CSA demands ICC proposals withdrawn

Cricket South Africa has become the first national board to call for the ICC to withdraw the draft proposal that would put power in international cricket in the hands of India, England and Australia.

South Africa have been identified as the big losers in the potential changes, which, if adopted, could be viewed as a power grab by the three nations that bring most revenue into the international game. Calling the plans "in breach of the ICC constitution", CSA has now made its opposition clear.

The "position paper", drawn up by a working group of the ICC's Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee, is due to be put to the ICC Executive Board at its quarterly meeting in Dubai on January 28-29. The proposals would need seven votes out of ten to pass.

Despite South Africa's position as the No. 1-ranked Test side in the world, if the proposals were adopted, their projected share of future revenues at every stage would fall below than even that of the Pakistan board.

South Africa's relationship with India has declined markedly since they appointed Haroon Lorgat as chief executive of their own board. It was Lorgat, as ICC chief executive, who championed the Woolf report, which proposed placing the ICC in the hands of independent directors. Lorgat's subsequent feud saw him ousted at the ICC and cold-shouldered by the BCCI, which refused to deal with him as India undertook a much-reduced tour of South Africa last year.

CSA has now become the first board to publicly state its opposition to the ambush proposals, calling for a more consultative and "constitutionally ordained" process to take place.

The meeting on January 9, where Full Member boards were presented with the paper, was unscheduled and "came out of nowhere", according to the head of one board. Nazmul Hassan, president of the BCB, said that Bangladesh "can't doing anything on our own", while NZC director Martin Snedden suggested the BCCI-ECB-CA plans were not necessarily a bad thing for world cricket.

CSA responded in a statement, saying: "Without addressing the merits of the proposal insofar as it concerns constitutional amendments and changes to ICC competitions, these proposals should first be referred to the relevant ICC committees or sub‐committees for proper consideration and to make recommendations to the ICC Board."

The open letter, copied to ICC Full Members and media outlets, was written not by Lorgat, but by Chris Nenzani, CSA's president and board chairman, directed to ICC president Alan Isaac.

"Although there is nothing to prevent a review of the ICC funding model or finances, the proposal self-evidently is inextricably tied up with a fundamental restructuring of the ICC, which has far‐reaching constitutional implications," Nenzani said.

"The draft proposal is, therefore, fundamentally flawed as regards the process and, therefore, in breach of the ICC constitution.

"In the circumstances we propose that the draft proposal be withdrawn immediately, given that the proper procedures have not been followed.

"In our respectful opinion, a more considered, inclusive/consultative, and properly constitutionally ordained approach is required."

Isaac, a former chairman of the New Zealand board, whose business career involved 35 years with the global accounting firm KPMG, is now facing the most problematic task of a low-key term as ICC president. It is questionable whether he will welcome the attention. The presidential role will officially become a ceremonial role once he steps down in 2014 and he has already done much to hasten that transition.

Tony Irish, chief executive of the South African Cricketers' Association, had previously defined the document as, "concerning," saying it will have "significant implication for cricket, particularly for smaller countries of which South Africa is one - revenue wise."

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Proud to win semi within three days - Maharashtra coach

After Harshad Khadiwale knocked Sandipan Das for a single that took Maharashtra to their first Ranji Trophy final in 21 years, his team's celebrations were muted. The players formed a line outside the dressing room and waited for the Maharashtra openers, the Bengal team, and the match officials to cross the ropes and shake hands with them. No one brandished a stump in a frenzied victory dance. It's likely that no one even managed to get hold of one as a souvenir.

Surendra Bhave, Maharashtra's coach, said his players might have been disappointed they had not won by an innings. "The fact that they did not celebrate in a big way shows that they wanted to win it in even better style," Bhave said. "I told them that if a team wins a semi-final game on day three, they should be proud of themselves. They tonked us about a little bit in the end, made us bat again, but ultimately, match finishing in three days, Maharashtra victorious, I can't complain."

Apart from that half-session when Wriddhiman Saha and Bengal's tailenders delayed the inevitable by clouting 160 in 117 balls, Maharashtra dominated the semi-final.

