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ScorecardHalf-centuries from Wayne Madsen and Daniel Redfern gave Derbyshire the edge atthe end of a tough first day in their County Championship clash with Leicestershire at Grace Road.Derbyshire, who beat their East Midlands neighbours by an innings and 32 runsjust two weeks ago, were 238 for 5 at stumps despite a superb spell of bowling from Leicestershire veteran Claude Henderson. The left-arm spinner finished the day with figures of 3 for 69 from 33 overs. At one stage Derbyshire looked in real trouble at 174 for 5, but recovered courtesy of an unbroken partnership of 64 between Redfern and Luke Sutton.Having won the toss it proved hard work for Derbyshire’s batsmen throughout themorning session with the variable bounce on a slow pitch causing plenty ofproblems. The conditions certainly favoured the bowlers and Leicestershire would havebeen disappointed to claim only one wicket by lunch.Madsen should have been out on 14 when he edged a delivery from Matthew Hoggardthat reared outside the off stump only for Jacques Du Toit to put down the catchat slip.The introduction of Nadeem Malik brought Leicestershire the breakthrough in the15th over with the total at 44. Malik produced a fine delivery that swung in andfound the inside edge of Wesley Durston’s bat and this time wicket keeper TomNew took the catch.Usman Khawaja, who made his Australia Test debut against England in the winter,signalled his intentions with four crisp boundaries off Wayne White andDerbyshire looked in a sound position on 82 for 1 at lunch.But the game then swung Leicestershire’s way as Henderson produced anoutstanding exhibition of spin bowling claiming three wickets for 60 runs duringan unbroken spell of 30 overs. It was Hoggard who struck first however, having Khawaja caught behind for 35 in his third over after lunch. An edged four off Nathan Buck brought Madsen his half century off 142 balls, before he was trapped lbw trying to force a shot through leg side off a quicker ball from Henderson.Chesney Hughes, who had been dropped at slip by Will Jefferson off Henderson’sbowling, then slashed a catch to point off the spinner. And when Henderson clipped the top of Greg Smith’s off-stump with another cleverly flighted delivery shortly after tea, Derbyshire looked in some trouble.But a battling sixth-wicket stand between Redfern and Sutton restored Derbyshire’s grip on the game. Sutton, however, was given a life when he was dropped at slip by Jefferson offthe bowling of Malik when he had made 20.But Redfern, showing great discipline and concentration, reached his 50 off 151 balls, with six fours, and was still there at the close on 58 with Sutton keeping him company on 21.

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Inviting the opposition to bat first at Taunton was always likely to prove a risk, but in Marcus Trescothick’s worst dreams he can barely have imagined how badly the decision would backfire.By the time Warwickshire were bowled out, deep into the second afternoon, they had amassed an eye-watering 642 runs. That represents the sixth highest total in their first-class history and, by some distance, the highest score they’ve made having been inserted.It left Somerset’s pre-season tags as championship favourites looking highly questionable. While no-one disputes they have some quality batsmen, their bowlers will have to improve markedly on this performance if they’re really to claim that elusive first title.For this is not nearly such an easy batting surface as Warwickshire’s scoreline might suggest. While it’s clearly no mine-field, there is enough help to assist anyone pitching the ball in the right area, but the Somerset attack lacked the pace, consistency or skill to exploit it.If that was not apparent when Warwickshire batted, it certainly was when they bowled. The Taunton pitch suddenly appeared a seamer’s dream as ball beat bat more in an hour than it had in the previous day-and-a-half as Somerset lost six wickets in the final session. Though bad light spared them the final six overs of the day, they will resume on day three requiring another 346 just to avoid the follow-on.There are a couple of mitigating factors. Firstly, Warwickshire have played some very good cricket in this game and secondly, Somerset were obliged to bat in unusually gloomy conditions that would, only a few years ago, have prevented any play.But Somerset would be fooling themselves if they hid behind those excuses. The truth is they have, to date, been out-batted and out-bowled by a team who were tipped by the bookies to suffer relegation.There have been two key differences. Firstly, Warwickshire’s batsmen have appeared more willing to work for their runs. They’ve appeared more patient, more disciplined and more hungry, while their bowlers have appeared quicker and more able to exploit any help available in the surface.And then there’s Trescothick’s captaincy. If his original decision to insert Warwickshire was questionable – and, despite the score that remains debatable – his tactics during the Warwickshire innings were bewildering. The lack of a third man cost Somerset heavily, while his decision to employ Steve Kirby – who remained on the field throughout and whom the club insist is fit – for just two overs on the second day was mystifying. The bowlers must take some of the blame for conceding nearly four-and-a-half an over throughout, but they were not helped by some curious field placingsWith Peter Trego and Gemaal Hussain unable to stem the flow of runs, it left Ajantha Mendis and Charl Willoughby carrying a heavy burden. The Sri Lankan, who bowled immeasurably better than the previous day, finished with the most expensive figures of his career, as did Hussain, while the 36-year-old Willoughby appeared exhausted after his 34 overs.The chief architect of the Warwickshire innings was Varun Chopra. Having invested in a patient start to his innings, the 23-year-old reaped rich rewards by completing a maiden first-class double century. Very well he played, too.But, almost as impressive as Chopra, was the batting of Chris Woakes. The 22-year-old swing bowler recorded his fourth first-class century as Warwickshire turned the screw on the second day, punishing a tiring attack, and timing the ball with a sweetness that few young players can match. Truly, if Woakes couldn’t bowl, he’d still be a decent England prospect.His century here occupied just 106 balls and contained an array of strokes all around the wicket. It’s interesting to note that this was Woakes’ third championship century; as many as Eoin Morgan has managed to date.Though Mendis finally found one to nip back and end Woakes and Chopra’s 123-run stand for the seventh-wicket, Woakes then added 110 in 24 overs for the eighth wicket with the increasingly fluent Ant Botha. Every run seemed to grind away at Somerset’s spirit and heads had dropped long before Woakes drove to mid-off, Andrew Miller missed a straight one and Botha drove to long-off.Somerset’s reply actually started pretty well. Though Trescothick fell in the first over after tea, edging a loose drive to first slip, Arul Suppiah and Nick Compton took the score to 118 for 1 without undue alarm. Suppiah, neat off his legs and elegant through the covers, looked particularly fluent.All that good work was undone, however, when Suppiah cut a short ball straight to gully to precipitate a collapse that saw Somerset lose five wickets for 24 runs in 7.5 overs. Compton was left groping by Woakes’ swing, before James Hildreth’s timid poke only saw an inside edge on to his stumps. Jos Buttler edged a beauty from the sharp Rikki Clarke that bounced and left him before Criag Kieswetter’s oddly frenetic innings ended when he edged a drive to slip.Had Trego, on five, been caught, as he should have been, by Botha at gully, it could have been even worse for Somerset. But for a side with title aspirations, this has been a remarkably chastening experience to date.

Brendan Nash, the West Indies vice-captain, is confident he will take strong form in to the first Test against Pakistan, which starts in Guyana on Thursday. Nash is considered a Test specialist and therefore didn’t take part in the recent one-day series against Pakistan, but in his most recent first-class innings, he made 207 for Jamaica against Trinidad and Tobago.That came early last month, during the final stages of the regional four-day competition, and Nash finished the tournament as the third-leading run scorer. He enters the Test series with the extra responsibility of being vice-captain to Darren Sammy, and Nash believes that he can help the home team beat Pakistan, despite West Indies being without veterans like Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo.”I’m feeling really good the way I’m batting,” Nash said. “The last time I batted in a first-class match I got over 200. Admittedly, that was a little while ago, but I have carried that form with me. Pakistan have a good team, they have some good bowlers, but I believe I am experienced enough and capable enough to handle myself. We have a good team and things are taking shape, so we believe we will do very well against the Pakistanis.”We saw some great cricket in the warm-up match and we had a good training session today. We will have another session as we prepare for the match and everyone is looking forward to Thursday. As the vice-captain I have added responsibility and I’m always happy to help the others in the team in any way I can. That has been my style from the first day I joined the team.”Nash, 33, last played for West Indies back in December, during the rain-affected tour of Sri Lanka. He made two half-centuries from his three innings, and he said he was happy with his form leading in to the Pakistan matches.”I’m feeling mentally and physically ready for the series,” he said. “I am hitting the ball really well and I’m where I want to be in the lead-up to the Test series. I played in the WICB regional four-day tournament and I managed to get some good runs. I felt I batted really well. I’m happy to be part of the team unit for the Test series here against Pakistan.”I’m looking to get onto the field. I love Test cricket and I really enjoy playing for the West Indies so I’m happy to be back among the boys again. We have a few new players who I have not had the joy of playing a Test match with, so that’s exciting for me. We have good camaraderie in the team and we are all focused on the two Test matches upcoming.”

Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lanka opener, has been ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the England tour as he prepares to face a disciplinary committee for failing a drugs test during the World Cup.Tharanga, 26, tested positive after the semi-final against New Zealand, in Colombo, and Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed he won’t be selected for any representative cricket in the short term.”Since there is an ongoing inquiry to verify this charge, Upul Tharanga will not be making himself available for selection until the conclusion of the inquiry and therefore will not be available for the ODI and T20 matches in England and the Sri Lanka A Team tour of England,” a statement said.Tharanga’s absence means Sri Lanka could be without their two first-choice one-day openers against England with the captain Tillakaratne Dilshan also a doubt having suffered a hairline fracture of his thumb in the second Test at Lord’s. However, Dilshan is still hopeful of being available for the one Twenty20 international and five ODIs.The pair had recent success against England, having guided Sri Lanka to a 10-wicket victory in the World Cup quarter-final when they added an unbeaten 231. Tharanga also enjoyed an impressive one-day series on the 2006 tour of England where he hit two hundreds – 120 at Lord’s and 109 at Headingley in a record 286-run stand with Sanath Jayasuriya – during Sri Lanka’s 5-0 whitewash of the hosts.There are reports in Sri Lanka that Tharanga’s absence could open the door for a surprise return for Jayasuriya who turns 42 in June and played his last ODI in December 2009. “If my services are required, I would be glad as always to give my best,” he told the Sri Lankan .

The ICC will only allow government intervention in cricket in matters related to security, its chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said. In its annual conference in Hong Kong which concluded on June 30, the ICC agreed to an amendment to its constitution that would require all member boards to hold free elections in a bid to democratise the governance of the game and do away with political or government interference. But that did not apply to security matters, Lorgat clarified.”Only in one case will the ICC allow governments to interfere with the affairs of the member board: when there are security issues involved between the two countries, and if any national squad do not tour any other country on security grounds the ICC will accept government’s writ,” Lorgat told . Cricket tours to countries have been called off due to government directives, with Australia not touring Pakistan in the past and England refusing to play in Zimbabwe, most notably in the 2003 World Cup.The boards most affected by the ICC’s decision are the PCB, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket, though everyone has until 2013 to comply with the provisions of free elections and no political interference in their respective constitutions. The PCB chairman is appointed by the president of the country; all board presidents in Bangladesh are government-appointed and in Sri Lanka the board answers directly to the sports ministry, which on Friday dissolved SLC’s interim committee and appointed a new one.The PCB had objected to the ICC’s proposal in April, sending a legal notice. The board had pointed to the issue of government involvement in security matters as evidence that there may be grey areas as a result of the amendment. But a compromise was worked out in meetings before the annual conference where it was agreed that boards would have till 2013 to comply with the new rules. During this period, the boards can discuss and try to resolve any potential problems of implementing the decision. The support for the amendment, Lorgat said, was unanimous.”Every member country supported the amendment and it was required to make the member countries have a free election system, to hold a democratic process in the administration, which can strengthen the leadership of the board.” When asked if the PCB supported it as well, Lorgat said: “Everyone”.The PCB will be discussing the amendment with the Pakistan government. “How we implement this reform will depend on our talks with the government,” its chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed told reporters following his arrival in Pakistan from Hong Kong.The ICC had appointed a Pakistan Task Force (PTT) with its initial aim being to examine ways to ensure international cricket returned to Pakistan. But the task force’s objectives were broadened in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal to also promote an improvement in governance by the PCB. Lorgat said the task force, led by ECB chairman Giles Clarke, had submitted its state of affairs report along with some recommendations, and its role had ended.”Now it comes to its logical ending and we have provided the full report by the task force to the PCB. The report has many parts; one relates to the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore in 2009 while another concerns the spot-fixing issues that surfaced in the Lord’s Test [between Pakistan and England] in August 2010.”What if the recommendations suggested a return of international cricket to Pakistan? “Then the ICC will encourage the visiting country to go to Pakistan, but again we will accept government’s directives over safety and security issues.”

For the second successive Monday, England emerged the superior side. The more happy unit. The more confident team. India, the world’s No. 1 Test side, were never able to entirely dominate on any of the nine playing days. In his three-year stint as Indian captain MS Dhoni has never lost two Tests in a row, nor have India lost a Test series. But now, Andrew Strauss’s men are not only threatening to win the Pataudi Trophy, but also are marching towards the title of the best Test team in the world.On evidence at Lord’s and in these four days at Trent Bridge, Her Majesty’s men might just be able to snatch the crown from India. As they have done over the past two years, England played like a domineering team. The depth in their batting, which Dhoni said he was envious about, plucked them out of a precarious position on the first day at Trent Bridge after they slipped to 124 for 8. The local boy Stuart Broad hit a steely half-century to guide England to a more respectable 221, 97 runs which “really mattered,” according to Dhoni. On the second afternoon, Broad restricted India’s lead to 67 with a fierce spell of seam bowling that included a hat-trick.India needed quick wickets on the third day to keep alive the hope of levelling the series, but one by one, the England batsmen, toyed with the bowling. The Indian attack was down to three specialists as Harbhajan Singh bowled only 13.4 overs in the match due to a stomach muscle injury.”I didn’t have any tricks left,” Dhoni said after the 319-run defeat. “I tried everything I had left. They bat quite deep, [James] Anderson is the only one who doesn’t bat to some extent. They were eight down for 120 and were able to score 100 more runs (in the first innings). The bowlers tried what they could. We were not really successful and that happens in cricket.”Dhoni said he couldn’t blame his bowling attack, especially the new-ball pair of Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, who have now played five Tests since June 20. “Our bowlers were a bit tired. That was one of the reasons. Their batsmen played some big shots. Their mis-hits landed in between the fielders. The bowlers tried everything but nothing really went our way.”But the biggest concern for India is the failure of their esteemed batting order to construct big totals. In the last five Tests, India have crossed 300 only once, at Roseau in the third Test against West Indies. In England, their highest so far has been 288.MS Dhoni’s advice: “Have belief in yourself and the team, in what you do”•Getty Images

The most damning stat is the performance of the Indian lower order (last five batsmen) as compared to their English counterparts. The England lower order comprising Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Broad and Anderson faced 710 deliveries and lasted 1059 minutes over the two Tests, while the Indians could barely survive 356 balls spanning 487 minutes.”It’s important to put runs on the board and we are slightly lacking that. Right from the last series we played, we haven’t scored consistently so that’s also a bit of a concern,” Dhoni said. “One of the big areas of concern is the lower-order; we haven’t been able to see the second new ball through. Hopefully it will get better and we won’t be exposed to the new ball.”Adding to India’s batting problems was the fact the neither Suresh Raina nor Yuvraj Singh could respond convincingly to the short-ball strategy emplyed by the England fast bowlers. Both men had hit fighting half-centuries (Raina in the second innings at Lord’s and Yuvraj in the first innings at Trent Bridge) but today they succumbed cheaply to short-pitched deliveries.Dhoni, though, backed his batsmen and their technique against bouncers. “That’s often said to us but there have been games when we’ve done well in Perth, Durban and Barbados. We will get caught out once in a while but most of the batsmen are used to the short-pitched stuff.”A lot was written about India’s determination and their ability to bounce back after starting poorly in a series. Coming back from 2-0 down, could be the biggest test of Dhoni’s captaincy. And for Duncan Fletcher, who is barely two months into the India coaching job. “We are very confident in the talent in the dressing room and we’ll make the most of the next 10 days,” Dhoni said. He will have some reinforcements for the third Test: Gautam Gambhir is certain to play, while Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag could also return.Dhoni said India needed to remain mentally tough in the nine-day break before the Edgbaston Test. “When you play at the top level you face tough situations and this is one of those. And that is what you are supposed to do: have belief in yourself and the team, in what you do. We will definitely make it tough (for England).”

Australian cricket’s reckoning for a disastrous Ashes series, and the decline from greatness to mediocrity that preceded it, is belatedly at hand. The findings of the Australian team performance review will, as ESPNcricinfo reported in July, be tabled and discussed by the directors at the Cricket Australia board meeting to take place in Melbourne on Thursday and Friday, nearly eight months after the Ashes were lost in an innings defeat at the MCG.Upon the conclusion of the meeting CA’s chairman Jack Clarke will face the cameras and microphones to run over whatever findings the board chooses to make public. Based on the submissions of a litany of players, coaches, administrators and other well-placed observers, they are expected to be blunt and wide-ranging.The review panel, chaired by Don Argus and including the former captains Allan Border, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh plus the former CA chief executive Malcolm Speed, is likely to direct its harshest critiques towards the selection policies of the out of contract chairman, Andrew Hilditch, whose term lapsed at the end of the World Cup.Hilditch’s tenure began in 2006, and after enjoying a 5-0 Ashes sweep on England in the following summer he was fated to negotiate the retirements of a succession of great players, including Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn.He and his panel have been heavily criticised for numerous decisions across that time, most pointedly the revolving door for spin bowlers since the selectors’ planning was thrown out of balance by the sudden retirement of Stuart MacGill in 2008.More recently the removal of Simon Katich from the list of CA contracted players provided a window into the players’ discontent about the ways of the panel, something also highlighted by a formal submission to the review regarding selection by the Australian Cricketers Association.Rod Marsh, the former Australian wicketkeeper and highly-respected academy coach, has expressed his interest in becoming chairman of selectors, discussing the possibility with CA’s head of cricket operations, Michael Brown.Other matters at issue for the review panel include the shape of the Australian team’s support staff, with the place of the head coach Tim Nielsen in some question. Since the World Cup Nielsen’s support staff has been bolstered by the additions of Craig McDermott (bowling coach) and Steve Rixon (fielding coach), as the players desired greater guidance from mentors with international experience.Rixon’s arrival in particular has been met with great enthusiasm, and as the former coach of New Zealand and NSW his credentials far outweigh those of Nielsen, who was a distinguished assistant for South Australia and Australia but had never been a head coach until he replaced John Buchanan in 2007, like Hilditch at the outset of a difficult period of transition.Australia’s players and support staff currently on tour in Sri Lanka are expected to be briefed about the review findings on Friday morning in Colombo, before Clarke presents a summary of the findings to the public.The Australian team’s contract system, scheduling and preparation have also been matters for discussion, with the former chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns noting that a sleeker and more flexible contract system should be devised.It has also been pointed out that Test cricket in Australia would benefit from being the clear financial pinnacle of the game, with sufficient incentives for young players to devote themselves to its pursuit.The evolving role of the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane is considered a sore point in the development of players, as CA has sought to make it more of a finishing school for internationals rather than a bridge between junior cricket and the first-class arena.Further down the pathway, the standard of domestic cricket has been openly questioned by the likes of Ricky Ponting, who fervently believes that young cricketers need to be held to the same rigorous standards he had to reach before he was selected to play for Australia.Twenty20’s onset, and its attendant impact on the techniques and priorities of domestic players, is another factor, but CA are torn on this matter by competing desires to have the Test team successful while also growing the game’s revenue.There is little the review panel can do about the onset of the T20 Big Bash League and its heavy impact on the domestic schedule, meaning there will be plenty of hurdles ahead for the Australian team, whatever Argus and company recommend at the board meeting.

Fiji and PNG have each booked a place in Friday’s gold medal match after wins over Vanuatu and New Caledonia respectively at the Pacific Games competition in Noumea.In the match of the tournament so far, Fiji fought back from the jaws of defeat to snatch a four-run victory over Vanuatu. Set the modest total of 114 to win, Vanuatu were in control for the majority of the run chase before terrific bowling spells from both Viliame Yabaki and Jikoi Kida caused a late innings collapse to hand Fiji the victory.”It’s an awesome feeling to win and I haven’t had that feeling for a long time,” said Fiji captain Jo Rika. “Yesterday we spoke about playing to our strengths and improving our fielding and bowling and taking nothing away from our great batting performance, but we really improved in the field today.”Sakaraia Lomani was again the stand out with the bat for Fiji smashing another 44 not out and was well supported by his captain Rika who was in fine touch for his 36. In reply Vanuatu were well in control early thanks to a terrific 44 from Lenica Natapei and 27 from Andrew Mansale. However, once Mansale departed and Natapei followed soon after the young Vanuatu side struggled to deal with the spin of Yabaki who took two wickets in three balls to set up the win. Yabaki ended with figures of 4 for 21 and Kida also got well among the wickets taking 3 for 21.In the afternoon PNG dealt the hosts New Caledonia a significant blow, defeating them by 150 runs and setting up a showdown with Fiji. New Caledonia put up a spirited fight in the field restricting PNG to 197 for 6 off their 20 overs, which considering their performance yesterday against Fiji was a great improvement from the inexperienced side.”It is a huge pleasure to play against a side like PNG and to keep them to under 200 which was less than Fiji scored against us yesterday and was one of our targets so we are pretty happy,” said Noel Sinyeue who top scored and also took two wickets. “To take six wickets against a team like PNG is a real achievement.”For PNG Kapena Arua top scored with 62 and Tony Ura once again performed brilliantly with 57. Sinyeue was the only multiple wicket-taker for New Caledonia ending with figures of 2 for 28.After a solid performance in the field, sadly it all went downhill with the bat for New Caledonia bowled out for just 47 thanks mainly to an awesome display of bowling from Inoa Baeau who ended with the incredible figures of 5 for 3 from four overs.Wednesday will see PNG v Fiji and Vanuatu v New Caledonia in two matches that will not influence who will play-off in the medal matches. These fixtures will be repeated again on Friday when PNG and Fiji play off for gold and Vanuatu and New Caledonia for bronze.PNG’s Arua says however they will hold nothing back against Fiji in what is effectively a dead rubber. “We always do the normal routine, we are a good side and always want to maintain our standard,” he said. “We have many strengths and tomorrow we will make sure we use them.”

Faisalabad continued their poor start to this season’s competition by being bowled out for 217 on the first day against Water and Power Development Authority in Sargodha. Fast bowlers Imran Khan and Kashif Raza shared the first six wickets to fall, reducing Faisalabad to 106 for 6. Veteran Naved Latif, who missed the opening game of the campaign, was the only batsman to cross 30, remaining unbeaten on a brisk 59. Faisalabad did fight back, though, through their bowlers. Abdul Rauf, who has only bowled once before in his ten-match first-class career, was given the new ball and he struck twice early, as WAPDA finished the day on 33 for 3.Abbottabad were headed towards a middling total against Habib Bank Limited despite a century from their captain Rameez Ahmed and a 91 from Nadeem Akhtar at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. With five of the top eight making single-digit figures, the wickets tumbled either side of a 172-run stand between Ahmed and Akhtar. The pair rescued Abbottabad from a troublesome 48 for 4, but the dismissal of Akhtar set off a phase where four wickets went down for 28 runs. Ahmed was still unbeaten on 105 as Abbottabad reached 252 for 8 by stumps. Fast bowler Sarmad Anwar was the most effective of the HBL bowlers, finishing with four scalps.A batting failure meant Islamabad mustered only 198 against National Bank of Pakistan at the Diamond Club Ground. Four of the Islamabad batsmen made it to 30 but none of them could push on to a half-century, and the longest innings came from the opener Umair Khan who battled for 105 minutes to make only 13. Islamabad seemed headed for an even smaller total when they slumped to 117 for 6 but a 63-run eighth-wicket stand between Naeem Anjum and Imad Wasim lifted them. Kamran Akmal, who hasn’t played for Pakistan since the World Cup, took five catches in the innings. NBP had batting trouble of their own, losing three early wickets to end at 25 for 3.Opener Shahzaib Hasan’s century and left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Khalil’s strikes meant Karachi Blues and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited shared the opening day honours at the National Stadium. Shahzaib made more than half of Karachi’s runs, shepherding the side to 251 for 5 despite a lack of support from the rest of the top order. Despite Shahzaib’s solidity, Karachi found themselves at a troublesome 79 for 4 as Khalil sliced through the batting. Wicketkeeper Javed Mansoor then provided the back-up Shahzaib needed, the pair adding 166 for the fifth wicket before Shahzaib was dismissed for 144.Seventies from Rameez Aziz and Gulraiz Sadaf helped State Bank of Pakistan recover from a top-order failure to reach 249 for 7 against Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium. Mohammad Abbas took three wickets early to push SBP to a spot of bother. From 93 for 5, Aziz and Sadaf dragged SBP to some respectability with a 152-run stand, before a double-strike from fast bowler Prince Abbas meant Sialkot edged the day. Prince and Mohammad Abbas ended with three wickets apiece.There was another top-order failure at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium where Pakistan International Airlines lost four cheap wickets before recovering to end the day at 259 for 4 against Rawalpindi. A century from Fahad Iqbal and an unbeaten 70 from the experienced Shoaib Khan lifted PIA from 69 for 4. It was Iqbal’s fifth first-class century, an innings in which he hit 13 fours and a six. Shoaib came to the crease at nearly the same time as Iqbal but he was far more circumspect, striking at below 40, but played an important role in stabilising the innings.

The youngest man ever to play Test cricket for Australia, Ian Craig, believes handling the pressure and atmosphere will be Pat Cummins’ biggest challenge if he plays at the Wanderers this week. If Cummins makes his debut he will be the second-youngest player to win a baggy green, at 18 years and 193 days; Craig was 17 when he took the field against South Africa at the MCG in 1953.Craig was a precocious talent and had played nine first-class games before his first Test, including a tour match against the South Africans in which he made 213. By comparison, Cummins has nine first-class victims from three games, but the selectors have been impressed by his potential, and after last week’s loss in Cape Town they could rush him in for the Johannesburg Test.”Pat Cummins has only had three first-class games and I think I’d had eight or nine,” Craig told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a big change to go into a Test match. The pressure and the atmosphere is all much greater than anything he would have encountered in the past. It’ll be a challenge for him if he does get picked. I’m sure the selectors will take that into consideration at any rate.”The Wanderers ground is nicknamed the Bullring and it can be an intimidating place for opposition teams. Cummins played a Twenty20 international at the venue earlier on this tour and picked up two wickets, and if the selectors choose him for the Test, which starts on Thursday, it will likely be at the expense of Peter Siddle or Mitchell Johnson.Despite having played only three first-class matches, Cummins has impressed plenty of experts: Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee and Shaun Tait all said this week he was ready for Test cricket, while the former South Africa coach Mickey Arthur said he would have no hesitation in playing him. Australia captain Michael Clarke is also confident Cummins could handle the workload required in Test cricket.That is a very different requirement for a fast bowler compared to a batsman. While the pressures on Craig when he made his debut were largely mental – he had been labelled the next Bradman by the press – he said he hoped the selectors would not rush Cummins in unless they were certain he was physically up to the task.”I don’t know the boy but the selectors must have confidence that he’s mature enough,” Craig said. “I think probably the bigger issue is his physical condition. He’s probably still growing a bit. To be a fast bowler bowling at that sort of pace is pretty demanding on the body. A lot of the young fast bowlers have had injuries.”I just hope they don’t rush him and they allow his body to develop properly. The selectors and people around him have obviously made that decision and I certainly bow to their greater knowledge and proximity to him.”Craig went on to become Australia’s youngest Test captain but did not fulfil his potential as a Test batsman, and played only 11 times for his country. He said it was important Cummins stayed true to himself if he was chosen this week.”Just try and be relaxed and do what you’ve been doing in the games to get there,” Craig said. “It is about confidence. It’s probably different for a bowler than it is for a batsman. The bowler at least gets the second opportunity, whereas a batsman can get out first ball. The pressures may be a little bit different. He’s obviously got pace, it’s just whether he can physically stand up to it.”