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Craig McMillan shone with both bat and ball as Canterbury began their campaign with a five-wicket win over Otago at Molyneux Park in Alexandra. McMillan celebrated his promotion to the captaincy by taking 2 for 20 from his seven overs before an inspirational 113 not out that steered his side to a last-over victory.Otago started well with Craig Cumming and Chris Gaffaney putting on 87 for the first wicket. Gaffaney, a free-flowing batsman with 78 one-day appearances, has struggled to convert starts into big scores and while he achieved his ninth half-century, he wasn’t able to improve on his best score of 79 when dismissed for 55.His departure at 137 was in the middle of a top-order slump which undid much of the good work that had been done earlier. The Otago batsmen had a dreadful time with their running between the wickets, five batsmen being run out, muchof it being their own fault.Fortunately the lower-order managed to regain some of the scoring momentum and while only Brad Scott with 30 off 42 balls threatened to set the world on fire, Otago were able to make the last over in which the last run out occurredwith the total on 247.Canterbury were given a solid start of 59 by Michael Papps and Tim McIntosh. McIntosh had been in poor form in the State Championship but he scored a tidy 74 during a 123-run third wicket stand with McMillan. McMillan took centerstage after that and played the sheet-anchor role to perfection.Things got a little tight in the run chase with 16 off the last two overs. But in the penultimate over Jeff Wilson conceded 12 and Paul Wiseman took four off the first ball of the last over to seal the win.
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Northern Districts were rocked at the start of their innings at the Basin Reserve when asked to bat first by Wellington, but the strong middle order halted the rot in fine style. James Marshall, the captain, and Matt Hart each scored 67 – Marshall at just under a run-a-ball while Hart played thesteadier hand in his 112-minute innings.After they had fashioned the recovery, Joseph Yovich steadied the lower order while scoring 52, his fourth one-day half-century before he was run out in the last over. Wellington’s Jayesh Patel’s offspin proved highly effective under the conditions as he took 2 for 37 from his 10 overs. By comparison, Mark Gillespie finished with 2 for 67.Needing 263 to win, Wellington made a bad start when Michael Parlane and Jesse Ryder, both big hitters, were back in the pavilion with only 10 on the board. It was left to Chris Nevin to provide the impetus with a fine innings of 90 off 102. It was Luke Woodcock, the No.7 batsman, who finally provided some substance to the Wellington chase with 71 off 91 balls but he got out the ball after hitting a six as he attempted to repeat the shot only to be caught on theboundary.Mark Orchard was the pick of the ND bowlers and he finished with 4 for 47. Ian Butler claimed 3 for 42 and justified the selectors decision to give him a match to gear up for the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
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The Auckland batsmen found the Fitzherbert Park pitch at Palmerston North a little too lively when they were asked to bat first against Central Districts. It took a guarded innings of 34 by Tama Canning and a more attacking 34 by Andre Adams to overcome the home attack. Rob Nicol hit 24 to recover thesituation from a poor start but Auckland were up against it, especially in the face of some fine bowling by Michael Mason.Mason, the medium pacer, who has been on the fringe of national selection, made the most of the conditions and finished with 4 for 23 from his 9.5 overs. Glen Sulzberger’s offspin also produced 2 for 35 at a time when Auckland were looking to blast their way out of trouble.CD also struggled in the initial stages of their chase but a fine unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 89 between Sulzberger and Bevan Griggs saw them home with plenty to spare. They also managed a bonus point from the thumping win.Sulzberger scored 66 not out off 87 balls while Griggs scored 27 off 44.

