CCS, KCA record wins in rain-affected round

Cricket Coaching School finally got a win under their belt in the Dhaka Premier League. They beat by 45 runs on Saturday, a day after the match began and due to rain interruptions at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra on Friday.

Batting first on Friday, CCS made 213 for 9 in 40 overs, with Farveez Maharoof scoring 57 off 35 balls after having endured four breaks in play due to bad weather.

Maharoof struck six fours and three sixes, having arrived at the crease with his team in usual trouble at 85 for 5. He added 44 for the sixth wicket with Asif Ahmed and another 65 for the seventh wicket with Nazmul Hossain Milon. Khelaghar captain Faisal Hossain took four wickets with his left-arm spin.

In reply, Khelaghar were held to 172 for 7, with Amit Kumar taking three wickets and Asif, two. Faisal's 31 was the highest score of the innings. They are now the only team not to win a single game.

Kalabagan Cricket Academy picked up their third win in the competition, defeating Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by six wickets. It was another two-day affair after rain halted play on Friday at the BSKP-3 ground.

Batting first, Dhanmondi made 205 for 8 after the game was reduced to 34 overs a side. Gulbadin Naib blasted an unbeaten 99 off 68 balls with six fours and eight sixes. He was batting on 79 when Talha Jubair came in to bowl the last over. He hammered a four and two sixes, but got only two off the last two deliveries to miss out on a second List A hundred.

But KCA's Hamilton Masakadza upended his effort, with another match-winning effort. The Zimbabwean batsman struck seven sixes and six boundaries in his 93 off 71 balls. He was well supported by Abdul Majid, who was unbeaten on 59.

The match between Brothers Union and Kalabagan Krira Chakra was abandoned at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium. After rain completely scuppered played on Friday, KKC made 148 for 5 in 25 overs after play started at 1:00pm on Saturday.

Brothers Union were set 154 to win under the Duckworth/Lewis method. They were 86 for 2 at the end of the 16th over when a final bout of rain marred the proceedings.

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Williamson frustrated after warm-up game abandoned

Kane Williamson expressed his and New Zealand's disappointment after the practice match between New Zealanders and Bangladesh Cricket Board XI was abandoned due to a very wet outfield.

"It is very frustrating," Williamson said. "The boys have come off quite a bit of cricket, they have played a bit in Sri Lanka previously. It would have been really nice to play the match but it wasn't to be."

The umpires made the decision to call of play at 9.45am local time, 15 minutes after play was scheduled to start on Saturday at the MA Aziz Stadium, after bouts of overnight and early morning rain had submerged parts of the ground. The BCB XI squad left a few hours later, while the visitors had to shift base to the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium's indoor facilities once again.

"It is not ideal. It is a shame not to get a practice match, but we have a few days to train and prepare accordingly. You get thrown these curve balls at times, but you have to deal with them. It is no excuse for us. We have to prepare well in the next few days."

Williamson, who scored for 403 at an average for 50.37 for Yorkshire in the County Championship's First Division, is one of the three members of the New Zealand ODI side that lost 4-0 to Bangladesh in 2010. He was one of their better performers, scoring his first international century during the series.

"It was nice to spend some time in the middle there. But having said that, I haven't played a Test series here and neither have a lot of the boys. So it will be a good experience.

"We have been doing a lot of talking, particularly about the opposition and conditions over here. We are trying to simulate all those things and move our game forward.

"It is a tough place to bat, and something that I have to get used to. I am touring the world, playing in all different types of conditions. Bangladesh is certainly different than what we are used to."

That difference in playing conditions will take a little more time to adjust as it is likely that they will continue to train indoors for another day. The relayed surface at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is undergoing last-minute work, and as a result, they have been given just a short period of time to warm-up at the first Test venue.

Head curator Zahid Reza Babu has prepared two wickets for the Test, and both haven't had a ball bowled on them after the relay. The previous Test played here was in December 2011, after which the ground went for a complete overhaul of its outfield and playing square.

