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Albie Morkel has played for his country, played for his franchise, played for three IPL teams, three counties, and a CPL team. He has played a Test, played more than 100 limited-overs internationals and over 500 representative matches. Until 22 games ago, he had played more T20s than any other player, a title which now belongs to Kieron Pollard, but that does not take away from Morkel’s myriad achievements.”He has done everything in the game, except lead,” Mark Charlton, the coach of provincial side Northerns, told ESPNcricinfo. But this Saturday, that will change.Morkel will captain Northerns in the Africa Cup, the new T20 tournament being played by South Africa’s provincial team as well as invited teams from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya, as a precursor to taking over the leadership of the Titans franchise in limited-overs formats. Morkel’s accepting of the armband is an admission of what most already knew: his international career is probably over and he is looking at other ways to play a part. Mentorship has emerged as one of them.”He is a very calm, assured, respected player and he is a guy everybody can take something from,” Charlton said. “He has already been spending a lot of time with the young bowlers and guys are seeing that they can lean on his experience. We’re hoping he’ll have the same kind of effect Jacques Rudolph had at the Titans.”In the last two seasons, Rudolph had provided stability to a Titans’ team in transition. He provided experience both in batting terms and behind the scenes as the squad went through retirements of some of their senior-most men like Martin van Jaarsveld and Paul Harris besides change in coaches. Rudolph has decided to finish his career in England and it is hoped that Morkel will take over from where he left off.Titans, the franchise team which both Northerns and Easterns feed into, are still experimenting with a mix of players as they filter through a talented younger pool. Twenty-two year-old-opening batsman Theunis de Bruyn is one of them, while last year’s Under-19 World Cup winners Corbin Bosch and Aiden Markram are two others. All three of those players will turn out for Northerns in the Africa Cup and Charlton hopes they will blossom under Morkel, with Markram in particular identified as someone who can feed off Morkel.”Aiden is someone we have earmarked as a potential future leader, although we haven’t quite decided in what capacity,” Charlton said. Markram, who captained the national Under-19 side to World Cup glory last year, could end up as part of the leadership group of provincial team, for example.Markram was awarded a semi-professional, provincial contact for the 2015-16 season after solid performances for Northerns last season. He played 10 first-class matches, scoring 424 runs at 30.28, including three fifties. He has not yet pushed on to franchise cricket but Charlton thinks that could change soon.”He has been steadily going about his work and learning his game,” Charlton said. “Quietly, he has been building his career and I think big things could come for him. He has a good base and a competition like this, the Africa Cup, is a chance for a player like Aiden to show he can compete with franchise players and to learn from them with guys like Albie also involved.”

