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Division One

Nottinghamshire became the first side to notch a win in 2008’s Championship with a comprehensive rout of Kent, who were beaten by 10 wickets at Canterbury. Nottinghamshire only needed 22 runs to complete the victory with Will Jefferson (5) and Matthew Wood (17) guiding them home.Hampshire’s match against the champions Sussex ended in a predictable draw, with rain preventing any play on the fourth day at The Rose Bowl.Persistent drizzle in London also called a halt to the game at The Oval, with Surrey drawing their match against Lancashire.

Division Two

Essex eased to their first win of the season, beating Northamptonshire by nine wickets on the final day at Chelmsford. After their poor day yesterday, when they slipped to 38 for 4, Northants’ batsmen fared much better with Lance Klusener cracking 92. But he became David Masters’ fourth victim, Essex dismissing Northants for 237 to leave the home side needing a mere 15 to win. Jason Gallian fell for 1 but Varun Chopra saw them home in the third over.Nadeem Malik took 5 for 51 to spark a mini Middlesex collapse in which they lost their last five wickets for 141 as Leicestershire romped to a six-wicket win at Grace Road. Owais Shah notched his fifty, adding to the fine 116 he made in the first innings, and Shaun Udal also cracked his maiden half-century for his new county, but Middlesex fell away to be dismissed for 258, leaving Leicestershire 166 to win. Chris Silverwood nipped out two early wickets to give Middlesex hope, but Matthew Boyce’s 66 and an unbeaten 69 from Jim Allenby urged Leicestershire to their target.Tony Frost, Ant Botha and drizzly conditions in Birmingham all conspired against Worcestershire, who were denied an opening victory against Warwickshire on the final day at Edgbaston. Resuming on 26 for 3, Warwickshire’s resilience began with the nightwatchman, Lee Daggett, frustrating for nearly an hour before he was bowled by Gareth Batty. Navdeep Poonia followed almost immediately, and when Luke Parker edged to gully, the hosts were 109 for 7. Enter Frost (46*) and Botha (18*) who ground Worcestershire down for an hour-and-a-half, and inclement weather prevented any further action after tea.No play was possible between Gloucestershire and Derbyshire at Bristol, the match dribbling to a damp draw.

Northamptonshire escaped any penalty for the state of their Wantage Road pitch after Matthew Hayden staged a batting masterclass to leave his Northamptonshire side in charge against Essex.The tall Australian cracked a six and 17 fours in his magnificent 164 off 260 balls as Northants closed on 337 for seven, a lead of 104 with two days remaining.And Hayden’s men were able to celebrate their promotion into Division One, albeit 24 hours late, following the ECB pitch panel’s decision not to order a deduction of points.Phil Sharpe, the Board’s Pitch Liason Officer, said: “During the cricket on the first day the ball turned sufficiently to warrant a further inspection, and I asked for a second opinion.””Having seen the cricket on the second day, along with Alan Smith, we came to the conclusion that this was not a substandard pitch and did not warrant a rating of poor.”Hayden and David Sales (61) posted 122 in 34 overs for the third wicket after off-spinner Tim Mason had removed Adrian Rollins and Jeff Cook cheaply.Sales struck nine boundaries in his 109-ball knock before edging Peter Such to slip, but Hayden powered on and gave a superb demonstration of footwork and concentration, securing three batting bonus points.”It has been a stressful day for us. Now we can celebrate a bit,” commented Northants’ relieved Director of Cricket Bob Carter when the panel’s findings were eventually announced shortly after tea.

