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ScorecardPakistan chose efficiency over style on Saturday as they booked their place in the semi-finals with a straightforward win over Zimbabwe.Pakistan’s bowlers, so impressive in Friday’s defeat of New Zealand, impressed again to dismiss Zimbabwe for just 181, before knocking off the total in 48 overs. Anwer Ali Khan, whose 5 for 34 wrecked New Zealand, took 3 for 25 while his opening partner Jamshaid Ahmed captured 2 for 42 and Riaz Khail picked up 4 for 29.Zimbabwe’s innings fell into several distinct phases. First there was an early struggle as they limped to 31 for 3 in the face of an onslaught from Anwer Ali Khan and Jamshaid Ahmed. Then Donald ‘Kuda’ Samunderu (46) and Keegan Meth (33) pulled things around with a fourth wicket stand of 65 before another cluster of wickets fell and Zimbabwe slipped to 136 for 8.That collapse forced Sean Williams’ side to draft in their Supersub, Friday Kasteni, in place of opening bowler Ian Nicolson. Kasteni’s contribution in getting his side to a reasonably useful score was vital. Batting at number nine, he made 22 crucial runs and, together with Ronald Benade (18) the pair added 39, the second highest stand of the innings. Samunderu, Meth and Kasteni were the only players to reach 20 for Zimbabwe but 23 extras, including 14 wides, boosted their total which, inevitably, was no match for Pakistan.Ibrahim Mohammed (39) and Rameez Raja (39) both made solid top-order contributions to set Pakistan on their way before Riaz Kail (26 not out) and captain Safaraz Ahmed (22 not out) finished the match off with an unbroken partnership of 36.”I did not think there was much between the teams but I was definitely impressed by Pakistan’s fast bowling,” Zimbabwe’s captain, Sean Williams, said. “We kept them out there chasing the target for 48 overs but we just did not get enough runs and our top order has failed in every game.”Although Pakistan took their time in their run-chase, they were wary of a replicating the collapse they suffered against Bangladesh earlier in the tournament.”We did not want to make the same mistake we did against Bangladesh (when Pakistan collapsed) so we were happy to take as long as we had to in order to score the runs,” said Pakistan coach Mansoor Rana.Mansoor, whose team now face a rampant Australia in the semi-finals, was relaxed about his team’s fortunes. “As long as we are fully prepared then it does not matter who we play because they are all good teams and it is simply what happens on the day,” he said. “One good innings or one good spell of bowling can win a match.”

Multan defeated Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in a thriller by a three wickets margin, on the final day of their fifth-round match, at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday.Multan required a mere 116 to win but they made heavy weather of the task at hand. They lost seven wickets before they got home. The first four wickets fell with just 23 on the board, then the total was taken to 94 but three more wickets were lost. Naved Yasin, with an unbeaten 27, was joined by skipper Rauf, who made 20 not out and the two took their team to an exciting win.SSGC medium-fast bowler Shakeel-ur-Rehman from Peshawar had meanwhile bowled his heart out in bringing his team near a difficult triumph. Shakeel took five for 64 yesterday, that gave him a match haul of 10 for 162. In the end, though, his was a futile effort.Multan with 18 points from five matches have now jumped up to sixth place in the 11-team ranking, from their previous eighth spot. SSGC are down to number seven from the fifth positon, with 18 points from four appearances.Wasim Khan took five wickets and offspinner Irfanuddin chipped in with three to power National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to a eight-wicket win against Karachi Whites at the NBP Sports Complex Stadium on Friday.Resuming at their overnight 97 for 3, still 29 runs behind their opponents, Karachi Whites managed only a modest 202 in their second innings. That left National Bank a small target of 78 runs, which they achieved with ease.The only Karachi batsman to show some defiance yesterday was Daniyal Ahsan. He batted just over four hours and faced 156 balls in scoring 63 runs that included five fours. For National Bank, first innings centurion Nasir Jamshed was again in good form in the second, making an unbeaten 40 off 57 balls with six fours and two sixes.In five matches, National Bank have now taken their points tally to 36, but remain at second place behind Habib Bank in the 11-team Group A ranking. Habib Bank too have 36 points to their credit, but in only four appearances, and they also have a superior net run-rate. After five matches, of which they have won two and lost two, Karachi Whites remain stuck at 21 points.Islamabad returned to the top of the Group B ranking after registering an emphatic nine-wicket win over Karachi Blues at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground on Friday.Having resumed at 87 for one, requiring only a further 59 runs, the second-wicket pair took the score to 149 for one as Islamabad emerged victorious comfortably. The unbroken partnership was worth 140 runs: Umair Khan hit 68 not out off 93 with 13 fours while Farrukh Hayat achieved the first half-century of his first-class career, making an unbeaten 51 off 107 deliveries.Islamabad, who had slipped to number three in the 11-team Group B table following a defeat at the hands of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in the fourth round, are now back on the top. They have won all their other matches for a tally of 36 points.
At the Bugti Stadium Quetta, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) went from eighth place to sixth when they beat Quetta by five wickets. They had needed only 144 runs to win and they did so for the loss of five wickets. KRL, however, collected only six points as they had earlier surrendered a nine-run first innings lead to Quetta..

