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ScorecardJaummu and Kashmir’s medium pacer Ram Dayal bowled an incredible spell at the start of the second day picking up Himachal Pradesh’s top-six batsmen and giving away just 14 runs. But Himachal recovered to take a narrow lead and then removed three J&K batsmen to go ahead by the end of the day.Dayal struck with the third ball of the morning, removing Aakash Chopra and from there on, continued to torment the Himachal top-order. Bowling an extended spell, he had reduced Himachal to 58 for 6 at one point. It was Dayal’s third five-for this season and it almost gave a chance to J&K to take a first-innings lead after scoring 175.But a 65-run seventh-wicket stand between Aatish Bhalaik and Karanveer Singh revived Himachal and helped them take a narrow 11-run lead and Himachal’s opening bowlers – Vikramjeet Malik and Rishi Dhawan – struck thrice in the nine overs of J&K innings to help Himachal take control.
ScorecardCenturies by VA Jagadeesh and Robert Fernandez helped Kerala to a big first-innings lead against Jharkhand in Mallappuram. The two batsmen, who were unbeaten yesterday, took the lead past 100 as Kerala looked set to post a big total. But left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem struck twice in two overs to disrupt the progress. After the 230-run second-wicket partnership, Kerala lost their last nine wickets for 95 as Nadeem took four and Samar Qadri picked up three.Still, Kerala had a 205-run lead and they made the most of the day by picking up Jharkhand’s openers before the end of play and will start tomorrow with an innings win in sight.
ScorecardA strong opening partnership between Pallavkumar Das and Sibsankar Roy led Assam’s response which has put them in a strong position to take first-innings lead. Pallavkumar was out one short of his half-century but Roy stayed unbeaten on 72 when stumps were called, with Assam 83 runs behind Andhra Pradesh’s 249.The highlight of the day was veteran Amol Muzumdar’s fourth hundred of the season – his 29th in first-class cricket. Mumzumdar, on 82 overnight, completed his century in time before he ran out of partners. Arup Das was the most successful bowler for Assam with four wickets.
ScorecardAfter losing the first day to rain, Tripura were pulled out of deep trouble, losing their top three wickets for only six runs, by their middle-order batsmen to recover to 170 for 5 at stumps. Saurabh Bandekar and Hanumant Gadekar took two wickets each as Abhijit Dey stitched two crucial partnerships with Abbas Ali (44) and skipper Ajay Ratra (37).

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Central Districts sealed their third victory of competition, and retained their place at the top of the table, beating Otago by 10 wickets in Napier. Two lower-order century stands involving Carl Cachopa, Tarun Nethula and Adam Milne helped them post 476 after they’d been in trouble, and they proved significant in the outcome. Milne turned in an all-round performance, taking five wickets to bowl out Otago for 257 in the first innings and thereby helping his team enforce the follow-on. Otago were off to a good start in the second, with their openers adding 122, but collapsed to 239 all out. Andrew Mathieson was the wrecker-in-chief, picking up a maiden five-for with his medium-pace. The target of just 21 was knocked off by the Central Districts openers.

