Hawke’s Bay have won the right to challenge Hawke Cup holder Manawatu for the trophy from February 15-17 after the final round of elimination matches at the weekend.Final points were: Hawke’s Bay 31, Wairarapa 26, Manawatu 24, Nelson 21, Wanganui 20, Marlborough 20, Taranaki 18, Horowhenua Kapiti 4.

Below you will find a full list of possible outcomes from the final matches in Group A of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 with details of the final standings in each case:

Ind beat PakAus beat EngPak beat Zim1. Aus 24, 2. Ind 20, 3. Eng or Pak or Zim 12, decided by net run-rate.Ind beat PakAus beat EngZim beat Pak1. Aus 24, 2 Ind 20, 3. Zim 16.Ind beat PakEng beat AusPak beat Zim1. Aus 20, 2. Ind 20, 3. Eng 16.Ind beat PakEng beat AusZim beat Pak1. Aus 20, 2. Ind 20, 3. Zim 16 (Eng 16 eliminated by loss to Zim)Pak beat IndAus beat EngPak beat Zim1. Aus 24, 2. Pak 16, 3 Ind 16.Pak beat IndAus beat EngZim beat Pak1. Aus 24, 2. Ind 16, 3 Zim 16.Pak beat IndEng beat AusPak beat Zim1. Aus 20, 2. and 3. decided on net run-rate between Eng, Ind, Pak 16.Pak beat IndEng beat AusZim beat Pak1. Aus 20, 2. and 3. decided on net run-rate between Eng, Ind, Zim 16.

Note: no provision has been made for matches that are rained off or tiedAll statistics provided by Andrew Samson

MELBOURNE, March 8 AAP – Victoria is seven wickets from an outright win over Western Australia in their Pura Cup cricket match at the MCG, but it would be an empty win.Brad Hodge, who posted his highest first-class score today of 183, reflected the mood of his team-mates when he said: “It just feels awful not to be in the final.”New South Wales’ win over Queensland today at the SCG meant the Blues secured second spot on the Cup ladder ahead of Victoria.The Victorians arranged for the MCG scoreboard not to post updates from the SCG, so they could concentrate on their match, but the news at the breaks today was grim.”That was pretty disheartening, really – we tried not to listen to what was going on, but obviously everyone takes a bit of notice,” Hodge said.While pleased to end a disappointing summer well, Hodge was also dirty on himself to miss a double century.He top-scored in Victoria’s 486, which gave the home side first-inning points in reply to WA’s 275.WA was 3-88 at stumps with one day left, still needing 123 to make the home side bat again.”We owe it to ourselves to try to win,” Hodge said, adding WA had beaten Victoria three times this summer.The one bright spot for Hodge today was being able to shut up captain Darren Berry, who had chided him for having a top score of only 140.”It’s been a goal of mine for a fair while and Darren Berry also brings it up that he has a higher score than what I have – he hasn’t any more,” said Hodge, who counted down to 166 and then waved to Berry once that monkey was off his back.”I was just really determined to do well because I’ve been under a fair bit of pressure (lately).”Victoria batted until tea, with Berry making 49, Jon Moss chipping in with 47 and Cameron White adding 27.Coach David Hookes had no qualms about making WA wait for its second innings.”I don’t think (WA captain) Justin Langer would have given us Jack shit if we were in Perth in the same situation on a 40-degree day, and neither should he,” Hookes said.”Our priority, regardless of what was happening north of the Murray, was to win the game….I think Chuck (Berry) did the right thing.”Victoria’s form tapered after Christmas, while NSW surged, and Hookes conceded several of his pacemen “ran out of juice” in terms of fitness.He said it would be a “fair assessment” to rate Queensland and New South Wales the best two sides in the Cup.Hookes also wants a change to the MCG wickets next season, saying it is too difficult to gain results.”You could argue that’s the best pitch of the year…but I don’t think that necessarily suits the way we play,” Hookes said of the slow, even deck for this match.”You don’t want to be fighting, fighting, fighting for a late fourth day result, five times out of five.”

