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Scorecard

West Indies A tied the fourth one-day with Sri Lanka A in a dramatic last-ball affair when Russell Arnold was run out while attempting to take a run to seal victory for his side at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia.Chasing 261 to win, Sri Lanka needed 18 runs from the last over. Two sixes from Arnold off Ryan Hinds, the left-arm spinner, eased things a bit for Sri Lanka and they needed two runs from the last ball to win the match and go 2-0 up in the series. Arnold took the first run easily but was run out when attempting to run back for the second.West Indies chose to bat after winning the toss and Travis Dowlin, the opener, along with Sylvester Joseph, the captain, added 98 runs for the third wicket. From 168 for 3 West Indies slipped to 177 for 6, Malinga Bandara, the Sri Lanka legspinner, accounting for Dowlin, Narsingh Deonarine and Patrick Browne, the wicketkeeper in the space of nine runs. But Hinds and Omari Banks added 83 for an unbeaten seventh-wicket partnership and took West Indies to a fairly safe score of 260 at the end of 50 overs. While Hinds made 55 Towlin top-scored in the West Indies innings with 75.Sri Lanka openers Avishka Gunawardene and Mahela Udawatte started out well making 77 before Darren Sammy bowled Udawatte out for 25. The second wicket fell soon enough but when Sammy caught Kaushal Lokuarachchi off Hinds’s bowling for a duck. Gunawardene and Jeewan Mendis added 50 more runs to the total score and Sri Lanka looked in no trouble chasing West Indies’ 260. But in a situation similar to the West Indies’ mid-innings collapse, Sri Lanka lost three wickets – all to Gavin Tonge – for 11 runs. Arnold rallied the tail along and added 72 along with Gayan Wijekoon and Kaushal Silva. He was batting on 79 alongside Bandara, unbeaten on 13, at the time of the nail-biting finish. Tonge ended with match figures of 3 for 40.The series is tied at 1-1 and the two teams will play the final ODI on December 17 at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.

Group A

Test-discard Mohammad Sami took a career-best 8 for 39 as Sialkot were dismissed for 142 in their second-innings thus handing Karachi Whites a 209-run victory at the UBL Sports Complex. Sialkot, who were set 351 to win after a Khalid Latif century, were left limping overnight at 9 for 3 and failed to fare any better on the final morning as wickets fell regularly, bar a 54-run seventh-wicket partnership that took the visitors past the 100-mark. Sami’s pace and accuracy was evident from the fact that three of his victims were bowled, one was dismissed leg-before while three were caught behind.An Ammar Mahmood century and two healthy partnerships ensured hosts Faisalabad drew their match against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the Iqbal Stadium. Resuming on 75 for 2, the home side showed no urgency as healthy batting from both sides on the first three days had slid the match towards a draw. Mahmood scored his 106 off 226 deliveries Usman Arshad provided useful assistance with a 123-ball 50 as none of the WAPDA bowlers were able to make an impact on proceedings.Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) rounded off an impressive nine-wicket win over Hyderabad at theNiaz Stadium as the required target of 156 was easily surpassed thanks mainly to an 104-ball 87 by opener Asif Zakir. A fine 134 by Shahid Qambrani and late-order hitting propelled Hyderabad to 344 in their second-innings after a disastrous start saw them lose their first two wickets for no score. Sohail Khan picked his five second-innings wickets to finish with nine wickets in the match as SSGC needed just under 33 overs to claim nine points.Riding on a mammoth 514 for 9 in their first innings, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) stormed to an innings and 53 runs victory over Multan at the Gymkhana Ground. Requiring another 155 to make NBP bat again after resuming on their overnight 113 for 2, Multan were in trouble regularly as none of their batsmen were able to prolong their stay in the middle. Irfanuddin finished with three wickets while legspinner Mansoor Amjad claimed two to add to his brace in the previous innings.

Group B

Lahore Shalimar survived a few nervous moments towards the end of play as they narrowly held on for a draw against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the Gaddafi Stadium. Facing a massive deficit of 264 after the first-innings, Lahore were left struggling on 73 for 3 overnight and it was left to an unbeaten 129 from Suleman Khan that ensured safety for the home side. Facing 294 deliveries, Suleman shared useful partnerships with Mohammad Hussain and then the tail to ensure it was only bonus points that KRL won in the end.A much-improved performance by the Abbottabad batsmen while following on ensured a draw against hosts Quetta at the Bugti Stadium. Fawad Khan, Rahimbaz Khan and Adnan Raees all made amends for their earlier failures by stroking watchful 70s to ensure the 179-deficit was not only overhauled, but a stiff target could be set during closing stages if a collapse was to occur. However, yet more watchful batting towards the end ensured a panic-free close to the match as Quetta managed three bonus points.A late Rawalpindi collapse saw them lose their last six wickets for eight runs to hand Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) a 94-run victory at the KRL Ground. Placed well for a win at 212 for 4 while chasing 306 for victory, Rawalpindi succumbed to the pace of Imran Ali who finished with 6 for 41 in the innings and nine wickets for the match as Usman Saeed’s 50 and Adnan Mufti’s 45 failed to inspire the Rawalpindi late-order

