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Stuart Clark took a five-wicket haul to help New South Wales to a 200-run Pura Cup victory against South Australia, who required 495 to win. They were eventually bundled out for 295, with fighting half-centuries from Callum Ferguson and Nathan Adcock.Ferguson (81) and Adcock (67) put on 107 runs to show resistance, but Ferguson fell before lunch, opening the door slightly for NSW. He was caught behind off Nathan Bracken. Adcock then added 66 with Graham Manou, who scored 33. But right after lunch both fell in quick succession, with Clark and Bracken taking a wicket each (244 for 7).Clark then removed Daniel Cullen and Paul Rofe, ending with 5 for 91. This was NSW’s fourth outright win in six games.

The Pakistan cricket team has finally arrived in India, ahead of their first Test and one-day series in the country for six years. The players touched down in New Delhi at 1430 hours on a PIA flight amid tight security arrangements. Pakistan are due to play three Tests and six one-day internationals with the first Test at Mohali on March 8.The tour had been delayed by a week because of a disagreement over TV rights, but there was no bad blood in evidence at Indira Gandhi airport, where the players, dressed in green blazers and most of them sporting sunglasses, were given a warm welcome from airport staff and wellwishers.The players were greeted by senior officials from the BCCI, including the vice-president Rajiv Shukla, and were adorned with traditional garlands. Then it was into a coach and off to a five-star hotel on the southern outskirts of Delhi.Pakistan’s last visit to India was in 1998-99, when they tied the two-Test series at 1-1, before going on to win the opening fixture of the Asian Test Championship at Kolkata. It is their seventh tour of India since 1952-53.

Glenn McGrath says Australia are favourites for the one-off Test and three one-dayers against the ICC World XI at Sydney and Melbourne. The series is more than eight months away, but McGrath has already begun firing his verbal volleys.”As a team unit, we probably should be favourites,” he was quoted in the Sportal website. “The other guys are class players but they haven’t played together, so it will be interesting to see how they do team up. It’s probably been a while since we haven’t been favourites going into a match, so we’ll see how we go.”Australia are assured of playing the Test against the World XI due to their unassailable lead in the ICC Test championship standings. They also hold a commanding lead in the one-day rankings, although New Zealand have a mathematical chance of overtaking them if Australia lose their next seven matches before the cut-off.The World XI selectors will announce a preliminary squad of 30 players at the end of April, while the final Test and one-day squads will be named in August. The one-dayers will be played at Melbourne on October 5, 7, and 9, while the Test – a six-day affair – will start on October 14 at Sydney.McGrath said the aim wasn’t to prove that Australia were the best team of all time. “It’s not up to the players to say whether we’re a great team or not, but if we can do well and turn around and win it, then I’m sure there will be a few comments floating around,” he said.”At the end of the day when we’re out in the middle, we want to play against the best players in the world, and if you can do well against them, then that’s your true standing in the big picture.”McGrath, who turns 35 next week, is set to play his 200th one-day international when Australia take on Pakistan in the first final of the VB Series, and needs only two more wickets to reach a milestone of 300 ODI scalps. “For any fast bowler to reach 200 is a pretty big thing. Three-hundred one-day wickets, for me personally, is a pretty big milestone and something I will be very happy and honoured to achieve if and when I get there.”

Gary Keedy says he is hurt – but not bitter – by being overlooked by England as understudy to Ashley Giles. Keedy, Lancashire’s slow left-arm bowler, took the most wickets in domestic cricket last season, with 72 victims, and had a successful season the previous year, where he took 60 wickets at 25.53.”There was no phone call for South Africa and it hurt," Keedy, 30, told BBC Sport, "especially after being in the frame for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, missing out and then having an even better season. I’m not sour about it and I’m not looking for explanations – I know they don’t have to give me one – but sometimes you have to pick players for what they do on merit.Keedy admits, however, that his batting may let him down, and that is where his rival Gareth Batty steals an advantage. “I was disappointed not to go to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2003 because of the season I’d had," he added. "Gareth Batty and Ashley can bat better than me but, as far as the bowling goes, I had a good 2003 and backed it up with a good 2004. I’m not sour. They have reasons for it and I’ll just go along with it.”

