Christopher Martin-Jenkins, the chief cricket correspondent of The Times and a regular voice on BBC’s Test Match Special, has proposed a radical solution to the problems that are besetting county cricket. Among the ideas he raises in today’s edition of The Times are a return to uncovered pitches, to improve batting techniques and assist the re-emergence of finger-spinners, and a regional flavour to the County Championship, which would aim to retain competitiveness without putting clubs out of business.In recent weeks several England captains, including Michael Vaughan, Alec Stewart, and Bob Willis and Mike Atherton, who are both members of the Cricket Reform Group, have advocated a reduction in the amount of cricket played at county level. CMJ agrees that this needs to be the case, but argues that the traditions of county cricket cannot be carelessly cast aside.Although it is widely recognised that Australian cricket thrives despite being limited to six first-class teams, CMJ rightly points out that the population of England and Wales is more than three times that of Australia, and if any aspiring cricketer is to make his way to the highest level, his progress is not going to be helped by a reduction of outlets for his talents. Instead, the onus is on making the existing counties financially viable. “Provided all the counties continue to develop their own revenue sources in a professional manner,” he writes, “there is nothing to be gained by pushing any of them over the edge.”But the means to that end is somewhat radical. The first step would be to impose a salary cap: according to the ECB’s annual report, almost two-thirds of their annual gross profit is being ploughed back into the first-class and minor counties, with the majority of that going towards an ever-expanding wage bill. CMJ argues that there are too many mediocre players in the county game who are not eligible for England selection, and if all clubs were restricted to 16 full-time professionals, that would necessarily lead to a stripping-away of some of the dead wood.Further costs could be cut by the abolition of the National League, which is sponsorless and unloved, now that the Twenty20 Cup has arrived with such a bang, and that in turn would permit an expansion of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy to include a zonal stage, similar to the one that used to kick-start the now-defunct Benson & Hedges Cup.Regional cricket would take a further step forward with a two-part redesign of the County Championship. The first half would be conducted along geographical lines, which would reduce the number of matches as well as save on travel costs; the second stage would take the top nine teams into a separate league, to allow traditional rivals such as Surrey and Lancashire the chance to face each other in a first-class showdown.CMJ also suggests the introduction of an early-season regional league of five two-day matches, played over 200 overs under Australian Grade rules. These would comprise England-qualified players only, and the ECB contracts would be announced only when these matches are completed in the first week of May. Similar regional combinations would play in the matches against touring sides, as the county fixtures lost their relevance long ago, when the top players began to opt out.The competitions would be spiced up by improved prize money, including rewards for each match won, and the implementation of a ten-year experiment with uncovered pitches. “Since 1981,” writes CMJ, “pitches have become slower and blander, encouraging one-dimensional, inflexible cricket and cricketers.” Whether the counties themselves are still flexible enough to embrace such a plan, however, remains to be seen.

