North, Central Zone to meet in BCL final

North Zone 291 (Sajidul 76, Sanjamul 73, Ziaur 4-32) and 362 for 7 dec (Mushfiqur 89, Razzak 3-129) beat South Zone 205 (Soumya 51, Saqlain 6-74) and 278 (Sohag 85, Saqlain 4-90) by 170 runs
Scorecard

North Zone qualified for the Bangladesh Cricket League final after a 170-run win over South Zone in Mirpur. The game would have shaped into a thrilling finish but it tapered into a one-sided contest after the South Zone batsmen capitulated on the final morning.

In fact, the game had been in North's control after they had bowled out South for 205 runs in the first innings, taking a lead of 86 runs. Saqlain Sajib took 6 for 74, and the impressive left-arm spinner added four more in the second innings as South were skittled out for 278 runs.

North had a better second innings than the first, with Mushfiqur Rahim and Nasir Hossain contributing with eighties while Farhad Reza blasted an unbeaten 75. In the first innings, it was Sajidul Islam and Sanjamul Islam's 127-run ninth wicket stand that gave North a total to bowl at after they had slipped to 125 for 8 on the first day.

Central Zone 655 for 7 dec (Ayub 289, Mehrab Hossain jnr 218) drew with East Zone 396 for 8 (Faisal 92, Shahadat 3-73)
Scorecard

Marshall Ayub made the second highest score in Bangladesh first-class history when he made 289 in Central Zone's drawn game against East Zone in Bogra, which also helped his team to the final of the competition against North Zone. But strikingly, Ayub is now part of the highest-ever partnership in the country by adding 494 runs for the fifth wicket with Mehrab Hossain jnr, the second highest of all-time fifth-wicket stands.

Left-handed Mehrab also scored a double-hundred on the featherbed at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium but the pair joined at the crease after Central slipped to 56 for 4 in the 22nd over of their first innings. They slowly batted out the first day, and then the second before falling in the first session of the third day. Mehrab made 218 with 27 fours and two sixes while the right-handed Ayub struck 30 boundaries and four sixes in his 289.

Ayub was also part of the 420-run partnership that this pair broke, and has also crossed the 1,000-run mark in first-class cricket this season. Mehrab too has been among the runs, making 500-plus in the National Cricket League and is now second behind Ayub in the scorers' list in this tournament.

Apart from individual records, Central got what they needed from this game - enough points - to make it to the final. East Zone's first innings did not end as they made 396 for 8 on the final day with Faisal Hossain top-scoring with 92.

The final of the tournament will be held after the Bangladesh Premier League concludes on February 19.

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Rasool takes Lahore Ravi to innings win

Lahore Ravi 414 for 4 (Abid Ali 202*, Adnan Akmal 86) beat Quetta 236 (Abbas 117, Rasool 5-67) and 106 f/o (Khalil 5-44, Rasool 4-22) by an innings and 72 runs
Scorecard

Lahore Ravi got their first win of the season after Adnan Rasool took nine wickets in the match to inflict an innings defeat on Quetta at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Quetta were 213 for 7 in their first innings when they started the fourth day and needed another 51 to avoid follow-on. But their tail was wiped out for the next 23 runs and they had to bat again.

In the second innings, the duo of Rasool and Mohammad Khalil ran through their batting to dismiss them for 106. This win was set up by Lahore Ravi's batsmen, who scored 414 for 4 in the first innings after being put in to bat. Abid Ali was unbeaten with a double century, his highest first-class score which got them a huge first-innings lead.

Bahawalpur 216 (Rafiq 55, Jamal 6-80) and 296 (K Hussain 79, Jamal 5-96) drew with Abbottabad 337 (Hameed 103, Hussain 3-75) and 70 for 2
Scorecard

Abbottabad may not have chased their target of 176 on the last day, but their first-innings lead of 121 runs got them three points out of a drawn match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. After Bahawalpur started the last day on 96 for 3, Abbottabad did well to restrict them to 296, but fell short of time to chase the target. Ahmed Jamal followed his first innings figures of 6 for 80 with 5 for 96 in the second innings.

