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Sri Lanka’s two-in-two record from a tough group may have made them one of the favourites for the World Twenty20 but captain Kumar Sangakkara remained cautious ahead of their opening Super Eights clash against Pakistan at Lord’s on Friday.”We’ve got a lot of confidence from the last two games,” Sangakkara said. “You get momentum when you’re winning. But things change quickly in T20. We need to learn from what we have done and start from scratch every game. A five-minute period can change the game’s complexion The Pakistan team is very unpredictable and has been so for years. If you are not ready for that and have a few options, you are in for a nasty surprise.”Sri Lanka’s bowling has been firing so far, with the spin combination of Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan particularly dangerous. “Spin has been our strength for years,” Sangakkara said. “Hopefully, they can keep performing and add new variation to their armoury.”There are a few bowling options. We have [Farveez] Maharoof and [Nuwan] Kulasekara, the No. 1 bowler in ODI cricket. We need to look at the wicket before deciding on that.”The batting particularly pleased Sangakkara, especially Sanath Jayasuriya’s welcome return to form with a masterful innings against West Indies at Trent Bridge on Wednesday. “He [Jayasuriya] can go on as long as he’s fit. It doesn’t matter how old you are. In my view, if you are fit, scoring runs, taking wickets and doing the hard work at training, that’s what we require. We are happy to have the guys who have experience, that counts a lot.”You get a good base so that the others can come and build. The way our guys have been batting is very encouraging. Then again we have got the batting to go on even if we don’t get a good start like against Australia, but a good start is important.”

Watching Matthew Hayden bat is like looking at a character from a cricket video game. There is a surreal element to the way he bats. You think it can only happen in Xbox. He swipes, heaves, walks down the track, hits one-handed sixes and does almost whatever he wants. Imperiousness is his calling card.Either side of the rain break the Centurion crowd lapped it up. They loved his violence, especially those watching in the bar. Hayden’s batting might not have been appreciated while playing against South Africa but in the IPL he is a big hit with the locals. Collective gasps of incredulity went up with several shots; vodka shots were downed after watching the replays on the big screen. It was like being in a bar full of Tony Greig clones screaming: “Whaddaaaplayaaaa!”Alternatively, Hayden’s 89 off 58 balls, with eight fours and six sixes, was like watching a slasher movie. There was a shot off Sreesanth that captured the spirit. He heaved his heavy frame across the stumps and, as Sreesanth tried to cramp him with a short ball, he went for a pull, taking the bottom hand off the handle, allowing him to complete the arcing swing. The white ball soared through the dark sky and settled somewhere in the long-leg stands.”He is a particularly over-rated bowler,” Hayden said later, indicating he deliberately went after Sreesanth. “He loses his cool under pressure.” There was a bit of needle between the two players. Asked what the chat was about, Hayden said: “It’s not worth repeating.”Many of his shots were definitely worth repeating. If he was brutal against Sreesanth, he was dismissive of the spin. He walked down the track to Piyush Chawla and lunged forward to waft over wide long-on. Then there were more of his typical heaves over midwicket.When chatting with Hayden about his batting, he uses regular phrases such as “I am in the zone most times I am out in the middle” and “there is no bowler that worries me”. Arrogance and false bravado to us, perhaps, a statement of fact to him, like the sun rising in the east.Perhaps it’s his way of not allowing any self-doubt to creep in. When seeing some of the shots he plays, you can see why he thinks that way. Though he makes it seem ridiculously easy, the real secret lies in his practice.During his international career, he was probably the batsman who practised the hardest before a game. He would hit an absurdly high number of balls in the nets. The rest of the Australians and the opposition would pack up and go but Hayden would still be hitting the balls. It’s no different in the IPL.When asked how he was enjoying the IPL he said: “Great fun to be back. Just going tuk tuk [he gestures his swipes over midwicket] and they are all connecting well.” If he keeps knocking them around like he has been doing, Chennai should make it through to the semi-finals easily.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentaryA dank scene at Chester-le-Street•Getty Images

