Sachin Tendulkar, lauded only a few days ago by former South African international Pat Symcox for remaining squeaky clean in the face of controversy, has been asked to explain why he didn’t have to pay duty on a Ferrari he received.Tendulkar is in good company however. Also involved in the High Court’s query is the Indian Government. The court wants to know why Tendulkar didn’t have to pay 11.3 rupees duty for the gift from the Fiat company.The gift was made by Fiat, who produce the Ferrari, in recognition of Tendulkar’s feat in equalling Don Bradman’s 29 Test centuries. It was presented to him by Formula One champion Michael Schumacher at Silverstone in England.Newspaper coverage of Tendulkar picking up his duty-free red Ferrari 360 Modena from the airport and driving it home prompted the High Court to query the duty waiver. Tendulkar had requested a duty-free waiver.The case will be heard on August 19.

Herschelle Gibbs is a rare gem among international openers. His rumbustious batting style may have been honed in one-day cricket, but it has translated perfectly into Test matches as well. Of his contemporaries, only Australia’s Matthew Hayden is anything like as effective in both forms of the game. Others, such as Sanath Jayasuriya and Marcus Trescothick, are markedly less assured when faced with Test-match conditions.Today, Gibbs clattered 20 fours and a six in his first 102 runs, which adds up to 86 in boundaries alone. At the time, only one Test centurion had made a higher percentage of their total runs in boundaries – Australia’s Gary Gilmour, who lamped exactly the same number of fours and sixes in his solitary Test century, against New Zealand at Christchurch in February 1977. But Gilmour was out immediately afterwards for 101, so he shaded that record by a fraction of a percent.With a century under his belt, however, Gibbs clearly had murder on his mind as he shifted up yet another gear. But, after one particularly chancy assault on James Anderson, that old curmudgeon Gary Kirsten felt compelled to intervene. Still, it didn’t dent Gibbs’s exuberance too much. Of his remaining 81 runs, 74% of them came in 15 crashing fours.

Player Team versus Season Fours Sixes Runs %GJ Gilmour AUS NZ 1976-77 20 1 101 85.15HH Gibbs RSA ZIM 2001-02 28 2 147 84.35HH Dippenaar RSA NZ 2000-01 21 0 100 84.00RB Richardson WI ENG 1985-86 19 1 102 80.39A Flintoff ENG NZ 2001-02 23 3 137 80.29NJ Astle NZ ENG 2001-02 28 11 222 80.18NJ Astle NZ WI 1995-96 22 2 125 80.00HH Gibbs RSA ENG 2003 35 1 183 79.78MA Butcher ENG RSA 2003 21 0 106 79.25CD McMillan NZ BDESH 2001-02 18 2 106 79.25IVA Richards WI ENG 1980-81 21 1 114 78.95RS Kaluwitharana SL AUS 1992 26 0 132 78.79CL Cairns NZ ZIM 1995-96 10 9 120 78.33CG Greenidge WI PAK 1976-77 15 3 100 78.00BC Lara WI AUS 1998-99 15 3 100 78.00CH Gayle WI ZIM 2001 34 0 175 77.71V Sehwag IND WI 2002-03 24 3 147 77.55AJ Lamb ENG AUS 1989 24 0 125 76.80JH Edrich ENG NZ 1965 52 5 310 76.77Shahid Afridi PAK WI 2001-02 16 3 107 76.64IT Botham ENG AUS 1981 27 1 149 76.51

When India’s most destructive batsman and their most elegant strokeplayer add 191 runs, it is bound to be treat for the eyes. So it was when Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman made centuries in their first one-day international against Australia since the World Cup final. There was nothing indiscriminate about their batting – it was a measured performance, with neither batsman taking too many risks.One of the most common strokes in one-day cricket is the dab down to third man for a single. But opening the face of the bat carries its attendant dangers, and Tendulkar and Laxman were wary of getting out that way. The statistics tell that story well: only six of Tendulkar’s 100 runs came in that region, as opposed to four of Laxman’s 102. And the first time Tendulkar tried that shot, he was out.