The day will be remembered for another wonderful Test century from Brian Lara, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Australia retaining the Frank Worrell Trophy, with their 13th win in 16 Test matches.It was a tale of two sessions. The morning belonged to Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan, the afternoon to the Australian bowlers. To make 407 batting last in a Test match against Australia was a near-impossible task, but for a whole session, Lara suggested that he could make it come true. In the end, it proved to be too tall an order.The morning session was the most absorbing of the series so far. Lara played with a mixture of extreme grit and amazing grace to score his first Test hundred on his home ground. It was his eighth against Australia, and his 20th overall. It took him 164 balls, and he smacked 12 fours and one six, but it was by no means easy.Lee – who dropped Lara on 6 yesterday evening – bowled with extra venom and hostility. It was an intriguing battle between two heavyweights of world cricket, and Lara won it. Lee hurled down a bruising barrage of bouncers, two of which whistled past Lara’s chin, and one which thudded into his arm as he turned away for protection. Lee thought he had his man when he burst his lungs with an lbw appeal which at first looked close, but was correctly given not out by Rudi Koertzen. The whole of the Port-of-Spain crowd sighed with relief.In the following over, after a nervy period in the nineties, Lara cracked a Stuart MacGill full-toss past mid-on, punched the air in delight, and the look of relief on his face was visible to all after he took off his helmet to applaud his fans.Lara had started the day cautiously, but freed his arms soon after, shuffling down the pitch and depositing the ball over Brad Hogg’s head for six. That shot took him past Sir Garry Sobers’s record for the most Test runs in the Caribbean.And that was the just the start of a spate of breathtaking strokes. In consecutive overs from Jason Gillespie, Lara smashed two spanking cover-drives – the first off the front foot and the second off the back – which left Gillespie shaking his head in frustration. Sarwan got into the act with a dashing drive through extra-cover off Hogg, as the pair brought up their fifty partnership from 80 balls.Sarwan played the supporting role well, as he dug in while Lara took the brunt of the attack. Sarwan survived two close calls in the morning, but his dismissal just after lunch signalled the West Indies collapse. Andy Bichel was the man who got things going for Australia, persuading Sarwan to miscue an attempted pull straight to Darren Lehmann at mid-on.The shot was on but Sarwan closed the blade too early and the ball spooned up in the air. It was an uncharacteristic lapse of concentration from Sarwan, who had made a controlled 34 from 87 balls, and ended his partnership of 106 with Lara.Marlon Samuels and David Bernard fell in quick succession to Bichel’s nagging line, and then the hammer blow struck West Indies when Lara was prized out for 122 by MacGill. It was a glorious effort and while he was there, West Indies could believe that victory was within their grasp. But, while the wickets slipped away at the other end, Lara was forced into an indiscretion and was caught at slip by Matthew Hayden.Moments later, Carlton Baugh was gone as well, heaving the first ball of a new spell from Hogg to Justin Langer at cover. Steve Waugh then opted for the new ball, and Lee and Gillespie scythed through the lower order to round off the 118-run win.

