Martin Love will set a Queensland record on Friday when he plays his 10th domestic first-class final in the Pura Cup decider against Victoria at the Gabba. Love will overtake Stuart Law, the former captain who led the state to their first victory in 1994-95, and the No. 3 is a crucial member for the Bulls as they appear in their eighth consecutive final.”It’s pretty amazing to think I am about to play in my 10th – it certainly doesn’t seem that many,” Love said. “I’ve been very fortunate to play in a great era of Queensland Cricket alongside wonderful players and I certainly don’t take an achievement like this for granted.”Love, who needs 206 runs to match Law’s state record of 9920 runs, made his first-class debut against New South Wales in the 1992-93 final and has been part of four Sheffield Shield-Pura Cup victories. He is also the only Queensland player to post three centuries in deciders and was named alongside the Australia one-day players Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson in the 12-man squad to face the Bushrangers.Daniel Doran, the legspinner in his first season, has recovered from a finger injury suffered in the match against Victoria two weeks ago and will play in the five-day final. Nathan Hauritz, Nathan Rimmington and Craig Philipson have been dropped from the squad that lost to Tasmania.Mick Lewis, who has two five-wicket hauls in finals, returns for Victoria after they named a 13-man squad that includes the fast bowlers Shane Harwood, Gerard Denton and Dirk Nannes. The Bushrangers have also added the wicketkeeper Adam Crosthwaite while Grant Lindsay has been cut from the outfit that beat Western Australia on March 13.”Our bowlers have stood up all season and we need another big effort,” Lewis said. “We need to take 20 wickets to win the final, and I know we’ve got the guys who’ll charge in all day and create chances.”Victoria Jason Arnberger, Lloyd Mash, Brad Hodge, Nick Jewell, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Jon Moss, Nathan Pilon (wk), Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Dirk Nannes, Mick Lewis, Shane Harwood, Gerard Denton.Queensland Jimmy Maher (capt), Lachlan Stevens, Martin Love, Clinton Perren, Shane Watson, James Hopes, Brendan Nash, Chris Hartley (wk), Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Daniel Doran, Mitchell Johnson.

Surrey have announced what they claim is “the biggest sponsorship deal in English club cricket history”. Although no specific figures have been released, the five-year deal with Brit Insurance will run until the end of the 2010 season.”These are exciting times for Surrey County Cricket Club,” said Paul Sheldon, the county’s chief executive. “With the completion of the redevelopment of the Vauxhall End we can proudly boast one of the finest arenas in world cricket.”The support of Brit Insurance will be absolutely crucial in helping us to achieve our objectives both on and off the pitch.”Aside from naming rights over the ground, which will officially continue to be called The Brit Oval, the company will also sponsor Surrey’s first-class and one-day strips.

Bangladesh have named a 15-man A squad for their tour of Zimbabwe which starts next month. Tushar Imran leads the party with Mushfiqur Rahim as his vice-captain.The tour runs from June 12 to July 10 and the squad includes Nafees Iqbal, who scored a memorable 141 against Australia on their recent tour. Internationals Tapash Baisya, Hasibul Hossain, Enamul Haque and Alok Kapali also make the trip.Rahim was the captain of Bangladesh at the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka and was recalled for one Test against Sri Lanka before again being left out.Squad Tushar Imran (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Alok Kapali, Nafees Iqbal Khan, Nazmus Sadat, Mehrab Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan, Forhad Reza, Abdur Razzak Raj, Enamul Haque, Mahmud Ullah Riad, Tapash Baishya, Hasibul Hossain, Shafaq Al Jabir, Mahbubul Alam