A five-wicket haul by Tasmanian left-arm paceman Andrew Downton today thwarted South Australia’s bid for a hefty first innings total in the Pura Cup cricket clash at Bellerive Oval.After a slow but steady start on the opening day, the Redbacks crumbled in the second session, losing 6-88 to be bowled out for 236 in their first innings.Downton claimed the prize scalps of Zimbabwe import Andy Flower and captain Greg Blewett in his impressive haul of 5-71 before Tasmania reached 1-39 by stumps on day one.SA’s opening partnership of David Fitzgerald (32) and Shane Deitz (40) yielded 67 runs in 117 minutes off 180 balls.Deitz fell LBW to Xavier Doherty, leaving the visitors at 1-68 at lunch.But the Tigers turned up the heat in the second session as Downton fired, vindicating his surprise selection over fellow paceman Gerard Denton for the match.Downton was picked ahead of Denton who was made 12th man despite bagging 11 wickets in the Tasmania 2nd XI match against Western Australia in Perth last week.Tigers captain Dan Marsh said it was a tough decision to leave Denton out, but Downton’s inclusion was “a good call”.Former Zimbabwe Test batsman Flower scored 20 runs – including one six and three consecutive fours – off six balls before being dismissed for 28.Michael Di Venuto held on to impressive left-handed catch at second slip to dismiss Flower and later caught Mark Higgs for 16 at the same spot.A slow-scoring Blewett (25) followed Flower, but not before he brought up 16,000 first-class runs with an on-drive for four off paceman Damien Wright (3-47) in the 51st over.Canadian World Cup hero John Davison – the team’s top scorer and man of the match in the ING Cup win against the Tigers on Saturday – went for a golden duck.Wright was on a hat-trick after dismissing Graham Manou (1) and Davison off successive balls, but was denied by Mark Cleary.Cleary again showed his ability as a late-order batsman by topscoring with a hard-hitting 58 from only 62 balls including eight fours and one six.But Wright didn’t go away disappointed as Manou gave him his 100th Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup wicket.In reply, the Tigers opener Scott Mason fell LBW to Shaun Tait for 13.Fellow opener Jamie Cox was on 23 at the close of play, with Shane Watson on one.Play resumes at 11am (AEST) tomorrow, with a break scheduled to coincide with the Melbourne Cup.

JONATHAN TROTT scored 140 for Bellville against Kuils River yesterday, setting up a big victory for his team in the season’s first limited-overs series of cricket matches.Bellville won by 116 runs. The young batsman, who now plays for Warwickshire in the English county championship, figured in a partnership of 153 for the third wicket with all-rounder Sean Ackermann. Ackermann made 66. Trott, whose innings included 14 fours and two sixes, surpassed Bellville’s highest individual score from last season – 122 by Lloyd Ferreira. Trott, who batted at No 4, and Ackermann came together after Bellville had lost three wickets for 73. Earlier they had lost two wickets for only 15 runs when Trott came to the wicket.Almar recorded an impressive win over Tygerberg. Almar’s bowling was well organised as Gareth Berg, Nick Dunn and Craig Totton taking two wickets each. Almar reached the required total with only 13 balls left with Andy Kalis and Kenny Jackson scoring half-centuries.At Langa, Rygersdal were rescued by a seventh-wicket partnership of 87 by Wally Crossland and Tony Thomas. Both batsmen were unbeaten at the end of Rygerdal’s 50 overs, with Crossland on 73 and Thomas on 51. They took the score from 57 for five to 180 for six to set up an 81-run win after dismissing Langa for 99. Crossland’s innings included six fours and lasted 145 minutes while Thomas’ innings came off 53 balls and included five fours and three sixes.At the Boon Wallace Oval, Cape Town easily beat St Augustines by 90 runs. Cape Town made 197 for six with Quasim Sheikh top-scoring with 60. Mark Ritchie also impressed with his undefeated 48. At Theo Marais Park visitors University of Cape Town scored a 31-run victory over Milnerton. UCT were dismissed for 180 with Neil Kruger top-scoring with a fluent 72.

Langa v Rygersdal

RYGERSDALE Carter c Gwayi b Dyantyi 4J Higgs c Nwuoni b Mlumbi 16S Willoughby c Botile b Dyantyi 2W Crossland not out 73R Horton b Gwayi 6A Cupido b Gwayi 7J Harris lbw Lobi 13T Thomas not out 51Extras 8TOTAL (for six wickets) 18050 oversFalls: 1/4, 2/9, 3/32, 4/47, 5/57, 6/93Bowling: Dyantyi 8-1-35-2, Mlumbi 10-3-29-1, Gwayi 8-1-34-2, Knoop 10-3-21-0, Sibinda 4-0-16-0, Lobi 5-0-24-1, Sigaga 5-0-20-0

