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A round-up of the third day’s play of the second-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff12-Nov-2009Group A

Scorecard
Having ended shakily at 59 for 3 the previous day, Punjab were lifted by Vishwas Bhalla’s century – the fourth instance when a Punjab debutant reached three figures – against Hyderabad in Mohali. Bhalla was reprived on 12 when he popped a return catch to Abdul Khader, who failed to take it, and made Hyderabad pay dearly. He was in good touch, smashing twelve boundaries during his 240-ball stay, as the home team’s lead swelled past 300. Overnight batsman Pankaj Dharmani gave him good support, making 50.There was some cheer for Hyderabad with left-arm seamer Mohammed Khader taking a five-for. It will be interesting to see when Punjab declare on the fourth morning, in search of full points.
Scorecard
Crucial fifties from S Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik helped Tamil Nadu pick up first-innings points against Gujarat in Ahmedabad. Continuing from the previous day’s score of 198 for 2, M Vijay departed soon, five short of his hundred. That set the stage for Badrinath and Karthik, who put on 76 for the fourth wicket to give Tamil Nadu full control. Gujarat fought back with two wickets for one run, reducing Tamil Nadu to 325 for 6, but it was not enough as Karthik shepherded Tamil Nadu through to the end of the day, looking strong for a hundred.
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After the first two days were washed out, only 61 overs could be managed on the third at the Brabourne Stadium. Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer led the way with an unbeaten hundred against Orissa. Put in, the hosts were in early trouble losing openers Sahil Kukreja and Sushant Marathe with the score on 7. However, Jaffer ensured there were no more hiccups as he hit 13 fours during his 173-ball innings. Prashant Naik played the perfect foil with a watchful 67, as the two put on 175 for the third wicket, before Naik was dismissed just before stumps.
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Railways’ hopes of first-innings points received a setback after bad light truncated proceedings against Himachal Pradesh at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Only 45 overs could be squeezed in between a delayed start and the call for stumps as Himachal, resuming on 34 for no loss, finished on 125 for 2. Paras Dogra (35) and Vinit Indulkar (16) were the not-out batsmen, thwarting Railways after they had got Sangram Singh out for an even fifty. Even as Bhavin Thakkar fell early, the other overnight batsman Sangram and Dogra went about the job calmly. They negated the Railways spinners, adding 60 runs, before Indulkar joined Dogra to see them through the day’s play.Group B

Scorecard
Even though Shikhar Dhawan scored a second hundred in two matches, Delhi were left struggling to get enough runs on the board to try and reverse the first-innings result against Karnataka at the Roshanara Club Ground. At 255 for 9, with a second-innings lead of just 149, Delhi needed a stirring job from their bowlers. Resuming on 93 for 2, Delhi were powered by the 135-run partnership for the third wicket between Dhawan and Rajat Bhatia (64). Dhawan struck 13 fours en route to his century, but once he was run out there Sreenath Aravind and first-innings hero R Vinay Kumar gave Karnataka the upper hand with four and three wickets respectively.Sourav Ganguly’s stroke-filled 76 wasn’t enough for Bengal•AFP

Scorecard
A sparkling 76 from Sourav Ganguly – who completed a personal milestone of 15,000 first-class runs – was not enough as Bengal conceded first-innings points to Baroda at the Eden Gardens. Murtuja Vahora and Irfan Pathan shared seven wickets between them to wipe out the little advantage Bengal held overnight at 102 for 3, still 205 adrift.Ganguly was in fine nick, raising his half-century off 54 deliveries with ten fours. When he reached 40 his partner, Arindam Das, had yet to add to his overnight score of 52. Das’ dismissal for 61, adjudged lbw to Vahora even though he pointed to his bat for an inside edge, brought the captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla to the crease. He and Ganguly added 76 for the fifth wicket, leaving Bengal well placed to take the lead. Right-arm seamer Vahora, though, ended their hopes, picking up the last three wickets for 14 runs; Bengal slumped to 293 all out from 257 for 5. Baroda lost captain Connor Williams for 5 during their second innings as they looked to build on their lead of 14.

