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ScorecardNew Zealand were given a boost ahead of their match against England Lions this Thursday with a 92-run win over Essex at Chelmsford. Set 293 to win, Essex faltered to 200 all out, with Alastair Cook top-scoring with 57, while Iain O’Brien and Michael Mason shared six wickets.It was a tall ask for Essex, and much rested on Cook’s shoulders at the top of the order. After Ross Taylor dropped him on nought yesterday, Cook was threatening to make New Zealand pay with a solid 57 from 126 balls. He and Tom Westley pottered along without great intent, though they weren’t helped by the often wide bowling from New Zealand’s opening attack. But their patience paid off; Westley was caught at cover, and Ravi Bopara and Mark Pettini fell within an over of eachother to leave Essex struggling on 87 for 4.Once Cook fell – followed two balls later by James Foster for a duck – Essex still required a further 193 to win. And though Ryan ten Doeschate spent nearly two hours compiling 38, wickets continued to fall at the other end and O’Brien wrapped up a convincing win by bowling Alex Tudor in the 71st over.New Zealand will be encouraged that they coped without the services of their captain, Daniel Vettori, whose split finger will rule him out of his side’s final warm-up before the first Test, a four-day match at The Rose Bowl.

Craig McMillan remembers the inaugural Twenty20 international, played in 2005 between Australia and New Zealand on a warm summer’s evening at Eden Park. He remembers the colour, the crowd and the retro uniforms. He also remembers that the players all thought it was a bit of a joke, and that none could foresee the T20 explosion to follow.This time around as New Zealand’s batting coach, McMillan knows the inaugural day-night Test at Adelaide Oval will be another leap into the unknown. Once again, there will be some level of scepticism among players about the concept. But McMillan is adamant that they should embrace it, in the knowledge that it may be a format of the game they are soon playing far more often.”It was a different feeling, almost a carnival atmosphere,” McMillan said of the T20 game ahead of a pink ball warm-up match against a Western Australia XI at the WACA Ground. “Perhaps it wasn’t taken as seriously as what it should have been. No one had the inkling in eight years time it was going to be the norm and part of the calendar.”That’s why it’s important we prepare properly and we look forward to this, because we just don’t know in three or four years’ time where cricket is going to head. I think it’s important, as a sport, that we’re always looking to encourage different groups, different people to come to the game, and this is certainly a way of doing that.”Ticket sales for the Adelaide Test have been strong, compared to “Ashes levels” by Cricket Australia. McMillan said the prospect of crowds in the region of 50,000 on the first couple of evenings was something the tourists were eager to embrace, even as they took time to adjust to the vagaries of the pink ball and evening air. Then there is the momentum New Zealand built through a highly resilient display in Perth.”I don’t know how the Australians are thinking, all I know is talk of 50,000 on the first day of a Test match, for us, is very exciting,” he said. “We generally don’t play in front of crowds like that in terms of Test cricket. There is a lot of excitement. We’ve heard a lot about the Adelaide Oval, its redevelopment and how it looks. Everyone we’ve talked to says what an amazing stadium it is.”We’re certainly more happy with our performance in the second Test than the first. I think guys have gained a lot of confidence individually and as a group from the performance in Perth. With this being a little bit of an unknown because it’s a different situation – it’s at night, it’s a different ball – there’s an excitement. I think there’s not a lot between the two sides, so it all adds up to an exciting Test match ahead.”One of McMillan’s primary responsibilities right now is to bolster the confidence of the opener Martin Guptill, who is still working to bring the free-flowing elements of his limited-overs batting to the Test arena. To play with freedom is invariably easier said than done, and Guptill must overcome the anxieties associated with spells in and out of the Test team before he can muscle the ball around as he has done so often in ODIs.”Gupps has spent a fair bit of time at the crease and I don’t think he’s too far away,” McMillan said. “Over the last six months coming back into the Test side – he spent some time out – and I don’t think he’s too far away from actually closing that gap between his one-day game and his Test game.”One of the important things I talk to Gupp about is encouraging him to play similar to his one-day game. There’s not a lot of change with the way he should play. He’s still working through it. He’s a quality player at the international level and I don’t think he’s far off producing some of the innings we know he can produce at the top of the order.”New Zealand will try as many options as possible during the two-day fixture, with Trent Boult and Tim Southee both expected to bowl under lights with the pink ball to re-familiarise themselves with it after two daytime Test