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Hyderabad 177 and 309 (Manohar 57, Khaleel 72*) beat Karnataka 100 (Narender Pal 6-31) and 89 (Faiz 6-29) by 297 runs
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Karnataka’s batting misery continued as they collapsed in a heap for the second time in the match allowing Hyderabad, the hosts, to romp home by 297 runs. Chasing 387 for victory, Karnataka were blown away by Faiz Ahmed, the left-arm medium-pacer, who had magical figures of 6 for 29. Earlier Ibrahim Khaleel, the wicketkeeper, hit a plucky half-century to help set Karnataka a daunting target.Railways 208 and 137 beatUttar Pradesh 71 (Parida 5-18) and 122 (Parida 5-47) by 152 runs
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Kulamani Parida’s offspin proved too hot for UP as Railways recorded a crushing victory at Varanasi. At 100 for 4, chasing 275, UP seemed on course for their first victory of the season, but Parida’s magic resulted in the last six batsmen tumbling for only 22. Earlier Jai Prakash Yadav (37) and Shreyas Khandolkar (30) had put Railways in the driving seat.Andhra162 for 3 (MSK Prasad 68*) trail Mumbai504 for 6 dec by 342 runs
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Andhra made slow progress on the third day at Vijayawada, with MSK Prasad, the former Indian wicketkeeper, anchoring the innings. Prasad has spent close to seven hours in the middle, consumed 262 balls, and exhibited the utmost restraint. He received good support from Amit Pathak, who hit a steady 40, as they put on 87 for the second wicket.Delhi 310 and 72 for 0 trail Punjab385 (Yuvraj 138) by 3 runs
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Delhi fought back through Narender Negi and Sanjay Gill on the third day at Chandigarh. Punjab failed to capitalise on the great platform built by Yuvraj Singh and Pankaj Dharmani, as their last eight batsmen fell for only 161 runs. Gill and Negi, the two Delhi medium-pacers, finished with four wickets apiece, and after dominating proceedings yesterday, Punjab finished up with a slender lead of 75. Rajat Bhatia and Salil Oberoi were undefeated at stumps, hauling Delhi close to parity with their 72-run opening stand.Bengal 246 and 111 for 3 lead Assam 347 (Sukhvinder 115*) by 10 runs
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Assam added another 59 in the morning session, to gain a lead of 101 over Bengal at Kolkata. This was largely down to Sukhvinder Singh, whose fine hundred included 19 fours. Bengal battled hard to erase the deficit, and ended the day 10 runs in front, although they have lost three wickets. AP Chakroborty top-scored with 44.Gujarat 273 for 6 (Christian 112, Parmar 82) trail Tamil Nadu 372 (Sharath 155, Vidyut 50) by 99 runs
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Akash Christian’s valuable hundred and Mukund Parmar’s patient half-century helped Gujarat claw their way back into the match against Tamil Nadu at Ahmedabad. Christian, unbeaten on 50 overnight, hit 17 fours in his 277-ball innings, and continued a rich vein of form this season. R Ramkumar was the most successful bowler for Tamil Nadu, finishing with 4 for 54.Kerala 231 and 95 for 1 (Somasundar 57*) trail Baroda 411 (RA Parab 104, Patel 67) by 85 runs
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Baroda’s strong batting display put Kerala on the back foot on the third day of their match at Vadodara. There were some very useful partnerships in the Baroda middle order, then Rakesh Patel’s 67 was a valuable bonus at the end. He hit seven fours and a six, and was the last man out as Baroda finished with a comfortable 411. Kerala fought back in the last session with Sujit Somasundar, the former Indian opener, compiling a good half-century.Plate Championship Second RoundOrissa 204 and 14 for 0 trail Maharashtra 77 and 439 for 8 dec (Jhadav 200, Aphale 100) by 299 runs
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Maharashtra made up for their batting debacle on the first morning by amassing 439 on the third day at Cuttack. Dheeraj Jhadav smashed 200 and Kaushik Aphale a round hundred to set Orissa a target of 313 in their final innings. Jhadav’s monumental effort spanned ten-and-a-half hours, during which he carted 17 fours and a six. Aphale, who faced 242 balls and hit nine fours himself, helped Jhadav add 204 for the fourth wicket.Tripura 216 for 3 (Roy 105*, Dhand 55) trail Haryana 461 for 6 dec (Ganda 95, Rawat 68) by 245 runs
