West Indies' best yet to come - Aguilleira

Despite beating five-time world champions Australia for the first time in an ODI, and qualifying for their maiden World Cup final, West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira said her team hadn't produced its best performance yet. And West Indies had just defended 164 to win their last Super Six match in Mumbai, knocking out England and New Zealand.

"Since we have come to this World Cup, we haven't brought forth our A game," Aguilleira said. "The final is definitely the place to bring our A game. Yes, we had a few misfields and there is lot of room for improvement, not just on the field, but batting wise as well."

After choosing to bat, West Indies were dismissed in 47 overs by a disciplined Australian attack. They were 59 for 5 at one stage and could have been out for a lower score had Deandra Dottin not scored 60 at No. 7. Aguilleira said the difference between Dottin and the others was her natural ability to hit the ball hard. "That's a god-given talent and I think she is using it well. She is not using it enough, but she is using it."

Australia lost wickets regularly too, but they also had steady partnerships that kept swinging the match in their favour. However, when three important middle-order batsmen fell in quick succession, Aguilleira said she could sense panic in Australia's players.

"I felt some panic happening in their camp and that's the time we started to attack even more. We realised that as long as we bowl in the right areas, we can get wickets and that's exactly what happened. You really need bowlers to bowl as tight as possible. The bowlers made it easier for me by doing exactly what they are supposed to do."

West Indies had to win this match to qualify for the final, because the gap between their net run rate and that of the other contenders was marginal. "The atmosphere in the dressing room was high because we knew how important this match was, not just for us but for the people of the Carribbean and our fans as well," Aguilleira said. "We have a lot of people supporting us. We knew that we could make it to the final and that's exactly what we did."

Amid all the questions after the match, she admitted with a beaming smile that she was overjoyed. "I'm overwhelmed right now. Words can't express the way I'm feeling right now. We got to thank god for it, we had been through a lot as a team and hope his blessings continue to shine on us."

Aguilleira said West Indies now had a better idea of Australia's game, which would help them prepare for the final. "We understand them much better having seen them and I think they understand us as well. We made mistakes in some areas and those are the things we need to work on. Since we have a few days, we will work on areas such as not giving their batsmen much width because they are strong whenever they get a chance to free their arms."

Australia's captain Jodie Fields gave the credit to the West Indies players. "Their bowling was very disciplined and they put the ball in good areas," she said. "Their spinners took it to our batsmen and that helped them win the game today. They bowled with disciplined, tight lines and fielded very well today. The pitch was a bit slow and also turning a lot, so it was hard to score."

West Indies complemented their bowling with sharp fielding, which resulted in three catches and three run-outs. The run-outs occurred not just because of good fielding, but also because of poor running. "We had to score runs and sometimes you have to take those risks and to West Indies' credit they got a few run-outs. They are great fielders, Deandra Dottin was really good at point today and Daley and others backed each other up."

Australia had been undefeated in the World Cup until now and that's how they wanted the record to be. After losing to West Indies, who they will meet again in the finals, Fields said they have time to prepare and work on their shortcomings.

"I don't think it's ever good to have a loss. We definitely came out today to win the match and wanted to go through the tournament undefeated. We have to go and focus on our training. Since we are going to play them in the final, at least we got a chance to look at their game and hopefully we can bring it back on Sunday."

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Shehzad, Afridi lead Pak A to comfortable win

Pakistan A 189 for 6 (Shehzad 68, Afridi 45) beat Afghanistan 140 for 9 (Stanikzai 47) by 49 runs
Scorecard

Afghanistan crumbled under the weight of Pakistan A's big total of 189, to lose by 49 runs in the Twenty20 in Lahore. Opener Ahmed Shehzad and Shahid Afridi took the contest away from Afghanistan with their attacking knocks of 68 and 45 respectively. In reply, regular wickets and slow scoring hurt them, and they limped to 140 for 9.

Afghanistan started the chase brightly, the openers scoring 32 in three overs, but they slipped to 89 for 6 in the 11th over. Asghar Stanikzai was the only batsman to remain unbeaten eventually, scoring 47. The last seven batsmen scored 27 runs in all.

