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A round-up of the action from the first day of matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-2012South ZoneMedium-pacer Ronit More grabbed a six-wicket haul on debut and helped Karnataka skittle Goa for 54 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Karnataka took just 12.3 overs to chase the total, meaning the match lasted just 33 overs. More, who had not played any first-class or List A game before the match, ran through the Goa line-up, and finished with 6 for 18 in 6.3 overs. Reagan Pinto was the only Goa batsman to reach double figures.L Balaji took a five-wicket haul before Dinesh Karthik and S Anirudha completed an easy win for Tamil Nadu over Andhra Pradesh at the Rajinder Singh Institute Ground in Bangalore. Balaji helped bowl Andhra out for 247, and then Karthik scored an unbeaten century as Tamil Nadu reached the target in just 39.5 overs. Balaji struck two early blows after putting Andhra in to bat. Prasanth Kumar guided the innings with his 73 off 87 balls, and Andhra were steady through the middle overs. Balaji came back to take late wickets and prevent a final onslaught; Andhra were bowled out in the 47th over. Tamil Nadu did not have much trouble chasing the target. Anirudha gave them a quick start with his 94 off 81 balls, and Karthik completed the job with his 103 not out off 83 balls.Hyderabad chased down 267 against Kerala, with two wickets to spare, at the Jain International Residential School Ground in Bangalore. Kerala, after choosing to bat, were propelled by a century from No. 3 Rohan Prem. Prem finished with 113 not out, and the rest of the line-up batted around him to put up a total of 266 for 6. T Suman and Ravi Teja got the chase off to a solid start with a 53-run stand, before four quick wickets put Kerala ahead. However, Akshath Reddy kept the innings going and, with wicketkeeper Ibrahim Khaleel, did enough to steer his side home. He made an unbeaten hundred, while Khaleel made 54, both at better than a run-a-ball, enabling Hyderabad to eventually reach their target with nine balls to spare.North Zone Delhi’s medium-pacers shot Jammu and Kashmir out for 120 to give their side a 125-run win at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Delhi had 245 to defend and Parvinder Awana had J & K* stuttering at 18 for 2 with two early wickets. A wicket from Ashish Nehra and two from Pradeep Sangwan made that 33 for 5. Rajat Bhatia got into the act, taking three wickets to complete the job. Only four J & K batsmen managed to get to double figures, with Hardeep Singh’s 40 the top score. Delhi’s total had been built on a solid performance from the top order. Unmukt Chand scored 46, Mohit Sharma got 36 and Mithun Manhas scored 41 to set a solid base. There was a stutter in the middle overs but Sangwan and Nehra got some late runs to lift the total to 245. It proved to be more than enough.Himachal Pradesh won a hard-fought match against Services by 18 runs at the Model Sports Complex in Delhi. Himachal chose to bat and were off to a rocky start, before Prashant Chopra, Paras Dogra and S Sriram, in combination, put on partnerships of 102 and 98 to take them to 291. Dogra was the top scorer with 114. Services’ chase was built around an unbeaten hundred from captain Yashpal Singh and they looked the firm favourites when he was involved in a 106-run stand with Sanjeev Mishra, scored at almost seven an over. However, three late wickets within the space of 11 balls pegged Services back and they fell just short.A rapid half-century from Amitoze Singh helped Punjab chase down 244 against Haryana at the Palam A Ground in Delhi. Haryana chose to bat and were carried to 243 for 6 on the back of a solid showing from their top order. Opener Nitin Saini and Sandeep Godara put on a century stand, before Sachin Rana scored a quick, unbeaten 59. Punjab’s chase had several contributors. Karan Goel and Gurkirat Ahluwalia made scores in the 40s, Mandeep Singh and Bipul Sharma hit smaller cameos and Amitoze provided the finishing touches with a boundary-studded 76: he hit seven fours and two sixes in his 56-ball knock, ensuring Punjab cantered home in the 47th over, with four wickets to spare.East ZoneTripura never recovered from medium-pacer Arup Das’ early blows and ended up losing to Assam by eight wickets at the Jadavpur University Complex in Kolkata. Tripura were put in, and Das took three wickets to have them struggling at 61 for 4. They ended up being bowled out for 180 and Assam chased the total in just 38 overs. Vinayak Samant’s 45 was the only significant score in Tripura’s innings, and they did not last the 50 overs. Dheeraj Jadhav top-scored in the chase with 75, while Pallavkumar Das also got a half-century.A Sourav Ganguly-led Bengal side put in an all-round performance to comprehensively beat Orissa at Eden Gardens. Bengal’s bowlers maintained a tight grip on Orissa through their innings, and bowled them out for 201. Bengal lost three early wickets in the chase but Wriddhiman Saha and Anustup Majumdar shared a 190-run fourth-wicket stand to take them home in the 35th over. Majumdar scored his third List A century, getting 100 off 93 balls. Left-arm spinner Iresh Saxena was the standout bowler for Bengal, taking three wickets and conceding just 20 runs in his 10 overs.Central ZoneBhuvneshwar Kumar and RP Singh ran through Railways’ line-up, helping Uttar Pradesh successfully defend 186 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur. UP chose to bat** and none of their batsmen other than Mohammad Kaif, wicketkeeper Amir Khan and Bhuvneshwar could really contribute much, resulting in them being bowled out for 186. Krishnakant Upadhyay was the most effective bowler for Railways, taking 4 for 39. Bhuvneshwar and RP Singh then proceeded to tear apart Railways’ top order, reducing them to 27 for 5, before a half-century stand between Faiz Fazal and Ashish Yadav got Railways briefly back in the match. But once the partnership was broken, UP continued to peg away at regular, short intervals to edge home, bowling Haryana out for 169 in 47.2 overs.A team performance helped Rajashtan beat Vidarbha by three wickets at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur. Rajasthan were asked to field and their bowlers responded, sharing the wickets around in tidy spells to restrict the hosts to 206. Only Urvesh Patel could make a contribution of note for Vidarbha: 72, the highest score in the match. Five of Rajashtan’s top six got into double figures in the chase, which was enough to make sure the moderate target was overhauled. Dishant Yagnik was Rajasthan’s top scorer, putting together a patient 51 to set up the chase, before being run out.*February 21, 18:24: This report originally said Delhi had Assam stuttering. It has been corrected**February 21, 18:24: This report originally said UP chose to bowl. It has been corrected

