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Adelaide Oval will host the first-ever day-night Test against New Zealand in November and a T20 against India on Australia Day next year, with Cricket Australia announcing its international and domestic schedule for the 2015-16 season

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2015Adelaide Oval will host the first-ever day-night Test against New Zealand in November and a T20 against India on Australia Day next year, with Cricket Australia announcing its international and domestic schedule for the 2015-16 season.Australia 2015-16 at home

v NEW ZEALAND
Nov 5-9 1st Test, Brisbane
Nov 13-17 2nd Test, Perth
Nov 27-Dec 1 3rd Test, Adelaide

v WEST INDIES
Dec 10-14 1st Test, Hobart
Dec 26-30 2nd Test, Melbourne
Jan 3-7 3rd Test, Sydney

v INDIA
Jan 12 1st ODI, Perth
Jan 15 2nd ODI, Brisbane
Jan 17 3rd ODI, Melbourne
Jan 20 4th ODI, Canberra
Jan 23 5th ODI, Sydney
Jan 26 1st T20, Adelaide
Jan 29 2nd T20, Melbourne
Jan 31 3rd T20, Sydney

New Zealand will kick off the international summer with the first Test in Brisbane and the second in Perth before the day-night encounter in Adelaide. That will be followed by another three-Test series, with Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney hosting West Indies in December and January.India will then travel to Australia for a series of five ODIs in Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. India will also play three T20s in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, where the SCG will host its first T20 international since February 2010, as part of a new seven-year agreement between CA, Cricket New South Wales and the SCG Trust that will see the SCG play host to all international cricket in the state from this summer.Australia Women will also take on India Women in three ODIs and three T20s during the same period as the men. The T20s will be played as double-headers prior to the men’s matches and will be broadcast live.The Sheffield Shield will be taken outside Australia for the first time with a match between New South Wales and Western Australia to be played in Lincoln, New Zealand. The match will be used as preparation by the Test side for the return series in New Zealand in February.The first round of the Shield will involve day-night matches in Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart in the last week of October ahead of the day-night Test.Also in February, New South Wales and South Australia will play a Shield match in Coffs Harbour as a tribute to the late Phillip Hughes.The Matador BBQs One-Day Cup will kickstart the domestic season in October and will be played at five grounds in Sydney.The schedules for the Big Bash League, starting on December 17, and the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League, beginning on December 5, will be announced later this week.”The ICC Cricket World Cup was the biggest sporting event in our country since the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000,” said Mike McKenna, the CA executive general manager of operations.”Many Australians come from non-cricketing cultures and the World Cup was a great chance for the game to showcase itself and earn new fans from all parts of our increasingly diverse community.”We want to build on this great momentum. Following the World Cup, we are determined that local Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Afghan, Sri Lankan and other overseas-born fans who packed Australia’s grounds with good-humoured noise and colour are able to maintain their passion for cricket as part of their adopted Australian lifestyles.”This summer promises to be another history-making season for cricket in Australia. Test cricket will be played in every state including an inaugural day-night Test match between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide, a step designed to make following the cricket much easier for fans to attend the game or watch on television.”

Pakistan tried to sink their teeth into the target and suddenly found it was more than they could chew. The top three fell early, but Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal buckled down and took Pakistan to a seven-wicket victory against UAE in Mirpur

The Report by Alagappan Muthu in Mirpur29-Feb-2016 by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:08

