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ScorecardA dominating batting display from Pakistan Under-19, capped off by an unbeaten century from Kamran Ghulam, helped them thump England Under-19 by 180 runs in Leicester and register their fourth straight win in the tournament. Sami Aslam and Hasan Raza scored half-centuries to take Pakistan to 369 for 7 after 50 overs.England, who have won only one of their four matches, were never really in the chase, and a 46-ball 65 from Ryan Higgins did little to change their fortunes, as the hosts fell well short of the target in the end.Pakistan, who have already qualified for the final on August 19, were in firm control throughout the match and got off to a bright start after electing to bat. Aslam put up a 57-run first-wicket stand with Hussain Talat, before adding another 52 with Rafay Ahmed. Aslam eventually departed for 57 after striking nine fours, but Raza kept the runs flowing with a 69-ball 71 that included nine fours and a six.Saud Shakeel played the ideal foil to Raza, as the pair added 77 for the fourth wicket, to leave Pakistan poised for a big score at 213 for 4 at the 35-over mark. Medium-pacer Will Rhodes struck in quick intervals to dismiss the pair, but Ghulam, coming in at No.6, smashed nine fours and seven sixes as he posted a 56-ball 102 to prop up Pakistan to an ultimately unassailable total. England didn’t help their cause by giving away 27 extras, including 10 no-balls.Faced with a tall chase, England lost wickets at regular intervals and apart from Higgins and Rhodes, none of the other batsmen could make more than 21, as the hosts were bowled out for 189 in 35 overs. Left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar was the pick of the bowlers and finished with 3 for 44 in his 10 overs.England will next take on Bangladesh in Worcester on Thursday.

Stuart Broad has expressed his confidence that he will be fit for the first Test of the Investec Ashes series which starts in front of his home crowd at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.Broad was forced to miss England’s warm-up game against Essex at Chelmsford after sustaining an injury to his right shoulder while diving to regain his ground while batting in the final of the ICCChampions Trophy.He subsequently had a cortisone injection on Monday in an aim to ease the inflammation and pain and returned to some gentle bowling on Wednesday.”I couldn’t be more confident that I will be 100% right,” Broad said. “If the series started today I’d be ready to go. It only really hurt when I got to the top of my bowling action and that was where the swelling was. So I had an anti-inflammatory injection to get rid of the swelling.”How it pulled up two days after the injection was the major part and that was yesterday. I managed to bat and bowl and do some running without any pain, so I am very confident I’ll be fine for TrentBridge.”Broad missed three Tests of the victorious 2010-11 Ashes series after sustaining a side injury and the second half of the successful Test series in India before Christmas due to a heel injury. If fit, he is almost certain to share the new ball for England with James Anderson.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook showed he can score at Twenty20 pace•AFP