"The whole year, we had our ups and downs...bowling not clicking, catches not being taken, losing wickets at the wrong time," Bhave said. "Every day, when we were bowling, we thought we were two wickets short. Every day, when we were batting, we thought [we were] maybe 50 runs short or maybe [lost] 2-3 wickets too many. But it has worked brilliantly."

The win over Mumbai in the quarter-finals, Bhave said, had sent belief coursing through his players' veins. "That Mumbai game has changed the complete mindset of the team," he said. "Simply amazing. I keep going back to that game, because Mumbai won four sessions in a row, then Maharashtra won five sessions in a row, and the match. Over the nine sessions it lasted, Maharashtra won five in a row."

In the semi-final, Maharashtra's bowlers had extracted life out of the pitch in both innings, while their batsmen had made it look comparatively easy to bat on.

"I'm happy that you've noticed that," Bhave said. "Because many a times in the past few years, I've noticed that when Maharashtra bat, the pitch looks lively, and when we bowl, the pitch looks docile, so it was about time we turned it around."

Part of the reason for this were the techniques of Maharashtra's batsmen. Sangram Atitkar top-scored with 168, but it was Ankit Bawne's 89, according to Bhave, that laid the platform for the team's massive first-innings lead.

"To single out one batsman in this match who actually set it up for us was Ankit's [Bawne] defensive technique," Bhave said. "Absolutely fantastic. And then Sangram Atitkar, that's what he does. He strikes at 80 at No.7 and you can't question it, because he plays that role so well. Every now and then when Viju [Zol] is not there he bats at No.3. Sometimes No.7 does not get importance, but when you play knocks like that at No.7 it becomes a good position to bat."

In reaching the final after starting in Group C, Maharashtra had emulated the achievement of the 2010-11 Rajasthan side that won the tournament after qualifying out of the Plate group, as it was then known, for the knockouts.

"I think it's a great story," Bhave said. "I think it's telling people that there is depth in all three groups now. I've mentioned it before, that I think Hyderabad, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal were all very good teams. They were good enough to fight against any elite team this year. All of them had three good fast bowlers, decent batting, their fielding looked good. C Group - we took 35 points and topped it, but it was a good group and it's a good commentary on Indian cricket that a team from C is rising to play the final. It shows the depth in Indian cricket now."

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Mathews denies SL were too negative

Sri Lanka's captain, Angelo Mathews, has denied that negative tactics led to his team's dramatic downfall in Sharjah and said his batsmen should have been "a bit more cautious" in the second innings, which he believes cost Sri Lanka the match.

Sri Lanka had achieved an 87-run first innings lead, but scored at 1.87 runs an over on the fourth afternoon and evening, seemingly in an attempt to stall the game and preserve their 1-0 lead. Pakistan took Sri Lanka's last five wickets for 81 on the fifth morning and completed a record chase to level the series. Their run rate of 5.25 on the last day was the highest for any successful chase over 300.

"Last evening, five of our wickets had fallen for 100 and from there onwards, we had to take some time," Mathews said. "Rather than going for runs and losing wickets, we defended at that stage, because we knew we were leading the series and we don't need to take a big risk. On the fifth day there wasn't much turn for the spinners. It's still a very good wicket.

"When we were batting we actually kept losing wickets and we never got a good lead. Prasanna Jayawardene responded to pressure and batted brilliantly, but I thought we should have been a bit more cautious because we've already won the series and we didn't need to give them a sniff. That's what happened in the morning today, when we let our guards down for a couple of hours. We just couldn't bat for another hour. That's all we needed.

"Our batters were not very patient in the second innings and that brought our downfall."

Sri Lanka were also quick to spread their fields in the fourth innings, as Pakistan gathered three quarters of their 302 runs through singles, twos and threes. A slip was occasionally employed but there was no tight infield for much of the innings.

"[Negative tactics] weren't really to blame," Mathews said. "We knew that the Pakistanis have to make a move, and they were desperate to win the game. And you know when you are desperate, you tend to make more mistakes than the others. We were actually not going overboard with attacking but we just wanted to make it harder and harder for them to win the game."

Pakistan required only 53 runs from the final 60 balls of the match and had six wickets in hand. Sri Lanka routinely placed at least seven - but up to nine - fielders on the fence during those overs, with Pakistan hitting 41 runs via singles, twos and threes in that time.

