The white pillars leading into the cricket ground at Harare Sports Club bear the name `FG Brooks’. Today, few people will have heard of the man who is arguably the most outstanding allround sportsman to have represented the former British colony. Fewer still will associate his name with Zimbabwe’s inaugural first-class cricket match which began on March 16, 1905. It occurred when the country was known as Rhodesia and controlled by the British South Africa Company. Its administrator was William Milton, who had played rugby for England and captained South Africa at cricket. He promoted sport within the country’s white population which had grown slowly but steadily to about 10,000 at that stage.In January 1905 the mining magnate and leading cricket administrator, Abe Bailey, visited Bulawayo. His arrival coincided with a week in which cricket was in full swing, involving teams from Queens, BAC, Raylton, BSAP, Matopos, King’s, Banks and the Civil Service. Impressed by what he saw, Bailey told the Rhodesians that they should be playing in the Currie Cup. It was subsequently arranged for them to enter the competition at the semi-final stage.It appeared a wonderful opportunity but the odds were stacked against the side. Their opponents – the mighty Transvaal – included leading Test players Jimmy Sinclair, Ernest “Barberton” Halliwell, Maitland Hathorn, Louis Tancred and Reggie Schwarz. In contrast, Rhodesia had only once before fielded a cricket team and that was against Lord Hawke’s English XI in March, 1899. The Rhodesians had used 15 men on that occasion but were still defeated by an innings and 65 runs.Harry Taberer, the Rhodesian and later South African captain, claimed 5 for 62 against Hawke’s team and was rated by Plum Warner as the fastest bowler the tourists had faced. But he had since taken up employment in Pretoria and was no longer available. Prominent amongst those still in Rhodesia were Leo Robinson who had played for Natal, Sonny Taberer and Colin Duff, although the latter two were better known for their rugby prowess.The most exciting prospect was undoubtedly the youthful Freddie Brooks, a recent arrival from England. At Bedford Grammar School he had been regarded as probably the finest schoolboy sportsman in the land. He was a dashing cricket captain (whose unbeaten scores of 162 and 196 were the highest made for the school) and a brilliant rugby three-quarter, thought then to be `the fastest man playing football’ in England. He was also the Public Schools’ athletic champion in the 100 yards, the hurdles, long jump and high jump.Fellow pupils at Bedford, Cecil and Jumbo Milton, told their father – the administrator of Rhodesia – about the brilliant young sportsman. He was promptly offered a position in the Rhodesian civil service and arrived in time for the start of the 1902-03 season. The talented 19-year-old made an immediate impression. His first innings in his adopted country resulted in a swiftly accumulated 121 for Causeway in their derby encounter against Kopje. A week later he struck another century, this time for the All-Comers – Brooks was born in Bombay, India – against Home-born.An interested observer was Herbert Castens who had captained the first South African team to tour England in 1894. He had since become Milton’s chief secretary and a member of the Rhodesian Legislative Assembly. He was enthralled by the audacious batting of the youngster and told the cricket correspondent of Johannesburg’s Rand Daily Mail that Brooks “was good enough to play for South Africa”.Against the Transvaal, Brooks would be fully tested, not least because he had little time for preparation. Salisbury was slow to resume cricket after the Christmas break as its sportsmen were competing in a series of tennis championships and athletic meetings. Brooks won the first of his Rhodesian tennis singles and athletic sprint titles, whilst also setting a national record for the high jump.The Matabeleland Cricket Union handled arrangements for the trip. There were few gripes about the team chosen but in all other matters – raising funds, organising transport and general communication – the MCU was alarmingly inefficient. The players discovered their passages had not been booked and there were insufficient beds on the train. “The condition of the men after the journey can be imagined,” commented the Bulawayo Chronicle. “At the best it looks like a very uphill task for Rhodesia.”Ironically, the Rhodesians found the worst part of their journey came after Mafeking when they travelled by coach to Potchefstroom. There was no connecting link by train and heavy rains had resulted in muddy roads and swollen rivers. Travelling was hazardous but the team could not afford to be delayed. Urged on by the players, the drivers of the mules took some frightening risks. Even in the day-time when one of the players, Albert Tummell, perched precariously on top of the coach in the pelting rain and tried to give some guidance to the driver, there was always the chance the coach might go into a washed-out hole and be capsized. In crossing rivers there was also the possibility that the swimming mules might lose their direction and allow the vehicle to float downstream.At night those dangers were increased. Time and again, the cricketers had to sit with water swirling around their feet and sleep was impossible. For twenty-six hours the coach battled against the elements before, wet and exhausted, the team boarded the train at Potchefstroom.Heavy rain in Johannesburg continued until 8.30 on the morning of the match. When it cleared sufficiently to permit play at 11.15am, “a cold bleak wind made elements anything but pleasant for cricket.” Leo Robinson won the toss and put Transvaal into bat on a wicket which the rain had rendered, if anything, easy. Yet by bundling out five of the top-order Transvaal batsmen for 123, the visitors appeared to have justified their captain’s decision. Dropped catches allowed John Slatem to compile 154 at a rapid rate and Transvaal was let off the hook. The home side put together a healthy 340, despite the efforts of left-arm George Anderson who bowled admirably