Finch strikes put England on victory path

South Africa Under-19s 194 and 66 for 4 (Finch 3-7) need another 205 to beat England Under-19s 313 and 151 (Sibley 62, Pillay 3-23)
Scorecard

England ended day three on course for victory in the opening Test after Harry Finch took three of four South African wickets early in their chase of 271. England had faltered with the bat to set a target less challenging then they would have wished but left South Africa with a daunting task on the final day.

After taking a 119 first-innings lead, England were looking to bat South Africa out of sight and make smooth progress in the morning session through Dominic Sibley, the right-handed opener from Surrey. But the opening stand of 35 between Sibley and Jonathan Tattersall proved the best of the innings as Sibley was the only batsman to make more than 17.

They were sitting healthily at lunch on 79 for 2 but then crumbled to Shaylin Pillay's right-arm medium pace. He removed Kishen Velani and Callum Jackson in the same over on the way to 3 for 23. Vincent Moore then dismissed Sibley as England lost 5 for 23. A brief 17 from first-innings centurion Ed Barnard extended England's lead but momentum had swung.

Andries Gous led South Africa's chase well with 30 not out by the close but four wickets at the other end saw England regain the initiative. Finch, 17-years-old from Sussex, removed Pillay and Diego Rosier in consecutive overs, both lbw, to leave England in a good position to take the lead in the series.

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Essex could get tough on IPL absentees

Essex have indicated they could follow Nottinghamshire's example in future seasons by banning their players from taking part in the IPL during the English season as signs grow that the counties are considering a firmer line towards the tournament.

Paul Grayson, Essex's head coach, has admitted the issue has become a regular topic of discussion for the Essex committee as they consider withdrawing permission for their players to pursue IPL deals in 2014.

England's managing director, Hugh Morris, confirmed after their one-day tour of India that England's Test programme would remain sacrosanct and there would be no concessions in the new central contracts currently under negotiation and due to come into force in September.

England's centrally-contracted players who are in the running to play the first Test against New Zealand have to return by May 5 which entails missing nearly half the IPL which runs from April 3 to May 26.

The counties are responsible for issuing No Objection Certificates for players contracted directly by them - and the disruption they face is even greater with the Championship season beginning on April 10.

Nottinghamshire became the first county to stand firm and protect the integrity of the county season. Faced by losing Michael Lumb, Samit Patel and Alex Hales for the first part of the new season, a period which could conceivably end their Championship ambitions, Notts' director of cricket, Mick Newell, instructed his players not to put themselves in the IPL auction on February 3.

Essex's problems run just as deep. Ravi Bopara will be in the IPL auction and could become a third Essex player to potentially miss six County Championship matches and three CB40 fixtures of the new season. Ryan ten Doeschate already has a deal with Kolkata Knight Riders and Owais Shah is signed to Rajasthan Royals.

"It's something we keep discussing on a regular basis about what we're going to do," Grayson told the Essex Chronicle. "Eventually we might make a decision and say: 'Enough is enough: you either play for Essex or you play somewhere else'.

"Some counties are putting a stop to it and not letting their players go. Notts were the first ones that said if their lads go to the IPL then they don't play for Notts. It's up to them what they decide to do."

Middlesex will also suffer as Eoin Morgan has a contract with Kolkata but, as an England-contracted player, he is not bound by the wishes of his county. Last season Morgan played a full season of IPL when he was dropped from the England Test side and should be available to do so again with his selection for England's Tests against New Zealand in May unlikely after his exclusion from the tour party for New Zealand in March.

Essex do have control of their players because they are not centrally contracted and Grayson said the club are working with the ECB and the Professional Cricketers Association to avoid potential legal problems.

Their fear is that the situation could lead to players moving to counties willing to grant them a window to be available in the IPL. Only if all 18 counties followed the principle that the county season came first would English cricket avoid some high-profile transfers and even then they might not be able to hold the line against overseas players hoping for an IPL deal.

"If they're under contract, players can't do anything about it," Grayson said. "But if they're at the end of their contract they might go to another club that lets them go to the IPL, if that's what they want to do.

"It can be a bit of a problem but it gives one or two of the younger lads a chance to go out and show what they can do; the Mickleburghs, the Westleys and Foakes can come in and the others will have to wait their turn before they come back in to the side. Just because they go to the IPL there's no guarantee they'll walk back in to the side. You've got to be loyal to players, it works both ways."

