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Former USA player and Under-19 coach Reggie Benjamin has accepted a coaching and development role with the Bahamas. Benjamin will oversee all youth development in the Bahamas in addition to coaching duties beginning this week.”I expect to see the senior nationals and the Under-19 team performing much better abroad because we hope that besides doing the youth that he’ll bring some professional level of coaching to the senior and the Under-19 teams,” Bahamas Cricket Manager, Greg Taylor Sr., told ESPNcricinfo on Friday.The 50-year-old Benjamin had been splitting time between southern California and his native Antigua. He was the highest certified coach living in the United States with an ECB Level Three certificate but is excited to have a fresh opportunity and be able to implement a vision for developing a sustainable pipeline of local talent within the Bahamas.”[Bahamas] can see progress for the future instead of just depending on and hope somebody from Guyana comes, lives there long enough and can play for the team,” Benjamin said, making reference to his disappointment with USA’s lack of commitment to a proper development program. “It’s just not going to work that way for very much longer. I get to basically apply a true development program and coach players from all aspects of the game, from the physical, mental, lifestyle, everything. That’s one aspect that I’m truly excited about.”No team is going to survive depending on expats to come and a lot of America’s teams will face that problem eventually. You have to develop your talent.”Benjamin served as head coach for the USA Under-19 team in 2003 and most recently as an assistant coach with the USA U-19 team that went to the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. He also served as head coach for South West Region teams at USACA tournaments and had a solid career playing for the United States as a fast bowler, competing in three ICC Trophy events for USA’s senior team in 1990, 1994 and 1997.While Benjamin’s departure is a blow to the talent he coached in the southern California area and across the USA, he hopes to use his connections in America to create a mutually beneficial relationship between USA and the Bahamas. The first part of that is getting more consistent fixtures, something he feels will aid development as both countries suffer from not playing enough matches at an elite level.”We can’t depend on the ICC to do one or two tournaments a year and call that development. That’s not development,” Benjamin said. Bahamas were relegated from ICC Americas Division One after finishing at the bottom of the tournament in Bermuda last May and June. In November, the Bahamas finished last in the eight-team ICC World Cricket League Division Eight tournament in Kuwait.In early April, the Bahamas competed in the ICC Americas Division Two Twenty20 championship, where they finished in fifth place. They have no more international fixtures scheduled at the senior level until at least 2012. Benjamin says that in order to help reverse the downward trend, more opportunities are needed to play.”You have to have more competition in order for players to get better,” Benjamin said. “It doesn’t make any sense that Bahamas will play the US one time every two years or play Canada.” Because the Bahamas are only an hour’s flight away from south Florida, Benjamin hopes more effort will be made into facilitating an on-field relationship between the countries.”We have to look into the possibility that Bahamas can play the US at senior level maybe three or four times a year, junior level about the same because we’re that close,” Benjamin said. “We’re not going to get better with this one tournament a year. It’s just not gonna happen. I know finance is an issue, but with proper planning and sponsorship it can be done.”Benjamin is eager to start working with the Bahamas and believes that his focus on youth will lead to success at the senior level as well as overall development in the country.”I have a few players, but one player that I know is a very dangerous player, Marc Taylor, a left handed opening bat,” Benjamin said. “The team that I’m building is a young based team, a real young, energetic team. They’re gonna learn fast, they’re gonna learn correctly.”

Sri Lanka Cricket will ask fast bowler Lasith Malinga to return from the IPL and undergo a rehabilitation programme after he made himself unavailable for the upcoming Test series in England. Malinga had stated that he is suffering from an injury, but continues to play for Mumbai Indians in the Twenty20 tournament. Malinga did not figure in the Sri Lanka squad of 16 players named for the three-Test series against England starting on May 26 in Cardiff.”It looks a bit awkward when someone says he is injured and continues to play cricket,” Sri Lanka’s new chairman of selectors Duleep Mendis said. “That is the reason why we have decided to write to Malinga and ask him to return home and undergo a rehabilitation programme. Malinga has specifically mentioned in a letter that he is not available for Test matches right now because he has a nagging knee problem.”When the player says that he is injured and he has to undergo a rehab programme what we can do is to tell him to undergo it immediately without continuing to play cricket in the IPL, and then get ready for cricket in Sri Lanka if he is interested in playing for his country.”Mendis said they would have to wait and see what Malinga’s response was before deciding on the next course of action.Nishantha Ranatunga, the SLC secretary, also expressed concerns over Malinga’s absence from the Test team. “We are very much concerned about Malinga because he is an important product in the team,” Ranatunga said. “He should be up and running to play in all three formats of the game. In that sense getting him fit and ready to play at full strength is very important.”Malinga has shown a reluctance to play Test cricket since he sustained a long-term knee injury more than two years ago. Since December 2007, he has played only two Tests – against India at home last year – and has confined himself to playing in limited overs and Twenty20 cricket, where he has been very successful. He has, however, not officially stated that he is unavailable to play Test cricket for Sri Lanka.