The Sri Lankan bowlers struggled through their first opportunity to play on South African pitches and conceded heavily on the second day of their warm-up match

Firdose Moonda at Willowmoore Park10-Dec-2011
Scorecard File photo: Rangana Herath was the Sri Lankans’ best bowler•AFPThe Sri Lankan bowlers struggled through their first opportunity to play on South African pitches and conceded heavily on the second day of their warm-up match. No play was possible on the first day due to persistent rain and a wet outfield. On the second, South Africa’s Invitation XI opted to bat first, denying the Sri Lankan batsmen time to adjust to local conditions. They capitalised on a pedestrian Sri Lankan attack and each of the top four scored half-centuries.The Sri Lankans lost Nuwan Pradeep to a hamstring injury after he had bowled just 10 deliveries. Dilhara Fernando got better as the day went on while Angelo Matthews’ first overs in a first-class match for more than a year went fairly well. In the spin department, Ajantha Mendis bowled the bulk of the overs and was worryingly inconsistent; Thilan Samaraweera and captain Tillakaratne Dilshan were acceptable as part-timers; and Rangana Herath was, by some distance, the team’s best bowler.For the Invitation XI, Dean Elgar showed both class and temperament and was the likeliest candidate to go on to record a century. Reeza Hendricks partnered him with aplomb, in an opening stand of 148, before Stiaan van Zyl and Rilee Rossouw built a 95-run partnership. When wickets fell, they did in clusters but the Invitation XI’s batting was dominant for most of the day.Of particular worry for the Sri Lankans will be that they struggled to adjust their lengths to the Benoni surface, which was a tame one. Although careful not to bowl too short, their bowlers were often too full and seldom bowled a good length.Fernando got closest to understanding which length to bowl. His one perfect yorker bowled Hendricks. He also claimed the last wicket of the day, with the second new ball, after Thami Tsolekile edged to give Mahela Jayawardene a comfortable catch at second slip. In between those two successes, Fernando, like the rest of the attack, was a victim of a confident Invitation line-up, who found the boundary 43 times.Mendis was introduced in the 8th over of the day and a combination of poor luck and the fact that he bowled at least one boundary ball an over meant he went for 4.68 runs an over while taking just one wicket. Dean Elgar picked him with particular ease. But when Mendis did bowl a good ball it was a very good one. He troubled Hendricks early on and had Farhaan Berhardien edge two fours down to third man. His solitary wicket, Elgar’s, was achieved with surprising bounce. Elgar tried to cut and was caught after a bit of juggling by Jayawardene at slip.Herath was more successful and bowled with good control, flight and guile. He picked up two of the three wickets that fell in the half hour before tea. Rossouw, who had been sweeping compulsively, came too far forward while attempting one and was stumped shortly after reaching his half-century. Then, Temba Bavuma became the only one of the top six to fail after his middle stump was uprooted.Berhardien had a nervous start and looked particularly edgy against the spin of Mendis and Herath, but soon settled into a rhythm. He allowed himself a few risks, driving Fernando in the air over a diving Jayawardene at mid-on and pulling him majestically in the same over. With allrounder David Wiese with him at the crease, the Invitation XI will look to bat for a while yet, which would increase the Sri Lankan batsmen’s concerns about when they will get time in the middle ahead of the three-Test series.

Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar have been named as the on-field Umpires for the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2011Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar have been named as the on-field Umpires for the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka on Saturday. Ian Gould and Steve Davis will be third and fourth umpires, respectively, while Jeff Crowe will perform match referee duties for the game.The DRS has played a strong role in this World Cup – sometimes controversially – but both Taufel and Dar have had largely flawless tournaments, while Gould and Davis have also been generally accurate in their decisions.Two of the younger umpires on the ICC’s elite panel, Taufel and Dar’s umpiring careers have run almost concurrently. Taufel officiated in his first one-day international in January 1999, while Dar’s first international came just over a year later, and since then both have earned reputations for consistently accurate decision-making.Taufel was named Umpire of the Year for five consecutive years from 2004 to 2008, and when he finally lost the title it was to Dar, who won the award in both 2009 and 2010.Both have stood in two previous World Cups, and in 2007 Dar was one of the on-field umpires for the final between Australia and Sri Lanka – although he came in for some criticism after the farcical finale of that match for his role in misinterpreting the rules regarding bad light.Taufel officiated in the final of the 2004 Champions Trophy and as the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, where he was an on-field umpire in the thrilling India v Pakistan final. He once joked “if Ricky and the boys slip up eventually I might get the chance to do a [World Cup] final”, and with Australia having crashed out of this tournament after three consecutive World Cup triumphs, he will finally get his chance.Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland welcomed Taufel’s appointment. “The Australian team’s success in World Cups over a long period of time has been to the detriment of Simon Taufel who has never been able to officiate in a World Cup final,” Sutherland told . “It’s fantastic to see him get this opportunity.”

Ricky Ponting has said he is enjoying his new batsman-only role after giving up the captaincy following Australia’s disappointing World Cup earlier this year

