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Having been banished from the world cricket community by the ICC, US cricket has returned, literally and figuratively, to its grass roots. It is doing what it does best – opening up its far frontiers to an exciting brand of cricket, and breaking many records in the process.Not that too many people, even in the Pacific Northwest, were paying much attention. Most Northwest cricketers were glued to their newly acquired broadband TV receivers as they followed the World Cup. Those who could afford it had made the 6000-mile flight to Jamaica and Barbados, and were sending back “wish-you-were-here” e-mails to folks back home.Those who did descend on the Kirigin Cellars in Morgan County, CA found themselves in an idyllic setting for cricket. Here are two first-class cricket grounds, not one; being built to professional standards by the wealthy owner of the Kirigin Cellars, one of the largest distributors of fine wines in Northern California. Here also is a major sponsor for the Northern California Cricket Association who is committed to the long-term development of cricket in this unlikely part of the world, called “Cricket’s Northwest Passage” by Chris Sandford in Cricketer International. Only the Woodley Park grounds in Los Angeles can claim to have similar facilities for staging major national tournaments and exhibition matches. And for a place that is closer to Japan and Hong Kong than to New York or Miami, this has to be a major achievement.The Northern California Cricket Association (NCCA), hosts of the tournament, made a risky decision–they chose to hold the InterLeague Tournament early in 2007, not late August or September.The “later” months are favoured by most US leagues, when their “regular” seasons have been completed. Playing early puts a great deal of pressure on the leagues, who have to select promising talent to be supported in the season ahead.The weather, too, could have proved to be the tournament’s undoing. There were brief showers and overcast skies through much of the tournament, and a bone-chilling breeze even in bright afternoon sunlight made spectators and reporters huddle underneath procured blankets, warmed by some very spicy curry served by the hosts during innings breaks. But it worked out for the best, and a good time was had by all.Below, in Rohan Chandran’s words, is a match-by-match commentary as our selected eyewitness to the InterLeagueTournament. We hope folks will find it almost as enjoyable as if they were at the new Kirigin Cellars cricket complex in the first place.******************************************************************************************The NorthWest InterLeague Cup tournament was held at Kirigin Cellars winery, in Morgan Hill, CA. It featured representative sides of the Northern California Cricket Association (NCCA), Bay Area Cricket Alliance (BACA), California Cricket League (CCL), and the North West Cricket League representing Washington State, Oregon and Idaho (NWCL).The host team, NCCA, ultimately prevailed, beating all three of their opponents, but it was a success that was threatened several times along the way. Particularly promising for all concerned was the fact that the architects of the triumph were two young cricketers just starting out on what will hopefully become long and fruitful careers.Medium-pacer Sunny Singh Baidwan was, along with BACA’s U-19 off-spinner, Saad Khan, the pick of the bowlers on display; whilst 18 year old Shoaib Saleem displayed a maturity beyond his years with match-winning knocks in both his trips to the middle.Game 1: NCCA vs. BACA
After winning the toss and electing to bat, BACA got off to a flier, thanks to an aggressive display from Iftikhar Khan, and a generous helping of extras from the NCCA opening bowlers. Wickets kept falling however, and at 74 for 6, BACA looked down and out. However, some selective counter-attacking by another Under-19 player, Randhir Kalsi, coming in at number seven, helped his side eke out a total of 146 before he was trapped by the offspin of Nirav Shah. That the entire innings lasted just 29 overs paints a clear picture of the tactics adopted, unsuccessfully, by the BACA batsmen. The NCCA reply began in the best possible fashion, with Rohan Dutt pulling the first ball of the innings high over mid-wicket for six. His 66, in an opening partnership of 95 with skipper Arjun Thyagarajan, laid a solid platform as the medium pacers were easily dispatched to all corners of the field. Some injudicious strokeplay from the middle order gave BACA a glimmer of hope, but 146 was never going to be enough, and NCCA emerged victorious by five wickets with 19 overs to spare.Game 2: NWCL vs. CCL
