All posts by csb10.top

Dan Marsh, the Tasmania captain, will be out of action for three weeks after tearing his calf muscle on the weekend. George Bailey will lead Tasmania for their last limited-overs match in 2006-07, against South Australia at Adelaide on Wednesday.Marsh, who hurt his leg taking off for a single during the Tigers’ loss to Victoria on Saturday, is likely to miss at least one of Tasmania’s two remaining Pura Cup matches. However, Tim Coyle, the Tasmania coach, conceded it could be a season-ending injury.”It is a calf injury that we think is three weeks,” Coyle told the . “Three weeks should be a really good turnaround, but they are really big calf muscles, they take a bit of repairing. He is feeling pretty good at the moment. He thought he had done something pretty serious, but it looks OK.”The Tigers have included Chris Duval, the fast bowler and Matthew Wade, the uncapped batsman, in their 13-man squad. Jason Krejza, who transferred from New South Wales mid-season, is also in with a chance of his first game for his new state.South Australia recalled Mark Cleary to replace Shaun Tait, who is in New Zealand with the Australia one-day team. Neither the Redbacks nor the Tigers can make the Ford Ranger Cup final, which will be between Victoria and Queensland on February 25.Tasmania squad Michael Di Venuto, Tim Paine (wk), Michael Dighton, George Bailey (capt), Dane Anderson, Travis Birt, Matthew Wade, Jason Krejza, Xavier Doherty, Luke Butterworth, Brendan Drew, Ben Hilfenhaus, Chris Duval.South Australia squad Matthew Elliott, Daniel Harris, Mark Cosgrove, Callum Ferguson, Darren Lehmann (capt), Nathan Adcock, Simon Roberts, Graham Manou (wk), Mark Cleary, Ryan Harris, Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen.

Scorecard

Salman Butt and Nasir Jamshed slammed centuries as Punjab gained the upper hand on a record-breaking second day in their match against Balushistan.Baluchistan, who were on 298 for 7 overnight, extending their total to 375, courtesy of wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf’s half-century and a quick-fire 31 from No. 10 Imranullah Aslam. Mohammad Hafeez finished as Punjab’s most successful bowler, taking three wickets.In reply, Punjab ran up 425 for the loss of just two wickets, scoring at more than five-and-a-half runs an over, which meant that 502 runs were scored in the day, a record in Pakistan. Opener Hafeez wasn’t as successful with the bat, trapped lbw by Abdur Rauf for nought. Butt and Jamshed were then involved in a huge 251-run stand for the second wicket, helped by the indisciplined Baluchistan bowling who conceded 33 extras, including 22 no-balls.Butt smashed 25 fours and a six as he made 160 at nearly a run a ball before falling to medium-pacer Jalat Khan. Butt has been in spectacular form during the tournament as in only four innings, he totals 639 runs at an average of 159.75. His contribution in four outings so far has been scores of 290, 72, 117 and now 160.Misbah-ul-Haq (82*) and Jamshed then put on 87 runs before Jamshed was forced to retire hurt on 140 – his sixth century of the season – as Punjab finished the day with a 50-run lead with eight wickets still standing.
Scorecard
In a tight contest at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad, Federal Areas took a 73-run first-innings lead but Sind hit back, finishing the second day at 128 for 1.For Federal Areas, No. 3 Ashar Zaidi top scored with an unbeaten 87 as they posted 295. Naved Ashraf (34) and Yasir Arafat (27) chipped in with handy contributions. Fast bowler Sohail Khan’s outstanding debut season continued as he grabbed another five-wicket haul to keep Federal Areas’ lead to a manageable amount. He now has 16 wickets from three matches in the Pentangular to complement the 65 he took in this season’s Quaid-e-Azam.Sind’s second innings got off to a confident start with Khurram Manzoor and Khalid Latif putting on 119. Manzoor fell after an aggressive 73 which featured ten boundaries while Latif remained undefeated on 47.

