Kallis grinds down Australian bowlers

South Africa 3 for 357 (Kallis 137*, Amla 104) v Australia
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Hashim Amla reached a century and Jacques Kallis sailed well past one as South Africa's batsmen ground Australia's bowlers to 3 for 357 at lunch on day three of the first Test in Brisbane.

Losing only Amla's wicket in a session extended by half an hour, the visitors progressed calmly in the face of an improved bowling effort by the Australians, which began with the second new ball and ended with a neat display from Nathan Lyon. Peter Siddle defeated Amla on 104 though South Africa's No. 3 would have been reprieved had he reviewed the dismissal.

Kallis found another determined ally in AB de Villiers, and eased to his highest Test score in Australia. Given the full day lost to rain, South Africa may be expected to push on a little more aggressively for runs after the break, though they may also choose to influence the outcome of the series by wearing down Australia's three pacemen.

Facing up to a second new ball that had been due since Friday evening, Amla and Kallis began carefully, as Ben Hilfenhaus and James Pattinson found a far better length than they had on the first morning. Amla was particularly reserved, but on 99 lashed out at Pattinson and the boundary sliced through gully had him saluting a third hundred against Australia in as many Tests.

Amla's celebration was muted, his intent to go well beyond the century mark, but on 104 Siddle pinned him on the crease with a delivery seaming back. Australia's appeal was beseeching, Asad Rauf's finger was raised, and Amla exited without calling for a review. Had he done so, the decision would have been reversed, as ball tracking showed a path going over the stumps after Amla was struck on the knee roll.

De Villiers announced his arrival by punching his first ball down the ground, and with Kallis he set about establishing another partnership of deliberate intent. Kallis reached his century by pushing Hilfenhaus through midwicket, and continued to bat with unhurried insouciance. At one point he shaped to avoid a Pattinson bouncer before waving his bat at it as he crouched, but it was a rare lapse.

Nathan Lyon delivered a teasing spell in the 45 minutes up to lunch, finding turn as well as bounce, and encouraged Michael Clarke to bring himself on before the interval, coaxing a couple of airy shots from Kallis though no wicket. Australia had bowled far better than they had done on day one, but only one wicket for the session left them with another long afternoon ahead against South Africa's imposing bats.

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All-round Hafeez thumps United Bank

Star-studded Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited thrashed United Bank Limited by an innings and 216 runs in Rawalpindi. Mohammad Hafeez hit 193, just three shy of his career best, Misbah-ul-Haq made 109 and Ali Waqas 95 as SNGPL racked up 455 for 5 declared. Misbah has now made successive hundreds, after his 110 in his side's previous game. Hafeez's best in this tournament so far was 95 against Khan Research Laboratories in October. Before hitting 32 fours in his 193 off 301 deliveries, Hafeez had also picked up 4 for 13 as United Bank crumbled to 165 after being inserted by Misbah. Only opener Abid ali (82) resisted for United Bank, who plummeted further in the second innings. Asad Ali grabbed a career-best 7 for 42 to blow them away for just 74, with five batsmen registering ducks, and eight failing to get into double digits.

Wahab Riaz took a first-class best 7 for 29 as National Bank of Pakistan thumped State Bank of Pakistan by an innings and 31 runs inside three days in Lahore. Coming on as first change and after Imran Khan had made the first breakthrough, Riaz scythed through the State Bank line-up to dismiss them for 136 in reply to National Bank's 304. Fawad Alam enforced the follow-on and this time, the wickets were shared among four bowlers. While Riaz and Hammad Azam picked up three each, Imran and Uzair-ul-Haq took two apiece as State Bank managed 137. Byes contributed 18 and 23 to State Bank's totals in both innings. National Bank's 304 had earlier been set up by fifties from Sami Aslam (89) and Qaiser Abbas (66).

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England confident on Finn fitness

Steven Finn, the England fast bowler, is expected to be available for the first Test against India and he has said his looking to put pressure on Stuart Broad and James Anderson for the new ball.

Finn limped out of England's opening tour match after just four overs with a thigh strain suffered in the field but has been taking a full part in training sessions and could share the new ball with Anderson on Thursday if Broad has not recovered from a bruised heel. Whoever is selected, both Finn and Broad will be short of match practise.

Finn made his England Test debut against Bangladesh in March 2010 and played in every Test that calendar year until being dropped for the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne. Despite his height, pace and wicket-taking ability, he was criticised for being expensive, something Finn feels he has addressed.

