Rob Key and Andrew Hall laid the foundations for Kent’s victory in what was the first match of the Pro40, following last night’s washout.The pair put on an opening stand of 62 which proved the turning point at Grace Road after they had dismissed Leicestershire for 175.Hall made 31, while Key reached 63. It was then left to Darren Stevens to knock off the runs; he made an unbeaten 42 as Kent cruised home with 37 balls to spare.
The Quaid Trophy match between Sheikhupura and Lahore Blues ended in a draw after no play was possible on the fourth and final day due to fog at the Sheikhupura Stadium on Thursday, according to a message received here.Umpires Salim Badar and Kamal Merchant waited until an hour after the scheduled tea interval before finally calling off the match.Sheikhupura, who earned a vital one-run lead on the firstinnings, claimed three points.
Scorecard
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After a solid performance by their batsmen, Pakistan Under-19s turned in a superb bowling display to beat Sri Lanka Under-19s by 83 runs in the first match of the pre-World Cup tri-series in Colombo.After Sri Lanka elected to field, there were some initial jitters for Pakistan as Ahmed Shehzad and Umair Mir fell in quick succession to leave their team at 31 for 2. Umar Amin, who anchored the innings with a sedate 68, was then involved in a run-a-ball 70-run stand with Umar Akmal, who did the bulk of the scoring in the partnership. Akmal carted eight boundaries in his 40-ball 41 before being bowled by medium-pacer Ishara Jayaratne.A patient 42 from Ali Asad was followed by aggressive contributions from Usman Salahuddin (41 off 40) and captain Imad Wasim (21 off 16) as Pakistan finished on a competitive 256 for 5. Left-arm medium-pacer Chathura Peiris was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers taking 3 for 43 in his ten overs.The hosts’ chase received an early jolt when Dilshan Munaweera was bowled by Adil Raza in the first over. Pakistan struck at regular intervals and a 20-run stand for the fourth wicket was the highest Sri Lanka managed for their first eight wickets. By the 22nd over, they were reduced to a hopeless 79 for 8. Peiris, coming in at No. 10, then slammed a 52-ball 62 but it was to no avail as Sri Lanka were bundled out for 173 in the 40th over. Mohammad Rameez was the most effective Pakistan bowler and had excellent returns of 10-1-31-3.The tournament, also featuring England, sees each side take on the others twice before the final on February 1. Pakistan face England in the next match on Thursday.
Trinidad’s Brian Lara Stadium should be completed before year end, according to Gary Hunt, Trinidad & Tobago’s sports minister.Work on the stadium has been behind schedule for months and the whole project has attracted considerable criticism. Hunt said that it was 80% complete but would not give an exact date when it was expected to be finished.”The contractors indicated that the facility would be finished this year, but to give you an exact date, I do not have that,” he said. “I have to consult more closely with the contractors to supply a very accurate date … and even in today’s terms, you know that is subject to many conditions as we see in the construction industry today.”Opposition MPs have attacked what they have described as the “rampant corruption and financial mismanagement” of the project, but Hunt denied these charges.”We indicated that we are going to look at a value for money principle in all projects that we execute and this project is no different,” he said. “With regard to the exact cost, I believe that the past minister of Sports gave a statement in the parliament with regard to this and the figure put forward then was US $87.5 million. To give you a present estimate, I do not have that figure, and I would have to consult with the contractors.”
