India lack BCCI support - Connor

Clare Connor, the ICC women's committee chairman and former England Women's captain, has blamed the BCCI for India's poor showing at the Women's World Cup.

India finished in seventh place after failing to qualify for the Super Six stage with just one victory from the group phase. Connor has said the team did not receive the support they deserved from their board.

Connor is now head of women's cricket at the ECB who have made the England Women's team the best-resourced in the world but says standards have slipped in India and the BCCI are at fault.

"Generally India have been strong but other teams, Sri Lanka and West Indies who have accelerated so much in the past four years, are overtaking them," Connor said in an interview. "The Indian players and the support staff will look to the BCCI for more support."

"There is such passion for cricket in this country. It probably asks the question whether the women have had the support they deserve because their standards have slipped. While that is partly the responsibility of the players I don't think they had as much support going into this tournament as they would need. That is a shame because they were the hosts and we wanted to bring the World Cup to India because of the passion for the game. It is a shame they didn't make it further in the tournament.

"If there is more support from the BCCI, then standards will rise. The passion is there for the game, people just need to know more about women's cricket probably, and hopefully that support will grow."

Connor said the world cup was a "huge achievement" for the women's game but it was disappointing that the BCCI didn't put as much weight into the tournament as it has done for men's competitions. The Wankhede Stadium was dropped at a late hour to host the final of the Ranji Trophy.

"For me personally the disappointment is that the BCCI has not pulled its way as much as it could have done for the Indian women's team and to support the profile and exposure of this tournament.

"The market for women's cricket in India is massive. It is why we wanted a successful tournament here. We wanted to engage this cricket-mad nation and we wanted people to support the Indian women's team more. We want to grow the game. We want there to be role models and the aspiration to play towards the highest level. Hopefully on television that message would have got across a little bit.

"India is really important for the women's cricket. It has so much passion for the game that has not necessarily flowed into the women's game. Over time I hope that will happen with more high-quality cricket being played. It has huge finance in terms of backing the game. I hope this tournament has gone towards opening up some minds that were closed towards women's cricket in the past."

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Baroda win thriller after Yusuf ton

West Zone

Yusuf Pathan found his touch again with a typically aggressive 116, off only 102 balls to help Baroda overhaul Saurashtra's 299 at the Poona Club Ground, but it was a tense affair with Baroda getting there by one wicket. It was a terrific knock under pressure as Baroda were in trouble at one stage at 29 for 3 and later 127 for 5. Jyot Chhaya joined Pathan at the fall of the fifth wicket and the pair added 135 for the sixth wicket with Chhaya blasting five sixes in his 55-ball 82. The stand took the game away from Saurashtra. Pathan had all but taken Baroda over the line, when he was dismissed by Jaydev Unadkat 19 away from the target. His was the eighth wicket to fall, giving Saurashtra the edge. Bhargav Bhatt made the difference with a 13-ball 21 to help Baroda sneak home. Earlier, half-centuries by Sheldon Jackson and Rahul Dave took Saurashtra to a tall score. Dave missed his century by four runs.

D Subramanian made it a debut to remember as his 61 helped Mumbai beat Maharashtra under lights in Pune. His half-century, plus a couple of 40s by Siddhesh Lad and Aditya Tare helped Mumbai to 255. For Maharashtra, Ankit Bawne was the only player to offer resistance with 63. The middle order failed to contribute as Mumbai took control after the 35th over and restricted Maharashtra to 205.

