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Pakistan XI 239 for 9 (Bazid 90*, Rafatullah 55, Anderson 4-46) beat England XI 236 for 7 (Collingwood 75*, Prior 72) by one wicket
Scorecard

Another match against Pakistan A at Bagh-e-Jinnah, another setback for England. Last month it was Hasan Raza who sealed a memorable match with an unbeaten 71; today another young cricketer with a point to prove also pushed his claims for an international recall. Bazid Khan, the son of the legendary Majid, guided Pakistan A to the finish with a superb unbeaten 90 from 88 balls, and served notice that he is not satisfied with his current haul of one Test cap and three ODI appearances.Chasing 237 for victory as the light faded in the leafy surrounds of Bagh-e-Jinnah, Bazid stood firm in spite of a late wobble from the tail, and applied the coup de grace with a brilliant piece of improvisation. James Anderson, who had bowled impressively with the new ball, returned at the death to grab three wickets in six deliveries, and at 217 for 8, Pakistan A’s challenge appeared to have faded.Bazid however, had other ideas, and wrested back the initiative in Anderson’s next over, as he dropped to one knee, and deflected a full-length delivery high and handsomely over the keeper for a one-bounce four. A crestfallen Anderson was then clobbered over the covers for the winning runs, and England have now gone five matches and as many weeks without a victory since their opening three-day fixture in Rawalpindi.In mitigation, England were missing three of their biggest guns. Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison were all rested after their exertions in the Test series, leaving the captaincy in the hands of Andrew Strauss, who has only just returned to the tour following the birth of his first child, Samuel. After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, Strauss was also the first wicket to fall, caught behind off Riaz Afridi for 5 as England struggled in the misty morning conditions.But as the sun cut through the clouds and the early life in the pitch died down, Matt Prior began to unfurl the selection of strokes that could earn him a role as England’s Supersub when Trescothick returns to the top of the order. He added 76 for the second wicket with Vikram Solanki, who has been offered another opportunity in the absence of Michael Vaughan, before Solanki was superbly caught for 26 by Tahir Khan, running back from point to take a skied swish over his shoulder.That gave Abdul Razzaq a welcome wicket on his comeback from injury, and soon afterwards Kevin Pietersen’s difficult tour continued, as he was bowled by a beauty from Yasir Arafat for 2. Prior’s performance then ended as he top-edged a sweep to short backward square-leg, giving Tahir his first wicket of the innings.At 134 for 4, the innings was in the balance, but Paul Collingwood came into his own in the middle order, marshalling the final overs as a selection of colleagues played handy cameos around him. England’s team for this match included all three one-day specialists – Solanki, Kabir Ali and Ian Blackwell, as well as Prior and Anderson, neither of whom took part in the Test series.Blackwell, who has a golden opportunity to cement a slot in the side ahead of the World Cup next winter, had moved along to a quickfire 15 when he was caught behind off Iftikhar Rao, while Kabir’s innings ended in freakish circumstances, when his thumping straight drive cannoned off Collingwood’s shoulder and looped into the hands of Rafitullah Mohammad at mid-on.England’s total was more or less par for the conditions, and when Yasir Hameed edged a beauty from Anderson to Solanki at first slip, it looked doubly impressive. But Pakistan rallied through a third-wicket partnership of 60 between Bazid and Rafatullah Mohmand, who made 55 before he was brilliantly caught by Pietersen off Collingwood.Collingwood added a second when Razzaq was bowled for 8, but Faisal Iqbal cracked four fours and a six in a quickfire 33 to keep Pakistan A’s challenge alive. But ultimately it was Bazid who made the difference between the teams, as England’s problematic tour of Pakistan hit another spot of turbulence.

