'Rohit and I should have scored' - Nayar

Abhishek Nayar rued his and Rohit Sharma's failure with the bat in the first innings while looking back at Mumbai conceding a lead that ultimately sealed the title for Rest of India. Mumbai, who haven't won the Irani Cup since 1997-98, were bowled out for 409 while chasing Rest of India's 526 despite an unbeaten century from Sachin Tendulkar; Nayar was caught at slip for 1, and Rohit was dismissed to a poor shot for a duck.

"It was important for one of Rohit or me to stay and get those runs, but we couldn't," Nayar told reporters at the end of the match. "You can blame the shot, you can blame whatever you want to, but I feel personally we should have been there and got the team through. It was our responsibility, but unfortunately we didn't deliver."

Nayar got an edge while playing across the line to Abhimanyu Mithun, Rohit was caught after top-edging an attempted slog-sweep and the last three wickets were unable to support Tendulkar after he had revived Mumbai's hopes by putting together a century stand for the seventh wicket with Ankeet Chavan. "Our batting has been our forte, with Rohit and me not getting runs that put added pressure on us. If one of us had put our hands up and done something with Sachin, we could have been on the winning side. It's just that key players in the game haven't really delivered and the responsibility has to be taken by us."

Mumbai were without Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar for this match - both ruled out due to injuries - and Dhawal Kulkarni led an inexperienced attack. "Shardul [Thakur] and Javed [Khan] have played three or four games this season, even Vishal's [Dabholkar] played his fourth so we have a bit of inexperience. We are up against guys who are the best in their teams. So it's been a learning experience for the guys."

Mumbai did have a chance to fight back in the second innings after picking up three wickets relatively early on the fourth day and Abhishek Nayar troubling Manoj Tiwary, who he has dismissed several times, before lunch. However, Nayar took himself out of the attack after the break and had his spinners - Dabholkar and Chavan - bowl 52 out of the day's remaining 60 overs, and Rest of India dealt with them comfortably. "At that point, I had already bowled eight overs into the spell and sometimes it takes a toll on your body," Nayar said. "The bulk of the bowling was done by the fast bowlers [in the first innings], so at some point the spinners had to put their hand up and bowl for us. At that point, the ball was swinging a lot and I thought I should have come on to bowl but I felt, at the time, the spinners should have done the job for us."

Nayar said he was disappointed that Wasim Jaffer, who had a prolific season, was not picked for the Tests against Australia. "He's by far one of the best batsmen in India. It is disappointing that he's not in the team, but like I said, he just has to do what is in his hands, and keep getting runs. Hopefully the time will come when he gets his opportunity."

Harbhajan Singh, the Rest of India captain, said he was proud of his team for having won the title, though he felt winning the game outright would have been difficult even if he had declared overnight - Rest of India batted on the fifth morning and gave Mumbai 63 overs to chase 507. "We saw the wicket, it wasn't the kind where it was easy for bowlers to take those ten wickets. This is the kind of a match, where you know that if you take the first-innings lead, you will win the game.

"Our fast bowlers had bowled quite a lot in the first innings, and by looking at the game, we saw their fast bowlers also struggled to take wickets. I just wanted to make sure we'll declare whenever we feel we'd like to bowl and that's what we did."

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Praveen suspended from Vijay Hazare Trophy

Praveen Kumar, the India seamer, has been suspended for the one-day zonal league, the preliminary stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The decision comes days after he was fined 100% of his match fees for a serious breach of the players' code of conduct during a Corporate Trophy match last week.

"Praveen Kumar has been issued a show cause notice by the Board," BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement on Sunday. "He has been suspended from participating in the forthcoming inter-state Vijay Hazare Trophy matches."

Though the BCCI, in its trademark style, didn't explain the reason for issuing the notice to Praveen, a BCCI insider confirmed that the suspension is following "the Corporate Trophy incident".

Praveen had verbally abused Income Tax batsman Ajitesh Argal while playing for Oil and Natural Gas Limited in Raipur on February 4. Since it was Praveen's second serious offence, including a Level Four offence, match referee Dhananjay Singh had not only fined Praveen his entire match fee but had also referred the matter to the BCCI.

