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SLC wanted more time to consider proposals

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SLC was compelled to vote against the ICC’s proposed financial model because of procedural problems with how the new structure was presented to the ICC board, according to the Sri Lanka board’s president, Thilanga Sumathipala.The BCCI and SLC were the only boards to vote against the new draft constitution, which effectively represents a partial rollback of the Big Three’s governance and financial policies ushered in in 2014. But where the BCCI stands to earn 34% less in ICC revenue under the proposed new model, SLC’s objection is more surprising, as it – along with other smaller boards – is understood to have been offered a greater share of ICC funds than were due under the Big Three.Sumathipala’s official objections to the new model, however, are anchored in concerns about how and when the new structure was proposed, rather than specific opposition to the substance of the proposal. He said: “Sri Lanka has seen the document for discussion only on the 10th of January,” adding that “we should give members more time – that includes India”.He also said that he was expecting the proposal to only be discussed at this round of meetings, and not to be “adopted by way of a resolution”. Among other objections, Sumathipala said that governance matters and commercial concerns could not appropriately be dealt with in one document, and that there needed to be “much clearer comparison of the change”.There is a possibility that SLC’s siding with the BCCI is also a reflection of its present financial position. India are scheduled to tour Sri Lanka later this year, bringing with them a much-needed financial windfall. Sumathipala has also publicly invited India to play an “Independence Trophy” in Sri Lanka around February next year, to coincide with Sri Lanka’s 70th anniversary of freedom from British rule. In a previous stint as SLC president, Sumathipala oversaw the Nidahas Trophy in 1998 – when India and New Zealand played a tri-series in Sri Lanka coinciding with 50th Independence Day celebrations.SLC was one of two boards to abstain from voting for the resolution that adopted the Big Three policies in the first place – with the board having the full support of the prevailing Sri Lanka government. However, the political landscape in Sri Lanka has now changed, and both the SLC board and its policy with it.