Division One

Day 2
Callum Thorp took six sharp wickets and Phillip Mustard six keen catches to bring Durham right back into their match against Hampshire at Southampton. This was Thorp’s second six-for in a week, after he wrecked Scotland in the C&G match on Sunday and it was a timely one, too, after his side had been dismissed for 234 in the first innings. Hampshire had looked threatening, their openers putting on 59 for the first wicket, but after that things swung Durham’s way. Their own openers, John Lewis and Jimmy Maher, soon erased the first-innings deficit of 22 and by the close Durham had made a solid 165 for 3 on a pitch that was beginning to show signs of wear.Matthew Walker and Neil Dexter joined Martin van Jaarsveld as centurions as Kent passed 600 for only the second time at Canterbury – the first time was against Somerset in 1996. Dexter’s maiden Championship hundred was well made but he survived a run-out appeal when he appeared well short, but the umpire was unsighted. Nottinghamshire began their reply well, losing just Jason Gallian for 7 before stumps, as Darren Bicknell (44*) and David Alleyne (27*) took them to 79 for 1.Day 1
Sussex’s decision to put Yorkshire in on a bowler-friendly pitch was rewarded when the visitors were nipped out for 238 at Arundel. Jason Lewry bowled well – he jagged one back between bat and pad to bowl Michael Vaughan, one of four scalps for him. But Craig White and Richard Dawson led a counterattack to lift Yorkshire from 101 for 6 to 200 for 7. The pitch did a bit early on, but flattened out during the afternoon as White, who was the last man out, and Dawson put on 99 between them. After Dawson fell, though, the momentum fell away, too. Sussex had reached 55 for 2 by the close.Full a full report of Middlesex‘s first day against Lancashire click here.

Division Two

Day 1
The unstoppable Phil Jaques struck a splendid double-hundred to give Worcestershire the upperhand against Northamptonshire at New Road. He was joined by fellow run-machine Graeme Hick with Worcestershire 139 for 3 and together they put on 245, gunning down Northants’ bowlers on a day of toil for them. Of the four wickets to fall all day two of those were run outs, which put paid to Stephen Moore and Ben Smith in their twenties. Matthew Nicholson and Monty Panesar picked up the only bowlers’ wickets, Nicholson removing Vikram Solanki for 23 and Panesar finally prising out Jaques. If Hick, 93 not out overnight, complete his century. it would be his 100th for Worcestershire and his 130th in all, taking him past Len Hutton’s first-class total.Day 2
Varun Chopra continued to show what he’s made of, striking his fourth half-century for Essex in his first seven innings at a cold and windy Derby. Chopra, who is keeping Grant Flower out of the first team, just keeps blossoming and today, on his 19th birthday, he put on 92 with Mark Pettini for the first wicket until Graham Wagg broke their partnership to remove Pettini for 30. Chopra finally fell for 65, removed by Mohammad Sheikh, but by the time Ravinder Bopara (50) and Andy Flower (84*) had also made fifties, Essex had made decent inroads into Derbyshire‘s 312, reaching 271 for 4 before bad light stopped play. Travis Birt had added nine more runs to his overnight score of 121 before falling to Andy Bichel, which brought Derbyshire’s innings to an end.Glamorgan squeezed into a slender first-innings lead against Surrey at Sophia Gardens. While three Glamorgan players made fifty – Mark Cosgrove, Nicky Peng and Alex Wharf – none of them were allowed to progress from there; they were each out shortly after bringing up the milestone. But Robert Croft remains unbeaten on 48 by the close, with Glamorgan leading by 15, with just one wicket remaining. Ian Salisbury struck a flighty 42 from No 9 to add some spice to Surrey’s tail – they added 32 in the morning before he was finally removed.A frustrating day for Gloucestershire‘s batsmen at Grace Road, as most of them made starts, but none failed to go on to fifty. Stuart Broad did the bulk of the damage for Leicestershire, grabbing the last four wickets in 24 balls to claim a career best 5for 83. Gloucestershire declared on 282 for 9, giving Leicestershire a lead which they had extended to 105 runs by stumps, with just one wicket down.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) will receive NZ$406,000 as compensation from the government for the cancelled tour by Zimbabwe. The tour, originally planned for December, was called off after the government refused to grant visas to the Zimbabwe players, due to human rights violations in the country.”We decided the tour was not appropriate given the Zimbabwean Government’s continuing human rights abuses,” Trevor Mallard, the sports minister, told the New Zealand Press Association. “The Labour-led Government made an important stand over this tour in order to send a strong message to Robert Mugabe’s government over its appalling human rights record and continuing abuse of democratic principles.”Mallard added that NZC expressed concerns over the financial losses they would suffer with the tour being cancelled, and that the government felt it fair to compensate NZC immediately.In January, the Zimbabwe board suspended the national team from playing Test cricket until early next year, due to their disappointing performances on the field. An ICC delegation is currently in the country to reassess the team’s future as a Test playing nation.

ScorecardKenya won the first one-dayer against Canada at the Toronto Cricket Club by a comfortable 107 runs. Despite this margin, Canada bowled and fielded well in the opinions of both coaches – their own Andy Pick and also Kenya’s coach Roger Harper. But once again the Canadian batting lacked discipline in the one-day format.Yet if the result was routine, the after-match speech provided the most surprise. In a bizarre speech at the conclusion of the game, the Canadian players were clearly stunned by Canadian Cricket Association President, Ben Sennik, saying ‘he was glad Kenya won.’ He commented on his Kenyan heritage and how Canada could learn from the Kenyans, but his remarks neglected an understanding of Canada’s fine win this week over Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup.James Kemande top-scored for Kenya, making 68, and he received solid support from captain Steve Tikolo, who posted 50. Tanmay Mishra added 38 useful runs in the later stages and the opener Kennedy Obuya made 36. But Tikolo said later that he thought his team “were 20 to 30 runs short” of what they should have made.Sanjay Thuraisingham was the pick of the Canadian bowlers, ending with 4 for 35 in 9 overs. He bowled a very tight line in his first spell. He bowled a good line in his first spell, conceding only 2 runs an over, despite there being nothing in the wicket.The Canadian innings never got going and the familiar theme of shot selection proved a problem, as it had in this season’s opening ODI’s in Trinidad. Too many wickets were lost to careless strokes, and the total of 129 all out was a disappointment. George Codrington provided the main resistance, making 40. The slow left-arm bowler Hiren Varaiya took 3-24 for Kenya.It was a frustrating batting performance for Pick. “The batting embarrassed us again,” he said. “It did in Trinidad, and it did again today.” As in Trinidad, where Canada lost to Zimbabwe and Bermuda, he was happy with the bowling and fielding. “Something, somewhere in the top five has to change.”The sides meet again on Sunday at the Toronto Cricket Club. Play begins at 10 am.

Chris Schofield, the former England and Lancashire legspinner, has been registered by Surrey for the remainder of the season following injuries to Anil Kumble and Ian Salisbury – their two other legspinners.Schofield played in his first competitive match for over two years yesterday: a Pro40 game for Surrey against Yorkshire at The Oval. He had left Lancashire in acrimonious circumstances when the club released him in 2004. Unhappy with the decision, he successfully sued his former employers for unfair dismissal in April 2005. Since then, Schofield has played for his old club Littleborough, Minor County cricket for Suffolk and also turned out for Durham and Surrey second XIs.He made his Test debut in 2000 against Zimbabwe as England desperately scrabbled to find a world-class spinner. He showed greater promise with the bat than the ball by hitting 57 and was dropped after just two Tests. However, he remains adamant he has the quality and ability to play cricket at the highest level once more.”It’s a bit of a reality check, and frustrating, because I’ve played at a very high level, but I’m just relieved that counties are still giving me the opportunity to get a contract,” he told earlier this month. “Now I’m proving a couple of people wrong with all the overs I’m bowling.”Anyone who is playing cricket has to have the desire to play for England,” he said. “The first step at the moment is to try to get a county contract, bowl the way I have been doing the last couple of months, and take it from there.”

Michael Hussey’s phenomenal run of form has moved him to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings for one-day international batsmen for the first time following the DLF Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile, India’s failure to reach the final of the tri-series has resulted in a two-place slip to No.5 in the ICC Championship table.Hussey, 31, went into the DLF Cup at seventh place, but an unbeaten century against West Indies and an average of 152 shot him into first place. Only 12 batsmen have reached higher ratings than Hussey’s mark of 805 points in the past 10 years. With the Champions Trophy beginning in India next month, Hussey will have an opportunity to better his tally. No international batsman has reached 900 rating points since South Africa’s Gary Kirsten in 1996.Incidentally, Hussey displaced Adam Gilchrist, who did not take part in the Malaysia tournament, from the top spot. Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, has slipped from second to fourth place. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s poor tournament – just 23 runs from four innings – slipped him down to eighth position.In the bowling category, Brett Lee’s 12 wickets from three matches moved him back into second place. Lee is still well behind South Africa’s Shaun Pollock who retains his status as the world’s top-ranked bowler and all-rounder in ODIs. Nathan Bracken has moved up to fourth in the bowling list, a career best placing, while Ian Bradshaw ends the tournament where he started, in sixth place.

India have the same number of points as Pakistan and New Zealand but now sit below both sides in a tightly packed section of that table when the ratings are re-calculated to three decimal places. The West Indies have taken the seventh position, three points ahead of England and five points behind Sri Lanka. Australia still occupy the first place, seven points ahead of South Africa at No.2.

Click here for the full ICC rankings.

CricinfoHow did it all start for you?
My father introduced me to the game as a youngster. He was a cricketer aswell, and whenever he went for a game, he took me along with him. I’d sitand watch him and his friends, and it became something that I wanted todo. I started playing in primary school and just continued from there.What made you want to bowl quick?
I always liked to see the ‘keeper collecting the ball above his head, andthe ball moving around and creating problems for the batsmen. That was thefirst thing that attracted me.Who were the early heroes?
The first hero was my Dad, as I told you. He was a fast bowler as well.But I’ve always admired Courtney Walsh, Curtley Ambrose and Glenn McGrath.Those guys would be the first to get a mention. Wasim Akram was anotherthat I looked upto.What are your strengths, and where do you think you can still improve?
My strength is swinging the ball, and control.To be honest, I can still improve when it comes to control. And as youplay more games, you learn how to work with the ball more and do morethings.Who are the best batsmen you’ve bowled to?
Brian Lara, in domestic cricket back home. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkarand Ricky Ponting. They’re more challenging. But I’m one of those who’s willing to take upthat challenge and give it my best shot. If you can trouble guys likeDravid and Sachin, you’re doing something right.What would Jerome Taylor be doing if not for cricket? Did you excel atany other sport as a kid?
In school, I was doing carpentry, so if I wasn’t a cricketer, I’d probablybe doing that. I used to do a bit of track and field, but didn’t continue with it very long.What would you like to accomplish in the future?
It’s important that we live up to the legacy that the past players haveleft behind. On an individual level, I’d like to be among the top 10 fastbowlers in the world.How do you relax once you leave the stadium behind?
Away from cricket, I spend time with the boys, listening to music andgoing out. Maybe a party here and there.

Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain who’s now on the threshold of a Test recall, has said that thoughts of retirement never crossed his mind after being dropped from the team earlier this year.Ganguly is expected to be included in the Test side that is to be named tomorrow, with several voices calling for more experience in a batting line-up struggling for form.In an interview to after Bengal’s Ranji Trophy win against Punjab at Mohali earlier this week, Ganguly insisted that he had it in him to give his best at the highest level, and that it was too premature to give up.”It’s true, a lot of people said I should retire,” he said. “They told me that I had achieved everything in any case, played for the team for 11 years, been captain for five – what else did I want to get out of the game? But I just felt I still had it in me to play at the highest level for longer. At some level, I felt my career will be incomplete if I simply give up now.”Ganguly has had a good start to the domestic season, with a hundred in a Duleep Trophy match against North Zone and a crucial 43 in a low-scorer at Mohali. He has also been among the wickets, picking up nine in three games. Often found wanting against the rising delivery, Ganguly said that he had consciously worked on keeping the ball down during his time off from the Indian side.”When you are out of the team, you get a lot more time to analyse your batting, otherwise you’re just going from one series to another and you don’t get much of a chance. I’ve had time on my hands and I’ve worked on certain things. That’s why I’m so happy with the way I’m playing right now.”Yes, I do have a bit of a problem against short bowling, but you have to understand that a batsman at this level has a lot of strengths as well. If I actually had as big a problem against the short ball as people say, I could not have scored 15,000 international runs. I could say that Virender Sehwag has a problem with balls directed at his body. I could say Dravid has a problem with so-and-so delivery. The point is that you have to play to your strengths and cover your weaknesses.”Ganguly has a reasonable record against South Africa in their backyard, averaging over 43 in nine one-dayers and an average of over 32 in five Tests. He began India’s last tour in 2001-02 with a blistering ton in a one-dayer at Johannesburg, followed by an equally aggressive 85 at East London sending out a statement that he was back among the runs following a lean patch. Recollecting the tour, five years on, Ganguly remained optimistic that his reflexes are still strong to unleash the strokes that fetched him those runs.”I certainly think I can play knocks like the ones you’re mentioning. Otherwise I would’ve given up the game a long time ago. I still feel I have it in me to play those innings again, and perhaps even better ones. Why else would I be fighting to get back into the Indian team?”