Stuart Law overshadowed another dismal batting display by Nasser Hussain as Essex took control of their County Championship Division One match at Kidderminster against Worcestershire.The Australian right-hander struck a superb 189 after the England captain, struggling for form this season, made just 10.Essex finished the day on 461 for 9 from 114 overs in reply to Worcestershire’s 302.Hussain, nine not out overnight, added just a single to fine leg before he pushed forward to a Kabir Ali delivery which he edged to wicketkeeper Steve Rhodes.With Hussain’s departure came the arrival of the rampant Law. He and Paul Prichard, who was 10 not out overnight, added a solid partnership of 166 in 37 overs.The partnership was ended when 19 year-old paceman Kabir tempted Prichard into playing a loose drive, the batsman being caught at backward point by David Leatherdale.Prichard, who dislocated his left thumb while fielding a shot from Worcestershire centurion Paul Pollard, made 74 from 171 balls (nine fours, two sixes).Despite the departure of Prichard and Ronnie Irani, who was removed by paceman Stuart Lampitt for 14, Law continued in to his fourth championship hundred of the season, the 100 coming from 136 deliveries with 17 fours.It was his 25th first-class hundred for Essex and the 47th of his career. It was also his second ton of the season against Worcestershire, having smashed 133 not out against them at Chelmsford last month.Law did inject a few scares into the Essex camp before reaching his ton. A couple of shots wentclose to Graeme Hick in the slips.Nevertheless, once into three figures he continued to hog centre stage.In tandem with Stephen Peters (67), Law added 185 in 41 overs – an Essex fifth-wicket record against Worcestershire. Peters eventually played on to left-armer seamer Alamgir Sheriyar after having made his best score of the season.Sheriyar made it two in the over by bringing Law’s magnificent innings to an end, with the assistance of an excellent one-handed catch by Vikram Solanki low down at cover. Law’s 189 included 30 fours off 243 deliveries in 338 minutes.After that Essex steadily began to subside, but 76 extras helped their account nicely.Kabir Ali, with 4/114, was Worcestershire’s best bowler.

Tasmanian opener Jamie Cox again served the national selectors with a reminder of his very considerable talents by registering twin centuries in a match for the fourth time in his first-class career today. Cox’s unbeaten 128 was the clear highlight of an otherwise largely forgettable final day of the tame Pura Cup draw between his team and New South Wales at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.Before the almost-inevitable result was delivered a little earlier than expected by virtue of a late afternoon thunderstorm, Cox’s batting carried an injury-depleted Tasmania to safety. The Tigers had gone into the final day needing to hold their nerve against a New South Wales attack in search of early wickets, and did so admirably. Assisted in no small measure by Michael DiVenuto (86) and Daniel Marsh (60*), it was Cox who offered the largest share of defiance in scoring the first pair of centuries in a match for Tasmania since he achieved the feat against the Blues in Sydney four years ago. This was the third time, in fact, that he has plundered two centuries in a match against New South Wales – the first having come in Hobart in 1989-90. He has also complemented this list with a similar performance for Somerset against Hampshire during the 1999 English county season. As is the Tasmanian captain’s trademark, this one was a correct and elegant innings, littered with a range of sparkling drives on both sides of the wicket and flashing cuts through and behind point.For all of their opener’s domination, though, the Tasmanians were well tested throughout the day by the leg spin of Stuart MacGill. MacGill (2/85) was by far the best of the Blues’ bowlers today, and was unlucky not to finish with better figures. Indeed, if Don Nash had not dropped the simplest of catches at mid on in the second over of the day as DiVenuto (then on 46) took a wild swipe at a well flighted ball, the situation could have been vastly different.Nash (1/54) eventually exacted a small measure of revenge when he had DiVenuto caught down the leg side to bring a 195-run partnership to its conclusion four minutes before lunch. The New South Welshmen also enjoyed another great moment when MacGill forced Ricky Ponting (3) to edge the very first delivery after the break back into his stumps. Following those dismissals, though, the Tasmanians were rarely in trouble on their way to a score of 3/315 by the time that the heavens opened at 3:26pm.Following their first innings victory yesterday, the Blues finish the match in second position on the Pura Cup table with eight points from their two matches. The Tasmanians assume third spot with two points. The teams will resume hostilities when they meet, weather permitting, in a Mercantile Mutual Cup encounter tomorrow.

