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Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s outstanding performance in the second Test against Australia, in Antigua, which helped secure West Indies a draw, has lifted him to a career-best position of No. 5 in the world rankings.Chanderpaul was twice unbeaten in the match, for 107 and 77, and claimed the Man-of-the-Match award as West Indies kept alive their hopes of squaring the series, although the Frank Worrell Trophy is now safely back with Australia. Chanderpaul’s double continues a prolific run of form, following on from his 118 in the first Test, and he currently averages 156.50 in the series.In the past 12 months he has played nine Tests and scored 1,062 runs at 106.20, including five centuries on away tours to England and South Africa as well as this home series against Australia.Chanderpaul is now level with South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and just three points behind Mohammad Yousuf. Michael Hussey currently holds the No.1 spot, followed by Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara.West Indies’ captain Ramnaresh Sarwan just missed out on a return to the top 20 in after his fifth-day century. Sarwan scored 65 in the first innings and then 128 in the second and that performance has lifted Sarwan back to 21st place.From the Australians, Simon Katich is the most significant mover following his first-innings century and has climbed 12 places to 56th.After missing the first Test through injury, Jerome Taylor has climbed back into the top 20 of the bowling rankings. He took five wickets in the match – including Ponting in both innings – and moved up 12 places in the tightly packed rankings. It is the highest ranking of Taylor’s 19-match career and he is now just three points behind Matthew Hoggard in 13th spot, who is currently trying to force his way back into the England side.Brett Lee strengthened his position in fourth spot and is also holding the highest rating of his career. Lee was the outstanding bowler in Antigua, with match-figures of 8 for 110, on a docile surface. This included a destructive burst of reverse-swing in the first innings. He is closing the gap on team-mate Stuart Clark, who is currently occupying third spot.Muttiah Muralittharan is still in first position with Dale Steyn just behind him. With Sri Lanka hosting India in a Test series next month and South Africa playing in England around the same time, those two will be jostling for top place.

For the full rankings click here.

Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, has predicted a close contest in the three-Test series against India, while his counterpart Anil Kumble emphasised his team’s consistency in the run-up to the tour, during a press conference in Colombo to launch the series.”Every time we’ve played them, there has been some really good cricket played by both teams, who possess some good-quality players,” Jayawardene said. “I am sure that the public will have a great series to watch.””We thoroughly enjoy playing India, at home or away,” he said “It’s always been a tough challenge. There is good rivalry with our neighbours.”Jayawardene said his team’s focus was on winning the series and not on stopping Sachin Tendulkar from getting the 172 runs needed to overtake Brian Lara, who has 11,957 runs to his name, as the highest run-scorer. “I don’t think we will try that hard not to give him the record. We are going to treat Sachin in the same manner as anybody else in the Indian camp,” he said. “It will be a great milestone if he achieves it, but our focus will be on the series.He also spoke about his performances against India. “Personally I have a couple of milestones against India. I made my debut against them and also scored my first double-hundred against them. It’s a pretty good team for me to play against.”Kumble was upbeat about India’s prospects considering the players at his disposal and the team’s recent record. “The last time we played Sri Lanka in India we beat them. We are confident,” he said. “We have Zaheer Khan back in the team with his experience of bowling in subcontinental conditions, Ishant Sharma who has really progressed well as a seamer, and Harbhajan Singh is back as well.””We have a good combination and we have done pretty well in the lead up to the Test series,” he said. “In the last one year or so we have been really consistent with our performances. That’s something which we will take forward.”Kumble, who has not played in Sri Lanka since the 1993-94 tour, said the senior members of the team had experience of the conditions there. “The conditions would be pretty similar [to those in India] and the players we have in the team are all quite used to these conditions, especially the batting line-up. They are familiar with what to expect.”He also expected his team’s middle order to cope with the threat posed by Ajantha Mendis, who destroyed India in the Asia Cup earlier this month with figures of 6 for 13. ” We have the quality [to counter Mendis] … our middle order has more than 30,000 Test runs and four of them have played more than 100 Tests,” he said. “It will be challenging and I am sure our batsmen will definitely cope with that. It is something obviously we need to be on the look out for.”Meanwhile, former captain Hashan Tillakaratne has been appointed as the Sri Lankan team’s manager. He replaces Shriyan Samararatne.India play a three-day warm-up match against a Sri Lanka Board XI from July 18 to prepare for the first Test, which begins on July 23.