to take 7 for 91.The match was held up again the next day after heavy overnight rain. When play resumed, Freddie Brooks was in fine form. Striking the ball fluently he moved smoothly to a half-century that was punctuated with nine 4s and a 6. Wickets fell at the other end and at lunch the Rhodesians were 109 for 5 with Brooks on 59.The Rand Daily Mail cricket correspondent recalled Castens’ advice of `a year or two ago that Brooks was good enough to play for South Africa, adding, “and from what I saw I am inclined to agree with him. Brooks played all round the wicket like a finished cricketer and was quite at home.” He took a while to work out the googly deliveries of Reggie Schwarz but relished the medium-pace bowling of Sinclair and struck a mighty six off him into the adjacent baseball ground.Unfortunately for Rhodesia, Brooks was out shortly after the break for 61, having batted for one hour and 40 minutes. The next four wickets were unable to make a contribution and the innings crumbled to 115 all out.Following-on, the Rhodesians suffered an immediate set-back when Brooks was bowled off Richard Norden’s first delivery. Not recovering from this shock, they were bundled out for an inept 55 to give Transvaal a huge victory. Norden returned figures of 8 for 12 and was later presented with the ball suitably mounted, a piece of memorabilia that now appears in the Gauteng Cricket Museum.It was to be Rhodesia’s last cricket venture in South Africa for a quarter of a century. But Brooks returned to Johannesburg the following year to play in the rugby Currie Cup. He was to be Rhodesia’s inspiration, his great pace on attack and courage in defence attracting favourable comment. The Rand Daily Mail described him as “the best wing three-quarter who has taken part in the tournament” and The Star added that he “must surely be selected to go to England” with the South African team.Brooks was not selected for a tour partly designed to help unite the two white races in the aftermath of the Anglo-Boer War. A ruling was introduced that players had to have served a five-year residential qualification and it found Brooks missing out by a matter of a few months. There was suspicion that the rule had been set up to keep him out as he had played for a country not strictly part of the unification process and he was also known to have maintained links with English rugby during his leave periods.Paddy Carolin, vice-captain of the Springboks, was furious and set about trying to draft Brooks into the side. The two men met at Southampton and Carolin revealed his plan. A telegram was subsequently sent to the South African Rugby Board asking permission for Brooks to join the touring team because of injuries to two players. To Carolin’s dismay, the request was rejected – a replacement would be sent from South Africa.Brooks in the mean time had started playing. He was in tremendous form, scoring nine tries in four matches for Bedford. He was chosen to play for the South against the North in an English trial at Blackheath and was the outstanding player on the field, scoring four tries.Selection for England followed against South Africa at Crystal Palace on a soft and greasy ground with play being hampered by showers of rain. It was for good reason that the South Africans feared the Rhodesian speedster who was quite at home in such conditions. And concern swept through their ranks when he became the first player to stir the partisan 40 000 crowd. According to the Morning Post, “he put everyone on the tip-toe of expectancy in the first few minutes by a dashing run.”The Springboks led 3-0 at half-time and displayed dogged determination in conditions that deteriorated to the extent that the match was described as `mud-larking’. One notable scribe, CB Fry, thought that “only play of the most brilliant order saved the game under such conditions from bathos.”The English scored the only points in a desperate second-half struggle. It was Brooks who dribbled the ball into the South African half. A ruck developed. At the right moment, recalled the Morning Post, the ball was quickly heeled: “Jago gave an excellent pass to Stoop; the latter gently kicked over the defensive wall and the speedy Brooks, waiting for something to turn up went for the leather like a shot from a gun. He was there first; a storm proclaimed his try. Yes his deed was done; the scores were equal. But the general excitement proved too much for the English captain, VHO Cartwright, and he failed to add the extra points.”Paul Roos, the Springbok captain, thought the drawn match “had shown them all as equals” and that the tour had united the South African [white] nation. “From Cape Agulhas to the Zambesi,” he said, “South Africa was one and all differences have been forgotten.”There was irony in the fact that the only player from the area immediately south of the Zambesi had played for England. And, not long afterwards, Brooks was on his way back to Africa where, it was said, he had an appointment with a young lady who was to become his wife. He turned down the opportunity to play rugby for England against Wales and France. It had all been a wonderful adventure, although Carolin continued to bemoan the fact that Brooks “should have been playing for us, as he was a Rhodesian on holiday in England.”Rhodesia played two other first-class cricket matches before the First World War, both against HDG Leveson-Gower’s touring side in 1909-10. Brooks was unavailable for the first of the matches at Bulawayo which was lost by an innings and 120 runs, but played in the second at Salisbury. It was a match the Rhodesians might have won if time had not run out. Brooks scored a second-innings 51 but was over-shadowed by Herbert Keigwin (Cambridge University and London County) who made the colony’s first century (111) and Leo Robinson who struck 95 and 57.Brooks was for a number of year’s Rhodesia’s leading cricketer, athlete, football, rugby and tennis player. He was also one of the country’s most respected personalities, serving as Master of the High Court and then Chairman of the Public Service before his death in 1947. He was awarded the OBE.

