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Mumbai were in sight of their first win this season after reducing Odisha to 93 for 4 in pursuit of 413 in Bhubaneswar. Seamer Akash Parkar dismissed Subhransu Senapati and Deepak Behera off successive deliveries, but captain Govinda Poddar (48*) remained firm at stumps.In the morning, Mumbai were in trouble as they slumped to 84 for 6 in their second innings, losing nightwatchman Dhawal Kulkarni, vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav and captain Aditya Tare in the space of five overs. However, Siddhesh Lad played the role of the ‘crisis man’ to perfection with his fifth first-class century to bail them out.During the course of his 153-ball effort, he notched up partnerships of 57 and 76 with Abhishek Nayar and Parkar respectively. Lad was the ninth batsman to be dismissed, and Mumbai declared their innings soon after on 268 for 9. Seamer Suryakant Pradhan finished with three wickets to add to his two in the first innings.Smit Patel’s sixth first-class hundred led Tripura’s strong response as they finished the day on 327 for 4 against Baroda in Vadodara. Smit remained unbeaten on 123 at stumps, but Tripura still trail Baroda’s first-innings total by 194.Resuming on 63 for 1, Tripura lost opener Bishal Ghosh in the sixth over of the day to seamer Sagar Mangalorkar, who also had Udiyan Bose caught and bowled soon after. At 94 for 3, Tripura were in trouble, but Smit found an ally in the experienced Yashpal Singh, who made 90 in a stand worth 181. It wasn’t until tea that the partnership was broken when Vishnu Solanki, Baroda’s centurion in the first innings, removed Yashpal. But, Smit and Rajat Dey (20*) ensured with an unbroken 52-run partnership that Tripura didn’t go off track and remained on course to secure the first-innings lead.Seamer Bandaru Ayyappa’s three-wicket burst reduced Madhya Pradesh to 67 for 5 after Andhra had secured a crucial first-innings lead of 55 runs in Vizianagaram. Ayyappa first struck in the seventh over to trap opener Aditya Shrivastava in front and then cleaned up Shubham Sharma two overs later. Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt joined in the act, as he had Rajat Patidar caught behind to leave Madhya Pradesh tottering on 16 for 3.Ayyappa then returned to dismiss Harpreet Singh Bhatia, his third wicket in his third successive over. Captain Devendra Bundela and Ankit Sharma riefly restored calm, but Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari had Ankit lbw off what was the last ball of the day.Resuming their first innings on 177 for 5, Andhra surged ahead thanks to a 143-run partnership between Ashwin Hebbar (77) Ravi Teja (58). Legspinner Mihir Hirwani, however, dismissed Sumanth to break the partnership, and despite an unbeaten 36-ball 32 from Ayyappa, ran through the lower order. Hirwani, who picked up 5 for 22 in the previous game, finished with five wickets again.

Steve Harmison’s hopes of playing in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Kandy next week were dealt a major blow when he limped off the field during England’s final warm-up match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo.Harmison, who had earlier taken his first wicket of the tour in a much-improved performance, pulled up after bowling three balls of his 11th over. He paused for a while at the top of his mark, and appeared to clutch at the lower right-hand side of his back. After a brief consultation with Michael Vaughan, he left the field immediately and James Anderson completed the over.The initial fear among the England camp was that Harmison had suffered an aggravation of the muscular tear in his lower back that ruled him out of the end of the English season, but England’s coach, Peter Moores, said that the new problem was unrelated, and even held out hopes of Harmison featuring again before the end of the match.”It’s not something he’s had before,” said Moores. “It’s a bit of a twinge, a back spasm, and the physio doesn’t think it’s anything major. Hopefully it’s one of those things that settles down in the next 24 to 36 hours, and he’ll be able to play a part in the second innings.””It’s not exactly what you want,” said Moores. “Harmy’s disappointed because I think he found good rhythm. He started to really hit his straps a little bit and enjoy himself, and was looking forward to having another crack. But we’ve all had muscle spasms in the past – they hit you like an electric shock and if that goes away you can get right again as quick as it went.”However, with just six days to go until the Kandy Test, Harmison’s participation must be in severe doubt, not least because of the blow it will deal to his already fragile confidence. The injury occurred at the beginning of his fourth spell of the day, and though he was not sent for a scan, it came at a moment when he looked set to recapture some of his best form.”He was really happy,” said Moores. “When Harmy’s bowling well he attacks the crease and today he was doing it with confidence, with his foot half-and-half on the line. He was getting better all the time, and this has put a bit of a cloud on what was otherwise a really good effort.”In the aftermath of England’s first warm-up match at Colombo Cricket Club, Harmison had spoken of his determination to fight for his England place, but also rued the run of bad luck that had left him on the fringes of the squad. Prior to his back problem in August, he had undergone a hernia operation that had ruled him out of the Test series against India.”In the past we still had bowlers knocking on the door, but I went through a long period of not being injured,” said Harmison. “Now I can’t get rid of an injury without another one cropping up.”I need to spend some time on the park, and if I do that and bowl properly, I feel I’m as good as anyone in England. When I’m not bowling that well, and coming back [from injury] all the time, then there are better bowlers than me.”

