Surrey 232 for 7 (Ramprakash 84, Clarke 62*) beat Gloucestershire 230 for 8 (Taylor 74) by three wickets
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Surrey, and Rikki Clarke in particular, ended Gloucestershire’s domination of the C&G Trophy by defeating the defending champions for the first time in the competition since July 2002. And it is not since 1998, when the same teams met on the same ground in the then NatWest Trophy, that Gloucestershire have suffered such an early exit.Clarke and the Surrey lower-order kept cool heads as they edged towards their target, but Gloucestershire threw away the game with three crucial errors towards the death. First, Mark Ramprakash – who batted with outstanding authority in a stand of 82 with Clarke – was missed on 74 in the 39th over. The aptly-named offspinner Martyn Ball, whose figure and action both get rounder as the seasons tick by, dived to field his own bowling when Clarke drove towards mid-on. He failed to hit the stumps from five yards out, with Ramprakash, Surrey’s captain, stranded.By then Ramprakash and Clarke had dragged Surrey back into the game. They came together at 110 for 4 after Ali Brown and Graham Thorpe had fallen; the latter to a horrendous scooped drive to cover. Though they had to endure the tight bowling of Mark Hardinges, Ramprakash and Clarke kept the scorers busy through hard running and clever placement.It was the Sri Lankan legspinner, Upul Chandana, who eventually ended the stand by clean-bowling Ramprakash but, sadly for Gloucestershire, this preceded the next vital error. The wicketkeeper Stephen Adshead, standing up to Jon Lewis, dropped a fine tickle from Clarke on 36. Clarke went on to add another 26 runs to that total, and wrapped up the match by hitting the winning boundary.The final error was the most glaring. Surrey still required seven runs from the last over when Lewis, fielding at short fine-leg, let a sweep from Clarke clean through his legs. The batsmen ran four as Lewis floundered to the boundary to make amends, but the game was up. An outfit that has been so slick and ruthless over the past six seasons in the one-day format showed some severe cracks.The game was played in front of a lively local crowd, proud of its team’s recent success in this competition. The day was bright, if cool, throughout and both teams nudged into the ascendancy for certain periods, only to relinquish the advantage with the loss of wickets or expensive overs as the game swung, twisted and turned.Gloucestershire’s captain Chris Taylor first rescued, then established, their innings with a composed 74 from 87 balls, using soft hands in defence to drop the ball in the gaps for singles and punishing any wayward deliveries with uncomplicated strokeplay. He enjoyed partnerships of 59 with Philip Weston (35) and 72 with the impressive Alex Gidman, who ended unbeaten on 58.A tight opening spell from Martin Bicknell and Tim Murtagh, extracting extra bounce and seam movement from an unusually pacy Bristol track, had put Surrey in charge. Murtagh claimed the key wicket of Craig Spearman, caught at second slip by Thorpe, and Matt Windows followed three balls later, playing on to one that bounced more than he expected as he tried to leave, and Gloucestershire had slumped to 24 for 2.Taylor’s calm head saved the Gloucestershire innings and thanks to Weston and then Gidman, they closed in on a competitive total. Nayan Doshi had Taylor stumped off a leg-side wide, and then dropped a caught-and-bowled chance from Lewis first ball, who had gone in early to boost the scoring rate. Gidman held firm, reverse-sweeping and nurdling as the lower order batsmen, Hardinges and Ball, struck cleanly and powerfully.But Murtagh and Bicknell returned to tighten the attack at the death, setting a total that was well within Surrey’s reach. Clarke’s innings and figures of 2 for 41 from 10 overs earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, but Gloucestershire’s unexpected fallibility at the sharp end of the match will haunt them.

