PCB to conduct dope tests at Faysal Bank T-20

The PCB will conduct dope tests for its players during the Faysal Bank T-20, which begins in Lahore on December 1, in accordance with World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) regulations.

"The PCB is introducing in-competition dope testing during the Twenty20 tournament in order to strive for drug-free sports and to protect the basic framework for the athletes," the board said in a statement. "Cricketers from all the regional teams participating in the Twenty20 championship will randomly be picked for dope testing.

"These tests will be conducted by WADA-accredited independent doping control officers throughout the competition."

The PCB also said it had educated approximately 500 first-class cricketers on the subject of doping. Players attended lectures and were provided with a guide in urdu, an updated list of banned drugs and an CD to enhance their education.

Nehra fit to play against Haryana

Medium-pacer Ashish Nehra has been declared fit to play in Delhi's Ranji Trophy group match against Haryana, which begins in Lahli, a town outside Rohtak, on Saturday. Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya said Nehra had bowled for an hour and fielded during a training session, and was looking in good condition.

Nehra played two of Delhi's four Ranji games so far - the season opener against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad and against Baroda, where he bowled only six overs before a hamstring injury sidelined him from that match and the next two. His presence in Lahli was meant to bolster Delhi's pace attack on a pitch that helps seam bowling and in weather that can aid his abilities.

Haryana lost their previous three matches in Lahli and according to Dahiya, the pitch was not the grassy heaven that bowlers dream of. The surface may be the same one used in the previous game against Baroda and, after a three-day gap, it was looking "bare and brown". Dahiya said it was possible that Delhi would play two spinners, "with a call on the fast bowlers to be taken tomorrow."

Delhi's choice of spinners is from offspinner Manoj Chauhan, left-arm spinner Pawan Negi and their frontline spinner Vikas Mishra. Negi is a bowling allrounder who gives Delhi the option of going in with five bowlers, if he is to replace Sumit Narwal. His selection would allow Delhi to field three seamers in Nehra, Parvinder Awana and Pawan Suyal. However, both Mishra and Negi in the eleven would mean Delhi playing two left-armers.

Delhi have 11 points from four matches so far with one outright victory, while Haryana are yet to win a point after three matches.

Rohit and Tiwary's shared goal

Results from Group A will be watched closely in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy, given the difference between seven of the nine teams that are part of it is a maximum of two points. That's the margin that separates Mumbai and Bengal ahead of their clash at the Brabourne Stadium on Saturday, and an outright result may trigger a churning in the points table. Not much separates the two protagonists of each side as well, and the sub-plot that is their individual performances will be monitored just as closely as the bigger picture. Rohit Sharma and Manoj Tiwary share much in common as they take on each other, not just as leaders of their respective Ranji teams.

Both have played for India but are at the fringes of the country's Test side; Rohit has been part of the Test squad on two occasions but hasn't earned a cap, Tiwary never; both have hit a century each in the tournament so far. In the middle of a busy home season that includes a major series against Australia next year, and with India's current middle order a cause for concern, the Ranji Trophy's value in pushing their claims for a Test place cannot be overstated.

Rohit and Tiwary admit the desire for a Test place remains at the back of their minds, but as senior members of their respective teams they also admit there is a larger responsibility, something that's prompted them to revisit their individual approach to batting. "When I started I was an aggressive batsman by nature but then I realised I had to curb my instincts because in a days' match, you have to have patience to score big runs," Tiwary said at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday. "It can't just come if you play quickly or take too many risks initially. Being the senior member of the side and a responsible batsman, I try to occupy the crease because all the other batsmen gain a lot of confidence when I am around. It becomes an added responsibility.

Rohit said he was enjoying the responsibility of leading the side in Ajit Agarkar's absence. "It will definitely change my batting responsibilities and approach to the game. I am trying to lead from the front," he said. "I am getting to know the players better and trying to find out how I can extract more out of them. I am trying to make everyone comfortable.

"Added responsibility doesn't mean I will stop playing my shots. If the ball is there to be hit I will go for it. It doesn't change my game at all. But I am more careful now."

Mumbai are yet to win a game outright this season and Rohit wants more consistency from his team. "We failed to get an outright victory in the last three games but I feel our bowlers did a good job," he said. "We played on flat wickets and there wasn't anything for the bowlers. Restricting Rajasthan to 470, I feel, was commendable because they were 270 for 2 on day one. We came back strongly on the second day but they tried their best. I believe we have to be more consistent and if we manage to do that the results will favour us."

Bengal have lost two of their four games, and are without fast bowler Ashok Dinda, who was named Umesh Yadav's replacement in the squad for the third Test against England in Kolkata. "He was judged the best bowler on the domestic circuit and with the way he was bowling, we will definitely miss him," Tiwary said. "But we have a bowler in Shami [Ahmed] who has been bowling really well. He got a hat-trick in the last game, got 11 wickets. Looking at the other bowlers, we have a decent attack. We will play to our strengths and try and attack them."

Tiwary returns to Brabourne Stadium a month after he scored 93 for India A against England XI in their warm-up game ahead of the Test series. "They are the No.2 side in the world, so such an innings gives you a lot of confidence for the following matches. When you face quality bowlers and score against them, that confidence has helped me score even more runs in the few Ranji matches I have played since then."

Tiwary missed Bengal's previous game due to a wrist injury, but has been cleared to play against Mumbai. Rohit hurt his forearm during training on Friday, but will play the game. For what will be the first Ranji game at the Brabourne Stadium this season, the captains were happy with the pitch, which they said had some grass on it and would assist fast bowlers.

Tuskers pull off impressive chase in dramatic game

Matabeleland Tuskers 216 (Muzhange 4-73) and 346 for 7 (Williams 118, Coventry 106*) beat Mid West Rhinos 65 (Querl 5-24, Meth 4-24) and 491 (Waller 208*, Taylor 140) by three wickets
Scorecard

Mid West Rhinos, riding on a double-century from Malcolm Waller and a hundred from Brendan Taylor, made the highest total of the match at Kwekwe Sports Club but still lost to Matabeleland Tuskers because of a shambolic first innings, in which they were shot out for 65. Chasing a target of 341, Tuskers also improved significantly on their first-innings effort, and centuries from Sean Williams and Charles Coventry secured a three-wicket victory.

Rhinos had decided to bat on the first day but they were bowling very soon after play began. Keegan Meth claimed 4 for 24 and Glen Querl took 5 for 24 as Rhinos were shot out for 65 in 31.3 overs. Only Jake Mickleburgh and Remembrance Nyathi made it past single figures.

In response, Tuskers lost their first three wickets for 21 runs but took the lead without further loss, before slipping to 96 for 6. Several of their middle-order batsmen got starts but failed to convert them. Querl, batting at No. 9, scored 40 off 36 balls and was supported by No. 11 Njabulo Ncube, who made 28 off 20. Richard Muzhange took 4 for 73 for Rhinos, as Tuskers were dismissed for 216 in 49.1 overs, leading by 151 runs.

Rhinos then lost three wickets for 31 runs in the second innings, but Taylor and Waller rescued the innings with a monumental fourth-wicket stand. They added 257 before Taylor was dismissed for 140 off 163 balls, and Waller went on to add 139 for the fifth wicket with Simon Mugava, who made 58. The lower order folded cheaply but Waller held one end up, finishing unbeaten on 208 as Rhinos ended on 491 in 147.2 overs.

The target of 341 in about four sessions was a stiff one and Tuskers stumbled, losing three wickets for four runs to the new ball. They lost another one before stumps on the third day and resumed the final morning on 91 for 4. Overnight batsman Sean Ervine had scored quickly the previous evening but was out early on the fourth day, for 55 off 67 balls. Williams was then joined by Coventry and they began what was ultimately a match-winning stand. Williams made 118 off 153, while Coventry made 106 off 133. They added 186 for the sixth wicket and Coventry stayed the course to secure victory by three wickets. Tuskers had scored at 4.46 runs per over.

MCC Universities allrounder Hardman dies

Tom Hardman, an allrounder with Leeds/Bradford MCCU, has died aged 21. Hardman, who had been part of Lancashire's academy and played second-XI cricket for the county, was found dead at his house in Leeds on Wednesday afternoon. His death is not being treated as suspicious by police.

Hardman played in two first-class matches, against Surrey and Yorkshire last season, and had been named as Leeds/Bradford MCCU captain for 2013. He had been studying for a sports science degree at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Former England Test cricketer and MCCU combined head coach, Clive Radley, said: "Tom was one of the nicest characters you could ever wish to meet. He was a good all-round cricketer, who always strived to play his best - a real hard-worker, and a lovely bloke to have around the dressing room. His leadership qualities were such that I had already earmarked him for the captaincy of the MCCU combined side in the ECB Second XI Championship next season. This is such a sad loss."

Hardman, who would have turned 22 on Monday, had overcome a back injury that left him in a brace for three months in 2010, after which he was recruited by Lancashire. In 2012 he played four matches for MCCU in the Second XI Championship.

