Seamers chip away for Performance squad

Dr DY Patil Sports Academy 219 for 7 (Indulkar 69*, Mangela 55) v EPP
Scorecard

The England Performance Programme (EPP) bowlers shared around the success on the opening day of their latest match against Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. The home side closed on 219 for 7 with Vinit Indulkar unbeaten on 69 to ensure the EPP side had to spend a full day in the field.

James Harris and Ben Stokes took two wickets apiece, both bowlers striking in consecutive deliveries, as the hosts fell to 116 for 5. The opening partnership between Shrideep Mangela and Bhavin Thakkar spanned 20 overs before Harris struck twice. Mangela progressed to 55 before he fell to Chris Wright.

Stokes, the Durham allrounder, who has tasted full international cricket, then found two edges that were taken by Craig Kieswetter, the captain of the EPP side.

Unlike the first match the EPP side played, where Scott Borthwick and Simon Kerrigan were among the wickets, there was less success for the spinners this time. With the squad being rotated, Danny Briggs, who is part of England's Twenty20 squad, and Yorkshire's Azeem Rafiq were given their chance and Rafiq claimed the one wicket for spin in the day.

The EPP will have had visions of batting towards the end of the day but Indulkar, who faced 199 balls and hit eight fours, added 58 for the seventh wicket with Sufiyan Rehmani.


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BCCI wants 'prime' home season

The BCCI is looking to establish a "prime season" for the Indian cricket team at home much like it is in England and Australia, thus reducing the team's touring commitments in the winter.

BCCI president N Srinivasan said: "We are starting to look at and define our prime season, and during your prime season you should be playing at home." Speaking exclusively to ESPNcricinfo, Srinivasan said formalising the Indian season would mean a structured calendar of teams touring India. "We want to have possibly one or two visiting teams during our domestic season, starting in September all the way up to March, and we'll see the extent to which we don't tour outside. Given the FTP that is there, we are going to see how we can adjust."

Domestic cricket would also be rescheduled to make home Tests the centre piece of the season, and encourage more international players to take part in the Ranji Trophy. Srinivasan said: "This year we also encouraged our big players and stars to play domestic cricket. This is a change from the last several years." The Ranji format has been changed to three groups of nine teams each, the BCCI had been told by first-class players, that they wanted to play more cricket.

The BCCI's measures over the last few years, Srinivasan said, had sought to improve the quality of cricket particularly of the longer form of the game. "That is where the emphasis is. An uncapped player who has not played for India cannot play in the IPL unless he plays 60% of the Ranji Trophy games. So in more ways than one, we are pushing a player to the longer version."

In a wide-ranging interview, which will appear in full on ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday, Srinivasan spoke about issues concerning Indian cricket, the BCCI's financial power in world cricket, its refusal to accept the mandatory application of the umpire's Decision Review System (DRS), and the IPL's growing influence on players all over the world and the longer form of the game.

Srinivasan denied that the BCCI had taken an 'obstructionist' approach to the DRS. "We have not taken an obstructionist policy. We don't believe in it, so after discussion members have agreed it should be bilateral. I don't want to dictate to other people… our position has been clear from start. We don't believe the technology is good enough."

He said the ICC's statement that the DRS technology had "improved further" was in a way "acceptance that it was not good enough then" referring to the India tour of England last year. "But it was touted as being good at that point in time. Our problem is that when they say it is all right, then they say it'll get better tomorrow, or an improved version now. So we concede the fact that there was less than adequate perfection. Which is our point, if you want to use technology it must be perfect."

Srinivasan also said that restricting the DRS to two referrals was in some ways a contradiction in itself. "If you don't have faith in the umpire, which itself is a contradiction as in cricket the umpire's verdict is final, if a player shows dissent you fine him. But now you're saying that I have two attempts to question your decision. So the reconciliation between that is difficult. So if you take it to the end point of it, then you have two lampposts with coloured lights red, yellow and green, you don't need an umpire at all, as you refer every decision, so let an automatic reply come from there after a review and you say red or green."

 
 
So if you take it to the end point of it, then you have two lampposts with coloured lights red, yellow and green, you don't need an umpire at all, as you refer every decision, so let an automatic reply come from there after a review and you say red or green The BCCI continues to resist the DRS
 

India's unwillingness to use the DRS means that there are two officiating systems at work in world cricket, to which Srinivasan said: "It doesn't bother me at all because, apart from all this, there is a cost to DRS and there are only one or two people involved. It's a monopoly-area situation, which I am not going in to here. It doesn't bother me if two other countries use DRS, they are happy, that's okay."

