Vaughan salutes Gough contribution

England one-day captain Michael Vaughan praised the performance of Yorkshire team-mate Darren Gough in the team's seven-wicket win over South Africa in the final of the triangular series, played at Lord's.

Gough, 32, recalled after nearly a year out with a knee injury, took two for nine in seven overs as South Africa were bowled out for 107 - their lowest ever one-day international total against England - after Vaughan won the toss and put them into bat on Saturday.

"Gough is an exceptional bowler. He has proved that over the years and he has proved invaluable for me out on the park," said Vaughan.

"He set the tone by getting in everything in the right place and putting South Africa under pressure."

Gough, ever-present in England's one-day team this summer, has taken 14 wickets in 10 matches, including one game against Zimbabwe at his Headingley home ground on July 1 in which England never took the field in a washed-out no-result.

"Putting them in, it was always our intention to get early wickets. But you have to give full credit to the bowlers because it was a decent wicket out there - I know I batted on it," said the 28-year-old England one-day skipper who made a brisk 30.

Gough is considered a mean foil to new-ball partner James Anderson, who at 20 has fast become the team's main pace spearhead.

Anderson has often been the more expensive of the pair and so it proved again on Saturday with his 10 overs going for 50 runs although he claimed three wickets.

"Jimmy is a wicket-taker," Vaughan said. "But with Gough at the other end, he dragged it back from the start."

The result meant Vaughan's first season as England one-day captain - since succeeding Nasser Hussain after the World Cup - ended with two trophies from two tournaments after the 2-1 series win at home against Pakistan, in June.

"It is not just picking up the trophies but the manner in which they have been won," said Vaughan.

"They have been on good wickets and we have bowled well and fielded well and chased runs down."

Hussain is set to resume the captaincy, with Vaughan stepping down to the ranks, for England's forthcoming five-Test series at home against South Africa starting at Edgbaston on July 24.

England are due to name their Test squad on Friday July 18.

Smith tells South Africa to 'remember the hurt'

South Africa captain Graeme Smith told his side to 'remember the hurt' of their seven-wicket loss in the final of the triangular series.

South Africa's fate was sealed when, after losing the toss, they were bowled out for 107 - their lowest ever one-day international total against England, who coasted home with nearly 30 overs to spare.

Smith, who gathered his players around him on the outfield after the match finished, told reporters: "I wanted to say something before it was too late. I told them to remember how bad it feels."

"We've come a long way in this series. We've played some fantastic cricket and some bad cricket. We were beaten comprehensively today and I told the players to remember the hurt."

Jacques Rudolph top scored in an innings where only former captain Shaun Pollock (18) and debutant Morne van Wyk (17) got past 11.

"I can't tell you what happened," said Smith, who made seven, when asked to explain South Africa's poor batting display.

"The English bowled well. They got the ball in the right areas. There was definitely a little bit of juice in the wicket early on. Every shot we played at we nicked," said Smith adding that he would have bowled first if he'd won the toss.

Smith, 22, South Africa's youngest-ever captain, continued: "In the series, the team batting first has won only once, when we beat Zimbabwe at Canterbury. Early on, there's always been a lot of juice in the wickets."

However, Smith insisted the Lord's wicket was not responsible for South Africa's defeat.

"I'm not blaming the pitch," Smith said emphatically.

Also, he maintained, the pressure of playing at Lord's, perhaps cricket's most historic venue, had not got to his side.

"There was no Lord's factor. We dealt with that last night (at practice) and got a feel of the ground."

South Africa have a five-Test series against England starting at Edgbaston on July 24.

And Smith said the presence of Gary Kirsten, Neil McKenzie and Charl Willoughby, who all missed the one-dayers but have been selected for the Test squad, would be a boost to the tourists.

"To be bowled out for 107 and end like this doesn't feel good. We've got a lot of one-day cricket in the year ahead of us and we've got to learn from this."

"We've got fresh faces coming and they'll bring a new feel. The guys need to relax a bit. There's been a lot of travelling."

"We start at Somerset next week (South Africa have a three-day match at Taunton beginning on Tuesday) and we've got to get straight into our Test disciplines," explained Smith.

"That will be the key to our success."

Before the first Test, South Africa have another first-class fixture, against India A at Arundel, starting on July 19.

Cricket stadium to be constructed in Pondy

Pondicherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Saturday said a cricket stadium would be constructed in Thattanchavady. It will be spread over 35 acres and the land would be acquired in six months' time.

