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ScorecardGloucestershire’s batsmen hit back strongly to set Derbyshire a testing target at Derby despite suffering another attack of the nervous nineties in their County Championship Division Two encounter. The visitors took advantage of some wayward bowling to score 403 which left the home side to make 301 and when bad light ended play early, they were 5 without loss.The big disappointment for Gloucestershire was Chris Dent’s dismissal for 98 – the fifth time this season their batsmen have been out in the nineties – but they will fancy their chances of forcing victory on the last day. That was not the case going into the third morning which started with Derbyshire physio Jamie Pipe keeping wicket in place of Tom Poynton who came down with a bug.Pipe was on the field for the first half hour while Lee Goddard drove back from a second team game in Cardiff to become the fifth wicketkeeper used in the match.Nightwatchman Steve Kirby proved an annoyance for Derbyshire, staying at the crease for nearly an hour and helping Kadeer Ali take his team to within one run of wiping out the home side’s 103-run lead before he flashed wildly at Tim Groenewald. When Kadeer aimed a pull at Groenewald and was caught at point off a glove for 74, Gloucestershire were only 22 runs ahead with three wickets down but poor bowling allowed the visitors to get away.The balance of power shifted between lunch and tea when Gloucestershire’s middle order feasted on a ripe assortment of half volleys to score 173 runs in the session. Dent completed his maiden first-class fifty off only 41 balls, driving Robin Peterson for six and pulling Atif Sheikh over the square leg boundary before his attacking instincts cost him a hundred.Derbyshire had baited the trap with three fielders back for the pull and the 19-year-old fell into it when he lofted Sheikh into Peterson’s hands at deep midwicket. Dent had scored 68 of his runs in boundaries and had faced only 85 balls but his reckless dismissal leaves Gloucestershire without a Championship century this season.Gloucestershire were only 178 runs ahead at that stage but Alex Gidman, James Franklin and Jon Lewis made sure their bowlers would have a decent total to defend.Gidman scored 42 from 58 balls, Franklin made 37 and Lewis plundered a rapid 34 off only 26 balls before Tom Lungley and Greg Smith took the last three wickets in four overs. That left Derbyshire with 17 overs before the close but light drizzle delayed the start of their innings and conditions were distinctly murky when Chris Rogers and Wayne Madsen started the chase.Rogers had scored five before the umpires took the players off the field and the Australian, who scored a century in the first innings, is likely to be the key figure in Derbyshire’s pursuit of the 296 runs they need to win the game.

ScorecardPaul Harris continued to torment Bangladesh A as he took six wickets to give South Africa A a massive first-innings lead of 267. The visitors batted nearly 34 overs to set Bangladesh a target of 411 but the hosts didn’t get off to the best of starts, losing four wickets in the third evening.The overnight pair of Shamsur Rehman and Faisal Hossain added 54 for the fourth wicket before Harris had Faisal caught. The last five Bangladesh wickets added only 40 runs as they were wrapped up for 215. Shamsur kept running out of partners and was eventually out for 89, caught and bowled by Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who took two wickets. Harris wrapped up the tail to finish with 6 for 90.South Africa strengthened their position with a 60-run stand for the second wicket between Riley Rossouw and Alviro Peterson. Rossouw made a quick 68 off 91 balls and his dismissal marked the declaration.Bangladesh’s second innings performance mirrored the way they started the first. A strong second-wicket stand between Shamsur and Mehrab Hossain jnr was followed by another spurt of wickets. Harris took two of those wickets, while Vernon Philander claimed Shamsur for 57. Bangladesh have six wickets in hand and face a tough ask on the final day.

