Semaphore and shooters

It's all about planning
There were a few raised eyebrows when Stuart Broad had a deep square-leg in place while bowling to Jacques Kallis. After all, this has been a surface where the quicks have caused most of their problems by pitching the ball up and getting uneven bounce. Was it a double-bluff from Broad and Andrew Strauss? No, it was a perfect piece of planning. Broad, after drying up the runs, banged in his first short ball of the day, and Kallis obligingly pulled it to Alastair Cook on the boundary who, despite a mini-wobble, held on.

Signal failure
Early in the day, there was a lot of arm-waving going on between the pitch and scorers. It wasn't clear what the issue was until Brian Jerling, the fourth umpire, made his way up to the box, accompanied by a man with two large bulbs. It emerged that there were no indicator lights to enable the scorers to confirm they had registered the umpires' signals, and so instead they had to resort to semaphore. However, the man with the bulbs quickly went to work, and soon everyone's life had been made that bit easier.

Within an inch
England haven't had any luck with the review system in this match, and are pretty fed up with the whole process. Their mood won't have been enhanced when, desperate for a breakthrough, Andrew Strauss gambled on using his final review when Graham Onions had a huge shout for lbw against AB de Villiers. The replay looked good; it pitched in line, hit in line, but would have crashed pretty comfortably into leg stump, but under the parameters set for the margin of error, there was enough doubt still lingering for de Villiers to survive.

Young talent
As has been the case since the second day, the crowd were allowed onto the outfield during the lunch interval. Among the many games that sprang up, one young boy caught the attention. He ran in with a neat action, bowled with a hint of swing and then switched to sending down a few leggies. When his turn came with the bat he was quickly into position to play the pull shot. Expect him to be offered a Kolpak deal within days.

England finally get one
Given they had spent another sweltering day in the field, England may just have lost the plot if JP Duminy had survived his lbw appeal against James Anderson on review. The ball pitched in line and swung nicely back into Duminy's pads so Steve Davis was happy to give it out. Height was the concern, but it went in England's favour - but only just. Replays showed the ball was only clipping the bails but, because it had originally been given out, the on-field call remained.

Play that
Hashim Amla had just reached his hundred by flicking Broad through midwicket and was seeing it like a football. Still, he had no chance of playing the grubber from Anderson that scuttled along the deck and crashed into off stump. Anderson barely celebrated, partly because South Africa's lead was out of reach, but mostly because he knew the challenge that was about to confront England in their second innings.

Clouds on the horizon?
During the fourth day, the sky became something other than perfectly blue for the first time in the game. The ominous sign of thunderclouds began forming in the distance - as the forecast had predicted - and they started to turn the sunshine hazy. This match has been notable because it's the first time here that an England game hasn't impacted by the weather. But there is still a day to go, and the visitors would welcome some help from above.

Rohit's triple and Baroda's near-miss

The triple
It's good to know Rohit Sharma has it in him to play a long innings. Never mind it came against Gujarat on a flat track, a first-class triple-century is a proud achievement. For a batsman considered to be the future of the Indian middle order, it had been a concern that the attractive 30s were not being converted into bigger scores. Consider this: the 322 balls he faced for his 309 not out was 28 more than what he faced in the whole of the 2007-08 season. Rohit is aware of the criticism against him. "This knock means a lot to me. Without doubt, this is my best innings," he told the Indian Express. "Questions were being asked if I was good for the longer versions. I have been through tough times, but this triple-hundred will change things."

Sow in 2008, reap in 2009
Karnataka played six matches in the league stage this year. They won four of them outright (two of them with a bonus point), and took the first-innings lead in the remaining two. No team in their group could get the better of them, not even in the first innings. Mumbai, on the other hand, won just one of the seven matches they played, scraped through into the top three, thanks to the four instances in which they managed the first-innings lead. But Mumbai, by the virtue of being the defending champions, get to play the Plate League qualifiers in the quarter-finals. We understand it's an old Ranji Trophy rule, but it can certainly do with a revision: it is quite clear as to who out of Karnataka and Mumbai deserve to face the easier opponents this season.

Pathans miss a trick
While there was no last-day fight for any of the quarter-final slots, Baroda gave Delhi a late scare for the final spot. Baroda started the final round with 10 points, and Delhi 15. As Delhi went on to concede a first-innings lead against Bengal and earn themselves just one point, Baroda knew if they could beat Maharashtra with a bonus point they could tie with Delhi on points, and scrape through on a better run quotient. It all seemed to be working out for Baroda when Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel took seven wickets between them to set themselves a target of 101. The catch was, they had to win by 10 wickets in order to get the bonus point, and they also had to play out two overs on the third evening.

Irfan promoted his brother, Yusuf, to open the innings. The Indian Express reports: "On the very first ball, however, he stepped down the track and skied the ball to the wicketkeeper Rohit Motwani." Irfan told the paper: "We had made a decision to send him in early to accelerate the innings and to ensure we had a reliable batsman who would survive the last two overs. Unfortunately things didn't turn out that way."

Fallah gets a hat-trick
Yusuf's rush of blood completed a staggered hat-trick for the Maharashtra left-arm medium-pacer Samad Fallah, to go with his eight-for in the first innings. This was the second hat-trick this season, following Karnataka's Abhimanyu Mithun's effort on debut. Maharashtra, though, didn't have much else to cheer for as they were relegated to the Plate League.

No quarters given
Since the two Plate qualifiers have the opportunity to face the Super League teams, we have a few rare match-ups. Mumbai and Haryana have played each other only once before, and Uttar Pradesh and Assam only thrice. And despite both of them playing in the Super League, Karnataka and Punjab have somehow avoided each other ever since the Super and Plate divisions were introduced. The last time they played each other was the 1998-99 semi-final, which Karnataka won by seven wickets.

Look who's playing the quarters
Former Mumbai players, Sairaj Bahutule and Amol Muzumdar, who represented Assam this season. Bahutule's 25 wickets at 18.48, and eight wickets in the Plate semi-final helped Assam through. Assam's other key performer was the former Maharashtra batsman Dheeraj Jadhav, who carried his bat through for 165 in the semi-final. While it's unlikely that Bahutule and Muzumdar will come face to face with Mumbai this season, there is every chance they might play a league match against their old team in 2010-11.

Bengal's new opener
His 152 against Delhi may have come a bit late in the season for Bengal, but Sourav Ganguly is all set to open the innings for them in the East Zone one-dayers in Cuttack in February, reports the Telegraph. The Kolkata-based paper suggested Ganguly will use this to get into groove for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2010 IPL: their regular opener, Brendon McCullum, will be away for a major part of the tournament. Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Bengal's captain, approves. "I have absolutely no problem with Sourav opening. He is free to choose his batting position."

The Chanderpaul understudies

West Indies haven't had Shivnarine Chanderpaul as their middle-order rock at the WACA, but they've had two very good imitations in Narsingh Deonarine and Brendan Nash

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA

December 19, 2009

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Narsingh Deonarine has more than just anti-glare patches in common with Shivnarine Chanderpaul © Getty Images



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West Indies haven't had Shivnarine Chanderpaul as their middle-order rock at the WACA, but they've had two very good imitations. Cricket in the Caribbean isn't flush with cash but Narsingh Deonarine and Brendan Nash have put an enormous price on their wickets, and the team could enjoy healthy dividends if their diligence continues.

The long, hot Perth day eventually got to both batsmen and they departed in the final session. By then they had given their side hope in a chase of 359, although late wickets put Australia back on top. Patience and discipline are vital qualities in Test cricket and it's no surprise that West Indies, who barring Chanderpaul haven't always had those traits in the past decade, have won only three of their past 41 Tests.

Nor is it remarkable that in a region that has produced dashing superstars like Viv Richards and Brian Lara (though they were brilliantly adaptable and could defend for their lives), a younger generation preferred to entertain. Stroke-players such as Xavier Marshall, Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith have rolled through the Test line-up, providing much sparkle but little substance.

Now there are batsmen coming through who are aiming to emulate Chanderpaul, and the team is better for it. Much like Chanderpaul, Deonarine and Nash are small-statured left-handers whose first priority is to not get out and if runs come along the way, then that's good. It was precisely the attitude the team needed when they came together on the fourth day at the WACA.

At that stage the visitors required 291 to win, with seven wickets in hand and time was of no consequence. It was so irrelevant to Nash that for 70 minutes he didn't score a run, remaining on 48. It didn't bother him. He once batted through a whole session for Queensland and scored two runs.

Deonarine played in a similar fashion, although he was more willing to attack and memorably brought up his half-century with a six straight back over the head of the bowler Nathan Hauritz. He would have gone through the whole series without playing a Test but for the finger injury that Chanderpaul suffered in Adelaide.

He slotted into Chanderpaul's No. 4 position with ease, batting 100 minutes for 18 in the first innings as he aimed to shore up one end, before he lasted 202 minutes for 82 in the second innings. The similarity was even more striking as Deonarine wore anti-glare strips under his eyes - the same patches that Chanderpaul has made a trademark.

Deonarine was ten years old when his Guyanese countryman Chanderpaul made his Test debut in Georgetown. Eleven years later, Deonarine made his Test debut under Chanderpaul's captaincy. With his performances, he has given himself a chance of keeping his Test spot even when his idol returns.