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2011Ricky Ponting has said he is enjoying his new batsman-only role after giving up the captaincy following Australia’s disappointing World Cup earlier this year. Ponting handed the leadership to Michael Clarke but decided against retiring, and it’s a move that has allowed him to concentrate solely on his run-scoring.In the last year of his captaincy, Ponting struggled to have an impact with the bat, and averaged 30.23 in one-day internationals and 29 in Test cricket. But half-centuries in his two innings in Sri Lanka over the past week have been encouraging, especially an unbeaten 90 that helped Australia to an eight-wicket win in Hambantota on Sunday, where Ponting earned his first ODI Man-of-the-Match award in 18 months.”It probably has,” Ponting said when asked if relinquishing the leadership had allowed him to focus more on his batting. “The World Cup didn’t go to plan as I would have wanted. The one-day series in Bangladesh that I played when I wasn’t captain, I felt like a played well there and I’ve started this series well.”There’s no doubt that for me to just be able to turn up to training and focus on my batting and my fielding only has been nice. I’ve been able to be just that little bit fresher and I’ve felt in control in the two games I’ve played here so far. Hopefully that continues for the rest of the tour.”By playing on after giving up as skipper, Ponting bucked the trend of recent Australian captains: he was the first since Kim Hughes nearly 30 years ago to play on. At 36, Ponting remains unsure how long he has left in the game, but he said for the time being he was keen to keep making runs at No. 3 and help Clarke in any way required.”I thought long and hard about the decision I made,” Ponting said. “Once I’d come to the conclusion that I wasn’t the captain of the side anymore it was up to me to just be the best batsman that I could be for the side and another pair of ears for Michael if he ever wanted it. As the No. 3 batsman in the side there’s a big responsibility for me to score runs more often than not. So far things have started well.”Australia have hardly been challenged in the opening two ODIs and they could wrap the series up with victory in the third match in Hambantota on Tuesday. So far their batsmen haven’t had too much trouble against the Sri Lankan attack, so much so that the No. 6, David Hussey, has not yet been required to bat.

After six and a half years away from Test cricket, Zimbabwe soak in their triumphant return after beating Bangladesh

Firdose Moonda in Harare08-Aug-2011Brendan Taylor, Kyle Jarvis and Alan Butcher, the Zimbabwe coach, were soaked in pink champagne and beer as they walked into their post match press conference after Zimbabwe’s historic win over Bangladesh. “Now I know what it means when they say you smell like a brewery,” Butcher said.What it really meant is that Butcher and his men had just sipped from the cup of victory, something Zimbabwe had not even had the chance to experience in the Test format in almost six years. To announce their return to the premier format of the game with authority was better than just a sip, it was gulp after gulp of satisfaction.”The good win might have silenced a few critics,” Taylor said. “Zimbabwe cricket invested in us and were patient with us encouraged us and we are really glad to replay that favour.”The new Test team represents a coming of age for some of the older players, who were once a group of young, inexperienced men thrown into the international scene out of need, not merit. After the player walkout in 2004, Zimbabwe had no choice but to field the best they had, even though many of them were not ready for the pressures of playing at the highest-level. Seven years have passed since then and their poise and self assurance has grown, their maturity is evident, and, finally, they appear ready. “It’s nice to see a lot us have stuck together,” Taylor said. “We’re a side that’s always worked really hard to try and improve.”The match had special significance for Taylor, who scored his maiden Test century in the second innings, at a time when the match was on the verge of tilting in Bangladesh’s favour. Zimbabwe resumed day four on 92 for 4, a lead of 175, but in a position that needed consolidation. “At the end of day three, we certainly felt a bit of pressure,” Taylor said. “I must commend Tatenda [Taibu] and Craig Ervine for the supporting role they played to get us back into a wining position.”Taibu scored 59 and Ervine, who was at the other end when Taylor reached his landmark, an unbeaten 35. “Getting the hundred was special but winning the match was more important,” Taylor said, taking the spotlight off himself and shining it on the collective effort. “The guys showed good courage and had smart heads on their shoulders.”Such a composed performance may seem somewhat extraordinary, given the length of time Zimbabwe has spent away from Test cricket, but it’s a testament to their domestic four-day tournament, which has become more competitive with the introduction of the franchise system two season ago, and the A team tours, such as the recent one against Australia A. “We prepared the best we could possibly prepare,” Taylor said, while Butcher added that even though the side lost to Australia A it showed them that could compete against big name players.One such big name player is Tamim Iqbal, who was named Test Player of the Year by the Wisden Cricketer magazine in 2010. The Bangladesh opening batsman was confident his side would chase down the target against an “ordinary” bowing attack. Instead, they crumbled, giving Taylor a reason to get his own back. “His [Tamim’s] performance was pretty ordinary too,” he said. “He is a quality player and his team were looking for him to get a big total and he got out pretty carelessly. He should let the performances do the talking and not concentrate too much with the mouth.”In particular, Tamim was made to eat his words about Jarvis, the bowler he called “just ok”, when Jarvis claimed the last two Bangladesh wickets after lunch to end with five for the match. Jarvis’ new-ball partner, Brian Vitori, also bagged five wickets and together they provided a big reason to be optimistic about Zimbabwe’s future. “They were outstanding,” Butcher said. “Every time they picked the ball up they looked a threat and made the Bangladeshis look uncomfortable.”With such an exciting side under his guidance, Butcher couldn’t hold back his smiles as he entered a new era with a Zimbabwe side that has gone from fractured to fertile under his tenure. “When I first took on the job, I felt that what the team needed was some love,” he said. “It seemed to me that any time that they did something wrong there were lots of people ready to jump down their throats. I have tried to instil a more positive outlook and culture and I think people have responded to that.”