The ICC he said had the right to use DRS in its own events, but the BCCI was very clear in its stand on its usage in any bilateral series featuring India. "We are clear in our mind, but I hope, slowly, people will see our point of view."

The IPL, the BCCI's "showcase event" did not, he said, have a negative bearing on international cricket and the BCCI's refusal to ask for a window for the event, was based on the acceptance of the overseas players' packed international calendars. "The IPL management, the BCCI, franchise owners are aware that all the players won't be available all the time, and we've sort of settled down with that."

The IPL he said was not putting "a strain" on other boards. The event's popularity amongst overseas players were a reflection that, "it's a free world. People and players make their choices and we can't compel a person… I don't think that it is all-consuming." While the IPL attracts cricketers from all over the world, he said, "there are only so many players who can play in the IPL, because we have a cap on the number of players in the team. And from what I have seen, players may not be happy to sit out as we have a cap on foreign players. So squad size and the number of franchises have a limiting effect."

The BCCI he said was aware that there was "no real window" available on the international calendar for the IPL. "The BCCI has recognised that today you have ten Full Members, they play each other home and away once in four years. The number of ICC events has increased from ten years ago, so there's a lot of clutter. So the BCCI accepts the fact that there is no real window and that whoever is available plays."

The BCCI's reputation as a bully on the IPL board he said, was "not fair" - and denied that other boards would be wary of going against the BCCI's wishes. "That is not a fact. In the ICC all members are sovereign. The ten full members are sovereign."

Despite India's 8-0 defeats in England and Australia, Srinivasan said it was not fair to say that India got exposed when travelling abroad. "It's not that we get exposed when we go abroad. Every country is used to its own conditions, whether it is England, South Africa, Australia, so they tend to play better in home conditions, which is what we also do."

He said the media in the other teams did not end up "berating their players for not doing well [abroad]" and that there had to be an acceptance and recognition of the "advantage of home conditions… So I don't think we should run down our players by saying we did not do well abroad. Other teams don't do well when they come to India. In the past, we have had teams that have done well both here and abroad, when players were possibly younger."


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USACA eyes Associates in scaled-down league

Months after plans were outlined for a professional Twenty20 competition in the USA that was going to be so impressive there was talk of it impacting on the English season, it seems the reality of finances and availability has led to a marked downscaling of the scheme.

Rather than the big-name international stars originally suggested, USA Cricket Association president Gladstone Dainty has said that organisers will be looking for the best players from Associate and Affiliate countries to form the core of the competition. But that approach could also have major pitfalls by bringing USACA into conflict with other boards.

The competition is due to start in July 2013 and while Dainty admitted there had been unforeseen problems, he insisted it was still very much on course. "It will be a truly global set-up and emerging players - from the likes of Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland, Kenya, wherever - will be given plenty of opportunity," Dainty told ESPNcricinfo. "In the USA we don't have this big pool of players so we will tap into the Associate and Affiliates and we also have New Zealanders to draw on. It's in this way we hope the cricketing world will support our efforts.

"It'll be a showcase and a stage where their players can be playing against the best. There will be financial incentives for their players and I don't think there will be a problem. It's not a long season and flying a player from Ireland or Scotland every week is certainly not a very expensive proposition."

Asked if availability of players in the middle of the European season would be an issue, Dainty said: "We would want them released … just as if an England player is released from their county to play for England. We don't want to stop the Irish and Scottish boards from doing things, we're just trying to put a quality product together and we will work with them to ensure we have access and can share them."

But Dainty's view on availability seems to be based on the requirements of boards to release players for international competitions - and the USA league would not class as that.

Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith, who said that he had not had any contact from USACA, told ESPNcricinfo: "The scheduling will obviously be problematic for Scottish players as it clashes directly with our home season. The primacy of international cricket is paramount as is the high priority CS places on its home non international and regional cricket.

"Contracted players will not be released if it means them missing cricket for Scotland. If there is a window where players are free, and our performance staff believe it is beneficial for all parties that they take part in a sanctioned ICC T20 event then their participation may be a possibility."

