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Chittagong 300 and 129 for 2 (Faisal 65*) beat Rajshahi 234 and 194 (Mashud 59) by 8 wickets
ScorecardFaisal Hossain, nicknamed Dickens, scripted another classic at Comilla when he hammered a 41-ball 65, and took Chittagong to a facile eight-wicket win. With this win, Chittagong joined Dhaka and Khulna at the top of the Mirzapore Tea Fifth National Cricket League. Faisal’s innings contained three massive sixes and nine fours.Akram Khan, captain of Chittagong, promoted Faisal up in the batting order after he had hit an unbeaten 99 in the first innings batting at number six. His breezy innings enabled Chittagong to reach the target of 129 in only 26.3 overs. Anisul Hakim, the opener, contributed 37.Faisal’s show completely overshadowed a gritty knock from Khaled Mashud, the Rajshahi captain, earlier in the day. Mashud scored 59 in 139 balls as Rajshahi finished on 196 in their second innings. Yasin Arafat, the offspinner making his debut, finished with a match haul of 9 for 149 and was later adjuged the Man of the Match. Saifullah Khan was the most successful bowler for Rajshahi, with match figures of 7 for 143.Khulna 160 and 156 (Parvez 48) beat Sylhet 80 (Razzaq 7-11) and 160 (Hadi 43, Bashir 4-36) by 76 runs
ScorecardAt Sylhet, Khulna needed only 25 minutes to wrap up their match. When Sylhet began the day on 145 for 9, the last two batsmen, who had added a stubborn 16 last evening, needed another 91 runs for victory. But they put on only 15 as Tapash Baisya was stumped by Hasibul Haq after scoring 30. Tamim Bashir, who claimed the last wicket, finished with 5 for 43 in his 23.3 overs. He was jointly adjudged Man of the Match with Abdur Razzaq, the Khulna spinner, who claimed seven wickets in the first innings.Razzaq’s magical spell resulted in Sylhet being bowled out for only 80 in the first innings with only the two openers reaching double figures. It was all downhill after that,and Khulna joined Dhaka and Chittagong at the top of the table.
Dhaka 374 (Halim 119, Niamur 62, Muntasir 58) beat Barisal 193 and 118 (Mahmud 4-19, Muntasir 4-31) by an innings and 63 runs
ScorecardKhaled Mahmud, after a combative half-century to rescue Dhaka from a perilous position, bowled them to victory, taking 4 for 19 as Barisal were skittled out for 118 in their second innings. Fahim Muntasir, an offspinner fighting to get back into the national side, also had a fine match, scoring 58 and, then, taking 4 for 31.

Somerset County Cricket Club have signed a new five year deal with Boundary Sports to provide the players clothing.Birmingham based Boundary Sports, pledged their support to the club when they took over running the club shop at the County Ground in December 2000, which has gained over the last twelve months. Last season Boundary Sports sponsored the players kit.In addition they company also sponsor the Somerset C.C.C. youth sides.This season Boundary Sports will benefit from a change in the E.C.B. advertising regulations, which will allow sponsor’s names to appear on the chest of shirts as well as the lapels.Earlier today Chief Executive Peter Anderson told me, “We are very pleased to extend our arrangement with Boundary Sports to continue to supply our players with quality clothing.”Boundary Sports owner Sol Abbas said, ” From a business point of view our tie up with Somerset County Cricket Club has been very good, and we are very very pleased with the performances of last season, which is a vanguard of my publicity.”