Shivnarine Chanderpaul credits a little bit of divine intervention and some brute force for his last-ball six which won West Indies the first ODI at Queen’s Park Oval.”I’m happy, I’m very, very happy. I prayed and prayed and asked God to give me the strength to hit that ball out of the ground,” he said after the nail-biter. “The plan was to fire as hard as I could.”West Indies, chasing 236, needed ten from the last two deliveries of the game. Chaminda Vaas had done extremely well for the first four balls of the 50th over but Chanderpaul drilled the fifth for a straight four and walked down the track to loft the last over midwicket.”I watched the ball until it went over, then I was able to jump up,” said Chanderpaul, who was recently named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year. “When it dropped over the rope then I was happy to celebrate. I was looking for anything. I was looking for a slower ball, a wide ball, I was looking for whatever Vaas had up his sleeve. I didn’t have to do all that. He sent down a full toss and I just had to fire and fire hard.”The second last ball I knew I just had to hit. I was looking to get under it but I then had to hit it straight and hard. I timed that one very well.”Chanderpaul’s unbeaten 86 helped West Indies level the two-match Test series with a six-wicket win at the same venue earlier this week. He went into the first ODI with a bit of flu but was thrilled to have sealed another win.”I am still suffering a bit, but I knew with God’s help it could happen for us today. I have not recovered from the flu properly,” he said. “I was shaking out there all day and I was feeling weak. When I went to bat I was trembling and I was still struggling, but it worked out for me.”The second ODI is also at Port of Spain on April 12.

When Bangladesh Under-19’s captain Mehedi Hasan and wicketkeeper-batsman Zakir Hasan came together in the 29th over against Nepal Under-19, it was amidst much tension in Mirpur. The home side were 98 for 4 chasing 212 with a place in the semi-final on the line. Thankfully for Bangladesh, the pair did not panic and took the game away with their 117-run unbroken stand.The partnership was not completely smooth-sailing; only after the pair had batted together for 13 balls did Mehedi smash one through the in-field and get his first boundary. Singles were not missed at any opportunity, but the run-rate kept rising, and by the time the next four came, at the start of the 35th over, Bangladesh needed 86 off 15.5 overs. For the next 7.2 overs, Mehedi and Zakir only picked singles and twos. Finally, in the middle of the 43rd over, Zakir’s swept four off Dipendra Airee gave Bangladesh a release.From the 42nd to 45th over, the pair took six, eight, 12 and 10 runs, which reduced the target from 63 needed off 54, to 27 needed off the last 30 balls. In one instance, they ran three and then took twos off the next two balls before taking a relaxed single. This was in the same over in which Mehedi lofted Sandeep Lamichhane over extra-cover for a boundary. Some of the pair’s running between the wickets looked risky but their overall maturity proved much of it was calculated.Mehedi said that it was Zakir who came up with the calming influence by giving him a plan and then chiding him when the Nepal captain Raju Rijal missed his stumping in the 38th over.”He [Zakir] was unbelievable today,” Mehedi said. “He got back to runs after a long time with this fine innings. It was great timing for the team, as we really needed him today. There was some pressure when we started our partnership. Zakir told me that we will just play on singles, rotate the strike. We won’t go for fours or sixes. His words worked quite well for us.”When the stumping incident happened, I had lost a bit of focus at that moment. The mid-off was up so I tried to hit it over him. When I had settled down after the miss, Zakir told me it is no time to relax. ‘We have to bat long,’ he said. I was fine from that point.”The fifth-wicket partnership was also the coming together of two young men who made it to professional cricket through contrasting circumstances, about 480km apart. When he was growing up in Khulna and falling in love with the game, Mehedi’s father opposed the idea of his son taking up cricket seriously. But Mehedi would sneak out to play matches, and often get caught. However, after winning an award for Best Batsman in an Under-14 tournament, it became easier for Mehedi to convince his father that cricket was where his passion really lied.It was different for Zakir while growing up in Sylhet. Although there was some pressure on him to take studies more seriously, his elder brother brought news that BKSP were holding a trial nearby. Zakir was selected for the sport institute’s branch in Dinajpur, about 568km from his hometown.Mehedi and Zakir came together for the Under-19 national camp during the 2014 World Cup, and are one of five players to play a second World Cup. But despite spending the last three years together in training camps, hotels and cricket grounds, their understanding frayed at times during their fifth-wicket partnership. Nerves were evident from the beginning as the non-striker, whether it was Mehedi or Zakir, continued to get too far out of his crease even when a single was not on offer.There were plenty of close calls as Nepal missed the stumps on at least five occasions with the batsman short of his crease. Mehedi offered an explanation, suggesting that his team was not accustomed to the dimensions of the Shere Bangla National Stadium”The ground is slightly different, sometimes we didn’t understand where the ball was. Say, when we defended the ball we couldn’t at times tell if it went into the gap or not. The ground is quite large too. But we have good understanding, and there can be one or two mistakes. I don’t think it is a major problem,” he said.Mehedi and Zakir were possibly confused by the pronounced slope in Mirpur, which sometimes makes the ball hard to spot when it goes 15-20 yards from the pitch on either side. No matter, they have to get used to this ground quickly for the semi-final against either Pakistan or West Indies, on February 11.

