Afghanistan sign up to Pakistan support

Afghanistan have received a boost after a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the development of Afghanistan cricket ahead of the 2015 World Cup.

The PCB will provide technical and professional support, including game-education programmes, coaching courses, skill and performance analysis, and basic umpiring and curator courses. High performance camps for emerging players will also be organised. The PCB-regulated National Cricket Academy (NCA) will help in improving technical, tactical, mental and physical skills, and will host lectures on doping, anti-corruption and various codes of conduct. The finance for the project will be decided later, with the NCA-related activities likely to be subsidised.

The Sharjah Cricket Stadium has served as Afghanistan's base since 2010, after they were forced to shift out of their country due to lack of infrastructure. But Pakistan's cricketing history, expertise and the opportunities for exposure to regular competitive cricket will polish their cricketers more than in the UAE, and this has brought ACB to accept Pakistan's helping hand.

"The PCB has always supported and helped the ACB with regards to cricket development there since the 1990s," PCB chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmad, said. "With the PCB's continued support, Afghanistan has the potential to go places. This would be good not just in terms of spreading the game in Afghanistan but promoting peace and harmony there by bringing the people closer."

Afghanistan became a member of the ICC in 2001 and qualified for World Cricket League (WCL) Division One in 2009 to attain one-day international status. They recently made their third trip to Pakistan in the last two years, having lost a one-day series 3-0 to a second-string Pakistan side in May 2011. They followed this up by participating in a domestic Twenty20 competition in Karachi.

Noor Muhammad, ACB CEO, acknowledged PCB's support. "The MoU that we have just signed shall take Afghanistan's cricket development on a fast track," he said. "Our cricketers, coaches and umpires shall be able to make use of PCB's excellent facilities and various education programmes. Our boys will get the opportunity to hone their skills in high-calibre competitions.

"I am indeed obliged to the PCB for this kind and voluminous support," Noor said. "Actually it is Pakistan's support that has seen Afghanistan cricket make rapid strides among affiliate nations, taking it to the verge of an enhanced status to associate member."

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Zimbabwe surrender to Shillingford, again

West Indies 381 for 8 dec (Chanderpaul 108, Gayle 101) beat Zimbabwe 175 (Taylor 33, Shillingford 5-59) and 141 (Sibanda 35, Shillingford 5-34) by an innings and 65 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

It took just 42.2 overs on the third day for West Indies to clinch the second Test, sweep the series, win six Tests in a row and inflict another surrender to spin on Zimbabwe.

The hosts promptly declared during a 15-minute rain delay in the morning, and a solid start from the Zimbabwe batsmen was a hugely misleading prelude to what was to follow. Once again, Zimbabwe failed to sustain a promising phase of play long enough against a superior opposition. Shane Shillingford was their nemesis again, picking up 10 wickets in the match, several of which owed to the unsettling bounce he was able to extract from the track in his hometown.

The strategy for West Indies was simple, having successfully employed it in the first Test and the first innings in Dominica. The spinners, Shillingford, brought on in the 13th over, and Marlon Samuels, who picked up six wickets in the game, got the ball to turn, and more crucially bounce, from the off stump, surrounded the Zimbabwe batsmen with close-in fielders, who snapped up what came their way or had their team-mates in the outfield ready for opportunities borne out of a desperate attempt to find a release.

Vusi Sibanda and Brendan Taylor countered that pressure temporarily by sweeping Shillingford, Sibanda even struck him for six over deep square leg, but it was only a matter of time before the spitting bounce that proved Zimbabwe's undoing throughout the series returned to trouble them. Taylor was caught on the glove when Shillingford held his length back and caught at short leg.