A century from Dawid Malan acted as the catalyst for a Middlesex victory by 54 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method against Essex

27-Aug-2012
ScorecardDawid Malan smashed the Essex attack around Lord’s in his 108-ball innings of 134•Getty ImagesA century from Dawid Malan acted as the catalyst for a Middlesex victory by 54 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method in their Clydesdale Bank 40 encounter against Essex. But there was no joy with the bat for Ravi Bopara as he became one of three victims for 20 year-old Gurjit Sandhu, who was making his debut in the competition.England allrounder Bopara was given the opportunity by the ECB to play in this match in the hope of rediscovering his form after a recent period of absence from the game for personal reasons, but he had scored only two when he edged a lifting delivery from the young pace bowler behind.In contrast, the 24 year-old Malan played splendidly, deploying controlled and clean hitting aggression in his innings of 134 from 108 deliveries out of a total of 288 all out after he had lost fellow opener Joe Denly without a run on the board.Malan, though, was soon issuing notice of intent, striking four successive deliveries from paceman Maurice Chambers to the boundary and he found an admirable ally in Gareth Berg who came to the crease with the home side 90 for 3. The pair added 132 in 20 overs before Berg edged a ball from Bopara, having struck 61 from 58 balls, to give wicketkeeper James Foster his third catch of the innings.But Malan continued to dictate. His century arrived from 89 balls and by the time he was caught by Chambers at deep long-on, he had hit three sixes and 12 fours.Some shoddy work in the field by the visitors and the concession of six penalty runs for slow-over-rate left them with a challenging target for victory. Their hopes were boosted by a fourth-wicket partnership of 102 in 16 overs involving Tom Westley and Owais Shah who both completed half-centuries. Westley hit 68, his third fifty in his last five CB40 innings, while Shah returned to his former stomping ground with 53 but both were dismissed in successive Paul Stirling overs.With 10 overs remaining, 120 further runs were required with five wickets intact but the task proved well beyond the visitors as the run-rate steadily increased while they also had to contend with fading light.And it was the gloom that brought about a premature end with 29 balls remaining when umpires Rob Bailey and Steve Garratt called off proceedings with Essex 198 for 9 and leaving the impressive Sandhu as the most successful Middlesex bowler with figures of 3 for 28 from six overs.

Patrick Cummins will be itching to make an impression if he gets the chance, but “the baggy green is obviously the pinnacle” for him

Nitin Sundar28-Sep-2011At 18, Patrick Cummins is physically at least some way from reaching his peak as a fast bowler. It was a point Greg Chappell stressed when Cummins missed the A tour to Zimbabwe with a back strain, an injury that had its roots in Cummins’ propensity for extreme pace. However, Chappell had added that, while Cummins was a few years from attaining maturity as a bowler, it did not rule him out for Australia duties. Cummins has now got his chance earlier than most would have anticipated, and will tour South Africa with the national Twenty20 and ODI squads.When he spoke to ESPNcricinfo four days prior to the Australian squad announcement, Cummins believed his rigorous pre-season training would stand him in good stead for the challenges ahead. His work-out regimen had extensively focused on developing the musculature to sustain his brand of bowling and prevent potential breakdowns in the future.”In hindsight, there was a silver lining to missing the A tour to Zimbabwe,” Cummins, who is in India with the New South Wales squad for the Champions League, said. “It gave me the chance to have a great pre-season where I did a lot of weight training. I spent most of that time working on building my muscles, and I am getting stronger all the time.”The back strain has not affected Cummins’ mindset one bit, and he remains focused on generating the sort of pace and bounce that got him 11 wickets in the Big Bash, making him the tournament’s top wicket-taker. He has chosen his fast-bowling role models well; he looks up to Stuart Clark as a mentor, and idolises Brett Lee, another famed purveyor of pace from his state.”In a sense I was lucky that my injury wasn’t too serious [like a stress fracture], so it is still about going out there and giving it my all,” Cummins said. “I want to bowl as fast as I can. If you try to fiddle around too much with the approach or the pace, you might end up with a completely different action.”The pre-season training seemed to have paid dividends for Cummins when he bustled in for a lively spell in his Champions League debut. New South Wales managed only 135, but Cummins came out and hustled the Cape Cobras openers with real speed and bounce, on a track that was so sluggish that it had relegated Dale Steyn to a spell full of offcutters earlier in the day.One Cummins bouncer took off from a length, past an in-form Herschelle Gibbs, who weaved away in a hurry, and almost carried over the head of the keeper who had to leap up full length to parry it down. Another short ball harried Gibbs into top-edging a pull that carried into the stands behind fine-leg – hardly standard fare on Chepauk’s lifeless strip.Gibbs was mighty impressed with what he saw of him, but advised Cummins to work on his variety. On South Africa’s spicy wickets, he will be a handful even without the variations, especially in spells that last only four overs. Cummins will be itching to make an impression if he gets the chance in the shorter formats but he said “the baggy green is obviously the pinnacle”.

