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Courtney Walsh’s first bowling camp as Bangladesh’s bowling coach may have been affected by rain, but he is still trying to do his best with the national team’s fast bowlers. Walsh is using the time inside the Shere Bangla National Stadium’s dressing room to impress upon the youngsters the values of consistency, bowling in pairs, and generally thinking more about their game.Walsh joined Bangladesh in September last year. But he hasn’t had the time to have a prolonged training camp, with series against Afghanistan and England at home, followed by tours of New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, Ireland and England keeping the team busy till June. Over the past week, Walsh has been working with Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shafiul Islam, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and a few others, helping them fix errors.”We have been trying to fine-tune and correct some of those mistakes, to improve in certain areas,” he said. “Progress has been made, but unfortunately we have been having some bad weather, so not as much progress has been made as I would have liked. But we are not wasting the days. Whenever we can, we are going outdoors. We are having meetings inside, just discussing cricket and trying to get the cricket brain sharp.”I want to see more consistency, control, variation, and to put more thought into what they are doing. They are young and exciting, but they have to be a little bit more consistent and keep the pace up. Once they get on to the park, they have to do it. We can’t do it for them. I have been telling them that ‘you are in control of your own destiny, just go out there and get the job done. Try to improve and learn all the time’. If they can achieve the first part – control and consistency – before competition starts, I will be very happy.”Mustafizur, in particular, has been in focus. The left-arm pacer hasn’t been able to bring his range of skills to the fore since recovering from shoulder surgery last year. “I noticed he was falling away a little bit in England. We have been trying to get him to be more upright and balanced so that he can pull through. We are also trying to get his pace back to where it used to be, and get him a little bit closer to the stumps.”He knows what needs to be done as well. I have to give him credit, because he is eager to get out there and practice perfectly. He wants to be the best there is, and he is a special talent. This weather has frustrated him as well, because we were making progress. He has what it takes to correct what’s happening, and I am sure he will come out better.”Walsh clarified that changes don’t necessarily mean changes in his bowling action. “I wouldn’t say he will have a new bowling action, but we are trying to get him more balanced at the crease, and get him a bit closer to the stumps. I will not be trying to change his action unless I think that’s required.”Because of the operation, he was falling away a little bit. He has recognised it. Last couple of days, he has been close to what he used to be. He is heading in the right direction. There won’t be any massive changes.”Walsh has also been trying to get Mustafizur and Taskin Ahmed to complement each other’s skills. “Fast bowlers hunt in pairs and pass information and communicate. I think we had eight of them in the room; they got the message. Fizz and Taskin can complement each other. A fast bowler mentioned that he likes to bowl and help his partner, which is good.”So we are thinking about that now. It is good for fast bowlers to start thinking this way now as youngsters. What used to happen was that instead of complementing each other, they used to compete. What helped myself and Curtly Ambrose was that we helped each other. We tried to outthink batsmen.”

Lendl Simmons made a promising showing ahead of his inaugural season with Jamaica Tallawahs, top-scoring with 42 off 23 balls before retiring out in an eventual 60-run win over USA in their final CPL warm-up on Thursday at the Central Broward Regional Park on Thursday.Simmons, who joined Tallawahs this year from St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, put on a clinic of clean straight driving, finishing with five fours and two sixes before walking off in the sixth over at the fall of fellow opener Kennar Lewis’ wicket to let his team-mates have a hit. Jonathan Foo and Andre McCarthy took over in the middle order to buoy the rest of the innings, taking Tallawahs to a final total of 152 for 9. Foo struck four fours and a six in his 39 while McCarthy had a four and two sixes in his 33 before also retiring at the end of the 15th over.Left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige and medium-pace allrounder Japen Patel both recovered after taking some early punishment from Simmons to finish with solid figures of 2 for 29 and 3 for 19 respectively. Kenjige struck twice in the 17th, getting Foo to sky a slog to midwicket before pulling off a sensational diving return catch three balls later to remove Krishmar Santokie for 2.Japen then followed with a wicket maiden in the 18th, getting Odean Smith edging behind for 1, before striking twice more in the 20th as Jamaica were tied down in the final five overs despite a fiery start in which they were 121 for 3 after 15 overs.Despite the great work done at the death by USA’s bowlers, their batsmen struggled to gain any momentum throughout the chase. One day after making 68 against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, opener Abdullah Syed was out for 6 edging behind in the third over to Santokie, who finished with 4 for 15.The best USA managed from their order came from Roy Silva, who made a run-a-ball 14 before he fell in the 11th attempting to scoop left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin over short fine leg but failed to clear Santokie on the circle. Davion Davidson joint top-scored but struggled to make his 14 off 28 balls before he finally holed out to long-on off Santokie in the 17th.Kesrick Williams turned in a solid performance in tandem with Santokie, taking 2 for 20 in 3.3 overs. Williams finished the match three balls into the 20th, having Elmore Hutchinson caught on the long-on boundary by Rovman Powell for his third catch as USA were bowled out for 92, their batting unit depleted primarily due to several players currently training with their respective CPL teams including captain Steven Taylor, who will be playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors this season.Tallawahs will open their season against Barbados Tridents in the second match of the opening weekend doubleheader in Lauderhill.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEkta Bisht has two five-fors in ODIs and both against Pakistan•ICC