Albion and Green Island will meet in the Otago/Southland club knockout final in Dunedin this weekend.The match could well double as another trial for State Otago Volts coach Glenn Turner with no fewer than seven of the province’s representative squads involved.Albion looks the slightly stronger combination with the McCullum brothers, Nathan and Brendon, in action alongside Evan Marshall and New Zealand Under-19 squad member Jordan Sheed. veteran, Kevin Galliven, who first played senior cricket in 1978, will lead the side.However, Green Island can also boast high profile players in the form of Chris Gaffaney, Craig Cumming and Bradley Scott. The vastly experienced former Otago wicket-keeper/batsman Shane Robinson is also named.A number of the Green Island players were involved when the club took back-to-back national titles in 1998/99 and 1999/00.The winner of Sunday’s match, which will be played at the University Oval, will contest the national club championship in Auckland next Easter.The teams are:Albion: Kevin Galliven (captain), Jordan Sheed, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Paul Kennedy, Damian Petre, Brendon Hunt, Nathan King, Jonathan Homer, Paul Adams, Evan Marshall.Green Island: Hayden Finch (captain), Shane Robinson, Mike Hawken, Chris Gaffaney, Craig Cumming, Bradley Scott, Jeremy Scott, Ian Mandry, Jeff Simmonds, Andy Harris, Mark Joyce, Dion Lobb, Regan Finch.

Sri Lanka have picked five uncapped players – fast bowler Binura Fernando, legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay and batsmen Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, and Dhananjaya de Silva – in their Twenty20 squad for the forthcoming two-match series against Pakistan.Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne have not been included while fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara, who was left out for the ongoing ODI series, has been picked. Chamara Kapugedera, who last played a T20 international in June 2012, has also been included in the squad.”We need to get the younger brigade in the stream, so we have a gradual transition leading up to the next World T20 and the 50-over World Cup beyond that,” chief selector Kapila Wijegunawardene said. “We need to put them on the ground and see how they perform.”Fernando, 20, has been a leading cricketer for DS Senanayake College. Though he has played only seven first-class matches, he has been touted as a promising fast bowler, thanks largely to the pace he generates from his six-and-a-half foot frame. Vandersay also has limited domestic experience, but most recently took 8 wickets for 167 in a three-day warm-up match against the Pakistanis, in June.De Silva and Jayasuriya, both 23, are aggressive opening batsmen who also deliver off spin. Jayasuriya played the the three-match unofficial ODI series against Pakistan A in May, with mixed results. He has, however, been a top performer for Colts Cricket Club. De Silva played in the four-day leg of that tour, and took three wickets and hit 154 runs across five innings. He plays for Ports Authority Cricket Club. Shanaka is not so well-known in the domestic circuit, but Wijegunawardene said the 23-year-old had been picked for his “ability to clear the ropes at will, which is a skill displayed at recent practice matches.”Kapugedara was also recalled thanks to his boundary-hitting capability, but also to lend a touch of experience to the side, Wijegunawardene said. “With all these youngsters coming into the team we also need to balance the team with experience. Kapugedara has not been in the team for a while, but we know he can do that, and we’ve picked him on that basis.” Kapugedara, 28, has played in 21 T20 internationals and 92 ODIs for Sri Lanka.Wijegunawardene also said the omissions of Chandimal and Thirimanne does not put them out of the running to play in next year’s World T20. “Chandimal and Thirimanne needed to prepare for the upcoming India Test series which is a very important one. Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal we are also saving for the Tests. We’re trying to manage all their workloads because we have a very busy calendar till July next year.” Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera remains unavailable through injury.Both T20 matches will be played at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, on July 30 and August 1. Sri Lanka remain the top-ranked T20 side in the world – a ranking they have more-or-less held consistently since September 2012.Sri Lanka squad: Lasith Malinga (Capt), TM Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Kithruwan Vithanage, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Chamara Kapugedera, Shehan Jayasuriya, Thisara Perera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Kulasekara, Binura Fernando, Chaturanga de Silva, Milinda Siriwardene

