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Railways 287 for 5 (Bangar 79, Yadav 63) v Punjab
Scorecard
How they were out

Three obdurate half-centuries put Railways on top but a controlled spell of seam bowling helped Punjab claw their way back in an engrossing opening day of the Ranji Trophy final at Mohali. Pankaj Dharmani might have rued his decision to field first around tea time but Vineet Sharma’s incisive spell in the third sesssion, on a day when he picked up his 100th Ranji Trophy wicket, kept Punjab afloat in the attritional contest.Sanjay Bangar and Jai Prakash Yadav, both pivotal in Railways’ remarkable turnaround from relegation contenders to finalists, consolidated a rapid start and defied the Punjab medium pacers for three hours. Bangar overcame the initial seam movement, two perilously close lbw appeals and a few edgy moments before settling down into a dogged mode.Both made sure that the loose balls weren’t spared and neither attempted anything fancy. Yadav had moments of uncertainty in the 40s and was even dropped by the wicketkeeper, Dharmani, when he edged VRV Singh, who was in the midst of a fiery spell. But the spinners, bowling at the other end, couldn’t exert any sort of pressure and Yadav cashed in on some half-volleys and half-trackers.At the other end Bangar was entering his grinding zone. It wasn’t anywhere as monastic, and nowhere as demanding, as Headingly 2002, but the Punjab seam attack has consistently run through sides after sending them in and Bangar ensured against any such collapse.The day had begun with a flurry of boundaries as Amit Pagnis, who had made a superb 98 not out in the semi-final, capitalised on the full length that the bowlers employed while trying to extract maximum swing, and the score had surged to 60 for no loss after just 12 overs. It was the sort of innings that could be used as a template for advertising domestic cricket – greentop, bowlers attacking and a batsman counterattacking – but precisely 10 spectators were present to enjoy the thrill. After surviving several confident lbw appeals, Pagnis was undone by Sharma’s cutter, as he tentatively pushed at a good-length ball and was rapped on the pads in front of off stump. Sharma’s 100 wickets had come in 25 Ranji trophy games. Tejinder Pal Singh swished, missed and finally nicked one outside off, but in Jai Prakash Yadav, Bangar found an ally with a similar mindset.Either side of the tea break, Sharma triggered the Punjab fightback with both wickets – Yadav was rooted to the crease as an incutter crashed into his stumps, while Bangar was at the receiving end of a sensational catch at second slip. Raja Ali helped gather some impetus with a fluent 50, but Punjab hung in there with one more wicket at the other end. VRV Singh, who cranked up some disconcerting pace in a few spells, was finally rewarded as Yere Goud was late in coming down on one that came in.While Punjab had frittered away the advantage at the toss, Railways hadn’t managed to build on their dominance. The absorbing contest between bat and ball deserved more than 50 people in attendance.How they were outRailwaysPagnis lbw b Sharma 40 (60 for 1) Not fully forward to a good-length ball. Rapped on the pads and adjudged lbw.Tejinder Pal c Dharmani b Sodhi 11 (77 for 2) Flashed at a wide one and snicked to the wicketkeeper.Yadav b Sharma 63 (200 for 3) Rooted to the crease and misread an incutter that crashed into his stumps.Bangar c Sawal b Sharma 79 (213 for 4) Tried to cut a wide one but only managed to edge it to the right of second slip where Sandeep Sawal pulled off a fantastic one-handed catch.Goud lbw VRV Singh 15 (269 for 5) Rapped on the pads as he missed one that came in.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Cricinfo.

Ricky Ponting will consider introducing Brad Hodge to Test cricket at No. 4 in a move that would push Michael Clarke down a place against West Indies on Thursday. Clarke has struggled to make his mark since replacing Damien Martyn after the Ashes loss and Ponting said he would consult with both players and the selectors before making a decision.”When Michael went up there we saw him as being a long-term holder of that spot,” Ponting said in . “He has been given a few games there now. Whether it is the right thing to keep him there or move him is something we’ll have to work out.”Clarke made 39 and 5 in the Super Test last month and 5 and 14 not out against West Indies in Brisbane, and past players, including Steve and Mark Waugh, believe technical changes are necessary for him to seal the transition. While Clarke is trying to find his perfect position, the paper reported Hodge as starting at No. 4 in 152 of his 297 first-class innings. “It is probably my decision but I will speak to the selectors and some of the senior players,” Ponting said. “Michael and Brad will also have to be consulted.”Andrew Symonds is also a middle-order candidate and Ponting, who was launching his Ashes tour diary in Hobart yesterday, said the allrounder had “shown his character” to bounce back from the suspension for drinking before Australia’s loss to Bangladesh in Cardiff last winter. “I did what I had to do as captain of the team on that day,” Ponting, who wrote about his anger at Symonds, said. “We had to handle it as quickly as we could to get it sorted out.”I had to get my opinions across to Andrew and the other players and talk it through. I felt he let myself and all the other players down. ‘Simmo’ totally knew where I was coming from but, to his credit, he bounced back and played unbelievable cricket from that moment on.”

