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Five years after being unceremoniously axed from British television, Geoff Boycott has been brought in from the cold by Channel 4 and will join their commentary line-up for next summer’s tours by New Zealand and West Indies.Boycott was ostracised by the British media following a high-profile court case in France in 1998, although he continued to work regularly overseas. In 2002 he was diagnosed as having throat cancer, which he successfully fought, and made a few low-key guest appearances for Channel 4 last summer.Announcing the news, David Kerr, Channel 4’s head of sport, told The Guardian: “Geoff Boycott is one of the great voices of cricket and we are very happy to be bringing him back to the commentary box. He has strong opinions informed by a career playing cricket at the highest level and a unique insight into the game of cricket.”After Geoffrey commentated on the C&G final this summer we had a very positive response from viewers and we wanted to give them the chance to hear his thoughts over the coming summer."Boycott remains one of the most popular media analysts, renowned for his blunt comments.

Without putting too fine a point on it, West Indies’ 128-run victory in Port Elizabeth was one of the major surprises of 2007. They hadn’t won a Test for 19 months and, more significantly, had beaten major opposition away from home only once since the turn of the millennium. Now the question is whether they can continue to turn the tables on South Africa in the New Year Test in Cape Town and complete a series triumph no one really thought was possible.The key to their success last week was a determined effort from the batsmen, which set up a total of 408 for the five-pronged pace attack to bowl at. An undercooked South Africa battling line-up slumped twice, although West Indies still showed their ability to conjure a collapse as they lost 6 for 22 late on the third day. It didn’t cost them dearly – and meant the possibility of a safety-first declaration was taken out of Chris Gayle’s hands – but they will need more of their stickability to keep the home side at bay for a second time.Shivnarine Chanderpaul led the batting with a fine 104, but his limpet-like qualities are already well-known. The eye-catching performance came from Marlon Samuels, named Man of the Match after his innings of 94 and 40, as he showed previously unseen powers of concentration and responsibility.”Test cricket is very difficult and I would love to get a chance to play more Test matches back-to-back instead of being in and then out of the side so often,” Samuels told the . “It will give me the chance of getting better scores more regularly and being more consistent. I was very disappointed that I didn’t get the century, but if I could score 94 and the West Indies go on to win every time, I’ll be satisfied.”South Africa have tried to avoid appearing in panic mode and they have recent form in bouncing back from an early loss. Last year they slipped up against India in Johannesburg before coming back to taking the series 2-1. Mickey Arthur, the coach, said: “We’ve won four Test series in a row. We intend to win this one too. The bowling attack has led us to victory in the last four Tests we’ve played, and don’t forget they bowled the West Indies out for 175 in the second innings. We had one bad innings and that happens to teams from time to time.”Captain Graeme Smith is also banking on the past experiences of his team: “We had a very good training session yesterday, and we seem to be hitting our straps again,” he said. “Hopefully it’s just about executing and getting things right out in the middle. We know we’re capable of it, we’ve proven our worth. We know we’re going to play this game under pressure, and we know we can play a lot better than we did in Port Elizabeth.”However, the call-up of Neil McKenzie highlights the concerns over the top order, which has failed to perform consistently for a lengthy period of time. Even during their success in Pakistan and easy victory over New Zealand the run-scoring was largely in the hands of Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla. Smith is desperately in need of a score and Herschelle Gibbs appears set to pay the price for his pair in the first Test.The axe has been looming over Gibbs for some time; his last Test century came in January 2005 against England in Johannesburg and in the subsequent 26 Tests he has averaged 26. But the selection of McKenzie, one of the few high scorers in domestic cricket, to open while he is primarily a middle-order batsman shows the lack of options available. Boeta Dippenaar was another option, but there has been a push around South Africa to get McKenzie back in the fold for some time.Another old face pushing for a recall is Shaun Pollock, who hasn’t played Tests this season after being left out in Pakistan, and Arthur said “he’s definitely in the reckoning.” A return for Pollock would strengthen the lower order to a more familiar level for South Africa. However, the management has been keen to build the attack on the three frontline quicks and Paul Harris, with a view to the tough tours of England and Australia later this year. Recent events, though, could force a rethink as this series against West Indies, initially thought to be a formality, has now became a major challenge for South Africa.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Neil McKenzie, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Ashwell Prince, 6 AB de Villiers, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Shaun Pollock, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Makhaya NtiniWest Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Daren Ganga, 3 Runako Morton, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Daren Powell, 11 Fidel Edwards

