Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Rahul Dravid scored an exquisite hundred to keep India, who were given a typically blistering start by Virender Sehwag, ahead for the better part of the day, but Pakistan worked their way back in to the game with a spurt of wickets at the close. India had been coasting at 278 for 2 when Sachin Tendulkar was out for 52, and Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman followed soon after. Dravid was out for 110 in the last over of the day, and a dominant position had turned into one of just a slight advantage.There was no assistance in the Eden Gardens pitch for the bowlers. Much of thegrass that had been on a couple of days before the Test had been shaved off, and Pakistan’s bowling in the first two sessions was sometimes wayward, mostly ineffectual. The Indian batsmen were unworried and assured.The morning belonged to Virender Sehwag. Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, had said before the game: “We will not give [Sehwag] a car.” But Sehwag did get the automobile in question, as the bowlers strayed. Mohammad Sami was too full, and often wide, and struggled to find rhythm. Mohammad Khalil, brought into the side in place of the injured Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, bowled better, but Sehwag’s back-foot defence sufficed. He was never tempted into the pull, and was brutalwhen he got space on the off side.Danish Kaneria was brought on as early as the tenth over, but Sehwag read him like a favourite book. Kaneria did get Gautam Gambhir’s wicket, but was otherwise a benign force. Dravid played him with utter ease, and Pakistan sweated in vain.Shahid Afridi, brought into the side in place of Salman Butt, showed how useful the fifth bowler could be with a probing spell after lunch, in which he frustrated Sehwag out. Sehwag mistimed a heave and Inzamam-ul-Haq, not a nimble mover but a committed man, took a good catch at cover, running backwards.Tendulkar took 19 balls to open his account, but the quality of the cover-drive that got him his first runs was so outstanding that there was no question of his form. He batted solidly, and played some delicate strokes on both sides of the wicket. At 2.39pm, with an on-side dab, Tendulkar brought up his 10,000th run in Test cricket.But it was Dravid who was the star of the day. His innings was flawless. He was his usual assured self in defence, so much so that the act of bowling to him seemed an exercise in futility. His driving and cutting had both classicism and artistry, his concentration was as relentless as the sun that beat down upon the field, and as frustrating for Pakistan on a warm and humid day.Dravid added 122 with Tendulkar, who batted more and more freely as the innings went on, but the end of the partnership brought on a mini-collapse. First Tendulkar was out, caught behind after chasing a wide ball from Afridi. Then Sourav Ganguly, after scratching around unconvincingly, flashed at a good-length ball outside the off stump and was caught behind. VVS Laxman was leg-before first ball, and Pakistan had fought back.Afridi chuffed in like a fast bowler, Razzaq and Sami bent their backs, but it was Kaneria who had the last word of the day, drawing Dravid forward and inducing an edge with a legspinner. As at Mohali, Pakistan had begun badly but recovered well. Here, though, they had come back on the first day itself. What would happen on the second?How they were out
Tried to sweep and was rapped on the front foot by an overpitched googly. Fair decision. Went for a mighty heave, mishit the ball, and was caught by Inzamam-ul-Haq, running backwards from cover. Chaseda wide legspinner, bottom-edged to the keeper. Flashedat a good-length ball outside off, caught behind Played down thewrong line to an inswinger Playedforward and edged a legbreak

A report in the Sunday News claims that Pommie Mbangwa has retired from playing and coaching to concentrate on his career as a commentator. It is expected that he will sign a new deal with South African broadcaster Supersport.Ahmet Esat, chairman of the Matabeleland Cricket Association, confirmed that Mbangwa resigned as Matabeleland’s provincial coach last week and added that he was already in South Africa."Obviously, we are disappointed as a board that he has left at such short notice," Esat told the newspaper. "There weren’t even signs that he would quit and it has derailed our provincial’s side preparations for the Logan Cup. It is late to appoint someone."Mbangwa had been criticised in some quarters for his commitment to his coaching role as his increasing commentary duties had meant that he was increasingly absent. "There were worries on his commitment to his job as Matabeleland coach as he spent most of the time outside the country," Esat explained. "We actually wanted to discuss the issue with him but he resigned."Mbangwa played 15 Tests between 1996 and 2000, taking 32 wickets, and also made 29 ODI appearances where his 11 wickets cost 103 each. His form of late in domestic matches had been very ordinary.

Wellington 235 (Parlane 74, Adams 5-39) and 111 for 4(Woodcock 41*, Parlane 5*) lead Auckland 325 (Canning 106, Nicol 75, Cachopa 69, Gillespie 6-81) by 21 runs
Scorecard

An impressive allround display from Tana Canning gave Auckland control of the State Championship at Eden Park in Auckland, as Wellington closed the third day holding a slender lead of 21 with six wickets remaining. Canning’s first major contribution was to carve out a vital century – and a sixth wicket partnership of 125 with Carl Cachopa – after Auckland and been stuttering at 173 for five late on the second day.Canning faced 274 balls before becoming one of Mark Gillespie’s six wickets, as the Wellington seamer ran through the tail – Auckland losing their last five wickets for 27 runs – to restrict them to a first-innings lead of 90. Carl Cachopa notched up his maiden first-class half-century and proved the perfect foil for Canning.Keith Walmsley claimed an early wicket as Wellington set about trying to erase the deficit, having Matthew Bell caught by Richard Jones. But Luke Woodward and Michael Parlane were edging Wellington closer to a lead, when Canning took centre stage again. He trapped Parlane lbw and then had Samuel Fairley caught behind, and a further strike by the legspinner Brooke Walker left Wellington with plenty of work to do to set a competitive target.