"Since I was a little boy growing up I was always looking at Shiv and always he was my role model," Deonarine said. "The way he's going about doing his business, a very determined guy. I tried to model myself in his way, going out there, be determined, spend time at the crease. He taught me a lot and advised me a lot, so in the end it's worked out."

Today, neither Nash nor Deonarine could make it through to stumps but their 128-run stand, forged over more than three hours in 35-degree heat, gave their team a chance. Deonarine missed a straight ball and saw it crash off his pads and onto the stumps; Nash's tired brain told him to leave the new ball that swung in to knock his off stump.

But it's worth remembering that early in his career, Chanderpaul was often criticised for getting tired and not batting long enough. Things can change.

Last year in the Caribbean, he was at the crease for nearly 26 hours in the three Tests against Australia, including more than 18 hours straight without being dismissed. If Deonarine and Nash can perfect their Chanderpaul imitations and become long-term investments, breaking through the West Indies' middle order will truly become a test.

Chilly weather will test India - Chandrakant Pandit

Chandrakant Pandit, India's Under-19 coach, has said his team's biggest challenge at the forthcoming World Cup in New Zealand will be the cold conditions. The biennial tournament starts on January 15 with India, the reigning champions, starting their campaign against Afghanistan in Lincoln. The final will be played at the same venue on January 30.

"It will be a little more chilly and windy out in New Zealand so the conditions will be different and the biggest challenge," Pandit said in Mumbai on the eve of the squad's departure to South Africa, where India will play a tri-series from December 27-January 5 that includes Sri Lanka. "The boys need to get acclimatised as early as possible. We should be ready from the first game to handle the conditions."

The 15-member squad, led by allrounder Ashok Meenaria from Rajasthan, was a picture of confidence as it faced the media contingent at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. Both captain and coach said the players have bonded well over the last year, when they've been together. Most of them were also part of the tour of Australia in April this year, where India won the ODI series 2-1 and drew the Tests 1-1.

The Indians finished a 10-day camp in Mumbai on Friday and Pandit said it was a fruitful exercise, with every player made aware of his role. "Our plan was to go step by step," Pandit said. "To begin with, we placed individual responsibilities in the camp. We want to do well in South Africa and finally come up with our best performance in New Zealand."

The seriousness of India's campaign can be gauged from the fact that guest speakers like Sachin Tendulkar, former Australian fielding coach Mike Young and sports psychologist Dr Bhimeshwar Bam spent quality time with the youngsters.

Pandit, a former team-mate of Tendulkar's, said the 45-minute conversation Tendulkar had with the players would stand them in good stead. "Tendulkar spoke on how to approach a game. His technical feedback was really valuable," Pandit said. "For example, he told the fast bowlers that when they run towards the target [batsman] they have to keep their head forward. We would Probably have learnt that after going there," Pandit said with visible excitement.

He said Tendulkar's most valuable advice was on "trusting the teammate". "He told them that "if you are going to stand next to each other you need to have the confidence in the other. Only then can the team perform". The boys seemed to have understood the message as they started looking at the other from there onwards," Pandit said.

As for Young, he managed to instill a more enthusiastic approach to fielding. "He made us enjoy fielding," Saurabh Netravalkar, one of the fast bowlers in the squad, said. "He started with the basics of fielding, about how to start, how to position yourself, and made fielding easy."

Young just focussed on refining certain basics as he felt that Pandit had been carrying out the right drills and there was no need for him to introduce anything new.

Pandit said India haven't missed anything by way of preparation. "We need to now look at how we are going to implement what we have been working on during the actual games."

Meenaria said the defending champions were not in any way burdened by expectation. "There is no pressure, instead we are more confident now - especially after winning in Australia," he said. "I'm confident we are favourites to win the World Cup. But for now, our focus is on the South African tour."

India play their first game against South Africa in Johannesburg on December 28.

Shane Watson fined for aggressive send-off

Shane Watson gets animated after dismissing Chris Gayle © Getty Images



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Shane Watson has been fined 15% of his match fee by the match referee Chris Broad after his over-the-top celebration on dismissing Chris Gayle.

When Watson's caught-behind appeal was granted, he ran close to Gayle and while facing the batsman celebrated with excessive cheering and roaring. The umpires had a chat to Watson straight afterwards and he was also spoken to by his captain Ricky Ponting, who was keen to avoid any further incidents after the Sulieman Benn-Brad Haddin-Mitchell Johnson fracas.

"Shane is a very energetic and enthusiastic bowler but on this occasion he has gone too far by running down the wicket screaming, thereby not showing due respect for the opponent," Broad said. "While handing down the punishment, I took into account that Shane admitted his mistake by pleading guilty."

Benn was suspended for two one-day internationals for his part in the verbal and physical clash earlier in the match, while Johnson and Haddin were both fined. Australia's coach Tim Nielsen said he had warned Watson after the Gayle dismissal that he should tone down his behaviour.

"I spoke to him quickly at lunch-time and I said I think he needs to be careful about the way he reacts or celebrates his dismissals," Nielsen said. "I think that's probably been one of the things about this Test match also, there's been ... quite a bit of [needle] between the playing groups out there. That's something we're conscious of and something that I'm certainly talking to the playing group about.

"We're trying to maintain a pretty even keel as often as we can but at the same time, when things get emotional and it's hot and you're tired and there is a game on the line, you can understand that some of those reactions are maybe over the top sometimes. It's something that we've spoken about and I'll have another chat to Watto about it tonight."

An unfortunate nickname and fancy footwork

Drop drop
When Theo Doropoulos plays Twenty20s for Western Australia the nickname on his back is "Drop". Sadly for him, the name proved far too apt when he came on as a substitute fielder late in the day. He had barely taken the field when Sulieman Benn chipped Mitchell Johnson to mid-on, where Doropoulos put down a simple chance. Redemption came in Johnson's next over when Doropoulos, who had been banished to deep midwicket, was given another chance by the free-swinging Benn and this time held on.

Clint dirty
To paraphrase his namesake Eastwood, Clint McKay had to ask himself one question today: "Do I feel lucky?" Sadly for McKay, this didn't look like being his most fortunate day. He celebrated what he thought was his first Test wicket, complete with hugs and back-slaps from his team-mates, when Ian Gould adjudged Denesh Ramdin lbw. However Ramdin asked for a review and the final verdict was that the ball was slipping down leg. To add insult to injury, Gould signaled four leg-byes. McKay did get his chance to celebrate soon afterwards when he jagged one back off the seam to rattle Ramdin's stumps.

Fancy footwork, part one
Chris Gayle has impressed fans this series with his soccer skills, including a display in which he kept the ball in the air for about ten kicks before it hit the turf. This time his efforts were far more serious, when in the first over of the innings, he fended away a short delivery from Doug Bollinger and the ball spun back towards his stumps. Gayle was late in realising the danger and only a last-ditch toe-poke saved him from being bowled.

Fancy footwork, part two
Doug Bollinger wasn't to be outdone - shortly afterwards Gayle nudged a delivery back down the pitch, giving the bowler a chance to show his own skills. He kept it in the air with both feet, and his knees, but only managed about five touches before it hit the ground. Still, it was more agreeable footwork than Bollinger had displayed in Adelaide, when his kick of the turf in anger at a negated lbw appeal earned him a reprimand from the match referee.

Mitch hitch
The absence of Mitchell Johnson at various periods during the day didn't help the Australians, after he was sick all through the night and into the fourth day with gastro issues. Johnson did take the field and bowled in short spells but he was clearly unwell, often hunching over in discomfort. He had to leave the field several times and his condition was not helped by the heat in Perth, where the temperature soared as high as 37 degrees.

They could be contenders
Australia are facing the possibility that Ponting will miss his first Test in five years with his elbow tendon problem placing him in doubt for Boxing Day. If that were to happen, the selectors would face an interesting decision over his replacement. As the fourth day unfolded at the WACA, the contenders presented their cases around the country. Leading the charge was Phillip Hughes, who made a quick 122 in a Sheffield Shield game in Newcastle, although bringing in an extra opener would require some shuffling of the batting order. At Adelaide Oval, Michael Klinger scored a patient, unbeaten 64 after Shaun Marsh had made 82. Other candidates including George Bailey, David Hussey and Cameron White, will be batting for their states over the next couple of days.

Free entry for day five
Despite being a Saturday, the crowd of 8556 on the fourth day was lower than any of the first three days of the game. The WACA will open the gates for free on the final day, with Australia requiring only one wicket and West Indies 51 runs for victory.

Amla century leaves England in strife

Close England 356 (Swann 81, Harris 5-123) and 11 for 1 (Cook 4*, Anderson 6*) need another 353 runs to beat South Africa 418 (Kallis 120, Swann 5-110) and 301 for 6 dec (Amla 100)
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Hashim Amla was South Africa's saviour, as he turned the tables on England © Getty Images



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Hashim Amla rescued South Africa from a first-session meltdown with a brilliant and phlegmatic five-and-a-quarter-hour century, and in so doing, built a platform from which England were left dangling precariously at the end of an enthralling and fluctuating fourth day at Centurion. In the six overs available after Graeme Smith had declared with an unassailable lead of 363, Morne Morkel produced an unplayable second-ball snorter to extract the key scalp of Andrew Strauss for 1 - a massive breakthrough in their bid to claim the opening match of the series.

