Essex County Cricket Club has announced that it will not be renewing the contract of left-hand batsman Richard Clinton and that they have mutually agreed that it would be in the player’s best interest for him to move on. 21-year-old Clinton joined Essex last season but has had only limited first-team opportunities due to unfortunate injuries.Essex Chief Executive David East commented: “Richard is a highly promising player, but because of the depth of batting we have in Essex at the moment, he would probably not get sufficient chancesto play first team cricket, which would be very disappointing for a player of his potential. Richard is very keen to continue his career elsewhere and we wish him well for the future.”Clinton commented: “I have enjoyed my time at Essex and am extremely disappointed that things have not worked out. I very much want to continue my first-class cricket career and will be looking for other openings in the near future.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out – Pakistan
How they were out – England

England gained their first one-day victory of the summer over major opposition as Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell completed a supremely professional eight-wicket win, keeping the series alive with one match remaining. The pair added 110 for the second wicket before Bell sealed the result with another assured innings.In contrast to many recent displays, England did almost everything right with their debutant, Michael Yardy, claiming three wickets. Pakistan only gained a foothold for four overs, but it was dramatic while it lasted, as Abdul Razzaq launched a late charge as 70 came in 28 balls for the ninth wicket.There were no such fireworks at the start of England’s chase as England set about weathering the new ball. Pakistan thought they had an early strike when Strauss edged Mohammad Asif low to Inzamam-ul-Haq at first slip, but Strauss stood his ground and the umpires went to the TV replay. The pictures suggested the ball just grazed the grass before Inzamam got his fingers underneath and Strauss was given the benefit of the doubt.Inzamam was far from impressed and approached Daryl Harper at the end of the over before the situation defused. Strauss wasn’t affected and continued to find the middle of his bat, but Ed Joyce was undone by a delivery from Asif that seamed away and Kamran Akmal took a sharp catch.However, any pressure on the batsmen was released as Naved and Razzaq produced wayward opening spells. Strauss punished anything off line through his favourite areas square of the wicket. Razzaq went for three boundaries in his first over and Bell later carted Naved for three consecutive fours as England upped the tempo.Strauss ticked past his second fifty in two matches off 72 balls as Inzamam, having witnessed Yardy and Jamie Dalrymple turn the ball, brought in his slow bowlers. However, they found far less purchase – possibly because of the evening dew – making it a simple task for Strauss and Bell to milk the bowling at the required rate, which only notched above five for a few overs.Mohammad Hafeez provided a breakthrough, when Strauss was bowled behind his legs, but Bell, whose fifty came off 53 balls, continued to be England’s stand-out batsman of the series. One crunching cover drive off Shoaib Akhtar confirmed which way the result was heading and rivalled any of the blows Razzaq managed. Pakistan were notably off their game, Shoaib didn’t hit 90mph, and the fielding continued to cause concerns.

Kevin Pietersen was dropped by Inzamam from a fierce drive and played his most commanding innings of the series to ensure there were no late alarms. Bell couldn’t quite pass his ODI best, the 88 at Cardiff, but was rarely troubled in another knock that suggests he is the man for the No. 3 role.For once, England had managed to take wickets in clusters and Pakistan struggled for momentum until Razzaq’s late blast. Jon Lewis and Sajid Mahmood reduced them to 41 for 3 and though Inzamam and Mohmmad Yousuf staged a recovery it was never at a great rate. Yousuf struggled manfully, facing 80 balls, before he chopped-on to hand Yardy his first ODI wicket. He quickly had two more when Shoaib Malik spooned a return catch, then Inzamam went two runs later – also lobbing a catch, this time to Dalrymple.When Akmal edged to slip for Yardy’s third wicket, Pakistan were 138 for 7 and a decent target was looking a long way away. However, Razzaq had been given a life by Strauss, at slip, on 6 and he exploded in the closing overs. He carted 26 off the 49th over, bowled by Mahmood, with two massive sixes over midwicket and reached his half-century from 65 balls, while Lewis’s last two overs cost 29.England, though, recovered their composure through the interval and had plenty to spare when Pietersen thumped the winning runs. A single one-day victory doesn’t make a summer, but England will have started to wonder where the next one was coming from. Now there is all to play for at Edgbaston.

