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Robert Key is aiming to enjoy his first one-day series in England blues in the hope of upping the scoring tempo for the remaining two Test matches of the Ashes series.Key believes the less strict format of the triangular series with Australia and Sri Lanka may help to develop a fresh approach for the Tests at Melbourne and Sydney over Christmas and New Year.”I’m going to go out there to enjoy it, try a few things out that you don’t get the chance to do in Test cricket and hopefully if we take them into the Tests it might work,” said Key, who has joined the one-day squad in Sydney while Michael Vaughan rests his sore right knee.”They’re a really good side, but all they do is the basics really well. They don’t run up and bowl magic balls at you, they bowl outside off stump and they don’t let you score a run.”They are good but it’s their discipline that counts. None of their bowlers run up and bowl big outswingers, they know exactly how to bowl and set the fields according to how each of them bowls and their discipline and their basics are what it is all about.”They bowl in a decent place and give themselves a chance of getting you out – they very rarely bowl you a bad ball. There are ways to combat someone bowling outside off stump, leaving it and things like that, because it’s not as if you’re out there wondering how you’re going to survive, you’re just wondering how you’re going to score.”England captain Nasser Hussain tried unsuccessfully to charge Glenn McGrath in the Perth test, while Key was trapped leg before walking across his stumps.Nasser tried it a bit when I was batting with him in the last Test whenMcGrath just wasn’t bowling a bad ball,” explained Key. “He started running at him and I tried walking across a couple of times but I was out lbw – you have to work on a couple of things just to try and break up his rhythm.”I enjoy one-day cricket because it gives you a chance to play your shots a bit more, particularly against these boys when you’re fighting for every run, leaving a lot and deciding whether or not to have a go.”Sometimes you can’t wait for a bad ball out here and you have to try and make something out of nothing. This is a good chance to try a few things and possibly take things into the Test series.”England’s build-up for the first section of the one-day series – matches against Australia in Sydney and Melbourne, and against Sri Lanka in Brisbane and Perth – with day-nighters against strong New South Wales and Australia A sides at the SCG over the next few days.”After being beaten pretty comprehensively in three games it gives us a chance to get out there and get a few wins and get something positive to look at rather than almost drowning your sorrows,” admitted Key.”This will hopefully give us the chance to get a bit of confidence. It’s my first tour, but I just find it a bit bizarre to play a one-day series in the middle of a Test series. I suppose it’s come at quite a good time where we can come away with something positive – if we play well in this series it can only do us good going into the last two Tests.”Admirer of the Australian side though he may be, Key admits to being less impressed by the standards of the sledging dished out to him during the last two Tests.”Steve Waugh called it mental disintegration, but I wouldn’t call it that – they’re just talking rubbish most of the time,” Key said. “I quite enjoy all the banter.”When they start getting at you I try and stare them down or try and come back with something if I’ve got something decent stored up. They’re no different from anyone really. They might be the best team in the world but their sledging’s pretty ordinary.”England will practice under lights tomorrow before Friday’s match against a New South Wales line-up which includes seven players with Test experience for Australia, including McGrath, both Waugh brothers, Brett Lee and Stuart MacGill.

The Somerset Under 12’s lost their opening match of the season when they went down by four wickets to Dorset at Dean Park in Bournemouth.Dorset won the toss and batting first scored 133 for 6 in their 35 overs.In reply, despite a brave effort from the Somerset batsmen they were all out for 122, just 12 runs short of their target in the 34th over.