An Aussie player of the tournament (June 1)
Shane Warne, Shaun Marsh and Shae Waston will be competing for the Player of the Tournament award, which has a prize money of Rs10 lakh (US$23,500) prize; despite his success in the tournament, Warne said he is happy with retirement and playing the IPL for six weeks of the year; The Rajasthan Royals’ formula for success, according to Darren Berry, the team’s director of coaching, lies in creating an environment where all players are equal; and Geoff Marsh, the former Australian bowler, is pleased with his son Shaun’s performance in the IPL but he insists the team comes ahead of the individual.Fleming out of IPL (May 29)
Stephen Fleming will not be available for Chennai’s remaining matches as he is heading back to New Zealand for the birth of his child; Indian umpire AV Jayaprakash retires; Rahul Dravid believes two IPL tournaments a year will be difficult; and Pakistan selectors will not consider IPL performances while naming the squad for the triangular series in Bangladesh.Semi-final hopes, and a police complaint (May 27)
Kepler Wessels, the Chennai coach, believes Manpreet Gony is the find of IPL; a Senior Superintendent of Police lodges a formal complaint against Ness Wadia, the Mohali franchise owner for alleged verbal assault; and Wasim Akram calls for a shorter IPL.From purple caps to red badges (May 20)
IPL authorities announce an all-area accreditation badge to one member of each of the eight franchisees; Mohammad Asif is doubtful for the rest of the IPL and the tri-series in Bangladesh after he splits the webbing on his right hand; and the IPL Trophy is unveiled in Mumbai.Kolkata sign Mendis (May 18)
Eden Gardens has its second power-cut of the tournament, Ajantha Mendis, the Sri Lankan spinner, has been signed by Kolkata for three years; Neil Maxwell, the chief executive of Kings XI Punjab, has admitted there have been delays in paying the players; Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes the key to sucess in Twenty20 lies in a player’s fitness and not experience; and service tax authorities in Chandigarh consider issuing a notice to Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) for alleged evasion of tax in the IPL.Mumbai sign Nel as Bravo’s replacement (May 17)
Andre Nel joins Mumbai in place of Dwayne Bravo, who will fly out to join the West Indies squad ahead of the Australia Tests after the match against Deccan Chargers on May 18; the Kolkata franchise threatened to take legal action against a Pakistan newspaper which suggested Shoaib Akhtar was questioned at Karachi airport – en route to India for the IPL – on an “inordinately large supply of syringes in his luggage”; Adam Gilchrist is satisfied taken by the IPL organisers following the bomb blasts in Jaipur is adequate; Misbah-ul-Haq backs his Bangalore captain Rahul Dravid; and Yuvraj Singh says he hadn’t made any conscious efforts to be a good captain for Punjab.Support for Dravid (May 16)
Anil Kumble backs under-fire Bangalore captain Rahul Dravid following ranchise owner Vijay Mallya’s statement that his biggest mistake was to trust Dravid on matters of team selection; Sourav Ganguly hopes for an ODI recall after scoring 91 in Kolkata’s win over the Deccan Chargers; Following the Jaipur bomb blasts Nicholls Steyn and Associates, security advisors to the IPL, have been appointed to oversee the arrangements for May 17th match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium; Lalit Modi announces a donation of US$1.4 million from the IPL franchises and sponsors for the blast victims; Dwayne Bravo postpones his departure to West Indies by two days; Brad Hodge will re-join Kolkata if he is not picked for the first Test in Jamaica; and the income-tax department has sent a notice to the BCCI, seeking copies of agreements signed between the IPL franchises and the overseas player.Rajasthan’s stars consider leaving (May 15)
Darren Berry, the Rajasthan Royals’ team manager, says there is a “real option” Shane Warne, Shane Watson, and Graeme Smith will not return to Jaipur following a series of bombs that killed about 80 people in the city on May 13; the IPL organisers have banned spectators from bringing carry-bags to their venues in the wake of the blasts; the Kolkata franchise have been taken to court by the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) on grounds of copyright violation for playing 14 popular Hindi songs without its permission during the IPL matches at the Eden Gardens.Kolkata fined again (May 14)
IPL organisers refuse to shift the venue of Bangalore’s match against Rajasthan from Jaipur following bomb blasts in the city; VVS Laxman backs Rahul Dravid, whose Bangalore team is in the middle of a torrid run; and Kolkata have been handed US$1000 fine by Talat Ali for maintaining a slow over-rate during their match against the Delhi Daredevils, the third time in as matches that they have been rapped for the offense.Laxman out, Prince goes back (May 13)
A hairline fracture puts VVS Laxman out of the rest of the tournament; Kolkata decide to release five of their players, since they won’t be required for the other games; and Ashwell Prince decides to return to South Africa to spend some time with his new-born kid.Tension in the Bangalore camp (May 12)
Vijay Mallya, the Bangalore Royal Challengers’ owner, says that he regrets not being involved in the team’s selection; Sachin Tendulkar indicates that he could be fit in time for the Mumbai Indians’ match against the Chennai Super Kings on May 14; and the DY Patil Stadium is the front-runner to host the final of the IPL.Kolkata monitoring Hodge’s next move (May 9)
The Kolkata Knight riders are hoping that Brad Hodge can re-join their squad after he was directed by his board to join the Australian squad for the tour of West Indies as a shadow player for Michael Clarke; Venkatesh Prasad, the Bangalore Royal Challengers’ coach, calls for “patience and trust” with his team; and Sudhir Nanavati, the BCCI commissioner, ends his probe into the slap-gate incident involving Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh.Charu out, Brijesh in (May 7)
Charu Sharma, the CEO of the Bangalore Royal Challengers, is sacked after the team suffer five consecutive defeats; while the BCCI commissioner inquiring into the slapping incident involving Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth, denies saying that the attack as premeditated.Nanavati shocked, and Buchanan welcomes Shoaib (May 6)
BCCI-appointed Commissioner Sudhir Nanavati said he was stunned after seeing the video footage of the Sreesanth-Harbhajan incident; Wasim Jaffer has been ruled out for three weeks after suffering a fracture to the hand; Shivnarine Chanderpaul says he’s tired of sitting on the bench and John Buchanan welcomes Shoaib Akhtar to the Kolkata Knight Riders.A fine, a ban, and a rebuttal (May 3)
Sourav Ganguly and Shane Warne have been fined 10% of their match fees, while Pratap Kumar, the on-field umpire, has been suspended for a game following the catch controversy; the IPL maintains that Shoaib Akhtar cannot play; while the criticises umpire Amiesh Saheba.Warne v Ganguly, Sachin v groin (May 2)
Shane Warne, the captain of the Rajasthan Royals, has launched a stinging attack on Sourav Ganguly what he perceived to be a blatant disregard for the spirit of the game. Ganguly has retaliated by questioning whether Warne had the moral right to comment about the spirit of the game. Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar’s battle to get fit continues.Gony doubtful, and no cheergirls for Delhi (May 1)
Chennai Super Kings’ fast bowler Manpreet Gony is suffering from fever and may not be able to play against the Delhi Daredevils in Chennai on Friday. Gony has been Chennai’s best bowler with seven wickets in four games at an average of 19.New surface at the Eden Gardens, and a ban on cheerleaders? (April 25)
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) announces that the next game at the Eden Gardens will be played on a new surface; the Mumbai Indians’ next home game on April 27 may not feature the much talked about cheerleaders.Bosman sent home, and a birthday wish (April 24)
Loots Bosman is forced to return home after immigration officials found that he had incomplete paperwork; Shane Warne says Sachin Tendulkar “should be allowed to continue till he wants to”; and an injured Chris Gayle joins the Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad but his participation is uncertain.Gayle doubtful, Burdett refuses (April 23)
Chris Gayle is all but ruled out of the first edition of the IPL after failing to recover from his groin injury; both the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are allowed centre-wicket practice before their match; and Les Burdett, the Australian curator, says he is unlikely to oblige an SOS call sent to him by the Kolkata franchise.Cheap tickets and the Dhoni aura (April 22)
The authorities in Jaipur slash ticket rates to fill up the 30,000 seat Sawai Mansingh Stadium; Matthew Hayden praises Mahendra Singh Dhoni; and the four West Indian IPL recruits will return to the Caribbean on May 18 in time for the home series against Australia A dicey pitch, and the arrival of Rajasthan’s stars (April 21)
The Kolkata Knight Riders ask the Cricket Association of Bengal to hire an Australian pitch consultant to work on the Eden Gardens surface; the lights go off and hold up play for 30 minutes, again at the Eden Gardens; Rajasthan are bolstered by the arrival of their foreign recruits; and none of Mumbai’s former Test cricketers get a pass to watch the Mumbai Indians’ opening game Gayle out, Bravo in (April 19)
Chris Gayle misses out on Kolkata’s opener owing to a groin injury; Mumbai recruit a host of former Ranji players into their support staff; and Dwayne Bravo replaces Lasith Malinga in the Mumbai team

