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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

It wasn’t the best of starts but the Pakistanis will be content that they managed to get started at all. The opening day of the their Indian odyssey had a number of elements: bad light, 2.4 overs of play, steady rain, pleasant sunshine, a sneak preview of left-handed flourish, a steady procession of soft dismissals before Asim Kamal led the revival with a typically doughty 43. The BP XI fought back whenever the scales appeared to be tilting and kept the Pakistanis down to 165 for 5 when stumps were drawn.Its hard to imagine that any of the six previous Pakistan teams to have visited India for a full tour can have begun in such a picturesque setting. Overlooked by the snowcapped Dauladhari range, the HPCA Stadium at Dharamsala provided a perfect backdrop for the Pakistani batsmen to gain maximum momentum against a bowling attack that lost its only specialist spinner, Ramesh Powar, after he delivered four overs. Yet, four of their top five batsmen gave it away after groping their way into the groove and Younis Khan, the fifth, fell to a casual poke off the second ball he faced.Half the day was swallowed up by bad light and incessant showers. Inzamam, on his 35th birthday, chose to bat and his openers – Taufeeq Umar and Salman Butt – were hardly troubled in the initial exchanges. Rudra Pratap Singh, the left-arm seamer, occasionally swung it away a shade and beat the bat while the other Singh – Gagandeep – was more intent on pegging away at the stumps. Both Taufeeq and Salman cashed in on the loose offerings as full balls down the pads were flicked away with Saeed Anwar-like flourish.Powar was introduced in the 10th over and his generous flight, with the ball almost labouring to get to the other end, induced the batsmen into taking chances. Butt unleashed a ferocious straight loft to the second ball he faced with the ball rapping Powar flush on the fingers. Powar managed to finish the over but couldn’t bowl for the rest of the day.Butt, though, wasn’t as lucky four balls later when Taufeeq was caught ball-watching and made no attempt to respond to his call for a second run. Butt was stranded in mid-pitch and soon started his walk back after Gangandeep’s throw found the stumps. Younis might have expressed a desire to play his cricket like Imran Khan, a man who has backed him for the captaincy, but his second-ball duck wasn’t the ideal beginning to a crucial tour. Younis wafted at one wide of off stump and the edge was taken brilliantly by an acrobatic Niraj Patel at second slip (55 for 2).

Yousuf Youhana’s 18-ball stay had sparks of magic, moments of laziness and finally ended in a stroke that bordered on the reckless. Attempting an extravagant drive through extra cover, he misread the line from Shib Shankar Paul and inside-edged an easy catch to the wicketkeeper. Inzamam and Kamal didn’t venture into any extravagant shotmaking and efficiently scored off the long-hops and wide balls. Powar’s absence meant that the medium pacers were further burdened and more loose deliveries appeared as the day wore on.Inzamam fell right at the end of the day, lbw trying to sweep the part-time spinner Venugopal Rao, as another position of strength was frittered away with an air of over-confidence. Kamal too was extremely lucky to be there at the end after surviving an extremely close appeal to a reverse-swinging Gagandeep yorker. However, Kamal, who has found himself regularly overlooked despite playing a few crucial knocks, ensured that he gritted it out till the end and will hope that the skies stay clear for him to compile a big knock tomorrow.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Cricinfo

Scorecard

Wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien’s unbeaten 137, aided by captain Trent Johnston’s 69, furthered Ireland’s advantage on the second day after their bowlers had dismissed United Arab Emirates for 228. Ireland, resuming on 46 for 1, finished on 366 for 7, a lead of 138.William Porterfield and Eoin Morgan made 25 and 47, before a 64-run stand between the O’Brien brothers – Niall and Kevin. Left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza bagged his second wicket for the match by dismissing Kevin for 33, but Niall O’Brien, who had made a nervous start, held fort against the UAE bowlers.The hosts must have a sensed the possibility of a fightback when Andre Botha and Alex Cusack departed in quick succession; Ireland were 203 for 6, still needing 25 to more to match UAE’s first-innings score.However, Johnston joined hands with Niall O’Brien, and the two not only put Ireland in the green, but seized the momentum with a record seventh-wicket stand of 163. Johnston needed only 95 balls for his 69, which included ten boundaries. O’ Brien’s 137 contained 20 fours, and his presence at the crease on the third morning will give Ireland the chance to further their lead before aiming to bowl out UAE for the second time in the match.The umpires signalled the close at the fall of Johnston’s wicket – stumped by Amjad Ali off Saqib Ali. For UAE, Zahid Shah, Saqib and Raza took two wickets apiece; Raza was the best of the lot: his 2 for 47 coming off 24 economical overs.”I’ve been a bit ill over the past day, but I’ve been on tablets and special drinks and I’ve managed to get through it to the end,” a delighted Niall O’Brien admitted. “I missed out on the game here last year when all the records were broken, so it’s great to score a hundred today.”

