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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mohammad Hafeez led Pakistan’s recovery•BCCI

Two of Pakistan’s experienced hands guided them to victory in their first game in almost three months, and their first bilateral tour of India in five years. An early burst from debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who began his international career with a fabulous display of swing bowling, rattled the Pakistan top order but the calm presence of Mohammad Hafeez and some enterprising batting from Shoaib Malik put a chase of 134 back on track.Pakistan had another scare at the death, losing two in quick time when victory appeared secure, but Malik ultimately saw them through in the final over, sealing the game with a six. The hosts were a specialist bowler short, as the Pakistan pair targeted the non-regulars, but a more significant factor in India’s loss was their implosion with the bat, when they lost nine wickets for 47 runs in 46 balls.A 36,000-strong crowd had been silenced during an impressive display of bowling backed up by some excellent ground fielding that had helped Pakistan fight back after India’s openers had laid a strong foundation in an attractive stand of 77 in under 11 overs. The decibel levels at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, however, hit their peak when Bhuvneshwar swung it this way and that, setting up two of this three victims with outswingers before nipping one back in to dismantle the stumps. At 12 for 3, Pakistan were reeling; their rebuilding was steady, and resulted in 24 boundary-less deliveries, but Hafeez and Malik pounced in at the right time.Virat Kohli was one of the part-timers used by India, and Hafeez slogged him for two boundaries in the 11th over, at the start of which the required-rate had hit almost nine an over. Yuvraj Singh dragged the ball too short on occasion and was heaved for two sixes by the pair and they each stepped out to Ravindra Jadeja to dispatch him for maximums over his head.The return of India’s seamers didn’t immediately check Pakistan, as the equation was brought down to 16 off the last three overs, but Ishant Sharma dismissed Hafeez and conceded just two in an over in which he had Malik caught off a no-ball for height. Ashok Dinda was given the penultimate over and he left Pakistan needing 10 off the last, which Malik helped achieve with a straight six off a Jadeja length delivery to win with two balls to spare.

Smart stats

• Pakistan’s five-wicket win is their first in Twenty20 internationals against India. In three previous matches they’d tied one and lost two.

• The 106-run stand between Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik is the highest for the fourth wicket in Twenty20 internationals for Pakistan, and the third-highest by any team.

• The partnership is also the first time a fourth-wicket pair have added more than 100 after coming together with the score reading less than 15.

• Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 3 for 9 in 4 overs equals the record for the most economical debut performance in Twenty20 internationals (among bowlers who’ve bowled four overs).

• Hafeez’s 61 is his third half-century in T20 internationals, but his first against a team other than Zimbabwe.

• Malik’s unbeaten 57 is his highest score in T20 internationals, and his first half-century in his last 39 innings in this format.

Ajinkya Rahane’s supreme timing was the feature of India’s opening partnership, as he lofted Pakistan’s bowlers over extra cover effortlessly, though they hit back after he fell upper-cutting to third man. Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal were the architects of that comeback, after being struck for sixes in their respective opening overs. Gul was smashed over midwicket by Gambhir, but had Yuvraj Singh caught in the deep off a slower ball in his new spell before removing two in two towards the death. Ajmal was carted over extra cover by Rahane, but returned to dismiss MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina with quicker deliveries at a time when India would have backed themselves to reach a score of around or above 150.Gambhir had started picking up the pace but was caught short of the crease when attempting a second run in the 13th over. Sohail Tanvir returned a throw on the half-volley to Kamran Akmal, who collected well and dislodged the stumps. Kohli and Yuvraj began well but fell trying to heave the seamers over square leg – left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Irfan got rid of Kohli to bag his first international wicket.Ajmal’s tricks against Dhoni and Raina, and the early run-out of Rohit Sharma, sent back by a direct hit from the deep, transformed India’s game from one aimed at an aggressive charge to mere survival. India scored just one boundary in the last six overs, their early advantage was squandered and not even a dream debut that produced a spell of 4-0-9-3 could restore it completely.