When the India-Pakistan series started, it was expected that the pitches would be dry and dusty to aid India’s spinners. However, the Mohali surface had a fair sprinkling of grass and, if media reports are to be believed, the pitch at Eden Gardens, the venue of the second Test, is also likely to aid the seamers.A report in , a Pakistan daily, suggests that a green-top awaits Inzamam-ul-Haq and his team in Kolkata. The newspaper quoted Inzamam as saying: “From what we have heard they have left a lot of grass on the pitch and have no plans to cut it down. By the look of things they are aiming to target us with their full pace attack.”The Indians handled Pakistan’s pace attack with ease at Mohali, but struggled against Danish Kaneria, who bowled with relentless accuracy and guile for 53.4 overs in the Indian first innings, returning figures of 6 for 150. In contrast, Pakistan’s fast bowlers had combined figures of 4 for 360 from 94 overs. India’s star bowler, though, was medium-pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji, who came up with match figures of 9 for 171. Anil Kumble had a reasonably successful match too, but his six wickets cost him 236 runs.If the pitch does turn out to be a grassy one, the Indian think-tank will have a tough decision on their hands over which spinner to omit – Kumble has been in tremendous form in Tests, but Harbhajan Singh has an outstanding record at Eden Gardens – 29 wickets in four Tests at 18.75.Pakistan have never lost to India at this venue: they have won one Test and drawn four, and have beaten India in all three one-day internationals. The only international match they have lost here was to Sri Lanka in the second final of the Independence Cup. (Click here for Pakistan’s Test results at Kolkata, and here for their ODI results at this venue.)

Ajay Jadeja, who pulled out of the American Pro League after the Board of Control for Cricket in India told players to distance themselves from the event, has returned to India.Jadeja cited the confusion over whether the ICC and the BCCI had sanctioned the American cricket league as his reason for returning home so soon. "Some reports said the ICC does not recognise the event," he explained. "Nobody was sure what to do so we came back."Jadeja, 33, also hinted that he has some lingering hopes for an international comeback, though he was realistic about his chances. "A comeback is always hard," he said. "It’s easy to get in when you are fresh. But a new season is around the corner and I will train myself for it. I have enjoyed cricket since childhood, I still enjoy the game and would continue to play. Who knows, I might get a chance.”Jadeja played 196 one-dayers and 15 Tests for India before his international career came to an end in December 2000, when he was handed a five-year ban following damaging findings in India’s Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into match-fixing. Jadeja contested the ban, and after three years of exclusion played for his club, Delhi, in the last Indian domestic season.

Canterbury were forced to follow on after finishing 234 short of Otago’s 601, but half-centuries by Todd Astle, Brendon McCullum and Peter Fulton ensured that they comfortably drew the game. Otago were led by James McMillan, who took career-best figures of 7 for 105 to restrict Canterbury to 367, but in the 51 overs left in the day Canterbury cantered to 213 for 2.Resuming at 330 for 7, Canterbury added only 37 more before being bowled out, with McMillan adding two more wickets to the five he had on the third day. Chris Harris was the first batsman to be dismissed on the final day, being bowled by McMillan for 122. The tail didn’t contribute much, allowing Otago to have another shot at the Canterbury batsmen.Todd Astle and McCullum immediately eased the situation with a 111-run stand for the first wicket. When Astle and McCullum fell after getting half-centuries, Fulton took over, making an unbeaten 62 before play was called off. Otago took two points from the game, thanks to the first-innings lead they managed.

Who’s who in the disputeStephen Mangongo, the convenor of selectors in Zimbabwe, and Ozias Bvute, one of the directors of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, have allegedly come to blows over the selection of the national team.Various news agencies have reported that both got into a heated argument in front of officials, security staff and guests at the Harare Sports Club after the final one-day match between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.Bystanders say the row focused on a disagreement over the number of white players to be included in the national team for the first Test against Sri Lanka, which starts on Thursday. Mangongo reportedly wanted about eight whites in the squad, while Bvute thought only three or four should be included.A witness to the incident told Wisden Cricinfo said that the row was “much more serious than the statement indicates”, explaining that Bvute had Mangongo in a very strong arm-lock.The two men closed ranks, denied that blows had been exchanged, but did not dismiss suggestions that the disagreement had become physical. In a joint statement, issued by the ZCU, they said: “There were pertinent issues on the agenda and both of us had divergent views on those issues. In the heat of the argument obviously voices would be raised but the point remains that we were each trying to push home our point.”It is not true that punches were thrown and we can categorically say whatever physical confrontation there was did not amount to fisticuffs. The relationship between us remains cordial as it has always been.”