Scorecard
Four wickets apiece for RP Singh and Shalabh Srivastava helped Uttar Pradesh take a 128-run lead against Saurashtra in Rajkot. Resuming on 125 for 3, Shitanshu Kotak (75) and Pratik Mehta (69) set about strengthening Saurashtra, before RP and Shalabh sparked a collapse. Once the 131-run stand for the fourth-wicket ended, both UP bowlers struck at regular intervals to bowl out Saurashtra for 267. The last seven wickets fell for 77 runs, and the last five for 35. In their second piece, UP lost three wickets before first-innings centurions Shivakant Shukla and Parvinder Singh saw them through to stumps.

A summary of the third day’s play of the tenth round of games in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff11-Dec-2009

Group B

December 11, 2009 is a day Zulfiqar Babar will never forget. Having taken five Islamabad wickets on the second day, Babar carried on his march and recorded a ten-wicket haul at the Multan Cricket Ground. His stunning achievement outdid the previous individual bowling record for Multan, the 9 for 93 taken by Mushtaq Ahmed against Peshawar in 1990-91. In Pakistan’s overall best bowling performances in first-class cricket, Babar’s achievement ranks third behind Naeem Akhtar’s 10 for 28 for Rawalpindi Blues against Peshawar in 1995-96 and Shahid Mahmood’s 10 for 58 for Karachi Whites against Khairpur in 1969-70.Islamabad came into the third day on 229 for 5 and finished with 418, a total impossible without the efforts of Ashar Zaidi. As Babar applied remarkable pressure from one end, Zaidi took toll of the lack of menace from the other six bowlers and batted himself to an unbeaten 130 from 173 balls. Along the way he found assistance from Imad Wasim (28), his captain Rauf Akbar (39) and the No. 10 Fakhar Hussain (25). Babar was simply relentless, plugging away 39.4 overs – the next best was 19 overs from any bowler – for a record 10 for 143. It surpassed his previous best of 7 for 97, against Sialkot earlier this season, by some distance. Babar now has 66 first-class wickets this season at 15.43. In the 36 overs remaining, Multan reached 100 for 2.Five wickets from Sadaf Hussain allowed Rawalpindi claim an 11-run lead over Abbottabad, and an unbeaten half-century from the opener Naved Malik extended that to 90 by stumps on the third day in Islamabad. Abbottabad had made a poor start to their first innings on the second evening, and Sadaf ensured they would struggle today. Partnerships were the key to trying an attaining a lead but Abbottabad struggled to find any; they owed much to Khalid Usman’s unbeaten 52 down the order. Junaid Khan took the new ball and nipped out two quick wickets but Malik’s brisk innings carried Rawalpindi to 79 for 3, setting up an intriguing final day.Lahore Ravi set themselves a target of 229 on the final day after dismissing Peshawar for 199 in Lahore. Peshawar’s bowlers kept the pressure on Lahore Ravi and didn’t allow any large partnerships to form, but by the 82 runs that the last five wickets managed proved crucial. Peshawar’s aim was to set up a formidable total but that was put back by the efforts of the medium-pacer Mohammad Irshad, who with six wickets sliced down the top and middle order. From 100 for 1, Peshawar slumped to 105 six. That stunning capitulation, after the opener Adil Amin hit 60 from 55 balls, was followed by Azam Jan (54) attempting to get a recovery going. It never quite happened, and a wicket just before stumps brought a close to the innings.Forced to follow-on as the third day began at the Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad did better than their first innings and batted to 291 for 7 by stumps. A deficit of 283 was negated and a lead of eight was achieved, but Sialkot were eying a win on the final day. There was only one half-century in the innings, that of Sharjeel Khan (60), and that told for Hyderabad. Eight bowlers were used to try and wrap up the win on day three, but only Faisal Rasheed with 4 for 61 made much impact.Centuries from Ali Asad and Khalid Latif – in fine form – ensured Karachi Blues remained utterly dominant at the National Stadium against Quetta. Karachi resumed the day wit a lead of 234 and were carried by Asad and Latif’s 225-run stand for the third wicket. A declaration at 324 for 3 left Quetta needing a monumental 495 to win and they closed on 93 for 2.