In contrast to that one-sided affair, NWCL needed all their mental strength to see off CCL by just one run on the adjacent field. Half-centuries for Srikanth Sundaragopalan and pugnacious legspinning allrounder Saurabh Verma led NWCL to a defensible total of 239 for 7. Having elected to field first, CCL let themselves down with a poor catching display, and the concession of 24 wides. They then lost three early wickets before the scoreboard had really got moving, leaving NWCL scenting victory. Former NCCA skipper Nauman Mustafa then took charge, driving his way to 70 runs in a century partnership with Saad Hasan. A mini-collapse left CCL needing 68 in 9 overs with four wickets in hand. USA national squad member Fauad Hasan, the CCL captain, batted with the clear intent of finishing the game off as quickly as possible. With 16 needed in 18 balls, with three wickets in hand. A tame caught and bowled saw the end of Hasan. At this stage 12 balls remained, two runs were needed to win, one run to tie. But a slight hesitation over a tight single was pounced upon by NWCL, and they stole back a game they had once dominated and then nearly thrown away at the death.Game 3: NCCA vs. CCL
Having been sent in to bat, NCCA got off to a terrible start, losing Rohan Dutt for a duck, and finding themselves 54 for 4 with the last recognized batsmen at the crease. Fortunately for them, Jay Kashalikar and the youngster, Shoaib Saleem, on debut, forged a partnership that was an object lesson in batting at this level. NCCA’s innings evolved into a series of very smartly taken singles and twos. Just when things looked to be getting back under control, Fauad Hasan induced a leading edge to send Kashalikar back to the pavilion, and the innings teetered on the brink at 143 for 9. That was the moment that Saleem chose to show everyone watching just how to play the game. Number eleven Sandeep contributed just one run to a last wicket partnership of 48, which was only ended by a needless run-out off the final delivery of the innings. The CCL reply never really got off the ground once Sunny Singh Baidwan had struck twice in two overs early in the innings. Ayan Banerjee fought hard for his 42, but none of the other batsmen got going against a disciplined attack, and they could only muster 131 in their reply, despite some poor catching by the NCCA fielders.Game 4: NWCL vs. BACA
In the day’s second game, NWCL collapsed to 117 for 6 after winning the toss, and it was only Saurabh Verma’s 47, following on from his half-century the previous day, that took his team to a respectable 217. The spin attack of Saad Khan and Mayank Pradhan captured three and four wickets respectively for BACA. It was Verma’s day in fact, and in nine overs of legspin he snared 5 for 21, decimating the BACA middle order, and ensuring that Jaswinder Singh’s valiant 46 was in vain. BACA fell 54 runs short, thereby setting up a straight knock-out for the championship between NWCL and NCCA on the final day.Game 5: BACA vs. CCL
In what was a fight to not finish last, BACAs spin twins of Saad Khan and Mayank Pradhan were once again amongst the wickets, taking 4 for 19 and 4 for 30 respectively as the CCL top order all failed to capitalize on good starts. A total of 180 seemed eminently reachable, but a very tight spell of spin bowling from Fauad Hasan, and five catches behind the stumps for Nauman Mustafa, put a stranglehold on the batsmen, and once again it was only Jaswinder Singh who resisted, scoring 59 as his team spluttered their way to 147, not once looking like posing a serious threat to CCL.Game 6: NCCA vs. NWCL
The hosts were favourites going into this one, and they started out in determined fashion, making the NWCL openers struggle for every run. Wickets fell regularly to the medium pace of Badiwan, Patel and Kashalikar, and it was only some very determined batting by the tail that turned 94 for 6 (with David Hoyle retired hurt as well) into 162. That score was not thought to be sufficient to test the NCCA batting line-up, but when Rohan Dutt fell for his second successive duck, and skipper Arjun Thyagarajan and Jay Kashalikar followed him to leave the home side reeling at 15 for 3, all bets were off. The left-right combination of Sikander Khan and Sunil Chandrupatla steadied the ship, but it was left to young Shoaib Saleem to once again play the winning hand, his undefeated 49 guiding his more experienced colleagues home with six overs to spare.All four teams in the tournament showed the rust-inducing effects of a long winter without cricket, but in the strong performances of several debutant youngsters, the first stones in a foundation for a successful future may well have been laid here.