My India Tour We were babes in the woods during our first tour of India in 1955-56. We had tremendous problems with the hot weather, food, water and clothing. As a team, we were not that bad, in spite of a strong Indian line-up boasting stars like Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar and Pankaj Roy. These guys were fantastic players, and as new-comers we were star-struck.India didn’t have many spinners during those days, with Subhash Gupte being the lone quality legspinner. Although he was a big spinner of the ball, he didn’t like getting hit, and I could sense it easily as I was a reasonably good hitter of the ball and could handle slow bowling relatively well.Throughout the tour, we encountered new and strange things – sometimes not to our liking. For instance, the crowds – they came in large numbers, were noisy, and they had a perfect sense of timing when it came to bursting crackers out of milk-bottles. During the second Test at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay, the crowds used to time the bursting of the cracker just when a New Zealand batsman was about to play the ball – interesting, but dangerous.We were also traumatised by the inexperience of the umpires; the count was something like 17 (decisions against New Zealand) to one (in favour), which I should say was one-sided. But that sort of thing was common across the globe during those times. The wickets were spinner-friendly, and lack of quality spin bowlers in our line-up added to our burden.But our on-field miseries were offset by interesting happenings off it, and the hospitality of the Indians was magnificent throughout the tour. Everybody wanted to serve us well wherever we went, so we had social gathering virtually every evening. In return, we would make sure not to disappoint our hosts and attend these functions, which you don’t see these days as players are happy to be tied up in the cosy confines of a team hotel.One memorable function which comes to mind was the evening in Benares, along the Ganges, with the Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram – the Indian Board president – where the dinner service was all gold, served in dishes made of pure yellow metal – something we would never experience again. Then there were the elephant-and camel-rides, which again were new.So we had a jolly good time once we settled down a bit. We managed to draw three out of five Tests and picked up quite a few pointers, which came in handy during our next series there (1964-65). I learnt to appreciate India and all its history; in fact I visited the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort and the beautiful city of Jaipur during that trip. If only we could have done better in the matches, it would have been much more beautiful.Other
‘You could score a hundred if you keep your head down’ – Bruce Taylor’s tour in 1964-65.
Much more than cricket – Glenn Turner’s tour in 1969-70.
‘It was like a sauna’ – Richard Hadlee’s tour in 1976-77.

England lead India by 131 runs with all their second innings wickets intact after an enthralling third day in the second Test at Ahmedabad. Ashley Giles took five wickets as India were bowled out for 291, despite a glittering century from Sachin Tendulkar and 75 from VVS Laxman. At the close England were 15 without loss.An expectant Ahmedabad crowd got an early taste of Tendulkar as Richard Dawson was swept to the midwicket boundary in the first over of the morning. Dawson made way for Giles after just one over, but it was Matthew Hoggard who made the breakthrough when Rahul Dravid was caught behind by Jamie Foster, playing an indeterminate stroke outside the off stump to leave India on 86 for 3.Sourav Ganguly’s arrival prompted Nasser Hussain to call up Andy Flintoff, and the Lancastrian immediately obliged as the Indian captain edged a ball that was slanting across him to the safe hands of substitute Martyn Ball at first slip.As England’s bowlers kept a tight line, Tendulkar and Laxman remained largely on the defensive. But Tendulkar greeted the return of Dawson with boundaries in consecutive overs, one driven exquisitely through extra cover, the other cut behind square as the bowler dropped marginally short.In pleasantly cool conditions and in front of the largest crowd of the game so far at the Motera Stadium, Tendulkar completed a patient 50 by cutting Hoggard to the boundary backward of point. It was already a vital contribution, but the landmark signalled a change of tempo. India’s hero now showed why he is widely regarded as the world’s premier batsman, with a delightful display of artistry.Tendulkar’s class shone through as he worked two Hoggard deliveries outside the off stump for boundaries between mid-on and midwicket. Hoggard’s rueful smile was respectful as well as phlegmatic. It was the last over of his spell, but Dawson’s re-introduction met with the sternest of receptions, as Tendulkar drove him imperiously over the long-on boundary.As Tendulkar twinkled, Laxman was primarily supportive. The hundred partnership came off 175 balls, with the taller man contributing just 23. To a rapturous reception, Tendulkar then swung Hoggard away behind square leg to reach his 27th Test hundred. His second 50 had taken just 55 balls.It took a rare blemish to dismiss him, as he drove Hoggard without quite getting on top of the delivery. To England’s delight Hussain held on to the catch at the second attempt at mid-on. Virender Sehwag announced himself with some wristy legside flicks, but Craig White soon won a marginal lbw decision from umpire Jayaprakash as Sehwag was hit just above the knee-roll playing from the crease.With the door now ajar, Ashley Giles wasted no time in kicking it open. He produced a gem of a delivery to dismiss Anil Kumble, bowled off stump as the ball turned out of the rough around middle and leg. In Giles’ next over Harbhajan drove recklessly to Flintoff at cover. Javagal Srinath was then caught off bat and pad by Mark Butcher at silly point.Tinu Yohannan held an end up briefly as Laxman played some mighty strokes through midwicket, but India’s innings ended on 291 when Laxman went for 75, trying the stroke once too often and holing out to Mark Butcher. Giles ended with Test-best figures of five for 67.As England batted for just three overs before the close, Marcus Trescothick was fortunate to take four to fine leg from an inside edge off Yohannan. An authentic cut gleaned four more to third man, and England finished in firm control of the match at 15 for no wicket, 131 runs ahead.

