Meth, Mpofu lead Tuskers to close win

Matabeleland Tuskers 211 for 7 (Ali 48, Williams 48, Chatara 3-34) beat Mountaineers 210 (Sauramba 40, Mpofu 4-43) by nine runs (D/L method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An all-round effective bowling performance by Matabeleland Tuskers took them to a close nine-run win against Mountaineers in a rain-shortened contest at Mutare Sports Club. Chasing 220, Mountaineers were seven down for 164 when Natsai M'shangwe helped them accelerate to bring down their required run-rate to less than four runs per over with three overs remaining. But by then, they were eight down, and two wickets off the 41st over sealed a win for their opponents. Seamer Keegan Meth's two wickets and a run-out at crucial stages, and Chris Mpofu's four wickets, proved costly.

Matabeleland Tuskers' innings, earlier, progressed through stops and starts, and was built on two significant partnerships of over 70 each. After being put in to bat, seamer Tendai Chetara reduced them to 22 for 3, and a 75-run fourth-wicket stand between opener Moeen Ali and Sean Williams, both of whom scored 48, helped them recover. But Shingi Masakadza and Donald Tiripano took two wickets each to leave them struggling at 139 for 7 in the 28th over. Charles Coventry and Glen Querl played patiently thereafter, adding 72, which helped them go past the 200-run mark.

Mountaineers, according to D/L calculations, required 219 off their 50 overs, and fell short.

Mashonaland Eagles 102 (Chakabva 42*) v Southern Rocks- Match abandoned
Scorecard

The game between Mashonaland Eagles and Southern Rocks was called off due to rain. After being put in to bat, Mashonaland Eagles batted for 21.5 overs before rain halted play, and rain would not allow play to resume again.

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Ranji spectators turned away in Bangalore

While domestic matches in India are not known to fill seats in stadiums in the bigger cities, the first day of the Karnataka-Delhi Ranji Trophy match in Bangalore actually had the few spectators who showed up turned away; security has been tightened around the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the lead-up to the Twenty20 between India and Pakistan on December 25.

A top Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) told ESPNcricinfo that the stadium has been handed over to the police, who have the final say on letting spectators in. He added that it is possible for a spectator to watch the Ranji Trophy game in select stands, but will have to furnish personal information to convince the security team. It will also help if the spectator is a member of the adjoining KSCA club or can get authorised by a member.

The issue came to light when a fan, posting on ESPNcricinfo's Ranji Trophy blog, said he was not allowed entry. The ongoing match, against Delhi, will be the only Karnataka game affected by these security arrangements, as they play their next two home games in Mysore and Hubli.

Such security arrangements are likely to be employed in Delhi too, and so their next home Ranji game, from December 15, will probably not be played at the Feroz Shah Kotla which is the venue for the final India-Pakistan ODI on January 6.

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J&K, Kerala even on record-breaking day

Kerala 0 for 0 v Jammu and Kashmir 215 (Dev Singh 117*, Shahid 8-51)
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On a strange day in which two players single-handedly dominated the bowling and batting for their respective sides, and in doing so, created history, Jammu and Kashmir played out an evenly-contested first day against hosts Kerala. Opener Ian Dev Singh scored an unbeaten century, becoming the second J&K batsman to have carried his bat, and seamer CP Shahid, playing in his third first-class game, took 8 for 51 to register third-best figures for any bowler in his side in history. Besides opener Adil Rishi and No. 3 Bandeep Singh, who were the first two to be dismissed, all fell to him, as J&K were bowled out for 215.

But wickets didn't fall in a heap, as Ian Dev struck useful partnerships, especially for the third and the seventh wicket. None of them, however, lasted beyond 59 runs, and seven single-digit scores put paid to J&K's hopes of a big first-innings total.

Services 284 for 4 (Chatterjee 103, Yashpal 92) v Goa
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Services captain and opener Soumik Chatterjee scored a century to lead his side to a strong 284 for 4 against Goa at stumps in Porvorim. After choosing to bat, they lost their other opener Pratik Desai in the fifth over, No. 3 Ansuhl Gupta for 31 in the 18th over and the next batsman Soumya Swain after ten more overs. But Chatterjee then combined with Yashpal Singh, who gave him able support, to give their side a strong foundation. The duo added 141 runs for the fourth wicket, before Chatterjee got out in the final session after scoring his fourth century.

