Andrew Flintoff seems almost certain to miss England’s Test series against Sri Lanka in December after his latest consultation with an ankle specialist in Holland.Flintoff is currently awaiting the results of yet another scan on his troublesome ankle, but he is not expected to feature in any more cricket in 2007, and could yet be forced to pull out of the tour to New Zealand next February. The specialist’s report is due to be sent to the ECB shortly.”We would love to have him in the squad but we won’t risk Andrew in the Test matches,” said England’s coach, Peter Moores, after Flintoff was reported by the Daily Mail to be “frustrated and worried” by his constant struggle for fitness.”He has not done any training since returning from the World Twenty20 in South Africa and the earliest he could be back is in New Zealand in February,” added the source, “but there’s no guarantee of that, either.”We are looking anywhere on the planet for help. There might be a surgeon in America, for example, who has encountered something like the problems Freddie is suffering … maybe a baseball player or basketball player … anything, to be honest.”England depart for New Zealand on January 28, where they are scheduled to play two Twenty20 games, five one-day internationals and three Test matches, starting in Hamilton on March 5.

Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket, 1984-85, Final, Melbourne
India won by eight wickets

This was the first high-profile ODI clash between the two teams. India entered the final as favourites, having bowled out every opposition team till then. Three-wicket hauls from Kapil Dev and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan helped India restrict Pakistan to a below-par 176 for 9. Kris Srikkanth and the Man-of-the-Series Ravi Shastri scored contrasting half-centuries to take India home with six overs to spare.World Cup, 1992, Sydney
India won by 43 runsThis was the first World Cup encounter between the two. In conditions that aided swing and seam movement, India overcame a very slow start to reach 216 for 7. Srikkanth played an uncharacteristic innings, batting out 40 balls for five runs, before Sachin Tendulkar hit a counter-attacking fifty and Kapil made a breezy 35 to give the bowlers a total to defend. Pakistan’s reply was built on an 88-run partnership between Javed Miandad and Aamer Sohail but Tendulkar broke the partnership, dismissing Sohail for 62. That turned the match – Pakistan crumbled as the asking run-rate spiralled up and Javagal Srinath sealed their fate with a yorker that cleaned up Miandad.World Cup quarter-final, 1996, Bangalore
India won by 39 runsThere was controversy even before the start, with Pakistan captain Wasim Akram pulling out at the last minute. Navjot Singh Sidhu laid the foundation for India with 93 before Ajay Jadeja set the stadium ablaze with a brutal 25-ball 45, including 40 from the final two overs by Waqar Younis, to catapult India to 287. Pakistan came up with a stunning riposte with Saeed Anwar and Sohail thumping 84 in the first 10 overs. Anwar fell at that score but Sohail continued to shred the opening bowlers till a verbal joust with Venkatesh Prasad did him, and Pakistan, in. After hitting a boundary to extra-cover fence, he openly lampooned Prasad, pointing to the region with the bat. But when Sohail tried to repeat the slash off the next ball he was bowled by a charged-up Prasad who gave Sohail a verbal send-off. India went on to complete a famous win. Incidentally, this was Miandad’s last international game.World Cup, fourth Super Sixes match, 1999, Manchester
India won by 47 runsIndia and Pakistan squared off during a time when the armies of both countries were engaged in a stand-off over Kashmir. Fears were raised to a great levels and security was incredibly intense. Against that backdrop, fans of both sides came together in tumult to cheer their heroes on. There was much flag-waving, whistle-blowing and drum-beating, creating a passionate atmosphere. Tendulkar dominated the start after India opted to bat, passing 8,000 one-day international runs, but the batting did not quite click thereafter. Mohammad Azharuddin was left to construct the innings, and he added 60 in nine overs with Robin Singh to get India to 227.In reply, Saeed Anwar began with with six hurried fours even as Javagal Srinath chipped away at his partners. But it was that man Prasad again, bowling accurately and with good movement, to finish with 5 for 27. Sample his victims: Salim Malik, Anwar, Moin Khan, for an explosive 34 in 37 balls, Inzamam-ul-Haq, unusually subdued for 30 overs, and Wasim Akram, the captain. It all added up to a third successive victory over Pakistan, with Azharuddin winning all of the three India – Pakistan matches he’d captained in World Cup history.

