Mustafizur ready for SL tour – Bangladesh chief selector

Bangladesh’s chief selector Minhajul Abedin has indicated that Mustafizur Rahman could be picked for the full tour of Sri Lanka next month, after watching the fast bowler’s performance in his latest domestic first-class appearance.In two matches for South Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League, Mustafizur has taken four wickets in 48 overs. He was excluded from the side for the one-off Test against India to give him time to recover fully from a shoulder surgery. Mustafizur underwent surgery in August last year after injuring his shoulder in July, while bowling for Sussex in the English T20 tournament. He was picked for the New Zealand tour but struggled, taking five wickets in the four limited-overs matches he played. Mustafizur did not play in any of the Tests.”I am really impressed with the way he bowled in the second innings [against Central Zone],” Minhajul said. “I think he got back his rhythm, so there is no need for him to play the fourth-round match. You can only know whether he will be in the Test team or not when we announce it but I can say that he is ready to play the full series in Sri Lanka.”Mustafizur said that he is back to full fitness and had regained confidence in bowling longer spells. He is expected to join the national camp on February 24. The series in Sri Lanka is likely to comprise two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is.”I felt a little discomfort on my back but gradually everything was fine,” Mustafizur told the Dhaka-based . “I bowled 31 overs with ease. Playing two rounds of BCL matches helped me a lot to get back full confidence in my bowling.”I now have full confidence to play the Sri Lanka series but the selectors and team management will take the decision about what would be best for me. I missed the Test in India so I am looking forward to Sri Lanka. Mentally I am also fresh now and I am happy with the way I bowled in the last round of the BCL.”Khaled Mahmud, the BCB director and Bangladesh manager closely associated with Mustafizur, has urged that the bowler’s workload be handled carefully in the coming months.”I am sure he can play in all three formats in Sri Lanka but we have to keep in mind that he has just returned from a major injury,” Mahmud said. “If we handle him with care, his career will be prolonged.”

Hazlewood wraps up 3-0 whitewash

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:13

Chappell: There was no inspiration from Misbah

For Australia, a quadruple triple. For Pakistan, a wretched dozen. Steven Smith’s men completed another crushing victory over the crestfallen visitors on a balmy day at the SCG, making it 12 consecutive wins for the Australians in home Tests against Pakistani touring teams – four clean sweeps in a row dating back to 1999.There never seemed much doubt over the result when the final day began, and even less when Josh Hazlewood struck twice in the first half hour to maintain his outstanding record this summer. From there Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe worked their way through the Pakistan line-up, with Hazlewood returning to claim the final wicket on the stroke of the tea break.Ahead of the Test team’s next job in India, the use of spin on a wearing wicket gave Smith and the coach Darren Lehmann some idea of where Lyon and O’Keefe sat. Lyon bowled some beguiling spells, notably to Younis Khan, but O’Keefe finished the day with the superior figures – 3 for 53 as opposed to 2 for 100.The match played out in an agreeable atmosphere, as a decent crowd of 17,583 filed in for the price of a gold coin donation to the Jane McGrath Foundation. They saved some of their biggest cheers for the substitute fielder Mickey Edwards, a seam bowler from the Manly grade club who sported a surfer’s mane of hair in weather that could scarcely have been more beach-friendly.Hazlewood set the tone in the first over of the day, accepting a return catch from Azhar Ali, and followed up by claiming Babar Azam lbw for the second time in the match. Lyon’s teasing spell to Younis was rewarded when the batsman lost patience and skied an attempt to hit over midwicket. A leading edge was accepted comfortably by Hazlewood at mid-on. Younis finished the Test on 9977 runs.The nightwatchman Yasir Shah had offered considerable resistance to Australia, but was defeated by an O’Keefe delivery that turned and bounced enough to catch the edge and was taken low down at second slip by the substitute fielder Jackson Bird. Misbah did not look at ease at any stage of his innings, but found a way to survive to lunch in the company of the more proactive Asad Shafiq.On resumption Shafiq got as far as 30 before Starc found a hint of reverse swing into the right-hander from around the wicket to bowl him off an inside edge. Sarfraz continued in a similarly positive vein opposite Misbah, the pair adding 52 in only 13.3 overs. However, Australia broke through when Misbah aimed an extravagant heave at O’Keefe and was caught attempting to slog a spin bowler for the second time in the match.Wahab Riaz fell next, apparently mystified as to how the umpire Richard Illingworth’s not-out verdict could have been overturned. Matthew Wade heard the faintest of sounds as O’Keefe spun the ball past the bat, and his appeal was backed up by the merest possible spike on Snicko for the third umpire Ian Gould to rule in the bowler’s favour.Mohammad Amir’s stay was ended by a wretched run-out, and Smith took the second new ball minutes before the scheduled tea break to allow the excellent Hazlewood to claim the last wicket with extra bounce and another catch to Bird – his four snaffles equalling the world record for a substitute.In recent years, beating Pakistan down under has been one of the least challenging tasks Australia can contemplate; their next assignment, facing up to India in India, is by far the most difficult.