matches. McMillan has seen predictions of a well-grassed Adelaide surface in order to preserve the condition of the ball.”I’m expecting a bit more grass than what we’ve seen in the last two Test matches,” he said. “Historically Adelaide has generally been pretty flat and at times hasn’t turned. But I wouldn’t be surprised to maybe see more grass and even a hint of green grass on the surface. Certainly more than what we’ve seen in the first two Tests.”To a degree, yes [surprised at flatness of pitches]. I think on previous tours of Australia there’s certainly been a little bit more there for the bowlers at different stages. Certainly the last two Test matches have been taxing on both bowling attacks. So giving everyone a bit of a break over the last couple of days has been really important.”Western Australia XI squad: Ashton Turner (capt), Tom Beaton, Will Bosisto, Ryan Duffield, Marcus Harris, Josh Inglis, David Moody, Liam O’Connor, Joel Paris, Andrew Tye, Jonathan Wells, Sam Whiteman (wk)

Take a look at the scorecard from West Indies’ tour match in Geelong at the weekend and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was as meaningless as warm-up games get. A two-day match against a Victorian XI featuring only two players – neither of them bowlers – with first-class experience. But Darren Bravo hopes that if his fellow batsmen gained just one thing from the game it is this: confidence.West Indies have been sorely lacking it of late. In Sri Lanka in October they were roundly defeated and none of the batsmen scored centuries in the two Tests; in fact, only Bravo and Jermaine Blackwood managed so much as a fifty. That was followed by a tour game in Brisbane that the team lost to a rookie Cricket Australia XI, which in turn was followed by a crushing three-day loss in the first Test.But as poor as West Indies were in Hobart, there were a couple of encouraging signs. Bravo himself scored a classy 108 in the first innings, but was let down by the complete lack of support from the rest of the batting order. In the second, Kraigg Brathwaite found himself in a similar position, posting 94 out of a total of 148. A bit more back-up in either innings and it could have been a much tighter contest.So, as weak as the Victorian attack was in Geelong, West Indies were still pleased that Blackwood, after making a pair in the Hobart Test, managed 69, that Brathwaite backed up from his Test effort with 78, and that Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin at least spent some time in the middle. Bravo did not bat in Geelong but was pleased with what he saw, and hopes that the batsmen will be better for it come Boxing Day.”It’s just a matter of confidence,” Bravo said. “Coming in to this series most of our batsmen didn’t really have that confidence. We lost the series in Sri Lanka, we lost the practice game as well in Brisbane. It’s a matter of confidence.”It’s important that whenever we go to bat we spend some time out in the middle. If we spend time we’re definitely going to score runs. Naturally we play aggressive cricket where batting is concerned. It’s just a matter of us spending time out in the middle and putting up a very good fight.”It’s very important we look at the positives. In the practice game young Blackwood played pretty well, as well as Kraigg Brathwaite. The bowlers had a very good run, including Jerome Taylor. The guys are putting in the work, it’s just a matter of us going out there and executing.”West Indies trained at the MCG on Tuesday for the first time ahead of the Test, which starts on Saturday, while the Australians will begin training on Wednesday. The Victorian fast bowler Scott Boland has been added to Australia’s squad as an injury replacement for Nathan Coulter-Nile, and while Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson remain the likely attack, Bravo knows from his Hobart ton that scoring opportunities will present themselves.”The Australian bowlers, they have a plan exactly how they want to get us out,” he said. “You respect the good balls and put away the bad balls. Yes they are a very good team but at the end of the day they are still humans. They’re going to present bad balls and it’s just a matter of putting it away. I don’t think you should be bogged down too much. Don’t be intimidated by the Australian bowlers. Just back yourself and your ability.”When you’re not scoring runs it is difficult to pick yourself up. I believe the guys have that sort of resilience in them. Most of us have scored international hundreds. We have proven that we are definitely capable of playing at this level. It is just a matter of going out there and spending some time.”It was also easy to forget after the three-day result in Hobart that at lunch on day one, West Indies were arguably in the stronger position, having picked up three wickets after Australia chose to bat. However, they then allowed Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh to compile a record fourth-wicket partnership that batted West Indies out of the match.”It’s very important that whenever we’re in the driver’s seat we try and stay there,” Bravo said. “I remember in the first Test match we had Australia three for 100 or something like that. We were in the driver’s seat and we let loose. We need to maintain the momentum in the game.”