Match facts

Wednesday, March 31
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Can Shane Warne and co. stop a David Warner encore?•Indian Premier League

Big picture

If one were to summarise Rajasthan Royals’ campaign thus far with a single word, then it would be ‘resurgence’. While they prepare for their first return encounter, they will do well to keep in mind that their opponents, Delhi Daredevils, could lay a rightful claim to the same description.A week is a long time in the IPL; a fortnight, an era. On day three of the tournament, Rajasthan were steam-rolled by Delhi in a hopelessly lop-sided encounter. Yusuf Pathan succumbed for a blob before Virender Sehwag hammered Shaun Tait; the match was effectively over even before Shane Warne came on to bowl. Prior to that, Rajasthan had fallen short by the slimmest of margins in their opening game and, later, they were decimated by Royal Challengers Bangalore, leading to early obituaries.All that is history now. Rajasthan’s big guns have found their range in the ensuing period, and they have reeled off four convincing wins to become serious title-contenders. Yusuf has been devastating with bat, and canny with the ball; Warne has got his spin to talk like it did in his heyday, and Tait has been fast and furious. But Rajasthan’s rise can, in large measure, be attributed to their lesser-knowns, and their ability to synergise and present a whole that is far larger than the sum of its parts – a reprisal of their blueprint circa 2008.Delhi’s fortunes have vacillated out of sync with Rajasthan’s, but in an equally extreme fashion. They began with a bang, as they have in previous seasons, running to two comprehensive wins before the injury to their captain Gautam Gambhir heralded a nadir of sorts, leading to defeats against Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers.Rajasthan reignited their campaign by beating the off-colour Kolkata Knight Riders; Delhi found their self-belief by trouncing the form team of the tournament, Bangalore. With David Warner getting into the groove, they had no trouble in putting it past Kolkata on the tricky Kotla surface, where familiarity to the conditions counts for a lot. Both these teams hold winning hands, but on Wednesday only one of them can come up trumps.

Form guide (most recent first)

Delhi Daredevils WWLLL
Rajasthan Royals WWWWL

Team talk

There are not many teams in the tournament that can afford to bench names like AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan, but such is the class in Delhi’s batting line-up. In both their recent wins, Andrew McDonald was the weakest link with the ball, going at nearly 10-an-over in his eight overs. In his place, Farveez Maharoof might get another look-in, or Ashish Nehra could make his first appearance in the tournament, provided he is fully fit. Will Delhi break with the norm by bringing him in for McDonald, thereby going in with just three overseas players?While Delhi’s batting line-up oozes class, Rajasthan’s is made up of bits-and-pieces players. Michael Lumb, Naman Ojha, Faiz Fazal and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala have all clicked and their top order looks as settled as Delhi’s. Sumit Narwal was taken to the cleaners by Chennai, and could make way for Munaf Patel or Amit Uniyal.

Previously…

Rajasthan 3 Delhi 3
Gambhir’s team would be ill-advised if it becomes complacent based on the virtual walk-over in Ahmedabad, earlier this month.

In the spotlight

Yusuf Pathan v Amit Mishra: After Anil Kumble and Muttiah Muralitharan, Mishra has by far been the best spinner on view. His googly to castle Jacques Kallis, and his dipping leg-spinner that bamboozled Mandeep Singh are two dismissals that highlight the kind of form he is in. At some point during this match, he is likely to bowl at the man who has happily dismantled most spinners who have come his way. Yusuf will still be smarting from the way he was dismissed by Shadab Jakati in his last innings. Can Mishra deny him two meals on the trot?Umesh Yadav: As any wary Indian cricket fan will tell you, hyping a pace-prospect is fraught with danger – most of them lose pace and fitness once they hit the headlines. These are early days yet, but Yadav has easily been the fastest Indian bowler in the IPL, hitting 145 kph and troubling batsmen with disconcerting lines. He comes off two splendid spells, and though he is yet to get many wickets, the yorker that cleaned up Angelo Mathews in the previous game holds a lot of promise. With Nehra’s recovery, Yadav knows he is one poor outing away from the bench, and that could spur him on to greater deeds.