India edge thriller to seal series 2-1

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsZimbabwe had never won a T20I series of more than one match. A chase of 139 presented them an opportunity to achieve this, and a nervy final over from Barinder Sran brought them to within one hit of victory. But Elton Chigumbura, with four needed off the last ball, could only manage enough power and elevation to hit a low, wide full-toss into extra-covers’ hands. India, never quite convincing, won by three runs and took the series 2-1.Until this match, Sran had impressed with his new-ball swing, but had never really come under pressure. Now, India were bowling second for the first time on the tour, and were defending 138. A number of Zimbabwe’s batsmen had got off to starts, but no one had carried on. They now needed 21 off the last over, with Timycen Maruma and Chigumbura at the crease, both batting on 12. Maruma had shaved six off the target with a massive leg-side clout off Jasprit Bumrah in the penultimate over.Now Sran sent down a length ball, and Maruma, clearing his front leg once again, clobbered it over the midwicket boundary. Then Sran brought square leg and fine leg into the circle, and, in looking to deny Maruma the scoop over the infield, slanted the ball too wide outside off stump. The pressure was firmly on, and a high full-toss followed, providing width for a slap to the cover boundary. No-ball, nine runs to get off five balls, free hit to come.It was at this point that Sran pulled his death-bowling skills together, sending down three successive wide yorkers, all there or thereabouts: dot, dot, single. Eight to get off two, and Chigumbura ran down the pitch, slogged, and streaked a lucky edge to the third man boundary.The situation was something like the first ODI of India’s tour to Zimbabwe last year; then it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling to Chigumbura with six to get off the last ball. Chigumbura could only get a single, unable to get any elevation on a yorker despite batting on 103 at the time. Sran couldn’t quite nail his yorker, but his full-toss was low enough to deny Chigumbura and Zimbabwe.That India had 138 to defend was down to Kedar Jadhav, who scored 58 off 42 balls – his first half-century in T20Is – to lift a batting line-up that got into early trouble on a pitch with decidedly low bounce and inconsistent pace: some balls stopped, some skidded, and the batsmen came to realise that a stump-to-stump line was rather difficult to score against. When Jadhav walked in, India were 27 for 3, with Manish Pandey’s first-ball run-out adding to the early loss of both openers.Jadhav added 49 with Ambati Rayudu for the fourth wicket at exactly a run a ball. Both batsmen were kept quiet by the conditions and Zimbabwe’s use of them, before Rayudu ran down the pitch, got too far from Graeme Cremer’s legbreak, and holed out to long-on. Neville Madziva and Tendai Chatara followed that up with three quiet overs, conceding only 15, and Donald Tiripano profited from the pressure built by his seam-bowling comrades, MS Dhoni slogging across the line and inside-edging onto the stumps. In the process, a bail flew into Dhoni’s helmet and hit him close to his right eye; when India fielded, the backroom staff came on at regular intervals to administer eye drops.At 93 for 5 in the 17th over, India seemed to be losing their way a bit, but Jadhav took charge in the next over, jumping out to Chatara to hit his first ball for a clean, straight six, and then staying back to one just short of yorker length to carve it to the point boundary. Jadhav ended the over with an inside-edged flick onto his pad which ran away to the fine-leg boundary to bring up his half-century.Tiripano, mixing up his pace well, dismissed Jadhav in the 19th over, but Axar Patel carried the momentum forward into the last over, launching Madziva for six over long-off. It wasn’t the biggest total, but Zimbabwe would need to bat well to get 139 on this pitch.They did this, in spurts, always staying on course, but losing wickets with enough frequency to keep India in the game. Vusi Sibanda, who replaced Sikandar Raza in Zimbabwe’s XI, came in at No. 3 and gave them early impetus, hitting Dhawal Kulkarni for two straight fours either side of a slap to the cover boundary, all in the fourth over. By the end of the fifth, they were 38 for 1.Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and the spread-out post-Powerplay fields quietened Zimbabwe, and Hamilton Masakadza, who had moved to 15 off 20, was trapped lbw by Axar’s left-arm spin in the ninth over, trying to sweep a stump-to-stump ball. Kulkarni then had his revenge against Sibanda when he nipped one back to catch him falling over, and Zimbabwe, at 60 for 3 in the 11th over, had to start all over again.Yuzvendra Chahal eased the pressure with frequent long-hops. Sibanda had already pulled him for four; now Peter Moor clubbed him for sixes in the 12th and 14th overs, and followed up with another, lofting a flighted ball cleanly over extra-cover. But he fell in the same over, and with Bumrah and Axar coming back for three more tight overs, Zimbabwe were left needing 35 off the last three.Bumrah then pulled off a stunning, leaping catch at short third man to dismiss Malcolm Waller, whose uppercut off Kulkarni had looked destined to go for four, and Maruma and Chigumbura only managed three off that over. Maruma’s heaved six off Bumrah kept Zimbabwe in the game, just about, setting the stage for the tour’s dramatic conclusion.

Sulakshan Kulkarni appointed Chhattisgarh coach for three seasons

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Chhattisgarh have named Sulakshan Kulkarni, the former Mumbai wicketkeeper, as their coach for the next three seasons. Kulkarni will begin work with a camp in Raipur, attended by 30 probables.”I’m happy to be back in the Ranji Trophy again as a coach. I will enjoy helping develop a team like Chhattisgarh, which would play in the Ranji Trophy for the first time,” Kulkarni told the .”We had received applications from many coaches, some of whom are former players,” Rajesh Dave, the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh secretary, said. “Kulkarni has a good track record with Vidarbha and Mumbai, and our committee felt he would be the ideal man to coach our boys, who’re talented but need his guidance and polishing since they lack experience at the Ranji level. We want to do well in our maiden Ranji appearance.”The Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh, which was an associate member of the BCCI, was elevated to full-member status after a special general meeting in February this year, paving the way for their Ranji Trophy debut in the forthcoming season.Kulkarni previously coached Vidarbha between 2009 and 2011, before serving in the same capacity with the Mumbai team from 2011 to 2014. He was in charge when Mumbai lifted their 40th Ranji Trophy title in 2012-13.