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Mark Richardson and Lou Vincent ensured that Rahul Dravid’s first day as Test captain was an utterly forgettable one. They piled on 231 runs for the first wicket, apart from the misery for the Indians, and took New Zealand to a commanding position at the end of the first day. India’s bowlers worked hard on a wicket that kept them interested, but Richardson and Vincent were unimpeachable. From 247 for 1, New Zealand would be hard pressed to lose.The tale of two centuries was a study in contrast. Vincent was the belligerent aggressor, the often scraggly batsman who gave the bowlers a whiff of hope without relenting. Despite the two chances he gave, Richardson was composed to begin with, and blunted the bowling with patience that would have done a trappist monk proud. Vincent planted his foot down the wicket, smiled like a pirate and swept Kumble to the square-leg fence to reach his hundred. Richardson, hobbling around with acute cramps flashed Anil Kumble between the wicketkeeper and first slip to notch up his century.You can forgive Dravid for not appreciating the difference in styles of the two batsmen. The day began quite brightly after he lost the toss and was sent out to field. Zaheer Khan and L Balaji relished bowling on a wicket that aided seam bowling. There was good bounce and carry to the keeper and the ball moved laterally both in the air and off the wicket. Balaji in particular looked a different proposition altogether from the bowler he was at Ahmedabad. His propensity for slipping deliveries down the leg side was shelved and the ball moved both ways, beating the bat repeatedly.The ball doing a bit on the first morning of a Test match is nothing to get excited about though – unless you’re coming from a Test match at Ahmedabad, of course. Vincent and Richardson, used to conditions where patience is a necessity rather than a virtue, saw off the new ball with quiet confidence. Balaji will feel he had Vincent trapped plumb in front in just the second over of the day and most people, other than David Shepherd, would agree with him. Dravid will feel he has a lot to make up for when he bats, for he dropped a relatively straightforward offering from Richardson at slip in the third over. At the end of the day though, the only feeling that translated into performance was the relief Richardson and Vincent would have felt at having survived the first hour.From there on, it was a numbing experience of blunting the bowling. Richardson used his high left-elbow and soft hands, Vincent the sweep and quick shuffle of the feet. Kumble toiled manfully, sending down over after over of brisk spin. His control was excellent and the solitary wicket of Vincent was a poor return considering his 28 overs went for a mere 57 runs.It is always dangerous to sweep a spinner who sends the ball down as fast and flat as Kumble does. When you are attempting the shot to a ball on the stumps, off balance, it is lethal, as Vincent (106, 227 balls, 14 fours, 2 sixes) discovered. By then, though, India had gone wicket-less for more than two and a half sessions. The fall of Vincent’s wicket (231 for 1) ended New Zealand’s best Test partnership against India. The 231 that Vincent and Richardson added bettered the 222 that Bert Sutcliffe and John Reid put on for the third wicket at Delhi in 1955-56.Soon after, Richardson provided a moment of hilarity when he overbalanced and fell in the process of pulling a delivery. Flat on the wicket and in some pain with cramps, Richardson grimaced, but waved off the stretcher that the authorities at the Punjab Cricket Association so optimistically sent out. This man was going nowhere. Even a swarm of bees flying low into the ground did not distract him. When stumps were drawn, Richardson was unbeaten on 102 (284 balls, 14 fours) and will be back to fight another day.Anand Vasu is assistant editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India.

South Australia maintained their dominance of their ACB Cup match with Western Australia in Perth yesterday and left the home side battling to avoid the follow-on.The breakthrough for Western Australia came in the 12th over of the daywhen Shane Deitz was cleverly deceived by Michael Clark who held back on the delivery enough to have the ball played back to him and he held on with delight.Deitz had spent five hours at the crease amassing 140 runs with 16 fours and ahuge six. His defence was impenetrable, the array of his shot selectionvast. South Australia working up to an imposing first innings total of 347with six wickets gone.Together Deitz and Callum Ferguson put on 179 runs in three hours and 20 minutes to form the backbone of the South Australian firstinnings.Clark finally got some reward for his patience and diligence. Lookingmuch better from the River end as opposed to the Canning Road end where hehad bowled all throughout the previous day.John Davison didn’t last long at the crease. He became Clark’s second victim14 balls after the fall of Deitz – shaping to play toward off and beingstruck on the pad and ajudged leg before wicket. South Australia were 7/355.Ferguson hit a huge six off Karppinen when the bowler delivered the firstball of his fifth over of the day a bit short down the leg-side andFerguson pulled the ball four