The champagne might still be flowing in the Sri Lankan camp, after their resounding win in the final of the Paktel Cup, but the hangover time allotted was just three days. After strangling Pakistan’s run-chase with their masterful use of their part-time spinners, Sri Lanka get another shot at glory with the two-Test series beginning at Faisalabad tomorrow.Marvan Atapattu may be embroiled in a heated controversy with the selection committee, but he starts the series with a legacy to uphold. Arjuna Ranatunga’s men came back from the dead in 1995 to become the first team to win a series in Pakistan for nearly 15 years. That win triggered off a glittering period, with the 1996 World Cup triumph and victory in the one-off Test at The Oval in 1998 the highlights. Sri Lanka returned to Pakistan in 2000, this time under Sanath Jayasuriya, but the series result read just the same: 2-1 in their favour. Neither team has managed to win at home in the five series they have played over the last ten years. Home disadvantage will suit Sri Lanka just fine.But history and figures may not mean too much to Pakistan. Bob Woolmer will be in charge for the first time in a Test and there have been clear signs of revival in the one-day version. He expressed his disappointment over Saturday’s defeat when he spoke to a few journalists after practice. “It’s a shame to have lost in the final. It was very disappointing to see the team lose despite having the potential to turning the tide. In fact they should have won the tri-series.”More importantly, the scars of losing to India earlier in the year might not have healed and their batsmen will need to show more gumption than they did in March. Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami have shown the ability to produce shocks in bursts, but Woolmer would want the intensity sustained throughout the series. Pakistan are likely to open the batting with Yasir Hameed and Imran Farhat and both have a chance to show that promise, if persisted with, can deliver results when they matter.Sri Lanka will rely on their top four to get them the big scores, which would then enable the spinners to get stuck in. Thilan Samaraweera has managed to cross fifty just twice in his last 14 innings and Romesh Kaluwitharana can exhilarate and exasperate in a span of a few minutes. Either Thilina Kandamby or Jehan Mubarak are set to bat at No. 6. The bowling line-up, though, may not be as spin-dominated as earlier Sri Lankan teams, with Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando, both capable of making top-quality batsmen hop, backing up the canny Chaminda Vaas.The second Test will be played at Karachi, which will host a Test for the first time after May 2002 when New Zealand abandoned their tour midway. Karachi remains a Pakistani fortress where they have lost just one Test, when England pulled off an astonishing run-chase in the twilight in 2000. But Sri Lanka will fancy their chances to go one-up at Faisalabad. After a gritty showing in Australia, they overcame South Africa in a home series and have tasted success in two one-day tournaments in the subcontinent.And if Sri Lanka are in need of inspiration, they will do well to remember the squad of 1995, who levelled the series at Faisalabad and went on to win it soon after.Pakistan (probable) 1 Yasir Hameed, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Asim Kamal, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shoaib Malik, 8 Moin Khan (wk), 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Danish Kaneria.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Jehan Mubarak, 7 Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), 8 Upul Chandana, 9 Chaminda Vaas, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dilhara Fernando.

ScorecardFile photo: Jade Dernbach picked up three wickets in his first Georgie Pie match of the season•PA Photos

Stephen Murdoch’s 45-ball 70 and Jade Dernbach’s 3 for 25 set up Wellington’s 26-run victory over Central Districts in Nelson.Batting first, Wellington were off to an attacking start as openers Michael Pollard (25) and Michael Papps (36) put on 51 runs within five overs. Central Districts then chipped away at Wellington’s middle order, lead by Seth Rance, as no batsman apart from Pollard, Papps and Murdoch lasted for more than 10 balls. Wellington reached 175 for 9 at the end of their 20 overs, mainly thanks to Murdoch, who was dismissed in the last over.In reply, Wellington’s bowlers reduced Central Districts to 61 for 5 by the ninth over. Kruger van Wyk and Josh Clarkson then combined to put on a 43-run stand in six overs. The partnership was broken by Jeetan Patel in the 15th over, with Central Districts still needing 72 off 31. They were eventually restricted to 149 for 9.”Pappsy struck it beautifully at the top and really set the tone,” Murdoch said. “We’re two from four now so we’ve given ourselves a chance on a pretty congested table.”Central Districts moved one spot down in the points table from their third position, and despite winning two of their four games, Wellington sit at second-last position, ahead of Canterbury.This match also recorded the second instance in New Zealand’s domestic history that a female umpire, Kathy Cross, officiated in a game. Cross had been the first to do so in the 2006-07 season.