England do not make life easy for themselves in knockout tournaments, but they secured their passage to the Champions Trophy semi-finals through a collectively impressive performance from the bowlers which followed a brisk innings from Alastair Cook after the weather had threatened to leave their hopes in Australia’s hands.But even as England were heaping pressure on New Zealand’s top order as they chased 170 in 24 overs, the weather still loomed. Rain, which had caused a five-hour delay after the toss, was creeping over the Bristol Channel and although the chase was behind the rate, if the match had been abandoned before 20 overs New Zealand would have gone through and England would have needed a favour from Australia on Monday.The 20th over, sent down by the peerless James Anderson, itself included more drama when Corey Anderson, who was added to New Zealand’s squad on the morning of the match as a replacement for Grant Elliott, appeared to injure his calf after aborting a run and spent several minutes receiving treatment which did not impress Ashley Giles and David Saker on the England balcony.Still, even after Anderson had completed the over there could have been another twist. Tim Bresnan conceded 19 in the next over as Kane Williamson, who made a brave 67 off 54 balls, and Anderson took their partnership to 73 before Williamson skied to cover off Stuart Broad whose heel was ruled, by the third umpire, to be fractionally behind the line. It was a mighty tight call.England’s new-ball bowling had soon made the chase appear far more daunting than some envisaged after their last seven wickets fell for 28 in 34 balls. Anderson set the tone with a three-over opening spell of testing pace and movement which accounted for the hapless Luke Ronchi and Martin Guptill in the space of three balls in the fourth over.When Ross Taylor was pinned lbw by Bresnan – his use of DRS did not save him – New Zealand were 27 for 3 and their hopes rested on Brendon McCullum. But none of the batsmen could get hold of England’s attack.Ravi Bopara, proving almost impossible to score off, was able to hustle through five overs for 26 and when McCullum pulled him to deep square-leg, where Joe Root held a brilliant low catch, New Zealand’s chances of winning had taken an almost terminal hit. For a short while it appeared they were playing for rain, and the abandonment, with the new batsmen not exactly speeding to the wicket until Williamson and Anderson gave it one, final, forlorn effort.New Zealand had appeared to claim a significant advantage when they won the toss, but the fact that the match was completed to the adjusted length without further interruption, and therefore the need for Duckworth-Lewis was erased, meant England did not suffer in the way that can be the case when run chases are reduced after further rain.But it was still tricky to assess what a matchwinning total would be batting first. That England had solid progress for 18 overs was down to their captain. The one format Cook does not play for England is Twenty20, but that does not mean he doesn’t want to and he showed what a complete all-round batsman he has become with 64 off 47 ballsQuite extraordinarily, he was dropped three times and all three chances were shelled by Nathan McCullum. There were two misses at midwicket when Cook has 14 and 37 and, the simplest, at backward point on 45. McCullum eventually held a return catch off the England captain which heralded an upturned in his fortunes. He ended the innings having held four chances.For the first time in an ODI innings Cook hit more than one six. But England could not finish with a flourish as Kyle Mills, who became the leading wicket-taker in Champions Trophy history, and Mitchell McClenaghan shared seven wickets.Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, who remained at No. 3 despite the shortened match, fell inside the first four overs, but Root was immediately busy at the crease, using his wrists to find that gaps (a skill not natural to all England’s batsmen) and provided the first six over the innings when he pulled Daniel Vettori over deep midwicket.Brendon McCullum switched his bowlers around regularly and it was the return of James Franklin that saw Cook, who reached his fifty from 39 balls, move up a gear when he straight drove his first delivery into the sightscreen at the River End. Just to show he can play “out-of-the-box” he followed that with a scoop over short fine-leg before his second life at midwicket by Nathan McCullum and he later lofted Williamson over wide long-off.Once again England’s power hitters – Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler – could not make a major impact and neither could Bopara match his recent onslaughts. But this time the bowlers did not fail in their task.

Match facts

May 5, Bulawayo
Start time 0900 (0700 GMT)While an all-round show from Shingi Masakadza would be welcome for Zimbabwe, they would hope for more control with the ball from him•AFP

Big Picture

If the ODI series follows the drift of the recently-concluded Test series, Zimbabwe should bounce back from the 121-run defeat in the first game and square the three-match ODI series.They have a shorter turnaround, and have a lot to talk about in the team meetings and in the only net session they have on Saturday. It will start with the bowlers who conceded 18 wides, and were generally quite undisciplined. There was no relentless line and length like they showed in the first Test. Having said that, Shingi Masakadza was the only pace bowler in the first ODI who played in the Tests; though he picked up four wickets, he bowled the highest number of wides in the innings.They will be boosted by the return of Kyle Jarvis and Brian Vitori, Bangladesh’s nemesis from the 2011 tour. Regis Chakabva and Tinashe Panyangara have been dropped.The Zimbabwe batsmen too have a lot to tighten up. Chakabva and Sikandar Raza left big gaps between bat and pad, and went at deliveries either too wide or too full. And it was also apparent that they have a tough time believing in themselves when captain Brendan Taylor doesn’t stay at the crease for too long.They can take a leaf out of Bangladesh’s book of recovery. The visitors bounced back from a 335-run defeat and then more importantly, in the first ODI, didn’t let a mini-slide – when they had lost four quick wickets – break their momentum.Nasir Hossain will again be key and the management would look to Mohammad Ashraful to make a decent contribution. There will also be some pressure on Mominul Haque and Mahmudullah, both having got out in the thirties in the first game.The team management was criticised for dropping Sohag Gazi, but the combination worked a treat as Ziaur Rahman and Shafiul Islam fired.The onus will be on Bangladesh to complete the series win, and that would mean their unbeaten streak in ODI tournaments since the win against West Indies late last year remains intact.

