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Oman are one step closer to replicating Afghanistan’s dramatic rise up the WCL ladder from 2008-09 after they stormed past Malaysia by 131 runs at Lugogo Stadium to top the WCL Division Three table. The result helped them secure their third consecutive promotion.Naseem Khushi was the latest player to make hay with the short boundaries at Lugogo, smashing four fours and eight sixes in an unbeaten 77 off 30 balls in a late surge that took Oman to 293 for 7, after they had been sent in. It was the third fifty of the innings and the quickest after 61 off 76 balls from Aqib Ilyas and 51 off 69 balls from captain Sultan Ahmed.Malaysia went pedal to the medal early in their chase in a desperate attempt to both win and do it fast enough to take their net run rate above Uganda and USA in order to avoid relegation. They reached 94 for 3 in 10.4 overs on the back of opener Anwar Arudin’s 33-ball fifty. His innings, however, ended when slingy fast bowler Munis Ansari had him caught behind for 57 off 35 balls at the end of the over. Malaysia subsided meekly thereafter to be bowled out for 162 in 33.1 overs.Ansari, who had struggled all tournament with just one wicket coming into the match, ended with 4 for 47 while legspinning allrounder Khawar Ali wiped out the tail to finish with 5 for 23.File photo – Rizwan Cheema’s 35-ball 42 was not enough for Canada to topple Singapore•Associated Press

Singapore completed a sweep of the North American contingent at Division Three with a two-run win over Canada at Kyambogo Oval. Canada still gained promotion despite an equal 3-2 record with Singapore thanks to a vastly superior net run rate, the tournament tiebreaker, while Singapore’s win ensured they avoided relegation.Their net run rate was worse than both USA and Uganda at 2-3, so a loss would have sent them back to Division Four but Canada collapsed with victory in sight. Chasing 167, they lost their last four wickets for 17 runs to be all out for 164 with 12 overs left unused.Singapore’s innings was anchored by Anish Paraam’s 58 off 75 balls at No. 3 after they had been sent in. But when he fell to to Bhavindu Adhihetty in the 32nd over to make it 147 for 7, Singapore’s tail lasted less than five overs, before they were wiped out by Adhihetty and Saad Bin Zafar, who finished with 3 for 10 and 2 for 39 respectively.Canada’s chase got off to a rocky start when Adhihetty fell for a duck off the third ball and they lost wickets at regular intervals thereafter. Allrounder Rizwan Cheema looked set to take Canada over the line with 42 off 35 balls, including five fours and two sixes, but he fell to Anantha Krishna with eight needed to win. The legspinner kept his composure under pressure to also dismiss Hamza Tariq and then Saad Bin Zafar with just four needed to win to put Singapore one wicket away from victory.Canada only lasted two more balls before last man Cecil Pervez was run out, going for a second run off Krishna, ensuring Singapore were spared relegation in dramatic fashion.Elmore Hutchinson’s half-century at No. 9 set up a dramatic finale at Entebbe to save USA from relegation•Peter Della Penna

USA saved their place in Division Three in similarly dramatic circumstances with a 13-run win over Uganda at Entebbe, sending the hosts back to Division Four.Set a target of 146 to win, Uganda needed to get to 141 in spite of a loss to stay above USA on net run rate. But USA’s spinners wreaked havoc on a track offering significant turn with Steven Taylor taking 5 for 32.When Taylor dismissed Frank Nsubuga for the ninth wicket in the 30th over, Uganda still needed 27 runs to overtake USA on net run rate and they nearly did it as tailender Henry Ssenyondo provided valiant support, lasting 42 balls, to captain Davis Karashani. With Taylor, Mrunal Patel (1 for 27) and Nosthush Kenjige (2 for 43) all bowled out, Taylor tossed the ball to pacer Jessy Singh for a steady diet of yorkers until one finally broke through Karashani’s defense and clipped leg stump to finish off Uganda for 132 in 43 overs.Though Taylor claimed five wickets, it was Elmore Hutchinson who took home the Man-of-the-Match honors after hitting 52 off 50 balls from No. 9. USA had been reduced to 104 for 9 in the 44th over but Hutchinson scored 39 out of the last 41 runs in a 10th wicket stand with Kenjige. The last over of the innings saw Hutchinson strike two fours and a six off Jonathan Sebanja in a back-breaking sequence that ended up being the difference in keeping USA up and sending the hosts down.Oman will play Canada in the tournament final at Lugogo on Tuesday. USA will face Singapore in the third place match at Kyambogo while Uganda and Malaysia will square off at Entebbe in the fifth place playoff on the same day.

