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AP Bhoite (5 for 22) ripped through the Bengal lower order as Barodacrushed the visitors by 222 runs on the fifth and final day of the RanjiTrophy pre quarterfinal match at the Gujarat State Fertilizer CorporationGround in Baroda on Wednesday. Baroda meet last year’s semi finalists TamilNadu in the next stage of the tournament.Resuming at 93 for 3 in their quest of a victory target of 576, Bengal weredismissed for 353. Overnight batsmen Rohan Gavaskar (125 not out) and DeepDasgupta (40) had their hands full. Rohan responded to the team’s call infine style and added 106 valuable runs with Dasgupta for the fourth wicket.Then Devang Gandhi (62) joined Gavaskar and the two added 81 runs for thesixth wicket.However, after the departure of the Bengal skipper it was just a processionof batsmen as Bhoite ran through the side. The innings folded up in the92nd over. But Gavaskar remained unbeaten till the end after having battedfor 346 minutes. He faced 217 balls and hit 14 fours and a six.

Charlie Dagnall and Mohamed Sheikh took Warwickshire into the Benson and Hedges Cup quarter-finals with a dramatic last-wicket partnership of 37 in 13 overs against local rivals Worcestershire.Dagnall, a singer in a soul-funk band in his spare moments, hit the right notes with an unbeaten 21 – the highest score in the innings – and won the gold award after taking 2 for 18 in the home side’s struggle to 138 for 9.Warwickshire also had their problems on an unpredictable pitch. Stuart Lampitt took wickets in three overs in succession and David Leatherdale weighed in with two after their batting heroics in a stand of 58 in 16 overs.Graeme Hick then sent Warwickshire tumbling to 105 for 9 before Sheikh, unbeaten with 19, shepherded a nervous partner to an unlikely victory. “I was a bag of nerves when I out to bat,” said Dagnall, with a previous best score of 6 not out.But the moment he enjoyed most was earlier in the day when Hick inside edged on to his middle stump to complete an unhappy series in the competition with only 50 runs from five innings.This sparked a Worcestershire slump to 10 for 3 as Dagnal’s partner, Vasbert Drakes, went through his first seven overs for four runs and the wicket of former Warwickshire batsman Anurag Singh.Skipper Michael Powell bowled instead of off-spinner Neil Smith to make up a full hand of five seamers on a poor pitch, but Leatherdale gave his side a score to defend with four boundaries until he was bowled by Drakes for 55.

Champion all-rounder, Wasim Akram, has managed to make it into the 20-man provisional list for next month’s tour to England using all hiscontacts. But the question is why Wasim is so keen to tour England?Wasim has made four successful tours to England twice as captain. In1987, he was a member of Imran Khan’s tigers who won 1-0 in a five-Test series. He was the leading wicket-taker for Javed Miandad’s partyin 1992.In 1996, Wasim captained Pakistan to 2-0 victory over England theninspired his team to reach the final of the 1999 World Cup where histeam lost a lopsided final to Australia by eight wickets.In England, he has taken 53 wickets for Pakistan at 26.58, animpressive performance by all means.If there was anything left, Wasim achieved that with distinction withhis more than a decade-old association with Lancashire.Overall, Wasim has captured 409 Test and 440 one-day wickets besidesleading Pakistan in 25 Tests while winning 12 and losing eight. He hasalso been a member of the 1992 World Cup winning party.There is nothing left for the demon pace bowler to achieve. But he isstill keen to tour England without realizing that he is not welcome inthe team dressing room presently being captained by his once greatfriend who later turned foe Waqar Younis. And it is certainly notbecause of his all round and match-winning abilities that hisinclusion is being resisted but because he was not sincere to hiscolleagues during his reign as captain.It was his attitude which forced Waqar to led a successful nineplayers rebellion against him in 1994. Not only Waqar, but othersenior players had problems with Wasim and that’s precisely why theyjoined the revolt.When Wasim took over the charge again in 1998, intentionally orunintentionally under bowled the great pace bowler. In the second Testat Hobart against Australia, Wasim tried every bowler except Waqar asAustralia achieved more than 350 in the fourth innings to win the Testby four wickets.Then in the 1999 World Cup, Waqar was played in just one match whichforced the paceman to accuse Wasim of deliberately destroying hiscareer.Although the prospects of Wasim making the team look bleak, he willcertainly face isolation and probably humiliation if Waqar surrendersbefore the `strong recommendations’ and agrees to take him to England.Wasim has learnt all the tricks in the trade from his maestro ImranKhan. But what he has forgotten is that Imran was wise enough to callit a day after the World Cup when he realized the harsh reality thathe was not wanted for the 1992 tour to England.If Wasim is intelligent, he should follow in the footsteps of Imranand quit with honour, grace and dignity.

Winchester KS’s dream of repeating their Lord’s success of six years ago vanished with a whimper as they were comprehensively beaten by Kent champions Broadstairs in the semi-finals.Having restricted their opponents to just 112-5 on the large headquarters indoor school arena, Winchester lost half their side in the opening three overs on their reply to undermine the target chase.The tale of woe started when Paul Marks was run out running to the non-strikers end by a direct hit from the opposite end of the court and he was followed by skipper Jimmy Taylor, who was bowled.A dubious leg before decision removed Chris Wheeler to leave the Hampshire men at 20-3 and looking down the proverbial barrel.Dave Greetham was soon to become wicket number four, before veteran Phil Green and Stuart Marks added some respectability to the score, but the game was well lost by the time they closed at 68 all out.Wheeler was left to reflect a dismal day, “We only did half the job. Having kept them down to 112 on the big area, that should have been chaseable.”Everyone knew it was well within reach, and we are bitterly disappointed we did not even get close.”Northamptonshire-based Maddisons went on to win the title, having comfortably beaten Durham University in the semi-final and quietening the large Kentish travelling support by defeating Broadstairs to repeat their 2000 Indoor success.