ICC to support Kusal's damages claim off WADA – SLC chief

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The ICC has agreed to support Sri Lanka Cricket and Kusal Perera’s claim for costs and damages from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has said.Perera had been suspended after a Qatar-based lab found a banned substance in his urine sample, but the doping charges were dropped in May when an independent analyst found that the WADA-accredited lab’s findings were not sustainable.Though the ICC had previously said it “does not accept that it is responsible” for the consequences the lab’s findings, SLC believes it has got the ICC’s support in its attempt to obtain both costs and compensation from WADA itself.Sumathipala said the board’s request for compensation for Perera received widespread support at the recent ICC meeting in Edinburgh.”We appealed to the ICC about the injustice that had happened to Kusal, and we were given an audience at the CEOs’ meeting. I must say the committee comprising of the CEOs unanimously supported our claim,” he said. “Then it came to the board meeting, and at the board meeting we made the appeal that there should be compensation – not just the cost. It was decided that the costs and the compensation should be paid to him, because the ICC took the position that the claim made by Kusal is fair and justifiable. ICC decided to stand by Sri Lanka Cricket and support the claim.”SLC said it spent about 13 million Sri Lankan rupees (US $92,000 approx) on fighting the case. The player himself is expected to pay this figure back to the board, according to Perera’s management. The board, however, has been adamant that those responsible for the imposition of the five-month suspension on Perera should ultimately bear the costs. Sumathipala suggested that no less than 35 million rupees (US $246,000) was appropriate, given Perera’s loss of earnings during the suspension, and the “damage to his reputation”.”This kind of compensation has never ever been paid to anybody in the history of cricket,” Sumathipala said. “The ICC and SLC are together in this – the money is ultimately coming from WADA, through the ICC, to Kusal. It is a new experience for WADA as well.”Sumathipala said the board was optimistic WADA would provide compensation, as it has already accepted there was a flaw in its processes. “I don’t think we will have to go to court over it,” he said. According to Sumathipala, the ICC and WADA have also blacklisted the Qatar-based lab.Discussions with WADA are believed to be in their very early stages, though, and Perera himself is yet to be brought up to speed on the situation. SLC officials are expected to meet with Perera and his management after the player returns from the England tour on Thursday.Perera missed a full tour of New Zealand, bilateral T20s against India, the Asia Cup and the World T20 as a result of the suspension. He was also ineligible for this year’s IPL auction, as well as the initial Test squad for England as he had only recently returned to training.

De Silva and Chandimal lead Sri Lanka fightback

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal rescued Sri Lanka on a gripping first day in Colombo•AFP

