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Karachi, July 15: Pakistan survived a scare before scrapping to a sensational one-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the opening match of the Asia Cup Under-17 Cricket Tournament at the National Stadium here on Saturday.Bangladesh, sent into bat by Pakistan skipper Salman Butt, collapsed from a healthy 139 for three to 168 all out in 44.3 overs. Pakistan, in reply, reached the target with their last pair in. Najaf Shah cracked a boundary of a lone ball he faced to bring dramatic victory for the home team with three balls to spare. Nadeem returned six not out.Pakistan, in fact, were well placed at 150 for three but off-spinner Shafi-ul-Islam triggered a collapse by picking four wickets for 23 runs on a turning track. He was named Man-of-the-Match.Left hander Salman Butt, Kashif Raza and Suleman Qadir, son of ex-Test leg-spinner Abdul Qadir, each made 35. Salman hit five boundaries in his 54-ball knock, Kashif’s 61-ball innings contained three fours while Suleman struck five fours after facing 71 balls. Kashif and Suleman added 77 for the third wicket.Earlier Pakistan off-spinner Munir Ansari produced a splendid spell of five for 26 in 8.3 overs as Bangladesh lost their last seven wickets for 29 runs.Bangladesh skipper Nafees Iqbal, who opened the innings, hit 63 off 112 balls with three hits to the fence to hold his team’s innings together. Sharif-ul-Islam struck three fours in his 35.Sindh Governor Muhammad Mian Soomro inaugurated the event at a simple ceremony in the morning.

Alex McLeish has now dropped a claim on Aaron Ramsey amid the injury issues that the Welshman has had since signing for Glasgow Rangers on loan.

The Lowdown: Injury problems for Ramsey

Ramsey made the bench for the Teddy Bears in their 1-0 win at home to Aberdeen on Saturday after missing out entirely on their previous four matches over all competitions.

The Scottish Sun reported earlier this week that the Wales international has flown in his own trusted physios at a personal cost of £30,000 in order to try and help him with his injury troubles.

The Latest: McLeish reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish – who features as a pundit for BBC Radio 5 Live – gave his reaction to Ramsey’s injury worries, claiming that it is ‘very frustrating’ for Rangers and hinting that there may be an ‘underlying issue’.

The former Ibrox manager said: “For Rangers fans, it’s been very frustrating.

“Now, the internet goes mental and everyone goes into a fever pitch, thinking there is something underlying.

“It would be great for him to get back into the team. If there is an underlying issue, I’m sure at some point it will come out in the press.

“If it’s just a case of getting of reaching a certain level, that’s a mindset thing.

“When he got Wales to the semi-finals at the Euros a few years ago, I put him in the world class bracket.

“Everyone was flabbergasted when he came to Rangers but we have to see him ASAP. Time is running out and he needs to get cracking.”

The Verdict: Worrying

There is no doubt that Ramsey’s injury niggles are worrying for Rangers, given the history that he has in that regard. He reportedly suffered a minor knock a couple of weeks ago, but it seems as if he has still not been able to fully recover from that particular setback.

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Gers supporters will surely be hoping that the 31-year-old’s physios can do the work needed to boost his fitness, so that Giovanni van Bronckhorst can use him more regularly from now until the end of the season.

In other news: find out which Rangers man’s performance against Aberdeen was slammed by some reporters

If Usman Khawaja has looked calm since returning to Australia’s Test team this summer, there is a reason for it. And not just because he keeps piling up centuries though, of course, that helps. After completing his 140 against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve, his fourth consecutive first-innings hundred in Tests, Khawaja said that a reassuring chat with coach Darren Lehmann at the start of the season contributed to his success.Khawaja’s recall came more than two years after he had last played Test cricket, on the 2013 Ashes tour when Lehmann had just been installed as the new coach. When he was cut following the Chester-le-Street Test it was the third time he had been axed from Australia’s Test team, on each occasion after a run of three Tests. It was not until the first Test at the Gabba this summer that a Test ton finally arrived.”It’s hard to put a finger on one thing – I’m not sure if there is one thing,” Khawaja said after play on the second day in Wellington. “But I always felt when I first played for Australia that I was sort of playing for my spot a little bit. I never really felt like I was in the team, felt like I was sort of looking over my shoulder.”This time it came around, I scored a hundred first game and that sort of relieved the pressure a little bit. But even before I played that first game, Boof [Darren Lehmann] sort of had a chat to me and just told me to relax. He said I’d get a fair crack at it. So that kind of helped too.”It’s just been a really relaxed atmosphere. It’s what you want when you’re playing at the highest level. Because there’s enough pressure and whatever stuff goes on around it, you just want to get into the best position and best head-space possible. It helps that we’ve played some pretty decent cricket since I’ve come back, we’ve won a lot of games which always helps.”During his first few goes at Test cricket Khawaja was sometimes viewed, perhaps unfairly, as too laid-back; there was a perception that he didn’t work hard enough. But underneath there was always a certain amount of tension that affected his game: too often he found himself bogged down at the crease.Not so in his latest incarnation as a Test batsman. Not only has Khawaja now made successive first-innings scores of 174, 121, 144 and 140, he has done his scoring at a much quicker tempo. The real Khawaja is finally shining through, and at the Basin Reserve his class was on display as he picked gaps seemingly at will, scoring all around the ground and striking 25 fours out of his 140 runs.Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this century, compared to those he scored in Australia this summer, was that this one came in challenging conditions against a ball that, at least initially, was moving around off the pitch. Rarely did Khawaja play and miss outside off stump, instead leaving the ball effectively, and waited for the scoring opportunities to come in his areas.”I wouldn’t say it swung massively yesterday but it did a bit off the deck which made it tough,” Khawaja said. “It probably swung more today with the new ball. I was only out there for four overs with the new ball but it felt like it was swinging more today than yesterday.”The wicket felt decent yesterday afternoon when I was there and it felt decent today. If you put it in the right spot enough times there’s still chances. And you saw chances throughout the whole day. Some of our players chanced their arm and got away with it and that happens. I still think there’s enough in this deck to create chances. You need a little bit of luck on your side today as well.”One major piece of good fortune for the Australians came late on the first afternoon, when Adam Voges was bowled off a wrongly called no-ball delivered by Doug Bracewell. Voges made the most of his chance and batted right through day two to finish on 176 not out, meaning he had still not been dismissed in Tests since Adelaide in November. His 168-run stand with Khawaja was key to Australia taking control of the Test.”Almost faultless, the way he went about it,” Khawaja said of Voges. “He batted very sensibly, patiently at the start, a lot of good shots straight to fielders, didn’t get frustrated with it, batted the whole day. The way he’s been batting lately it honestly feels like he’s not going to get out sometimes. He’s making hundreds and big hundreds, which is important for the team.”

Group A

Faisalabad, relying on a century by Asif Hussain, went on to post 402 against Multan on the second day of their first round, four-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha. Hussain’s 109 was his sixth first-class hundred. By the close of play, Multan were in a spot of bother at 46 for 3.The match between Sialkot and National Bank of Pakistan at the Jinnah Stadium was abandoned due to “misbehaviour of the pitch”. The match was called off after only 2.2 overs on the second day after Ayub Dogar, the Sialkot captain, was hit by a ball that reared off the pitch. Sialkot had scored 106 for five in 30 overs on the first day before inclement weather had stopped play.It is expected that the fresh match would be played on a new pitch, but in case that is not possible, the current match will be considered and neither of the teams will be awarded points.Aamer Sajjad (86*) and Bilal Khilji (47*), were involved in an unbeaten 100-run stand for the fifth wicket as Water and Power Development Authority took a 25-run lead over Lahore Ravi at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground.Meanwhile, the match between Karachi Whites and Hyderabad was hosted at the Niaz Stadium. It was one of three matches rescheduled to start on Sunday in light on the bombings in Karachi on October 18.Rizwan Ahmed scored an unbeaten century to help Hyderabad to progress to 227 for three. Ahmed was supported by Akram Khan, who scored 72 off 201 as the duo put on 144 runs for the third wicketHabib Bank Limited, also playing a rescheduled match against Pakistan Customs, recovered from a middle-order collapse to post 292 in Karachi. Imran Farhat (60) steadied the innings after Habib Bank were reeling at 52 for 4. Humayun Farhat (75), Imran’s elder brother, and Aftab Khan (65) then added 100 runs for the sixth wicket to take their team to a position of safety.