Just like she did less than five months ago in the World Cup Qualifier, Ekta Bisht bagged another five-for against Pakistan. This one outdid an impressive effort from the Pakistani bowlers and fielders in Derby. Bisht’s opening spell of 4-1-4-3 set up India’s 95-run win that helped maintain a clean slate – 10-0 – as far as head-to-head goes. This was also India’s third straight win in the World Cup over Pakistan.The day belonged to left-arm spinners. Nashra Sandhu gave Pakistan a golden chance of notching up their first win of the tournament by taking four wickets to restrict India to 169 for 9. However, Bisht struck with her fourth ball and added two more into her kitty within the space of four balls to bring Pakistan down to 14 for 4 in the eighth over.It was not the turn but her angle and drift from around the wicket that trapped three batsmen lbw early on. She deceived them with flight and beat their inside edge to pin Ayesha Zafar for 1, and soon Sidra Nawaz and Iram Javed for ducks. Meanwhile, Jhulan Goswami struck Javeria Khan’s front pad right in front in the fifth over, and without the injured Bismah Maroof, getting the chase back on track was very unlikely for Pakistan.Even when Bisht was taken off the attack, Deepti Sharma’s turn and Mansi Joshi’s lines did not offer Pakistan any respite. In the 14th over, Deepti turned a delivery a long way from outside off and it went through the gap to knock over Nain Abidi’s off stump to leave Pakistan on 24 for 5.Opener Nahida Khan, who was dropped by Deepti at gully on 0, was the only one to score in double digits before captain Sana Mir did the same later on. With the pressure of wickets and lack of scoring opportunities, Nahida also fell when she tried to cut Harmanpreet Kaur off the back foot and edged it to the keeper.Bisht came back for her second spell to dismiss Sandhu and Diana Baig off consecutive deliveries at the score of 51 before Mir resisted with the tail but could only reduce the margin of loss as she was the last wicket to fall for a valiant 29 off 73 balls.India could not capitalise initially on their decision to bat as opening bowlers Asmavia Iqbal and Baig swung the ball and bowled full lengths to curb the openers. An in-form Smriti Mandhana fell when Baig swung a full-length delivery into her to trap her lbw for 2. India’s scoring rate suffered in Mandhana’s absence as Punam Raut was watchful when Iqbal and Baig stuck to tight lines and bowled to their fields on the off side. The first four of the innings came in the ninth over when Deepti pulled Iqbal’s rare short ball before Raut also opened up with consecutive fours in the 12th over.Raut’s stay ended when she tossed a catch back to Sandhu by flicking early, before the left-arm spinner dented India’s middle order which had barely been exposed in the World Cup. Just when India were approaching 100, Sandhu, in her eighth straight over, struck with the help of two reviews within three deliveries. She first struck Mithali Raj in front and ball-tracking showed the ball would have hit leg stump. Two deliveries later, Deepti edged a delivery low to the keeper but the umpire Gregory Brathwaite failed to pick it, and a very confident Sidra Nawaz asked her captain to take the review again which put India in trouble at 94 for 4.India would have then looked to Harmanpreet to give them a strong finish but another left-arm spinner – Sadia Yousuf – strangled the middle order by bowling wide of the crease with a more round-arm action compared to Sandhu’s. Yousuf even induced an edge off Raj’s bat, when the India captain was on 6, but got a wicket in her second spell when Harmanpreet pulled a short ball to midwicket where Mir dived full length to her left to complete a stunning catch. India were 107 for 5 with just over 15 overs left.Once Mona Meshram missed a heave two overs later against Yousuf, India could have been wrapped up for under 150 but wicketkeeper Sushma Verma racked up her highest score with a quick 35-ball 33 in with the help of the tail and helped stretch the score to 169 which proved too much for Pakistan even though they batted when the sun had come out to make the conditions better.

