Shastri to focus on liaising with selectors

Ravi Shastri, the India team director, has said that he has already started liaising with the selectors as part of his new role. In a media interaction in Mumbai, Shastri, whose tenure as team director was extended until the World Cup next year, also said that he hoped to pass on his knowledge and experience to the youngsters in the Indian team during his stint.

The former India captain had been appointed to the role during the ODI series on India's tour of England, after the team suffered a 3-1 loss in the Test series. During the working committee meeting last month, the BCCI agreed to extend his tenure along with the terms of three other support staff members - B Arun, Sanjay Bangar and R Sridhar - who had also been brought in along with Shastri.

"I have already started talking to them [the selection committee] and we have no issues on that. My job is not to select an Indian cricket team, it is their job, but my job is to at least communicate with them and see on what lines they are [thinking] so that we both are on the same page," he said, at the Mumbai Press Club event. "Probably discuss talent, discuss what would be the kind of team you need in Australia.

"See, combinations are very important. You have got to identify your strengths and see who are the right people to manage those roles and areas of your strengths. That importantly comes up with the team. Prime importance, I believe, will always be given to current form. I think form is very important.

"My job is to communicate with whoever is there and I will not take a step back. At the moment, I have been communicating with all the five."

Elaborating on his role with the team, Shastri said he aims to pass on the experience of having played the game at the highest level and watched it closely from the commentary box since his retirement to the young Indian team.

"My job [as director] is to ensure that everything is in order. It's not just about communicating with the players. It's also about giving your views, your inputs as a former player, and as a broadcaster. I've watched more cricket than I've played. So there's enough in this upper-storey here (pointing to his forehead) that can be used before I forget it," he said. "That's what I tell the players. Don't be afraid to ask me questions, because there's enough there for me to be able to contribute. Yes, obviously you'll have to have a dialogue with the selectors as to where they're coming from and what their train of thought is. What we feel as part of the Indian cricket team, so that there's healthy communication and you get something that's best for the Indian cricket team."

While appointing Shastri during the series in England, the BCCI "gave a break" to fielding coach Trevor Penney and bowling coach Joe Dawes, who had worked closely with the team's head coach, Duncan Fletcher. When asked if Fletcher had come to terms with a new support-staff group, Shastri said: "Absolutely, he is brilliant. He is a seasoned campaigner. He has over 100 Test matches as a coach for various teams. The good thing is Fletch and me go a long way back. We know each other. I captained the U-25 team against Zimbabwe in 1984 when he was the captain of Zimbabwe. He has got a fabulous track record. It is how we use the knowledge that he has in the best possible way and communicate with the players."

Shastri reiterated that, despite his and Fletcher's presence in the team, MS Dhoni was the man in charge.

"The boss is the captain on the cricket field. I am in charge of the coaching staff. That's put into place. My job is to oversee things and see things go all right. Who cares who's the boss? At the end of the day, you win and to hell with it, yaar. Jisko boss banna hai bano. [Whoever wants to be the boss, let him do so]."

Shastri contended that the Twenty20 format was crucial for Test cricket to thrive but said that lengthy bilateral T20 and ODI series could be reduced. He suggested that the World Cup and the World T20 should have the most emphasis among limited-overs competitions.

"If you look at cricket per say, if you didn't have T20 cricket, Test cricket will die. People don't realise. You just play Test cricket, and don't play one-day cricket and T20 cricket, and speak to me after 10 years. The economics will just not allow the game to survive," he stated. "You need that injection by the way of T20 cricket. How do you balance it out? Now, is there any need for bilateral T20s? I don't think so. No need for these one-off T20 matches. Pointless. Yes, you want one-day cricket. Even that can be reduced. You don't have to play five-five matches in a series. Keep the emphasis on World Cups, both in T20s and the 50-over formats. Then let your domestic competitions thrive."

Shastri stressed the need for India's top cricketers to play domestic competitions and hoped that the new FTP cycle, which starts after the World Cup, would help India focus on a building a home season.

"That's where you need balance. You open corridors and India, in the new FTP, are planning to do that, where they play two domestic series at home, which I think is the way to go. Why should only Australia or South Africa or England guarantee themselves of a home season. Why can't India? India has enough muscle to put their foot down and say: at this time of the year, we will play cricket in India. We will not go anywhere else. Take it or leave it."

Shastri also clarified that he will be with the Indian team on a full-time basis during the triangular series in Australia, against the hosts and England, and would use the time between Tests to try and watch more domestic cricket.

