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Kumar Sangakkara has been ruled out of cricket for four to six weeks after fracturing his finger during the third ODI against India in Colombo. The injury has put doubts on Sangakkara’s participation in the inaugural season of the Sri Lanka Premier League that starts on August 11, apart from missing the remaining two ODIs against India.Sangakkara had scored 23 runs when he was hit by a quick Ashok Dinda bouncer in the fifteenth over of Sri Lanka’s innings. He went on to score another 50 runs and pulled Sri Lanka from a precarious 20 for 3 to safety after a 121-run stand with captain Mahela Jayawardene. After eventually getting out to Dinda, Sangakkara was sent for a scan that confirmed the fracture.The news will come as a blow to Sangakkara’s SLPL franchise Kandurata Warriors, for whom he has been appointed the captain. Kandurata are scheduled to play their first match on August 11.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUnmukt Chand’s 121 was not quite enough for India Under-19s•Associated Press

For the second time in two matches, there was very little separating India and Pakistan’s Under-19 teams, as they tied the final of the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur in dramatic fashion. Pakistan opener Sami Aslam scored his second hundred of the series to carry his team to 282, before India captain Unmukt Chand did the same for his side. But both centuries went in vain, with neither team claiming the trophy.Pakistan did well to achieve the tie. India were in relative control in the chase, needing 37 in the final six overs, with seven wickets in hand and Chand batting on 101. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz then produced two effective overs, claiming two wickets and conceding just five, to bring Pakistan back into the game. Chand was still around though and almost carried his bat, but his dismissal off the fourth ball of the final over – caught on the cover boundary off seamer Ehsan Adil – left India needing five off two deliveries. No. 8 Rush Kalaria pierced the off side for four, to bring the scores level. The final delivery, though, he could only chip gently to mid-off. Dot ball. Shared title.Like in their one-run defeat to Pakistan in the group match, India chose to field. And once again, Pakistan’s innings was built around Aslam. India managed to keep the scoring in check early in the innings, but a 100-run stand at over a run a ball between Umar Waheed and Sami Aslam for the third wicket put Pakistan on course for a sizeable total.Pakistan had launched the final assault, scoring 49 from overs 41 to 45, when Kalaria removed Saad Ali and Aslam off consecutive balls. He took three more wickets, and Pakistan managed only 30 for 5 in the final five.India’s reply revolved around a 175-run stand for the second wicket between Chand and B Aparajith. Aparajith fell 10 short of a hundred, Nawaz’s first victim of the game. Apart from these two, none of the other India batsmen managed to go past 23, as the lower-middle order let the game slip from their grasp.Aslam’s century came after scores 82 not out, 121, 47 and 77, and he, expectedly, won the Player of the Series and best batsman awards. Sri Lanka offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, who picked up 12 wickets in four games, was named the best bowler of the tournament.