Group A

Zohaib Shera’s hat-trick in National Bank of Pakistan’s second innings continued Karachi Whites’ dominance on the third day in Karachi. The day began with Afsar Nawaz batting on to an unbeaten 121 and Babar Rehman falling two short of his century as Karachi Whites finished on a massive 486. Then came a manic burst with the new ball from Shera who, after Babar Rehman snared an early wicket, rocked NBP with the wickets of Nasir Jamshed, Imran Javed and Naumanullah with the score on 9. From the depths of 9 for 4, NBP were resuscitated back into a semblance of respectability thanks to an unbeaten 178-ball 70 from Mansoor Amjad and 49 from Amin-ur-Rehman. At stumps NBP were 184 for 8, with Karachi Whites two wickets from their third victory.Pakistan Customs eked out a 25-run lead over Water and Power Development Authority on day three in Islamabad, thereby negating the pressure of defeat and setting up what seems a draw on the final day. A 253-run stand between Bilal Khilji (150) and Ali Azmat (128*) allowed WAPDA declare at 391 for 6, a lead of 271, and press for a win. However, Customs did not fold as meekly as they had in their first innings. The openers Jibran Khan (61 from 63 balls) and Zeeshan Ali (68) put on 83, after which Hassan Adnan scored an unbeaten 53 to ease the nerves before stumps.Azhar Ali’s unbeaten 153 was the story of the day in Rawalpindi. From an overnight 75 he batted on to an 11th first-class century and got Khan Research Laboratories to 352 for 5 declared, a lead of 215. Following that, Sui Southern Gas Corporation made it to 96 for 2 in 28.1 overs before stumps. Still 119 runs adrift of safety, SSGC face a day of hard work.Zohaib Khan, the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited opener, batted the entire third day at the Jinnah Stadium. From an overnight, he stonewalled his way to 98 not out in the 79 overs of play and at stumps ZTBL were 241 for 8; 203 runs had been added to the total. The captain Imran Nazir walked out with Zohaib in the morning and was the first wicket to fall, after hitting 73 from 77 balls with five fours and four sixes. That was as quick as the scoring got, and the next highest score after Zohaib’s was 16 from 74 balls from Shakeel Ansar. ZTBL lead by nine with a day to play.Pakistan International Airlines secured a first-innings lead of 126 over Lahore Shalimar, scoring 303, and by the time stumps rolled around at the Gaddafi Stadium that had slipped to 50. Kamran Sajid (57) and Shehzar Mohammad (70) did most of the scoring for PIA as young fast bowler Mohammad Naved snared five wickets. No large stands were formed by Lahore Shalimar’s batsmen and they finished the day on 76 for 3.

Chris Gayle believes the umpire review system is still too complicated and is especially tough to use on caught-behind decisions

