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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A brutal innings by Yusuf Pathan and some spirited determined batting by the India Reds middle and lower orders helped them upstage India Blues by three wickets in Indore. The opening game of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy was a closely-fought one for much of its duration but Yusuf’s knock and the subsequent consolidation by Monish Mishra and Iqbal Abdulla tilted the scales decisively in India Reds’ favour. The dismissal of Saurabh Tiwary in India Reds’ chase of 252 had reduced them to a precarious 89 for 4 but Yusuf’s counterattack brought them back into contention.Yusuf’s exploits for Rajasthan Royals in the middle order are well known and the crowd in Indore was treated to an air show, with Yusuf smashing five sixes and as many fours in a knock of 63 off just 30 balls. He singled out the spinners for treatment, warming up with a six and a four off Piyush Chawla in the 21st over and then smacking him for 16 in three balls in the 26th. Yuvraj Singh replaced Chawla but he, too, was not spared. Yusuf reached his half-century by drilling the bowler to the straight boundary and launching him for consecutive sixes over deep square leg and midwicket. His stay ended when Ravindra Jadeja trapped him in front but Mishra and Abdulla then took over. With the required run-rate under control, the pair rotated the strike with ease, piercing the gaps to accumulate singles and twos while striking the timely boundary. They added 62 to all but confirm India Reds’ win.India Blues’ decision to bat appeared to have backfired when a couple of run outs at the start of their innings and an early strike by Vinay Kumar had reduced them to 31 for 3. But Ajinkya Rahane, fresh from a big century in the Irani Cup against Rest of India, led the recovery with a well-paced 84, laced with nine fours and a six. He was supported by Manoj Tiwary in a 105-run stand before Jadeja and Wriddhiman Saha contributed some valuable runs at the death to post a competitive score. But their efforts proved inadequate.

ScorecardWilliam Porterfield held the top order together with 46 to lay the platform for Ireland’s victory•AFP

John Mooney’s allround effort helped Ireland seal a 20-run consolation win in the third one-day international against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.Zimbabwe wrapped up the series with a three-wicket victory in the second ODI on Tuesday but Mooney starred first with the bat – making 55 to help Ireland recover from 128 for 6 to post 244 – and then by taking two wickets to give the tourists a token win. On the cusp of victory Ireland were given a scare through an entertaining final-wicket stand between Shingirai Masakadza and Ian Nicolson but it proved not quite enough for the home side.For the third time in the series Elton Chigumbura won the toss and inserted Ireland into bat and it again looked the right move when Ed Rainsford burst through the top order – removing Paul Stirling, Andre Botha and Niall O’Brien in his first four overs to leave Ireland tottering on 40 for 3.Among the wreckage Ireland captain William Porterfield stood firm and found support from Kevin O’Brien to halt the slide. Zimbabwe, however, kept control through their spinners Graeme Cremer and the impressive Prosper Utseya, who finished with 1 for 26 from his 10-over spell.Cremer removed O’Brien before Porterfield was run out four short of a deserved half-century to leave Ireland in trouble. In keeping with the fluctuating nature of the series, Ireland fought back with Andrew White partnering Mooney in a 66-run stand for the seventh wicket as Ireland scrapped towards a competitive total.Rainsford, who was man-of-the-match in the opening contest, returned to break the stand before trapping Albert van der Merwe in front to finish with 5 for 36 but Mooney held firm until he was last man out in the final over, finishing with two fours and two sixes in his 55.Zimbabwe would have felt confident at the half-way stage having twice chased similar totals in the previous games but perhaps with the series in the bag the batsmen weren’t as switched-on as they should have been.Kevin O’Brien completed a miserable series for Hamilton Masakadza, dismissing him for a fourth-ball duck to go with his 8 and 0 in his previous two innings before trapping Brendan Taylor in front in his next over.Sean Williams and Tatenda Taibu threatened a comeback with an enterprising 70-run stand but Mooney made the key break through, castling Taibu for 22. Thereafter the Ireland spinners took control. Van der Merwe had Williams caught by fellow spinner George Dockrell for 74 off 86 balls before Dockrell ran through the lower order, picking up 3 for 41 to leave Zimbabwe 164 for 9.What looked like a formality for Ireland suddenly became a struggle as Shingirai Masakadza found support from No. 11 Ian Nicolson. The pair added 60 at better than a run a ball before O’Brien returned to remove Nicolson and leave Masakadza stranded unbeaten on 45 off 49 balls.