"We wanted to get a wicket in that period," Mathews said. "The ball was a bit old and also reversing a little bit. We actually knew in the last ten overs that they would go for the big shots. Even when we had our nine fielders down at the boundary, they still went for it. We wanted to get a wicket and when the newcomer comes in, to sort of bring in the field and put pressure [on]. They were going to go for it and it was getting dark. That's why we had the fielders out."

Rangana Herath bowled well outside leg stump, with a packed leg-side field, throughout the match. The ploy backfired on the fifth evening, as Misbah-ul-Haq, in particular, used the reverse-sweep to good effect. But, like Kumar Sangakkara on day three, Mathews said the tactic was intended to bring wickets.

"We bowled on leg stump because there was rough outside the leg stump," he said. "We thought that something would happen for the spinners, and they'd get some help. We were trying to get wickets that way, but they batted really well."

Mathews directed blame entirely at the batting in the second innings, suggesting the bowling was hampered by the docility of the surface and could not have done much better. "We played really well in the last three-and-a-half days, but our batting messed it up for us today. It was never a 214 wicket to get all out, especially on a day four or five, when you could still hit through the line. We gifted them wickets and that was not good enough."

Sri Lanka's run rate for the whole match was 2.34 - their lowest for any game in which they have batted at least 100 overs since 2000. "We scored 400 in the first innings and we had to work hard for that because Pakistan were not giving any loose balls. We had to wait for the loose balls and they did the same in the second innings. They bowled very disciplined lines and lengths."

Mathews found solace in individual gains and a drawn series, despite the dispiriting final result. "The way Kaushal Silva and the openers batted in the series was quite brilliant. Rangana Herath was good as always, and the two fast bowlers were also brilliant. It was a collective performance. Mahela batted well in Dubai and then again here, so we want to take all these positives and move forward."

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Bennett replaces Milne in NZ ODI squad

Fast bowler Hamish Bennett has been chosen as a replacement in New Zealand's ODI squad for the injured Adam Milne for the remainder of the five-match series against India. According to a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) release, an MRI scan revealed a torn abdominal muscle which will sideline Milne for approximately six weeks.

Milne sustained the injury during New Zealand's 24-run win in the first ODI at Napier. He finished with figures of 1 for 40 in 7.3 overs before leaving the field midway through the 41st over with what appeared to be a side strain.

Bennett, 26, has played one Test and 12 ODIs for New Zealand and will join the squad at training in Hamilton on Tuesday ahead of the second ODI on Wednesday. His last appearance for New Zealand came in the 2011 World Cup, when he took 0 for 16 in 4.1 overs in a 112-run loss to Sri Lanka at Mumbai.

During the 2013-14 New Zealand domestic season, Bennett is the leading wicket-taker in the Plunket Shield with 24 scalps at 23.12 in five matches for Canterbury, who currently sit in first place in the first-class competition.

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Sri Lanka tread too far down the conservative route

While conservatism has worked for Sri Lanka in this series, their dour defensive play on day four in Sharjah neither decisively put defeat beyond them nor, it would appear, did much to revive the flagging interest in Test cricket

A few days ago, in the Emirate just west of Sharjah, a group of cricket administrators unveiled a proposal that would put the Test-match future of Sri Lanka and Pakistan in serious doubt. On day four, in a series already ruled by attrition, the teams produced the least watchable cricket of the tour. The comatose third session, in which Sri Lanka progressed at 1.36 runs an over, was little more than a staring contest featuring 13 grown men. There are pharmaceutical ads that are more compelling.

The few hundred fans that had come to the stadium stared too, only their eyes had long since glazed over. If any new followers of the sport tuned in, they might wonder why Tests between these sides deserve saving.

Sri Lanka were almost certainly the more passive of the teams, and though the players will contend that abrasive battles are an inextricable part of Test cricket, they can hardly claim it is the type of play that will stir the flagging interest in the format at home. They will also hold that Sri Lanka's first away series win since 2000 is much better reward for their fans than risky, aggressive cricket. If the sport is reduced to its scorelines, then perhaps that is correct. But cricket has always been about the journey, not just the destination, as laid out by the two best Tests of 2013, in Auckland and Johannesburg, both of which ended in draws.