No play was possible on the second day between England and West Indies at Chester-le-Street, as persistent rain settled in over the ground to force an abandonment shortly after an inspection at 4pm.The wash-out meant that England were unable to build on their comfortable overnight position of 302 for 2, with Alastair Cook remaining unbeaten on 126 not out, 13 runs short of equalling his highest score in Test cricket.The miserable weather heightened the sense of gloom that has accompanied this match, after only 3000 of a possible 17,000 tickets were sold in advance of the first day’s play – the lowest gate at a Test match in England in modern times.As a concession to the few fans who did turn up to watch the rain fall, Durham announced that all ticket-holders for the second day’s play would be given free entry for any day of their choice for the remainder of the match.””Obviously we are disappointed that the rain has prevented any play,” said Durham’s chief executive, David Harker. “We would like to offer the spectators that have missed out today the opportunity to come along on any of the remaining days as a gesture of goodwill. We hope that they can take advantage of the offer and help us support England for the rest of the match.”

Auckland finished first in the league phase of the State Championship after a commanding performance in the drawn match against Central Districts at the Eden Park Outer Oval. The match was a rehearsal for the final, which will be played from April 5 at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. Auckland claimed first-innings points after a tremendous performance from their batsmen.Auckland’s batsmen thrived after they were asked to bat by Mathew Sinclair. Led by 20-year old Jeet Raval, who was playing only his third first-class game, Auckland batted Central Districts out of the contest by amassing 662 for 5. Raval, who lost his opening partner Richard Jones in the second over, dominated the Central Districts bowlers and scored 256, his highest first class score. He added 152 runs for the fourth wicket with Reece Young, who made 74, and 228 with Gareth Hopkins for the fifth. Raval was dismissed with the score on 511 but Hopkins and Colin de Grandhomme weighed in with centuries to lead Auckland to 662.Even though they had been fielding for the best part of two days Central Districts’ openers, Peter Ingram and George Worker, added 76 for the first wicket. However, they lost their way on the third morning and Central Districts lost wickets regularly thereafter, leaving Sinclair, who was left stranded on 131, with little support at the other end. The innings ended on 318, giving Auckland a 344-run lead.Auckland decided against enforcing the follow-on and gave their batsmen more practice. Raval did not open this time and his replacement, Rob Nicol scored a brisk 104 to lead his team to 198 for 3 before the game ended.Kane Williamson scored his second first-class century and took three wickets as Northern Districts ended the season on a winning note by beating Wellington by eight wickets in Whangarei.Williamson and Michael Parlane (103) added 165 while Brad Wilson (94), Peter McGlashan (56) and Bradley Scott (55) contributed half-centuries in Northern Districts’ 546, which gave them a 225-run first-innings lead over Wellington.Wellington ended day three on a comfortable 53 for 0 with openers Matthew Bell, who had scored a century in a the first innings, and Josh Brodie looking well-set for big scores. Brodie made a half-century but on the final-day pitch spinners Williamson and Bruce Martin took four of the first five wickets with Wellington still trailing by 38 runs. Grant Elliott (84) hung on to give Wellington a lead but with the last five wickets falling for 83, Wellington could only set Northern Districts a target of 65. Northern Districts lost their openers but wrapped up the chase in 10 overs.Last year’s champions Canterbury ended their season at the bottom of the table after a washed-out final day forced a draw in their match against Otago in Christchurch. Otago, who were just two points ahead of Canterbury at the start of the final round of matches, managed a five-run first-innings lead, which eventually gave them eight points for the season. Both teams failed to win a single game this season.Canterbury were rescued by a 167-run eighth-wicket stand between Kruger van Wyk and Ryan McCone after a top-order collapse, but it proved pointless after Craig Cumming scored his 15th first-class hundred to help Otago get first-innings points. Cumming and Aaron Redmond added 180 together but Johann Myburgh and Andrew Ellis took seven wickets between them to bowl out Otago for 320. Canterbury’s top order made up for their poor show in the first innings and took their side to 233 for 4 at the end of day three. Michael Papps (103), Peter Fulton (61) and Myburgh (50 not out) ensured Otago a lead of 238 but rain ruled out their chance of extending it further and giving themselves a shot at bowling out Otago to improve their standing.

