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On a rain curtailed second day’s play at the Gujarat State FertilizerCorporation Ground in Baroda, the host team were all out for 467 inthe Ranji Trophy pre-quarter-final match against Bengal on Sunday.Resuming on 273/3, Baroda were soon in trouble losing Jacob Martin(103) without adding a run to his overnight score and TB Arothe (57)who made just two more runs. Baroda were reduced to 279/5 at thatstage.AP Bhoite (54) and M Maveda (62) added 79 runs for the sixth wicket,steadying the Baroda innings. Before being run out, Bhoite struckeight boundaries and a six. The heavy downpour stopped cricket for along while after lunch. The day’s play was extended for an hour tomake up for the lost time.Baroda kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Maveda was trapped infront by Shukla at 415, before being dismissed. Maveda hit nineboundaries. RB Patel (20), VN Buch (17), Irfan Pathan (13 not out) andIrfan Khan Pathan (8) contributed their might to the Baroda cause.Medium pacer Laxmi Ratan Shukla finished with 4/119 and veteran leftarm spinner Utpal Chaterjee (3/88) took the bowling honours. At closeof play Bengal had scored one run without any loss of just two ballsin their first innings, when play was called off due to bad light.

Make no mistake, Saturday’s heavyweight clash underwhelmed. And though you did not have to pay £24.99 to watch it, the neutrals would be right to feel short-changed by just 10 minutes of Ben Stokes versus Nathan Lyon.The eight balls between these seasoned Ashes rivals went to type. The Australian has dismissed the England captain nine times in Tests, and number 10 with a red ball saw the left-hander sent on his way for a laboured 2, thanks to a smart low catch by Tom Bruce at second slip.Stokes’ neither-here-nor-there footwork and angled bat face were a callback to his struggles in India at the start of the year. Lyon was high-class, his 4 for 59 from 26 overs – 19 on the bounce, split 9 and 10 either side of the lunch break – were body blows to knock the wind out of Durham on their way to giving up a first-innings lead of 121 that would swell to 212 at stumps.Related

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It was the undercard, however – as ever – that carried the better stories. Tom Aspinwall’s 5 for 41, bowling for the first time in first-class cricket in just his second appearance in the format after debuting in this summer’s opening round against Surrey, knocked Durham out for 236. But for a high-class century from David Bedingham – his second in a row after last week’s 144 against Hampshire – from just 142 deliveries, things could have been so much worse.”It was all a bit of a blur,” beamed Aspwinwall at stumps. “But I definitely enjoyed it. Leading the boys off at the end, I couldn’t believe it.”He admitted to butterflies early on, and shock when Ben Stokes walked out. “You grow up as a kid watching him and everyone my age – he’s their favourite player.” It’s worth noting that the 20-year-old assisted his more decorated bowling partner by restricting Stokes with the eight deliveries he had at him.Durham needed just 12 deliveries to have their turn to bat, ending Lancashire’s first innings on 357. The sun was out, the outfield was quick, and an engaging batting card reinforced by Stokes had eyes on making amends for their Friday missteps. On came Lyon after nine overs to clip their wings.With the turn available from the North End allowing the off spinner to operate exclusively from around the wicket to all-comers, he picked away at Alex Lees before actually snaring fellow southpaw Scott Borthwick, caught by Luke Wells at first slip following a faint deflection off the keeper’s gloves. George Balderson had seen to Lees the ball before.Naturally, right-handers Bedingham and Colin Ackermann found things a little easier. When Bedingham rocked back to slap a six over midwicket off Saqib Mahmood, who had beaten his edge three times, the intent was clear to see.He was lucky to survive a strong lbw to Lyon after lunch with 28 to his name. A further call in his favour came when Aspinwall opted for a yorker for his first ball in the format. Four deliveries later, Aspwinwall was on the board, courtesy of a stunning reflex catch from Keaton Jennings, sticking out his right hand at first slip after Ackermann slashed at a wide delivery. “Probably the worst one I bowled,” was Aspwinwall’s honest reflection. “But it was still special.”George Bell matched Jennings’ effort with his left at short leg as Ollie Robinson fell to Lyon for a two-ball duck. Stokes followed four overs later to leave Durham 145 for 5, still 212 behind. Naturally, Bedingham stepped it up a gear, moving from 61 to his century in just 42 deliveries, with the help of the first six to clear the ground when he swung into the legside off Balderson to move to 98.Alas, that aggression would prove the undoing of South Africa’s newest Test star and, ultimately, Durham. Their final five wickets fell for just 23 runs in the space of 8.4 overs, a collapse set in motion by Bedingham’s hack onto his stumps off the second delivery of the evening session.It ended a 68 partnership for the sixth wicket with Graham Clark – who would become Lyon’s final dismissal – and gave Aspwinwall a spring in his step. He squared up the left-handed Ben Raine – a third wicket in the space of nine balls – before one kept so low Matthew Potts couldn’t suppress a wry grin when his off stump was knocked back. The crowning glory for the Lancaster-born allrounder was trapping Callum Parkinson in front for number five.That joy for Lancashire swelled with 91 more runs in the 21 overs that remained, as Durham’s annoyance multiplied. Stokes, who kicked off the day with a solitary over, fury-ed out another four, as is his wont. Potts’ outstanding catch running all of 30 yards back from mid on to catch Wells’ misjudged flick to the leg side gave Stokes his third wicket of the match. And he should have had another next ball when Bohannon gloved down the leg side.Bohannon used the let off to go rogue, driving at anything that moved and, crucially, nailing a few to make it to 38 before Raine trimmed him off. Jennings will resume on the same score on day three, emboldened by his century on day one and the efforts of a group who have showed enough heart and skill over the last 48 hours to suggest they are too good to be propping up Division One.