By the close, Alastair Cook and England's nightwatchman James Anderson had chiselled and grimaced to 11 for 1 in reply, an uncomfortable mini-session that meant that the day had finished as it had begun, with massive pressure being exerted on a jittery top-order by accurate and incisive new-ball bowling. On a dry and dusty surface, the extra hardness of the still-lacquered Kookaburra played havoc on the ever-widening cracks - and few deliveries misbehaved as badly as the Anderson shooter that eventually ended Amla's vigil after five deliveries of England's second new ball.

With that in mind, England's bid for survival will require a performance of Amla-esque sang froid, after he arrived in the middle in the third over of the day and had to watch from the non-striker's end as his captain Smith was himself skittled by a delivery from Graham Onions that barely rose above his bootlaces. With England alive to the possibilities and maintaining an admirable wicket-to-wicket line, South Africa's anxieties extended even to the normally unflappable Jacques Kallis, who ground his way to 4 from 32 balls before hoisting a surprise short ball from Broad straight down the throat of Cook at deep square leg.

At 46 for 4 in the 22nd over, South Africa were in serious jeopardy, especially given the manner in which Graeme Swann and Anderson had ripped the initiative away from them with their thrilling ninth-wicket partnership on Friday afternoon. But Amla retained his composure admirably in the conditions, crouching low in his stance to combat the bounce, but quick to cash in on anything loose, particularly with a spring-loaded cut shot.


Amla believes that the early wicket of Strauss could be crucial to South Africa's chances of victory


Until his dismissal, his innings was virtually flawless. Swann's offspin caused him one moment of alarm on 23, when an lbw appeal was sent to the third umpire for review, but replays showed he was struck just outside the line. And on 49, he brought up his half-century from 106 balls with arguably his only false stroke in 213 attempts - a rash swipe for four that just skimmed out of the reach of the man at mid-on.


But if Amla was the linchpin, then the catalyst for South Africa's revival was de Villiers, with whom he added 119 for the fifth wicket in a fantastic post-lunch alliance. De Villiers' urgency and aggression transformed a run-rate that had been dawdling along at barely 2.5 an over, and in so doing, forced England out of their comfortable wicket-to-wicket mindset, and forced them to offer up more loose deliveries in search of the elusive unplayable ball.

His first shot in anger was a shimmy down the track to Swann and a handsome loft for six over mid-on, and though both Anderson and Onions hinted at a touch of reverse-swing, neither man could maintain a consistent line to utilise it to the max, with too many offerings sliding into the pads. He survived one moment of good fortune on 47, when a reviewed lbw from Onions was upheld in accordance with the original on-field decision, and it was eventually Broad who broke the stand, 20 minutes before tea, when Ian Bell at short cover scooped a scuffed drive off a slower ball.

On 11, JP Duminy redressed the review balance when his own marginal lbw decision was upheld, this time in Anderson's favour, but if England thought they were back in the hunt at 191 for 6 (a deficit of 253), then Mark Boucher came bursting out of the blocks in typically belligerent fashion. With Amla quite content to close down one end, Boucher blazed nine fours and a six in a 73-ball 63 not out, and reached the fifty that had eluded him in the first innings moments before Amla sealed his century with a sweet clip through midwicket off Broad.


James Anderson is braced for another England rearguard


By now, the demons in the wicket had vanished along with the hardness of the old ball, and while it was a frustration to England after a spate of morning successes, it also served as something of a reassurance that survival could be a simple matter of putting bat on ball on the final day - assuming, of course, that tomorrow's first hour with the six-over-old new ball doesn't prove to be a demolition derby.

Anderson's reaction on detonating Amla's off stump was instructive. Far from celebrate the moment, which left him with England's stand-out figures of 4 for 73, he booted the offending orb into the outfield as it rebounded into the path of his followthrough. In the final hour of the day, England's last vestiges of good humour were wiped away by Morkel, who flogged Broad for 18 in an over to hasten Smith's declaration, then responded to his new-ball opportunity by cramping Strauss from round the wicket, and grazing his edge with a perfect leaping delivery.

First shooters, then fliers. The net result is that England have a battle awaiting them on Sunday. And unless they can find an Amla of their own, their fortunes could be made or broken inside the first hour of play

Ishant Sharma and Dinesh Karthik called up

Fast bowler Ishant Sharma and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik have been included in India's squad for the third and fourth ODIs against Sri Lanka. The changes have been made after Sreesanth contracted swine flu and MS Dhoni was banned for two ODIs because of a slow over-rate in Nagpur.

Karthik is likely to take Dhoni's place in the XI for the matches in Cuttack and Kolkata while Virender Sehwag will lead the side. Yuvraj Singh, who missed the first two ODIs, because of a finger injury and illness, has been retained in the team.

The challenge for Sehwag and Karthik will be to replace a successful captain and the world's best ODI batsman, not only according to ICC's rankings, which he has hegemony over, but also because of the variety of roles Dhoni plays. He has also been the in-form batsman for India in this series. In the first match, in Rajkot, he promoted himself after a strong start and didn't let the run-rate come down in the middle overs, scoring 72 off 53 balls. In Nagpur, Dhoni came in at 81 for 3 and his century was instrumental in India's utilising the Powerplay overs and reaching 300.

The last one-dayer Dhoni missed was in 2007, against South Africa in Ireland, when he was down with viral illness. Since he became the ODI captain later that year, Dhoni rested during the Test leg of the Sri Lanka tour, but made sure he was there to play the one-dayers. Since he became the full-time captain, Dhoni missed just one international, the Napier Test earlier this year, because of back trouble. Sehwag, who led India then, was criticised for letting the game drift when Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor put on a big partnership. Dhoni the batsman was missed too: following on, Gautam Gambhir had to play out of his skin to help India force a draw.

Since then, Sehwag has said India need to groom a younger man as future captain, which makes sense because Sehwag is older than Dhoni. The selectors have not identified a designated vice-captain, but Sehwag has relinquished the position. Sehwag, however, also said he would be there to take on the leadership role in contingencies, which is where India find themselves now.


Squad: Virender Sehwag (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Sudeep Tyagi, Pragyan Ojha.

Butt century boosts Pakistan

Pakistanis 270 for 4 (Butt 153, Misbah 43, Macdonald 2-40) v Tasmania
Scorecard

Pakistan got off to a solid start to their tour of Australia, as opening batsman Salman Butt's knock of 153 took them to 270 for 4 at stumps on the first day against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval.

Under overcast conditions, the hosts decided to put the visitors in and, much like in their recent tour of New Zealand, the openers struggled initially. Butt was dropped and reprieved again when Tim Paine missed a stumping opportunity before he could get his eye in. He went on to make the most of the lapses, dropping anchor and settling in for a long vigil at the crease. Building upon the confidence he picked in his final innings in New Zealand, he dug in and, along with Imran Farhat, added 69 runs for the opening wicket. Tim Macdonald then got Farhat's scalp after which Faisal Iqbal fell cheaply.

Butt carried on and found a willing partner in Misbah-ul-Haq, who is looking to resurrect his international career. Misbah struck two sixes in the partnership of 113 before Macdonald sent him back, seven short of a half-century. With stumps in sight, Butt was dismissed by the economical Brett Geeves, but not before he had crossed 150 with 23 fours, a knock that will give him confidence ahead of the Test series. Pakistan will hope Umar Akmal and the rest of the lower order can swell the total before they have a go at the home team on the second day.

Redbacks crawl on Klinger half-century

South Australia 4 for 167 (Klinger 64*) trail Western Australia 401 (S Marsh 82, Heal 81, Noffke 59, M Marsh 55, Robinson 54, Bailey 4-62) by 234 runs
Scorecard



Michael Klinger dawdled to 64 on an uneventful second day © Getty Images



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Michael Klinger's half-century was the highlight for South Australia on a snail-paced day as they reached 4 for 167 in Adelaide. Western Australia were dismissed for 401 before lunch and the Redbacks moved at 2.35 runs per over for the rest of the day.

Klinger's 64 took 192 deliveries and included only five fours as he anchored the innings. While Klinger's figures look ugly, none of his partners were able to pass the 34 of Mark Cosgrove on a tough day.

At the beginning of their chase James Smith was bowled for 1 and Ashley Noffke picked up Daniel Harris on 32 as the Redbacks crept forward. Klinger and Cosgrove combined for 52 but each time the hosts started to form a decent partnership it was ended by the frugal Western Australians.

Aaron Heal scored a personal best of 81 as he pushed Western Australia from their overnight score of 7 for 309. Ashley Noffke fell on 59 when he was lbw to Jake Haberfield before Heal combined with Brad Knowles in a 91-run stand. Cullen Bailey cleaned up the final two wickets for a return of 4 for 62 that augurs well for the second innings.

Hughes sparkles at the right time

Phillip Hughes picked the perfect time to score a century as he improved his chances of coming back into the Test squad in Melbourne. With Ricky Ponting's sore elbow putting his place in doubt for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, Australia will be looking for a top-order batsman at least as cover and Hughes showed he was in form with 122 in New South Wales' 8 for 390 declared against Victoria.

