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ScorecardLions continued their unbeaten run in the tournament with a convincing 47-run win against Warriors in Potchefstroom. After putting up 162 in their 20 overs, Lions, led by Hardus Viljoen’s 3 for 12, dismissed Warriors for 115 in 18 overs.Put into bat first, Lions got a strong start through a 53-run stand between Quinton de Kock and Gulam Bodi. They lost Bodi and Neil McKenzie within three overs but de Kock kept them steady. De Kock and Sohail Tanvir were then run out off consecutive deliveries and Jean Symes was soon bowled for seven. Temba Bavuma and Dwaine Pretorius put on 61 runs in 34 balls for the sixth wicket which propelled Lions to 162.Warriors were jolted in the first over by Tanvir, who dismissed JJ Smuts for a duck. There was a brief stand between Christiaan Jonker and Colin Ingram, but Lions struck to remove both and Wayne Parnell – all at the score of 34. Viljoen accounted for two of those wickets. Warriors lost regular wickets from there on and apart from a 23-ball 35 by No. 8 Simon Harmer, there wasn’t much resistance as they were restricted to 115.
ScorecardA quick unbeaten 80 by Richard Levi helped Cape Cobras comfortably overhaul Dolphins’ total with more than three overs to spare at Newlands. Chasing a middling 135, Levi scored at run-a-ball for the first five overs, but changed gears with two fours and a six off the first three balls of the sixth. He got to his half-century off 31 balls and with Dane Vilas, who came in at the fall of opener Stiaan van Zyl in the fifth over, forged an unbeaten century stand to give Cobras their third win in four matches.Dolphins, who had chosen to bat, were in early trouble at the start of the match. They lost their top three with only 22 runs on the board. But they rebuilt the innings, although at a slow pace, through an 84-run fourth-wicket stand between Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Ravi Bopara, who was the dominant of the two. Bopara cleared the boundary thrice in his 44-ball 60 and was out of the last ball of the innings.

Jos Buttler was delighted with his first half-century in an England shirt during a comfortable win in their tour match against a New Zealand. Buttler is set to take the gloves for England in the T20 series, and possibly in ODIs too, but it was with the bat that he made the most impression in Whangarei, smashing an unbeaten 57 from 24 balls.With Craig Kieswetter dropping out of both limited-overs squads, England have Buttler and Jonny Bairstow to choose from behind the stumps. Bairstow keeps regularly for Yorkshire, while Buttler is Kieswetter’s deputy at Somerset, but Buttler stepped up in place of his county team-mate during England’s tour of India. Bairstow missed the T20 and ODI series against India due to a family illness and is likely to return to the side solely as a batsman, for the time being.”It’s something I’ve been working really hard on,” Buttler said of his wicketkeeping. “It’s great to get this opportunity to do it. I think I’m going to take the gloves for the series … definitely for the Twenty20s, so that’s what I’m concentrating on at the minute. I’m really excited about it, and today’s a good start. It’s great to know that’s what’s happening. I can really put my mind on it, and work hard in training on it.”Buttler described reaching his half-century, with six fours and three sixes, as a “proud moment”, adding: “I better not get too far ahead of myself – tomorrow is another day. But I’m looking forward to the series.”Despite losing both openers with less than 50 on the board, England powered their way to an imposing 186 with some explosive hitting from the middle-order. The fast bowlers then chipped away at the New Zealand XI line-up, with three wickets apiece for Chris Woakes, Jade Dernbach and captain, Stuart Broad, who claimed a hat-trick.”It was great to get our first win, and obviously it was a really good all-round performance from everyone,” Buttler said. “I think as a blueprint for a batting plan, it was perfect. Wickets in hand at the end allow people to come in, as I did today, and score freely at the end.”It was testament to the guys ahead of me. They realised it was a bit of hard work and, instead of playing any rash shots, they got through that hard period and built a brilliant position for me to come in at the end. It’s the perfect way to set up a Twenty20 innings, for that explosive finish. With people like Jonny [Bairstow] and Samit [Patel] to come in, there’s a lot of power. So it gives us that licence to be really aggressive.”Broad’s hitch-free comeback from injury was another positive for England and Buttler was on hand to take the catch for his third wicket in as many balls. “It probably just sits behind his Test match hat-trick but I’m sure he really enjoyed it,” Buttler said, referring to Broad’s achievement against India at Trent Bridge in 2011. “It’s great to have him back and bowling really well. A hat-trick is a great moment in any form of cricket.”

