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England have named an initial 18-strong squad for the innovative women’s Ashes Series which will be settled by points accumulated in all three formats of the game.Natasha Farrant, Natalie Sciver and Lauren Winfield, who made their international debuts against Pakistan last week, are all included.Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin and Laura Marsh all make a return to the initial squad after missing out on the recent NatWest Women’s International matches due to continuing rehabilitation from injuries.The final squad for each format of the Women’s Ashes Series will be reduced to 15 players in early August ahead of a series which commences with the Test match at Wormsley Cricket Ground on August 11.The 2013 Women’s Ashes Series will comprise one Test match, three NatWest Women’s One-Day Internationals and three NatWest Women’s T20is.Points will be allocated to each format: the winners of the Test will be awarded six points and there will be two points for the winners of each limited-overs match.Clare Connor, the head of England women’s cricket, said: “It is pleasing to see such healthy competition for places ahead of the women’s Ashes series. Exciting young players from the England Women’s Academy have stepped up in to the England squad in the recent internationals against Pakistan and have made an outstanding contribution on and off the pitch. One highlight being Natalie Sciver’s 3-28 in just her second ODI.Two of the three T20 matches will serve as a warm-up for the men’s game to follow – in Southampton on August 29 and Chester-le-Street two days later.England women’s Ashes squad: Charlotte Edwards (Kent, capt), Tammy Beaumont (Kent), Arran Brindle (Sussex), Katherine Brunt (Yorkshire), Holly Colvin (Sussex), Georgia Elwiss (Sussex), Natasha Farrant (Kent), Lydia Greenway (Kent), Jenny Gunn (Nottinghamshire), Danielle Hazell (Yorkshire), Amy Jones (Warwickshire), Heather Knight (Berkshire), Laura Marsh (Kent), Natalie Sciver (Surrey), Anya Shrubsole (Somerset), Sarah Taylor (Sussex), Lauren Winfield (Yorkshire), Danielle Wyatt (Nottinghamshire).

Pakistan will host Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between December 2013 and January 2014 for a bilateral series that includes three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s. The series, the second bilateral contest between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the UAE, will be played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.The T20s and ODIs have been scheduled before the Tests. The T20s will be played on December 11 and 13 in Dubai, while Sharjah will host the first ODI on December 18. The last two ODIs will be played in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan will take on Afghanistan in a T20 match before the start of the Sri Lanka series, although the venue for the match has not yet been announced.The first Test has been scheduled for December 31 in Dubai, while Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will host the second and third Tests, from January 8 and January 16.”The tour itinerary has been approved after consultation between Pakistan Cricket Board and its counterpart Sri Lanka,” the PCB said in a statementSince the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009, Pakistan have been forced to play their home series overseas, with UAE being the preferred venue. The last time the two sides played in the UAE in 2011, Pakistan won the ODIs 4-1 and won the Test and T20 series 1-0. Pakistan enjoyed little success on their tour of Sri Lanka in June and July 2012 – the last bilateral series between the teams – losing the Tests (1-0) and ODIs (3-1), while the T20 series was tied.Fixtures
1st T20I: December 11, Dubai
2nd T20I: December 13, Dubai
1st ODI: December 18, Sharjah
2nd ODI: December 20, Dubai
3rd ODI: December 22, Sharjah
4th ODI: December 25, Abu Dhabi
5th ODI: December 27, Abu Dhabi
1st Test: December 31-January 4, Dubai
2nd Test: January 8-12, Abu Dhabi
3rd Test: January 16-20, Sharjah

Andrew Hudson, the former South Africa batsman, is expected to stay on as convenor of selectors when Cricket South Africa (CSA) appoint a new selection committee this Saturday. CSA officials confirmed he has been nominated to continue on in the position he has occupied since May 2010.The four-man panel is likely to undergo two major changes, with former first-class players Hussein Manack and Linda Zondi the leading candidates to be added on, while high-performance personnel Vincent Barnes and Corrie van Zyl could be released. Current selector, Shafiek Abrahams, has been re-nominated, and will probably keep his position.Abrahams and van Zyl have also been in their roles for three years, although at the time van Zyl was the interim coach of the national team. When Gary Kirsten was appointed head coach in June 2011, van Zyl moved to the high performance program and stayed on as selector.A source close to van Zyl revealed he wanted to resign the position of selector on many occasions, but was persuaded to stay on. Vincent Barnes, former national bowling coach, was appointed high performance manager in June 2011, and was also made a selector then.The current panel have presided over the rise of South Africa’s Test side to No. 1, and oversaw the successful selection of Vernon Philander, who currently sits at No.2 in the Test bowling rankings. They experimented with Imran Tahir, South Africa’s first attacking spinner since Paul Adams, and recalled Jacques Rudolph to open the batting, although both decisions proved unsuccessful. Despite that, their picking of Faf du Plessis, and promotion of Robin Peterson, paid off to create an imposing Test unit.In the shorter formats, their record has been more patchy. AB de Villiers has been uncertain in his treble role as captain, wicketkeeper and senior batsman, with the selectors giving him added leeway. In their time in charge, 13 players have made their ODI debuts, while 14 have been introduced to the international T20 format, and eight players for the Test side.None of that though, was the source of their biggest headline. The selection panel was steeped in controversy last December when wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile revealed that he had been given assurance by the selectors that he would play in the home Tests against New Zealand, but was eventually left out of the squad.Tsolekile was contracted in February 2012 when Mark Boucher indicated he would retire from international cricket after the England tour in July that year. Boucher’s career ended abruptly with a freak accident in a warm-up match in Taunton, and Tsolekile was called up to the squad. Tsolekile claimed he was given assurance that even though de Villiers would hold on to the gloves for the tour of Australia in October, he would assume the role from January 2013 on.The selectors admitted they had planned to play Tsolekile, but de Villiers changed his mind and wanted to stay on as permanent wicketkeeper. The issue caused ill-feeling around South Africa because of its political undertones. Makhaya Ntini said Tsolekile had been snubbed because he was a black African, and the transformation debate reopened. Central to the argument was that South Africa’s Tests side had only fielded five black Africans since readmission, and none while Kirsten was in charge. Even without that, the selectors’ actions were a cause for concern. Senior CSA officials were unhappy that they had given a player an assurance they could not follow through on, and talk was rife of the panel being replaced en masse.In the immediate aftermath, CSA, who were still restructuring their board at the time, simply said they would add a black African selector to the panel in keeping with their transformation policy. Ntini’s name was mentioned as a possibility, but he has not yet been nominated.Instead, at least three other black African candidates are in the running with Zondi expected to get the nod. The former wicketkeeper has been involved with Kwa-Zulu Natal’s development program, and has worked with the national Under-19 side. Others nominated include former Lions assistant coach and commentator Lawrence Mahatlane, and former Free State fast bowler Victor Mpitsang, who also does commentary. Mpitsang represented South Africa in two ODIs in 1999.Manack is also among the nominees and is considered to have a “very good chance” of being appointed, according to an insider. He played first-class cricket for Gauteng (formerly Transvaal) and was one of the non-playing members of South Arica’s inaugural post-readmission tour to India in 1992. He has served on the Gauteng Cricket Board and is a selector at the Lions – the franchise which won the domestic T20 cup, shared the one-day cup, and finished second in the first-class competition.The first squad the new selection panel will pick will be for South Africa’s series against Pakistan in October. The tour begins October 14 in the UAE, and consists of two Tests, five ODIs and two T20s.

The other charges

• Internet rights: Charged with failing to disclose links to owners with interests in Internet rights

• Twitter comments related to Kochi franchise and the BCCI: Cleared of alleged disclosure of shareholding pattern of the Kochi franchise; charged of “misconduct” for tweet that threatened to “expose certain individuals in the BCCI” is upheld

• Planning a rebel league with clubs in England: Charged for indiscipline and actions “detrimental to the interest of the BCCI”

• Theatrical rights: Charged with awarding theatrical rights to a company without the approval of the governing council. The original company then assigned the rights to a third party after Modi’s approval

• Free commercial time deal: Charged for actions detrimental to the board after Modi signed an agency without permission of the governing council

• Proxy stakes in IPL franchises: Cleared of the charge

• Withholding information regarding relations with individuals who hold stakes in the IPL: Cleared of the charge

• Violation of invitation to tender due to a franchise agreement with Rajasthan Royals: Cleared of the charge

The BCCI’s disciplinary committee has found Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman, guilty on eight different charges of “various acts of indiscipline and misconduct”. The charges, relating to irregularities in various financial and administrative matters of the IPL including the sale of franchise and media rights, were pressed by the BCCI in 2010 soon after Modi’s swift and dramatic exit from the league he founded.The 134-page report – prepared by a committee comprising senior BCCI functionaries Arun Jaitley, Chirayu Amin and Jyotiraditya Scindia – has been submitted to the BCCI and will be discussed at a special general meeting on September 25. It is believed that a life ban for Modi will be recommended and accepted at the meeting.In his reaction to the report, Modi pointed out several flaws in both the procedure and the findings. He alleged that Jaitley had a bias against him and also was the “strongest supporter” of N Srinivasan, the BCCI president. Modi said one of his main lines of defence was that the enquiry against him was “vitiated on account of malafide” because he had opposed Srinivasan’s conflict of interest as team owner and administrator. He claimed that Jaitley “did not allow any question to be put in respect of Srinivasan’s conflict of interest and virtually skirted the issue of Srinivasan’s conflict of interest in his report.” His response to the committee’s actual findings echoed his defence on the various charges.The committee found Modi guilty of rigging bids during the franchise auction in 2010, arm-twisting the Kochi franchise and threatening to terminate their franchise agreement in favour of another bidder, selling media and internet rights without proper authorisation from the BCCI and showing interest in creating a rebel T20 league in England without the knowledge of the BCCI and the ECB. The key charges that stuck:TV rights issue
In January 2008, World Sports Group India was granted global television rights for the IPL between 2008-2017 while Multi Screen Media Satellite (Singapore) pte Ltd. got the rights to telecast the matches in the Indian subcontinent between 2008-2012. On March 14, 2009, at 8 pm, the BCCI terminated its agreement with MSM on account of various “breaches”, including its failure to promote BIG TV, a ground sponsor. That left the Indian TV rights without a rights holder.At 3 am on March 15, WSG Mauritius, which had the same directors as WSG India, was granted the global and Indian broadcast rights for the IPL between 2009-2017. A fresh agreement with WSG Mauritius was entered into, under which WSG Mauritius had 72 hours to find a broadcast partner failing which the rights would revert to the BCCI. It was also expected to pay the BCCI Rs 112.5 crores as a signing fee – a sum the BCCI contended it never received.When WSG Mauritius failed to get a partner, it agreed the rights would revert back to the BCCI but WSG India would retain the global rights (excluding Indian subcontinent) till 2017. That still left the Indian rights without a rights holder.However, the BCCI contended, MSM and WSG Mauritius cut a deal while the India rights were parked with WSG so that WSG would let go of the rights; once the rights were released back to the BCCI, MSM could get them back. For this, the BCCI contended, MSM paid WSG an $80million facilitation fee – a fee the board says should have come to it. The BCCI further contended that WSG’s failure to honour the 72-hour clause, which effectively ensured it lost the rights, was only a mechanism for parking the rights till MSM came on board.Finally, the BCCI contended that all this was done with the knowledge and active participation, of Modi – who was a via media between MSM and WSG.There were three specific charges against Modi arising from this issue. First, that the agreement with WSG entered into on March 15 2009 was never intended to be performed; the report found this charge “not proved”. Second, that Modi, without any authorization of the board, did not insist on WSG repaying the Rs 112.5 crore signing fee; the committee did not agree with Modi’s defence that the payment was not insisted upon because the BCCI and MSM were in litigation, and held the charge as proved. Third, that Modi, despite knowledge of the nature and value of the facilitation agreement, obligated the BCCI to ensure its compliance vis a vis WSG Mauritius and further obligated the BCCI to make the payment if MSM defaulted – a “serious misconduct”. The committee held Modi’s defence – that neither he nor the BCCI were expected to know the nature and terms of the facilitation agreement – as “completely untenable” and held the charge as proved.Rigging bids
In 2010, the BCCI drafted an invitation to tender [ITT] for rights to two new franchises that were to be auctioned later that year. The BCCI claimed that Modi added – without formally informing the board – two “onerous conditions” to the ITT: the bidder should have a net worth of US$1bn and must provide a bank guarantee of Rs 460 crores [$100 million]. According to the BCCI, these conditions were not in the draft ITT, which was approved by the IPL Governing Council, and were added by Modi to the final document. Modi’s defence was that he had informed the then BCCI president, Shashank Manohar, verbally but the disciplinary committee concluded that Modi had acted without the authorization of the governing council. The panel reasoned that this was done to “exclude healthy competition and favour two bidders, which is evident from the fact that only two bids were received in pursuant to the ITT.”Arm-twisting franchises
The rights to the two new franchises in 2010 – Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers – were bought by Sahara Adventure Sports and Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd respectively.The BCCI’s contention was that Modi was “favouring another bidder” and had threatened a “representative” of the Kochi franchise to give up the rights, failing which he could impose various sanctions that could harm the new entrant. The BCCI claimed that Modi’s threat was an “act of indiscipline and misconduct”.The disciplinary panel found that the charge stood against Modi because “despite being the successful bidder, Mr Modi made a roving enquiry on the ownership details of the Kochi franchise at the stage of signing the Franchise Agreement.” The report stated: “He goes out of his way in making intrusive questions about the ownership details of the Kochi franchise.” The panel said the act of arm-twisting was detrimental to the BCCI’s interest and “endangered the harmony and affected the reputation of the BCCI.”

South Africa’s players would like to see an “urgent engagement” between their board, CSA, and its Indian counterpart, the BCCI, to resolve fixtures over this summer’s India series. The national team is due to leave for the UAE this Friday but their home tour against India has no confirmed itinerary after the BCCI objected to CSA’s schedule of three Tests, seven ODIs and two Twenty20s.Tony Irish, the South African Cricketer’s Association (SACA) chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo that the BCCI’s leadership structure has been formalised following yesterday’s AGM and the players are hopeful the series can be discussed as a matter of importance. ICC chief executive Dave Richardson also spoke on the issue for the first time when he said they could not intervene in bilateral arrangements.”This is the main tour of the summer and has a massive financial implication on cricket. We are about six weeks away from it and to have it all up in the air is really worrying and frustrating,” Irish said. “The players want to see it sorted out. Until yesterday, CSA did not know who they were dealing with at the BCCI because they had not had their election but now that that is sorted it, they need to do whatever it takes to get the discussion going.”CSA has confirmed it is awaiting the dates of a meeting with the BCCI, although it was earlier mooted that the presidents of the boards would meet at the ICC board meeting on October 16 and 17.Irish, in the meanwhile, met with all the players as part of his usual pre-season get together and said the issue of the India tour came up among many of them. “The players are stakeholders in the game and will be affected by whatever happens,” he said, explaining the impact is two-fold. “It’s not just a financial thing, it’s also about the opportunity to play in in a high-profile Test series and substantial limited-overs competitions.”The South Africa Test team, ranked No. 1 in the world, has not played a match since February. They were due a bumper summer including two Tests against Pakistan and three each against India and Australia in a bid to extend their lead at the top of the rankings. “This is the best Test team we have ever had and it’s a very settled unit. They need to be playing in order to keep that momentum,” Irish said.While seven ODIs were considered overkill, the financial gains would have benefitted South Africa’s smaller grounds. Should the tour be curtailed, which seems a certainty in light of India’s other series against West Indies and New Zealand, South African cricket could lose up to R200 million (US$20 million).Irish and the players are not the only people who want to see the issue sorted out. South Africa’s provincial affiliates are anxious to know who will host matches and even Richardson expressed concern. “The ICC does not like the fact that two of its strongest members are in dispute. Historically, South Africa and India have been the strongest of allies. The game needs both,” he told South Africa’s .But Richardson explained why the ICC cannot intervene in bilateral arrangements. “Constitutionally we are a members’ organisation. The ICC only has as much authority over the members as the members are prepared to give it. The ICC currently does not have the authority to determine the FTP. The FTP schedule was determined by agreement between the full members.”The FTP is a non-binding agreement and should countries not reach consensus over the composition of tours, the ICC requires them to play a minimum of two Tests and three ODIs. It looks increasingly likely that maybe that’s all South Africa will get out of India this summer, although Graeme Smith’s team would obviously like more.

Glen Chapple, the Lancashire club captain, will play on into his 40s after agreeing a one-year extension to his deal until the end of 2014 season.Chapple had made his intentions clear before the end of the 2013 season that he had no plans to finish his playing days. In an increasingly fluid professional game, Chapple has been with Lancashire since the beginning of his career and made his first-class debut in 1992.He enjoyed another productive season with the ball, taking 53 wickets at 20.73 in the Championship from 14 matches.Chapple was one of a raft of players to agree new contracts at Old Trafford after Lancashire claimed the Division Two Championship title to secure a swift return to Division One.Jordan Clark, who struck six sixes in an over during a 2nd XI match early in the 2013 season, wicketkeeper Alex Davies, offspinner Arron Lilley and allrounder Luis Reece have all extended their stays until the end of 2015.Established players Karl Brown, Kyle Hogg, Paul Horton, Simon Kerrigan, Stephen Parry, Luke Procter and Tom Smith, have also agreed deals until 2015. Meanwhile, alongside Chapple, Oliver Newby and Andrea Agathangelou will be around until at least the end of next summer.The one new name is allrounder Liam Livingstone who has signed a one-year professional deal after making the step up from a scholarship contract.Mike Watkinson, the cricket directior, said: “With the exception of Andrea, all the players are products of our development system, which is a great endorsement of the strength and effectiveness of the cricket played across the county. It also provides the squad with quality and stability as we look forward positively to the challenges ahead.”Lancashire’s major new signing for next season has been Jos Buttler, the England one-day and T20 wicketkeeper, who has joined from Somerset.

Ahead of his third Ashes series, Mitchell Johnson is saying all the things an Australian fast bowler is expected to. He speaks provocatively about bouncer wars, unsettling Jonathan Trott and breathing fire at 155 kph, foreshadowing tomorrow’s tabloid headlines at the same moment he is making them.But there is a key difference this time that suggests Johnson’s Ashes fortunes may be rosier in 2013-14 than the decidedly mixed returns of 2009 and 2010-11. Where once Johnson was caught up in the hype and emotion of the battles with England, now he is self-aware enough to know he is playing a role. This is not to say he does not mean what he says about Trott or bouncers. Instead, Johnson knows such thoughts are only useful so long as they are channeled effectively on the field.”I guess there’s been a lot of talk that we’re going to just bowl 155 clicks, bowling bouncers every ball. That’s all just media hype,” Johnson said. “I know what I need to do, we all know our roles in the team, we’re all different bowlers, I can’t give too much away in terms of plan, but it’s not going to be all-out bouncers, it’s picking the right times and being smart.”I’m not worried about the speed gun anymore. When you first come in you’re trying to really rip it in there and you’ll check it out. Occasionally you’ll see what it is. During the one-day series in England I glanced up a couple times, see the pace and think ‘it didn’t feel like that’. So it’s really irrelevant to me, it’s all about my run-up, my feel, how the ball is going through. If I’m swinging the ball late and getting good carry, if it’s not swinging conditions and I’m getting that good bounce then that’s all that really matters to me, seeing it go through to the keeper.”Mitchell Johnson: “In the recent one-day series it wasn’t the full Barmy Army but I copped a bit of stick there and I just gave it back to them when it was the right time.”•AFP

Things will be less vexing for Johnson this time around in any case, for he has been freed from the burdens of leading the attack. The pace ringleader’s role has passed jointly to Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris, allowing Johnson to simply concentrate on bowling fast, swinging the ball and aiming his occasional bouncers at a batsman’s armpit.”We’ve definitely got the experience in this attack now where we can all compliment each other, and if someone isn’t going well at the time I think we can back each other up at certain times,” Johnson said. “Just in the nets today Ryan said he was struggling a little at the start, our purpose of the session was to really get into game mode, so we just helped each other out through that. That’s what we’re going to do throughout this series.”Johnson’s even-tempered demeanour has been aided greatly by a settled personal life. He and his wife Jessica are now parents, and the memories of family problems unsettling Johnson ahead of the 2009 Lord’s Test have now receded well into the distance.”It’s a great moment to have a child. Really exciting,” he said. “You can have those bad days, but I’ve got a photo album I just flip through and it just puts a smile on your face. That’s been a big factor for me having my personal life in order, and really enjoying life. In the end it’s just a game of cricket.”We build these Ashes series up, but I’ve learned from that in the past you can build it up too much and get too involved and too emotional. For me it’s another game of cricket and at the end of the day I can ring back home to my daughter or get back home and see my daughter. It’s all in good balance.”Australia will hope that balance extends to the middle, where Johnson said he was also braced for whatever the Barmy Army had in store. In keeping with his newfound sense of what does not need worrying about, he even admitted to finding himself humming along to the tunes, whatever their lyrical content.”In the recent one-day series it wasn’t the full Barmy Army but I copped a bit of stick there and I just gave it back to them when it was the right time,” he said, smiling. “In the end if I’m getting wickets and playing well I don’t think I’m going to cop as much. If I do I’ve heard it all, experienced it all and I’ve learned how to block it out. But it is hard at times because the songs are catchy …”

