West Indies crash out to ruthless Australia

Australia 109 for 4 (Haddin 42) beat West Indies 105 (Sarwan 26, Smith 3-20) by 6 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
HawkeyeSteven Smith stood out with an impressive return of 3 for 20•AFP

West Indies saved their worst for last as they were knocked out of their home tournament with a crushing six-wicket defeat by Australia. The hosts were in trouble as soon as the captain Chris Gayle fell second ball and flopped to 105, which their unbeaten opponents eased past in 16.2 overs.Australia’s next engagement is Friday’s semi-final against Pakistan while Sri Lanka, who qualified in the first game of the day in St Lucia, face England on Thursday. Sri Lanka’s five-wicket victory over India left West Indies needing to win by 24 runs to reach the last four ahead of Kumar Sangakkara’s side, but that quickly proved impossible.All Michael Clarke’s men needed to do to qualify on top of Group F was avoid a heavy loss. Instead they produced another muscular performance as they chase their first global Twenty20 title.David Warner blasted four boundaries and a huge six over long-on in 12 balls to kick-start the pursuit. He fell for 25 when edging Jerome Taylor and when Shane Watson (5) played-on to Sulieman Benn in the next over the hosts started to wonder.The slim hope was brief as Brad Haddin took over once he got comfortable to secure the result and give Australia their fifth win in the tournament. Haddin finished with 42 off 46, departing a ball before Gayle delivered five wides to end the match. David Hussey was 10 not out as the tourists finished at 109 for 3.The only worry for Australia entering the next stage is the ability of Clarke to lift the pace when required. Given a risk-free opportunity to show some muscle, he chipped the ball around in his usual style to collect 16 from 24 before being run-out by Dwayne Bravo’s direct hit from backward point.West Indies did not recover after losing Gayle, who played on to Dirk Nannes, and Australia’s well-rounded attack picked off his team-mates with ease as the innings ended six balls early. West Indies slumped to 60 for 5 in the 10th over as they were out-gunned, with Mitchell Johnson collecting 2 for 22, before the legspinner Steven Smith snuffed out any chance of a revival. Smith was on a hat-trick when he removed Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy on the way to an impressive 3 for 20.Ramnaresh Sarwan, the No. 3, tried to hold the innings together with 26 off 32 balls, but there was too much damage at the other end and he exited in the 15th over. Nikita Miller (10 not out) and Benn (9) were left to add 20 for the last wicket to take West Indies to triple figures.The other opener Shivnarine Chanderpaul (24) raised the rate after Gayle’s exit before attempting to force Johnson down the ground, where David Hussey dived for an athletic take at mid-on. West Indies were 52 for 3 when Bravo was unlucky to be run out for 6 after Sarwan drove back to Johnson and the ball brushed the bowler’s fingers to ricochet on to the stumps. An over later Narsingh Deonarine hadn’t scored as he found Michael Hussey at deep square leg to give Smith his first wicket.Johnson’s second came with Denesh Ramdin’s edge behind on 1 and Pollard was stumped from a beautiful ball from Smith, who confused the batsman with a drifting legspinner. Smith then caught-and-bowled Sammy and when Sarwan fell to David Hussey (2 for 3), West Indies’ chances of a home success were gone.

Yardy and Bopara star in easy win

England 127 for 3 (Bopara 62) beat Bangladesh 126 for 7 (Yardy 3-20) by seven wickets
ScorecardMichael Yardy claimed three wickets in his comeback appearance for England•Getty Images

