Scorecard

It’s official. Saurashtra have clinched a place in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals at the expense of the defending champions Mumbai and, as Group A runners-up, will play Uttar Pradesh in Baroda next week.Once news came in that Delhi had also made the last four, shutting out Mumbai in the process, this match lost any significance and the captains had no hesitation in calling it off before the mandatory overs. By then Amol Muzumdar had celebrated his 100th Ranji game with an aggressive 187 and Ajinkya Rahane compiled 149 but it was Saurashtra who took the honours with the first-innings lead.Muzumdar, Mumbai’s captain, who yesterday said he wanted to go out and enjoy the last day, played a refreshingly positive innings with shots around the ground but will be disappointed with what followed his exit. Rohit Sharma survived a confident appeal for caught behind off Sandeep Jobanputra before playing a casual shot to the covers. Ramesh Powar attempted an atrocious pull off his first ball and Vinayak Samant fell in a similar manner. When Abhishek Nayar (41) fell edging a cut and Mun Mangela top-edged a pull to Jaydev Shah, Mumbai had folded up and denied themselves some consolation points as they left the tournament.Jobanputra turned in a tidy spell in the late afternoon to pick up a deserving five-for as Mumbai’s recent woes against left-arm seamers continued. He got the ball to straighten off a length and sent down a few short ones as Mumbai’s batsmen committed hara-kiri.The seam bowlers, barring an incisive Jobanputra, were guilty of bowling short and Muzumdar made them pay with some powerful cut shots. He brought up his hundred with one such stroke and the ensuing celebration – the wind-up of the fist, a hop of joy, the bat raised high to the dressing room and to the sparse crowd – showed how important the occasion was in his 14-year first-class career.His joy, however, was nothing compared to the elation expressed by at stumps by the Saurashtra players, who got into a huddle before shaking hands with the opposition. Their dream season continues.

Scorecard
How they were out

England’s hopes of securing a face-saving draw they scarcely deserve have been boosted after torrential rain washed out the final two sessions on the fourth day at Galle. The players left the field shortly before lunch and, despite occasional brighter spells, monsoonal rains soon enclosed the ground. During the morning England showed more fight after yesterday’s feeble effort as Alastair Cook’s half century guided them to 102 for 1 following an opening stand of 67 with Michael Vaughan.The forecast for the final day is not too encouraging so the series is threatening to fizzle towards a damp end. At least Cook’s unbeaten 53 has begun to restore England’s pride, but if the weather relents and a sustained period of play is possible on Saturday they still face an uphill battle with a mammoth 316 runs between the sides.There was slightly less venom from Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga with the new ball than their destructive burst on Thursday. Cook benefited from a couple of edges that fell short of the slips and his tendency to play away from his body kept the quick bowlers interested. Boundaries flowed as the openers soon managed to perform better than the first six wickets in the first innings.Welegedera has impressed on his debut with a languid action and good control of line. He troubled Vaughan with swing, nearly bringing a repeat of the first-innings dismissal when Vaughan left a ball which bounced over the top of middle stump. While that leave was too close for comfort, the drive which brought his downfall was far too wide to be chasing given England’s dire situation. The edge flew quickly to second slip, but Mahela Jayawardene swallowed it with ease moving to his left.Muttiah Muralitharan was made to wait while Tillakaratne Dilshan was thrown the ball first for a few exploratory of his offspin. One delivery spun square past Cook’s edge to bring startled looks from the batsman and grins from the fielders. Muralitharan eventually settled into his first major spell of the match and was played with relative comfort as Cook and Ian Bell took England past their shameful 81. Cook reached his third half century of the series off 103 balls and Bell eased into his innings with a classy punch off the back foot against Vaas.Dark clouds began to mass behind the pavilion and the two batsmen were clearly keeping an eye on the weather. Sri Lanka were not impressed by their time wasting, but steady drizzle forced the umpires to call for the covers. Briefly it looked as though the rain would pass, but then torrential downpours soaked the ground. Sri Lanka have played so dominantly that they deserve the chance to wrap up the series in style, but even another day of rain won’t kid anyone over who has ruled the roost during the past three weeks.

