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ScorecardFile photo: Jiwanjot Singh scored an important 91, was run out towards the end of the day•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

All the facets of an intense day of first-class cricket were on display on the penultimate day of Mumbai’s Ranji encounter against Punjab.The quality of the game may not have been the best, but the manner in which both sides applied themselves, that too in scorching heat, deserved to be complimented.It was such an intense day that after Punjab made 244 for 4 in their second innings, still 171 runs behind to avoid an innings defeat, neither side was completely satisfied. While Mumbai captain Aditya Tare felt “one more wicket” would have made it a perfect day for them, Punjab coach Arun Sharma thought the visitors lost “two wickets too many” in the last session.Once Tare, after helping his team’s lead cross the 400-run mark, declared the innings, Punjab knew they had to bat out almost for two days to avoid the ignominy of an innings defeat.As an element of surprise, and taking a cue from Ankeet Chavan’s second innings nine-wicket haul against the same opponents at the same venue three years ago, Mumbai started the innings with Harmeet Singh’s left-arm spin along with Shardul Thakur’s raw pace. While Harmeet could not provide the breakthrough, a wicket did eventually come from the other end.Manan Vohra was adjudged caught behind down the leg side while attempting a flick off Thakur in the fifth over of the innings. While the bowler along with Mumbai’s slip cordon went up immediately after the ball had rested in Tare’s gloves, the batsman was taken aback with the decision of umpire K Srinivasan and made his displeasure known.Vohra’s wicket brought together Jiwanjot Singh and Uday Kaul. With the wicket hardly asking any questions of them, the duo – considered to be Punjab’s stayers – did not really appear to be in trouble. While they kept the scoreboard moving before the break, Balwinder Singh Sandhu and Harmeet pulled things back after the break.The first six overs of the second session saw just two runs being added. The tightness of the bowlers eventually forced a mistake from Kaul in the next over. Kaul’s defensive prod off Harmeet resulted in an inside edge to Shrideep Mangela at forward short leg.The rest of the session then belonged to Jiwanjot and Mandeep Singh, both of whom batted with discipline. Thakur, who had headed to the dressing room after feeling discomfort in his right leg in his fifth over, returned to bowl another spell, but none of the batsmen played a false stroke. Mandeep was fortunate for having seen two false strokes in a Harmeet over – a heave against the spin and an extravagant drive – dropping in no man’s land. Barring that rush of blood, the duo saw out the session with little discomfort.After doing the hard work in the first two sessions, it was up to both the batsmen to capitalise in the last session and reduce the deficit going into the last day. Instead, Jiwanjot threw his wicket away just after entering the 90s in the manner of a run out. After flicking Thakur through midwicket, Jiwanjot called Mandeep for a second run. Jiwanjot was a tad slow to turn back and Harmeet got such a perfect throw in from the deep that Tare only had to whip the bails in time. Even a desperate dive from the batsman was not enough to save his wicket.Half an hour later, Mumbai got the bonus wicket of Yuvraj Singh. The Punjab captain got off the blocks quickly with a flick off Dhawal Kulkarni but he tried a paddled sweep off part-time offie Akhil Herwadkar, only to bottom-edge the ball on to the stumps.Mandeep and Himanshu Chawla then looked in no trouble with the old ball as Mumbai hurried the over rate to use the new ball as early as possible on the last morning.

A typically belligerent knock of 88 in as many balls from Vinod Kamblilifted Mumbai to a total of 247 on the first day of their Group ASuper League clash against Delhi at the Ferozeshah Kotla today. Mumbaistruck back to take three quick wickets as Delhi limped to 49/3 atstumps.After Mumbai won the toss and batted, openers Amol Rane and AmitPagnis added 47 in 18 overs before both perished in the space of threeballs. Jatin Paranjpe fell cheaply to give Amit Bhandari his secondwicket but Kambli and Amol Muzumdar launched a swift relief operationwith a 99 run stand in just 19 overs. But with the score at 154,Ashish Nehra delivered a double blow. He first induced a tickle fromMuzumdar(36) to give wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya his third catch of theinnings following which Mumbai captain Samir Dighe walked in and outfor a three ball duck.After Kambli and Sairaj Bahutule had put on 49 for the 6th wicket,Virender Shewag ended Kambli’s fireworks by trapping him legbefore. Kambli’s innings was studded with 16 fours and took his Ranjiaggregate this season to 424 runs at 70.67. The Mumbai tail wascleaned up before long with Bhandari’s 3-69 being the best bowlingfigures for Delhi.The Delhi reply began calamitously as Abey Kuruvilla and SantoshSaxena fired out three men with just 16 on the board. Saxena, who hadtaken just four wickets in his four previous matches this season,rattled the stumps of Devinder Sharma and Mithun Manhas (both forducks) in the space of three balls. Ashu Dani and Virender Shewagcarried the score to 49 without any further inroads.

Uttar Pradesh were 197/3 in relply to the Bengal first innings score of 207 all out, on the second day of the Vijay Merchant under-16 knock-out quarterfinal match at Narendrapur, near Kolkata on Sunday.Tahir Abbas with an unbeaten 71 off 157 balls with the help of seven boundaries and opening batsman Ravi Kant Shukla who made 64 (9 fours) in 129 balls were the arhcitects of the UP reply. Shiva Kant Shukla made 35 and Aris Alam 21 in the UP innings. Earlier in the day Bengal resumed at 176/6 and were bowled out for 207 in the 116th over. Praveen Gupta picked up two more wickets in the morning to finish with the figures of 39.4-23-44-5 to take the bowling honours.

ScorecardFile photo: Craig Ervine’s 125-run stand with Sean Williams helped Zimbabweans ride minor hiccups on their way to a comfortable win•Getty Images

The Zimbabweans sounded out an early warning to Bangladesh after they breezed past BCB XI by seven wickets in Fatullah. Craig Ervine and Sean Williams batted serenely before Elton Chigumbura, the captain, belted massive sixes and ended the chase of 278 with a flourish in Sikandar Raza’s company.Chigumbura, who took over the chase in the 34th over, hammered five fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 64 off 49 balls. He shared an unbroken 68-run stand with Raza for the fifth wicket as the Zimbabweans got home with 20 balls to spare.The visitors started poorly with Richmond Mutumbami caught at point by Sabbir Rahman off Shafiul Islam in the eighth over. Chamu Chibhabha made 33 off 35 balls but bad luck followed him when Shafiul took a stunning diving catch off Sunzamul Islam in the 12th over to leave the Zimbabweans in a hint of trouble.Williams and Ervine then added 125 runs for the third wicket before Williams walked off during the second drinks break with the score reading a comfortable 176 for 2 in 33 overs. The in-form Williams struck five fours and a six in his 57-ball 54. Ervine, meanwhile, batted longer, hitting nine fours and a six and looking equally fluent in his 99-ball 95. He was also well caught by Sabbir, who covered good ground from cover to mid-off, in the 40th over. But the good work done by the third-wicket pair converted the chase into a cruise.The start of the match, though, was a bat-off between Anamul Haque and Imrul Kayes after news filtered through on Tuesday night that Soumya Sarkar was doubtful for the ODI series with a side strain. The pair took up the challenge, scoring a half-century each, and adding 105 for the first wicket.Kayes played some attractive shots before holing out to Malcolm Waller off the legspinner Graeme Cremer for 56. Anamul, who made 52, was out stumped soon after off the same bowler, and lost out to Kayes, who was picked as Sarkar’s replacement despite looking equally effective.Cremer had a third wicket when Liton Das skied him, to be caught by the wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva, thereby missing a chance to play a longer innings after making a pleasing 23-ball 25, while Sabbir Rahman (3) was Luke Jongwe’s first wicket.Mushfiqur Rahim and Shahriar Nafees, rewarded with a place in the BCB XI side after he ended the National Cricket League as the highest scorer, added 90 runs for the fifth wicket. Nafees made a run-a-ball 38 with four boundaries and six while Mushfiqur ended as 81 not out off 84 balls to finish the innings on a high. But that wasn’t enough against the spirited Zimbabweans on the day.

ScorecardMichael Yardy’s farewell century was the proper way to go, unlike his T20 exit•Getty Images

Michael Yardy’s final white-ball appearance at Hove could not have gone much worse. David Willey’s onslaught in the NatWest Blast quarter-final meant he came within a few feet of the indignity of joining a club created by Malcolm Nash 47 years ago. A lucky escape, but you fancy 34 from the over amid a thrashing felt bad enough.His final Championship game here will be remembered far more fondly. Tuesday saw him add an emotional, fluent 40 to Monday’s doughty, important 60 before promptly getting out, his century achieved and job done, having taken Sussex past four vital bonus points, which Chris Jordan would turn into five not long after.Yardy’s was a necessary knock and Hove, to a man, stood in applause. When he fell for 104, pulling Peter Trego directly to deep backward square, the place fell silent before rising in applause once more, as Somerset players came over to shake his hand. By Yardy’s standards, the response was emotional, a violent bat wave to mark the century, and a point to all corners on the slow walk back.Over 16 years, Yardy had earned the right to be a tad teary. Little wonder a number of Sussex folk were emotional, too. Yardy has a mighty cricketing CV. He provides the last link to Sussex’s first ever Championship winners in 2003, and has won the title twice more, in 2006 (when they also won the 50-over trophy) and 2007. In 2009, he captained the club to a limited overs double.To say Yardy’s career has merely “coincided” a golden period for his county does him a gross injustice; his centrality, as player and bloke, cannot be overestimated. Likewise, few will forget his role in England’s World T20 triumph of 2010. He retires as one of just 11 Englishman to have won the final of an ICC event.You read this plenty but Yardy really is one of the good guys; just a normal guy. Softly spoken and kind faced, his dreams, it seems, were always about playing cricket for Sussex. He admitted to being nervous before play, emotional when he reached his century and when he says he will miss his team-mates most, you believe him.The moment, he said, was “very much up there,” in his career highlights, and “very, very special. I will cherish it in the future when I’m not playing cricket…. It’s a funny one because somebody just said how great it was to do that, and then you think after what happened in the T20 I was due a little bit!”Of the celebrations, he said bashfully: “That’s not really me. There was emotion there and I probably welled up a little bit. It meant a lot. When you’re 60 not out coming into your final innings at Hove, you know what you want and the goal is very clear. It was nice to get there.”Yardy has looked a man liberated since announcing his retirement in mid-July. Since then, he has visibly shifted some timber and relocated his smile. It is telling in his cricket; in fact he bows out with centuries in both his final two Championship games at Hove and even had to laugh off suggestions that his decision should be reversed.He lost the chancier Ashar Zaidi to Jamie Overton’s first ball of a day delayed by overnight rain, but was quickly away with a wristily pulled four. The double trigger and mighty crab were as exaggerated and the striking as clean as ever, but his nerves told with some slightly hare-brained running.He moved into the 80s with a straight drive, followed it with another four through mid-on, and into the 90s with a controlled edge to the third man fence. A beautiful cover drive then a dab to fine leg brought up the milestone at a canter.”I’ve played here all my life, from the age of 11,” Yardy said, “and even during that time I’ve loved watching the guys play here. It was always something I aspired to as a young kid: like everyone who plays county cricket, you aspire to play for your home county. It’s a bit sad that it’s coming to an end but nice to finish in a nice way.”After one Jordan heave-ho too many (Luke Ronchi did well to take a swirling skier), Somerset’s response was unfussy until a hefty band of rain came at 4.45. Tom Abell was wonderfully wristy but played on to a Jordan wide one and Tom Cooper flew out of the blocks before nicking through to Ben Brown.At the other end Marcus Trescothick was undefeated, and – considering the manner in which their England careers ended and the esteem they are held at their respective counties – comparisons with Yardy do not take much finding.After both Yardy’s moments, the third-loudest cheer of the day came with another Trescothick dab to third man for four to bring up his 50. He was typically strong in that area, and brutal on that trademark tiny-stepped drive.With rain forecast on Wednesday, this vital match’s value is likely to be seen in bonus points. Both teams to took full allocation in the first round; if the Somerset are to get full allocation in the second, Trescothick must stay put.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:39

Agarwal makes third highest List-A score in India

There were two centurions from India A, and only one from South Africa A. Simple math won in the end, and the visitors were knocked out of the A-team tri-series in Chennai. Mayank Agarwal hammered 176 off just 133 balls, Manish Pandey galloped to 108 off 85, and India A batted the opposition out of the game. South Africa A were set a target of 372, and they had to get it in 29 overs to qualify for the final. Quinton de Kock did his best with 113 off 86 balls, but it was too tall a task.Seeking a better chance to get that bonus point, Dane Vilas, the stand-in South Africa A captain, chose to bowl. As iffy as their history is with chasing, the team’s best chance remained with the batsmen making the play. Among the four left-arm seamers, only Lonwabo Tsotsobe has been decent. Their spin reserves have not impressed either. Trusting the bowlers to get them through seemed too big a gamble. On the other hand, they had a sturdier batting order with the return of de Kock, who now has five centuries from six one-day matches against an Indian team.The problem, of course, was South Africa gave away too many runs. The problem was Agarwal, a player known for short and punchy cameos, managing to play a long innings. He helped lay the foundation with a 106-run opening partnership with Unmukt Chand, and then took control of the middle overs with Pandey in a 203-run stand, the scoring rate during which was 8.45 per over.As mammoth as India A’s total was, it did not come helter skelter early on. India A had been 37 for 0 in 10 overs, but with the pitch offering very little challenge, and the opposition bowlers unable to lift themselves, steady acceleration became all out carnage – 195 runs came off the last 20 overs.Mayank Agarwal hit 110 runs in fours and sixes•K Sivaraman

India A’s innings, in fact, mirrored Agarwal’s. The batsman was slow early on – 30 off his first 49 balls – but he could afford to be because Chand was making sure South Africa A were under the pump with 64 off 77 balls. But once Agarwal got himself set, his usual manic tempo resurfaced. He secured his second hundred of the series off 96 balls, and the 150 came a mere 21 balls later. His lack of consistency has been a long-standing complaint, but Agarwal has five fifty-plus scores in seven one-day innings and his current average of 55.1 is the best for an Indian with at least 1000 List A runs.Almost unnoticed at the other end, Pandey was working himself to hitting rhythm. He was 51 off 52 balls when the final 10 overs began but completed a century in the final over of the innings. It was a partnership well-suited to exploit a benign pitch and listless bowling. Agarwal and Pandey have techniques dictated by strong bottom hands, a preference for the front foot and unorthodox shot selection.So when South Africa A bowled back of a length, the batsmen still waded forward and flat-batted them into a wide arc from midwicket to extra cover. The visitors did not help themselves by dropping Agarwal on 29. He ended up making 110 runs in boundaries alone. The other reprieve came from a mistake by umpire Virender Sharma, who failed to spot an outside edge as Pandey nicked off to the wicketkeeper in the 40th over.With chances of progress distant, de Kock indulged in reclaiming his lost form. He had little trouble assessing the pace of the pitch, and nearly every time he planted his front foot down for an almighty swing to the leg side, he succeeded. He got to 50 off 29 balls, produced a hat-trick of boundaries in the 18th over from legspinner Karn Sharma, and cruised to his hundred off 76 balls. He gathered 76 runs from 60 balls of spin, which should help his confidence ahead of an important tour of India in October.Another hopeful to make the South African Test side, Reeza Hendricks, got some batting time with 76 off 109 balls. He looks like an accumulator and does present a good option for the senior team if they are still looking at a Test opener. Khaya Zondo offset that slow pace with 86 off 60 balls, but South Africa A were never in with a chance today.

Durham County Cricket Club have agreed terms with ex-Leicestershire andEngland all rounder Vincent Wells. The 37-year-old has agreed to a 2 yearcontract.Durham Coach, Martyn Moxon, is delighted to have an experienced playerjoining the squad. “Vince has played cricket at the highest level and I amsure he will have a positive influence on our younger players. Thetechniques they can learn from him will be invaluable to their development.”Wells arrives at the Riverside after ten years with Leicestershire, duringwhich he represented England in the 1999 World Cup and was appointed countycaptain in 1999. Vince was awarded a Benefit Year in 2001. He scored morethan 6,000 runs for Leicestershire, captured 200 wickets and played a keyrole in the County’s two Championship successes of 1996 and 1998.Vince is looking forward to joining Durham. He said: “I have been veryimpressed with the cricket management at Durham and I’m really excited to bejoining such a progressive Club. Durham have some very talented youngstersand hopefully I’ll be able to pass on some of the things I have learnt overthe years.”

MELBOURNE, Oct 31 AAP – Victoria lost four wickets before lunch in its first innings on day two of the Pura Cup cricket match against Tasmania at the MCG today.Opener Jason Arnberger continued to anchor the innings with an unbeaten 159 as the Bushrangers reached 9-336, while Mathew Inness was yet to score.Australian all-rounder Shane Watson took two of the three wickets this morning and had 3-56 for the innings, while left-arm spinner Shannon Tubb also snared two scalps today for figures of 2-35.Overnight batsman Cameron White brought up his half century, but on 56 he drove Watson to Shannon Tubb for a good low catch at cover.Arnberger and White put on 142 for the sixth wicket.Michael Di Venuto leapt off the ground and grabbed Darren Berry’s scorching cover drive to dismiss him for five, giving Tubb his first wicket of the innings.

South Africa could be without their captain Graeme Smith for the first Test against England due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Smith sat out of the IPL final on Sunday after picking up the problem while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the semi-final on Friday.The Test series begins at Lord’s on July 10, giving Smith nearly six weeks to get himself right. However, the seriousness of his injury means he is no certainty to be ready for the Test or the warm-up match against Middlesex that begins six days earlier.”I’ve got a grade two tear in my hamstring and it looks as through I will be out for four weeks,” Smith told . “I’m at a push to make it in time for the first Test at Lord’s.”Smith is due to join up with his South Africa team-mates in Johannesburg for a training camp before they leave for England. Despite Smith’s absence, Rajasthan won the IPL decider.

Sri Lankan fast bowler Dilhara Fernando’s return to Test cricket suffered a setback when he complained of knee pain and was unable to take the field during India’s second innings on the third and final day of the practice game at the NCC on Sunday.Fernando, who last played a Test in December, against England, was in discomfort during his six-over first spell on Saturday. Chandika Hathurusingha, the Sri Lanka Board XI coach, said after his initial complaint, Fernando returned to bowl two short spells of four overs with his leg strapped.”Dilhara has a niggling knee injury which he picked up in his first spell of the first innings,” Hathurusingha said. “We didn’t want to risk him in the second innings. He’s coming out of a long lay-off.”Fernando’s injury comes a day before the national selectors meet to pick the squad for the first Test against India starting at the SSC on Wednesday.Sri Lanka are already without two other fast bowlers due to injuries, Lasith Malinga (knee) and Farveez Maharoof (side strain) and will be hard pressed to find a suitable partner for Chaminda Vaas. In their last Test series in the Caribbean, Thilan Thushara and Ishara Amerasinghe supported Vaas.