Promising Olivier prepared to wait for more opportunities

Duanne Olivier was in debutants’ heaven. He was picked to play his first Test at the Wanderers, as part of an all-pace pack, in a week when the sky was curtained in cloud, the air was heavy with moisture and the opposition would obviously have preferred to be somewhere else.But then his captain won the toss and decided the bowlers would have to wait. And then his team-mates batted so well, they ensured the bowlers would have to wait even longer.Olivier was in danger of doing nothing all day until eight balls before close on the opening day, when JP Duminy edged to second slip and a nightwatchman was needed. The team management decided it was a chance to get the new man in the game, even though it was something he had never done before.”They (Faf du Plessis and Russell Domingo) asked if I wanted to do it. And I decided why not. It’s an opportunity. It was scary because I don’t even bat as high for the franchise but it was exciting,” Olivier admitted.Frustrated after a long day with scant reward, Lahiru Kumara bounced Olivier first-up. He ducked, and made a mental note to dish out some of the same treatment later. Olivier faced only three more balls that evening, including one that seamed and bounced and beat his outside edge, but finished his first day as an international fully satisfied. “I was nervous going out there, batting with a guy like Hashim but it was an unbelievable experience for me.”It was only midway through the following day that Olivier got to do what he had been picked for and then, the nerves came back. “My hands were sweating and I didn’t think straight,” he said, when asked to recall how he felt as he bowled his first ball, to open the 10th over: a 136kph length delivery on off stump. The bouncer followed, some late swing came, the yorker was attempted and then, the chance for his first Test wicket.Kusal Mendis chipped a drive back to Olivier who jumped late and, despite going with both hands, could not hold on. “I was disappointed but it was only my own fault,” he said. “But I knew there was a lot in the wicket so if I just bowled according to plans and did what Faf told me to do, I would get rewarded.”Olivier had to wait for his second spell before that happened, deep into the Sri Lankan innings, but it was worth it. A throat-high bouncer had Rangana Herath top-edging a pull and Stephen Cook’s catch at short leg completed the job. Olivier was off the mark and he didn’t want to stop.He took one more wicket in that innings and three in Sri Lanka’s second innings, with a noisy Wanderers crowd cheering him on. What’s not to love? “When I play four-day cricket, there is no one watching but here, it feels like there are 20 million watching,” he said. “It’s intense, it’s crazy, you need to concentrate, you need to be on the ball, you can’t wander off and watch at the screen. The level is so much different to domestic cricket, you can’t compare. At the end, their No. 8, 9 and 10 batsmen can bat. That’s not to say our franchise players can’t but you feel like you have a chance with franchise players.”Olivier quickly realised the step up to international cricket will demand a lot from him, especially as he tried to find a place as the third-seamer in South Africa’s XI. They are looking for someone who can do a dual job of containing and attacking, for someone who can complement the seam movement of Vernon Philander and the pace of Kagiso Rabada. Someone who generates good bounce is an obvious choice and Olivier does that, but so does Morne Morkel. And there are other options like the left-arm angle of Wayne Parnell, which means Olivier is in a queue.After a decent outing, he may have to wait again but, for now, he doesn’t mind. “I know there are players coming back. If I get the opportunity to play again, of course I want to play. Who doesn’t want to play for the country? But I do also understand they have been performing well for the last 10 years so I can’t be like I must play. I am not too fazed. If I don’t play it’s not the end of the world for me. I will keep working hard at franchise level until I get another opportunity. I will get my opportunity and I will wait for it, whenever it comes.”