England maintained their 100% record in international fixtures against Bangladesh as they launched their World Twenty20 preparations with a comfortable seven-wicket victory at the Kensington Oval. The left-arm spinner Michael Yardy was the star of the show with 3 for 20 in his four overs, before Ravi Bopara marked his return to the national side with a calm 62 from 48 balls, to seal the contest with 17 balls to spare.Having recently completed their tour of Bangladesh, England knew exactly what to expect from their opponents, and were rarely less than in control of the contest – even though they started a touch sloppily. Imrul Kayes slammed his second ball of the innings from James Anderson over midwicket for six, only to be reprieved by Stuart Broad in the same over.Broad then overstepped as Mohammad Ashraful top-edged a pull to be caught by the wicketkeeper, Craig Kieswetter, but Kayes fell soon afterwards, caught at third man off Anderson for 14, before the introduction of the spinners cemented England’s dominance.Yardy claimed his first international wicket for almost three years when Ashraful was caught down the leg-side, and he doubled his tally as Aftab Ahmed holed out to Tim Bresnan for 8. In his next over, Shakib Al Hasan was bowled for 7, and when Mushfiqur Rahim was crassly run out for 2, the backbone of the innings had been broken, even though Mahmudullah hung around for a useful 38 not out from 31 balls.The run-chase was launched by two Twenty20 debutants, Kieswetter and Michael Lumb, who are set to be England’s 16th opening pairing in 26 matches when their tournament proper gets underway against West Indies on Monday. Lumb, however, wasn’t able to mark his moment in style – he reached 8 from 10 balls before carving Syed Rasel to point.Kieswetter gave a hint of the fireworks that could follow later in the competition when he blazed a massive six over the imposing 3Ws stand, but on 22 he was bowled neck and crop by a ripper from Shakib that lured him down the track and spun viciously past his flailing bat.But Bopara and the captain Paul Collingwood guarded against any mishaps in a dominant but measured third-wicket stand of 71 in 56 balls. The only anticlimax from England’s point of view came when Bopara ran himself out with the scores level, but by then the job had been done.

A catch that drew applause from Jonty Rhodes


Kieron Pollard take a bow, Jonty Rhodes is up on his feet•Indian Premier League

Pushing the performance up
Bowlers usually limber up for the spells by stretching their limbs. But Rahul Sharma decided to get in some push-ups before he was thrown the ball by Adam Gilchrist. Even if it was an unusual way to get loose, it seemed to have worked for Rahul, as he trapped Sachin Tendulkar in his first over and set off on a solo victory-ride. It was not the first time Tendulkar has fallen to an unkown player – Piyush Chawla and Vinay Kumar are notable names that burst into promimence after picking his valuable wicket.Gibbs in limbo
Herschelle Gibbs has had an average IPL with the bat, but today even his fielding was not up to the mark. First, he had to contend with bad bounce in the opening over of the Mumbai innings, and ended up giving two extra runs to Shikar Dhawan. Then, standing at long on, he was in two minds about intercepting a lofted drive from the same batsman, and a late attempt only resulted in the ball kissing his outstretched hands before sailing over the ropes for a six.Cheer up, love
Ambati Rayudu picked an innocuous delivery from Andrew Symonds and lofted it handsomely over deep midwicket. Initially, it seemed the ball would sail deep into the stands, instead it landed in the pit where a group of Deccan Chargers’ cheerleaders were having a happy breather with little knowledge of the white orb landing in their midst. Nice style by Rayudu to say “hello ladies”.Pollard makes Jonty smile
Rohit Sharma hit back a length ball from Kieron Pollard so hard that, barely a fraction of a second had passed before the ball whizzed to the bowler’s left. But the big Trinidadian, mid-way into the follow-through, bent low to finish off the catch in neat fashion. Pollard has a good reputation as a fielder, and this was the first time he showcased his abilities in the IPL. Even the Mumbai Indian’s fielding coach, Jonty Rhodes, arguably the greatest fielder off all-time, stood up to applaud the effort.