Despite missing Shah and ten Doeschate for the first part of last season, Essex began well, winning one and drawing four of their opening five matches. When Shah returned, Essex lost to Derbyshire in their next match. But overall both Shah and ten Doeschate enjoyed good seasons. Shah made 589 runs in eight first-class matches at 49.08 and ten Doeschate 412 runs at 45.77 from his nine games as well as their impact in the limited-overs formats. Such players are not lightly lost.

Essex had batting cover at the start of the season with South African batsman Alviro Petersen playing seven matches, although he only managed 90 runs in 10 innings either side of making 145 against Glamorgan. This season, Essex have signed Rob Quiney, the Australian batsman, for the whole campaign.

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Imad fifty secures Islamabad draw

Islamabad 179 (Afaq 3-12) and 221 for 5 (Imad 52*) drew with Peshawar 103 (Iftikhar 5-28) and 439 for 9 dec. (Israrullah 155*)
Scorecard

Islamabad batted out for a draw on the final day against Peshawar to secure a draw. Chasing 364 to win and all day to get the remaining 312 runs, they were always scoring too slowly to threaten the target and contributions from all top seven batsman denied Peshawar.

Imad Wasim was the only one to go on to a half-century, finished unbeaten on 52. He shared a partnership of 64 that ended Peshawar's hopes. Zohaib Ahmed proved his stickability, facing 99 balls for just 15 runs.

Peshawar took a while to break through as Raheel Majeed made 36 in 56 balls - by far the liveliest innings on the card - and Shan Masood scored more conservatively for 37 but had hope when they removed two wickets for the addition of only one run to leave Islamabad 106 for 3. Fahad Iqbal then dug in and Imad's knock secured the draw.

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Price dropped from Zimbabwe limited-overs squad

Ray Price, the left-arm spinner, was dropped from Zimbabwe's limited-overs squad for the upcoming tour of West Indies, but he would join the team for the Test series that follows the ODIs and the Twenty20s. Left-arm seamer Brian Vitori, who has been part of all three squads since making his debut in August 2011 against Bangladesh, was dropped for the tour.

Left-hand batsman Sean Williams, who has played 47 ODIs and a T20 before, was included for the Tests for the first time while he has been left out of the limited-overs team. He played his last international match - an ODI against Canada - during the 2011 World Cup.

Another new name to feature in both Test and limited-overs squads is Tendai Chatara, the Mountaineers right-arm seamer, who has picked up 13 wickets in three first-class matches this season.

The team will play three ODIs, two T20s and two Tests in what happens to be Zimbabwe's first tour of the West Indies in 13 years. It is the first time they are playin a two-Test series since playing India in 2005.

Four members of the limited-overs squad - Craig Ervine, Chamu Chibhabha, Tino Mutombodzi and Natsai M'shangwe - will return after the ODIs and T20s and will be replaced by Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Ray Price and Graeme Cremer for the Tests.

ODI and T20 squad: Brendan Taylor (capt), Hamilton Masakadza, Vusi Sibanda, Tino Mawoyo, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Prosper Utseya, Regis Chakabva, Malcolm Waller, Keegan Meth, Craig Ervine, Chamu Chibhabha, Tino Mutombodzi, Natsai M'shangwe

Test squad: Brendan Taylor (capt), Tino Mawoyo, Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Regis Chakabva, Malcolm Waller, Kyle Jarvis, Keegan Meth, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Raymond Price, Graeme Cremer

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Rawalpindi held despite huge advantage

Abbottabad held on for a draw against Group II leaders Rawalpindi in Swabi, despite having been bowled out in their first innings with a 352-run deficit. Having lead by 493 overnight, Rawalpindi chose to bat on, reaching 289 for 8 before declaring. That left Abbottabad with an unlikely target of 642 for victory but despite slipping to 80 for 5, they were only required to bat for 37 overs to secure the draw.

