New South Wales will look to Mark Cameron and Doug Bollinger to bolster their fast-bowling stocks in the Pura Cup match against Victoria at the SCG from Tuesday. Cameron, a 25-year-old quick, is in line to play his second game for the Blues after making his debut in 2002-03 while Bollinger has recovered from a side injury.Nathan Bracken’s elevation to the Australia one-day squad has created one of the openings while Scott Coyte has been dropped. Daniel Smith, the wicketkeeper-batsman, was also not included and his place has been taken by Aaron O’Brien.The game will mark 150 years of first-class matches in New South Wales. The opening contest between the states was held in Melbourne in March 1856 and the return fixture was hosted in Sydney in January 1857. At the halfway point of the current competition New South Wales are tied with Victoria for third on 12 points, two behind Tasmania and six adrift of Queensland.New South Wales squad Simon Katich (capt), Phil Jaques, Ed Cowan, Dominic Thornely, Aaron O’Brien, Brad Haddin, Grant Lambert, Beau Casson, Doug Bollinger, Mark Cameron, Matthew Nicholson, Stuart MacGill.

Australia’s first ten-wicket loss in a one-day international left Michael Hussey searching for answers in only his second outing as captain of his country. New Zealand’s win at Wellington means Australia must win both the remaining games in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series to retain their No. 1 spot in the ICC’s ODI rankings.Hussey said Friday’s loss could not be taken as proof Australia had made a joke of the series by resting Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist. “Not at all, Ricky is recovering from a back complaint which he’s had from halfway through the Test series, so he needs to get that right, and no one can begrudge Gilly for being with his wife when she’s about to give birth,” Hussey told . “We’ve got Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke out as well, who are two big losses.”He said having been sent in to bat on a difficult batting pitch the Australia batsmen needed to adjust their tactics – something they failed to do. “It’s a very disappointing loss,” Hussey said. “We weren’t up to scratch really. The ball was holding in the wicket a little bit so we couldn’t play our strong shots through the field, which is probably what we’re used to a little bit in Australia.”We needed to adapt a bit quicker than what we did. The Kiwis did it pretty well early by dropping and running, which on the slower pitches is something that can be very effective.”Stephen Fleming said the win was pleasing considering the criticism that had been levelled at him and his side after their failure to reach the CB Series finals in Australia. “It probably releases the pressure tap a little bit but not enough to sit back and say ‘job done’,” Fleming said in the . “Beating Australia twice in a row is something we desperately want to do.”

The absence of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif from the World Cup could mean cricket avoids “another black eye”, according to Allan Border. Pakistan dropped the pair from their 15-man squad on Thursday, citing lingering injuries, but the decision came just hours after the ICC announced it could target specific players with its drug-testing at the tournament.Border said Shoaib and Asif, who tested positive to banned substances late last year and had their suspensions overturned, would cause the sport serious problems if they re-offended. “If it were to be true that it wasn’t an injury, and it turned out be something else, then it would be better for all concerned that they didn’t make the trip,” Border told .”If it was revealed at some later stage they had taken an illegal substance, then the sport doesn’t need another black eye.” Border said banned drugs had no place in cricket but he was prepared to offer Shoaib and Asif the benefit of the doubt.”I would feel genuinely sorry for both the two young blokes if that were not the case,” he said. “There has been a cloud hanging over both of them for a good while. If it is the case, it would be sad on the one hand because I believe they are both quality cricketers.”The whole cricketing world knows there has been a big question-mark over them both. It is a known fact they both had failed previous internal testing, but as we also know the Pakistan Cricket Board is not WADA-compliant.”Border said the World Cup, which begins in less than a fortnight, needed to avoid controversy to maintain its reputation. “Players who have been selected from other teams for what is cricket’s biggest tournament are there performing to the best of their ability and on a level playing field,” he said. “The bottom line here is there is no room for players who take [illegal] drugs in our game.”