Cricket Australia’s decision to rebuff the players’ calls for mediation to end the escalating pay dispute has been accompanied by another attempt to deal directly with some of the nation’s highest-profile players.CA’s chief executive James Sutherland and his Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) counterpart Alistair Nicholson are set to cross paths in London over the next week, and it is clear a sharp change of course will be required to take the heat out of a dispute that is creeping perilously close to the June 30 expiry of the current MoU without any resolution in sight.After a week’s deliberation, CA chairman David Peever wrote to his ACA counterpart Greg Dyer on Friday to reject the mediation request while maintaining his view that the players’ association had not yet started to negotiate. It also emerged on Saturday that the team performance manager Pat Howard had written to Steven Smith, Meg Lanning, David Warner, Alex Blackwell, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Ellyse Perry to again press the board’s case.Peever’s letter to Dyer emphasised CA’s refusal to countenance any form of fixed revenue percentage model while accusing the ACA of not attempting to negotiate. “This is a regrettable approach because CA’s proposal features substantial increases in player payments while allowing greater flexibility to address the underfunding of grassroots cricket over the next five years,” Peever wrote.”You indicate that the ACA has offered flexibility within the negotiation process around certain issues. However, this does not address the significant problems with the current player payments model from CA’s perspective. While we fully respect the enormous contribution made by the game’s elite players, it is also true that player payments have grown by 63 per cent for international men and 53 per cent for domestic men over the past five years.”These words were echoed by Sutherland in a column in The newspaper, which also reported Howard’s approach to key players, which he said insisted CA’s offer was fair while also questioning whether the players had read its financial details for themselves.”During the player period at the NCC, it became clear to me that very few players have actually read the CA offer,” Howard wrote. “As leaders of Australian cricket, you need to review the actual offer and ask questions. My view as leaders of the game is that your duty is to cricket, not CA, not ACA, but cricket.”This year players will benefit from $79m, our offer next year is $91m. This is a pay rise of over $12m or over 15 per cent. I heard from some quarters that Cricket Australia was ‘screwing us’, as you can see, that is not the case. These are like-for-like numbers and include all male and female players.”BBL salaries will go up 6 per cent every year. Yes, we are trying to put a lid on big increases to state cricket; however, both BBL (6%) and state (1.4%) are going up. I don’t apologise for putting international players ahead of domestic players. (Under) our offer, Australian cricket wages are the highest in the world for males and females and the highest for any team sport in Australia. Something we are proud of.”Howard also expressed discontent that he had been unable to communicate more directly with the players about the pay issue, as distrust grows on both sides of the argument. In response, the ACA said the board was continuing to play “word games” while also questioning how the game’s grassroots could be so underfunded when CA retained 80 cents out of every dollar in the game’s revenue.”These are the word games and evasions of the last six months, and a window into the negotiations over the same period,” an ACA spokesman said. “The CA strategy is to refuse to deal with the ACA and go directly to individual players to try and break the model. This is despite the players’ repeated insistence for CA to respect their request and mediate with the ACA. To refuse mediation at a time when it’s the only sensible way forward shows a clear lack of common sense.”CA takes 80 cents in every dollar that comes into the game: that’s 80% of revenue, yet blames the players for under expenditure on grassroots. CA’s grassroots argument therefore has no factual basis. What CA forget is that the players themselves are the ones that have invested around $10million of their own money in to delivering grassroots programs. The most often asked question in this current climate is the right one: Where does all the revenue go?”The board’s public emphasis on the need for more grassroots facilities funding formed only a part of its formal pay offer to the players. That document also pressed the case for an expanded media production unit and game development staff to rival those of the AFL, and a desire to invest in “other projects” capable of generating more revenue for CA.