Zimbabwe, already seriously weakened by retirements and political infighting, received a further blow with the news that Grant Flower, one of their most experienced players, will miss both Tests against West Indies.Flower broke a finger at the end of September, causing him to drop out of the Australian tour, but it had been hoped that he would be recovered by now. “It’s a very frustrating time, but there’s not a lot I can do about it except keep fit,” Flower shrugged. “I’ve still got a cast on my hand and I’ll only be back for the one-dayers. I’ve been doing some one-handed batting and bowling in the nets.”Dion Ebrahim and Grant Ewing were dropped, with Vusi Sibanda and Stuart Matsikenyeri, two promising 20-year-old black batsmen, brought in. Sean Ervine and Douglas Hondo were also ruled out by injury.Squad 1 Trevor Gripper, 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Mark Vermeulen, 4 Stuart Carlisle, 5 Craig Wishart, 6 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 7 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 8 Heath Streak (capt), 9 Andy Blignaut, 10 Raymond Price, 11 Blessing Mahwire. 12th Man: Jordane Nicolle.

RETRAVISION Warriors fast-bowler Jo Angel will miss only four weeks with a knee injury and is an outside chance to play for the Warriors against Victoria in late December.Angel has been sidelined since Sunday with a tear to the meniscal cartilage in his left knee. It was initially thought Angel might have faced a near career-ending three-month lay-off.Angel had an MRI scan on Monday night and met his specialist on Wednesday evening to learn the extent of the damage.The scan revealed no major structural damage to Angel’s knee. Surgery will not be required. Angel will undergo intensive physiotherapy and believes he can be fully recovered inside a month.""It will be three, maybe four weeks before I’m right," Angel said."I was fearing the worst and the initial prognosis was not good on Monday. I had a similar injury four years ago and I was out for eight weeks."With physio I am a chance to play before Christmas."Angel announced before the season that this would be his final year of first-class cricket. The prospect of a three-month lay off forced him to think of the future."Everyone would like to play for ever but you can’t do that. I have a bit to offer in coaching. I would definitely like to put something back into the game."WA’s fast-bowling stocks have been decimated by injury this season and Angel laid down a challenge to WA’s young brigade of fast-bowlers."These injuries have provided opportunity for young guys to put their hand up and show what they are made of," he said.The Warriors face Tasmania in a day-night ING Cup match at the WACA Ground on Friday. WA is second on the ING Cup ladder with nine points from three matches. Tasmania is last on the ladder with zero points from three matches.The match starts at 2.30pm with gates opening at 1.30pm

Queensland 9 for 418 dec and 1 for 54 dec beat New South Wales 4 for 196 dec (Bevan 79*, Steve Waugh 65) and 239 (Mark Waugh 72, Haddin 62*, Bichel 4-69) by 37 runs
ScorecardAn era ended when Queensland beat New South Wales by 37 runs on a day of declarations and an engrossing chase. Following an audacious failed attempt to chase 277, after 19 seasons of cricket, Steve and Mark Waugh walked off the field for the last time. The competitive target was provided by Queensland, who declared at 1 for 54, in a nod to Steve Waugh’s overnight declaration at 4 for 196.Andy Bichel struck early, reducing New South Wales to 2 for 11, before Michael Bevan and Michael Clarke steadied the innings with a 50-run partnership. However, both batsmen and Steve Waugh fell in rapid succession, and at 5 for 92, the situation looked bleak.Then Mark Waugh and Brad Haddin played inspired innings that turned the game on its head, and put on 115 runs in only 12 overs as the target of 277 came tantalisingly close. Both were especially unkind to Nathan Hauritz, who bowled seven overs and conceded 60 runs. But Bichel returned for one last time, and prised out Mark Waugh (72 off 49 balls). At the other end, Haddin battled away to an unbeaten 62, while the lower order did willy-nilly and collapsed to Chris Simpson’s offspinners.

Khaled Mashud, the Bangladesh wicketkeeper, had a thumb shattered byBrett Lee as Australia drubbed Bangladesh in the first one-dayer onSaturday. Mashud has been ruled out of the next two games in the three-matchone-day series.Lee produced fiery pace, even though he claimed he was not aiming forexceptional speed. Lee (4-25) and Gillespie (3-23) had too much pace andguile for the inexperienced tourists, who never threatened to make acompetitive score. Lee, although well short of the 160-km-per-hour (99-mile) an hour pace he achieved earlier this year, was pleased with hisform. “It’s a pretty good wicket, it had some bounce and carry and itwas a pleasure to bowl on,” he said. “It felt like the rhythm was thereand it felt like it all came together at once. I wasn’t even trying tobowl fast, I was trying to get my action nice and high and get the ballthrough to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.”Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach, had high praise for the quality ofLee’s bowling. “We saw some magnificent pace bowling,” he said. “It wasquite exceptional.” He agreed Bangladesh faced a challenge in regroupingfor the second one-day encounter at Cairns on Sunday. “If we can weatherthat storm (Lee’s opening assault) and have a few of our batters intact,we’ve got a chance of posting a reasonably competitive total,” he said.