Gary Kirsten, former South Africa opening batsman and India coach, believes that South Africa’s early World Cup exit was caused by their fragile middle order. South Africa crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals after a 49-run defeat to New Zealand. They failed to chase 222, after losing eight wickets for 64 runs.”The most important thing in those games is to have an experienced middle order,” Kirsten said in Mumbai, where his stint as India coach ended with World Cup victory. “I just felt that they fell short in the middle order in this World Cup.”South Africa’s middle and lower middle order regularly consisted of JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis and Robin Peterson who collectively scored 426 runs in 21 innings at the tournament. Together, they have played just 135 ODIs. Morne van Wyk and Johan Botha were also used, but neither were able to firm up what became known as a soft middle order.Daniel Vettori admitted that New Zealand thought that if they could get South Africa’s top four of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers out, they could exert pressure on a frail middle order. Former South Africa coach Mickey Arthur also blamed the middle order for the team’s exit and said that the chokers tag still affects them and will only leave them when they win an ICC event.Kirsten also thinks the term “chokers” had a negative effect on the team, although like outgoing coach Corrie van Zyl, he blamed the media for perpetuating the word. “It’s tough what they are going through. You guys [the media] really spin it big that they are chokers. It is not a nice word to be labelled. I understand opposition media using it to their advantage but the worry is when the South African media put it out there.”Having played in three World Cups for South Africa, including the 1999 event where the term chokers was coined, Kirsten feels a certain empathy for the what the current crop of players are going through. “I think [Graeme] Smith said after the game that they lost that ,’We do not know [what goes wrong], we are trying our best and we doing what we can. We want to get over this but we don’t know how.’ Please understand it’s not easy. I feel sad for them.”Despite their recent troubles Kirsten has no doubt about the quality of the South African side. “They are a great cricket team and they will continue to be.” Kirsten played 101 Tests and 185 ODIs for South Africa and is widely considered to be among the favourites for the position of head coach, which van Zyl vacated at the end of the tournament. South Africa are set to announce their shortlist of six names for the position in the next few days.

If cricket was as big as international football is in the Netherlands, Ryan ten Doeschate may be remembered the same way Ryan Giggs is – a stand-out talent in a team that was always trying to punch above their weight.ten Doeschate’s hundred and 2 for 47 in the match against England are the only things people want to talk to the team about, as though the other 14 members of the squad don’t exist, or if they do, they are mere minions and he is the Raja. For now, that’s exactly what he is, being the current owner of the highest career batting average, 71. 21, and acts as the mascot for Dutch cricket. With him, the team must feel like anything is possible and Peter Borren said they are wary of being “too reliant” on him.”Ryan’s not going to score a hundred in every game of this World Cup, although it would be great if he did, but it’s a big ask,” Borren said. “We hope he does it every game, as I say, but if he doesn’t we need someone to step up.”Tom Cooper came the closest to making that leap in the match against England and was part of the highest partnership of the innings – a 78-run third wicket stand with ten Doeschate. Cooper, who is from Australia, has an ODI average 63.60 and had scored three half-centuries and century in his first five ODIs. Most of his successes have come against associate opposition but having spent time on the Australian domestic circuit, his skills against players from bigger nations have been tested.It’s players like Cooper and Alex Kervezee, who like ten Doeschate was born in South Africa, that Borren was referring too when he that “the potential in our team for other guys to make big scores as well,” exists. He understands that ten Doeschate will be the fulcrum around which the rest will rotate and hopes that he will fulfil the “anchor role” again.Batting is the strength on which the Dutch are riding on, after they piled on the runs against England, may want to have the first knock against the West Indies, irrespective of conditions. “We batted first in the last game and got 290-odd and if we could do that again it wouldn’t be a bad option,” Borren said.It will mean fielding under lights in Delhi, which will present a different challenge to the team than the one they faced in their first game. “In Nagpur the dew wasn’t a factor, but we trained here last night and there is a bit of dew here in Delhi in the evening.”With all the focus on their own game, it may seem as though Netherlands have spared few thoughts for their opposition, West Indies. Borren discussed them on Saturday saying that his team knows the West Indies have “two or three of the most dangerous players in the world,” at their disposal, and even without Dwayne Bravo they have “players who can do the job.”

