Greg Blewett’s first-class future is hazy after he was dropped by South Australia for their crucial Pura Cup clash against Western Australia in Perth from Friday. The Redbacks, who experienced a nerve-wracking one-wicket ING Cup loss yesterday, need strong performances in their final two games to move from equal third into a finals position, and they will make their attempt without their second-most experienced batsman.Blewett, who played 46 Tests, has struggled this season with a thigh injury and has scored only 270 runs at 24.54 in seven games. He joins Ben Cameron and Cullen Bailey, the legspinner who was not expected to have impact at the WACA, on the casualty list.”I am obviously disappointed not to be selected, but understand the reasons why I was omitted,” Blewett said. “I am looking forward to getting back to club cricket and getting plenty of runs for Kensington.”Daniel Harris and Shane Deitz have been recalled after impressive grade performances and the selectors also had their 165-run partnership in last year’s corresponding fixture in mind when they made their choices. Western Australia, who selected an unchanged squad after their success against New South Wales, are level with South Australia and New South Wales on 20 points, four behind Victoria and eight adrift of Queensland.The Bulls have named the same squad for their top-of-the-table match with the Bushrangers in Melbourne starting on Thursday. An outright victory would almost certainly seal Queensland hosting rights for next month’s final after they defeated South Australia in Brisbane last week. Matthew Hayden and Shane Warne will play their final games of the domestic season before joining the Test squad in South Africa for the three-match series.Victoria have made three changes, including handing a state debut to the former New South Wales wicketkeeper Nathan Pilon. Brad Hodge and Jason Arnberger return from illness after missing the 120-run loss to Tasmania and they step in for Michael Klinger and Andrew McDonald.Pilon’s selection ahead of Adam Crosthwaite was the biggest surprise, but he was pleased with his elevation after two successful seasons with the Carlton club. “I’m thrilled with this opportunity and am really looking forward to Thursday’s game,” Pilon, who scored 111 and 33 in last week’s 2nd XI match against New South Wales, said. “My form’s been pretty solid, and will hopefully continue.”South Australia Shane Deitz, Cameron Borgas, Mark Cosgrove, Daniel Harris, Darren Lehmann (capt), Callum Ferguson, Graham Manou (wk), Mark Cleary, Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen, Paul Rofe, Shaun Tait.Western Australia Justin Langer (capt), Marcus North, Chris Rogers, Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, David Bandy, Luke Ronchi (wk), Beau Casson, Brett Dorey, Steve Magoffin, Ben Edmondson, Shawn Gillies.Queensland Jimmy Maher (capt), Matthew Hayden, Martin Love, Clinton Perren, James Hopes, Brendan Nash, Lachlan Stevens, Chris Hartley (wk), Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Daniel Doran, Michael Kasprowicz.Victoria Jason Arnberger, Lloyd Mash, Brad Hodge, Nick Jewell, David Hussey, Jon Moss, Cameron White (capt), Nathan Pilon (wk), Shane Warne, Allan Wise, Gerard Denton, Shane Harwood.