Wes Agar, the brother of Australian spinner Ashton Agar, and Clinton Hinchliffe were named in Australia’s 21-member squad for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.Wes, a fast bowler, generated good pace and impressed in the Under-19 Championships, taking ten wickets in eight matches, including a five-wicket haul at an average of 22.60. Fellow South Australian Michael Cormack, who topped the wicket charts with 21 scalps at 16.57 was also included.Hinchliffe was the leading run-getter in the Under-19 Championships with 446 runs to add to 10 wickets, and eventually reaped the Player-of-the-Series award. Tom O’Donnell, the son of former Australian all-rounder Simon O’Donnell, and Sam Elliott, the son of former Test batsman Matthew Elliot, also found a place in the squad.Also named was Newcastle’s Jason Sangha, the only cricketer to advance to the Under-19 National Championships from the School Sports Australia Under-15 Championships.Cricket Australia’s National Talent Manager Greg Chappell believed that the squad had all bases covered in addition to plenty of leadership options.”The squad the National Youth Selection Panel has picked is one we believe could win the World Cup,” Chappell said.”There is a vast array of all-round talent here that can post big scores and restrict opposition teams with the ball and in the field; there is also plenty of leadership within the group.”The squad will be trimmed to 15 on December 28 as per ICC regulations. Australia, who are placed in Group A alongside India, Nepal, and New Zealand, begin their campaign against India on January 28 in Mirpur.Squad: Wes Agar, Michael Cormack, Kyle Gardiner, Jordan Gauci, Brooke Guest, David Grant, Sam Grimwade, Sam Harper, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Henry Hunt, Caleb Jewell, Jonathan Merlo, Arjun Nair, Tom O’Donnell, Jonte Pattinson, Patrick Page Jnr, Jhye Richardson, Jason Sangha, Ben Taylor, Henry Thornton.