Pakistan's innings was based on partnerships of 66, between openers Shehzad and Sharjeel Khan, and 65, between Shehzad and Afridi, after which they were 131 for 2 in 13 overs. Although Afghanistan bounced back to keep them to below 200, the target ultimately proved too daunting for them.

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Rawalpindi rout Karachi Whites in two days

Rawalpindi 292 (Zia 67, Naeem 66, Ameer 8-98) beat Karachi Whites 69 (Tanvir 5-20) and 200 (Hasan 81, Azam 7-46) by 23 runs
Scorecard

Rawalpindi's bowlers, Sohail Tanvir and Hammad Azam, wrecked Karachi Whites in either innings to complete an innings victory inside two days for the home side. They took nine points from the game, while Karachi took none.

The advantage was secured early on the first day, when Karachi were shot out for 69 in 29 overs. Tanvir took 5 for 29, while Sadaf Hussain and Azam took two wickets each. Opener Shazaib Hasan's 19 was the top score.

Rawalpindi were comfortably placed at 153 for 1 in their first innings before Abdul Ameer began to slice through the line-up. He took 8 for 98 but half-centuries from Awais Zia and the captain Babar Naeem had ensured a healthy lead. Rawalpindi made 292.

Trailing by 223, Karachi's openers managed 76 before the collapse began. Hasan stayed firm at one end, making 81 as Azam ran through his team-mates and finished with figures of 7 for 46. Karachi were dismissed for 200 in 43 overs.

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Edwards 'heartbroken' by World Cup exit

When it started on Wednesday afternoon, the final Super Six match of the Women's World Cup looked set to decide which of England or New Zealand, the 2009 finalists, would face Australia in Sunday's final. The third contenders, West Indies, had been bowled out for 164 in a morning start and surely Australia would chase that down. Which is why Charlotte Edwards, in the midst of providing her side a solid base, didn't believe a New Zealand fielder who told her that Australia had in fact fallen short.

It was only when her partner Sarah Taylor walked up to Edwards and broke the news that the England captain realise that her side's tournament was all but over. For those watching the match, the excitement had drained as soon as online updates showed Australia had been bowled out for 156. But Edwards had to swallow her disappointment and get on with the game in the middle. She went on to score a vital half-century.

"I looked at the big screen to see the result," Edwards said. "I didn't actually take in what the information was telling me. I assumed Australia had won the game because when I went out to bat they were going pretty well. [I was] pretty heartbroken really. For three overs after that I didn't know what was going on. It was disappointing for both teams. It was kind of an anti-climax. I'm very proud of how both teams stuck to it out there."

New Zealand captain, Suzie Bates, also spoke of how the sides had played a competitive game but said intensity levels weren't the same after the dispiriting news came in. Bates felt it would have been better to have not known the result of the other match.

It was a particularly shattering end for the holders England, who went out of the tournament without having had a single really poor game. Their defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia were by one wicket - off the last ball - and two runs. Edwards, however, refused to offer any excuses and said England had paid for their "slow start" to the tournament, beginning with the shock loss to Sri Lanka.

"We had come here to win this tournament and we haven't. We haven't even got to the final," Edwards said. "That is disappointing for us as a group of players. We were very inconsistent in the first phase of the tournament and are probably now playing our best cricket, which is too late. We prepared well. We have no excuses. We didn't play well. We didn't hold our catches against Sri Lanka."

Edwards said there would be time for reflection on England's performance in this tournament, and also over a "disappointing" previous 18 months, after they return home but ruled out any immediate decision over her own future. The 33-year-old Edwards, who is now in the 17th year of her international career, said she hadn't even thought about retirement.

"That is a long way off. I am not going to make any rash decisions," she said. "I am going to enjoy my cricket. I am loving my time with this group. We have got a big summer. There is a World Twenty20 next year. I can't say if I am going to be there in four years' time [at the next World Cup] but the only thing that will keep me going is that it might be in England. But four years is a long time."

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Dominant Pakistan A seal series

Pakistan A 208 for 3 (K Akmal 104*) beat Afghanistan 207 for 9 (Naib 100, Imran 3-35, Riaz 3-40) by seven wickets
Scorecard

A collective bowling effort was backed up by an attacking century from wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal as Pakistan A clinched the second unofficial ODI against Afghanistan by seven wickets, and thereby the series 2-0.

