Bird, Arafat sign for Hampshire

Hampshire have announced two overseas signings for 2015, with Jackson Bird joining for the first half of the season and Yasir Arafat set to play limited-overs cricket.

Bird, who has played three Tests for Australia, will be available in all formats for three months ahead of his potential involvement in the Ashes. His ability to swing the red ball will be valuable in April and May, with Hampshire returning to Division One of the Championship. Bird was due to play for Northamptonshire this season but was prevented from appearing by injury.

Arafat will make Hampshire his sixth county - equalling Marcus North's record for an overseas player - and be available for Royal London Cup and T20 Blast games. Arafat played for Sussex in 2014 and has previously turned out for Kent, Lancashire, Somerset and Surrey.

The former Pakistan international, a regular in T20 competitions around the world, is married to an Englishwoman and lives in Kent but Giles White, Hampshire's director of cricket, suggested Arafat's "qualification status may allow him to play as a local during his time with us".

"We're delighted to have Jackson and Yasir on board for next season - they will both add a lot of quality to our bowling attack and hopefully they will help us build on a successful 2014 season," White said.

"Jackson comes highly recommended and at a time of the year that is likely to suit his style of bowling, we are looking forward to having him about and hope he has a positive influence on our return to Division One. Yasir has the flexibility to play all of our one-day cricket, boasts an excellent record and has committed to the club for further campaigns."

South Africa seamer Kyle Abbott played a big role in Hampshire's 2014 promotion campaign, taking 36 wickets at 20.33, and Hampshire could attempt to re-sign him for the second half of next season. Abbott's availability will be dependent on his involvement with South Africa, who are scheduled to tour Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during the English season.

"Kyle Abbott is someone we will continue to keep in touch with as he fitted into the group exceptionally well this year and has voiced a desire to return if international commitments allow," White said.

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Umpire Ghouse dies aged 83

Mohammad Ghouse, who officiated in eight Tests and two ODIs in the 1970s and '80s, died in Chennai on Monday.

Ghouse, 83, made his first-class debut as an umpire in a Ranji Trophy match in 1968-69 and went on to officiate over 18 seasons. His first Test as an official was in his hometown, between India and New Zealand, in 1975-76.

Ghouse officiated at a time when the system of neutral umpires didn't exist. As a result, he was involved in a controversy when England protested against his appointment for the Mumbai Test in the winter of 1981. When India objected to David Constant's appointment for the first Test in England the following year, it was considered to be payback from the Indian establishment.

After Ghouse retired as an umpire, he served as the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association's umpires sub-committee and as a BCCI match referee. On behalf of TNCA members, president N Srinivasan expressed "profound sorrow and grief" at his demise.

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Prince set to play on for Lancashire

Ashwell Prince, the former South Africa batsman, is set to reverse his decision to retire and instead play on with Lancashire in 2015. Prince, who was Lancashire's leading run-scorer this season despite their relegation, had previously announced that this would be his final campaign.

"As a player, you feel partly responsible for going down," he told the Manchester Evening News. "There's still a bit of fight left in the old boy so I'd like to help the club get back to where they belong."

Prince's Lancashire team-mates had been attempting to get him to change his mind after another season topping the county's Championship run-scoring list. He has scored more than 4000 runs for Lancashire since first representing them in 2009 and made his highest first-class score of 257 not out against Northamptonshire at Old Trafford in June.

Having not played a Test for South Africa since 2011, Prince was able to return to Lancashire as a Kolpak player in 2013 on a two-year deal. His status was at the bottom of an ongoing disciplinary case involving the Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale, who is accused of racially abusing Prince.

The controversy surrounding the ECB's pursuit of Gale has not deterred Prince, who had announced his planned retirement in March, from changing his mind.

"When you arrive in April, having had five back-to-back seasons home and away, it's quite taxing on the body," Prince said. "At the start of the summer, I was quite tired. I thought, at the end of the season, that's definitely going to be it. But I'd like to think there's a bit of life left. There's definitely some fight left."

Lancashire, champions in 2011, were relegated the following season and went straight back down this year after winning Division Two. The club have yet to appoint a successor as coach to Peter Moores and may also have to replace Glen Chapple as captain, if the 40-year-old decides to retire. They will, however, be able to build their batting around the ever-reliable Prince for another season.

