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An unbeaten 237 run partnership for the fourth wicket between the Andhra skipper Y Venugopal Rao (142 not out) and Y Gyaneshwar Rao (109 not out) saw the visitors dominate the first day’s play of the South Zone Cooch Behar Trophy (Under-19) match against Goa at the Rajendra Prasad Stadium in Margao on Friday. In reply to Andhra’s 300 for three declared, Goa were 43 for 2 at stumps.The match was advanced by a day and Andhra, put into bat, made a circumspect start. Openers Suresh (3) and Tahir Hussain (14) put on only 13 runs in 4.4 overs before the former was caught behind off Robin D’souza. Tahir and Gnaneshwar Rao took the score to 33. Then Tahir was dismissed when he also was caught by wicketkeeper Damodar Redkar off Suraj Kamat. ASK Varma then joined Rao and Andhra went past the fifty run mark.But with the score at 63, Varma (13) edged Abdul Mujavar to give Redkar his third catch. This brought in Venugopal Rao to the centre. He and Gyaneshwar dominated the proceeding from then on and went on to make significant contributions. Venugopal Rao was the dominant partner as he reached the three figure mark in just 116 balls.Gnaneshwar Rao and Venugopal Rao were severe on the Goan attack. Gautham Narvekar and Adithya Angle went for 64 and 41 runs in the 12 overs between them. The double century of the partnership came up well before tea. Gnaneshwar Rao reached his century off 171 balls. But with Andhra total reaching 300, Venugopal Rao declared the innings. Venugopal Rao during his 169 minutes stay at the crease faced 133 balls and hit 12 boundaries and 5 sixes while Gnaneshwar Rao faced 179 balls and found the boundary ropes 11 times.In reply Goa, made a sedate start before losing Mithun Naik for 16 in the 16th over. He was bowled by Mohd Faiq. Two overs later Abdul Muzawar returned to the pavilion without opening his account. Sahil Dhuri (1) and Gautham Narvekar (21) batted out till stumps were drawn.

Uganda and Argentina have been promoted to Division Two of the World Cricket League following their march into the final of Division Three in Darwin. Division Two, in Namibia, gets underway in November.

1st semi-final

Esteban MacDermott, the Argentina captain, produced a match-winning performance when he captured 4 for 20 to bowl out the Cayman Islands for 102 in the 40th over. Steve Gordon, who scored a century in the opening game against Tanzania, top-scored with 38 but only Saheed Mohamed (29) and Keniel Irving (19) reached double figures. Argentina’s chase began poorly, stumbling to 58 for 4, but Alejandro Ferguson saw them through to the final with a composed 25.”The boys could have easily lost focus or confidence after the one-wicket defeat against Italy,” MacDermott said, “but they remained committed and stayed on track because they trusted their instincts. This is the reward for their dedication and continuous hard work.”The credit for our promotion to Division 2 not only goes to the team but to the entire support staff and all those who backed us all the way. Our performance in the tournament shows how rapidly cricket is growing in our country where soccer remains the first-choice sport.”

2nd semi-final

Uganda held its nerve to beat Papua New Guinea by one wicket with only four balls to spare at Tracy Village thanks to a brilliant 43 from Keneth Kamyuka, who added 15 for the last wicket with Charles Waiswa. Chasing 204, Roger Mukasa got Uganda off to a good start with a slick 43 from just 34 balls at the top of the order. But PNG hit back to cause a middle-order slump, Jamie Brazier bowling beautifully to pick up 4 for 17 from his 10 overs, but Kanyuka and Lawrence Sematimba combined to take them closer. And although wickets continued to tumble Kamyuka and Waiswa held their nerve to take Uganda into the final against Argentina.”Obviously now we want to win the final and have immediately set our eyes at Argentina, but for the time being we want to enjoy this achievement because when we left our shores, the target was to qualify for the final and earn a place in Division 2,” Joel Olweny, the Uganda captain, said. “It has been a very tense and pressurised match and the boys have more than one reason to celebrate. The boys really deserve it.”