There are several reasons that make MS Dhoni one of cricket’s greatest finishers: his calmness under pressure, for example, or his determination that no target is beyond him. But there were other factors in play on Saturday, when he turned Rising Pune Supergiant’s failing chase on its head.Before that game, Dhoni’s lean form – 61 runs in 73 balls at a weak strike rate of 87.14 – had left Rising Pune Supergiant a worried franchise. Elsewhere, it prompted a debate on whether it was time for the Indian selectors to start thinking about blooding the young Rishabh Pant to replace Dhoni.According to Stephen Fleming, the Pune coach, the beauty of Dhoni has been to remain immune to the outside noise. “It was vintage wasn’t it,” he said the eve of Pune’s next match. “It was a performance that was befitting of a man who has the reputation of being a great finisher.”Prior to the match-winning 61 off 34 balls though, there was restlessness about Dhoni’s non-performance. Fleming reasoned that was only because everybody had grown used to him playing the role of finisher to perfection.”There has been a discussion around when was the last time he has played an innings like that,” Fleming said. “You have to remember playing an innings like that [is hard]. We had got a bit blasé about how special they were. But yesterday, he proved again that when he is in the mood, and has got the sight or the feel for the bowling, he is still the most destructive closer that the game has seen.”People were questioning his form, but certainly from the finishing point of view I will reiterate we have got a bit blasé because it was happening so often. We benefited from it at Chennai [Super Kings] a lot and people were yearning for a performance like that. And like all great players do, he delivered.”Dhoni, though, was aware that he was running out of time to reiterate those credentials. “Yes, [he was anxious],” Fleming said. “He was determined. He has been training a lot. He has certainly hit a lot of balls and it was all building up to an innings of substance. He desperately wants us to do well this year. After last year, we all felt that we needed more contributions from everybody. He, in particular, was the one to put his hand up. So he has been wanting to win a game. [Steven] Smith, as well, has been wanting to win a game and our big players want to contribute and one of our biggest did that yesterday which was great.”A key moment in the chase was when Dhoni came up against Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 19th. At the time, Sunrisers seamer who had never given more than 10 runs in an over while bowling in the last five. But Dhoni took him for 19.”The calmness he shows in such situations is one of his greatest assets,” Fleming said. “And yesterday, it was to the fore. We thought that it was probably late and we had not got too much of the total to leave us with a good chase in the end, but he proved that, with the hitting and batting skills and the power that players have these days, no score is impossible and that puts so much pressure on the bowlers. And good bowlers too, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been bowling very well. It was a good match-up and a good result for us.”