When Bahawalpur were put in to bat on the first day, half-centuries from Moinuddin and Rehan Rafiq took them to a total of 216. Abbottabad, however, were led by captain Yasir Hameed, who scored 103, and ensured they got a first innings lead which leaves them at the fourth place in Group II.

Faisalabad 265 (Salman 76*, Cheema 5-64) and 47 for 0 drew with Lahore Shalimar 458 (U Akmal 107, Butt 92, Asad 4-117)
Scorecard

Lahore Shalimar scored 458 to take three points from a huge first-innings lead against Faisalabad in a drawn match played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Umar Akmal scored a century, supported by half-centuries from Imran Butt and Mohammad Zohaib which helped them take a lead.

When Faisalabad were put in to bat, Aizaz Cheema struck five times to keep them to 265 out of which Moazzam Hayat (47) and Mohammad Salman (76*)scored respectable scores. The three points take Shalimar's total tally to 12, taking them to second position in Group II.

Peshawar 194 (Fayyaz 75, Hussain 5-40) and 294 for 5 (Israrullah 127, Rizwan 89, Maqsood 4-62) drew with Multan 340 (Yasin 141, Nazir 105*, Sajjad 6-62)
Scorecard

A 214-run partnership between Israrullah and Mohammad Rizwan helped Peshawar draw the match with Multan at the Multan Cricket Stadium. After conceding a 146-run first-innings lead, Peshawar batted out the entire last day to secure a draw.

Earlier, Peshawar were dismissed for 194 after being asked to bat which put them on the backfoot. This was followed by hundreds from Naved Yasin and Ahsan Nazir which gave Multan a first-innings lead and eventually three points. Peshawar were under pressure when they came out to bat but their top order ensured they were not dismissed again.

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Confidence the main plus for Cook

It will be a big stretch to compare England's Rajkot ODI win to the famous Mumbai Test victory in November but the common factor in both is that Alastair Cook and his men have beaten India in conditions where the home side were expected to flourish.

The Rajkot victory also gains in significance given England's abysmal recent ODI run in India; James Tredwell showing again that there is talent besides Graeme Swann in England's offspin department; the handy debut for Joe Root; and the winning start for new limited-overs coach Ashley Giles.

"It is important, for the main reason that it gives us the confidence," Cook said at the post-match conference, which took place amid a deafening fireworks show. "I mean it's pretty much the same squad that we had last time out here when we lost 5-0. So to get an early win, especially in the first game, it proves to themselves that they can play in these conditions. You know it's hard, you know it's tough and it's different - but I thought the way we fought out there, we're going to have to do that again in the other games."

The victory, though, hasn't changed Cook's pre-series view that India are favourites. "I think we're still clear underdogs just because of the fact that this is India's home conditions and they're so strong at home."

What will be particularly pleasing for England is the performance of Tredwell, who removed four of the top five batsmen to grab his second Man-of-the-Match award in the two ODIs he has played in India. Swann and Monty Panesar outbowled India's spinners in the Test series and this time it was the turn of Tredwell to show the hosts' tweakers how it is done. "We know what Tredders does," Cook said. "To get four from there is really a brilliant effort." The "there" was a reference to a belter of a track where most bowlers struggled to make an impact.

Tredwell had support from an unexpected quarter. Root, the Yorkshire batsman who showed his tenacity with the bat on Test debut in Nagpur, sent down a series of tidy offspin overs to pull back India after their fast start, showing enough ability to hint that he could be counted on to bowl a few overs regularly. "We think of him as a batsman, he's in there to score runs," Cook said, after Root didn't get to bat on debut. "Clearly, with the start we got, we needed the power hitters to come in next but there'll be other times when he'll bat at the top of the order. It's a big bonus that he can bowl more than useful offspinners."

