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ScorecardYorkshire notched their third consecutive Friends Provident t20 victory by toppling North Group table-toppers Nottinghamshire by seven wickets in a fine all-round performance at Headingley.Chasing a 159 target, Yorkshire got there at a canter with 10 balls to spare, Man of the Match Anthony McGrath (38) and Gerard Brophy (31) enjoying an unbroken stand of 61 together. McGrath had earlier picked up a wicket in four accurate overs and also held a catch.Yorkshire showed they meant business from the start of their innings as skipper Andrew Gale slammed the first two deliveries from Darren Pattinson to the boundary and in the same over Adam Lyth cleared the rope over midwicket before striking a four.After Gale had been bowled by Dirk Nannes at 23 in only the second over, Lyth and Herschelle Gibbs put Yorkshire in charge with a 53 stand before Gibbs drove Samit Patel gently to David Hussey at cover.However, Lyth remained in control until he was out for 43 from 33 balls with three fours and a six – hitting spinner Graeme White’s first ball to Alex Hales on the midwicket boundary. Yorkshire continued to play it cool, however, and Brophy boosted the scoring even further with three early boundaries in one over from Paul Franks.Although Nottinghamshire lost a couple of early wickets after winning the toss, they were still able to make rapid progress through a third-wicket stand of 70 in eight overs between Hales and Patel before Yorkshire managed to apply the brake again as only 60 runs came off the last nine overs.Steve Patterson continued his recent habit of taking a wicket with his first ball as Alistair Brown fell to a well-judged catch behind the bowler by McGrath in the second over and after Hales had hit a couple of sixes it became 32 for 2 when Matt Wood off-drove Patterson to Gale.Both Patel and Hales benefited from dropped catches off hard hits before settling in together but the run spree was ended at 102 with the dismissal of Patel for 41 off 24 balls with five fours and a six, the batsman getting a thick edge off the accurate Richard Pyrah to McGrath.An airborne catch by Lyth at long-off brought McGrath the valuable wicket of Hussey but an even more astounding effort by Richard Pyrah in the same fielding spot at the other end got rid of the dangerous Hales for 62 from 43 deliveries with four fours and three sixes, Pyrah leaping to take the catch one-handed in a successful bid to stay inside the rope.With Yorkshire keeping it tight in the closing overs, particularly Pyrah who conceded only 17 runs, Nottinghamshire lost their momentum and they will have been disappointed with their final effort.

According to Ravi Shastri, MS Dhoni was not at his tactical best in the World Twenty20•AFP

“The IPL is a domestic tournament and the standard is much lower than a world event where you are up against quality batsmen and bowlers. You don’t expect to go to World Cup semi-finals if you play the way the team has played in the Caribbean. Yuvraj has to look at his game. If he doesn’t perform for long periods, the selectors will not play him just on the basis of his reputation. Some of the players have got a lot of opportunities, but have not delivered. They have been around for quite a while and the entire country wants performances from them.”
“India’s lack of adaptability has been a disappointment. What is baffling is that even though most batsmen showed a distinct sense of discomfort against the short ball during the World Twenty20 in England last year, they were picked again for an event on even bouncier pitches in the Caribbean. All other teams remember what happened last year and the tactics employed by them against the Indians prove this.”
“It’s hard to put a finger on the exact reason [for the defeat] but of all the tournaments MS Dhoni has led India in, this is the most disappointing. At times you can be stubborn and stick to your ideas but he might want to be a little more flexible in future. Only 73 runs were scored in the last 10 overs despite having nine wickets in hand. There is no explanation for that. Tactically Yusuf Pathan should have come up in the batting order. Selectors will have to look for Twenty20 players who can play in all kind of conditions.”
“Obviously if you stay up the whole night, it would affect you. Players should be responsible enough. The game is more important than the parties. Excuses like these cannot be given after you lose. For a player, cricket should come first and everything else is secondary.”
“I don’t think that [attending IPL parties] is a reason. Who was forcing them to attend these parties? They could have said no. I don’t think they should say all this. These are silly excuses. Fact is they had gone there to win the World Cup and they just weren’t good enough.”

The PCB has said the indefinite ban imposed on Mohammad Yousuf will not be reviewed, as the former captain, who announced his retirement from international cricket, has not appealed against the penalty.”The last date to appeal against the penalties was April 16 and since Yousuf did not challenge the punishment, the ban has attained finality,” PCB’s legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi told AFP.Yousuf was among seven Pakistan players penalised, for various reasons, in the aftermath of a winless tour of Australia. Yousuf and Younis Khan were banned indefinitely, Shoaib Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan were banned for a year while Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined and placed on probation for six months. Yousuf and Younis were accused of infighting and having a negative influence on the team. Yousuf is the only one among the punished players to not have appealed.Following the ban, Yousuf quit international cricket but said the decision was for the “time now”, leaving the door ajar for a possible return open.