"It's not going to be easy," Prince said. "There's been some big clubs trying to get back up into the first division. Fortunately, the last time we went down, we came straight back up."

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Sunil Narine reported for suspect action

Kolkata Knight Riders offspinner Sunil Narine has been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action following his side's 36-run win over Dolphins in the Champions League Twenty20 Group A match on Monday evening in Hyderabad.

The charge was laid by on-field umpires Anil Chaudhary and Chettihody Shamshuddin along with third umpire Kumar Dharmasena and specifically relates to Narine's quicker ball. Under CLT20 guidelines, Narine may request for an official assessment from the BCCI's suspect bowling action committee. Narine has been placed on the tournament's 'warning list' but will still be able to play. However, if he is reported again while still on the warning list, he will be suspended from bowling for the remainder of the tournament.

Narine claimed figures of 3 for 33 in his four-over spell during the win over Dolphins. The Knight Riders next match will be in the tournament semi-finals on October 2. He is the fourth bowler to be reported during the tournament, joining Mohammed Hafeez and Adnan Rasool of Lahore Lions and Prenelan Subrayen of Dolphins. Being reported in the CLT20 has no impact on a bowler's participation in international cricket.

Narine is currently the leading wicket-taker in this year's CLT20 with 11 wickets in four games at an average of 7.45, also the best in the tournament. He also has the most wickets in the six-year history of the CLT20, accumulating 38 in 19 matches, eight more than Dwayne Bravo and Doug Bollinger. Narine's career bowling average of 8.81 in the CLT20 is almost a full eight runs better than Lasith Malinga, the next best bowler on the list who holds average of 16.40 for his 25 wickets, while Narine's CLT20 career economy rate of 4.61 is more than a full run better than Brett Lee in second place at 5.71.

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Chakabva ton sets up Zimbabwe A win

Zimbabwe A 253 for 6 (Chakabva 132, Sibanda 52) beat Bangladesh A 236 (Islam 66, Sarkar 56, Kamungozi 4-24) by 17 runs
Scorecard

Regis Chakabva's maiden List A century helped Zimbabwe A to a 17-run win over Bangladesh A in the first one-day match in Fatullah. This is the visiting side's first win on tour after going down 2-0 in the two-match unofficial Test series.

Chakabva's 132 off 144 balls, with 13 boundaries and three sixes, was the backbone and enforcer of Zimbabwe A's 253 for 6 in 50 overs.

During his stay, Chakabva added 83 for the opening wicket with Brian Chari, 42 with Timycen Maruma for the third wicket and 120 for the fifth wicket with the captain Vusi Sibanda, who struck 52 off 67 balls with four boundaries and a six.

The home side were dealt an early blow when Abul Hasan, making a comeback from a back injury that put him out for 18 months, had to go off after bowling just 2.5 overs due to a neck injury. Legpsinner Jubair Hossain and Mominul Haque took two wickets each.

In reply, Bangladesh lost most of their top order by the 11th over, after which one of the openers, Soumya Sarkar added 63 for the fourth wicket with Naeem Islam. Sarkar made 56 off 80 balls while Islam top scored with an 85-ball 66 that had five boundaries. Islam added 56 for the fifth wicket with Mosaddek Hossain who fell short of a fifty by just one run.

He added 70 rapid runs for the seventh wicket with Elias Sunny but once the latter fell in the 48th over, Bangladesh A had a mini-collapse that stalled the momentum created by Sunny and Mosaddek and ultimately cost them.

For Zimbabwe A, legbreak bowler Tafadzwa Kamungozi took four wickets while Tawanda Mupariwa and Cuthbert Musoko also chipped in with three and two wickets respectively.

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BCB allows Nadir Shah to officiate in match

The Bangladesh Cricket Board allowed umpire Nadir Shah to officiate in a domestic T20 match on September 28, 18 months after giving him a ten-year ban on allegations of corruption. Shah stood in the semi-final of the Dhaka First Division Cricket League T20 competition, a BCB-run tournament.

Shah had been banned in March 2013 based on charges alleged by a TV sting operation in 2012.

The BCB said that, during the last four months, it had been awaiting an ICC directive on Shah, although it did not announce a lifting of the ban.