Taylor's wicket marked the start of the spinners coming to dominate the innings, but Tino Best and Darren Sammy did their bit to end Zimbabwe's early resistance. Best was guilty of bowling too short, and Sibanda had cashed in, slashing hard through the off side and even driving handsomely for boundaries when the ball was pitched up, as he did against Shannon Gabriel. But Best went round the wicket to Hamilton Masakadza, who was also set, got him to seemingly glove one down the leg side, reviewed the "not out" decision and got it overturned. A possible reason for the third umpire to reverse the original call was a change in rotation of the ball as it reached Masakadza's glove, indicating there may have been contact.

Minutes earlier, in the same over, Masakadza had successfully reviewed another caught-behind decision, this time having been given out, though the evidence, in the absence of Hot Spot, was again inconclusive.

Just two balls after Taylor had been sent back, Sibanda played a rash shot across the line to Sammy to be trapped in front, his failed review confirming the ball would have clipped the bails.

With the top order out of the way, Shillingford and Samuels eased past those that came after. Sean Williams got a top-edge while trying to play a cut against Shillingford, to be caught at point, and the capitulation picked up speed following the lunch break. Craig Ervine survived 34 balls but was caught brilliantly by Chris Gayle diving to his left at slip to pouch an edge with one hand. The extra bounce in the track brought the backward short leg into play and Malcolm Waller found that fielder when he tried to work Samuels away off the back foot. Shillingford had, six overs earlier, dismissed Tino Mawoyo, forced to bat at No.7 after missing a good part of the second day's play, in the same region.

With Waller, perhaps Zimbabwe's best batsman in the limited-overs series this tour, back in the pavilion, West Indies required just four more overs to wrap up the innings. Graeme Cremer's stand-out shot was a six over long-on with his eyes staring at the ground at the point of, as well as after, impact, but inside-edged a catch towards midwicket trying the same stroke to give Shillingford his fifth wicket. It was also Shillingford's tenth for the match and 19th for the series - the best returns in a two-match series for a West Indies bowler, going past Courtney Walsh's 16 in New Zealand in 1994-95.

Paul Jarvis and Tendai Chatara lasted just two deliveries, Samuels hastening the end of a mismatch that continued West Indies' best run of consecutive victories in Tests - now six - since 1988.

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'I'm back and I plan to stay' - Shillingford

As West Indies completed an innings and 65-run victory over Zimbabwe in Dominica to wrap up the series 2-0, there were a number of milestones achieved: keeper Denesh Ramdin claimed his 150th Test dismissal, West Indies won six consecutive Tests for the first time in over two decades, and offspinner Shane Shillingford snatched the team record for the highest wicket tally in a two-match series from a certain Courtney Walsh.

The pitch aided the spinners, and Shillingford made the most of it, adding another five-for to the one he took in the first innings to finish with a match haul of 10 for 93. His 19 wickets in the series - three more than Walsh against New Zealand in 1994-95 - came at 10.52 apiece.

Shillingford put his success down to perseverance: "Today, I concentrated and was willing to be patient to get my wickets. It was a matter of not being complacent and applying ourselves. One of our goals was not to be complacent. We knew once we had them down we had to keep them down and that is what we did."

In the home series against Australia in April 2012 too Shillingford had good returns, taking 14 wickets in two Tests at 26.14 - second only to Kemar Roach on West Indies' wickets chart. However, in the past year he did not feature in the squad that played New Zealand at home and Bangladesh away.

Shillingford recalled the disappointment of being overlooked: "When I was dropped I felt a certain way, but I never let it get to me too deep. I kept looking forward to the first-class season, to go there and take some wickets and work my way back into the Test team. It was hard work to get back, but now I'm back I plan to stay here."

Here, captain Darren Sammy declared overnight, leaving his bowlers with a lead of 206 to work with. And they delivered, bowling Zimbabwe out in 42.2 overs to seal victory in under three days. While Sammy and Tino Best struck once apiece, it was fellow offspinner Marlon Samuels who provided Shillingford with the most effective support once again, taking 3 for 35, including two wickets in two balls to finish off the tail.

