ScorecardAnand Rajan, Madhya Pradesh’s debutant fast bowler, gave his side a good chance for victory by bundling out Jharkhand for 131 on the third day at Indore – leaving MP 210 to win on the final day. This was an impressive performance from the 20-year-old Rajan, whose five wickets completely dominated the day’s play and capped a fine comeback for MP, who had earlier lost four quick wickets in the morning as Shankar Rao’s medium pace ripped through the tail. Much of MP’s fortunes in the run-chase will rest on Devendra Bundela, their first innings centurion, after they got off to a shaky start, losing two quick wickets towards the end of the day.ScorecardSwapnil Asnodkar compiled his highest first-class score as Goa surpassed Tripura’s first-innings total on the third day’s play at Margao, ending on 316 for 6. Asnodkar batted for a marathon 530 minutes, stroking 21 fours, and he added 117 runs for the seventh wicket with Shabad Jakati, the left-arm spinner. Eight bowlers were used by Rasudeb Datta, Tripura’s captain, with only Vineet Jain’s medium pace accounting for two wickets on a tough fielding day.
ScorecardSadagoppan Ramesh’s fine hundred and fifties from Koragappa Chandrasekhara and Suresh Kumar took Kerala to 370 in its first innings, but Rajasthan’s openers had whittled that lead down to just 15 at the end of the third day at Jaipur. Ramesh’s 16th first-class hundred, which was punctuated with 15 fours, set the base while Chandrasekhara and Kumar used the long handle to good effect towards the end of Kerala’s innings, striking two sixes apiece. Mohammad Aslam, the left-arm spinner, was the most successful bowler for Rajasthan with 5 for 87.
ScorecardThe spin duo of Sanjay Satpathy and S Sehgal combined to dismiss Vidarbha for 271, giving Orissa a lead of 111 going into the final day of their Plate Group match at Nagpur. For Vidarbha, a fine opening stand of 117 between Faiz Fazal and Amit Deshpande made way for a frenetic collapse as Satpathy and Sehgal – who bowled 78.2 overs between them – ripped through the batting order. Orissa, whose top order came good in the first innings, now had the chance to put some quick runs on the board before letting their bowlers have another crack at Vidarbha on the final day.
ScorecardJ Arunkumar’s hundred was the highlight on the third day of the Plate Group match between Assam and Jammu & Kashmir at Guwahati, taking the hosts to 353 – a clinical 101-run lead – heading into the final day. His was an assertive knock, and he was ably supported by Nishantha Bordoloi in a 146-run partnership for the seventh wicket that propelled Assam past J&K’s first innings total. Significantly, Vikrant Taggar and Sajjad, J&K’s openers, played out 16 overs for a paltry 12 runs – an indication of what lies ahead for those planning to watch the final day’s passage.

Rahul Dravid has admitted that going one-nil up is an ideal situation, while playing a three-match Test series, but was quick to add that they had to be good enough to fightback, in case it doesn’t go their way. Stating that the pitch at the Gadaffi Stadium was a “good wicket” that will help both the fast bowlers and spinners, Dravid said he was totally satisfied with his side’s preparation for the first Test.While playing his cards close to his chest, Dravid refused to divulge any team information, but admitted that he had decided on the final XI. “For strategic reasons, I wouldn’t reveal my final XI. It’s always good to keep the opposition guessing. It’s good to be in a situation where one can choose from so many good players. Five will be unlucky to miss out. Better to be in a position where we have choices rather than the other way around.”Adding that he was “very happy” with their preparations for the game, Dravid spoke about the quality net facilites that his team had been provided with. “We’re happy with everything – the hospitality, the net facilities, the practice pitches. We had a few sessions at the NCA”Dravid said that it was important for the team to win crucial points and big moments during the series and that could have a decisive influence on its outcome. He also added that the last tour in 2004 was also very much about cricket, though it was historic for a lot of other reasons.

Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s veteran allrounder, will miss the VB Series in Australia as he recovers from a shoulder injury.Jayasuriya, 36, dislocated his shoulder in a freak swimming pool accident in August and aggravated it after slipping in the shower in New Zealand this week.Sri Lanka have had a dismal run of form lately, losing 6-1 to India and dropping three consecutive games to New Zealand. Michael Vandort, who played two Tests in 2001-02 but who has yet to make his one-day debut, has been brought into the squad while Chamara Kapugedara and Nuwan Kulasekara, the medium-fast bowler, have replaced Avishka Gunawardene and Lasith Malinga.Sri Lanka meet Australia in the VB Series opener at Melbourne on January 13. South Africa are the third team in the tournament, with the best-of-three finals beginning at Adelaide on February 10.Sri Lanka squad Marvan Atapattu (capt), Jehan Mubarak, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Michael Vandort, Russel Arnold, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Muttiah Muralitharan, Malinga Bandara, Ruchira Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Chamara Kapugedara, Nuwan Kulasekera.

Just as the dust was settling over the storm created by Inzamam-ul-Haq’s dismissal at Peshawar, there was nearly further controversy early in the second game at Rawalpindi. Shoaib Malik steadied Pakistan’s wobbly ship with a punchy 95 but when on 47, he almost entered dangerous territory.At Peshawar, Inzamam had blocked the ball from going on to hit the stumps while still outside the crease. He then claimed that he hadn’t known the law, and his allegation that the Indians had been “unsporting” in their appeal created a minor storm. Several former cricketers reacted to his comments, all of which forced the Indian team to issue a statement saying that the matter was probably better off put to rest.The fifth ball of the 18th over, though, brought with it a sense of déjà vu. Younis Khan pushed a Zaheer Khan delivery to the off side and thought about taking a single, forcing Malik, at the non-striker’s end, to charge down the pitch. But he was soon caught in a tangle with Zaheer, trying to field the ball, and could have found it difficult to get back to the crease had Zaheer picked up and thrown down the stumps.Malik, though, deflected the ball away with his boots (whether willfully or not we may never know) and got back into the crease without a problem. There was just a brief hint of a protest from the fielders, and Yuvraj Singh was even on the verge of appealing, but Rahul Dravid, who had read out the statement two days back and asked everyone to let the Inzamam issue pass, intervened and urged everyone to get on with the game.”To be honest I haven’t seen the replays,” Dravid said after the game. “From my fielding position, it didn’t appear as if he had deliberately kicked the ball or obstructed the fielder. So I didn’t think there was any need to appeal.”The laws states that a batsman is out ‘if he wilfully obstructs or distracts the opposing side by word or action. It shall be regarded as obstruction if either batsman wilfully, and without the consent of the fielding side, strikes the ball with his bat or person, other than a hand not holding the bat, after the ball has touched a fielder’. Even after watching replays, though, it was difficult to conclusively say if Shoaib kicked the ball deliberately or not. Unlike Inzamam’s case, which was pretty straightforward, this would have been a greyer area for the umpires and it might have been interesting to see their verdict.That wasn’t the only offbeat incident in the first 30 overs of the Pakistan innings. At approximately 10:30am local time, after the 13th over had been bowled, one could feel minor tremors around the ground. More drama was to follow in the 28th as Ajit Agarkar, fielding at third man, complained to the umpires about a small black object being thrown inhis direction. None of these, though, caused any major interruption with a packed house enjoying a good contest between bat and ball.”We are confident of the security arrangements,” said Dravid when asked about the third incident of missile throwing on the tour. “It’s only a few people who spoil the fun. They are a minority who don’t respect the players but I’m pretty confident and happy about the arrangements. There is no issue.”