ScorecardAlastair Cook recorded his 10th List A hundred•Getty Images

Alastair Cook served up his tenth career List A century to guide Essex to their third win in three Royal London Cup matches this season.Cook paced his innings with some devastating hooks and pulls, to go with well-judged nudges, accelerating from the halfway point to reach 127 as Essex posted a formidable 315 for 8 from their 50 overs. Although Phil Mustard and Ian Cockbain laid the platform for Gloucestershire’s reply with a third-wicket stand of 95 in 15 overs, they eventually fell 29 runs short after a late clatter of wickets.Cook’s first fifty took 65 balls, his second 20 balls less, while at the same time his boundary tally went up from three for the first to six for the second. When he was finally out, he had faced 134 balls and hit 12 fours.Cook shared partnerships of 82 with Nick Browne for the first wicket, 99 with Varun Chopra for the third and 57 in six overs with Ravi Bopara for the fourth. Bopara marked his 32nd birthday with a 23-ball 37 during which he passed 9000 career List A runs, before taking three wickets to help finish Gloucestershire off.As Essex chased late runs to pass 300, left-arm seamer Chris Liddle came back to claim three wickets in his last 20 deliveries to finish with 4 for 54.Gloucestershire’s requirement started at nearly six-and-a-half an over and had hit 10 with 10 overs to go, but Mustard (90) and Cockbain (79) traded big hits before the wicketkeeper departed after slamming seven fours and two sixes. Jack Taylor also joined the party with a six in his 25-ball 34, but it was not enough as Gloucestershire lost 4 for 29 in 5.3 overs at the death.Essex were put in and Browne took the opportunity to bat himself back into form in his 40-ball 42. The left-hander survived a sharp caught-and-bowled chance to Liam Norwell before he was the first to go as he clipped Benny Howell off his legs to Michael Klinger at midwicket.Cook settled and accumulated steadily but, the ball after he reached his half-century with another single into the covers, he lost his second partner when Tom Westley chased one outside off stump from Liddle and was caught behind for 5. Cook was dropped on 67 when he pulled Norwell to the midwicket boundary where Jack Taylor not only floored the catch but helped it over the ropes.Having moved Essex from 101 for 2 to bring up 200 with Cook, Chopra took an ill-advised run to Chris Dent at mid-on on 41 and was three yards from home when the direct throw broke the wicket. Cook and Bopara then kicked on before the younger Taylor, Matt, claimed a catch low down at deep midwicket off Tom Smith to send back the allrounder.Cook followed three runs and five balls later when he drove Liddle uppishly to Kieran Noema-Barnett at extra cover. The same Gloucestershire partnership accounted for Ashar Zaidi before Ryan ten Doeschate went lbw to Howell. Simon Harmer brought up the 300 with an extravagant reverse-sweep for four before Adam Wheater was caught behind from the final ball of the innings.The Gloucestershire openers had put on 74 in 17 overs when Harmer turned one away from Klinger and Zaidi tumbled backwards in taking the catch at short third man. The batsmen had become bogged down and Dent underlined the frustration when he tried to hit Harmer over the top and found sub fielder Callum Taylor at long-off.With the required rate rising, Mustard decided to chivvy things along and pulled Harmer for six to bring up his fifty from 63 balls. Cockbain then deposited ten Doeschate for a huge six over cow corner and Mustard hit another out of the ground at midwicket to ruin Harmer’s figures, the offspinner ending with 2 for 69.The return of Matt Quinn broke the third-wicket stand when Mustard sent a leading edge high to deep extra cover, where Cook claimed it at the second attempt. Noema-Barnett didn’t last long before holing out to Taylor on the midwicket boundary, but Cockbain kept up the tempo and reached his fifty from 51 balls.Jack Taylor and Cockbain slammed straight sixes in the 42nd over, as Wagner made a costly return that leaked 21 runs and ended with Cockbain being caught off a free hit. But after helping put on 70 in nine overs, Taylor tried to hit Quinn over wide mid-off and was pouched by Harmer.Cockbain finally departed, caught at deep cover by Cook off Bopara, who then claimed the wicket of Howell, caught at short third man by Zaidi, to finish with 3 for 34. Finally Norwell went down the wicket to Zaidi and was stumped.