Shillingford said he knew the pitch would assist him, and he was happy to have the support of his team-mates as well. "Here is one of the places where the wicket is spin-friendly, I knew I had to get the balls in the right areas and build the pressure, and that is what I tried to do out there," he said. "It was a really great team performance and we are all very proud of what we achieved. The spirit was really good."

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Southee cameo takes New Zealand past 400

Tea New Zealand 414 for 6 (Southee 35*, Watling 13*) v England
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

He may not have been the man Alastair Cook envisaged making the breakthrough when he inserted New Zealand five sessions ago, but Jonathan Trott claimed a vital wicket for England on the afternoon session of the second day of the final Test in Auckland.

Trott, called into the attack when Cook had exhausted all other options, dismissed Bendon McCullum just as it seemed the New Zealand captain was putting the game beyond England. Pushing the ball wide of off stump, Trott gained just enough swing to draw McCullum into a drive only to find the outside edge and see Matt Prior, standing up to the stumps, claim his second excellent catch of the day. It was just the fourth wicket of Trott's 41-Test career and may yet turn out to be the most important.

The wicket just about sustained England's ever diminishing hopes of winning the series. McCullum, batting aggressively and scoring with a freedom that none of his top-order colleagues could replicate, had once again made a mockery of England's attempts to bowl short at him by pulling and cutting with power. He also unsettled Monty Panesar's length by skipping down the pitch to drive and, when the bowler compensated, sitting on the back foot and cutting. Had he spent another hour at the crease and this game may well have been put beyond England.

Whether New Zealand had already struck the decisive blow in this series remains to be seen. By the time Trott struck, McCullum had added 68 runs for the fifth wicket with Dean Brownlie and steered his side away from a position from where England were threatening to claw their way back into the game.

England claimed three wickets in the morning session. Bowling with more discipline than the previous day, England conceded just 62 runs and, having been looking down the barrel of a huge total when New Zealand reached stumps on the first day on 250 for one, reduced New Zealand to a less daunting 297 for 4.

It might have been worse for New Zealand without the Decision Review System. McCullum was originally given out by the on-field umpire, Paul Reiffel, to the second delivery he faced only to review it and win a reprieve. Whether Reiffel thought McCullum had edged the ball or been trapped lbw remains unclear, but replays suggested neither decision would have been correct. It was a persuasive example of the merits of the DRS.

Brownlie followed not long after McCullum. Attempting to cut an innocuous delivery from James Anderson, he could only steer the ball to backward point where Nick Compton held on to a low chance.

New Zealand were not finished, though. Tim Southee pulled Broad for successive sixes and thrashed three fours, two drives and a cut, off Steven Finn as the bowler struggled with his length. The seventh-wicket partnership had added 41 runs in 8.2 overs at tea.

Batting was not straightforward in the first session. James Anderson, gaining just a little swing, found the edge of Kane Williamson's perfectly reasonable - if not fully committed - forward defensive stroke with a beauty that moved away just enough in the fifth over of the day, and England's ploy of plugging away outside Peter Fulton's off stump - an area of obvious weakness for him - resulted in the game drifting towards stalemate. His policy of blocking on off stump and picking up runs when the bowlers stray can work well if bowlers perform as loosely as they did on the first day. But against better quality bowling, it looks desperately limited. Resuming on his overnight score of 124, Fulton faced 69 deliveries in about 140 minutes in the morning and scored just 12 runs.

Perhaps Fulton scorelessness contributed to Ross Taylor's demise. While Taylor drove his seventh delivery, from Stuart Broad, for a flowing four through extra-cover, he looked increasingly frustrated by his side's lack of progress. He utilised the short boundary to flick Monty Panesar for 10 in two deliveries - a six followed by a four - over midwicket but, attempting to flick another one into the leg side a couple of balls later, was beaten by one that held its own and gifted a leading edge back to the bowler.