TN eye quarter-final berth after Gandhi ton

Tamil Nadu took the first-innings lead against Gujarat in Belagavi to almost seal the qualifying scenarios from the group. Going into the final day, it was all but certain that these two sides – barring a Gujarat collapse, however unlikely – will join Mumbai as the three qualifiers from Group A. This became a real possibility late in the day when it emerged that Madhya Pradesh were unlikely to force a bonus-point win over Bengal in Delhi.Tamil Nadu had Kaushik Gandhi to thank for being in this position. The top-order batsman, who has come into his own this season after being in and out of the side in the past, struck his third century of the season. He was unbeaten on 150 as Tamil Nadu ended the day 90 ahead, on 397 for 4. His 116-run stand with B Indrajith, who made 66, helped the side recover from the late dismissal of Abhinav Mukund (99) on the second day. Gandhi and Vijay Shankar (35 not out) had added 97 when play ended.Manpreet Gony’s four-wicket haul kept Punjab in line for an outright win as they they enforced the follow-on against Mumbai in Rajkot. It may yet not be enough, unless of course Tamil Nadu, having taken a lead, lose outright to Gujarat.Having already taken a wicket overnight, Gony took two early wickets on the day as Mumbai slipped to 19 for 4 within the opening five overs. It took a 101-run sixth-wicket stand to rescue Mumbai from 37 for 5. This partnership was between Sufiyan Shaikh (67) and medium-pacer Shardul Thakur (70), who had been released by the Indian Test team after he didn’t make the XI in the ongoing Test. Mumbai’s resistance didn’t last too long after this partnership, and they folded for 185.In the second innings, they reached 94 for 2 stumps, on the back of a 72-run stand between Shreyas Iyer and Armaan Jaffer for the second wicket. At stumps, Shreyas was unbeaten on 59, alongside nightwatchman Vishal Dabholkar (2*).Bengal were unlikely to make the cut despite putting up a tall first-innings score•PTI

Ankit Sharma and Ishwar Pandey struck their highest first-class scores and put on 121 for the eighth wicket to keep Madhya Pradesh in the game against Bengal in Delhi.MP’s overnight pair extended their partnership to 84, having come together after Dinda had struck on the first ball of their response to Bengal’s 475. However, they lost six wickets for 82 runs from that point, and were reduced to 166 for 7, thanks largely to medium-pacer Sayan Ghosh, who took four of those wickets. Ankit then scored an unbeaten 90 as he put on 121 with Ishwar (63) and an unbroken 76 with Naman Ojha (40*) – who came in at No. 10 – to take MP to 363 for 8 at stumps.Baroda‘s last five wickets added 307 runs, but couldn’t succeed in getting them the first-innings lead against Uttar Pradesh in Nasik. Baroda had been steadied by a 91-run stand between Kedar Devdhar and Irfan Pathan overnight, after having fallen to 151 for 5 in response to UP’s 481. The pair added a further 53 in the morning before Pathan was dismissed for a 98-ball 81.Devdhar eventually fell for 157, after adding 53 with left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh, who went on to make a career-best 95 as he added 97 with Sagar Mangalorkar(34) for the eighth wicket. However, Kuldeep Yadav dismissed both of them in a space of four overs before a run-out ended Baroda’s innings on 458. UP’s openers, Shivam Chaudhary (55*) and Almas Shaukat (61*), put on an unbroken 117 to take them to stumps with a 140-run lead.