Counties producing two ‘below average’ pitches in a 12-month period could be penalised under new regulations brought in by the ECB for the 2017 County Championship season.In a further attempt to encourage counties to produce better quality pitches, the ECB have widened the criteria under which they can take action. Whereas, in the past, pitches had to be rated ‘poor’ or even ‘unfit’ to incur a penalty, the new regulations state that “Two or more Below Average pitches in a 12-month period, rated so because of sub-standard performance relating to spin, seam or unevenness, if allied to intent would liable to penalty.”Ahead of the 2016 season, the ECB announced several other measures designed to encourage better pitches. In particular, they announced that visiting captains would be able to choose to bowl first in the Championship without the need to utilise a toss of the coin and they declared that away sides would be awarded 16 or 20 points (depending on the number of bonus points already won) if the home side prepared an “unfit” pitch. The home side would get no points from the match irrespective of any bonus points already won. Those regulations remain in place for the 2017 season.The final rating of pitches will be made by one of the Cricket Liaison Officers. With the ECB having increased the number of CLOs to 10, there should be one at every day of Championship cricket. They will consult with the umpires, players and ground staff before coming to a conclusion. The addition of the clause “if allied to intent” would suggest they are not seeking to take a punitive view to counties hit by poor weather or excessive use of their squares, but rather encourage a better balance between bat and ball..Other changes to the playing conditions allow for time lost during a Championship match to be made up (to a maximum of 30 minutes) over the first three days – rather than just on the day concerned – while the ECB have confirmed that the hours of the day-night games will be 2pm until 10pm. The intervals will still be referred to as ‘lunch’ and ‘tea’ despite being scheduled for 4pm and 6.40pm. Play cannot extend beyond 10pm to make up for lost time.Meanwhile, in limited-overs cricket, the ECB have banned the use of the heavy roller after the start of games in the Royal London Cup, meaning only a light roller can be used between innings. There was a concern that, with the tournament scheduled for April and May, bowling first might provide too much of an advantage. The heavy roller can also not be used in the NatWest Blast.The new Laws relating to the size of cricket bats, outlined previously by MCC, are due to come into effect on October 1 and are not being adopted for the English domestic season. But other Law changes will be adopted: a batsman can now be caught off a fielder’s helmet and a batsman will not be run out if their bat bounces up having previously been grounded once he has completed his run. In the unlikely event that a bowler’s cap falls off and breaks the wicket during his delivery, the umpire will call no-ball.Other regulations used in 2016 – notably the change to the toss regulations- will remain in place for the 2017 season.

For Rashid Khan, few days could be as good as February 20. He had become the highest paid cricketer from an Associate nation in IPL history and only the second from Afghanistan to ever be part of the tournament. But Friday came pretty damn close: in the afternoon, he took five wickets in nine balls to demolish Ireland and in the evening, he was bought by Guyana Amazon Warriors for USD 60,000 in the Caribbean Premier League draft.”It was a special day for me taking the best figures for my country, special for the cricket of Afghanistan,” Rashid told ESPNcricinfo and then went on to talk about how his team fought hard to protect their record-breaking 10-match winning streak in T20Is.”It was a very crucial time because it was raining and we thought the match was going to go to Ireland because they were on top of us on D/L Method so coming back from that stage and winning the match, it was sort of surprising but really happy with a great performance by all the boys.”

Afghanistan not satisfied with record streak

Having won 10 T20Is in a row – more than any other international team has ever managed – Afghanistan are keen to push for even greater heights.
Rashid Khan, whose 5 for 3 were the best figures for his country in the shortest format, said, “we talked about that before the match as well, the skipper said, ‘Let’s do it and let’s increase the winning of matches so Afghanistan makes a world record’. So far we are doing our best, winning ten in a row. It’s wonderful for cricket in Afghanistan to be in that stage. we are doing our best to keep it up and win more.”