Prime numbers

ScorecardJacques Rudolph’s classy half-century guided Yorkshire home•Getty Images

In an encounter of endless twists and turns, the decisive punch in this enthralling Championship match was thrown by Jacques Rudolph and Jonathan Bairstow.Yorkshire’s sixth-wicket pair added 153 in just 27 overs to help their side to a four-wicket win over Warwickshire with more than a session to spare. The second session of the final day produced the most fluent batting of the match as Yorkshire plundered 161 runs in 30 overs to secure just their fifth win since the start of 2008.The roars of approval that greeted the winning run told their own story. This could prove to be an enormously valuable victory. Both these teams are likely to be weakened by international calls during the summer, so points earned here could prove crucial when the relegation tussle reaches its height.After three-and-a-half days of wonderfully even cricket, the end came rapidly. Yorkshire’s decision to take the attack to the Warwickshire bowling after lunch on the final day produced dramatic results, as the hosts wilted in the face of the assault and the visitors eased to 21 points.Bairstow (104 balls, 14 fours) was particularly impressive. Compact and well organised, he drove beautifully and cut and pulled powerfully. He fell just three short of a career best and, aged only 20, should have a bright future. His keeping is currently a touch rustic but, on this evidence, he looks plenty good enough to succeed as a specialist batsman.Rudolph (98 balls, 13 fours) was almost as impressive. There are many who believe that Kolpak registrations such as Rudolph are the bane of county cricket, but the 28-year-old South African has certainly proved a valuable acquisition for Yorkshire. He now averages over 54 in his 49 first-class matches since joining them at the start of 2007 and his calm and class can only have reassured Bairstow.Rudolph was also a delight from a spectator’s point of view (it is meant to be a spectator sport, after all). A deft late cut off the leg-spin of Imran Tahir was a particular highlight, while even David Gower would have been proud of some of the languid drives that Rudolph persuaded through the covers off the same bowler. To have recorded two half-centuries in the game on this pitch was a fine achievement.Warwickshire will reflect that they allowed victory to come a little too easily in the end. At lunch, with Yorkshire on 130 for 5, it appeared the game had swung the way of the hosts.Though Yorkshire started the day solidly, a spell of three wickets for 12 runs in nine overs appeared to have given Warwickshire the edge.Shahzad played back when he should have been forward, McGrath’s torture at the hands of Imran Tahir ended when he played all round one, while the left-handed Gale edged a googly to slip. Adam Lyth, meanwhile, could count himself somewhat unfortunate to be adjudged caught behind down the legside to end a highly impressive innings.At that point, Imran Tahir looked dangerous. He isn’t exactly a one-club man – Warwickshire is his 17th first-class team – but with his variation, his enthusiasm and his wicket-taking ability, he looks certain to become a favourite in Birmingham. He’s already taken more wicket at Edgbaston than either Collins Obuya or Brad Hogg did in their seasons as overseas players.Perhaps Warwickshire were a bit unfortunate. While the ball moved extravagantly in the morning’s overcast conditions, the sun came out after lunch and batting became much easier. The loss of the toss was also important.But, if they are honest, they will also admit they performed very poorly after lunch. Chris Woakes, so often a beacon of precocious excellence, betrayed his inexperience with a barrage of half-volleys and long-hops, while Neil Carter, Imran Tahir and Andrew Miller also leaked runs. The captain’s field placing was also hard to fathom at times and, in the last hour or so, the wheels came off completely.”We mucked up,” Warwickshire’s director of cricket, Ashley Giles admitted afterwards. “It was our game to lose but that session [after lunch] cost us. We have to be more ruthless in future.”Yes, they counter-attacked well, but we let them. We took our eye off the ball. We went chasing the game and bowled a lot of half-volleys. It wasn’t just that last session. We could have batted better and we could have taken some more catches but, from the position we were in, we should have won. It’s a disappointing loss.”Understandably, Andrew Gale was in far more positive mood. “I might retire now,” he joked, as he reflected on victory in his first game as Yorkshire captain. “I couldn’t have hoped for things to go any better.”People have been writing us off all winter, saying that we’re going to go down, but we’ll use that in our favour. We’ll go into every game as underdogs and we’ll fight. I was a bit worried at lunch time, but we had a chat and decided that if we were positive, we could get something out of the game.”We decided that if we just let Imran Tahir bowl – and he is a world-class bowler – that he’d take wickets. Yes, Johnny dropped a key chance, but these things happen. He showed his character and potential today. He didn’t beat himself up about it and when Johnny is in that form [with the bat], you don’t mind the odd drop.”There was further good for Yorkshire. Tino Best, the former West Indies fast bowler, has now secured a work permit for the season. He’s likely to make his championship debut in next week’s game against Kent. While he’s signed as an overseas player, he could re-register as a Kolpak if Yorkshire are able to find another overseas. The search continues.Warwickshire, meanwhile, have named the same squad for their championship game at Old Trafford starting on Thursday. Rikki Clarke is fit to play only as a specialist batsman, while Ant Botha will be considered as a second spinner.

The pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla, which was severely criticised following the abandonment of the India-Sri Lanka ODI on December 27, has passed the scrutiny of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, chairman of the IPL cricket committee.Pataudi inspected the pitch on Sunday in the presence of Arun Jaitley, the Delhi & District Cricket Association president, and Venkat Sundaram, who oversaw the repair work on the surface. “It’s looking good, I am happy with the work Venkat has put in,” Pataudi told PTI. “We will play practice matches here soon and only then we will be able to get a clear picture. Till now, it appears good to me.”Sundaram was pleased with Pataudi’s assessment of the conditions at the ground. “Pataudi had a look at the pitch, the outfield and the practice arrangements here at the stadium and expressed satisfaction,” he said. “He is happy with the work done here and expressed confidence that matches will be played out well during the Indian Premier League.”The Kotla wicket first came under scrutiny during the Champions League Twenty20 in October when the pitch was slow and offered uneven bounce. Following a low-scoring ODI between India and Australia in October, the pitch behaved alarmingly in the India-Sri Lanka game which was called off after 23.3 overs. The ICC then slapped the DDCA with a one-year suspension of international matches at the Kotla. Since then, Sundaram’s team has worked against the clock to ready the pitch in time for the IPL, which begins on March 12.

Mudassar Nazar, the former Pakistan batsman, has said Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik deserved to be “kicked out of the team” in the wake of their comments to the media following their forgettable tour of Australia. Nazar said the two senior players – who already have a fractious history – should never have gone public about the turbulent dressing-room atmosphere and suggest that that their own relationship had turned sour again.Yousuf, who took over as captain for the tours of New Zealand and Australia, told a television channel that one player was responsible for disrupting the team unity on tour but stopped short of naming the player, preferring to reveal it to the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt. Malik, the former captain, widely regarded as the target of Yousuf’s remarks, hit back by questioning Yousuf’s leadership abilities. This occurred after the team was whitewashed in all matches against Australia.”The Yousuf and Malik feud has been simmering for a while” Nazar told in Dubai. “Yousuf was very active in the press and he has had a go at Malik and other players too quite a few times in the past. The slanging match that has now taken place before us all has, in my opinion, been started by Yousuf and now Malik has responded too.”Both of the players are under central contracts and should not have been allowed to behave in such a way in front of the whole world. Yousuf should not have been allowed to go on television and give such an interview and Malik should not have gone to the press like this in response to Yousuf’s comments”.Nazar said their behaviour will be a bad influence on the younger players and wanted them to be punished. “What sort of an example are Yousuf and Malik giving to the younger players with this sort of behaviour? We have already seen the likes of Umar Akmal misbehaving and if others see Malik and Yousuf carrying on like this, then they themselves will think it is fine to behave like this. Both Malik and Yousuf should be taken to task by the board, they should be made an example of and kicked out of the team”.The PCB, which has set up a six-member committee to look into the reasons behind the team’s failure in the two tours, had questioned both Yousuf and Malik on Saturday, besides coach Intikhab Alam, assistant coach Aaqib Javed and opener Salman Butt. It had began work on Friday by interviewing Shahid Afridi and the team manager Abdur Raqueeb.However, Nazar disapproved of the idea of setting up such committees. “The committee will achieve absolutely nothing. We have seen these committees set up before and there is a lot of talk, but nothing materialises from these”.Nazar also took a shot at Ijaz Butt, saying the PCB also didn’t handle the situation well. “What is really mystifying is that Ijaz Butt has given Shoaib Malik the nod of approval to respond in the press to Yousuf’s comments. Butt should not have done this and this has made the situation even worse”.Nazar, who played 76 Tests and 122 ODIs, has coached in Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy and is now with the ICC’s Global Cricket Academy in Dubai. He said he wasn’t interested in coaching Pakistan, if offered the chance.”The job is not for me, thank you very much. I would never do the job in future. I believe they are looking for a foreign coach and good luck to the person who takes on the role. In my opinion only a desperate man would take on the role”.