Muttiah Muralitharan has stated that the ICC’s constant scrutiny of offspinners’ bowling actions might force them to abandon the doosra. His comments came in the wake of the umpires’ report against Harbhajan Singh during the Chittagong Test against Bangladesh.Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Murali said: “Definitely it could [force offspinners to give up the doosra]. If that happened, it would be a loss for the game. I don’t know what the thinking is with umpires and match referees with this – it is obviously a very sensitive issue, because you are dealing with bowlers’ careers. But I think [the doosra] is good for the game.”Murali also gave Harbhajan’s doosra a clean bill of health: “With the naked eye, I can’t see anything wrong with it. I don’t think there is a problem.”Murali’s own doosra came in for scrutiny during Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year. He was later cleared after Bruce Elliott’s biomechanics team at the University of Western Australia concluded that he should be allowed to bowl his doosra until further tests were carried out on spinners. Those tests did take place during the Champions Trophy in England in September, after which it was recommended that the level of tolerance be increased to a 15-degree bend at the elbow. According to unofficial sources, though, Harbhajan’s elbow flexion while bowling the doosra is some 22 degrees.

Two days after Charl Langeveldt was called up as a replacement for South Africa’s two-Test tour of India after Nicky Boje declined to go, he has pulled out injured and been replaced himself. Robin Peterson, the slow left-armer from the Warriors, will fill the vacant spot.Langeveldt, 29, suffered a back injury during a long bowling stint for the Highveld Lions against Western Province-Boland – for whom Graeme Smith scored a double-century – at the weekend.Shane Jabaar, South Africa’s physiotherapist, confirmed that Langeveldt would not be able to tour: “He has an irritated left sacro-iliac joint and a facet-joint sprain on the left side of his lower back. He will need about two to three weeks’ rest and rehabilitation before he can bowl again.”Peterson, 25, was unlucky not to have been called up as a like-for-like replacement in the first place after Boje decided he did not wish to face possible further questioning by the Delhi police over the match-fixing allegations that surfaced on South Africa’s last tour there, in 1999-2000.Omar Henry, South Africa’s selection convener, explained: “With Jacques Rudolph unable to bowl at all, we felt that Peterson would offer another spin alternative.” Peterson, who is also a handy batsman, has played in four Tests, most recently in the 189-run defeat of West Indies at Johannesburg last December, and 21 one-day internationals.

If India’s cricketers don’t have central contracts yet, they have only themselves to blame. The abrupt cancellation of the meeting of the screening committee formed to allot central contracts to the Indian players was brought about not by the prevarication of the board, but by a lack of consensus among the players.The matter has now been postponed to allow a group of the players who have expressed their reservations about the structure of the contract to come up with their own suggestions. It is understood that a group of players argued against the proposed grading system, which was to be determined by the screening committee on merit. They felt the seniority (number of Tests and one-dayers played) rather than a subjective decision by the committee should be the sole criterion.It is understood that the objections cropped up at the last moment, after the draft contracts were handed out to the players at the Indian team’s preparatory camp in Chennai. Some time back Ratnakar Shetty, the joint secretary of the BCCI, met the players at the conditioning camp in Bangalore to explain the contract, which had been finalised in consultation with a few senior players, including Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble.However, some of the other players felt that the subjective element in the structure could lead to disharmony, and that it would be better to decide the gradings by the number of matches played. The flip side of this is that a senior player would be guaranteed a higher-grade contract, irrespective of his true worth to the team. For example, if this contract had been enforced ten years ago, Sachin Tendulkar, already India’s best player, would have received a B-contract behind some lesser lights on account of the number of matches he had then played. Interestingly, the suggestion that seniority should be the main criterion came from a group of younger players.Some players were also unhappy about a proposed clause under which reserves would get only 50% of the match fee paid to the playing XI. In the existing system, they receive 90%, but without the security blanket of an annual retainer.The end result is that the players will now have to wait before they can reap the rewards of a central contract, something Kumble, the player in the forefront of negotiations in this issue, recently called “The best thing to happen to Indian cricket”.