Scorecard

A sparkling and characteristically boundary-strewn 152 not out by Ali Brown gave Surrey a slim first-innings lead on an overcast day against Middlesex at Lord’s. With only one day left, the odds are still on a draw, but Surrey could still force an improbable win if they were to bowl Middlesex out fairly cheaply tomorrow. Although only 20 wickets have fallen in three days so far, the pitch showed a few hints that it might be getting a little more inconsistent.The beauty of Brown is you know what you are getting, and he was soon into his stride after Alan Richardson had removed Richard Clinton without adding to his overnight 73. Brown was in no mood to be subdued, and from the moment Richardson struck again, Jonathan Batty holing out to Paul Weekes at third man, Surrey took firm control.Brown and Dominic Thornely feasted on Middlesex’s all-seam attack cutting and driving with power and authority. Thornely, who a week ago was chilling out doing a little fishing in Australia, found his stride and hit the shot of the day, a straight drive which shattered a window in the refurbished pavilion.

Their stand of 184 in two-and-a-half hours was ended when one from Scott Styris kept low and crept under Thornely’s jab, but the veteran Martin Bicknell hung around with Brown long enough to finally deflate Middlesex’s hopes. With Mark Ramprakash out of the match with a cracked thumb, the tail had beckoned.Bicknell eventually fell for 33 to a questionable leg-before to the occasional seam of Ed Joyce, the eighth bowler used by Ben Hutton, and as Brown cut loose, Surrey’s tail fell away in the hunt for quick runs as the gloom descended.If Brown dominated with bat, it was yet another successful day for Richardson whose six wickets took his season total to 38, the same as his previous best in a whole summer.