Shabbir Ahmed’s hard work, Yasir Hameed’s determination and Abdul Razzaq’s big heart combined at a crucial time to give Pakistan the edge in this five-match one-day series. The trio turned in sterling performances to put Pakistan 2-1 up, leaving India under extra pressure in the fourth one-dayer at Lahore (which starts at 0900 GMT on Sunday).This series, like most modern limited-overs tournaments or series, has been underscored by the amount players have had to travel in a short span of time.Between March 11 and 24 – just 13 days – India will have played six matches in four cities. Now, though, it’s crunch time, and both teams settle down in Lahore for two day-night clashes.In the warm-up match here against Pakistan A, the Indians got a taste of what was in store. On a flat pitch, they piled on a massive 335, only to see it easily overhauled by some brash youngsters. This time around, though, they go to Lahore in a much better frame of mind. At Peshawar the bowlers got some much-needed respite from the monotonous thrashing of earlier matches.Zaheer Khan, who started the series as India’s spearhead but quickly became a liability, is rediscovering the rhythm that brought him so much success at home and away. Irfan Pathan showed he was not overawed by the big occasion. And Lakshmipathy Balaji, after beginning well and then fading a touch, rediscovered his line and length.What’s more, Balaji has contributed with the bat on the two occasions he has been called to do so. His 21 from 12 balls at Peshawar included a flicked six that landed in the press box, and prompted John Wright, the coach, to say he was “more than pleasantly surprised” by Balaji’s batting.Murali Kartik has not had the best time of it of late, and was replaced by Ramesh Powar, who is yet to take a backward step. Amit Bhandari’s arrival in Lahore gives the team an extra option they’re unlikely to exercise immediately.Most batsmen in the top order have runs under their belts. Sourav Ganguly has twice looked good for big scores and thrown it away. VVS Laxman is back in business, and was unlucky to be given out lbw at Rawalpindi. Mohammad Kaif is yet to show the form that makes him India’s preferred No. 7 batsman, but the team has adequate cover in Hemang Badani.Pakistan have it a touch easier than the Indians at this stage. Their bowlers are firing on all cylinders. Shoaib Akhtar has bowled far better than his figures indicate. Shabbir Ahmed’s return to the team, and wicket-taking form, has given Pakistan the luxury of bowling Mohammad Sami at first change. Sami is far more comfortable bowling with an older ball, and is lethal when he gets it right.Before the tour started, Pakistan’s major worry was their batting. So far, though, things have gone well in that department. Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana, the captain and vice-captain, have shown the way, but the others have picked up the gauntlet magnificently. Hameed has provided the solidity up the order that allows Pakistan to unleash Shahid Afridi on hapless bowlers.In Peshawar, Razzaq showed that he still believed in himself enough to change the course of a match. Every time India threatened to crawl their way back into the match, Razzaq stamped on them.This series has provided three close finishes so far, and for it to remain alive to the end, India must win this fourth one-dayer. History does not favour the Indians – they have never won at Lahore – but, Ganguly insists he has no interest in reading about history. He is more concerned with rewriting it.Pakistan (probable): 1 Shahid Afridi, 2 Yasir Hameed, 3 Yousuf Youhana, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Younis Khan, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Moin Khan (wk), 8 Shoaib Malik, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Shabbir Ahmed.India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 5 Rahul Dravid (wk), 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mohammad Kaif, 8 Ramesh Powar, 9 Irfan Pathan, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Lakshmipathy Balaji.

