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Jamaica duly completed a dominant innings and 72 runs hammering of Trinidad & Tobago in St. Andrew to claim their third consecutive four day championship title. Resuming at 66 for 4, T&T were in strife as early as the first over on the third day when Sherwin Ganga flashed at Andrew Richardson’s away-swinger. Amit Jaggernauth and Daron Cruickshank resisted for a while, before a terrible mix-up led to the former’s demise. After that, the spinning duo of Bevon Brown and Odean Brown got into the act, sharing the last four wickets, to hasten the end. The win took Jamaica to 60 points, three clear of Barbados who finished their engagements last week after handing Jamaica their only loss of the season.Tamar Lambert, the victorious captain was pleased with his side’s achievement. “A third straight title says a lot for Jamaica and our cricket. We played consistently over the past three years and that is the reason why we have won. We have worked hard work in practice sessions and tried to execute on match day,” Lambert said. T&T finished their roller-coaster campaign with an equal number of wins, draws and defeats in their six games that put them on the fourth spot.Lionel Baker eased to his second five-wicket haul to finish with 13 wickets for the match, as Leewards Islands marched to an easy 10-wicket victory against Combined Campuses and Colleges in St Lucia. Resuming play at 192 for 6, CCC could manage only eight more runs as Baker ran through the lower order to set up the early finish. In addition to getting tail-enders Ryan Austin and Kavesh Kantasingh to edge behind, he also breached the defences of Romel Currency whose 80 stood out in a sorry batting card. Chasing 39 runs for the win, Kieran Powell brought up the finish quickly with a chirpy, unbeaten 32. With the win, Leewards moved to the season third on the points table with 34 points, while CCC finished with 24.It was shaping into a scrap for the first-innings lead in St George’s, as a captain’s knock of 193 from Devon Smith took Windward Islands to 371 for 7 at stumps on day three, still 81 runs short of Guyana’s effort. After the early loss of night-watchman Nelson Pascal, Windwards prospered through two substantial associations initiated by Smith – with Liam Sebastien for the fourth wicket and with Rawl Lewis for the sixth. Sebastien had contributed 45 to the partnership worth 96 when Veerasammy Permaul got him to prod at one and offer a chance to silly mid-off. Craig Emanuel fell early in the second session, run out while attempting an impossible single before Lewis joined Smith in an exciting stand. Runs came at a fast clip, as Lewis raised 56 with seven fours and a six, before he was snared by Assad Fudadin. Smith remained a symbol of calmness at the other end, mixing caution with aggression to bring up the highest score of the season. He struck 25 fours in 306 balls, displaying a wide range of strokes, before succumbing to the last ball of the day, nicking a rising delivery from Fudadin, to take a bit of the shine off from a very good day’s effort.

South Africa’s scattered mindsets
Team huddles have become a ritual after India pioneered it famously during the 2003 World Cup. But the South Africans took these congregations to another level with three groups scattered around Eden Gardens, each one with its own group head. Kepler Wessels, the batting consultant, took care of the batsmen while Corrie van Zyl, the head coach, handled the bowlers. The rest of the coaching staff comprising Vincent Barnes (assistant coach), Jeremy Snape (psychologist) and Rob Walters (fitness trainer, who also helps with fielding drills) had their own meeting. Sadly, at the end of the day, all those meetings were rendered meaningless and only exposed their scattered mindsets.Mishra’s jabs hurt visitors
Time and again the South African fast bowlers tried to intimidate Amit Mishra with the short stuff. But the nightwatchman, who had scored a half-century in the first Test in Bangladesh, was not bothered as he stood calm and placed the balls with exquisite poise. His standout shots were the jabs over slips and gully which even made the bowlers re-think their strategy. Eventually, though, Mishra fell to another uppercut, it still came off the full face of the bat and he walked back proud, having survived the crucial first hour.Reverse swept to cover
It was a noble thought. To counter Paul Harris’ leg-theory, Dhoni tried to reverse sweep the left-arm spinner, but failed to connect properly as the ball travelled towards short cover. The Indian captain has already ripped apart the textbook with his unorthodox approach. Now he wants to change the geometry of shot making.