Hampshire take twelve players to Taunton on Wednesday (17th April) for their One Day pre-season friendly against Somerset starting at 11:00am.They include new signings John Crawley and Nic Pothas in their selection a sign that they may be in the starting line up for their Frizzell Championship match at Canterbury on Friday.Hampshire Twelve: Robin Smith (captain), Will Kendall, Derek Kenway, John Crawley, Neil Johnson, Nic Pothas, Adi Aymes (wicket-keeper), Shaun Udal, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Alex Morris, Alan Mullally and Chris Tremlett.

Good news at last for New Zealand Cricket, ace batsman Nathan Astle does not have a tear of his patella tendon.An MRI scan last week has revealed that the pain that forced Astle home from the tour of Pakistan before the first Test match was confined to normal wear and tear in the tendon but there was not a ‘tear’ of the tendon as such.New Zealand Cricket’s medical liaison expert Warren Frost told CricInfo today that Astle’s condition is patella tendonosis.”It is normal and what you would expect of a player who has been involved as Nathan has over the last few years.”The pain that caused the initial concern has settled considerably.”We are keeping an eye on him and loading him up and seeing how it works out.”He is on a fairly strict programme to see the pain he is feeling and to stress the tendon a little to help it heal itself. We also have to build up strength around the tendon,” Frost said.After meeting with surgeon Paul Armour last week, Astle was told that there was no need to operate on the tendon.Frost said there was a chance Astle could now make the West Indies tour which is scheduled to start early next month but he stressed there was “a chance but not every chance.”The work being undertaken with Frost at NZC’s High Performance Centre was designed to give Astle every prospect of making the tour.”Nathan is keen to try and get there, and he is doing everything in his powers to get there,” Frost said.Meanwhile, Jacob Oram is being monitored closely over his side strain and his chances of being available for selection are on a day-by-day basis.

All-rounder Lawrie Prittipaul is set to strengthen the Hampshire Academy side in tomorrow’s Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 match against Winchester KS at River Park, 1pm.Prittipaul, who originally planned to play his Saturday league cricket with Southsea, in preference to Portsmouth, replaces teenager Tom Burrows, who is playing for Reading School.It means that Iain Brunnschweiler, who hit a half-century in last week’s 27-run win over Sparsholt, will be back in his normal position behind the stumps.Winchester, resoundingly beaten by United Services last week, include Indian all-rounder Raj Naik, who has returned from Goa for another season at River Park.Easton & Martyr Worthy need to bounce back from their shock National Village Championship defeat by Flamingo.But Jason Laney’s Hungerford, who rolled Lymington over so emphatically last week, will be stern opposition at for unchanged Easton at Cockets Mead.Old Tauntonians & Romsey recall Charlie Forward but travel to Lymington minus Ian Tulk and all-rounder Mike Trodd.Rowledge, without Cardiff University’s Chris Yates, entertain United Services, who will be full of confidence after such an emphatic victory over Winchester.Sparsholt and Trojans, who each lost their opening games, battle to win their first matches of the season at Locks Lane, recently renamed the Norman Edwards Memorial Ground in triubte to the former Sparsholt stalwart who died in February.

Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka’s leading run scorer in Tests and One-DayInternationals, has been put on standby for the NatWest triangular seriesafter a finger injury to Marvan Atapattu.Atapattu is still awaiting specialist advice to ascertain whether hesustained a fresh fracture on his right index finger or aggravated an oldinjury on Saturday – either way, his participation in the NatWest triangularseries is in doubt.De Silva, 36, has not played in the one-day side for over 16 months, but hisexpertise in English conditions and the appointment of a new chairman ofselectors, who believes experience will be an important ingredient forsuccess in the 2003 World Cup, has paved the way for his return.De Silva has played 275 ODIs and scored 8,430 runs during a career spanning18 years.

Having hit 257 and reduced Bedfordshire to 33 for three, Lincolnshire let the advantage slip on the second day of their Minor Counties Championship game at Bedford.The home side resumed with a fourth wicket partnership of 86 between D Roberts and A Shankar (35) which was followed by a stand of 131 between Roberts and wicketkeeper Knott.Knott fell to a catch behind off Martyn Dobson for 64 and Beds declared after 89 overs with their score on 277 for five, Roberts unbeaten on 120 and Dobson with four for 89 off 31 overs.Lincs suffered an early blow when Duncan Heath was bowled by Shaun Rashid for 10 and the opening bowler went on to take three for 33 off 13 overs, including the wickets of Richard Howitt for 22 and Dobson for only one run.Simon Webb hit a useful 32 but at the close, Lincs had been reduced to 143 for six, with Mark Fell and Oliver Burford batting, Fell on 23.This gives Lincs a lead of only 123 and Fell will be looking to occupy the crease for a good part of the final day.