All may not be lost for New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond who returned home to Christchurch from Sri Lanka today.New Zealand Cricket’s sports science medical co-ordinator Warren Frost met Bond at Christchurch Airport and said afterwards that the advice received from the team physiotherapist on tour, Dayle Shackel, offered a best hope scenario that Bond’s back problem could be disc-related and not the stress fracture that has been feared. Bond will have an MRI scan on Monday to determine the extent of his problem.Bond said after his arrival in Christchurch that before leaving Sri Lanka the injury had settled down and there was no stiffness associated with it. It was only when twisting that he could feel the injury.The victim of three stress fractures at earlier stages of his career Bond, who became the bowler to achieve the fastest 50 wickets by a New Zealander in one-day internationals on the tour to Sri Lanka, said the feeling was different on Sunday to that he felt when suffering his earlier stress fractures.”Those times I wasn’t able to bowl a ball because there was a searing pain in the back. After bowling three overs [against Pakistan] I got a wee bit stiff but was able to bowl at a reasonable pace. I never felt sore when I bowled. I’m a little bit nervous that it is not going to be great news. I’ll be able to tell as soon as I see the scan what the problem is,” he said.The news will also be followed with interest by English county club Warwickshire who have been in daily contact with Bond to see how he is doing. He is due to join them for the full English season. “They will be the first to know,” Bond said.In case it is bad news Bond has prepared himself for that and said he would at least be lucky that it is not until mid-September that the New Zealand team plays again and he was hopeful that with the required rest he could be over the problem by that time.The thing about his recovery was that it required rest and the only thing he would be unable to do was bowl. It would allow him to spend the winter at home with his wife, and he was looking forward to that.Bond said the conditions at Dambulla were the best he had bowled in over in Sri Lanka and were much like New Zealand last summer. “It [the pitch] was the best I had bowled on over there. But the hardest thing on a green wicket is putting the ball in the spot,” he said.Frost said that if Bond’s injury was disc-related it might not be too long before Bond was back on the field and meeting his Warwickshire commitments.

Frizzell County Championship Division OneNottinghamshire v Essex at Nottingham
ScorecardThey might have expected to wrap up the match even more quickly, after reducing Nottinghamshire to 19 for 9 in their first innings, but Essex duly claimed their first Championship win of 2003 as Graham Napier completed a 268-run victory at Trent Bridge with four sessions to spare. Napier took 5 for 66, his first five-wicket haul in his seventh first-class season, as Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 215, chasing 484. It was another disappointing performance from Notts. Usman Afzaal and Jason Gallian carried them to 90 for 1 in the first session of the day, but they lost their last nine wickets for 125. Chris Cairns slapped a rapid 39, and the tailender Nadeem Malik took his tally of runs for the match to 45, but after that grim first day, they had lost their will to fightKent v Lancashire at Canterbury
ScorecardMal Loye top-scored with an impressive 86, and Carl Hooper and Stuart Law salvaged some dignity after their first-innings ducks, to keep Lancashire on course for a final-day victory at Canterbury. Chasing an unlikely 415 to win, Kent reached the close on 123 for 4, after losing the vital wicket of Ed Smith for 56 with three overs remaining. It was a better-balanced batting effort from Lancashire. Andrew Flintoff once again provided some fireworks with a boisterous 43 from 56 balls, but when he fell at 252 for 5, Lancashire had scored exactly 200 more runs than they had managed for the corresponding wicket in the first innings. Warren Hegg continued the fun with 35 from No. 8, whereupon Kent lost regular wickets in their run-chase. Glen Chapple removed Michael Carberry for a duck, and Gary Keedy grabbed two late wickets to maintain the pressure.Surrey v Sussex at The Oval
