Namibia has lost the Alexander Forbes One Day International cricket series against Bangladesh after the visitors won the low-scoring fourth match by one wicket on Sunday.Bangladesh lead the series by 3-1 with the fifth and final match to beplayed on Wednesday before both teams leave for South Africa on Saturday tocontest the ICC World Cup.Bangladesh won a close match by one wicket after bowling out Namibia for 131in 45.3 overs. Jan-Berry Burger top-scored for Namibia with 31 runs from 63balls, while Riaan Walters made 26 and Morné Karg 21. The Namibia inningscontained only three fours and four sixes.The touring side replied with 132 for nine off 37.3 overs. They alsofaltered at 57 for six before captain and Man of the Match Khaled Mashudsteered them home with 44 runs off 71 balls.Khaled was the ninth man to go, playing a Sarel Burger delivery onto hisstumps with Bangladesh still needing two runs for victory. Number 10 batsmanMashrafe scored the winning two runs through midwicket.For Namibia, Björn Kotze took three wickets for 28 runs in 10 overs, whileRudie van Vuuren took two for 43 off 10 overs. Medium pacer Sarel Burgertook two for 30 runs in 9.3 overs.For Bangladesh, Mohammad Rafique took 4/19 runs in 8.3 overs while AlokKapali took 3/10 runs in eight overs.

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, Feb 19 AAP – Taciturn all-rounder Andrew Symonds may have silenced his critics with his match-winning century in Australia’s opening World Cup match but his new-found fame means he can’t escape the spotlight anymore.Symonds admits he’s shied away from attention in the past but these days he has to front up to the media and talk, not his favourite pastime.As Australia gears up for the next stage of the tournament, he said he was looking forward to being thrown into his next big test: combating batsmen certain to target his medium-pacers-cum-off-spinners as the weak link in the Australian attack.”That’s not a bad challenge,” he drawled, a toothpick between his teeth, every bit a country boy.If he wasn’t an international cricketer, Symonds said he would be a fisherman or a farmer.For a while, a few of his critics would rather have seen him in either of those roles.The number of knockers probably doubled with every poor outing but his blitzkrieg of an innings against Pakistan, 143 from 125 balls, proved he was ripe for the big time, and left everybody else with egg on their faces.”I’m never too worried about proving to people what I can and can’t do,” he said.”I’m not big on publicity – I don’t read the newspaper. If I see anything about myself, it’s on TV. People have probably been entitled to write what they have over the last year or so, but a player doesn’t get to defend himself.”Sometimes the media makes out that you’re not trying. I don’t go out there to shut people up in the press and media. You go out there to do it for your team, your country and yourself – getting the confidence and probably the belief in yourself that you can actually do it at this level.”I’m looking forward to my next important innings now to see how I’m going to approach it – I’m quite excited about it.”Symonds said the main satisfaction he gained from his first ton for Australia was derived from helping his team-mates out of a difficult situation, 4-86, and repaying the long-term support he had received from captain Ricky Ponting, who pushed hard for him in the World Cup selection room.”I’ve always had a good rapport with him and I can feel the confidence he has in me,” said Symonds, who shared a 87-ball, 60-run partnership with Ponting that swung momentum Australia’s way en route to an 82-run win.”He’s very keen for me to do well and contribute. Steve Waugh was the same when he was captain – when I first played he was throwing me in early a lot. Ricky was always coming down the pitch saying ‘next ball’ so we weren’t sitting there admiring our shots.”It was a satisfying innings because of the circumstances of the game. Ricky was under a lot of pressure too, because he was the last specialist batsman. I was determined we would post a total to defend.”Symonds’ troubles were frustrating for followers because all the tools – massive hitting, good technique, sound bowling, brilliant fielding – were going to waste. He kept getting out to loose strokes and being hit for boundaries. His lightning-fast work in the field, both catching and on the ground, was the only constantly positive contribution.It might be premature to call Symonds’ century a turning point because he hasn’t batted or bowled since, but his mood and demeanour at training, where he has been crunching everything thrown his way, indicates there are more good times ahead, more big innings.”Now I’ve got something there that’s concrete and I can refer back to that,” he said.”I guess now I’ve got the confidence because I know I can do it against the best teams in the world. I’ll use that. Whether you’d call it a turning point, I don’t know. Hopefully it is.”