On paper, Zimbabwe’s five-match series against Kenya was about bragging rights as to which country could legitimately claim to be Africa’s second-best side. That it ended in stalemate after the deciding match was washed out was probably fair, as neither side gave any indication that they were good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as the South Africans.It was a series that passed by with few even realising, even in Zimbabwe where the attendances at the games were very poor. Only on the Sunday at Bulawayo did the crowd even come close to a thousand. Local media coverage was unimpressive – especially for the two games at Queen’s Club – and not even the local TV companies bothered to cover the matches. Overseas interest was non existent.The standard of the cricket was not good, but both had legitimate excuses. Zimbabwe fielded a side that was hugely inexperienced under a captain that had never played an ODI. Few had played any meaningful cricket for some time, and had been embroiled in a bitter dispute with the authorities. Kenya, whose players are recovering from a dispute of their own which undermined their progress for almost two years, had not played an ODI since September 2004.But Zimbabwe should, in theory, have wiped the floor with the Kenyans. While the Kenyans scrape by on a minimal budget, Zimbabwe’s income from sponsorship, TV rights and ICC handouts runs into millions. They also had home advantage. While the authorities will look to put a positive spin on the outcome, the result should be a real worry.They won the fourth game in Harare impressively, but their other win, in the opening match at Bulawayo, came against a Kenyan side who had been in the country 30 hours and whose one net session had been washed out. The Kenyans certainly felt they were caught in unfamiliar conditions and were tired. Zimbabwe’ s batting against a very ordinary attack was unimpressive in the second match, and embarrassing in the third, where they were skittled for 69.There were plusses. For Zimbabwe, Brendan Taylor looked good with the bat and opener Piet Rinke showed he could hit the ball, and if he can temper his attack-at-all-costs approach, he could be a useful asset. Ryan Higgins, one of three players from the Under-19 World Cup, impressed with his legspin even if his batting disappointed.Kenya would have been encouraged by the good form of Kennedy Otieno with bat and gloves, and Thomas Odoyo, named Player of the Series, showed form with both bat and ball. Peter Ongondo, who triggered Zimbabwe’s demise in the third match, finished with 11 wickets, more than any other bowler.What this did show was that these two sides are probably scrapping for 10th and 11th places in the world rankings. The series between Bangladesh and Kenya later this month should confirm that there is now a big and growing gulf between the Bangladeshis and the two African countries.Kenya will travel with more satisfaction. Five years ago, Zimbabwe would have wiped the floor with them, but now they are on level footing. The Kenyans could even argue that they have moved ahead of the Zimbabweans – the ICC rankings support that – when home advantage and a lack of preparation is taken into account. Like the Kenyans, it was vital for Zimbabwe to get matches under their belt. Kenya will probably solider on to the World Cup in a year’s time before clearing the decks and bringing in more youth.Zimbabwe have had a youth-first policy forced on them by internal disputes, but they have some youngsters with real promise, as the Under-19 side showed in Sri Lanka. The question remains whether Zimbabwe Cricket can keep them on board or whether they too will be allowed to drift – or be driven – away. With the cupboard almost bare, that simply cannot be allowed to happen.After they turned down an invitation to meet Kenya and Bangladesh in a tri-series, Zimbabwe’s next outing will be in the seven-match one-day series in the Caribbean. On the evidence of these games, they face some very difficult outings and probably one or two humiliations against a side desperate to get their own one-day form back on track.

