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Two centuries – one from each side – ensured an absorbing battle between Namibia and Scotland in their ICC Under-19 World Cup match at Eden Park.In the end, the bigger century, 142 by their captain, Stefan Swanepoel, ahead of the 100 not out by Steven Gilmour, saw Namibia home by four wickets.They were individual innings of sharp contrasts. Scotland, after winning the toss and choosing to bat on the pitch that Zimbabwe had plundered 291 from the previous day, quickly found themselves 26 for three.From that position, Gilmour’s first task was to rebuild the innings. He found an able assistant in Qasim Sheikh (60) as the pair carefully compiled 50 in 20 overs, 100 in 30 and 150 in 40 before Gilmour, helped at the end by Kyle Coetzer (27 not out), powered the score through to 234/4. A single off the last ball of the 50 overs ensured a deserved century in an innings that blossomed from survival into rampant attack.Swanepoel’s, on the other hand, started with a blast as Namibia went looking for the bonus point available if they could reach the 235 target inside 40 overs. He had 68 of the first 100 when it was brought up in the 17th over. He went into the 90s in the 25th with Namibia 139/1.However, he was still on 91 in the 27th when the innings hit a rock. First Johan Nel, a junior member of an 81-run partnership with 24, departed after coming too far down the pitch to the off spin of Stewart Leggat, and then the Scotland pace bowler Christopher West in his first over of a new spell took two wickets in succession.Namibia had gone from 144/1 to 145/4 in the 28th over and it was time for a different sort of captain’s innings. He finally brought up his century in the 33rd over as he and Colin Steytler (32 not out) brought the innings back on track.From there, the victory was hardly in doubt. Swanepoel himself departed when the score was 222/5 and the victory just a couple of overs away, Namibia finishing on 237/6 in the 44th.The tall, lanky West ended with the most wickets of the Scotland bowlers, conceding 51 runs for his three, in the process getting them back into the match when they most needed it.However, the individual to take the eye was the leg-spinner, Moneeb Iqbal. A whirl-wind action, plenty of loop, some destructive turn and a mystery wrong’un all served to keep the Namibians watchful if not on occasion bemused. They may have collared him towards the end of his spell but that was more by good luck than good management and his one for 43 off 10 hardly reflected the web he spun around the Namibian batsmen.As for the Namibian bowlers, when Scotland’s Gilmour threatened to take control of the match Swanepoel rang the changes. Nine were used in all. However, the best of them remained the contrasting opening pair who did the damage at the beginning. Left-arm medium pacer Hendrik Geldenhuys took two for 19 in his first seven overs before returning at the end and finishing with two for 36 from nine. At the other end, the off spinner Michael Durant bowled his 10 overs straight through, ending with one for 24.Swanepoel won the man of the match award. Gilmour will remember – probably ruefully – the day when he reached a century and only came second.

Following the awesome nights of Rugby, the sedate world of cricket is about to be Varsified. Six matches with a wide variety of locations from county grounds, big hand to Somerset and Gloucestershire, to famous ‘out grounds’ St Helens and The Saffrons, one thing is for sure this is going to be the outdoor summer party to end them all. Outdoor disco’s, swimming pools, BBQ’s fancy dress and a bit of cricket in the middle of it all, does represent an awesome opportunity to say goodbye to University life with a big day out!So be sensible, have a great time and leave yourself and the ground in one piece as we invite you to get on down to the following:WHY VARSITY CRICKET?We’ve had four years of winter rugby, which have seen students across the UK raise over £100,000 for Oxfam. It’s been a roller-coaster ride, which has seen great advances made in student sport. Despite the many pitfalls, the ego’s, the politics www.oxfam.org.uk/rugby/ tells an impressive tale about what can be done with Student Sport. Awesome occasions abound.Can a University rise above itself to support what many consider to be a sport on its last legs? Student cricket is stuffed annually by educational demands. The chance to play on a big stage has been offered. The chance for cricket to let its hair down and entertain a young audience that can actually decide for itself to buy tickets, instead of asking their parents, is also offered.WHY OXFAM?Since November 1996 Oxfam have been working with Universities to help promote the charities work and in the process have helped create some impressive showpiece occasions for student sport. This work has been extended to the cricket field and also the rugby fields of New Zealand.The Oxfam Varsity Cricket Matches were instigated as a response to the disaster in Mozambique, the funds raised will be going towards the rehabilitation of the flood hit country. Its not all about reacting to disasters, Oxfam is about helping people working towards a better life. A new Millennium brings new challenges. Whether in Education, where 125 million children don’t see the inside of a classroom or in trade where Oxfam campaign for greater distribution of the selling price direct to the producer, the charity relies on the support of people to help make a difference.