"That's where I am going to divide my time leading into the World Cup. That's why I've said I'm going to be in and out during this one-day series. Even during the tour of Australia, if there is some big domestic game happening here, and if I feel there's a need for someone who's been there, [I will watch]," Shastri said. "The team is cut-off. The captain, the coaching staff will be cut-off from what's happening here. It won't be a bad idea for someone to come back, watch a couple of games and then head back. There are gaps between Test matches, and you can make the most of it."

Between 2015 and 2023, India are scheduled to play four five-Test series against England and as many four-Test series against Australia. The former India captain, however, has suggested that Test series in the modern era should not exceed three games.

"I believe that tours should be only three Tests. With the amount of these things that is taking place, you will find that once you go for five-Test match series, 80-90% of the times the home team will win and you will see teams going straight down after the third match," he said. "You saw what happened to England during the Ashes in Australia. I am a firm believer that, in the future, just keep all Test series to three because imagine a side coming to India and they are three-zip down after three Test matches...how much interest is there?

"I am looking at all round, I am looking at a bigger picture, I am looking at the crowd sitting and watching, I am looking at television ratings, I am looking at the way the game is going to the future and how you sustain interest from people who want to watch it and follow it. I firmly believe Test series should never be two Test matches, three is enough. Five, Australia-England for tradition is fine. But I still think five is too much."

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Need good domestic spinners, turning pitches - Misbah

Misbah-ul-Haq has said that Pakistani batsmen struggle at times against quality spin because they are not used to facing it on turning pitches in domestic cricket. Pakistan lost their first four wickets to Australia's spinners and scraped to 96 for 9 on a Dubai turner to lose the only T20 international.

"Sometimes it happens," Misbah said ahead of the first ODI in Sharjah. "When you are not having more spinners at the domestic level, batsmen are not facing more good spinners in domestic competitions … you are not used to facing them.

"You need good spinners at domestic level and you need to have some turners there so the batsmen can get used to them. It is a big factor and if you see, some of the batsmen who have played more of their cricket in Karachi on pitches where it turns a little bit, and they have faced more spinners, they play spin well."

Spin accounted for eight of the 13 wickets that fell in Dubai and Misbah said that the surface would have troubled any batsman. "Obviously on a pitch like the one we played on, both teams were struggling against spin because it was gripping and turning. On a pitch like that any batsman can struggle."

George Bailey said that teams were "doctoring" their pitches to take advantage of the Australians' frailties against spin, but Misbah felt that the visitors had become better players of slow bowling. "Playing in the IPL and getting exposure they have improved against spin. It is not about the Australians. It is about every batsman. If it is turning and the bowler is pitching it in the right areas, you have some trouble but you need to focus on your technique, your basics. Just like fast bowling, for spin you need to have good basics to face it. They are playing spin well at the moment but still even in the last game you see they were having trouble against Shahid Afridi and Raza Hasan, so we can exploit that but at the same time we also have to play spin well."

Misbah said that given the conditions, Pakistan could not depend only on spin going into the series. "You need to have a balance between pace and spin. You normally need five bowlers in a one-day or T20 game. Everybody has to really play his role. You cannot just rely that two spinners will do the damage. The way the Australians bowled on that pitch. Their fast bowlers bowled well, their spinners bowled well. On these pitches, everybody can play his role."

Pakistan are without their lead spinner Saeed Ajmal, who has been banned for an illegal action. Misbah said that Pakistan had no option but to move on in his absence, and felt that left-arm spinner Hasan, who claimed 2 for 17 in the T20, had the potential to step in.

"It is really difficult for anybody to fill in for Saeed Ajmal because he has been the number one or two bowler since last three-four years. Raza Hasan is also a very good bowler. If Saeed is not there somebody has to just raise his hand and try to fill in. I think he (Hasan) showed that in the games before and even yesterday. He can be a bowler who can give something to Pakistan.

"It is really pleasing the way he (Hasan) bowled. He was doing really well in the T20s before he got injured. Got operated. Good sign for Pakistan that he is back. In the one-day series we'll be hoping that he continues to bowl like that."

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WICB holds inaugural domestic player draft

The West Indies Cricket Board staged its inaugural player draft in Bridgetown for the upcoming expanded domestic season. The draft was held over five rounds, with each of the six regional franchises selecting five players each, in addition to the ten each pre-selected from their home territories.

Guyana's Ramnaresh Sarwan was picked by Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in the second round of the draft, while Barbados' Raymon Reifer went to the Guyanese franchise. They were the only two players who were not selected by their territorial sides.

"We felt having a player of the calibre of Sarwan in our side would be invaluable to our squad which includes a number of young players," said Gus Logie, the T&T head coach.

"We have struggled with the all-rounder role and we were glad to get a second player (Reifer) in the all-rounder position," said Rayon Griffith, the Guyana chairman of selectors.