England give themselves outside chance to win

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:56

Ganguly: Both batting units have played spin exceptionally

The fourth day of the Rajkot Test ended as it began: with England needing some magic to give them a chance to win the Test. In between it seemed they had hypnotised two main India batsmen into unusual dismissals, but R Ashwin broke the spell with his 11th Test score of 50 or more. Then came a stage where, leading by 49 on first innings with four sessions to go, England seemed like the only side that could lose the Test. By stumps, though, Haseeb Hameed and Alastair Cook had put paid to any such notions, adding 114, to all but rule an England defeat out and leave them with an outside chance of winning on day five.On a day in which so much seemed to have happened, eventually not enough happened off the pitch. However, to put the likely result of draw down to the pitch would be unfair. This match would have looked different had both teams held their catches. Even on the fourth day, England dropped two, taking the match count to nine between the two sides. The first of those proved to be crucial: England had taken two wickets for 12 runs, India were still 176 runs behind and they got a chance to end the sixth-wicket partnership short. Jonny Bairstow, though, dived over a low chance at first slip to reprieve Wriddhiman Saha.Ashwin and Saha went on to add 64, becoming India’s fourth-most prolific association since Saha became a permanent part of India’s Test side late in 2014, and you could feel life going out of the Test momentarily. When Saha finally fell, having messed around with the spinners with cheeky sweeps and a loft for six, India were only 112 behind on a pitch that hadn’t deteriorated as much as an Indian pitch usually does over four days.There was turn, but no natural variation. There was no lateral movement for the quicks, and once again they failed to reverse the ball. There was enough in the surface, though, to make sure batsmen in deficit couldn’t afford to take liberties against disciplined bowlers. Keeping that in mind, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane began the day sedately against Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes. Having seen them off, though, they fell against the run of play to give England a look-in.Rahane saw a ball short from Zafar Ansari, but perhaps it was not short enough, which meant he ended up playing a half-flick and half-pull, missing the line as well. The ball kissed the top of the stumps. Three overs later, Kohli went back deep into the crease to pull a short ball from Adil Rashid. The extra bounce perhaps cramped him, which meant his front foot went back down the line of the stumps, as opposed to wide of them, when he swivelled. He ended up tickling the bottom of leg stump as he finished swivelling. Bairstow noticed the missing bail and appealed.Ajinkya Rahane played a half-flick, half-pull, but missed the ball and was bowled by Zafar Ansari•Associated Press

Ashwin looked just as good as Kohli or Rahane, and he didn’t make any freakish errors. He was hardly ever beaten in the flight against spin. When he moved forward he reached the pitch of the ball thanks to his height. When he went back he did so having picked the shorter length early, and cut handsomely. India might not have a Ben Stokes as their allrounder, but Ashwin is the No. 1 allrounder on ICC ratings for a reason. He brought the temperament of a proper batsman. He didn’t play low-percentage shots even as wickets fell, and farmed the strike with the last man for company, adding 29 runs with Mohammed Shami.That wickets fell was down to Rashid’s earning his captain’s faith and getting extended spells. He drew bounce not out of loose parts of the pitch but through the overspin he imparted. He hit the shoulder of Ravindra Jadeja’s bat and got Umesh Yadav out slogging against the turn. Ashwin and Shami kept them in the field until tea, and India came out buzzing after the break.The buzz ended soon with the pitch not doing much for them. Hameed and Cook looked assured with Hameed taking the attack to the bowlers, lofting Jadeja, who had opened the bowling, for a six over long-off. India’s bowlers have been unplayable on helpful surfaces, but they will have to live with the criticism that on a flatter pitch the visiting side bowled with better plans and discipline. With England bowling you could tell how they were looking to get the batsmen out. If there was a plan to India’s bowling the execution was not spot-on: the seamers bowled loose balls both on line and length, and Amit Mishra continued to struggle for impact in a format where batsmen are not obliged to go after him.Hameed and Cook kept cashing in, the youngster outscoring the veteran, as England reached 70 in 20 overs. India were forced into the defensive in the remaining 17 overs lest they be given about 80 overs to survive on the final day. England didn’t go out of their way looking for runs now. Hameed reached his maiden fifty, in the presence of his family who have roots in Gujarat, with a late cut. By stumps the lead had reached 163, and England were on their way to giving India 70 or so tricky overs to bat out on the final day.

