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Scorecard

Uttar Pradesh were bowled out for 269 on day one of their Ranji Trophy clash against Baroda with Rajesh Pawar, a left-arm spinner, hijacking the much-hyped return of Irfan Pathan and claiming five wickets on the flat Baroda wicket.Just like Andre Agassi, whose return to tennis after a dip in form and the rankings resulted in a forgettable loss to a rank outsider, Pathan’s rehabilitation began the hard way. Yethe’d only have been deceiving himself had he expected a return to form on the first day back in the domestic grind and his figures of 22-2-108-2 shouldn’t be seen as bad news because Pathan has done what he came back to do: get the overs in.The way Pathan bowled today, though, explained to an extent why he is back in India. The day started for him with one of the few balls that actually swung, though too much for the accompanying appeal to be taken seriously. Off the third ball, Praveen Kumar exposed the lack of edge in his bowling with a flick over mid-wicket, something other Uttar Pradesh batsmen would do through the day with a wide array of other strokes. His ten overs before lunch yielded a full-toss almost every over with three high ones which didn’t qualify as beamers only because they weren’t fast enough.When he looked for swing, he ended up bowling looping dippers on and outside the leg-stump. When he looked for quicker balls in the good length area, he bowled too wide to bother the batsmen. The short ones sat up nicely for easy pull shots. And the 14 no-balls he bowled meant he kept grunting in frustration all day long.As Arun Lal noted on TV, Pathan failed to find any sort of rhythm. His action lacked the usual smoothness and his run-up lacked momentum. As a result he kept hovering around the 120-kmph mark with his quicker deliveries.He picked up two wickets, one off a bad shot from Shivakant Shukla, the UP opener. The other one, though, came with a somewhat satisfying yorker to Piyush Chawla after the latter had hit him for two humbling boundaries – a flick through mid-wicket and a square cut off the front foot.That didn’t, however, mark a turnaround for he bowled two more no-balls, tried round-the-wicket stuff, got square-cut for four by Mohammad Amir Khan, and was taken off in favour of Rakesh Patel, a right-arm medium-pace bowler, who finished off the UP innings.The other two men under the spotlight – Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina – had mixed days at the office. Kaif looked solid in scoring 25 before playing back to an arm ball from Pawar and edging it to Pinal Shah, the wicketkeeper. The pitch held no terrors and he should be disappointed at letting the opportunity go.Early on in his innings Raina struggled against Patel, who kept bringing the ball in to him. Raina, who sustained a knee injury while batting, survived till lunch playing and missing a few, tied down by Irfan Pathan senior. But after lunch he looked a different man, playing some delightful cover-drives, and hitting two mighty sixes – one over mid-wicket and the other a hit from down the wicket to Pathan senior.But if it was disappointing for Kaif, it would be all the more frustrating for Raina who fell, after settling down, to a left-armer’s special from Pawar. After being hit for two boundaries in his previous over, Pawar bowled one that drew Raina out. Beaten in the flight, Raina played for the spin, but the arm-ball only bounced. In one motion Shah collected the ball, adjusted to the bounce, and took the bails off to find Raina short. Pawar also got Tanmay with a full-length diving return catch.Pawar would later describe this as his favourite wicket of the five he took today to reduce UP to 269 on a flat wicket. He was taken off after his first over, in which he removed Kaif, possibly to give Pathan a go at the new batsmen. And the wickets of Raina and Tanmay were bought at a heavy price, the two batsmen having settled down. Rohit Srivastava also looked solid, hitting Pawar for a six over mid-on, but in the same over failed to read a quicker one and cut it straight to Martin at slip. Pawar thought it was his discipline that earned him the five-for; he had indeed kept coming at the batsmen even after they hit him out of the ground and the attack.UP, already facing relegation, have a long day tomorrow, as their bowlers failed to derive any help from the wicket. They will be looking at the early morning freshness to get some wickets.

