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Sri Lanka 158 (Fernando 78*) beat South Africa 126 (de Alwis 3-19) by 32 runs
ScorecardSri Lanka recorded their first victory of the tournament and in doing so ended South Africa’s faint hopes of reaching the semi-finals, as Priyanga de Alwis spun her way through some feeble batting to take 3 for 19. Needing an unremarkable 159 for victory, South Africa slumped from 84 for 3 to 126 all out, with only the teenage sensation, Johmari Logtenberg, providing any lasting resistance. In her first meaningful innings of the competition, Logtenberg made 39 from 57 balls, but when she was fifth out with the score on 91, the end came swiftly.Earlier, Sri Lanka had themselves been in a sticky situation. Hiruka Fernando and de Alwis shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 75 to add some respectability, after South Africa had reduced them to 1 for 3. But their stand merely halted the slide, and after de Alwis (32) edged Shandre Fritz through to Shafeeqa Pillay, they crumbled. After a streaky tournament, Fernando finally came good with an unbeaten 78 – just the second Sri Lankan to strike fifty so far. It never looked like being enough, but South Africa wilted. New Zealand 180 for 5 (Tiffen 43) beat England 179 (Taylor 46, Brindle 42) by five wickets
ScorecardEngland qualified for the semi-finals despite going down to a tense five-wicket defeat against New Zealand at the de Villiers Oval. Needing 180 for victory after another solid performance from Claire Taylor, who made 46, New Zealand had slipped to 59 for 3 in the 19th over when Haidee Tiffen and Sara McGlashan set about rebuilding the innings with a 77-run stand. Tiffin top-scored with 43, but England secured the bonus point that, allied to India’s defeat of West Indies, ensured a top-four finish.In spite of Taylor’s efforts, England’s total never looked sufficient against an upbeat New Zealand side. Taylor once again led the charge, sharing a second-wicket stand of 75 with Laura Newton after the early dismissal of Nicki Shaw. Louise Milliken, India’s nemesis in the last match, struck with the fifth ball to remove Shaw, opening in place of vice-captain Charlotte Edwards, who sustained a thigh strain in Wednesday’s victory over South Africa, before Taylor arrived to administer a familiar rescue act. Arran Brindle continued with her good form, adding 42, but after a stodgy batting display, England’s bowlers needed to be disciplined if they were to keep the holders New Zealand at bay.West Indies 135 (Lavine 43, Goswami 4-16) lost to India 139 for 2 (Jain 68*) by eight wickets
ScorecardIndia eased to an eight-wicket win, and in doing so ended West Indies hopes of reaching the semi-finals. At one stage West Indies were 20 for 2, before Nadine George (33) and Pamela Lavine (43) lifted them to 61 for 3 in a third-wicket partnership of 41. But Jhulan Goswami (4 for 16) and Neetu David (3 for 11) handed India firm control of the match. An well-paced opening stand of 107 between Anju Jain (68*) and Jaya Sharma (47) brought India to the brink of a victory which meant their final match, against Australia, would decide who finished top of the group stage.Ireland 66 for 8 lost to Australia 68 for 0 by ten wickets
ScorecardClare Shillington bravely chose to bat against Australia, but that was as good as it got for Ireland as they crawled to 66 for 8 from their 50 overs, an agonisingly slow pace. The pace bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 for just 9 from her ten overs, while Clea Smith (1 for 16) and Emma Liddell (1 for 13) returned similarly tidy figures. Australia made light work of chasing the modest total, reaching the target without losing a wicket in 14 overs.

