Gujarat fighting for survival

Gujarat 244 (Parthiv 101, Chavan 3-54) and 159 for 5 () trail Mumbai 447 (Jaffer 171, Shah 82) by 44 runs
Scorecard

During tea time on the third day of their last Group A game against Mumbai, a couple of the Gujarat support-staff members were keeping a close watch on the proceedings in Rajkot. And it was quite understandable. With an outright loss hovering over their heads at the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium, Gujarat will be keeping their fingers crossed for Madhya Pradesh to draw the game against Saurashtra in Rajkot.

But by stumps, the situation had gone from bad to worse for the visitors. Not only did they lose two more wickets in the last 40 minutes but they were also in danger of conceding an innings defeat. With five wickets down, including that of their mainstay Parthiv Patel, Gujarat still need another 44 runs to avoid an innings defeat. Add to it the fact that Gujarat have the worst quotient among the four teams that are competing for two slots in the quarter-finals from the group, and it means Gujarat's season would be all but over on the New Year's Day despite starting the last round in second place.

The Gujarat batsmen will have only themselves to blame. Had they applied themselves better in the second essay, they could have been in a much better position going into the last day's play. They would have at least been hoping to earn one point for avoiding a defeat that could have placed them better.

And they had everything going their way at the start of the innings. First of all, Mumbai's stand-in captain and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan didn't take the field. With Mumbai having ensured a place in the quarters, Zaheer had no reason to stretch his right calf muscle, which he had strained during the last day's play in Indore last week. And then, allrounder Abhishek Nayar, who was down with a throat and chest infection, returned to the dressing room after bowling just four overs.

Still, the Gujarat batting line-up faltered consistently. Except for Parthiv Patel and Manpreet Juneja, all the other batsmen appeared to be far from comfortable at the crease. While opener Smit Patel started on a positive note, he holed out to square-leg off Javed Khan - easily the pick of the Mumbai bowlers at the start of day's play - early on in the second session.

From then on, Samit Gohel and Bhargav Merai managed to hold the innings together for well over an hour. However, in the penultimate over before tea, Merai had a lapse in concentration off part-time off-spinner Suryakumar Yadav. Merai's flick landed in the hands of substitute Vishal Dabholkar at short midwicket. Two balls later, left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan zipped one through Gohel's defence to disturb the woodwork. At 63 for 3, Gujarat were in danger of folding quickly.

However, Parthiv seemed to be carrying on from his century in the first innings. The Gujarat captain, with the aid of Juneja who was the most compact player on the day, scored freely, nudging the ball at will. His run-a-ball 47 included a lofted shot off Chavan that sailed over the bowler's head for a six. But in the very next over, Javed produced a peach of a delivery to send Parthiv back. The medium-pacer generated extra bounce off a fuller length to force a nick off Parthiv's bat and Wasim Jaffer took a sharp catch at first slip.

Perhaps to protect specialist batsman Chirag Gandhi, the Gujarat team management promoted Rujul Bhatt to see off the evening. And he did apply himself till he fell into a trap on the penultimate ball of the day: with two balls remaining in the day, Chavan, in consultation with Jaffer, who was in charge of the team, brought substitute Shoaib Shaikh in at short midwicket. The next ball was obviously pitched on Bhatt's pads and Shaikh latched on to Bhatt's uppish drive to end the day on a high for Mumbai.

While the Gujarat camp was shattered, their opposition was smiling and relieved, perhaps for the first time this season. "We hope to seal our second consecutive outright victory," coach Sulakshan Kulkarni said. "It's a massive boost for us to be able to win two in two, especially after failing to produce an outright win in the first six games of the season. It augurs well for us going into the knockouts."

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Zaka Ashraf reacts sternly to Bangladesh delaying tour

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has expressed annoyance at the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) decision to put their proposed tour of Pakistan on hold a second time. He reacted aggressively, saying that Pakistan will 'reconsider' its bilateral ties with Bangladesh after the BCB, once again, backed down from going ahead with the tour. Pakistan, he said, will not sacrifice their interests for those who do not honour their words.

