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India 271 (Sehwag 81, Ganguly 79, Yuvraj 50) beat Sri Lanka 267 for 9 (Jayasuriya 130, Sehwag 3-37) by 4 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

There are days when a team imposes its will over another one simply because it is more desperate to win. Today was one of those days, when India held their nerve and overcame a rampant Sanath Jayasuriya in a heart-stopping match that ended with them squeaking through by four runs under the bright lights of the Premadasa Stadium. The Pakistan team, no doubt cheering every Sri Lankan run across Colombo at their hotel, now have no chance of making the final of the Asia Cup.But, the Pakistanis were left to chew their nails till the very last over. With 42 balls left, and 37 runs needed, Sourav Ganguly stared defeat in the face and did not blink. He threw the ball to Virender Sehwag, and took his time to set the field. Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had come in under tremendous pressure, and Jayasuriya had put on 101 runs and seemed prepared and able to finish the job. Then, with a looping offbreak that would have done Erapalli Prasanna proud, Sehwag bowled Dilshan (39) through the gate. Upul Chandana, heart no doubt warmed by Jayasuriya’s presence at the other end, dug in. Three overs later, 18 runs were needed from 18 balls, with four wickets in hand.Jayasuriya was still menacingly at hand, and Ganguly persisted with Sehwag. Not for long, though, as Jayasuriya (130 from 132 balls, with 14 fours and a six) played a tired heave only to see Sehwag call early and settle under a swirler (254 for 7). Now, with two inexperienced tailenders to come, India were well and truly back in it.And then, the pressure proved too much for Sri Lanka’s inexperienced tail. Irfan Pathan rose to the occasion with a four-run 49th over, and 11 were needed from the final six balls. Ganguly, faced with a tough decision for the final time in the day, surrounded by his team-mates, threw the ball to Zaheer Khan. Six calm and cool balls later, Sri Lanka were still four runs short.On a dry pitch that slowed down with every passing over in the second half, the target of 272 loomed large, and if it were not for one man, would probably have been enough to ensure a thumping win for India. After surviving a loud shout for lbw in the second over of the innings, when he was trapped fairly adjacent by Zaheer, Jayasuriya harked back to his golden period in the midand late-’90s, mercilessly bullying bowlers with brutal strokeplay. He set the tone early on, twirling that blade of his as though it were weightless, bringing into play one of the quickest bat-speeds in the world. Zaheer suffered early on, being looted to the tune of five consecutive boundaries in one over. A brace of flicks that sailed over the square-leg region were followed by a lap around the corner and a couple of quick jabs to third man.But, while Jayasuriya plundered along to his 18th one-day century, his colleagues were getting caught out with a regularity that would have had the coach tearing his hair out. Avishka Gunawardene sliced Zaheer down third man’s throat (20 for 1), and Saman Jayantha feathered an edge to the keeper (36 for 2). Marvan Atapattu played a delicious cover-drive early on, but he too panicked, jumped down the pitch and dragged the ball to square leg (76 for 3). Kumar Sangakkara then did his bit, throwing the bat around as though the required rate was 15.44 rather than 5.44, and holed out to mid-on (103 for 4).When India had the top four back in the hutch with just over 100 on the board they would have known that only Jayasuriya stood between them and victory. Mahela Jayawardene helped steady the Sri Lankan ship, blocking, nudging and nurdling a 31-run partnership before a ripper from Sachin Tendulkar somehow squeezed into the stumps via bat and pad (134 for 5). That, as we now know, almost knocked the wind out of the Sri Lankan team.

There are many vital decisions a captain has to make, and when playing day-night matches in Sri Lanka calling correctly at the toss is one of the most important. Ganguly managed that, even if he made a hash of pencilling in names in the Indian teamsheet, and decided to bat. He then backed that up with an innings of 79, and with a little help from his friends Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, took India to a highly competitive 271 for 6.If India had thrown the kitchen sink at Pakistan in pursuit of 301 in the last match, they took out the surgeon’s knife today. Sehwag bucked a run of low scores with a measured, sometimes scratchy innings. His difficulty at having to curb his natural attacking style was plain to see, but somehow he stuck to the task at hand. Sehwag built a 134-run partnership with Ganguly for the second wicket, and laid the foundation for a large total. Even when he was dismissed on 81, caught behind attempting a big heave off Jayasuriya, India were well placed at 168 for 2.On the day, Ganguly made sure he cut out the ambitious swings through the off side. He ran hard for most of his runs and only backed himself to play the big shots when the run rate needed a boost. Yuvraj (50) was an ideal foil to Ganguly at this stage, standing tall and hitting the ball with power. Anything that was too full or too loose disappeared, and plenty in between was pushed away for ones and twos. Ganguly took his chances against the spinners, using his feet well and lofting over the infield. Eventually, Lasith Malinga had the better of Ganguly (79) when he chipped one down mid-on’s throat. The tail scrambled a few, India reached 271, a little short of what they wanted – but in the end, it was just enough to stay in the tournament.

Players guilty of possible transgressions against the Code of Conduct will now have to wait longer than two hours after a day’s play to know if they have been cited.Under new laws to eliminate code breaches from the game, the hours in which a citing can be made have been extended to 18 hours after play.While the International Cricket Council’s chief executive will have the right to lay a charge for five days after the event instead of the 24 hours allowed previously.ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed explained the changes yesterday.It was a power that would be used sparingly and was what he described as “a failsafe” system.”It is to ensure that where an offence has escaped detection it does not avoid prosecution because of a technicality,” he said.Often one of the main causes for transgressions in behaviour was poor umpiring performances and Speed acknowledged that while the introduction of the elite system had led to some improvements, they were not coming as quickly as he would like.However, the new system was still in its early days and a lot of work was going into working with the umpires to improve standards. Improved methods of assessing umpires were being employed, Speed said.But he did make the point that if umpires didn’t improve they would not remain on the panel.

Saturday was a big day for Somerset County Cricket Club Membership Secretary Joanne Betsworth.Not only did Jo see her beloved Somerset win their first trophy since 1983, her boyfriend John Arnold proposed to her and she said “yes”.Talking at The County Ground where she has been the face and voice of the club to callers for 8 years she told me that her boyfriend proposing just about made her day complete. “We plan to get married later on next summer,” she said, but added, “we wont be finalising the date until next years fixture list is published!”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unveiled a hectic international home season that includes hosting South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia.South Africa arrive first and are scheduled to play two Tests and five ODIs between September 26 and October 29. Pakistan then tour India from November 2 to December 13 for three Tests and five ODIs.Zimbabwe are scheduled to arrive for a series of five one-day internationals in January and February next year while world champions Australia tour from March 10 to April 27, 2008. Soon after, Pakistan will also host the Asia Cup.The U-19 and A teams are likely to be as busy. Pakistan U-19 travel to England this July, while their Australian and Bangladeshi counterparts are expected to tour Pakistan in October and November. Pakistan then return to Bangladesh before taking part in the U-19 World Cup in Malaysia in February. The Australia A team also tours Pakistan in September.Meanwhile, the PCB is confident that South Africa will have no problems playing a Test in Karachi in October. “We have sent a tentative itinerary to the South Africans which includes Karachi as a venue for one of the two Tests,” Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer, told . The city is in line to hold an ODI as well.Naghmi added that thus far, South African officials had not raised any objections though the final itinerary will only be announced after full approval from board officials. He also added that it is unlikely South Africa will send officials to inspect security arrangements before the tour. “We have assured them that the South African cricketers will get foolproof security cover.”Karachi has missed out on international matches in the recent past due to security concerns. After the events of September 11, 2001 and in particular, May 14, 2002, when a bomb blast outside the visiting New Zealand team’s hotel killed 14 people, Australia, West Indies, South Africa, India and England have all refused to play Tests in the port city.The trend was broken last year when England played an ODI there and India stayed for a Test.

Pakistan have picked four uncapped players in the T20I format – batsmen Khurram Manzoor and Babar Azam, fast bowler Rumman Raees, and allrounder Mohammad Nawaz – in their squad for the World T20 in India in March and April. Fast bowler Mohammad Irfan also returned to the squad after missing the recent T20 internationals in New Zealand.They left out opener Ahmed Shehzad from the squad that toured New Zealand in January, along with batsmen Shoaib Maqsood and Saad Nasim, wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, allrounder Aamer Yamin and fast bowler Umar Gul.Pakistan was supposed to announce their squad by February 8 but delayed doing so because the selectors were unsure about the opening slot. Shehzad’s poor recent form meant his exclusion was inevitable, but the main debate centered around Manzoor. ESPNcricinfo understands that the head coach Waqar Younis has serious concerns over Manzoor’s selection, and that the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has been unhappy with the chief selector Haroon Rasheed and has sounded out at least one former cricketer to take his place.The other contenders for the opening slot were Sharjeel Khan and Kamran Akmal but the selectors, after the input of captain Shahid Afridi, preferred Manzoor.Manzoor, who has played 16 Test matches and seven ODIs, has not played for Pakistan in any format since August 2014. His last selection to Pakistan’s limited-overs teams came more than six years ago, in 2009 against Sri Lanka. He scored 309 runs at 28.09 in the domestic T20 competition last year and was not selected by any of the five teams in the ongoing Pakistan Super League. His selection remains the most contentious among the 15-man World T20 squad. The same squad will play in the Asia Cup as well.”While picking the squad, the team management and skipper were consulted by the selectors, and all concerned gave their consent in this regard,” chief selector Rasheed said in a statement. “The T20 team has been selected keeping in mind the conditions during Asia Cup and World T20 and the recent performances of some players in domestic and A team tours. The team is a fine blend of experience and youth and the selectors believe that team will do well in both tournaments.”Pakistan’s bowling unit includes Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Anwar Ali while Gul, who failed to impress the selectors on his latest comeback from injury, has been dropped. The selectors, however, brought back Mohammad Irfan, whose inclusion gives the attack a more threatening look. Backing them up is the 24-year-old Raees, who has been among the most economical bowlers in the PSL so far.Pakistan didn’t name a specialist spinner but banked on allrounders Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim and new face Mohammad Nawaz – a left-arm spinner and a full-time batsman.Nawaz, who picked up 10 wickets in the Under-19 World Cup in 2012 in Australia, has been a standout player with both bat and ball in the PSL, where he is currently the top wicket-taker.Squad Shahid Afridi (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Khurram Manzoor, Rumman Raees

Lancashire 517 beat Yorkshire 144 and 247 (Muralitharan 5-66) by an innings and 126 runs
ScorecardYorkshire’s County Championship hopes for 2007 took a serious blow when they went down weakly, by an innings and 126 runs, to Lancashire at Headingley on the third afternoon. In their second innings Yorkshire subsided for a total of 247. Nine of their batsmen reached double figures, but significantly none had the determination to reach 50.To add to Yorkshire’s shame, it was the heaviest defeat they had suffered at the hands of their Roses rivals. For Lancashire, the last-day hero was Muttiah Muralitharan, who took five wickets, although special mention should be made of Steven Croft for his excellent fielding, which brought two catches and a run-out.The Yorkshire innings was a slide rather than a rout, and it began with the second ball of the day. It was bowled by Andrew Flintoff, and edged by Joe Sayers (19) to the keeper. After that, Yorkshire did for a while put up a good fight. They had a batsman in at number three with a Test-match double-century to his credit and even if it was Jason Gillespie, in as night-watchman, and the opposition had been Bangladesh, he rarely throws his wicket away and finished as top scorer with 44.For a while his favourite stroke seemed to be the edge through the slips, and Lancashire bowlers appeared to be feeding it. Then he played two successive off-side drives for four off Flintoff and found his confidence. He put on 79 with Anthony McGrath, who was batting soundly, and Yorkshire looked like making a contest of it.Then came the turning point of the innings, as Muralitharan changed from the Rugby Stand to the Kirkstall Lane End of the ground, and immediately looked a far more dangerous bowler. He had the batsmen struggling from the start, and broke the stand by having Gillespie caught by Croft at silly mid-off for 44 – destined to be Yorkshire’s highest score of the match.McGrath might have been Yorkshire’s man for the moment, but he fatally misjudged the fielding of Croft in the deep and was run out for 40, looking for a third run from one of his impressive cover drives. After that, there was little real fight left in the Yorkshire batting. Younis Khan made 31, but swept Muralitharan straight to Flintoff, and there was an entertaining flurry from the tail, but little traditional Yorkshire grit was in evidence.Lancashire thoroughly deserved their triumph, but for Yorkshire it is a time for serious reflection. They will need to finish the season as well as they started it to have any hope of Championship honours this year.

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.

Scorecard
At Potchefstroom, Lions made very slow progress through the day as they were bowled for 190 in 88 overs in response to Titans’s 204. Neil McKenzie (34) and William Nkwe got the innings back on the road after two early wickets, while HD Ackerman (22) tried to up the tempo in his 36-minute knock. It was Nkwe who stabilised the innings with a patient 42, occupying the crease from almost four hours. The extra bounce from Ethy Mbhalati helped him register a career-best 4 for 32. At the close, Titans had reached 30 for 0.
Scorecard
At Newlands, Western Province Boland bowled the Warriors out 189 to take a 17 run first-innings lead. Arno Jacobs (38) and Mark Boucher (65) had stemmed the tide in a 111-run partnership, but when both fell in quick succession the Warriors were bowled out for 189 on the stroke of at tea. Charl Willoughby, taking four, once again in the wickets assisted by the three from Rory Klienveldt. At the close Western Province Boland replied with 82 for 1, a lead of 99, with Andrew Puttick on 27 and Gerhard Strydom on 35.
Scorecard
At Durban, Dolphins struggled to 160 for 5 when bad light brought an early end. Eagles had earlier been bowled out for 312. Adding 58 runs to their overnight total of 254, Eagles struck in the first over when Deon Kruis clean bowled Rivash Gobind. Doug Watson, Ahmed Amla and Duncan Brown all made starts but could not convert, to leave the Dolphins at 132 for 5 when Lance Klusener joined Dale Benkenstein (47*).

Maurice Odumbe has been named in a provisional 30-man Kenyan squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, according to a report in the Kenyan The Kenyan selectors’ move is significant because Odumbe came under the ICC’s scanner for what it termed “inappropriate contact with a bookmaker”, a claim that Odumbe denied vehemently.Odumbe was adamant that he did not know the businessman that he was in touch with was also a bookmaker, and he denied allegations that he had taken money to throw matches. Odumbe is alleged to have received payments from at least one Mumbai bookmaker in 2002, so that he could coerce his team-mates into underperforming in matches.If found guilty, Odumbe – who has been the face of Kenyan cricket, along with Steve Tikolo, since that astonishing win over West Indies in the 1996 World Cup – faces a life ban. A formal hearing will start in Nairobi on July 27, and is expected to last five days. Both Odumbe and the ICC will have the opportunity to put forward their case, and call witnesses.Odumbe’s lawyer compared the case to others in the past, and said that the ICC had dealt with his client’s case differently, even though there was little evidence to support the charge.But by selecting Odumbe for the squad, the Kenyan selectors have diverged with the common worldwide practice of not picking players currently under investigation. It could be viewed as evidence of the faith that they have in Odumbe, but equally, it could be interpreted as backing for one of the few genuine matchwinners in the Kenyan team.

Gloucestershire have signed the up-and-coming New Zealand fast bowler, Ian Butler, as a temporary replacement for their allrounder, Ian Harvey, who has been selected for Australia’s forthcoming one-day series in the Caribbean.Butler joins Gloucestershire next week, when New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka comes to an end, and will stay until the end of May when Harvey is due to return from international action.”I am really looking forward to playing for Gloucestershire and I cannot wait to get started," said Butler. “I have not had a lot of cricket in Sri Lanka but I have been doing a lot of bowling in the nets, but nothing beats playing out in the middle.”Butler, 21, has played four Tests and nine one-day internationals in his brief career, which began with an unexpected debut against England at Christchurch in 2001-02, after Shane Bond withdrew with an ankle injury. Described by Sir Richard Hadlee, New Zealand’s chairman of selectors, as "the biggest call he had ever made", Butler has the ability to become one of the quickest bowlers in world cricket.