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Former South African Test all-rounder Mike Procter has been included on the International Cricket Council’s elite panel of match referees.Procter was named a member of the five-man panel along with Chief Referee Ranjan Madugalle of Sri Lanka, Clive Lloyd of the West Indies, Wasim Raja of Pakistan and India’s Gundappa Viswanath (India).All Test playing countries were asked to nominate candidates for theReferees panel and more than 30 were screened and interviewed by ChiefReferee Madugalle during a recent worldwide recruitment tour. The finalappointments were made jointly by Malcolm Speed and Sunil Gavaskar, chairmanof the ICC Cricket Committee-Playing.Between them the new panel has the experience of having played in almost 300Test matches. Three of them – Lloyd, Madugalle and Viswanath – are formernational captains.Panel members have agreed two year, full time contracts with the ICC andwill meet together for the first time at the Referees and Umpires Workshopnear Cape Town, South Africa from 21st to 24th March. This will includeseminars covering legal and procedural matters relating to cricketdiscipline, IT training, the psychology of decision making, the latestPlaying Conditions for international cricket, a presentation from the ICCAnti-Corruption Unit, medical, fitness and media training.Procter said he was “incredibly honoured” by the appointment. “I canonly say I will do my utmost to serve cricket to the best of my ability. Itis a real privilege and I would like to thank all those who have supportedme and who have wished me well with this new challenge,” he said.United Cricket Board chief executive Gerald Majola congratulated Procter on his appointment.”Mike has been one of the real drivers of transformation in South Africancricket and he will be a very sad loss to the South African selection panelonce he takes up his position on the ICC panel,” said Majola. “However,we know what a wonderful ambassador Mike will be for South Africa and hewill certainly bring to the ICC a genuine understanding of the issues withwhich we in South African cricket are faced. I would like to wish him well -we are all very proud of this latest of Mike’s achievements.”

Durham are relegated from Division One of the County Championship after failing to score enough bonus points from their current match against Surrey.The thought of having to score over 300 runs simply to avoid a follow-on wouldhave been enough to subject Durham to considerable pressure and they also had to face Saqlain Mushtaq and Ian Salisbury on a pitch that has been taking spin.Shortly after Martin Bicknell had knocked back Jon Lewis’s off-stump totake the first Durham wicket on 22, Salisbury and Saqlain were brought on tobowl 36 overs between them until stumps. During that troublesome period forDurham, Simon Katich, the left-handed Australian seemed to fight a lonebattle.The two Surrey spinners bowled with great control and Salisbury, inparticular, was difficult to handle with the turn that he was able to get forhis leg spin. Durham lost their second wicket on 66 with Saqlain nipping onein sharply to trap Michael Gough leg before wicket.After that while Katich scored steadily during his 157 minutes at the crease,he lost partners at regular intervals. They all fell to Salisbury and nonewas able to give support to Katich who was eventually stumped for 77 from 119balls.Having struggled to 165 for 6 at close of play, Durham will need a further139 to avoid the follow-on on the third day. It is by no means an encouragingprospect.Surrey had earlier in the day further strengthened their commanding positionwith the opening pair Mark Butcher and Ian Ward adding 116 to the overnight243 runs before Ward was out leg before wicket to Simon Brown for 144.The breakthrough had come, much to the relief of Durham’s beleagueredbowlers, after enduring further punishment for an hour-and-three quarters.This was the highest first wicket partnership between the two sides and thethird highest for Surrey in championship matches. Their previous triplecentury stand for the first wicket was ten years ago between Darren Bicknelland Graham Clinton.As a comparison, it is interesting to note that Surrey’s momentous stand ofthis match fell only twenty runs short of their highest for the first wicketin all county championship matches and that was set between Bobby Abel andWilliam Brockwell as far back as 1897. The legendary Sir Jack Hobbs andAndrew Sandham, in 1928, had scored 428 for the first wicket but that wasagainst Oxford University.Just how it feels to be at the receiving end of such a mammoth stand will notbe known to any of Surrey’s current players. It was four decades ago whenBilly Ibadulla and Norman Horner knocked off 377 before Warwickshire declaredwithout loss.Butcher was unlucky to miss his first double century of the season by justnine runs when he was bowled within half-an-hour after lunch by StephenHarmison who showed a much better line and length today and took two of the four wickets that Surrey eventually lost before declaring on 453 an hour afterlunch. Nadeem Shahid and Adam Hollioake had contributed 33 and 20respectively, either side of the morning session.

