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ScorecardA flurry of wickets from legspinner Donovan Nelson and seamer Derone Davis brought West Indies Under-19s back into the game after Australia Under-19s batsmen had made a strong start on the first day of their Youth Test at the ICC global Academy in Dubai. Nelson and Davis took seven wickets between them as Australia collapsed from 274 for 3 to 350 all out. By the end of the day, West Indies’ batsmen had reached 81 for 2, leaving the match even.Before the collapse, Kurtis Patterson and Cameron Bancroft had given Australia the advantage with a 146-run second-wicket partnership. Patterson went on to get 123 before he became Nelson’s first scalp. Nelson went on to take three more wickets, while Davis took 3 for 61.

ScorecardJason Roy guided Surrey to a four-wicket win over Hampshire in a low-scoring Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B match at the Rose Bowl. The 20-year-old hit a match top score of 76 to help ease Surrey home with more than six overs to spare.Chasing Hampshire’s meagre 141 all out, made in 30 overs, Surrey were in trouble at 45 for 5, still needing another 97 for victory. But Roy teamed up with Matthew Spriegel in a match-winning stand of 95 for the sixth wicket as Hampshire ran out of ideas. Roy hit four fours and a six and faced 108 balls, but it was his ability to dig in during a crisis which proved vital to the Surrey cause.Hampshire chose to bat first and were in trouble from the start, losing both openers, James Adams and James Vince, with only 16 on the board in the third over. There was only one partnership of note, 41 for the fourth wicket between top scorer Liam Dawson and experienced South African Neil McKenzie.Jade Dernbach did most of the damage, removing the dangerous Adams in his first over and then returning to demolish the tail, sending back Benny Howell, Dominic Cork and last man Danny Briggs. Yasir Arafat and Tim Linley each took two wickets and Dawson was the only batsman who made any impression, hitting 34 with only two boundaries.But, if Surrey thought their target was a simple one, they were wrong because both openers, Rory Hamilton-Brown and Steven Davies, were out by the third over and Zander de Bruyn and Tom Maynard soon followed.Gary Wilson was out first ball as spinner Briggs made an instant impression, with two wickets in his first over. At 45 for 5, Hampshire must have fancied their chances of a second win of the season.But, then, Roy and Spriegel began the task of repairing the damage, taking few chances but taking Surrey within sight of their target. Chris Wood prevented Roy finishing off the job by bowling him at the start of the 33rd over, but Chris Schofield got the two runs required from the only ball he faced.Spriegel was 29 not out from 48 balls when the winning runs were scored and Briggs was the most economical of the Hampshire bowlers, taking 2 for 27 from his eight-over allotment.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Shane Watson hit the longest six of the World Cup, a 104 metre monster over long-on•Getty Images

By the time Shane Watson and Brad Haddin were launching the ball with frightening regularity into sparsely populated stands at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Australia had taken control of a game that extended their unbeaten run in World Cups to 34 matches, and vaulted them from fourth to first in Group A. Though the margin of victory – seven wickets with 91 balls to spare – was huge, they did not have it easy throughout. Canada ambushed them with the bat, and then created some chances with the new ball. Australia’s pace and power eventually swamped them but Ashish Bagai’s team exceeded expectations in their final World Cup appearance.When Bagai chose to bat, the probability of an early finish in Bangalore increased significantly, but Australia’s inevitable supremacy was delayed by an extraordinary attack from 19-year-old Hiral Patel, who batted fearlessly to score a rapid half-century off the world’s fastest bowlers. After the labour against Kenya, Ponting had said he wanted to win this convincingly but it wasn’t until the 29th over, by which time Canada had reached 150 for 2, that Australia began to dominate.Their surge was led by the wayward Shaun Tait, who had Bagai edging to Haddin. The ball was now scruffy and had begun to reverse. In his next over, Tait wasted a review on an unsuccessful lbw appeal for the second time, not spotting an inside edge from Zubin Surkari. He floored Surkari, though, with his next two balls, a toe-crushing yorker followed by a full toss that struck the batsman painfully on the thigh. Rattled, Surkari attempted a flamboyant drive after getting back on his feet, and inside-edged on to middle stump.