Mohamed Salah’s contract situation at Liverpool remains a complex issue where there is still plenty to be agreed upon, according to James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Salah’s contract concerns

The 29-year-old has undoubtedly been the Reds’ star man this season, bagging his 20th Premier League goal of the campaign in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Brighton.

Salah’s future remains worryingly in doubt, though, with his current deal expiring in the summer of 2023 and rumours suggesting that talks have collapsed over a new contract.

The hope is that the issue is resolved in the near future in order to not affect Liverpool’s season, but it is certainly a concerning situation for the time being.

The Latest: Pearce urges caution over new deal for Salah

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic on Saturday, Pearce said that Liverpool couldn’t simply offer Salah whatever he wants, with an effective wage structure in place at the club.

He wrote: “I keep hearing ‘just pay him what he wants’ but you can’t run a business like that. Yes, if you want to keep one of the best players in the world you have to pay him accordingly but you can’t just cave in to whatever his agent is demanding.”

On the Egyptian’s situation, Pearce added: “Nothing has changed. Still a stand-off over what the club are prepared to offer and what Salah wants. Still time for a compromise to be reached. I think the time to worry is if it’s still unresolved come May.”

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The Verdict: Hugely complex situation

This is a situation which could divide the Liverpool fan base, even though it seems likely that almost every Reds supporter would be desperate for Salah to extend his stay.

On the one hand, the 29-year-old is currently one of the world’s best players and should be paid as such, especially with many years hopefully left in him at the top level.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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However, as Pearce has hinted, suddenly paying one player vastly more than anyone else could cause an issue with squad harmony, and breaking the bank for an individual who turns 30 this year does carry an element of risk.

Losing Salah would undoubtedly be a huge blow for Liverpool, but if that were to happen, no player is bigger than the club and the Reds would move on without their Egyptian superstar.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly favourites to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Group A

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.

Group B

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.

Lakshmipathy Balaji bowled at less than full pace in the nets and is a doubtful starter for Tamil Nadu © Getty Images

With most of the nation’s attention trained on Durban, where India were taking on South Africa, and some of the capital’s populace watching the Durand Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium, the atmosphere was distinctly low-key as Tamil Nadu and Delhi went through their paces on the eve of their first Ranji Trophy match of the season.Tamil Nadu were the first to arrive for practice at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium, even before the temporary nets were erected, but Delhi stayed the longest, rounding off an exhaustive nets session with a team-meeting that that lasted almost an hour.There was hope that interest levels would increase because of live television coverage for Ranji matches but it might take a few games yet before the action heats up. Yet this match, between two big teams, could provide the perfect start; Tamil Nadu beat Delhi when they last played at the Kotla three years ago but at present the two teams are evenly matched.Tamil Nadu’s strength lies in their medium-pacers, backed up by a settled middle-order. Vijaykumar Yomahesh, fast making a name for himself, is well supported by Rajamani Jesuraj and R Naresh. The big question, however, is over Lakshmipathy Balaji’s fitness, and there were no clear answers today. He bowled in the nets with no obvious discomfort but nowhere near full pace, and it seemed unlikely that he would risk playing before he returned to something approaching full fitness.Though there’s plenty of experience in the middle-order, where veterans Hemang Badani and S Sharath form the backbone, Tamil Nadu will seek to rectify one area of their game that’s been a problem of late – the opening combination. They are ready to hand M Vijay his Ranji debut, and he will bat alongside S Vidyut. “Vijay is going to open for us. He has scored a tremendous amount of runs in the league in Chennai and has earned his place in the side,” said S Badrinath, the Tamil Nadu captain. “He’s a technically sound player, so once he gets set he’s someone who can make big scores.”The other sure debutant is Vikram Mani, the wicketkeeper-batsman. Ashish Kapoor is likely to be the lone spinner in the attack, unless Tamil Nadu take the plunge and give C Suresh, the left-arm spinner, his first cap.