Plate semi-finals

In the plate semi-finals, Hong Kong registered their first win of the series when they beat Italy by 39 runs. Hong Kong, batting first, scored 195 in 50 overs and then dismissed Italy for 146 in 45 overs with Ilyas Gull, the captain, picking up impressive figures of 3 for 37 and Zaheer Abbas and Najeeb Amar scooping two wickets each. In the plate final on Saturday, Hong Kong will face Tanzania who beat Fiji by three wickets.

ScorecardDriven by an unbeaten half-century by Kycia Knight, West Indies Women chased down 99 by a relatively comfortable margin against Pakistan Women, to take the one-off Twenty20 in Loughborough. West Indies won with only one ball to spare, but had eight wickets in hand.Pakistan chose to bat, but none of their batsmen bar Bismah Maroof and Javeria Khan could make any contribution of note. Mahroof and Javeria were the only two to get into double digits, making 36 and 37 out of Pakistan’s 98. Medium-pacer Shemaine Campbelle produced the best figures for West Indies, her 3 for 20 including the wickets of Mahroof and Javeria and preventing Pakistan from getting a final surge.The West Indies top order batted around Knight in the chase. She made 50 off 67 with five boundaries, while Deandra Dottin knocked off a four and a six in a 12-ball cameo at the end to help push West Indies across the line in the nick of time.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:54

The India A batsmen registered 10 scores of 50 plus, the most by any team involved in the series

India A had called Australia A as the hurdle they haven’t been able to cross. Much of that had been down to a lack of control with the ball. On the day of the final, they managed to address that. The four spinners bowled 39 overs between them, took eight wickets between them and went at well under five-an-over. Australia A could not find acceleration – there were only two fours in the last 20 overs. Then Gurkeerat Singh produced a fine, unbeaten 85-ball 87, and India A found the trophy in their hands.

Khawaja accuses Samson of spitting

Usman Khawaja has said the stand-off between his team and Sanju Samson got worse when Samson allegedly spat close to one of the Australian players’ feet.
“The guys were a bit disappointed that he claimed a catch in the first game that wasn’t a catch. Bounced a foot short, it was off me, and so we recognised that. Today it would have died down quicker but he proceeded to spit in front of our player’s foot three times,” Khawaja said.
“As soon as you do that, the boys are going to get revved up. And we were trying to explain it to the umpires, but they weren’t really understanding. But we tried to take control of the situation and calm the boys down a little bit. But that’s just not on. I’m happy if the batsman wants to talk back. That’s fine. But spitting is not on.” Khawaja, however, said he did not want to pursue the matter further.
When Gurkeerat, Samson’s batting partner at the time, was asked about the incident, he said. “I didn’t even know. They were just talking and I didn’t hear it. I have no idea about that”.