After the first day was washed out in Newcastle, Hughes showed he was back in the sort of touch that earned him a Test debut in South Africa with a series of strong cuts and drives. Jamie Cox, the Test selector, was watching as Hughes collected 13 fours and two sixes during his 179-ball stay, although he did benefit from three misses after passing his half-century.

Despite Hughes' strong performance, the Blues' middle order wasn't able to capitalise on their strong start, but they were saved by the tail-enders. Phil Jaques and Usman Khawaja went to John Hastings by the time the score was 18 before Hughes and Ben Rohrer put on 120 for the third wicket until Rohrer became the first of three victims for Andrew McDonald.

McDonald created problems for David Warner (28) and Daniel Smith (1) while Jon Holland, the left-arm spinner, picked up Hughes, who hit to square leg, and also removed Grant Lambert as the Blues slipped to 7 for 224. However, the captain Moises Henriques pushed forward with 40 before Steve O'Keefe and Mitchell Starc flattened the visitors with a stand of 124 for the ninth wicket.

O'Keefe finished with 82 while Starc, the No. 10, had 54 as they enjoyed the bowling and both cleared the fence before the declaration. Victoria were 0 for 5 after four overs in their reply.

Poor start and lack of early wickets cost India - Dhoni

A poor start from the batsmen and the failure to get early wickets by the bowlers cost India the second ODI, MS Dhoni, their captain, has said. Dhoni scored a century after the early loss of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, taking India to 301, but Sri Lanka, boosted by a second successive ton from Tillakaratne Dilshan, sealed a three-wicket win in the final over.


"We did not get a good start. We got some partnerships going but also lost wickets regularly," Dhoni said after the game. We capitalised on the Powerplay to get to a total, which I thought was par for the course. But in these conditions you need to get early wickets. We did not get those.


"If we had got wickets with the new ball things would have been different. Though we got three-four wickets in a clutch it was too late to make a difference."


Dhoni admitted poor fielding was also a factor in India's failure to defend a competitive score. "This team is the best in batting and we have the best bowlers, but we are not the best fielding side in the world," he said. "We need to score 20 more runs to make up for the fielding lapses."


There were several misfields and fumbles when India were fielding, and one that virtually sealed a Sri Lankan victory came in the penultimate over. Zaheer Khan, fielding at mid-on, allowed a drive from Angelo Mathews go through his legs to the boundary to bring the equation down to four runs off eight balls.

India have been relying on the services of former Australia fielding coach Mike Young, who is a part of the support-staff in his capacity as a consultant. But Dhoni said results could not be expected overnight. "You have to see the individuals also and then you have to decide on how much you can upgrade yourself. It's not that if I am fielding or you are fielding and all of a sudden there comes the coach and you become Jonty Rhodes," he said. "It's like a bowler. A spinner can't bowl fast bowling. The same way fielding is something that comes naturally. Somebody is a good fielder or he's not."

However, Dhoni praised India's middle-order batsmen, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli, who hit half-centuries and played key roles in India's recovery. "Virat batted very well. When he came in there was a lot of pressure. The spinners were bowling well and the fast bowlers were using the bouncers. He is also an excellent fielder either inside or outside the circle. It's exciting to see characters like him," he said. "Raina is a batsman who, after he is well set, goes for the big shots, sixes and fours. That's the hallmark of his batting."


Dhoni has had a successful 2009 with the bat, scoring two centuries and nine fifties and currently heads the run-scoring charts along with Ricky Ponting. "If we have to score more runs I promote myself. I try to be there till the end so that in the slog overs we can score more freely when one set batsman is there. By batting at different slots I have learnt what kind of pressure every individual has," he said.

Sri Lanka's response was led by Dilshan's typically attacking 123 and Dhoni lauded his consistency. "He's a very aggressive batsman and has been very consistent. On his day he can be dangerous. He has got all the shots, the cut, the pull or the shot over the bowler's head."


Dilshan has scored four out of his five centuries while opening the batting, and he acknowledged that promotion up the order had brought about a transformation in his batting. "Opening has certainly helped me," he said. "I have changed my mindset and started converting my 30s and 40s into big scores."


An unbeaten 37 from Mathews took Sri Lanka past the finish line after India had struck back with quick wickets. "We had to take our chances and Angelo Mathews (37 not out) made sure we did not go down," he said. Mathews appeared to pull his thigh muscle during his innings and had to rely on a runner. Sri Lanka's team manager Brendon Kuruppu said the extent of damage was not known as yet. "We don't know exactly what has happened to him. We have to wait for 24 hours before deciding the course of action."

MS Dhoni banned for two ODIs

MS Dhoni, India's captain, has been banned for two ODIs for India's failure to maintain the over-rate during the second match against Sri Lanka in Nagpur. The ban is effective immediately, which means Dhoni will be unavailable for the games in Cuttack and Kolkata, returning only for the final ODI in Delhi. Virender Sehwag will captain the side in his absence.

The severity of the penalty - a ban instead of a fine - is because India were three overs short, which comes under the "serious over-rate offence" category. Falling short by up to two overs in an ODI, and five in a Test day, is considered a "minor offence", and merits a ban only if the offence is repeated twice in 12 months. On Friday night, though, India finished their 50 overs about 45 minutes after the scheduled finish and left match referee Jeff Crowe with no choice but to impose a ban.

If India repeat a serious over-rate offence in any form of the game within the next 12 months, Dhoni could earn himself a ban of two to eight ODIs or one to four Tests.

"The India captain, like his Sri Lanka counterpart, was reminded and warned before and during the ODI series to be mindful of the slow over-rates and the penalties under the revised code," Crowe said. "The Indian side was at par until the 42nd over but bowled only eight overs in the last hour which, is unacceptable. I accept the fact that the ultimate desire of the Indian side was to win the match but at the same time it had deadlines to meet and also fulfill the responsibilities it owed to the stakeholders."

The rest of the Indian players were fined 40% of their match fee for the offence - 10% each for the first two overs of minor offence and 20% each for every subsequent over. The BCCI has also stated that it will not appeal against the ban.

"We have received information that the match referee has put a two-ODI ban on Dhoni for slow over-rate," Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI's chief administrative officer, said. "We are waiting for a formal communication on this. We will look into details and then make further comments."

Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka's captain, came close to getting banned when his side were found to be two overs short during the second Twenty20 international in Mohali. Sangakkara was fined 40% of his match fee while the rest of the team was docked 20% each, but Crowe said Sangakkara escaped a much bigger penalty.

"Kumar was kept informed throughout the match by the on-field umpires of where his team was with its over-rate," Crowe said. "Under the revised code of conduct, Sri Lanka was very close to being three overs behind and charged for a Serious Over Rate Offence, which would have resulted in its captain being suspended in the next two ODIs." Within the next 12 months, Sri Lanka can afford to repeat this minor offence once. Third strike, and Sangakkara will be out for a game.

Meanwhile, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has been found not guilty of showing dissent towards the umpires while batting in Nagpur. He set off for a quick single to mid-on but collided with the bowler before Angelo Mathews' direct hit caught him short of his crease. He appeared to gesticulate in frustration towards the umpire but Crowe clarified that it wasn't directed at him when the decision was referred to the third umpire.

"It was an unusual incident and while the umpires were justified in laying the charges, after studying all the evidences I found that Gambhir was actually annoyed and irritated by the actions of the bowler than at the decision of the third umpire," Crowe said. "At the same time, the umpires and I were convinced that the actions of the bowler were unintentional."

Australia forced to wait another day for series win

West Indies had Australia shuddering for half the day but by stumps it was the hosts who were one wicket from cracking in a courageous chase. Australia grabbed four breakthroughs in the last hour to be on the verge of a 2-0 series win, with Kemar Roach and Gavin Tonge needing another 51 to reach their unlikely victory target of 359.

The match seemed headed for a quick finish when West Indies were 3 for 68 at lunch - the dangermen Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan were gone - but Narsingh Deonarine and Brendan Nash combined in a brave partnership that gave them hope. By the scheduled end Australia needed three wickets and took the extra half hour, succeeding only in dismissing Sulieman Benn and Ravi Rampaul. Roach and Tonge not only held on, but added 29 in 30 balls to take the score to 9 for 308, extending the game into a fifth day.

On a swinging afternoon West Indies had started to believe in a drawn series during the second session, when the 128-run stand between Deonarine and Nash was taking them closer to what would be the second-highest successful run-chase at the ground. At tea Australia's bowling had been ineffective, flat and as sick as Mitchell Johnson. By stumps Johnson, who was suffering stomach problems, had bowled through the pain to gain three wickets and Ricky Ponting could relax over his 35th birthday dinner. There will be no long party for the captain, but with a sunny day predicted for Sunday, most of his fears over the result will have disappeared.

Just as Ponting's men were wondering if they would be giving up two huge chases in a row at the ground - last year South Africa pursued 414 - they broke through twice in two overs. Deonarine and Dwayne Bravo, the last game-changer in the order, departed to return control to Australia and more dismissals came in the final stages.

A maiden wicket went to Clint McKay when he bowled Denesh Ramdin, but the final one stayed out of reach. Benn struck two sixes off Johnson in his 33 before Theo Doropoulos, the substitute fielder, made up for his earlier miss at mid-on, and Rampaul went in the same Johnson over. Then the last pair showed similar determination as Deonarine and Nash to hold out.