Aakash Chopra has an opportunity to impress Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors © AFP

Delhi too are fairly well set. Their batting order is well defined, with Virat Kohli set to make his debut. Mithun Manhas, their captain, said a final decision on the team composition would only be taken after a closer examination of the wicket. It remains to be seen whether they will go with an extra spinner in Rahul Sanghvi or with Kunal Lal, theleft-arm seamer and son of former allrounder Madan Lal. “Our strength is a combination of good batting and fast bowling,” said Manhas, almost echoing the line from the Tamil Nadu camp.Indications are that Sanghvi will get the nod, given that the match pitch looks like it will crumble as the game progresses. Ishant Sharma, the young right-arm mediumpacer, is also ready to make his debut and Chaitanya Nanda, the legspinner who had a highly successful Ranji campaign last season, a certainty to play.The other area of interest is the possibility of an India recall for discarded players like Gautam Gambhir, Aakash Chopra and Ashish Nehra. There’s a chance India will look to pick a third opener for the Test series in South Africa. Gambhir and Chopra, fresh from putting on 188 in the Duleep Trophy final, will want to catch the eye of the chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar, who is due to be at the Kotla watching this match. Nehra, on the comeback trail, can take heart from Zaheer Khan’s return to India colours. However, he will have to perform consistently in domestic cricket to force his way back.TeamsTamil Nadu (likely) 1 S Vidyut, 2 M Vijay, 3 S Badrinath (capt), 4S Sharath, 5 Hemang Badani, 6 R Sathish, 7 Vikram Mani (wk), 8 AashishKapoor, 9 V Yomahesh, 10 R Jesuraj, 11 C Suresh / R Naresh.Delhi 1 Aakash Chopra, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Shikhar Dhawan, 4 MithunManhas, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Rajat Bhatia, 7 Vijay Dahiya, 8 Chaitanya Nanda,9 Rahul Sanghvi/Kunal Lal, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Griqualand West won a tense top-of-the-table clash over Northerns in Pool A by just two wickets at Kimberley. Nineteen-year-old Donovan Donaldson and Nathan Arthur shared four wickets apiece for Griqualand as they ran through Northerns after winning the toss, dismissing them for 135. Griqualand didn’t fare much better in reply, and will be grateful to a patient 41 from J Coetzee that pushed them towards the winning line.Boland picked up their third win in three with a five wicket win over Western Province at Paarl in Pool B. Paceman Bardo Fransman picked up his best one-day figures of 6 for 40 to restrict WP to 200. Bolands had looked in complete control until their top scorer C Prinsloo was out for 88 with just eight runs from five overs needed for victory. They eventually scrambled home with just two balls to spare.Border and Zimbabwe Under-23s were denied the opportunity to fight for their first victories in Pool B after heavy rain prevented any play.Only five balls were possible at Port Elizabeth for the clash between Easten Province and KwaZalu Natal as rain brought a halt to proeedings in Pool B.