"Since Praveen is a centrally contracted player, such behaviour, if ignored, will send out wrong signals to the aspiring cricketers," a BCCI official, who did not want to be named, told ESPNcricinfo. "Depending on his reply, it will be decided whether the matter will be pursued further." It was understood that Praveen has been asked to submit his reply within seven days.

Praveen had been expected to continue his comeback bid during the zonal one-dayers after missing most of UP's Ranji Trophy campaign due to a recurrence of a tennis elbow injury. However, his suspension from the Central Zone league, to be played in Indore from February 14 to 20, will not only delay an assessment of his recovery from the injury but will also be a blow to UP's hopes for making it to the knockouts. The top two teams from each zone qualify for the national knockouts.

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Mountaineers cruise to title win

Mountaineers 103 for 3 (Pettini 40) beat Mashonaland Eagles 106 (Mufudza 4-14, Mushangwe 2-20) by seven wickets (D/L method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Mountaineers cruised to a seven-wicket win against the Mashonaland Eagles in the final of the Domestic T20 Competition at the Harare Sports Club. After dismantling Eagles' batting order and dismissing them for 106, Mountaineers chased the revised target of 103 in the 18th over.

Choosing to bat first, the Eagles lost their first three wickets - Cephas Zhuwao, Sikandar Raza and Chamu Chibhabha - to Tapiwa Mufudza within the first six overs, finding themselves in trouble at 36 for 3. Stuart Matsikanyeri and Regis Chakabva put on 44 off 45 for the fourth wicket but once their partnership was broken, the Mountaineers got on top of them and skittled the remaining six wickets for 23 runs.

Due to a rain interruption, the revised target for Mountaineers was 103 in 19 overs. Mark Pettini got them off to a flying start but lost his opening partner Kevin Kasuza. Tino Mawoyo and Pettini then put on 50 in 33 balls but both of them fell in quick succession. With only 23 more to win, Timycen Maruma and Greg Lamb finished the match with 11 balls to spare to become the T20 champions.

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Impressive Irfan makes case for Test debut

Pakistanis 127 for 4 (Misbah 44*, Bothma 2-19) trail Emerging Cape Cobras 156 (Kleinveldt 36, Irfan 4-20) by 29 runs
Scorecard

Pakistan's seven-foot-plus seamer Mohammad Irfan made a strong case for a Test debut in a two-day match against the Emerging Cape Cobras, taking four wickets. The ten-day break between the first and second Test gave the touring team time to fit in another practice match and try different combinations ahead of the second Test in Cape Town which starts on Thursday.

The opposition is made up of players who feature in the provincial competition - still regarded as first-class but not franchise cricket - and are of a similar composition to the team that got a run against the New Zealanders late last year. Notable among them are Matthew Kleinveldt, cousin of Rory, Sybrand Engelbrecht who has played some franchise cricket and left-arm spinner Siya Simetu.

But they were no match for the Pakistani attack despite the visitors resting Umar Gul and Junaid Khan and were bundled out for 156. The visitors gave their bench strength including Tanvir Ahmed and Ehsan Adil some match time, along with Rahat Ali, who debuted at the Wanderers. Rahat was economical and incisive and took 2 for 27 but Irfan stole the show.

Irfan broke a 62-run stand between Kleinveldt and Keegan Petersen to spark a mini-collapse. The emerging Cape Cobras lost four wickets for 23 runs and their middle-and lower-order could not stand up to the Pakistani attack.

Irfan took 4 for 20 while Abdur Rehman spun his way to 3 for 31. Tanvir was expensive but Ehsan also kept the run-rate low and could present Pakistan with another option for the second Test. Sarfraz Ahmed had another solid showing behind the stumps and took three catches and a stumping.

They will still have concerns about their batting though. The openers did not manage to negotiate the new ball as Misbah-ul-Haq would have wanted them to when he identified that as the main area for Pakistan to work on in the break. With Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed both allowed to put their feet up, Imran Farhat was given a run but made just 11.

Azhar Ali was promoted to the top, presumably so he could spend time against the new ball, but he too did not last long. A 48-minute 11 is all he had to show. Younis Khan's lean run continued and at 29 for 3, the Pakistanis would have been biting their fingernails with worry. Johannes Bothma, a 24-year-old quick from Boland, had two of the three scalps.