Chaminda Vaas, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, spoke of his pride in answering the critics who questioned his value after he struck a workmanlike 90 and took four wickets on the third day against England at Galle.”I wanted to prove something. People started asking questions about my ability. I answered them by performing well throughout the series,” Vaas said. “I am here because I have performed in every game taking 330 wickets purely on performance. My plan is to play one more year of Test cricket and to continue in the one-day game for two years.”Vaas, 33, was under pressure before this series when the selectors told him that he hadn’t performed to his optimum ability, and that they would consider dropping him in the future. However, he has taken 11 cheap wickets at 25.81 apiece – and his innings of 90 today led Sri Lanka to a towering 499 for 9. His only regret was not reaching three figures.”Getting 90 is better than nothing,” he said. “I am very happy [with] the way I batted. I learnt a lot from playing county cricket [for Hampshire, Worcestershire and Middlesex]. Batting is more important to the team. When the team needs runs, as a tailender you have to put your head down and get runs. That’s why we were able to get nearly 500 runs today. Getting a hundred for a fast bowler is something to cherish. Considering the situation we were in it was better to get 90. I got good support from Mahela [Jayawardene].”The ball always swings in Sri Lanka and I am very pleased with my performance, [with] the way I bowled today. We went with a plan to bowl in good areas. We showed that there is something on the wicket and we ended up bowling England for under 100. All of us bowled pretty well. If you do bowl in the good areas you can take a lot of wickets. England bowled here and there and negatively. That’s the difference.”England, who capitulated for a paltry 81, were at the mercy of Vaas who took 4 for 28, but there was another left-armer to support him. Chanaka Welegedara, making his debut aged 26, bowled a lively and accurate eight-over spell, picking up 2 for 17, and Vaas thinks Sri Lanka have found someone very special.”He has a long future ahead of him if he looks after his injuries,” he said. “He will turn out to be one of the best bowlers in the world. He bowled pretty well today and he is still learning. I am sure he will come out very well.”

ScorecardAn innings of immense promise from Sarah Taylor enabled England to secure a three-wicket victory in the fourth one-day international at the Rose Bowl and with it the series against India. Taylor’s 61 was the outstanding innings of the day and she batted with an ease that no one else managed. England’s chase was not without its alarms, but they had enough in reserve as Jane Smit and Katherine Brunt carried them over the line with 26 balls to spare.India had fought back after a poor start as they lost both openers with just a single on the board. Mithali Raj and Anjum Chopra added 108 for the third wicket to lead the fightback, however a clutch of late wickets restricted the total to below 200.England’s chase was rocking after an impressive early spell from Jhulan Goswami, who took three wickets in an eight-over burst that went for just 10 runs. She claimed two in two balls when Caroline Atkins inside-edged onto her stumps then Charlotte Edwards, again batting down the order, pushed at her first ball and was well taken by Karu Jain.It was anyone’s game at 17 for 3, but the innings was steadied by Claire Taylor and Jenny Gunn. India gained another vital breakthrough when Taylor was stumped down the leg-side, bringing Sarah Taylor to the middle. For the first match of this series she was selected as the wicketkeeper, in place of Smit, but she can more than hold her own as a batsman.In the third match, at Arundel, her 40 was full of class and at Brighton College she loses nothing in comparison with her male colleagues. This innings gave a wider audience a view of her ability as she timed the ball from the outset and was well-organised throughout. “It’s been a steep learning curve,” she said later, although such sentiments could have applied to India’s bowlers as she routinely punished them with conviction. Much of the batting up to that point had been a struggle, but Taylor found the gaps and had the timing to reach the fence.Her half-century came off 51 balls – “I’m looking to score at a run a ball” she later confirmed – but when she sliced to point the game was not quite won with 29 still needed. However, Smit – who had originally been left out as keeper in favour Taylor – used her experience to strike five boundaries, the final three arriving in a rush to seal the match.Despite India’s early wickets they had always appeared about 25 runs short after struggling to press the accelerator following the early loss of their openers. Raj and Chopra played well, in a record third-wicket stand between the two teams, but were reluctant to chance their arm. It was left to Hemlata Kala to pick up the rate with a well-paced 40 off 46 balls.England’s bowlers stuck to their task with Holly Colvin, who earlier in the day gained 10 A-stars in her GCSEs, producing an economical spell with her left-arm spin. However, it was England’s other young star who played the vital hand, and laid a marker for the future -“I’m loving it” she smiled – as the team managed to reverse their series defeat from the winter.