ScorecardJames Taylor’s return to form might have come too late to interest England•Getty Images

James Taylor scored his first LV County Championship hundred of the season as Nottinghamshire eventually dominated an absorbing first day against Sussex at Horsham.The 25-year-old has had a modest season by his standards but he clearly enjoys facing the Sussex attack. His unbeaten 163 was his third score of over 150 against them, following 163 in 2012 and 204 in 2013, and helped his side reach 358 for 5 at stumps.There were two periods in the game when Sussex had control. Ollie Robinson, who finished the day with four wickets, helped reduce Notts to 30 for 3 before returning in the afternoon to claim Rikki Wessels (94) and Samit Patel in successive overs.That left Notts 186 for 5 but Taylor and his captain, Chris Read, wrested the initiative for their side after tea by extending their sixth wicket stand to 174.While Wessels deserved credit for his aggressive counter-attack it was the understated but effective way with which Taylor went about his business which most impressed.His first 50 runs took 119 balls but he went to his hundred from 71 more before accelerating once he had reached the milestone with some eye-catching shots, particularly through the off side.By stumps he had faced 247 balls and hit 23 fours, having batted for five hours 40 minutes so far. It was his tenth score of over 150.It is three years since Taylor played the last of his two Tests and he lost his England one-day place for the recent series against New Zealand. But as the inquest into England’s hammering in the second Test begins, the 25-year-old will be hoping that this innings can be the start of a productive end to the season.Nottinghamshire certainly needed him to be at his phlegmatic best after their top order had been wrecked by Robinson and Matt Hobden.Robinson made the breakthrough in the sixth over, removing Alex Hales courtesy of a juggling catch at second slip by Chris Nash. Hobden had Brendan Taylor lbw working to leg with his fourth ball before Robinson picked up Steven Mullaney with a ball which seamed just enough to take the edge.On a quick-scoring ground Wessels was soon into his stride, taking just 48 balls over his 50 which included a six over mid-wicket off Peter Burgoyne.After lunch Wessels and Taylor extended their fourth-wicket stand to 144 from 38 overs before Robinson made his double strike.Wessels chipped a catch to Luke Wells at mid on, having hit 13 fours and a six from 199 balls faced, before Patel was held in his follow through by Robinson.Steve Magoffin bowled without luck and Luke Wells was unfortunate to have Read dropped at slip on 35 by Ed Joyce, but otherwise Taylor and Read made unflustered progress in the evening session, even after Sussex took the new ball. Read reached his 50 with a boundary past the diving Luke Wright at third slip just before stumps.A dry pitch is expected to turn by the fourth day and Notts have recalled 40-year-old slow left-armer Gary Keedy for his first Championship appearance of the season.

Liverpool are in ‘advanced talks’ with Mohamed Salah regarding him signing a new deal at the club, according to journalist Pedro Almeida.

The Lowdown: Salah’s future unknown

The Egyptian has been the Reds’ star man this season, scoring 20 goals and registering 10 assists in the Premier League.

While his form has dipped in recent weeks, he is a priceless figure at Anfield, so speculation regarding him not extending his stay has been worrying.

However, a recent update suggested that the 29-year-old was close to agreeing a new contract, and a fresh claim has now echoed that sentiment.

The Latest: Salah deal close

Taking to Twitter on Sunday evening, Almeida claimed that a new deal was close to being done, one which would be historic in terms of the wages being paid to a Liverpool player.

He posted: “Advanced talks between Liverpool and Mo Salah for the contract extension. The last meeting between the English club and the player’s agent it was positive, the player could become the Reds’ highest paid player ever.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-26/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Promising signs

If true, this is a huge breakthrough for Liverpool, with Salah arguably one of the club’s greatest players of all time and someone who has been a monster ever since joining the Reds in 2017, scoring 153 goals in 240 games.