Smart Stats

• Brett Lee’s 4 for 46 is his second-best figures in World Cups behind his 5 for 42 against New Zealand in 2003. He has 30 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 18.53.

• Canada’s 54 runs in the first five overs is the highest for any team in the first five overs of an innings in the 2011 World Cup. They brought up their fifty in just 4.4 overs.

• From a healthy score of 150 for 2, Canada collapsed to 211 losing their last eight wickets for just 61 runs.

• The 77 runs scored by Canada in the mandatory Powerplay is the fourth highest by any team in the World Cup. The highest is 87 by India against South Africa in Nagpur.

• The 183-run stand between Shane Watson and Brad Haddin is the highest opening-wicket partnership for Australia in World Cups.

• Haddin and Watson became the 32nd Australian pair to aggregate 1000 runs in ODIs. They have now aggregated 1131 runs at an average of 49.17 with three century stands.

• Watson was dismissed for the second time in the nineties in ODIs. Adam Gilchrist has been dismissed six times in the nineties which is the record for an Australia batsman.

• Australia won with 91 balls to spare in the innings. In matches in the 2011 World Cup, it is second to their win over New Zealand in Nagpur in terms of balls remaining. Their record remains the win over Ireland in 2007 when they had 226 balls remaining.

• Ricky Ponting, who has scored 1620 runs in World Cups at an average of 45 has been poor in this tournament. He has scored just 83 runs in four innings at an average under 21.

Between those wickets, Jason Krejza dismissed Jimmy Hansra, whose attempted hit down the ground landed in long-on’s hands. Brett Lee, who bore the brunt of the early onslaught, returned to uproot Rizwan Cheema’s middle stump with a slower ball. Canada lost four wickets in four overs, and five for 19, and were soon dismissed for 211. Having struggled in the field with his injured pinky, Ponting was unhappy, and his frustration showed when he collided with Steve Smith moments before catching Harvir Baidwan. Ponting flung the ball into the ground after taking the catch.The build-up to the game was quiet: the Wednesday crowd was thin, the atmosphere sedentary. And then Patel woke everybody up. Using Lee’s width and pace, he played two cuts. By the time you blinked, the ball had reached the boundary. He took a third four off Lee’s first over with a drive through extra cover. Against Tait, who had focused on bowling full and fast without success, Patel moved back and slammed a length delivery over the cover boundary. After three overs, Canada were 33 for 0.There was no memorable swansong for 40-year-old John Davison, who was playing his final game. After three attacking boundaries, he gloved a slower bouncer from Lee to Haddin, ending the opening stand on 41, Canada’s best of the World Cup.Davison’s dismissal did not deter Patel. He brought up Canada’s 50 off 4.4 overs by edging an attempted loft off Mitchell Johnson so hard that it cleared third man. Realising Patel was at ease with balls in his half, Lee unleashed several short balls and even wanted a chat, but Patel did not bite. And when Lee bowled one short ball too many, Patel hooked, and cleared deep-backward square leg. He reached his half-century off 37 deliveries, and after the mandatory Powerplay, Canada were 77 for 1. Patel’s innings ended when, in the 12th over, he went hard at Watson and Johnson held the catch on the edge of the third-man boundary.Australia slowly brought the run-rate under control. It finally dipped below six in the 19th over. Surkari and Bagai, however, batted steadily during their 68-run association. They steered Canada towards a commendable position before Australia’s fast bowlers came back strongly – Lee finished with 4 for 46 – and set the stage for their batsmen.Haddin and Watson both survived uncertain moments against the new ball before settling in to score at a steady pace. They were tested by Henry Osinde, a well built Uganda-born fast bowler who got the ball to bounce at pace and beat both Haddin and Watson with short balls. Harvir Baidwan could have dismissed Watson on 2 but Rizwan Cheema dropped the lofted mis-hit at mid-on. Haddin could have been dismissed on 23 but Ashish Bagai decided not to review an unsuccessful lbw appeal from Baidwan. Replays showed it was likely to have been overturned.Thereafter opportunities for Canada were few. Haddin and Watson dominated the bowling during the batting Powerplay – 41 runs between overs 21 and 25 – and were soon finding the boundary at will. Both batsmen missed their centuries, though, holing out to catches in the deep, leaving the finish to their mates in the middle order.