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Punjab’s tenacious methods inched them close to a spot in the finals of the Ranji Trophy and they needed 68 more, with six wickets in hand, to upstage Mumbai, the defending champions, in their own backyard. All their top-order batsmen chipped in with gritty efforts as they ended the day on 226 for 4, in a comfortable position.After collapsing for 126 in the first innings, the Punjab batsmen put together some vital partnerships this time. Ravneet Ricky and Reetinder Sodhi built a solid base while Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Mongia and Pankaj Dharmani ground out crucial 40s. Dharmani was unbeaten when stumps were drawn and found good support in Gaurav Gupta, who was batting on 34.Earlier Mumbai had managed to stretch their lead to 294 thanks to Nishit Shetty’s superb 69. He added 75 with Nilesh Kulkarni, the No. 10, and in hindsight the game would have been over on the third day itself if that partnership hadn’t prospered.Mumbai have shown tremendous resilience and produced moments of magic over the last three years. However, this revitilised Punjab team possesses the big-match players to ensure against such minor miracles. Either way, it promises to be an enthralling first hour tomorrow.

Sourav Ganguly is unlikely to play in the crucial fifth one-day international against Pakistan, despite being free to do so after the Indian board appealed against his six-match ban. Sources in the board have indicated that Ganguly was likely to sit out the match.Halfway through Thursday, even after the team had concluded its practice session at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur, they did not know whether Ganguly would be playing or not. He had not reached Kanpur, and Rahul Dravid, who will lead the team in Ganguly’s absence, was unable to say with certainty whether he would play or not. “We have not been intimated about it and we are preparing as normal,” Dravid told the press at a routine pre-match briefing. Saddled with leading the team at the last moment, Dravid did not complain, only saying: “It’s a great challenge [to captain India]. The team is looking forward to the game, and I hope to get support from the squad.”This comes subsequent to Ganguly appointing two lawyers to handle his appeal. Sidhartha Shankar Ray, the veteran lawyer, and Usha Nath Banerjee, the board’s counsel, will be representing him once again. These two successfully handled Ganguly’s previous appeal, when he was banned for one Test match by Clive Lloyd for India’s slow over rate in the Platinum Jubilee one-dayer against Pakistan.”I am happy to argue for the Indian captain again,” Ray was quoted as saying in a Bengali newspaper. Ganguly also found support for his appeal from the board in the form of Rajeev Shukla, the vice-president. “The appeal is justified because banning the captain for six matches is too harsh,” Shukla was quoted as saying by AFP.

England will use the taste of success they experienced in the Champions Trophy in September, where they reached the final, to push their bid to regain the Ashes, according to Andrew Flintoff. Flintoff, in an interview with the Sun, said it would be the “closest-fought series they’ve had in a while”.”Hopefully, by September, we shall have won the Ashes,” he told the United Kingdom tabloid. “In the past 18 months, under Michael Vaughan’s captaincy, we have improved to such an extent that we believe we can beat anybody.”Flintoff said Australia were a great side and deserved to be No. 1 because of their treatment of other teams. “We got the taste against them last year by beating them in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy and now we want those Ashes back,” he said.Returning to bowling for Lancashire after an ankle operation, Flintoff is ready for the two Tests against Bangladesh. He will be further rehabilitated in preparation for his first Test against Australia during the two one-day series before the Ashes begins at Lord’s on July 21. “No matter what I have achieved before in my career, I know I shall get judged on what I do against the Aussies,” he told the paper.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has been dropped from the Sri Lankan Test squad for the series against Pakistan, starting at Faisalabad on October 20. Dilshan is one of the five players who have been replaced from the one-day team, which is currently taking part in the tri-nation PakTel series.The others who will return after the tri-series final are Avishka Gunawardena, Saman Jayantha, Nuwan Zoysa and Kaushal Lokuarachchi. Dilshan was having a tough time with the bat in Sri Lanka’s recent series against Australia and South Africa. After his 104 against Australia at Galle in March this year, Dilshan has crossed 40 just once in 14 innings.As exclusively reported in the on Wednesday, the five players who were chosen as replacements were: Thilan Samaraweera, Jehan Mubarak and Ian Daniel, Lasith Malinga, and Romesh Kaluwitharana, the wicketkeeper.Sri Lanka will take on Pakistan in a day-night encounter on Thursday before the same two teams clash for the title on October 16 at Lahore.

At least the rain stopped yesterday. But that was the only good newsavailable for England’s cricketers, who found themselves unable to make itonto a playing field for the third consecutive day. This time, however, theycouldn’t even make the 75-minute trip to the indoor facilities at the BKSPsports academy, because of the death of their coach driver’s father late onThursday night.With most of the Muslim population devoting themselves to Friday prayers, itproved impossible to find a replacement driver at such short notice. Butgiven the state of Dhaka’s roads, England would probably have been quiterelieved not to be subjected to the whims of a novice behind the wheel oftheir coach.On a muggy but drizzle-free day (to use the local vernacular, in which a torrential downpour counts as a light shower), England were at least able to set foot onto the hotel tennis courts for some fitness drills. They then travelled the short distance to the national hockey stadium, which is situated right next to the waterlogged Bangabandhu, where it is hoped that the first practice match – against the Bangladesh Cricket Board President’s XI – will get under way on Sunday.Given the condensed nature of the tour, the team that is selected for thatmatch is likely to be a fair reflection of the intended Test side. “In 10days’ time, fingers crossed, I’m going to be playing a Test match and I’mpretty excited by it,” said Chris Read, who is the front-runner for thewicketkeeping spot that Alec Stewart finally vacated in September. “ButI’ve not even seen a pitch yet.”England’s only other selection dilemma pits Rikki Clarke against PaulCollingwood for the pivotal No. 6 slot, a position that has been left openby Andrew Flintoff’s late withdrawal with a groin strain.

The first test match between Pakistan and Australia came to a thrilling conclusion on Monday, and though it may have been a bitter disappointment for all Pakistani fans, the Pakistan team can certainly hold its head high for their spirited effort in this test match.It was a case of so close, yet so far, for Waqar’s men as the Australians held their nerve in a tension filled last day. Steve Waugh once again showed why he is regarded as the “ice-man” and kept calm throughout, marshalling his troops to victory in the end. His decision to take the new ball at the crucial juncture on the last day proved to be the killer blow.However disappointing the defeat may have been for Pakistanis, they have certainly no reason to be ashamed. They fought hard and nearly pulled off victory in a match where it seemed they did not stand a chance.It was a team full of youngsters with all the big guns missing due to injury or personal reasons, and it was this young brigade that really lead the charge for Pakistan. Taufeeq Umar showed tremendous resilience in his second knock, showing exactly what an opener needs to do, wear out the new ball and then play strokes. He showed the patience other Pakistani openers have not shown in recent times, leaving everything outside off stump and cashing in on every loose ball. One hopes Pakistan may have finally found one answer at least for their dual opening combination.Faisal Iqbal, appeared to be a dramatically improved cricketer from the time he was last picked to play for Pakistan. A very competent player of spin, he took to Shane Warne with a confidence that one does not normally see and did not hold back against the fast men either. He seems to be oozing with confidence and not the least bit disturbed by the sledging that has become a part of the modern game. An excellent prospect for the Pakistan side, one hopes that the selectors will persist with him for quite a while.The best part of this test match for Pakistan has firstly been the discovery of talented youngsters who can cover for the likes of Inzamam and Youhana and secondly, the team has rediscovered the inspiration they lacked in recent tournaments.No praise is enough for the efforts of Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq. Shoaib was right back at his fiery best, and proved once again that he is single handedly capable of destroying any opposition if he is in the right frame of mind. Praise too is due to PCB for showing faith in Shoaib during his injury period earlier in the year and the effort in getting him back to full fitness. Saqlain came back with a point to prove, as he had been discarded after the tournament in Morocco, and answered all his critics in style. He bowled with tremendous accuracy and variety, and was not afraid to flight the ball, something his bowling had lacked in recent times.Though the team played brilliantly, a few tactical errors may have been the only negative to come out of the game for Pakistan.Firstly, the promotion of Razzaq to number three backfired completely, and might just be the mistake that cost Pakistan the game. Razzaq was all at sea against Warne, and too defensive, which is totally unlike his normal self. His groping around allowed a fillip to the dimmed hopes of the Aussies after Imran and Taufeeq had put on a good opening partnership. Razzaq would be a far better prospect at number six, where he can afford to play some strokes against an older ball. The best batsman in the side must occupy this position in any side. Amongst the current options, there is no one better than Younis Khan who is in great touch and should really be fitted in once and for all. The Pakistanis have experimented for too long with this position, and besides Younis or Youhana there appears to be no other option.Secondly, the selection of Mohammed Sami also proved to be an error as the game wore on. The pitch was turning square and Danish Kaneria would have been a very useful bowler under the conditions. Moreover, the Pakistani batting order seems hampered by an excessively long tail with Saqlain coming in at number eight. The management might also consider picking an extra batsman instead of Sami to strengthen the batting line up, and go into the match with four bowlers.All in all, apart from a few adjustments there is nothing to complain of, and even the biggest critics of the Pakistan team will have to put up their hands and applaud the team’s efforts. Waqar and Richard Pybus deserve a lot of praise for turning the team’s attitude around and the youngsters are a major reason for that. One can only hope that they continue to show this fighting spirit in the games to come.