The South Zone under-14 tournament match between Kerala and Andhra atthe Ukku Stadium in Vijayawada meandered into a tame draw on the finalday on Friday. Andhra due to their first innings lead earned fivepoints while Kerala three.Resuming at the score of 35 for no loss on the third day, Kerala losteight wickets while scoring 215 runs in their second innings. RohanPrem was the top scorer with a fine unbeaten 106 off 287 balls. Rohanduring his stay shared a 75 run seventh wicket stand with SajithMuralidaran (30) in 30.3 overs.Earlier, Andhra took an 82 run first innings lead. The Andhra total of194 was boosted by a fine 114 by K Raghunath Reddy. Reddy who lostmost of his partners early found unlikely company in the no 10 batsmanTRLR Shekar (3) and put on 59 runs for the ninth wicket. Reddy did thebulk of the scoring during the innings, which witnessed only two otherbatsmen M Praneet (31) and AG Pradeep (10) reach double figures.On the opening day, Kerala opted to bat and were bundled out for 112.Rohan Prem with 33 runs was the top scorer. Raghunath Reddy (3 for 25)along with Moshin Basha (2) and Shekar (2) shared the wickets forAndhra.

Graeme Swann struck two important blows as Division Two leaders Northamptonshire shaded the first-session honours against second-placed Sussex at Wantage Road.The 21-year-old off-spinner, who snapped up 5-55 to wrap up his side’s innings victory over Worcestershire earlier this week, turned one sharply to bowl opener Toby Peirce (21) in his first over of the match.And he struck again just before lunch, sending back Sussex skipper Chris Adams for 11 as the visitors reached 99-3 from 37 overs at the break.Adams had little hesitation in choosing to bat first on winning the toss, but he saw Richard Montgomerie depart in the fifth over with only 12 on the board, trapped leg-before by Darren Cousins.Wasim Khan, making his first Championship appearance of the summer, dug in for an unbeaten 43 while Tony Cottey opened his account with two boundaries off successive balls from Swann.

ScorecardJonny Bairstow continued his rich run of form•Getty Images

Jonny Bairstow is, by his own admission, in the form of his life, and for Yorkshire’s hopes of retaining the County Championship it is just as well.On a day of dramatic contrasts, his outstanding 108 from 139 balls was as cloudless and uncomplicated as the late-evening sunshine that replaced the torrential thunderstorm that struck midway through the afternoon session.With 15 fours, each as emphatic as the next, he provided ballast and acceleration in equal measure as, between them, the other 11 wickets that fell on the first day at Edgbaston mustered 105 runs from 262 deliveries.Chris Wright led the line for Warwickshire with 5 for 40 in 16.2 overs before Ryan Sidebottom, with a pair of those prodigious inswingers that have so long been his trademark, struck back with a vengeance for Yorkshire with two scalps in the first three balls of Warwickshire’s reply.Varun Chopra, the Warwickshire captain, fell shouldering arms for a first-ball duck, a scalp that Bairstow was even able to claim as his own, after predicting to his team-mates that the wicket was about to fall. His soothsaying will, he later claimed, cost him a round of drinks in the bar, but that is nothing compared to the tab that his team-mates owe him for digging them out of a hole.There was nothing especially threatening in the conditions when Andrew Gale won the toss for Yorkshire and chose to bat. But with Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Wright finding prodigious movement from the outset, survival appeared to be a complicated business.Bairstow arrived in the 12th over of the day with his team already in considerable strife at 26 for 3. Wright had claimed both of the first two wickets to fall; Will Rhodes, who was trapped on the crease by an inducker and bowled for 10, and Jack Leaning, who squirted a thick edge to Jeetan Patel at third slip having flashed the first ball of the same over through the cordon for his only scoring shot.Hannon-Dalby, who found extravagant new-ball movement in the early cloud cover, was then rewarded for his perseverance as Gale, the Yorkshire captain, flashed a lifter to Chopra at first slip for 1.Though the introduction of Boyd Rankin offered temporary respite as his ten overs were dispatched for 50 runs, the spin of Jeetan Patel was a misleading panacea. Alex Lees had seen off the new ball with some patience, but lost the plot in Patel’s first over as he gave the offie the charge and was stumped by the length of the A38(M).Aaron Finch provided Bairstow with the closest thing to a sidekick, as he finished up as Yorkshire’s second-highest scorer with 28, an innings that seemed forever one shot away from either ruin or a breakthrough. Rikki Clarke ensured it was the former by trapping him lbw to end a fifth-wicket stand of 74, whereupon Tim Bresnan, whose last partnership with Bairstow had been worth a cool 366 up at Chester-le-Street, became Clarke’s second victim, well caught by the stand-in keeper, Peter McKay, who was a late replacement after Tim Ambrose was struck down by a stomach complaint.The 20-year-old McKay did spill the one clear-cut opportunity that Bairstow offered, in the final over before lunch, as Wright induced a strangle down the leg-side that bobbled out of his glove as his elbow hit the turf. He made amends for that miss, however, with a fine one-handed take in front of first slip to send Steven Patterson on his way for 11, after Hannon-Dalby had ended a streaky innings from James Middlebrook, via a snick to Clarke at second slip.Bairstow looked set to be stranded on 94 overnight when, shortly before 5pm, the heavens opened with a downpour so biblical it lacked only the plague of locusts. However, not even the skies can limit his current form. There are three Yorkshire batsmen in England’s Ashes squad already. On this form, few would argue with a fourth joining the fray before the series is done.