Before the Test, captain Angelo Mathews had said this: "We need to play positive cricket once again, because we will try to win it 2-0. We are certainly not going for a draw here, because it sends a negative message to the whole team."

To single Mathews out for hypocrisy here would be grossly unfair, primarily because press conferences with almost any athlete have become an exercise in professional pretense. Even the most dour batsman will speak of "being positive" - a ubiquitous cricketing phrase - because anything less conveys weakness. But the fact is, no one likes to lose. When you're ahead in the series, why bother with winning the match? Sri Lanka have been in control at the close of almost every day since the middle of the first Test, and the prospect of finishing the series on even terms might appear madness to those in the dressing room.

Moreover, an inexperienced Sri Lanka side have largely gained ground by playing conservatively and respecting the limits of their ability. The fast bowlers have not attempted magic balls, nor sought to blast oppositions out. The spinners have found safety in the quicker, flatter deliveries, hoping to build pressure with dot balls. In the Dubai Test that Sri Lanka won, they scored at less than three an over in both innings, effectively challenging Pakistan to change the tempo of the series, if they wish to level it.

But on Sunday, Sri Lanka discovered the perils of treading too far down the conservative route. An uncompromising focus on defence with the bat allowed Pakistan's bowlers the opportunity to settle happily into their work, even though the onus was on them to take quick wickets, having finished their first innings with an 87-run deficit and only five full sessions to play. Three of Sri Lanka's five dismissed batsmen fell offering defensive shots, having earned poor dividends for their time at the crease. Kaushal Silva and Dinesh Chandimal fell to very good balls, but that is hardly unexpected at Test level; if batsmen are to receive unplayable balls destined to do damage, it would seem wise to score off the deliveries that are not so menacing.

Mahela Jayawardene stalled for 15 deliveries on 46, allowing Saeed Ajmal to put men around the bat, as he constructed what was among his most threatening spells in the series. Flat pitches in India recently prompted MS Dhoni to compare bowlers to bowling machines, but to Ajmal, Jayawardene and Mathews - whose 38-run stand spanned 176 deliveries - might have seemed the batting equivalent. Predictably, he got one to turn a little more than Jayawardene anticipated, and ensured Pakistan's slim hopes of winning the Test survived into the fifth day.

It is excusable, perhaps even commendable, that Sri Lanka have taken stock of their personnel and embraced conservatism in the series, largely to good effect. Their gains in the series may even suggest it is a strategy that suits them until key men develop the ability to play attacking, intimidating cricket. But in defending to the point of alienating fans, they have also weakened their grip on the match.

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No knowledge of draft proposals, says Associate representative

One member of the ICC's Finance & Commercial Affairs committee has said he was not privy to any details about the F&CA working group's draft proposal that recommends a radical overhaul of the world cricket administration.

Bermuda's Neil Speight, an ICC director and Associates & Affiliates (A&A) representative in the F&CA committee, said in an email message that he had "no knowledge" of the proposals reported on ESPNcricinfo on Friday. The "position paper" was made available to a Full Member special meeting in Dubai on January 9 to which, Speight said, "no Associate representative was invited" and so "dissociated" himself from the document and its contents.

The recommendations from this "position paper" will effectively cede ICC's executive power and financial control to the BCCI, Cricket Australia and the ECB.

For the three boards, the proposals included permanent membership of an Executive Committee that would override all other committees, exemptions from a new system of Test match promotion and relegation and the re-vamping of ICC's financial model carving out for them a greater proportion of the ICC's gross earnings.

Speight's comments indicate that not all members of the F&CA were aware of the "working group position paper" proposals. The emai, though, prompted an angry response from one Associate official, who said the details of the proposals and Speight's public statement revealed that A&A interests had not been properly guarded.

In its first formal statement, the ICC pointed out that the recommendations were put together by a "working group" of the F&CA committee, and would be discussed when the ICC Board meets in Dubai from January 27 to 29. They have emphasised in the past that the document given to the Boards of Full Member nations during the January 9 special meeting was not an ICC F&CA committee document and its details were still up for discussion.