It hadn’t been a comprehensive victory though. Mayank Agarwal had reached the safety of his crease, but was hung in mid-air when Chris Lynn’s throw found its mark. That ugly mistake caused a collapse – five wickets for 49 runs which included Unmukt Chand popping a catch to short cover and Kedar Jadhav taking a full toss and sweping it straight to deep square leg. Shot selection had been an aspect they had talked about, said coach Rahul Dravid, but there appeared some lessons were still left to be learned. But the required rate always hovering at four or under at the time helped India A stay afloat.Gurkeerat, batting for the first time in the series, was the game-changer. He made a measured half-century and blunted Australia A at the time when they had been their most aggressive. He had come in at 82 for 4, held back until 137 for 5 and then unfurled classy on-drives to keep his dressing room and the Chennai crowd on the edge. Late cuts, little nudges, cover drives and importantly the resolute forward defensive as India A slowly reclaimed the upper hand. With only 14 runs to win, he went four, six and six to seal the game.Besides his innings, there were other factors adding to the typical drama of a low-scorer. Sanju Samson was pushed down to No. 8 and the moment he stepped out, Australia A targeted him. There was more than a bit of chirping. Travis Head and Chris Lynn got in his ear even before he’d faced his first ball. Joe Burns got into the act at drinks, and even the umpire intervening didn’t quite make a difference. The crowd added to the rancour as well, to the extent that the police had to go into the stands and calm them down.Australia A needed four wickets, and they knew removing one of these two would bring the bowlers out. This was the crunch. This was where the game needed to be closed out and Indian sides in the past have been lacking in that department. This side, as recently as Monday, couldn’t do it with the ball in hand. But today Samson and Gurkeerat managed to weather the hostility and ensured the spinners’ good work earlier in the innings meant something.Simple plans had been laid. India A bowled at the stumps, refused to give batsmen the pace they might have preferred. With a hint of uncertain bounce, getting the spinners away wasn’t easy. Karn Sharma and Axar Patel bowled 20 overs that cost a mere 62 and yielded five wickets. The part-timers, Gurkeerat and Karun Nair, chipped in as well – 19 overs for 75 runs and three wickets. There was enough emphasis on getting turn out of the pitch, but a greater one was placed on not offering bad balls. The plan worked to such an extent that India A were able to pull back a quick but scratchy start from Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns. The Australia A captain had as many as three chances – he could have been run out in the second over, Samson spilled a catch in the third and Khawaja only just cleared mid-off the next ball. He capitalised on his luck for a total of 76 runs – his fifth fifty-plus score in six innings. But then the spinners started wheeling away and rest of the line-up could not muster much.

Ravi Shastri, the India team director, has highlighted the need for patience to be successful against South Africa. The two teams square off in a four-Test series, in addition to playing five ODIs and three T20s. India are a strong force on home turf, but have occasionally shown fatigue on such long assignments.Most of them were away from home though. India posed a significant threat to a 364-run target in Adelaide, but slipped away thereafter to lose the series 2-0. A similar theme was seen in England when India lost control of a 1-0 lead and in South Africa when they were noticeably drained in the second Test in Durban after a nail-biting draw in Johannesburg.Recently though, India came from behind to win a three-Test series in Sri Lanka, where several batsmen came up with innings of substance and perhaps more vitally, the bowlers showed they could build and maintain pressure for long periods of time. A continuation of those good habits will be necessary to beat the top-ranked Test team in the world, one which has lost only two Test series away from home in the last decade.”South Africa are the No. 1 team in the world,” Shastri told . “We have to play consistent cricket for long periods of time to put them under pressure. That will be the endeavour. Our style of play will not change. If you reflect on our performances in Australia and Sri Lanka, you will see that consistency was the difference between defeat and victory. Sustained brilliance will be the key against the Proteas.”And that – not letting the opposition off the hook after having them under pressure – demands a lot of patience. We weren’t patient enough both in Australia and during the first Test in Sri Lanka. Once the patience and discipline came, in the next two Tests, we saw the results.”India will have to accomplish that without Ishant Sharma, their premier fast bowler. He claimed 13 victims at 23.23 and became the fourth Indian seamer to 200 wickets, but was also in the spotlight for the send-offs he gave the opposition batsmen as a result of which he was copped a one-match suspension.”I know he has copped a lot of flak over the aggression and he will learn where to draw a line,” Shastri said. “But let me assure you, he has the backing of the entire team. I want him to be aggressive and I will be the first one to push him in that direction. But I will also mark the line. We will miss him for the first Test. He is our most experienced fast bowler.”The composition of the Indian batting line-up has been a topic of interest. But Shastri felt credit was due to the players for putting their hands up when the team needed it.”Cheteshwar [Pujara] had to sit out a long time and then was asked to open the innings. Not for a moment did he complain or give any excuses, and the reward was there for everyone to see. Ajinkya Rahane was asked to go at 3 when we needed more stability after Shikhar’s injury. Rohit [Sharma] was asked to drop back. They both did it in the interest of the team and they scored runs. It is a case of doing things willingly for the team. These guys don’t think, ‘What if’? They say, ‘Why not?'”When you have everyone fit and ready, the guys will be back in their normal positions. All the chop and change happened because we were encountered with so many injuries right through the series. What do you do then? You have to be flexible and people have to be prepared to do that.”