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Smith puts Mumbai in all-IPL final

Mumbai Indians 157 for 4 (Smith 59, Narine 3-17) beat Trinidad & Tobago 153 for 5 (Lewis 62, Ottley 41*) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar provided the searing start that set Mumbai Indians on course for a second Champions League T20 final in three years, a final which will now be an all-IPL affair. Smith bludgeoned 59 from 38 as the pair made 90 together in 11 overs, in pursuit of T&T's middling 153 for 5. Though the openers' demise in the space of an over comprised a stutter, they had done enough to ensure the middle order could see out the dangerous Sunil Narine, and complete a straightforward victory, made easier by the injury to Rayad Emrit, who hurt his shoulder in the first over.

Nathan Coulter-Nile had earlier been instrumental in subduing T&T, who had their own blazing start courtesy Evin Lewis' 46-ball 62. Coulter-Nile conceded only 20 in his four overs, in which he also took one wicket, while both Kieron Pollard and Pragyan Ojha also took one apiece and gave away less than a run a ball in their three-over spells.

Smith bludgeoned one back past the bowler and struck one sweetly in front of point to begin his onslaught, in the second over, and then, having ambled to three off seven balls, Tendulkar found form for the first time in the tournament. A crisp straight drive on the up off Rampaul was a throwback to his heyday, but the slog over long-on and a back-away inside-out drive that yielded consecutive sixes soon after were more a product of the present age than a bygone one.

The pair took 49 runs from the Powerplay, but even the onset of spin only brought a slight dip in the run rate, as they were only made to deal with one over from Sunil Narine, even as they took the game away from T&T. Tendulkar crossed the 50,000-run aggregate for recognised cricket across all formats in the eighth over, to the crowd's delight, while Smith doled out boundaries fashioned from power and touch in equal measure.

Tendulkar was caught behind for 35 from 31, before Narine struck twice in the following over, to give rise to T&T hopes, but Mumbai needed only 58 runs from the last eight overs, and Dinesh Karthik's unbeaten 33 ensured not even Narine would derail the chase. A six over extra cover off Lendl Simmons off the first ball of the 20th over sealed the victory.

Lewis' first boundary in T&T's innings was off a Mitchell Johnson edge through second slip, but he slapped the next one over the third-man boundary and rarely erred again until his demise. Lewis took a liking to Johnson's next over as well, carving two off side boundaries off it, but though Darren Bravo's early strokeplay suggested he too had the Mumbai attack's measure, he walked past Pragyan Ojha's legside wide to have himself stumped for 14.

Having hit 61 off the first eight overs, T&T slowed significantly against Ojha, Coulter-Nile and Pollard, who bowled tight lines and mixed up their pace to good effect on a dry Delhi surface. Yannick Ottley's unbeaten 41 off 30 pushed T&T beyond 150, which seemed a competitive total despite the mediocre returns from the middle overs, but with one bowler down and the remaining quicks far from their best on the night, T&T could not deny the IPL champions.

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SLC seeks funds from expatriates in Europe

Sri Lanka Cricket is looking to the expatriate community in Europe for development funds, SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said, after the board appointed a representative in the region on Friday.

United Kingdom resident and textile tycoon Sarath Abeysundara was tasked with raising money for district and school cricket in Europe, and SLC is hopeful he will ease the burden on SLC's stretched domestic budget.

"Mr. Abeysundara's job is to try and help the board build relationships with the Sri Lankans living in Europe and to raise funds for developments in districts and schools," Ranatunga said. "We've told him to come up with a few options on how he would raise funds for SLC, which he was very keen to do. He has raised funds for SLC before, which we were aware of."

Ranatunga said Abeysundara had links to county team Leicestershire and served on SLC's foreign committee in the UK - one of several of the board's outposts abroad. He is also an elected member of SLC's sponsorship committee, under whose purview the assignment falls.

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Chandila's lawyer criticises BCCI procedure

A day after Ajit Chandila was interrogated in New Delhi on Wednesday by the BCCI Anti-Corruption and Security Unit chief Ravi Sawani, his lawyer has criticised the BCCI's procedure, alleging that the Sawani report has relied on police documents rather than original investigation.

"The BCCI's procedure in itself is faulty," Rakesh Kumar, Chandila's counsel, said. "They have appointed a commissioner for inquiry who is not conducting any investigation on his own. He is just relying on the police documents which are submitted to the court."

Kumar, who accompanied Chandila for the questioning that lasted nearly three hours, added that his client wasn't even "issued a show-cause notice". "I am not aware what are the charges against my client and they are simply holding him guilty. In case they go ahead and take severe action against my client, we will certainly challenge it in the court of law."