Form guide

Zimbabwe: LLLLL (completed games, most recent results first)
Bangladesh: WWLWL

Players to watch

Shingi Masakadza put in an all-round show in the first ODI. He took four wickets, and later smashed a run-a-ball 33 when the batsmen had collapsed in a heap. More would be expected from the younger of the Masakadza brothers, though he would hope for a more controlled performance with the ball; he was lucky to pick up his first three wickets. Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful were out to leg-side deliveries while Mushfiqur Rahim chased a wide one. Mahmudullah was his fourth wicket, undone by a slower ball. Shingi will also have to cut down on the wides.Much can be expected from Ziaur Rahman in the remainder of the ODI series because he has improved as the tour has progressed. Now he has a five-wicket haul in his kitty, which would boost his confidence with the bat too.

Team news

The home side had made seven changes from their previous ODI, so more modification to this team is unlikely. Kyle Jarvis has a case to come back into the XI, though, in place of Tinashe Panyangara. The presence of Brian Vitori in the squad means he too holds a chance of playing. Vusimuzi Sibanda is likely to replace the dropped Regis Chakabva.Zimbabwe (possible) 1 Vusimuzi Sibanda, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Sikandar Raza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt & wk), 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Sean Williams, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Shingi Masakadza, 10 Brian Vitori, 11 Tendai Chatara/Kyle Jarvis.Bangladesh’s combination from the first ODI worked out fine, so they are unlikely to change anything. Mahmudullah and Mominul Haque would however remain watchful and be keen on making some more runs to keep their places intact.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Mohammad Ashraful, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Nasir Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Ziaur Rahman, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Robiul Islam.

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on a different surface on the same square of pitches, so similar conditions are expected. But due to the early start, both teams would be tempted to bowl first. The weather will continue to remain sunny but cool.

Stats and trivia

• Ziaur Rahman became only the fourth Bangladesh pace bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in ODIs. The others are Mashrafe Mortaza, Aftab Ahmed and Farhad Reza. Ziaur is also the fourth man to take five wickets against Zimbabwe as a third-change bowler in the attack
• Nasir Hossain is the only specialist batsman in the Bangladesh line-up to have an 80-plus strike rate in ODIs

Quotes

“Of course you have to believe that you can win the series, I believe we can. Bangladesh will be even harder to beat now that they have got confidence, they are a side that thrives on confidence.”
“I will try to bowl in similar areas in the second ODI. My target is to give 30-35 runs in 10 overs. I will get wickets if I can keep them tied up.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe last-wicket pair of Matt Prior and Monty Panesar safely negotiated the 19 balls they needed to•Getty Images

