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The Super Eight T20, Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament in which the country’s top eight teams face-off, will begin on June 24 without several star players, including Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar and Abdul Razzaq.The tournament is designed to test the premium Twenty20 talent in the country, with teams having to qualify for it by finishing in the top half of Pakistan’s comprehensive domestic 20-over competition, the 13-team Faysal Bank T20 Cup.Akhtar, who has represented Islamabad Leopards in previous seasons, retired from all forms of the game at the end of this year’s World Cup, while Afridi and Razzaq are just two of several Pakistan players who have chosen to play with English counties instead.Afridi has secured his NOC after a much-publicised dispute with the PCB and will debut for Hampshire the Friends Life t20 on Thursday, while Razzaq is with Leceistershire. Offspinner Saeed Ajmal and fast bowler Wahab Riaz will also miss the domestic tournament due to county commitments with Worcestershire and Kent. Other prominent names missing from the series include the banned trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal will play the domestic league for Lahore Lions after being denied permission to take part in the Bangladesh domestic league. The PCB had reportedly told Akmal that his being a centrally contracted player prevented him from playing abroad during the domestic season.Players like Imran Farhat, Danish Kaneria, Faisal Iqbal and Hasan Raza will also miss the tournament, as they are not eligible to play, having represented teams that did not finish in the top eight in the Faysal Bank T-20 Cup last season.Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Sami will captain sides in the competition.Faisalabad Wolves will host Multan Tigers in the tournament opener on Friday.

Kumar Sangakkara entered the Rose Bowl Test as a visibly reluctant captain, but by the close of the fourth day’s play, he had tapped back into his leadership qualities to emerge as Sri Lanka’s only realistic hope of escaping the match with a draw. By the close he was 44 not out from 111 balls, already his best score of the series, and as coach Stuart Law cast one optimistic eye to the heavens, he admitted that anything less than a century would probably spell curtains for his team.”There is a forecast that suggests there will be some weather about tomorrow,” said Law. “It’s a shame, as it’s hampered the tour and robbed the viewing public of some quality cricket. But while it’s in the air we’ve still got to bat well and with Sanga at the crease we’re a very good chance of saving this Test. We need some runs from the middle and late order, but Sanga really is the one to watch tomorrow.”Sangakkara’s record in England – which currently stands at 445 runs in nine Tests at 27.81 – is a curious anomaly, a blot on a career record that is already guaranteed to be recalled among the greats. At the age of 33, there is no guarantee he will be back for a fourth tour of England, but by the close he was doing his best to finish this series on a personal high, as he wore the blows of England’s confident attack and responded with some counter-thrusts of his own, not least a whistling cover-drive to draw the sting of Stuart Broad’s most probing spell of the series.His looseness outside off stump had a been a notable frailty in his first five innings of the series, and one stabbed cut in James Anderson’s final spell bounced inches short of gully. Nevertheless, from the moment he got off the mark with a classy first-ball whip off the pads, Sangakkara looked primed for the tussle that awaited him, as he swayed out of the way of a vicious lifter from Chris Tremlett, and took another ball from Broad on the body rather than let his gloves get in the way.”Sanga rarely doesn’t have the bit between his teeth to be honest,” said Law. “If anything he comes out of his comfort zone here and tries too hard to put it right. He scores runs for fun in places like Australia and he’s done well in South Africa too, so it’s not that he can’t play outside the subcontinent. But it’s just taken him a while to realise his game and what he needs to do. I think tonight he batted with extreme purpose and looked every bit the world-class player he is.”Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, they still shipped three prime wickets, including Mahela Jayawardene for another single-figure score. The debutant Larihu Thirimanne knuckled down with great resolve to grind out a doughty 38, while Tharanga Paranavitana once again showcased his durability, even if he was unable to turn his crease occupation into runs in an hour-long stay for 10. When asked if he was happy with the application shown by his team, Law was disarmingly honest. “Not really,” he said. “You’d always like more.Kumar Sangakkara’s unbeaten 44 helped Sri Lanka retain hopes of drawing the third Test•AFP