LANGAA Sibinda lbw b Willoughby 27A Sigaga c Cupido b Carter 0V Zonkwe c Hortin b Dugtig 4P Lobi lbw b Willoughby 23N Botile c Crossland b Cupido 14T Cagwe c Williams b Willoughby 2K Nuweni stumped Williams b Cupido 0N Dyantyni c and b du Plessis 0J Knoop c Higgs b du Plessis 4S Mlumbi lbw b Carter 7S Gwayi not out 1Extras 7TOTAL 9945 oversFalls: 1/3, 2/16, 3/61, 4/65, 5/72, 6/81, 7/81, 8/82, 9/95Bowling: Carter 10-2-29-2, Dugtig 10-2-20-1, Willoughby 10-1-26-3, Cupido 10-4-9-2, du Plessis 5-1-15-2

Rygersdal won by 81 runs

Bellville v Kuils RiverBELLVILLER van Niekerk c Jonas b Van Wyk 4JB Burger c Fouche b Claasen 8S Stephens c Van Wyk b Isaacs 18J Trott not out 140S Ackermann c H du Plooy b Haupt 66S Kristal b Claasen 0A Johnson b Isaacs 3A Vermaak not out 0Extras 16TOTAL (for six wickets) 25550 oversFalls: 1/13, 2/15, 3/73, 4/226, 5/230Bowling: Claasen 10-1-38-2, Van Wyk 10-2-33-1, Haupt 9-0-46-1, Isaacs 9-1-58-2, B du Plooy 8-0-46-0, Logenstein 4-0-23-0

KUILS RIVERB du Plooy c Theron b Burger 37J Jonas lbw Trott 6H du Plooy c Kristal b Trott 0R Langley not out 59A R Tray b Smith 5K Fouche b Smith 6J Isaacs run out 15Q Loggenstein not out 3Extras 8TOTAL (for six wickets) 13950 oversFalls: 1/23, 2/24, 3/71, 4/80, 5/94, 6/128Bowling: Du Plessis 6-2-10-0, Johnson 7-2-11-0, Trott 10-0-41-2, Burger 10-2-20-1, Smith 8-1-20-2, Kristal 6-0-24-0, Vermaak 2.4-0-8-0, Ackermann 0.2-0-0-0Bellville won by 116 runs

Pinelands v VictoriaVICTORIAA Fernandez b McConochi 58J September c Wilkinson b Adams 1B Beelders lbw Tarr 17R Jacobs c Tarr b McConochi 18M Williamson c Franke b McConochi 3J White b Franke 22D Kemp c Little b Katz 8R Ebden run out 12G Rushin c Ambrose b Franke 7O Lodewyk not out 6V Veldsman b Franke 1Extras 16TOTAL 16944.1 oversFalls: 1/7, 2/54, 3/85, 4/87, 5/117, 6/130, 7/148, 8/162, 9/169Bowling: Adams 6-1-22-1, Franke 9.1-2-24-3, Tarr 9-0-42-1, Bannatyne 10-2-22-0, McConochi 10-1-35-3, Katz 5-0-15-1

PINELANDSC Ambrose lbw b Lodewyk 10R Ballantyne c Ebden b Kemp 31A Little b Williamson 13R Clark b Williamson 30R Beukes b Williamson 7S Tarr b Kemp 27N McConochi run out 12B Wilkinson not out 13L Katz not out 1Extras 26TOTAL (for seven wickets) 17048.2 oversFalls: 1/32, 2/59, 3/82, 4/106, 5/120, 6/155, 7/169Bowling: Lodewyk 10-2-40-1, Williamson 10-3-29-3, Veldsman 9-2-34-0, Kemp 9.2-2-16-2, Rushin 10-2-28-0Pinelands won by three wickets

Alma v TygerbergTYGERBERGA Simpson c Dunn b Hemmings 22B Johnson c Kalis b Berg 27B Gilbert c Tatton b Dunn 27V Philander c Leibrecht b Dunn 5A Botha lbw Snyman 55S Buys c Berg b Dunn 10C du Preez lbw Tatton 14L Harris c Dunn b Berg 9L Timmet c and b Tatton 12L Simpson not out 3K Kotze not out 7Extras 11TOTAL (for nine wickets) 20250 oversFalls: 1/49, 2/56, 3/85, 4/90, 5/110, 6/162, 7/170, 8/191, 9/194Bowling: J Hemmings 9-0-39-1, G Berg 9-0-44-2, S Leibrecht 10-3-20-0, N Dunn 8-1-35-2, C Tatton 9-1-35-2, Z Snyman 5-0-27-1.