You hear the bowling machine clank, hear the ball thud onto bat, and voices echo around the walls. You see Anil Kumble calmly compose himself and hear him answer every question patiently. There’s a calm about the indoor nets at the MCG, an air of assurance almost. All until Ricky Ponting walks in, rattles answers as if he’s at an examination, laughs, and fills the room with an energy that was missing earlier. And all this without a microphone.Both are tremendously aggressive cricketers but while Kumble exudes a quiet sort of energy, Ponting is more animated. It’s a possible sign for the series: Australia going all out for the kill, India preferring the silent ambush; one side intent on coming out swinging, the other hoping for the crucial, fatal, counter-punch. You feel it in the answers: one gushing about the quality of his side, the other saying, wait and watch.Both are colossal figures for their respective sides – one arguably the country’s greatest bowler, the other being mentioned in the same breath as the Don [Bradman] – and it’s fitting that they will walk out to toss in a gigantic arena that is the MCG. Kumble’s priority was predictable: “put runs on the board”. He’s spent most of his career traveling with a batting line-up that has unraveled abroad. He himself is a different bowler when he has the comfort of runs on the board. He thrives on applying pressure, revels in bogging the opposition down. He’s also clear that he’s “first a bowler and then a captain”. One cannot afford to come in the way of the other.Ponting’s career has coincided with Australia’s golden age. He knows the conditions, knows the pitfalls, more importantly knows how to win. He holds forth on the Melbourne weather, the pitch and the conditions. Occasionally he throws in an ‘aw, look mate’ but never does he let up on the speed. He’s spent the previous two hours in an optional net session, joined by around ten kids frolicking around. He mainly faced throw downs but the Christmas cheer was unmistakable – his team-mates’ children having a go in the side nets.Ponting is mostly dead-certain. The pitch isn’t just damp, it’s “very, very damp”. He remembers Shane Warne’s dictum for the MCG – “If it seams, it spins” – but knows he possesses the ammunition of work around it. “Mitchell Johnson impressed everybody against Sri Lanka. Stuart Clark’s Test record at the moment is as good as any going around. I’m very confident we’re going to take 20 wickets in every Test we play this summer.”Occasionally they both echo the same sentiment. India will first try and plot a means to get 20 wickets but Kumble is well aware of the need to keep the batsmen quiet in case they hit a roadblock (“We have plans and bowlers to hit the right areas”). Ponting also knows, from past experience, that Australia will have to refrain from over-attacking. “Last time [in 2003-04] we did over-attack some of their players just the little bit … If you look to the way we played against India last time [2004], we bowled a bit differently.” He knows the dangers of a bouncer barrage. “It’s not how many you bowl, but when you use them.”And just once in a while they drop their guard. Ponting, for all his aggression, knows the importance of a tempered approach. He feels they over-attacked in Adelaide last time around and “probably let them score a few too many runs”. Kumble, for all his guarded responses, bursts through forcefully towards the end: “I am positive that we will be able to do well here on this tour. I don’t see any reason why we can’t win.” No Indian team has managed to do so in the last 60 years, and this one is up against it, but Kumble will know a thing or two about scaling barriers.

Western Australia have included their fast-bowling recruit Trent Kelly in their opening Pura Cup squad of the season. Kelly is part of a 12-man line-up for the match against New South Wales at the WACA starting on Sunday.Adam Voges will captain the side as Marcus North spends at least the first fortnight of the summer on the sidelines with a degenerative knee problem. The inclusions of Kelly and David Bandy are the only two changes from the Warriors’ first FR Cup squad, with Shawn Gillies and Sean Ervine left out of the longer game.Kelly, 23, transferred from South Australia at the end of last season after struggling to break into the Redbacks’ first team. He played two Pura Cup matches for South Australia and is unlikely to add to his tally against New South Wales, with Brett Dorey, Ben Edmondson and Steve Magoffin ahead of him in the pace brigade.Squad Chris Rogers, Justin Langer, Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges (capt), Luke Pomersbach, David Bandy, Luke Ronchi (wk), Aaron Heal, Brett Dorey, Steve Magoffin, Ben Edmondson, Trent Kelly.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has instructed its players not to make any further comments on the row involving Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Shahid Afridi. Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has warned that players speaking out of turn at this stage would only hamper the team’s morale during the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa.Shoaib was sent home and handed an indefinite ban following a dressing-room scuffle, during which he hit Asif on the thigh with a bat. On arrival in Pakistan, Shoaib blamed Afridi for provoking him, saying that he made offensive comments about his family. Afridi later denied instigating the spat and said he couldn’t understand why Shoaib targeted him.”Shoaib and the others should keep their mouth shut on this issue,” Ashraf told . “It is not helping either the team or the image of Pakistan cricket.”Shoaib is expected to face a three-member disciplinary committee hearing soon where he would get a chance to give his version of the events. “The disciplinary committee will look into every aspect of the unfortunate incident,” Ashraf said, “but only in the presence of all the concerned cricketers in Pakistan after the completion of the World Cup in South Africa.””Until the inquiry begins he should remain quiet,” Ashraf said. “There is a code of conduct in place for the players and they are violating it by speaking on this issue which has already proved damaging for us. Comments by the players will only reduce the morale of the team.”Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief executive, left for South Africa to start the inquiry. The other members of the disciplinary committee are Naveed Akram and Zakir Khan.

Sanath Jayasuriya faces being dropped from Sri Lanka’s one-day squad for the three-match series against West Indies, starting next month. Cricinfo has learned the side has been picked – without Jayasuriya – and is awaiting ratification by the sports minister.The squad is also likely to be without Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga. While Murali is being rested, Malinga is believed to have suffered a knee injury that will require rest for about three to four weeks. He will be replaced by fellow pace bowler Nuwan Kulasekara for the Test and ODI series.Jayasuriya, 38, the most experienced player in the team with 411 ODI appearances, will make way for Mahela Udawatte, the hard-hitting opener who is being spoken of as his future successor. Udawatte, 21, plays for Chilaw Marians.Since his 63 in the World Cup final against Australia last year, Jayasuriya has had a poor run of form. He has failed to pass 50 even once in his last 20 ODI innings, scoring 305 runs at an average of 15.25. His decision to retire from Tests and focus on ODIs hasn’t helped his batting either.The selectors are believed to have picked the uncapped Ajantha Mendis, of Army SC, in Murali’s place. Mendis, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Tuesday, is also an offspinner and, with 54 wickets at an average of ten, the leading wicket-taker in the current Premier League season. He will operate alongside legspinner Malinga Bandara.Sources in the selection committee said the decision was aimed at preserving Murali, who turns 36 next month, for the 2011 World Cup. He will appear only in important ODI tournaments.

Match facts

Friday, April 11, 2008
Start time 15:00 local time (10:00 GMT)

Big picture

Despite having crushed Bangladesh in Lahore, Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, has emphatically stated that his side’s five-match contest against the visitors is ‘not a time-pass series’. Bangladesh have been swept on each of their trips to Pakistan but Malik refused to underestimate them and cautioned against complacency. Pakistan have blooded a few youngsters recently and they want to keep their options open with bigger assignments ahead.Bangladesh, on the other hand, may be wondering just what they need to do to win a game against Test-match opposition. Their recent form is disappointing and their batting lacks depth. Mashrafe Mortaza’s return to bowling form has been important but the lack of support remains a concern.With few teams touring Pakistan due to security concerns the local fans would be hoping for a win to boost spirits in these times of political unrest.

Form guide – Pakistan

Last five matches: WWWWWPlayer to watch: Shahid Afridi biffed 27 from 11 balls to get Pakistan past 300 in Lahore and then bagged 3 for 41 to help skittle Bangladesh out for 129. With the lucrative Indian Premier League kicking off this month Afridi could well use the remaining two games to get into some form with the bat. He averages 33.33 against Bangladesh.

Form guide – Bangladesh

Last five matches: LWWWLPlayer to watch: Dhiman Ghosh, the young rookie wicketkeeper, has been a livewire in his seven ODIs so far, most exceptionally in the first game against Pakistan where he took four catches. His batting has been disappointing, but he has got a good first-class record and is capable of big hits. A promotion up the order – he batted at No. 9 in Lahore – may not be a bad idea.

Team news

Pakistan have options with which to rotate their squad but they may hold off until the series is in the bag. Their top order wobbled a bit but they aren’t likely to tinker with Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed – at the start of what has been a promising six-game career – and Younis Khan, who may also have the IPL on his mind. The middle order remains Pakistan’s strength along with an effective and varied bowling attack.Abdur Razzak had a poor outing in Lahore but his one-day success and his experienced means he will stay in the starting line-up. Bangladesh could consider swapping Mahmudullah, who bled 59 runs in five overs and made just 2, for allrounder Nazimuddin.Bangladesh (likely) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Shahriar Nafees, 3 Aftab Ahmed, 4 Mohammad Ashraful (capt), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Raqibul Hasan, 7 Nazimuddin, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Farhad Reza, 10 Dhiman Ghosh (wk), 11 Abdur Razzak.Pakistan (likely) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Shoaib Malik (capt), 6 Misbah-ul-Haq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Kamran Akmal (wk), 9 Rao Iftikhar, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Sohail Tanveer.Umpires: Steve Bucknor, Aleem Dar.

Pitch & conditions

The Iqbal Stadium has only once witnessed a total of over 300 but the pitch – which looks firm and brown – is expected to offer good runs to the batsmen. The side that wins the toss should bat first, and hope to shut out the opposition. Inclement weather has often hampered play at the venue – and there was a cloud cover on the eve of the game -but at this time of year it’s not a worry, despite the late start.

Stats & trivia

Queensland’s reputation as the family state is growing with Craig McDermott’s 16-year-old son Alister picking up a contract with the Bulls for 2008-09. Following another disappointing campaign, Queensland are looking at players still at school to fill their rookie spots, with the Beenleigh-Logan batsman Michael Johnson also expected to be named when the full squad is released next week.Craig McDermott was selected for Queensland as a 17-year-old, earning the nickname ‘Billy the Kid’, and went on to a Test career of 291 wickets. His boy carries similar bowling characteristics and the instantly recognisable red hair.”My wife Ann-Marie and I are very proud of him and all our family, but we have said to him that getting a contract is where the hard work really starts,” Craig told the Courier Mail. “This is the first of a lot of steps he has to take to get where he wants to go.”Craig has helped his son, who plays with the Gold Coast club, with a couple of things, “but he has done most of the work himself”. “He has a good action and is getting the most out of himself.” Alister was named in the honorary Australian Under-17 side for 2007-08 along with Johnson, Queensland’s Youth Player of the Year.The father-and-son links at the Bulls are currently strong with Ryan Broad, the boy of the former batsman Wayne, Michael Buchanan, whose father John appeared in eight state games, and Ben Laughlin – his dad Trevor won three Test caps – representing the state over the past season. Nicholas Buchanan, Michael’s brother, could add to the list if he continues to develop while Andrew Tazelaar, the offspinner, is the offspring of the bowling hero Dirk. The teenagers were part of the Queensland Under-17 team along with McDermott and Johnson.