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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details6:07

Arnold: Mathews made a great declaration

Rangana Herath conjured six wickets on a day-five pitch that carried little threat and Sri Lanka hunted down 99 in a dramatic chase under the constant threat of rain and fading light. A big, dark cloud hung over the ground as Sri Lanka closed in but relented just long enough for Angelo Mathews to swat an unbeaten 25 off 13 and drag his side home with under five overs remaining. Just after Mathews tapped Junaid Khan to midwicket for a nearly suicidal, winning single, the skies opened up.Pakistan’s loss was the 12th by a side that had posted 450-plus batting first, as they tried to block their way to safety in the morning and found Herath all over them. They lost three wickets for 62 runs in 32 overs in the first session, and even though they tried being more positive after lunch, Sri Lanka pried out four more by tea. Sarfraz Ahmed counter-attacked with an unbeaten fifty but he was stranded as Herath spun out the tail to leave Sri Lanka 21 overs to get 99.Mahela Jayawardene walked out to open in his last Test innings in Galle and took Sri Lanka to 59 before the sight of the cloud made him make too much room outside leg and miss an accurate Junaid Khan yorker on 26. Kumar Sangakkara swung his way to 21 off 22 before he holed out to long-on as Sri Lanka’s desperation grew and Pakistan fretted over the falling visibility. It was left to captain Mathews to slog a couple of sixes into a wildly cheering crowd to beat the rain.Pakistan’s downfall began in the morning when their young batsmen were reluctant to score after Dhammika Prasad had ended the nightwatchman Saeed Ajmal’s resistance in the sixth over of the day. Ahmed Shehzad made 16 off 74 and was around with the equally sedate Azhar Ali for 93 balls, but the partnership fetched Pakistan merely 28. Even half-volleys were patted away regularly and the spinners were allowed to settle into their rhythms. The occasional attempts to rotate the strike were rushed and tense. Azhar stepped out at times, but went to lunch on 18 off 89.Rangana Herath picked up nine wickets in the match•AFP

Herath and Dilruwan Perera were relentless, even with no uneven bounce available and no exaggerated turn or bounce. Perera, a classical offspinner who has no doosra, used his straighter one superbly from both sides of the wicket, leaving the batsmen unsure about which ones would turn. He beat Azhar with a straighter one and Shehzad on the drive with a flighted offbreak.The batsmen started shuffling further and further across in doubt and umpire Ian Gould gave Shehzad leg-before as he missed an offbreak. Shehzad conferred with Azhar and walked back without reviewing, only to face an incredulous Moin Khan and Waqar Younis in the dressing room, as replays showed the ball would have turned past leg stump.Realising that some runs were dearly needed, Younis Khan drove Perera for four through extra cover first ball, and was way more positive in defence as well as attack than the preceding batsmen.Herath had been taken off after constantly teasing the batsmen with his flight and arm balls, and was brought back ten minutes before lunch. Younis walked out to the second delivery and smothered it. The third one he pushed forward to, playing for spin, but it was the arm ball and slipped through the gate.Misbah-ul-Haq calmly lofted Herath for a straight four off the last ball of that over. Pakistan showed more intent after lunch even as the spinners tried to target the rough outside leg. Both Azhar and Misbah resorted to sweeps, and the latter reviewed umpire Bruce Oxenford’s lbw decision successfully on 8 off Perera, replays showing the batsman had gloved the ball on to pad.A few overs later, Misbah slog-swept Perera for six over midwicket and reverse-swept the next ball for four. The partnership grew to 56, and the calming presence of Misbah seemed to have steadied Pakistan from the tremors of the morning.Sri Lanka struck twice in the space of three balls to deliver bigger jolts to Pakistan. Azhar got his second jaffa of the match from Herath that spun across to take the edge behind on the forward push. Two balls later, Misbah missed a whip off the back foot against Perera, and it was Sri Lanka’s turn to review successfully now for leg-before.Asad Shafiq failed to read Herath’s arm ball again but Sarfraz fought with aggression. Sarfraz came into the Test with a batting average of 18.58 but added fifties in each innings. His approach to spin was in sharp contrast to that of some of his batting colleagues. As the overs remaining kept dwindling, Sarfraz kept walking out, whipping, cutting, driving and sweeping Pakistan’s lead towards 100. Amid all this, he even managed to farm the strike with Mohammad Talha for a while before Herath had his way again.The previous Test between these sides in Sharjah had Pakistan chasing 302 in quick time. This wasn’t as big a pursuit, but it made up on the drama front.

ScorecardMark Stoneman made a hundred but Durham found little else with the bat•Getty Images

Mark Stoneman struck his third County Championship century of the season before lower order runs helped Durham to a decent total on day one against Sussex.Stoneman, the left-handed opener, struck 16 fours and a six in his 113 but once he fell with the total at 202 for 7, it appeared Durham would post a sub-par total after winning the toss at Chester-le-Street. But new man John Hastings contributed a gritty 51 while Paul Coughlin and Chris Rushworth put on 47 for the last wicket to lift the total to 337, with Sussex closing on 20 without loss in reply.While Steve Magoffin, moving the ball both ways, was comfortably the best Sussex bowler, he only claimed one wicket, with Lewis Hatchett taking 5 for 113. He made the early breakthrough when Keaton Jennings was caught behind, while he had Mark Richardson trapped in front after Scott Borthwick had departed for 10 to leave Durham reeling on 30 for 3.Ben Stokes showed signs of getting back to his best in reaching 32 at lunch as he and Stoneman resurrected the innings, putting on a 102-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Stoneman brought up his half-century shortly after the lunch interval with back-to-back boundaries off Steffan Piolet but Stokes was becalmed on the resumption and miscued to mid-on for 36 to give Hatchett his third wicket.Captain Paul Collingwood and Gordon Muchall fell cheaply although Stoneman profited heavily from the cut and pull when Hatchett and Piolet, included as an extra seamer at the expense of Matt Machan, were often guilty of dropping short. He moved to his century in 129 balls with a couple of runs off Piolet but was dismissed when he edged Jon Lewis to Tredwell, who took a fine catch at second slip.Durham looked to be struggling but Hastings provided the perfect example of how to capitalise after carefully playing himself in, taking 25 balls to get off the mark and 49 deliveries later he reached 50 through authentic strokeplay.Once the Australian was bowled by Lewis, it was left to Coughlin and Rushworth to take the total past 300. On his championship debut against Lancashire last week, Coughlin dominated a record ninth-wicket stand of 150 with Phil Mustard. This time he played second fiddle as Rushworth bludgeoned 32 off 18 balls before becoming Lewis Hatchett’s fifth victim after edging behind. It was the left-armer’s second five-wicket haul, four years after the first, while Lewis was a useful foil with four scalps for 66 runs.Batting looked to be easiest in the evening sunshine and Sussex openers Chris Nash and Luke Wells safely negotiated the six overs they had to face, although Rushworth posed a few problems.Stoneman, who struck 16 fours and a six in his 113, admitted the match started off tough but got easier as the ball bedded in. He said: “The first 45 minutes were probably the hardest I’ve had this season. The bowling was very accurate and there wasn’t a lot to score off. It got easier as the ball started to get softer, but they got it changed straight after lunch and the replacement was harder and bounced more.”

Stand-in skipper Rahul Dravid was relieved India managed to hold on for a three-wicket win after making heavy weather of their 202-run target in the sixth one-day international against West Indies on Thursday.India recovered after a top-order collapse early on and a middle-order slump before the 35th over to level the seven-match series 3-3.”We lost a few wickets early, then we had a good partnership and lost three more crucial wickets,” Dravid told reporters. “We certainly made it more difficult than we should have. But we got through, that’s what is important in the end.”Dravid top-scored with 58 to rescue the team from 48 for three in a 99-run stand with Yuvraj Singh, who chipped in with 54. But they fell in quick succession with the total on 147 as the West Indies got back into the game.”I would have liked us to play more professionally. Yuvraj and I should have carried on for 25-30 more runs and really sealed the game,” Dravid said. “But Bangar came through again and showed tremendous grit.”All-rounder Sanjay Bangar finished on 32, off 38 balls, to see his team through. He had scored a similar match-winning 57 to help India chase a mammoth 325 at Ahmedabad last week.Dravid, captain because Saurav Ganguly is out for the rest of the series with a back injury, heaped praise on his bowlers.”We had to bowl well after we chose to put them in and I think we did a great job to restrict them to 201,” he said.This was the first time this series, which had so far showcased exceptionally high scores, that bowlers were lauded.”It was a terrific performance by the bowlers, they really delivered the goods,” Dravid said. “The seamers put us up early and then Kartik and Bangar bowled good restrictive spells. We were having some problems in the first 15 overs in the series, but there were no signs today.”Seamer Ajit Agarkar took three for 24 and off-spinner Murali Kartik grabbed a career-best three for 36 in only his fourth one-dayer.”Murali has bowled really well in this series. Today he came good in a pressure situation and delivered the goods,” Dravid said. “He really put us on our way.”Dravid is now gunning to carry the Jodhpur momentum into the decider in the southern city of Vijaywada on Sunday.”We have a chance to win the series now,” he said. “It’s a one-off game and we’re looking forward to cash in on the confidence this win has given us.”India clinched the recent three-Test series against West Indies 2-0.

Five wickets for Shane Bond, a first Test victory in the West Indies – only the fourth time they have lost in Barbados in 39 Tests – and all with a day to spare. What a day for New Zealand cricket.The manner of the triumph makes the moment all the more satisfying, especially when remembering some of the trials previous New Zealand teams have had in trying to win in the West Indies.Players like Glenn Turner, Bevan Congdon, Bruce Taylor, Geoff Howarth, Ken Rutherford, Jeremy Coney and many others will all appreciate what a triumph this has been.The 51st Test victory by the side caps what has been a remarkable season for New Zealand.It has been a time of innovation but it has also been a demonstration of the worth of a genuine fast bowler in Bond.What a triumph also for New Zealand Cricket and their policy of taking Bond to Darwin to help him prepare in good conditions for this trip. Add in also wicket-keeper batsman Robbie Hart who played such a key hand with his first innings half-century and also Mark Richardson who scored key runs at the top of the first innings.Surely this result has allowed New Zealand cricket to shrug off some of the perceptions of their own doubting public.The criticism of New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming’s decision not to enforce the follow-on in this country defied belief.For a start, he was in Barbados, his critics were not.But it is doubtful Fleming had ever been in a more powerful position in a match. He had three days to play with and was able to call all the shots.His bowlers did exceptionally well to knock the West Indies over so cheaply in the first innings. And certainly the requirement of the bowlers had not been exceptional.However, it is worth remembering that his main strike weapon Bond was still making his first tentative steps back from a broken foot while his spinner Daniel Vettori was still on a managed work load.Surely keeping them fresher for later in the match and, more importantly, for the second Test to follow, was a far greater requirement for Fleming.For anyone to claim that if the players were not capable of bowling with a normal work load then they should not have been playing was to have ignored the last decade of Test history for New Zealand.Such criticism lives in the realm of fairyland. It is not worth pondering the thought of what might have happened had a West Indian batsman or two got settled in and worked the New Zealand bowling around. Fleming never allowed that eventuality to occur and his position was the stronger for it.And if the West Indians were as exhausted as many of them claim, then why not put them back out in the field for another day while you build a position of utmost ascendancy. Every run you score leaves them with the knowledge that they face the devil of a job to save the match.This has been a clinical and outstanding display of thinking.It is about time some of the critics of the New Zealand captain gave him his due for having become the most successful leader in the game in this country’s history and while there may be times when his field placings upset traditionalists, he has nevertheless achieved a record of significance when so often he has been denied the full strength in his attack that he would like.He isn’t the first captain not to have asked the opposition to follow-on. When New Zealand won their second Test, at Cape Town in 1961/62, John Reid decided not to ask South Africa to follow on. His position wasn’t as powerful as that of Fleming, but he knew the situation best and how his attack could best cope.This is a significant achievement in New Zealand cricket history. The first Test victory in the West Indies has been a long time coming but it completes the set of victories against every country overseas now, apart from Bangladesh where New Zealand has still to tour.

The Sport Relief Kwik Cricket Tournament 2002 and a Pay to Play cricket weekend are among the exciting events being organised by ECB in support of Sport Relief.A joint Comic Relief and BBC concept, Sport Relief is aimed at uniting theworld of sport to raise money for vulnerable children and young people, both in the UK and across the world.The campaign will culminate in a entertaining night on Saturday 13 July on BBC1 featuring sport, celebrities, entertainment, and fundraising – hosted by BBC cricket presenter Jamie Theakston alongside Gary Lineker, Ulrika Jonsson and Clare Balding.Alongside the Football Association, the Lawn Tennis Association, the RugbyFootball Union and other sports bodies, the ECB hope to raise considerable funds for the Sport Relief pot.One of the big ideas across several sports is Pay to Play, with sports men and women at every level being encouraged to pay to play their own sport.Cricketers all over the country – from England captains Nasser Hussain andClare Connor and the rest of national squads to local village players – will be asked to ‘pay to play’ the game on a nominated weekend during the summer. This is looking like being the weekend of 15/16 June, but has still to be confirmed.As a grassroots initiative the involvement of children is key to the campaign, and the Sport Relief Kwik Cricket Tournament 2002 will provide the younger cricketers with their chance to drive the funds total in the right direction.Fundraising takes place during the second round of the competition when theKwik Cricketers taking part can be sponsored for every run their team scores. As an extra incentive, the winning team will earn a 30-minute coaching session with England coach Duncan Fletcher as well as skipper Hussain.The involvement of the game’s top stars doesn’t end there, as members of both the England men’s and women’s teams will be taking part in a Celebrity Cricket Challenge in the studio on 13 July.Other events with cricket involvement include the Sport Relief MemorabiliaAuction, and the Sport Relief Competition – which offers the winner the chance to attend every major sporting event in Britain and selected events around the world in 2003.Sport Relief is encouraging the public to get active in a variety of waysranging from the very simple to the highly physical. This could be as simple as walking to work to snowboarding. The campaign is not only targeted at sport enthusiasts but also people in offices, who could organise their own sports days, stage an office Olympics or simply ‘pay to play’ to do anything active.All schools will be mailed with a Sport Relief schools pack and video, supported by Sport England, that will show how schools can fundraise, forexample by adding a fundraising dimension to their existing sports days.Children and young people around the world will benefit from every penny raised through Sport Relief. Half of it will stay here in the UK, and the other half will reach the most vulnerable children and young people in some of the poorest countries in the world. The Government’s Commonwealth Education Fund, launched in Jubilee Year, will match the international efforts of Sport Relief to improve educational opportunities in the Commonwealth.

Derbyshire CCC can today confirm that exciting left arm fast bowler, Mohammad Ali, has committed his immediate future to the Club by signing a new two year contract – keeping him at the County Ground until at least the end of season 2004. Meanwhile, left arm spinner, Lian Wharton, who bowled Derbyshire to victory in two Championship fixtures last season, has signed a one year contract."It is good to know that despite attention from other Counties, the belief has been engendered in the squad that it can go on from this years base of performances, and has encouraged promising players to stay with us. Both of these guys were part of arguably the most potent attack in the country last season, and long may that continue."

BRISBANE – Australia’s cricketers will play in Sri Lanka next month eventhough three New Zealanders have withdrawn from the Champions Trophy forsafety reasons.Craig McMillan, Matthew Horne and Brooke Walker were today left out ofthe New Zealand squad after making themselves unavailable for theInternational Cricket Council’s one-day tournament.The trio were part of the New Zealand squad which abandoned its tour ofPakistan in May when a bomb blast outside its Karachi team hotel killed14 people.”I don’t want to go into specifics and I’ve not needed counselling but… I didn’t think I was mentally ready to cope,” McMillan told NZPA.”It is only sport after all.”But the Australian Cricket Board, which cancelled its October Test tourof Pakistan last Friday, is satisfied with the security arrangements inSri Lanka.An ACB spokesman said the 14 players selected for the Champions Trophyfrom September 12-29 had not expressed any concerns about playing in SriLanka.Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Tim May said the NewZealand players would have taken a different view than the Australiansafter their Karachi experiences.”There is a clear differentiation with matters to be considered forAustralian players and New Zealand players,” May said.”They might be trying to manage a trauma of the past and, from ourperspective, we haven’t experienced any of those traumas first hand.”We have gone through an identical process for every tour where weassess security risks and we are quite satisfied with the security thatwill be offered to the players in Sri Lanka.”New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden said the Black Capswere not placed under any pressure to tour Sri Lanka.New Zealand cricket has experienced security problems in Sri Lanka, withtours in 1987 and 1992 disrupted by bomb blasts, while there was civilunrest in Colombo during the Black Caps’ latest tour last year.”It is accepted that when travelling overseas we cannot make anyabsolute guarantees about safety,” Snedden told NZPA.”When deciding whether to attend the tournament the safety of the teamwas our top priority.”We made a thorough assessment of risks to the team which includedspeaking to government agencies and a visit to Sri Lanka by team managerJeff Crowe and security adviser Reg Dickason, to speak to American,British and Australian Foreign Affairs staff and to check securityarrangements.”We have been advised that a ceasefire has been in place in Sri Lankasince February and the country is the most stable it has been for sometime.”Snedden said New Zealand Cricket accepted the decisions of McMillan,Walker and Horne.

MELBOURNE, Oct 29 AAP – Key Australian players Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting showed differing approaches today to the punishing schedule of international cricket which awaits them.While Warne’s unprecedented fitness and his outstanding form meant there was no way he would miss the Pura Cup match against Tasmania from tomorrow, Ponting will rest.Warne was super-keen to play because his friend and team-mate Darren Berry will become Victoria’s most-capped player.New Tasmanian coach Brian McFadyen said he had been hopeful Ponting would play, but the Australian Cricket Board asked for the national one-day captain to have some time off.”It’s disappointing, we’d love for Ricky to play,” McFadyen said.”We’re hopeful he’ll be available when we play Queensland between the first and second Tests.”Ponting needed surgery in June to help fix a stress fracture in his left foot.Warne, on the other hand, has regenerated his career after losing weight through a dedicated fitness regime.Australia’s top cricketers will soon start seven months of Tests and one-dayers, including the Ashes series and the World Cup.Warne was man of the series in Sri Lanka and Sharjah against Pakistan, with 27 wickets in three Tests.When asked if he had second thoughts about playing in this match, Warne replied: “Obviously when it was 53 degrees in Sharjah.”For me, I know it’s important just to keep bowling.”I think it’s up to the individual – if they want to play that’s good, if they don’t then that’s cool as well.”I don’t think it should be held against anyone.”Warne would also be anticipating a spin-friendly wicket towards the end of this match.The MCG pitch is unusually dry for this time of year and it should be a good batting track early in the match.Another obvious change will be the arena, with some of the Ponsford Stand missing.This will be the first event at the ground since redevelopment work started late last month.”You can actually see the Melbourne skyline, it’s a good little feel, a few of the boys said there should be a hill there,” Warne said.Warne will captain Victoria for the first time in three years, having regained the spot under new coach David Hookes.While delighted to be in the side when Berry sets the all-time Victorian record with 125 caps, he regrets their never having been together at Test level.”Darren Berry can pick what I bowl in my run-up – anything new, he knows exactly what I’m doing,” Warne said.”It’s probably a bit of a tragedy he’s never had the opportunity to play at higher honours.”If we didn’t have great keepers such as Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist, he probably would have played 100 Tests by now for Australia.”Teams (12th men to be named):VICTORIA: Shane Warne (capt), Jason Arnberger, Darren Berry, Will Carr, Matthew Elliott, Ian Harvey, Shane Harwood, Brad Hodge, Mathew Inness, Nick Jewell, Jon Moss, Graeme Rummans.TASMANIA: Jamie Cox (Capt), Sean Clingeleffer, Graeme Cunningham, Gerard Denton, Michael DiVenuto, Michael Dighton, Shane Jurgensen, Daniel Marsh, David Saker, Shannon Tubb, Shane Watson, Damien Wright.