Blame for what happened at The Oval and its aftermath can – and has been – liberally flung in several directions. Darrell Hair’s eventual and Inzamam-ul-Haq’s initial obstinacy, the ICC match referee Mike Procter’s haphazard communication skills and the Pakistan Cricket Board’s less than firm handling of the crisis.As more information from Sunday dribbles through, the last named in particular are being asked increasingly difficult questions in Pakistan and for them, something is about to hit the fan. Inzamam can still count on public support, given the inclusive nature of his protest (he was defending the country’s honour), but it is looking difficult for his board to expect the same.Ex-officials and players are rarely happy with successors but there appears genuine cause for grief. As a fiasco unfolded on Sunday, Shaharyar Khan, chairman PCB, told Sky TV that his team’s protest was to last “a few minutes”. Immediately a contradiction was set in place; “a few minutes” was considerably more and doubts appeared about the team’s intent.Khan giving a statement was questionable enough (not more though than him appearing in a Pepsi commercial last year), given that the team’s manager Zaheer Abbas was hired for just this sort of situation (Journalist Khalid H. Khan, in asked why Zaheer Abbas was seen doing little more than chatting on his mobile phone, walking in and out of the dressing-room). The next day, the PCB only shook up more dust. They were wrong in claiming that the ball was roughed up because Kevin Pietersen was spanking sixes – those came after the ball was changed.They were ambiguous in their stance on Hair; “he was a good umpire” but their team had problems with his attitude. They were contradictory in their explanation of what happened in those crucial minutes after tea and before the game was forfeited. The fate of the ODIs wasn’t decided though their captain and coach were already publicly threatening cancellation. As Inzamam’s hearing is now postponed, they still can’t find one voice through which to speak – do they want hearings postponed or do they not?

Arif Abbasi, chairman of the PCB through the ball tampering and match-fixing crises of the ’90s and no mincer of words was appalled by the management’s lack of knowledge through the events. “It was a shambles. No one appears to have known the laws regarding forfeiture as the crisis was occurring. The manager Zaheer Abbas went missing, the chairman was making comments about things he didn’t know and there was no communication at all between Pakistan and the umpires. As a study in crisis-management, it was as poor as it gets. Since then, it appears as if they haven’t done their homework on anything.”Others have been similarly scathing. Aaqib Javed was in the 1992 side in England, during which a ball was also changed, with considerably less hoopla. “It’s not the first time it has happened. In 1992 while we were playing, our manager Intikhab Alam told us not to worry, he would handle everything while we should just play on. Afterwards, he sent a letter protesting. Where was the manager now and did anyone know the rules? Let’s not forget though that Hair was correct in all the actions he took and he should be lauded for those decisions.”Javed also raised concerns that Shaharyar hadn’t been firm enough, in his capacity as chairman, with the players or match officials. “One player in the dressing-room told me that all decisions were being taken by Inzamam about the protest. Shaharyar’s very nature is of compromise, once a diplomat, always a diplomat. Not being clear and firm on issues is natural. When they convinced Inzamam to come out, it actually made Pakistan and Inzi look more foolish.”That observation wasn’t a stray one; in an article for , columnist Shahed Sadullah questioned the PCB’s decision, together with Mike Procter, to convince the team to return. The gesture was humiliating as well as pointless, “totally compromising Pakistan’s stand. You either protest or you do not; you cannot hedge your bet both ways. That takes away the moral high ground completely and that is what the PCB’s actions have done.”

One well-placed source close to the board painted a none too flattering picture: “They were like a whole group of Inspector Clouseaus, all bumbling through without knowing quite what they were doing, without knowing the law, making one statement after another, each one contradicting the last.” The list could go on; both Imran Khan and Javed Miandad have also registered their concerns over the board’s handling. But as the source acknowledged, “it’s been such a big cock-up that questions will most definitely be asked when they get back.”For one, the Senate is likely to pounce. Since the 2004 loss at home to India, the standing committee for sports has hounded the board – through wins, losses, draws – over their finances, the lack of a constitution (the board has operated ad-hoc since 1999) and any other topical controversy. This is heaven-sent. The tour is drawing to a close but the PCB’s headaches aren’t. In fact, on return, they are likely to turn into a migraine.

