All posts by csb10.top

ScorecardYorkshire’s day declined after their captain Andrew Gale, pictured, ran out Australian Phil Jaques•Getty Images

With Steve Harmison gone home to Durham clutching his side and Ryan Sidebottom still nursing his injured calf back to full working order, Yorkshire had not imagined it would be their batting giving them a headache. All out just before the scheduled close, their frustrations were compounded by missing a second batting point by a single run. They had no one to blame but themselves.Apart from the snorter from David Willey that gave Adam Lyth very little chance in the fifth over of the morning, looping off the bat handle to gully, almost every dismissal was self-inflicted, the most galling of which from Yorkshire’s viewpoint was the error of judgment by Andrew Gale, of all people, that led Phil Jaques to be run out for 75.There will not be a better example all season of good work undone. Jaques and the Yorkshire captain had constructed a fine partnership — barring one bad miss by David Sales at second slip when Gale was on 24 and a more forgivable one by a back-peddling mid-on when Jaques was 59 – and had put on 104 over 42 overs in which at times they had required considerable patience in the face of tight, disciplined bowling.Then Gale, pushing the ball firmly towards the fielder at mid-off, decided somewhat rashly to call a quick single and while he (or rather, Jaques) was unlucky that Lee Daggett should break the striker’s stumps with a direct hit, it was only asking for trouble.On another day it might have been a minor setback, regrettable but soon forgotten. On this occasion, however, it was the trigger for a series of unfortunate events for Yorkshire as Yorkshire gave away one wicket after another.Only four balls later, Gale popped up a gift return catch to Daggett, who would play a major part in their undoing. Jonathan Bairstow, who could do with making a point or two after slipping behind a little in the England pecking order, began as if that were his intention, but after a couple of nicely-timed boundaries off the excellent Willey he also came unstuck against Daggett — Lancashire-born, as it happens — who had him lbw playing across the line.A third wicket went Daggett’s way when Richard Pyrah, who may be out of this match on Thursday if Tim Bresnan is released by England, attempted a horrible pull and instead top-edged to point.Given that Joe Root had been careless earlier, following a wide one as Oli Stone, an 18-year-old seamer playing in only his second first-class match, claimed a wicket with his second ball, it was building into the kind of calamitous day Yorkshire cannot afford. The contenders in the Second Division promotion race are bunched tightly now and it is no time for mistakes.Yet none of the remaining batsmen heeded the example Jaques had set and chose aggression over patience with the same result. Gary Ballance, Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq all threw away their wickets with poor shots. Steve Patterson, who will carry the heaviest burden among the seam bowlers, applied himself rather more diligently, scoring 25 off 49 balls to nudge the total towards a second batting point, so it would have been particularly frustrating for him to see the last man fall on 249.Jaques, who spent a season with Northamptonshire in 2003, was suitably diplomatic when asked about the run out, yet conceded that Yorkshire had been the architects of their own downfall.”There was a bit of that today but that happens sometimes,” he said. “We worked really hard this morning to set things up so it was disappointing not to cash in on it.”Some of the guys will think about the shots they played but it was just one of those times where it all seemed to happen on the same day. We tried to dominate but it was a wicket that was tough to bully people on. It was more one where you had to scrap and graft for every run and this afternoon we maybe left ourselves a bit short.”

ScorecardNottinghamshire do not care much for flat pitches that lead to dull draws. Their winning philosophy involves surfaces prepared with a more than even chance of a result, one way or another, the reasoning being that to chalk up enough victories to win the County Championship you have to risk the odd defeat.Not that they lose too many on their Trent Bridge pitches, even when they have been five wickets down before lunch on the opening day. Recoveries engineered by their under-appreciated captain, Chris Read, are as common as top-order collapses. There is another under way in this match.The signing of quality recruits such as Michael Lumb and James Taylor was supposed to bring stability to the batting, or at least limit the frequency of mishaps, but the pitch prepared for this match was revealed to have variable bounce as well as surface grass and Read must have feared it would be another day for his well-honed experience as soon as Surrey’s latest captain, Zander de Bruyn, won the toss and chose to field.De Bruyn was leading the side here, in the continuing absence, on indefinite compassionate leave, of Rory Hamilton-Brown, after the previous stand-in, Gareth Batty, was left out in favour of an extra seamer, which is an indication of how Surrey assessed the conditions.There was no Chris Tremlett, recovering from back surgery, who played against Lancashire in a four-day match last week but was rested from this one, nor Jade Dernbach, who is still missing with the side strain that forced him out of England’s one-day series against Australia.But the seam quartet that was wheeled out – with Tim Linley and Chris Jordan added – took the first five wickets for 84 in 23 overs nonetheless, although it might be argued that they could have done so at a smaller cost, given that only Jordan conceded runs at fewer than four an over, giving the Nottinghamshire batsmen width to play with on both sides of the wicket.They were helped by the vagaries of the bounce. Lumb’s dismissal leg before owed something to the ball keeping low, Taylor edged one that climbed on him more than he foresaw and Alex Hales, trying to defend on the back foot to Jon Lewis, misread the ball sufficiently to inside edge it on to the ground and into his stumps.In between, Samit Patel played a poor leg-side shot that had him caught behind off a thin edge as Nottinghamshire slipped from 35 without loss after five overs to 59 for 4 in the space of 11 more overs.This followed an extraordinary opening in which Hales and Riki Wessels, who had shared an opening stand of 89 in 9.4 overs in a CB40 match against Hampshire on Tuesday evening, seemed intent on continuing in that vein, Wessels taking three fours in Lewis’s first over before Hales took two more boundaries as Linley opened at the other end. Not surprisingly, this bold approach ran into trouble as Wessels, having rushed to 23 off 23 balls, edged Linley to first slip.Taylor’s dismissal ushered in Read to join Voges and what followed was the familiar story. Voges was missed on 5 without further addition to the score, which was a significant moment given that this Nottinghamshire side has a lengthy tail, but thereafter the pair took their chances without risking too much and added 34 in five overs up to lunch without further scares.In the afternoon, they had to negotiate two stoppages for rain before the last one proved terminal — limiting play to 42 overs – but maintained their concentration admirably and the partnership so far is worth 94 runs, which could prove invaluable if this match is a low scoring one.They have rattled along, in keeping with the pace of the innings overall, scoring their runs off 108 balls. Read has 49 from 63 balls with eight fours. The Notts skipper clocked up 11,000 first-class runs for the county during the match against Middlesex at Uxbridge last week. He has compiled 63 first-class half-centuries in 225 matches for the county, turning 19 of them into centuries, and more often than not it has been in circumstances similar to these.

Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal have been awarded category A contracts by the PCB for the calendar year 2012. Mohammad Sami, who had been picked in Pakistan’s teams in all three formats for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka after being sidelined for two years, has not received a contract.

The PCB’s new match fees

Category A: Tests – Pak Rs 385,000, ODIs – Rs 363,000, Twenty20s – Rs 275,000
Category B: Tests – Rs 330,000, ODIs – Rs 275,000, Twenty20s – Rs 220,000
Category C: Tests – Rs 275,000, ODIs – Rs 220,000, Twenty20s – Rs 165,000

Afridi had not figured in last year’s list of central contracts as he was in the middle of a spat with the PCB then. Umar Akmal has been moved up from category B.There are no other changes to the top category: Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman are the others in the premier bracket.Shoaib Malik, who was not given a contract last year, has been awarded a category B contract, while Abdul Razzaq, who was in the second bracket last year, has been cut from the list. Fast bowler Aizaz Cheema has made the biggest jump, moving from the stipend category up to category B.Other players who were selected for Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka in June and July but have missed out on contracts are Yasir Arafat and Khan Research Laboratories fast bowler Rahat Ali. Quetta’s Bismillah Khan, who was recently banned for a year following a fight during a Grade Two match, has been included in the stipend category.In all, 21 players have been given full-fledged contracts, while 21 players have been placed in the stipend category. On Friday, the PCB had announced an increase of 25% in the retainer for centrally contracted players, and an increase of 10% in match fees.That means category A players will now receive a retainer of 312,500 Pakistan rupees (US$3400 approx), up from Rs 250,000 last year. Category B players will receive Rs 218,750 (up from Rs 175,000), and category C Rs 125,000 (up from Rs 100,000). Players in the stipend category will receive Rs 62,500 (up from Rs 50,000).Category A: Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdur Rehman, Umar AkmalCategory B: Shoaib Malik, Taufeeq Umar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Aizaz CheemaCategory C: Sarfraz Ahmad, Adnan Akmal, Hammad Azam, Wahab Riaz, Imran Farhat, Faisal Iqbal, Nasir JamshedStipend category: Sohail Tanvir, Khalid Latif, Sharjeel Khan, Shakeel Ansar, Haris Sohail, Raza Hasan, Ahmed Shahzad, Usman Salahuddin, Mohammad Ayub, Imran Khan, Bilawal Bhatti, Awais Zia, Shahzeb Hasan, Mohammad Khalil, Anwar Ali, Afaq Rahim, Bismillah Khan, Babar Azam, Sami Aslam, Zia-ul-Haq, Usman Qadir

ScorecardKane Williamson’s career-best one-day score of 112 led Gloucestershire to a thumping 164-run win over Leicestershire at Bristol. The New Zealander top-scored in a total of 294 for 6, receiving excellent support from Benny Howell, who made 88 and shared in a third-wicket stand of 152.In reply Leicestershire, who had won the toss, could manage only 130 as Chris Dent picked up four for 43 with his offspin and seamer Graeme McCarter 3 for 15. Robert Taylor top scored with 29 not out.Williamson walked to the wicket with Gloucestershire 44 for 2 in the seventh over. By the time he was dismissed the scoreboard read 269 for 5 and he had faced 92 balls, hitting eight fours, in beating his previous best one-day score of 108.Howell, who is hoping for a Gloucestershire contract after being employed on a match-by-match basis, excelled for the third successive CB40 game, following up scores of 72 not out against the Netherlands and 45 not out against Middlesex with another fluent innings.The former Hampshire player faced 82 deliveries and blasted nine fours and a six before being the victim of a leg-side stumping by Ned Eckersley off Taylor.Leicestershire’s fielding was sluggish and their bowlers had a tendency to drop short, a failing punished relentlessly by Williamson and Howell. Alex Gidman and Ian Cockbain made brisk contributions to a positive Gloucestershire batting display.Leicestershire made the worst possible start to their reply as, without a run on the board, Josh Cobb was caught at short midwicket off Ian Saxelby. It was 33 for 2 when Greg Smith was bowled by Will Gidman, a wicket that brought captain Ramnaresh Sarwan to the crease.He could only watch as Jacques du Toit and Matt Boyce departed in quick succession to leave their team 55 for 4 in the 15th over and already well behind the required run rate. The game was as good as over by the time Jon Batty stumped Wayne White off Dent to make it 65 for 5 in the 19th over.Sarwan himself could only struggle to 18 off 33 balls, without hitting a boundary, in a dismal Leicestershire performance. It was 74 for 6 when he was out and, despite Taylor’s late rally, Gloucestershire were soon to make it four points from their first three Group A games.

Gloucestershire have reached a settlement with former batsman Chris Taylor after he sought litigation following his release by the county.Taylor’s future at the club was dependent on Gloucestershire being granted planning permission to develop their Bristol home but the application was rejected by Bristol City Council in January, prompting Taylor’s contract to be cancelled.Hamish Marshall, the former New Zealand batsman, was also given a renegotiated deal but his contract was not subject to the planning application.Having been given three months to find a new county, Taylor is without an offer ahead of the new season and his 12-year career could now be over. He is currently the England Lions fielding coach and has also been working with Somerset on a consultancy basis.In a joint statement, Gloucestershire chief executive Tom Richardson said: “We would like to thank Chris very much for his years of service as both player and more recently fielding coach and wish him all the best for the future.”Taylor became the first man to score a century on debut for Gloucestershire with his hundred at Lord’s in 2000 – it was also the first debut hundred on the ground. He became captain in 2004 but relinquished the role after Gloucestershire were relegated in 2005.”I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Gloucestershire fans for their support over the years and wish them every success in the future,” Taylor said. “It is with great regret that I move onto the next challenge in my life but look back on my career with many fond memories. I have far too many people to thank for their help. I’m sure these people know who they are and appreciate how grateful I am.”Taylor was Gloucestershire’s leading run-scorer in 2011, making 1,139 runs at 40.67, as the county finished fourth in County Championship Division Two.

Joshua McClelland took four wickets to help Australia Under-19 beat New Zealand Under-19 by six wickets at the Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville.Australia struck early with Pat Cummins, who is hoping to make a comeback to the senior national team after injuring his foot in November 2011, dismissing New Zealand opener Joe Carter for a duck. Michael Davidson and Ben Horne put on a stand of 68 runs for the third wicket, before McClelland trapped Davidson lbw for 37. Thereafter it was a procession of wickets, with McClelland, Cummins and Meyrick Buchanan adding to their tally. New Zealand managed to last 48.4 overs, scoring 146.Australia made a shaky start to their innings with opener Jimmy Peirson failing to score. Cameron Bancroft and William Bosisto put on a 79-run stand for the second wicket. Buchanan and McClelland took Australia over the line with 14.4 overs to spare.The match between England and India’s Under-19 teams turned out to be a cliffhanger, with England winning by four wickets and two balls to spare at Endeavour Park, Townsville.Batting first, India set England 268, with opener Manan Vohra scoring 52. The middle order also put on a good show, with Vijay Zol scoring 60 and Akshdeep Nath remaining not out on 62.The star of the day for England was Ben Foakes, who made 93, with eight fours. Foakes put on 78 for the second wicket with Daniel Bell-Drummond, who made 55 off 56 balls. England’s middle-order batsman Craig Overton and Annesh Kapil held the innings together, scoring 68 and 25 respectively. The match went down to the last over, with tailender Sam Wood hitting a six off the first ball he faced, handing his side the win.Australia will play New Zealand and England will play India in the semifinal on April 13.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said that his side’s recent exposure to Asian conditions compared to the other teams in the Asia Cup will play as important a role as coach Dav Whatmore’s inside knowledge.Few people are better qualified to coach a side in the Asia Cup than Whatmore, a man well-versed with the teams in the tournament. Born in Sri Lanka, the Australian has regularly shown an affinity and ability to work in the subcontinent.His first major international coaching assignment was guiding Sri Lanka, a team regarded as minnows even in the early ’90s, to the World Cup back in 1996. Then came an even bigger challenge in 2003 – of moulding the also-rans of Bangladesh into a competitive side. In four years under his charge, there continued to be many heavy defeats but memorable highs as well, including the shock win over Australia in Cardiff and the wrecking of India’s 2007 World Cup campaign.This was followed by a few years at India’s National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, and coaching stints with the India A and Under-19 teams, including Virat Kohli’s World Cup-winning one in 2008. Two seasons in charge of Kolkata Knight Riders imparted him more knowledge of the ways of Indian cricket.Now he completes the subcontinental quartet by taking over as Pakistan’s head coach. His first opponents are Bangladesh, the side he led in his previous international job. Misbah, though, said that another factor will be as crucial as Whatmore’s inputs.”He is contributing, but I think the main thing is we are playing a lot of cricket against Bangladesh,” Misbah said. “We just had a series here [in December], we know each other, we know the strengths and weaknesses of each other. He can give us some input, but the players already know each other well.”Coaching Pakistan is one of the most exacting jobs in cricket, even for someone with Whatmore’s vast experience, but he seems to have begun well. Misbah said the initial interactions between coach and team had been positive. “The sessions we have already had, it has gone well. The players are professionals, the coaches are also professional. We have to just gel together quickly, understand each other quickly. I see it going well.”Misbah highlighted several reasons for the Pakistan team to be confident of its chances in the tournament despite coming in after a 0-4 drubbing in the one-dayers against England previous month. “When we played some time back here, the team played really well in these conditions,” he said, referring to their clean sweep of Bangladesh in both the Tests and one-dayers three months ago.Over the past three months, India have been playing in Australia, while Sri Lanka have been touring South Africa and Australia, places where the pitches are vastly different to the ones likely to be served up in the Asia Cup. “We have a bit of an advantage in that we have been playing in Asia recently,” Misbah said, before qualifying his statement. “But India and Sri Lanka have played a lot of tough cricket, and will return mentally tougher from there.”Misbah also urged his players to remember the team’s outstanding record over the past year-and-a-half, instead of focussing on the recent limited-overs defeat to England. “Every game, every series is a different ball game,” he said. “If you look at the series before, we have won six in a row and never lost a series. So this is part of the game. We were playing with one of the top sides in the world. What we want to do is just forget the one-day series, look forward and just play what we were playing before that series.”Another advantage for Pakistan is that, unusually, they seem the most settled team of the tournament. Bangladesh’s prime minister had to step in to resolve a row between their chief selector and the board, Sri Lanka are still tussling with their board over payments due and have a mere four days between the end of their previous series and this one, and India have had a torturous tour of Australia which was plagued by rumours of a rift between senior players.Today’s press conference began with a stern reminder from Pakistan’s media manager that the questions should pertain only to the Asia Cup. He needn’t have bothered. Given the off-field issues bothering the rest of the teams, Pakistan’s build-up has been smooth and controversy-free, with the appointment of the experienced Whatmore the only source of headlines.Edited by Abhishek Purohit

Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAzhar Ali faced more balls in one innings than any batsman other than Misbah-ul-Haq had managed in the entire series•Associated Press

A monumental innings by Azhar Ali, a dutiful and occasionally becalmed affair spanning nearly nine hours, has left England requiring a daunting 324 for victory in the third Test. Azhar’s highest first-class score, 157 from 442 balls, was an impressive feat of patience and skill and presented England with a final batting examination against Pakistan’s spinners, a task they have flunked throughout the series.England at least survived their initial reconnaissance. There were few devils in the 20 overs up to the close, although Alastair Cook was badly dropped in Umar Gul’s second over by Taufeeq Umar at third slip. Pakistan also lost a review after Mohammad Hafeez’s lbw appeal against Andrew Strauss was turned down.For much of the third day, this was a drowsy Dubai Sunday. When the Test suddenly sprung into life before tea, with England’s spinners taking the last seven wickets for 34 runs in 22.2 overs, England did not know whether to laugh or cry. As the ball began to turn and spit on a worn, dry surface, each wicket felt like the harbinger of the batting challenges to come.Without Azhar’s marathon effort, England might have had realistic ambitions of salvaging a consolation victory. Graeme Swann, who dropped him low down at first slip on 84 off James Anderson, will have felt more disconsolate than most. Azhar finally fell to Swann at short leg. Cook has stood there throughout the series without so much as a sniff, but he held a low catch to end an innings that had pronounced Azhar as a young batsman of high calibre.

Smart stats

• Azhar Ali’s century is his second in Tests and first against England. It is the 16th instance of a Pakistan batsman scoring over 150 in a Test against England. It is also the fourth-highest score made in a Test in the UAE.

• Azhar’s innings lasted 442 balls. It is fifth on the list of most deliveries faced by a Pakistan batsman in an innings against England.

• The third-wicket stand between Younis and Azhar is also the second-highest for the third wicket for Pakistan against England. It is also the highest partnership for Pakistan in Tests played in the UAE.

• Pakistan’s score of 365 is their second-highest in the second innings in Tests against England.

• If England successfully chase down the target of 324, it will be the fourth occasion that a team has chased a 300-plus target against Pakistan. The highest target chased is 369 by Australia in Hobart in 1999.

• England will also be aiming to avoid their first whitewash in a series of three or more matches since their 5-0 loss in Australia in 2006-07.

• Monty Panesar’s five-wicket haul is his second of the series after the 6 for 62 in Abu Dhabi. Overall, it is the 14th instance of an England bowler picking up a five-wicket haul against Pakistan in away/neutral Tests.

Younis Khan added only 12 to his overnight 115 before he fell lbw to the deserving Stuart Broad, but Azhar followed up Younis’ hundred with one of his own. He resumed on 75 and pressed on doggedly. His first boundary of the morning, a delicate sweep against Graeme Swann took him to 98 before he unleashed a resounding square cut against Monty Panesar to reach his second Test century.As the lead crept ahead, so did the lbws. Five Pakistan batsmen fell to leg before decisions, four to Panesar. That took the total to 41 in the series and counting. It is a record for a three-Test series and only two below the overall record.Panesar finished with another five wickets, aching limbs and his reputation rebuilt . Much of the afternoon had been a stalemate as Panesar persevered into the rough outside Misbah-ul-Haq’s leg stump, and Misbah appeared immovable. England tossed away their second review in desperation as Misbah survived Panesar’s lbw appeal by virtue of a thin inside edge. But he fell that way eventually, as he has five times in the series, his own review failing to spare him.Panesar then prospered. Asad Shafiq was lbw on the back leg, sweeping, and Adnan Akmal was bowled for nought by one that turned. Panesar’s celebrations, once so excitable, are now so strangely matter-of-fact that perhaps it is time to take a look in the doctor’s medical bag.When Swann removed Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal courtesy of slip catches by James Anderson – the second one a cracking effort, a steer to his right from Ajmal that he anticipated brilliantly – it brought Swann rare satisfaction and served only to deepen England’s sense of foreboding.It has been a tough series for Swann. He has a great career record against Pakistan left-handers, but there are only two of them in this series and Taufeeq has often been dismissed before he has come on. Swann has been largely overshadowed as he has remained loyal to the methods that have served him well, flight and a line outside off stump, while other spinners have bowled straighter and quicker in a rewarding search for lbws.Pakistan were threatening to defy cricket history. No side in 105 years has won after making fewer than 100 in the first innings of a Test, a feat last achieved by England against South Africa at Headingley in 1907.Even that achievement required assistance from the elements. Colin Blythe, the revered Kent left-arm spinner, loved nothing better than a wet pitch and he took 15 wickets as Leeds drizzled loyally upon him. There was little point in Panesar and Swann gazing to the heavens in the hope of a sudden downpour, not in these parts.Early in the day, umpire Steve Davis’ lbw decision against Younis was upheld on review, but it was the most marginal of calls, as was Kevin Pietersen’s on the opening day, and emphasised that the umpires in this series have been emboldened by DRS into giving borderline decisions that they might normally have turned down. The umpires’ margin of error that is built into DRS meant that on both occasions the umpire would have been right whatever he ruled. Both Younis and Pietersen were adjudged to be out when Hawk-Eye predicted that the ball would have shaved the stumps so lightly that the bail might not even have fallen. The umpires have all become outers.The best umpires throughout the years tended before the advent of DRS to allow a small margin of error in favour of the batsman, judging that a not-out decision was the safest if there was an element of doubt. Hawk-Eye has not only removed that doubt, and the inbuilt margin of error, intended to protect the umpire’s authority, has meant in this series that batsmen have, in effect, defended bigger stumps – taller by the width of a ball, and wider by the width of a ball on both stumps. It is a concern, but it is no reason to abandon the system.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kumar Sangakkara made his first Test century in South Africa•AFP

Smart stats

• Kumar Sangakkara scored his first century in South Africa and his 28th overall. It was also the first time he has gone past single figures in four innings on this tour.

• Dinesh Chandimal became the first Sri Lankan player and the 35th overall to make two fifty-plus scores on Test debut.

• The 104-run stand between Sangakkara and Chandimal is the third-highest sixth-wicket stand for Sri Lanka against South Africa.

• It is the fifth time overall and the third time since 2006 that Sri Lanka have managed a 400-plus lead at the end of the third innings in Tests outside the subcontinent. Of the four previous occasions, Sri Lanka have won three and drawn one.

• If South Africa are to win, they will have to achieve the highest run chase in Tests. Their best chase so far in Durban is the 336 for 5 they made against Australia in 2002.

• The highest target ever chased down successfully by a team against Sri Lanka is 264 by India in Kandy in 2001.

• Dale Steyn, who went wicketless in the first innings picked up 3 for 54. He has had an ordinary time in the second innings in Tests since the beginning of 2010 with 29 wickets at an average of 28.86 and strike rate of 51.0.

Sri Lanka came into this match facing the prospect of their first win-less year in Tests since 1997, and after the hammering in Centurion few predicted anything other than a straightforward win for South Africa in Durban. Three days into the game though, they are firmly on course for their first Test win in 16 attempts, and their first since the retirement of their greatest match-winner, Muttiah Muralitharan.Kumar Sangakkara made his first important contribution of the series, while Thilan Samaraweera and Dinesh Chandimal made their second each of the game to steer Sri Lanka’s lead towards match-winning proportions. Sangakkara’s first century in South Africa left the home side needing to pull off a world record chase to end their Durban jinx.Sangakkara, the world’s No. 1 Test batsman, came into this innings with scores of 0, 1 and 2 in the series, and could have been dismissed on 3 in the day’s first over. After overnight rain delayed the start of play by an hour, South Africa’s quick bowlers were on top of their game in the morning. Morne Morkel sent an early warning, getting the first ball to zip past Sangakkara’s outside edge. Three deliveries later he induced a nick only to see Mark Boucher’s late dive distract Graeme Smith from pouching a catch at slip.There are plenty of theories about what helps fast bowlers at Kingsmead. The Green Mamba is a usual suspect, but today the talk was about the change in wind direction that would help the ball jag around. It was overcast in Durban as well, but there was still no dramatic swing or seam for the South Africa fast bowlers.That didn’t stop them from probing away before lunch. Tharanga Paranavitana had a torrid time, regularly beaten outside off and struck on the back by a short ball. Eight of his nine runs came through not entirely assured glides past gully, before his innings ended with an edge to fourth slip.When Mahela Jayawardene was dismissed soon after – padding up to a Marchant de Lange incutter which would have gone on to hit off stump – South Africa were sensing a way back into the game despite conceding a 170-run first-innings lead.Sangakkara and Samaraweera made sure Sri Lanka remained firmly in charge, helped by a lacklustre bowling effort after lunch. Sangakkara had shown signs of his increasing confidence even before the break – whipping a gift from Jacques Kallis on the leg stump for four before upper cutting de Lange for another boundary – and he continued in the same vein.He was given plenty of short deliveries outside off, which he comfortably slapped towards deep point. As the innings progressed, Sangakkara’s classic drives started making an appearance. He was also positive against Imran Tahir, using the sweep effectively to blunt the legspinner. One of the other highlights of his innings was his judgment outside the off stump, repeatedly shouldering arms to frustrate the fast bowlers.It helped Sri Lanka that Samaraweera wasn’t his usual cautious self. Instead, fresh from his first-innings century, Samaraweera drove, cut and glanced boundaries on his way to an unusually brisk 43 before being undone by a slider from Tahir. Angelo Mathews then joined the long list of batsmen who played strokes to regret in this match, edging to Boucher after attempting to pull a short and wide delivery.Fears of a collapse were averted as Sangakkara was supported by Chandimal. The 22-year-old Chandimal had shown in the first innings that he wasn’t afraid of going for his shots, and that spirit was evident today as well. He slogged to midwicket and slashed over the slips as he went on to become the first Sri Lankan debutant to make a half-century in each innings of a Test. The highlight was a pull off Dale Steyn for four after some banter between the pair.The 104-run stand with Sangakkara pushed the lead well beyond 400. Sangakkara already has 27 Test centuries, so they couldn’t have been too many nerves in the nineties. Even if there were, he didn’t have much time to dwell on it as Kallis presented him a couple of boundary-balls. The century came up with a square drive for two. It was the second hundred in the match for Sri Lanka, after they had managed only one in eight previous Tests in South Africa.South Africa removed both Sangakkara and Chandimal towards the end of the day, but that hardly altered the match situation as Sri Lanka were still favourites to pull off one of their most famous Test wins.

Cricket Kenya has been forced to further postpone the finals of the East Africa Premier League and East African Cup due to the prolonged rains in Nairobi.Rwenzori Warriors were due take on the Nile Knights in the final of the EAPL on December 3 while the Knights were scheduled to meet Kongonis in the EAC final a day later. Both games were set to be played at Nairobi Gymkhana Club. Torrential rain led to the initial postponement of both matches in October and now an extended period of exceptionally wet weather has resulted in a further delay to the finals.Cricket Kenya carried out a ground inspection over the weekend and found the Nairobi Gymkhana ground completely waterlogged. Alternative venues were discussed but with more wet weather expected this week, the decision to postpone once more was taken.Cricket Kenya Chief Executive Tom Sears said: “Obviously we are extremely disappointed that we are going to have a further delay but there was no chance the finals could have been played next weekend. We have had around six weeks of exceptionally wet weather and that has taken its toll.”We have consulted with key stakeholders and agreed to look at re-scheduling the finals early in the New Year. As we said previously it is very important we do play the finals and bring to a conclusion what has been a very successful inaugural year of the East African Cricket competitions.”