If the ball that accounted for Fulton was unimpressive - a thigh-high delivery heading down the leg side from Steven Finn - the catch was exceptional. Matt Prior, leaping to his left, clung on to a superb one-handed chance that Fulton must have thought was heading to the boundary as he glanced it fine.

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Injured Smith unlikely for Benoni decider

Graeme Smith is unlikely to play a part in the fifth and final ODI against Pakistan in Benoni on Sunday due a recurrence of an ankle injury during South Africa's defeat in the fourth ODI in Durban. Smith was unable to field for a majority of Pakistan's innings due to the injury.

"Graeme's chronic left ankle problem has surfaced again during this ODI series," Dr Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa's team manager, said. "We have been trying to manage him but unfortunately the impingement syndrome slowed him down today and he is quite symptomatic.

"As things stand, he is unlikely to play in the last ODI but we will make a final decision tomorrow (Friday). He has had surgery on this ankle a while ago and I think the load and the volume of cricket for the year, and particularly during this ODI series, has troubled him."

Smith was bowled by Junaid Khan for 12 in Pakistan's three-wicket win that levelled the series 2-2.

The selectors will decide on Friday, whether or not to name a replacement.

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Batting fightbacks on 'slow pitch' please Misbah, de Villiers

A lot of attention coming into the fourth South Africa-Pakistan ODI in Durban was centred around the pitch and subcontinental-like conditions the venue often proffers. While both captains agreed that the track was a bit slow after Pakistan's three-wicket win, South Africa's AB de Villiers said the conditions weren't that "difficult" to deal with, rather it was losing set batsmen at the wrong time that cost his team.

"The main thing was to adapt quickly and to assess the pitch conditions, it just took us a while and cost us a few wickets," de Villiers said after the match. "After about three or four overs that I faced, I got used to the pace of the deck and realised that it wasn't turning the much. It only started to turn more after about 30-35 overs, because of which the leading edges were there. There wasn't a lot of turn and was quite slow, once we got used to that started to rotating really well and we picked up a few boundaries and got the momentum on our side again."

De Villiers was left to salvage the South African innings with the injured Faf du Plessis' replacement, David Miller, after the top order was carved up by Pakistan's new-ball pair. Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan had the hosts gasping at 38 for 4 in 10 overs, before a 115-run stand between de Villiers and Miller them back on track. However, both batsmen were dismissed within four overs of each other on either side of the 35-over mark, denying South Africa an ideal finish.

While that proved costly for his side, de Villiers pointed out that they were dismissed by the "best bowler in the world", in Saeed Ajmal, so it was not "the end of the world". "It was very important to bat till the end. But it's part of the game, you're not going to bat 50 overs every game as an individual.

"My gameplan was to get to 45 overs, which I didn't, and I'm sure Dave too wanted to bat longer … I thought both of us batted really well, did a massive job for the team to get back into the game and to get a decent total. At one stage we were staring a low total in the eyes but we fought back well. Unfortunately I got out at a really bad time, it cost us 20 runs which would have been handy during the end of the bowling session there."

Pakistan's innings took a similar course, with a clutch of wickets going down at the start, only for captain Misbah-ul-Haq to resurrect the chase in the company of Imran Farhat. Importantly for Pakistan, Farhat stayed till the 48th over, bringing them to the very brink. Misbah had good words for him: "The ball wasn't coming at an even pace, there was a little bit of extra bounce in the second half, some balls were stopping a little bit, it wasn't easy to bat on that, but I think at the end Imran batted well. They bowled well, but we showed little bit of character and we managed to win this game."

It was a game Pakistan had to win to keep the series alive, and their chances of doing that took a blow early on as Mohammad Hafeez was out for a duck in the second over, becoming the first batsman in international cricket to be dismissed obstructing the field under the new laws. While Misbah accepted that the decision ultimately lay with the umpires, he said Hafeez's reaction suggested he did not wilfully change course while running to get in the way of de Villiers' throw.

