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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLegspinner Vivek Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for Rajasthan•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rajasthan’s bowlers plugged away relentlessly at Baroda’s batsmen, creating pressure through tight lines, and despite three half-centuries, the hosts were still trailing by 70 at stumps on the third day on a Moti Bagh wicket that played better than it did on Wednesday.Vivek Yadav persisted around off stump with his legbreaks, and though he did not get the sharp turn that the Baroda spinners had generated, his accuracy forced the inexperienced batsmen into mistakes. Jaykishan Kolsawala and Kedar Devdhar had begun positively, but Yadav came on in the eighth over of the day and the runs dried up. He bowled seven overs by the first drinks break, conceding just nine runs, and removed Kolsawala and Devdhar. They were harmless deliveries, but considering how the batsmen had been tied down, it was inevitable in a way that they succumbed to them. Kolsawala fished way outside off to a ball that was angled across him, and Devdhar looked to cut a half-tracker without much feet movement, and the inside edge rattled the stumps. Baroda had slipped from 110 for 1 to 113 for 3, and the onus was now on their big signing, Ambati Rayudu, to deliver.Rayudu was looking alright, and showed his class with two elegant cover-drives when the spinners pitched marginally fuller. But Deepak Chahar – who has been wearing a strap around his right arm throughout this game – came on six overs before lunch, and trapped Rayudu leg-before with his third delivery, which straightened after angling in on middle. It looked a marginal call, as Rayudu was struck on the thigh pad, but the fact that he was caught on the back foot, and was hit on the back leg, would have played on the umpire’s mind. Rayudu had been the beneficiary of a marginal decision a couple of overs ago, when Yadav hit the non-striker’s stumps from mid-on with the batsman struggling to make his ground. One replay showed his bat was just on the crease, while one from another angle showed Rayudu had just made his ground. The third umpire had then ruled in favour of Rayudu, but his eventual dismissal meant captain Pinal Shah was left alone to guide the remaining batsmen.Pinal fought back admirably in the company of Aditya Waghmode, who was playing his second first-class innings. Both didn’t make the mistake that Kolsawala and Devdhar had, and used their feet against the spinners to regularly pick up the singles. Waghmode was especially quick to put the loose deliveries away, flicking and slog-sweeping the spinners for boundaries. At the other end, Pinal was stepping out and lifting them over midwicket and long-on. The momentum seemed to be shifting as the pair added 90 runs at just under four an over, but Waghmode’s impatience after reaching his half-century brought about his downfall. He looked to whack Yadav through extra cover but was superbly snapped up by Hrishikesh Kanitkar, who dived to take a low catch.Rajasthan took the new ball, and the lower order needed to support Pinal, who was now looking to score off almost every delivery. But Swapnil Singh went for an injudicious pull off Pankaj Singh to be caught brilliantly by Vineet Saxena at extra-cover, who held on despite colliding with Yadav, running in from mid-off. Chahar was striving for impact from the other end, and getting some movement with the new ball. He soon removed Abhijit Karambelkar, and then got the big wicket of Pinal who walked across, looking to play the ball square, but was caught plumb in front.Murtuja Vahora and Sankalp Vohra showed the track did not hold much danger, with an unbeaten 36-run ninth-wicket stand, but Rajasthan need only two good deliveries tomorrow to take the lead, which could well prove decisive.

Wellington managed to mess up a chase they had under control for all but the last two overs, handing Auckland a two-run win at the Basin Reserve. Chasing 126 in a game shortened to 12 overs, Grant Elliott and Neal Parlane had put Wellington in charge. The duo smashed the Auckland bowling all around, adding 67 runs for the third wicket off 30 deliveries. At 108 for 2 with 14 balls left, the game was Wellington’s to lose, and they somehow contrived to do so. Parlane was the first to depart, run out by Lou Vincent for 40 off 23 balls. In the next over, Colin Munro took two wickets in three balls, leaving Wellington seven to get off the last over. Elliott faced only one of those six balls, and watched helplessly as Luke Woodcock used up the remaining five to make three, leaving Wellington short.Auckland’s top four batsmen had earlier chipped in with vital contributions to take their side to 125 for 5, which proved just enough in the end. The narrow win keeps them on top of the points table, and comes after they won by a run against Canterbury two days ago.

