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Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire were frustrated by the rain on the second day of their promotion tussle at Bristol.Only 16.4 overs were possible, during which time Gloucestershire moved from 13-0 to 73-1 in reply to Nottinghamshire’s 216.A draw is unlikely to be any good to either side in their bid to go up, and an unsettled weather forecast for the final two days of the game could force the captains to set up a contrived finish.No play was possible in the morning session. An attempt was made at 12 noon, only for the players to come off for bad light just as the first ball was to be bowled.The action finally started at 1.20pm and Nottinghamshire enjoyed success in the third over of the day.Dominic Hewson pushed forward at a David Lucas delivery and was caught by Guy Welton at short leg for three.That left the home county on 13-1 in the eighth over, but the next 13 overs produced 60 runs as Kim Barnett and Matt Windows cut loose.Barnett was the main aggressor with an unbeaten 41 from 65 deliveries, with six fours cracked through the off-side.All of them were taken off pace bowler Andy Harris, who was punished for offering too much width to his former Derbyshire colleague.Windows had a couple of boundaries, one off Lucas and one off Harris, in his unbeaten 18, which was good enough to take him past 1,000 first-class runs in a season for the second time.Windows has now scored 1,004 runs this campaign, with 14 of those scored for the First Class Counties XI against New Zealand A.

Uganda’s ability to construct decent totals could be the key to their competitiveness when the Under-19 World Cup gets underway in Sri Lanka.The African nation, whose development program is held up as a blueprint for other countries throughout the ICC Associate and Affiliate world, is likely to be able to hold its own with the ball and in the field. But there are question marks over whether the players can back up thoseaspects of their game with sizeable scores when they bat.Uganda reached the World Cup by finishing as runners-up to Namibia in the Africa-East Asia-Pacific qualifying tournament held in Benoni, South Africa last August. They won four of their five matches, including a victory over Kenya, and even beat the Namibians in the group stages before losing to them by three wickets in a closely-contested final. But in all those matches Uganda’s batsmen mustered only one half-century between them, the 61 scored by their captain Hamza Almuzahim against Fiji. In their defence it was a low-scoring tournament, but that worrying trend has continued in the two warm-up matches the side has played in Sri Lanka.In matches against colleges sides, Uganda was bowled out for 161 and 133 and that problem will need to be solved and solved quickly before their Group A matches against the hosts Sri Lanka, and New Zealand and Pakistan. Much of the responsibility for that required improvement will fall on the shoulders of captain Almuzahim, one of ten players in the squad that also took part in the 2004 event in Bangladesh, the first time Uganda played in the finals of the World Cup.Four of the squad – opening bowler Emmanuel Isaneez, allrounder PatrickOchan, vice-captain Raymond Otim, a batsman who bowls legspin, and left-arm medium-pacer Charles Waiswa, were also part of the senior Uganda squad that played in the ICC Trophy in Ireland last July.Along with Almuzahim, the other key members of the batting line-up could be prospective openers Mauneek Solanki and Roger Mukasa, the former U15 captain Arthur Kyobe, wicketkeeper Denis Musali and Jimmy Okello. Musali opened the innings in every match in Benoni and made an unbeaten 27 to steer the side home against Tanzania. The bowling and fielding appears to be less of a concern, especially when judged on performances not only in those qualifiers but also in the two warm-up matches so far.Isaneez, who took 6 for 37 to give Bangladesh a real scare in the Plate competition two years ago, is back to lead the attack again and among those likely to back him up is Ronald Semanda, who took 4 for 28 in the side’s match on Friday.Daniel Ruyange, who took 3 for 15 against Tanzania in Benoni, and Davis Arinaitwe will also bowl offspin while Waiswa played for the Uganda senior side in last year’s ICC Intercontinental Cup. Most intriguing of all is the presence in the squad of offspinner Emmanuel Nakaana. The youngest player in the tournament, he only celebrated his 14th birthday on December 24 last year but has already shown signs of promise and took 4 for 24 in the side’s latest warm-up match.Whatever Uganda’s limitations with the bat, they come to Sri Lanka with a reputation for excellence in the field. They effected four run-outs in one of their games with Namibia in Benoni and Otim is one of their stars in this area. Expect to find him at backward point.Uganda’s only previous appearance in the U-19 World Cup came two years ago, when they lost to South Africa (eight wickets), England (by 213 runs) and Nepal (five wickets) before taking part in the Plate competition. They lost to Ireland (123 runs) and Bangladesh (four wickets) but finished the tournament on a high with a five-wicket win over Canada when they chased 232 for victory.Realistically they are expected to struggle this time around as they have been drawn in one of the two groups that includes three Test-playing sides. But the signs are there that Uganda could be an emerging force within the game over the next few years. They have consistently boasted one of the biggest development programs in the Associate and Affiliate world with over 20,000 children involved in organised sessions. They also have an excellent schools program and the only limitation to growth is a lack of facilities although that, too, is being addressed.The long-term future for cricket in Uganda looks promising and the next three weeks will be another step on the road to growing the game in that country.Uganda squad Hamza Almuzahim (capt), Raymond Otim, Davis Arinaitwe, Emmanuel Isaneez, Arthur Kyobe, Roger Mukasa, Denis Musali, Emmanuel Nakaana, Patrick Ochan, Jimmy Okello, Danniel Ruyange, Mauneek Solanki, Ronald Semanda and Charles Waiswa.