The IPL has fined Mumbai Indians for maintaining a slow over-rate during their win against Kings XI Punjab at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday. This was the second instance of Mumbai failing to bowl their full quota of overs within the stipulated time; in the event of a third offence, their captain Sachin Tendulkar could face a ban.At the end of the match, Mumbai were assessed to be one over behind the required rate after allowances were taken into consideration. Tendulkar was fined US$40,000 while each of the other players in the team was penalised US$10,000.Right through the tournament, the IPL has come down hard on captains for shoddy over-rates. After the first three games of the 2010 season, four captains – Sourav Ganguly, Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Sangakkara – were fined $20,000 each because their teams were not able to complete their overs on time. Sangakkara was subsequently banned for one game after Punjab were found guilty of not bowling their overs in time during their defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders, their third offence.

Scorecard
Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dinesh Walpita – both captains starred in all-round efforts – share the trophy•Manoj Ridimahaliyadda

Half-centuries from Ashen Fernando and captain Dinesh Walpita, backed by a useful lower-order effort by Chamod Pathirana, helped St Thomas’ College fight out a draw against Royal College at the Sinhalese Sports Club in the Inter Schools Annual Big Match. Royal College’s performance had been led by example from their captain Bhanuka Rajapakse, who starred in an all-round effort, and so did Walpita for St Thomas’ College.Royal College, led by opener Ramith Rambukwella’s blistering 165, which came off 148 balls and included 21 fours and five sixes, cruised to 288 for 4 on the third day and declared to set St Thomas’ College a challenging target of 258. St Thomas’ College, though, went about trying to save the game, as Walpita batted steadily, striking nine fours in his 128-ball 51. There were, however, moments of trepidation as Royal College nipped out the first three wickets for 53. Walpita, determined to battle through to a draw, added 69 in 22.3 overs with Fernando, who contributed 55.Still, Royal College never had victory out of sight and fought back through Rajapakse, who dismissed Walpita and wicketkeeper Sachin Peiris of consecutive deliveries to reduce the opposition to 123 for 5. The next two wickets, though not adding too many, did manage to bat 11 overs, and Pathirana, with Neomal Wickramasekera, played out a further 46 balls before play concluded.It was St Thomas’ College who had grabbed the advantage at the end of the first innings, gaining a lead of 31. Walpita, after putting Royal College in, took four wickets to help limit his opponents to 283 for 9. Rajapaksa, too, played a captain’s hand, scoring 68 off 60 balls. In reply, Pasan Wijewardene (99) and Nuwan Kavinda (86) were involved in a 159-run partnership to help their team get past 283 and post 314, though Rajapakse and Manisha Thanthirigoda, sharing eight wickets, had fought back.The tables turned in the second innings, but some determined batting by St Thomas’ College on the final day helped them save the game.

Mohsin Khan began his stint as Pakistan’s new chief selector by calling for Pakistan’s Twenty20 set-up and thinking to be divorced from the Test and ODI line-ups, arguing that cricket’s newest format had played havoc with Pakistan’s skills in the longer formats.Mohsin was appointed yesterday, taking over from Iqbal Qasim, who handed in his resignation after Pakistan’s winless tour of Australia. He becomes the third full-time chief selector in less than a year and though his first assignment will be to pick a squad of 15 for the World Twenty20 defense in the Caribbean in April, his real work, he said, will begin after that.”My personal opinion is that Test cricket and ODI cricket should have no relation to Twenty20 cricket,” Mohsin said at the National Stadium in Karachi, echoing the belief of Mohammad Yousuf who said during the Australia tour that the format would “destroy” cricket in Pakistan.”Twenty20 cricket should be totally separate apart from some outstanding players like Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Fawad Alam, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul who fit into every format. But apart from these players, I would request the chairman to have a totally different set-up for the format. Twenty20 cricket has messed up our Test cricket skills and in ODIs we cannot bat even 50 overs.”The terms of reference for his role and its parameters appear broad and flexible currently; no time limit is set on the job and the former Test opener even insisted that he would be more than willing to help out in a coaching capacity, an option he was initially keen on in his negotiations with the chairman.”For two to three months I had been in direct talks with the chairman,” Mohsin said. “I said that if I do come back to the board then in two fields am I capable of giving something back to cricket, coaching or selection. The chairman called me yesterday and said he wants me to start with the selection committee right now.”Coaching is still my first choice and I have told the chairman, I still feel physically fit enough to do it. I have said whenever you need my services in coaching department it is always there. In our top order batting we do have a problem, so I have said whenever you need my services I am ready.”Pakistan’s chief selectors in recent years have had to deal constantly with problems over the ambit and nature of their role. The post has become, essentially a full-time, professional one, barring Qasim’s recent stint, which was in an honorary capacity.But both Abdul Qadir and Salahuddin Mulla in recent years have faced issues over the apparent undermining of their authority and say in selection by the captain and coach. “The chairman has given me total authority,” Mohsin said. “In selecting a team, there are three pillars and all have to take blame or credit: the selection committee, captain and coach. All three have to take responsibility. I want the captain and coach in the process, because they have to fight on the field.”These issues will be discussed in a meeting with Ijaz Butt later in the week but Mohsin said he is more than happy to have no set time limit on his role. “I have not asked for a specific time period. I will start and do the work and keep doing it until the board is satisfied with me and I am satisfied with them. People have had tenures before which they didn’t finish so I said to the chairman let’s not set a fixed time. Until I am doing well, until the board thinks I am doing well, fine. I don’t want to be a burden anywhere. You clap with two hands, not one. We will work together, how long for I don’t know.”