Speight's comments puts the focus on the F&CA "working group". This working group, it has been ascertained, was concentrated around the three boards who stand to gain the most out of the position paper draft. It comprised Giles Clarke of the ECB, Wally Edwards of Cricket Australia and N Srinivasan of BCCI, assisted by a clutch of commercial executives: Dean Kino (general manager of legal and business affairs, Cricket Australia), John Perera (commercial director ECB) and Sundar Raman (chief operating officer, IPL). Kino and Raman also form a two-man technical committee in the Champions League T20, one of the world's wealthiest cricket tournaments.

Cricket Australia's only comment to ESPNcricinfo was, "As usual, there are a range of important matters up for discussion at the ICC Executive Board meeting. The outcome of that meeting and any decisions made will be communicated by the ICC. Until that time, we won't be making any comment." On Sunday, Clarke's response to the Observer newspaper about the issue was: "There's not much I can say about a draft. We get through a lot of those." The BCCI has made no comment.

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Muirhead and Lynn in Australia's T20 squad

Legspinner James Muirhead and batsman Chris Lynn will be in line for international debuts after being named in Australia's Twenty20 squad to take on England. Aaron Finch has been named vice-captain to George Bailey for the three-match T20 series that follows the ODIs, with Cameron White and Mitchell Starc both back in the reckoning along with Josh Hazlewood, Ben Cutting and Moises Henriques.

The most surprising selection was that of Muirhead, 20, who has played only four Twenty20 matches in his career, including only two for the Melbourne Stars this summer for a return of one wicket. However, Muirhead did bowl well in the Prime Minister's XI match against England in Canberra, where he took 3 for 52, and he also played against England in two other tour games earlier in the summer.

"We'll select the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup in the middle of February and we're looking at spin-bowling options," John Inverarity, the national selector, said. "There are a number of spin-bowling options. Xavier Doherty of course has strong claims, Brad Hogg still has strong claims and we're interested in a legspinner also.

"So we're having a look at James Muirhead this time. He's a young man and he's impressed this season when he's played against England. He's a young man who really puts a lot on the ball and his legbreak turns. He's in the squad for the experience and if he plays I'm sure that he'll be striving to make the most of the opportunity."

The inclusion of Lynn was less of a surprise as he has been one of state cricket's most promising young batsmen for several seasons, and this summer has 197 BBL runs at 32.83. A clean striker of the ball for the Brisbane Heat and Queensland, Lynn also impressed the selectors with his 104 and 61 not out when he was drafted into the Western Australia Chairman's XI that took on England before the first Ashes Test.

"[He] had a difficult season last season and wasn't included in Queensland's first Sheffield Shield match," Inverarity said of Lynn. "He came here to play against England for the Western Australia XI and made a century, and hasn't looked back. He's a fine striker of the ball."

James Faulkner is the only member of Australia's Test squad to tour South Africa who will also be part of the T20s against England, with other senior T20 players such as David Warner and Shane Watson to focus on their Test preparations. Starc will be back for his first internationals since the Ashes tour of England, having missed the home Ashes with a back injury.

"Mitchell Starc has a fine record in international T20 cricket and is an important player in our ICC World Twenty20 campaign," Inverarity said. "It is anticipated that he will be ready to perform by the end of this month."

Twenty20 squad George Bailey (capt), Aaron Finch (vice-capt), Daniel Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Cutting, James Faulkner, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, James Muirhead, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade (wk), Cameron White.

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Bailey axed, Marsh back in Test squad

George Bailey has been axed from Australia's Test squad after playing in all five Ashes victories this summer, with Shaun Marsh and Alex Doolan included for the upcoming tour of South Africa. Australia's selectors have named a 15-man squad for the three-Test tour, which begins in early February, with Marsh, Doolan, James Pattinson, Jackson Bird and James Faulkner included from outside the Ashes XI.

Bailey was the only incumbent to lose his place after his inability to make a big score in any of the five Tests against England; he finished the series with 183 runs at 26.14. A weakness outside off stump caused Bailey some problems during the Ashes and the national selector John Inverarity said that the South African conditions were unlikely to help him, where he would have had to face Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, the top two Test bowlers in the world on the ICC rankings.

