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Pat Cummins, the Australia fast bowler, has been ruled out of the remainder of the one-day series against England

Andrew McGlashan at The Oval01-Jul-2012Pat Cummins, the Australia fast bowler, has been ruled out of the remainder of the one-day series against England after sustaining a side strain during the opening match at Lord’s on Friday.Cummins took 1 for 53 in his 10 overs in the first match, having England captain Alastair Cook caught behind, but pulled up with pain after the game and has been diagnosed with a medium-grade strain.Australian team doctor John Orchard, said: “Pat sustained an abdominal muscle strain on his left side during the first ODI at Lord’s. Whilst he was able to complete his ten overs, he was sore after the game and was scanned, the results of which have revealed a medium grade side-strain. This will keep him out of the remainder of the England tour. His return to cricket will be decided in due course, based on follow-up examinations in Australia.”Cummins will fly home to Australia on Monday and the selectors have decided against calling up a replacement player to the squad. Brett Lee and Clint McKay formed a three-man pace attack at Lord’s, while Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson and James Pattinson are the other quicks in the squad.This tour marked Cummins’ return to the international scene following the foot injury he picked up on the tour to South Africa last November, which kept him out of action for the whole of the Australian season. The side strain will put his place on the A-tour to England, which follows the one-day series, in doubt.

The one-day international between Scotland and England scheduled for The Grange in Edinburgh on August 12 has been cancelled

Andrew McGlashan19-Jul-2012The one-day international between Scotland and England scheduled for The Grange in Edinburgh on August 12 has been cancelled due to the ground having recently been flooded and concerns about a continuing poor forecast for the area.Although the match remains three weeks away Cricket Scotland could not be sure that the ground would be playable for an international fixture and that the required infrastructure, such as temporary seating, would not cause long-term damage.Cricket Scotland and the ECB held discussions about moving the fixture but no suitable alternative could be found at short notice which means Scotland will lose the lucrative match which is part of the ECB’s deal to play Ireland and Scotland in alternate years to help promote the game.Roddy Smith, the Cricket Scotland chief executive, said: “This is a hugely frustrating decision that Cricket Scotland have had to make, but we could not justifiably take the risk of building on a ground so saturated from a major flood and six weeks of consistent rain.”The build is only two weeks away and with an unsettled forecast for the remainder of July we have had to make a decision based on the facts presented to us and the professional advice we have taken. We have been faced with an unprecedented and sustained period of rain that has, unfortunately, taken the season’s biggest game from us.”The weather has been horrific. Water on the ground was up to five feet deep in some please. We just rent the ground, and we are grateful for it, and we don’t want to risk a situation where cranes are hauling out lorries hauling out toilets.”The rain has has decimated Scottish club cricket. In more than 20 years as a player and administrator, this has been the worse sustained spell of bad weather I have ever known.”The cancellation of the fixture does remove a potential headache for the England selectors and Andy Flower, the director of cricket, as the match was sandwiched between the second and third Tests against South Africa while there is also a series between England Lions and Australia A taking place either side of when the ODI was due to be played.It had been expected that England would field almost a third XI for the match to give key players a rest. Cricket Scotland were prepared to accept that in the belief that it would still help to promote the game. With the 2013 summer equally crammed with the visit of New Zealand, England’s hosting of the Champions Trophy and an Ashes series, Smith accepts that there is no possibility of an England visit until 2014 at the earlest.Smith said: “All ticket holders will be refunded in full by our ticketing partner, Ticket Soup, and we will be contacting everyone who has purchased a ticket with free offers to attend matches next season. I am very grateful for the support and understanding of all our key partners. Everyone is very disappointed but understands the exceptional circumstances we are faced with.”