Afghanistan were behind for most of the game, after their top-order batsmen were dismissed cheaply. Seamers Imran Khan and Wahab Riaz, and spinner Adnan Rasool reduced them to 77 for 6, before 21-year old Gulbodin Naib put on a 93-run partnership with Mirwais Ashraf to help push their score beyond 200.

Naib started slowly, but made up for it towards the end of the innings to bring up his hundred in the penultimate over, before falling to Wahab Riaz five balls later. He struck 13 fours and three sixes in his innings.

Pakistan, unlike their opponents, were in control of their innings throughout. An opening stand of 94, dominated by Akmal, in 18.4 overs set the base for a comfortable victory. Akmal retired hurt after scoring 104, and by then he had seen his side through to a secure position at 177 for 3.

Pakistan had won the first match comfortably as well, by eight wickets.

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NCC, SL Army dominant after second round

A comprehensive performance from Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) set up their second big win in two matches and sent them to the top of the Group B table, while Sri Lanka Army topped group A, having won a low-scorer, in the second round of the Premier League Tournament. Ports Authority Cricket Club (PACC) recorded the only innings victory of the round, which yielded two draws and eight outright results. In addition to NCC and Army, Colts Cricket Club, Tamil Union and Sinhalese Sports Club have also won both matches so far.

NCC's victory over Chilaw Marians was set-up by an unbeaten 205 from Upul Tharanga in the first innings, which helped his side to 405 for 6 declared by the third session on day one. Tharanga's innings came off 266 deliveries, and featured a 174-run fourth-wicket partnership with Angelo Perera, who joined Tharanga at the crease at 65 for 3. The Marians' reply began well, with Sachith Pathirana and Angelo Jayasinghe adding 163 for the second wicket, but Tharindu Kaushal's most successful spell in an already brilliant debut domestic season ensured NCC took a 149-run lead into the second innings, with Kaushal finishing with 7 for 69. Dinesh Chandimal and Perera then pushed home NCC's advantage with the bat, with Perera adding a stroke-filled 100 not out from 77 balls to the 87 he made in the first innings, before Kaushal took his third five-wicket haul in four innings, to complete a 289-run victory.

Army succumbed to 174 in the first innings, surrendering eight wickets to Panadura Sports Clubs trio of spinners, but that total turned out to be the highest in the match on a Panadura pitch heavily tilted towards spin bowling. Legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna opened the bowling alongside Ajantha Mendis, and took 6 wickets for 45, skittling Panadura for 121 from 28.1 overs. Army only fielded one fast bowler, but he was unused in the first innings, and only delivered an over in the second. Left-arm orthodox spinner Gayan Sirisoma took 6 for 66 for Panadura to help dismiss army for 135, but the hosts fell 54 runs short of their target of 189 in the final innings, as Mendis collected a five-wicket haul of his own.

Badureliya Sports Club had an opportunity to score a major upset when they dismissed SSC for 102 in the first innings, having made 227 themselves after being sent in, but saw their chance slip away when they could only muster 115 in the second innings, before Dimuth Karunaratne century took the hosts to their target. First-innings fifties to Pabasara Waduge and Mapa Bandara saw Badureliya breach 200 on a green SSC pitch, before right-arm fast-bowling allrounder Saliya Saman took a career-best 8 for 53 in 14 overs, to hand his side a 125-run lead. But a resurgent SSC ensured they would prevail, first by dismissing the visitors cheaply - despite opening with the spin of Sachithra Senanayake - and then making the highest total in the match in the fourth innings. Karunaratne's 109 came in 155 deliveries, as he continued to play himself into form, having also made a 70 and an unbeaten 27 in the last match. Thilan Samaraweera also backed up his hundred from round one, with a second-innings 57 against Badureliya.