Joey Carew, the convenor of West Indies’ selectors, has paid tribute to their former wicketkeeper, Ridley Jacobs, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket.Jacobs, now aged 37, was a sprightly 31 when he made his Test debut for West Indies in 1998-99, two years after his first one-dayer, and went on to play in 65 Tests and 147 limited-over internationals. Only Jeff Dujon, among West Indian wicketkeepers, has played more in both forms of the game.His first experience of Test cricket was a 5-0 whitewash in South Africa, but Jacobs withstood the barrage better than any of his colleagues, and was more or less a permanent fixture for the next six seasons, until a chronic knee injury began to limit his effectiveness.”It would be remiss of me if I did not place on record the profound appreciation various selection committees have had over the years for the commitment to West Indies cricket and grit he always showed,” said Carew, as West Indies prepared to play for pride in the fourth and final Test against South Africa in Antigua.”I can only hope and pray that some percentage of that kind of commitment, discipline and dedication to the game would be emulated by present and future cricketers in the region.”

Syed Mushtaq Ali, one of Indian’s early cavaliers and the first Indian batsman to score a Test century away from home, in 1936 at Old Trafford, has died in his sleep early this morning. Ali, 90, who was the oldest living Indian cricketer, is survived by two sons and two daughters.Ali, born on December 17, 1914 in Indore, began his Test career as a left-arm spinner against Douglas Jardine’s English team at Eden Gardens in 1933-34, but quickly made his mark as a dashing batsman with little regard for the reputation of bowlers.Although he batted at No.7 in his first Test, he was promoted to open the innings with Naoomal Jeoomal. But his definitive match came three years later when he set Old Trafford alight with a hundred scored in just under a session. He put on 190 with Vijay Merchant in the last session of the second day against a bowling attack that comprised Gubby Allen, Alf Gover, Walter Hammond and Hedley Verity. This hundred was voted as 18th in the list of all-time greatest hundreds by cricketers and cricket writers in a poll conducted by Wisden Asia Cricket last December.

His batting style was unorthodox and he was never afraid of using his feet. During the Old Trafford innings, he repeatedly stepped out against the quick bowlers to upset their rhythm. He opened with Merchant ten years later in England and they put on 124 at Old Trafford and 94 at The Oval. Their association lasted just four Tests and seven innings but they averaged 83.4 as an opening pair.But cricket administrators were not kind to him and he was overlooked for the subsequent tour to Australia, for which he made himself available after initially withdrawing because of his brother’s death. He came back strongly in the next season, making 54 and 106 against the West Indies at Eden Gardens. But he played only one more Test, against England at home.Ali also played 226 first-class games where he managed to score more than 13000 runs and picked up 162 wickets with his left-arm spin. He was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian government for his contribution to cricket in 1964. His son and grandson – Gulrez Ali and Abbas Ali – also played first-class cricket, and created a unique distinction of three generations of Indian cricketers playing first-class cricket.

Not so long ago, it wasn’t unusual to find international cricketers still playing as they neared 40, and in several instances well into their forties. Less than a decade ago, Graham Gooch was still England’s No. 1 opener at the age of 41, and last month Alec Stewart played his last match as England’s first-choice keeper at 40.But top-flight cricket is increasingly seen as a young man’s game – well, at least it is by selectors. Whereas the early thirties used to be viewed as being near a player’s peak (often later for spin bowlers), now they are almost on the scrapheap when they turn 30.Against that backdrop, Darren Lehmann admitted to reporters that he feared that by missing the second Test against Zimbabwe and the forthcoming one-day series in India because of an Achilles tendon injury, he might be considered too old to persevere with by the selectors. Lehmann is 33.He had hoped to play in the Test – he admitted that he was not up to the demands of a one-day match – before an MRI scan revealed that he had a tear in the tendon that he risked rupturing were he to put any stress on it. “As the doctor said, if it did rupture that is probably it,” Lehmann shrugged. “No play again.” He now faces six weeks in a plastic boot and an enforced lay-off until the end of November.It is perhaps ironic for a man with no reputation as a keep-fit fanatic that Lehmann’s injury came not on the cricket field but on the running track. “I just had too much exercise for my frame,” he admitted. “I should’ve stayed how I was for the last 15 years instead of doing the right thing for a change.” The pressure to maintain fitness increases with each birthday.Lehmann’s form of late has been excellent, with three centuries in his last six Tests, but he is aware that the vultures are circling in the form of talented – and crucially younger – batsmen. Martin Love, who was dropped recently following the return of Damien Martyn, is 29 and highly rated. Michael Clarke is 22 and ever more highly regarded. Lehmann is a worried man. “Yeah, you would be, too,” he said. “I’m 33 and I’m not getting younger.”All Lehmann can do is hobble round and wait. If one of his replacements plays well, then it will be increasingly hard for him to force his way back into the side, especially when the team contains Steve Waugh, another geriatric who is subjected to endless questions about his age and appetite for the game as if anyone over 35 had no right to be walking, let alone playing sport.”Obviously things had been going really well over the last two years and now it’s back to square one,” Lehmann said. The reality is that it could be worse than just being back to square one.