He’s been around for close to 18 years, in a career spanning 124 Tests, but Anil Kumble had no hesitation in calling the victory at Perth as his “best win ever”. He felt his side had adapted better to the conditions but said it was more satisfying because of what had gone on before.Kumble, it must be mentioned, wasn’t part of the historic triumph in Kolkata in 2001 but put this win ahead of other memorable contests from the past. He also added that his team now had the claim to being the second best side in the world. “It’s right at the top,” he said when asked to place this win in context. “It’s not just overseas but when I look back at wherever I was involved, both home and away, it’s right up there. Definitely, I think we have competed well with Australia. It’s important we take this momentum forward and square the series.”The most important thing – after what had happened in Sydney – was to play good cricket. We wanted to show that the Indian cricket team is a good Test unit. Even in Sydney, we put in a good effort but didn’t get the result that we wanted. What’s heartening is that we’ve shown that in what’s regarded as the home turf for Australia.”It’s been close to 11 years since Australia last lost a Test in Perth and few gave India a chance when they got here. Kumble, though, felt his side had read the conditions perfectly. “We came fully prepared what to expect,” he said. “Maybe people had other things in their mind but we knew that this was not that kind of a quick, bouncy track. It was important to pitch the ball up and swing it. We did that. And the batsmen stood up to all the challenges that came their way.”Did he have any hesitation about batting first on this surface? “Not really. We have the quality and experience in the team,” he said. “There are four [players] with more than 100 Tests and others who have been around for a while. It’s important we all got together and played good cricket. It was important we batted first on this pitch and knew if we put runs on the board, we could apply pressure on the Aussies.”What made this win even more astonishing is that it came on the back of a serious crisis. The mercury levels had risen after the Sydney Test and there was speculation that the tour was in doubt. Within a few days though, especially after India dropped the charge against Brad Hogg, it was clear they wanted to move on. “We were determined to win much before even Melbourne,” he said, “but it was important we stuck together in the week in Sydney and Canberra.”Going to Canberra was probably a good thing for us,” he said. “We were away from everybody. We did discuss how we’re going to go forward, how to play as a team. That’s when we had decided we’ll concentrate on cricket. We focussed all our efforts into concentrating on this game. I did discuss it individually and also collectively. I’m delighted they all came together. We needed to think positively and the kind of bonding we had is special.”Would he put the Indo-Australian rivalry ahead of India-Pakistan, especially given the recent contests? “It’s very difficult to take away the kind of equation we have in India-Pakistan [matches]. But India-Australia is about the kind of cricket that is played. At Sydney the game went right down to the wire, probably [till the] last five minutes, and here too. The thing when you play a side like Australia is you need to keep the intensity right throughout the game.”

The loss of some of the best Australian players in history has not convinced Michael Clarke that the side is about to slide. Clarke, who has been promoted to vice-captain for the West Indies tour following Adam Gilchrist’s retirement, believes the team will not suffer any falls.Australia leave for the West Indies at the weekend for a three-Test tour and the squad carries a new look after the departures of Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Langer, Martyn and Hogg over the past two years. “Australia is playing as well as ever,” Clarke, who was part of the 2-1 Test win and CB Series loss to India, told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Our squad is as good as it has ever been. We have definitely lost a few great players in the last two years, but people come and go and the game stays the same.”The wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has come into the outfit and is in line for his Test debut while Stuart MacGill is back following wrist surgery. The bowlers Ashley Noffke, Beau Casson and Doug Bollinger have also been recruited for the Caribbean trip.”The new guys that have come in have put their hands up and a lot of the guys are looking forward to fulfilling their potential to do well,” Clarke said. “Both Ricky Ponting and I are excited for what is ahead for the Australian team.”After leading the side in the Twenty20 internationals last season, Clarke has now assumed more Test responsibility and will work as an intermediary between the newer members and Ponting. “I am 27 years of age,” he said. “I know all the young guys and they can come to me.”Clarke did not join some of his older team-mates in India for the IPL and his main travel during the international break involved a visit to the United States with his fiance Lara Bingle. His father Les has Hodgkin’s disease and being with family was more important than extra Twenty20 games after a busy summer.”I made the decision for my body and to spend time with my dad,” he said. “It was really nice to be able to spend some time with my family and Lara – it was fantastic for both of us to spend some time together before I headed off on this tour.”Clarke said he felt it was important to get away from the game and the limelight. “I really needed it,” he said. “I love cricket, but at times it can feel like being stuck in a garage and I wanted to get back to that place where you are so keen to get back into it.”He said he now feels fresh and he was full of enthusiasm at the start of Australia’s pre-tour camp in Brisbane on Monday. “It’s great to be back with all the boys,” he said, “and I’m really enjoying some outdoor cricket training.”

