Nottinghamshire have awarded AJ Harris a benefit year. Harris, 34, joined from Derbyshire in 2000 and helped them to the 2005 Championship with 47 wickets.He said: “It’s a great honour to have played for Notts for the past eight years and to be awarded a benefit is fantastic. The supporters and members of Notts have always been very kind to me – just as the Derbyshire fans were in my time with them – and I am looking forward to giving something back next season.”It will be a big year for me and the club as we return to Division One. I’m very focused on having a good season and will be spending the winter working on getting fit and ready for action. I’ve already been fortunate enough to enjoy a decent career and firmly believe I can play on for another three or four seasons.”Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, said: “This is a well-deserved benefit for the whole-hearted and dedicated service AJ has given us. He has always given 100 per cent for Derbyshire and Notts and played a major role for us when we won the Championship. I wish him all the best for next season and believe he still has a lot to offer us on the field for years to come.”Harris had an injury-hit season in 2007 but still helped the club win promotion in the Championship, as well as finish second in the Pro40. He has taken 406 first-class wickets in his career at an average of 31.32 and has twice passed 50 wickets in a season.His name also appears in the record books: he became only the third man in history to be dismissed ‘Timed Out’ against Durham UCCE in 2003.

Andy Roberts, the former West Indies fast bowler, has won the Grand Cross of the Most Illustrious Order of Merit. The honour, Antigua and Barbuda’s second-highest civilian decoration, was conferred during the annual Independence Day parade at the Antigua Recreation Ground.Roberts, 56, who was the first Antiguan to play Test cricket for the West Indies, took 202 wickets in 47 Tests at 25.61 and 87 wickets in 56 ODIs at 20.35. He was part of the famed quartet of fast bowlers who took West Indies to the top of world cricket in the 1970s and early ’80s, the others being Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Colin Croft. He was also part of the West Indies team that won the 1975 and 1979 World Cups.Antigua and Barbuda was celebrating its 26th Independence Day anniversary.

ScorecardThis match was a great financial success, and there were 20,000 present on the last day when the gate realised £1,591.The MCC made 359 for 3 on the opening day. Herbert Sutcliffe and the Nawab of Pataudi making 283 for the second wicket–a record for the ground. Pataudi might have been run out when 71; otherwise he gave no chance and hit one six and twelve 4’s. Sutcliffe batted splendidly for nearly four hours, his chief hits being one six and 16 fours. Jardine made most of his runs on the leg side, while Hammond in his first match played very steadily and helped his captain in a fifth-wicket stand of 78.At the close of the second day’s play the Combined XI had scored 59 for no wicket. Heavy rain overnight made the wicket difficult on the last day, and Verity made the most of the conditions, McCabe alone playing with much confidence. Verity varied his pace and had five off fieldsmen and two leg fielders close to the batsman. Australian batsmen are not used to playing on had wickets, and most of them made the mistake of playing at too many balls.The later stages of the match were not treated seriously.

Multan defeated Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in a thriller by a three wickets margin, on the final day of their fifth-round match, at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday.Multan required a mere 116 to win but they made heavy weather of the task at hand. They lost seven wickets before they got home. The first four wickets fell with just 23 on the board, then the total was taken to 94 but three more wickets were lost. Naved Yasin, with an unbeaten 27, was joined by skipper Rauf, who made 20 not out and the two took their team to an exciting win.SSGC medium-fast bowler Shakeel-ur-Rehman from Peshawar had meanwhile bowled his heart out in bringing his team near a difficult triumph. Shakeel took five for 64 yesterday, that gave him a match haul of 10 for 162. In the end, though, his was a futile effort.Multan with 18 points from five matches have now jumped up to sixth place in the 11-team ranking, from their previous eighth spot. SSGC are down to number seven from the fifth positon, with 18 points from four appearances.Wasim Khan took five wickets and offspinner Irfanuddin chipped in with three to power National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to a eight-wicket win against Karachi Whites at the NBP Sports Complex Stadium on Friday.Resuming at their overnight 97 for 3, still 29 runs behind their opponents, Karachi Whites managed only a modest 202 in their second innings. That left National Bank a small target of 78 runs, which they achieved with ease.The only Karachi batsman to show some defiance yesterday was Daniyal Ahsan. He batted just over four hours and faced 156 balls in scoring 63 runs that included five fours. For National Bank, first innings centurion Nasir Jamshed was again in good form in the second, making an unbeaten 40 off 57 balls with six fours and two sixes.In five matches, National Bank have now taken their points tally to 36, but remain at second place behind Habib Bank in the 11-team Group A ranking. Habib Bank too have 36 points to their credit, but in only four appearances, and they also have a superior net run-rate. After five matches, of which they have won two and lost two, Karachi Whites remain stuck at 21 points.Islamabad returned to the top of the Group B ranking after registering an emphatic nine-wicket win over Karachi Blues at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground on Friday.Having resumed at 87 for one, requiring only a further 59 runs, the second-wicket pair took the score to 149 for one as Islamabad emerged victorious comfortably. The unbroken partnership was worth 140 runs: Umair Khan hit 68 not out off 93 with 13 fours while Farrukh Hayat achieved the first half-century of his first-class career, making an unbeaten 51 off 107 deliveries.Islamabad, who had slipped to number three in the 11-team Group B table following a defeat at the hands of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in the fourth round, are now back on the top. They have won all their other matches for a tally of 36 points.
At the Bugti Stadium Quetta, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) went from eighth place to sixth when they beat Quetta by five wickets. They had needed only 144 runs to win and they did so for the loss of five wickets. KRL, however, collected only six points as they had earlier surrendered a nine-run first innings lead to Quetta..

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New South Wales jumped back to the top of the Pura Cup table with a crushing 260-run win over Queensland, who lost seven wickets in one session on the final day. The Bulls have had a horror start to their season and their fourth defeat was confirmed just before lunch when Matthew Nicholson collected his third victim of the innings.The Bulls began the day on 3 for 79 chasing an unlikely 412 and it seemed that Brisbane’s stormy weather forecast might be their only salvation. But they lost 7 for 72 in less than two hours and especially struggled against Nicholson and Doug Bollinger, who each finished with 3 for 25.Queensland’s bleak day began to unfold when Jimmy Maher (12) was bowled by Bollinger on the overnight total. Not even their allround hero Ashley Noffke could save them and he fell to Grant Lambert for 8.A brief 38-run stand between Chris Hartley and Daniel Doran followed before Hartley was caught behind off Stuart Clark for 23 and Nicholson had Doran (15) also caught behind in the next over. Nicholson finished the job by removing Michael Kasprowicz for 1 and the Blues breathed a sigh of relief that the weather would not ruin their party.Queensland have some major concerns in the Pura Cup, where they are now winless from their opening six matches this season. Their promotion of Shane Watson to open continued to be a failure – he made 13 and 0 in this match – and their coach Terry Oliver predicted he might move back down the order for the next game.

ScorecardA washed out game at the Sinovich Park in Sinoville, Pretoria meant hosts South Africa Under-19 need to win their final encounter against India Under-19 on Saturday to have a chance of qualifying for the final of the triangular tournament.After rain affected Thursday’s game between India and Bangladesh, it ruined the match between South Africa and Bangladesh, with even the toss not having taken place. South Africa had lost their earlier match against Bangladesh and with only two matches remaining before the final, the hosts must win against India, and hope India beat Bangladesh, which most likely will see South Africa qualify on a better net run-rate.South Africa, though, face a tough ask, as India have won both their matches thus far in the tournament.