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T Roy led the Tripura riposte after they had chased leather on the first two days at Rohtak. Sohale Dhand complemented Roy’s fine unbeaten century, and they put on 127 for the fourth wicket. Tripura are still 245 in arrears and will need another good batting performance tomorrow.Vidharbha 387 and 29 for 0 lead Madhya Pradesh 327 (Ojha 79, Bundela 85) by 89 runs
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Madhusudhan Acharya’s 4 for 84 played a vital role in gaining Vidharbha a 60-run lead on the third day of the Plate A match at Indore. Devendra Bundela compiled a dour 85 for MP, but that was not enough to overhaul Vidharba’s total. Nikhil Ojha’s 79 and Syed Abbas Ali’s 44 were the other highlights of the MP innings.Goa 142 and 16 for 0 trail Services 212 and 179 (Reddy 55, Jakati 6-42) by 234 runs
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Shadab Jakati, the left-arm spinner, gave Goa the upper hand by bowling out Services for 179 at Panjim. Madhusudhan Reddy hit a sedate 55, and his 94-run with Jasvir Singh (44) for Services’ second wicket raised hopes of a big total. Goa will have to chase down a target of 250 on the final day, in a match where the momentum has swung with regularity.Jammu & Kashmir 115 and 217 for 5 (Gupta 51*, Vijay Sharma 61*) beat Bihar 159 and 172 (Dhoni 64) by 5 wickets
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Ashwani Gupta and Vijay Sharma put on an unbroken stand of 83 as J&K cruised home by five wickets at Jammu. Sharma turned on the heat as he blasted 61 runs in 65 balls, with nine fours and a six. Shahid Khan – the first-innings hero – was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 42, but he couldn’t prevent J&K’s first win of the season.

Five emerging men have been recalled to the Centre of Excellence as part of the 2008 intake, which includes a string of fringe national players on short-term deals. Cullen Bailey, the Cricket Australia-contracted legspinner, is on a part-time scholarship along with Cameron White and the talented allrounders Andrew McDonald and Luke Butterworth.Michael Hill, the Australia Under-19 captain, and the Queensland fast bowlers Ben Cutting and Grant Sullivan will return to the facility in Brisbane with Matthew Wade and David Warner after being part of the 2007 set-up. “It will provide them with an excellent opportunity to build on the skills they developed last year and during the recent season,” Andrew Hilditch, the national chairman of selectors, said. “There are a lot of players in the part-time squad that have quite a bit of first-class experience and this stint at the Centre of Excellence will help them further their development.”Bailey will get to work with Shane Warne and Terry Jenner, who will operate as guest coaches, as he tries to regain a spot in the South Australia team while the tuition will also be important for White, whose bowling has struggled while his batting has improved. The New South Wales pair of Steven Smith and Stephen O’Keefe join Victoria’s Jon Holland in the large group of spinners.The average age of the 13-man full-time squad is 21.2, which is almost 12 months younger than in 2007, and the 20-week programme begins on April 21. Ryan Broad, the Queensland opener, and the New South Wales allrounder Moises Henriques are also part of the full-time intake.Full-time scholars Ryan Broad (Qld), Ben Cutting (Qld), Theo Doropolous (WA), Peter Forrest (NSW), Moises Henriques (NSW), Michael Hill (Vic), Greg Moller (Qld), Stephen O’Keefe (NSW), Grant Sullivan (Qld), Matthew Wade (Vic), David Warner (NSW), Usman Khawaja (NSW), Jon Holland (Vic).
Part-time scholars Cullen Bailey (SA), Luke Butterworth (Tas), James Faulkner (Tas), Phillip Hughes (NSW), Andrew McDonald (Vic), James Pattinson (Vic), Steven Smith (NSW), Mark Cameron (NSW), Peter Siddle (Vic), John Hastings (Vic), Cameron White (Vic).
Development scholars Tom Brinsley (SA), Josh Hazelwood (NSW), Mitchell Marsh (WA).