ScorecardIan Ward’s second century of the season put Surrey in an ominous position at The Oval, before rain and bad light truncated the evening session to give Sussex a glimmer of hope. Adam Hollioake had turned down the opportunity of enforcing the follow-on, and while Ward was galloping to 135 from 166 balls, his decision seemed justified. But the weather intervened on several occasions, and when Surrey declared on 233 for 3, Sussex’s reply was limited to 23 balls. Earlier, Jon Batty continued his excellent form with 56, but if Surrey are unable to force a win tomorrow, Essex’s comprehensive victory over Nottinghamshire will increase the pressure at the top of the table.Frizzell County Championship Division TwoDerbyshire v Worcestershire at Derby
ScorecardWorcestershire recorded their second win of the season, galloping to their victory target of 51 in a mere 7.5 overs. Derbyshire had begun the day in some strife at 185 for 6, still trailing Worcestershire’s first innings by 20 runs. Though Dominic Cork and Graeme Welch both completed half-centuries in a seventh-wicket stand of 94, Nantie Hayward wrapped up the innings with three wickets, taking his match tally to eight. Kevin Dean’s 21 helped Derbyshire to 245, but Stephen Peters and Anurag Singh made mincemeat of the target, adding 50 for the first wicket at more than a run a ball. Graeme Hick, who scored his 122nd first-class century in the first innings, completed the victory with the second ball he faced.Yorkshire v Durham at Leeds
ScorecardYorkshire’s prospects of a swift return to Division One suffered a humiliating blow at the hands of Durham, as Dewald Pretorius inflicted a shock 167-run defeat at Headingley with figures of 4 for 15. It was the first time since 1999 that Durham had won back-to-back Championship matches, and they did it in some style as well, skittling Yorkshire for a paltry 93. Earlier in the day, there hadn’t seemed much danger of such a capitulation – Durham were marginally ahead on points overnight, but Chris Silverwood took 4 for 40 as Durham’s last seven wickets fell for 101 in a single session. Jon Lewis top-scored with 66, to add to his bold 124 in the first innings, but a target of 261 ought to have been eminently gettable. Pretorius and Gordon Muchall – who picked up three wickets – thought otherwise. Matthew Wood fell for a duck in the third over, and only Scott Richardson (18) and Richard Dawson (21) managed to reach double figures.Northamptonshire v Glamorgan at Northampton
ScorecardMike Kasprowicz’s first five-wicket haul of the season condemned Northamptonshire to yet another Championship defeat – their third in six matches. Kasprowicz took 6 for 72 to take his match tally to nine, as Northants were bundled out for 172 with a day to spare. For much of the day, however, a Glamorgan defeat had seemed an equally possible outcome. They had begun their innings on a precarious 71 for 4, which soon became 140 for 8. But Jonathan Hughes hung around for a vital 73, and Robert Croft led a bold rearguard by the tail. He finished unbeaten on 50, adding 50 for the ninth wicket with that man Kasprowicz, and 30 with Alex Wharf. A target of 228 shouldn’t have been out of reach, especially with Phil Jaques in fine fettle. But he was the only man to pass 20, as Kasprowicz tore through a flimsy batting line-up.

An anonymous Australian buyer has paid a record Aus$425,000 (US$283,000) for the baggy green cap worn by Donald Bradman when he ended his legendary Test career. Ludgrove’s, the auctioneers, announced that it was the highest price fetched for any bit of Bradman memorabilia.Bradman had worn the cap during the last of his 29 Test centuries, and then during his last Test innings, when he was famously dismissed for a duck. Bradman had then given it to his English godson, who consigned it to Ludgrove’s for sale.Ludgrove’s had planned to auction the cap in London next month, but pre-auction offers were so high that it decided on an immediate sale. The price exceeded the previous record for Bradman memorabilia, for a cap that Bradman wore during the 1948 series against India. Ludgrove’s, who sold that cap to a private buyer, had never divulged the price paid for it.This particular Baggy Green has also been bought by an unnamed buyer, who, according to Ludgrove’s, intends to bring the cap back from England and put it on display in Australia.