The ICC, on the other hand, said it had nothing to do with the BCB's decision to ban Shah. An ICC spokesman said: "Nadir Shah was banned for 10 years by the Bangladesh Cricket Board and not by the ICC. This is neither an issue of the ICC nor its ACSU.‎ The ban has been imposed by the BCB, so it is an issue for it."

Sailab Hossain Tutul, member-secretary of the BCB's umpires committee, said there was no ICC restriction on Shah and the board had informed the ACSU that he would be allowed to umpire in domestic matches. "There was no ICC restriction on him. It was the BCB's suspension and the BCB has withdrawn it," Tutul said. "The BCB withdrew the ban on him in the board meeting after the World T20 [in May].

"We had informed ACSU in February-March this year that we are allowing him to umpire in domestic [cricket]. But they didn't reply. The [BCB's] executive board withdrew it. He wanted mercy. He was considered for his length of service."

Tutul also said that Shah had been assigned the match soon after he arrived in Bangladesh after spending three months in the US.

"There was no cricket in the interim [since May]," he said. "When the domestic season began here, he was abroad. We gave him this opportunity as soon as he arrived back in the country. From now on, he will get more matches to officiate."

Shah was given a standing ovation by the match referee, scorers, umpires, players and officials of Indira Road Krira Chakra and BKSP in the semi-final. He said that Tutul had informed him of the lifting of the ban last June, while he has also received a letter from Bangladesh Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association (BCUSA) which informed him of the BCB's decision.

"I am still waiting for the letter from BCB," Shah told ESPNcricinfo. "But I got a letter from the umpires association (BCUSA) which helped me umpire in California earlier this year. Back in June, Tutul called me to say that my ban has been lifted by the BCB."

Shah's ban had come after a sting broadcast by India TV, claimed to have "exposed" several first-class umpires from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who were allegedly willing to give decisions favouring players for a fee. In the sting conducted in July and August 2012, the reporters claimed to belong to a sports management company and promised the umpires officiating assignments in events of all kinds around the world, largely domestic Twenty20 leagues.

All three national boards announced investigations following the broadcast. The BCB conducted a detailed investigation into the matter, with two committees being formed, after which Shah was banned and another Bangladeshi umpire was acquitted.

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Knights and Lions seal big wins

Some parts of South Africa skipped straight over spring into summer with temperatures soaring to 30 degrees in the first few weeks of September. The same did not apply to surfaces for the opening round of the first-class competition, which was played on spicy pitches which allowed fast bowlers to dominate the early exchanges.

In Bloemfontein, the Knights survived being sliced down to 32 for 8 in their first innings to beat the Warriors by 128 runs, thanks to a strong all-round showing from 21-year old Corne Dry, and a century from wicket-keeper batsman Rudi Second.

Andrew Birch, Wayne Parnell and Basheer Walters took advantage of ample movement on offer in the usually placid Chevrolet Park pitch to cripple the Knights. Only one of their top eight managed to get into double figures and five were dismissed without scoring before Dry and Quinton Friend staged a recovery. They put on 98 runs for the ninth-wicket and both scored half-centuries in quick time, but the Knights were still dismissed for a below par score of 140.

They would have felt substantially better about their total when they had the Warriors 88 for 9 before the first day was over. Dry helped himself to a five-for while for Warriors, only Colin Ingram managed a respectable score of 24. Overnight, the Warriors trailed by four runs and they added only one before being dismissed early on the second day.

Conditions improved for batting as the match went on and the Knights coped better in their second essay. Rilee Rossouw scored 44, but the innings was built around Second, who became the competition's first centurion. The Knights' tail wagged again with Friend partnering Second to put on 75 for the ninth-wicket.

The Warriors lost Parnell to a shoulder injury, but their offspinner Simon Harmer was among the wickets. They were set a tough target of 331 but with plenty of time left in the game, would have wanted to give themselves a chance to get close. At 36 for 3, that seemed out of the question. Dry took two of the first three wickets and it was then up to Werner Coetsee to finish off. Only JJ Smuts resisted with 62, and the Warriors lost inside three days.