100 T20Is for Pakistan

UAE’s decision to bat seemed a bit like someone doing away with the veggies so they could get to the meat quicker. All their captain Amjad Javed hoped for was “120 to 130” runs; they got 129. Pakistan tried to sink their teeth into the target and suddenly found it was more than they could chew. The top three fell by the time the fourth over of the chase began, but Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal buckled down and took Pakistan to a seven-wicket victory in Mirpur.While that margin indicates it was all hunky dory, Javed’s new-ball burst and the way he could rally his team together had given UAE a strong chance to record their first victory against a Full Member. He took three wickets off his first seven balls to make his team believe, and then made sure they did not waver by slinging his arm around every one of his bowlers while he was at the top of his run-up and clapping his hands until they stung.Pakistan were 17 for 3 when Akmal and Malik got together. They recognised the momentum was with UAE, but knew they could turn it around. They just had to bide their time, to keep their wickets intact and take the chase deep so that the ball wouldn’t be swinging and their experience could trump UAE’s adrenaline. The first boundary of their fourth-wicket partnership came off the 15th ball and the next one came off the 31st but overhauling a target of 130 doesn’t take pyrotechnics. Just patience.There was a moment when UAE could have stormed back. With 40 runs to win from 26 balls, Malik dragged a Mohammad Shahzad bouncer from outside off and the resulting top-edge seemed destined for deep square leg’s hands but Usman Mushtaq, who was brought into the XI in place of Saqlain Haider, dropped it. Malik reached his fifty with a four and a six off the next two balls he faced and along with Akmal sealed Pakistan’s victory with their unbeaten 114-run partnership.Javed was in uproar when the catch went down. He could have had a match-winning three-wicket haul after all. He dismissed Sharjeel Khan lbw, but replays showed the ball would have climbed over the stumps. Two balls later, Khurram Manzoor was caught behind playing an unwise cut against a rising ball that didn’t give him the requisite room to free his arms.Javed’s final wicket of the night though came about because of the room he offered to the batsman. Mohammad Hafeez thought he had an easy put away through the covers but failed to keep his drive down much to the glee of one of UAE’s best fielder Fahad Tariq. The one over he saved for the death turned out to be dreadful as Malik and Akmal caned 23 off it to pull ahead.That Pakistan would need to huff and puff a bit had not seemed likely when they had UAE at 12 for 3 in four overs. Mohammad Amir was in the thick of things again, bowling a first over that went for only one run and following up with a second that had five dot balls and an indipper that squeezed through Muhammad Kaleem’s limp defences. At the other end, Mohammad Sami made Rohan Mustafa pay for driving on the up by summoning some extra bounce. The batsman spooned a simple catch to mid-off and extra bounce from the seven-foot tall Mohammad Irfan accounted for Mohammad Shahzad.Pakistan were barely at full throttle. They even rested their fastest bowler Wahab Riaz to give left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz an international debut. But the rest stacked enough balls around middle and off stump to capitalise on the batsmen’s mistakes.Shaiman Anwar stuck it out for 46 off 42 balls, but he may have been helped by Pakistan resorting to spin soon after the Powerplay. Shahid Afridi brought himself on, at the other end came Nawaz and UAE found some relief. They were 20 for 3 and going nowhere, but seven overs of slow bowling got them to 70 for 4. Anwar even took Afridi for a hat-trick of fours – a cut right through the point fielder, a beautiful loft over extra cover and a superbly-timed sweep. Lucky over 13 yielded 17 runs, the most UAE have scored in one over against a Full Member in T20Is.There had been plenty of plays and misses because the UAE batsmen had not faced quick bowlers of this quality. At the 2015 World Cup, then captain Mohammad Tauqir had been shocked at the South Africa quicks roughing up their batsmen with bouncers. Here too, the company of Amir, Irfan and Sami were outclassing them. Amir had 21 dot balls out of 24, Irfan and Sami had 15 apiece.Still, UAE went down swinging in their death overs as edges and mis-hits flew to the boundary to get a total that gave them a chance. But once again, they couldn’t seal the deal and are now out of the Asia Cup.

Bowling coach Chaminda Vaas believes that Sri Lanka’s pace quintet can thrive in New Zealand conditions