Herschelle Gibbs scored his seventh career century as South Africa outclassed Pakistan by 54 runs in the first match of the Morocco Cup Monday.Gibbs struck a flawless 114 and nullified Waqar Younis’s five for 38 to propel South Africa to an imposing 283 for nine. Pakistan, in their turn, never succeeded in building partnerships and were finally dismissed for 229.It was an excellent allround performance by the South Africans who were initially expected to be rusty after coming from the four-month lay-off. In their last assignment, there were routed by the Australians in both the Tests and one-day series.For Pakistan, it must be a timely wake-up call as they have entered into the competition as odds-on favourites after having won everything this year, including a 2-1 victory over Australia in the Super Challenge-II.When Shaun Pollock decided to make first use of the wicket after winning the toss, many thought he had made a mistake as the pitch was new and nobody was convinced how it would behave. And although Gary Kirsten was a victim to double paced wicket, the South Africans kept their cool. Gibbs controlled the proceedings and rest of the players just provided him the support from the other end by rotating the strike.South Africa were on course for a 300 plus score when Gibbs and Jonty Rhodes were batting. But a late charge by Waqar restricted South Africa to 283 when he picked three of his five wickets in the death overs.Gibbs struck everything from the centre of the willow and produced eight exquisite boundaries. High winds in the open area also allowed him to fetch three elegant sixes that had all the timing and minimum of power.Gibbs featured in two fruitful partnerships. For the third wicket with Nicky Boje (52), he added85 off 82 balls while for the fourth wicket with Rhodes (46), he put on 120 runs from 112 balls.Gibbs completed his century in style when he hit Saqlain Mushtaq gracefully and against the spin for a boundary. He picked up a boundary and a six off successive balls in the same over.Besides a disappointing performance from Saqlain, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq were also below-par, although it would be unjustified to blame Afridi because he is not a specialist bowler. He is a batsma-cum-bowler but the team management is bent upon making him a bowler-cum-batsman.When Pakistan batted in better and warmer conditions, Saeed Anwar and Imran Nazir provided them a good start when they posted 55 before things started to go wrong.Imran was worth watching when he played glorious drives during his 31-ball knock that produced nine boundaries. He scored 40 before being trapped in front of the wickets by Jacques Kallis who also accounted for Saeed.Afridi threw his bat around and picked up three fours and a six in his 29-ball 34 but he was fighting for a lost cause. Pakistan slim hopes ended when Rashid Latif was adjudged leg before by nudging the ball down the fine-leg and a couple of balls later Abdul Razzaq had his stumps shattered by Allan Donald.

One of the best teams in cricket history playing against an injury-hit England squad which has fumbled through its warm-up matches wouldn’t normally point to an enthralling summer.But it’s the Ashes – and that is why fans will pack grounds around the country.While those close to the Australian team are wary of writing off England, among those preparing to take their places in the stands to watch their heroes, it’s a different story.Australian cricket fans are gearing up to have another go at the Poms, while British expats and the Barmy Army hordes puff their chests out and begin sentences like: “Well you never know, we just might…”.Then they stop and, as if realising the absurdity of what they are about to say, mutter with familiar self-deprecating humour something about fully expecting to get soundly thrashed.With world champion Australia on home soil chasing an eighth consecutive Ashes series, fans may have little doubt about the outcome but they still want to be there.Former Test great Alan Davidson, NSW Cricket’s long-serving president, says the Sydney Cricket Ground has already recorded unprecedented figures for people wanting reserve seats at the fifth and final Test.So what is it about the Ashes that it can still pull such big and passionate crowds.”I think basically England-Australia in Test matches have always had that special significance,” says Davidson, who played his first Test at Trent Bridge on Australia’s Ashes tour of England in 1953.”It’s this little colony that had the hide to take on England at a game which was started in England and the pupils, I suppose you could call us, have taken on the masters and we’ve beaten the masters.”Now the Australians are the masters and England has not won an Ashes series since 1986-87.People love to watch winners and this Australian side has proven time and again that it’s the best in the world.But it hasn’t always been this way. Australia is some way from dominating Ashes cricket overall.Of 61 series played, Australia has won 29 and England 26 with six draws.Australia has won 121 of the 301 Tests between the nations with England winning 94 and 86 drawn matches.And there have been significant periods when England has been on top.In 1953, England wrested back the urn to break an Australian stronghold on the trophy dating back to the 1930s.Australia had to wait until its summer of 1958-59 to reclaim the honours and went overseas in 1961 determined to beat England on its home soil, which it did.There is something else that gives The Ashes its mystique and inspires the young to dream.”My grandfather on my mother’s side one day showed me a photograph of the ship taking our team to England in 1938,” Davidson says.”I was nine at the time and I said, ‘well one day I will, Grandad.'”A sport and rivalry steeped so firmly in tradition inspires the desire to emulate past heroes like no other competition.”What made Australia during The Depression, when things were at their toughest? There was a horse called Phar Lap and a bloke called Bradman,” Davidson says.There is no greater Australian hero than Don Bradman – the man whose astounding talent prompted England to resort to leg-theory in a bid to stop him, resulting in the infamous Bodyline series of 1932-33.Davidson remembers watching the fifth Ashes Test of 1946-47 in Sydney as a teenager.”I actually wagged school and went with my uncle down to watch the Test match,” he says.”I saw Bradman score 12 runs and, whilst it was a very modest score for him, it was amazing … I don’t recall a shot that he played but I do remember how he used his feet.”While Australian-English relations had long since recovered by the time of that Test match, Bodyline will never be forgotten.The game has changed, the names have changed.But, with another breed of heroes to worship, Australian punters are set to relish a fresh tilt at the old enemy.