Shane Warne has decided not to play in any of Victoria’s one-day games this season mainly because of the Ashes schedule.”As has been well documented, I haven’t had international aspirations in the one-day game for some time,” Warne said. “While managing my workload ahead of the Ashes is also a consideration, I feel it’s appropriate to step aside at state level and allow another Victorian to play and push for higher honours.”Greg Shipperd, the Victoria coach, confirmed that missing the one-day games was Warne’s suggestion. “But I should add if exceptional circumstance arose, such as last year when Cameron White and Brad Hodge were on international duty, Shane [Warne] would step in for a one-off as he did last season,” Shipperd told the , a Melbourne-based daily.Shipperd added that if White, the Victoria captain, was called up for national duty then Hodge was likely to take over captaincy of the state team. “He has grown into a leadership role and is now sharing his knowledge with the team,” Shipperd said. I’d be very comfortable with Brad leading the side.”Warne and Hodge though will be looking for some practice ahead of the Ashes as Victoria named a 15-member squad for their one-day and four-day matches against Western Australia (WA). With injury sidelining at least four players, Rob Quiney, an uncontracted left-hand batsman, has also been given the chance to play in Victoria’s opening matches of the season.”There’s been a massive build-up to this season, so we’re all raring to go,” said Hodge. “WA have a number of stars in their line-up, so it’s going to be great challenge for us. But we’ve put in the work and are confident of picking up valuable early points and paving the way for a top season.”Victoria’s opening fixture is a Ford Ranger One-Day Cup match on October 13 after which they meet Western Australia in the four-day Pura Cup encounter on October 15.While Warne will not feature in the one-day game on October 13, he will play one this weekend for St Kilda, his local Melbourne club. “This weekend Cricket Australia is promoting Long Live Club Cricket, which is an initiative I’m passionate about, so I’ll return to my grass roots and play for St Kilda, which is something I rarely get the chance to do,” said Warne.

Brad Haddin has been fined 30 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpire’s decision on the last day of the thrilling Pura Cup match between New South Wales and South Australia at Adelaide Oval. The umpires Steve Davis and Andy Collins reported Haddin for dissent after he was adjudged lbw for a first-ball 0 in the second over of the Blues’ second innings when they were reeling at 4 for 1.The report was proven at a hearing in Adelaide on Sunday by the Cricket Australia code of conduct commissioner John Gun. New South Wales fought back to win the match thanks to a heroic 62 from Stuart Clark and the Blues will be looking to follow up with a win in their Ford Ranger Cup game against the Redbacks at Adelaide on Wednesday.Haddin will lead a 13-man squad for the game, with Stuart MacGill added to the 12 who lost to Queensland in their last limited-overs match. Jason Gillespie will miss the game with a shoulder injury but South Australia will welcome back Dan Cullen, who has been on Champions Trophy duty in India. The Redbacks have also brought in the batsman Daniel Harris and the all-rounder Ryan Harris at the expense of Cullen Bailey and Gary Putland.New South Wales sit in last place on the FR Cup table with two losses this season, while South Australia are third with one win and one loss.South Australia squad Matthew Elliott, Mark Cosgrove, Daniel Harris, Greg Blewett, Callum Ferguson, Darren Lehmann (capt), Cameron Borgas, Graham Manou (wk), Ryan Harris, Mark Cleary, Daniel Cullen, Shaun Tait.New South Wales squad Phil Jaques, Craig Simmons, Aaron O’Brien, Brad Haddin (capt, wk), Ed Cowan, Dominic Thornely, Moises Henriques, Daniel Christian, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark, Aaron Bird, Stuart MacGill, Doug Bollinger.

ScorecardDhiraj Jadhav, not long ago a strong prospect to open the batting for India, helped himself to an unbeaten century, while Hrishikesh Kanitkar made 94 not out as Maharashtra ended their first day against Rajasthan well in command at 255 for 1. After choosing to bat and losing the first wicket on 37, it was the Jadhav-Kanitkar show all day as they put on 218 for the second wicket. Jadhav ended on 117, having taken a larger proportion of the strike – 301 balls to Kantikar’s 217. Pankaj Singh, the Rajasthan opening bowler, was the only one to strike on the day.
ScorecardA top-score of 91 from Mohammad Kaif, and a late-in-the-order 40 from Jyoti P Yadav helped Uttar Pradresh to 249 for 8 at stumps of the first day of their match against Karnataka in Kanpur. After Uttar Pradesh had won the toss and chosen to bat Vinay Kumar, the Karnataka medium-pacer, struck early, and it was left to Kaif to steady the innings. Later on it was Sunil Joshi, the veteran left-arm spinner, who did the damage, picking up 3 for 51. Vinay Kumar, who picked up both openers, also scalped Suresh Raina, for a duck, and ended the day with three wickets.
ScorecardIshant Sharma, the young Delhi fast bowler, picked up five wickets as Baroda were bowled out for only 244 in the opening day of their match at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Baroda won the toss and chose to bat, but little went right for them. At No. 3 Rakesh Solanki resisted with 62, but none of the other batsmen could keep Sharma, the tall fast bowler, out for any length of time. Sharma, playing in only his first season, picked up 5 for 35, while Kunal Lal chipped in with 3 for 89. Delhi then began well, ending the day on 6 for no loss from 1.5 overs.ScorecardOn a day of turgid cricket Haryana batted out 97 overs to reach 169 for 4, scoring at less than 1.75 runs per over. The runs barely came, and if it had not been for 67 from Ankit Rawat, opening the batting, Haryana may not have even gotten this far. They began well enough, putting 52 on the board without losing a wicket. Then a couple of quick wickets pegged them back and the scoring came to a grinding halt. After the openers were sent back no-one could score at a strike-rate of even 25 per 100 balls. R Ashwin, making his debut, was returned the best figures – 2 for 46 from 31 overs.
ScorecardAn unbeaten 82 from Prasad Reddy, who opened the batting and played out the whole day, gave Andhra a semblance of respectability in their match against Saurashtra at Rajkot, reaching 215 for 9. It was a day when no single bowler dominated, and yet the wickets fell at regular intervals. Had Reddy not stuck it out for 280 balls like he did, Andhra might have been skittled out, as the next highest scorer was Chiranjeevi Prasad with 35 lower down the order. Sandip Maniar, the Sourashtra opening bowler, had the best figures with 3 for 50.
ScorecardHyderabad put in a disappointing performance against Gujarat after winning the toss and chosing to bat first at their home ground, the Visakha Stadium. They were bowled out for just 205, with only two batsmen making half-centuries. TS Suman made 55 at the top of the order, and D Vinay Kumar made 54 at No. 6 but the rest of the batsmen simply failed to get going. The wickets were spread around evenly for Gujarat with Ashraf Makda and Amit Singh picking up three apiece. In response Gujarat were 4 for no loss at stumps. 221 for 6 (Dharmani 67*) v Mumbai
ScorecardPunjab faltered after a solid start in the opening day of their match against Mumbai at Mohali. After Ravneet Ricky (46) and Karan Goel (38) had put on 83 for the first wicket, Mumbai struck two quick blows, and then the Punjab batting wobbled a bit. At 100 for 4, with Dinesh Mongia having been sent back without scoring there was just the chance that Mumbai would run through the innings. But the experience of Pankaj Dharmani stood Punjab in good stead as he carved out an unbeaten 67 and took his team to stumps on 221 for 6 from 76 overs.

Shane Warne has hit out at England’s decision to recall Geraint Jones behind the stumps in place of Chris Read, and believes that Australia will be handed a huge advantage if Ashley Giles is also named in the side that takes the field at Brisbane on Thursday at the expense of the up-and-coming Monty Panesar.Speaking to the media after a training session at Brisbane Grammar School, Warne accused England of negativity in their thinking, and warned that – in conjunction with the loss of their specialist first slip, Marcus Trescothick – the ploy could backfire on Australia’s bouncy pitches, where edges fly hard and fast and the need for a specialist gloveman is all the greater.”It’s surprising that they’d go back to [Jones],” said Warne. “He’ll be under enormous pressure. I think it’s a known fact – and it’s not me sledging him – that Jones is in the side more for his batting than his keeping. His keeping is steady at best and we saw him drop some crucial catches [in the last series]. You don’t want to be dropping Ricky Ponting when he’s on half-a-dozen in the first Test of the series, especially when you’ve just been brought back into the side.”Though Jones clung onto the one chance that really mattered, on that final morning at Edgbaston, he missed seven chances in all in 2005, and has been sketchy so far this tour. He reprieved Phil Jaques at Canberra, who went on to make a century, and also has fluffed two stumping catches, including one against Michael Clarke in the match against New South Wales.And without the soothing presence of Trescothick at first slip – a man who has learned to ignore Jones’ off-putting habit of launching himself at chances that are out of his reach – Warne predicted more problems for England behind the wicket. “It takes a while to get used to a new keeper,” he said. “When we had [Ian] Healy, myself and Mark Waugh [in the cordon] we knew exactly whose catch was whose. Trescothick’s a good catcher, and he’ll be missed.”Warne was in no doubt about who was behind the reversal of policy in the England camp. “Duncan Fletcher has definitely got a few favourites,” he added. “I think that’s well-known between everybody. That’s why some blokes keep coming back into the side, because they are favourites. But in Australia you need your best keeper because the ball does bounce and carry, and so I’d be very happy to see England go back to Jones and Giles.”As a man who revived the art of spin bowling, in conjunction with the matchless glovework of first Healy and then Adam Gilchrist, Warne was passionate on the subject. “They think they are just trying to strengthen their batting and their tail, but actually what they are doing is losing two of the finest arts in the game, in keeping and spin bowling. England have got two guys that can do that exceptionally well, but they want them to go to bring in handy lower-order batters. That’s what the top six are there for. You need 20 wickets to win a Test.”Giles is a very good cricketer and a lovely guy,” said Warne, damning the man with faint praise. “But they’ve got an exciting spin bowler in Panesar, as we saw this summer. Don’t mess around with him, just let him play, enjoy the conditions, keep learning and bowl. He needs to enjoy the challenges that lie ahead. I think it’s a backwards decision to go back to Jones and Giles, and a good sign for us.”So far on this tour, Panesar has not set the world alight. He was arguably out-bowled by Giles at Sydney, and then picked up just two wickets in two innings in the recent match at Adelaide. Warne, though, was sympathetic. “He’ll be getting used to bowling with a Kookaburra ball instead of a Duke, and he’s probably very nervous as well – anxious to see whether he’s playing or not. He knows the wicket is going to spin and so he’s probably trying a bit hard. But I’d be very surprised if they don’t play him.”Warne, however, was under no illusions about England’s prospects in the series. “They’ll be tough to beat, and anyone who thinks it’s going to be a walkover doesn’t know much about the game,” he said. “They are stronger now than they were when we played them last time. But at the end of the day everyone’s done enough talking and answering the same questions. We’re just looking forward to getting out there and playing, and playing well.”

England refused the chance to play 16 days of warm-up matches before their ill-fated Ashes defence, according to Bob Merriman, the former Cricket Australia chairman. Merriman, who remains a director of Cricket Australia, said England had been offered the opportunity to play four four-day games before the first Test.Instead, they played three matches – none of which had first-class status – totalling only seven days and suggestions they were under-prepared plagued the tourists all series. Merriman was quoted in as saying the England players opted for a shorter build-up after completing the Champions Trophy in India, even though Australia were prepared to push back the start date of the first Test to accommodate the extra fixtures.”We thought they would come straight from India rather than go home,” Merriman said. “Apparently, though, their players didn’t want to. We offered them four four-day matches before the first Test, beginning in Sydney, then Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.”John Carr, the ECB’s director of operations, said Merriman’s claims were incorrect. “The truth is that Cricket Australia actually made us pay for our first day in Australia [which is against the usual protocol] on the basis that we were having a longer lead-in period to the first Test than they received on the 2005 tour of England,” Carr told the paper.”Their proposed arrival date for us was actually a day later than we got there so we could not physically have fitted in four four-day matches in the period that they were prepared to host us, which was for 18 days before the first Test. As for cancelling the one-day game in Canberra, it was a major Cricket Australia requirement because, politically, the match against the Prime Minister’s XI is a very important fixture for them.”