The ECB Chairman, David Morgan, and Chief Executive, Tim Lamb, will continuediscussions with the England players and their representatives todayregarding the team’s World Cup match in Zimbabwe.There will be no further public comment on this issue today. At this stage,it is envisaged that a media conference will be held tomorrow morning atapproximately 10.30 am at the England team hotel, The Cullinan, in Capetown.

The toss was widely expected to be influential, and just as England thrived on it against Pakistan last Saturday, so it undermined them tonight as India coasted to an 82-run win at Kingsmead. Exemplary bowling, including a career-best six for 23 from Ashish Nehra, unstitched England under the lights, and India are virtually through to the Super Sixes while England’s progress is less assured.Set 251 to win, England began disastrously when Nick Knight, after calling for an optimistic sharp single from the first ball of the second over, was thrown out by the diving Mohammed Kaif at extra cover.Excellent bowling from Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan followed, with Marcus Trescothick struggling to lay bat on ball. After one defiant, off-driven boundary, he was put out of his misery by Zaheer, whom he pulled off the splice to Sachin Tendulkar at backward square leg.After taking one for 14 from six overs, Zaheer made way for Nehra, who was to make his predecessor’s figures look ordinary. After clubbing successive boundaries back past Srinath, Nasser Hussain, trying to cut Nehra, got a thin edge through to Rahul Dravid.The next ball saw the end of Alec Stewart, caught in front of his stumps like a rabbit in headlights. Although Nehra could not complete the hat-trick, he delivered a further body blow when Michael Vaughan edged another ball of full length to Dravid.Andy Flintoff briefly threw off the shackles, clouting Harbhajan Singh for a massive six over long-on. But Paul Collingwood got another peach of a ball from Nehra that squared him up, flying off the edge to Virender Sehwag at slip.Craig White, driving expansively at Nehra outside the off stump, was another victim for Dravid, and Ronnie Irani edged to slip, enabling Nehra to end a fantastic spell with a double-wicket maiden.Flintoff did what he could to improve England’s run rate, taking two tall leg-side sixes off Ganguly on the way to a half-century which completed a fine all-round performance. But on 64, the big Lancastrian fell victim to a superb catch by Sehwag at wide mid-on, attempting another boundary off a Srinath full pitch. It ended when James Anderson was palpably lbw to Zaheer.When India batted earlier, it took a bustling fifth-wicket partnership of 62 by Dravid and Yuvraj Singh to revive them before Dravid (62) was dismissed in the final over. Flintoff starred in an otherwise indifferent England attack, with two for 15 off his ten overs.Tendulkar made an excellent run-a-ball 50, after clipping the expensive Caddick for a delightful square-leg boundary in the first over of the day. There were early moral victories for England before Sehwag opened the throttle against Anderson, finding the fence at long-on, backward of point and extra cover. Caddick was treated with similar disdain next over, as Tendulkar hit him for four through square leg and six over mid-wicket.Forced into a bowling change, Hussain turned to Flintoff, who did the trick in his first over. Sehwag got a leading edge as he tried to turn him to leg, and Flintoff comfortably held the return catch.Tendulkar went to his 50 in the 15th over, but the critical breakthrough came with the second ball after the 15-over drinks break. Flintoff found extra bounce and Tendulkar, not quite over a square drive, was comfortably taken by Collingwood at backward point. When Ganguly went, driving White high and straight for Trescothick to take the catch running round from mid-on, India scented trouble.Irani and Collingwood kept them in check, backed up by excellent fielding, with one diving, one-handed save by Hussain in the covers outstanding. Boundaries were few and far between, although Mongia, missed by Stewart cutting at Collingwood, took one through mid-wicket off Irani.Collingwood had his revenge when Mongia was out tamely, plumb lbw hitting across a straight ball. But Dravid and Yuvraj then built a vital partnership, initially maintaining the momentum in ones and twos, although Yuvraj opened out with a huge on drive for six off Irani.To England’s relief Anderson, bowling round the wicket to the left-handed Yuvraj, cramped him up as he tried to force through extra cover, where Hussain leapt to hold a fine catch with both hands above his head.Dravid continued to flourish, drilling Anderson for a leg-side six to reach 50. He lost Kaif in the last over, swinging Caddick high to Flintoff, and was himself caught next ball, clouting a slower ball to Collingwood at long-on. Zaheer was immediately run out by Stewart attempting a bye, and when Srinath hit Caddick to Trescothick at deep extra, the innings had ended with four wickets off as many balls.Much to England’s dismay the clatter continued after the break, and they now need an unlikely win over Australia in their final group match – or a series of other results to go their way – to secure a Super Six place.