“But I’m really impressed with Lahiru,” he added. “He’s gutsed it out, and he played well. As a young kid making his debut in circumstances he’s very foreign to, I’m very proud of the way he played today. It’s just unfortunate he got out at the wrong time. Obviously you always want your batsmen to score hundreds every time they go out. That’s never going to happen, but we do need a bit more.”Prior to the game, Sangakkara’s captaincy concerns had hinted at a degree of unrest within the team. The impending return of the player-turned-politician, Sanath Jayasuriya, at the age of 41 is the issue that will confront them as soon as this match is over and attention switches to the one-day leg of the tour. But as Law was at pains to point out, whatever external pressures may currently exist, the players themselves are just pressing on as best they can.”The dressing room is very happy,” he said. “The boys always walk in with a smile on their face. Whatever else happens in the next few weeks, we have no control over it. We have to go out there and play some cricket.”They deal with these kind of issues day in, day out,” he added. “It’s never nice but the boys are happy, they get on with their cricket. They know they’ve got a job, they love playing for their country. They do it for a lot of people back home, they are very proud of that and they want to keep that intact.”It hasn’t gone well for us [so far], but that’s not to do with anything in the dressing-room. It’s because England have been very, very good. We probably haven’t stepped up to the mark a few times, but we have at certain times.”As for Law himself, his own future as coach is still up in the air, with a full-time successor to Trevor Bayliss still to be appointed. “I have spoken to the right people so hopefully it will be resolved very soon,” he said. In the immediate future, Sri Lanka will hope the same can be said of Sangakkara’s record in England.

Australia and New Zealand could be battling for the services of Allan Donald as bowling coach, after the South African made it to the final round of interviews to replace Troy Cooley in the Australian setup. Donald worked with New Zealand for several months before and during the World Cup, and while they are keen to retain him, the decision may be taken out of their hands.Craig McDermott, the former Australia fast bowler and Academy coach, and the Tasmania assistant Allister de Winter also made the cut for a second interview with Cricket Australia. However, Donald would be a more unexpected choice if he was offered the job, as Australia have traditionally not been inclined to employ foreign talent on their coaching staff.Cricket Australia’s general manager of cricket, Michael Brown, has conducted the final round of interviews and was expected to put an offer to the chosen candidate this week. An announcement on who will replace Cooley, who is now the head coach at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, is likely to come over the next week.”I am waiting on a call from Cricket Australia in the next 48 hours [from Tuesday’s final interviews] and then I’ll make my decision,” Donald told ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday. If he does not win the Australian position, Donald is expected to remain with New Zealand.Both teams could benefit from the experience of Donald, who is reportedly strong on the mental aspects of the game, not just the technical. That could be ideal for an Australian attack led by Mitchell Johnson, although a New Zealand bowling group that has lost the veterans Shane Bond and Iain O’Brien in the past couple of years would also gain from working with a champion such as Donald.New Zealand’s director of cricket, John Buchanan, said the role of bowling coach would be of great importance in the immediate future for their youthful attack. The veteran spearhead Chris Martin turns 37 later this year and can’t go on forever, so young men like Tim Southee and Hamish Bennett will need to take on more responsibility over the coming seasons.”I spoke to [the coach] John Wright at length and he was very impressed with him [Donald], the way he went about what he did,” Buchanan told ESPNcricinfo. “He probably spends more time with bowlers in terms of the way they think about the game and their game awareness, as opposed to being too technical about what bowling requires. John’s comment was that his group responded very well to him and he was very keen to keep him on board if he could.”Having that sort of experience and knowledge around is one way of upskilling the younger guys who have less of that, but offer a lot of other things. It is a critical role, certainly for the next couple of years anyway.”In addition to having taken 330 Test wickets at an average of 22.25, Donald has plenty of coaching experience on his CV. He spent a short time as England’s bowling coach in 2007 and took charge of the Zimbabwe domestic side Mountaineers last year, before taking up his role with New Zealand.