A WICB release stated that the draft was organised to achieve an equitable distribution of the available player talent in the regional four-day and one-day tournaments. The six franchises participated in the draft through a selection panel consisting of the chairman of selectors and head coach. The selection order for the draft was according to the final league position in the 2013-14 WICB regional four-day competition. The following sequence was followed for each round:

1. Guyana franchise, 2. Leeward Islands franchise, 3. Jamaica franchise, 4. Windward Islands Volcanoes, 5. Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, 6. Barbados franchise

Squads

Barbados franchise Carlos Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Kyle Corbin, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Ashley Nurse, Dwayne Smith, Kevin Stoute, Omar Phillips, Jomel Warrican; Tino Best, Shai Hope, Kenroy Williams, Ryan Hinds, Roston Chase

Guyana franchise Christopher Barnwell, Ronsford Beaton, Devendra Bishoo, Anthony Bramble, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, Trevon Griffith, Leon Johnson, Veerasammy Permaul; Raymon Reifer, Rajindra Chandrika, Keon Joseph, Paul Wintz, Vishal Singh

Jamaica franchise Carlton Baugh, David Bernard, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, John Campbell, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Dawes, Damion Jacobs, Tamar Lambert, Nikita Miller; Andre McCarthy, Shacaya Thomas, Horace Miller, Brandon King, Brian Buchanan

Leeward Islands franchise Quinton Boatswain, Jahmar Hamilton, Montcin Hodge, Yannick Leonard, Steve Liburd, Jeremiah Louis, Kieran Powell, Devon Thomas, Hayden Walsh, Kelbert Walters; Anthony Martin, Gavin Tonge, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jacques Taylor, Lyndel Richardson

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force Adrian Barath, Rayad Emrit, Shannon Gabriel, Stephen Katwaroo, Imran Khan, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Nicolas Pooran, Marlon Richards, Lendl Simmons; Akeal Hosein, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Yannick Ottley, Jeremy Solozano, Bryan Charles

Windward Islands Volcanoes Sunil Ambris, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Delorn Johnson, Keddy Lesporis, Kenroy Peters, Liam Sebastien, Shane Shillingford, Devon Smith, Tyrone Theophile; Mervin Mathew, Nelon Pascal, Lindon James, Dalton Polius, Romel Currency

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Pietersen's end a catalogue of failures

Although angry and full of bombast, Kevin Pietersen's book should unsettle English cricket, though. If even some of his claims are true, the culture within the England camp has been destructive for a long time

Like watching the bitter divorce of friends, the overwhelming reaction to Kevin Pietersen's autobiography is regret.

It no longer matters who is right or wrong. In such a fight, we all lose. It doesn't matter who gets the toaster.

It shouldn't have ended like this. The finest England batsman of his generation and the finest England team in a lifetime should not have drifted apart to such an extent that they are sniping at each other in a way that does nobody any good.

Of course Pietersen deserves his right of reply. Of course he deserves his chance to clarify the events that appear to have ended his international career. Of course this is a must-read book. It is riveting. It is illuminating. It is audacious. It is outrageous.

But most of all it is sad.

Because talents like Pietersen come along all too rarely. Because cricket, in the UK in particular, is crying out for entertaining, box-office players to win back supporters and inspire the next generation. Because, with a bit more imagination, a bit more humility, a bit more carrot and a bit less stick, Pietersen could still be playing for England.

Instead he is, as he would put it, settling scores, correcting injustices and, understandably, putting his side of the story on the record. That, more than money, will be the motivation behind this book. He feels he is a wronged man. And, up to a point, he might have a point.

It is unlikely many will change their mind about Pietersen as a result of this book. Just as his supporters will find new ammunition for his defence, his detractors will find examples of his perceived divisiveness and self-absorption. However good the book on Manchester United, it won't make Liverpool fans support them.

There is a telling phrase on page 313. "There should be more cricket in these pages."

And he's right. Because it is sad that the man who played some of the best innings in England's Test history - three of his last four centuries (Colombo, Headingley and Mumbai) can only be described as "great" - the man who played the switch-hit against Muttiah Muralitharan in a Test and saw the ball sail for six, the greatest run-scorer in England's international history, the man who played a part in four Ashes triumphs and was man of the tournament when England won their only global trophy is in danger of being remembered as little more than an argumentative ego-maniac with a mistrust of authority who could fall out with his own reflection.

He deserves better than that. And so do Matt Prior who, whatever his perceived faults, was a wonderfully selfless player for England through many of their finest years, and Andy Flower, who seized a poorly-performing group of talented individuals and turned them, just briefly, into the finest team in the world.

