ScorecardSet a target of 126 and needing a win to climb on top of the pool, the Madhya Pradesh openers Naman Ojha and Sachin Dholpure applied themselves admirably to take MP into the semi-finals stage. Sanjay Pandey removed the two overnight Jammu & Kashmir batsmen enroute to a seven-wicket haul to dismiss J&K for 121 in their second innings. The match had started a day late since the J&K team had not arrived in time due to flight delay
Scorecard
Propelled by Debasis Mohanty’s five-wicket haul Orissa blew away Himachal Pradesh for 67 to win by an innings and 293 runs, gaining a bonus point. Mohanty combined with S Sehgal to leave HP, overnight on 38 for 3, tottering at 49 for 8. With this win Orissa sit pretty on the top of the table with 18 points from 5 games. Owing to bad weather and problems in flight connectivity the match between Orissa and HP started a day late.
Scorecard
Sandeep Singh and Pritam Gandhe grabbed seven wickets between them to bundle out Tripura, chasing a target of 263, for 124 as Vidarbha registered an outright win at Agartala. Subhrajit Roy, the opener, offered the lone resistance with 49 and was the ninth wicket to fall. Singh, the medium pacer, removed two top order wickets before coming back to pick up two in the tail to fold up the Tripura innings. Earlier, Timir Chanda removed the two overnight batsmen – Samir Khare and Vikrant Gonnade – to trigger a mini-collapse and Jayanta Debnath picked up two wickets to finish with a five-wicket haul. With this win, Vidarbha, already comfortably placed at second on the Group A table, enter the semi-finals stage of the tournament.
ScorecardRajasthan, having resumed the day needing 57 runs to win, knocked the required runs for the loss of Gagan Khoda’s wicket to defeat Assam on their way to the semi-finals. Ajay Jadeja, the captain, had led them to a thrilling win in their last match and now with the easy win over Assam, Rajasthan have 10 points from five games.
ScorecardSet a target of 100 Kerala lost three wickets, thus losing the bonus point, enroute to a victory over Jharkhand at Palakkad. Kerala needed to win by 10 wickets to earn a bonus point which would have given them an outside chance at qualifying for the semi-finals- much would depend on the points that Madhya Pradesh would earn in their match against J&K- but the loss of Sadagopan Ramesh for a duck in the very first over meant that Kerala are now placed fourth. Manish Kumar’s unbeaten half-century took Jharkhand past the 300-mark in their second innings before Sreekumar Nair guided Kerala home.
ScorecardSaurashtra knocked off the required nine runs to register a big win after Swapnil Asnodkar’s century enabled Goa to stave off an innings defeat at Rajkot. Asnodkar put up an 84-run partnership with Mandar Phadke for the fourth-wicket to help Goa erase the deficit and make Saurashtra bat again.

A superb spell of fast bowling from Ian Bradshaw shocked the Leewards Islands’ middle order while handing Barbados the first-innings honours on day two of the Carib Beer Series match at the Addelita Cancryn Ground at St. Thomas. Swinging the ball admirably, Bradshaw’s incisive four-wicket haul after tea was responsible for Leewards being dismissed for 258 in response to Barbados’ 360. Barbados proceeded to extend that lead to 147 while progressing to 45 for 1 at stumps.Earlier in the day, Austin Richards and Sylvester Joseph, the Barbados captain, combined to add 104 for the fourth wicket after the start of play was delayed for two hours owing to rain. Richards, unbeaten on 27 overnight, scored 64 before driving one back to Ryan Hinds, while Joseph contributed a fine 63. Bradshaw, who did not bowl in the first two hours of the day, then triggered a slide after the interval and the Leewards lost their last six wickets for 55.In a similar display of quality fast bowling, Reon King ripped through Jamaica’s batting line-up to give Guyana the upper hand at stumps at Chedwin Park in Jamaica. King’s figures of 4 for 19 from 15 probing overs of medium pace left Guyana reeling at 79 for 6 in reply to Guyana’s first-inning 314. King, 30, dismissed Chris Gayle (0), Donovan Pagon (24), David Bernard (1) and Carlton Baugh (2) in an opening spell of 12 overs.Wickets fell regularly thereafter, with Esaun Crandon gettind rid of the dangerous Marlon Samuels (9) as Jamaica were left at 48 for 6. Wavell Hinds, Jamaica’s captain, was unbeaten on 16 from 137 minutes while Gareth Breese has so far scored 12 in 101 minutes at the crease. Still 235 in arrears, Jamaica will need to get past 164 to avoid the follow-on.In the morning session, Guyana collapsed from 282 for 5 to be bowled out an hour after lunch. Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit a dogged 75 before being dismissed by Daren Powell, also a national campaigner. For Jamaica, Powell (3 for 45), Breese (3 for 66) and Jermaine Lawson (2 for 69), were the most successful bowlers.