Rained-out matches were ruining England’s preparation for the NatWest Series, according to Marcus Trescothick. England’s first match, against New Zealand, was washed out without a ball being bowled, and they now match up against West Indies at Trent Bridge on June 26.Trescothick, who is returning to the England team after an ankle injury, emphasised how difficult it was for the members of the team, especially for the one-day specialists. “This weather is tough, particularly for the guys who are just playing one-day cricket,” he told AFP. “We’ve obviously played a lot of cricket over the last eight months, and it doesn’t seem so disjointed for us. But it’s difficult for the guys coming into the team just for the one-dayers.”The focus then shifted to Geraint Jones, the latest English sensation. “Geraint has got something about him, and I’m not the first person to say it – he’s got an aura about him without a doubt,” said Trescothick. “We’re not getting to see the guys we want to see in the sort of situations we need to see them in.”Jones, who recently made his maiden Test century against New Zealand, is all set to break into the one-day team. “When he’s playing the first one-day international of his career, it’s about finding the right position for him; whether it’s opening, No. 3 or No. 7 we just don’t know at the moment,” said Trescothick. “We may have to experiment a little bit and give him a few days at the top and then maybe try him lower down the order. Then we’ll know a bit more after that.”Trescothick underscored the value of time in the middle. “They are losing the experience, and we’ve now lost six games out of 10 – and that leaves a big hole with players not getting the chances they should,” he said. “I’ve only played 80-odd games and I’m meant to be experienced. But you have people in the opposition who have played 250 games, and that to me is experience.”