Mohammad Yousuf wants to keep leading Pakistan despite speculation over his role. Yousuf’s position was placed in doubt when Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, said the captain would change after the tour of Australia, but has since back-tracked.The tourists have only two games left in Perth to register a win on the trip, having lost the Test series 3-0 and being behind 3-0 in the one-day series. Despite the results and the controversy, Yousuf is determined to stay in charge.”After this series I want to [lead] because I’m honoured to have the Pakistan captaincy,” Yousuf said in the aftermath of the 40-run loss in Adelaide. “I try my level best but I think this is the best team in the world to play against. I think we play good cricket, not bad cricket, apart from last game [in Sydney].”Yousuf has been told Butt did not say he would be replaced. “The manager and the chairman had a chat, and the manager told me the chairman did not say anything,” Yousuf said. “But I don’t know.” Yousuf took over the leadership when Younis Khan resigned, but the batsman has since returned to the side for the one-day series.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDoug Bollinger picked up the key wicket of Salman Butt as Australia’s bowlers created plenty of trouble on the fourth afternoon•Getty Images

On a day of inevitabilities, Australia moved within six wickets of completing a clean-sweep against a disappointing Pakistan. Simon Katich scored his first century of the summer, Ricky Ponting recorded his highest aggregate in a Test and Pakistan’s top order looked shakier than the few yachts brave enough to take to the Derwent River on a gloomy, windy and eventually rainy Hobart day.Since Pakistan’s capitulation in Sydney, it seemed inevitable that they would struggle to lift themselves for the dead rubber at Bellerive Oval. At the start of the fourth day, the most likely scenario was for Australia to add quickly to their overnight score and bat until after lunch, and Pakistan’s batsmen to struggle and rain to play a part as the afternoon wore on. And so it unfolded.Pakistan entered this Test with only two men averaging more than 40 for the series and until Salman Butt’s first-innings century the best score by any of their players was his 71 at the SCG. Australia fancied their chances against the Pakistan order despite the forecast showers, and gave them a victory target of 438 from just under five sessions.A win for Australia would be their 12th consecutive triumph against Pakistan, equalling the record for any team over any other Test side, which is currently held by Sri Lanka over Bangladesh. It came closer when Pakistan lost both openers within the first ten overs, then the captain and best batsman Mohammad Yousuf with the score on 61, and the young star Umar Akmal with the total at 4 for 83.When the rain came an hour before the scheduled close, Pakistan were 4 for 103, needing an extremely unlikely 335 more for victory, with Khurram Manzoor on 23 and Shoaib Malik on 18. Yousuf and Akmal both fell lbw to Shane Watson, both had their decisions reviewed, and neither finished with the result he desired. Earlier, Butt failed to keep out a Doug Bollinger delivery and was bowled for 9, before Peter Siddle drew an edge behind from Imran Farhat (14) to begin Pakistan’s slump.The day had been yet another ugly one for them even before their innings began. Ponting and Katich added 141 in a brutal opening session as Pakistan continued to set defensive fields and waited for a declaration. Katich has had trouble reaching triple-figures this season and had posted scores of 92, 80, 99 and 98.He hadn’t scored a hundred since the Ashes opener in Cardiff and when he moved to 99, Pakistan tried to increase the pressure, but he found an easy single behind square on the leg side to register his century from 137 deliveries. In the next over, Katich holed out to deep midwicket off Danish Kaneria and departed for an even 100, his ninth Test century.Playing with the freedom of having a hefty buffer, Katich took a more aggressive approach than normal and struck 13 fours in his 138 balls. Ponting also went after the bowling during their 191-run stand and was happy to be inventive, driving in the air over fielders and taking balls from outside off to the leg side.Ponting failed to become the seventh batsman in Test history to score a double-century and a century in the same match when he departed for 89 on the fourth ball after lunch. He tried to sweep Malik and was taken down the legside by Sarfraz Ahmed, and the umpire’s not-out decision was overturned on review when Hot Spot showed the ball brushed Ponting’s glove.He did finish with his best aggregate of runs in a Test match, scoring 298 and beating by ten his previous best set against India in Melbourne in 2003-04. After his dismissal, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson came in as pinch-hitters but failed to have any impact and Australia lost 4 for 27 starting with Katich.It didn’t matter. Ponting already felt he had enough and declared at 5 for 219, setting Pakistan 438 to win. Yousuf’s men need either a deluge of rain or runs to save them and only their most ardent fans could expect it to be the latter.