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Barrington Rowland produced a massive 283 and led Karnataka to a mammoth 619 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Rowland, unbeaten on 169 overnight, added 229 with his captain, Sujit Somasundar. Rowland, named after the former England batsmen Ken, smashed 29 fours and a six. Somasundar celebrated his elevation to the captaincy with a composed hundred as Karnataka were all but ensured of first-innings points. Madhya Pradesh replied with 120 for 1.
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Andhra Pradesh were reeling at 59 for 5 at the end of the second day at the Wankhede Stadium after Mumbai declared after making an imposing 515 for 9. Ajit Agarkar followed up his lively 52 with two early wickets, including the important one of Venugopal Rao. Earlier, Nishit Shetty and Vinayak Samant had also helped themselves to half-centuries and taken Mumbai past 500.
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Akash Christian and Niraj Patel shared a vital 154-run stand as Gujarat took the upper hand at Siliguri. Bengal added just 28 to their overnight total as Kirat Dhamani, the offspinner, polished off the tail to finish with impressive figures of 4 for 9 from his eight overs. Gujarat then put in a solid batting performance and trialed by just 29 at the end of the second day.
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Delhi fought back at the Jamia Millia Ground as their bowlers reduced Railways to 147 for 5 at the end of the second day’s play. Amit Pagnis made a steady 49 but Railways lost wickets at regular intervals. Delhi had earlier been bowled out for 216 with Ajay Jadeja playing the lone hand with a defiant 87.
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Gagandeep Singh, a medium-pacer, rocked the Baroda innings as Punjab hit back on the second day at Mohali. Gagandeep snapped up 5 for 57 while Vineet Sharma, his opening partner, finished with a four-wicket haul. Despite being bundled out for just 175 yesterday, Punjab managed a 20-run lead, a crucial figure in what may turn out to be a low-scoring battle.
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Maharashtra were shot out for just 83 and were in a deep hole at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad. Having restricted Hyderabad to 231, the powerful Maharashtra batting line-up crumbled in just 32 overs with Narender Pal Singh and Mohammad Ghouse snaring seven wickets between them. Hyderabad extended their lead to 316 before stumps and hold all the aces going into the third day.
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Rudra Prathap Singh’s ten-wicket haul in the match put Uttar Pradesh on the brink of a win against Assam at Kanpur. In a low-scoring tussle, Assam gained a vital 52-run lead in their first innings and had their noses ahead halfway through the day. But they capitulated for just 107 the second time around and left UP a target of 160.

A 16-member Zimbabwe squad left for South Africa today to prepare for the upcoming five-match series against Bangladesh that gets underway next Saturday.The side is captained by offspinner Prosper Utseya and contains four players who are yet to represent the country on the international scene – left-hand batsman Friday Kasteni, opening bat Tinotenda Mawoyo, wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Mufambisi and pace bowler Admire Manyumwa.Zimbabwe will play against the South African Academy and Highveld Lions with all the matches set for the High Performance Centre in Pretoria.The team returns home next Thursday, just two days before the start of series against the Bangladeshi Tigers. All those matches will be held at the Harare Sports Club.Zimbabwe squad Prosper Utseya (capt), Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Trevor Garwe, Ryan Higgins, Friday Kasteni, Blessing Mahwire, Admire Manyumwa, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tino Mawoyo, Tafadzwa Mufambisi, Tawanda Mupariwa, Piet Rinke, Vusi Sibanda, Brendan Taylor.

Adam Gilchrist has indicated he might be interested in joining the Indian Cricket League when he eventually retires from international cricket. Gilchrist is still planning to play for Australia “for a while yet”, but this week he was forthright in his support for the ICL concept.”It’s quite a good thing for guys like me who are at the back end of their careers,” he said at the Captains’ Breakfast on the eve of the ICC World Twenty20. “I’m ten years older than guys like Graeme [Smith], and about eight years older than Daniel [Vettori], so it’s a great opportunity.”He also felt there was nothing wrong with giving players more options outside the traditional ICC-sanctioned events. “I think the ICC does have a monopoly on the game, and it’s nice for the players to have more opportunities and to have more control of their futures,” he told the South Africa-based .Brian Lara, who has already signed up for the ICL, echoed Gilchrist’s views on the league. “I think there’s room for a lot of players in the market and I’ll be there to support them,” he said at the ICC Awards function in Johannesburg. “The most important thing is that their [ICL] motives are very clean and clear – they want to improve cricket and the standards of professional cricket in India, and that’s good enough for me.”

