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Central Province 133 and 192 for 3 (Sangakkara 69) beat Western Province 43 and 278 (Tillakeratne 85) by seven wickets
ScorecardKumar Sangakkara and Sajith Fernando added 110 for the third wicket to guard against any prospect of an upset, as Central Province eased to their anticipated victory over Western Province at the Sinhalese Sports Club.The result had hardly been in doubt since the first day, when WP were bundled out for 43, although thanks to Hashan Tillekaratne’s 85 in the second innings, they were at least set a challenging target of 189.Dilhara Fernando raised the brief prospect of an upset as he grabbed two early wickets to reduce CP to 51 for 2, but once Sangakkara and Fernando were into their stride, the result was a foregone conclusion. Fernando struck for a third time before the end, as Sangakkara fell for 69, but Thilan Samaraweera hung around to complete the proceedings.
ScorecardNorth Central Province duly wrapped up victory by an innings and 157 runs over Southern Province at Dambulla, although they were made to wait rather longer than had been anticipated, thanks to some spirited resistance from a side that had been bloodied and beaten from the first day onwards.Southern began their second innings a whopping 416 runs adrift after North Central had declared on 502 for 8, but they at least made a better fist of things second-time around. Anushka Polonowita top-scored with 62, and Indika de Saram also made a half-century, as they recovered from a rocky 83 for 4 to add 95 for the fifth wicket.North Central shared the wickets around, with Upul Chandana’s 3 for 64 the pick of the bunch.

This has been no ordinary build-up to a Test match. But this is no ordinary Test. England are on the verge of reclaiming the Ashes after 18 years and Australia know that anything less than victory will send them home to face a barrage of criticism and some very tough questions. Given what is riding on the outcome both captains came across relaxed during their press conferences at The Oval, although it was easy to tell who was leading the series.”I’ll have a pint please,” quipped Michael Vaughan as he took his place next to the bar in room set aside for the interviews, which was crammed to the rafters with journalists, and cameras. This series (and more than ever this Test) is big news almost everywhere and the ECB media department has been working overtime to try and squeeze in all the hacks who want to cover the final chapter to this drama. Some should pack their umbrellas because they will be perched outside and, of course, most of England is praying for some help from the weather.The huge media presence is proof of the state of this series, as were the two press conferences given by Vaughan and Ricky Ponting. Vaughan was his languid self – while the country has been losing its head he has remained, outwardly at least, an image of calmness – and his interview was a run-of-the-mill affair.He admitted that the loss of Simon Jones opens the door for either Paul Collingwood or James Anderson to be a hero – although he gave few hints over which one will get that opportunity. “Simon is a big loss, he has bowled extremely well and it was going to be very hard to find a like-for-like replacement. Given the way he has bowled he is probably up there with the best in the world at the moment.”But it’s a great opportunity for Jimmy or Colly to come and a make name for themselves this week. It will be a tough decision to make on who comes in and we wish them well. There is no bigger match for someone to come in.” It is hoped that neither player is of the nervous disposition.Ah, yes, the nerves, a rare commodity around the country after the last three Tests. But what about Vaughan’s: “I’m fine at the moment but I’m sure I will have some tomorrow morning.”Once Jones was ruled out of the Test, many of the questions put to Vaughan have been based around two topics – Glenn McGrath and the weather. McGrath has now been passed fit after his afternoon workout but Vaughan said he is not concerned about things out of his control.”We have been very good at controlling everything that we can. We can only control our performances, not what the weather is going to do or whether Glenn is going to play. You know that whichever attack you face it is going to be strong. We really are focussing on our performance levels and we know that if we can continue to be a high standard we know can put them under pressure.”The Australia team is already under more pressure than it has felt since their reign as the world’s best began during the mid-nineties. While Vaughan did not have to field any particularly tough questions, Ponting certainly sounded like a man contemplating the worst. He is certainly aware that the reception back home will not be particularly accommodating if they fail to win this Test. “We will cop a bit of a hammering if we lose,” he said with a nervous grin.His Australian side has certainly shown its age on this tour and all the talk has been of the end of an era and a changing of the guard. But Ponting tried his best to dampen any thoughts that some players are facing a make-or-break Test. “We said at the start of the tour that a few of the older guys may be on their last Ashes tour but I wouldn’t like to say that anyone is playing for the future.”But what about his own position? If England reclaim the Ashes Ponting will go down in history as the Australian captain that ended an era of dominance. “I wouldn’t like to think that my position would be under threat and I’m not sure that one series defeat would be the end of an era.”We are a team, a very close team and if we do lose we will all be responsible for it at the end of the day. I will take a bit more responsibility because I’m captain. If we happen to lose this game I will put my hand up and say there are things I could have done differently but if we happen to win, things probably won’t be as tough on me as they could have been.”Ponting, though, was quick to end on an attacking note – maybe a sign of things to come over the next five days. “The way things have been said over the last four days you’d think we were 4-0 down, but we’re not. We got very close to winning the last Test and we nearly won the second. It’s gone England’s way at the moment but we have got a week to change that and change everyone’s thinking about the series.”Ponting finished by saying if Australia gets the result this game it will be the greatest series he has ever played in. He didn’t say what it would be if he didn’t. This series has lived and breathed on such fine lines. Getting very close won’t do for Australia this time. Tomorrow, at 10.30, the talking can stop.

Pakistan 4 for 274 (Akmal 124, Inzamam 62*, Malik 60) beat West Indies 5 for 273 (Gayle 82, Sarwan 76) by 6 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

Kamran Akmal silenced an expanding list of critics with a fabulous, first one-day international century that turned a difficult chase into a virtual stroll against West Indies at the Gabba. Both sides were desperate for victory to keep in touch with Australia, and Akmal’s 124 off 125 balls pushed Pakistan to their best performance of an awful tour.Backed by a batting line-up boasting matchwinners down to No.9, Akmal made sure they weren’t needed as Pakistan won by six wickets with three overs to spare. The only downside was a hamstring tear to Shoaib Akhtar, who hobbled off the field in the fifth over with little sympathy from Inzamam-ul-Haq.Akmal was tried four times as an opener against Zimbabwe and South Africa in 2002-03 before the experiment was ditched, and he waited two matches to make the second promotion a wild success. Questions about his ability were raised when he made an uncomfortable 5 against Australia at Hobart and Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and Azhar Mahmood were hanging with the tail. But Akmal opened his innings with a clean cover-drive and brought up his century with a similarly commanding shot.While the West Indians waited for a slip-up, Akmal kept flourishing and apart from playing and missing twice on 95 there was not much else to complain about. He made sure his runs almost kept pace with balls faced and raised his bat to a standing dressing-room and a caring hug from Inzamam. A tired cover drive to Brian Lara ended his innings and after wicketkeeping for the first 50 overs he deserved the rest (4 for 239).Akmal’s 123-run partnership with Shoaib Malik provided the initial momentum and his 80-run stand with Inzaman, who was unbeaten on 62, snuffed out West Indies’ hopes. Malik, still playing a batsman-only role after being reported for a suspect action, displayed some aggressive shot-making as he started with his eyes on the boundaries. His fifty followed Akmal’s, and he celebrated a difficult tour with a mix of fluent drives and pulls. His innings was ended by a fine catch from Courtney Browne, who stood up to the fast bowler Ian Bradshaw (3 for 159).After a slow start in the series opener at the MCG, Mervyn Dillon wasted no time getting involved. Replacing Bradshaw for the sixth over, Dillon hit Salman Butt’s off stump with a searing yorker (1 for 28). His second wicket came when he forced a nick from Mohammad Hafeez and Chris Gayle was so calm in taking the low-down catch that he left the appealing to his team-mates (2 for 36).West Indies, though, had batted themselves into a strong position after being inserted. They paced their innings to survive the morning movement as the match began at 9am, and it would not have been a surprise if they reached anywhere between 240 and 290 as their run-rate fluctuated. Their final total seemed highly competitive until Akmal and Malik started flaying.Ramnaresh Sarwan’s solid contribution of 76 from 91 balls was devalued when Pakistan batted, but his partnership with Lara got the innings travelling after Gayle opened with a composed 82. Lara arrived in the mood for quick runs and was soon moving at more than a run a ball. His late-cutting was exquisite and he was resourceful as well, flicking Afridi over Akmal for four, in an exciting short innings of 39 from 30 balls.Lara was particularly tough on Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez, but also saved a big six for Abdul Razzaq, who was given similar treatment from Sarwan. The 60-run-stand in 8.4 overs ended when Naved-ul-Hasan tricked Lara to dab a short delivery to Hafeez at point, and he struck again in the same over when Ricardo Powell edged to Akmal, who took a sharp catch. (4 for 211)West Indies’ openers survived a difficult start and crawled to 26 from 10 overs as they waited to launch. The 10-over mark appeared to be Gayle’s cue to free his arms and he hit four boundaries in two overs before smacking a couple more from Hafeez’s first two deliveries. Next ball he slipped playing a sweep, aggravating an injury in his right shoulder that prevented him from bowling.Gayle brought up his half-century from 56 balls to return his side to good health and was dismissed top-edging a pull off Razzaq (2 for 149). West Indies will require more from him if they are going to overhaul Pakistan for a place in the finals.Peter English is Australasian editor of Cricinfo