Until his 183rd delivery Nash was an immoveable object, but Doug Bollinger took the new ball and delivered an off-cutter that hit off stump without the batsman playing a shot. It was a sad end for such a gutsy display in which Nash was the side's brick wall, deflecting the ball and insults from the fielders during his 65. Deonarine more than doubled his previous best score with 82, his first Test half-century, as the aggressor in the stand that lasted more than three hours.

The combination was slow at the start, but West Indies didn't need to rush and preventing any further damage was key. As the partnership went on the Australians increased their appealing, especially when the spinners were on, and Marcus North could have had an lbw if a not-out decision for Deonarine, on 65, had been referred to the third umpire.

Further resistance came after tea, with Nash becalmed for 70 minutes on 48, as the Australians worked on suffocating the pair. Neither left-hander made a fatal mistake until Deonarine played back to Shane Watson, who was working from around the wicket, and the ball deflected from pad on the stumps. The Australians roared in relief and were jubilant again a run later when Bravo lashed at Johnson and was caught in the gully by Michael Hussey.

Johnson spent time off the field and on taking the wicket bent over in exhaustion as his team-mates patted his back. Nathan Hauritz was also unwell but the burst of wickets after tea ended the queasy feeling for the team.

Nash was unflustered throughout, and deserved the applause when he moved from 48 to his half-century with a glide for four off Watson. Even the bowler, the most chirpy of the Australians, clapped his former Queensland team-mate. Watson's 2 for 24 off 12 was an impressive return blighted only by his antics when he removed Chris Gayle to a catch behind on 21.

Travis Dowlin (22) had already departed, finding one of two men in the deep with a hook shot, and when Watson captured Gayle the bowler cheered like a gorilla within a couple of metres of the batsman. Watson was immediately summoned by the umpires, but the Australians weren't too worried as they thought they had the crucial wicket and the rest would be easy.

At the beginning of the day the tourists' bowling surge continued as Australia were dismissed for 150, their lowest completed innings since 93 in a dead rubber against India in 2004. They lost their final two wickets in the first 27 balls of the morning, adding 13 valuable runs to their overnight advantage of 345.

Bravo's three wickets had kept his side in the game on the third day and he collected 4 for 42, finishing the innings with Hauritz's edge to slip. West Indies arrived with most predictions of a cleansweep but they have ruffled the hosts since they were battered in Brisbane. They had a chance in the morning but by stumps they needed a miracle.

England fume at delayed review

The series turned feisty on the third day at Centurion Park, when England's No. 8, Stuart Broad, was involved in an ugly on-field exchange with the umpires after being given out lbw following a delayed review from the South Africans.


England have not enjoyed much benefit from the system's use in this match and Broad's anger stemmed from the length of time it took for JP Duminy, the bowler, and the captain, Graeme Smith, to call for the opinion of the TV umpire. "Because of the amount of time that the decision took, we just asked the umpires," said Graeme Swann, who was Broad's partner at the time. "We didn't know out in the middle how much time was allowed."


ICC guidelines clearly state that the decision has to be made swiftly. "The total time elapsed between the ball becoming dead and the review request being made should be no more than a few seconds," the ruling reads. "If the umpires believe that a request has not been made sufficiently promptly, they may at their discretion decline to review the decision."


About 35 seconds elapsed before the third umpire was called in, and when replays showed the ball hitting the stumps, Broad was given out. Before walking off he marched over to Aleem Dar and Steve Davis to remonstrate and was clearly unhappy as he left the field. An England spokesman confirmed they will be taking up their concerns about the delay with match referee Roshan Mahanama, but do not expect Broad to face censure.


Initially there was some suggestion that the South Africans had received a signal from the dressing room but this was played down by both sides. "They [the umpires] said they hadn't seen any signal from the dressing room, so the decision has to stand - and when you've seen the replay it was out, so perhaps the review system does work sometimes," Swann said.


"With TV cameras all round the ground, someone has probably picked up something somewhere," he added. "But as far as the guys in the middle and the team are concerned, we're certainly not pointing the finger at South Africa, and saying 'you definitely did it'. We're just saying that, with the amount of time, there was certainly ample opportunity for maybe a message to get out."


The ICC's ruling on off-field input is very clear. "If the umpires believe that the captain or batsman has received direct or indirect input emanating other than from the players on the field, then they may at their discretion decline the request for a Player Review. In particular, signals from the dressing room must not be given."


Paul Harris confirmed he hadn't seen anything come from his dressing room during the delay between the appeal and the review being called. "By the time I got there from the boundary I think AB de Villiers had said to Graeme that we might as well take it," he said. "I think at one stage Biff [Graeme Smith] wasn't going to take it and changed his mind. As far as I'm concerned there was no message from the changing room, I don't think our coaching staff would do that, as it isn't in the spirit of the game. It was just a late decision from Graeme."


The UDRS has been the centre of attention during this Test. The most controversial decision was when England were convinced they had AB de Villiers caught-behind in the first innings, but replays were inconclusive, although it has worked well in all the other cases it has been used. Still, England clearly aren't won over just yet.


"Certainly the system has a few irregularities that need ironing out quickly if it's going to be a lasting method for technology to be used in Test cricket," Swann said. "We've seen the issues that need sorting in this game. We hope they'll be sorted ASAP."

No reward for topping the table

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu won't gain any advantage from topping their Ranji groups this season. Even though they are the leaders of their groups by a fair distance, it's Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh, the finalists from last season, who will get the easier quarter-final opponents - the teams from the Plate League. While Karnataka are not impressed with what seems to be a new rule, Tamil Nadu sort of saw it coming, because that's how the Ranji Trophy worked in the 1990s, before the Elite League and Plate League - and hence clear-cut semi-finalists - were introduced.

Last season, when the system of promoting two Plate teams to the quarterfinals was introduced, the two Super group leaders got to play them, and as expected made it to the semi-finals. This year, Karnataka with a whopping 28 points from six games, and Tamil Nadu with 26 from seven would have also expected easy quarterfinals, but they will be facing Punjab and Delhi respectively. On the other hand, UP and Mumbai, who finished second and third respectively in their groups, get the simpler matches against Assam and Haryana.

"It's quite unfair to give the advantage to them [the finalists from the last season]," Robin Uthappa, Karnataka's captain, told Cricinfo. "It's unfair on teams who have done really well this season. We could have finished second or third and could have still played Punjab, who we are playing anyway. That beats the whole purpose, all the hard work that goes in topping a table."

WV Raman, Tamil Nadu's coach, though, "distinctly remembered the system from earlier years" and was waiting for the confirmation, which - as with most of us - reached his team on the last day of the league stages. "The last year when the format changed, group-toppers got to play Plate teams. But this system was there [in the nineties] that when winners or runner-ups qualified in the next year, even though they didn't top the group they would automatically become No. 1 and No. 2 [for the purposes of deciding who will play whom in the knockouts]."

What Raman alluded to was the time when the league matches were played on a zonal basis. Three teams from each of the five zones qualified to play a Super League in three groups of five. The top two teams from each group would qualify for the next round, but two of those six would get byes and the other four would play quarter-finals to join the top two in the semis. The teams getting the bye were the finalists from the previous year, and if those finalists didn't make it past the Super League, teams with most points would go straight to semi-finals. For example, in 1999-2000, Karnataka, who finished sixth in terms of points in the Super League, got the bye because they were the defending champions. Madhya Pradesh, who lost the final in 1998-99, didn't make it to the Super League.


Hence Raman and Tamil Nadu were not surprised when they were told they would be playing Delhi and not Assam in the quarter-finals this year.

When asked if he, like Uthappa, thought it was unfair to reward teams for previous season's form and deny the best teams of the on-going season, Raman said, "If that is the rule, what can you do? I wasn't surprised, but we were just waiting for the information to come."

Ntini picks up the bar tab, Bell raises the bat

Drinks on Ntini
Makhaya Ntini should have had his first wicket yesterday evening, but AB de Villiers couldn't lend a helping hand and a ground-ful of thirsty punters weredenied a free drink. However, in the third over of the day, Ntini bowled Andrew Strauss and launched into an expansive celebration. Before the PA could announce the moment, however, the fans were already heading to the bar, including members of the Barmy Army who, possibly for the first time ever, had some consolation over England losing a wicket.

Harris gets his mate
Paul Harris and Jonathan Trott are good friends. They played together at Western Province and for Warwickshire, but now they are on opposite sides. So it will have given Harris huge pleasure that he got the better of their first battle together. Trott had become bogged down as he concentrated on survival on a pitch starting to play tricks, and then he suddenly wanted to break the shackles. He advanced down the track and aimed an ugly heave through the leg side, but didn't make contact. The leg stump went back, Trott went off and Harris went on a celebratory sprint.

Belly, Belly, Belly ...
Ian Bell had a thick covering of grass to thank for his place at No. 6. If the pitch on the first morning hadn't looked so green, Luke Wright would probably have made his Test debut, but instead England chose to play it safe. So it was a big chance for him when he strode out with the game in the balance at 168 for 4. And what did he do? He left a straight ball from Harris. It wasn't even a marginal leave as the ball demolished middle and off stumps. Harris is a hugely under-rated bowler, but he doesn't turn the ball much. Bell clearly believed otherwise. The death rattle will doubtless have persuaded him otherwise.

