squad.Masakadza played in only one international game on the tour, taking two wickets in the final over of the second ODI in Guyana to set up a tense two-run win on his international debut. Despite good returns in domestic cricket, Matsikenyeri was woefully out of form on the tour, scoring just 42 runs in six innings.Chamu Chibhabha also returns to the national set-up, being reward for his sparkling Twenty20 form for the Southern Rocks. He was the second-highest run scorer in this season’s Twenty20 tournament, racking up 230 runs at 57.50, including three fifties.With Zimbabwe seeking to bolster their sparse fast-bowling resources as they build towards a return to Test cricket, Tendai Chatara, the Zimbabwe Under-19 opening bowler, will travel with the team to the West Indies to gain some experience of cricket at higher levels, and will play in a four-day match against West Indies A, starting on April 16, before returning home.The World Twenty20 tournament, which begins on April 30, will also see new coach Alan Butcher take control of the side for the first time. Zimbabwe are grouped with Sri Lanka and New Zealand at the competition, and begin their campaign with a game against the Sri Lankans at the Providence stadium in Guyana on May 3.Zimbabwe squad Prosper Utseya (capt), Brendan Taylor, Charles Coventry, Andy Blignaut, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Greg Lamb, Elton Chigumbura, Vusi Sibanda, Ray Price, Graeme Cremer, Chamu Chibhabha, Chris Mpofu, Timycen Maruma, Craig Ervine

Scorecard
Steve Davies came back to haunt Worcestershire yet again as Surrey chalked up their second Clydesdale Bank 40 victory of the season by 30 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method at New Road.The 23-year-old wicketkeeper led a successful run chase when adding a fluent 81 from 55 balls to the 206 he scored in two innings in the Championship meeting with his former county at Whitgift School last month.Replying to the home side’s 235 for 7, Surrey lost two early wickets before Davies picked up the tempo in a partnership of 85 in 12 overs with Usman Afzaal. It was only over-indulgence that caused his downfall when he hit Chris Whelan for 6-4-6 from successive balls and then dumped the next delivery into Ben Smith’s hands on the deep square leg boundary.Happily for Surrey, no damage was done as Afzaal, unbeaten with 51, and Mathew Spriegel (31 not out) put on 59 before rain ended the contest with Surrey on 191 for 3 after 31 overs.Worcestershire suffered their second defeat in the competition after raising a competitive total thanks to an unbeaten 48 by James Cameron, an all-rounder who left Zimbabwe to study at university and play cricket in Western Australia. Signed on a two-year contract in the winter, he arrived at New Road after being spotted by Worcestershire’s Australian-born bowling coach Matt Mason when turning out in grade competitions in Perth.A hard-hitting left hander who represented Zimbabwe in the Under-19 World Cup, he turned Worcestershire’s innings round in a sixth-wicket partnership of 65 in 13 overs with Daryl Mitchell (35).Strong on the leg-side, Cameron had the confidence to drive Chris Schofield over long-on for six and also hit four boundaries while scoring at almost a run-a-ball. With his simple but effective method, the 24-year-old British passport holder held up Surrey when they had Worcestershire in trouble at 140 for 5 in the 23rd over.Off-spinner Gareth Batty, returning to New Road for the first time since leaving Worcestershire at the end of last summer, claimed the two most important wickets. Phil Jaques found his best form of the season with 78 from 65 balls before top edging a sweep and Alexei Kervezee was lbw for 39 soon after hoisting Batty for six.Iftikhar Anjum was easily the pick of Surrey’s seamers. The Pakistan one-day international specialist removed Vikram Solanki and Moeen Ali in his first spell and finished with three for 39 after bowling Ben Scott.

Watch out, Australia have another blond legspinner. While the quick bowlers have been wreaking havoc and creating headlines, Steven Smith has quietly been going about his work. He hasn’t generated as much conversation as the pacemen, but that’s often because the opposition have been staring at defeat by the time Smith gets the ball.However, he has been incredibly impressive and figures of 3 for 20 against West Indies were due reward for a player who has made rapid strides over the past few months. He has leapfrogged Nathan Hauritz in the Twenty20 team, which is a notable achievement because Hauritz enjoyed a profitable home season.The highlight of Smith’s performance against West Indies was a ripping leg break that drew Kieron Pollard out of his crease and then he silenced the St Lucia crowd when he removed local hero Darren Sammy with a caught and bowled. Again it was a ball with flight and dip that played a key part in the batsman’s error.It reinforces the attacking mindset Australia have brought to this tournament – the legspinner instead of the offspinner. Smith, though, also brings his batting into the equation and has already played a crucial innings in the World Twenty20 with 27 off 18 balls against Bangladesh after Australia had been 65 for 6.In first-class cricket, run-scoring in his stronger suit, with an average of 56.22 from 13 matches coupled with four hundreds and he could well earn a Test place in the top six. Twenty20 is the one format where his bowling has excelled, with 29 wickets at 16.27. He provides further evidence of the success that is on offer for a brave spinner; some days he’ll get neck ache watching the ball disappear into the stands, but rewards can be plentiful.”It’s been pretty exciting coming over here and playing in my first World Cup,” he said. “The wickets here are quite slow and I think my pace of bowling is well suited. It was good to contribute today and take a few wickets to help us to victory. The team has moulded together beautifully but we haven’t come here just to make the semi-finals.”