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Australia Under-19s defeated West Indies Under-19s by 63 runs to go one up in the three-match Youth ODI series in Dubai.Choosing to bat, Australia U-19s built their total around opener Cameron Bancroft, who scored a well-paced 123. None of the other batsmen were able to build an innings, the second-highest score being 31 by Meyrick Buchanan. Most of the damage with the ball was done by opening bowler Justin Greaves and offspinner John Campbell. The pair picked up six of the nine wickets to fall in the innings, keeping Australia U-19s to 240.The chase briefly went the way of the first innings, with opener Kraigg Brathwaite anchoring the innings. But, unlike the Australia U-19 middle order which produced a few cameos to support Bancroft, just one of the seven West Indies U-19 batsmen to follow managed to get into double figures. By the time Brathwaite was dismissed, having scored 74 off 105, the chase was all but over with the scoreboard reading 130 for 8. The innings eventually folded on 177 with 5.5 overs going unused. The Australia U-19 bowlers shared the wickets around, four of the six used picking up two apiece.The two teams face off in the second match on Tuesday.

Gloucestershire have signed Kane Williamson, the New Zealand batsman, as their overseas player for the 2011 county season.Williamson, 20, scored a century on his Test debut against India at Ahmedabad in November and is seen as a vital part of New Zealand’s future. He is currently part of the World Cup squad on the subcontinent and will link up with Gloucestershire in time for the new season.His arrival at Bristol continues the strong association between New Zealand and Gloucestershire fostered by John Bracewell, the former New Zealand spinner, who is the director of cricket. James Franklin has spent considerable time at the club while Hamish Marshall is using his Irish passport to play county cricket.”The coaching and playing staff have been aware of the proposed signing of Kane for a while now and we are delighted to be able to finally announce it,” Bracewell said. “Kane brings his youth and a supposed lack of experience but I can assure Gloucestershire supporters that not only does his early international record indicate great talent but I am aware of his work ethic and personal drive to not just be a good international cricketer but a great one.”He is the type of player from the Mike Hussey mould; driven to succeed through hard work and dedication and will be a great example not only to our younger players but also to some of our more senior batsmen, who are yet to fulfil their potential.”Tom Richardson, the chief executive, said the club value their strong links with New Zealand. “We have long had a really good association with New Zealand. Obviously from the time John Bracewell has spent coaching the national team and with Craig Spearman, Hamish Marshall, Ian Butler and of course James Franklin having played for Gloucestershire. We have a very good relationship with the cricket association and their chief executive, Justin Vaughan, another former Gloucestershire player, and we want to continue to foster this.”Williamson is Gloucestershire’s second overseas signing for the season after they secured the significant coup of bringing Muttiah Muralitharan over for the Friends Provident t20.

Australia and New Zealand have made the unusual decision to compete for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy during their World Cup match in Nagpur on Friday. Previously, the prize has only ever been up for grabs during bilateral series, always of at least three games, but this was the only chance for the teams to meet during the 2010-11 season.The New Zealanders should be happy with the move, as they have beaten Australia in nine of 21 Chappell-Hadlee matches, but have lost all 12 of the other ODIs the teams have played during the same period. The trophy has been contested every season since it began in 2004-05, and is currently held by Australia after they won 3-2 in New Zealand last March.There was already plenty to play for in Friday’s match, with both teams pushing to finish as high as they can in their World Cup group, in the hope of meeting a weaker quarter-finalist. Ian Chappell and Dayle Hadlee will both be in Nagpur for the clash, so both families honoured by the prize will be represented when the trophy is handed to the winning captain.”The trans-Tasman rivalry is revered by New Zealand fans and we are pleased the Black Caps get the chance to compete for the trophy this season,” New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive Justin Vaughan said. “This is a truly unique occasion with the two sides unlikely to compete for the Chappell-Hadlee trophy in India again.”Cricket Australia’s chief executive, James Sutherland, said: “I’m delighted the teams will have a chance to compete for this great trophy, which underpins the trans-Tasman rivalry in the one-day game. There is plenty at stake in this game.”New Zealand have not won the trophy since 2006-07, when Michael Hussey captained a weakened Australian side in the lead-up to the 2007 World Cup and went down 3-0. However, the sides shared the honours in 2008-09 when they drew 2-2 in Australia, before Ricky Ponting’s men narrowly got home last year.