Scorecard

India coasted home to a four-wicket victory against the hosts South Africa, overhauling their target of 81 after an early wobble. South Africa had India in trouble at 37 for 4, the top four falling for single figures, but Rumeli Dhar (33 not out) and Mithali Raj (11) made certain of the victory. Alicia Smith took 4 for 19 from her ten overs, but it wasn’t enough and India took the points.Their left-arm spinner Deepa Marathe did the bulk of the damage, unravelling the middle order with 4 for 1 after fellow left-armer Neetu David had squeezed the batsmen with 2 for 8.After failing to fire in the opening two matches, South Africa’s star batsman Johmari Logtenberg topscored for her team, but her 26 was a lone stand as her colleagues tumbled around her. Logtenberg and Daleen Terblanche (15) had started to build a stand, but just as they nudged the score past the 50-mark, Terblanche fell. Then came the collapse. South Africa lost their last eight wickets for 28 runs, three of them falling with the score on 66.England 221 for 6 (Connor 82*, Brindle 51) defeated Ireland 93 for 8 by 128 runs
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England eased to their second victory of the tournament, beating Ireland by 128 runs. After deciding to bat, England were in some trouble at 79 for 4 before Clare Connor and Arran Brindle’s stand of 128 lifted them to an imposing 221. World Cup veteran Clare Taylor made sure of an England victory with 2 for 13 from her 10 overs as Ireland fell way short of their target.Laura Newton and Charlotte Edwards shared a solid, but slow, opening stand of 48 before a minor collapse as Ireland’s bowlers worked well as a unit, clamping down and sharing the wickets. Lydia Greenway struggled in particular, her 9 at No. 3 coming from 30 balls. Even Connor, usually so free-scoring, took her time at first, before upping the tempo to scamper a boundary-less 82 not out from 114 balls, while Brindle added 51.But if England found the going tough, spare a thought for Ireland’s Jill Smythe. The hard-working Smythe sweated out a painful 6 from 77 balls, effectively killing off any hope Ireland had of overhauling England’s total by the time she was run out.

Scorecard
Australia posted their second victory, rattling up 230 against West Indies before bundling them out for 151 at Olympia Park. Karen Rolton (69) and Lisa Keightley (56) shared a stand of 54 for the second wicket, before Rolton added another 73 with Mel Jones for the third wicket. Jones made 27. Envis Williams starred for West Indies with the ball, taking 3 for 32, while Pamela Lavine took 2 for 45.West Indies folded to 151 despite fighting knocks from Juliana Nero (40) and Shane de Silva (39). Lisa Sthalekar took 2 for 16, while Rolton proved her Player of the Match credentials by taking 2 for 23 to complete a strong allround performance. Australia will now face the hosts South Africa and West Indies will take on Sri Lanka.
Scorecard
New Zealand wrapped up an easy seven-wicket victory against Sri Lanka, coasting to their paltry target of 59 with 31 overs to spare. Sri Lanka are fast becoming the whipping girls of the tournament – this is the third time in three matches they have been shot out cheaply.Only Hiruka Fernando (16) offered any kind of resistance as Sri Lanka capitulated: she was the only batsman to reach double figures after Maia Lewis sent Sri Lanka in, expecting some kind of collapse. It duly came. New Zealand’s bowlers posted some impressive, and deserved, figures: Rachel Pullar (2 for 6), Anna Corbin (2 for 15) and Helen Watson (2 for 0) all helped themselves to some cheap wickets.Praba Udawatte was once more Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler, but her 2 for 27 was not enough as New Zealand proved far too strong. New Zealand will now face Ireland on Monday, while Sri Lanka will play West Indies.