Michael Vaughan will wait until the eve of the second Test at Faisalabad before deciding whether he is fit to play. “We will make a decision on Saturday,” said Vaughan. “But I don’t want to miss any more games and I am happy just to be in contention to play the Test.”If he does return, then it will represent a remarkable recovery; at the weekend it was being rumoured that he might have to fly home, so serious was the injury. “It’s surprising how things turn around,” he said. “Last week I thought the tour was over for me. I have worked very hard with the physio and rehab team to give myself a chance of playing again. I will train with the team tomorrow and do everything they do, probably more … I’m quite hopeful I’ll be available.”I guess there’s a slight risk if I do play but I’m willing to take that risk given the position of the series. Tomorrow I’ll do some turning and twisting and see how it comes through.”England’s overall poor display with the bat at Multan will increase the pressure on Vaughan to play, and if Marcus Trescothick is forced to return to England – a decision is expected before Saturday – then the situation becomes even more desperate.But should both Vaughan and stand-in captain Trescothick miss out, there seems to be some confusion as to who will lead the side. Some sources claim that Ashley Giles is on stand-by, others than Andrew Flintoff will be asked to take charge.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary5th day
Bulletin – Malinga shines but match drawn
The Big Picture – Sanath’s joy
4th day
Bulletin – Malinga strikes in fading light
News – Vettori ruled out of second Test
3rd day
Bulletin – Atapattu and Jayawardene prosper
2nd day
Bulletin – Astle and McCullum wrest control
Commentary – The Marshall Art
1st day
Bulletin – Marshall twins bolster New Zealand

Sri Lanka 470 and 211 for 4 (Atapattu 72, Sangakkara 64) lead South Africa 189 (Smith 65, van Jaarsveld 51, Jayasuriya 5-34) by 492 runs
Scorecard

Sanath Jayasuriya’s magic touch with the ball continued on the third day in Colombo as he took career-best figures of 5 for 34, triggering a spectacular South African collapse and giving Sri Lanka a whopping 281-run first-innings lead. Sri Lanka then decided not to enforce the follow-on and instead celebrated their dominance with a rollicking start to their second innings, hinting at a late-evening declaration. In the event they batted on to finish the day at 211 for 4, with a huge lead of 492.South Africa, who had started the day on 116 for 3 and confident of drawing reasonably close to the Sri Lanka total, could be forgiven for being just a little shell-shocked after their dramatic afternoon slide. Their morning was poor, as Jayasuriya whipped out Graeme Smith (65) and Jacques Kallis (13), but the afternoon was even more woeful, as the last four wickets tumbled in the space of just 19 balls to leave South Africa 189 all out – an inexcusable total on a flat pitch.Rangana Herath, only in the team because of Muttiah Muralitharan’s shoulder injury, played a fine support act to Jayasuriya. Up to lunch he had toiled 23 overs without a wicket, but first ball after the break he had Boeta Dippenaar (25) caught at silly point – a decision which appalled the batsman. Next over, Shaun Pollock (1) was struck in front while playing an awkward looking paddle-sweep and Makhaya Ntini (0) was utterly bamboozled by Herath’s clever arm ball, which flattened the off stump.A savage batting assault followed Sri Lanka’s dream start, leaving them in a seemingly invincible position. Eyebrows were raised in the press box when the follow-on was not enforced, but Sri Lanka’s rationale was sensible enough: their bowlers would enjoy a rest – although Chaminda Vaas and Upul Chandana did not even bowl today – and, more importantly, South Africa’s best and only realistic chance of winning would be to defend a small target on a crumbling last-day pitch.Marvan Atapattu set the tone for the innings with a classical and dismissive brace of boundaries in the first over. Jayasuriya (19) followed suit by clobbering his first ball over cover. The first-wicket pair added 46 in just 53 balls before South Africa, understandably rattled, were given some breathing space when Jayasuriya charged a ludicrously long way down the pitch and was stumped down the leg side by Mark Boucher, who dived full-stretch one way, and then stretched back to knock off the bails (46 for 1).But the respite proved short-lived as Kumar Sangakkara, the first-innings double-centurion, turned the screws again. A few months ago, while being led by the super-defensive Hashan Tillakaratne, Sri Lanka might have settled for the slow grind. But here they went for the jugular. Sangakkara steamed past fifty in only 43 balls, and Sri Lanka sped along at five runs an over.Kallis finally broke through after tea, when Sangakkara skyed one to Ntini at mid-off, after making 64 (142 for 2). Mahela Jayawardene did not last long, gloving Kallis down the leg side (149 for 3). Kallis’s double strike dragged back the run rate, as he and Nicky Boje produced tight spells to force Sri Lanka into delaying the declaration. Shortly before the close, Atapattu fell to Jacques Rudolph, after making 72 from 151 balls.When South Africa resumed first thing, Atapattu had started with Jayasuriya, but it was Herath who came closest to breaking through first. Smith, determined to be positive, clipped powerfully in the air but Sangakkara, falling backwards with his arms stretched high at short midwicket, was unable to hold on. Smith celebrated with a pulled boundary and a bold lofted clip off Jayasuriya.But unlike Sangakkara, who made South Africa pay for their butter-fingered catching, Smith was unable to capitalise on his letoff, and chipped a head-high return catch back to Jayasuriya a few overs later (140 for 4).Next over, cheered on by a full stand of excitable schoolchildren, Jayasuriya celebrated even more ecstatically as Kallis, the cornerstone of the batting, chopped a low, skidding delivery onto his stumps (141 for 5). South Africa, cruising the previous evening on 109 for 1, had lost four wickets for 32 runs. Then Lasith Malinga sealed Sri Lanka’s morning when Rudolph wafted loosely and was caught down the leg side (166 for 6).If South Africa are to save the match from here, it’s going to take more then they’ve managed so far this series, because taking on Sri Lankan bowlers on a fourthand fifth-day SSC pitch is not a task for the faint of heart.

Pakistan’s relieved new-ball duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have said they were eager to get their careers back on track after winning an appeal against doping charges.The pair also thanked their team-mates and bosses after a three-man committee overturned the two-year ban imposed last month on Akhtar and a one-year ban on Asif after they allegedly tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.”I am breathing again, my life was jolted no-end by the ban. I can’t describe the feeling,” said Akhtar, who almost announced his retirement from cricket after the ban. “I was so disappointed that I was not sleeping properly. I am thankful to the Almighty, and to the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Dr Naseem Ashraf, to give both of us a proper chance to fight the ban.”At 31, a relatively advanced age for a fast bowler, Shoaib had feared that the ban would end his cricketing career. “I missed playing cricket for my country and now I hope that I will resume my career. The whole team had supported me and I am thankful to my teammates and every cricket lover who prayed for me.”Both players had denied taking any banned substances and the appeals committee said that neither player had been advised on vitamin supplements which may have caused the positive tests.The 23-year-old Asif, an emerging star this year, said his whole family had been in turmoil since the dope test results were revealed in October. “I am delighted to hear that I will be playing again. These two months have been the worst of my life and only today I resumed training,” said Asif, adding that he had lost six pounds through worrying.”I hope the bad days are over now. I badly want to play and it was only through the support of my captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and coach Bob Woolmer that I kept myself going.”

Pakistan 247 for 6 (Hameed 98, Razzaq 53*) beat India 244 for 9 (Yuvraj 65, Shabbir 3-33) by 4 wickets
Scorecard

Peshawar produced yet another thrilling contest – and this time, refreshingly, the bowlers set the agenda. First, Pakistan’s bowlers restricted India to 244 for 9, which was about 30 runs more than they might have made but for some late-order heroics. Then India’s bowlers rose to the occasion, reducing Pakistan to 65 for 4. But a classy 98 from Yasir Hameed, and a composed unbeaten seventh-wicket partnership of 74 between Abdul Razzaq and Moin Khan, took Pakistan home with 16 balls to spare.In the morning, Inzamam-ul-Haq won the toss and decided to bowl, a daring decision in a series of such high scores, even if the pitch did look lively, with a fair amount of grass on it. Shabbir Ahmed ripped through the Indian top order, reducing them to 37 for 3, and Pakistan’s bowlers kept the momentum until the slog overs, when Yuvraj Singh and Lakshmipathy Balaji, with some spirited strokeplay, lifted the score to a respectable 244. Irfan Pathan then took two early wickets as Pakistan slipped to 65 for 4, but Hameed and Inzamam (28) added 91, and the bowlers could not sustain the early pressure.The match seemed to have decisively turned India’s way when Inzamam was given out in the 32nd over, in fairly ludicrous circumstances. Sachin Tendulkar was bowling his legbreaks: the previous over, Inzamam had failed to read a googly, and was almost bowled. Now he attempted a similar shot, but stepped across to outside the off stump, and was struck on the pads well outside off. Although the wrong’un was turning in sharply, it struck him so far out that it would have missed off stump by a few inches – but Nadeem Ghauri, the former Test spinner turned umpire, gave him out (156 for 5).The match now revolved around Hameed. He had batted fluently through the mayhem in the early part of the innings, then flourished in Inzamam’s company, adding 91 with him in 103 balls. His driving, especially in the arc between backward point and cover, had been breathtaking, and he had batted with assurance and composure. Hameed was in command of the situation at all times during his innings, except once – in the 35th over, with his score 98 and the hint of a goofy smile appearing on his face in anticipation of a century, he drove a sucker ball from Pathan to Yuvraj in the gully.At 173 for 6, Pakistan were in a spot of bother at 173 for 6, needing 72 from 91 balls. Razzaq and Moin kept their nerve, though, and got there easily in the end. They did not have to resort to slogging, but smashed the occasional bad ball to the boundary while milking the bowling easily. India’s bowlers, in the most crucial phase of the match, could not deliver.Pakistan’s bowlers had set up the win earlier, with Shabbir virtually unplayable in his first spell. He began waywardly, with six wides and two no-balls in his first over, but in between there was a peach of a delivery which got rid of Tendulkar for a duck – it pitched on off stump on a good length, jagged away just a bit, enough to get the outside edge on its way through to Moin (8 for 1).Shabbir, a tall man, was generating significant bounce with his high arm-action, and was getting the ball to cut both ways off the pitch. He removed Virender Sehwag for 13: he played across the line and the ball flew to Shahid Afridi at gully off the back of the bat (30 for 2). VVS Laxman, seemingly clueless about how to play Shabbir when he did not know which way the ball was going to jag, didn’t move his feet and was bowled for 2 by a sharp incutter (37 for 3).

Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly added 68, but just as they began to counter-attack, and the momentum began to shift back India’s way, Ganguly was out for 39. He opened the face of his bat to guide a ball from Razzaq, which was going across him, down to third man, and only managed to edge it to Moin (105 for 4).Dravid and Yuvraj batted with resolve for a while, before another soft dismissal brought an end to Dravid’s innings, for 33. He tried to sweep Shoaib Malik, who was flighting the ball beautifully, with three fielders positioned just for that shot. The ball looped up after hitting the glove, and although Moin fumbled with it at first he managed to hang on (139 for 5).Yuvraj did not panic, though, despite wickets falling at the other end. Balaji played some cultured strokes right at the end, the kind one would expect from a top-class top-order batsman, making 21 off 12 balls. Yuvraj stayed till the last over, and without his 65, an innings of class and character, India might well have finished with around 30 runs fewer.The target was a competitive one on a lively pitch, and India’s bowlers began well. Pathan, coming into the side in place of the injured Ashish Nehra, began superbly, getting a lovely shape on the ball, and bowling with hostility and control. Afridi (6) was the first man out, swinging wildly across the line, and getting bowled by an incutter that pitched on a good length (14 for 1). Four overs later, Pathan tempted Yousuf Youhana (2) with a full ball outside off stump, and VVS Laxman held on to the resultant edge easily (29 for 2).Younis Khan began positively, smashing Pathan out of the attack with three consecutive fours, in the course of a 15-run over. But he was run out for 18 shortly afterwards when he backed up too far as a straight-drive from Hameed was deflected into the stumps by Balaji (55 for 3). Zaheer Khan then got rid of Shoaib Malik (2) with a ball that angled across him and bounced more than he expected: Sehwag held on to an easy slip catch, and Pakistan were 65 for 4.Hameed and Inzamam then brought Pakistan back into the game, and ensured that they won. While Pakistan’s bowlers had managed to keep the pressure on India even after the ball lost its shine and hardness, and the conditions eased, the Indians could not achieve that. In the end, the difference between the sides was the quality of Pakistan’s bowling. In a series so far dominated by the bat, this made for a welcome change.Amit Varma is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India.