Ticket sales for the first Test in Guyana appear to have been seriously affected by West Indies’ ongoing sponsorship row. As it is, the Bourda, which is usually close to capacity for the opening day of a Test, could be less than a quarter full.As ever in Guyana, local weather forecasts have played their part – thundery showers are predicted for the next five days – but the increasingly bitter dispute which means that Brian Lara won’t be playing has also taken its toll. “With all this controversy, I think it’s because of the team,” a ground official told The Daily Telegraph. “Most people are waiting to see what happens.”To underline what is at stake in the contract dispute, visitors to Guyana are greeted with a huge billboard showing Ramnaresh Sarwan endorsing Cable & Wireless. Sarwan is one of the seven who have the personal deals with C&W which have led to their being dropped.Unless there is some last-gasp compromise – and both sides appear fairly entrenched as things stand – it will be an unfamiliar West Indies side which takes the field tomorrow, and one assembled against a backdrop of virtual civil war. Their squad includes some new faces – Donovan Pagon, Narsingh Deonarine, and Dwight Washington – as well as some old ones brought back to plug the holes. Tony Howard, the manager, remained positive.”We are trying to build a unit of players who will work together. All the boys are geared up and ready to face the challenge,” he told The Nation. “I always look forward to a challenge and the players will be approaching the challenge with confidence. Some factors are missing but we are looking at things in the long term.”Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who will lead the side in the absence of Lara, was keen to put an equally upbeat spin on the situation. “I’m positive, we all are positive and once we play to our abilities – and all the guys are very talented – and once we can play to that and play better than South Africa we will win.”While attention has been on West Indies, South Africa have been going through their paces. Already without Shaun Pollock, who is still undergoing treatment on his injured ankle back home – Andrew Hall or Charl Langeveldt will replace him – they are also waiting on a late fitness Test on Jacques Kallis who is still troubled by the hip injury he picked up against Zimbabwe.”Kallis bowled the fastest in Tuesday morning’s training session,” explained Ray Jennings, South Africa’s coach. “We are interested to know if he can bowl between 15 and 20 overs a day for us. If the answer is yes, the compilation of the team will change.” Given Kallis’s apparent reluctance to bowl – except when confronted with Zimbabwe’s paper-thin middle order – the chances are that he will not be risked as a front-line bowler.West Indies (possible) 1 Devon Smith, 2 Wavell Hinds, 3 Daren Ganga, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (capt), 5 Ryan Hinds, 6 Daren Powell, 7 Courtney Browne (wkt), 8 Dwight Washington, 9 Pedro Collins, 10 Corey Collymore, 11 Reon King.South Africa (probable): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 AB de Villiers, 3 Jacques Rudolph, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Herschelle Gibbs, 6 Ashwell Prince, 7 Mark Boucher (wkt) , 8 Nicky Bojé, 9 Andrew Hall, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Andre Nel.
Pakistan’s Younis Khan struck form with a magnificent 191 and Hasan Raza slammed an unbeaten 103 as Habib Bank went on a run-spree against Saga on day 1 of the third round of the Inter-Department Qualifying Tournament on Tuesday.In his 217-ball innings Younis struck 32 fours and two sixes while Hasan hit 13 boundaries in his 90-ball knock as the pair plundered 207 runs for the third wicket to help a struggling Habib Bank team to 426-5 off 80 overs. Saleem Elahi also chipped in with 80 (8×4, 135b).ZTBL’s Imran Abbas scored his third century in as many matches as his team (previously known as ADBP) first bowled out PAF for 72 and then finished the day at 242-4 from 57 overs. Imran was batting on 113 (11×4) at close of play. In themorning, the Air Force batting was decimated by Rao Iftikhar (6-36) and Mohammad Saddique (4-20).The other ‘forces’ teams – Army and Navy – also had a poor first day. Pak Army were bowled out for 83 by KRL when Yasir Arafat took 5-30. KRL, at stumps, were 252 for two in 59 overs with Mohammad Ramzan batting on 105.The Navy team was dismissed for 86 by PIA who had batted to 148-3 in 46 overs at close of