Match Timeline

Brett Lee has said that he is looking forward to being the spearhead of the Australia attack in what will be his second, and most probably final, World Cup. Lee is the most experienced bowler in the Australia squad, and has taken 24 wickets in 21 games at an average of 31.54 in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the co-hosts of the tournament.”We all have our roles to play and my role is an attacking one,” Lee told ESPNcricinfo. I want to be the enforcer of the group and be the leader of the attack. I will look to offer as much knowledge to the bowling group as possible.”The Australia attack is composed mostly of bowlers who are prone to leak a few runs in their search for wickets, such as Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and Jason Krejza. But Lee said that an attacking approach was essential on the subcontinent despite the wickets there not being conducive to bowlers.”It’s a terrifically well balanced squad and with Krejza back in the squad it adds a lot of variation and gives us all the options. I am really confident with the bowling group. Patience and variation are crucial, but you still have got to attack even though the pitches are slow and low. There is the opportunity to reverse the ball which does not always happen here in Australia. In India, the pitches seem to scuff the ball quicker and allow the quicks to reverse the ball.”Lee used these attributes to good effect during the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 held in India in 2009, helping New South Wales to the title with eight wickets at an impressive economy rate of 3.76. “It worked well for me in the Champions League, and it’s something I am keen to get right in ODIs in the sub-continent.”Austraila’s recent ODI series against England was the first since October 2009 for Lee, who is coming back from a long-term elbow injury, but he showed no signs of rust, topping the charts with 11 wickets at 24. His focus has been to enjoy playing in Australia colours as he nears the end of his career. “It’s a privilege to play for your country, and I am focused on loving every minute knowing it could all come to an end one day.”Having also missed out on the 2007 World Cup with a damaged ankle, Lee is keen to make up for it now in a part of the world he likes. “It was hard to watch the World Cup after my ankle injury; with my leg in a boot, it was frustrating to watch the boys play knowing I could have been part of that.”I’ve played a lot of cricket in India; Tests, one-dayers, Champions League and IPL. But to play in a World Cup for Australia excites me, and it would be a huge honour to hold the Cup in the air knowing I’m in a great place like India. I have been happy with how I’ve bowled in the last few months and now leaving the Australian shores I’m feeling confident of a successful tournament.”

Queensland 2 for 119 (Hopes 65*, Carseldine 28*) beat Tasmania 8 for 118 (Bailey 37, Rimmington 2-23) by 8 wickets
ScorecardJames Hopes starred in Queensland’s victory with an allround performance•Getty Images

The horrific Queensland weather held off long enough to allow the Bulls to dismantle Tasmania to post their first victory of this year’s Big Bash.Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell Jr conjured a miracle to prepare a playable surface given the apocalyptic rains that have drowned the state over the past three weeks.James Hopes won the toss and sent Tasmania in. It proved to be the correct decision as the hosts bowled and fielded superbly right through the Tasmania innings to restrict them to a below-par 8 for 118 from their 20 overs. The visitors were on the back foot when they lost newly named Australia Twenty20 vice-captain Tim Paine, who played on for 3 in the third over, with just 11 runs on the board.The Tigers also contributed to their own downfall with two needless run-outs. Mark Cosgrove miscalculated while attempting two to Michael Neser running in from deep square leg. An outstanding direct hit found Cosgrove miles short. Then Travis Birt committed cricketing suicide in the next over calling George Bailey through for a single when his captain had merely defended back to the bowler.Bailey tried to mount a rescue mission, top scoring with 37 from 30 balls, including two sixes. He and James Faulkner (24) put on 41 for the seventh wicket to take Tasmania past 100. But Bailey was undone by a clever slower ball from Nathan Rimmington, who bowled brilliantly to finish with 2 for 23, including the wicket of Faulker.The Bulls had one eye on the weather in their chase as opener Chris Simpson got them off to rapid start, clubbing 20 from 11 balls after Michael Lumb fell early. However, he failed to capitalise on his start, as he was bowled by Xavier Doherty in the third over to leave the Bulls at 2 for 25. But Hopes (65 not out) and Lee Carseldine (28 not out) dashed any hopes that Tasmania might have had of a Queensland collapse. They smashed 94 runs off 68 balls to make a mockery of the Tasmanian attack and reach the target with 37 balls to spare. In one stretch of eight deliveries, the experience pair thumped six fours and a six between them.Hopes, who also affected a run-out and took a one-handed catch to dismiss Ryan ten Doeschate, was declared the Man-of-the-Match.Queensland move level with Tasmania on the table with the four other sides playing their second matches across the weekend.

A track expected to take sharp turn awaits Bengal at the Karnail Singh Stadium in their final Ranji Trophy league match against Railways, who need an outright win to boost their chances of jumping from sixth spot into the top three of a tightly contested Group A and qualifying for the quarter-finals.Railways’ decision to go in with three spinners is a clear indication of the home team’s reading of the surface. “Traditionally, the Karnail Singh pitch does turn, and we are expecting it to do so for this game,” Abhay Sharma, the Railways coach, told ESPNcricinfo. There have been reports saying the wicket looks under-prepared, and Bengal are sure it will turn viciously. “I won’t be surprised if I find the spinners get into action from the very first hour tomorrow,” Manoj Tiwary, the Bengal captain, told . WV Raman, the former India opener and Bengal coach, echoed Tiwary’s opinion. “This is a pitch that will do a lot of things.”A source from the Bengal camp was more forthright. “The pitch is really under-prepared. Or should I say carefully prepared,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The good-length spots are so dry; I expect it to crumble and the ball to start exploding from it. It will be a very interesting first day’s play.”Abhay, however, brushed aside concerns about the pitch. “Everyone can have an opinion. It seemed fine to me when I left the ground today. The curator has done his job, and the match referee is there to oversee things.”The Railways coach, who knows the Karnail Singh wicket better than most do, said that at times it behaves the exact opposite of what it is expected to. “Sometimes you think it’s going to turn, but even one innings does not get completed.” Having banked on a spin-heavy attack, Railways will surely be hoping that turn comes into play. They are playing legspinning allrounder Karan Sharma and left-arm spinner Nilesh Chauhan, apart from lead spinner Murali Kartik. While this will be Karan’s first game of the season, Chauhan will be playing only his second first-class match.Bengal are currently one point ahead of Railways, and the preparation of a result-oriented pitch could work in their favour as well, as they too need an outright win to bolster their chances of qualification. They will be hoping that the presence of former India captain Sourav Ganguly works in their favour. This will only be Ganguly’s second match of the season, after the rain-marred game against Tamil Nadu where Bengal didn’t get a chance to bat.”The kind of experience he (Ganguly) has will help Bengal,” says Sanjay Bangar, who is leading Railways after Kartik opted to concentrate on his bowling. Raman thinks it’ll depend on how Ganguly feels mentally. “At this level and the kind of player Sourav is, it’s more about mentally fine-tuning yourself for a first-class match.”Even with an outright win, both teams would need results from the other matches to go in their favour. Click here for the quarterfinal scenarios.

