After a rather innocuous outing in the last round against Kerala,Hyderabad came up against a rather rock solid Tamil Nadu batting lineup in their South Zone Ranji Trophy match at the Neuclear Fuel Complexground at Hyderabad on Wednesday. Helped by a fine century by openerRajat Bhatia, the visitors were 273 for 2 when stumps were drawn onthe opening day.Opting to bat, Tamil Nadu were provided with a commendable 184 runopening stand by Sridharan Sriram (98) and Rajat Bhatia (132 not out)in 51.4 overs. Bhatia was more the sedate partner prefering to playthe sheet anchor role. The hosts though toiling long and hard wereunsuccessful as the duo took the Tamil Nadu into lunch with the scoreline reading 125/0. The two stayed on till late afternoon and beforelong took the partnership to nearly 200.Just two runs short of a well deserved century, Sriram became thefirst casualty for the day in the 52nd over. Sriram found himselfstruggling to regain his crease as the wicketkeeper M Srinivas whippedoff the bails to run him out. In a 206 minute stay at the crease thesouthpaw, who relished displaying his strokes, took just 158 ballswhile managing to find the signboards on 13 occasions.Then Badrinath (15), who replaced Sriram lasted for just 39 balls anddeparted for a catch to Raju off NP Singh. But his partner RajatBhatia, found ample company in Sridharan Sharath (23 not out) andduring the unbeaten 55 run stand they took the score past the 250 runmark. Bhatia in the course of his 360 minute stay at the centre has sofar faced 263 balls and found the boundary rope 14 times.

Just how expensive will Zimbabwe’s last 50 runs prove in New Zealand’s bid to win the first Test in Bulawayo?The runs, and the time involved after Zimbabwe was 300 for eight, may be the difference should New Zealand get itself into a position of strength by scoring a big total quickly enough to attempt to bowl Zimbabwe out a second time.And there’s no guarantee of that happening with the side finishing the second day at 62 for two.The fact that Matt Horne is unbeaten on 40 puts the onus on him to produce his best Test score since his maiden Test century at Lord’s midway through last year.Another factor is the opportunity the match situation provides captain Stephen Fleming to score a long-awaited third Test century. He is such a capable batsman, and so attractive to watch when in full-flight, that a national sigh of relief will be breathed when he gets over the hurdle that has seen him score 24 half centuries but only twice reach three figures.All that lies ahead however, as New Zealand firstly needs to consolidate its overnight position before attempting to launch a full-scale assault on the Zimbabwe total. That’s where Horne, Fleming, Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan come into the picture.Collectively, they represent an attacking force capable of doing the job but as yet they have lacked the consistency for New Zealand fans to assume that the logical will happen as of right.Paul Wiseman’s achievement in taking his second five-wicket bag in Test matches is an encouraging development. He’s lifted his Test tally of wickets to 29 and, more importantly, is making headway in getting his average out of the 40s and down to 37.41.There’s still a way for him to go but every Test he plays in partnership with Daniel Vettori helps to develop a spin option that has been lacking for too long in the New Zealand game. Not since John Bracewell and Stephen Boock were occasionally working in unison has this been a factor in New Zealand’s Test match approach.The benefits are not only applied to the Test scene either. With two international quality spinners appearing, albeit occasionally, in domestic cricket, more batsmen are exposed to playing class slow bowling.The fact that Zimbabwe, under pressure, has produced such a competitive total also highlights how little there is between the greater percentage of teams on the Test scene at the moment. Alistair Campbell stepped up at precisely the right time for his side and produced an innings of substance while Heath Streak marked his captaincy regime in the perfect style with 51 runs.The challenge for New Zealand to quell that Zimbabwean spirit is obvious and the third day will tell all.

Out of the most unexpected circumstances cricket has the ability to throw up exciting results, and that is the way it is shaping in the bowling dominated State Championship match between Central Districts and Northern Districts in Blenheim.Thanks to the efforts of the unlikely Michael Mason, who has one of those moments greatly cherished by faster bowlers – a personal best score of 35 not out, Central Districts are in with a chance of setting Northern Districts a highly competitive total, by all the standards of this game.The batting standards have not been high, woeful might be a better description. The highest score has been 39, by Scott Styris in ND’s first innings, and the highest partnership has been 60.The way Mason and his last wicket partner Lance Hamilton were batting tonight, having added 38 for the last wicket to give CD a lead of 168, they might well find themselves sharing the honour of the best batting in the match.That would be one in the nose for all the batsmen concerned. They have so far failed to show the application necessary to post big scores.So many dismissals in the game have been taken behind the wickets that there can be no disputing that the lack of technique in the conditions being experienced has hindered the chances of either side making the match-winning score.As it stands at the moment, CD’s 21-run first innings lead is shaping as crucial.Earlier today, ND were dismissed for 160, losing their last seven wickets for 41 runs.That was courtesy of a career-best bowling performance from Andrew Schwass as he took seven for 36, the equal fifth best bowling performance in Central Districts’ history.Coming on as first change during the morning session, he ended the best partnership of the game, of 61 runs, with his seventh ball when having Hamish Marshall caught by Jamie How in the gully for 17.From that stage it was all downhill for ND. Styris scored the game high 39, but even he, after looking set, fished outside the off stump to be caught behind.CD started well and had 41 runs before the first wicket fell to ND’s bowling performer of the day Graeme Aldridge when he had Richard Scragg caught by wicket-keeper Robbie Hart for 18.David Kelly survived two huge appeals for catches at the wicket, and survive was the key word as there seemed every chance the ND fieldsmen had reason to be aggrieved. However he was the fourth man out, just before the tea break when a miscued pull shot lobbed to close cover where James Marshall ran in to take the catch and end his innings at 30.Schwass made sure his day was all the more memorable when scoring 22 as the CD position became desperate. With a previous highest score of four, he didn’t take much to be on a winner, but he won plaudits for the way he attempted to right a situation that was as bad as 91/8 at one stage.Mason certainly took note and has ensured he and his fellow bowlers will at least have the chance to turn the pressure back on ND.Aldridge had deserved reward with four for 45 from 16 good overs while Ian Butler had another good return of three for 41.It won’t be a match remembered for its scintillating cricket, but there is every chance it will be remembered for its close finish if nothing else.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Shahzad cracked 74 off 37 deliveries to set up an eight-wicket win for Afghanistan over United Arab Emirates. Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari shut out UAE completely with an unbeaten 69-run stand in seven overs as Afghanistan chased down 165 with 16 balls to spare.Shahzad and Nawroz Mangal put Afghanistan on their way with a 43-run opening stand in four overs. By the time Shehzad holed out to long-off in the 11th over trying to hit his sixth six, Afghanistan had raced to 99.UAE’s batting had crumbled in their opening match against Scotland, but this time, they posted a competitive 164 for 6 after winning the toss. It was their bowling that proved no contest for Afghanistan.Shahzad powerfully cut the first ball of the chase, a short and wide one from Mohammad Naveed, for four. UAE’s seamers continued to bowl short and provide width, and Shahzad punished them for boundaries. He then slog-swept and stepped out repeatedly to lift the spinners for sixes. UAE’s fielding failed to support their bowlers, with misfields and a dropped chance off Stanikzai adding to the pressure.Stanikzai and Shenwari took over after Shehzad’s departure. Stanikzai kept the sixes coming to end on 44 off 33, while Shenwari carved fours through off to finish with 30 off 23.UAE’s openers Faizan Asif and Mohammad Shahzad had given them a solid start with a stand of 63 inside seven overs. But the introduction of Mirwais Ashraf sent back the openers and also slowed down the scoring. Swapnil Patil ran himself out cheaply and Shaiman Anwar fell to Hamid Hassan in the 17th over after looking good for his 35 off 25. Despite some late hitting, UAE finished on a par score when they could have managed more.

ScorecardVarun Chopra’s half-century helped set a winning total for Birmingham•Getty Images

Reigning NatWest T20 Blast champions Birmingham booked a home quarter-final this time round by beating Northamptonshire by one-run in a thriller at Edgbaston.Set a target of 154 for a victory which would have secured their own place in the last eight, Northamptonshire needed 23 from the final over, from Recordo Gordon – and almost got them. But despite the heroics of Alex Wakeley and Rory Kleinveldt, who hit 29 from just 11 balls, they fell just short so must win their last game, at home to Durham on Friday, to be sure of qualifying.Birmingham’s hopes of a valedictory Brendon McCullum masterpiece in his last home game for the club floundered when he perished for just 26 but captain Varun Chopra’s 54 from 48 assured his side a decent total, albeit one that looked a little below par.The loss of early wickets undermined the Northamptonshire pursuit and it was only down to that spectacular last over that they came so close.Northamptonshire chose to bowl and face the threat of McCullum straight away, a decision they might have questioned when he cracked four of his first ten balls for four. That was as far as his boundary count went though before he was superbly caught at point by Kleinveldt off Steven Crook.It was left to youngster Tom Lewis to show McCullum how to clear the ropes, but that blow was one of only two sixes hit by the Bears as the Northamptonshire seamers, led by Azharullah (4-0-24-1), bowled an excellent length. Chopra hit five fours and a six before becoming one of three victims for Crook.On a good batting track, the Steelbacks began their reply as slight favourites but lost early wickets. David Willey, Ben Duckett and Richard Levi all went for broke in the first six overs and sent up catches, the latter superbly taken by Lewis at deep midwicket.Another fine opening spell by Rikki Clarke (4-0-16-0), providing more ballast to those who believe he is worth an England recall in limited-overs cricket, cranked up the required run rate and spinners Jeetan Patel and Josh Poysden maintained the pressure to send Northamptonshire into the last six overs needing 69.That came down to 23 from six balls and when Kleinveldt clobbered the first two for six it was game on – but, with four needed from the last ball, Gordon held his nerve, just, and conceded only two to long-on.

Australia’s vice-captain David Warner is facing the tightest of schedules to make the October Test tour of Bangladesh after x-rays revealed he had suffered a fractured left thumb when struck by his first ball from Steven Finn in the second ODI against England at Lord’s.Warner’s injury is expected to keep him out of action for up to six weeks, meaning he will struggle to be available for at least the first of the two Tests on the subcontinent, leaving the Australian selectors needing to consider an all-new opening combination for the assignment following the retirement of Chris Rogers.Joe Burns and Cameron Bancroft are leading contenders to go to Bangladesh. Warner will be eager to tour as part of a new leadership combination alongside the recently-appointed captain, Steven Smith.”I’m not 100% sure if he’s out of the first Test yet, but he’s got a little fracture in his thumb,” Smith said of Warner. “It was disappointing to lose him in that fashion today, but I thought the boys stood up really well and got the job done. That was the most important thing at present, and I think looking forward got to find someone else to potentially fill the role that he won’t be able to do.”I’m really looking forward to it [Bangladesh] to be honest. I can’t wait to captain Australia in Test cricket, and hopefully I’ll be able to have a few senior players around to lean on.”Aaron Finch, who missed initial selection for this squad as a result of a broken foot sustained while playing for Yorkshire, is now fit again and has been called into the squad to replace Warner for the England ODIs. “It’s very exciting to be back,” Finch said. “It’s unfortunate for David Warner for me to come in under these circumstances, that’s not ideal, but these things happen in cricket and it’s great for me to be back.”Upon being struck by Finn in the day’s first over, Warner immediately retired hurt and did not bat again in the innings, though he did briefly test out the injury in the Nursery End nets after taking painkillers. Warner has played every Test for Australia – 24 in all – since his recall to the team for the third Test of the previous Ashes tour.Shane Watson also spent time off the field in the afternoon, having suffered what a Cricket Australia spokesperson described as a “minor right calf strain”. He will undergo scans once the team arrives in Manchester on Sunday to determine his availability for the rest of this series.

The Jaipur bench of the Rajasthan High Court has approved the BCCI’s appointment of selection committees to pick Rajasthan teams for various domestic tournaments in the upcoming 2015-16 season. The court approved the committees on Friday during the hearing of a writ petition filed by a section of Rajasthan’s players, in which they sought help to play the forthcoming season.The uncertainty over the participation of teams from Rajasthan is the effect of the dispute between the BCCI and the Rajasthan Cricket Association. The board has had to appoint selection committees for Rajasthan teams for a second consecutive year, after it suspended the RCA following Lalit Modi’s election as association president in May 2014.

Selection committees for Rajasthan teams

• Seniors: Rajinder Singh Hans (national selector), Sanjay Vyas, Vivek Bhan Singh, Najmul Hussain, Vinod Mathur, Bharat Bhushan

• Juniors: Pritam Gandhe (national selector), Sukhvinder Singh, Pramod Yadav, Kuldeep Mathur

• Women: Hemlata Kala (national selector), Megha Gour, Shabana Khan, Pratima Bharti

All three selection committees for the 2015-16 season include national selectors. Rajinder Singh Hans is a part of the men’s selection committee, while Pritam Gandhe and Hemlata Kala are in the junior and women’s committees respectively.Amrit Mathur, a former manager of the Indian team, has been appointed coordinator of the selection committees and will be assisted by Taposh Chatterjee. Mathur is also the coordinator of the BCCI’s ad-hoc committee that was appointed earlier this month to run cricket in Rajasthan.The Jaipur bench of the court also observed that the appointed selection committees would continue to exist until the RCA matter is resolved. Last year, the tenures of the court-appointed committees and coordinator had stretched only until the end of the 2014-15 season.The BCCI legal counsel, led by its senior lawyer Ushanath Banerjee, informed the court that the board has taken the steps to ensure players’ welfare. It is understood the court had no objection to approving the selection committees put forth by the board’s ad-hoc panel. “The court was happy and mentioned that the main motive – the players’ interests – were not hurt,” a BCCI official said.On Thursday, a group of nearly 60 players, including senior cricketer Pankaj Singh had urged various stakeholders, including the court and state government, to resolve disputes related to the RCA and allow players to participate in domestic cricket. A section of the players had also filed writ petitions with the Jaipur and Jodhpur benches of the Rajasthan High Court. The second writ petition will be heard before the Jodhpur bench on September 14.According to the official, the second petition is unlikely to create any further hurdles for the BCCI. He said the BCCI’s ad-hoc panel will now discharge duties the RCA ought to have fulfilled as the court had taken the “significant” decision to allow the selections panels and the coordination committee to continue until the matter was resolved.”At the end of last season, all activities ceased so there were no off-season camps, fitness camps. Selections tournaments were not held as the tenure of the selection committees approved by the court last year ended after the 2014-15 season. Now that is not the case. You will not have the suspense and uncertainty at the beginning of the season, which has been the case for the last two years. The players would not need to raise a cry for help,” the official pointed out.According to Mathur, the coordination committee has already set the wheels in motion. “We have started work straightaway. We have decided to organise selection trials for the Under-19 women’s team on September 14 and 15 so that they can play the domestic tournament starting soon,” he said.Mathur also said the coordination committee would meet on September 14 in Jaipur to decide on the plan for the men’s teams, including selection trials and preparatory camps ahead of the Ranji Trophy, which starts from October 1.

South Africa captain AB de Villiers has been fined 40% of his match fee for maintaining a slow over rate during the first ODI against India in Kanpur, while his team-mates were docked 20% of their match fees.The charge was laid by the on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Vineet Kulkarni, the TV umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin, and the reserve umpire Anil Dandekar. The fine was imposed by the match referee Chris Broad, who ruled that South Africa were two overs short of their target after time allowances were taken into consideration. De Villiers pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.De Villiers had previously been found guilty of minor over-rate offences on two occasions in the last 12 months, and subsequently served a one-match suspension during the first ODI against Bangladesh in July. If South Africa commit another over-rate breach in ODIs within 12 months with de Villiers as captain, it will be deemed a second offence by de Villiers and he will again face a suspension.South Africa won the first ODI by five runs, thanks to a 73-ball 104 from de Villiers, who was named Man of the Match.

When Shaun Marsh returns to the Australian team in Adelaide next week, it will be the fifth time in as many years he has resumed his Test career after being dropped or absent injured from the XI. As an increasingly patient selection panel and increasingly impatient public sit down to watch, each will have the same question. ?Empirical evidence that he does is slim. In three Sheffield Shield matches this summer, Marsh has tallied scores of 15, 1, 2, 92, 64 and 33, a total of 207 runs at 34.50. That leaves 17 Australian batsmen ahead of him on the seasons’ first-class aggregates, plus two New Zealanders.In his most recent Test appearance, Marsh failed twice on a seaming pitch at Trent Bridge. His two firm feet and rigid bat edges symbolised the utter failure of the touring batsmen to cope with English conditions. Never mind that he was nervously called up on match morning, or that conditions have been described as uniquely difficult after rain moistened the surface in the 10 minutes before play began – Marsh was the unacceptable face of Australian batting.”To be honest I’ve tried to get it out of my mind,” he said. “It wasn’t a very good Test match – personally and for the team. Getting no runs and losing the Ashes. It couldn’t get any worse than it did. I guess you learn from lessons like that, hopefully I’ve learned some valuable lessons I can take into this next Test match and try and do the best I can for the boys.”The lesson was that Marsh had to change, and fast. There was the anguish of losing the Ashes to England in the most humiliating manner possible. Then he was dropped from the next Test at the Oval. In need of guidance, Marsh sought out Chris Rogers.Now here was a contrast. Marsh is viewed by most who watch him bat as a talent, and for years, Rogers fought the perception he was an ugly player. Marsh has had a surfeit of opportunities without yet taking them, whereas Rogers got one Test in 2008 then waited six years for his next one. Marsh had just endured one of the worst matches of his life, Rogers was in the middle of his most successful series.In Northampton, ahead of a county match made near enough to irrelevant by events in Nottingham, Marsh asked Rogers for advice on how to deal with the moving ball in England. More generally, he wanted to know why he always seemed to edge into the slips and Rogers so seldom did. It was a conversation Rogers had been waiting to have.Taking the younger man to the nets at Wantage Road, Rogers grabbed a bunch of tennis balls and worked on changing the angle of Marsh’s defensive blade. For years, Marsh’s firm and straight bat had won the admiration of selectors, but its angle from side-on had been a source of great hope for bowlers.By offering an almost vertical bat to the bowler, Marsh would offer edges great and small, invariably carrying to catchers. Rogers countered that by angling his bat further down, and playing the ball later, under his eyes, Marsh would greatly reduce his chance of offering catchable nicks. He would also likely prosper from edges running along the ground to third man – a tendency often cited as lucky but turned into something like an art form by Rogers and Justin Langer.Marsh walked away from these Northants sessions feeling like he had unlocked a secret to the game that had eluded him for most of the past decade. It is one shared by numerous top-level batsmen, not least Kane Williamson, he of the near mythical lack of slips catches. Like any change, this one is taking time to bed down, and may explain Marsh’s indifferent statistics so far this summer. But he still has Rogers’ advice very much in mind.”Definitely Bucky [Rogers] was really good, over probably the last few months,” Marsh said. “During the Ashes, I went away with Buck and just worked on a few little things on my game. He was fantastic to talk to – his record speaks for itself. He’s scored so many runs, so if I could learn as much as I could in that last little period in the Ashes I thought it was going to help my game.”I’m just trying to hit the ball a little bit later. I’ve worked on a few little bits and pieces. I’ve felt really good over the past month in Shield cricket and feel like I’ve got a better game now to hopefully be successful at Test cricket. I’ve been a little bit inconsistent with my Test career so far, so hopefully I can really take this opportunity now and build some consistent scores. I’m looking forward to that challenge.”When Marsh bats against Trent Boult and Tim Southee under the Adelaide Oval lights, with the pink ball potentially swinging around, there are likely to be edges and lots of them. If they scurry along the ground or fall short of slips, many spectators will throw their heads back and mutter about Marsh’s good fortune.But in the ABC commentary box at the top of the Southern Stand, Rogers will see that as a vindication of their work together, and a sign that Marsh has, at last, begun to make his own luck. Square of the wicket, the selection chairman Rod Marsh and coach Darren Lehmann may notice Marsh’s angled bat, and share a look of recognition. !

Far from being overawed by the huge total put up by the visitingKenyan team, Maharashtra CA XI replied in kind and with batsmencalling the tune, it was no surprise that the two day match at thePoona Club ended in a tame draw on Saturday. In fact the two sidescould complete only their first innings at the end of two days.Kenya led off with 432 for eight declared off 90 overs at the end ofthe opening day. Maharashtra batted the whole of the second day andwere 374 for seven in 90 overs when stumps were drawn.Consistent batting down the order saw Maharashtra come up with afitting reply. The Kenyans did get an early wicket with NA Godbolebeing out for 18 at 29. But after that, they found success hard tocome by. The other opener JS Narse (60) and skipper HrishikeshKanitkar (56) added 117 runs for the second wicket. While Narse faced109 balls and hit nine of them to the ropes, the left handed Kanitkarplayed 100 balls and hit eight fours. Medium pacer Odoyo dismissedboth in successive overs but the recovery process was maintained withveteran Santhanu Sugwekar (50) and KD Aphale (54) figuring in a fourthwicket partnership of 91 runs off 21.4 overs. While Aphale faced 93balls and hit eight fours, the more aggressive Sugwekar faced only 60balls, while also hitting eight of them to the ropes.Tikolo finally dismissed both of them but the innings was kept goingby a sedate unbeaten 32 by S Shah who batted two hours, faced 76 ballsand had four boundary hits and a breezy 60 off 63 balls bywicketkeeper SM Komdhalkar. He hit ten fours and two sixes. The twobatsmen added 102 runs for the seventh wicket off 20 overs. Odoyofinished with three for 35 while Tikolo had two for 90.The Kenyans, who had lost their opening fixture to Tata SC at Mumbaiby two wickets, now play the MCA President’s XI in a one day game atMumbai on Monday.