The State Insurance Central Stags certainly roared at Queen’s Park, Invercargill today when they comprehensively defeated the State Otago Volts by seven wickets in their Shell Cup contest.Winning the toss and putting Otago into bat on a wicket which although covered had seen three days of wild and wet weather, Central Districts never looked back from ball one and the Otago batsmen began a procession back to the pavilion that looked like a parade of lemmings.At the end of 31.3 overs the Volts had been dismissed for a paltry 67 and truly realised what the value of winning the toss was. But, it is fair to state the the pitch while not at all satisfactory was never venomous and the Otago batsmen never really got into the mode of pushing the ball around and waiting for the bad ones to hit to the boundary.Only Warren McSkimming batting at number eight looked in any way assured, and even then only to a limited effect. Three Otago batsmen in Martyn Croy, Matthew Horne and Lee Germon were dismissed as a result of vagaries in the pitch but that could not be blamed for a total of 67 – the fourth lowest one-day total in New Zealand cricket history.The task of knocking off the 68 runs required was not a difficult chore for the Stags who found the pitch had lost most of its sting and they gleefully the victory target in 15.4 overs.It was not a game that will go down in the annals of one-day cricket memorables but it has given Central Districts a place in the semi-finals of the Shell Cup and Otago yet another exit to near the bottom of the class.

In four weeks’ time, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will hold their first women’s tournament in Malaysia. While Malaysia will have both the home advantage and the benefit of fitness – as many of their players are in the Air Force – plans are also taking shape in the UAE.Two former India players are on board to mould the first UAE women’s team. Pramila Bhat Sarangan and Smitha Harikrishna have a hard task – women’s cricket is a new sport to the country – so they are instilling such disciplines as practice at 6am and even just teaching the basics. “A flush of too much technique may be too much for them to handle,” Sarangan told . “We will be working hard on their physical fitness.”Most of the team are from the subcontinent, mainly from South India. Sarangan would like to see more representation from South Africans and English ex-pats.On a developmental level, she says: “If women’s cricket is to become popular in UAE, the game should be promoted at the schools level. Clubs should also be formed and matches should be organised regularly.”In the meantime, the two players to look out for Natasha Michael, a batsman, and the fast bowler Charvi Bhatt. They will be taking part in the week-long ACC tournament, which comprises 25-over matches, starts on July 11.

Lyon to seek out Ashwin advice

Nathan Lyon is eager to seek out his India opposite number R Ashwin at the conclusion of the limited-overs matches in Australia as he seeks to finally nail down an ODI and Twenty20 place in the national team’s plans.
Ashwin has been a leading light for finger spinners over the past 12 months, and Lyon said he would take up any chance to talk shop with him when hostilities end.
“If the opportunity comes up at the end of the T20 series that I can sit down and have a chat with Ashwin, I’m definitely up for it,” Lyon said. “I watch his bowling quite closely, especially when he’s bowling back home, so trying to forever learn off every spinner going around, and if I can keep improving, keep getting better, that’s my goal.
“Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja are world-class spinners. Coming out to Australia it’s a hard place to bowl spin, but I definitely think the Indian spin bowling stocks are up there.”
Aware he is more or less on trial ahead of the World T20, Lyon said he wanted to make the most of his chance. “I’ve got an opportunity now and I’ve got to perform,” he said. “I’m very grateful to the selectors who’ve given me that opportunity.”