Enamul Haque jnr returns to the Bangladesh squad to face Zimbabwe© Getty Images

Bangladesh have recalled the left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jnr to their squad for the first Test against Zimbabwe which starts at Chittagong this Thursday, January 6.Enamul, 18, missed the two-Test series against India last month, and has only played two further Tests since his debut against England in October 2003. Nazmul Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahman have been left out.Bangladesh, who recently won their first one-day international at home, are still waiting for their first victory in Tests, but must fancy their chances against this weakened Zimbabwe team. For Zimbabwe, it will be their first Test since May last year when Sri Lanka beat them by an innings and 254 runs, after which they agreed to the ICC’s suggestion that should stop playing Test matches for a while.Bangladesh squad Nafis Iqbal, Javed Omar, Habibul Bashar (capt), Aftab Ahmed, Mohammed Ashraful, Rajin Saleh, Mohammed Rafique, Khaled Mashud (wk), Manjurul Islam Rana, Enamul Haque jnr, Tapash Baisya, Mashrafe Mortaza, Talha Jubair.

Everybody remembers Sachin Tendulkar’s spectacular assault on Pakistan’s pace bowlers at the last World Cup, but not many are aware what went on behind it. In an interview published in the latest issue of Wisden Asia Cricket, Tendulkar reveals how his anxiety about the match kept him awake for nights.”Frankly, everyone was talking about the India-Pakistan game, literally 10 to 12 months before the World Cup started,” says Tendulkar. “The build-up had reached such a level that when we got to South Africa, we kept getting phone calls telling us that, come what may, we had to win that game. All of us were very keyed up for it as a result. I spent sleepless nights before that – a sign of the pressure, and also a way of getting ready for the game.”I do like it, because it’s part of my preparation for a game. For 12 to 13 nights, I just kept tossing and turning in my bed, thinking of the match. As it got closer, it became worse, and I just wanted to go to the middle and bat.”Tendulkar scored a sizzling 98 in that World Cup Pool A match at Centurion Park, helping India overhaul Pakistan’s sizeable total of 272. His counterattack on Shoaib Akhtar was particularly breathtaking. In one sensational over, the second of the Indian innings, Akhtar went for 18 runs, including a fierce slash that sailed over the backward-point fence.Tendulkar, however, was categorical that he had no score to settle with Akhtar who had bowled him for a first-ball duck in their previous encounter in a Test match in Kolkata in 1999. “I remember journalists coming up to me and saying `Shoaib has said this’ or `Caddick has said that’. I have never reacted to that. It¹s not my nature – I’ve always maintained that I should just get to the middle and do my job, rather than playing all those psychological games.”He remembers the impact that the Australian tour of 1991-92 had on hiscareer. “That first tour of Australia was the turning point in myinternational career – scoring a century at Sydney and then another in the fifth Test at Perth. Those two innings changed me as a player, especially from a confidence aspect.”For a player of such natural greatness, many often take the blood and sweat of practice for granted. “I practice differently before every series, looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition. But there are times when you can sit in the room, and work on your game. That’s an important aspect of preparation, something I’ve learnt in recent years. But if I felt I needed to spend time in the nets, I’d do that too.”He then talks about his private life, or lack of it. “Obviously, I can’t roam around like everyone else, and given a choice, I’d love to do normal things. It’s hard to tell you because I’ve not seen the other side.” Yet he immediately turns around and says, “I could say that I didn’t get to do all those things that a normal teenager would do, but then again, not many people get the opportunity to do what I do [smiles].”He ends by speaking about his efforts at charity. “I’d like to mention Apnalaya, an organisation that works with underprivileged children. It helps them to cope with modern-day life, sending them to school, teaching them how important education is when it comes to becoming respectable citizens.”He mentions a particularly poignant moment “when a handicapped, spasticchild came on stage as Sachin Tendulkar, and tried to imitate me. It was a very emotional moment, and I cried, which is not something I usually do.”Subscribe to Wisden Asia Cricket
Buy the DVD of India’s World Cup victory over Pakistan

