Among the various goals that New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming still has in cricket is to spend a couple of years captaining an English county side.The first New Zealand men’s skipper to hold aloft a winner’s trophy in a one-day tournament, the 2000 ICC KnockOut tournament trophy in Kenya, Fleming made the comment when discussing the New Zealand players taking part in English county cricket this year when having injury problems at home.Chris Cairns is to play for Nottinghamshire this year, Shane Bond for Warwickshire and Nathan Astle to Derbyshire.”Everyone is concerned when they are carrying injuries with what they can do and what they can’t. But what we have found is that the counties are very accommodating in terms of the programme that can be put in place.”I’ve found it very beneficial to have our players in their and involved and I’m sure the three players concerned can get benefit out of it. Chris Cairns is a little bit different, he’s played a lot more in the past and he knows his body a bit better.”His is probably going to be more of a batting role than an all-rounding role for Notts but the guidelines laid out by the medical panel have been pretty clear.”There’s always concern when you send players off, but there’s also benefits if they are managed right.”Fleming said he would like to play county cricket but possibly not for a couple of years.He felt he needed time to recharge mentally after three or four seasons on the track but in the future he would like to have a crack at captaining a county.

The in-form XXXX Queensland Bulls will know tomorrow whether they willfinally gain the services of fast bowler Ashley Noffke for Friday’s INGCup day/nighter against Victoria at the Gabba.Noffke has been on the verge of making his return from a broken rightindex finger for the past two weeks but has been ruled out prior to thepast two ING matches, which have resulted in handsome victories for theBulls.The right-arm quick made a comeback in Brisbane First Grade cricket onthe weekend, taking 1-31, and bowled in two separate sessions today.He will face a final check tomorrow at Queensland’s last session beforethe match.If Noffke is not given the all-clear to return, the Bulls will field thesame side that demolished the Bushrangers on Australia Day in Ballarat,dismissing them for 65 and claiming a 10-wicket win.The Bulls (22 points) currently lead the ING table, two points clear ofsecond-placed Tasmania (20 pts) with Western Australia (17 pts) and NSW(15 pts) bringing up the rear.Friday’s day/nighter will be the Bulls’ final home ING Cup match, withtheir remaining two matches against the Redbacks in Adelaide on SaturdayFebruary 8 and the Tasmanian Tigers in Hobart on Saturday February 15.The leading two teams will play in the Final on Sunday February 23, withthe top side earning the right to host the Final. The Bulls hosted lastyear’s Final that was won by NSW.Bulls pace bowler Michael Kasprowicz needs two more wickets to becomeQueensland’s all-time leading wicket-taker in the ING Cup.Kasprowicz (66 wickets) trails former Queensland allrounder ScottPrestwidge (67 wickets) on the all-time domestic limited overs list.XXXX Queensland Bulls v Victorian Bushrangers, ING Cup, Gabba, Friday,2.30pm start: Martin Love (c), Daniel Payne, Lee Carseldine, ClintonPerren, Stuart Law, Brendan Nash, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, NathanHauritz, Michael Kasprowicz, Scott Brant, Damien MacKenzie, AshleyNoffke. (one to be omitted).

Inzamam-ul-Haq (PAK) needs 52 runs to complete 9000 ODI runs
Shahid Afridi (PAK) needs 122 runs to complete 4000 ODI runs
Waqar Younis (PAK) needs 32 runs to complete 1000 ODI runs
Younis Khan (PAK) needs 125 runs to complete 2000 ODI runsWasim Akram (PAK) needs one wickets to join the 500 ODI-wicket clubWasim Akram (PAK) needs 85 runs to complete 500 World Cup runsSaqlain Mushtaq (PAK) needs 3 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club
Shoaib Akhtar (PAK) needs 2 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club
Waqar Younis (PAK) needs 6 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club