It may not have been pretty, it may not have been assured and it may have owed rather more to fortune than they would have liked, but England’s last pair somehow clung on to seal a draw on the final day of the Test series against New Zealand in Auckland. In a thrilling advert for virtues of Test cricket, Matt Prior and Monty Panesar played out the final 19 balls of the game to frustrate a deserving New Zealand.There were several occasions on a wonderfully absorbing final day when it appeared New Zealand’s victory was inevitable. When England lost Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow either side of lunch and when they lost Ian Bell the over before tea, it seemed New Zealand were on the brink of just their second home series victory over England – the first was in 1983-84 – and their first Test series victory over any top eight opposition since they defeated West Indies in 2006.But for all England’s faults – and there have been times in this series when they have looked a very modest outfit – they possess an admirable resilience. They have been outplayed for long tracts of this campaign but remain, as Leonard Cohen put it, as stubborn as those garbage bags that time cannot decay. Surviving for 143 overs might be considered not only a Dunkirk moment for England cricket, but as admirable in its own way as coming from behind to defeat India in India.There were several heroes for England. Stuart Broad, who tempered his attacking instincts so completely that it took him 62 deliveries to get off the mark, produced his longest Test innings since the Lord’s Test against India in July 2011, while Ian Bell resisted for just short of six hours in seeing England to the brink of the tea interval. But most of all there was Matt Prior who may have produced the definitive innings of his career to thwart an excellent New Zealandseam attack that that threw everything they had at him on a pitch that remained true for batting to the end.Prior’s innings was, in many ways, odd. While his colleagues clung to the crease with the desperation of a climber sliding down a rockface, Prior played with a freedom that seemed to belie the match situation. Despite the fact that runs were irrelevant throughout the last day, herarely declined an opportunity to punish the loose delivery and reached his century – his seventh in Tests – from only 148 deliveries with his 18th four. The logic was simple: he reasoned it was better to play his natural, positive game than attempt something unfamiliar. His innings may be remembered alongside Mike Atherton’s unbeaten 185 in Johannesburg, in 1995, and Dennis Amiss’ 262 against West Indies in Kingston, in 1973-74, as one of England’s greatest match-saving contributions.But he, and England, enjoyed much fortune and many nervous moments on the road to safety. Most pertinently, Prior somehow saw the bails remain unmoved after the ball thumped into the stumps when he had scored 28. Struggling to deal with a brute of a bouncer from the wholehearted Neil Wagner, Prior saw the ball bounce, via the bat handle and his neck, onto the stumps but fail to dislodge a bail.Prior was also adjudged leg before to Tim Southee by umpire Rod Tucker when he had 16 – the Decision Review System showed a thick inside edge onto the pads – and on 20 he survived a loose top-edged pull off the same bowler. Neil Wagner, running back from midwicket, was unable to cling on to a desperately tough chance.Perhaps New Zealand may rue some missed chances, too. Both Bell and Jonny Bairstow were dropped in the over before lunch as Trent Boult, swinging the new ball back into the right-hander, brought tentative edges to the slip cordon from deliveries angled across the batsmen.Bell, feeling