World Cup 2003, Centurion
India won by six wickets
Anwar guided Pakistan to a daunting 273 with a dogged hundred but an awe-inspiring 98 from Tendulkar helped India romp home to a memorable win. Tendulkar dismantled the bowling attack with shots all around the ground and in particular, took apart Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar with some clinical hitting. He stitched together a 102-run partnership with Mohammad Kaif to help India win with more than four overs to spare.Champions Trophy 2004, Edgbaston
Pakistan won by three wickets
Pakistan broke the jinx of losing to India in what would be the last encounter between the two sides in a major tournament before the World Twenty20. English conditions in late September meant nine of the 15 matches were won by the team chasing. Inzamam-ul-Haq won the crucial toss at Edgbaston and put India in. Shoaib Akhtar and Naved-ul-Hasan shared eight wickets as India were bowled out for 200. Irfan Pathan gave India a shot at reaching the semi-final when he reduced Pakistan to 27 for 3 in 11 overs. But Inzamam and Mohammad Yousuf’s calm 75-run partnership steadied Pakistan’s nerves. Yousuf was unbeaten on 81 as Pakistan reached the target with four balls to spare.ICC World Twenty20, 2007, Durban
Match tied, India won on bowl-outViews remain divided as to the virtues of having a bowl-out in the 20-over format, but when India and Pakistan met for the first time in the inagural ICC World Twenty20 it was another classic. Ultimately India’s players held their nerve to win an extraordinary encounter, taking the game 3-0 in a bowl-out to beat Pakistan and seal their place in the Super Eights after their group match ended in a thrilling tie. India were reeling after Mohammad Asif took 4 for 18 but Robin Uthappa (50) helped set Pakistan 142 to win in Durban. Misbah-ul-Haq made a brilliant 53 from 37 balls even as Pakistan lost three wickets for three runs and Pakistan, who had already qualified, needed one to win off the last ball. However, Misbah could not manage it off Sreesanth’s last ball and was run out to set up the dramatic bowl-out to decide the winner. India’s first three all hit the stumps but Pakistan’s top three all missed. Few could have predicted this thriller, but once again it was India would had trumped Pakistan in a major world tournament.