The BCCI is considering an amendment to its constitution that will allow the most “capable” candidate across zones to be elected president, as opposed to the current zonal system

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Aug-2012The BCCI is considering an amendment to its constitution that will allow the most “capable” candidate across zones to be elected president, as opposed to the current zonal system. A special general body meeting is likely to be convened on September 15 to finalise the issue.The BCCI president has traditionally been chosen on a rotational basis with each zone appointing a nominee from within who has to be recommended by one proposer and seconded by another office-bearer from the same zone. The new system, if adopted, will need an additional proposer from the same zone to support the nomination. This would ensure that a candidate from outside the zone would have reasonable support in the zone backing him.”Just because presidents are elected by rotation by default, that does not mean the candidate can be anyone. But if there is at least more than one proposer supporting him from his zone that at least would prove he is a person of merit,” a working committee member told ESPNcricinfo.The matter was reportedly raised at the board’s working committee meeting in Chennai on Wednesday by the president N Srinivasan; the committee members agreed to discuss it at the special meeting next month.Srinivasan’s term ends in September 2014 and it will then be the turn of the East Zone to nominate the president. However, there are fears within the board about a suitable candidate from that zone. “There is no unanimous choice yet, nor any eminent name coming from the East,” the member said.As a solution, Shashank Manohar, Srinivasan’s predecessor, informally told board members last year that the “best man should lead the board” and suggested the increase in the number of proposers. All the members had agreed in principle with Manohar. “The BCCI is a powerful association so there needs to be a capable person appointed as the president,” another board official said.Another key decision finalised at the meeting was extending the one-time monetary benefit payment to Gundappa Viswanath, Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar and Syed Kirmani. The board had initially said that these four players were not eligible for the payment because each one had been granted a benefit ODI in the past. However, it is understood that some of those players sought Srinivasan’s intervention saying they deserved the one-time scheme because they had not made enough money from the benefit match.”Their other argument was some of the other former Indian players who had an independent benefit match, even if not an international, were getting the one-time grant, why should they miss out,” another working committee member said.

Wayamba United roared back after a poor start to record their second win in as many matches in the SLPL, beating Uva Next by 20 runs in Pallekele

The Report by Andrew Fernando17-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUva’s Jacob Oram, bowling at the start of the Wayamba innings, finished with figures of 3 for 6•Ron Gaunt/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

Wayamba United roared back after a poor start to record their second win in as many matches in the SLPL, beating Uva Next by 20 runs in Pallekele. Kamran Akmal’s 32-ball 36 helped Wayamba United recover after they had slipped to 44 for 4 from 5.3 overs, before late hitting from Milinda Siriwardene and Kaushal Weeraratne lifted them to 147 for 9 from their 20 overs. The Wayamba United bowlers also overcame a poor start, to strangle the Uva Next innings after the opposition openers had made a rapid start.Wayamba United stacked all four of their overseas players in the top five, and the move almost backfired when Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Akmal were all dismissed cheaply, with Mahela Jayawardene also contributing only 9. Kamran Akmal rebuilt alongside a unhurried Dinesh Chandimal however, taking runs to the outfield rather than attempting a counterattack – though the big shot did come occasionally, usually to the square boundary on the off side.At their demise at 82 for 5 and 90 for 6 Wayamba United were still threatening a small total, but entertaining 20s from Siriwardene and Weeraratne ensured the bowlers would have something to defend, as the exploited poor lengths from the opposition bowlers to put on 41 from 24 balls.In the chase, Dilshan Munaweera clobbered three fours and a six in his 26, and he alongside Shivnarine Chanderpaul took Uva Next to 30 from 2 overs, but none of the other batsmen were able to eclipse his score as they continued to lose wickets in close proximity.Akila Dananjaya was again impressive for Wayamba United, conceding only 20 from his four overs and taking two wickets in the process. Batsmen were not always fooled by his variations, but his turn and flight remained a threat throughout his spell and ensured few risks were taken against him. Isuru Udana also bagged two cheap scalps, while Chathuranga Kumara took three wickets for 33 from his four.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the second Twenty20 between Pakistan and Australia in Dubai