Despite the bright ending to Rashid’s day, at one point, things had looked rather bleak, literally. When dark clouds and heavy rain converged on Greater Noida, halting Ireland’s chase of 185 in the seventh over, they were ahead of the D/L par score by 12 runs.Rashid admitted that Afghanistan thought their streak was over, but the moment the umpires informed them that a restart was possible, the mood in the camp changed. They were still up against it though. Ireland had eight wickets in hand to hunt down the 46 runs they needed to win off the remaining 29 balls.”The skipper [Asghar Stanikzai] told me you have to bowl the two overs in a very crucial time,” Rashid recalled. “He said just go and do your best and when I came and took two wickets in the first over, I was full of confidence and did the rest of the job.”The reason Rashid felt so good was because he had taken out two of Ireland’s most experienced batsmen in the blink of an eye. He said the team had seen Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson as “key wickets” and only after they were gone did “we believe we could win the match.” That belief translated to performance on the field as Afghanistan dragged Ireland from 65 for 2 to 93 for 9 and a win by 17 runs.Rashid was yet to take a five-wicket haul in domestic T20s, but overnight, his 5 for 3 in two overs put him alongside the best in international cricket. In fact, his figures were exactly the same as Rangana Herath’s against New Zealand in a virtual quarter-final at the World T20 in 2014.”That’s my best and this was the first time I took a five-wicket haul and on a great occasion, when the team needed me, I feel great,” Rashid said. “It feels great to be in that stage, with all those bowlers in the Test nations. It’s a wonderful moment for me and for my country as an Associate team player coming and getting into the top five for best bowling figures.”So what helped him do so well when the game was on the line? “I always love to play in pressure [situations],” Rashid said. “When the team is under pressure, then I love to play in that condition and love to perform. I have done it in the past and I keep enjoying it. Bowling is my strength and I always believe I can do it. Since being taken in the IPL [for USD 595,000 approx], that has given me more energy and more confidence. I’m just doing my hard work and the rest is happening.”All that was left now was to tune in to the CPL draft. “When we were leaving the ground after the match, we were saying the draft is about to start so we were watching,” Rashid said.Mohammad Nabi became the first player from Afghanistan to be picked in the draft, with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots taking him on for USD 90,000. Rashid couldn’t have been more thrilled. “He’s a wonderful allrounder and is a wonderful fielder as well. We’re really happy for him because the way he has played over the years is really amazing.”More good news came Rashid’s way for not only was he picked up in the draft, he found out he would be playing under Sohail Tanvir, who had been his Comilla Victorians team-mate in the Bangladesh Premier League. “I know Sohail Tanvir, I played with him in BPL,” he said. “So when I was taken in the draft, Sohail Tanvir texted me to say what’s up and congratulated me. Hopefully we’ll do well this year with Guyana.”Rashid was only an 11-year-old when Afghanistan made their first trip to the West Indies, for the World T20 in 2010. Now 18, he is looking forward to playing in the various islands and bowling on what he expects to be favourable conditions for legspin.”I haven’t been to the Caribbean,” Rashid said. “Hopefully we’ll enjoy it. As far as it’s concerned, wickets in the Caribbean are suitable for spinners. We’ve been discussing it with coach Phil Simmons too since he’s from the Caribbean. It’ll be a great experience for us to play in the Caribbean. We have a series there before CPL as well. We’re supposed to play West Indies for five ODIs and three T20Is so we’ll get used to the conditions before CPL.”

ScorecardTom Westley stemmed a Lions collapse•Getty Images

Tom Westley and Liam Livingstone hit unbeaten half centuries to steer England Lions out of a sticky situation in the opening game of their tour of Sri Lanka.After dismissing the Board President’s XI for 153 on the first day of their only warm-up fixture before the two four-day games against Sri Lanka A, the Lions slipped to 69 for four in reply, with their England openers Keaton Jennings and Haseeb Hameed, who both made Test debuts on the sub-continent this winter, going cheaply.But Westley and Livingstone responded with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 99 in 24 overs, meaning the Lions will resume on the second day of the three-day match 15 runs ahead.Westley, who made an important 84 for the Lions in the first-class match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi before Christmas, reached an unbeaten 65 from 108 balls with 12 boundaries.Livingstone, who signed an extended contract with Lancashire just before the Lions left for Sri Lanka, will resume on 61 from 75 balls after reaching his half century with a six in addition to hitting seven fours.Tom Helm had claimed the best figures after the home team chose to bat first, although the wickets were shared around as all seven of the specialist bowlers in the Lions squad had a decent spell in a game that does not have first-class status because of the squad system being utilised.Tom Curran shared the new ball with Toby Roland-Jones and took a wicket in each of his first two overs to reduce the Board XI to 9-2.Helm, who was fast-tracked into the Lions squad from the Pace Programme in December after impressing in the training camp in Dubai, ended with three for 18 from 7.3 overs, and there were three catches for Joe Clarke as he kept wicket in place of Ben Foakes, who has a back problem.Sam Curran and the spinners Ollie Rayner and Jack Leach claimed one wicket apiece, and there were two for Leach’s Somerset team-mate Craig Overton.

AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel will be available for their franchise, Titans, in a bid to prove their fitness for the home series against Sri Lanka later this month. Both de Villiers and Morkel have been out of action since the CPL with an elbow and back injury respectively, but are expected to be available for selection for the Test squad.De Villiers is in the final stages of recovery from elbow surgery which saw him miss the New Zealand Tests in August, the home ODIs and the three Tests against Australia. The Titans confirmed to ESPNcricinfo he will be available for the final two matches of their campaign, which will take place next week.Whether de Villiers gets game time could be crucial to his participation in the home summer, especially since South Africa’s selection convener Linda Zondi stressed he will need to be match fit before he can resume his national duties. De Villiers is expected to return as captain even though Faf du Plessis made a strong case to keep the role permanently following ODI and Test series wins over Australia.Morkel, who travelled with the Test squad to Australia but did not play a game because of concerns over match readiness, is available for T20s but has not been picked for Friday night’s fixture against Warriors. With Titans at the top of the table and hopeful of securing their spot in the final, the management has chosen not to alter the team. A source also confirmed that Morkel has not been cleared to bowl longer spells, which could put his participation in the Tests in doubt.Meanwhile, Hashim Amla sustained a neck injury while fielding at slip during the final Test in Adelaide and will sit out the remainder of the T20 competition. JP Duminy, though, is available to play for the Cobras.

Right-arm medium pacer Rituraj Singh bagged 6 for 60 as Chhattisgarh squandered a strong start to be bowled out for 198 against Goa. But their bowlers fought back to reduce Goa to 127 for 6 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Chhattisgarh had put up 103 for 2 on a curtailed first day when only 38.2 overs were bowled. Amandeep Khare, resuming on 58, was dismissed nine balls into the day, after adding just two more runs. Only Ashutosh Singh made a mark among the batsmen that followed, striking an unbeaten 55.Goa were reeling at 70 for 6, before Samar Dubhashi and Shadab Jakati got together for an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 57. Dubhashi was not out on 38 and Jakati was batting on 29 when stumps were drawn. Kant Singh, the right-arm medium pacer, led Chhattisgarh’s charge, picking up three wickets.Over at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi, Himachal Pradesh took a 208-run first-innings lead over Jammu & Kashmir, courtesy half-centuries from Ankit Kalsi, Paras Dogra and captain Rishi Dhawan. J&K had been bowled out for 162 on the opening day after they opted to make first use of the surface. Himachal ended the day on 58 for the loss of their openers. Kalsi, who resumed on 25, and Dogra, who resumed on 3, shared 88 runs for the third wicket. Kalsi was dismissed for 54, while Dogra carried on and top scored with 89. Himachal were also boosted by some solid contributions from the middle and lower-middle order. Dhawan stayed not out on 79. Aamir Aziz, the left-arm spinner, took 4 for 56, and J&K captain Parvez Rasool returned 3 for 69. J&K responded with 39 for no loss in their second innings, with both their openers, Shubham Khajuria and Umar Nazir unbeaten on identical scores of 17. J&K are behind by 169 runs.At the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Haryana’s lower order produced a late surge to lift the team to 303 in their first innings against Kerala. Kerala responded strongly, however, ending the day on 170 for 1. Haryana had been reduced to 188 for 8 on the opening day, before Rohit Sharma and Sanjay Pahal shared an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 39. That partnership extended to 109 runs, with No. 10 Pahal hitting his maiden half-century in his sixth match. Pahal was dismissed for 54, before Rohit was caught and bowled by right-arm medium pacer Sandeep Warrier eight short of a century. Warrier took 5 for 79.Vishnu Vinod dominated in Kerala’s reply, striking 58 in an opening stand of 72 with Bhavin Thakkar. After Vishnu’s dismissal, Kerala captain Rohan Prem joined Thakkar for a second-wicket stand that has realised 98 so far. Prem was unbeaten on 51, and Thakkar was on 56, having faced 176 balls.Shamsher Yadav struck his second first-class century, while Rahul Singh was closing in on his second ton as Services piled on 400 for 8 against Andhra at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Services had crawled to 170 for 3 in 90 overs on the opening day, with Shamsher unbeaten on 60. Rahul joined Shamsher with Services on 250 for 5 and added 107 for the sixth wicket. Shamsher finished with a career-best 136 in his seventh first-class match, while Rahul, playing his fifth game, ended the day not out on 95.The Hyderabad v Tripura match in Delhi was called off without a ball bowled due to smog.