Darren Bravo, who held the West Indies batting together on the opening day of the third cricket Test against Sri Lanka, is trying to emerge from the shadows of the great Brian Lara. Bravo’s grandfather and Lara’s mother were brother and sister, making him and Lara second cousins.”Ever since I am a youngster and growing up I’ve always looked at Brian the way he bats,” Bravo said. “No doubt people sort of try to compare me with the same batting style. Actually that’s my way of batting; my natural way. It’s very nice to go there and perform, entertain and just enjoy my international career. I just want to keep focussed and continue to do my best.”Bravo finished the day unbeaten on 63 out of a West Indies total of 134 for 2, having come in after Chris Gayle was caught plumb in front by Suranga Lakmal for a first-ball duck. “I just started my international career and there will be a lot of expectations. We all know what Brian has done in world cricket. It won’t be something easy. I won’t say I will be under pressure but at the same time a lot of people will be expecting. I can really do what I can do. It’s up to the Lord above. Without him nothing is possible. I will play my natural game and obviously hope for the best.”Having marked his Test debut in Galle at the start of the series with 58, Bravo has continued to impress, notching up 80 in the drawn second test at the Premadasa Stadium and once again showing the same determination in this Test.”I am 63 not out and hopefully I can go on from here and get a big one. I got two decent starts in the first two Test matches a bit disappointed in the second one. But it’s all a learning experience and at international level it is important that I learn from my mistakes, and learn it pretty much faster.”Bravo said he enjoys playing on Sri Lankan wickets, and that they remind him of the wickets back in the Caribbean. “I am pretty used to these sorts of wickets; they are very nice wickets to bat on. I am enjoying it at the moment.”Commenting on the state of the game, Bravo said, “At this point we are 134 for 2, it is important that Shiv [Chanderpaul] and I continue and try and build a decent partnership and try our best to achieve our team goal. It doesn’t matter what’s going on over there. A coach might or may change the batting targets a bit but we have to wait until tomorrow to see how things go.”

Afghanistan are set to get their first women’s national team, to participate in an international Twenty20 tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) next year. Women have increasingly taken up careers in sport since the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001, and the tournament in Kuwait next year marks another step forward for Afghanistan cricket.More than 100 women play the game in Kabul and several have attended umpiring courses, and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) plans to organise a local competition to shortlist players for the tournament. The team uniform will reportedly include a headscarf or hijab, as per Islamic tradition.”Women’s cricket provides an opportunity for Afghan young women to be fit and have healthier and more active lives,” Hamid Shinwari, the ACB chief executive, said. “The ACB has a strong commitment to developing the game for women in a way that is good for them and, at the same time, respects our Islamic and Afghan values.”Women’s cricket will build self-esteem, leadership and positive values for young women in our country, just as it is doing for young men.””This development is so exciting for our young women cricketers and their families and supporters,” Diana, the women’s cricket development officer at the ACB, said in a statement. “We love our country and hope to support it through our sport. Seeing a women’s cricket team in the Asian Cup will do so much to raise the hopes of many women here.”The men’s national team has made rapid strides, having qualifyied for the World Twenty20 in 2010 and gained ODI status.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Pakistan fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has finally met PCB chairman Ijaz Butt to plead his case against the one-year ban imposed on him by the board.”Friday’s meeting was good and I hope to get good news soon,” Naved told .However, Naved’s appeal, which was supposed to be heard on September 25 by the tribunal headed by retired Justice Irfan Qadir, has been adjourned again. “We will announce a new date on Saturday,” PCB lawyer Talib Rizvi said.Naved was one of seven players punished by the PCB after Pakistan’s winless tour of Australia earlier this year. He was fined Rs 2 million in addition to his one-year ban. The other six players have already had their bans revoked and fines lifted or reduced. Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf, both of whom were banned, have since been recalled to the Pakistan side as well.Naved has played nine Tests, 74 ODIs and four Twenty20s for Pakistan. He said his county experience could have been useful on the recent England tour. “I have lot of cricket left in me and I am desperate to play for Pakistan. It was disappointing to see Pakistan lose on the England tour where I could have been successful because of my experience in county cricket.”

