John Buchanan says Australia will head into the Adelaide Test with “clearer minds” after their record-equalling winning streak ended at the hands of India in Perth. Buchanan coached Australia to 12 of their 16 consecutive Test wins before handing over to Tim Nielsen and he was also in charge when the previous run of 16 finished under Steve Waugh.He said the Perth defeat did not necessarily mean the end of an era of Australian dominance, although without champions like Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath they were losing their aura of invincibility. “It has already happened, when McGrath and Warne left,” Buchanan told the .”It is not so much how it affects Australia, because it gives some very good players an opportunity to come in, but it makes other teams believe they are a bit closer and they walk on the field with a bit more confidence. Australia is not invincible but over the movie length they are an incredible side, so let’s not get caught up in the snapshot of 16 wins or anything like that.”Buchanan said there were similarities to when Australia last lost a Test at home, also against India, at Adelaide Oval in 2003-04. During that match the players were distracted by “deal-making, sponsors, Tug’s farewell to Adelaide, helmets, what the media is saying about you,” Buchanan said.He said the Perth defeat brought back memories of Kolkata in 2000-01, when Waugh’s record winning streak was halted by an India team inspired by VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. “It took me back to Kolkata, when after India’s first innings we were expected to win,” Buchanan said. “In that situation sometimes the way forward is not as clear as it should be.”Having been involved when there are records on, and with all the distractions occurring between the second and third Tests, that’s all part of it. It [the record] is what everybody expected. People were talking up the wicket, that it was likely to be over in three days. All of those things can play a part in the end.”

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.

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.

Following the spectacular start to the Indian Premier League, its organisers have chalked out plans for an inaugural Champions League featuring top domestic Twenty20 sides from several countries.Cricinfo has learnt England have been offered the chance to host the tournament, which is likely to be held between the ICC Champions Trophy – which ends on September 28 – and the first Test between India and Australia, starting October 9. However, that is not traditional cricket season in England and given the weather at that time – the end of summer, with shorter days and falling temperatures – a prominent cricket centre in North India will be the back-up venue. That will also help in terms of travel, as the ICC Champions Trophy final will be in Lahore, a short hop away.Details of the Champions League have been informally firmed up over the last few weeks during discussions between top BCCI officials and those from Cricket Australia, Cricket South Africa, Pakistan Cricket Board and crucially, the England and Wales Cricket Board, a senior official who is close to the negotiations, said.Considering the time constraints and the urgency to get the event off the ground this year itself, the officials were apparently keen that the event be wrapped up in nine days with eight matches and a final, ideally, at Lord’s.”There have been a lot of ideas and lots of discussions surrounding the Champions League,” Keith Bradshaw, the MCC chief executive, told . “MCC has had an input into those talks. From a MCC point of view we are very keen to host the big matches at Lord’s, and would always want to be considered for these kind of games.”The common line that has emerged from the elaborate talks is that the Champions League, to start with, could be a short, single-leg league involving the top two domestic Twenty20 teams from the five countries.Lalit Modi, who presided over the opening day of the domestic Indian Premier League (IPL) in Bangalore on Friday as its chairman and commissioner, is expected to “get cracking” on the Champions League very soon.”Informally, a lot of discussions and decisions have happened on the Champions League,” an official said. “Everyone wants to be on board and the level of interest has been very high. There was a joint call on how many countries need to participate, the window that is available at that point of time and so on.”However, officials are aware of the potential complications on the way, especially involving Indian teams whose overseas players may have appeared for their home sides in the domestic Twenty20 tournaments. For example, Kolkata Knight Riders, who won the inaugural match, have Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, and Chris Gayle of West Indies.”Cricket Australia is one of the keenest supporters of the Champions League,” the official said, “and could make a few adjustments if their players need to be released for the event.”

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.

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

The last thing on the minds of a team sandwiched between two Test series is a limited-overs tournament but South Africa may have enjoyed casting their eyes over the World T20 schedule. Their men’s team has been grouped with three former champions – England, West Indies and Sri Lanka – which speaks to the magnitude of their task but they will still consider themselves in the easier pool.South Africa avoided hosts India, who accounted for their exit at the last World T20, Pakistan, who got the better of them in 2009, Australia, a constant nemesis in their quest for major tournament silverware, and New Zealand, the team who beat them in the last two 50-over World Cup knockouts. Given South Africa’s current T20 form – they have beaten Bangladesh and India in T20 series away in the last five months – they will fancy their chances of breaking their trophy drought in the same place their nine-year unbeaten run on the road as a Test side ended.”With the World T20 around the corner, the T20s in India was quite important for us because conditions in India is what we will be faced with at the World Cup,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach said when delivering his assessment of the entire tour of India at the team’s arrival home. “Our ODI and T20 cricket seems to be in a good space at the moment.”

South Africa’s WT20 fixtures

Men
v England, Mumbai, March 18
v Q1B, Mumbai, March 20
v West Indies, Nagpur, March 25
v Sri Lanka, Delhi, March 28

Women
v Australia, Nagpur, March 18
v Ireland, Chennai, March 23
v New Zealand, Bangalore, March 26
v Sri Lanka, Bangalore, March 28

South Africa beat India 2-0 in a three-match series (one game was washed out) and chased successfully both times. In the first match, they hunted down 200 thanks to a solid opening stand and a good finishing effort from JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien. In the second, they shot India out for 92 after Albie Morkel’s career-best figures on comeback. Both games would have showed South Africa the combination they need for the tournament itself.Promoting AB de Villiers to open the batting alongside Hashim Amla and keep wicket allows for an extra batsman lower in the line-up, while Morkel is a welcome addition to the bowling stocks and Imran Tahir remains an effective first-choice spinner in the format. However, Domingo indicated South Africa actually wanted to use the dead-rubber to experiment with other combinations.”Unfortunately the third game was rained out so the opportunities we were hoping to give to Eddie Leie, Khaya Zondo and Quinton de Kock in the T20 format did not take place because of weather,” Domingo said.That is actually where South Africa need to be most careful. They still have five* T20s before the event, all at home. Two are against England, their opening opponents at the World T20, and three against Australia, who will be sure to test them in every discipline. Overcomplicating things by altering combinations that already work could muddle South African minds ahead of an event they need to go into with clarity.Currently, South Africa are comfortable with their T20 cricket structure. “All in all we were very happy with the way we’ve played,” Domingo said. “We’ve beaten Bangladesh and India in the subcontinent and performances like that can only give you confidence.” Once they have found that confidence, there is nothing wrong with pushing the pause button and letting that sink in.Instead, South Africa have been casting their eye over how to get even stronger. “We’ve been watching the Ram Slam – it was on in India – and great to see players who are in the national side putting in good performances. Quinton de Kock has been leading the way but we’ve also seen Aaron Phangiso, Eddie Leie and David Miller’s got some runs. It’s good to see the players in the national side doing that well.”De Kock leads the run-charts in the competition with 425 runs, including three fifties, at an average of 42.50 and strike rate of 142.61, and may yet play himself back into the World T20 side. He has already done so in the 50-over game. Leie should provide an additional option to Tahir unless Phangiso, who was dropped from the T20 squad, is recalled and the left-arm spinner is making a case for himself. Phangiso is third on the wicket-takers’ table with 15 scalps at 15.20 while Leie has taken 14 at 19.78.Chris Morris, also part of South Africa’s plans, leads the list with 18 at 14.16, while Miller’s runs, which include one fifty, are important after a lean patch. But beyond that, South Africa probably don’t need to look too much further and should remind themselves not to when they are tempted. Luckily for them, the domestic T20 competition ends on Saturday.It has so far produced several tight finishes, including a last-ball win for the Dolphins over the Cobras in the play-off where young quick Andile Phehlukwayo was the hero. Phehlukwayo, a team-mate of Kagiso Rabada’s at the Under-19 World Cup, defended 10 off the last over. Eye-catching as it was, he should be shelved under the one-for-the-future category and South Africa should stick with what has already worked at the World T20.While the men grapple with when to accept that they have done enough, South Africa’s women – who also reached the last four in 2014 – will gear up to face defending champions Australia in their first match. Three South Africa players, captain Mignon du Preez, Marizanne Kapp and Dane van Niekerk, are at the women’s Big Bash League and the experience they gain there could be handy for the tournament.* 3pm GMT – This was corrected from six to five, with two against England

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.

Bangladesh struck more fours, but Zimbabwe were way ahead in the sixes tally in the third T20I in Khulna. The home side were not able to get any boundaries for 36 balls since the start of the 11th over. They had eight wickets in hand at the time, and needed to go after the bowling considering the asking rate was over 10.Zimbabwe stifling the runs during that period, and Malcolm Waller’s big-hitting 49 shaped their 31-run win to stay alive in the four-match series. He struck four sixes, one each in the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th overs, lifting his team to 187 for 6 in their 20 overs.This win is Zimbabwe’s first in T20Is since November last year, which was also against Bangladesh and Waller had been the guiding hand again striking 40 off 27 balls in a final-over thriller.”Winning this game was very nice,” he said. “The guys are very happy. It is a happy change room. There’s a lot of laughter. To get a win was definitely good. In the last few weeks we have played games probably we should have won but couldn’t quite get over the line. So to do that today, we are happy for all of us.”Waller believed batting first had been an advantage in Khulna, where rain delayed the start of the match and also interrupted play in the first innings. “I think the way we were going about it, it was probably good to bat first on this wicket and set a target. Having a score on the board is obviously a good positive thing. No matter what the conditions look like, we will bat first and defend.Waller also made a point to say that wet conditions were not the deciding factor since, like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe’s bowlers also had a tough time on the field. “It was just as difficult for us in the field. The ball was really wet. It was tough for our spinners to hold the ball and seamers to bowl slower balls. I know the pitch got slower but we batted 12 overs in the wet conditions. So I am not sure rain had a big part [in Bangladesh’s defeat],” he said.Elton Chigumbura was rested for the second game in a row, but Waller said that it was just a ploy to test other players. “We have had a lot of cricket over the last four months. We have been away from home a lot.”This is a good time for us to try different combinations – rest Elton and watch other guys. He will be back but it is a good opportunity to show what the other guys can do before the World T20.”

Dion Nash and Kyle Mills scored centuries and forged a partnership, hardenedby the flames of adversity, which reshaped Auckland’s Shell Trophy matchagainst Wellington and gave it balance at the end of its third day today.Nash has worked hard to reinvent himself as a batsman recently, as injurycontinues to curtail his effectiveness as a bowler, and his 281-minuteinnings of 100 – part of a 185-run eighth wicket stand with Mills – made aclamorous announcement of his success in that endeavour.Nor is that success confined any longer to the batting crease. Nash’s broadsmile tonight was provoked by equal elements of delight at his battingperformance, Auckland’s strengthened position and the discovery that theprognosis for his bowling is not as bleak as it recently seemed.Nash was able to turn his arm over in the nets on Tuesday night for thefirst time in a long while and he tentatively forecast last night that hewould be bowling some cautious medium pace before the Trophy season ends.Nash beamed also at the effort of his outstanding partner Mills, a darkhorse batting No 9 in the Auckland order, who reached his highest firstclass score, his maiden first class century and was 107 not out when stumpswere drawn.The pair came together at lunch, after Wellington had taken six wickets inthe morning session to have Auckland 109/7, to limit their overall lead to66 runs and to threaten to end the game by the end of this, the third day.On them in a sudden heated rush fell all the responsibility of the Aucklandinnings. If they failed, so too would Auckland and there seemed no otherpossibility than that Wellington would add an outright win to the firstinnings points they achieved on Tuesday.Nash and Mills resolved themselves to stay together as long as fortuneallowed and to do as much as resolution permitted to repair Auckland’sposition. Neither imagined that, almost four hours later when Nash was outafter having completed his fourth first class century in 281 minutes, Aucklandwould hold the upper hand in the match.Despite Nash’s fall within half an hour of stumps, when Auckland were 294and after he and Mills had come within four runs of a 62-year-old eighthwicket record for the province, the match was all but saved. Mills went onto his century in 242 minutes, from 185 balls, and Auckland was 317 atstumps, 271 runs ahead of Wellington with a day remaining.”In some ways it was a difficult wicket to get in on but when you got in itbecame easier,” Nash said. “At lunch I just said to Kyle we’ve got to get towherever we can get to. We’d just lost a lot of quick wickets – Wellingtonhad started to get some reverse swing before lunch and had nicked a coupleout – and I said we’ve just got to bat as long as we can.”Kyle’s a good young guy and so we just got our heads down and did what wecould. At the start it was just a bit of fun but we got further and furtherand we started to realise we were making a difference.”My only disappointment was that I got out before Kyle got his centurybecause I would have liked to be there with him when that happened. Butthat’s the way it goes. I think that we’re at least in the game now. They’llhave to play well to win.”Nash said he hadn’t been conscious this season of greater pressureaccumulating on him to succeed with the bat, now that he is being chosen forhis batting ability and no longer for his bowling.”More than anything I want to be part of the Auckland side and to becontributing to it as much as I can,” he said. “I’ve had a few starts thisseason and haven’t gone on and I’ve had a few failures but I’ve just keptplugging away, hoping the runs will come.”The most extraordinary feature of Mills and Nash’s partnership, more thanthe success of two players who have been styled as bowlers first, batsmensecond, was the way in which their resilient partnership altered the moraltenor of the game.When Tama Canning was out to the last ball of the morning session andAuckland had plunged from 16/1 at the resumption to 109/7, the Wellingtonbowlers and their supportive fieldsman, were cock-a-hoop, certain of theirsuperiority.But Mills and Nash began, throughout the early part of their partnership, tochip away at the mental citadel Wellington had built themselves. Gradually,brick by brick, Wellington’s massive confidence fell away.By the end of the second session, the Wellington bowling attack seemedragged, weary and frustrated. They no longer found wickets easy to come byand their body language expressed their flagging will and theirexasperation.Wellington did not bowl well throughout the second and third sessions. Whenthey couldn’t break Nash and Mills partnership, intimidate the batsmen oreasily chip them out, their effort began to falter and their will failed.Wellington coach Vaughan Johnson leapt to his bowlers’ defence and said theywere understandably tired after two hard and hot games in Wellington and inNapier. Wear and tear is beginning to leave its mark on the Wellingtonattack: Andrew Penn has torn a large flap of skin from his foot and had tohave a local anaesthetic today before he could bowl and Carl Bulfin hasdeveloped tendonitis in both knees.But Johnson admitted the Wellington bowlers faltered in their task today.”I’m disappointed with the fact we didn’t bowl at times as we should have,”Johnson said. “We dropped in intensity and that was disappointing but wehave too look at the positives and the positives were that we got into thembut we just didn’t finish them off.”I have to say I’m 100 per cent supportive of the way Nash and Mills batted.I hated it…hated every minute of it but I’d have to pat both of them onthe back for it. They were two of the best innings I’ve seen in all the timeI’ve been around first class cricket.”