A bad week for Zimbabwe Cricket got even worse with news that Bata, Nissan and Old Mutual, its major sponsors, will all end their existing deals by February next year. That will leave the cash-strapped board chasing new deals at a time when many potential partners have been frightened off by recent poor publicity.Bata, who supplied the Zimbabwe team with kit, have already disassociated themselves with Zimbabwe Cricket citing financial problems. The new kit used by the Zimbabwe team does not have the Bata logo on it and was designed by Faithwear clothing, who already sponsor a one-day inter-provincial competition, and might be the new kit sponsors.Nissan have been sponsoring Zimbabwe Cricket since 2001 and they service and insure cars for the players and officials. To date they have supplied ZC with about 70 cars, which ZC has an option of buying. Nissan have been the sponsor for all of Zimbabwe’s one-day international series.Old Mutual, an insurance company, entered the fray in 2002 and have been the major sponsors for all Zimbabwe’s home Test matches since that time.Cricket in Zimbabwe was courted by many sponsors only four years ago, as they fell over each other to be involved with a sport which has grown second in popularity to soccer in Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Peter Chingoka is quoted in a local daily newspaper confirming that they have severed ties with Bata and Nissan, while Old Mutual will pull out next February. Chingoka is further quoted saying that they are already talking to new potential sponsors.Speculation was rife that sponsors would pull out back in April when Heath Streak’s dismissal triggered the player walkout. That has grown more likely as Zimbabwe cricket has continued to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons.Streak said he was not surprised that sponsors are starting to pull out of Zimbabwe Cricket, adding that he was still willing to play for his country without getting anything. “I have always said that guys like Ozias Bvute are in there for the money and now that sponsors are now pulling out, Bvute and other guys will leave,” he said. “I am prepared to play for my country without any pay … when I started playing international cricket I was not paid anything.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Bangladesh achieved their first Test-series win after a tense final day in which they spurned an opportunity to go for a win, mindful of the larger objective. Chasing 374, Bangladesh’s batsmen, led by Nafis Iqbal, began the day carefully, saving wickets for a late charge that never came. They ended at 285 for 5, scoring about two per over, but this was a draw that meant more than a Test win for them.Zimbabwe bowled spiritedly, but the pitch had nothing for the bowlers. They were briefly encouraged when two wickets fell soon afer tea, but Rajin Saleh and Khaled Mashud prevented any further problems. However, as the day came to a close, Tatenda Taibu brought on Stuart Matsikenyeri, whose excessive turn had the batsmen in trouble immediately. But the discomfort came too late and, as both teams walked off amid descending gloom, one wondered if Taibu had missed a trick.There was little the bowlers could do in the morning, given Iqbal and Javed Omar’s ultra-defensive approach. They kept their bats well away as the bowlers maintained a line outside off stump, and otherwise tapped the ball to the fielders. The morning session yielded only 37 runs, and Taibu tried several bowling changes before settling on the legspin of Graeme Cremer, who induced an edge from Omar (133 for 1). He later surprised Mohammad Ashraful too with one that bounced, kissed the edge of the bat, and went to slip (153 for 3).

Iqbal’s demeanour in the morning suggested that Bangladesh wanted a draw, but after lunch he brought out drives and cuts en route to his first Test century. But with wickets falling around him regularly, Iqbal reverted to his role as stodgy defender until Saleh provided a reassuring presence. Iqbal was eventually dismissed right after tea, chasing one from Tinashe Panyangara and nicking it to the wicketkeeper. Panyangara also removed Habibul Bashar and Aftab Ahmed, to give Zimbabwe fleeting hope of the improbable.Saleh and Mashud then put on 79 as the light faded, ending their stand in a flurry of fours. While Mashud scored 28, Saleh ran up 56 – hitting three boundaries in succession to go past fifty and light up a turgid innings.The mission to win a series had finally been accomplished. And it took some doing. At several key moments in the second Test Bangladesh could so easily have thrown it away, as they have done in the past. But, to their credit, they did not let their eagerness get the better of them. Even considering the easy nature of the pitch, scoring 374 in the last innings to win was always going to be asking too much. Fortunately for Dav Whatmore Bangladesh’s batsmen stuck to the task on hand, ground out the draw, and achieved the bigger goal.

Jhulan Goswami, the fastest bowler in women’s cricket, has received the Castrol Special Award for her outstanding bowling on India’s recent tour of England.India lost the one-dayers, but claimed the Test series, the first time India have ever beaten England in a Test. It was in that match, the second Test at Taunton, that the player of the match Goswami became only the second Indian, and first woman, to take ten wickets in a Test on English soil.Goswami received her award at the ceremony in Mumbai on Friday. “I’m happy that we beat England on their home ground,” she told Rediff, “it was a really big win and a special one. It is really special that I played a part in it.”Success has not come easy. Women’s cricket demands heavy commitment from players, many of whom must juggle jobs and study, and Goswami’s dedication is no less significant. At the age of 15 she would get up at 4.30am to catch the train for a five-hour round trip of practising. “Many times I missed the train and used to reach late for practice; but I never lost heart.”Now aged 22, she feels there is still room for improvement in her game. “I am focusing on my accuracy.”