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Starc's sore calf opens door for Richardson

Mitchell Starc is out of the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Sunday and may miss further matches beyond after complaining of calf soreness following Australia's opening win at the MCG. The South Australian fast bowler Kane Richardson has been called into the squad as cover.

As the most durable of Australia's young fast bowlers over the past year, Starc has played successfully for the national side across three formats without injury since his Test debut against New Zealand in late 2011. However his spell of six overs in Melbourne, returning the figures of 1 for 25, resulted in the calf complaint.

The injury marks an unfortunate point in the summer for Australia's fast bowlers, meaning every paceman in the first Test squad of the season has suffered an injury of some kind. James Pattinson was first to break down with a side injury, Peter Siddle missed the Perth Test due to a hamstring problem, and Josh Hazlewood had foot stress hot spots uncovered while bowling in the WACA ground nets. Ben Hilfenhaus suffered side injury in Hobart, Shane Watson fell prey to a calf strain in Melbourne, and now Starc has suffered similarly.

While the Australian team physio Alex Kountouris described the problem as minor, calf trouble is infamously stubborn, as Watson can attest after suffering a string of the injuries in recent times. "Mitchell Starc had some mild right calf soreness after the match at the MCG last night," Kountouris said.

"Whilst we are not majorly concerned about it, we have withdrawn him from the game on Sunday as a precaution. He will be reassessed over the next few days and is a possibility to play next weekend's matches against Sri Lanka if his symptoms resolve."

If Starc's withdrawal is another blow to Australia's efforts to reduce the amount of injuries suffered by their fast bowlers, Richardson's call-up is a reward for some of the more eye-catching performances in domestic limited overs matches this summer, including one haul of 6 for 48 at Adelaide Oval.

"Kane has been called in as cover in the squad due to his impressive form in the limited overs formats this season," the national selector John Inverarity said. "This provides another great opportunity for a young player as we look to build towards Cricket World Cup in 2015."

A part of Australia's winning Under 19 World Cup team in 2010, 21-year-old Richardson has impressed many with his speed, aggression and the ability to fire in a mean yorker. He may now get the chance to debut for Australia on his home ground.

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Pakistan T20 League not to be underestimated - Lorgat

Haroon Lorgat, the former ICC chief executive, has said the value of the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL), Pakistan's franchise-based Twenty20 competition, could be in "excess of $100 million". Lorgat, who was involved by the PCB to assist the board in setting up the league, was speaking during a PCB ceremony in Lahore to unveil the logo for the PSL which is scheduled to be launched on March 26 this year.

"People should not underestimate the potential of the Twenty20 league in Pakistan," Lorgat said. "With the rising popularity of T20 cricket, every ICC member country has the right to host its own professional league. Pakistan has done hardwork and I hope with foreign players' participation, perceptions about the country will change. I can see a lot of work has been done in parallel against many odds, but certainly this league will be come into reality shortly."

The PCB announced that each team in the PSL would be allowed to sign a maximum of six overseas players and would include 10 local cricketers plus two emerging players.

The tournament would be played over 15 days between five teams and would involve a total of 23 matches for the first three years. The matches will be played at a single venue, with teams playing each other twice in a league format before the top four teams qualify for semi-finals. The PCB has ambitious plans to expand the league in the fourth year to eight teams and a 59-match tournament.

Although the names of the region/city-based franchises or the list of companies interested in buying these franchises were not revealed, the PCB is hopeful of completing the franchise-auction process and signing a broadcast deal before the end of February.

"A lot of hard work has been put in place to develop the PSL," Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman said. "The objective is to recognise the growth of T20 cricket around the world, encourage our cricketers and give them the exposure to the grass-root talent in the country. It will also provide opportunity to foreign players to compete in Pakistan."