Shaun Tait’s first international call-up for five years has exposed the national selectors’ anxiety about a lack of high velocity pace bowling options ahead of the World Twenty20, while Nathan Lyon is also in strong contention having been named in the squad for three T20s against India.The uncapped batsman Travis Head and fast bowlers Andrew Tye and Scott Boland have also been included in a 17-man group for the three T20s, which also includes veteran allrounder Shane Watson.While Lyon may well have been on the selectors’ radar as a World T20 candidate for some time, the re-emergence of Tait has been more unexpected. Tait, now 32, has not played international cricket since the 2011 World Cup but has impressed the selectors during this summer’s BBL, in which he has picked up 10 wickets at 24.70. Marsh said it remained to be seen whether Tait’s express pace would be of value in Indian conditions, but admitted pace was needed in the absence of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins and following the retirement of Mitchell Johnson.”We don’t know and I don’t know whether we’ll find out – it’s up to Shaun now,” the selection chairman Rod Marsh said. “To be honest I didn’t even know if he was going to play that many [BBL] games. I knew he was on the list. He’s probably the fastest bowler in the country at the moment. You do need a bit of pace in T20 cricket.”Watson, recalled to the national side after a strong burst of performances for the Sydney Thunder in the latter stages of the Big Bash League, said Tait was a viable option for the World T20 in the rhythm he has shown during the tournament. “I did face him. I faced two balls, one was a very fast bouncer and the other one I nicked off, so he was very good!” Watson said.”Shaun Tait’s an X-Factor, always has been, and it’s great to see him back around the Aussie team. I still believe he has a lot to offer, with his body right and bowling fast, the way he releases the ball is different to anything you face, so it’s awesome he’s got another opportunity.”Australia played only one T20 international in 2015 and the three games against India in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney will be the only chance for players to audition ahead of the naming of the World T20 squad. There was no room in the group for former T20 captain George Bailey, although Marsh said he was confident Bailey’s experience would allow him to step straight back in if needed at the World T20.Lyon’s inclusion for what will be his T20 international debut comes as the selectors look for spin options given the turning conditions that will confront them at the World T20, with legspinner Cameron Boyce also included. Lyon has also been chosen for the final two ODIs against India, replacing the fast bowler Joel Paris, and Marsh said it was the right time to give him a chance with the white ball, having played only eight ODIs.”We’re probably looking to see how he goes and it is an audition for him re India, I guess,” Marsh said of Lyon’s selection in the T20 squad. “He’s got such a wonderful record in Test cricket, we didn’t want to jeopardise that in any way, shape or form. He’s been a terrific bowler for us in Test match cricket and we certainly didn’t want to play him in a few odd one-day games or an odd T20 here or there, and for him to start bowling flat and losing that terrific rhythm that he’s now got.”Marsh said the selectors were taking a “wait-and-see” approach with Watson, whose ODI career appears to be over as well as his time as a Test cricketer. Watson’s experience in India and at World T20 tournaments could yet see him gain a place in the final 15, which must be named by February 11, after he returned to form with 62 and 66 in his two most recent games for Sydney Thunder.Also in the mix for top-order positions are Head and Chris Lynn, both of whom are in the top three run scorers in this year’s BBL. Lynn played two T20s for Australia in January 2014 while Head is yet to make his debut for Australia in any form. New faces in the bowling group include Boland, who has played three ODIs already this summer, and Tye, who has 29 T20 wickets at 18.65 and an economy rate of less than seven.”Not many countries have seen much of him,” Marsh said of Tye, a Perth Scorchers fast bowler. “His form in the last two Big Bash Leagues has been outstanding. He is a good death bowler as well, and really it is death from over one in T20.”Like Bailey, allrounder Mitchell Marsh was also not named in the T20 squad, but remains strongly in the mix for the World T20. Rod Marsh said the fact that these were Australia’s only matches before choosing the squad to visit India meant that it was wise to use the games to look at some players who were on the fringes of selection. He said the three T20s in Australia were in part World T20 auditions.”Yeah it is but I think what we also have to remember is we’re playing three matches under Australian conditions here and the World Cup’s not in Australia,” he said. “So we’ll have to use a little bit of knowledge from the IPL, et cetera, to get that final 15 which is not going to be an easy task.”I would imagine we would like to give all of the 17 a go somewhere, otherwise we wouldn’t have picked that massive squad. The reason we picked [such a big] squad is some guys will be going off to New Zealand early [ahead of the ODI and Test series].”Notably, Aaron Finch was retained as T20 captain despite the presence in the squad of Steven Smith, who is captain of both the Test and ODI sides. Marsh said consideration had been given to Smith taking on the T20 captaincy but “at the moment Aaron is doing the job and doing it nicely”.The selectors also confirmed their squad for the remaining two ODIs against India, with Paris and Usman Khawaja making way for Lyon and David Warner, who is returning from paternity leave. The final two games are in Canberra and Sydney, and are dead rubbers after Australia secured the series with their win in Melbourne on Sunday.T20 squad Aaron Finch (capt), David Warner, Steven Smith, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Shaun Marsh, Cameron Boyce, Nathan Lyon, Chris Lynn, Travis Head, Kane Richardson, Andrew Tye, Scott Boland, Shaun TaitODI squad Steven Smith (capt), Aaron Finch, David Warner, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Scott Boland, Kane Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh

Andy Roberts, the former West Indies fast bowler, has won the Grand Cross of the Most Illustrious Order of Merit. The honour, Antigua and Barbuda’s second-highest civilian decoration, was conferred during the annual Independence Day parade at the Antigua Recreation Ground.Roberts, 56, who was the first Antiguan to play Test cricket for the West Indies, took 202 wickets in 47 Tests at 25.61 and 87 wickets in 56 ODIs at 20.35. He was part of the famed quartet of fast bowlers who took West Indies to the top of world cricket in the 1970s and early ’80s, the others being Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Colin Croft. He was also part of the West Indies team that won the 1975 and 1979 World Cups.Antigua and Barbuda was celebrating its 26th Independence Day anniversary.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued summons to Jagmohan Dalmiya, its former president, following his failure to reply to a show cause notice. He will face a Disciplinary Committee headed by Sharad Pawar, the current BCCI president, and includes Shashank Manohar and Chirayu Amin.”Dalmiya has been asked to appear before the Disciplinary Committee on July 26 at one o’clock (afternoon) in New Delhi,” Niranjan Shah, the BCCI Secretary said.The Board had issued a show cause notice to Dalmiya, asking him to furnish details of a transfer of Rs 40 crore (approx. US$85561498) from an Indian Overseas Bank account in Bhawanipur to the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), of which he is the president, between 1996 to 2005. After Dalmiya failed to reply to the notice, the Board debited the amount to CAB and also decided to withhold all subsidies to it.Earlier, the Board had alleged misappropriation of the 1996 World Cup funds by Dalmiya and filed an FIR at a Mumbai police station a few months ago. The case was subsequently transferred to the Economic Offence Wing of the Mumbai Police who interrogated Dalmiya and two other colleagues when he was at the helm of Board’s affairs.

In a new twist to the Sachin Tendulkar retirement story it has emerged that he is yet to make an official statement on the issue. A news agency quoted Tendulkar on Thursday as saying he had not thought about retirement but the Indian team’s administrative manager, Rajeev Shukla, confirmed on Friday that the quotes were not from the player.”That was my statement on Tendulkar’s behalf,” Shukla, also a vice-president of the Indian board, said while referring to the denial. “Tendulkar hasn’t spoken officially to anyone. It was wrongly reported as Tendulkar’s quotes.”Tendulkar’s statement sought to end speculation over his retiring from one-day cricket after India’s home engagements against Australia and Pakistan later this season. It followed a story reported by Cricinfo on Wednesday, quoting sources close to Tendulkar, that he was inclined to announce his retirement on this tour of England but had been persuaded by friends to do so at home.The confusion also stemmed from the post-match press conference at The Oval. Rahul Dravid was asked to comment on reports that Tendulkar had planned to retire and had been talked out of it by his team-mates. His answer was brief: “False reports.”