A crowd of 17,500, most of them British Asians, basked in glorious sunshine at the Oval Saturday, to watch the Rest of the World edge out Asia in a tightly fought contest. The match, the brainchild of former Prime Minister and Surrey stalwart John Major, was an attempt to raise funds for further developments to the Oval. The capacity crowd did not just see an exhibition match: they saw a tightly fought contest go down to the wire, only for the World to triumph by 15 runs.Whilst many were disappointed that Sachin Tendulkar was ruled out of the Asian side due to an untimely bout of chicken-pox, those who watched the match will be delighted that they made the effort.The Rest of the World won the toss and elected to bat. Batting in England is a very different prospect to batting in Dhaka, and runs were always going to be hard to come by. The Asian openers, Wasim Akram and Javagal Srinath turned the screw, nipping out the World’s openers with the score on only 16. Nasser Hussain and Nathan Astle launched a recovery mission, putting on 97 in fine style. Both men looked intent on attacking, and both pulled square with a great deal of force. Hussain lost his head: having lofted Chopra into the stands for a big six, he tried to repeat the feat, only to see the ball drop into Kumble’s hands at long on. Astle reached his half century, but was removed by a brilliant Saqlain, mystifying the Kiwi batsman with his `magic ball.’With Thorpe going quickly, and a brief flurry between Stuart Law and Chris Cairns stopped by the Pakistani spin-wizard, it was left for Ben Hollioake and Heath Streak to put some respectability in the Rest of the World’s total. Hollioake crashed 23 from 16 balls, lofting his Surrey team mate Saqlain into the stands, whilst Streak’s cameo of 17 took 16 balls, as the World closed on 219.Asia set about the Rest of the World straight away. Though Courtney Walsh was impeccable as always, Streak struggled against an onslaught from Aravinda de Silva, which saw the little man pull and drive with such timing and apparent lack of effort that it leaves one to wonder just why he is not playing for the Lankans at the moment. De Silva made 35 when a leading edge saw him caught and bowled by the excellent Chris Cairns.Mohammad Azharuddin too gave a glimpse of old, and he worked the ball to the leg side with masterful skill, using the bat like a wand when he decided to change line and drive through the covers. Ajay Jadeja too, looked a picture, with three crafted off side fours.Sadly for Asia, these knocks were only cameos. Azhar was caught behind by Stewart, whilst Jadeja was run out thanks to a 70 metre direct hit from Streak’s catapult arm. Wickets were tumbling far too quickly for Asia’s liking. Wasim came and went, and it was left to Nikhil Chopra and Anil Kumble to try and see Asia home. Chopra was underway with a scorching hook, then lifted Neil Johnson straight for the biggest six of the day. With Kumble swinging merrily outside off, the pendulum swung toward Asia once more. Chris Cairns however, got rid of Chopra, and when Mullally rearranged the stumps of first Kumble then Saqlain, the game was all but gone. It was too tall an order for Prasad, and he missed a swipe at Cairns, the Rest of the World completed a 15 run victory. Saturday’s game was played in a terrific atmosphere, with a result that barely mattered. The crowd saw everything that is good in cricket, particularly ironic as three of the days star players have match fixing allegations hanging over them. A sobering thought to what was an otherwise very fine day.

Gary Stead had a dream day as Canterbury took control of the second match against shell-shocked tourists Zimbabwe.Stead said it was “one of our better days’ performances over the whole season,” as Canterbury declared at 330/5, and reduced Zimbabwe to 112/4 at the close.In sharp contrast to Stead’s pleasure at his first century against an international team were the fates of teammate Nathan Astle and Zimbabwe’s Grant Flower.Astle, playing under orders from the selectors to find his batting form, edged a ball to the keeper after just three overs of the morning session. He again failed to move his feet and showed the weaknesses he displayed so often in the recent Test series in South Africa.Flower, a key man in the Zimbabwe team, looks set to be out for the Test which begins on Boxing Day, having fractured a finger while fielding off his own bowling. He did not return to the ground from hospital, suggesting a serious injury and a major blow to his team’s Test prospects.After play had begun half an hour late due to a sodden outfield, caused by an overnight electrical storm, Astle went early to Zimbabwe’s only potent bowler, paceman Henry Olonga, who finished with 3/78.Gareth Hopkins came in and with Stead saw the team through to lunch without further alarm at 258/5, with Stead 58 and his partner 24. After the interval the partnership exploded into action, with 72 runs coming in 16 overs of admittedly tame decaration bowling. It was during this period Flower left the field in agony, his finger a crumpled mess.Having reached 100 in 173 balls (the second 50 taking just 69), with Hopkins going to 50 (off 104 balls) in the same Viljoen over, Stead made a planned declaration.The Zimbabweans’ hoped-for batting practice was detonated by Shane Bond’s explosive opening spell of 2/8. Guy Whittall and Trevor Madondo were both caught at the wicket to make the score 11/2 after twelve and a half overs. Whittall was caught by James off Bond with the score on 007! Stead thought the team “bowled exceptionally well” on a pitch “with not much pace to it”.After tea, taken at 33/2, the ten-man tourists collapsed further, with Rennie holing out and Wade Cornelius taking his maiden first-class wicket, Dirk Viljoen being caught behind second ball. Earlier, Astle’s wretched match had continued when he dropped Gavin Rennie off Cornelius at second slip in the fifth over with only seven on the scoreboard.At last one Zimbabwean showed his true class when youngster Douglas Marillier took to the flighted spin of Redmond. He and the uncomfortable looking Mluleki Nkala saw off the fast bowlers, attacked for a while, then shut up shop, adding just 34 runs in 20 overs in the last hour.Although the game seems destined to be a draw, having been taken as no more than a particularly serious type of practice match by most players, Stead has done his chances of a Black Cap recall no harm. As he says: “All I can do is keep getting runs [he has 368 at an average of 90 this season] and trying to embarrass the selectors into picking me.”He expresses “no preference” to where he bats, preferring to “do what is best for the team”. Incidentally, he was never going to stand down for this game as he had never played against the Zimbabweans before and thus was keen to make the starting XI.What price, if Astle or McMillan fail again in the forthcoming test, he might make the next international starting XI?