Gurkeerat Singh Mann led Punjab to a clinical, five-wicket win with a brisk 91 off 86 balls in their chase of 197 after Haryana had reduced them to 75 for 4. It was Harbhajan Singh’s figures with the ball – 10-0-33-4 – that put Punjab in a position of strength by bowling Haryana out for 196 in the penultimate over. After Siddarth Kaul removed Shubham Rohilla for a 12-ball duck, Nitin Saini and Chaitanya Bishnoi put on 68 for the second wicket in 109 balls, the biggest partnership of the innings. Punjab’s bowlers provided regular breakthroughs thereafter, led by Harbhajan, who had four batsmen lbw. Punjab’s chase got a steady start through U-19 opener Shubman Gill and Mandeep Singh, who added 47 in 81 balls. Legspinner Rahul Tewatia took three wickets and Harshal Patel had Yuvraj Singh bowled to pull Haryana back. Gurkeerat and Nikhil Chaudhary added an unbeaten 71 for the sixth wicket, of which the latter added 14.At the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, Assam aced their chase of 216 against Railways to register a four-wicket win with 12 balls to spare. After being asked to bowl, Assam restricted Railways to 215. An 85-run third-wicket stand between Akash Verma and Pratham Singh – after Railways were reduced to 8 for 2 – was the only phase in the game that Railways dominated. Arup Das took three wickets, while Pritam Das, Amit Verma and Swarupam Purkayastha claimed two scalps each. Handy contributions from Assam’s top order – Pallavkumar Das (44), Arun Karthik (42), Verma (35) and Riyan Parag (32) – ensured there wasn’t much trouble in the chase.Akshay Karnewar, an ambidextrous bowler, led Vidarbha to a comfortable seven-wicket rout of Odisha with figures of 4 for 21 from 10 overs. Odisha chose to bat, and were given a steady start by Govinda Poddar’s 68-ball 58. However, a score of 87 for 2 in the 23rd over quickly turned to 162 all out in the 46th over as the Vidarbha bowlers took control of the game. No other batsman scored more than 30. After a stable base, Vidarbha’s chase was never in doubt. Jitesh Sharma struck a 71-ball 70 before he was lbw off Rajkishan Patel. A patient 30 from Ambati Rayudu took Vidarbha home with 59 balls to spare.

Shaun Pollock had some sympathy (but not all that much, mind) for Sanath Jayasuriya after South Africa had wrapped up the Standard Bank one-day international series against Sri Lanka with a crushing 99-run victory in the fourth match at Newlands on Thursday.The win was South Africa’s ninth on the trot and the fourth over Sri Lanka in this series. Indeed, the only home ODI not won by South Africa this summer was the washout in Potchefstroom way back at the start of New Zealand’s tour.