A Lancashire spokesman said: "Lancashire County Cricket Club is shocked and saddened to hear about the death of our former academy player Tom Hardman. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this sad time."

John Stephenson, MCC's head of cricket, added: "I am deeply saddened to hear this news. Tom was thriving on the MCC Universities scheme, and we had heard very encouraging reports about him as a player and potential leader. MCC's thoughts go out to Tom's family and friends, along with Leeds/Bradford MCCU head coach Andrew Lawson and all Tom's team-mates."

We believed we could cause an upset - Anderson

James Anderson has said a desire to prove their critics wrong was at the heart of England's improved performance in the second Test in Mumbai. Anderson, a member of the team that was beaten by nine wickets at Ahmedabad before winning by 10 wickets in Mumbai, accepted that England had "slipped up" in the first Test but felt that the motivation to "prove a point" had inspired them in the second.

"The confidence was always there," Anderson said. "We just slipped up in the first innings at Ahmedabad, which cost us the game. We performed much better in the second innings there and that gave us more confidence moving forward to Mumbai.

"The fact is we really wanted to prove a point as well. It was quite easy for everyone to say we were going to lose 4-0 after that first Test, but we kept believing that we could actually cause an upset in this series. We needed a couple of guys to stand up, and we had three or four who really stood up and gave a great account of themselves in Mumbai and ended up winning the game for us. Moving on, we definitely feel like we can keep improving. I know a couple of guys made the majority of our runs at Mumbai, so hopefully throughout the series more people can contribute. Maybe the seamers will take a couple more wickets, too."

Anderson rated the Mumbai win as memorable an overseas victory as he had experienced in his time in the team. Not only did it show that England could bounce back from a dispiriting defeat, but it showed they were coming to terms with their issues against with spin bowling and their issues playing in Asian conditions.

"We were written off after the first Test," Anderson said. "You looked on Twitter and everyone was saying 4-0, it's going to be 4-0. We knew it was going to difficult. Then we lost the toss on a pitch that should have suited them down to the ground - and we out-batted them and out-bowled them. I thought it was an incredible effort. It's certainly up there for me as one of the best we've ever had.

"The victory in Adelaide in 2010 was good. But that pitch had a little bit of seam movement in it, which has been our strength over the past few years. We're not supposed to be able to play spin, we're not supposed to be able to play on the subcontinent, and we proved to everyone that we can do it. It feels better than Adelaide. And it even feels better than the Test we won here in 2006. The guys involved - guys like me and Monty Panesar and Kevin Pietersen say it feels better than that. Now we can really use it as a springboard and hopefully push on for the rest of the series."

Anderson also admitted that he had tried to offer some encouragement to his fast-bowling colleague, Stuart Broad. Broad has failed to take a wicket in either of the first two Tests and could well lose his place to Steven Finn for the third Test at Ahmedabad. But, whatever his current form, Anderson remains a believer in Broad's ability.

"It's difficult," Anderson said. "If you're not on top of your game out here, you're going to go for runs and that's what's happened to Broady. But he's a strong character. He's been through this before - we've all been through it - but he's a strong enough character to bounce back.

"We knew it was going to be tough series for seamers. Anything outside off stump is pretty much a free hit for them. But we've got to try to stay positive about it. We know we can still play a part in the series and we've got a job to do, even if it's just holding an end up for a spinner. We've still got a job to do."

England fly to Kolkata on Friday where they will be joined by Ian Bell, who has returned to India after a spell of paternity leave, and James Tredwell, who has joined the squad as cover for the two senior spinners, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann. Stuart Meaker, who has been with the Test squad as cover, will rejoin the England Performance Programme squad after Finn proved his fitness playing for an EPP match.

Smith wins toss, bats at WACA

South Africa's captain Graeme Smith won the toss and chose to bat first against Australia in the series-deciding third Test in Perth.

The visitors made three changes, bringing in Dean Elgar, Robin Peterson and Vernon Philander for Imran Tahir, Jacques Rudolph and Rory Kleinveldt.

Australia welcomed back the vice-captain and allrounder Shane Watson after injury, while also calling in a completely recast pace attack. Mitchell Starc, and Mitchell Johnson have been recalled while John Hastings makes his debut as the into-the-wind trundler so often favoured at the WACA ground.

While not only deciding the series and the destiny of the ICC's No. 1 ranking, the match is also notable as Ricky Ponting's last, after he announced his retirement on Thursday.

The weather in Perth is cool, but the pitch shows less signs of aiding bowlers than last summer's prepared for India, when the match ended in three days.

Australia 1 Ed Cowan, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 John Hastings, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Nathan Lyon.

South Africa 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Dean Elgar, 8 Robin Peterson, 9 Vernon Philander, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel.

Windies bat, four debutants for Bangladesh

Toss West Indies chose to bat v Bangladesh
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

West Indies chose to bat in the first game of the five-match ODI series against Bangladesh. Their squad for the limited-overs contests has been modified. Lendl Simmons will open the batting, Devon Thomas will keep wicket, allrounder Andre Russell comes back and so does Kemar Roach, who missed the Test series against Bangladesh due to injury.

Bangladesh had four ODI debutants for this game. Abul Hasan made an impact on Test debut, scoring a century in Khulna, and offspinner Sohag Gazi had an excellent start to his Test career in Mirpur, where he took nine wickets. Batsmen Mominul Haque and Anamul Haque, who can also fill in as a wicketkeeper, were picked in the side as well.

West Indies: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Darren Sammy (capt), 7 Devon Thomas (wk), 8 Andrew Russell, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Ravi Rampaul.

Bangladesh: 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Naeem Islam, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt and wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mominul Haque, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Sohag Gazi, 10 Abul Hasan, 11 Abdur Razzak.

New fielding rules hard on spinners, captains

Kieron Pollard, the West Indians' stand-in captain for the warm-up game against BCB XI in Khulna, has said the new playing conditions for fielding restrictions in ODIs were challenging for bowlers and captains. West Indies and Bangladesh will be the third and fourth teams to experience the amended playing conditions when they begin the five-ODI series on November 30.

"It was very challenging," Pollard said, after winning the warm-up match with the new playing conditions. "The bowlers have to mind their Ps and Qs. They can't let it stray because there are not many guys outside [the circle].

"Having said that, the rules have been set and players have to just follow, so I think it is something that we have to get used to. I hope we can get the right combination and have the right tactics to counter the restrictions."

Under the new conditions, only two fielders will be allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the first ten overs, and three during the Powerplay. At other times, a maximum of four fielders can be placed outside the circle, a reduction from the earlier five.

The one-day series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand earlier this month was the first with the new restrictions and Mahela Jayawardene said they were harsh on the spinners. That sentiment was shared by left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jnr, who played for BCB XI against West Indians and Bangladesh, and had to bowl without that extra fielder outside the circle for the first time in his career. Enamul took 3 for 31 and 0 for 58 in those games.

"I think it is going to have a negative impact on Bangladesh's cricket on the international stage," Enamul told ESPNcricinfo. "We depend mainly on spinners but with this new rule it will become very difficult to cut out the runs. Today we conceded 12 boundaries from the one gap that couldn't be filled during those non-Powerplay overs. I think these extra runs will hurt the chances of Bangladesh because of the higher number of spinners we usually pick in limited-overs cricket."

The introduction of two new balls in one-day internationals was supposed to be a disadvantage for bowling attacks like that of Bangladesh, which depend heavily on spin, but Enamul said it wasn't as damaging as the new fielding restrictions.

"Spinners have been more adaptable to the new balls than the fielding restrictions. What this new rule does is it takes out the security of an extra man in the deep," he said. "The only thing to do is bowl as straight as possible and to think about using variations with a lot of accuracy. Otherwise runs will be leaked."

Pollard said the powerful batsmen in the West Indies line-up will enjoy the larger gaps in the outfield, but cautioned against playing over-ambitious shots. "It can be good and bad," he said. "If you want to hit the ball outside, being too eager because of the four fielders, you can still find one of them. We have a lot of power-hitters so clearing the boundary and the ball falling in gaps is important for us. Hopefully we can capitalise on it until there's any further changes.

"I think captains will have a hard job in setting the fields and bowlers will have an even tougher job trying to restrict the batsmen. You'll see a lot more 300-run games in place of the 270-280 games because of that extra guy inside."

Bahawalpur new addition to Faysal Bank T-20

The PCB has announced a new format and a new team for its domestic Twenty20 tournament, and created a window for it in the 2012-13 season by indefinitely pushing back the President Trophy final, which was scheduled to begin on December 3. Bahawalpur is the new team in the T20 competition.

The Faysal Bank T-20 Cup will begin on December 1 and its final will be on December 9, and it will be held entirely in Lahore. The 14 teams were divided into two groups of seven each and the tournament will comprise 45 matches. The top two teams from each group will contest the semi-finals.