Zimbabwe have recruited Makhaya Ntini and Marvan Atapattu to be assistant coach and batting consultant respectively, according to a report published today on the Zimbabwe Cricket website. The report says Ntini has been given a two-year contract, while Atapattu has been roped in for the duration of Zimbabwe’s tour to Bangladesh starting from January 15.Ntini, 38, has played 101 Tests, 173 ODIs and 10 T20Is for South Africa over a period of 13 years. ZC says he will begin work from February 16, while former bowling coach Douglas Hondo has been reassigned to the Zimbabwe A team.Atapattu, a former Sri Lanka captain and coach, may succeed Andy Waller as Zimbabwe’s batting coach. Currently, he is only a consultant but his “contract will be reviewed after the Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh, with a view to entering into a longer relationship,” the Zimbabwe Cricket report said.

Mark Chilton has stepped down as Lancashire’s captain after three years in the role.”I have thoroughly enjoyed the past three seasons and it has been an honour to have captained my home county,” Chilton said. “This has been a very difficult decision for me, but I realise my form hasn’t been what it should, and feel that in the best interests of the club and myself, I should step down.”Chilton scored 616 Championship runs at 28.00 in 2007 as Lancashire came within 24 runs of securing their first title since 1934. But in the Friends Provident Trophy and Twenty20 Cup his form was poor, totalling 92 runs in nine completed innings.”I’ve enjoyed working closely with Chilly over the past three years” Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s manager, said. “He’s been a dedicated and passionate captain and I fully respect his decision to stand down to devote more time to his own cricket.””I don’t think many people realise just how much work is involved off the field being a club captain, and Mark Chilton has done a fantastic job for Lancashire,” added Jack Simmons, Lancashire’s chairman. ” I would like to thank Mark for everything he has done as captain and we look forward to seeing him back to his best on the field for many years to come.”No replacement has been named but the issue is sure to be at the top of the agenda when the county’s cricket committee meets at the end of the month. However, there is no clear favourite to take over. Stuart Law will be in the running but his body is unlikely to allow him to play a whole season while wicketkeeper Luke Sutton is also a possibility, although last season he didn’t take part in Twenty20.

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

As the temperature soared in the afternoon, Sachin Tendulkar appeared oncourse to replicate his achievement as an 18-year-old, when he madecenturies in Sydney and Perth. But a poor decision from Asad Rauf, andthree poor strokes from the Indian batsmen redressed the balanceas Australia fought back tigerishly in the final session.Tendulkar departed for 71, and Rahul Dravid fell seven short of a century,leaving MS Dhoni and the tail with the task of propelling India to asizeable total on a pitch that was nowhere near as fearsome as it had beenhyped to be. Despite play being extended by half an hour, Australia stillfinished six overs short, a deplorable state of affairs that the matchreferee will surely investigate.Tendulkar and Dravid had been largely untroubled while adding 139, thoughAustralia may yet look back ruefully at the chance that Michael Clarkeshelled at first slip when Dravid had made just 11, and India, 85. Indiahad gone to tea on 2 for 177, and after seeing an edge fall short ofsecond slip soon after, Tendulkar had once again showcased his positiveintent with a magnificent off drive off Stuart Clark.Cue Lee, who had bowled at furious pace all day, and a delivery thatthudded into the flap of Tendulkar’s pad even as he hopped up a little.Rauf had a think and then raised his finger, leaving Tendulkar to trudgeoff, shaking his head in disappointment. Sourav Ganguly opened with alovely off-drive off Clark, but was then distinctly fortunate to see aninside edge streak past his leg stump.His good luck didn’t last long though, and a casual slap to a widedelivery from Mitchell Johnson was brilliantly caught low to his right byMichael Hussey at gully. Suddenly 2 for 198 had become 4 for 214, andAustralia’s effort with the ball and tireless commitment in the field hadits reward.It should still have been India’s day through. VVS Laxman got going with acouple of languid caresses past point, and Dravid (on 67) got a reprievefrom Billy Bowden when a Johnson yorker struck him on the boot palpably infront. They capitalised too, with Dravid cutting the ball crisply and thentaking to spin when Ricky Ponting attempted to make up for the appallingover-rate. Michael Clarke was glanced and then cut for four, and Andrew Symondswas swept through midwicket as Dravid moved into the 90s.