A round-up of the third day of the opening round of matches in Division 1 of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2010Water and Power Development Authority completed a thumping innings and 151-run victory against Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium with a day to spare.Ali Azmat and Ahmed Said, who had stalled Sialkot’s surge with a doughty resistance on the second day, continued their effort well into the third morning. Azmat, who was on 112 overnight, progressed to 130, while Said crossed triple-figures as well, and remained unbeaten when the innings was declared closed at 429 for 8.Trailing by a mammoth 303, Sialkot’s second innings was only marginally better than their first. Sarfraz Ahmed wreaked havoc with a five-wicket haul, while Naved-ul-Hasan and Umaid Asif chipped in with two apiece to derail Sialkot, who were shot out for 152.Habib Bank Limited’s bowlers put their side on course for victory by stumps on the third day, after their batsmen piled on the advantage to finish with a mammoth first-innings lead of 361 against Faisalabad at the Iqbal Stadium. Ahmed Shehzad, unbeaten on 207 overnight, powered along to 254, but Salim Elahi was unable to drive home the advantage as HBL lost three wickets in quick succession following the marathon 371-run association. Their captain Hasan Raza, however, ensured that his side maintained full control, with a quick 69, inclusive of three fours and three sixes, before declaring the innings closed at 533 for 7.Farrukh Shehzad settled into a defensive mode as Faisalabad fought to save the game, accumulating an unbeaten 46 in his near three-hour stay, but HBL made regular breaches from the other end. Qaiser Iqbal departed early, before spinners Danish Kaneria and Mohammad Aslam snared two more wickets to leave Faisalabad 248 runs in arrears with only seven wickets to survive the final day.Islamabad held a slight upper hand against National Bank of Pakistan at the end of the third day’s play at the Diamond Club Ground. Beginning the day at 201 for 5 – 151 short of Islamabad’s first innings effort – NBP’s lower order was unable to make a reasonable dent in the deficit. Nasrullah Khan and Shehzad Azam finished with four wickets each, while Hammad Azam held one end up for with his 61, but NBP still fell 63 runs short of the lead.Hammad was at it again with the ball, snaring two early wickets in Islamabad’s second innings. Mohammad Talha then got into the act, and at 52 for 3, NBP had a strong chance of running through the middle order. Ameer Khan and Ali Sarfraz, however, scuppered their hopes with a crucial 96-run stand to build the lead. Talha struck late in the day, removing both batsmen to give his side an opening, but unless NBP can strike early on the final day, this will be Islamabad’s game to lose.Rawalpindi’s lower order authored a stirring fightback to neutralize Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited’s advantage from the first two days, and leave the game interestingly poised going into the final day at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Resuming at a wobbly 117 for 4 – still three runs short of wiping the first-innings deficit – Rawalpindi were propelled by weighty contributions from Nos. 6, 7 and 8, Babar Naeem, Zahid Mansoor and Adnan Mufti, into a position of strength.Naeem began the resistance along with opener Shoaib Nasir who went on to make 73, before Mansoor took centre-stage. He struck 19 fours and a six in his attractive innings, and added 116 with Mufti, who made 65 off 98 balls. Mohammad Khalil dismissed Mufti to complete his five-wicket haul, but there was no respite for ZTBL who ran into a determined No. 11 in Sadaf Hussain. He played out 101 minutes and 55 balls, helping Mansoor add 65 runs, and take the overall lead to 296. ZTBL have a tricky final day ahead of them, and Rawalpindi will fancy their chances of setting a 300-plus target and pushing for a win.Multan’s lower order