The technical committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI), meeting in Baroda on Saturday, will discuss the format forvarious domestic cricket tournaments as also the playing conditions inSouth Africa, chairman of the technical committee and former Indiancaptain Sunil Gavaskar said on Friday.”The report on playing conditions in South Africa has been receivedby the board and it will be discussed at the meeting,” Gavaskar toldPTI. He said due to different playing conditions in various countries,some difficulty was being experienced and there should be the sameconditions for the Tests and other three or four day matches.Gavaskar said that another topic for discussion is the format fordomestic matches and added that several members want changes in itwhile some cricket associations are opposed to it.Gavaskar, chairman of the selection committee Chandu Borde, formerBCCI chief Raj Singh Dungarpur, BCCI joint secretary Sharad Diwadkararrived in Baroda from Mumbai tonight.”Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and K Srikkanth, members of thetechnical committee will not attend the meeting,” BCCI secretary,Jaywant Lele told PTI. “Kumble is busy with some domestic matcheswhile Srikanth is on a tour of USA and Tendulkar is under treatmentfor a hairline fracture on his toe,” Lele said, adding that the othermembers of the committee are expected to reach the city by Saturdaymorning.

South Africa women’s tour of Bangladesh, which was scheduled for later this month, has been postponed due to security concerns, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said. South Africa women were supposed to arrive in Dhaka on October 15 to play three ODIs and five T20s.The development comes four days after the Australian men’s team also postponed their Test series in Bangladesh.Hassan said a decision will be taken on the series after a discussion on the sidelines of the ICC meeting in Dubai next week.”They [CSA] had wanted a security report but we thought it would be better to speak face to face in Dubai during the ICC meeting,” Hassan said. “I think the terror alerts would be taken off by the next five-seven days. We also need to know what type of security plan they have in mind. Since both these teams are mostly free, it won’t be a major problem to delay this series by a few days.”To make sure they don’t have a negative view, we need to sit with them rather than exchange emails. The series is temporarily postponed by mutual consent. They are not coming on October 15, and I think they will come a little later.”Hassan said he will ask the ICC for a solution to the problem of teams not willing to visit a country where there are isolated threats.”We have to find a solution to play even when there are threats. I think Zimbabwe will come early for the Test series but I don’t want to show the world or the people of Bangladesh that a team has visited. I want a permanent solution.”