Virender Sehwag has made light of the hype over the bouncy pitch at the WACA in Perth, saying he would be intent to play his shots if given a chance in the third Test, starting on January 16.Sehwag, who cracked a 73-ball hundred in the Indians’ warm-up game against ACT Invitational XI in Canberra, was confident of earning a spot and was happy he had rediscovered his rhythm in this innings.”I have played a couple of one-day games in Perth and done well,” he said when asked of the challenge of playing on arguably the bounciest pitch in the world. “The ball comes on to the bat nicely and allows one to go for shots. It’s a wicket that plays true. I always bat with a positive mindset and things won’t be different here. And I never look at the pitch before batting, so the approach will be the same.”Sehwag, whose last Test was in Cape Town a little more than a year back, made no bones about the fact that he preferred Tests to one-dayers. “It gives me more time to play my natural game,” he said. “In one-dayers, one has to think about runs, overs and different fields. Tests give me the chance to play an attacking game.”Sehwag has had a torrid time off late and his selection for the tour was a big surprise, considering he had made just 66 runs in three Ranji Trophy games. “I spent a lot of time with my coach in Delhi, AN Sharma,” he said. “We worked on my mindset. I’ve also been doing some yoga. I needed to get over a negative mindset which was making me play too many shots. I’m happy I batted with a positive mindset today.”He was patchy in the first innings, struggling to 24, before a brilliant catch did him in. “I was trying to spend time at the wicket in the first innings but today the wicket was very slow. So I played like I did in the past. If there was a ball to be hit, I hit it. If I get my chance, I just want to grab the opportunity and come back to Test cricket.”

The already claustrophobic space at the top of Group A of the Ranji Trophy Super league is set to get even tighter when Mumbai face Saurashtra at the Wankhede Stadium in their last league match. While it’s almost a quarter-final for Mumbai, Saurashtra can afford a draw to enter the semi-finals. Saurashtra are leading the table with 20 points while Mumbai are tied in the second place with Delhi at 18 points.The rules are simple. If there is a three-way tie between the teams – that can happen if Mumbai and Delhi get the first-innings lead – it will come down to the most number of wins. Saurashtra have three while its rivals have two each. Between Mumbai and Delhi, the team with the better run quotient will go forward and Delhi leads the equation with 1.479 compared to Mumbai’s 1.145. However, if Saurashtra lose and Delhi get at least three points for gaining the first-innings lead against Tamil Nadu, both Delhi and Mumbai will go through to the next stage.Amol Muzumdar, Mumbai’s captain, doesn’t want to get into number crunching. “We want to win here and enter the semi-finals.” He has an additional reason to do well. Tomorrow will be Muzumdar’s 100th Ranji Trophy match and he is only the twelfth player to reach the milestone.While Mumbai have a great track record of getting out of jail, they have been handicapped here with injuries to bowlers. The seam attack is led by inexperienced Murtuza Hussain and they will look up to their spin duo of Ramesh Powar and Nilesh Kulkarni – drafted into this side for this match – to do the job.The nature of the track has thrown up the regular cliché that it’s a sporting track and will help both batsmen and bowlers. Pravin Amre, Mumbai’s coach, reckons it will take spin later. “It looks a true Wankhede wicket. We have not interfered in its preparation and are just looking to get on with the game. The batsman are coming into form, Nilesh is back, Murtuza is bowling well and I am confident that we can do it.”Both Amre and Muzumdar have said the pressure is on the inexperienced Saurashtra team to continue with their dream run. “What pressure? I have told the boys to just go and enjoy out there,” Debhu Mitra, the coach, said. “Not many expected us to reach here and I just want the boys to continue with the basics.”Pressure will be the critical factor during the match as some teams choke at the sight of the victory. Can Saurashtra keep their nerve in this last lap?

Shoaib Akhtar has been reprimanded by the Pakistan Cricket Board and fined US$500 for displaying “erratic behaviour”, after appearing before a disciplinary committee to answer charges that he had violated his PCB contract.”We have heard Mr Shoaib Akhtar at length and have gone through the record placed before us,” said the PCB in a statement. “We are of the considered opinion that this is a case, at the most, of indiscipline. It seems that [Shoaib] has taken the Code of Conduct very lightly and has displayed erratic behaviour.”The statement added that the PCB hoped Shoaib would abide by the Code of Conduct in future, and “behave in the best interest of cricket and Pakistan”.The committee was chaired by Justice Amir Alam Khan and included Abdul Salam Khawar, Maqbool Elahi Malik and Syed Asghar Haider, the PCB’s legal adviser. This hearing took place a day before the Pakistani selectors sit down to pick the team that will tour India.Wasim Bari, Pakistan’s chief selector, told the media on Monday that Shoaib was still carrying a niggling injury and needed all the rest he could get in order to be fully fit for the series against India. “Akhtar has informed me that he still carries a niggle and needs time to recover,” AFP quoted Bari as saying.”I have conveyed to him that Pakistan needs a fully fit Akhtar for the important India tour,” added Bari. “We have requested the Pakistan Cricket Board to provide us a full fitness report on each player so that we can decide on the team when we meet on Friday.”However, Bari said that he hoped Shoaib knew what he was doing. “It’s his own decision not to play [in a domestic match to prove fitness], it’s for his own good that he attains full fitness through a match, because his reputation as the spearhead is at stake.”But Pakistan have more fitness worries than just Shoaib. Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Khalil, two other fast bowlers, both picked up injuries during Pakistan’s recent tour of Australia and are in the process of recovering. Shabbir Ahmed, who is recuperating from a knee surgery, and Umar Gul, who is suffering with a stress fracture, have been ruled out of taking any part in the Indian tour.

Zimbabwe Under-19 coach Steve Rhodes, who saw his side win the Plate Championship at the ICC Under-19 World Cup today, says he has unfinished business with the side but he does not know whether he will get the chance to complete it.The side flies out of Christchurch for home tomorrow with the player of the tournament, Tatenda Taibu, on board and some silverware to show for their efforts.While there was disappointment the side had not qualified for the Super League section of the tournament, it had done the next best thing by taking out the Plate. And it did so by a comfortable margin of 137 runs.Rhodes said he believed Zimbabwe had the talent and while it didn’t have the depth, there were signs of development.He had been delighted with the way players like fast bowler Waddington Mwayenga and left-arm leg-spinner Stanley Marisa had developed and the innings by Brendon Taylor, who scored a fine unbeaten 100 today, had been a delight.”I’d like to carry it on,” Rhodes said.”It is a lovely place and the job is not finished. The black kids are now starting to come through and in the high density population areas cricket is the fastest-growing sport.”They are talented and the pick things up quickly.”It is the cricket awareness they need,” he said.That has been one of the benefits of this tournament for the side and Rhodes said the Cup had been well organised and the Lincoln complex had been tremendous for the event.

Caroline Atkins and Arran Thompson set a new record opening partnership for England by putting 150 on the board without loss at the end of the first day of the first Test against India at Lucknow.Atkins (64*) and Thompson (60*), also made their highest individual scores in internationals. They were opening together for the seventh time forEngland after captain Clare Connor won the toss.Thompson said: “Our weakness on tour has been forming partnerships and wereally worked as a partnership today.”Atkins added: “It’s great we’re still in but we’ve got a way to go to winthis Test.”Although England have already lost the one-day series after India took an unassailable 3-0 lead, both Thompson and Atkins have found form on the tour, with Thompson scoring 62 and Atkins 42 in warm-up games.

