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Uganda kick of 2007 with a tour to Kenya in January where they will play a select Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA XI) side, Kenya, Canada and Bermuda.The Ugandans will take on the NPCA select side on January 24, play the hosts Kenya or Kenya A on January 26, Canada on January 27 and conclude the tour with a match against Bermuda on January 28.”We have lined up some of the ICC’s top Associates because they will also use the games as warm up ties for the ICC World Cricket League tournament that runs at the same time,” said Cricket Kenya’s CEO, Tom Tikolo.In a few months Uganda travel to South Africa to prepare for Division Three of the World Cricket League in Australia, in June.”We shall use the trip to expose more of our players ahead of the Australia tour,” Robert Kisubi, Uganda’s chairman of selectors told . “I am optimistic the boys will learn a lot playing against big sides.”Schedule
Uganda v NPCA XI (Jan 24)
Uganda v Kenya (Jan 26)
Uganda v Canada (Jan 27)
Uganda v Bermuda (Jan 28)

Nottinghamshire have signed Luke Fletcher, a 19-year-old fast bowler from their second XI, on a one-year contract.Fletcher, who stands at 6ft 6in, plays for Papplewick in the Nottinghamshire Premier League alongside the club’s bowling coach, Phil DeFreitas, and was a regular for the county’s second XI last season.”Luke has worked very hard over the winter and has impressed all the coaching staff over the past 12 months,” Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, said. “He’s definitely someone we want to continue looking at over a longer period of time and will be expected to provide competition and pressure on the first-team bowlers.”It’s nice to have another local lad in the squad and I know how keen he is to make a career in cricket, and play for Notts.”Fletcher showed plenty of promise on Nottinghamshire’s pre-season tour to South Africa in the winter, but he revealed that he had “never really taken cricket seriously up to last year”.”Last summer I was a bit star-struck when I was around the dressing room but having spent time with the players on pre-season, I now feel settled in and a full part of the squad,” he added. “I can’t wait for the season to start and I’m determined to push on from here for a first-team place before the end of the season.”

Ricky Ponting feels some of India’s cricketers have “misinterpreted what aggressive cricket means” during the ongoing one-day series. His comments come in the wake of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s revelations about Australia’s cricketers using “harsh words” in the third one-dayer in Hyderabad.”Both teams can still play aggressively, but when the Australian team speaks about playing aggressively I think a lot of people get the wrong idea,” Ponting wrote in his column for the newspaper.”I don’t mean talking aggressively or showing aggressive body language. That’s exactly the opposite of what aggressive or positive cricket is all about. A few of the Indians have reacted very much with aggressive body language and trying to force themselves upon us, and I think the way some of them are playing their cricket that they have also misinterpreted what aggressive cricket means.”I suppose if some of the players don’t understand it, a lot of people watching the game in the stands or at home don’t understand it either. It’s not jumping up and down, sledging, giving people send-offs and that sort of stuff. When the Australian team talks about playing aggressively, we are committing ourselves to playing hard: there’s nothing given and there’s nothing asked to be given.”Though the Hyderabad game was hardly as hot tempered as the match at Kochi, Dhoni, had enough to complain about. “We discussed with the referee about not using harsh words, but Ponting did, and a couple of their players did,” Dhoni said after the game. He didn’t reveal what exactly was said by the players, though.Ponting felt his team had stayed within the confines of the spirit of cricket. “Some years back the Australian team committed itself to uphold the spirit of cricket,” he said. “A lot of the current players weren’t involved, but every player who comes into the team is clearly briefed on the idea and given direction on what’s acceptable and what’s not. We treat it very seriously and nobody comes in without understanding what we expect. I think it’s been a very positive thing if you look back at our recent history. It’s something I’m proud of. I think we have been one of the least reported teams in the world.”Ponting felt his side didn’t indulge in sledging, a term he said was associated with “swearing” or “making a personal attack” on the opponents. “If you look at any sport, Australian football, soccer, anything, there is always some sort of dialogue between players, and I think that’s part of sport at the highest level. But it’s very important that every Australian cricketer understands what he can and cannot do. It is why we have the spirit of cricket concept. It was brought in so we would not have our blokes reported. We have our own set of rules that we can act on to keep things from getting out of hand.”