ScorecardNishit Shetty almost masterminded an incredible run-chase, but the latter half of the Tripura innings came apart in the last 10 overs as they lost to Vidarbha by 13 runs with 10 balls to spare. Shetty scored a century at almost a run a ball to bring Tripura to within 60 runs of the required 301, with five wickets and more than 10 overs to spare.At that point, a 75-run sixth-wicket stand between Shetty and Subal Chowdhury was ended with Chowdhury’s run-out. After that, the batting collapsed, with Shetty being the last batsman to fall for a 137-ball 130. Sandeep Singh took five wickets for Vidarbha, including two at the death.Earlier, Tripura had done well to take the last four wickets in 6.3 overs. Shetty ended with fine figures of 3 for 31.
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Bichitra Baruah, the Assam left-arm spinner, came up with a match-winning spell as Kerala, needing 66 more on the final day with four wickets in hand, added only 33 to their overnight total. P Prasanth, whose overnight 80 had helped Kerala get close to the 267-run target, added only three to his score on the fourth morning and was the first man out. Baruah then stifled the scoring as Kerala managed only 9 runs in the ensuing 22.3 overs and lost three wickets. Baruah ended with figures of 18-8-13-4.
ScorecardRequiring another 291 runs at the start of the day, Jammu & Kashmir lost six wickets for 40 runs to lose to Jharkhand by 250 runs. It took Jharkhand 20.1 overs to finish the game, as Shankar Rao and Santosh Lal shared four wickets apiece. None of the last five in the J&K batting line-up could make it to a double-digit score.
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Set 400 to get in 84 overs, Goa held on to a creditable draw against Madhya Pradesh, with their opener Swapnil Asnodkar scoring his second half-century of the match. Goa never really looked like going for the target, as they lost two quick wickets for 51. Asnodkar dug in and found good support from captain J Arunkumar and former India wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra. Asnodkar missed his century by 10 runs, while Arunkumar and Ratra put up thirties. Earlier, MP had added 31 to their overnight 186 for 4 before declaring.

The push for an international window to stage the Indian Premier League is growing with Cricket Australia signalling its willingness to join talks about rearranging the ICC’s Future Tours Programme. The board has yet to release its players, including the soon-to-be-retired Adam Gilchrist, for the inaugural tournament in April amid concerns over protection of its sponsors.There are high-level negotiations between Cricket Australia and the IPL, who are demanding the Australians sign by Sunday or miss out, over this year’s event, but future series of the Twenty20 competition may experience fewer set-up problems. Paul Marsh, the Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive, has suggested the six-week international break and the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations also supports the move.James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, is now ready to debate the merits of the idea, which if implemented would keep the players happy. The issue is likely to come up when the chief executives of the game’s major countries meet next week in Kuala Lumpur.”James Sutherland is willing to participate in discussion and debate about creating a window in the Future Tours Programme so players can play in the IPL, as long as it is a window that recognises the genuine interests of the FTP and all ten ICC nations,” the Cricket Australia public affairs manager Peter Young told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We are still of the view that [the contract disagreement] is capable of resolution. It’s going to be tough, but we believe we can get through.”Jason Gillespie, who will be for sale to a franchise in the player auction on February 20, supports the idea of a Test and ODI break. “It’s certainly worth considering as this thing will really take off,” Gillespie said in the Herald Sun. “It’s a positive for the game and I think administrators are embracing Twenty20.”The amounts on offer from the IPL for a six-week competition dwarf players’ national payments and have already led to complaints from some Australians about the board’s slow pace at solving the current problem. However, if Australia’s tour of Pakistan goes ahead the negotiations will have been redundant as the trip clashes with the tournament.