ScorecardFile photo: Rahil Shah ended with match figures of 9 for 81•Sivaraman Kitta

With the ball ripping and spitting from a length on a Chennai minefield, any target in the fourth innings was going to be a difficult task. Baroda’s left-arm spinner Bharghav Bhatt’s match haul of 10 wickets had helped his team edge ahead at stumps on the second day, but it was Rahil Shah’s nine wickets which tipped a see-sawing thriller Tamil Nadu’s way. Seconds after the No.11 Sagar Mangalorkar was snaffled by Rahil, the spinner was mobbed by his team-mates in a raucous celebration.

Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund on…

The rank turner and the last-gasp finish
“It wasn’t an easy wicket to bat. Even though there was a partnership of 10-13 runs, we knew it would be hard for a new batsman. We always knew it was a matter of just one wicket. We got a lucky strike, hitting the gloves of Dinesh and carrying to Bharath [slip]. Pinal Shah – that was an important wicket. The bowlers kept believing.”
The key moment of the match
“Yusuf Pathan’s wicket was the turning point. His 41 in the first innings gave them momentum and he also started rotating the strike, which was more dangerous on wickets like this. There was a big plan. It was important we learned from the mistakes in the first innings. We put our best fielders there [deep midwicket and long-on]. Instinctively, I thought the batsman would predetermine his shot to mid-wicket. I wanted to prevent that as that was his only option. I removed silly point and it worked.”
Playing his 100th first-class game
“Not a memorable [milestone] for me personally as I got a pair, but an excellent one for the team and I’m happy. I thought we bowled brilliantly and fielded really well”

While Rahil punched the early holes and wrapped up the innings, Malolan Rangarajan and DT Chandrasekar took care of the middle order. Baroda had more than a whiff of a chance when Deepak Hooda and Hardik Pandya took the attack to the hosts in a 33-run partnership, but Tamil Nadu held their nerve to open their Ranji campaign with a victory.Rahil opened the bowling and found success in his second over of the day when he dismissed Hitesh Solanki for 7. Two balls later, he roared again after having Aditya Waghmode caught at slip for nought but it was nipped in the bud, with replays showing that Rahil’s foot was on the line. Waghmode added only six before he was snapped up smartly by Baba Aparajith, who gave the Baroda captain a mini send-off.Malolan followed that strike with the wickets of Kedar Devdhar and Yusuf Pathan, as Baroda were reduced to 50 for 4 in 17.2 overs. There were only about 10 people in the stands at the start of the second session, after the first was washed out by a persistent drizzle, but once Malolan zipped away, the crowd started slowly building up.Tamil Nadu’s captain Abhinav Mukund identified Yusuf’s wicket as the crucial one after the match and also admitted that it was a plan to place a fielder at deep midwicket. Yusuf had slugged two sixes off Malolan in the first innings and had consistently targeted the leg-side gaps. In the second dig, Yusuf swiped at a ball that was not full enough, and holed out to deep midwicket for 5.Deepak Hooda, who had walked in with his side still 72 runs away from the target, began positively with back-to-back fours. The fourth ball he faced was laced inside out over the covers but it was the powerful reverse-sweep over backward point that stood out. He continued to be positive with his score at various points reading: 14 off 4, 24 off 9, and 30 off 14.Hardik Pandya then fed off Hooda’s approach and pinged Chandrasekar for a six down the ground. Chandrasekar, however, held one back in the next over and had Pandya nicking behind for a run-a-ball 17. Four overs later, Chandrasekar, wary of Hooda tripping down the wicket, shortened his length and hoodwinked the batsman.With a close finish looming, Tamil Nadu remained calm, but they also enjoyed some good fortune. Pinal Shah, who was sharp behind the stumps, edged one behind, and the ball ricocheted off Dinesh Karthik’s gloves and settled into the hands of Bharath Shankar. Murtuja Vahora was then given out leg before despite signs of an inside snick.The close-in catchers also showed good composure, as Rahil wiped off the tail with four wickets in two overs, which culminated in a seven-run win.