Pacemen Marlon Black and Mervyn Dillon fought a brave battle against the inevitable but Australia has nonetheless finished day two of the First Test against West Indies in a commanding position here at the ‘Gabba in Brisbane. By stumps, the home team holds an overall advantage of 225 runs; the tourists at 2/25 in their second innings and fighting a losing battle to stay alive in the match.In their humiliating effort yesterday, the West Indians had shown precious little resolve. Today, they displayed considerably more. But the world’s best team still showed that it remained a world apart from its current challenger. It was somehow a statement of the depths to which the tourists had sunk that, initially at least, it took a man playing in his very first Test to show his teammates how things were done.The sense of aimlessness by which his team had been gripped in plunging to a total of 82 yesterday seemed, paradoxically, to inspire Black (4/83). He ran in with purpose, he ran in with aggression, he ran in with the look of a man completely unwilling to yield any more of the ground that had so decisively been conceded to the Australians. At first, this manifested itself in a beautiful seven over spell from the Stanley Street End that quickly had overnight batsmen Michael Slater (54) and Andy Bichel (8), as well as Justin Langer (3) for good measure, shuffling away from the arena.It was the very first Black delivery of the morning, in fact, which simultaneously spurred the downfall of Slater and brought the tall Trinidadian fast bowler his first Test wicket. The right handed opener reached for a full wide outswinger of lively pace but could do no better than direct it to Sherwin Campbell at second slip. Later in the same over, nightwatchman Bichel departed after playing away from his body (at a ball that cut marginally away) to be caught behind. The gritty Langer saw out slightly more of the opening session but made similarly little impact on the scoreboard. Three Black overs later, he was defeated by a lovely inswinger, inside edging the ball within a coat of vanish of his off stump and presenting Ridlley Jacobs with the chance of another catch as he moved across neatly to his right.Around a fourth dismissal for Black – the departure of Ricky Ponting (20) to a nicely pitched outswinger – Dillon (3/79) then added his weight to the cause by snaring three prize wickets of his own. He was responsible for removing Mark Waugh (24) at the end of an always-scratchy innings and then complemented that success with the scalp of Steve Waugh (41) in his next over. The former went to a low caught and bowled after he was deceived by a delivery that appeared to hold up on him slightly and caused him to meekly push the ball back down the pitch. The latter succumbed to a wonderful catch from Campbell, at head height, at second slip after issuing a flashing cut shot at a wider, shorter offering.It was not until Adam Gilchrist (48), the highest averaging left hander in Tests at present, came to the crease in the unfamiliar territory of number eight that a batsman finally looked completely at ease. In a whirlwind partnership of sixty-one runs for the eighth wicket with an equally aggressively inclined Brett Lee (62*), he took toll of a tiring attack with relish. It was from there that Lee’s production of a maiden half-century in first-class cricket – and the highest individual score of the match no less – served to underline the West Indians’ apparent inability to match it with the Australians for sustained periods. Tailender Stuart MacGill (19) also joined in the late assault, albeit in ungainly style, helping to swell the eventual first innings lead to the small matter of 250 runs.From there, what already shapes as something akin to an inevitability in this series – the sight of West Indian batsmen departing with regularity – returned to haunt the tourists once more. To begin the spectre all over again, Campbell failed to defend a delivery from Glenn McGrath (2/7) which did little more than hold its line outside off stump. After one ferocious pull at his nemesis, Brian Lara (4) then succumbed almost as tamely as in the first innings. He beat that well worn path off the ‘Gabba when he impetuously attempted the stroke again and top edged. Gilchrist took a simple catch and, in doing so, took the Australians another large step toward a record-equalling eleventh Test victory in succession too. Barring a monumental reversal, this result will come quicker than most.

