Ervine considering his Test options

Sean Ervine, the former Zimbabwe allrounder, has said that he was uncertain whether to try and qualify to play cricket for Australia or England after his Man-of-the-Match effort of 104 helped Hampshire beat Warwickshire by 18 runs in the C & G Trophy finals at Lord's.

Ervine has played five Tests for Zimbabwe, the last against Bangladesh in Bulawayo in 2003-04, before becoming involved in the selection row which engulfed Zimbabwe last year and cost Heath Streak the captaincy. Streak has since returned to the team but Ervine is now dividing his time between England, where he plays for Hampshire, and Australia, where he plays for Western Australia.

He was instrumental in Hampshire's C & G Trophy victory - his hundred in the final followed another century in the semifinal against Yorkshire. "This has been the best day of my life. To win a final and to do so well, you couldn't ask for anything better," Ervine was quoted as saying by AFP. "At the moment I'm just playing cricket, I'm just taking every opportunity I can. Obviously, I am going to have to make a decision soon - I think it's a year or two round the corner."

Faced with the opportunity of qualifying to play for either England or Australia, Ervine said that he had not had enough time to think about his future plans. "My aspiration is to play international cricket again and if it is for England or Australia, we'll just have to see where it goes." He said that he was happy to be playing for Hampshire and was inclined towards qualifying for England. "Hampshire have given me an opportunity and it's been amazing how I've just sort of fitted in and just enjoyed all the cricket so at the moment it's sort of leaning England's way."

Ervine will leave England for Australia at the end of the county season to play for Western Australia. "I leave on September 28 and hopefully I can play a few games for them and see how it goes," said Ervine "but at the same time I've got to try to rest my body as well."

Shaun Udal, Hampshire's stand-in captain for Shane Warne, was all praise for Ervine "He's [Ervine] been astonishing," said Udal. "It's his first season of county cricket and he's taken to it like a duck to water. Back-to-back hundreds, that's a proven big-match temperament for you and he deserves all the accolades he'll get."

Ervine has a modest Test record, with an aggregate of 261 in five Tests at an average of 32.63 with 86 against Bangladesh being his highest score. He has also taken nine wickets at 43.11 apiece with a best of 4 for 146 against Australia at Perth.