MCC won by an innings and 83 runs – ScorecardVictoria had to take the field without Ponsford, who was unfit. The home side contained no fewer than five left-handers, and their presence appeared to upset the MCC fielding, which was marred by some wild returns. Victoria lost two wickets for 14, but the young left-handers, O’Brien and Darling, added 90 runs for the third wicket by good cricket, and Oakley carried his bat for a very sound 83, always looking for runs whenever possible. At the close of the first day’s play MCC had scored 41 for the loss of Allen and Pataudi.The next day was nearly all Hammond, who, after taking great care to play himself in, scored his second 50 in an hour, and his third in 28 minutes, many of his runs coming from powerful strokes through the covers. He was severe on Fleetwood-Smith, who also came in for punishment from Wyatt. When 32, Hammond might possibly have been caught by Alexander at mid-off off Fleetwood-Smith, and at the close of play his score stood at 169 out of 362 for 7.Despite heavy rain overnight, the wicket was not difficult when Hammond continued his innings, and the Gloucestershire player reached his 200 just before lunch, play having been held up during the morning by a heavy shower. Jardine declared at the end of Hammond’s innings, which contained twenty-three fours and one six – a magnificent piece of batting.Victoria began their second innings on a treacherous wicket, and, after Woodfull’s dismissal the last seven wickets fell for 35 runs. The MCC fielding showed a welcome improvement, the inclusion of Paynter strengthening the out-cricket. Darling strained a muscle during the match, and had King, the twelfth man, to run for him.

The local slogan for the Ashes is “It’s definitely on!” Finally, after 15 months of build-up, it’s definitely here. When the toss-winning captain chooses to bat on a fast Gabba pitch on Thursday morning the most hyped series will begin and the players will be the happiest of all.Both captains – and teams – have tired of questions and are ready to start answering with performances. “We just want to get started,” an impatient Andrew Flintoff said. “Now it’s time to get on the pitch and start going. It’s nice that it’s over.”But can the series live up to the 2005 model? And will the disappointment be justified if it doesn’t? It seems impossible that five Tests, which have already attracted record-breaking sales, could satisfy lead-up coverage that has continued to rise like floodwaters.Ricky Ponting has the most heavily magnified job in Australia as he begins a campaign that will define his career as captain. One Ashes loss was sloppy, but a second would be an etching no amount of minnow-belting could erase. Since The Oval last September Australia have won 11 of 12 Tests and their toughest contests came from South Africa, who are currently ranked sixth, and Bangladesh at the end of an exhausting stretch.Both sides’ preparations have suffered blips but England will offer Australia their greatest assignment since the 2-1 failure that sparked a boom of interest in both countries. Ponting has been a career cricketer since he was 16 and his heartbeat remains settled for run-of-the-mill matches. This time even he has been influenced by the occasion.