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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In the final installment of its 29-year existence, a series that has become a part of Australia’s summer culture came to a climactic end with a fitting humdinger at the Gabba.Twenty-three years after India’s last significant limited-overs title in Australia, Sachin Tendulkar helped script another memorable chapter with an innings of skill and determination. There was to be no repeat of his twin centuries against Australia in 1998, but his 91 set up a total which, backed by Praveen Kumar’s subtle-swinging accuracy, proved nine runs too much for Australia.In a game that ebbed and flowed wonderfully, James Hopes took Australia agonisingly close to victory with his maiden fifty after Praveen returned from an 11-run 45th over to snap a threatening eighth-wicket stand. Back when Australia dominated this tournament regularly Steve Waugh earned the moniker ‘Ice Man’ and under starry skies Hopes and Praveen gave it a modern context.Hopes battled on with comfortable sweeps against the spinners and some deft placement down the ground. There was not a trace of emotion on his face as he raised his fifty. Similarly, having given up 11 runs in his penultimate over, Praveen displayed awesome composure to bowl a three-run 47th, cleaning up Brett Lee.That left Australia needing 29 from 18 balls. Sreesanth picked up a second wicket but Hopes refused to bow down, flat-batting a six over wide long-on to ratchet up the tension. With 13 required off the final over, Irfan Pathan came back on. A single to third man exposed Nathan Bracken, who chipped a slower ball to midwicket. Hopes crossed and drove a manic couple to long-off but could only drive the fourth ball into the diving midwicket’s lap. Sinking to the ground as India whooped and cried around him, Hopes cut an endearing figure, a hero on a losing side, but the entire Brisbane crowd stood to applaud a pulse-setting, nerve-wracking game – and the deserving winners.The contest was set up by yet another masterclass from Tendulkar. In nearly three hours of nimble-footed driving, mainly to the off side, interspersed with soft on-side strokes, Tendulkar treated an appreciative crowd to a fine innings. India were steady during the Powerplays, scoring 36, 30 and 26 in three blocks, but made their best opening of the tournament. The ball didn’t speed away to the ropes when the openers leaned into their drives and so they smartly adjusted gears, keeping the outfielders busy through a mixture of full-faced dabs to third man and flicks to deep square leg.Tendulkar had a life on 7 when Ricky Ponting dropped a hard reflex catch at short cover, and he made it count. An utterly mistimed pull attempt off Nathan Bracken was the first sign of frustration but he quickly regained composure and decided to target Stuart Clark. His fifty came up from his 70th delivery and India had successfully chipped out a good start.
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Some needless shots, however, allowed Australia back in. India would have preferred even 280 after this but having seized the initiative they allowed it to slip in a flurry of impetuous shots. Hopes allowed just one run in the 45th over, Bracken was accurate with his crafty mix of yorkers and slower deliveries, taking two wickets in the 48th over, and Lee kept it full as well.At the SCG Tendulkar backed the bowlers’ efforts with a sublime century and today they returned the favour. Especially Praveen, who for the second time in two high-pressure matches justified his new-ball promotion with the wickets of Australia’s three most dangerous batsmen. Adam Gilchrist’s final innings came to end with an edge and a walk but it was Ponting’s horrendous attempt at a pull shot that really set off the alarm bells.Michael Clarke’s ability to judge length has been his strength in the tournament but he lost his off stump, playing a crude swipe across the line to one that stayed low. Matthew Hayden made the most of a mess-up between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tendulkar, at first slip, when he was on 5, to keep the asking rate in control. Pathan was again the target of Hayden’s ire and went for 37 from his first five overs. Hayden put on 89 with Andrew Symonds, whose eventful season continued with him shoulder charging a streaker, and Australia looked to be in the game.At this stage Australia required another 138 and Michael Hussey showed there was fire in Australia’s belly. Paddling and sweeping his way energetically in a 76-run stand with Hopes, he threatened to take the series to Adelaide. Hunting a target at over eight an over finally got to him, and he under-edged Sreesanth for a cool 44 in the 42nd over.The rest turned into a tension-filled rollercoaster ride, during which India held their nerve to triumph. After a long and controversial tour Down Under, India now head home with their heads held high. For Australia, the last time they surrendered back-to-back series was 1983-84 and 1984-85, against West Indies, and 23 years later this loss would come as a chastening blow.
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ScorecardThe Haryana-Goa match in Margao was set for an exciting fight for a first-innings lead after a four-wicket haul from left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati left the visitors at 205 for 7 at the end of the second day, 66 short of Goa’s total. Jakati, who also scored a valuable 25 with the bat, dismissed all four Haryana batsmen who had got starts, including half-centurion Sumeet Sharma and Sachin Rana (44) within 26 runs of each other.When Goa resumed the day at 258 for 8, Joginder Sharma finished their innings swiftly to end up with figures of 4 for 66.