Scorecard

Riding on vital contributions from Subhomoy Das and Deep Dasgupta, Bengal overhauled Baroda’s first innings total with a good performance on the second day’s play of their Elite Group semi-final at Kolkata. Das’s 115 was the standout innings of the day, even as Baroda kept a steady check on proceedings with wickets at key intervals.Though he chipped in with useful runs this season – he averages over 40 – Das had not gone on to make a hundred. An 83 against Railways in his previous match was his best return, and he could not have timed his first century of the season – and third in first-class cricket – better. His 115, from 215 deliveries and with 15 hits to the fence, put his side in a position from which they can build a lead.It was not all smooth sailing, however. With their medium-pacers moving the ball around throughout the first day’s play, Bengal’s batsmen had enough reason to be wary of the grass remaining on the Kotla pitch. Those worries became a reality as Bengal were left reeling at 2 for 10 following a twin strike from Rakesh Patel, Baroda’s opening bowler. Arindam Das was the first to fall, edging one to Pinal Shah, the wicketkeeper, while Abhishek Jhunjhunwala followed 10 deliveries later, trapped leg before for 0. Baroda had their tails up, but in Manoj Tiwary, Das found an able ally and the two were able to stave off any further threat. Tiwary showed good composure in his 37, and with Das steady at the other end, the duo added 98 for the third wicket.At lunch, Bengal were 93 for 2, Das having brought up his fifty off 78 deliveries in good time. Following the interval, however, Baroda fought their way back thanks to Rajesh Pawar, the slow left-arm bowler, who prised out Tiwary and Kamal Mondal as Bengal slipped to 128 for 4. Dasgupta, known for his ability to stick it out when the situation arises, put his head down and by tea Bengal had progressed to 161 without further loss.Das brought up his hundred – and the 50 partnership with Dasgupta – immediately after play resumed, but fell thereafter as Yusuf Pathan snapped up a return catch. Dasgupta, batting on 50, will need to carry on as the third day’s play resumes tomorrow. Baroda, for their part, stuck to a plan – Patel, Pawar and Pathan were economical – and broke partnerships at key junctures.Bengal’s batsmen, who have not fared well in two previous first innings against Railways and Tamil Nadu, needed to show enough resolve and diligence to make their path to the title round easier. Speaking to the in Kolkata yesterday, Paras Mhambrey, Bengal’s coach, said: “The target tomorrow would be to overtake 241 and then build on from there. A score around 450-plus should be enough to seal the game.” While the first half of this plan has been accomplished, it is up to the remaining batsmen to follow the lead of Das and Dasgupta.