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale07-Sep-2012

Match facts

Brad Hogg will become the second oldest player in T20 international history•Getty Images

September 7, 2012
Start time 2000 (1600 GMT)

Big Picture

The first game was dominated by Pakistan’s outstanding bowlers, especially the spin of Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and the debutant Raza Hasan, although the fast men Sohail Tanvir and Umar Gul were also very effective. They bowled Australia out for 89, their second lowest T20 total of all time, and the chase was a doddle. Again, Pakistan’s bowlers will be a handful for Australia’s long batting line-up. The big boundaries at Dubai won’t help, and Australia will need far more than the three fours they struck in the first game if they are to avoid losing the series in this match. More than anything they need runs from the top order but worryingly David Warner is struggling for form, having scored at less than a run a ball in all three ODIs against Pakistan and the first T20, with a top score of 24.As much as this match is about a series being up for grabs, it’s another chance for both sides to prepare for the ICC World Twenty20, to be held in Sri Lanka later this month. Pakistan can be pleased with where they are placed, although it wouldn’t be a bad thing if their batsmen were either set a heftier chase or given a chance to bat first, to give them a more intense time in the middle.Australia must put their thrashing in the first game behind them and realise that in the shortest format, one piece of individual brilliance can be enough to turn a team’s form around. They have made three changes to the bowling group but it is in the batting order that they need a lift. If they don’t, they risk entering the World T20 ranked tenth in the world – behind Ireland. And what’s below a minnow in the food chain? Krill? Algae?

Form guide (Complete matches, most recent first)

Pakistan WWLLL
Australia LLWLL

Watch out for

In his first international match for two and a half years, Imran Nazir scored 22 from 26 balls in Pakistan’s small chase. He slapped a couple of boundaries away through the leg side and showed glimpses of the form that helped him force his way back into the side. Pakistan will be keen for Nazir, who opened the batting with Mohammad Hafeez, to have a couple of good hits in the next two matches ahead of the ICC World Twenty20.More than 16 years after he first played for Australia, Brad Hogg is enjoying a renaissance brought about by T20. A revelation in the Big Bash League for the Perth Scorchers last summer, Hogg was recalled to the national side with the specific aim of taking him to the World T20 in Sri Lanka’s spinning conditions. Hogg is 41 but still has his ability to turn the ball and uses his canny variations effectively, and he will enjoy the challenge of taking on Pakistan’s batsmen.

Team news

Pakistan’s bowlers did the job on Wednesday and there seems little reason to change the winning side. Shahid Afridi appears likely to miss again due to his thumb injury.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Nasir Jamshed, 4 Kamran Akmal (wk), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Raza Hasan, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Saeed AjmalAustralia responded to their loss in the first match by making three changes, with Glenn Maxwell, Xavier Doherty and Ben Hilfenhaus all dropped. The allrounder Daniel Christian has been included, along with the spinner Brad Hogg and the fast bowler Mitchell Starc. It was the batsmen who let the side down in the first game but they played such a long batting line-up that there were no back-ups in the squad, and the selectors clearly believe the best policy is to give the batting group as much game time as possible ahead of the ICC World Twenty20.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Michael Hussey, 4 David Hussey, 5 George Bailey (capt), 6 Cameron White, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Daniel Christian, 9 Brad Hogg, 10 Pat Cummins, 11 Mitchell Starc.

Pitch and conditions

Dubai’s pitch is again expected to assist the spinners. “There’s no doubt that the wicket is only going to turn more,” Shane Watson said ahead of the second game.

Stats and trivia

• Australia are only fractionally ahead of Ireland on the ICC T20 rankings and could slip below them into 10th place if Pakistan sweep the series
• Among Australian bowlers, only Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait have more T20 wickets than Daniel Christian’s 82 at an average of 24.90
• Brad Hogg will become the second oldest player ever to play a T20 international in this match; only Sanath Jayasuriya was older, by 145 days
• The three leading wicket takers of all time in T20 internationals are all part of Pakistan’s squad: Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul. By contrast, no members of Australia’s squad are in the top 30
  

  Quotes

  “In terms of the group we’ve got together and what we’re capable of, it certainly hasn’t altered my thoughts that we can still be a very good team.”