In a tour that hasn’t gone to plan after a sparkling start, West Indies travel to a ground on which they posted both their wins on the tour so far against a formidable South African line-up.West Indies upset the hosts at St George’s Park in both the first Twenty20 international and the first Test, but have lost their way since. A loss in Sunday’s ODI would see them surrender the series, but the visitors are not the only team with a few worries.South Africa have done poorly in Port Elizabeth of late – their last win came in an ODI against India in November 2006 – and coach Mickey Arthur said the team were eager to perform.”I’m not a 100% sure why we haven’t played to the best of our abilities there, but all I do know is the team will be keen to put on a very good performance, because we’ve let Port Elizabeth down of late,” Arthur told the . South Africa, though, would take confidence from the convincing win in Cape Town, where West Indies never looked in the hunt while chasing 256.Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis failed in Cape Town, and it was the left-handed batsmen Graeme Smith and JP Duminy who did the bulk of the scoring. South Africa, however, were unable to pick up the momentum towards the close of their innings – perhaps falling 15-20 runs short – but it didn’t have a bearing on the final result.Arthur indicated there wouldn’t be many changes, given the series is still alive. The bowlers never looked in trouble against a brittle West Indian line-up. Shaun Pollock, playing his farewell ODI series, had impeccable figures of 10-5-13-2, while Morne Morkel’s career-best figures of 4 for 36 suggested he’d recovered fully from the injury that had ruled him out since South Africa’s tour to Pakistan last year.”Before we start looking to juggle the side too much, we want to try and get the series out of the way first, and then look to give our other squad guys an opportunity,” Arthur said. “We have quite a few niggles in the squad and we need to manage those. But I don’t foresee too many changes.”For West Indies, it’s the batting that’s the main concern. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was expected to play at No. 3 in Cape Town in order to provide much-needed momentum at the top, but a bruised knee meant he came in at No. 5 and batted with a runner. Chanderpaul’s 54 was the only significant resistance to South Africa’s attack and if he can’t take the field on Sunday, it would be another headache for West Indies, who are already missing the batting skills of Chris Gayle.Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards made a promising start in Cape Town. Taylor nipped out both Gibbs and Kallis, but his four-wicket haul was not backed up by his team-mates. Stand-in captain Dwayne Bravo, who bowled despite a side strain in the first ODI, might again have to send down a few overs himself. Bravo would also like to change his luck at the toss; he’s called it wrong the last three occasions, perhaps a right one could help bring about the right result.Teams (probable)
South Africa
Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Johan Botha, Charl Langeveldt, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel.West Indies
Brenton Parchment, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo (capt), Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor.