Ten days from the first Test against South Africa, Australia’s attack is the subject of so many known unknowns and unknown unknowns that it would leave Donald Rumsfeld’s head spinning. Will the selectors choose four fast men or three and a spinner? Do they want the left-arm variety that Mitchell Starc provides? Is Starc fit enough after playing so much Twenty20? Has Ben Hilfenhaus had enough cricket lately? It seems like the only known known is that Peter Siddle will be there, ready to bowl himself into the ground.It’s a job that he’s hoping is his all summer long. While the selectors are keen for the younger fast men – Starc, Pat Cummins and James Pattinson – to rotate through the side to avoid burnout, there will be plenty of burden on Siddle. Six Tests – three against South Africa and three against Sri Lanka – are on the agenda over the next two months and Siddle, 27, wants to be part of all of them.”That’s the plan. You always want to play as many as you can,” Siddle said. “I’ve been lucky enough that the last two summers I’ve played every Test match. I’m the only one [of the bowlers] who has done that and it’s something I’ll be trying to do again. The preparation that I’ve had here, and leading into this series, is the same as what I’ve done in those years. I think it will leave me in pretty good stead to be fit and strong. As long as the form is still there.”And it will be a slimmed-down Siddle who will take on the South Africans at the Gabba, starting next Friday. When Siddle visited South Africa for a three-Test series in early 2009, one of the local papers kept referring to his “man boobs”, but they won’t have any such ammunition this time. The switch to a vegetarian diet has helped him lose five kilograms since the tour of the West Indies in April, and he looks fitter than he ever has before.He’ll need to be. The ability to bowl long spells, day in day out, has always been an attractive part of Siddle’s package. That will be even more important given the reluctance of the team management to ask too much of the younger men. Siddle might have Hilfenhaus to help him carry the workload at the Gabba, but there is also a chance he will be the sole mature body alongside Pattinson and Starc.”I’ve always been like that,” Siddle said. “That’s just me in general. I like to have the ball in my hand, I like to do anything I can for the captain and for the team. If that situation comes up and I have to bowl those long spells, I do.”There’s a lot of young blokes around the squad, some haven’t played a lot of cricket. They’re developing as well and you can tell the improvements from last summer to now, Starc, Pattinson and Cummins, just the way that they’re getting through games and pulling up, they’re improving. If I have to bowl long overs then I will.”At this stage, Siddle’s Victorian team-mate Pattinson appears the next most likely fast man to win a place in the Gabba line-up, given that he is on top of the Sheffield Shield wicket tally this summer and was Man of the Match on Test debut at the Gabba last season. Pattinson said there would be fierce competition in the nets next week among the fast bowlers, and while he would love to play all six Tests this summer he was realistic about the role workload would play in the selectors’ decisions.”It’s hard to put a cap on how many Tests I’ll be available for. Six would be really nice,” Pattinson said. “But I’m not sure which way they’re going to go. It’s going to be determined on workloads and how much we bowl in the first couple of Tests, who’s up and firing.”It’s just part of sport. The competition in the nets is extremely high. I can’t wait to get up there on Tuesday and bowl against everyone in the nets. It’s almost competition within your own team. That’s what brings out the best in your team as well, having that competition vying for spots.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSachithra Senanayake picked up 3 for 16•Ron Gaunt/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

Uthura Rudras could not recover from early setbacks and four consecutive maidens at the start of their innings, as Uva Next chased down a mediocre target with four wickets and five balls to spare. Sachithra Senanayake took three wickets for 16 after Jacob Oram and Umar Gul had gagged the top order with the new ball, and though a late surge took the Rudras towards respectability, their total was never likely to be a winning one, even if they did cause a stutter in the chase towards the finish.The Rudras were effectively derailed inside the first ten minutes of the match, as they batted out four excruciating maidens, during which they lost both openers. Imran Farhat allowed Umar Gul to zip through his defences in the second over, before Brendan Taylor ran himself out in his haste to get himself and the team under way.Oram extracted considerable movement with his back-of-a-length seamers, but he was by no means as unplayable in his first spell as figures of 3-2-2-0 suggested. Gul was menacing too, as his good length deliveries routinely nipped back towards the stumps. After three consecutive losses, the Rudras batsmen seemed entirely sapped of the courage to defy good bowling. Even the first runs, when they eventually came, were off a dropped chance at slip. Had Thilina Kandamby not attempted to intercept Jehan Mubarak’s edge, which was heading straight to first slip, the Rudras could have been 0 for 3 in the fifth over.The Rudras recovered steadily from the disastrous start, but never threatened a challenging total. Mubarak made a cautious 28 as two more wickets tumbled at the other end, before Chamara Kapugedara added a touch more substance to the total with a 15-ball 20 during the middle overs. The Rudras were in danger of being dismissed for less than 100 when Farveez Maharoof fell in the 18th over to leave his side 92 for 7, but a belligerent 30 from Janaka Gunaratne lifted them beyond 120.In reply, Dilshan Munaweera set off quickly, blasting six fours and a giant six over midwicket in his 36 and along with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who made 20, laid the foundation to what should have been a straightforward chase. Uthura, however, fought back. Madhushanka Ekanayake sent down four miserly overs of seam for 13, before Chathura Peiris followed suit, picking up two wickets for 24 from his full quota. Uva Next batted themselves into a crisis, by losing 5 wickets for 33 in the middle overs, but Shoaib Malik eventually guided the chase home alongside Senanayake, who ended the match with a six off the first ball of the last over.