ALMARA Kalis run out Philander 59A Bonora c Philander b Simpson 24K Jackson b du Preez 55S Leibrecht not out 31G Berg not out 14Extras 21TOTAL (for three wickets) 20347.5 oversFalls: 1/51, 2/150, 3/168Bowling: Philander 8.5-0-40-0, Simpson 10-0-33-1, Gilbert 8-1-37-0, Du Preez 9-0-39-1, Timmet 6-0-26-0, Buys 6-1-19-0

Cape Town v St AugustinesCAPE TOWNL Moore lbw Mullins 1Q Sheikh lbw Williams 60K Coetzee c Kuiler b N Jacobs 22J Holgate c Roberts b Kuiler 20M Ritchie not out 42D Holgate b Miller 5M de Beer run out 3S Martin not out 23Extras 21TOTAL (for six wickets) 19750 oversFalls: 1/4 2/49 3/110 4/122 5/128 6/149Bowling: Mullins 10-0-37-2, Kuiler 10-2-32-1, Miller 10-0-52-1, N Jacobs 10-1-32-1, Daniels 10-1-36-0

ST AUGUSTINESS Fransman run out 16E Jacobs c D Holgate b Gie 0S Davids b Gie 4D Newkirk b Martin 22S Roberts c D Holgate b de Beer 1R Daniels lbw Palmer 0P Reid c and b Holman 27I Kuiler c Martin b Gie 18N Jacobs b Gie 1A Mullins not out 0D Miller b Holman 2Extras 16TOTAL 10740 oversFalls: 1/1 2/6 3/10 4/50 5/56 6/61 7/96 8/106 9/107Bowling: Gie 10-2-28-4, de Beer 7-3-7-0, Martin 10-1-21-2, Palmer 10-2-25-1, Holman 3-0-16-2 n Cape Town won by 90 runs

Claremont vCape Tech-Green PointCAPE TECH-GREEN POINTD Henry c Loebenstein b Stockton 0J Baykom b Stockton 2R van Harte c Swanson b Loebenstein 21A Smith lbw Cullen 16J Fortuin c Swanson b Loebenstein 6S Olivier b Van Duiker 13L Davids lbw Loebenstein 0S McDonald lbw Stockton 25H Ngxoweni b Van Duiker 0J P van Wyk b Van Duiker 4R Williams not out 1Extras 14TOTAL 10232.1 oversFalls: 1/0, 2/6, 3/40, 4/46, 5/50, 6/60, 7/74, 8/74, 9/94Bowling: Stockton 7,1-2-15-3, Van Duiker 10-2-27-3, Loebenstein 7-1-17-3, Cullen 4-2-10-1, Barham 4-0-23-0.

CLAREMONTP Lawson c Henry b Ncxoweni 26J Louw b McDonald 11S Hobson b Henry 0W Havenga c Henry b Davids 10M Adams not out 12M Barham not out 17Extras 28TOTAL (for four wickets) 10427.3 oversFalls: 1/27, 2/30, 3/70, 4/72.Bowling: Henry 10-2-29-1, Smith 4-1-14-0, McDonald 4-0-19-1, Davids 5,3-2-19-1, Ngxoweni 4-1-18-1. n Claremont won by six wickets.