"I think George's contribution to the Ashes victory was very significant," Inverarity said. "He played an integral role there. It was a wonderful Ashes series and the 11 players knitted together really well and they were a very convincing unit. But going to South Africa, we think George is less suited to there against their attack and we've left him out and bolstered the batting with Alex Doolan and Shaun Marsh.

"[Doolan] has been on the radar for quite some time. We had him on standby in the fifth Test in Sydney and he's now come into the squad of 15. Those of us who have seen us play … he looks a very good player - good technique, time, he plays pace bowling well - so we're hoping that he'll really flourish in this environment."

Doolan, 28, is the only uncapped player in the squad and will be battling with Marsh for a place in the top six for the opening Test in Cenutrion. Doolan had a breakout Sheffield Shield season last summer but this year has managed 391 runs at 39.10. However, his Shield form has been superior to that of Marsh, who this season sits 34th on the Shield run tally with 248 runs at 31.00, including only one fifty-plus score - it was a century - from his nine innings.

Ten days ago, Marsh described his Shield form as "really inconsistent this year" and declared that there were "a lot of guys ahead of me" in the Test queue, but the selectors seem to have disagreed. Marsh has scored half-centuries in the first two ODIs against England, although Inverarity said the squad was picked before Sunday's game, and he does have South African Test experience, having played there on the 2011-12 tour.

"He's in a good space at the moment, Shaun," Inverarity said. "He's playing well. We all know that when Shaun plays at his best, he's a very good player. It seems to us that he's in that space at the moment ... That first Test match that he played in Cape Town, when Australia were eventually bowled out for a very small total. In the first innings, Michael Clarke made a century and Shaun made 44 and played exceptionally well against that attack."

Inverarity said Marsh, Doolan, Bailey and Phillip Hughes were the four contenders for two batting spots. Hughes can count himself unlucky to have missed out given that in the current Shield summer he has scored three centuries, including one double-hundred, and in his five Test appearances in South Africa he has averaged 53.00, including a score of 88 in the last Test Australia played there on the 2011-12 trip.

Hughes was dropped from the Test side after the defeat at Lord's in July, despite the fact he had made an impressively mature 81 not out in the first Test at Trent Bridge when Ashton Agar nearly scored a hundred on debut. Since his axing, Hughes has made 671 first-class runs at the average of 61.00 from 11 innings, including a double-century and two other tons this Sheffield Shield season.

Marsh, by comparison, has scored most of his runs in the shorter formats. Since he was dropped from the Test side in January 2012, he has made 675 first-class runs at 25.00.

The make-up of the attack was less tricky for the selectors, with Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon all the natural choices after their success in the home Ashes campaign. The addition of Faulkner, the perennial 12th man during that series, was no surprise either, which left them choosing two backup fast men from Bird, Pattinson and Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Inverarity said it was a close call but the selectors believed Pattinson could be a valuable member of the squad if he is able to continue making good progress on his return from a back injury. Pattinson made his return to the national side during Sunday's one-day win over England at the SCG.

"He's been making very good progress during the last six weeks," Inverarity said. "Last night I thought he showed some very good signs and we've still got three or four weeks to go. He's on the upward curve and at his best he's a very good bowler."

Test squad Michael Clarke (capt), Brad Haddin (vice-capt), Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, James Faulkner, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, David Warner, Shane Watson.

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Footmarks on pitch crucial to SL chances, says Sangakkara

The footmarks developing on the Sharjah pitch are crucial to Sri Lanka's hopes of winning the series 2-0, Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara said. Day three saw the surface play reasonably well for the batsmen, even if it remained a challenging pitch for stroke-making, but Sri Lanka's spinners achieved success by attacking rough areas either side of the pitch.

There has been no unplayable turn or bounce from the footmarks, but on a surface on which the fast bowlers could not generate movement save with the old ball, the rough on the pavilion end of the pitch, in particular, presented hope for effecting dismissals. Pakistan trail Sri Lanka by 137 runs with four wickets remaining.