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA20-Dec-2009Chris Gayle believes the umpire review system is still too complicated and is especially tough to use on caught-behind decisions after a failed West Indies challenge confirmed their 35-run defeat at the hands of Australia. The final wicket fell when Kemar Roach was given out to an edge off Doug Bollinger and the batsman asked for a review of Billy Bowden’s call.It led to strange climax for the Test, as the Australians were standing around thinking they had won, while Roach and his partner Gavin Tonge waited to see if they could bat on. Although there was no mark on Hot Spot, the replays did not conclusively prove that the ball had not hit the bat and the third umpire Asad Rauf upheld Bowden’s decision.”It seems like it will be a difficult one when it comes to caught-behind,” Gayle said. “It looked difficult on telly when they do get an edge, so it’s a tough call.”It’s still complicated, it’s always going to be their call, they can refer all they want but at the end of the day it’s the third umpire who has the final call, so it’s very complicated. Based on what you saw on the telly, you can share your views.”Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting conceded that marginal caught-behinds were not the blatant howlers that the system was introduced to eradicate, but he said in the same situation his players would have also asked for a review. Ponting was happy with the way the final decision was handled.”They’ve got two up their sleeve, they’re nine wickets down, and they need 30-odd to win, and it was a really faint edge,” Ponting said. “Anyone would’ve used it in that situation.”If you look back to Adelaide there were probably a couple similar to that that might’ve snuck through. You can’t blame the batsman for doing it. I think that was a really good decision by the on-field umpire and I think it was handled really well back in here as far as the third umpire side of things went as well. I believe nothing showed up on Hot Spot. That’s really good umpiring as far as I’m concerned.”

A trans-Tasman contest that promised plenty of action ended in a one-sided squib, with Australia knocking aside New Zealand to qualify for the semi-finals

Cricinfo staff24-Jan-2010
ScorecardJason Floros’ two early wickets set in motion Australia’s comfortable defence of 232•Getty Images

A trans-Tasman contest that promised plenty of action ended in a one-sided squib, with Australia knocking aside New Zealand to qualify for the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup. Their batsmen faced a tough task in putting up 232, but their bowlers had few hassles in dismissing New Zealand for 170 in 43.2 overs at the Mainpower Oval in Rangiora.Mitchell Marsh, after opting to bat, found himself in at the crease in the third over after Tim Beaton fell cheaply. With Nic Maddinson timing the ball nicely, Marsh was able to ease into his shots and the pair ticked off a half-century stand at nearly five-and-a-half runs an over. Then Maddinson fell to Logan van Beek for a 45-ball 39, and Marsh was forced to assess the situation. Shortly after crossing his half-century, Marsh was run out and Jason Floros suffered the same fate not too long after, with Harry Boam finding his mark on both occasions.From here New Zealand’s attack, in particular the offspinner Tim Johnston, slowed down the runs. Alex Keath (32) and Tim Armstrong (39) stepped into consolidation mode, and the wicketkeeper Tom Triffitt chipped in with 23 from 30 balls. Superbly, New Zealand only allowed Australia eight runs in the last three overs.Unfortunately for the home side, their could not replicate such accuracy with the bat. As gloomy clouds hovered over the ground the skies darkened and a light shower passed, but no play was lost. Marsh, conscious of the Duckworth-Lewis par score for the first 20 overs, which are required to get a result, turned to his slow bowlers and it worked a charm.Floros send back Boam for 6 with his first ball and Jimmy Neesham for 13 in a five-over spell, while Josh Hazlewood struck twice to leave New Zealand hurting at 90 for 6. With the dismissal of the captain Craig Cachopa for 34 at 130 for 7, to the slow left-arm spin of the impressive Luke Doran (2 for 36), New Zealand’s hopes faded further and the end came in the 43rd over when Nick Buchanan picked up his second wicket.Marsh, the Man of the Match, said later: “It’s obviously a great feeling for us to get the win today; we bowled really well and we had a little bit of luck with the weather staying away and we’re now looking forward to playing Sri Lanka on Wednesday.”It was awesome to play in front of a crowd like that out there today. I think it was the first time some of our boys have played in front of a crowd like that. Hopefully we can get a crowd like that for the semi final and then again if we can make the final.”Australia will now meet Sri Lanka, who crushed South Africa in the other quarter-final, on Wednesday.