Instead Flower and Prior are destroyed in this book - the abuse of Prior is, at times, amusing but soon becomes gross and gratuitous - and, in the coming weeks, the revenge attacks on Pietersen will be no more edifying.

All of it - the book and the ensuing squabbles - is a manifestation of an appalling failure to manage a character who, while demanding, was also brilliant.

Perhaps, in a perfect world, Pietersen could have taken a more subtle approach. He could have corrected what he sees as misinformation but he could have avoided the excessive abuse that sometimes follows.

	Maybe, more than anything, he craved acceptance and support and praise. Maybe, in a more benevolent environment, England might have coaxed even more out of him. It is telling that, in psychometric testing, he was rated as an introvert. The brash exterior? A coping mechanism, perhaps

But Pietersen is not a fellow to do things by half measures. Just as when batting, he reacts to adversity in typically straightforward, bold manner. You might as well try and persuade a lion of the virtues of vegetarianism as preach subtlety to Pietersen.

Among the revelations in the book, Pietersen claims he never issued an ultimatum over the sacking of Peter Moores; he never used the word 'doos' in a message - though he does not deny agreeing with the sentiments - to a South African player (and really, does it matter if he did?); he has sometimes been embarrassed by Piers Morgan's aggressive support; he never much wanted the captaincy and he was not the instigator of the anti-Flower tirade in a team meeting after the defeat in Melbourne. It was, according to KP, Prior.

All of which leads to the question: what did Pietersen really do that was so bad?

Maybe he was brash. Maybe he was clumsy. Maybe he was rather pleased with himself. But none of those are reasons to exclude someone from a team. As he puts it: "I was often naive and sometimes stupid. I was no villain, though."

Maybe, more than anything, he craved acceptance and support and praise. Maybe, in a more benevolent environment, England might have coaxed even more out of him. It is telling that, in psychometric testing, he was rated as an introvert. The brash exterior? A coping mechanism, perhaps.

There are admissions of errors. He admits he was an unsympathetic captain. He admits his overt support of his IPL team, the Delhi Daredevils, was sometimes expressed inappropriately (such as when watching the IPL on TV during a Test against the West Indies at Lord's). He admits to some poor strokes. He admits, on the issue of South Africa and the "quota system", that he "said too much without understanding enough." And he admits trying too hard to be ostentatiously English in his early days.

Perhaps, were he more reflective, he might admit that his seeming inability to move on from upsets and slights - his sense of being wronged when he wanted a few days at home during the Caribbean tour in 2009 is a bizarre recurring theme - was unhelpful and that his failure to work towards building a constructive relationship with Flower was a major fault.

This book should unsettle English cricket, though. If Pietersen's claims are true - and there is an uncomfortable ring of truth around some of them - the culture within the England camp has been destructive for a long time. The failure to manage problems reflects poorly on not just the likes of Hugh Morris - dismissed as "a weak prick" by Pietersen - and Paul Downton - who comes out of this little better - but also on the entire ECB management system. What where they all doing that the situation sunk to this level? It is a damning indictment of their management.

While it would be easy to dismiss Pietersen's claims - you can guarantee the ECB will do so - it would also be a mistake. Pietersen is not the only man from the England dressing room to talk of bullying, to talk of cliques and to talk of an unhealthy culture. He is just the only one brave enough to do it publicly.

And he is not the only one to describe Flower in negative terms. While the Flower who led England to No. 1 might have been focused and determined, he was also capable of loosening the reins sometimes. But by the end of the last Ashes series in Australia, the atmosphere within the England squad was miserable.

Players were intimidated by Flower. He was seen, and not just by Pietersen, as a brooding menace in the dressing room. As a negative influence. As part of the problem. While Pietersen's view of Flower is extreme it is not unique. If the ECB do not know that, they are not communicating with the players effectively.

There are other pertinent points made. Pietersen complains about his medical treatment following an operation on his Achilles tendon in 2009 that he says jeopardised his career. He was, he claims, not given appropriate after-care (he relates a tale of a cab driver helping him into his home following surgery) and was encouraged to return to training far too soon.

Bearing in mind the state Prior was in when he played the Lord's Test against India this year, it seems reasonable to ask some questions of the medical support team.

There are other fascinating insights: the extent - perhaps the psychological extent - of the knee injury sustained in Queenstown in early 2013 - he reckons he has never been more than 75% of the player he once was; that his cricket income "tripled" following his sacking by England and the claim that the ECB tried to persuade the MCC not to select him for the bicentenary game at Lord's. He says he "hated playing for England" for a while.