"There are a lot of rough areas on the wicket and the real challenge is to exploit that rough," Sangakkara said. "For our spinners, it's really important to have a look at where the position of the rough is, and how well they can use it to generate the unpredictable. It's just the third day, so on the fourth and fifth day, it's bound to get worse to bat on. Anyway, scoring is pretty difficult. By getting 400 in the first innings, we put ourselves in a pretty good position."

Rangana Herath pitched well outside the off stump throughout many of his spells on day three, but Sangakkara suggested this was not a stalling tactic from Sri Lanka, who lead the series 1-0. Constant plugging away at that line prompted a reverse-sweep from Ahmed Shehzad, who dragged the ball onto his off stump on 147, and had earlier also accounted for Younis Khan, who edged one down the leg side. Herath finished the day with 3 for 88 from his 31.3 overs - the best returns for his team so far.

"There was rough outside leg, to try and pitch the ball in," he said. "A lot of batsmen don't have the patience anyway when you bowl those kind of lines. It seems negative when you look at it from the outside, but the plan was quite positive - to try and get them to hit against the line, try and get one to turn from off the rough and see whether we can get something happening on that track. When you bowl around the wicket, there wasn't much purchase on it because there isn't much rough in line with the stumps."

Sri Lanka's route to victory will also be marked by damage control and self-preservation with the bat, Sangakkara said, as the onus rests on Pakistan to force the pace in the match. Pakistan had progressed at 2.28 runs an over in the first session of the day, before the scoring rate gathered momentum in the evening, but they will likely have to bat out at least two sessions on day four to establish a first-innings lead.

"If we get a couple of wickets in the morning tomorrow, especially Misbahul-Haq, then we would be able to do quite well in the Test," Sangakkara said. "They were pushing for runs today, trying to get as close as possible to our total but the two wickets at end of the day were very crucial for us.

"Pakistan will have to try and push to get a result, losing 1-0 or 2-0 is going to be the same when you have lost the series. They are going for broke and our job is to try and hold our nerve and absorb the pressure. First of all, we have to limit the damage - runs-wise - and if we do get a chance to bat again, we have to ensure we bat well."

Sangakkara said he had expected the pitch to deteriorate faster than it has by the end of day three, but found no fault in it. The cricket has been attritional throughout the series - owing to the teams' approach as much as to the surfaces - but the pitch in Sharjah has been particularly difficult to score on, without offering much for the bowlers.

"There are different types of wickets. A lot of people have different ideas of what Test cricket should be. What Test cricket should produce is a great contest, whether it's a test of patience or skills of players," he said. "When it's hard to get runs and it's hard to get purchase, to see how well the sides adapt to those situations. Those are signs of good Test players and, on this kind of pitch, maybe there wasn't anything for the fast bowlers with the new ball, but there was reverse swing. There can be a lot more turn in the next two days, so we have to wait and see how it plays.

"By the look of it on the first day, I thought that there would be lot more turn than we have seen on the first two days. Probably the first day turned a lot more, while the top was a bit softer and a heavy roller compacted it, and made it a lot better for batting."

Sri Lanka's fast bowlers have been a vital ingredient in the team's success in the series, and produced long, disciplined spells again on day three, helping limit Pakistan's scoring. Shaminda Eranga took two wickets, both achieved through reverse-swing.

"I think the bowling has been a revelation - especially Lakmal and Eranga. The discipline and the fitness they have shown to last three Tests, bowling very long spells is fantastic," Sangakkara said. "They prepared well, especially Eranga, before coming here. Also on this tour, he worked hard with the bowling coach. Chaminda Vaas has done well with them. They have done all you can ask of them as fast bowlers on this tour, and I think they are incredible for us."

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Maharashtra lead after Fallah burst

Maharashtra 164 for 4 (Khurana 48, Jadhav 40, Dinda 2-45, Shukla 2-45) lead Bengal 114 (Arindam 37, Fallah 7-58) by 50 runs
Scorecard

Twice before this season, Maharashtra had won the toss, sent their opponents out to bat on greentops, and rolled them over on the first day. On both those occasions - against Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh - their batsmen had backed up their bowlers' efforts by coming out and scoring 400-plus totals.