Scorecard
Australia, on the basis of a superior average net run-rate through the tournament, have progressed to the final of the fifth place play-off in the Under-19 World Cup, after their match against Bangladesh at the Bayuemas Oval was abandoned due to rain.Chasing 116, Australia’s openers, Kirk Pascoe and Marcus Stoinis, had put on 18 runs in six overs before the players were forced off the field as the skies opened up. Earlier, the Australian bowlers combined well to send Bangladesh crashing from 51 for 1 to 115 all out. Clive Rose, the left-arm spinner, and right-arm seamer David King were the pick of the bowlers, taking two important middle-order wickets apiece. Rose accounted for Bangladesh’s top scorer, Amit Majumder, who made a 79-ball 43, while King bowled their captain, Suhrawadi Shuvo, for 1.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A triple strike in the first four overs of the match swung the game Pakistan’s way on the opening day of the first Test at Faisalabad, before a grim 97 not out from Thilan Samaraweera clawed back a modicum of respect for Sri Lanka. Pakistan’s fast bowlers were rewarded for their discipline as they tore the top order apart in a matter of minutes, and Samaraweera aside, the rest wilted in the face of some accurate pace and guile, as Sri Lanka limped to 233 for 7 at stumps.Shoaib Akhtar was deadly from the word go. He varied his pace and swing cannily and made the batsmen play at almost everything. Mohammad Sami also posed some searching questions early on before producing a really probing spell after tea, when he broke the partnership that had partially revived the Sri Lankan innings. Samaraweera gritted it out amid the ruins and strung together two crucial partnerships, but the damage had been done in the first fifteen minutes of the day and Pakistan were in control throughout.After electing to bat first, Marvan Atapattu lasted just three balls. An angled delivery from Shoaib pitched on middle, cut in a shade and struck the back leg. In his next over Shoaib lured Kumar Sangakkara into a back-foot punch, that took the edge and flew to Imran Farhat at third slip. Sami then produced a beauty to remove Mahela Jayawardene with a perfect outswinger and Sri Lanka were 9 for 3 before the spectators could even settle in their seats.Sanath Jayasuriya and Samaraweera set about repairing the damage in contrasting styles. Jayasuriya slashed wildly at anything wide of the stumps, and was extremely fortunate to be reprieved twice, while Samaraweera was more intent on preserving his wicket. Jayasuriya lived on the edge throughout his stay and struggled in particular against Abdul Razzaq, who pitched it on a good length and moved it away consistently. He was dropped twice off Razzaq: Inzamam muffed a low chance in the slips before Shoaib Malik reacted late to one that whizzed to him at gully. But Jayasuriya didn’t capitalise on these large dollops of fortune and fell to Sami soon after, swishing at a wide one. Asim Kamal found himself at the receiving end of the screamer which he juggled before clutching on with one hand (77 for 4).

Samaraweera inched his way towards a seventh Test fifty, nudging and pushing when the opportunity arose. He shuffled across the crease early in his innings, which nearly caused his downfall although Steve Bucknor turned down Razzaq’s huge appeal for lbw. But unlike Jayasuriya, Samaraweera chose to play along the ground on most occasions. Watching the ball closely, he played as late as possible and negated any movement off the pitch.He was much more at home against the spinners and even danced down the pitch a couple of times. When on 63, he suffered a bout of cramps that forced him to bat with a runner but he didn’t hold back against the fast bowlers late in the day. Rocking onto the back foot, he pulled Shoaib and Sami fiercely and even got a bit cheeky, with a series of controlled glides.After adding 68 with Jayasuriya, Samaraweera put on 65 more with Jehan Mubarak, who was not fazed by Shoaib’s hostility in spite of it being only his third Test. He displayed the maturity that the situation demanded, and a majestic pull was followed by two square drives as he clattered 12 off one Shoaib over. But he fell soon after tea, hanging his bat indecisively to a short one from Sami, as Inzamam latched on to a straightforward chance at first slip.Chaminda Vaas and Rangana Herath displayed some gumption to provide Samaraweera with some critical support, as he soldiered on towards his hundred. He needed three more when bad light stopped play, and unlike his previous three hundreds, which had all come in run-feasts, this innings helped Sri Lanka wriggle out of a really tight corner.Samaraweera’s knock ensured that Sri Lanka didn’t sink, but thanks to that devastating early burst, Pakistan still held the initiative at the close.

Sachin Tendulkar has been discharged from hospital after making a good recovery from his shoulder surgery in London.”The operation was a complete success and when I visited Sachin yesterday afternoon I was pleased to see that he has made a good recovery,” Dr Andrew Wallace told PTI.Tendulkar underwent arthroscopic surgery on Monday to stabilise his shoulder joint and reattach a damaged bicep tendon to his upper arm bone. According to Wallace, Tendulkar’s shoulder injury is not as serious as the tennis elbow that struck a year and a half ago. He said Tendulkar was beginning to be more comfortable wearing a sling and was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday evening.