Irresponsible batting on the third day Friday left Islamabadfacing defeat against Rawalpindi in their Quaid TrophyGrade-I match at the KRL Stadium.Rawalpindi, thanks to a 50-run eighth wicket stand betweenYasir Arafat and Nadeem Abbasi, hit up 221 in their secondinnings to leave Islamabad with a difficult target of 294for victory. They had resumed at the overnight score of 179for seven. But Islamabad batsmen instead of battingpatiently just threw away their wickets and were aprecarious 140 for seven at the close.Ali Naqvi (6) Bilal Asad (43) and Azhar Mahmood (34) werethe culprits and fell to reckless strokes as Rawalpindiprepared to celebrate victory early Saturday, the last dayof the game.The damage was done by Test discard Mohammad Zahid whocaptured four for 46 while Naeem Akhtar had two for 17.In the Rawalpindi innings Yasir excelled with the bat as hedid with the ball and struck 49 before being dismissed bySaad Janjua.

The Indian goose is as good as cooked and South Africa, wanting itwell done, batted throughout the third day of the second Test at theChinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Saturday. In scoring 472 for eightby stumps and obtaining a first innings lead of 314 runs, the visitorshave certainly sharpened the nails. After all, that’s all South Africaneed to do now. Put the lid on the coffin and slam the nails home.Resuming with a lead of almost a hundred, South Africa made steadyprogress. Daryll Cullinan showed his aggressive intent yesterday andtoday he continued in the same vein. After getting to his halfcentury, Cullinan lost his wicket. The fall of Cullinan’s wicket wascompletely against the grain of play. Just when things were lookinggood for the Gauteng batsman, he was undone by a Kumble delivery. Asis becoming customary on tracks like these, the ball bobbled off thebat to the fielder standing close, Wasim Jaffer in thiscase. Cullinan’s 53 included five boundaries and that unforgettablestraight six off Kumble.Lance Klusener, who has not looked at ease with the bat all tour camein next. Indian bowling ‘attacks’ have a habit of bringing strugglingbatsmen back to form. Today was no exception. Klusener got a goodmeasure of the Indian bowling on a wicket that was slow andlow. Though the ball was turning, it was along predictable lines andKlusener had no difficulty in picking his spots and scoring fluently.At the other end, Kallis brought up his half century with a bigsix. Kallis has played the sheet anchor role to perfection on thistour.Having waited all day for Klusener and Kallis to reach theircenturies, and following that the South African declaration,spectators had more waiting to do. In tragic fashion, both Klusenerand Kallis fell short of the mark.Having done all the hard work, both batsmen fell to thespinners. Klusener was the first to go, driving a ball from Kartikstraight to Tendulkar at mid off. In the end it was a soft dismissal,after what had been a fighting innings from a man who struggled withthe bat in recent innings. Klusener’s 97 came off 169 balls.Kallis was easily the more solid of the pair that put on a 164 runpartnership for the fifth wicket. However, his caution might just havedeprived him of a Test century on Indian soil. Dabbing at a ball fromKumble, that perhaps did a little more than he expected, Kallispresented Jaffer with a simple catch under the helmet. Kallis felljust five runs short of his hundred.After the two well set batsmen were dismissed, the wickets fell inquick succession. Having bowled long spells without reward, Kumble andKartik finally got their names on the scoreboard for the rightreasons. Having done the lion’s share of the bowling, Kumble ended theday with figures of 67-15-136-5. Kartik was less successful and49-10-123-2 would have hardly been the returns he hoped for.An overnight declaration is inevitable. This will mean India have toscore 314 to avoid innings defeat. With such a massive lead, it wassurprising that the South Africans even batted as long as theydid. However, one thing emerges strongly from this exercise: theIndians, with three spinners, on a spinning track, will have toproduce a batting miracle to save this match. All is not well withIndian cricket.