Bangladesh search for elusive victory

Match facts

Friday March 5, 2010
Start time 9am (03.00GMT)Ajmal Shahzad could make his ODI debut if Stuart Broad is ruled out•Getty Images

Big Picture

Until Eoin Morgan produced a display of brilliant hitting Bangladesh sensed their chance to notch a maiden victory against England in Mirpur but the wait goes on. Morgan’s display also secured the series for England however, the visitors have been far from convincing and the gap between the sides is narrowing as quickly as the UK opinion polls.Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh captain, didn’t hide his disappointment at a couple of umpiring decisions that didn’t go his team’s way – notably an lbw appeal against Morgan when he had 7 – but he has also been criticised in some quarters for his decision to recall paceman Shafiul Islam for the death overs. That, though, is harsh on Shakib who is moulding a young team in very promising fashion.A consolation victory is now all they can aim for in Chittagong, the coastal town a six-hour train journey from Dhaka (or supposedly a 50-minute flight, but England were delayed six hours), although Bangladesh have certainly laid down a marker to England. The visitors will be desperate for a performance of real authority ahead of the Test series, but they have a few issues not least in the pace-bowling department which has been hit by injuries.The quicks have struggled to make much of an impression in the series – Tim Bresnan has been the pick – with the onus on Graeme Swann to control the innings. However, they are learning valuable lessons ahead of the World Cup in a year’s time, especially as they are grouped with Bangladesh and will play them in Chittagong. Already one lesson is abundantly clear – you can no longer take the home side lightly.

Form guide (last five completed matches)

Bangladesh LLLLL
England WWWLW

Watch out for…

Surely Kevin Pietersen has got to start scoring significant runs again soon. Hasn’t he? It was all looking so good against Pakistan in Dubai, but since arriving in Bangladesh he has struggled to lay bat on ball. He was shot out for 0 and 6 in the warm-ups, made 1 in the first ODI and was removed for 18 on Tuesday. That dismissal, to Abdur Razzaq, highlighted a long-running problem Pietersen has against left-arm spinners and he was completely squared up by a hint of turn. Eventually his game will click and a bowling attack will pay. Maybe in Chittagong?Abdur Razzaq had gone 45 overs without an international wicket when he claimed Pietersen and with one under his belt the confidence came soaring back. He troubled the England middle order with his flight and a hint of turn, also trapping Paul Collingwood lbw before removing Matt Prior to spark the late wobble. He forms a potent combination alongside his captain, Shakib, and if there is any assistance in the pitch he’ll be a handful again.

Team news

Bangladesh produced a much more consistent batting effort in the second match to reach 260 for 6 – their highest score against England – and only Aftab Ahmed’s position is probably under threat after two failures. It’s the pace bowlers which are a problem, although Shafiul touched 90mph during his first over before getting rough treatment at the end. However, paceman Nazmul Hossain has been added to the squad as another option.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Aftab Ahmed, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Naeem Islam, 8 Suhrawadi Shuvo, 9 Abdur Razzaq, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Rubel HossainRyan Sidebottom has been ruled out for the rest of the tour and Stuart Broad is out of the final one-dayer with a back injury, so Ajmal Shahzad could make his ODI debut having played the second Twenty20 against Pakistan in Dubai. Craig Kieswetter has made a stuttering start to his career, but needs to be given a run in the side.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Craig Kieswetter, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Ajmal Shahzad

Pitch and conditions

This is the first day game of the series so the dew factor, which hindered Bangladesh a little in Mirpur, won’t be a factor in this match. It has a history of turning in Chittagong which would suit the home side and their clutch of spinners. However, being a day game means no let-up from the heat although being on the coast will help.

Stats and Trivia

  • England’s only other ODI in Chittagong was played at the MA Aziz Stadium in 2003 when the visitors won by seven wickets to secure a 3-0 series win.
  • England’s two-wicket win in Mirpur was their third-highest successful chase on the subcontinent, being their 306 for 5 against Pakistan at Karachi and 276 for 7 against West Indies at Ahmedabad.

Quotes

“I thought 260 gave us a good chance if we took our catches, which we didn’t, and if decisions had gone our way, which they didn’t. England would have been in a whole heap of trouble if Morgan had been given out.”
“Whatever position I’m in, I enjoy the challenge of being in the game, and batting at No. 6 you go in at crucial times. Those positions can sometimes be the main places for getting a team over the line or not, so you take on the challenge and embrace it.”