Daryl Mitchell is a seam-bowling allrounder who usually bats in the middle order, but for New Zealand’s T20 side he’s now an opening batter who barely bowls at all. Venkatesh Iyer is a seam-bowling allrounder who opens the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders, but on Wednesday night, making his India debut, he didn’t get to bowl, and walked in at No. 6.When Venkatesh faced his first ball in international cricket, India were threatening to lose a match that had seemed unloseable less than half an hour ago. With six balls left, they needed ten to win. And New Zealand, having used up all their main seam bowlers, threw the ball to Mitchell.Mitchell had earlier been out for a first-ball duck. Venkatesh had not been required at all until this point. Now they both had the chance to be the hero. Neither took that honour in the end. Venkatesh swatted the first legal ball he received for four, but was out next ball attempting a cute reverse-lap. Mitchell got that wicket, but he also sent down two big wides that reflected his rustiness as a bowler. Eventually, it came down to three off three, and Rishabh Pant, who had struggled to 13 off 16, stepped out and swiped Mitchell over mid-off to put an end to what had become an unexpectedly close contest.There had been fifties for Mark Chapman, Martin Guptill and Suryakumar Yadav, and a 48 from Rohit Sharma full of vintage strokeplay, as well as terrific bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin and Mitchell Santner, but the end result came down to the bit-part players.Swing keeps New Zealand quiet
After a pair of outswingers to Guptill, Bhuvneshwar greeted Mitchell with an inswinger. Mitchell jabbed at the ball with no footwork, and the ball sneaked past his inside edge to knock back middle stump.That was India’s only wicket in the powerplay, but the ball kept swinging for Bhuvneshwar, Deepak Chahar and Mohammed Siraj, and all three made a concerted effort to bowl within the stumps. Chapman, New Zealand’s No. 3, struggled to break free of this strangulation, or even get off strike. After three overs, Guptill had faced just two balls, and after five overs, he had faced just six. At that point, Chapman was on 20 off 23, and New Zealand were 26 for 1.A partnership blossoms
New Zealand got going in the last powerplay over, when Chahar overused the slower short ball and conceded 15. There was only one boundary in the next four overs – shared between Ashwin and Axar Patel – but India conceded a spate of them after that, with Guptill extending his arms through a pair of lofted drives against Siraj, and Chapman putting Axar away for six and four in the 12th over and bringing up his fifty in the process.When Guptill and Chapman hit back-to-back boundaries around the 14th over, New Zealand were 110 for 1, and looking on course for 177, according to ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster.1:12