Shane Warne may be pushing the line with his aggressive appealing for wickets, but team-mate Justin Langer, who returns to the Australian side for the final Test at Sydney, says his style provides some of cricket’s great theatre.”It’s indicative of his passion for the game,” Langer told reporters before leaving Melbourne. “I remember as a kid watching Dennis Lillee appeal. It was one of the great sights of cricket. I used to run around as a 10-year-old, bowl and then appeal like Lillee. He thinks it out and he gives it a big appeal. To me that’s just part of the game, part of the great theatre of the great Shane Warne.”Langer said critics had to realise that constant appealing by slow bowlers was part of the game when fielders were crowding around the bat in a tense atmosphere. “When you play on a wicket that is spinning a lot like we saw in Melbourne, there are a lot of people around the bat and there’s a lot happening. In the past we’ve been critical of over-appealing on the subcontinent but if you look at it, that’s almost the nature of the game in those circumstances.”There are people around the bat, there’s a lot of action, particularly when you’ve got class bowlers. India have [Anil] Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, here we have Warnie and [Stuart] MacGill,” he added. “It’s not a tactic or anything like that. If we see it, we appeal if we think it’s out. I don’t think we are over-appealing at all. To me it’s just a part of the game.”Meanwhile, South African paceman Andre Nel says South Africa may copy Australia’s aggressive appealing at Sydney. He said that if Australian bowlers like Warne can get away with it, then maybe South Africa should follow suit.”I think they are very, very clever about the way they do things with umpires,” Nel told reporters at Sydney Airport. “They put a lot of pressure on the umpires and sometimes it counts in their favour. Maybe we can learn something from them in a certain way by doing this. But sometimes they go a bit overboard and it gets a bit annoying, but that’s the way they do it and it’s working for them.”Nel also said he was looking forward to opening the bowling alongside Shaun Pollock with Makhaya Ntini having been forced home with a knee injury. “It’s always nice to get the chance with the new ball and to bowl with Polly,” he added. “I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Four relaxed days in the middle of a hectic tour would have come as a welcome relief for India but it may well be the calm before the final storm. The next four matches span just nine days and unless India sort out their bowling worries and level the series at Rawalpindi, the series may slip away in a trice.Say what you want about pitches, conditions, opposition batsmen and Duckworth-Lewis technicalities but India’s inability to defend a target of 329 at Peshawar was baffling. Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar have a combined aggregate of 304 ODIs between them (249 more than Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul) and talk of “inexperience” and “learning time” can only hold so much water.India bowled on similar pitches on their previous visit to Pakistan but posed a formidable threat because of Pathan’s superb swing, Lakshmipathy Balaji’s canny seam and Ashish Nehra’s nippy cut. They played on similar smaller grounds and were confronted with outfields just as fast. Most importantly they made an impact with the new ball, like Asif did at Peshawar, and pegged Pakistan back from the outset. The Rawalpindi pitch, according to Inzamam-ul-Haq, will probably be a sluggish one and India will have their work cut out in their bid to square the series.Mix and match
With Harbhajan Singh all but ruled out and Sreesanth just recovering from a bout of illness, India might well decide to play two spinners in the crucial tie. Ramesh Powar, who made his debut on this very ground two years ago, could find a place and his hitting ability could come in use late in the piece. “It looks a good batting wicket,” said Chappell, “and it looks drier than what the Peshawar pitch looked before the game. It may not spin that much and there may not be as much early help for the faster bowlers.”The Pathan factor
That Pathan’s bowling form has gradually dipped is there for all to see, but his value as a batsman cannot be underestimated. An average of 36.22 in his last 15 games, with some vital knocks at the top of the order, have played a big part in India’s recent successes and he’s shown an increased assurance while handling the new ball.”I see Pathan as an allrounder in the future,” said Greg Chappell at the pre-match press conference. “He’s batted at the top of the order and has been a good finisher as well. I wouldn’t say he will be a regular No.3 but we’ll use him there from time to time. He’s an impact player and we’ll decide where to use him with the balance of the team in mind.”The Sehwag conundrum
Two fifties in the last 19 ODIs at an average of 31.77 is totally untypical of Virender Sehwag. Like a switch that has turned on and off, Sehwag has slumped in one-dayers while scaling dizzying heights in Tests. Interestingly, in 13 off those 19 innings he has reached at least 20 and it may not be as big a problem as statistics suggest after all. Pushing him down the order is probably an option but India’s lack of options may require him to continue at the top and rediscover the old touch.The journey continues
Greg Chappell confirmed that the rotation policy would continue in India’s attempt to “manage their resources”. Playing Pakistan, according to him, provided India with a good opportunity to test themselves against a top side, probably the second or third best side in the world. “We think we compare favourably to Pakistan,” he said. “They’re a good batting side and have some exciting young fast bowlers. We’re looking at it as a journey and we get an opportunity to play some good sides throughout this year. We’ll get an idea of where we stand by the end of the year.”Team (likely) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Rahul Dravid (capt), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Irfan Pathan, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 8 Ramesh Powar, 9 Murali Kartik, 10 Ajit Agarkar, 11 RP Singh.

Jeff Thomson has scoffed at Shane Watson’s description as an allrounder by saying his bowling “plays blokes in”. Thomson made the claims at a sportsman’s dinner in Ipswich, Watson’s Queensland home town, and also doubted the ability of Mitchell Johnson, who is with the one-day squad in South Africa.Watson missed selection in the Test squad as Andrew Symonds’s mix of skills were preferred, and he was knocked out of the side for tonight’s fourth ODI against South Africa. Thomson told Ipswich’s he did not rate Watson. “He’s not an all rounder’s a***hole,” Thomson said. “He bats okay but his bowling is way below par at top level, so he’s not an allrounder … let’s get serious. To me, he plays blokes in.”The outburst will not help Watson’s confidence as he continues to make his recovery from shoulder surgery. Watson suffered a dislocation in his third Test against West Indies in November and he played the first three one-day games in South Africa, taking four wickets and making 53 runs.Watson has asked for a meeting with Ricky Ponting to discuss his omission from the Test side. “He wants to have 10 or 15 minutes and have a bit of a chat about things,” Ponting told . “It’s pretty important for me being the captain of the side and, more importantly, one of their mates, so I guess it’s good to hear it coming from me and not just the selectors. That’s part of the job.”Thomson questioned the bowling places of both Watson and Johnson, who delivered only three overs in the first ODI in South Africa. “Seriously, are they taking wickets? No,” he said. “In my day, you got picked for Australia for taking wickets … you didn’t get picked on some selector thinking: this guy might be able to play.”The choice of Shaun Tait gained Thomson’s approval, but he said Andy Bichel and Mark Cosgrove should be considered for the 2007 World Cup. “If I was a sole selector, I’d have Bichel in my team,” he said. “[Cosgrove] should have been in that Australian side six months ago.”