Adrian Le Roux, who has taken up the position of physical trainer with the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) after vacating the similar post he held with the Indian cricket team, has termed his decision as a personal one. Speaking to Wisden CricInfo from South Africa, Le Roux said: “I sat down with my family and we decided that the opportunity to work for one’s own country will be something that I might not get again. It has nothing to do with the BCCI or the Indian cricket team … it’s just a personal one.”The Indian board had offered him a one-year extension after the World Cup, but Le Roux clarified that there had only been a “verbal conference with the BCCI”. Refuting statements by the Indian board officials that they were kept in the dark, Le Roux said that he informed the BCCI as soon as he made up his mind to take up the South African offer. “Once I had my talks with the UCBSA, I sent an e-mail and a fax to the BCCI office informing them of my decision.”Le Roux also clarified that the issue of late payment of salary had no role to play in his decision. He stressed that his relationship with the board and the players had been excellent. “In my opinion, I’ve done a good job for them, and we’re good friends. I have a very good working relationship with the board and the players.”Le Roux was unhappy with reports in the Indian media which suggested that he had “dumped” the Indian team. “I don’t think that’s the correct phrase to use. It’s an opportunity that I have [to work with the South African team], and it’s a long-term career decision.”Le Roux was offered a one-year contract with the Indian board after working with the team on their tour to South Africa in 2001-02. Along with Andrew Leipus, the physiotherapist, he improved the fitness levels of the Indian team significantly. Now, the Indian board have the onerous task of finding a replacement.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has announced two candidates who will contest the election to replace Wes Hall as president of the board. According to an report, Teddy Griffith, a retired banker from Barbados, and Clarvis Joseph, who has served as vice-president of the WICB, will take part in the election, to be held on September 30. Hall had earlier decided not to offer himself for re-election due to ill health.The announcement of these two candidates follows the controversial withdrawal of Chetram Singh from the race. Chetram, president of the Guyana Cricket Board, pulled out after controversy regarding his bookmaking business. That forced the WICB to issue notices inviting fresh nominees.E Val Banks, an Anguillan banker who was elected vice president in Dominica, is currently filling in as president until the September 30 elections.

They’re not the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. This is Dino’s Troupe’s first gig here, and they love it. They like the crowd. The crowd loves them back. Both celebrate the moment with passion, especially when the moment includes a felled Australian. In quieter times they prance about, arms and legs flailing as they rouse the crowd into action. The response has been good.The crowds have fed off their relentless energy, and from the beginning till the end of the day their belief that India will win has not faltered. It is a minor victory for these college students moonlighting as cheerleaders. India winning would be a bigger victory, but they’re nearly a hundred runs behind, so that can wait.These students who form Dino’s Troupe can also dance. They know western and jive. They’ve danced at big shows before, and this one’s no different, except it’s on a larger scale. They were contacted by a company and asked if they’d like to spread cheer at a Test. Sure, they said, and were put up at a top hotel overlooking the sea. Besides cheering, they can’t do much else on matchdays. They travel from the hotel to the stadium in the morning, and then right back into the clutches of five-star luxury in the evening.It’s not bad, one says. She’s sitting by herself, wiping her eyes dry. It’s mild asthma, caused by the dust and the heat and the shouting. She says the organisers keep the troupe busy with quizzes and other things. Why they can’t leave the hotel, she doesn’t know, but she likes it. She might not be with the troupe much longer because of her parents’ wishes.Meanwhile, the others have their minds on more immediate things. They run the length of the stand in train formation, and spectators in the first row keep their legs well under their seats as the express whizzes by. Then the train stops, and they turn to face the seats. “C’mon c’mon everybody say I-N-D-I-A,” someone yells. It’s Dino – short for Dinesh Chauhan. He and Swati began this operation a few years ago. Most of the dancers didn’t know each other, but knew how to dance. They networked, got together, and practised regularly. Right now Dinesh is getting the crowd together with his arms raised. They catch on gradually. Then comes a religious chant. Followed by another one that’s more generic, and a darn sight more classy than the “Aussies suck” that reverberated round the stadium yesterday. That didn’t even rhyme.Swati walks over and says hello. She’s doing her masters in mathematics. Right now she’s talking, but is clearly making an effort to do so because her throat is almost hoarse. How’s she going to do this for the whole Test? Just then, another wicket falls. At this rate, it might not last more than one more day. She shrugs and says it’s OK. She likes inciting the crowds and waving the pom-poms.Swati can’t stay for long because she has a paid job to do. She runs down the steps and rejoins her group, who are in the middle of another catchy chant. They jump around, waving whatever’s in their hands, and whistle, and scream, and laugh, and get everyone involved. It’s so natural, it’s catchy. These aren’t paid professionals. They’re having fun and getting paid for it. It’s cool. It’s rather like being a sports writer.Rahul Bhatia is on the staff of Wisden Cricinfo in India.