Cricket Ireland has announced its squads for the Intercontinental Cup clash with Afghanistan and the ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers in UAE.Thirteen players have been selected for the match against Afghanistan, which will be held in Sri Lanka because of security issues, and it will be supplemented by two players from the Under-19 squad.”We reached the Super Eight phase of the last tournament in England, and I know just how much myself and the players want a chance to repeat that in the West Indies,” coach Phil Simmons said. “It won’t be easy with just two qualifying from eight teams, but I’m confident we have the players to do it.”Ireland squad William Porterfield (capt), Andre Botha, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Phil Eaglestone, Trent Johnston, Gary Kidd, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.George Dockrell and Paul Stirling will join the squad for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers.

Anil Kumble, the former India captain, has said the ICC’s match referees don’t seem to punish the instigators of on-field spats severely enough. He feels that too often the provocateurs escape with a light censure while players who react strongly are penalised severely.Kumble expressed his views in his syndicated column after the completion of the Perth Test, during which three Australian players were fined while West Indian spinner Sulieman Benn was banned for two one-day internationals by match referee Chris Broad. Benn, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin were involved in an ugly incident on the second day of the Test, which led to Benn’s ban and Haddin and Johnson being fined 25% and 10% of their respective match fees.The clash began with a run-in between the bowler Benn, who was moving across to field a drive, and the non-striker Johnson, who was taking off for a single. The contact seemed incidental, with neither man at fault, but Haddin appeared to inflame the situation after completing the run, when he pointed his bat at Benn.The pair exchanged words and the sparks flew again two balls later, when Haddin drove the final ball of the over back to Benn, who shaped to throw at the striker’s end even though Haddin was not taking off for a run. Haddin and Johnson had a mid-pitch meeting at the end of the over and Benn continued his remonstration, moving close to the batsmen and pointing at Haddin across the shoulder of Johnson.There appeared to be some incidental contact between Johnson and Benn when Johnson moved to position himself between his partner and the bowler. Things became even uglier when Johnson pushed Benn away, following the initial contact. After stumps the West Indies captain Chris Gayle said he felt Benn had not initiated the physical clash.”There doesn’t seem to be any punishment forthcoming for someone who provokes and that to me is against the principles of natural justice,” Kumble wrote. “The Australians always seem to get away. Whatever their transgressions on the field, invariably it is their opponents who end up paying a price. Somehow or the other, teams playing against the Aussies seem to invite the match referee’s wrath.”Kumble cited the example of the Delhi Test in 2008, during which Gautam Gambhir was banned for a Test by match referee Broad because he elbowed Shane Watson, with whom he had verbal altercations before the incident. Gambhir also argued with Simon Katich in the same innings.”In the Delhi Test against us, my last, the one that earned Gautam Gambhir a ban for having a go at Watson, the same umpire and the match referee were officiating,” Kumble wrote. “At that time, the umpire Billy Bowden didn’t see it fit to report Simon Katich who had later obstructed Gautam and the match referee Chris Broad too didn’t bother to act on his own or follow it up with the on-field umpires even though it was very much evident on TV. And as on that occasion, the provocateurs got away in Perth too, with Haddin and Johnson receiving minor reprimands.”