Defending champions Sialkot Stallions were pooled in Group A with Lahore Lions, Islamabad Leopards, Karachi Zebras, Abbottabad Falcons, Quetta Bears and Multan Tigers. Group B comprises Karachi Dolphins, Rawalpindi Rams, Faisalabad Wolves, Bahawalpur Stags, Peshawar Panthers, Lahore Eagles and Hyderabad Hawks. Apart from Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore City Cricket Association Ground and the historical Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground will stage the games.

The tournament was originally scheduled to be played in Karachi from December 2 to 10. "Karachi was our a definite choice but we have been monitoring the circumstances in Karachi, so in the larger interest of the cricket we have decided to hold the event in Lahore." Zakir Khan, PCB's director of domestic cricket operations, said.

Last year, Rawalpindi was first given hosting rights but after the local authorities could not complete renovation on the dilapidated stadium in time, the event was shifted to Lahore. In 2010-11, the T20 tournament was shifted from Lahore to Karachi owing to the outbreak of dengue in the Punjab province.

Tredwell to join England squad

James Trewell, the Kent offspinner, will fly out to India and join up with the England Test squad on December 1.

The 30-year-old Tredwell, who was appointed captain of Kent earlier this month, was not selected as part of the England Performance Programme - who are currently in India playing their first match on tour - but he will join the Test squad as back-up for the first choice spinners, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann.

With England now committed to playing two spinners in the remaining two Tests in the series, the team management decided it was wise to ensure there was cover for illness or injury.

"Tredwell has performed really well for us," Andy Flower, England's team director said. "He can make a real impact as a spin bowler. He is arriving in Kolkata as cover. We have some spinners with the performance programme but Tredwell is our senior spinner and will stay with us for the Tests."

Tredwell has only represented England in one Test, but he made a favourable impression in it - claiming six wickets in the match as England defeated Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2010 - and has continued to perform decently as a fringe member of the ODI side.

He took 4 for 48 in England's crucial victory over West Indies at the 2011 World Cup and last summer took 3 for 35 at Lord's, doing the majority of the damage in victory over South Africa.

The strength of his recent ODI performances saw him named as England's premier spinner for the T20 and ODI series against India either side of Christmas. Swann has been rested from both series.

England do have the option of calling on left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan, legspinner Scott Borthwick or offspinner Azeem Rafiq, all of whom are currently in Mumbai as part of the England Performance Programme. But none have the experience of Tredwell.

England role was unsustainable says Flower

Andy Flower, who has relinquished his day-to-day involvement with England's one-day side, has admitted that he found the conflicting demands of his coaching role "unsustainable" as he agonised over his need to contribute to a family life with his wife and three young children.

Flower, according to an estimate from England's managing director of cricket, Hugh Morris, has spent around 60% of his life away from home over the last few years - with no prospect that if he had maintained both roles the burden would ease for at least the next eight years.

Flower, the England coach since early 2008, will remain as England's team director with responsibility for the playing strategies and preparation of the team in all formats of the game. He remains in direct charge of the Test side but will relinquish the day-to-day management of the limited-overs teams to Ashley Giles, who will step down as Warwickshire's director of cricket.

ESPNcricinfo revealed that the ECB were exploring options to ease Flower's workload and that he ODI series against India in January was a potential series where Flower could be rested, with Giles in the running for the job. This appointment confirms that intention, with Flower's next engagement the Tests leg of England's New Zealand tour in March.

"We are all aware over the last five-and-a-half years since Andy's been involved that we've enjoyed some fantastic successes," Morris said. "Over that period Andy has missed a handful of days. We all know how busy the schedule is. Andy is 44 and has three young kids and spends a hell of a lot of time away from home.

"We also know over the next eight-year period we will have a similar volume of cricket. We need a step change in order to protect our greatest assets which are our players and our team director and senior management. We aim to retain our talent over a long period of time.

"We have played as much as India, ahead of Australia and pretty much all the other full member nations. Andy has had the busiest workload, including 15 overseas tours. Sixty per cent of his life has been in a hotel room. It is not sustainable for one person to be looking after all aspects of the game."

Flower agreed that the demands of England's touring schedule were not conducive to family life. Indeed, he suggested involvement in all three formats of the game might only be sustainable for single men or those with grown-up families.

"With young families it is very hard to get that work-life balance right," Flower said. "If you were single or had a grown up family then I think it would be more possible to do all three forms of the game.

"We have talked about what the most effective coaching structure for our national side is and we're still not sure. But we believe that this might be a more efficient use of our resources. With unlimited resources and unlimited high-quality coaching staff, you might even have two separate coaching teams.

"There is a bit of unfinished business. But I hope to see Ashley Giles and Alastair Cook hoisting a trophy above their heads at some stage. I will be watching but not there on a day to day level. It is a little sad to be stepping away to be honest. But I will certainly gain in other areas of my life. I don't believe this decision will bring an erosion of my authority or influence."

Both Flower and Morris dismissed the suggestion that the appointment of a second senior coach would create confusion or undermine Flower's position. Morris insisted that, such was their confidence in Giles as a man and a coach, there had been no need to consider any other candidates.

"I don't see it as an erosion of Andy's power," Morris said. "Ultimately he is accountable for playing strategy of all three formats of the game. He remains a selector and also has responsibility for the day to day planning. He will also see some young players he wouldn't have seen before in the county scene.

"We know Ashley Giles as a person and we know him as a coach. He has been through our coaching programme over the last four years and he has done a terrific job with Warwickshire."

Flower dismissed the suggestion that he was benefitting from just the sort of rest period denied to Kevin Pietersen. The difference, Flower contended , was that Pietersen had requested that he was omitted from the ODI squad while continuing in the T20 team, while the policy of the ECB remained that players were available either for all limited-overs cricket or none of it.

"He wanted to retire from 50 overs cricket and play T20 cricket," Flower said. "That is not in line with ECB policy. So the situations are not directly comparable."

Southee happy to hunt wickets with Boult

Unlike Sri Lanka's attack, New Zealand's has supported their spearhead effectively at the P Sara Oval. Their spearhead, Tim Southee, has claimed another heavy haul in Colombo, after his four wickets in the first innings in Galle, and he has attributed this to the others in the attack. Southee had removed Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara on the second evening, and he dismissed Angelo Mathews and Tharanga Paranavitana the next day, claiming figures of 4 for 51.

Southee said left-arm seamer Trent Boult had been especially helpful to his success in Sri Lanka. The bowlers not only complement each other by testing batsmen against different angles of attack, but also specialise in swinging the ball in opposite directions. Southee largely takes the ball away from the right-hand batsmen, while Boult moves it in.

"Trent Boult has got a massive role to play in the wickets I've taken," Southee said. "He's helping out by putting pressure at the other end and I am sure his turn to take wickets is just around the corner. It's tough conditions at the moment, but I'm going through a period where it's coming out nicely."

New Zealand were only able to remove three batsmen in almost 70 overs on the third day, and despite having worked their way to the start of Sri Lanka's tail, they were unable to dismiss the hosts for less than the follow-on mark. Thilan Samaraweera and Suraj Randiv resisted with an unbeaten stand of 97 towards the end of the day, but Southee's efforts leave his team still in the hunt for a win as, having lost six wickets, Sri Lanka still trail by 187 runs.

Southee said wickets in the first hour of the fourth day would be crucial to New Zealand's hopes of levelling the series, particularly as the pitch offers little for bowlers once the ball gets old. New Zealand will begin the day with a ball that is only 4.2 overs old.

"Massive hour tomorrow morning, if we can pick up a couple of wickets and run through them then who knows," Southee said. "It's definitely a new-ball wicket, and if you can grab a couple with the new ball, then it makes it easier to make inroads into the batting line-up. It's not as easy when the ball gets older, and that can affect the team."

Southee said New Zealand weren't displeased with their day's work, given the number of good batsmen in Sri Lanka's ranks. "It's a tough batting line-up and there are some world class players here who have scored a lot of runs. They keep coming one after another and it just shows their great batting depth is. It would have been nice to have a couple of more [wickets] today to really get into their tail. Hopefully in the second innings, the spinners come to play."

Stop questioning Nehra's absence, says Dahiya

Delhi are now at the halfway stage of their Ranji Trophy campaign and are looking for outright victories in two of their four remaining games. Central to their chances of progressing to the quarters is the fitness of their most experienced and skillful bowler, left-arm swing man Ashish Nehra. An injury to Nehra's hamstring meant he bowled only six overs in Delhi's previous Ranji game against Baroda and then missed the fourth-round match against Tamil Nadu, both matches held at the Kotla.

It is not yet certain if Nehra will travel with Delhi to Lahli for their next Ranji fixture against Haryana on a pitch that is expected to produce seam movement. Conditions in Lahli, outside Rohtak, are expected to suit Delhi's strong pack of quick bowlers in Nehra, Parvinder Awana, Pawan Suyal and Sumit Narwal; captain Shikhar Dhawan said Nehra would definitely play if he was declared fit.