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Dec-2014Somehow, Sri Lanka snuck them through customs. No part of their convoy was delayed or detained. Not even New Zealand’s biosecurity officers – a more fastidious breed than most – were wise to their transit. As of Tuesday afternoon, all five specimens had arrived intact in Christchurch ahead of the first Test.Though their official names are long and unpronounceable to most in the country, their wrangler, Chaminda Vaas, believes they can thrive in these conditions. They hope to do as well as the other invasive breeds to make New Zealand’s shores. Like the possum or the European rabbit, Sri Lanka’s pace quintet of Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep and Dushmantha Chameera are well-placed to raise hell when set loose, Vaas said.”All five seamers on tour have a lot of ability,” he said. “It’s very rare that we get five guys together who can all bowl 140kph. The conditions in New Zealand are great for quicks, and as a seamer you are overjoyed when you see tracks like what you have here, because you don’t get that in Sri Lanka. The pitches give you swing, and then if you bowl well, you can trap batsmen.”Vaas knows plenty about prospering in New Zealand. Of the nations he played in, he was most efficient in New Zealand, taking 36 wickets at an average of 22.55. Sixteen of those scalps came in 1995, when Vaas led Sri Lanka to their first-ever away series win, and as on that tour, he was largely the sole seam threat through his career. With a core cordon of quicks of roughly equivalent age and ability now having developed, the new group has an opportunity to become the best pace attack Sri Lanka have fielded, he said.”Being a fast bowler is all about learning and adding to your game. We share a lot among the group, and that’s when we develop together. What I try to tell the guys is to think about how you can be better than the other bowlers. That’s not to encourage jealousy or disunity – but to try and help us as a group to raise our standards. You have to be thinking that when someone else gets five wickets, you also want to get five. When you have that mentality and that competition, it’s easier to get wickets on any pitch.”They all have a responsibility to look after themselves, in terms of diet and discipline, because the demands of the international game are high. Their fitness has to be at an optimum level all the time, and their mental approach has to be the same. That’s what they need to do to get the best out of themselves, and the rest is up to their ability and the conditions.”Sri Lanka have been reliant on Rangana Herath’s left-arm spin since Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement, but have this year begun to bank on their quicks as well. Their three overseas Test wins in 2014 – in Dubai, Dhaka and Leeds, have all been largely forged by the quicks. With the exception of uncapped Chameera, each of the other fast bowlers have played key roles in Sri Lanka’s recent Test successes.”In England we didn’t have Suranga, and now that he is back, it is a big strength,” Vaas said. “After Lasith Malinga, he is the guy who is in a similar place. His rhythm is excellent, and the other bowlers have something to learn from him.”Control and modest movement have been the Sri Lanka quicks’ hallmarks this year, but Prasad’s inclusion for the Headingley Test injected some hit-the-deck intensity that paid dividends on the fourth afternoon when he claimed four top-order wickets in one spell to set up that victory. No fast bowler in the attack has yet played more than 21 Tests, but Sri Lanka pose a varied threat nonetheless, Vaas said.”Suranga gets swing at pace and is a wicket-taking threat all the time. Eranga is very similar. None of these bowlers are very experienced, which is why it’s imperative that they improve every time they play. Dhammika Prasad has been in the team for a while, but he has only recently been able to play at a stretch because of his injuries. Thankfully he has been able to get his body 100%, and is at a very good fitness level.”They all have minor differences, but in key criteria, they are the same: they all bowl 140, they can all do something with the ball, and they have good control. Dhammika is a little different, because he hits the deck and then gets movement, while Suranga and Eranga move it more in the air.”Chameera, 22, took 3 for 13 in the warm-up match on a Queenstown greentop, but is unlikely to be in the XI on Boxing Day. Described by some coaches as the quickest young bowler in Sri Lanka’s domestic circuit, Vaas believed him to be an outstanding prospect.”He’s very talented and quite raw. Even though he doesn’t have much experience, he bowled very well in the last match. In a year, I trust he will be able to hit that 150kph mark. He just needs to take good care of his body, his rest, his diet and his mental approach.”

It was a weekend of rivalries as Arsenal hosted Spurs while Chelsea got one over Manchester City in a fixture that's often decided titles.

What better way to kick off a weekend of Women's Super League action than with a record-breaking attendance at the north London derby.

Arsenal defeated Tottenham in front of more than 47,000 people at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, with the hosts' 4-0 victory setting the tone for a thrilling set of fixtures that saw a number of other rivals go head to head.

Indeed, there were goals and talking points aplenty as Anfield was stunned in the Merseyside derby and Chelsea bounced back from a loss to newly-promoted Liverpool with a win over old foes Manchester City.

So, who were this week's winners and losers? GOAL takes a look below…

GettyWinner: Maya Le Tissier

Could this week be the week that Maya Le Tissier gets her first senior England call-up?

On Tuesday, Sarina Wiegman will announce her Lionesses squad – to take on the U.S. women's national team and Czech Republic in October – but even if the Manchester United defender isn't in it, it won't be long until she is.

After signing from Brighton this past summer, the 20-year-old, who ranked at No.7 in GOAL's 2021 NXGN list, has started life in the north west in sublime form.