It was another predictable day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where West Indies played out its final preparatory match before next week’s first Test against Australia.As the tourists completed their third sub-200 total from four first-class innings played on this tour so far, a spectator fanned a banner pleading “Bring back Viv”. But the great Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards was nowhere in sight. And just as last week was Western Australia’s opportunity to upstage these once-feared tourists, so this week became Victoria’s chance to annihilate them.The result for the Windies: a seven-wicket loss in Perth, followed by today’s innings and sixty-three run drubbing inside three days by the bottom-ranked Australian domestic side. And both coach Roger Harper and captain Jimmy Adams are at a loss for explanations.”I have no explanation. It has been a disappointing performance to put it mildly. I’m not one to get angry but I’m very very disappointed,” said Harper.”It is very very frustrating because I know we are capable of a lot better cricket than we have displayed here and as we displayed in Western Australia. But it’s difficult to put an exact finger on it as to what will bring out the consistency we’re still striving for. Physically, I have no doubt that we’re working a lot harder, a lot better in terms of preparation. We’re still trying to get the precise, definite answer,” he said.Asked about what went wrong with the team’s batting – they were bowled out for 167 in the first innings and 114 in the second – Adams was direct.”I won’t take very long to describe, it’s just not good enough,” he said. “The bottom line is that we’re just not batting as well as we should be batting. We’re just not doing the basic consistent things. It’s just not happening.”For Victorian captain Darren Berry on the other hand, the match couldn’t have gone better. His bowlers began well in the first innings under overcast conditions on a helpful pitch, his batsmen continued the good work by amassing 7/344, and the Bushrangers finally tasted their opening first-class victory of the season. To top it all off, Berry himself claimed his four hundredth first-class catch today.”I think everything went right for Victoria. I think the toss was the start because it was a difficult wicket to bat on. I thought our bowlers bowled well and it was a good team effort. I don’t think it’s my position to comment on how the West Indies played, I’m more concerned about how Victoria played and I was extremely happy with our performance,” he said.The stars for Victoria were twenty-year-old paceman Mathew Inness (9/73 for the match, including career best figures of 6/26 in the first innings) and twenty-five year-old batsman Brad Hodge (134*), who was forced to retire hurt overnight after a Courtney Walsh delivery left his thumb severely bruised.There were other positives too. The patient batting of Jason Arnberger (99) in the first innings. The bowling of first-class debutant Ben Oliver (2/13 off six overs in the second innings, including the crucial wicket of Brian Lara). The successful return from injury of Damien Fleming (2/27 off tenovers today). And of course, the clever bowling of Test spinner Colin Miller (3/26 off 15.3 overs).After losses in the opening two Pura Cup matches, Berry believes today’s win will give the Victorians the confidence and inspiration they need for the next round of domestic matches.For the West Indians, the result simply exacerbates their woeful start to this Australian tour. With the first Test just four days away, the search is on for that elusive answer to their problems.Adams thinks the answer lies within. “I don’t think it’s so much a technical problem. I think what we have to do is to do whatever we can amongst ourselves to reinforce to the team that the players here are good players, quality players. I think they’re players that have done enough often enough, and ones who you figure will always carry that self belief. There might be a few younger players where it’s up to the rest of us to keep reinforcing that ‘You are good enough and you’re here because you’re goodenough’.”Adams says the most important thing is for the team to come together to solve the problems. “I think everybody has a role to play. I think even players who are struggling and might be young players, they still have a role to play. It’s not going to happen because one man stands up, it’s going to happen because the whole team comes together. And as well, you can’t get away from the fact that it is going to require discipline.”At the same time, coach Harper says the team still has time to realise its potential. “I still think we have it in us to play good cricket and precisely because of our unpredictability, it’s possible for us to getthrown out there and string it together. And hopefully we can achieve it come the Test match,” he said.