England battle back as Mehedi stars on debut

England 258 for 7 (Moeen 68, Bairstow 52, Mehedi 5-64) v Bangladesh
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBangladesh’s teenage offspinner, Mehedi Hasan, claimed figures of 5 for 64 on his first day of international cricket, as England were forced to dig deep into their batting reserves in the first Test at Chittagong. After stumbling to 21 for 3 in the first hour of the contest, England recovered their poise through the efforts of Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow, who rode their luck to compile a pair of half-centuries, and on a surface offering both turn and variable bounce in abundance, it is possible that, in reaching the close on 258 for 7, they are not too far short of a very competitive total.Nevertheless, through the efforts of the 18-year-old Mehedi, who was handed the new ball in a strong show of faith and wheeled his way through 33 overs in a formidable day’s work, Bangladesh gave a strong indication that their recent upsurge in limited-overs cricket will be replicated in the longest form, notwithstanding the fact that this was their first day’s Test cricket in more than 14 months.With Shakib Al Hasan excelling in his role as senior pro, and picking off two big wickets including the prize scalp of Alastair Cook, Bangladesh confirmed that this leg of England’s winter will be a challenge in its own right – never mind a harbinger of trials by spin to come later this winter, with Ravi Ashwin and India awaiting for five Tests in six weeks from next month.But, if there had been any temptation to dismiss these opening contests as a warm-up act for the main event, then today’s exploits were a timely reminder to focus on the here and now.Mehedi, a star of Bangladesh’s exploits in the recent Under-19 World Cup but a bowler with just 12 first-class appearances to his name before this match, had been named as one of three debutants in Bangladesh’s ranks, alongside the batsman Sabbir Rahman, and Kamrul Islam Rabbi, a quick bowler. Bowling with purpose and purchase, he was thrown the ball for the second over of the match and responded to the responsibility with three wickets in his first 11 overs of international cricket.First in his sights was his fellow newcomer, Ben Duckett – Cook’s ninth opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss four years ago – whose form in last week’s ODI series, as well as a strong showing in England’s warm-up matches earlier this week, had earned him his opportunity ahead of the more traditionally moulded Haseeb Hameed.However, Duckett was skittish from the outset as he looked to translate his natural belligerence to the longer form. Mehedi might have bowled him twice in his first nine deliveries as he slid a pair of well-disguised arm balls slid past his off stump. But in the end it was the one that gripped that did for him, as he offered too much room in defence and lost his off stump for 14.Moeen Ali prospered after his move up the order•AFP