A crane sits atop Cricket Australia’s head office in Melbourne, and scaffolding surrounds the building. It’s somehow fitting that after the Ashes debacle, even the physical structure of the organisation is being reviewed, along with the internal workings. More pressing are the modifications to Australia’s one-day team, which is still being assembled four days from the naming of the World Cup squad.On Sunday at the MCG, several men will have 100 overs to prove they should be part of the World Cup defence. It’s hard to fathom that after four years of preparation, the selectors could be so undecided that one match could influence their decisions. But Andrew Hilditch said as much when he named the 14-man squad for this game against England, the first in a seven-match series.What have the selectors been doing for the past year if not finetuning their one-day side for the World Cup? David Hussey hasn’t played ODI cricket in 15 months, but has suddenly been thrust in for one game and told that he could earn a World Cup place. If the selectors didn’t want him for the 50-over tour of India in October, why is he considered now, when his domestic one-day form is poor? And what of Callum Ferguson and Shaun Marsh, who appeared to be groomed for this world event?There are even more questions over the make-up of the attack Australia will take to the subcontinent. Brett Lee is back from injury and fighting for a place, Shaun Tait is in with a shot, and together with Mitchell Johnson they could form a fearsome, but potentially expensive, pace trio at the World Cup. That leaves Australia’s defensive bowling options thin, but the stand-in captain Michael Clarke believes the mix can work.”I definitely think you could get the overs out of your spinners, Watto [Shane Watson] and your part-timers,” Clarke said in Melbourne ahead of the first ODI against England. “Dave Hussey adds to our bowling as well, bowling his part-time off-spin. I certainly see those three guys [Tait, Johnson and Lee] as quite attacking wicket-taking bowlers.”As you saw last night, Mitchell, Brett and Shaun, when they’re bowling well they can also dry the runs up, especially once the ball gets a little bit older. If you get any sort of reverse-swing with a bit of protection for the guys, they can also do that role of bowling pretty fast and straight and dry the runs up. Any time the ball is coming over 140kph or 150kph at you, it’s hard to start against.”The job of tying up an end has often been filled over the past year by the medium-pacer James Hopes, the seamer Clint McKay or the offspinner Nathan Hauritz. But for some reason, Hopes appears to be out of favour and will battle to win a World Cup spot, despite having played 17 ODIs over the past year. McKay is injured and Hauritz is competing with Xavier Doherty, although there is a slim chance both spinners could make the 15-man squad.It was also odd that the selectors bothered choosing 14 men for Sunday’s game against England, especially when all along they were intending to leave Hauritz out. Hussey, Lee, Tait and Doherty need to play to press their claims, meaning that Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle will have to rest. Rarely have individual performances mattered more in a single game.”I don’t think it will compromise my captaincy or the team’s performance as such,” Clarke said. “We’ve got a squad here, we’ve got one game tomorrow. It’s the last opportunity for players to be looked at before the World Cup selection. That will play a part in selection for this game. But our goal is to win every game we play and to definitely win this series.”The squad for the remaining six games will be chosen after the opening match, and it will almost certainly be the World Cup group minus Ricky Ponting, who is recovering from surgery on his finger. Along with Ponting, Tim Paine is likely to make the World Cup squad, meaning at least one man in the 14-strong group for the first ODI will be axed.By Wednesday, construction of the World Cup side will be finished. But the work at Cricket Australia headquarters is only just beginning.