Two-all with the decider to play: from a five-match series you can’t ask for much more. But that scoreline also suggests more excitement and greater parity perhaps than has been witnessed in Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan. No doubt it’s been an engaging series but one without a definitive, crackling, edge-of-the-seat, I-was-there contest. One chanceremains and if Shoaib Akhtar returns, the Gaddafi Stadium might just get it.First to South Africa, however, and if Makhaya Ntini is any indicator of the mood in the camp, then they are both jolly and confident. Pakistan’s training began with an eclectic background score, courtesy Ntini, of loud chants, songs and general chatter, none of which anyone really understood.Perhaps the prospect of taking home two trophies has spurred Ntini on. No doubt it has his captain, Graeme Smith. “The feeling in the team is very good right now. We’ve had a successful tour where we’ve played good cricket barring two matches. If someone had said to me before coming over that we would go back with two trophies, I would’ve said it’s a lot of hard work but we’ve done that and are confident for tomorrow.”The assertion is difficult to disprove. In the ODIs at least, they have done it without a contribution from Jacques Kallis. The one spinner they have played – Johan Botha – is the one they shouldn’t have: Botha’s first wickets of the series in Multan were lower-order, death-over heaves and who knows what Paul Harris might have done.”We’ve come a long way in learning how to play cricket on the subcontinent,” said Smith. “Our batting unit has performed well on slow, turning wickets. Our bowlers’ plans have been better than in the past. We’ve become a lot more battle-hardened as a team certainly in these conditions.”The wicket, Smith was not shy in pointing out, looks under-prepared. Spin and seam both will benefit. South Africa countered Pakistan’s spin by using Shaun Pollock as a pinch-hitter in Multan and it might be the way again tomorrow.”The wicket is a little under-prepared and it’s going to spin,” said Smith. “The seamers might also play a role. We’re well-prepared and we have certain plans. We’ll discuss the pinch-hitter role and see what selection they play as well.”The feel-good factor, this talk of pitches, could go to pot tomorrow of course. If Shoaib plays, teams and pitches matter little. You wouldn’t guess it but Shoaib hasn’t played an ODI since September 2006. A 13-match ban finally out of the way, he will start tomorrow.About time too, for as committed as Pakistan’s bowling has been through the series, it has lacked a zip, a proper threat, an element of unknown. With Umar Gul and Mohammad Asif both likely to be rested, Smith cheekily – but correctly – said that pressure would be on Shoaib, not South Africa. “He’s the one making a comeback. We’ve prepared for him because we knew he would be available. He’s short on cricket and whether they risk him in such an important game will be the key.”Shoaib Malik knows it is a risk worth taking, as he knows this is as good a chance as ever to win a first-ever ODI series against South Africa. “It’s a great opportunity to win a series against them for the first time. We will use Shoaib as our main bowler in the hope of bringing the best out of him,” said Malik.”If fit, he is an asset. But we will need a team effort to win the last match and if we win we will go on the tour of India with more confidence.”Naturally, half the mind is on India already. No opener or opening pair has announced itself and Pakistan will fiddle again. Neither Shahid Afridi or Yasir Hameed, providers of the best start thus far (42) are expected to open: a truly Pakistani solution to a truly Pakistani problem. Kamran Akmal comes back up the order and Imran Nazir is likely to play again, Malik admitting they were experimenting with options before India.The good news is that Younis Khan has a score behind him and Mohammad Yousuf is in good form. If they can stop running each other out, then allied to the form of Malik himself, Pakistan’s middle order is healthy. An innings from Misbah-ul-Haq would top it off nicely, though not as much as a fearsome Shoaib spell and a Pakistan victory.Pakistan (probable): 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Shoaib Malik (capt), 6 Misbah-ul-Haq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Rao Iftikhar Anjum.South Africa (probable): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 JacquesKallis, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Shaun Pollock, 8 AlbieMorkel, 9 Andre Nel, 10 Johan Botha, 11 Makhaya Ntini.

ScorecardBermuda might have gained a first-innings lead of 166 over UAE, but most of their batsmen barely contributed. Once again, it was David Hemp who led the way with a fine 174, remaining unbeaten when Bermuda were finally bundled out for 311.Bermuda’s middle-order offered scant resistance against the UAE bowlers, which was a trend on their tour of Kenya last month. The tourists were facing capitulation when Dwayne Leverock fell to Arshad Ali at 163 for 8 – with a slender lead of 20 runs. In came Kevin Hurdle, more comfortable with a ball in his hand than a bat, who stuck with Hemp in a ninth-wicket stand of 132 – though he only added 26 himself.Hemp was defiant in his unbeaten 174, helping Bermuda gain a sizeable lead of 166. Malachi Jones picked up the early wicket of Gayan Silva, but Arshad Ali (76) and Naeemuddin Aslam (31) led a steady reply as UAE finished 51 runs in the red on day two, with two more days remaining.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Wasim Jaffer’s bat sparkled brightest on a day of total dominance for India’s batsmen, as they ground Pakistan into the Kolkata dust on the opening day of the second Test at Eden Gardens. Jaffer was undefeated on 192 when bad light ended play six overs early, but his fifth hundred was his most joyous yet. With support from Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, he took India to 352 for 3.For an ailing Pakistan, without their injured captain Shoaib Malik and hampered by a seriously unwell Shoaib Akhtar, it was, by some distance, one of their most dispiriting days in recent memory. Kamran Akmal led the way in the field with an untidy, fumble-ridden performance that included another dropped catch as their chances of winning this series ebbed away under a barrage of boundaries.But their woes should not take away from a day that was lit up by the beauty of Jaffer. He is compact even on his worse days, and has real grace in his shots, but rarely has he put it all together at such pace. His back-foot punches through covers, the pulls and clips are well-appreciated, but rarely have they come in such quick succession, in such sustained bursts of boundary-hitting. If ever a batsman was in the zone, it was Jaffer at Eden Gardens on Friday.He was gold from the very start, the early loss of his opening partner as much an inconvenience as a fly is to an elephant. No particular area of the ground was favoured over others and no particular shot over another: pulls, drives, punches, cut and clips were all played with that seductive upright elegance, elbows high, bat straight.But if he favoured one bowler over another, it was probably Sohail Tanvir, to whom he showed no mercy. Having driven him arrow-straight early in the piece, he struck him for four fours in an over a little before lunch. Later in the afternoon, as India raced to their 200, he hit him for a hat-trick of fours. As the day neared its end, Jaffer continued doing so, mostly through the leg side as Tanvir’s inexperience came out of the closet.He was no less imposing, or elegant, against the legspin of Danish Kaneria, never more so than in the day’s 49th over. In it, he reached his hundred with a push through the covers, before celebrating by clipping him twice in a row through midwicket for four.So commanding did the shy-looking Jaffer become that his support – Dravid and Tendulkar – were mostly overshadowed in stands of 134 and 175 respectively. Dravid was more than willing to go unnoticed, putting together a studied fifty. He was brisk enough to begin, particularly against Kaneria, as he got caught in Jaffer’s slipstream. But just as he was bedding himself in post-lunch, Billy Doctrove sent him back for a phantom edge: replays couldn’t tell whether Akmal’s take was worse or Doctrove’s decision.