Delhi Daredevils coach Rahul Dravid has said missing a batsman of Quinton de Kock’s calibre as well as the experience of JP Duminy will affect the balance and composition of the team going into tenth edition of the IPL.Duminy has cited personal reasons for pulling out while de Kock has a finger injury, sustained during the Test series against New Zealand.”It is obviously a big blow when you lose big players like JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock,” Dravid told PTI during an interaction at Delhi Daredevils’ academy ground. “If these things happen before the auction, then it is easier because you can plan better. But then this is how it goes and you cannot help it.”Dravid is banking on experienced international allrounders like New Zealand’s Corey Anderson and Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews to fill Duminy’s void but admitted that de Kock is a bigger loss, considering he was a player who could give the team momentum at the top of the order. He was also Daredevils’ top scorer during the last IPL.”We do have talented players like Sam Billings and hopefully they can go up and perform,” he said. “We have allrounders like Corey Anderson and Angelo Mathews, so we hope that these boys can stand up and perform and in some way replace JP. But yes, Quinton is a big loss because he played so many games for us and was one of our main batsmen. We had built him up for this season, but this is how life is and you cannot do much about it.”Quinton de Kock was Delhi Daredevils’ top scorer in IPL 2016 with 445 runs•BCCI

Dravid is hopeful that the core group of Indian batsmen, including Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant, will have a good season. Asked how he expects Pant’s second season to be after an impressive opening season, Dravid said: “I hope it is better than last season from our perspective. I won’t say Rishabh is our only X-factor. We have guys like Karun, Sanju, Shreyas and [Aditya] Tare.”We will also look to strategise better and give the [younger] players a good opportunity. In a format like the IPL, it is also important to rest the players and keep them fresh and we will also look at that and give it our best.”Dardevils were in contention last season for a top-four berth till the last match, in which Royal Challengers Bangalore outplayed them. Dravid is hopeful things doing better this time around.”We needed to win that one game and qualify for the knockout stages but unfortunately we did not qualify. But this time, we will look to start from where we left last season and try and improve further.”Dravid also feels that Zaheer Khan’s decision to play from IPL to IPL will not hurt the team as the former India fast bowler is an inspiration. “We have a lot of youngsters in the team and that is where we needed Zaheer, as he brings in that knowledge and sense of calm in the dressing room. You need that when you are playing a tournament like the IPL. Also a lot of the youngsters look up to Zaheer as he is an inspiration.”

While Australia are still navigating their way through a calendar that sees them start a Test in India the day after a T20 at home, South Africa have scheduling challenges of their own. They will play a warm-up match in New Zealand less than 48 hours after their final ODI against Sri Lanka at Centurion and a T20 within a week of their series win. The difference between them and Australia is that South Africa are taking the same group that was on duty at home across 11 time zones to New Zealand.”It’s not ideal. Usually we have a seven to ten day period to acclimatise,” Mohammad Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager, who is also a medical doctor, said. “We will have some tricks up our sleeve to help players deal with the jet lag.”But that was as much as Moosajee would give away about how he is planning to help the players adjust. Not even the men themselves seem to know what’s in store. “We will sleep a lot on the plane I guess,” Faf du Plessis joked. “I’m not too sure but we have an amazing team doctor, so I’m sure he has got a plan.”South Africa will play a T20 and five ODIs in New Zealand, with only one change to the squad that beat Sri Lanka 5-0, and that change is only for two matches. Cobras’ quick Dane Paterson has been included as cover for Dwaine Pretorius, who will remain at home to welcome his first child, before flying over.The T20 series, in which du Plessis will captain, will not have as much emphasis placed on it as the ODIs, which form an important part of preparations for the Champions Trophy. South Africa want to be tested, not least because Sri Lanka did not present an adequate enough challenge but they also want to banish some bad memories. The last time South Africa were in New Zealand was at the 2015 World Cup and their semi-final defeat against the hosts still stings.”We have got a bit of unfinished business there form the 2015 World Cup,” AB de Villiers, ODI captain said.While a bilateral series in no way compares to a major tournament, South Africa will use the matches as a barometer to justify their newly gained No. 1 ranking. They took the spot from Australia, who have just been beaten by New Zealand, who sit third. “Being the No. 1 team in the world, people expect you to play a certain level of cricket all the time. With what we’ve got going at the moment, I think we will thrive under that kind of pressure,” de Villiers said. “We’re very positive, we have a great culture and we go there with a lot of confidence and belief in our ability.”The same can be said of the Test outfit, who will play three matches after the limited-overs fest, by which time South Africa will definitely have adjusted to the time difference – any additions to the squad would have enough time too. South Africa will fly over a fresh attack for the three Tests but they need to hope they are all fit. Vernon Philander is nursing a slight ankle impingement and Morne Morkel, who has been out of action since the CPL in mid-2016 with a back concern, will play in domestic one-day matches to determine his availability. Duanne Olivier, who has taken over 50 wickets in this season’s first-class competition, also has a good chance of playing but du Plessis hinted they may also hang on to a few players from the one-day outfit.”The only gap available in our Test team is the third seamer. Morne is coming back. I faced him the other day in the nets and he is bowling beautifully but we’ve also got guys like Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell, who have been bowling well.”Both Morris and Parnell are part of the limited-overs’ squad that depart South Africa on Saturday. On Monday, they will be in action again. No rest.

ScorecardFile photo – Aaron Finch struck a brisk 58 to push Victoria’s lead past 200•PA Photos

Victoria wicketkeeper Sam Harper was taken to hospital with a heavy concussion after he was inadvertently struck on the helmet by the bat of Jake Lehmann on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at Adelaide Oval.Lehmann was facing the spin of Jon Holland shortly before lunch when he tried to swat a short ball to the leg side and struck Harper as his bat followed through.Harper fell to the ground and was in considerable distress as he was treated by medical staff on the field of play. An early lunch break was called after he was assisted from the field and the resumption was delayed as several players were notably upset by the sight of Harper’s struggles, included dry-retching and issues with balance.”Harper was examined at Adelaide Oval by medical staff before being transferred to hospital for further assessment and treatment,” a Cricket Victoria spokesman said. “Harper underwent scans this afternoon which have not identified any bleeding or bone damage, but he will remain in hospital overnight for observation.”Under the Sheffield Shield playing conditions, replacement players are not permitted. In the event that a player is replaced, the match risks forfeiting First-Class status. Harper has been ruled out of the remainder of the match and Victorian Seb Gotch will travel to Adelaide to act as a substitute fielder.”Harper is the second Victoria player to be ruled out with concussion in as many matches, after the debutant Will Pucovski was struck by the ball during the previous fixture against New South Wales at the MCG. Pucovski, who has a history of concussion, is yet to resume training.Victoria, meanwhile, dominated day two despite Lehmann’s innings of 92, bowling the Redbacks out for 178 in reply to 184 before the visitors built their lead in the evening session. An unbeaten 58 from Aaron Finch carried Victoria to 4 for 198 at stumps, a lead of 204.

Lauren Winfield, the England opening batsman, has cut short her holiday in Australia to replace Deandra Dottin in Brisbane Heat’s WBBL squad.Dottin, the West Indies allrounder who helped to secure the Women’s World T20 title last year, suffered multiple cheekbone fractures after an on-field collision with team-mate Laura Harris during the Heat’s match against Melbourne Stars on December 28.She remains an outside bet to return to the competition at a later date, after insisting “all is going to be fine!” in a post on Facebook.”Eye socket and eyesight is fine, jaw and teeth fine,” Dottin wrote. “I am out of hospital now, recovering before a specialist appointment with a face surgeon Thursday. At this stage it is believed I will require titanium plates to fix the issues.”Winfield, who captains Yorkshire Diamonds in the Kia Super League and can also keep wicket, had been travelling in Australia when she received the call-up.She averages 23.76 in 18 Twenty20 international matches for England, at a strike rate of 112, but shot to prominence last summer with an ODI innings of 123 from 117 balls – and an opening stand of 235 with Tammy Beaumont – against Pakistan at Worcester.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:00