South Zone

Centuries by the openers Robin Uthappa and KL Rahul helped Karnataka to their fourth straight win, over Hyderabad in Porvorim. Karnataka posted 305 and half-centuries by Hanuma Vihari and Bavanaka Sandeep kept Hyderabad in the hunt, but a four-wicket haul by Stuart Binny sealed the match for Karnataka. Hyderabad won the toss and had to wait 34 overs for their first breakthrough. Uthappa and Rahul added 206 before Uthappa was trapped lbw for 103. It was a continuation of Uthappa's dream run, which includes recent scores of 169, 54 and 49. Rahul was dismissed four overs later for a 107-ball 110, which included nine fours. Manish Pandey made a quick 42 to help Karnataka get close to 300, but the rest of the batting collapsed. Ironically, the Hyderabad bowler who bowled the maximum quota of 12 overs was their most expensive, Ashish Reddy, who leaked 88 but picked up three wickets. Hyderabad responded strongly with a stand of 140 between Vihari and captain Sandeep for the third wicket. SL Akshay's spell changed the course of the game. The seamer got rid of Vihari for 84, and then Sandeep for 72. With both well-set batsmen dismissed, Karnataka made further inroads. Akshay's spell led to Hyderabad losing four wickets for 27, with the bowler finishing with figures of 4 for 50. Binny cleaned up the lower order to help Karnataka win by 47 runs.

Half-centuries by Sanju Samson and Sachin Baby helped Kerala to their third win, beating Tamil Nadu by five wickets in Margao. Tamil Nadu chose to bat first and it was their captain Dinesh Karthik who led the way with a 55-ball 73 that included eight fours and three sixes. Yo Mahesh smashed 40 off 18 balls to lift Tamil Nadu to 257 for 7. Sreesanth was expensive, conceding 83 off his 11 overs. The chase was led by Samson and Baby, who came together at 127 for 4 in the 28th over and added 94 for the fifth wicket. Baby fell for 61, but Samson remained unbeaten on 85 to see his team through.

A knock of 125 from opener Srikar Bharat, his highest List A score, and a combined bowling effort led Andhra to a 170-run victory over Goa in Vasco da Gama. Chasing 261, Goa, with eight batsmen scoring in single digits, folded for 91. The 119-run opening stand between Bharat and Prasanth Kumar, who scored 37, and a 74-run stand between Bharat and B Sumanth, who scored 45, were the bedrock of Andhra's innings. In reply, Goa were jolted early by seamer Syed Sahabuddin, who reduced them to 19 for 3. Andhra bowlers kept chipping away at Goa, and the game was wrapped up by the 26th over.

East Zone

It was a low-scorer at Eden Gardens as Bengal beat Jharkhand by three wickets chasing a modest 162. Bengal justified their decision to field when they had the opposition at 84 for 6. Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Iresh Saxena made inroads in the top and middle order, before Shami Ahmed took three lower-order wickets to bowl out Jharkhand in the 38th over. Kumar Deobrat was the top scorer with 45. Bengal got off to a poor start, losing their top three to single-figure scores. A couple of 30s by Subhomoy Das and Wriddhiman Saha put Bengal on the recovery path. Things got tight at 136 for 7, but Shami's three sixes in his unbeaten 23 ensured the hosts got through.

Another low-scorer was played out at the Jadavpur University Complex in Kolkata, as Odisha beat Tripura by four wickets. Odisha chose to field, and all seven bowlers contributed in bowling out Tripura for 165 within 46 overs. Manisankar Murasingh was the top scorer with 32. Odisha got of to a poor start when they lost two wickets by the fifth over. Tripura sensed they were in with a chance when they had the opposition at 87 for 5. A stand of 51 between Lagnajit Samal and Rakesh Mohanty put Odisha back on track. Mohanty remained unbeaten on 42.

Central Zone

An unbeaten 101 off 94 balls by Jatin Saxena helped Madhya Pradesh beat Rajasthan by six wickets at the Holkar Cricket Stadium. The Madhya Pradesh bowlers did well to restrict Rajasthan to 211 after winning the toss. Wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik was the top scorer with 63 and the only batsman to pass fifty. Anurag Singh finished with 3 or 41. Saxena came in at the fall of the first wicket, in the third over, and stayed till the end. He hit 15 fours in his knock and shared stands of 83 and 87 with Anand Singh and Rameez Khan respectively.

