Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

With England already 2-0 up in the series, the final Test today at Chester-le-Street was all but meaningless, but West Indies’ dogged display in the third Test at Old Trafford at last injected some life into a mismatch of a series. Michael Vaughan spoke of his desire to grind West Indies into the dirt and, after his side’s impressive performance last week, there is no reason to doubt the captain’s vision.Unfortunately for all, the dirt at Chester-le-Street this morning was more a quagmire. The heavy and prolonged overnight rain didn’t ease and, with reports of Yorkshire’s Championship match at Headingley being called off as early as 11.00am, there was little hope of The Riverside escaping the deluge some 90 miles to the north. At 12.30pm, under gloomily granite skies, play was abandoned for the day. Scant consolation, but at least the hardy spectators will receive a full refund on their tickets.Though a fifth of the Test has now been lost to rain, and though England have already taken the series, West Indies have much to play for. In what has been a mismatch of a series, West Indies fought commendably hard at Old Trafford, led by Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s remarkably dogged 116.The scorecard might suggest his knock merely delayed the inevitable for England – and given the threat Monty Panesar posed on such a dusty and bouncy track, it is a fair statement. But nevertheless, West Indies came within 60 runs of creating history, showing the sort of determination and passion that was so lacking in the first two Tests.The weather is expected to improve over the next couple of days, though the rain will never be too far away. But in such green and pleasant conditions, England may only need three days to wrap up the series 3-0.

While Surrey’s on-pitch performances may not be much to write home about right now, off the field things are looking bright. The club has finalised proposals for a £35million investment at The Oval, which they hope to have approved by the autumn.A planning application has been submitted to Lambeth Council to further improve the ground’s Test facilities and boost the regeneration of the Lambeth area.The club, in partnership with Arora International Hotels, propose building a new stand and improved spectator facilities along with a hotel at the Pavilion End of The Oval, which is currently home to the Lock, Laker and Peter May stands.The proposals will see the demolition of the Surrey Tavern, and the introduction of a new piazza. The idea, according to Surrey, is “to create a stunning entrance and provide a much-improved first impression of the ground for visitors arriving at Oval tube station.”The proposed new stand will include 2000 new seats to increase capacity at the ground to 25,000 from 23,000, and a variety of improved facilities, reducing the need for temporary buildings and extra deliveries on big match days.The redevelopment is a timely one for Surrey, who are aiming to stay competitive as a Test match venue. While they have a long-standing agreement with the ECB to hold international cricket until 2023, they realise that they have to act now, as grounds such as Edgbaston, the Rose Bowl and Sophia Gardens engage in their own developments.Surrey told Cricinfo: “If we’re sitting still while everyone else is going forward, there’s no guarantee that the level of international cricket we have now will remain the same in the future.”They say another reason for the development is their commitment to the community. Although there were a few dissenting voices in the residents’ meeting on Monday night, the redevelopments – including the new hotel – are set to bring extra jobs to the Lambeth area.

The open-top bus ride in London to celebrate the Ashes is now nothing but a wistful journey down memory lane for England’s women, who are staring at a home series defeat to New Zealand. England are two down with three to play and need to win their next match to stay in the series.Perhaps another open-top bus ride – the wind whistling through their hair and blowing away the cobwebs of defeat – may help them stir memories of victorious scenes two years ago. A nice idea, although this time around they are 2-0 down already and the bus is heading through Blackpool.Gone are the hordes of adoring well-wishers lining the capital’s streets all the way up to the euphoric encore in Trafalgar Square. Instead, there are a few quizzical pensioners, stags on does, hens on nights and happy families all enjoying the sunshine on the promenade in the north-west of England.The trip, though, is just as much for the women to see Blackpool – indeed, most of the England players come from the south – as it is an awareness raiser. Now Arran Brindle and Laura Newton, of Lancashire, have quit and Yorkshire’s Katherine Brunt is injured, the most northerly representatives are Nottinghamshire trio Nicky Shaw, Jenny Gunn and Jane Smit. Sussex is the current hotbed of talent, with five of the 14-player squad coming from the county.Speaking of others who are unlikely to have witnessed what the resort has to offer, the New Zealand players were also on the bus to take in the sights, enjoying a breather and sitting pretty on their lead.But Blackpool – with its kiss-me-quick hats, Victorian grandeur and end-of-pier attractions – can always bring a smile to even the glummest of faces and Charlotte Edwards and co are keen to raise such a cheer. They hope that England’s return to the resort, for the first time in 25 years, will be a happy homecoming. Winning their last three matches would be a feat equivalent to scaling the iconic tower blindfold, while holding a candyfloss in one hand and an ice-cream in the other. Highly unlikely yet still, with enough application, not impossible.England started their summer against New Zealand well, coasting to success in the Twenty20s, but then had a big dipper, losing two one-dayers, with a third washed out. Now they must really push for the big one, a fact that has not escaped Edwards: “It’s a must-win fixture for us and the players are really up for it. They’re a strong side, but we know we’re capable of beating them and hopefully that’s what we’ll do come Sunday.”If they are to have any hope, they will need to be as solid as the rock they had specially commissioned for the matches, and which they will be giving away at the grounds in the ties on Sunday and Monday. And, at the moment, it’s hard to even make a dent in a strong New Zealand.