for one angled across him that he could have left, was grateful to see Dean Brownlie, at fourth slip, put down a relatively straightforward chance, before, two balls later, Bairstow pushed hard at one some way from him and was fortunate to see Kane Williamson, in the gully, put down a sharp chance.Batting had appeared relatively straightforward for the first 100 minutes or so of the day. With no hope of scoring the further 391 runs they required to win the game when play resumed in the morning, Bell and Joe Root instead concentrated on occupation of the crease. The pair batted without much trouble for 28 overs, settling in as New Zealand used the seamers sparingly ahead of the second new ball.But everything changed once it was taken. New Zealand claimed the second new ball the moment it was available and, with its first delivery, Boult produced a beauty that swung back and struck a half forward Root on the pad in front of the stumps. Root and Bell discussed the worth of utilising a review under the Decision Review System, but decided, quite rightly, that the on-field umpire had made no mistake.Bairstow, with only two first-class innings behind him since August, was fortunate to survive his second delivery. Boult, with an inswinging yorker, appeared to strike Bairstow on the boot before it hit the bat in front of the stumps, but New Zealand did not appeal. Replays suggested that if they had, Bairstow would have been in some trouble.But he did not last long after lunch. Southee, bowling from wide of the crease, managed to make one bounce and straighten from just back of a good length to take Bairstow’s edge on its way to slip.Prior and Bell took England to the brink of tea. Bell, in particular, looked admirably solid and drew the sting out of the attack when they were armed with the new ball but, the over before the interval, he was drawn into feeling for one outside off stump from the wonderfully persistent Wagner and edged to third slip.If New Zealand’s seamers were impressive, their frontline spinner was not. Bruce Martin, perhaps feeling the pressure of expectation, struggled with his length and rarely found the turn that might have been anticipated. For much of the day he was out-bowled by the part-time offspinner, Kane Williamson.With only four overs to go and England seemingly safe, McCullum surprisingly brought Williamson back into the attack, perhaps with an eye to the trio of left-handers at the bottom of the order. It proved a masterstroke: Broad’s worthy defiance was ended when he prodded half forward and edged to slip before, two balls later, James Anderson fell in the same manner.While Panesar endured some nervous moments – he was perilously close to playing-on first ball and, comically, almost ran himself out when diving well short of his ground in attempting a sharp single to get off strike – Prior proved a calming influence, took control and saw his side to safety.A draw is, in many ways, a harsh reflection of New Zealand’s superiority in two of the three matches in the series. Their bowlers found swing, seam and spin that England’s did not and their batsmen displayed a balance between discipline and aggression that England could never manage. While McCullum was inventive and positive as captain, Alastair Cook was increasingly reactive and passive. Few would deny that New Zealand looked the better side.Perhaps McCullum should have declared earlier. But New Zealand can take heart from this performance. Their pursuit of victory may have been frustrated, but they showed themselves at least the equal of the No. 2 rated Test team and showed that, under McCullum’s leadership, they have the materials to rise in the rankings in the months and years ahead.