Certain Indian players are reportedly unhappy with the terms of the central contracts offered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and could put off signing them until a clause relating to personal endorsements is removed.According to a report in , the players do not want to disclose their personal endorsement and sponsorship details to the board. The BCCI has inserted a clause in the contracts which requires them to do so, and most players are said to be unwillingly to go along.SK Nair, the board secretary, said that the contracts had been mailed to the cricketers, but the general opinion is that they would sign only once the clause pertaining to personal endorsements was removed. There were other areas of conflict too, but none as serious as this.Some players were said to be unhappy about squad members being paid only 50 percent of what those on the field would be. They had asked for 70 percent, but the board had insisted that the bench-strength would only be paid half as much. The players had also asked for 20 to be offered central contracts. So far, the BCCI have only considered 17, though they haven’t ruled out the possibility of more players being added to the list.Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain, didn’t attend the meeting which was held to discuss the awarding of the central contracts last Sunday. It’s believed that Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, who were central to the initial negotiations, also declined to attend.The Khaleej Times suggests that Nair was among those not inclined to offer a grade A contract to Kumble, but Syed Kirmani, the chairman of the selection panel, pushed it through after Jagmohan Dalmiya also insisted that Kumble be rewarded for his services to the game in India.

A teasing spell of left-arm spin from Rangana Herath broke Pakistan’s attempts at resistance as Sri Lanka recorded a thumping 201-run win and went one-up in the series at Faisalabad. This was Sri Lanka’s 11th Test win overseas, and staggeringly their sixth in Pakistan, and the victory extended their fabulous record of being undefeated in a series here for nearly 15 years.Herath picked up four of the six wickets to fall this morning and had all the batsmen in a tizzy with his canny variations. He slipped in the arm ball occasionally, but the real surprise weapon was the one that was bowled almost completely with the thrust of the middle finger. The ball carried on straight after pitching and hurried on with extra zip. All three were delivered with similar actions, with smart use of crease-width and change in pace.Yousuf Youhana and Shoaib Malik survived the first hour with some dogged methods. Both were tested by a short and pacy spell by Dilhara Fernando when he slipped in some well-directed bouncers that had them weaving and ducking. Both consistently left balls outside off stump and Malik drove confidently when the ball was in the slot. Pakistan had hung on for a draw in the last Test match that they had played at Faisalabad, against South Africa last year, and hopes of a repeat were gradually building.But Herath broke the resistance. Throughout his innings Youhana had been uncertain while facing Herath’s arm ball, and was lucky not to be given out when he was foxed by one and caught at short leg last evening. He survived two very close shouts for lbw this morning – both balls carried on with the arm – and was never completely sure of whether to play forward or back. He was dismissed shortly after the drinks break when he played forward to one that didn’t turn and Steve Bucknor upheld the appeal after a long pause (154 for 5).Abdul Razzaq fell to an identical delivery for a golden duck and Chaminda Vaas removed Moin Khan, who hung his bat outside off stump and nicked one to the wicketkeeper, in the next over (159 for 7). Mohammad Sami hung on for 32 balls and supported Malik in his obdurate ways but his run-out after lunch, the fifth of the game, signalled the fall of the last line of defence.The two Shoaibs then regaled the holiday crowd with a spell of aggressive hitting before Malik popped back a return catch to Herath, when he tried to turn one to the on side to steal a single off the last ball of an over. Herath sealed the issue soon after, getting Shoaib Akhtar stumped, and ended with 4 for 64, his best figures in Test cricket.Pakistan’s batting will be an area of serious concern when they begin their preparations for the second Test at Karachi. None of the batsmen appeared to have recovered from the one-day hangover, and they threw it away without a fight in both innings. Shoaib and Sami were lethal in the first innings but all the bowlers suffered the second time around when Sanath Jayasuriya batted as if in a trance.Sri Lanka came back after being behind for nearly one-and-a-half days and the century from Thilan Samaraweera was a crucial component in the win, barring which Sri Lanka could have been easily rolled over for a meagre total. Dilhara Fernando’s spell on the second afternoon, when he attacked and contained at the same time, was also vital in keeping Sri Lanka afloat. Jayasuriya then sizzled under the Faisalabad sun and it was a matter of time before the champagne was fizzed.