Five-wicket Cork drops Springbok Test hint

The 26-year-old England paceman, who has not played Test cricket for more than 12 months because of protracted injury problems and domestic troubles, took five for 72 to make a late bid for the First Test at Edgbaston.

Cork would be a contentious choice for the squad to be announced on Sunday, but he would also be the player the tourists would least like picked - he took 19 wickets at an average of 25 runs against them in 1995-96.

Cork's timing could not have been better because England coach David Lloyd was at Queen's Park to watch him cut through Leicestershire's middle order.

Iain Sutcliffe (82) played solidly to guide Leicestershire to 158 for two but then captain Cork took over as the visitors lost their last seven wickets for 74 runs.

James Ormond hit back by removing Adrian Rollins and Michael Slater before the close and third-placed Derbyshire were 71 for two in answer to the visitors' 246 all out.

Graeme Hick is on the brink of joining the 100-century club after his ninty-ninth arrived from 121 balls as Worcestershire reached 353 for nine against Sussex at New Road.

The 32-year-old England batsman should soon become the twenty-fourth member of the exclusive group 13 years after he made his first ton for Zimbabwe against Oxford University at The Parks.

Joint championship leaders Sussex had no answer to Hick's 16 fours until he got to 104 and chopped a delivery from Mark Robinson into the gully to be well held by skipper Chris Adams, one of his four catches.

Glamorgan's Steve James made a timely 79 against Middlesex with Tony Cottey (73 not out) adding his staunch support as the Welsh county reached 293 for five at Lord's.

Ahead of the England squad announcement, James was watched from close quarters by selector Mike Gatting in the slips while another, Graham Gooch, was in the stands. With Mike Atherton's selection not certain and new captain Alec Stewart moving down a place in the England order, at least one opener's place will be available to either Nick Knight, Darren Maddy, Mark Butcher or James.

James batted for 168 minutes and 131 balls, striking 12 fours, while Butcher did his chances of a call-up no harm at The Oval, where his 51 in a first-wicket stand of 142 with Stewart (86) helped joint leaders Surrey to 314 for nine against Kent.

The 25-year-old left-hander's knock also meant that the hosts were not left embarrassed by Carl Hooper's career-best six for 83.

Dean Headley, with a good early morning burst and then two wickets with the second new ball deep into the final session, also showed Stewart he is in shape to hang on to his own Test place as one of four seamers at Edgbaston.

England Under-19 all-rounder Paul Franks came to the rescue of Nottinghamshire at 85 for five by hitting a career-best 66 against Durham at Trent Bridge.

Oxford University made 260 for seven before declaring in their game against Yorkshire at The Parks. The visitors then lost Anthony McGrath as they reached 19 for one in reply.

q Australia will go ahead with a planned tour of Pakistan this year unless the government objects because of Islamabad's five nuclear tests.

A spokesman for the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) said their cricketers would proceed with the tour as long as it had the full support of the Foreign Affairs Department. ''We'll be speaking with the Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday and we'll be taking their advice,'' the spokesman said.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the government was unlikely to intervene to stop the tour.

''We do not want the Australian cricket team to become embroiled in an issue like this,'' he told reporters.

Australia are due to travel to Pakistan for three tests and a limited-overs series after the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in September.

Australian cricket has enjoyed a love-hate relationship with the subcontinent since Sir Donald Bradman's 1947-48 Australians hosted India for the first time.

But in recent years, relations between the subcontinent and Australia have become more strained.

Sri Lankan officials were deeply offended when Australia and the West Indies refused to play in the capital Colombo during the 1996 World Cup one-day tournament after a car bomb killed more than 80 people.

Later that year, Australia turned down an invitation to play two Tests in Sri Lanka because of security fears.

India's cricket chief Inderjit Bindra described Australia's actions as an insult to the entire subcontinent.

Australia's relationship with Pakistan has been at breaking point ever since Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh accused Pakistani batsman Salim Malik of offering them bribes in 1994.

The ACB was infuriated when Pakistan cricket officials dismissed the allegations as untrue.

Britannic Assurance Championship

At Chesterfield: Leicestershire 246 (I Sutcliffe 82, A Habib 39n.o.; Cork 5-72, DeFreitas 3-81); Derbyshire 71 for two.

At TBC: Glamorgan 293 for five (S James 79, P Cottey 73n.o., M Powell 43, A Dale 38).

At Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 211 (P Franks 66; Betts 5-59); Durham 67 for four.

At The Oval: Surrey 314 for nine (A Stewart 86, M Butcher 51, I Salisbury 48n.o., J Batty 33, A A Hollioake 32; Hooper 6-83).

At Worcester: Worcestershire 353 for nine (G Hick 104, T Moody 48, D Leatherdale 39, S Lampitt 31n.o.; Lewry 4-104).

Tour match

At Bristol: South Africa 337 for seven (G Kirsten 125, J Rhodes 59, M Hayward 33n.o., L Klusener 33n.o.; Ball 3-45, Alleyne 3-49).

Other matches

At The Parks: Oxford Univ 260 for seven dec (D Eadie 68n.o., J Molins 51, J Claughton 45, D Lockhart 35; Vaughan 3-89); Yorkshire 19 for one.