We stuck to the basics and were disciplined enough to do well in all three departments of the game. We are playing as a team and that is what we have been emphasising. It is working well at the moment and everyone’s focus is right.
He is making a habit of this [winning Man of the Match awards]. In the past he had enough critics, but he is facing them now and has come good for Sri Lanka and giving 100%. As captain, I have to say he is marvellous now.
This pitch has changed now. It used to be a 250 plus wicket, but now it has started to seam about more. With the grass having not been cut the ball retained its shine and it moved around under the lights.
We are looking at the composition of the side and we have to be fair by individuals. It was tough on Saman [Jayanatha] but there was no question about bringing Sanath [Jayasuriya] back. He is good enough to prove them [Sanath’s critics] wrong.

It is appropriate that Bangladesh should be hosting the Under-19 World Cup in an Olympic year, because when the dust has settled and the 16 competing nations have gone their separate ways, the benefits to the country’s sporting infrastructure should be every bit as lasting as the memories of the tournament.The fifth U19 World Cup is officially launched tomorrow evening in an opening ceremony at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu National Stadium, before the show gets fully underway on February 15. For Bangladesh, who open their campaign against New Zealand in Dhaka, it is the second part of a hugely important month in their development, with a senior tour of Zimbabwe taking place concurrently.There had never been much doubt that public interest in the World Cup would be huge, but already ticket sales have exceeded demand. All the original 28,000 tickets for the group matches in Bogra sold out well in advance, including 10,000 for the opening fixture between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe on February 15. Even the less fashionable match-ups have attracted strong support, with 9000 tickets for Zimbabwe’s games against Australia and Canada having been snapped up.”I have been very impressed with the enthusiasm that cricket fans in Bogra have shown for these matches,” said Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the ICC. “I hope that the feats of these international players will inspire local youngsters to try and follow in their footsteps.” Their chances of following those footsteps will have been significantly enhanced by the creation of Bogra’s District Stadium, one of several Government-funded projects to promote the infrastructure of Bangladeshi cricket.”It is always exciting to return to a country where cricket is the No. 1 sport,” said Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, who was in Dhaka last November for the media launch of the event. “I know that there is a lot of interest in the U19 World Cup throughout the country and I look forward to witnessing this with my own eyes.”Mani and Speed will attend the opening ceremony, where the chief guest will be Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. All 16 competing nations will attend the show, before flying off to compete in four group stages in different parts of the country. Mani was enthusiastic about what lay in store, saying: “I am sure the opening ceremony will provide a spectacular start to what promises to be an intriguing event.”For England, the tournament provides a chance to emulate the class of 1998, who won the cup in South Africa by beating New Zealand by seven wickets in the final. In the two subsequent tournaments, however, they have managed a solitary victory over Test-playing opposition, but this time round have had the best possible preparation, with access to the new Academy in Loughborough, and a full fortnight in Malaysia to acclimatise to the heat and humidity. They are drawn alongside South Africa, Uganda and Nepal in the Chittagong-based group, and must be a safe bet to progress to the second round.This year’s defending champions, as befits their era of effortless dominance, are Australia, for whom the wicketkeeper Adam Crossthwaite is the only player to have taken part in the 2002 event in New Zealand. On that occasion, he kept wicket in all eight matches, claiming 11 catches – including two in the final – and four stumpings. He also scored 102 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 129.62.Future international cricketers will abound at the event, but there will also be a smattering of current stars. The West Indian fast bowler, Ravi Rampaul, is flying out directly from the senior tour to South Africa, while three of the Bangladeshi squad – Nafis Iqbal, Talha Jubair and Enamul Haque – have also played international cricket.With 54 matches crammed into three weeks, it promises to be a bustling tournament, and one which goes some way towards putting Bangladesh firmly on the international map.