If Matt Prior managed to catch any of the action from Barbados in between nappy changes, during his brief trip back home to see his new-born son Johnathan, he may have rued missing out on one of the flattest pitches imaginable. He needn’t have worried, however, because just like London buses there was another one to follow straight away.He won’t score many easier Test centuries than his career-best 131 not out, during which he added 218 for the fifth wicket with Paul Collingwood. For the majority of his innings he faced the combined threat of Ryan Hinds, Brendan Nash and Chris Gayle, but importantly he made sure he cashed in, and celebrated by rocking the bat in his arms. His promotion to No. 6 could be the route England will need to take in the future and Prior certainly has the ability to cope with the role. His hundred also capped off a special couple of weeks.”I’m not going to lie, it’s been pretty amazing,” he said. “Any father knows that the birth of your first child is fantastic and it was a great feeling. I was really happy that I was able to go back for that week and spend it with my family. But coming back here I had to get into the groove pretty quickly and get on with the job so it’s very satisfying.”Prior’s decision to fly home is something that will happen more and more in the modern world. Not all players will be able to walk straight back into the side, although on this occasion Prior’s return was as swift as his departure. “It wasn’t a decision I took lightly by any means,” he said. “I spent a lot of time thinking it over and speaking to people who I thought were the right ones to speak to.”My family had a say, but also my team-mates and I was hugely backed by all of them and most of them were telling me to go home. When you are backed by your team-mates it makes it a lot easier. Coming back you have to perform and thankfully that’s what I did.”Although much of his hundred was made against second-string bowling, it was the early part of his knock that was most impressive. West Indies, for the one period in the opening two days of this game, found a little spark after the double dismissal of Andrew Strauss and Owais Shah. One more wicket and they may have had a sniff at a fairly long tail, but Prior began with a string of boundaries and Chris Gayle immediately retreated into the defensive mode that characterised the majority of West Indies’ display in the field.”I think they are obviously playing for a draw, the way they bowled this afternoon and the fields they had was all very defensive,” Prior said. “But you know when you play for the draw it can come back and bite you if you become negative and start hanging on for the game.”England have been trying to solve their No. 6 problem for a long while. Should it be a specialist batsman – Ian Bell has found it his most profitable position – or should it be someone who can contribute in another area? They are so desperate to have a true allrounder that Flintoff has been persisted with in the top order even though he has not scored a Test century since 2005. Prior now has a Test average of 47.31 (second only to Kevin Pietersen in this team) and is a proper batsman with classy shots, especially through the off side where he is as good as anyone in the team.When Prior was dropped following the Sri Lanka series in late 2007 it wasn’t because of a lack of runs – if anything he looked the most confident of England’s players against Muttiah Muralitharan – but a spate of dropped catches that drove the bowlers, especially Ryan Sidebottom, to distraction. If his keeping can continue to improve there isn’t a better option in the country, despite the close attention of Tim Ambrose.England should know that an allrounder doesn’t have to be the batsman-bowler variety. Alec Stewart, who now mentors Prior, allowed England to field a balanced team by batting at six and therefore relieving the pressure on whoever came in below him. For a while that was Flintoff and No. 7 should be the position he occupies on his next return from injury. Flintoff’s Test average has never risen above 33; Prior’s has never dipped below 38 (albeit after just 16 matches) and it makes sense to switch their positions.That is for the future, but the present is a familiar scenario. England are again in a position where all their runs will count for nothing unless they can chisel 20 West Indian wickets. Will it be third time lucky? They have a five-man attack on this occasion and the early signs are that they will need them all.”Swanny has been a big part of this trip so far and it was great to see Monty getting a wicket and seeing that bounce again,” Prior said. “I think they will play a huge role, but reverse swing will also be key.” Prior already has a great story to tell his new son and an England victory here would cap it off perfectly, but taking those wickets will be far from child’s play.

