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More than three months after Bennett King stepped down as West Indies coach, the board has finally advertised for applications to fill the vacancy.David Moore, King’s deputy, took charge on the recent tour of England but on the field the team struggled and there were reports of disharmony off the field and of friction between the management and some players.The big question seems to be whether the WICB will risk appointing an overseas coach again after King, whose time was not helped by criticism in some quarters which appeared to be based on the fact he was hired from outside the region. His tenure was generally considered not to have been a success.The closing date for applications is August 31 and the quality of applicants may depend on how quickly Julian Hunte, the new board president, can mend the broken relationship between the WICB and the players which has overshadowed almost everything in recent months.Moore will remain in charge for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa next month.Click here for the application details

Zimbabwe Cricket has announced that the long-awaited forensic audit of its accounts will be undertaken by Ruzengwe and Partners, a Harare-based office which, according to the Zimbabwe Institute of Accountants, has only two partners.The audit, which critics of the board have been demanding since last autumn, was promised when the Sports & Recreation Committee appointed an interim board, headed by Peter Chingoka, to run the game in Zimbabwe pending elections later in the year. At its first meeting, the interim board announced that it had decided to appoint “a firm of auditors of international repute”.While there are no reasons to question the independence of Ruzengwe and Partners, and they are certainly a well-known local accountants, critics had hoped that a bigger firm with a better international presence would be brought in. There are also concerns that the terms of reference for the audit are defined by the interim committee.Opponents of the board reacted with dismay but not surprise. One leading administrator told Cricinfo that it was “a farce” and questioned “whether a firm of that size is capable of carrying out a massive and complex forensic audit”.”Ruzengwe and Partners is an independent, internationally recognised auditing firm accredited to the list of auditors of institutions recognised by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe,” Chingoka said. “It is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Zimbabwe. Their report will be there for all to see.”

Simon Jones is in line for his first Championship match since mid-May, when he suffered yet another setback in his recovery from the knee surgery he underwent last season.Since then, Jones has played two one-day matches, but it will be the first chance to test out his knee at first-class level in three months, when Glamorgan host Leicestershire at Abergavenny on Wednesday.He sorely needs some cricket; he has taken only one first-class wicket since the 2005 Ashes, in his sole Championship match, against Essex, last year – and on the rare occasion when he has set foot on a cricket field, it has usually resulted in him limping off.His comeback for Glamorgan during the 2006 season, following his aborted return on England’s tour of India, lasted four matches before he broke down against Ireland in the C&G Trophy.This season, he has played one Championship match so far, against Gloucestershire, when he went wicketless in his 37 overs, with 112 runs coming off him. At that point England had hoped he would be in the frame for a return sometime this season. As it is, he now seems a long way off playing.Nevertheless, news of his return will lift Glamorgan, who have been without another pace bowler, David Harrison, since a back injury in April ruled him out for the season. Batsman Michael Powell is still recovering from the operation to remove a blood clot.They have also recalled Huw Waters, a seamer in the Jones mould, who was rested for the draw with Derbyshire. But all eyes will be on Jones, to see if his knee can hold up this time.

4 – The number of times England have won scoring 270 or more batting second in an ODI174 – The second-wicket partnership between Gayle and Dwayne Bravo. It’s the second-highest for that wicket for West Indies against England – Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan had added 187 at Lord’s in 200451 – Chris Gayle’s batting average in ODIs against England. This was his second century against them in 13 games.19.06 – Gayle’s ODI bowling average against England. In 13 games he has taken 18 wickets73 – The number of runs West Indies scored in their last ten overs, despite having nine wickets in hand6 – The number of centuries Gayle has scored in ODIs that West Indies have lost. Only Sachin Tendulkar – with 11 such knocks – has made more hundreds in defeats, while Marcus Trescothick has six as well50 – The score made by both England openers. It’s the first time in the history of ODIs that both openers from a team have scored exactly 50148 – The number of runs Kevin Pietersen had scored in his eight previous ODI innings before this match