failed to capitalise on the strong foundation laid by their top half, and conceded a 72-run first-innings advantage, before their bowlers, led by left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza’s seven-wicket haul, redressed the balance to leave the match against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines delicately balanced at the Multan Cricket Stadium.Resuming their first innings at 226 for 5, Multan ran into a rut as they lost their last five wickets for the addition of only 40 runs. Kashif Naved, unbeaten on 44 overnight, did the bulk of the scoring on the third day but fell six short of a well-deserved hundred. Adil Raza and Yasir Shah were the pick of the bowlers, picking four wickets each as Multan were bowled out for 286.Ahmed Raza got into the act thereafter, continuing from his six-wicket haul in the first innings as SNGPL floundered against his wiles once again. Barring Usman Arshad and Yasir Shah, no one managed to cross 30 as they were bowled out, two short of 200, setting Multan a target of 271. There was to be one final twist in the day’s play, as opener Babar Ali fell to Asad Ali in the three overs of play remaining in the day. With 269 runs to get and nine wickets standing, it is anybody’s game going into day five.

Umar Akmal has said that he is keen to move up the batting order for Pakistan and will work towards convincing the team management about his promotion

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2011Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has said he is keen to move up the batting order and will work towards convincing the team management about his promotion in the national side.”I feel that No. 4 is ideal for me and I am trying to do well lower down the order with a view to maybe being promoted up the batting order,” Akmal, who currently bats at No. 6 both in Tests and ODIs, told . “But I need to win over the captain, coach and management, and convince them that I am responsible enough to bat at No. 4. However, I’m grateful that I am in the team and would bat at whatever position the team requires.”Akmal, who has made 988 runs in 15 Tests, at an average of 36.59, said he was focussing on becoming a better Test batsman. “Test cricket is where I really want to make my name and that format in which I feel I can achieve the most,” he said. “I am still learning the game, but I feel I can definitely make great strides in this format and prove to everyone that I have the skill and temperament to play five-day cricket.”To do this, Akmal is aware he will have to curb his penchant for throwing away solid starts. In the recently-concluded Test series in the West Indies, he got past 30 in all four innings he played, but managed to cross 50 just once making 56.He admitted recklessness has no place in the format. “Test cricket has changed over the years and scoring rates are much quicker, matches are finishing quicker, but that does not mean that a reckless approach is necessary.”My approach will always be positive and if I see a bad ball I will always try to hit it to the boundary, but my main objective is to bat according to the team’s requirement at that time. Nobody feels worse than I do when I play an irresponsible shot. Walking back to the pavilion is hard enough after playing a poor shot, but then having to sit there and thinking about the shot you have just played is really tough, especially when the wicket is a good batting track.”Though he looked to be striking the ball well, Akmal did not make much of a contribution with the bat in the West Indies, apart from the solitary half-century in the Tests. His top score in the limited-overs leg was 41 in the one-off Twenty20 game at Gros Islet. Akmal said he felt the tour could have gone better for him. “I’m not entirely satisfied with my performance in the Caribbean, but then again not totally unhappy with it. It was an average tour but I need to move on and look ahead to the future.”