Those views were echoed by Cricket Ireland boss Warren Deutrom. "As in anything, our first thought is to be reasonable and provide an opportunity to our players if the schedule permits. As you know, a few of our non-county players have occasionally spent stints in county cricket for specific competitions - for example the ECB T20 - when we have no international commitments.

"Of course, the schedule is key here. Once we know the exact dates for the USA event, we'll be in a better position to know whether it conflicts with our existing commitments which obviously take precedence. USACA would need to seek permission of the counties to release those players during that period."


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Shivkumar, Rassol star with all-round efforts

Kerala 314 (Jagadeesh 199*, Yadav 4-95) and 9 for 0 trail Services 335 (Chatterjee 107, Yashpal 89, Warrier 4-86) by 12 runs
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Services captain Soumik Chatterjee scored a century to give his team the first-innings lead against Kerala in Delhi. Chatterjee, who opened the innings and batted 313 deliveries for 107, was supported by useful contributions from the rest of Services batsmen, most notably Yashpal Singh, who made 89.

The fight for the first-innings lead had got tense at one stage, when Services were 264 for 5 as Chatterjee fell, but the lower-order batsmen secured a 21-run advantage. Sandeep Warrier took 4 for 86 in his second first-class game for Kerala. The visitors were 9 for 0 at stumps, trailing Services by 12 runs.

Goa 285 for 9 (Shukla 84, Shivkumar 6-41) trail Andhra 393 (Shivkumar 106*, Mumuzdar 88*, Bandekar 5-107, Gadekar 4-97) by 108 runs
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A day after scoring his maiden first-class century to lead Andhra to a commanding total, Duvvarapu Shivkumar claimed his first five-wicket haul to take his team to the verge of securing a significant first-innings lead. Shivkumar's 6 for 41 reduced Goa to 285 for 9, still behind Andhra by 108 runs.

The third day in Visakhapatnam began with Goa on 72 for 1, and they lost Sagun Kamat after only one run was scored. Thereafter, Goa had only one substantial stand - 90 between Ravikant Shukla and Reagan Pinto for the fifth wicket. Shukla ended the day unbeaten on 84 but watched Shivkumar cut through his team-mates at the other end. Goa scored only 213 runs in the day.

Assam 165 (Jadhav 69, Rassol 7-41) and 46 for 3 (Dayal 2-12) need another 431 runs to beat Jammu &Kashmir 323 (Rassol 67, Haroon 52, Arup Das 6-87) and 318 for 5 dec (Ian Dev 118, Rassol 120*)
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Centuries from Ian Dev Singh and Parvez Rassol built Jammu & Kashmir a huge lead on the third day in Guwahati, and three early wickets in Assam's improbable chase gave the visitors a good chance of an outright victory.

J&K began the third morning on 1 for 0, with a lead of 159. Ian Dev went on to make 118, and Rassol continued his excellent match by hammering an unbeaten 120 off 106 deliveries. He had made 67 in J&K's first innings and also taken 7 for 41 to dismiss Assam for 165. J&K scored 318 for 5 before declaring, setting Assam a target of 476.

Ram Dayal struck two blows with the new ball for J&K before Assam had even scored, and Ian Dev picked up a third wicket. Assam go into the final day with seven wickets in hand to try and prevent an outright defeat.

Tripura 441 (Roy 111, Ali 83, Dhawan 4-114) and 116 for 5 (Abbas Ali 59*, Malik 3-25) lead Himachal Pradesh 260 (Dhawan 54, Murasingh 4-86, Dutta 4-65) by 297 runs
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Himachal Pradesh resumed their first innings on 111 for 5 on the second morning and were dismissed for 260, 181 runs behind Tripura. Manisankar Murasingh and Ranadutta finished with four wickets each.

In their second innings, Tripura lost their first four wickets for 13 runs but Abbas Ali steadied the innings with a half-century. By stumps they were ahead by 297 with five wickets in hand. An early declaration on the final day could give Tripura enough time to press for an outright win.


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Kenya appoint first female chair

Cricket Kenya have created a piece of history by electing a women as their new chair - the first female to head a national cricket board.

Zehra Janmohammed, a Nairobi-based lawyer, was unanimously elected to replace Samir Inamdar, who held the post for seven years.

"I take this opportunity to thank the cricket fraternity for placing their trust for leadership under me," Janmohammed said. "I would like to make a covenant of uniting everyone for the benefit of the sport and my only agenda will be to grow the sport and achieve measurable results."