ScorecardGujarat bowled Assam out for 189 – a first-innings lead of 39 – and made a confident start to place themselves in firm control at the end of the second day’s play in Ahmedabad. At an overnight 56 for 4, Assam relied on the three former Tamil Nadu batsmen – S Ramesh, S Sharath and S Suresh. They all got starts but could not convert them into big innings, Ramesh top-scoring with 43. Gujarat’s legspinner Timil Patel took four wickets to hasten the end of Assam’s innings.Gujarat lost their first wicket for 1, but Parthiv Patel and Nilesh Modi ensured there was no further loss till stumps. Parthiv finished unbeaten on 48.
ScorecardDecent contributions through the batting order put Railways in a position of strength against Jammu & Kashmir at the Karnail Singh Stadium. J&K struggled to follow breakthroughs with quick wickets as Railways slowly but surely moved past their total. Karan Sharma, making his debut at No. 8, top-scored with an unbeaten 64, while Amit Pagnis, Sanjay Bangar and Sanjib Sanyal narrowly missed half-centuries.Samiullah Beigh, J&K’s right-arm opening bowler, toiled 31.2 overs for his 4 for 83.
ScorecardAt Agartala, Services nipped out Tripura’s last eight wickets for 105 runs and got off to a good start in the second innings, after they were bowled out for 102 the day before. Tripura secured a crucial 96-run first-innings lead, but a good start put Services back in the game.Offspinner Ashish Mohanty and opening bowler Hari Prasad took three wickets each to contain Tripura, who would rue that none of their four batsmen who reached the 30s could not carry on for a big innings. Services opener Tahir Khan, on a pair, made a better start and was unbeaten on 60 at stumps.
ScorecardAfter an unbeaten hundred by Jatin Saxena took Madha Pradesh to 223, their bowlers struck early to reduce Jharkhand to 83 for 5 at the end of the second day in Jamshedpur. Saxena came in at No. 3 and scored 125. It was his 102-run sixth-wicket partnership with Rahul Bakshi that rescued MP from 100 for 5. After Bakshi got out for 56, the last four wickets fell for 21 runs, leaving Saxena stranded. Kuldeep Sharma and SS Rao, Jharkhand’s opening bowlers, took four wickets each.Jharkhand made a poor start, losing their first wicket in the second over and regularly thereafter, but their captain and opener Manish Vardhan waged a lonely battle with an unbeaten 34.
Three weeks after the controversy erupted, the racism charge against Harbhajan Singh was found to be not proven by Justice John Hansen, hearing the appeal, on Tuesday. Harbhajan was instead charged with a Level 2.8 offence – abuse and insult not amounting to racism – to which he pleaded guilty and was fined 50 per cent of his match fees.With this, the cloud over the immediate future of the Indian tour lifted; the Indian team, which had gathered in Adelaide in a show of support instead of proceeding to Melbourne for Friday’s Twenty20 match, has now decided to continue with the original arrangements.Harbhajan had been found guilty of racist abuse of Andrew Symonds during the Sydney Test in early January and handed a three-Test ban by match referee Mike Procter. The charge was leveled by the on-field umpires, Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson, on a complaint from Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain that Harbhajan had called Symonds a monkey.An ICC statement following the conclusion of the appeal said that “a letter signed by all the players involved – from both Australia and India – was tendered into evidence as an agreed statement of facts as to what took place during the Sydney Test match.”During the hearing, oral evidence was called for from all the witnesses to the exchange between Harbhajan and Andrew Symonds – Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden and Sachin Tendulkar. The witnesses were then cross-examined by Brian Ward, counsel representing the Australians, and VR Manohar, representing Harbhajan via video link from Mumbai.”Justice Hansen said he was convinced that, on all the evidence submitted before him, the charge of a Level 3.3 offence was not proven but that Harbhajan should be charged with a Level 2.8 offence.” Harbhajan pleaded guilty to this charge, after which the fine was imposed on him.Hansen is scheduled to provide the full reasons for delivering his judgement on Wednesday evening.”It is definitely known that there was some offensive language used at that time,” said MV Sridhar, the team’s assistant manager. “He’s agreed to have used some form of abusive language. We felt that at the best interest of all there was