Shane Watson has no plans to ease his bowling load despite accepting that fast men are more likely to get injured. Watson hurt his left calf in his second over against Bangladesh on Saturday and is waiting on results to determine whether he remains part of the World Cup campaign.The setback, which follows a trail of injuries at inopportune times, has not forced Watson to reconsider his quest to mix top-order batting with bowling at 140kph. “There are always going to be injuries in sport,” he said in The Australian. “The majority of bowlers get injuries, whether it’s in blocks, or over certain times of their career.”It’s part and parcel of their career. If I was 30 or 31 and things were continually to happen like this, yeah, it’s probably then a time to worry.”Since 2005-06 Watson has suffered a dislocated shoulder while fielding, a calf problem during his double-century in a Pura Cup final, food poisoning that he felt was a heart attack, a hamstring tear that ruled him out of the entire Ashes series and the current complaint. As a teenager he had a series of back problems and was also ruled out of the 2003 World Cup with stress fractures that led to another remodelling of his action.”I am only 25,” he said. “It does take a while to develop, for your muscles to build momentum.”During the World Cup he has been a useful performer, picking up four not outs while making 77 runs at more than one-and-a-half runs a ball and collecting a wicket against South Africa.”I know I have been able to contribute to the middle order,” Watson said. “I haven’t been dismissed yet. I feel I am bowling really well. I am able to contribute in the Powerplays, especially when it’s a time when batters can really get going.”The encouraging displays have convinced Watson he is doing the right thing. “I absolutely love being an allrounder,” he said. “I have always enjoyed being a part of the game, whether it’s in the field, bowling or batting.”Watson’s calf will be reviewed at the end of this week by Alex Kountouris, the physio, and he is likely to be replaced by Brad Hodge for the match against England in Antigua on Sunday. However, he is confident he won’t be going home early.”There’s no dates set down yet,” he said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “A lot of it does depend on how I do pull up over the next seven to ten days, and then it will hopefully be a gradual progression from there.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

England cruised into the Super Eights with a seven-wicket win over Kenya in St Lucia as Ed Joyce and Kevin Pietersen made light work of the run chase through a stand of 103. Joyce struck his second half-century of the World Cup while Pietersen enjoyed an extended net against the gentle Kenyan attack. Steve Tikolo had been the only one to stand up to England’s bowlers as the pacemen put in a strong effort.Michael Vaughan had been more than happy by Tikolo’s decision to bat after a two-hour delay, due to heavy morning rain, reduced the contest to 43 overs per side. Being in the field first allowed England to settle any early nerves and overall this was a very competent performance in the manner the team needed. James Anderson struck with the new ball, Andrew Flintoff was fiery on his return to the ranks and Paul Collingwood’s medium-pace wobblers were productive.Ideally, chasing 178, England would have wanted a nice confident start from Joyce and Vaughan. But Kenya bowled tightly with the new ball, Peter Ongondo extracting some tennis ball bounce to undo Vaughan for just 1. Collins Obuya made excellent ground to his right, dived and held an impressive catch to complete another failure for the England captain.Joyce, though, was quickly into his stride and showed excellent timing. He waited for the ball and worked the gaps on both sides of the wicket, while also remaining aware to punish the loose balls. His cover driving was in fine order and a Graham Thorpe-style pull shot was also in evidence.Ian Bell made a steady start, keen to use his feet to the medium-pacers, but after doing the hard work lazily lofted a drive to mid off as Thomas Odoyo was rewarded for a persevering spell. But Joyce latched onto Lameck Onyango, cracking him off the back foot before swivelling onto a pull which went into the stand at deep square-leg, to keep the innings on track.Pietersen imposed himself immediately with an elegant straight drive off his first ball, but Kenya missed a chance to keep themselves in the match when he edged Hiren Varaiya’s first ball only to watch Maurice Ouma shell the chance. From then on it was one-way traffic as Pietersen used his innings as a useful sighter ahead of the next stage and Joyce went to a calm 62-ball fifty. Pietersen’s half-century took 54 deliveries and included a glimpse of some of his power and craft as he milked the spinners. When Joyce was bowled by Tikolo’s doosra England were home and hosed and completed the job with 10 overs to spare.