It was a one-sided affair at the Emerald High School ground in Indore as Uttar Pradesh piled on 286 and thrashed Vidarbha by 96 runs. Uttar Pradesh were put in to bat and there were half-centuries by Tanmay Srivastava, Prashant Gupta and Akshdeep Nath. An opening stand of 94 between Srivastava and Gupta set the platform and towards the end, Nath smashed an unbeaten 70 off just 47 balls to push Uttar Pradesh to 286. Akshay Kolhar was the only batsman to offer resistance for Vidarbha with 76. Imtiaz Ahmed was the most effective bowler for UP with 3 for 38.

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Dhaka Gladiators vie for second title

Match Facts

February 19, 2013
Start time 1800 (1200 GMT)

Big Picture

Dhaka Gladiators will play with a Chris Gayle-sized hole in their line-up for the final. But credit to the make-up of their team. They take on Chittagong Kings, against whom they first lost a match before winning one. It is shaping up to be a close contest as the Kings have picked up momentum at the right time, but the Gladiators are a side heavy on Twenty20 specialists.

The Gladiators have had a solid campaign so far, much of it due to their squad that was the best on paper before the tournament started and remains so, through the 13 matches. Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Anamul Haque and Darren Stevens have led with the bat while Alfonso Thomas' Twenty20 experience has been vital with the ball, picking up 17 wickets. Shakib and fellow left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain have taken the bulk of the wickets together and their combined eight overs will again be important.

Kings' strength is in their bowling, especially left-arm spin. Enamul Haque jnr has taken 18 wickets and his four overs will most likely be played out quietly by the rampant Gladiators. The batting will be propped up by Ryan ten Doeschate who has played several vital knocks, but the lack of runs from Ravi Bopara is a problem that needs to be solved on the big day.

Form guide

(Most recent first, completed matches)
Dhaka Gladiators WWLWW
Chittagong Kings WWLWL

In the spotlight

After Gayle's departure, Shakib Al Hasan will again be the most important player in the Gladiators' line-up. Shakib has had a quiet tournament so far, though there have been the odd contributions. He will bat at No. 3 and the four overs of left-arm spin will hold the key for the defending champions in the final.

Enamul Haque jnr has been the vital performer for Chittagong Kings even on bad days. Apart from the wickets, he offers control in a bowling attack that is slowly shaping up at the right time of the tournament.

Team news

Since Luke Wright is in New Zealand and Chris Gayle returned after one match, Ashraful is likely to open and Josh Cobb could make it to the playing eleven of the Gladiators.

Dhaka Gladiators (probable): 1 Tillekaratne Dilshan, 2 Mohammad Ashraful, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Anamul Haque (wk), 5 Darren Stevens, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Josh Cobb, 8 Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (capt), 9 Alfonso Thomas, 10 Mosharraf Hossain, 11 Saqlain Sajib

The same line-up is likely for the Kings as they have won two games on the trot with this eleven.

Chittagong Kings (probable): 1 Naeem Islam, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Nurul Hasan (wk), 5 Ryan ten Doeschate, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Kevon Cooper, 8 Jacob Oram, 9 Ariful Haque, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Enamul Haque jnr

Stats and trivia

The war of the wicket-takers will be a sideshow in the final. Thomas has 19 wickets while Enamul is on 18 wickets.

Quotes

"We have to play our best cricket because there's no second chance. I am confident of the team, because we have done very well throughout the competition."
Dhaka Gladiators captain Mashrafe Mortaza is upbeat about defending the title.

"There are no favourites in a Twenty20 match, but Dhaka Gladiators are a good side."
Chittagong Kings captain Mahmudullah is not underestimating the opposition.