play.Pakistan Test opener Mohammad Hafeez missed a century against PEB when he was out for 92 as Sui Gas finished the day at 234-1 in 43 overs in reply to the students 127. The gas utility’s Mohammad Irshad took 5-47.There were some other fine bowling performances on the first day. Pak PWD’s Riaz Sheikh took 6-68 as Customs were dismissed for 245, Rizwan Akbar bagged 5-58 when POF were bowled out for 139 by ARL who finished at 81-4, HEC’s Sajid Aziz scooped up 5-52 to help rout KPT for 263, Abdul Rauf snapped up 5-51 as LEO International were shot out for 172 and PTCL’s Mohammad Khalil took 5-86 against Wapda who reached 275 in their first innings.Scores in brief (day 1 of 3):Pool A At PCB Academy, Navy 86 (Nadeem Babar 27, Hammad Khan 24, Najaf Shah 4-13, Fazle Akbar 3-37, Saqlain Mushtaq 2-8) vs PIA 148-3 in 46 overs (Yasir Hameed 55*, Kamran Sajid 28, Imran Farhat 26, Faisal Iqbal 20). At Asghar Ali Shah Stadium, Pakistan Customs 245 in 79.4 overs (Aamir Bashir 75 [7×4, 146b], Azhar Shafiq 68 [9×4, 113b], Riaz Sheikh 6-68) vs Pak PWD 18-0.Pool B At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Wapda 275 in 82.4 overs (Hasan Adnan 73, Tariq Aziz 63, Mohammad Zaman 33*, Rizwan Malik 30, Mohammad Khalil 5-86, Mohammad Hussain 4-84) vs PTCL. At Pindi Club Ground, Army 83 in 28.2 overs (Yasir Arafat 5-30) vs KRL 252-2 in 59 overs (Mohammad Ramzan 105*, Ali Naqvi 71, Saeed Anwar Jnr 65). KRL Stadium, POF 139 in 46.1 overs (Imran Ali 41, Rizwan Akbar 5-58, Alamgir Khan 3-18) vs ARL 81-4 in 26 overs (Nauman Aman 35, Nadeem Ahmed 3-17).Pool C At LCCA Ground, KPT 263 in 80 overs (Maisam Hasnain 81, Rashid Hanif 43, Farhan Iqbal 32*, Sajid Aziz 5-52, Shoaib Maqsood 3-83) vs HEC 1-0. At Jinnah Ground Okara, Service Industries 230 in 80.1 overs (Rizwan Ahmed 55, Masood Asim 55, Farhan Asghar 30, Qaiser Abbas 4-25, Shabbir Ahmed 3-54) vs NBP. At Bagh-e-Jinnah Lahore, PAF 72 (Rao Iftikhar 6-36, Mohammad Saddique 4-20) vs ZTBL 242-4 in 57 overs (Imran Abbas 113*, Atif Ashraf 86).Pool D At Jinnah Stadium Gujranwala, LEO International 172 in 72.5 overs (Shoaib Nasir 63, Faisal Ashraf 51, Abdul Rauf 5-51, Arshad Khan 3-31) vs Allied Bank 21-0. At Jinnah Stadium Sialkot, PEB 127 (Mohammad Irshad 5-47, Wasim Khan 2-48, Imran Tahir 2-4) vs Sui Gas 234-1 in 43 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 92 [16×4, 92b], Ali Hussain 81 not out, Sufiyan Munir 45*). At Saga Ground Sialkot, Habib Bank 426-5 in 80 overs (Younis Khan 191 [32×4, 2×6, 217b], Hasan Raza 103 [13×4, 90b], Saleem Elahi 80 [8×4, 135b]) vs Saga.
Both the Auckland and Otago sides probably watched their State Shield one-day cricket hopes being washed down the drain at Eden Park Outer Oval today.The game started 30 minutes late under lowering skies, and was finished at 4.51pm when yet another dose of Auckland’s wet summer left the game as a damp no-result.This meant two points for both teams, which meant Otago went up to 12 points and Auckland to 10, still in the second half of the ladder and drifting further and further behind the three front-runners – and likely play-off teams – Wellington, Northern Districts and Canterbury.Otago would have every reason to be twice as annoyed by the sudden end, for they had had their best one-day innings of the season at 275 whereas Auckland had scored 67 for three wickets from 13.5 overs – and the odds were very much on an Otago win if the game had run its full course.Glenn Turner, the Otago coach, spoke before the game of the steady improvement of his team, especially when they realised that teamwork and consistent effort were essential assets of a successful team.Within an hour or so Turner’s men were showing they had learned their lessons. They lost Andrew Hore at 32 and Craig Cumming at 35 as Chris Drum and Tama Canning extracted some life and movement with the new ball.But from that point onward the Otago men settled comfortably and confidently into the Turner plan. Robbie Lawson, the slim opening batsman, showed amazing power, especially when he was driving, in his 49 from 88 balls.Lawson was involved in a 49-run stand for the third wicket with Chris Gaffaney, and then 42 for the fourth wicket with Craig Pryor.This carried Otago to 126 for four wickets after 28.5 overs, and to the critical point of the innings. Recently Otago have reached such a level of apparent comfort, but then let the chance of a big score slip away, and with it the winning initiative.This time Pryor, not averse to showing off his form to his old