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Phil Jaques put New South Wales on top with his 37th first class hundred•Getty Images

Bat dominated ball on the first day of New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield visit to Melbourne, with Phil Jaques making an unbeaten 128 out of a total of 3 for 345 at stumps. David Warner was unlucky not to reach a maiden first-class hundred, falling for 99 to Michael Hill’s unheralded medium pace, while his opening partner Phil Hughes contributed 69 to a solid opening stand of 109. Jaques took full toll of a wilting attack in the afternoon, dominating his stands with Warner and Peter Forrest.A meek Victorian attack could do nothing to stem the flow of runs as Hughes took charge after New South Wales won the toss and opted to bat. He rushed to a half-century from just 68 balls and looked set for a long innings when he chopped Peter Siddle onto his stumps to fall against the run of play.His wicket brought Jaques and Warner together and they quickly set about compiling a fluent 133-run stand that was ended on the stroke of tea when Warner, with a hundred practically within his grasp, cut a delivery from Hill straight to Glenn Maxwell at short backward point. With Forrest opting for cautious defence Jaques eased past his own hundred and took the Blues beyond 300 in the process.Victoria’s frustration was compounded when wicketkeeper Matthew Wade dropped Ben Rohrer when he had made just 5, and their hopes of winning a third consecutive Shield title – by winning their last three games – have practically vanished after the strong performance of the Blues’ batsmen.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonathan Trott produced the day’s defining performance with a fine 102, and he also chipped in with a couple of vital wickets•Getty Images

Jonathan Trott’s calculating century ensured England stayed in the series with a 21-run victory that upset Australia’s national holiday in Adelaide. The tourists began the game needing to win and the scenario won’t change when they head to Brisbane for Sunday’s fifth ODI, but they have been boosted by an end to four consecutive limited-overs losses.Trott’s perfectly timed 102 off 126 balls stood tall on a day that was meant to be a celebration of all things Australia, but the home supporters left unhappy as the series score-line in the seven-game contest settled at 3-1. Trott, bowling his steady medium pace, even managed the valuable breakthroughs of Cameron White (44) and David Hussey (28) to end the pair’s rescue act.England’s 8 for 299, which was reduced slightly by effective slow bowling, was more than enough for Australia, especially when the dangerman Shane Watson fell for a bright 64. England’s bowlers did not allow the batsmen to gain any rhythm on a sluggish pitch and were able to wait for the locals to make mistakes as they tried to force the pace.The opener Brad Haddin burned brightly for 20 before chipping Chris Tremlett to cover and Shaun Marsh (1) was caught and bowled by James Anderson (2 for 57). Michael Clarke’s run struggles continued when he was bowled on 15 by the frugal Paul Collingwood and the side was 4 for 116 when Watson aimed a big drive and was caught behind off Ajmal Shahzad. Steven Smith managed a personal best of 46 and Brett Lee registered 39 as the game wound down, with the pair seeing the side to 7 for 278.While Trott’s bowling was a bonus, his best work was undoubtedly done with the bat. His century built on Matt Prior’s brutal 67 off 58 as the top order maintained a ferocious pace.Trott backed up his 84 not out in Sydney on Sunday with a much more fluent contribution that drove England towards a formidable total. He unfurled a couple of delightful straight drives, including one off John Hastings to move to 85, and reached his century with a single to midwicket.He didn’t push on after the milestone and played-on to Hussey shortly after raising his bat, walking off with six boundaries and a long ovation. The only major discomfort he experienced before then came on 30 when he found himself at the same end as Prior after his defensive shot rolled on to the base of the stumps. Lee followed through but his wild throw back to the bowler’s end was wide and Trott survived.Collingwood, who launched Lee for six to midwicket in the Powerplay, and Michael Yardy provided some late muscle to ensure the big score. Collingwood passed 5000 ODI runs, the first England batsman to do so, during his run-a-ball 27 while Yardy grabbed an unbeaten 39 off 27. Hussey, the offspinner, was called late, knocking over Collingwood and then dismissing Shahzad in the final over.Hussey, who sneaked 4 for 21 off four overs, and Smith (3 for 33 off seven) collected career-best figures as they restricted batsmen who had enjoyed the offerings of their faster team-mates. Xavier Doherty also enjoyed the conditions as he gave away 44 from his 10 overs.Prior and Trott delivered the early pain to the Australians after the visitors won the toss. He and Trott put on 113 at almost a run a ball for the second wicket following the early loss of Andrew Strauss for 8. Prior wasted little time in getting going and his half-century came when he pulled Lee off the front foot for six, with England moving to 1 for 100 after 15 overs.Smith, the legspinner, picked up Prior in his second over when he cut to point and had more success when Kevin Pietersen (12) chipped to long-on. Two balls later Ian Bell exited without scoring, leaving England stuttering at 4 for 158.Australia’s fast bowlers seemed in trouble from the moment Lee’s first over went for 12, with him starting with five wides down the leg-side. Lee finished with 1 for 68 off eight while Bollinger also struggled at the start and finish, giving away 55 in nine. The generosity helped England ruin the hosts’ party, but the visitors still require victory in the remaining three games to steal the trophy.