Sri Lanka: 214 for 5. Hardly an inspiring score at stumps on the first day of a Test. Runs ground out, just a few wickets here and there, Australia probably on top. Nope. This was not the kind of day that can be judged from the closing score. It was a day on which Sri Lanka’s top order capitulated to be 26 for 5. A day on which Dhananjaya de Silva, in his third Test, led the recovery with a brilliant maiden century. And a day that ended with Sri Lanka in command.The runs came slowly, but at least they came. They came with patience, class, respect for good bowling and, yes, a little bit of luck. But the way de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal rebuilt this innings was, for fans of Test cricket, a thing of beauty. Australia’s batsmen could learn something from their approach. By stumps, de Silva was on 116 from 240 balls, Chandimal on 64 from 204, and their partnership was worth 188. They had undone all Australia’s morning work.The dry pitch turned from the first hour. Nathan Lyon picked up two wickets early, then like Jon Holland, bowled well without fortune as the day wore on. Sri Lanka’s three-man spin attack will pose Australia significant challenges. There was little swing, not as much reverse as in the previous two Tests. Australia picked four pace bowlers but used only three. All of the pace wickets came from Mitchell Starc, comfortably Australia’s best player of the series.If Australia’s batsmen have looked bewildered on this tour, the selectors appeared similarly baffled in Colombo. How else to account for shortening their batting order when runs have been their biggest problem? Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja were dropped, Shaun Marsh and Moises Henriques came in. Henriques, with a first-class batting average of 31, an average of 15 in the last Sheffield Shield season, and no first-class cricket since November, was listed at No.5. He did not bowl.The selectors believe Henriques bats well against spin. It is true that he scored 68 and 81 not out against India on Test debut in Chennai in 2013. But he failed to reach double figures in the rest of that tour, a series that also featured clouded selection policies. It remains to be seen how Henriques will handle Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan, but his selection was a clear message to the incumbents: learn how to play spin, or you won’t play in Asia.Sri Lanka’s batting has also faltered often in this series, but always there has been someone to rescue them. In Pallekele it was Kusal Mendis with a remarkable maiden Test century in the second innings. In Galle it was Mendis again, with 86 after the score wobbled to 9 for 2 on the first morning. This time it was de Silva, who entered this series uncapped, and by stumps on day one in Colombo sat second only to Mendis on the series run tally.The precarious situation when de Silva walked to the crease cannot be forgotten: 26 for 5. Yes, the series was already won, but suddenly there appeared the very real prospect of Sri Lanka finishing with a humiliation: overhauling their lowest ever Test total, the 71 they scored against Pakistan in Kandy in 1994, seemed a distant goal. And indeed, when de Silva was given out caught at bat pad off Lyon for 5, disaster seemed likely.But de Silva knew he had not hit the ball – hadn’t even got close to it, really. He reviewed the decision of umpire S Ravi and was rightly reprieved and from then on – this was the 20th over of the morning – not a single wicket fell for the rest of the day. There were some nervy moments – Mitchell Marsh spilled a tough chance at gully when Chandimal was 11, two Australian reviews were struck down, de Silva was dropped by Shaun Marsh at cover on 104 – but the batsmen survived.De Silva attacked when given the chance and struck three fours in one over from Starc. He was strong when pulling and flicking off his pads, though his boundaries came all around the ground, including plenty through cover. His fifty came with a lofted boundary over cover off Mitchell Marsh, his hundred with another boundary cut off the legspin of Steven Smith. It took de Silva 209 deliveries to reach his century. It was a proper Test innings.Chandimal was even more circumspect, nudging singles and rotating the strike, playing the perfect foil to de Silva. His fifty came from 165 deliveries, and by stumps he had struck only four fours. Even more than de Silva he showed Australia’s batsmen how a challenging pitch can be handled: with the utmost patience. Chandimal himself had walked out at 24 for 4, a frenetic first hour bringing plenty of wickets.Sri Lanka’s openers continued their disastrous series, Kaushal Silva flashing at Starc and edging to slip for a 15-ball duck, and Dimuth Karunaratne bowled trying to drive Starc for 7 from 34 deliveries. Neither man has reached double figures even once in this campaign from five innings, Sri Lanka’s series triumph having come in spite of their insipid top order. What might they have achieved if the openers had found form too?Lyon was called on in the sixth over of the Test and immediately found some turn. In the 12th over he struck with a delivery that was fullish, quick and spun appreciably, and Kusal Perera managed only an edge to Smith at slip. Lyon claimed another wicket when Angelo Mathews top-edged a sweep and was caught at fine leg for 1.Then Mendis flashed hard at a Starc delivery that angled across him and Smith snapped up his third catch at slip for the morning. Mendis had been the key batsman in the first two Tests, and Australia thought his wicket was the big one. As it turned out, at least two big ones were still waiting to be taken at stumps.

New Zealand wait on 'crook' Williamson

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Match facts

September 30-October 4, 2016
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)3:25

Agarkar: Unfair to Dhawan if Gambhir plays

Big picture

One-nil down is a bad place to be for a Test team in India. Worse still if you are playing back-to-back games. The memories are too fresh. The heat too invasive. That one ball spins but the other not so much is basically just too much. In 83 years and 249 matches, only twice has a team won the series from this predicament. And New Zealand have to go up against history with their best player feeling “crook”.Kane Williamson picked up a bug and was unable to train at Eden Gardens on the eve of the match. At the pre-match press conference though, Tom Latham said there was “no discomfort” to his captain and added “he is just resting up and getting right for tomorrow.” India’s injury worries, on the other hand, seem to have dissipated with news that R Ashwin is likely to be fit. And with Ravindra Jadeja unlikely to lose his accuracy, they could well sit back and hit autopilot.The pitch was said to have some grass cover and was expected to assist the batsmen early on. And since it would also break up as the game goes on, first-innings runs will be crucial. Helpfully that’s when Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay average more than 65. Should they win in Kolkata, India will claim the No. 1 ranking once again.New Zealand weren’t decimated in Kanpur. They had two bad periods of play which need putting aside. Only, the human mind, when told not to do something, tends to … Let’s put it this way. If asked not to think of an elephant in pig tails, what do you do? Perhaps that was why Williamson and coach Mike Hesson advised their players to simply be vigilant for longer and to concentrate on making good starts. That isn’t a put down, nor is it generic feedback. Those are words of understanding and they provide direction. But will they still help New Zealand if they are forced to walk onto Eden Gardens – for the first time in 51 years – without their captain?

