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In an absurdly laid-back opening for what promises to be an intense series, staged in a setting more English than sub-continental, the Indians cruised along merrily and racked up 298 for 4 against Pakistan A on the first day in Lahore. Led by half-centuries from the top four and, on a flat pitch on the slightly slow side, the Indians blunted the varied attack.Playing in the idyllic Bagh-e-Jinnah ground, a tranquil patch circumscribed with trees, in front of close to 500 spectators watching from behind pickets, the Indians, expectedly, chose to gain some batting practice ahead of the first Test in six days’ time. Two batsmen for whom the game mattered the most, Gautam Gambhir and Wasim Jaffer, ensured that the suspense lasted a bit longer – doing just enough to find their groove, but not enough to seal a Test berth – while two that followed, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, revelled in the relaxed setting, cruising along to composed half-centuries as well.Faced with an opportunity to stake their claim, in abnormally chilly conditions, Gambhir and Jaffer began cautiously but soon overcame any threat posed by the four-pronged pace attack. Umar Gul, staking a claim for a Test recall, was guilty of bowling too short, on a surface not offering too much lift, while Rao Iftikhar Anjum and Yasir Arafat struggled to extract too much seam movement. Mohammad Irshad – similar to Shoaib Akhtar in action and not too far behind in speed – was the most threatening of the lot but Gambhir and Jaffer blunted all without too much fuss.Gambhir was the first to turn aggressor, latching on to anything slightly wide, ripping a couple of fierce cuts, and driving with customary verve. With the axe looming, he backed himself when the ball was there to be hit, cracking nine fours en route to his fifty. He fell soon after reaching the landmark but Jaffer picked up the baton and kept the scoreboard ticking. Unfurling some gorgeous cover-drives, and dissecting the fielders to a nicety, he was on his way to entering the sort of zone that has made him such a mighty force in domestic cricket back home. He was confident enough to attempt some cheeky glides, one ramped over the slip cordon, but fell victim to trying one too many, nicking a good-length cutter from Gul.Unlike the two openers, Dravid didn’t take any time to open out. With a picnic-atmosphere catching on as the game meandered, he unobtrusively motored along, mastering the faster bowlers, dismissing the spinners and racing to his half-century. Irshad was pulled with gusto while the two legspinners, Mansoor Amjad and Imran Farhat, were made to look inadequate. What Dravid began, Tendulkar continued and looked in spanking touch for little over two hours in the middle. There was a certain joy in watching colossal performers entertain a holiday crowd, classical strokeplay adorning a rustic setting. Tendulkar often couldn’t contain his boyish cheek, attempting paddle sweeps, and observing such a figure bask in a relatively obscure stage had a charm of its own.Amjad is definitely a promising bowler possessing the required weapons but had no clue when in one over Tendulkar decided to have some fun – steered through cover, whipped through midwicket and pulled square. Nothing could stop him, or so it seemed, until he under-edged a short and wide one from Arafat, looked back to see Zulqarnain, the wicketkeeper, pull off a beauty and without any hesitation, walked. Tendulkar had had his fun, Arafat, as he was to say later, had got his “dream wicket”, the Indians had got some valuable practice and an already peaceful Bagh-e-Jinnah got a bit quieter. A tour had started in utter calm, and one still had to come to grips with the fact that it’s India in Pakistan.How they were outGautam Gambhir c Rao b Irshad 53 (81 for 1)
Wasim Jaffer c Zulqarnain b Gul 58 (153 for 2)
Rahul Dravid c Raza b Farhat 63 (220 for 3)
Sachin Tendulkar c Zulqarnain b Arafat 74 (279 for 4)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has told the Mumbai High Court that it has decided to cancel the tender for its television rights, and has indicated that it will initiate two new bids. ESPN-Star Sports, which had gone to court to challenge the BCCI’s decision to award the rights to Zee Telefilms, has withdrawn the case after the cricket board’s notification.The board’s representatives told the court that their tender with Zee was “not concluded”, as the draft letter sent by them had not been accepted by Zee, and negotiations were still on. They said that they would make arrangements to telecast the matches themselves, and float two new tenders – one for the rights of the next three series, and the other for the next four years.ESPN-Star withdrew its petition after the BCCI’s announcement, but Zee was furious. Zee’s lawyer asked the court to note that the ruling on the case itself had not yet been given, and that the surety amount of US$20million that the board had asked for had been given and accepted.Zee said it would initiate legal action against the board’s decision. Subhash Chandra, the company’s head, made allegations of connivance between the Board and ESPN-Star Sports: “The court could also see it clearly,” he claimed. “But since the petitioner ESPN-Star Sports, in collusion with the BCCI counsel, withdrew the petition, the court had no option than to record the statement and pass no order.”It is obvious that the board’s worries are far from over. To start with, what was expected to be a windfall season for Indian cricket is likely to begin in the red. The forthcoming series against Australia, which was expected to be a licence to print money, may well now end up in a deficit. But as a BCCI official admitted, that is the least of their concerns at the moment: “Our problems might have just begun.”