Players who took part in the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL) will not be allowed to represent Pakistan internationally or play domestically, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced.Though the players – including Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat and Shabbir Ahmed – were banned when they signed up with the ICL last year, the board’s governing committee was reconsidering their cases. But it has now reaffirmed its earlier stance, though Nasim Ashraf, PCB chairman, kept the door open for a possible return.”These players will not represent Pakistan internationally or in domestic cricket,” Ashraf said. “We have to protect Pakistan cricket. There are reports that recruiting agents from ICL are looking for more players, possibly a team from Pakistan, and that will harm cricket here.”Ashraf reasoned that opportunities – and financial rewards – were growing for players in Pakistan and so there was little need for anyone to join the ICL. “We have given all players in 13 regional teams a monthly contract, to take away financial worries. We are giving young players retainers, others on the fringes are also making money.”We are doing everything we can to make sure that all players benefit more and more financially within the country. Players can earn good money here so they have to decide: do they want the ICL or Pakistan?”The players had initially filed a petition in the Lahore High Court against the decision to ban them, though the case was swiftly dismissed. There remains a possibility that legal action will be considered once again though Ashraf hinted a way out of the situation.”If the players do not play in the ICL any more and make that clear, then certainly they can appeal against the decision and we will consider it again.”The board, meanwhile, postponed a decision on whether or not players will be allowed to take up contracts in county cricket. Concern had been expressed recently about the effect county cricket was having on several Pakistan bowlers, some of whom picked up injuries during their stint and missed international duty as a result.”We discussed the pros and cons of county cricket,” said Ashraf. “They pick up good experience, but can also burn out, or pick up injuries like Mohammad Asif did. But we will take a final decision after our next meeting in March.”The committee wants to first see a detailed presentation on the effects of the county season on a player, including financial issues such as how much a player loses out on if he doesn’t play and whether there should be compensation.”

The Rhos ground and the Wooller family are closely linked as itwas Wilf Wooller who was instrumental in taking first-classcricket to the ground his father helped to found in 1924.Indeed, it was the actions of Wilf Wooller senior that led to theground being laid out in a field off Penrhyn Avenue, near theseafront at Rhos-on-Sea , and within many decent club cricketershaving moved to the area from Manchester and Liverpool, it wasn’tlong before the Colwyn club became successful. The legendarySydney Barnes also lived in the area, and he acted as a coach inthe nets in the 1920’s.The Colwyn club therefore soon became successful, and in 1929 theground hosted Wales’ game with the South Africans. In 1930Denbighshire entered the Minor County Championship and they alsoused the Rhos ground for their home fixtures. During the SecondWorld War, the Club also hosted a number of fund raising gamesfor the War Effort, and with a further influx of good playersfrom the cities of North-West England, the Colwyn club went fromstrength to strength.These wartime friendlies were well attended, so when Wilf Woollerbecame Glamorgan captain in 1947 he organised a short tour toNorth Wales which would help to boost the club’s support and flythe flag in the North. The tour, at the end of August, includedtwo day games against Sir Learie Constantine’s XI and a NorthWales XI. During the next few years, another series ofexhibition and Benefit games were held at the ground, including amatch in 1955 between R.W.V.Robin’s XI and Vinoo Mankad’s IndianXI and as a result of the success of these games, the club spendmoney on various ground improvements, including an extendedpavilion and dressing room area.By the 1960’s, the Rhos club were holding a Cricket Festival,attracting top playerts from the Lancashire Leagues, during thepeak holiday period in August. The success of these games ledWilf Wooller into considering the viability of county games atthe seaside ground, and in 1966 the Rhos ground stagedGlamorgan’s Championship match with Derbyshire. Over 4,000people attended the game, so in the period up until 1974 theground staged either an Annual Champioship game, or a SundayLeague fixture.Taking cricket to the North was quite expensive, so when theclub’s finances started to shrink during the mid 1970’s, ColwynBay was deleted from the county’s calendar, although it continuedto host Benefit and exhibition games, including the 1984 WestIndians match against the League Cricket Conference. These gamescontinued to be well attended, so when a sponsorship package wasoffered to the county, they agreed to return to the North in 1990for their Champioship and Sunday League fixture with Lancashire.This became a regular fixture until 1995, as Glamorgan beganinvesting in a club base at Cardiff, and it now seems likely thatthe Colwyn Bay ground will alterante with Abergavenny on thecounty’s calendar. In the past few years, the ground has alsohosted several of Wales Minor Counties’ fixtures, and in 1996 anew extended Pavilion was opened by a game involving a GlamorganPast and Present XI.

The ICC Anti-Corruption Unit will return to Kenya in January to interview a further 10 players as part of its ongoing investigation into allegations of match-fixing resulting from the recent hearing which banned Maurice Odumbe.Martin Hawkins and Alan Peacock, the two ICC officials who have been in Nairobi since Tuesday, had rather a wasted trip. Most of the players they had hoped to speak to were either out of the country or refused to meet with them. Allan Kosgey, who represents the players, explained that his clients had been given insufficient notice of the visit.”I am discussing with my clients which dates would suit them,” Kosgey told Reuters. “We agreed that they will return in January to interview my clients [who] are happy to be interviewed at a future date which is convenient to them.”It is understood that Hawkins and Peacock did speak to Ravindu Shah, Brijal Patel, Lamech Onyango and Alpesh Vadher.