"I suppose when I started, I was a little bit expensive, " Finn told Sport magazine. "But I still managed to take wickets, which is probably what kept me in the team. My economy rate in Tests, 3.66, isn't terrible - but it's not great either. I set myself very high standards, and it's probably not up to scratch by those standards."

Finn took 46 wickets at 26.23 from his debut until the Perth Test in December 2010. "The criticism of my knack of leaking runs hasn't been unfair but I was young at the time and I'd back myself now to be able to hold an end up and not give away as many runs. I feel like I've learned and developed a lot over the last 18 months.

"I've proved in limited-overs cricket for England that my economy rate has been as good as anyone's. I go at 4.67 runs an over in one-day internationals, and my T20 rate, 6.70, is okay as well and there's no reason why I can't transfer that into Test cricket."

Finn has forced his way back into the England bowling attack and has benefitted from the help offered by Anderson - whom he is aiming to start alongside in the first Test. "The guys who have opened the bowling for the past two or three years have been exceptional," he said. "Broady and Jimmy have both been brilliant, so I think it would be hard for me to knock either of them off their perch.

"I'm not saying it's not something I'm aspiring to, though, because I've enjoyed taking the new ball in one-day and T20 cricket - and it's something I've done for Middlesex since I was 18 or 19 years old. It's something I'm accustomed to and really enjoy."

Finn is keen to test himself in subcontinental conditions again, having been one of few bright points for England during their ODI tour of India in October 2011. He took eight wickets at 31.62 with an economy rate of 5.27, when England as a team went at 5.88 an over during the 5-0 defeat.

"I've always enjoyed bowling on subcontinent pitches because you need a different set of skills and I think that suits me," he says. "You need to be able to reverse-swing the ball, your changes of angles on the crease are important, and having that bit of pace also helps on those sorts of wickets.

"There's definitely room for aggression, too. We saw that India struggled with the short ball when they came over to England last summer, and just because the wickets are slower there's no reason why you can't still use it."

Finn will resume his battle against Virat Kohli, a batsman in exceptional recent form, against whom Finn has played since he was 17. "He's not invincible," Finn said. "And we have a very good track record when it comes to getting the big men out."

Another big man is Sachin Tendulkar, who could end his Test career at the end of the forthcoming series. "There's been talk of that," Finn said. "The bloke averages 55 in Test cricket and obviously still loves the game; but you can't play the man - you have to play only the batsman in front of you, no matter what his name is. It would be nice to say I was the last person to take Tendulkar's wicket in Tests - definitely something to tell the grandkids."

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Law in line to mentor batsmen

Stuart Law is expected to take over as Australia's batting coach for the remainder of the series against South Africa if Justin Langer is confirmed as Western Australia's new coach. Langer is likely to be put in charge of the Warriors after the end of the Brisbane Test, and Australia's management has already sounded out Law, an assistant coach at the Centre of Excellence, about filling the post for the Adelaide and Perth Tests.

Law was working with the Australians in the nets ahead of the Gabba Test and he could be the front-runner for the full-time role if Langer departs. Prior to joining the Centre of Excellence, Law served as the coach of Bangladesh and was Sri Lanka's interim coach after the 2011 World Cup, having first joined them as an assistant in 2009.

"I've had word from both Pat Howard [Cricket Australia's team performance manager], and the Australian team management that providing that Justin takes the West Australian job they would like me to be around the group for the summer for the preparation stages of each Test match," Law told the Sun-Herald.

"To be the national team batting coach would be a huge honour. I'm actually flattered that I'm even thought about in this position. I'm relatively new to coaching, I've been coaching international cricket for three years, but I've got a lot of knowledge. I've played a lot of cricket in all sorts of conditions against all sorts of opponents. There is no better environment than coaching around the likes of the Pontings, Clarkes and the Husseys and Warners of the world."

Although Langer has not officially taken the job as Western Australia's coach, he is expected join the Warriors after completing his national team duties in Brisbane. The state's mentor, Lachlan Stevens, quit last week, soon after the captain Marcus North also announced his resignation.

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Derbs, Northants plan Barbados pre-season

Derbyshire will head back to the Caribbean to prepare for their first season in Division One of the County Championship since 2000 and have vowed to maintain their youthful selection policy.

Last season's pre-season trip proved successful as Karl Krikken's young side, featuring several homegrown players, went on to win promotion for the first time. They will fly out to Barbados for the fourth consecutive year on March 11, 2013 for 12 days, playing practice matches against local opposition and other counties, including Northamptonshire. Two two-day fixtures, a 40-over match and a Twenty20 tournament at the Kensington Oval are scheduled.