Milnerton v UCTUCTC Vadas c Van Blerk b West 12D Worth b De Jager 36R Short lbw West 0N Kruger c Van Blerk b De Jager 72D Ridley b De Jager 2D Slater c and b D Jager 16D Murphy c Green b Japhta 11W Morrick b Lebanon 20E Williams run out 2B Jugmohan run out 0J Crooke not out 0Extras 9TOTAL 18044.2 oversFalls: 1/21, 2/21, 3/204, 4/120, 5/134, 6/146, 7/166, 8/169, 9/180Bowling: West 7-0-28-2, Milne 5-1-18-0, Japhta 10-0-37-1, Taylor 2-0-20-0, De Jager 10-1-36-4, Hardenberg 3-0-13-0, Lebanon 7.2-1-26-1

MILNERTONW Green lbw Morrick 11I Taylor lbw Morrick 7B van Wyk st Ridley b Murphy 20D van Blerk c Murphy b Morrick 22J du Toit lbw Crooke 5R Milne b Murphy 5G West st Ridley b Murphy 0G Japhta st Ridley b Slater 15L de Jager b Crooke 24A Lebanon s Ridley b Short 3Z Hardenberg not out 9Extras 28TOTAL 14944.5 overFalls: 1/19, 2/21, 3/60, 4/74, 5/74, 6/74, 7/82, 8/135, 9/137Bowling: Worth 9-0-28-0, Morrick 10-2-37-3, Crooke 10-0-32-2, Murphy 10-2-23-3, Williams 3-0-9-0, Slater 2-0-8-1, Short 0.5-0-3-1. n UCT won by 31 runs

Northerns-Goodwood v WPCCNORTHERNS-GOODWOODC Laars lbw Preston 31N Hill b Ten Doeschate 15L Vermaak lbw Colussi 16M le Roux c Clarke b Colussi 0C Raubenheimer b Ten Doeschate 31C Milne b Preston 27J Rudman not out 9B Bischoff not out 15Extras 18TOTAL (for six wickets) 16250 oversFalls: 1/25 2/67 3/73 4/74 5/134 6/138Bowling: Smith 5-0-24-0, Ten Doeschate 10-4-35-2, Colussi 8-2-22-2, Preston 10-2-18-2, Clarke 9-0-27-0, Mansina 8-1-28-0

WPCCG Colussi lbw Bischoff 0N Quayle not out 76R Hendricks not out 58Extras 29TOTAL (for one wicket) 16347.2 oversFalls: 1/0Bowling: Bischoff 6-0-25-1, Wesraad 8-0-26-0, Groenewald 3-0-13-0, Vermaak 4-0-17-0, Rudman 4,2-0-19-0, Raubenheimer 10-0-36-0, Holman 10-2-20-0 n WPCC won by nine wickets

Durbanville v UWCDURBANVILLEA Northcoate c Du Plessis b Albanie 7T de Grooth c Solomon b Albanie 20A Schipper b Albanie 27G Langner c Poole b Albanie 0N van Rensburg run out Poole 18T Crous b Albanie 1D Nagel c Harris b Nkomo 6M Brown b Koopman 2L da Silva c Masinda b Koopman 2J Rossouw not out 38F Gantz not out 4Extras 26TOTAL (for nine wickets) 17850 oversFalls: 1/14, 2/56, 3/56, 4/63, 5/72, 6/91, 7/115, 8/125, 9/132Bowling: Knott 5-0-28-0, Albanie 10-0-36-5, Nkomo 10-2-22-1, Van Wyk 8-2-31-0, Masinda 10-1-32-0, Koopman 7-1-22-2.

UWCJ Koopman c Langner b Nagel 57C Williams run out Crous 2P du Plessis b Rossouw 0E van Wyk c and b Nagel 28E Poole not out 51G Knott c Rossouw b Brown 0E Solomon c Gantz b Da Silva 6L Harris c Van Rensburg b Da Silva 15J Albanie not out 0Extras 17TOTAL (for seven wickets) 17550 oversFalls: 1/12, 2/17, 3/86, 4/120, 5/122, 6/145, 7/171Bowling: Rossouw 10-3-29-1, Da Silva 10-2-33-2, Gantz 10-0-46-0, Brown 10-01-31-1, Nagel 10-0-31-2 n Durbanville won by three runs