The cover region was the most productive one for both players – Laxman got 32 runs there, while Tendulkar got 24. Laxman, during his innings, also took a lot of balls from outside off and on off and turned them wristily on the leg side. He hit 17 runs in the midwicket region and 16 square on the leg side. He got 22 runs in the V between mid-on and mid-off.

Tendulkar favoured the region square on the leg side, and the area behind square – 37 of his runs came in those two areas. He also got 13 in the long-on region, on-driving impressively when the ball was in the slot.Laxman played a lot more on the front foot than Tendulkar. Laxman played on the front foot for 70% of his innings (94 out of 134 balls), going on the back foot only 30 times. Tendulkar, in contrast, stepped forward 73 times in his 119 balls (61%) and went back 43 times. Tendulkar’s strike-rate on the back foot was 90, as opposed to an overall rate strike-rate of 84. Laxman’s strike-rate, whether stepping back or moving forward, was in the late 70s.Part of this was perhaps because the Australian bowlers, for some strange reason, bowled fuller to Laxman than to Tendulkar. As many as 26 of the balls Laxman received were either full, yorkers or half-volleys, as opposed to nine for Tendulkar. Tendulkar got 47 balls which were just short of a good length, or shorter, while Laxman got just 40, despite playing 15 balls more. The strategy was befuddling: Tendulkar’s strike-rate against those short balls was 87, while Laxman’s was 78.Amit Varma is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India. Chandrahas Choudhury is staff writer of Wisden Asia Cricket

Clive Lloyd has insisted he has not requested for any footage of James Kirtley’s bowling action, despite suggestions in the press that he had.Lloyd, the match referee for England’s series in Sri Lanka, was reacting to reports in newspapers that he was to inspect video evidence of Kirtley from two years ago, when he underwent remedial work with Bob Cottam, the former England bowling coach.Kirtley was reported in 2001 by Colonel Naushad Ali, a Pakistan official, during England’s one-day series in Zimbabwe, in which he made his one-day debut.However, after his work with Cottam to iron out any problems, his action was passed by the ICC. He then made his Test debut against South Africa earlier this year, taking eight wickets and the Man of the Match award.He also played in England’s second Test against Sri Lanka at Kandy, and neither umpire battered an eyelid about his action. Hence, Lloyd today insisted there was no need whatsoever to take the matter any further by watching video footage.”I wouldn’t do that unless the umpires have said something was wrong and nothing has been said,” said Lloyd. “I hadn’t seen him bowl before and there’s obviously been some speculation in the past. We will have to keep monitoring the situation as we do with all bowlers.”Ha added: “I can understand that it has been hard for James Kirtley. I was a cricketer and I understand the guy’s position. Nothing has been reported so Mr Kirtley can rest assured and so can the England team that everything is fine. Nobody wants to mar this series.”The young guy has had some problems before. He has rectified his action and if as such things changed then we would take it from there but at the moment everything is all right.”

India A 556 for 7 (Gavaskar 173, Gambhir 131, Ratra 68, Powar 64*) lead Sri Lanka A 340 (Daniel 111) by 216 runs
Scorecard
Rohan Gavaskar blasted 173 as India A amassed 353 runs on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka A at Pune. Ajay Ratra and Ramesh Powar also joined in the run-feast as the bowling was smeared all over the park.Gavaskar spent a little over five hours in the middle and hit only 12 fours in an innings predominantly dominated by precise placements. He put on 143 runs with Ratra and 90 valuable runs with Powar. The latter was in an aggressive mood and hit four fours and two sixes in his half-century. Rangana Herath toiled all day for only two wickets and none of the bowlers made any impression.