Craig Cachopa, the New Zealand Under-19 captain, scored an unbeaten 76 to lead his team to a five-wicket victory in the first of three preparatory matches for the World Cup against Pakistan Under-19 at Blenheim. Chasing 222 for victory, New Zealand chased down the target in the 38th over.New Zealand put Pakistan in after winning the toss in blustery conditions and right-arm medium-pacer Bevan Small decimated the top order during a fiery opening spell, at one stage having figures of 3 for 12. Ahmad Shahzad (52) and Rameez Aziz (52) steadied the innings, compiling 70 for the fourth wicket. After Ahmad’s dismissal Aziz combined with Muhammad Azam, adding another 63 for the fifth wicket. Small was the best of the New Zealand bowlers with 3 for 33, while right-arm medium-pacer Doug Bracewell took 2 for 45.Despite losing their first wicket before a run was scored, and being 2 for 17 at one stage, the hosts were untroubled during their chase. Corey Anderson (39) and Jimmy Neesham (58) kick-started the innings with a third-wicket partnership of 79, setting the tone for the rest of the innings. Cachopa then featured in two strong partnerships, putting on 52 for the fifth wicket with Jono Hickey, and an unbeaten 50 from just 38 balls with Harry Boam to see the side through to victory.

Group A

Scorecard
Goa enforced the follow-on after dismissing Jharkhand for 303 in the first innings, taking a lead of 258, but their bowlers failed to cause enough damage in the second innings to press for an outright victory. Jharkhand opener Siddhartha Sinha dropped anchor, scoring 87 off 171 balls, and captain Saurabh Tiwary remained unbeaten on 73 off 111. Jharkhand progressed to 205 for 3, still trailing by 53 runs in the second innings, when play ended on the final day in Dhanbad.
Scorecard
Akshay Wakhare took his second five-wicket haul of the match and Azhar Sheikh took 4 for 27 to bowl Vidarbha to a superb victory on the fourth day against Rajasthan in Jaipur. Resuming on 158 for 5 in their second innings, Vidarbha progressed to 271 for 9 before declaring, setting Rajasthan a target of 266. Harshal Shitoot scored a quick 86 off 96 balls, giving his bowlers a chance of dismissing Rajasthan again. Wakhare, who had taken 6 for 56 in the first innings, responded to the challenge by scything through the top order, reducing Rajasthan to 125 for 5. Sheikh then did his bit, cutting through the tail to dismiss them for 136. Only three Rajasthan batsmen made it to double figures and Nikhil Doru’s 36 was the top score.

Group B

Scorecard
Samiullah Beigh’s unbeaten 51 only delayed the inevitable defeat as Jammu and Kashmir were skittled for 300 during their follow-on, giving Madhya Pradesh victory by an innings and 48 runs in Indore. Resuming the day on 206 for 7, J&K lost Abid Nabi with the score on 221 before Beigh dominated partnerships of 37 and 42 with the last two batsmen. TP Sudhindra picked up the penultimate wicket to finish with nine wickets in the match and Sanjay Pandey ended the game by dismissing Arshad Seikh.
Scorecard
Joginder Sharma followed up his valuable second-innings century by taking 3 for 57 to bowl Haryana to a 123-run win against Andhra in Anantapur. Andhra began the day on 0 for 0 and immediately lost opener Hemal Watekar – lbw Joginder – for a duck. They collapsed thereafter and were in shambles at 109 for 7 with Joginder and Sanjay Budhwar, who finished with 3 for 68, wrecking the top and middle order. The tail resisted for a bit, extending the score to 207 when the end came.