ScorecardFile photo: Devendra Bundela was left stranded on 95•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Madhya Pradesh captain Devendra Bundela was stranded on 95 as Tamil Nadu picked up the three wickets they needed on the fourth day to secure a first-innings lead in Indore. After resuming on 221 for 7, trailing by 311, MP lost Anand Rajan to a run-out before he had added to his overnight score of 29. Bundela dragged his team ahead, moving from 64 to 95, but Amarjeet Singh and Ishwar Pandey fell cheaply. Left-arm spinner Aushik Srinivas took 4 for 40 as MP were dismissed for 269.Tamil Nadu enforced the follow-on and MP were more solid in their second innings, reaching 196 for 3 before the game ended in a draw. Mohnish Mishra was unbeaten on 66.
ScorecardBhushan Chauhan followed his duck in the first innings with an unbeaten hundred on the fourth day against Railways to end the match in a draw at the Jamia Milia Ground in Delhi. With a first-innings deficit of only 10 runs, Saurashtra declared at 217 for 3, setting a target of 208 for Railways who batted for only 18 overs.Saurashtra were ahead by only 44 for the loss of two wickets on the morning of the fourth day. They were given another jolt when Anureet Singh, who took 5 for 52 in the first innings, had Sheldon Jackson caught behind for 13. That was the only moment of joy for Railways through the day as Chauhan and Aarpit Vasavada steered the innings by adding 150 runs for the fourth wicket. While Chauhan struck his third first-class hundred, Vasavada was unbeaten on 66 when they declared.The Railways openers saw through the 18 overs patiently by scoring only nine runs.
ScorecardBengal took three crucial first-innings points after their match against Rajasthan ended in a draw in Jaipur. The points are important for Bengal, after their first match against Jharkhand was abandoned without a ball.Having conceded a first-innings lead of 82, Rajasthan were looking to score quick runs on the fourth day in a bid to enforce a result. They lost overnight batsman, and first-innings centurion, Vineet Saxena early, followed by the wickets of Ashok Menaria and Rajesh Bishnoi. However, Bist and wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik steadied the innings with a 60-run fifth-wicket stand. Once Bist was dismissed, Rajasthan added a few quick runs before declaring their innings at 257 for 6, setting Bengal a target of 176.Playing for a draw, Bengal lost Arindam Das but batted out 11 overs to finish the day at 25 for 1.
ScorecardBaroda failed to show fight for sustained periods on a wearing fourth-day pitch at Moti Bagh, conceding the game by 182 runs to Uttar Pradesh. Baroda were on the back foot coming in to the final day, having lost two wickets for virtually nothing late on the third day after they were set 369. Baroda resisted through a counterattacking stand of 82 for the sixth wicket between Yusuf Pathan and Ambati Rayudu, but a reckless shot from Yusuf triggered a collapse. Read the full report here.

ScorecardJiwanjot Sigh scored an unbeaten 188•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

With Vidarbha holding a lead of 148 runs overnight, and still with three wickets in hand, it was imperative that their tail wagged as long as possible. That, however was put to rest quickly in the first over of the day itself when Amol Jungade failed to add to his 59, getting caught behind off the bowling of seamer Sandeep Sharma.Punjab struck again four overs later when the No. 10 Sandeep Singh was dismissed for 8. Ravi Thakur, the last man, scored 8 himself as Vidarbha were dismissed for 360, holding a lead of 176 runs. Sandeep finished with 5 for 90, his sixth five-for in first-class cricket. VRV Singh, in his comeback season, continued his fine form with 4 for 89.Punjab started brightly, with openers Manan Vohra and Jiwanjot Singh adding 94 for the first wicket. Vohra fell soon after passing his fifty, getting run out in the 21st over. The wicketkeeper, Uday Kaul, came in at No. 3 and the pair batted till the end of the day, finishing on 330 for 1, and with a lead of 154 runs. Jiwanjot was not out on a massive 188, while Kaul was unbeaten on 88.
ScorecardParvinder Awana 10th five-for in first-class cricket helped Delhi secure a crucial first-innings lead. Odisha began the day on 121 for 3, still trailing Delhi’s first innings effort by 321 runs. Opener Natraj Behera, who was unbeaten on 53, helped add another 36 runs with Biplab Samantray, before Samantray was bowled on 48 by Awana. This brought Abhilash Mallick to the crease, and with Natraj, the pair helped double the score with a 157-run stand, before Mallick was caught behind on 71. Natraj crossed three figures, bringing up his fourth first-class century, and finished on 158, matching Rajat Bhatia’s effort in Delhi’s first innings. Odisha reached 379, with Awana picking up a five-wicket haul, and Varun Sood supporting him with 3 for 67. Delhi still had a 63-run lead going into their second innings. However, both openers perished with just 25 on the board, as Delhi finished at stumps on 49 for 2.
ScorecardKarnataka were bundled early on the third day to finish on 256, with Haryana’s Harshal Patel taking 6 for 55. Trailing by just nine runs, Haryana knew a strong effort would be required to create a sizable challenge for Karnataka. This notion, however, was tested early when opener Avi Barot was run out in the second over. Wickets continued to tumble at a regular rate, as Haryana’s batsmen failed to put on meaningful scores. Rahul Dewan, the captain, was the highest scorer with 31 as Haryana were bundled for 105, with seamer Ronit More inflicting the most damage with 5 for 20 in 14 overs. The target for Karnataka was set at 97, and despite losing four wickets to get to 62 at stumps, the visitors will still fancy themselves to get the 35 runs needed for victory on day four.

Australia’s Test series against Pakistan in October this year will be downsized to the minimum two matches, while the venue for the encounter is expected to be confirmed as the UAE.Despite the ICC Future Tours Programme dictating that the tour would consist of three Tests, the PCB has negotiated for the removal of one five-day match to be replaced by a series of limited-overs matches, likely to include three ODIs and a Twenty20 fixture.While the location of these matches is yet to be finalised, the loss of a Test from the fixture list is certain. This schedule is expected to bring in a more lucrative broadcast fee for the cash-pressured governing body of cricket in Pakistan, forced to subsist on series played in neutral venues since the terrorist attack on the touring Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009.”Our expectation will be that it will be in the UAE, and my expectation is that it won’t be three Test matches, it will probably be two Test matches and a combination of one-dayers,” James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, told ABC Radio during the Sydney Ashes Test. “Perhaps with a view to the fact there’s a World Cup here in Australia and New Zealand in February and March 2015.”It’s the hosts’ call on that and we’ll work as closely as we can with them, there’s a reciprocal arrangement, we wouldn’t like to be playing a series of less than three but that’s their choice how they balance that, and at the end of the day, Pakistan are not able to host international cricket in Pakistan, their commercial viability is really affected by that, so we respect their position and the decisions they need to make there.”Apart from the UAE, the only other plausible venue for a Test match is Qatar, where the PCB is presently hosting a women’s tournament. However stadium facilities and infrastructure in the nation set to host the next football World Cup are not as advanced or varied as those in the UAE, with Dubai host to the ICC’s headquarters and global cricket academy.The most recent encounter between the two nations was also played over just two Tests, the “MCC Spirit of Cricket” series which took place in England in the northern summer of 2010 and was split 1-1 when Pakistan won at Headingley after Australia’s victory at Lord’s. While CA have spoken consistently of their desire for Test bouts of at least three matches’ duration, their own schedule is increasingly light on such series.Australia and Pakistan have not met in Tests since the 2010 series in England•AFP

Apart from blue-chip contests against England (five Tests) and India (four), Australia have played two-Test series against New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa in recent times. Their next visit to the West Indies in May 2015 is also scheduled to include the bare minimum two Tests.”The programme is a real challenge, there’s no doubt for us as administrators it is one of the most difficult things we do and we often talk about it in the context of being a three-dimensional game of chess,” Sutherland said. “Unlike other sporting codes we don’t have a unilateral ability to work out what our programme might be, we have to see what’s going on in other parts of the world, what country is playing where and how. And we need to work out the international programme and then work out the best we can from the domestic programme.”