The grand final between the two teams commenced amidst a packed house. The spectators must have enjoyed every minute of the game, but the result was one sided. Though it was unusual for Pakistan to surrender, they did so today.Bating first South Africa did not have a promising start losing 2 wickets for only 29 runs on the board. Gary Kirsten and Nicky Boje later succeeded in picking up the score and raising it to 70 in 15 overs, when the game was suspended on account of rain.On resumption the match was reduced to 35 overs each, thus prompting the players to score fast. As a result 40 runs were added in 5 overs. The rate of scoring going up created lot of excitement for the spectators. South Africa lost 3 wickets for 126 with Gary Kirsten having scored a marvelous 62 and Nicky Boje hoisting 50 in 36 deliveries.With full consideration of the reduced innings South Africa was trying to score the maximum runs. The batsmen at the crease were hitting all over the ground with a grand exhibition of slogging too. Pakistan’s poor fielding enabled them to pile up runs. Having survived a lot of chances, the Proteas were 152 for 6, eventually ending up the innings at 197 for 7. Daryll Cullinan remained unbeaten with a valuable contribution of 31 runs. Kabir Khan and Abdur Razzaq claimed 2 wickets each.Though the Proteas had scored 197 runs, the Umpires gave Pakistan a target of 215 runs in 35 overs to win. With a rain soaked pitch and wet atmosphere it was not an easy target.Pakistan opened with Imran Nazir and Saleem Elahi and lost the 1st wicket at 7, when Imran Nazir was out. He was followed on his trail by Yousuf Youhana rendering Pakistan to 33 for 2. Saleem Elahi who showed some courage to stay was trapped LBW for a useful 26 bringing down Pakistan to 44 for 3.All hopes now rested on the great pair of Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed but a good bowling – fielding combination of the Proteas did not let them flourish. Saeed Anwar was out after scoring a brilliant 24, while Abdur Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood followed him quick reducing Pakistan to a miserable 76 for 6.With the mountain of a target ahead, the players had lost heart and the spirit to fight. Ijaz Ahmed was the only batsman capable of pulling the team out of crisis but it was not a one man’s job. He was out after scoring a valuable 31 rendering Pakistan to 102 for 7. Rest was the matter of time. With no intentions to fight, the whole team was out for 121 runs in 28 overs.South Africa thus defeated Pakistan by 93 runs to win the Trophy. For his excellent all round performance Nicky Boje was declared Man of the Match.It was a very poor display of cricket by Pakistan. The players some how, did not have their heart in the game. Contrary to their previous performance they lacked the fighting spirit. South Africa certainly deserved to win. They gave a masterly performance to cause Pakistan’s demolition in less than the lesser quota of overs. Well done Proteas.

Roger Mosey, the BBC’s director of sport, has revealed that their World Cup highlights programme attracted more than 17m people, compared to 6.6m who tuned into BSkyB’s live coverage.In a wide-ranging speech at the Professional Cricketers’ Association Business Summit on Thursday, Mosey spoke of the BBC’s flagship Test Match Special, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer, and the importance of balancing traditional programming with modern techniques in what is increasingly an advertisers’ market.Yet, while the BBC have continued to dominate cricket broadcasting over the radio waves – for half a century – the world of television is more fickle. The BBC’s rights to cover live cricket ended in 1999 when it was sold to Channel 4. Subsequently, in 2005, the ECB’s decision to sell the rights to BSkyB was met with admonishment by many, including several MPs, and Mosey is insistent that pay-per-view television has cut off a large section of the British population”The issue isn’t about Sky: it’s about pay television compared with free-to-air,” he said. “It’s exactly the reason why audiences for English Test cricket have fallen significantly since it moved to pay TV.”Being on terrestrial TV and being free-to-air is vital if you want to attract large audiences to sport. Don’t believe the line that after analogue switch-off and when we’re all digital it will be a level playing field among all broadcasters,” he said. “Forking out an extra £35 a month or whatever for pay TV with sports channels is a rather key differentiator between channels.”Sky won the rights in 2005, ending Channel 4’s coverage which, in their brief but successful six-year span, had attracted many new supporters to the game. Innovations such as Hawk Eye, their weekly cricket road-shows and high-profile commentators such as Richie Benaud and Tony Greig all helped rejuvenate a product which, in the hands of the BBC, had become stale.”Personally, I would never argue that cricket shouldn’t take some of its money from pay TV: it should be absolutely at liberty to do that,” Mosey said. “But, I have a problem with the notion of the whole of the live content of a particular sport being on one platform – especially when it’s a sport with as many hours as cricket.”We do not believe it’s essential or healthy that 100% of any live sport is with one operator. We do believe it’s possible to arrange future contracts so that they give mass audiences the opportunity to see some matches live.”The BBC will have to wait, though, as the current contracts are not up for renewal until 2009.