Sri Lanka’s selectors have picked a 15-man squad for the opening Test against New Zealand, including the previously out-of-favour wicket-keeper, Romesh Kaluwitharana, and four specialist slow bowlers. In all, eight changes have been made since Sri Lanka’s last test against South Africa at Centurion in November.Michael Vandort, a left-hander who scored a century in his last test against Bangladesh but was then a surprise omission from the South Africa tour, and Tillakaratne Dilshan, a 26-year-old right-hander, will be competing for the final place in the middle order, assuming that Sri Lanka play six specialist batsmen and Kaluwitharana at number seven.They could, however, opt instead for playing Kaluwitharana – who has not played test cricket for two years following the emergence of Kumar Sangakkara – at number six and include a spinning all-rounder at number seven: either Kumar Dharmasena, Upul Chandana or Kaushal Loukuarachchi, who would be making his debut if he plays.The P.Sara Stadium, the home ground of star bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, traditionally favours the spinners and it is clear that Sri Lanka’s strategy will rely heavily on their slow bowlers. With Sanath Jayasuriya also available to bowl, they could field as many as four.With Dilhara Fernando having not recovered from an injury to his lower back, Prabath Nissanka looks set to partner Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lanka’s leading fast bowler who has recovered from an ankle injury, although the uncapped Dharshana Gamage also comes into the reckoning.Jayasuriya, who has struggled in the middle order in tests after dropping down during Sri Lanka’s tour of England last year, is expected to open the innings again with Marvan Atapattu, the vice-captain.The out-of-form Mahela Jayawardene confirmed his place in the squad with a century against the touring New Zealanders at the weekend whilst Sangakkara, freed from the responsibility of keeping wicket, will bat at number three.However, there is no room for Russel Arnold, who had a miserable series against South Africa, scoring just six runs in four innings, and Jehan Mubarak, a left-handed opener who impressed at Centurion when he replaced Jayasuriya but failed in the one-day series that followed.With Dav Whatmore having been granted early leave from his contract, which was to expire at the end of May, Duleep Mendis has been appointed as interim coach for the series. Hashan Tillakaratne, a surprise choice for the test captaincy, leads the side.The first test in the two match series starts on April 25 with the second test to be played in Kandy on May 3. The two sides will then play in a triangular also involving Pakistan.Full squad:Hashan Tillakaratne (Capt), Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Michael Vandort, Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), Kumar Dharmasena, Upul Chandana, Kaushal Loukuarachchi, Chaminda Vaas, Prabath Nissanka, Dharshana Gamage, Muttiah Muralitharan

Steve Waugh has defended his side’s behaviour during their Test series in the West Indies after they came in for criticism for their unsporting conduct – and also hinted he’s keen on staying the Australian Test captain for a while yet.On his return to Australia, Waugh admitted that his players had stepped out of line on a couple of occasions, but that their behaviour had generally been good, and insisted there were no hard-feelings between the teams. “The heat of the moment got to a few players [but] from a playing point of view it was probably the friendliest series I’ve been involved with,” he said. “On and off the field the guys had a lot of interaction, talked with each other a great deal and helped each other with cricket.”However, that didn’t always look the case, especially when Glenn McGrath and Ramnaresh Sarwan clashed in a heated mid-pitch altercation in the fourth Test in Antigua, causing James Sutherland, head of the Australian Cricket Board, to urge the Australians to keep their cool.McGrath has since expressed his remorse over the incident, and Waugh said he hoped it wouldn’t cloud the tour. “I’m not making excuses for it, but it does happen, that’s the reality of the situation. We are going to make mistakes, there’s a lot at stake and a lot of pressures.”The Test series, which Australia won 3-1, was another historic chapter in Waugh’s career. In the first Test in Guyana, he became Test cricket’s most-capped player and his 115 in the third Test in Barbados took him past Sir Don Bradman’s record of the most Test hundreds.And with Australia scheduled to play Bangladesh in the new venues of Darwin and Cairns in July, Waugh said his appetite is still as hungry as ever: “It would be great to play in Darwin and Cairns … they are historic Test matches. They are definitely worth thinking about.”