Scorecardand ball-by-ball details
How they were out

South Africa cruised to a fourth straight victory in their one-day series against West Indies, thanks to a blistering 37-ball fifty from their captain, Graeme Smith, and a coolly compiled 77 from 86 balls from AB de Villiers. But the man who stole the show on an emotional evening at Kingsmead was Shaun Pollock, who bade farewell to his adoring home fans with one final display of his allround qualities.Pollock has had more taxing assignments in his 12-year, 302-match one-day career, but there was a sense of inevitability about his penultimate appearance. First he strangled West Indies’ batsmen with the trademark figures of 10-3-38-1, and then, against a backdrop of banners reading, among other things, “For he’s a Polly good fellow,” he marshalled the final overs of a trouble-free run-chase, and sealed the deal with a carve for four off Dwayne Bravo.The result was the perfect retirement present, but West Indies had only themselves to blame for missing out on a consolation victory. After winning the toss, their innings was a hotchpotch affair that started with impressive resolve, folded with weary familiarity, then revived itself in an extraordinary final flurry, as the tailenders Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards clobbered 57 unbeaten runs from just 33 balls, to transform their innings from a perilous 206 for 9 to a respectable 263.But it never looked like being enough from the moment that Smith was dropped at gully from the very second ball of South Africa’s reply. After taking an over or two to find his range, he lacerated the new ball and moved from 4 to 50 in just 26 balls. Taylor and Daren Powell were each carved for three fours in an over, and Darren Sammy might well have gone the same way, had Smith not picked out Shivnarine Chanderpaul at square leg as he pulled at and miscued a long-hop.South Africa were 77 for 1 in the 12th over, and they never looked like surrendering the initiative, not even when Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs both fell to indiscreet forcing shots. In de Villiers and JP Duminy, South Africa had a middle-order pairing with enough nous to play the bowlers on their merits, and they had 99 risk-free runs for the fourth wicket to put the result beyond doubt.Duminy was in sight of his fourth half-century in 24 games when he lofted indiscreetly at Bravo, with less than 50 runs still needed, while de Villiers might have had designs on his fourth hundred, when he miscued a slow full-toss to midwicket. But into the fray, to lap up the acclaim, strode Pollock, and he did not disappoint.West Indies were left to pick out the positives of a performance that had promised better. Thanks to their tailenders, they did reach their highest total of the series, but that should have been achieved with much less drama after Brenton Parchment and Sewnarine Chattergoon had opened up with a composed stand of 97. But in typical West Indian style, the rest of the innings didn’t follow the same script. Chattergoon and Parchment fell in the space of two overs before Marlon Samuels, who slammed a wonderful 98 in the third match of the rubber, ballooned an attempted pull to midwicket for 4.Bravo and Chanderpaul regrouped well in a fourth-wicket stand of 42, but Chanderpaul undid that good work by running his partner out with a crass call to de Villiers’ right at cover, before paddling an attempted sweep to Smith at backward square leg. Patrick Browne then gave a brief indication of the fireworks to come when he crashed consecutive sixes off Makhaya Ntini, who endured a truly dreadful day. His nine overs disappeared for 80, including 24 off the last of the innings. But once again for West Indies, it was an insufficient show of defiance.

