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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

Australia are set to host Bangladesh for a two-Test series in mid-2010, Cricket Australia have confirmed.The decision was taken when representatives from Cricket Australia and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) met during ICC meetings in Kuala Lumpur. It was agreed to hold the two-Test series in July-August 2010 in northern Australia. Bangladesh’s first and only tour of Australia so far was in in July 2003, when they played Tests in Darwin and Cairns in northern Australia.The series was originally scheduled to be played in August this year but was postponed due a clash with the Beijing Olympic Games. “Through the cooperation of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, we have been able to reschedule the Test series between Australia and Bangladesh for the middle of 2010 when both teams have no other obligations under the Future Tours Program,” Michael Brown, CA’s general manager of cricket, said.”The decision to delay this year’s scheduled Tests due to the Beijing Olympics was taken to ensure that the series received its due recognition from the media and cricketing public. We believe the opportunity to play the Test series in mid-2010 will attract higher television audiences and a high level of interest in Australia and Bangladesh.”Cricket Australia also accepted BCB’s proposal for four warm-up one-dayers and a three-day fixture when Bangladesh tour later this year, besides three additional tour games during the trip in 2010.The two teams have played four Tests so far. Australia toured Bangladesh in mid 2006, a series that saw them clinch a thrilling Test in Fatullah. The second Test in Chittagong, which Australia won, is most remembered for Jason Gillespie’s unbeaten 201 in what turned out to be his last Test.

On a day in which the weather played a major role, both rival captains credited the momentum handed to Sri Lanka’s run chase by their openers as key to a first win in the CB Series.Mahela Jayawardene felt the biggest positive was the way his batsmen played and showed character in contrast to their insipid display last week in Sydney against Australia, something the side was still trying to forget. “We couldn’t get the start in Sydney,” he said after Sri Lanka’s eight-wicket win in Canberra. “It’s good we got a good start and we are getting back into the rhythm.”The reason behind Jayawardene’s confidence lay in his team’s well-planned approach. “We calculated as well, kept wickets and Sanath [Jayasuriya] gave us a good beginning”, he said. In a brief but brutal attack Jayasuriya took Sreesanth to the cleaners, clouting 34 runs in the fast bowler’s first two overs. India may have had reason to feel robbed by Messrs Duckworth & Lewis, whose ruling set Sri Lanka a revised target of 154 from 21 overs.Jayawardene had plenty of praise for Tillakaratne Dilshan who, in some doubt going into this game as he was coming off a bout of infection, scored an unbeaten 62 from 59 balls to seal victory. Dilshan had never opened the innings at this level but Jayawardene said the decision had a lot to do with his experience as an opener in Sri Lankan domestic cricket. “When we realised it was a shortened game and the track was good we wanted an extra bowler and Dilshan has batted in domestic cricket and they way he carried his innings made it a good choice.”As for the role the weather played, Jayawardene didn’t look much into it. “You can’t control what happened. If we would’ve got a full game things would have been different”, he said, pointing out that Sri Lanka might even have got the original target of 195 set in 29 overs.Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s captain, gave full credit to Sri Lanka’s batsmen for taking the game away from India but did blame the changed circumstances for his team’s misfortunes. “The approach changes a lot when all of a sudden it became an almost 20-over game. So a total of 154 became nothing special then,” Dhoni said.Dhoni agreed that the first part of Sri Lanka’s innings was the turning point and for which his side could hardly find any answers. “The kind of start they got it was really amazing. We couldn’t’ do anything.” Dhoni said, refraining from blaming his fast bowlers. “Sreesanth was bowling in the right areas. Sanath and Dilshan batted really well. Yes, he [Sreesanth] was bit down the way Sanath had hit him.”Adding to India’s woes was the abysmal extras count, which read 19 including 10 wides and three no-balls. Without putting his finger on where his bowlers failed Dhoni admitted it could be a concern if not checked in time. “Every extra run hurts. It’s always better not to give any extras,” he said. “That’s a concern but it doesn’t usually happen. It might have been an off day for them, perhaps.”After an abandoned game and a loss, Sri Lanka’s victory puts them back in the fray with seven points, one behind Australia and two behind India. But both captains agreed that the with amount of matches each team plays in the CB Series everyone has a chance to recover from a setback.

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.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGeorge Munsey struck 11 fours during his 36-ball 62•ICC/Donald MacLeod

Offspinner Michael Leask and left-arm spinner Mark Watt claimed three wickets apiece, as Scotland opened the World T20 Qualifier with a resounding nine-wicket win over Scotland in Edinburgh. The spinners rolled over UAE for 109 inside 19 overs, before George Munsey’s boundary-laden 62 off 36 balls helped the co-hosts ace the chase with ten overs to spare.After being inserted on a tacky wicket, UAE had a quick start, reaching 21 in two overs. Faizan Asif, who was reprieved on 12 by Josh Davey at mid-on, added five more before Alasdair Evans struck. Davey would then drop Shaiman Anwar in the seventh over, palming it over the deep-midwicket boundary but redeemed himself three balls later, having Shaiman caught at deep cover off Leask.The dismissal of Shaiman sparked a collapse; UAE lost six wickets in as many overs before folding for 109. Leask and Watt dismantled the middle and lower order with combined figures of 8-0-48-6. Besides the top three, only Umair Ali and No.10 Mohammad Naveed managed to move into double-digit scores.The stage was later ceded to Munsey and Kyle Coetzer, who began the small chase with a gallery of boundaries as Scotland shaved 76 runs off the target in six overs. Coetzer, who had been drafted into the squad following batsman Freddie Coleman’s withdrawal due to personal circumstances, laid down the marker for the chase, taking five fours off Manujula Guruge’s second over. Munsey soon took charge and reeled off six fours and a six in the next two overs. He raised his fifty off 29 balls and stayed there till the end alongside Callum McLeod even as Coetzer was bowled for 39. MacLeod put the seal on the chase with a muscled pull and a carve through backward point. With the exception of Naveed, all the UAE bowlers were left nursing economy rates of over 11 an over.Eventually, UAE captain Mohammad Tauqir was left ruing his side’s reckless strokeplay, calling for more responsibility.”This was a 150-plus wicket and we need to be more responsible, especially in the batting department. We had a bad day and we need to move on,” Tauqir said.

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.

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.

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.

Gladstone Dainty, the president of the USA Cricket Association (USACA), has denied making a number of comments attributed to him in the media about the relationship between the ICC and the USACA.Following a letter from the ICC seeking clarification from Dainty on comments attributed to him, Dainty insisted the remarks were inaccurate and did not accurately reflect his views."I would like to make it perfectly clear that USACA board of directors and its executive officers unreservedly recognise the ICC as its parent organisation," he said. "It would be extremely silly not to want to do business with the ICC especially when it is for our benefit. Every member of the USACA board and executive committee are excited and looking forward to working with the ICC. We will not be distracted by any party whose interests are questionable."Dainty denied specific comments attributed to him in the media reports. He wrote: "I am not in a position to nor did I ever characterise the ICC’s position as unreasonable. I never attributed the leaking of any documents to the ICC … as a matter of fact I contacted a private attorney to seek assistance in determining who was leaking this information."I vehemently deny any statement attributed to me that speaks of any `lynching’. I see it as being counter-productive to our efforts to move Project USA forward. If I indeed felt that way I would never consider being part of such a diverse organisation as USACA. I am absolutely disgusted that such a statement has been published as one that I made."Dainty colcluded by saying that he would address the matter directly with the journalist that wrote the original article.

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.