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Hyderabad inflicted an innings and 75 run defeat on Kerala in their South Zone Cooch Behar Trophy Under-19 game at the Gymkhana Ground in Secunderabad today. The victory lifted Hyderabad to 22 points from four games, hot on the heels of Karnataka with 24 points. Kerala share the bottom spot with Goa, both on six points each from four games.Resuming their second innings at 40/2, Kerala required a further 210 runs to avoid an innings defeat. Overnight batsmen Vipin Lal and Rejas extended the total to 72 before the former was dislodged by S Shankar. The best part of the innings was a 51-run sixth wicket stand between Rejas (36) and RP Sujithi (42). The batsmen could not break the stranglehold of Shankar who picked 6/28 to send Kerala hurtling to 181 less than eleven overs after lunch.

Dale Steyn will lead South Africa’s World T20 attack, subject to his regaining full fitness. Steyn sat out six of South Africa’s eight Tests this summer and broke down in the two that he played, first with a groin injury and then a shoulder niggle from which he is still recovering. He has not played any part in the ongoing ODI series against England and will not play the T20 series either, but should return for the T20 series against Australia in the build-up to the tournament.The rest of the pace pack has a fresh look about it with Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott the frontline quicks and Morne Morkel, who has not been part of the T20 set-up since the series against New Zealand last August, missing out. Chris Morris and David Wiese provide the two seam-bowling all-round options. Albie Morkel, who was part of South Africa’s last T20 squad in India, was also left out.Albie Morkel was being primed for the allrounder’s role and took 3 for 12 on international return in Cuttack last October. He was due to play in South Africa’s ongoing ODI series against England but was ruled out before he could be included in the squad with a back problem. At the time there was some suggestion he would recover in time to play some part in the series, although it was never clarified. Morkel has since stated that he is “certainly not injured, not picked. that’s all.”There are two specialist spinners in Imran Tahir and Aaron Phangiso, who was preferred over Eddie Leie, and eight batsmen including two wicket-keeping options in AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock. De Villiers was tasked with opening the batting and keeping in South Africa’s most recent T20 matches against India even though de Kock was also in the squad. De Kock sat out those matches but, having regained form in recent weeks, is certain to be included in starting XIs at the World T20.That may mean South Africa’s plan of using de Villiers in the top two and behind the stumps is scuppered and de Kock will assume that role with de Villiers moving down the order. An experienced middle-order made up of captain Faf du Plessis, de Villiers and JP Duminy will likely leave room for only one of Farhaan Behardien or Rilee Rossouw, with an allrounder to follow.Albie Morkel was being primed for that role and took 3 for 12 on international return in Cuttack last October but has since suffered a back injury that has kept him out of the England ODIs. Morris, the IPL’s newest dollar millionaire, and Wiese will compete for a spot with Rabada, Steyn and Abbott forming the core of the attack. There may only be space for two of them at a time if South Africa play both Tahir and Phangiso, although they may also call on Duminy’s offspin as an additional slower bowling option.Phangiso was not part of the squad that played T20s in India but he did play in the ODI series there, which South Africa won 3-2. He made headlines for his behaviour on the way home when he was prevented from boarding a flight from Dubai to Johannesburg because he had insulted airline personnel after overindulging in alcohol. News of Phangiso’s indiscretions only broke mid-January in the Afrikaans newspaper . CSA confirmed they had sanctioned Phangiso, although they did not make public what his punishment was, but said it did not involve leaving him out of national squads.Russell Domingo, South Africa’s head coach, hoped South Africa could build some momentum ahead of the World T20 with their performances against England and Australia.”We take some confidence from our T20 series wins against Bangladesh and India and kept relatively the same players who have had success on the sub-continent,” Domingo said. “We have been playing good T20 cricket of late and this is our opportunity to showcase our skills at a World event. The upcoming T20 series’ against England and Australia will be the ideal platform for us to fine-tune some combinations and to hopefully gain some winning confidence ahead of the tournament next month.”We are in a tough group in the tournament with England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and a qualifier. All of the top six teams on the world rankings have the skill and ability to lift the trophy so it’s a completely open competition with high stakes.”Du Plessis reflected on South Africa’s past heartbreaks at ICC events, and said the team was hungry to “lift that elusive ICC trophy”.”The ICC World T20 is the competition that we have been working towards over the last 18 months,” he said. “We have had disappointments in the past and this year is another great opportunity for us to lift that elusive ICC trophy. We have been playing together as a squad for some time now and are really hungry and motivated to put in the performances to bring us success. I’m really excited about the group of players who will be representing the country and hope we can make everyone proud.”South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, David Wiese.