Form guide

India WDWDW
New Zealand LLDWW

In the spotlight

Virat Kohli says he doesn’t care about records and couldn’t care less about batting averages. His aim is to play a brand of cricket that will take India to the top and he believes such a time may not be far off. However, as a no. 4 batsman and captain of the side, he knows he cannot slack even if the team is doing well. He practiced with a rubber ball in the nets to be better prepared when the cricket ball bounces awkwardly – as two of them did in Kanpur to dismiss him. He clearly doesn’t want to be caught off guard in Kolkata.The baby face, the glasses, the mild-mannered persona, the thrifty left-arm spin and fine batting skills lower down the order. Mitchell Santner is going out of his way to emulate Daniel Vettori. But not too many of his team-mates would be disappointed if he tried to be New Zealand’s version of Jadeja and in the second innings in Kanpur, he tried his best to be – 33 overs, 11 maidens and two wickets.R Ashwin seems set to play, despite the corn on the middle finger of his right hand•Associated Press

Team news

KL Rahul’s hamstring injury provides a way back for Shikhar Dhawan. It is unlikely that Gautam Gambhir would be thrust back into the XI when he has not played Test cricket in two years. India think the pitch may help the batsmen and may be thinking about going with five bowlers. Offspinner Jayant Yadav may be in line for a Test debut with Kohli conscious about the number of left-handers in New Zealand’s batting line-up.India (probable) 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma/Jayant Yadav, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 9 Ravindra Jadeja, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh YadavNew Zealand have repeatedly placed faith in Martin Guptill’s ability at the top of the other and may not have any choice now considering the injuries they have had. If Williamson is ruled unfit, Henry Nicholls could get a look in. Offspinner Jeetan Patel may also play his first Test since 2013, unless they prefer the seam of Doug Bracewell and Matt Henry.New Zealand (probable) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson (capt)/Henry Nicholls, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Mitchell Santner, 6 Luke Ronchi, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Jeetan Patel, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

The square at Eden Gardens was relaid for the first time in 12 years for the 2016-17 season and this Test will be the first first-class game on it. As for the 22 yards, Kohli saw some runs on it: “The surface is pretty nice, it has a little bit of grass covering. The wicket is what we see in Calcutta more often than not. It’s generally a very good batting wicket more often than not. We are expecting the same.”This is also the first Test in September in Kolkata. The weather has been overcast and there is some rain expected during the course of the match. As such the pitch has been under covers a lot. With sunset approximately at half-past five, bad light may be a concern although provisions have been made to use the floodlights, if necessary.

Stats and trivia

  • It is instructive looking at the list of non-subcontinent batsmen who have done well in the subcontinent. It is dominated by batsmen known for defensive techniques and stubborn occupation of the crease. Allan Border, Shiv Chanderpaul, Jacques Kallis and Alastair Cook at the top and only later followed by those with a bit more flair – Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen, Ricky Ponting and Viv Richards.
  • New Zealand last played at Eden Gardens in March 1965
  • India will be playing their 250th Test at home.

Quotes

“You have to do all the cliché things you need to do at the start of an innings. We weren’t too far away in the first Test. As Hess has alluded to, we just need to do things for a little bit longer. If we can do that with bat and ball it will a good chance in this match.””I don’t get motivated by records. If you notice the cricket we played two years ago in Tests and now, it’s easy to get carried by these records. You’ll end up focussing on the process.”

