The end of Round 3 saw the Points Table take shape according to the relative strengths of the teams. The strong PIA team is in the driving seat and KRL and NBP are competing for 2nd place.HBL v PIA
PIA easily overcame HBL by 7 wickets. PIA won the toss electing to bowl first and amazingly, wrapped up the HBL 1st innings for 27 runs. Fazl-e-Akbar was the main destroyer. He took 7 wickets in which he had a hat-trick, taking the last 4 wickets in successive balls. On their turn, PIA scored 269 and took a huge lead of 242. Shahid Nazir and Kabir Khan took 3 wickets each. HBL replied strongly, reaching 313 runs with the help of Younis Khan?s century and an entertaining half-century by Shahid Afridi, setting PIA an easy target of 72. PIA?s Fazl-e-Akbar grabbed another 5 wickets in the 2nd innings. Expectedly, PIA reached the target but lost 3 wickets.ABL v WAPDA
The match between ABL and WAPDA ended in a draw after ABL won the toss and scored 451 in their 1st innings. Ijaz Ahmed Jnr and Rashid Latif had a major hand in that innings. Ijaz Ahmed made 103 and Rashid hit 81 runs. Aqeel Ahmed of WAPDA took 6 wickets. In response, WAPDA scored 306 runs and Adil Nisar was the highest scorer with 85 runs. ABL made 179 runs in their 2nd innings and set a target of 325. Ijaz Ahmed Jnr again batted well and made 75. At the close of play, WAPDA had scored 88 for 4 with the match ending in a draw.ADBP v SGCP
ADBP defeated SGCP by 50 runs after SGCP won the toss and elected to bowl first. SGCP bowled ADBP out at a score of 118 runs in which Inam-ul-Haq scored 61.Abdur Rauf was the main striker for SGCP to grab 8 wickets. SGCP scored 136 runs in reply and took an 18 run 1st innings lead. ADBP scored 192 in their 2nd innings and gave SGCP a target of 175 runs to win. Abdur Rauf was again the top wicket taker, picking up another 6 wickets. However, SGCP could not manage and were bowled out at the score of 124.CUSTOMS v NBP
NBP beat Customs by 6 wickets after winning the toss and deciding to bowl. Pakistan Customs was bowled out for 241 runs. Shadab Kabir was the main scorer with 51 runs. Mushtaq Ahmed took 6 Customs wickets with his leg-spin. NBP scored 404 runs in their 1st innings with Sajid Ali hitting 113 and took a 163 run lead over Pakistan Customs. Customs scored 309 in their 2nd innings while Azhar Shafiq was top scorer with 106 runs and set a 147 run target, easily achieved by NBP at the loss of 4 wickets.KRL v PWD
The high scoring match played between KRL and PWD at the Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot ended in a draw. PWD won the toss and put in KRL who scored 457 in their 1st innings. Jaffar Nazir was top scorer with 80. PWD then surprised the experts through an excellent batting display and scored 592 runs in reply with centuries by Saad Wasim and Iqbal Imam. They ended up with a 135 run 1st innings lead over KRL. Yasir Arafat was KRL?s main bowler taking 6 wickets. In their 2nd innings KRL scored 315 for 1 with both openers making centuries. The match was ended in a draw.

Sri Lanka take on Zimbabwe in the opening match of the Sharjah Champions Trophy today with skipper Sanath Jayasuriya hoping to make it a hat-trick of wins at the venue.The team won this time last year, when they walloped India in the final, scoring 299 and then bowling out India for just 54, and they defeated Pakistan in the ARY Gold Cup in April, despite looking unconvincing in the qualifying round.”Yes, we have played well in the last couple of tournaments in Sharjah, but then that doesn’t guarantee us another victory,” said Jayasuriya. “We will have to work hard.”Pakistan are tipped as favourites with a full strength side, but may be rusty having barely played any cricket since returning from their tour of England in June. Their one international outing, against Bangladesh in the Asian Test Championship in August, lasted just three days.Pakistan have also changed coaches after Richard Pybus turned down an offer to stay with the team. He has been replaced by the previous A team coach Mudassar Nazar on a short-term contract.Mudassar, who was quoted earlier in the week as saying Pakistan would win the tournament, claims his team is “hungry for success, as ever. The boys kept themselves in good nick by playing on the domestic circuit.”Captain Waqar Younis added: “Both Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are very good sides, but I think the Lankans will be the one to beat.”Zimbabwe are clear outsiders after five straight losses against an inexperienced England side left them with 12 consecutive defeats. The recentnews that Heath Streak has stepped down as captain only adds to their woes.Streak has been replaced by 24-year-old leg-spinner Brian Murphy, a relativenovice at international level and a surprise choice as captain.He is joined by new coach Geoff Marsh, the former Australian coach and openingbatsman, who succeeds Carl Rackemann. Murphy, trying to inject some optimism, said: “The strongest point of the team is its willingness to work hard. All of them are keen to sweat it out and want to be a tough side to beat.”As usual, Zimbabwe will rely heavily on Andy Flower’s batting, particularlysince the out-of-form Alistair Campbell has been dropped. Sri Lanka take on Zimbabwe in the first game on Friday and each side will play each other twice before the final on 4 November.