Tendulkar was more energetic and before he was bowled – by his own shot rather than Kaneria’s googly – a hundred seemed a done deal. Alongside Jaffer, he took the wheels right off Pakistan in the afternoon. The pair scored at nearly five an over, Tendulkar by turn cheeky and impulsive, but never in less than total control. The one blot came in the first over after tea, an edge off Mohammad Sami, though Akmal was obliging enough to drop.Pakistan had a day you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy, and compounded it with a comically poor performance in the field. They were effectively a three-man attack for much of it, the decision to play an ill and weak Shoaib always loaded with risk. He could only manage nine overs, and though the early ones had pace, by the end, he should have been running in with an IV drip.Kaneria was inconsistent, mixing some ordinary overs with brighter ones and Mohammad Sami, also unwell, remained committed but without luck. Perhaps their plight was best captured by the sight of Tanvir, the new hot young thing on Pakistan’s pace block, switching to left-arm spin halfway through the afternoon. It was an admission that poor fortune – in their catastrophic run-in to this Test – and a sublime Jaffer had emphatically won the day.

In one of the biggest telecast deals in Indian cricket, the consortium of India’s Sony Television network and the Singapore-based World Sports Group (WSG) has secured the rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the officially-sanctioned Twenty20 league, for ten years at a cost of more than US$1 billion. As part of the deal, the consortium will pay the BCCI US$908 million for the telecast rights and US$108 million for the promotion of the tournament.Announcing the deal, BCCI vice-president and IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi said, “We are absolutely delighted … we have what we believe to be the best deal for the Indian Premier League and Indian cricket fans.”While the programming and ad sales strategy has yet to be worked out by Sony and WSG, Kunal Dasgupta, CEO of Sony Entertainment Television India, told , “WSG will explore the international market while Sony will cater to the subcontinent.” Sony’s previous big foray into cricket broadcasting was when it signed a five-year deal in excess of US$200 million with the ICC in 2002.Modi said that initially 80% of the revenues from the sale of media rights will go to the IPL franchises, gradually tapering down to 60% over the subsequent years. He also revealed that the bids for the franchises, the base price of which is US$50 million, will be opened on January 24 while player auctions would follow around February 7.The IPL has a pool of at least 78 cricketers with international experience from which the franchises can sign on players. Shane Warne will be the most expensive player, costing US$400,000 for a franchise to employ him. The next highest fee is for Glenn McGrath and Stephen Fleming, of US$350,000.IPL matches are likely to be held in the late-afternoon or evening in a bid to attract larger television audiences. Floodlighting in Delhi and Hyderabad, which are the only cities among the twelve earmarked for hosting matches in the inaugural season to not have floodlights installed, would be completed by March 30, he said.Modi was unconcerned that several players might not be available for the the first year of the IPL due to international commitments. “Not all of them may be available … but we have a number of other top players available to us,” he said. New Zealand’s tour of England and Australia’s tour of West Indies are both scheduled to commence in the second half of May.The IPL is a BCCI-backed Twenty20 league involving eight franchises and its inaugural season will consist of 59 games and is scheduled to start in April 2008. Each franchise will play the others on a home-and-away basis, with the top four sides going through to the semi-finals. The two IPL finalists will also advance to the new Champions Twenty20 tournament, which features the best teams of the domestic Twenty20 tournaments, tentatively scheduled for October 2008.