Cyclone Sandra made its presence felt in the penultimate round of the Ford Trophy, with rain washing out two of the day’s scheduled games and forcing the third to be abandoned. All six teams got two points each, which confirmed play-off spots for leaders Auckland, Northern Districts and Canterbury. Although fourth-placed Wellington are ahead of Central Districts by five points, both sides are in contention for the last play-off spot in the final round of games to be played on Wednesday.In this round, the matches between Auckland and Northern Districts in Auckland and Central Districts and Wellington in New Plymouth were washed out without a ball bowled.In Dunedin, Canterbury got to 159 for 4 in 39.5 overs after being put in by Otago. George Worker was unbeaten with 73 at the top of the order while Shanan Stewart had made 38. The pair helped their side recover from 84 for 4 before the rain had its say.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCheteshwar Pujara’s again showed off his penchant for big scores•BCCI

The mercury touched 35C during the Hyderabad afternoon and large swathes of the Uppal stadium are roofless, but that didn’t stop the 28,000-strong Sunday crowd from breaking into Mexican waves as M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara ran amok with an unbroken 294-run stand, which put India in command of the second Test.The day also showcased the variety Test cricket allows, with India’s scoring-rate jumping dramatically in every session. They were restricted to 49 runs in the morning, Pujara and Vijay then became more expansive to pick off 106 runs in the second session, before going berserk post-tea to pile on 151 runs against a wilting Australia.The disgruntled murmurs over Australia’s team selection for this match will only grow louder after Glenn Maxwell, who batted at No. 8, was introduced into the attack as late as the 47th over, and was easily dealt with – his 10 overs were caned for 55 runs. His inclusion had plenty of parallels with the ill-fated gamble on Cameron White – another Victoria batsman who could bowl a bit and was used as a spinner batting at No. 8 – during the unsuccessful 2008 India tour.The other spinner, Xavier Doherty, posed a bit more of a threat, though he too fared as poorly as most Australian spinners have in India over the years. The visitors’ well-documented worries over the strength of their spin department would have increased when he began with two friendly full tosses on leg stump, but he got a few deliveries to rip off the pitch and turn sharply past the outside edge.Both Pujara and Vijay were sure-footed against the spinners, skipping down the track to crash the ball through covers or whip to the leg side. They didn’t allow the spinners to settle either – when Doherty returned to bowl after lunch, his second delivery was powered over mid-off for six by Vijay.Vijay had kept those sort of flamboyant shots to a minimum early in his innings. India’s dominance on the day came on the back of a watchful morning session, in which both batsmen looked to play straight, shelving the cross-batted shots that had cost Australia dearly on the first day.After twin failures in Chennai, Vijay needed a big innings to push his case for the remaining Tests. In the first few overs of the day, he chased a couple of short-and-wide deliveries, prompting the usual concerns over his temperament for Test cricket, before buckling down and playing more patiently. It was only after he was well set that his stylish flicks and natural aggression re-appeared.With this century, Vijay could become India’s first-choice opener because the selectors’ patience with Virender Sehwag will be running low after he nicked Peter Siddle to fall for 6 – he now has only one 50-plus score in 13 innings.Sehwag’s early dismissal was offset by the increasingly reassuring presence of Pujara at No. 3. Though he injured his knee diving to complete a risky single early in his innings, hampering his running between the wickets, he showed his hunger for runs. He didn’t shirk the quick singles, and despite hobbling frequently he again displayed the concentration and technique that has led to his Test-match skills being talked up in recent years.The other standout feature of Pujara’s career has been his penchant for big scores. While his frequent double-and triple-centuries in domestic cricket have been pooh-poohed a bit for being made on the flat tracks of Rajkot, even at the Test level, this was his third 150-plus score in the five times he has passed 50.He repeatedly opened the face to guide the quicks to the third-man boundary, and stepped out to muscle the spinners through cover. He has been typecast as a Test player, but as the day progressed he showed off his repertoire of strokes, speeding from 100 to 150 in just 42 deliveries, getting to that milestone with an audacious hook for six off Siddle.With the partnership growing, Australia looked short of wicket-taking options. James Pattinson and Siddle were unwavering in the morning but had little joy with the old ball, and Moises Henriques acquitted himself well as a back-up seamer though not as one who could pick up a clutch of wickets.Michael Clarke let the game drift after tea, pinning all his hopes on the second new ball. India rattled off 102 in the first 17 overs of the final session and even when the quicks took the new ball, India’s momentum didn’t subside. There was a chance in the penultimate over of the day, when Doherty forced Pujara to nick, but the ball deflected off Matthew Wade’s pad to evade Clarke at first slip. Clarke was left pounding the turf in frustration as Australia completed a day to forget.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAn all-round performance by offspinner Prosper Utseya helped Mashonaland Eagles beat Matabeleland Tuskers by five runs to win the Pro50 Championship final in Bulawayo, in a match that was repeatedly interrupted by rain. The result was decided via the Duckworth-Lewis method.Tuskers, who won the toss and elected to bowl, kept Eagles’ innings in check with regular breakthroughs. While most of the middle order got starts, Utseya, coming in to bat at No. 7, was the only batsman to reach 50. He was given out obstructing the field as Eagles were kept to 222 in 49.1 overs.Tuskers looked to be in control of the chase, in spite of several rain interruptions, as the opening pair of Gavin Ewing and Brian Chari added 138 runs. They began sedately but solidly, and launched later when the rain seemed like it would be an issue. However, wickets then began to tumble and apart from a late charge from Charles Coventry, none of the other Tuskers batsmen could make substantial contributions. Tuskers needed 23 runs from 18 balls, before rain interrupted their chase yet again and the D/L method came into play.