Screen issues
It's amazing how many problems sightscreens cause in international cricket, and midway through the day it happened again. The screen at the Hennops River End couldn't quite change itself back to white when the batsman was facing up, and it remained half-and-half with the advertisement. The solution was to drape a white sheet down over the screen which was a sensible move, but won't have impressed the companies paying hefty sums to promote their products.

Swann does a KP
England would have been several leagues up the creek with scarcely a paddle-sweep for salvation if it hadn't been for Graeme Swann. First he bowled 45 overs to claim five wickets, then he walked to the crease with his team in a hole at 221 for 7 and responded with a crackling career-best 81-ball 85. In the course of his counter-attack he showed there's more than one player capable of the switch hit, when he flipped himself into a left-hander and swung Paul Harris through cover (or is that midwicket?). It certainly gave him something to tweet about.

Anderson's sixer
James Anderson was pretty upset to lose his duck-less Test record when he fell for 0 in the first innings of the final Ashes Test at The Oval. He is hugely proud of his batting and has provided a number of valuable innings to England's cause. His 29 at Centurion Park could well join that list and during his 78-ball stay he managed to register his first Test six, after six years of trying. Going down on one knee, he launched Harris out of the middle of the bat and miles over deep midwicket. He now lurks just one blow behind Alastair Cook's tally of sixes.

National Bank finish season on a high

Group A



Khalid Latif made an aggressive 75 but Karachi had little chance of winning © Associated Press



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Players/Officials: Junaid Zia | Kamran Sajid | Lal Kumar
Series/Tournaments: Quaid-e-Azam Trophy | Pakistan Domestic Season
Teams: Pakistan



Karachi Whites completed the formalities of a seven-wicket victory over Sui Southern Gas Corporation at the Southend Cricket Club. They started the day needing 48 runs to wrap up the win, a task they finished in 15 overs. The one disappointment for them was that opener Mohtashim Ali didn't go on to complete his century, falling five short.

National Bank of Pakistan also needed very little time to seal a nine-wicket win over Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited at the Iqbal Stadium. The overnight pair of Rashid Riaz and Umar Amin polished off the 108 they required in 25.3 overs. Riaz was extremely cautious, needing more than four hours for his 67, while Amin was a touch more cavalier, hitting ten fours and a six in a 137-ball 74.

In the group's only match that didn't end with a decisive outcome, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited played out a dull draw against Pakistan International Airlines at the Diamond Club Ground. PIA opener Kamran Sajid, starting the day on 79, stretched his score to 133 and half-centuries from Shehzar Mohammad and Tahir Khan took their side to 379, an overall lead of 279. PIA then declared, giving ZTBL eight inconsequential overs to bat; ZTBL had a bit of fun during that spell, smashing the first over for 21 runs on their way to a whirlwind 76 for 1.


Group B


Lahore Ravi duly completed a comfortable 10-wicket win against Islamabad at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Kamran Hussain continued his lower-order heroics to go past a fifty before Junaid Zia brought a swift end to the innings, picking two wickets in two balls. Requiring a paltry 24 runs to pick up their third win, Lahore Ravi got home easily without losing a wicket.

Faisalabad secured a draw against Abbottabad at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha. Zeeshan Asif who had crossed 200 yesterday was the last wicket to fall in Faisalabad's first dig, with the score on 510. With victory out of the question, Abbottabad adopted a safety-first approach to ensure that they conceded only first-innings honours to the opponents. In the process, openers Waqar Orakzai and Ehteshamuddin helped themselves to half-centuries and Mohammad Kashif was unbeaten on 48.

A lower-order collapse from Hyderabad, followed by a pulsating chase from Quetta meant that a thrilling draw was played out in Mirpur Khas. Starting the final day with six wickets in hand, Hyderabad could manage only 44 runs before being bowled out. Chasing a gettable 268 with sufficient time left in the game, Hyderabad's top order didn't put up much resistance. No. 3 batsman Lal Kumar, though, boosted his team from 78 for 4 being dismissed three short of a hundred. A rush of wickets in the dying moments of the game raised Quetta's hopes of a victory, but they couldn't prise out the final two.

A string of 70s from Karachi Blues' batsmen took them to 378 for 4, but that was well short of the massive 546 they needed to win against Sialkot at the National Stadium. Opener Ali Asad, No. 3 Asad Shafiq and No. 4 Wajihuddin all made measured 70s, while Khalid Latif made a more aggressive unbeaten 75 but Karachi were never in the hunt for a win.

Group A

Teams Mat
Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts


Habib Bank Limited 10 8
1 0 1 0 66


National Bank of Pakistan 10 5 3 0
2 0 48

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited 10
6 2 0 2 0 48


Pakistan International Airlines 10 4 2 0
4 0 45

Water and Power Development Authority 10
4 1 0 5 0 42


Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited 10 4 2 0
4 0 42

Karachi Whites 10
4 5 0 1 0 36


Khan Research Laboratories 10 2 3 0
5 0 21

Sui Southern Gas Corporation 10
1 4 0 5 0 12


Pakistan Customs 10 1 9 0
0 0 9

Lahore Shalimar 10
0 7 0 3 0 0




Group B

Teams
Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban
Pts

Karachi Blues 10
6 1 0 3 0 60


Sialkot 10 5 1 0
4 0 51

Rawalpindi 10
5 2 0 3 0 48


Islamabad 10 4 3 0
3 0 39

Multan 10
4 3 0 3 0 36


Faisalabad 10 2 2 0
6 0 30

Lahore Ravi 10
3 3 0 4 0 30


Hyderabad (Pakistan) 10 1 5 0
4 0 18

Peshawar 10
2 5 0 3 0 18


Abbottabad 10 1 5 0
4 0 15

Quetta 10
2 5 0 3 0 15

Assam and Haryana make the grade

Assam 327 and 132 for 5 (Jadhav 49*, Shankara Rao 3-44) beat Andhra 214 and 241 (Watekar 59, Bahutule 6-61) by five wickets
Scorecard


Sairaj Bahutule continued to spin a web around Andhra on the final day to ensure that Assam completed a five-wicket victory against Andhra in Guwahati. Resuming 40 runs ahead with five wickets standing, the visitors had no answer to Bahutule's turn on the last day. He picked four wickets to finish with an innings haul of six and ensure there was no lower-order defiance from Andhra. Chasing a tricky target of 129, Assam suffered a few anxious moments when they were reduced to 67 for 4. But Dhiraj Jadhav followed up his first-innings heroics with a responsible 49 to lead his team to victory . Assam's win seals a place in next year's Super League as well as a quarter-final berth this season, where they will encounter Uttar Pradesh. Crucially, Assam will have the home advantage in that match.

Haryana 265 and 478 for 6 dec (Rana 163*, Rawat 114 retd.,) drew with Tripura 193
Scorecard


Sachin Rana and Ankit Rawat struck hundreds on the last day to ensure that Haryana secured a draw against Tripura in Rohtak. Having conceded the first-innings lead, Tripura needed to enforce an outright win, a possibility that existed at the start of the day with the hosts 260 runs ahead with five wickets remaining. However, their hopes were quashed by contrasting centuries from Rana and Rawat. Rana was the aggressor, hitting 14 fours and a couple of sixes in his unbeaten 163 while Rawat was resolute in defense, batting nearly 400 minutes for his 114 before he was forced to retire hurt. By then, the draw was a formality, a result that pitchforked Haryana into the big league for next year. Before that they will face Mumbai in the quarter-finals at home.

Bravo picks Hauritz as main threat

Nathan Hauritz looms as the key to Australia's victory hopes in Perth, where West Indies will need to follow the lead of South Africa last year to chase a hefty fourth-innings target. Sulieman Benn found some sharp turn in the final session on the third day as Australia struggled to 8 for 137, and Hauritz will be searching for similar spin to trouble West Indies.

Australia's lead had grown to 345 by stumps but in the back of their minds will be the chase this time last year, when AB de Villiers and JP Duminy took South Africa to a monstrous target of 414 with only four wickets down. On that occasion, Australia's spinner Jason Krejza leaked runs but Dwayne Bravo was in no doubt who Australia's main weapon could be this time.

"The wicket is playing pretty good," Bravo said. "It's not keeping low or anything like that. It's starting to turn a bit more, so I think Hauritz might play a big part for them in the second innings."

Hauritz will be encouraged by the two wickets for Benn on the third afternoon, especially a ball that turned and bounced significantly to catch the edge of Brad Haddin's bat. West Indies will also be hoping to capitalise on the pressure building on Australia to avoid a drawn series, and on individuals within the side. Hauritz always seems to be under the microscope despite solid performances over the past year, while the debutant Clint McKay will still be nervous following a wicketless first innings.

"We know the Australians are under a lot of pressure to perform well," Bravo said. "Some of the players in the team are also under pressure. That's good for us. We are looking forward to the challenge we have nothing to lose so were going to give it our best shot."