Shane Watson believes Brad Haddin is “mentally and technically ready to go,” should Haddin be chosen as Australia’s wicketkeeper for the Test series against South Africa

Liam Brickhill at Newlands19-Oct-2012Shane Watson believes Brad Haddin is “mentally and technically ready to go,” should he be chosen as Australia’s wicketkeeper for the upcoming Test series against South Africa. Michael Clarke, Australia’s captain, has insisted that no decision has been made on whether Haddin could reclaim the Test berth he vacated for personal reasons during the tour of West Indies earlier this year, and Haddin faces competition from Matthew Wade for the spot.”He’s definitely mentally and technically ready to go if that opportunity does come for him in that first Test,” Watson said on the eve of his departure from South Africa, where he has been playing for Sydney Sixers in the Champions League T20. “I have my fingers crossed for him, and I certainly think he deserves a chance to be able to take on the South Africans.”Haddin is captaining a Sixers side that has been dominant in the tournament, with wins over Chennai Super Kings, Yorkshire and Highveld Lions. His own contribution has been steady, with consistent runs in the middle order and seven catches behind the stumps.”If you saw the way he batted today even, his game looks in great order,” Watson said. “I think his batting alone looked brilliant. You can really tell even in his set up whether he’s going really good. He’s in some serious touch at the moment. And as he always does he keeps very well.”Apart from the undecided wicketkeeping spot, Australia also have a full stable of fast bowlers from which to choose ahead of the first Test, expected to be played upon a green, bouncy Gabba pitch. Watson suggested his Sixers team-mate Mitchell Starc, who has four Tests under his belt but isn’t yet at the top of the pecking order in the format, would be a valuable addition to the bowling line up.”There’s no doubt that having a left-armer who bowls 140kph and swings the ball back in with a bit of bounce at the Gabba and in Perth as well will certainly be a huge asset for our team,” Watson said. “He should be [in the team].”Starc had a successful stint with Yorkshire in the Northern summer, picking up seven first-class wickets at 21.85 in two matches to go with eight scalps in the Clydesdale Bank 40. He was also their leading wicket-taker in the Friends Life T20 competition, with 21 at an average of 10.38 and an economy rate under a-run-a-ball. Starc was an effective spearhead in Australia’s World Twenty20 campaign, and has continued to take wickets, with nine so far at the Champions League.”The way he’s bowling, he’s certainly doing everything he possibly can to give himself the best chance,” added Watson. “He’s bowling beautifully, and he showed in the T20 World Cup how well he’s bowling as well, against world class players with a brand new ball. That’s just about as hard a time that you can bowl, because you’ve got world class opening batsmen trying to take you down in the first six overs.”Watson was called home by Cricket Australia to prepare for South Africa’s visit, but Starc won’t be following him and is expected to play a leading role in the remainder of the Sixers’ campaign, as his side have all but secured a spot in the semi-finals. Indeed, Starc suggested he doesn’t need a rest because his workload is lower than that of an allrounder such as Watson in Twenty20s and his time would be better spent bowling in matches, albeit Twenty20s, than training in the nets in Australia.”It’s a bit different with me, I’m only a bowler,” Starc said. “Watto’s got to open the batting and come in and bowl through the innings as well. Watto’s obviously had a lot years to work out what’s working for him. What worked for me in England was playing a lot of games back to back and I’ve probably carried that through, playing as much as I can and tinkering with a few little things and getting things right. Even if I did go home I’d have to keep bowling as well, so I’d rather do that in games than in the nets.”But James Pattinson is back home bowling with a red ball, and I’ll have to do some red ball work over here as well. If I can just keep bowling as well as I can and taking wickets, that’s all I can do, and try and force my way in.”The apparent speed with which the decision to call Watson home was made annoyed Sydney Sixers general manager Stuart Clark. Cricket Australia’s team performance manager, Pat Howard, agreed the final decision hadn’t been made until very recently, but Watson suggested that the possibility of a clash between the Champions League and preparations for South Africa’s visit had been discussed for the past six months or so.”There’s been a bit of talk, and it wasn’t just about me, it was also about other people who were playing in the Champions League leading into the summer, and the talk’s been going on for the last probably six months really,” Watson said. “In the end you’ve got to make the most of the time you do have to train, and give yourself – especially with my history – the best chance physically of being ready as well.”It’s just about trying to get the best balance you possibly can, and Cricket Australia and Pat Howard and the medical staff thought it was the best way to go, and having a week to freshen up means I should be raring to go.”