The PCB, Ashraf said, had not force Bangladesh to tour. "If they don't want to come its their own decision and we didn't force them," Zaka told ESPNcricinfo. Bangladesh, he said, had confirmed the tour to the PCB and the ICC, "three times and still they backed off. Now their own reputation is at stake. If they don't want to respect their bilateral relationship then we will also respond in a same manner."

The most immediate consequences of this breakdown of relations between the two boards over the controversial tour, will be felt at the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) which will begin on January 18. The BPL is clashing with the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's leading first-class event. ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB is unlikely to release most of the top cricketers for the BPL.

"We will take a principled stance on BPL," Ashraf said, "but one thing is sure our players might not be free as we are making our own arrangements from next year." He said that PCB-related commitments may occupy most of the players' time and that, "they may not be bothered for other things."

The PCB has begun its preparations for an impending tour after getting a positive response from the BCB. Tenders had gone out, inviting sponsorship bids for a series title sponsor, two co-sponsors and in-stadia advertising rights for two international matches (one ODI and one T20). The PCB has also moved the domestic first-class Quaid-e-Azam matches, scheduled between January 7 and 22 away from the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to accommodate the proposed matches against Bangladesh.

Ashraf said, it was "almost confirmed" that Bangladesh would tour Pakistan, but found it "strange" that they had pulled out from their commitment. The PCB's efforts to revive international cricket in Pakistan, according to Ashraf, was on track. "Soon we will manage to get a better team to tour Pakistan than Bangladesh."

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Beazley takes up USACA challenge

Darren Beazley, former general manager of business development with the Western Australia Cricket Association, has been confirmed as the new chief executive of the USA Cricket Association. He will take up the post in February and will be based in Florida.

Tim Anderson, the ICC's global development manager, and a member of the sub-committee tasked with finding a suitable candidate, expressed hopes that Beazley would be able to bring a greater sense of professionalism to cricket in the United States and satisfy ICC ambitions for growth in the region.

Anderson said: "It is critical that cricket continues its growth path globally and helping ICC Associate and Affiliate Members put in place more professional management structures is an important corner stone in that progression.

"Having been appointed through a highly competitive recruitment process, Darren will now have a key role - together with the USACA Board - in developing such a structure for cricket in the USA."

USACA has not had someone working in the position full-time since Don Lockerbie was dismissed in November 2010, although Nabeel Ahmed, a former vice president, has acted as interim CEO since April.

Beazley's experience in sports administration includes periods as chief operating officer of the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships and as general manager of strategic partnerships with the Australian Rules side Fremantle Dockers.

Gladstone Dainty, president of USACA, said: "This appointment marks a key moment for the growth and development of cricket in the United States as USACA looks to take better advantage of the sport's widening global appeal for men, women and youth.

"The appointment of a competent and motivated chief executive to lead our operations was a vital component of an action plan agreed by the USACA Board during 2012, and after completing a rigorous recruitment process, I'm delighted that someone with Darren's skills and experience has agreed to join us.

"The Board can now focus on developing policy and relationships with partners who share our vision for the success of cricket in the USA."

Beazley said: "Cricket has always been a major part of my life and I am therefore thrilled to have the opportunity to assist its growth and improvement in one of the most important emerging markets in the world today.

"I look forward to leading USACA's national efforts, as well as working closely with the member leagues, clubs and partners to ensure cricket's vast potential in the US is realized.

"There is a rich, diverse and long history of cricket in the US. One of my first key projects will be to talk to a wide selection of league presidents, stakeholders and partners about that history and the future. My hope is that this will help encourage the levels of collaboration and compliance critical for the development of the game at all levels and in all forms in the US."