Assam 213 for 4 (PP Das 90) v Himachal Pradesh
Scorecard

In Guwahati, Assam built the foundation for a strong first innings against Himachal Pradesh after being put in to bat. Opener PP Das, playing his eighth first-class match, was dismissed for ten short of what would have been his maiden first-class century. Although none of the top-order batsmen scored a fifty, they featured in four productive partnerships, to help their side reach 213 for 4 at stumps.

Das' innings of 90 contained 15 boundaries, but he also played out many dot deliveries, as his innings' strike-rate was 48.36. For Himachal, offspinner Gurvinder Singh, with two wickets, was the most productive bowler.

Jharkhand 95 for 3 (Jaggi 43, Tiwary 38) trail Tripura 106 (Shubhrajit 43, Yadav 6-38) by 11 runs
Scorecard

Jharkhand held the upper hand in their contest against Tripura in Agartala after right-arm fast bowler Ajay Yadav, in only his second first-class match, took 6 for 38 to help bowl Tripura out for 106. After a poor start to their reply, Ishank Jaggi and Saurabh Tiwary scored 85 runs together to leave their side to within 11 runs of their opponent's total.

Tripura's innings crumbled from the beginning. Opener Shubhrajit Roy top-scored with 43, and only two others scored beyond five runs in the innings. When five wickets had fallen for 12 runs in the 11th over, Shubrajit and Debabrata Chowdhury stuck for 17.2 overs, and helped them to a better position, adding 54 runs. But Chowdhury's dismissal led to another collapse, and Tripura were soon bowled out. Their bowlers, however, gave them a positive start with the ball, as Jharkhand were reduced to 10 for 3, but Tiwary and Jaggi batted responsibly to ensure their side's dominance.

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'We deserved to win this ODI series' - Mushfiqur

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has said his team earned the 3-2 ODI series victory over West Indies through skill and by building up towards peak form over the past four weeks. The coming together of all three departments in the crucial final game of the series, albeit with some major scares along the way, he said, was what made the difference for Bangladesh.

"We deserved to win this ODI series, judging by our performance since the Tests and our cricket skills," Mushfiqur said after the game. "We would have at least drawn that first Test had we not made some mistakes. We didn't bat and field well in the third and fourth [ODIs], though we bowled very well. Today our only plan was to get it right in all three departments.

"This is what gave us the wins in the first two games of the ODI series. In this final game, we told everyone that we have to make sure we give 100% effort."

Bangladesh's nerves could have frayed at two crucial points in the game, but they came out on top on both occasions. First, when Kieron Pollard began his assault, hammering eight sixes in an innings that was threatening to take the series away from the home side. As the big hits piled up at the feet of a sell-out crowd, Mushfiqur's bowling choices were compromised. He tossed the ball to the innocuous Mominul Haque, who bowls part-time left-arm spin. Sensing an opportunity to get one more out of the ground, Pollard went for a big swish after clearing the front foot, but the ball had snuck below his bat and onto the stumps.

Mushfiqur joked that he would like credit for that wicket but praised the maturity shown by Mominul: "Mominul is a fighting cricketer. That is how he is, one of my favourite young players. He takes up the challenge so when I gave him the bowling, I told him to just do what you can, don't worry about the outcome."

The other crucial juncture was when the 91-run fourth wicket stand between Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah ended with the latter getting bowled by Sunil Narine in the 21st over, with Bangladesh still needing 97 runs to win. They had two more batsmen in the shed, Nasir Hossain and Mominul, and these two came together when Mushfiqur was also dismissed by the same bowler not long after. The two youngsters, Nasir playing the role of the senior batsmen for once, showed the guts required in these tight situations and on a 53-run fifth wicket stand that took Bangladesh almost to the victory.

"When I was batting with [Mahmudullah] Riyad bhai, I wanted to put up a partnership," Mushfiqur said. "After I got out, another partnership was a must and credit goes to Nasir and Mominul. They handled the pressure situation very well, showed their maturity in such a game. Even Sohag Gazi's 15 runs were vital in the circumstances."

The captain was happy with Shafiul Islam, who was a last-minute replacement for the injured Mashrafe Mortaza and the only pace bowler in the attack. He took 3 for 31 - his second-best bowling performance in terms of wickets taken and his most economical spell of bowling against a major team; he has been known to leak runs in the past.

"I think 70% of [credit for] the win goes to him," Mushfiqur said. "He bowled so well in such a final match, and it is not easy to bowl against Gayle, Pollard and Samuels. He hasn't played for a long time [due to injury]. We kept telling him to be ready for an opportunity. He can use the inswinger with the new ball, so we were sure he could do the job."