Jehan Mubarak expressed disappointment at squandering two starts in his first Test in more than seven years, but said he has refined his game enough to now belong at Test level. Mubarak had underwhelmed in several early stints in international cricket, averaging less than 16 from his ten previous Tests. However, a pair of exceptional domestic seasons has seen him selected for the national team again, at 34.”I did have the opportunities earlier on, but I didn’t do enough to cement my place in any form of the game,” Mubarak said. “I feel I am a different player from what I was seven years ago. A better player. I have come to know my game inside out. I understand what my strengths, weaknesses and limitations are. I worked on my weaknesses during the club season – I was not a sweeper but I started to sweep against the spinners and use my feet. I was hungrier for runs.”I always felt I was good enough to play at international level. Still feel I am good enough. Hopefully I can build on from what I have got. I need to step it up a bit more. But I think I can get there.”Mubarak made two modest scores in this match, hitting 25 in the first innings and 35 in the second. However, on each occasion he was involved in fifty-plus partnerships that stemmed the fall of quick wickets. On day three, he put on 81 alongside Angelo Mathews, to lift the team from 80 for 4.”I think it was very important to build a partnership there. Another wicket down and with five gone, it would have been tough. Pakistan would have been on top and they would have put lot more pressure. The bowlers were bowling really well at that time. The fast bowlers were bowling well with the newer ball and Yasir was bowling his best at that time.”I felt comfortable in the middle. I’m disappointed to get out after getting a start. Both innings it was a tough situation. I had done the hard work and reached a position from where I can consolidate, but couldn’t go on. Second innings I got a good ball out of the rough.”Sri Lanka had lost 22 wickets to Yasir in this series until today, and Mubarak said Mathews’ partnerships with him and with Chandimal helped defuse the legspinner’s threat. “As a team, we did the right thing by seeing Yasir Shah out. Our plan was to take Yasir to 20 overs and force the loose balls out of him. Then we saw that once he went past 20 overs, there were a few short balls and full tosses.”We’ve struggled against him this series – mainly the left-handers. He bowls tight lines with seven fielders on the leg side, and no scoring options.”Mubarak said Sri Lanka would feel comfortable with a further 80 runs on the board. Their lead is already 291 with two full days to play, though the threat of bad weather is ever-present at this venue.”We’d like to at least bat one session tomorrow. With two days left, there’s a result either way. If we can push the game away from Pakistan, we can attack all the time. If we can get something like 350 or 380, that will be a good target I think.”

Border B put their disappointing performance in the the Bowl match behind them to squeeze out the hosts in a thrilling finale in the one day match. Tight bowling at the death saw the visitors to a narrow 9 run victory.After winning the toss, the Border batsmen all chipped in towards a useful but not necessarily intimidating total. Several batsmen got going, but were thwarted by some good catching in the outfield, particularly by Andrew Puttick, normally at home in the slips, and Ryan Bailey.Needing to bat at 4.5 to the over, the WP openers Derrin Bassage and Rashaad Magiet got off to a slow start only to be undone by some well directed bowling from Andrew Pringle. Puttick was then happy to play second fiddle to the aggressive Jonno McLean in a partnership of 100 for the third wicket. But disaster waited with the score on the dreaded Nelson, as both were dismissed on that total. The run out of Puttick was comical, with both batsmen running towards the same end after a major misunderstanding.The middle order faltered thereafter, with 4 wickets falling for 17 runs. Wesley Euley then combined with William Hantam to add 55 for the 8th wicket in double quick time. Hantam was particularly enterprising, his clean hitting being rewarded with four sparkling boundaries. This partnership swung the balance in the home team’s favour, bringing back the asking rate to a run a ball. Border’s cause was not helped when Pringle returned for his closing spell and promptly conceded 10 runs in his first over.Pringle had the last laugh when he bowled Hantam, trying to play a straight delivery to the leg side. At the other end, Euley went through a dry patch as he failed to score off nine successive deliveries. This swung the pendulum back in Border’s favour. Although Euley then started to find the gaps again, he was undone by a fine catch on the boundary by Michael Matika.The final over began with WP needing 10 for victory. Rory Kleinveldt played and missed at the first delivery, but connected with a powerful cross batted hit straight down the pitch off the second. He was left open-mouthed as Pringle dropped to the ground to take a stunning return catch. Lelethu Ntontela, who had earlier bowled impressively with the new ball, gallantly went for the big hit but was caught in the deep to give Border their triumph.

In the one outstanding Division One match in the Frizzell County Championship, Hampshire hung on for a draw against Sussex but it was a result that consigned them to relegation. Robin Smith and John Francis took their fifth wicket partnership to over a hundred in the first innings with Smith reaching 60, but with James Kirtley taking six wickets Hampshire were forced to follow on. In the time available, they reached 67 for one in the second innings with a fifty for Neil Johnson.The Division Two match between Glamorgan and Worcestershire also ended in a draw. Stephen Peters went on to 130 but Vikram Solanki was out for 94 as Worcestershire were bowled out for 381 with five wickets for Andrew Davies. David Hemp and Michael Powell were both in the sixties when Glamorgan batted out time in their second innings.The unfinished match at Trent Bridge that was so badly affected by the weather on the first two days caught up with itself on day three. Usman Afzaal completed his hundred before Nottinghamshire declared at 400 for six, before Durham were hurried out for 132 in their first innings. Following on, Michael Gough (40) and Gary Pratt (65) provided a sound start to the second innings, but the fall of five wickets after that has left Durham precariously placed still 115 runs behind.