After the defeat in the P Sara Test to New Zealand Graham Ford, the Sri Lanka coach, has said his team had to improve on their batting against pace ahead of the three-Test series in Australia, which starts December 14 in Hobart.Sri Lanka have only a three-day warm-up match against a Chairman’s XI at Canberra to put right their shortcomings ahead of the Test series.”I was hoping that we would have a very good Test series against New Zealand which would be a fantastic way of preparing for the Australia series particularly as they have a useful seam outfit,” Ford said.”If we could pass the test against this seam bowling we would know we were in quite a good position to take on Australia. Unfortunately we didn’t really pass the test with flying colours although there were quite a few batsmen that showed some decent form.”I was hoping for a lot better than that but there were signs that we were starting to find our feet against pace, but what we are really gaining out of it (we had a chat about it as well) was that we now realise that we are not quite ready for the Australians. Once we get there the work that we do is going to be very intense. We are going to have to practise outside our comfort zone so that we are ready for what they are going to throw at us.”Ford blamed the poor performances of the batsmen in the New Zealand series on playing too much one-day cricket. “We just slipped off our Test match process when it comes to batting,” said Ford. “It is part of international cricket these days having to switch from one format to the other we just had such a lot of instant cricket that Test match batting has been a long way away from their minds. In a very short space of time they had to try and switch that on and they didn’t switch it on as well as we had hoped to.”Quite a number of our batsmen, although we got a few Test match specialists, have played a huge amount of T20 and ODI cricket in recent times and the Test match process hasn’t really been in their minds,” Ford said.”Even though we talk about it, the nervous energy takes over and suddenly the body reverts back to the one-day processes. Also this last Test having had long hours on the field, the mind sometimes plays a few tricks and you are not quite as mentally tough as you should be for Test match cricket. Hopefully we were able to learn from all of that and really start to gear ourselves for much bigger scores.”One of the reasons for the batting problems against New Zealand was the injury to senior opener Tillakaratne Dilshan. Ford expected a fully fit Dilshan to provide strong starts on the Australia tour for Sri Lanka’s experienced middle-order. “Dilshan had this injury and came back with not a lot of practice. I am hoping that he is going to be back at his best. He knows the Australian conditions well, he knows the players and has such a great temperament. What I see from Dilshan is, the bigger the moment, the better he plays.”Ford had similarly high expectations of Kumar Sangakkara, who in the series against New Zealand averaged below 10 in a Test series for only the second time in his career. “Sanga didn’t get a start which doesn’t happen too often. Each time he misses out he is closer to a really big score. He got out in a freakish way in the second innings coming off the thigh pad and when he is playing well Sri Lanka tends to get big scores. You can build an innings around him.”Ford said the hallmark of a good team was to bounce back after a poor performance, something he hoped Sri Lanka would be able to do. “The best of teams do have some bad outings and the boys in the dressing room were very open and honest in saying that they know they are capable of a much better performance than they put in in the second Test. That’s important that they accept that they can be better and need to do better. They know they can do better which is a sign of confidence, if we can put that all in place once we get there.”Sri Lanka have yet to win a Test in Australia and the current tour affords them the opportunity to erase that record. Ford believes Sri Lanka’s best chance of beating Australia lies at Sydney, venue of the third and final Test.”The one thing that we have chatted a bit about it is winning a Test in Australia. It’s an enormous challenge and it’s an exciting challenge. The focus of all the cricketing fans in the world is going to be on those Test matches, so it’s a huge opportunity. That will serve us as a lot of motivation as well.”Traditionally Sydney is the one that the spinners have played a big part. With spin being one of our strengths that’s an opportunity. But our seam bowlers have worked very hard recently and are really trying to get their skills going. If there is a little bit of sideways movement on the surface at Hobart our seam bowlers could really have an impact on the game. History tells you that Sydney is the ground that we most likely would get a win.”Coming off a loss to New Zealand at home where the seam bowlers caused problems it makes it look as if we are quite a long way away. Cricket is a funny game and if the boys are really up for the fight and they are able to tighten up a little bit in terms of a few aspects we know we have to work on, who knows what can be achieved.”Australia are playing really good cricket, very dominant at the moment they have put up good performances in their home conditions. I hope our boys really get their teeth into it and make some history.”