Andy Flower, England’s director of cricket, has voiced concern that Kevin Pietersen will become detached from the rest of the England squad and will come to regret his decision to retire from limited-overs international cricket.”Even Andrew Strauss found it difficult with only playing the Test game,” Flower said. “Part of our challenges are to constantly work on our unity and harmony. It is a danger that he could become detached but I hope it is not the case.”Flower said that he tried in vain to dissuade Pietersen from a retirement from ODI cricket, which was announced on May 31, during discussions that had been ongoing for about 18 months.England’s most box-office batsman has made it clear that he would like to continue to play Twenty20 internationals, but this was refused because the terms of England’s central contracts state that players must be available for both limited-overs formats to be considered for either.”I think it’s sad for Kevin that he won’t be playing all three forms of the game in international cricket,” Flower said. “I’m not annoyed. I think it’s quite sad. He’s very clear about what he wants to do, so that’s his choice.”He’s a very fine international cricketer; he makes us stronger when he plays. I tried on a number of occasions to dissuade him for, what I believe, is his own good, but that’s by the by. He makes his own decisions.”I just thought that after you’ve retired from sport and you look back at your career he might think: ‘Crikey, I wish I’d taken part in more World Cups and helped win the 2015 World Cup with England.’ They are great memories and I think it’s a little sad he won’t get those opportunities anymore.”He told me he didn’t want to play one-day cricket anymore. We discussed it fully and the ECB explained very clearly what the ramifications were. He was aware he was on a contract. I don’t know exactly what’s been happening in his mind.”Flower countered Pietersen’s justification for his one-day retirement that the international schedule had become too heavy by revealing that he would have been rested from the ODI series against West Indies anyway.”Kevin was due to be rested for this one-day series with the West Indies. But I don’t think resting him for the Australian one-day series and South African one-day series was an option. These are two of the best cricketing nations in the world and we want to put out strong sides against them.”The ECB’s determination not to allow ODI cricket to be degraded – winning a global ODI tournament remains a top priority – and fear of a widespread withdrawal of players from 50-over cricket was the reason for their uncompromising insistence that England players must be available for both one-day formats.”What is important is the reasons behind the ECB policy,” Flower said. And the reasons behind that policy is that 50-over cricket is an integral part of the goals set that the ECB want the international team to achieve. For the first time they want them to win a 50-over World Cup competition. There’s also the ICC Champions Trophy; that’s also a clear goal of the ECB.”There is also the status of ODI cricket, not only in this country but over the world, to take into consideration and when making these policy decisions you have to consider the precedents. And if that policy encourages five or six other top class international players to retire from international one-day cricket, you are degrading the status of ODI cricket in this country and the world.”Flower was reluctant to be drawn on England’s heavy international schedule. “I think there’s very limited influence I have on the schedule. The schedule is tough, there’s no doubt about that. If you have been involved in that over a period of time it’s tough. My job is to try and manage it as well as possible.”As he remarked, with reference to the debate that followed the resting of James Anderson and Stuart Broad from the third Test at Edgbaston, that was not always easy.Flower denied that there was any problem with his own relationship with Pietersen. “I have read occasionally our relationship is not great, but actually I think we get on pretty well,” he said. “We’re fairly honest with each other and I think we have quite a good working relationship. I hope he can really enjoy the years of Test cricket that are ahead of him and I hope he does brilliantly in them.”He’s got his game into really good order at the moment. Technically he’s really sound. He’s done some great work with Mushtaq Ahmed and Graham Gooch on his batting, especially his playing of spin. His new method worked and you probably saw evidence of that on Sunday in the way he played their spinner.”Flower also confirmed that Pietersen will play four T20 games for Surrey – three at the Kia Oval and one at Hove – before playing one championship match against Lancashire at Guildford in preparation for the Investec Test series against South Africa. Flower also confirmed that talks about Andrew Strauss going on loan, probably to Somerset, had “been mooted”.”Between now and the South African Test series the amount of four-day cricket available to Strauss is non-existent,” Flower said. “He’s got one game before the Test series so it is a bit of a problem. How we deal with that is not that easy. Myself, Andrew Strauss and Graham Gooch have an idea about how we can do that but it’s not ideal. It’s tricky but no decisions have been made.”

ScorecardSean Ervine made 75 to lead Hampshire’s drama-filled final evening chase•Getty Images

Sean Ervine led a dramatic Hampshire chase as they beat Glamorgan with a ball to spare in Cardiff. His 75 got his side close to the winning line before Hamza Riazuddin struck the winning runs to give Hampshire a dramatic victory in a rain-affected match.Riazuddin held his nerve as the match came down to the visitors needing two runs from the final two balls. But much of the credit for the Hampshire win had to go to Ervine, who navigated his side into a winning position with a 92-ball innings before perishing 13 balls from the end.Hampshire won by two wickets to take 19 points from the match to Glamorgan’s three. It was Glamorgan’s third straight defeat to leave them firmly rooted to the bottom of the Division Two table.Play did not resume on the fourth day until 4.15pm because of persistent showers throughout the morning and afternoon sessions. But eventually the rain relented enough to allow for 28 overs to be bowled with Hampshire resuming on 112 for 4 in pursuit of 204.With the ninth ball after the resumption Huw Waters had Michael Bates leg before to leave Hampshire 112 for 5. But just as new batsman Michael Carberry, batting with a runner for a groin injury, arrived on the outfield he had to come off as more rain arrived at the ground.After another loss of 10 overs play resumed again at 5pm with Hampshire needing 92 from 16.3 overs. Despite being injured Carberry cut Jim Allenby for two fours before he was bowled behind his legs by Waters.But Hampshire still had hope of knocking off the runs while Ervine, who reached his half-century from 67 balls with seven fours, was still there along with Chris Wood, who was not shy of a few lusty blows. Wood’s third four ensured Hampshire needed 40 from the remaining eight overs.He was then brilliantly caught by Will Bragg low down on the long-leg boundary off Wagg to leave Hampshire still needing 31 from 5.2 overs. But the pressure was taken off the visitors’ chase when Ervine struck Moises Henriques for three successive fours which included a fortuitous Chinese cut. It left Hampshire needing 16 off the final four overs.There was more drama as wicketkeeper Mark Wallace took a steepling catch to remove dangerman Ervine. But Riazuddin and Danny Briggs held their nerve to knock off the remaining 14 runs from 13 balls.