“The excitement is starting to overflow for everybody,” Ponting said. “I think it’s important that we keep a check on that. Not to get too carried away with things and not to try to make things happen too quickly.” England won the big moments at home last year and none will be larger than the opening session.Flintoff was the key cast member and he has grabbed another role by adding captaincy to his allrounder status. Pour in his recovery from an ankle injury and he faces an unenviable task to carry his nation.”The 2005 win was a huge achievement,” he said. “To have the opportunity to defend them in Australia is even bigger. If we can pull it off it will be something amazing.”England’s biggest decision hovers over whether to push for the extra batting credentials of Ashley Giles or the more aggressive bowling of Monty Panesar. Left-arm spin has not been Australia’s favourite method over the past decade and the choice will give a guide to England’s outlook for the series.Australia were forced into some restructuring due to Shane Watson’s hamstring injury, which gave Michael Clarke a chance and trimmed the attack from five bowlers to four. Shaun Tait was dropped from the squad on Wednesday and the final space will be fought between Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson. Clark’s experience and his Man-of-the-Series performance in South Africa last March give him the edge over the uncapped Johnson.The pitch will suit the fast men and the curator Kevin Mitchell junior tipped the surface to be the quickest of his tenure. It will have the usual green tinges but the captain who wins the toss will not follow Nasser Hussain’s mistake of 2002-03.”Since the rebuild of the stadium in 2000 it’s the quickest it’s been,” Mitchell said. “It will have early life, although I’m not sure how long it will last.” Mitchell could have been speaking about the series as a whole.Australia (possible) 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Justin Langer, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Michael Clarke, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Stuart Clark, 11 Glenn McGrath.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss, 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Kevin Pietersen, 6 Andrew Flintoff (capt), 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Matthew Hoggard, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 James Anderson.

Justin Langer will undergo a fitness test before the first match of the three-Test series against West Indies, which starts on November 3. Langer retired hurt after being hit by a Gerard Denton delivery during an ING Cup match between Western Australia and Victoria today (Saturday), and scans later revealed a hairline fracture.Trefor James, the medical officer for Cricket Australia, said: “Justin was in considerable pain after receiving the knock to the rib-cage, and scans taken of that area have discovered a small fracture in one of his ribs. We are optimistic, though, that he will be able to take his place in the Australian line-up for next week’s Test, however he will need to be monitored prior to that time before a final decision is made.” The medical team also decided that Langer would travel with the team to Brisbane, the venue of the first Test.Langer himself was confident of recovering in time for the match. “I’ll be playing on Thursday,” Langer was quoted as saying by AFP. “Apparently with a cracked rib the thing you have to get used to is the pain… I’m not going to miss a Test match.”Langer has been in excellent touch in the last one year, averaging almost 57 from his last 14 Tests, with three centuries and six fifties in 26 innings. Langer was also the one batsman who consistently handled England’s pace and swing with some degree of comfort during the recently concluded Ashes series, scoring 394 runs at nearly 44.Should Langer withdraw, the most likely replacement would be his state team-mate Mike Hussey. Hussey has also been in excellent form at the one-day level for Australia and opened the innings for Australia A on their recent tour of Pakistan.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Australia narrowly survived hurricanes from Chris Cairns and Kyle Mills and another terrible middle-order collapse to draw level in the Chappell-Hadlee Series at Sydney. Knowing New Zealand could steal the series before the final match at Brisbane on Friday, Australia produced a stronger defence than at the Telstra Dome, but were again stung by late resistance.New Zealand required the highest score in a run-chase for a one-day international at the SCG and were in reasonable shape until Brad Hogg claimed the important breakthroughs of Stephen Fleming and Jacob Oram as their middle-order folded. A bright partnership between Cairns and Brendon McCullum, who fell leg-before despite a thick edge, lifted their spirits and they rose higher as Mills hit out. But their brave challenge ended 17 runs short when Glenn McGrath bowled the injured Chris Harris.Arriving in desperate danger at 5 for 84, Cairns launched a stinging counter-attack that included two huge sixes off Hogg and Darren Lehmann. As long as Cairns stayed his side was a chance of winning. He raised his half-century from 39 balls, but departed immediately after to a skied catch to McGrath and victory was being celebrated in the 35th over (7 for 154).Harris, who dislocated his right shoulder and tore a rotator cuff while fielding in his 250th one-day international, was sitting in the dressing-room with his arm in a sling and the danger seemed to have passed. Mills had his own ideas and walloped four sixes to cut the target down to a run-a-ball with six overs remaining. Harris wandered out with his runner Hamish Marshall and Australia sweated for nine more balls.

