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Matabeleland Tuskers and Mountaineers surged to easy wins as the Stanbic Bank 20 Series got rolling in Harare.Natsai Mushangwe was the hero for Mountaineers after they chose to field against Mid West Rhinos at the Harare Sports Club. Rhinos were in a dominant position at 55 for 1 in the eighth over, with Brendan Taylor and Riki Wessels on menacing 30-plus scores. Mushangwe, however, accounted for Taylor, who had struck two sixes, to spark a slide in which nine wickets fell for 60 runs. Shingi Masakadza and Prosper Utseya chipped in with two wickets apiece, while Mushangwe scalped 3 for 19.The target of 116 posed Mountaineers with few problems, after Hamilton Masakadza laid the foundation with a steady 34. Former New Zealand allrounder Chris Harris then controlled the chase with an unbeaten 39 to take his side home with seven balls to spare. Fast bowlers Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes – the Australian imports in the two sides – finished wicketless in their economical spells.Njabulo Ncube was Mashonaland Eagles‘ bugbear as they struggled to 120 for 8 in their 20 overs, a target that Matabeleland Tuskers hunted down with four overs to spare also at the Harare Sports Club. Keegan Meth started the damage, picking up 2 for 15 as the power-packed Eagles top order faltered. Rory Hamilton-Brown, Peter Trego and Ryan ten Doeschate were the notable casualties as they stumbled to 51 for 5 in the 10th over. A series of 20s from Forster Mutizwa, Elton Chigumbura and Andrew Hall steadied the situation, setting the Tuskers a run-a-ball chase.Tom Smith’s early dismissal gave Eagles some hope, but Chris Gayle was only warming up to the task. He did not clear the field, but struck three fours in a crisp 27, and along with Paul Horton (30) took the game away from Eagles. Charles Coventry then sealed victory in a blaze of big hits, smashing four sixes and two fours in 44 off 19 balls.

The full itinerary for the women’s quadrangular series in Chennai has been released at last. Concerns that there would not be enough rest days have been allayed with the original two-week squeeze extended to a more leisurely three.The top four teams in the women’s game – India, Australia, New Zealand and England – will take part in this competition which takes place every four years. The tournament takes place throughout late February and early March, culminating in a Final and third place play-off on March 5.Gill McConway, the ECB’s executive director of women’s cricket, said: “It’s a very exciting phase of the international touring schedule for women’s cricket. The quadrangular series was initiated in New Zealand four years ago and was such a huge success that all the teams signed up to continue with the competition every four years.”The first practice match is between England and Australia on February 18, and the tournament proper gets underway three days later, when England take on the hosts India.

Andrew Flintoff is in doubt for the second Test against Pakistan after feeling discomfort in his ankle during his comeback match for Lancashire, against Kent, at Canterbury.A decision on his availability for the second Test at Old Trafford will be made after he visits a specialist tomorrow.An ECB statement said: “Andrew Flintoff has made good progress with his rehabilitation from an injury to his left ankle. He has worked extremely hard and at every stage of the rehabilitation program has shown improvement.”However, bowling in a four-day County Championship match against Kent was intended as the final test of the progress that he has made. Unfortunately, he has experienced some discomfort today and he will see a specialist tomorrow to reassess the ankle and future management of the injury.”Flintoff has steadily increased his workload over the last couple weeks, starting with two Twenty20 matches for Lancashire before his Championship return. He bowled 19 overs in the first innings against Kent, taking two wickets in his first spell. However, despite opening the bowling in the second innings he sent down just four overs before feeling pain in his ankle.England drew the first Test against Pakistan, at Lord’s, and the four-man bowling attack was lightweight without Flintoff’s presence. Andrew Strauss led the side and would again stand in if Flintoff is ruled out of any further Tests.