Auckland team-mates, and Lee Germon, relishing his first feel of batting confidence for the season, used the position to launch a winning effort.Between the 29th and 44th overs Pryor (91) and Germon (52) scored 104 for the fifth wicket in a little over an hour. It was magical batting, Pryor starting quietly, Germon opening with a flurry of boundaries. The first 50 of their stand came in 49 balls, the second 50 took only 34 balls.The Auckland bowlers took on the roles of spectators as Germon and Pryor kept the runs flooding in, with strong drives and clever use of the short side boundary on the Sandringham Road side of the ground.Germon was first to go at 230 for six, skying a catch from Brooke Walker which Terry Crabb caught. Germon had scored his 52 from 51 balls, with seven fours and had showed sparkling stroke play.Then it became a matter whether Pryor could race to his century as the overs, and partners, began to disappear. He was nine runs short with 13 balls to go when he launched into a quite magnificent slog-sweep at a ball from Drum.The ball went from the middle of the bat on a low, fast arc and it was a toss-up whether it would carry over the line for a six, or bounce away for a four. Instead Llorne Howell sprinted into the line of the ball and dived for a magnificent catch perhaps a half-metre from the ground.It was a marvellous catch, a fitting end, really, to Pryor’s superbly stylish innings which had five fours, four sixes and any number of classically designed drives.Amid the flow of runs Canning kept afloat with three wickets for 50, and Drum had a wicket at the start, middle and end of the innings at the very reasonable cost of 36 runs.The unlikely prospect of Auckland scoring 276 to win with the light likely to fade diminished further quite quickly. Matt Horne, Auckland’s star batsman this summer, was cleverly caught by Germon from James McMillan’s bowling before he had scored.Howell, a heavy scorer for Auckland in their last two games was second out at 48 after a hearty innings of 25. Crabb had become McMillan’s third victim (for 30 runs) when he was out at 54, and Auckland scrambled along to 67 before the rain had the final say.
Any hangover left over from defeat in the first Test match was blown away in the sea breeze at East London’s Buffalo Park on Saturday as Stephen Fleming’s New Zealand tourists rattled up 311 for four declared before grabbing three Border wickets in the early evening.Most pleasing for the Kiwis would have been the unbroken 141-run stand for the fifth wicket between Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan who helped themselves to 69 and 76 respectively and looked good for a century apiece before the declaration came.But New Zealand would also have found encouragement from the difficulties encountered by the home team when they went in to bat. Andrew Penn took two good fast bowler’s wicket and Brooke Walker produced the perfect leg break to take the outside edge as Steven Pope pushed forward for Craig Spearman to take the catch at slip.The good work achieved by New Zealand has to be balanced by the fact that Border were without their first-choice seam attack and although youngsters Monde Zondeki, Liam Graham and Matts Matomela bowled with enthusiasm they all have some way to go before they can compete at first-class level.Still, New Zealand’s job was to deal with the opposition at hand, and this they did with some aplomb. Mark Richardson and Spearman batted calmly throughout the morning and into the afternoon for an opening stand worth 98 before Richardson was unluckily run out at the bowler’s end when Graham deflected Spearman’s straight drive onto the stumps.He made 45, Spearman went on to make 56 before he was caught at slip and Mathew Fleming and Stephen Fleming both got themselves in and then got themselves out for 28 and 29 respectively.Then Astle and McMillan came together to tear the Border bowling apart in the hour after tea. Astle played straight, driving through the covers superbly and McMillan improvised, reverse sweeping the offspinner Geoff Love for four and uppercutting Matemola over third man for six.The declaration left Border with 12 overs before the close. Penn, in his first first-class game in South Africa, caught the shoulder of opener Craig Sugden’s bat and nightwatchman Love’s glove for two catches to Sinclair in the gully. Ian Mitchell played a couple of thumping drives, but then Walker took Pope’s wicket to finish off a very good for New Zealand.