Jason Gillespie has kicked off Australia’s pre-Ashes training by saying England’s two Tests against Bangladesh are good only for their statistics. Gillespie, who arrived early for the camp in Brisbane with Shaun Tait yesterday, said England’s innings victory at Lord’s wouldn’t hurt the bowlers’ confidence.”But they know that it’s not really competition compared to what we’re going to give them,” he told the Courier-Mail. “As a player, you don’t take a lot from those games except for good stats. You can look at it from the point of view that time in the middle is good for batters against any opposition.”Gillespie has been training hard in Adelaide, but said being involved in the camp made him realise how close the tour was. “We’ve had a good break since New Zealand,” he told the paper. “Towards the end of that tour, I was thinking ‘let’s knock these guys over and get out of here’. It was purely a mental thing and it was one of the more challenging tours I had been on. But I feel great physically.”Australia leave for the two one-day series and the five Tests on Saturday. The first match of the tour is against Leicestershire at Grace Road on June 11.

The inaugural overseas tour by Canada women will feature five matches in Trinidad and Tobago. The team leaves on April 10 for their two-week trip including two matches against Trinidad & Tobago Under-21. They also have two games against a Development XI and one against Tobago with the National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Couva, Trinidad their main base.Mona Persaud is to captain Canada for the first time on this trip. Speaking after a practice session at Etobicoke’s Qasra Sports, she said: “It is a very young team. Not all the girls have got much experience but we are looking forward to this first Canadian team tour. It is going to be tough but we have been working hard.”The players had been through fitness exercises and fielding drills in addition to batting and bowling in the nets. “Hopefully we will get more exposure so we can attract people to the game.”Sheryl Tittlemier, who is based in Ottawa but was born in Selkirk, Manitoba said: “I am absolutely looking forward to the trip” but was “not looking forward to the weather.” It has been a snowy winter in the GTA and Ottawa but the trip will bring a major contrast in temperature.”This will be my third full season, after attending practices about four years ago.”Her family has about 25 years’ involvement in baseball. “A good friend of mine, who comes from Trinidad, Greg Tony, was responsible for me getting into cricket.” Tittlemier plays with the men’s club New Edinburgh in the Ottawa Valley Cricket Council as a right-handed batsman. “I can’t say enough good things about the guys at the club that I play with.”This trip comes before the season has begun in Canada, so the heat is unlikely to be the only challenge, although the schedule was adjusted to ensure the players have a day or so to practice before the first match which, in reality, is not a lot of time.Canada beat Bermuda and Argentina to win the first ICC Americas Regional Women’s Championship in August 2007, but lost to the Trinidad & Tobago Under-17s. But it was useful experience albeit experience gained eight or nine months ago.ScheduleApril 13 v Development XI (National Cricket Centre, Couva)
April 15 v Tobago (Tobago)
April 17 v Trinidad & Tobago Under 21 (UWI, St Augustine)
April 19 v Development XI (NCC)
April 20 v Trinidad & Tobago Under-21 (NCC)