At the start of the season, it was believed that Nehra, who has been dogged by injury all his career whether for India or Delhi, would most probably play four of Delhi's eight Ranji matches. Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya has no issue with the idea, nor does he take criticism of his most experienced and effective bowler lightly.

"Why is it that when our bowlers get tired and take a break, it is said they are picking and choosing? Why is no one else criticised?" Dahiya said. He went on to name bowlers, either more celebrated or younger than Nehra, who had not been seen in action for a while in the Ranji Trophy. "How many games has Ajit Agarkar played this season when he is supposed to lead Mumbai? Praveen Kumar has not played in any match after the game in Ghaziabad. Where is Abhimanyu Mithun? Or Varun Aaron or RP Singh? Why is Ashish's case always picked on?"

Dahiya said Nehra was improving and said that he would play only when the team was sure that there was no chance of him picking up another injury. It would, he said, be "tempting" to take Nehra to Lahli, if only to put the cat among Haryana's Ranji pigeons. Group B is tight at the top but Haryana are at the bottom of the points table, having lost three of three matches - all, ironically, at home.

"To have a guy like Ashish in our team it will put Haryana on the spot; [it will make them wonder] whether to play safe or to go for the outright win. They've got tough matches ahead," Dahiya said, adding that he will do a recce of the Lahli conditions by speaking to the Baroda team that played there in the just-concluded round.

After Haryana, Delhi travel again, to play Karnataka who were handed a staggering defeat by Odisha on Tuesday. Karnataka, with five points from four matches, are now seventh out of nine teams in Group B. "Karnataka are also under pressure," Dahiya said. "They too may want to play us on a pitch where you have results, so it gives us a good chance."

If Delhi were to get two outright wins from their four games, it could be enough for them to finish in the top three and qualify for the quarter-finals. Group B, Dahiya said, was still open: "The desperation will come in the last two rounds. Teams will then know where they stand and what they need to do. It is going to be crazy."

The first-innings points against Tamil Nadu means that Delhi can go into the crazy phase of their Ranji season feeling upbeat. "We think we've covered the points we lost in UP here. Look at the reputation of the Tamil Nadu side, look where they come from. Four of our guys got 100s, I can't remember when we've scored back to back totals of 500, it has been very good for our morale. "

'An amazing but harrowing day'

Lahli in Haryana is a village 14 km from Rohtak, which is a further 70km from Delhi, the nearest city you can trust an average cricket fan in India to know of. It is cold there these days. Temperatures have begun to fall to a low of single digits. On Tuesday, though, two Ranji teams warmed the place up with frenetic action.

Fourteen wickets fell in the space of 30 overs and 81 runs, a total of 17 fell on the day, the ball turned and seamed, there was a 'mankading', an injured opener batted at No. 7 to help his side, a desperate fast bowler bowled 15 overs on the trot, there was a six hit by a No. 11 batsman with 16 runs to win, and finally the visitors, Baroda, went on to register only the 14th one-wicket win in the history of Ranji Trophy.

Only a handful watched the match, and the players don't know of any reporter's presence. Yet it was a day everyone was proud to have been a part of. "There was action in every over," Ambati Rayudu, Baroda's captain, told ESPNcricinfo. "It's one of the best games of first-class cricket I have been a part of. I am fortunate and privileged to have led the winning side."

"An amazing but harrowing day" is how Baroda's coach, Sanath Kumar, described it.

Even the vanquished, although bitterly disappointed, took a lot out of it. "Yes we are gutted," Amit Mishra, Haryana's captain, said. "But we also look at it the other way. If we can fight this well when defending 130, we can do a lot more." Haryana are in need of that belief. They have already registered two of their lowest totals this season - 55 and 60 - and are the only team without a point.

The overwhelming feeling, though, remains that of disappointment. They began the day at 127 for 2, with a lead of 98, one of their better starts in recent history. But too soon the craziness began with the run-out of Abhimanyu Khod, in the second over of the day. The partnership was broken, and as it happens with sides low on confidence, Haryana couldn't arrest the slide.

Rayudu had sensed that too. He said Baroda knew they could convert their first-innings lead into an outright win if they could get early wickets. They were relying on reminding Haryana of their previous collapses. It worked. A little more than an hour later, Baroda could sniff those six full points. Haryana had lost their last eight wickets for the addition of just 33 runs.

Lahli is set in open fields. The water table is high too. The pitch hardly ever loses its moisture, and the wind keeps the bowlers interested too. Mishra said that the Baroda bowlers managed both seam and reverse swing.

"When we got them all out for 150-odd, we felt a target of around 130 shouldn't take much out of our batsmen," Sanath said, before adding he couldn't have been more wrong. For starters, they couldn't open the innings with their first-innings centurion, Saurabh Wakaskar, who was injured and had been off the field.

Mishra, on the other hand, told his side that they have won such games in the past too, and they just needed to keep fighting. He also thought that if they could get a couple of early wickets, Baroda would have everything to lose -- not only the opportunity to gain six points, but also the three they had already secured via the first-innings lead.

Mohit Sharma, who had taken four wickets in the first innings, began with the wicket of Kedar Devdhar with the first ball of Haryana's defence. The real collapse, though, began with the run-out of No. 3 Abhimanyu Chauhan in the eight over. That was the last ball before lunch. Thereafter, it became a contest between a bicycle stand and house of cards. Four wickets fell in the next 28 balls, and Haryana were now favourites at 48 for 6.



	"When we got them all out for 150-odd, we felt a target of around 130 shouldn't take much out of our batsmen," Baroda coach Sanath Kumar said, before adding he couldn't have been more wrong.

Wakaskar, though, came out to bat, without a runner, and he and Gagandeep Singh took Baroda to 85. The needle was on, and so was the heat. Mishra, who saw the help for the quicks and brought himself on quite late despite a five-for in the first innings, lost the grip on the ball as he was about to deliver. He saw Wakaskar was backing up too far ... And this is where the stories from the two sides differ: Haryana say they clearly warned Wakaskar here, Baroda say they didn't.

A little later, Ashish Hooda 'mankaded' Wakaskar. Baroda say they were shocked. The umpires confirmed with Haryana whether they wanted to go through with the appeal. Haryana did. And Wakaskar was gone. The Ranji Trophy, where teams try every trick for every single point, is not the place for such charity. Moreover, there is legally nothing wrong with 'mankading'. Neither side reported ugly scenes. Eighty-five for 7 then.

Mishra said it was difficult to take the ball away from Mohit. He was enjoying bowling here, had had a tea break in between, and wanted to continue bowling until he had won the side the game. Three overs after the run-out, he produced the wicket of Gagandeep too, completing his second first-class five-for. At 91 for 8, Haryana were favourites again.

However, Murtuja Vahora, who had triggered the Haryana collapse, was not going to watch his hard work being washed away. He hit two boundaries in a crucial 12, taking Baroda to 108 before he fell to Mishra. Twenty-four still required. Just the time for the biggest partnership of the innings.

Enter left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt to join offspinner Utkarsh Patel. A reaffirmation that this is the week of spin twins in India (though not necessarily to the benefit of the home side). "When I walked in to bat after Murtuja was dismissed, not much was said in the dressing room," Bhatt said. "When I joined Utkarsh, all we said was 'humein khade rehna hai' [we have to stay at the wicket]."

They did more than just stay in. Both began to attack. Mishra was taken on but kept himself on. With 16 required, Bhatt played the shot that rang around Lahli. The ball turned into him, and he stretched and lofted it for a six. "That wasn't predetermined," Bhatt said. "We required 16 or 17 then. He tossed it up and I felt I could reach it and stepped out and connected well."

Mishra opted for Sachin Rana now. He felt the different pace could do the trick, but it didn't. "It was sensible batting," Sanath said. "They were positive, very positive. When the ball was there to be hit, they played their shots. One over of Mishra - they hit him for 12 runs. They were scoring off the balls that needed to be scored off. As a result, they didn't let the tension rise."

In 3.5 overs, the two added 25 to take Baroda to the top of the table in Group B, and break Haryana's hearts. A game of four days was won or lost in the final 23 balls.

Broad's Test place in the balance

David Saker, the England bowling coach, has admitted Stuart Broad's performance in Mumbai "wasn't up to scratch" and provided the biggest hint yet that he will struggle to keep his place in the team for the third Test in Kolkata.

Broad has yet to take a wicket in the Test series against India and, since the start of June, has taken 11 Test wickets, eight of those at Headingley against South Africa, at 54.00.

With Steven Finn returning from injury to take 4 for 50 in the England Performance Programme match in Mumbai and England now committed to playing two spinners in the rest of the series, it is hard to see how Broad can be accommodated.

Saker accepted that conditions in India were tough for seam bowlers like Broad, but urged him to "front up" and learn from the example of fast bowlers who have achieved success on such wickets.