Curtly Ambrose, the former West Indian fast bowler, has told the current lot of bowlers to avoid trying to be too ambitious on the Caribbean’s unhelpful pitches. He said the players needed to understand that conditions were different to when he was playing.”Just keep it simple,” Ambrose said. “The pitches nowadays aren’t really conducive to fast bowling and it can be a big turnoff. I would say to the guys, just try and forget about the pitch and go out there and do the best you can.”The West Indies have lost all three of their World Cup Super Eights matches so far and must win their next three, as well as rely on other teams’ results, if they are to have any hope of making the semi-finals. The hosts have just two points in the standings, courtesy their win over fellow qualifiers Ireland in the group stage.Their bowlers conceded 322 in their first Super Eights match against Australia, which they lost by 103 runs, a match where Ambrose felt the bowlers got carried away. “Bowl a proper line and length consistently, you will get wickets and will be successful,” he said. “They tried too many things against Australia.”Surprisingly, the hosts dropped Jerome Taylor in their second match against New Zealand to accommodate an extra batsman, Lendl Simmons, but still lost by seven wickets. Ambrose said omitting a bowler was a blunder.”I have always been of the opinion that you should never weaken your bowling to strengthen the batting, I figure if the batsmen you have selected can’t do the job, then you replace them,” he said. “I really don’t comment on selection but I am going to say ‘support the guys’ whichever team is playing out there.”The West Indies also lost to Sri Lanka by 113 runs, a defeat which further hit their chances of reaching the last four. Ambrose, who took 405 Test and 225 one-day wickets during his illustrious career, said like all other West Indian fans he too was upset with events at the World Cup. “I can’t say that I am a happy man at the moment because we are not doing too well and as a West Indian and a patriot I can’t stand losing,” he said.The defeats have left millions of Caribbean fans disappointed, former players looking for scapegoats and organisers fearing for the financial implications of seeing even emptier stadiums for the remaining matches. West Indies take on South Africa in Grenada on Tuesday where a defeat will confirm their elimination from the tournament.

Titans fast bowler Marchant de Lange has been called up to South Africa’s squad for the last two Tests in India as cover for Dale Steyn, who is doubtful for the Nagpur fixture beginning on November 25 because of a groin injury.De Lange has played two Tests for South Africa, the last of which was in Wellington in 2012. He was part of the T20 squad that won the series in India earlier in the tour.”At the moment we only have three fit seamers in Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott, so with Dale still struggling with a groin injury we decided to bring Marchant in as cover so we are prepared in case one of the three breaks down,” South Africa coach Russell Domingo said. “Marchant’s biggest strength is pace, if the ball does start to reverse swing his pace through the air brings him into the contest.Marchant de Lange last played a Test for South Africa in 2012•Getty Images

“Even though his performances back home have been a bit inconsistent, we do know that as an impact player he is a guy that can turn the game with a good spell. Guys that can bowl at 150 km per hour will always be good value.”South Africa trail 1-0 in the series, after losing heavily in Mohali and then watching rain washout the Bangalore Test. Domingo, however, was confident his team could turn it around.”We’ve done it before,” he said. “We know that we are still in the contest with two matches to play, the wickets are definitely going to produce results. We are 1-0 down so we have every chance of turning it around in Nagpur. We have a lot of inexperienced players who haven’t played in India before so hopefully they will have learnt a lot of lessons from these first two matches.”

Stephen Fleming said he was still the best option to captain New Zealand despite their disappointing CB Series in Australia, where they missed the finals after a resurgent England overshadowed them in the later stages of the tournament. Fleming endured criticism of his decision-making and his own personal form during the series and there were calls for Daniel Vettori to take over the captaincy.But as New Zealand prepared for the first game of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy at Wellington, Fleming defended his role with the team. “Leadership and decision-making is a massive part of my game,” he told . “I love the job, I love being with the team.”What I find tiring is spending weeks when you know you’re copping it. That can be a little bit draining but it’s part and parcel of being New Zealand captain when you’re not performing well. When you lose you’re torn apart.”Steve Rixon, the former New Zealand coach, said Fleming’s body language in Australia was “flat”, while Adam Parore continued his criticism of Fleming’s leadership and said Vettori should replace him. Fleming declined to respond directly to Parore’s comments. “I think we’ve given Adam enough exposure this week,” he said.Fleming’s own form was disappointing until he scored a century in New Zealand’s last game of the tour. But his tactics in that match – his 106 came from 149 balls in an unsuccessful run-chase – divided opinion in New Zealand. “In some games I’d have loved to have had another go at it, you can do 20 different things during a game,” Fleming said.He said New Zealand were expected to win the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy with Australia’s line-up missing Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Brett Lee and doubt surrounding Michael Clarke’s fitness. “It’s an oxymoron to say there’s a weak Australian side — there’s no such thing,” Fleming said.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, who scored a stylish 84 on his return to the Sri Lankan team, said he was under no pressure while crafting a 149-run partnership for the fifth wicket alongside Mahela Jayawardene.”I have been in good form these past three months both domestically and for the A-team and I was under no pressure when I was recalled to the team,” Dilshan said at the end of the second day’s play. “I played my natural game and was successful. I had been waiting for the past few weeks for an opportunity to get back into the side and when I did, I took full advantage of it.”Dilshan was run out while trying to help Jayawardene get his hundred before the tea break. “It would have been nice if I got a hundred. But that’s cricket.”Brimming with confidence when it came to his batting, he said: “I undertake any challenge that is thrown to me. Two and a half years ago when I received a similar recall to the team, also against England, I scored 60 and 100. If you score runs only you can remain in the team.”He also felt England’s negative attitude has given Sri Lanka a chance to win the third and final Test at Galle. “After one-and-a-half hour [of Sri Lanka] batting, England got into a negative mood and the fielders were down. Mahela and I took the advantage and while looking for singles, we hit the loose balls for four.”We were looking at something like 300-plus when play began today. To finish at 384 for 6 by the end of the day is a big bonus,” he said. “If we score around 450, we can close the door on an England victory. We hold the advantage and with Murali [Muralitharan] I think we can swing the game our way and win.”Dilshan admitted he received good advice from his captain while in the middle which helped him get to his score. “Mahela told me that I was scoring a bit too fast, had to control myself and to bat straight. I used the crease and stepped down a bit to cut down the swing and that made it easy for me to bat.”It’s not an easy wicket to bat. It’s a 50-50 wicket. The bowlers had the opportunity when they bowl in good areas as the ball is still moving a little bit and there is uneven bounce. With all that, all our batsmen put up a very good effort to get us to 384.”On the catches England dropped during the day, Dilshan said it could happen to any team. Dilshan was let off on seven and 54 and was given a reprieve on 64 when umpire Darryl Harper turned down an appeal for a catch with replays showing that Dilshan had gloved the ball to Matt Prior off Matthew Hoggard.

England coach Duncan Fletcher is not a happy man.He has been disappointed, and surprised, by the lack of fitness of those players in the England touring side who joined the team for the Test leg of the tour.With only the Canterbury game, starting tomorrow, in which to work on their fitness there is no recovery time for those players, and England risk being below par when they start the first Test in Christchurch on Wednesday next week.Fletcher said all the players had been given fitness programmes but not all the players adhered to them.It was ironic that he should air his frustration while the team trained at New Zealand Cricket’s High Performance Centre complex at Lincoln University because the practice wickets at Jade Stadium were wet.The complex is regarded as the finest in the world and some of the innovations coming out of it, and the personnel stationed there, have been trend-setting.But there is nothing especially out of the rocket science manual in a fitness advisor being part of the administration at the Centre. He monitors the fitness of all the leading players in New Zealand and regularly checks that fitness regimes are being maintained.The players work on an Internet-based system that they plug into from their own computers and the fitness advisors can log into. Special attention is placed on contracted players.If there are any concerns, NZC fitness advisor Warren Frost gets on the cellphone immediately.And if they are not getting on with the job?”I get on their case straight away,” Frost said.Surprising as it may seem, there was no monitoring element involved in the England preparations for those players joining the tour out of the English winter.Fletcher said it was something that would have to be sorted out at the end of the tour.England’s players were professionals and supposed to present themselves fit and ready for play.”I know which guys weren’t fit,” Fletcher said.England would look to put the best team on the field to win the Test matches.For the match against Canterbury starting tomorrow, the side will not be named until the last possible moment.However, Marcus Trescothick will not play as he has been given the break he was looking for. Andrew Flintoff has a knee worry which isn’t serious and either he or batsman Graham Thorpe could be given a break as well.The game was very important, especially to the players who have joined the tour as the Test match specialists. Even some of the players who have been involved in the one-day series but who are also contenders for the Tests, need to get out of the one-day mode.Some of them were guilty of sparring at balls in the nets in one-day style rather than in usual Test-match mode.After the failure to bowl out Otago in either innings, it is likely to be a much tougher job to contain a more experienced Canterbury side.

Yorkshire return to Sheffield for the first time in over a decade this week with two 2nd XI matches. The first is a one-day fixture at Sheffield United Cricket Ground on July 17 followed by a three-day Championship fixture at Abbeydale Park from July 18.Sheffield was for many years the home of Yorkshire cricket. Bramall Lane ground staged first-class Yorkshire matches for 110 years from 1863 to 1973 before the Club moved to Abbeydale Park where Championship games and one-day fixtures were played from 1974 to 1996.Sheffield City Council is delighted to see professional cricket back in the city. Councillor Tim Rippon, Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Culture and Planning at Sheffield City Council said “We are really looking forward to the return of Yorkshire to Sheffield. It is a great privilege that they have chosen to return to the city and we hope that local residents go along and watch the team and visitors to Sheffield enjoy their stay.”Stewart Regan, Yorkshire’s chief executive, said “I am delighted to see one of our sides returning to Sheffield where Yorkshire cricket began. It’s a great event for the city and the Club and something I hope can continue for many years to come.”Yorkshire’s final senior appearance at Abbeydale Park was in May 1996, when they drew their Championship match against Derbyshire, and Yorkshire 2nd XI took their final bow a month later when they lost a three-day Championship match against Gloucestershire by five wickets.Yorkshire’s first team played 41 first class matches at Abbeydale, winning eight, losing 11 and drawing 22 with two games being abandoned because of bad weather. They played a total of 391 games at Bramall Lane, winning 163, losing 78 and drawing 150 with three matches being abandoned.