But a century still proved elusive, with a horrendous hoick at Symonds flying off the top edge to Ponting at cover. That was bad enough, but it got worse soon after when Laxman miscued apull off Lee to Shaun Tait at mid-off. Once again, he had made a start, only to fritter it away in cavalier fashion.That was pretty much the story of India’s day, one that began with theopeners adding 57 on the surface that was supposed to be leastIndia-friendly. Lee started at blistering speed, and Johnson at the otherend wasn’t much slower. A well-timed cover-drive got Virender Sehwag off the mark,and he followed up with a couple of magnificent shots through the coverswhen Lee erred in line. With runs being leaked, Ponting replaced Johnsonwith Clark, but Sehwag was in no mood to slow down, clipping onebeautifully through midwicket.Though Clark was the slowest bowler on view, he also appeared the mostdangerous, frequently beating the bat with subtle seam movement. Johnsonreplaced Lee at the other end, but even with the wind behind him, hestruggled to find his rhythm. Clark’s control though was making all thedifference, though Sehwag marked the 50 of the innings with a crunchingshot through extra-cover that bounced back into the field of play off theboundary boards.After 56 came in the first hour, progress slowed, and the pressure createdby Clark’s accuracy was finally capitalised on by Johnson, who got someextra bounce to catch the upper edge of Sehwag’s bat as he went foranother audacious slash. The Melbourne encore [he made a thrilling 195 onBoxing Day in 2003] hadn’t materialised, and it went slightly pear-shapedthereafter, with Wasim Jaffer edging Lee behind.Tait, unleashed only 20 minutes before lunch, and Lee then ensured atorrid passage of play for Tendulkar and Dravid, but India’s premierbatsmen went to lunch with no further damage to the scoreboard. Tendulkartwice saw edges whiz past the slip cordon, but with the temperaturesoaring past 36ºC in the afternoon, it was Australia’s bowlers who feltthe heat.Tait was erratic, and Tendulkar made full use of the fact that hardslashes were always likely to clear the slip cordon. An edge off Tait didexactly that, and when Lee got one to bounce steeply, Tendulkarnonchalantly bunted it down to third man for four. With both batsmenthreading Tait through the off-side field for fours, Ponting opted forchange in the shape of Johnson and Clark.With the runs accumulating steadily and options running out, themedium-pace of Symonds was called on. And with the kettle boiling for tea,India had their second alarm when Tendulkar survived an excellent shoutfor leg before. Soon after, he scythed the returning Tait over slips toget his half-century from 91 balls. At the other end, Dravid, reprieveapart, was solid, and an elegant off-drive off Tait emphasisedIndia’s ascendancy.As has so often been the case in recent times though, it was the Australiantenacity that had the last word.

Zaheer Khan, India’s left-arm seamer who is currently recovering from injury, is unlikely to be fit for India’s first Test against South Africa, starting on March 26 in Chennai.India’s Test specialists are set to undergo routine fitness tests over the next few days but Zaheer isn’t part of the list, it’s learnt. Sources have indicated that it’s not clear yet if he would be available for any part of the series.”He is currently in South Africa,” board secretary Niranjan Shah told Cricinfo. “And we will know the status of the injury in a day or two.” Zaheer is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre for Sports Medicine in Johannesburg.Zaheer injured his left heel on the eve of the Sydney Test in early January. It was the same injury that sustained during the third Test against Pakistan in Bangalore a month earlier.Meanwhile RP Singh, the other injured left-arm seamer, will undergo a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on Friday and Saturday. He had injured his hamstring during the final Test in Adelaide and missed the entire CB Series. RP played a couple of Ranji one-day matches for Uttar Pradesh recently – taking two wickets in each and making good contributions with the bat too.Rahul Dravid was the other injury concern – having damaged his finger during the Adelaide Test – but is expected to be fit for selection. He skipped the South zone Ranji ODI tournament (because he was still in pain) but began training a couple of days ago. He is expected to play a couple of Deodhar Trophy matches for South Zone before the first Test against South Africa in Chennai.Meanwhile India’s Test specialists are set to undergo routine tests at the NCA over the next three days. This follows a BCCI policy to have periodic check-ups prior to all selections for players who have been out of action. VVS Laxman, Wasim Jaffer, Sourav Ganguly, Dravid, VRV Singh, Pankaj Singh and Anil Kumble haven’t been part of the side since the Adelaide Test and will need to go through the paces before their names are cleared for selection.They will undergo tests under Paul Chapman, the trainer at the NCA, Paul Close, the physiotherapist, and Dav Whatmore. The NCA will in turn forward the reports to the board on Saturday.The squad for the first Test will be picked on Sunday in Mumbai.

