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Scorecard

The Delhi Giants foiled the Hyderabad Heroes’ attempt to go to the top of the league by clinching a tense one-run victory in Panchkula. Abbas Ali’s half-century helped Delhi set a target of 145 and a tight bowling performance, along with a spate of run-outs, restricted Hyderabad to 143 for 6.The advantage swung repeatedly between the two teams during the course of the match but Hyderabad seemed to have the edge on the final stretch, needing 36 off the last four overs with five wickets in hand. The next two overs from Dale Benkenstein and Ali Murtaza cost only nine runs and Delhi regained lost ground. However, Hyderabad scored 11 off the penultimate over from Shane Bond, reducing the equation to 16 off six balls.The first four deliveries off the final over were fabulous, Benkenstein found the blockhole each time, and Anirudh Singh and Chris Harris managed only singles off them. Needing sixes off the final two balls to win the game, Anirudh stepped out to the fifth, took it on the full, and slammed it over the long-on boundary. Nerves were fraying in the Delhi camp, but Benkenstein kept his cool and bowled the last one into the blockhole. Anirudh couldn’t get under it and ended up edging it past short third man for four.That the match went down to the final ball, however, was due to some mindless running from Hyderabad. They were cruising at 75 for 1, with Abdul Razzaq and Ambati Rayudu in control, when two wickets off consecutive balls in the 12th over changed the course of the game. Rayudu was run out while attempting a risky second run and Razzaq top-edged the next ball to third man.The equation at the end of the 12th over – 70 off 48 balls – suddenly favoured Delhi as Hyderabad had two brand new batsmen at the crease. Hyderabad had a formidable middle-order comprising Justin Kemp, Nicky Boje and Stuart Binny but all three were run out in successive overs, leaving the remaining batsmen with one run too many to chase.The hero of Delhi’s innings earlier in the day was Abbas Ali who held the innings together as wickets fell at the other end. He began batting in the fifth over with Delhi on 30 for 2 and immediately hit Syed Sahabuddin for consecutive fours through cover and to fine leg. His 53 came off 39 balls and included eight boundaries and took Delhi to 126 before he was bowled in the 17th over. The innings lost momentum after that but Delhi’s bowlers and fielders ensured that 144 was enough to pip Hyderabad.

Bishan Bedi, the former India finger-spinner, is convinced Australia will need to play Jason Krejza in the third Test in Delhi if they are to have their best chance of beating India. Bedi worked with Krejza, the offspinner, at training on Sunday and he was cautiously optimistic about the bowler’s potential.”I was basically working with Jason,” Bedi told the . “He is potentially very good but he must realise his potential. I think they will have to play Jason. They need a finger-spinner.”After Warney there is a big void, there is no doubt about that, but I think some of these youngsters can take responsibility with a bit of commitment. We shouldn’t really be in any kind of haste. The results will come.”In the first two Tests Australia relied on the minimal-turning legspin of Cameron White, who made his debut in Bangalore, and the part-time offerings of Michael Clarke. The Delhi pitch is expected to offer spin and Krejza, as a man who can turn the ball sharply, will come into Australia’s calculations.He had fallen out of contention following a miserable performance in the tour game in Hyderabad, when he was belted into submission and collected match figures of 0 for 199. But the confident Krejza said after the match that he valued the match as a learning experience.”It was a tough game,” he said. “I knew what was going to happen in that game and I didn’t bowl as badly as the figures said I did … As a spinner there are times when you get a bit of stick and you have just got to get back on the horse and keep going. That was my attitude.”

Wynne Bradburn, who played two Tests for New Zealand against South Africa in 1963-64, has died at the age of 69. He suffered a fatal heart attack hours after the funeral of his wife of 48-years who died five days earlier.Bradburn started his career with Northern Districts as a middle-order batsman but his success came after he switched to opening. His call-up against South Africa was something of a surprise, given his form that season had not been outstanding and he had yet to score his maiden first-class hundred.He made 32 in his first Test and 2 and 14 in the second. By the time the side came to be chosen for the 1965 England tour he was out of the reckoning. The following summer he made his only hundred, 107 against Auckland.His son, Grant, also played Test cricket for New Zealand, one of only seven father-and-son pairings to do so.”He could have gone at any stage, he wasn’t feeling very well on the day,” Grant told the New Zealand Herald. “He told one of our cousins that he just wanted to jump into the grave on Thursday. I guess he felt his time was done and he wanted to be with mum.”It was a huge shock for as all. He said to me moments before he died that he was very, very proud of the send-off we gave our mum. We’re just thankful that he got through [her] funeral.”

Gautam Gambhir says India cannot claim favouritism in the upcoming Test series despite Australia fielding a relatively inexperienced squad by Australian standards. The visitors have lost several key men since their series win in India in 2004-05 and their 15-man squad includes four uncapped players and four who have played 11 or fewer Tests.Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting has conceded his side is far less experienced than India, who could potentially start the series with as many as eight players with more than 50 Tests under their belts. But Gambhir pointed out there were few differences to the Australia squad that beat India 2-1 in Australia earlier this year.”If you look at the Australian bowling attack, it is pretty similar to the one we played against when we toured there,” Gambhir told . “The only difference is that they don’t have the experience of a spinner such as Shane Warne or Stuart MacGill.”In any case when you play against a team like Australia, you have to play to the best of your ability. They are tough to beat and they always play to the best of their ability. You just cannot think of beating them by playing one or two sessions well. You have to be at the top of your game throughout the five days.”Both teams are hoping for a friendlier series than the contests in Australia, where the cricket was often overshadowed by on-field and off-field controversies. Gambhir said it was important India were mentally prepared for a rematch.”You don’t want to be playing a weak opposition. Australia is the toughest series for any cricketer,” he said. You have to be fully ready mentally to take anything on. You should be prepared for everything that comes at you and at times give it back.”Gambhir’s debut Test four years ago remains the only one he has played against Australia. He is entering the series in fine form having struck three half-centuries in the recent three-match series in Sri Lanka but he was frustrated at his failure to go on and reach triple-figures.”Hitting 300 runs in three Test matches is very satisfying, but I still think I should have got more runs,” he added. “You don’t get these kind of opportunities when you’re playing Test cricket. Test cricket is all about settling in and getting big runs – as many as possible.”On Monday Australia arrived in Jaipur, where they will train and play the first of their two warm-up matches. The Test series begins on October 9 in Bangalore.

ScorecardSri Lanka A managed to restrict South Africa A, who had scored 388 for 4 on the first day, to 550 but lost three wickets in their first innings in Benoni. The visitors closed at 133 for 3, still trailing by 417 runs, and needing 268 more to avoid the follow-on.Sri Lanka got breakthroughs early on the second day, taking two wickets for 15 runs as South Africa resumed batting. The unbeaten batsmen from the first day, Ahmed Amla and Alviro Petersen, both perished in the 80s to fast bowler Chanaka Welegedara. However, Sri Lanka failed up to wrap up the innings quickly. Wicketkeeper Matthew Harris, Johann Louw and CJ de Villiers scored 40, 39 and 41 respectively to push South Africa’s total past 500.Harris and Louw, whose 39 came off 41 balls, added 57 for the seventh wicket, and Harris put on 66 for the eighth along with de Villiers. Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath took the final three wickets as South Africa were all out for 550.Louw then grabbed an early wicket in Sri Lanka’s innings, removing Upul Tharanga for 6. Tharanga Paranavitana and Kanchana Gunawardene put on 45 before Gunawardene was caught off medium-pacer Ethy Mbhalati. Gunawardene fell for 25, and wicketkeeper-batsman Kaushal Silva too failed to build on a start as he was dismissed for 30. Paranavitana was unbeaten on 51 at stumps, while Thilina Kandamby, the Sri Lankan captain, was not out on 8.

The likelihood of New Zealand’s three-ODI tour of Pakistan later this month looks to be receding after Heath Mills, the chief executive of the NZ Players’ Association, said that he doubted the team’s security.The ICC announced that its security team, who will be assessing the situation ahead of the Champions Trophy, would not arrive in Pakistan until August 10, leaving little time for them to report back and then, assuming they give the all-clear, for New Zealand’s selectors to pick a side.”The task force security advisors do not include any of our security people and in our view I don’t see anything that will have changed,” Mills said. He is expected to be in constant touch with Tim May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, who will be part of the ICC team.New Zealand Cricket has declined to make any comments relating to the Pakistan until the ICC report is finalised.

John Savage, the former Leicestershire and Lancashire player, has died aged 79 after a short illness. Savage, who also coached at Lancashire for nine years from 1969, passed away in Rochdale Infirmary on Monday after a short illness.Savage, an offspinner, played the majority of his first-class career at Leicestershire – from 1953 to 1966 – before heading to Old Trafford in 1967. With the emergence of fellow spinner Jack Simmons, first-team opportunities were limited, but Lancashire saw in Savage strong leadership qualities and asked him to take on the role of player-coach for the club’s up and coming talent.Savage took 965 wickets in 347 matches, passing 100 wickets in a season on three occasions.It was a post he held from 1969 until the end of his playing career in 1978. In 2001, John was elected a vice-president of Lancashire County Cricket Club. Although born in Ramsbottom, Savage made his home in Crumpsall, North Manchester.

Lancashire have signed New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent as their replacement overseas player for the upcoming Twenty20 Cup.Vincent has been playing for Ramsbottom in the Lancashire League and had recently participated in the unofficial Indian Cricket League. His signing is still subject to a work permit and registration. “I’m delighted to get the opportunity to play in the Twenty20 Cup for Lancashire,” Vincent said. “Twenty20 is a format which suits my game, and I can’t wait to play my part in a successful campaign for the club.”Lancashire’s original overseas player Brad Hodge will be on international duty with Australia until the end of their tour of the Caribbean (July 6) while Mohammad Yousuf is with the Pakistan national team for a tri-series in Bangladesh.”We are about to start a very important Twenty20 competition and we have bought in a player with a great reputation in the format who will add firepower to our top order,” Lancashire’s cricket manager Mike Watkinson said. “He is an exciting player and excellent fielder, just what we need for Twenty20 cricket.”Vincent has played 23 Tests and 102 one-day internationals and has also had a county stint with Worcestershire in 2006.

While there was frustration that yesterday’s rain caused all but one of the second round matches to be carried into what should have been a rest day, Nepal’s Mahaboob Alam was not complaining after taking 10 for 12 in 7.5 overs against Mozambique. Chasing Nepal’s 238 for 7, Mozambique managed a paltry 19 to slump to a 219-run victory. Click here for more.It was again a day for the favourites as, in addition to Nepal, there were wins for Afghanistan, USA and Jersey.Former West Indies batsman Clayton Lambert, coach of the USA team, hailed his side as they comprehensively beat Norway by 10 wickets but said that the players were not going to become over confident despite two comfortable wins. “We’re not going to underestimate anybody. We’re the ones who have played a higher level of cricket so everyone expects us to win so there is a lot of pressure on,” said Lambert.The USA bowling attack looked extremely threatening with the wickets shared around its pace attack. Khawaja Shuja, the 19-year-old right-arm fast medium bowler, was the pick with figures of 5 for 15, although Steve Pitter (2 for 24) and Imran Awan (2 for 36) were also looking dangerous with some aggressive short-pitched bowling.”Some of the short balls were the right length for the wicket and the guys did a great job of putting the balls on a correct length,” said Lambert. “Some balls bounced and Norway didn’t seem to have played against the bouncing balls a whole lot so it worked in our favour.” In reply, the USA coasted to their target in just 14.5 overs with Sushil Nadkarni (41*) and Orlando Baker (32*) looking in fine form.

Eighteen-year-old Gulbudeen Naib was the hero for Afghanistan as he took 5 for 7, including a hat-trick to close the innings, as Bahamas managed just 46 all out. And although they too suffered a batting collapse, Afghanistan secured victory by five wickets after 6.3 overs as they attempted to score quick runs to improve their run-rate, with Mario Ford claiming 3 for 5.”I was very happy to receive my Man-of-the-Match award for Afghanistan and I would like to pay tribute to my captain, team and coach who have helped me achieve this,” said Naib. “It was the first ever hat-trick for Afghanistan so I am very happy,” he added. “I am sure my friends and family back at home will be very proud.”Matt Hague produced a captain’s performance for Jersey in their eight-wicket win over Japan taking 4 for 26 with the ball and scoring 27 not out with the bat. He played his part in reducing Japan to 124 for 8 in 50 overs before helping Peter Gough, who made 59 not out, reach Jersey’s target with 15.5 overs to spare. “It was a really good performance. After yesterday when we got off to such a good start batting we wanted to get in a game today and get a win on the board,” said Hague.In the other game of the day, Singapore registered their first victory of the event with an exciting win by three wickets over Botswana. Buddhika Oshanka made 79 as Singapore reached a target of 184 with 2.3 overs to spare.

After Australia had established a first innings lead of 271 on the second day of the third Test in Perth, England had to face a daunting examination of technique and temperament against the extreme pace of Brett Lee and the probing accuracy of Glenn McGrath. They lost Marcus Trescothick to a Lee rocket, but Michael Vaughan and nightwatchman Richard Dawson held out to close on 33 for one – still 238 runs short of making Australia bat again.The day did not start well for England with the news that Chris Silverwood had damaged ankle ligaments and had been ruled out of bowling for the remainder of the Test. That put an extra workload on the remaining bowlers, but off-spinner Dawson was only required to bowl five overs.There was no lack of effort from the England bowlers, but little inspiration as the Australian batsmen relished the conditions and the situation. There were runs and partnerships all down the order as they moved to a total of 456 based on a succession of individual contributions rather than one or two dominant innings.Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn extended their overnight partnership to 74 – the highest of the innings – by adding 33 runs in the first 11 overs of the morning. Ponting had gone to his fifty and reached 68 when Nasser Hussain replaced the pacy Steve Harmison with Craig White. Ponting will rue the lack of foot movement as he edged the ball from just outside off stump into his wicket.Darren Lehmann has yet to establish himself in the Australian side, but he got his opportunity to bat at number five when Steve Waugh was unwell with a stomach upset. He played with more assurance than previously in the series and was audibly upset with himself when he took on White on the stroke of lunch when he had 42. He hooked uppishly and cried "Oh no" as the ball sailed to Harmison at long leg.Martyn had been a study of concentration, taking 120 balls to reach his fifty, but he was having the effect of wearing down the depleted England bowling resources. He moved forward to become the top scorer in the innings with 71 when he played a somewhat loose shot outside the off stump to edge Alex Tudor to the wicket-keeper.As one Western Australian left the crease, another, Adam Gilchrist, arrived to an expectant welcome from the WACA crowd. It was the captain Steve Waugh who moved serenely to his fifty and Gilchrist, with characteristic gusto, who blazed his way to 38 from 28 balls with seven fours and a six. Gilchrist’s blood was running and England would have been delighted to get him when they did as he hooked White to long leg where Tudor did well to keep just inside the boundary rope as he held the catch.The new ball was taken to account for Waugh who fell to Tudor, just as he did on the bowler’s debut four years ago on this ground. The Australian captain played across a full length delivery and was bowled. However, the departure of the last of the recognised batsmen did not signal the end of England’s torment. The last three wickets added 108 runs in 18 overs.Shane Warne was enjoying himself immensely in partnership with Lee who was getting a bit of a working over from the English pace bowlers. Lee was not unduly perturbed as he unfurled some rasping shots that took the score along at a steady rate.The partnership of 68 was only ended when Warne took on Harmison’s arm at long off when going for a greedy third and he was run out for 35. Lee slashed White to Robert Key at third man for an enterprising 41, before a clubbing innings from Jason Gillespie came to an end when he was yorked to give White his third five-wicket haul in a Test innings.England could do with White adding to his one Test hundred in their second innings. Left with a tricky 11 over session to face before stumps, opening batsmen Trescothick and Vaughan had to be at their most trenchant as Waugh gave the new ball to Lee. With the wind at his back, Lee bowled at a furious pace.Unusually for him, Trescothick was hopping around as he had to in order to avoid Lee’s thunderbolts, while at the other end McGrath was plugging away with scarcely a hint of a loose ball. It was in the seventh over of the innings that Lee delivered a hammer-blow to England’s hopes by going wide of the crease and forcing Trescothick to fend off the ball lifting rapidly into his body. It took the batsman’s glove before lodging in the glove of the leaping Gilchrist and Trescothick – reluctantly – was forced to go.Dawson played with great courage and no little skill to keep his Yorkshire colleague Vaughan company to the close. Waugh introduced Gillespie for the last over of the day and with the last ball very nearly claimed another wicket. Dawson had an agonising wait after the ball had flown off his pad to short leg before umpire Steve Bucknor turned down the various appeals and called time. A broad smile burst upon the batsman’s face as he realised he had survived to face another day. It is sure to be a testing one for him and all his colleagues.