South Africa fast bowler Vernon Philander, who is recovering from a grade one hamstring strain, will only be fully assessed next week for his availability for the first Test against New Zealand. Philander is on the eighth day of a 10-14 day recovery program, and only has four more days to be declared fit.He injured his hamstring during a first-class match between the Cobras and the Titans, where he only bowled five overs before leaving the field. Philander is in training with the national team, but isn’t bowling to capacity yet. He is expected to be up to 80% fit by the weekend.”He is still in the rehabilitation phase but is coming along nicely,” Mohammed Moosajee, the team manager who is also a medical doctor, told ESPNCricinfo. “We are definitely not ruling him out.” Should Philander not pass his fitness test, Rory Kleinveldt will replace him in the starting XI, having done the same in the Adelaide Test against Australia.South Africa’s other injury concern is Jacques Kallis, who required a three-week break after also sustaining a hamstring niggle in Australia. Kallis batted with a slight tear during the second Test in Adelaide, and did not field. But he had enough time on the physiotherapist’s bed to play in the third Test in Perth, although he could not bowl.He has not played any cricket since the team returned home from that tour, although his franchise, the Cobras, have played. The rest has served him well and Kallis should be fit to score the 20 runs he needs to bring up his 13,000 Test runs next Wednesday. “Jacques is now symptom-free and he is ready to go,” Moosajee said.New Zealand also have minor worries about the health of their squad. Middle-order batsman Dean Brownlie suffered a severe stomach bug and could not travel from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town with the rest of the team. He made the journey a day later, and although he was not named in the 12-man squad for the tour match, he was at the ground mid-way through the first day and is reportedly recovering well.Opening batsman Peter Fulton’s knee was given a trial run during the tour match after he suffered a recurrence of an old injury and he emerged without trouble. Fulton batted for an hour and six minutes and scored 39 runs. Colin Munro has stayed with the squad after the Twenty20 series as cover.

ScorecardFile photo – Taruwar Kohli brought up his second first-class century•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Punjab overhauled Jharkhand’s first-innings total of 401 on a wicket that didn’t have anything in it for the bowlers to all but ensure themselves of a semi-final showdown against Saurashtra with a day to spare in Jamshedpur. Only two wickets fell, as Jiwanjot Singh and Taruwar Kohli helped themselves to centuries, while Mandeep Singh fell four short of his ton.Starting the penultimate day 251 adrift of Jharkhand’s total with nine wickets in hand, it was imperative for Punjab to see off the first hour. Jiwanjot, overnight on 77, scored his fifth first-class century – in his maiden season – with a single to the covers off the medium-pacer Shankar Rao.Jiwanjot was set for a big haul, with an eye on CM Gautam’s tally of 943 runs. However, it took a special delivery to leave the Punjab opener 28 runs shy of reclaiming the top spot in the highest run-getter’s tally. Jharkhand captain Shahbaz Nadeem, who toiled without much success, bowled an arm ball that Jiwanjot failed to read and shouldered arms, only to lose his middle stump. It ended Jiwanjot’s chanceless knock that lasted almost six hours.Mandeep walked in with Punjab still 170 behind. But Kohli and Mandeep curbed their aggression to help Punjab pass the Jharkhand total without any hassles. Though both youngsters never failed to put away the loose balls, neither of them attempted to manufacture shots. It prevented them from being bogged down under pressure.The forbearance on display was remarkable, especially from Kohli. One of the stars of India’s triumphant Under-19 World Cup campaign in 2008, Kohli was making a comeback to Punjab’s senior side after more than a year. Playing his first game of the season, he restrained himself from taking any risk that could have breached the faith that was placed on him by the team management. Both Jiwanjot and Kohli would have impressed the national selector Roger Binny, who had been watching for the last two days.”It was difficult to control myself, especially with the wicket just not doing anything. But I was constantly reminding myself that I should not let myself down with a false stroke. I had to make the most of this opportunity,” Kohli said. He not only raised his second first-class hundred but also remained unbeaten, having surpassed his previous best of 118.Once the duo had guided Punjab to a safe 341 for 2 at tea, Kohli and Mandeep started playing more freely. Mandeep was the first to change gears, targeting Rao with two boundaries on either side of the wicket in the third over after tea. Kohli then dispatched the offspinner Sunny Gupta over long-on for a six.Punjab overhauled Jharkhand’s total the first ball after the final drinks break, when Kohli pulled Nadeem for a boundary through midwicket. Then on, the only interest in the game was if Mandeep could reach his second hundred of the season before stumps. It wasn’t to be. Facing the part-timer Manish Vardhan, bowling the last over of the day, he pulled the first ball ferociously to Ishank Jaggi, who pouched a sharp chance at short midwicket to deprive Mandeep a deserving ton. Though the day ended on a high for Jharkhand, it came a little too late for the home team.