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Playing England bowlers gave me confidence - Pujara

When you have scored Test hundreds against the likes of James Anderson and Graeme Swann, domestic first-class cricket becomes a breeze. So feels Cheteshwar Pujara, who displayed a little-seen side of his batting in Rajkot as he went from 150 to 200 in just 17 deliveries against a hapless Madhya Pradesh attack. Pujara said the belief gained from playing Anderson's reverse swing had enabled him to hit this Ranji season's leading wicket-taker Ishwar Pandey for five successive fours during his fifth first-class double hundred.

"When you have faced Anderson, it gives you a lot of confidence," Pujara told ESPNcricinfo. "When you can play his reverse swing, this becomes easy. It is also about the experience of playing against some of the best spinners in the world, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar. When I batted in the second Test in Mumbai [he made 135 in the first innings], the wicket was a square turner. If you face those kinds of spinners in those conditions, then this is easier."

Pujara was India's leading run-getter in the four home Tests against England, making 438 at an average of 87.60. He repeatedly used his feet against Swann and Panesar and drew praise for his assured manner of handling quality spin. In Rajkot, he displayed his flexibility on a slow, low and slightly uneven pitch, not committing early against the MP spinners, and playing them late with deft wrists.

"The plan was to play late," Pujara said. "Actually my initial thinking was to play on the front foot because the odd ball was keeping low. But they were bowling a bit short, so I could get singles and also hit the odd boundary in an over. I had a very good partnership with Aarpit Vasavada. We were under a bit of pressure [at 23 for 3]. Once we had the partnership, which was really important, we knew we could get runs.

"The MP spinners were a bit inexperienced on how to go about bowling on this wicket and how to bowl in the right areas. They were allowing me to reach to the ball and I could play my shots. If they had continued bowling on the right length for a longer time, things might have been different."

Pujara said his main aim was to get some quick runs with Saurashtra intending to declare at tea, and that reaching a double was not on his mind. "I knew I had only about a couple of overs to score my runs. I thought of going after the bowling and having some practice for the remainder of the season. And once I had hit two boundaries in an over against their left-arm spinner, I thought if I keep hitting like this I might end up scoring a double hundred. But still, I never believed I could do it. And I got more than 127 runs in a session in the end."

In the 17 deliveries that he took to zoom from 150 to 200, Pujara hit ten fours and a six, including a reverse-sweep and a reverse-paddle off the left-arm spin of Rameez Khan. "They were bowling on the leg stump and the field was set on the leg side. I have practised that shot (the reverse-sweep). Even a couple of years ago, when a left-arm spinner tried bowling from over the wicket outside leg stump, I played that shot.

"That (the reverse-paddle) was surprising. Even I never thought I could play that. I knew there was no slip, and I could at least try that shot. These are the shots you can try after scoring a hundred. You can try new things and even if you end up getting out, there is no trouble for the team."

Such a dazzling display of strokes moved one to ask why he still does not find a place in the India ODI side. Pujara, who averages 56.97 in List A one-dayers, felt it was a just a matter of when, and not if. "That is something that is not in my control. I have always performed in domestic one-dayers. I don't need to worry about it. My time will come. One way or the other I will get my chance to play in the ODI team. I just need to keep performing."

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Mumbai all but through to quarters after Jaffer 171

Mumbai 323 for 5 (Jaffer 171, Shah 82) lead Gujarat 244 (Parthiv 101, Chavan 3-54) by 79 runs
Scorecard

Wasim Jaffer has been Mumbai's go-to man for the better part of his 17 seasons with the domestic giants. As a result, it was unusual for the prolific batsman to go into the last game of the league stage of a Ranji Trophy season without a century under his belt. But when Mumbai required Jaffer to deliver, the opening batsman came good with a big hundred to help the hosts attain the first-innings lead against Gujarat in a Group A match at the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Thanks to Jaffer's 171 and his 213-run partnership with Hiken Shah for the third wicket, Mumbai ended day two at 323 for five, 79 runs ahead of Gujarat's first-innings total of 244. And the three points that they have in all likelihood ensured for the first-innings lead mean that the 39-times champions are all but assured of a place in the quarter-finals.