New Zealand allrounder Grant Elliott has been named as a replacement for Corey Anderson, who has sustained a fracture to his left thumb, for the ODI series against South Africa.Anderson was struck on his hand while bowling during practice. He will be in a cast for the next two weeks, thus ending his chances of making his ODI debut on this tour. Anderson played in all three T20s against South Africa last month, scoring 17 runs in two innings and failing to take a wicket.Elliott, who grew up in Johannesburg, has played five Tests, 37 ODIs and a single T20 for New Zealand but hasn’t featured in an international game since December 2010. He has scored four fifties and a century in his ODI career. He has played only once before against South Africa, in the 2009 Champions Trophy.New Zealand will play three ODIs against South Africa, between January 19 and 25.

ScorecardDane van Niekerk took two wickets and top-scored in South Africa Women’s successful run chase to and put the tourists 2-0 up in the five-match series. Spinners van Niekerk and Sunette Loubser claimd six wickets between them as West Indies Women struggled to 128 all out and, despite falling to 0 for 2 and 58 for 5, South Africa recovered to wrap up a four-wicket win with two overs to spare.Defending a small target, West Indies needed early wickets and they got them through Shanel Daley and Stafanie Taylor. South Africa openers Shandre Fritz and Trisha Chetty fell for ducks before a 45-run partnership between captain, Mignon du Preez, and Marizanne Kapp steadied the innings. Three wickets then fell for 13 runs and when Cri-zelda Brits departed with the score on 90 there was still work to do but No. 8 Yolandi Potgieter joined van Niekerk to add the required 39 for victory.West Indies had got off to a far better start, having chosen to bat, but after Taylor’s 29 at opener, too many batsmen got in and then out. Six other players reached double figures but none got out of the teens as Loubser, whose eight overs went for just 11 runs, and van Niekerk applied the pressure. The dangerous Deandra Dottin made just 10 from 41 balls and after West Indies captain, Merissa Aguillera, departed at 102 the last five wickets mustered 26 between them.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad is likely to host its second Test of the season if the BCCI decides to move the fourth Test between India and Australia from Green Park in Kanpur. The decision is expected to be made before the year-end, after Cricket Australia expressed dissatisfaction over facilities in Kanpur.ESPNcricinfo understands that CA’s venue inspection team, which visited Kanpur on December 12, expressed concerns over not only the in-stadia facilities but also about hospitality. “The dressing room is not suitable to accommodate a modern-day entourage of a cricket team. Besides, they were not impressed with the facilities at the only five-star hotel in the town,” a source said.The BCCI asked the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), the host association, to get things in order within a fortnight but if the board’s recce team, which had inspected the facilities on December 1, finds the venue unsuitable, then Kanpur “will have to be replaced”. The beneficiary will be the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), which had hosted the first Test of the home season, against New Zealand in August.The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium became India’s 10th active Test venue when it hosted its first Test two years ago. The BCCI awards Tests to each venue by rotation and since India have 10 home games this season, Hyderabad will have first right of hosting the fourth Test against Australia, if Kanpur is ruled out.The UPCA, however, is making a late attempt to not lose the Test. Green Park is the only Test centre in India that is not owned by the cricket body. “Since it’s owned by the state government, maintaining it and renovating it becomes too difficult,” a UPCA official said. “Hopefully, we will be able to erase all doubts raised and be able to put up a good show.”Green Park has not hosted an international since the Sri Lanka Test in November 2009 primarily due to the UPCA’s administrative tussle with the state government. Though the UPCA office bearers were in talks with the government officials last year for leasing the stadium, the attempts haven’t reaped any rewards.