Chappell: Dropped catch cost Pakistan dearly

It is hard enough for touring teams at the Gabba without providing instances of charity to the hosts. On a night when floodlights and the pink ball ushered in Brisbane’s biggest ever non-Ashes Test crowd, Pakistan allowed the throng of 26,343 to salute a century for Australia’s captain Steven Smith with a pair of contrasting reprieves.The first, in the final over before the tea break, came via an unexpectedly sharp leg break from Azhar Ali and an equally surprising fumble behind the stumps by Sarfraz Ahmed. Several hours later and Mohammad Amir fizzed the second new ball across Smith to coax the thinnest of edges. This time Sarfraz took it crisply – yet it was a nick so fine no appeal was made.The fact Amir took the second new ball at all felt almost as remarkable as his return to the Pakistan side from an infamous jail sentence. Having bowled tidily early, his right knee had plugged in the Gabba outfield and seemed to have suffered an injury akin to that inflicted on Simon Jones in 2002. Yet Amir found a way to return, in a show of resilience Pakistan must now emulate collectively in order to find a way back into this first innings.Smith’s innings was the centrepiece of Australia’s day, equal parts patient and punchy, but it would not have been possible without a pair of tremendous supporting hands from the young batsmen Matt Renshaw and Pete Handscomb. Renshaw’s discipline in early stands with David Warner and then Smith blunted the new ball in the hands of Pakistan’s pace attack and also compelled Yasir Shah to bowl a high volume of overs early in the match.While Wahab Riaz was able to find Renshaw’s outside edge before he could go on to three figures, Smith and Handscomb then fought their way through to the whole final session with hope for more runs on resumption. Handscomb did not always look comfortable but fought his way through, at the same time showing no desire to depart from the batting methods that have served him well at domestic level.Renshaw played an exemplary innings, showing his usual sound judgment around the off stump but also showing an ability to hit with power through midwicket and down the ground. In doing so he invited further comparisons with another tall Queensland opening batsman in Matthew Hayden – Australia’s selectors will dream of more such performances.There had been some swing for Amir and Rahat Ali in the early overs, but Renshaw and Warner did very well to cover any movement and also punish any errors in line or length – in Warner’s case he started by punching Rahat to the cover fence first ball. Wahab’s greater pace was unable to make much of an impression, and Misbah was left to call on Yasir as early as the 11th over of the innings.Matt Renshaw scored most of his runs through mid-on and midwicket•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Bounce was plentiful even if the Gabba pitch will likely quicken up in pace on day two, but Yasir’s early overs were characterised by a somewhat odd tactic – attacking the leg stumps of Renshaw and Warner with a 6-3 leg side field. For the most part the batsmen took advantage of this, the only semblance of a chance coming when Yasir strayed wide of the off stump and Warner edged fractionally short of slip.However Amir was brought back in the lead-up to the break and was able to pin Warner as he shuffled across the stumps to try to work the ball to the leg side. Gould’s finger was raised and Warner did not review; ball-tracking showed the ball would have clipped the outside of the leg stump.Khawaja got started with one neat leg glance, but he was soon to be on his way when he lifted a Yasir delivery on the pads directly into the midriff of Misbah. Renshaw finished the session with a boundary from Azhar, before finding more gaps when play resumed – leaping out once to flay Yasir over cover.Smith also played admirably straight, refusing to be tempted into a surfeit of deliveries angled across him by the Pakistani left-armers, and the pair were looking increasingly secure until Wahab found a modicum of away movement to coax an edge from Renshaw’s bat.Coming in at No. 5, Handscomb again demonstrated his idiosyncrasies, staying deep in his crease to the pacemen while also trying to dance down the wicket to Yasir. There were a few nervy moments for him before the break, but Smith’s passing of 50 gave the hosts some cause for optimism as the match crept into the floodlit night.Intriguingly Misbah resumed with twin spin after dinner, and Smith and Handscomb were duly able to get back into rhythm. The genuine concern for Amir left the tourists a bowler short, with Rahat also looking sluggish at various points. The second new ball brought Amir’s welcome return and the aforementioned unappealing edge from Smith, and after a protracted period in the 90s, the Australian captain was able to drive down the ground for Test hundred No. 16.Of all the surprises thrown up by the first night’s pink ball cricket in Brisbane, a wicketless final session was surely the most startling. No-one will be more grateful for that than the No. 6 Nic Maddinson, who can now look forward to batting in sunlight on day two – whenever Smith and Handscomb exit the stage that is.