It was an amazing match for power hitting, with Mills’s 44 from 26 pushing Cairns’s knock to the third most exciting of the day. Adam Gilchrist had set off another fireworks exhibition after making 68 under the Telstra Dome roof and deposited short balls to the point and square-leg boundaries. Gilchrist really exploded in a three-over onslaught of eight fours and one six as the Kiwi bowlers went for 14, 19 and 11 in successive overs; Matthew Hayden contributed a single in that time.Cairns was called to stop the flood of runs, but Gilchrist treated him the same way as Mills and Oram, blasting his fourth ball for six over square leg to bring up a 37-ball half-century. Like any good fireworks display, Gilchrist’s innings of 60 from 47 deliveries was over while a sparse crowd still wanted more.Australia were desperate for an extra boost after 26 overs when they had lost 4 for 8 to be 5 for 148, giving up a spectacular beginning in eerily similar fashion to Melbourne. Mills, returning from an early thrashing, picked up Ricky Ponting with a slower ball, and trapped Damien Martyn leg-before, while Daniel Vettori, who ended with 1 for 36 off 10 controlled overs, dismissed Andrew Symonds for his second consecutive duck.Again Australia looked like reaching 300 comfortably, and again Lehmann began the rebuilding process. His 74-run partnership with Brad Hogg, whose valuable support collected 41, gave the innings a second wind and he finished with his second one-day half-century in a row.Having watched their opponents waste a strong position, New Zealand then copied them. Fleming won an entertaining early battle with Brett Lee but attacked Hogg’s first delivery and was given out by the umpire Peter Parker when hit on the front pad (4 for 78).Mathew Sinclair and Fleming appeared settled before New Zealand lost two wickets in as many overs. Jason Gillespie tempted an edge from Sinclair with a short ball and Hayden took a sharp catch to his left at first slip, while Scott Styris was lbw to the medium-pace of Symonds, although he appeared to get an inside edge (3 for 68). Hogg then turned things further Australia’s way to finish with three wickets and the Man-of-the-Match award.

After being ruled out for the entire season with a shoulder injury, Paul Collingwood has been passed fit to play for Durham in their Frizzell County Championship match against Hampshire, starting at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.Collingwood played a key role for England during the World Cup and had been in line to make his Test debut this summer. But he suffered a dislocated right shoulder on April 16, while playing in a pre-season friendly against Lancashire. It had been feared that he would be ruled out for the entire season, but has made an impressive recovery.Collingwood, 27, has scored 874 runs at 32.37 in 38 ODIs for England, including one century against Sri Lanka. He has also taken 16 wickets with his medium-pacers, with best figures of 4 for 38 against New Zealand at Napier in 2001-02.