And, through it all, there are complaints - some will call them 'moans' - about the schedule. About the schedule that pushed Graeme Swann into premature retirement, that pushed Jonathan Trott to a breakdown and which compromises England at every stage. Might some of Pietersen's injuries have been a psychosomatic reaction to the demands of that schedule? A physical expression of his mental exhaustion? A plea for time off from an environment in which he felt unwelcome and, in his words, bullied?

But, incredibly, he still admits to harbouring hopes of a recall. By describing Peter Moores as "a good bloke" and Cook as "a nice man" and "decent at heart," Pietersen may feel he has not burned his bridges with the men who look set to remain in charge for a while yet. And by attempting to diminish Flower and Downton, he may feel he may yet see an ECB set-up where the door is opened once more. It seems unlikely, but so much about Pietersen's life has been.

So, realistically, this is the end. The last word. His final statement.

It should have been a celebration. Instead it is a bitter divorce played out in public. The brightest chapter in England's recent history, and all the characters involved in it, deserved a happier ending. It is not the legacy Flower had in mind.

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'How are we going to deal with 50 overs?' - Waqar

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has expressed his disappointment at the team's batting in the one-off Twenty20 against Australia, where they wobbled to 96 for 9 from their 20 overs. The Australians had little trouble chasing down the target in 14 overs with four wickets down and it gave them the perfect start to their UAE tour with the first of three ODIs to be played on Tuesday.

"Batting, we didn't really put enough runs on the board," Younis said. "Losing early wickets, it was not easy after that. And full credit to the Australians, they bowled well, they bowled to the plan and they came out good. I think there was nothing wrong with the pitch, it just spun a little more than usual."

"The major focus for us is how are we going to deal with 50 overs? We have to make sure that we bat 50 overs. It was disappointing what happened today."

Pakistan's debutant Saad Nasim top scored with 25 but only two of the top eight batsmen reached double figures, which meant a challenging total was always unlikely. Notably, Umar Akmal's run of poor form continued with 1 from 5 balls, and across both ODIs and T20 internationals, he has now managed only 25 runs in his past six innings.

"That's not only a worrying sign for U but for us also," Younis said of Akmal. "We have to really sit down and think hard about his batting, and his wicketkeeping also. We speak about his talent. He hasn't really delivered. We have to really speak to him and maybe try different things with him."

For the Australians, the six-wicket win ensured they will have the momentum for the first ODI in Sharjah. Glenn Maxwell, who opened the bowling and picked up 3 for 13, said Australia were pleased to be able to start the tour on such a strong note.

"That's what we were aiming to do tonight, to really put our front foot forward and basically put a dent in Pakistan and make it harder for them to come back for the rest of the time we're here," Maxwell said. "To start a series like that where it's a really dominating win with six overs left is a great way to start a tour.

"If you can keep your foot on the throat the whole way through the tour and basically stay on the opposition the whole way through, it just shows what you're really here to do. Going back to the India tour where India just basically stood on us the whole way through that series and it was tough to come back from. Hopefully we can do that to Pakistan and go home with six wins."

Although Maxwell was named Man of the Match, there were other positive signs for the Australians as well, including the performance of debutant legspinner Cameron Boyce. He took 2 for 10 from his four overs and Maxwell said it was an impressive effort for a man new to international cricket.

"To perform like that on the big stage, in your first international game is a super effort," Maxwell said. "He was landing them and spinning them and showcasing his full skill."

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van der Merwe, Richards star for Titans

Rowan Richards, the Titans' left-arm seamer, bagged the first hat-trick of the South African summer and secured a 170-run victory for his team against the Warriors in Benoni. Richards' three wickets formed part of his seventh career five-for and followed on from a much stronger Titans batting effort than they have displayed for almost a season.

Although the Titans' top two - who only managed a single half-century stand last summer - still struggled, Test opener Dean Elgar managed scores of 44 and 45 in what will be his last first-class outing before he is needed for international duty. The big runs came from other sources. Theunis de Bruyn, a 21-year-old batsman from the University of Pretoria scored 95, which included an 80-run partnership with Elgar, but barely hinted at what was to come.

It was only when Roelof van der Merwe got going that the tide turned in the Titans' favour and strongly so as van der Merwe converted a maiden first-class century into a double with 205. Farhaan Behardien contributed to a 155-run fifth-wicket stand and Mangaliso Mosehle helped add 186 for the sixth-wicket to beef up the Titans innings. Behardien's 74 was the third half-century in as many innings.

The Warriors' fortune also came in threes, but of the disappointing kind. For the third innings in the competition they could not break big stands and this time were unable to even bowl their opposition out. The Titans declared on 539 for 6, after van der Merwe's raised his bat to a double-ton.