"He's finding it tough, no doubt," Saker said. "I don't think he's the first fast bowler to come over here and find it tough. It's another great learning curve for him. Bowling fast over here isn't easy and you have to find a way to survive. The really great bowlers always have. You don't just say the fast bowlers are going to have no influence - a defeatist attitude like that is not accepted. We've got to have a look at the way bowlers have done it over here and try your best at replicating that.

"He's learning it the hard way at the moment and it's probably not going the way he'd like it to go. His confidence is probably not as high as he'd like but this place can really dent your confidence quickly. As a fast bowler you want to see a few balls zinging through to the keeper and it's hard to do that here. He's finding that difficult but it's something he will learn from and hopefully become a better bowler for it.

On Tuesday, Broad tweeted that he had lost 5kgs over the last week after reports during the Test that he was suffering from illness, but Saker did not want to look for excuses.

"I think he had a little bit of an illness but once you cross the line you're a hundred percent. His performance wasn't up to scratch but that happens over here," he said. "It's a tough place to bowl fast. He's had a little bit of a break, he needs to front up and find out what's the best way to go about it over here.

Broad certainly appears to have fallen behind Finn and James Anderson in the pecking order. Although Anderson has only claimed two wickets in the series to date, Saker was hugely impressed by his performance in Mumbai and conceded that, if Finn came through the EPP game, he would prove hard to ignore.



	"He's finding it really difficult to get his head around changing the way he bowls. You can bowl fourth stump nearly everywhere in the world but if you go wide of the stumps here you get hurt." David Saker on Stuart Broad's struggles

"Jimmy was outstanding here," Saker said. "It was as good as I've ever seen him bowl and he could have had a few more wickets if things had gone his way.

"Finn has been monitored the last few days and if he gets through this game with the Lions squad there's a good chance he might play in Kolkata, without a doubt. He's a special talent and has the pace we probably need for this place. We'd like to get him in the team.

"If he can get through that game there's no doubt he'll come into the selection picture. We thought he was on target for the Mumbai Test. I was very optimistic he could play, and that backfired so we don't want to get ahead of ourselves this time. We want to see him bowl 20 overs and take some wickets.

"It would have been an interesting selection call if he'd been fit here. We obviously made the right call with the two spinners so one of the fast bowlers may have had to miss out and both Stuart and Jimmy have played well up to now. We would have had to make a call on that and we'll have to make a call for this one, for sure, if Finn is fit."

Saker rejected the idea that Broad had lost pace over the last few months, suggesting that the issue was more a failure to react to the conditions in India and a subsequent loss of confidence.

"I don't think it's a matter of pace," Saker said. "He came back from injury at the World Twenty20 and bowled at good pace and I thought in the warm-up games and in the first Test he bowled at a good pace.

"I just think he's lacking a bit of confidence and finding it really difficult to get his head around maybe changing the way he bowls. Here you have to change it a bit. You can bowl fourth stump nearly everywhere else in the world but if you go wide of the stumps here you get hurt. We did discuss that before this trip, how bowling straight is crucial, and we watched as lot of footage of the teams who have come here and done well, Australia, South Africa and even the West Indies who came out here not long ago, bowled straight and had some success.

"He probably just hasn't played that well in these two Tests. Maybe he's looking for something that just isn't there as well. He's asking a lot of questions that probably don't need to be asked."

Saker also hinted that recent weeks have provided him with his biggest challenge while working with England. "I've been blessed in that I haven't had to do a lot of hard yards up to now as a bowling coach but now, with Tim Bresnan and Stuart of late, we've had to have some good talks and maybe some tinkering with actions. At the end of the day we still have to keep the game as simple as we can."

Sri Lanka not worried about following on - Herath

Sri Lanka may have lost three of the four most prolific batsmen in their side on the second evening at the P Sara, but Rangana Herath says Sri Lanka will give little thought to avoiding the follow on. New Zealand made 412 in their first innings, with Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson both making hundreds, but Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene could only manage nine among the three of them.

Dilshan played around a straight ball that clattered into middle and off from Tim Southee, before Sangakkara failed to control a hook on zero, finding the only leg-side fielder in the deep. Mahela Jayawardene then flirted outside off stump repeatedly before edging a cover drive to gully off Trent Boult, who angled the ball across him.

The loss of three wickets means Sri Lanka have to rebuild in the first session tomorrow to earn parity with their opponents, but Angelo Mathews batted positively towards the end of play for an unbeaten 20, giving Sri Lanka hope of salvaging a good first-innings score. Opener Tharanga Paranavitana remained unbeaten on nine alongside him.

"We're not looking at the follow-on target, because we know the capability of our batsmen and if we bat well, we can go past 400 and past their score," Herath said. "We trust our batsmen to be able to do that. The first hour of tomorrow is very important for us. We have to make sure that we don't give away a wicket in that period and score as many runs as we can.

Mathews had contributed to a first-innings rescue in Galle, where Sri Lanka recovered from 50 for 5 to take a lead. Sri Lanka finished at a comparatively more comfortable 43 for 3 at the P Sara, but have a much steeper New Zealand total to overhaul than the visitors' 221 of the first Test.

"I think we can do it, like we did in Galle. This is a similar situation and Angelo and Para are batting really well for us."

Herath said that although Sri Lanka could have been more circumspect, New Zealand's fast men bowled well with the new ball. "I think we should have been little more cautious in batting than we were today, but mistakes can be there in any match. The most important thing is not really what happened, but how we are going to recover from this situation."

The hosts are unlikely to be without Thilan Samaraweera in the first innings, despite a split webbing on his hand that required stitches. Samaraweera sustained the injury at slip, when he spilt a difficult chance off Daniel Flynn, and Mathews was sent out to bat to allow him time to recover.

Herath also completed his third consecutive five-wicket haul on day two, taking 6 for 103 in the first innings. He became the highest wicket-taker in 2012 when he bagged 11 scalps in the first Test, but now trails Graeme Swann by one wicket after Swann took eight wickets against India. With Monty Panesar and Pragyan Ojha also taking five-wicket hauls in the Test in Mumbai, Herath said it had been a special few days for left-arm spinners.

"I think patience plays a crucial role for spinners. I played first-class cricket for more than 15 years and that taught me patience. This is my 42nd Test match but I think I have played more than 170 first-class matches."

Championship returns to late September in 2013

County cricket will return to the latter half of September in 2013, with the fixture list confirming that the window in the ICC's Future Tours Programme reserved for the T20 Champions League will not be kept free. The final round of the Championship will begin on September 24, 2013, meaning that the season will not be subject to the record early starts of recent years.

For the last three seasons, cricket in England has ceased in mid-September, to accommodate the Champions League. However, the counties recently agreed not to participate in the 2013 competition, in order to protect the domestic calendar.

The opening round of Championship matches will commence on April 10, five days later than in 2012, when the traditional pre-season university fixtures were forced to begin in March. The final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 will be held at Lord's on Saturday September 21, meaning that the domestic season will start and finish with first-class cricket.

The Friends Life t20 group stage, in its final year as a block, has been moved back due to the staging of the Champions Trophy in England and is scheduled to run for six weeks from June 26. The tournament retains the same format as last season, with three groups and ten games per county; Finals Day will be held at Edgbaston on Saturday August 17.

Warwickshire, winners of the 2012 Championship, will play the Champion County match against MCC in Abu Dhabi at the end of March before beginning their defence against newly promoted Derbyshire. Yorkshire, runners-up behind Derbyshire in Division Two, will mark their return to the top tier by hosting Sussex at Headingley. The two relegated clubs, Lancashire and Worcestershire, are to face off at Old Trafford in the opening round of Division Two.

Hampshire, holders of both limited-overs trophies, will play the first CB40 fixture of the season in a floodlit match at Essex on May 3, with Scotland, Netherlands and the Unicorns again joining the 18 counties in three groups. The competition is due to revert to a 50-over format from 2014, after the ECB and the counties agreed a compromise that would retain the current Championship structure.

As well as the Champions Trophy, which runs from June 6 until June 23, New Zealand will tour England in the first part of the summer, followed by the Ashes, with the first Test against Australia starting at Trent Bridge on July 10. Derbyshire, Kent, Somerset, Worcestershire, Sussex and Northamptonshire are all scheduled to host tour matches, while England will play an Ashes warm-up fixture at Essex.

Pressure on Sri Lanka - Williamson

On a surface that even New Zealand's tail made seem friendly, three of Sri Lanka's big four batsmen could not manage better than single figures, and Kane Williamson said the value of those wickets could not be understated, given the pitch remained good for batting.

New Zealand amassed 412 on the P Sara surface, thanks in the main to a 262-run partnership between Ross Taylor and Williamson, which was almost chanceless beyond the first hour of their union. In reply, however, Sri Lanka were reduced to 12 for 3 inside the first six overs of their innings, with their most experienced men in the top order all falling to New Zealand's opening bowlers.