"He was just running in line, trying to shorten the length," Misbah said. "He wasn't looking behind when AB threw the ball, so what he was suggesting was it wasn't intentional because he didn't know where the ball was thrown [from]. But in the end, it was the umpire's call."

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Chanderpaul thrives on 'pretty tough day'

West Indies might have piled up a 206-run lead against Zimbabwe by the end of the second day in Dominica, but the pitch remains a tough one to bat on, according to Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who scored his 28th Test century on the day.

"It was a pretty tough day, hard work. You could see it was not an easy wicket to bat on," Chanderpaul said after play. "The ball was bouncing and turning a lot, and you had to really dig in Some of the balls were bouncing, some were keeping low, you weren't always certain what the ball would do so you had to stay watchful and patient, and wait on the bad balls."

And stay patient Chanderpaul did, compiling 108 at a strike-rate of 38 in significant stands with Chris Gayle - who also scored a hundred - and Denesh Ramdin, who made 86. It was Chanderpaul's third score of over 100 in five Test innings, following scores of 203 not out and 150 not out on the tour to Bangladesh late last year.

Chanderpaul had to come out as early as the second ball of the day, after overnight batsman Marlon Samuels was bowled for 26 off the first delivery by a splendid Tendai Chatara yorker. "I was just about to sit and watch some cricket and Marlon got a good first ball," Chanderpaul laughed. "There wasn't much he could have done about it, it was a real beauty. He's pretty upset about it, that he missed out; hopefully we don't bat again but if he gets an opportunity again he'll want to cash in."

Given West Indies' big lead and the impact the spinners have been having - Zimbabwe lost eight of ten wickets to spin, while West Indies have lost five of eight to the slow bowlers so far - Samuels might not get that chance. Chanderpaul affirmed West Indies are in a position to dictate terms in this game: "We have a lead of over 200 so that's pretty good for us. All the spinners are making things happen on this pitch, Shane [Shillinford] turned up in the first innings, [Graeme] Cremer's showing it, Marlon showed it. Who knows what's going to happen second time around, but it's spinning and it's not going to stop spinning."

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Fulton, Williamson lay platform

Tea New Zealand 173 for 1 (Fulton 95*, Williamson 39*) v England
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Peter Fulton, with his highest Test score, helped New Zealand tighten their grip on the first day of the final Test in Auckland. New Zealand have only once beaten England in a Test series at home - in 1983-84 - but, going into this game with the series level at 0-0, will hope that Fulton has laid the foundations for a similar success.

Fulton, who went into tea five short of a maiden Test century, has so far been the main beneficiary of Alastair Cook's decision to invite New Zealand to bat after winning the toss. On an easy-paced track and under bright skies, none of England's bowlers were able to find any help and batting looked a relatively straightforward proposition.

Fulton, the 34-year-old opener whose previous highest Test score - 75 - was made in 2006, added 79 for the first wicket with Hamish Rutherford and 94 more for the second with Kane Williamson as New Zealand established a strong position.

Fulton was never totally convincing outside off stump. Several times he was drawn into playing deliveries he could have left and, on 12, was fortunate to see his indeterminate prod at a ball from James Anderson fly to the boundary just past third slip. Perhaps, on a larger playing surface, he might have been caught on 30 when he top-edged a pull off Stuart Broad and saw the ball clear the fine-leg boundary, just 53 metres from the bat.

His real strength lies on the legside. His first boundary, a clip through backward square, came when Broad strayed on to his legs and it was fitting that he brought up the 50 partnership and his own 50 with flowing on drives. He plundered 14 - two fours and a six, all through midwicket - in three deliveries off the ineffectual Monty Panesar.

But if Fulton has made the greater contribution to date, Williamson has, arguably, played the more eye-catching strokes. At one stage, he took three boundaries in an over from Anderson, deliberately guiding two balls to third man and driving another, quite beautifully, back past the bowler for another.