Indian board president Sharad Pawar has said that plans for an international Twenty20 tournament would be unveiled within the next “10 to 15 days” as the BCCI stepped up its response to the Indian Cricket League (ICL).”We don’t see any threat from the ICL,” Pawar told AFP. “The BCCI has been working for the past two years [on a tournament] that will involve current players, newcomers, retired players and foreign players. We will be announcing our plans in the next 10-15 days.”It had been reported that the BCCI was on the verge of forming a two-tier cricket league – the Professional Cricket Leagues – that would involve domestic leagues in four countries and an international league. It was believed to be along the lines of professional football, with clubs being able to hire players from wherever they like to play in a Twenty20 format. Cricket Australia (CA) was believed to be involved in the process and the International Management Group (IMG), the event manager, was putting it all together.Echoing warnings from other administrators, Pawar said Indian players who joined the ICL risked being excluded from official cricket. “The ICL is a purely commercial proposition. It doesn’t do what the BCCI does for cricket at all levels in India. The players associated with the BCCI have to choose in which direction they want to go.”The ICL, bankrolled by Subhash Chandra, who owns Indian media company Zee Telefilms, planned to hold Twenty20 tournaments between six teams for the next three years. ICL officials said they had signed up several international stars and 44 Indian first-class cricketers, adding that more top players from around the world were expected to join.Former Test captains Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul Haq lead the ICL roster that also included Pakistan players Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat, and South Africans Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje. South African allrounder Andrew Hall and former Australian batsman Damien Martyn have also been linked to the ICL.

Cricket Australia has cancelled 1300 Ashes tickets after an investigation into internet auction sales.James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, told reporters in Melbourne that people risked being turned away from match venues if they turned up with tickets bought off the web. “Where people purchase tickets from a scalper at a premium, they’re in breach of the terms and conditions,” he said. “We will, where appropriate, cancel those tickets.”Sutherland also took a swipe at online auction company eBay. “I’m disappointed. We had a number of discussions before tickets went on sale with eBay, unfortunately they have come to nothing. The position that we’ve taken all along with them is that they shouldn’t be assisting people to sell tickets in breach of our terms and conditions. What we’re trying to do is protect the Australian public here.”But an eBay spokesman told The Age that CA was also to blame. “Cricket Australia dumped hundreds of thousands of tickets in one day using computer and telephone systems that couldn’t keep up with demand,” he said, adding that eBay had requested details of the cancelled tickets so it could offer any affected customers compensation. He pointed out that CA had not done this.Sutherland went on to say that more tickets would in all likelihood be cancelled as the series neared. “We’ve still got an investigation agency out there that’s doing various checks and I would imagine that over the next few months that there will be more that are uncovered.”Demand for tickets has been unprecedented and the board was slammed for the way it handled sales on the first day they went on general release.The tickets were only made available to Australian residents but thousands of English supporters used contacts in Australia to bypass the system.

ScorecardGloucestershire built a useful lead over Bangladesh A by the close of the second day despite Tushar Imran’s 119 giving Bangladesh a slender advantage on first innings. Phil Weston provided the backbone to Gloucestershire’s second innings with a workmanlike 63.Starting the day on 98 for 3, Tushar and Alok Kapali, the overnight batsmen, extended their partnership to 122. Kapali struck 12 boundaries in his 105-ball 59 before he was trapped lbw by Malinga Bandara, the Sri Lankan legspinner, who is filling one of Gloucestershire’s overseas slots while Upul Chandana is on international duty.Bangladesh then encountered the unknown quantity of William Rudge, a 22-year-old medium pacer bowler making his first-class debut. He snapped up three quick wickets – including Mushfiqur Rahim, the young wicketkeeper-batsmen who made such a positive impression on his test debut at Lord’s – to leave Bangladesh floundering on 195 for 7.Tushar found some valuable support from Shahadat Hossain and the pair added 43 before Tushar was caught off Jon Lewis. Bangladesh ended with a lead of 19 but Gloucestershire lost Kadeer Ali – who followed his first innings duck with just a single – before the deficit was erased.However, any thoughts Bangladesh had of running through Gloucestershire were halted by Weston and Ian Fisher as they added 97. Although Mushfiqur Rahman removed both before the close Bangladesh are going to face a testing target on the final day.

Nothing is straightforward where Zimbabwean cricket is concerned these days. Less than 24 hours after three of the current new-look Zimbabwe side issued a public denial of weekend reports that they were planning on joining the banned rebels, a local journalist has claimed that the three only did so under duress.On Sunday, several media outlets carried articles suggesting that Dion Ebrahim, Douglas Hondo and Mluleki Nkala were all on the verge of withdrawing from the Zimbabwe squad.On Monday, the Zimbabwe Cricket Union issued a statement on behalf of the three, which concluded: “We the undersigned have no intention of boycotting or pulling out of the squad. We are proud to be selected and will fulfil our commitment to Zimbabwe cricket.”But the local pressman, who does not wish to be named, overheard a heated exchange in the team’s hotel on Monday which left him “convinced that [the players] were forced to make the statement”.He apparently witnessed Stephen Mangongo, Zimbabwe’s new convenor of selectors, shouting at Hondo. “You are being stupid,” he yelled. “How can you side with those white racists?”Mangongo, a known pro-Mugabe hardliner, is a key official at Takashinga, a club closely linked with the drive for more black players in the Zimbabwe game. An administrator of Asian descent met him last week, and the conversation is quoted in today’s Guardian. “When this whole Streak issue came up, Stephen looked at me and demanded, ‘Are you with the whites or the blacks? You guys must decide’.”There is also confusion surrounding the relationship between Dion and Maqsood Ebrahim. The ZCU statement claimed it was “untrue and false” that the two were related. But that doesn’t tally with what Dion Ebrahim has said in the past. “I once spoke to Dion Ebrahim and he told me that he is related to Maqsood Ebrahim,” said a local source. “He said Maqsood is his uncle, and now I am shocked that he is denying it.”The demoralising effect events are having on Zimbabwe’s cricketers was highlighted by comments from one of their up-and-coming players (who again, for obvious reasons, didn’t want to be named).”It’s so sad it has come to this,” he said. “I remember when I was 12 or 13, watching a Test match from the nets at the Harare Sports Club and looking at the players on the field, wishing … hoping that one day I would have the honour of playing for my country and wearing the prized baggy green. My Test cap sits at home now: whether I will have the pleasure of donning it once again is uncertain.”Why can’t I just play cricket and fulfil a lifelong dream of one day walking off the field for the last time while the sun goes down at the Sports Club, take my cap off and leave because it’s my time … Sit in the changing-room and say farewell to all my friends who too have fought for the honour to wear and fight under the baggy green. What a nightmare this is for all of us.”

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tim Lamb has admitted that Nasser Hussain’s decision to resign as captain of the England one-day team was far from unexpected.Hussain had criticised the game’s authorities during the World Cup campaign over the way the Zimbabwe issue was handled, but Lamb has said that he has a clear conscience on that and, in any case, there had been forecasts of Hussain’s resignation at the end of the tournament."I wasn’t entirely surprised because he had been giving speculation he might resign the one-day captaincy," Lamb said. "He did make it clear a couple of weeks ago he was considering his position."Of course the ECB takes responsibility for not going to Harare. It was our decision because we didn’t get the necessary assurances over safety and security. Nasser knows that."It was a stressful time for everyone. Nasser did feel under pressure. It was also a difficult time for a lot of other people. I can assure you he had the full support of the ECB."Hussain’s father, Joe, pointed to off-field pressures as the reason for his son’s resignation. He said: "You can take only so much and he has taken a lot this winter aside from being hammered by Australia, who are the best side in the world."There are other things outside of cricket which he has had to handle. Captaining the side on the field is one thing but captaining off it is another. You can’t be a politician and a cricketer."Among numerous tributes that have been paid since Hussain announced his retirement, perhaps one that will mean as much as any came from his opposing captain in his last one-day international, Ricky Ponting.Sunday’s defeat was the 14th in succession inflicted by Australia over England, but Ponting was fulsome in his praise of Hussain.”I think he has done a good job for England as captain in both forms of the game during a difficult period,” he said. “He has been under a lot of pressure but he has been a good leader and a tough player.”The past 12 months have been pretty difficult for him and lately he has had an Ashes loss, the tri-series loss and now the World Cup exit. I suppose England now has to look ahead and more towards making things good for the future.”

The difference the absence of just one player can make! If at all anyproof was required that the Indian team would greatly miss SachinTendulkar’s omnipotent presence, the first two matches in the Coca-Cola Cup in Colombo have proved it. The team just does not have thenecessary qualities needed to offset the advantage that Tendulkar’spresence gives it.Yes, one understands it is not easy for any team to recover from theabsence of a leading player, particularly one of Tendulkar’s sublimecapabilities. If anything is evident, it’s not just the batting buteven the bowling that has been weakened. But more than the batting,bowling or fielding, what has really hit the Indian team is the simplefact that Tendulkar is not around. His mere presence is enough to liftthe team’s morale.Mentally, the team has been hit and perhaps this has turned out to bethe most important factor. But it is true that Tendulkar’s absence hasalso led to a number of changes which may not augur well for the team.For starters, it was taken for granted that there had to be a newopening partner for Sourav Ganguly. But in the first two matchesitself, there have been two separate combinations tried out. AmayKhurasiya was chosen specifically as a replacement for Tendulkar,going by the statements made by the selection committee chairmanChandu Borde. But obviously the team management can’t seem to decideon the opening combination. Why has Yuvraj been pushed to open thebatting when his place is obviously in the middle order? And in theabsence of Tendulkar, should it not be imperative for Ganguly to openthe innings? And yet against Sri Lanka, Ganguly inexplicably droppedhimself down the order. Somehow Tendulkar’s absence has weakened notonly the top order but also the entire batting line-up. It has alsoled to a change in plans but the team is yet to hit upon a winningstrategy. They seemed to be going in for unnecessary desperatemeasures. Witness the needless tactic of sending Harbhajan Singh at No4 against Sri Lanka. It’s a confused team management out there inColombo.The bowling too looks thin in the absence of Tendulkar. His ODI careerfigures of 101 wickets at a strike rate of 56.4 with a best of fivefor 32 clearly illustrate Tendulkar’s value to the side both as onewho can curb the scoring as also his ability as a change bowler usedto break partnerships. And in the event of a leading bowler notplaying – like Ashish Nehra missing out the game against Sri Lanka -the Indian bowling really looked fragile. Against both New Zealand andSri Lanka, they let the opponents off the hook and on pitches thatwere helpful to bowlers. The batting, with the uncertainty at the topand the inexperience in the middle, really cries out for Tendulkar, asthe collapse in both the games clearly illustrates.The value of the bench strength in any side is vital if it is toovercome the sudden withdrawal of a prima donna. The Indian team justdoes not have the resources required to make good the absence of agiant like Tendulkar. That is the most obvious lesson driven home byevents in the first two matches in the Colombo competition.

Skipper Hrishekesh Kanitkar’s fine batting display placed Maharashtrain a commanding position on the first day of the West Zone Ranji Matchagainst Gujarat at the Shivaji Stadium, Karad.Gujarat won the toss and invited Maharashtra to bat. The Maharashtrabatsmen made merry of the conditions with big partnerships in the daypiling a healthy 318 for five in 90 overs. Opener Bhave (71) andKanitkar (94) shared a 121 run partnership for the second wicket.Kanitkar and Abhijit Kale (35) added 82 for the third and the fourthwicket saw Kale and K Aphale (53 not out) add 60 in their turn at thewicket. Kanitkar caressed the ball to the fence on 14 occasions of 170deliveries and Bhave smashed the ball 13 times in his 131 ballinnings. Hitesh Majumdar bagged three of the five wickets to fall onthe first day.At the end of play K Aphale and Mandar Sane (5) were at the wicket.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndre Russell whacked 46 off 20 balls•Getty Images

Needing a win to stay in contention for their first Big Bash League semi-finals, Sydney Thunder turned out in style and sank Sydney Sixers in front of a record crowd. Thunder had lost their previous four games, missed their preferred opening partnership, but produced a clinical performance with the bat to post the season’s highest score. Quick contributions from Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, and Andre Russell powered Thunder to 202. The bowlers then dismissed Sixers for 156 to cap off an impressive all-round performance.Thunder are now safe, so long as one of the Melbourne teams lose their final games, or else they enter the murky world of net run-rate. Either way, in keeping their side of the qualification bargain, Thunder pulled the plug on Sixers’ season.It was not all plain sailing, though. To remain in contention for finals themselves, Sixers had to win inside 16 overs. And when Nic Maddinson was joined by Brad Haddin in pursuit of 203, Hussey, playing his final game in Sydney, looked anxious, and with good reason. Thirty of Maddinson’s first fifty runs came in sixes, and he was swinging with such power that the back of his bat simply flew off as he tried to drill offspinner Chris Green down the ground.

Players support Carters’ charity Batting for Change

Each six hit at the SCG had a touch more significance as the players personally pledged AU$775 to Sydney Sixers’ wicketkeeper Ryan Carters’ charity Batting for Change. In its second edition, the Batting for Change cup was retained by Thunder, after their opening night win at Spotless Stadium in December.
In total, 17 sixes were hit, raising $13,175, which will take Batting for Change to within $10,000 of their target of $120,000.
Shane Watson hit three sixes, raising $2,325, while Andre Russell’s supreme display saw him clear the rope four times. Remarkably, within 19 balls, Sixers captain Nic Maddinson – a long-time supporter of Batting for Change – had overtaken as the hosts set about chasing Thunder’s 202.
Carters founded Batting for Change ahead of BBL03. He raised around $30,000 for Heartland School in Kathmandu in the first season, and $108,000 (Sixers played two extra games as they reached the Grand Final) for the education of 500 women in Mumbai in BBL04. This season, the charity has been raising money to fund bachelor degrees for another 500 women at the SPRJ Kanyashala Trust in Mumbai, as well as for 100 women in rural Sri Lanka.
The charity works by taking pledges – say, $10 – from donors for every six hit by the Sixers during the BBL season.

Green proved an unlikely staller for the Thunder. Brought into the attack with Sixers on the charge, he had Haddin caught sweeping second ball and conceded just five runs in his first two overs. Maddinson’s blitz ended when he was caught brilliantly by a diving Henry Nicholls at long-on off legspinner Fawad Ahmed the following over. Sixers were 118 for 4 in the 13th over, and they added very little to that.With the bat, Thunder could have done little more. Watson, promoted to open in the absence of Usman Khawaja and Jacques Kallis, veritably ghosted to 66 off 41 balls. Hussey anchored the innings, while Russell was in brutal form, fearlessly clearing his front leg and throwing his hands to launch four sixes in the death to propel Thunder.Despite a torrid start to the tournament, Watson has been in fine form in 2016. This innings was marked by his staples: hard-hit pulls, booming front-foot drives, attractive cuts, slog-sweeps to the spinners and three stunning sixes too. All good signs with the World T20 around the corner. Either side of sending Doug Bollinger sailing down the ground, he went after Nathan Lyon, nailing him over cow corner, then long-on. Aiden Blizzard, who joined Watson at the top, pulled a Johan Botha half-tracker for a six, but fell to the first ball of the seventh over, Sean Abott’s first.Watson built for six more overs with Hussey, before he was caught at long-on attempting another biff. Hussey was smart as ever, pulling boundaries behind square and running with the speed of a man half his age. It was a surprise to see Nicholls come in at No.4 before Russell, but the New Zealander did not last long, miscuing Lyon to backward point.Russell then set to work immediately, with a violently-pulled six followed by a magnificently orthodox cover-driven four off Ben Dwarshius. Jackson Bird was then belted for a six, before Russell got stuck into Bollinger. There was a six over cow corner, a drive through cover, and a pull despite taking his eyes off the shot contained in a single over, the 18th. It took a moment of genius to eventually dismiss Russell as Botha tossed up catch on the long-off fence to his alert team-mate Jordan Silk. A cameo from Ben Rohrer then took Thunder past 200, where they looked safe.After Michael Lumb fell early, Sixers’ chase was all about Maddinson. He was in sublime touch and looked set to pull off a heist, even if not quite quickly enough. He struck Russell for successive leg-side sixes, then gave Fawad the same treatment down the ground. Watson was next to be sent for a six and a four, before the debutant Nathan McAndrew was bullied.Green, however, arrived and slows things up, while Fawad attacked the new batsmen. Slowly but surely, Sixers’ dominoes fell, and Thunder completed the job.