ScorecardSurrey took firm control of the first day of their match against Bangladesh A at The Oval, racking up 336 for 5 before declaring. Bangladesh A made 45 without loss by the close on a decent wicket, but the day belonged to the home side. James Benning made 124 before being run out, and there were half-centuries for Richard Clinton, Andrew Hodd and Ian Salisbury. Hodd and Salisbury shared an unbeaten stand of 105 before Mark Butcher called time on the innings.Surrey took the opportunity to blood their 17-year-old batsman Rory Hamilton, but he made just 5 before being bowled by Enamul Haque Jnr, the second of his two wickets. There were failures, too, for Scott Newman, who made 8, and Butcher, who reached 5 on his return.Other young players were included in the home side’s team for experience, with 19-year-old Jade Dernbach opening the bowling; he had six overs for 32, and Hodd, the wicketkeeper/batsman striking an unbeaten fifty. Shahriar Nafees and Mehrab Hossain Jnr had started to build the visitors’ reply and they will look to cement a solid partnership when play gets underway again on Thursday.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Ricky Ponting added to his impressive collection of individual records in the second Test as Australia targeted a series victory by setting South Africa 410. With his twin centuries Ponting became only the second player alongside Sunil Gavaskar to achieve the mark in three matches, and he also stepped ahead of Don Bradman’s 29 hundreds to sit two behind Steve Waugh, the leading Australian.While his batting was superb, Ponting’s tactics of delaying the declaration, despite last-session problems with the light throughout the match and today’s murky weather, will be questioned as South Africa escaped to 29 for 0 in 7.1 overs before the players went off. Ponting closed the second innings half an hour before tea at 307 for 4 and Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers were not troubled in the first five overs.The conditions deteriorated during and after the break, and Andrew Symonds, who was bowling medium pace, and Shane Warne had delivered 13 balls when the batsmen were offered the light after a couple of umpiring conferences. Symonds’s offspin was not tried as de Villiers, who played an aggressive hook shot off Brett Lee, reached 17 and Smith 10.Australia’s chances of sealing the series now rely on them taking ten wickets on day five, but their main threats are a combination of a South African rearguard and more poor weather. Ponting experienced a selection of the possible conditions when he batted with blue sky, rain, wind and gloom, but the chances of a reduction in match time did not seem to affect his declaration plans.Starting the day with a 227-run advantage, Ponting set the pace of Australia’s target-setting next to Matthew Hayden as they both reached three figures in a 201-run stand. Play began with the lights on but they didn’t dim the batsmen’s outlook. Pulling was again a productive shot for Ponting, who slapped Shaun Pollock for six over midwicket, and Hayden was driving strongly as he overtook his captain and beat him to 100.Hayden, who picked off 12 boundaries in 102, replaced his stolid performance of day three with one of more power as Australia kept ticking off their goals. With a single to point Hayden moved to his 26th hundred and for two overs was within three of Ponting, who restored his four-century lead by picking up a one to mid-on from his 166th ball.South Africa’s fast men struggled for spark as they watched the total grow and they finally had a moment to cheer when Hayden nicked Makhaya Ntini to Mark Boucher with the score on 250. As the closure approached Ponting departed to a big heave to deep midwicket and Adam Gilchrist smashed Andre Nel for 22 in an over including five fours. Not that it shut the bowler up.There was regular talk on the field and Ponting ensured they would be more about his decisions and his batting records. He opened the Test series against West Indies in November with a couple of hundreds at the Gabba – the first time he reached the milestone – and he matched the feat in his 100th Test at the SCG in January to earn a 2-0 win against South Africa. In the first innings he sweated for 103 and today’s smoother 116 was his seventh hundred in a 2005-06 season of 1238 runs in nine matches.Ponting is in the middle of a remarkable batting streak and his side is now stuck in an intriguing race of ball, bat and weather. If the conditions allow expect an absorbing final day.

Australia
Justin Langer c Pollock b Boje 37 (49 for 1)
Matthew Hayden c Boucher b Ntini 102 (250 for 2)
Ricky Ponting c Boje b Pollock 116 (278 for 3)
Adam Gilchrist c Nel b Boje 24 (307 for 4)

The rebellion against Zimbabwe Cricket was snuffed out before it ever really began, with the Mashonaland Cricket Association backing down in the face of allegations of financial and constitutional irregularities.Speaking to the Zimbabwe Independent, Cyprian Mandenge, the MCA chairman, said: "We’ve realised it’s cricket that will suffer, so we are negotiating so that our concerns are addressed. All we want is a democratic constitution."Less than a week ago the MCA had seemed set on a collision course with ZC, and there was a possibility that other provincial associations might join the opposition. But stories began to emerge that that a payout from ZC intended to help seven Mashonaland clubs all went to Takashinga Sports Club, and at the end of the week the MCA’s stance was further weakened when all but two of its club sides elected to honour their national league fixtures.Behind the scenes, Tavengwa Mukuhlani, the former MCA chairman who was ousted in December, is thought to be consulting lawyers to try to get the decision overturned as being unconstitutional. Mukuhlani met with Peter Chingoka, ZC’s chairman, last week and it is believed that Chingoka made it quite clear that he expected Mukuhlani to get a grip on the province and reassert control.The Independent said that other provinces had backed off or condemned the rebellion, quoting Macsood Ebrahim, the Masvingo Cricket Association, as saying that he told the rebels to "go to hell and made it clear to them that we would not entertain individuals agitating for a coup." Given that Ebrahim is a close associate of Ozias Bvute, ZC’s general manager and is a key figure inside ZC,that is hardly a surprising response.Ahmed Essat, the chairman of the Matabeleland Cricket Association, said that his province had not supported the coup but, nevertheless, still had serious concerns about the way that ZC had undertaken an expensive rebranding exercise without any consultation."The Matabeleland province wants to understand who is responsible for the re-branding," said Essat. "But we can’t say because of that the whole ZC board has to go. Like in any other business, all we want is for people to be accountable."Hemant Patel , chairman of the Midlands Cricket Association, explained that his province had withdrawn support for Mashonaland after "constitutional flaws and irregularities in the special general meeting held in Mashonaland" emerged.Some sources claim that ZC brought pressure to bear on other provinces, but it seems that Mashonaland failed to get its own house in order before taking on ZC.

