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

Sanjay Bangar set things up perfectly for Railways with 79 at the top of the innings© Getty Images

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.

The West Indies selectors have named their 15-man squad for the one-day series against South Africa, which starts at Cape Town on January 25.Three Barbadians – Ryan Hurley, Kurt Wilkinson and Ian Bradshaw – have been rewarded for their good performances during the Red Stripe Bowl, while a fourth, Dwayne Smith, has been retained after his blistering debut century in the third Test at Cape Town.West Indies currently trail South Africa 2-0 in the four-Test series, and start as outsiders in the one-day matches as well, as they come up against the team ranked second in the ICC Championship table.Full squad
Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-capt), Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs (wk), Vasbert Drakes, Ryan Hurley, Ian Bradshaw, Kurt Wilkinson, Ravi Rampaul, Mervyn Dillon, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore.

Hampshire’s Director of cricket Tim Tremlett was optimistic that Shane Warne will be fit in time for the World Cup in February, and subsequently to join Hampshire as captain for the 2003 season.”Reports” said Tim “coming out of Australia today (Monday) state that Shane has had an exploratory operation on his shoulder after suffering a dislocation during the VB Series match against England on Sunday.” (see ACB report below).Tim Tremlett had spoken today to new First team manager Paul Terry, and Hampshire physio Pat Farhart who are closely monitoring the situation. Pat had spoken to his Australian counterpart, who was upbeat about the situation.

The Central Zone under-22 match between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanat Indore ended in a tame draw on Sunday. There was some engrossingcricket over the first two days but rain washed out play on the finalday.Opting to bat on Friday, MP were all out for 189 early on the secondday. They failed to build upon a good start given by openers S Tomar(35) and N Ojha (40) who put on 70 runs. At one stage, the home teamwere 151 for three but then ensued a sharp collapse which saw sevenwickets falling for 38 runs. The visitors replied with 217 for five atstumps on the penultimate day. Skipper AS Jain who opened the battingscored a patient 44 off 102 balls. V Saxena who came in at No 3 got avaluable 57 which was compiled off 133 balls with seven hits to theropes. S Bhatia batted more aggressively in scoring an unbeaten 67 off116 balls. He hit five fours and a six. Rajasthan got five points andMP three.

ScorecardMichael Yardy wants to ensure Sussex’s safety before he retires•Getty Images

This is an uncertain time of year. Three clubs – two of them playing here – are locked in the real relegation battle; Worcestershire, to the neutral’s disappointment, are all but gone. Hampshire are still fighting. But Sussex and Somerset know a win at Hove saves tricky seasons.For players too, it’s an uncertain time. Take Ashar Zaidi. Out of contract at season’s end, this, like the retiring Michael Yardy, could be his final home game for Sussex. Time, then, to make an impression. Things are uncertain for Yardy too, as he prepares for life after cricket. After a day delayed by – then twice interrupted by – blustery rain, and with Sussex looking vulnerable at 171 for 6, the pair came together to share an unbeaten 132 at upwards of four an over, securing three vital bonus points.There are, at first glance, uniting factors. Zaidi is a roly-poly sort of fellow, while Yardy these days is not svelte, and neither could be accused of haring between the wickets. Both are left-handed and both – Yardy for his extravagant crab across the crease and Zaidi for his compulsive fidgets – are downright awkward to bowl to. On Monday, both scored fine, fun half-centuries with Zaidi so defiant that he finished only 10 runs short of a century.But there are vast differences too. Yardy is a club stalwart, while many wonder exactly what Zaidi’s role is – part-time spinner, No 8 batsman, often hidden in the field – and few would be particularly surprised to see him released. The celebrations of their respective half-centuries told of this: fifties can seldom have been greeted as warmly as Yardy’s – a rainbow even appeared to the east as Zaidi came down to offer his partner a warm handshake. Zaidi’s brought smiles for its brevity, and sheer joyfulness.In method, Yardy is heavy footed with his double foot-plant across from on side to off, while Zaidi is fleeter, dancing around, down and across the crease depending on who is flinging the ball at him. If Yardy’s technique is idiosyncratic, he uses it watchfully and sensibly, while Zaidi swings from the hip. By day’s end, with one playing for stumps and the other appearing to believe they required eight an over, they looked a rather odd couple.On a day when rain was never far away and the wind blew so hard that the floodlights, switched on early, swayed in the gusts, Somerset would not have been unhappy to have been invited to bowl by Ed Joyce. It did not take long for Luke Wells to be squared up by Tim Groenewald and edge to second slip, where Marcus Trescothick was as safe as ever.Joyce was Sussex’s securest batsman. Strong on the cut, flicking to leg, and when leaving, he survived two sessions as flightier, more temptable partners came and went. Matt Machan looked in sublime touch, straight driving and bunting to leg, before slapping Jamie Overton to cover. Peter Trego probed and Chris Nash nibbled to Trescothick at second, while Luke Wright fell in the same manner to Jim Allenby’s medium pacers after also looking at ease, playing a magnificent flamingo through midwicket. Joyce’s fine innings ended when he was strangled down the legside by Overton with the afternoon session’s final delivery.It was Ben Brown’s wicket, just after tea, that brought Yardy and Zaidi together. Brown, who has had a fine season, had somehow contrived to turn a shin-high, leg-stump full toss from Jack Leach to cover, off his leading edge. Craig Overton barely had to move but that delivery’s cricket had hitherto been so poor that he really should have shelled it.Zaidi set about trying to cause more trouble than the 40mph winds, which sent detritus onto the field, blew off fielders’ caps and played with bowlers lines. He was away with a cut and an on-drive off Jamie Overton and never let up. For every handsome drive there was a loose waft and for every time the third man boundary was peppered intentionally, there was one that made it there by accident. With the close minutes away, he provided his innings in microcosm, deciding to amble down the track to Allenby and deposit him over wide mid-on for six.Yardy was as perversely elegant as ever, rolling his wrists delicately on cover drives and dabbing across the line. On a pitch that has a little spice, he was a good deal more straight-laced, but such was the fun had by Zaidi, it’s hard to believe Yardy was able to keep a straight face at the non-strikers. Thanks to the odd couple, Sussex’s position – in the match and that relegation scrap – looks strong.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has apparently been blown away by one player at N17 who he’s barely selected as some interesting news emerges.