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Ajantha Mendis takes 11 in innings win for Army

Army Sports Club strengthened their position atop the Group A ladder, while Tamil Union and Sinhalese Sports Club moved to the top of the Group B table, after the third round of the Premier League Tournament. Army recorded their second innings victory on-the-trot ,against the Lankan Cricket Club, while SSC took first innings points in their clash with NCC. Tamil Union won by eight wickets for the third time, defeating Galle Cricket Club at the Galle International Stadium. Most of Sri Lanka's Test cricketers had returned to their club teams for this round. Six of the ten matches yielded outright results.

Army's spin duo have been in outstanding form during the tournament, and they were once again the architects of victory, sharing all but one of the 20 wickets between them in Panagoda. Ajantha Mendis was named in Sri Lanka's preliminary Test squad for the Bangladesh series this week, and he celebrated by taking seven first innings wickets for 67, to dismiss Lankan Cricket Club for 200, after they chose to bat first. Only Lakshan Edirisinghe passed fifty for Army, but enough batsmen got starts to hand them a 131-run lead, before they unleashed the spinners on the opposition again. It was legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna's turn to get a big haul in the second innings, as he took 6 for 36 while Mendis got 4 for 38. Mendis is now the top wicket-taker in the league, and Prasanna is third. LCC fell for 107, and lost by an innings and 24 runs.

The big clash of round three was between Sinhalese Sports Club and Nondescripts Cricket Club at the SSC ground, and first innings tons from Dimuth Karunaratne and Thilan Samaraweera helped SSC to 511, after being sent in, before Sachithra Senanayake secured first innings points with the ball. Karunaratne and Samaraweera both made their second first-class centuries in the season, but while Karunaratne is tuning up for the Bangladesh series, in which he is almost guaranteed to open for Sri Lanka, Samaraweera's 136-ball 111 came in a week when he was dropped from Sri Lanka's Test side. Senanayake then took four wickets, and Dhammika Prasad took three, as the hosts dismissed NCC for 232, with Dinesh Chandimal being the only batsman to put up significant resistance, making 89. SSC opted not to enforce the follow on and made 232 in the third innings, which effectively made an outright victory impossible. Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal was also picked for Sri Lanka last week, and had arrived at SSC with an average under 9. But his incredible first-class figures were dented slightly in his third match, as he collected 5 for 154.

Sri Lanka's selectors will be pleased at the nature of Tamil Union's victory over Galle Cricket Club in Galle, as the players they have chosen for the Bangladesh series were largely responsible for the result, at the venue at which they will play their first Test, in three weeks. Suranga Lakmal nabbed five wickets in the first innings and Shaminda Eranga took three, as Tamil Union skittled Galle for 137, before Ashen Silva and Jeevan Mendis - who have both been picked in the Test squad for the first time - made the only first innings fifties in seemingly difficult batting conditions. If it's Galle, it usually means a Rangana Herath five-wicket haul, and he obliged with 5 for 20 in the second innings, while Eranga took four more. Galle were dismissed for 131 in the second dig, and Tamil Union waltzed to victory, having been in the lead by 89 after the first innings.

Panadura Sports Club defeated Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club by 101 runs in a big group A clash in Panadura, thanks largely to the efforts of Prasanna Jayawardene, Dilruwan Perera and Chamara Silva. Jayawardene is still recovering from the broken thumb he suffered during the Boxing Day Test, and has not resumed keeping wickets, but held Panadura's first innings together, with a 94-ball 77. In response to the hosts' 214, Bloomfield could only score 131 as Perera and Chathura Peiris took seven wickets between them. An unbeaten 104 from 105 balls from Chamara Silva then made the match safe for Panadura, who declared at 285 for 5 in the second dig, then dismissed the opposition 102 runs from their target. Suraj Randiv took three wickets in each innings for Bloomfield, and made a fifty as well, but he travelled at over five an over.

Elsewhere, a 333-run opening stand between Udara Jayasundera and Ian Daniel helped Ragama Cricket Club take first innings points in their match against Burgher Recreation Club in Colombo. Jayasundera made 222 and Daniel 172, after BRC had made 367 in their first innings. Malinga Bandara took 6 for 90 for Ragama in the first innings.