FULL NAME: Charles Kevin Coventry
BORN: 8 March 1983, at Kwekwe
MAJOR TEAMS: Matabeleland. Present Club sides: Bulawayo Athletic Club and Universals
KNOWN AS: Charles Coventry. Nickname: Chappie
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat, Wicket-keeper.
BOWLING STYLE: Leg Breaks
OCCUPATION: None at presentFIRST-CLASS DEBUT: 5-7 January 1999, Matabeleland b Mashonaland, atBulawayo Athletic Club
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaitedBIOGRAPHY (November 2001)At the moment, Charles Coventry junior, generally known as `Chappie’, is most famous for being the youngest-ever Zimbabwean first-class cricketer. At the age of 15 years and 303 days he played, unexpectedly, for Matabeleland against Mashonaland in the Logan Cup match on his home ground, Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC), and actually produced the third-highest score of the innings, 33.Charles shares the same name as his father, who is generally known as Chuck and is a leading Matabeleland umpire, with international experience. Chuck was actually umpiring in this match when Charles made his debut. Charles had taken his cricket kit to the ground – `just in case’, he says – and found that due to a mix-up one of the Matabeleland players had not arrived at the start of the match. He was thus thrust into first-class cricket almost by accident, but also because he had been keen and ambitious enough to be ready for his chance and to take it.He went in to bat at number five as Matabeleland chased a Mashonaland total of 243. The score was 66 for three when he joined Guy Whittall at the crease. “I got hit a few times by Andy Blignaut,” he said. He also had to face an array of test-match bowlers in Eddo Brandes, Paul Strang, Everton Matambanadzo and Grant Flower. He had never faced any of them before, and he says that the pacemen were the quickest he had ever faced. Yet he survived to score 33 off 121 balls before being run out.”Guy Whittall guided me through a lot of my innings,” Charles says. “He told me to concentrate on every ball and helped me out with the bowlers.” Since then Charles has become a regular player for Matabeleland, opening the innings as he has always done.It was naturally Chuck who introduced Charles to the game, in their family garden and the nets at BAC. Charles remembers with pleasure the hours they spent together when he was very young, getting a firm grounding in the game. Charles started to play at Whitestone School when in Grade 3, and the following year played for the schools colts team. He spent two years in the colts and two in the senior side; his most memorable performance at Whitestone was when he took a hat-trick bowling leg-breaks. Nowadays he rarely bowls, having taken up wicket-keeping to add to his batting skills.In his final two years at junior school he represented Matabeleland Schools in the national primary schools cricket week, scoring a couple of fifties but failing to make the national side at that level. He progressed to Christian Brothers’ College (CBC) in Bulawayo, and was selected for the national Under-14 team, following through into the Under-16 and Under-19 teams. His best performance here was 94 against Northerns in the South African Schools Coca-Cola Week. He played first-team cricket for CBC for two years, after scoring a century against St John’s College of Harare at Under-16 level.When in Form One at CBC he played club cricket for BAC teams for the first time, beginning with their third team and working his way up quickly. He freely admits the bowlers were too quick for him at that stage. It was at BAC that he was encouraged to take up wicket-keeping, and now considers himself a regular keeper, although Warren Gilmour has kept the gloves at provincial level. He never kept wicket at school, but at national age-group level he became the understudy to Tatenda Taibu.Charles left school after completing his O-levels at the end of 2000, but did not take up employment immediately, concentrating on his cricket. He applied to join the CFX Academy in 2002. He also enjoyed a tour of Kenya with the Zimbabwe development team. As a batsman he feels his main strength is on the off side. Chuck has continued to play a major role in his development, correcting faults and encouraging him; “He’s always been there for me, and chips in money whenever I go on tours.”Charles also names Win Justin-Smith of CBC and the national Under-19 manager who has helped him over the years with coaching, although he resisted his attempts to turn him into a full-time leg-spinner. “Shane Cloete helped me out quite a bit on the Kenya tour,” he adds. “There were quite a few things I was doing wrong then. Steve Rhodes has helped me a lot with my wicket-keeping.”Charles made his mark on club cricket on 4 November 2001 with a remarkable innings of 155 for Universals against Alexandra Sports Club in Harare. He was staying in Harare in preparation for the Under-19 tour to South Africa and then to the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, to save frequent travelling from Bulawayo for training, and so temporarily joined a local club.”I went out there and decided to be as positive as I could,” he says. “And it came off. I enjoyed it. There was a very nice pitch to bat on at Alex, although it started to move around a bit at the end, a bit of turn.” The bowling attack was not very testing, though, as the national players were all overseas and none of the home side’s bowlers had played first-class cricket. But a batsman still has to take his opportunity when it arrives, and Charles did that with both hands.Cricket heroes: “As batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh.”Toughest opponents: Eddo Brandes. “He swings the ball around and has good height, and I’m not the tallest of people! He’s also a very experienced bowler.”Immediate ambitions: “I want to make Zimbabwe A as quickly as possible and hopefully go on to the national side. I want to take up cricket as a career. If I keep on working hard I think I could become a good keeper, but obviously batting is my strength. After the Academy, if I get in, I probably will go back to Matabeleland and do a bit of coaching there. By that stage I hope to be quite close to the Zimbabwe side.”Other sports: “I like to play a bit of squash, and I’d like to start playing golf. I do quite a bit of gym in Bulawayo. I sometimes played rugby at school, but didn’t take it seriously at all.”