The Warwickshire Cricket Board will be hosting the annual District Cricket festivals for Under 15, Under 13 and for the first time ever, Under 11 age group on 4th to 7th of June across various venues around the County.The Festivals are a fantastic spring board for talented cricketers providing a greater number of youngsters the chance to shine. The unique set-up will be watched by some of Warwickshire’s finest coaches and exceptional talent may be rewarded with a place in a County youth team.The Festivals have gone from strength to strength over the last few years, receiving accolades from the ECB and securing a sponsorship package from Listers VW. Past players who have taken part in the Festival, have even gone on to represent England, namely Moeen Munir who has been selected to represent the current Under 15 England squad. That’s not to mention several players who now appear in the Warwickshire Academy set-up and County Youth cricket.The District Schemes success is down to the vast number of capable youngsters playing club cricket in the County. Demand for a high standard of cricket has always been apparent at Under 13 and 15 age groups but research indicated that there was a bottle neck of talented Under 11 club cricketers who’s thirst for quality cricket had to be quenched. So for the first time ever the WCB host the Under 11 District Festival.Warwickshire CCC player, Dougie Brown, is a staunch supporter of the set-up and when asked if he’d of liked to play in such a festival he said “I’d have snapped your hand off! I never played ANY form of representative cricket until I played for Scotland against Australia in 1989. I was always overlooked for all age group squads so the opportunity to play at this kind of festival would have been fantastic at that time in my career.”

On a day truncated by heavy isolated showers, Hampshire made good progress in an attempt to gain revenge for the innings defeat at the Rose Bowl at the beginning of the season.Replying to Hampshire’s overnight 311 all out, Leicestershire dawdled to 44 for 4 in 37 pre-lunch overs. The first of the four to fall, Trevor Ward, edged a delivery from Alan Mullally to keeper Nic Pothas without scoring – his dismissal coming with the home side 0-1 from six overs.Stand-in skipper Iain Sutcliffe and former England batsman Darren Maddy slowly added 26 as Dimitri Mascarenhas proved virtually impossible to hit, so to Mullally.Maddy was Pothas’ second dismissal, when he snicked Chris Tremlett and Sutcliffe’s 94-ball 18, including four fours came to an end when Neil Johnson superbly snapped him up at third slip off Mascarenhas.Darren Stevens, on course to travel with the England Academy this winter, lasted just five balls before Shaun Udal ensured he joined the one-wicket each party before rain during the lunch interval brought the first of five stoppages in the day.It stunted Hampshire’s progress somewhat as Aussie import Michael Bevan and winter signing from Gloucestershire, Rob Cunliffe added 45 when play resumed at 3.20pm.Bevan was uncharastically stoic for his undefeated 29 (127 balls, four fours) as Mascarenhas, who bowled 20 overs and took 2-17 in a miserly spell of bowling that also included 13 maidens, eight of which came in succession, broke Cunliffe’s middle stump with the total at 81.The medium-fast bowler in fact conceded just seven scoring strokes from his 120 ball analysis.Neil Burns joined Bevan to see out play, via two short ten minute and a longer 45 minute stoppage to see out the day, ironically in glorious sunshine – but Leicestershire’s run-rate, which did not exceed 1½ runs per over all day, was the overriding factor of the stop-start second innings at Leicester – closing on 98 for 5 from 63 overs.They still require 64 to avoid the follow-on, and it is still possible with better weather forecast.