The Champions Trophy was the brainchild of Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was ICC president in the late 1990s. It had a dual aim of spreading the game to emerging nations and raising money for the ICC in between World Cups, thus enabling it to pump more cash into those fledgling cricket countries.The first tournament, labelled as a mini World Cup, was staged in Dhaka in October 1998 and raised more than £10 million. The second, in Nairobi, was a commercial success although the crowds stayed away. By the time the 2002 event was held – and there was disquiet as it was so close to the World Cup five months later – the idea of playing in developing nations had been ditched (in fairness, options had already been exhausted) and as revenue-generation was the main raison d’etre, it needed to be in one of the main countries as this allowed the format to be expanded.In 2004 the jamboree moved to England and it became clear the format of group games led to too many meaningless games. By the time the 2006 tournament in India came into view, the event was under fire from some quarters, and at one time there were even hints that India might decline to take part in 2008. They did not, but against the rapid growth of Twenty20, the Champions Trophy grew more unloved, other than by the money men, with each passing event.1998-99 Bangladesh
Winners: South Africa
Runners-up: West Indies
No. Countries 9
All matches were played at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka, but the slow and low pitches produced some poor cricket. Severe flooding threatened to cause the whole show to be moved to India, and it only got the go-ahead at the 11th hour. As it was, Dhaka was the third choice after Disneyworld (Florida) and Sharjah. Some sides were less than enthusiastic about the whole venture – England got dispensation to send a virtual 2nd XI – but that was more than compensated for by massive crowds which flocked to games, even though Bangladesh weren’t invited to their own party. The knock-out format, with eight matches compressed into nine days, fuelled the locals’ excitement. South Africa won by beating West Indies in the final, although Wisden noted that “it was thus a tournament in which the winning really was less important than the taking part.” However, not one journalist from either finalist attended the match.2000-01 Kenya
Winners: New Zealand
Runners-up: India
No. Countries 11
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
The second event included Bangladesh – on the verge of joining the Test-playing countries – and hosts Kenya. The format remained a straight knock-out – and the Nairobi Gymkhana, which had received a million-dollar refurbishment ahead of the event, hosted all games. But unlike Dhaka, local interest was poor and crowds were dismal. “The only sadness was the lack of local interest, and the suggestions of match-fixing that subsequently surfaced in the Anti-Corruption Unit’s report to the ICC,” reported Wisden. “While India’s matches attracted decent numbers of ex-pats, indigenous Kenyans were noticeable by their absence throughout. Critics blamed high ticket prices (up to £20) and excessive bureaucracy. One thing was certain: the tournament should have done more to promote cricket in East Africa.” New Zealand surprisingly beat India in the final, thanks to Chris Cairns’s 102, but it was a one-off success – their next 13 ODIs produced 11 defeats and just one win.2002-03 Sri Lanka
Winners: India/Sri Lanka
No. Countries 12
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
The proximity of the World Cup, less than five months later, poor organisation and a revised format that meant most group matches were all but pointless, took the sheen off the event, and more surprisingly the public stayed away despite low ticket prices. The pitches were slow and low – which was anything but good preparation for South Africa – and with the monsoon looming, the heat and humidity were intense. The ICC also decided to use the tournament to experiment with technology (Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik became the first victim of an lbw decision deferred to the third umpire). While it was useful for lbws (where the only referral was whether the ball pitched outside leg stump) it proved almost useless for disputed catches. The ICC abandoned the trial soon after. Sri Lanka and India only sent full-strength sides after contract disputes were settled at the last minute, but Sri Lanka made it to the final after a popular win over an unpopular Australia. However, they shared the trophy with India when both attempts to finish the final were washed out by tropical storms. “In the end, the two false starts summed up the tournament,” Wisden concluded. “Half-baked and inconclusive.”2004 England
Winners: West Indies
Runners-up: England
No. Countries 12