So often the most polarising cricketer in Sri Lanka, this time Lasith Malinga was himself split on the value of his contribution to the T20 series. On one hand, he appeared almost distraught at the decline of his bowling. He not only suggested again that he lost Sri Lanka the match, but also conceded his career may end if he doesn’t improve soon.On the other hand, Malinga responded tersely to criticism of his influence over team selection. Six cricketers with two T20 caps or fewer played in the Sri Lanka team on Saturday, and Malinga believed he had done Sri Lankan cricket a service by showcasing them at the top level.”The people who watched the match would have been able to see how talented the new players are and how useful they can be,” Malinga said. “Personally, I’m disappointed about my own form, but I happily take criticism as captain. I believe that even if I was criticised by one or two people, I was personally able to unearth two or three future national players. That’s what a captain should do.”Malinga was Sri Lanka’s most expensive bowler for the second T20 running, and his figures of 1 for 40 from four overs played a role in the loss. Malinga’s international form has been indifferent since the middle of 2014, when a long-term ankle injury began to deteriorate further. He had surgery in September and was in recovery for 18 weeks before the World Cup.”I played for a year and a half before the World Cup with an injury,” Malinga said. “I was using injections then. After that I had surgery. I didn’t have time to recover – the World Cup started. I went there and I wasn’t able to get my rhythm back. I’m playing cricket continuously and I think I might have a chance to get back into rhythm. If not, I expect better bowlers than me will develop in Sri Lanka. I came to the national team to fill someone else’s shoes. I think a good player will come and be suitable to take my place, in time.”Malinga led Sri Lanka to the 2014 World T20 victory in Bangladesh and was reappointed T20 captain by the new selection committee this year. However, there have been reservations about his leadership, particularly about his man-management ability. These concerns have been inflamed by his recent dip in form.”I don’t think I should step down as captain,” Malinga said. “What I hope is that I can work on my fitness. The selectors have the opportunity to give the captaincy to someone else. Whether I’m captain or not, I think I’ll have a chance to get back into form. If not, a better captain and a better bowler will replace me, and take Sri Lanka’s cricket forward.”Questions have also been raised about the omission of Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal, which Malinga is said to have influenced. Malinga, however, said he had done right by Sri Lanka, given the limited number of T20 internationals scheduled before next year’s World T20.”In past World Cups, I’ve heard and seen people say, ‘We should have brought that player’, or, ‘This other cricketer would have been better in these conditions.'” Malinga said. “But whether I’m the captain or someone else is, I thought that I would save the captain that fate. I wanted to choose a young group of players early and present them. There’s no need to guess at how good the players are.”Though Sri Lanka’s senior players have been underwhelming throughout the Pakistan tour, which the hosts have finished without a trophy, Malinga believed results would begin to improve soon.”I don’t think Sri Lankan cricket will stagnate for long,” he said. “The new players we’ve introduced are already showing they are suitable for international cricket, and showing they have ability. Chamara Kapugedera, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva have all done that. They’ve all shown they have a long cricket journey.”When seniors retire, it’s not the runs and the wickets we miss. The knowledge and their ability to manipulate matches – a skill they’ve gained over 14 or 15 years – is what is missed. It takes a while to build up that kind of knowledge. But in terms of producing good cricketers, I don’t think Sri Lanka will have much trouble.”

ScorecardNick Browne’s career best took Essex to victory•Getty Images

An outstanding unbeaten career-best 151 from opener Nick Browne, during which he passed 1,000 championship runs for the season, helped Essex to victory over Leicestershire at Grace Road.Asked to score 307 to win from a minimum of 65 overs, the visitors knocked off the runs needed with five wickets and three overs in hand. The key partnership was that of 157 for the third wicket between Browne and Ravi Bopara, compiled off just 29.5 overs. Bopara’s 69 was his highest championship score of the season.The morning session had seen three declarations, setting up a potentially exciting finish to a match which had lost its first two days to the weather.Leicestershire picked up the wickets of Dan Lawrence, caught at first slip edging an attempted drive at Ben Raine for 28, and then Tom Westley, who failed to keep a square drive down and was caught at point, for just one.Browne, however, was soon timing the ball nicely, and Bopara, after being dropped off consecutive balls by Angus Robson at first slip and then by the bowler himself, Rob Sayer, when on just 17, began to belie his previous poor form.His dismissal, caught behind off a delivery from Ben Raine that lifted more than had previously been the case on a flat Grace Road track, brought in Ryan tenDoeschate, whose 28 from 19 balls added further momentum to the innings.Leicestershire were without Charlie Shreck, who pulled up injured, and with Clint McKay having returned to Australia and Ben Raine suffering from cramp, the attack looked threadbare. Bad light nearly came to their rescue though, but just three over were lost, and though Jesse Ryder went caught behind off Rob Taylor on the resumption, Browne and Mark Pettini saw Essex home.

Three weeks have passed since the BCCI stated its intention to initiate procedures for player-agent accreditation, but there is little clarity about how the board plans to go about it. While players and agents seem to be optimistic about the BCCI’s seriousness, it appears the board itself is yet to figure out the process more than two years after first announcing it.BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya had announced the plan on August 2 but little has moved since then and few officials are willing to talk about it. Ushanath Banerjee, the BCCI’s legal consultant, is understood to have been put in charge of formulating the policy and is believed to be studying various agent accreditation models – that of Australia and England along with effective systems put in place by FIFA and ATP.The BCCI is also believed to have approached some experts for their views. Banerjee along with the legal team will study the suggestions, compare it with all relevant cricket agent-accreditation systems and then hopefully finalise it along with the Code of Ethics before the next month’s annual general meeting.While almost every major cricketing nation has initiated an agent registration system, the BCCI has not taken a concrete step towards it. Cricket Australia and the ECB have been leading the way with the most advanced systems, and the PCB introduced an agent registration procedure after the 2010 spot-fixing scandal.However, the fact that the policy took a backseat after being announced in 2013 indicates the BCCI isn’t really keen to address the problem. There is a feeling that the announcement is a publicity move and its implementation would come as a surprise.The agent-accreditation plan was part of Dalmiya’s clean-up effort during his short stint as the head of BCCI’s day-to-day affairs in the aftermath of the IPL corruption scandal but it never took off. Srinivasan’s subsequent return to the president’s post a few months later saw Dalmiya’s announcements put on the backburner.The role of player agents had been at the forefront of the 2013 IPL corruption scandal. Jiju Janardhan, a friend of Sreesanth’s, was believed to have posed as Sreesanth’s agent to alleged bookies before the player’s arrest. It had led to the BCCI deciding to regulate player agents for centrally contracted players. In his report on that episode, which formed the basis for the BCCI’s stringent action, the then BCCI anti-corruption unit chief Ravi Sawani had underlined the need to regulate player agents.It confirmed to many the suspicions over the seemingly dubious role of the unorganised sector. Over the last two decades, player agents – despite not being recognised officially by the BCCI – have enjoyed a growing clout in Indian cricket. There have been instances of key player agents being marked on important BCCI communication. Similarly, the presence of “close friends” and “agents” accompanying established India cricketers, even being booked in the team hotel wherever the Indian team travelled, came under the scanner.Even before the Sreesanth-Jiju episode in 2013, the problem had been highlighted during the India TV sting operation in 2012. The expose, which resulted in five domestic cricketers being handed punishments – from a one-year suspension to life ban – was conducted with undercover reporters posing as player agents.Player agents have become an integral part of a professional sportsperson’s life. Murali Kartik, the former India spinner, said they were crucial to a player’s wellbeing in the modern era. “In any sport, agents allow players to concentrate on the game. It’s never easy to talk money with anyone, be it your boss or anyone else,” Kartik said. “While agents can take care of the financial well-being, more than that, the main reason player agents have evolved is to ease players to perform to the best of his abilities on the field.”With the IPL’s growth in popularity, random agents have cropped up in every nook and corner of Indian cricket. “Whether they do anything or not, every player likes to have an agent,” Kartik said. “That makes them [players] feel good about themselves. It’s like a clamour. I would like to have one who will make me feel important.”It is imperative that you have guys with solid background and who are clean so that players can blindly trust them. The players know if these are the recognised player agents and not get entangled with wrong or rotten individuals and bring their own.”Atul Srivastava, founder of Gaames Unlimited, a player management agency that represents 18 Indian cricketers including Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin and Umesh Yadav, hopes the recent announcement will lead to something concrete in order to recognise “player managers as an integral part of a player’s well-being off the field”.”The starting point could be for them (BCCI) to ask for company structure, area of expertise of its founders, that of the team of the agency, balance sheet of the company, statement of accounts of the founders, other businesses the founders are into,” Srivastava said. “This would mean they will know with whom the players are working and interacting on a daily basis. And it’s not just about the owners. It has to filter down to the employees. They are the ones who accompany players virtually everywhere they go.”Srivastava also hoped the BCCI would initiate periodical reviews with player managers to ensure registered agents are maintaining the prescribed standards. “There has to be an annual or a half-yearly review since I would be answerable or accountable to the Indian cricket establishment. Even the Anti-Corruption Unit officials can attend it and share their feedback with us. The tournament committee can perhaps let us know the schedule of the team in advance so that we can plan commercial announcements professionally once we know the likely dates of players being free from cricket.”