Faisal Iqbal, who did not play in the first Test, showed some fight with a sprightly 33 but it was down to the captain and Asad Shafiq who remain at the crease overnight. Because the match is not an official first-class game, both sides can field 13 players and the Pakistanis may consider giving Hafeez, in particular, and Jamshed batting time on the second day.

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Shakib stars as Dhaka return to top

Dhaka Gladiators 115 for 2 (Shakib 54, Dilshan 49*) beat Barisal Burners 114 for 9 (Mahmood 30, Liddle 2-16) by eight wickets
Scorecard

Dhaka Gladiators returned on top of the points table after posting their seventh win in the competition. They crushed Barisal Burners by eight wickets and with 44 balls to spare as the Burners' hopes of a final four finish took a beating.

Shakib Al Hasan's half-century hastened the victory and ended the night game early. Shakib struck 54 off 31 balls with seven boundaries and a six, and was helped on the way by Tillakaratne Dilshan who made an unbeaten 49 off 39 balls. The pair came together after Mohammad Ashraful fell to a pull shot off Azhar Mahmood in the second over of the small chase, and added 92 runs for the second wicket.

Shakib was particularly attacking and played some splendid shots off the four-pronged seam attack of the Burners. Afghanistan fast bowler Hamid Hassan's debut match at the BPL ended without a wicket as he went for 28 off his four overs.

But batting seemed more difficult when the Burners batted first after they were stifled to 114 for 9 in 20 overs. Mahmood made 30 off 33 balls but found no support as Brad Hodge fell for 12 and Sabbir Rahman, the other in-form batsman in the Burners line-up, made only 18 off 14 balls.

Mashrafe Mortaza, Alfonso Thomas, Shakib Al Hasan and Chris Liddle took two wickets each.

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Davies opens up about depression

Steven Davies, the Surrey wicketkeeper, has spoken openly for the first time about suffering from depression after a difficult 2012 season in which he experienced the loss of his friend and team-mate Tom Maynard, coupled with a dip in form that cost him his place in the England set-up and also saw him dropped by Surrey.

Davies was left out of Surrey's crucial fixture against Nottinghamshire in September, which they won to secure Division One status, although he returned for the final game of the season after his replacement, Gary Wilson, departed for the World T20 with Ireland. At the end of the season, Davies chose to take some time away from cricket and he has come back refreshed and keen to return to international contention.

"I took a bit of a break at the end of last season," Davies told Surrey TV. "I suffered with depression and took a few months off and it's done me the world of good. I spent some time with my family and now I'm fresh and ready to crack on this year."

Maynard's death in June, after an accident on the London Underground, hit Surrey's young squad hard, with Davies among those struggling to come to terms with the loss. The tragedy contributed to Rory Hamilton-Brown, Maynard's flat-mate, standing down from the Surrey captaincy after a period of compassionate leave. He eventually left the club, choosing to move back to Sussex over the close season.

"Last year was tough for everyone," Davies said. "It affects people in different ways. For me, I really struggled. I knew I just needed some family time. I had a bit of break away and now I'm ready and really looking forward to the 2013 season."

The subject of depression in cricket has become a more openly discussed, with players such as Marcus Trescothick, Matthew Hoggard and Iain O'Brien - who has recently contributed to a PCA awareness campaign - revealing their experiences of the illness. A book on dealing with depression, with a foreword by Trescothick, has been distributed to all PCA members this year.

After choosing to take a break, Davies, 26, was offered an unusual touring experience - for a cricketer - over the winter. Davies is one of the few openly gay sportsmen in the UK and he has developed a friendship with the singer Elton John, a cricket fan known for being a regular around the England dressing room during the 1980s. At John's suggestion, Davies joined him on the road for a few weeks.

"Since I came out, we've bonded," Davies said. "He's looked after me in many ways, he knew I was going through a hard time and I mentioned that I was going to take some time away from cricket. He said that winters in England can be a bit depressing and he asked me 'Why don't you come on tour with me?' ... I had a great time. It's a different world that he lives in but it was great to experience it."