Angelo Mathews then joined Tharanga Paranavitana at the crease and the pair survived the remaining 11.5 overs until stumps, but two boundaries that Mathews ventured in one Tim Southee over suggested the wicket had plenty more runs to give. The New Zealand bowlers also had far less assistance from the conditions than in Galle, achieving only a fraction of the movement they had showed themselves capable of gaining in the first Test.

"It's great to finish the evening the way we did, getting those three wickets," Williamson said. "I guess that makes our first innings total look a lot better, and there is a lot of pressure going on the Sri Lankan side tomorrow. "But as Mathews showed towards the end when he started playing some shots, it is still a good wicket."

Few would have imagined New Zealand would be in a position to pursue a large first-innings total only a few days ago, after their batsmen had collapsed woefully in their second innings in Galle, recording their lowest total in an already bleak year. Williamson's doughty 135 and a measured 142 from Taylor were the backbone of New Zealand's innings and Williamson said time in the nets had been key to their turnaround, in the absence of adequate match practice. The limited-overs leg of the tour was ravaged by rain, and the match schedule did not allow New Zealand time to play a warm-up before the Tests.

"It's been tough not having time in the middle and batting in the one-dayers, the circumstances didn't allow you to figure out whether you were hitting the ball well or not. I've been practising hard this week and it was very nice to put together an innings. I had a lot of time with batting coach, and hit a lot of balls."

Williamson's century was the third of his Test career and his second in the subcontinent, but he had only passed fifty once since his last hundred, a match saving 102 not out in Wellington. He said encouragement and insight from his more experienced team-mates helped him overcome the dry spell.

"I talked to Brendon McCullum and a few of the other batsmen, just to get my head around a few things because I hadn't scored for a few Tests. They all helped out and the team were supportive. Having not scored in the first Test, it was good to get the word from them on how things played here and take that into this match."

Despite their terrific position, New Zealand must still take 17 more wickets on a surface showing few signs of wear, if they are to score an unexpected triumph. Thilan Samaraweera moved down the order after he received stitches on his hand for split webbing, but he is expected to bat in Sri Lanka's first innings, and beyond the batsmen, the tail is one of the more capable Sri Lanka have fielded, with last man in Shaminda Eranga having made a first-class ton.

"They've got some seriously good cricketers, and to bowl them out twice is not going to be an easy feat," Williamson said. "We're not getting too far ahead of ourselves and we know we have to play good cricket each time we go out there."

Punjab continue relentless march

Punjab 205 (Jiwanjot 61, Trivedi 5-64) and 120 for 2 (Goel 75*) beat Saurashtra 90 (Sandeep 7-25) and 233 (Jogiyani 76, S Kaul 6-63) by eight wickets
Scorecard

A solid all-round showing from Punjab on Monday helped them ease past Saurashtra by eight wickets in Mohali with over a day to spare, and record their third win in four games in the Ranji Trophy this season. While medium pacer Siddarth Kaul closed out the Saurashtra innings quickly in the morning to ensure Punjab were chasing just 119, Karan Goel anchored the chase with 75 not out.

Saurashtra had begun the day on 212 for 7, 97 ahead, and it took Punjab less than eight overs to claim the remaining wickets. Kaul took two of those wickets to finish with a career-best 6 for 63. Like in Saurashtra's first innings, it was the seamers who did all the damage, claiming all 10 wickets among them. Kaul's six-for puts him at joint-third on the wickets chart, tied for the moment with his team-mate Sandeep Sharma (who took three in the innings to finish with a 10-for) and Assam offspinner Arlen Konwar.

In the chase, opener Jiwanjot Singh had his first real failure of the tournament, but Goel held firm at his end. Mayank Sidhana made a contribution too with a rapid 21, before Mandeep Singh and Goel took Punjab home. The win helps them extend their already sizeable lead on the Group A points table.

Hyderabad 423 for 3 (Akshath Reddy 196, Vihari 191) trail Mumbai 443 (Shah 156, Rohit 112, Nayar 64, Tare 62, Ashish Reddy 4-77) by 20 runs
Scorecard

Akshath Reddy and Hanuma Vihari put on the largest partnership in Hyderabad's history to pummel Mumbai at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal. Twenty-one-year-old Reddy, who is the stand-in captain, and 19-year-old Vihari, who was part of India Under-19s World Cup-winning squad, batted almost the entire day as they added 386 for the second wicket to put Hyderabad comfortably on course for taking the first-innings lead. Mumbai were weakened by the absence of their captain Ajit Agarkar and fast bowler Dhawal Kulkarni, and experienced bowlers like Aavishkar Salvi and Ramesh Powar could make little impact against the young Hyderabad pair. Both batsmen made career-best scores, but both missed out on double-centuries, dismissed a handful of overs before stumps. Still, this was a dramatic turnaround in the match after Mumbai were at a dominant 325 for 2 at stumps on the first day.

Gujarat 117 (Parthiv 55, Bangar 5-12) and 288 for 6 (Parthiv 65, Juneja 57*, Smit 55, Gohel 53) lead Railways 308 (Paunikar 85, Rawat 66, Bangar 61) by 97 runs
Scorecard

A slew of half-centuries from Gujarat's batsmen helped them stay in the game against Railways, and though they still have work ahead, Gujarat finished the day in a relatively more comfortable position than they have been in all match. After the openers Smit Patel and Samit Gohel hit half-centuries, Parthiv Patel made his sixth 50-plus score in seven first-class innings to keep Gujarat's hopes of salvaging a draw alive. After his dismissal, Manprit Juneja took over, ending the day unbeaten on 57 to put Gujarat 97 ahead with four wickets still remaining. Taking the game to the fourth day itself is an achievement for Gujarat, after imploding for 117 on the first day and then letting Railways take an almost 200-run lead.

Madhya Pradesh 342 (Ojha 99, Bundela 61, Birla 50, Ahmed 7-79) and 135 for 3 (Birla 60*, Ankit 56*) lead Bengal 299 (Jhunjhunwala 107, Saha 87, Pandey 5-87) by 178 runs
Scorecard

Madhya Pradesh secured a first-innings lead, bowling Bengal out for 299 despite some stiff resistance from Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and No. 10 Veer Pratap Singh. Jhunjhunwala, playing his first game of the Ranji season, kicked on from an overnight 41 to his fourth first-class century. Bengal began the day disastrously, losing Laxmi Shukla and hat-trick man Shami Ahmed for ducks, before Jhunjhunwala put on a fighting tenth-wicket stand of 83 with Veer. That was still not enough to lift them past MP's 342 - they fell 43 short. In their second innings, MP suffered a wobble, falling to 37 for 3, before an unbroken 98-run stand between Ankit Sharma and Udit Birla put them firmly on top.

Asnodkar century gives Goa advantage

Kerala 47 for 1 trail Goa 512 for 8 dec (Kamat 107, Asnodkar 100*, Shahid 4-147) by 465 runs
Scorecard

An unbeaten century from Rohit Asnodkar, batting at No. 7, and useful lower-order contributions led Goa to a strong first-innings total against Kerala in Malappuram. Overnight batsman Ravikant Shukla scored 87 and Asnodkar made his maiden first-class century in his 13th match. Goa declared on 512 for 8, giving themselves a strong chance of taking a first-innings lead. Kerala lost VA Jagadeesh for 19 before stumps.

Jammu and Kashmir 153 (Sahabuddin 5-53) and 13 for 0 trail Andhra 390 (Pradeep 136, Dayal 5-63) by 224 runs
Scorecard

A century from AG Pradeep and fifties from Syed Sahabuddin and Rajesh Pawar led Andhra to a 237-run lead in the first innings against Jammu and Kashmir. Resuming on 118 for 4 on the second morning, Andhra lost Amol Muzumdar before a run was scored, and were further reduced to 163 for 6, before the lower order lifted them to 390. Ram Dayal took 5 for 63 for J&K, his maiden five-wicket haul.

J&K had to face four overs before stumps and their openers scored 13 without being dismissed.

Himachal Pradesh 201 for 4 (Prashant Chopra 101, Aakash Chopra 61) trail Jharkhand 236 (Tiwary 102, Dhawan 6-63) by 35 runs
Scorecard

A 154-run partnership between Himachal Pradesh's openers, Aakash Chopra and Prashant Chopra, laid a solid platform for their team to take a first-innings lead against Jharkhand. Prashant, who was part of the India Under-19 team that won the World Cup, scored a century, while Aakash made 61. Himachal suffered a slide towards the end of the day, with three wickets falling for 21 runs, but trailed by only 35 runs.

That batting effort came after fast bowler Rishi Dhawan took a career-best 6 for 63 to dismiss Jharkhand for 236. The visitors had begun the second day on 176 for 5 and Dhawan trapped Sunny Gupta lbw early. Saurabh Tiwary, who was 65 not out overnight, went on to make 102. He was the last man dismissed as Jharkhand lost five wickets for 60 runs on the second day.