Another exceptional partnership helped Moors defeat the Colts Cricket Club by six wickets, after the Colts seemed to be heading towards victory. Isham Ghouse and Janaka Gunaratne put on an unconquered 260 together in the fourth innings, after their side had slipped to 53 for 4 in pursuit of 308. Neither team had managed 150 in the first innings, though Colts took a handy 46-run lead, but the pitch settled down as the match wore on, making the steep fourth-innings chase possible. Akila Dananjaya bowled 16 overs in the match for Colts and took 2 for 61. Dilhara Lokuhettige, Sajeewa Weerakoon and Chaturanga de Silva all took five wicket hauls.

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Semi-final postponed after washout

Chittagong Kings v Sylhet Royals - Match abandoned without a ball bowled
Scorecard

Heavy rain in Mirpur from Sunday afternoon forced the semi-final of the BPL between Chittagong Kings and Sylhet Royals to be shifted to Monday. The match will now be contested from 6:00pm, according to the BPL governing council secretary Ismail Haider Mallick.

The unseasonal rain began on Saturday evening, and even on Sunday morning, it was merely cloudy with some parts of Dhaka getting rain. But by the afternoon, there was heavy rain in Mirpur, which continued till early evening. The groundstaff worked all day to keep the covers on, but stopped using the super-sopper or draining out the water after 7:00pm on Sunday.

Since the BPL is a domestic tournament, the playing conditions is in the hands of the home board, and the BCB decided to take the game to the next day, as it was already a rest day in the earlier provided schedule.

Mallick, however, added that if the rain continues on Monday and the same situation crops up, they would either have to run the 5-over game, or one-over eliminator or even the toss of a coin could be used to decide the winner.

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'Australia's technique found wanting' - Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary sounded the first unofficial salvo of an otherwise far 'kinder, gentler' run-up to an India-Australia series in a long time when he said that a good number of Australian batsmen had been "wanting" in their technique against the India A spinners on day two of their three-day practice match at the ICL Guru Nanak College Ground in Chennai.

Tiwary, a free-spirited batsman, became the second centurion in the India A innings, scoring 129 as his team was all out for 451 just before tea on a rain-affected day. After the day's play, with Australia scoring 131 for 4 and losing all four batsmen to the spinners Rakesh Dhurv and Jalaj Saxena, Tiwary didn't hold back, either on opinion or prediction.

"They haven't played the spinners as well as they could have - because I think the technique was [found] wanting," he said. Australia were tootling along at a good clip against the four India A medium pacers before spin was introduced in the 21st over. Left-arm spinner Dhurv had Ed Cowan leg before in the 23rd over and Australia lost three more wickets before stumps. Off-spinner Saxena had Phil Hughes stumped and Usman Khawaja bowled, both scoring 1. Of all the batsmen, it was only Shane Watson who looked completely in control.

Tiwary said of the bulk of the Australian top order, "They were not sure of their defence to be honest. That's why they were not stretching enough to play the spin and not going back enough to play their shots." Australia are without captain Michael Clarke and opener David Warner and Tiwary was not without his assessment. "If this is the way they are going to bat, it's going to be difficult for them to be honest… to face quality spinners like Bhajjupa (Harbhajan Singh) and Ashwin and Ojha. The way they are bowling, it will be very difficult for them."

Should the wicket in Chepauk, where the first Test begins on February 22, be like what it was at the Guru Nanak College ground - slow, low, with very little pace and minor turn - Tiwary predicted more worries for "all their bowlers."

Watson though said there was, "absolutely no doubt about what India is going to hit us with." The start of the tour, he said, was proving to be a "big learning curve for a lot of the guys" and that the best approach to playing spin in India had to be "proactive." Spinners he said must "certainly" be attacked. "You can't just allow them to settle in a certain line and length and allow them to be able to bowl that ball over and over again. At some stage that ball is going to turn and bounce and do something. As individual batsmen, we have to find a game plan to have as much success as we can."