Rawalpindi's dominance was built on a career-best 183 by Umar Waheed, as they racked up 498 in the first innings. Saad Altaf and Hammad Azam then claimed four wickets apiece as Abbottabad were dismissed for 146 but, rather than enforce the follow-on, Rawalpindi chose to bat again. Umar Amin, Mohammad Nawaz and Adnan Mufti all made half-centuries, while Abbottabad's Aziz-ur-Rehman picked up five wickets but in the end there was not time to force a result.

Neither Bahawalpur or Karachi Whites could force a result in Multan, although the three points collected by Bahawalpur was enough to move them off the bottom of Group II. After making 362, largely thanks to Kamran Hussain's 139, Bahawalpur secured a slender first-innings lead by dismissing Karachi for 351, wicketkeeper Owais Rehmani making an unbeaten 146.

Four wickets for Faraz Ahmed left Bahawalpur's second innings in trouble at 109 for 6 but Kamran struck his second century of the match, to help haul the total up towards 250. With eight wickets down, Bahawalpur declared to set Karachi 257 to win and although they set off at a decent scoring rate, the chase was called off after 12 overs. The draw meant second-placed Karachi lost ground on Rawalpindi.

In Mirpur, Hyderabad condemned Faisalabad to their third defeat in five matches in a low-scoring encounter. Set 210 to win, Faisalabad were five down at the close of day three and could only muster another 32 runs to be dismissed for 122 and lose by 87 runs. Slow left-armer Nauman Ali claimed 4 for 31, while three other bowlers shared six wickets between them.

After being asked to bat first, Hyderabad made the highest score of the match, Sharjeel Khan and Lal Kumar making 63 and 64 respectively in a total of 254. Faisalabad then made 187, after being 18 for 4 early on, but they were given a chance by Asad Ali's 6 for 53 - to go with five wickets in the first innings - as Hyderabad could muster only 142. But that turned out to be more than enough.

In Group I, Karachi Blues extended their lead at the top despite failing to chase a target of 86 against Lahore Ravi. The match at the Gaddafi Stadium ended in a draw with Karachi 69 for 5 from 10 overs, as time ran out. Adnan Akmal's unbeaten 108 in Lahore's second innings helped his team to 305 all out, with Saadullah Ghauri absent injured, but it was a crucial ninth-wicket partnership of 64 that helped eat up enough time to deny Karachi victory.

After Imran Farhat's century had underpinned Lahore's 261, Karachi piled on the runs to build a lead of 220. Akbar-ur-Rehman was largely responsible for that advantage, compiling 225 - only his third first-class century and his highest score - but a second-innings half-century from Farhat and Adnan's rearguard with Asif Ashfaq staved off the possibility of defeat.

There was another draw across the city at the Lahore Cricket Association, as Quetta closed on 193 for 3 in pursuit of 270 to beat Sialkot. Again a stubborn lower-order partnership proved pivotal, as Mohammad Ayub (94 not out) added 52 runs with last man Mohammad Abbas. Fifties from Bismillah Khan, Ali Asad and Qaiser Abbas were not enough for Quetta, whose chase was abandoned after 54 overs.

Their target to win would have been the highest score of the match, after both teams failed to pass 250 in the first innings. Sialkot took the three points, having made 232 with half-centuries from Faisal Khan and captain Shoaib Malik, as Quetta subsided to 225 after a century opening stand between Bismillah and Mohibullah.

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Rajshahi set up victory with record total

Duronto Rajshahi 213 for 6 (Tamim 66, Coventry 62, Kapali 3-23) beat Barisal Burners 209 for 7 (Mahmood 54, Abul 2-43) by four runs
Scorecard

Duronto Rajshahi bounced back from three consecutive losses to beat Barisal Burners by four runs in a high-scoring contest. Rajshahi's 213 for 6 was the highest score in the BPL, surpassing Dhaka's 208 for 5 in the first season, but the Burners' 209 for 7 is now in second place after they maintained a high run-rate but missed vital partnerships in the chase.

Charles Coventry started the big-hit party with a 25-ball 62, with seven fours and four sixes. He reached 50 off just 20 balls at the end of the fifth over, when his opening partner Tamim Iqbal was 8 off 11 balls. Coventry fell two overs later after attempting one more charge at Alok Kapali.

Tamim took up the charge after Coventry's departure. He was severe on the spinners, and scored 66 off 47 balls. He struck five sixes and three boundaries, and maintained the 10-plus run-rate throughout his stay. Sean Ervine kept up the pace with an unbeaten 30 off 11 balls, hitting three sixes. Off the last seven balls of the innings, Ervine and Abul Hasan struck four sixes.