Match facts

November 6, 2012
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)Ross Taylor is expected to recover from gastroenteritis and play on Tuesday•Associated Press

Big picture

For a side that has lost eight of its previous nine ODIs, New Zealand can take a lot of heart from the way they played in the second match of the series. The batting, albeit a touch too slow at the start, proceeded along the lines the captain Ross Taylor had wanted it to: preserve wickets for a late push. Probably that is an approach we might see more of with the latest tweak in rules. The end of the bowling Powerplay could induce sides to start safely against the two new balls and have key batsmen waiting to take advantage of the last 15 overs, including five of the batting Powerplay. That, combined with only four men in the deep in non-Powerplay overs, could also mean more successful chases of high targets.Even an astute captain such as Mahela Jayawardene seemed short of ideas when Taylor started to target his favoured deep-midwicket region on Sunday. Under the old rule, with five men allowed in the deep, containing a batsman such as Taylor, with a well-known hitting area, wouldn’t have been as difficult. But having a deep midwicket, a deep square leg and a long-on would have left only one fielder on the boundary for the region from long-off to fine leg, a pretty big risk to take. It will be revealing to watch how both captains rotate their fields to tackle free-flowing batsmen over the course of this series.How much of this series actually happens will be down to how long the rain stays away. Some of it is expected on the morning of the match to give way to a cloudy afternoon only to return in the evening. We have already had a washout, a no-result and a match decided by the Duckworth-Lewis method so far this tour. The weather was overcast today with a few spots of drizzle.

Form guide

(Completed matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka : WLLLW
New Zealand: LLLWL

Player to watch

Some of the criticism directed at Lasith Malinga after the World Twenty20 final was not only unfair, it was also vitriolic. While there is no doubt that the two new balls have dented his effectiveness to some extent, he still remains a unique bowler, and one who can still cause a lot of damage. His opening spell to Rob Nicol on Sunday was a superb display of accurate, controlled outswing bowling.While Malinga was taking the new ball away from the right-handers, Trent Boult was consistently bringing it back in at sharp pace. He deserved more than the one wicket he got. He’ll hope for better luck tomorrow.

Teams news

Taylor and Andrew Ellis have received treatment for gastroenteritis. While Taylor is expected to be cleared to play, Ellis is doubtful and if he misses out, Jacob Oram could take his place. Brendon McCullum, who missed the previous game with a stiff back, will be assessed before the match. It will be difficult for New Zealand to leave out BJ Watling, who made 55 on Sunday, if McCullum comes back. Tom Latham could be the one sitting out.New Zealand (possible) 1 Rob Nicol, 2 Tom Latham/Brendon McCullum, 3 BJ Watling (wk), 4 Ross Taylor (capt), 5 Kane Williamson, 6 James Franklin, 7 Andrew Ellis/Jacob Oram, 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent BoultSri Lanka could go in unchanged, although they might want to hand Akila Dananjaya his ODI debut at some point in the series.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Lasith Malinga

Stats and trivia

• The highest successful chase in Pallekele is 192 by Australia against Sri Lanka in 2011
• Ross Taylor’s century against Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup is the only one by a non-Sri Lanka batsman in Pallekele

Quotes

“They’ve got a lot of experience at the top there, and if we get them three or four down for 100-120, we’ll be ahead of the game.”
“It’s tough for some of the bowlers, because if you look at all these new rules, it has challenged the bowlers over the years. The equipment the batsmen use is more sophisticated as well.”

Match facts

This will be the first match of any format between Australia and Afghanistan•UAE Cricket Board

August 25-26, 2012
Start time 1800 (1400 GMT)

Big Picture

Ten years ago, the idea of a one-day international between Australia and Afghanistan seemed about as plausible as playing cricket on the moon. But Afghanistan’s cricket progress has been one of the most remarkable success stories in the game’s recent history and now they have a chance to play Australia for the first time. The one-off match will be Afghanistan’s second ODI against an ICC full member and Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland said when he announced the fixture last month that he hoped it would help the development of the Afghanistan team.”Everyone in world cricket have been really impressed with how cricket has flourished in Afghanistan, despite its pressing national problems,” Sutherland said at the time. “As an ICC member, CA strongly supports world cricket’s ambition for cricket to continue to develop as a global sport and that, combined with the strong relationships between our two countries, encouraged us to look at how we might recognise and encourage Afghanistan by playing them on the field.”Australia are expected to win the match but their captain Michael Clarke was careful not to underestimate Afghanistan before the game, noting that they would be more familiar with the conditions, whereas Australia have just come from a tour of England and a cold winter back home. The Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal said the match would be “a huge moment” for all of his players.There is another reason this fixture is significant: it is rare, if not unprecedented, for a one-day international to be played across two days. The extreme heat in the UAE forced a rethink of the playing times for a 50-over contest and to avoid the worst of the sun, it was decided that Australia’s ODIs against Afghanistan and Pakistan would start at 6pm and would be scheduled to finish at 1.45am. It is not so much day-night cricket as night-morning cricket.

Form guide (Complete matches, most recent first)

Afghanistan LWLLW
Australia LLLLW

Watch out for

The legspinner Samiullah Shenwari is Afghanistan’s leading wicket taker in one-day internationals, with 27 victims at 26.66. He also doesn’t mind the conditions in Sharjah, where he has played five of his 22 ODIs, and where he picked up his best figures of 4 for 31 against Canada. The Australians will be a stiffer challenge, but on a pitch expected to offer some turn he could prove a tricky customer.Glenn Maxwell will become Australia’s 196th one-day international player and the sixth man to debut for them in the format this year. In 2010-11, he broke the record for the fastest half-century in Australian domestic one-day history, with a 19-ball effort for Victoria, and he will provide some strikepower in the lower middle order. He is athletic in the field and will enjoy bowling on the turning Sharjah surface.

Team news

Afghanistan have named a 15-man squad, with their captain Nawroz Mangal back in the mix after he missed their most recent matches in Ireland in July.Afghanistan (possible) 1 Karim Sadiq, 2 Javed Ahmadi, 3 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 4 Nawroz Mangal (capt), 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Asghar Stanikzai, 8 Samiullah Shenwari, 9 Gulbodin Naib, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Shapoor ZadranAustralia have named their starting XI ahead of time. Maxwell will make his international debut and Clarke has promoted himself to No.3. The four players to miss out from within the squad were Callum Ferguson, Daniel Christian, Steven Smith and Alister McDermott.Australia 1 Matthew Wade (wk), 2 Dave Warner, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 David Hussey, 6 George Bailey, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Xavier Doherty

Pitch and conditions

“The wicket looks quite hard, there’s no grass on it at all,” Clarke said on the day before the match. “I think as the game goes on there’ll probably be a bit more spin throughout the game.”The weather can be summed up in one word: scorching. Even late at night the temperature is not expected to dip below 34C.

Stats and trivia

• This is Afghanistan’s second ODI against a full member of the ICC; they lost their first by seven wickets to Pakistan in Sharjah in February
• Although most of their games have been against fellow associate members, Afghanistan have an impressive ODI record, having won 12 of the 22 matches they have played
• The No.3 position has been a problem for Australia in ODIs recently; in the past year they have used six batsmen there for a combined average of 21.13
  

  Quotes

  “This will be a huge moment for every single one of us, playing against the mighty Australians.”
  “They’ve played a lot of cricket over the last couple of weeks in preparation for the T20 World Cup. It’s an opportunity for them to come out with nothing to lose and plenty to gain.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Virat Kohli made another half-century•AFP

Virat Kohli continued to be imperious, and Irfan Pathan impressed once again, as India completed a successful limited-overs campaign in Sri Lanka with a comfortable win in the only T20 international on the tour. Kohli was in complete command, picking gaps at will, finding boundaries with minimum effort, even off the occasional mistimed shot, and helped take India to 155. Irfan, who found considerable swing, undermined a Sri Lankan fightback with the ball in the death overs by dismissing three senior Sri Lanka batsmen and was backed up by a containing effort by the rest.The game began brightly for Sri Lanka, with Shaminda Eranga completing a unique achievement; his wicket off Gautam Gambhir meant he’s now picked up a wicket in the first over of his debuts in Tests, ODIs and T20 internationals. But Kohli’s entry to the crease ensured that early high was short-lived.Sri Lanka’s bowlers targeted the off side, Kohli’s preferred areas being through square leg and midwicket, and bowled to their field, but such was his dominance that no part of the ground was secure. A short ball from Angelo Mathews was clubbed over midwicket, a good length delivery next ball was guided through point and Eranga was taken for fours to each part of the off side – point, extra cover and then mid-off, though two of those shots were mistimed.When Thisara Perera was brought on in the sixth over, he made the mistake of bowling too straight and was promptly struck for three fours in a row, two past short fine leg. His low backlift helped Kohli to adapt easily to deliveries that were pushed in fuller and his wristwork, as always, was his primary weapon. Thirty-six off his first 38 runs came in boundaries.The introduction of spin after the field restrictions slowed India down, and accounted for Rahane’s wicket as he drove one straight back at Jeevan Mendis. Overs nine to 12 yielded only 25, though they included a six and a four from Kohli as he charged out of the crease on each occasion.Suresh Raina walked in ahead of Rohit Sharma and picked up a couple of neatly-clipped fours off Eranga and Perera through the leg side. Kohli survived a close run-out chance but following a stand of 48, he timed one shot a touch too well, smacking a slower one from Eranga straight to deep midwicket. There were some hits and misses from MS Dhoni that gave him some frustrating moments and even though Raina dispatched Lasith Malinga over long-off, the Sri Lankan seamers were largely accurate in their lengths in the final few overs. Only 31 came off the last five, but India were not made to rue that slip.Irfan was off target on occasion – his first ball was wide and cut for four – but got the ball to move in through the air and castled Tillakaratne Dilshan in the first over. The ball curved away from the left-handed Upul Tharaga and he chased a wide one in Irfan’s next over to be caught at slip. Mahela Jayawardene, who opened the batting, threatened a counter-attack, targeting Umesh Yadav. He used Yadav’s pace to guide him for fours through third man and point, then cut and whipped him in the same over to collect 17 runs off it. But his stay, too, was ended by an Irfan inswinger in the fifth over. Jayawardene moved back and closed the face but was struck on the pads just in line with leg stump.Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews tried to maintain the tempo, stepping out and going over the top and adding 33 in quick time. But Thirimanne’s attempt to reverse-sweep a straight ball from R Ashwin failed and cost him his wicket. The run-rate slipped, the pressure grew and wickets continued to tumble. Mathews nicked Ashok Dinda – who also cleaned up the tail to finish with four wickets – to the keeper, Jeevan Mendis spooned a catch to extra cover and Perera was run out by a direct hit from Manoj Tiwary, all in a space of 15 deliveries.Seven down and with 54 needed off 28, Sri Lanka had to attack and their efforts to do so hastened their end. They’ll now look to the Sri Lanka Premier League to sharpen their T20 skills while India await New Zealand before they return to this country for the World T20.

Jacques Faul, the acting CSA chief executive, has withdrawn his resignation and will continue in the post. Last week, he had said he wanted to quit citing a “sense of hostility” from the board and a “campaign to discredit” him.”The board members have given me their full support and I am grateful for that and I will continue to do the job to the best of my ability,” Faul said.Other decisions taken after a meeting of CSA’s Steering Committee include postponing the board’s annual general meeting to October to provide time for the restructure of the board.No date was announced for the disciplinary hearing of suspended CSA chief executive Gerlad Majola. He was supposed to learn his fate by May 31, but the process continues to be delayed.The delay means the controversy has lasted two years, after first making headlines in July 2010, when it was discovered that R4.7million ($ 671,428) was paid in bonuses to 40 CSA staff, following the successful hosting of the IPL and Champions Trophy in 2009. Three investigations into the payments – an internal, one external and a ministerial commission – all found that the money had not been declared to the board. However, CSA chose to only reprimand Majola after the first two inquiries were complete but were forced to act differently when the country’s Minister of Sport, Filike Mblaula intervened.Mbalula ordered another investigation, to be chaired by retired judge Chris Nicholson and instructed CSA to comply with the recommendations Nicholson made. In March, Majola was suspended for his alleged role in the payments.

Mark Boucher, the South Africa wicketkeeper, has said he will consider delaying his retirement from international cricket in August if the coach Gary Kirsten wanted him to be available for the tour to Australia in November. In March, Boucher had said that 15 years of international cricket had taken a “toll on his body” and that South Africa’s upcoming tour of England would be his last.”I’ve spoken to a couple of people and they’ve said it’s my last tour, but if people who count ask me to finish off against the Australians, then I’d have to think about it,” Boucher told SAPA. “I do understand that playing against Australia is a massive competition and if I get asked by my coach, Gary Kirsten, to stay on and play, then I might seriously consider it.”My mind is set on finishing after England, hopefully playing all three Test matches, and finishing my career on 150 Tests for my country. If that happens, I would walk away very happily. There is just one little ‘if’ – if my coach asked me – but I’m not putting any pressure on him.”Boucher, who started his international career in 1997 and holds the record for most dismissals in Tests, was given a long-service award by Cricket South Africa on Wednesday.”They didn’t have to do it. It’s not something I really wanted or asked for, but it’s just nice to know that people do appreciate the things you do and have done for your country,” Boucher said. “I’ve really enjoyed every single moment of my career. A lot of people ask me about the highlights of my career but there have been so many.”Just spending time with the team on tour, where they become your family, is special. I’ve experienced so many different cultures and toured different places around the world and it’s only when you get towards the end of your career that you realise that those are the important things.”Edited by Carlyle Laurie

ScorecardIn overcast conditions, David Bernard ripped through the Barbados top order•West Indies Cricket

Jamaica have secured a record-breaking fifth consecutive Regional Four-Day Competition title, after staging a dramatic turnaround on the final day of the match against Barbados in Kingston. Led by seamer David Bernard, they routed Barbados for 90 in 26.3 overs, to seal a 139-run victory.After being the form team all season – they won all their league games and then rolled Guyana in a low-scoring semi-final – Jamaica began the day with the bigger challenge. After conceding a first-innings lead to Barbados, they began the day needing an outright win to take the title, while the visitors just needed to play out a draw.Jamaica began the day on 133 for 3 – effectively 115 for 3. Their batsmen showed the required urgency: captain Tamar Lambert scored an unbeaten 42 at a little less than a run a ball, while Bernard and Horace Miller’s cameos were studded with sixes and helped Jamaica knock off 114 off 18 overs. They declared prior to lunch, having set Barbados 230 with a minimum of 62 overs remaining in the day and match.Then Bernard took over. In overcast conditions, he produced a highly incisive spell in which he ripped through the Barbados top order. He went to lunch with figures of 4 for 19, with Barbados tottering at 36 for 5. There was to be no recovery, as none of the batsmen managed to make more than – or something even close to – Shane Dowrich’s 32.Eventually Barbados were skittled with plenty of time remaining. Spinners Nikita Miller and Odean Brown too played their part, scalping five between them. However, it was Barbados’ left-arm tweaker Sulieman Benn who was named Man of the Match, for his combined figures of 9 for 157.