Nottinghamshire lost both openers early but then fought back on the first morning of their County Championship match against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge. Having been invited to bat first by Warwicks captain Neil Smith they reached lunch on 104-2.Back spasms again ruled out John Morris, with Chris Tolley for AJ Harris the only change for Notts. The visitors also made one change from the side which triumphed in Tuesday’s NCL encounter with David Hemp in for Anurag Singh.With one or two damp patches on the square the start was put back by fifteen minutes. With everyone in position and Allan Donald preparing to bowl the first ball to Darren Bicknell a quick shower sent the players racing back to the pavilion but the stoppage only amounted to a further ten minutes.When the sides met at Edgbaston earlier in the season Warwickshire didn’t take a single Notts wicket as openers Welton and Bicknell compiled a record unbroken stand of 406 together. Neither Donald or Ed Giddins played in that match and both formed a more penetrative looking attack this time. Bicknell began confidently enough with two crisp boundaries but on 10 he was trapped on the back foot by Donald and given out by umpire Trevor Jesty.Bowling from the Radcliffe Road End, Donald was having a mixed session with the ball. Hostile when accurate, he was also unusally wayward with five wides in his opening six overs and wicketkeeper Keith Pipe was unable to prevent one of them going all the way to the fence.On a sluggish pitch the South African did appear to be giving it everything though and he soon accounted for the other opener. Welton made a double-ton at Birmingham but he too departed for just 10, having had his off-stump uprooted.At 33-2 in the eleventh over Smith’s insertion looked a good decision but once his strike bowlers were rested Notts regrouped. Jason Gallian, who scored a century in the last Championship match at Hove, and Usman Afzaal – the county’s leading run-scorer this season – both settled and prospered quickly.Gallian hit five boundaries out of his first 23, and Afzaal hit four more as they took their partnership beyond 50. With sunshine breaking through for the first time Donald returned but he was unable to prevent the 100 coming up in the 23rd over.

West Brom manager Steve Bruce has stated that Daryl Dike could return from a hamstring injury after the upcoming international break.

The Lowdown: Dike a big loss for West Brom

The American arrived at The Hawthorns in the January transfer window, sealing a permanent move from MLS outfit Orlando City. However, he only managed two appearances and 84 minutes of Championship action for West Brom before being struck down with a serious hamstring injury.

The 21-year-old hasn’t featured for the Baggies since late January, but his return to the fold now appears to be drawing close.

The Latest: Bruce offers positive update on Dike

As per The Express & Star, Bruce claimed that Dike, who returned to full training last week, would likely be back in action in early April, once the international break later this month has concluded.

The West Brom manager said of the American: “He’s only trained once with us, so it’s a big important week for him. Will he be involved against Bristol City next weekend? Possibly. But I think it will be after the international break when he’ll be in and around it.”

The Verdict: Massive player for the Baggies

Getting Dike back from injury is huge for West Brom, especially if they are to harbour genuine hopes of getting back into the Championship promotion picture.

The young striker showed during his time at Barnsley what a threat he can be in this division, scoring nine goals in 22 appearances on loan at Oakwell. He has been described as “extremely intelligent” and someone who “always had a good engine” by his former coach George Gelnovatch, hinting at the attributes that he can offer to Albion.

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Despite their poor form, Bruce’s side are still only seven points adrift of the play-off places, and Dike could fuel a possible Baggies’ resurgence in April and May, potentially linking up with Andy Carroll to good effect.

In other news, three West Brom players struggled in the draw with Huddersfield. Find out they are here.

The speculation finally ends… Inzamam-ul-Haq will retire after the Lahore Test © AFP

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former captain of the Pakistan team, has announced he will retire from international cricket after the second Test against South Africa at Lahore. Inzamam will be hoping to end his career by breaking Javed Miandad’s Pakistan record of 8832 Test runs. Inzamam currently has 8813 runs, still needing 20 runs to become the highest run-getter for Pakistan in Tests.Inzamam made this announcement at the National Stadium in Karachi where Pakistan are currently playing the first Test against South Africa. A few hours later, the board named Inzamam in a 16-man squad for the second Test. In recent days speculation has mounted over Inzamam’s future, with him declaring himself unavailable for the first Test against South Africa. He is also one of three Pakistani players to sign with the Indian Cricket League.”I spoke to the board and selectors and the first Test was originally offered to me but I wasn’t mentally ready to come back to Test cricket then. It was my idea to play in Lahore and then say ‘Thank you very much’.” he wrote in Bigstarcricket.com. “I am really grateful to the board for their gesture as nobody else has been able to leave the game like this. Not Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar or Javed Miandad, it has not been the tradition. No previous board chairman has shown the kind of respect that Nasim Ashraf is showing to me by allowing me to leave the game in this way.”Inzamam hoped he could end on a high, finishing atop the Pakistani batting mountain. “I need a century against South Africa to have a set of Test hundreds against every country I have played against,” he said, “so it would be a good thing to make a century and beat Javed Miandad’s record but more importantly it would be good for Pakistan to win the game and draw the series.”Apart from Inzamam’s inclusion, the selectors have decided to stick to thesame 15 that were announced for the ongoing Test in Karachi. While Inzamamis almost certain to play, the match could also feature a return ofMohammad Yousuf who opted out ofthe first Test due to lack of match fitness. Thus a brief reunion ofPakistan’s strong middle-order comprising Inzamam, Yousuf and Younis Khanis very much on the cards.Pakistan squad:
Shoaib Malik (capt), Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan,Salman Butt, Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Hameed, Faisal Iqbal, Kamran Akmal (wk),Mohammad Hafeez, Danish Kaneria, Abdur Rehman, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul,Misbah-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Anjum