Mushfiqur pointed out that the win had come against an in-form team that has just won the World Twenty20, and that Bangladesh were without their linchpin, Shakib Al Hasan. That, he said, made it a superior performance to the two previous series wins against teams ranked higher than Bangladesh. "I would put this above the West Indies whitewash [in 2009, against a second-string side] and the 4-0 win over New Zealand [in 2010]. This is a T20 champion side and all their top players were here.

"We also missed a big performer in this series, so it became a huge challenge. I would say that this is the biggest win for us."

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Ponting was fearless - Viv Richards

Viv Richards has hailed Ricky Ponting's brashness and "show-no-fear" attitude as among his greatest traits, and Shane Warne has lauded Ponting's habit of making runs when Australia most needed them. Ponting farewelled Test cricket with Australia's loss to South Africa in Perth this week and on Thursday, Warne and Richards, in Melbourne in the lead-up to Friday night's Big Bash League opener, reflected on Ponting's 17-year Test career.

"Certainly he's up there with the very best," Richards said. "What I love about him more than anything else, you look at the way he walks out to the crease. He always has presence. There is a tenaciousness about him. He walks out and believes. He's not going to be intimidated by no one. I would like guys like that. I appreciate seeing guys who come out and have a particular presence."

The same words could have been used to describe Richards, one of Wisden's five cricketers of the century, a man who never wore a helmet and stared down fast bowlers all over the world while nonchalantly chewing his gum. Although the careers of the two men did not overlap - Richards retired from Test cricket four years before Ponting made his debut - Richards saw plenty of Ponting's batting and was impressed by the attitude he displayed from his very first match in 1995.

"A young batter who wants to make it, you cannot feel like you have one foot in and one foot out," Richards said. "You've got to make that crease your house. Ricky always made the crease his house. I've always been in his corner as a player because of that brashness, he's an in-your-face sort of guy. Show no fear. Batsmen sometimes can be intimidated by a guy from how far he runs up, but you just put that at the back of your mind and bat with what you have. Ricky, to me, certainly did that."

Richards is part of the BBL this year as a batting mentor for the Melbourne Stars, who are captained by Warne, a man who played 85 Tests alongside Ponting. Although Warne was not always enamoured with Ponting's captaincy decisions, he said Ponting's ability to score runs when Australia faced potential trouble was one of the reasons the team was so successful.

"It was fun to play with Ricky Ponting," Warne said. "I met him as a 16-year-old at the cricket academy in Adelaide. He was a guy who was pretty tough and an uncompromising sort of player. He will definitely go down with Greg Chappell and Allan Border and Bradman as the greatest batsmen Australia have had, and he'll hold up well on the international stage.

"He loved a scrap, he loved a fight, he was always good when the team really needed him he put his hand up. That's a really good characteristic in any player. It's not about how many runs you get, it's about when you get your runs and when you take your wickets. I think Ricky always got the majority of his runs when Australia really needed him. That was a standout characteristic of his. He was good fun to play with and tough as nails."

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Quick Indian-visa process likely for Pakistan fans

Pakistan's whistle stop two-week, five-match tour of India that starts on Christmas Day in Bangalore could be kicked off with the 3000 Pakistani ticket-holders for the series being issued Indian visas in less than ten days.

The Pakistan tour of India, featuring two T20 Internationals in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, and three ODIs in Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi, has been pushed through via the highest levels of the government and cricket administration on both sides of the border. The PCB will be issued the 3000 tickets to be distributed, by the board, in Pakistan: 1000 for the match in Delhi and 500 for each of the other four cities. Pakistan citizens holding tickets to all five matches will be issued five-city visas, an unusual diplomatic practice in itself. An announcement on a quicker visa-issuing process for the cricket is expected in a few days' time.

A four-man PCB recce team concluded its visit of India on Thursday, after travelling to each of the venues where the matches will be held. Nadeem Sarwar, the PCB's general manager, media, said that the issue of security will be left in the hands of the hosts. "What we expect is fool-proof security for our players, and we expect that the capability that these cities have will provide that."

The PCB recce team's chief concerns were more related to practice facilities and net bowlers, and ensuring that team hotels clear out mini-bars. There was, Sarwar said, no strict 'ban' on players socialising or attending private parties. "We would discourage individuals from socialising because it's going to be a very busy tour - five matches in 14 days. It's not like there's a ban or a restrictive list [of activities] on the tour, because there is very little time for socialising."

He said the future of Indo-Pak cricketing relations depended on India: "The ball will now be in their court." As for international cricket in Pakistan, Sarwar said that the PCB was confident that teams would start visiting Pakistan "very soon". "It is, at the moment, just a question of perception. We are in negotiations with several boards. Teams will start coming to Pakistan, hopefully soon."

On this tour, the Pakistan team, Sarwar said, wanted to redress their recent poor record against India: India had won the previous four games between the teams - two Asia Cup ODIs, the 2011 World Cup semi-final and a World T20 group match in September.

In Kolkata the PCB team met with Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former BCCI president, who recognised PCB chief Zaka Ashraf's role in pushing the series through. The May and June meetings between Ashraf and BCCI president N Srinivasan led to the announcement of a schedule for the series, which is sandwiched between England's Test and ODI tour of India. In September, Ashraf met with the-then Indian foreign minister, SM Krishna, in Islamabad and two months later, the Indian high commissioner to Pakistan travelled to Lahore for discussions on visa issues with PCB officials.

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McCullum takes over as New Zealand captain

Brendon McCullum has been appointed New Zealand's captain in all three formats after Ross Taylor declined an offer to stay on as leader of the Test side in a split-captaincy scenario. Taylor has also chosen to make himself unavailable for the upcoming tour of South Africa, although New Zealand are hopeful he will be back in the side for the home series against England early next year.

The confirmation of the change came at a press conference in Auckland on Friday morning where David White, the New Zealand Cricket CEO, said he regretted the way the captaincy debate had played out in the public spotlight. McCullum, who has previously led New Zealand in eight ODIs and 12 Twenty20s, will become the country's 28th Test captain when the series against South Africa begins on January 2 in Cape Town.

There had been much speculation this week about the future of Taylor since the squad returned from Sri Lanka despite their impressive series-leveling victory in Colombo. In that match Taylor, who took over as captain in 2011 after being preferred to McCullum for the role, scored 142 in the first innings, but it was one of few highlights in a poor year for New Zealand.

They lost Test series against South Africa, West Indies and India before the draw in Sri Lanka while they have slipped to ninth in the one-day rankings below Bangladesh. They were also knocked out in the Super Eights of the World Twenty20. It was after the review of that tournament, as well as the tours of India and Sri Lanka, that the coach Mike Hesson recommended splitting the captaincy.

"Mike Hesson proposed a split captaincy that was endorsed by me as CEO and agreed by the board," White said. "The original recommendation was for Ross Taylor to be retained as Test captain and Brendon McCullum to be short-form captain. We regret that Ross Taylor has declined the opportunity, therefore Brendon McCullum has been appointed as Black Caps captain for all three forms of the game.

"I met with Ross ... for about three hours yesterday and we considered a number of different options. One of them was ... for him to go to South Africa and even just play the Test matches if he wanted to do that. But he thought about it long and hard and he said that he would like a break and to spend time with his family and we've agreed with that and we respect that. It's not ideal and we would be a stronger team with Ross Taylor in it."

Despite the change in captaincy, White said he did not believe Taylor had lost the support of his players. "I don't believe he lost the dressing room," White said. "He is well respected."

Hesson, who took over from John Wright as New Zealand's coach in July, was due to front a press conference in Christchurch later on Friday.

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New Zealand drop Kruger van Wyk

New Zealand's change of captaincy has overshadowed a number of changes in their Test squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, with the wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk, the legspinner Todd Astle and the batsman Rob Nicol all left out after being part of the group that toured Sri Lanka. A 15-man squad has been named, with the other change the absence of Ross Taylor, who has decided to take a break from cricket following the captaincy drama.

BJ Watling will take the gloves for the two Tests in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, while the batsmen Dean Brownlie and Peter Fulton have earned recalls. Brownlie, 28, was impressive during his first two series against Zimbabwe and Australia last year but was dropped following the tour of the West Indies in August, while Fulton, 33, has not played for New Zealand in any format for three years.

There was also a call-up for the uncapped left-arm spinner Bruce Martin, 32, who is the leading wicket taker among spinners in the Plunket Shield this summer with 15 at 31.80. Martin, who plays for Auckland, was second only to Neil Wagner among all wicket takers last season with 37 at an average of 37, and the selectors believe his style of bowling will be of more value in South Africa than the legspin of Astle.

"We don't require a leg-spin option in South African conditions so have left out Todd Astle but he is very much part of our thinking for the future," coach Mike Hesson said in a statement. "Bruce Martin is a specialist spinner who can bowl a lot of overs and he deserves an opportunity after showing good recent form. Following on from BJ Watling's good form in Sri Lanka and again while back in New Zealand, he has been selected as the Test wicketkeeper."