Fearing that the forthcoming Champions Trophy could lose much of its star value, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has reminded its member boards of their commitment to send their best teams for the event.The ICC also scotched speculation that this would be the last edition of the tournament, particulary after India criticised its long-drawn schedule and expressed reluctance to participate in such events which they said were nothing but a waste of time and money. “We have no knowledge of any country not sending its best team. In fact, all member countries are committed to send their best teams available for the championship,” Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, told Press Trust of India. “This is the second most important event in the ICC calendar and we expect all the top players to be a part of it.” Mani said reacting to recent reports that Australia and England may not field their full strength sides in view of the Ashes series.The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held at four venues in India from October 7 to November 5 while the Ashes is slated to begin from November 22. But Mani did not think that Australia would hold back its top players for a tournament which they have never won in four previous editions. “I am quite sure that Australia will be there in full strength. They are determined to win this one. I am sure it would be the most competitive Champions Trophy till date.”Mani, who will relinquish his post at the end of the year, said the ICC would ensure there is no repeat of the ambush marketing controversy which has dogged this tournament in the last two editions. “We are taking all safeguards to ensure it does not happen again.” It was the ambush clause which had threatened to derail the last edition in England after it emerged that the personal contracts of some Indian players were in direct conflict to the interests of the official sponsors.This time, ICC preempted the problem by rejecting venues like Delhi because of their existing in stadia contracts with other sponsors. Mani also said the world body was banking on India’s immense support base to ensure that the tournament turns out to be a huge success. “Asia, and particularly India, is an important partner of ICC. It is the largest cricket playing country. It was our intention to hold the Champions Trophy in India in 2002. AC Muthiah (former president of the Indian board) was very keen for it but because of the uncertainties involved in tax exemption, we had to defer it. I am thankful to the Indian government for reaching out and granting us exemption this time around.”The tax exemption was an important factor in determining the location for this event and the Indian government’s decision is a massive boost to the game of cricket all over the world.” Asked whether the ICC was considering changing the format of the Champions Trophy in view of criticism that it defied the original concept of being a short knock-out tournament, he said, ICC did not believe in setting hard and fast rules.Mani dismissed suggestions that the championship was ill-timed and that the dew factor would have a huge bearing given that all the matches would be day-night affairs. “The timing of this tournament is hugely significant for all participating teams. It is a chance for players in every side to secure their places, it will give teams the opportunity to test their strategies and look at potential World Cup rivals. It will also offer followers of the game an insight into how each team is progressing. We decided to have all matches as day-night affairs in order to have an element of consistency. I think the relevance of dew would be much less at that time of the year as compared to the period between January and March.”

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

An astonishing maiden double-hundred by Jason Gillespie, the first by a nightwatchman, and a strokeful 182 from Michael Hussey preceded a masterly spell from Shane Warne as Australia charged to a dominant position by the end of the fourth day at Chittagong. After declaring their innings 364 runs ahead, the Australians prised out four wickets as Bangladesh finished on 195 for 4, needing a further 189 to avert an innings defeat. In their stint with the bat, Bangladesh were led by their opener, Shahriar Nafees, who made an unbeaten 75, but apart from Habibul Bashar none of the other batsmen supported him as Warne took charge.The star of the day, though, was Gillespie. Resuming on 102, he shrugged off the circumspect approach he had adopted over the last couple of days and celebrated his 31st birthday in style, unfurling some superb shots. Mohammad Rafique was lofted and cut, Mortaza was pulled and Abdur Razzak hit quite audaciously on one knee for a six over the bowler’s head. A small pause of ten balls followed as Gillespie regained his energy, before he heaved Rafique to midwicket, nudged Rajin Saleh for a single to bring up his 150, and celebrated with a lusty hit over wide long-on.Ricky Ponting delayed the declaration to enable Gillespie to reach his double-century, and watched from the pavilion as Hussey and Gillespie destroyed the Bangladesh attack – 194 came in 35 overs in the first session. Bashar threw both spin and seam at the Australian duo but the ball repeatedly found the sweet spot of the bats. While Hussey creamed the seamers, Gillespie raided the spinners.Hussey marched to his fourth Test hundred with a cover-drive off Shahadat Hossain, celebrated the landmark with a cheeky reverse-sweep off Rafique, and then pulled and drove merrily. Mashrafee Mortaza bled three fours in an over as Hussey latched on to the short-pitched stuff. He pulled Hossain imperiously for a six before holing out, in pursuit of quick runs, to deep midwicket off Aftab Ahmed.Bangladesh began their second innings a daunting 384 in arrears, and started brightly before Warne showed why he is the best in the business. Varying the pace, trajectory and the length on a pitch which got increasingly slower, he hustled the batsmen to their demise. A well-set Bashar, who was dropped twice in the slips – by Warne and Hayden – was deceived by a peach of a delivery that drifted in, landed on leg and middle, gripped, turned, and clipped the outer edge on its way to first slip.