Maiden Ranji Trophy centuries for Delhi rookie Mohit Sharma and debutant Vaibhav Rawal extended Tamil Nadu’s woes on day two at Feroz Shah Kotla

Sharda Ugra at Feroz Shah Kotla25-Nov-2012
ScorecardMaiden Ranji Trophy centuries for Delhi rookie Mohit Sharma and debutant Vaibhav Rawal extended Tamil Nadu’s woes on day two of their group game at Feroz Shah Kotla. Delhi declared their first innings on 555 for 4 half an hour before stumps and dismissed Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund in the first over. Tamil Nadu were 31 for 1 at the close.The first two hours with the new ball tomorrow could be the most watchable of the game as Delhi believe their bowlers could do more damage than the opposition did; at the crease however is Baba Aparajith, who got in at the fall of Mukund, and has hit five boundaries against Delhi’s new-ball attack.The nippy Parwinder Awana had given Delhi their breakthrough, the ball flying off the edge of Abhinav’s bat to Shikhar Dhawan, who caught it on the second attempt at first slip. It was the wicket that justified Delhi’s declaration, that came just after Rawal reached his hundred on his debut.Rawal had grown in confidence during his 221-run partnership for the fourth wicket with overnight batsman Sharma. Their stand became the centerpiece of Delhi’s innings, restoring normal service at the Kotla after Tamil Nadu had taken the new ball at the start of play and had it talking immediately. The overnight pair of Unmukt Chand and Mithun Manhas were dismissed with only 18 runs more scored.Sharma and Rawal came together and waited for the wicket to ease up and the winter moisture to dry out. They played like Dhawan and Chand had on the first day, and were particularly severe on the Tamil Nadu spinners. They scored 102 runs in the second session and when they came from tea, racked up 70 runs in 11 overs. Delhi’s plan, as both young batsmen said later, was to score between four and five an over, with the intention of having a crack at Tamil Nadu for about an hour in the evening. The final session assault certainly Tamil Nadu on the defensive and gave Mohit a chance to show off his improvisational skills.With six men on the fence in a 6-3 leg-side field, Mohit made room and hit M Rangarajan inside out over cover for four, and two balls later carved him through covers. Then Yo Mahesh was paddled around the legs, lavishly cover driven and cut to the fence. Packing the leg side and bowling a line to restrict runs is within the laws – spirit of cricket discussions aside – but the strategy needs bowlers to execute it.Balaji, who had bowled 20 overs so far, returned to stop the run flow, and had Mohit bowled with his third ball, reward for attacking the stumps and running into a headstrong young batsman with a 200 in sight. The score at the time was 526 for 4. When Rawal, who has scored three centuries on the trot in under-25 cricket recently, passed his hundred with a single, his team was standing around the boundary line and gave him warm applause. The declaration came soon after. The match is now merely a chase for first-innings points and the Tamil Nadu batsmen would want to make Delhi pay for keeping them on the field for almost two days.