Daniel Vettori: R Ashwin’s skill helped him set Chapman and Phillips up

Ashwin turns on the magic
But Ashwin had other ideas. He had already discovered that this pitch was offering grip and turn if he bowled the odd ball a little slower, and had beaten Chapman’s outside edge comprehensively in the seventh over with a dipping offbreak laden with overspin. He bowled another now, pitching on leg stump, and it beat Chapman’s leg-side heave to peg back his off stump.The next three balls were a probing examination of Glenn Phillips’ technique. Two offbreaks – the first going with the arm past the outside edge, the second ripping inwards to beat the inside edge and hit thigh pad – and then the carrom ball, angling in before straightening towards off stump. Phillips’ bat sliced across the line in defence, and the ball beat his outside edge to hit back pad – more or less in line with off stump, an umpire’s call verdict sending him on his way after he reviewed.Chahar and Siraj deny New Zealand big finish
Guptill was still in, though, and big sixes off Siraj and Bhuvneshwar in the 15th and 17th overs hurried him past 50 (he got there in 31 balls) and into the sixties. Guptill then nailed a massive drive into the stands beyond midwicket off Chahar at the start of the 18th, to bring up New Zealand’s 150.The momentum seemed to be going entirely one way, but Chahar struck a crucial blow the next ball, taking pace off to ensure a repeat attempt from Guptill ended up caught on the boundary. New Zealand’s innings thereafter went like a pricked balloon: scoring only 14 off the last 16 balls of the innings, as the new batters struggled for timing.Rohit launches off
Five overs into India’s chase, this seemed like the T20 World Cup transplanted into Indian soil. Win toss, chase, win handily. India were 50 for no loss by then, with the ball coming onto the bat and allowing Rohit to show off his range of back-foot shots. Horizontal-bat slap that leaves every fielder rooted to his spot? Yes. Open-faced steer to bisect backward point and short third? Yup. Pull into the stands? Are you seriously asking?The partnership between Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav put India on top•Getty Images

Suryakumar brings his wrists to the party
Rahul fell at the start of the sixth over, picking out deep square leg with a pull off Santner, and India sent in Suryakumar, presumably to go after New Zealand’s spinners. Soon, he was purring too, pulling off his trademark whips over midwicket off Todd Astle and Lockie Ferguson. At the halfway mark, India were 85 for 1.Trent Boult sent Rohit back in the 14th over with a slower bouncer paired with a cleverly-set leg trap, but Suryakumar continued to find the boundary frequently and hurry India towards their target. He got to his fifty off his 34th ball, and when Boult dropped him at long leg in the 16th over – a sitter off Tim Southee’s bowling – the end looked very near with India needing 23 off 24.But one good over can transform a game, and Boult delivered it, alternating yorkers with short balls into the body to concede just a single in three balls to Pant, before bowling Suryakumar behind his legs. Shreyas Iyer played two dots to end the over, and suddenly India needed 21 off 18 without a set batter at the crease.And much like New Zealand’s innings, India’s ground to a halt, possibly because of the ball growing softer. Ferguson and Southee conceded just 11 off the next 12 balls, the last of which brought the wicket of Shreyas, caught at long-off. And he crossed over with Pant while doing so, leaving the newbie on strike for the last over.We know what happened next, and as tortuous and hair-raising as it was, the Rohit-Dravid era had begun with a win, and India had ended a seven-match losing streak, across formats, against New Zealand.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Robin Uthappa put on 110 for the second wicket and MS Dhoni rolled back the clock with a finishing act as Chennai Super Kings qualified for their ninth IPL final, beating league-stage toppers Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1.

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After the second-wicket stand had laid the platform for Super Kings in a chase of 173, the middle order stuttered before Dhoni came in with Super Kings needing 23 off 11. He played his first ball with them needing 19 off 9, and missed it. The next ball from Avesh Khan was clobbered over the midwicket boundary, and Dhoni then had strike against Tom Curran with 13 to get off 5.Curran was Capitals’ most successful bowler of the night at that point, but boundaries from Dhoni – even if one was an inside edge – off the next two balls put the pressure squarely on him; that resulted in a wide, and eventually the half-tracker slower ball that Dhoni swung to the leg-side boundary to seal the win with two balls to spare.Uthappa brings out the classics, Gaikwad takes it deepUthappa’s promotion to No. 3, the position from which he has scored many IPL runs, turned out to be a crucial decision for Super Kings. He walked in during the first over, with nearly the entire powerplay at his disposal, and made the best of his favourite phase of the innings. It was a typical Uthappa knock, studded with elegant drives on the rise, deflections behind the wicket, and dominant punches over the infield. With Gaikwad going about it in his usual languid manner to begin, Uthappa made sure Super Kings scored at a healthy rate. Five of his seven boundaries and two of his three sixes came in the powerplay, with two of each coming in a 20-run Avesh Khan over to end the powerplay.Rishabh Pant turned to R Ashwin in the middle overs and for a brief period, he played a part as the Capitals stopped the flow of the second-wicket partnership; at least twice from Ashwin, that meant a literal stop, when he pulled out of his delivery stride to Gaikwad’s annoyance. But, in his second over, Uthappa reverse swept Ashwin and then hit him over his head next ball to put an end to his night.Gaikwad then began reaping the rewards of his method: his acceleration came, as it often does, in the second half of the innings. His 50-ball 70, with typically well-placed boundaries, and a lot of smart running, took Super Kings all the way into the 19th over even as their middle-order shuffles – Shardul Thakur at four, Ambati Rayudu ahead of Moeen Ali at five – had begun failing.Iyer’s spark in the field brings Capitals backCurran came in as a replacement for specialist batter Ripal Patel, and bowled two economical overs to check Super Kings’ scoring rate. In his third over, the 14th of the innings, he had Uthappa skying one to long-on’s right. Shreyas Iyer sprinted towards it, managed to keep his composure despite Axar Patel running across him from deep midwicket, caught it, lobbed the ball up, stepped over the rope and returned to the field to complete the catch. That over ended with Thakur finding Iyer at long-on for a second-ball duck.Super Kings were still favourites at this point, needing 56 off six overs, but Iyer was there again to turn the match Capitals’ way. A mistimed Gaikwad pull to his right at long-on offered the chance of a second run for Super Kings, but Iyer’s sprint to the ball and then a rapid throw – while he was nearly off balance – to the non-striker’s end meant Rayudu’s call had quickly begun to look precarious. The bowler, Kagiso Rabada, wasn’t in the best position running back to the stumps, but managed to grab the one-bounce stinger from Iyer and relay it onto the stumps to catch Rayudu short. With the required rate climbing, and only one boundary coming off each of the next two overs, Iyer’s fielding exploits nearly turned into defining moments for Capitals. But then came Dhoni…Shaw, Pant, Hetmyer do the heavy liftingDhoni had said at the toss that his team had been finding the ball to be stopping and the pitches to be two-paced when they bowled first. That seemed to be the case here again as Prithvi Shaw began his innings with three streaky boundaries – one a top edge for six – behind the wicket. After the third one, it seemed he had figured the pitch out though, punching Deepak Chahar elegantly on the rise through point in the third over. He closed off that over – worth 18 runs -with a flick past short fine and a vicious cut to beat deep point.That was followed by two sixes off a Shardul Thakur over, in which he was also dropped by Dhoni, diving one-handed to the right trying to get to a late dab. Josh Hazlewood kept plucking away at the batters at the other end, first getting Shikhar Dhawan and then Shreyas Iyer, but Shaw kept the attack going even when spin came on. He cut Ravindra Jadeja to get to fifty and then swept him against the turn – at the end of that over, the ninth, he had made 57 of Capitals’ 74 runs. Eventually, he fell looking to go with the turn against Jadeja, chipping straight to long-off the over after a promoted Axar Patel had fallen. Capitals were four-down just past the halfway stage, but had a lot to thank him for – his 60 off 34 had ensured they weren’t behind the rate.That allowed Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer – the Capitals’ last specialist batting pair – to play risk-free cricket as they tried to stretch the innings as deep as possible. Their 83-run stand for the fifth wicket came off 50 balls and gave Capitals a bigger total than had seemed possible after Shaw’s departure.

Hobart Hurricanes have re-signed Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane for the upcoming BBL season.Lamichhane joined Hurricanes last season after playing in the previous two BBL tournaments with Melbourne Stars. His eight-game stint in the BBL in January is the only franchise cricket he has played in 2021.”I am looking forward to returning to Australia and playing with the Hurricanes again this year,” Lamichhane said. “I really enjoyed my time with the Hurricanes last season, so I’m excited that I will be there for the whole tournament this year.”We had a great group of players last year, and a lot of us will still be playing together this year too. Being there for the whole season I’m hoping I can personally put together some strong performances and contribute to the team having a successful year.”Related

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The 21-year-old was ruled out of the Hundred and the Vitality Blast in England this year due to a visa issue that left him frustrated with the ECB.He signed with Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL in May but is not taking part in the tournament starting on Friday.Lamichhane is the only overseas player contracted at Hurricanes so far as BBL franchises are struggling to lure overseas talent to Australia, with the mandatory strict 14-day hotel quarantine upon entry into the country and the length of the tournament the main sticking point for players.Hurricanes have also signed former Perth Scorchers left-arm seamer Joel Paris to bolster their attack.Hobart Hurricanes squad: Scott Boland, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Peter Handscomb, Caleb Jewell, Josh Kann, Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Joel Paris, Wil Parker, D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade, Mac Wright

Warwickshire look set to be without fast bowler Olly Stone for longer than originally anticipated in a delay that will bring inevitable disquiet about his long-term prospects.Stone, signed from Northants towards the end of 2016, damaged his anterior cruciate ligaments last June after falling awkwardly when celebrating the wicket of Moeen Ali.It was originally feared he would be out of cricket for around 12-months but now appears that such an estimation was optimistic.Warwickshire still hope that Stone will play some part in the 2017 season, but they are determined not to rush him and are even phlegmatic about the possibility he may not play his first game for them until 2018.”The important thing is that we give him every chance to make a full recovery,” Warwickshire’s first team coach, Jim Troughton, told ESPNcricinfo. “We hope he will play a part this year, but if it takes longer than that, so be it. We’re not going to risk his long-term career prospects by trying to hurry him.”It is a bitterly disappointing development for Stone, a player of huge potential, Warwickshire saw him as the outstanding fast bowling prospect in the English game when they signed him in the face of competition from eight other clubs last year. To be sidelined for so long from such a freak injury is a cruel blow.Warwickshire are also likely to be without Jeetan Patel for a few weeks. The club are resigned to him being named in New Zealand’s ICC Champions Trophy squad and, as a result expect him to miss at least one Championship game as well as some key matches in the Royal London Cup.They hope that New Zealand might be persuaded to allow him to miss some warm-up games ahead of the tournament, but it seems unavoidable that he will miss the Championship game away at Hampshire – where spin is likely to play a major role – and, if they get that far, the quarter and semi-finals of the Royal London. Warwickshire are the defending champions in that competition.In his place, Warwickshire are likely to provide more opportunities for leg-spinner Josh Poysden and left-arm spinner Sunny Singh.

Yusuf Pathan, the India allrounder, has become the first Indian male cricketer to sign a deal with an overseas franchise-based T20 league. On Saturday, he was unveiled by Kowloon Cantons for the second edition of the Hong Kong Twenty20 League, which is scheduled to run from March 8 to 12.Yusuf is the third big signing for Kowloon Cantons, who have already picked up Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and England’s Tymal Mills, apart from Scotland’s Calum MacLeod. Other marquee signings for the league include Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, West Indies’ Darren Sammy, New Zealand’s James Franklin and the former South Africa offspinner Johan Botha.Michael Clarke, the former Australia captain, had represented Cantons as a marquee player last year.Tim Cutler, chief executive of Cricket Hong Hong, thanked the BCCI for clearing Yusuf’s participation in the tournament and said his presence will be a big boost for the game in the country.”This is amazing news and we are very appreciative of the BCCI in granting this NOC [Non Objection Certificate],” he said. “This will go a long way to help the development of the sport in the region and with even more stars still to be announced this is shaping up to be a superb tournament that will be enjoyed by millions across the world.”The tireless work of the Cantons should also be acknowledged. Without the tenacity of [Cantons CEO] Urvashi Sethi-Sodhi this simply would not have happened and it is great to see the Cantons again lifting the event to greater heights with their hard work.”Yusuf confirmed that he received an NOC from both the BCCI as well as the Baroda Cricket Association.Yusuf, who has represented Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, has scored 2761 runs over the nine IPL seasons, and is among the top-15 run-getters. Yusuf is the current record holder for the fastest IPL fifty – he scored a 15-ball half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2014 edition. In 2010, he also scored a 37-ball century against Mumbai Indians, the then fastest IPL century.The five-team event also includes Galaxy Gladiators Lantau, City Kaitak, Hong Kong Island United and Hung Hom Jaguars. The first four days will see playoff matches between each of the teams, following which the top two will progress to the final on March 12.