Sri Lanka, as Jayasuriya conceded, were out-batted and out-bowled by South Africa on the day. The tourists now have only the third and final Test match from which to salvage some pride, but before then they have to play out the final rites of the one-day series in Bloemfontein on Sunday and in Johannesburg next Wednesday.Jayasuriya, quite obviously, has his work cut out now to somehow lift a team that, from the outside anyway, is dejected, demoralised and dispirited.”It is difficult,” said Pollock. “We had the same situation in Sri Lanka when things didn’t really run for us and it is hard. But we’re going to have those times too so we can’t afford to have too much sympathy for them. We’ve just got to go out and play as well as we can.”Motivation, said Pollock, is no problem at all for the South Africans. “You’ve just got to think back to the last time you lost and that feeling is more than enough motivation.”As has been the case throughout the series, South Africa once again outclassed the opposition. With Boeta Dippenaar playing his most accomplished innings yet for his country, the home team barely noticed another failure from HerschelleGibbs.

Gibbs made just 13 on Thursday to follow his 0 in the second Test match and a 1 in Paarl on Tuesday, but Dippenaar, whose first boundary was a six pulled over square leg off Nuwan Zoysa, played quite beautifully for 77 until undoing himself with an ill-conceived reverse sweep off Muttiah Muralitharan.Jacques Kallis again paced himself and, as had also been the case in Paarl, Jonty Rhodes sparked the innings with a 52-ball 53. It was Rhodes’ fifth successive 50 – a South African record – and on each occasion he has provided an invaluable injection of urgency.Kallis, meanwhile, played patiently until 55 when he sliced Muralitharan straight upwards. Romesh Kaluwitharana gathered himself beneath the ball, with Kallis turning towards the dressing rooms, and dropped it.”I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said Jayasuriya afterwards. “He never drops those ones.”Kallis promptly carted Muralitharan and Zoysa for sixes and raced to 82 and it was this burst that enabled the South Africans to reach 290 for seven.Sri Lanka needed a big one from Jayasuriya, but he went for 12 and although Kaluwitharana atoned for his dropped catch with a gutsy 74, he had precious little support. Makhaya Ntini, meanwhile, helped himself to his first ODI five-wicket haul, helped effect Chaminda Vaas’ run out and caught Russel Arnold to snatch the man of the match award away from Kallis and Dippenaar and Sri Lanka were bowled out in the 42nd over.It was a walloping as South Africa continued to ride the wave. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have been swamped.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShahid Afridi picked up a career-best 5 for 7 to derail Quetta’s innings•PSL

Shahid Afridi picked up career-best T20 figures of 5 for 7, setting up a comprehensive eight-wicket win for Peshawar Zalmi against Quetta Gladiators in Sharjah.Afridi, who will be retiring from international cricket following the World T20 in India next month, struck off just his second ball, accounting for Akbar-ur-Rehman in the sixth over. Quetta, who were at a promising 40 for 0 at one stage, soon began to slide, as Afridi struck at regular intervals to carve through the team’s middle and lower order. He trapped Mohammad Nawaz lbw and bowled the captain Sarfraz Ahmed in the 10th over, before proceeding to remove both Mohammad Nabi and Elton Chigumbura in the 12th.When the dust cleared, Afridi was left boasting figures of 4-1-7-5, and Quetta were tottering at 66 for 9, starting at the prospect of being bowled out inside 13 overs. However, Grant Elliott, on the back of two consecutive Man-of-the-Match performances, led a late rally, slamming a 29-ball 40 and adding a world record 63 for the final wicket with Zulfiqar Babar. Their efforts lifted the team to 129.Peshawar, though, had no troubles chasing down the small total. Their openers Mohammad Hafeez and Dawid Malan began brightly, putting up 60 runs off just 50 balls. Hafeez eventually fell for 36, but Malan carried on, adding a further 54 with Kamran Akmal. Malan went on to stroke his 12th half-century in T20 cricket, his 52-ball 60 taking the team home with eight balls to spare.