Kent earned the vital victory their efforts deserved to set up a thrilling final week in Division Two of the Championship

David Lloyd at Canterbury07-Sep-2012
ScorecardDarren Stevens broke Derbyshire’s resistance as Kent secured an important win•Getty ImagesIt turned out to be much ado about nothing so far as James Tredwell was concerned – nothing for 34 from 33 overs, to be precise. But Kent, with Darren Stevens working his medium-paced magic, still earned the vital victory their efforts deserved to set up a thrilling final week in Division Two of the Championship.Although Hampshire retain the faintest of mathematical chances, this is now a three-horse race for two promotion spots – and Kent, who finished second from bottom 12 months ago, have closed the gap on leaders Derbyshire to six points, while second-placed Yorkshire are only five ahead of them.They had to work extremely hard, though, to seal the deal on Friday – eventually crossing the winning line with 12.4 overs, or 43 minutes, to spare. Stevens, who continually asks questions which batsmen do not like, was not used before lunch but he captured four of the last seven wickets.”Stevo has been brilliant in these last couple of games,” Kent captain Rob Key said of the allrounder who took a five-for against Leicestershire a week ago. “He got his wickets with some serious balls.”The only good news for Derbyshire was Hampshire’s simultaneous defeat by Essex, meaning that their opponents next week will have next to nothing to play for in terms of promotion.Losing captain Wayne Madsen on Thursday evening was a serious blow to Derbyshire because he has shown on more than one occasion this season that he can bat long and big in difficult circumstances. Even so, the visitors made a promising start to the final morning with Paul Borrington and Usman Khawaja doing their best for 75 minutes to back up the defiant words of head coach, Karl Krikken, with some determined defence.Krikken had said that Derbyshire would “fight to get a positive result”, after complaining bitterly about Tredwell’s introduction to the match after the ECB had indicated he would not be available if he played in Wednesday’s final ODI against South Africa.In fact, Derbyshire never threatened to crumble to Tredwell. But the England spinner gave them nothing (he bowled 12 overs for 17 overs before lunch) whereas 20-year-old Adam Riley, who Tredwell replaced, might not have been able to maintain the pressure. To that extent, his introduction to the game did have a bearing.Wickets were what Kent required, however, and it was Matt Coles – picked for the England Lions this summer – who did the trick with two wickets in 17 balls. Tall, strong and bowling with every ounce of effort he could muster, Coles may have been a little fortunate to remove Borrington lbw with height the issue. A couple of overs later, however, he had Wes Durston leg-before, the batsman having shuffled across his stumps, and almost did for Dan Redfern, who edged thick and fast to gully where Sam Northeast could only parry a head-high chance.Then Stevens took over the role of match-winner. He removed Khawaja lbw with one that cut back, found the outside edge of Redfern’s bat, had Tony Palladino taken in the slips off an angled bat and produced a bail-trimmer to remove Tim Groenewald. Derbyshire continued to fight, but it was a battle they seemed destined to lose from the moment Mark Davies brushed David Wainwright’s off stump with the final ball before tea, thereby breaking a stand with Tom Poynton that took up 20 overs.”That was a massive wicket for us,” said Key. “This morning, I thought it would be over a lot earlier than it was. But Derbyshire fought really well and they were very hard to prise out. We had to force every dismissal and it was bloody hard work.”So now it is a three-horse race for promotion and I would say it is even money on everyone. After the last couple of years it is brilliant to be going into the final game with everything to play for.”Derbyshire can say precisely the same. But, having led the table virtually all season, they now find themselves under real pressure to confirm a first ever Championship promotion.