Division One

Lancashire’s depleted attack put in a determined performances to leave their team with a healthy advantage over Durham. Without the services of Dominic Cork, who injured his ankle batting late on the first day, the remaining bowlers produced a concerted effort. Tom Smith again put in a commendable show following his three wickets on Championship debut last week and three more in the C&G Trophy. Here he claimed four important strikes including Dale Benkenstein, who was looking dangerous on 37. Gordon Muchall provided the major obstacles as he also continued fine early-season form by following his 213 against Kent with 102. But he was removed by Glen Chapple, who chipped in with three wickets, leaving Durham trailing by 144 runs.The Rose Bowl continued its reputation of aiding the seamers as Hampshire and Sussex traded blows. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, the Pakistan paceman, claimed 5 for 63 as Sussex established a vital lead of 43. Robin Martin-Jenkins helped out with two wickets during an exceptionally tight spell as he conceded just 19 runs in 14 overs. However, the Hampshire attack struck back as James Bruce continued his encouraging start to the campaign although Chris Adams remains unbeaten and Sussex have a significant advantage of 192.Warwickshire took a firm grip on their clash against Yorkshire by claiming a 100-run lead. All the Warwickshire bowlers chipped in but Heath Streak led the way and set the ball rolling as he removed both openers. However, the key wicket of Darren Lehmann fell to the unheralded figure of Timothy Groenewald, a 22-year-old South African seamer making his Championship debut, who also removed Michael Lumb. Jason Gillespie, whose last innings was his unbeaten 201 against Bangladesh, came in at No. 10 and was left stranded on 6. With a healthy cushion behind them, Warwickshire built confidently with Neil Carter smashing 36 off 27 balls. Nick Knight and Jonathan Trott consolidated and stretched the lead towards 250.Middlesex against Kent at Lord’s. For a full bulletin by Will Luke click here.

Division Two

Essex continued to enjoy a run-fest against Glamorgan following the record-breaking efforts of Ravindar Bopara and Andy Flower on the first day. Flower fell early on, trapped lbw by Simon Jones, but the runs stilled flowed through Ronnie Irani and then Ryan ten doeschate, who brought up Essex’s third ton of the innings off 143 balls. There were some painful figures for the Glamorgan attack, although Ryan Watkins gave them something to smile about. His unbeaten 76 set up the Glamorgan reply after Darren Gough claimed an early scalp.Tim Murtagh and Nayan Doshi claimed three wickets apiece to hand Surrey a 126-run lead over Leicestershire. At 126 for 6, Leicestershire were facing the prospect of the follow-on but John Maunders averted that possibility with a fighting 87. Stuart Broad enjoyed a fine all-round day, firstly confirming the potential of his pace bowler with a maiden five-wicket haul, as Surrey lost their last six wickets for 35, before showing that some of his father’s batting skills had rubbed off with an 83-ball 24. He is certainly one to keep an eye on, but has a huge task to keep Leicestershire in this match when he takes the ball for a second time.In contrast to the run-filled opening day when Somerset racked up 406, today was dominated by the bowlers as Worcestershire slumped for 161. The clatter of wickets continued after Somerset declined to enforce the follow-on and crashed to 97 for 7, although they hold a commanding lead of 342. From 79 for 1, Worcestershire crumbled as Andrew Caddick claimed five. When Somerset batting again Marcus Trescothick suffered his fourth Championship failure in four innings, trapped lbw by Kabir Ali. Zaheer Khan, the Indian pace bowler, scythed through the order with four wickets, but it is probably too late for Worcestershire.