A quiet, but welcome and overdue, revolution is occurring in the lower levels of cricket in New Zealand as a potentially debilitating problem is being weeded out.It has taken a $1.5 million budget but it is shaping as the most realistic attempt yet to attack a long-smouldering problem in the game.It’s all to do with player recruitment and retention at what has become known as the “grassroots” level of the game.As recreation opportunities grew, and the numbers of male teachers in primary schools declined during the 1970s-1990s all sport suffered an inertia which reduced participation and left potential players missing out on a chance to play many team sports, let alone cricket.When New Zealand Cricket underwent the Hood Review in 1995, one of the key areas for attention was in the club and schools area. It has taken time for an effective policy to be formulated but NZC national development manager Alec Astle and his staff have put in place a programme which, as boys and girls mature, should result in a much-needed revitalisation of the base of the game in New Zealand.Already the signs are encouraging. The first area of attention was primary schooling and so well has the system worked, that the intended second part of the project, the troublesome secondary school area, has had to be leap-frogged in favour of attending to the needs of cricket clubs.If that hadn’t been done, the clubs would not have been equipped to handle the expected upsurge of numbers in a few years as the players exposed at primary school come through the system.The most obvious example of the growth of the game in schools has been in the annual participation rates for the MILO Cup and Shield primary school tournaments for boys’ and girls’ respectively. In 2000 the numbers of entries were 240. In 2001 it rose to 249, then in 2002 to 257 and this summer to 301.Until this year, the finals of the tournaments have been a North v South Island contest played in Palmerston North. But the numbers have been divided into four zones this year, three in the North Island and the fourth covering all the South Island, and the four winners in both boys’ and girls’ competitions, will now travel to a finals weekend.Another level of incentive has also been added as the result of a sponsorship agreement reached with the New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) which is not only taking over as sponsor of the national secondary schoolgirls’ tournament, but also sponsoring a national Year 9 (or third form) tournament for boys which will be played over a full summer, not broken into a calendar year as happens with the boys’ Gillette Cup and the girls’ NZCT tournament.The Year 9 event can be played out over the summer because those secondary school pupils are not so affected by end of year examination requirements. The final of the tournament will be played in national summer tournament week towards the end of March, possibly in Taupo.The country’s six major associations are going to play a much greater role in the organisation of all the children’s tournaments as part of the drive to have the associations operate the cricket business occurring within their boundaries.Each of the majors appointed a cricket development manager for their region and he worked with a team of cricket development officers to deliver the initiatives into the primary levels of cricket.When the national discussions were held in 2000 about the game in secondary schools, clubs and districts, community cricket initiatives were introduced under the headings of School Support and Club Assist. Working in these areas are community cricket co-ordinators who work with a cluster of clubs and secondary schools to identify areas needing improvement and the plans to follow up targeted changes.The co-ordinators then assist in implementation of the desired strategies, placing less time pressure on the club officers and schools. Metropolitan clubs and district associations ran trials in five of the six major associations in 2001-02 and as a result of their success the programme was expanded into other metropolitan clubs and districts.There is no set formula. Each major association has been able to bend the strategy to suit their own situation.Auckland used the ‘Club is the Hub’ system where clubs are funded and club managers have the job of delivering the requirements.Wellington and Otago are using a central structure with the co-ordinators working for the association to oversee a specific number of clubs and schools.Northern Districts, Central Districts and Canterbury have appointed co-ordinators to work with clubs or districts. Some of these positions have been developed further by funding arrangements with the clubs or associations to encompass wider areas of coaching and development.Monthly checks are part of the administration process across the country to ensure all are achieving specified targets.The community cricket initiatives have been taken up by 17 of the 24 district cricket associations, by 22 metropolitan clubs, 14 in Wellington, five in Christchurch and three in Dunedin. Auckland have four clubs involved in their ‘Club is the Hub’ programme while other clubs are working on Sportsville studies and one club will soon enter into a funding partnership with a rugby club.These opportunities have provided employment for 32 community co-ordinators, 19 of whom are full-time.While there are still areas of need and much more that needs to be done, the effort to at least attack the problem and get some altered thinking in place has proved beneficial.Important benefits that have been realised include clubs now functioning over 12 months of the year, the revitalisation of long suffering volunteers who now have time to devote to things other than administrative work, a greater profile for cricket in far-flung communities and probably, most importantly, a point of contact when problems arise, allowing a much speedier, and often less hassled, resolution of problems.Cricket is on the move from the area of its greatest resource – if it can be maintained it could prove to be the most significant happening in New Zealand cricket in modern history.