Glamorgan v Fish HoekFISH HOEKD Pedersen c Brown b Barros 2R van Eeden run out 0J Fifé b Japhta 1N Round c Japhta b Arries 13C Lyons run out 21D Bowditch c and b Rossouw 20G Snowball not out 66G Conway run out 0S Howells b Rossouw 0J Lowry run out 0S Brand not out 1Extras 15TOTAL (for nine wickets) 13850 oversFalls: 1/3, 2/4, 3/4, 4/44, 5/44, 6/107, 7/111, 8/117, 9/118Bowling: Barros 10-3-29-1, Japhta 10-6-12-1, Rossouw 10-3-30-2, Arries 10-0-37-1, Williams 10-1-24-0

GLAMORGANA Jackson lbw Howles 15R Brown c Conway b Lowrey 32Z Allie c Snowball b Lowrey 10D Arries not out 50D Jackson c Bowditch b Brand 14C April not out 3Extras 16TOTAL (for four wickets) 14039 oversFalls: 1/24, 2/45, 3/73, 4/118Bowling: Howells 7-1-16-1, Pederson 10-1-26-0, Lowrey 8-2-30-2, Snowball 9-0-44-0, Brand 4-0-12-1, Bowdich 1-0-6-0. n Glamorgan won by six wickets

Points tableNortherns 228 for 4 (van Jaarsveld 77, McKenzie 73*) beatBoland 226 for 9 (Euley 88, Kemp 4-37, Thomas 3-32) by 5wickets.
ScorecardMartin van Jaarsveld (77) and Neil McKenzie (73*) added 107 for the third wicket, taking Northerns to an easy six-wicket win against Boland. They overhauled the target of 227 in just 43.2 overs.Earlier, Boland had been saved from humiliation when Wesley Euley, playing his first Standard Bank Cup innings, scored 88 at nearly a run a ball, batting aggressively against Justin Kemp in particular. Kemp returned figures of 4 for 37, and 27 of those runs were off Euley’s bat. Euley’s 94-run fourth-wicket partnership with Gerhard Strydom ensured that Boland ended on 226 for 9. Alfonso Thomas took 3 for 32.Border 188 (Sugden 42*, Boucher 41, Louw 5-27) beat EasternProvince 116 for 8 (Langeveldt 3-21) by 11 runs (D/L Method).
ScorecardAn undefeated 42 from Craig Sugden and 41 from Mark Boucher could not save Border from being bowled out, inside the allotted 45 overs, for 188. Johann Louw, playing for Eastern Province after moving from Griqualand West at the begining of the season, returned career-best figures of 5 for 27.A 150-minute rain delay, after the supper break, had the slide rule out, and Eastern Province was set a Duckworth-Lewis target of 128 off 24 overs. For the second time this series Border had been caught on the wrong end of the weather but they turned it around with some good attacking bowling, especially from Charl Langeveldt, who took 3 for 21.Continuous pressure on the batsmen resulted in chances being taken and wickets being lost at crucial periods, and Border walk away victorsin an exciting finish.

The former Indian allrounder MJ Gopalan has died at the age of 94 in Chennai. Before his death he was the oldest surviving Test cricketer, a mantle which has now passed to Don Cleverley, who played twice for New Zealand – either side of the war – and who was born on December 23, 1909.Gopalan played his only Test against England at Calcutta in 1933-34, taking one wicket and scoring 18 runs. He was more successful in first-class cricket, taking 194 wickets as a fast bowler as well as scoring 2916 runs in 78 matches.Gopalan was a double international, who also represented India at hockey as a centre-half. In 1936 he was faced with a difficult choice when he was picked for both the cricket tour of England and for the hockey team at the Berlin Olympics. He opted for cricket, arguably an unwise move. He was almost assured of a gold medal at Berlin, but instead he was part of an unhappy tour of England. He had only modest success in the limited opportunities he was given on a trip was marred by some eccentric captaincy from the Maharajah of Vizianagram.A tower of strength in Madras cricket for around 25 years with his allround skills, Gopalan bowled the first delivery in the Ranji Trophy, against Mysore at Madras in November 1934. He also captained them for several years.He was a Test selector in the late 1950s and early ’60s. For about 30 years until the match lapsed in the late 1980s, Madras and Ceylon (later Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka) competed in an annual contest for the Gopalan Trophy.Gopalan’s date of birth, as given in Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, was June 6, 1909. But some reports have suggested he was older than that, having been born in 1906 – which would have made him 97 years old at the time of his death.