He is possibly the world’s best player at the moment, particularly when you consider the season as a whole, and he should remain at the very top for several more years at least.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Losing Salah doesn’t bear thinking about, even though teams can move on from such exits (as Liverpool did after selling Philippe Coutinho in 2018), and if the Egyptian signs a new deal it would perhaps feel bigger than any new signing who comes in this summer.

In other news, Liverpool have been linked with a move for an exciting player. Find out who it is here.

	Ellyse Perry set the MCG alight with a 25-ball 29, and followed it up with figures of 4 for 20 © Getty Images

Ever since Keith Miller, Alan Davidson and Richie Benaud moved on, Australia’s search for a quality allrounder has been almost as futile as trying to discover what happened to aircraft that vanished over the Bermuda Triangle. Steve Waugh was almost the real deal. Simon O’Donnell never lived up to his potential for various reasons, and Shane Watson spends more time on the treatment table than on the field.The Australian women have no such problems. Ellyse Perry came out to bat this afternoon with the innings listing at 5 for 71. A 56-run partnership with Kate Blackwell took Australia to a competitive total, with Perry contributing a bustling 29 from just 25 balls. It was the 17-year-old’s first Twenty20 game, but there was no hint of nervousness whatsoever as she got going with a nonchalant one-bounce four over square leg.A magnificent six over long-on off Isa Guha helped finish the innings with a flourish, and we then had to wait until midway through the England innings to see what she could do with the ball. Quite a bit, as it turned out. Blonde ponytail swaying from side to side, she bowled full, straight and at lively pace with a lovely, rhythmic action. Figures of 4 for 20 didn’t flatter her, and she also played a part in the key dismissal, ending Claire Taylor’s defiant knock of 34 with a casual flicked throw on her follow through.The cricket fraternity must do its utmost to hold on to her, because Perry also happens to be a Matilda, a member of Australia’s soccer team. The side that once made global headlines for its nude calendar is probably a more glamourous proposition than the Southern Stars, and Cricket Australia must do what it can to make sure that she becomes a 21st-century Denis Compton, known more for her cricket than the football.You realise how young she is only when you talk to her. With braces and a shy smile, she looks like a teenager, and I ask her what it was like to bowl at the MCG in front of a crowd that was rapidly filling up for the men’s game. “Sensational,” she says with a grin. “I’ve never played in front of a crowd like this, and to do so in your home country is just great.”So, will she have to choose between her two loves? “I guess I might eventually,” she says. “But I’m pretty lucky in that the seasons are different for cricket and soccer. For the moment, I’d like to keep playing both.”Perry has the X-factor, but she wasn’t the only one to catch the eye. Twenty20 is supposed to be a game for youngsters, but the tone for this engrossing contest was set by one of the old stagers. Taylor is 32, and an excellent diving stop on the boundary line was emblematic of an exceptional fielding display. She also took a stunning leaping catch at slip, but unfortunately, Nicky Shaw had overstepped.The choice of music was unfortunate. With more cops and volunteers than fans in the opening stages of the game, there was hardly anyone to cheer, and when Shelley Nitschke smacked a Jenny Gunn full toss for four, they chose to play Garbage’s . Er, what?Rosalie Birch bowled a tidy spell to rein Australia in, but there was still time to be entranced by a little cameo from Lisa Sthalekar. Like every great batsman, she has so much time to play her strokes. There was a gorgeous cover-drive before she went for one shot too many, and the first strains of the Cyndi Lauper anthem, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, suggested that even the music was picking up.It would be easy to resort to cliché and label players like Sthalekar and Karen Rolton the Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden of their sport, but they’re tremendous players in their own right, with a refined style that’s quite far removed from the biff and bang of men’s limited-overs cricket. Perry though is the future, a golden one at that.This was the first time I’ve watched the women play. It certainly won’t be the last.