Tamil Nadu v Haryana at Rohtak

This could be a tricky encounter. If you haven’t followed this season, Tamil Nadu, with its better history in Ranji Trophy, might seem to be overwhelming favourites but it is likely to be a well-fought game. For starters, it’s a home game for Haryana and the pitch will be seamer-friendly. Tamil Nadu have not played on such tracks this season while Haryana have spent their entire time on similar pitches. L Balaji is the only Tamil Nadu seamer who has taken ten wickets and they have depended on the spin twins R Ashwin and Aushik Srinivas. “The ball will move around and our seamers, led by Joginder Singh, are in form,” Ashwini Kumar, the Haryana coach, said. “It should be a very interesting game. Both teams have a few big players; they have been in couple of finals this decade while we have re-entered Super League last year but the conditions and our present form gives us confidence.” One of the chief concerns for Tamil Nadu is the form of their captain Dinesh Karthik who has made only 115 runs from seven games. Much will depend on how the in-form batsmen S Badrinath (734 runs) and Abhinav Mukund (539) perform.

Railways v Baroda at Vadodara

After five rounds, if you would have asked Baroda coach Mukesh Narula who his quarter-final opponents would be, Railways would have been the last name on his mind. Yet, now they face the Sanjay Bangar-led side that has orchestrated the great escape, winning its last two games outright to storm into the knockouts from sixth position in Group A. The momentum is certainly with the visitors, but a Baroda team that has won three games by an innings this season will prove to be strong opponents on home turf. While former India allrounder JP Yadav has had a fairytale comeback from the ICL, leading the wicket charts with 30 victims, 20-year old Baroda left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt is only one wicket behind Yadav. Ambati Rayudu and veteran Connor Williams have led the batting effort for Baroda, while Railways have been bolstered by the ever-present Bangar. The presence of Yusuf Pathan and Munaf Patel gives Baroda the upper hand.Yadav has bowled marathon spells with his seamers, but Narula reckoned it would be tough bowling long and tight spells on a ground where the outfield is quick, and batsmen can take you for runs. Abhay Sharma, the Railways coach, said the wicket looked hard, but there was not much grass on it. “It will definitely move around in the first session,” Abhay said. Railways certainly won’t be going in with three spinners as they did for their previous game against Bengal. Murali Kartik had a slight niggle, but would be playing, Abhay said. “It should be a pretty even match, but we have the home advantage,” Narula said.

Karnataka v Madhya Pradesh at Indore

It’s another game where the seamers are expected to play a big role. Bundela, Madhya Pradesh’s captain, believes that Karnataka will start as favourites but it won’t be a one-sided encounter. It could get particularly interesting if MP win the toss and bowl first. Karnataka’s top order has been a bit brittle against the moving ball this season and more often than not, the lower order have bailed them out in the first innings. “Our top order is a concern but they were up against seaming conditions,” Sanath Kumar, Karnataka’s coach said. “It’s not as if they are in bad form; they scored heavily in the second innings of the last game.” Karnataka has an incisive seam attack in Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, and S Aravind and Sunil Joshi’s hunger for wickets hasn’t satiated yet. You get the feeling that Karnataka has enough arsenal to see this one through.

Mumbai v Rajasthan at Jaipur

On paper it should be a no contest. Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy 39 times while Rajasthan, who have had a memorable run this year, were placed at the bottom of the Plate league last season. Mumbai have a well-balanced team: They have in-form batsmen in Wasim Jaffer, Rohit Sharma, and Ajinkya Rahane and a seasoned bowling attack in Ramesh Powar, Ajit Agarkar, and Dhawal Kulkarni. Iqbal Abdulla, the young left-arm spinner, has grabbed 25 wickets and scored 376 runs. Rajasthan have to play out of their skins to trouble Mumbai. “You don’t even want to entertain the thought of losing,” Aakash Chopra, who hit a triple hundred in the last game to propel Rajasthan into the knockouts, said. Rajasthan’s batting is pretty solid: apart from the three experienced professionals, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Rashmi Parida, and Chopra, they have Vineet Saxena, Robin Bist and Vaibhav Deshpande. The bowling too has impressed this season. “Deepak Chahar (30 wickets) and Pankaj Singh (33) have taken more wickets than any other bowler in the country, even including the Super League, “says Chopra. There is a sprinkling of grass on the pitch and Chopra reckons there will be some help to the seamers initially.

Group A

Sourav Ganguly’s much-anticipated return to first-class cricket was an anticlimax as he scored just 13•AFP

It was a low-scoring first day in the last round of Ranji Trophy matches, as several teams prepared result-oriented wickets in search of victories that could take them through to the quarter-finals.Twelve wickets fell in the crucial game between top-side Mumbai and third-placed Delhi on a pitch that was offering the seamers some assistance at the Roshanara Club Ground in Delhi. The hosts hold a slight edge after dismissing Mumbai for 267 after they had elected to bat. Delhi lost some of the advantage when they came out to bat, with seamer Ajit Agarkar striking two blows for Mumbai to leave Delhi at 47 for 2. Virat Kohli, who missed the last three of Delhi’s games because he was playing for India against New Zealand, was bowled by one that kept low from Agarkar and at that stage Delhi were 28 for 2. Shikhar Dhawan and captain Mithun Manhas were unbeaten at stumps. Delhi need a win to ensure qualification for the next round, while three points will give them a chance, provided other results go their way.Seamers Sumit Narwal, who took nine wickets in Delhi’s last match against Railways, and Pradeep Sangwan, did the damage for the hosts, taking four wickets each. Narwal got the first breakthrough, bowling Mumbai wicketkeeper Onkar Gurav in the third over of the match. Later, Narwal credited Manoj Prabhakar and Sanjeev Sharma for fine-tuning his bowling. “They have been talking to all of us how to read the batsmen, how to analyse a game, passing off their knowledge and helping us with our technique at the same time,” Narwal told .Seamer Parvinder Awana chipped in with a couple of wickets to reduce Mumbai to 47 for 3. Captain Wasim Jaffer and Rohit Sharma both got starts in the middle-order, but Suryakumar Yadav was the only Mumbai batsman to reach a half-century. His 73 off 89 balls and some useful runs from Agarkar and left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla were the reasons Mumbai managed to go past 250. Yadav, however, was disappointed not to reach his hundred. “It is disappointing to get out when you are almost close to the three figure mark,” Yadav said. “I was trying to guide the ball for a single but it ballooned into the hands of Kohli. I would have been happier if I had got a hundred on debut.”

Bengal only managed 201 in their first innings against Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi, but it may turn out to be a decent score given that the wicket was already behaving unpredictably on the first day. Both teams knew the wicket was going to turn and keep low, so it was no surprise that Bengal elected to bat first.Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, was playing his first Ranji Trophy match of the season, and he came in at a crucial juncture with Bengal at 109 for 3. He looked uncomfortable, barely moving his feet during the 43 minutes he spent at the wicket, and eventually inside-edged one that kept low from seamer Anureet Singh onto his stumps.While Railways spinners managed to get some assistance from the wicket, it was poor shot selection that was the main cause of Bengal’s low total. Captain Manoj Tiwary got his eye in and was looking comfortable on 42 when he tried to smash left-arm spinner Nileshkumar Chauhan down the ground, against the spin. He ended up holing out to mid-on to leave Bengal at 160 for 6. It was a similar story for opener Aridnam Das, who was set on 21 when he was caught at short fine leg attempting a slog sweep off left-arm spinner Murali Kartik. Wicketkeeper Gitimoy Basu was the only batsman to build on a start, reaching 58. Kartik ended up with two wickets for Railways while Anureet took three.Bengal will hope the pitch deteriorates further as the match goes on, since Railways will have to bat last. Both sides still have a chance of making the quarter-finals, and are separated by just one point in a very tight Group A table.

The Chennai weather continued to be the biggest obstacle to Tamil Nadu’s passage to the next phase. They have already had three rain-affected matches at the MA Chidambaram Stadium of which two did not see the first-innings completed. Only 42 overs could be bowled on the first day in their crunch match against Gujarat.On a wicket that, like many others in the last round, took turn from the first day itself, Gujarat crawled to 69 for 4, scoring at 1.64 runs per over. The hosts would be happy with their position but will be nervous about further rain stoppages in the next three days. If they do not manage to finish an innings in the match, it will give Delhi, Bengal and Railways all a chance to pass them in the table and go through to the quarter-finals. Gujarat’s batsmen struggled against the offspin duo of R Ashwin and Suresh Kumar, who took three wickets between them. Ashwin took the vital wicket of Parthiv Patel, luring him to drive straight to Ganapathy at cover. S Badrinath did his bit on the field by taking a sharp diving catch at first slip to remove Bhavik Thaker off Suresh Kumar. Niraj Patel managed to stay unbeaten at stumps, after his 26 had taken 109 balls.

Seventeen wickets fell on the first day of the match between Saurashtra and Assam at the Khandheri Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. Assam needed an innings victory to give themselves an outside chance of making it to the top three spots, but ruled out that possibility after collapsing to 107 for 7 in response to Assam’s 140. That makes this match all about who will be relegated to the Plate League next season.After electing to bat, Saurashtra lost their last eight wickets for 48 runs, with five of their last seven batsmen failing to get to double figures. Shitanshu Kotak’s 44 was their highest score. The wickets were shared amongst the Assam bowlers, with Tarjinder Singh taking three, offspinners Arlen Konwar and Sarupam Purkayastha taking two each, while fast bowler Abu Nechim also got two.Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja derailed Assam’s reply early, taking three wickets and leaving Assam at 33 for 4. Offspinner Kamlesh Makvana then got in on the act, taking three scalps within a few overs and leaving Assam at 76 for 7. Purkayastha and Nechim managed to survive till stumps, and their unbeaten 31-run stand for the eight wicket was actually Assam’s highest partnership.

Group B

Baroda have all but booked their place in the quarter-finals after taking the first-innings lead against bottom-of-the-table Himachal Pradesh at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt did most of the damage, snaring four of the first five batsmen to fall, as HP were dismissed for 119. At 78 for 8, it looked like HP might not even get to a century, but No.10 Gurvinder Singh made 25, and added 40 with Varun Sharma, to push them past the three-figure mark. The 20-year-old Bhatt finished with 5 for 40, while India seamer Munaf Patel backed him up with 3 for 30. Bhat is now the top wicket-taker this Ranji season, having taken 28 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls. “When I got the five-wicket haul against Haryana, it boosted my confidence,” Bhat told . “I keep my cool while bowling and never get intimidated by the reputation of a batsman.”Baroda lost three early wickets, including the dangerous Yusuf Pathan, with just 13 on the board, before Kedar Devdhar and Ambati Rayudu steadied the innings with a 108-run partnership. Vikramjeet Malik had Rayudu caught behind for quick 57, made from 72 balls with seven fours and a six, but Pinal Shah helped Devdhar, who was unbeaten on 71, take the hosts to 173 for 5.Haryana bowled Orissa out for 175 to keep alive their slim hopes of going through to the quarter-finals. India legspinner Amit Mishra and Sachin Rana each took three wickets at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak, with Subhrajit Sahoo the only batsman to go past 25, making an unbeaten 50 from 102 balls. Haryana got off to a decent start, with the openers putting together 30 before Nitin Saini was caught off medium-pacer Alok Sahoo for 14. That triggered a mini-collapse, with Sahoo taking two more wickets, and Debasis Mohanty bowling Ankit Rawat for 1, to leave the hosts 43 for 4. Former India batsman Hemang Bedani and Rana then took them to 75 at the close of play.Uttar Pradesh needs a win over table-toppers Karnataka to make sure they stay alive in the tournament, although a first-innings lead could see them through as well, depending on other results, and legspinner Piyush Chawla has given them the edge on the first day at Green Park in Kanpur, taking 4 for 74, to restrict Karnataka to 274 for 7. The visitor’s total was build around two partnerships: Manish Pandey and Amit Verma put on 102 for the third wicket after Karnataka found themselves in a bit of bother at 28 for 3, and Pandey was adjudged lbw – a decision that didn’t go too well in the Karnataka camp as they felt that the ball was going down leg – when he missed a sweep shot against Chawla. Karnataka recovered, courtesy Muralidharan Gautam and Vinay Kumar who added 91 for the seventh wicket. Verma made 54, Kumar 51 and Pandey 36, with all three falling to Chawla. Gautam was still there on 62, with former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi on 13 for company.