ScorecardAssam held on during the final day to secure three points against Karnataka•PTI

Assam drew their Group A encounter against defending champions Karnataka, but gained three points by virtue of a first-innings lead. Set a target of 388, Assam managed their way to 259 for 5, thanks mainly to Arun Karthik’s unbeaten 115 and Gokul Sharma’s 55, that was part of a 132-run fourth-wicket stand.Two quick strikes form Vinay Kumar left Assam on 40 for 3, after starting the day on 30 for 1. J Suchith then ended Karthik and Gokul’s century stand when he went through the defences of Gokul in the 61st over. Shreyas Gopal trapped Tarjinder Singh lbw in the 70th over after which no further wickets fell.Assam’s left-arm spinner J Syed Mohammad, who finished with match figures of 7 for 135, was adjudged the Man of the Match. Scorecard Vineet Saxena’s unbeaten 80 and and Puneet Yadav’s 75 not out helped Rajasthan salvage a draw against Delhi at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The hosts also took away three points from the game owing to their 102-run first-innings lead.Chasing 336, Rajasthan started on an overnight score of 20 for 1 and added only six runs to the total before Ankit Lamba edged Pawan Suyal behind for 12. Ashok Menaria, who made 1 off 23 balls, was dismissed by Pradeep Sangwan when he trapped the batsman leg before in the 25th over. Delhi could inflict no further damage, though, as an unbroken 150-run stand ensued between Saxena and Yadav, helping the home team play out a draw.Deepak Chahar, who backed up his 5 for 60 with a 48-ball 50 in Rajasthan’s first innings, was adjudged the Man of the Match.
ScorecardCenturies from Ankit Bawne and Chirag Khurana ensured a first-innings lead for Maharashtra in their Ranji Trophy opener against Haryana in Gahunje. Only two innings had been possible in the match, with a bulk of the second day being rained out. There was barely any chance of an outright result so the hosts continued batting until the close of play. Maharashtra finished on 570 for 6, well clear Haryana’s 335.Bawne seems to have picked up where he left off last season. His 172 off 291 balls was the seventh fifty-plus score over the last 14 innings. He struck 20 fours and two sixes and was part of a 246-run sixth wicket partnership with Khurana, who remained unbeaten for a career-best first-class score of 136.
ScorecardOffspinner Akshay Wakhare snapped up his eighth five-for to lead Vidarbha’s push for an outright win, but Odisha, who were following on, managed to draw the match with the help of Anurag Sarangi’s 92.Things had looked dicey for Odisha when they wobbled from 54 for 0 to 65 for 3, but Sarangi and the captain Samantray (34 off 113 balls) combined for an 88-run partnership which stalled Vidarbha’s charge for seven points. Pratik Das was unbeaten on 39 off 101 when the match was called to a close and the Vidarbha settled for three points. Wakhare finished with match figures of 9 for 161.