West Indies provided a remarkable fightback after they were dismissed with Australia still 208 runs in front, led by three wickets from Bravo and two from Benn. Australia remained in the ascendancy given their lead but Bravo was confident West Indies were still well and truly in the match.

"It's still balanced," he said. "We know the Australian team is a world-class team and 300-odd runs on the board, they have the self-belief in their bowling attack that they know they can take that and defend that. But we have the batters in our line-up also to chase down 360-plus runs with a day and a half to go. At this point in time we'd back ourselves to get that."

Doug Bollinger was a key man with the ball for Australia as he collected his maiden five-wicket haul to help dismiss West Indies for 312, and he could yet be an important player with the bat. Australia have two wickets in hand and will aim to add as many runs as they can. Bollinger jokingly said he'd like to set a target of 500 before unleashing Hauritz and the fast men.

"He's going to be pretty confident," Bollinger said of Hauritz. "As we saw, Benn bowled tonight and got a few to spin and bounce, which is a massive bonus for him. He'll just come out and bowl the way he normally does and the rest will look after itself. "

Karnataka finish league phase in style

Karnataka 384 (Satish 120, Verma 68, Uthappa 62, Pandey 55, Joshi 4-77) and 241 for 4 (Satish 68*, Pandey 68) beat Saurashtra 216 (Jobanputra 53*, Aravind 4-84) and 407 (Pathak 88, Mehta 77, Pujara 66) by six wickets
Scorecard



Ashok Thakur took six wickets for Himachal Pradesh © Cricinfo Ltd



Related Links
News : No reward for topping the table
Bulletin : Hyderabad on verge of relegation
Bulletin : Rohit Sharma triple flattens Gujarat
Bulletin : Ganguly, Saha centuries revive Bengal

Players/Officials: Abhinav Kumar | Alfred Absolem | Arindam Das | Sanjay Bangar | Chandrasekar Ganapathy | Ashok Thakur
Series/Tournaments: Ranji Trophy Super League | India Domestic Season
Teams: India



Karnataka continued their domination of the league phase with a resounding victory over Saurashtra. Set 241 to win, they knocked off the runs in 52.2 overs to finish on 28 points, 10 clear of the second-placed Uttar Pradesh. It was half-centuries from their young batsmen, G Satish and Manish Pandey, that steered Karnataka to their fourth win of the season. Captain Robin Uthappa gave the chase a cracking start, slamming nine fours in a 36-ball 47, after which Satish and Pandey took over. Satish dropped anchor while Pandey was more adventurous during their 126-run stand that nearly took Karnataka to the finish line. It ends a dismal season for Saurashtra, who end with a paltry seven points after reaching the semi-finals in the previous two seasons.

Bengal 522 (Ganguly 152, Saha 120, Shukla 132, Sangwan 4-113) and 223 for 3 (Das 102, Banerjee 77) drew with Delhi 378 (Bisht 123*, Manhas 88, Jain 56, Saxena 5-76)
Scorecard


Expectedly, the game between Delhi and Bengal petered out to a dull draw. After Delhi's first innings came to an end at 378 - Puneet Bisht remaining unbeaten on 128 - Bengal helped themselves to some batting practice. The Bengal openers piled on 187, with Arindam Das going on to a breezy century but his partner Rohan Banerjee was run out on 77. Das also retired hurt after the run out, and Bengal extended their score to 223 before the game was called off. Delhi made it to the quarter-finals by one point, where they will take on a strong Tamil Nadu.

Baroda 395 (Williams 129, Gaekwad 118, Fallah 8-98) and 101 for 3 (Devdhar 53*) beat Maharashtra 288 (Khadiwale 111, Atitkar 50) and 207 (Motwani 62, Irfan 4-48) by seven wickets
Scorecard


Baroda completed a straightforward win over Maharashtra, but will be ruing their inability to chase down 101 without losing a wicket. Had they managed that, they would have made the quarter-finals ahead of Delhi but the loss of the bonus point means they finish in fourth place. Baroda only took 25 overs on the day to reach the target, thanks largely to Kedar Devdhar's unbeaten half-century. There was a bit of a hiccup for Baroda when legspinner Digambhar Waghmare struck twice in an over, but Maharashtra had little else to celebrate on a day when they were relegated to the Plate League.


Group A


Hyderabad 347 (Rayudu 106, Anirudh 75, Pai 51) and 148 for 2 (Abhinav 103*) drew with Tamil Nadu 785 (Mukund 285, Ganapathy 126, Badrinath 122, Absolem 5-114)
Scorecard


In a tame draw at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, C Ganapathy made his second century in two games to power Tamil Nadu to a massive 785 against Hyderabad. There was no respite for the home side's bowlers after Tamil Nadu resumed on 594 for 6, with Ganapathy receiving solid support from tailenders R Ashwin and R Jesuraj. Hyderabad's Abhinav Kumar helped himself to one of the easiest centuries of the season, blasting the part-timers - S Badrinath, Abhinav Mukund, S Anirudha and Dinesh Karthik - Tamil Nadu used for the 27 overs that remained. Tamil Nadu finish on top of the table and now face Delhi in the quarter-finals, while Hyderabad were relegated to the Plate League for the first time.

Himachal Pradesh 125 (Dhiraj 4-29) and 486 (Indulkar 165, Diwan 83, Malik 72) drew with Orissa 316 (Halhadar 144, Behera 53, Mohinderraj 5-102) and 183 for 8 (Thakur 6-38)
Scorecard


In one of the most exciting matches of the round, Himachal Pradesh came within two wickets of pulling off a dramatic victory over Orissa. Overnight batsman Vinit Indulkar made 28 more before being dismissed on 165 and in No. 10 Vikramjeet Malik's company helped stretched HP's second innings score to 486. That left Orissa needing 296 to win, but thoughts of victory were quickly abandoned after their top order folded to the pace of Ashok Thakur. From 11 for 3 it was a question of escaping with a draw, and first-innings hero Halhadar Das nearly saved them by resisting for more than three hours for a 47. However, he was the eighth man out with 15 deliveries remaining; the tailenders didn't look to play safe after that, thrashing 16 runs in those deliveries, but managed to stave off defeat.


Mumbai 648 for 6 dec (Rohit 309, Marathe 144, Rahane 56) and 180 for 2 (Kukreja 84, Marathe 81) drew with Gujarat 502 (Parthiv 149, Thaker 122)
Scorecard


Gujarat's plucky chase of Mumbai's huge first-innings total fizzled on the third day, with their lower order folding meekly. Once they were bowled out for 502, giving Mumbai the first-innings points, the match rambled towards a draw. Both Mumbai openers, Sahil Kukreja and Sushant Marathe, raced to 80s but fell short of reaching a century in the inconsequential second innings. Despite not having the most convincing of seasons, Mumbai are through to the quarter-finals where they clash with Harayana.

Railways 276 (Fazal 87, Karan 59, Rahul 6-92) and 230 for 4 (Bangar 115*) drew with Punjab 401 (Kaul 123, Rahul 79, Sidhana 54, Karan 4-93)
Scorecard


With little to play for after Punjab took the first-innings lead on the third day, Railways crawled to 230 for 4 off 86 overs in their second innings on Friday before the match was called off. Sanjay Bangar took nearly six hours to reach an unbeaten 115, his 12th first-class century. His strike-rate of 43.72 was the quickest of the Railways batsmen. The other Railways player to make a contribution was Harshad Rawle, who laboured to 40 off 138 deliveries.

Group A

Teams Mat
Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts
Quotient For Against


Tamil Nadu 7 2 0 0 5
0 26 1.484 4166/86 3198/98


Punjab 7 2 1 0
4 0 19 1.018 3071/102 3166/107


Mumbai 7 1 0 0
6 0 19 1.646 3343/60 3521/104


Railways 7 1 0 0
6 0 14 1.223 3292/89 2057/68


Orissa 7 0 1 0
6 0 12 0.857 2662/93 3305/99


Himachal Pradesh 7 1 3 0
3 0 10 0.875 2777/116 3148/115


Gujarat 7 1 3 0
3 0 10 0.770 3236/110 3055/80


Hyderabad (India) 7 0 0 0
7 0 7 0.624 2946/104 4043/89




Group B

Teams
Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban
Pts Quotient For Against


Karnataka 6 4 0 0
2 0 28 1.911 3314/68 2933/115


Uttar Pradesh 6 2 1 0
3 0 18 1.030 2755/91 3144/107


Delhi 6 2 1 0
3 0 16 1.013 2989/80 3318/90


Baroda 6 2 1 0
3 0 15 1.067 3040/97 2379/81


Bengal 6 1 1 0
4 0 11 0.952 2963/83 3112/83


Saurashtra 6 0 3 0
3 0 7 0.973 3045/87 3023/84


Maharashtra 6 0 4 0
2 0 4 0.494 3026/114 3223/60

Why $225 million isn't necessarily absurd

The IPL's decision to set a base auction price of $225 million for rights to the next two franchises joining the league has thrown up a flurry of questions. Nitin Sundar attempts to answer some of them.