Vincent Hogg, who resigned as managing director of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union in August, has until now kept his silence over the whole rebel-player crisis. But AFP are reporting that he was ready to tell all to the ICC hearing into allegations of racism levelled against the Zimbabwe board.As the hearing was cancelled, Hogg will instead write to the ICC outlining several incidents involving black ZCU directors, explaining that these led to his decision to stand down at the board’s AGM.”I am going to write to the adjudicators describing some of the things that were done and said to me during the dispute with the players,” he told the agency. “For instance one director told me that whites have no right to be in the country at all … and that was during a formal meeting.”Some of the directors were totally out of order in this regard and it was extremely upsetting to have to listen to that sort of racist language,” he continued. “I was hoping to give this evidence orally to the two adjudicators when they were here last week, but I did not get the chance.”The news that Hogg is willing to speak out will be a blow to the Zimbabwe board. Whereas it believed that it could counter the players’ evidence, the testimony of Hogg, who was privy to most board meetings, will be harder to dismiss. Hogg was embroiled in several incidents towards the end of his tenure, and whereas those would have been recounted to the hearing third hand, his testimony could be far more damning. He added: “Some of the things said to me at that time were just terrible.”But Hogg said that he did not agree with the rebels that the national selectors acted improperly or favoured coloured players over whites.

Gloucestershire have bought their ground at Nevil Road in Bristol back from Royal & Sun Alliance, the landlords, who originally purchased it in 1976. Since Gloucestershire, who won the C&G Trophy this season, sold the ground to R&SA, they have enjoyed a long leasehold, which would have expired in 2042.”This is excellent news for us,” said Alan Haines, Gloucestershire’s chairman. “To re-acquire the ground is extremely important to us, and is something that we have been seeking to achieve for a number of years. This move will help to secure our future and give us significantly increased flexibility in taking the club forward.”We are grateful for the excellent relationship we have with the R&SA, who have agreed ground advertising with the club for the next five years.”The already-established sports and fitness club is now directly controlled by Gloucestershire, and further investment in the overall sporting facility is expected. Under the terms of the deal, Gloucestershire will not be able to sell the ground within 15 years without the R&SA’s involvement.

The forthcoming Afro-Asia one-day series risks hitting the buffers before it has even started with the news that, so far, there has been a distinct lack of enthusiasm regarding the TV rights.ESPN/Star, who would usually be considered among the front-runners for such a contest, are committed to showing the Zimbabwe-New Zealand Test series (which clashes with the first game) and then English Premier League football (which clashes with the second and third matches). Additionally, the three ODIs fall in the middle of their Ashes coverage.Ten Sports, another likely bidder, are covering the Rabobank hockey tournament, featuring the leading nations including India and Pakistan. And although South Africa’s Supersport has expressed interest, they have also said that they are not willing to pay for the rights.The appeal of the event has not been helped by the questionable availability of leading players. The entire Zimbabwe squad are effectively ruled out by their national commitments, while a number of the South African side have county contracts which they are reported to be unwilling to break to play in matches which have questionable value, despite them having the official backing of the ICC.Pakistan announced today that none of their players would be forced to take part, with a senior official quoted as saying that “if any player wants to skip the event it’s all right with us”.The only guaranteed big-name participants appear to be India, although Sachin Tendulkar, their main draw, is out injured. Given that the tournament is the brainchild Jagmohan Dalmiya, there is likely to be intense pressure on the Indians to agree to take part.When the event was first touted – to a decidedly mixed response – it was hoped that TV rights could be worth more than $10 million over a three-year period, but with less than three weeks to go until the opening match, it seems that the organisers might have to take whatever they can get.

The troubled Mashonaland Cricket Association held a lively annual general meeting on Friday evening, which finally ended after a gruelling five hours.Tavengwa Mukuhlani, a member of the Zimbabwe cricket board, sailed through as chairman under a constitutional provision which allowed him to continue for a second year at the helm of Zimbabwe’s biggest cricket stakeholder.The meeting was held without the complete audited financial report, which raised emotional opposition from some administrators. Mukuhlani explained that the auditors would release the full audited accounts soon, attributing the delay to the squabbles which threatened to paralyse cricket operations in the province until his board was retained by the same clubs who had previously passed a vote of no confidence in them.Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, was present but remained was quite throughout, while sacked national team coach Phil Simmons left midway through the meeting.