Kapali and Shafiul Islam conceded only 46 runs off their 8 overs, while the rest of the Burners attack was taken for 167 runs at a rate of 13.92 per over.

Burners replied in earnest but scoring 10.70 per over was a hard task. Brad Hodge blasted a few before falling to a catch at sweeper for 23. Sabbir Rahman and Joe Denly contributed slightly, while Azhar Mahmood threatened Rajshahi before Ervine had him leg-before on 54 off 28 balls.

The Burners' batsmen tried to replicate Rajshahi's 13 sixes but fell short by three, and more importantly they didn't have the sizeable partnerships that anchor such large chases. Burners slipped to the bottom of the seven-team competition after suffering their fourth defeat in five games. They haven't won a game since on January 20.

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England U-19 bowlers earn big lead

England U-19s 313 (Barnard 114, Williams 4-71) and 24 for 0 lead South Africa U-19s 194 (Coetzee 50, Stone 4-40) by 143 runs
Scorecard

Oli Stone, the England Under-19 captain, took four wickets to earn his team a 119-run lead on the second day in Cape Town.

Stone was not the original captain for the trip but replaced the injured Shiv Thakor last week. He did not bring himself into the attack until six other bowlers had been used, after suffering a dislocated finger in the warm-up match, but soon made an impact with two wickets in two balls removing South Africa's top-scorer, Murray Coetzee (50), and Vassilli Orros as the home side slipped to 120 for 5.

He claimed two further wickets to complete an efficient display by England who had earlier extended their first innings to 313. Ed Barnard, who scored a century on the opening day, was only able to add seven to his overnight score before being bowled sweeping.

South Africa made a solid start in reply before Harry Finch, a 17-year-old from Sussex, had Andries Gous and Shaylin Pillay caught behind in quick succession. A partnership of 60 between Coetzee and Diego Rosier, the captain, followed to leave the game evenly balance but Miles Hammond had Rosier lbw to start the collapse.

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Giles surprised at Root's success

Ashley Giles, England's limited-overs coach, has admitted being taken by surprise at how quickly Joe Root has settled into the international arena. Root, the Yorkshire batsman, was one of the players to significantly enhance his reputation during the ODI series against India that finished on Sunday.

A mark of Root's swift rise is that he will now be involved in all three formats on the tour to New Zealand, having previously been expected to only be a fringe player this winter. First, he was given a Test debut in Nagpur, then he was added to the Twenty20 squad before Christmas when Jonny Bairstow was ruled out, and the same situation emerged for the one-dayers when Bairstow remained unavailable.

His success in India then prompted the selectors to remove him from the Lions tour to Australia, where he was due to be captain, and send him for the ODIs in New Zealand, while Danny Briggs' injury opened up a spot in the Twenty20 squad.

Root's standout performance came in the fourth match, when he struck 57 off 45 balls and then followed that with 31 in England's successful run chase in Dharamsala. However, he also impressed in the field and with the ball, and his offspin became a useful option for Alastair Cook.

"I didn't know he could bat as well as he has," Giles said. "He had all the ingredients to show that he could bat really well. He just looks at home and he's the sort of player with which English cricket is in good hands.

"Joe's had a fantastic first tour and has developed game on game into someone who is playing all forms of the game."

The other player to shine consistently through the one-day tour was offspinner James Tredwell, who claimed 11 wickets at 18.18 in the five matches. His success has been enough for Giles to suggest that England could consider playing both him and Graeme Swann in the same team, although the likelihood is that Tredwell will be back as the reserve for the ODIs against New Zealand next month.

"It just gives us great options - I don't see at some point why you couldn't play two offspinners in the same side," Giles said. "Tredders has been fantastic this trip."

The five-match series was also a steep learning curve for Giles in his first assignment as the limited-overs coach, having taken over from Andy Flower in the new England coaching structure. Giles now takes the squad to New Zealand for three Twenty20s and three ODIs, the latter will provide more fine-tuning ahead of the Champions Trophy, and he is feeling more at home with each match.