Inzamam-ul-Haq walks away after his final one-day innings against Zimbabwe at Kingston © Getty Images

Inzamam-ul-Haq said he wanted to forget the traumatic World Cup campaign which saw coach Bob Woolmer murdered and his team knocked out in the first round.”It’s been a tournament which I and millions of Pakistan supporters would like to forget, but it won’t be as easy as it looks,” Inzamam told AFP by telephone from Montego Bay where the Pakistan team is staying before they leave for home later Saturday. Pakistan lost their opening match to the West Indies by 54 runs before suffering the ignominy of a three-wicket defeat at the hands of debutants Ireland to crash out of the World Cup.The following day, Woolmer died and his death has since become the subject of a murder investigation. The Pakistan team were first finger-printed and then had to provide DNA samples. Inzamam, who also announced his retirement from one-day cricket and relinquished the captaincy of the national team, said the suffering had become unbearable.”We failed to reach the second round and lost a great mentor who was also an inspirational figure in the dressing-room. I feel Bob’s loss much more than our elimination. My heart goes out to his family and I want to assure them on behalf of the team and entire nation that in this tough time we are right behind them. I will leave the Caribbean for the last time (as a player) with a very heavy heart.”Inzamam said the team was in a good frame of mind when they came to the Caribbean despite a poor build-up during which they lost key fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif due to fitness problems. “When I landed here, I had high hopes but things changed and became so tragic that we are still struggling to cope with them. Most of the guys are still in a state of shock and when I try to talk to them, I can see their blank faces. They are physically with me but not mentally.”Inzamam, second behind Sachin Tendulkar on the all-time one-day run list with 11,739 runs in 378 internationals, said his team was still a good side despite their early elimination. “I still believe my team was good enough but we just couldn’t click. I am disappointed that we failed to live up to our supporters’ expectations and also for Bob who gave his heart and soul throughout his three years as coach, hoping that we could fulfill his dream of winning the World Cup.”

I haven’t had a chance to think about my future because events have happened so fast. But looking back at my career, I think every match that I played was worth it. I had tough times but it came in the package, I guess. I had the honour of representing Pakistan for 16 years, the privilege of playing against some of the greatest players…

Inzamam believes Pakistan cricket can recover from the World Cup trauma. “Pakistan cricket is strong and I don’t believe it is in a crisis. In fact, I believe we will get stronger from here because we have good cricketing brains to put everything back on track and we have exceptionally talented players. The current Pakistan team has all the ingredients to beat any team in the world. It’s just a matter of getting our act together. Over the years, Pakistan cricket has faced several crises and every time the team has come out of it successfully. That’s the beauty of Pakistan cricket.”Inzamam said he hadn’t yet made plans after retirement. “I haven’t had a chance to think about my future because events have happened so fast. But looking back at my career, I think every match that I played was worth it. I had tough times but it came in the package, I guess. I had the honour of representing Pakistan for 16 years, the privilege of playing against some of the greatest players, being part of the 1992 World Cup squad and most importantly the respect and appreciation of the people. I couldn’t have asked for more.”Inzamam also backed the organisers to continue with the World Cup despite Woolmer’s death. “The World Cup is a great event and should go on despite the tragedy because we cannot allow this sport to be held to ransom by anybody. Bob would have wanted his event to be a huge success and let’s make him happy by supporting the competition.”

East Zone
Points table
Assam sneaked to a two-wicket win over Bengal in a low-scoring encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Dhanbad. Mark Ingty (3 for 28) removed Sourav Ganguly, who opened the innings, for 12 enroute to a three-wicket haul. No batsman crossed 25 as Bengal faltered against a disciplined bowling performance to be dismissed for 151. The trend continued in the Assam reply – only one batsman crossed the 25 mark- as they reached a wobbly 73 for 5 before a 60-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Vasanth Saravanan (34) and G Sharma (21) propelled them close to the target. The tail eked out contributions to take Assam home. With this win Assam have 8 points from three games while Bengal, with 9 points from three games, are perched on top of the East Zone table.Powered by a four-wicket haul from Preetamjit Das Orissa restricted Tripura to 188 to register a 16-run win at the Tata Digwadih Stadium in Dhanbad. Das (4 for 27) rocked the top order to leave Tripura struggling at 93 for 6, and despite some contributions down the order Tripura fell short in the end. Orissa were propped up by three 30 plus scores – Biswa Mohapatra (47), Subit Biswal (47) , Rashmi Das (36) – as they reached a fighting total.