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
The growing weariness with the event (Wisden described it as “the tournament that veers between being the second most important in world cricket and a ludicrous waste of time”) was unchecked with it being held so late in season that cricket was all but forgotten by the media. The continuation with the format that had been so flawed in Sri Lanka did not help, and the inclusion of the USA – a ragbag of past-its and never-weres – just added to the feeling that this was a pointless exercise. Apart from the final and India’s matches, attendances were again dire. “In keeping with the strained relations between the ICC and the hosts, the ECB, recriminations were muted but inevitable,” wrote Matthew Engel. “It is not easy to apportion blame precisely for this fiasco, but between them the two governing bodies constituted a deadly combination.” Those spectators not put off by high ticket prices, early starts and autumn weather experienced the ICC’s ambush-marketing policing in its full glory as drinks and t-shirts were confiscated. The ridiculous nature of the corporate stranglehold was underlined by the fact that punters could not buy England shirts at club shops because their sponsors – Vodafone – were rivals of one of the official “partners”. The final, which witnessed a remarkable comeback by West Indies to defeat England in almost pitch darkness, offered scant consolation after such a poor competition. “The main memories will be of cold and wet, of organisational disasters,” Wisden concluded, “and of the general sense of a doomed competition that did cricket far more harm than good, all of which was obvious and avoidable.”2006-07 India
Winners: Australia
Runners-up: West Indies
No. Countries 10
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
The fifth edition, held five months before the World Cup, will be best remembered for Australia’s eventual capturing of the one piece of silverware that had previously eluded them. High-priced tickets kept Indian fans away, Diwali season was also a distraction. Un-subcontinental pitches meant there was little cheer for the hosts as well as other teams from the subcontinent. With the termination of the monsoons just prior to the tournament, the pitches had not settled, and provided bounce and lateral movement – something the Australian bowlers, notably Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson – utilised to the hilt. In a way, the pitches provided more even contests between the bat and ball, as opposed to the batsman v batsman game that ODIs in India were threatening to become. “The one that New Zealand and South Africa played on in Mumbai was a real shocker, with the top coming off at the start of the second innings,” noted . Though USA and Kenya did not feature from the previous tournament, a qualifying round meant the number of matches increased from 15 to 21. The steady performances of Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies took them to the semi-finals. Events in the lead-up to the final between Australia and West Indies were forgettable at best. “The pitch problems jolted Raj Singh Dungarpur, the chairman of the Cricket Club of India, which owns the ground, so much that he offered to move the final to another venue,” wrote. “The organisers were having none of that, though, and Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitches consultant, was drafted in: he used polyvinyl acetate, an industrial adhesive, to bind the pitch together.” Nonetheless, Australia’s took the crown in style, winning by eight wickets under the D/L method. “Damien Martyn, who had batted so beautifully in the victories over England and India, once again played his part with a classy unbeaten 47, but it was Watson who ensured that the reserve day would not be needed as Australia’s travelling support celebrated yet another triumph.” A perfect shot in the arm before the Ashes, which they would go on to win 5-0.2009-10 South Africa
Winners: Australia
Runners-up: New Zealand
No. Countries 10
Cricinfo site
Originally intended to be played in Pakistan in September 2008 but with several countries expressing major concerns over security there, the ICC was forced to postpone the tournament and then reschedule it a year later in South Africa.While there were few genuinely nail-biting games, the quality of cricket was high and the consensus was that it had helped stem, if not reverse, the slide in the competition’s credibility, although crowds were healthy only at select games; South Africa’s games, the Pakistan-India tie and the Pakistan semi-final.Australia successfully defended their title, beating New Zealand with something to spare in the final; New Zealand had upset the form book by defeating Pakistan in the semi-finals, aided by poor umpiring and dropped catches.2013 England
Winners: India
Runners-up: England
No. Countries 8

Gavin Hamilton will be part of Scotland’s squad for their next six National League matches after a loan agreement was reached between Durham and the ECB.Hamilton will be available to Scotland to help him, and the rest of the squad, prepare for the ICC Trophy, in Ireland during July, from which the top six teams qualify for the 2007 World Cup. Hamilton goes straight into the squad for the double-header over the Bank Holiday weekend against Warwickshire and Yorkshire.Scotland’s coach, Andy Moles, said: “This is a wonderful, win, win, win development. Durham coach Martyn Moxon has been very supportive, because he wants Gavin to play as much as possible at the top level. We think Gavin will be a great addition to the Saltires, and his presence gives us all a boost as we progress towards the ICC Trophy.”Hamilton, who was Scotland’s leading player during the 1999 World Cup in England, played one Test for England, against South Africa in 1999, but bagged a pair and rapidly disappeared off the radar. He suffered the yips and tried to reinvent himself as a specialist batsman, although he is now bowling again. However, following his move from Yorkshire to Durham in 2004 he has failed to command a regular first-team place.Squad Craig Wright (capt), Yasir Arafat, Jonathan Beukes, Cedric English, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Paul Hoffmann, Dougie Lockhart, Dewald Nel, Colin Smith, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts, Greig Williamson.

Dennis Lillee made a guest appearance at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane yesterday, but the former Cricket Australia bowling coach is not planning a return to regular work with the organisation. Troy Cooley invited his old mentor and team-mate to speak to the group and it was the first time Lillee had gone back to the set-up since his angry resignation from his 15-year position two years ago.The fallout still lingers after Lillee’s role with Cricket Australia was initially halved from 30 days a year to cut expenses and then disbanded. “I am helping Troy who asked me to have a look at the lads and he’s a great mate so I gratefully accepted,” Lillee said in .The paper reported that when Lillee was asked whether he hoped it would lead to a fresh relationship with Cricket Australia he said: “No”. “It’s not a matter of mending the ways, it’s that no one ever sent me a letter saying anything – the last thing I heard over the airways was that I didn’t have a job … there is a way of doing things.”After the Ashes loss last year the national-team structure was reviewed and one of the key recommendations was more specific coaches. Cooley was poached back from England, where he had a crucial influence on the 2005 result, as the Centre of Excellence’s bowling mentor and one of his early duties was to entice Lillee back for a look at the winter squad, which includes the Australia A fast men Brett Dorey, Shaun Tait and Ben Hilfenhaus.”I’m doing this for Troy and the boys, no one else,” Lillee told the . Despite James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, saying the organisation was open to Lillee “playing a role”, Lillee said he had not been approached about a possible return.Lillee also spoke about the Ashes series and said Australia’s chances of reclaiming the urn had improved with the knee injury to Simon Jones. “If they have Jones out and we have all our guys fit, then I think we could turn the tables,” he said. “I think the bowlers are going to be the key.”With Glenn McGrath planning a comeback at the Champions Trophy in October, Lillee said Australia’s attack leader of the past decade should step back into his old role. However, he said it was important for McGrath to be properly prepared and suggested a county stint in England.”The way he performs with work under his belt seems to make it logical he would like to get in a lot of good solid work before the series starts,” Lillee told the . “Quite frankly, if you’re Brett you’d be quite happy to bowl at the other end to the great man.”

Scorecard

There was a distinct end-of-term feeling in the air at The Rose Bowl as Hampshire reached 424 for 4, on the first day of their match against the champions Nottinghamshire. A big hundred from John Crawley on his 34th birthday was the centrepiece of a solid Hampshire performance, but with the title already won, Nottinghamshire rested a few frontline players, and those that took to the field looked well below par – a total of 62 extras told its own story.A few weeks ago, this match appeared to offer a mouthwatering finale to the summer. It was potentially a championship decider; billed as the showdown between Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen, it also gave Pietersen the chance to get one over on the county he left last autumn on less than happy terms. But Nottinghamshire wrapped up the competition at Canterbury last weekend and, although Warne was in the Hampshire XI, Pietersen was not, instead placed in mothballs by the ECB.All that was at stake was Hampshire’s bid for second place, but a small and quiet crowd indicated that was not really much to get out of bed for. Nottinghamshire huffed and puffed but rarely got out of second gear, and while Crawley made an unbeaten 150, it was not one of his finest innings. He struggled for most of the first two sessions, and was put down by Darren Bicknell at gully off an oh-so-routine chance when on 28. He timed few shots, and although the drive which brought up his fifty was sublime, it highlighted his general difficulty. To his credit, he continued to battle and after tea finally began to open up and show the class act he remains.Nottinghamshire, who won the toss and stuck Hampshire in under a leaden sky, struck early when Andy Harris bowled Sean Ervine for 9. But their bowlers lacked consistency, failing to exploit the early moisture in the pitch and offering both James Adams and Simon Katich enough width for them to brutally and repeatedly milk the square cover boundary. There was one more success before lunch. Adams, who had more than compensated for the pedestrian Crawley, gifted his wicket to the persevering Graeme Swann the ball after reaching 50, driving to Jason Gallian at short extra-cover. Two balls later, Swann dropped a caught-and-bowled chance low to his right before Katich had scored. It was an expensive spill.