Fulton is also back in the Twenty20 squad, having not played a T20 international for nearly four years, while there were call-ups for a number of uncapped players. The left-arm fast bowler Corey Anderson, allrounder Jimmy Neesham, wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder, batsman Colin Munro and fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan were all included and could make their debuts.

Tim Southee and Jacob Oram were not considered for the T20 squad due to the upcoming births of their children, and Andrew Ellis was ruled out with a side strain. The tour begins with a Twenty20 in Durban on December 21, followed by T20s in East London and Port Elizabeth, before the Tests take place in the first half of January. Three ODIs will follow the Tests, but the one-day squad is yet to be named.

Test squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Peter Fulton, Daniel Flynn, Dean Brownlie, BJ Watling (wk), James Franklin, Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Jeetan Patel, Bruce Martin, Chris Martin.

Twenty20 squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Martin Guptill, Rob Nicol, Peter Fulton, Colin Munro, Nathan McCullum, Corey Anderson, James Franklin, Jimmy Neesham, Derek de Boorder, Mitchell McClenaghan, Doug Bracewell, Trent Boult, Ronnie Hira, Adam Milne.

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Younis blitz leads Abbottabad to tight win

Abbottabad Falcons 139 for 5 (Younis 48*, Hammad 35) beat Karachi Zebras 135 (Ghani 46, Ahsan 30, Usman 3-23) by five wickets
Scorecard

An attacking knock of 48 off 28 deliveries from captain Younis Khan took Abbottabad Falcons to a last-ball five-wicket win against Karachi Zebras at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Chasing 136, they had lost four wickets for 71 runs in the 13th over, needing 68 off 43 balls, before Younis dominated his stands with Baber Khan, and later Khalid Usman, and kept them in the hunt. Karachi seamer Tabish Khan bowled economically, giving away 18 runs in his four overs.

After being put in to bat, Karachi kept losing wickets regularly. By the seventh over, four of their top-order batsmen had been dismissed. However, a fighting 73-run stand in quick time between Daniyal Ahsan and Sheharyar Ghani helped them build a solid platform for acceleration towards the end. But that didn't happen, as they lost their last six wickets for 19 runs, due to wickets by Amjad Waqas, Junaid Khan and spinner Khalid Usman, who took three wickets in the innings, and two run outs.

Abbottabad were in control of the chase at 67 for 2, with opener Hammad Ali having scored 35. Two quick wickets and slow scoring pegged them back, before Younis played his match-winning hand.

Multan Tigers 155 for 6 (Maqsood 38, Yasin 34*, Sadaf 32, Malik 3-17) beat Sialkot Stallions 113 for 7 (Nayyar 43*, Zulfiqar 4-15) by 42 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A solid combined batting effort and a four-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar ensured Multan Tigers' convincing 42-run victory against Sialkot Stallions. Sialkot's chances of chasing down 156 were blown away early when Zulfiqar, and seamers Mohammad Irfan and Kashif Naved left them struggling at 29 for 5 in the eighth over. Although captain Shoaib Malik and No. 7 Nayyar Abbas stuck together till the 12th over to repair the damage, and Nayyar tried to steer the innings towards some respectability in the company of the lower-order batsmen, the target proved too far off.

Multan's innings revolved around two productive partnerships, and three knocks worth over 30 runs each by opener Sohaib Maqsood, wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf and Naved Yasin, who remained unbeaten. They also suffered a setback early in their innings, when opener Zain Abbas was dismissed for four in the third over. But a 44-run stand between Maqsood and Sadaf, and a 54-run stand in 5.1 overs between Yasin and Kashif Naved took them to 155 for 7 after 20 overs.

Faisalabad Wolves 137 for 3 (Misbah 43*, Khalid 36*) beat Peshawar Panthers 135 for 4 (Israrullah 56) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

After a slow start, captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Imran Khalid helped Faisalabad Wolves chase 136 in 18.2 overs and defeat Peshawar Panthers by seven wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium. The duo, having been together at the crease since the 11th over, did not hit a single boundary till the 13th over, when the required run rate had gone beyond eight per over. An expensive 14th over, in which four boundaries were hit, and the 16th over, of which 11 runs were taken, made the chase easier. Needing 18 runs off 18 deliveries, two fours, a six, and five singles took them home with ten balls to spare.