Glenn McGrath has emerged as an injury doubt for the fourth Test at Trent Bridge after experiencing pain in his right elbow. The problem arose during Australia’s practice session on Tuesday, and he was sent for a scan at a Nottingham hospital. A final decision on whether he plays will be made in the morning.”He will continue to be treated and assessed,” Eroll Alcott, Australia’s physiotherapist said, “and a further update on his fitness will be provided in due course.” McGrath was said by sources close to the team to be responding to treatment and Ricky Ponting was reported to be confident that he would be fit to lead Australia’s attack.McGrath missed the second Test at Edgbaston with an ankle injury after treading on a stray cricket ball, and though he was passed fit ahead of the third match at Old Trafford, he was not at his incisive best. However, with the series tied at one apiece, McGrath’s absence would be a huge blow to Australia after Shaun Tait was named to replace Jason Gillespie, his South Australia team-mate, and make his debut tomorrow.Tait’s promotion ahead of Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz, who remain in contention after McGrath’s scare, was confirmed during a fiery net session at Trent Bridge when he discomforted team-mates and hit Justin Langer in the groin. Kasprowicz was expected to be the first-choice replacement, but Australia have decided to risk Tait, 22, in their bid to retain the Ashes.Jeff Thomson tipped Tait for the fourth Test and said the side deserved a “rocket”. “Not just the bowlers but the batsmen as well,” he told the . “For the first time in a long time they have had bowlers good enough to stick it up them and they don’t like it. The bloke [Tait] took 65 wickets in Pura Cup cricket last year. He can obviously bowl and that’s all that matters.”

Younis Khan, the Pakistan vice-captain, has said that they will have to keep Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen in check to have a successful home series against England in October.”We can’t let them [Flintoff and Pietersen] get away. Because they are match-winners and play the spinners well they will hold the key to the series in Pakistan and India,” Younis was quoted as saying by Reuters. “They are a destructive pair and they can turn a match around with their positive approach. They made the difference in the Ashes series.” Younis also said that the series against England would be a tough one. “They [England] have just beaten Australia and any side which has done even reasonably well against Australia in recent times has gone on to perform in their next series.”Having just returned from a six-week stint with Nottinghamshire as a replacement for Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, Younis said that he was not satisfied with his county experience and wished that he had played more cricket while in England.”Honestly speaking there is not a feeling of fulfilment after the six-week stint. Firstly because there was no cricket played on 20 to 22 days of my contractual period of 42 days. We [Nottinghamshire] were not in the Twenty20 Cup and C&G tournament.” Younis was quoted as saying by . “Then I also took time to settle down and adjust to the conditions there which become wet and rainy at this time of the year. But I definitely would like to go back for another stint in England and show my true worth.”He also added that he was impressed by the manner in which cricket was organised and managed in England. “I learnt a lot from observing how they manage things in many areas. They are very well organised and the people there were also very receptive and appreciative of your efforts.”Michael Vaughan, the England captain, said that England needed to perform well in the series against Pakistan and then India in March 2006 to dethrone Australia as the top team in Test cricket. “We haven’t been to the subcontinent and won yet,” said Vaughan. “If we play good cricket over there, I’m sure the rankings will change.”England’s tour of Pakistan starts on October 26 and comprises three Tests and five one-day internationals.