"Barbados is a tried and tested pre-season venue and it provides ideal preparation ahead of a challenging domestic campaign," Kirkken, Derbyshire's head coach, said. "To be guaranteed good weather and consequently time on the field is extremely important for our players at this critical time of year. We've certainly felt the benefit from previous visits.

"It's an intense itinerary and one that gives us the best possible chance of hitting the ground running for first division cricket in 2013."

Despite the step up in the Championship, Derbyshire will trust their young squad and resist temptation to greatly increase the playing budget. During his time as academy coach, Kirkken nurtured many of the players recently given a chance in the first team - such as Dan Redfern, Ross Whiteley and Tom Poynton - and who have now signed extended contracts.

"Hopefully there are more contracts in the pipeline," Krikken said. "We would like a top-three batter - we're talking to Usman Khawaja about coming back, and we have a back-up shortlist, but not many are making moves right now.

"But again, we're not panicking because I've already got 16 players I believe to be wholly reliable, who complement each other's abilities, and who instinctively put the team's interests before their own - something that hasn't always been the case at Derbyshire."

Captain Wayne Madsen also signed a new three-year deal as Derbyshire look to continue the careful management that has seen consecutive years of profit under the chairmanship of Chris Grant, and gradual improvement on the field, culminating in last season's Division Two title.

They reeled off four wins in the opening seven matches of their successful campaign and put the bright start down to their pre-season tour. Derbyshire were not the only county to reap the benefits of a West Indies warm-up: Hampshire, the CB40 and FLt20 champions, Warwickshire, who won the County Championship title and promotion-winning Yorkshire all prepared for the 2012 season in Barbados.

Joining Derbyshire next year are Northants, who will be hoping for a similar early season boost to the one they enjoyed after touring South Africa in 2011. Despite not winning a match on the trip, they blazed a trail in both the County Championship and CB40, going unbeaten in 12 matches before the FLt20 badly derailed their season. A similar trip was cancelled at the start of this year, with Northamptonshire ultimately finishing second-bottom in Division Two.

Newly appointed captain Steven Peters told BBC Sport it will give them a "noticeable advantage" for next season. "We're at a disadvantage if we start the season and we haven't been away," he said. "It's more valuable than seven or eight sessions back home."

Northamptonshire's trip is being partly funded by the players, as well as donations from the Northants Supporters Club. The squad will fly out on March 11 and return on March 23.

Head coach, David Ripley, added: "Once again there will be an early start to the season, which means it is crucially important that the lads can get as much cricket as possible beforehand. With uncertain weather conditions in March, sometimes outdoor practice can be limited in England. We all saw how the team hit the ground running following the last pre-season tour to South Africa in 2011."

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India begin preparatory camp ahead of England Tests

While the visiting Englishmen played their third warm-up game of the India tour in Ahmedabad, India's Test side eased into its three-day preparatory camp for the upcoming series with a short practice session at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in south Mumbai. All members of the squad, barring Harbhajan Singh, whose flight was delayed, arrived at the CCI in the afternoon, along with coach Duncan Fletcher, and batted and bowled for a little more than an hour after a short game of football. With the World Twenty20 and Champions League T20 having consumed most of September and October, this was the first outing for India's Test side in nine weeks, the first after the New Zealand series at home.

The fitness of Zaheer Khan, who had lasted all of 13.3 overs on India's tour of England last year, was again in focus. Zaheer had pulled up sore, pointing towards his groin, on the third day of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy opener against Railways last week, and had walked off the field. He didn't bowl or field on the fourth and final day, but Mumbai captain Ajit Agarkar had said Zaheer's problem was just cramp. Today, while the other quick bowlers in the India squad, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, bowled through the mini-session, Zaheer spent the majority of his time on the massage table. He eventually did bowl for a while but was clearly not extending himself. On the other hand, Ishant and Umesh, especially, bowled with pace and rhythm.

The batsmen took to the nets as per the batting order in batches of four, with Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Cheteshwar Pujara and Sachin Tendulkar starting off. Pujara looked in fine touch, defending and attacking confidently, though the bowling was below par at times. With various age-group matches going on in Mumbai at the moment, it was difficult to assemble decent young net bowlers. Two of those bowlers, though, managed to hit Tendulkar's stumps once each with the batsman appearing a touch tentative. Tendulkar did loft R Ashwin crisply a few times and soon left the nets to receive a few throwdowns.

Next in were Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni. Gambhir and M Vijay, the reserve opener, continued to bat into the fading light after the rest were done. After Gambhir walked off eventually, Vijay hit a few more for a while against the local spinners and was the last player to leave the nets. The squad will have a full training session tomorrow.