LOGAN CUP POINTS SYSTEMI was wondering if there is either anything at the ZCU site, or if you could explain how the Logan Cup points system works. I noticed that for the first half of the season, some games have the points each team received in the scorecard, but some don’t.I assume that an outright win is 12 points and a draw of any kind is three points. But I don’t know how batting and bowling points are allocated, nor do I know how penalty points are allocated.I’m trying to put together a LC "race" chart, as per the ones I’ve done for other domestic competitions at:https://domcricket.0catch.com/but without a knowledge of the point system, or the points allocated for the games played Oct. 18-21, I cannot do that. Plus I’d like a better knowledge of how your tournament works.Thanks very much in advance for any information you can provide.Jack Solock (Madison, Wisconsin, US)P.S. I always enjoy reading your development newsletter. Though I am a West Indies supporter, I always enjoy reading your concise, informative newsletters. They are my guide to Zimbabwe cricket.Reply: The points system is adapted from that for the English county championship, with bonus points awarded in the first 120 overs of the first innings. Up to four points are awarded for batting for every 50 runs, starting at 200, and for three, five, seven and nine wickets taken. Penalty points are deducted for poor over rates, but I don’t have details for that – life is complicated enough as it is!TRIBUTE TO CAMPBELLHis journey from the commentator box to cricket pitch was amazing. And when he was sure to open against Kenya my own mind flew on the wings of fantasies – I dreamt of Campbell scoring his eighth hundred and at the Man of the Match ceremony dedicating the gold watch to his cancer-filled father Iain – "I did it for you, Dad!"But I was jolted out of the reverie rather quickly. I was a fool as I thought that the on-going scenario would not affect player performances. It was a pity that politics again has a say in the premature retirement of another Zimbabwean legend.The exuberant youth was visible in Kamba’s sensational assault at Rawalpindi and during his 131* against Sri Lanka. But soon the talented Zimbabwe’sGower become the victim of growing expectations but he was never short of flamboyance. A classic was his late heart-stopping surge at the finish against Australia at Ahmedabad. The hundred by captain courageous in extremely hot conditions is unrivalled in splendour.The "murder" of England, the away Test series win against Pakistan under his captaincy, his Test hundred to save the Nagpur Test and his bringing on of Olonga in the penultimate over against India in the World Cup are a few highlights of his illustrious career.The aura associated with his batting, his ability gracefully to accept his mistakes, his downright honesty, his clarity of thoughts as evident in his Campbell’s Diary and his fluent commentary all have no parallels. He once said, "I believe that once I’m finished with cricket, I can give something back to the game, something every cricketer must do in order to keep this great game alive."What noble thoughts! Cricket is bound to get poor without charismatic players like Flower, Campbell and Olonga.Dr Situ Phalswal (India)UNPROFESSIONAL?Does the Zimbabwe Cricket Team like to look like ‘unprofessionals’? Every Zimbabwe bowler, minus the captain (Streak), has his shirt untucked. That is not even club cricket standard.R Mirjah (unknown)Reply: Agreed – it doesn’t look good, but perhaps the manufacturers are also at fault for supplying shirts that are too short!

Glamorgan`s batsmen took full advantage of a good wicket and friendly bowling in amassing 434 in their first innings of the three day match against Cardiff UCCE at Sophia Gardens.Five of their batsmen made half-centuries, with only David Hemp missing out against the undergraduate attack. Steve James and Adrian Dale opened proceedings with a breezy partnership of 69 for the first wicket. Adrian Dale played some fluent strokes and showed no ill effects after his recent shoulder operation before being dismissed for 38.Steve James was equally quick to punish any loose deliveries, and the Glamorgan captain had made 81 in even time before he was caught behind.In the afternoon session Mike Powell and Matthew Maynard each made attractivehalf-centuries, and benefitted from time in the middle. Maynard top-scored with 92 from 101 balls, and his forthright innings contained 14 fours and 3 sixes.Wicket-keeper Mark Wallace also made a jaunty 55 from just 44 balls, and in thepost-tea session, Darren Thomas became the fifth Glamorgan batsman to pass thefifty mark before being last out for 57, as Glamorgan were bowled out for 434 in the 83rd over.The Cardiff students had reached 13 without loss from 8 overs before bad lightbrought an early end to the day`s play at six o`clock.