Ireland captain George Dockrell blamed the batsmen for Ireland’s failure to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Under-19 World Cup. Ireland lost their first match to England by seven wickets and the next to Australia by six wickets, as the team failed to put up competitive totals – 109 and 129. Although Ireland beat Nepal in the third match by 14 runs, their batsmen failed to construct partnerships and managed 185 runs. “I think we have let ourselves down in all three games with our batting,” Dockrell said.None of the batsmen managed a half-century in any of the three group matches. Ireland’s best efforts, though, came in the field where they made it difficult for the opposition to score easily. “On a positive note, the bowling has been exceptional,” Dockrell said. “With both England and Australia, it took them about 40 overs to chase down totals of 110 and 130 which was quite a credit to our spinners, fielding and the team generally.”The bowling has been really positive but the batting lacked a bit. Hopefully, we can put that right in the Plate Championship.”Dockrell led the bowling with his left-arm spin – claiming five wickets at an economy of 1.80. He followed up his stifling spells of 10-3-22-0 and 10-6-10-1 in the first two matches with a four-wicket haul against Nepal.”It’s great to be getting four wickets and helping out the team,” he said. “My economy has been pretty good so far and that’s what I try and work on, just keeping the economy down and the wickets will come.”And if it is just 10 overs for 10 runs, even if you are not making the damage you personally want, I think you have just got to be happy with that and know that that will put pressure on.”With the team we have and the bowlers we have at the other end, I know that pressure will build up. If I’m not getting the wickets I don’t mind, as long as someone else is.”Dockrell also expressed relief on their team’s first win – against Nepal – after two successive losses. “To be able to beat them today and finish third in the group is a big thing going into the Plate Championship. It was a great relief.”

ScorecardSarah Taylor’s unbeaten half-century helped her to win Player of the Series•Getty Images

England Women completely outplayed India Women, easing to an eight-wicket win with 17 balls to spare in Chelmsford, to take the Twenty20 series 2-0. England’s wicketkeeper, Sarah Taylor, once again was key to the victory, both with bat and in the field – later, she was named Player of the Series.After winning the toss, India chose to bat, unlike in the first game. But the line-up still could not build a sizeable total. They lost Amita Sharma in the first over, and two wickets in the space of four balls not long after, left them 38 for 3 in the eighth over. Harmanpreet Kaur and Mona Meshram then got the innings back on track with a 51-run stand, only for it to fall away rapidly at the end through a clutch of run-outs. India suffered five run-outs in all, three of them off the final three balls of the innings, and finished all out on 114. Among England’s bowlers, seamer Katherine Brunt was the pick with figures of 4-1-18-3.England’s chase revolved around an unbeaten knock of 67 off 48 balls from Taylor, which included nine boundaries. She put on 85 for the third wicket with Lydia Greenway at almost eight an over, to complete India’s bashing.