Amjad Khan, a former first-class cricketer from Kashmir, has represented the New York Region and USA National teams, and holds the record for the highest individual score in North America – In 1999, Khan scored 304 not out in a team total of 436 for 7 in a quarter-final game in the Northern California Cricket Association. He also won Man-of-the-Match awards playing for the USA against Barbados and Bermuda. This is his personal report on his recent tour of Hyderabad, India as captain of the USA Invitational XIAs I led the US Invitational XI onto the lush green Gymkhana Cricket ground in Hyderabad for pre-match warm up against the Hyderabad Under-25 team, on one side of the ground, I could see a bunch of young and energetic cricketers lined up and responding to the instructions of, "Golay kay neechay aao, golay kay neechay aao" (get underneath the ball, get underneath the ball).As I approached a familiar looking figure, I immediately recognised Mr Kaleemudin, who happened to be my coach some 20 years ago in Kashmir. Kaleemudin is a well-respected coach in Hyderabad and has helped the budding cricket nursery in the historic city over the last couple of decades After meeting with him, I felt right at home and proceeded to get down to the business of playing cricket against some quality sides in Hyderabad.The tour was organized by the Central East Zone of the United States Cricket Association (USACA) led by Khurram Syed and Syed Masood Chik from the American Cricket Conference. These two gentlemen, at the invitation of Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) vice-president, Ranga Reddy, and the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), put together a USA Invitational XI team composed of established and younger players from across the USA to tour Hyderabad.The team was originally supposed to be led by current USA vice-captain, Nasir Javed (Charlie), but he could not make the trip and I was given the honor of leading the side.The tour began with a royal welcome at the Hyderabad airport, where several officials from HCA were ready to garland each member of the squad. Several pressmen were ready with their cameras and microphones. As I saw this grand reception, my thoughts at once went to the expectations that must have been associated with our team’s performances and the quality of players we would be pitted against.Our first game was against the Hyderabad Under-25 team, led by Ranji Trophy player Quadri, at the Gymkhana ground. Quadri, a small man with supple wrists, reminded me of Azharuddin, as he dispatched balls over midwicket boundary with consummate ease. He top scored with 88 not out in a team total of 199 for 4. US Invitational XI responded well through contributions from young Duane Nathaniel, Rashid Afzal, Weekes and myself only to see us fall short by 20 runs in the end. Hitesh Patel bowled well taking two wickets.The opposition in the next six games included premier division teams such as the Water Works Division (led by former Indian left-arm spinner, Venkatpathy Raju), India Cements, Telangana, Combined District Association as well as Hyderabad Veterans, who had just won the South Zone veterans trophy.The overall record of the USA Invitational XI was as follows; played seven, won three, lost three and tied one (against Hyderabad Veterans)This was probably not a true reflection of our efforts. In hindsight, we could have won all the matches only if we had held on to the chances that came our way. Almost all the games went down to the wire, and our inexperience in tight finishes showed in the outcome. But far from the results, I feel that the team members had a tremendous experience of playing on good turf wickets against quality opposition.Overall, the performance was good, with few individuals showing their full capabilities. Allround performances from myself (241 runs and 6 wickets) and Jignesh Desai (209 runs and 8 wickets) led the way for our team. Also, Roy Weekes (183 runs), Amer Afzaludin (126 runs), Hitesh Patel (10 wickets) and young Duane Nathaniel (103 runs and 5 wickets) also chipped in with useful contributions. The younger players on the team, such as Amer Afzaluddin and Duane Nathaniel, turned in especially gratifying performances on their first international tour, and show promise of solid contributions to US cricket in the future.This was the first time that a USA team has ever toured India. We were all interested in knowing how we were going to be received. From the beginning, there were few doubts on this score. The media coverage and hospitality in Hyderabad was just tremendous.As a signal honour for the visitors, the USA Invitational XI became the first international team to play at the brand new state-of-the-art stadium at Uppal. The uniqueness of the event led a reporter from Aaj Tak, a premier news channel in India, to come to the new stadium at Uppal to cover our tour. Her first reaction was, "How come there are no whites on the US team"? I had to explain to her that a majority of the roughly 10,000 active players in the US were immigrants from the Caribbean islands and South Asia.Wherever the team went, during press conferences at the historic Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium, the correspondents from leading Indian dailies, such as the Times of India and The Hindu wanted to know about cricket in America. They wanted to know who the players were, who ran it, and how many leagues and players there were in the USA. We were overwhelmed by their friendly curiosity, and did our best to answer the millions of queries that were thrown at us.Due to the success of the tour and generous hospitality by the Hyderabad Cricket Association, it was decided on all sides that the tour of the USA Invitational XI would become an annual event. Thee next trip is already in the works for January 2006.At the same time, the Hyderabad Cricket Association will be sending a team to participate in the highly popular prize-money tournament, the Los Angeles Open, during the first week of July 2005.The top performers on the tour were as follows:Batting
1. Amjad Khan – 9, 27, 37, 31, 56, 32, 49 – Total 241 runs @ 34.42 runs
2. Jignesh Desai – 1, 59*, 1, 36, 7, 43, 62 – Total 209 runs @ 34.83 runs
3. Roy Weekes – 29, 38, 8, 66, 42, 0, 0 – Total 183 runs @ 26.14 runs
Bowling
1. Hitendra Patel – 2/38, 1/39, 1/35, 1/42, 1/37, 4 for 26 – Total 10 wickets
2. Jignesh Desai – 2/23, 1/32, 1/26, 1/14, 3 for 36 – Total 8 wickets
3. Amjad Khan – 1/1, 2/31, 1/17, 2/13 – Total 6 wickets