MCC not bidding for IPL franchise

MCC have not put forward a bid to be part of one of the new IPL franchises after deciding their role lies in a “broader relationship” with the tournament.Keith Bradshaw, the MCC chief executive, had previously confirmed the club were interested in taking a stake in one of the two IPL franchises that will join the existing eight from 2011.Bradshaw, along with a committee trustee Anthony Wreford, travelled to India to talk with potential consortium members, but after an MCC committee meeting at Lord’s earlier this week they won’t be linking up with Lalit Modi’s enterprise.”After a healthy debate and a thorough investigation, MCC’s Committee has decided to uphold the recommendation of our working party not to proceed as an equity stakeholder in a new IPL franchise.” Bradshaw said. “Having said that, we will continue to discuss other ideas with the IPL and, through their support of the MCC spirit of cricket campaign, maintain a close working relationship with them.”The world of cricket is fast-changing and there’s no doubt the IPL is going to be a central part of that world for the foreseeable future. We will remain in close contact with the IPL to develop mutually beneficial opportunities.”John Barclay, MCC’s president, and their head of cricket John Stephenson will attend the opening ceremony of IPL 3 in Mumbai next week.

Quetta prevail in low-scoring thriller

Group A
Kashif Naved’s unbeaten 78, combined with steady contributions from the rest of Multan Tigers’ top and middle order, led them to a five-wicket victory with three overs to spare against Hyderabad Hawks at Niaz Stadium. Rizwan Haider struck 45 off 35 balls to provide the finishing touches to a confident chase of 256. Earlier, Aqeel Anjum anchored the Hyderabad innings with a steady 81 but they lost regular wickets to slump to 115 for 4. A couple of quick fire 20s from Mir Ali and Kashif Bhatti, at a strike-rate of over 200, raised the tempo towards the end.Quetta Bears’ bowlers did a magnificent job of defending a small total and secured a four-run win against Peshawar Panthers in Karachi. Khalil Ahmed was the star, scalping 4 for 34, but he was well supported by his team-mates, who struck regular blows while keeping the run-rate in check, and they succeeded in bowling Peshawar out for only 149 in 44.2 overs. The finish was tense because Hamad-ul-Hasan remained firm and steered Peshawar from 124 for 9 towards the target, before losing last man Bilal Khan in a run out. Earlier, Peshawar’s bowlers had also wrecked the Quetta innings, with Riaz Afridi (4 for 29) and Jibran Khan (3 for 35) doing most of the damage. Quetta were reduced to 1 for 3 and 19 for 4 before Taimur Khan’s unbeaten 55 in the middle order dragged them to 153.Group B
Younis Khan found form in Habib Bank’s first match of the RBS Cup against Sui Southern Gas Corporation, scoring an unbeaten 81 to lead his team to a seven-wicket victory in Lahore. Chasing SSGC’s 265, Younis had support from Saleem Elahi, who scored 67, after which he had an unbroken 150-run partnership with Hasan Raza, who contributed 76 off only 64 balls to finish the chase as early as the 44th over. There were three half-centurions in SSGC’s innings as well: the Pakistan Under-19 captain Azeem Ghumman top-scored with 66, while Wajid Ali and Rizwan Ahmed made 57 and 53. Sarmad Anwar took 3 for 60 for Habib Bank.The match between Khan Research Laboratories and National Bank of Pakistan was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of rain in Rawalpindi.Lahore Eagles’ fast bowlers ran through the Karachi Zebras batsmen in Lahore, setting up a 69-run win for their team. Mohammad Irshad claimed 4 for 39, while Emmad Ali and Mohammad Saeed took 2 for 48 and 3 for 28, to bowl out Karachi for 163 in the 38th over. Akbar Rehman top-scored for Karachi with 61 but had little support from the others. Lahore, too, had no major contributions from any of their batsmen but they scraped together 232 before being dismissed in the 49th over. Akbar Rehman impressed with the ball too for Karachi, taking 3 for 42, while Usama Basharat picked up 3 for 36.Group C