Brad Haddin is using his last weeks touring with Adam Gilchrist wisely as he prepares to take over the gloves full-time in March. While Gilchrist waves goodbye during the CB Series, Haddin has the opportunity to pick up more useful tips from Australia’s world-record holder.”It is good to have another wicketkeeper to talk shop with along the way, and to have Adam at the other end of the phone line – he has always been willing to give me advice,” Haddin told AAP. “With a bit of luck, that won’t change when he retires. I am hoping he will always be on the other end of the phone.”Haddin has played two games in the CB Series as a batsman, pushing his career tally to 28 appearances, and he is currently waiting to discover the venue of what will almost certainly be his first Test series. Next month’s Pakistan tour is in doubt and if it is cancelled he will have to wait until the West Indies trip in May.Despite the promotion being so close, Haddin said the situation had not altered his focus. “My position hasn’t changed … there’s a position [in the team] at the end of the tour,” he said. “You have to make sure you’re consistent and your performance warrants the selectors having a look at you when the opportunity comes when Adam goes.”I’ve been in this situation now for a long time. It’s not something now I’m going to think too much about or it could detract from my performance.”Haddin, 30, first replaced Gilchrist in 2001 and has become his regular understudy since 2004. However, he is likely to spend his remaining playing time in the CB Series as a batsman and is in contention for a spot against Sri Lanka at the WACA on Friday.”It is obviously something I am not used to … and I would be lying if I said it is not uncomfortable,” he said of his glove-free role. “But it has been enjoyable as well because I don’t think many keepers have the opportunity to field in front of crowds like we had at the MCG.”I have always been a wicketkeeper because I was a bit too short to be a fast bowler or anything else. I have enjoyed the time in the field but I tell you what, I can’t wait to get the gloves back on. I will always be a wicketkeeper first.”

Andrew Symonds’ eventful season has continued with him shoulder charging a streaker while batting in the second final in Brisbane. Symonds, who was at the centre of the Sydney Test controversy, was standing at the non-striker’s end when a man entered the field and began dodging security guards and players.When the spectator ran near Symonds, the batsman moved across and bumped into him in a shepherding action more familiar to the Brisbane Lions Australian rules team when it plays at the Gabba. The force of Symonds’ shoulder sent the man to the ground and security and police swarmed before taking him from the field.Symonds, who sometimes trains with the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team, remained unflustered and went to talk to his partner Matthew Hayden. The ICC’s Level 4.2 regulation covers “physical assault on another player, umpire, referee, official or spectator”, but it is highly unlikely Symonds will be punished. The streaker faces a maximum fine of A$3000 for the ground invasion and police also intend to charge him with willful exposure.”I’d just got out, so I was sooking,” Ricky Ponting said. “I haven’t seen it yet, there’s been a bit of talk and laughter around the dressing room, but I haven’t spoken to Symmo about it.”Another naked man ran towards Harbhajan Singh later in the innings but turned away before reaching the offspinner. This time the players let the security guards take care of the offender.Symonds is not the first Australian to have had an altercation with a spectator. Greg Chappell once whacked a streaker on the backside with his bat after the man ran on to the field and shook the batsman’s hand. Terry Alderman, the former Australia swing bowler, was less fortunate than Symonds when he tackled an English fan during the 1982-83 Ashes series, dislocating his shoulder and not playing a Test for 18 months.

Michael Clarke has been named as Australia’s new vice-captain following the retirement of Adam Gilchrist. Clarke, who turns 27 on Wednesday, was handed the role for the upcoming Test and ODI tours of the West Indies and his appointment is a strong indication he will be groomed to eventually take over the top job from Ricky Ponting.Clarke was given captaincy experience in Australia’s two Twenty20 internationals this season, against New Zealand and India, and the team comfortably won both games. The promotion completes an outstanding 18 months for Clarke, who was initially overlooked for the first Ashes Test in 2006-07 until an injury to Shane Watson opened up a middle-order vacancy.It also capped off an exciting few days after Clarke proposed to his model girlfriend Lara Bingle in the United States. “This will be a week I remember for the rest of my life,” Clarke told the . “I only arrived home on Monday and had a fantastic holiday where I had some special times in New York, where we were engaged.”And now I’ve had this news – I’ve been given the chance to become vice-captain of Australia, which is fantastic and something I’m really looking forward to. I think all young players dream of playing for Australia and every kid aspires to one day becoming vice-captain or captain – I certainly did.”The chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, said it was an easy decision to make Clarke the deputy to Ponting. “With Adam Gilchrist retiring after a stellar Australian career we have identified the need to look towards the future,” Hilditch said.”While we had some very strong candidates within the current team, including those of the calibre of Michael Hussey, we had no hesitation in recommending Michael Clarke for the position. We were thrilled with his performances as captain during the two Twenty20 international games this summer and believe he has outstanding leadership credentials.”In addition to replacing Gilchrist as vice-captain, Clarke is also one of several options who could be considered as Matthew Hayden’s new opening partner in one-day internationals. However, James Hopes was tested in the role during the CB Series and might be the team’s initial preference, while the Western Australia top-order batsman Shaun Marsh could also be considered having been named for his first ODI tour.