The final of the Kitply Cup is almost certainly going to be India v someone else, unless India crash to defeat by an inconceivable margin of more than 218 runs against Bangladesh on Thursday. It provides the team management with the ideal opportunity to give tired squad members a break, provide opportunities to new faces, and tinker with team combination.The usual argument in favour of rest and rotation is that of player burnout, the packed international schedule made even more demanding by the Indian Premier League. It is a valid point for India’s one-day outfit was involved in a long tri-series in Australia before the IPL. Some of them even played the home Tests against South Africa in energy-sapping heat. Weather conditions in Dhaka are humid and future fixtures – the Asia Cup in Pakistan and the tour of Sri Lanka – will be equally taxing. A counter-argument is that the squad is young and most of the players can meet the demands. That may be true but all these matches add up and eventually a player may have to take a forced break. Prevention is better than the proverbial cure.The other argument for rotation is to gradually increase experience levels of the bench strength by giving them international exposure. Only then will they be able to slot in seamlessly if one of the regular 11 picks up an injury.”I think that’s the reason the selectors have chosen a pretty young side for this tournament,” Gary Kirsten, the India coach, said. “It’s going to be important as we move on in the years to have a group of 15-20 players, who are equally good enough to play for India. With the demands on the players and the heat that they play in, we are going to have to rest players. We’re going to have to think carefully about how we do that.”Two players who have strong cases for rest are Ishant Sharma and Mahendra singh Dhoni. Ishant has been a precious addition to India’s fast bowling arsenal, a rare fast bowler who can unsettle the batsman with pace, and his value to the Test team is far greater than what he offers to the one-day side. Ishant missed the first two Tests against South Africa because of injury but recovered for the third, after which he played 13 out of 14 Twenty20 games for the Kolkata Knight Riders. During India’s Kitply Cup opener against Pakistan, Ishant showed discomfort when his knee hit the ground after completing a catch. Perhaps deploying his skills in Tests and key one-day fixtures is the way forward. Resting him once in a while will give newcomers like Manpreet Gony the chance to make it on the international circuit.The other player who, in public opinion at least, seems in need of a break is Dhoni. Before the home series against South Africa began, he had played 47 one-dayers, 11 Tests and eight Twenty20s – 105 days of international cricket – in a span of 15 months. Since then he played all three Tests against South Africa and the entire IPL though he did not keep wicket for the majority of the tournament because of a finger injury.However, after the win against Pakistan on Tuesday, Dhoni said the hectic playing schedule had to be accepted. “It is part and parcel of our profession,” he said. “Till you are fit, you will love to play this game. You get addicted to it. For a cricketer no other addiction is bigger than playing cricket.”Kirsten, however, said there is a longer plan. “We are going to look at every player individually and see if there’s an opportunity for him to be rested. It’s a long year so we’ll look at opportunities [for resting players] through the year. At this stage there is no plan from MS’s [Dhoni] side to rest. He’s very keen to captain this one-day team and take it to more success. So there’s nothing planned as yet.”That Dhoni wasn’t keen on resting was evident from the squads chosen for the Kitply and Asia Cups. With Dinesh Karthik being dropped, Dhoni is the only wicketkeeper in the squad, which means he is likely to play each and every game. That is, unless, he picks up an injury.