DD coverage has been totally appalling and it doesn’t have professionalism to match the private channels. There should be accountability on the part of DD employees. They think nobody can question them as they are working in a government organization. They can be stripped of their work for the way they are doing this coverage. Sivakumar VeeramaniDoordarshan has been depriving the Indian cricket fan of the pleasure of watching cricket in a proper manner for decades. The ads start even before the commentator has barely finished announcing the score at the end of an over. If there was a good shot played on the last ball of an over, they don’t even bother to wait till the replay is shown. It is really a shame. There should be some strong legislation in place to stop this greed. Yashodhan GuneThe worst bit is the first ball of the day. They show us the fielding team walking on the ground and immediately, the next second, the bowler is at the bowling crease, bowling the first ball of the day. There is no organized and structured telecast. Ravi KiranTrue, the quality of coverage is poor, but still there is some cricket on view for the ordinary people. If you were in the U.K., there is none from 2006 onwards for the common public — you need to subscribe to expensive Sky Sports. I am somewhat sympathetic towards Doordarshan. Parimal BagIt is a shame that Doordarshan was finally awarded the rights to telecast the home cricket matches. Your article reminded me of the four and five ball overs. I remember commercials ran till just in time to show the bowler releasing the second ball of the over. People may argue it is free. Watching cricket on Doordarshan is a pain. Ranganatha GonuguntaI totally agree with the issue regarding Doordarshan’s way of broadcasting .The post-match shows make no sense to a person with any knowledge of cricket. In this age of modern daycricket what the people want is some serious cricket stuff and not the stupid smiles and funny banter. Let God drive some sense into the heads of the BCCI administrators. It is for them to see that the people of India are not taken for a ride. ViswanathanI am a member of the Bharat Army in the UK, we follow Indian cricket with real passion but as fans we feel let down by the last minute TV rights farce as well as incompetent coverage. Last year sky sports managed to get rights for the India v Pakistani series. It was superb coverage as we got to even see what it meant to India to win as we could see the post-match celebrations and interviews. With other broadcasters we pay money and we are not returned with the proper level of service we deserve. As soon as a session is over, it’s straight to commercials and songs with Sony TV. We get to see no real analysis of each of the sessions and it’s a real shame. The successful bidder should be chosen on how well they will provide the coverage, not on how much they are willing to bid. Harminder DuhraI honestly and truly agree with the article on Doordarshan. I believe cricket is being absolutely stripped of its pride and honor when money and profits take priority over the game itself. I would have loved to hear what Dravid had to say about his artistic innings that day. I would have loved to hear what Inzaman had to say at the end of his patient and hard fought innings. A series between India and Pakistan is indeed worth more than any amount of money to the millions watching, it carries so much history, pride and spirit. I really do not care if Sachin likes his new bike. I do however care about how he would review his own innings or the team’s performance. Gaurav SokhiDoordarshan should be disqualified from telecasting anything live. KarthikIn fact their telecast is so grossly incompetent that one is left full of disgust and in deep despair when such important occasions are missed. Events like close calls, replays, and so many other interesting scenes are just not shown. TilakI wish these Indian organizations and many others could reach some level of professionalism. ButI guess that would be too much to ask for. Foreign channels like ESPN-Star are no saints. But at least they deliver what they charge the people for: a broadcast that is full of quality and that complements the sport. Bruce DePenhaDoordharshan survives because it is the only channel that is available to everyone in India. Chandrabhas NarayanaIf Doordarshan wants to telecast matches in the national interest, then why are they in a money-making frenzy? Can there be a solution to this, because just the thought of the same thing happening during the nail biting one-day series that is going to follow just gives me nightmares. Girish RajIt is embarrassing to see a national network, my national network, to be so horribly amateur. I’ve seen high school productions with better skills than Doordarshan. They claim to show cricket for the people! I cannot imagine anybody actually enjoying the coverage. Ritesh RathiLet us know what you think

Pedro Collins, the left-arm fast bowler, has replaced the injured Fidel Edwards in a 13-man West Indies squad for the second Test against India beginning at St. Lucia on Saturday. Edwards suffered a hamstring strain during the first Test and it is doubtful whether he would be able to take any further part in the series.The West Indies Cricket Board confirmed Edwards’ unavailability: “Edwards suffered a strain to his right hamstring during the first Test match and has been ruled out of the second game. He will return to his native Barbados while Collins will join the squad in St. Lucia tomorrow.”Bennett King, the coach of West Indies, voiced concerns over Edwards’ availability. “He is not playing in the second Test but we are hopeful of the third,” he said. “It’s going to be touch and go, and even in the fourth, it’s still going to be touch and go. It’s not great news but we’ll see how it goes.”Collins, with 96 wickets from 29 Tests, last played against South Africa in April 2005.West Indies squad: Brian Lara (capt), Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-capt), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Corey Collymore, Pedro Collins, Dave Mohammed.