Australia's lesser-experienced batsmen, he said, were however, "very talented guys."

"They have scored a lot of first-class runs in different conditions and it won't take a very long time to find a game plan and a technique that will work here."

Lost in the assessment of Australia's response to the two rather unheralded Indian spinners was Tiwary's own performance; every time he has been given an opportunity against touring sides, he has scored runs this season, getting 93 against England A before his century in Chennai. "I came out to play this match, not to impress anyone but just to make myself happy after scoring runs. I was very conscious about getting big runs here to prove myself that I can score runs against quality opposition as well," he said.

One of the shadow men for spots in the Indian Test middle order, Tiwary more talked about for his one-day game said, "My dream has always been to play Test cricket. It depends on the selectors what they think about me and whether they can show some faith in me. My job was to score runs and I will do that as long as I play first-class cricket and four-day cricket."

The push for an India spot, he said, demanded a high degree of determination because of the competition. "You know the competition is so high you can't miss out in an innings because you will go back few months of selection." When asked whether he considered his game good enough to handle fast bowling adequately, he said that he was concerned what his game "looked" like. "What I can do is I can score runs and if you can only look ugly and score runs, I will still go for runs. It doesn't matter if I look odd or ugly in facing quick bowlers. I know my game and I know how to score runs. That's how I have been able to score more than 5000 runs in seven or eight years of first-class cricket."

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De Kock's hundred gives Lions opening win

Lions 185 for 1 (De Kock 126*, Bodi 40) beat Cape Cobras 183 for 5 (Vilas 63, Phangiso 3-31) by nine wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Quinton de Kock starred with an unbeaten 126 as the Lions beat Cape Cobras to register an opening win in the tournament in Potchefstroom. The Cobras had set a target of 184, but their chances of winning the game were quickly quashed by a 124-run opening stand between de Kock and Gulam Bodi. After Bodi fell, de Kock took most of the strike, as he went from 74 off 48 balls to 126 off 69, scoring 52 runs in just 21 balls. De Kock sealed the match by striking three consecutive boundaries off Charl Langeveldt, as the Lions won inside of 19 overs.

The Cobras were asked to bat as opener Richard Levi (40) and Dane Vilas gave them a solid start. Aaron Phangiso then struck with two wickets in two balls, claiming Owais Shah first ball. Justin Ontong and Vilas helped stabilize the innings before Ontong fell to Phangiso. Qaasim Adams was sent in, and proceeded to score a rapid career-best 43 off 22, helping the Cobras score 183 in their quota of 20 overs.

Warriors 128 for 2 (Jonker 66*, Ingram 46) beat Knights 136 for 7 (Cloete 37, Theron 2-23) by eight wickets (D/L method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A 109-run stand between Christiaan Jonker and Colin Ingram earned a comfortable victory for the Warriors against the Knights in a rain-affected match in Kimberley. As rain intervened, the target was reduced from 137 to 127 from 18 overs, and a half-century from Jonker, took Warriors home with 11 balls to spare.

The Warriors started abjectly when Ashwell Prince was out lbw on his first ball to Johan van der Wath. Jonker and Ingram batted briskly as they effectively took the game away from the Knights. Jonker scored a career-best 66 off 44 balls, striking six fours and four sixes. Ingram played a vital supporting role with 46 off 43. In the end, Davy Jacobs sealed the match with a six off the first ball of the 17th over, to give the Warriors an opening win in the tournament.

The Knights were put in to bat, with Rilee Rossouw and wicketkeeper Gihahn Cloete putting on a 65-run stand for the second wicket after Loots Bosman was dismissed in the third over. However, once Cloete was run out in the 12th over, the Knights had a difficult time putting together substantial partnerships. They ended up reaching 136 for 7 at the completion of their 20 overs. Rusty Theron finished with figures of 2 for 23, at an economy of 5.75.