West Indies 240 and 418 for 7 (Sarwan 105, Chanderpaul 104) beat Australia 240 and 417 by three wicketsOmari Banks and Vasbert Drakes propelled West Indies to a nerve-wracking three-wicket victory on the final morning in Antigua, as Australia’s quest for an unprecedented clean sweep in the Caribbean came unstuck in the most thrilling fashion possible. Banks, who finished unbeaten on 47 in only his second Test, showed maturity beyond his 20 years, as he and Drakes overcame the early loss of Shivnarine Chanderpaul to knock off the 46 runs that remained of the highest fourth-innings chase in Test history.After a fractious and utterly compelling final session on Monday, the atmosphere in the Antigua Recreation Ground was unrecognisable this morning. If the teams had been able to reach a conclusion last night, West Indies would surely have won at a canter, but with a chastened and reinvigorated Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie charging in with a newish ball, there were no foregone conclusions on offer.

All of the Caribbean feared the worst when Chanderpaul, whose stunning strokeplay had put the Aussies to flight, lasted just one more Brett Lee delivery. Coming round the wicket, Lee straightened one on off stump, and Chanderpaul nibbled a catch through to Adam Gilchrist. He was gone for a magnificent 104, but like Sarwan before him, he appeared to have left the job uncompleted.There are worse men to have coming in at No. 9 than Drakes, however. He and Banks drew the sting of Australia’s assault with a calmness that was in stark contrast to the chewed fingernails in the stands and dressing-rooms. Drakes was greeted by a ferocious bouncer from Lee, then miscued an exocet from Gillespie into no-man’s land behind the wicket, but in the eighth over of the day he flicked Lee for a much-needed boundary, and West Indies were up and running.In the same over, Banks opened his account for the day, before finally connecting with one of his flowing cover-drives, to beat a floundering Andy Bichel to the rope. With 27 still needed for victory, Steve Waugh recalled Stuart MacGill, who had been subjected to a drubbing on Monday evening. Immediately Banks flashed MacGill through the grasping hands of Matthew Hayden in the gully, and Justin Langer was unable to prevent another boundary.

Then MacGill lobbed one into the slot, and Drakes hoofed it mightily over cow-corner for six – it was a decisive moment. In one blow, the crowd emerged from behind their metaphorical sofas, as the total passed 400 and the target ducked below 20 runs. Gillespie though wasn’t finished, and nearly decapitated Drakes with another perfectly directed bouncer, but Drakes responded with a fortuitous inside-edge to the fine-leg boundary.The teams took drinks with 11 runs still required, but when umpire Shepherd turned down MacGill’s stone-dead lbw appeal against Drakes, Australia’s last chance had gone. Banks slapped at a MacGill full-toss and edged down to fine leg for four, and it was left to Drakes to seal the win, with a spanking cut through point. West Indies had achieved the impossible – preserving their proud home record and breaking India’s 27-year-old record, to complete an astonishing run-glut of a series, in which 17 centuries were scored in four Tests.

Kent Spitfires cut Leicestershire’s lead at the top of the Norwich Union League first division to just two points after surviving yet another last ball finish to land a eight-run win against Yorkshire in Canterbury.Just two days after their last ball victory over Gloucestershire at Bristol, Spitfires managed to defend their disappointing 45-over total of 216 courtesy of a three wicket burst in four balls in the final over of the game by the league’s leading wicket-taker Martin Saggers.With Phoenix needing 13 runs for a victory that would have hauled them clear of the relegation dogfight, Saggers ran in to remove the off stump of David Byas with his second ball, york Richard Dawson with his next and then have Richard Blakey caught on the long-off boundary to secure Kent’s ninth win of the campaign.The hosts looked as good as beaten at the mid-way point of the reply as Darren Lehmann and Anthony McGrath reached 89 for two, but in-form Lehmann made a vital misjudgement in reverse sweeping Min Patel to top edge a catch to fly slip.McGrath, who was dropped on seven after skying a chance to deep cover, re-grouped by way of a fourth wicket stand worth 108 in 21 overs with Craig White.Just 62 were required with 10 overs to go and, with seven wickets in hand, a partisan St Lawrence crowd of 4,000 were watching in silence as their title hopes seemingly slid away.But then White holed out to long off and McGrath, after reaching his maiden league century from 139-balls, ran himself out to revive Kent’s victory and title hopes once again.The hosts were probably 20 short of what they perceived to be a defendable total as only James Hockley with 66 from 82-balls managed to post a half-century on a slow but true pitch.Hockley was one of three wickets taken by Lehmann’s left arm spin in a burst of three for five in eight balls that ripped the heart out of the home middle order batting.