Wellington joined Northern Districts at the top of the points table in the HRV Cup after they beat Central Districts by eight wickets at the Saxton Oval in Nelson.Central Districts chose to bat and looked well-placed for a big total after Peter Ingram (46) and George Worker (31) put on 77 for the first wicket in the first 10 overs. However, once offspinner Jeetan Patel struck to dismiss Worker and Ingram, within the space of 12 balls, the Central Districts batting fell away. Luke Woodcock picked up the crucial wickets of Ian Blackwell, Michael Yardy and Mathew Sinclair in quick succession. This was followed by two run-outs and Central Districts crumbled from a healthy 93 for 2 to a below-par 128 for 8, losing six wickets for 35 runs.A required-rate of just above six runs per over was never going to test the Wellington batting line-up. Though they lost Michael Pollard in the second over, Stewart Rhodes, with an unbeaten 75 off 60 balls, anchored the Wellington chase. They reached the target in 19.2 overs for the loss of only two wickets.

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Travis Birt’s 68 stopped Victoria from skittling Tasmania cheaply•Getty Images

Peter Siddle enjoyed a strong workout in the lead-up to the Ashes but Travis Birt kept Tasmania on track to set up a fascinating final day at the MCG. The Tigers finished the third afternoon with one wicket in hand and a lead of 276 – the exact total Victoria managed in the first innings – and both teams can still dream of victory.Tasmania could add a few more runs in the morning, although they will need to rely on the tailenders Xavier Doherty, who was on 5, and Adam Griffith, who was yet to score. Darren Pattinson bowled Victoria back into the contest with three breakthroughs in the final four overs, including the key wicket of Birt, who was caught at deep square leg for 68.It left the in-form Pattinson with 4 for 38 and he was chasing his second five-wicket haul for the summer. Pattinson is comfortably the leading wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield, but he has about as much chance of a late call-up for England’s Ashes campaign as Graham Gooch.Siddle is a much more likely Ashes prospect and he did his chances no harm with 3 for 24 from 14 overs, including the important wicket of Luke Butterworth, who made 39 in a good partnership with Birt. Butterworth had earlier collected two wickets to finish off Victoria’s tail cheaply in the morning, and he ended up with figures of 4 for 36 on a personally satisfying day.