Gujarat, on the other hand, will hope for Madhya Pradesh to register a come-from-behind victory against Saurashtra in Rajkot in order to progress to the last eight.

The day belonged to one man, who is reputed for his stylish batting. With Mumbai starting the day at 24 for 1, they had to avoid early damage. And the manner in which Jaffer started the day would have rung alarm bells for Gujarat's bowlers. In the second over of the day, Jaffer first flicked left-arm seamer Rush Kalaria through midwicket and then drove him on the on-side for boundaries. In the next over, he dispatched Ishwar Choudhary's short ball to the midwicket fence with an elegant pull. And then drove Kalaria straight down the ground for his fourth boundary of the morning.

Jaffer, who had missed the first three games of the season since he was on pilgrimage, and then missed the Punjab tie due to a close relative's death, continued his onslaught, despite Kushang Patel getting rid of Aditya Tare. And after completing his fifty off left-arm spinner Rakesh Dhurv, the most successful spinner this season, Jaffer cut loose.

Jaffer plundered 15 runs in a Dhurv over, hitting a six and a boundary over mid-on and then pulling the bowler through midwicket. This gave ample time to left-hand Shah to get into his groove. As a result, with Jaffer scoring at will, Shah could afford to play out a lot of dot balls before starting to rotate the strike regularly.

Jaffer ended the century drought by steering Kushang Patel to the third-man boundary after lunch. His 30th Ranji hundred came after a year, the first since his twin hundreds against Saurashtra while batting in the middle order last year. The century also brought him within one ton of Ajay Sharma's record of 31 Ranji centuries.

Jaffer was all set to carry on into the third day's play. But soon after Shah fell short of his fourth century of the season, Jaffer had a lapse in concentration. With Gujarat opting for the second new ball after Mumbai had gained the lead, Jaffer first played an uppish drive off Kalaria straight to Chirag Gandhi, who made a mess of it. The next ball, another lazy drive took the edge of his willow and flew into the slips, where Samit Gohel took an excellent diving catch. It ended Jaffer's commendable effort, which included 21 boundaries and a six.

But by then, Jaffer, who termed the knock as "satisfying, especially since it was important for me to be around till we ensured the lead", had taken Mumbai to a virtual safety. And the former Mumbai captain had also relieved his team-mates of being under pressure over New Year's Eve and the New Year's Day, since the last two days' play is largely going to be an inconsequential for them.

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Four-wicket over not enough for South Zone

South Zone 343 (Rahman 152*, Mosharraf 5-52) and 216 (Imran 65, Mosharraf 4-68) drew with Central Zone 433 for 9 dec (Ayub 125, Gazi 4-162) and 93 for 6 (Mahmudullah 50*, Islam 5-17)
Scorecard

The match that began with Ziaur Rahman hammering an unbeaten 152 in South Zone's first innings ended with Robiul Islam's four wickets in one over. But the two slow days in the middle, which were also hampered by fog, took too much time out of the game. The match ended in a draw but Central Zone earned two points more than South zone on account of their first innings lead.

Islam removed Asif Ahmed off the second ball of Central Zone's first over, before he clean bowled Mohammad Ashraful, Marshall Ayub and Mehrab Hossain jnr off consecutive deliveries, though he bowled a no-ball before taking the last wicket in the over, depriving him of the hat-trick.

Shamsur Rahman also fell to Islam and immediately Central Zone's chase of 127 runs looked too big. Captain Mahmudullah and Mosharraf Hossain battled for an hour to secure their position. The final day had begun with South Zone's second innings moving towards safety before they collapsed from 71 for 2 to 112 for 7. Tushar Imran and Rubel Hossain added 87 for the eighth wicket to give Central Zone a modest target.

South Zone's first innings was also rescued by their lower-order as they recovered from 192 for 8 to end up on 343 runs. Ziaur's 15 sixes helped him reach a career-best unbeaten 152, with tailenders Rubel and Murad Khan supporting him in valuable partnerships. Central Zone replied well as they took a 90-run lead. Marshall Ayub struck a patient 125, his third first-class century of the season.