England’s Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) backed the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations’ (FICA) concern over security measures in Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.Sean Morris, the PCA chief executive, agreed with FICA chief Tim May’s assessment that “absolutely nothing had changed in the three months since Australia postponed their Pakistan tour after safety concerns. “We will await the ECB response with interest and once we have it the PCA will advise the players on our position and then take the players’ views back to the ECB,” Morris told the .However the ICC declared itself happy with the Pakistan board’s security arrangements for the tournament scheduled in September. The ICC’s executive board will be meeting in Dubai later this month and Richardson said the Full Member countries will discuss the security situation in Pakistan.

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

As fresh starts go this wasn’t too shabby from England as they wrapped up a consolation six-wicket victory on the final day at The Oval. Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook broke the back of the run chase with a positive opening stand of 123, before Makhaya Ntini and Paul Harris claimed two wickets apiece to take away a little of the gloss. But a week after England were plunged into uncertainty, Andrew Flintoff signed off the victory with a six to give Kevin Pietersen a winning start.Given the week he has had, the stage appeared set for Pietersen to hit the winning runs until he edged a catch to short leg with 15 required. As captain of England, Pietersen will have to get used to his side giving him some stressful times, but the opening stand meant that, here at least, the late wobble didn’t do any more than make victory appear less empathic. Tough challenges lie ahead for him, not least the forthcoming one-day series and tour of India, but he couldn’t have done much more at the start of his reign.Claiming victories after a series has gone was a speciality of England during the 1990s. While this success won’t soften the blow of losing the series, it has boosted spirits after a trying couple of weeks when two captains resigned and the questions were being asked about the set-up. With a new leader to impress England were motivated – while South Africa couldn’t quite summon one last push – and they produced some periods of vibrant cricket.Whatever South Africa say, they weren’t really up for this contest. They expended such huge amounts of physical and emotional energy at Edgbaston that they couldn’t rouse themselves. Makhaya Ntini and, especially, Morne Morkel wasted the new ball and the openers had very little to play at. Strauss after a successful run against New Zealand was back under pressure and was given a life on 4, when he clipped Morkel firmly to Ashwell Prince at leg gully, only for the umpire to call a no-ball. It summed up Morkel’s session.The increase in momentum came from Cook who latched onto a couple of short balls from Ntini and also drove nicely down the ground, a sign that hours with Andy Flower in the nets are paying off. Cook made the most of attacking fields set by Graeme Smith with controlled edges down to third man, and both he and Strauss countered Paul Harris with intent. Despite some spin out of the footmarks they used their feet to disrupt his line and length, taking him through the leg side with confident whips.Cook reached his fourth half-century of the series with a crunching back-foot drive off Jacques Kallis. After the sleepy opening 45 minutes 98 runs were added in the next 18 overs of the morning and they continued a similar vein after the break before South Africa made a breakthrough, Cook driving at wide ball from Ntini and edging to first slip. It was another opportunity to go begging for Cook and although he ends with a series average of 47 there is a sense of unfulfilment. However, without ever looking in top form he has continued to score runs, which is a testament to his strength of character.Strauss slowly found more fluency, bring out a perfect on-drive, and went to his first half-century of the series from 95 balls. Ian Bell never settled during his short stay and he paid the price for moving across his stumps when Ntini bowled him behind his legs. An inconvenience became a wobble when, in the next over from Harris, Strauss got an inside edge to Smith at leg slip. Three wickets had gone for 24 and two new batsmen were at the crease.However, any momentary concerns were settled as Paul Collingwood found the boundary and Pietersen’s late departure for 12 was about the only thing that hasn’t fitted with his script in the last week. South Africa have deservedly taken the series honours, but Pietersen’s England have regained some pride.