Oran Bristol yesterday advanced to the final of the Barbados Fire & Commercial Shield competition amidst some heated discussion and debate after their victory over Malvern.Bristol will have to wait to see who their opponents will be as the other semi between Wotton and Piton Dover will have to be replayed because play could not resume after rain fell.Malvern 188 in 39.4 overs lost to Bristol 155-2 in 30 overs by virtue of faster scoring rate.At Old Coleridge: Bristol outplayed the visitors, but at the end the Malvern camp left promising to protest the result after they were surprised when light was offered to the batsmen at 5:30 p.m.Bristol were making light work of their target with Man-Of-The-Match Norton Thompson paving the way with a polished 68 not out. He added an unbroken third-wicket stand of 40 with Michael Shepherd (24 not out).The umpires offered light and the Bristol batsmen accepted, thereby securing the victory and giving their supporters much to shout about.Bristol were scoring at 5.16 runs per over when the match concluded ahead of Malvern’s rate of 4.7 per over. Midway in the Bristol innings there was a break for rain but the officials did not revise the target and this seems to be the "major beef" for Malvern.Rule 21 governing the competition states: If the team batting second has not had the opportunity to complete the agreed number of overs and has neither been bowled out nor passed the opponents score, the following shall apply, provided that at least 15 overs have been bowled:1. The result shall be decided on the run rate throughout each innings and the team with the higher run rate shall be the winners.2. If, due to a suspension of play, the number of overs in the innings of the team batting second has to be revised, their target shall be calculated by multiplying the revised number of overs (this includes overs before interruption) by the run rate of the team batting first.There was no stopping Thompson, who added 59 for the first wicket with Owen Skeete (24), and 56 for the second wicket with skipper David Carrington (26).Earlier, play started 30 minutes late due to rain and Malvern were kept in check by John Greaves, who bagged three for 33.Jefferson Goodridge topscored with 34, and former Division 1 batsman Kirk Clarke chipped in with 27. Ivor Holligan made 22 not out at the bottom of the innings.Wotton 171-6 in 38 overs vs Piton DoverAt Wotton: A spot at the southern end of the pitch forced the umpires to call off the match at 3:30 p.m. before defending champions Dover could start their reply.The umpires decided to abandon the contest after seepage under the covers from rain during the lunch break.The match was dubbed the "Christ Church Derby" but both sides left the ground contented with the officials’ verdict and will be looking forward to the rematch.A hard-hitting 64 not out by Leon Layne kept the Wotton innings together. The former YMPC batsman hit four fours and four sixes off just 68 balls before a large crowd as Wotton left Dover requiring 4.5 runs per over.

Hampshire field two Young Cricketers sides in Guernsey and Sussex during the half-term holiday week.With Raj Maru’s Under-19 travelling to St Peter Port, the Under-17s face Sussex at Worthing on Monday and Tuesday.Under-17s v Sussex : Doug Bellchamber (Portsmouth), David Griffiths (Academy), James Manning (Andover), Matt Metcalfe (Calmore Sports), Mark Mitchell (Academy), Graham Noble (BAT Sports), Alex Richardson (Locks Heath), Mitchell Stokes (Basingstoke & North Hants), Cille van der Merwe (Andover), Chris Wright (Liphook & Ripsley), Gareth Ransley (Locks Heath).

KARACHI, July 26: All the major Test centres of the country require minor modifications to help the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) fight against the menace of match-fixing.Col Nooruddin Khawaja, ACU’s regional security manager, Friday said the National Stadium and the Gaddafi Stadium were upto mark. But added that a little more improvement was essential.”I have surveyed and inspected all the stadia of the country, except the Multan Cricket Stadium. And except for minor improvements, the stadia look fine and in accordance to ACU’s universal procedures,” he said.He, for the sake of confidentiality, refused to highlight the `minor’ adjustments but emphasised that the stadia were built when the game was not marked by unsporting activities.”The stadia will be upgraded, not only in Pakistan but everywhere in the world because of something ugly things that have happened in the recent past. ACU’s task is to keep the sport as clean as a whistle and in that context, it has taken several measures. Upgradation of the stadia, including installation of surveillance or spy cameras, if required, is one of the standard procedures,” he said.He said the home board would be responsible for installation of modern equipment. He further said during international matches, he would report directly to the ACU if he had any suspicious.Noor said he would also be talking to the Pakistan players and would be informing them about the latest measures the ACU was taking to deter foul play. But he insisted that the ACU was not suffocating the players.”The cricketers will be briefed about the steps the ACU was taking and the cooperation it would be expecting from them. At the same time, the players will be given assurances that the ACU would neither be spying nor shadowing them.”The players are entitled to free movement and the ACU would maintain that sanctity. But the players need to be explained as to what happened in the past, and what needs to be done in future.”He said most of the recommendations of the ACU have been enforced. He said the contracts the players were signing nowadays with their parent boards included fresh clauses, including penalties and punishments the players were liable to, for violation of code of conduct.Interestingly, the ACU, that has a four million pounds budget and include highly paid officials from Scotland Yard, has failed to identify one single cricketer of being involved in match-fixing.Sir Paul Condon, chief of the ACU, recently claimed that the game was now free of corruption. But everyone believes thatmatch-fixing was still ripe but as always, without any proof.