Little-rated Himachal Pradesh pulled off a shock victory over giantsServices in their Ranji Trophy league match at Una on Tuesday.Shakti Singh (5-80) and Vishal Bhatia (4-40) rudely unseated Servicesfrom its comfortable overnight position of 25/0 to bowl them out for179. Brushing aside scores of 44 and 42 from K Chawda and YashpalSingh respectively, Himachal Pradesh’s bowling attack took only 54.3overs to work its magic.Set a target of 46 to win, Himachal Pradesh were never going to betroubled too much. They reached the score with only one wicket lost in11.3 overs, with Sandeep Sharma making 27 off 25 balls.

Indian selectors have done the expected by naming Virender Sehwag in the 14-member squad for the first Test due to start at Mohali on December 3. This despite the International Cricket Council’s clear directive that Sehwag was ineligible for the Test.Chandu Borde, the chairman of selectors while explaining the decision, said, “Like I said yesterday, we have based our decisions on merit.”Sehwag’s selection aside there were many surprises in the squad announced by Borde at Jaipur. None of the fast bowlers who went to South Africa have been retained. While Javagal Srinath had declared himself ineligible following a fracture that he sustained at Centurion, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Venkatesh Prasad and Ajit Agarkar were all left out in the cold.The surprise inclusions included Iqbal Siddiqui, the Maharashtra and India ‘A’ right-arm opening bowler who returned figures of 4-36 in the ongoing match against England at Jaipur on Wednesday. The other new faces were all-rounder Sanjay Bangar and Kerala fast bowler Tinu Yohannan.Opener Connor Williams has also been retained, while Deep Dasgupta, one of the finds of India’s controversy-ridden tour of South Africa, will be the wicket-keeper.Squad: Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Connor Williams, Shiv Sunder Das, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Iqbal Siddiqui, Tinu Yohannan, Sanjay Bangar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Deep Dasgupta, Sarandeep Singh

Central Otago and Southland have shared the points in their Hawke Cup Zone 4 elimination match at the Queenstown Events Centre.Central batted first making 217 with Lindsay Breen’s 66 the major contribution. Nick Turner and Kieran Lines returned identical bowling figures of 4-52.When rain finally ended play on the first day Southland had reached 76/4, OJ Wilson having scored 24 and Nick Ward being 22 not out. There was no play on the second day.The result leaves the teams with three points each. Competition leader North Otago (12) hosts Southland in the next match this weekend at Centennial Park in Oamaru.

The Executive Committee of the United Cricket Board of South Africa met inJohannesburg today to discuss issues surrounding the current tour by thenational cricket team in Australia. Contrary to interpretations in themedia, the meeting was not in any way a “disciplinary hearing”, nor wasUCBSA President Percy Sonn called in to face the Executive Committee.The meeting was addressed by the Minister of Sport and Recreation, NgcondeBalfour, who expressed his support for the UCBSA, the national team and forthe process of transformation in South African cricket.The UCBSA acknowledges that it has not always made its policies clear to thepublic and regrets if this interfered in any way with the national team’spreparation or performance during their tour to Australia. All policies andprocedures are currently being outlined in full for the use of everyone inSouth African cricket. In September 2001, the UCBSA began the process ofapplying for an ISO 9002 certification, which involves full annual audits ofall policies and procedures by the SABS.Further issues which were discussed at the meeting and which the ExecutiveCommittee would like to clarify to the media and the public are:* The UCBSA would like to reiterate its position that formercaptain Hansie Cronje has been banned for life by the General Council of theUCBSA. This decision has been upheld by the High Court of South Africa andendorsed by the International Cricket Council. There is no intention toreverse this decision and the UCBSA now considers the matter closed.* The process of selecting the national team includes theendorsement of the team by the President and no team selection is completeuntil it has been endorsed by the President. The Executive Committeeexpressed its concern that the team that was initially under considerationfor the Third Test in Sydney as well as the discussions leading to the finalselection were leaked. The Executive Committee will call for reports on thematter from the Convenor of the national selection committee and the matterwill be discussed by the General Council of the UCBSA at its meeting on 19January. The policy regarding selection of the national team – and accordingto which the President acted – is that where there is an opportunity to doso, young black players who are on the fringes of the team must be given thechance to play for their country.* The UCBSA would like to express its support for andconfidence in the coaching team of Graham Ford and Corrie van Zyl, as wellas in captain Shaun Pollock. All three have contracts with the UCBSA untilafter the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa and the UCB is satisfiedthat they are performing according to those contracts.* The UCBSA understands that some former players may feelneglected by the system of cricket administration in South Africa. The UCBwould like to reassure former players who feel they have South Africancricket at heart that the UCB values their expertise and experience andinvites them to make a contribution to South African cricket in a positivemanner. If there are issues – particularly around transformation – thatthese former players do not fully understand, the UCB would be happy toengage them in discussions.* At the same time, the UCB urges all South Africans to getbehind their national cricket team and to give them their full supportduring the rest of their tour to Australia and in particular the home seriesin South Africa against Australia.Executive CommitteeUnited Cricket Board of South AfricaMedia Inquiries:Bronwyn WilkinsonCommunications Director+27-83-212-8255