Inzamam-ul Haq, the Pakistan captain, today described Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s batting as “murderous” and reckoned that he was a player to be watched out for in the 2007 World Cup.The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman scored 219 runs in four innings at a stupendous strike rate of 137 in the just-conclude five-match ODI series, propelling him to number three in the latest ICC rankings among ODI batsmen. “He is [also] safe behind the wickets and can be compared with Adam Gilchrist though the Australian has proved himself as the best after years in commission”, Inzamam told PTI at Lahore.Despite the 4-1 loss to India, Inzamam believed that the Pakistan team has greatly improved over the past two years. “When India came here in 2004, our boys were young and inexperienced. They have since played a lot of cricket in other countries that has given them experience and confidence,” he said.He said that the atmosphere in the Pakistani dressing room too had definitely improved. “When you have confidence the atmosphere in the dressing room also improves”, he added. On venting frustrations in the field, he said, “I control my anger. If someone drops a catch and I get angry, will that catch come back to us? It won’t. Therefore it is better to be cool because that helps in better performance.”Looking back on the series, Inzamam said that India’s batting was undoubtedly their strength. On Suresh Raina, he said: “I did not get a chance to see him because the Indian top order did not let the pressure come on to Raina and the later batsmen. But I always believe that only the best players are picked to represent their countries and therefore Raina must be a good cricketer who will improve with every game. But consistency is the key and it applies to both, Raina as well as the selectors.” He felt Irfan Pathan was fast blossoming into the allrounder India so desperately needed to strike the right balance in one-day cricket.India’s bowlers, though, were quite inexperienced, he added. He also strongly backed Sachin Tendulkar. “He has shown by the way he batted that he is not on the decline. In my view, he is good enough for another four or five years.”He rated Tendulkar as one of the five best batsmen in the world along with Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Brian Lara. On his own place in the pecking order – with an average of nearly 52 after 107 Tests and about 40 in 356 ODIs – he shrugged it off with a typically nonchalant, “Oh, Inzamam comes way behind them”.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Sri Lanka, thrust by an immense 185 from Kumar Sangakkara and a twirling late afternoon special from Muttiah Muralitharan, edged closer to a memorable victory against Pakistan at the SSC in Colombo. Sangakkara’s ninth Test hundred, third against Pakistan and second in successive Tests against them, had earlier helped Sri Lanka set Pakistan a target of 458. Having tiptoed to 59 without loss, Pakistan lost two quick wickets to Muralitharan to end the day a little forlorn at 89 for 2.The enormity of Pakistan’s task – both in terms of time and runs – was mostly the result of Sangakkara’s hundred, one which contained enough struggle, changes in tempo and pure strokeplay to warrant consideration for epic status. Certainly, it encompassed a vast enough span of play – 109 overs – for it to be considered and relative to yesterday, his touch was gold from the very start.The first two balls of the day were effortlessly thwacked straight to cover for no run, evidence of what was to come. Pakistan’s opening bowlers carried the flatness of souls waiting for a new ball, though when it came, Sangakkara, rather than the bowlers, was revitalised. The fourth over of the new ball, 11th of the day, from Razzaq brought an edged boundary through the slips, sandwiched by easy, fluid drives through mid-on and wide mid-off, the latter on left knee. That brought him to 99 and though he lost Mahela Jayawardene and a 158-run partnership in the next over – yet another top-edged hook dismissal- he brought up his hundred soon after.The real blitz arrived after lunch. Four overs into the second session, Mohammad Asif was pulled, driven and pulled again in successive balls. As Pakistan meandered, Sangakkara brought up his 150; his century had come in 209 balls and he needed only 71 more for the next 50.It wasn’t in isolation as Thilan Samaraweera offered robust support in a 144-run partnership. He quickly settled after a cautious start in the face of spirited bowling from Mohammad Asif, but a square drive brought up 300 halfway through the morning and some comfort. When the spinners arrived, he unveiled a succession of cover drives and after lunch, he harried bowlers, late cutting Danish Kaneria and then gliding down the pitch to drive him straight down the ground. That was his seventh four and his fifty – off 104 balls – came a few overs later. By this time, bowling had become a token form of protest against the bat.In search of quicker runs, Sangakkara went sweeping and Samaraweera driving, a futile confirmation that when one wicket in a big partnership falls, another does soon after. Predictably, Pakistan’s attack suffered; Asif and Danish Kaneria had willed themselves through the morning, but as the afternoon wore on, were understandably spent. Kaneria, in particular, bowled without luck, a situation that warrants calling up Harbhajan Singh, if only to ask how to deal with a situation where good bowling brings no luck. The others were jaded and a pitch, quickly easing up, made them seem more so, reliant on the smaller victories of a maiden over here and there.The turn and bounce that Kaneria got, Muralitharan also enjoyed later. Imran Farhat’s contribution to Pakistan’s controlled start, was partly some pleasant drives and partly in a mental note to himself that balls a foot outside off-stump don’t always have to be chased. Farveez Maharoof did his post-cricket credentials as a police interrogator no harm, relentlessly probing away outside his off-stump, but with little success. It was finally the master interrogator, Muralitharan who lured Farhat forward with some dip before sharp spin away caught his edge and gave Jayawardene his 100th catch.Shoaib Malik, unbeaten on a precarious 31, must have felt that the requisite quota of fortune any individual requires in an endeavour as massive as this, has probably been used up. Sangakkara’s only blemish was to drop him off Lasith Malinga when he was on 14, another edge fell just short and two leg-before appeals appeared more out than not. He did survive Muralitharan and all the mischievous changes in flight, pace, angle and degrees of spin that brings for over two hours, which in itself is some achievement. It was an examination that Younis Khan didn’t survive. Tomorrow a day of trial by Muralitharan and a gaggle of cackling close fielders – Sri Lankan cricket’s enduring image of the age – awaits Pakistan. Not many have passed it.How they were outSri LankaMahela Jayawardene c Razzaq b Asif 82 (285 for 3)
Kumar Sangakkara c Inzamam b Malik 185 (433-3)
Thilan Samaraweera c Farhat b Afridi 64 (438-5)
PakistanImran Farhat c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 34 (59 for 1)
Younis Khan b Muralitharan 8 (71 for 2)

Cricket writer Peter Robinson has died at his home in Johannesburg at the age of 54. He had been suffering from cancer.Robinson was sports editor of The Citizen at the time of his death, and he had previously worked for The Star, The Sunday Independent, Sports Day, This Day, and the Natal Witness. He was also the South African editor of Cricinfo for a number of years.”Robbo was a naturally gifted writer, someone for whom the words just flowed,” former colleague Guy Hawthorne told news24.com. “He was a superb columnist and many of his offerings reduced the sub-editors at This Day to either fits of laughter or tears of sorrow. He loved his job and his passion for writing was evident in the many excellent articles he produced.”

Doug Insole has been appointed president of MCC for a one-year term beginning this October.Insole, who turned 80 last month, played for England nine times and while he had a distinguished 17-year career with Essex, he is perhaps better known for his achievements off the cricket field.He has previously chaired both Essex and the Test & County Cricket Board (TCCB) and currently chairs the European Cricket Council. He was an England selector for ten years and managed the 1978-79 and 1982-83 Ashes tours to AustraliaInsole played 450 first-class games and scored over 25,000 runs. Coincidentally, his year as president will end 60 years after he made his first-class debut.

Pakistan have begun a race against time to set up a world-class cricket stadium in Islamabad by 2008, when the country is due to host the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time.A PCB official told `The News’ that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would soon be signed with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for the allocation of land to build the proposed stadium.”We have a couple of major tournaments to host in the coming years and would like to add to the existing cricket facilities,” said Saleem Altaf, Director of Cricket Operations, PCB.Pakistan are due to stage the biennial Champions Trophy in 2008 and will be the co-hosts for the 2011 World Cup with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.Altaf conceded it will be a race against time if Pakistan want to have the facility in Islamabad ready ahead of the Champions Trophy. “But it is a possibility,” he said, adding the PCB would make efforts to hasten the process.The PCB is presently waiting for a physical possession of a piece of land which it is to get from the CDA. “Once we get the physical possession then the actual work can begin,” he said.Altaf said the PCB would start issuing tenders for the construction of the stadium once it gets possession of the land in Islamabad. “We hope if everything goes according to the schedule, the stadium would be ready by the end of next year.”Pakistan might extract some aspects from the design of a cricket stadium being built in the Dubai Sports City while finalising its own blueprint for the proposed stadium in Islamabad. The stadium in Dubai, once completed, is expected to be counted among the best cricket facilities in the world.Islamabad does not have a cricket stadium of international standard. Test and ODIs are, however, regularly played in its twin city Rawalpindi. But the Rawalpindi stadium is not controlled by the PCB, as it has to hire the facility from the local authorities.The PCB, in fact, has the administrative control of just two Test venues — the Gaddafi Stadium (Lahore) and the National Stadium (Karachi).Cricinfo adds:The PCB, as part of their preparations, are planning to bring the administration of stadiums in Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi – all venues for 2011 – under their control. In addition, as reported recently, the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad – once an venue of Tests and ODIs – is also coming under the supervision of the PCB.At a recent press conference. Shaharyar Khan, chairman PCB, said, “Our preparations for the World Cup have to begin in earnest from now and one of the first things we must accomplish is gaining control of stadiums in Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi. We need to bring these stadiums up to international standards and at the moment they aren’t. But I will impress upon the government that these stadiums need to be in our control for them to be upgraded to the requisite standard.”

Ricardo Powell, the West Indies batsman, has been confirmed to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the Stanford 20/20 tournament in Antigua after recovering from injury and a self-imposed break from the game.Powell, 27, migrated from Jamaica to T&T a few years ago and made his twin-island debut in early 2004. With 109 one-day internationals and two Tests for West Indies under his belt, the hard-hitting Powell has been expected to add some explosives to the T&T batting order.Though Powell made just 17 in the first of T&T’s two practice matches against St Lucia on Saturday, his side won by 64 runs. T&T play their first match on July 25 against the Cayman Islands.Meanwhile, in Guyana, Shivnarine Chanderpaul has pulled out of his regional team. According to the Guyana Cricket Board, no reason was given for the former West Indies captain’s withdrawal. Orin Forde, an allrounder with Under-19 experience, has been tipped to replace him.Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies vice-captain, has been appointed captain of Guyana and is expected to join the team today. His team will play Montserrat in their opening game on July 21.

David Graveney, the England chairman of selectors, has insisted that the treatment of Andrew Flintoff’s ankle injury has been unjustifiably criticised. It was confirmed yesterday that Flintoff will require further surgery on his ankle and will miss the entire summer. The news also put a cloud over his participation in the Ashes series later this year, the first Test of which gets underway at Brisbane on November 23.”He was seen by two consultants who are the best in the field and they went down the route of [initially] deciding against an operation,” Graveney told . “Virtually every hurdle had been crossed and it was only when he played at Kent he began to feel the symptoms.”Assuming Flintoff’s operation and subsequent rehabilitation goes to plan, he should be able to resume training in early October. However, he has already been ruled out of participating in the Champions Trophy and, consequently, faces the possibility of flying to Australia as England captain having not played any serious cricket for the best part of eight or nine months.Graveney refused to be downbeat, however. “As far as the time line is concerned, we still believe Freddie will be on that plane with the rest of the team,” he said. “Once he has the operation we can make our plan from there. If the symptoms they think are causing the problem are correct the 12-week span is probably accurate.”

The West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) have responded forcefully to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) bypassing them in negotiations for next month’s tri-nation series in Kuala Lampur and Singapore, calling the board’s action “premature” and accusing them of trying to “divide and rule.”In a media release, the board said negotiations with WIPA had broken down on August 2 and because of the “tight timelines between now and the September tournament,” they had decided to offer match/tour contracts directly to the 14 players invited to play in the tournament.However, WIPA rejected the board’s explanations yesterday. The players’ body said they were “alarmed at the decision taken by the WICB to bypass the official and legitimate representative body of West Indies players and to negotiate individually with the players.”Claiming that the WICB had acted while negotiations were still in progress, the WIPA release said: “The basic tenets of good industrial relations have been flouted by the board. WIPA cannot help but conclude that the WICB continues to show total disregard and disrespect for the players’ organisation and the players themselves.”The release continued: “To allege that time was against the board and that it needed to conclude negotiations for the series is clearly indicative of its last-minute approach to negotiations and its internal problems that should not be inflicted on the players and the cricketing public.” WIPA said “eleventh hour pressure to coerce players to sign agreements…would be tantamount to acceding to blackmail.”The release said further: “What is particularly disquieting from WIPA’s standpoint is the apparent divide and rule approach.”WIPA said they only became aware of the deadline and ultimatum from the players who were being contacted individually.”This action by the WICB was being undertaken even in the midst of negotiations between the WICB and WIPA as it was at that time after WIPA was making its second offer that we were informed by the WICB of its decision to go directly to players. This is another clear manifestation that the WICB was not negotiating in good faith.”WIPA also said that the tri-nation series which is also to involve India and Australia, was outside of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) and as such, the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding agreed to by the WICB and WIPA must be observed. These include that the WICB will provide WIPA with reasonable opportunity to consider the proposed arrangements prior to adoption.The release said also that, “from the inception of our several agreements, it was clearly established that matches outside the FTP would be essentially a revenue earner for both parties. WIPA articulated this position making it clear that it wanted to share in any profits generated from tours outside the FTP.”During the course of the negotiations WIPA reduced its initial proposal on two occasions to the WICB as part of a compromise. On the other hand the WICB has not done the same regarding its first proposal which remained its final proposal. Indeed, it adopted “a take it or leave it attitude”. WIPA consider this approach by the WICB an anathema to basic and good industrial relations practice.”The players’ body also claim that they have not been given full financial details about the series. “While WIPA received some financial details about this event on July 31, WIPA is yet to receive information that it has requested pertaining to the name of the team’s sponsor for the event, the obligations of the players and the value of the sponsorship deal.”By participation in this series,” the release said, “the Champions Trophy and the Pakistan tour will result in travel savings to the board of approximately US$300,000. It is also of interest to note as well that the players would be away on tour for well over three months.”Despite their several concerns however, WIPA said they were “fully committed to resolving this matter in the interest of West Indies cricket and the cricket loving public of the region and sincerely hope for an observance of the type of industrial relations and negotiating standards that the region would expect from WIPA and the WICB.”