$225 million as a base price for the auction - isn't it an absurd figure? Especially in these times?
The base price for the second round may be more than four times what it was in the first auction, and twice the cost of the most expensive franchise (Mumbai Indians) at the time. Yet it is not an absurdly over-confident number. In January 2008, when the first lot of franchises went on sale, the IPL was an unknown beast. The Twenty20 format was yet to prove its viability and, despite the success of the franchise-based model in other sports, it was a radically new idea for cricket, a sport that has always been driven by international competition. The presence of so many unknowns made the IPL a high-risk venture for the first batch of investors. The reserve price was set low to compensate the bidders for the inherent risk they were taking.

Two seasons later, the equation has changed completely - the IPL has proved to be a winner for everyone, guaranteeing profits even for franchises that do not perform well on the field, and Twenty20 is clearly the game's biggest money-spinner. Investing in a franchise now involves a much lower risk - hence the increased base price.

Are there bidders who can afford to pay so much for an IPL franchise?
The lower base price in the first auction offered small investors a chance to cash in. Groups of such investors could combine to buy franchises that cost $60-100 million. This time such small investors are out of the picture - a base price of $225 million means that auctions could go beyond $250 million. Such investments can be afforded only by big corporate players with very deep pockets.


How, in general, are the franchises doing?
That's a tough one, mainly because there is no official information on the cash-flow dynamics of the franchises. However, even by conservative estimates they do turn out healthy profits.

For the purposes of this article, we've dug out some numbers in the public domain and put together an identikit of a typical franchise. Say it was bought for $90 million in the first auction for a period of ten years, i.e. an annual payout of $9 million. The other major annual expenditure will be on its player pool and support staff. It would be approximately $10 million for each of the first three years of operation - i.e., till the next big auction in 2011. Add an estimated $5 million a year on marketing and promotional initiatives and that takes the annual operating expenditure to around $25 million.

The revenue is mainly from guaranteed sources: each franchise's share of the IPL's TV revenue is $10 million a year for the first five years, after which the equations change and the share decreases. Fixed common sponsorship revenues (from tournament, title and other co-sponsors) amount to approximately $10 million a year. Gate receipts and in-stadium advertising revenue are variable but could range in excess of $5 million a year. Merchandising is a key revenue-stream that is directly linked to the marketability of the franchise and could potentially top $10 million - the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise has been particularly successful in this regard. Throw in the prize money - something for each team and a maximum of $2 million - means an IPL franchise could make anywhere in the region of $10-20 million a year in profits. Most important: With so much guaranteed revenue, the income is not linked to performance on the field.

Will such expensive investments still prove profitable in the long run?
While the IPL has proven to be a money-spinner thus far, things will get more difficult for the franchises going forward. The franchises are still enjoying a honeymoon period where the IPL is hand-holding them through the initial challenges - that will gradually reduce. For instance the IPL will increase their claim of television revenues from 20% to 40% from the sixth year onwards, eating into the franchises' pie. In addition, packed international schedules and the growing popularity of the format will make the players, the IPL's most precious commodity, even more expensive. The second round of player auctions in 2011 could see player prices going through the roof

Swann and Anderson turn the tables

Close South Africa 418 (Kallis 120, Swann 5-110) and 9 for 1 (Smith 6*, Harris 2*) lead England 356 (Swann 81, Harris 5-123) by 71 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details


Graeme Swann transformed England's fortunes with his highest Test score © PA Photos



Related Links
Players/Officials: James Anderson | Paul Harris | Makhaya Ntini | Graeme Swann
Matches: South Africa v England at Centurion
Series/Tournaments: England tour of South Africa
Teams: England | South Africa


Graeme Swann put his top-order colleagues to shame with a rollicking innings of 85 from 81 balls - the highest score by an England No. 9 for 38 years - as England fought back from a desperate mid-afternoon collapse to close the third day with their fortunes in the first Test restored. In the four overs available before the close, James Anderson extracted Ashwell Prince for a duck with his sixth delivery, to ensure that - despite a first-innings deficit of 62 - the momentum had shifted firmly to the visiting camp.


Such a stunning finale to the day could not have been envisaged at tea, when South Africa's stranglehold on the contest appeared to be absolute. From a promising overnight position of 88 for 1, England had slipped and slithered to 238 for 7, with the spinner Paul Harris applying a four-wicket tourniquet with his choking left-arm line. It was a scoreline that became even worse three overs after the break, when Stuart Broad was adjudged lbw to JP Duminy after a referral that appeared, in Broad's opinion, to have been instigated by the South African dressing-room.

But by the close, that potential controversy had become a distant blip in the memory, thanks to a surging stand of 106 in 23 overs between Swann and Anderson, a ninth-wicket performance that beat the previous best by England against South Africa - 99 between Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison at The Oval in 2003, another match in which England battled back from a seemingly futile position.

Swann, who batted with an abandon that brought no less a figure than IT Botham to mind, clattered 10 fours and two sixes in the course of his innings, and even unfurled a brace of switch hits that Kevin Pietersen could hardly have bettered. Anderson, meanwhile, walloped Harris over midwicket for his first six in Test cricket, and it wasn't until an attack of cramp undermined his effectiveness that he chipped Makhaya Ntini to a diving Morne Morkel at mid-off.

Up until that moment (which was delayed while Swann cheekily called for a review to check whether there had been a no-ball) there was nothing that South Africa could do to stem the onslaught, and Smith gathered his errant charges together to lay down the law during another delay for an unsuccessful referral. His biggest mistake, however, was to call for the second new ball in the 81st over, with England still wading through treacle on 242 for 8.


Paul Harris starred for South Africa with five wickets


Suddenly, the extra hardness, coupled with the extra pace of Ntini and Morkel, encouraged Swann and Anderson to have a dart at a counterattack. Anderson signalled the charge with a first-ball punch through the covers for four, Swann swatted Ntini off his eyebrows for six, and by the time Smith retreated back to his spinner, 40 tempo-changing runs had poured forth in seven overs.

Suddenly there was no holding either batsman back. Harris was hoisted into the midwicket stand for Swann's second six, then pummelled twice through the covers as he flipped around in his stance to take on the switch hit. His half-century came up from 47 balls with a sweep through fine leg, and even the rare shots that he failed to middle still skidded off the edge through third man. In the end, with only Graham Onions for company, Swann took on Harris one too many times, and picked out deep midwicket to end a truly spectacular knock.


That wicket, fittingly, was Harris's fifth in the innings, and it was due reward for a performance in which he had lived up to his unlikely billing as the No. 9-ranked bowler in the world. Harris does not look the likeliest destroyer in the South African set-up, and with his unattractive round-arm action and a degree of spin reminiscent of the much-lampooned Ashley Giles, he is a cricketer who is destined to be under-rated. But that suited his purposes just fine for today, as a host of England batsmen lined up to be prised out on a dry and dusty wicket.

Of Harris's first four victims, only Paul Collingwood - who grafted his way to a gutsy half-century before being caught at slip by a sharply turning delivery in the same over - could say he was undone by a cracking delivery. The remainder were ground down by his unyielding accuracy, not least Ian Bell, who padded up to a straight delivery to be bowled for 5, a crass error of judgment brought his place in the side under yet more untimely scrutiny.

England's day began inauspiciously when Andrew Strauss, their overnight stalwart on 44 not out, was bowled by Ntini for the addition of just two more runs. There was little that Strauss could do about the ball that extracted him - a shooter on off stump that scuttled at shin height beneath his defences - and as the punters in the stands swarmed to the bar to claim the free pints that had been promised if Ntini struck in his 100th Test, South Africa piled on the pressure and reduced the scoring rate to a crawl.


Morkel and Ntini maintained excellent discipline as England's other overnight batsman, Jonathan Trott, ground out 10 runs in the morning from 61 deliveries, including a deflected four through third man. It was his former Under-19 colleague Harris, however, who finally ended his vigil, as Trott lost his patience and stormed out of the crease to take on the midwicket boundary, only for Harris to drift a well-directed arm-ball through the gate and into his leg stump.

Harris could have doubled his personal tally in his very next over, when he skidded a drifter millimetres over the top of Kevin Pietersen's middle stump. Though Pietersen did his best to keep his cool thereafter, the sluggish conditions did not suit his combative style and, having concentrated on working the ball through the leg-side for much of his 79-ball stay, he took on Morkel with a booming cover-drive, and inside-edged a good-length delivery into his leg stump.

That brought Bell to the crease at No. 6 - a position with which he has been comfortable in the past, but the situation did not suit his mindset one iota. He had nudged along to 5 from 14 balls when Harris served up an unthreatening off-stump length delivery, and to widespread astonishment, Bell played for non-existent turn and allowed the delivery to crash straight into his middle stump.

It was an ugly way to go, reminiscent of Adam Hollioake's aberration against Shane Warne in 1997, but in the circumstances, Matt Prior's departure was scarcely any better. A man more used to counterattacking cameos had been pinned down for 10 overs and 34 balls when, on 4, he sized up an ambitious sweep and plopped a simple chance straight into the hands of Friedel de Wet at deep midwicket.

In the course of England's meltdown, only Collingwood looked remotely comfortable with the conditions and the tempo of the reply, and he completed an excellent half-century from 87 balls when he swept Harris fine for four. One delivery later, however, he was on his way, as Harris tweaked one off his edge for Jacques Kallis to complete a simple low catch at slip. With his demise, it seemed that England's goose was cooked. But Swann, thrillingly, had other ideas.