David Warner’s thumb is still broken, leaving Australia’s vice-captain to fight an increasingly fraught battle to be fit in time for the first Test of the summer against New Zealand in Brisbane.While Warner is going in for another round of x-rays at the end of this week and is hoping to have his first bat in the nets on Monday, he has admitted it will take some time after that before he regains confidence in the digit when catching and fielding. He will not be taking part in the remainder of the Matador Cup and will thus have only one match – a day/night Sheffield Shield encounter with South Australia in Adelaide – before the Gabba.”My goal is to play that Shield game, I want to play that Shield game to have a hit, because I don’t think I’ll be able to get out here and play the last couple of games of the Matador,” Warner said of an injury sustained during the ODIs against England after the loss of the Ashes.”Eight years on the road playing a lot of cricket, you don’t lose that overnight. This four- to six-week break has mentally freshened me up and I think it’s going to put me in good stead for the summer. You’re only ever one or two hits in the nets, probably an hour off what you can be. But batting against bowlers is going to be the key.”I think when it comes down to having to catch a ball I’ll be a little bit hesitant, but I’ve broken this before and I know exactly what I have to do, that’s about getting it right with the bat first and then fielding and catching after.”The state of Warner’s thumb is an unwanted complication for the national selectors as they deliberate over who will be his next long-term opening partner following the retirement of Chris Rogers. Joe Burns, Shaun Marsh, Cameron Bancroft and Usman Khawaja are all in the mix as top-order players, and Warner said he would need time to familiarise himself with his new offsider.”Any new person who comes into the team you’ve got to form a partnership, whether it’s my opening partner or a new guy in the team, you’ve got to try and work out how to go about things,” Warner said. “If it’s a batsman you’ve got to try and identify their game plan and what they’re trying to achieve.”Whoever it is I’ve got to look at some of their footage and how they play as well, because I like to know my partner. We talk about first session of a game, where he can get off strike and how I can help him in any way. I’ve got to look at that and identify the partner I’m with to try to get the best out to them and for my own peace of mind.”In contrast to earlier summers where the Test team was announced too early for some, the selectors are set to name their squad for the Gabba during the one round of Shield games that precedes the Test, only a handful of days before Steven Smith tosses the coin with Brendon McCullum in Brisbane. Warner said he did not expect the “privilege” of knowing who his partner would be ahead of that time.An array of new faces had time to get to know one another as rain curtailed the first session of Australia’s two-day training camp at Hurstville Oval, and Warner said he was confident there would be enough older heads among the tyros to ensure good decisions were made on and off the field when the New Zealand Tests began.”There’s going to be a lack of experience there, but the guys we’ve got there who’ve been through the Ashes, there’s a lot of experience there,” Warner said. “You’ve got Adam Voges who was selected for the Bangladesh tour that didn’t go ahead. He’s played a lot of first-class games, might not have played many Test matches but a lot of experience there.”Guys like Mitchell Starc, myself, Steve Smith there, Peter Nevill is an experienced man in Shield cricket. A lot of the guys who are going to be picked aren’t too experienced, but there’s a lot of guys there to help them along the way.”My job away from game day is to help Steve out as much as possible, I can go around and help all the guys, I know Steve likes to go around and check on each individual, see where they’re at with their game, and I’m just going to try to make Steve’s job as easy as possible.”

ScorecardTravis Dean had a hard act to follow when he walked out to bat in his debut first-class innings. Chosen ahead of international batsman Aaron Finch for Victoria in the opening Sheffield Shield round against Queensland, Dean walked out to bat with Finch having on the same day scored an unbeaten double-century for the Cricket Australia XI against New Zealand in Sydney.But Dean seemed unperturbed by events at Blacktown, and by stumps had scored a composed 81 not out as Victoria chipped away at Queensland’s first-innings total of 444. At the close of play Victoria were 2 for 147 with Dean batting alongside Peter Handscomb, who had 46; Handscomb had been the last Victorian before Dean to score a half-century on first-class debut, when he achieved the feat in 2011.Like Victoria, Queensland found that the pink ball offered little assistance once the shine had worn off. Ben Cutting claimed both the wickets from consecutive deliveries, Rob Quiney lbw for 17 and Marcus Stoinis bowled for a golden duck when he failed to get bat and pad close together and saw the ball zip through the gate.There was little else the Bulls could do and they adopted similar tactics to Victoria, placing fields heavy on men forward of the wicket – at one stage a cordon of three catchers were spread from short mid-on to short midwicket – on the assumption that no edges would be flying to slip. At least their batsmen had made good use of the friendly batting conditions earlier.Queensland had resumed on 4 for 298 and lost Jack Wildermuth, run out for 8, and Nathan Reardon, who edged to second slip off John Hastings for 36 early in the day. However, the experienced pair of Chris Hartley (55) and James Hopes (33 off 30 balls) ensured some handy late runs, along with 30 from Ben Cutting.Hopes holed out to long-on off the bowling of Fawad Ahmed and Hartley was caught behind off Hastings, who finished with 4 for 59 from 34 overs and was the most effective of Victoria’s bowlers. Peter Siddle was typically hard to score off but went wicketless, with 0 for 57 off 23 overs.