The Sri Lankan board has forwarded the report on Muttiah Muralitharan’s doosra to the ICC. Mohan de Silva, the board president, confirmed the news: “The report from the University of Western Australia (UWA) was sent with the observations of the bowling review group to the ICC on Friday,” de Silva told Reuters. “The details of the report will now be circulated by the ICC to their officials.”The doosra, and the report prepared by UWA, has already generated plenty of controversy. Bruce Elliott, the ICC-approved biomechanics expert who carried out the tests on Muralitharan’s action, strongly recommended that spinners be allowed to bend their arms to a greater degree than the current five degrees stipulation. “Most assuredly the five degrees [rule] is based on illogical data because they’ve just tested fast bowlers and assumed that there is some relationship between fast bowlers and spin bowlers,” Elliott told reporters. “Fifteen degrees is the right angle to select for fast bowlers and you probably should come down to 10 degrees for spin bowlers.”However, the ICC has since reiterated that it does not plan to tamper with current tolerance levels. According to the tests, Muralitharan’s arm bends ten degrees while bowling the doosra, making it an illegal delivery.

Graeme Smith’s right ankle showed no signs of discomfort during his innings of 73 in a warm-up match against a local team in New Delhi ahead of the Champions Trophy.This was Smith’s first match since he recovered from an ankle injury that sidelined him for two months, forcing him to miss the tour of Sri Lanka in August and the one-day series against Zimbabwe that followed.”He [Smith] was comfortable on Sunday and active in the nets on Monday,” said Gordon Templeton, South Africa’s media manager. “All the players proved their fitness and now the preparation for the tournament can start in earnest. It was a good trial run on a typical subcontinent pitch.”AB de Villiers contributed 55 and Shaun Pollock scored an unbeaten 53 as the South Africans piled up 307 for 9 against the local side. The completed a clinical performance by dismissing their opponents for 198.South Africa have a couple of warm-up games before they kick off their Champions Trophy campaign against New Zealand in Mumbai on October 16.

Live scorecard

Jacques Kallis fell a couple of muscular drives short of becoming the first man since Donald Bradman to score centuries in five consecutive Test matches as South Africa dominated the opening day of the series against New Zealand at Westpac Park in Hamilton. Kallis’s 92 was buttressed by a classy 72 from the other Jacques, Rudolph, with Gary Kirsten – who played some superb cuts and drives off Daniel Vettori – providing a stabilising hand in the final session. When stumps were drawn, South Africa were 279 for 4, with Paul Adams, the nightwatchman, keeping Kirsten company.The highlight of the day’s play was the 132-run partnership for the third wicket, after both Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs had gifted Vettori their wickets with injudicious shots. While Jacques and Jacques were at the crease, the shot selection was tremendous, the concentration levels unwavering, and New Zealand’s dejection palpable.Kallis slowed down after Rudolph departed, and was dismissed a quarter of an hour before stumps, hooking Jacob Oram to Daryl Tuffey at deep fine leg. Neither Kallis, nor Kirsten at the non-striker’s end, observed Oram gesturing for two men to be placed on the fence for the shot, and Kallis insouciantly dropped the ball into Tuffey’s hands (271 for 4).Torrential rain had ruined the strip originally chosen for the game, and when play started on a pitch right at the edge of the square, it appeared as though it had been airlifted from the subcontinent – deep brown and with not a hint of live grass. New Zealand gave Test debuts to Michael Papps and Brendon McCullum, and included two spinners in their endeavour to win a first ever series against South Africa.After a hesitant start that included streaky shots through the slip cordon, Gibbs and Smith took charge. Gibbs stroked two superb cover-drives off Tuffey and after 12 overs marked by little penetration, Fleming tossed the ball to Vettori. He settled into a probing line and length straight away, varying his flight to keep the batsmen guessing.Smith decided to take the initiative after drinks, coming down the track to smash a delivery over midwicket and then rocking back to place another through backward point.Gibbs brought up the 50 with a guide past gully, and a top-edged pull over the keeper for four, but just when it all appeared rosy, Vettori struck. Smith was enticed forward by a flighted delivery, and his neither-here-nor-there chip found Oram at midwicket (51 for 1). He made 25.The batsmen then went into hibernation for almost half an hour as Vettori and Chris Cairns dried up the runs, supported by Fleming’s restrictive fields. Gibbs finally jolted South Africa out of their stupor with a magnificent straight six off Vettori, before falling to one of the worst deliveries sent down all morning. A hit-me ball wide outside off stump, and Gibbs (40) hit it alright, straight to Scott Styris at cover (79 for 2).Rudolph and Kallis regained some lost ground with some pleasing strokes just before lunch, with Kallis clearing the rope twice as Paul Wiseman wasn’t allowed to settle. After the interval, both men played some glorious strokes while dismantling a mediocre bowling attack.Fleming opted for pace to try and force a breakthrough, perhaps hoping that Cairns and Tuffey might get the ball to reverse swing. But there was little movement, in the air or off the pitch, and a flick off the pads from Kallis when Cairns overpitched set the tone for the session.

Rudolph uncorked a superb cover-drive off Tuffey, and followed it up with a contemptuous pull in front of square. And when Kallis slammed three fours in one Tuffey over – on and off-drives, followed by a cracking square cut – to bring up the 50 partnership, Fleming knew that the gamble had failed.Vettori came on, and Rudolph said hello with a sumptuous square-drive for four. In keeping with the spirit of change, Oram had come on at the other end, but Kallis met him with a fortuitous edge for four – the slips had long since scattered – and a savage pull that cleared the fence at square leg.Rudolph had his own moment of good fortune, edging Vettori past slip for four, but Dame Luck had nothing to do with the stunning straight six with which he reached his 50. A cute late cut demoralised New Zealand further, even as Kallis continued to cover-drive like a dream at the other end.Rudolph’s dismissal, brilliantly caught low to his left by McCullum off Styris’s bowling, resulted in most of the momentum being lost, with both Kallis and Kirsten appearing content to play the waiting game in the final hour. New Zealand may have reined it back as the shadows lengthened, but South Africa had enough batting in reserve to motor out of sight on day two.

New Zealand will be represented at the Hong Kong Sixes this year, and a strong team has been named. For those players on the fringe of selection for the tour of India and Pakistan, it gives them an early taste of the international scene, albeit in a restricted form of the game.Andre Adams, one of the surprise omissions from the one-day team for the tour, is included while Matthew Horne, the discarded opening batsman, will open the innings. Another player included is Aaron Barnes, who at the end of last season said he was severing his ties with New Zealand cricket to live in England. However, he decided to return after a successful season of league cricket. He has experience in the shorter versions of the game for New Zealand having earlier been a member of the New Zealand Super Max international side.Chris Nevin, who was dropped from the opening batting position for the tour, has also been included. Well-performed domestic players Matthew Walker, from Wellington, and Joseph Yovich from Northern Districts have also been included. The team leaves New Zealand on October 30 and returns on November 4.The team is: Matthew Horne (captain-Auckland), Tama Canning (Auckland). Andre Adams (Auckland), Aaron Barnes (Auckland), Chris Nevin (Wellington), Matthew Walker (Wellington), Joseph Yovich (Northern Districts).

Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s offspinner and leading wicket-taker, revealed that he regarded Brain Lara as the world’s best batsman at the moment, despite Matthew Hayden topping this week’s PriceWaterhouse Coopers ratings.Muralitharan, who has 459 Test wickets, said Lara was the “most dangerous left-hand batsman I have ever bowled to in my career”, even though Hayden has been piling on the runs for the last couple of years. Murali added: “Hayden is a very good batsman, no doubt about that, for anyone who scores 380 has to be brilliant, but Lara is more classy any day.”However Steve Waugh, the Australian captain, disagreed and compared Hayden’s form to that of Sir Donald Bradman after his record-breaking innings of 380 against Zimbabwe at Perth.Muralitharan is currently ranked second to Shaun Pollock on the weekly Test-bowling ratings. Pollock is no stranger to the top spot, with this recent promotion to No. 1 being largely due to his consistent performances in Pakistan which included a six-wicket haul in the second Test at Faisalabad.Hayden, Lara and Ricky Ponting made up the top three batsmen while Michael Vaughan climbed back into the top ten after his unbeaten 81 which helped England defeat Bangladesh in the first Test at Dhaka last week.

Murray Goodwin will return to Hove in 2004, ending months of speculation over who would be Sussex’s second overseas player alongside Mushtaq Ahmed.Goodwin’s future was uncertain when talks stalled over the length of the contract Sussex were prepared to offer. Gary Kirsten was close to signing, but he told the county last week that business offers outside the game meant that he had to turn down the offer.It has been a busy winter for the county champions. They have signed Ian Ward, Mohammad Akram, Jason Voros and Luke Wright, and disposed of Bas Zuiderent, Billy Taylor, Paul Hutchison and Shaun Rashid.

Bangladesh were given another taste of the harsh realities of playing cricket in Australia when the Commonwealth Bank Academy side provided a lesson in batting concentration at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane today. Playing their second match of their Australian tour, the Bangladeshis ended the first day of three, in this unofficial game, trailing by 205 runs with nine wickets in hand, after the home side declared at 258 for 3.A fine third-wicket stand between opener Matthew Innes and Rhett Lockyear restored the position in full for the Academy side, while demonstrating the virtue of application to the tourists. They batted for 195 minutes and added 180 runs in just over 53 overs. Innes, from Victoria, was especially in control and batted throughout the innings for his 128, scored offf 200 balls, in 293 minutes. Lockyear, from New South Wales,scored 90 before he was stumped by Khaled Mashud off Mohammad Rafique.The Australians capitalised on their decision to bat first. There was some early excitement as Scott Meuleman was bowled by Mashrafe Mortaza off the second ball of the second over.Aaron Nye attempted to dig in but fell to a catch by Khaled Mashud for 10 and the home team were 20 for 2. But Innes and Lockyear settled,and while none of the bowlers were really taken to, their accumulation kept a good momentum going throughout the innings. Innes’ half-century came off 107 balls and Lockyear’s off 123.Once Lockyear departed Callum Ferguson joined Innes and they added 58 in 46 minutes before the declaration was made.Bangladesh opener Hannan Sarker battled for 36 minutes before he was trapped leg-before by Chris Duval. However, Javed Omar and Habibul Bashar made a good recovery and took Bangladesh to stumps at 53 for 1 off 19 overs. Omar was 32 not out and Bashar on 13.