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Plenty of Indian problems to resolve

One of India's major problems in the just-concluded ODI series against Pakistan was the repeated top-order collapses against some high-quality bowling from Junaid Khan and Mohammad Irfan. Even Virat Kohli, who has had as purple a patch in ODIs as anyone has ever had, faltered. Virender Sehwag is already a casualty, and his limited-overs career is at a crossroads, if not an end. Gautam Gambhir's weakness against the moving ball was in the limelight once again, prompting murmurs over his place in the side as well.

India have also only had two 50-run opening stands in 19 ODIs over the past 12 months, something they are trying to fix by bringing in Ajinkya Rahane, who is set for an extended run after an eternity carrying drinks.

"The stats suggest that for quite some time we have not got off to a very good," MS Dhoni said ahead of the first ODI against England in Rajkot. "Yes, the openers have been scoring runs on and off, but we have not been able to get a good partnership between them. One of them has been getting out. We are hoping to get good starts in this series. Jinx [Rahane] is the new opener. He has played on and off and done decently well."

Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh were two others who had series to forget against Pakistan but one thing in favour of some of the struggling batsmen is that Rajkot is synonymous with big runs, regularly in the news for the latest colossal score from Ravindra Jadeja or Cheteshwar Pujara.

India's totals in the previous two ODIs in the city, though at the old Madhavrao Scindia Stadium, are 414 for 7 and 387 for 5. Though Friday's match will be played at the swank new ground in the city's outskirts, that too promises to be full of runs. The last limited-overs tournament played here was the Challenger Trophy, where not only were 300-plus scores the norm, those totals were almost chased down on occasions as well.

The flip side of a flat track is the magnifying lens it puts on bowlers. While the batting is brimful of experience, several of the quick bowlers are in the infancy of their international careers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was outstanding in his debut Twenty20 in Bangalore last month and sparked plenty of excitement, but at his military-medium pace, on tracks with little movement, he could be in for a difficult time. Shami Ahmed has had only one game so far and Ishant Sharma's propensity to leak runs has meant he hasn't been a regular in the ODI side for nearly three years.

One other plus for India is that Dhoni's personal form was exceptional in the Pakistan series, as it has been for much of his ODI career, providing some welcome respite for the under-fire captain. "I never question my ability… Self-belief is something that's very important. Especially in a team sport, it's important that everybody keeps believing in themselves and understands the roles and responsibilities they've got."

It has been a difficult month for Dhoni, with only two days to digest the morale-sapping Test series defeat to England before shifting his focus to the Twenty20s, two days after which cricketing ties with India's bitterest rivals resumed. Now, just three days after Pakistan left as victors, he's back at the start of a new series. And if he thought the England ODIs would be somewhat low-profile, he would have changed his mind after seeing the thousands who turned up outside the team hotel to catch a glimpse of their stars.

There have been suggestions, including from Rahul Dravid, that perhaps the time has come for Dhoni, who has long performed the triple-role of leader, batsman and wicketkeeper, to give up captaincy in at least one of the formats. It's not an idea Dhoni agrees with though, as of now. "We'll have to wait and watch. It's not something that's on my mind before the start of an important series. We can't be thinking about that now."

The last time India lost a live home ODI against England was way back in 2002, when Andrew Flintoff waved his shirt in celebration at the Wankhede Stadium, an act that was famously echoed by Sourav Ganguly at Lord's the next year. The previous two ODI series in India between the two sides have ended in 5-0 drubbings for England. Alastair Cook has rightly termed his team as underdogs going into the series but India have already seen one proud 28-year-old record fall this season, and have plenty to sort if they aren't to lose another.

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Harbhajan backs neutral venues for Ranji knockouts

391 overs. 1133 runs. 13 wickets. The summary of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Jharkhand and Punjab is more than enough to indicate what kind of wicket was offered for a knock-out game of the premier domestic championship at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur.