Stephen Fleming claimed to be surprised by Sri Lanka’s negative approach during the final Test in Kandy, believing that they did "not want to win." Sri Lanka were set a stiff 191 target in 38 overs after bowling out New Zealand for 183, but settled for a draw after the early loss of Sanath Jayasuriya."It was a pretty poor end to the Test match to be honest," said Fleming. "We didn’t have the ability to push on this morning and they didn’t seem to want to win the Test."Last night we showed the urgency required to get a base after a pretty slow day and we tried to do that again today," he added. "But the key is that when you push harder you expose yourself and in the end we weren’t skilful enough against a world-class bowler."Fleming had wanted to set a target of 260 in 65 overs when the day began but he said would have been happy to set 230 in 60 overs if necessary. "They gave up after losing the first wicket and that was very surprising … we were looking forward to a good scrap. They had nothing to lose and I can’t understand why they were not willing to push on further. We were certainly not going to bowl them out in 38 overs."Hashan Tillakaratne, in his first series as captain, denied that his side had been negative, arguing that it would have been dangerous to chase the total after the loss of Jayasuriya. "We wanted to go after the total but our playmaker was Sanath [Jayasuriya]," he said. "We were minus one of our best batsman [Marvan Atapattu] and they had two good spinners on a turning track – it was not easy out there."We did make mistakes in the field, though," he admitted. "We should have dismissed New Zealand for about 150 and with hindsight I should have brought back Chaminda Vaas earlier."Muttiah Muralitharan, who took his 450th Test wicket and a five-wicket haul for a world-record 37th time, was delighted to have starred in front of his home supporters. Murali claimed 5 for 49 in the second innings and 9 for 139 in the match."To reach 450 wickets here, in Kandy where I grew up, is very special for me," said Muralitharan afterwards. "I am happy but there is a long way to go as I want to play until 2007 and get to 600."Muralitharan, who was forced to toil hard for his 14 wickets in the series, admitted that New Zealand’s defensive strategy against him had been successful. "In a negative way they [the New Zealand batsmen] played me well … they never tried to attack though. It’s not easy to get wickets now in Test cricket … people have worked me out like they do any world-class bowler."

So when is Steve Waugh retiring? Not anytime soon, going by his latest comments. In an interview with Reader’s Digest, Waugh said that he still has a lot of cricket left in him."I know I’m 38 now," said Waugh, "but cricket-wise I feel like I’m 20. I can learn. I think I can improve. I don’t dwell on what I have done — it’s what I haven’t done."For a long time now, Waugh’s career has seemed to be winding down. He was dropped from Australia’s one-day team in the beginning of 2002 and was ignored for the World Cup. In the last Australian summer, there were even calls to drop him from the Test team but he silenced his critics with his 29th Test century — equalling Don Bradman’s record — in a memorable final Test against England.The selectors persisted with him for the West Indies tour and Waugh justified the faith reposed in him with another century as he led the way to a 3-1 victory in the Caribbeans. But at 38, is he too old to go on?”I don’t think age should be a factor in anything," Waugh said. "If you’re doing the job and you’re good at it and you’ve acquired all that experience over the years, it seems strange to say: ‘let’s get rid of this bloke and the start the process all over again’. As long as you’re competitive and fit, age has nothing to do with it."Waugh said that he was training harder on his fitness than ever before. Bangladesh, look out.