South Africa’s players are understood to be upset about the allegedly spin-friendly track at Newlands, the venue of the first Test against Australia starting today.Christo Erasmus, the groundsman who has already announced his intention to retire after this Test, said the South Africans had conveyed their disappointment. “They came to me and said they thought there would be more green grass,” he told . “I told them that you don’t need green grass to get pace and bounce. The fuss has been made too big. It’s the same story every year.”I’ve learnt to live with them being upset or not. It’s water off a duck’s back. Maybe the guys who are kicking up the biggest fuss will be the ones who score the most runs. Regardless what they see, it won’t be a raging turner like the SCG.”Erasmus said that the prevailing dry conditions took a toll on the pitch. “I want to prepare good pitches,” he said. “We must also ensure the Test last five days so that spectators can get value for their money.”Ricky Ponting said the pitch will assist his spinners. “It looks a bit bald on both sides. This will help our spinners,” he said. “In Melbourne and Sydney [in December and January against South Africa], we went in with both spinners on wickets that were quite juicy on day one, and as it turned out we ended up winning both of those games.”However, Ponting believes that the dry pitches could aid reverse-swing and thinks that South Africa have the wherewithal to exploit it. “I think it will be an issue through the series,” Ponting said. “I actually brought it up in the team meeting. It’s the end of the summer, the wickets are going to be fairly dry I would imagine. The ball reversed a little bit down in Durban in the one-day game. The outfield and ground are a lot harsher than here so it might do a little bit more down there.”It’s pretty much the same sort of time as when we were playing in England. It’s the end of their summer, dry wickets, the ball went a lot over there so we expect it to do a fair bit here as well.”The South Africans had requested the pitch to favour their seam attack. “I don’t think it’s any secret we are looking for wickets with a little bit of grass in it,” Micky Arthur, the South Africa coach, said. “We want to try and negate the Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill factor.”

Jonathan Hughes, a Yorkshire club cricketer, scored a remarkable 42 runs off one over. Hughes, 29, smashed six sixes, a four and a two in one over from Craig Hobson, which included two no-balls.Hughes, who plays for North Leeds, achieved the feat in a match against Hall Park in the Airedale and Wharfedale League’s Waddilove Cup. He went on to make 126 not out.”The first three balls went for six but I didn’t realise the first was a no-ball,” he told The Sun. “I pushed the next delivery, which was also a no-ball, to midwicket for two to reach my hundred. The next three went for six and the last for a four. It seemed to take forever, because of the time spent looking for the ball.”The first ball of the over was a chance which was put down by a fielder, who added insult to injury by dropping the ball over the boundary for six.Many news agencies reported that Hughes had broken the world record for runs off an over, but Cricinfo’s list shows that more have been scored on eight occasions.

He may be older, he may be struggling with injuries, he may not even be batting as well as he once was, but Sachin Tendulkar, the icon, the brand, still sells. This much at least, after signing a new three-year marketing deal reportedly worth in the region of US$40 million, hasn’t changed.Tendulkar signed the deal with Iconix, a newly-formed marketing branch of international advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi. The deal comes after the expiry of a successful ten-year agreement with WorldTel, run by the late Mark Mascarenhas and a man whom Tendulkar once described as being like an older brother.”It’s great to have a legend like Sachin as the first client of Iconix,” said V. Shantakumar, the chief executive officer and managing director of Saatchi’s Indian operations. “Sachin is more than just a cricket player. He’s a role model for young and old India. He’s still the nation’s youth icon and he’s still considered by cricket pundits as the world’s best batsman. The value he commands comes from the respect and love people feel for him.” Shantakumar refused to confirm, however, the value of the deal, saying only that “the amount mentioned is a nice sum, but I am not going to say more.”In a statement, Tendulkar said, “I’ve entrusted Iconix with managing my affairs and have confidence in its ability to provide requisite continuity to the brands I am associated with.” And it is a fair number of brands, as despite the emergence of new stars and his own poor form, Tendulkar has endorsed soft drinks, motorcycles, credit cards, mobile phone operators and much more. He is widely-believed to be cricket’s top money-earner.Tendulkar has been bedeviled by injuries and poor form over the last year and following a poor Test series against England and Pakistan (admittedly sandwiching a superb ODI series against the latter), is likely to miss at least the ODI series against West Indies while recovering from shoulder surgery. Additionally, he also sat out the ODI series against England. He has started light batting drills and although he is aiming to make the Test series in the Carribean, a final decision will rest on an assessment of his fitness next week.In his last 10 Tests, he averages only 28 with one hundred and after a low dismissal at his home ground of Mumbai against England in March, Tendulkar was booed off the field by a section of the crowd. But 132 Tests, 10,469 runs, 35 Test centuries, 362 ODIs, 14,146 runs and 39 ODI hundreds, a 16-year career and only 33 years of age, still hold considerable value, as Iconix have now confirmed.