Alastair Cook, England’s victorious captain, said that his players could take pride in a complete team performance after a stunning second-innings bowling display, led once again by Stuart Broad, delivered a remarkable seven-wicket win at Johannesburg, and a first overseas series victory since the tour of India in 2012-13.Cook top-scored with 43 in the run-chase, as England hunted down a target of 74 in 22.3 overs to secure an unassailable 2-0 lead with only next week’s fourth Test at Centurion to come. Afterwards, he paid tribute to Broad’s skill and stamina, after an incredible afternoon spell of 5 for 1 in ten overs had sent South Africa tumbling to 83 all out.However, Cook admitted that Broad’s off-colour performance on the first day of the contest – when he, along with many of his team-mates had been feeling the effects of a stomach bug – may have been a factor in his determination second-time around.”At the beginning of the day, we were talking positively about how we were going to win the game, and Stuart was really on it,” Cook told Sky Sports. “I don’t know if he was disappointed at not feeling well on the first day, rushing off to the toilet, but I think he thought the other bowlers carried him even though he bowled 17 overs [in the innings].”He just thought ‘this is my time’ and jeez, he bowled well,” Cook added. “We knew that, on this pitch, if you could hammer it down on the top off stump at good pace with the brand new ball, and make them play, it would be really hard.”Broad, who has now claimed five wickets in a single Test spell on a remarkable seven separate occasions in his career, said that the Wanderers surface was the sort he would like to pick up and take with him everywhere he played, as he finished the match on 330 wickets, five ahead of Bob Willis in third place on England’s all-time bowling list.”The air’s a bit thinner here so a ten-over spell is probably a bit much,” he said. “But I got in a rhythm from the far end and it was a good day to bowl, the wicket offered a little off the seam and in the air, and for a 6 foot 6 bowler there was a bit of bounce there as well. I wish I got to take that wicket around with us most places, that’s for sure.”I was a little bit under the weather [on the first day],” he admitted. “I think most of our fans and players, everyone we know has been ill in the last few weeks. But fortunately the doctors got me over it pretty quickly, and the guys bowled well on that first day to cover my absence really.”As so often in the best of Broad’s spells, the secret to success was pitching the ball up, as he himself admitted he had failed to do during South Africa’s first-innings 313.”I fell into the trap of probably bowling a bit too short and getting carried away with the bounce,” he said. “So we had a chat with the coach and the bowling group before we went out in the second innings, we talked about bringing the batsman forward a lot more, using the bouncer of course, but from a fuller length.”We got lucky today,” he added. “We got some clouds, the lights were on, it was perfect conditions to bowl, but we got the ball in the good areas from both ends to create that pressure and we took our catches, especially Titchy Taylor’s great catches at short leg. We took our opportunities and it’s been a fantastic day for us.”Despite Broad’s heroics, Cook was keen to spread the credit throughout his squad, on a day which began with England 75 runs adrift of South Africa’s first-innings score, but finished with him becoming the first England captain in history to achieve series wins in both India and South Africa.”It has not sunk in at all,” said Cook. “I think tomorrow morning with a dusty head it will start to.”One of the dustiest heads of all is likely to belong to Ben Stokes, who followed up a vital counterattacking fifty in the first innings with a key afternoon spell in support of Broad’s onslaught, and Cook singled his up-and-coming allrounder out for special praise.”I can’t take any credit for man-managing Ben Stokes,” he joked. “He’s off the leash tonight, but he’s an absolute gem in the side. The ability to score 250 one day then bowl almost 90mph, swinging both ways, when it’s time to balance the attack, a lot of people would want that in your side. When he got injured in Abu Dhabi, to come back here and do what he’s done, it’s amazing.”At the start of today, day three, we knew it would be a moving day in one sense,” he added. “But the challenge was to get up close to them and try to put pressure on them in the third innings. Trev [Trevor Bayliss, the coach] gave us a rocket at lunch, saying if you want to win the series, go now and go hard.”I’m really proud of the lads but also pleased for them,” Cook said. “Pakistan [in the UAE before Christmas] didn’t quite go our way and I felt we deserved more out of it. But we’ve got our rewards for sticking together and playing good cricket. You can get carried away with stats and averages, but everyone can be proud of what they’ve done.”