The only wicket New Zealand lost to date owed more to a lapse in concentration than any incisive bowling. In the penultimate over of the morning session, Hamish Rutherford attempted a footless slash at a wide delivery and was well taken, high at first slip. He left the field cursing his carelessness and will know he squandered an opportunity to join Fulton in exploiting the friendly conditions.

Cook's pain will have been tempered somewhat by the knowledge that his counterpart, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum admitted that he, too, would have chosen to bowl first. But England may also reflect that they failed to utilise the new ball as they might have done. Neither Anderson nor Broad made the batsmen play as often as they would have liked in the opening overs and, with the conditions offering little assistance to the bowlers, batting looked increasingly and, from an England perspective, worryingly comfortable.

With the seamers finding little help in the surface, both teams will be relieved they decided to stick with their spinners. Indeed, New Zealand retained the same XI that had represented them in the first two Tests, resisting the opportunity to bring in Doug Bracewell for either the spinner Bruce Martin or to freshen up the seam attack, while England brought in Jonny Bairstow in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen.

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Kushal Perera slams triple for Colts

Kushal Janith Perera's brutal 336 from 275 deliveries for Colts Cricket Club was the highlight of round seven in the Premier League tournament, after which Panadura Cricket Club and Tamil Union remained atop the group tables. The round produced one draw and five innings victories, and the leading clubs have now pulled firmly away from those that will fight to remain in the league in the two remaining rounds. Each group presently has ten teams in it, and the bottom three teams in each group will be relegated to an emerging tournament next year, which will not have first-class status.

Perera's blitz came against Saracens Sports Club at the Colts' home ground. Coming in at 46 for 2 after the Colts had been asked to bat, Perera put on a 224-run partnership with Nisal Randika, who made 93, before combining with Thisara Perera for the sixth wicket for 137 from 110 balls. Perera's 336 featured 29 fours and 14 sixes, and Colts' innings was eventually declared when he was out on the second morning with the total at 611 for 8. Colts' bowlers then ripped through Saracens twice, dismissing them for 184 and 140. Ishan Jayaratne took five wickets in the second innings, while Akila Dananjaya and Sajeewa Weerakoon grabbed useful hauls. Only Rajkumar Rathika was able to cross fifty for Saracens, who are bottom of Group A after the innings and 287-run loss.

Tamil Union remained the only unbeaten team in the competition, despite its four best bowlers being away on Test duty, as they defeated Chilaw Marians by four wickets in a low-scorer at the P Sara Stadium. Marians batted first and made 209, thanks to an aggressive fifty from Sachith Pathirana who earned a call-up to the ODI side after his 75 runs and 7 for 124 in this match. His five-wicket haul in the first innings helped secure a 53-run lead over the Marians, but totaling just 155 in the second innings, as TN Sampath took five wickets for Tamil Union, allowed the opposition back into the match. In the end 58 from Sachith Pathirana in the final innings, as well as contributions from Pulina Tharanga and Denuwan Rajakaruna, helped Tami Union score the 209 runs required for victory.

Panadura Sports Club defeated Air Force Sports Club by 254 runs at Riffle Green, thanks largely to a ten-wicket haul to left-arm spinner Gayan Sirisoma and a strong first-innings total, built largely by the lower-middle order. Chamara Silva and Chandana Aravinda hit fifties for Panadura in the first innings, with Chathura Peiris, Dilruwan Perera and Sudesh Umangaya also helping propel their side to 309. Sirisoma then helped his side secure a big lead with 5 for 72, as Air Force slumped to 173. Dilruwan Perera then made from 60 balls in the second innings, after Chamara Silva had notched up another fifty, and Dilruwan Perera returned with the ball, to remove four batsmen for 60 runs as Air Force chased an unlikely 440.