And it's not just about Jamshedpur. The numbers in Rajkot and Mumbai - two of the other three quarter-final venues - are also similar, if not worse, in terms of competition between the bat and the ball. This, in a season when the BCCI has issued a diktat to all the state associations for producing 'sporting' tracks.

The only quarter-final that saw a result was, not surprisingly, played at a neutral venue. With England based at the Palam ground in Delhi, Services hosted favourites Uttar Pradesh at the Holkar Stadium in Indore in what turned out to be a fascinating contest with David eventually overcoming Goliath.

If the four quarter-finals were an indication, isn't it high time the BCCI returns to the policy they adopted during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons? That of playing all knockout games at neutral venues, thereby negating any home advantage and reducing the possibility of a flat-bed. Punjab skipper Harbhajan Singh supported the neutral venue theory despite ending up on the better side.

"Yes. Why not? We're playing the premier domestic competition where all the teams have got an advantage of playing at home in the league stages. When it comes to knockout stages, why not have Punjab playing in Mumbai and Mumbai playing in Gujarat and Haryana," Harbhajan said, after Punjab progressed to the semi-final on the basis of the first innings lead against Jharkhand. "It will also be good for the game. Imagine someone like Sachin Tendulkar going and playing in Haryana or in Delhi, people will come to watch and it will be a big thing for the game, so why not!"

The game in Jamshedpur turned out to be a torrid experience for the bowlers. The wicket - which neither offered movement or bounce for seamers nor turn for spinners - surprised Shahbaz Nadeem, the Jharkhand captain. "The two home games we played here, the wicket was so much better. The ball was coming off the deck much quicker and the spinners came into the game on the third and the fourth day. Such kind of a wicket came as a real surprise. It negated all sorts of home advantage we had."

With literally no help from the strip, the bowlers had nothing else to do but "hope" as Harbhajan said. But he expressed his displeasure with some of the umpiring decisions that went against him

"A few decisions didn't go my way and for that I have been fined. Otherwise, I could have had three-four wickets in my account," he said. "I hope that the umpiring standards improve. At least those who are out should be given out. On these kind of wickets, you're going to get a batsman out only once. And if you're not given the wickets you've earned, then perhaps you have to toil for another 20-odd overs."

If Keenan was bad, Khanderi could be worse for Punjab as they prepare for their semi-final against Saurashtra. With Rajkot renowned for flat pitches, Punjab could be in for yet another tough week ahead.

"It (the Rajkot pitch) would be more or less similar to this," Harbhajan said. "Let's hope we get a result-oriented wicket. Whether it's a seaming track or a spinning track, it should produce a result. That too on the fifth day, not the sixth. Sixth day will be like… I don't know. I have never seen it, I have never played it. If there is no result in six days, then what's the point. The best thing is to get a result in five days. It would be better to produce a wicket that produces a result in five days rather than extending the match by another day."

Over to Rajkot!

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Inexperienced Australia bat at the MCG

Toss Australia chose to bat v Sri Lanka
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

In his first match as the stand-in captain of Australia's one-day side, George Bailey won the toss and chose to bat on a hot day at the MCG. Australia named their team on the eve of the game and there were no last-minute changes, with the debutants Aaron Finch and Phillip Hughes to open and their fellow first-gamer Usman Khawaja to come in at No.3.

It is the first time since 1986 that Australia have fielded so many debutants in a one-day international, and the first time since the days of World Series Cricket that debutants would fill the top three batting positions.

"It's exciting for the whole group," Bailey said. "Three debutants and it's straight to the top of the order for those guys. The word we have really spoken about all week is opportunity. Opportunity for individuals and also as a group, we've been written off in a few circles so it would be nice to prove something and show the depth of Australian cricket."

Sri Lanka named Ajantha Mendis as their lead spinner with Jeevan Mendis as the other main spin option, while Nuwan Kulasekara was included after recovering from injury.