Monty Panesar has already felt the force of the Australian crowd © Getty Images

Richard Caborn, the UK sports minister, has called on ICC to stamp out racial taunts from spectators. He was reacting after Monty Panesar and Kevin Pietersen claimed they were subjected to abuse from the boundary while fielding during England’s warm-up matches in Australia.”No part of sport can accept racism,” Caborn, who is in India leading a British sport business delegation, told . “The sport’s governing body has to get involved and take appropriate action. Authorities have to be at war on this. I’m going to be talking to my counterpart in Australia, we’ve got a little difficulty down there.”However, James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said on Friday that he did not think Panesar being called a “stupid Indian” was racist. Panesar was allegedly taunted by a spectator during the three-day match against New South Wales at the SCG. “I don’t think there’s too much racist about that,” Sutherland said while launching a tourism initiative at the MCG.Caborn believes the impetus to eradicate racism should come from within cricket and that the authorities should learn from football’s example. “It’s an issue for the ICC to deal with, just like FIFA’s done in football,” he added. “In football we’ve been reasonably successful. We’ve tackled it in the United Kingdom through a big campaign that implores people to show a red card to racism.”ICC have toughened their anti-racism code over the past year after South African and Sri Lanka players complained at being targeted during tours to Australia. The England team have not made an official complaint but the ECB acknowledged the incidents.Under the toughened ICC anti-racism code, adopted two months ago, spectators who abuse players risk life bans from matches, while stadiums risk losing their international status. Caborn added winning the anti-racism campaign would depend on “self-policing.””It’s a matter of education . . . dealing with it systematically and educating people at various levels. We had a problem in soccer, but took effective steps to take it out of the game.”

A rampaging Sanath Jayasuriya is the last thing India will want to encounter © Getty Images

Despite sustaining a freak injury, Sanath Jayasuriya is set to play the opening match of the one-day series against India but may not be able to bowl. Sri Lanka arrive in India on October 20, and their tour begins with a one-day practice match against the Bombay Cricket Association President’s XI at the Wankhede Stadium on Oct 22. The seven-match one-day series kicks off at Nagpur on Oct 25.Jayasuriya was recovering well from a dislocated shoulder incurred during a one-day game in August against India, when earlier this week during a game of waterpolo CJ Smith, the team physio, accidentally rammed into his right shoulder causing a slight dislocation. It prevented him from playing in Tuesday’s practice match at the R Premadasa Stadium.Ashoka Pathirana, Sri Lanka Cricket spokesman, was confident that Jayasuriya would be able to take the field. “I can confirm such an accident has happened, but Sanath will be fit to play against India,” he was quoted as saying by , a South African publication.Marvan Atapattu, the Sri Lankan captain, said,”We had a day out of cricket on Monday. Because it was raining we thought we will do something different to cricket. We had some water sports in Bentota and this accident happened unfortunately.”He can bat but it makes our job so much easy if he can bowl because he takes the role of a full bowler. It is an unfortunate situation to go back to square one.”Atapattu is eager to play a full-strength side and assess the team’s capabilities away from home. “We haven’t been really tested for a long period of time and we haven’t played seven one-dayers [on a trot] for a long time,” he said to . “We know we have done well in Sri Lanka but it is different when you face the Indians at home. We are all geared up for the tour.”