Having starred at the Wanderers with match figures of 8 for 99, Sreesanthknew that an encore wouldn’t be easy. On a Kingsmead pitch that wascertainly more batsman-friendly, he finished the first innings withfigures of 4 for 109, including the eye-catching dismissal of Mark Boucher- stumps splayed all over the place.The man with a penchant for the eccentric was his colourful self at thepress conference on Wednesday evening, offering up candid answers on hisdevelopment as a cricketer and the state of the match. “It was hard workthere,” he said with a grin when asked if there was any disappointment atmissing out on a five-for. “You cannot expect five every game or everyinnings. I’m happy to keep working on the basics and not worry too muchabout wickets.”His assessment of the pitch would have encouraged India’s batsmen, thoughhe shied away from saying whether he intended another six-hittingcelebration when his turn came to bat. “It’s on the slower side and thebounce was a bit less than Jo’burg,” he said. “It will get better andfaster. It was a bit more skiddy this morning. But if the batsmen ‘get in’on this wicket, they can go on to get a big score. It’s hard work for thebowlers.”He admitted that the Johannesburg display had increased the pressure ofexpectation, but said that he was prepared to deal with it. “I was verylucky to be performing with people like Anil and Sachin ,” hesaid referring to India’s most experienced duo. “I also spoke to AllanDonald and Wasim Akram; the more you talk, the more you get to learn. Theyall asked me not to try too hard.”That said, he still resembles a coiled spring at times out in the middle,only ever a good ball away from a riotous celebration or a plaintiveappeal. “The pressure is good at the start of the match because it bringsthe best out of you,” he said, while adding that he had been working onreining things in a little. His reaction after dismissing Hashim Amla atthe Wanderers attracted a fine from the match referee, and Sreesanth said:”It all happens when I’m in that frame of mind, but I don’t want to miss agame.”Most of the experts here, right from the batsmen like Barry Richards tobowlers like Donald, have been raving about the seam position when theball leaves his hand, and Sreesanth spoke about how it was a legacy of thetime spent at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai. “I worked with DennisLillee and TA Sekar, on swing and seam position. The basic thing[stressed] was not pace, but to get the seam position and how you releasethe ball.”His own transformation from wannabe leggie to pace spearhead is aremarkable one, and Sreesanth attributed his swing-and-seam strengths tothe often-heartbreaking experience of bowling on pancake-flat pitches backhome. “Initially, I wanted to hit the batsman,” he said with a smile. “Butit’s not easy to hit the helmet on Indian pitches. I used to watch guyslike [Glenn] McGrath and [Shaun] Pollock on TV, and learnt a lot. I learntthat there are many other ways of getting a batsman out.”Playing his seventh Test, Sreesanth is too consumed with the present toworry too much about what lies in wait. He certainly won’t be losing sleepworrying about burnout and injuries. “I love playing cricket,” he said,having joked about how the Durban weather reminded him of being back homein Kochi. “When I’m home, I play four or five games of tennis-ball cricketmost days. I just keep playing, and I’m not worried about injuries. Ifsomething happens, it happens.”And whatever happens, he’ll always have the Wanderers, and a performancethat few Indian quick bowlers will ever match.