Gold League
Defending champions Sialkot suffered a setback as they conceded a crucial 28-run first innings lead to Faisalabad, but then by the second day’s close in their four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Gold League match, they struck hard to swing right back into the game.Having resumed at their overnight 26 for one, after last season’s runners-up Faisalabad had compiled a score of 250 all out, Sialkot were soon tottering at 36 for four. Then came a characteristically belligerent knock of 72 by their skipper Imran Nazir, who had retired hurt on Friday afternoon.Pakistan discard Imran returned to hammer his runs off a mere 97 balls with 10 fours and a six. Later, Shahzad Malik hit 52 off 81 balls with eight fours while wicket-keeper Haafiz Khalid remained unbeaten with 37 off 69 balls that included two fours and two sixes.But Sialkot were dismissed for a modest 222 runs that gave Faisalabad a 28-run lead. Then the latter lost four wickets for 58 runs by the day’s close in their second innings, which leaves them only 86 runs ahead with six wickets in hand.For Faisalabad, pacemen Asad Ali and Ahmed Hayat and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal all captured three wickets each. Three of their batsmen later on failed to score, but opener Imran Ali is holding the fort with 41 not out, off 78 balls with eight hits to the rope.Left-arm paceman Waqar Ahmed and ex-Test opener Wajahatullah Wasti produced splendid bowling and batting performances, respectively, as Peshawar got an important 46-run first innings lead against Karachi Urban, on the second day of their four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Gold League match.Peshawar, responding to Karachi Urban’s first innings score of 214, were bowled out for 260 in the 81st over just before close on day two of their tie. Wajahatullah, batting with confidence, scored an unbeaten 81 with eleven fours and a brace of sixes off 158 balls in a little over four hours and opener Aftab Khan earlier hit nine boundaries in his 53 that came off 87 balls in 108 minutes.Urban were with a chance to get the first innings lead after Peshawar were reeling at 115 for six wickets at one stage with off-spinner Tahir Khan picking up four important wickets. But Wajahatullah held his team’s batting together with three valuable partnerships with the tail-enders.He first put on 44 runs for the seventh wicket with Aslam Qureshi (21 with three fours) and added another 48 runs for the eighth wicket involving captain Arshad Khan, whose contribution was 31 with five hits to the boundary. Wajahatullah with Waqar (0 off 19 balls in 35 minutes) scored 30 runs for the last wicket.Earlier, Waqar caused the slide in Karachi’s batting with the second new ball with three quick wickets. He bowled Imran Javed with the first delivery with the new ball for 52, which was laced with six fours. Waqar later added the wickets of Tanvir Ahmed and Nauman Alvi. Waqar ended with six wickets for 50 runs in 22.1 overs while fellow paceman Riaz Afridi got three for 37.Rawalpindi gained an overall lead of 148 runs over Karachi Harbour with five second innings wickets still intact, as their four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Gold League match entered an interesting phase after the second day action.Rawalpindi shot Karachi Harbour out for a first innings 149 after the visitors had resumed on their overnight 35-2. They thus collected a crucial 26 runs lead and then the home side finished the day on 122-5.Fawad Alam hit the top score of 48 off 99 balls in two and a half hours with four boundaries in the Karachi Harbour first innings. He got some support from one-down batsman Akbar Rehman who scored 32 off 49 balls with four hits to the boundary rope.The left-arm pace duo of Najaf Shah and Sohail Tanvir led the bowling attack for Rawalpindi with three wickets each, for 21 and 38 runs, respectively. All-rounder Yasir Arafat and another medium-fast bowler Rizwan Akbar claimed two wickets each.Opener Babar Naeem hammered a brisk 50 off 59 balls with six fours and two sixes for Rawalpindi while the number four batsman Naved Ashraf contributed 33 off 50 balls with five fours and one six as Karachi’s teenaged pace spearhead Anwar Ali captured 3-51, bringing his match haul to nine wickets so far.Silver League
Middle order batsman Bilal Khilji hit a crispy unbeaten 110 and Azhar Shafiq added a solid 74 as Multan reached 269 for eight in 64 overs in their first innings, on the second day of the four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Silver League match against Lahore Ravi.The 31-year-old Bilal gave ample proof of his batting talent with his first-class career’s fourth hundred, striking 11 boundaries in an absorbing knock off 178 balls as the left-handed Azhar also entertained with a lively innings. At stumps, the touring side was still 28 runs behind surpassing Lahore’s first innings total of 297 all out in 85.3 overs after they resumed at their overnight score of 271 for eight in 77 overs.Bilal together with Azhar produced 133 runs for the third wicket to lift their side out of sheer gloom after they were 1 for 1 and then 12 for two. The stand was broken with the departure of Azhar lbw by paceman Wasim Khan who has done the major damage with hostile bowling taking five wickets for 79 runs in 20 overs. Azhar hammered 16 fours in his 102-ball innings.Multan lost four wickets with only eight runs added therafter. Bilal then got associated with Imranullah Aslam (38 with seven boundaries off 57 balls) in a stand for the seventh wicket of 75 runs. Earlier, Multan’s paceman Azharullah finished with figures of five for 46 in 22 overs. Ali Azmat, 75 overnight, perished at 84, made off 134 balls with 12 fours.Islamabad put the Quetta bowling to the sword to collect a massive 419 runs first innings lead, on the second day of their four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Silver League match.Islamabad, replying to Quetta’s poor first innings total of 161, gathered 580 all out in 122.3 overs after resuming at their overnight 185 for three. Even Islamabad’s last wicket pair of Fakhir Hussain and Zohaib Ahmed plundered 107 runs. Fakhir hit 54 with nine fours and a six while no. 11 batsman Zohaib Ahmed picked up 52 with nine fours.The other notable contributors with the bat were Imad Wasim with his 88, Ashar Zaidi 48 and Test discard Azhar Mahmood 57. However, the top scorer of the day was no.9 batsman Naeem Anjum, the wicket-keeper, who scored 83 with a dozen hits to the fence.The main wicket-taker for Quetta was off-spinner Naseer Khan for his six for 174. Left-arm spinner Jalat Khan ended up with 3-114. Quetta lost Jalat Khan, who was dismissed by Rao Iftikhar, and were batting on 2-1 at stumps. Hameedullah Khan and Yasir Majeed were at the crease.All-rounder Rizwan Ahmed scored his second century in successive matches, as Hyderabad compiled an exact 400 on the second day of their four-day, second round 49th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Silver League match against Abbottabad.By the day’s close, Abbottabad had replied with a resolute 168 runs for the loss of four wickets. They are still 232 behind Hyderabad, but first they need to reach a score of 251 to avert the follow-on. Rizwan attained the fourth hundred of his first-class career, his 119 coming off 250 balls with eight fours and a six. Shahid Qambrani hit 10 fours and two sixes in his 87 as he and Rizwan took their fourth-wicket stand to 147 runs after Hyderabad resumed at their overnight 282-3.Leg-spinner Dilawar Khan then saw to it that Hyderabad didn’t capitalise on that situation, by taking four wickets for 121 runs. Slow left-armer Amjad Waqas finished with figures of three for 93. Abbottabad batsman Adnan Raees is still at the crease with an unbeaten 52 to his name, that’s come off 125 deliveries with five fours.

Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan’s premier fast bowler, fears that he could miss the World Cup after suffering a knee injury that may take three to four weeks to heal. Doctors have advised Akhtar to have scans to reveal the extent of the injury to the left knee, which was operated on, along with the right knee, in February last year.”I am devastated at the thought of missing the World Cup,” Akhtar told AFP, just a month away from the start of the World Cup in the West Indies, which kicks off with Pakistan playing the hosts on March 13. “I was excited at the prospect of playing the World Cup. I want to help my team winthe World Cup and I hope this injury is not worse and I am able to play some part in Pakistan’s cup campaign.”His selection in the squad was also subject to his clearing a doping test to be carried out on February 16. Akhtar tested positive for banned steroids in October last year. If scans reveal serious injury, then Akhtar will have to fly to Australia for an operation and it could rule him out of the World Cup.The latest injury scare to Akhtar compounds Pakistan’s problems as they are already grappling with injury worries to key pacemen Umar Gul (ankle), Shabbir Ahmed (hamstring) and Mohammad Sami (back). To add to their problems, the International Cricket Council (ICC) turned down Pakistan’s request for an extension to the February 13 deadline for naming their World Cup squad.Salim Altaf, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s director of operations, said on Saturday that they had made a second request to the ICC as it would be difficult to name the squad without finding out the extent of the injuries. If the second request is also rejected, Pakistan would name their squad either on Monday or Tuesday, Altaf said.The 31-year-old Akhtar has been beset by injury. He was forced to return home from Pakistan’s tour of South Africa after tearing his hamstring following his 4-36 on the first day of the second Test at Port Elizabeth last month. Akhtar missed the best part of last year due to injuries. He missed Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka and the Test series in England. Akhtar only returned for the one-day series against England, starting in August last year, but two months later he and fellow paceman Mohammad Asif were called back from India after both tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.Akhtar was banned for two years and Asif for one year on doping charges in November but a month later their bans were controversially overturned on appeal. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has filed an appeal against the overturning of the ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland, which is not expected to hear the case until April this year.