Sohan Boralessa's seven-wicket haul and Farveez Maharoof's 116 highlighted Nondescript Cricket Club's five-wicket win over Navy Sports Club. Navy were dismissed for 180 in the first innings, before NCC hit 354, with Maharoof top-scoring. Boralessa then reaped 7 for 96, as Navy put up better resistance, with Duleeka Thissakuttige's unbeaten 100 from No. 3 being the backbone for the team's 278. NCC lost five wickets in their fourth innings, but chased 105 comfortably. Angelo Perera and Niroshan Dickwella also hit half-centuries in the match.

Sinhalese Sports Club, who remained ahead of NCC at second on the Group B table, scored an innings and 70-run victory over Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club. Sachithra Senanayake took nine wickets in the match in the same week he earned an ODI recall, and he is now second on the league's wicket-takers list, with 49. Kaushal Silva provided the anchor for SSC's 448, with 148, with support from Kaushal Lokuarachhi, who made 85 and then took four wickets in the second innings.

A 153 from 181 from Shehan Jayasuriya and a five-wicket haul for Malindu Pushpakumara could not prevent Moors Sports Club from succumbing to Army Sports Club, after Army made 365 in the first innings, with Manjula de Zoysa hitting 142. Army's offspinner Roshan Jayatissa took six wickets in the final innings to help dismiss Moors 265 runs short of an unlikely target.

Elsewhere, Bloomfield Cricket Club's left-arm slow bowler Upul Indrasiri took ten wickets in their innings victory over Ragama Cricket, while another left-arm spinner, Colombo Cricket Club's Dinuka Hettiarachchi became the league's top wicket-taker, when he took 11 Galle Cricket Club scalps, in his side's innings win.

In Badureliya Sports Club's match against Ports Authority cricket club, a 165-run second-innings partnership between Badureliya's No. 7 Malinga Bandara and No. 9 Saliya Saman, rescued the side from defeat, and set Ports Authority a target of 91, which they could not achieve in the nine overs remaining to them in the match.

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Lahore Lions hold off Sialkot to reach final

Lahore Lions 232 all out (Siddiq 59, Nasim 55*, Bhatti 3-40, Abbas 3-38) beat Sialkot Stallions 192 all out (Yousaf 40, Ashraf 4-33) by 46 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Lahore Lions beat Sialkot Stallions by 46 runs in a rain-affected match to secure a spot in the Faysal Bank One-Day Cup final, which will be at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on March 23. Saad Nasim's late unbeaten half-century proved the difference as Lahore Lions posted a fighting total.

An overcast day led Sialkot to opt to field first. Lahore Lions were reduced to 31 for 2, losing their captain, Azhar Ali, and Raza Ali Dar, for ducks. Umar Saddiq (59) and Usman Salahuddin (44) held their nerve though, stringing together a 62-run partnership for the third wicket. However, rain intervened during the innings to reduce the overs to 44 a side.

Salahuddin anchored another 60-run stand, for the fourth wicket, with Fahad-ul-Haq (32) to keep things on track before Lahore Lions' middle order slumped, losing five wickets for 30 runs.

Nasim fought hard as he waged a lone battle to keep Lahore Lions in the game. He smacked eight boundaries including four sixes in his unbeaten 55 off 44 balls, muscling his side to a respectable 232. Bilawal Bhatti and Nayyer Abbas took three wickets each.

Requiring 5.2 runs per over, Sialkot replied confidently, with Mukhtar Ahmed clubbing two back-to-back boundaries in the very first over. But Sialkot began to stall as they were reduced to 117 for 6 inside of 29 overs. Shahid Yousuf (40) along with Ali Khan (36) resisted for a while, but the required rate was getting out of hand.

Abbas (20) and Ali battled for a 42-run cameo stand for the seventh wicket, but were pinned down by Lahore Lions' disciplined bowling. They eventually were dismissed for 192, with Ashraf being the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 33.

Karachi Zebras and Karachi Dolphins will go head to head tomorrow at the same venue to decide who Lahore Lions will face on Saturday.

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