Hampshire recorded a comprehensive Frizzell Championship victory over Kent, with a day to spare at The Rose Bowl. It was their first championship victory over the hop county for 8 years.Paul Nixon who has often been a thorn in the Hampshire’s side held the home side up with a belligerent 77*, and on the way to saving the innings defeat and setting a target he was aided first by Ed Smith (77) and then by Min Patel.Patel was particularly harsh on Shaun Udal, his innings of 58 included a hugh six into the members new pavilion and seven well struck fours, it was to end when predictably with the second new ball Alan Mullally sent his middle stump cartwheeling. Amjad Khan also showed some resistance to the Hampshire bowlers, but with tea threatening Johnson and Mascarenhas mopped up the tail to set Hampshire “nelson” 111 for victory.Despite losing Will Kendall at 17, the target was easily obtained with John Crawley showing his class with a well struck 50, and Giles White batting at four for Smith who was nursing a bruised finger, a sprightly 27.It is interesting to note that Hampshire’s previous Championship win over Kent in 1994 contained three of the Hampshire side that played in this match (Smith, White and Udal) and two of the Kent XI (Fleming and Patel).

Glamorgan Dragons have taken another step towards the Norwich Union League Division One title with a five-wicket victory over Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Colwyn Bay.An unbroken partnership of 54 for the sixth wicket between Dragons’ skipper Steve James and young ‘keeper Mark Wallace took the home side to victory, and a two point lead over Worcestershire Royals at the top of the table. The Outlaws’ place in division one is now held by a thread.James, playing the anchor role with a determined 54 not out, and 20-year-old Wallace, came together with their side wobbling on 173-5 in pursuit of the Outlaws’ 226-7 from their 45 overs. Wallace finished unbeaten on a 32-ball 37.Earlier Ian Thomas hit a fine 64 – his second half-century in the competition this year – to ensure a good start for the Dragons. But when he fell with the score on 111, and Matthew Maynard followed shortly afterwards, the game was in the balance.However, James’ third half-century in the competition this season, and Wallace’s best effort of the year took the Dragons to victory in front of a delighted home crowd.It was a brave effort from the Outlaws. They had set a competitive total based around contributions from the experienced Darren Bicknell (51 from 72 balls) and the youth of the in-form Bilal Shafayat (48 from 52 balls) after winning the toss and deciding to bat.The control of Adrian Dale (nine overs, 3-29) was the main stumbling block for the Outlaws. His medium-pace snared three vital wickets in Bicknell, Nicky Boje and the potentially destructive Kevin Pietersen as the visitors became bogged down in the middle of their innings.Useful late hitting from Paul Franks and Stephen Randall gave the Outlaws total a boost, but the force is with the Dragons and their game against Royals next week has all the look of a title decider.

Mohammad Akram, the former Pakistan pace bowler, lifted a little of the gloom surrounding his countrymen’s efforts at Test level by producing the best figures in England’s Bradford League first division for 14 years.Akram, in his first season with Undercliffe, took all 10 wickets for 25 runs against Cleckheaton, to become the 28th top division player to claim a full house in the league’s 98-year history.Another former Pakistan international, Iqbal Sikander, was among the wickets for Leigh in the Liverpool Competition as they ended Lytham’s unbeaten start to the premier division campaign.Sikander took five for 42 from 16 overs to reduce the opposition to 82 all out en route to a six-wicket victory.

Former Australian vice-captain David Hookes has been named as Victoria’s new cricket coach at a press conference in Melbourne today.Hookes, 46, has been appointed to a two-year contract and assumes the reins as the Bushrangers’ new mentor from outgoing coach Mick O’Sullivan in the wake of a troubled season for Victorian cricket.Hookes was a late entrant into a race that had seen Jamie Siddons and Matthew Drain emerge as the favourites to assume the position but won the support of officials during a series of talks over recent weeks.”It’s a great feeling to be involved again at first-class level,” said Hookes.”I’m looking forward to working with the players in the squad to ensure that the Bushrangers are again a successful team.”I’ve been in cricket changerooms for (a total of) ten minutes since I retired ten years ago, and that was at the invitation of Greg Chappell.”(But) I felt pretty happy to put my hat in the ring … to find out where I sat in the marketplace, in cricketing terms,” he added of a decision that was also influenced by encouragement from Victorian Cricket Association (VCA) operations manager, Shaun Graf.Hookes was one of Australian interstate cricket’s most outstanding players, amassing 10,439 runs in 136 first-class matches for South Australia with a style of batting that was often marked by its aggression. He was a long-time captain of the state, held the record for being the most prolific run scorer in Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup history, and played 23 Tests and 39 one-day internationals in a career with Australia that also included a stint as then captain Allan Border’s deputy in the early 1980s.He inherits his new job at a crucial time for cricket in Victoria, and flagged a desire today to see the team adopt a far more attacking and ambitious philosophy.The Bushrangers endured a disastrous 2001-02, losing then coach John Scholes to a shock resignation on the eve of their opening match of the season and ultimately stumbling into fifth place on each of the two domestic competition tables.The retirement of captain Paul Reiffel during the season exacerbated the woes, while the omission from the Bushrangers’ senior team of Test off spinner Colin Miller added to a spectre of political in-fighting that has appeared to plague Victorian teams for much of the last decade.Against the background of widespread media criticism from within Victoria, the state’s selection panel was also restructured in the wake of the performance, with elections forcing the removal of long-time members Graf and Neil Buszard.The Bushrangers reached successive first-class finals in each of the preceding two seasons but have been unable in recent years to arrest a trend that has seen the state fail to win a title at that level since 1990-91.Hookes has no formal coaching experience, but has maintained an association with cricket in a role as a media commentator throughout the ten years that have followed his retirement.In a surprise move that shares similarities with South Australia’s decision to allow Greg Chappell to actively maintain his business interests, the VCA will permit Hookes the chance to pursue his burgeoning media career alongside his coaching commitments.

Helped by a magnificent hundred by Sohail Idrees and an equally authoritative five-wicket haul by Azhar Ali, Lahore Whites surpassed Karachi Whites by 12 runs in a thrilling high-scoring encounter at National Stadium, Karachi.Batting at number 3, the right-handed Sohail fully capitalized on an excellent 71-run opening stand between skipper Humayun Farhat (47 off 26, 6 fours, 1 six) and Salman Butt (37 off 54, 5 fours), as he hit 101 off 112 balls, which contained 7fours and one six.This good work was continued by Rizwan Aslam (61 off 84), who found a few useful boundaries in the end, taking the Lahore total to 284 for 5 in the allotted 50 overs.Karachi got off to a flier in their run-chase, reaching 97 by the 11th over. Then it was up to a fiery 86 (69 balls, 11 fours) from Saeed Bin Nasir, which took Karachi to 209 in the 39th over, requiring 78 in more than 11 overs.However, it was because of a magnificent bowling effort by leg spinner Azhar (5 for 46 in ten overs), which put the much needed breaks on Karachi’s scoring rate, with the home side losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually getting all out in the 49th over.This is the 16-year-old Azhar’s second consecutive five-wicket haul in the tournament after destroying Peshawar with 5 for 23 in the first match only two days ago.In the second match of this Pool, played at Asghar Ali Shah Stadium, Karachi, Rawalpindi handed Peshawar their second defeat in as many matches, dampening their chances of reaching the semi-final stage of the tournament.Put into bat, Rawalpindi posted a fighting 242 on the board with major contributions, apart from 37 extras, coming from Tasawar Hussain (85 balls, 1 four) and Naved Ashraf (33 off 55, 1 four).For Peshawar, Bilal Marwat, Wasim Yousufi and Ahmed Kundi bagged two wickets each for 58, 30 and 35 runs, respectively.Peshawar batsmen went in search of their target in a confident manner, getting 100 for 2 by the 21st over. However, after the departure of Javed Iqbal for a well made 50 off 59 balls, their middle order just collapsed, as Iftikhar Mahmood, the left-arm leg spinner, bowled superbly for his five wickets, giving away just 23 runs in 10 overs. Peshawar were all out in 49.3 overs for 195, thus, conceding the match by 47 runs.In the third match, played at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi, Bahawalpur earned their first win of the tournament by subduing Islamabad by a narrow margin of two wickets.Helped by a useful 70 by skipper Asif Ali Saeed, Islamabad, batting first after winning the toss, managed 230 before being all out in 48.3 overs.Imran Adil and Amjad Jam bowled well for Bahawalpur, getting three wickets each for 36 and 40, respectively.Requiring 231 for victory, Bahawalpur lost wickets at regular intervals. However, a fine 65 off 84 balls, by Amjad Jam held their innings together. He was ably supported by Mohammad Rashid and wicket keeper Inam-ul-Haq, who got 42 (65 balls) and 33 (41 balls), respectively.Peshawar skipper employed 8 bowlers in a bid to stall the flow of runs, but none could prove effective enough. Only Nisar Ahmed could have his presence felt through figures of 2 for 24. Irfan Bhatti also got two wickets, but his nine overs cost him 60 runs. Ameer Khan and Ahsar Zaidi grabbed one wicket each for 33 and 35, respectively.

Match facts

September 30, 2012
Start time 1930 (1400 GMT)With problems aplenty, no wonder MS Dhoni has greyed already•Associated Press

Big picture

There was a time when all an out-of-form Pakistan cricketer needed to do was turn up against India, and he would magically regain his touch. How India will be hoping they can do some of that when they play Pakistan in their middle Super Eight match on Sunday.Confused, low on confidence, playing as if with the weight of the world on their shoulders, India find themselves in a tight corner. Their trusted players are not performing, and some of the reserves provided by the selectors are not good enough. And for the first time there are questions around the captain’s place in the side: he strikes at 110 runs per 100 balls, has never scored a T20I fifty, and twice in India’s three last defeats he has hurt the side’s momentum, failing to score a run a ball in the latter half of the innings. One more defeat, and India won’t even have a backdoor entry left after their massive negative run-rate.India do seem to have turned the tables from the time Pakistan used to dominate this “rivalry”. Since the start of 2006, India have won 15 and lost eight internationals against Pakistan, but still trail the head-to-head 58 to 81. Pakistan, though, will be feeling good about their game after having pulled off an improbable win over South Africa. And their bowlers might not have had the best of tournaments until Friday, but they do remain a threat. They will also know from first-hand experience during the warm-up game that Indian bowlers can be bossed when put under the slightest of pumps.Pakistan have a statistic to set right, though: they have never beaten India in any 50-over or 20-over World Cup match.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

India LWWLW
Pakistan WWWLW

Watch out for

Nasir Jamshed scored a fine century the last time Pakistan played India, but was denied a win by a superlative 183 from Virat Kohli. The two are the most promising young batting talents from the respective countries, both have been batting at No. 3 so far, and hold the key to a solid innings for their side.India’s opening – whether with the bat or with the ball – is now a matter of major speculation after the Irfan Pathan experiment with the bat and the R Ashwin one with the ball. Surely Irfan has got to get the new ball if he is to be used as a bowler? And surely India must want their specialist batsmen to get most of the overs?Umar Gul may have won the previous match with the bat, but where has Gul the yorker-bowler disappeared? In 10 T20 matches this year, Gul has conceded runs at 8.4 an over, as opposed to an impressive career economy-rate of 6.88.

Team news

After the England match, Dhoni said he had problems of plenty at his hand. Less than 35 overs of cricket later, he has plenty of problems. Does he stand by his decision of keeping Virender Sehwag out and playing five bowlers? Does he look at the place of Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma in that middle order? Will Manoj Tiwary ever get to play a live game? What does he do with an under-performing Zaheer Khan? What does he do with his own form? Only one thing might be certain at this time: Piyush Chawla’s yet other, inexplicable, comeback might have ended.India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Rohit Sharma/Manoj Tiwary, 7 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Harbhajan Singh, 11 Zaheer KhanPakistan will be questioning Shahid Afridi’s utility as a bowler who bats at No. 7. He has done his bit with the ball so far. He is the only Pakistan bowler other than Saeed Ajmal to have bowled all his overs in every match so far, and has conceded runs at only 6.33 an over. That should be enough to keep his place in the XI, but his six-or-nothing batting at No. 7 will remain a cause for worry.Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt.), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Nasir Jamshed, 4 Kamran Akmal (wk), 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Umar Gul, 9 Yasir Arafat, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Raza Hasan.

Pitch and conditions

Conditions at the R Premadasa Stadium now present an interesting dilemma. The curator has now begun to leave the pitch dry, which should make you want to bat first. However, with the ever-present threat of the rain you also want to exploit the Duckworth-Lewis anomaly and avoid the wet outfield.

Stats and trivia

• Shoaib Malik loves playing India. His overall international average is 31.67 over 282 matches, but in 38 matches against India he has scored four of those nine centuries and has averaged 46.41. In an unrelated incident he has married an Indian, tennis player Sania Mirza.
• Pakistan and India have never played each other in a T20 international outside the World Twenty20.
  

  Quotes

  “For me I think Virender Sehwag can be very dangerous. I hope he’ll play the next two games. I think it won’t be easy to play the next two games without him.”
  BBC”When we play India there is lot of pressure because our people always want us to win. The same is the case in India, so there will be pressure on both teams.”