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Openers Ruvindu Gunasekera and Terryn Fray stroked centuries of contrasting styles and offspinner Pratik Patel captured a remarkable 7 for 3 as Canada and Bermuda maintained their winning streak in the five-team round-robin Americas Under-19 World Cup qualifier in Toronto.Gunasekera hit a 107-ball 155, punctuated with 25 boundaries, and Patel recorded figures of 5-2-3-7 to play pivotal roles in Canada’s 343-run victory over the Bahamas. Fray scored a watchful 144-ball 119, which included six boundaries to inspire Bermuda to a 230-run win over Argentina.It was Bermuda’s third successive victory while for Canada it was their second from as many games. As things are shaping up in this event, it appears that the winner of the Bermuda and Canada match on Saturday will decide who joins the ICC’s 10 Full Members, hosts Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Ireland at the 16-team U-19 World Cup in Malaysia next February.In the Canada-Bahamas match, Gunasekara was in a punishing mood as he completely dominated an inexperienced Bahamas bowling attack by making the ball disappear to different parts of the ground at regular intervals. His stroke selection was immaculate as he successfully pierced the field to score most of his runs in boundaries.Gunasekara was involved in a 182-run fourth-wicket partnership with Pratik Patel to lay the platform for a huge score of 423 in 49.4 overs after Canada, put into bat, were reduced to 92 for 3. Patel scored 75 from 68 balls with three fours and a six.

Kevin James provided further impetus to Canada’s run riot as he struck nine boundaries in his 30-ball 57. Hasan Raza Zaidi (33) and Rustum Bhatti (28) also scored at more than a run-a-ball to make sure the Bahamas were batted out of the match.Bahamas, in their chase, made a positive start when they reached 70 without loss but the introduction of offspinner Pratik Patel sent them crashing for 80. Patel returned his outstanding figures, but couldn’t beat Gunasekara to the Man-of-the-Match award.Elsewhere, Terryn Fray batted with concentration and application to propel Bermuda to 326 for 6 in 50 overs. He featured in two fruitful partnerships. For the third wicket, he added 76 runs with Malachi Jones who contributed a 24-ball 44 with six fours and two sixes then added 69 for the fourth with Marcio Bassett (26).Argentina were bowled out for 96 with only Pedro Bruno (29) and Horacio Esperon (13) reaching double figures. For Bermuda, the seam-bowling duo of Stefan Kelly (4 for 26) and Greg Maybury (4 for 19) shared the honours. After Thursday’s rest day, Canada meet Cayman Islands and Argentina face Bahamas on Friday.

Nicky Boje, who announced his retirement from international cricketearlier in the week, has slammed South Africa’s selection policies, andexpressed fears that there could be something of an exodus once the WorldCup squad is named early in 2007.”Enough is enough,” he said in an interview with , anAfrikaans Sunday paper. “I’m fed up with reading in newspapers and hearingon a daily basis that I am not good enough, that I am not Warne or Murali.They are good, but take them out of the picture and see what world cricketis left with.”Boje was named in the Test squad for the series against India, but it’sthought that comments made by Haroon Lorgat, convener of the selectionpanel, triggered his decision to retire. “The time comes when you have toask yourself where you are going and where your loyalties lie,” said Boje.”And mine are not with the Proteas anymore. The last straw was Lorgat’scomment that apart from our spinners, our bowling attack is on par withAustralia. There was a long build-up to my retirement, but it was still adifficult decision as I feel I still have a lot to offer the country.”Boje’s relationship with Graeme Smith, captain since 2003, has frequentlybeen an uneasy one, and it was noted in many quarters that he communicatedhis decision to retire to Tony Irish, of the players’ union, and GeraldMajola, Cricket South Africa’s chief executive. Lorgat and Mickey Arthur,the coach, were not initially informed. “Haroon did try to phone me,” saysBoje, “but unfortunately I missed the call.”Lorgat’s unflattering comments about South African slow bowlers had comeafter a shock recall for Paul Adams, and Boje admitted that it was adecision that did little for the morale of other spinners in the country.”We have got spinners that can do a good job for SA,” he said. “ClaudeHenderson, Con de Lange, Paul Harris and Johan Botha have got thepotential to do well. Thandi Tshabalala is still young, but with the rightleadership, he can become a factor. He just needs to know he’s got theselectors’ backing.”It’s funny that they say we don’t have spinners of quality in thecountry, but yet the spinners are the leading wicket-takers in domesticcricket. I will share my experience with the young spinners in thecountry, but for now I’m focusing all my attention on the Eagles. They,after all, pay my salary.”Boje clearly feels that he never had the support from those that matter.”They treated me poorly,” he says frankly, and another player quoted inthe article also spoke of poor channels of communication between theselection panel and the players. “You never know what is expected of youor what your role should be,” said the player, name withheld by request.”And you never know for sure that, despite a good performance, you willplay in the next match.”With the so-called quota system the source of considerable disquiet -Kevin Pietersen weighs in with a comment every other week, or so it seems- Boje fears that things will only get worse. “I feel sorry for [someonelike] Boeta Dippenaar,” he said. “It can happen that some players decideto play overseas once the World Cup squad is selected, and they’re not init. With this uncertainty about their places, I get the idea that someplayers only play for themselves. That’s not healthy for cricket in SouthAfrica.”

The young Zimbabwe cricketers, fresh from a seven-match ODI series against West Indies in which they ended at the wrong end of a 5-0 result, now turn their attention to a tri-nation series featuring associate ICC members Canada and Bermuda.Today, Zimbabwe will welcome a change of pace when they square off against Canada at the Queen’s Park Oval, two days after a 104-run defeat at the hands of the regional team.Given the fact they have shown flashes of brilliance over the past two weeks – albeit each time in losing causes – coupled with the fact that this will be Canada’s first outing at this level since 2003, the Zimbabweans should be the favourites in this encounter.They have shown their positivity in attacking the ball in the field and some of their batsmen have demonstrated intelligent capability. They also have good potential in the bowling department that can only flourish with experience.Canada have an older squad, including four of their players from the 2003 World Cup in South Africa – John Davison, their captain, Desmond Chumney, Ashish Bagai and Sanjayan Thuraisingam.Davison also holds the record for the fastest World Cup ton, against the West Indies in 2003 at Centurion, where he blazed 111, reaching his hundred off just 67 balls.The other team in the competition, Bermuda, coached by former West Indies batsman Gus Logie, will be without Clay Smith, their captain, who is still recovering from a long-term knee injury, and will be lead by Janeiro Tucker.The competition is part of the ICC programme to step up the level of play for the six ICC associate members ahead of next year’s World Cup in the West Indies. The other four – Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland, are expected to play at least 64 ODIs before March, (some have already been played), including fixtures against full member countries.Officiating over the series will be ICC Umpire of the Year, Australian Simon Taufel, along with Roger Dill, who will become the first associate and affiliate panel umpire to stand in an ODI.

Delhi Daredevils conceded 15 runs off the final over in their last-ball defeat to the Chennai Super Kings, but instead of faulting Shoaib Malik, the bowler, his captain Virender Sehwag blamed the defeat on the lack of a specialist spinner in the side.Sehwag said it was a choice between him and Malik for the final over. “I consulted my team-mates and they said either me or Malik should bowl [the last over]. I thought he would do a better job than me, so I gave it to him,” Sehwag said. “Such things happen in Twenty20, sometimes you are hit and sometimes you are not.” .Delhi had posted a formidable 187, but Sehwag felt they lost the plot in the end stages of the match. “187 is not a small score. [Gautam] Gambhir and [Shikhar] Dhawan batted superbly and then [Vijaykumar] Yo Mahesh and Pradeep Sangwan did their job while bowling. Everything was going to our plan till the 15th over [of Chennai’s innings]. At the end we lost at the last over.”If we had a specialist fifth bowler, we would have saved 30-40 runs, we missed a fifth bowler,” Sehwag said. Together he and Malik gave away 58 runs off their four overs, and Sehwag suggested a change for the next game. “We are including a specialist spinner in the next match.”That means legspinner Amit Mishra might get a game, as Daniel Vettori is away on New Zealand duty. Following the match, Delhi were fourth in the points table, but Sehwag wasn’t too perturbed. “We lost a match today but it happens in cricket we will bounce back,” he said. “Our top order was batting beautifully and bowlers bowled well, it so happened that we lost in the last over.”

Elite Group Points Table
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Shankara Rao, the left-arm spinner, picked up career-best figures to pummel Gujarat on the final day in Delhi, giving Railways an emphatic 193-run victory. Gujarat, 57 for 2 overnight, lost Niraj Patel on the fifth ball of the morning with Rao snapping up the return chance off his own bowling. From this point on, Rao spun a web around Gujarat’s batsmen and barring a defiant 48 from Parthiv Patel it turned out to be a shambolic performance overall. With just two points from three games, Gujarat have an ardous road ahead if they harbour thoughts of a semi-final berth. The win, though, came as a welcome relief for Railways after two disappointing outings in the opening two rounds.
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Gagandeep Singh’s five-wicket haul enabled Punjab to complete a thumping innings-and-151-run win on the final morning at Mohali, with Hyderabad collapsing for 199 in their second innings. Ibrahim Khaleel, Hyderabad’s wicketkeeper, had batted exceptionally well to delay the inevitable, scorching 102 off just 119, but Gagandeep had the final say, snapping up three wickets in the morning to make it nine in the match. Punjab picked up a bonus point to put them level with Baroda at the top of the Group B points table.
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Haryana’s middle order finally made an appearance in their match against Baroda at Sirsa – Siddharth Verma, Pardeep Sahu and Mahesh Rawat all hitting crucial fifties to complement Sachin Rana’s efforts – but the match meandered to a draw even as the home side totaled a mammoth 451. The focus of the morning session had been on Rana, who looked good for his second hundred of the match – and his career – but he fell agonisingly short, nicking one from Zaheer Khan when on 99. His dismissal capped a fine 156-run partnership with Verma, who batted 299 minutes for his 66, but thereafter Rawat and Sahu added a further 135 to further frustrate Baroda. In the end, Baroda took two points owing to their first-innings lead, giving them top honours with Punjab atop the points table.
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Jasvir Singh’s dogged fifty helped Services secure a draw against Uttar Pradesh at Lucknow, finishing on 161 for 6 despite testing spells from the spin duo of Piyush Chawla and Avinash Yadav. Earlier, a brilliant 102-run stand for the final wicket between Gyanendra Pandey, the captain, and Ashish Zaidi had given UP a shot at victory. This was a match in which the better half of was dominated by UP’s extended batting line-up, and in the end their first-innings 436 was enough to give them two points.
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Rohan Gavaskar’s 17th first-class century and Nilesh Kulkarni’s seven-wicket haul were the highlights on the fourth day at the Wankhede Stadium as Mumbai drew with Bengal. Gavaskar’s gritty knock included 13 hits to the fence, and was instrumental in staving off the threat posed by Kulkarni in the morning session; by the time he fell to the same bowler, Bengal were well set in their second innings. Set an improbable 310 from just 39 overs, Mumbai were given a cautious 50-run start by Sahil Kukreja and Wasim Jaffer, before Ashok Dinda’s medium pace accounted for Jaffer. Mumbai took two points after scoring 244 in its first innings, and now sit behind Bengal in the points table, with 6. 370 for 9
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Hrishikesh Kanitkar top-scored with an unbeaten 73 as Maharashtra salvaged a draw at the Jamia Millia Cricket Ground in Delhi, but the hosts still walked away with two first-innings points. Chaitanya Nanda, the legspinner, triggered a middle-order collapse with three key wickets, but Kanitkar found able allies in Dhruv Mohan and Munaf Patel, his opening bowler. Patel showed admirable defiance in adding 51 with Kanitkar after Maharashtra hiccupped in the post-tea session. Maharashtra have no points to show from three matches played this season, and will have to show immense improvement if they are to progress up the table.
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WIth wet conditions hampering play throughout the four days, the game between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka was called off without a ball being bowled on the final day. Only 22.2 overs were possible throughout the game, a period when Tamil Nadu’s openers, S Vidyut and Hemant Kumar, put on 80 without being seperated. Both teams collected one point apiece.

Dr Peter Gregory, the ECB’s chief medical officer, has conceded that Michael Vaughan’s chances of playing in the first Test against Pakistan, starting on Saturday, are “slim”. Vaughan, who has a history of cartilage problems in his right knee, pulled up abruptly during England’s second innings at Bagh-e-Jinnah when his knee locked up in mid-run, and he was taken to hospital for a scan.”Michael’s a bit fed up at the moment,” said Gregory. “He is still very sore and it’s going to be complicated because he’s had scans on that knee before, so we are going to have to make comparisons. We are going to need 24 to 48 hours to see how he pulls up clinically, and though I’m hopeful, whether that’s realistic or not we are going to have to wait and see.”Vaughan last suffered the knee problem at Lord’s ahead of the first Test against New Zealand in May 2004, and he underwent surgery on a meniscal cartilage tear ahead of the Ashes tour of 2002-03 as well. “He has a history of cartilage damage, so it’s very likely that that is the problem,” added Gregory. “At Lord’s a couple of years ago, he responded quickly and was back for the next Test match.”Gregory added, however, that if the scans revealed Vaughan had suffered a tear, that would be the end of his tour. “He would have to undergo surgery. Obviously it would have been particularly bad if he had had to be stretchered off, but he was limping and it was clearly sore.”England have not yet considered any replacement batsmen, although given the possibility that Andrew Strauss may miss the third Test to attend the birth of his first child, the likeliest option at present would be the new Kent captain, Robert Key, who can fill in as an opener or a specialist No. 3.

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Ryan Watson guided Scotland to their first ICC Trophy title after a commanding batting display, a miserly bowling performance and, to top it all, two crucial catches that broke Irish hope and heart.Over 2,000 people packed into Clontarf CC hoping for a home victory on a pitch that has historically been a happy hunting ground. But news was not good from the outset as Jason Molins, their captain, failed a fitness test before the start – Kyle McCallan took over. He won the toss and that was the Irish high point.Put in on a hazy morning, that turned into a muggy scorcher, Scotland had a blistering start. Pinch hitter Paul Hoffmann struck a brisk 22 with mostly his bottom hand and took any sting out of the Irish attack. With that early momentum, the Scots plundered – then feasted. McCallan’s decision to bowl seemed more to do with a paucity of options as opposed to an aggressive modus operandi.The result was an epic 324 for 8 in 50 overs. After the early fireworks, Fraser Watts and Watson added 120 with solid running, big hitting and ruthless punishing of anything loose. When McCallan brought himself on to take the pace off the ball with off-breaks Watson made his only mistake of the day – a suicidal single that accounted for Watts (55).He may have carved Trent Johnston to point before completing a deserved hundred but Watson’s 99-ball 94 was a superb innings. He never let the run rate drop, smashed anything slightly short or slightly wide and played with control that gave his more steady partner confidence.The rest of the order hit hard, in particular Dougie Brown, formerly of England and currently of Warwickshire who made a powerful 59. Despite a flurry of late wickets from Gordon Cooke, who had earlier bowled short and been sent, Scotland’s total always looked monumental.But Ireland have their own first-class player, and he is serious quality. The local hero Ed Joyce needed to produce something magical if Ireland could overhaul the huge target. Batting at four, he was in the action early as Hoffmann, opening bowling after the batting, claimed the wickets of Dominic Joyce (brother) and Eoin Morgan (Middlesex staff) in the third over.

With Jeremy Bray at the other end, Joyce threatened to do what the absorbed locals hoped. They added 130 for the third wicket, taking a run from every ball and a boundary an over. At least this was the tactic and it worked, until Watson returned.Bowling slow off-breaks he changed the pace and added control, which slowly suffocated the batsmen. With such a heavy target, a few dot balls can begin to asphyxiate – both lived dangerously, Joyce dropped three times (cover, keeper and midwicket), Bray once (slip). Eventually Bray broke at the other end, slog sweeping Gregor Maiden’s medium pace to a delighted Watson at deep square-leg, out for 70.All eyes were on Joyce. He did play beautifully for his 81, timing the ball down the ground, pushing into gaps and, while he was at the crease, anything was possible. One man can never do it on his own, and he fell sweeping Wright to deep backward square where who else but Watson took the decisive catch.The remaining batsmen swung and missed, then swung and hit – Watson grabbed a wicket for good measure and despite an unbroken last wicket stand of 55 between Paul Mooney (22*) and Cooke (34*) the game was over, Scotland were home by 47 runs.McCallan admitted the better side had won and had mixed emotions – disappointed to lose the final but elated to qualify for the World Cup. Craig Wright, his opposite number, was thrilled with yet another Scottish victory, saying: “For the future of the sport in Scotland, this is massive. I asked the team to take responsibility and they have. This time it has been comprehensive.”

Mark Vermeulen, the former Zimbabwe batsman, has been banned from English first-class and league cricket for 10 years following an on-pitch bust up in the Central Lancashire League.The incident occurred when Vermeulen, playing as a professional for Werneth against Ashton, confronted opposition fans on Sunday. He was restrained by club officials before his captain ordered him off the field and he was led from the ground. Darren Shadford, the Werneth captain, then conceded the match.Jon Selby, who was playing for Ashton in the match, told Cricinfo the chain of events. “He’d been a bit wound up throughout the match. He hadn’t scored many – about 12 – and when we batted he came onto bowl, which he doesn’t do much of.”He got hit for a boundary then bowled a wide and someone from the crowd shouted ‘If you take your sunnies off you’ll be able to see where you are bowling.’ At the end of the over he marched towards the boundary and appeared to hurl a ball towards the spectators. It hit the railings so missed everyone, but it was an end-of-season match with plenty of women and children watching.”He then picked up a boundary marker, which are white discs with a steel spike, before being stopped by a Werneth member and marched back to the pavilion, still swearing and shouting . He was then driven away from the ground and took no further part in the match. “To add to the extraordinary story, it was the final match of the season and Vermeulen was due to fly home on Monday. One of the members who restrained him was meant to be giving him a lift to the airport.Police were later called to an incident at a flat near the Werneth club and a spokesman confirmed they arrested a 27-year-old on suspicion of breaching the peace but no charges were brought.Central Lancashire League officials were quick to impose the ban, which has been supported by the ECB. A statement said: “The management committee has received reports regarding Mark Vermeulen. Describing his violent and dangerous actions on the field of play, he has been banned for 10 years from the CLL and from all cricket played under the auspices of the ECB. This will take immediate effect.”Howard Donsfield, CLL chairman, and a former Werneth chairman, told the : “I was at the game and hope I don’t ever see anything like it again – it was a sad sight for cricket.”Discipline is a big issue for me at present and I’m determined to stamp anything like this out. It’s not just about spectators either – there was a 15-year-old boy among Vermeulen’s team-mates and it’s not the kind of example he should set.”Vermeulen, 27, has played eight Tests and 32 ODIs for Zimbabwe, and is no stranger to controversy. He was sent home during the second Test of the 2003 England tour after he ignored a management instruction to travel with the rest of the squad on the coach, instead choosing to leave the ground on his own.

Delhi took a strong grip over their Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophysemifinal against Hyderabad at the Calcutta Cricket & Football Club groundon Tuesday.After inserting their opponents into bat, Delhi dismissed Hyderabad for 139in all of 85.3 overs. Openers Pritpal Singh and Shikar Dhawan proceeded tocomplete a satisfying day for Delhi, knocking off 58 without beingseparated, before stumps were drawn.Hyderabad lost opener Prasant Peter in the second over of the match afterwhich Imran Khan and skipper Ambati Rayudu added 47 for the second wicket.The last nine wickets plunged for just 92 runs with Sumit Kapoor doing mostof the damage, claiming figures of 6/34. Khan’s 29 was the top score.Hyderabad used seven bowlers in the 25 overs they hurled down, but withscant success. At close of play, Pritpal was batting on 35 (80 balls, 6fours) and Dhawan on 22 (70 balls, 3 fours).

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details6:20

Bazid: Even Younis will rate it as one of his finest knocks

Younis Khan’s epic, unbeaten 171 led Pakistan to their highest successful chase, the second highest in Asia for any side, and the sixth highest in all Test cricket. It also gave them their first series win in Sri Lanka since 2006, and catapulted them to third in the ICC Test rankings.The feat required the highest fourth-innings partnership for Pakistan, 242 between Younis and Shan Masood, who fell on the fifth morning for 125. Misbah-ul-Haq arrived with 122 needed, saw off Sri Lanka’s quicks till lunch, and opened up after that to reel off an unbeaten 59, finishing the match with a six.Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers put in a spirited effort, especially with the second new ball, but could not break down Younis and Misbah.Pakistan needed 147 more at the start of the day, and Masood and Younis’ record partnership grew by 25 before the former fell to his nerves. Masood had been tied down by Sri Lanka’s accuracy, and was itching to break free. No release was provided by Angelo Mathews and the specialist seamers. When the offspinner Tharindu Kaushal was introduced in the 11th over of the morning, Masood, eyeing some runs, jumped out, but was beaten by the turn to be stumped.Sri Lanka’s specialist spinner had begun promisingly after a wayward return of 0 for 92 in 20 overs on day four, but again, he failed to sustain the pressure. He did shift his line wider outside off and spun it in sharply with men waiting in the leg trap, but was too inconsistent with his lengths. Misbah and Younis used the sweep frequently, and put away the regular full tosses with ease.It was a different story against the quicks. The first boundary of the day came only in the tenth over, when Younis forced an edge through the vacant slip region off Nuwan Pradeep.There was little in the pitch by way of variable bounce to suggest it was a day-five subcontinent wicket. Despite their discipline at the start, Sri Lanka were dependent on the new ball. Pakistan needed 101 more when it was taken, and they had the personnel in the middle to get them through.Misbah was happy to deny himself against the new ball, going 22 balls without a run. Batting on a big hundred, Younis was eager to move across and play as much as he could. There was an unsuccessful review for leg-before against Younis, on 128, by Dhammika Prasad, replays returning umpire’s call for points of impact on pad and stumps.As Mathews tried Kaushal again at the stroke of lunch, Misbah stepped out to lift him over mid-on. Sri Lanka’s challenge fell apart after lunch, Misbah and Younis raining boundaries on the hapless Kaushal, who had played ahead of veteran Rangana Herath, and was to end with figures of 1 for 153 in 31 overs.The winning runs came again from Misbah’s bat, as they had come during their Sharjah chase of 302 against Sri Lanka in 2014. Younis ended with the fifth-highest score in a chase.