While the BCCI on September 13 announced the verdict on all the other five Royals cricketers who were allegedly involved in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, banning Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan for life, suspending Amit Singh for five years, Siddharth Trivedi for a year and clearing Harmeet Singh of all the charges, Chandila's case has been pending for long.

Since Chandila received bail on September 9, Sawani, who had been appointed to hand over a report to the BCCI disciplinary committee, couldn't meet the him earlier. As a result, the disciplinary committee of the BCCI had proceeded based on Sawani's finding on all the other players except Chandila.

"More than 10 days' notice had been served to Chandila before Sawani questioned him. Once his findings are forwarded to the disciplinary committee, the committee will then summon the player before pronouncing its verdict," a BCCI insider said.

That is unlikely to happen soon since Chandila has sought "seven to ten days' time" for submitting his written statement. Sawani can only finalise his findings once he receives the statement.

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Duminy set to make a Test comeback

JP Duminy is set to regain his Test place after 11 months as South Africa embark on a two-Test series against Pakistan. Duminy spent six months recovering from a ruptured Achilles' tendon and after a successful one-day return, has been given a vote of confidence from the national coach to make a Test comeback as well.

"How we've worked is that when a player has a spot and he gets injured, once he is fit again, he will regain his spot. I think that's only fair," Russell Domingo, South Africa's coach said ahead of the squad's departure. "I very much see JP being in the starting XI."

Duminy had previously spent two years out of the Test team following a loss of form after creating a stir with a 50 and unbeaten 166 against Australia in his first two matches. He returned against New Zealand in March 2012 and scored a century and also played an important role in South Africa's win against England at Lord's last June which gave them the Test mace.

He could play no part in their victory over Australia because of his injury. Faf du Plessis took his spot and impressed with a match-saving century in Adelaide. That would mean the likely loser from Duminy's return would be Dean Elgar, who replaced Jacques Rudolph and, apart from a century against New Zealand, has not made the spot his own.

Following an extensive rehabilitation period, Duminy returned to action during the Champions Trophy in June this year. He scored an unbeaten 150 before the tournament during a warm-up against the Netherlands, had a lean run through the competition but had one innings of 97 in the ODI series in Sri Lanka, which South Africa lost 4-1. He has also become a significant contributor with the ball, sending down 36.2 overs of offspin in the five matches.

Duminy's potential as an allrounder is what South Africa are hoping to use to their advantage in the UAE. "With JP back in the mix, whether we need to play a second spinner still needs to be debated," Domingo said.

Conditions are expected to be conducive to turn - given that was how Pakistan got the better of the last No.1 side to tour the UAE, England - and South Africa have included two specialist spinners in their squad. Robin Peterson is the incumbent but they have also brought back Pakistani-born legspinner Imran Tahir, who played 11 Tests but was dropped after conceding 260 runs without taking a wicket in Adelaide.

Peterson has had some success, most notably with five wickets in a match against Pakistan in Cape Town, but Tahir's attacking ability were thought to create a tough contest between the two for a spot. Domingo confirmed he would allow Peterson to start before turning to Tahir. "At the moment, I still feel Robbie is the guy. He has made some contributions," he said. "You are always going to take two spinners to the subcontinent but Imran has to do something special to knock the door down."

The rest of the line-up will retain its familiar look with Graeme Smith fully recovered from ankle surgery to lead the team and open the batting. Domingo indicated he would continue with the seven batsmen and three seamers strategy that was used under Gary Kirsten. "I would be a fool to go in there and make drastic changes," he said. "There might be one change in terms of personnel but the balance of the side will stay pretty much the same."

That one change would be Duminy's return but Elgar need not despair yet. There is a chance he will feature in the series after all because South Africa may have to do without Hashim Amla for the second Test. The No.3 batsman and his wife, Sumayya, are expecting their second child to be born "some time after the first Test" according to team manager Mohammad Moosajee.

Amla will leave Dubai as soon as the match is done and "depending on when the baby arrives", a decision will be made on his availability for the second match. There is a four-day turnaround between games and if Amla does not make it back in time, Elgar, who has batted in the top-order for most of his career, could assume the spot.

Everyone else in the South African squad is fit. Dale Steyn has recovered from the assortment of injuries that plagued him at the Champions Trophy. Rory Kleinveldt's toe laceration has healed and Wayne Parnell's heart issue has also been sorted out.