Sohail Tanvir, a Rawalpindi allrounder, has been called up to the Pakistan Twenty20 squad as a replacement to Shoaib Akhtar, who was sent home from South Africa after being involved in a dressing-room scuffle with team-mate Mohammad Asif.The ICC’s technical committee approved Tanvir as a replacement for Shoaib on the basis of “exceptional circumstances”. A statement released by the ICC cited the following reasons for the approval: “the incident and disciplinary action taken by the Pakistan board is not related to the matches in the event; the tournament has not commenced; and there is a precedent to support the replacement.”Tanvir, 22, who bowls left-arm medium-fast, played only two matches for the Rawalpindi Rams in Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament in the last season. He has scored 84 runs and taken no wickets in the 10 Twenty20 games he has played in the last three years. But he impressed national selectors in a series of training camps and practice matches over the summer and was said to be close to a place in the original squad. He is highly-rated by Aaqib Javed, coach at the National Cricket Academy, who says his wrong-foot action and pace are deceptive.Shoaib was handed an indefinite suspension after he allegedly hit Asif with a bat. He was already on six weeks’ probation following a breach of discipline last month after he left a training camp in Karachi without informing officials.Pakistan’s first match of the tournament is against Scotland in Durban on September 12.

There are difficult decisions to be made by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board selection panel as they try to put together a formidable team that can successfully defend the regional KFC Cup limited overs title.Although the selectors remain tight-lipped on the final composition of the squad, the chairman of selectors Dudnath Ramkissoon did say that coming up with a final 14 is proving to be quite a challenge.”It will be difficult to make the final decision with all the players getting runs and taking wickets,” Ramkissoon said. “A number of the batsmen are getting some runs which is very encouraging, but the bowling needs to be a little tighter. I think we are in a fortunate position where we have a wide range of players to choose from in terms of performances.”There is only a certain number of people we can carry, and it is unfortunate that some players will have to be left out. It is not that they are not performing well, it is that the other guys are performing better at this point in time.”T&T have been preparing for the KFC Cup since late August. However, they will be without two key players for next month’s tournament. “It is a bit unfortunate for us that two of our young players, Darren Bravo and Adrian Barath, who are performing very well and hitting very good, will not be in the national squad.”Bravo and Barath will be representing the West Indies Under-19 team in the KFC Cup as part of preparation for next year’s ICC Under-19 World Cup.”This will only give an opportunity for other players to come into the squad. All the Test players will be available – Ravi Rampaul, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Bravo- and of course they will strengthen the team. These guys will bring their experience not only to the matches, but having them training with the team will encourage the youngsters and will be an inspiration and motivation to them during the practice sessions.”