Dougie Brown, the chairman of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, has warned that the majority of England’s leading Test players might be lost to the Indian Premier League if the English authorities try to force the likes of Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen to choose between the new tournament and representing their country.Brown, who has investigated the IPL’s finances and believes that the competition will be a massive success, has grown increasingly concerned over what he perceives as administrators in England sticking their heads in the sand and refusing to grapple with the true consequences of the IPL.Citing as evidence a recent poll which revealed that nearly 50% of Australia’s best cricketers are apparently prepared to contemplate quitting the Test circuit if they are refused the opportunity to participate in the new Twenty20 tournament in India, whose initial contract lasts ten years, Brown has urged the world’s cricketing bodies to thrash out a revised schedule which prevents the kind of schism which would make Kerry Packer’s 1970s breakaway series seem trivial by comparison.”The balance of power in the sport is shifting away from the ICC to the BCCI and England can’t afford to lose all their best players to the IPL, but the players have families to worry about, mortgages to pay, and futures to consider, and you can’t blame them for looking at the chance of being able to earn twice as much in a month as they could do in a whole year and concluding: ‘I want a piece of that’,” said Brown. “I think we have to be careful not to dilute Twenty20’s appeal by setting up tournaments all over the world, because cricket has to keep coming up with fresh ideas and the last thing we need is for the calendar to feature half-a dozen Twenty20 international events on it, because broadcasters aren’t stupid. They know that the public will get behind the IPL, because it is original and it is unique, and I have no doubt that we will see that the Indians turn it into terrific success.”But we have to fight to preserve the integrity of Test cricket, and to make sure that the game doesn’t become one-dimensional. We are in danger of driving the best players away from the Test circuit if we are heavy-handed in dealing with them. This is bigger than Packer – his WSC only lasted for three or four years, whereas the IPL will be with us for the next decade and we have to accept it will transform the face of cricket.”So that is why it is so important that the ECB understands there has to be an even-handed approach to letting their best players perform in the IPL. If they simply refuse to let them perform in the Indian structure, that will set a very dangerous precedent, because big-name players, the kind of high-profile names who light up Test matches, will choose to walk away and focus exclusively on Twenty20. So this is a critical period for us all.”

Virender Sehwag, the captain of the Delhi Daredevils, praised his bowlers for their part in a comprehensive nine-wicket win over the Rajasthan Royals at the Feroz Shah Kotla yesterday.”It was an easy match for us and credit goes to the bowlers, they made it easy to chase the target,” Sehwag said. “I hope they carry on the good work later in the tournament.”Delhi’s bowlers, led by seamer Farveez Maharoof, who took 2 or 11, restricted Rajasthan to 129 before Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan scored unbeaten half-centuries to bring up victory in 15.1 overs. But Sehwag said tougher challenges lay ahead for his side. “It was an easy match, but one-sided matches do happen in Twenty20 cricket. The first two matches of the IPL were high-scoring affairs and we will have to face tougher teams ahead.”Sehwag said his team’s preparations ahead of their match gave them the edge over Rajasthan. “We started practice 10 days before the match and it was our home ground. Moreover, the seniors in the side, including the international stars, helped the youngsters a lot. That clearly paid off.”Meanwhile, Shane Warne, the losing captain, said Rajasthan’s fortunes will change once their foreign recruits join the team after completing their respective international and domestic commitments. “Graeme Smith is joining next week. The Pakistanis – Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal – are joining. The Englishman, Dimitri Mascarenhas, is an exciting player, and he is also joining soon.”So, I am pretty confident that we will give tougher competition to other teams in the tournament,” Warne said, while admitting that the team’s strategy went awry. “It was one of those days when we could not implement our plans and came short of ideas.”Warne also criticised the England board for the not allowing their players to participate in the tournament’s first edition. “It is a shame that exciting players like [Kevin] Pietersen are not playing in the IPL. It is ridiculous of the ECB to stop them.”