ScorecardIndia A turned in a sound allround performance to humble Pakistan A by 130 runs in their limited-overs match in the Top End Series in Darwin. Opener Gautam Gambhir led the assault for India with an undefeated 142 which propelled them to 313. His 147-run opening stand with Robin Uthappa (72) laid the foundation for a big score. Rohit Sharma (47*) joined Gambhir after captain Venugopal Rao was dismissed, and the pair added 121 in the last 15 overs.Pakistan began poorly, with Rudra Pratap Singh and Shib Paul, the Indian seamers, making early inroads. Rafatullah Mohmand was the only batsman to cross fifty, while the rest succumbed, mostly to the spinners. Leg spinner Piyush Chawla finished with figures of 3 for 34 from his 10 overs while Rao chipped in with two wickets, including that of Mohmand for 84. Parthiv Patel, India’s wicketkeeper, too had a good outing, effecting five dismissals.

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will not travel to the Caribbean for the World Cup if they fail to take a dope test, according to Pakistan cricket officials. The Pakistan Cricket Board completed tests on 13 of its 15-man squad and five reserves this week but Shoaib and Asif have yet to feature, raising media speculation they might be forced out of the event starting on March 13.”PCB chairman Naseem Ashraf has a zero tolerance on the use of banned substances so any member of the team going for the World Cup has to pass the screening, the in-house dope testing,” Salim Altaf, the PCB’s director of operations, told AFP. “The chairman has directed that nobody can go on the tour if this screening is not done.”Shoaib was banned for two years and Asif for one year in November after they tested positive for the steroid nandrolone. But the new-ball pair’s bans were controversially overturned by a PCB appellate committee in December, on the grounds they did not take the banned substance knowingly. Experts have warned that Shoaib and Asif may still have banned substances in their systems after testing positive last year and face life bans if they test positive again.Altaf, however, brushed aside speculation over the dope tests on Shoaib and Asif. “Everybody will feature otherwise nobody can go and that is the instruction of the chairman and we hope all speculations die down after this,” said Altaf, a former fast bowler. He also rejected suggestions the PCB was risking life bans for the pair if they test positive a second time. “If they failed tests which took place in September 2006 and this is now February 2007, the process is the same for everybody.”Shoaib said he still hopes to be fit for World Cup despite battling to recover from knee and hamstring problems. “I am going for another reassessment of my knee and hamstring injury in England later this week and only after that I am able to know about my chances of playing in the World Cup,” he told AFP. Asked when he was due to appear for testing, Shoaib refused to comment and said his first priority was to get over his injury.”Right now I want my injury to heal and only after that I am going to think about anything else,” said Shoaib, who joined Pakistan’s pre-tour camp in Lahore on Friday but only took part in exercises. “My chances of playing in the World Cup are 50-50 and I will take a final decision only after having a reassessment of the knee. The doctor has stopped me from bowling until February 27.”Asif meanwhile also had an assessment in England last week after a recurrence of an elbow injury before returning home on Wednesday. “Both Shoaib and Asif are consulting the specialist over their injuries and once these problems are overcome they will feature in the tests,” said Altaf. Another paceman, Umar Gul, featured in the training camp and said on Friday that he “felt great” after recovering from an ankle injury sustained on Pakistan’s tour of South Africa last month.Altaf said all the squad members will have to pass fitness tests as well. “Before the departure of the team to the Caribbean all 15 players are going to subjected to a fitness test by a medical panel of the PCB,” he said. Pakistan has until March 2 to replace any injured player in their squad. After the deadline only the International Cricket Council’s technical committee is entitled to allow an injury replacement. Pakistan also has ICC permission to replace any player who tests positive.

Victoria have been bolstered by the return of Cameron White and Mick Lewis from Australian one-day duty for Sunday’s ING Cup match against Tasmania at Launceston. White will be back as captain and he said a win was crucial at the half-way mark of the competition.”Getting the points in Launceston will have us sitting in second position on the table and with plenty of momentum going in to the second half of the season,” he said. Tim Welsford was cut from the squad that comfortably beat Queensland last weekend.Victoria squad Jon Moss, Michael Klinger, Lloyd Mash, David Hussey, Liam Buchanan, Graeme Rummans, Grant Lindsay, Cameron White (capt), Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Shane Harwood, Peter Siddle, Gerard Denton, Mick Lewis.Tasmania Michael Di Venuto (capt), Tim Paine, Travis Birt, George Bailey, Michael Dighton, Adam Polkinghorne, Dane Anderson, Adam Griffith, Xavier Doherty, Shannon Tubb, Ben Hilfenhaus, Darren McNees.