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My dismissal the turning point - Misbah

Just as a captain is supposed to, Misbah-ul-Haq went down with his ship, as Pakistan lost the Newlands Test in four days, and with it the series. He went as far as to say he was responsible for their downfall, a brave but necessary admission from a leader who should not bear all the blame but was willing to do so.

On 114 for 3, Pakistan were 100 runs short of what many thought would have been a total challenging enough to be match-winning. To get there, Misbah had to bat a while longer. He had no problems facing Robin Peterson and was sweeping with ease, until one went wrong. His mistake was that he top-edged to short fine-leg and he acknowledged it was a costly one.

"That was the turning point. After that, the collapse started," Misbah said of his dismissal. "We really blame ourselves. We made mistakes and we couldn't afford to do that."

Pakistan, however, had let themselves down long before Misbah's second-innings dismissal. Allowing Robin Peterson to score 84 at No. 8 and take South Africa to within 12 runs of Pakistan's first-innings total was what Graeme Smith regarded as most significant. "The way Robbie batted was pretty inspirational," he said. "We knew that getting as close as we could to their total was going to be key."

A lack of adequate back up for Saeed Ajmal was Pakistan's main problem and Tanvir Ahmed's selection remained a mystery. Tanvir offered neither pace nor movement and, although his first-innings runs were valuable, he did not perform in the role he was selected for.

Mohammed Hafeez was used too sparingly and brought on too late and as South Africa crept up on Pakistan, they erased the advantage. "The lead should have been 70 or 80 runs," Misbah said.

Although Pakistan began their second innings on level terms, mentally they were behind, and then their openers departed in the space of two overs. "The third innings can be the toughest of the Test match," Smith said. "You've got to make a play and if you are not positive enough the game can get you. That's what happened to Pakistan."

Still, Pakistan entered day four with the opportunity to take control, especially with the knowledge that their nemesis, the new ball, was a session and more away. Their shot selection and decision making let them down though. Asad Shafiq lacked awareness when the ball bounced behind him and he didn't know where it was until it had hit his off stump. Sarfraz Ahmed mysteriously left a Peterson delivery that spun back and bowled him, and Umar Gul chased a wide one.

Feats such as bowling England out for 72 would have inspired Pakistan but Newlands is not the UAE - although Graeme Smith said conditions were "not ideal" for the home side - and South Africa are not England. Like the previous world No.1 side, they struggled against Ajmal and had Pakistan set a higher target, Misbah expected the mindset would have been different.

"Whenever you are chasing 250 in the last innings and Saeed Ajmal is on the opposition side, it is difficult," Misbah said. "And pressure is different when you are chasing 250 to when you are chasing 180. Ajmal really gave us a chance but we could not [put] pressure from both sides and runs were flowing. If we could have bowled more overs and restricted them, it might have been different."

Smith admitted his side did not have a method to counter the Ajmal yet. "It can be guesswork at times. He bowls a quick pace and delayed action makes it difficult to use your feet. The toughest part is to pick which way the ball is going. And he is very consistent and a lands a lot of balls in the right areas."

Ajmal's ten wickets are an achievement that will long be remembered and marvelled at. "He is a world-class bowler and he proved that today against a top quality side by taking ten wickets against South Africa in South Africa," Misbah said. "They know he can cause problems for them."

Pakistan need a lot more of Ajmal's type of discipline to earn a consolation win in Centurion. They have already provided a sterner contest than South Africa have had all summer and have got better over the two matches.

"We lost the Test series but we know we are playing against the No.1 team in the world in their own conditions and we will try to put a better showing there," Misbah said. "We want to stick to the basics and spend time at the crease. There was a little bit of panic today at the time when Peterson was bowling. We can't do that. Experience makes a big difference in this kind of game. You need to have experience to develop."

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England short again as SA seal series

South Africa Under-19s 270 for 8 (Oldfield 82, Smith 49*, Shaw 3-45) beat England Under-19s 260 for 9 (Tattersall 83, Shaw 52, Valli 3-33) by 10 runs
Scorecard

South Africa Under-19s held their nerve in another close finish to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series. England again fell marginally short in their chase, despite a 48-run partnership in less than five overs for the ninth wicket that threatened to snatch them an unlikely victory.

Josh Shaw, England's No. 9, hit a 46-ball 52 but England needed 18 to win off the final over and Shaw was run out trying to get back on strike. The 17-year-old, who also took three wickets during the South Africa innings, helped Jonathan Tattersall lift England from 154 for 7 in the 37th over and continued to carry the fight when Tattersall fell for 83.

Early strikes had left England floundering at 51 for 4 in pursuit of 270 and South Africa captain Yaseen Valli took 3 for 33 with his offspin to make further dents in the chase.

South Africa had recovered from a tricky position themselves, adding 115 from the last 12 overs, a burst which was to prove crucial. Both scorecards had a very similar shape to them, as Greg Oldfield's 82 from No. 5 provided the base after they had been 48 for 3 and Jason Smith made a run-a-ball 49 to help trampoline the hosts to an imposing total.

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West Indies want to win it for their people

"We have a strong belief in God. He works in mysterious ways. He performs wonders." Darren Sammy said that at an emotional press conference after West Indies had made an unbelievable comeback in the final to win the 2012 World Twenty20 in Colombo.

Four months later, these could easily have been the words of Merissa Aguilleira before West Indies' maiden Women's World Cup final appearance, made possible by an unbelievable win over Australia in their last Super Six match. "I think it was just God who saw us through in that game," Aguilleira said. West Indies had never beaten Australia before in any format, but Aguilleira now believed her team have the psychological advantage over a side seeking their sixth World Cup.

If they can beat Australia for the second time in five days, West Indies will have won two world titles in a matter of months. And like Sammy had that night in Colombo, Aguilleira spoke repeatedly of doing it for the people of the Caribbean.

"Every morning when I finish my prayers and look at the phone with all the messages and support … at the moment the Caribbean is in a total chaos concerning cricket. It would mean so much for them if we can bring home the trophy. It will mean everything to us.

"Cricket is the only thing that brings all the people of West Indies together. The more we go there and represent them the better it is for the people of the Caribbean."

Sammy's motto was, "One team, one people, one mission". The men's team may or may not actually follow that, but several players of Aguilleira's team have spoken of how united they are. Stafanie Taylor said the bonding has only increased over the years. Shanel Daley spoke of how some of her best friends in the team are from different island nations. Aguilleira concurred.

"This tournament has been a rollercoaster for us, full of ups and down and I guess that is where the true spirit lies where we can come back from … you feel you can see yourself through," Aguilleira said. "We had faith in God and we keep trusting him and he really carried us through this situation. I must say we stuck together as a team. We motivated each other."

West Indies managed one win in the group stage, sneaking into the Super Six by having a better net run rate than India. They went on to win all three of their Super Six games. Aguilleira pointed to her side's comeback in the South Africa series before the World Cup. "Heading back to the South Africa series in West Indies, we lost two matches and then went on to win the last four. So I guess this is definitely a rehearsal of sorts that has happened before."

West Indies have played Australia and New Zealand only in World Cups. Aguilleira hoped their maiden final appearance would lead to more fixtures against the top sides. "That's one of our concerns. We really need to be playing the top teams more often. We believe the ability we have and we know that we can compete against the biggest sides so it is all about giving the opportunity. The board [WICB] will have to take that perspective and eventually that will happen."

For now, West Indies had "nothing to lose" and had "gained everything". Aguilleira said she had mentioned earlier in the tournament that West Indies were here to compete, unlike in the 2009 edition where "we took part." "To know that we came from nowhere and to be in the finals, that shows the progress which is happening right now."

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