Tournament favourites Ireland have marched through to the World Twenty20 after thumping Netherlands by 65 runs

Sahil Dutta13-Feb-2010
ScorecardAlex Cusack won his second successive man-of-the-match award as he led Ireland to the World Twenty20•International Cricket Council

Tournament favourites Ireland have marched through to the World Twenty20 after thumping Netherlands by 65 runs. Alex Cusack and George Dockrell led the rout, with 17-year-old Dockrell finishing with 4 for 20 after Cusack dominated Ireland’s innings with a 44-ball 65. It means no place for Netherlands at the 2010 World Twenty20, a year after they kicked off the 2009 tournament in memorable style by beating hosts England at Lord’s.Following defeat to Afghanistan in their opening fixture of the tournament Ireland captain William Porterfield outlined simply that Ireland “had to win every game from here”, and his side have done exactly that. They arrived at the ground today knowing victory would secure the berth in the Caribbean but faced a Netherland’s team which had come off the back of a clinical victory over Afghanistan in the Super Fours.What should have been a tense match up was barely a contest as, in front of a crowd still glowing after Afghanistan’s earlier defeat of UAE, the Irish batsmen swatted their way merrily to 151 before their bowlers strangled any hopes Netherlands had of a run chase.Porterfield once again won the toss, and had no hesitancy on batting first on a wearing, tiring surface. Throughout the tournament Porterfield has looked in good touch, without really going on, and today was no exception. After swatting his second ball for four he was out in the second over, trying to clear midwicket with a clip off his legs. It brought Cusack to the wicket and together with Niall O’Brien, the pair set the tone for the rest of the match. Cusack dominated the 49-run stand, punishing the short stuff from the pacemen and going after Pieter Seelaar’s left-arm spin. O’Brien fell, smacking Mohammad Kashif straight to short cover for 11 and he was followed by Trent Johnston an over later.With 65 on the board at the half-way stage, Netherlands had an opportunity to squeeze the Irish middle order. However, Cusack continued to control the game, smiting Seelaar for two more massive sixes straight down the ground. He brought up his fifty from 31 balls and looked set for plenty more until Daan van Bunge intervened with a stunning one-handed catch running backwards from a mistimed cover drive.Kevin O’Brien fell three balls later for a duck, top-edging an attempted pull shot back to Mark Jonkman but the two wickets in the over proved a false dawn for Netherlands. Gary Wilson, who played so well in the win over UAE yesterday, clubbed four boundaries in his 29 before John Mooney and Andrew White helped lift Ireland to an imposing 151.On a sluggish surface it was always going to be a difficult chase for Netherlands, and when they Peter Connell took two wickets in his first over it looked nearly impossible. Baz Zuiderent and Eric Szwarczynski tried to recover, adding 39 before they were both dismissed in the eighth over. Johnston has proved time and again how effective his nagging medium pacers can be, and he first trapped Zuiderent in front before deceiving Szwarczynski with an excellent slower ball and bowling him off an inside edge.It opened the floodgates for Dockrell to burst through. He proved decisive in yesterday’s victory over UAE, claiming a crucial lbw and, buoyed by that performance, was excellent today. Mixing up his pace and flight nicely he claimed his best figures and ran through Netherlands’ lower order. van Bunge, who has been in good touch through the tournament, was deceived by a flatter quicker ball as he advanced down the track, and Niall O’Brien whipped off the bails in a flash to give the spinner the first of his four wickets.It means Ireland and Afghanistan face each other in a largely academic final, given that both sides have already qualified for the main event, which starts in May.