Moeen Ali has opted out of participating in the second season of the Pakistan Super League for what the league said was for a pilgrimage for Umrah although the official line stated just “personal reasons”.*Moeen, who is currently in India with England’s limited-overs squad, was named yesterday as a replacement for Carlos Brathwaite in the Quetta Gladiators squad. He had been negotiating through his agent as to his exact availability when the clash of priorities became apparent.Quetta were quickly informed of his change of plans, and Moeen has now been replaced by the veteran Australian, Brad Hodge, who represented Peshawar Zalmi in last season’s inaugural tournament.”Moeen Ali is a top player and a great person,” read a tweet from the franchise. “We respect his decision to honour his family commitment first. Good Luck Moeen.”Faisal Mirza, who is in charge of player recruitment for the PSL, tweeted on Tuesday: “Between the time he declared availability and the Draft his plan to MashaAllah go to family Umrah got finalised. Naturally the team said ok.”It is not the first time that Moeen has performed a swift U-turn when it comes to T20 league availability. Last year, he put himself forward for the IPL auction, only to withdraw hours later after the ECB expressed concerns about his workload.As England’s premier spin-bowling allrounder, Moeen played 41 matches for England across all three formats in 2016, including all 17 of their Test matches. He faces an even more intense workload in 2017, with England hosting the Champions Trophy in June, as well as multi-format series against South Africa and West Indies ahead of the Ashes tour in October.Moeen, a devout Muslim, first performed umrah in November 2009, and credited the “inspirational’ experience for a flying start to his county season with Worcestershire the following year.”I think I came back nice and fresh after that,” he said at the time. “It makes a person strong and it was a chance to just get away from cricket.”The second season of the PSL gets underway in the UAE on Feb 9, with the final scheduled to take place in Lahore on March 7.*January 25, 1300GMT: the story was updated to reflect the PSL reference to Umrah

ScorecardRahat Ali finished with a match haul of five wickets•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz came to the fore on the final day of the warm-up match in Cairns, taking three wickets to help skittle Cricket Australia for 109 in 27.3 overs and complete a 201-run win for the Pakistanis. Rahat Ali and Mohammad Amir took two wickets each, while Wahab Riaz and Azhar Ali claimed one apiece.The lid had been ripped open by the new-ball pair of Rahat and Amir, who reduced CA XI to 4 for 27 in the chase of 311. Nawaz, who had bowled only five overs in the first innings for no wicket, then claimed the wicket of Matthew Short before going on to add the scalp of Arjun Nair, who top scored with 42, to his bag. No other CA XI batsman made more than 20 against the pink ball in the second innings.”For me to express my skills out there was a good opportunity. It felt good out there, decent deck, and to score some runs was a good, positive end to the game,” Nair said. “For me, it’s about building my own game, so getting runs was a good confidence-booster and something for me to work towards in the future. Batting against quality bowlers like Mohammad Amir, top class, and for us to come against those bowlers was a good experience. It’s about taking this experience and learning.”The third and final day of the practice game had begun with the Pakistanis on 5 for 124, with Azhar Ali unbeaten on 44. Azhar went on to make 82 not out and contributions from the lower-middle order took the score to 6 for 216 before the declaration came.”As a batsman, you want to spend time in the middle and get used to the conditions,” Azhar said. “As a bowler, you have got to get used to the lengths according to the pitch, so everyone tried to get the best out of this game.””And, obviously, playing the pink ball in Australia is different to playing in Dubai. During the night, when the lights come on, it starts to do a bit more. I think we are very satisfied with what we got. The wicket was not as quick as we thought it would be, still it was good time in the middle.Azhar also had a word of appreciation for the fielding. “We really worked hard on our fielding. As a team, we want to improve in that regard. Fielding is really important. In Test matches, if you catch well, you generally end up on the winning side.”Cairns has been a lovely experience. The hospitality has been brilliant. We were welcomed here, and obviously enjoyed the game as well. We’re looking forward to the Gabba. Obviously, it will be hard work, but as a batting unit we’re really confident that we have the capability to deliver in these conditions.”The first Test between Pakistan and Australia – a day-night fixture in Brisbane – begins on December 15.

England’s tour of India is unlikely to be disrupted by the hurdles the BCCI faces in signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the ECB. Officials from both boards confirmed there has been no change to their preparations ahead of the series, which starts in Rajkot on November 9.The state associations hosting the five Tests – Saurashtra, Punjab, Andhra, Mumbai and Tamil Nadu – also said they did not foresee any difficulty as long as the England team’s hotel costs, airfare and the daily allowance are taken care of. A representative from one state association even said they would be happy to foot the hotel bill should it come to that.Alastair Cook’s squad had landed in Mumbai on Wednesday, but doubts emerged over whether the series would take place after email exchanges between the BCCI and the Lodha Committee revealed that an MoU had not been signed yet.According to an order passed by the Supreme Court of India on October 21, all contracts that the BCCI enters into have to be cleared by the Lodha Committee, which was appointed by the court to suggest changes to the way the board functions. Matters directly related to cricket though are beyond the Committee’s remit, which was why they had asked the BCCI for more information before giving their approval for the MoU’s signing. On Thursday evening, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke sent a copy of the blank MoU to the Lodha Committee without mentioning any specifics.To work around the problem, Shirke wrote to Phil Neale, England’s operations manager, on Thursday asking the ECB to pay for its own expenses until further updates. “We are already in India, there is no change to any plans and we are looking forward to the series against India,” an ECB spokesperson said.A top BCCI official said the board already had contracts in place with the hotels that England would be staying at and, as such, lodging expenses shouldn’t prove a problem. “The main issue is their daily allowance has to be cleared. Ultimately it is a large amount,” the official said. “The daily allowance is in the range of GBP 50-75. The England contingent strength is about 30 including the players and support staff. The BCCI will need to calculate the daily allowance for roughly 50 days for the Test series, and that amount will need to be ratified by the committee before the Indian board disburses the amount to ECB.”The BCCI official also said the MoU could be signed once the series starts. “In letter and spirit, we can’t sign it right now because it is part of the list we sent to the Lodha Committee,” the official said. “Unless and until they revert we can’t sign something that we have referred to them. (But) ultimately we hope it will get signed.”In the interim order delivered on October 21, the Supreme Court asked the BCCI to stop distributing funds to its state associations until they instituted the reforms the Lodha Committee had suggested in January.But the state associations that will host the five Tests said they have no trouble taking on routine costs in the course of the matches and can provide security and in-ground hospitality for the England team if the BCCI finds a way to take on the tourists’ hotel charges and daily allowances.Niranjan Shah, secretary of Saurashtra Cricket Association, said he saw no threat to Rajkot’s first-ever Test in under a week’s time. All the preparations, he said, were going on as scheduled, and even added that if SCA has to pay for lodging, it will.Punjab Cricket Association, that will host the third Test, in Mohali, is also going ahead with its preparations. “Will PCA do the match? Yes, PCA will,” the secretary MP Pandove said. “Will PCA pay for the expenses? Yes, PCA will pay for the expenses it is required to pay for. To get the teams here, to pay for their hotels, to pay their daily allowance, that is BCCI’s job. All ground hospitality, all local transport, traffic control, all staging costs, that is our responsibility. That has been the understanding for years now.”Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, which will host the final Test of series in Chennai, will finalise its plan at an executive meeting on November 7. “We will meet only those expenses that the states have to pay,” a TNCA official said. “Payments concerning daily allowances, airfare, hotel bills have to be met by the BCCI. We will take care of ground expenses and team security.”Mumbai Cricket Association, hosting the fourth Test of the series, has said it is ready to host the match, following its managing committee meeting on Friday. Andhra Cricket Association secretary G Ganga Raju, who is also one of the five BCCI vice-presidents, has said the association has enough funds to host England for the second Test, in Visakhapatnam.