an amicable solution arrived at. The charge was not withdrawn but we jointly felt that 3.3 will not be on the scale and 2.8 will be more relevant to the cause. Justice [Hansen] was generous enough to impose a fine of 50%.”About the decision to stay back in Adelaide, Sridhar said it was a show of solidarity. “There was no stand-off or anything between the boards,” he said. “Over the last couple of weeks there was tremendous effort from Cricket Australia and BCCI. And they’ve been able to come to a cricketing solution. The efforts have been on and we were able to submit it in time to the appeals commissioner.”The thinking over staying back was that the entire team should be in one place. We were here and the appeal was coming up today. That’s the only reason. This decision to call the players was taken prior to all this.”After the hearing the two teams issued a joint statement emphasising the need to move on and focus on the cricket. “Harbhajan and Symonds said they had resolved the issue between them in Sydney and now intend to move on. They have said they intend to make no further comment on the issue and get on with the game of cricket, which is the most important issue for each of them.” The two captains also expressed their satisfaction with the outcome.Cricket Australia’s spokesman Peter Young said both the Indian board and Cricket Australia were happy with the decision. Sharad Pawar, president of the Indian board, said the verdict vindicated the BCCI’s stand. “The judge has given a proper judgement. BCCI was consistently taking only one stand that it was practically impossible for us to accept the racist charges against any Indian player.”
A solid unbroken fifth-wicket partnership between Arsalan Mir and Haafiz Saad Nasim took Lahore Ravi beyond Karachi Whites’ first-innings total of 218 on the second day Asghar Ali Shah Stadium . Lahore Ravi ended the day on 226 for 4 after they had been reduced to 124 for 4 at one stage. They suffered an early setback when Karachi Whites captain Mohammad Sami dismissed opener Rizwan Aamer for a duck. Rizwan Ahmed scored 54 off 113 balls and added 53 for the third wicket with Ashraf Ali but it was Mir and Nasim who took their team ahead. Mir remained unbeaten on 67 while the 17-year old Nasim was on 41.Pakistan Customs were 148 runs behind Sui Southern Gas Company’s (SSGC) first-innings score of 328 at the National Bank of Pakistan Stadium . Pakistan Customs ended the day on 180 for 5 despite opener Hasnain Abbas’s 53 off 85 balls. Pakistan Customs captain Zahoor Elahi hit a brisk 32 off 45 deliveries with five fours before Rehan Rafiq and wicketkeeper Mohammad Hasan stemmed the rot with an unbroken 47-run stand for the sixth wicket Earlier, after SSGC had resumed on 239 for7, wicketkeeper Ahmed Zeeshan, who scored 67 runs off 151 balls, and fast bowler Rajesh Ramesh added 62 runs for the eighth wicket. Raees Amjad finished with figures of 4 for 68 runs while legspinner Yasir Shah picked up 3 for 89 in 32.1 overs.Paksitan Customs were defeated by Habib Bank by 262 runs in their first-round match on Wednesday. SSGC were playing their first match in the tournament, after having qualified for the first-class circuit by winning last season’s Patron’s Trophy Grade-II Championship.Habib Bank Limited (HBL) took a 102-run lead in the first innings against Hyderabad with six wickets still in hand at the Niaz stadium. Beginning the day on 193 for 9, Hyderabad lost their last wicket at 197. Left-arm spinner Aslam Qureshi took 4 for 33 to complement Danish Kaneria’s 4 for 64. With four batsmen scoring half-centuries, Habib Bank reached 299 for 4 with Aftab Khan unbeaten on 75 off 91 balls with nine fours. Opener Taufeeq Umar hit 71 in a 92-run stand for the second wicket with Rafatullah Mohmand (51). Captain Hasan Raza then chipped in with 69 off 102 balls with six fours and two sixes.At the Sheikhupura stadium , Multan piled on the agony for Sialkot, who were routed for 100 on the first day. Multan replied with 458 for 8. Brothers Hammad and Usman Tariq put on 211 for the first wicket. Usman (91) missed his hundred but Hammad scored 116 off 211 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. Imranullah Aslam was ruthless at No 7, as he hammered his maiden first-class century. His 115 came off only 99 balls with 16 fours and two sixes.Spurred by 17-year old Nasir Jamshed’s maiden first-class century National Bank of Pakistan scored 267 for 7 and took a 22-run lead in the first inning against Faisalabad at the Iqbal stadium. Jamshed batted for over four hours, facing 187 balls with 18 fours and a six.