Kenya appeared to hand themselves a disadvantage when they batted first and Anderson exploited the early conditions to remove both openers in his first spell. Tikolo responded with a rush of boundaries – some off the middle and others the edge – and Kenya’s run rate remained a healthy four-an-over.But Sajid Mahmood struck with a well-disguised slower ball to remove Tony Suji and Tanmay Mishra dragged Collingwood into his stumps as the innings stumbled to 74 for 4. With his main men back in the pavilion the onus was on Tikolo to carry the innings, and his fifty came off 58 balls. But he continued to lose partners at the other end and had a hand in Obyua’s run out when, after playing a sweep against Monty Panesar, he was more interested in the appeal rather than Obuya racing up the pitch. By the time Tikolo sent him back it was too late and a furious Obuya trudged back to the pavilion.Flintoff finally got his first wicket of the tournament when he trapped Odoyo in front, although his shout was so half-hearted it nearly passed everyone by. He could have had a second next ball but Jimmy Kamande escaped a close lbw shout. All the while Tikolo soldiered on, was dropped on 52 by Joyce at mid on, and showed his class with a couple of late deflections and deft sweeps off Panesar. He was eventually cleaned-up by Flintoff, who produced a rapid yorker and offered Tikolo a pat on the back, while England’s late-innings bowling and fielding was on target.It wasn’t a faultless performance from England but after a week to sweat on this match they’ll just be glad to have come through unscathed. Next up is the home nations clash with Ireland; what a day that promises to be in Guyana.

Northamptonshire have signed Davey Jacobs, the South African batsman, as a temporary replacement for Chris Rogers, one of their overseas players. Rogers is out for at least a month after breaking his left thumb in the Friends Provident Trophy match against Nottinghamshire last week.Jacobs, 24, is a team-mate of Johan van der Wath with the Eagles, who are based in Blomfontein. In 44 first-class matches to date he has scored 3,229 runs at 41.39 including a career-best 218 in 2005. In 2006 he toured Australia with South Africa’s Emerging Players team.”We looked at a lot of options and now we’re very pleased to have Davey with us until Chris is fit again,” said David Capel, Northants’ head coach. “I’m sure he can do a job for us, and at the same time it’s a good showcasefor him in county cricket.”Jacobs is expected to make his Championship debut this Tuesday, in the home match against Somerset.

Mark who? That was the response from outside Adelaide when South Australia appointed their new coach last month. The man in question was Mark Sorell, and if replacing John Buchanan was considered the plum job in world coaching this year, Sorell surely has one of the least enviable.His mission is to rebuild the Redbacks into a Pura Cup force. On the downside, the team finished last in 2006-07, with one win. Their batsmen made only three centuries between them for the whole year. They lost to Western Australia in two days. On the upside, well, things can only get better.Sorell comes to South Australia from a winning culture. For two years from 2005, he coached the Australia women’s team and in that time they won 17 of their 21 ODIs. But his challenge there was different; they were already strong and had won 16 of their last 20 ODIs before he took over. He does, however, intend to use the same principle with the Redbacks that he employed in his last job: get the basics right.Sorell has now spent two weeks at the helm of South Australia and has begun by making no outlandish promises and conceding there is no “quick-fix”. He believes there are many contenders to replace Darren Lehmann as captain, and has thrown the position up for grabs for whoever impresses most in the off-season. It will be a busy winter for Sorell, who has already identified a few problem areas.The team’s batting is the major worry. Lehmann, Mark Cosgrove and Shane Deitz were the only first-class century-makers in 2006-07. In their 20 Pura Cup innings, the Redbacks did not pass 400 once, and five times they were dismissed for less than 150. Matthew Elliott, Cameron Borgas, Daniel Harris and Callum Ferguson all averaged less than 27. “There appeared to be times that the guys made some bad decisions,” Sorell told Cricinfo. “No coach can make the decisions for them. I’m not saying there’s any quick-fix for that but we’re certainly going to work on that in the off-season.”Although South Australia’s bowling looks more promising, they have been let down too often by dropped catches and misfields. “One of the areas we’ve really got to work on is improving our fielding,” Sorell said. “We were definitely down last year and if we can support our bowlers better with our fielding we should get better results.”

Sorell also has the challenge of keeping his troops in line when on the road. Last season there were persistent reports of partying behaviour when the squad was interstate and several players and officials aired their dirty laundry in the media. In December, reported that Rod Marsh, the Redbacks’ high-performance director, was unhappy with the players’ off-field conduct and leadership. Marsh said Sorell, 41, a former grade cricketer in Adelaide who never quite broke into the state side, would be an ideal fit for the young squad.Sorell would not comment on what happened in 2006-07 but he will make sure all the players know what is expected of them from now on. “As a group we’ll talk a lot about how we go about things, how we conduct ourselves,” he said. “There’ll be an ongoing program that will be done through our leadership group.”While it might have been tempting to have a clean-out of players after such a disappointing season, Sorell believes he can extract the best from the current batch. Greg Blewett, who retired, and Trent Kelly, who moved to Perth, were the only players from last year’s squad not re-signed for 2007-08. Six of next year’s group have represented Australia in Tests or ODIs: Lehmann, Cosgrove, Elliott, Jason Gillespie, Shaun Tait and Dan Cullen.Gillespie, Tait, Cullen and Cullen Bailey all have current Cricket Australia contracts and might therefore be missing at times next season. Sorell believes Paul Rofe can easily step back in to shoulder some of the fast-bowling load if Tait receives higher honours. “I hope in my heart of hearts Shaun plays a hell of a lot of cricket for Australia,” he said. “We’ve got other players who can perform at the first-class level.”