Brendon McCullum has hailed New Zealand’s turnaround after they beat South Africa off the last ball of the match in East London to square the series 1-1 and set up a finale for Boxing Day

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2012Brendon McCullum has hailed New Zealand’s turnaround after they beat South Africa off the last ball of the match in East London to square the series 1-1 and set up a finale for Boxing Day. New Zealand had been shot out for 86 in the opening game but bounced back, thanks to a century from Martin Guptill, who struck the last ball for four to reach a hundred and seal New Zealand’s victory in their chase.”It is great that the team turned around in 48 hours and a great knock by Martin after being sick a couple of days back,” McCullum said. Our bowlers did well to stop South Africa’s batting line up, but no one expected Martin to play that innings after being sick.”Guptill finished on 101 not out, off 69 balls, including nine fours and six sixes. He was part of two half-century stands, one with fellow opener Rob Nicol and then McCullum. “That’s the mindset I took in today, I just wanted to get in and have a feel for the wicket,” Guptill said. “With the batting we’ve got down the order, we had to build a platform early and with wickets in hand, we could attack from anywhere.”Left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso, on T20 debut, was targeted by New Zealand’s batsmen; he conceded 42 in four overs. “It’s the first time I’ve actually swept the ball in international cricket, never really played spin that well,” Guptill said. “We wanted to put a bit of pressure on him, it’s his first game, and make him show his skills.””One guy played a sublime knock, the guys around him played some smart cricket as well. Nicol’s hand today was good,” McCullum said. “We want to play an aggressive brand of cricket, but the other day highlighted the areas we need to fine-tune a little bit.”Faf du Plessis, the South Africa captain, rued the catches that went down in New Zealand’s chase but was all praise for Guptill. “We scored enough with the bat. But it was an unbelievable hundred by Guptill. For me it is about learning, and today it was a steep learning curve. We didn’t play a bad game, we were just outplayed by a great innings.”

Laxmi Shukla, who picked up four wickets, boosted Bengal who are desperately in search of an outright win after having lost two out of four games this season

Siddhartha Talya at the Brabourne Stadium01-Dec-2012
Scorecard
Laxmi Shukla used the helpful conditions to pick up four wickets•Fotocorp

The previous time the Brabourne Stadium hosted a Ranji Trophy game, it produced a run-fest, with the first innings staying incomplete at the end of the third day. The shade of green on the track for this game and some gentle breeze in the morning offered greater hope for the fast bowlers, and it wasn’t surprising that Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary chose to bowl. His team responded well, especially Laxmi Shukla, who picked up four wickets, to boost Bengal who are desperately in search of an outright win after having lost two out of four games this season.Mumbai had their share of fortune on a track that had good bounce with the ball often kicking off a good length, especially when Shukla was bowling. The Bengal fielders chipped in to make life easier on occasions as Wasim Jaffer was the beneficiary of a dropped catch. Though Bengal were not made to suffer much – Jaffer only got so far as 80 in a format he’s dominated by making fielders toil for long hours – he stayed long enough to help Mumbai fight back from 46 for 3 in the company of Abhishek Nayar, with whom he was involved in a century stand.Mumbai again picked themselves up after losing Jaffer and Nayar in the second session, with wicketkeeper Aditya Tare and Ankeet Chavan compiling a 56-run stand as part of a lower-order recovery that also acquired considerable momentum through quick runs. The Bengal bowlers worked hard – Shukla, in particular, bowled an extended first spell of nine overs – but weren’t dominant and faced resistance that took Mumbai to 262 for 7.Jaffer, who missed Mumbai’s first three games of this season while on Haj, said the assistance to fast bowlers will last a while and 300 was a good total on this track. “I don’t think it’s going to flatten out,” he said. “The help for the fast bowlers, especially, will remain for a while. The ball is spinning as well. So, if we go to 300, it’ll be a very good score with the kind of bowling we have and the wicket, probably, will get a bit faster. It was a bit damp today, and the ball was swinging, but I think it’s a decent score. We would have been happier if there were one or two wickets less. But the help will remain in the wicket.”Jaffer batted positively, though that also brought with it some risk on a track with a bit of life. He offered a half-chance at short leg at 5, and was put down by Arindam Das at second slip off Shukla when on 16. Shukla also got the ball to move back in, rapped Jaffer on the pads twice, but there were enough scoring opportunities on offer. Jaffer drove Shukla twice through the covers and used his feet well against the left-arm spin of Iresh Saxena, who was brought on, surprisingly, as early as the 11th over.The early introduction of spin was to provide Bengal an opening, however, through the stumping of Kaustubh Pawar and Shukla struck twice in quick time after that to put Mumbai under pressure. Against a disciplined line outside off, and some away movement, Hiken Shah was caught-behind driving on the up. Rohit fell in a similar fashion, reaching forward to be caught by Wriddhiman Saha diving to his right, for 1, as his counterpart Tiwary, also a possible contender for a place in the Indian side, watched on from mid-off.While the seamers tested the batsmen from one end, Jaffer and Nayar scored freely off the sole specialist spinner, Saxena. Jaffer was strong both sides of the wicket, driving him past cover and going over the top past mid-on and midwicket. Nayar swept well, collecting two successive boundaries through deep square leg and deep midwicket, and even launching Saxena for a six towards cow corner. The stand was broken abruptly in the first over of Shukla’s second spell, shortly after the pair had put on 100 together, when Jaffer got a leading edge to Abhishek Jhunjhunwala at extra cover.It got worse for Mumbai when Nayar dragged one back on from Veer Pratap Singh to make it 172 for 5, but there was some spunk left in the batting.Tare has opened the batting for Mumbai, dropping down this time with the return of Jaffer, and had some close shaves as he repeatedly edged the bowlers over the slips and past gully. Chavan gave him good company in a 56-run partnership before adding a further 20 with Dhawal Kulkarni, who struck Saxena for two straight sixes over long-on.But Bengal remained patient and dismissed the pair before stumps, both edging to slip and one of them, Chavan, giving Shukla his fourth wicket. The innings could have been wrapped up today itself had Ramesh Powar, a capable hand in the lower order, not been dropped by Das, again, at second slip. Captain Tiwary appeared happy at stumps, applauding his team-mates, but the let-offs in the field did consume time and cost runs that Bengal will hope do not affect the outcome.

A round-up of the QEA Trophy match between Lahore Shalimar and Abbottabad

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2013A five-wicket haul by the left-arm spinner Mohammad Irfan helped Lahore Shalimar to a 222-run win over Abbottabad in Swabi. Centuries by Imran Butt and Fahad-ul-Haq helped Lahore set Abbottabad an improbable 481, but they folded up for 258 on the final day, giving Lahore their second win of the tournament.An astonishing 16 wickets tumbled on the opening day, with Abbottabad reeling at 29 for 6 after restricting Lahore to 199. Local boy Fazl-e-Rabbi, the right-arm seamer, took 4 for 56 while the left-arm spinner Khalid Usman took 4 for 55 to bowl out Lahore within 60 overs. Aamer Sajjad was the top scorer for Lahore with 60.The Lahore seamers decimated the Abbottabad top order, with Aizaz Cheema leading the way with 4 for 43. There was hardly any resistance from the lower order as Abbottabad folded for 104 on the second day. Zia-ul-Haq, the left-arm seamer, ran through the lower order to finish with 4 for 24.The most decisive partnership of the game was the 236 for the second wicket between the Lahore pair of Butt and Fahad. They came together at the fall of the first wicket on 18 and strengthened Lahore’s position with centuries. Butt’s 124 included 17 fours, while Fahad’s 121 included 16 fours. Salman Ali and Saad Nasim made unbeaten fifties before the captain Fahad declared.Abbottabad performed marginally better in the second innings but at the end of the third day they were struggling at 150 or 6. Irfan rattled Abbottabad with four top-order wickets. Hammad Ali helped himself to an unbeaten fifty at No.9, before Irfan rounded off the match with his fifth wicket.