Nepal maintained their winning run in the tournament with a 32-run win over USA at the Kinrara Oval in Kualalumpur. The star of Nepal’s fourth consecutive win was 19-year old opener Subash Khakurel, who scored only the second century ever in WCL division 4. Khakurel’s 115 was ably supported by contributions from the top order and although Nepal lost quick wickets towards the end, they managed to put up 258 on board. USA were kept alive in the by Sushil Nadkarni’s 84, but a five-wicket haul by Basanta Regmi ensured that Nepal held on to the top spot in the points table.Khakurel, who was declared Man of the Match, said: “I’m feeling great after scoring this century because I was a bit worried due to the swing from the pace bowlers at the beginning, but I managed to build my confidence by picking lots of singles and build from there.”Tanzania wasted away their best start in the tournament to crash to an eight-wicket loss against Singapore. Tanzania openers put up a 48-run stand, with Abhik Patwa scoring 47, but 17-year old spinner Abhiraj Singh, who ended up with the figures of 8.1-2-12-5, and Mulewa Dharmichand ran through the Tanzania batting order to dismiss them for 94. Singapore then finished the match in the 12th over of the chase, with opener Chetan Suryawanshi smashing an unbeaten 38-ball 62.Abhiraj Singh, who triggered the Tanzania collapse, said: “It feels good to contribute and putting in a good effort to win the match. Hopefully this performance will put us through to the final and improve our net run-rate as well.”Malaysia lost to Denmark by three wickets – their fourth loss in a row – after puting up their best total in the tournament. Malaysia’s middle order combined to score 252, without any batsmen getting past fifty – captain Suhan Alagaratnam’s 48 being the highest. In response, Denmark were led by opener Carsten Pedersen’s 83 and useful cameos by the lower order as they went past the target in the 49th over. Malaysia had their chance when they had reduced Denmark to 81 for 4, but a 74-run partnership between Pedersen and his brother Michael bailed Denmark out.

Mark Boucher, former South Africa wicketkeeper, has said that it is “unlikely” he will play professional cricket in the near future as the healing process to his left eye continues. Boucher’s eyeball was lacerated last month on the first day of South Africa’s tour to England, when a bail ricocheted off the stumps and hit him during the tour match against Somerset in Taunton.He was forced to move his intended retirement, which he had planned after the Lord’s Test, forward and returned home to South Africa to begin treatment. Boucher underwent one operation in England followed up by five more procedures in Cape Town.Although it was initially reported that he could pick up movement and detect light with the injured eye and he was hopeful of making a return at franchise or amateur level, Boucher’s cricket playing days seem over, for the foreseeable future at least.”I have lost the lens, iris and pupil in my left eye. There was severe damage to my retina. I have had two major operations and four blood draining operations in the past three weeks and physically, at times, I have been in a lot of pain,” Boucher said at his first press conference since the incident, at Newlands, where he also revealed how much his life had changed in recent weeks.”It does get uncomfortable at times and being a sportsman, I want to be active and outdoors but, without a pupil, I find any amount of sunlight very harsh and have thus been restricted to the confines of my home. It is unlikely that I will play any professional cricket again in the near future, which is very unfortunate as I was looking forward to contributing as a player for the Cobras. The risk of additional damage to my left eye or even damage to the other eye, doesn’t warrant it.”Having already considered the end of his career before the tour to England, Boucher had future projects in the works some of which have now been fast-forwarded. He has invested in his “passion for wildlife” with South African Breweries and launched the SAB Boucher Non-Profit Company, which aims to help fund the fight against rhino poaching in Africa.Boucher has been vocal in his support for saving the rhino, which has come under severe threat in recent years. More than 900 rhinos have been killed across Africa in the last three years and the species is facing extinction in some areas. Boucher and team-mates past and present, such as Paul Harris, Dale Steyn and Justin Kemp, took part in a conservation event at the end of June to raise awareness for the rhino and Boucher’s involvement will continue through his new foundation.He has also started a wine-label with long-time friend Jacques Kallis. The wine, called the Innings, went on shelves in South African stores last weekend and reported good sales. Kallis also had the label stuck on his bat and pointed to it in celebration, along with gesturing to his eye, after his century at the Oval.Boucher’s role in the Test XI has been taken up by AB de Villiers in the interim which has allowed South Africa to play the extra batsmen in JP Duminy. Wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile is expected to eventually take over as Boucher’s permanent replacement.Boucher has been monitoring the on-going series between South Africa and England and tweeting his thoughts. He has also been in contact with the squad and captain Graeme Smith hinted that they would seek Boucher’s advice on occasions, given the experience he gained over the years and the fighting way he approached the game.That fight lives on in Boucher and his parting words to the media were ones of hope, despite his current circumstances.”I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. Injuries happen and this could have happened earlier on in my career. I am incredibly grateful for the length of career that I have had and the amazing things I have experienced and people I have met during that time. This is just another challenge in my life and something that I will be working to overcome.”