North Zone 499 for 6 dec (N Hossain 93, N Islam 82, Baisya 3-63) drew with East Zone 419 for 8 (Ghosh 107*, F Hossain 91)
Scorecard

While there was a lot of excitement in Mirpur, the Bogra game between East Zone and North Zone stuttered all along due to heavy fog in the country's northern parts. Only 244 overs were played after delayed starts on three of the four days. North Zone batted first to make 499 for 6 in two days. They batted only 44.5 overs on the second day before declaring overnight.

Jahurul Islam, Farhad Hossain, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain and Farhad Reza all made half-centuries with Nasir getting out in the 90s for the third time this season.

East Zone made 419 for 8 with Dhiman Ghosh scoring an unbeaten hundred. Faisal Hossain, Mominul Haque and captain Alok Kapali also made half-centuries, but it was a game that never had any pace to it and ended in a tame draw due to the weather conditions.

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Misbah keen on a more clinical showing

While captain Misbah-ul-Haq was happy Pakistan managed to get off to a winning start in the three-match ODI series against India, he believes the team still has a lot to work on, especially in the field. Pakistan, he said, were fortunate to walk away with the six-wicket win in Chennai.

"Today we were lucky, India gave us a tough time in this situation. They lost five wickets early but still went on to make 227," Misbah was quoted as saying by PTI. "To win the next match, we will have to work hard and improve a fair bit. We have to really improve our fielding, and our death-over and Powerplay bowling. After these [changes to the] ODI rules especially, we have to improve the bowling.

"Also, we have to improve our batting performances; we couldn't chase the target down easily."

While Pakistan's victory-margin was ultimately comfortable, they lost a wicket off the first ball of their innings when Mohammad Hafeez shouldered arms to a Bhuvneshwar Kumar inswinger. From there on, it was slow and edgy progress for Pakistan, who were 21 for 2 in the 11th over when Azhar Ali lobbed a catch to midwicket. Opener Nasir Jamshed was firm though, batting through the innings for 101 not out, and Younis Khan was relatively positive for his 58, ensuring victory.

The hosts' top order too had struggled in this, one of the rare day ODIs in India. Junaid Khan had India reeling with a remarkable spell of swing bowling, in which he bowled Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh in the space of eight balls.

Both Misbah and India captain MS Dhoni said that while it was outstanding bowling, the toss too was important. "It was a good toss to win, but it was an excellent spell by Junaid. There was something for the bowlers but of you don't bowl in the right areas when the ball is seaming, you don't get results," Misbah said. Dhoni agreed: "I think it was the toss to start with. After that they bowled well. When the ball is seaming or swinging, if you pitch it in the right areas it works.

"If you see their bowlers, they bowled up which was good. Generally on these kind of wickets there will be temptation to bowl short because there will be bounce and carry, but they made sure they bowled up and left the batsmen in trouble."

With India tottering at 29 for 5 in the 10th, Suresh Raina and Dhoni began the rebuilding, adding 73 runs. Raina was out short of a half-century but Dhoni, in extremely humid conditions, paced his innings and finished unbeaten. He was 34 off 78 balls without a boundary, got to 50 off 86 and was battling dehydration when he launched, finishing with 113 off 125. The innings won him the Man of the Match award ahead of Jamshed.

Misbah had high praise for Dhoni: "At one stage, it looked as if India would be getting out for 125 but Dhoni's was a brilliant innings. It was more difficult to play in the first half. There was lot of moisture but very well played by Dhoni. He single-handedly took the game away from us, but in the end Nasir too played an extremely good knock."

Dhoni said he would have preferred to have India's top order clicking: "Overall quite happy that I got a century. But going down the order, batting at six or seven, and if you get a 100 ... actually you don't want an opportunity like that because you want your top order to perform."

