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Don Bradman’s baggy green cap, as worn during the 1946-47 Ashes series, has been sold for £35,250 at an auction in London. The buyer, a private Australian collector who lives in London, said he plans to add the cap to his private cricket collection but also hopes to display it in Australia.”As we were getting ready to auction the cap off, there was a hum of excitement in the room,” said Rik Pike, a spokesman for the London auctioneers, Christie’s. “And the bidding took a couple of minutes. After we sold it, there was a clap in the room, which you don’t always have.”Bradman’s teammate, Keith Miller, claimed the pair swapped caps before the first Test against England in November 1946, but Christie’s is sure of its authenticity. A bat, used by Bradman to score 232 in the fifth Test at The Oval in 1930, was sold for £29,375 to another collector.

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tim Lamb has admitted that Nasser Hussain’s decision to resign as captain of the England one-day team was far from unexpected.Hussain had criticised the game’s authorities during the World Cup campaign over the way the Zimbabwe issue was handled, but Lamb has said that he has a clear conscience on that and, in any case, there had been forecasts of Hussain’s resignation at the end of the tournament."I wasn’t entirely surprised because he had been giving speculation he might resign the one-day captaincy," Lamb said. "He did make it clear a couple of weeks ago he was considering his position."Of course the ECB takes responsibility for not going to Harare. It was our decision because we didn’t get the necessary assurances over safety and security. Nasser knows that."It was a stressful time for everyone. Nasser did feel under pressure. It was also a difficult time for a lot of other people. I can assure you he had the full support of the ECB."Hussain’s father, Joe, pointed to off-field pressures as the reason for his son’s resignation. He said: "You can take only so much and he has taken a lot this winter aside from being hammered by Australia, who are the best side in the world."There are other things outside of cricket which he has had to handle. Captaining the side on the field is one thing but captaining off it is another. You can’t be a politician and a cricketer."Among numerous tributes that have been paid since Hussain announced his retirement, perhaps one that will mean as much as any came from his opposing captain in his last one-day international, Ricky Ponting.Sunday’s defeat was the 14th in succession inflicted by Australia over England, but Ponting was fulsome in his praise of Hussain.”I think he has done a good job for England as captain in both forms of the game during a difficult period,” he said. “He has been under a lot of pressure but he has been a good leader and a tough player.”The past 12 months have been pretty difficult for him and lately he has had an Ashes loss, the tri-series loss and now the World Cup exit. I suppose England now has to look ahead and more towards making things good for the future.”

Shane Bond’s 6-23 in this match are the 2nd best bowling figures for a player in a losing team in Limited Overs InternationalsBest bowling for a losing team in Limited Overs Internationals

Bowling Name For Against Venue Season6-14 Imran Khan Pakistan India Sharjah 1984/856-23 SE Bond New Zealand Australia Port Elizabeth 2002/036-35 SM Pollock South Africa West Indies East London 1998/996-50 AH Gray West Indies Australia Port-of-Spain 1990/915-9 M Muralitharan Sri Lanka New Zealand Sharjah 2001/025-18 GJ Cosier Australia England Birmingham 19775-20 GS Chappell Australia England Birmingham 19775-26 CEL Ambrose West Indies Australia Melbourne 1988/895-28 BL Cairns New Zealand England Scarborough 19785-28 ST Jayasuriya Sri Lanka Australia Galle 1999/00

Andrew Bichel’s 64 equalled the highest score by a number 9 batsman in Limited Overs Internationals. Michael Holding scored 64 batting at number 9 for West Indies v Australia at Perth in 1983/84.Adam Gilchrist has now taken 16 dismissals in the 2003 World Cup, whichequals the most dismissals in a World Cup tournament. Jeff Dujon took 16dismissals (15 ct, 1 st) for West Indies in 1983 and Moin Khan took 16dismissals (12 ct, 4 st) for Pakistan in 1999.Gilchrist has now taken 30 dismissals (28 ct, 2 st) in his World Cup career, which equals Moin Khan’s record (23 ct, 7 st).Ricky Ponting took his 8th catch of the 2003 World Cup, which equals the record for most catches by a fielder in a World Cup tournament. Anil Kumble (Ind) took 8 catches in 1996 and Daryll Cullinan (SA) took 8 catches in 1999.