Mohammad Kaif’s one-day debut for Derbyshire, in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy, was memorable – he made 81 off 85 balls, playing an innings of class and character. But he couldn’t quite get it together after that, failing to justify his reputation as one of the rising stars of World Cricket.
Derbyshire averagesAugust 24 National Cricket League
Derbyshire beat Northamptonshire by 3 wicketsDerbyshire avenged their crushing defeat by Northamptonshire in the Frizzell County Championship, eking out a three-wicket in the National League. Kaif’s contribution was just 10, but Michael Di Venuto slammed 130 to take Derbyshire to the victory target of 252.
Scorecard ReportAugust 20-22 Frizzell County Championship
Derbyshire lost to Northamptonshire by an innings and 231 runsOnce again Kaif got starts in both innings, scoring 31 and 14, but failed to carry on, as Derbyshire slumped to a humiliating defeat by an innings and 231 runs. Derbyshire were bowled out for a measly 138 in their first innings, while Northamptonshire bludgeoned 647 for 5 declared. Derbyshire made a better effort the second time around, but despite Michael Di Venuto’s 116, could manage just 278.
ScorecardReportAugust 17 National Cricket League
Derbyshire lost to Hampshire by 6 wicketsIn Derbyshire’s first innings of 158 in 45 overs, Kaif made the third highest score, stroking 21 off 33 balls before falling to Tremlett. His captain, Dominic Cork, made 49 lower down the order, but their final total of 158 for 9 was still not enough to test Hampshire, who cruised home with six wickets to spare.
Scorecard ReportAugust 13-14 Frizzell County Championship
Derbyshire beat Hampshire by an innings and 43 runsKaif failed to convert his start, being trapped lbw by Chaminda Vaas for 36, but Derbyshire coasted to a thumping win inside two days. Their hero was Dominic Cork, who had match figures of 10 for 67 as Hampshire were bundled out for 143 and 155.
Scorecard ReportAugust 10 National Cricket League
Derbyshire beat Sussex by 6 wicketsKaif and Dominic Hewson combined to guide Derbyshire to a six-wicket victory, with seven balls remaining. Kaif anchored the run-chase, making 55 from 62 balls, while Hewson chipped in with a 29-ball 39. Sussex’s total owed much to a 55-ball 60 from Matthew Prior, but it wasn’t enough in a match restricted to 32 overs-a-side by rain.
Scorecard ReportAugust 7 C&G Trophy semi-final
Derbyshire lost to Gloucestershire by 1 wicketKaif rose to the occasion of a semi-final encounter, scoring a fluent 72 off 83 balls, but Derbyshire were edged out by one wicket in a thriller. Kaif’s knock lifted Derbyshire to 219 in an innings where no other batsman topped 40. Ultimately, though, he was upstaged by Shoaib Malik’s 74, which won the day for Gloucestershire.
Scorecard ReportAugust 4 National Cricket League
Derbyshire lost to Lancashire by 8 wicketsThe first half-century for Kaif in the National League, but his 70, scored off 89 balls with nine fours, wasn’t enough to secure a win for Derbyshire. Kaif got little support from the rest of the batsmen, as Derbyshire folded up for 197. Lancashire romped past the target with almost 10 overs to spare.
Scorecard ReportAugust 3 National Cricket League
Derbyshire lost to Middlesex by 4 wicketsKaif managed just 1, taking his National League tally to a miserable 69 from four innings, but Derbyshire rode on a 111-ball 106 by Michael Di Venuto to post a challenging 259. It wasn’t enough, though, as Middlesex won by four wickets.
Scorecard ReportJuly 24-27 Frizzell County Championship
Derbyshire drew with DurhamMohammad Kaif had another disappointing match, scoring 31 and 7 as Derbyshire drew against Durham. Three declarations in the first three innings of the match left Derbyshire chasing 251 for victory, but by close of play they managed only 204 for 7.
Scorecard ReportJuly 15-18 Frizzell County Championship
Derbyshire lost to Worcestershire by an innings and 42 runsMohammad Kaif will be disappointed with contributions of 31 and 30, but in both innings of the game against Worcestershire, he end up topscoring, as Derbyshire recorded paltry totals of 129 and 96. Worcestershire’s 301 proved to be more than enough to seal a game dominated by their bowlers. Michael Mason’s first-innnings 5 for 43 was overshadowed by Kabir Ali, who scythed through the Derby batting with 8 for 58 in 15.4 overs.
Scorecard ReportJuly 13 National Cricket League
Derbyshire beat Sussex by 6 wicketsA game of two centuries, with Christopher Bassano’s being the decisive contribution, as Derbyshire made it past the target with 20 balls remaining. Mohammad Kaif cobbled together 44, and Dominic Hewson – who had earlier snared 4 for 40 – made 34 in support of Bassano’s brilliant 126. Murray Goodwin was Sussex’s batting hero with a classy 129.
Scorecard ReportJuly 9-11 Frizzell County Championship
Derbyshire lost to Gloucestershire by 5 wicketsAn encounter both Derbyshire and Kaif would like to forget. Derbyshire batted first on winning the toss and were skittled out for 89 in just 36 overs (Kaif 12 from 28 balls). Gloucestershire then made 277, and Derbyshire batted a bit better in the second innings, hitting up 356 – Kaif’s contribution was just 6 off 17 balls. Gloucestershire reached the target of 169 without breaking much of a sweat.
Scorecard ReportJuly 2-5 Frizzell County Championship
Derbyshire lost to Yorkshire by 10 wicketsYorkshire thrashed Derbyshire with time to spare, as Kaif saved his side the embarrassment of an innings defeat. Derbyshire followed on after being dismissed for 128 (Kaif 0) chasing Yorkshire’s 444 (Yuvraj 6), and Kaif then grinded four-and-a-half hours for his 87, ensuring that Yorkshire would have to bat again. The result, though, was hardly in question.
Scorecard ReportJune 27-29 Frizzell County Championship
Derbyshire lost to Northamtonshire by 180 runsKaif made a duck in the second innings, as Derbyshire – needing 287 for a win – were bowled out for a paltry 106. Kaif’s 28 was the second-highest score in Derbyshire’s first innings, and he also chipped in with a wicket, trapping Philip Jacques in front. It was only his 18th first-class scalp.
Scorecard ReportJune 24 Twenty20 Cup
Derbyshire lost to Leicestershire by 1 runKaif was at the forefront of a thrilling run-chase – he came in with Derbyshire on 9 for 2, chasing 171, and made a combative 53 off 40 balls. Derbyshire eventually fell just a run short, in a match marred by controversy, as Derbyshire disputed the legality of a late boundary catch where the fielder appeared to have crossed the rope. In a few earlier matches, Kaif had failed and his team had won. This was the reverse.
Scorecard ReportJune 23 Twenty20 Cup
Derbyshire beat Durham by 6 runsKaif failed again, making just 4, but Derbyshire won regardless, posting 157 and restricting Durham to 151 for 5.
Scorecard ReportJune 21 Twenty20 Cup
Derbyshire beat Lancashire by 7 wicketsKaif failed, though Derbyshire won easily. Dominic Hewson took four wickets as Lancashire was skittled out for 91, but Derbyshire almost made a meal of it. They were 10 for 2 when Kaif walked in, and though he made only 7 off 12, he added 35 crucial runs with Michael Di Venuto, who continued a fine run of form and wrapped up the game with 52 not out.
Scorecard ReportJune 19 Twenty20 Cup
Derbyshire beat Nottinghamshire by 9 wicketsNot much for Kaif to do in this game. Nottinghamshire was knocked over for 94, and Kaif walked in to bat with Derbyshire on 56 for 1. He eased himself to 11 off 12 balls as Derbyshire won with 8.3 overs to spare – a handsome margin for a 20-overs-a-side game.
Scorecard ReportJune 15 National Cricket League
Derbyshire lost to Lancashire by five runsKaif failed again, as Derbyshare fell short of Lancashire’s total of 251 by just five runs. He walked in to bat at 24 for 2, but just as a recovery seemed to be underway, Kaif was bowled by Brad Hogg for 12.
Scorecard ReportJune 14, Twenty20 Cup
Derbshire lost to Yorkshire by 45 runsKaif ended on the losing end of a battle of rising Indian stars; Yuvraj Singh made a sterling 44 off 41 as Yorkshire made 186 for 5 in their 20 overs. Kaif, coming in to bat 36 for 2, made a second-ball duck, being trapped lbw by Ryan Sidebottom. Derbyshire duly crumbled to a 45-run defeat.
Scorecard ReportJune 11 C&G Trophy
Derbyshire beat Surrey by 137 runsMohammad Kaif played a matchwinning innings of 81, off 85 balls, in his first one-day game for Derbyshire. Kaif came in to bat with the score on 75 for 2, and played an innings of character, nurdling the bowling with ease and dominating a fourth-wicket partnership of 88 with Dominic Hewson. His placement was excellent and his cover-driving, sublime. Derbyshire thus walked into the semi final of the C&G Trophy with an astonishingly easy win, against the one-day powerhouse of the previous year.
Scorecard ReportJune 4-7 Frizzell County Championship
Derbyshire lost to Glamorgan by an innings and 70 runsMohammad Kaif’s debut for Derbyshire ended in debacle, as Kaif made 13 (off 26) and 6 (off 12; note the strike-rate in both innings) and Derbyshire lost by their biggest margin of the season. Not an auspicious start.
Scorecard Report