Wisden CricInfo’s writers comment on cricket’s latest inventionSteven Lynch
I have been pleasantly surprised by the crowds, the obvious fun, and the way the players have tucked in (maybe the promise of meeting Atomic Kitten at Trent Bridge has something to do with that). It’s fast-food cricket, and a couple of hours after the match most people have forgotten almost everything about it – but that doesn’t matter much as long as people turn up. The TV chats with the captain are sometimes very interesting, but I do feel sorry for anyone who has to bowl in it, and I also have a suspicion that the novelty might wear off. But it has been a good start, blessed with fine weather, and judging by England’s express-style one-day demolition of Pakistan at The Oval, the lessons are already rubbing off at a higher level.Martin Williamson
I was initially sceptical about a product which appeared to owe more to marketing meetings than the game itself, but that evaporated on the first night as the crowds flocked to grounds and the matches were not the farces that many feared. However, a trip to leafy Imber Court to watch Surrey play Sussex left me with mixed feelings. The crowd was good, and importantly the mix of the spectators was far more diverse than usual. But the game itself was not particularly exciting, and there was little feeling that people really cared what was going on in the middle. They basked in the sun, chatted and drank, while the many children raced round playing impromptu games of cricket. Being positive, at least they were there, which is what really matters. I think the future of Twenty20 is to take games to new grounds where there is an untapped audience. Playing them on the same old grounds will, once the novelty has worn off, result in the same old spectator apathy.Andrew Miller
I wasn’t a fan of Twenty20 cricket when the idea was first publicised. My objections were twofold. First the fear of failure: English cricket and gimmickry has a sad and dysfunctional relationship, and I still wince at the memory of the 1999 World Cup opening ceremony, the dampest squib ever to exist outside the realm of metaphor. My second objection, perhaps perversely, was a fear of success. If the crowds did indeed flood through the turnstiles, what next? Test cricket remains the only form of the game that truly and consistently gets my pulse racing, and this seemed so far removed from that as to be a dangerous, almost immoral, experiment. But then, one sunny Friday afternoon, with a day’s work behind me and three hours to kill before a friend’s birthday party, I allowed my guard to drop and my eyes were opened – I found myself part of a packed and knowledgable Oval crowd, all revelling in a rare opportunity to watch a live cricket match from start to finish. Purity is not the issue, and nor are the face-painters and jacuzzis. It’s all about the cricket, stupid!Freddie Auld
We were promised a new form of fast, fun and funky cricket to attract a new crowd to the game – and, after my initial reservations, I haven’t been disappointed. However, this is purely as a TV viewer. My studious nature has meant that I haven’t yet managed to join the throng live and let my hair down. But I plan to do so before long, with a group of my non-cricketing friends. And, the ECB will be pleased to hear, that even includes some girls. Watching on the box, admittedly without all the pitch-side distractions, I’ve enjoyed the immediate assaults and run-chases. That may not be an ideal way to hone a high straight elbow and an immaculate front-foot defensive, but we get enough of that in Tests. And cricket’s not just about that any more – it’s about entertainment and moving with the times.Ralph Dellor
All congratulations to those concerned for introducing Twenty20 into the English game. To get as many people as they have to go to any cricket-related event is an exceptional achievement. Only time will tell whether it is the novelty of the concept that brings the people flocking to previously deserted county grounds, or whether there is a lasting interest that will even convert the new followers to watch first one-day cricket and then go to a Championship match. However, bearing in mind that the idea is to establish the product in its own right, could I make a few suggestions that might make it even more appealing? Like using a bright orange ball instead of what starts out as a white one but soon becomes a mucky grey. And ensuring that both sides do not wear black as the basic shade of their coloured clothing. And – if this reactionary traditionalist is going to throw off all his conservative inhibitions! – reduce the teams to eight a side and bring in the boundaries so that there are more runs. Store these ideas away for when the novelty starts to fade.Sambit Bal
When I first heard about Twenty20, my spontaneous reaction was, “Ah, here we go again.” I have never been a fan of the variants – the Super Six, Max Cricket – anything that seeks to subvert the fundamentals of the game. After watching a few games on television, I wouldn’t say I am a convert yet, but I don’t mind it. What I like about it is that the game has been crunched without tampering with the essentials. At three hours, it’s only twice the size of a football match and roughly the same as a five-setter at the French Open. In theory, it is a combination of the first 15 and the last 10 of a 50-over match, and, to an extent, it works. What I don’t like about it is that it blurs the line between the highly skilled and the plain biffers. Big hits are spectacular, but continuous slogging is ugly. With wickets becoming inconsequential, the licence to hit comes with no price at all, and the bowler is degraded further. But still, if it can attract English kids to a game of cricket, who am I to complain?Raja M
Twenty20 celebrates cricket’s core charm. Forget goals and statistics, targets and tactics. Each match is a highlights package, each ball a story. Creativity is unleashed, and it’s liberation from the copybook. Yet cricket’s precious essence is not just retained but enhanced: beautifully hit straight sixes, spectacular fielding, spinners on duty. This is cricket back to its primeval spirit, the simplicity of purpose that drove men like Gilbert Jessop, Victor Trumper, Viv Richards and the young Sachin Tendulkar: the ball is there to thumped. With teams bowled out in 20 overs, it’s not a bowler’s nightmare either. A true master will conquer any challenge. A Twenty20 World Cup soon? Two matches a day at the same venue, a tournament lasting a week … Fear no changes, don’t sneer at evolution. That’s what one-day cricket taught us in the mid-1970s, and one-day cricket now funds the game. Twenty20 will do the same: it will help cricket flourish in a new millennium, in new frontiers like America.