Michael Di Venuto’s three-year deal with Durham has spelt the end of his time with Tasmania. Di Venuto, 34, had previously insisted that he only wanted to play six months of the year from now on, and his decision to join the English county means the end of his time with the state he has represented for 17 years.His decision to cut down the amount of cricket he plays was based on wanting to spend more time with his family, as well as business interests and he will quit the state at the end of the season. He has also recently undergone surgery for a double hernia and battling niggling injuries over recent seasons.”I first played cricket for Tasmania when I was 18 years old and playing cricket for Tasmania has been my life since then,” Di Venuto said. “I love playing cricket for Tasmania and I am certainly going to miss it, however the opportunity to finish my career at Durham is an exciting one and something my family and I are really looking forward to. It also allows us to spend summers in Hobart and continue to prepare for our life after cricket.”Di Venuto is currently Tasmania’s leading one-day run scorer and is second only to Jamie Cox on their lists of Pura Cup appearances and runs. He was a member of the Tigers’ successful ING Cup team in 2004-05 but he rates his career highlight as being part of Tasmania’s historic Pura Cup-winning team last season.It was the state’s first triumph and Di Venuto was the only player in the side to have also been part of the three Tasmania teams that lost Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield finals, in 1993-94, 1997-98 and 2001-02. Di Venuto said he had thoughts of quitting after the final success against New South Wales at Bellerive Oval last March.”It was undoubtedly the greatest feeling I’ve experienced on a cricket field,” Di Venuto told the . “This retiring could have potentially happened at the end of that game but I wanted to continue on and squeeze out another season because I thought we were a very good chance to do it again.”Although last summer was Di Venuto’s most successful domestic season in Australia – he made 961 Pura Cup runs at 53.38 – he conceded he had not got the best out of himself consistently during his home seasons. “Not in Australia, no, which has been a frustrating thing for me,” Di Venuto said.”I can go year in, year out overseas and put in some pretty good performances but never been able to nail a season back here. Not to say I’ve had poor seasons back here, I think I’ve been quite consistent but for what I can do, I probably don’t get the best out of myself in Australian summers.”Di Venuto’s former Tasmania team-mate David Boon said the state would be losing one of its most dangerous weapons. “I think he has been a great player,” Boon said. “When he is on song, there is none better.”I look at him as one of the best ball strikers that we’ve produced for a long time and not only in Tasmanian cricket but Australian cricket. He is one of those guys that every other state has had on their list as a must get out. He has shown that many a times. One that I most refer to with him is his big hundred in the Sheffield Shield final we lost in ’98. It was a magnificent innings.”To date Di Venuto has played 141 first-class matches for Tasmania scoring 9687 runs at an average of 40.36 including 18 centuries with a highest score of 189. He also has taken 150 catches, the most by a Tasmanian in first-class cricket and in 103 domestic one-day matches he scored 2891 runs with a highest score of 129 at an average of 30.76. He also represented Australia in nine one-day internationals in 1997 scoring 241 runs at an average of 26.77 with a highest score of 89.Overall, combining his Tasmanian, Australia A and English first-class careers for Sussex, Derbyshire and Durham, he has played 261 matches, totalling 19,952 runs with 44 centuries at an average of 44.63. Di Venuto has indicated his desire to continue having an involvement in Tasmanian cricket, which the board is keen to secure in some capacity.

Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s most-capped player, has announced he will retire from Test cricket at the end of the upcoming home series against England. Fleming said it was better for his family if he quit the game ahead of the return tour of England in May and June.”I always indicated that I was likely to retire from international cricket at some point in the near future and the time is right for me and my family to do that now,” Fleming said. “Retiring before the tour to England will allow me to be with [my wife] Kelly for the birth of our second child.”Fleming, 34, will take part in the Indian Premier League, however, and said it was a good way to stay involved in the sport. “It is an exciting opportunity and one that I will be pursuing with the full support of New Zealand Cricket,” he said. “The IPL only takes a short amount of my time each year, and allows me to continue pursuing my new endeavours outside of the game.”One of those aims is to start his own marketing, media and sports management business but NZC’s chief executive Justin Vaughan hopes Fleming will play a part in the country’s cricketing future. “Stephen’s presence and leadership qualities had a tremendous impact on the team and he will be missed by New Zealand Cricket and the Black Caps,” Vaughan said.”He has made a huge contribution to cricket in New Zealand and I sincerely wish him all the best. I’m sure we have not seen the last of him and we are working to ensure that he has a role within cricket in New Zealand in the future.”Fleming departs with a sackful of New Zealand Test records. No New Zealander has played as many Tests (108), scored as many runs (6875), taken as many catches (166), captained as many games (80), or led as many wins (28) as Fleming.Appointed at 23, he was the country’s youngest Test skipper and only Allan Border, who led Australia through 93 Tests, guided his team in more games. When Fleming retired from one-day international cricket last September he left with a similar bunch of records. At the same time as Fleming quit ODIs New Zealand handed the Test captaincy to Daniel Vettori, which disappointed Fleming, who wanted to see if separate captains could help New Zealand’s consistency.”I felt in New Zealand cricket whenever our one-day cricket was going well our Test cricket suffered and vice-versa,” he said. “One of the ways to combat that was to step aside as one-day captain. I would have liked the opportunity to be working away at our Test game, to be exploring how we could beat England in the Tests.”After the powers that be decided against splitting the captaincy, Fleming admitted he had contemplated his future and seriously considered a substantial offer from the Indian Cricket League. It became clear his time at the top level was drawing to a close.The only question was when in 2008 he would end his career. Would it be before the home series against England, after it, or following the return tour of England in New Zealand’s winter? Fleming, a man who avoids fanfare where possible, has opted for three final Tests at home with his last set to start in Napier on March 22.That will give local fans an opportunity to farewell a man who has defined New Zealand cricket for more than a decade. When he made his Test debut in 1993-94 it was immediately apparent the selectors had found an important player for the future success of the side. In a team led by Ken Rutherford against India in Hamilton, Fleming made 92 in his opening Test, and he followed it just days later with 90 in his ODI debut in Napier.

But triple-figures never quite agreed with Fleming, who ended up with nine centuries and 43 half-centuries in accumulating a Test average of 39.73. It took him 23 Tests to make his first hundred and a month later he was thrust into the captaincy when Lee Germon was unavailable for against England due to a groin injury. Germon did not return and Fleming began a ten-year reign during which he eventually became regarded as arguably the most astute leader in the game.Through it all runs kept coming for Fleming, though not in the proportions he or his country would have liked. He was sometimes accused of lacking concentration as he tried to build big scores and that trend looked set to continue in Colombo in 1998 when he absent-mindedly strolled to the crease without his box and had to rush back to retrieve it.A lazy shot brought his dismissal for 78, but in his second innings he displayed a rarely-seen resolve, batting for nearly eight hours to finish unbeaten on 174 and setting up a 167-run victory. It was his second Test century and New Zealand hoped it would be his turning point. He didn’t reach triple-figures again in a Test for nearly four years.A highlight eventually came in the same city five years later when he batted for nearly 11 hours to register an unbeaten 274 – it remains his highest score – and then made an unselfish declaration that left the door open for a result. He finished the match having been on the field in searing heat for all but the first 44 minutes of the draw and any suggestions that he lacked application were finally put to rest.As if to prove that his double-century was no fluke, he rattled off several more mammoth efforts in Tests: 192 against Pakistan, 202 in Bangladesh and 262 against South Africa. There were outstanding one-day innings along the way as well, and an unbeaten 134 against South Africa in a must-win World Cup match in 2003 was particularly important.But more than individual performances, Fleming was proud of the times he led his small country to big successes. Guiding them to a 2-1 Test win in England in 1999 was particularly special, although Fleming was also pleased with the 0-0 drawn series in Australia in 2001-02. Another highlight came in 2000 when he led New Zealand to their first triumph in a major tournament – the Champions Trophy in Nairobi.The one-day arena was also where Fleming experienced some of his biggest disappointments, and failing to get his team into a World Cup final was a regret. Following last year’s semi-final knockout at the hands of Sri Lanka, Fleming quit the ODI captaincy, which precipitated a chain of events that gradually led to his removal from the Test leadership. Fittingly, though, he has been afforded the right to end his playing career on his own terms.