Brathwaite, Holder put West Indies in charge

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJason Holder took the first three Pakistan wickets, two of them with bouncers•Getty Images

For the first time on a long, fruitless tour of the UAE, West Indies found themselves ahead in a game, after a stellar century and a spirited bowling effort on the third day in Sharjah. Kraigg Brathwaite’s unbeaten 142 off 318 balls – he carried his bat – steered West Indies to a hard-earned lead of 56 in the first innings, before Jason Holder made three breakthroughs in a lively spell after tea.Pakistan lost four wickets before erasing the deficit, but Azhar Ali and Sarfraz Ahmed stabilised the innings with an unbroken 39-run partnership for the fifth wicket and took Pakistan to 87 for 4 by stumps.The inroads into Pakistan came via a short-ball barrage. Holder bowled a fast bouncer to Sami Aslam that the batsman could only top edge to fine leg. Another well-directed bouncer got big on Asad Shafiq and had him fending to Darren Bravo at gully. Then Younis Khan got a faint tickle on a leg-side delivery to give Holder his third. When Misbah-ul-Haq pulled offspinner Roston Chase straight to Devendra Bishoo at deep-backward square leg, Pakistan had lost four wickets for 11 runs to slip to 48 for 4.It could have been even better for West Indies. With Pakistan’s score at 71, Shannon Gabriel bowled a nasty, steep bouncer at Sarfraz, batting on 9, who fended it to Bravo at slip. But Gabriel had overstepped – for the 26th time in the series – by a big margin and Sarfraz survived. He moved on to 19 by stumps, while Azhar had 45. But with Pakistan’s lead still only 31, they were a fair distance from safety and heavily dependent on Azhar and Sarfraz to get them there. West Indies, for their part, had worked their way into a good position to push for their first win in 14 Tests.The foundation had been laid by Brathwaite, who became the fifth West Indies batsman to carry his bat. He was a paragon of patience and concentration for the majority of his marathon knock and his temperament was matched by an ability to work ones and twos to all corners of the ground. Though all but one of his 11 fours came behind the wicket, owing to the slow outfield, he scored evenly all around the field thanks to his ability to manoeuvre the ball into gaps.Resuming on 95 on the third morning, Brathwaite made that 99 with the first ball of the day, helping a slightly wide delivery from Mohammad Amir between gully and point. Brathwaite worked the fifth ball for a two through midwicket to bring up his fifth Test century.While Kraigg Brathwaite hit most of his boundaries behind square, he worked the ball for ones and twos to score heavily in front of the wicket too•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

His overnight batting partner was Holder, who started promisingly, looking solid in defence and playing a couple of sumptuous drives for four. The first, off left-armer Wahab Riaz, was a straight drive to a delivery angled into him from around the wicket. He kept his balance perfectly and timed the ball sweetly, beating mid-on to his left. The second, off Amir, was a gorgeous drive through the extra-cover region to a ball that was angled across him.But Holder’s dismissal came immediately after that second boundary. Amir, also a left-armer, changed the angle by going around the wicket to attack the stumps. Holder misjudged the line, shouldered arms and had his off stump rattled.Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, introduced in the 96th over for just his fifth over of the match, created the next two chances – in the space of four balls. First, he got Brathwaite to attempt a cut at one that was too straight. The ball bounced more than Brathwaite had expected and he got a thin edge to wicketkeeper Sarfraz, who fumbled it onto the grille of his helmet before it fell to ground. Then, off the last ball of the over, Bishoo swept onto his pad to Azhar at short leg, but he, too, fumbled it onto the grille of his helmet before taking the catch. While Michael Gough gave it out on the field, Bishoo reviewed and third umpire Richard Illingworth spotted the infraction.By that time, West Indies had taken the lead, and Brathwaite and Bishoo continued to build an eighth-wicket partnership that steadily extended it. Bishoo was more than adequate in the pair’s 60-run stand, mirroring some of the grit that Brathwaite had shown in spades. But he was the first to depart after lunch, nicking behind off Wahab. Wahab then accounted for Alzarri Joseph and Gabriel to wrap up the West Indies innings and claim his second five-wicket haul in Tests.That still left West Indies with a handy first-innings lead, and it looked handier still after Holder’s post-tea exploits.