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

A canny spell of left-arm spin bowling from Murali Kartik, when he finished with his best one-day figures, set it up before S Vidyut’s spirited 87 ensured that they cruised to a comfortable three-wicket win in the final of the Challenger Trophy in Mohali. The India Seniors bowlers applied the choke effectively, after choosing to field first, and restricted India B to a modest 177, a total which, despite the impressive efforts of Piyush Chawla, and S Sreesanth was never going to be enough with a rampaging batting line-up to contend with.India B were undone by Zaheer Khan early on, when he induced the top-order batsmen into indiscretion, and were flummoxed by Kartik’s accuracy while they tried to accelerate. Once they had lost their top order cheaply, Kartik got into the act with a controlled spell, extracted disconcerting turn, mopped up the tail with hardly any fuss and ended with the second-best spell in the history of the Challenger Trophy. The chase was kick-started by Vidyut, the opening batsman from Tamil Nadu who got his first chance in the tournament, with some gorgeous cover-drives and, unlike the rest; he handled the spinners with assurance en route to an entertaining 87 that included 15 fours.Vidyut, a tall aggressive left-hander, started off as a left-arm spinner and turned in some fine performances in the Under-19 level. But his batting improved just as his bowling fell away as he turned into one of the mainstays in the Tamil Nadu batting line-up, impressing with his flashy batting at the top of the order in one-dayers. He kick-started the chase by belting S Sreesanth, who was named as the Man of the Series for his pacy bursts, and used his feet delectably when the spinners came on. He lost partners at regular intervals but kept up the tempo and left when only five more were required.Most of the other batsmen struggled against the wiles of Chawla, a 16-year-old legspinner from Uttar Pradesh. Not too many bowlers deceive Sachin Tendulkar with a googly and to sneak one in through the gate, as Tendulkar tried to cut, was a stunning sight. Chawla, who came into bowl within the first ten overs, continued to toss the ball up, rip it past the bat and was comfortable both over and around the wicket. Sreesanth too continued his fine showing with the ball – coming back after a pasting in the first two overs to finish with 3 for 32 and always steaming in – that only delayed the inevitable.The scales, though, tilted earlier in the day when India B stuttered against Zaheer and Kartik. Their problems began right at the top with Robin Uthappa, who produced a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hundred yesterday, slashing airily at a full-pitched one as Mohammad Kaif completed a straightforward chance. Kaif, though, had to hobble off in the 9th over owing to a hamstring pull and didn’t take part in the game therafter. Sridharan Sriram experienced a similar fate and his dismissal was almost a mirror image of the first wicket.And the road got bumpier when Dinesh Mongia, the captain, cut recklessly, just like he had done in their first game, and offered a simple chance to the backward-point fielder. The rest of the innings was based on slow-moving partnerships as India B tried to post a modest total. Shikhar Dhawan and Yousuf Pathan weathered a tough period but both fell just after they appeared to have found their groove. Parthiv Patel impressed one again, , with some punchy strokeplay, but was unlucky to be given out lbw when he got an inside edge to an incoming ball from Kartik.Ravikant Shukla was solid in his patient 26, made off 71 balls without a single boundary, but the rest fell around him while going for the big hits. With Kartik bowling with such accuracy, though, they didn’t stand a chance.

India B
Robin Uthappa c Kaif b Zaheer 9 (13 for 1)
Sridharan Sriram c Rao b Zaheer 8 (29 for 2)
Dinesh Mongia c Yadav b Harbhajan 7 (43 for 3)
Yousuf Pathan c Tendulkar b Harbhajan 20 (70 for 4)
Shikhar Dhawan c Dhoni b Zaheer 26 (91 for 5)
Parthiv Patel lbw b Kartik 39 (141 for 6)
Sunny Singh b Kartik 5 (150 for 7)
Piyush Chawla st Dhoni b Kartik 5 (157 for 8)
Amit Bhandari st Dhoni b Kartik 4 (164 for 9)
Sreesanth st Dhoni b Kartik 5 (177 all out)
India SeniorsSachin Tendulkar b Chawla 22 (46 for 1)
Yuvraj Singh c Shukla b Chawla 5 (67 for 2)
Venugopal Rao c Parthiv b Sreesanth 18 (113 for 3)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni st Patel b Chawla 6 (122 for 4)
Jai Prakash Yadav c Uthappa b Mongia 10 (143 for 5)
S Vidyut b Sreesanth 87 (173 for 6)
Satyajit Parab b Sreesanth 4 (177 for 7)

Ashley Giles may be forced to miss England’s one-day campaign in Pakistanto undergo treatment on a long-standing hip injury.The same problem caused Giles to miss the Test series against Bangladeshlast summer but according to his coach, Duncan Fletcher, he was notconsidered a doubt for either of the remaining two Tests of the series.”It’s a slight problem,” said Fletcher. “We’re going to monitor him forthe next two Tests, and there is a chance we’ll want to send him backearly. He felt it in the summer and it is the same thing that hasprogressed.”He is not a doubt for this match, but we will look at the one-dayers, andahead to the Tests in India, and take action depending on how bad it is.”England took similar action last winter, when it was decided that the spurin Andrew Flintoff’s ankle needed to be removed immediately after thefinal Test in Centurion. He missed the seven-match one-day series thatfollowed, and as a result was fully fit for the Ashes series that began inJuly.With a tough tour of India beginning in March, England will want to givetheir No. 1 spinner plenty time to recuperate if the injury proves to bemore serious than it is currently believed to be.