Cricinfo presents the plays of the day from day five of the second Test between India and South Africa in Kolkata

N Hunter18-Feb-2010Amla prospers in silence
Eden Gardens had not even started to fill in when Virender Sehwag bowled the day’s first ball. So when Hashim Amla raised his bat, having taken a single to reach his half-century, barring a few isolated claps, no one seemed interested in acknowledging his efforts.Mishra needs a Ranadeb Bose pillRanadeb Bose, Bengal’s medium-fast bowler, has never bowled a front-foot no-ball in his entire first-class career. Perhaps, Amit Mishra needs to pay Bose a visit, now that he is in Kolkata. The legspinner over-stepped the line on 13 occasions in this Test to carry his series tally to 18.Dhoni’s left theory
When in Bengal think ‘Left’. With Amla well set MS Dhoni opted for a bizarre leg-side field comprising a backward square leg, square leg, midwicket and a mid-on along with the short leg for a couple of early Harbhajan Singh overs. Not sure what exactly the Indian captain had on his mind, but to the normal eye it seemed pure left theory.Boucher, the cutman
Each time there was a drinks break or the batsman signalled the dressing room for any sort of assistance, Mark Boucher rushed to the middle to inject a fresh dose of motivation and inspiration in equal proportions to Amla. Just like a cutman in a boxing ring, Boucher had towels, wet and dry, across his shoulders with a water bottle at hand as he lent the exhausted Amla a shoulder, whispering words of wisdom into his team-mate’s ears. It did help Amla who played a gallant knock and held his head high despite the lows.Harris distracts himself
The needle had already been established in the first innings after Ishant Sharma had seen off Paul Harris with a , having forced the South African to nick. Today, as Amla pushed the game into the final session the Indians grew desperate and an equally anxious Harris decided to play with their nerves. As Ishant charged in to bowl and was about to take the leap before delivering the ball, Harris moved back out of the crease, waving towards the sight an irritant behind the sightscreen.Viru’s foul play
With the game entering the final five overs, the Indian desperation reached levels where players were willing to cross the line. Amla cut Sachin Tendulkar to the point boundary, but the ball stopped a few inches inside the ropes, but Virender Sehwag tapped it with his foot, which was, picked up by the TV cameras and India were penalised five runs.

Wasim Akram has slammed the PCB’s decision to ban four of its players, saying it had made Pakistan cricket a “laughing stock in the world”

Cricinfo staff11-Mar-2010Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has slammed the PCB’s decision to ban four of its players , saying it had made Pakistan cricket a “laughing stock in the world”, and recommended heavy fines instead. Akram was part of the inquiry committee that investigated Pakistan’s disastrous tour of Australia, whose findings led to the PCB’s decision, but he did not attend any of the meetings due to personal reasons.”These penalties have made Pakistan cricket a laughing stock in the world,” Akram told AFP. “You don’t ban players for such problems. Had I attended any meeting or given recommendations I would have suggested fines, but not bans.”The Pakistan board banned Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf from playing for Pakistan in any format for an indefinite period, while handing out one-year bans to Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined Rs2-3 million [$24,000-35,000] for various misdemeanours and put on six-month probations.Akram said Younis and Yousuf were valuable to the team in both Tests and ODIs and their unavailability for selection would damage the 2011 World Cup campaign. “What I suggest to PCB is to stick with heavy fines, but don’t implement the bans because we still need Yousuf and Younis in Tests and one-day cricket. With the World Cup in 2011 so close, this decision will hurt our team badly.”The bans were handed down by an inquiry committee comprising former players Wasim Bari, Zakir Khan and Yawar Saeed, besides Wazir Ali Khoja, a member of the PCB governing council, and Taffazul Rizvi, the board’s legal advisor. The committee looked into reports from former coach Intikhab Alam, manager Abdul Raqeeb and newly appointed coach Waqar Younis, who was the bowling consultant during the Australia tour.Akram, however, said that this was not how disciplinary problems should be resolved and that it was the duty of the team management to deal with them. “Pakistan cricket is in turmoil,” Akram said. “We are anyway not playing [international] cricket [at home] for security reasons and this will further embarrass our players. No board in the world deprives cricketers of their livelihood. If there were discipline problems, it was the duty of the captain Yousuf, coach Intikhab Alam and manager Abdul Raqeeb to deal with them.”I have been hearing since last year that Malik has been a disruptive influence. If that is so, why was he kept in the team? Pakistan has already been weakened by various problems and this will further hit it badly. We can’t even find 11 good players because of lack of talent in the country.”