metres over the boundary backward of square legand it almost rolled through the door of the green keeper’s hut.Ferguson struggled a little bit through the nervous 90s but eventuallybrought up his maiden century at this level of competition after four and aquarter hours at the crease having faced 195 balls and striking theboundary 10 times while going over it once.Cleary opened the shoulders to the fourth ball of Casson’s third over ofthe day – a long hop – that Cleary dispatched with a forward pull (slog)shot that landed 10 meters over the boundary behind mid wicket.Having just posted a fifty-run partnership with Ferguson, Mark Cleary looked tobe getting on with the job of scoring when he lofted a straight drive offthe bowling of Beau Casson straight down the throat of Callum Thorp standing in off the boundary at long-off. The third wicket of the session saw South Australia eight wickets for a total of 409 runs and at that point lunch was taken at which point South Australia declared their innings.Seventeen-year-old Callum Ferguson remained unbeaten on 108, a much bettershowing than his pair in grade cricket for Prospect the weekend before.Neither Thorp (one for 49) nor Michael Thistle (one for 52) were bowled today. Casson (one for 60) and Clark (two for 63) were rewarded at last. Despite spells of fiery quick bowling, Stuart Karppinen (one for 77) and Andrew James (two for 96) were unable to add more scalps.Craig Simmons and Brett Jones opened the batting for Western Australia. TheSouth Australian attack was led by Mark Harrity from the Canning Road end andTrent Kelly at the River end.With a half-hearted push at the ball outside off from Kelly, Craig Simmons13 (20) feathered an edge through to Deitz who took it well down. WesternAustralia’s first wicket fell after 22 minutes had elapsed in the inningsand with 19 runs on the scoreboard.Brett Jones pulled a short ball on the line of leg stump from the third ballof Trent Kelly’s sixth over (the first of a new spell) for six that travelledover the boundary behind backward square leg.Geoff Cullen 13 (38) went to drive at Kelly but instead he edged into thegully where Cosgrove took a safe catch and the second wicket for WesternAustralia fell with the score on 63 in the 19th over.The aggressive innings of Brett Jones was tragically ended on 49 (67), whenbacking up at the non-striker’s end. He was out of his crease after adelivery from Harrity was driven by the striker Shaun Marsh, back at the bowler,who deflected the ball with his left foot into the non-striker’s stumps.Western Australia had 86 on the board but with three wickets down.At the tea-break, the score was 97/3 after 30 overs with Shaun Marsh 16 (42) and Adam Voges one (16). Kelly was the only successful bowler of five bowlers used by SouthAustralia.Cutting Davison toward backward point, Voges six (43) nicked the ball into Deitz’s gloves. Western Australia were in trouble at 4/118.Davison grabbed his second wicket when he had Casson trapped in front andleg before wicket after he had scored only five (29). At 5/121 Western Australia were under serious threat of having to follow on if the wicket of either Marsh or Luke Ronchi (the last of the recognised batsmen) were to beremoved.With trademark aggression, Ronchi set about hitting the ball hither andthither making the bowling look ordinary. Then with the last ball of hisfirst over Jamie Marsh delivered arguably the only poor ball of his overand was delighted to see it hit down the throat of Davison just back of midon. Western Australia had lost all hope with 166 on the board and only fourwickets remaining.With only his second ball faced, the WA captain Karppinen hit JamieMarsh out of the ground over the long on sending the ball crashing into thesecond story of the Melville CC pavillion scoring a six – his first scoringshot.His third, off the 12th ball he faced and the last ball of Marsh’s third over disappeared straight back over the bowler’s head, over the sight screen and into the pavilion car park, again scoring six behind long on, bringing wows and applause from the small crowd gathered.With his fourth scoring shot and the 14th ball faced, Karpinnensent the second ball of Marsh’s fourth over into the wall of the players’rooms at the side of the pavilion again scoring six over long on.Dancing down the pitch in an attempt to put the second ball he facedfrom Davison into the river behind the bowler, Karppinen missed and wasstumped. His entertaining knock contained the three sixes, a two and asingle for the total of 21 (17). Western Australia had slumped to 7/189 in the 64th over with stumps looming.At stumps Western Australia Marsh was unbeaten on 64 (156) and lookingvery solid. Callum Thorp, newly-arrived, was on two (5). The WA first inningstotal was 7/202.For South Australia, Davison was the best of the bowlers with 10 maidensduring his 21 overs gathering three wickets for 30 runs. Kelly bowled fromboth ends taking two wickets for 65 from 15 overs, Mark Harrity, Cleary, Wes Thomas and Marsh all bowled without success.The tail-end will have to wag for Western Australia to survive thefollow-on target of 259. But with a night’s rest and a new ball due just 14overs away, South Australia should easily achieve this mission. The mettleof the Western Warriors youngsters is sure to be tested.

Opener Trevor Gripper hit a century and Grant Flower scored an unbeaten half-century as Mashonaland launched a resilient comeback on the second day of their Logan Cup inter-provincial cricket tournament against Matabeleland at Queens Sports Club on Saturday.Gripper scored 104 with Flower 89 not out as Mashonaland, in reply to Matabeleland’s first-innings score of 411, closed the day on 335 for the loss of four wickets. The two were complemented by Dion Ebrahim and captain Tatenda Taibu who scored half-centuries each.Earlier in the morning, Matabeleland could only add 21 runs to their overnight score of 391 for six wickets. Mluleki Nkala, yet to open his account, was back in the pavilion in the first over of the day, when he nicked a Douglas Hondo delivery to be caught behind by Tatenda Taibu. Hondo took another wicket in the same over, trapping left-handed Keith Dabengwa lbw for a duck.Barney Rogers added ten runs to his overnight score of 133 before he was dismissed by Hondo when he played a powerful square drive off the pace bowler. Grant Flower tried to get his hands on it and the ball slipped through but Dion Ebrahim was there to take the catch to get rid of Rogers for 143.Last man in Jordane Nicolle did not last either, falling to Trevor Gripper when he skied a delivery from the spinner, which presented Elton Chigumbura, fielding at silly mid-on, with an easy catch and Nicolle was out for a duck. Wisdom Siziba was left unbeaten with 12 runs as Matabeleland were shot out for 411 from 104 overs.Hondo was the pick of the Mashonaland bowlers with a haul of four wickets at the cost of 94 runs from 27 overs, with four maidens. Waddington Mwayenga, Amos Maungwa, Craig Evans and Trevor Gripper grabbed one wicket apiece.In reply, Mashonaland opened with Stuart Carlisle and Trevor Gripper, with skipper Heath Streak and Mluleki Nkala taking the new ball for Matabeleland. At first they wasted it with inaccurate bowling.The Mashonaland opening partnership yielded only 36 runs when Heath Streak clean bowled Carlisle for nine runs, with the ball hitting the off stump and breaking it in the process.Dion Ebrahim joined Gripper and the score started ticking along as the twotook advantage of some loose bowling from Nkala, while Streak kept it tight on the other end. The Matabeleland skipper proved inexpensive, despite spraying the balls all over the show like confetti at a party.Gripper went on to get his half-century from 51 balls after staying at the crease for 87 minutes and dispatching ten fours in the process. The tall opener reached his century after 181 minutes at the crease, facing 119 balls and scoring 18 fours. However he could add only four runs to his ton as he was dismissed by left arm spinner Keith Dabengwa, caught at first slip by Mark Vermeulen for 104, which came off 122 balls.Grant Flower joined Ebrahim as the bid to avoid a follow-on continued and the two put on 23 for the third wicket before Ebrahim was run out for 59 attempting a quick single. Ebrahim called but Flower remained rooted to his crease with Ebrahim already half-way down the track. Streak threw the ball in for wicketkeeper Wisdom Siziba to finish off the run out before Ebrahim could make his ground.Skipper Tatenda Taibu joined Flower and the two restored the Mashonaland innings, putting on 189 runs for the fourth wicket, which is the highest partnership so far in the match. Flower reached the half-century mark after facing o 60 balls with six fours and two sixes in 66 minutes. Taibu achieved the same feat after 119 minutes at the crease, facing 114 balls and smashing six fours and a six.Streak grabbed his second wicket when he had Taibu given out leg before wicket for 65. The Matabeleland skipper was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets, conceding 47 runs with five maidens from 16 overs.

With the Test top order faltering, the Australian batsmen in the county ranks sent a host of reminders to the selectors during a round of big scoring in the County Championship. The Hussey brothers led the charge at Nottingham and Chester-le-Street with a double-century for David and a hundred and a half-century for Michael.David Hussey, the younger sibling, hit a career-best 232 to jump to third in the averages – his mark is the best of players with more than three games – with 1062 runs at 75.85 as Nottinghamshire thrashed Warwickshire by an innings and 151 runs on Tuesday. Hussey launched Notts’ 514 at Trent Bridge with a display of 22 fours and six sixes that was easily the highlight of a prolific season already including a century and seven fifties.Dropped by Victoria last summer, Hussey has hit back strongly in England and is one of the reasons his side hold a single-point advantage over Kent at the top of the Division One. However, he picked up only 9 in the wet draw against Middlesex at Trent Bridge, which finished on Saturday, and will be happy for a rest after back-to-back matches.Playing at Durham, Michael Hussey may be in a different class of competition, but he has been in equally good form and his side is also top of the table. In nine matches, three fewer than his brother, Hussey has 982 runs at an eerily similar average of 75.53. His haul was boosted by a first-innings 146 in the rain-affected draw against Leicestershire and another 61 in the second. Mick Lewis grabbed three wickets as Durham gave up a 128-run first-innings deficit.Andy Bichel’s blazing batting continued with 87 from No. 9 in the first innings of Hampshire’s tight Division One draw with Kent at Southampton. After making a century in the last match, Bichel swiped nine fours and two sixes in his 90-ball innings, and added seven wickets for the game. He was dismissed for 2 as Hampshire finished at 8 for 241 chasing 307. It was a quieter match for Shane Watson, who added 16 and 30 to two second-innings victims, and Hampshire are now third.Phil Jaques’s summer of plunder showed no signs of stopping with 106 in Yorkshire’s rainy Division Two draw with Somerset at Taunton. But Jaques was overshadowed by Somerset’s Matthew Wood, who made 297 in a total of 581. In the second innings Jaques reached only 14, which was his lowest score in 10 innings, but Yorkshire are still second in the push for promotion.At Northampton, Martin Love followed an opening 2 with 177 as Northamptonshire swept past Derbyshire by 182 runs. Forty-five behind Jaques, the division’s leading scorer, on 1114 runs, Love picked up his fourth hundred of the season while Damien Wright scored 22 and 43 and delivered three wickets. The horrible run for Derbyshire, who are 40 points adrift of the field, gathered another loss as Jon Moss struggled for 0 and 6 and Michael Di Venuto picked up 43 and 47. However, Di Venuto scored 129 from 131 balls the next day to set up a three-run win over the leaders Sussex in the National League Division Two.

Sridharan Sriram has been picked in the Indian squad that will take on Pakistan at Kolkata in the one-off one-day international being held to celebrate the BCCI’s Platinum Jubilee. He is the only change from the Indian squad that represented India in the Champions Trophy in England, replacing Rohan Gavaskar.Sourav Ganguly has been named the captain of the side, but that is subject to his passing a fitness test, which will be held in Kolkata on November 10. According to reports, though, he has already informed the board that he is fit.Irfan Pathan, another player who missed the last two Tests against Australia for fitness reasons, will be playing a couple of local one-dayers in Baroda to assess his fitness.Meanwhile, the Indian selectors have have also announced the Board President’s XI squad that will take on South Africa in their first tour game, beginning on November 14. Both Gautam Gambhir and Dheeraj Jadhav, the two openers recently picked in the Indian Test squad, have been included, as has Sadagopan Ramesh, the Test discard. MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik’s main competitor for a place in the Test side, will be the wicketkeeper.Sairaj Bahutule will captain the side, and the squad also included India discards Hemang Badani, Dinesh Mongia, Ramesh Powar and Amit Bhandari. The talented batsman from Andhra Pradesh, Venugopal Rao, has also been picked.India squad Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly (capt), VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Mohammad Kaif, Ashish Nehra, Sridharan Sriram.Board President’s XI Gautam Gambhir, Dheeraj Jadhav, Sadagoppan Ramesh, Hemang Badani, Venugopal Rao, Dinesh Mongia, Sairaj Bahutule (capt),Ramesh Powar, Shib Shankar Paul, Amit Bhandari, MS Dhoni (wk), Suresh Raina, Avishkar Salvi, Joginder Sharma.

The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has summoned Harbhajan Singh, the Indian offspinner, for a hearing on Thursday following his outburst against Greg Chappell, India’s coach.This came in the wake of Harbhajan’s statement where he backed Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain, crediting him for the success of the team while accusing Chappell of creating “fear and insecurity” among the players.”Harbhajan Singh rang me up after this thing came in the media,” MP Pandove, the PCA secretary, told PTI. “We have asked him to come and meet us to give his version of what has been coming in the media.”He said Harbhajan has been called on Thursday, when the PCA’s Administrative Committee is to meet to review arrangements for the forthcoming Challenger Trophy, starting on October 10.Asked what Harbhajan had to say when he called up, Pandove said, “he told me that he will present his side when he meets us”. On whether Harbhajan had confirmed he would appear before the committee on Thursday, Pandove said, “we will like him to come on that date. Harbhajan is registered with PCA and is a part of the Indian team. The Administrative Committee has taken note of and considered the statements made by him. Only after talking to him, we would be able to put things in right perspective.”

The renewal of contracts for Indian cricketers will be delayed till at least early next month, a top source in the Indian board said on Tuesday.With many of the top players unavailable for the October 19-21 preparatory camp ahead of the one-day home series against Sri Lanka, the committee formed by the Board of Control for Cricket in india (BCCI) to review last year’s contracts finds itself in a dilemma. According to earlier plans, Goutam Dasgupta, the BCCI joint secretary, and Ratnakar Shetty, the executive secretary-in-charge, were scheduled to submit a report to the board on the contracts for the 2005-06 season after holding meetings with players’ representatives on October 19.Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, who is yet to return from Australia, the injured Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly and V V S Laxman — who has been dropped — would not be in the camp.”So, we have decided not to rush things. We will hold discussions with the cricketers midway into the series, that is early next month,” the source revealed to PTI. Last season, 17 players were given contracts by the board after dividing the lot into three groups, with their annual retainership pegged at Rs. 50 lakh, Rs. 35 lakh and Rs. 20 lakh per player respectively depending upon which grade they belonged to.But with the review panel not having the jurisdiction to decide on the promotion or demotion of a player from one grade to the other, the BCCI would have to form another committee to finalise the individual contracts after the three-member panel places its report. The new committee would comprise the board president, secretary (also its convener), team coach and selection committee chairman.”But the players have nothing to worry. Irrespective of when the new contracts are signed, they will be given retrospective effect from October 1,” the source addded.The BCCI is mulling over changes in the new players’ contracts to include clear-cut provisions on the amount payable to cricketers who sit out with injuries. Several other grey areas in the previous contract would also be discussed thoroughly with players’ representatives before the fresh contract takes shape.Last season player contract detailsGroup A:
Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh.
Group B:
Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Lakshmipathy Balaji.
Group C:
Parthiv Patel, Aakash Chopra, Murali Kartik.

Marvan AtapattuOn the composition of his team
We haven’t thought of any changes. It is unlikely that we will make any changes to the side that won us the last game.On the win at Ahmedabad and the aims for the last two games
It was a good win and more than anything else it showed the character of the side. To chase 285, despite losing early wickets was a good effort. We are going to take the next two games very seriously and would like to end the tour on a high. It would be ideal if we can end with 3-4 but we must remember we are up against a team who are playing very well at the moment in conditions familiar to them.On whether wins here would help them in the Test series in December
A Test match is a different ball game. What we learn from a one-dayer and what we learn from a Test is completely different. We plan differently for Tests and differently for ODIs. It will be another challenge and we need to prepare for it accordingly.On his batting form
I was batting well in Ahmedabad but I would have liked to have seen the team through. I was unhappy with my dismissal but I thought [Tillakaratne] Dilshan and [Russel] Arnold did a tremendous job of seeing us through. Obviously there is scope for improvement with our batting.On Sanath Jayasuriya’s poor run
He has a fantastic reputation and we all know he can win matches single-handedly. It’s our responsibility to keep him going and support him during this time. When he gets runs, Sri Lanka usually win 75% of the matches. I also think the Indians have bowled well to him on these flat wickets.On his side’s fieldingThere’s been a clear difference in fielding between the two sides. We have had quite a few lapses. The Indians have out-fielded us.Harbhajan SinghOn whether there was any pressure on him to perform
There was no such pressure. It was just a matter of working hard and getting back one’s rhythm. I bowled well in the Challenger Trophy and tried out different angles and different deliveries. I was looking forward to this series and I’m happy I have done well so far.On whether the early breakthroughs have helped him
Definitely. When you take a wicket in your first two or three overs, it builds your confidence.On his strategy of coming around the wicket
It’s all a part of planning for a particular batsman. It has worked when I have bowled round the wicket to the left-handers but if required I will bowl that way to the right-handers also.Mohammad KaifOn his return to the side
I’m looking forward to it. I felt fine while playing in the Duleep Trophy game at Aurangabad. I got a fifty in the first innings and was hitting the ball well.On the team’s success
We’ve started well. There are some fresh guys and the Dravid-Chappell combination is working well. There is healthy competition in the side. It’s important we carry on and get the job done.On the team experimenting
We’re trying out different combinations. Sri Lanka is a good side and it will give the youngsters an ideal chance to test themselves out.

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Sachin Rana’s brilliant maiden first-class hundred, from the No.9 spot, completely overshadowed the good work put in by Baroda’s bowlers earlier in the day as Haryana bounced back from a dismal 159 for 9 to finish on 260 at Sirsa. Playing in just his seventh first-class game, Rana pulled Haryana out of a deep hole in a classic rearguard action with Gaurav Vashisht – who also deserves special mention – adding 101 for the last wicket.Earlier, Zaheer Khan and Rakesh Patel, Baroda’s opening bowlers, took three wickets apiece to cap a convincing performance that completely nullified the cream of Haryana’s batting. In Rana, however, they ran into an obstacle who was unwilling to succumb; he managed as many boundaries (13 fours and a six) as the rest of the 10 batsmen. His defiant knock apart, it was a virtual no-show from Haryana’s batting stars. To show that his prime task was to open the bowling, Rana proceeded to send down a wicket-maiden over in his only opportunity before stumps to leave Baroda 6 for 1.
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Shib Paul struck twice for Bengal to leave Mumbai 50 for 2 at stumps at the Wankhede Stadium, but nothing could be taken away from the home side’s clinical bowling performance earlier in the day as a career-best haul from Swapnil Hazare, the medium pacer, dismissed Bengal for 171. Usman Malvi, the opening bowler, chipped in with three wickets as the tourists failed to come to terms with Mumbai’s pace brigade. Only Saurashish Lahiri, sent in to bat at No. 3, put up a semblance of a fight.
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Just 5.5 overs were managed at Chennai today as rains marred the first day’s play between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Sivaramakrishnan Vidyut, the left-handed opener, hit three quick fours to get Tamil Nadu off to a good start before rain and bad light forced both teams to call it a day well before the scheduled time of stumps.
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Fine bowling from Mukund Parmar, the left-arm spinner, helped dismantle a strong Railways batting lineup for 188 on a day one turner at Delhi. Sanjay Bangar, the Railways captain, had said before the match that he expected the surface to provide opportunities to both teams to come good. It was to Bangar’s detriment that Parmar found assistance from the wicket to put Railways’ middle order in a complete spin. For his part, though, Bangar (39) featured in a fine 83-run partnership for the second wicket with G Shankar Rao, the one bright spot in an otherwise dismal batting performance.
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A battling fifty from Sairaj Bahutule and a late order cameo from Munaf Patel, the fast bowler, saw their side to 183 for 7 on day one against hosts Delhi. Delhi’s bowlers had done well to leave Maharashtra’s top order in disarray before Bahutule and Patel – who clubbed three sixes – combined for an 80-run stand for the seventh wicket. Maharashtra will undoubtedly look to Bahutule to guide them to a more imposing total on the second day’s play.
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Fine bowling from Gagandeep Singh and Hardevinder Sandhu, Punjab’s opening bowlers, restricted Hyderabad to 200 on the opening day of their Elite Group B match at Chandigarh, but the tourists fought back to leave Punjab 83 for 3 at stumps. Gagandeep had struck crucial blows throughout the first two sessions of play to stifle any signs of a worthy partnership, and was ably backed by Sandhu. Kaushik Reddy, with an unbeaten 51 from the No.10 spot, was the lone aggressor in an otherwise meek batting display from the tourists.
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A defiant fifty from Yashpal Singh, the middle-order batsman, took Services to 207 for 5 at stumps on day one against Uttar Pradesh at Lucknow. Sumit Tomar and Jasvir Singh also looked good for bigger innings, but Piyush Chawla, the legspinner, bagged three middle-order wickets to sustain Services’ post-lunch aggression. Sensing the need Sarabjit Singh, the Services’ wicketkeeper, and AK Mohanty batted in a stoic manner to play out the remaining fifteen overs before the close of play.