Brad Haddin has spent plenty of time as a spectator this year so he was simply pleased to get a decent hit in Australia’s opening ODI against India on Saturday. Haddin made 69 in Australia’s imposing 307 at Bangalore but he could miss Tuesday’s match at Kochi as Ricky Ponting recovers well from a hamstring injury.Haddin was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning squad in the Caribbean but did not play a game and was used as a specialist batsman in two matches at the ICC World Twenty20, facing a total of 20 balls. His effort on Saturday was his second half-century in 22 ODIs and justified Australia’s decision to include him and Adam Gilchrist in the same side.”I’m always a wicketkeeper first,” Haddin told the . “I’ve spent a bit of time working on my batting and I’ve been lucky enough to make my way into the team with the bat, so I wanted to make a statement that I can bat as well.”I didn’t take too much notice of the scoreboard. I usually look at it all the time, but I didn’t think too much about it. I didn’t want to complicate things. I hadn’t had a hit for a long time, so I was just trying to worry about the ball.”Haddin was one of the leading scorers in Australia’s domestic one-day competition last year when he made 406 runs at 67.66. However, if Ponting continues his quick recovery it could force Haddin back on the sidelines in the second ODI.Gilchrist said he was pleased Haddin had showed his potential. “People may think he only gets picked in these squads as a backup keeper but to me he is very much here on his own batting ability,” Gilchrist told the . “He was in the World Cup squad as a spare batsman and it is a bonus he is also the next-in-line wicketkeeper.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Complementing Suresh Raina’s composed 92 with an impressive performance in the field, India Blue sneaked home to a 12-run win in the opening match of the Challenger Trophy at Motera. Raina helped his side overcome a poor start, when they had stumbled to 41 for 4 in swinging conditions, and the fighting target proved enough eventually, with their bowlers overcoming the problems posed by the evening dew.The Reds were guilty of losing wickets at crucial junctures, just when solid partnerships were beginning to take shape. Legspinner Amit Mishra slipped in the googlies and foxed Virat Kohli and S Badrinath, the well-set batsmen, to wrest the initiative. A late-charge from Praveen Kumar and Mahesh Rawat, adding 62 in just under 10 overs, provided Reds with hope but their dismissals in quick succession effectively put an end to the contest.It was a revival of sorts from Blues after struggling early on. Not much went their way early on after Virender Sehwag won the toss and surprisingly, with all the talk of evening dew, chose to bat The top-order slide, which began with the first ball of the match, was orchestrated by seamer Kumar, whose alarming inswing caught the Blues off guard on a pitch which required the batsmen to gauge the bounce and movement before launching a boundary assault.Ajinkya Rahane, riding on a crest after his dream debut season for Mumbai, was literally brought down to his knees as the ball darted in off the air, clipped the pads and flattened the off stump. Both Kumar and Ishant Sharma applied the pressure early on by bowling to their strengths. Sehwag’s short stint was scratchy at best and Dinesh Karthik, under pressure to keep his place in the Indian one-day squad, was back in the hutch for a first-ball duck, playing across the line to a ball that shaped in.At 41 for 4, Blues turned to Raina to lend some stability to the innings. Effortless cover drives combined with deft cuts square of the wicket, shots manufactured even without the luxury of width. Using supple wrists, Raina turned several deliveries from outside the off stump and picked the gaps on the leg side. Along with local boy Niraj Patel, Raina staged a quick recovery and Reds, who held the upper hand for a sizeable passage of play before the halfway stage, gradually felt the heat. Raina’s knock was largely risk-free, and even his chip shots over the infield landed safely.