Then, in his very next over, Mehedi’s slider did for Gary Ballance as well. With only a fractional change in action, he first ripped a big offbreak past Ballance’s outside edge, then pinned him on the pad two balls later with one that ghosted in without spinning. The initial appeal was turned down, but at this stage of the day at least, Mushfiqur Rahim’s judgement of a review was spot on as the ball was shown to have been demolishing middle and leg.And in between whiles, Shakib struck with his second delivery of the match to land the big one. Cook had initially looked his usual unflustered self as he bedded into his first competitive innings of the trip, having missed the warm-ups to attend the birth of his second daughter. But facing up to Shakib in the 11th over of the innings, he dropped to one knee to sweep from outside leg, but was beaten by some extra turn and bounce. The ball looped off his forearm and crashed into his stumps as he over-balanced and, as the bails hit the turf, so too did his backside. It was an undignified departure for a man playing a record-breaking 134th Test, but Bangladesh were rightly cockahoop to have seen off the man who made 173 on this very ground six years ago.Joe Root, counter-punching with typical nerveless, launched England’s fightback by reaching lunch on 38 not out, but before he could build on his start, he too had fallen to Mehedi’s wiles – caught at slip two balls into his afternoon’s work as he too was suckered by the one that skidded straight on. Ben Stokes, the hero of the one-day series, resisted for a while but never looked anything like as comfortable against the spinners as Shakib ripped one through his gate to bowl him for 18, and at 106 for 5, Bangladesh were circling for the kill.Moeen and Bairstow, however, had other ideas – gradually finding their feet in a sixth-wicket stand of 88 that, given the conditions, hauled England somewhere close to the ascendancy. But Moeen, in particular, used up an entire reservoir of good fortune in the course of his 170-ball stay. He would have been sent on his way for 1 (and England would have been 34 for 4) had Bangladesh opted to review an early pad-strike from Mehedi , and with that precedent set, he went on to survive no fewer than five trials by DRS, including three successfully overturned lbws in the space of six balls either side of lunch.Shakib was the unlucky recipient of umpire Kumar Dharmasena’s itchy finger on all three occasions: first, Moeen managed to get a splinter of bat on a bottom-edged sweep, before his second life was shown to be missing leg stump and the third struck his pad outside the line. And, having already encouraged Bangladesh to use one of their own reviews earlier in his innings, he survived their second attempt on 29, when Mehedi’s lbw appeal was shown to have pitched outside leg.Bairstow, too, had a massive moment of good fortune on 13, when he was dropped at slip after pushed uncertainly forward against the left-arm spin of Taijul Islam. But he continued what has been a stellar year in Test cricket by moving along to his eighth half-century in 2016, and when he was finally prised from the crease by Mehedi – deceived, like so many of his team-mates, by the non-spinner to be bowled for 52 – he was within striking distance of Andy Flower’s record number of runs by a wicketkeeper in a calendar year. With a maximum of 13 innings to come this winter, he will be out of sight by January.Moeen, by this stage, had also succumbed – outfoxed by another superbly skilful piece of bowling from Mehedi, who found flight, dip, grip and bounce to take the edge through to the keeper – leaving Chris Woakes to marshall England’s fortunes in the closing overs with 36 not out. But, having read the conditions correctly and selecting their own three-pronged spin attack, including a recall for Gareth Batty for the first time in 11 years, England will be confident of turning their own screw when Bangladesh come out to bat.

Uncapped West Indians hungry to make their mark

Fast bowler Kesrick Williams, allrounder Rovman Powell and wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran, the uncapped players in West Indies’ T20 squad for the three-match series against Pakistan in the UAE, have spoken of their desire to make their mark in international cricket.”It is really fantastic to be called up for the West Indies team; something every young man would dream about, to play international cricket,” Williams said on the eve of the first T20I. “The determination is there, I am just ready to go, execute, and put my name out there in international cricket.”Pooran was excited at the prospect of playing with World T20 winners such as his captain Carlos Brathwaite. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I always thought I will play for West Indies when I was 21. I am 20 at the moment. While I was a youngster, I watched these guys win two World Cups. It’s an amazing achievement for me. Just trying to take the opportunity and make the full use of it.”Powell also said representing West Indies was a “dream”. “Getting the call from Courtney Browne was one of the happiest days of my life,” he said. “Representing West Indies at any level is something that I dream about. The dream has come to a reality.”While Williams did not bat or bowl in the warm-up match against an Emirates Cricket Board XI on Tuesday, Powell and Pooran staked their claim for spots in the opening T20I. They overcame a top-order wobble with a 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket at a run rate of 10.40. Pooran was the leader, scoring seven boundaries, of which two sailed out of the ground.”That innings was needed by me for my self-confidence and for the team,” Pooran said. “It [The sixes] was satisfying. I am a bit disappointed that I didn’t get more. I will take it at the end of the day.”Powell said that having clarity was key to that stand. “The thought process was simple, just get used to the conditions in Dubai,” he said. “I just stuck to the basics, when the ball comes in my area, I get a start and expand my range.”Pooran had come into the spotlight when he played the innings of the Under-19 World Cup at the same venue in 2014. He struck 143 off 160 balls, which lifted West Indies 70 for 8 to 208. Of the 23 boundaries in West Indies’ innings, Pooran hit 20.”I have good memories of Dubai. I expect to do something special again here. I am looking forward to the challenge,” he said.Powell, who has also been selected in the West Indies A squad for the List A matches in Sri Lanka, was wary of high expectations. “When you set targets and set expectations, sometimes you set up for failures,” he said. “What I do is try to play the conditions.”

Mandeep, Chahal help India A clinch Quadrangular series

Scorecard1:18

‘Dravid helped us be calm’ – Mandeep

India A’s spinners, led by Yuzvendra Chahal, took eight wickets between them to lead the side’s 57-run win over Australia A in the final of the Quadrangular A-team one-day series in Mackay. Chasing 267, Australia A lost all but two of their set batsmen to spinners, eventually folding for 209. Earlier, Mandeep Singh’s 95 and Manish Pandey’s 61 had guided India to 4 for 266. This is also India A’s third successive win over Australia A in the final of an A-team tournament, with the previous wins coming in July 2014 and August 2015.Australia A began their chase promisingly with a 31-run partnership between openers Cameron Bancroft and Kurtis Patterson before the latter was bowled by Dhawal Kulkarni in the seventh over. A 51-run partnership for the second wicket between Bancroft and Nic Maddinson further strengthened Australia A’s chase but India A fought back through wickets from Karun Nair, whose part-time offspin accounted for both batsmen. Despite a few quiet overs in the middle, Australia A captain Peter Handscomb and Alex Ross kept the asking rate in sight during their brisk 77-run stand, until Kulkarni got the breakthrough with Ross’ wicket.Chahal and Axar Patel wrapped things up quickly after that. Axar’s left-arm spin dismissed Handscomb for a top-score of 43 in the 39th over, and Chahal took four of the next five wickets to seal a win by the 45th over. Australia A’s last six wickets fell for only 26 runs.India A had a quiet start after losing Nair in the second over but recovered through a string of half-century partnerships. Mandeep was part of two of those partnerships, with Shreyas Iyer (41) and Pandey, during his 108-ball stay. The opener struck 11 fours in his second successive fifty before he was out caught behind off Joe Mennie, five short of what would have been his fourth List A century.India A scored only five boundaries in the last 15 overs but still scored 100 runs, steered along by Pandey with help from Kedar Jadhav who chipped in with 25 off 33. Pandey, the India A captain, who has been in good form through the tournament, surpassed David Miller on the series run charts with his 61, ending with a tally of 359 runs in seven innings, including two centuries.The lack of boundaries, Mandeep said after the game, was largely due to the slow outfield. The resulting difficulty in run-scoring, he said, made his knock of 95 one of his best so far. “More than the wicket, I think it was the ground. I knew that I had to run hard on this ground, take a lot of twos and threes. I think I probably did that, that’s why I got success,” he said. “Definitely it was very hard, because in India you get a lot of boundaries, so definitely it was one of my harder innings, but I enjoyed it.”