New Zealand cricketers in England and Dutch club cricket are having a lean time of it at the moment.Aucklander Rob Nicol has no batting form at all for Rishton which is in 14th and last place in the first XI competition of the Lancashire League.In his side’s 146-run loss to East Lancs he took three wickets for 95 and a week later in the 104-run loss to Nelson he took three for 114.Matthew Bell is playing for fourth-placed Esher in the Surrey Championship league. He scored 53 in a drawn game with Cheam and 52 in a winning draw against Weybridge.Luke Woodcock, like Bell from Wellington, is playing for eighth-placed Purley in the second division of the Surrey League but has not yet made an impression among the top performers.Canterbury’s Brendon Donkers is playing for ninth-placed Leigh in the Liverpool and District competition’s premier league.He retired hurt in a recent game against New Brighton, having scored nine, but then came back two days later in a 70-run win over Newton le Willows scoring 20 not out and taking one for 18. He followed that with 49 not out and two for 39 in a 27-run loss to Bootle.Otago’s Warren McSkimming is playing for sixth-placed Lytham in the same league. He scored 62 and took two for 46 in a draw against Huyton, took two for 62 in a five-wicket loss to New Brighton and then scored 66 in a 106-run win against Newton le Willows.In the first division of the Liverpool competition, former Aucklander Aaron Barnes is playing for fourth-placed Colwyn Bay and James Marshall of Northern Districts, is playing for twelth-placed Formby.Marshall hit 112 in a no result game against St Helens Recs and a week later his 76 in a five-wicket loss to Highfield.Barnes hit 74 and took one for 16 in a seven-wicket win against Liverpool and then hit 49 and took four for 52 in an eight-wicket win against Caldy.But his best effort to date was 117 not out and two for 83, despite his team losing by four wickets to Formby. In that match he claimed Marshall’s wicket for a duck. Marshall took two catches and had the satisfaction of seeing his side win by four wickets.In his most recent appearance last weekend, Barnes hit 45 in a seven-wicket win against Orrell Red Triangle.Michael Parlane is playing for Swardeston in the East Anglia League, the side is fifth of 10 teams. He scored 52 not out in a nine-wicket win over Bury St Edmunds and 28 in a five-wicket loss to Norwich.The New Zealanders in the Netherlands cricket competition have also been battling.Former internationals Shane Thomson and David Sewell are playing in the first-placed side VRA. Sewell took two for 24 in a 23-run win over Quick Haag, and four for 48 in a 24-run win over VCC while Thomson’s most significant hand in recent weeks has been 64 against VOC in a match lost by 13 runs.Andre Adams and Alex O’Dowd are playing for second-placed HCC. O’Dowd scored 109 against Excelsior and Adams scored 11 and took three for 29 in a six-wicket win.In his most recent appearance against Quick Haag when HCC successfully defended a total of 132, Adams scored 26 off 27 balls, with three sixes before taking three for 25 from his 10 overs.Greg Todd is playing with the third-placed Hermes DVS side. Against Rood en Wit he took two for 35 in a 36-run loss. He scored 34 not out in a 66-run win over VOC, scored 22 and took two for 23 in a 20-run win over VCC and scored 22 and took one for 25 in a 25-run win over Excelsior.David Kelly is playing with the fifth-placed Rood en Wit side and in his best performance so far he scored 36 against Hermes DVS before being caught by former Central Districts player Gavin McRae off Todd’s bowling. But his side did emerge with a victory.Aucklander Tama Canning’s side of VOC is in ninth place but Canning has been producing some good all-round performances.He scored 39 against HCC as his side lost by 76 runs. But the following week he scored 26 and took three for 35 in a 13-run win over VRA.Then he scored 30 and took two for 21 in a 45-run loss to Rood en Wit before his best performance last weekend of 56 and five for 25 off 9.2 overs to help his side to a 36-run win over VCC.Former Canterbury all rounder Darron Reekers is the only other player in the competition from New Zealand. He is playing for last-placed Quick Haag. In his last three appearances his best score has been 14 and his best bowling two for 15 from 10 overs in a five-wicket win over Rood en Wit.In the women’s competition, Canterbury’s Sarah Burke is playing for second-placed Rood en Wit in the six-team women’s premier league and in her side’s seven-wicket win last weekend she took two for 13 from her nine overs.

