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Sri Lanka, powered by a maiden double century from Kumar Sangakkara, mauled the highly over-rated four-man Pakistan pace attack to take an iron grip in the Asian Test Championship final at Gaddafi Stadium Thursday.Sangakkara, starting the day at 39 in the visitors 94 for one, struck a scintillating 230 – highest individual score by a Sri Lankan against Pakistan – as the tourists replied to home team’s modest 234 with 447 for five when curtains were drawn for the second day with four overs still to be bowled.Pakistan must be thanking the floodlights that came into operation 18 overs before the scheduled close. With the red new cherry in hand, Pakistan picked up Russel Arnold and Sangakkara in a space of four balls to restrict Sri Lankans from posting a much bigger lead.But the late double strike failed to take the honours away from Sangakkara inspired Sri Lanka who added an impressive 353 in 86 overs Thursday with 212 coming off boundaries.The left-handed Sangakkara, who reached his fourth career century in style by belting three boundaries in five balls off Shahid Afridi in the final over before lunch, reached his double century by flicking Mohammad Sami off his toes for his 27th boundary.His high quality and strokeful innings contained 32 boundaries and three sixes from 327 balls. He was dropped on 119 and 182 and then making a narrow escape at 215 when the edge flew between Younis Khan and Rashid Latif, was not the only one to toy with Pakistan’s mediocre attack.Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya, who began at 47, scored 88 in a stand of 203 while an elegant Mahela Jayawardena scored 68 in a third wicket partnership of 173 in as many minutes. Arnold joined in the fun and chipped in with a 52-ball 44 after being dropped by Younis Khan when 22. He hit six boundaries and added 71 runs in 72 minutes for the fourth wicket with Sangakkara.Jayasuriya’s innings spiced 14 boundaries from 159 balls while Jayawardena canned eight boundaries and a six in his 174-minute vigil at the crease. If Sangakkara, sixth wicket-keeper to score a double century, was in imperious form and in punishing mood, his cause was helped by poor, purposeless, and wayward bowling by the Pakistanis in overcast conditions.Pakistan pacers, relying on speed rather than accuracy and trademark swing bowling, bowled short and everywhere except stumps to be ruthlessly hooked, pulled and cut by Sri Lankan batsmen. Ironically, when the bowlers put the ball at the right length, they succeeded.Jayasuriya was caught at the wicket off Abdul Razzaq, Jayawardena was picked by Inzamam-ul-Haq at the first slip off Mohammad Sami, Sangakkara was smartly held by Younis Khan at first slip off Razzaq and Arnold’s furniture was disturbed by Shoaib Akhtar.

There are a couple of West Indian cricketers in Port-of-Spain this morning, at the preliminary training camp for the upcoming Indian series, who must have wondered whether they would ever be in such company again.There are others scattered across the Caribbean who are putting their own interpretations on their absence from the guest list.For Stuart Williams, 32, and Junior Murray, 34, it is a recall three years after they last played for the West Indies and at an age when the thoughts of international sportsmen turn to a final farewell from the action and pressures of competition, to coaching posts and to commentary boxes.But what of Leon Garrick, Kerry Jeremy, Reon King, Jermaine Lawson and Corey Collymore, all young men in their mid or early 20s who have already had the recent taste of international cricket? What message should they read in their removal from the roll call?The case for Williams and Murray would seem to be based on the weight of performance over the last two regional seasons.Williams averaged 53 in the Busta Cup last year and rounded off this year’s campaign with his unbeaten 252 against Guyana in the semi-final, a record 974 runs and an average of 97.4.Murray, the linchpin of the weak Windwards batting for the past decade, reeled off four hundreds, another tournament record, and averaged 53.5 to supplement his 26 catches and a stumping.Those are figures no selection panel could resist, even if they were compiled in what has become the depressed standard of our domestic cricket. If Williams and Murray were excluded from the 22, Keith Mitchell and Vance Amory, their respective prime ministers, would have led their people in collective apoplexy.Yet there are reasons other than runs for their presence.Williams’ experience is the same factor that brought Sherwin Campbell back into the team for the series against Pakistan in Sharjah when Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan were missing with their injuries.Only if Lara’s elbow and Sarwan’s back remain immobile would a place be available for Williams in the starting eleven and, as with Campbell in Sharjah, it could only be at No. 3.Should a new opener be required, the dashing young Grenadian left-hander Devon Smith is surely the man. He is 12 years Williams junior, outscored him and everyone else in the preliminary round of the Busta, carries an unmistakable touch of class and has a long-term future in West Indies cricket.A year ago, against South Africa, it was Garrick, the little 25-year-old Jamaican jack-in-the-box who briefly filled the role. His treatment since can only have left him in a state of utter bewilderment.He was confined to four matches on subsequent tours of Zimbabwe, Kenya and Sri Lanka and is now scratched after a Busta Cup in which he averaged 41.Had there been the equivalent of a Devon Smith or a Garrick among the keepers, there would be also be no need for Murray at this point of his career, no matter how many runs he scores. But, as with Courtney Browne when Jacobs was harshly suspended for one Test in Zimbabwe last July, Murray has been summoned because no young contender has come through.Jeremy has cause to be just as perplexed as Garrick.At a time when the search for fast bowlers has been as futile as that for Winston Hall, he is 22 and has 86 wickets in the last three Busta seasons at an average of 19.82, 40 of them this year at 18.83.He has already been chosen for two tours, to Australia and Zimbabwe, but these have been cut short by injuries and his other international appearances have been confined to a few inconclusive one-day matches.The likely reason Mike Findlay and his colleagues reckon he won’t be of value at the highest level is that he isn’t much above medium-pace. Carl Hooper certainly didn’t hide his opinion when he refused to give him a single over in a one-day international against South Africa at Kensington last season.Jeremy has been included among the second batch of students for the Shell Academy but Rudi Webster and his Australian gurus may have to turn him into a modern-day Wes Hall before he can gain recognition. Not everyone’s Busta form is relevant, it seems.Collymore’s similar lack of speed is also the likeliest explanation why he is now categorised as purely a limited-overs specialist. Unfortunately, he simply has to live with the restrictions placed on his action by his mended back and plug away, as he always does.Their little extra pace and penetration brought in, for the first time, Darren Powell and Adam Sanford, both described as stiff by more than one batsman who faced them this season.It was the same term applied to King two seasons back against Zimbabwe and Pakistan when he looked the business. First hobbled by a stress fracture of the foot and then a hernia, he hasn’t been the same since and, like so many fast bowlers of late, has now faded into the background.Lawson, the tall Jamaican who was summoned as a replacement on the tour of Sri Lanka last December, and Tino Best, the bustling little Barbadian, are two 20-year-olds with a turn of speed. But they have been made to wait their turn, probably on the ‘A’ team to tour to England in the summer.Given the present unresponsive nature of West Indian pitches and the quality of the Indian batting, it is not a bad series for young, untried fast bowlers to miss. Their time will come. For Williams and Murray, it has come again and again and again.Elite panel, what about TV?As I understand it, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed elite panels of eight umpires and five match referees to ensure that Test cricket is officiated by the best there is and to eliminate charges of nationalistic bias.It, therefore, defeats its purpose when it leaves decisions on television replays in the hands of whoever the home authority cares to appoint as third umpires, especially now that use of such technology is to be extended.It is a post, more often than not, given to umpires long past their sell-by date or else not good enough to stand in the middle.Time and again, verdicts have contradicted the crystal clear evidence on the screen.The most recent, and most glaring, instance was the red light pressed by the Pakistani, Ahthar Zaidi, to give Sherwin Campbell run out in the first Test in Sharjah when a one-eyed man sitting upside down in front of a cloudy 12-inch black-and-white set could see Campbell was in his ground.With the prospect of more work under the new arrangement, the job assumes greater responsibility. It can no longer be left to home town has-beens.

Durham boosted their chances of qualifying from thenorthern group with a second win at the expense ofDerbyshire who have now lost their opening twomatches.Paul Collingwood’s best one-day innings of 89 proved amatch-winning performance on a slow pitch andDerbyshire never really threatened to overhaulDurham’s total of 204-6.Of the leading batsmen only Rob Bailey reached 50 buthis dismissal shortly after Dominic Cork’s ended thehome side’s chances and they were well beaten by 29runs with 2.4 overs to spare.Tim Munton’s opening spell of 3-18 in eight overs wasDerbyshire’s best phase of the match but he was guiltyof dropping Collingwood when the right-hander had madeonly 37.That was a costly miss as Collingwood supervised half-century stands with Jon Lewis and Nick Speak and although there were few boundaries in the Durhaminnings, a total of over 200 was always going to be awkward on such a slow pitch.Collingwood then made the first breakthrough when hetrapped Steve Stubbings lbw in the 16th over andalthough Mathew Dowman played several flashingstrokes, he was neatly stumped by Andy Pratt for 15.Michael Di Venuto failed again when he edged JamesBrinkley into his stumps and although Bailey and Corkadded 44, the game turned in the space of four overs.Cork was caught behind as he tried to run Ian Hunterto third man and then Bailey came down the pitch toNick Phillips, was beaten in the flight and stumpedfor 50.Karl Krikken drove back a return catch to Phillips andalthough Luke Sutton played some defiant strokes, hecould not halt Durham’s victory charge.Richard Illingworth was run out by a direct hit fromsquare leg by Lewis, Paul Aldred was caught and bowledby Michael Gough and Sutton was yorked by NeilKilleen.Durham now have consecutive home games against Nottsand Leicestershire but Derbyshire face an uphill taskif they are to reach the quarter-final stage.

The Tasmanian Selectors have today announced the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers squad to play the Queensland Bulls in their first ING Cup match of the season on Sunday 27th October, 2002 at the Gabba in Brisbane.The selectors and the Tasmanian Cricket Association have created what is believed to be a World first by nominating a team leadership group for ING Cup matches. Jamie Cox will mentor the leadership group which consists of Jamie, Michael DiVenuto, Daniel Marsh and Sean Clingeleffer.This practice has been taking place with success during all pre-season lead up matches. Jamie will continue to Captain the team with each member of the group taking on roles during matches to extend their experience in leadership.CASCADE TASMANIAN TIGERS

George BAILEY
Sean CLINGELEFFER
Jamie COX (Captain)
Graeme CUNNINGHAM
Gerard DENTON
Michael DIGHTON
Michael Di VENUTO
Xavier DOHERTY
Adam GRIFFITH
Daniel MARSH
Shannon TUBB
Shane WATSON
Damien WRIGHT

The 13th man will be announced on the morning of the match.Adam Griffith has been selected for Tasmania for the first time. Adam is a tall right arm medium pace bowler who has performed well at ACB Cup level in previous seasons and has forced his way into the team following a strong pre-season this winter.

Alviro Petersen, the South Africa opener, will join Somerset as their overseas player for the first part of the 2013 season. Petersen, who has previously played for Essex and Glamorgan, will be available until the start of the Friends Life t20 competition.Petersen, 31, is currently on tour with South Africa in Australia, making 64 on day one of the first Test. He scored 241 runs at an average of 61.00 during South Africa’s 2-0 Test series win in England early this year, including his Test-best score of 182, and has accumulated almost 10,000 first-class runs at just under 40 in his career.”I am very pleased to have signed to play for Somerset for the first part of next season,” Petersen said. “Somerset are a successful team in all forms of cricket and I look forward to becoming part of the set-up and hope that I can help them to win some trophies in 2013.”South Africa have a light schedule next year, with their Test series in Sri Lanka having been put back until 2015, and their Test captain, Graeme Smith, has already signed for Surrey. Petersen could be involved for the ODI leg of the tour to Sri Lanka, still scheduled for July 2013, although his last one-day appearance came in January.Petersen will follow in the footsteps of compatriot Vernon Philander, who played five Championship matches for Somerset at the start of 2012, as well as Smith, who led the county to their most recent silverware in winning the Twenty20 Cup in 2005. South Africa’s Richard Levi and Albie Morkel also turned out at Taunton last season, in the FLt20, with Pakistan spinner Abdur Rehman replacing Philander during the second half of Somerset’s Championship campaign.Somerset will be Petersen’s third county in three seasons. He captained Glamorgan in 2011 but abandoned a plan to play for them as a Kolpak signing this year, having been recalled by South Africa. A move to Essex then sparked anger at the Welsh county; a century on his return to Cardiff was Petersen’s response.”We are delighted to have signed Alviro Petersen,” Guy Lavender, the Somerset chief executive, said. “He is an exceptional player and has an impressive record, which he demonstrated during this summer’s series against England and we look forward to welcoming him to Taunton in the spring.”

Shakib Al Hasan has said Bangladesh have a major opportunity to win the series against New Zealand and this increase in team’s confidence has developed over the past five years with more players performing regularly. The latest in that list is Sohag Gazi, who became the first Test cricketer to score a hundred and take a hat-trick in a Test.Shakib took the catch to complete Gazi’s hat-trick, an excellent swoop from leg-slip after the ball had deflected off Mushfiqur Rahim’s pad. The catch was one of the many moments in the past two years which have signified the team’s growing will power after the lows of 2011. The drawn Test against New Zealand last week also pointed to the progress within the team.Shakib said that since his international debut, the talk in the dressing-room has gone through a lot of change. He has had a major contribution to this transformation, particularly his role in the 4-0 series win over New Zealand three years ago.”When I started six years ago, our goal was to play five days,” he said. “Then it was to draw Test matches. Now we go out to win. We have been progressing as a team all along. Everything takes time. This team has been playing together for quite some time, so we have more confidence. We are looking to win this series. We have a major opportunity, so we have every reason to give it our best.”When there are four or five performers in a team, the rest of the players then want to do well. So within everyone, there is a challenge to perform. I think it is major positive for the Bangladesh team.”Shakib hasn’t necessarily stopped being a performer himself. Bangladesh’s last Test win against Zimbabwe in May had two Shakib half-centuries. He struggled with the ball in the Chittagong Test match, but he has said the hunger is far from satiated. The fact that he has returned to the top of the Test allrounder rankings has been an added inspiration.”It is easy to motivate myself when I look at the rankings. My battle is with top cricketers, but I wouldn’t compare myself with anyone. Everyone wants to contribute to the team’s cause. I don’t think any cricketer keeps an eye on the rankings but it does feel good to be at the top.”This is his second time as top Test allrounder after he scaled the height in December 2011. While someone like Jacques Kallis gets plenty of opportunities to maintain such a position, Shakib has to do his best in the limited number of Tests that Bangladesh play. The second Test against New Zealand is one of them, and given the position of the series, there couldn’t be a better time for Shakib.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrendon McCullum stormed to a fifty off 33 balls•BCCI

Otago Volts completed their victorious run in the Champions League T20 qualifiers with their third comprehensive win, against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both teams had already made the main draw of the tournament. Otago’s bowlers first stifled the Sunrisers top order before JP Duminy took them to 143, and then their deep batting line-up was barely stretched as they won with 22 balls to spare.The victory was set up by the McCullum brothers: Nathan dismissed both Sunrisers openers during an economical spell with the new-ball and Brendon’s 33-ball fifty spurred Otago to their 13th consecutive T20 win, which brought them joint second with Surrey, behind Sialkot Stallions’ 25 successive victories.Otago were given a brisk start by openers Hamish Rutherford and Neil Broom, who attacked Ishant Sharma in his first over. Dale Steyn, however, kept it tight from the other end and had Broom caught behind for 16 in his second over. Sunrisers’ introduction of spin in the fourth over did not work, with Rutherford taking Karn Sharma for consecutive fours. Darren Sammy was introduced next and Brendon McCullum pulled him for six first ball.Rutherford’s brisk innings was also ended by Steyn, as he tried to pull down the leg side and gloved to the keeper. Amit Mishra gave Sunrisers hope when he bowled the in-form Ryan ten Doeschate with a googly, but No. 5 Jimmy Neesham eased the nerves by attacking the two legspinners over midwicket, bringing the required run rate under six.Sunrisers were running out of bowling options as Ishant, Karn Sharma and Sammy were being carted around the ground.After surviving a stumping, Brendon McCullum virtually ended the chase in the 15th over, when he clobbered Ishant for 22, reducing the equation to 8 from 30 balls. Both Brendon McCullum and Neesham were later dismissed but an Otago victory was a formality.Though they were without frontline quicks Ian Butler and James McMillan, Otago had ended Sunrisers’ prolific batting form in the tournament. Nathan McCullum opened the bowling and stifled the openers Parthiv and Shikhar Dhawan, aiming for the stumps from round the wicket. He trapped Dhawan twice in front of the stumps in his first two overs but the umpire turned both the appeals down. He was rewarded later, bowling Parthiv for 12 and getting Dhawan caught at mid-on as the batsman tried to clear the in-field.Biplab Samantray also survived two appeals, off successive deliveries, when Neil Wagner struck him in front of the stumps. He soon holed out against Michael Bracewell at long-on, where Bracewell caught the ball, threw it up, stepped over the boundary and back into play to catch it again.Sunrisers were 45 for 3 and JP Duminy and Cameron White, who came in for Thisara Perera, revived the innings with a 40-run stand. Duminy found gaps regularly and rotated the strike with White, who departed for 25 before Sammy gave them another push with two sixes in the 17th over.Duminy made a 35-ball fifty, and helped score 52 from the last five overs, but Sunrisers needed a lot more to challenge Otago.

David Warner has been dropped from Austalia’s squad for the ODIs against Scotland and England, while Mitchell Starc will return to Australia after complaining of lower back soreness. Steven Smith, who was part of the original 18-member limited-overs squad, has already flown back after a thigh injury.”David has been left out of the Australian ODI squad for this tour purely due to his recent lack of form in this format,” Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, said. “By his own admission, David would acknowledge that unfortunately he hasn’t scored the weight of runs that he would like recently in one-day cricket for his country.”Warner was part of Australia’s Champions Trophy squad in England, but featured in just one match, scoring 9 against England, but was suspended from the team after a bar incident in Birmingham. He has only played three more ODIs this year, in January against Sri Lanka, and scored 10, 60 and 4. Warner scored a 42-ball 53 on Saturday in the second T20 against England, but that wasn’t enough to sway the selectors.”Like all selection matters, it was a tough decision, but like all players he understands the situation and knows he needs to get back to playing Ryobi Cup and making a heap of runs that we can’t ignore,” Lehmann said. “I spoke with David at length about what he needs to do and I’ve been impressed with his attitude since I’ve come into the Australian setup.”Australia kickstart the ODI leg of the tour with a one-off match against Scotland in Edinburgh on September 3 before taking on England for a five-match series that starts on September 6 in Leeds.Squad: Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey, Fawad Ahmed, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Phillip Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Adam Voges, Matthew Wade (wk), Shane Watson.

ScorecardA clinical performance from the South Africa A seamers, led by 23 year-old Beuran Hendricks’ seventh five-wicket haul, routed Australia A for 146 in the first innings of the second unofficial Test in Rustenberg. Dean Elgar followed up his double century from the previous match with a composed 83 to put South Africa A in the lead by the end of day one.Captain Aaron Finch, though, having called correctly at the toss, joined Alex Doolan in bagging a duck. Nic Maddinson arrived with the score still five and counterattacked. His stroke-filled 88 included 11 fours and three sixes, but he received no support at the other end, with two more ducks, from Glenn Maxwell and Nathan Coulter-Nile, and Chadd Sayers’s 22 being the second-highest score. Hendricks’ 5 for 52 went along with Kyle Abbott and Marchant de Lange who took two and three wickets respectively to bowl out Australia A.South Africa A’s start was opposite as openers Elgar and Reeza Hendricks put on 104 runs together. Elgar was approaching his century before Coulter-Nile had him caught by Pat Cummins, but not before he had set up his side in a strong position.

ScorecardFile photo: Vijay Zol struck a second consecutive fifty to help India beat Sri Lanka by 22 runs•ICC/Getty

Vijay Zol hit ahis second consecutive half-century to guide India to a 22-run victory in a closely fought match against Sri Lanka in the second Youth ODI in Kurunegala.Sri Lanka, chasing 241, were comfortably placed at 152 for 4, but Priyamal Perera’s wicket triggered a collapse, with the hosts losing the remaining batsmen for just 66 runs, as all the Indian bowlers kept up the pressure and bowled at under six an over.India, electing to bat, got off to a good start as the openers Ankush Bains and Akhil Herwadkar struck a total of seven fours and one six, and added 70 for the first wicket. However, medium-pacer Chamika Karunaratne got the breakthroughs for Sri Lanka by dismissing the pair, as well as Sanju Samson in quick succession to leave India precariously placed at 84 for 3. Karunaratne was the pick of the bowlers, and eventually finished with 4 for 44.But Zol, coming in at No. 3, followed up his 76 in the first ODI with another crucial fifty, as India began to seize the initiative. Zol struck six fours and one six during his 75-ball 67, and put up a 62-run fifth-wicket stand with Ricky Bhui to take India to 177 after 38.Zol was eventually caught by Sadeera Samarawickrama off Roshan Anurudda, but offspinner Aamir Gani gave a late flourish to the innings with an 18-ball 25 that included three fours, pushing India to 240.Sri Lanka began their chase slowly, as medium-pacers Atit Sheth and Abhimanyu Lamba removed Kavindu Kulasekara, Minod Bhanuka and Kusal Mendis inside 10 overs. Samarawickrama tried to counterattack with a 52-ball 36, but was out leg before by left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav to leave Sri Lanka struggling at 77 for 4.Perera and Thilaksha Sumanasiri fought back with a 75-run fifth-wicket partnership to keep the match evenly poised, but Lamba bowled Perera in the 38th to hand India the initiative.Sumanasiri remained unbeaten by scoring 73 off just 82 balls, but with wickets falling regularly at the other end, he could make little difference, as the Indian bowlers held their nerves to bowl Sri Lanka out for 218.