All posts by csb10.top

ScorecardMark Ramprakash hit the 114th first class century of his prolific career to ensure Surrey’s first-innings lead in the County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Cheltenham. By the close of the second day the visitors had made 392 for 8 in reply to 286, with Ramprakash contributing 141.The former England batsman batted for more than five hours in sizzling heat, facing 232 balls and hitting 15 fours, for his first ton of the season. Ramprakash received good support from Zander de Bruyn (60) in a third-wicket stand of 87 and Yasir Arafat, who followed up his five wickets in the Gloucestershire innings with an unbeaten 54 – sharing a partnership of 126 forthe eighth wicket.Surrey began the day on 13 without loss and progressed to 52 before Rory Hamilton-Brown played on to Jon Lewis attempting to drive. With five runs added the key moment in the day arrived as wicketkeeper Richard Coughtrie dropped Ramprakash, on 4, diving to his right, off David Payne. It was to prove a hugely expensive miss.By lunch Surrey had moved to 103 for 2 and in the afternoon session de Bruyn prospered, reaching his fifty off 72 balls, with nine fours. With the total on 152, the South African drove Hamish Marshall to backward point where Kane Williamson took the catch.It was 183 for 4 when Tom Maynard, on 19, pulled a catch to Payne at fine leg. All the while, 41-year-old Ramprakash was accumulating without the slightest risk, reaching his half-century off 128 balls, with six fours.Jason Roy lofted offspinner Jack Taylor over midwicket for six to move to 33 off just 24 deliveries, but the next ball saw him bowled as Taylor pitched a fuller length. When Zafar Ansari fell leg before wicket to Will Gidman for one the score was 243 for 6 and Gloucestershire could still harbour hopes of first innings lead.But Ramprakash was unbeaten on 65 at tea and, although Gareth Batty was caught behind off Marshall for 5, Arafat came in to play positively and help put Surrey well on top. Ramprakash reached his hundred with a cut for four off Ian Saxelby, having faced 183 balls and hit 12 fours. It was not his most exhilarating innings, but an example in concentration and application.Arafat reached a breezy half-century off 68 balls, having hit a six over long-on and six fours. Ramprakash finally fell near the close to a gully catch by Chris Dent off Saxelby, leaving the pitch to a standing ovation.

Disdain of the day
Kevin Pietersen’s ego is still a key facet of his game, but it’s not the only thing that makes him tick these days. Ever since his double-hundred at Adelaide during the Ashes, he’s become more adept at laying his foundations before going bezerk, but that’s not to say he doesn’t still know how and when to go into overdrive. Today, he saved his most ostentatious shot for the over after he had reached his 150. After sweeping Amit Mishra to short fine leg for no run, KP decided it was time to raise the stakes and flipped in his stance to unfurl the switch hit. The ball soared over what had been extra cover for a one-bounce four, as fittingly he drew level with his ballistic 158 on this ground against Australia.Stat of the day
Take your pick from a smorgasbord. In their entire Test history, England had only ever managed 13 stands of 300 or more, and yet, today’s third-wicket alliance between Pietersen and Ian Bell was their third in the space of 12 months. When KP drove a return catch to Suresh Raina for 175, their final mark of 350 was their seventh-highest of all time, but only the third-best at The Oval. Len Hutton and Maurice Leyland added 382 against the Aussies in 1938, while David Gower and Graham Gooch made 351 against the same opponents in 1985.Shock of the day
It’s happened on 15 occasions in his last 11 Tests, so we really ought to be used to it by now, but somehow, every time Alastair Cook plays a false stroke and gets out, an air of incredulity takes hold of the punters in any given stadium. That is especially true if, as was the case on Friday morning, his departure comes under cloudless skies and without addition to his overnight score. Given how abject India’s bowlers had been on the first day, the assumption had been that Cook’s 34 not out would soon translate into his 20th Test century. Instead, Ishant Sharma – their one redeeming feature on Thursday – found some lift outside off stump, and an unestablished Cook poked loosely to first slip.Plod of the day
Andrew Strauss’s form at the top of the order doesn’t quite qualify as a concern, but he’s not been feeling the force in the past few months of action. His 87 at Edgbaston was a timely reminder of his quality, and when he went to bed on 38 not out overnight, he had the foundations of a promising innings. But what followed was a struggle, as India tightened their lines with RP Singh finding the edge with his first two balls of the day. Strauss retreated into his shell thereafter. England’s first run of the morning came after four complete overs, and he didn’t double his day’s tally until the 11th of the day. But then, with the mid-morning drinks break looming, he flashed ambitiously at a wide one from Sreesanth, and left the field swishing his bat in anger.Helpless moment of the day
Virender Sehwag at leg slip. Not the best pair of hands and definitely not the most athletic. Ishant Sharma had been bending his back all morning, putting in the hard yards and trying to get the better of the England batsmen. Mid-way into the second session, he angled a short-pitched delivery into the body of Kevin Pietersen. Moving across to off stump, Pietersen flicked the ball to the right of Sehwag, standing a couple of yards from the spot he should’ve actually been positioned at. Nevertheless, Sehwag just stood there, hands on knees, helplessly staring as the ball rushed to the fine-leg boundary for four. A panting Ishant stood aghast mid-pitch, gazing, wondering whatever happened to pro-activeness, agility and simple effort.Comedy of the day
Thank goodness RP Singh does not have a BCCI contract. Initially it was his selection that raised eyebrows, then it was his innocuous bowling at a docile pace. Adding to the complaints column today was his terrible fielding, which was exposed in two successive balls. Pietersen, inching towards the 90s, belted Mishra towards wide long-off, where a startled Singh took off abruptly but stopped just as suddenly, having lost track of the ball; embarrassingly he could not even gather the ball on the bounce. Pietersen swept the first ball of the next over, from Sachin Tendulkar, towards fine leg. Pietersen’s shot selection may have been determined by the fielder as Singh rushed nervously towards the ball, bent his knees to finish the job neatly but allowed a boundary to slip through his legs. The laughter from the Oval crowd was the most mocking of the day.

Scorecard
Kent needed barely 90 minutes of the third day’s play to wrap up their six-wicket win over County Championship Division Two rivals Essex – but they were later docked eight points after the Canterbury pitch was rated “poor”.Needing 70 to secure a championship and Twenty20 double over their neighbouring county, a nervy Kent side lost four top-order wickets inside 12 overs, only to be steered home by acting captain Geraint Jones with an unbeaten 28 from 14 balls.Martin van Jaarsveld, batting with a runner due to a groin strain, defied the pain to add an equally useful 21 not out to see Kent to a fifth win of the campaign with more than five sessions to spare. It would have earned them 21 points but pitch liaison officers John Jameson and Tony Pigott reduced that to 13 after deeming that the surface “demonstrated excessive unevenness of bounce”.The third day began with Essex struggling in their second innings and only 64 ahead with one wicket intact. That wicket fell to the 14th delivery of the day when on-loan David Balcombe had Tom Craddock caught behind for one, leaving James Foster high and dry on 49 not out.It gave Balcombe career-best match figures of 10 for 102 – his first 10-wicket match haul in county cricket. With a day and 91 overs to pursue their modest target of 70, Kent lost Daniel Bell-Drummond to a loose drive to short extra cover then Sam Northeast, pinned leg before on the back foot, with both wickets going to Graham Napier.Bell-Drummond soon returned to run for the injured van Jaarsveld, but wickets continued to fall as Darren Stevens edged behind to give Napier three for 42 and Joe Denly fell lbw for 17 to a shooting off-cutter from David Masters. It proved the final success for Essex, however, as Van Jaarsveld combined with Jones to see the hosts over the winning line.Jones played a captain’s cameo that included six boundaries, while Van Jaarsveld, batting virtually on one leg, plundered a six and four off Napier to secure Kent’s victory just before 12.30pm. Just under three hours later, though, their celebrations were tempered by a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board which read: “An ECB pitch panel comprising John Jameson and Tony Pigott (pitch liaison officers) was convened to consider the pitch used for the County Championship match at Canterbury commencing on 31 August 2011 between Kent and Essex.”After interviewing the umpires, the captain and coach of both teams and the Kent head groundsman, the pitch panel determined that the pitch had demonstrated excessive unevenness of bounce and should therefore be rated ‘poor’.”As a consequence and according to regulations, Kent are penalised eight points which will be deducted from their aggregate of 2011 County Championship points.”Uneven bounce as early as day one aided Masters’ haul of six for 78 in Kent’s first innings, and Essex’s Maurice Chambers and then Denly fell to vicious shooters in their sides’ respective second innings. Essex’s Jaik Mickleburgh, meanwhile, required X-rays after shouldering arms and being bowled via his hand on Wednesday. Kent have confirmed that they will not appeal against the decision.

Guernsey turned in a disciplined performance to beat hosts Malaysia by five wickets at the Kinrara Academy Oval in Kuala Lumpur in the World Cricket League Division Six, ensuring their promotion to Division Five. Malaysia, second on the tournament’s points-table after five games, also move up to Division Five. Apart from captain Suhan Alagaratnam, none of Malaysia’s line-up could get going after they chose to bat, and they managed only 170 for 9 in their 50. Alagaratnam made a patient, unbeaten 68. The Guernsey bowlers shared the wickets around, but left-arm spinner Jeremy Frith was the pick, claiming 3 for 16 in his 10 overs. Four of Guernsey’s top five batsmen then produced solid cameos – opener Lee Savident top-scored with 40 – to ensure the side got home without much drama and 26 balls in hand. The two teams will now meet in the finals of the tournament on September 24.Guernsey’s captain Stuart Le Prevost said the side had put in a fine all-round show in the tournament. “I think we’ve had a really good all-round week with both our batting and our bowling – Jeremy Frith has been great as usual, plus Lee Savident and Ben Ferbrache have also shown great stuff out in the field.” Malaysia’s Alagaratnam said the side needed to work on their batting. “We’ve played well this week but our batting has let us down in the last few games. Hopefully we can continue to improve and win promotion in February [during the Division Five tournament] too.”Kuwait eased to a five-wicket win against Nigeria at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur but were behind Malaysia on net run-rate, meaning they lost out on promotion. Kuwait’s chase was propelled by a solid opening stand from Irfan Bhatti and Abid Mushtaq. Choosing to bat, Nigeria’s total of 182 for 8 was built almost single-handedly through a 96-run partnership between Sean Philips and Olajide Bejide. Opening bowler Mohammed Naseer finished with the best figures for Kuwait – 3 for 20 with six maidens. Bhatti and Mushtaq then steered the chase, putting on 99 in 15 overs. While Bhatti was solid with 73 off 85, Mushtaq attacked, smacking 66 off 46 with ten fours and two sixes. A half-century partnership followed between Bhatti and Sibtain Raza, putting the game beyond Nigeria despite a flurry of late wickets.Jersey beat Fiji by 28 runs at the Selangor Turf Club in Kuala Lumpur but it wasn’t enough to take their net run-rate ahead of Malaysia’s. Jersey put up 247 for 6 after being asked to bat, driven by half-centuries from captain Peter Gough and Samuel de la Haye. The pair came together at a wobbly 102 for 4 and put on a century partnership to carry Jersey to a competitive total. Fiji’s top order all got starts, but none of them went on to play a long innings. The middle order failed to build on a steady platform, and Ben Stevens and Charles Perchard made inroads with three apiece to give their side a comfortable win.

Jamaica‘s last pair came together with their team needing 13 runs off as many balls, and held their nerve to take their side into the final with one ball remaining. It was heartbreak for the Sagicor High Performance Centre at Providence Stadium in Guyana, as Krishmar Santokie (8*) and Odean Brown (5*) put the seal on a match they had set up with the ball earlier, when they picked up a combined 5 for 81 in 22 overs to derail the HPC innings.Santokie did the early damage, striking three times in his first spell to reduce HPC to 23 for 3 in the seventh over. Devon Thomas stemmed the rot with a defiant 33 off 69 balls, before Brown and Nikita Miller made middle-order incisions to reduce HPC to a sorry 84 for 7. Veerasammy Permaul and Keron Cottoy hung in gamely to add 57 for the eighth wicket and lead their side to a fighting 176 for 9 in 50 overs.Jamaica lost their talismanic captain Chris Gayle early, and were thereafter consigned to a very slow start. When Tamar Lambert was out at 103 for 4 in the 37th over, the innings was devoid of momentum and was fast losing resources too. Jason Holder struck three quick blows to make it 130 for 7 in the 43rd over, and Jamaica seemed to be on their way out of the tournament. Andre Russell counterpunched in typical fashion with 24 off 14 balls to take the score to 164 by the time he was eighth man out in the 47th over.When Miller was dismissed nine balls later, without addition to the score, HPC seemed set to make the final, but Santokie and Brown were about to ruin their day. With three needed off two balls, Brown smashed Nkrumah Bonner for a straight boundary to push Jamaica into the final at the same ground on October 29, where they will meet Trinidad & Tobago.

Sialkot won a thriller against Abbottabad by one wicket at the Gohati Cricket Stadium in Swabi, thanks to a 20-run ninth-wicket partnership between Prince Abbas and Mohammad Imran. Prince Abbas was run out with the scores level, but No. 11 Mohammad Abbas got a single off the second ball he faced to seal victory for Sialkot. In a low-scoring game, Sialkot had been set 164 to win and lost early wickets to seamer Ahmed Jamal. Jawad Ahmed scored 31 and captain Mansoor Amjad got 36 but Jamal completed a five-for to keep Abbottabad favourites. Amjad shared a 41-run stand with Prince Abbas to take Sialkot to 143 for 7 but once he was dismissed it took a gutsy show from the tail to give Sialkot the win. Abbottabad will rue the 24 extras they conceded, 18 of which were byes.The match between Habib Bank Limited and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the Gaddafi Stadium swung sharply on the third day and ended with WAPDA needing 181 more runs to win with nine wickets in hand. WAPDA had started the day poised to take the first-innings lead but lost four wickets for 30 runs in the morning to concede a lead of 12 runs. Seamer Imran Khan then ripped through HBL, taking 9 for 77 to bowl them out for 178. Shan Masood’s 45 at the top of HBL’s innings had helped them get to 80 for 2 but Imran caused them to slip rapidly. That left WAPDA with a target of 191 and they lost a wicket in the five overs they had to play at the end of the third day.An interesting final day was in the offing at the National Ground in Islamabad where table-toppers Pakistan International Airlines fought back after giving away a large first-innings lead. Centuries from Faisal Iqbal and Sarfraz Ahmed lifted them to 361 in the second innings, setting State Bank of Pakistan a target of 230. PIA were in deep trouble at 144 for 5 – having just wiped out the deficit – before Iqbal and Sarfraz put on 146 for the sixth wicket to make it more of an even game. This match is particularly important as it features two teams in the top four – SBP are currently in fourth place, just four points behind PIA.A five-wicket haul from seamer Shehzad Azam helped Islamabad complete a 130-run victory over Faisalabad in a low-scoring match at the Diamond Club Ground. Despite having been bowled out for 169 on the first day, Islamabad had managed a first-innings lead and had set Faisalabad 255 to win. Faisalabad started the third day on 32 for 1 and were shot out for 124. Only five batsmen reached double figures as Azam and the other seamers ripped through the Faisalabad line-up.Rawalpindi hurtled towards defeat against Karachi Blues at National Stadium as their batting faltered for the second time in the match. Chasing a difficult 449 for victory, they had slid to 87 for 5 by stumps, having lost five wickets for 17 runs after a reasonably solid opening stand of 42. Offspinner Atif Maqbool took three wickets while Tanvir Ahmed, who played a Test for Pakistan little more than six months ago, snared two to leave Rawalpindi staring at a loss. Their efforts came after the batting, led by opener Asad Baig’s 71, posted 256 to take Karachi’s lead well past 400.In Lahore, an even match tilted in National Bank of Pakistan’s favour after Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited folded for 144 in the second innings. That put NBP in control of the game despite conceding the first-innings lead as they were left with a gettable target of 199. NBP made a strong start to the chase as well, knocking off 83 runs by stumps for the loss of one wicket. Medium-pacer Umaid Asif had earlier sliced through the ZTBL lower order to finish with five wickets, and he was assisted by fast bowler Wahab Riaz who took three wickets, including both openers. Only two of ZTBL’s batsmen made it past 15, as NBP struck regularly to gradually take control.

Irfan Pathan has said he is fit and fresh, and in line to better his performance in his debut season for India – 2003-04 – after emerging as the leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy’s Elite group so far, with 21 wickets. It’s a timely return to form with the selectors due to name Praveen Kumar’s replacement for the tour of Australia on Monday.”I feel I am one step ahead of what I wanted to be in terms of the way I am bowling,” he told ESPNcricinfo.He did not want to talk about selection but reasserted his goal. “My dream is still to play for my country, play for that jersey, play for the pride. I would do anything. I would go and bowl 100 overs if need be; I would keep performing to fulfil my goal.”Irfan’s last international match for India was during the 2009 World Twenty20; his last Test match was against South Africa in April 2008. He spent most of last season out with a severe back injury and even his IPL stock was plummeting as his bowling lost its prodigious swing.”The whole experience was enlightening,” Irfan said about his recovery from the back injury. “When you are fit you do not concentrate on yourself, you concentrate on the batsman – how to set him up, how to lure him into your trap. At least you try; it might work at times and it might not at other times. When you are not fit, when your action is not within your control; that is when the trouble starts.”The trouble, though, seems to be in the past. This Ranji season Irfan has had three five-wicket hauls – the first two, against Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, came in the second innings, but last week he overwhelmed Delhi in the first innings with both the new and old balls to pick up a seven-wicket haul.”At the moment the way the ball is leaving my hand is nearly the way I want it to leave,” Irfan said. “It is a very good sign. At the same time I have been quite lucky and quite blessed to perform well for Baroda so far. If things progress in the same fashion I really think this season is going to be even better than the 2003-04 one.” He had announced himself during India’s tour of Pakistan in March-April 2004 during which he took 12 wickets in the three Tests.In the past Irfan had said he regretted being the first-change bowler for India, as bowling with the old ball did not help him get as much swing as would have liked. Now, though, he says he has learned how to use the old ball much better. “The new ball has been wonderful, but I have a very good feel of the old ball and that is a positive sign for me. If you are getting set batsmen out with the old ball, it is most pleasing.”Irfan said the guidance of fast-bowling coach TA Sekar, who worked on Irfan’s bowling action after the 2011 IPL, has played a big role in him re-building his confidence. “He worked hard with me for a couple of months post the IPL with the idea that by the time the domestic season arrived my [tweaked] action would be second nature.”Sekar had helped Irfan in 2007 when Irfan had a disastrous year: he was sent back to India midway through the South Africa tour. He lost his confidence then but Sekar worked hard with Irfan to make sure he would not fall apart.This time the pair worked closely again with Irfan sending Sekar his match videos. Sekar even travelled to Rajkot to watch Irfan during the Syed Mushtaq Ali domestic Twenty20 tournament. “Primarily, he changed my whole body alignment going towards the target,” Irfan said. “In the past I was bowling with a mixed action but we corrected that. That has actually made my line much tighter, it has helped me keep my wrists straight and importantly allowed me to bowl where I want to bowl.”Irfan played the JP Atray tournament, the Challenger Trophy and the Syed-Mushtaq Ali Trophy to refine his action. “I knew by the time the Ranji Trophy comes I should be on top of my game, I should be match fit and I should be bowling the way I want to bowl. It was a process of two months but by the first match of the Ranji season I was on top of my game.”Irfan said he is spending less time in the gym than in previous years but “more and more” time on the ground.One of the reasons Irfan had been dropped from the India setup was that he had lost a few yards of pace. He said he is bowling at good speeds now but does not bother about what the speedometer’s readings say. “It is very important for me to have that zip off the pitch with which I can get a batsman lbw. When I lost out on a lot of things, when my action went wrong, people started talking about my pace, my wrist position, my swing. A lot of things were not going towards the target. But after the IPL if you look at my dismissals I have got them bowled, lbw, caught-behind or caught in the slips. That is a sign that I am getting the right zip from the pitch and I am bowling at the correct speeds.”I need to stop looking at the speedometer. If I can concentrate on dismissing batsmen by swinging it late, or making them play and miss, keeping them troubled with my lengths, then speed can take care of itself.”He said a good example of the way he should bowl was his performance on the first day of the match against Haryana, when he took just one wicket but kept the batsmen guessing. “I was beating the bat and I was very happy with my bowling.”

Jacques Kallis’ first double-hundred was celebrated with a golf swing, a salute to the heavens and a massive sigh of relief. It had taken him 143 Tests to reach the landmark and end speculation that he was unable to take the step into triple-figures that begin with a 2. Just 13 innings later, he achieved what had once eluded him for a decade and a half, again. This time, Kallis celebrated with a leap and swipe of the bat, a laugh and a swagger.To get a double-century once was proving a point. To get it twice was simply a cause for celebration. “They are both special,” Kallis said. “But the special part is probably getting it at Newlands, especially with the series being 1-1. It’s nice to be one of those guys who puts in a big performance.”Prior to the deciding Test, Graeme Smith described Kallis as “the most stubborn man in the world.” Smith said that although the team as a whole was hurting from the Durban defeat, Kallis was probably stung the hardest because of his poor showings with the bat in the summer so far. In four innings against Australia he scored 58 and in the previous two against Sri Lanka managed only 31 in three innings, including the first pair of his career.Kallis said the bad press didn’t bother him, especially because he “doesn’t really read newspapers.” Suggestions in the local press have been that he needs more careful management but Kallis swatted that away with disdain. “You don’t become a bad player overnight,” he said. “It’s crazy to see stuff like that getting written, that you’re old and you can’t do this or that, come on, seriously.”His problems against the short ball were of particular concern and Sri Lanka persisted in peppering him with them. He said he wasn’t too taken aback by their tactics. “That’s obviously the way they felt they could get me out early,” he said. “Maybe they read a few newspapers.” Sri Lanka could have had Kallis out for one, when he pulled Dhammika Prasad to fine leg and Chanaka Welegedara did not pick the ball up in time to take the catch.Kallis, like Sangakkara before him, made full use of his opportunity and went on to play one of his greatest innings on a batsman-friendly pitch. “If you get in, go big,” he said. “It’s nice to get in and cash in on a good deck.”Kallis did more than just cash in, as he landed in a sea full of coins, bringing up 200 in 280 balls. Although the overall team run-rate was high, Kallis said he has made a conscious effort in the last few years to be more aggressive. “I’ve scored a lot quicker in Test cricket and I’ve worked on a lot of things to make that happen,” he said “I’ve been a little bit more positive over the last four years.” He was also assisted by the rest of his line-up, which he feels is now at its most solid. “We complement each other pretty well,” he said.The best pairing of the day was between Kallis and de Villiers, who scored 193 runs between them. While Kallis grafted, de Villiers soared. “He is a special player,” Kallis said. “The best seat in the house is at the non-strikers end watching him bat. He certainly is going to be one of the greats of the game and can take the game away from the opposition.”South Africa’s massive first-innings lead has likely swung the pendulum their way and Kallis said they are confident that they have enough to close out the series. “There’s no reason why we can’t pick up 20 wickets,” Kallis said. “There is some uneven bounce and a couple of balls did turn today. Immi [Imran Tahir] has a lot of overs left for him in the next couple of days. Fortunately we’ve batted at a good rate, so we’ve given ourselves some extra time to try and bowl them out twice.”The declaration came 40 minutes before tea, which was South Africa’s way of dangling a bit of carrot at Sri Lanka. “We felt we had to go the positive way and to win the game that was the best thing to do,” Kallis said. “If you go further, the only real hope you have of winning the game is to make them follow-on.”Sri Lanka may yet have to follow-on but even if they avoid it, Kallis feels South Africa have enough in them to force a series win at home (if achieved, it will be their first series win at home since 2008). “We realised we let ourselves down in Durban and there is no way that stuff like that should happen,” he said.

ScorecardThe Duleep Trophy quarter-final in Valsad remained in the balance as neither West Zone or East Zone were able to take a grip on the game by the end of the second day. Like West Zone had relied on Suryakumar Yadav, East Zone depended on their captain Natraj Behera to ensure they were not in danger of conceding a sizeable first-innings lead.East Zone’s innings began poorly, with opener Manish Vardhan edging behind for 1, leaving the score 1 for 1. Then followed a steadying 98-run stand between Dheeraj Jadhav and Behera. Jadhav made 38 before he too was caught behind, and West Zone dismissed Ishank Jaggi for a duck soon after. Behera put on 80 more with Biplab Samantray to lift his team from 100 for 3. Samantray fell just before stumps, though, and Behera remained unbeaten on 102 as West Zone reached 183 for 4. Behera faced 246 balls and hit only 13 fours, and will want to take his team to a lead on the third day.The second day had begun with West Zone on 299 for 7 and the tail did not last long. They added 15 more and were dismissed for 314. Ashok Dinda finished with 4 for 85 and Abu Nechim took 3 for 61.

Shaminda Eranga, the fast-bowling allrounder, has been picked to replace the injured Angelo Mathews in the Sri Lanka squad currently playing in the Asia Cup.Ashantha de Mel, Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors, said that Eranga was picked because the team needed to bolster its rank of fast bowlers for the rest of the tournament. “Lasith Malinga is nursing a groin strain and he was left out of the first match against India,” De Mel said. “He will most probably play in tomorrow’s game against Pakistan, We thought Eranga, who has recovered from his shoulder injury, would be useful because he can bat as well.”Eranga made his Test debut against Australia at the SSC last year, taking 4 for 65. He has scored a first-class hundred and four half-centuries in his 41-match career. Eranga was originally named in Sri Lanka’s Test squad to play Pakistan in the UAE last year, but had to withdraw with a shoulder injury to his right arm.Apart from Mathews, who has been ruled out with a calf muscle injury, Sri Lanka have also lost the services of another fast bowling all-rounder, Thisara Perera, who picked up a back injury during the triangular one-day series in Australia that also featured India.Edited by Tariq Engineer