The Sri Lankan selectors have retained the same 15-man squad for the third andfourth one-dayers, both of which are to be played at the traditionally spin-friendly Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo.Sri Lanka levelled the series on Sunday thanks to a match-winning spellfrom Chaminda Vaas, who took 3 for 48 and was the only seamer in a bowling attack that included six spinners.With conditions expected to be similar, the same XI could be retained.However, according to selection sources, changes to the final XI are beingconsidered and the team will not be finalised until the pitch is inspected on Tuesday.The relegation of Romesh Kaluwitharana down the order on Sunday suggeststhat the likeliest change may now be Kumar Sangakkara taking over wicketkeeping duties for the first time in one-day cricket since last year’s World Cup.Kaluwitharana, run out in the first two matches for single figure scores,could be replaced by either a fast bowler – probably Nuwan Zoysa – or SamanJayantha, an explosive batsman who is yet to make his international debut.Squad
1 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Mahela Jayawardene, 4 Kumar Sangakkara, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Russel Arnold, 7 Upul Chandana, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Muttiah Muralitharan, 10 Kumar Dharmasena, 11 Romesh Kaluwitharana, 12 Nuwan Kulasekara, 13 Kaushal Lokuarachchi, 14 Nuwan Zoysa, 15 Saman Jayantha

Ricky Skerritt has resigned as West Indies team manager following the defeat in the second Test at Port-of-Spain.Skerritt, who was appointed in March 2000, said he made his decision to resign following the first Test in Jamaica and informed the West Indian board of his decision on Saturday, confiming it in writing the following day.”Events following the first Test match in Jamaica have led me to review my role as manager,” Skerritt explained, referring to an incident in which four members of the team were spotted partying in the stands following West Indies’ embarrassing collapse to 47 all out. “I regret that, despite my best efforts, I have been unable to instill in the entire team the fullest understanding of their obligations on and off the field to the people of the West Indies.”Brian Lara admitted that the news took him by surprise. “He said he felt the team needed new blood and new energy,” he said. “All the guys appreciate his hard work and we wish him well. Now we need to focus on the cricket, though, and not worry about things happening off the field, like with the manager or whatever.”Skerritt emphasised his continued commitment to West Indies cricket and hiswillingness to support whoever succeeds him to ensure a smooth transition. In accordance with the terms of his contract Skerritt’s resignation will take effect from the end of June 2004.