The fall of Niraj’s wicket, caught at midwicket while trying to loft over the infield, didn’t deter Raina, who carried on the charge by carting the spin duo of Pragyan Ojha and S Badrinath for huge sixes. Joginder Sharma played the supporting act in a stand of 49, a period when the ball stopped doing much in the air. With Raina still around, the Blues looked good to post a score of over 250. However, a pull off Trivedi, probably timed too well for his own good, signalled an end to his innings as Kohli pulled off a sharp catch just inches off the ground at the deep midwicket boundary.Amit Mishra and Ramesh Powar- who scored a breezy 21 off 13 balls – pushed the scoring towards the end, and the sloppy fielding in the outfield by the Reds turned to be an added bonus. The Blues didn’t let up with the ball. It didn’t take too long for them to strike with Gautam Gambhir paying the price for attempting a cheeky single in the first over. Gambhir was quick on his feet as he pushed the ball to mid-on, but Sehwag was a notch quicker as he gathered the ball and threw down the middle stump at the non-striker’s end.The chase stalled in the early overs with Ranadeb Bose and Joginder maintaining a immaculate line outside off. Kaif broke the shackles in the fifth over when he dispatched two half-volleys off Bose through the off side. He then settled into Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh’s lively pace with sweetly-timed strokes down leg and past mid-off. Kohli, the promising Delhi batsman, settled in quickly and the pair kept the chase on track.However, their dismissals – Kaif caught brilliantly by Swapnil Asnodkar at midwicket – revived the Blues. Badrinath carried on the fight, showing plenty of urgency in rotating the strike with 21 singles in his 41 but his departure, unable to read a Mishra googly, disturbed the momentum of the innings.As the asking-rate increased, Rawat and Praveen Kumar revived Red’s hopes with a brisk half-century stand. But it was a case of too little too late. Kumar perished for 37, holing out to long-on, and Rawat, three short of his fifty, flicked the ball onto his stumps while attempting an adventurous scoop over fine leg. Joginder rounded off an impressive evening with three wickets, and the Blues vindicated Sehwag’s decision to bat first.

Scorecard

Bengal’s opening pair made the most of winning the toss to pile the agony on Baroda at the Moti Bagh ground in Vadodara. Anustup Majumdar, in only his third first-class match, recorded his maiden hundred while the relatively experienced Arindam Das matched him in a fine 221-run stand. The duo made the most of Baroda’s greenhorn new-ball attack and struck 33 fours between them in a sensible partnership. Majumdar was run-out shortly after reaching his century but Das was undefeated at the end of the day.
Scorecard
Daniel Manohar cracked his eighth first-class hundred to give Hyderabad a solid start in Mohali but Punjab’s spinners fought back by grabbing five wickets between them. Having been inserted on a surface that usually assists the seamers first up, Hyderabad were propped up by a 128-run opening stand between Manohar and Ravi Teja. Hyderabad, though, somewhat lost their way from there. VVS Laxman fell for 38, an innings that included eight fours, and the middle order struggled against the left-arm spin of Ankur Kakkar and the offspin of Karan Goel. Both were economical, conceding less than three runs an over, and brought Punjab back into the contest towards the end of the day.
ScorecardRajasthan unravelled for the second time in as many games, collapsing for 105 against Maharashtra in Jaipur. Having been shot out for 85 against Delhi, Rajasthan’s batsmen continued the trend with only three managing double figures. Munaf Patel’s four-wicket burst rattled the top order before Harshad Khadiwale, the medium-pacer, and Sairaj Bahutule, the veteran legspinner, ran through the tail. Bahutule, who claimed three wickets in just 2.4 overs, reached an important milestone: he now has 550 wickets in first-class cricket. Khadiwale, a centurion in the first round, carried on his good form to allow Maharashtra to lead by 50 runs at the end of the day.
ScorecardUttar Pradesh rode on handy contributions from most batsmen but Andhra stayed in the hunt on a see-saw first day in Anantpur. Electing to field first, Andhra dismissed the UP openers early but a string of partnerships kept thwarting them through the day. Ravikant Shukla held the lower order together with a doughty 56 but neither Mohammad Kaif (34) nor Suresh Raina (13) could make much of an impact. P Vijay Kumar, the medium-pacer from Andhra, kept them in the match with an impressive four-wicket haul.
ScorecardMithun Manhas led a shaky Delhi batting effort, one which never found much momentum against an attack led by medium-pacer Sandeep Jobanputra. Saurashtra had a satisfying day on the field, considering that they chose to bowl first in an away game. Jobanputra, in his third first-class season, pocketed his fourth five-wicket haul and was well backed up by medium-pacer Kanaiya Vaghela (2 for 27). Entering at 47 for 2, Manhas produced a patient knock, consuming 130 balls for a gritty 62. Shikhar Dhawan and Rajat Bhatia couldn’t convert their 30s into big ones and Delhi limped to 244 at the end of the day.
ScorecardRahul Dravid scored a century in the second successive game, pushing Karnataka to a dominant 270 for 4 against Himachal Pradesh in Bangalore. Dravid’s 121, an innings that included 14 fours and four sixes, formed the backbone of a solid Karnataka batting performance. He was backed up by KB Pawan and C Raghu, both of whom posted half-centuries on a batsman-dominated day.
Scorecard
Fifties from Dinesh Karthik and Rajhamany Srinivasan, the latter playing his third first-class match, rescued Tamil Nadu in Chennai but it was Mumbai’s bowlers who claimed most of the honours. Aavishkar Salvi, playing his first Ranji game of the season, set the tone with a couple of early wickets before Ramesh Powar, omitted from India’s Test squad against Pakistan, got stuck into the tail with a four-wicket haul. Karthik’s energetic half-century, with 12 fours and a six, was in contrast to Srinivasan’s stodgy effort, one that used up 229 minutes. Mumbai’s openers got through 11 overs without losing a wicket.

