Goal fest at Barguna:

Abahani Krira Chakra of Barguna wiped out Bara Bari Boys Club of Patuakhali 9-0 in the Bashundhara Champions Club Cup at the Barguna Stadium yesterday.

Shamim scored a hattrick, netting his three in the 10th, 65th and 85th minutes, while Mamun (6th, 55th), Shagor (12th), Nantu (23rd), Mohon (29th, 35th) completed rest of the honours for Abahani.

It was another high scoring match at Rajshahi where Alor Dishari Club of Chapainawab-ganj beat Shingra Upazilla of Natore 5-2 in front of an estimated 3,000 people. Royel (8th, 63rd), Romnobel (67th), Faisal (71st) and Taposh (76th) scored the goals for the winners while Shakil and Enamul netted the two consolatory goals for the team from Natore.

In other matches, Fantose Sports Association drubbed Agnishikha Sangsad (Lalmonirhat) 3-0 at the Rangpur Stadium, Lauyai Sporting Club (Sylhet) defeated Young Tiger Nurpur (Habiganj) 2-0 at the Habiganj Stadium, Bangamani Football Academy (Chuadanga) beat Crescent Club (Kushtia) 3-2 at the Meherpur Stadium and Shamabesh Club (Munshiganj) beat Shonali Otit Club (Manikganj) at the Tangail Stadium.

At the Habiganj Stadium, Telinagar New Sporting Club (Brahmanbaria) got a walkover against Young Star Club (Moulvibazar).

Ghagra Sporting Club (Sherpur), Abahani KC (Mymensingh), Sabuj Shena Club (Faridpur), Shamyo Krira Goshti (Thakurgaon), Ummochon Club (Bagerhat) and Chittagong Mohammedan all drew their respective matches.

At the Bhasha Shaheed Salam Stadium in Feni the match between Moha-mmedan SC (Comilla) and Chowrasta Club (Laxmipur) was abandoned due to bad weather.

Prior, Shah lift Eng

Matt Prior's one-day international best of 87 was the highlight of England's record total against the West Indies of 328 for seven at Edgbaston here on Tuesday.

Together with Owais Shah, who made an entertaining 75, wicketkeeper Prior put on 149 in 126 balls for the third wicket as England surpassed their previous ODI best against the West Indies of 306 for five at The Oval in 1995.

It was further proof, after their six-wicket win at Bristol on Sunday, that England could function effectively without injured stars Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen.

England captain Andrew Strauss (52) and Ravi Bopara (49) gave the hosts a solid start after West Indies captain Chris Gayle won the toss and chose to field in a match the tourists had to win to end the series all square at 1-1.

But first change Fidel Edwards, in his first over of the series, almost took a wicket when Strauss on 16, cut to backward point where Kieron Pollard, diving forward, failed to hold the difficult, low chance.

England's fifty came up in 62 balls and Bopara continued to find the boundary with some superb square-cuts and drives in a spell of four fours in nine balls faced.

But Bopara was one short of his fifty when, after pushing forward with an angled bat against Dwayne Bravo, the ball struck his pad before rolling onto his stumps.

Bopara's runs had come off 54 balls with seven fours and England were now 81 for one off 15 overs.

England captain Strauss though did get to fifty, off 65 balls with seven fours, but his next ball saw him stumped by wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin off giant left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.

Strauss's Middlesex colleague Shah forced the pace by hammering Edwards so hard for four through mid-wicket that Ramnaresh Sarwan had to go off injured, after getting a hand to the bal.

Shah completed a run-a-ball fifty in flamboyant fashion with a wristily pulled six off Bravo, that also brought up a century partnership with Prior.

England's batting powerplay yielded 55 runs in five overs.

Shah then made the most of a free-hit to launch Jerome Taylor for six only to hole out next ball with England 289 fir five in the 46th over.

Paul Collingwood, on his 33rd birthday, took England past 300 with a four off Taylor before next ball striking the paceman for six.

CC World Twenty20
England 09

T20 test for Ricky:

Ricky Ponting flies to England on Wednesday as one of Australia's most accomplished Test and one-day players, but his reputation in the Twenty20 set-up is less certain. While Ponting is about to join previous heroes such as Steve Waugh, Allan Border and Don Bradman as players to have gone on four Ashes tours, his high standing as a modern batting master does not guarantee success in the game's shortest form.

Australia are carrying a relatively old, yet inexperienced, team to the World Twenty20 and when Ponting leads his men against West Indies on June 6 he will be playing only his 16th international. Often when this sort of engagement arrives Ponting takes a rest and his wild talents are much better suited to the longer styles. Seeing him attempt slogs so early in an innings is unfair on his style, although he is not a tortoise, scoring his 376 career runs at a strike-rate of 131.

Even Ponting, an undoubted great in the other environments, struggles when rating his performance in the freshest genre. "Batting where I do in the top order of Twenty20 cricket, it can sometimes be a bit difficult," he said during the team's pre-tour camp on the Sunshine Coast. "Obviously the earlier you get in the better chance you've got of making a big score but you're expected to play in a certain way. Top-order batsmen are always going to have their ups and downs in that sort of game."

Ponting has not passed 38 in his previous four Twenty20 matches and knows his record. "The past couple of games I've played have been very poor," he said. "In the two games in South Africa I made 1 in each. It's not great form going into a World Cup."

Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist showed in the IPL that age was no barrier in 40-over affairs and while Ponting is only 34, it's possible that he will not be embracing all three formats when the next Twenty20 World Cup is held in 2010. Australia's selectors have grown used to chopping older players from the one-day side if they are not going to be around for the next global tournament, but Ponting would not be drawn on when he would shave Twenty20 from his schedule.

He rejoined the Australia squad on Sunday after missing the series against Pakistan to rest and is fresh and excited ahead of the five-month trip to England. The World Twenty20 acts as a two-week warm-up for the Ashes in July, when Ponting will walk out hoping his developing Test squad can retain the urn after a side full of established personnel dominated England in 2006-07.

Ponting, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich and Brett Lee are only men in the current set-up who have played a Test in England and there is a strong desire to prepare the younger team members for the experience. "I'm embarking on my fourth Ashes tour, so I've been around the block," Ponting said. "It will be important to me to get to the younger guys to talk about what to expect when we arrive."

The first stages of the preparation started on Sunday when most of the Twenty20 squad members, who depart on Wednesday, and national contract holders arrived in Coolum. There are a few missing faces with Andrew Symonds and Cameron White still in South Africa after their IPL commitments while Michael Hussey joined his team-mates on Monday night. Hussey crossed the Indian Ocean twice in the past week after making himself available for Chennai's semi-final, but he was not considered good enough to be picked and returned home.

Shane Watson, who must prove his fitness from a groin injury over the next month to make the Ashes tour, had a light work on Monday and Ponting said he should be available to bowl during the Twenty20 tournament. However, Ponting said what happened over the next month would not guarantee spots for the Ashes. "I don't think you can take much out of Twenty20 form ahead of Test matches," he said. "We've got two tour games and that will be the best chance to get a look at the guys who will play in the Tests. We'll start thinking of the Ashes make-up in the tour games."