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Two matches of the last round of the President’s Trophy have been shifted out of Punjab, to Islamabad and Mirpur, following differences between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Punjab Government.Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium was scheduled to host the match between State Bank of Pakistan and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited while Pakistan International Airlines and Water and Power Development Authority were set to play at Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot.The trouble started after the government’s city-district administration disrupted the matches of the ongoing PCB Under-19 inter district/department tournament in Gujranwala and Sialkot. A match between Sialkot and Karachi Blue was interrupted on November 11 when a helicopter carrying top Punjab government officials landed at the Gujranwala stadium, forcing the match to be abandoned. An attempt was made to host another match in Gujranwala, between Sialkot and Gujranwala, but the city-district administration refused to give permission. The PCB relocated it to Sialkot but the match was stopped and the city-district administration evacuated the stadium for an undisclosed reason.”There is no clash between the PCB and the Punjab Government,” a PCB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. “We are a sports body and want the games to go on and to avoid any further disruption we have decided to move our matches from the Punjab province to other parts of the country.”To avoid further disruptions, the President’s Trophy matches have been moved to the National Stadium in Islamabad and Quaid-e-Azam stadium in Mirpur. “In the meantime, we are in negotiations with the Government to sort out any the issues they think need to be sorted,” the spokesman said. “We want the smooth functioning of our tournament and apart from the President’s Trophy matches the Under-19 match (Peshawar v Sialkot) has also been relocated to Peshawar.”The PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf said the board can’t afford any disruptions at the moment. “We understand that the grounds are the property of the Punjab Government and it’s up to them if they will let us play but they should show good spirit and work with a big heart,” Ashraf told reporters in Lahore. “But if they carry on with such a condescending attitude we are left with no other choice but to take the matches away from the province.”The row had started in March this year when the PCB refused to grant permission to the Punjab government for holding a non-sports function at the Rawalpindi Stadium. Later the PCB, headquartered in Lahore (the capital of Punjab), wrote a letter to the chief secretary of the Punjab Government on April 16 this year regarding security arrangements and plans but the government said it was unaware of such a request. The PCB then blamed the Punjab Government for lack of coordination, which affected Bangladesh’s proposed visit in April, over security and safety concerns.Pakistan and Bangladesh were due to play one ODI and one Twenty20 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, on April 29 and 30 this year but the tour was pulled back over a writ petition filed in the Dhaka High Court after the tour appeared to be hit by logistic issues.The PCB, the country’s richest sports body, owns no stadiums of its own. Currently, all stadiums around the country are on lease with MoUs with the city-district governments.

Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, believes his team remains on top in the first Test against West Indies despite two late wickets from Sunil Narine. New Zealand ended the day at 232 for 4 but a few overs earlier they had been 223 for 2, before Darren Sammy’s decision to stick with the old ball paid off when Narine bowled Taylor for 45 and then denied a century to Martin Guptill, who skied a catch to mid-on for 97.The breakthroughs took some of the gloss off an impressive day for New Zealand, whose batting in the warm-up match on the same ground was disappointing. But on a pitch that is expected to become more difficult for batting as the match wears on, Taylor said he was happy with the way the New Zealanders had performed on the first day of the series.”I think we’re on top,” Taylor said. “I’m sure they would have liked to have got a few more wickets. I guess the momentum shift a little bit, getting two wickets with myself and Guptill, they would have been a little bit more happy with the day. But I think we’re on top and it’s going to be a hard batting track out there in the third and fourth innings, so we need to score a lot of runs in this first innings.”It’s not a total [that is our target]. It’s more if we can still be batting … at tea we’ll have a sufficient total on the board. It is quite hot out there and hopefully we can keep them out there as long as possible, all going well.”Taylor was especially pleased with the way the openers, Guptill and Daniel Flynn, fought through the new ball to put on 97 for the first wicket. It was just the second time in eight years that a New Zealand opening pair had reached lunch on the first day of a Test with their wickets intact, and it was all the more impressive given that Flynn batted through illness.”They batted very well,” Taylor said. “Flynny was a bit sick out there and he gutsed it out, and he scored a good 40 and it’s not often our opening partnerships go wicketless in the first session, so that’s a positive for us and hopefully they can continue to do that. [Flynn had] just a sore tummy. He was spewing up and things.”Eventually, both openers fell to the spin of Narine, who ended the day with 3 for 73, including his first wicket in Test cricket. He bowled 28 overs and Taylor said the batsmen had found him easier to handle than in the limited-overs games, despite his late wickets.”Red ball and white ball are totally different,” he said. “Red ball, we don’t have to go after him, he has to come and get us. With the white ball we have to attack him and it showed today that if you sit on him, he goes searching. He picked up a couple of wickets towards the end there, but I thought the way we played him was very good and if we can continue that good work then we can get a sizeable total tomorrow.”Narine said it had been hard work for the bowlers on the first day, but West Indies were happy with how the day had ended.”It’s a very good wicket to bat on,” Narine said. “I think once you put down your head and but I don’t think it’s much of a problem. There’s a little bounce and turn in the wicket but you still have to pitch the ball in the right areas. We’re happy the way the day has finished. The way New Zealand started it could have been worse. So we’ll take this and come out fighting tomorrow.”

