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Sourav Ganguly scored twin fifties against Tamil Nadu but it was not enough to avoid a huge defeat © Getty Images

ScorecardAn enterprising 88 from Sourav Ganguly could not stop Tamil Nadu from inflicting a 222-run victory over Bengal on the final day at Kolkata, as Rajamani Jesuraj’s six-wicket haul stunned the home side. Jerusaj, who picked up five wickets in Bengal’s first innings, put in a fine spell today to make it 11 for the match. Resuming the day on 109 for 3, Bengal lost the wicket of Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (39) in the second over. From here on, it was only Ganguly and Deep Dasgupta (49), the wicketkeeper, who showed any resolve in their approach. Aashish Kapoor, the veteran offspinner, chipped in with 3 for 44. The four points gained from this comprehensive win put TN third in the points table, just behind Bengal. And they have successfully avoided relegation to the Plate division. Ganguly, with two fighting fifties and some key wickets, would have gained confidence as he travels to Pakistan to join the Indian team for the upcoming Test series beginning on January 13.
ScorecardFifties from Vinit Indulkar and Sushant Marathe highlighted Mumbai’s eight-wicket victory over hosts Gujarat and maintained their side’s dominance atop the Elite Group A points table going into the final round of matches. Mumbai began the final day by winding up the Gujarat innings for 220 in the morning session, as Ramesh Powar capped a fine bowling performance by picking up his sixth wicket – and 10th of the match. Set 214 to win, Mumbai were given a 50-run start by Marathe and Sahil Kukreja, who became the first of two wickets to fall en route to a convincing victory. Marathe departed for a good 64, but Indulkar continued on in authoritative fashion to take Mumbai home with more than 13 overs remaining. Amol Muzumdar partnered Indulkar in a 91-run stand with an unbeaten 42.
ScorecardSunil Joshi and Anil Kumble, Karnataka’s veteran bowlers, shared the spoils of a comprehensive final-day victory over Delhi at Bangalore. Karnataka, with their second win of the season, sit just behind Group A-leading Mumbai with 12 points. Thilak Naidu, the wicketkeeper, and Balachandra Akhil (47) extended their overnight stand for the sixth wicket to 59 before Joshi chipped in with a quick 26 to allow Sujith Somasunder to declare Karnataka’s innings on 280 for 8. Set 306 to win, Delhi were in trouble from the start, losing Shikhar Dhawan in the first over, caught by Kumble off the bowling of Vinay Kumar. A 49-run stand for the third wicket between Aakash Chopra and Mithun Manhas was the only positive session of play for Delhi, as Joshi and Kumble then combined to bag six wickets and dismiss Delhi for just 138. This dismal performance highlights a poor season by Delhi, who have plenty to improve before the next round of matches.
ScorecardUttar Pradesh gained its first win of the season with a ten-wicket victory over Hyderabad early in the final day’s play at Lucknow. UP gained 5 points and are now third in the Group B points table, behind Punjab and ahead of Hyderabad. Piyush Chawla, the young legspinner, was the star yesterday, taking his third five-wicket haul in as many games as Hyderabad were bowled out for 227. UP knocked off the required 29 in easy fashion.
ScorecardTen wickets fell in the final day but Andhra secured with a draw against Punjab at Visakhapatnam after Reetinder Singh Sodhi’s sporting declaration set the hosts 265 to win from a possible 77 overs. Punjab, 98 for 3 overnight, put up a healthy 185 for 7 in 48 overs with Reetinder Sodhi top-scoring with 45. Lakshman Kishore, Andhra’s offspinner, took 3 for 62. MSK Prasad and Venugopal Rao, who batted with promise in the first innings, scored 46 and 37 not-out respectively as Andhra adopted a cautious method throughout the final two sessions of play. Punjab’s two points from the match puts them second in the points table, with 11.
ScorecardA drawn match against Baroda ensured Services were relegated to the Plate Group without a single victory this season. Always behind the gun following Baroda’s mammoth first innings total, Services did well to put up a competitive total over the course of the last day-and-a-half. Their 388 was down to decent, if unattractive, performances from the middle and lower orders after Jasvir Singh fell for 67 early in the morning. Irfan Safi Pathan, the opening bowler, Rajesh Pawar, and Yusuf Pathan shared the bulk of the wickets to fall. Baroda then batted out the remaining 12 overs to maintain their position atop the points table with 15.
ScorecardA fine hundred from Abhijit Kale was enough to send Railways to the Plate Group as Maharashtra secured a draw on the final day’s play at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Kale, who began the day on 32, went on to record his 25th first-class hundred as Maharashtra successfully batted Railways out of the match. Given that the next highest score was 30, Kale’s contribution to his side was all the more a fine effort. Madan Yadav, the slow left-arm bowler, returned figures of 4 for 105. Set an imposing 328 from 56 overs, Railways were slow off the blocks and eventually ended on 110 for 5 after key strikes from Sairaj Bahutule and Rohit Jadhav rocked the top order.

There was no summer sky to greet Sri Lanka at Westpac Park© Getty Images

In the last one-day series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, monsoonrains forced the teams to Dambulla in a bid to ensure that matches wereplayed, but Sri Lanka’s only hope in New Zealand is that there is a change in the weather over the next few days.Rain, which forced the abandonment of the tour opener against CentralDistricts on Tuesday five overs into Sri Lanka’s innings at NewPlymouth, didn’t even allow the teams to get on the field in Hamilton on Thursday. The captains did toss, with Marvan Atapattu calling correctly, but that proved the only contest on the day as rain came back before play started in what was to have been a 30-over contest.Hamilton’s Westpac Park was too damp, and the prospect of more rain meant that the Sri Lankans left the ground knowing that they would be lacking vital batting practice in local conditions when the one-day series begins at Eden Park in Auckland on Boxing Day.The series is shaping as a thriller, and while the absence of significant warm-up play is a frustration, it is more of a reflection of modern-day cricket with its packed schedules. Sri Lanka will be expected to adapt to the demands of touring and accept their pre-series fate as just one of those things. The long-term forecast is hopeful, although anything would have to be an improvement on the start to the notion of summer throughout the country.Sri Lanka have to make do without Muttiah Muralitharan for the one-day series, at least, while Nuwan Zoysa, the left-arm pace bowler, is expected to miss the first two matches as a result of the finger he dislocated while attempting a caught-and-bowled against Central Districts.New Zealand will welcome back Daryl Tuffey, who has been working hard on his action after disappointments suffered due to injury in England earlier in the year. After the good showing during the Chappell-Hadlee series withAustralia, expectations are high that New Zealand can finish the yearin style by maintaining their improved form in ODIs. Ticket salesaround the venues for the five one-day matches are high, and the hopeis that the series can be played in something approaching summer conditions.

International charity cricket comes to New Milton’s impressive Fernhill complex on Sunday when a Southern Electric Premier League President’s team takes on an Australian XI containing several State players.It’s a 50-overs per side contest, starting at 12 noon, with both teams wearing coloured clothing.Proceeds from the match will be to raise funds for the New Milton based Oakhaven Hospice.There will be a Twenty20 theme throughout the contest with music greeting every four and six and the fall of each wicket."Each player has chosen his own particular piece of music to greet him when he walks to the wicket," said New Milton’s Australian coach Grant Hebbard, who has put a powerful Aussie team together.With Western Australian State players Chris Rogers and Adam Voges in the line up, Hebbard predicts a comfortable Aussie win.Voges has spent the summer playing for Bournemouth, but Rogers is an unfamiliar face to the Premier League locals."He’s a terrific player who normally opens for WA with Justin Langer," Voges confirmed."He went close to scoring a double-century in the Pura Cup match against New South Wales and was selected for Australia A earlier this year. That’s how good he is."The bulk of the Australian team has been picked from the Premier League, with Bashley’s Brad Thompson and New Milton wicketkeeper Ben Clarke included.President’s XI: Paul Gover, Matt King, Kevin Nash, Neil Taylor, Neil Thurgood, Glyn Treagus, Ben Craft, Tom Pegler, Damian Shirazi, Lee Beck, Richard Wilson, Matt Freeman.Australia XI : Chris Rogers, Hugh Brown, Ben Clarke, Brett Gardiner, Chris Lagana, Justin Larrescy, Matt Latham, Robertson Campbell, Brad Thompson, Adam Voges, Andrew Watkin.