Justin Langer and Ben Hutton put Middlesex back in the running for a National League Second Division promotion place with competition-best perfomances at Edgbaston.Skipper Langer’s patient 93 laid the foundations for a commanding 201 for nine and Hutton’s four for 32 undermined Warwickshire as they floundered under the Edgbaston floodlights.Hutton needed to take the wickets to get back in favour with Langer after he was involved in the run out that cost his captain a certain century.Langer had taken no risks and appeared in no trouble in a sensible 122-ball innings until Hutton changed his mind about a quick single in the penultimate over and Langer was unable to beat Dominic Ostler;s throw from midwicket.Langer gave Hutton a backward glance as he trudged back to the pavilion but the youngster, the grandson of Sir Leonard, was quickly forgiven as he applied the brakes to Warwickshire’s innings.Hutton, bowling gentle seamers, concentrated on line and length and struck in his first over when he had Ashley Giels stumped.The wickets of Dominic Ostler and Trevor Penney, both LBW, and Michael Powell, who was bowled through the gate followed, as Warwckshire slipped to 186 all out and their fourth straight home defeat in the competition.Langer said when he won the toss and opted to bat first that he did not fancy the chances of the side batting last under the temporary floodlights and so it proved.His innings ensured that Middlesex had just enough runs to force victory but his stands of 68 for the third wicket with Mark Ramprakash and 73 for the fourth with Irishman Ed Joyce enabled Middlesex to survive a late clatter of wickets of their own.

The England and Pakistan cricket boards have finally settled the ECB’s compensation claims relating to the forfeited Oval Test in August 2006. The agreement means that Pakistan will play a Twenty20 match in England in 2012 and waive the fee.Both boards also agreed that the proposed tour of Pakistan by England in 2010 would be postponed until January 2012 and would contain three Tests and five one-day matches. Pakistan will then stage a return tour in July-August of the same year. The forfeiture occurred when the Pakistan team, penalised for ball-tampering by umpire Darrell Hair, refused to take the field for the post-tea session on the fourth day. England were awarded the match with a day to spare. The ECB had asked the PCB to pay damages worth $1.3 million for the lost fifth day, a request the Pakistan board rejected.David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said that the decision to push back the dates had been taken since otherwise England’s overloaded schedule that season would not allow for three Tests and five ODIs against Pakistan. “The meetings with PCB demonstrated the goodwill and desire of both boards to find a cricketing solution to the issues arising from the Oval Test match,” Collier said. “Rescheduling the tour results in a significantly lighter schedule for our players in 2010.” He added that the Twenty20 match would greatly benefit the ECB which will withdraw its compensation claims once the PCB confirmed the arrangements.

ScorecardBermuda slumped to another heavy defeat, this time at the hands of UAE who recorded their first win in this season’s Intercontinental Cup series. Bermuda are now bottom of the table after four matches, with just six points.UAE resumed on 409 for 7 but were quickly dispatched by Bermuda’s bowlers who dismissed them for 449. This left Bermuda chasing 282 – a difficult, but not impossible target on a pitch (judging by the application UAE showed on the second and third days) was good for batting.They crumbled to 33 for 5 after Irfan Ahmed picked up three quick wickets and, this time, not even David Hemp could dig them out. Irvine Romaine cracked 32 from 45 and Malachi Jones offered 24 at a run-a-ball, but UAE’s bowlers shared around the wickets to dismiss them for a pitiful 143 inside 40 overs.For both sides, this match was a dead-rubber with just pride to play for. But nevertheless, it was a useful warm-up for UAE who travel to Namibia for the World Cricket League Division Two later this month. Bermuda, on the other hand, have a lot of soul searching to do.