Karachi Blues were in control against Quetta after reducing them to 128 for 5 facing a total of 444 at the Bugti Stadium . Quetta were trailing by 316 runs with five wickets in hand and needed another 167 to avoid the follow-on. Sixteen-year old batsman Taimur Ali remained unbeaten on 64 off 121 balls in two hours 23 minutes with 11 fours. Taimur made two tours with the Pakistan Under-19s this year, to Australia and England, and was considered one of the brightest prospects to have emerged from the Balochistan province. He and wicketkeeper Sanaullah Khan lifted Quetta from 89 for 5 with a 39-run stand. Earlier, after resuming on 308 for 4, Karachi Blues took their first-innings score to 444. Sharjeel Ashraf (33), Mansoor Baig (30) and Sajid Hanif (31) all contributed useful scores in the 30s. Offspinner Naseer Khan captured 5 for 101 for Quetta while fast bowler Arun Lal bagged 4 for 84 in 26.5 overs, getting all his wickets on the second day.Playing for the first time in this tournament, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) enforced the follow-on against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the Arbab Niaz stadium. After scoring 303 in the first innings, SNGPL dismissed ZTBL for 85. Trailing by 218 runs in the follow-on, ZTBL ended the day on 100 for 2. Left-arm fast bowler Samiullah Niazi captured 4 for 28 in 12 overs and was ably assisted by Imran Ali and Adil Raza, who took 3 for 22 and 3 for 34 respectively. ZTBL, who need 118 runs to avoid an innings defeat, were lifted by a career-best knock of 72 not out by 18-year old night-watchman Junaid Nadir.Khan Resrach Laboratories (KRL) scored 232 for 4 and took a 21-run lead against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with six wickets still intact at the KRL stadium. Ali Naqvi scored his tenth first-class century, an unbeaten 108 off 231 balls with 11 fours and a six. Bazid Khan (97) missed his hundred by three runs but helped add 193 runs for the fourth wicket with Naqvi.At the Diamond Cricket Club ground , hosts Islamabad nosed ahead of Lahore Shalimar, taking a six-run lead in the first innings. After Fayyaz Ahmed had made 58, Rauf Akbar hit 98 at No 8 off 130 balls with 15 fours. By the close of play, Lahore were 115 for 6 in the second innings.The match between Abbottabad and Rawalpindi, which was shifted to the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, started a day late on Saturday as the original venue — the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi — was not available due to repairs. Abbottabad, after opting to bat first, were 225 for 6 at the close of play. Opener Wajid Ali top scored with 75 off 176 balls with 11 fours.
The Indian Premier League may have eased several restrictions on media coverage for the forthcoming event but the Editors Guild of India has condemned the clause that prevents news agencies from supplying pictures to cricket-specific websites.The Guild has also come down hard on the limitations imposed on television news channels, one that has prompted all the outlets to put their coverage on hold.”[The Guild] regrets that the news agencies have been barred from supplying pictures to one set of subscribers, namely standalone specialised websites, as the news agencies should have the total freedom to supply news and pictures to all their subscribers,” KS Sachidananda Murthy, the Guild secretary-general, said in a release. “The Guild notes that the news agencies are in negotiation with the IPL organisers to remove this clause also from the terms and conditions.”Similarly the sole telecast rights license has put new conditions on giving feed to news television channels. These are not acceptable, and the Guild fully supports the stand taken by the News Broadcasters Association.”Meanwhile the News Media Corporation, which reacted to the fresh guidelines on Tuesday, is set to discuss the issue on Wednesday evening. As of now, though, they feel the restrictions are unacceptable. “As the Guild has said, the terms remain unacceptable,” Barry Parker, the South Asia bureau chief of Agence France-Presse (AFP), said.