A couple of days after winning India a game with an unbeaten fifty at No. 6, Suresh Raina has said he wants to bat higher up the order in ODIs so that he can score hundreds and make a case for a Test comeback. Raina, who has played 15 Tests, was ignored for India’s home series against West Indies and the tour of Australia after averaging 13.12 in four Tests in England in mid-2011.”I would love to [move up the order],” Raina said. “If I get to bat up the order I can play more overs and score more hundreds. I have scored only three [ODI] hundreds in my career. I need to play longer innings and score more runs [so that] I can come back into the Test team. Wherever I get a chance to bat, at No. 4, 5 or 6, I have to bat anywhere.”Raina started with a century on Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2010 but has been criticized for failing to tackle the short ball in the format. He said he had been working on the weakness and pointed out that of his eight Test dismissals in England, four had been to the offspinner Graeme Swann.”I have been discussing my batting with Duncan Fletcher (the coach). In Twenty20 and 50 overs you have to play your shots. I am now looking to duck the [short] ball. At the same time I need to score runs, [so I need to] tap the ball and take singles. It’s all mental. If you are playing Test cricket, you have to duck the ball. In England I did not do well. I got out once to the short ball and four-five times to Swann. Still, I have done well in Test cricket. I need to do well in two more [ODI] games and then I can be available for the No. 6 or No. 7 slot [in Tests].”Raina, who has developed a reputation as a fine finisher in limited-overs cricket, credited his “tough days” at the sports hostel in Lucknow for his calm approach under pressure in big games. “[The hostel] didn’t have good facilities. But we would get good inputs and we would practise from that. And we learnt that whatever chances we got, we would remain tough. If we got to bat in pressure situations, we would make sure that we finished the job. I have learnt a lot about middle-order batting from Yuvraj [Singh] and [MS] Dhoni. Dhoni and I have been successful as a pair while chasing.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRichard Levi scored 54 off 30 balls•AFP