For all the huffing and puffing likely to be heard over the next month about Australia’s six-deep battery of fast bowlers, the most significant strides the tourists wish to make on their ODI tour of the United Kingdom will be in a modestly-stocked batting department. The captain Michael Clarke and the coach Mickey Arthur acknowledged as much at their arrival pleasantries in Leicester, having brought a team minus Ricky Ponting (dropped) and Michael Hussey (newborn child).Instead of Ponting and Hussey, the relatively modest talents of Peter Forrest, George Bailey and Steve Smith are jostling to make the kind of impression that could see them return to England for the Ashes in 2013. Others, like the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and the opening batsman David Warner, will encounter their first serious examinations by an England side that pushed Australia to new standards of preparation and planning via their retention of the urn in 2010-11.As comfortable as the tourists are with their bowling stocks, there is equally a sense of uncertainty about the overall standard of Australian batting, which falls away dramatically among younger and mid-career players after Clarke and his vice-captain Shane Watson. Certainly there is no-one the quality of Ian Bell to come in, as he did for the prematurely retired Kevin Pietersen, should Ponting or Hussey fade between now and the Ashes. So it was understandable to hear Arthur and Clarke call for more from the younger batsmen, amongst a bevy of questions directed towards the promise of young bowlers including James Pattinson and Pat Cummins, in the absence of senior figures.”It changes the dynamics quite a bit and that is why we are looking for other players to stand up quite a bit and take over that responsibility,” Arthur said. “Michael and Ricky are not going to be around for ever so this gives the guys out here to stake their claims and an opportunity to make their mark and show us they belong. I am looking forward to seeing who stands up and takes this opportunity.”Forrest, Bailey and Smith have all shown something in their brief international forays so far, though none have the array of shots or the assured styles that have allowed Ponting and Hussey to endure. Forrest’s character is highly regarded by the Australia selectors, and Bailey is widely admired for his leadership of Tasmania. Smith, meanwhile, has hinted at more consistent run-scoring since his not-quite-convincing Ashes appearances in 2010-11. He will also have greater clarity about his role on this tour than in previous matches, in which he at times appeared to be in the team as much for his fielding as his opportunistic batting or fledgling legspin.”Fortunately for us Ricky’s still playing Test cricket and is a big part of our Test team. Fingers crossed I’m hoping next time we’ll be here for the Ashes he’ll be with us,” Clarke said. “He’s been such a great player for a long period of time, any team would miss Ricky Ponting, and we’re no different.”But as Mickey said, it’s a real good opportunity for some new young guys to grab hold of their chance with both hands. I think they did that throughout the one-day summer, once Ricky was dropped from the team we managed to go on and win that tri-series for Australia, the boys went to West Indies and did a pretty good job in tough conditions, and again it’s going to be new for a lot of players to play in English conditions.”Michael Clarke wants Australia’s young batsmen to show they can replace Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey•Getty Images

The bowlers have a chance to turn English heads also of course, with Pattinson and Cummins in particular keen to learn as much as they can about bowling in these conditions. Mitchell Johnson has returned to Australia’s squad after nine months recovering from a major foot injury, while Brett Lee continues to provide an experienced bulwark to the limited-overs attack.Neither Johnson nor Lee have terribly strong Ashes records on English shores, and the man perhaps best placed to offer wisdom to Pattinson and Cummins is Ben Hilfenhaus, after his 22 Ashes wickets across a succession of reliable spells in 2009. Clarke said awareness of the conditions was a critical element for his young fast men to grasp on this tour, and the Australia A matches that follow it.”The wickets can be quite slow over here, so it doesn’t matter how fast you bowl, if you’re not accurate, you’re not going to have success, especially in these conditions,” Clarke said. “We’ve got some good talented quicks, it’s just now about getting some cricket under their belt, getting a look at these conditions and make sure our preparation is spot on.”They [England] have got a very good attack and played four fast bowlers the other day, so I’d imagine if wickets are pretty conducive to that that they’ll probably do the same, as we might as well. We’ll have a look at how conditions are like. We’ve got six very good fast bowlers in our squad, who are all itching to get an opportunity.”Following three days of training at Grace Road, the Australians will play Leicestershire in a Thursday warm-up match before flying to Belfast for an ODI against Ireland on Saturday. The first match against England is at Lord’s on June 29.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDropped on 10, Faf du Plessis went on to top-score for Super Kings with 42•AFP