International tournaments would be held in the stadium once it is completed, he said felicitating PCC, winners of the Aurobindo Cricket Cup 2003, organised by the Pondicherry Cricket Association.

Sri Lanka's ace spinner Muthaiah Muralitharan distributed the prizes.

Education Minister K Lakshminarayanan, who presided over the function, said Rs.4.5 crore was being spent every year for promotion of sports and games in the Union Territory.

It's Sami the sensational with 15 wickets

Kent's Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Sami destroyed Nottinghamshire on Saturday with a second innings haul of seven for 50 to finish the county championship match with an incredible 15 wickets in his team's 287-run win.

The 22-year-old had already taken 8-64 in the first innings as Nottinghamshire crashed to 156 all out in reply to Kent's first innings total of 362 at Maidstone.

His performance on Saturday left him with match figures of 15 for 114 and marked a stunning turnaround in his fortunes with the English club. In his first two county games, he had taken just three wickets at an average of 81.

The visitors had been set a massive 625 for victory and had resumed on the third day of the four-day game on 29 for two.

They reached 330 for five before Sami raised his game to wrap up the match for his side.

Sami will play with Kent until August when he will be replaced by Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttaiah Muralitharan.

Ian Chappell champions asylum-seekers' cause in Australia

One of Australian cricket's most successful captains, Ian Chappell, is seeking better treatment for asylum-seekers in the country.

Chappell, 59, who was renowned for his take-no-prisoners leadership style in the 1970s and his brushes with authority, is speaking out against the government's policy on asylum-seekers.

He is among a group of prominent sporting, political and church figures who are petitioning Prime Minister John Howard's conservative government for a just and compassionate treatment of refugees.

He appears in a documentary programme on Australian Broadcasting Corporation television, scheduled for screening on Monday night, showing him as an activist on behalf of the asylum-seekers.

Chappell has been lobbying political leaders in Canberra, visiting the Baxter Detention Centre in an isolated part of South Australia and meeting refugee groups.

He was part of a delegation that met Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock last March calling for urgent changes to the treatment of asylum-seekers, being kept in long-term detention throughout Australia.

Chappell is a patron of an organisation called 'A Just Australia', which seeks better treatment of refugees.

Other patrons in the group include former prime minister Malcolm Fraser, former Labor Party president Barry Jones, three-time Wimbledon tennis champion John Newcombe and Reverend Tim Costello, brother of Federal Treasurer Peter Costello.

"I first got involved around about the time of the Tampa (refugee boat) crisis and was annoyed with the way Australia were treating those people," Chappell said this week.

The government refused to allow the Norwegian vessel Tampa, carrying more than 400 asylum seekers it had rescued, to dock at Christmas Island in August 2001.

"I thought it wasn't a very humane treatment. Coincidently, I got a request from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to help them raise some funds for refugees in Afghanistan."

Chappell does not consider himself a political person, but said: "You can't help but feel that there's something wrong with the system we've got at the moment. There's got to be a better way to do it."

"From a humane point of view, I think it's a flawed policy and I believe if you feel strongly about something, you should stand up and say something."

His younger brother and former Test captain Greg Chappell said on the ABC programme to be aired on Monday: "He'd have been terrific with Che Guevara in Cuba, because there is a very strong socialist instinct in Ian Chappell."

Ian Chappell played 75 Tests and scored 5,345 runs. He captained Australia in 30 Tests, winning 15 and losing just five.

Karsan Ghavri appointed Bengal coach

Former Indian left arm medium pacer Karsan Ghavri would start his second innings as coach of the Bengal senior team in the coming season.

Mumbai-based Ghavri, who was earlier named coach in 2001-02 but quit the job after a month citing personal reasons, would arrive in Kolkata on July 22, Cricket Association of Bengal sources said.

Ghavri, who played 39 Tests taking 109 wickets besides representing the country in 19 one-dayers, replaces Sambaran Banerjee, who resigned from the post in June.

His appointment sets at rest month-long speculation about Banerjee's successor.

The CAB has been on the look-out for an outstation coach following Bengal's dismal performance in the Ranji trophy last season under Banerjee.

It first contacted W V Raman, who coached Bengal when they reached the Ranji Trophy semifinal in 2001-02, and then Robin Singh, but both declined the offer after their offices refused to sanction leave.