Tamil Union were missing Shaminda Eranga and Rangana Herath for the second round, but still managed an eight-wicket win over Colombo Cricket Club, thanks largely to an unbeaten 206 from Jeevan Mendis in the first innings, that set up a 160-run lead. Mendis' innings at the Colombo Cricket Club ground featured 21 fours and three sixes, and came in 225 deliveries. Allrounders Sachithra Serasinghe and TM Sampath took three wickets each with their offspin in the first innings, before Colombo were asked to follow on. Suranga Lakmal then took 5 wickets for 63, to leave his side with only 128 to win. Gihan Rupasinghe and Hasantha Fernando both made 80s for Colombo.

Elsewhere, Bloomfield Cricket Club's clash with Sri Lanka Air Force ended in a draw, just as the match headed towards a nail-biting finale. Air Force needed 51 more runs to win with four fourth-innings wickets in hand at stumps on the final day, having fought back from a 75-run first-innings deficit. Bloomfield will feel they should have won however, given they had the three best individual performances in the match. Suraj Randiv took 11 for 145 in the match, with seven of those wickets coming in the first innings, after Madawa Warnapura and Nipun Karunanayake made hundreds. But the remaining batsmen only made 74 in the first innings, and could not manage an intimidating second-innings total either. Bloomfield were hamstrung in the field, by an injury to speedster Nuwan Pradeep, who only bowled nine overs in the match.

Ports Authority subjected Kurunegala Youth to their second innings loss in as many matches, after amassing 523 for 8 declared in the first innings. Ports Authority's opening pace bowlers Chaminda Bandara and Sanitha de Mel took three wickets each, as their side dismissed Kurunegala for 171, after sending them in. Opening batsman Manoj Sarathchandra fell two short of a hundred for Kurunegala in the second innings, but although wicketkeeper-batsman Bhatiya Ratnayaka and captain Saman Priyanthaka also made fifties in a much-improved second innings, Kurunegala fell 37 runs short of wiping out their massive deficit.

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Former Somerset captain Brian Langford dies

Brian Langford, a former Somerset captain and one of the most respected players the county has ever produced, has died at the age of 76. No-one has played more than his 504 first-class games for Somerset and only Jack White and Arthur Wellard have taken more than his 1,390 first-class wickets for the club.

Langford was born in Birmingham, but he moved west to Bridgwater when he was just four and made his Somerset debut in 1953 as a 17-year-old off-spinner. Somerset were a weak side in those days and his debut Championship appearance - against Lancashire at Bath - saw his side succumb to an innings defeat in a single day.

He fared far better in his next game, claiming 14 wickets to help Somerset to victory over Kent. Until James Harris, then with Glamorgan, beat the record in 2007, he was the youngest man to take a ten-wicket haul in the Championship. He claimed another 11 wickets in his next game, against Leicestershire, to underline his rich promise.

Langford never quite pressed for England recognition, but over a 22-year career of great reliability, he went on to play a substantial part in improving the fortunes of the club. He captained between 1969 and 1971 and, as well as helping bring the likes of Brian Rose and Peter Denning into the side, saw Somerset develop into a top-ten team. He claimed 100 first-class wickets in a season on five occasions, with his best year coming in 1958 when he took 116 wickets including career-best figures of 9 for 26 against Lancashire at Weston super Mare.

His most famous performance came in the first year of the Sunday League in 1969. Langford delivered his eight overs - the maximum allowed to an individual bowler in the competition at the time - without conceding a run, his figures of 8-8-0-0 setting a record for economical limited-overs bowling that can never be bettered.

Upon retirement he remained involved with the Somerset committee and was the chairman of the club's cricket committee in the tumultuous 1986 season, when Sir Ian Botham, Sir Viv Richards and Joel Garner all left the club in acrimonious circumstances.

"Langy was a very fine off-spin bowler and, for a number of seasons, was the almost the county's lone bowler," former team-mate Peter Robinson, who often travelled with Langford to games, told Somerset CCC's website. "At the time that he was in his prime there were a number of good offspinners on the county scene, but if he had played in another era he could well have played for England."

"Brian's contribution to Somerset County Cricket Club was enormous," the club's chief executive Guy Lavender said. "He was a remarkable player, an outstanding leader and a charming individual. He will be sorely missed by all of Somerset's members and supporters and we would like to extend our sincere condolences to Brian's wife Maureen and all of his family at this immensely sad time."