One veteran spinner at the crossroads, and two slow bowlers at the starting gates of potentially prolific careers. It will rely on the weather, but it’s possible that Tasmania and Victoria will make a major contribution toward a changing of the guard in Australian spin bowling when their Pura Cup match begins in Hobart tomorrow.Ordinarily, Colin Miller – who returned to Victoria at the start of last summer, but who still remains something of a hero in both locations – would be expected to represent a major force in a meeting between these two states. But a slow start to the season from a Bushrangers squad that doesn’t easily deal with being on the bottom of competition ladders means that no-one is being spared in the search for better results.Tasmania is having its own problems after an encouraging start in Sydney. Injuries to key batsmen Dene Hills and Michael DiVenuto and all-rounder Scott Kremerskothen haven’t helped, compounding a lack of penetration with the ball that has forced the Tigers to attempt to bat out the last day of all three of their matches to date.Which all means that, though neither 19-year-old Xavier Doherty nor 18-year-old Cameron White was barely even born by the time that Miller had graduated to first-class ranks, there is every chance they’ll be the spinners making the waves this week.Along with left arm paceman Mathew Inness, White and Miller are likely to jockey for the remaining two positions in a Victorian attack headed by pacemen Paul Reiffel and Damien Fleming and all-rounder Ian Harvey.”He’s got a huge future ahead of him. We’re very excited about him; we think he has a very long career ahead,” said Reiffel of leg spinning all-rounder White on his arrival in Hobart today.”He seems a lot older than he actually is. He carries himself very well. He’s an exciting talent; there’s no doubt about that.”We’re very happy to have him in our side.”In the opposite dressing rooms, meanwhile, left arm orthodox spinner Doherty is certain to be included in the eleven, filling a berth vacated by all-rounder Brad Thomas after a crushing innings loss to South Australia.”Potentially, he could have a very good career ahead of him,” said Tasmanian captain, Jamie Cox, in reference to Doherty.”We’ve monitored his progress for quite some time now.”And there are great opportunities for Xavier, with a bit of a dearth of finger spinning (bowlers) around the country … really there aren’t many around. We thought the time was right to give him a go.”It opens the way for the prospect that White will play just his third first-class match and Doherty his first.And that not even Miller’s status as his country’s reigning Test player of the year, nor as one of the most successful bowlers in history at the Bellerive Oval, may guarantee him his place.And all in a game that is likely to be played in attacking style, given that results elsewhere over recent weeks have left these two teams in urgent need of outright points.The only threat might be Hobart’s weather. Though there has ironically been no rain at the ground since Monday – the last of four days of poor conditions which played havoc with the Second Test between Australia and New Zealand – the long-range forecast points to the likelihood of a return of unpleasant conditions over the weekend.One team may need to turn the match its way quickly.Teams:Tasmania: Jamie Cox (c), Scott Mason, Michael Dighton, Shane Watson, Daniel Marsh, Shaun Young, Sean Clingeleffer, Damien Wright, David Saker, Xavier Doherty, Shane Jurgensen, Adam Polkinghorne.Victoria: Paul Reiffel (c), Matthew Elliott, Jason Arnberger, Matthew Mott, Brad Hodge, Michael Klinger, Ian Harvey, Darren Berry, Cameron White, Damien Fleming, Colin Miller, Mathew Inness.

Claims in the Australian media that the team’s defeat in the final Test was down to fatigue have been strongly rebutted by the England coach.Duncan Fletcher insisted that England had won the game at Sydney fair and square, while pointing out that England’s own schedule this year has been hectic, and their record of injuries Down Under unprecedented.England’s overwhelming win by 225 runs was against an Australian team that lacked their two champion bowlers, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, who have taken 913 Test wickets between them. Andrew Bichel and Jason Gillespie both sustained minor injuries during the match.”I see in the Australian press that the reason they lost is that they are tired and have had injuries,” said Fletcher. “It’s easy to forget what we have gone through and that we have been going for a hell of a lot longer than them.”We didn’t have a break in June and July like they did, a three-month break. We have been going since New Zealand last year.”(Sydney) was a very big win for us and I really believe we convincingly beatthem. In front of a crowd like that it showed a lot of character from the guys.”We always feel that at some stage you can beat a side. You have got to believe you can go in there and beat them and hope the rest of the guys have that same feeling.”For Australia’s captain Steve Waugh, the magnificent century he made on day two at Sydney to equal Sir Donald Bradman’s record was eclipsed somewhat by the final result.”I think the guys were a bit flat going into this game,” said Waugh, who will be pondering his international future over the next few days.”Maybe part of the attention had turned to the World Cup as well because we had won the series and the World Cup’s not far away and you don’t want guys getting injured.”I think now with the players going to the World Cup it’s about man-management, not overplaying them and making sure that they’re peaking for the World Cup. That is where they are going to be judged.”Waugh has withdrawn from the Sir Don Bradman XI to meet England in Bowral tomorrow with a groin strain.”I’ll just relax for one or two days, have a good think about it, get away from cricket and be with family and friends and talk through it,” he said. “I’ll go through the pros and cons and weigh it up. Just see what the right decision is and hopefully make that right decision.”Ronnie Irani will captain England in tomorrow’s match, while Nasser Hussain, Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan, Andrew Caddick, Steve Harmison and Alec Stewart are all rested. Owais Shah will keep wicket, while two members of the Test squad, Richard Dawson and Robert Key, will play before returning to England in a few days’ time.Ashley Giles could be back in action for the remaining one-day matches in Australia after recovering from a broken wrist. The Warwickshire spinner, who was injured in the nets in Adelaide six weeks ago, will rejoin the England squad this weekend.