HAMPSHIRE CRICKET 2ndXI FIXTURES 2004

Day  Date    Duration  Home Team        Away Team         Venue         CompThe  22 Apr   2 Days   Hampshire        Sussex            Rose Bowl     FriendlyWed  28 Apr   2 Days   Somerset         Hampshire         Taunton       FriendlyTue   4 May   3 Days   Hants & Sussex   Essex & Kent      Hove          FriendlyTue  11 May   3 Days   Hampshire        Surrey            Rose Bowl     SECMon  17 May   1 Day    Hampshire        Wiltshire         Rose Bowl     FriendlyMon  24 May   1 Day    Hampshire        Glamorgan         Rose Bowl     SETWed  26 May   3 Days   Hampshire        Sussex            Rose Bowl     SECTue   1 Jun   1 Day    Hampshire        Royal Navy        Rose Bowl     FriendlyFri   4 Jun   1 Day    Somerset         Hampshire         Away          SETMon   7 Jun   1 Day    Gloucestershire  Hampshire         Away          SETWed   9 Jun   1 Day    Hampshire        Club Cricket Conf Rose Bowl     FriendlyTue  15 Jun   3 Days   Gloucestershire  Hampshire         Bristol Univ  SETMon  21 Jun   1 Day    The Army         Hampshire         Aldershot     FriendlyWed  23 Jun   3 Days   Hampshire        Sussex            Hove          SECMon  28 June  1 Day    Hampshire        Gloucestershire   Rose Bowl     SET(12 noon start)Wed  30 Jun   1 Day    Hampshire        Somerset          Rose Bowl     SETFri   2 Jul   1 Day    Hampshire        Worcestershire    Rose Bowl     SETMon   5 Jul   1 Day    Worcestershire   Hampshire         Barnt Green   SETTue   6 Jul   1 Day    Glamorgan        Hampshire         Usk           SETFri   9 Jul   1 Day    RAF              Hampshire         Vine Lane     FriendlyTue  20 Jul   3 Days   Essex            Hampshire         Coggleshall   SECWed  28 Jul   2 Days   Sussex           Hampshire         Hove          FriendlyTue   3 Aug   3 Days   Glamorgan        Hampshire         Cardiff       SECWed  11 Aug   3 Days   Surrey           Hampshire         Guildford     SECTue  17 Aug   3 Days   Hampshire        Kent              Basingstoke   SECTue  24 Aug   3 Days   Hampshire        MCC YC            Rose Bowl     FriendlyTue  31 Aug   3 Days   Hampshire        Middlesex         Home          SECKEY: SEC  – Second Eleven ChampionshipSET  – Second Eleven Trophy

Close of 3rd day Auckland 198 and 126 (Canning 66; McSkimming 5-56) lead Otago 154 (Cumming 39; Barnes 5-24) by 170 runs
ScorecardAaron Barnes set the panic in motion at the University Oval in Dunedin after Tama Canning had dismissed the overnight batsmen Craig Cumming (39) and Chris Gaffaney (6) at which point Otago were 90 for 3. But then Barnes, who in 66 previous first-class matches had never taken more than 4 for 60 in an innings, swept through the middle and lower-order in 11.1 overs to take 5 for 24 as Otago could score only 154, 44 short of Auckland on the first innings.Not to be outdone, Warren McSkimming picked up the cudgels after Brad Scott and Jeff Wilson undid Auckland’s top-order to have them 33 for 5, before Tama Canning hit out for a rapid 66 scored off 52 balls. McSkimming repeated Barnes’ feat and blasted through the middle and lower-order to take 5 for 56 in 10.4 overs. Auckland were all out for 126, and Otago could be excused for pinching themselves when they found that victory lay only 171 runs away.However, their chance of getting there had to wait as bad light interrupted play causing an early end to the day.Close of 3rd day Canterbury 303 and 3 for 2 lead Central Districts 178 (Taylor 66, Sinclair 54; Wisneski 5-35) by 128 runs
ScorecardWith Mathew Sinclair on 54 and Ross Taylor having scored 66 off 67 balls, and the total on 160 for 3, Central Districts could have been excused for thinking first innings points beckoned against Canterbury.But then the tea break interrupted, and whatever was in the water either caused severe problems for the CD batsmen or enlivened Wisneski considerably, because before another 18 runs had been scored, the CD innings was over.Wisneski had 5 for 35, and Canterbury were in front by 125 runs. However, all was not lost for CD. By the time Canterbury had scored three runs, they had lost two of the most prolific batsmen of the summer, Shanan Stewart and Peter Fulton.Like the New Zealand weather, the batsmen on the final day of the games will be looking for settled fortunes.Wellington, which bore the brunt of the storms, had no play for the second successive day in their game against Northern Districts. Prospects are not bright for the final day.