At 86 for 5 in the reply, the Warriors were already facing the possibility of conceding a big first-innings deficit. Only one of the top four made it into double figures as Behardien took two wickets in two overs, to prove an unlikely aggressor with ball in hand. Captain Colin Ingram held his team together with Simon Harmer, who helped put on 111 for the sixth-wicket, and Andrew Birch but the Titans took an advantage of 248 runs into their second innings.

With quick run-scoring the priority as they tried to bat the Warriors out of the game, none of the Titans' batsmen converted starts but they frustrated their opposition nonetheless. Their 165 runs came at a rate of 5.89 an over and they declared having set the Warriors a target of 414, as day three was drawing to an end.

Eight overs into the Warriors reply, they had already lost both openers and knew the final day would be a fight. Two more wickets fell in the first session but again, Ingram was in the way. Ryan Bailey provided some stern resistance as well and the pair posted 113 for the fifth-wicket with Ingram threatening to score a second century. But within a short space of time Bailey and Ingram fell with the score on 224 and 225 respectively and the Warriors resistance unravelled quickly. They lost 6 for 19, including three in three balls to Richards to leave them winless after two matches.

At the opposite end of the table, the Knights stormed to a second victory of the season after beating the Lions by 143 runs in Potchefstroom. Both teams came off wins in their first matches and the Lions appeared to take the early advantage when they had the Knights 84 for 3 on a traditionally batsman-friendly pitch. Left-armer Lonwabo Tsotsobe claimed all three early wickets.

Rudi Second led the recovery and captain Werner Coetsee contributed a half-century but 267 still seemed a below-par score. Recent T20 call-up Kagiso Rabada was the most successful Lions bowler with 4 for 57.

The Lions also stumbled at first in their reply. They were 0 for 2 and 68 for 4 thanks to a burst from Quinton Friend and Dillon du Preez. Quinton de Kock's third fifty of the competition began the counter-attack but it was Thami Tsolekile's century which took the Lions into the black. Tsolekile had lower-order assistance, particularly from Hardus Viljoen who scored a patient 59 and spent seven minutes short of three hours at the crease, to give the Lions a lead of 101.

Reeza Hendricks' dismissal the second ball into the Knights' second innings may have suggested the Lions would push home their advantage but they could not. Gihahn Cloete and Gerhardt Abrahams wiped away the deficit, Cloete went on to a century and Second was among the runs again to make a draw seem the only likely outcome at the end of the third day.

That changed mid-way through the final day. Viljoen's five-for allowed the Lions to slice through the Knights' middle and lower order. They lost 6 for 75 and were bowled out for 381, setting the Lions a target of 281 runs in a minimum of 55 overs.

The Lions signalled their intent to chase it down when de Kock was promoted to No. 3 but they collectively fell on their swords. The Lions were outspun by Coetsee and Malusi Siboto and were barely clinging on at 74 for 6. Tsolekile was again their bridge over troubled water and contributed 56 but the he could not stop the collapse around him. He was the last man out, as the Lions lost late in the day.

The first-class competition will take a break until December and as things stands, the Knights are at the top of the table, 4.18 points ahead of the Lions. They also have the top run-scorer, Second, who has 259 runs to his name, four more than Ingram and 13 ahead of Tsolekile, in their ranks. Lions' Viljoen leads the wicket charts with 14 scalps, followed by Harmer with 11 and Coetsee with 10.

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Unmukt, Kulkarni set up narrow win

India A 282 (Unmukt 101, Nair 64, Taylor 3-51) beat West Indians 266 for 9 (Ramdin 102, Holder 54, Kulkarni 3-39) by 16 runs
Scorecard

A century from Unmukt Chand, followed by a three-wicket haul by Dhawal Kulkarni helped India A to a 16-run victory against West Indians in Mumbai.

The visitors, though, had plenty of positives despite the close defeat, as Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy and Jason Holder all shone with fighting knocks down the order, after their pacers had done well to restrict India A.

Before the game, West Indians had struggled to even field 11 fit players; Sunil Narine had flown back to West Indies, Lendl Simmons had hurt his back during the previous warm-up game, and Darren Bravo was down with an upset stomach. It meant that the coach Stuart Williams was included in the team as the 11th man, and the former West Indies opener displayed his impressive fitness levels by fielding for more than half of India A's innings. He also faced two balls but failed to connect with either.

Having opted to bat, Unmukt and Karun Nair were threatening to take the game away from a four-pronged West Indians pace attack. While Nair was timing virtually every aggressive shot he went for, Unmukt recovered from a sluggish start to punish anything that was pitched short.

