Miscellaneous

Former India Test wicket-keeper Naren Tamhane died in a nursing home in Matunga, central Mumbai after a brief illness. He was 71.

Tamhane, considered by many as one of the best produced by India in the business of keeping wickets, played in 21 Tests in the 1950s and effected 51 dismissals (35 catches and 15 stumpings). He also scored 221 runs.

He was a regular choice as the India stumper from 1954-60 after grabbing attention with a superb display of three catches and four stumpings in the first unofficial Test against the Commonwealth XI at Delhi in 1953-54 when he was still in college in Mumbai.

He represented India in officials Tests on tours to Pakistan in 1954-55 and England in 1959. At home he played against New Zealand in 1955-56, Australia in '56-57 and '59-60, West Indies in '58-59 and Pakistan in '60-61.

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New Zealand's Nathan Astle has jumped to 20th in the latest world batting ratings after his record-breaking double century against England.

Astle brought up his double ton off just 153 balls in the opening Test to break the record for the fastest ever 200 in Test history.

The record had been set less than two weeks earlier by Australian keeper Adam Gilchrist.

The monumental innings lifted Astle 13 places to his highest ever position in the rankings, which continue to be headed by Indian master Sachin Tendulkar.

Graham Thorpe, who hit what was then the third-fastest double hundred off all time in the same match before Astle pushed him down to fourth, climbs to 13th.

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The International Cricket Council is to trial a scheme which would allow umpires to refer any decision they make to a third official.

Extended usage of TV cameras will be in place for the Champions Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka in September, the ICC confirmed on Monday.

Consultation will be optional but when a third umpire is contacted, he will be allowed only two replays before passing information to the on-field officials via radio headsets.

The new system would mean the red and green lights would still be used for 'line' decisions - stumpings and run outs - with unlimited replays.

But it gives umpires an option to chat to the third official to ascertain whether, for example, a ball pitched outside leg stump on an lbw shout.

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Nottinghamshire are searching for an overseas player to step in to replace Chris Cairns if the New Zealander is prevented from playing this summer by injury.

The all-rounder sustained knee ligament damage during the first Test against England last week and has been ruled out of the remainder of the series.

But it is still not clear whether Cairns' injury will prevent him from starting his fourth spell at Trent Bridge.

Nottinghamshire's cricket operations manager Mick Newell said: "Chris remains very much our first choice but we are naturally very concerned about his fitness at the moment.

Australia in South Africa

Final Test, Durban, day four:
South Africa (167 & 340-5) beat Australia (315 & 186) by five wickets.

Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince inspired South Africa to victory in the third and final Test of the series against Australia in Durban by four wickets.

Prince missed out on his maiden Test half century by two runs and Kallis remained unbeaten on 61 after the pair put on 99 runs for South Africa's fourth wicket.

South African captain Mark Boucher was at the crease to hit the winning runs with a six after Prince was caught at slip off the bowling of Shane Warne with the winning post in sight.
Scorecard | Match report

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South African captain Mark Boucher said he was happy to go into the one-day series against Australia on the back of their five-wicket victory in the third Test in Durban.

Boucher hit the winning runs as South Africa ended a losing sequence going back five Tests against the world champions.

Australia won the series 2-1 but South Africa enter the one-day series, that starts on Friday, on the back of a morale boosting win.

"It's been a tough couple of weeks, but I'm really proud of the guys who really pulled together. It was a big win for us," said Boucher.

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South Africa were given a boost ahead of the one-day series against Australia with the return of captain Shaun Pollock.

Pollock was forced to miss the three match Test series with a side strain, but has been named in a squad of 13 for the first of seven limited-overs matches that takes place on Friday.

But veteran pace bowler Allan Donald, who limped out of the first Test after tearing his hamstring, has not been named.

Donald announced his retirement from Test cricket after withdrawing from the game, but is desperate to represent his country in next year's World Cup, to be held in South Africa.

Five players have been discarded from the squad which won a triangular one-day series with Australia and New Zealand in Australia in February.

Steve Elworthy, Charl Langeveldt, Justin Kemp and Justin Ontong have been sidelined.

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Australian coach John Buchanan believes Steve and Mark Waugh still have a lot to offer the Test team and has backed them to fight their way out of a form slump.

Both twins have struggled for runs this summer and Mark's place in the Test team is under particular scrutiny after producing only 169 runs at 33.8 in the three-Test series in South Africa and 438 at 33.69 over nine Tests this summer.

Steve managed just 95 runs at 19 for the series in South Africa and 314 runs at 24.15 for the nine Tests but the selectors are keen to stick with him because of what he offers as captain.

At the core of the issue is whether the twins are just going through a slump or whether, at 36 years of age, they have lost the ability to play match-winning innings.

"Age is not necessarily a driving variable in there," Buchanan said.

England in New Zealand

Andy Caddick labelled New Zealand a "bits-and-pieces side" after the strike bowler helped England to beat the home team in the first Test in Christchurch.

He reopened the row that surfaced last week when England were accused by Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming of not showing New Zealand enough respect the last time the sides met in 1999.

Caddick also raised New Zealand's hackles by saying before the one-day series that England are a better side man-for-man.

The 33-year-old was born and raised in New Zealand and represented the Kiwis in the 1987 Youth World Cup, before qualifying to play for England in 1992.

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England coach Duncan Fletcher has played down his side's chances of victory in the second Test against an injury-ravaged New Zealand.

Both teams have players unavailable for the match at the Basin Reserve.

England are without Mark Butcher, who has a cracked bone in his right thumb, and captain Nasser Hussain is a slight doubt.

And Fletcher said: "I don't see us as favourites. There is still an interesting series ahead of us and it's up to other people to judge whether we're favourites or not."

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