On Sunday, she was part of a United team that kept another clean sheet, but it's not just her defending that has stood out. After two rounds, nobody in the league has completed more passes than Le Tissier, who racked up a fine assist for Lucia Garcia in the weekend's 2-0 win at West Ham.

She's composed, excellent on the ball and wise beyond her years already – and time is well on her side.

AdvertisementGettyLoser: Steph Houghton

Steph Houghton had a tough summer.

The long-time England captain wasn't included in Wiegman's squad for the Euros that would end in the Lionesses' first ever major tournament triumph, with her "just not ready to compete" in the coach's eyes after being sidelined with an Achilles injury from January until the end of the season.

Now, she faces a real battle to get back into the national team picture. With Wiegman in the stands as City visited Chelsea, it was a great opportunity for Houghton to show what she could do. However, while City played a lot better this time out compared to last week's defeat to Aston Villa, they still suffered a 2-0 defeat.

Houghton didn't play badly overall, but there were two moments in particular from the defender that were hard to ignore: an under-hit back-pass that led to a great chance for Sam Kerr, and poor defending for the Blues' first goal.

There is a lot of football for the 34-year-old to play before next summer's World Cup and a lot of chances for her to show her quality – quality that made her one of the league's best centre-backs the season before that injury lay-off.

However, with players like Le Tissier also knocking on the door for England, getting back into that squad is going to become an increasingly tricky task.

GettyWinner: Caitlin Foord

Caitlin Foord is a player who does not get her dues.

On Saturday, Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall picked the Australian to lead the line of his attack in the north London derby and she was absolutely superb – arguably the best player on the pitch.

Her movement both in and out of possession is intelligent, her technical ability is wonderful and her creativity comes in such great variety, too.

Foord has two assists in two games so far in this WSL season and had a huge impact off the bench in the draw with Ajax in last week's Champions League game, as Arsenal turned things around after a poor start.

Any team will always be better with a player like her in it – and that was certainly showcased on Saturday.

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GettyLoser: Kelly Chambers

It's two defeats in two weeks for Kelly Chambers' Reading, the only team in the WSL not connected to a Premier League club, and the coach had plenty of reasons to feel aggrieved about their latest loss.

Deanna Cooper headed the Royals in front against Brighton, but the assistant raised her flag for offside despite the goal-scorer being several yards on.

Given Chambers had also been frustrated with the officiating in the opening-weekend loss to United, so it was hardly surprising that she didn't hold back in her post-match interview.

“We’re disappointed to not come away with anything today as I think the referees have cost us the game," Chambers said after the 2-0 defeat to Brighton. "If this is not addressed, it’s going to start costing managers jobs."

Sadly, just two weeks into the season, officiating is under the microscope again in a league where referees are not full-time and there is no VAR.

Ravindra Jadeja has said batting with aggression was his best chance to score runs in the Lord’s Test

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2014Ravindra Jadeja has said batting with aggression was his best chance to score runs in the Lord’s Test. Jadeja came to the crease with India in a tricky position but smashed his way to a 57-ball 68 – his first Test half-century – that tilted the scales firmly in India’s favour.Jadeja had scored 25 and 31 runs in the first Test in Nottingham using two different methods: while he dashed away in the first innings, hitting two sixes in his 24-ball stay, he appeared uncomfortable during the 98-ball 31 in the second innings. He scored only 3 in the first innings at Lord’s.”I started thinking how I was going to play today and decided that the best way for me is to play my game,” Jadeja told . “If I play any differently I won’t get runs. So I decided that irrespective of the situation I will back myself and go for my shots. That’s the only way I can score runs. When I went in to bat, the team also needed runs.”India had been reduced to 235 for 7, with a lead of 211 soon after the new ball was taken, but Jadeja’s counterattack surprised the England bowlers. Sixty-five runs were scored in the first eight overs after lunch with the new ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had two fifties in the first Test, continued his good form and stuck around with Jadeja as the two added 99 runs for the eight wicket.”The good thing about our partnership was that both of us were scoring runs fluently and so we didn’t let them build pressure from one end,” he said. “Bhuvi is in very good form and all his four innings so far have been very important for the team and personally for him. We hope that he continues to score runs throughout the series.”The elaborate celebration – the twirl of the bat – after Jadeja reached his fifty signified the importance of the innings. Jadeja explained later: “It has got to do with a tradition that we have among the Rajpoots. During festivals and special occasions, we have professional sword-fighters perform with a sword in each hand, moving them in that fashion. It’s called . I only had one bat with me so I did it with one hand. I wanted to have a different celebration and so I had decided whenever I get a fifty, I will do that. MS must have seen it and realized what I was doing. So, he was mimicking me.”The pitch, having roughened up, also afforded sharp turn and variable bounce, forcing MS Dhoni to use Jadeja for 16 out of the 46 overs India bowled on the fourth day. With a few scooting along the floor, Dhoni chose to stand further away from the stumps while keeping to Jadeja. “It was because of the foot marks, it was very difficult for the left-hander, as the odd ball was taking off, a few kept low and some turned square,” he said.”We thought it would be a good idea for the keeper to stand back because in case there was a nick, it would be an easy catch for him standing back. And that’s exactly what happened in the second last over but then MS was standing up to the stumps.”

