Cricket

LONDON, (Reuters) – Former England all-rounder Trevor  Bailey has died in a fire at his home at the age of 87, Essex  county cricket club said yesterday.

BANGALORE, (Reuters) – Speculation over the future of  master batsman Sachin Tendulkar and coach Gary Kirsten are more  distractions India will have to ignore if they are to lift the  World Cup on home soil, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said yesterday.

SYDNEY,  (Reuters) – While Ricky Ponting and co were  boarding a plane for the World Cup on Wednesday evening, lesser  known Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell was blasting his way  into the record books with a 19-ball half century.

NAIN, Jamaica, CMC – Gifted batsman Marlon Samuels re-launched his career with a monumental, unbeaten double century that put Jamaica in command of their first round match of the Regional First Class Championship against Guyana here yesterday.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Twenty-year-old opener Kieran Powell stroked his maiden first class century but it failed to prevent Leeward Islands from an innings defeat at the hands of England Lions here yesterday.

CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – Combined Campuses & Colleges’ spinners, led by Nkrumah Bonner, bowled their side to a 33-run, come-from-behind victory over Windward Islands in the WICB Regional first-class championship yesterday.

POINTE-A-PIERRE, Trinidad, CMC – Consistent batting down the order led by Denesh Ramdin, Runako Morton, and Rayad Emrit put Trinidad & Tobago on the brink of first innings points against Barbados in the WICB Regional first-class championship yesterday.

Former Guyana and West Indies leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo took two wickets but his efforts were not enough to lead Moosai Sports to victory over Clico Preysal in the Sunday League limited overs series on Saturday in Trinidad & Tobago (T&T).

DOHA, (Reuters) – The bans given to Pakistan trio  Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for spot-fixing  “will act as a strong deterrent” to others from corrupting the  sport, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.

AUCKLAND, (Reuters) – New Zealand head to the World Cup having capped their one-day series loss to Pakistan with a face-saving victory, but face an uphill battle to repeat punch-above-their-weight heroics of past editions of the  tournament.

COLOMBO, (Reuters) – Sri Lanka eased to a 26-run  victory in the third one-dayer against West Indies to wrap up  the series 2-0 yesterday.

PERTH, (Reuters) – Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson  again found the WACA a happy hunting ground as he inspired the  hosts to a 57-run victory and a 6-1 series hammering of England  in the seventh and final one-day international yesterday.

Three wickets in one over by Georgetown Cricket Club’s (GCC) Joshua Wade and a commanding 93 from Gavin Singh have Police facing an uphill task to take first innings points against the home team in the Heroes Cup first division two-day tournament.

NAIN, St Elizabeth, CMC – Guyana fast bowler Brandon Bess grabbed a five-wicket haul to send Jamaica tumbling on the opening day of their first round Regional First Class Championship match here yesterday.

POINTE-A-PIERRE, Trinidad, CMC – Kirk Edwards anchored Barbados’ batting, and was within sight of a second first-class hundred in the WICB Regional first-class championship against Trinidad & Tobago yesterday.

CARDIFF, (Reuters) – Two tries from winger Chris  Ashton got England off to a flying start in the Six Nations  championship yesterday with a 26-19 victory over Wales.

CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – Nkrumah Bonner and Ryan Austin shared four wickets to lead a fight-back for Combined Campuses & Colleges, after Windward Islands collected first innings points in the WICB Regional first-class championship yesterday.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – James Hildreth stroked the first century of the Regional First Class Championship as England Lions dominated Leeward Islands on the opening day of their first round clash at Warner Park yesterday.

Public Relations Officer of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and Secretary/CEO of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sport Club, Hilbert Foster is appealing to cricket administrators in Guyana to stop the current infighting, which he describes as “profound madness”.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Pakistan’s former test captain  Salman Butt and his two opening bowlers Mohammad Asif and  Mohammad Amir were charged with taking bribes by British  prosecutors yesterday.