Steven Finn has been ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan with a “bone stress injury” to his left foot.Finn reported soreness after England’s second warm-up match against Pakistan A in Sharjah in which he claimed 4 for 16 in 15 overs to put himself firmly in contention for Abu Dhabi. He bowled in training on Sunday but overnight the pain became worse.Alastair Cook confirmed he had “absolutely” been in the frame for the final XI for tomorrow’s first Test. With James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes all certain to feature, Finn and Mark Wood had been in a head-to-head for the last pace-bowling slot.After months of well-documented problems with his bowling action, Finn returned to the Test side against Australia at Edgbaston where he claimed 6 for 79 to help England claim a 2-1 lead in the Ashes. Although England hope to have him available later in the series, the compressed nature of the matches must make that unlikely. More realistically, as one of a handful of players who is part of all three formats, he will be targetting full fitness in time for next month’s ODI and T20 legs of the tour.”It’s a bitter blow for him, he bowled really well in that warm-up game and over the last 12 months he has made huge strides back to where we’d like him to be,” Cook said. “We’ll monitor him over the next period of time and hopefully he could be right or the second Test but we’ll have to wait and see.”Steven Finn was firmly in contention for a Test place before his foot injury•Getty Images

Finn’s absence firms up England’s attack for the opening Test with Wood, who impressed in the first warm-up match, completing a six-man unit which will include Adil Rashid on debut.Rashid, who took three wickets in the second two-day match, will follow in the footsteps of Ian Salisbury, Chris Schofield and Scott Borthwick to become England’s fourth Test legspinner since 1971, when Robin Hobbs played the last of his seven matches. His debut had been earmarked even before the tour began with coach Trevor Bayliss, who is keen on a twin-spin attack, giving Rashid the encouragement to be an attacking bowler.”Adil’s made really good strides since the West Indies tour,” Cook said. “He has his one-day experience and is feeling a bit more comfortable around the group. It’s a tough art to master, but he’s got over 400 first-class wickets, so he can definitely bowl. I know he’s looking forward to his opportunity. Yes, there can be some bad balls along the way, but he can also bowl some jaffas.”While it was also confirmed that Moeen Ali will open the batting, Cook did not cement the full XI although the likely outcome is Jonny Bairstow retained at No. 5 with Jos Buttler keeping hold of the wicketkeeper’s position.”We’ve got a lot of tough selection calls to make,” Cook said. “A lot of people are pushing and it’s made my and Trevor’s job very hard to get the right XI.”Cook added that James Taylor was “doing all he can” to force his way into the side after making an unbeaten 61 against Pakistan A to follow up his productive one-day series against Australia which helped earn him a spot for this tour.”He’s been brilliant since he’s come back into the one-day side. A lot of people said because of his size he couldn’t play the short-pitched bowling or the quick bowling. He’s also a really good player of spin. That’s what we want – people pushing for selection, but you’ve also got to respect the guys who have done a good job as well in the team.”

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.

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.

Indian Railways executed a ridiculously easy nine wicket victory overNorth Zone in the CricInfo Rani Jhansi Trophy at the SRMC ground inChennai today. After winning the toss and electing to bat, North werebundled out for the lowest score of the tournament so far, mustering amere 49 runs that left their opponents with the modest requirement ofscoring 50 runs in 50 overs to win the match. Rupanjali Shastri hadthe most miserly figures amongst the three Railways spinners of 10-5-6-1 but Neetu David left a greater trail of destruction, taking 3/8 inseven overs. Railways proceeded to polish off the match in the 14thover to take home their fourth successive triumph. Rupanjali andRajini Sharma delivered the final touches by adding an unbroken 49 forthe second wicket.North openers Rakhi Mehra and Gulshan Sharma provided the brightestmoment of the innings with a stand of 24 in just under 12 overs, withGulshan even having the temerity to score a boundary to third man. Butafter she gave the simplest of return catches to the left arm mediumpacer, Umesh Chaudhary, a procession began to and from the crease evenas injured North captain, Richa Dubey, still undergoing treatment fora knee problem, watched resignedly from the sidelines.Reema Malhotra had hardly got her eye in before trying to pull Umeshaway into the nether regions of the on side. She missed and astraightforward leg before decision was handed out. RupanjaliShastri’s loping off breaks were introduced in the 15th over and shefrustrated the batsmen with a skilled line. But the next two wicketswere to fall unassisted by the bowlers. On both occasions Gurdeep Kaurplayed the ball into the covers and called but while she made herground safely, her partners, Rakhi Mehra and Rajni Bhalla did not. Thefielder involved in both runouts was Poornima Chaudhary.Anjuman Bassi came and went for a duck, with a simple top edge beingsnaffled by the bowler, left arm spinner, Neetu David. Two balls laterGurdeep was gone as well, after scratching around for 37 balls to make5, when Neetu induced a leading edge that was well taken over her headby Rupanjali at first slip. The scoreboard was not a pretty sight at38/6 and it ceased to be prettier still when, one run later, Asha Jaingifted her wicket by lobbing Rupanjali straight to Hemlata Kala at midoff for another duck.Seema Wadhwa and Vandna Gupta put on a gallant nine runs for theeighth wicket during which the former was dropped by Rupanjali atfirst slip, off Neetu. Railways captain, Deepa Kulkarni, finallydecided to play a more active role in the destruction, and finishedoff the innings in the 35th over, taking two of the last three wicketsto fall. Reema’s 14 was the highest score, with all but the twoopeners failing to reach double figures.North’s batswomen had lasted just over two hours and twenty minutesand Railways began their innings before the luncheon interval. Theysuffered an early hiccup, in the second over, when Poornima Chaudhuryfailed to clear Anjuman at midwicket as Asha tempted her into pullinga short of length delivery. Rajini Sharma joined Rupanjali and, afteran initial period of guardedness, the floodgates gradually opened withRupanjali cutting Vandna to the square third man fence in the seventhover. The batswomen had to be content with threes on several occasionsas the ball slowed down in the neighbourhood of the boundary line. At1.00 p.m., both captains consented to postpone their lunch in thepursuit of a result. Sure enough, the mockery of a contest came to amerciful halt with the clock reading twelve minutes past one afterboth Rajni and Rupanjali ravished Anjuman with a boundary apiece inthe 14th and last over of the innings.