Sachithra Serasinghe, one of Sri Lanka’s most prolific allround cricketers in the Under-19 World Cup, has been sacked from the team on disciplinary grounds.Sri Lanka team manager Ashley de Silva said that Serasinghe had breached rules and regulations imposed by the team management and appropriate action had been taken. de Silva added that Serasinghe had not been giving his best at team practices and had missed a morning training session last Sunday.”This is not the first time that Sachitra has been pulled up for misconduct,” de Silva explained. “It has happened twice before on tours and on both occasions he had got away with a reprimand.”A product of Nalanda College, Serasinghe won the Man-of-the-Match award in the game against Namibia with a fine allround performance, scoring 41 and taking 3 for 22. He is also the leading run scorer for Sri Lanka in the competition with 152 runs from four matches.Meanwhile, Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka’s captain, has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a leg injury. de Silva said that he tore a muscle in his left leg and had been advised to rest for two weeks. Sri Lanka’s request for a replacement for Mathews was been granted by the technical committee yesterday and Roshane Silva was drafted in. Vice-captain Sameera de Zoysa will lead Sri Lanka for the rest of the tournament.

Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, will return to the side for the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka at Auckland on Saturday. Fleming sat out the first three games as per New Zealand’s rotation policy ahead of the World Cup in March and the side was instead led by Daniel Vettori, the left-arm spinner.While Nathan Astle, who opened for New Zealand in the absence of Fleming, will sit out of the fourth game, Jeetan Patel, released from the squad to play for Wellington, was recalled. Craig McMillan, who wasn’t part of the third one-day squad, replaced James Marshall.”With the continued use of Brendon McCullum at the top of the order, it is now necessary to introduce a player who can provide a powerful finish to the innings and we are looking to Craig to provide that,” said John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach. He added that though Marshall was unlucky to miss out the game, the management wanted him to put pressure on those who had been selected.New Zealand lead the five-match series 2-1 after they won the low-scoring third game played through rain interruption.Squad
Brendon McCullum, Stephen Fleming (capt), Ross Taylor, Peter Fulton, Hamish Marshall, Craig McMillan, Daniel Vettori, James Franklin, Andre Adams, Mark Gillespie, Shane Bond, Michael Mason, Jeetan Patel

Shaun Udal, the 36-year-old Hampshire spinner recalled to the England squad, has said he will be happy not to play a significant role in this winter’s tour to Pakistan.”Hopefully I can go there and do a job for them in whatever capacity I’m needed,” Udal told . “In a way, hopefully I won’t be selected to play because that will mean England are winning and Ashley Giles is fit and everything is going swimmingly well.”I possibly thought the chance had gone but one of my strengths is that I believe in myself. I’m probably a better cricketer than I was when I last played, with experience comes the nous and the knowhow.”Udal was born in 1969, at a time when England possessed the dangerous and aptly nicknamed “Deadly” Derek Underwood. Indeed, Underwood was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1969. Udal’s recall has increased the debate of England’s decades-long dearth of quality spinners and, while he is the form spinner in the country, his selection came ahead of younger rivals such as Gareth Batty and Graeme Swann. Udal, while delighted with his recall, readily admits that he is coming to the end of his career:”I know my career’s coming into its last five years, so what’s the point in standing still? I love my cricket, it means as much to me as anything in the world. To get this chance now is one that I’ll try to take with both hands – if it’s only for this tour or the next six months or two years.”Udal was grateful to his Hampshire team-mate Shane Warne for the assistance. “Operating as a second spinner is what I’ve done for the last two years at Hampshire with Warney at the other end,” he told reporters. “He brings more than just his bowling: his cricket brain, his enthusiasm, his passion – it’s rubbed off on me.”Warney is just from a different planet, he sees things other people don’t see as a captain and has helped me with my bowling. He is not just a good friend, he’s been an enormous help to me. He teaches people to respect the game, respect the opposition and never fear them.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe Titans recovered from the precarious overnight position of 70 for 4 to post a handy 93-run first-innings lead, but the Dolphins soon chased it down as the second day of the SuperSport Series final ended with the game intriguingly poised.Justin Kemp and Geoffrey Toyana posted a vital fifth-wicket partnership of 107 with Kemp uncharacteristically becalmed; his 50 came from 113 balls. The aggressor was Toyana who raced to his half-century from 69 balls.However, both batsmen fell while settled and it was left to Albie Morkel to play the innings of the day. He struck 15 fours and a six in his 93-ball innings to help give Titans a very useful first-innings lead. Ugasen Govender, the 22-year-old fast bowler, was the pick for the Dolphins; although expensive, he captured the key wickets of Morkel today and Martin van Jaarsveld yesterday.The Titans bowlers were unable to capitalise on the efforts of their batsmen, though, and the Dolphins calmly reached 99 without loss, trailing by just six runs.