She served as a legal advisor to the old Kenya Cricket Association and will be responsible for implementing the findings of a comprehensive review that was carried out in the wake of Kenya's disastrous 2011 World Cup campaign - their worst performance in a World Cup.

Kenya were hammered by New Zealand - who bowled them out for 69 - Pakistan and Sri Lanka, handsomely beaten by Australia and, of most concern, being swept aside by Zimbabwe and comfortably beaten by Canada. An alarming set of results only eight years on from a semi-final in 2003.

"My short term plans are to ensure both the national Under-19 and the senior men's team qualify for the next World Cup," she said. "Kenya play Canada in the UAE in March, in a match we need to win to stay in contention for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand."

Kenya currently lie sixth in the ICC World Cricket League Championship, with the top two teams in the group automatically qualifying for the 2015 World Cup. Kenya have six points with two matches to play. Ireland top the table with 13 points, Scotland are second with 11.

Should Kenya miss out on automatic qualification, they will still have a route to the World Cup via the qualifying tournament in 2014.


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Washouts in Johannesburg and Bloemfontein

Match abandoned Lions 208 for 6 in 43 overs (McKenzie 73, Ntini 2-23) v Warriors
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Lions and Warriors shared points because their game in Johannesburg was washed out after only 43 overs were bowled in the first innings. Lions stayed on top of the league with 28 points, while Warriors were bottom with nine.

Lions were put in by Warriors and they slipped from 31 for 0 to 60 for 4, with Makhaya Ntini striking twice. Neil McKenzie stayed steady at one end, scoring 73, and he had a 80-run stand with Temba Bvuma. Lions had reached 208 for 6 when the match was interrupted and ended by bad weather.

Match abandoned without a ball bowled Knights v Cape Cobras
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The players didn't even take the field in Bloemfontein, where another washout gave Knights and Cape Cobras two points each. Cape Cobras are second in the league with 24 points, while Knights as second from last with 18.


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Kerala's Jagadeesh stranded on 199

Services 84 for 2 (Warrier 2-13) trail Kerala 314 (Jagadeesh 199*, Yadav 4-95) by 230 runs
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VA Jagadeesh was stranded on 199, agonisingly short of what would have been his maiden double-century in first-class cricket, as Kerala were bowled out for 314 by Services on the second day in Delhi.

Kerala began the day on 192 for 5, with Jagadeesh batting on 126. Like on the first day, Jagadeesh got little support from his team-mates and batsmen came and went at the other end. From 240 for 5, Kerala slipped to 260 for 8. Jagadeesh did most of the scoring and motored towards a double but lost last man Sandeep Warrier in the 135th over of the innings.

Warrier returned to strike early blows in Services' reply, reducing them to 30 for 2. They were 84 for 2 at stumps.

Goa 72 for 1 trail Andhra 393 (Shivkumar 106*, Mumuzdar 88*, Bandekar 5-107, Gadekar 4-97) by 321 runs
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Duvvarapu Shivkumar scored his maiden first-class century to lead Andhra to a sizeable total against Goa in Visakhapatnam. Resuming on 12 on the second morning, Shivkumar went on to make an unbeaten 106, leading his team to 393. He and Amol Muzumdar extended their sixth-wicket stand to 124 before Muzumdar was lbw to Saurabh Bandekar, who finished with 5 for 107. Bandekar's new-ball partner, Hanumant Gadekar, claimed 4 for 97.

Shivkumar had success with the ball too, removing Goa opener Swapnil Asnodkar cheaply. Sagun Kamat remained unbeaten on 41 as Goa ended day two on 72 for 1.

Jammu &Kashmir 323 (Rassol 67, Haroon 52, Arup Das 6-87) and 1 for 0 lead Assam 165 (Jadhav 69, Rassol 7-41) by 159 runs
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After scoring a half-century in Jammu & Kashmir's first innings, Parvez Rassol took career best figures, his 7 for 41 securing a 158-run first innings lead against Assam in Guwahati.

The second day began with J&K on 240 for 7 and the tail contributed to stretch the total to 323 before they were dismissed in the 110th over. Assam bowler Arup Das also took career-best figures of 6 for 87.

Assam's openers Dheeraj Jadhav and Pallavkumar Das added 55 for the first wicket, and Jadhav's half-century led his team to the secure position of 126 for 2. Jadhav's dismissal, however, triggered a slide during which Assam lost eight wickets for 39 runs in about 17 overs. Rassol took six of the eight.