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Tamim rues long gap between Tests

Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh opener, has said the huge gap between the team's Test matches is hurting their chances in the format. When they host West Indies for two Tests starting next week, Bangladesh will play five-day cricket after a gap of 11 months.

"Our situation isn't good, we play Tests after long gaps," Tamim told ESPNcricinfo. "We should have this mentality of adapting ourselves from one format to the other. If we had played regular Test cricket, this question about adjusting wouldn't have come up."

Bangladesh played five Tests last year, drawing one and losing the other four, a marginal improvement from 2010, when they lost all seven Tests they played. However, Tamim had a stellar 2010, when he made three Test centuries, and a leaner 2011, when he struggled because of the team's 14-month break from Test cricket. Most Bangladesh players struggled to make that transition from limited-overs to Tests.

"Good form doesn't last for long, so one has to make the best of it. When I was doing really well in 2010, how many Tests did I end up playing? If someone else was in my place, he would have played more and made more runs."

Tamim said he planned to bring more discipline to his game this season in order to make up for the break, but added that it was the player's mentality that mattered.

"It depends on individuals. If one's thinking pattern goes like, 'I am playing a Test match after a year and a half', his performance will be what he makes of it. If you think differently and decide that I should be ready mentally, I think this gives a player more chances to perform.

"If you make a professional cricketer play a T20 after two years of Tests, he won't just start leaving balls outside off stump. He's not an idiot. He has the sense to hit out. The same thing happens when you bring him back to Tests from Twenty20s."

Bangladesh will mark 12 years in Test cricket with the second lowest number of Tests in a year - just the two against West Indies (the lowest being the single Test against India in 2000). They have a longer 2012-13 season, however, with Tests scheduled against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe early next year, but only positive results will give the country's cricket authorities a little more room to manoeuvre their cricket schedule and attract top countries to play against Bangladesh.

Tamim said the players had to look at their situation positively. "What opportunities we get, we should make full use of it. This will give us more chances to play."

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Lions make it three wins out of three

Lions 248 for 9 (Bodi 45, Kemp 2-23) beat Cape Cobras 229 (O'Reilly 3-61) by 19 runs
Scorecard

Lions increased the gap between them and the rest with a third consecutive win in the Momentum One Day Cup, beating Cape Cobras by 19 runs at Newlands. It was their hardest-fought win yet.

After choosing to bat on a slightly difficult pitch, Lions made a positive start, reaching 65 for 0 and then 101 for 2 in the 23rd over. It was then that Gulam Bodi, whose 45 was eventually the innings' top score, was run out by Justin Ontong. Lions lost two more wickets for 22 runs and their momentum was shot. Temba Bavuma and Zander de Bruyn made 30s but were dismissed before converting their starts into substantial scores. Johann Louw and Justin Kemp took two wickets each for Cobras as Lions were restricted to 248 for 9.

The Cobras chase got off to a swift start, with Richard Levi leading the way. Andrew Puttick's struggle - 13 off 32 balls - ended in the 10th over, and then Levi was dismissed in the next, leaving Cobras on 55 for 2. From 99 for 2 they slipped further to 158 for 6 in the 36th over, with none of the top and middle-order batsmen making significant contributions. However, the equation boiled down to 47 runs to get off 40 balls with four wickets in hand, and Cobras were in the game. Ethan O'Reilly then struck the telling blow, Kemp caught behind for 24, and Cobras were eventually dismissed for 229. O'Reilly finished with 3 for 61, but the Lions spinner Aaron Phangsio proved most economical, taking 1 for 31 in ten overs.

Despite maintaining their 100% win record, Lions captain Stephen Cook asked for improvement from his side. "We probably didn't play as well as we have the last few games," he said. "Perhaps we were a tad lucky to get over the line at the end, but that keeps everyone honest and working hard at their game."

The Cobras captain Ontong was disappointed with his team's batting. "I thought we didn't get a partnership going and, although a couple of the guys got starts, we just couldn't really kick on," he said. "We've got to do some hard work now and get some wins under our belts."

Cobras are third in the points table with one win in three games.

Match abandoned Dolphins 67 for 2 v Warriors
Scorecard

Only 17 overs were possible at Kingsmead before rain washed out the game between Dolphins and Warriors. After getting sent in to bat, Dolphins had reached 67 for 2, with Makhaya Ntini and Wayne Parnell striking for Warriors.

Neither team has won a match in the tournament so far and they are at the bottom of the points table.