Unbeaten pair Lymington and Old Tauntonians & Romsey are battling it out for supremacy at the top of Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2.The duo both extended their winning starts against newly promoted opponents – Lymington beating Gosport Borough by 64 runs and OT’s trimming last season’s Division 3 champions, Purbrook by a 46-run margin.Lymington simply out-batted Gosport on a Sports Ground shirtfront – all of the top order getting amongst the runs as the New Forest side posted a formidable 271-7 to plunge Gosport to a third successive defeat.Martin Hunt (42) was prominent in early partnerships with Glyn Treagus (29) and Dan Peacock (34), but it was Ben Craft’s 69, aided by an unbeaten 37 from Tom Peacock, which powered Lymington into a near invincible position.Gosport dipped to 65-5 (Andrew Watkins 31) before Pete Robson (61) gave their eventual 207 an air of respectability.A second second-wicket stand between Max Smith (86) and Raj Niak(54) powered OTR into the driving seat at Purbrook, where last year’s Division 3 champs were left chasing 262-7 (Jeremy Ord 38).Will Prozesky (78) launched Purbrook’s reply in style, but with Nick Wood taking 5-60, the ask was too great and they closed at 216 all out.Hampshire’s John Francis spanked 113 not out and shared a near double-century stand with Steve Shaw (106) as St Cross Symondians piled up a massive 285-2 at Hursley Park.Paul Edwards (65) and Sandeep Halder (35) gave Hursley token hope, but it was all too much as the Park slipped to 213 all out.Dave Birch continued his rich vein of form with an unbeaten 88 as Easton & Martyr Worthy cruised past Sparsholt’s 195-5 to win by nine wickets.Tim Richings (43), Nick Boxall (41) and Ollie Kelly (39) top scored for Sparsholt, but once Birch and Ashley Spencer (40) had established an 82-run start the writing was on the wall for the visitors.Birch and Shaun Green added an unbroken 114 for the second wicket.Neil Cunningham’s 68 got Burridge home by three wickets after United Services had posted 183-8 (Gary Hounsome 50) at Burnaby Road.Burridge wobbled at 143-6, but Phil Ransley’s 22 not out got them home.

Following their victories last night, Gloucestershire and Surrey are the first two counties to qualify for Twenty20 Cup Finals Day, having won their respective groups.The winner of the Leicestershire v Derbyshire match tonight at Grace Road will also qualify as the top team in the North Group, and therefore progress to the semi-finals as well.The final place in the semi-finals will be taken by one of eight teams, who will qualify as the best runner-up.If Derbyshire beat Leicestershire then Leicestershire (current net run rate 1.06) will also qualify for Finals’ Day as best runner-up unless Warwickshire (current net run rate 0.66) beat Northamptonshire at Northampton and overtake Leicestershire on net run rate.If Leicestershire beat Derbyshire then Warwickshire will be best runner-up if they beat Northamptonshire.If Leicestershire beat Derbyshire and Northamptonshire beat Warwickshire then the best runner-up will be either:

• Northamptonshire in the Midland/Wales/West Group, or…
• Derbyshire or Yorkshire in the North Group (Yorkshire will overtake Derbyshire if they beat Nottinghamshire at Headingley and Derbyshire lose), or…
• Kent, Sussex or Middlesex in the South Group (if Sussex beat Kent at Hove they will finish 2nd in the Group, if Kent beat Sussex and Middlesex lose to Essex then Kent will finish 2nd, if Kent beat Sussex and Middlesex beat Essex then Middlesex finish 2nd)

The top team from each of the three regional groups qualifies for Finals Day along with the best runner-up.The first three tie-breakers in order of priority for teams finishing on equal points are:

• most wins
• for teams in the same group, the most points achieved in matches between teams level on points
• higher net run rate calculated by deducting from the average runs per over scored by the team, the average runs per over scored against that team.

This evening’s games commence at 5.30pm at Bristol, Rose Bowl, Old Trafford, Grace Road, Northampton and New Road, at 5.35pm at Headingley and at 7.30pm at Chelmsford and Hove.The draw for the Semi-finals of the Twenty20 Cup will take place on Thursday 26 June during the interval of the NatWest Series match between England and Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge. The draw will be live on Sky Sports.

England’s first-class umpires will be allowed to continue until they are 70 if the British government accepts European Union legislation which will make it illegal to forcibly retire any employee before that age. At the moment umpires have to retire at 65, but many of them believe that this age limit is too low and makes no allowance for individual ability.Allan Jones, the chairman of the First-Class Umpires Association, will discuss the legislation with the ECB. "It will come in too late for some of our members and I do not know yet how our contracts, which are renewable after one to three years, will affect us," he told The Times. "We shall probably have to be given more stringent medical checks. Someone who wants to continue until he is 70 will be able to do so."An ECB spokesman told the newspaper: "I understand that the legislation will be phased in and organisations would still be able to contract employees to retire at a certain date."