A solid batting performance from the Abbottabad Rhinos laid the foundation for their 88-run victory over Faisalabad Wolves at the Iqbal Stadium. Nine Abbottabad batsmen got into double figures with opener Mir Azam Khan setting the pace with an aggressive 61 off 38 balls. Captain Adnan Raees provided stability with a composed 52 off 89 balls, allowing his partners to bat with freedom. Fawad Khan also struck a quick half-century to lead Abbottabad to 314 for 8 in 50 overs. Farrukh Shahzad and Mohammad Salman made 60s during the chase and Faisalabad were well-placed at 166 for 2 at one stage. However, there were no more substantial contributions from the rest of the batsmen and they were eventually dismissed for 226 in the 47th over. Khalid Usman was the pick of Abbottabad’s bowlers with 3 for 32 off ten overs.Rawalpindi Rams prevailed in a rain-curtailed match against Islamabad Leopards, winning the 20-over contest at the Diamond Club Ground with five wickets in hand and nine balls to spare. Islamabad got off to a poor start after they were sent in, losing one opener with the score on 2 and the other on 6. Ali Sarfraz, the No. 3 batsman, scored 45 off 31 balls and the innings received another useful contribution from Zohaib Ahmed, who made 33. Chasing a target of 149, Rawalpindi slumped to 43 for 5 – Shahzad Azam took 3 for 17 – before Adnan Mufti scored 47 off 34 balls and Usman Saeed 46 off 34 to repair the innings and set up the win.Four half-centuries – two steady, two rapid – led Sialkot Stallions to 310 for 6 against Lahore Lions, a total which their bowlers defended with ease at the Jinnah Stadium. Majid Jahangir made 58 off 79 and Mohammad Ayub 64 off 80 and their innings laid the base for Shahzad and Adeel Malik. Shahzad clubbed 80 off 66 and Adeel 70 off 49, lifting the pace towards the end of the innings. During the chase, opener Sohail Ahmed scored 81 to lead Lahore to a position of strength – 123 for 1 – before the middle order crumbled. They lost five wickets for 26 runs and were eventually dismissed for 231 in the 49th over.Group D
Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited needed only 30 overs to chase down the target of 179 set by Pakistan Customs, and did so with six wickets in hand in Lahore. Pakistan Customs had made a sound start – their openers added 55 – before they were jolted when three wickets fell for the addition of one run. A 25-run stand followed for the fourth wicket before three more wickets fell in a hurry once again, this time for the addition of two runs. Aamer Yamin scored 43 to steer Pakistan Customs from 83 for 6 to 178 before the last wicket fell in the 45th over. Fifteen-year old Babar Azam led ZTBL’s chase, scoring 68 off 78 balls to ensure victory.Shoaib Malik’s run-a-ball 102 led Pakistan International Airlines to a match-winning total against Water and Power Development Authority in Bahawalpur. His innings, which contained eight fours and three sixes, along with half-centuries from Sarfraz Ahmed and Faisal Iqbal helped PIA post a challenging score of 318 for 5. WAPDA gave spirited chase, despite losing Jahangir Mirza for a first-ball duck, with Rafatullah Mohmand and Imranullah Aslam scoring 77 and 76. They added 151 for the second wicket but the innings lost direction after both fell in quick succession. No one in the middle and lower order weighed in and WAPDA were eventually dismissed for 287 with 17 balls to spare.