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Matthew Phelps helps New South Wales into the driver’s seat at the SCG© Getty Images

New South Wales suffered a middle-order hiccup but were on the verge of first-innings points thanks to half-centuries from Matthew Phelps and Dominic Thornely against Tasmania at the SCG. The pair combined for a 127-run partnership after the Blues were in bother at 3 for 61, and they were heading for a big total until Michael Bevan’s rare left-arm wrist spin broke through twice.Bevan took his first wicket in Australia for four years when he bowled Phelps and then picked up Jason Krejza, who was caught at point by David Dawson. Thornely was also dismissed, bowled by Xavier Doherty, as New South Wales lost 3 for 21, but Brad Haddin and Matthew Nicholson steadied the chase before stumps.New South Wales quickly wrapped up Tasmania’s first innings this morning, Nathan Bracken picking up two wickets and Stuart MacGill one as Tasmania added 10 runs.

Muttiah Muralitharan: remains a threat for England’s batsmen © Wisden Cricinfo

John Dyson, the new coach of the Sri Lankan team, has suggested that England can expect a much tougher challenge from the Sri Lankans than they did on their recent tour of Bangladesh. England, who comfortably won two Tests and three one-day internationals in Bangladesh, will commence the Sri Lankan tour with the three-match ODI series, which starts on November 18.”England are a very good side, a very professional unit. They’ve improved remarkably in the last six months. But I think they will get much harder cricket here in Sri Lanka,” said Dyson. “Michael Vaughan said a couple of weeks ago that it’s been a good warm up for them in Bangladesh, but he expects more difficult cricket in Sri Lanka. I am confident that’s what they’ll get.”Dyson said that Sri Lanka had been preparing for this series for a very long time. “After a long break from cricket the team is physically fit and looking very good. They finished the West Indies tour in June and they’ve prepared very hard for this series. They are physically, skill-wise and mentally ready for it. They are ready to go out and test everything they’ve prepared themselves for. Now’s the time to get on the park and play the game.”Dyson also commented that the Premier Trophy tournament – Sri Lanka’s domestic three-day competition in which all the top players played – had been the ideal preparation before a tough series. “I think the Premier trophy tournament has given the players the competition they need to play against England. The tournament’s got some very good cricket in it. There are possibly things which Sri Lanka Cricket can look at in relation to the tournament, but I am pleased with what the guys have done. Their attitude, the way they have approached their cricket and, the way they have approached their practice, they have been very professional.”I think we have all departments covered. We have good players in all departments and great players in a few. Given that they take their form into the middle, I am very confident that we are going to perform very well.”Dyson made special mention of the threat Muttiah Muralitharan would hold for England’s batsmen. “If a team’s got a player like Murali, probably the best ever, everybody knows that in tight situations you’ve got a world-class player like him to look up to. That situation hasn’t changed. Just because England played him well the last time, it doesn’t mean they are going to play him well this time. We’ve got to see what sort of form they are in and, take it from there.”Dyson was also keen to ensure that sporting pitches were prepared for the series. “The wicket needs to provide everybody within the team with a chance if they play well enough to get good results. I have been fortunate enough to meet all the curators and tell them exactly what I’ve just said.”

Fine bowling by paceman Fazle Akbar (4-17) and an unbeaten46 by Shoaib Malik powered Pakistan ‘A’ to a convincing sixwicket win over Pakistan Seniors in the firstpractice matchat Gaddafi Stadium Tuesday.The encounter was the part of the two-match practiceseriesbetween two teams aimed at to provide the Senior outfitpractice before touring Bangladesh from Jan 2.Fazle Akbar who was not included in the Bangladesh-boundteamdespiteperforming outstandingly in the domesticcompetition, sent down nine overs, three of them weremaiden, toclaim four wickets as Pakistan Seniors were shotout for a paltry 127 in36.5 overs. Promising pace bowlersAbdur Rauf and Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan also bowled well takingtwo wickets eachfor 34 and 38 runs.Inzamam-ul-Haq, who led the Pakistan Seniors,won the tossand elected to bat first but his decision backfired as FazleAkbar removed Shadab Kabir, Naved Latif, Abdur Razzaq andRashid Latif.Pakistan ‘A’, thanks to a breezy unbeaten 46 by ShoaibMalik, reached the target in 30.5 overs.The second match will be played at Murdike Thursday.