ScorecardMark Stoneman made his second consecutive hundred in the Championship•Getty Images

Depleted Warwickshire battled back at Chester-le-Street after Mark Stoneman’s second century in successive Championship innings for Durham. His stand of 153 with Scott Borthwick took the score to 184 for 1, but Durham were all out for 314 with Rikki Clarke taking 5 for 62.Durham’s decision to bat was probably helped by Chris Wright and Boyd Rankin joining Keith Barker and Richard Jones on the casualty list. Both had stiff backs and Jonathan Trott was on paternity leave. Chris Woakes impressed but was sparingly used in his first appearance of the season, while Tom Milnes recovered from conceding 48 in his first eight overs to take three wickets.Clarke led the attack well, although the lbw decision he gained against Paul Collingwood did not go down well with the Durham captain. He trudged off with extreme reluctance, clearly believing he had nicked the ball. Following his 131 against Yorkshire, Stoneman reached 112 before becoming Milnes’ first victim.Clarke found some movement in a testing opening spell, but Stoneman hit him for three fours in his fifth over, the third one gloved so fine down the leg side that it just evaded Tim Ambrose.Oliver Hannon-Dalby shared the new ball, but there was a bigger threat when Woakes came on for the 14th over. He found Stoneman’s edge twice in his first two overs and, after taking time to settle in, Borthwick became the dominant partner in the run-up to lunch.Stoneman took over on the resumption, scoring the first 22 runs to bring up the 100 stand as his second 50 came off 51 balls. Jeetan Patel had bowled seven overs for 11 runs until Stoneman hit him for four fours off the back foot through the off side in two overs to speed from 84 to his 127-ball hundred.Borthwick fell for 67 to Woakes, who initially looked to be appealing for lbw. But the ball had nicked the inside edge and flown off the pad to gully.Milnes moved a good-length ball away off the seam to hit Stoneman’s off stump, then Michael Richardson aimed across the line and was lbw to Clarke. Another good ball from Milnes had Gordon Muchall caught behind and John Hastings failed to capitalise on being dropped at mid-off. Two balls later he lofted Patel to deep midwicket.Warwickshire were convinced they had Ryan Pringle caught behind on 10 but he played some bold strokes in making 53 before he was last out, hoisting Clarke to deep midwicket. With four overs to bat, Warwickshire reached ten without loss.