A call-up for Bailey or Cullen would be a blessing, as the state selectors had trouble fitting them both in last year. “I suppose it depends on the makeup of our bowling around our pace attack,” Sorell said. “The advantage is they are obviously two different spinners so at different times there’s certainly a role they both could play.”To be fair, the bowling was not the only bright spot in South Australia’s dull summer. Jason Borgas, who came into the side in January to boost the struggling and injury-troubled top order, impressed with his determination and the value he put on his wicket. He made four half-centuries from five Pura Cup games, averaging 40.8 and earning himself a contract for 2007-08. “Jason had really good grade form and didn’t let anyone down when he got the chance,” Sorell said. “He’s got a really solid game and we hope our boys can bat around people like that.”Another standout was Deitz, who began the summer as a batsman but soon stole Graham Manou’s wicketkeeping duties as well. Deitz’s 665 first-class runs came at 41.56, making him arguably the side’s most consistent contributor. Manou was retained in the limited-overs format and Sorell expects the shared responsibilities to continue.But to take significant steps the Redbacks need more than consistency, they need occasional bursts of brilliance from individual players. They have not won the Pura Cup since 1995-96 and after their horrendous 2006-07, the new coach has set realistic goals. “We’re really just trying to do everything right,” he said. “If we keep working hard and do what we need to do to get better, I’m sure we’ll compete well. Hopefully as we go down the track we’ll start winning more games than we lose.”That seems a sensible aim for every state coach, but few are facing the uphill battle that awaits Sorell.

Lasith Malinga began Bangladesh’s slide towards their lowest total in Test cricket in his first over and proceeded to blow away the top four batsmen to finish with 4 for 25 in nine overs on the first day at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo.”For me the first over is the best. I put in a lot of effort in that over to capture as many wickets as possible,” said Malinga after the day’s play. “My fast bowling coach, Champaka Ramanayake, has instilled in me that the first ball of the match is the most important. I begin every match with that attitude. I give the ball 100%.”Malinga said Bangladesh’s dismal batting was not due to poor technique but because Sri Lanka made use of the conditions and bowled well. He said the ball swung more here than at the SSC on the first day probably due to the overnight rain. When questioned whether playing against a weak side like Bangladesh brought him easy wickets, Malinga replied: “I try to obtain wickets with variations. I don’t’ think any side gives you wickets easily. It’s a challenge for me to take wickets. There are a lot of fast bowlers on the fringe waiting to get into the side. So it’s a challenge to perform well to be in the team.”Malinga said there was intense competition for places in the team. “With Murali going for [Shane] Warne’s record, [Chaminda] Vaas having taken over 300 Test wickets and two other fast bowlers supporting them, there is competition in our bowling line-up to take wickets. Murali doesn’t have the pressure he used to have because every one of us is taking wickets.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Bangladesh were left to rue five catches and three run-out opportunities as they allowed Sri Lanka to recover from 61 for 4 to 196 and then squandered a manageable run chase to go down 3-0 in Colombo.Put in to bat on a sluggish pitch, overnight rain and early morning showers in Colombo delayed the start and reduced the game to 40-overs a side with Sri Lanka’s top order collapsing to an inspired attack. However, a generous dose of dropped catches all around the ground allowed Jehan Mubarak and Tillakaratne Dilshan to build a vital 78-run partnership. Mubarak stuck around for a career-best 72 before an inexperienced Sri Lankan bowling attack used the short deliveries to secure a 39-run win.Bangladesh began horribly chasing 197. The first 11 runs came from wides, but Farveez Maharoof’s double-strike did the damage. Javed Omar got a game but didn’t contribute, pushing the fourth ball of the innings to Mahela Jayawardene at second slip. Mushfiqur Rahim was promoted to No. 3 but, like Omar, failed to inspire any confidence. Fifth ball he faced, Rahim chased a good length delivery and edged into Kumar Sangakkara’s gloves.After a brief 42-run fightback, Mohammad Ashraful (20) could consider himself unlucky to be given out leg before to one from Nuwan Kulasekara that was missing leg stump. Shakib Al Hasan could offer no such excuse, fishing at a short-pitched delivery from Fernando and getting the faintest of nicks to Sangakkara. Aftab Ahmed didn’t last long either as he got glove on an attempted pull shot against Kulasekara.Faced with the somewhat unfamiliar role of Bangladesh’s last glimmer of hope, Tamim Iqbal mixed caution with lunacy and aggression during his 74-ball 55. He danced down the track wildly and missed completely in between some sweet back-foot punches and one delicate flick for six. Dilhara Fernando gave him a work over with the short stuff, and as wickets fell at one end, Tamim held back on the big shots and worked the singles instead. A hamstring injury forced him to resort to a runner before he crossed fifty.Having added 60 for the sixth-wicket with debutant Mahmudullah (35 from 53) Tamim tried to hit Sanath Jayasuriya out of the park but instead rewarded Jayawardene’s decision to introduce the veteran in the 31st over. In a jiffy Jayasuriya then plucked out three the remaining four wickets and Fernando returned to york the No. 10 batsman.After winning the toss, the first of Bangladesh’s blips in the field came in the second over when Shakib, at cover, failed to clutch an airy drive off Jayasuriya when he was yet to get off the mark. Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga fell cheaply to the impressive Shahadat and Syed Rasel but Chamara Kapugedera was dropped on 0 and 5. Though the first was too thick an edge for Rahim to take while standing up to the stumps the second was deplorable, Reza grassing a waist-high chance at second slip. You didn’t need a lip reader to make out what Shahadat said after seeing that catch go down.Bangladesh removed Kapugedera and Sangakkara in relative succession, but their butterfingered fielders allowed Mubarak and Dilshan to stitch together a match-winning partnership. At the 20-over mark, Bangladesh appeared in command amid a tight bowling display, but two alarming lapses in Ferhad’s sixth over ultimately made the difference between victory and defeat. Dilshan was let off by Rahim when on 11, as the wicketkeeper failed to hold onto an outside edge off a cramped cut shot. A boundary later, Mubarak’s mis-timed slog down the ground was misjudged by Abdur Razzak at mid-on, and landed safely between two converging fielders.The two batsmen didn’t need another invitation to lead the revival. While Mubarak was more watchful, having to graft against the spinners initially, Dilshan walked out in a situation tailor-made for his fidgety, ‘I’m-going-to-get-under-your-skin style’. In no time Bangladesh were on the back foot as Dilshan spread the field with his cheeky dabs and cuts. Mubarak grew in confidence, using his feet to the spinners, swept hard, and constantly looked for singles. While he crease ticked along to his third ODI fifty, Dilshan threaded the ball into the gaps before he finally failed to carry off a cheeky reverse pull and gave Mahmudullah his first wicket. Razzak finished with 3 for 47 as Bangladesh bowled Sri Lanka out for the first time all tour, but Mubarak’s presence until the last over proved the defining innings, something Tamim would have done well to emulate.

Sir Pelham Warner’s comment best summed up the Indian sojourn of England in 1946. “Their grace on the field was equaled by their manners of it.” Viewed from any angle ­ the quality of play they provided, the overall results, the gate receipts ­ the 1946 tour was a whopping success, wiping off the memories of the unhappy tour 10 years before.The Indian team itself was a fairly strong one. Adorning it wereplayers of the calibre of Vijay Merchant, Lala Amarnath, MushtaqAli, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Rusi Modi and the captain – thesenior Nawab of Pataudi. The side was managed well by the genialPankaj Gupta, who was a welcome change after the autocraticBrittain-Jones.In such a congenial atmosphere, the Indians played up topotential, and this was reflected in the results. Out of 29first-class matches, the visitors won as many as 11, lost onlyfour and drew 14. Further, this was achieved in one of thewettest English summers on record. If India lost the Test series,they certainly were not disgraced. After all, the first Test waswon by England thanks largely to the batting of one man, thesecond ended in a thrilling draw, and it was possible to arguethat India was in a stronger position in the rain-affected finalTest at the Oval, which was also left drawn.The first post-war Test in England at Lord’s was thankfullyplayed in bright sunshine and was watched by large crowds. India,after being bowled out for 200, did well to get England at 70 forfour, all the wickets being taken by Amarnath. And what a prizebag it was too ­ Sir Len Hutton, Cyril Washbrook, Denis Comptonand Wally Hammond!Joe Hardstaff and wicket-keeper Paul Gibb (60) got the inningsback on track with a fifth-wicket stand of 182. Hardstaff hit 205in 315 minutes with 16 fours. India, 228 runs in arrears, put upa better display in the second innings, but they found AlecBedser, in his first Test, tough to handle. The tall Surrey swingbowler had a match haul of 11 wickets as India were all out for275, leaving England to get only 48 runs for victory. The hometeam got these without losing a wicket.In the second Test at Old Trafford, Mankad and Amarnath, takingfive wickets each, bowled out England for 294. Merchant (78) andMushtaq Ali (46) brought back memories of their famous stand atthe same ground 10 years before by putting on 124. Astonishingly,however, India thereafter lost 10 wickets for 46. Englandstretched their lead of 124 by declaring the second innings at153 for five. India, set to make 278 runs in three hours, lostwickets at regular intervals, and the last pair – Hindlekar andSohini – had to bat out the last 14 minutes to draw the matchwith the score 152 for nine.At the Oval, India, after a delayed start, led off with 331,thanks in the main to Merchant’s 128. England were 95 for threewhen further rain stopped play. From England’s point of view, themain gain was Bedser, who in his first series took 24 wickets inthree Tests, a harbinger of many great deeds over the nextdecade.In keeping with their good showing in the Tests, the Indians’record in the first-class games was admirable. None impressedmore than Merchant, who scored 2,385 runs at an average of 74.53with seven hundreds. His batting was a veritable lesson in how tobat in the generally difficult conditions encountered on thetour.Vijay Hazare was not very far behind. The two were already in themidst of a run-getting rivalry in the Pentangular and RanjiTrophy tournaments in India, and happily they carried this toEngland too. A week after Merchant hit an unbeaten 242 againstLancashire, Hazare scored 244 not out against Yorkshire. Hazare’saggregate was 1,344 runs at an average of 49.77. Rusi Modi wasanother to top the 1,000-run mark, finishing with 1,196 runs at37.37.But in a way, perhaps the biggest success of the tour was Mankad,who had the rare distinction of completing the double ­ the onlyIndian to do so on a tour of England. In scoring 1,120 runs at anaverage of 28.00 and taking 129 wickets at 20.76 apiece, Mankadproved that he was among the leading players in the world.Indeed, as a left-arm spinner, he had no equal. Amarnath, with800 runs and 56 wickets, lived up to his reputation, while Hazaredid his bit with the ball too, finishing second in the averageswith 56 wickets.In addition, the Indians performed feats that were either eyecatching or have stood the test of time. Against Sussex at Hove,they hit up 533 for three declared on the first day with all fourbatsmen ­ Merchant, Mankad, Pataudi and Amarnath crossing thethree-figure mark. But it was the feat against Surrey that is themost famous. The Indians, batting first on a Saturday, were 205for nine. Last man Shute Banerjee joined number 10 ChanduSarwate, who had yet to score. The Surrey captain deferred thetea interval in the hope of taking the last wicket quickly.He had to wait till Monday morning.With batting that was of the highest order, Banerjee and Sarwaterewrote the record books. Against an attack that included Bedserand Alf Gover, the two set up the highest last-wicket stand inEngland and the second-highest 10th-wicket partnership of alltime, putting together 249 runs in 190 minutes. Moreover, itremains unique in that it is the only time in first-class cricketthat numbers 10 and 11 have hit hundreds. While Banerjee got 121,Sarwate remained unbeaten with 124.Mushtaq Ali, who was a member of both the 1936 and 1946 teams,maintains in his autobiography that,man-to-man, the 1936 team was the stronger side. But many veterancritics gave the palm to the 1946 side, and on results it isdifficult to argue with this view. Also, the popularity of theside is best illustrated by the touching gesture of LevesonGower, the 73-year-old president of the Surrey Cricket Club, whocame all the way to the London docks to wish the team farewell.He made it clear that he had come in his personal capacitybecause he wanted to say goodbye to those who had given thelovers of cricket such great joy. “They gave pleasure on and offthe field, and never has there been a more popular team,” he saidechoing the view of many.