Pitch prediction sometimes brings to mind the reading of palms or tea leaves.In the days before a Test, coaches and captains take familiar positions near one end of the track and stare pensively down at the clay; silently nodding or shaking heads, or murmuring softly under their breath. They drop ritualistically, to their haunches to lay hands on the surface, sometimes feeling it with closed eyes, as if searching for the pitch’s life force. Towards the end of the exercise, glances are often thrown skywards and divine guidance is sought. Occasionally, the pitch curator consulted.Members of both teams observed this tradition, at Seddon Park, on Tuesday, and if they were especially intense during the examination, it is because the Hamilton pitch has had many avatars in recent years. It bounced for Sri Lanka last December, when even a visiting seamer prospered with the short ball, and Sri Lanka’s top order treated the crowd to an unforgettable slapstick collapse. In 2013 it had sung for offspinner Sunil Narine, who took 6 for 91 in the first innings. In the two Tests before that, reverse-swing had defined the outcome. All the way back in 2010, when Australia came, pace and seam movement had proved significant.Pakistan say they are happy to play on any track, but two days out, this track is just as green as the one at Hagley Oval had been. And although it was a warm, cloudless day, Seddon Park’s curators also kept the surface covered for much of the afternoon. Much of the grass will be retained – all the better to mute Pakistan’s spinner, said New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling, who also plays on this surface for the Northern Districts domestic side.”A lot can depend on the cloud cover we get here when conditions are around,” he said. “It can swing when it’s overcast. I’m hoping it doesn’t spin too much because Yasir Shah is a world-class bowler, and we really don’t want to bring him into the game too much.”In addition to aiding swing, the cloud cover and rain expected for the first three days of the match may also prevent the track from drying out as much as Pakistan and Yasir would like. The forecast has improved through the week, however, and Watling suggested that even a little sunshine could change the pitch’s character.Todd Astle will likely lose his spot to Mitchell Santner, who has recovered from a fractured wrist•AFP

“Our pitches here can flatten out quite quickly. If it’s green on day one, I can guarantee that by the end of day two, if it stays sunny, it won’t be that green anymore.”If the pitch does turn out seam-friendly again, the visiting quicks had shown competence in such conditions – particularly on the third morning of the first Test, when the claimed six wickets for 96. Their success had largely come from bowling shorter lengths than they had initially ventured, the previous day.”Their bowlers are very good, and conditions like these can suit them,” Watling said. “They would have learned from that last match and will adjust their lengths accordingly. They would have learned a lot with the bat as well and we can expect a tougher challenge in this game.”New Zealand are likely to retain the quicks that played in Christchurch, but will likely swap Mitchell Santner for Todd Astle in the XI. Watling said the hosts’ attack is varied enough to be menacing, even if the ball does not move for as long as expected.”We know we always have Neil Wagner, who when conditions flatten out, can change a game and give you those couple of crucial wickets to bring our swing bowlers back into the game as well. We’ve got a good balance there. With Colin bowling quite a few overs for us as the allrounder, I think it really helps Kane.”

Spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and fast bowler Mohammed Shami, have been rested once again as India named an unchanged 14-man squad for the remaining two ODIs against New Zealand. The three bowlers had been left out of the squad for the first three ODIs too, keeping in mind a heavy Test schedule in the 2016-17 home season.Batsman Suresh Raina was not included in the squad because he was yet to regain full fitness after an illness. Raina had made a comeback to the ODI squad for the New Zealand series but was unable to play any of the first three games.Ashwin, Jadeja and Shami played all three Tests in India’s 3-0 sweep of New Zealand, bowling 146.3, 144 and 75.1 overs respectively. India have a five-Test series coming up against England in November and December, a one-off Test against Bangladesh, and then a four-Test series against Australia in February and March 2017.India lead the five-ODI series against New Zealand 2-1 after winning the third match in Mohali by seven wickets. The fourth game is in Ranchi on October 26.Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Umesh Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav

England 293 and 228 for 8 (Stokes 85, Bairstow 47, Shakib 5-79) lead Bangladesh 248 (Tamim 78, Mushfiqur 48, Stokes 4-26) by 273 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBen Stokes produced a day of all-round dominance to rival anything produced by an England player in the subcontinent, to drag his side – wicket by wicket, run by run – into the ascendancy in a thrilling first Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong.With four crucial wickets in a supreme display of reverse-swing bowling in Bangladesh’s first innings, followed by a technically formidable 85 from 151 balls in England’s second, Stokes twice hauled England back from the point of no return, and in so doing, sapped the spirit of a Bangladesh side that had made much of the running in the first two days of the contest.By the close, England had recovered from a ropey 64 for 5 in their second innings to reach the close on 228 for 8 – an overall lead of 273 – with Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes once again demonstrating the depth of England’s batting resources in a comfortable ninth-wicket stand. However, with the second new ball looming within four overs of the resumption, the vagaries of the pitch are sure to be revealed once again when Bangladesh’s spinners are armed with a hard new cherry, which in turn will reaffirm the magnificence of Stokes’ performance.The ball was in its 19th over when Stokes began his vigil, with men around the bat and England in some strife after the loss of four wickets for 20 runs in the space of ten overs either side of lunch. But, in a doughty display of patience and controlled aggression, Stokes demonstrated both maturity and the fruits of his own hard graft in the nets, as he played largely off the back foot to give himself time to react to whatever came his way.Aside from one early sweep for six over square leg off Taijul Islam, it wasn’t until the final session that Stokes unfurled his more belligerent strokes, as he began to warm to the lessening bite of the spinners to crunch six fours and two more sixes in a stay that spanned 46 overs. The second of his sixes, again off Taijul, was hoisted high over midwicket to bring up a 102-ball fifty.Jonny Bairstow was his principal ally in a sixth-wicket stand of 127, during which time Bairstow went past Andy Flower’s record for the most runs by a wicketkeeper in a calendar year. He finally chopped on for 47 to give Kamrul Islam Rabbi his maiden Test wicket – a rare success for Bangladesh’s seamers who contributed 11 overs all told and none before the 40th over – and Stokes followed three overs later to give Shakib Al Hasan the fourth wicket of a fighting haul of 5 for 79.However, as Stokes departed to huge acclaim from his team-mates, it was clear that he had already carried the destiny of this match beyond any reasonable doubt. Bangladesh cannot be entirely ruled out, of course, but in what is already a stiff fourth-innings requirement, it will require a performance of at least equal skill and resolve if they are to secure a win that would surely count as their greatest Test victory.To devalue Stokes’ efforts by commenting on the identity of his opponents would do a disservice to both parties. Bangladesh may have lost all eight of their previous Tests against England, but much like Sri Lanka in the early 1990s, there comes a point when past history counts for little and teams deserve to be judged on the here and now.Ben Stokes followed his wickets with a vital innings•AFP

And for two days of absorbing, and very traditional, subcontinental cricket, it had been Bangladesh putting in all of the inspirational performances – from Mehedi Hasan’s six-wicket debut, to Tamim Iqbal’s cool-headed 78. England started the third day with a lead of 73 and five Bangladesh wickets still to claim, no easy task given the listlessness of their spinners when armed with the soft old ball. It was clear that a lead of any description on this surface would be critical to either side, so Stokes made it his duty to be the man that England needed.Their day did, however, begin with a gift-wrapped opening wicket. His later wickets atoned for the misjudgement to a degree but, as their last remaining senior batsman, Shakib’s decision to gallop down the pitch to Moeen Ali’s second delivery of the morning was an aberration. He was stumped by three yards to depart for 31, and when the nightwatchman Shafiul Islam slogged an Adil Rashid legbreak to mid-on for 2, the door was flapping open for Stokes to kick through the tail.He had already made arguably the key incision of the match by extracting Mushfiqur Rahim for 48 on the second evening and, with the ball moving both ways seemingly at will, from over and round the wicket, Stokes was threatening left- and right-handers alike on both sides of the bat – as well as flush on the helmet, when he pinned the debutant Sabbir Rahman with a pinpoint bouncer. By the time he plucked out Rabbi’s off stump with a perfect inswinger, he had completed innings figures of 4 for 26 in 14 overs, including 4 for 10 in his last ten.By lunch, however, the pricelessness of England’s 45-run lead had become all too apparent, as Bangladesh’s spinners once again surged to the fore, armed with the hard new ball that seemed at times to detonate from the crumbling surface. In the space of eight deliveries, England lost both of their most acclaimed players of spin, as Alastair Cook was lured into a poke to slip off Mehedi before Joe Root – always eager to rotate the strike – dropped to one knee and was pinned lbw by Shakib. And right on the stroke of lunch, England lost their third wicket for two runs in the space of 20 balls, as Ben Duckett lobbed a simple chance off Shakib to short leg.Stokes’ appearance followed soon after the resumption when Gary Ballance, who had never looked comfortable as Bangladesh cramped his pads with a tight leg-stump line, swept firmly into Imrul Kayes’ midriff at leg slip for 9, and though Moeen survived his sixth TV referral of the match after a catch to short leg had been deflected off the fielder’s helmet, he too fell on the sweep to leave the fate of the game hanging on England’s redoubtable middle order. Not for the first time in recent months, they responded to the challenge.