Group B

Mohammad Khalil, the left-arm medium pacer, with figures of 6 for 62, ran through Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) as they were bowled out for 305 against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), at the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi. By the close of play, ZTBL had scored 155 for 4 after being 80 for 4 at one stage.Islamabad, playing at home, scored 254 against Abbottabad (212) at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground. In their second innings, Abbottabad added 66 for 2 to take a 14-run lead.Mohammad Fayyaz top-scored with 71 runs off 157 balls to take Peshawar (228 for 3), within 19 runs of Lahore Shalimar’s first-innings total, at the Arbab Niaz Stadium.Adil Raza, the debutant right-arm medium bowler, finished with figures of 5 for 42 to restrict Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to 214 runs, though they gained a 62-run lead over Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) in Rawalpindi. But SNGPL lost three second-inning wickets for only 43 runs, which means they still have a 19-run deficit.Azam Hussain, the left-arm spinner from Karachi Blues, took 6 for 70 to restrict Rawalpindi to 234 on the first day of their rescheduled matchat the United Bank Limited Sports Complex Ground. Earlier, the Rawalpindi team were given a solid start by the openers, who put on 98 runs, with Mohammad Ibrahim scoring an 111-ball 51 and Babar Naeem making 41. This was followed by the loss of four wickets for the addition of 30 runs.But a late-order revival led by Naved Ashraf (76 off 100 deliveries), a former Test player, ensured that Rawalpindi were able to stretch their score. Ashraf was supported by Yasir Ali (18) as the two added 51 runs for the eighth wicket.

SuperSport Series

The Titans held their nerve in the field to clinch a thrilling one-run victory over the Eagles at Centurion on Sunday. In only the second such instance in the history of South African domestic cricket and the 32nd in all first-class cricket, a superb performance from the Titans’ bowling attack culminated in Thani Tshabalala driving Eshi Mbhalati into the hands of Farhaan Behardien at point, leaving the Eagles all out for 177, two short of their target of 179.The Titans had won the toss and batted, before a good all-round performance from Eagles captain Nicky Boje put them on the back foot. Boje took 4 for 61 as the Titans were dismissed for 204, and scored 69 as the Eagles replied with 309. Davey Jacobs was also impressive, scoring 74 off only 59 balls as the Eagles built a commanding 105-run lead.Gulam Bodi’s 77 and half-centuries from Behardien and Morne Morkel dragged the Titans back into the match as they reached 283 in their second innings, with Johan van der Wath taking 4 for 82, but the target of 179 was a modest one. The Titans’ attack, featuring the Morkel brothers, Mbhalati and Paul Harris, made early inroads, as the Eagles lost four wickets for 12 runs to slump to 59 for 5. Morne van Wyk and Roger Telemachus threatened to bring them victory, before van Wyk went for 53 with 32 still needed. After Dillon du Preez’s dismissal Telemachus and Tshabalala gradually chipped away at the remaining 29 runs until an Eagles win seemed inevitable, but it was not to be as Behardien clung on at point and the Titans celebrated.The Dolphins cruised to a five wicket victory over the Lions at Pietermaritzburg on Sunday as they chased down a daunting target of 299. Vaughn van Jaarsveld’s superb 159 looked to have put the Lions in control, but only Neil McKenzie (53) and the tail provided any support and the Lions had to settle for 334 all out. A half-century from Doug Watson and some lusty blows from Lance Klusener lifted the Dolphins to respectability in their reply, as Claude Henderson claimed five wickets and Friedel de Wet four to roll them over for 210, a deficit of 124. Van Jaarsveld added 68 to his first-innings knock as the Lions tried to engineer a victory after rain had affected play, declaring on 174 for 7 and setting the Dolphins an unlikely target of 299 in just under a day. However, they reached it with more than an hour to spare thanks to Imraan Khan’s 78 and an explosive, undefeated 32 from Klusener that occupied only 10 balls, including seven fours from one Garnett Kruger over that contained a no-ball.

The Warriors and the Cobras played out a sleepy draw at East London. JP Duminy and Ashwell Prince scored half-centuries in each innings for the Cobras, while HD Ackerman’s exceptional 195 in the Warriors’ first innings of 411 was the highlight of the match. He was ably supported by Johan Botha (56), who had earlier taken 5 for 95 in his first match after his bowling action was declared legal by the ICC, as the Cobras were all out for 333 in their first innings. A result never looked likely on a good batting pitch and when stumps were drawn the Cobras had reached 271 for 3 in their second innings.

SAA Provincial Challenge

Tatenda Taibu’s 93 led Namibia to a thrilling three-wicket win over Griqualand at Kimberley on Friday. Griqualand looked to be in control after an undefeated 126 from Adrian McLaren and 95 on debut from 17-year-old Reeza Hendricks led them to an imposing first innings total of 355 for 9. They then dismissed the visitors for 266, but a solid all-round bowling performance from the Namibians rolled Griqualand for 154 in their second knock, leaving a target of 245. Namibia scampered home thanks to Taibu and 76 from Sarel Burger, despite a few nervous moments late on.

SAA Provincial Cup

JB Burger’s explosive 131 from only 99 balls led Namibia to a huge total of 329 and a 107-run victory over Griqualand at Kimberley on Saturday. He shared a partnership of 149 with Taibu (58), as the Namibians knocked up a formidable score from their 45 overs. Louis Klazinga and Nicholaas Scholtz took three wickets apiece as Griqualand never looked like reaching their target and were eventually bowled out for 222.

Surrey County Cricket Club has formed a groundbreaking partnership with BBC London. The partnership will mean that full commentary will be available online for all Surrey matches both home and away in the Frizzell County Championship, National Cricket League, Twenty20 Cup and Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy. The live audio will be available on both https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/sport/cricket/surrey.shtml and www.surreycricket.comPaul Sheldon, Chief Executive, Surrey County Cricket Club stated:”This is fantastic news for everyone who supports Surrey. This partnership will mean that our fans all over the World can keep track on how the team are performing throughout the season. I hope that this can also provide a blue print for domestic cricket so that those who cannot attend matches can still follow their Counties.”David Robey, Managing Editor of BBC London 94.9 stated:”BBC London 94.9 is committed to providing the best radio and online service available to Londoners. We’re proud to be associated with Surrey CCC and we hope their fans will welcome our commitment to cricket in London. “

Scorecard

Phil Jacques’s double-hundred put New South Wales in command© Getty Images

Phil Jaques’s monumental 240 not out put New South Wales in a commanding position at the end of the second day at the Bankstown Oval in Sydney. In reply, Queensland were in dire straits at 6 for 141 with the two Stuarts – MacGill and Clark – sharing the bowling honours.Jaques, who hammered 33 fours in his 583-minute effort, became the first NSW batsman since Bob Simpson, the former Australian captain, to score two double-centuries in a domestic season. Simpson achieved the feat in 1963-64. Jaques also leapfrogged to second place in the Pura Cup run-scorers chart – with 708 runs in the season so far – and has only Michael Bevan (765 runs) ahead of him.However, Jacques fell just three short of equalling his highest first-class score when the declaration came. Brad Haddin, the captain, struck a breezy 36 from 38 balls before deciding to send Queensland in. For Queensland, Andy Bichel was the most successful bowler, finishing with 3 for 80.Queensland were in a deep hole at the end of the day as MacGill and Clark snapped up two wickets apiece. Clinton Perren (62) and James Hopes (47) resisted a collapse but none of the others crossed 20 as NSW took control.

Nuwan Zoysa and Nuwan Kulasekera, an uncapped 21-year-old swing bowling allrounder, were included in a 16-man squad for England’s three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Zoysa and Kalalsekera form part of a new-look pace attack as Sri Lanka reorganise their fast-bowling resources in the wake of injuries to Dilhara Fernando and Prabath Nissanka.

Russel Arnold breaks back into Sri Lanka’s ODI squad ©CricInfo

Nissanka is unavailable until next year following surgery to his knee, while Dilhara is feeling his way back tentatively from his latest back injury. Their misfortune means another chance for Zoysa, who last played for Sri Lanka in August 2002 and recently pulled himself back into contention with a fine allround display for the Sri Lanka A team in South Africa.Chaminda Vaas will lead the attack, which means that Zoysa, Kulasekera andDinusha Fernando, who is enjoying a fine domestic season with bat and ball,will then be competing for one – or possibly two in suitable conditions – place. Sri Lanka are likely to play three specialist spinners – MuttiahMuralitharan, Kumar Dharmasena and Upul Chandana.An extra fast bowler may play at Dambulla, the venue for the tournament opener on November 18. “The makeup of the final team will depend on the conditions, which may suit the pace bowlers more than you would expect in Sri Lanka,” said Marvan Atapattu. “During the last tournament in Dambulla there were favourable conditions for pace bowlers.”In all, there are five changes to the squad that defeated West Indies 2-1 in the Caribbean last June, Sri Lanka’s last international tour. Naveed Nawaz and Dharshana Gamage have been dropped, while Kaushal Lokuarachchi is unavailable because of his suspension after a car-crash.The batting order is unlikely to change greatly, in composition or strength. Romesh Kaluwitharana will open with Sanath Jayasuriya, at least at the start, with Atapattu at three, Kumar Sangakkara at four and Mahela Jayawardene atfive. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Russel Arnold, recalled after a good tour toSouth Africa, will probably play at six and seven.Lanka de Silva has been called up as wicketkeeping cover for Kaluwitharana, who is recovering from a hamstring injury and is expected to be fit. Chamara Silva, back in favour after an excellent start to the season with SSC, his new club, will act as batting cover.England are due to arrive in Sri Lanka on November 13 for a six-week tour thatwill include three ODIs – at Dambulla, Premadasa and SSC – followed by threeTests.Squad Marvan Atapattu (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Chandana, Kumar Dharmasena, Nuwan Zoysa, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chamara Silva, Nuwan Kulasekera, Chaminda Vaas, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Lanka de Silva, Dinusha Fernando

Uttar Pradesh won their Ranji Trophy one-day match against Vidarbhy bythree wickets at Udaipur on Saturday.Opting to bat first, Vidarbha put 230 runs on the board. The runs weremade largely by Ulhas Gandhe and Harshal Shitoot, two batsmen who havedisplayed remarkable consistency lower down the order for Vidarbha.Gandhe made 46 off 71, with one four and one six, while Shitoot scored57 off 47, with seven fours.Needing 231 to win, Uttar Pradesh were never pressed for run-rate,with Mohammad Kaif hitting 65 off 61 balls and a number of otherbatsmen made quick runs. Kaif fell at 183/6, however, giving Vidarbhaa sniff at victory. The seventh wicket fell at 207, but ParvinderSingh (27 off 38) steered his side to a win by three wickets.

Mark Wood is flying home early from England’s tour of the UAE to see a specialist about the left ankle problem that forced him to sit out the third Test against Pakistan. He will miss the ODI and T20 legs of the tour, which begin in Abu Dhabi next week, with his place in the squad being taken by Liam Plunkett.Wood, whose energetic delivery stride has caused discomfort in his ankle joint for several months, has previously admitted that he may require surgery to rectify the issue. He required a cortisone injection to get through last summer’s Ashes win over Australia, and missed the third Test at Edgbaston before returning for the final two matches.He received a second injection during the Pakistan series, having claimed six wickets in 62.5 overs across the first two Tests, including his best Test figures of 3 for 39 in the first innings in Dubai. However, the England management opted not to risk him for the series decider, with Samit Patel instead earning a recall to complete a three-spinner attack.”Mark Wood’s ankle condition is well known and while we have managed his workloads over the summer and during the Test series against Pakistan it has been decided that the sensible course of action is to seek further advice from a specialist,” said James Whitaker, the national selector. “We will then be able to consider how to ensure Mark is able to perform at his very best in an England shirt going forward.”Liam Plunkett will replace Wood in both squads and, having featured in the ODI side last summer, his inclusion provides Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss with an experienced pace bowling option in the squad.”With the Test tour of South Africa looming next month, England now have concerns over three of the seamers who played a role in last summer’s Ashes win. Steven Finn is currently recovering from a stress-related foot injury while Ben Stokes batted with some discomfort but did not bowl or field in the second innings in Sharjah after damaging his collarbone.England begin their preparations for the one-day leg of the UAE tour with a 50-over match against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, while the four match ODI series against Pakistan starts on Wednesday.