Services 302 for 8 (Paliwal 143*) lead Assam 182 (Yadav 4-58) by 120 runs
Scorecard

Rajat Paliwal scored his second hundred in consecutive games to give Services the first-innings lead against Assam. Replying to Assam's 182, Services began the second day on 11 for 0, and slipped to 113 for 6, with seamer Arup Das taking three wickets. Paliwal held one end up, making an unbeaten 143, and 20s from Suraj Yadav and Shadab Nazar led Services past 300. They ended the day on 302 for 8, ahead by 120 runs.

Murad spins Khulna to big win

Khulna Division 367 (Imran 156, Kayes 62, Haque 4-145) and 8 for 0 beat Sylhet Division 244 (Imtiaz 108, Mabud 43, Razzak 3-65) and 130 (Ahmed 41, Murad 6-64) by ten wickets
Scorecard

Khulna Division have taken a big lead in the National Cricket League after they crushed Sylhet Division by ten wickets in Rangpur. Sylhet narrowly avoided an innings defeat as Left-arm spinner Murad Khan took six wickets to take his team to a winning position in the second innings. They are now on 34 points after five straight wins.

Khulna, in the first innings, rode on Tushar Imran's 156 as they made a competitive 367 in their first innings, in reply to Sylhet's 244. Imtiaz Hossain struck 108 for Sylhet but Abdur Razzak's three wickets did much of the damage.

Enamul Haque jnr took four wickets, but the batsmen floundered as they were bowled out for just 130 runs in the second innings, succumbing to Murad.

Dhaka Division 401 (Chowdhury 114, Nazmul 77, Nurul 49, Arafat 3-66) beat Chittagong Division 138 (Karim 46, Islam 4-34, Mosharraf 4-58) and 194 (Karim 54, Faisal 50, Mosharraf 5-49, Hom 4-47) by an innings and 69 runs
Scorecard

Dhaka Division have moved to the second position after they posted their third win, defeating Chittagong Division by an innings and 69 runs. The comprehensive victory was set up on the first day when left-arm spinners Mosharraf Hossain and Nazmul Islam took four wickets each to skittle out Chittagong for 138 runs.

Dhaka replied well, piling up 401 runs, as Nadif Chowdhury scored 114 while the big-hitting Nazmul Hossain Milon smashed 77 off 88 balls.

Chittagong required 263 to avoid an innings defeat, but Mosharraf's five-for helped bowl them out for 194 runs in the 71st over, ensuring a smooth third day for Dhaka, who won handsomely.

Ontong, Vilas lead Cape Cobras to tight win

Cape Cobras 246 for 3 (Vilas 78*, van Zyl 57, Ontong 52*) beat Lions 245 for 5 (Cook 59, Morris 49*, Bodi 43) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An unbeaten 85-run partnership between Dane Vilas and Justin Ontong in 8.2 overs took Cape Cobras to a seven-wicket win against Lions with one over to spare in a tight chase in a 37-overs-a-side contest Potchefstroom.

After a wet outfield had delayed the start, the overs were reduced, and an opening partnership of 92 and a sixth-wicket stand of 80 in 6.1 overs at the death helped Lions put up a strong 245 for 5. Opener Stephen Cook scored a half-century, but the more impactful innings came from Chris Morris, who scored an unbeaten 49 off 25 deliveries. But, the strong total proved to be insufficient.

Opener Richard Levi began the chase well for Cape Cobras, with 37 off 28 deliveries including six fours and a six. Zander de Bruyn, in the eighth over, removed him, and his partner Andrew Puttick soon after to leave them at 62 for 2 in the 12th over. Middle-order batsmen Stiaan van Zyl and Vilas steadied the innings, adding 99 in 16.3 overs. But when van Zyl was dismissed, the required run rate had climbed up to 9.23 runs per over.

Captain Ontong smashed an unbeaten 52 off 27 deliveries, and with Vilas (78* off 71), helped seal the chase. With the win, Cobras occupy the second spot, and boost their chances of taking a play-off position. Lions, who are at the top of the table, weren't affected much by this defeat.

Titans 242 for 3 (van Jaarsveld 109*, Kuhn 86) beat Warriors 241 for 9 (Jacobs 51, Prince 41, van der Merwe 4-50, Morkel 3-36) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A quick, unbeaten century by Titans captain Martin van Jaarsveld and an aggressive half-century from wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn guided their side to a comfortable seven-wicket victory against Warriors in Benoni. After left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe and seamer Albie Morkel, with seven wickets between them, helped restrict Warriors to 241 for 9, van Jaarsveld and Kuhn struck a 142-run partnership to take their side home in the 42nd over.

Warriors, after choosing to bat, kept losing wickets regularly. Van der Merwe and Morkel claimed the top-order wickets, reducing them to 166 for 6 in the 37th over. But an eighth-wicket partnership between Ayabulela Gqamane and Basheeru-Deen Walters of 46 in seven overs took them past the 200-run mark. Captain Davy Jacobs was Warriors' highest scorer with a quick 51.

Titans began their chase steadily through their openers, who put on 41 in nine overs. Two wickets then fell quickly, before the big partnership. When Heino Kuhn was dismissed, Titans were 191 for 3, and in control of the chase. The victory was complete with 8.4 overs to spare.

The win pushed Titans to the third spot on the points table, boosting their chances for one of the two play-off places. Warriors' lie at the bottom with seven points from as many games.

Dolphins v Knights Match abandoned
Scorecard

The game between Knights and Dolphins in Pietermaritzburg was washed out without a ball being bowled. Both teams received two points each.

This is the Dolphins' third abandoned game, and this has hurt their chances of claiming a play-off spot.

Du Plessis and de Villiers keep stonewalling

Lunch South Africa 388 and 4 for 126 (du Plessis 49*, de Villiers 31*) need another 304 runs to beat Australia 550 and 8 for 267 dec
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Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers gave South Africa hope of salvaging a draw at Adelaide Oval, where they stone-walled until lunch on the fifth day and left Australia needing six wickets in the final two sessions. Runs were of little consequence for South Africa, who on the fourth afternoon had given up any hope of chasing the target of 430, but wickets were the key and Australia did not manage to take one before lunch.

There were a number of close calls, including two lbw decisions in which Billy Bowden sent du Plessis on his way off the bowling of Clarke, only to have both overturned on review. On 33, du Plessis thrust his pad out and offered no shot to a Clarke delivery that turned and would have hit the stumps, but the replays showed that the angle - Clarke was bowling over the wicket - meant the ball had pitched just a fraction outside leg stump.

Du Plessis was much more confident in asking for a review of the second decision, which involved Clarke coming around the wicket and darting a fullish delivery in towards the off stump. Du Plessis jammed the bat down on the ball and Bowden appeared to have been convinced by hearing two noises, but replays showed the ball had touched bat only, not pad or foot, and du Plessis, on 37, was reprieved again.

The Australians also used up their final review shortly before lunch when du Plessis, on 49, offered no shot to a Nathan Lyon delivery that pitched and struck him outside the line of off stump but was turning enough to interest Clarke. However, Eagle Eye suggested the ball would have bounced over the top of the stumps, and Clarke was left to consider how he would find six wickets in two sessions with no further reviews available.

Clarke and Lyon had created plenty of pressure bowling in tandem with men all around the bat, but du Plessis and de Villiers were up to the challenge. The debutant du Plessis was slightly more interested in runs than his partner and at lunch was on 49 from 177 deliveries, while de Villiers was on 31 from 207 balls, and the total had moved on to 4 for 126.

De Villiers was batting with the kind of occupying intent that Trevor Bailey famously did at the Gabba in 1958, and at lunch his strike-rate of 14.97 was even lower than the 15.92 per hundred deliveries that Bailey scored at on that occasion. The South Africans had added only 49 runs during the session but the most important thing was that du Plessis and de Villiers remained, and with Jacques Kallis the next man in, Australia needed to come up with some wicket-taking strategies over the lunch break.

Chand and Dhawan score centuries

Delhi 287 for 1 (Chand 134*, Dhawan 104) v Tamil Nadu
Scorecard

Unmukt Chand is one of many prodigies almost mysteriously produced by Delhi cricket. Now only 19, he has already played 16 first-class games since his debut in 2010. That his second century came in his 17th match brought relief to the young man.

In this Ranji season Chand must, at double speed, graduate from being India's under-19 captain to one of Delhi's more reliable openers. He will bat in worse conditions and face tougher bowling attacks in the future. But his 134 not out against Tamil Nadu on day one at Feroz Shah Kotla was a personal triumph over the more youthful side of his batting and mistakes of his past.

On a slow day, in which only 80 overs were bowled, Delhi ended on 287 for 1 after they were sent in to bat. The lone wicket was that of the captain Shikhar Dhawan but not before he completed his first Ranji Trophy century in a prolific domestic season. Dhawan had already scored more than 600 runs in the Duleep Trophy and the Challenger Trophy.