Daryl Tuffey, the New Zealand fast bowler, has been linked to the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and is ready to sign on the dotted line for an “attractive offer”. The ICL is expected to start next month and Tuffey hoped it would not stop him from playing first-class cricket for Auckland later this season.”I’m leaning towards [signing]. It’s the money and a bit of security,” Tuffey told the . “Nothing’s guaranteed with New Zealand Cricket, even the money you get playing domestic cricket back home. You’ve got to start looking after No. 1 at some point.”Tuffey, 29, isn’t contracted by NZC and last week turned down a provincial deal with Auckland. Tuffey said he spoke to Auckland coach Mark O’Donnell, who indicated there would be a place for him when his ICL commitments finish at the end of November. “Not signing with Auckland has just made me a free agent. I’m can play for match fees if Auckland choose to do that. It’s a bit more relaxed for me now,” Tuffey said. “I’m pretty keen to come back and play for Auckland and see what happens from there, if I’m bowling well.”If he does join the ICL Tuffey will join former New Zealand team-mates Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris and Hamish Marshall. It is believed Craig McMillan will hold talks with Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive, over his potential involvement.Tuffey has played 22 Test and 80 ODIs and has taken eight wickets at 15.25 in the opening three rounds for Sutherland in Sydney grade cricket, where he is playing for six weeks. Tuffey said the side, which plays under the former New Zealand coach Steve Rixon, was keen for him to return later in the season if he wasn’t required by Auckland.Tuffey, who played one match in this year’s World Cup before returning home, believed he had “four or five” good cricketing years left. “Who knows what happens if I go to India, but if the chance arose again that would be great,” he said. “But I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket and hoping to play for New Zealand any more. I’ve had a great time playing international cricket but there’s other opportunities outside of cricket that I’m putting first at the moment.”

Netherlands’s last-gasp fight to stay alive in the Intercontinental Cup begins tomorrow with their latest match against the UAE in Sharjah.Currently positioned fourth in the table on 34 points, Netherlands face a tall ask to stay in the race: they need to collect maximum points in their last remaining three matches if they’re to reach the final. Not even a draw will suffice.”There is no doubt that we need 60 points in the next three matches to reach the final and the countdown begins in Sharjah,” Jeroen Smits, the Netherlands captain, said. “To win this match, we need 20 UAE wickets which will not be easy because of different conditions and the UAE will not be an easy opponent in its own backyard. But we have all that is required to win matches.”The situation is equally clear for UAE, though they don’t share the same hopes of qualifying for the final. Languishing at second-to-bottom, tomorrow’s game is their seventh and last of the tournament and they have only pride to play for.”Prior to the start of the tournament, I never thought we would go into this match playing for nothing more than pride. But if we are in this situation, it is because we have not played to our full talent and potential,” Saqib Ali, the UAE captain, said. “The team is disappointed to be in this situation but it will not stop us from playing hard cricket against the Netherlands. We will try to finish the tournament on a winning note and try to restore our battered pride and confidence.”There have been some exceptionally good individual performances but we have not been able to put together a performance which could win us matches,” Ali said. “Frankly speaking, our batters didn’t put enough runs on the board to allow the bowlers attack the opposition. But we are keen to finish