Before pushing up to the Premier League, Leeds United’s transfer business has now been thankfully exposed to be full of many hits, rather than misses.
While Daniel Farke has reminded the Elland Road faithful that there is a “long road” ahead for survival, it cannot be understated how much of an influence the likes of Anton Stach have had on proceedings, with the summer signing from Hoffenheim’s delightful free-kick sealing a big 4-1 win over Crystal Palace last time out.
Additionally, Jaka Bijol has also finally arrived at the party in recent contests, after an initially wobbly start, winning a commanding 25 duels across December to date.
Still, it goes without saying at this point that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the pick of the bunch when it comes to the influential recruits, with the free transfer of the ex-Everton marksman going down as an unbelievable steal.
The stats behind Calvert-Lewin's start at Leeds
Staggeringly, Calvert-Lewin is now the only player in Leeds’ history to score in each of his team’s five final league matches before Christmas, as the festive period has proven to be a fruitful time for the revitalised goalscorer.
Indeed, the often injury-prone 28-year-old has looked a man reborn in West Yorkshire, with seven Premier League goals now next to his name from just 15 appearances.
DCL’s PL form – 24/25 vs 25/26
Stat
24/25
25/26
Games played
26
15
Goals scored
3
7
Assists
1
0
Scoring frequency
543 mins
147 mins
Goal conversion %
6%
21%
Stats by Sofascore
It has been a very sharp turnaround in fortunes for Farke’s leading man, with the overjoyed German hailing him as an “unbelievable” player to work with, after his late equalising header against Brentford.
On the contrary, towards the end of his long-standing Everton spell, he was simply written off as a wasteful attacker well accustomed to the treatment room, with only three league strikes coming his way last season.
Now, however, he’s a number nine in a rich vein of form, with a goal coming his way in league action every 147 minutes. Moreover, he has been unbelievably effective in front of goal, with Calvert-Lewin only needing three shots in total to pick up a whirlwind double against the Eagles.
Therefore, it’s an argument that is hard to pick holes in when you state that Calvert-Lewin is Leeds’ best signing of the season. Yet, there is one figure who could be considered an even better signing than the Sheffield-born talisman.
Leeds star is a better signing than Calvert-Lewin
Leeds fans might well err on the side of caution when it comes to waxing too lyrical about their new favourite target-man, with Calvert-Lewin prone to barren patches of form, but also many recurring injury troubles.
The proof will soon be in the pudding if he can keep this up for a full Premier League season, with Ethan Ampadu, on the contrary, now three seasons down when it comes to delivering some top-drawer performances at Elland Road.
Farke’s top five most-used Leeds players
Player
Games
Goals + Assists
1. Joe Rodon
115
3 + 0
2. Joel Piroe
107
33 + 10
3. Ethan Ampadu
101
3 + 2
4. Wilfried Gnonto
100
18 + 12
5. Daniel James
94
25 + 17
Sourced by Transfermarkt
The table above reinforces how crucial Ampadu has been as one of Farke’s main heartbeats in West Yorkshire, with the Welshman now up to 101 games and counting under the German’s long-standing Whites tenure.
While he doesn’t boast anywhere near the same levels of output as Calvert-Lewin, Ampadu has still more than played his part in Leeds’ recent successes, with the £7m once splashed out on his services immediately justified last season, as his 16 clean sheets as a rock-solid midfield anchor helped Leeds return to the Premier League as emphatic champions.
He has also worn the captain’s armband with heaps of passion and bravery since pushing Leeds up to the top-flight, with the goal instinctively fired home by the ex-Chelsea youngster against Palace, capping off a tremendous all-round display, with a mighty 11 tackles and duels also won. Without this steel week in week out, Calvert-Lewin’s goals might ultimately count for nothing.
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Farke has rightly recognised how crucial of a glue Ampadu has been for his side over recent seasons, by noting in the build-up to the Sunderland contest to come that he is “one of the best midfielders in the league”, for how well-rounded and lively he is, with the ex-Norwich City boss also lauding him as a “cornerstone” centrally.
Of course, Calvert-Lewin’s contributions in recent matches have been more obvious, as goals are what catch the eye.
But, Ampadu has also been sensational to watch across Leeds’ December upturn in results, with the 25-year-old keen to secure survival for his beloved side, to not only strengthen his label as a favourite amongst supporters, but also in his manager’s good books.
18 months after leaving Leeds, £22m star is a bigger talent than Archie Gray
This former Leeds United prodigy has turned into an even more exciting talent than Archie Gray since exiting Elland Road.
Four days before the first of their three Tests against South Africa, the West Indies should have been engaged in their last chance for meaningful match practice against South Africa A in East London.Instead, chastened by their ten-wicket defeat in three days on Friday, they took an early coach ride to Port Elizabeth, arriving in time for a couple of hours of practice on a warm, cloudless afternoon at St George’s Park, the venue for the Test that starts on Boxing Day – and, as any scrap of encouragement is welcome, also their victory over South Africa in the 13-overs-an-innings Twenty20 international a week ago.The sight of captain Chris Gayle participating in every discipline raised hope that his right hamstring, torn in the second ODI in Zimbabwe, would be deemed sufficiently healed by physiotherapists Jacqui Mowat-King and CJ Smith for him to lead the team in a Test for the first time and, just as critically, to take his place at the top of the order.His movements are, without overstating the case, measured at the best of times so it is impossible to make out the extent of his progress. But he is so vital to the fragile batting that he will almost certainly turn out if at all possible.The attention of new coach John Dyson and his associates, Hendy Springer and David Williams, needs to be directed rather on the mental than on the technical and physical.The failure of the batting in both innings against South Africa’s reserve fast bowlers presented an immediate challenge for Dyson, the Australian who has been with the team only since its arrival from Zimbabwe two weeks ago.Monde Zondeki, tall, slim and sharp, has regained the form and fitness that gained him Test selection in 2003, aged 21, and a tour to the West Indies in 2005 when he numbered among his victims Brian Lara for 4 in the Antigua Test that featured four hundreds for either side.Even though he was the first to 50 first-class wickets for the current [South African domestic] season in the West Indies match [earlier than any previous South African] and as well as the experienced Charl Langeveldt might have bowled, they are not in the class of the Test quartet of Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel, Shaun Pollock and, the fastest and most threatening, Dale Steyn.Steyn, with a little help from the others, so destroyed New Zealand with 20 wickets in the two Tests in Johannesburg and Centurion last month that they were routed for totals of 118, 172, 188 and 136 and were beaten in four days by 358 runs in the first and in three days by an innings in the second.Events in East London have reinforced general opinion here that the coming Tests will follow the same pattern.South Africa have moved up to No. 2 behind Australia on the ICC Test rankings but are keen to pull clear of India and Sri Lanka with whom they are level.They can be expected to be as ruthless as they were in their two previous home series against West Indies that yielded eight wins in nine Tests with the other drawn. Yet their former captain, Kepler Wessels, has held out some hope for the West Indies to at least make a fight of it.”The best opportunity for the West Indies will be in the first Test,” he wrote in his newspaper column on Saturday.With Graeme Smith rested on medical advice after the ODIs against New Zealand and Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Mark Boucher, Hashim Amla, Nel and Ntini all excused from duty for their provincial sides since the New Zealand series ended three weeks ago, Wessels warned South Africa “might be a bit rusty”.”They may also regard beating West Indies as a formality so it is important from the touring team’s point of view that they start well and make an impression,” he said. “Once South Africa hits its straps, it will need a special effort for the West Indies to compete.”The problem is that the “special effort” demands attributes palpably lacking in West Indies teams for more than a decade. “The key for the West Indian players will be mental strength and physical toughness, as well as good discipline and a high work ethic,” Wessels wrote. Such a sudden transformation would be nothing short of a miracle needed to make the match, and the series, a real contest.
Tahir Khan’s offbreak bowling helped Karachi Urban wrap up the Faisalabad tail and win by 143 runs to make it to the top of the Gold League table on the final day of their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex in Karachi.Tahir, having got 4 for 64 runs in the first innings, claimed 3 for 34 in the second as Faisalabad, needing 313 for victory, were bowled out for 169 in 68 overs.Tahir, who toured Sri Lanka with the Pakistan team last year, ended with 7 for 98 runs for the match. Tanvir Ahmed and Imran Javed, Karachi Urban’s right-arm fast-medium bowlers, got two wickets each.Imran Ali top-scored for Faisalabad with a painstaking 53 off 184 balls. Misbah-ul-Haq followed his 83 in the first innings with 33 in the second.Karachi Urban will now take on defending champions Sialkot in the final starting February 19 at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Faisalabad were the trophy winners in 2003-04 and runners-up in the last two seasons. They finished at fifth spot this time, with 18 points from six matches, of which they won two and lost three.Khalid Latif, the Karachi Harbour opener, scored an unbeaten hundred as defending champions Sialkot, into the final, held them to a draw at the National Stadium in Karachi.Despite conceding a first-innings lead and a draw without any points, Sialkot have set up a title clash with Karachi Urban starting February 19.The match was called off seven overs before the scheduled end of play with no chance of a result. Sialkot were 174 for 4 in their second innings after being set a target of 370 to in 47 overs.Khalid Latif’s 123 was the highest score of his career and his third first-class hundred overall. Opener Atiq-ur-Rehman hammered 62 off 82 balls while Tahir Mughal finished with 37 off 48 balls.Fawad Alam missed his century by three runs as ran himself out trying to take a single as Sarfraz Ahmed landed a direct throw from mid-on. Khalid and Fawad added 180 for the fourth wicket.With a draw in this match, Sialkot slipped to second place in the Gold League table whileKarachi Harbour remained at sixth place with 15 points but they avoided demotion to next season’s Silver League circuit to which Lahore Shalimar have been relegated.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) took a realistic step towards winning their first ever Patrons Trophy Cricket Championship as they defeated Habib Bank by an emphatic 104-run margin on the final day of their third and final round Quadrangular Stage match at the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) Stadium at Rawalpindi.Bazid Khan, the stand-in captain, made the expected decision of declaring PIA’s second innings at their overnight score 315 for 7, leaving Habib Bank 297 to get on the final day. In response, Habib Bank’s batsmen proceeded at a reckless pace and were all-out for 192 in 44.5 overs. Najaf Shah, the left-arm fast bowler, captured 5 for 40 to finish with a match haul of 9 for 100. It was the 21-year-old Najaf’s first five-wicket haul of the season, taking his tally of wickets in 11 first-class matches to 39 at 24.02 runs apiece. He was ably supported by Imran Tahir, the legspinner, who got 3 for 57.Habib Bank lost half their side with only 88 on the board. Due to some useful batting in the middle-order by Kamran Hussain (46) and Farhan Adil, who followed his first innings 76 with 35 runs off 38 balls with six fours, Habib Bank lifted their eventual total. It still fell far behind the win target, however.As PIA surrendered a slender 19-run first-innings lead to Habib Bank, they gained only six points instead of the full nine for the victory. However, this took their tally to 15 points after the completion of their three matches from the previous total of nine. This puts National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in a must-win situation, in the other match being played at the Sheikhupura Stadium, against Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). NBP have nine points and they must collect another nine if they intend to win the Patron’s Trophy title.Although PIA have been Pakistan’s national cricket champions on six occasions — having won the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title, the Patron’s Trophy has somehow eluded them for the last 33 years. Habib Bank, on the other hand, have claimed this championship on a record seven occasions. Last season, they shared the trophy with PIA after the final was rained-off. NBP have been winners of this tournament on five occasions.Needing to win their crucial third and final round match at the Sheikhupura Stadium outright, National Bank of Pakistan NBP) replied strongly to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL)’s first-innings 317.By the close of play, NBP had reached 223 for 4 and are now only 95 short of obtaining a lead over PTCL. But just a first-innings advantage won’t be enough for them to clinch the season’s Patrons Trophy title. After PIA’s victory over Habib Bank in Rawalpindi yesterday, NBP need to add another nine points to their previous total of nine to get ahead of PIA. PIA, who have never won the Patron’s Trophy in the competition’s 33-year history since it was launched back in 1972-73, now have 15 points to their credit. Even a draw with three points here would not help NBP’s cause.PTCL resumed at their overnight 214 for 6 and flourished further to take their eventual tally to 317. Asim Kamal, not currently required for the Test series against India, took his seventh-wicket stand with Tahir Mughal to 127before falling five runs short of what would have been his ninth first-class hundred. He batted for four hours 20 minutes, faced 169 balls and hit 12 fours and a six. Tahir continued on to 58 off 128 balls in eight minutes short of three hours and sent seven hits to the ropes and one over them. For NBP, the fast bowling pair of Yasir Arafat and Wasim Khan captured four wickets each.After the fall of an early wicket, NBP prospered through a 90-run second-wicket partnership. Imran Nazir, the Pakistan discard, hit 76 off a mere 55 deliveries with nine fours and a six, while i n contrast Mansoor Amjad faced 132 balls for his 62 with seven fours. Shahid Yousuf then joined Mansoor to add 80 for the third wicket, contributing 49 from 68 balls with seven fours and a six.The match in Sheikhupura was earlier to have been held in Multan, to begin on Friday, but it was shifted for a Sunday start because floodlights are being installed at the Multan Cricket Stadium prior to the one-day International between Pakistan and India there next month.
England A 424 (Bell 144, Prior 76*, Bandara 5-96 ) and 240 for 5 (Powell 54, Shah 81) v Sri Lanka A 228 (Bandara 45, Gidman 3-8, Mahmood 3-53) Scorecard
Bad light and a gathering thunderstorm forced England’s players to flee the Colombo Cricket Club with 14.5 overs of the day’s play remaining, but by that stage they were able to reflect on a third consecutive day of control. After Ian Bell’s first-day leadership and Sajid Mahmood’s spark on day two, it was the turn of Alex Gidman and Owais Shah to shine today. England A finished with a whooping 436-run lead and five wickets still in the bag.Sri Lanka’s A’s tail-wag proved shortlived on the third morning, cut short by the steady medium pace of Gidman. Malinga Bandara extended his overnight 30 to 45 and Thushara Mirando flogged a quick 27, but Gidman ended the innings in a hurry, claiming 3 for 8 in just 3.2 overs. Sri Lanka A were bowled out for a disappointing 228 – far too little on a fine batting strip and in familiar conditions.England’s reply got off to a shaky start as Nandika Ranjith trapped Alistair Cook lbw for 18, before Bell, the first-innings bedrock, nibbled at a delivery from Gayan Wijekoon and was caught behind for 4. England were 32 for 2, but sweating only because of the humidity. Shah (81) and Mike Powell (54) soon settled and added 86 for the third wicket, carrying England A towards a position of impregnability.Mohamed Suraj, Sri Lanka A’s offspinner, broke through when an lbw appeal against Powell was upheld and Ranjith, no doubt mindful of the selectors’ close scrutiny after Nuwan Zoysa’s withdrawal from the New Zealand tour, proved successful when he returned for a mid-afternoon spell, finishing Shah’s 134-ball innings, an entertaining stay that included three sixes and five fours.But Matthew Prior followed on where he left off in the first innings, speeding to 40 not out from only 33 balls as England A stepped on the gas to give themselves time for a few overs’ bowling in the evening. Rikki Clarke joined the fun with his own blitz, racing to 30 from 23 balls. But Sri Lanka A were saved when bad light ended the day. Survival tomorrow, though, may not be so easy."I was disappointed I didn’t get to three figures,” said Shah after the day’s play. “Considering the nature of the game we were only going to bat for another three overs or so. The captain said to get as many runs as I can. I took a few shots on which I normally wouldn’t. Sometimes you get away with it, sometimes you don’t."I’ve been involved with the England side for the last two or three years and all of a sudden to be picked on an `A’ tour was great news," said Shah. "I am very keen to prove myself once again and try and get myself in the fold of a potential replacement and put my name in the hat. This tour is extremely important to me. It could be my last chance to play for England."