ARL spinners Alamgir Khan and Sohail Tanveer restricted Saga to just 200 in their first innings on the first day of their Kardar Trophy match at ARL Ground here Thursday.Alamgir, bowling to a fine line and length, picked up five for 66 while Sohail proved equally good with the ball, conceding 67 runs for his four wickets.Shahzad Malik was the main scorer for Saga with 65, followed by Ashraf Ali who hit 45.In reply, ARL were 138 for four at the close of play, strike bowler Tahir Mughal inflicting the early damage with three for 43.Asim Butt and Manzoor Ali were together at the crease having collected 24 and 29 runs respectively.Centuries by opener Hasnain Alam (108) and Zia-ul-Haq (101) helped Army reach 385 in their first innings against PTV at Pindi Club Ground.Shiraz Khalid also batted well to contribute 61 while Ahmed Shah scored 47.Slow left-armer Nadeem Sikander captured six for 121 in 30.5 overs.PTV, in reply, were eight for no wicket in as many overs at stumps.Our Sports Reporter adds from Karachi: A superb opening partnership of 129 between Ali Hussain (87) and Mohammad Hafeez (84) led Sui Gas to a reasonable 293 for nine in their first innings against Karachi Port Trust (KPT) at UBL Sports Complex.KPT were 12 for no wicket at draw of stumps.Left-arm spinner Mohammad Sarfraz claimed five for 60 as Navy restricted Pakistan Education Board (PEB) to 210 for eight in the game at PCB Regional Academy Ground.Navy reached 42 for one at close of play.Pakistan Air Force (PAF) did well to curtail a strong KESC side to only 243 in their first innings at National Stadium.KESC, in fact, struggled for most of the day and only managed to recover thanks to a robust knock of 54 by tailender Tabish Khan.Tabish, who recently represented Karachi Whites in the National Under-19 Cricket Championship, slammed six fours and one six in his 44-ball innings.Wicket-keeper Amin-ur-Rehman was the other major scorer. He made 42 off 43 balls with the aid of four fours and a six.Mohammad Riaz, the slow left-armer, was the pick of PAF’s bowlers by returning splendid analysis of five for 89 in 34.1 overs.The airmen lost opener Shahid Khan cheaply to end the day on 22 for one.

After an intense winter in Rod Marsh’s newly formed England Academy down under, Chris Tremlett has returned fitter, stronger and quicker for the 2002 season.It will be a test of the 20-year-old progress, having made a significant impression in Hampshire’s promotion to County Championship Division One with 20 wickets in his seven first-class matches.With a season in the Academy under his belt, Tremlett believes this is going to be a big season, not only for Hampshire, but also for him personally. “I learnt a lot during the winter and feel a lot fitter. And I believe my bowling has come on as well.”My action has improved. I am now bowling in a straighter line, closer to the stumps and with a bit more pace. I am hoping that with me probably being one of the quicker bowlers, I can command and maintain my place in the side.”With the new signings in the batting department, young Tremlett considers there will be plenty of competition, but is hopeful there will be plenty of opportunities for him. “I obviously want to get into the first team, play well, keep my place and get as many wickets as I can.”It is a big season for me. It will be a lot harder in Division One but we can push for the top spot. The lads are certainly up for it, I have noticed that since I have been back.It is not only in the first-class game but also in the limited-overs matches, where he performed well and with plaudits from television experts and many a supporter, where Tremlett is looking to excel.”I did well in the one-day games as well, so I hope to further myself there too.”His Academy excursions in Australia, which he describes as “very intense” were valuable to Tremlett’s learning. “It was pretty much mostly hard work, with training and weight training every day. But I also learnt about other things apart from cricket – lifestyle changes and patterns.”I was able to learn more about myself and this, I hope, can hold me in good stead for the season.”The National Academy have broken up now, with no matches scheduled for the coming year but the 2002-2003 `students’ will be announced earlier and Tremlett wanted to be a part of it again.”I was one of the youngest players out there. Rod Marsh is coming over this summer and will be keeping a close eye on the Academy lads. But I am keen to return, to work further on my body and get even more stronger and fitter.”