Four in fray for final with one round to go

Daniel Vettori produced a polished all-round performance to steer Northern Districts to a 60-run win over Wellington at the Basin Reserve. Vettori, batting at No. 3, scored 57 off 41 balls in a 112-run partnership with Tillakaratne Dilshan for the second wicket. Dilshan played his part with 59 off 52 balls to lay the platform for ND’s 191 for 8. Wellington crumbled under pressure during the chase and were cleaned up for 131 in 18.3 overs as ND backed their batting with a strong fielding display. Wellington were 60 for 7 at the halfway mark, mostly due to Owais Shah’s 25 off 19 balls. Although Dewayne Bowden (34) and Mark Houghton (32) wagged in the Wellington tail, ND were never in doubt. Bradley Scott was ND’s most succcessful bowler with 4 for 13, and Vettori finished with 2 for 31.Otago‘s chances of defending their title looked increasingly shaky as they were humbled by Central Districts by four wickets in Dunedin. A score of 121 for 9 after being invited to bat, was never going to be enough for the hosts against CD’s powerful batting lineup. The captain Jamie How’s rapid 50 from 36 balls paved the way to victory and late cameos from Ross Taylor (23) and Jacob Oram (22) took them home with nine balls to spare. Earlier, the seamer Seth Rance claimed a miserly 2 for 14, frustrating an Otago batting effort that faltered after the exits after Neil Broom (38) and Brendon McCullum (28).Martin Guptill’s hurricane 97 took Auckland closer to a spot in the final as they beat Canterbury by six wickets at Village Green. His 60-ball innings, comprising seven fours and a six, took Auckland home with an over to spare and kept Canterbury rooted to the bottom with a round to play. Auckland still needed 39 runs off 20 balls to win when captain Gareth Hopkins became the fourth casualty. Colin de Grandhomme clubbed his first ball, from Carl Frauenstein, for six and the classy Guptill then unleashed havoc, peppering the boundary with relative ease. Paceman Chris Martin knocked over Lou Vincent and Ravi Bopara cheaply but the other Canterbury bowlers struggled. The going was no better for Canterbury’s batsmen, aside from in-form opener Rob Nicol, who plundered 58 off 33 balls to inspire a rapid start after being put in. However, their innings faltered over the second half, largely through some tight bowling from Bopara, who claimed 3 for 21 off four overs.After the latest results, four teams are ready to slug it out in an exciting final round on Tuesday. Auckland, CD, ND and Otago are in the fray for next Sunday’s final; Auckland host Otago and ND are home to CD at Hamilton. The two winners should advance, although a narrow loss for table-toppers Auckland may still be enough for them, given their impressive net run-rate.

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against
Auckland 9 6 3 0 0 24 +0.552 1502/177.2 1420/179.2
Central Districts 9 6 3 0 0 24 +0.295 1377/168.5 1343/170.5
Northern Districts 9 5 4 0 0 20 +0.605 1377/176.3 1287/178.5
Otago 9 4 3 0 2 20 +0.310 1051/138.2 1002/137.3
Wellington 9 2 5 0 2 12 -1.067 1071/130.1 1199/129.0
Canterbury 9 2 7 0 0 8 -0.910 1309/178.5 1436/174.3