‘Well, that was dumb’

The excitement of Australia’s win was a bit much for one supporter, whose energetic celebration resulted in a five-metre fall from a stand in St Lucia. Toby Fanning, a 24-year-old from Sydney, suffered a suspected broken nose and concussion following his tumble on to the edge of the boundary.
“Well, that was dumb,” Fanning told AAP. “I’m all right. I’m pretty sore. But that was pretty dumb. I was celebrating the shot and jumping around and lost my bearings and went over the fence.”
He was taken to hospital by ambulance after being treated on the outfield. The fall occurred after his cheering of David Hussey’s lofted boundary over extra cover in the second-last over of the game.

One significant advantage for Smith has been the top-order destruction dished out by the fast men, which has meant teams have been well behind the rate when Smith has come on to bowl. His challenge will be greater should a team be 60 for 1 after the Powerplays. However, there hasn’t been any element of Michael Clarke hiding his young spinner, who has often bowled his four overs straight through.”Smithy, like a lot of guys in their first World Cup, have been outstanding with their attitude,” Clarke said. “They have taken it upon themselves to be the one to win us the game. Smithy has bowled well throughout the whole tournament and although he got his rewards today his performances have been fantastic all the way. He wants to bowl, it doesn’t matter who’s batting and that’s important at the highest level.”Throughout the tournament, Smith has held his own against teams with impressive records against spin and he will come up against Pakistan for the second time in two weeks in the semi-final on Friday. Rather than being daunted by the prospect, he is relishing another contest.”They’ll be coming pretty hard at me I’d imagine with our three quicks bowling over 150kph – when a spinner comes they’ll attack me as they did in the last game,” he said. “It’s just about me changing my pace and missing the middle of the bat. If I do that I’ll be in with a chance.”And then, of course, there is one enticing prospect looming. If Australia overcome Pakistan and England overcome Sri Lanka there will be an Ashes final. There’s a certain blond legspinner who dominated that rivalry for more than a decade. Are any England batsmen getting twitchy?

ScorecardLeicestershire made a powerful return to County Championship action at NewRoad as, after dismissing Worcestershire for 175, they closed only 12 behindfollowing half-centuries by Will Jefferson and Jacques du Toit.The only bright spot for the home side was a partnership of 71 by Ben Cox andlower-order left-hander Gareth Andrew after they had buckled to 77 for 6against impressive swing and seam bowling.Six days after completing his A-levels at Bromsgrove School, Cox marked hissecond Championship appearance by making 42, with the resourceful Andrew makingan unbeaten 53 from 96 balls.When Leicestershire replied with 163 for 3 in 36 overs, wicketkeeper Coxheld two catches but Worcestershire’s seamers could not prevent Jefferson (64)and Du Toit (57) putting on 107 for the second wicket.In the morning session, everything that captain Mathew Hoggard did turned toprofit for Leicestershire. The former England bowler rattled Daryl Mitchell’soff stump with his fifth delivery and his first bowling changes brought instantsuccess.Phil Jaques pulled Nadeem Malik’s third delivery to mid-on and Moeen Ali, aftermaking some headway with six fours, was leg-before for 33 in James Benning’ssecond over. For Malik it was a rewarding return to Championship cricket after a break of 21months since his last game in September 2008.After being troubled by a back problem last season, he resumed against one ofhis former sides with a testing spell in which he also bowled Alexei Kervezeefor figures of 2 for 50 from 12 overs.Teenage prospect Nathan Buck went empty-handed with the new ball but wasquickly on the button when he came back to have Ben Smith caught behind for 14.A second wicket followed after lunch when James Cameron (15) edged to slip.This was the cue for 18-year-old Cox to reinforce a favourable first impressionfrom last September, when he made 61 on his debut against Somerset at Taunton. Now signed up on a four-year contract, he has returned as the county’s number one keeper, taking over after a three-month loan stint by Middlesex’s Ben Scott.Cox batted with good judgment in picking off eight boundaries before Leicestershire’s spinners, Jigar Naik and Claude Henderson, shared the last four wickets.With Cox caught behind from Naik’s fourth delivery, Andrew made the best oflimited support from the tail, reaching his fifth Championship half-century withseven fours and a six.