Himachal Pradesh 111 for 5 trail Tripura 441 (Roy 111, Ali 83, Dhawan 4-114) by 330 runs
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After beinning the second day on 325 for 4, Tripura's middle and lower order added only 116 more runs in Nadaun, but by stumps they stood a great chance of taking the first-innings lead. Manisankar Murasingh and Rana Dutta took two wickets each to reduce Himachal Pradesh to 111 for 5.


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Bell returns to complete copybook

Ian Bell has returned to India determined to put right what he believes is the one glaring omission in his record as an international batsman.

Bell, who missed the second Test on paternity leave, feels that personal success in India represents the final frontier in an international career that has encompassed significant highs in every other Test-playing nation.

But, after six Tests in India, Bell's record is distinctly modest. He averages 18.36 with a top score of 57, made on his first senior tour in 2006. It is a disappointing return for one so richly talented and stands in stark contrast to his overall career record of 5,549 Test runs at an average of 46.24. His ODI record in the country - 237 runs from nine matches with an average of 26.33 - is also markedly lower than his overall record.

"India is the one place," Bell said. "My first tour to Pakistan went really well. I played nice cricket in Sri Lanka. But here has not gone so well. And it's been the same in one-day cricket. It's the one place left around the world for me."

Bell admitted his anxiety to prove himself in India had resulted in his first innings dismissal in Ahmedabad - caught at mid-off as he charged down the pitch and attempted to loft his first delivery over the infield. The example of Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen had reminded him that occupying the crease offered a more sensible long-term tactic than trying to dominate from the start.

"Maybe sometimes I have tried a bit too hard," he said. "That shot in Ahmedabad was a sign of me saying, 'Right, I'm coming at you, I'm not going to sit here and just get out'. I've got off the mark a lot with that shot over the last few years. It's a big shot for me. My attempt was to be positive. At times, I have been reactive rather than positive. When it doesn't come off, it doesn't look particularly great but that's probably the first one I've hit straight up in the air in an England shirt. I'm not going to put that shot away but I'll probably have to pick a better time to play it. I take full responsibility: it was a poor way to get out in that situation.

"Watching the way Cook and Pietersen played in the last game, there are runs out here if you occupy the crease long enough. Cook has led by example. It will get easier but you have to do the work early in your innings."

 
 
"He's been able to turn Warwickshire into a really good side and created an environment where players can learn to do things for themselves." Ian Bell on Ashley Giles
 

While Bell arrived back in England just too late to support his wife through the birth of their first child, he still described fatherhood as "the best thing that has ever happened to me" and felt the added perspective the experience had given him would only help him as a cricketer. "From what's happened in the last week, my thoughts have changed," he said. "Maybe I've built a bit too much on myself in the past and now I just want to go out and trust my ability and spend time in the middle and score runs.

"I've got better over time but, certainly in my early days, I'd beat myself up a lot. You want to score runs every time but the realism is that you're not going to. There will be times when you are in really good form and times when runs are hard to come by. But certainly now it gives me more of a balance and I can enjoy every day and every time I am with the England team. That's what I want to do - not worry about things and go out and enjoy my cricket."

Bell also welcomed the appointment of Ashley Giles as England's limited-overs coach. Bell played with Giles for Warwickshire and England and, more recently, has watched Giles at close quarters in his role as director of cricket at Edgbaston. "It is exciting for him," Bell said. "He has been fantastic at Warwickshire. When he took over we were in a tricky position and it took him a couple of years to sort it out. In the last couple of years, with a couple of good signings as well, he's been able to turn the team into a really good side. He's created an environment where players can learn to do things for themselves. Hopefully, with Andy Flower, he can do that with England, too.

"I see no reason why having two coaches won't work. Look at the fixtures: people talk about the players, but the backroom staff have to do every game as well. It's just as important to rotate those guys and keep them fresh as it is for the players. Hopefully, this will have a great impact for Andy and the whole back-room staff. To keep that intensity all year round is hard, so to bring in fresh energy will be great."

While Bell is likely to win his place back in the team, it is no certainty. Jonny Bairstow, who made such a fine impression in the final Test of the series against South Africa, making 95 and 54, could count himself most unfortunate to miss out on selection in Ahmedabad and had little luck when being given out in Mumbai, caught by a ball that had bounced off Gautam Gambhir's helmet at silly point.