Dhawan's 104 was a dominant and confident innings but Chand's sparkler of a 134 was as significant. It was an innings that began with Chand being considered the weaker link among the openers but the day ended with an acknowledgement that he was actually growing up.

The first session made the toughest demands on Chand, the ball swinging as it is expected to. Chand was judicious in picking what to leave and also checked himself from launching into a few of his eye-catching strokes. The off side was packed, there were two wide gullies, and it took him 12 balls to get off the mark.

The first hour brought a total of 28 runs to Delhi and Chand had a streaky half-chance off J Kaushik go past a diving third slip. Shouts came from the boundary asking him to be patient. Patience took its time arriving, and Chand slashed Kaushik again to the point boundary.

As the ball lost its shine and zip heading into lunch, and the sun began to climb, the Delhi batsmen opened their shoulders. Chand hit three boundaries in an over from L Balaji, through mid-on and cover and a screaming cut through point.

Dhawan seized control of the innings after the first hour, and at the first sight of spin, the batsmen lit up. Offspinner M Rangarajan was hit out of the attack after five overs that cost 27 runs. Chand turned the strike over to the more experienced Dhawan and then, by hitting the hard working left-arm spinner Aushik Srinivas for six over long off, spread the field.

It took Chand 102 balls and nine boundaries to get to his 50. The next 50 took 64 balls, but offered fewer chances with six fours and a six. "We were able to stick to the messages we got from the dressing room," Chaid said. No losing early wickets, and capitalising in the post-lunch session. As his 100 neared and Delhi lost Dhawan, Chand went from 95 to 100 in singles. "I had got tempted to score quickly in the past when on 93 and 86 and the thought came in my mind that I should not repeat the same mistake."

Delhi had lost the toss but they made only gains after that. The pitch was different from the previous drawn game against Baroda, but had they won the toss, Dhawan said with a grin that Delhi would have loved to bat.

Best jumps hurdles to hurt Bangladesh

West Indies fast bowler Tino Best is having a fruitful Test series in Bangladesh. On the fourth day in Khulna, he once again blew away the hosts' top order, but not through raw pace alone, like he had in Mirpur.

Best bowled only ten overs in the first innings, after aggravating a hamstring injury that has been troubling him since his county stint with Yorkshire in 2010. Having undergone a scan on the first day, Best decided two days later that he could bowl in the second innings.

Moments after lunch on Saturday, Best walked out with West Indies coach Ottis Gibson to bowl on the adjacent wicket, mostly off a short run-up. It indicated that he could bowl, but not at his fastest. He would utilise swing and the effect he created with his wrist position triggered the collapse. Best's three wickets reduced Bangladesh to 62 for 4

"I wasn't bowling at full tilt at all. I was concentrating more on keeping my wrist behind the ball," Best said after the day's play. "I was trying to get some shape, an area that I have been working really hard for the last couple of months with Gibson. When I'm playing in the subcontinent, [I'm not just] trying to bowl at 90miles per hour, but getting some shape on the ball. Getting some inswing and outswing at my pace is going to help me on slow pitches."

"I have had this [hamstring] injury since 2010 when I played county cricket. It came back on me from the Dhaka Test where I really pushed my body. It was painful but I came back and bowled well."

Best began his spell by surprising opener Tamim Iqbal. The first ball wasn't short, but the length pushed the batsman on to the back foot, and Tamim was undone by the inswing and bowled. Naeem Islam, the man picked to solidify Bangladesh's batting line-up, left the fourth ball of the over and had his off bail fly. It was Best's favourite wicket among his three, mainly because he had been working hard to dismiss Islam. "I think I bowled really well at him in the last three innings. I knew I was going to beat him for pace, but the ball just swung back fantastically. I just got him on a little tired legs, got him bowled."

Best, however, didn't forget how useful the bouncer had been in the Mirpur Test, where he pitched the ball short of a good length to take three of his five wickets in the second innings. To get rid of the flamboyant Shahriar Nafees, Best used both lengths, but ultimately it was the one at the throat that had the left-hand batsman fending awkwardly and being caught in the slips. Nafees' reluctance to duck under the ball also played a part in the dismissal.

Like some fast bowlers before him who were successful in the subcontinent, Best attributed his success to his ability to be indifferent to the pitch. "When I was making my debut years ago for Barbados, my head coach Henderson Springer used to say, 'Try to make sure you are quick on sand as a fast bowler.'

"When you go to the subcontinent it is easy to say, "I am not going to give it my all because this pitch is so flat.' It is important to bowl quick, but also not to hurt yourself. These pitches [aren't helpful for] fast bowlers, but it is best to take it out of your mind and focus on using your strengths."

Muzumdar, Sumanth shine for Andhra again

Andhra 118 for 4 (Muzumdar 60*, Sumanth 41) trail Jammu and Kashmir 153 (Sahabuddin 5-53) by 35 runs
Scorecard

A five-wicket haul by Andhra fast bowler Syed Sahabuddin helped his team take a stranglehold against Jammu and Kashmir in Jammu. After Andhra bowled the hosts out for 153, middle-order batsmen Amol Muzumdar and B Sumanth put on another century partnership, their third in a row, to rescue Andhra when they had been reduced to 8 for 3. They held the upper hand at 118 for 4 on the first day.

Sahabuddin destroyed the J&K top order with the help of another seamer, Paidikalva Vijaikumar, who had taken 6 for 80 last week, and finished with figures of 5 for 53. When Andhra batted, Dayal and Sahil Sharma removed the first three batsmen cheaply, before the repair job. Muzumdar, who had scored two centuries in the previous two innings, remained unbeaten on 60.

Goa 281 for 4 (Kamat 107, Bisla 74) v Kerala
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In Malappuram, Goa ended the first day in a strong position against Kerala after a century from opener Sagun Kamat, his second in 41 matches, and a half-century from wicketkeeper Manvinder Bisla. After choosing to bat, Goa had lost two wickets for 55 runs, but Kamat and Bisla added 146 runs at 4.33 per over to lay the foundation for a strong innings. After losing two more wickets before stumps, Goa were 281 for 4. Bisla's innings of 74 was his third half-century in four innings.

Jharkhand 176 for 5 (Tiwary 65*, Gupta 58*, Dhawan 3-32) v Himachal Pradesh
Scorecard

Though Himachal Pradesh were effective as a bowling unit in the early half of the day, Jharkhand's No. 3 Saurabh Tiwary and middle-order batsman Sunny Gupta put up a slow resistance to take their team to 176 for 5 at stumps.

The pair added 120 runs for the sixth wicket at a run rate of 1.94 after seamers Rishi Dhawan and Vikramjeet Malik had reduced Jharkhand to 56 for 5 in the 29th over. Tiwary batted 247 deliveries to score an unbeaten 65, and Gupta took 201 deliveries to score an unbeaten 58.

Services 11 for 0 trail Assam 182 (Yadav 4-58) by 171 runs
Scorecard

Services were in control of the contest against Assam on the first day as seamer Suraj Yadav's four wickets helped them bowl Assam out for 182. A seventh-wicket partnership of 37 was the highest Assam could muster.

After Yadav dismissed the top order cheaply, the lower-order batsmen put up some resistance when Assam were in trouble at 93 for 6. Though Services batted five overs without losing a wicket, opener Pratik Desai retired hurt in the first over.

Hussey pushes Australia's lead past 350

Lunch Australia 550 and 7 for 206 (Hussey 54, Wade 13*, Pattinson 0*) lead South Africa 388 by 368 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A half-century from Michael Hussey stretched Australia's lead to 368 on the fourth day in Adelaide, where South Africa will need to complete a record chase to claim victory. The Australians added 95 to their overnight total before lunch for the loss of two wickets, and at the break they were on 7 for 206 with Matthew Wade on 13 and James Pattinson yet to face a ball.

The highest successful chase to win an Adelaide Test was 315 scored by Australia against England in 1902, and South Africa will face the challenge of a wearing pitch as they aim for whatever hefty target is set. Already Australia's lead meant that South Africa would need the second-highest chase in Tests in Australia, the biggest being their 414 at the WACA four years ago.

The South Africans really needed to pick up where they left off on the third afternoon, when their fast men troubled Australia's top order. But the runs flowed a little too easily for Hussey and Michael Clarke during the morning, especially off the legspin of Imran Tahir, who continued to leak nearly a run a ball.

Dale Steyn broke the 70-run partnership when he had Clarke lbw for 38, a hopeful review from Australia's captain not saving him. But the runs kept coming from Hussey, who was not only lightning fast between the wickets but was finding the gaps in the field with impressive regularity, and brought up his half-century from his 81st ball with a punch through cover-point for four.

Hussey fell in the last over before lunch when he tried to pull Morne Morkel and succeeded only in top-edging a catch to Steyn at midwicket. But Hussey had done his job, and some tail-wagging from Wade and the bowlers could yet push South Africa's task even further into unlikely territory.

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