England are “very likely” to take up an offer from Allen Stanford to play a multi-million dollar Twenty20 match during the tour of West Indies next year according to Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman.Clarke met with Stanford at Lord’s on Tuesday to discuss possible joint ventures which could include Stanford having a role in any future English Premier League plus the match next year, which could be worth as much as $20million, against an All-stars West Indies XI.”We did see Sir Allen – a date has not been fixed for when anything will be played, or what format it will take this year or going forward into the future,” Clarke told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme. “I think that match is very likely to take place. Sir Allen is doing a huge amount for cricket in the West Indies and we are keen to help things develop there.”With no window in the current international schedule to allow England’s centrally contracted players to compete in the Indian Premier League (IPL) the ECB is eager to appease players who are keen to cash in on lucrative Twenty20 tournaments.Clarke added: “Of course we are also keen to give our players the chance to make a significant amount of money and these types of games can be tremendously dramatic. We are extremely interested in his ideas but there is a long way to go.”We need to confirm a lot of things with our friends in the West Indies. There is not a specific date at this moment of time and no specific structure at this time.”Clarke also admitted that the ECB are still formulating plans for an English Premier League. “I think what the IPL will achieve is remarkable given the time and speed with which it has been put together. We are spending a lot of time looking at creating a robust, sustainable and economically viable league that still protects our core revenues of Test cricket.”Stanford has previously tried to invite South Africa for a winner-takes-all match but it fell through after a clash with the West Indies board. Last year Stanford also offered to bring the World Twenty20 winners, India, to the Caribbean but the BCCI wasn’t keen on taking part in an unofficial event.

The Glamorgan team for the four day Frizzell County Championship fixture to face Northamptonshire at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff starting on Wednesday, 10th September at 10.30am will be drawn from the following squad:

J P MaherM A Wallace +A DaleM J PowellM P MaynardD L HempR D B Croft *A G WharfM S KasprowiczD S HarrisonD A CoskerS D Thomas

Western Australia’s biggest electrical retailer has signed a one-year agreement with options to extend for a further two years as the major sponsor of the re-named Retravision Warriors valued at an estimated $1 million a year for WA cricket, whilst continuing the group’s support of the sport’s junior players which commenced last year.Announcing the new major sponsorship today at a special launch event at the WACA Ground on the eve of the 2003-04 season-opening Lilac Hill Festival Match, WACA President Mr Brian Rakich said the values represented by Retravision – professional, competitive, family and community based – mirrored the traditions of the sport and WA’s premiere team."This is a great match for the Warriors, the sport and for our new major partner Retravision," Mr Rakich said."The sport sponsorship market is very tough. Getting this support from Retravision puts in place a vital foundation on which to build the future performance of WA’s most successful sporting team."Last year Retravision put its sponsorship support behind junior cricket in WA and that’s been a great success. When the major sponsorship of the Warriors became available it seemed logical to see if we could build on that relationship. The WACA is delighted to have secured this agreement with Retravision," Mr Rakich said.The WACA President said for the first time in the history of the sport in WA the State team would carry the sponsor’s name in its logo – this follows a trend which has been adopted by other State cricket teams in recent years.Retravision Chairman Bill Harries said the deal with WA cricket was the biggest sponsorship the group had ever undertaken."Retravision has looked at a number of major sponsorship proposals and opportunities in recent years but none of them fitted with the values our brand represents through the 58 mainly family-owned and operated stores which are a part of communities throughout Perth and regional WA. The traditions, ethos and following of cricket fits the bill. We’re really looking forward to being part of the Warriors team," Mr Harries said.Last year Retravision committed $50,000 to sponsoring WA junior cricket for the first time. Retravision’s investment in the sport through the new combined sponsorship agreement announced today is estimated to represent a value of $1 million a year through a cash component, plus leveraging the Retravision Warriors involvement through the retailing group’s planned advertising, marketing and sales programs."The commitment of Retravision to leveraging the sponsorship will continue to develop the Warriors high profile. That’s very important for keeping cricket in the spotlight in a highly competitive sports market in WA," Mr Rakich said.The Retravision Warriors make their first home appearance for the 2003-04 domestic season with the opening fixture of the ING Cup series, a day/night game against the Southern Redbacks at the WACA Ground on Friday, October 24.The Retravision Warriors first Pura Cup match will be against NSW in Sydney, starting on November 4. Their first home game will be against the Tasmanian Tigers, starting on Sunday, December 7.

The Western Australian batsman, Chris Rogers, has been ruled out of action for up to ten weeks, after undergoing surgery to correct a chronic problem in his right hamstring.Rogers scored nearly 500 runs in six matches as an overseas player for Derbyshire this season, but after being bothered by the injury for the past 18 months, he underwent his operation at Mount Hospital yesterday."After a number of scans it was the only way to go," said Rogers. "I would have struggled to make it through the season without the surgery, as it was only going to get worse. I feel surprisingly good at the moment and I can walk around."Rogers has been Western Australia’s most consistent batsman for the past three seasons. In 2003-04, he made 864 runs at an average of 57.60, with four centuries and three fifties in eight games. These efforts earned him selection for Australia A in their three-day game against India at Hobart, where he starred with a half-century.Rogers hopes to return in time for the Pura Cup match against New South Wales at Sydney, starting on November 2.