Gloucestershire have appointed Mark Alleyne as their coach on a four-year contract. He was player/coach in 2004 when they won the C&G Trophy for the fourth time in six years.Alleyne, 36, retired at the end of the summer after an 18-year playing career with the county, during which time he also represented England in 10 one-day internationals. “I am glad to have the opportunity to try to maintain the recent momentum,” he said, “I look forward to developing the club yet further.”Tom Richardson, Gloucestershire’s chief executive, was also happy with the deal: “It is important for our longer-term aspirations that we have key people in place and we are delighted that Mark Alleyne has committed himself to the club in this way. A number of senior players have made longer-term commitments to the club and it is excellent news that we will have someone of Mark’s quality leading them.”

Tasmania, who won the ING Cup on Sunday, have called in Luke Butterworth for the Pura Cup match against Victoria at the MCG starting on Thursday. Butterworth, the allrounder who took one wicket in the Tigers’ seven-wicket victory over Queensland, has replaced Darren McNees.Adam Crosthwaite, the wicketkeeper, will make his first-class debut in place of Peter Roach for Victoria. Crosthwaite has been a regular in the one-day side this season and his impressive performances have pushed him ahead of the incumbent Roach, who was dropped after the win over South Australia.Crosthwaite, 20, has played 11 limited-overs matches for Victoria and was a member of the Australia under-19 team in the 2003 Youth World Cup in Bangladesh. He is also a graduate of the Victorian Institute of Sport, and will become the 802nd player to represent Victoria at first-class level.The Bushrangers are fourth on the Pura Cup ladder, ten points behind New South Wales and Queensland, who are level on 28 points, and need an outright victory to pressure their rivals with three matches remaining. Tasmania are second last on eight points.Victoria Cameron White (capt), Jason Arnberger, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Matthew Elliott, Ian Harvey, Shane Harwood, Brad Hodge, Nick Jewell, Michael Lewis, Jonathan Moss, Graeme Rummans, Shane Warne.Tasmania Daniel Marsh (capt), Michael Di Venuto, Michael Bevan, George Bailey, Travis Birt, Luke Butterworth, Sean Clingeleffer (wk), David Dawson, Xavier Doherty, Brett Geeves, Adam Griffith, Damien Wright.

Free tickets are being offered for the eighth women’s World Cup which is being held in and around Pretoria and gets underway on Tuesday (March 22). Entry is free for all matches except the final at Centurion, where tickets are just R20 (£1.80).The free entry offer forms part of a marketing drive by the South African board (UCB) which includes TV adverts and interviews with the women’s team during the recent men’s series against England. More than 12,000 flyers have been distributed in clubs and schools.But the marketing push is limited by the relatively low budget of just R5 million (£450,000) – and the organisers have failed to find a sponsor. Cricinfo contributed £40,000 to the World Cup in New Zealand 2000, while Hero Honda sponsored the 1997-98 tournament in India but funding for this tournament has come exclusively from the IWCC and South African donors such as the Lotto. The UCB marketing manager, Ros Goldin, admits that marketing efforts could have been greater.”We’re not doing terribly much marketing,” Goldin told BBC Sport. “but that’s because there are no sponsors. The bulk of our miniscule marketing budget is going into signage and branding to at least give the games an event atmosphere.”