The State Championship match between Wellington and Auckland will probably become a battle for first innings points on its final day after the loss to rain of the third day today and following the abandonment of the second under drenching showers.Only one innings and the fragment of another have been completed over the past three days as Wellington has found itself trapped under an almost tropical weather pattern which has brought constant high humidity and persistent, tepid rain.Umpires Dave Quested and Steve Dunne had little choice but to abandon play at 3.50pm on the second day as the Basin Reserve was lashed by volleys of heavy showers and less choice on Tuesday when they called an end to play shortly after lunch.There have been only a few, momentary breaks in the rain that has swept Wellington since Sunday afternoon and its effects have been compounding. The Basin Reserve, already lushly green, has absorbed much but cannot be expected to cope with such a continuous, heavy onslaught.Ground staff estimated today that they would need more than four hours without rain and with the help of a drying breeze to bring the playing area up to a standard which would allow play to begin. Even that would seem an optimistic estimate.Faced with that outlook and with a forecast promising continued showers, looking out at sheeting rain riding in front of a northerly wind, the umpires ruled at an unusually early hour that the prospects for play today were negligible.Rain is also forecast for tomorrow, though there was a slight improvement in overhead conditions as players left the ground. The weather outlook is for more of the enveloping drizzle and high temperatures Wellington has been suffering for most of the past four days.The outlook for this match is hardly brighter. Wellington reached a moderate 238 in their first innings after winning the toss on Sunday, then batting poorly. Their captain Richard Jones and No 4 Grant Donaldson both made 52, Andrew Penn 27 not out and James Franklin 21.Auckland were 3/0 by the close of play on Sunday. With a single day remaining and that threatened by showers, Auckland are likely to pursue the most obvious objective of first innings which would embellish handily their first round win over Central Districts.Wellington need an outstanding bowling performance to prevent Auckland surpassing their total on what has appeared a reasonable batting pitch, though the pitch has been hidden under blue plastic covers for the past two days.

ScorecardFile photo: Virender Sehwag hit some vintage fours before being lazily run out for 37•BCCI

It was typical Virender Sehwag. Before coming to the ground he, always the showman, tweeted, “If you are a true fan of Sehwag, then come to Kotla and watch the game.”If it is a big match, he says it is a big match. He is not one for diplomatic “every game is important for us”. Playing against his home side until now, Delhi, Sehwag asked for the support of “true fans of Sehwag”. Now true fans of Sehwag are familiar with his moments of ecstasy and deep frustration in equal measures. There was more of that frustration than ecstasy on day one in the match against Delhi, Sehwag’s original side.In the seventh over of the day, Ishant Sharma brought Sehwag in by drawing an edge from Rahul Dewan. Sehwag walked in amid a lot of chirping, the crowd began to swell to eventually reach about 200, and the anticipation arose. To the first ball, Sehwag typically planted his front foot down. But neither was this the old Sehwag, nor the old Ishant. The ball reared off just short of a length, and hit the shoulder of the bat. For the next ball, Sehwag stayed back.Ishant, the man whom Sehwag had famously asked to bowl one more over in Perth, was now asked to bowl a fifth over. Ishant had generally been bowling four-over spells in Sri Lanka. This was expected, too. The best bowler in the side asked to bowl one extra over to the biggest name in the opposition batting line-up.Tthe action, though, was all at the other end, as Ishant’s extra over went away uneventfully. Pradeep Sangwan, the bowler at the other end, bowled short. Sehwag cut in the air, but he cut so hard that Yogesh Nagar at short cover-point took evasive action. The ball hit the shin pad even before he knew it. Later in the over, Sehwag pushed at a wide length ball, with no feet, and edged past gully for four.Soon, though, Sehwag found the timing on the cuts. Twice, he cleared point with the cut. Once he edged Sangwan over slips, but that is not a risky shot for Sehwag. He knows if he connects them he gets four, and if he edges them it clears the slips. Then, he walked down to Sangwan and drove him wide of mid-on for another four. He began to stand a couple of yards outside the crease to the quicks. As Sehwag began to get settled, Manan Sharma, the left-arm spinner of Delhi, began to take wickets with a lack of turn. Chaitanya Bishnoi and Himanshu Rana fell in the space of two overs, lbw to Manan.Sehwag’s response was immediate. As the new batsman walked in, he found time to wave to his fans, sending them into a frenzy. He then began to chat with Ishant who was walking back to his mark. And then he tried to respond in the way he knows best: dance down, hit Manan off his rhythm by sending him into the grass bank behind wide long-on. Early on a Thursday morning, Kotla had come alive.Now was the true test of true Sehwag fans. In the same over, he hit to Ishant at mid-on, and called Sachin Rana through for a single. Sehwag ran hard, looked like he would make it easily, and then just plonked his bat in. To those watching from square it was obvious he had been caught short, but the third umpire was called on. The 200 people began to shout, “Not out, not out,” but Delhi began to celebrate. Sehwag walked back. Everything became quiet.Thirty-seven runs off 61 balls. Some vintage Sehwag cuts, a loose push, an early forward movement, a six, and a lazy run-out. A Haryana official who walked in late showed no surprise when told the way Sehwag got out. Nor did the fans. They are used to such disappointments: loose shots, lazy running et al. So they sat and watched Delhi chip away at the rest on a slow pitch and bowl the visitors out for 195 before negotiating nine overs for 22 runs without any loss.

Aston Villa are back in action this afternoon with a Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium. 

Having lost their two previous league games 1-0 against Newcastle United and Watford, Villa boss Steven Gerrard will be desperate to avoid getting a hat-trick of defeats this afternoon and instead see his side pick up a much-needed victory. 

In his pre-match press conference, the 41-year-old revealed that in terms of which players will be available for selection for this afternoon’s clash, Bertrand Traore is still out with an injury but defender Ezri Konsa will be back after serving a suspension. 

With that in mind, here’s our prediction for Villa’s starting XI to take on the Seagulls. 

Having started all but one of Villa’s league games so far this season, we see no reason why Gerrard would not stick with Emi Martinez in goal and hope he’s able to keep a clean sheet for the first time since their 1-0 win over Everton last month. 

In a back four, for the two full-back positions, we think Lucas Digne will keep his place on the left with Matty Cash on the right. 

At centre-back, while it’s likely that club captain Tyrone Mings will keep his place in the team to lead from the back, Gerrard will have a big choice to make over who will partner the England international. 

In our view, we think Gerrard will put Konsa back in next to Mings but will make a big call and try something new by putting Chambers in a defensive-midfield role ahead of Douglas Luiz, who was taken off in the second half in the defeat against Watford. 

Then for the other two midfield positions, having racked up a higher average of tackles per game than any other Villa player this season, it would seem likely that John McGinn will keep his place in the team alongside Jacob Ramsey. 

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Finally, for the front three, we can see Philippe Coutinho and Emi Buendia keeping their places in the team but see Danny Ings, who is currently the joint-second highest earner at the club with a weekly wage of £100k-p/w according to Salary Sport, drop out to see if Ollie Watkins can get his season back on track and grab his first league goal since December. 

In other news: Forget Ings: Gerrard must ruthlessly axe £52k-p/w flop, he’s “Villa’s biggest issue” – opinion

Cri-zelda Brits will captain the South Africa women in Pakistan © Cricinfo Ltd.

Cri-zelda Brits has been named captain of a 14-member South Africa women’s squad which will travel to Pakistan next month for the 2009 World Cup qualifiers. She keeps the captaincy ahead of Shandre Fritz, who is back in the squad for her first international match after injuring her neck in a swimming pool accident.The two top-ranked teams from each pool of four will qualify for the World Cup, which will be held in Australia. South Africa are grouped in pool A, which also includes Bermuda, Netherlands and Papua New Guinea. The top-eight teams in the World Cup will in turn qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 to be held in England later that year, where the tournament will be held alongside the men’s event.Brits, 23, had first stood-in for the injured Fritz for this year’s home one-day series against Pakistan, which South Africa won 4-0. She then captained the side to a 3-0 series whitewash in a Test series against the Netherlands.The squad will gather at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria on November 13 and leave for Pakistan three days later.South Africa squad
Cri-zelda Brits (capt), Johmari Logtenberg (vice-captain), Olivia Anderson, Susanna Benade, Trishna Chetty, Dinisha Devnerain, Mignon du Preez, Shandre Fritz, Ashlyn Kilowan, Matshipi Letsoalo, Sunette Loubser, Analie Minny, Claire Terblanche, Magdalena Terblanche.

Pace will help but so too will Bob Woolmer’s local knowledge in South Africa © AFP

Pakistan’s fast bowling resources might hold the key to a tough series in South Africa, according to Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach. At their disposal, as the squad is finalised, will be the likes of Umar Gul, Shahid Nazir, Mohammad Sami, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan and the returning trio of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Shabbir Ahmed.Woolmer told the Karachi-based daily , “The tour will be a tough one but our bowling — assuming all our bowlers are fit and selected — will be a force. Our batting, however, will have to cope with the pitches in South Africa and that will be a major task. But I believe we have the ability to do well. Let’s wait and see what happens. Touch wood, all will depend how quickly the lads get used to the conditions.”Though an appeal filed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) still hangs over the heads of Shoaib and Asif, Woolmer is confident that the back up is strong. “I have no information as regards WADA’s action. But even then, we have a good back up attack with Shabbir Ahmed available again and Umar Gul, Shahid Nazir and Mohammad Sami doing well.”(Rana) Naved’s form was also exceptional and it was so nice to see this really great guy doing so well against the West Indies in the ODIs. It will be great to have him available for the Test matches and I hope he can carry that form into the Tests.”Hope can also be drawn from South Africa’s struggles in the ongoing Test series against India. Widely acknowledged as favourites heading into the Tests, following a 4-0 thumping of India in the ODI series, South Africa were bundled out for 84 by India’s pace attack in the first innings of the first Test at Johannesburg, on the way to a 123-run defeat. Having prepared a fast, bouncy track to exploit India’s supposed weaknesses against pace, the ploy backfired on the hosts.Woolmer said, “That result in Johannesburg is a good example since it shows that South Africa can be bowled out and secondly, they can be beaten at home. I believe that the Wanderers pitch was a contributory factor, which backfired on the tactics that the Proteas wanted to employ.”In fact it allowed India to expose technical frailties in the South African line-up. However, knowing the South Africans as I do, I think they will come back strongly in the remaining Tests against India.”Woolmer pointed out that South Africa’s Test performances recently had been poor by their standards. “They are a team that fights hard and has some fine players. Part of their current problem could be behind the scene wrangles but there recent Test match performances have been poor by their standards. In the one-day game, though, they are still a force to reckon with.”Mind you, the team is the key. We have to play against the whole South African team and not the individuals. Naturally, players like (Jacques) Kallis and (Shaun) Pollock and (Mark) Boucher are key members as are (Makhaya) Ntini and (Herschelle) Gibbs. There are no easy games at this level.”The fact that we are playing a tough team is important. It means we will have to prepare the best way we can. It is exactly what we need. I was very heartened by our performances against the West Indies who are a good one-day team. The World Cup is still far away and the South African tour will boost our preparations.”

Green Park will not stage the third Test between India and Sri Lanka © Getty Images

Kanpur will not host the third Test, scheduled from December 18-22, between India and Sri Lanka. The Tours, Programmes and Fixtures Committee of the Indian board will decide on an alternative venue on December 3 in Mumbai.”The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association [UPCA] has expressed its inability to conduct it [the Test] at Kanpur as per the original schedule and the Tours Programmes and Fixtures would take a decision on the matter in Mumbai on December 3,” Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s executive secretary-in-charge, told PTI.The UPCA said that they could not stage the Test because of the local municipal council’s refusal to hand over the ground. “It is not correct to say we have expressed our inability to host the match,” said Jyoti Bajpai, the UPCA secretary. “We have informed the Annual General Meeting that we have not been yet allotted the ground.” Usually, the UPCA takes charge of the Green Park Stadium 30 days before a match.

Mark Butcher: up against the A team© Getty Images

After four days of unrepentantly gloomy conditions in Johannesburg, thesun finally shone on England’s cricketers as they arrived in Potchefstroomahead of tomorrow’s three-day warm-up match against South Africa A. Andthe man with the sunniest disposition of all was Mark Butcher. He enduredan injury-plagued home summer, but is all set to reclaim his No. 3 berthfor next week’s first Test at Port Elizabeth, after being named in aTest-strength XI ahead of his understudy, Robert Key.In truth, it was a no-brainer of a decision for the England management.There is no substitute for experience, and until a series of freak injuries last summer, including a car-crash and a mishap with a cardboard box, Butcher had been one of England’s most consistent performers over the course of three years and 42 consecutive matches. “It was injury that kept Butcher out of the side, not a lack of form,” explained Duncan Fletcher, at a press briefing in Johannesburg, “so he’s got to have some credit in the bank.”Though Key grabbed his opportunity against West Indies last summer, with adouble-century at Lord’s and a matchwinning 93 not out at Old Trafford, he had long been resigned to a place on the bench, even aftertop-scoring with a slap-happy 87 at Randjesfontein on Wednesday. AsFletcher explained, it is rare for South Africa’s confidence to be asshaky as it currently is, and so the onus is on England to hit them ashard as possible come next Friday.For that reason, the raw pace of Simon Jones has once again been preferredto the mercurial talents of James Anderson, who made a rare appearance inthe Test side at The Oval last summer, but is now nursing aslight side strain and remains very much the fifth member of England’sseam attack.Jones, on the other hand, is hovering at something close to his best formaccording to his coach, and is ready to tear in against South Africa A.”Simon’s lines and lengths were outstanding in Zimbabwe,” enthusedFletcher, “although it was important that he held back and didn’t go at ittoo quickly. But now that his confidence levels are up, it’s time for himto up the pace as well.”If it appears that England are peaking at precisely the right time, thesame cannot be said of their opponents. Defeats, disputes and dismissalshave dogged the South African build-up to this series, although Fletcherfully expects their A team to provide proud and tenacious opposition overthe next three days. “There are a few players in that side who want toprove a point,” he warned, “and if they want to play for South Africa,they are bound to be determined opposition.”Few men will have more of a point to prove than South Africa’s deposedwicketkeeper, Mark Boucher. After 75 consecutive Tests, he wasdeemed surplus to requirements for the recent tour of India, and thoughwidely tipped for a recall at Port Elizabeth, he was again omitted infavour of Thami Tsolekile. It was a contentious boardroom issue that costOmar Henry his job as convenor of selectors, and earned the coach RayJennings a rap over the knuckles from the board chairman, Gerald Majola.”With his record against us, we certainly rate Boucher,” admittedFletcher, “although if South Africa’s selectors believe Tsolekile to beeven better, then we certainly can’t afford to be complacent.”For the second match running, England’s opponents will be led by AshwellPrince. He takes over the reins from the injured HD Ackerman, who wasrecently sacked as captain of South Africa’s provincial side, HighveldLions, in a team that also includes the talented 20-year-old strokemaker,JP Duminy, and the opening batsman, Andrew Puttick, who was HerschelleGibbs’s replacement in Sri Lanka earlier this year.But whoever the opposition, England’s attack is fully focussed and readyto hit top gear over the coming three days. “It’s all about buildingmomentum,” added Fletcher. “[Steve] Harmison looked pretty effective inthe Oppenheimer match, and it will just take two or three sessions in thisgame, and they’ll be ready for Port Elizabeth.”England 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Mark Butcher, 4Michael Vaughan (capt), 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 GeraintJones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Simon Jones, 10 Matthew Hoggard, 11 SteveHarmison.South Africa A 1 Andrew Puttick, 2 Martin van Jaarsveld, 3 AshwellPrince (capt), 4 JP Duminy, 5 Justin Ontong, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 AlbieMorkel, 8 Alfonso Thomas, 9 Charl Langeveldt, 10 Ethy Mbhalati, 11 CharlWilloughby.Andrew Miller is assistant editor of Cricinfo