Katich wasted no time in capitalising, surviving an even easier fumble by substitute Mark Hussey at second slip, before being strangled for 53 down the leg side by 19-year-old Mark Footitt. Footitt, who struggled with his run-up and also persistent no-balling, showed enough fire to leave the impression he is a bowler worth watching, as his inclusion in this winter’s National Academy demonstrates.Paul Franks is another who was one talked of in such terms, but who has had a lean time of late. He took one wicket – Jono MacLean caught by Stephen Fleming at first slip for a breezy 67 – and produced some testing deliveries. But in between, he was plagued by no-balls and also picked up an official warning for running down the wicket – something that would have caused more concern to his own batsmen than the umpire, given that Hampshire have both Warne and Shaun Udal in their ranks. Franks’s body language showed that he was ill at ease, as did the expletive which echoed round the empty stands when no-balled for the umpteenth time.Crawley and Nic Pothas scored at will in the final hour, and Nottinghamshire will have to crank up their act for the remainder of the match if their memorable season is not to end with a thoroughly forgettable performance.

Amin revives himselfUmar Amin’s 270-ball 145 helped Sui Southern Gas Corporation build a solid first-innings total of 323, thereby leading his team to victory by an innings and three runs against Faisalabad. The 344-minute knock was Amin’s second hundred of the season. Over the past few seasons, he had been out of selection contention due to injuries but his name has come up again after the retirements of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan. He is currently considered one of the top choices to replace the two recently-retired players, and while he has already made his mark in the shorter format, Amin looks to revive his lost form in the longer format as well.Test openers continue dry runShan Masood and Sami Aslam – after having a disappointing Test series against Sri Lanka – returned to the domestic circuit after the series ended. But their poor run of form continued at home too. Although Sui Southern Gas Corporation won, Aslam contributed only 16 with the bat.And while Masood’s captaincy led United Bank Limited to a seven-wicket win against Rawalpandi, the opener scored only 15 and 21. The duo has been struggling to get big runs, and their dry spell has opened up a slot in Pakistan’s top order – allowing for more experimentation – ahead of Pakistan’s next red-ball action against Ireland in May 2018, before the tour of England.LCCA pitch comes under spotlightAs many as 17 wickets fell on day one at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground as Lahore Blues were bundled for 108 in the first innings before SNGPL, led by Misbah, lost their seven wickets before stumps. Blues fought back in the second innings to put up 215 but that set SNGPL a target of only 125 which they chased down by losing no more than five wickets. The pitches being prepared during the tournament received criticism from Misbah who expressed his “disappointment” saying the tracks were being overused.Fawad watchFawad Alam’s season of ups-and-downs continued after he scored only seven runs and returned bowling figures of 0 for 19 against Faisalabad in the fourth round. After being overlooked by the selectors in the past, which raised eyebrows across the board, the spotlight was on him to shine but he couldn’t do so.Fawad’s form this season has been much worse than the last few seasons, but despite the lack of runs, his first-class average still reads 56.11, having scored over 10,000 runs in his career. Fawad did, however, score a match-winning 105 against Lahore Blues in the third round.

New Zealand should consider Brendon McCullum as a solution to their top-order Test woes, according to the Canterbury coach Dave Nosworthy. The national selectors are meeting in Christchurch this week to decide on a squad to tour England and the opening positions will again be one of their major talking points.Jamie How and Matthew Bell were used against England last month and although How showed promise in making 92 in the first Test, Bell scored three ducks from his six innings. Bell was fresh from a century against Bangladesh, where his opening colleague was Craig Cumming, and just two months prior Cumming had been partnered by Michael Papps in South Africa.McCullum opens in one-day internationals and Nosworthy believes promoting his former Canterbury player in Tests would be a gamble worth taking. “It’s a bit out of left field I know, but the selectors should think about it,” Nosworthy told the . “It throws the gauntlet down to the Poms and sends a strong message to them.”I’m sure some of their new-ball bowlers would be a bit edgy if they had to face Baz [McCullum] first up after what he did in the one-day series. We lack some depth in the top order and that could be a way around it if other things don’t work.”McCullum averaged 65.25 in the recent limited-overs contests against England and in early March he blasted the fastest century and highest score in New Zealand’s domestic one-day history in the State Shield final. Although constructing a careful and lengthy innings might not be McCullum’s strength, Nosworthy said a new approach from the Test openers may be welcome.”No-one has put their hand up massively for the job,” he said. “I know it puts a lot of pressure when the keeper is on his feet all day in the field but the way Baz bats he scores quickly and not out there for that long a period. He could certainly take the shine off the ball quickly.”