One of the big concerns for India was the fitness of Kohli, whose ankle gave way under him while he was bowling, resulting in him over-extending his knee. Dhoni said the team would know the details of the injury in "some time". Later, a BCCI release confirmed that while an MRI scan revealed no serious damage, whether Kohli will play the next ODI - on January 3 in Kolkata - is yet to be determined. "All his major ligaments are fine. There is minimal injury fluid in his knee," the release said. "His condition will be monitored, and a decision on whether he will play the second ODI will be taken over the next couple of days."

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Cheema leads Shalimar to big win

Lahore Shalimar 254 (Salahuddin 63, Sami 5-77) and 59 for 0 beat Karachi Whites 170 (Alam 53, Cheema 6-62) and 142 (Saad Ali 58, Cheema 4-36) by 10 wickets
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Aizaz Cheema's ten-wicket match haul set up a crushing win for Lahore Shalimar against Karachi Whites. Shalimar bowled out Whites for well under 200 twice in the game, ensuring the comfortable win.

Whites had chosen to bat, but could manage only 170 in their first innings, with only Fawad Alam making any contribution of note. He made 53, as Cheema ran through the middle and lower order to claim 6 for 62. Then, Shalimar's top order all got into double digits to make sure they took charge. They finished with a lead of 84, which was amplified when their bowlers knocked over both Whites' openers for ducks in their second gig.

Whites were still trailing by 30 runs when they started the third day, with four wickets already lost. As soon as they took a lead, wickets started tumbling again and they lost their last six wickets for 47 runs, finishing all out for 142. Zia-ul-Haq got rid of both the set batsmen - Saad Ali and Saeed Bin Nasir - and only three of them reached double figures.

Lahore Shalimar achieved their target of 59 without losing a wicket and took nine points from the match.

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Bowlers give Mumbai fine start

Mumbai 24 for 1 trail Gujarat 244 (Parthiv 101, Chavan 3-54) by 220 runs
Scorecard

Zaheer Khan had a fruitful first day as captain of a first-class side, as Mumbai bowled out Gujarat for 244 in what is a virtual pre-quarter-final. Had hosts Mumbai not lost opener Kaustubh Pawar in the last over of the day, the smile on Zaheer's face at stumps would have been even wider.

It didn't come as a surprise when Zaheer, leading the team in the absence of regular captain Ajit Agarkar who was ruled out with a groin injury, opted to bowl on a sporting track with a sprinkling of live grass at the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium. And when Zaheer trapped Smit Patel, one of the stars of India's victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign, in front of wickets, Mumbai would have hoped to run through the Gujarat top order.

However, rookies Samit Gohel and Bhargav Merai frustrated them for more than an hour. Not only did both the right-hand batsmen scored freely at the start of their innings, but they defended well, leaving balls outside off stump with relative ease. As a result, by the time Dhawal Kulkarni forced Gohel into a false shot, Mumbai had used as five bowlers.

At 89 for 2, captain Parthiv Patel took guard. And by the time he was dismissed as the penultimate Gujarat wicket, the seasoned batsman had scored 101 off the 154 runs that Gujarat added since his arrival at the crease. Had Merai not attempted a risky single and fallen short of the crease at the non-striker's end when Kulkarni's direct hit shattered the woodwork in the last over before lunch, Gujarat would have had the advantage going into the break.

However, once Mumbai had got an opening, they lived up to their tag of domestic powerhouse by breaking through at regular intervals. As a result, the 64-run association for the second wicket between Gohel and Merai turned out to be the only noteworthy partnership of the innings.

While wickets were tumbling at the other end, Parthiv appeared to be playing a completely different match. En route his third century of the season, and the top of this season's run charts, the left-hand batsman displayed his cutting and driving abilities in abundance. His standout stroke was a straight driven boundary off Kulkarni soon after his arrival at the crease.

Once Mumbai had broken into the longish tail of Gujarat batting, Parthiv switched gears and targeted left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan, who was flighting the ball on the opening day for the first time in the season. He first charged down the pitch to hit him for a boundary over mid-off, and in his next over, drove him through the covers for the same result.