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan former captain, believes that he could be in contention for national selection after leading his sides to domestic one-day and Twenty20 titles. Malik, who is not contracted by the PCB, has also been called for a fitness assessment at the National Cricket Academy.”I know I have a lot of cricket left,” Malik told ESPNCricinfo. “They [PCB] know what I am capable of and how I can make a difference by being in the team. I am fit and in the best form. There is always a bad patch in every player’s life but that doesn’t mean he is done with his cricket – that’s not the case.”Malik, 30, last represented Pakistan in the ODI series against England in UAE, but was dropped for the Asia Cup. During that period, he led PIA to the Faysal Bank One-Day National Cup title while finishing it as the leading scorer and second on the list of wicket-takers. Two weeks later, he led Sialkot Stallions to the Faysal Bank Super Eight T-20 Cup.”I am very motivated to try and get back into the side. There is always a time in your life when you are tested but what’s important is that you stand tall and look for the best out of the worst. I have played some great match-winning knocks for the country that earned me a great reputation both on and off the field.”Malik’s performances in domestic cricket highlight his value as a leader and as an allrounder – the dual role he played when captain of Pakistan. During two years of his leadership, from 2007, Pakistan failed to win any of the three Tests it played, but won 24 out of 36 ODIs and 12 of 17 T20Is.”I should not have accepted the captaincy at that time and that is my biggest regret in my cricketing career. It’s not like I wasn’t ready but there are other factors that I think should not be part of the debate at the moment. I have never complained about anyone and I always want to focus on my game and want to play my cricket with best of my ability.”Malik’s previous comeback attempts proved to be disappointing and he failed to impress against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and England. However, his recent form makes him a strong limited-overs prospect and increases the likelihood of his getting a one-year contract this year.”The difference is the confidence. Every player has role to play in the team and he is always become successful only once he is given confidence.””As far as the captaincy is concerned I am least interested in it. I don’t know what they [PCB] are going to decide about me but I have ensured my best performance at the domestic level and my fitness is perfect for international cricket.”Edited by Devashish Fuloria

Star TV, owned by Rupert Murdoch, has won the rights to broadcast Indian cricket for 2012-2018. The deal, which also includes internet and mobile rights, was valued at Rs 3851 crores (approximately $750 million) and covers 96 matches. The other bidder – at Rs 3700 crores, or $727 million – was Multi-Screen Media (Sony), which currently owns the rights to the IPL.The rights cover all international cricket in India, and domestic competitions including the Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup; they do not include the IPL. The first series under this deal, according to a schedule announced on Monday, will be New Zealand’s tour of India in August-September 2012; England have a full tour later in the year and Australia arrive in February for a four-Test series.Under the deal, Star TV will be paying approximately Rs.40 crores (US$7.86 million) for each match, significantly more than the Rs.32.5 crores (US$6.38 million) the previous broadcaster, Nimbus, had to pay for each match. The pricing is in two stages, Farooq Abdullah, chairman of the BCCI’s marketing committee, told ESPNcricinfo: Rs 32.2 crores ($6.3 million) for the matches from 2012 to 2014 and Rs 43.20 crore ($8.5 million) for the matches from 2014 to 2018.”This is a substantial improvement [on the previous contract with Nimbus],” N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, said. “And the BCCI is very, very happy that the media rights have been fully evaluated and now, I think, fully priced.”While the bid was submitted by Star TV, Uday Shankar, the channel’s chief executive, made it clear that the rights will be shared with ESPN, its partner in the ESPN Star Sports* joint-venture. “STAR India will work collaboratively with ESPN-STARSports to exploit the rights”, Shankar said. “Right now, we have three sports channels — Star Sports, ESPN and Star Cricket to broadcast cricket. However, if required, we could explore the launch of new channels.”Manu Sawhney, managing director, ESPN STAR Sports, said: “It was decided by ESS that the preferred way for these rights is for Star to bid with the understanding that should they win, they would utilize these rights in partnership with ESS.”The deal gives Star and ESS a virtual stranglehold on marquee cricket events, since they already own the rights to ICC tournaments as well as cricket in Australia and England. The collaboration also owns rights to the Champions League Twenty20.The board has also cancelled its production rights contract with Nimbus. ESPNcricinfo understands that the BCCI might want to own the production rights instead of selling it.The board was forced to issue a new tender after it terminated its contract with Nimbus in December 2011, claiming the latter had defaulted on its payments. The matter has subsequently been referred for arbitration, with the Bombay High Court ruling that Nimbus must deposit Rs 305 crores (approx US$60 million) with the court as security for the amount the BCCI claims it is owed by the company. Nimbus has also made a counter-claim of Rs 600 crores (approx US$118 million) from the board.The BCCI’s marketing committee set the price for category A games at Rs 31.25 crores per match (approx $6.1 million) plus Rs 1 crore (approx $0.2 million) while category B games were set at Rs 34 crores (approx $6.67 million) plus Rs 1 crore. The contract with Nimbus had a base price of Rs 31.25 crores (approx $6.1 million) per game for each of the three formats purely for the broadcast rights.The board did attempt to sell the internet rights separately last year, but the tender found no takers at the initial base price of Rs 3 crores (approx $0.6 million) or its subsequently reduced price of Rs 2 crores (approx $0.4 million).*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)(Additional reporting by Nagraj Gollapudi)