ScorecardMichael Carberry blasted 148 not out as Hampshire eased past Scotland’s challenge at West End by six wickets and with almost four overs to spare. Carberry shared in century stands with Simon Katich and then Liam Dawson after Hampshire had slumped to 15 for 2, needing 231 to complete a double over the Scots.Scotland captain Gordon Drummond chose to bat first and they reached 230 for 9 from their 40 overs, with the experienced Majid Haq top-scoring with an unbeaten 53 at a run a ball.Key to Scotland’s steady total was a partnership of 80 between Haq and South African-born Preston Mommsen which held up Hampshire after the first five wickets had fallen for 97 on a gentle batting surface. Richie Berrington struck Dimitri Mascarenhas for six but was then caught behind in the same over and another South African, Jean Symes, went the same way in Sean Ervine’s first over.Mommsen lifted left-arm spinner Danny Briggs for six on his way to an aggressive 48 but Briggs stuck to his task and had Mommsen caught at slip by Dawson just as Scotland looked to step up the pace. Briggs finished with figures of 3 for 35, later dismissing Craig Wallace and Moneeb Iqbal with successive deliveries and both to leg-before decisions.Hampshire soon discovered their task was not going to be easy when their captain Jimmy Adams was out to the third ball of the innings and James Vince was lbw to Drummond at the end of the third over.At that point an upset was a distinct possibility but Carberry soon showed his class by leading a strong recovery. Australian Katich made 41 before his dismissal to a catch behind by Wallace off Matt Parker induced some concern in the Hampshire camp. Big-hitting Ervine followed with the total on 131, another victim for pace bowler Parker, leaving Hampshire 100 to win in 17 overs.It was then that Carberry took control with some extravagant boundaries as Hampshire made light of their target and exposed a lack of depth in the Scottish bowling attack.Left-hander Carberry, who played for England Lions against the West Indies last month, rose to the demands of the occasion by hitting 20 fours in addition to sixes off Josh Davey, Berrington and then Haq to win the match at the start of the 37th over.Dawson, a minor partner in the late carnage, finished 27 not out while there were two wickets each for Drummond and Parker.

ScorecardTim Bresnan shows his frustration after conceding overthrows but he finished with five wickets before a contrived finish was set up in Bristol•Getty Images