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Nathan Bracken destroyed Queensland’s Pura Cup home final with 6 for 27 as the Bulls fell for a miserable 102 at the Gabba. New South Wales, who decided against flying in Brett Lee from New Zealand, steamed through a disrupted opening day and held a pressing advantage as they reached 1 for 26 at stumps.Needing only a draw to win the trophy, Queensland started badly when Clinton Perren, Jimmy Maher and Shane Watson fell in 16 balls before Andrew Symonds (36) and Martin Love (24) shared the innings’ highest partnership of 42. But Grant Lambert, the allrounder preferred to Ed Cowan, dismissed Love, Matthew Nicholson added the important wicket of Symonds to go with Watson’s scalp, and Bracken returned with four more successes.Bracken was on a hat-trick after cleaning up Wade Seccombe and Ashley Noffke, but Joe Dawes defended his next ball, a swinging yorker, before becoming his sixth victim. The figures of 6 for 27 from 13.2 overs were the best since Wayne Holdsworth collected 7 for 41 against Queensland in the 1992-93 final.New South Wales suffered one setback in their chase when Greg Mail edged Watson to Andy Bichel at third slip, but bad light ended any hopes of more Bulls charging. Rain interrupted the first session and only six overs were possible before lunch, Queensland moving to 0 for 10 after being sent in by Brad Haddin.The Bulls appeared in their sixth consecutive Pura Cup final but they have not won the trophy since beating Tasmania at the Gabba in 2001-02. New South Wales also upset Queensland’s home advantage two seasons ago when they delivered a crushing 246-run victory.

It’s the first time India have made it to a World Cup final – must be a dream come true?
It really feels great that at last we have entered the final. All the girls are really excited.Captaincy seems to have made you more confident, something that can be seen in your batting?
When I go in to bat I don’t think that I am the captain, and I’ve got to get runs and the responsibility is on me. Today was a good example where others girls chipped in with vital contributions and helped the team cause. I had good partnerships with Anjum [Chopra] and Hemlata Kala and then short handy ones with the tail. The bowlers also did their job and that’s how we won by 40 runs. In the first few overs New Zealand were 30 for four with their top-order erased. So the credit goes to everyone.You had lost to New Zealand in the league game. That must have played on the minds?
Our first priority was: we to reach the semis. Once there we to make the final. We had lost in the league game to the Kiwis by 16 runs. So it was a pretty close contest, and didn’t hamper our confidence. If we had lost by a bigger margin our morale would have been down but that didn’t happen and we came back strongly.Where did India win the game today?
When we made 204, we knew that the pressure was on them as they were batting second.How did you go about shaping today’s innings?
I went in when couple of wicket were down – 38 for 2 – but I started in a confident fashion. I only had one thought in my mind when I walked in: “Today is the day I have to do it.” I told myself the team needed something big from me and I am glad I didn’t fail them. In that confident vein I went for my strokes. I should also give credit to the lower order who gave me good support.But at the beginning you were going very slow – at 30-over-mark India were 89 for 2?
Yes, I had this thought, at one stage, that we were going slow. But we also knew that if we are settled we cannot throw wickets to get the runs faster. And that’s what Anjum and I agreed in the beginning – that one of us had to stay to get the runs.

You have been playing with an injured right knee. Are you confident of playing the big one on Sunday?
I will definitely play the final – I cannot just leave my team now. I suffered the injury while playing the Nationals before the World Cup, and it had almost healed, but I don’t need to worry about that.Though India lost 4-3 to Australia in the home series, India won the last three games in a row. Does that give you the upper hand in the final?
We played at home and that was an advantage. Here the wickets are hard and the bounce is high, so we know they are going to attack us with short-pitch deliveries. But we’ve worked hard and practised with the boys at the preparation camp to get used to the conditions here.What will be the plan on Sunday? Australia are undefeated so far.
We just need to see off the new ball. And they just have one bowler who is very quick – Cathryn Fitzpatrick. In the first semis England lost the game when Fitzpatrick took three wickets in her first spell, thus exposing the English middle order. We need to keep that in mind and survive the first spell.

On the resilience of India’s tail this morning
I wasn’t particularly surprised that it took a while. If you’d said to me at the start of day one, that we’d wrap the game up after lunch on day five, I’d have taken that. Four wickets is four wickets in India. You’ve got to work hard no matter what, and today we reaped the benefits of some great work last night, and in the first innings when we batted. It’s no surprise, we knew it would be a challenge.On the margin of victory
I wouldn’t say it’s an easy Test win. It’s a convincing win for sure, 200-plus runs, but in these conditions, those sort of margins of victory can come around more easier than elsewhere. That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a huge gap between the teams, and it was certainly not a crushing win. I expect India to come back strongly. We’ve been here before, three years ago, but we’ve a different sort of confidence this time. I certainly didn’t know what it was like to lose a Test back then [in 2001]. I know now. I know what it means to lose and I know what it means to win, and I think that personifies what the team thinks.On the completeness of Australia’s performance
That was a very, very complete game of cricket for us. It went as close to our match plan as we could have hoped. I’m sure we’ll analyse our plans before Chennai, but I’m thrilled at how the guys went about their business. Our gameplan has certainly changed since 2001. There’s no need to delve into match plans or theories, but we’re a different team now, a bit more versatile.On the importance of the toss
In my experience, you do not just win the toss and win the Test. Whatever you do first, whether it’s bat or bowl, you must do it well. We won the toss here and batted well, and India will probably admit they didn’t bowl quite as well first up, although Harbhajan turned it around in the second innings. We fully expected that, and next time, it will be helpful for gameplan. But whether you bat first or second, that’s the crucial innings. You’ve got to set up your runs while the wicket is in a good state.On Shane Warne’s lack of penetration this morning
Let’s face it, in reality, India did not have a lot to lose this morning, other than a Test match [chuckles] … if that makes sense. I thought [Irfan] Pathan played Warne very well indeed. He’s an intelligent cricketer with experience beyond his years. The others rode their luck and took him on. They were not expected to perform heroics, so their approach was relaxed.Shane’s figures are sure to be analysed and scrutinised, and people will claim he was ineffective. I beg to differ. I thought he played a fantastic role. We have an attack based around fast bowlers, so if people want to call him a support bowler then so be it. I wouldn’t call him that. He got the most dangerous batsman that we’ve met in world cricket twice in two innings. If hetakes just eight wickets in the series and they are all VVS Laxman, I’ll take that.On the umpiring
There have been a great deal of words written about the umpires, and lots of airtime on TV, but it goes without saying that some decisions will go against batsmen at some time, and on this occasion, India were on the receiving end more often than not. It’s easy to say get on with it, take the good with the bad, but I don’t remember reading on day two in Kolkata, that the crucial wicket of Harbhajan’s hat-trick [Gilchrist himself] was a certain fairly dubious lbw decision. You’ve got to move on.And what’s more, there aren’t many people in this room who’ve played in front of a crowd like that. The noise is extraordinary. When I went into bat, I had to say to Billy Bowden: “Mate, I wouldn’t do your job for quids”. You have no ideaif a batsman has bat-padded, or got an inside-edge, or whatever. It’s a very, very difficult job, made more difficult in these conditions. You have to accept it and move on, and not get too critical.I understand the frustrations of the Indians in this game. But then, apart from two umpires, no-one’s ever congratulated me for walking. And yet today, I was made to feel bad for appealing for Virender Sehwag’s dismissal. As far as I knew, it was out. I’ve since seen there was some bat involved, but why should we be made to feel bad? Let’s be consistent.On the lessons learned from Australia’s various matches against India
We’ve focussed a lot on three years ago, but let’s not forget how India played in Australia last year. That Adelaide victory was a real shock, and it wasn’t that we didn’t rate India, but we scored 500 in the first innings and no team should lose from there. Somehow we did, and we’ve learnt a great deal from the Indians. There’s a wonderful aura around these series, whether it’s one-day cricket or Tests. This was another great battle, we’re thrilled to have won and we’ll celebrate tonight. But tomorrow it’ll be all hands on deck for Chennai.

Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu was due to travel abroad yesterday for medical treatment on a troublesome back injury which has plagued his 15-year international career.Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) sources said that the injury recurred during a training session as the Sri Lankan squad was preparing for the visit of West Indies for a two-Test series followed by a one-day triangular, also including India, starting in July.”Atapattu has been suffering from unbearable pain from a back injury and has been forced to seek medical treatment abroad,” said SLC CEO Duleep Mendis yesterday. Mendis said that the Sri Lankan captain’s progress would be closely monitored by SLC.Last year, shortly before Sri Lanka left on the tour to Australia, Atapattu complained of a back injury as a result of practicing indoors on the bowling machine, due to bad weather.”The time between balls is so small that while you are batting you don’t realise it. It was some time after practice that I started to feel some kind of stiffness in my back,” Atapattu said at the time, “When you are batting you sometimes tend to forget little things like that.”He also claimed that the back pains were a problem that he has had to deal with for most of his career. “It was worse in 2002 when Alex Kountouri (the team’s former physio) and someone called Shaun put me right with some treatment.”Atapattu, 34, and a veteran of 81 Tests and 225 one-day internationals recently criticised the heavy schedule his country will face in the next 12 months. He said that it would be hard on his players and not do any good to their fitness going through such a weighty program. Sri Lanka are due to play 15 Tests and 42 one-day internationals within this period.

Manicaland held out against champions Mashonaland until well into the afternoon at Mutare Sports Club, but a collapse by their lower middle order doomed them to defeat, which eventually came by nine wickets.For much of the morning session the overnight batsmen, Alistair Campbell and Stuart Matsikenyeri, raised hopes of forcing a draw as they played the bowling with little trouble on a placid pitch. The Mashonaland pace attack of Andy Blignaut and Gus Mackay rarely looked threatening under this conditions; Mackay returned the most economical figures and was the only bowler to find any significant swing during the match, but he has lost a bit of pace.When Campbell was bowled by Gripper for 92 – his third ninety in three weeks – the finger came out of the dyke. Matsikenyeri, with his second fifty of the match, lost his wicket through ball-watching; his new partner Guy Croxford played a ball to deepish mid-on but a fine throw from Craig Evans beat Matsikenyeri home. Three batsmen fell without scoring, and with Gary Brent making 14 Manicaland had lost six wickets for only 43 runs.Last man Justin Lewis showed more determination, however, and stayed in a last-wicket stand of 53 – a new Manicaland first-class record – with Croxford that ensured Mashonaland would have to bat again. They lost the wicket of Trevor Gripper in doing so, off-spinner Richie Sims winning an lbw verdict as some consolation for his tribulations of the first innings.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has welcomed the compromise agreement between Ten Sports and ARY over the broadcasting rights dispute that had threatened to disrupt coverage of the game in Pakistan. Both channels had jointly won the rights to telecast Pakistan cricket until 2008 – paying a total of US$43 million – and they settled their differences in the Lahore High Court.”We welcome the compromise between the Ten Sports and ARY and appreciate their gesture for withdrawing their litigations from the court,” said Shaharyar Khan, PCB chairman, quoted in . “This compromise will enable smooth and unhindered television coverage of the upcoming tri-nation series,” he added, referring to the seven-match ODI series which Pakistan will play against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.Ten Sports and ARY filed their compromise proposals before a High Court judge on Monday, and agreed to arbitration to settle their differences. Munir Sheikh, a retired judge, will attempt to find a solution once the current series is over.”I express my appreciation to the representatives of both the TV channels for their cooperation and flexibility in arriving this compromise,” said Shaharyar. The dispute between Ten Sports and ARY was just one of many issues that have plagued cricket broadcasting in South East Asia in recent times. Across the border, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has yet to arrive at a satisfactory solution to their own imbroglio, having cancelled the tender which was initially awarded to the Zee network.

Pakistan cricket authorities have told the International Cricket Council (ICC) that their players would not sport the logo of a liquor company sponsoring the Super Series against Australia in October, since alcohol consumption is against the tenets of Islam.”We have informed the ICC that our players will in no manner promote the logos or other promotional material if they are picked in the final World XI squads,” a Pakistan Cricket Board official told . “We didn’t want to put our players in a dilemma later on in the matches.”Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, was taken to court by a Pakistan citizen after he appeared in an advertising campaign for an Indian alcohol company two years ago. Akram denied the charges saying that he was promoting the company’s cricket gear and not alcohol.Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Akhtar, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq are the Pakistan players that have been selected in the provisional ICC World XI squad. The final team will be announced in August by a panel headed by Sunil Gavaskar, the former Indian captain.