Durham sanctions 'sent a message' – Harrison

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Tom Harrison has insisted the ECB’s treatment of Durham has been harsh but “appropriate”.Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, defended the decision to relegate Durham in the County Championship, impose a raft of points deductions in each of the 2017 domestic competitions and withdraw their status as a Test-hosting ground in return for a financial rescue package as a necessary “deterrent” to other counties.And while he did not fully confront the ECB’s role in Durham’s failure – notably its encouragement of the club building a Test venue – he did suggest Durham had to take responsibility for bidding more than they could afford in the pursuit of major matches.”Having been through the most serious financial crisis any county has been through – to the extent that the ECB was the last resort – we have to send a message to the other counties that this is not something that is going to be an attractive solution for any county finding themselves in that position,” Harrison told the BBC’s Test Match Special. “It’s not the ECB’s job to be the lender of last resort.”In any business, you have to understand what your revenue is and what your costs are. If one gets out of whack it is not a pretty situation and it will end up hitting the wall at some point. The ECB had to step in to stop that happening in May or June this year. It was going to happen unless we had taken steps to avoid it.”While it is very harsh in terms of the immediate penalties on the players for next year, I think it is appropriate and sends the message to other counties that this should be a significant deterrent. The playing sanctions are harsh but they are appropriate.”Harrison accepted that the ECB’s historic method for allocating games, which involved a bidding system, might have contributed to Durham’s debts, but suggested the club had to take most of the responsibility. And he insisted that the measures taken had provided Durham with the foundations for financial stability in the future.”The way matches were allocated was a bidding structure,” he said. “But no one was forced to bid a certain amount. There’s wasn’t a sword of Damocles over their head about having to stage Tests.”Our absolute priority was to safeguard the future of professional and recreational cricket in the northeast of England. Durham could now be in a position where, 12 months after the most serious financial crisis that’s met any county, they are off and running with no debt and a new management structure and can look forward to the future in a very different way than when they were burdened by debt.”Harrison also referred to the new-team domestic T20 competition – now set for a 2020 launch – as “the most significant development in county cricket in a generation”. Counties agreed to explore the proposals at an ECB meeting in September but the implementation has been delayed as discussions continue.

Jakati rescues Goa with 8 for 53

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Shadab Jakati rescued Goa with a career-best 8 for 53 to dismiss Andhra for 159 in Dhanbad and restrict Goa’s first-innings deficit to 44. The left-arm spinner’s performance on what both sides termed a “grassy surface” came after Goa were all out for 115 after Andhra spinner Bhargav Bhatt took 6 for 36 on a day when 20 wickets fell.Defending a slender first innings total, Jakati opened the bowling and dismissed opener Prasanth Kumar in his second over. Srikar Bharat (68) and Ravi Teja (17) added 54 for the second wicket. That was the only substantial partnership as Jakati dismissed Teja and four other Andhra batsmen to leave them tottering at 118 for 7 after they had been 62 for 1. Bhatt hit a 23-ball 25, but Jakati cleaned up the tail.Earlier in the day, Goa openers Sumiran Amonkar and Swapnil Asnodkar saw off the new ball with a 33-run partnership that lasted 21.2 overs before Bhatt’s legspin had the latter caught for 15. Bhatt dismissed five others – all six caught off his bowling – as Goa crumbled from 74 for 3 to 115 all out.Kerala‘s Sandeep Warrier and Jalaj Saxena shared three wickets each as Tripura were all out for 213 in Cuttack. In reply, Kerala finished the day on 11 without loss.Tripura suffered a middle-order collapse, from 76 for 2 to 124 for 7. Warrier took three of those wickets, as Tripura’s Udiyan Bose (36) and Smit Patel (26) fell as soon as a partnership seemed to be developing. Yashpal Singh scored a 99-ball 50, stitching together a 69-run partnership with captain Manisankar Murasingh (42) to take them past 200, before Saxena dismissed the last two batsmen within the next 13 runs.Haryana‘s Guntashveer Singh scored a first-class ton on debut as they finished on 237 for 3 after day one, against Himachal Pradesh in Valsad.Himachal were made to toil after choosing to field as Singh and opener Nitin Saini (39) helped Haryana put on 91 before the loss of a wicket. They had, however, lost opener Shubham Rohilla, who had to retire hurt after scoring 2 off 21. Singh went on to add significant partnerships with Chaitanya Bishnoi (26) and Rajat Paliwal (25) before seeing out the day unbeaten on 110, with captain Mohit Sharma (20*) at the other end. Kanwar Abhinay picked up all the three wickets of the day.In Mumbai, Services were all out late in the day for 225 after Chhattisgarh‘s left-arm spinner Sumit Ruikar picked up his third five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Opener Nakul Verma (54) and No. 7 Vikas Hathwala (50) top-scored for Services but, with no concrete partnerships for the team, they were unable to build a big total. Ruikar was aided by Abhimanyu Chauhan’s 2 for 24, as Services were all out in the 86th over.Openers Sahil Gupta and Chauhan saw out the day as Chhattisgarh finished on 8 for no loss.Tanmay Agarwal scored his fifth first-class ton and remained not out on 106 as Hyderabad finished the day on 234 for 3 against Jammu & Kashmir in Vadodara.Opener Akshath Reddy was dismissed for 18 by Samiullah Beigh with Hyderabad on 36 but Agarwal and S Badrinath (47) added 105 for the second wicket before Pervez Rasool dismissed the latter. Rasool also got B Anirudh (46) late in the day, but by then he had added 93 runs with Agarwal for Hyderabad to finish the day on top.