Points table

Group A

Saurashtra, currently on 20 points and facing Mumbai
Sure shot: Beat Mumbai, which will take them to 25 points, or take a first-innings lead – a total of 23 points. In the first scenario they will definitely lead the table, in the latter they will lead unless Delhi beat Tamil Nadu.In the reckoning: Even if they manage a point off Mumbai, they are likely to go through to the semi-finals, because they will be tied with Mumbai at 21 points in that scenario. And incredibly if Delhi manage a first-innings lead against Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra a bonus point against Karnataka, we will have four teams tied at 21 points. In that case, Saurashtra and Maharashtra will go through by the virtue of most number of outright wins.Scraping through: If Saurashtra lose the match, they still have a chance if Delhi fail to take the first-innings lead against Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra don’t win their match against Karnataka.Mumbai, currently on 18 points and facing Saurashtra
Sure shot: If they beat Saurashtra, they are through to the semi-finals, regardless of the results in the other matches.In the reckoning: A first-innings lead over Saurashtra will tie the two at 21, but Saurashtra have more outright wins so they will go through. And Mumbai will have to hope Delhi don’t take the first-innings lead against Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra don’t win by a bonus point.Scraping through: If they concede a first-innings lead at the Wankhede Stadium, they still have a chance to go through if Delhi lose and Maharashtra don’t take the first-innings lead. In case Delhi and Mumbai lose their matches, they will be tied at 18 points, and the quotient will have to separate the two, and as of now Delhi have a better quotient.Delhi, currently on 18 points and facing Tamil Nadu
Sure shot: If they beat Tamil Nadu, they are assured of a semi-final place without having to worry about other results.In the reckoning: A first-innings lead against Tamil Nadu will get them to 21, but if Maharashtra win with a bonus point, Delhi will be knocked out.Scraping through: If they lose, they will hope Mumbai do too and that Maharashtra don’t win their match. If Maharashtra take the first-innings lead, all three will be tied on 18, and the quotient currently favours Delhi in that scenario.Maharashtra, currently on 15 points and facing Karnataka
In the reckoning: They will have to win with a bonus point over Karnataka and then also hope that only one of Mumbai, Delhi or Saurashtra reach 21 points. If they fail to get the bonus point, they will go through if Delhi and Mumbai fail to take the first-innings lead, or if Mumbai beat Saurashtra and Delhi fail to gain three points.Scraping through If they manage a first-innings lead and Delhi and Mumbai lose, the quotient will come into play. There is a faint chance Maharashtra might go through in that case.Tamil Nadu, currently on 13 points and facing Delhi
Outside chance: If they beat Delhi outright with a bonus point, and Mumbai and Maharashtra lose, Tamil Nadu will qualify second from the group. If they win without the bonus point, and if either of Mumbai or Delhi lose and Maharashtra fail to take the first-innings lead, the quotient comes into play, and Tamil Nadu currently have the second-best quotient after Delhi.Relegation face-off between Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan
A draw or tie will be enough for Himachal, but Rajasthan will be through if they win or take the first-innings lead.

Group B

Baroda, currently on 18 points and facing Orissa
They are already through to the semi-finals, but will want to ensure they lead the group by taking a first-innings lead.Uttar Pradesh, currently on 14 points and facing Hyderabad
Sure shot: A win over Hyderabad, which will take them to 19, will be enough to ensure them a place in the semi-finals.In the reckoning: A first-innings lead will take them to 17, which will not be enough if Andhra win with a bonus point. If Andhra wins, quotient comes into the picture.If UP fail to take the first-innings lead, Andhra will go through if they gain the first-innings lead. In such a scenario, a win for Orissa will also see UP knocked out.No second chance: If they fail lose against Hyderabad, they will be out of the race.Andhra, currently on 12 points and facing Bengal
In the reckoning: A win with a bonus point, and they will still have to hope UP don’t win their match.No second chance: A first-innings lead will not be enough for Andhra to go through, as even if its comes to a tie, their solitary win will be their downfall.Facing the axe: They need only one point against Bengal to avoid relegation. But if they lose, and Orissa and Hyderabad manage first-innings leads, Andhra will be relegated.Hyderabad, currently on 10 points and facing UP
Only way in: They have to beat UP outright, preferably with a bonus point, and hope that either of Orissa and Andhra don’t end up in a better position.Facing the axe: A first-innings lead will ensure they don’t get relegated, but if they don’t they give Bengal and Orissa a chance to move ahead.Orissa, currently on 10 points and facing Baroda
Only way in: They have to beat Baroda outright, preferably with a bonus point, and hope that either of UP, Orissa and Andhra don’t end up in a better position.Facing the axe: A first-innings lead will ensure they don’t get relegated, but if they don’t they give Bengal and Hyderabad a chance to move ahead. Bengal, currently on 8 points and facing Andhra
Facing the axe: Trailing the second-last team by two points, a win will ensure Bengal are not relegated.If Bengal manage a first-innings lead, they will have to hope either Orissa or Hyderabad lose their match, or Hyderabad manage only one point, in which case a lower quotient will result in Bengal or Hyderabad being relegated.

Blaming the mediocre standard of batsmen in school cricket today partly to the preparation of substandard pitches, Aravinda de Silva, the former Sri Lanka batsman, is of the opinion that playing school matches on matting surfaces than on turf pitches would improve the quality of batting significantly.Being appointed consultant coach to the Sri Lanka under-19 World Cup team enabled de Silva, who retired from international cricket five years ago, to make a close study of the declining standards of school cricket in Sri Lanka and this is what he observed.”As I see it, playing on matting wickets will create much better players because that extra bounce will encourage batsmen to play shots square of the wicket and produce more gutsy players,” de Silva said. “One thing we should look at is that some of the fast bowlers of today can’t get the ball to rise waist high.””We played most of our cricket at school on matting wickets. It is easier to switch over from matting to turf. There are two sides to playing on matting. On turf you get use to playing on different sort of surfaces. But at a younger age I don’t think that is necessary. You must allow them to go and play their normal cricket, to play with aggression. The advantages are greater to develop batsmen than bowlers on matting.”Throughout his illustrious career he remained the most feared batsman in the middle-order, capable of single-handedly changing the course of a match. He was renowned for being a fearless hooker and cutter of the ball even against the fastest of bowlers in the world. He had the freedom and confidence to play shots all around the wicket because of the quality of cricket he played at DS Senanayake MV where his natural talents were allowed to flow.”Playing tough competitive cricket on good wickets is what our youngsters lack. They lack a lot of confidence because of poor wickets. Arjuna [Ranatunga] made a triple hundred at the age of under 15 and players used to get double hundreds regularly during our time. Today as a team schools are averaging totals of 190-200 except for some schools that play on good wickets.””That is perhaps mainly because the batsmen lack in confidence to play their shots. The only way to give them the confidence is to prepare good batting surfaces. But most schools cannot afford to maintain turf wickets and therefore play on substandard surfaces.”Even for the bowlers why we don’t develop good spinners is because the wickets are all crumbling. Also there is no competition to create situations because they play safe games. Some of the coaches go round setting fields and not allowing the players to think on their own. More than winning competitions coaches must get players to think and make decisions on their own. This would allow the boys to study the game from a young age.”De Silva’s remedy to overcome this shortcoming is to field a schools team in the inter-provincial tournament. “They will gain a lot of experience from the exposure that will be given to them. Playing with guys like Mahela [Jayawardene] and Kumar [Sangakkara] will give them competitive cricket and a chance to learn the game.”Having watched how the under-19 World Cup teams of Pakistan and England played in the recently concluded tri-series in Colombo, De Silva said: “The Pakistan and England sides are very much matured. They have more thinking cricketers than our guys. The Pakistan bowling attack is a lot better that Sri Lanka and England because most of the bowlers have got exposure at first-class level. Every bowler was able to move the ball, which is a very good sign at that age. Our batsmen found it difficult to face up to the Pakistani bowlers when the ball started to move around because they play on flat and slow wickets at school.”Sri Lanka lost all three fixtures (including the final) to Pakistan in the tri-nation series. de Silva suggested that as the Junior World Cup is played every two years, Sri Lanka should pick a pool one year ahead from the under 17 squad and prepare for the event.

Scorecard

Bermuda’s women carved an unwanted niche in the international record books with one of the most abject performances in the game’s history. In their opening match of the World Cup Qualifiers at Stellenbosch University, they were bowled out for 13 and then South Africa took only four balls to sweep to a ten-wicket win.Bermuda’s men haven’t made much of a positive impact in the game either – eleven months ago, they conceded 413 for 5 against India in the World Cup and lost by 257 runs, the biggest margin in one-day history. But their women have just lowered the bar by several notches.They crawled to 7 for 2 after ten overs, but that represented the high-water mark. By the time drinks were taken after 15.5 overs they were 13 for 7 and had lost their 42-year-old captain, Linda Mienzer, for a determined 1 off 48 deliveries. Such was the confusion that when play resumed the batsmen returned to the wrong ends.The last three wickets failed to add to the score as Sunette Loubser finished with 6 for 3, including 5 for 1 in 12 balls.Terry-Lynn Paynter opened Bermuda’s attack but struggled to find the cut strip, conceding nine wides and a no-ball. Olivia Anderson did manage to reach one, which she dispatched for four.The statistics of the match are mindboggling. Eight Bermudans failed to get off the mark, and the three that did only managed a single each. Ten of the runs that helped make up their meagre score were extras – 71%. South Africa’s score of 15 for 0 was also made up of ten extras – nine wides and a no-ball. Anderson scored 50% of the runs scored off the bat in the match, and 80% of her side’s runs.Unfortunately for South Africa, but mercifully for the record-books, Bermuda’s debacle does not count towards the official statistics because they are ranked outside the world’s top ten countries. “I am disappointed that today’s stats don’t count for nothing,” said Loubser, “but I would say it was a team effort to win the opening match of the tournament.Bermuda’s captain, Mienzer, tried desperately to put a positive gloss on the performance. “I am extremely proud and our team is very proud to be here,” she said. “Just a year and a half ago there was no women’s programme so we went to Canada and qualified to come here which is an achievement in itself. In terms of women’s cricket in Bermuda, it has come a long way but we still have a long way to go.”South Africa’s next match is against equally unheralded opponents, Papua New Guinea, on Tuesday. “We are taking one match at a time and we are happy that we are off to a good start,” said Loubser. “It should augur well for the whole tournament. We don’t know anything about our next opponents, but that doesn’t mean we should rest on our laurels. We should be ready for anything.”

ScorecardMumbai Champs turned in yet another disappointing performance to allow Chennai Superstars to register a facile win at Panchkula in Chandigarh. T Kumaran grabbed a four-wicket haul to restrict Champs to 123, a total that was never going to threaten the Superstars, who romped home by nine wickets with 44 balls to spare.G Vignesh chose the occasion to equal Chris Cairns’ tournament record for the fastest fifty with a 17-ball effort and picked up the Man-of-the-Match award.Kumaran struck in the fifth over to dismiss the opener Saman Jayantha, after which wickets continued to fall at regular intervals. That Dhiraj Jhadav’s 28 was the highest score of the innings reflects the Champs’ woes.The chase was over in a hurry after Vignesh exploded at the start with a 30-ball 61 that featured eight hits to the boundary and three over it. Michael Kasprowicz had a forgettable day, leaking 20 runs in his solitary over. Ian Harvey remained unbeaten on a 30-ball 31, while R Sathish hastened the end with a 17-ball 29.