Once Nair was dismissed against the run of play - cutting a short and wide delivery straight to Blackwood at point - in the 28th over to end a 149-run stand, West Indians began to claw their way back. With Nair gone, Unmukt was shaky in his nineties. The captain Manoj Tiwary perished early, and with Sanju Samson also struggling to find his touch, Unmukt suddenly lost his timing. He was lucky to be dropped by Kemar Roach on 94. Unmukt eventually raised a scratchy, yet deserving, hundred, but Jerome Taylor cleaned him up soon after with a perfect yorker. That wicket triggered a collapse, as India A fell from 184 for 2 to 282 all out.

West Indians' chase began just as poorly as it had in the previous game. With Kulkarni and Jasprit Bumrah both striking early, West Indians soon slumped to 65 for 4 and were facing another massive defeat.

However, Ramdin, who had claimed five catches behind the wicket earlier in the day, counterattacked in the company of Sammy. The pair added 101 before Sammy mistimed a pull off Kulkarni soon after scoring a half-century, giving the keeper Sanju Samson a simple grab. Ramdin pushed on. With 93 required off the last 10 overs, Tiwary brought Karn Shamra on to stem the flow of runs, but Ramdin went after him, plundering 17 runs off his over.

Ramdin eventually collected his third List-A hundred - a run-a-ball 102 - but his dismissal off Nair in the 45th over pegged the team back. Holder was in good touch, driving Parvez Rasool and Nair for assured boundaries, but with 42 needed off 24, he was left with too much to do in the end.

Following two more immaculate overs from Kulkarni, that equation was turned to 23 needed off six balls. Holder began the final over with a six, but two wickets in the next three balls meant that West Indians fell 17 short.

Despite being ravaged by injuries, West Indies should be in a much healthier position by the time the ODIs begin in Kochi. Sulieman Benn is expected to join the squad by Wednesday, as are Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith and Andre Russell, who all played in the Champions League Twenty20 final in Bangalore.

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Pietersen attacks Flower and Prior

Andy Flower, the former England coach, and wicketkeeper Matt Prior have come in for the fiercest criticism in an early taste of what Kevin Pietersen has to say in his autobiography.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the paper to which he is signed as a columnist, Pietersen said Flower built up a culture of "fear" within the dressing room and that Prior was a "bad influence".

He claims that he was the only player who would challenge Flower's authority and also said that he warned the coach about the problems Jonathan Trott was having at the start of last year's Ashes tour which led to him returning home and not playing international cricket since.

However, the early signs are that Pietersen will not be too harsh on Alastair Cook after saying he was put "in an incredibly difficult situation" by the ECB and claims Cook was "fed" information about him in Australia ahead of the decision to sack him which was taken by Paul Downton in February.

It was widely expected that Flower would figure highly among Pietersen's targets and in his first interview of the week he said. "I've been one of the only ones who've constantly through his reign as coach not said 'how high?' when he said 'jump'. He built a regime, he didn't build a team. I've told him this before.

"I told him during his coaching reign. I told him on numerous occasions: 'You're playing by fear here, you want guys to be scared of you. And Andy I'm not scared of you.' And he hated it. He had it in for me since I tried to get rid of him as second in command. He collected stamps. It was stamp after stamp after stamp, until he thought: 'I can get rid of him now, let's get rid of him.' 

"I can look Andy Flower in the eye and say: 'Andy, everything that's in my book I told you to your face. Everything. So if you want to do anything about it, you could have done it ages ago.'

On Prior, who was recalled to the Test team at the start of the home summer before withdrawing due to his worsening Achillies injury, Pietersen did not hold back about the influence he believes he had over Cook.

"I think he [Cook] is put in an incredibly difficult position by the ECB. And I think he was fed stuff by Andy Flower, when I had that discussion in his room before the Sydney Test match. And I also think that because Alastair Cook isn't the greatest speaker, Matt Prior was his sidekick who could talk the hind leg off a donkey.

"So he wanted him close to him. He wanted his vice-captain to do all his talking for him. So when I went after Prior and said Prior shouldn't be in that side because he's a bad influence, a negative influence - he picks on players - and I've questioned Flower and the way he ran the team, Flower and Cook would have said you've got to get rid of this guy. He's back-stabbing, he's horrendous, he's bad for the environment.

"I saw Jimmy [Anderson] on finals day and I was absolutely fine with Jimmy. I'd be fine with Broad. It's only Prior that I'd seriously have real issues with, because of how he was portrayed as a team man, the heart and soul of the dressing room, when he was getting up to the stuff he was getting up to. And the two sides of the coin where I was the bad guy and doing everything wrong."