The Lowdown: No room in Spurs’ defence…

It appears the likes of Eric Dier, Cristian Romero, Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies are all ahead of one man in the pecking order with centre-back Joe Rodon unable to get a look-in this season.

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Even Dier’s spell on the sidelines didn’t result in more game time for Rodon despite Conte previously stating that he is seen as a deputy to the England international.

The Welshman has made no Premier League starts this season, playing just 78 minutes in that time, with the vast majority of his minutes coming in the Europa Conference League.

The Latest: Conte now blown away…

Now, according to Wales boss Robert Page, it appears Conte has now been blown away by Rodon’s exploits on international duty.

The 47-year-old claims that Conte was ‘very complimentary’ about the defender’s performance last week during Wales’ 2-1 win over Austria.

“I know Antonio Conte was watching last Thursday,” Page explained (via The Sun).

“He was very complimentary about Joe’s performance, and rightly so. I thought he was outstanding.

“To come in off the back of not playing at club level, Joe deserves an enormous amount of credit for that level of performance.

“It shows he has looked after himself.

“If you are going to be a Tottenham player you have to be fit at this moment in time. I know that for a fact.”

The Verdict: Second chance?

As Rodon looks to battle his way into Conte’s plans, he wouldn’t have done his chances any harm.

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The 24-year-old could be a real asset for Spurs at club level going by his exploits for Wales and former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has made no secret of what he believes.

Mourinho called Rodon a ‘perfect’ player during his time at the club and it will be interesting to see whether Conte turns to Rodon more over the final stretch of 2021/2022.

In other news: Conte eyeing £25.2m-rated ‘game-changer’ who Spurs once agreed personal terms for! Find out more here.

Jhye Richardson could make his first Test appearance in four years with Australia locking in an all-pace attack for Boxing Day, on an MCG pitch described by Steven Smith as “quite furry, quite green”, while Usman Khawaja has retained his spot after being a last-minute replacement in Adelaide.Australia will wait until the morning of the game to make the final call on the composition of quicks. It will come down to two from Richardson, Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett, with offspinner Todd Murphy being omitted from the trimmed-down 12-man squad named by Smith, who also returns from illness, on Christmas Day. Josh Inglis has also been left out from the side that played in Adelaide.It means for the second time in the series – and third time in their last five Tests – Australia won’t have a specialist spinner on a surface that still had 10mm of grass the day before the game, with the match also set to start under cool, cloudy conditions.”I dare say it’s going to offer quite a bit,” Smith, captaining again in place of Pat Cummins, said. “Particularly, I think tomorrow’s similar conditions to today, quite cold and overcast. I dare say there’s going to be quite a bit of movement in that surface.”Smith added that even if Nathan Lyon, who injured his hamstring in Adelaide, had been available, there would still have been a discussion about not playing a spinner.”I think a lot of the wickets we’re playing on at present are certainly more seam-friendly than spin-friendly,” he said. “Last week [in Adelaide] was an anomaly. We saw some rough and we saw Nathan come in to play big-time last week. It’s a tricky one. You’ve just got to play what surface you’re presented with.Todd Murphy will have to sit out•Getty Images