A game that was snoozing along to a tame draw suddenly turned around at 3pm when a plan hatched by the two captains was put into action. Yorkshire handed Gloucestershire two batting points by allowing them 52 runs in 19 balls. They declared, Yorkshire forfeited their first innings, and Gloucestershire batted again for 27.1 painful overs after tea, scoring 48. The public address mocked their progress as they declared again, leaving Yorkshire 400 to win in 110 overs.Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire’s new head coach, has stated on two previous occasions that he will go all out for victory. His side left Essex an achievable fourth-innings target at Headingley in the second match of the season and again here he has been very generous to the opposition.”It’s risk versus reward,” Gillespie said. “The chance to take 16 points to me is an easy decision. I think you have to risk a loss to go for a win. If you play safe cricket first you’ll never win enough games to go up. And I think it’s good for our players to try and play when there’s a bit of pressure on; it’s a test of character. You have to trust your players to do the job and it’s a good for them. We’ll certainly be going for the runs.”The pitch is good, Gloucestershire were 290 for 4 before their collapse of 5 for 9 brought about the contrived situation. “The feedback from the batsman is that there’s a little bit in it but if you stay patient and disciplined, batting gets a little bit easier,” was the expected description of conditions from Gillespie. “We’re confident if we get through the difficult periods we can put a bit of pressure back on Gloucestershire.”That is certainly possible. Their attack is inexperienced and Alex Gidman denied them the chance to bowl in similar circumstances against Kent at Canterbury. He declared on the fourth morning with a lead of 350; the game petered out.Gloucestershire will be nervous here because to concede 370 runs on the final day would be a cricketing disaster. But Bristol is not Adelaide and Yorkshire will have to play exceptionally well against the new ball to even set up a chance to overhaul this target.They have scored heavily in the fourth innings in recent times. In 2006 they made 433 losing to Warwickshire; a year earlier they twice scored above 400 to beat Leicestershire. On both occasions Anthony McGrath made runs at the top of the order. He lingers here at No. 6, poised to provide another knock in another famous victory? Not many are betting on that result. Not even Dr Pangloss-Gillespie. He isn’t a gambler he says.Part of the deal was that Gloucestershire would get a little dart on the third evening. They got 15 overs, one more than scheduled, and removed Joe Sayers – Will Gidman grazing his outside edge. They could have had Adam Lyth too if Alex Gidman had claimed a low chance at first slip.There were other nervy moments against Will Gidman and Ian Saxelby, who produced decent carry. But it was comfortable batting against Ed Young. How a quality spinner would change Yorkshire’s outlook. Young isn’t that. He sent down two overs of easily-defendable darts.It was the opposite of darts that helped set up the declaration. The loopiest bowling achievable allowed Saxelby and Graeme McCarter, on debut, to merrily thrash Gloucestershire to four batting points when three was looking unlikely after the collapse brought about by Steven Patterson. He removed Richard Coughtrie for a 15-ball duck and Ed Young next ball, both caught at slip, before adding Will Gidman to his 4 for 77.It was a turnaround after the serene progress earlier. Kane Williamson stroked a ball in his gentle manner through the covers to make it three centuries in three first-class matches. He edged Tim Bresnan behind, who then went on to warm up for the first Test by having Ian Cockbain caught at third slip; Alex Gidman caught behind; and bowling Hamish Marshall with a full ball that he dug out but rolled back onto his stumps. Bresnan’s two spells of six and seven overs brought 2 for 11 and 2 for 12.

Mumbai Indians’ captain Harbhajan Singh said that his side is still looking to strengthen their middle order. Mumbai Indians edged out Pune Warriors by one run on Thursday, despite their middle order imploding on a slow wicket and leaving their bowlers with just 120 to defend.The middle order failed to build on the decent start from Sachin Tendulkar and make-shift opener James Franklin, who put on a 50-run stand for the first wicket. The duo was kept quiet by Warriors but took Ashish Nehra and Ashok Dinda for an expensive over each to ensure the run-rate did not suffer too much.”We have tried a lot of things which have not worked for us,” Harbhajan said. “Franklin gives us stability [in the top order], but we are still looking for a middle-order batsman who can fill Franklin’s spot. We have Dwayne Smith [he has joined the squad as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Johnson] and hopefully he can fill that slot.”Frankie [Franklin] and Sachin gave us a good start today, unfortunately we lost too many wickets in the middle overs. Hopefully we don’t make the same mistakes [in the future] and we score 170-180 without losing too many [wickets].”Allrounder Kieron Pollard’s shoulder injury, which he sustained against Deccan Chargers on April 29, has only compounded Mumbai’s woes, as he is expected to be out for another week. “Pollard is doing well, he’s recovering well, there is no tear and no muscle strain, but there’s a bit of swelling in his shoulder,” Harbhajan said. “We can’t wait to have him back on the field as he is a great asset for us. When he clicks, he’ll win us games singlehandedly. His bowling has been fantastic and we definitely miss him.”Defending 120 on Thursday, Mumbai’s bowlers struck regularly, ensuring Warriors failed to string together substantial partnerships. “From the bowler’s perspective, I think getting Michael Clarke and later on Sourav Ganguly’s wicket was the turning point for us,” Harbhajan said. “It wasn’t a good Twenty20 wicket where batsmen could score runs at their [usual] pace. There was hardly any bounce for fast bowlers and it was difficult [for batsmen] to rotate strike. I think the wicket played a big role in this game.”Harbhajan, who picked up two wickets in the match, took on his critics for writing him off due to a string of poor performances. “I am happy [with my performance]. People have criticised me as if I’ve never taken wickets in the 12 or 13 years I’ve played cricket. There are other players in this competition also who have not taken wickets either, it’s not only about me,” he said. “It takes a lot of character to lead the team from the front. I just want to work hard as I believe that if I could survive for these 12 years, I can still survive.”