Robert Key has been released from the England squad for the NatWest Series match against South Africa at Edgbaston. He is now available to play for Kent in the Frizzell County Championship Division One match against Nottinghamshire on Wednesday.Key, who played for Kent in yesterday’s National League match against Glamorgan, will remain on stand-by for the squad in case of injury.David Graveney, chairman of selectors, said: “Following England’s qualification for the NatWest Series final yesterday, the selectors have reviewed the composition of the one-day squad.””As was the case with Stephen Harmison, who played for Durham last week, we have decided that it would be in England’s best interests if Robert Key were to have some match-practice in the longer form of the game ahead of the forthcoming Npower Test series.””The other 14 players will remain with the squad and continue preparations for the game against South Africa at Edgbaston tomorrow, and the NatWest Series final at Lord’s on Saturday.”

India’s one-day batsmen Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh have been refused permission to play in a charity match in memory of England’s Ben Hollioake, who died in a car crash in Australia in March last year.Kaif and Yuvraj, who are currently playing county cricket during India’s off-season, had been invited by the Ben Hollioake Memorial Trust to join a clutch of Pakistani players in an Asia v Rest of the World match, to be played at Arundel on August 9. The Indian cricket board, however, was not keen on the idea.”Kaif and Yuvraj were invited to play but we asked them not to participate because we normally don’t encourage these types of games,” said an official from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “There are several benefit matches for Indian players pending and so it’s not logical for them to be playing away from their country in a charity game.”The Indian government is currently embroiled in a row with Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir, and this ruling has inevitably prompted speculation that Kaif and Yuvraj’s withdrawal is politically motivated.