the tournament with a good collective effort.”Netherlands’ prospects were dealt a blow, however, with the news that their legspinner, Mangesh Panchal, will miss out. Additionally, there is a doubt surrounding Pieter Seelaar’s availability. He was hit in the face by a bouncer in the last match against Namibia. “He will confirm his availability before the toss on Thursday,” Smits said, “but he took active part in the training sessions and I am confident that he will declare himself fit.”SquadsNetherlands (from): Jeroen Smits (capt), Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Ryan ten Doeschate, Tom de Grooth, Maurits Jonkman, Muhammad Kashif, Alexei Kervezee, Geert Maarten Mol, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Szwarczynski, Bas Zuiderent.UAE (from): Saqib Ali (capt), Arshad Ali, Khurram Khan, Mohammad Tauqir, Nizel Fernandes, Shadeep Silva, Fahad Alhashmi, Shoaib Sarwar, Alawi Shukri, Indika Batuwitaarachchi, Naeemuddin Aslam, Ahmed Raza, Muhammed Aman Ali, Amjad Ali, Rashid Khan, Salman Farooq, Abdul Rehman and Vikranath Shetty.

ScorecardThe Lions eased to a 68-run victory over Zimbabwe in their Standard Bank Pro20 match at the Wanderers on Thursday. It was the hard-hitting of Vaughn van Jaarsveld and the wonderful new-ball bowling of Cliff Deacon that set up such a comfortable win, the Lions scoring 158 for 5 and then bowling Zimbabwe out for just 90.Deacon’s swing back into the batsmen was a potent tool and Zimbabwe lost their way early on as they crashed from 25 for 1 to 29 for 5 in the space of three overs. Deacon, a left-arm swing bowler, finished with fine figures of 4 for 15 and after his top-order demolition job there was no more hope of Zimbabwe registering their second victory in this year’s competition. Stuart Matsikenyeri delayed the rout with 32 off 27 balls, but there was no other resistance from the Zimbabwe batsmen.It was Van Jaarsveld who provided the Lions innings with a late surge, biffing five sixes in his 65 not out off just 37 balls in a top-class display of power hitting. Justin Ontong had motored to 35 off 27 balls to see the Lions to a solid start. Keith Dabengwa, the left-arm spinner, was the most successful Zimbabwe bowler with 2 for 34 as he bowled both Alviro Petersen (19) and Stephen Cook (22). But he was not the most impressive of their attack: Prosper Utseya conceded just 23 runs in his four overs.Zimbabwe were sluggish in the field, whereas the Lions had a pair of fielding stars in Deacon and Blake Snijman, who shared five outstanding boundary catches between them. The Zimbabweans will be cursing their poor batting displays in their last two matches after starting the campaign with a victory over the Eastern Cape Warriors in Port Elizabeth.
ScorecardAn all-round performance by Roelof van der Merwe helped the Titans to a convincing 31-run victory against the Warriors at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. van de Merwe hammered 66 off 30 balls, took 3 for 41 with his left-arm spin to lead his side’s domination in the tournament.Walking in at the end of the first over after the Titans opted to bat first, van de Merwe dominated a stand of 82 with Gulam Bodi, slamming ten fours and two sixes in just over half-an-hour at the crease. After Bodi’s dismissal with the score at 98 for 3, Francois du Plessis and Albie Morkel took control and added 43 in 4.3 overs before Wayne Parnell accounted for du Plessis. Morkel and Farhaan Behardien then combined to push the score past 170.The Warriors top order failed to convert their starts as Morkel and Ethy Mbhalati took early wickets to reduce them to 49 for 4. du Plessis, the legspinner, claimed two wickets in as many balls in his first over to sinks the opposition further. Davey Jacobs top scored with 33 off 24 balls before falling to van de Merwe in the 16th over. By then, the score read 118 for 8 and the target proved way out of reach for the lower order. du Plessis finished with 3 24, the best figures of the match.