On the morning of Maharashtra's first Ranji Trophy semi-final in 17 years, the pitch at the Holkar Stadium wore an even coat of green. Rohit Motwani, their captain, won another toss. His bowlers, yet again, exploited the conditions perfectly, and bowled Bengal out in 41.4 overs. The batsmen came out and made a still lively surface and an acclaimed bowling attack look more or less manageable. Maharashtra ended the day 50 runs ahead with six wickets in hand.

On the eve of the match, his 50th in first-class cricket, Samad Fallah had reminded mediapersons that he was closing in on 200 wickets. When Saturday dawned, the left-arm seamer needed nine more to get there. When he bowled Shib Paul, Bengal's No. 11, his tally had risen to 198.

It wasn't the best day for a Bengal batsman to make his debut. Koushik Ghosh, the left-handed opener, realised this when he pushed forward at Fallah in the third over of the morning, to a ball pitched on off stump. The line forced Ghosh to play, and the away-swing produced a healthy tickle to first slip despite the fact that his bat had remained close to his body and his head more or less over the top of the ball.

Fallah changed his angle of approach frequently over the remainder of his spell, but never lost his direction. From left-arm round, wide of the crease, he swung one into the right-handed Abhimanyu Easwaran to trap him lbw. This was the last ball of his seventh over. First ball of his eighth, Fallah went over the wicket to the left-handed Sudip Chatterjee, and speared one into the blockhole for another lbw.

The last five balls of that over, all to Wriddhiman Saha, went as follows: an imploring shout for lbw and the hat-trick (close, but not given); another lbw appeal (close again); a half-steer, half-edge to third man for four; one more lbw appeal (just as loud, perhaps not as close); and an inside-edge that dropped inches in front of short leg.

Fallah bowled two more overs in that spell. At the other end, Anupam Sanklecha and Domnic Joseph were complementing him brilliantly. They didn't attack the stumps quite as much, sticking instead to a fifth-stump line, and tightened the screws on Bengal's batsmen. They took a wicket each, as did Harshad Khadiwale, who tempted Saha to flash at his gentle medium-pace and nick to wicketkeeper Motwani. In Khadiwale's previous over, Arindam Das had attempted the same shot, with almost the same result; Sangram Atitkar had dropped him at first slip.

Fallah cleaned up the rest. Extra bounce consumed Laxmi Shukla, while extravagant inswing did for Arindam - who had played an innings that contained as many plays-and-misses as elegant clips and drives. Sourav Sarkar and Paul, Nos. 9 and 11, slogged themselves out off successive deliveries, leaving Fallah on a hat-trick once more.

When Paul went, bowled heaving across the line, Ashok Dinda at the other end aimed a similar heave at nothing in particular. He had been left not out on 0 off 1 ball. Dinda channeled that frustration into his bowling, leaping higher than ever into his delivery stride, and worked up pace of a sort that none of Maharashtra's bowlers - barring Sanklecha, on occasion - had come close to producing.

Dinda's radar, however, wasn't quite right. His first ball, angled into Khadiwale's pads, was worked away for two. Four of the next five balls were similarly drawn to the batsmen's pads. Khadiwale took a single, Chirag Khurana scored a boundary and a single, Khadiwale hit another four. 

That over set the tone for an opening partnership of 78. Dinda bowled too straight, his new-ball partner Sarkar bowled either too full or too short; Khurana, moving his feet decisively, drove or cut him repeatedly through the off side.

In the first over after tea, Dinda broke the partnership with another ball angled down leg, Khurana getting a tickle to the wicketkeeper. An inducker from Shukla in the next over bowled Khadiwale. Bengal sniffed a chance, and filled the air with chatter. It grew in volume when Shukla curved one into the left-handed Vijay Zol to trap him on the shuffle.

It didn't let up for the rest of the afternoon, but it didn't affect Kedar Jadhav and Ankit Bawne. Jadhav repeatedly walked out of his crease to the seamers, and struck eight crisply- timed fours - mostly whipped off his legs or driven through cover on one knee - before popping a return catch to Dinda. 

Bawne was watchful outside off stump but drove assuredly whenever the ball was pitched up, and had reached 37 at stumps. With him was Motwani, batting on 8. He hadn't yet opened his account when Ghosh dropped him at gully off Dinda. It was a forgettable end to a forgettable first day for Bengal.

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