Netherlands must beat Bermuda in the latest Intercontinental Cup match at Pretoria on Tuesday if they are to have a hope of replacing Canada at the top of Group B.The winner of the group will gain a spot in the final and it’s Canada who are sitting pretty with a maximum 40 points from two matches, having dispatched both Bermuda and Kenya earlier this year. A draw for Netherlands against Kenya meant they took just six points from the 20 on offer.But it’s not too late to make amends – should Netherlands defeat Bermuda they will head to a winner-takes-all match against Canada in the final group match in December at the same venue, with the winner progressing to the final.Netherlands’ hopes of defeating Bermuda will be boosted by the Bermudans’ recent indifferent form: they had a disappointing tour of Kenya and they may be missing Lionel Cann. However, their captain Clay Smith is back from a hamstring injury.Still, it’s the weather that’s most likely to scupper Netherlands’ hopes, with heavy rainfall on the Highveld in recent days. Outfields are sodden and squares unplayable, as South Africa and India know to their cost: their opening one-dayer in nearby Johannesburg was washed out on Sunday and the forecast in the area is not good for the remainder of the week.And the Netherlands coach Peter Cantrell revealed that the players haven’t been able to have much outside practice. “Most of our guys haven’t had a bat or bowl on grass since the end of August,” he said.But they do have some players hitting form. Daan van Bunge was one of the stars of the recent ICC Winter Training Camp in Pretoria, with three half-centuries in five innings against South Africa provincial opposition.Ryan ten Doeschate has en excellent average of 121 in this competition, while in Luuk van Troost, Bas Zuiderent and Alex Kervezee the Netherlands have three matchwinners.

Robin Morris stroked his way to his second unbeaten half century ofthe season for Mumbai in the Ranji One-Day West Zone League againstGujarat at the GSFC ground, Baroda. Robin (67 not out) hit twoboundaries and five massive sixes in his unbeaten innings leadingMumbai to a 9 wicket victory. Mumbai openers Robin and Wasim Jaffer(61) put on a 118 run partnership for the first wicket. Mumbai lookedset for their second consecutive 10 wicket victory before Wasimcharged Tejas Varsani and was caught short of his ground by stumperPallav Vora. Mumbai raced away to 150 for one in the 24th over toregister their third win and earned two points.Earlier in the day, Gujurat batting first, succumbed to the Mumbaiattack of Paras Mhambrey (3/17) and Sairaj Bahutule (3/34) and crawledtheir way to 149 all out in 48 overs. Bhavin Mehta (28) was the topscorer.

Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, has praised Michael Clarke for the restraint he showed throughout the incident with Chris Gayle during Wednesday’s match between Australia and West Indies in Mumbai. Gayle was later fined 30% of his match fee for a code one breach for failing to “conduct play within the spirit of the game”, a decision which Ponting welcomed.”I think it was handled in the right way,” Ponting was quoted as saying by . “If you look at the incidents, Pup [Clarke] nearly needs to be congratulated on the way he handled the whole thing. There’s no doubt he had a few words to say but Gayle was the one who was in his personal space and dragging the whole thing out the way he did. Pup handled it brilliantly, and I think it was a pretty fair result to come out of it.”The incident happened during Australia’s run-chase when Clarke and Adam Gilchrist were involved in a significant partnership. Gayle continually made comments directed at Clarke, and at one stage even conceded four overthrows off his own bowling when a throw at the batsman’s end went over the wicketkeeper’s head. It was later suggested that Clarke had sparked off the incident when he called Gayle a “second-class citizen”, a claim which Clarke denied. “If anyone is second-class it’s me, I’m from Liverpool,” Clarke, who grew up in the working-class Sydney suburb, said. “I didn’t say that – I wouldn’t say that – and neither did any of my team-mates.” While Gayle was fined, Clarke was found not guilty of any code violation.The ICC clarified that the decision to report the incident had only been made the morning after the game, and not immediately after the match finished. The delay led to speculation that Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, may have intervened to order charges be laid, but an ICC spokesman said in this case the three umpires had “slept on it” before deciding to charge both players with contravening the spirit of cricket.

Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder known for his big-hitting exploits, says that he prefers playing a more controlled innings rather than beginning in attack mode.In New Zealand’s recent record run chase against Australia at Christchurch, Oram contributed a vital 42 from 37 balls – including two big sixes – as he partnered Scott Styris in a crucial stand that took his side closer to a win. The required run rate at that stage was already around 10 runs per over, so Oram said it was satisfying to put decent bat to ball.”It was a buzz hitting the ball like that,” Oram told stuff.co.nz on Monday. “But it’s not something I’d like to do every time I go out to bat, because it’s fairly high-risk. To be honest with you, it (power hitting) has got nothing to do with timing, it’s just how hard you want to swing.”Oram rates his contribution in that historic win as among the top three in terms of satisfaction during his five-year New Zealand career. “It’s great to be back and it’s awesome to be playing at home again. Playing on your own grounds in front of your own crowds,” he said. “I had a couple of tours away during the winter and that was great to get back into the mix and the cricket environment.Oram was sidelined for much of this year with a back injury, and has been taking it a match at a time. “It (the back) is okay at the moment,” he said. “To be fair I don’t take any day for granted, it’s just a matter of keeping on top of it and managing it, and that’s what I basically tell people.”Though he would have liked to contribute more with the ball – he failed to pick up a wicket in three matches – Oram added that the experience of just playing international cricket had motivated him to work harder. “To be back at home and playing some pretty awesome games in front of some very noisy crowds was great,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the summer now.”New Zealand play five one-day internationals at home against Sri Lanka starting on New Year’s Eve.

Australia plans to spend the lead-up to Trent Bridge in reverse-swing protection mode as the batsmen try to find ways of countering England’s stunning use of the tactic. Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones have combined for 29 wickets in the first three Tests and have regularly confused the opposition order with their wild movement.Simon Katich, who has 143 runs in six bats, and Adam Gilchrist, who collected 120 with a top score of 49 not out, have struggled to absorb the method and Ricky Ponting said after his 156 at Old Trafford that he would prefer going in early than dealing with the middle-order danger. “There is no doubt it is the most difficult time in the game to bat,” he said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “I would take facing a brand new ball that’s swinging than facing a 10-over-old ball that’s reversing the way it has in this game.”Ponting said Flintoff had used the tactic well and made it tougher by going over and around the wicket. “He swings it both ways as much as anyone in the game,” he said. “And he does it at 90 miles an hour. `Gilly’ is in the same boat. Any of the left-handers that he has had a chance to bowl to in the last couple of Tests he’s really troubled.”Mark Taylor said in the batsmen should try not to strike so firmly when the ball was swinging. “They’re so used to hitting the ball hard and hitting boundaries,” he said. “When you’ve got a couple of quality bowlers and they’re swinging the ball late it’s not always possible to bat that way.”Taylor said Allan Border tried a short back-lift to Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis to counter the movement. “The best way he found was almost to play French cricket at times,” he said. “A really short back-lift and just hit the ball in the gaps and pick up ones and twos and deflect the ball more so than try and hit it.”As well as looking at it from a batting perspective, Australia’s bowlers will also try to find a way of copying it. “We’ve got to work out how we can do it better,” Ponting said. “There is no doubt in the last couple of games it’s played a key role.”Michael Vaughan said Jones had always been able to move the old ball and he was teaching his team-mates. “Some of our bowlers are new to reverse-swing and controlling it,” he said. “Simon is helping all the bowlers. In both games we have used it very well.”Australia have arrived in Scotland and will train today before a one-day match at The Grange tomorrow. Ponting told the batsmen had to start turning starts into big scores.”There haven’t been any real extravagant shots that have cost us our downfall, we’ve just made little mental errors more than anything,” Ponting said. “Matty Hayden probably has got 30 every time he’s batted in the series, Justin Langer has been a bit the same, Damien Martyn has made 20 every time, so guys are getting in and getting starts – we’re just getting out from there.” The fourth Test begins at Trent Bridge on August 25.

Haryana v Services, Ranji Trophy Plate Final
ScorecardAK Mohanty made a determined 40 not out, but there was little support from the rest of the Services lower order, and he was left stranded as his side finished with 191. Joginder Sharma, who had taken three wickets on the second day, finished with 5 for 67. Haryana then coasted to 113 for 2, 264 ahead. Chetan Sharma, their first-innings hero, made 45.