Match facts

November 27-December 1, 2015
Start time 1400 local (0330 GMT)4:32

Ponting: Don’t see a lot change in strategy

Big Picture

Back in 2009, the MCC World Cricket Committee discussed its concerns about the future of Test cricket. “Except for certain icon series, such as the Ashes, Test cricket throughout the world, and in particular the lower-ranked nations, is in very real danger of dying,” the committee said in a blunt statement. It went on to recommend that day-night Test cricket be trialled as a means of keeping the game alive. After six years and countless tweaks to the pink ball, that recommendation is about to come to fruition. One of the sport’s oldest venues, Adelaide Oval, will play host to the newest concept in Test cricket. For the first time in 138 years, a Test match will be played with a ball that is not red. For the first time in 138 years, a Test match will be played at night.It is a significant moment in the history of Test cricket but it also represents a continuation of the evolution of the game. The first Test match was timeless, with four-ball overs and a red ball; Test No.2188 will has a five-day limit, six-ball overs and a pink ball. One of the key mysteries is how the pink ball will perform. Will it swing, and for how long? Will it seam? Will it discolour too quickly? Will the players be able to see it properly in the evening? And will the spectators? Whatever the case, trials at Sheffield Shield level have satisfied Cricket Australia that the Kookaburra pink ball is sound enough to be used in a Test match. There have also been concerted efforts from administrators and groundstaff to ensure a non-abrasive Adelaide Oval pitch to preserve the ball as well as possible.The change has been made largely for fans, so they can watch on TV in prime time or head to the ground after work to catch the second half of the day’s action. But it is the players who must deal with the subtle differences in how the ball will move, and how visible it may be. And the players from Australia and New Zealand do so in this Test with a series on the line. Australia have already done enough to retain the Trans-Tasman Trophy by taking a 1-0 lead after two matches, but New Zealand could yet escape with a second consecutive drawn series in Australia if they win in Adelaide.And as well as being the start of a new era for Test cricket, it is also the dawning of Australia’s post-Johnson period, with Mitchell Johnson’s retirement after the Perth Test altering the look of their attack. His departure also completed a series of retirements during 2015 with Michael Clarke, Ryan Harris, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Chris Rogers also having ended their Test careers. Now in the space of five months they have lost 523 Test wickets and 20,323 Test runs of experience. The times they are a changing.

Form guide

Australia: DWWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand: DLWLW

In the spotlight

Mitchell Starc has in the past spoken of his dislike of the pink ball, but his record with it suggests he ought to change his tune. In his only two pink-ball day-night Sheffield Shield games, Starc has collected 15 wickets at 13.80, and notably both of those matches were at Adelaide Oval. The retirement of Mitchell Johnson has left Starc as the clear spearhead of the attack and if his record is any indication, he may begin the post-Johnson era by strengthening that claim even further.With scores of 23, 23, 1 and 17 so far in the Test series, Martin Guptill needs to provide New Zealand with something more. And maybe this is his opportunity. His only two fifty-plus scores of the tour have come in the practice matches in which the pink ball was used. Against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra last month he scored 94 and against the Western Australia XI in Perth he managed 103 before retiring to allow others a chance. Guptill is renowned as a dangerous one-day striker and perhaps the pink ball, which some observers say is more similar to the white ball than it is to the red, might suit him.

Team news

Australia must make at least two changes due to the retirement of Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja’s hamstring injury. Shaun Marsh comes in for Khawaja, with Steven Smith likely to move up to No.3, and Peter Siddle is the probable replacement for Johnson, having been 12th man in the first two Tests. James Pattinson would likely only get a look-in if the selectors were worried about Josh Hazlewood’s workload. Steve O’Keefe has been released from the squad to play in the Sheffield Shield despite his remarkable record with the pink ball – 18 wickets at 18.22 from three day-night Shield games.Australia (possible) 1 Joe Burns, 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Adam Voges, 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan LyonAn unchanged New Zealand XI had appeared likely until captain Brendon McCullum hinted at the pre-match press conference that there could be changes. Neil Wagner took five wickets and Mitchell Santner four in the practice match in Perth – where admittedly 13 wickets were taken due to the playing conditions – and might be a chance of playing. Trent Boult bowled without apparent discomfort at training on Wednesday and is expected to play, having struggled with back soreness following the Perth Test.New Zealand (possible) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner/Mark Craig, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Matt Henry/Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

More grass than usual has been left on the Adelaide Oval pitch in an effort to help prevent rapid deterioration of the pink ball, and that may also mean the ball seams and spins. The lack of abrasiveness will also likely make it hard to extract reverse swing. The forecast for the match is for warm weather and possible rain towards the end of the game.

Stats and trivia

• Starc’s record with the pink ball is outstanding but so is that of Josh Hazlewood, who in two day-night Shield games has taken nine wickets at 15.44
• The pink-ball records of Australia’s batsmen vary greatly: the extremes are Steven Smith with an average of 219 from two innings and Joe Burns, who has an average of 9.00 from six innings
• The second Test in Perth was the fourth-highest scoring Test match of the 400 that have been played in Australia

Quotes

Steven Smith on the idea of day-night Test cricket
Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain