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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA frustrating day for Pakistan ended in a stalemate•AFP

Kumar Sangakkara and Prasanna Jayawardene defied Pakistan for six hours, batting almost till tea on the final day to earn a draw for Sri Lanka. After losing five wickets on the fourth evening while still needing 81 runs to make Pakistan bat again, Sri Lanka benefited from six dropped chances in the second innings. Pakistan’s bowlers toiled as much as the heat allowed them to, but their effectiveness was blunted by an unyielding pitch, abysmal catching and resolute batting. Both Sangakkara and Jayawardene achieved personal landmarks, with the former reaching his eighth Test double-century, putting him behind only Don Bradman and Brian Lara.The sixth-wicket partnership between Sangakkara and Jayawardene – easily the highest for Sri Lanka against Pakistan – ate away whatever advantage remained with Pakistan after yesterday’s five dropped chances. Azhar Ali finally ended Pakistan’s despair after 73 fruitless overs, trapping Sangakkara leg-before with a legbreak just before tea. Aizaz Cheema had Jayawardene caught behind with the third new ball but it was too late to make up for the largesse of all those missed chances in a match affected by some average umpiring from Tony Hill. Umar Gul cleaned up the tail, leaving Pakistan an improbable 170 to get in 21 overs. Pakistan’s top order did not give the slightest impression of going for it, and the game was called off after ten rather pointless overs as Tillakaratne Dilshan let the game meander beyond the start of the final hour.Sri Lanka could afford to indulge in such psychological banter after Sangakkara and Jayawardene had carried them to safety, the slowness of the pitch allowing them to defend without much trouble. Sangakkara – who had looked near-immoveable after a couple of reprieves yesterday – allowed Jayawardene to take charge, but still put the loose ones away, reaching 200 with a nudge to the fine leg boundary off Cheema in the 143rd over. Jayawardene lofted Ajmal for a straight boundary in the 148th over to bring up a potentially match-saving century after having got a duck in the first innings. Not at any stage did they show even a hint of getting bogged down, unlike batsmen from both teams in the first innings.Jayawardene, dropped by Wahab Riaz on 11 last evening, was much more positive today, breaking free with a swept boundary when Saeed Ajmal tried to tie him down early with two fielders around square leg. A tiring Junaid Khan – who had kept charging in with energy and going past the outside edge – was pulled emphatically over midwicket.Pakistan’s frustration slowly turned into resignation, a shame given the way they dominated this game for four days, apart from their fielding, which ruined the untiring efforts of their bowlers in the end. As in the first innings, Cheema epitomised Pakistan’s willingness to give it everything on a pitch which held up so well in the heat, it could have been good for five more days.An over from Cheema, the 137th of the innings, told Pakistan’s tale of luckless perseverance. After four testing deliveries, Cheema bowled a loopy slow delivery that completely befuddled Jayawardene outside off stump. A ripping reverse-swinging yorker followed but Jayawardene somehow managed to dig it out, almost falling over. The unwavering Cheema was back in his next over with another slower ball followed by another accurate yorker, only to be denied without fuss by Jayawardene. This after Cheema had been denied by umpire Tony Hill after hitting Jayawardene on the pads right after lunch.Azhar’s unexpected strike at the stroke of tea brought relief for Pakistan and they eventually got through the tail with the third new ball but not before Rangana Herath had been grassed by Gul at extra cover, the sixth drop of the innings. Herath stretched the innings till 168 overs, leaving Pakistan to rue their generosity on the field and in hindsight, their cautious approach with the bat in the first innings.

India’s Supreme Court has dismissed former IPL chairman Lalit Modi’s petition seeking an independent inquiry, instead of the current one by a BCCI committee, into allegations of financial irregularities against him. The petition was heard by Justice JM Panchal and Justice HL Gokhale, who ruled that the mere apprehension of the committee being biased could not be grounds to seek a probe by an independent tribunal.Modi had filed the petition in September 2010, seeking the removal of his successor Chirayu Amin – who has since been replaced by Rajiv Shukla – and BCCI north zone vice-president Arun Jaitley from the disciplinary committee investigating charges against him. Modi has repeatedly challenged the composition of the committee but his plea for the recusal of the two members on grounds of bias against him had earlier been rejected by the Bombay High Court.The BCCI had suspended Modi soon after the conclusion of IPL 2010, and charged him with financial irregularities relating to the bidding process for IPL franchises, the mid-over ad sales and the sale of theatrical rights.

Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma are the latest additions to India’s long list of injured players during their tour of England. Tendulkar missed the first ODI at Chester-le-Street because of an aggravation of an old toe injury, while Rohit fractured his right index finger off the first ball he faced, an injury likely to rule him out of the series.”Sachin Tendulkar is suffering from an inflammation to the bone in his big toe on the right foot,” Shivlal Yadav, India’s manager, told ESPNcricnfo. “In the past he had a fracture to this bone and yesterday, after the training, he felt a little pinch. In the morning he went for a light jog and felt pain. Immediately he spoke to Ashish Kaushik, the Indian team physio, and both felt it would be safe to rest him for this match. On Monday Tendulkar will visit a surgeon in London.”Rohit was struck on the glove by a short ball from Stuart Broad off the first ball he faced. He received some attention from the physio and grimaced when the swollen index finger on his right hand was touched. He left the field immediately and went to the hospital, where scans revealed a fracture.The extent of the damage will be ascertained when Rohit visits a hand specialist, Rupert Eckersley, in London on Monday, after which a decision will be taken on his continued participation on the tour. However, India’s captain, MS Dhoni, was not optimistic. “It does not look like Rohit will feature in the series,” he said after the game was washed out.India have been rocked by a series of injuries on this tour of England, beginning with Zaheer Khan’s hamstring pull on the first day of the Lord’s Test. Following his withdrawal from the series, the BCCI said he not only suffered from a recurring hamstring problem, but also required surgery on his right ankle. Yuvraj fractured a finger on his left hand, while Harbhajan strained his stomach muscle, during India’s crushing defeat in the second Test at Trent Bridge, ruling them out of the rest of the tour.Opener Virender Sehwag, it was understood, had not completely recovered from the shoulder surgery he underwent immediately after the IPL in May, and was suffering from hearing problems in his left ear, after being exposed to a loud sound on July 24, according to the team management. In another major setback, Gautam Gambhir failed to recover from a concussion he picked up while fielding on the third day of the final Test, subsequently missing the limited-overs leg of the tour. He had also missed the second Test at Trent Bridge after being struck on the elbow at Lord’s.Praveen Kumar had also joined India’s long list of injured, missing the fourth Test at The Oval because of an injury to his left ankle, before recovering in time for the Twenty20 international on August 31. Ishant Sharma wasn’t as fortunate, returning home after the Tests following a ligament injury to his left ankle, which will require surgery, during the third Test at Edgbaston.

Eight months on from surgery and wondering whether or not his career might be over, Ryan Harris is ready to press his claims as a senior member of Australia’s Test bowling attack in Sri Lanka. Though he had been primarily concerned about the longevity of a battered knee, it was a fractured left ankle that ended Harris’ Ashes summer in the fourth Test at the MCG, following a nine-wicket haul at the WACA that demonstrated his value.Since returning to cricket via the IPL, 31-year-old Harris has been earmarked as a Test match bowler, and was not selected for the Twenty20 or limited-overs legs of the Sri Lanka tour. He has been able to prepare with longer spells in mind, an approach advocated for Australian fast bowlers in the Argus review.”I’ve bowled a fair bit in the nets over the last four to five weeks, probably 40 to 50 overs a week,” Harris said after Australia’s training session at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. “It’s been good to know I was in the mix for selection, so I could prepare for it.”Michael Clarke, Australia’s captain, has a bevy of bowlers he will want to play in the three-day tour match against a Sri Lankan board president’s XI from Thursday, and Harris is in need of some match practice to build up ideal rhythm for the first Test in Galle that begins on August 31.”Personally I haven’t played any longer forms of cricket since I broke my ankle, so if I play [the tour game], I just want to get out there and get a few longer spells under my belt.”I’ve played a lot of Twenty20 cricket in the last three or four months, so I’m just looking at it as a good opportunity to get out and get more fit, and hopefully do enough to secure a spot [in the Test XI]. But I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself by saying it’s an audition.”The pain of the MCG injury was compounded by the doubts that followed it, as, not for the first time, Harris wondered if his journey from the fringes of the South Australian state team to Test cricket via Queensland had reached an abrupt end.”[It was] very frustrating, doing that in Melbourne and having surgery virtually the next day,” Harris said. “I spent the next few days laid up, thinking about whether or not I’d get back. The negative thoughts go straight to your mind, but I always thought deep down I’d get back. It just took a lot of hard work and patience.”At times, when I felt I was ready the physio just held me back and the bonus is where I am now, rather than rushing it and getting injured again. The first few outings definitely [you worry about an injury relapse]. I probably came in a week early for the IPL – I really wanted to get over there and use it as a launching pad. I went there with a bit of tenderness where the surgery was, not so much the break. I was told by the physios that it would just be a bit of stiffness and scar tissue. I got through that period and the pain went away.”Harris has also been pleasantly surprised about the strength of his problem knee, which has clearly benefited from the rest a broken ankle necessitated. “My knee is surprising me every day – it has not blown up the day after a big session and it’s not sore. How that’s working I’m not sure, but let’s hope it stays that way.”It had a good rest [because of the ankle injury], but I’d rather be resting in four or five years’ time when I’m retired – I don’t want to be missing too much more cricket.”

Scorecard
Dimitri Mascarenhas made 33 as Hampshire slumped to 141 all out•Getty Images

One hundred years ago, a charismatic all-rounder named Frank Foster made a huge impression on Warwickshire cricket.Foster was invited by a desperate committee to captain a side in disarray and, with his incisive left-arm swing bowling and swashbuckling batting, responded by becoming the youngest man to lead a side to the Championship title. He was just 22 and it’s a record that remains to this day.Now, on the anniversary of the club’s first success, it is the turn of Chris Woakes to take centre stage at Edgbaston. Woakes, also just 22, may not have assumed the captaincy just yet but, with bat and ball, he’s playing a huge role in taking Warwickshire to an almost equally surprising Championship title. Woakes may just turn out to be the best all-rounder the club have produced since Foster.Foster’s career didn’t reach the heights it should have done. Although his leg-theory bowling played a large role in England’s Ashes success in the winter of 1911-12, the combination of alcoholism and mental illness proved disastrous. Foster never played after the age of 25 and died – alone, in poverty and disgrace – in an asylum. It’s a story beautifully told by Robert Brook in his excellent new biography of Foster – The Fields Were Sudden Bare. It makes Jude The Obscure seem joyful.There will surely be a happier ending to the Woakes story. While he may possess more than a little of the Foster brilliance, Woakes lacks the demons. He is reliable. He is solid. He is professional and disciplined. More than once, Ashley Giles has been heard to say he wishes he could clone Woakes. In time, no doubt, someone at Loughborough will be charged with doing just that.It was not that Woakes bowled outrageously well on the first day of this game. More that he didn’t bowl badly. Not at all. Not even a ball. He pressed and pressed at Hampshire’s batting, banging away on an off stump line, moving the ball a fraction this way or that and waiting for the error. Few men were dismissed by unplayable balls, but the sense of stifling pressure Woakes built up was suffocating. It’s what McGrath used to do. And Lillee. And Garner. While it’s flattering Woakes a fair bit to compare him to those great cricketers, he certainly is becoming a very fine player.Let’s be clear: this is not a poor pitch. The bounce is even, the assistance to seamers only moderate. But Woakes is masterful in such conditions and, against a batting line-up lacking confidence, he was murderously effective.He was well supported, too. Boyd Rankin and Rikki Clarke bowled superbly, with sustained pace and aggression, while Warwickshire’s catching behind the wicket remains excellent. Clarke’s diving effort to remove Dimitri Mascarenhas – slashing wildly – was the highlight of the day. No-one has more than Clarke’s 30 catches in the campaign.Warwickshire came into the season as one of the bookies’ tips to suffer relegation. Instead, however, they must now be considered genuine title contenders. They have won 10 of their last 14 Championship games across the last two season and, unless Hampshire can stage a major recover on day two of this game, they are well poised to make it 11 out of 15.A huge part of that success has been the form of Woakes. Perhaps he lacks the pace to prosper at the highest level. Perhaps, in this golden era for English cricket, he will simply find other very fine cricketers in his way as they jostle for inclusion in the national side. Perhaps international pitches will lessen his potency.But, at this level, and on such surfaces, Woakes really is a very fine cricketer. Having played just seven-and-a-half Championship games this season, he already has 45 wickets at an average of only 17 and 406 runs at an average of 45. It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to work out that, should Woakes be able to sustain such form across a whole campaign, he’d be close to achieving the double. No-one has managed that since Franklyn Stephenson in 1988.International calls may prevent Woakes from fulfilling that ambition. Indeed, they may hinder Warwickshire’s Championship ambitions. Already missing Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, they will lose Rankin and William Porterfield to Ireland next week and possibly Woakes to England, too. Their ‘bench strength’ will be tested to the limit.This game isn’t over, either. Hampshire actually started pretty well. Keith Barker, inexplicably given the new ball, was punished for a series of boundaries as he struggled with his length. But when Jimmy Adams, driving loosely at a wide one, edged to gully, it precipitated a sharp decline as Hampshire’s entire top six departed for the addition of just 22 runs.At one stage Hampshire lost four wickets without scoring as Woakes found Michael Carberry’s edge with a good one demanding a shot that was angled across the left hander, before Liam Dawson left a straight one, James Vince pulled directly to the fielder and Michael Bates steered to gully as if providing catching practise. It wasn’t the most convincing of strokes from a fellow whose batting is under some scrutiny at present.A stand of 64 between Sean Ervive and Dimitri Mascarenhas provided some hope for Hampshire but, when Woakes persuaded one back between Ervine’s bat and pad, Hampshire fell away again. It says much about Hampshire’s batting that there have been only three seven-wicket hauls in an innings of Division One cricket this season and Hampshire have been the batting side on each occasion. They don’t lack talent or good intention, but somehow the sum of the parts is less than the individual elements. They look worryingly flimsy.Warwickshire didn’t have things all their own way in reply. Ian Westwood was trapped by an inswinger, Porterfield pulled to long-leg and Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s debut lasted just five deliveries after he was drawn into poking at one that left him and edged to slip.Varun Chopra steadied the ship with his sixth score over 50 in the campaign and passed 1,000 first-class and Championship runs for the season in the process. But, when he was caught on the crease by a good inswinger, it provided Hampshire with a chance to fight their way back into the game on the second day. Bad light caused an early close moments later.”It’s a pretty good pitch,” Woakes said afterwards. “There’s a bit of help off the pitch, but there’s no way it’s a 14 wickets a day sort of pitch.”We bowled really well as a unit, but it was just my turn to take the wickets. I’ve bowled better this season and not taken many wickets, but today they played a few loose shots. Really, I just put the ball in those good areas, probed around and had some luck.”It was a typically modest comment. In Woakes, Warwickshire have a gem.

Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, will take no part in the Twenty20 Big Bash League this summer, preferring to concentrate on his international commitments.Extensive negotiations between Clarke, his management and the Sydney Sixers were unable to reach a workable compromise between the batsman’s desire for rest and preparation in between Test series and Cricket Australia’s desire to have as many contracted players as possible taking part in the BBL. Clarke had also conducted talks with numerous other teams.”With the greatest respect to everybody involved in the T20 Big Bash League, I will not be committing for this year,” Clarke said in a statement. “My goal is to play Twenty20 cricket domestically, for sure. But at the moment, I want to prioritise my time and commitment to my role with the Australian team.”We have a big six months ahead, and my commitment and focus is with those teams. I am also only available for one BBL game this year, and that was a consideration as well.”Clarke’s decision means both he and Mitchell Johnson will sit out the competition, while every other CA-contracted player, including the likes of Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey, take part.As CA’s most high profile figure, Clarke’s absence from the BBL launch in Sydney next week will be notable, but the latest instance of his degenerative back problems, during a practice fixture at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane last week, provided a harsh reminder that physical management must be a priority for the national captain.Stuart Clark, general manager of the Sixers, said Clarke’s was a difficult decision, but a logical one in the circumstances that confronted him.”Michael has chosen to concentrate on international cricket and I wish him all the best in that, we haven’t shut the door on him playing for the Sixers in the future,” Clark told ESPNcricinfo. “I think it would’ve been a difficult decision, he’s got a lot to offer the BBL, but he’s thought about it and decided to concentrate on the Australian team.”Mike McKenna, the BBL project owner and CA’s head of marketing, said he could see why Clarke’s decision had been made. “We understand and respect his decision,” McKenna said, “and while we will miss him, the T20 BBL already offers fans a galaxy of international and national stars which will help galvanise fan excitement in year one.”Teams have finalised their initial lists of at least 14 players, with some squads having named their full 18-man groups. The remaining teams can wait until December to fill out their playing rosters. The Sydney Sixers have named England’s Michael Lumb as their first overseas player, while in other final-day appointments, the fast bowler Ben Edmondson will return to Western Australia to play with the Perth Scorchers; Chris Swan has signed with the Brisbane Heat; and the Sixers locked in Dominic Thornely and Ian Moran.The squads so far
Adelaide Strikers Aiden Blizzard, Cameron Borgas, Lee Carseldine, Tom Cooper, Adam Crosthwaite, Theo Doropoulos, Brendan Drew, Callum Ferguson, Daniel Harris, Michael Klinger, Nathan Lyon, Aaron O’Brien, Gary Putland, Kane Richardson. Overseas players: Kieron Pollard. Coach Darren Berry.
Brisbane Heat Ryan Broad, Nick Buchanan, Daniel Christian, Ben Cutting, Peter Forrest, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, James Hopes, Chris Lynn, Michael Neser, Chris Swan, (One further contract lodged, subject to approval). Overseas players: Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori. Coach Darren Lehmann.
Hobart Hurricanes Travis Birt, Mark Cosgrove, Xavier Doherty, Luke Feldman, Evan Gulbis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Michael Hogan, Phil Jaques, Matt Johnston, Jason Krejza, Nick Kruger, Ben Laughlin, Rhett Lockyear, Tim Paine, Ricky Ponting. Overseas players: Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Owais Shah. Coach Ali de Winter.
Melbourne Renegades Ryan Carters, Aaron Finch, Shane Harwood, Aaron Heal, Jayde Herrick, Michael Hill, Brad Hodge, Glenn Maxwell, Andrew McDonald, Brenton McDonald, Dirk Nannes, Nathan Reardon, Will Sheridan, Shaun Tait. Overseas players: Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi. Coach Simon Helmot.
Melbourne Stars George Bailey, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Jon Holland, David Hussey, Alex Keath, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Peter Siddle, Chris Simpson, Adam Voges, Matthew Wade, Cameron White. Overseas players: Luke Wright. Coach Greg Shipperd.
Perth Scorchers Tom Beaton, Michael Beer, Mark Cameron, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Edmondson, Michael Hussey, Simon Katich, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Marcus North, Luke Pomersbach, Nathan Rimmington, Luke Ronchi. Overseas players: Paul Collingwood, Herschelle Gibbs. Coach Mickey Arthur.
Sydney Sixers Ed Cowan, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Brett Lee, Nic Maddinson, Ian Moran, Peter Nevill, Steve O’Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Dominic Thornely, Shane Watson. Overseas players: Michael Lumb. Coach Trevor Bayliss.
Sydney Thunder Sean Abbott, Tim Armstrong, Nic Bills, Doug Bollinger, Luke Butterworth, Scott Coyte, Tim Cruickshank, Matthew Day, Luke Doran, Ben Dunk, Jason Floros, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Craig Philipson, Daniel Smith, David Warner. Overseas players: Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle. Coach Shane Duff.

Match-fixing legislation is on its way to becoming law in Australia after state sports ministers agreed at a meeting in Brisbane to adopt the measures proposed by sporting bodies.The proposal, which may include penalties of up to 10 years’ jail for those found to be involved in match-fixing, was pushed along by cricket administrators, via the Coalition of Major Participation and Professional Sports (COMPPS), following the game’s long and pained history of shady dealings between players and illegal bookmakers.The ICC has been watching developments closely; the Australian federal sports minister Mark Arbib met with the ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat in January to discuss the matter of government support in the fight to preserve the integrity of the game.”We do monitor these developments and I had met at the beginning of this year with the Australian Minister of Sport to discuss the issues,” Lorgat told ESPNcricinfo. “If requested by governments or our member boards, we can provide the benefit of our experience in this area.”We have always stated that the fight against corruption is the responsibility of everyone concerned and this includes the ICC, member boards, players, governments and police. Indeed, as we have seen recently, corruption in sport is not limited to cricket and, as a world leader in this field, we are willing to share our experience and assist other sports to tackle the issue.”Lorgat said any legislative support that could be put in place to help pursue those who would fix matches, was very welcome.”A regulatory framework with appropriate laws to deal specifically with sports corruption is better than no legislation and is something that we would support,” he said. “As a sporting body, our code – and our mandate – covers only players, officials and other support personnel. We are not a law-enforcement agency, so if there are ways in which nations’ legislative framework can help us to maintain cricket’s integrity then naturally we would encourage and support that.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive and the chairman of COMPPS, described the decision as historic.”Australia loves its sport and fans deserve the confidence of knowing there are robust governmental protections in place nationally to protect sport from corrupt influence and match fixing,” Sutherland said. “We have been seeking these protections for many years and congratulate Federal Minister Arbib and his state and territory counterparts on today’s historic decision to seek uniform national laws.”The foundation and strength of this policy is the unified approach used to create it, within the sports industry and the government. COMPPS is built on the mutual understanding and shared goals of Australia’s sports bodies and today we have seen the power of this collective approach to the welfare of Australian sport.”

Ray Jennings, the Royal Challengers Bangalore coach, has said home teams in the IPL should be able to prepare pitches to their liking but there should be limits on far they can go.”If I have Dale Steyn, I can’t prepare a pitch with long grass [ because] then, I am going over the top,” Jennings told reporters in Bangalore on Saturday. “If you prepare wickets that are so slow, you are again going over the top. There should be boundaries. There should be limits between the maximum and minimum.”Jennings’ comments come in the wake of the US$50,000 fine the BCCI imposed on Shane Warne for his public spat with Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) secretary Sanjay Dixit over changing of pitches in Jaipur.According to Jennings, weaker teams are more likely to want to play on “unrealistic wickets”, because that gives them a better chance of beating a good side. “If you prepare a wicket that is unpredictable then there is a chance of the weaker side winning,” Jennings said. “The [Rajasthan] Royals have a better win ratio at home because the pitch there is slower than anywhere else. Warne is actually quiet smart and he packs the team with spinners and all of them are very different. It is important to use home advantage but the question is, to what extent?”Bangalore are already through to the playoffs and while Jennings approved of the new knockout system, he said playing three games in four days was unfair and that teams will have to be careful to conserve their energy in order to cope. “You [have] got to save energy with the way you travel and ensure there is no disturbance from the public in the hotel. It is important to protect their energy and protect their frustration level; the frustration level in a lost tour is very high. People get tired quickly because of the fatigue level and extra pressure off the field.”When asked for his opinion on the local Karnataka talent in the team, Jennings chose to respond with a criticism of the structure of Indian domestic cricket that does not put players under pressure on a regular basis. “A lot of cricket is played on flat wickets and there is not much pressure. You have got to make sporting wickets. In a four-day game, if you don’t get a hundred, then it is considered that you batted badly. You don’t do enough fielding under pressure and so when the pressure is there, you don’t take the catch.”There is talent in India but make that talent play under huge amount of pressure and then you will see the results.”

Kuwait’s captain Hisham Mirza scored a run-a-ball 51 to lead his team to a three-wicket victory in their opening game of the ICC World Cricket League Division Seven, against hosts Botswana in Gaborone. Chasing a target of 121, Kuwait were in trouble at 66 for 6, with Botswana’s medium-pacers Omar Ali and Aslam Chand cutting through the top order. Mirza then shared a 46-run partnership with Saad Khalid, who contributed 10, and secured victory as early as the 19th over. Ali finished with 3 for 42, while Chand took 3 for 36.While Kuwait reached their target in quick time, Botswana took ages setting it. Their innings was in tatters at 16 for 4 and it did not recover. A brace of 30s from James Moses and Denzil Sequeira dragged Botswana past 100 but the tail folded quickly. Mohammad Murad was Kuwait’s most successful bowler, taking 3 for 30 as Botswana was dismissed for 120 in 40.3 overs.Mirza was concerned about the number of extras his side conceded – 19 runs – and their reading of the pitch. “It was new conditions for us to play on and a new surface to bat on too, so we were slightly shaky to begin with but Botswana are a good side and they showed that with their bowling early on in our innings.”The amount of extras we gave away today is a bit of a concern, I think we misjudged the bounce of the wicket but we’ll look at that and hopefully come back stronger.”Germany began their campaign with a convincing nine-wicket victory against Japan at the Lobatse Cricket Ground, reaching their target of 147 with 19.2 overs to spare. The victory was set up by Rana-Naved Iqbal, a 36-year old fast bowler, who took 6 for 25 to dismiss Japan for 146 in 49.3 overs. Patrick Giles-Jones was the top-scorer for Japan, with 56, while no one else made more than 20. Germany were sloppy with their extras, though, conceding 33 runs.Germany’s openers, Milan Fernando and Andre Leslie, shared a partnership of 77 before Fernando was dismissed by Munir Ahmed for 47. Asif Khan, Germany’s captain, scored an unbeaten 27 and Leslie remained not out on 49 when the winning runs were scored in the 31st over.Asif Khan said the early wickets Germany took were key to the end result. “We had Japan on the back foot from the start when we had them pinned at 5 for 12 and despite the side’s bounce back to increase the total to 146 we knew with some strong batting we could win the match.”Nigeria beat Norway by five wickets and 28 balls to spare at the Botswana Cricket Association Oval. Norway were dismissed for 166 in 42 overs after they were asked to bat, with Shahid Ahmed top-scoring with 37. Kunle Adegbola and Endurance Ofem were Nigeria’s best bowlers, taking 3 for 31 and 3 for 12.Nigera’s chase had a sound start – their openers Ademola Onikoyi and Ramit Gill added 76. From 95 for 1, however, they slumped to 121 for 5 but Sean Philips made 39 off 45 balls to steer the team to victory in the 39th over. The Shahzads, Babar and Umran, were the only successful bowlers for Norway, taking two wickets each.Nigeria’s captain Ofem admitted he’d expected more of Norway as a side. “I expected more from Norway today especially as they played in Division 6 but they were not nearly as tough as I had expected. I probably would have liked it if we lost fewer wickets than we did; we probably should have ended the game only two batsmen down.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson’s rapid century helped seal a comfortable series win for Australia•Associated Press

Shane Watson knocked Bangladesh’s bowlers senseless with a world record tally of sixes as the Australians galloped to a nine-wicket victory in the second limited overs match in Mirpur to seal the series.The target of 230 had appeared a possible banana skin on a slow pitch offering some turn, but Watson made such light work of it, that his unbeaten185 from 96 balls now stands as the highest ODI score by an Australian, overtaking Matthew Hayden’s 181 against New Zealand in 2007.Xavier Marshall’s 2008 mark for most sixes fell when Watson swung his 13th over the rope, the second six in as many balls off the bowling of Abdur Razzak. Watson added two more for good measure, and in all scored 79.74% of the total runs scored by Australia; Viv Richards, in his momentous 189 not out against England in 1984, had scored 69.48% of West Indies’ 272 for 9.Following Michael Clarke’s century in game one, vice-captain Watson struck a mighty blow for the visitors’ new leadership duo, accompanied most of the way by the unbeaten Ricky Ponting, although it came against a Bangladesh attack that was cowed into submission from virtually the first over of the chase.Dropping Cameron White for Callum Ferguson as they sought a series-sealing victory, the Australians were in total command when Bangladesh slid to 88 for 5. But Rahim, allrounder Mahmudullah and left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo pushed the hosts to 229 for 7.Shahriar Nafees had done his best to keep the first half of the innings from petering out entirely but he was not helped by the funereal approach of opener Imrul Kayes, who lingered 41 balls to gouge out five runs. Mitchell Johnson and Steve Smith shared five well-deserved wickets, while Brett Lee was short of luck during a spell that was damaged after he leaked 17 runs in his final over.As if to stamp his intent on proceedings, Watson coshed 14 from the first over of the reply and made 27 before his partner, Brad Haddin, had even faced a ball. Together they added 62 before Haddin, having contributed eight, mistimed a catch to midwicket for his second low score of the series.Ponting was largely happy to enjoy his front-row seat for the Watson exhibition, which will please his Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne as much as it did Clarke. The punishment was never greater than in the 22nd over, when Shuvo was deposited for four leg-side sixes, illustrating Watson’s fearful power against supine opponents.Seeking parity at 1-1 after Shakib Al Hasan won the toss, Tamim Iqbal offered a flashy drive at Johnson in the second over and sliced to the left of the solitary slip where Shane Watson held an excellent catch. In the next over Lee and the rest of the Australians were convinced they had Imrul gloving a well-directed short ball behind, but a vociferous and sustained appeal went unheeded, decision reviews not being used during the series. Australia’s disgust at not claiming the wicket would be alleviated across the next eight overs, as Imrul crawled to five from 41 balls, draining the innings of all momentum and then compounded his sin by swinging unwisely at Johnson to sky a leg-side catch.The next man in, Raqibul Hasan, played down the wrong line at Hastings and was bowled for a duck, before Smith ripped a leg break between Shakib’s bat and pad in his first over, leaving Shahriar to attempt to repair the damage. He had reached 56 when Smith flighted a leg break and was rewarded with the tamest of return catches, as the hosts slid to 88 for 5.From this dire base developed a partnership between Mahmudullah and wicketkeeper Rahim, lifting Bangladesh into the realm of respectability with a combination of neat strokes and tidy running between the wickets. They were bracing for the batting Powerplay when Watson pinned Mahmudullah in front of middle stump, but Rahim, Shuvo and Shafiul Islam spirited away 59 runs from the final five overs to ensure a target that hinted at competitiveness.The home side’s only change was to withdraw Mashrafe Mortaza from the firing line, replaced by Rubel Hossain, after Mortaza was significantly down on his usual pace in the series opener. Given Watson’s subsequent pyrotechnics, he may have been relieved to sit this one out.