Bangladesh’s 2012-13 domestic season will kick-off with a new-look National Cricket League, with the opening match between defending champions Rajshahi Division and Dhaka Division starting October 14 to be played with the pink-ball and under lights at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.But even the novelty of the new ball or the introduction of two major steps – franchise system for the teams and the players’ salary structure – have failed to ensure anything but the typical build-up to the country’s only first-class competition. Six of the eight participating teams are only beginning to train less than two weeks before such a grueling competition, while the Bangladesh Cricket Board is expected to finance half the number of teams.Indifference towards the first-class game has meant that the BCB were able to woo only four companies to buy franchises, ESPNcricinfo has learnt, two of which already own teams in the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20s and the 50-over competition, the Dhaka Premier League. It is also not clear which of the first-class teams will have franchisees. The other major step – the salary structure for the 105 first-class cricketers that was announced in August and set to be implemented from the new season – is also designed to inject much needed motivation for the players in the longer version. But the long-running infrastructural deficiencies in many parts of the country have stymied most of the cricketers to stay indoors rather than train in proper facilities.Essentially, a squad preparing for a first-class tournament needs at least two months to prepare. It begins with heavy fitness work. Cricketers these days also spent a considerable time in the gym during the off-season, but those living in the smaller cities in Bangladesh do not have access to such services. Even proper cricket training can be troublesome for many of them as facilities at the stadiums are not maintained properly or made available to the region’s top cricketers. The BCB-provided budget for the divisional authorities only allows running of practice for a few weeks ahead of the competition.The Chittagong players have tried to begin early but have not been helped by poor facilities at the MA Aziz Stadium. Last season’s runners-up Khulna Division and Barisal Division have done training haphazardly with only the players based locally taking part in organised training while those settled in the country’s capital have been training separately. The two Dhaka-based sides – Dhaka Division and Dhaka Metropolis – haven’t started a camp despite the availability of excellent facilities. Players from both teams have informed that they usually start 7-10 days before the competition, while Rangpur Division began their training on October 1, exactly two weeks ahead of the tournament.Only the first-class cricketers in Rajshahi have taken up it upon themselves to train during the off-season and in the lead-up into the pre-season, a model followed by senior cricketers in Sylhet only in the last two years.Rajshahi Division have held their tradition of beginning training well ahead of time, at the academy the players help built. “The players have been training for a few months,” said former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud, who is still involved with the Rajshahi divisional cricket team. “We have been training since the off-season for the a long time now, but it is better these days since there’s the academy. This place helps run the training smoothly. The players use the facilities at the cricket academy: the stadium’s outfield, nets and gym.”Sylhet too have started early with senior cricketers Rajin Saleh, Alok Kapali and Tapash Baisya running the show at the divisional stadium. “We have trained for the last four months. We have paid for it ourselves, whatever that we have needed starting from practice balls, netting, etc,” said Saleh, whose cricket academy is heavily used for the divisional team’s training camp.But the weather hasn’t been kind to the team that finished third in last season’s competition. “This region has more rainy days during the summer so it has been frustrating. We are a divisional side but there is no indoor facility, so we have to be patient with the weather,” he said.The BCB’s tournament committee is confident of the October 14 start, but they are yet to receive the consignment of pink balls to be used for the opening match, which would also mean rushed preparations for Rajshahi Division and Dhaka Division who will be playing the game under lights in Mirpur, a first-ever in the country.

B Alaganan, who captained Madras (now Tamil Nadu) to their maiden Ranji Trophy title in 1955, has died aged 87. He played six first-class games between 1946 and 1955, batting in the middle order, and was later a well-known radio commentator.Alaganan served as assistant manager on India’s tours to New Zealand and West Indies in 1975-76, and had a stint as selector too. He was also involved in the administration of the game in Tamil Nadu, serving as TNCA vice-president between 1961 to 1986 before taking over as president between 1988 and 1993.WV Raman, the former opener who captained Tamil Nadu when Alaganan was TNCA president, remembered him fondly. “He was a rare kind of administrator, not the sort who thought he was doing the players a favour,” Raman told ESPNcricinfo. “Being a cricketer himself, he could see things from a player’s point of view. He was also a very approachable person, and always looked to help the boys out. A great quality in him was that he always wanted to serve the game.”The TNCA praised Alaganan in its condolence note. “Alaganan was a very popular personality in the field of Tamil Nadu cricket,” TNCA joint secretary G Natarajan said. “It will not be an exaggeration to call him the ‘Prince of Tamil Nadu cricket’ because he was one in every sense of the term. His passing away has robbed the TNCA of a senior statesman and it will be a long time before we can recover from this loss.”