The future of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club looks uncertain after a request to the ECB for emergency financial help and an examination of the benefits of selling their ground and moving to an out-of-town location.The club, who have already borrowed several hundred thousand pounds from a group of directors earlier this year, have been instructed by the ECB to undergo an independent financial review to ascertain whether they fill the criteria for borrowing. It is believed they require around £500,000 to meet urgent financial obligations.The ECB has assisted counties in the past but with a full-scale review of the professional game in progress, it cannot be assumed that further largesse will automatically be forthcoming.Whether Northants seek to move headquarters or even become the first of the first-class clubs to dissolve remains to be seen. Increasingly, though, the current arrangement appears unsustainable.Northants declared a loss of £305,636 last year and are forecasting another heavy loss for 2015. They have already accepted that their prize asset, the England one-day allrounder David Willey, is likely to leave the club at the end of the season – Willey is contracted until the end of 2016 but had a verbal agreement allowing him to leave if he wished – and are looking at other cost-saving measures. The player wage bill is certain to be reduced.Former club captain Stephen Peters, Scotland international Kyle Coetzer, fast bowler Maurice Chambers and David Murphy are all expected to leave at the end of the season, while younger players such as Ben Duckett, the former England U19 captain, and Rob Keogh, who is the subject of interest from Essex, could also depart.The deeper concern is that this time of year, with T20 revenues secured, should be easier in terms of cash flow. Most clubs suffer more in the autumn when income streams dry up and bills have to be paid.Northants have previously borrowed from Northamptonshire County Council to redevelop their ground and to maximise potential revenue from T20 cricket.They were scheduled to repay the money from ECB receipts, but that income has been damaged by the international retirement of Graeme Swann and the non-selection of Monty Panesar. In the past, Northants have received performance-related payments (worth over £100,000 a year for Swann) as the ‘developing club’ of the two spinners.Financial pressures have encouraged an examination of whether Northants should abandon their ground, situated close to the centre of Northampton, and move to a spot further out of town.Indeed, ESPNcricinfo understands that the club have invested in a research project to identify a potential new location for the ground and, with the local council’s help, are considering a patch at Sixfields near Northampton Town’s stadium.The cricket and football clubs used to play on adjoining grounds until the football club upped sticks in 1994. Northants members would need to sanction such a move.The club bought the freehold on their Wantage Road ground in May 2012 and had the site valued, in its current condition, at around £4.5m. With planning permission, it could be worth more than £10m. The club’s chairman, Gavin Warren, is also a director of a Bleu Star Land and Property Ltd; a company whose tag line is: “unlock the full potential of your assets.”The club state there is a covenant on their ground which makes it impossible to obtain planning permission. They also claim they have not applied for an emergency loan from the ECB. Both these claims are disputed by club insiders and sources at the ECB.Underlining the impression that club is ailing, ESPNcricinfo also understands that Northants was reported to the ECB for failing to have lunch prepared for players and officials during the Championship match against Derbyshire. The chief executive, Ray Payne, is also not a full-time presence at the ground.In the shorter term, the County Tavern, the pub owned by the club, could also be sold. It has been listed for sale before – and valued at around £550,000 – but withdrawn before completion. However, if the directors’ loans have been taken against the value of the pub, the sale of it may not benefit Northants CCC. Such matters will be scrutinised by the independent financial review before any loan is approved.

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, needs a further three weeks to recover fully from the ankle injury that curtailed his tour to India. It also means that he faces a race against time to be fit for Pakistan’s next assignment, an ODI series against Zimbabwe, which begins from January 26.Malik missed the final two Tests against India recently after injuring his ankle during a post-Test warm-up and now begins an injury rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy.”Doctors have removed the plaster from Shoaib Malik’s ankle today and have advised him to undergo a rehabilitation programme for the next three weeks,” Ahsan Malik, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman, told .Malik will be working with Sohail Saleem, the PCB’s chief medical officer, and trainer Abdul Saboor. “He (Malik) is feeling much better and is confident of regaining full match fitness ahead of the series against Zimbabwe,” Ahsan said.Another vital player, Mohammad Asif, also begins his comeback from the elbow injury that has nagged him over the last year. Asif underwent surgery in Australia earlier this month to rectify the problem and is now hoping to recover in time for the home series against Australia to be held in March-April.”Asif will work at the NCA according to plan prepared for him by David Dwyer (the Pakistan team trainer),” said Ahsan. He added that Asif will undergo physical training sessions for several weeks before he even begins to bowl. Fellow fast bowler Umar Gul has also recovered from his back problem and will start bowling in the nets at the NCA from January 1.