Haryana, Andhra cruise into semi-finals

Scorecard
Kerala more than doubled their first-innings total the second time around but it still wasn’t enough to prevent an innings defeat against Haryana inside three days. They began the third day on 35 for 3, trailing by 254 runs in the follow-on, and the middle-order batsmen got off to starts, unlike in the first innings which collapsed for 93. However, none of them got to fifty and Sanjay Budhwar had three batsmen caught behind on the way to a five-wicket haul. Budhwar finished with 5 for 69 while Amit Mishra took 3 for 71. Kerala were dismissed for 205, giving Haryana victory by an innings and 85 runs. The result ensured Harayana finished top of Group B and qualified for the semi-finals of the Plate League.
Scorecard
Andhra also cruised into the semi-finals of the Plate League from Group B after crushing Jammu and Kashmir by ten wickets at Anantapur. Syed Sahabuddin took 4 for 55 while DP Vijaykumar and D Shivkumar claimed three each to help dismiss Jammu and Kashmir for 192 during the follow on. Abid Nabi, who resisted for 116 deliveries at No. 9, was the innings’ top-scorer with 54. Andhra were left a target of only 22, which the openers knocked off in 2.3 overs.
Scorecard
Fog and bad light curtailed the third day’s play to 34 overs in Agartala and during that time Goa reduced Tripura to 150 for 4 from their overnight total of 44 for no loss. Rajib Saha, who made 51, and Wilkin Mota added 73 for the first wicket before Robin d’Souza trapped Mota lbw. Saha and Abhijit Dey added another 60 for the second wicket before Amit Yadav struck three quick blows to jolt the middle order. Yadav ended the day on 17 for 3.
Scorecard
Arlen Konwar took 5 for 59 to give Assam a terrific chance of securing a large first-innings lead against Vidarbha in Guwahati. Assam declared on their overnight score of 392 for 8 and Konwar made good use of the early morning conditions. Abu Nechim provided the first breakthrough, dismissing Amol Ubarhande for 16, but it was Konwar who took the other five wickets. Vidarbha were struggling at 71 for 4 at one stage, but were lifted by Ranjit Paradkar who scored an unbeaten half-century. Amit Paunikar made 43 but Vidarbha were reduced to 180 for 6 at stumps.
Scorecard
A strong performance from Rajasthan in the second innings helped them wipe out a first-innings deficit against Jharkhand and take a lead on the third day in Dhanbad. However, with only one day remaining, the most likely result is a draw. Jharkhand declared on 368 for 9 in their first innings, after centuries from Manish Vardhan and Saurabh Tiwary had taken them to a position of strength on the second evening. Rajasthan were facing a deficit of 122 when they began their second innings and they lost both openers after scoring only 17 runs. Vineet Saxena and Nitin Doru, however, added an unbroken 180-run stand for the third wicket to keep Jharkhand’s bowlers at bay.

Bushrangers wait on McKay

Jon Holland has been preferred to Bryce McGain as Victoria’s specialist spinner in the FR Cup game against Western Australia on Saturday and the Bushrangers are also hopeful of having Clint McKay available in Bunbury. McKay is in Australia’s squad for the second Test against West Indies but should be released on Friday if he is not in the starting XI.Holland, the left-arm spinner, was part of Australia’s one-day squad in India last month, but he did not play a game and when he returned he has had to battle with McGain for action. McGain was dropped following figures of 0 for 43 off five overs in Victoria’s loss to Queensland on Wednesday. Darren Pattinson is also in the 13-man squad that will not be finalised until Saturday morning.Western Australia have Ashley Noffke back and will want to build on their win over New South Wales last week. They thrashed the Blues by 129 runs in the FR Cup before being swept aside in the following Sheffield Shield encounter.Victoria squad Robert Quiney, Chris Rogers, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Andrew McDonald, Matthew Wade (wk), Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Jon Holland, Clinton McKay, Darren Pattinson, James Pattinson.Western Australia squad Shaun Marsh, Wes Robinson, Adam Voges (capt), Mitch Marsh, Theo Doropoulos, Luke Ronchi (wk), Justin Coetzee, Aaron Heal, Ashley Noffke, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Michael Hogan, Brad Knowles, Steve Magoffin.

Kenya and Uganda plan Twenty20 tournament

Cricket Kenya is planning to run a four-team Twenty20 competition involving two teams from neighbours Uganda early in the New Year as part of the preparations for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers in March.Negotiations between the boards are “at an advanced stage” according to a source close to the Kenyan board, and high-profile sponsors are being courted to fund the event.The intention is to field two Kenya teams – in effect an A and B XI – alongside similar sides from Uganda, a country considered to be one of the up-and-coming Associates.If successful, the concept could be expanded into a 50-over competitions and ultimately a three-day tournament. It replaces the one-off Super League which was run in June 2008 and featured four teams made up of the leading Kenyan cricketers.

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