Tasmania 322 and 2 for 105 (Watson 56*) trail New South Wales 462 (Bevan 216, Thornely 81, Katich 53) by 35 runs
Scorecard

Michael Bevan blows a kiss on reaching his double-century © Getty Images

Michael Bevan made his highest first-class score to give New South Wales first-innings points in their Pura Cup match against Tasmania at the SCG today.After Bevan guided NSW to a mammoth first-innings total of 426, Tasmania were 2 for 105 in their second innings at stumps on day three, still 35 runs behind NSW.Resuming on 110, Bevan made it to 216 when he was caught by Sean Clingeleffer off Dan Marsh. Bevan faced 416 balls in all, hitting 30 fours and a six. He combined in crucial partnerships with Dominic Thornely, who scored 81, and with Brett Lee. Those two stands, worth 163 and 100 runs respectively, ensured NSW a healthy total after struggling at 2 for 29 on the second day.Xavier Doherty finished with figures of 4 for 142 from 40.4 overs in a tidy effort which contained everybody except Bevan, Thornely and Simon Katich (53).Bevan’s century was the 59th of his first-class career, and has boosted him to 16,754 runs from 213 appearances.Resuming today on 4 for 255, NSW lost Thornely, Nathan Pilon, Lee, Nathan Bracken and Liam Zammit, but still led by 140 runs on the first innings after Tasmania’s total of 322.At stumps, Shane Watson was unbeaten on 56 for Tasmania after Lee trapped Jamie Cox lbw for a duck.