The only blemish during Parthiv's knock came when he was on 64. Having surpassed Ravindra Jadeja's tally of 794 runs to emerge as the leading run-getter, Parthiv nicked Kulkarni but Hiken Shah dropped a regulation catch at first slip. Nevertheless, with little support from the other end, it was a commendable effort from the Gujarat captain.

"Obviously the additional motivation is to return to the Indian team, so I try and score big. Thankfully, it has been paying off all through the season," Parthiv said after stumps. "It is a challenging wicket but I think we were about 100 runs short of what would have been an ideal first-innings score here."

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Young batsmen make New Zealanders work hard

South African Invitation XI 274 for 6 (Petersen 47*, Liebisch 4*, Boult 2-46) trail New Zealanders 311 for 6 declared (McCullum 65, Ackermann 3-46) by 37 runs
Scorecard

Two potential future stars announced themselves in Paarl as the South African Invitational XI made the New Zealanders work hard on the second day of their warm-up match. Rassie van der Dussen and Matthew Kleinveldt scored seventies before Trent Boult ensured the day was not a complete waste with two wickets in an aggressive spell in the final session.

The New Zealanders declared overnight to give their bowlers a decent run but soon found the going tough on a pitch that only got flatter under sunny skies. Van der Dussen, who has played for the North West amateur team and Kleinveldt, cousin of Rory, were untroubled by all three seamers who bowled within themselves and in short spells throughout the morning.

Both batsmen were strong off the front foot with Kleinveldt showing slightly more intent. They wore down the New Zealanders, who eventually had the spinners, Jeetan Patel and Bruce Martin operating from either end. The hosts went to lunch at 81 without loss before Kleinveldt brought out his more flamboyant side in the afternoon session.

He half-century came in the second over after lunch while van der Dussen continued to play conservatively, although he also reached his milestone. With both set to record hundreds the New Zealanders appeared to be on a futile mission but Martin tempted Kleinveldt with flight, drew him forward and BJ Watling completed the stumping.

The tourists' most profitable period came after tea. Colin Ackermann was caught by Martin Guptill at slip off Neil Wagner. The umpires had to confer about the legitimacy of the catch after Shaun George, who was at the bowler's end, thought it was taken off a bump ball.

Boult got his first wicket when van der Dussen played an aerial shot into the covers and Dean Brownlie took the catch. Brownlie was on the field substituting for Peter Fulton, who will take no part in the Tests after injuring tendons in his knee while batting.

Having suffered a severe stomach bug, Brownlie appeared to have returned to health and may even ask for special permission for bat on the third day. He was not named in the original 12 because of his illness but has progressed well since then and because the match does not have first-class status his request may be granted.

In his next over, Boult produced a beauty that swung into Pite van Biljoen and upset the stumps. The New Zealanders caused a mini-collapse when Uwe Birkenstock was given what could have been seen as a harsh lbw dismissal against Martin. The ball looked to be missing leg but Birkenstock left without complaint.

All the New Zealanders' quick men returned for a final burst in the last hour and Chris Martin was the only one to have some reward. He picked up the scalp of promising wicketkeeper-batsman Bradley Barnes to an lbw that few could have argued with.

The inability to bowl out an inexperienced, composite side made up of players from the amateur and under-19 competitions may see the New Zealanders cop some criticism but they should not be vilified just yet. The attack on display is unlikely to be their Test arsenal with Doug Bracewell sitting out and the pitch at Newlands should offer a little more bounce and carry than the unresponsive Boland Park strip.

Luckily, it was the only lifeless part of the ground. A healthy crowd sat under the oaks to watch the match and a sponsored event, which involved some cricket and much music, took place on the lawns at the back of the stadium. In attendance were acting CSA chief executive Jacques Faul, former national assistance coach Vincent Barnes, who now works on the High Performance Programme, current bowling coach Allan Donald and many former players from the area including Henry Williams and Johnny Kleinveldt, Matthew's father.

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