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ScorecardLancashire’s hopes of winning their opening three Championship games for thefirst time in 15 years remain very much intact despite the efforts of DarrenStevens whose unbeaten century frustrated Glen Chapple’s bowlers on the secondday of their Championship match against Kent at Old Trafford.Replying to the home side’s first-innings total of 320, Rob Key’s batsmen hadstruggled to 97 for 7 before Stevens’ 92-run eighth-wicket partnership withMatt Coles changed the contest.Stevens had made 101 not out by the time Kent were bowled out for 213.Lancashire added 68 to their first-innings lead of 107 before bad light and rainended play 15 overs early, but they had lost Tom Smith, for his sixth successivesingle figure Championship score, Paul Horton and Stephen Moore in the process.This leaves Glen Chapple’s side with a lead of 175 with seven wickets in handand two days of this fluctuating contest still to play. However, while Lancashire’s Sajid Mahmood will look back on the day with pleasure – he claimed 5 for 55 from 18.5 overs – it was Stevens’ innings which altered the balance of the game.Mixing doughty defence with uninhibited aggression, the former Leicestershireall-rounder, who had taken four wickets in Lancashire’s first innings, clubbedtwo mighty sixes and 10 fours in his 129-ball stay at the wicket.When Makhaya Ntini was last man out – caught at leg gully off the back of thebat attempting to avoid a Mahmood bouncer – Lancashire’s lead had been reducedto a healthy advantage, but nothing like the abundance they had envisagedearlier in the day.Stevens needed his luck – Chapple dropped a steepler at deep mid-on when he was53 – but he perhaps deserved a little good fortune and his performance spikedthe guns of a home attack led by the fired-up Mahmood.Most of Kent’s top order were unable to cope with Lancashire’s purposeful andwell-directed new-ball bowling in the pre-lunch session. Only Geraint Jones survived for long, and even he came in for lunch knowing he had ridden his luck.Chapple started the rot, and also claimed his 700th first-class wicket for thecounty, when he moved one away from Key and in the next over, Joe Denly receiveda savage lifter from Mahmood which he gloved to Sutton.Martin van Jaarsveld then fell for Chapple’s three-card trick and tamely gave acatch to backward short-leg Simon Kerrigan, who had been deliberately placedthere a few balls previously.When Sam Northeast sliced Tom Smith to Ashwell Prince in the gully, Kent were53 for 4 and thoroughly in the cart. Jones’ irresponsible slash gave Mahmood his second wicket three overs after the break, Smith’s swing then accounted for James Hockley and a stunning one-handed diving catch by Steven Croft in the gully saw the end of Simon Cook.While wickets fell at the other end, Stevens had been adopting a policy ofselective aggression and he maintained this policy in company with Coles, whooffered useful support with 33, as Lancashire’s hopes of enforcing the follow-onsagged.

Mid West Rhinos 364 (Taylor 131) and 335 for 6 (Wessels 108*) drew with Mashonaland Eagles 451 (Lamb 159, Chigumbura 105, Rainsford 6-66) and 67 for 5
ScorecardMashonaland Eagles celebrate their victory•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mashonaland Eagles held their nerve on a tense final day at the Harare Sports Club , to earn a draw against Mid West Rhinos and so win the Logan Cup by virtue of topping the league table in the round-robin stage.A high-scoring match appeared to be heading towards a soporific conclusion on the fourth afternoon when the Rhinos declared leaving the Eagles a target of 249. In the circumstances, they were never likely to take the bait, and the assumption was they would bat out time with ease.However, Graeme Cremer and Taurai Muzarabani caused panic in reducing the Eagles to 36 for 5, and only 27 overs of dogged resistance from Forster Mutizwa and Mark Mbofana averted a shock defeat.Until then, the match had been going as expected. The Eagles won the toss and drew first blood when Rhinos opener Friday Kasteni was sent back by Elton Chigumbura for one. Brendan Taylor then led a strong batting performance as the rest of the top order chipped in with useful contributions.Malcolm Waller and Cremer went past the fifty-run mark to support Taylor who compiled an aggressive 131 off 155 balls, with 20 fours. Prince Masvaure was the most successful bowler, picking 3 for 49, as the Rhinos finished on 364.Ed Rainsford rocked the Eagles’ reply at both ends of their first innings, but two big partnerships in the middle gave the Eagles a significant lead. Greg Lamb struck 159 off 352 balls, while Chigumbura was equally patient in compiling 105. They added 211 runs before Regis Chakabva struck 74 and added 104 with Lamb. Rainsford finished with figures of 6 for 66 as the Eagles ended 87 runs ahead.Kasteni failed in the second dig as well, but Taylor and Innocent Chikunya had no troubles in taking the Rhinos past Eagle’s lead. A succession of wickets left them in some trouble at 174 for 5, before Riki Wessels and Cremer set the tone for a tricky fourth-innings chase. Cremer was stumped for 56, while Wessels was unbeaten on 108 when the declaration came about. Then came the final twist.

ScorecardJamaica opener Danza Hyatt scored a century to lead his side to a comfortable six-wicket win against Ireland at the Port Rhodes Sports Club.Batting first after being sent in by Jamaica captain Tamar Lambert, Ireland could only manage 229 in 49.3 overs on what appeared to be a troublesome pitch, as fast bowler Andre Russell continued his fine form, taking 5 for 42 off 9.3 overs.In reply, opener Danza Hyatt scored 102 and David Bernard provided support with an unbeaten 52 to lead Jamaica to victory in the 48th over. Hyatt’s knock included 12 fours and a six as he took Ireland’s bowlers to task. Carlton Baugh, who contributed 24 off 20 balls, was also in good form as Jamaica continued their success in front of an appreciative crowd.Ireland wicketkeeper Gary Wilson, who was one of Russell’s victims, made 53 before he was caught in the deep by Odean Brown during Russell’s second spell. Wilson got support from his captain, William Porterfield (44), with whom he shared a 72-run partnership for the third wicket. Ireland, however, were never in control of the match and failed to recover from their poor start – they were 29 for 2 at one point – before losing their last six wickets for 61 runs.Lambert was also in fine bowling form, claiming two wickets for 10 runs in three overs, while Krishmar Santokie took 1 for 26 off seven. Lambert was pleased with the victory and is hoping that it will help his team to curb their poor one-day form.”We are happy with the win. I think it was a good victory for us. We haven’t been playing good one day cricket over the years so we are working on it from now, especially where chasing is concerned,” Lambert said. “It was a great team effort, everyone chipped in but Andre Russell bowled really well in their innings and the partnership between Danza (Hyatt) and David Bernard really set us up well.”Porterfield was disappointed with his team’s batting display, but took heart from their efforts in the field and remained positive. “Everything started well, I think, and we were hoping to get 270 runs but it all went wrong from the 30th over,” he said. “No one likes to lose but we are not overly disappointed. We have to look at the bigger picture because we bowled really well but we now have to pick things up.”

India have made a slew of changes for the final one-dayer against South Africa in Ahmedabad on February 27. The most significant of them is that openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have been rested for the dead rubber. Tamil Nadu opener M Vijay and Karnataka fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun are among the new faces in the 14-man squad.Tendulkar batted all 50 overs during his unbeaten 200 in Gwalior while Sehwag played that match after suffering a sore back in the first game in Jaipur.Vijay has played a handful of Tests but is yet to make his ODI debut, and has had a decent run in the ongoing Vijay Hazare one-day tournament, making three half-centuries in five matches. This is the first call-up to a national limited-overs squad for Mithun, who is coming off a stunning debut Ranji season but has had lesser success in the shorter formats.The home side will be short on experience as another first-choice player, fast bowler Praveen Kumar, has been rested, while offspinner Harbhajan Singh’s break from international cricket has been extended. Add to that the injuries to Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh, and India will line-up on Saturday without seven members of their preferred starting XI.Another addition to the pool is Mumbai batsman Rohit Sharma, who was most recently part of the national squad during the tri-series in Bangladesh last month.India have already won the three-match series 2-0.Squad: M Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Sudeep Tyagi, S Sreesanth, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Abhimanyu Mithun, Ashish Nehra

Security fears regarding the IPL have intensified after a string of statements over the past 24 hours. The 313 Brigade, Al-Qaeda’s operational arm in Pakistan, issued a warning to “the international community” not to send its representatives to major sports events being staged in India, including the IPL. Following this, the firm in charge of the league’s security said organisers would have to reconsider hosting the IPL should the threat supercede safety strategies.There was good news for the IPL, though, in a retraction by the Shiv Sena of its stand barring Australian cricketers in Mumbai in response to the attacks on Indians in Australia, yet it appeared scant consolation in the face of the terror threat.In its message, delivered to , the 313 Brigade said: “We warn the international community not to send their people to the 2010 Hockey World Cup, IPL and Commonwealth Games. If they do, they will be responsible for the consequences.”The Hockey World Cup will be held in New Delhi from February 28 and the Commonwealth games are scheduled in the same city in October. Both are single-city events and will be relatively easier to secure than the multi-city IPL – it currently has 12 venues, with Cuttack being added on Tuesday.The 313 Brigade is believed to have links with other terrorist outfits and its commander is believed to have played a role in the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.That statement drew a gloomy response from Bob Nicholls, the head of Nicholls Steyn and Associates, which is running the security operation for the IPL. He told the it may force the organisers into a re-think.”It gets to a point where you cannot go further than that which is being provided,” Nicholls said. ”We only have control over certain aspects of it. If we get to a certain stage beyond which you can’t go … our role and commitment is that we will put in the best measures there can be. What we cannot control is circumstances beyond that. There would need to be serious considerations at that point.”Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers Association, said security consultant Reg Dickason would factor the warning into his report to the Australian players involved in the IPL.”We were told over the years that cricketers and other sportspeople would not be targeted, that the risk was collateral damage, being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Marsh said. ”That changed with [the ambush of the Sri Lankan team in] Lahore last year, and news of a threat from a very well-known terrorist group is concerning. This is another issue to be concerned about. Not a lot has changed with regard to our process and it’s important to note that the situation is fluid after what happened in Pune (a bomb blast) at the weekend and this development.”Reg will give us a point-in-time report and then he will continue to keep us informed. Everyone is going to have to weigh up their own circumstances, but we have relied on Reg for a long time and the players have a high level of trust in his advice.”

Scorecard
Mitchell Marsh, handed the ball for the first time in Twenty20 cricket, made it a memorable day for the Marsh family•Getty Images

A scintillating 53-ball century from big-hitting Shaun Marsh led Western Australia to a convincing win over New South Wales at the WACA. Former Australian opener Geoff Marsh watched from the stands as son Shaun hit the Blues attack to all corners, racking up a 168-run Big Bash record-partnership (for any team and any wicket) with fellow-opener Wes Robinson.So swift was Shaun’s second fifty that when he reached his hundred, Robinson was on just 54 – having beaten Shaun to the half-century mark.The Blues bowlers had started steadily through Josh Hazelwood and Mitchell Starc, backed up by some darting offspinners from Dominic Thornely, and had restricted the hosts to 87 off the first 12 overs. However, when Thornely exited the attack, Marsh unleashed fury on Dwayne Smith, Moises Henriques, and the often wayward Aaron Bird.He blasted six fours and the same number of sixes, including several effortless drives over long-off as the Warriors set the Blues an imposing target for victory.The visitors came out swinging with David Warner falling early to a good catch by Luke Pomersbach at cover from a lethal cut shot. Usman Khawaja fell shortly after trying to pull Michael Hogan and when Henriques was bowled trying to loft Brad Knowles, the Blues looked in dire straits.Aaron Heal ended a mini fightback from Steve Smith and Phil Jaques, dismissing them in consecutive balls and when Mitchell Marsh was handed the ball for the first time in Twenty20 cricket, the visitors were in for a tough time. The younger Marsh brother showed he’s got plenty of talent with the ball, regularly hitting the mid-130s kph, and gave father Geoff even more to smile about, taking 4 for 6 in just 2.2 overs to wrap up a comprehensive win.The Warriors moved to third on the table and will host Victoria on Sunday night, while the Blues dropped back to fifth (with a net run-rate of -1.667) with home matches against Queensland and South Australia to come.

Match facts

December 26-30, 2009
Start time 10.00 am (0800 GMT)

Big Picture

For South Africa, Christmas so nearly came early in Centurion last week, when England’s lower order crumbled in the face of an inspired new-ball spell from Friedel de Wet, and it was left to Graham Onions’ improbably broad bat to salvage a shred of dignity in a contest that, as late as tea on the final day, had seemed dead-set for the draw.At Cardiff at the start of England’s Ashes summer, a similar scenario had felt like a victory, given the extent to which England had been outplayed throughout that contest. This time, however, there was no way that England could claim to have emerged from Centurion with momentum. As Andrew Strauss admitted at the end of the game, it was pretty embarrassing to have got themselves into such a predicament in the first place.Nevertheless, the drama of that last hour has confirmed just how competitive this series is set to be, and as the teams reconvene in Durban for the Boxing Day Test, Graeme Smith and his men will believe that, having come so close in such an unlikely fashion, they will be even better placed to apply sustained pressure over the coming five days, especially if Jacques Kallis’ return to bowling fitness is supplemented by the comeback of their world No.1-ranked bowler, Dale Steyn.England will still, however, believe they have the wherewithal to put South Africa under equal amounts of pressure. For proof of that possibility, they need only cast their minds back to their previous tour of the country in 2004-05, when – having themselves been thwarted two wickets from victory in a gripping Boxing Day Test – they headed off to Cape Town for New Year and found themselves on the wrong end of a 196-run hiding.Strauss will know that there is considerable room for English improvement in Durban, both in terms of onfield performance, but also luck. In hindsight, winning the toss on a misleadingly green wicket was no advantage whatsoever, and England will surely use their umpiring review opportunities much wisely than they did in Centurion. Either way, both teams have reason to believe that the series is still very much theirs for the taking.

Form guide (last 5 Tests, most recent first)

South Africa DWLLL
England DWLDW

Watch out for

Ian Bell was the understandable focus of England’s first-Test failings, given that he had been a last-minute pick to shore up the batting, yet mustered seven runs in two innings, including a hideous first-innings leave to Paul Harris. Nevertheless, all the focus on Bell has detracted from another under-achiever higher up the order. Alastair Cook’s match was scarcely any better – he managed scores of 15 and 12, and would have fallen for a first-ball duck to Makhaya Ntini had it not been for AB de Villiers’ rare blemish at slip. Despite extensive remedial work on his technique with Graham Gooch, he’s managed just two centuries in the past 24 months, and having turned 25 on the eve of the match, a return to the precocious form of his first year in international cricket is overdue.Leading into this tour, England still had their doubts about Hashim Amla. He made an important century at Lord’s in 2008 to save the Test that turned that particular series, but a weakness against the short ball ensured that he remained a target in the top-order, just as he had been on his home Test debut, on this very ground in 2004-05, when he was tormented by Steve Harmison and managed one run in two innings. At Centurion last week, however, he came of age in the eyes of his previously sceptical opponents, producing a century of exceptional skill and diligence to stave off the prospect of an England heist. He now belongs in South Africa’s middle-order entirely on merit.

Team news

De Wet’s demolition job in Centurion set a cat among the selectorial pigeons, and in any ordinary circumstances, he would surely expect a follow-up Test appearance as reward for the match-turning efforts he produced on debut. However, with Steyn set to return to the fold after his hamstring injury, the only other candidate to make way is the venerable Makhaya Ntini, and that – for innumerable different reasons – just isn’t going to happen. At least with Kallis expected to play a more rounded all-round role, South Africa will be armed with an extra bowling option.South Africa: (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Ashwell Prince, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Paul Harris, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Makhaya Ntini.Bell and Cook are under the cosh, but England like to avoid panic measures wherever possible, and with doubts still existing about Luke Wright’s readiness for Test cricket, the likelihood is of an unchanged starting XI, and a chance for the players who mucked up in Centurion to atone for their errors. A similar policy has paid dividends in the past, but England’s lack of genuine batting alternatives is probably the single biggest reason for the mass reprieve.England: (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Graham Onions.

Pitch and conditions

Durban is hot, hot, hot, and Kingsmead is one of the muggiest venues in the international game. It promises to be a strength-sapping contest for fielders on both sides, but equally, it could be one of opportunity if the pitch turns out to be a traditional “green mamba”. Five years ago, Smith won the toss and rightly fielded first, whereupon Shaun Pollock, Steyn and Ntini routed England for 139 in their first innings inside two sessions. Strauss will surely be wary of taking such a route given what happened in Centurion, but he’d be unwise to dismiss such a notion out of hand.

Stats and Trivia

• Durban was famously the venue of the Timeless Test in 1938, but even since readmission, it has retained a certain reputation for staging stalemates. England have never yet lost in three attempts since 1995-96, while South Africa have drawn six of their 17 Tests there since 1992.
• Jacques Kallis is certainly a fan of Kingsmead. He has amassed a formidable 1046 runs in 20 Test innings, at a mighty average of 58.11. His four centuries include the 162 he made on England’s last visit.
• For a full statistical preview, Click here

Quotes

“My life has turned around in a big, big way from running around here as a kid to where I am now. I love it; I would never ever change anything.”
“I’m not sure he’s taken part in any of our meetings.”

Missed it by much
Simon Katich posted his second 99 in a Test match and continued the theme of no Australian batsmen reaching a century in the series. After Katich swept Sulieman Benn to square leg and was caught, he trudged off the field with a blank expression. There was one man in the dressing room who could offer some sympathy: his opening partner Shane Watson was earlier out for 89, again denying him a maiden Test hundred after he was bowled for 96 in Adelaide. Katich’s first Test 99 came in Nagpur in 2004.The Roach approach
West Indies were talking up Kemar Roach as their big weapon for the WACA Test and he didn’t disappoint with his aggressive manner. Ricky Ponting’s second ball was a bouncer that hit him just above the left elbow and the next delivery thumped Australia’s captain in the midriff. The blow to the arm caused some serious pain for the batsman, who needed four visits from the physio Alex Kountouris before he eventually retired hurt 40 minutes later. Scans revealed no bone damage and Ponting was expected to bat again later in the innings.Windies drop the ball
Watson and Katich both demoralised West Indies on the opening day and both survived dropped chances that should have been taken. Watson was put down on 7 when Roach found an outside edge that was probably the wicketkeeper’s catch, but Ramdin left it for the first slip Chris Gayle, who couldn’t hold on. Katich’s life came much later when he was on 82 and prodded Sulieman Benn to short leg, where Travis Dowlin fumbled and failed to snare the opportunity.Debut, times two
There was always going to be one debutant in the match with Clint McKay confirmed on Tuesday as the replacement for the injured Peter Siddle. Australia could also have had a second cap presented with Steven Smith and Brett Geeves in the squad waiting to see if Nathan Hauritz recovered from a finger injury, which he did. But what wasn’t expected was a West Indies debutant, with the fast man Gavin Tonge introduced to Test cricket at the expense of the allrounder Darren Sammy.Tonge lashing
Tonge found that Test cricket can be a tough business, when his first spell of seven overs cost 35 runs. He was unfortunate to be on the wrong end of some fine strokes from Shane Watson, who pulled short deliveries to the boundary and drove hard and straight if the bowler overpitched. When Tonge returned for a second spell he didn’t fare much better, once again going at five an over without success.A flying trip
Smith’s time in the Australian Test squad lasted less than 24 hours after he was called in as a cover player for Hauritz. Smith joined the team late on Tuesday night and spent the night wondering if he would make his Test debut in the morning, but Hauritz woke up with no ill effects from a knock to the finger he received at training on the day before the game. It meant there was no need for Smith to stay with the side and he was duly sent home to New South Wales so he could take part in the Sheffield Shield match against Victoria starting on Friday.A hazy shade of summer
It’s bushfire season in Australia and the players were greeted at the WACA by a smoky haze caused by two blazes in the south-west of Western Australia. However, the hazy covering wasn’t enough to cause any problems to the match and it soon cleared to reveal a beautiful Perth day.

Group BAn astonishing 16 wickets fell on the opening day at the Jinnah Stadium as the Rawalpindi right-arm seamer Mohammad Rameez took 6 for 43 to send Sialkot crashing to 107. The hosts found themselves at an embarrassing 53 for 9, but Naved Arif scored 49 at No.10 to push the score past 100. Only three Sialkot batsmen went past double figures as Rameez wreaked havoc. Rawalpindi made a more assured start but lost four wickets – Arif chipped in with two – and took the first-innings lead.The opening day at the National Ground between the hosts Islamabad and Peshawar was all about three players – Ali Sarfraz, Riaz Afridi and Azam Khan. The ball dominated the bat with 12 wickets falling, and the only batsman to make a significant contribution was Sarfraz, who scored 96 in Islamabad’s total of 256. Afridi, the right-arm seamer took five wickets while Azam, another right-armer, took four to support Afridi. Islamabad’s lower order chipped to beef up the score after a disappointing 111 for 6. Peshawar lost their openers in reply and ended the day at 47 for 2.A combined bowling effort by Lahore Ravi helped bowl out Quetta for 220 at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Shahzad Tareen top scored with 68 but he didn’t get decent support from the rest. His knock came off 110 balls with nine fours. Mohammad Irshad was the leading wicket-taker with three wickets while Waqas Ahmed, Junaid Zia and Aamer Hayat took two each. The Lahore openers were unbeaten at stumps.Continuing his good form from the previous game, where he scored an unbeaten 200, Abbottabad captain Adnan Raees made an unbeaten 101 as his team finished on 279 for 9 against Multan in Okara. Opener Fawad Khan also made a significant contribution – 89- and shared a stand of 97 for the third wicket with Mohammad Kashif, before Raees joined him for a bigger stand of 112 for the fifth. When Fawad was dismissed by Ansar Javed, Multan fought back to pick up quick wickets. Javed ended the day with 3 for 65.Group AHabib Bank Limited grabbed the advantage on the first day against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in Islamabad. Half-centuries from opener Naeemuddin and captain Azhar Shafiq had taken SNGPL to a comfortable position at 149 for 2, but a collective bowling display from HBL saw to it that the opposition was bowled out for 245. Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman starred with 4 for 59, and was backed up by fast bowler Sarmad Anwar (3 for 47) and Mohammad Aslam (2 for 37). The trio, with their burst of wickets, caused a collapse, as eight wickets fell for 96 runs. In reply, HBL were in a spot of bother, with opener Shan Masood retiring hurt and Saleem Elahi falling to Asad Ali; they were 10 for 1 at stumps.Water and Power Development Authority held the edge against Karachi Whites at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex. In an admirable bowling effort, WAPDA bowled out Karachi for 170, thanks to three-wicket hauls from fast bowlers Shabbir Ahmed and Azharullah. It could have been worse for Karachi, for they were reeling at 101 for 8 at on stage. A 67-run stand between Akbar-ur-Rehman (58) and No.10 batsman Tabish Khan (21) saved their blushes somewhat. It was Tabish again who led the fight in the WAPDA reply, taking three wickets to put them in a spot of bother at 86 for 4. However, Jahangir Mirza (34 not out) and Ali Azmat (25 not out) stabilized the innings in an unbeaten 42-run stand to steer their team to 128 for 4 at stumps, still 42 runs adrift.Khan Research Laboratories reached a comfortable position against National Bank of Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Driven by half-centuries from Saeed Anwar jnr, Bazid Khan and Zahoor Elahi, KRL reached 319 for 7 at stumps. NBP, boosted by Wasim Khan’s three-for, had limited KRL to 115 for 4, but a 165-run stand between Bazid and Elahi turned the balance in their favour. However, KRL received a setback towards the end of the day, for they lost three wickets for 21. But with Elahi still at the crease on 76, and Jaffar Nazir (14 not out) supporting him in an unbeaten stand of 18, KRL are in with a chance of extending their advantage much further.Sui Southern Gas Corporation dominated Lahore Shalimar on the opening day at the Gaddafi Stadium. Opener Azeem Ghumman smashed an unbeaten 143, laced with 11 fours and a six, to mark a productive day for SSGC, who were boosted by four important partnerships. The lowest stand of the day was between the openers, and it yielded 59 runs. Ghumman then added 79 with Imran Abbas, followed by 65 with Bilal Asad. He signed off day one with an unbeaten partnership of 94 with captain Saeed Bin Nasir (57 not out) to take his team to 297 for 3 at stumps. Lahore face the possibility of an imposing first-innings score, and will have to strike early on the second day to give themselves a chance.Pakistan Customs walked away with first-day honours against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited at the Marghzar Cricket Ground. Debutant Ahmed Jamal (4 for 61) and Tahir Mughal (3 for 46) shared seven wickets between them to leave ZTBL at 224 for 8 at stumps. The pair got into the act from the outset, with Mughal dismissing opener Inam-ul-Haq for a duck. Opener Zohaib Khan resisted with a 175-ball, barring a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket, there wasn’t much support from the other end. But the lower order stepped up to the task after Zohaib fell; Mohammad Khalil chipped in with 22 and Kashif Daud made a handy 18 to rally around wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, who remained unbeaten on 59. From a precarious position at 116 for 6, ZTBL recovered to a more respectable position, though Pakistan Customs still hold the cards going into the second day.

Tamil Nadu have included four new players in the 16-member squad for their opening Ranji Trophy Super League match against Railways in New Delhi starting November 3. The squad, led by Dinesh Karthik, has only one ICL returnee in fast bowler R Jesuraj. The opening batsman M Vijay will be Karthik’s deputy.The four uncapped players include R Suthesh, Aushik Srinivas, Kaushik Gandhi and U Sushil. Suthesh, a left-arm seamer and Sushil, a right-handed batsman, have featured in one-dayers for Tamil Nadu. Gandhi and Srinivas haven’t featured in any games for the team. Gandhi, a 19-year-old right-handed batsman, had a good season in the Tamil Nadu leagues, scoring 273 runs in four games for his club, Grand Slam.Tamil Nadu, which finished semi-finalists in the Super League in 2008-09, play all their matches away from home.Squad: Dinesh Karthik (capt), MVijay (vice-capt) Abhinav Mukund, KB Arun Karthik, S Badrinath, S Suresh Kumar, R Ashwin, C Ganapathy, L Balaji, R Suthesh, Aushik Srinivas, S Anirudha, V Yo Mahesh, U Sushil, M Kaushik Gandhi, R Jesuraj