Aggressive Eastern Province fast bowler Nantie Hayward has been added to the South African squad for the Standard Bank One-Day International against India in East London on Friday, bringing the total number in the home party to 15.It is understood that national selectors will meet again in East London to reassess their squad, at which point the numbers of travelling players may be trimmed.Hayward’s selection as a one-day bowler will raise some eyebrows. Although he is among the quickest bowlers operating South Africa and highly-regarded by his peers for his attitude towards batsmen, there is a school of thought, which includes former South African captain Kepler Wessels, which holds that the restrictions of limited overs cricket, particularly those regarding wide balls, could count against him.Beset by personal problems last summer, Hayward had a difficult time of it, but it now seems that he has sorted out his private life and on the evidence of his first-class efforts this summer it appears that he has regained his control.Quite why the selectors have chosen to expand their squad once again is not entirely clear, but if Hayward does play on Friday – and there seems no reason to bring him into the squad if the intention is not play him – then close attention will be paid to his bowling.The new squad: Shaun Pollock (capt), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Jonty Rhodes, Lance Klusener, Mark Boucher, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Kemp, Nicky Boje, Boeta Dippenaar, Charl Langveldt, Nantie Hayward.

Matt Bulbeck just can’t wait for the start of the 2002 season,when he can get back to where he was and “start taking wickets again.”The left arm seamer who celebrated his twenty second birthday just recently told me of his frustrations during 2001. “I want to put two bad years behind me and get back to where I was before all of this happened” he said.Certainly Matt, who announced his arrival on the scene in 1998 by taking 26 wickets to top the Somerset averages,has been working hard to ensure that he back to full fitness by the time the 2002 season gets underway.Every morning for the last couple of months he has been a regular visitor to The Academy Fitness Centre at The County Ground where he has been following a rigorous training programme under the watchful eye of Club Physio Darren Veness and Fitness Trainer Andy Hurry.The Physio told me “Matt is training very hard, and his fitness is better now than it has ever been.He’s naturally fit so we have to step things up a gear for him.”What about next year I asked him. “We are looking for Matt to start 2002 as a definite first team prospect” the Physio replied.Matt will have the added bonus of training in the sunshine during the winter months because he is jetting off to Australia just before Christmas where he will be spending three months at The Paul Terry Cricket Academy in Perth.During his time in Perth Matt will continue with his fitness programme and will have daily nets working with former Aussie bowler Bruce Reid. He will also play cricket for a local club at the weekends.By the time he returns to Taunton in March “I want to be better than I was before I got injured” Matt told me, a sentiment that will be echoed by all Somerset supporters.