Andrew Flintoff is still targeting the first Test against New Zealand starting on May 15 as his return to the England team as he prepares to begin the domestic season with Lancashire following his fourth ankle operation. He is due to play two matches against Yorkshire next week before the opening Championship fixture at The Oval.Flintoff had the surgery in October and hasn’t appeared in a first-class match since August – his last Test was against Australia in Sydney 15 months ago – so the selectors will be wary of jumping the gun at a recall until his body has proved it can stand the rigours of constant bowling, especially with the first two Tests being back-to-back. Flintoff, though, is keen to push for his place in the first part of the season rather than wait until the one-dayers against New Zealand or the South Africa series.”There’s a Test match [against New Zealand] that I’d loved to be involved in,” he said. “I’ve missed a lot of international cricket through injury and I don’t want to miss any more, or as little as I have to, but I’m under no illusions that to get back into the side I’m going to have to be fit and playing well. That starts against Yorkshire and then the first Championship game. I’d love to put my name in the hat, but even if I am playing well they have just come off two wins so it’s not assured. I’d just like to be in the mix up.”Flintoff’s comeback has followed a measured regime laid out by the ECB and Lancashire. He has never been a player who gives less than 100%, whether his body is allowing him or not, and he has sometimes needed to be told when to stop. “He’ll say ‘I’m feeling good can I do 20 more minutes’,” Mike Watkinson, the Lancashire coach, said, “but we have to say no, that’s what you are doing today. Come back another time and do it again.”Flintoff’s workload is outlined up to the end of the second Championship match against Somerset. There won’t be any restrictions imposed on his overs although Watkinson did say they would be sensible. “I don’t see him bowling 25 overs a day but he’ll be out there and be a squad player like the rest of them. The limit in the games will be common sense and the match situation will dictate. You’ll probably see him bowling five-, six-over spells and no more than two or two-and-a-half spells a day.”Lancashire have had a close relationship with the ECB during Flintoff’s rehabilitation, something which has been appreciated by his club, who haven’t always seen eye-to-eye with how England players are handled, especially under the previous management. “It’s been teamwork really and it’s nice that we are trusted to look after Fred on a daily basis,” Watkinson said. “It hasn’t been an entirely free rein but we have done what we feel is right for Fred and we are mindful that his introduction into cricket, and bowling in particular, has to be gradual.”Since Christmas Flintoff has been through warm-weather training in South Africa, and spent time in India with the England Lions and Lancashire Academy. He returned to action during the pre-season trip to Dubai last month where he enjoyed “feeling emotions that I hadn’t had for a while. Being nervous when I went out to bat and the excitement of being out on the field.”He’d been expected to feature for MCC against Sussex next week, but after discussions between Lancashire and the ECB it was felt to follow that four-day game with the Championship outing against Surrey would be too much. He has been operating in five-over bursts in the nets – “he’s bowled with some good gas” according to Watkinson – and says he won’t be holding back when the serious action begins.”I’m aiming to start the season bowling a full pelt whenever the captain asks me,” Flintoff said. “At such a late stage it would be foolish to push it too much now, but Mike Watkinson and Dave Roberts [his physio] have got a programme and I ask Winker [Watkinson] on a daily basis what I’m doing and I just get on with it. I’ve probably been bowling five to eight overs a day. Everyone has been talking about working at 70-80% but I reckon I’m not far off bowling flat out.”

His latest ankle surgery was carried out by Dutch surgeon Niek van Dijk after the World Twenty20 in September when bowling caused obvious pain. This time a chuck of bone was removed which Flintoff hopes will bring permanent relief and allow him to recapture the form that made him the No. 1 allrounder in the world.At times, especially during the pain he was suffering last year, Flintoff’s ankle occupied his mind whatever he was doing on the field. “I think the batting suffered more than the bowling. Batting with an ankle which was sore meant I wasn’t able get through my shots. And at times, too, all I was thinking about was my ankle and where I am going to go from here.”Although Flintoff has his eyes on the opening Test at Lord’s he is also learning from the past experiences of rushing the recovery process. “We’ve made a concerted effort this time not to rush things,” he said. “There’s been nothing like in the past when there has been an Ashes or a World Cup to get back for and this time we have taken our time and got it right.”However, even Flintoff concedes that he won’t be able to shed all doubt until the repaired joint has undergone some serious work. “I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a small niggle at the back of my mind after four operations, but that’s inevitable, and I just hope that if you ask me in July with 150-200 overs under my belt that I’m still alright. I’ve been OK coming back from the other operations for a few weeks, but this time hopefully I will be fine, not for weeks but years.” The next few months will prove whether time really has been a great healer.

Points Tables

North Conference

The one match to escape the weather produced a major upset with Scotland beating Lancashire by 10 runs at Old Trafford. The contest was reduced to 22 overs per side and Ryan Watson’s 41-ball 43 propelled the Scots towards a competitive 142. Their total grew in significance when John Blain took two wickets in an over – including Brad Hodge for a second-ball duck – to leave Lancashire on 7 for 2. Mal Loye and Steven Croft (44) attempted a recovery but the increasing run rate led to a collapse. Australian Ian Moran removed Loye and Luke Sutton before Majid Haq and former captain Craig Wright collected three each. It’s the second time in four years Scotland have come out on top at Old Trafford, in 2003 they won in what was then Division Two of the National League. This is Scotland’s first victory of the season and virtually ends Lancashire’s hopes of making the semi-finals.A washout was declared early at Northampton as Northamptonshire and Leicestershire shared the points.

South Conference

All three matches in the South fell victim to the weather with no play possible at The Oval, Swansea or Taunton. Surrey’s point for their washout against Ireland moves them into a semi-final spot, ahead of Hampshire on net run-rate, while Kent stay top after a point against Somerset.