Part-time offspinner Chris Nash claimed career-best figures to help Sussex secure an opening County Championship win over Glamorgan by 201 runs on the final day in Cardiff

12-Apr-2010

ScorecardPart-time offspinner Chris Nash claimed career-best figures to help Sussex secure an opening County Championship win over Glamorgan by 201 runs on the final day in Cardiff.With Glamorgan offering some stubborn resistance from Ben Wright (57) and James Allenby (62), Nash was brought into the attack and suddenly hastened the Welsh county’s demise. He took two wickets from his first three balls and ended with figures of 4 for 12 from 9.3 overs. Sussex, who took 21 points from the contest to Glamorgan’s three, wrapped up victory 35 minutes before tea with 39 overs remaining.Glamorgan had resumed on 51 for 1 in their second innings, chasing an improbable 405 to win, and it took until only the seventh over for Corey Collymore to break through and have Michael Powell lbw. And 61 for 4 became 65 for 5 three overs later when nightwatchman Dean Cosker also went lbw – the 14th such dismissal in the match – to Luke Wright.But Sussex’s march to victory was held up for 30 overs either side of lunch as Wright and Allenby put up some impressive resistance. The sixth wicket added 113 runs with Wright reaching a positive half-century from 73 balls on the stroke of lunch.And with skipper Michael Yardy unable to get the breakthrough from his frontline attack, he turned to Nash. It proved to be an inspired bowling change as Nash broke the sixth-wicket pair immediately. First he had Wright caught at slip after the ball had deflected off the wicketkeeper’s gloves, and two balls later Mark Wallace chopped onto his stumps as Glamorgan went from 178 for 5 to 178 for 7.Amid the carnage Allenby survived at the other end to follow Wright to a half-century, which included eight fours, from 92 balls. But Allenby was again a helpless witness as Nash struck in his seventh over to have James Harris caught behind, before he himself fell victim to Monty Panesar who had him snaffled at short leg. Nash wrapped up the victory in the 84th over by having Chris Ashling caught behind.

These are the ten references Lalit Modi made to the show cause notice (slapped by the board on him on April 26), and for which he has requested documentary proof from the BCCI that would enable him to shore up his defence

Cricinfo staff11-May-2010Lalit Modi has requested the BCCI for documentary proof relating to the charges levelled against him•AFP