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Dananjaya in Sri Lanka's emerging squad

Sri Lanka's new selection panel has chosen Angelo Perera, Tharindu Kaushal and Akila Dananjaya along with 21 other young players in an emerging squad from which the team for the warm-up match against Bangladesh in Matara will be chosen.

Perera, a 22-year-old middle order batsman, has been in stunning form in the Premier League tournament, having made two aggressive hundreds and an 87 in his three innings so far.

Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, 19, has also been picked on form during his first season of domestic cricket, in which he has taken 22 List A wickets at 18.63, and 19 first-class scalps at 8.89. His first two first-class matches have yielded three five-wicket hauls. Kaushal was also picked in the Sri Lanka squad for the home Tests against New Zealand in November last year, but did not get a game.

Dananjaya meanwhile, has been part of Sri Lanka's limited-overs squads since last year's World Twenty20, and has also had a good debut domestic season so far.

Wicketkeeper-batsman and opener Niroshan Dickwella, who was the 2012 schoolboy cricketer of the year, has also had a successful introduction to professional cricket at 19, most notably scoring a match-winning hundred in the inter-provincial limited overs final.

Ashen Silva, a 22-year-old opener in a more conservative mould, has also been chosen. Middle-order batsman Kithruwan Vithanage, who has also scored heavily in the Premier League Tournament so far, also earns a spot.

The team will be coached by former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana, and play a three-day match against Bangladesh from March 3-5 to kick off the tour.

Squad Ashen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Tharindu Kaushal, Akila Dananjaya, Angelo Perera, Udara Jayasundera, Shehan Jayasuriya, Kithruwan Vithanage, Ashan Priyanjana, Rumesh Buddika, Gayan Manishan (wk), Sandun Weerakkody, Lahiru Madushanka, Ishantha Jayaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage, Kasun Madushanka, Lahiru Jayaratne, Chaturanga de Silva, Ramith Rambukwela, Dulanjana Mendis, Maduka Liyanapathirana.

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Robin Peterson looks for his place

Robin Peterson was feeling restless. While most of Test team-mates took a break after their victory over Pakistan at the Wanderers, he and his namesake Alviro, chose to play for their franchises in the final round of the first-class competition.

For Alviro, it may have been important to contribute in what was set up as a championship decider for a team desperate for silverware (which they did not win) but for Robin it was more a case of itchy feet. "I wanted to play for the Cobras," he said. "It's no fun sometimes being the spinner in South Africa and you go through periods of play where you don't even bowl."

In a team where winning has been the theme of the summer and the culture is as strong as it has ever been, it would seem unusual that the enjoyment isn't evenly spread. But Peterson can be forgiven. Although he has leapfrogged Imran Tahir as the first-choice spinner for the Test team, like Tahir, his opportunities to contribute have been minimal.

Since his six wickets against Australia in Perth, Peterson has spent two innings as a spectator - against New Zealand in the New Year's Test and against Pakistan in Johannesburg. Only Jacques Kallis, whose workloads are being managed, bowled fewer overs than Peterson in Cape Town against New Zealand and Peterson bowled the least number of deliveries of all the bowlers in Johannesburg.

On surfaces that have something for the quicks and with a pace attack as potent as the current South African one, Peterson understands that he is "surplus to requirements," and, for the most part, accepts it. "It can be frustrating but you have to realise you are part of a team. The team comes first.

"It's magnificent to watch Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Jacques perform the way they do with the ball. I know my time will come so I just have to hang in there and be patient and keep working hard. It's the best bowling attack I've ever played with and it's something special to be part of. I have a front row seat to awesome performances."

To the average cricket fan, that would sound ideal. But Peterson is not a fan, he is a paid professional and he is starting to realise how trying that can be when the chosen vocation in South Africa is spin. Having flirted with the idea of a wicket-taking spinner in Tahir, South Africa's Test strategy has resorted back to a holding tweaker in the Paul Harris mould.