Chris Gayle hasn’t given up hope of his side salvaging a draw at the ARG, despite a game in which he admitted the team had been flat. Set a massive 503 for victory, West Indies lost three wickets before the close to leave themselves a tough task on the final day. As is so often the case, hope rests on the shoulders of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.”We know it is in England’s favour at this point in time but having said that, there are two experienced batsmen at the crease,” Gayle said. “The first session is very important and hopefully by the end of it those guys will still be at the crease.”I think the wicket is pretty good still. There is some uneven bounce and [Graeme] Swann has some rough to accompany him. [But I’m] confident the guys can do it, it is going to be difficult, no-one can say it will be easy but we have to have the self-belief that the guys can get the job done.”There has been a general lethargy around West Indies’ performance in this game, a hang-over from the rapid switch of venues which sapped their momentum following the innings victory at Sabina Park.”It’s not just me, everyone is a bit flat,” Gayle said. “I was a bit drained, a bit tired, but I keep talking to myself. I know this is Test cricket, it is what it is all about. We still have to go out and get job done. I tried to motivate myself, but I won’t lie, I was a bit drained.”You have to take the conditions into consideration, it was really hot and the England guys also toiled in the sun and suffered for it as well, it is tough to motivate ourselves and enjoy it at that same time. It’s an important day for us tomorrow.”However, Gayle was adamant that he was happy with the decision to play the match at the ARG. “It’s not about rescheduling the game, but it did disrupt the preparation. We had to put things in place as quickly as possible. It was a bit difficult to us,” he said.Another factor that will have come to the West Indies players’ attention in the last 24 hours is Allen Stanford’s fraud charges. Less than four months ago Gayle was holding the Stanford 20/20 for 20 trophy aloft and with it a cheque for US$20million which has changed the players’ lives for ever.”I don’t want to touch on that case now, a lot is happening” Gayle said. “We just want to focus on the cricket. What happened out there is not our concern right now. We just have to deal with what we can handle.” That starts with saving this Test and maintaining the 1-0 lead that provided such hope and expectation. This island could do with something to smile about at the moment.

Thailand and Oman maintained their unbeaten records on the fifth day of the Asian Cricket Council Trophy Challenge in Chiang Mai, Thailand, ensuring they remain on course to meet in next Wednesday’s final.The victories, over second-placed Iran and Brunei, mean that both win their groups and so avoid clashing in Monday’s semi-finals. The losers, barring some upsets in tomorrow’s final round of games, will miss out on the semi-finals.Thailand were stuck in by Iran, and the move appeared justified after they were restricted to 63 for 3 in the 17th over. But Anil Tanwani (54) and Zeeshan Khan (63) added 77 for the fourth wicket and enabled them to reach 230. Iran deserved full credit for bowling out the tournament favourites inside their allocated overs, with Atnan Zehi the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 31. Iran lost wickets from the off and were never really in the hunt, finally being dismissed for 133 in the 43rd over.Brunei opted to bat against Oman but always struggled, and their 141 never looked enough, especially once Adnan Ilyas had started to cut free. His unbeaten 89 guided Oman to a nine-wicket win off only 14.5 overs.

Group A    P   W   L   NR  Pts  Oman       3   3   0   0   6  Brunei     3   1   2   0   2   Bhutan     2   1   1   0   2Myanmar    2   0   2   0   0Group B    P   W   L   NR  Pts  Thailand   3   3   0   0   6  Iran       3   1   2   0   2   Maldives   2   1   1   0   2China      2   0   2   0   0