Australia 1 Phillip Hughes, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 George Bailey (capt), 5 David Hussey, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier Doherty.

Sri Lanka 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Ajantha Mendis.

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Gibson in Warwickshire frame

West Indies could be looking for a new head coach after it emerged that Ottis Gibson could be in contention for the role of director of cricket at Warwickshire.

Gibson, who led West Indies to the World Twenty20 in October, is understood to have tired of the politics inherent in Caribbean cricket and is one of more than 100 in contention to succeed Ashley Giles at Edgbaston. Giles left Warwickshire after leading the club to the county championship title in 2012 to take up the role of coach of England's limited-overs teams.

While Gibson has previously intimated his desire to remain with the West Indies team, he is out of contract with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) later this year and, after the CEO Ernest Hilaire quit in September and with the president Julian Hunte due to depart in March, he may feel his future is more secure elsewhere.

Appointed in January 2010, he has suffered public fallouts with such high-profile figures as Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan and endured criticism as various politicians, even prime ministers, in the Caribbean have sought to join the bandwagon. Gibson declined to confirm or deny his interest in the Warwickshire role when contacted by ESPNcricinfo.

Among the other candidates thought to have shown an interest in the Warwickshire job are former New Zealand, Scotland and Kenya coach, Andy Moles, the England bowling coach, David Saker - who has now withdrawn - the former Glamorgan and Bermuda captain, David Hemp, and the ECB's performance director, David Parsons. Dougie Brown and Graeme Welch, who are already on the coaching staff at Edgbaston, have also applied for the role with Welch the man favoured by the Warwickshire dressing room.

Gibson is sure to be considered among the strongest candidates. A former international player, the Barbados-born fast bowler helped Durham to their first silverware in 2007 before being appointed England's bowling coach. He has improved the fitness and discipline of the West Indies squad but, despite some encouraging performances, has been thwarted by the unavailability of senior players and his sometimes troubled relationship with them.

The interest of so many high-profile candidates underlines the attraction of the Warwickshire job. Based at a large, recently redeveloped stadium with excellent facilities, the role pays relatively well and does not require the huge amount of overseas travel involved with an international coaching position. Whether the salary could match the package that Gibson enjoys with West Indies, thought to be around $300,000, is highly debatable, however.

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ECB launches ticket tout campaign

The ECB, emboldened by a Supreme Court ruling against ticket touts, have launched a poster campaign against the resale of tickets for next summer's Champions Trophy and Ashes series.

Cricket fans could even face the threat of a ban from county grounds if they are caught selling tickets for personal gain during what promises to be a sought-after summer of international cricket.

Auction websites such as Seatwave and Viagogo will also be monitored according to a poster campaign under the slogan: "TOUTS OUT! Where did YOUR ticket come from?" There has already been an unprecedented demand for Ashes tickets this year after England's recent successes.

A recent legal ruling by the Supreme Court promises to work in the ECB's favour. They are entitled to demand from ticketing websites the details of customers who are seeking to profit by reselling their Ashes tickets above face value.

An ECB spokesman said: "We want fans to understand that we are committed to eradicating ticket touting. Fans need to understand that we will make targeted interventions into the market place and will cancel tickets if we spot them being sold at inflated prices on ticketing websites."

Touts who resell tickets to concerts and sport events online faced losing their anonymity following a court ruling in November. In a case between the Rugby Football Union and Viagogo, the Supreme Court ruled that Viagogo must release names and addresses of people who resold tickets to England rugby matches on its site.

When the RFU monitored Viagogo in 2010-2011, the governing body found that tickets to its events were being sold for up to 20 times their face value, breaching its ticketing terms and conditions.

The RFU had led the way among governing bodies in the past by taking legal action, but it had previously been unable to address sites like Viagogo as the company offer anonymity to sellers.

Viagogo went into liquidation after a TV documentary criticised its methods. It now trades as Viagogo AG, based in Switzerland.

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