Jonathan Trott was always going to be a tough man to replace at No. 3, but the early signs are that in Gary Ballance England have someone with the all-round game to take hold of the position

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2014Jonathan Trott was always going to be a tough man to replace at No. 3, but the early signs are that in Gary Ballance England have someone with the all-round game to take hold of the position.Since assuming the role in the first Test against Sri Lanka he has made 23, 104 not out, 74, 0 and 71 – his hundred, in his previous outing at Lord’s, was England’s first from No. 3 since Trott made 121 against New Zealand, at Wellington, in March 2013.The elevation up the order to a position Ballance had barely occupied in his professional career – and which had also been filled by Joe Root and Ian Bell after Trott left Australia – has meant the attacking batting he has come renowned for on the domestic circuit has largely been locked away, although he hinted at his potential when he charged towards three figures last month and reached the landmark with a six.However, he is more than happy to take on a more cautious role and has provided a stabilising effect on the top order to help counter, somewhat, the poor form of Alastair Cook. The latest he has come to the crease so far this season is in the 19th over.”I am happy to play the patience game, to bat for time and bat for as long as possible,” he said. “It would have been nice to have kicked on in those last few games but that’s how it goes and hopefully I can build on that. If you bowl straight or with tight lines then it is hard to score so you’ve got to be patient.”After a hostile debut against Mitchell Johnson in Sydney, Ballance is now starting to feel at home at international level. “I think so, I feel like I have brought some good form in to it, like I said, a few decent scores, it would be nice to kick on and get a really big score and a match-winning one to try to get us a win for England and get us going for the summer.”While batting remains the reason Ballance has been selected he showed unexpected promise with the lesser known skill of legspin, albeit during a light-hearted finish to the Trent Bridge Test when he sent down the penultimate over of the match. He had previously bowled 24 wicketless overs in first-class cricket but he may now put in some extra work in the nets.”To be honest I was quite nervous before I bowled, I wasn’t really expecting it,” he said. “I was just glad the first one landed and then after that I had a little bit of confidence and I bowled six balls, probably a bit slow, but I might get a few more overs in the nets and we’ll see where we go from there.”It is quite tough as a part time wrist spinner, it is difficult and although I bowled a lot in the nets a Yorkshire I never had the chance to bowl in a game.”Every captain does want that that extra option and maybe as a wrist spinner there might be an opportunity on a flat wicket where the game is going nowhere. Maybe I need to work on it a bit harder, but at the moment it is about concentrating on the batting and getting big scores.”Anyone who is able to offer Cook another viable option to give his quick bowlers a break should be encouraged to take his chance seriously.