South Africa’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has denied claims that the plane crash that caused Hansie Cronje’s death last year could have been due to sabotage. A report in the Observer Sport Monthly had quoted an unnamed CAA investigator as saying that there was reason to believe foul play in the whole matter.Trevor Abrahams, the commissioner of the CAA, told SABC Radio News: “We are not aware of any such report. I don’t know where it comes from andcertainly the indication that someone involved in the actual investigation from the CAA made any such statements are not true.”

England’s selectors today named the parties for the first section of this winter’s tour. England play two Tests and three ODIs in Bangladesh before flying to Sri Lanka for three more ODIs and three Tests. The tour starts on Oct 8 and finishes on Dec 23 – the players then return home for Christmas before a revised team travels to the West Indies in March.Only eight of the players who took part in this week’s amazing victory over South Africa at The Oval have been included in the 15-man Test squad. The odd ones out are Martin Bicknell and Ed Smith – and Alec Stewart, who has announced his retirement. Stewart’s likely replacement is Chris Read, the Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper who has already won three Test caps, but there is also a place for the highly rated Kent keeper Geraint Jones. At 27 – two years older than Read – Jones was a late starter in county cricket but has made a fine impression since taking over fulltime from Paul Nixon at Canterbury this year. He has had an interesting path to England colours: he was born in Papua New Guinea and schooled in Australia. But, as that Christian name suggests, he has Welsh parents, which qualifies him for England selection.Smith misses out after a mixed showing in his three Tests against South Africa. He started well, with 64 at Trent Bridge, but struggled afterwards – although his fielding, thought to be a worry beforehand, stood up well, culminating in a fine swoop to take the final catch at The Oval. But with Graham Thorpe a certain selection after his own Oval heroics and Nasser Hussain returning after injury, there was no room for another batsman once the selectors decided against taking 16 players.Bicknell is unfortunate to miss out after his fine second-innings form at The Oval, but lack of pace and surfeit of years counted against him. James Kirtley misses out too, despite taking five wickets on debut at Trent Bridge. Instead the pace battery comprises James Anderson, Stephen Harmison and the returning Matthew Hoggard. Kirtley does at least feature in the squad for the one-day section of the tour.There was no recall at this stage for Robert Croft, the Glamorgan offspinner who has done his best work for England overseas, with 35 wickets in nine Tests. Instead the selectors have opted for Ashley Giles (a star of England’s previous trip to Sri Lanka in 2000-01) and Gareth Batty, the Worcestershire offspinner who was in the squads for the third and fifth Tests against South Africa this summer but failed to make the final cut. But, with the pitches in Sri Lanka expected to help the spinners, the selectors may bolster the spin department after the Bangladesh leg of the tour – and Croft may come back into the reckoning then.The main surprises came in the form of call-ups for the allrounders Rikki Clarke and Paul Collingwood. Clarke, 22, has had a subdued season for Surrey – only 491 runs (admittedly at an average of 49) and nine wickets in nine County Championship matches to date. Collingwood, previously seen as something of a one-day specialist, he missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, but has returned successfully recently.Apart from Kirtley, five other players have been named only in the one-day squad – the usual suspects Vikram Solanki, Anthony McGrath, Ian Blackwell, and Richard Johnson, plus Andrew Strauss, the 26-year-old Middlesex captain. Strauss, who was born in Johannesburg, has enjoyed a fine season, and has the advantage of being an opener. He is also seen as an outsider to become Vaughan’s