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Unopposed Akram becomes BCB director

Akram Khan, the former Bangladesh captain, and six others have been elected unopposed a week before the BCB elections will take place on October 10. Their early victory was for not having any rival candidates in their respective categories on the final day of nomination papers submission on Thursday.

Akram has been elected from his position as councillor of Chittagong divisional sports association. The six others are AZM Nasiruddin of (Chittagong district), Sheikh Sohel (Khulna division), Kazi Inam Ahmed (Jessore district), MA Awal Chowdhury (Barisal district), Shafiul Alam Chowdhury (Sylhet division) and Anwarul Islam (Rangpur division).

The directors are seven out of the ten to be elected from the divisional and district sports associations for category 1. Among them, Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna will have two directors each while Barisal, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet will have one director each.

Twelve directors will be elected for category 2, which is from the 58 Dhaka clubs' councillors. One director will be elected from 45 councillors of category 3 which consists of the educational boards, armed forces and others. Three directors will be nominated by the government through the National Sports Council.

A total of 38 candidates had submitted their nomination papers in three categories. The last date of withdrawing nominations is on October 7.

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Little more uncertainty this time - Smith

Over the last six months Graeme Smith has become a father for the second time, presented the national rugby team, the Springboks, with their match-day jerseys, met up with Kevin Pietersen to help promote a range of clothing and worked alongside Mark Boucher in a bid to save the rhinoceros. He also played a bit of cricket. One match, to be precise. 

Smith's only cricket since his 74 for Surrey against Hampshire on May 6, was a warm-up game for his local franchise, the Cobras, this Wednesday. In 10 days' time, he will front up against the Pakistan attack and lead his team in the first Test since February. It's a thought that would leave anyone, including Smith, wide-eyed.

"I feel like I am going on my first tour but obviously with a lot more experience. I am extremely nervous," Smith said, with a coy smile to match, at the team's departure. "Having not played for a period of time, I need to maximise the preparation available for me before the first Test." 

Apart from net sessions, which he has already been having with the Cobras for the last two weeks, Smith will only have one practice match in the UAE but it may be all he needs. "I've upped my cricket skills in the last two weeks or so and it will be about getting mentally ready." 

Long layoffs have seldom affected Smith's form. Last year, when he missed the IPL because of an ankle injury, he spent two months out of action before the tour of England. In his comeback game, which was also his 100th Test match, he scored a century. 

Smith has built on his career on leading by example and he plans to do the same on this tour. "We have to get ourselves up to the speed that we finished at summer," he said. "There's a standard we want to maintain. A lot of our standard comes from within."

	'Expecting a big challenge in unknown conditions' - Smith

Even though South Africa are in no danger of losing the Test mace even if they are beaten 2-0, because of their healthy lead at the top of the rankings, they have a record to uphold. They have not lost a Test series away from home since 2006, when they were defeated in Sri Lanka. Since then, they have won in England and Australia, twice, triumphed in West Indies and drawn in India. 

The subcontinent remains the final frontier and Smith wants the team to be ready for "the worst". By that he means raging turns, the type that undid England early last year and will test a technique South African batsmen have been working to master in recent years. "Maybe England weren't as mentally prepared as they could have been," he said. "One of the reasons we've traveled so well is because we are able to adapt but this time there is probably a little more of the unknown." 

Another uncertainty is what happens when South Africa come home. What was supposed to be a bumper summer with three Tests each against India and Australia has been thrown into disarray because of administrative arguments. Through their association, the players have called for an "urgent engagement" between the CSA and the BCCI and their desperation to play more Test cricket is becoming more evident the longer the impasse wages on. 

"We're looking forward to playing Test cricket again," Smith said. "We've already got the mace and it's nice to see it here. I can feel the excitement in the team and when I walk around from the fans. People want more Test cricket."

The desire to continue playing cricket that makes South Africans proud is what Smith reminded himself of even when he felt the pain of his injury was becoming too much. "I still have the drive and motivation to play; that's what kept me afloat," he said. "I still feel I have the drive to do it for a period of time. When you've captaining since 22, you spend a lot of time building and putting processes in place. And now we have those and we've given ourselves a great chance to create something special as a team."