Middle-order batsman Malinda Warnapura and fast bowler Sujeewa de Silva are certain to be included in the upcoming three-Test home series against Bangladesh, starting later this month, while former captain Marvan Atapattu is set to make a comeback to Test cricket after a long lay off.Selection committee sources confirmed that Warnapura, who has been in prolific form for Sri Lanka A on the tour to India and in the home series against Bangladesh A, and Silva, who has bowled impressively in both series, will be tried out during the series.Warnapura, a nephew of Sri Lanka’s first Test captain Bandula Warnapura, is yet to play a Test has not played in a Test before but de Silva has played in two Tests against Bangladesh in 2002, managing seven wickets.”We may probably rest Chaminda Vaas and also Tillakaratne Dilshan to give these youngsters a break in the international circuit and see how they shape up,” said a spokesman for the selection committee.He also confirmed that Atapattu would be selected for the Test series instead of veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya who is expected to be rested from the series. Atapattu’s last Test appearance was against India in 2005 before a back injury forced him out of international cricket. He returned to the team early this year, only to be left out of the playing XI.Atapattu’s omission from the World Cup and three match one-day series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi created a furore, putting enough pressure on the national selection committee to include him for the Bangladesh series.The Test squad of 14 is expected to be announced on June 11 after the return of captain Mahela Jayawardene who is currently in India leading the Asian XI against the Africa XI in a series of one-day matches.

Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium provides one of the more festive cricket-watching experiences in Pakistan. With a capacity of 19,000 – packed even during bore run-fests such as the India-Pakistan 2006 Test – it is no heaving amphitheatre of sport, but its openness provides a delightful personal interaction with the contest.If you sit right, you can ask a fast bowler at the top of his run what he’ll bowl next; as a spectator you are expected to double as a fielder anywhere around the ground. The amusement park within the complex helps with the merriment. If the swing is timed right, the pirate ship should allow a decent if intermittent view of the game. Next door is an auditorium named after one of Faisalabad’s most famous product, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; a stadium named after a poet and an auditorium next to it named after a means the venue must be one of the more artistically-inclined around the world.What happens on the field tomorrow, between South Africa and Pakistan, should add to the festivities. If we ignore last year’s ODI against West Indies (when Pakistan lost eight wickets chasing 152), the pitch is traditionally partial to runs. Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s coach, didn’t see anything in the 22-yard pale brown strip contrary to that belief. Add small boundaries and big hitters to the mix and a typically modern, run-heavy ODI awaits.”It looks like a very good deck. Much fresher than the last wicket we played on and we’re quite happy about that,” said Arthur. Criticising a pitch that produced over 500 runs and a century is a peculiarly contemporary condition but middle-overs spin, on a used surface, stumped South Africa as much as six wickets between two fast bowlers.But that has been South Africa’s only aberration through a commanding tour. And despite the loss, there remain few real concerns with morale or personnel. “We played really well through the tour and we had a little stutter at Lahore,” said Arthur. “We’ve set ourselves extremely high goals through this competition. We’ve set our team high standards and we need to maintain those standards. Lifting the boys after that loss will be no issue.”Arthur admitted, at a push, that only one position is under scrutiny, without revealing further, but also added, “we’ll probably given them a chance again.” Such is the mood that not even poor returns from Jacques Kallis and Justin Kemp (1 and 8 in the two ODIs) is a worry just yet. “I don’t foresee too many changes. We want to be pretty consistent. Our top order has been good. We didn’t get the start we wanted in Lahore. Everybody has performed their roles to their abilities.

“We’ve asked Kemp to bat at 5. It’s a role he knows and he can fulfill. He is wasted down the order as he gives us major impetus if he bats a long time. He’s done really well for us of late and we’re going to give him every opportunity to cement that position.”Despite levelling the series, a few issues remain to be resolved for Pakistan. From the top, Yasir Hameed is likely to replace Imran Nazir as a partner for Kamran Akmal, the third different combination in three matches. A more deserving change is hard to imagine: 41, 57, 71, 41, 10, 50 and 22 are Hameed’s last seven ODI innings (at number three admittedly) for Pakistan and yet, bewilderingly, the appearances are stretched out over 30 months.If picked, however, an opportunity presents itself for Pakistan are thinking long-term. “We have made so many changes because we have an important tour to India coming up,” said Shoaib Malik. “We are trying to find the right combination before then.”Apart from probably being without Mohammad Asif (he is to undergo a late fitness test), which is a sizeable headache, Pakistan’s other problem far predates the opening worry. As a unit, their ground fielding has been noticeably sharper but they dropped five catches in their win on Saturday.”Straight after we got here yesterday, we came and worked on our fielding,” Malik said. As well they should for winning games after fluffing that many chances happens about as often as a fair and free election in Pakistan.The series is now primed to tilt one or the other way; a win here could well be decisive with only two to play after it. “This is a vital match,” Malik acknowledged. “Whichever team wins it will take a definite edge for the remainder of the series.”Teams:
Pakistan (probable) Yasir Hameed, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan,Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Abdur Rehman, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Umar Gul.South Africa (probable) Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Justin Kemp, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Albie Morkel, Johan Botha, Makhaya Ntini, Charl Langeveldt.

Scorecard

Inzamam-ul-Haq’s cool temperament saw the Lahore Badshahs home in a close encounter against the Chennai Superstars in Panchkula.Inzamam, the captain of the new outfit that consists only of Pakistan players, starred with an unbeaten 43-ball 50 to anchor the chase of 158, which at one stage looked improbable after T Kumaran had struck thrice to leave the Badshahs reeling at 47 for 4.Inzamam, who has pulled off rescue acts many a time for Pakistan, paced his innings perfectly: he was happy with the singles at the start, and cut out the risk of attempting boundaries, before shifting gears when it mattered. Inzamam’s easy approach had a nice foil in the cameo from former Pakistan batsman Naved Latif, who scored 41 off just 26 and was instrumental in changing the tone of the Badshahs’ chase.The 15th over bowled by Tamil Kumaran was the turning point. Badshahs needed more than ten-an-over from the final six, and Latif belted two fours and a six, before striking another six in the next from Ian Harvey after Inzamam had already taken ten off him. When Latif fell, it was down to 34 from 24, and Inzamam and Azhar Mahmood (19 off 11) eased to the target with six balls to spare.After choosing to bat, it was Michael Bevan, the Superstars’ coach-cum-player, who steered his side to 157. In the absence of Stuart Law, the captain who led Superstars in the inaugural edition, Bevan opened the innings and came up with a run-a-ball 56. Pakistan internationals Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Saqlain Mushtaq took two wickets apiece as the Superstars were restricted to 157, a total that wasn’t enough on the day.

ScorecardAn unbroken 47-run final-wicket stand between Deon Kotze and Louis Klazinga pushed Namibia to a thrilling victory in Windhoek, keeping their unbeaten record in the Intercontinental Cup alive and leaving Scotland with an almost impossible task to qualify for the final.Sarel Burger kept the innings afloat with 79 off 162 balls, although when the last pair came together it appeared they’d been left with too much to do. Boundaries were rare, but Kotze and Klazinga worked hard to tick off the runs, piling pressure on the Scotland attack as they tried to claim the final breakthrough.Scotland had controlled proceedings for much of the third day after Namibia started on 45 for 3 chasing 237 on a sporting surface where wickets have fallen steadily. They chipped away at the resistance with John Blain taking his match haul to nine wickets while Glen Rodgers chipped in with a couple.But the defeat leaves them well adrift in the table with three matches remaining. Namibia, however, go from strength to strength and now sit with 82 points from their 100% record. Kenya, with a game in hand, are their closest challengers with Ireland 33 points behind in third place although they have played two matches less.