ScorecardIt was a day for the Das’s at Cuttack. Shiv Sunder Das, the former Indian opener, amassed his maiden first-class triple hundred while Rashmi Ranjan Das chipped in with his first hundred as Orissa continued to dominate against J&K. SS Das took 500 deliveries to reach his landmark, before the declaration arrived, while RR Das, the more aggressive of the duo, cracked ten fours and two sixes in his knock. J&K began their reply on a disastrous note – going into stumps at 6 for 2. The Orissa Cricket Association declared cash prizes of Rs 30,000 and Rs 10,000 for the heroes of the day.
ScorecardJai Prakash Yadav led Railways’ fightback against Kerala on a rain-affected day at Delhi, polishing off the tail to end with a five-wicket haul. Resuming on 223 for 6, Kerala lost their last four wickets for only 41. Railways were soon reduced to 64 for 3 before a spate of showers, at 1:11pm, abandoned play for the rest of the day.
ScorecardRobin D’Souza and Saahil Dhuri snaffled three wickets apiece as Goa edged ahead of Madhya Pradesh on the second day at Indore. A 60-run stand for the second wicket between Monish Mishra and Amit Pal helped MP cruise to 72 for 1, chasing Goa’s 223, before D’Souza triggered a mini-collapse. Murtaza Ali, in just his second first-class game, chipped in with 49 but the rest of the batsmen struggled against Goa’s medium-pace duo.
ScorecardAnand Katti’s 93 led a lower-order revival to lift Assam to 308 but Vidarbha foughtback with 151 for 2 at the end of the second day at Nagpur. Katti’s knock spanned more than five hours and he received valuable support from the tail – Nos.9,10 and 11 added 60 between them. Vidarbha, though, weren’t done yet with Amit Deshpande (59) and Harshal Shitoot (51) piloting them to a healthy total.
ScorecardTimir Chanda ensured that Tripura had the better of the attritional battle at Agartala. His cautious unbeaten 98 helped Tripura extended their total to 275 before his three wickets rattled Jharkhand’s top order, reducing them to 59 for 3. Rajiv Kumar and Santosh Lal steadied the innings with a couple of plucky innings, taking Jharkhand to 169 for 5 at stumps.
ScorecardOnly 28.5 overs were possible on a curtailed day at Delhi as Himachal Pradesh extended their total to 315 before Services responded with 31 for no loss. Manish Jha, the medium-pacer, polished off HP’s lower order to end with his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.

Prior to South Africa’s morale-boosting win at Brisbane on Sunday, Bob Simpson, the former Australia coach, launched an attack on Graeme Smith, accusing him of having a wandering mind.”Smith has shown he wants to be aggressive, but I would like this to be more with his bat and less with his mouth,” Simpson said in his column in Indian magazine .”His bid to boost the confidence of his team with ill-advised words is not working and will not work. All of his time should be spent getting the most out of his players and himself. At present his mind is wandering too much … to be out four times in a row to tactics devised to get him in such a manner is not acceptable and shows to me a mind that is not relaxed and concentrating on every ball.”Although Smith fell for 12 on Sunday, he did lead his team to an excellent victory despite the best efforts of Australia’s fieldsmen. Andrew Symonds completed a slick run-out, and Michael Hussey sprinted about 15 metres to take an outstanding diving catch that nearly turned the game Australia’s way. The South African fielding has also annoyed Simpson, who described it as “just terrible”.”Their ground fielding has lacked security and concentration and enthusiasm,” he said. “This is a comparatively young team and I am amazed at the number of simple errors that are being made and the lack of pride being expressed.”History, and I am sure the modern computer, would show that first slip takes the most catches followed by the second and the third slips. Yet, because other countries are using spread slips, though without much or perhaps any success, Smith is being influenced by it without understanding the law of averages. I don’t know who is helping the South Africans with their fielding, but whoever is doing so should examine why so many catches are being spilt.”