The timing couldn’t have been better. Trailing 2-1 in the series after three heart-stopping games, India arrived in Trinidad, large chunks of which are distinctly Indian. If they switch on the radio, they are likely to hear Bollywood numbers; if they take a walk, they are likely to be offered roti and dal. Past Indian teams have enjoyed Trinidad – just ask Sunil Gavaskar – and the only ground where they have won Tests in the West Indies, three games in all, is the Queen’s Park Oval.In the larger scheme of things, for most of the locals at least, all the above is mere piffle. This is Brian Lara country. He’s made it amply clear that these will be his last two one-day games in front of his doting crowd. He stands on the threshold of leading West Indies to a famous series win, one that could trigger off some sort of resurgence. More worryingly for India, he hasn’t made too many in this series. In 28 previous games at Trinidad, he’s spanked seven fifties and two hundreds. He averages 55.76 at home. He’s a man with a sense of occasion. Don’t bet against this fella. Don’t even try.So far in this series, it’s been other batsmen giving India all the headaches. Ramnaresh Sarwan has spoken about improving his consistency and backed up the talk with two magnificent innings; Chris Gayle has, customarily, blown hot and cold; and Shivnarine Chanderpaul has failed, limped, succeeded and limped off. Lara has urged players like Dwayne Bravo and Marlon Samuels to deliver more often. Also, there’s Sewnarine Chattergoon and Wavell Hinds to contend with. India have to stop not one, but several, bullet-loaded barrels.India may get back their chief weapon, with Yuvraj Singh likely to play. “He looks OK,” commented Rahul Dravid, “we’ll get him to bat in the nets and see how it goes.” India need all their batsmen to come good. The cracker called Mahendra Singh Dhoni is yet to explode and it’s a bomb that has no timer. Watch out for it.West Indies will bank on home advantage. “We played here recently against Zimbabwe and have a fair idea about how the pitch behaves,” Lara said on the eve of the match. “But this one [pitch] looks different. Normally, when we have back-to-back matches, there’s usually some moisture on the pitch and in the outfield. But this one is devoid of moisture. I’m more worried about how it will hold for Sunday.”For India, Sunday can wait. They need to first stay alive, then start kicking, then think of levelling the series, and then – only then – can they harbour hopes of winning it. Like against South Africa at home, late last year, and in Pakistan a few months back, the bounce-back-ability will be tested. They’ve pulled it off before; this one might just be their toughest test yet.India 1 Rahul Dravid (capt), 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Ramesh Powar, 10 Harbhajan Singh, 11 SreesanthWest Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Sewnarine Chattergoon, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Dwayne Smith, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Ian Bradshaw, 10 Fidel Edwards, 11 Corey Collymore

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, the Pakistan fast bowler, has been ruled out of the Test series against England owing to his groin injury. Medical experts have informed Naved-ul-Hasan that he will require an operation on the injury that first troubled him when he was playing for Sussex earlier this summer.Wasim Bari, Pakistan’s chairman of selectors, told : “The team management informed us that Rana has been advised to have surgery, because the injury has failed to respond to treatment.”With two other key players, Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Asif, already in doubt for the first Test at Lord’s from July 13, Pakistan’s fast-bowling options ahead of the series have been further depleted.Samiullah Niazi, a left-arm fast bowler, has been called up to replace Naved-ul-Hasan and could play in the first Test. Samiullah, 23, was a star performer in the last domestic season and turned in impressive spells in Pakistan’s EurAsia Series title in Abu Dhabi recently.Bari also revealed Inzamam-ul-Haq specifically wanted Samiullah “because, being a left-armer, he adds variety to the bowling department.”