South Africa’s bowlers finally arrived in Harare, keeping Zimbabwe to a below-par total in a must-win encounter to book their place in the tri-series final. Zimbabwe, however, managed to delay defeat until the 18th over, which allowed them to qualify as well, pipping Bangladesh on net run-rate. Bangladesh needed the hosts to lose inside 15 overs.An improved Wayne Parnell did the bulk of the damage on a sluggish pitch. His triple-strike midway through the Zimbabwe innings left South Africa with a moderate total to chase. Richard Levi took control of the reply and his half-century led South Africa to a relatively straight-forward win.Zimbabwe had decided to bat and Hamilton Masakadza showed his intent early on, flat-batting Chris Morris for a stunning six over cover. He did not have much support, though, as Vusi Sibanda was out lbw to a full, straight ball from Morris, and Brendan Taylor holed out to mid-on.Masakadza tried to rebuild the innings but became Parnell’s first victim when he decided to accelerate. Masakadza cut towards cover, where Farhaan Berhardien took a low catch that had to be referred to the television umpire. It was shown to be clean and Masakadza’s run of three fifties in as many matches, ended. Parnell struck again in that over to remove Malcolm Waller.Both wicket-taking deliveries in Parnell’s first over were fairly ordinary but he showed marked improvement from the previous matches through better lines and lengths. He claimed a third scalp when Elton Chigumbura edged a ball that moved away slightly.When Chigumbura departed, Zimbabwe were only five down but their tail was already at the crease. It was up to Stuart Matsikenyeri to prevent a collapse and he did through his 32-run stand with Graeme Cremer. An Albie Morkel slower ball eventually accounted for Matsikenyeri, when he hit down the ground and du Plessis took a one-handed catch looking into the sun. Cremer stuck around until the end and showed good temperament to combine with Prosper Utseya and give Zimbabwe 124 to defend.Zimbabwe’s only real sniff at making things difficult for South Africa came in the first over of the chase. Hashim Amla tried to flick Chris Mpofu fine on the leg-side but got an edge that carried to Taylor.Amla’s dismissal allowed for the much-heralded pair of Richard Levi and Faf du Plessis to combine. Levi dominated the 55-run stand and muscled anything too full or straight, which all the Zimbabwe seamers were guilty of bowling, over the leg-side. Du Plessis was caught behind in Jarvis’ second over but Levi powered on.When Levi was run out in the 11th over, he had done enough to put South Africa on course. Richard Muzhange’s yorkers and Cremer’s googlies, however, kept South Africa at bay long enough to ensure Zimbabwe also qualified. Justin Ontong and Behardien could not find the boundary in their 34-run partnership but they secured South Africa’s place in the final.

For the first time since 1964 – at Lord’s against Australia – the first two days of an England home Test were washed out after the second day at Edgbaston went the same way as the first. Such had been the volume of rain in Birmingham that the umpires took the decision shortly after the scheduled lunch interval and no one was surprised.The forecast for the weekend is better – although showers remain likely – but the outfield has taken a battering over recent days and despite improved drainage there are a number of very soggy areas that will cause concern. With the series decided none of the players will want to take risks on a wet outfield.It was clear from well before the start time that play was unlikely and some England players did not bother rushing to the ground. A few used the indoor net facilities while Kevin Pietersen spent time signing autographs for those supporters who lingered through the dire conditions.It remains to be seen whether the shortened match increases the chances of England resting Stuart Broad alongside James Anderson which would mean places for Steven Finn and Graham Onions. However, the second washout gives Shivnarine Chanderpaul further time to rest the side injury that forced him to visit hospital on Thursday.

Allan Donald, the South Africa bowling coach, has denied claims linking him to the Bangladesh coaching job. Donald, along with Mick Newell and Dermot Reeve, was understood to be on the BCB’s wishlist but said he will not consider the offer if he is approached.”I have not had any approach but I would not be interested,” Donald told ESPNcricinfo. “I am doing a job I always wanted to be involved in and I have no inclination to make a move. My interest is with South Africa and I won’t give that up at all.”Donald was named South Africa’s bowling coach in June last year, when the national team management underwent a complete change of guard. Gary Kirsten replaced Corrie van Zyl as coach and headhunted his former team-mate Donald.At the time, Donald was in the process of finalising an agreement with New Zealand, where he had worked as bowling coach. Donald was part of the New Zealand management when they defeated South Africa in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinals and was on the verge of signing for a full-time role when Kirsten came calling. Donald immediately cancelled his deal with New Zealand to take up a position which he said he “always wanted to do.”Donald had previously had roles as England bowling consultant and had done work in Zimbabwe but had not coached in South Africa, even at domestic level. He had often expressed his desire to work in the country he had played for, but opportunities were few. Only when Kirsten chose to involve him did Donald get a taste of coaching in South Africa.Donald has also been allowed to explore other options while with South Africa. He is currently in India for the IPL, where he is working as Pune Warriors’ bowling coach.Donald is the second South African bowling coach to catch the BCB’s eye. They also targeted Vincent Barnes, who was South Africa’s bowling coach for eight years from 2003, when Jamie Siddons resigned mid-2011. Barnes turned down the Bangladesh job and opted for a role at South Africa’s High Performance Centre instead.