Jagmohan Dalmiya, the BCCI president, died on Sunday night at the BM Birla hospital in Kolkata, where he had been admitted after suffering a heart attack on Thursday. He was 75 and had faced concerns around his health since starting his second term as president in March.Dalmiya had been admitted to hospital after complaining of chest pain on Thursday and had to have an angiography. He was reported to be stable but remained in critical care for the next two days. The hospital statement said his condition had become unstable on Sunday morning and he died at 8.45 pm. Dalmiya’s body will be taken to the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) headquarters at Eden Gardens on Monday afternoon for the public to pay their respects.A long-serving cricket administrator, Dalmiya had since 1979 worked his way from the CAB to president of the ICC and twice headed the BCCI. He is widely credited with being one of two BCCI officials responsible for India’s emergence as world cricket’s financial powerhouse and the tributes pouring in from across the globe bore witness to the breadth of his relationships.”As a visionary and a father figure of Indian cricket, Mr. Dalmiya worked towards the development of the game of cricket in India. The cricketing fraternity will miss him dearly,” said BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur. “Mr. Dalmiya played a significant part in positioning Indian cricket at the global level and the astute administrator in him, guided Indian cricket to greater heights. His untiring efforts will be remembered for generations to come and his contribution to Indian cricket will remain unparalleled.”He had initially made a name in the construction business, which he took over from his father at the age of 19, and joined the BCCI in 1979. Along with the then BCCI president NKP Salve and IS Bindra, Dalmiya was the force behind bringing the World Cup to India and Pakistan in 1987, the first time the tournament was staged outside England. It was during Dalmiya and Bindra’s tenures in the BCCI that the television rights for matches played in India were first sold to private television channels.After the successful conduct of the 1996 World Cup, Dalmiya was elected ICC president in 1997 and served in the role until 2000, after which he was elected BCCI president for the first time in 2001. In an acrimonious BCCI election in 2004, Dalmiya’s casting vote helped his candidate Ranbir Singh Mahendra get elected as president; but a year later, Dalmiya was beaten in a BCCI election for the first time in over two decades, by Sharad Pawar. His opponents at the time went after him – Dalmiya was banned from BCCI meetings, and an FIR was filed against him – but Dalmiya bounced back to win the CAB presidential elections in July 2006.Five months later the BCCI expelled him on charges of embezzling funds from the 1996 World Cup and he was forced to step down as CAB chief. After a long legal battle, he was allowed to contest the CAB elections again and he won the presidency in 2008. For the next five years, Dalmiya stayed in charge at the CAB but his influence was diminished at the BCCI level. In 2013, however, when N Srinivasan stepped aside temporarily from discharging his duties as BCCI president, the board turned to Dalmiya to run its affairs in the interim.With the influence of Srinivasan waning because of the corruption and spot-fixing scandals in the IPL under his watch and the board mired in legal trouble, Dalmiya was unanimously elected the BCCI president for a second term in March 2015. His health was already a concern by that time, though, and he had to be assisted at several board meetings. The last BCCI meeting Dalmiya attended was a working committee meeting in Kolkata on August 28, which he adjourned sine die because of confusion over whether Srinivasan was eligible to attend.

Match facts

September 5, 2015
Start time 10.30am local (0930GMT)1:11

England look to restore parity

Big Picture

So often it seems that Australia lose an Ashes series in England and then win the one-dayers that follow. Perhaps they feel the need to prove themselves after such a defeat, perhaps England take their foot off the gas, or perhaps Australia are simply a better ODI side.Whatever the case, Australia’s Ashes disappointments in 2009 and 2013 were followed by victories in the ODI series. In 2005, they also beat England in the one-dayers, though they came before the Ashes loss. And they have started this series in the same vein, with a big win in the first ODI in Southampton to follow on from their Ashes defeat. It is, of course, no consolation, but Steven Smith and his men will nevertheless hope to retain that winning feeling at Lord’s.At the Ageas Bowl, Australia’s strong top-order batting set them on the path to victory, although it took some late hitting from Matthew Wade and Mitchell Marsh to really push the target up into challenging territory after a collapse. All the same, their 305 for 6 was the kind of score that England could have overhauled, especially when they reached 152 for 2 in the 27th over.But Australia’s impressive fast-bowling unit put the brakes on, and showed that despite some personnel changes since the World Cup triumph in March, they remain an imposing one-day unit. If they can make it 2-0 on Saturday, it’s a long way back for England.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LWWLL
Australia WWWWW

In the spotlight

Four wickets was a fine return for Adil Rashid in Southampton, even if two did come off full tosses. His legspin had the Australians guessing and given their struggles against quality slow bowling in the past, he could be a key man throughout the remainder of the series.Things couldn’t be going much worse for Shane Watson right now. Dropped from the Test side during the Ashes, he then missed an attempted kick to keep the ball off his stumps in the T20 in Cardiff and was bowled, and in Southampton was the run-out victim of a bad call from his partner Matthew Wade. Surely he must be due for a change in fortunes. Surely.

Teams news

England are unlikely to panic after defeat, but could look at rejgging the pace attack. Liam Plunkett and David Willey are both in the squad and would offer different challenges: Plunkett extra pace and Willey the left-arm angle.England (possible) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 James Taylor, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 David Willey, 11 Steven FinnAustralia are unlikely to change their winning side. Should they wrap the series up early they might consider debuts for Ashton Agar and Marcus Stoinis, but they will be reluctant to tinker just yet.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Joe Burns, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Shane Watson, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Mitchell Marsh, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 11 Pat Cummins

Pitch and conditions

In the past decade, only once has 300 been scored in a one-day international at Lord’s. It just so happens it was in the most recent one, when Sri Lanka’s 300 for 9 batting first was a winning total last year. The forecast for Saturday is for a fine day and a top of 18C.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won their past six ODIs against England
• England won the most recent Lord’s ODI between these two teams, in 2012, but Australia had won four in a row before that
• England are sixth in the current ICC ODI rankings, only one point ahead of Bangladesh
• Matthew Wade needs 18 runs to become the fifth Australian wicketkeeper to reach 1000 in ODIs

Quotes

“Australia put us under the pump, but I think we’re a better side than that.”
“It’s nice to win … especially in a five-game series and it’s really back-to-back, all the games. To get a win is really important for us and hopefully we can take the momentum down to London and keep winning.”
Matthew Wade, after Australia’s victory in the first ODI

Dinesh Karthik has been a specialist wicketkeeper. He has been a specialist batsman. A wicketkeeper who can bat and a batsman who can keep. But despite his domestic success, his time the Indian team has been quite sporadic.But MS Dhoni’s retirement from Tests at the end of 2014 has given Karthik a glimmer of hope and he knows he has no option but to score big and knock on the selectors’ doors. “I am at a stage where I want to score so much runs that they cannot ignore me,” he said after scoring 167 for Tamil Nadu against Mumbai.”That’s what I am looking at. I want to set the bar really high for me and keep trying my best to achieve that. I mean as a player that’s a big challenge for me and I am going to try and do so well that they find it hard to ignore me at the national level and that’s what I am aiming to do.”Wriddhiman Saha, the incumbent wicketkeeper in Tests, has stiff competition from the likes of Naman Ojha, Karthik and Parthiv Patel. And Karthik feels he has an edge over the rest: “For me, unlike other keepers it’s totally a different ball game. I have played as a batsman so I always back myself to play as a batsman and fielding comes to me pretty naturally so it’s never been a problem.”I have always batted in all slots right from opening to No 7. I have been versatile in that way. I have always looked at myself differently. I feel I am more a batsman who can keep wicket as well. So I can do each thing individually [well] so in that I am very confident. I don’t look at myself as a wicketkeeper-batsman who is only into that sort of mould because I have played as a batsman, so I think a little bit different that way.”The fact that he is backing himself to be considered purely as a batsman hasn’t pulled his focus from wicketkeeping. According to him, he has been working harder with the gloves. “I have really worked on my keeping and it’s coming out really well,” he said. “I had a couple of good games. I am really confident of my keeping .The key is to keep carrying on from here, so as I said I am going to set the bar so high that they are going to say that there is no way to stop him.”

Match facts

November 11, 2015
Start time 1300 local (0700 GMT)1:56

Isam: Personnel changes unlikely for either team

Big Picture

When Bangladesh had crossed the 200-run mark in the second ODI, there was a feeling that it was going to be enough to beat Zimbabwe who, duly, looked hapless in the chase. They couldn’t last more than 43.2 overs and whenever there were moments in which they looked to be gaining a footing, Bangladesh quickly shut them down.Now on to the third and final ODI in Mirpur, and possibly the last such game in Bangladesh this year. The home team has plenty of things to be cheerful for this year, beating Pakistan, India and South Africa in a remarkable period in the country’s cricketing history. Here, Mashrafe Mortaza has led the team superbly once again, and has properly managed his resources. Mustafizur Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain and Arafat Sunny all did not go for too many, no simple task in ODIs these days. The batting could be a worry, but they still made decent scores on a slow pitch, with at least one batsman doing the main job. Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman and Imrul Kayes have batted well while Nasir Hossain and Tamim Iqbal look like batsmen who are about to break onto something big. Mahmudullah and Liton Das haven’t done much but they can be expected to be given another chance in the last ODI.If only Zimbabwe had two batsmen causing the opposition worries… Elton Chigumbura and Sikandar Raza tried to make a fist of the second game, in a 73-run fifth-wicket stand. Without Shakib Al Hasan, there were some concerns that Mashrafe Mortaza might have to bring in a sixth bowler but Al-Amin Hossain got both the batsmen in the space of two overs, ending all hopes for the visitors. What should concern Zimbabwe greatly is the form of Chamu Chibhabha, Regis Chakabva, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams. None of these batsmen have made a significant enough contribution to threaten Bangladesh.On the other hand, Zimbabwe’s bowling has been quite useful. They went for a bit too many in the end overs of the first game but they were far better in the second, led by Tinashe Panyangara. Luke Jongwe and Taurai Muzarabani have looked encouraging while Graeme Cremer has been consistent and threatening.Dead rubber it might be, but Bangladesh have to win this game to avoid dropping points in the ICC ODI rankings.

Form guide

Bangladesh: WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe: LLLLW

In the spotlight

Mahmudullah has had some tremendous moments this year, but the last two outings have been quite depressing for him. He stuck around for 29 and 32 minutes, but hardly got a move on. He is one player who can be expected to bounce back in the third game.Sean Williams was expected to be Zimbabwe’s best performer and while he did start the tour with a half-century, he got only 8 and 14 in the first two ODIs. Still, he has a good year and can be expected to come up with the goods in the last game of the series.

Team news

Bangladesh retained the same squad for the third ODI and, barring injuries, the likes of Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Anamul Haque and Jubair Hossain are unlikely to get off the bench. Bangladesh are not a team keen on experimentation, even in dead rubbers.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Liton Das, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Arafat Sunny, 10 Al-Amin Hossain, 11 Mustafizur RahmanWith Richmond Mutumbami having injured himself during the first ODI, the visitors have brought in Tinotenda Mutombodzi as cover. Mutumbami was hit by the ball on the ankle while keeping wicket and an MRI confirmed a grade one mid-Achilles tear and bone injury.* Zimbabwe also have three spinners (Tendai Chisoro, Wellington Masakadza and John Nyumbu) and a pace bowler (Neville Madziva) on the bench to choose from.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Regis Chakabva (wk), 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 7 Malcolm Waller, 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Tinashe Panyangara, 10 Luke Jongwe, 11 Taurai Muzarabani

Pitch and conditions

The pitch for the third ODI is likely to offer similar slowness as the one used in the second. There was a hint of dew in that game and that is likely to get a little heavier as the days go by.

Stats and trivia

• After taking the catch of Tinashe Panyangara in the second ODI, Mashrafe Mortaza became the first Bangladesh non-wicketkeeper to take 50 catches in ODIs (although one of those was for Asia XI in 2007). Shakib Al Hasan is next in line, with 39 catches
• Monday was the first time since Shakib’s international debut in 2006 that he hasn’t featured in an ODI against Zimbabwe

Quotes

“One can’t lose hope. We still have to put out our best. You have to come back again and play hard and make sure we polish those mistakes from [Monday’s] game, and win the game.”
“We haven’t thought about experimenting. We believe that that all the 14 players are capable of doing well. I believe that all the players will be serious and we will try to win again.”
*17.30GMT, November 10: The preview was updated after news of Richmond Mutumbami’s injury came in.

With defeat staring in the face, Sri Lanka resumed the innings at 45 for 1, trailing by 374 runs. There were few spectators around to watch the game. Facing the Pakistan bowling with full confidence, the batsmen tried to dig in. They were picking up runs where possible without taking any risks. Marvan Atapattu (30) and Russel Arnold (20) raised Sri Lanka to 76 for 1 after 10 overs of the day.Pakistan bowlers working hard to break the partnership succeeded when Russel Arnold was trapped LBW by Waqar Younis for 26. Sri Lanka lost the 2nd wicket for 91, and were 123 for 2 at lunch.The period after lunch brought crisis to Sri Lanka when Atapattu was smartly held by Moin Khan off Arshad Khan, after contributing an invaluable 59 to Sri Lanka’s total of 123 for 3. Aravinda De Silva was the next to leave, when Arshad Khan made him snick to Mohammad Wasim fielding at forward short leg for 4. Sri Lanka thus lost the 4th precious wicket with only 130 runs on the score board.Former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga took the crease with tremendous confidence. With his vast experience of the game, he was obviously expected to stem the rot. Yes, he stood there like a rock but could not possibly guarantee the other end that remained vulnerable. Jayawardene left after scoring only 9 runs, and was followed by Kaluwitharana who also contributed the same number.At tea Sri Lanka was 189 for 6 with Ranatunga holding the fort with a solid 39. The other end manned by the tail enders now and the game dominated by the Pakistan bowlers, it looked a matter of time only.Ranatunga who played the sheet anchor for Pakistan batted gallantly under the adverse conditions. Knowing that he could not prevent the inevitable, he tried to contribute the maximum. In partnership with Vaas, he raised the score to 230 when he was trapped LBW by Wasim Akram after a defiant innings of 65.With Sri Lanka having lost the cream of batsmen the rest was more of an academic exercise. The remaining 3 players, Chaminda Vaas, Pushpakumara and Muralitharan, left one after the other. Muralitharan, however, delighted the crowd by hitting all sort of funny strokes. He scored 22 runs in a hurricane spell of 8 balls.Sri Lanka was all out for 256 runs. Pakistan thus defeated Sri Lanka by an innings and 153 runs. To recount the salient features, Waqar Younis was the chief wrecker of Sri Lanka’s innings with a magnificent haul of 4 wickets. Arjuna Ranatunga played a gallant innings of 65 runs but could not save Sri Lanka alone. For a breathtaking 100 and 2 wickets, Wasim Akram was “Man of the Match.”

A plucky century from Test discard VVS Laxman lifted Hyderabad to amodest 246/8 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarter finalmatch against Uttar Pradesh at the Green Park in Kanpur. Medium pacerRatnesh Mishra did the star turn for UP with a bag of four wickets for23 runs that pulled the rug from under the Hyderabad lower middleorder. In the absence of Mohd. Azharuddin, who’s made 605 runs forHyderabad in the Ranji Trophy this season at an average of over 86, itwas down to Laxman to salvage Hyderabad’s honour after the rest of thebatsmen around him failed to support his disciplined approach.Opener Nandakishore was snapped up by Ashish Zaidi for 3 in the fifthover and his partner Daniel Manohar was snared by Mishra for asparkling but ephemeral 28, inclusive of six boundaries, to leave thescore at 36/2. Laxman and Vanka Pratap then put on 56 for the thirdwicket in just under 24 overs before Pratap was trapped in front ofthe wicket by the 19 year old left arm seamer, Sallabh Srivastava.Another partnership of 71 followed between Laxman and Vinay Kumar butthe latter was castled by Mohd. Kaif for 24 (62 balls, 5 fours) andHyderabad were now down to 163/5. UP captain Gyanendra Pandey then gotinto the act, bowling Parth Satwalkar for 10 for his only wicket ofthe innings. All the while, Laxman was playing a lone hand, reachinghis fifty from 123 balls with four fours. Hyderabad’s 200 came up inthe 68th over but Ratnesh Mishra cleaned up the lower order, disposingNA Yadav, wicket keeper R Sheikh and captain Venkatapahy Raju oneafter the other.Laxman posted his fourth century of the season from 187 balls and 301minutes, with ten fours and a six. Hyderabad opening bowler NP Singhwas keeping Laxman company at stumps as the visitors limped to 246/8in 90 overs with only Kanwaljit Singh still to bat. Laxman wasundefeated on 118 in 242 balls with 12 hits to the fence and one overit to take his aggregate for the season to over 500 at an average ofclose to three figures.