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Chinthaka Jayasinghe quits cricket in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Twenty20 cricketer Chinthaka Jayasinghe has retired from first-class cricket in Sri Lanka, citing frustration with continued non-selection for the national team as a major reason. Jayasinghe, 34, played in five T20 matches from December 2009 to May 2010, making a high score of 38 from three innings in the lower-middle order. He played as a fast-bowling allrounder for his domestic sides, and has 104 wickets at 24.48, but did not bowl in internationals.

Jayasinghe said he has a contract to play domestic cricket in Australia during the southern summer, and another six-month contract to play in England next year. He was not among the 60 players offered an SLC contract in 2012 and he said this was central to his decision to move on.

"I have played 14 years of first-class cricket in Sri Lanka and it's saddening to see the SLC selectors favouring certain players who are proven failures," Jayasinghe said. "The way things are going, I feel like Sri Lanka cricket is not moving forward, especially after the seniors in the national team retire."

Jayasinghe played for the Uva Next franchise in the Sri Lanka Premier League, and last played first class-cricket for Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic club, having previously represented Burgher Recreation Club and Nondescripts Cricket Club.

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Watling repaying New Zealand's faith

In early 2011, BJ Watling's international record read like the careers of so many failed New Zealand openers before him. In the years after Nathan Astle, Mark Richardson and Stephen Fleming left the game, New Zealand seemed to trial a fresh opening prospect every six months. Michael Papps, Craig Cumming, Jamie How, Aaron Redmond and Tim McIntosh all arrived and wilted at the top level.

Some showed initial promise before quickly waning, but Watling barely made an impact. When he was jettisoned at the end of 2010, he had made only two fifties in 18 international innings, with a top score of 60 not out. His talent was undeniable in domestic cricket, but like Papps, How and Redmond, Watling seemed unable to adjust mentally. He was renowned at home for valuing his wicket and his sound defensive technique, but in internationals, his failures were populated by loose strokes and soft dismissals.

But unlike so many others, he wasn't forgotten altogether. Then New Zealand coach John Wright saw the raw materials of a good player in Watling, and paved his way back into internationals late last year. Soon, before he had even proven himself, Watling was being groomed for a specific long-term role. Brendon McCullum abandoned the gloves in Tests due to back problems, and after short-lived dalliance with Reece Young, Watling, Wright said, would be the man behind the stumps who could also strengthen New Zealand's batting.

He began to repay Wright's faith, hitting a century against Zimbabwe in his first Test as keeper, but sustained a hip injury before the real test came against touring South Africa. Kruger van Wyk took his place in the XI, and has not relinquished it since, having hammered out a reputation as a battler - exactly the quality a New Zealand top order veering towards spineless was short of.

Yet, although his international career had seemingly run aground again, against West Indies in July, Watling suddenly found the steel that had been lacking from his game, making consecutive fifties in the first two ODIs - the first time he had done so in his career. He was injured again after making 40 in the third match, but he had shown enough pluck for New Zealand's management to keep him in their plans. Against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Watling finally demonstrated what team management had seen in him for the past two years.

Watling may not have even played in the second ODI had Brendon McCullum not withdrawn with a stiff lower back, but as has been his recent habit, he did not squander the opportunity. New Zealand have adopted a conservative top order strategy in recent months, and Watling's steady 55 saw the venom leave the pitch and provided the platform for Ross Taylor to flourish after him.

In the next match, Watling had ground his way to 29 from 54, but soon after, both Taylor and James Franklin had fallen, and he took it upon himself to provide the finishing impetus, as he showcased a more belligerent facet of his game. The Watling that blasted 67 from 34 deliveries to close out the innings at 96 not out, suddenly seemed eons away from the player that had scratched his way through his first two years of international cricket. The offside gaps were pinpointed with purring strokes and the vacant areas in the legside targeted aerially. Lasith Malinga had tormented New Zealand in the previous match, but Watling dispatched him for three consecutive boundaries in the penultimate over of the innings.

"He took risks and he hit the ball in the air, it wasn't all along the ground," New Zealand captain Ross Taylor said of Watling's innings. "He showed the power game that he does have. He's getting a lot of belief in himself, I'm sure, from the way he's batted in the last two games, and half the battle at this level is self-belief."

Watling had taken 23 innings to compile three scores over 50, but he now has four half-centuries in five ODIs, with an average of 107.66. Some players ease their way into top-level cricket, and others burn hot from start to finish. Watling's abrupt torrent of runs suggests a dam has burst somewhere, and if he can sustain the deluge, he will remedy his record after two lean years.

"The way BJ is batting is outstanding and he just keeps growing and growing as a player It's terrific, not just for him but also the team," Taylor said. "He's not an automatic selection, but I'm sure the way he's played in the last little while, he's pushing for that."

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