MS Dhoni has hailed the duo of VVS Laxman and Ishant Sharma for their match-winning stand of 81 that helped India fight back after being reduced to a seemingly hopeless 124 for 8. Laxman played a decisive role in guiding India to a second successive win while chasing, following up his unbeaten century against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval with 73, also undefeated, to seal a one-wicket win and spark off wild celebrations.”VVS was really remarkable in this match. He helped the team overcome a batting collapse. Laxman remained at the crease, hit boundaries, rotated the strike and kept the scoreboard moving all the time,” Dhoni said after the match. “For me, it was a very special innings by Laxman.”Laxman’s performance stood out as he played with a sore back, a niggle that forced him to drop down the order in the first innings and bat with a runner in the second. He was supported admirably by Ishant, who scored a determined 31 to revive India’s hopes after Australia’s seamers had put their team in sight of a win. “Ishant showed good character when the batting collapse took place. It was no doubt a big task. Only two-three batsmen remained and Laxman was on the other end. But they supported Laxman well and that worked for us,” Dhoni said. “Our heart rate went up. Nobody could imagine such an ending in four-and-a-half days when the match started.”India’s target of 216 was not the most intimidating but Australia’s fast bowlers hit back on the fourth evening to limit India to 55 for 4, and continued to make steady inroads on the final day to leave the hosts reeling. Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, rued the unavailability of Doug Bollinger – who had to leave the field with abdominal stiffness – against the lower order. “We failed to take a couple of wickets quickly,” he said. “Bollinger’s injury probably didn’t help us there; we needed a fresh bowler to give it a shake but that’s the game.”Full credit to India; they outplayed us today. We tried our best. It was satisfying effort from the boys. I told them to just take the scorecard out of the mind. The partnership between Ishant and Laxman was great and it made the difference.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRusty Theron picked up three wickets, including two in the opening over of the match•AFP

Juan Theron could do with a better nickname. He was anything but Rusty, taking two wickets in the first over of the match, and one in his first over back, hurting both Wayamba’s start and comeback. On St George’s Park’s flat pitch, and with short boundaries, 154 proved to be a comfortable chase for an efficient Warriors side, who made it two in two for South African teams in Champions League Twenty20. The required run-rate, never a threatening proposition in the first place, fell under six in the 14th over.Theron, with his efforts at the top and the end of the innings, provided the game-changing moments, reducing Wayamba to 2 for 2 and then ensuring only 43 came off the last six overs. Jeevantha Kulatunga, Wayamba’s hard-hitting journeyman opener, counterattacked, scoring 49 off his team’s first 69 runs, but missed support from the other end and the innings failed to get a fillip after he got out for 59, in the 15th over.Warriors didn’t need any solo heroics in the chase as Davey Jacobs, Colin Ingram, Justin Kreusch and Mark Boucher all made contributions. From the moment Ashwell Price walked across to the fifth ball of the innings and flicked it past midwicket for four, boundaries kept coming at the right times, either through improvisation or through correct hits straight down the ground.After Prince’s dismissal, Ingram and Jacobs added 52 risk-free runs in 34 legal deliveries. Left-hand batsman Ingram’s high elbow and straight hits stood out, and so did Jacobs’ square-cuts off Mendis. Those shots involved slight risk as Jacobs had to create room to those long hops. Two boundaries were followed by one that found its way through to the leg stump. Kreusch came in and hit the sixth and seventh balls he faced for boundaries through the on side. That brought the target down to 68 off 62, but a tight over from Rangana Herath produce a false stroke from Ingram.Wayamba tried to create pressure, conceding just seven off the next two overs. With 54 required off seven overs, it seemed Wayamba were starting to slip their foot in the door. Kaushal Lokuarachchi then got one over too many, and Boucher slammed the door shut, hitting two massive sixes in a 21-run over.A mark of the efficiency of Warriors’s effort was that they hit seven sixes fewer than Wayamba, but played 17 fewer dot balls too. Kulatunga, though, was not responsible for the middling Wayamba innings, which got off to a poor start.The Mahelas, Jayawardene and Udawatte, were both troubled by swing in the first over. Jayawardene edged the second ball he faced to second slip, Udawatte did the same to the third ball he faced but it fell short. He lobbed the next delivery, a short one, to midwicket, giving the Warriors a dream start. But Kulatunga was about to jolt them into action.It started with a short and wide delivery from Lonwabo Tsotsobe. It was dealt with a powerful cut, with no effort to keep it down. Anything with a hint of width was going to be dealt with similarly. After two such boundaries, Tsotsobe overpitched, and was lofted straight down the ground. When he tried to cramp Kulatunga up with a short ball into his body, the pull shot nearly went out of the ground. Tsotsobe to Kulatunga: four balls, 18 runs, and Wayamba were 28 after 3.3 overs.Kulatunga responded to the fall of his captain, Jehan Mubarak, with another counterattack, a six off Nicky Boje in the same over, taking Wayamba to 58 after nine overs. His solo received semblance of support from Kushal Perera, the left-hand wicketkeeper-batsman, who hit sweetly timed sixes in the 11th, 12th and 13th overs. Kulatunga responded with one in the 14th, taking Wayamba to 110, and a big score looked on the cards.The game was about to turn, though. Tsotsobe earned a sense of redemption, removing Kulatunga with his first ball back. Theron came back too, getting Kushal with a slower ball. The two allrounders, Thisara Perera and Farveez Maharoof, holed out looking to hit Makhaya Ntini for sixes, and it was obvious then that Kulatunga’s effort wouldn’t be enough.