England XI 274 (Hussain 86) beat University of West Indies Vice-Chancellor’s XI 119 (Harmison 4-17) and 70 (Hoggard 3-10, Giles 3-23, Jones 3-3) by an innings and 85 runs
Scorecard

England needed just two days to race to a comfortable and thoroughly convincing victory in their warm-up match in Kingston. After a fit-again Graham Thorpe had helped England to a respectable 274, Ashley Giles, Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones tore into the batting as the University of West Indies Vice-Chancellor’s XI was blown away for a meagre 70 in their second innings.It was another productive day all round for England. Thorpe reassured themanagement that he had fully recovered from yesterday’s back spasm with a stylish 55, and the bowlers made light work of some tame batting.But, considering the inexperience of the opposition batsmen, Thorpe’sperformance will be the most pleasing aspect for England. After NasserHussain was squared up by a Jermaine Lawson pearler for 86, and PaulCollingwood, the other overnight batsman, was caught at midwicket off Jason Bennett, Thorpe took centre-stage. He made a cagey start, but soon got back into his groove, signalled with a confident pull for four off Ryan Nurse, followed by some of his trademark square-cuts. And that was just as well for England, as wickets tumbled at regular intervals at the other end.Andrew Flintoff was on the wrong end of a dodgy decision. After the ball hit Flintoff on his back pad, Bennett, the bowler, mouthed a mutedappeal. The umpire then surprisingly whipped up his finger, even though the ball was clearly slanting down leg side. Flintoff wasn’t a happy bunny, and he let the umpire know, standing his ground and giving him theeye. The sound of “Another One Bites the Dust” from the ground speakers didn’t help matters either.Chris Read flashed Dwayne Bravo to Dave Bernard at gully for a duck,then Giles was plumb lbw to Lawson for 2. But Thorpe proved what a vital cog he will be for England in the Tests. He conjured up the shot of the day, an elegant cover-drive off Lawson, and continued to build his side’s advantage with some dashing strokes all round the wicket. He finally fell midway through the afternoon, when he slapped a short one from Tonito Willett straight to Jason Haynes at midwicket.The new batsman Jones was positive from the outset. He smacked Ryan Cunningham back over the main stand and into the refreshment tents, and cut him for four next ball. But Jones was later bowled going for another big shot, and Steve Harmison lasted only a couple of balls as England’s innings petered out for 274, a lead of 155.The Vice-Chancellor’s XI made a sleepy start to their second innings, butEngland’s bowlers woke up after tea. Kennedy Otieno scoopedHoggard to Collingwood at mid-off, then Giles ripped one like a legbreakwhich gated the left-handed Haynes. Bravo was then torpedoed by a Hoggard grubber, and Bernard edged Giles to Flintoff at first slip.And they kept on coming … and going. Hoggard cleaned up Darren Sammy, Willett was lbw to Giles, and Jones provided the final flourish with three wickets as the innings lurched to 70 all out. Steve Tikolo, the Kenyan captain, was unable to bat as he was suffering from a dose of flu.More good news for England was that Mark Butcher came through a net session in the morning with little trouble. Duncan Fletcher, England’s coach, rated his chances of making the first Test as 40-60. Fletcher reckons the top seven batting positions for the Test are sorted, assuming that Butcher makes it – but he admitted that he still needs to finalise the bowling combination, with Jones now back in the frame. “I’m pleased to have Jones back with us,” he said. “He was under a lot of pressure in the first innings, but he bowled well with good lines.”Freddie Auld is assistant editor of Wisden Cricinfo in London. He will be covering the first two Tests of England’s series in the Caribbean.

Rahul Dravid
On his bowling strategy: The wicket had become slow and low as the game progressed, and we needed to mix and match for maximum advantage from the pitch. Virender Sehwag’s two wickets brought the match within our reach.On a depleted Australian team: The Australian team has been winning even without some of their top players. Even during the World Cup they were missing two or three key players, but the result was there for every body to see.We cannot take them lightly. It was very important to start on a winning note, and I am very glad that we won today, but we will have to keep the momentum going in other matches.Ricky Ponting
On Australia’s performance: I think the bowlers did fairly well. They conceded about 20 extra runs in the last few overs, otherwise they did well. But I am very disappointed with the batsmen.On the problems with the sightscreen: The sightscreen is always a problem, but it did not bother us much. We are used to all this in this part of the world.Sachin Tendulkar
On his motivation against Australia: Australia is a top side, I don’t know … I just go out and play my natural game. We have left the World Cup behind us, it is a fresh series. We cannot go on cribbing about the past.On VVS Laxman: He batted very well. In fact he has been in remarkable form right from the start of the season.