"It was obviously desperately disappointing," Bairstow said of being dropped for Ahmedabad. "But I'll be delighted if I do get selected this time and I'm working hard in training and in the nets. That's the situation in professional sport. You learn to deal with it, growing up when you come through playing for your county and then for the Lions, then one-dayers and up to the Tests."

It is possible that both men could play. The experiment with using Samit Patel as an allrounder could well be abandoned - he delivered just four overs in the Mumbai Test - leaving him to fight for selection on the merit of his batting alone. And, averaging just 12.66 with the bat after four Tests, he has not made the strongest case for his retention.


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New rule denies Talha Jubair shot at perfect ten

Dhaka Metropolis medium-pacer Talha Jubair took the first eight wickets to fall in the National Cricket League match against Rangpur Division in Bogra, but he was prevented from trying for all ten because of a new rule implemented by the Bangladesh board to protect players from injury. From this season, a seamer is allowed to bowl a maximum of 15 overs per day in Bangladesh's domestic first-class tournament.

Jubair took eight wickets in an opening spell that lasted 13 overs and spanned the entire first session. His last wicket came in his 11th over, and he sought permission to bowl more overs but the match referee Hemayet Ahmed did not allow it after Rangpur turned down the request. Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny took the remaining two wickets.

"Pace bowlers this season have been asked to bowl no more than 15 overs per day," said Hafiz Joarder, member secretary of BCB's tournament committee. "The technical committee has made this recommendation before the NCL started, and our physician has also approved of it.

"Many of our pace bowlers have had back and leg injuries in the past few seasons due to the hard grounds across the country. Not every outfield is like the one in Khulna or Mirpur."

Joarder said the BCB can enforce such a decree on the pace bowlers because it is a domestic tournament. "We can do it because it is being held domestically. We follow all the ICC rules and playing condition but we can include our own rules too."

Jubair's 8 for 35 is the best bowling figures in an innings for a Bangladeshi seamer in first-class cricket, beating Al-Amin Hossain's 7 for 37 from the 2011-12 season.


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Roy ton builds strong base for Tripura

Kerala 192 for 5 (Jagadeesh 126*, Yadav 2-52) v Services
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VA Jagadeesh scored his second century of the season but his team-mates couldn't give him support and Kerala slipped to 192 for 5 on the first day against Services in Delhi. Jagadeesh batted the entire day, facing 225 balls for 126. Kerala's openers added 49 before Abhishek Hegde was lbw to Suraj Yadav. The Kerala captain Rohan Prem made 5 off 69 balls before he was dismissed and his team them slumped to 112 for 4. Jagadeesh dominated a 70-run stand for the fifth wicket before Sachin Baby fell close to stumps.

Tripura 325 for 4 (Roy 111, Ali 83, Ratra 55*) v Himachal Pradesh
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After making half-centuries in his previous two games, Tripura opener Subhrajit Roy scored his first hundred of the season to lead his team towards an imposing first-innings score against Himachal Pradesh in Nadaun. Roy made 111 with 20 fours, adding 160 runs for the third wicket with Abbas Ali, who made 83. Roy did not see the day out but the Tripura captain Ajay Ratra made an unbeaten 55 to lead his team to 325 for 4 at stumps. Rishi Dhawan was the pick of Himachal's bowlers, taking 2 for 83 in 25 overs.

Jammu & Kashmir 240 for 7 (Rassol 67, Das 4-58) v Assam
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Assam seamer Arup Das took 4 for 58, his best figures this season, to prevent Jammu & Kashmir from having sizeable partnerships on the first day in Guwahati. J&K's openers fell cheaply after they were asked to bat but the middle-order batsmen got starts. Only Parvez Rassol went past fifty though as Nos 3 and 5 were dismissed in the 30s. Wicketkeeper Obaid Haroon was unbeaten on 35 at stumps.

Andhra 240 for 5 (Muzumdar 56*, Bandekar 3-62) v Goa
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Andhra were reduced to 137 for 4 by Goa in Visakhapatnam before Amol Muzumdar steadied the innings with a half-century. Muzumdar made and unbeaten 56, and had partnerships of 57 with AG Pradeep and 46 with Duvvarapu Shivakumar to lift his team to 240 for 5 at stumps. New-ball bowler Saurabh Bandekar caused the most damage for Goa, taking 3 for 63.


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