In Johannesburg , the Titans dragged the Jukskei derby into a fourth day but were outplayed by a strong Lions pack. Quicks Hardus Viljoen and Chris Morris shared 15 wickets between them to ensure the Titans were unable to get over 200 in either innings. Viljoen seven-for in the second innings, included 6 for 25 in 50 balls on the fourth morning and saw him share the Man-of-the-Match award with Quinton de Kock who produced half-centuries in both innings.

The Wanderers did not prove too dangerous early on. The Lions had a solid start through half-centuries from Stephen Cook, Temba Bavuma and de Kock, despite Marchant de Lange's three wickets. Although none of their batsmen got into three figures, they all contributed to a total of 401 of which Under-19 World Cup winner Kagiso Rabada scored 48.

Lions seized the advantage midway through the second day when Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Viljoen and Morris dismissed the Titans top-order. At 47 for 4, the Titans did not have the start they wanted from Test opener Dean Elgar, and had to rely on Farhaan Behardien to marshal the middle order. Behardien had support from Mangaliso Mosehle and Roelof van der Merwe, but Morris' four-for gave the Lions a 204-run first innings lead.

The Titans threatened a mini comeback when they kept the Lions 37 for 4, but de Kock and Thami Tsolekile recovered well and scored briskly to allow the Lions to declare on 155 for 5 on the third day. The Titans were 50 for 4 overnight, again without substantial contributions from their top order and it was only a matter of time before Lions secured the win on the final day.

Viljoen ensured it did not take too long. He took all six wickets, leaving Behardien stranded on 71. Mosehle was the only other batsmen among the runs and managed 42 but the Titans have to work to do ahead of their meeting with the Warriors next week. The other match sees the two victors from this weekend, the Lions and Knights, face off in Potchefstroom.

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All-round Peshawar Panthers clinch T20 title

Peshawar Panthers 134 for 3 (Iftikhar 50*) beat Lahore Lions 133 for 9 (Imam-ul-Haq 52*, Wali 3-30) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Peshawar Panthers put in a fine all-round showing to defeat Lahore Lions by seven wickets in the final of the Haier T20 Cup. Panthers finish the tournament unbeaten.

Lions had the advantage of winning the toss, and decided to bat. However, their batsmen didn't justify the decision, with most of them struggling for momentum. They went at over a run-a-ball in only one of their six Powerplay overs to start with, and that set the pace for the innings. Kamran Akmal struggled in particular, managing only 4 off 10 before edging behind. He and the other opener, Abid Ali, were dismissed off successive deliveries, by left-arm pacer Taj Wali.

By the halfway stage of their innings, Lions had only got to 55. That they got past the 130-run mark was mainly down to a brisk half-century from No. 3 Imam-ul-Haq. He ended not out on 52 off 41, with six fours, but a lack of support from the other end meant Lions could only manage a below-par 133 for 9.

Panthers' innings was more a team affair, with all of the top order contributing cameos to get the team home with four balls to spare. While No. 3 Iftikhar Ahmed top scored with 50 not out, it was the openers - Rafatullah Mohmand and Israrullah - who had ensured any hopes Lions had of sneaking back into the game were well and truly snuffed out with an explosive start to the chase.

The pair added 43 runs in four overs, hitting ten boundaries between them. By the end of their Powerplay, Panthers needed just 77 more at 5.50 an over, and so it was a canter.

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Rogers hopes to finish at Middlesex

Middlesex were able to breathe a sigh of relief after clinging into Division One status, but are now preparing for life without Chris Rogers, their top-order rock, who is likely to miss next season due to international commitments.

However, while the club will need to scour the world for a replacement - no easy task these days - Rogers gave a clear indication that he wanted to see out his first-class days with the county which helped him forge a belated Test career.

Australia have a tour of West Indies next May before travelling to England for the Ashes which will run until late August meaning there is unlikely to be a feasible window for Rogers to play but, speaking after a day spent in various stages of anxiety as his lower order held on at Old Trafford, he reiterated his affinity for Middlesex

"I owe England and county cricket a lot," he said, "I'd like to finish my career here."

At Rogers' age there is always the risk that an international career can end more quickly than a younger player, but he has made four hundreds in 13 Tests since being recalled for the Ashes in England last year and is inked in for Australia's home summer against India.