Lalit Modi: Page 1, Para 2- I have been charged that IPL
contracts have been executed by me without the authority of the
governing council, but no copies of the agreements have been provided.N Srinivasan: Page 1, para 2A reading of the show cause notice
would establish that the Governing Council of the IPL authorized the
signing of an agreement with the successful franchise ‘Emerging Media
(IPL) Limited’ and not ‘Jaipur IPL Cricket (Pvt) Limited’. This is
clear from page 5 of the show cause notice. Similarly, the agreements
and cancellation documents referred from para 3 till para 8 on pages
17, 18 and 19 of the show cause notice were without approval of the
Governing Council. This fact is mentioned in para 9 of the show cause
notice at page 20.Modi: Page 1, Para 3- I have been charged with tarnishing BCCI’s
image through my statements in the media and alleged misdeeds, but
it’s not substantiated with proof.Srinivasan: These communications received by the BCCI President
from Senior officers, Committee members and others expressing their
concern about tarnishing the image of the BCCI and the game of cricket
were all oral communications. I am sure that even you would have been
concerned at the adverse image suffered by the BCCI and the game of
cricket on account of the media reports which had appeared at the time
of issuance of the show cause notice.Modi: Page 2 Para 2- If any written record of consultation
exists, please provide me with the same.Srinivasan: The consultation referred to in the paragraph with
the BCCI President was oral. There is no written record of the
consultation.Modi: Page 2, Para 1- The show cause states I have proxy stake
in 3 IPL franchisees, but there are no copies of such reports.Srinivasan The reports which suggest that you have proxy stakes
in the three franchisees of the IPL had all appeared in the media,
particularly in the electronic media. I am sure you have also seen
such reports. The BCCI does not maintain a record of these media
reports.Modi: Page 5 Para 4- your notice refers to the ‘register of
members of Jaipur IPL cricket Pvt Ltd. Please supply me with a copy of the
same.Srinivasan: The Register of members of the Jaipur IPL Pvt.
Limited will be supplied.Modi: Page 6 Para 5- you stated that details have been gathered
from documents apparently submitted by the Franchisee subsequent to
the agreement. Kindly provide me with copies of such document.Srinivasan: Details which have been gathered from documents
submitted by the franchise subsequent to the agreement will be
supplied.Modi: Page 11- Show cause states that subtle messages were sent
to corporate entities that they were unwelcome to bid. But no names or
copies of messages have been provided.Srinivasan: It was brought to the notice of the BCCI by a
reliable source that such messages were given to him. Since this
communication was privileged and confidential, the name of the person
is being held up. This information was provided orally.Modi: Page 15- It has been stated the Kochi contract had to be
signed under a directive of the BCCI president. But, no copies of the
written directive exist.Srinivasan: President BCCI on hearing that there was a delay in
executing the contract with the Kochi franchise, orally informed you,
Ms. Akhila Kaushik and Shri Sundar Raman that this was completely
unfair and he wanted the contract to be signed and executed forthwith.
This communication was given to you orally on telephone.Modi: Page 27- You have stated that MOU with LCM dealt with
rights already committed to Nimbus with who BCCI has an ongoing
contract. Provide me the agreement between BCCI-Nimbus.Srinivasan: The copy of the agreement between Nimbus and BCCI
will be supplied.Modi: Page 27, Para 2- you have referred to objection raised by
Nimbus, supple (sic) me with copy of the same and the BCCI reply.Srinivasan: Copies of the letter written by Nimbus will be supplied.

Australia’s domestic Big Bash tournament will grow by nearly two weeks next summer, with the tournament set to stretch from late December to early February

Cricinfo staff27-May-2010Australia’s domestic Big Bash tournament will grow by nearly two weeks next summer, with the tournament set to stretch from late December to early February. In what is likely to be the last domestic Twenty20 tournament in its current format, the fixture has been expanded to 20 matches to ensure each team plays three home and three away games.However, it is expected that this will be the final season during which the traditional state sides will compete in the Twenty20 competition. Cricket Australia is planning an eight-team tournament featuring city-based sides for its Twenty20 competition from 2011-12, with two new teams expected to come from growth areas in New South Wales, Victoria or Queensland.The 2010-11 season will kick off at the WACA on December 30 when Western Australia host Tasmania and it will culminate in a preliminary final on February 1 and the decider on Saturday February 5. Once again there are two spots at the Champions League up for grabs, after Victoria and South Australia qualified for the 2010 event by reaching last summer’s final.The popularity of the Big Bash spiked during 2009-10, when the states were encouraged to sign up to two international stars. Chris Gayle is returning for another season with Western Australia next summer and will be joined by his West Indies team-mate Kemar Roach, while their colleague Dwayne Bravo is again set to play for Victoria.Kieron Pollard’s successful stint with South Australia has earned him another deal with the Redbacks, Tasmania have signed Rana Naved-ul-Hasan for the second year in a row, and Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan will play for New South Wales. Specialist short-format players from England are likely to be targeted this summer with the end of the Ashes expected to overlap with the first few rounds of the Big Bash.”We couldn’t have asked for any more from last year’s competition,” James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive said. “The evenness and quality of matches, as well as the performances of the Australian and international players, were major reasons so many people watched it at grounds or at home on television.”Click here to view the full fixture.