Sachin Tendulkar has singled out early acclimatisation to the South African weather as key to India’s performance on the tour, ahead of the first Test in Centurion on Thursday.”For me, one thing is very important and that is to get acclimatised to local weather conditions,” Tendulkar told . “Preparations have been spot on and the lengthy practice session has given us that opportunity (to get acclimatised). We have had good net sessions under the guidance of coach Gary (Kirsten).”The high-altitude conditions around Johannesburg – Centurion is about an hour’s drive away – posed a challenge, Tendulkar said. “While playing in Johannesburg you have to be extra-careful. It is a high-altitude area, so supply of oxygen is a bit of a problem.”When the tour starts and we step on the cricket field for the first time, we normally start running. While completing the first lap, one can easily feel that the body is not getting enough oxygen. Once you get used to those conditions there is no problem.”Adaptability to the quicker pitches was as much a test for the hosts as it was for India, Tendulkar said. “In South Africa, players and critics always talk about getting used to the pace and bounce of wickets here. For them, this is going to be the start of the season, so wickets are going to be a lot fresher.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outBrendon McCullum found a good mix of defence and attack•Associated Press

At the end of the fourth day, New Zealand needed to bat out one-and-a-half to two sessions to achieve consecutive draws against India, and they had six wickets in hand. Brendon McCullum led their quest for safety with his third century in five Tests this year, but was also looking for a man to stand with him for long enough, after India kept their chances of a win alive with three wickets in the long final session.McCullum used his dazzling strokeplay to spread the fields, an area where India were happy to oblige, and then defended resolutely. However, a mix of an ordinary umpiring decision, a careless shot, and a beauty from Suresh Raina less than half an hour from stumps left New Zealand and McCullum on the edge. Raina’s sharp offbreak to get Jesse Ryder out for 20 sustained the trend of role-reversals after Harbhajan Singh achieved the unique feat of getting consecutive centuries from No. 8, but went wicketless for 23 overs.When New Zealand started their innings inside the first hour of the day, trailing by 122, it was obvious they were the only team that could lose. Yet their openers went about their job in a positive fashion against a Zaheer Khan-less India, wiping off the deficit in 35 overs, posting their first century opening stand since June 2004.India kept the pressure up, though, with timely wickets. Three of the four dismissals involved some umpiring drama. Tim McIntosh, one short of getting a fifty to go with his first-innings century, in the Test immediately after he bagged a pair, was given caught bat-pad when he didn’t seem to have touched the ball. Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor had to wait by the boundary rope as the umpires checked the legality of the deliveries that dismissed them, only to rule in favour of the bowlers, Pragyan Ojha and Sreesanth, on both occasions.McCullum, though, didn’t give the umpires any chance to adjudicate, except for signalling 11 fours and three sixes. His calculated approach of attacking the new bowlers early made the job easier for McIntosh, who – like in first innings – didn’t mind staying inconspicuous.McCullum’s plan worked the best against Sreesanth, whom he cover-drove and upper-cut for boundaries in his first two overs, posting the first double-digit opening stand for New Zealand in five attempts. In Sreesanth’s third over, he top-edged a pull from outside off, but it landed safe, the closest India came to dismissing him. Sreesanth began trying too hard, bowling three no-balls in the first spell of four overs, cutting the side crease once. Both openers then negotiated him with ease.

Smart Stats

• Harbhajan Singh scored his second hundred of the series in consecutive innings. He now has 295 runs in 3 innings which is the highest aggregate by a batsman from either side.

• Harbhajan now has two centuries at No.8 which puts him second in the list of No.8 batsmen with most centuries.

• With 14 sixes this year, Harbhajan is on top of the list of batsmen with most sixes in 2010. His seven sixes in the innings is joint second in the list of Indian batsmen with most sixes in a Test innings.

• The 105-run stand between Harbhajan and S Sreesanth is the third highest for India for the tenth-wicket overall and the second highest in home Tests.

• The century stand between Brendon McCullum and Tim McIntosh was only the second for the opening wicket for New Zealand against India since 2000 and their seventh overall.

• McCullum, who made an unbeaten 124, averages 71 in three matches when he has not been a wicket-keeper and 34.77 in 51 matches played as a keeper.

It didn’t help India that Zaheer pulled up with an abdominal strain and left the field midway into his fifth over. More so, since Zaheer was the only bowler who created opportunities against the openers, inducing two edges in the first over, both from McIntosh, that flew between second slip and gully.Against the other bowlers, McCullum continued with his strategy. He hit the fourth ball he faced from Harbhajan for a straight six, and the fifth and sixth from Ojha for a six and a four. McIntosh also grew in confidence, and came down the track to both spinners and lofted them into the cow-corner area, in a fashion reminiscent of Stephen Fleming.Just before tea, though, with nothing happening for India, they got a lucky break through McIntosh’s wicket. Post the break, McCullum remained in control, sweeping the spinners all over the park even as Zaheer served time on the field to become eligible to bowl again. In one Harbhajan over, McCullum took four and two with reverse-sweeps, a two with the powerful conventional sweep, and a four with the paddled variety. Two Harbhajan overs later, he brought up his hundred with a cut in front of square to beat the deep point, off 132 balls, in a team total of 174.At the other end, though, Guptill looked to cut fullish deliveries once too often and edged Ojha. Sreesanth delivered an inspired spell with the old ball, reversing through a small gap between Ross Taylor’s bat and pad. At three down with just 65 runs in New Zealand’s credit, McCullum took more responsibility on himself, getting extra-cautious, determined to play out the day.Ryder, on the other hand, found some fluency to take the lead speeding past 100, but was undone by a sharp offbreak from Raina. It angled in towards off, and broke and bounced to take the faint edge. The last 25 minutes were dedicated to defence, Harbhajan threatened to bringing the close-in fielders into play but Kane Williamson survived the tense moments.Harbhajan, though, would have loved to carry his batting form from the morning session. It was his batsman-like effort that made sure India wouldn’t lose the match. Resuming on 85, Harbhajan showed no anxiety whatsoever in getting to the hundred, also taking his stand with Sreesanth to 105, the third-highest for an Indian last wicket.

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi is the second former India captain, after Sunil Gavaskar, to refuse a post on the IPL’s governing council. Pataudi and Gavaskar served on the league’s original council but decided not to be part of the reconstituted body after the BCCI said that council members would not be paid henceforth.”I have written a letter to the BCCI which states that I do not wish to continue with the governing council,” Pataudi told the . “Earlier I was on a contract with the IPL, but the new changes are unacceptable for me. So, I have decided to move on.”Under the old system, headed by Lalit Modi, the three former cricketers on the council – Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Pataudi – were paid Rs 1 crore (approximately $220,000) for their services. The BCCI, however, said at its annual general meeting that members would no longer receive a salary. A day later, Gavaskar turned down the BCCI’s offer to be part of the governing council, saying he felt that the IPL was a commercial enterprise and those working for it should be remuneratedDoing away with salaries was only one of the wholesale changes the BCCI made to the league’s governing council. It dissolved the existing body and set up a new one with Chirayu Amin as the chairman. The council also included five other members – Arun Jaitley, Ranjib Biswal, Anurag Thakur, Ajay Shirke and Rajiv Shukla – and two former cricketers, one of whom was Shastri, who agreed to work in an honorary capacity.

Former ICC president Ray Mali has been appointed the interim administrator of the Gauteng Cricket Board as part of an effort on the part of Cricket South Africa to resolve the dispute among members of the board. CSA had set up a fact-finding commission to investigate the dispute and among its recommendations was the establishment of an interim structure, comprising an independent administrator who will be assisted by an advisory panel.Mali will head a nine-member interim board of elected representatives. They are Anne Vilas, Dan Pehla, Doug Nielson, Dr Mohammed Moosajee, Faisel Salie, Hussain Manack, Mandla Tisani and Patrick Moroney. Another position on the board has been reserved for a representative from Soweto, and elections are due in September.The crisis within the GCB can be traced to its dispute with CSA over the running of the IPL in South Africa in 2009. The differences with CSA were resolved when it was agreed – following a mediation process involving South Africa’s Ministry of Sport – that the GCB would elect a new board from the province’s “advantaged and disadvantaged clubs,” the appointment of a Change Management Committee and the drafting of a new constitution.The interim board will have the responsibility of reviewing GCB’s constitution, the operational procedures of the board and appointing a chief executive officer.