Angus Fraser, the Middlesex director cricket, admitted the task of replacing Rogers would be a priority in the off-season.

"We've been very lucky we've had Chris for the last four years - he's been magnificent as a player and a captain - but there's a very good chance of him being away next year. We've got to fill that role, which is something that will occupy a lot of our time."

Rogers was comfortably Middlesex's leading run-scorer in the Championship with 1333 at 55.54 although Dawid Malan had a solid season with 1137 at 45.38. Eoin Morgan averaged over 45 from 11 matches, but Sam Robson dipped under 40 after his lean end to the summer.

Rogers referred to a "soft underbelly" being one of Middlesex's problems which could well have been referring to Neil Dexter and Joe Denly who averaged 28.15 and 23.35 respectively with just one hundred between them although Dexter played a role with the ball.

As to how Middlesex were drawn into the relegation tussle after briefly being top following four early wins, Fraser pinpointed an abandoned Championship game against Sussex and their poor white-ball form knocking confidence.

"We didn't play very well in one-day cricket. We weren't appalling, but lost a lot of games - a lot of them narrowly - and it drew real momentum out of the squad," he said. "You suddenly find yourself on the back foot, defending your position all the time, rather than looking to build on things.

"We just got in a bit of a hole, and weren't able to get out of it and win games of cricket. Middlesex's middle order has been questioned a lot of times, but I think we had a period where we didn't bowl as well as we could. The pitches flattened out, and we found it hard to take 20 wickets in a match."

Middlesex will hope that Ravi Patel, the left-arm spinner who had a taste of England Lions this season, continues to develop - although he will need to be given a regular spot in the team, even during early-summer conditions - but they are unlikely to see as much of Steven Finn if his return to England set-up continues to gather pace between now and next April.

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Panthers and Lions make way into final

Fast bowler Imran Khan held his nerve in the final over of the match to restrict Sialkot Stallions to just five runs, as Peshawar Panthers won by six runs to make the final.

Chasing 157, Stallions needed 12 off the last over, but Imran's first two deliveries were dot balls. Immediately put on the back foot, Bilawal Bhatti swung around for a big shot, but could only manage a two. Bhatti and Shakeel Ansar exchanged singles with the next two balls, meaning that Bhatti had to hit the last ball for six to tie the game. However, he could only flick a slower ball away to fine leg for another single.

Stallions had done well to recover from a shaky start that saw both Mukhtar Ahmed and Haris Sohail dismissed inside two overs. Shahid Yousuf led a counterattack by striking a 35-ball 56 and adding 80 for the third wicket with Mansoor Amjad. However three quick wickets inside five overs, including that of Yousuf's, hampered Stallions' momentum and the lower-order batsmen could not produce the desired acceleration to guide the team home.

Panthers, having been inserted, had made 156 for 7 from their 20 overs. Their innings was built around crucial knocks from Rafatullah Mohmand (35), Adil Amin (34) and Zohaib Khan (30), which kept the team ticking at more than seven an over. Zohaib later capped off a fine all-round display by picking up two crucial wickets to dent Stallions' chase. With all his bowling partners coming out with expensive figures, seamer Hasan Ali stood out for Stallions and finished with figures of 4-0-21-2.

A four-wicket burst from left-arm pacer Mohammad Aftab meant it will be Lahore Lions who take on Panthers in the final on Sunday. He knocked the top off the Multan Tigers' batting, to put his team on their way to a nine-run win, on the same day the other Lahore Lions team enjoyed success at the Champions League T20.

Aftab claimed four of the top five Tigers' batsmen to reduce them to 35 for 4 in a steep chase of 180. While a couple of partnerships of 40-something followed, the damage done at the top was enough to hold off Tigers. Rizwan Haider with 42 off 25 and Naved Yasin with a more sedate 39 off 31 were the biggest contributors for Tigers.

Fast bowler Mohammad Irfan had jolted Lions in the very first over, earlier on, getting Abid Ali for a duck. However half-centuries from Kamran Akmal and Imam-ul-Haq made sure the innings stayed on track. The pair added 114 in 11 overs, with Akmal top scoring with 77 off 43. His innings included 11 fours and three sixes, and set Lions on their way to 179 for 7, which proved to be enough in the end.

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