Just as Punjab were putting up a gallant fightback in their secondinnings, Tamil Nadu grabbed two wickets late in the day to placethemselves in a commanding position at stumps on the third day oftheir Ranji Trophy quarter-final at the MA Chidambaram stadium inChennai on Saturday.In arrears by 203 runs on the first innings, Punjab’s openers VikramRathour and Reetinder Singh Sodhi put on 126 runs off 40.5 overs. Justwhen it looked like the two would come in unbeaten at stumps, Sodhiwas caught behind by Reuben Paul off Mahesh for 89. Sodhi, the moreaggressive of the two, faced 146 balls and hit ten fours. WicketkeeperH Jagnu, sent in as a night watchman, was run out in the followingover for zero. By that time however the light was bad and play wascalled off with 11.4 overs still to be bowled. Punjab, at 127 for two,still have a lot of work ahead.Early morning showers meant that play started 75 minutes late. Thenfurther rain saw to it that 12 minutes play was lost shortly beforelunch. Tamil Nadu, 346 for five overnight, were all out about an hourafter the break. Sridharan Sriram was finally out for 165, caught byMongia off Harbhajan Singh. He batted 509 minutes, faced 278 balls andhit 12 fours. The off spinner then dismissed Sadagopan Mahesh firstball. But the Tamil Nadu tail wagged. First Rajath Bhatia (24) andReuben Paul (32) added 27 runs for the ninth wicket. This was followedby a last wicket partnership of 47 runs off 13 overs between Paul andJ Gokulakrishnan (21 not out). Harbhajan Singh who bowled very wellwas rewarded with five wickets for 106 runs.Rathour and RS Sodhi brought Punjab back into the game with theircentury first wicket partnership. But the fall of two quick wicketslate in the day saw Tamil Nadu regain the whiphand. Rathour by closehowever was unbeaten with a defiant 37 off 101 balls with four hits tothe ropes. Play was extended by more than a hour and a half to make upthe loss due to the rain. But bad light ultimately halted play at 6.10pm.

Karachi, March 15: Pakistan crushed Sri Lanka by 222 runs with a dayto spare to win the third cricket Test here at the National Stadium onWednesday. Sri Lanka, who clinched the series 2-1, found themselveshapless against the charged-up Pakistanis and were dismissed in just46 overs while scoring 228 in pursuit of a record 451-run victorytarget.Earlier, Pakistan were bowled out for 421 after resuming their secondinnings on Wednesday morning at 375 for seven.Pakistan’s excellent and convincing victory not only helped them toboost their morale after a spate of losses but also maintain theirremarkable 45-year unbeaten record at the National Stadium. They nowhave 17 victories and 17 draws.The victory also ended a five-match win drought after beingwhitewashed in Australia and then losing back-to-back Tests to SriLanka in Rawalpindi and Peshawar.The combination of coach Javed Miandad and skipper Moin Khan turnedthe fortunes of Pakistan cricket. The team which looked disjointed inthe last five months, is gradually regrouping into a winning unit.The batsmen occupied the crease and put decent score on the boardwhich helped the bowlers to fire on all cylinders without fearing thatthey had to defend a small total besides taking wickets.The fielders backed their bowlers by holding catches and in themeantime producing three run-outs, including two in Sri Lanka’s secondinnings, which speaks of their agility and alertness.The star performer of the penultimate day’s play was speedster WaqarYounis who bowled at a sizzling pace to virtually break the back ofthe Sri Lankan batting. He utilized all his experience when heproduced speed and swing from the pitch which looked to have easeddown.It was after a long time when Waqar was seen in full cry. He seemed tohave regained his customary rhythm of old. The way he shattered RusselArnold’s confidence, after trapping Sanath Jayasuriya with aninswinger which deceived the left-hander, was in a class of his own.In his sixth over, Waqar mixed his deliveries with inswingers andshort-pitched stuff before delivering an almost unplayable outswingerfrom the spot when the batsmen hate. Russel could do nothing but edgeit and Moin Khan did the rest by grabbing a fine catch just in frontof Inzamam-ul-Haq in the first slip.The crucial wicket which all but ended Sri Lanka’s hopes of stretchingthe match into the final day was of anchorman Marvan Atapattu whoperished behind the wickets by playing a reckless shot off a wilddelivery from Mohammad Akram.Atapattu’s dismissal opened gates for Pakistan from both the ends andthough Romesh Kaluwitharana and Ravindra Pushpakumara scored 33 and 44runs respectively, it was just a delay of the inevitable.While Waqar finished as the most impressive bowler with two for 32,while Shahid Afridipicking up three wickets conceding 50 runs. Shahidnow has 10 wickets here in two matches, besides a half century.Earlier, Pakistan added 46 runs in 60 minutes to prosper to 421. MoinKhan was the first man out when he holed out to PramodiyaWickremasinghe off Pushpakumara who finished with four for66. Moin’s105-ball 70 spiced seven boundaries.He was associated in a 88-run eighth wicket partnership with WaqarYounis who clobbered four fours and a six before falling to MuttiahMuralitharan for the fifth time in the series.The spin king ended up with four for 107 to take his tally of wicketsto 26 which earned him the Man-of-the-Series award. Waqar, for his 13wickets, edge out Inzamam-ul-Haq with 355 runs to bag theMan-of-the-Series award from Pakistan. Inzamam, however, had thesatisfaction of being adjudged Man-of-the-Match.