Rajin Saleh was the next to succumb to the Warne trap. He sent across a couple of looping legbreaks on either side of the wicket before whipping in a quicker one on the stumps which provoked a hurried forward prod and Ponting, at silly point, swallowed the chance. Warne then preyed on Ashraful’s patience to finally nail him. He floated a succession of legbreaks around the off stump before ripping one on leg and beat the intended paddle shot.One man who carried on unfazed was Nafees, sweeping his way to a plucky 75. Against the spinners, he went down on his knee repeatedly and peppered the arc between square leg and fine leg. Fifty runs, with six fours and 30 singles, came in that region as he repelled Warne and Stuart MacGill with the sweep shot as his chief weapon. When he didn’t sweep, he kept out the spinning deliveries with the forward prod and a dead bat. Warne was forced to switch to round the wicket to staunch the runs. Nafees also prospered against Dan Cullen, the offspinner, cutting him to distraction. His innings kept Australia on the field longer than they would have wanted.

How they were out

AustraliaMichael Hussey c Hossain b Aftab 182 (530 for 4)
BangladeshJaved Omar lbw b Brett Lee (25 for 1)
Habibul Bashar c Hayden b Warne 49 (127 for 2)
Rajin Saleh c Ponting b Warne 5 (137 for 3)
Mohammad Ashraful b Warne 29 (187 for 4)

Zimbabwe Cricket’s interim board, who were appointed for six months last January, have been granted a two-month extension to their tenure.The decision was made by the Sports & Recreation Commission, the government-back body who installed the interim board in the first place, after an application was made to them.”We have decided to extend their tenure realising their concerted effort to bring normalcy to the game,” Joseph Muchechetere, the SRC’s acting chief executive, told the Independent. “We emphasised that whatever measures they are taking, the whole process must be concluded by August 31.”Muchechetere said the SRC had agreed to keep the interim board in office to allow the union time to conclude their constitutional amendment exercise and the restructuring of provincial associations.However, the Independent pointed out that the move was immediately criticised by stakeholders, who said they will not recognise the board once the six-month period ends.

All matches in the upcoming tri-series featuring hosts Sri Lanka, South Africa and India will be played in Colombo, the BCCI confirmed today. The first two matches will be day/night fixtures at the R Premadasa Stadium while the next two will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club.Dambulla was originally scheduled to host the first four games, but in-fighting among the opposing parties in the upcoming Sri Lanka Cricket elections called for a change in venue. Mohan de Silva, the opposition candidate, said on Tuesday that Dambulla will be reinstated as a venue if he becomes president, but further changes in the itinerary have now been ruled out.Meanwhile, it was announced that the Indian team for the tri-series in Sri Lanka in August will be selected on July 20 in Mumbai. According to Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, captain Rahul Dravid will join the five selectors in picking the side and added that coach Greg Chappell will not be able to attend the meeting.Regarding Sachin Tendulkar’s availability, Shah said that the BCCI is awaiting a report from team physio John Gloster. “Gloster would be in Mumbai on Thursday and I will ask him to give a report,” Shah told . Tendulkar is currently in England playing for club side Lashings and hasn’t shown any discomfort after undergoing a shoulder surgery, scoring three hundreds.It was also announced that the BCCI working committee would meet in New Delhi on July 16.

India will play a tri-series against Australia and the West Indies in Singapore and Malaysia in September, ending weeks of speculation over the venue for the event.Originally, India had agreed to meet West Indies in USA and Canada, and then that was switched to Canada, and even that was subsequently scrapped when venues could not be cleared in time.The three teams will play each other twice before the top two meet in a final. The first three matches will take place in Singapore with the remaining four in Kuala Lumpur.While there are not likely to be any issues with the Australian and Indian boards, the West Indies Cricket Board has some outstanding matters to resolve with its players. They claim that they were not consulted before the WICB agreed to the matches, which is against the arrangement between the board and the West Indies Players’ Association.