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England’s hopes of squaring their series against Sri Lanka are all butover, after an abject second-day surrender at Galle. The city’sseventeenth-century walls have withstood mightier invaders than havebeen on display these past two days, and by the close of play,England’s tormentor-in-chief, Mahela Jayawardene, had taken togoading them from the ramparts. Not content with locking them out ofthe contest with a steadfast and brilliant 149 not out, he accusedthem afterwards of lacking the will to win.”At times I felt they came hard at us but then gave up pretty easily,”said Jayawardene. “I was surprised. When you’re one-down you shouldtry to attack more and create more opportunities. But they were a bitnegative with their over-rates so I knew they were not pushing us thatmuch. We took that advantage away from them and put the pressure backon them, which happens when a side is in a negative frame of mind.It’s quite easy to push for a win now.”At 147 for 4 overnight, Sri Lanka’s position at the start of play wasprecarious. England had not bowled especially well on the opening day,but they papered over their inadequacies by showing great heart insapping heat. Second-time around, in cooler conditions and beneathheavy cloud cover, they capitulated. Thanks to an overnight tropicalstorm, the ball zipped around in the first session much as it had doneon the first morning, and it remained playful all day long. ButEngland’s only breakthroughs came via Ravi Bopara in a pre-teagiveaway.”We batted through some difficult conditions,” said Jayawardene. “Wewere in a bit of a bother last night, so my target was to get SriLanka out of a dangerous situation and take the game away fromEngland. The wicket still had quite a bit even when Ryan [Sidebottom]was bowling with a 70-over old ball, but they didn’t bowl thatstraight to me so I managed to be pretty patient. With the movement onthis pitch you can create opportunities, and hopefully our guys willbe better than that.”A spate of dropped catches undermined England’s efforts, but thebottom line was that they were not equal to the challenge thatJayawardene posed. “We’ve no complaints,” said their coach, PeterMoores. “The pitch has done enough for us to bowl them out, we justhaven’t bowled well enough. We went chasing wickets, got a bit toofull and weren’t consistent enough. And we’ve had chances and wemissed them.”The first of those opportunities came as early as the tenth ball ofthe day, when Alastair Cook failed to cling onto a sharp chance in thegully, and things went steadily downhill from there. Matt Priorendured another rough day with two misses diving to his right, takingEngland’s series tally of misses in the slip cordon to six. A wealthof expertise in that area has been lost in recent months – AndrewFlintoff, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss were permanentfeatures in Duncan Fletcher’s heyday – but nevertheless, Mooresadmitted that the quality of his team’s close catching was a growingconcern.”We’ve been working very hard on our fielding full stop, and we’vemade some reasonably good moves, but it takes time to improve when youchange people,” he said. “We’ve lost some of our natural slippers likeFred [Flintoff], but it’s an ongoing thing. The ECB have signed afielding coach [Richard Halsall] because we know it’s something wehave to address, not just at international level but all the way down.It’s a key area of top-flight sport, and we’re not hiding from thatfact. When you drop a catch it’s the worst feeling in the world.”However, the fact that England are being asked to comment on suchbasic areas of their game in the middle of a match emphasises the gulfthat has grown between the two teams over the course of this series.England’s youthful exuberance kept them in the contest for the firstthree days at Kandy, but since then Sri Lanka have displayed theirgreater expertise at every critical juncture. “Sri Lanka are a goodteam, there’s no doubt about that,” said Moores. “England are agrowing team with lots of changes, which is quite exciting. We’ve gota couple of debutants and we’ve lost a couple of senior players,that’s part of international sport. We’ve been put through some propertough cricket and we’ve got to find some answers.”The first task is to battle through to the end of a tour that, ontoday’s evidence, has already proved tougher than most of the Englishparticipants had bargained for. Only Michael Vaughan and PaulCollingwood have had prior experience of the Galle blast-furnaceeffect, and after ten hard-fought days at Kandy and Colombo, it was aweary band of cricketers who went through their paces in the field.”Fifteen days’ cricket in 22 is hard work, but we’re not into makingexcuses,” said Moores. “You take the good days with the bad days as asportsman. We always knew it was an intense schedule, but it’s thesame for both sides, and it’s one we signed up for.”