Pietersen goes on to suggest that Flower's coaching credentials have been artificially enhanced by the fact that he was in charge of a team that "matured" at the right time. It will be interesting to see how Pietersen reflects on the early days of Flower's main role in 2009 after picking up the pieces in West Indies shortly after Pietersen was sacked as captain.

The captaincy, which was taken away from him in early 2009 after a brief period, is another area covered by Pietersen in the interview as is the textgate affair from 2012 when he sent messages about Andrew Strauss to members of the South Africa team. He also says that the parody Twitter account that was running in 2012 was a major source of his problems at the time which led to the "it's difficult being me" press conference at Headingley.

The book is not fully available until Thursday but is launched on Monday. Pietersen will be holding a ticket-only event in Manchester on Tuesday as well as doing further media appearances.

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Injured Jadhav to miss Duleep Trophy

Maharashtra batsman Kedar Jadhav will miss the forthcoming Duleep Trophy due to an injury. Jadhav, the highest run-getter in the 2013-14 first-class season, had aggravated a left-wrist fracture during the India A tour of Australia in July-August.

The West Zone squad for the regional tournament will be led by Cheteshwar Pujara and includes Parthiv Patel and Yusuf Pathan. Harshad Khadiwale, who was the second-highest run-scorer for Maharashtra in last year's Ranji Trophy, was also included along with India Under-19 captain Vijay Zol.

The squad's pace line-up comprises Dhawal Kulkarni, Shrikant Mundhe, Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur. Left-arm spinners Akshar Patel and Akshay Darekar have also been picked.

West Zone play their first match of the tournament against East Zone between October 15 to 18 in Lahli and the winner of this match will then play South Zone from October 22 to 25. The Duleep Trophy final will be played from October 29 to November 2 in Delhi.

West Zone squad Cheteshwar Pujara (captain), Parthiv Patel, Vijay Zol, Harshad Khadiwale, Saurabh Wakaskar, Suryakumar Yadav, Ankeet Bawne, Yusuf Pathan, Aditya Tare, Akshar Patel, Akshay Darekar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Shrikant Mundhe.

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Decision to withdraw Narine good - TTCB president

Azim Bassarath, a director of the West Indies Cricket Board [WICB] and president of the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board [TTCB], has expressed his outrage over the controversy surrounding offspinner Sunil Narine's action in the Champions League Twenty20 and his subsequent withdrawal from the India tour.

Narine was barred from bowling in the Champions League final after being reported for a suspect action twice in successive games. The WICB then decided to withdraw the spinner from the entire tour of India.

"I am very disappointed with the turn of events and the news concerning Sunil's action is quite a shock," Bassarath said. "Sunil has been bowling successfully in international cricket for quite a while and has never been reported to the ICC."

Referring to Clive Lloyd's disclosure, that the West Indies board and team management had been told Narine would be under the scanner in India, Bassarath stated that the bowler's absence would be a major loss to the team but the decision to withdraw him was correct.

"What is even more disturbing is that Clive Lloyd heard Sunil would get called for his action and this cannot be taken lightly," he said. "This news does not sit well since it suggests that Sunil was being targeted and I think the decision to bring him home was a good one.

"Sunil is a big asset to the West Indies team, especially in India where he has developed a reputation as one of the best bowlers in the world. He knows the conditions in India quite well and [his withdrawal] is a major loss to the West Indies team. After being thrashed by England recently I know India will be looking to rebound and not having Sunil there is a massive blow."

Bassarath also questioned the quality of umpiring at the Champions League and suggested the ICC should have a look at that.

"I think the ICC needs to have a serious look at this matter," Bassarath said. "The umpires involved so far are not on the Elite Umpires Panel* and this should be addressed. There needs to be a better standard of umpiring at this tournament."

Rod Tucker, one of the umpires who reported Narine, is an Elite Panel umpire, along with Kumar Dharmasena who was the third umpire when the bowler was reported after the game against Dolphins.

Bassarath revealed that Narine had undergone testing in Australia in 2011 to ensure his action was legal before the third edition of the Champions League, in which he played for Trinidad & Tobago. Given Narine's extensive international and club appearances in the past few years, Bassarath felt the bowler did not need to be under the microscope. The TTCB president also said his board would support Narine and take steps to help him return to international cricket.

"Sunil passed the necessary testing in Australia and has gone on to forge a successful international career so I must reiterate how shocked we are by these events," he said. "Right now the TTCB is waiting on the WICB to determine a course of action.

"I am concerned that this incident will affect Sunil's confidence and hurt his cricket career. The TTCB is 100% behind Sunil and we willl ensure that he will be representing the West Indies soon. I spoke to his parents and they are concerned about what took place in India but we will wait until Sunil returns to Trinidad and put measures in place to ensure that he overcomes this incident."

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