Group A

Hasan Raza scored his sixth first-class double-century as Habib Bank Limited (HBL) had Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) on the run at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex. Facing a big HBL first-innings total of 419, SSGC had crashed to 194 for 8 in reply still requiring another 76 runs to avoid the follow-on. Hasan, who over a decade ago had become the youngest Test cricketer ever, had reached his 32nd first-class century on Friday with an unbeaten 158 and was eventually dismissed for 204 that included 20 fours and a six. He added 132 runs for the ninth wicket with Fahad Masood (40 off 61) to take his team past 400 after being 281 for 8 at one stage. Sohail Khan took the last two wickets to fall and finished with 6 for 102, his career-best figures. In reply, Saeed Bin Nasir, with an unbeaten 88, was the lone fighter for SSGC as they slumped to 91 for 5. Having faced 175 balls and hit 12 fours and two sixes, Nasir will have Sohail for company as he sets off reducing the damage for his team on the penultimate day.Despite a century by Afsar Nawaz, Karachi Whites were fighting to at least procure the first-innings lead against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the National Stadium. Resuming on 279 for 7, Karachi were bowled out for 315. Afsar’s 105, his eighth first-class century, came off 180 deliveries with the help of 16 fours. In reply, WAPDA had reached 277 for 6 by close after suffering an early setback when their opening batsman Ahmed Said had to retire hurt but resumed his innings at the fall of the sixth wicket. There was a splendid 111-run second-wicket partnership between Tariq Aziz (70) and Nawaz Sardar (75) that laid a decent foundation for WAPDA’s reply.Hyderabad gave a spirited reply to National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at Niaz Stadium as, facing NBP’s first-innings total of 477, the home team ended day two on 115 for no loss. Fawad Alam, the Pakistan left-hander, reached 151 after having started on 104 overnight. Mansoor Amjad (46) and Tahir Mughal (51*) gave good support to Alam as the last four wickets added 109 runs. For Hyderabad, the left-handed Aqeel Anjum, already with a double-century in the tournament, hit an unbeaten 49 while Azeem Ghumon contributed an unbeaten 61 off 135 deliveries as Hyderabad look towards 328 in order to avoid a follow-on.Multan too were off to a strong start against Lahore Ravi at the Gaddafi Stadium . Replying to Lahore’s 397, Multan finished at 184 for 2. A 152-run second-wicket partnership between Usman Tariq (69) and Rameez Alam (88*) helped Multan after they had lost their first wicket for 15. Overnight on 295 for 4, Lahore could only add 102 as Abdur Rauf and Rahat Ali grabbed quick wickets to restrict the home side.At the Sheikhupura Stadium, after having gained a 32-run first-innings lead in a low-scoring match against Sialkot, Faisalabad increased their advantage to 159 but lost five wickets in their second innings. Sialkot were undone by medium-pacer Asad Zarar and slow left-armer Saadat Munir, who had identical figures of four wickets for 32 runs. Left-arm spinner Nayyar Abbas took 4 for 28 as Faisalabad slumped in the second innings with only Ijaz Ahmed, their captain, standing firm with an unbeaten 49.