eventual successor as captain.There was no place for Darren Gough in the one-day squad, suggesting that the international career of England’s leading fast bowler of the past decade has come to an end. Gough predictably took it badly: “I’m bitterly disappointed,” he said. “They’ve picked that many bowlers this summer they had to fit them in somewhere so they’ve shared them out and I was the easy target to miss out. In one-day cricket in the last game I was Man of the Match [the NatWest Series final against South Africa] and I think a lot of people expected me to be still in the one-day squad because I’m still a good one-day bowler. I expected to be picked.”David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, explained his panel’s thinking: “In choosing the Test squad, we were mindful of the need to learn lessons from the drawn series against South Africa and ensure we have the right options available in the very different conditions we will face in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Our batting line-up at present is strong and we can draw on a nucleus of highly experienced Test batsmen plus a genuine all-rounder in Andrew Flintoff. The inclusion of Paul Collingwood and Rikki Clarke in the squad will also give us the option, where necessary, to strengthen our batting line-up still further and build totals which the captain can defend with what is a young and relatively inexperienced bowling attack.”Martin Bicknell and James Kirtley both made strong contributions in the recent npower Test series and were considered as seam bowlers, but Matthew Hoggard was preferred as we feel that his type of bowling will be most effective in the conditions we are likely to face on the subcontinent. We decided not to opt for a third spin bowler in the Test squad at this stage. But we will review the position after the tour to Bangladesh. Jason Brown, Robert Croft and Ian Blackwell will be considered as possible spin bowling options for the Sri Lankan Tests if required. Chris Read will be our first choice wicketkeeper and Geraint Jones will understudy him.”The one-day squad performed well to win both the NatWest Challenge and the NatWest Series this summer and the bulk of that squad has been retained for the winter. The injection of youth and energy in the field was an important factor in our success and we have kept faith with a number of younger players who we feel could play a part in the World Cup in 2007. Darren Gough still remains a selection option for the second part of the winter in one-day cricket. However, as part of our planning for 2007, the selectors needed to look at other options regarding bowling bearing in mind the playing conditions in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.”Andrew Strauss has performed well in both forms of the county game this season and his inclusion will give us another batting option and also maintain the high standards of fielding we are seeking to achieve in one-day cricket.”The selectors also named a 14-man Academy squad, which will undergo training at Loughborough as well as undertaking tours to Malaysia and India. It includes Simon Jones, the Glamorgan fast bowler on the comeback trail, and Kevin Pietersen, the prolific Nottinghamshire batsman who was born in South Africa and doesn’t become eligible for full England selection until the end of the 2004 season.England Test squad
Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Rikki Clarke, Chris Read (wk), Geraint Jones (wk), Ashley Giles, Gareth Batty, Matthew Hoggard, Stephen Harmison, James Anderson.One-day squad
Vaughan (capt), Trescothick, Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Anthony McGrath, Flintoff, Collingwood, Clarke, Read (wk), Ian Blackwell, Giles, Batty, Richard Johnson, James Kirtley, Anderson.England Academy squad
Kadeer Ali (Worcs), Simon Francis (Somerset), Alex Gidman (Gloucs), Simon Jones (Glamorgan), Shaftab Khalid (Worcs), Michael Lumb (Yorks), Sajid Mahmood (Lancs), Graham Napier (Essex), Scott Newman (Surrey), Kevin Pietersen (Notts), Matthew Prior (Sussex), Bilal Shafayat (Notts), James Tredwell (Kent), Graham Wagg (Warwicks).