Peshawar, it seemed, paid the price for the want of better acceleration in their innings. Their innings run rate could have been higher than the eventual 6.75 per over, as they had lost only four wickets after 20 overs. Opener Israrullah scored a half-century, Shoaib Khan snr scored an unbeaten 24 off 30 deliveries. At 107 for 4 at the end of the 18th over, middle-order batsman Zohaib Khan smashed three sixes and eight fours to take his team to 135 for 4.

Bahawalpur Stags 140 for 2 (Imranullah 60, Kashif 39*) beat Lahore Eagles 136 for 7 (Taufeeq 53, Talha 2-19) by eight wickets
Scorecard

Imranullah Aslam was the star of the chase as Bahawalpur Eagles overhauled Lahore Eagles' total with eight wickets in hand and continued their unbeaten run in the tournament. Imranullah shared a quick half-century stand for the first wicket with Hamid Ali and then added 38 runs for the second wicket with Kashif Siddiq. By the time he was out, for 60 off 46 balls, the Stags needed 33 off 43 balls. Kashif ensured that there was no further damage as the chase was completed with 17 balls to spare.

Eagles, after choosing to bat, were in early trouble as they lost three wickets with 30 runs on the board in the sixth over. But skipper Taufeeq Umar scored a half-century and shared a 74-run stand with Raza Ali Dar to revive the innings. The lower order, however, crumbled again and Eagles were limited to 136.

Lahore Lions 130 for 9 (Jamshed 26, Mohibullah 3-15, Jalat 3-23) beat Quetta Bears 86 for 7 (Altaf 2-1) by 44 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A collective bowling performance by Lahore Lions helped them defeat Quetta Bears by 44 runs. Although Quetta's left-arm spinners Jalat Khan and Mohibullah took three wickets each to restrict Lahore to 130 for 9, their batsmen let them down.

Lahore's innings was built on productive knocks by the top five batsmen, all scoring between 19 and 26 runs, which helped them to 109 for 4. But they too collapsed, as the last five batsmen scored 16 run between them. Opener Nasir Jamshed was the highest scorer in the match with 26.

Quetta went about their chase slowly, but two quick wickets in the 10th and 11th overs pegged them back. Three more batsmen were dismissed quickly, but after having lost seven wickets for 69 in the 15th over, they scored a further 17 runs off the remaining deliveries. Their run rate at the end of the game was 4.30 runs per over.

Rawalpindi Rams 177 for 6 (Shoaib 50*, Tanvir 43) beat Hyderabad Hawks 158 for 6 (Aqeel 75*, Zia 2-24) by 19 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An unbeaten half-century by Shoaib Ahmed was the highlight of Rawalpindi Rams 19-run win against Hyderabad Hawks at the Gaddafi Stadium. Shoaib shared a 75-run stand with captain Sohail Tanvir that lifted the team from a tricky 63 for 4. After Tanvir's dismissal, Shoaib carried on the acceleration as 61 came off the last five overs.

In their chase, Aqeel Anjum and Rizwan Ahmed put up 56 runs for the third wicket, but the lack of boundaries in the partnership pushed the required scoring rate up. Once Rizwan fell, the incoming batsmen were not able to keep up with the rate and lost their wickets. Aqeel, who scored an unbeaten 75 off 48 balls, remained unbeaten as the team fell short by 19 runs.

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Harbhajan, Rahane released for Ranji Trophy

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh and batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who have been part of India's squad for all three Tests against England, will join their respective Ranji Trophy teams for the next group game that begins on Saturday. The third Test of the four-match India-England series is currently underway in Kolkata, but neither player is part of the Indian XI.

This decision is in line with the policy adopted by the India team management over the past four seasons, by which as many players as possible are released from the national squad for Ranji games during home series'. This is done with a view to help the reserves remain match-fit.

Harbhajan and Rahane will fly from Kolkata to Mumbai on Thursday, to join Punjab and Mumbai - these teams will play each other at the Wankhede Stadium in the next round of Ranji games. The pair, along with most of the other India regulars, featured in the season-opening round of the Ranji Trophy matches from November 2. While Harbhajan could make little impact with the ball as the Punjab captain against Hyderabad, Rahane scored 129 and 84 for Mumbai against Railways.

The players' availability will be a major boost for both teams, in particular Mumbai; Punjab, with young batsman Mandeep Singh at the helm, have already assured themselves of a place in the knockouts with four victories in five matches, but Mumbai are yet to win this season.

Harbhajan, having recovered from a viral infection, featured in India's humiliating ten-wicket defeat against England at the Wankhede Stadium. Rahane is yet to play in the Test series. The final game of the four-Test series will begin in Nagpur on December 13.

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