Back at The Oval, where Davies has resumed his preparations for the new season, the wicketkeeper was encouraged by Surrey's prospects. With Graeme Smith signing as the club's overseas player and captain, as well as the arrivals of Vikram Solanki and Gary Keedy, Surrey have added experience to their squad as they attempt to make a more confident statement in 2013.

Davies also knows that a strong start with Surrey could aid his ambitions with England. After touring with England in the UAE last year, he was put on standby for the Edgbaston Test against West Indies in June, after Matt Prior sustained an eye infection. That was his last involvement, however, and the rise of Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler seemed to have squeezed Davies out of contention, even after Craig Kieswetter was dropped, but he has not given up on adding to his 13 caps.

"I had some time away from cricket but really kept up my strength work," Davies said. "I spent a lot of time in the gym getting my core strength up. County seasons are long - you need to be strong and fit.

"Initially it's getting back into things and doing well for Surrey. We've got a great squad this season and have recruited some experience. I feel like we're going to do great things and it's about scoring my runs and taking my catches. After that it's about getting back into the England set-up. It's where I want to be and it's why I play the game of cricket."

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Strong Lahore Shalimar blow away Ravi

Lahore Shalimar 322 (U Akmal 77, Butt 70, K Akmal 53, Rasool 4-117) and 87 (Imam 52*) beat Lahore Ravi 153 (Riaz 9-59) and 255 (Shehzad 66, Abid 63) by ten wickets
Scorecard

A 12-wicket match haul from left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz, including a hat-trick, and a strong batting performance led Lahore Shalimar to a ten-wicket victory over Lahore Ravi in the first round of the Super Eights in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy. Riaz took nine wickets in the first innings as Ravi were shot out for 153, and took three wickets in their second dig, when Ravi faced an innings defeat after a 169-run first-innings deficit. Some resolve by their batsmen, however, helped them set a target of 87, which Shalimar overhauled on the final day without the loss of a wicket.

Ravi's openers started positively when they batted first, putting on 70, before Riaz had them struggling at 124 for 9. Riaz's performance was backed up by half-centuries from Shalimar's opener Imran Butt, Umar Akmal and his brother Kamran, which strengthened their grip on the contest.

Ravi's openers scored half-centuries to help erase their deficit, but no other batsman scored beyond 25 as Ravi were bowled out for 255. Shalimar's Imam-ul-Haq scored an unbeaten 52 to help seal the victory.

Rawalpindi 362 (Shoaib 147, Naeem 101, Tanvir 59, Ifthikar 5-73, Nasrullah 4-87) and 187 for 4 (Amin 63) drew with Islamabad 196 (Majeed 78, Tanvir 4-47)
Scorecard

Centuries from Shoaib Ahmed and Babar Naeem helped Rawalpindi gain three points against Islamabad in a drawn game. The first day being washed out stole valuable time from the game, and by the end of the third day, when Islamabad scored 123 for 3, the possibility of an outright result was virtually over.

After being put in to bat, Rawalpindi lost three quick wickets to be struggling at 42 for 3, before a 177-run stand between Shoaib and Naeem helped them recover. Although wickets fell regularly thereafter, a knock of 59 from Sohail Tanvir helped them get past 350. Islamabad, in reply, stuttered throughout their innings, as besides opener Raheel Majeed, who scored 78, and Imad Wasim, no one put up much resistance. Tanvir and seamer Hammad Azam shared seven wickets between them.

With the lead being secured, the rest of the match didn't have much relevance. Umar Amin scored a half-century to lead Rawalpindi to 187 for 4, before the match was drawn.

Abbottabad 131 (Anwar 5-14) drew with Multan 220 for 4 (Anwar 100*)
Scorecard

In Swabi, the first two days of the Bottom Six match was washed out but an all-round effort from Saeed Anwar jnr helped Multan clinch a first-innings lead and three points against Multan. Left-arm spinner Anwar took 5 for 14 off 14 overs to help bowl Abbottabad out for 131, and scored an unbeaten century as Multan reached a strong 220 for 4 on the final day, before the match was drawn.

Abbottabad struggled after they were put in to bat as their top order flopped. No.7 Khalid Usman, who scored 30, was the top scorer as Anwar and fellow spinner Aamer Yamin took eight of their wickets. In reply, Multan lost the first wicket without a run being scored, before Zeeshan Ashraf, Yasir Butt and Anwar led the recovery.

Peshawar 0/0 and 322 for 7 dec (Nawaz 111, Rizwan 69*) drew with Quetta 0/0 and 261 for 8 (Asad 100, Bismillah 58)
Scorecard

Quetta narrowly avoided defeat in the other game of the group of the six bottom teams, against Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. With the first day being washed out, both teams forfeited their first-innings to try chase an outright result.

A century from Nawaz Ahmed and an unbeaten half-century from Mohammad Rizwan took Peshawar to 322 for 7 on the third day. Opener Bismillah Khan, who scored 58, and No.3 Ali Asad, who scored a century, led Quetta's strong reply before a collapse had them losing four wickets for 21 runs. But lack of time prevented Peshawar to get the final two wickets.

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Cape Cobras clinch title in style

Cape Cobras 416 for 6 dec (Van Zyl 148, Levi 121, Ontong 109) and 4 for 0 beat Knights 191 (Rossouw 59, Hendricks 4-50) and 227 (Du Preez 44, Louw 5-70) by ten wickets
Scorecard

Having already clinched the Sunfoil Series midway through the game, the Cape Cobras rounded off their season in style with a ten-wicket victory over Knights inside three days in Bloemfontein.

The Knights were bundled out for 191 in their first innings after being put in to bat, led by the seamer Beuran Hendricks, who took 4 for 50. Rilee Rossouw offered some resistance with a half-century. In reply, Richard Levi, Stiaan van Zyl and captain Justin Ontong all scored centuries as Cape Cobras declared at 416 for 6 with a 225-run lead.

The Knights were struggling to fight back in the second innings when they lost four top-order wickets to the seamer Johann Louw, who finished with 5 for 70. The lower order showed some resistance but the Knights could only manage a two-run lead. Levi, with a boundary in the first over after lunch, wrapped up a successful tournament.

Cape Cobras coach Paul Adams was pleased with the mettle of his team. "We had two do-or-die games at the back-end of the competition. The key was to graft and to respect partnerships. Stiaan van Zyl was a massive factor for us with two centuries in the final two games.

"We had a special blend of youth and experience. The seasoned campaigners deserve credit for creating an environment in which the young players could perform and be comfortable."

Knights coach Sarel Cilliers gave due credit to the winners. "The Cobras performed like true champions. We went to lunch on 80 for 1 on Thursday, but they dominated every subsequent session. We needed to convert good starts into centuries, but didn't achieve that. Levi and Stiaan (van Zyl) showed us the way by scoring tons."

Dolphins 456 (Van Jaarsveld 101, Smit 79, Chetty 49) and 224 for 5 (Van Jaarsveld 83, Van Wyk 57) beat Titans 218 (Shezi 4-47) and 69 (Maharaj 5-11) by 393 runs
Scorecard

Titans ended their Sunfoil Series tournament without a win as the Dolphins crushed them by 393 runs in Centurion.

The Dolphins, after choosing to bat, put up 456, led by a century from Vaughn van Jaarsveld and fifties from Daryn Smit and Khayelihle Zondo. The Titans, in reply, struggled against Dolphins' bowlers, and were in trouble at 120 for 6. Roelof van der Merwe and Shaun von Berg led the recovery, adding 76 runs for the seventh wicket, as the Titans were eventually bowled out for 218. Left-arm seamer Mthokozisi Shezi picked up 4 for 47, and was ably supported by left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who took 3 for 54.

The Dolphins were 27 for 2 in their second innings, with Rowan Richards taking both wickets, but van Jaarsveld and Divan van Wyk put on a 128-run stand for the third wicket. Van Jaarsveld top-scored again with a quickfire 83, helping the Dolphins set a challenging target of 463.

Maharaj extracted turn and bowled to an attacking field to bowl Dolphins to a third victory in this Sunfoil Series, taking a career-best 5 for 11. Farhaan Behardien was the only player to score in double figures as Titans were dismissed for only 69 runs, the sixth-lowest total this season.

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Ferling overcomes her nerves

A gangling, giggling fast bowler, all of 17, finds out she's playing an important World Cup match against the old rivals after the woman she idolizes is ruled out unfit. "Instant nerves" result, but in a low-scoring game, she pounds in, a bow holding her flying long hair together, and strikes with her first delivery. She strikes again in the first over of a comeback spell, removing the game's top-scorer. She ends with 10-0-35-3 in only her second international match. Not exactly a normal Friday for your average teenager.

But Australia's Holly Ferling is no normal teenager. And it is not the first time she's made an immediate impact after replacing an injured player. She took a hat-trick with her first three balls in men's grade cricket in her hometown of Kingaroy in Queensland. She was 14 then. She is the first female to be declared the Queensland Junior Cricketer of the Year and has reportedly impressed Jeff Thomson, the former Australia fast bowler. Today, she tested England with the bounce she generated at speeds in the late 110kphs, striking for someone so young.

Her obvious talent cannot mask her age, and when she walked into the media room at Brabourne Stadium, she looked every bit the awkward teenager feeling overwhelmed, with spotlights trained on her and people waiting to ask questions. Just like she was able to overcome her nerves on the field, though, she answered without inhibition, flashing the radiant smile of a young girl thrilled beyond measure to have done what she did.

With her inspiration Ellyse Perry ruled out with a stomach bug, Ferling found out she was going to play about an hour before the start. "I was like, 'oh my God, I am playing England'. It was an unreal feeling," Ferling said. "I was just excited to get another game."

Perry had a few words of advice for Ferling, whose international debut had come only a week ago against Pakistan. "She just wished me luck and told me to hit the deck. My goal was just to come in and bowl fast."

Brought back for her third spell in the 41st over of England's chase, Ferling felt tense again. "I was so nervous. I was trying to keep things simple which is something I have struggled with in the past, and tried to do too much. Hopefully they'd make the mistakes." Lydia Greenway, on 49, hit the final ball of that Ferling over to short extra cover.

Ferling felt she had come a long way in the past year, with support from Queensland Cricket and Cricket Australia. She then forgot the name of the place she trains at. "Centre of Excellence," the team's media manager helpfully reminded her.

Ferling's voice was laced with emotion when she revealed what Perry, who has represented Australia in World Cup football as well, meant to her. "I have always looked up to her. To do what she has done at such a young age is an incredible feat and I don't think it will ever be done again. To play alongside her against Pakistan and then to train alongside her and to be in the team environment with her is just an incredible feeling."

Didn't she feel she would be inevitably compared with her idol? The 17-year old laughed as she pointed out the differences. "I wear a bow and my hair is curly."

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McCullum has no issues with Taylor

Ross Taylor, who took temporary leave of absence from New Zealand cricket after losing the Test captaincy, is in the right frame of mind to return in style against England, according to the man who got his job.

Brendon McCullum took over the New Zealand side that lost two Tests heavily in Taylor's absence in South Africa, but which went on to pull off a surprise win in the subsequent ODI series.

Taylor's frosty relationship with the coach who replaced him, Mike Hesson, has been well chronicled, and led to prolonged soul-searching within New Zealand cricket, but McCullum insisted on the eve of a three-match Twenty20 series against England that his own rapport with Taylor was fine.

"There's not too much to discuss from our point of view - there was never really an issue between us," he said. "It was obviously an uncomfortable time for Ross and other people concerned. But as far as our relationship goes, we're fine. We're looking forward to getting out and playing some cricket together."

McCullum suggested that Taylor's reintegration into the New Zealand set-up had been a swift affair, that the player had returned "happy and smiling" and that Taylor and Hesson have patched up some sort of professional relationship ahead of the first T20 match in Hamilton.

"They seem to be working professionally together as well, and I'm sure over time everything will be healed," McCullum said. "Within the team, it's been dealt with really well. The inner sanctum of the group is working well together and it's a cohesive unit so far. We're comfortable where it sits. Everyone is fine. Ross has come back into the group, and fitted in seamlessly."

McCullum accepted that New Zealand do not have the resources to make light of disruption within their ranks. "We can't let any off-field issues have an impact," he said. ""We're not good enough as a team to allow these sorts of distractions."

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