Iqbal Qasim, the former Pakistan left-arm spinner and current national selector, was admitted to hospital over the holidays in Pakistan, following a heart attack.Qasim was admitted on Sunday, but family sources told a newspaper that he was now in stable condition after an angioplasty. “Iqbal is making a steady recovery and is held in the hospital because of chest infection.”Qasim played the last of his 50 Tests in 1988-89, against Australia, eventually ending with 171 wickets. He remains the most successful of Pakistan’s left-arm spinners though missed out on a number of Tests in his career as Abdul Qadir’s legspin was generally favoured.He has since retirement worked in several coaching positions and is currently employed as head of sports for National Bank of Pakistan. He has been serving on the national selection committee, headed by Wasim Bari, for the past four years along with Ehteshamuddin.

In a much closer game in Centurion the Titans managed to clinch a tense two-run win over the Eagles with the match going down to the final over, with the Eagles needing 13 runs to win. Having been set a target of 227, the Eagles were well on the way to a win to extend their lead at the top of the table. An opening partnership of 140 between Loots Bosman (63) and Jonathan Beukus (88) was broken with consecutive wickets to Dale Steyn. A mini-collapse followed from which the Eagles simply never recovered from. Earlier, Titans had posted a total of 226 thanks mainly to a 79 off 73 balls from the hard hitting Gerald Dros, this after Pierre de Bruyn has steadied the top of the innings scoring 50.In a low scoring match at Port Elizabeth the Warriors won their firstmatch of the series with a convincing 39-run victory over a depleted CapeCobras. The Cobras could only manage 135 after the Warriors, who won the toss, had scrambled to 176 for 7 in their 45 overs. Man of the match Carl Bradfield batted through the Warriors innings to score 86 valuable runs. Rory Kleinveldt was the mostsuccessful Cobras bowler taking 3 for 38 in his nine overs while MarioOlivier, although expensive in his 5.5 overs, took 5 for 53 for the Warriors.At the Wanderers in Johannesburg the Lions, after scoring a massive 302 for 6 in their innings, outplayed the Dolphins by restricting themto 252 for 7 to win by 50 runs. Sent in to bat first, the Dolphins bowlers took a pounding as first Adam Bacher (66) and Stephen Cook (93) put on 142 for the first wicket for the Lions, and then Neil McKenzie smashed the ball around the Bull Ring scoring 87 from just 64 balls. Hehit seven boundaries and three sixes on a batsman friendly pitch. Withthe Dolphins losing three early wickets they were always against theclock. Ahmed Amla (59), Duncan Brown (53) and Russell Symcox (50 notout) did try to keep the Dolphins in the game but were unable to get intouch with the run rate.

Mark Butcher has suffered another setback in his bid to prove his fitness ahead of the third Test against West Indies at Old Trafford next Thursday.Butcher has still not fully recovered from a thigh injury he picked up playing in a Twenty20 game before the first Test in July, and has now been forced to miss Surrey’s County Championship match against Worcestershire this week. According to Greg Mullings, the Surrey physio, Butcher “is working on strengthening his left quad and will have a fitness test prior to the Twenty20 Cup finals.”The Twenty20 finals and a one-day match are Surrey’s only matches before the third Test begins on August 12, and even if Butcher plays in those, the selectors will still have doubts over his fitness for a five-day Test.Butcher was passed fit to play in the first Test, but suffered whiplash in a car crash on the way to see the England physiotherapist for some treatment on his thigh only days before the start of the match, and aggravated the thigh problem lifting a box at his home last week.

The Sri Lankan cricket board announced on Monday that coach Dav Whatmore’s contract will not be renewed when it expires at the end of May.Whatmore, a Sri Lankan-born Australian who guided the team to their 1996World Cup victory, will remain as coach for the Sharjah Cup.”The reason is that Mr Whatmore has been with Sri Lanka cricket since 1995and the interim committee felt there should be a change after such a longassociation,” Tennekoon said.”He obviously has done a wonderful job in his tenure, being successful in handling the 1996 World Cup winning side. And in this tournament (2003 World Cup), he did well to take us (Sri Lanka) to the semi final.Whatmore was appointed for a second term as coach after Sri Lanka’sdisappointing performance in the 1999 World Cup in England.Speaking to Wisden CricInfo from Colombo, Whatmore said: “I havethoroughly enjoyed working with this Sri Lanka team during the past fouryears.”Whatmore has promised to make a public statement after the Sharjah Cup.The national team’s long-time physiotherapist, Alex Kontouri, will also be replaced next month, Tennekoon said.