Shane Watson, who reported two approaches by an illegal bookmaker in England last year, said he was in “complete shock” at the allegations levelled at Pakistan. Watson and his team-mate Brad Haddin confirmed they were spoken to by the Indian man during the tour and immediately told Australia’s manager Steve Bernard.It has also emerged that Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson were approached during the England tour. Bernard has referred two other bookie-instigated conversations to the ICC during his term as manager.Watson was invited for drinks by the bookmaker, who the allrounder initially thought was a fan. “I didn’t think too much more of it until I found out a bit more information and that he was actually one of the illegal bookmakers,” Watson said in Sydney. “It was just a little bit different to what normal fans are.” The approach occurred at the Royal Gardens hotel in London, which was the venue of a complaint reported by Cricinfo last year.Haddin said the man had knocked on his door in the hotel asking if he wanted to go to his room to have a drink. “I quickly rang Steve Bernard and John Rhodes [the ICC’s security manager] just to tell them something weird had just happened,” Haddin said.”You don’t usually get a knock on your door with someone asking you to come across to your room for a drink and then go out for dinner with someone you don’t know.” Footage of the person was checked and it was a figure familiar to investigators.Watson was stunned by the revelations from the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s. “When I first heard about it I was in complete shock, there’s no doubt about that,” Watson said. “If the allegations are true then they will unfortunately get a lifetime ban.”The claims surrounding the no-balls delivered by Mohammad Amir, the 18-year-old fast bowler, surprised and upset Watson. “I probably feel for him more than anyone because he’s only a young, naive and innocent young guy,” Watson said. “Unfortunately he’s caught up with something.”Whether it’s in their culture I don’t know, I don’t know how deep it runs, but it’s unfortunate that someone of his skill has got tied up with something that is damaging to cricket and to the individuals. I found him to be a brilliant competitor on the field.”

ScorecardMohammad Shahzad’s swift century set up the declaration•International Cricket Council

Scotland may have entered this match on top of the Intercontinental Cup table but for each of the three days at Ayr it has been the tourists who have played like leaders. Sitting on a 296-run lead coming into the day, Afghanistan, led by an unbeaten 105 from Mohammad Shahzad, remorselessly marched into a position of utter dominance. Scotland now face the tough task of batting out the final day with just eight wickets in hand against an attack that has already proved hostile in this match.The home side’s best hopes of slowing Afghanistan’s progress on day three lay with taking early wickets but a cautious opening stand between Noor Ali and Karim Sadiq ensured no alarms. Instead both were happy to work the ball around and pick up what boundaries were on offer during a patient 64-run partnership that took the best part of 19 overs. The loss of Ali, quickly followed by Sadiq four overs later, left Shahzad to boss the show.After starting quietly he worked his way to fifty from 75 deliveries. By that stage Afghanistan were well ahead but were unwilling to declare and instead let Shahzad progress serenely through the gears on the way to his second first-class century. He reached the mark in style, launching Moneeb Iqbal into the gardens over deep midwicket to finish undefeated on 105 and signal the declaration.With the weather set fair, Scotland’s task was either an unlikely 546-run chase, or an almost-as-difficult survival task. The openers started well enough, resisting the new-ball onslaught to reach 31 before Hamid Hasan intervened. The chief destroyer in the first innings struck again to remove Fraser Watts for 8, uprooting his off stump with a vicious delivery. Watts had battled hard, taking 44 balls for his eight runs but could not prevent the effervescence of Hasan from taking hold.At the other end, Mohammad Nabi was weaving a noose around Scotland. He did not concede a single run in 49 deliveries and had Ryan Flannigan out bowled through the gate for a fighting 32 off 97 deliveries. Ewan Chalmers stood firm to finish unbeaten on 37, using the attacking field to collect eight boundaries along the way, but he will have to score plenty more if Scotland are to avoid anything but defeat on the final day.