An unbroken last wicket partnership of 60 between Alfonso Thomas and Garth Roe carried the Dragons to the unexpected prosperity of 199 for nine when bad light forced an early close on the first day of their SuperSport Series match against Griquas at the De Beers Oval.The Dragons had been reduced to 49 for six in the morning session and were hardly a picture of health when Thomas and Roe were joined at 139 for nine.But circumspect batting and the softening of the ball on what had been a hard and bouncy wicket helped them ease their way to the close with Thomas undefeated on 36 and Roe on 29.The repair work had been started by top scorer Morne Strydom (43) and Ezra Pool (22) who had put on 57 for the eighth wicket having come together shortly before lunch.The Dragons’ decision to bat first had looked unwise as the Griquas seam attackof Wayne Kidwell and Zahir Abrahim took three wickets apiece in a devastating morning session.Wicketkeeper Wendell Bossenger snapped up four catches and another was offered to the slips as the Dragons batsmen were completely unable to deal with the bounce and movement.They went to lunch at 72 for seven but the home side’s hopes of wrapping up the innings before tea then began to go sour.Strydom and Pool were finally separated when Pool was lbw to Craig Tatton and although Strydom followed to a catch at the wicket by Deon Kruis, Griquas’ struggles had just begun.They took the extra half hour before tea to winkle out the last wicket, butThomas and Roe stuck limpet-like to the crease to leave the game wide openwhen play resumes half an hour early on Saturday.

Steve Elworthy took five for 41 as Northerns grabbed their Supersport Series clash with Boland by the scruff of its neck on Saturday.Northerns skittled Boland for 132 runs and then drove home the advantage bymoving along to a healthy 160 for one in their second innings.That gave the home team a lead of 239 with nine wickets in the bank and twofull days play left.But Elworthy’s performance has to be mentioned in the same breath as that ofDavid Townsend took four for 35, and the two pacemen knocked the stuffingout of Boland, dismissing five batsmen in 42 deliveries after lunch.Boland dwindled to 104 for nine, and added 28 runs thanks to a cavalierknock by Bradley Player, who scored 37 runs off 36 balls with five fours anda six.Then Martin van Jaarsveld, fortified by a superb 91 in the first innings,continued in similar vein and by the close of play he was 81 not out. He waswell supported by the left-hand opener, Jacques Rudolph, who scored 72.Van Jaarsveld needed 135 balls to reach his half-century, but after that hetook just 15 deliveries to race along to 72.Together Van Jaarsveld and Rudolph have added 158 runs for the unbrokensecond wicket.

Durham paceman Steve Harmison, who was in the England squad a year ago, took his first five-wicket haul for two years against Nottinghamshire at Chester-le-Street today.But Durham had to rely on their England one-day squad newcomer, Paul Collingwood, to take them within sight of the follow-on target.At 205 for six they were 17 short of the 222 they needed at the close, with Collingwood still there one short of his fifth championship half-century of the season.On a blameless pitch Durham slipped to 96 for four after Nottinghamshire lost their last seven wickets for 94 runs to be all out for 371.Collingwood survived a stumping chance off left-arm spinner Richard Stemp on 15 as he and Danny law repaired the early damage with a stand of 68 in 18 overs.Harmison had one for 67 when Nottinghamshire resumed on 277 for three, but he bowled much straighter than on the first day and finished with five for 100.He was helped by the visitors’ bold approach as Usman Afzaal dragged the day’s fourth ball into his stumps after adding one to his overnight 88.Paul Johnson, who resumed on 89, completed his century off 133 balls with 14 fours and immediately hit two more boundaries before steering Harmison straight into the hands of third man.With a session lost on the first day, plus 40 minutes today and more rain forecast, Durham also went for their shots.Greg Smith produced a beauty to have Martin Love caught behind, and with Andrew Harris and Stemp taking two wickets each they would have had Durham in deep trouble had Collingwood not kept them afloat.

• It was the 1729th ODI in cricket history.
• It was India’s 465th and Zimbabwe’s 185th match.<liIt was the 35th match between these two sides. The record now reads :India 27,Zimbabwe 6,tied two.
• It was the sixth match between these two sides in Zimbabwe. The recordnow reads : India 4, Zimbabwe 2.
• Umpires Graeme Evans and Ian Robinson were officiating in their 12thand 78th match respectively.
• Ashish Nehra became 137th player to represent India in shorter versionof the game.
• By capturing a wicket (Campbell) off his second ball on debut, Nehrabecame joined the elite band of Indians capturing a wicket in theirfirst over in ODIs. The accompanying table lists all such instancesfor India :

• Zimbabwe (133) recorded its lowest ever total against India in allmatches obliterating the previous lowest of 135 at Bombay on October17,1987. Incidentally Zimbabwe’s previous lowest all out total againstIndia at home was 209 in 49.1 overs at this same ground on October25,1992.
• The total was the 14th lowest by any side against India in all ODIs.The lowest total against India is Pakistan’s 87 at Sharjah on22-03-1985.
• Ajit Agarkar’s figures of three for 26 were the best for India inZimbabwe. The previous best was 3 for 35 by Javagal Srinath at thissame venue on October 25,1992.
• Sachin Tendulkar (70*) now holds the record of aggregating most runsin a career by a visiting batsman on Zimbabwean soil. At the end ofthis match his tally reads as 280 runs (ave. 70.00) from six matches.The previous record was on the name of Sri Lankan Russel Arnold whohas aggregated 277 runs (aev.69.25) in five matches.
• By winning the match with 142 balls to spare India recorded thelargest victory by any side batting second on Zimbabwean soil. Theprevious record was held by Australia which defeated the hosts at thissame venue on October 23,1999 with 129 balls to spare.
• The margin of defeat of nine wickets was the largest for Zimbabwe inall home matches. Zimbabwe had lost two matches on successive days bynine wickets against Australia in October 1999.
• Sachin Tendulkar was winning his seventh Man of the Match awardagainst Zimbabwe and 39th of his career. Both these are maximum by aplayer in ODIs.

On-a-roll Surrey coach Keith Medlycott “couldn’t give the players enoughcredit” for the way they have “really dug in in the last couple ofweeks”.Saving their game against Leicstershire, winning the B & H Cup, thentrouncing Northants at Guildford today, has made England’s most successfulcoach think about a double for 2001, adding the CricInfo Championship trophy to their one-day silverware.”There’s oceans to go,” the man Pakistan want to guide them admitted. “Everygame now will be a potential decider. But we’re used to playing huge games.”Surrey’s initial aim is to beat Northants on Sunday, to extricate themselvesfrom the foot of the National League table.England batsman Ally Brown revealed to CricInfo his anguish about beingunable to play because of a suspected fractured thumb. The injury wassustained before the 31-year-old’s match-winning century at Guildford, theonly score above fifty in the game.”I’m disappointed to miss out,” he said, before visiting a specialist todiscover the seriousness of the damage. Medlycott added: “It’s definitelymore than bruised.”Gary Butcher looks set to step in for Brown, with spinner Gareth Batty asreserve.Medlycott is “keen” to give ex-England man Ian Salisbury a bowl, after theleg spinner missed the cup final with a broken toe.In contrast, dejected Northants skipper David Ripley admitted: “We need towin six of the last nine to stay up.”Paceman Lesroy Weekes will probably replace Toby Bailey in the Steelbacks line-up for Sunday.

The West Indian U19 side had taken control of the Second U19 Test at Trent Bridge by stumps on the first day.Devon Smith, a 19-year-old left-hander from Grenada, was the chief destroyer of the England bowling attack with an innings of 169 as he helped his side to a mammoth 400-6 in 109 overs.It was a chastening day for the England team, who saw captain Joe Sayers’ decision to inset the West Indies on winning the toss backfire dramatically.Smith and opening partner Brenton Parchment started as if playing a one-day game, reaching 87 in just the 15th over. But Parchment fell, caught at mid on by McGarry, in attempting to hit a fourth successive boundary of the off-spin of James Tredwell.McGarry then dropped Smith on 79; a chance that was too cost England dear. Smith was joined by Vishal Arjune to add 147 for the second wickets as all of England’s six bowlers were punished.Smith has clearly taking a liking to English conditions. This was his sixth score of 50 or more in six knocks against England. He shrugged off being struck on the hand in the opening moments of the day as he struck 27 fours and two sixes in his 245-ball stay.But England did claw back some ground in the second half of the day. Arjune drove to cover, Browne never settled, and fatigue finally got the better of Smith as he snicked Bilal Shafayat to Pope behind the wicket.Baugh and Deonarine also fell before the close, but England will have to produce a fighting performance if they are not to be 2-0 down at the end of this game.

Full marks to Adam Gilchrist.Sure, he might have been in charge, the man with whom the buck stopped as England reversed a humiliating run of defeats and produced its remarkable six wicket victory over Australia at Headingley.Sure, he might have effected a declaration that turned out to be a miscalculation from his own team’s point of view.Sure, he might have carved an unfortunate place in Ashes history for himself by becoming the first Australian captain to lose a Test after making an early target-setting closure.Sure, he might have paved the way for some in England to decry his tactics as arrogant.But a less impassioned reading of the circumstances surrounding this Fourth Test would suggest that he is to be lauded for his enterprise.Had he been a more frugal captain, an inflexible man, or a character imbued with a meanness of spirit, Gilchrist could have chosen to kill England’s chances of victory in this Test. At a number of junctures. Instead, he risked a real possibility of defeat in the pursuit of a glorious win.It is no accident that Australia has not drawn a Test match in two years: it is because its captains and its players bring imagination and daring to the game. Its extraordinary success over recent times is not only due to the talent of its players. It also owes much to an attacking philosophy, a frame of mind which says that Test cricketers of this age should play with more freedom and instinct than has traditionally marked the game.All who seek to paint Gilchrist’s decision to set England a target of 315 to win as contemptuous would do well to consider his move in a far broader light.He had little control over weather on the fourth day that severely hampered Australia’s chances of establishing a more commanding position. He was as aware as anyone that the prospect of a 5-0 series ‘greenwash’ was a dream craved by all of his players and the team’s supporters. He was not to know how an eminently unpredictable Headingley pitch would play after the new ball lost its shine on the last day. He was not to imagine that his bowlers would produce their most disappointing display of the series. He was also not to know that Mark Butcher would construct an innings of extraordinary quality.In voicing their censure, maybe such critics failed to lift their eyes toward Headingley’s banks of filled seats, to allow their ears to hear the rousing and delighted cheers that continually greeted England’s progress toward victory, or to tilt their noses far enough to discern the scent of a struggle between two teams locked in an intriguing battle.Gilchrist is a great wicketkeeper-batsman, arguably one of the best of all time. He made a decision which ultimately did not conjure another victory for his team but, as a captain, he also shows some wonderful qualities. One of them is knowing how to play cricket in exactly the right spirit. It is doubtful that 15,000 fans will disagree; what is more likely is that they will remember this day for the rest of their lives.