ScorecardJames Hildreth’s sixth ton of the season put Somerset on top at Taunton•Getty Images

Few batsman can have been monitored for so long without drawing conclusive judgement as James Hildreth, who has been tracked by England’s selectorial radar for the full seven years of his professional career yet still remains neither selected nor discarded.His only senior representative cricket so far has been an England Lions tour to India in 2008, when he played five innings against regional teams and top scored with a modest 43. Others have done better and subsequently disappeared but not so Hildreth, whose description by Justin Langer, his former Somerset captain, as being possessed of “an extraordinary talent” was not made lightly.Then again, Langer is not the only respected judge to hold that view. Ever since, six years ago, in only his second first-class match, Hildreth made a century against a Durham attack containing Shoaib Akhtar at somewhere near his peak, he has been carrying a substantial weight of expectation and the faith of his admirers in his capacity to fulfil his potential has not wavered.All that has been lacking is consistency but now perhaps that nut has been cracked. On a glorious afternoon here, in wonderful contrast to the depressing drizzle of the day before, he made an unbeaten 128, his sixth Championship hundred of the season and his fifth in the last seven matches. The frustration of last year, when he scored a triple-hundred in the opening match but failed to make his 1,000 for the season, has been banished.It is a run that might persuade the England selectors that he should be in discussions at least when the shape of the Ashes squads are debated. In the top division, only Adam Lyth has more runs and he has more hundreds now than Michael Carberry, who led the way previously.Hildreth was the driving force here as Somerset set about the difficult task of trying to engineer a result from a match hit by the weather. Hampshire, who had a threadbare attack weakened further as Dominic Cork and Sean Ervine struggled with back injuries, are not likely to offer them a target, so it is down to Somerset to give themselves a decent lead and time for their bowlers to take 10 wickets. With that in mind, they will look most towards Murali Kartik, their in-form left-arm spinner.Hildreth paced his innings in accordance with this plan, scoring 50 off 77 balls, 100 off 143. By the close, Somerset’s lead was 108. Should they be able to add to that quickly on the final morning, they may still have scope to force a win that, really, is essential if they are to remain live contenders for the title.At first, Hampshire looked to be gaining the upper hand, however. The left-armer James Tomlinson, to whom much of the seamers’ workload fell, added to the wicket of Marcus Trescothick late on Tuesday by dismissing nightwatchman Alfonso Thomas and opener Arul Suppiah via catches in the slips, at which point Somerset were 60 for 3.They missed a major opportunity, however, when Craig Kieswetter was dropped by James Vince at first slip off Ervine, before he had scored a run. Kieswetter made Hampshire pay for the mistake, helping Zander de Bruyn add 65 of their 68-run partnership before he drove Tomlinson, who ended with 5 for 78, to Michael Lumb at extra cover for 43. Lumb had been in the wars himself, taking a blow on the foot when fielding at silly point, and Hampshire face an anxious couple of days ahead of Twenty20 finals day before they know who is fit to be considered.De Bruyn found his rhythm during a stand of 155 with Hildreth but he missed out on a hundred, attempting to reverse sweep left-arm spinner Danny Briggs on 95 only to be bowled. Briggs might have landed another blow had Michael Bates, the rookie Hampshire wicketkeeper, not spurned a chance to stump Hildreth in the 90s.So stretched were Hampshire’s resources that their physio, Craig DeWeymarn, had to spend the final session on the field as a second substitute fielder, confusing the public by wearing Cork’s shirt. The real Cork had to withdraw after bowling one ball after lunch. Ervine also disappeared into the dressing rooms, although with Dan Christian wearing his sweater his absence also might have eluded spectators. Hampshire supporters will not want imposters in their place on Saturday.

ScorecardNottinghamshire tightened their grip at the top of the Friends Provident t20 North Group with their ninth win in 12 games, beating Leicestershire by seven wickets in a high-scoring match at Grace Road. The Outlaws chased down a target of 183 with nine balls to spare as Ali Brown and Matthew Wood led the victory charge with quickfire half-centuries.It was the Foxes’ fifth home defeat in a row despite a brilliant century from Australian Brad Hodge that steered them to a competitive total of 182 for 3. But with Brown hammering 55 off 34 balls and Wood hitting 61 off 37 balls the Outlaws made light work of the runs chase on an easy paced pitch.The innings of the match however came from Hodge who scored his first Twenty20 century for the Foxes off 65 balls with seven fours and four sixes before being run out for 103. The Australian, who played for the Foxes in 2003 and 2004 and has rejoined them this season for the t20 competition, had a previous best score of 97 that he made in his first game seven years ago.Hodge and James Taylor shared a third wicket partnership of 121 in 12 overs to gain the initiative after the Outlaws had the Foxes at 44 for 2 in the seventh over. Both batsmen produced some dazzling stroke play and brutal hitting as the Foxes scored 116 runs off the last 10 overs with 70 runs coming off the final five.Hodge, after reaching his 50 off 40 balls with four fours and a six, stepped up the pace with a blistering second half century as Taylor joined in the big hitting, contributing an unbeaten 56 off 38 balls. It needed a magnificent throw from Scott Elstone to run out Hodge but Leicestershire’s score looked good enough to set Notts a stern challenge.But the Foxes’ bowling never matched the quality of their batting and the Outlaws paced the run chase perfectly. Openers Alexander Hales and Brown scored 47 in the first five overs and then Wood joined Brown in a stand of 74 off seven overs that took the game away from the home side.Brown blazed 50 off 32 balls including three sixes and two other boundaries and Wood’s 50 came off just 29 balls. Even when Brown fell to a catch at cover off the bowling of Nathan Buck the Foxes were unable to stem the flow of runs and, after Wood’s departure for 61, Samit Patel and Steven Mullaney saw the Outlaws safely through to victory with nine balls to spare.

Graeme Smith re-found his batting confidence with a timely century that set up South Africa in the second Test against West Indies. Smith suffered a broken finger during the IPL in March and has had to fight to regain faith in his stroke-play, something he achieved with his 21st hundred as his side reached 296 for 3.Smith posted 132, becoming the third South African to pass 7000 Test runs, before being bowled by Kemar Roach and was pleased with the performance. “Confidence is a crucial thing in this game, and I have been working hard through the limited-overs matches, following the lengthy break I had with a broken finger,” Smith said.”It has taken me some time to get the feel back in the game, even though it still hinders me a little bit, but it’s had some ice now. It feels much better now that I have got some big runs on the board.” Smith broke the middle finger of his right hand taking a catch while playing with Rajasthan.Jacques Kallis finished the day unbeaten on 45 after moving into sixth place on the Test run-scoring list, having gone ahead of Steve Waugh’s haul of 10,927. Alviro Petersen (52) and Hashim Amla (44) also made useful contributions to strengthen South Africa’s position.”That was the key for us, to start this Test match well and not to fall into a complacent mindset at the back-end of the tour,” Smith said. “We have done this, and set up a good first day for us, and hopefully [on Saturday] we can build on it.”