Wally Langdon, an early giant of West Australian cricket and one of the unluckiest batsmen never to play for Australia, has died in Perth at the age of 81.A classy left-hander, Langdon was judged by the legendary Test opener Arthur Morris to possess "an ideal temperament for big cricket". He hailed from the gold-mining town of Boulder, and stockpiled his runs most effectively in the summer of 1952-53, when centuries against Queensland and the touring South Africans were not enough to win him Test selection.WA fans, suspecting yet another eastern-states conspiracy, were miffed. Their sense of injustice rankled further when Langdon missed out on Lindsay Hassett’s 1953 Ashes squad behind Graeme Hole, from South Australia, and the New South Welshman Jimmy de Courcy – "and Wally Langdon," his old team-mate Ken Meuleman noted last night, "was a long way better than Jimmy de Courcy."Meuleman told The West Australian newspaper: "There is no question that had he played for Victoria or New South Wales he would have played Test cricket. If he had played today he would be the equal of Justin Langer or Damien Martyn."Langdon’s lack of baggy-green recognition did little to diminish his legend in WA. He was an integral member of their inaugural Sheffield Shield-winning side of 1947-48 when WA, to widespread bewilderment, pilfered the prize at their first attempt. Twenty years went by before they repeated the feat, in 1967-68 – and Langdon was again at the forefront, this time as coach.A schoolteacher by profession, Langdon went to war in 1944, flying over Germany in a Lancaster Bomber. Returning home, he was 25 and considered an automatic selection when WA were at last granted Shield status. He starred against Don Bradman’s 1948 Invincibles when they detoured to the WACA en route to England, hitting 112 – and so impressing The Don that he was invited to play in Bradman’s testimonial match the following season.Batting in front of around 60,000 people, hordes undreamed of by a young man from the WA bush, Langdon distinguished himself with 60 and 42. He went to India in 1949-50 as part of the Commonwealth team led by Jock Livingston, playing in two of the five unofficial Tests. In 1952-53 he was put in charge of the WA side, despite never having captained even his club team. Alan Edwards, another Langdon contemporary, described him last night as "a helluva fighter".Despite his latish entry to first-class cricket, Langdon scored five hundreds for WA and averaged in the mid-thirties. A useful left-arm medium-pacer, he also played two seasons in England for Burnley in the Lancashire League. For more than a decade he commentated for ABC Radio, cementing his household status among Sandgropers. He cut a dapper and familiar figure around the WACA right up to his death.It was Langdon who brought a young Barry Shepherd to the big smoke, luring him from the small country town of Donnybrook to play grade cricket in Perth. Shepherd eventually went on to become the first WA-born batsman to represent Australia. Of his own failure to achieve that mantle, Langdon did not like to grumble. But Anthony Barker, in his book The WACA: An Australian Cricket Success Story, wrote: "He was devoid enough of false modesty to believe that he was at least as good as one or two of the batsmen who toured in Hassett’s Ashes-surrendering team of 1953."Langdon had suffered from kidney problems in recent times, and passed away on Sunday night. He is survived by five members of WA’s shock all-conquerors of ’47-48.Christian Ryan is the Australasian editor of Wisden Cricinfo.

Matthew Maynard, the former England batsman, has been awarded a testimonial season for Glamorgan next summer. Maynard, 38, became the county’s leading century maker by scoring his 53rd hundred against Leicestershire at Cardiff yesterday.Maynard made his debut for Glamorgan back in 1985, and captained the club from 1996 to 2000, leading them to the Championship title in 1997. He played four Tests for England between 1988 and 1994, two each against Australia and West Indies. He was also picked for 14 one-dayers, his last match being in the 2000 NatWest Series.”I’m honoured to be awarded a testimonial year and extremely grateful to the club for granting it to me,” Maynard said. “It’s been a great privilege to serve Glamorgan for the past 20 years, one of its most successful eras, and there is still, in my view, no better county on the circuit to play for.”He added, “I have been fortunate to play alongside some great players, none better than the current squad, and also to have represented a club which has some fantastic supporters. Hopefully I can play my part over the next year or two in trying to deliver some more success for them.”Maynard’s record-breaking century took him past Alan Jones and Hugh Morris in Glamorgan’s hall of fame, and he celebrated with a drop of whisky during the match. “Darren Thomas spilt it the first time around, so it was kind of lost in the moment,” said Maynard. “It was a little tipple of whisky – but I didn’t play the next over so well as it was still burning in my throat.”

As England’s one-day form continues to depress, an article in today’s London Daily Mail claims that Graham Thorpe was approached and asked whether he was prepared to rescind his retirement from one-day internationals to help bail England out.The article says that Thorpe was called by David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, and asked about his availability. “Grav asked me to confirm that I had retired from one-day cricket, and I confirmed that I had,” Thorpe told the newspaper. “I’ve had my time and I don’t miss it. One-day cricket is dead and buried for me now, and it would be a huge backward step for England to pick me again anyway.”Graveney admitted that he had spoken to Thorpe. “Nothing is a closed book … but you have to respect an individual’s wishes,” he said. “However, it was worth asking because Thorpe is a quality player who still has a lot to offer.”