Imran Farhat, the aggressive left-handed opening batsman, made an elegant 61 off 74 balls to provide a sound platform for a six-wicket victory for Lahore Tigers over Pakistan Probables in the first of the five-match one-day trial matches, which was played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.Imran, the exponent of brilliant cut and pull shots, was in very good touch as he hammered the opening bowling attack of Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar without respite to maintain a run rate of more than six in the opening five overs.Chasing a modest target of 227 in 50 overs, Lahore Tigers rushed to 69 without loss by the 12th over. But Probables’ skipper Moin Khan brought Abdur Razzaq into the attack and the move soon paid off.After having Saeed Anwar Jnr, who along with Imran opened the batting for the Tigers, caught by Yousuf Youhana, Razzaq also struck in his second over, trapping Imran Abbas plumb in front.The fall of two quick wickets, however, did not deter Imran Farhat from playing his shots as he raced to his fifty off only 43 balls, with seven fours and one six off Saqlain. He added 56 runs for the third wicket with his captain Bazid Khan (43), before being caught by Moin in the first over of Waqar’s new spell.After being reduced to 169 for four by the 37th over, the fate of the match seemed to hang in balance. A few quick wickets at this stage could have turned the tables on the Tigers.However, Misbah-ul-Haq (36) and Shoaib Malik (31) ensured with their determined knocks that they did not lose any more wickets. These two played with utmost concentration as they added an unbeaten 60 for the fifth wicket to see their side through.Earlier, put into bat, Pakistan Probables found themselves in deep trouble after being reduced to 49 for five by the 18th over. Jaffer Nazir, the pace man hailing from Sheikhupura, did the most damage, as he got Imran Nazir and Salim Elahi out with only three runs on the board. Both these batsmen failed to open their accounts.Saeed Anwar’s stay at the crease was also brief. He could only make nine before being bowled by Kashif Raza, who opened the attack for Tigers along with Jaffer.Inzamam-ul-Haq made 26 with the help of four boundaries before being caught behind by Kamran Akmal off Zahid Saeed with the total on 49. Abdur Razzaq followed at the same total after being run out by a direct throw from Misbah.Yousuf Youhana, meanwhile, held his ground at the other end. He added a valuable 103 for the sixth wicket along with Shahid Afridi (49) and 63 for the eighth wicket with Saqlain Mushtaq (21) to rescue his side from complete disaster.He was eventually out in the last over when, going for a big hit, he holed out to Misbah at deep mid-wicket. He made 96 off 129 balls with the help of 12 fours before their innings was wrapped up in the final over for 226.For Lahore Tigers, Jaffer Nazir bowled excellently, taking two wickets for 25. However, Zahid Saeed, helped by a short burst in the last over in which he got rid of Youhana and Saqlain with consecutive deliveries, turned out to be the most successful bowler with figures of 3 for 44. Kashif Raza and Irfan Fazil took two and one wicket each for, respectively, 35 and 63 runs.Imran Farhat was declared man of the match, while Shoaib Malik won the prize for the best fielder.Pakistan Probables will tomorrow face Lahore Panthers in the second match of the series, which will be played under lights at the same venue.