Meschede three as Derbyshire follow on

ScorecardCraig Meschede followed his 66 not out with three wickets•Getty Images

After the record-breaking exploits of Aneurin Donald, the second day in Cardiff belonged to Glamorgan’s bowlers as Derbyshire were dismissed for 177 and asked to follow on. They reached the close on 78 for 1, still trailing by 263.Craig Meschede took three wickets, and Graham Wagg and Andrew Salter picked up two apiece, as Derbyshire conceded a 341-run deficit on first innings. Wagg then claimed another – Harvey Hosein, having been promoted to open after top-scoring with 27 not out – but Derbyshire made a stronger start to their second attempt.Glamorgan had added a further 37 runs to their overnight score and were all out for 518, with Meschede undefeated on 60. Derbyshire seamer Will Davis, in only his fourth first-class game, returned career-best figures of 7 for 146.Hamish Rutherford and Billy Godleman made a rapid start to the Derbyshire reply, striking nine boundaries in the first five overs, and had reached 52 for 0 in ten overs before losing 4 for 19 runs before lunch.Rutherford nicked Meschede to the wicketkeeper and Chesney Hughes was bowled off his pads by the same bowler, before Salter’s offspin deceived Godleman, who was trapped leg-before. The Derbyshire captain was clearly not in agreement with the decision, and kicked the ground in anger, before trudging off to the pavilion. In the final over before lunch, Meschede took his third wicket, when Wayne Madsen tamely chipped a catch to square leg as Derbyshire slipped to 71 for 4.There was no respite from the Glamorgan bowlers, as Graham Wagg bowled an excellent spell, with the ball swinging under cloud cover. Wagg dismissed Neil Broom and Shiv Thakor, both edging through to Mark Wallace, and the Glamorgan wicketkeeper claimed his fourth victim of the innings when Matt Critchley skied a catch, attempting to pull David Lloyd to the boundary. There was little resistance, apart from Hosein, and Derbyshire were soon batting again after the tea interval.Hosein opened the second innings instead of Godleman, who had returned to the team hotel after feeling unwell, and with Rutherford playing every ball on its merit. The openers put on 59 in 27 overs, before Hosein was caught down the leg side by Wallace for 26 from Owen Morgan’s left-arm spin.

Myburgh and Allenby rain on Surrey's parade

ScorecardA Rory Burns half-century couldn’t prevent Surrey’s latest defeat•Getty Images

Somerset beat Surrey by eight wickets with five balls to spare at The Kia Oval in a Royal London One Day Cup match but if felt more like a Twenty20 fixture after rain had reduced it to a 24-over affair.Surrey scored 163 for 6 and Somerset were set a recalculated 180 for victory. Jim Allenby, with 71 from 56 balls, and Johann Myburgh, who struck 76 from 59, put on 155, just four short of a record opening stand for Somerset in List A matches at this ground. Michael Burns, who shares the 1998 record with Dermot Reeve, was an umpire this time.Surrey were led for the first time by Rory Burns after regular captain Gareth Batty had pulled out of the match in the morning for family reasons. That allowed Dominic Sibley to make his first appearance of the season.Burns had chosen to bat and when Jason Roy and Steven Davies opened in bright sunshine it was a 50-over game.An out-of-sorts Davies, head back and pulling, was bowled by Allenby for 6 in the eighth over. But three overs later the players left the field to shelter from torrential rain which would prevent any further play for four hours and 20 minutes.When play resumed at 7pm Surrey, who were 53 for 1, with Roy unbeaten on 31, had 13 overs to face and reverted to T20 mode.Roy appeared to relish the increased tempo as he pulled and drove Peter Trego for fours as 11 came off the first over after the restart. But then Surrey lost two key players in the space of three deliveries.Roy had carved one more boundary to third man when he was bowled by a slower delivery from Tim Groenewald for a 43-ball 46, with five fours. Then, from the second ball of the 14th, Sangakkara, on 12, was run out when a straight drive by Burns was directed onto the stumps by the bowler Roelof van der Merwe.After that Burns led by example. He hoisted Max Waller over long-on for six, but lost Gary Wilson, who was well caught low down by Adam Hose in the covers, to make it 106 for 4 in the 19th over.Tom Curran was run out first ball and Zafar Ansari fell cheaply. The innings was being held together by Burns, who swiped van der Merwe over midwicket for his second six.Surrey were 147 for 6 at the start of the last over and Somerset were relieved that Burns had lost the strike. But tail-ender Mathew Pillans struck the first two deliveries from Trego over square-leg and midwicket for sixes as 16 came off the final six deliveries.But it would not be enough as Myburgh and Allenby, who each hit three sixes, put the result beyond doubt.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus