England captain Andrew Strauss made a century to lead the touring side to a 217-run victory over St. Kitts & Nevis in the opening match of their West Indies tour on Tuesday. Strauss, who was out for a second-ball duck in the first innings, struck 103 from 116 balls before retiring in England's second innings total of 265 for five declared. Monty Panesar took three wickets for a match haul of seven as St. Kitts & Nevis collapsed to 221 all out shortly before the close on the third and final day. England-IPL deal England's players will be available to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) both this year and next year. A joint statement issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said England players would be available to participate in the IPL auction on Feb. 6 and to play in the IPL “for a minimum of a three week period in 2009 and 2010”. Zimbabwe wins Zimbabwe beat Kenya by 109 runs in a one-day international cricket match at Mombasa in Kenya Tuesday, the first of five ODIs between the two countries. Brief scores: Zimbabwe 306-7 off 50 overs (Masakadza 71, Sibanda 77, Chigumbura 79. Kenya 197 all out off 46.2 overs (Kamande 74; Ransford 2-19, Chigumbura 2-23). PNG on top Papua New Guinea stood proudly on top of the World Cricket League Division Three on Tuesday following its upset 26-run victory against Uganda, thanks to four wickets from Jamie Brazier. And with Afghanistan and Hong Kong also recording victories on a dramatic day of action in Buenos Aires, the race to secure the two remaining places at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier is wide open. Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan praised the spirit of his team after yet another dramatic victory, narrowly scraping past Argentina by 19 runs. In the other game of the day, Hong Kong handed Cayman Islands a third straight defeat, to keep Tabarak Dar's dream of ICC Cricket World Cup Qualification alive. Hong Kong posted a target of 210 all out off 46.3 overs and bowled out Cayman Islands for 161.