	"It's no fun sometimes being the spinner in South Africa and you go through periods of play where you don't even bowl"

Peterson is learning how to adjust to that. "In South Africa, you need to realise that there is a certain role you've got to perform, whether it's to keep it tight and give the seamers a bit of a break if there's no spin or if there is a bit on offer, to try make a breakthrough when the seamers can't. I'd love to play on turning wickets every weekend, but that's not the case in South Africa and you've got to adapt."

Newlands is the most spinner-friendly surface Peterson will come across but it is not the subcontinent. In the last 14 months, it has been the scene of two of the three first innings scores of under 50 in the country. The last spinner to prosper there was Harbhajan Singh who took 7 for 120 in January 2011 but in recent times, it has had more for Philander than Peterson.

He is not expecting that to change too much. "It would seem to be that the seamers do a lot of the damage but in saying that it's probably the only surface that we are going to play against Pakistan on where a spinner could come into his own so hopefully I get an opportunity. I think there will be a little bit on offer if the weather stays good."

South Africa also want to be careful not to prepare a pitch that will deteriorate too much because of the threat of Saeed Ajmal. "It would be foolish to do that," Peterson said. "He was their No. 1 Test bowler last year and you don't want to give him something that assists him."

That probably means that Peterson won't get any help from the pitch either so he may have to look for other ways to get in the game. His batting is thought to be another reason he trumps Tahir in selection terms but, like his bowling, that too has waned since Perth. There he scored 31 runs but since then has only managed 5, 8 and a duck.

"I was disappointed with the way I got out in Johannesburg," he said, remembering leaving a straight one from Mohammed Hafeez. "If the opportunity comes I'm going to go out there and show I'm a lot better than that."

He hopes to do the same with ball in hand which is why he opted for an extra match instead of a week off. However, Peterson bowled only 15 overs against the Knights. He took 2 for 33 in a first-innings workout of 13 overs and bowled just two in the second innings while the seamers did the bulk of the work. Business as usual then for Peterson.

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Shamsur keeps Rangpur in semi-final race

Rangpur Riders 179 for 8 (Shamsur 51, Mukhtar 3-25) beat Duronto Rajshahi 160 (Ziaur 36, O'Brien 3-17) by 19 runs
Scorecard

Rangpur Riders returned to contention, riding on Shamsur Rahman's sixth half-century in this season of the BPL. They beat a weakened Duronto Rajshahi by 19 runs, and replaced them in fourth place on net run-rate.

Without Tamim Iqbal (rested after being advised by BCB) and Chamara Kapugedera (also rested according to team owner Mushfiqur Rahman Mohon), chasing nine runs an over was always going to be difficult. Though the decision to give Tamim a break can be justified considering the BCB request, it was bizarre to drop Kapugedera, who had been captain of the side, at such a crucial stage of the tournament.

As a result they hardly had a go at the 180-run target, losing their top-half in the sixth over before Mukhtar Ali and Ziaur Rahman hit some big ones to keep some interest towards the end. They added 71 runs for the sixth wicket, but both fell in the 14th over to Abdur Razzak. Ziaur was unlucky to be run-out at the non-striker's end when Mukhtar's drive struck Razzak's boot and hit the stumps. Next ball, Mukhtar edged on to the stumps to end all Rajshahi hopes.

The Riders' bowlers gave little away but during the Mukhtar-Ziaur partnership, newcomer Saju Dutta and Danza Hyatt looked helpless. Kevin O'Brien took three wickets while Razzak and Dutta took two.

Shamsur's 51 helped him take over as the highest run-getter with 418 runs. He continued to give the Riders a brisk start at the top, hitting seven boundaries in his 36-ball knock, and forging important partnerships.

He shared a fast 88-run stand for the first wicket with Junaid Siddique before falling in the 13th over to a catch at long-on off Mukhtar. The pace of the Riders' innings stuttered in the second half as they couldn't force the pace and lost wickets.

Mukhtar chipped in with three wickets, perhaps inspired by being made the captain for the game. But in a side increasingly mired in off-field trouble, he failed to inspire the rest. Abul Hasan, brought back into the side in place of Ben Edmondson, gave away 20 runs in his only over while Isuru Udana, Monir Hossain and Taijul Islam all leaked runs as Riders put up a total which proved too tall for Rajshahi.

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