Toby Radford, the former Middlesex and Sussex batsman, has been named West Indies assistant coach in place of David Williams.Radford has previously been in charge of the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Barbados and will now work with the senior team, which is coached by Ottis Gibson, on a tour-by-tour basis beginning with the home series against Australia which starts this month.After a brief playing career which amounted to 14 first-class matches, Radford was made Middlesex coach in 2007 before moving to the Caribbean in 2010.Williams, the former West Indies wicketkeeper who played 11 Tests and 36 one-day internationals between 1992 and 1998, said he still hoped play a role in the future of Caribbean cricket.”I am disappointed, but these things happen in life and you have to pick up the slack and move on,” Williams told the . “Just a couple of days ago they called me about the position. They wanted a coach to work with the younger batters.”I enjoyed my time. It was really a great experience and I want to thank the West Indies Cricket Board for that experience. It is not the end of the road. I hope the West Indies Cricket Board knows that I still have a lot to offer West Indies cricket.”Edited by Andrew McGlashan

India will replace their bowling coach Eric Simons with former Queensland fast bowler Joe Dawes at the end of the tour of Australia. Simons’ contract expires after the tour, ending his two-year tenure with the Indian team.The topic of Simons’ contract was brought up at the BCCI working committee meeting in Chennai on Monday. Replacing him is the first change India will make to their support staff after losing their last eight away Tests.Simons said he did not want to continue with the Indian team beyond the Australia tour. “The full story is that after the World Cup, Duncan Fletcher asked me to stay on. I agreed to stay on until after the England tour. I was then asked to continue to Australia and told them that I would not be able to extend beyond that,” he said. “During the West Indies series in India, I was asked if I would reconsider and said that I could not, as I had effectively been away from home for two years. I was never going to continue beyond the Australia series.”MS Dhoni, the India captain, was full of praise for Simons. “Eric has been brilliant,” he said. “He has been with us for quite some time. He knows our culture, how we work, and he understands each and every bowler. What’s also important is what we speak and what we mean [they can be different]. Sometimes the bowlers say something, but they mean something else. That only comes in once the bowling coach has spent some time with the youngsters and the bowlers who are set in the side. Had a good experience with him, and hopefully the new bowling coach, whoever comes, does a good job.”Simons, who joined India as a bowling consultant in 2010, was named coach of the Delhi Daredevils for the 2012 IPL season. A former South Africa allrounder, Simons was initially part of Gary Kirsten’s coaching staff, but remained with the squad when Kirsten did not renew his contract after the 2011 World Cup.India’s new bowling coach, Dawes, played 76 first-class matches for Queensland between 1997 and 2005, often having to wait his turn behind Australia bowlers Michael Kasprowicz and Andy Bichel. His career was cut short by a knee injury following which he became involved in coaching. He started with Queensland and also worked part-time for Middlesex and the Marylebone Cricket Club. He became bowling coach of South Australia in June 2011 and was also bowling coach of the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League 2011-12.”Joe has made a big impact in a short time,” South Australian Cricket Association’s director of cricket Jamie Cox said, “and while we are sad to see him go, we are very happy that one of our coaching staff has made the move into the international arena.”Joe has made a great contribution with our young bowling group, known colloquially as the ‘Wolf Pack’. Working alongside Darren Berry, he has helped instill some real toughness and integrity into the group.”Dawes worked well with the young bowlers at South Australia and has helped them reach the top of the table in the ongoing Ryobi Cup. He said he was optimistic about the abilities of young India bowlers. “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Darren Berry and being part of the culture he has fostered with the Redbacks and the Strikers,” Dawes said. “To be able to take that knowledge and apply it in the international arena was too great an opportunity to miss.”I can also see lots of emerging talent within the Indian group and it is very exciting to be able to move into a strong system within the BCCI.”