“This one out here looks like it’s going to offer a fair bit of assistance for the seam bowlers. The weather throughout the week looks conducive for that, too. I think if Nathan was here, we’d probably still be having the same conversation as well.”It’s certainly nothing to do with Todd’s skill. We know he’s a quality bowler. He’s played some games for Australia and done really well. It’s great to see him here this week. I’m sure he’s going to be a pretty good chance to play next week in Sydney.”If Richardson plays, it will be his first Test since the 2021-22 Ashes. He was part of the squad a year ago for the corresponding match against India but shortly after that opted for shoulder surgery to correct a long-standing problem. In recent weeks, he has increased his workload across Cricket Australia XI and Australia A fixtures against England Lions and it was confirmed he wouldn’t be under any workload restrictions if selected.”He’s just got a great set of skills,” Smith said. “Swings the ball both ways, seams it, accurate. [He’s] a bit more skiddy than some of the others, he’s a little bit shorter, bowls decent pace. We’ve seen that when he’s had the opportunity at this level, he’s been outstanding. If he gets his opportunity tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be extremely excited.”It’s been a long lay-off for him and he’s done all the work to get back. He’s been around the group for a couple of weeks now getting his loads up and he’s in a good spot.”Meanwhile, Khawaja will bat at No. 5 as Australia continue with the Jake Weatherald-Travis Head opening combination, but Cameron Green has been demoted to No. 7 below the in-form Alex Carey as he endures a difficult series with the bat and could be playing for his place. It means that Inglis loses his place after not being able to convert the starts he made in Brisbane and Adelaide.There was some thought Green could be squeezed out by Beau Webster but the selectors have shown faith in Green, who caused Smith a few problems in the nets.Cameron Green has endured a difficult series with the bat•AFP/Getty Images

“He’s bowling nicely,” Smith said. “Obviously picked up a key wicket in the last game with Harry Brook with a nice ball. Gave me a couple of those yesterday, actually. They were pretty similar.”I think in terms of his batting, he probably hasn’t got the output that he’s wanted so far. He’s had a couple of really good starts where he’s looked nice and comfortable at the crease. It’s about just making those starts and turning them into bigger scores.”We’ve seen how talented he is [and] seen what he can do in the game with bat, ball and in the field. He saves a truckload of runs at gully there with balls that no one else is going to stop. Hopefully he can make some runs this week.”Australia have made frequent changes through the series – some forced by injury, others tactical such as playing all-pace attacks – and have so far made the right call at every turn.”I think everyone who’s come in has done a great job,” Smith said. “And I think the beauty of this series so far, it hasn’t just been one or two players, it’s been a whole group of players standing up at different times and taking on the responsibility.”I think individuals, Starcy’s been magnificent leading the attack in all three games. Alex Carey behind the stumps and with the bat, outstanding. Travis Head, outstanding. It’s not about one or two individuals just standing up all the time, it’s everyone chipping in at stages. I think we’ve been able to do that in the big moments.”Our fielding has been outstanding as well. Some of the catches we’ve taken have really been able to turn the game and could have been the difference between the two sides at this stage.”

ScorecardA washed out game at the Sinovich Park in Sinoville, Pretoria meant hosts South Africa Under-19 need to win their final encounter against India Under-19 on Saturday to have a chance of qualifying for the final of the triangular tournament.After rain affected Thursday’s game between India and Bangladesh, it ruined the match between South Africa and Bangladesh, with even the toss not having taken place. South Africa had lost their earlier match against Bangladesh and with only two matches remaining before the final, the hosts must win against India, and hope India beat Bangladesh, which most likely will see South Africa qualify on a better net run-rate.South Africa, though, face a tough ask, as India have won both their matches thus far in the tournament.