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJP Duminy, playing his first Test in two years, showed skill in picking gaps in the field•AFP

New Zealand’s on-field misery matched Wellington’s weather, as South Africa continued their domination via an unbeaten 140-run partnership that took them to 246 for 2. Alviro Petersen went to stumps four short of a third Test hundred, while JP Duminy was on 76. Not even a furious tailwind from the Vance End, nor heavy cloud cover, could conjure a breakthrough for New Zealand, after rain accounted for almost four hours of play first up. Seven overs into the second session, evening gloom set in to end a frustrating day for the hosts, who are quickly running out of time to affect a series-levelling win.Alviro Petersen had been obdurate on the first day, as he fought to make his first substantial contribution of the tour, but adopted a brighter approach early on the second with a fifty beckoning. Chris Martin’s fourth ball was slapped through midwicket, before an edge from an attempted cover drive brought up the milestone. Positivity paying off, he continued in the assured vein, missing few chances to pierce the field when New Zealand erred.Duminy eased to his half-century too, crisp cover-drives characterising his first Test innings in two years as South Africa’s third-wicket stand swelled beyond 100. Adept at finding gaps in the field, Duminy matched his lively partner for pace and outlook. An inside edge over the stumps and a top-edged hook that took him past 50 were the only bumps in an otherwise uncomplicated innings.Ross Taylor might have rued not placing a third slip when second-slip Martin Guptill dived over, then palmed two edges off Petersen, but in between the chances, the New Zealand bowlers rarely looked like taking wickets in the wind. Martin swung the ball modestly early on, but could not maintain the movement for long, while Mark Gillespie’s gun-barrel straight deliveries were navigated without complaint. Daniel Vettori battled the northerly for much of the day, darting balls in to keep his end secure rather than attacking with flight. But even he could not help being unsettled by the gusts, as he regularly offered long hops the batsmen happily dispatched square.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

Match facts

Sunday, April 8, Pune
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Following his solid cameo in Pune Warriors’ opening game, can Robin Uthappa produce a typical blitz?•AFP

Big Picture

After spending a season playing at their surrogate home ground in Navi Mumbai, Pune Warriors are back where they ought to be – in Pune. Here, they will take on Kings XI Punjab at the new Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium. The ground is 28 kms away from the city centre, but optimists among the fans would say that’s 100 kms closer than the DY Patil Stadium. Fresh from their 28-run heist against their more fancied neighbours, Mumbai Indians, Warriors will look to build some momentum against a Kings XI side that was razed by Ajinkya Rahane and Kevin Cooper in Jaipur on Friday.In that game, Adam Gilchrist’s side lacked bite in their bowling. With his reduced pace, Praveen Kumar has been easier to score off all season, and on the flatter pitches of the IPL his form is particularly worrisome. Kings XI’s follow-up bowlers lacked control and variety, and that makes a case for the inclusion of an experienced Twenty20 player like Azhar Mahmood.Warriors will be still be wary though, after their batting appeared light in their last match. In-form Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal could make his IPL debut. Their bowling attack, with its variety, wouldn’t solicit a change.

Players to watch

Robin Uthappa scored an uncharacteristically sedate 36 in Mumbai but, more importantly, controlled the slide with a crucial partnership in the middle overs. A strong hitter, Uthappa would fancy his chances against a less than commanding Kings XI bowling attack.Twenty-year-old Mandeep Singh was the top-scorer for Kings XI in their last outing. In a batting order dominated by the likes of Gilchrist, Shaun Marsh and David Hussey, Mandeep has the talent to become the local mainstay.

2011 head-to-head

Warriors overwhelmed Kings XI twice in an otherwise sorry campaign last year. The bowlers led them to a seven-wicket win in Navi Mumbai and repeated the performance in Mohali, ensuring a five-wicket victory.

Stats and trivia

• Shaun Marsh averages 50.96 for Kings XI, the highest in IPL history.
• Rahul Sharma leads Warriors bowling charts with 17 wickets at an average of 17. Neat.

Quotes

“There is a problem with the white ball on the flat subcontinent wickets. [For the] first few overs it’s manageable, but then both the new balls are an advantage to the batsmen.”

“We have been strictly instructed by Preity [Zinta, Kings XI’s owner] to go slow on serving the players any oily food, even if the cravings are intense.”

Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, has claimed he played no role in the spot-fixing case in which his former Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield has been convicted and sentenced to four months in jail. During Westfield’s sentencing, Kaneria was named in court as the go-between between Westfield and the bookmakers on whose orders Westfield deliberately conceded a fixed number of runs in an over in a Pro40 match in 2009. However, Kaneria, who is captaining Sind in the Pentangular Cup final, has said he is completely innocent.”I am completely innocent from day one. All allegations against me are false,” a nervous-looking Kaneria said repeatedly, after the opening day’s play of the final, in Lahore. “The Essex police cleared me and I have clearance certificates from both the ECB and ICC, so I am not feeling any pressure. I am just enjoying my cricket.”Kaneria later issued a statement that pinned the blame entirely on Westfield, claiming that Westfield had presented himself as “naive and vulnerable” and open to the malign influence of a third party to try to escape a prison sentence.”Westfield is a convicted fraudster and admitted liar,” the statement said. “In trying to reduce his own guilt he has tarnished my name. It was quite clear that Westfield would say anything to avoid a custodial sentence. In court he attempted to portray himself as a naive and vulnerable person who was easily lead astray.”Kaneria and Westfield were both questioned by Essex police in March 2010, regarding a Pro40 match against Durham in September 2009. While Westfield was charged with conspiracy to defraud, Kaneria was released on the grounds of insufficient evidence.Westfield pleaded guilty to spot-fixing charges in January 2012 and was convicted. During his sentencing, Kaneria was named as the middleman in the spot-fixing plot.Kaneria now faces the possibility of a disciplinary tribunal in England. Essex police will hand over the evidence to the ECB, which will decide whether to hold its own investigation. The maximum penalty, if Kaneria is found guilty, is a lifetime ban from all cricket worldwide.When asked if he was ready to face an inquiry in England, Kaneria repeated that all allegations against him are false.The PCB’s integrity committee has offered its full cooperation to the ECB, should the England board decide to hold an inquiry. Farogh Naseem, Kaneria’s lawyer, played down suggestions that his client had new evidence to answer, saying Kaneria had been cleared by the Essex police and the ICC. “It is Westfield’s words against Kaneria and a lot will depend on what evidences he puts before the court against my client,” Naseem said.Kaneria has not been cleared to play for Pakistan since the 2010 Trent Bridge Test against England. He has continued to play domestic cricket in Pakistan. He has persistently pleaded his innocence since the initial arrest and he was selected for a Test series against South Africa in late 2010 before being withdrawn by the PCB because he was not able to obtain the required documentation from Essex police.Last year he also filed a petition in the Sindh High Court against the PCB’s refusal to clear him. The PCB’s integrity committee can now obtain the police investigation records against Kaneria.

Peter Forrest’s chances of making his ODI debut on Sunday in Adelaide have been boosted after the Australian selectors confirmed Michael Hussey would be rested. Australia will take only 12 men to Adelaide for the match against India, with Hussey to remain in Perth and Ben Hilfenhaus heading home to Hobart.The allrounder Mitchell Marsh will join the squad after missing the first two games so he could play in Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield match against Queensland at the Gabba. It remains to be seen whether the selectors will play Marsh and Daniel Christian in the same side given their similar styles, and Christian has done his chances no harm with two solid performances over the past week.The most likely change is a straight swap between Hussey and Forrest, who had been expected to make his debut against Sri Lanka on Friday but was ultimately left out of the side. Prior to the series, the Australian selectors named a squad for the first three ODIs, so a new group will be confirmed for the next portion of the series in the coming few days.Australia David Warner, Matthew Wade (wk), Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (capt), David Hussey, Peter Forrest, Daniel Christian, Mitchell Marsh, Ryan Harris, Clint McKay, Mitchell Starc, Xavier Doherty.