The WICB has bluntly stated it “does not depend on Mr. Allen Stanford for its financial well being”. The statement by Julian Hunte, the WICB president, was made after Stanford, citing disputes with the WICB and the West Indies team sponsor Digicel, closed his cricket office, dissolved his board of Legends comprising former West Indian cricketers, and announced he was reviewing the 2008 Stanford 20/20 programme.”Naturally, members of my Board have received several calls on this matter from media houses, stakeholders and supporters of West Indies cricket across the globe”, Hunte said. “But the WICB is declining any detailed comment at this stage. Mr. Stanford has promised a review of his involvement in cricket and we think its appropriate that we await the completion of that review before making any comment.”Stanford’s decision has led to speculation that the WICB faces bankruptcy, particularly after they soured their relations with Digicel during their high-profile defeat at the High Court in London in October. Hunte, however, disagreed, saying: “The facts are, however, that to date, the WICB has received only US$2 million from the Stanford Group as licence fees for the first two years of a five-year agreement for the Group to host the domestic Stanford 20/20 tournament.”The Stanford group has also been dealing directly with four territorial Boards, the member associations of the Windward and Leeward islands and not with the WICB by way of financing aspects of the respective associations development programmes.”Hunte said a packed Future Tours Programme, to be implemented over the next three years and beyond, would provide the revenues needed for the WICB to meet its commitments. However, it was open to options. “We stand ready and willing to partner with anyone, the Stanford Group included, who has a genuine commitment to and an interest in propelling West Indies cricket back to the pinnacle of international cricket, an objective which is at the heart of the board’s five-year strategic plan.”

A hamstring complaint has forced the fast bowler Dale Steyn out of South Africa’s opening tour match against Western Australia in Perth on Thursday. Steyn’s injury is not serious, but the tourists do not want to risk further damage in the one-day fixture because he will be a crucial weapon during the three-Test series, which begins at the WACA on December 17.”He just picked up a little hamstring niggle in the Bangladesh series, it’s nothing serious, we’re just building him up into the first Test,” Smith said in the Australian. “I don’t think he’ll play the first game. I think we’re looking to probably play him in the two-day game.” The second match of South Africa’s build-up is against a Western Australia XI starting on Friday.Steyn, 25, is the leading bowler of 2008 with 60 wickets at 19.41 and will head the visiting pace brigade, which also includes Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel. “As much as there is huge expectation around our bowling attack they are still young and they have a lot of learning to do,” Smith said.While Steyn can deliver outswingers at high speed, Smith said his best attribute was a “really big heart”. “He keeps coming,” Smith said. “A lot of people talk about his ability, his skill to swing the ball, his pace, but as a captain he’s got plenty of character.”He’s a guy who’s got a really big killer instinct. When he gets a sniff he’s really got the ability to pick it up and make it count.”

Scorecard

Fresh from his successful trip to Abu Dhabi, where he took seven wickets in three ODIs against West Indies, Sohail Tanvir returned to the Pentangular Cup to tear through Baluchistan’s batting line-up and put the Federal Areas in an unexpectedly dominant position, given their poor start earlier in the day.Though Baluchistan collapsed to 33 for 6 at the end of day one as Tanvir took all the wickets, they were never in danger of following on since Federal Areas were bowled out for 146 – four runs short of the total required to enforce a follow-on. It was a day for the seamers as Bilal Khilji and Nazar Hussain shared seven Federal Areas wickets before Tanvir got his career-best figures of 6 for 10. He can increase his haul on Wednesday when Federal Areas look to wrap up Baluchistan and gain a substantial first-innings lead.Four of Tanvir’s dismissals didn’t need the help of fielders – three lbws and one bowled – and no Baluchistan batsman managed to reach double figures. Federal Areas didn’t fare too well either; their top score was No. 8 Yasir Arafat’s 32.With North West Frontier Province miles ahead of the other teams, with 27 points from three games, the battle is on for the second finalist’s spot. Federal Areas can bump Baluchistan off the second spot if they win this game.
Scorecard
Opener Azhar Ali rescued Punjab from a dire situation with an unbeaten century against NWFP in Lahore. Punjab will hope he can take them past 250 on Wednesday after they ended the opening day on 238 for 8.Medium-pacer Nauman Habib struck early blows to Punjab by removing two top-order batsmen with the total at 29. Mansoor Amjad (29), however, hung on for nearly one and a half hours, and added 60 with Azhar before he too was dismissed by Habib, whose three dismissals were all caught behind. After Amjad’s exit, Punjab lost three more wickets in quick succession before Abdur Rehman (10) and Wahab Riaz (19) added useful runs to partnerships with Azhar. In his 206-ball innings, Azhar hit 17 fours and one six.