Michael Vaughan’s first-up match heroics in yesterday’s series-equalling thriller at Eden Park have made him flavour of the week in England’s Sunday newspapers.But, as with New Zealanders now embroiled in the annual diet of Super 12 rugby, so the English, who are in the midst of their soccer season, are forever competing with soccer for news space, the prospect of a series final has provided plenty of news space for the cricket.A sampling of English opinion follows:The Sunday Times: “If England’s cricketers ever learn how to leave the blocks fast they could be world-beaters, because they certainly know how to fight themselves out of corners. A clinical performance in Auckland yesterday, their second in four days, secured a win by 33 runs to level the one-day series at 2-2 and render the humiliation in Wellington last weekend a distant memory.”Not for the first time, Nasser Hussain and his team have transformed themselves from chumps to champs in little more time than it takes to write their obituaries. Now all eyes turn to Dunedin on Tuesday, where they will start favourites to win a series they looked certain to lose after going 2-0 down with a perplexing lack of focus.”Seven days ago, there were villains galore. Yesterday, in front of a capacity crowd of 35,000 eager to see the home side put matters beyond reach, several of the visitors vied for the limelight as the hosts looked more like the drop-outs on Eden Park’s portable drop-in pitch.”If one man did more than any other to set up victory it was Michael Vaughan. Bristling to justify his recall in place of Owais Shah after impressing his captain in the nets on Friday, he hit the ball as sweetly as he can ever have done for 59 at better than a run per ball. It was an innings that gave substance to the middle of an England innings of 193 for six, reduced from 50 to 40 overs by two stoppages for rain.”The Guardian: “With more drama than a Coronation Street episode at Eden Park, even a Duckworth popped in at half-time to tell us how many runs New Zealand wanted. With all that was going on, it was hard to believe that it wasn’t Vera.”Messrs Duckworth and Lewis conspired through their unfathomable but ultimately fair system to invite New Zealand to score 30 more than England scored for victory. The upshot was that in an incident-packed, rain-interrupted game, England won by 33 runs to square the series 2-2 with one match to play in Dunedin on Tuesday.”According to the playing conditions, this 50-over game was scheduled to be played over two days in the event of rain, but was reduced to 46 then 40 overs per side much to the enjoyment of a capacity 35,000 crowd. Confusion was the order of the early part of the day as England made a workmanlike 193 for six.”On a pitch prepared on the number-two ground and transported 300 yards on a huge wheeled cradle, both sets of bowlers enjoyed themselves, while Graham Thorpe and Michael Vaughan excelled with the bat. Thorpe’s 59 in 67 balls was a masterly exhibition of his craft, all nudged singles and thumping boundaries. He has not had the easiest of times lately, but his domestic situation is now more clear to him and his cricket will prosper once more as a result.”Vaughan was a revelation as he dominated even Thorpe with his innings of 59 in 53 balls. He also held two quality catches early in New Zealand’s innings before his untimely exit from the field with a jarred shoulder. His innings was all that a one-day knock should be, with plenty of straight drives, square cuts and pulls, coupled with that deft glide to third man. This was not a cobbled-together innings but one of great maturity.”The Independent on Sunday: “From zero to hero is usually a long, arduous journey between diverse points separated by rather more than 18 letters of the alphabet. England have made it look as easy as ABC in a week.”After being two down in the series against New Zealand and all but out, they pulled level yesterday with one match to play. Seven days ago the tourists were washed up when they were all out for 89, suffered an abject defeat by 155 runs and were fortunate to keep it so close. Now, they are riding the crest of a wave.”It was New Zealand’s turn to flounder, although when they were drowning in Eden Park last night they still managed a determined wave. Having been dealt an unkind hand by the vagaries of the Duckworth-Lewis Method – though coldly statistical vagaries – they were simply never on the required pace.”The Sunday Telegraph: “First it was India who were given a shock, and now it is New Zealand. England are making a habit of fighting back when all hope looks lost, and Saturday’s win, with a little help from the Duckworth-Lewis method, has set up a mouth-watering series finale on Tuesday.”Reading the newspapers in New Zealand last Sunday, you could have been forgiven for thinking England were one of the worst teams to have set foot in their country after the annihilation in Wellington. New Zealanders must surely have wondered how England had hit back to level the series 3-3 in India, of all places. Now they understand why, and Nasser Hussain’s team must start as favourites in Dunedin after squaring the series at 2-2.”Brilliant batting from Michael Vaughan and Graham Thorpe set up the prospect of a commanding total until two lengthy breaks for rain curtailed England’s innings by 10 overs, and then the Duckworth-Lewis method intervened to leave New Zealand with a stiff target of 223 in 40 overs after England had made 193 for six.”Their top order again made heavy work of it and, despite explosive batting from Chris Cairns – the first time he has fired with the bat this series – and Andre Adams, the task was too great.”