Derbyshire v Somerset
ScorecardSteve Selwood’s 88 not out from 130 balls led the way for Derbyshire’s first win of the season. Selwood and Chris Bassano were the mainstays of the Derbyshire innings with a 88-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Andy Caddick gave Somerset the perfect start when he got one over his former England team-mate Dominic Cork, caught by Ian Blackwell for 0 off the second ball of the match. But Cork later went one better, removing another former international colleague, Marcus Trescothick, lbw first ball of Somerset’s reply. Despite a blistering 42 from Blackwell, and a quickfire 53 from Richard Johnson, they never recovered from their early loss of wickets, and ended up going down by 15 runs.Leicestershire v Glamorgan
ScorecardDivision One champions Glamorgan convincingly beat Leicestershire by 44 runs at Grace Road. David Hemp (83 not out), Matthew Maynard (43) and Michael Powell (40) were all in the runs for Glamorgan as they reached 249 for 5. Phil DeFreitas, the Leicestershire captain, opted to bowl first as he thought the wicket would be easier to chase on, but even with all his experience, he got it wrong. Losing early wickets was Leicestershire’s undoing – Darren Maddy’s impressive 80 from 82 balls wasn’t enough to help them recover from a treacherous 75 for 5.Surrey v Warwickshire
ScorecardNick Knight – newly retired from one-day international cricket – reminded his former England colleagues what they will be missing by bludgeoning 105 from 98 balls against Surrey, the team where most of them hang out. Even so, it wasn’t enough for Warwickshire to pass Surrey’s imposing total of 281 for 8. Mark Ramprakash (63) and Graham Thorpe (58), in a timely nudge to the selectors, top-scored for Surrey, and despite Knight’s heroics, Alex Tudor blew the Warwickshire middle order away with 4 for 54.Durham v Scotland
ScorecardA packed house at Chester-le-Street witnessed a nail-biting win for Scotland on their National League debut, showing they can match the county professionals. Disciplined bowling was the key to their success, as all five bowlers – in typically Scottish fashion – were incredibly stingy. Majid Haq stood out from the pack with 4 for 36 from his nine overs of offspin, as none of the Durham bastmen passed fifty. With only 168 needed to record a famous win, Scotland made a bright start as Douglas Lockhart and Ryan Watson put on 75 for the first wicket. But as they neared the target, a few Scottish hearts, however brave, would have jumped when Durham’s Dewald Pretorious struck twice in one over leaving Scotland on 132 for 5. But Colin Smith and Neil McRae kept their nerves to record a famous win with four balls remaining. Who needs Rahul Dravid?Hampshire v Sussex
ScorecardIn a low-scoring affair at The Rose Bowl, Hampshire overcame their south-coast neighbours Sussex. He’s the highest in the age column in the Hampshire side, and today he was the highest in the runs column. Robin Smith gutsed out a stodgy but crucial 44 from 79 balls, as Hampshire stumbled to 144 for 9. Another Hampshire old boy Shaun Udal, along with the much-younger Chris Tremlett, then bowled them to victory taking three wickets each in Sussex’s dismal 101 all out.Notts v Northants
ScorecardIn a game of heroic performances, David Sales eclipsed them all when he smashed a scintillating unbeaten century in a cracking match at Wantage Road. Chris Read – who is in exceptional early-season form with the bat – must have thought he had done enough to secure the points for Notts, with 119 not out from 108 balls in their massive total of 294 for 8. But Sales had other ideas. With the help of Phil Jaques, who kept him company for most of the run-chase with 68, Sales bulldozed Northants to a memorable win with an astonishing 133 not out from 122 balls.

Former Leicestershire player Jonathan Dakin has become the latest player to join Essex as part of the Club’s rebuilding programme in their quest to regain their mantle as one of the country’s leading counties.Born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, the 28-year-old all-rounder made his debut for his former county in 1993 and was a regular member of both their championship and one-day squads.Standing 6’6″ tall, he is a powerful left-handed batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler with a highest score of 190 against Northamptonshire in the championship. Last season, he topped the Leicestershire first-class bowling averages with 16 wickets at 26 runs apiece in his seven matches.Chief Executive David East said: “Jonathan is currently playing in Tasmania and is delighted at the prospect of joining us. We all believe that he can play a full part in taking the county into Division 1 of both league competitions, as he is a proven performer at that level. We expect him to prove a shrewd capture.”

Three talented Indian cricketers are into the final phase of trainingat the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy in Adelaide as part of theBorder-Gavaskar scholarship programme.Vinayak Mane, Parthiv Patel and Deepak Chougle from the NationalCricket Academy in Bangalore are into their sixth week of specialistcoaching under former Australian wicket-keeper-batsman Wayne Phillips.”I believe these three young men will leave Australia bettercricketers. I think the scholarship programme is a great initiativethat can only be for the good of the game, given that it providesyoung players with the opportunity to hone their skills in foreignconditions,” Phillips said.The programme is funded by the Australia-India Council (AIC), whichhas made a significant contribution to the ties between the twonations. In addition to the scholarships, AIC has also contributed tothe production costs of the modernised Border-Gavaskar Trophy won byIndia after the thrilling Test series in March this year.”AIC is delighted that this scholarship programme is now in its secondterm, helping to strengthen the sporting links between Australia andIndia. It is an important part of AIC’s programme of promotingunderstanding and co-operation between the two countries throughprojects and exchanges, including sport,” AIC Chairman Michael Abbottsaid.Last year’s batch of scholarship holders included India’s new Testopener Shiv Sunder Das.