"Certainly I have learned a lot about this level and as the tour has gone on I have become more and more myself," he said. "It has been an enjoyable tour, playing cricket in these beautiful arenas, and while we are disappointed to lose, we have learned a lot."

England have a couple of days off after arriving in Auckland before starting their preparations for the warm-up matches ahead of the Twenty20 series. They play two matches against a New Zealand XI that will include former captain Ross Taylor, as he continues the process of returning to the national side following his self-imposed break during the South Africa tour after his controversial sacking.

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Pakistanis tighten grip with big lead

Pakistanis 329 (Safraz 93, Harmer 5-88) and 240 for 5 (Hafeez 83, Jamshed 51, Misbah 51*) lead South African Invitation XI 257 (van Jaarsveld 92, Vilas 62*, Ajmal 3-66) by 312 runs
Scorecard

The Pakistanis put themselves in prime position to record a first victory on their visit to South Africa as they bowled the hosts out and built a significant lead on the third day in East London. Nasir Jamshed and Mohammed Hafeez were among the runs again, while Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan and Umar Gul all flexed their wicket-taking muscles.

Pakistan's latest sensation, the 2.03 metre tall Mohammed Irfan, only bowled 12 overs in the first innings as team management called for fast-bowling reinforcements to be sent to South Africa. He was not needed on the third morning as it took Ajmal and Junaid just 13.1 overs to get rid of the South African Invitation XI's tail. Both finished with three scalps, while only Mohammed Hafeez went wicketless.

For the second time in the fixture, Pakistan's opening pair appeared solid. Hafeez and Jamshed put on a century stand with both making half-centuries. Hafeez was the more aggressive of the pair - his 83 coming off 109 balls before he was caught behind off the innocuous bowling of part-time medium pacer Stiaan van Zyl.

Jamshed was more circumspect. His spent four minutes short of three hours at the crease to compile his 51. Even though he seemed well set, he departed the over after Hafeez, bowled by Kyle Abbot.

Jamshed's performances in the match give Pakistan an interesting problem ahead of the Test series. Should they open the batting with the in-form debutant or, fitness permitting, return to the tried and trusted Taufeeq Umar? Taufeeq was forced to sit out the practice match because of a leg injury. He was assessed by a radiologist on Friday in East London and is awaiting the results before a call is taken on his availability.

Pakistan may consider using both players, with one batting at No.3, after Azhar Ali, Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq all failed again to leave the middle order looking shaky. They were all caught behind suggesting that some adjustment still needed to be made for South African conditions and the Invitation side would have sniffed an opening at 191 for 5.

But Misbah-ul-Haq came good and reached a half-century as stumps loomed. Sarfraz Ahmed was with him at the crease. Having already scored 93 in the first innings, Sarfraz may not need too much more practice time and the Pakistanis will look to let their bowlers have another run on the fourth day. The Pakistan squad will travel to Johannesburg on Tuesday to begin preparations for the first Test, which starts on Friday.

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Barnard hundred leads England rally

England Under-19s 277 for 7 (Barnard 107*, Williams 4-61) v South Africa Under-19s
Scorecard

Ed Barnard made an unbeaten century to lead England Under out of trouble on the first day in Cape Town. Batting got easier as the day went on and Barnard relished the better conditions to put England in a fair position at the close.

Barnard, a 17-year-old from Shropshire, struck 11 fours in a composed innings of 168 balls. His innings was vital because the top order had been blown away by the new ball after South Africa won the toss and chose to field.

Coming in at 89 for 5, Bernard shared stands of 63 with Callum Jackson and 60 with Oli Stone to prevent his side from falling well behind in the Test match. Kishen Velani had earlier made 49 as England finally got some runs on the board but he was the third of four wickets for opening bowler Lizaad Williams just after lunch.

Williams had put South Africa in firm command in the morning session, reducing England to 14 for 3 in the fifth over. Jonathan Tattersall went caught behind for 2 and Harry Finch was trapped lbw for 9, both after Dominic Sibley fell to Craig Kirsten for a second ball duck. Kirsten later left the field with a stress fracture of the lower back, an injury that could rule him out for two months.

Williams went on to bowl Jackson for 49 as England's recovery was trimmed, but with the second new ball not as threatening and Barnard in good touch, England ended the day in positive shape, adding 109 after tea.

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