Match facts

Misbah-ul-Haq and Andrew Strauss have both spoken about letting the cricket provide the headlines in this series•AFP

Tuesday, January 17-21, Dubai
Start time 1000 (0600 GMT)

Big Picture

History will hang heavily over this series. Three Pakistan players are serving custodial sentences after being found guilty on match-rigging charges during the 2010 series in England. However much England suggest that the affair is now largely a media obsession and Pakistan provide indications of more stable and contented times, such matters cannot be easily waved aside.That Pakistan recover their strength and reputation is vital for the health of world cricket and England have been reminded of their responsibilities to contest the series in a natural manner and to rise above any resentment, which does exist, over what has gone before without losing the competitive and aggressive edge that has contributed to their rise to the No. 1 Test side in the world.Pakistan are careful not to speak of “home advantage” because Dubai, however much the conditions might be similar to those in Lahore or Karachi, is simply not home. But sub-consciously England feel themselves in an away series, not a neutral one. Their policy of six specialist batsmen, three pace bowlers and a solitary spinner automatically comes under strain on placid surfaces and the loss of Tim Bresnan, the most capable batsmen in their lower order, does not make a change of tack easy.Test series between Pakistan and England have often been wonderfully combative affairs. As long as the pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi encourage attractive cricket, it is an appealing prospect.

Form guide

Pakistan: WWDWD
England: WWWWW

Players to watch

Saeed Ajmal has enlivened the build-up to the Test by announcing, Shane Warne-style, that he is about to unleash a formidable new delivery. The doosra – “the other one” – is about to be supported by the teesra – “the third one”.
Whatever the impact of that proves to be, Ajmal will test England’s improvement against spin bowling to the utmost. For England, Stuart Broad will be desperate to escape the run of injuries that have disrupted his progress over the past year. A bruised foot suffered when batting in the nets is unlikely to hinder him, but it gives a further impression of vulnerability that he could do without.

Team news

Any temptation that England felt to abandon their policy of six batsmen disappeared the moment that Tim Bresnan, the sturdiest batsman among the bowling attack, left the tour through injury. To include Monty Panesar as a second spinner would therefore entail perming three fast bowlers from six. In the first Test at least, they are likely to exclude Panesar and stick to a proven formula.
England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Chris Tremlett
Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnam Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Wahab Riaz

Pitch and conditions

England are bracing themselves for a demanding bowling experience on a benign surface, in conditions that do not offer the fast bowlers much help. The two Tests played at the DICS so far don’t entirely support that view with only one total so far in excess of 400.

Stats and trivia

• England are sure to remain top of the ICC Test Championship if they do not lose to Pakistan by more than a one-Test margin in the three-Test series.
• England have three bowlers – Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Stuart Broad – in the top four of the Test rankings.
• In their last home series against Pakistan, England dismissed the opposition for less than 100 on three occasions.
• Pakistan have won nine, lost 11 and drawn seven of their 27 Tests since their loss of home Tests because of security concerns. Only seven of those Tests have been at a neutral venue.

Quotes

“It’s all a bit smoke and mirrors isn’t it. Just remember, you don’t play the bowler and what he says, you play the ball that comes out of his hand.”
“It’s good to see every player backing the other. The days of infighting and rifts seem to be over.”
“We play our cricket very, very hard. There’s no way Jimmy Anderson, who is a grumpy bowler, is not going to be grumpy. The guys will still be aggressive, that’s what has got us to No 1.”

A car that was carrying Enamul Haque and Johan Cloete, the on-field umpires of the third ODI between Bangladesh and Pakistan on Tuesday, was hit by a stone in Chittagong’s Akbar Shah locality. The umpires were returning to their hotel from the at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium when the incident happened.The Bangladesh Cricket Board media manager Rabeed Imam told ESPNcricinfo that nobody was injured in the incident and the umpires reached their hotel in central Chittagong safely.”An incident has been reported,” Imam said. “An object was hurled at the vehicle carrying the match officials that had the board’s security escort. It damaged part of the window, but nobody was hurt. Everyone reached the hotel safely. The BCB condemns the incident and are taking the matter seriously. The investigation is being conducted in consultation with local police. We are awaiting a report from them.”Bangladesh were beaten by Pakistan in the third and final ODI by 58 runs, completing a 3-0 series sweep.Chittagong does not have a record of crowd attacks but during the last World Cup the West Indies team bus was pelted with stones after Bangladesh were bowled out for 58 and lost by nine wickets in Mirpur.