Group B

After having scored his maiden first-class double century, the 17-year-old Umar Akmal went on to score 248 for Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) before being run out against Karachi Blues at the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium. SNGPL reached a massive total of 624 for 5 before Mohammad Hafeez, their captain, declared. Azhar Shafiq chipped in with a valuable 100 and Mohammad Farrukh scored an unbeaten 51 to boost SNGPL’s total as Karachi, in reply, lost four wickets with only 54 runs on the board. A fightback by the middle-order saw them end the day on 174 for 6 at close.Following a Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) first-innings total of 465 for 9, Islamabad replied with 164 for 4 at Diamond Cricket Club Ground thanks mainly to an unbeaten 101 by opener Raheel Majeed. Earlier, KRL resumed on their overnight 345 for 3 and Azhar Ali took his unbeaten 123 overnight to 150 before being caught behind after hitting 18 fours in his 258-ball knock.Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) rode on a maiden first-class century by Sarfraz Ahmed as they compiled an impressive 436 in their first innings against Abbottabad at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Sarfraz, batting at No. 6, faced only 153 balls for his 117 that included eight fours and two sixes. Abbottabad, in reply, were given a 90-run third-wicket stand that allowed them to finish the day on 151 for 3.Resuming on 44 for no loss, Rawalpindi extended their total to 328 for 7 – a lead of 155 – against Quetta at the KRL Stadium. All of Rawalpinidi’s batsmen, barring opener Usama Shahroon, went into double figures with Naved Ashraf (98) top-scoring for his team. Quetta, already placed at the bottom of the group, look set for another loss.Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) were all out for 398 in their first innings as Adnan Raza and Wajahatullah Wasti, ZTBL’s captain, scored half-centuries against Peshawar at Arbab Niaz Stadium. Resuming on 202 for 2, Inam-ul-Haq reached his century as his team scored at over three runs an over. Rahatullah was the pick of the Peshawar bowlers with four wickets and Bilal Khan picked up three. In reply, Peshawar openers put on 25 runs without being separated in the 12 overs possible before close.

Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s captain, says he was surprised at England’s approach towards the match, adding that the tourists need to display more enterprise to win a Test in Sri Lanka. England, trailing Sri Lanka by 197 runs after the first innings, finished on 250 for3 in their second before rain washed out the final session of the match.”We were definitely pushing for a victory to seal the series. Wewere disappointed [with] the way England batted in the first innings on this pitch, scoring 351 runs in five sessions,” Jayawardene said.”It’s quite difficult to win a Test match when you bat like that. If England wantto win a Test, they probably need to bat quicker than that and put pressure onthe opposition.”We managed to bowl them out in the first innings which was a great effort onthis pitch. The second innings we knew the pitch was going to be very slow and theonly way we could have had any chance of picking up early wickets was with the newball.”Two or three quick wickets and Murali could have come into play, but the openersbatted really well. Once the ball got soft it was very difficult. We tried a fewoptions but I knew the pitch was too slow to get anything out of it. We needed tobe patient and play a waiting game but the rain came and there was no chance atall.”Jayawardene seemed to rue the fact that Sri Lanka were unable to press for more runs on the fourth morning following his dismissal. “If I was around with Prasanna [Jayawardene] we probably could have added a few more runs. For me, the question was whether to give them a 125 or 150-run lead. The only way I could have put pressure on them would be a bigger total. Even had they batted for two sessions they still wouldn’t have been able to get to our lead and they would have been under pressure. “In the absence of a second spinner, Jayawardene had to avail the services of Chamara Silva, a part-time legspinner, who responded with the wicket of Alastair Cook.”Chamara did the job of a second spinner for the first time. If we had another guy like Sanath [Jayasuriya] who could bowl 15 overs, especially in the second innings, it would have been handy. The combination we’ve got now doesn’t allow that option. When we go to Galle [for the third Test] we will look at the pitch and see whether we can help Murali around a bit more.”If we can ask Chamara to bowl more at practice and develop him into a guy who canprobably bowl 10 to15 overs in a Test match, that would be handy. We need a partner for Murali in the long run, not just this series especially on home conditions,” he said.Jayawardene also said that he missed the services of Farveez Maharoof, the allrounder, who was ruled out with an ankle injury. “If he was around, we could have gone with a 6-5combination because he can bat and bowl.”The teams head to Galle for the third and final Test, starting on December 18.