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja believes the PCB is justified in its “big move” to call up wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed for the third Test against Australia in Hobart, in all likelihood to replace a struggling Kamran Akmal. He has, however, advised that Sarfraz be given an extended run behind the stumps.”This change is justified even though some eyebrows will be raised by this sudden coup behind the stumps in the middle of a series,” Ramiz told Cricinfo. “Dispatching an unacclimatised player straight into a Test match, that too against Australia, can be fraught with risk.”The key to success behind the stumps, he said, would be to keep the position stable. “The removal of a keeper is a significant selection call, for he is as crucial to the team as its leader,” he said. “This [Sarfraz’s] selection has to a be well thought-out, crafted move and not just a mere flirtation with the post. A constant change behind the stumps can have an unsettling effect on the team and its leader. If Sarfraz has been penciled in as a Test wicketkeeper then his tenure should have a sensible stretch.”Akmal, he said, shouldn’t be “embarrassed” any more. “He needs time out, while some would say that his time is up.”Akmal dropped four catches during Australia’s second innings in the second Test at Sydney, including three off Mike Hussey, as Pakistan struggled to break the ninth-wicket partnership between Hussey and Peter Siddle. Hussey went on to score an unbeaten 134, and Australia set Pakistan a target of 176. The visitors were bowled out 36 runs short, handing Australia an unassailable 2-0 lead in three-match encounter.Events on that final day, and Mohammad Yousuf’s captaincy and defensive tactics, have drawn sharp criticism from Pakistani observers and Ramiz joined in. The tactics, he said, mirrored the quality of captaincy in domestic cricket. “He [Yousuf] entered a fresh day trying to execute a plan that had already been neutralised by the same pair a night before,” Ramiz said. “It was a crazy piece of planning. Why would you want to put the shutters down so early on a brand new day when the second new ball is still in its infancy and just two wickets needed to take the team home.”How could the think tank, boasting of bowlers with more than 500 Test wickets, allow the fresh cherry to rot? The pattern to sit in against a set batsman [Hussey] and give him an easy passage to the non-striker’s zone, while trying to knock over the tail-ender [Siddle] is straight out of our first-class cricket. That the strategy got badly exposed at the top level only provides a stark reminder of how poor our first-class system is.”Other key lessons from the defeat, he said, included Faisal Iqbal’s ill-suited role at No. 3 and the end of Misbah’s dream run. He said the board needed to “change its avatar and win over a dejected nation.””Also, pressure can impair our openers to think straight. The PCB needs to think straight now…it’s time to revitalise a flagging club system, make selections transparent, especially at the grassroots level, assemble a lean and intense first-class format based on cities, install a cricket committee to look after cricket affairs and free itself of petty association politics.”

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Michael Klinger dawdled to 64 on an uneventful second day•Getty Images

Michael Klinger’s half-century was the highlight for South Australia on a snail-paced day as they reached 4 for 167 in Adelaide. Western Australia were dismissed for 401 before lunch and the Redbacks moved at 2.35 runs per over for the rest of the day.Klinger’s 64 took 192 deliveries and included only five fours as he anchored the innings. While Klinger’s figures look ugly, none of his partners were able to pass the 34 of Mark Cosgrove on a tough day.At the beginning of their chase James Smith was bowled for 1 and Ashley Noffke picked up Daniel Harris on 32 as the Redbacks crept forward. Klinger and Cosgrove combined for 52 but each time the hosts started to form a decent partnership it was ended by the frugal Western Australians.Aaron Heal scored a personal best of 81 as he pushed Western Australia from their overnight score of 7 for 309. Ashley Noffke fell on 59 when he was lbw to Jake Haberfield before Heal combined with Brad Knowles in a 91-run stand. Cullen Bailey cleaned up the final two wickets for a return of 4 for 62 that augurs well for the second innings.

Matt Merchant from Old Trafford has been named the 2009 Groundsman of the Year by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB).Merchant’s efforts for Lancashire enabled him to fend off his rivals in the four-day category, with Mick Hunt of Lord’s picking up the runner-up prize. A commendation went to Andy Peirson (Canterbury) in the same category.”The work of all head groundsmen is highly valued and we are delighted to make these annual awards which recognise the head groundsmen who have prepared the best pitches this season,” Alan Fordham, head of operations for the ECB (First Class Cricket), said.It is a notable achievement for Merchant, given it is his first season in charge at the club after spending 19 years on the staff under the stewardship of the former head groundsman Peter Marron, who retired last year.”I’m obviously thrilled to have received this award in my first year in the position and it’s recognition for the hard work and long hours the entire groundstaff team put in over the winter months and during a very wet and trying summer,” Merchant said.”Old Trafford has an excellent reputation for delivering first-class wickets that provide something for both batsmen and bowlers. A good wicket is what you always set out to achieve and I believe the competitiveness of the wicket at Old Trafford is one of the main reasons why cricketers want to play at this famous ground.”Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes said: “We are all delighted for Matt and it is fantastic reward in his first season as head groundsman, succeeding Peter Marron who of course was one of the most respected in the business.”Peter Moores, Lancashire’s head coach, added: “Throughout the entire season Matt got the balance right between bat and ball. And in a season which was heavily affected by rain, the groundstaff worked tirelessly during fixtures to get as much cricket played as possible – something which was appreciated by all teams concerned.”Neil Godrich from Derby scooped the one-day award, beating off the challenges of Sean Williams of Bristol and Phil Frost of Taunton who shared the runner-up prize.Bill Gordon (The Oval), Paul Marshall (Northampton), Hunt (Lord’s), and Nigel Gray (Rose Bowl) were commended in the one-day category.John Moden at Fenner’s is the winner for pitches at MCC Universities with Richard Sula at The Parks runner-up. Ross Spry at Cheltenham was awarded the Outgrounds prize with Micky Stewart and Christian Dunkerley at Scarborough earning the runner-up award.All umpires rate the pitches at the end of each match and the winners of each category are those who achieve the highest average across the course of the season.

Group A

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Right-arm seamer Vikramjeet Malik had defending champions Mumbai in shambles as Himachal Pradesh (HP) took opening day honours at the Bandra Kurla Complex. A terrific opening spell from Malik sent Ajinkya Rahane and captain Wasim Jaffer packing early after the visitors put in Mumbai. He then proceeded to remove three more of Mumbai’s top six batsmen and Iqbal Abdullah lower down the order, to finish with six wickets. Ajit Agarkar managed the highest score for Mumbai, with 45, as they were bowled out in the 52nd over. HP ended the day on 100 for 3, looking good for first-innings points with Bhavin Thakker managing an unbeaten 48 at the top of the order.
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Rain played spoilsport in Hyderabad as the home team stuttered after choosing to bat against Gujarat. Right-arm fast bowler Siddharth Trivedi was the top performer for Gujarat as he had three Hyderabad batsmen caught behind. ICL returnee Ambati Rayudu top scored for Hyderabad and put on 74 with Anirudh Singh for the third wicket. Trivedi though, struck thrice in two overs, including the wickets of captain Arjun Yadav and wicketkeeper Abhinav Kumar for no score, to tilt the balance. Hyderabad’s hopes now rest heavily on Syed Quadri who stayed unbeaten on a patient 51.
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Pankaj Dharmani’s patient 74 gave some respectability to Punjab’s score as they struggled against Tamil Nadu in Amritsar. Off to a slow start after opting to bat, Punjab managed 38 when they were dealt the first blow by R Sathish, who castled Vikas Bhalla in the 14th over. Wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals before Chandan Madan and Dharmani steadied the innings. The two put on 58 for the fourth wicket, and Dharmani combined briefly with Ankur Kakkar and Gaurav Gambhir later on to beef up the total. Yo Mahesh was Tamil Nadu’s best bowler with two wickets, while Sathish, L Balaji, Aushik Srinivas and R Ashwin grabbed one apiece.
ScorecardV Cheluvaraj’s painstaking half-century helped Railways labour to 176 for 4 against Orissa on the opening day in Bhubaneswar. The slow approach frustrated the home side bowlers as they had a long and tiring day on the field after opting to bowl. Cheluvaraj and fellow-opener Faiz Fazal batted slowly, scoring 53 at a run-rate of nearly two per over, before Fazal was run out. Orissa managed three wickets but Chelvuraj, who faced 248 deliveries during his innings, and Sanjib Sanyal (20) saw them through safely to stumps.Group B

ScorecardSaurashtra looked to improve on their lone point so far this season with an emphatic albeit slow batting display against bottom-placed Maharashtra in Rajkot. Chirag Pathak starred at the top of the order with 90 and was well-supported by Shitanshu Kotak during their second-wicket partnership of 127. Kotak remained unbeaten on 85, hitting eight fours en route and with Cheteshwar Pujara (52) for company, the hosts finished the day with 250 in sight.
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Rohan Banerjee’s watchful 107 looked to have given Bengal the advantage against Karnataka in Mysore, but the home team hit back with five wickets by the end of play. Once Sreesanth Aravind had undone the solid start, Banerjee, along with Manoj Tiwary (78) put on 172 for the third wicket as the momentum swung Bengal’s way. Banerjee hit 13 fours during his 250-ball stay but was trapped leg before by Amit Verma. Bengal also lost Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, before Wriddhiman Saha and Shibsagar Singh held fort till stumps.Overnight rain seeped in through the covers at the Mohan Meakins Cricket Stadium in Ghaziabad, preventing play between Uttar Pradesh and Baroda.

Pakistan’s captain Younis Khan sought to put aside talk of revenge from their loss in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final to New Zealand, saying his team were focussing on their game.”It’s not a revenge series but all the players have it in their minds to beat New Zealand,” he said. “In sport, there is no revenge but we will not forget that [Champions Trophy] loss. It’s not going to be easy beating New Zealand. They are a closely-knit team, they play as a unit and they did very well in the Champions Trophy.”Moreover, since it’s a neutral venue the conditions will be similar for both sides, so there will be no advantage or disadvantage for any team. It’s important we play as a team.”Younis said his team needed to sharpen their fielding, an area of play that let them down in the Champions Trophy – especially a dropped catch by Younis off Grant Elliot in the semi-final. “This is one area where we need improvement as New Zealand have a clear edge on us in this department. We suffer a lot because of fielding but the boys have shown an inclination to improve and I am sure this series will see them field well.”One of Pakistan’s most potent weapons could be Mohammad Aamer, the teenage left-arm fast bowler, around whom there has been much hype of late. Younis, though, said he was staying calm. “Sometimes if you have a young guy and he achieves everything so soon then he can get out of his focus,” he said. “But he is more focused and I think what he needs is some more muscle as he’s a thin guy and he’s working with (fitness trainer) David Dwyer to achieve that.”He spoke on Pakistan’s other young talent. “Everyone knows about Mohammad Aamer and (batsman) Umar Akmal but we have a couple of other good youngsters in our team. “In batting we have Khalid Latif who scored a double hundred and a hundred in recent matches – he’s a guy you’ll be seeing soon, and we also have Wahab Riaz, another left-arm fast bowler.”These four are our future and hopefully they’ll become regulars in our team.”It has been a whirlwind month for Younis, who resigned from the captaincy against suspicions of match-fixing raised in the aftermath of that semi-final loss to New Zealand and murmurs about factions in the team and management. He initially said he was keen to stop what, according to him, was a flawed search for answers every time the side failed to win, but subsequently he resumed the captaincy.Shahid Afridi, the vice-captain, recently quashed rumours about an ongoing rift with Younis, and the captain again found himself doing the same. “This team is not anyone’s personal property and we are all playing for one country,” Younis said. “Our aim is common, and that is to ensure victory for Pakistan.”After the limited-overs series in the UAE Pakistan move to New Zealand for three Tests, after which they head across the Tasman to Australia for three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20.

Ernest Hilaire, the West Indies Cricket Board’s incoming chief executive, has expressed confidence that a full-strength West Indies squad will tour Australia later this year, but raised doubts over whether Chris Gayle will be the man to lead them. Gayle’s comments regarding the West Indian captaincy and the future of Test cricket have remained with Hilaire, who feels the selection panel would be prudent to quiz the veteran batsman over his long-term leadership ambitions.Floyd Reifer has captained the Windies in Gayle’s strike-enforced absence but his recent performances suggest he will not retain his place if and when the region’s senior players return. Denesh Ramdin was rated by the former West Indies coach John Dyson as a future international captain, but just which direction Clyde Butts’ selection panel intend to take in regards to the leadership role remains unclear.”It is for the selection committee to discuss and make a recommendation to the board,” Hilarie told Cricinfo. “Chris has said in the recent past that he is not that interested in playing Test cricket anymore. I’m very open minded, and I am not sure what the selection committee is thinking. But I would have thought in light of recent reports it would be wise to ask him the meaning of his comments. Was it an emotional time? Was he stressed? Is it something he is now willing to look beyond?”At the end of the day, it is difficult leading a team that hasn’t been winning for a long time. Whoever has the job, they need the full support of the board and WIPA (West Indies Players’ Association) in coping with the demands of the captaincy and have an environment that is conducive to him getting the best from his players.”Ricky Ponting this week echoed the sentiments of his chief executive, James Sutherland, in expressing fears that West Indies could announce an under-strength squad for the tour of Australia, much like it did for the disastrous bilateral series against Bangladesh in July-August. Butts recently issued an ultimatum for striking players to make themselves available for the regional limited-overs tournament next month or risk exclusion from the Australian touring party, and Hilaire was hopeful of a peaceful, if potentially awkward, reintegration process.”The board has said from the start it wants all players to be available to tour Australia,” he said. “I hope that all parties will show their commitment to West Indies cricket by ensuring that happens. That is what we are working towards. As with anything, there are no guarantees but we need a commitment from everyone that this is what we should work towards. There will certainly be a challenge in getting the players back together and playing as a cohesive unit. It will require strong leadership, but I am confident that it will be achieved.”

Match abandoned
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outCameron White starred with the bat in conditions that were not ideal for Twenty20 hitting•Getty Images

Just when Australia thought they had a chance for a modicum of Ashes revenge, rain thwarted a fiery start by Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson at Old Trafford. The pace pair ripped out England’s latest Twenty20 opening duo – Joe Denly first ball on debut and Ravi Bopara – to reduce them to 4 for 2 in the second over chasing 146. Australia’s total was better than it appeared on a tricky, two-paced surface where only Cameron White excelled with a powerful 55 from 36 balls. However, after seven balls of the run chase, rain, which delayed the second innings, returned with vengeance and didn’t relent.When it had done, for a brief period, the Australians looked primed to make their mark. Lee steamed in from the Stretford End and claimed Denly with his first ball at England’s new opener. It was a short ball, something the tourists had been practicing, and Denly could only splice a catch to square leg. At nearly 90mph, it was considerably quicker than anything he’d faced against Ireland. Denly had a poor day after also dropping White at backward point on 12.Lee followed the wicket with a no-ball to Jonathan Trott, but the free hit was edged towards the slips and Trott could barely get bat on ball for the rest of the over. At the other the end the pace was no less extreme from Johnson and Bopara’s poor international form continued when he flayed loosely outside off and sent a high catch to first slip. Both openers will get another chance on Tuesday – weather permitting – and England need to settle on a first-wicket combination. This is their 13th pair in 21 Twenty20 innings – it was certainly unlucky for Denly and Bopara.But that was that, as far as this match was concerned. A dull, cold, wet day in Manchester can be a fairly grim place and even during the action that did take place the Twenty20 atmosphere was subdued. That was partly down to the scoring-rate, as Australia laboured at around a run-a-ball for three quarters of their innings before White’s 55 increased the rate in the last five overs.In total Australia managed just six fours in their innings alongside White’s three sixes as England exploited a two-paced surface with clever changes of pace. The final five overs brought 52 thanks to White’s hitting and some scampering, although the last two only cost 14 and Michael Clarke finished on a very un-Twenty20 27 from 34 deliveries.Stuart Broad made the initial breakthrough with the first ball of his second over when Watson spliced a pull to midwicket where Bopara – not always the safest fielder – took the catch on the edge of the circle. Paul Collingwood rotated his seamers in short spells, but it was the introduction of the captain himself that had the biggest impact. Operating in cutter mode, and finding considerable turn, Collingwood trapped David Warner leg before as he swung across the line, although the batsman was unlucky as the ball pitched outside leg stump. Two balls later David Hussey, who slammed 111 against Scotland, had a charge at his second ball and was smartly stumped by the increasingly impressive Matt Prior.White finally added to the boundary count when he drove Collingwood inside-out through cover and he was given a life in the next over as Denly, on debut, spilled the fairly straightforward chance at backward point off Anderson. White was the only batsman to look comfortable in the conditions and began to open his shoulders during the final five overs.A powerful pull over deep midwicket off Broad brought up the 100 with the first six of the innings and he followed that by depositing Graeme Swann over long-on. He saved the sweetest of his strikes to reach a 33-ball half-century as he flicked Ryan Sidebottom onto the committee balcony.Sidebottom produced an excellent final over, but didn’t hide his annoyance when Luke Wright missed the simple catch at long-on off Adam Voges from the penultimate ball. His anger towards team-mates’ mistakes has been an issue before, and time away from the team hasn’t dulled his passion. The real frustration, though, was the weather. Everyone will try again in two days.

Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal has said he exchanged tips with Muttiah Muralitharan on bowling the doosra during the tour of Sri Lanka. Murali, Test cricket’s highest wicket-taker and one the leading practitioners of the doosra, was interested in how Ajmal bowled the same delivery.”Yes we had a few chats, it was interesting and useful to talk to a great bowler like Murali,” Ajmal told Pakpassion.net. “I asked him about some of his newer deliveries and his methods behind those deliveries.”We talked about the importance of varying the flight and the pace of deliveries and he was particularly interested in my doosra, wanted to see how I bowled it and my grip when I bowled that delivery”.Ajmal had earlier troubled the Australians during the one-day series in the UAE in April. He was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in his debut Test series in Sri Lanka with 14 wickets. He took five wickets in the ODIs and 3 for 18 in the one-off Twenty20, the best figures in the match from either team.”There was a lot of extra pressure on me as it was my debut Test series,” Ajmal said. “I took 14 wickets at 30.07 which isn’t too bad against a team that plays spin very well and we were playing in conditions that they were familiar with.”Ajmal bowled 43 overs in the second innings of the third Test at the SSC but managed to take just one wicket. After squandering big opportunities in the first two Tests, Pakistan had a shot at a consolation win in the third but the Sri Lankans batted out the final day and lost only four wickets in their improbable chase of 492.”The third Test was very frustrating as the heavy roller used on the last day just seemed to flatten the pitch and it became lifeless,” Ajmal said. “There was no spin, no pace and no extra bounce, unlike the first innings when it was very lively and assisted Danish [Kaneria] and I”.Ajmal said he would be cooling his heals for a bit before his next assignment. “I’m looking forward to a nice two-week rest and some time with my family before the training camps and trial matches start for the Champions Trophy.”