Shahid Afridi made the decision that seemed inevitable from the day he took over as Test captain, by announcing his Test retirement immediately after leading his side to a 150-run loss against Australia at Lord’s.Afridi has been a reluctant Test player over the years and this Test was his first in four years. A poor personal performance, capped by a four-ball 2 on the last day – out slogging to deep midwicket – didn’t help matters and the second Test against Australia at Headingley, starting on Wednesday, will now be his last. Afridi’s participation at Headingley, however, will depend on whether he passes a fitness test for a side strain in the days leading up to the match.Salman Butt, the vice-captain, is likely to take over the leadership for the England series though that is not set in stone until the PCB makes a final decision. Whoever does take over will be Pakistan’s fifth Test captain since the start of 2009.”With my temperament I can’t play Test cricket,” Afridi said. “It is better a youngster comes in my place, probably a genuine batsman or even a genuine bowler. I picked up a side injury during the Asia Cup and unless you are 100 percent fit you can’t perform in Test cricket.”I wasn’t interested in playing Test cricket but the board asked me to go and take a look as they didn’t have a choice. So I took up the responsibility. They asked me to take a chance and may be I would enjoy it. But I wasn’t really enjoying Test cricket but I tried. I wasn’t good enough. A captain should lead by example which I did not. And if I played the way I played in this match it is better to leave.”If Afridi’s side injury rules him out of the second Test at Headingley his final shot in the five-day game will be the slog-sweep that picked out Mike Hussey and Afridi was honest enough to admit he just couldn’t hold back. “You are right,” he said. “I am coming back to Test cricket after four years and in the interim I’d played a lot of ODI and Twenty20 cricket so I came in with the same [attacking] temperament. I was in two minds. You can say I was not strong mentally.”Yawar Saeed, Pakistan’s manager, confirmed Afridi’s decision to Cricinfo, though he insisted he wouldn’t call it a retirement. “Afridi had a side strain and felt that he shouldn’t keep a specialist out of the side. Temperamentally he feels not comfortable with the format so Leeds will be his last Test,” he said.Saeed said that Butt is likely to take over, but that any decision would have to be made in consultation with the board. Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, is in England currently. “Salman Butt was appointed vice-captain for the tour and he will take over unless the PCB meets and decides otherwise. But as per procedure, he will take over,” Saeed said.”Salman is the vice captain and he should ideally be the man,” Afridi added. “The way he has shown the maturity he is good enough to carry forward the responsibility.”The development will bring into sharp focus the PCB’s decision to appoint Afridi as Test captain in the first place. He had already retired from the format once before, in 2006, only to return, ironically, for the tour to England that summer. He played a couple of Tests before pulling himself out of the format again.Since his appointment recently, his hesitancy towards the format has surfaced repeatedly. In an interview to before the series began, Afridi hinted he might not play Tests for long. “I’m confident I am fine fitness-wise,” he said then. “But I came back to Tests because I am doing it for the team only. If I think I am fit to do it, I will continue playing Tests. Otherwise I will not burden the side.”In a more recent interview to Cricinfo, Afridi said, “If down the line I become aware that I am not a good captain, or not a successful one, and the team is unable to make any use of me as a captain, I will not chase it. If I don’t have the ability then I will leave it on my own … I did not ask anyone forcibly to give me the captaincy, nor will I forcibly captain the team. If I am good I will prove it through my performance. If I am not good I will say khuda hafeez [God be with you].”

Steve O’Keefe’s dramatic rise from New South Wales fringe player has continued with him replacing Nathan Hauritz in Australia’s Test squad for the two games against Pakistan. O’Keefe, a left-arm spinner, impressed with nine wickets in Australia A’s two matches with Sri Lanka A over the past two weeks to gain an unexpected promotion.Nathan Hauritz was sent home with a foot injury suffered in the opening ODI against England, leaving the legspinner Steven Smith to eye a Test debut in the opening match at Lord’s from July 13. O’Keefe, 25, is also from New South Wales and he stood out in the opening “A” fixture this month by taking 7 for 35 and scoring 61 and 47.Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said O’Keefe deserved his chance. “Stephen has performed strongly in the recent Australia A series against Sri Lanka A in Queensland and is a good young all-round cricketer,” he said.However, he has played only eight first-class matches and was a surprise selection for Australia A, gaining a spot while Victoria’s Jon Holland and Tasmania’s Jason Krejza had off-season surgery. O’Keefe was born in Malaysia and spent two years there before his father, who worked for the Royal Australian Air Force, was posted back home.When he spoke to Cricinfo last week O’Keefe said he was hoping the “A” series would set him up for next summer at New South Wales, where he is one of seven slow bowlers fighting for a spot. “From my point of view I can’t really rest, knowing those guys are around,” he said. “A couple have played Test cricket, one will, there are some young guys, who knows how good they could be?” O’Keefe is now an outside chance to show his wares to the wider world.

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, has backed the idea of day-night Tests, saying the concept will draw in bigger crowds, increase viewership and generate greater revenues for the game. Afridi echoed the views of the outgoing ICC president David Morgan, who had said “it won’t be too long” before day-night Tests are played in India or Australia, and former Australian captain Steve Waugh.”I definitely support this idea to have Test matches under lights because in this changing world it is necessary to make changes according to times,” Afridi told . “When you can have Twenty20 cricket and 50-overs cricket under lights, why not Test matches? I think it would increase the crowd participation and increase revenues and viewership for Test matches.”The prospect of day-night Tests has been raised to increase crowds but the concept has been held back by problems with coloured balls lasting more than 80 overs. Afridi, however, believed things would fall into place once the idea was implemented. When they used white ball for the first time in one-day cricket, it took time before things fell into place.”It is the real test for cricketers but it is also a fact that nowadays people don’t have time to go to the grounds for five days during the day time. I support any move that is aimed at betterment in the sport.”

ScorecardMurali Kartik made his first significant contribution as Somerset’s overseas player as they completed a nine-wicket victory over Warwickshire at Taunton. Playing in only his second County Championship match for the county, the Indian left-arm spinner took 6 for 61, including five third-day wickets, as the visitors crumbled from an overnight 111 for 3 to 207 all out shortly after lunch.That left Somerset with a target of only 45 to record their second successive win in the competition, a target they reached in the 11th over. Warwickshire began the day still 52 runs short of making Somerset bat again, but their remaining middle order batsmen departed to inappropriate attacking shots.Jim Troughton became Kartik’s first victim of the day, lbw trying to pull a short ball that kept low, and Rikki Clarke had already been dropped at slip by Marcus Trescothick before also falling lbw attempting to sweep the spinner. Tim Ambrose was caught at second slip by Zander de Bruyn aiming an expansive drive at Kartik and at 141 for 6, Warwickshire were still 22 behind.It was 163 for 7 when Chris Woakes was caught behind pushing forward to aturning delivery and Kartik made it five wickets for the morning when bowling Ant Botha with one that kept low.The game would have been over before lunch had it not been for a ninth-wicket stand of 20 between Imran Tahir and Boyd Rankin. Tahir was subjected to a succession of short-pitched balls by Alfonso Thomas, but swung lustily to hit four fours and a six in his 23 before being caught at backward point by Arul Suppiah off the same bowler.It was 207 for 9 at lunch and in the first over after the interval CharlWilloughby bowled Rankin for 12. Willoughby finished with 2 for 41, but it was Kartik who did the job he was brought in to do by running through the opposition in the second innings of a Championship fixture.When Somerset batted again, Trescothick smashed a quick 30, including twosixes, before being bowled by Tahir trying to win the game with another six. By then his side were on the verge of 21 points, while their opponents had to be content with three.

Scorecard
Sri Lanka will be sick of Stafanie Taylor, Shanel Daley and Anisa Mohammed after their tour of the Caribbean is over. For the third consecutive game, the West Indies trio frustrated Sri Lanka and ensured West Indies swept the three-match Twenty20 series. Sri Lanka had done well to keep West Indies to 112, out of which Taylor made a match-winning 59, but their inability to cope with Mohammed’s teasing offspin saw them slump to a 28-run loss at St Mary’s Park.Taylor, who in the previous two games had hit half-centuries, was again to the fore in testing circumstances. Sripali Weerakkody, bowling right-arm medium with the new ball, struck in the first over and then again to snap a brisk 40-run stand between Taylor and Juliana Nero. When Deandra Dottin edged Weerakoddy behind for 6, West Indies were 55 for 3 and Taylor had to reassess the situation. Shashikala Siriwardene, bowling her tidy offspin, and the left-armer Suwini de Alwis struck as well to keep the pressure up on the hosts. Taylor’s 59 off 50 balls was the highest score after Nero’s 24 and no other batsman crossed 6. Taylor was last out off the penultimate ball of the West Indies innings.As it turned out, she had again done enough with the bat. Sri Lanka’s chase got off to a good start with Dedunu Silva and Chamari Atapattu adding 40 in 5.5 overs, but Silva’s run-out for 13 off the last ball of the sixth over changed the complexion. Daley, who had been impressive in the first game with 3 for 13 off her quota, induced false strokes in consecutive overs to have Atapattu (27) and Inoka Galagedara stumped. From here the chase completely fell apart at the seams and like West Indies middle and lower order has succumbed, so did Sri Lanka’s. Only one other batsman reached double-figures and Mohammed accounted for the last four wickets in another outstanding spell of 4 for 8 from 3.3 overs.

Aravinda de Silva, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were unanimous choices for Sri Lanka’s all-time XI, picked by a ten-member Cricinfo jury of ex-players and journalists. Notable omissions included Tillakaratne Dilshan and Thilan Samaraweera.Over half the side consists of current players and those recently retired: Chaminda Vaas, Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu, who got nine votes apiece, also made the XI.Three players in the team featured in Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test – former captain Arjuna Ranatunga, fast bowler Ashantha de Mel and legspinner Somachandra de Silva.The vote for the second spinner clearly divided the jury, with the two de Silvas tied on three votes each. Somachandra de Silva, who played 12 Tests in Sri Lanka’s first two years at the top level, and led them in two, was picked for his superior Test record.Ranatunga, the country’s most charismatic captain, who led Sri Lanka to a World Cup win in 1996, got eight votes, while de Mel got five. De Mel’s fast bowling partners in the XI are Rumesh Ratnayake, who took nine wickets in the team’s maiden Test win, against India in 1985, and Vaas, Sri Lanka’s second highest wicket-taker after Murali, who also serves as the allrounder by default.Jayasuriya was picked by all but one jury member as one of the openers, but there was no room in the XI for his old partner, Roshan Mahanama, with whom Jayasuriya added a world-record 576 for the second wicket against India in 1997. Instead, the second opener’s spot went to former captain Marvan Atapattu, who made 5502 runs from 90 Tests.Sangakkara was given the gloves over present Test keeper Prasanna Jayawardene and the highly rated Mahes Goonatilleke.The jury included former players Ranjan Madugalle (now an ICC match referee), Sidath Wettimuny, Ranjit Fernando, Russel Arnold and Ranil Abeynaike, as well as some of Sri Lanka’s leading cricket writers.Sri Lanka is the fifth team in a Cricinfo series of XIs where all-star teams are picked for the top Test-playing nations.Cricinfo also asked readers to vote for their favourites. The readers’ XI had more contemporary players than the jury’s. Mendis was picked as second spinner after Murali, while Lasith Malinga was preferred over de Mel.The readers’ XI: Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Arjuna Ranatunga, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Rumesh Ratnayake, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis.Read the jury’s quotes on the XI here.The nomineesOpeners: Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Roshan Mahanama, Sidath Wettimuny, Tillakaratne Dilshan.Middle order: Roy Dias, Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Hashan Tillakaratne, Asanka Gurusinha.Wicketkeepers: Mahes Goonatilleke, Amal Silva, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Kumar Sangakkara, Prasanna Jayawardene.Spinners: Somachandra De Silva, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajit de Silva, Ajantha Mendis, Don Anurasiri.Fast bowlers: Ravi Ratnayeke, Chaminda Vaas, Rumesh Ratnayake, Ashantha de Mel, Lasith Malinga.