Their batsmen did not set Chepauk alight, nor did their bowlers destroy the opposition, but Chennai Super Kings fought hard on a demanding pitch to earn a victory that helped them claw back into the league’s top half. Their top-order made nugget-sized but swift contributions that ensured Super Kings reached a competitive target despite an end-over slowdown, after which their bowlers prevented Cameron White’s solitary straining at the reins from saving the night for Deccan Chargers. It was a gritty, unspectacular win, but one that ensured they did not drop points against the IPL’s bottom-placed team.The turnaround for Super Kings, however, came via a stroke of luck. White and Shikhar Dhawan had kept Chargers on course by reaching 77 for 1 in the 11th over, when White drove the ball hard at Dwayne Bravo, the bowler. The ball thudded into Bravo’s hand and deflected a long way on to the stumps, catching Dhawan backing-up much too far. There was no luck involved in Kumar Sangakkara’s dismissal, though, when Suresh Raina lunged to his right to grab a firm drive with the fingertips of his outstretched hand. Daniel Christian took time to settle in and Chargers scored only 26 between overs 11 and 15 for the loss of two wickets. They needed 59 off the final five and run scoring was significantly harder as the ball got older.Two more economical overs drove the equation up to 47 off 18 balls, when White swung Ravindra Jadeja far over long-on and long-off, and then through backward square leg, to give Chargers hope. With 27 needed off 10 deliveries, though, Jadeja’s accurate throw to Dhoni from the deep ran out White for 77, snuffing out Chargers’ last hope. Perhaps the most relieved man on the field was Albie Morkel, who had dropped White first ball.Chargers had themselves to blame for their seventh defeat in ten matches. Their fielding has been shocking through the tournament and today’s performance was typical. Amit Mishra dropped Faf du Plessis on 10; he went on to top-score for Super Kings with 42. In the final over, Ankit Sharma and Parthiv Patel failed to call for a catch off Bravo and conceded two runs off that delivery. The next ball went for six and the last two for two each. In a format of small margins, Chargers were generous once again. They could have been chasing 140 instead of 160.At one stage, however, Super Kings’ top order was building a platform for 180. M Vijay, who opened because Michael Hussey was replaced by Ben Hilfenhaus, flung his bat around before he was caught early, but there were brisk partnerships between the rest. Raina and du Plessis added 64 in 7.2 overs, the highlight being Raina, who took six balls to score, pulling and hooking Veer Pratap Singh for consecutive sixes.In the end, the acceleration did not come. After scoring at a healthy clip for the majority of their innings, and despite sending the strongest in their arsenal upfront, Super Kings did not find that end-over propulsion. In fact, they slowed down: having made 118 for 3 in 14 overs, Super Kings scored only 42 off the final six, but it was ten too many for Chargers.

ScorecardAlviro Petersen scored his first century for Essex against his old county•Getty Images

There were several sub-plots to the first day’s play in Cardiff. The first was the seasonal return of Alastair Cook for Essex. The second, the performance of England’s No. 6-in-waiting Ravi Bopara. And the third, Alviro Petersen lining up against his former county.The first two tales got no further than the opening lines. But Petersen played an innings which demanded more attention. It was an innings that should have gained him renewed respect in these parts – respect that was lost during the will-he-won’t-he affair over the winter when Petersen reneged on his agreement with Glamorgan and returned instead to international cricket, then took up a short-term overseas role with Essex.Petersen is an invaluable asset to Essex, who have a dearth of opening batsman. They were able to call on Cook to open here but his participation in Essex’s first-class season will be over after next week’s match against Kent. That Petersen is able to play the opening set of county matches finds a solution – albeit temporarily – to their troubles at the top of the order.But so far he has been not much more than a name to put on the team sheet, his contributions in the opening three games light. Here, the bit was between his teeth and he made a chanceless hundred that was fervently, but not offensively, celebrated by a packed Essex balcony. As for the spectators, most of whom had applauded him on to the field, there was no repeat of the booing that greeted Tom Maynard’s return last season.Petersen is not a memorably attractive player but his driving was a delight. A good stride down the pitch and a firm punch with a check drive bringing boundaries to the short straight fences and through extra cover on occasions too. But little did he come out to the ball on the front foot outside off stump. And only when well set did he cut – lashing a ball over point shortly before Bopara was lbw for a third-ball duck. He knew to be careful and left well.”We’ve had stop start games so it’s nice to get a full day in and I’m happy with my batting,” Petersen said. “It was a dampish wicket which did a lot, especially with the new ball and it was difficult for batters to score. We would have bowled first too.”Petersen may have endorsed Mark Wallace’s decision to insert Essex but there was nothing throughout most of the morning to suggest Wallace was correct. It took Dean Cosker’s 500th first-class wicket, finding a thin edge from Billy Godleman, and Bopara playing across the line for the scoreboard to resemble something the hosts would have been pleased with at lunch.The wicket was quite slow – a given in Cardiff and all the more so after heavy rain in days before this match – and it took the application demonstrated by Petersen and Godleman, who has a hundred to his name already this season, to make runs. The scenario was well set for Cook but he paid the penalty for pushing forward at one outside of off stump.Petersen played straight for the most part of his innings, unless he was given the chance to pull, which he did to two successive balls to take him into the 90s. A drive through the covers brought him to 99 and a quick single – another feature of his earnest innings – brought up his third century in county cricket, his first of the season, from 147 balls.He had defended Cosker – a dangerously experienced operator – playing with very light hands and worked him around, not risking sweeping. But the coup de grace of the knock was a big six into the Cathedral Road stand.He partnership with Mark Pettini, who was educated in these parts, consumed most of the afternoon session during which Wallace might have been ruing the fact he took the soft option of bowling first. But Pettini gave Waters his second wicket of three and his new-ball partner Graham Wagg – about whose work during the winter Matthew Mott, Glamorgan’s head of elite development, was complimentary – ended Petersen’s 185 minute vigil.Wagg took advantage of the second new ball after tea to rattle away the lower order – a collapse of 5 for 13. Essex declared nine down but could make no inroads in the three overs they had time to send down.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has rejected a complaint by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that the Pakistan fast bowler Aizaz Cheema deliberately collided with the batsman Mahmudullah in the final over of the Asia Cup final in Mirpur on Thursday. The ACC chief Syed Ashraful Haq said it was turned down on the grounds that the incident was not formally reported by the on-field umpires.”We had received Bangladesh’s complaint but since the incident was not reported by the on-field umpires nothing can be done,” Haq told .The BCB had said it had seen video footage of the incident and would file the complaint to the ICC as well, but Haq said there was no question of taking it further.”It could have happened then and there, but since the umpires and the match-referee did not take any action then, the matter is closed,” said Haq.”I think the Bangladesh team played so well in the whole tournament. Beating India and Sri Lanka – the World Cup 2011 finalists – was no mean achievement and although they lost the final, the Bangladesh team won millions of hearts.”The incident happened during the first ball of the 50th over, when Mahmudullah tried to come back for a second run but collided with Cheema. The rules of cricket (Law 42.5) sanction a strict penalty for the fielding team if a fielder is found by the umpire to deliberately obstruct a batsman while attempting a run. Neither batsman can be dismissed (if a run-out has taken place), five penalty runs are awarded to the batting side, the delivery will not count as one in the over, the run will count even if the batsmen haven’t crossed and the batsmen can choose which of them faces the next delivery.Whether or not there was intent behind the collision is for the umpire to determine; in this case, after the players had collided, the umpire Steve Davis was seen having a word with both players. The delivery yielded a single, and in the end, Bangladesh lost by two runs.Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran