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Scorecard andball-by-ball details
How theywere out

South Africa duly converted their domination of Pakistan from the first day of this Test into a resounding 160-run win, a rare feat for them on the subcontinent. Dale Steyn’s third five-wicket haul in Tests was enough for South Africa as Pakistan failed to capitalise on a scintillating century by Younis Khan and lost their last five wickets for 33 runs.South Africa head into the second and final Test at Lahore, beginning on Monday, knowing they cannot now lose this series.Needing to score another 278 runs with seven wickets remaining, Pakistan were off to a good start as Younis Khan, unbeaten on 93 overnight, flicked Andre Nel over midwicket to bring up his first century against South Africa. Mohammad Asif’s dismissal soon after – gloving a sharp bouncer from Nel to short leg – prompted Younis, who was all agression yesterday, to cut down on rash strokes and concentrate more on placement. Sweeping Paul Harris and guiding Nel past the slips, he kept a decent scoring-rate while Misbah-ul-Haq struggled to score.When Jacques Kallis bowled three consecutive maidens, it looked like the match was heading for a draw. But Younis broke the shackles, and kept the game alive, by fiercely driving Kallis past mid-on.Dale Steyn’s introduction to the attack, however, caused Pakistan a major setback once again – he’d accounted for both openers on the previous day – as a delivery on the off stump shaped in slightly and barely rose above Younis’ ankles to hit the stumps as the batsman went down late. With Younis, out for 126, went Pakistan’s best hopes of winning the match. Steyn, who lacked accuracy in the first innings and managed only two wickets, bowled a much better line in the second, generating a lot of pace and movement.As Misbah and Shoaib Malik played defensively, the South African bowlers started piling on the pressure. However when Graeme Smith came into the attack to unsettle the partnership just before lunch he was hit for three boundaries in the over – Pakistan’s firstboundary for 80 balls – as both batsmen started using their feet.It was probably Pakistan’s defensive mind-frame that accounted for Misbah straight after lunch; He played a forward-defensive shot to Nel and got hit on the back leg as he missed.Kamran Akmal, after a quickfire 42 as an opener in the first innings, did not last long and became Harris’ only victim of the day. The new ball was taken straight away and as Steyn returned to dismiss Abdur Rehman prodding forward and Umar Gul driving loosely tomid-on.As Malik went after the bowling with only Danish Kaneria to partner him, it was always going to be an all-out attack and a top edge off his bat provided Makhaya Ntini his only wicket of the match as the visitors handed Pakistan only their second defeat in the 40 Tests in Karachi. A rare off game for Ntini but an excellent performance by Harris – seven wickets – and Nel – four wickets and 33 runs in the second innings – proved enough on a pitch where Pakistan bowlers, bar Rehman, failed to impress at all.

Trevor Hohns, Australia’s selection chairman through the team’s most successful period, has resigned to pursue increasing business interests. Hohns was appointed to the panel of Lawrie Sawle in 1993 and three years later was promoted to its leader as the Test and one-day teams embarked on a trip to No. 1 in the world.The retirement of Hohns’s business partner sparked the move and he said he could not combine the job with the almost-full-time selection duties. “Despite its obvious challenges, I have certainly enjoyed the role and can only hope that my contribution has in some small way assisted Australian cricket,” Hohns said. “I have been fortunate to play a part in the panel for so long and am very grateful for the opportunity.”A former legspinner who appeared in seven Tests in the late 1980s, Hohns was prepared to make – and carry out – the tough decisions and was often a target from dumped players and disappointed supporters. Responsible for ending the careers of Ian Healy and Mark Waugh before the long-term representatives felt they were ready, Hohns also delivered Steve Waugh the news his one-day captaincy was over in 2001-02. Waugh beat the selectors by setting his own Test retirement date, but most of his team-mates suffered either in consultation with Hohns or by his axe.Criticisms of Queensland bias in the selection panel, which until last year also included Allan Border, were also regular and Mark Waugh called for Hohns to walk out after the current squad to South Africa was selected. Hohns was in charge when Australia won 16 Tests in a row from 1999 to 2001 and picked the outfits that won the 1999 and 2003 World Cups. During his time on the panel Australia’s record was 35 series wins, six losses and five draws.Andrew Hilditch, David Boon and Merv Hughes are the other members on the selection panel and a Cricket Australia spokesman said a replacement was expected to be named “shortly”. Creagh O’Connor, the Cricket Australia chairman, said Hohns fulfilled one of Australian cricket’s most important roles.”The chairman draws a lot of public and media scrutiny and seldom receives the recognition it deserves,” he said. “In Trevor’s case, he has made an outstanding contribution to the role and has played a pivotal part in helping Australia remain the No. 1 Test and one-day international team in world cricket over a sustained period.”

Bermuda’s national coach Gus Logie has a threadbare squad of just 12 players at his disposal as Bermuda prepares to begin the post World Cup era against Denmark.Practically everyone that travelled to Europe this week is guaranteed a game over the next few weeks with Bermuda’s thin resources stretched to the limit. Just four of the World Cup squad – skipper Irving Romaine, new vice-captain Stephen Outerbridge, big hitter Lionel Cann and spinner Dwayne Leverock – boarded the plane on Monday night with a host of new faces being asked to fill the enormous void left by the likes of Janeiro Tucker, Clay Smith, OJ Pitcher and Kevin Hurdle.The middle order – Bermuda’s strength over the past few years – has been completely decimated. As well as Tucker, Smith and Pitcher there will be no David Hemp, no Dean Minors and no Kwame Tucker. A squad of up and coming youngsters and international novices will take their place.Ironically most of the youngsters – the likes of Edness, Robinson and Arthur Pitcher – have played for Bermuda before. It is club veterans like Roderick Masters, Dwight Basden and James Celestine who will be making their international debuts on this tour.Coach Logie admitted the team was in a rebuilding stage and said the tour would be a test of how quickly the new boys could adapt to the enormous jump in class from domestic cricket.”Any time you go out to play you play to win, but we also have to be realistic and realize that this is a rebuilding stage. We are looking at development of our younger players and exposure for certain players to a higher level of cricket. It’s about understanding what it takes to play at that level.”The opening games against Denmark are not full one-day-internationals because the Danes did not qualify for the World Cup and ODI status. But Logie expects them, along with Holland and Ireland who Bermuda face later in the tour, to be among their biggest rivals for re-qualification at the ICC Trophy 2009 in Malaysia.”We played them a few years ago and narrowly beat them, but they have grown in stature and the game has taken off a bit in Denmark. Many of their players have exposure to the English county cricket set up. They, Holland and Ireland are going to be three of our arch rivals in 2009 and we need to learn as much from this tour as we possibly can.”There will be new roles for some of the players on this tour with Lionel Cann, traditionally used as a late-order finisher, likely to be asked to become the mainstay of the batting line-up along with Romaine. “We don’t have the same depth in the middle order anymore and the chances are Lionel will be asked to bat higher up and play a more integral role. Players like Lionel and the captain Irving Romaine will need to play a central role.”The return of seamer George O’Brien gives the bowling attack an injection of pace and aggression while Jacobi Robinson, Arthur Pitcher and Ryan Steede will play a supporting role. Dwayne Leverock will again be the centre-piece of Bermuda’s bowling attack with his economical left-arm spin.Logie said the new boys had shown commitment in practice. Now it was time to see what they could do on the big stage. “This is an opportunity to assess certain players and see how they gel as a team. We can practice as much as we want but you have to think that those things we did in training can be done in game situations.”Preparation for the tour has been far from ideal with Azeem Pticher, Kevin Hurdle and Maurice Lowe all pulling out for work and personal reasons and Greg Maybury being called-up to the Under-19 qualifiers. The search for available replacements saw Robinson and Basden called up. But further back-up was not available.”We have a lot of players playing the game but for whatever reason not everybody is in line for selection for the national team.”He added that the passion for the game shown at Cup Match was not so evident when it came to the national team. “Players can want to train, want to play with passion at the local level. If that can be transferred to the national team they can reap just as good rewards.”One fillip for Logie will be the arrival of three stars from Bermuda’s Under-19 team ahead of the game against Ireland. Seamers Stefan Kelly and Malachi Jones and spinner Rodney Trott will jet in from Canada after representing the U-19s in the World Cup qualifiers. “These are the guys we are looking at to carry the flag in the near future. We want to wish them all the best in Canada where we trust they will qualify for the World Cup.”Reproduced with permission of the Bermuda Sun

Finally, some much-needed PR for Karachi and the National Stadium: including thisTest, ten of the last eleven matches here have produced results. Whatevertalk there always is of the pitch, it manages to be overshadowedeventually by producing a winner. And provided you have thebowlers, it has always been a ground given to reverse swing, an art thatalways makes for an entertaining spectacle.Old balls have regularly been made to do remarkable things amidst theconcrete surrounds of the National Stadium. India were safe at 108 for twoin 1982-83 here, before Imran Khan skittled them for 197 after tea; onlyone of his eight victims wasn’t bowled or leg-before and if Wasim Bari,’keeper that day, is to be believed, were there corners to be navigated onthe pitch, Imran would have done so.Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis didn’t much mind Karachi either, especiallyduring the 1990-91 season. New Zealand would have felt secure at 167 forthree on the first day, though by its end and the next morning, the Ws hadmade sure their total didn’t go past 196. West Indies too disintegratedtwice suddenly in their Test here later that season, both bowlers sharing15 of the 20 wickets to fall.And Karachiites still recall Waqar’s five-wicket haul in the ODI againstthe West Indies from the same tour: chasing 212 from 40 overs, DesmondHaynes and Richie Richardson had a handle on the situation with a 138-runpartnership for the second wicket. The return of Waqar, after a spankingin his first spell, brought a swift, spectacular end, 139 for one ending205 for seven.There have been more, but why does battered leather take to Karachi somuch? For such a little-understood phenomenon, answers are understandablyvague. But ex-cricketers, Wasim and Waqar among them, point first to thesea breeze that filters in from the coast roughly15km south. Drierconditions and traditionally rough outfields have always helped, ensuringthat reverse swing is always a factor at the ground.Waqar, now bowling coach, worked especially with Umar Gul and Shahid Nazirbefore the match, with a scuffed up ball, knowing it would play a part. Inhindsight, it was a handy session, for at various junctures through theTest, the old ball told. Not as extravagantly as it has been known to, butenough. On the second day, Gul winked out three top-order batsmen in 11balls, Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan castled by deliveries that swungbig and late. In essence, if the Test wasn’t decided during that period,it was set up.And for stretches of the last day, it appeared as if only some old ballmagic would sweep aside what periodically threatened to be stoutresistance, especially as clouds gathered and the light faded. It didn’twork out that way entirely thanks to Danish Kaneria – leg-spin beinganother of the ground’s old, enjoyable weaknesses – but Gul fracturing awell-set Sarwan’s foot in the morning was a moment as important as it wasunfortunate. In tandem with Nazir and Abdul Razzaq, all others weretroubled if not dismissed.It wasn’t hurled at the pace it has been known to be delivered at andneither was the parabola it cut as much a banana as it can be. Andultimately the old ball really had only Razzaq’s time-honoured tail-endremoval to show at the death. But swing it always did and the atmospherewas forever pregnant with its threat. Lara acknowledged later that this particularability was especially handy. “Gul, Nazir and even Razzaq all swung theball late. On such dry pitches and in such conditions, it is an addedadvantage to be able to do it.”Reverse swing, leg-spin, a cool sea breeze, permanently bright weather andnow 21 Pakistan wins out of 38: as advertising goes, selling points forvenues don’t get much better than that.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said it will do all it can to ensure that Shabbir Ahmed, the lanky fast bowler, has his bowling action cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC).Billy Bowden and Simon Taufel, the two umpires who officiated in the first Test between England and Pakistan at Multan, cited problems with Shabbir’s action in a detailed report submitted to the match referee after the match. It was the second time this year, and fourth overall, that Shabbir has been called for a suspect action.Abbas Zaidi, the PCB director, maintained that Shabbir had the full support of the Pakistan board. “There is no question that because his action has been reported again he will be left to fend for himself,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters. “We are considering several proposals to help him out. One of them is sending him to Australia to work with experts to remove any defects in his action on a permanent basis.”After already being reported in the West Indies in May of 2005, Shabbir was sent to England and then to Australia to work with biomechanics experts to have his action cleared by the ICC. Though permitted to resume bowling last month, Shabbir’s latest controversy may prove detrimental to the PCB. “He is an asset for the Pakistan team and we are keen to resolve this problem with his action once for all,” Zaidi commented. He added that a decision would be taken in the next few days on when and where to send Shabbir for tests and rehabilitation.Shabbir, who has played just 10 Tests and 32 one-day internationals since 1999, was dropped for the ongoing second Test against England at Faisalabad. The PCB stated that it did not wish to take any more risks with Shabbir’s career by putting him under further scrutiny by the umpires.

Nicky Boje has flown home from South Africa’s tour of the Caribbean and will miss the five-match one-day series, which starts in Jamaica on May 7, after suffering from irregular breathing during the fourth day of the final Test in Antigua.Boje, 32, did not take the field for the final four sessions of the match after being examined by a cardiologist. A media statement issued by Cricket South Africa said he had suffered a recurrence of the breathing problems he developed on the first day of the Test.South Africa’s convenor of selectors, Haroon Lorgat, who is in Antigua, confirmed that Boje would be flying home as a precaution. Boje himself was philosophical. “I wanted to be part of a winning team,” he said, “but health problems have to be sorted out.”It is the second health scare that Boje has suffered in the past six months. In December, he missed the first Test against England to undergo treatment, after a cancerous growth was discovered in his thyroid gland.Lorgat added that no replacement would be called for Boje.

Scorecard

Wellington resolved the issue of Northern Districts fighting their way back into this game by making a breakthrough in the second over of the day. James Franklin, who took his second five-wicket bag to end with match figures of 10 for 72, trapped Peter McGlashan lbw for 25. Daryl Tuffey went one run later, and the last pair added 48 runs before Graham Aldridge was dismissed by Jayesh Patel, the offspinner, for 22.Joseph Yovich, who was left not out on 57, gave his team-mates a clear demonstration of the value of application, by spending 201 minutes at the crease. No-one else managed to bat more than McGlashan’s 81 minutes. Franklin took 5 for 48 and Mark Gillespie 2 for 36.Wellington were left with a target of 159 and were never troubled, despite losing the wickets of Matthew Bell for 18 and Luke Woodcock for 27. With Stephen Fleming coming at No. 3, and in such good form at the moment, the result merely rested on how long it would take. Fleming scored 80 off 66 balls to ensure it was a merciful release for ND. Neal Parlane was with him at the end on 20.
ScorecardPut in to bat at Eden Park’s Outer Oval, Central Districts had cause for concern when they could manage only 146 runs from their top-order, with Ross Taylor’s 42 the only sizeable contribution. Fortunately, they found Jarrod Englefield ready to continue his good run of form with an unlikely partner in Ewen Thompson, the left-arm fast-medium bowler.Before this match Thompson’s best first-class score was 55 not out. However, he had his batting mojo with him on the day, and scored a sparkling 102 off 89 balls with four sixes and 14 fours. Englefield played his support, batting for 268 minutes for his own 95 in a seventh-wicket stand that netted 159 runs, six short of the record for CD against Auckland for the wicket. Englefield hit 17 boundaries in his innings.Some lower-order support from Andrew Schwass who was 25 not out at the end saw CD reach the sound position of 350. Kyle Mills took 3 for 74 and Tama Canning 3 for 84. Auckland lost Richard Jones when the score was two but got through to 20 by stumps without further loss.Otago 308 (Todd 123*, Redmond 55, Cumming 43; Cunis 5 for 78, McMillan 3 for 37) lead Canterbury 8 for 1 by 300 runs
ScorecardAnother recovery act was completed at Dunedin’s University Oval where Otago were asked to bat first after Craig McMillan, the Canterbury captain, won the toss. Craig Cumming scored 43 and Aaron Redmond hit 55 during a 135-minute stay at the crease, but they couldn’t avoid Otago sitting in the uncomfortable position of 171 for 8.One man who refused to yield was Greg Todd, who had moved to Otago from Central Districts in a bid to get more match play. He made the most of this opportunity and scored his maiden first-class century. There were some anxious moments as defensive field setting restricted him to singles as he approached three figures.The loss of his partner during a 110-run ninth-wicket stand with Warren McSkimming, who scored 30 in 127 minutes, when Todd was still two runs short of the century-mark added to the tension. James McMillan, the No. 11 batsman, had no fears however, and he turned the strike over enough for Todd to achieve his century with a straight-driven boundary.Having achieved the mark, he lifted the assault level and got to 123 before Craig McMillan, who ended with 3 for 37, broke the partnership. Todd’s 123 came off 157 balls and included two sixes and 18 fours. The best of the Canterbury bowlers was Stephen Cunis, who took 5 for 78.

Adam Griffith, Leicestershire’s Australian fast bowler, has been forced to return home due to a persistent ankle injury, the club has confirmed.Griffith, 28, was signed in June when Mohammad Asif joined up with the Pakistan squad for the tour to England.The injury to his left ankle ruled him out of the Twenty20 final earlier this month and last Thursday a specialist administered a cortisone injection and advised him to rest for two weeks.”It has compromised his whole delivery because he hasn’t been able to slam that foot down in the way he would have liked,” Leicestershire coach Tim Boon told the club’s website.He is now heading home in attempt to gain full fitness with Tasmania before the Australian season starts in October.It means that Leicestershire will finish the summer without an overseas player after the Pakistani leg-spinner Mansoor Amjad was ruled out of the rest of the season with a finger injury.It will, however, create opportunities for some of the county’s younger bowlers.”We have an opportunity to take a good look at some of the younger seam bowlers over the remaining few weeks of the season, which is not such a bad thing”, explained Boon.”With Stuart Broad away on England duty, there is an excellent chance for the likes of Ryan Cummins and Chris Liddle.””It is disappointing in some respects that Adam’s spell with us has ended this way, but a decision has been reached that he should return home and both parties are happy with that”

Inzamam-ul-Haq will lead the Asian XI against the African XI in the forthcoming Afro-Asia Cup. He has Rahul Dravid as his deputy, and a strong squad of 15 for the three one-day matches, which will be played in South Africa from August 17 to 21. “It’s a great honour for me and for my country” a delighted Inzamam told AFP.Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Anil Kumble are the other Indians in the team. Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas represent Sri Lanka while Mohammad Ashraful is the lone Bangladeshi in the team. Pakistan are well accounted for, with Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Akhtar making the cut.The team was selected by a panel appointed by the Asian Cricket Council and comprised Majid Khan (Pakistan), Ravi Shastri (India), Graeme Labrooy (Sri Lanka) and Mohammed Shafiqul Haque (Bangladesh). The African Cricket Association is yet to pick its team for the series.Asian squad Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakarra, Sanath Jayasuriya, Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Naved-ul-Hasan, Irfan Pathan, Mohammad Ashraful, Anil Kumble, Shoaib Akhtar. Reserves Marvan Atapattu, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Khaled Mashud.

Shane Watson should consider giving up bowling in a bid to resume his stalled Test career, according to his former coach John Buchanan. Watson missed Australia’s opening matches at the ICC World Twenty20 with a hamstring problem and again broke down with hamstring trouble in his first game.Sitting on the sidelines is not new to Watson. He missed the entire Ashes series with hamstring injuries, the start of the Word Cup with a calf strain and has also dealt with back and shoulder problems during his international career. Buchanan said he hoped Watson did not have to become a specialist batsman but it might be the only way to keep him on the field.”It’s an avenue he’s going to have to explore,” Buchanan told the . “You would hope it doesn’t come to that for him. Everyone is feeling for him. He’s a hard worker and does everything he can to get his body right. He’s an intense character and he’s only 26, so there are ten good years of cricket ahead of him.”Buchanan said Australia should consider using Watson as an opening batsman at Test level. Watson has expressed a strong interest in partnering Matthew Hayden at the top of the order but Phil Jaques and Chris Rogers are almost certainly ahead of him in the queue.”There’s no doubt he has the technical proficiency to open the batting at Test level,” Buchanan said. “He’s proved it in domestic cricket which, given the standard of our domestic competition, is a good barometer for Test cricket.”Opening the batting would necessarily reduce the amount of bowling, if any, he’d have to do in the Test side. From that point of view, it would be a plus and ease his workload. You couldn’t expect him to open the batting then bowl 20 overs in a day. But Shane is a talented bowler and I hope it’s a path he doesn’t have to take.”Buchanan said the regularity with which Watson would return from an injury only to break down again must erode his confidence. “He probably goes on the field hoping he’s going to get through it okay,” Buchanan said.”You don’t want to have those sort of thoughts at this level of sport. You have to have complete confidence in your fitness and your body. A big factor for him now will be how he deals with it all mentally.”