Scorecard
Delhi moved to second place in Group A with 18 points while Karnataka remained sixth with 10 after damp conditions ruled out any chance of play on the final day between Karnataka and Delhi at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The umpires inspected the damp conditions six times, the covers came on and off repeatedly but the weather, which was predominantly wet with scanty dry patches, remained unsuitable for play. The teams got a point apiece.Delhi needed 10 wickets to secure first-innings points, but heavy rain on the third day, and a light drizzle this morning, had left the field wet. When the covers were finally removed, it was discovered that water had seeped on to the pitch and left a damp patch at one end. Even though the sun came out briefly and artificial methods of drying were used, the progress was slow. And when it began to rain steadily at 3.00 pm, the slim chances of salvaging some play vanished.

Andre Nel says he is very pleased to be away from international cricket and loves the opportunity he’s got to play the English county game. Back for two months with Essex, for whom he played in 2005, Nel – by his own admission a little ‘like a schoolboy’ – felt he had more than just his bowling services to offer the club.”I haven’t played domestically for almost two years in South Africa,” he told the ECB’s website. “But it’s very different to international cricket. The nice thing is that it’s not as intense. You can be more relaxed and you can have a bit more enjoyment rather than being positive and focused all the time. You can have a little bit more fun and you don’t have as much pressure on your game. It’s not as stressful as it is in international cricket.”Apart from bowling, Nel said he was keen on passing on tips to some of the youngsters in the side.”When I came over here two years ago the people were really friendly and welcoming. Ronnie Irani likes the way I play, being competitive. There’s a lot of excitement at Essex that there are several youngsters coming through who could take the club quite far.”The nice thing is that there are a lot of all-rounders and they’ve got a lot of skill,” he added. “They are a young bunch and that’s where you get your enjoyment. That is why I want to come back here as much as possible if they want me. I’m pretty lucky because I’m like a little schoolboy – quite naughty – in the changing rooms, so I fit in quite well. I get along with a lot of the youngsters because I’m quite young at heart. I hope I teach them something in a good way. If not, I’m doing something wrong.”Nel, 29, said that injuries to Essex had been tough on the other bowlers. “It’s been quite hard. The wickets have been flat,” he said. “I’m trying to give the guys energy when I bowl and help some of the younger guys, but on the flat wickets there isn’t a lot of back-up – although Danish [Kaneria] is unbelievable. But I’m certainly enjoying it and trying to take as many wickets as I can.”As for the opposition and Essex’s shot at the Division Two championship, Nel was, unsurprisingly, not lost for words. “When you play against the top sides, I think Essex will be up for it. We should do well because we’ve played good four-day cricket and we are keen to do well in the four-day competition,” he said. “I just go on the field and give it my all every time I play,” he added. “I think the biggest thing is that you can’t worry about it. You have got to do the basics and get them right first.”

South Africa have been fined for their slow over-rate in the first Test against India in Chennai. Roshan Mahanama, the match referee, found the side was two overs short of its target after time allowances were taken in to consideration.On day three South Africa managed only 85 overs as India pushed to gain a first-innings lead. It was the day Virender Sehwag raced to the fastest Test triple-hundred, his second in 55 Tests.According to ICC Code of Conduct players are fined 5% of their match fees for every over lost while captain is fined double of that. Consequently South African players lost 10% of their match fees and Graeme Smith lost 20%. The team cannot appeal the fine.After a dull draw in the first Test the two sides now move on to Ahmedabad for the second one starting on April 3.

Shoaib Akhtar may face more action from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for his alleged outburst at the board’s headquarters in Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, following the imposition of a fine of approximately US$5000.On Friday, Shoaib reportedly clashed with several board officials over the fine, and specifically because he felt he wasn’t provided a chance to clear his position. The board announced his punishment on Wednesday, after Shoaib did not turn up on Tuesday to clarify why he was absent from the national training camp in Karachi on August 4.Shoaib has reportedly insisted that he received the letter for the original disciplinary hearing on Friday, and not Tuesday as the board claims. Shafqat Naghmi, the board’s chief operating officer, however, contradicted this, telling that he had been in touch with Shoaib earlier.”Shoaib rang me up and admitted that it was wrong of him not to attend the camp in Karachi and the PCB had rightly imposed a fine on him,” said Naghmi. “He expressed annoyance over the manner in which one of the PCB officials had inquired of his whereabouts from his family.”Naghmi said he will be looking into the matter now personally. “I will be in Lahore on Monday and will inquire from the PCB staff about the actual incident which happened on Friday,” he said. “After that, we will then decide on a course of action.”

Bermuda’s minister of the environment Neletha Butterfield threw dirt on claims that there were local solutions to the pitch problem at the National Centre.Responding to critics who decried her tabling a bill that would allow the importation of foreign soil, Butterfield said there will not be any environmental disaster akin to the cedar blight from the 1940s.She said the cedar blight that began in 1940s was the result of imported juniper trees carrying a scale pest. The cedar blight did not stem from the importation of foreign soil. The cedar blight also occurred more than 60 years ago when there were little regulations as far as importation of plants and agricultural materials.She added that there was also a cost of not importing foreign soil. “Much of the focus in this debate has been on the possible cost to Bermuda in terms of environmental damage should an invasive pest be introduced. We must look at the cost of not importing soil, for example, for use in the wicket of the cricket pitch of the Bermuda National Stadium.”The National Stadium has been one of the longest running capital projects in the history of our island with much of the funding coming from Government. It is vital that the cricket pitch be certified by the ICC for use in officially sanctioned international cricket matches. This will contribute to Bermuda’s economic and social environment in many ways, including valuable experience for our national cricket team and increased tourism to watch cricket matches. Indeed, at the recent World Cup, of the 16 competing countries, Bermuda was the only one without an accredited home ground.”To me, this entire issue is about managing risk, something many in Bermuda should understand. We in the Ministry of the Environment … are doing, and will do everything in our power to manage the risk and keep it to an absolute minimum.”Something Bermuda residents perhaps fail to understand is that the people employed in the various departments responsible for safeguarding Bermuda’s environment are passionate about what they do. They don’t want to see the environment impacted in a negative way at all. The new regulations call for specific treatment and extensive testing at many stages in the import process, and only when any imported soil has been fully cleared will it be allowed to enter the island. Highly qualified scientists will monitor the process from beginning to end to ensure risks are managed every step of the way.”The department of environmental protection has been working with the National Sports Centre board, the Bermuda Cricket Board, the department of sports and recreation, overseas consultants and the groundskeepers in their search for a suitable local soil, and other possible options including the importation of clay to be mixed with sand and local soil. However, it has been determined that the only suitable soil will need to be sourced from overseas.”Few Bermuda residents may realise that large amount of plants, fruits, vegetables, and animals and potting medium are already imported into Bermuda on almost a daily basis.”Bermuda imports large amounts of artificial growing medium and there is still a risk with this material, but it is a calculated risk. As with any risk management process, you mitigate the risk to ensure it is as small as possible, and this applies when importing plants, animals, trees, and potting mix and the same practice would be in place for any imported soil. Christmas trees are imported every year and are sometimes sent back following inspections which reveal pests. The island’s nurseries, farmers and even private individuals import thousands of live plants and animals every year but vigorous inspections ensure that, to date, we have managed to keep foreign pests from destroying Bermuda’s fragile ecosystem.”She also has no plans to resign just because the opposition calls for her head.This article is reprinted with permission of the Bermuda Sun