The following is a statement issued by Denis Streak regarding Heath Streak’s dismissal by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union:As a father to Heath Streak, I am alarmed at the various press reportsregarding my son’s position with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. My son himselfcannot make a statement as he considers himself bound by his contract withthe ZCU, which limits his ability to make any press statements.I am fully aware of the situation, as Heath has obviously discussed matterswith me. Heath, at no time, tendered or threatened to tender his resignationas captain or as a national player as alleged by the ZCU. All he said wasthat if his concerns were not addressed he would “consider possibleretirement from international cricket”.In the circumstances the ZCU, in my view, have acted unlawfully in terminating Heath’s position as captain and a member of the Zimbabwe national squad. I am aware that he is seeking legal advice regarding this issue and enjoys overwhelming support and encouragement from both his fellow players and the cricketing public in Zimbabwe.Denis Streak

9.55am England 285 (Flintoff 102*) and 145 for 0 (Trescothick 74*, Vaughan 61*) trail West Indies 751 for 5 dec (Lara 400*, Jacobs 107*) by 321 runs
Scorecard

Brian Lara may have scotched England’s prospects of a whitewash, but Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick will still have history in their sights as they resume on 145 for 0 in the second innings this morning. If England can bat out the remaining 90 overs of this match – and last night’s efforts suggest it ought to be a formality – then they will have inflicted West Indies’ heaviest home series defeat for nearly half a century.Only one side in history has pulled off a 3-0 away win in the Caribbean – Ian Johnson’s 1954-55 Australians, whose team included such luminaries as Richie Benaud, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall and Neil Harvey. Mind you, the West Indies weren’t exactly a bad side either, boasting the three Ws and a young Garry Sobers among others.Last night’s evening session was a joyous occasion for the massed banks of England fans, who had already witnessed a third Test century for Andrew Flintoff, and were in fine voice as Trescothick and Vaughan produced their best form of the series. England dare not relax yet – they are still a massive 321 runs from avoiding an innings defeat – but this series is, quite literally, all over bar the shouting.

The unease in the West Indies camp, which has been so clear to see for much of the first four days of the Test against Bangladesh, overflowed off the field yesterday when Brian Lara hit out at selection policies, as well as pitch preparation in St Lucia.In his syndicated column for the Trinidad-based Sunday Guardian, Lara revealed that he disagreed with the way that the side for the matchagainst Bangladesh had been picked. "The selection process is ademocratic one," he wrote. "This should be taken advantage of and hence more thought should be given by those contributing to the selection process." Although Lara is one of four selectors, it is clear that he was overruled in this instance.This is not his first swipe at the selectors. Back in January, it was widely reported that Lara changed the side in the minutes before the final Test against South Africa at Centurion, replacing Adam Sanford with his own choice, Merv Dillon. This was subsequently denied by both Lara and Sir Viv Richards, the head of the selectors, but the rumours lingered.What angered Lara this time was the decision to field an all-seam attack."It was evident at quite an early stage that leaving out the spinner was not in our best interest," Lara fumed. He said that while there was a tendency to hark back to the days of the all-conquering fast bowling era, he felt that "instead of relying on our dream team we should focus on the current situation".Lara made his opinions clear on the field where he bowled Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle for long periods in Bangladesh’s first innings where they took combined figures of 4 for 110. And yesterday, Sarwan grabbed 3 for 22 to leave Bangladesh struggling second-time around.Lara was equally scathing about the pitch preparation at Beausejours Stadium. "It is really disturbing when everyone involved in the preparation of the pitch knows the team we have selected, as well as the opposition we are playing against, yet a placid pitch is prepared."