A round-up of matches on the opening day of the Under-19 Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2013Afghanistan Under-19 pulled off a three-wicket victory, after Zia-ur-Rehman’s five-for restricted Sri Lanka Under-19 to 191 for 9. Sri Lanka had made a steady start, with opener Hashan Dumindu scoring 61, but the innings faltered after the first-wicket stand of 64. They lost wickets in clutches, with Rehman jolting the top and lower order while Sharafuddin Ashraf, who took 2 for 30, hurting the middle. Rehman finished with 5 for 33 in ten overs. Afghanistan’s chase also slipped after a steady start: they went from 63 for 0 to 78 for 3 and then limped to 165 for 7. The asking rate was never an issue, though, and the captain Nasir Ahmadzai scored an unbeaten 28, and Ashraf hit 15 off eight balls, to take Afghanistan to victory with 15 balls to spare.Bangladesh Under-19 made short work of Malaysia Under-19 in their opening game of the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi, winning by nine wickets and 39.4 overs to spare. Malaysia lasted only 25.2 overs after they chose to bat and were dismissed for 50. Ahmad Tajudin Ismail was their top scorer with 15 and the only batsman to score in double figures. Bangladesh left-arm seamer Abu Haider finished with figures of 8-4-8-5. The Bangladesh top order did not waste time in the chase, achieving the target in 10.2 overs. Opener Shadman Islam was unbeaten on 25 off 26 balls.A hundred from Akhil Herwadkar and rapid half-centuries from Sanju Samson and Ricky Bhui led India Under-19 to a match-winning total against UAE Under-19. After India won the toss, Herwadkar made 101, while Samson scored 65 off 47 balls and Bhui 54 off 38 to amass a score of 320 for 4. UAE’s chase never got going and eventually only two of their batsmen made it into the 20s, and neither of them passed 30. Seamer Deepak Hooda took 4 for 21, while spinners Aamir Gani and Kuldeep Yadav took three and two wickets each for India. UAE were dismissed for 131 in 40.1 overs, giving India victory by 189 runs.Pakistan Under-19 batsmen Sami Aslam and Hasan Raza scored centuries to sink Nepal Under-19 by 132 runs. Aslam made a run-a-ball 108 while Raza contributed 100, and the innings was given boost by Zafar Gohar, who scored 50 off 26 balls to lead Pakistan to 311 for 6 in 50 overs. Nepal’s openers added 76 but they took 22.4 overs to do so and the asking rate soared. The innings fell away after Amit Shrestha’s 60 and Nepal were restricted to 179 for 7. Pakistan trialled as many as eight bowlers and left-arm spinner Kamran Ghulam was the best of the lot, taking 4 for 36 in ten overs.

A summary of the matches from Group C of the Ranji Trophy on January 30, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Varun Aaron picked up two wickets to keep Jharkhand on top of Goa•Getty ImagesParas Dogra’s second double-ton of the season enabled Himachal Pradesh to post a mammoth 535 for 5 on day two against Tripura at the Maharaja Bir Bikram college stadium in Agartala.Himachal captain Bipul Sharma set up the declaration with a rapid, 119 off 136 balls, that included 13 fours and three sixes. The innings was part of an unbeaten 218-run partnership between Bipul and Dogra as none of Tripura’s eight bowlers, three of whom conceded more than 100 runs, could find a way past them.Himachal carried the momentum into their bowling when Rishi Dhawan struck in the fourth over, picking up Samrat Singha for 6. Dhawan struck again when he had Abhijit Dey caught by Karanveer Singh reducing Tripura to 64 for 2 in the 17th over.The hosts, however, were revived by opener Bishal Ghosh’s unbeaten 81 off 120, with 13 fours. Ghosh had Rakesh Solanki for support in a third-wicket partnership of 79 runs.
ScorecardJhakrand rode on Saurabh Tiwary’s 162 off 269 balls, and despite their lower-middle order failing, managed to post 385. Shiv Gautam could only add four more to his overnight score of 72 as Goa kept picking up regular wickets. Vedant Naik, the 18-year old offspinner, hastened the end as he struck twice in the 130th and 136th overs to wrap up the innings. His four wickets cost 67 runs, while Amulaya Pandrekar and Darshan Misal ended with two apiece.Jharkand came back strongly with the ball as India fast bowler Varun Aaron struck in the sixth over to remove Swapnil Asnodkar for 7. Amogh Sunil Desai was the only batsman from the top five to make more than 18 runs, but he was bowled for 55 off 113 balls in the 36th over. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who had taken the wicket, finished the day with highly economical figures of 14-6-24-1. Goa could manage only one run in the next five overs before Aaron dismissed Misal for 16.
ScorecardAssam finished day two on 199 for 6, with a lead of 62 runs, despite losing regular wickets. An unbeaten 61-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Syed Mohammad and Swarupam Purkayastha was their saving grace.Andhra’s surge began when Gokul Sharma, Dheeraj Jadhav and Arun Karthik were dismissed in the space of three runs forcing Assam from 97 for 2 to 100 for 5. Seamer Cheepurapalli Stephen claimed 2 for 52 from 24 overs, while legspinner Marripuri Suresh bowled 26 tight overs for only 39 runs.