For the second consecutive time, South Australia’s batsmen have let their side down as it tumbled to a 101 run defeat at the hands of Queensland in a one-sided Mercantile Mutual Cup clash here at the Adelaide Oval.Credit must go to Queensland, though, for getting to 8/244 – without one of its batsmen securing a half-century – after winning the toss and electing to bat.By contrast, inconsistent batting continues to haunt the Redbacks. In Devonport three weeks ago, they were chasing a modest target of 195 for a win and failed rather emphatically, tallying just 161. Tonight – on an excellent pitch – they were set 245 to win at a ground where in previous matches this season they have made 6/248 (from forty-three overs), 7/260, 7/293. Yet they failed miserably and reached just 143 this evening.How can this happen? Queensland’s bowlers gave little away, but can the question of Darren Lehmann’s absence be such a factor in a woeful showing with the bat? Maybe not; in SA’s last win, Lehmann was not present as it totalled 293 against a New South Wales side which now seems likely to edge the Redbacks out of a spot in a Final that will now be played at the WACA Ground in Perth.Is the gap of three weeks between games, during which batsmen go back to club cricket facing bowlers of lesser intensity, the reason? For a while now, it has been said thirteen club sides is too high a number for a city with a population of less than Perth, whose side has played in six domestic one-day Finals (winning three) as opposed to SA’s one appearance in the last ten seasons. For some time, it has also been said that there aren’t the same pressures at club level as there used to be in recent years. South Australia’s winless record in the ACB Cup (second XI) competition this season indicates a lack of depth in club ranks.Alas, only a late flurry from Graham Manou (42*) and a solid effort at the top of order from Greg Blewett (29) really gave the Redbacks anything to smile about, as they alone showed the application that was required. Blewett suffered the worst of luck, being run out off the boot of James Hopes, as he followed through and collided with a Ben Johnson straight drive. This started a slide of mass proportions; a scoreline of 3/58 quicklybecame 8/89 in the space of a mere eighteen overs as Hopes (5/29 from ten overs) demolished the upper and middle Redback order.One must give full credit to Hopes and also Andy Bichel (0/16 off ten) who tied up his end in a splendid opening spell of six overs from the Bradman Stand End of six overs. He built up the pressure superbly in the early overs, the asking rate quickly rising to six an over after David Fitzgerald (4) went in the fourth to a catch at mid off. Chris Davies (18) hit three boundaries, but used up forty deliveries before chipping a ball to just forward of square leg. The catch of Matthew Hayden to dismiss Johnson (14), when he dived full stretch to his right at backward point, was also a defining moment.Those who saw Hayden’s brilliant gully catching here last March in the Pura Cup match wouldn’t have been surprised at the effort here this evening. But it needs to be said that the burly Queenslander is simply a brilliant catcher.Earlier, it was the batting from Hayden and company that ensured that South Australia would have to work hard to earn a victory tonight. Hayden and Jimmy Maher (17) forged a bright opening of fifty-five in eleven overs before a ball ran off the face of the latter’s bat and found its way into Manou’s gloves in Mick Miller’s opening over.Then Mark Harrity, who bowled with good pace from the Bradman Stand End, had Stuart Law (4) flick off his toes to square leg. Hayden (48) followed in the next over and, when Miller induced a top edge from pinch hitter Bichel (13), Queensland were approaching the halfway point at a near-desparate 4/96.They need not have feared as Lee Carseldine (34), who looked to South Australia at one stage pre-season for his future, added forty-four runs in thirteen overs with Clinton Perren (33). Brendan Nash (31 off 29 balls) also played neatly and with pluck to add forty-seven for the sixth wicket in just eight overs.The finishing touches came from veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Wade Seccombe, who smashed twenty off the fateful final over from Blewett to end with a cracking 45 from thirty-two balls, including two lusty sixes into the Members’ enclosure as the Bulls added eighty-three from the final ten overs.On the bowling front, Miller (3/27) provided the standout performance. Jason Gillespie, along with the Australian selectors, probably breathed a sigh of relief as he bowled well in his second spell to recover and turn figures of 5-0-26-0 into 2/49 from his full allotment. Harrity, often maligned for waywardness and injury, bowled his overs consecutively and accurately for figures of 1/41.So where to now for South Australia? Next Saturday presents another challenge in the form of a Victorian team which has played well in recent times. The Redbacks will clearly need to regroup, and regroup strongly.Queensland plays competition leader Western Australia in its last match, a pyrrhic one in many ways given that the Bulls have no chance of making the ultimate match of this Mercantile Mutual Cup season. Nevertheless, they will likely take significant confidence away from this particular result.