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Afghanistan on brink of 'national celebration'

Afghanistan need just one more win in the World Cricket League (WCL) Championship to secure a first ever World Cup berth and write another heartwarming chapter in the nation's cricketing story. Victory over Kenya, the team they crushed by eight wickets on Wednesday, will move them into second in the table and an automatic spot at the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Afghanistan became an ICC Affiliate member in 2001, only receiving Associate status earlier this year. They narrowly missed out on reaching the 2011 World Cup, despite starting the qualification process in the bottom group, but have provided a colourful presence at the last two World Twenty20s.

"It's a big achievement for Afghanistan cricket and Afghanistan to qualify for the World Cup in 2015," Mohammad Nabi, the team's captain, said. "We've got one more game left and if we win on Friday, we will celebrate - the team will be celebrating and the whole nation will be celebrating that win."

Beating Kenya for the second time in three days would lift Afghanistan to 19 points, behind Ireland, who have already guaranteed their World Cup place. The match in Sharjah is the final fixture in the WCL Championship, which began more than two years ago. Should Afghanistan slip up, then UAE will be the beneficiaries, going through to the World Cup proper for the first time since 1996.

Afghanistan will again rely on players such as bandana-wearing fast bowler Hamid Hassan, who took 4 for 19 on Wednesday, former captain Nawroz Mangal and fellow opener Mohammad Shahzad, purveyor of his own version of the "helicopter shot".

"Thanks to our nation and to our supporters who came here to support our team, as well as the players who played really well, our fast bowler Hamid Hassan and spin bowler Samiullah Shenwari," Nabi said after the game. "We will now try even harder for our next game to play positively."

Should they progress, then fixtures against the hosts, Australia and New Zealand, as well as England, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Pool A will await. The six remaining teams in the WCL Championship will have another chance to get to the 2015 World Cup, via a one-off qualifying tournament, to be held in New Zealand early next year, taking on Hong Kong, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Uganda to determine the final two spots.

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SLC domestic tournament replaces Zimbabwe tour

Sri Lanka Cricket has announced a triangular four-day tournament to begin on October 8, which effectively replaces the postponed Test tour of Zimbabwe. The tournament features Sri Lanka's Test side and its best first-class talent. Two of the matches will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club grounds and the third at the P Saravanamuttu Oval.

The Board XI - which largely comprises Sri Lanka's Test players - will play a Sri Lanka A team and a Development team, with those teams also playing a match against each other. The Board XI is led by Test captain Angelo Mathews, while Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne - both of whom are also being groomed for leadership - will captain the other teams.

"We want to give those youngsters a chance for the future," chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya said. "Chandimal and Thirimanne are good prospects for the future, and we wanted to give some responsibility to these two youngsters also."

Prasanna Jayawardene will keep wickets for the Board XI, suggesting he may remain in the selectors' plans for Tests. Shaminda Eranga is a notable exclusion from the Board XI, but Jayasuriya said he had only been selected in another team because it would provide each of the cricketers in Sri Lanka's fast-bowling battery with match practice.

"We just picked the teams in a way in which everyone can play," he said. "We put some important players in other teams to do that. Eranga is there so he can play every game and bowl a lot. This will allow us to give them experience and make use of everybody."

The tournament will have first-class status and will be the only domestic four-day tournament played this year, with Premier League matches having been contested over three days. Forty-six players have been named in the squads in total.

Board XI: Angelo Mathews (capt), TM Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Perera, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Nuwan Kulasekara, Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Thisara Perera, Ajantha Mendis, Lahiru Jayaratne, T Priyashankar

Sri Lanka A: Dinesh Chandimal (capt & wk), Mahela Udawatte, Pabasara Waduge, Kaushal Silva, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Ashan Priyanjan, Chaturanga de Silva, Ishan Jayaratne, Dilruwan Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Vimukthi Perera, Madura Lakmal, Chathura Randunu, Ramith Rambukwella, Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Development Team: Lahiru Thirimanne (capt), Shehan Jayasuriya, Kusal Perera (wk), Rumesh Buddika, Sachithra Serasinghe, Roshen Silva, Dhanushka Gunathilaka, Madawa Warnapura, Tharindu Kaushal, Malinda Pushpakumara, Vishwa Fernando, Kanishka Alvitigala, Lahiru Gamage, Shaminda Eranga, Niroshan Dickwella, Seekkuge Prasanna

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