Rangana Herath is in doubt for Sri Lanka’s match against Australia next Sunday, after splitting the skin on the inside of his spinning finger during the match against England

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Wellington01-Mar-2015Rangana Herath is in doubt for Sri Lanka’s match against Australia next Sunday, after splitting the skin on the inside of his spinning finger during the match against England. Herath required four stitches on his left index finger, and will also undergo an X-ray to ensure there is no damage to the bone.”The doctor says he’s out for 8-10 days, but we’ll see how he heals up and then reassess,” team manager Michael de Zoysa said. The injury doesn’t necessarily rule out Herath’s availability for the Australia game, but the location of the tear is almost certain to hamper the spin he imparts on the ball, and indeed his grip.Herath sustained the injury off the fifth ball of the penultimate over of England’s innings, when he attempted to take a return catch off after Jos Buttler drove the ball forcefully at him. The ball struck his finger and continued its course, leaving Herath clutching his hand as he fell on the turf in agony. He had one more ball to deliver in the over, but was forced to leave the ground immediately with the physiotherapist, as blood began flowing from the wound.Herath’s potential absence is a blow for Sri Lanka, who have relied on the control he provides through the middle overs, and have also historically troubled Australia with spin at the SCG. They do have the services of Sachithra Senanayake to call on – though he hasn’t yet played a game at the World Cup. Tillakaratne Dilshan’s offspin is the only other significant slow-bowling option in the squad.Herath is the third Sri Lanka player to be injured in the approach or during the course of the World Cup. Unlike Dhammika Prasad and Jeevan Mendis, however, he is expected to remain with the team, with a view to him returning to the XI as soon as the stitches heal sufficiently.

Chris Tremlett could be forgiven for thinking if all his efforts are worth it. Firstly he misses out on a Test recall he seemed assured of, then he takes a career-best 8 for 96 only to then see Surrey’s top order crumble

Les Smith at Chester-le-Street23-Aug-2013
ScorecardSteve Davies played well amid a clattering of wickets•Getty ImagesChris Tremlett could be forgiven for thinking if all his efforts are worth it. Firstly he misses out on a Test recall he seemed assured of, then he takes a career-best 8 for 96 only to then see Surrey’s top order crumble to further their relegation concerns.Tremlett was close to being needed with the bat before the close which was hardly the reward a fast bowler deserves after 33 overs and eight wickets. Surrey sank to 97 for 6, which included two wickets in an over for debutant Usman Arshad, with Mark Wood claiming the prize wicket of Hashim Amla for 14.James Whitaker, the England selector, will at least be able to report good news about Tremlett ahead of selecting the touring squad to Australia at some point over the next month.Tremlett started Wednesday morning at The Oval hoping to be in England’s XI for the fifth Ashes Test. Despite the disappointment of that omission, the journey to the North East, via a quick trip home to collect his Surrey kit, has been worthwhile although he admitted he would have swapped eight wickets here for half as many at The Oval.His figures were the third best in the Championship this season but Durham, who will remain firmly in the title race with victory, repelled Surrey’s other bowlers with such success that they reached 421, a total that was soon looking vast. Phil Mustard’s unbeaten 45 was the core around which their lower order put on 90 for the last four wicketsThe Surrey openers went inside five overs and Vikram Solanki was lbw offering no shot at Jamie Harrison to leave them 20 for 3. Then Wood came on for the 13th over and seemed to surprise Amla with his pace first ball, Amla playing back and the ball skidding through his defence.Bradford-born Arshad, a Durham academy product, struck with his eighth and 12th balls in first-class cricket having earlier batted for 18 overs. Zander de Bruyn played back against the brisk medium-pacer and chopped the ball into his stumps, then Gary Wilson edged to Phil Mustard. Steven Davies played positively for his 36, striking seven boundaries, but Surrey remained 174 runs short of saving the follow-on.During the day local umpire Philip Raine stood at square leg after Mark Benson left the field for family circumstances*. Michael Gough, the other ECB umpire, stood at both ends until Paul Baldwin arrived during the afternoon to replace Benson.* This article was amended on August 24 at 10.35am. It was originally stated that Mark Benson was taken ill.