Cricket News

West Indies took a strong grip on the NatWest Series match against Zimbabwe with some fine batting in the first 30 overs after winning the toss on an excellent batting pitch

That's the West Indies we know

Will the real Zimbabwe cricket team please stand up

Middlesex Crusaders kept up their pressure for promotion from the National League Division Two by edging out Durham Dynamos by a single run at Southgate

Michael Bevan's 89 n.o

An extraordinary fightback from Zimbabwe enabled them to pull off an amazing victory over West Indies by six wickets

Matthew Hayden's undefeated 96 took Northamptonshire to victory by 4 wickets with nine balls to spare over Leicestershire at Grace Road

Warwickshire kept up their bid for promotion from Division 2 of the National League by defeating Derbyshire by 45 runs on their own ground

Kent scored at the expense of First Division rivals Derbyshire whom they beat by 8 wickets at the County Ground

Surrey sit secure at the top of Division One of the county championship after defeating nearest rivals Yorkshire by 203 runs at The Oval

Essex, asked to score 310 in 73 overs to win, frustrated Sussex' attempts to force victory in their championship match at Arundel

The New Zealand A team overcame Hampshire by two wickets at Portsmouth thanks mainly to the batting of wicketkeeper Michael Papps

Matthew Elliott (127) brought Glamorgan to the brink of victory after the visitors had been asked to score 307 runs to beat Middlesex in their championship match at Southgate and the Welsh county achieved the goal with two wickets in hand

Fine control by the English bowlers restricted the West Indian total to a mere 169 for eight wickets

Riverside, close of play: West Indies (169/8 off 50 overs) lost to England (171 for no wicket off 35.2 overs) by ten wickets

This is the most crucial match of the NatWest Series

England carried their magnificent form from Old Trafford to the picturesque Riverside ground in Durham and virtually ended West Indies' hopes of a passage to the final of the NatWest Series next Saturday

Brian Lara, although not in peak form, produced a fighting fifty for West Indies after more fine bowling by Alan Mullally had given England an early advantage in their match at the Riverside Ground at Chester-le-Street

England outclassed West Indies on a day in which they may have discovered the first-wicket partnership which they have been seeking for some time and re-discovered a competent bowling attack

Leicestershire are unlikely to suffer the fate of Middlesex and have points deducted for the state of their pitch after their Division One championship match with Durham ended with a day to spare