Pakistan unfazed by Misbah's dip in form

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Seven years is a long time as it is, but for Misbah-ul-Haq, it probably feels like a lifetime. Seven years ago he came into the Boxing Day Test at the end of a year in which his second coming was grinding to a halt.He had scored just 261 runs in 11 innings until then and actually been dropped from all of Pakistan’s squads. A day after the exclusion he went back to domestic cricket and made 284, ensuring a swift return for the tours to New Zealand and Australia at the behest of Mohammad Yousuf, who had taken over from Younis Khan.The response was a pleasant and fluent 65 in the first innings, but even then it felt not like an old man raging against the dying light or going gently into it, but just one coming sensibly to terms with a difficult situation. He was out first ball in the second innings, in the first over of the fifth day, then for a two-ball duck in the Sydney chase and dropped. All over, everyone thought, except that it hadn’t even begun.He returns this year short on runs again. Talk of an exit is on the agenda, but some way down and not nearly as vexing as it was in 2009. He was one of the few specialist batsmen who didn’t get runs in Brisbane, though the nature of the innings and dismissals are worth noting more than the scores of 4 and 5.Both times he looked skittish at the crease and was drawn into pokes outside off-stump by Jackson Bird that he has done well to curtail in his third coming. That concluded a run of six innings with just one fifty, against West Indies in Sharjah.At 42, when these little streaks can roll into something bigger very quickly, it is a concern. But it isn’t anything like the pressure he admitted he was under seven years ago.”He doesn’t seem worried,” said Grant Flower, Pakistan’s batting coach, though he said it in the knowing way that suggests what he really meant was that nobody can tell whether Misbah is worried or not.”But he’s always mentally strong and relaxed. He’s got a lot of experience. He’s just going through a bit of a trot but he’s been through these periods before and he’s a class player. He’s got the mental strength and resilience to come back and I’m sure a good innings is just round the corner.”If there was any admission of worry, it came in deed not words. Misbah hung back for an extra half-hour session of batting in the nets with Flower on Thursday, as Pakistan returned to training for the first time after the epic feats of Brisbane.It was a fairly gentle return to work but the jauntiness of mood and spirit was impossible to miss. It is not often Pakistan teams in Australia look this upbeat after the first Test.The other old man, Younis Khan, had what Flower thought was his “best net” for a while and his return to runs will no doubt have assuaged the loss in supply from Misbah.”He did look a lot better [in the second innings in Brisbane],” Flower said. “Obviously the shot he got out to – at that stage what wasn’t the best. But having said that, he scores quite a few runs with the reverse sweep. You’ve got to find the balance regarding how you go about things. But he’s getting into better positions and today he had his best net practice for ages and he looked brilliant.”Mohammad Amir appeared in no great discomfort through the three-hour session, though his right knee is still strapped. He also picked up a nasty bruise just above that knee in Brisbane, after being hit by a Mitchell Starc delivery and it was that, more than the knee that, according to Flower, was causing him to be just a little stiff.Sohail Khan was the only one of the squad not to train. He arrived at the MCG with the team but felt unwell almost immediately and took no part. Pakistan are not, however, treating it as anything more serious than a potentially upset stomach.