The Feroz Shah Kotla ground in New Delhi has been reinstated as an international venue with effect from January 1, the ICC has said. This means it is formally cleared to host the four World Cup matches scheduled at the ground next year.The decision follows an inspection by Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, who observed the pitch first-hand during a Ranji match between Delhi and Gujarat over the past week.The venue was suspended as an international ground following the abandonment of an ODI between India and Sri Lanka in December 2009, and has been under a process of repair monitored by the ICC. Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager, said it was pleased with the remedial work carried out and felt the playing surfaces were now back to the standard expected for international matches.The DDCA, to protect the pitch, has decided minimise cricket at the venue ahead of the World Cup, including shifting the next two scheduled Ranji matches out of the Kotla. “We want to keep the wicket in good shape, so [we thought] why not move the Ranji games to other grounds that are available,” Venkat Sundaram, the chairman of the BCCI’s grounds and wickets committee, told Cricinfo. “There are 12 days of cricket scheduled for this track before the World Cup and they can lead to a lot of wear and tear on the wicket, with players running onto it with spikes. “He also said the onset of winter meant the grass won’t grow very quickly, so it would be better to let the turf settle rather than have a lot of cricket on it before the World Cup.The last international played at the Kotla, on December 27 2009, was abandoned after 23.3 overs after the match officials decided the pitch was of “extremely variable bounce and too dangerous for further play”. The immediate fallout of the fiasco was the sacking of the BCCI’s grounds and wickets committee, followed by the resignation of their Delhi counterparts.

MS Dhoni, India’s captain, has said the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) should not be implemented unless it guarantees 100 percent accuracy, and that the on-field umpires must step up and make better decisions.”It is not something that gives cent per cent results,” Dhoni said. “It is not always correct. “If I am going to buy a life jacket which does not come with a warranty, that’s a bit of a hassle for me especially with the huge amount of money you have to spend for the DRS system coming into the game.”Instead of spending so much money on a system that cannot guarantee results, Dhoni felt the umpires needed to perform better instead. “There are two gentlemen standing on the ground as umpires. They are professionals and paid to do their job. They have got support from the TV umpire. So it is surprising to see them making some of the mistakes. They have to step up and perform.”Dhoni, however, said that he would be happy to use the UDRS if it becomes foolproof. “I would prefer some kind of warranty behind it. (The) moment it comes, I am all for it. For now, they have to improve on the technology.”India have opposed the UDRS ever since their failed experiment with it during their 2008 tour of Sri Lanka. The Indians struggled with their referral and got only one right, while Sri Lanka successfully challenged 11 decisions.Sachin Tendulkar has opposed the UDRS in the past, and last month Dravid made statements along the same lines as Dhoni. “If it can be proved that technology is foolproof there is no harm in it,” Dravid said. “There is a lot of ambiguity as to what kind of technology is available. In some series, you don’t get the same cameras, slow motion cameras and other equipment, and that’s the sort of thing which creates ambiguity. If we can have a common sort of system in every series, I see no reason why we cannot have it.”The technology has found support from one big Indian star though. “I am a big fan of UDRS,” Virender Sehwag said last week. “I want it to be there for the India-New Zealand series, India-South Africa series and in the World Cup. But this is my personal opinion. I was given out a few times when I was not out and in such a situation could have gone in for a referral that would have helped me continue to bat.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGraeme Smith gave the South African innings a powerful start•AFP

JP Duminy smashed Zimbabwe’s insipid lengths to all corners in an entertaining, unbeaten 96 to launch his side to 194, a total that his bowling colleagues defended after a few hiccups, to give their side a 2-0 series win. Duminy’s dazzling innings, the highest individual score by a South Africa batsman, was matched by fifties from Brendon Taylor and Chamu Chibhabha, but South Africa emerged in front thanks to Juan Theron’s unhittable lengths, on a day when bowlers from both sides struggled to find their range.Zimbabwe’s openers began the chase in meek fashion, as the Powerplay overs, including three without boundaries, yielded only 45 for the loss of Hamilton Masakadza. Taylor and Chibhabha, however, were only just loading their guns.Taylor imposed himself on Johan Botha’s niggardly lines by stepping out and teeing off down the ground in the seventh over. Robin Petersen, introduced in the eighth, ran into Chibhabha who announced his intentions with a swipe over cow corner. Taylor pulled another six in the same over and the chase was on its way.Botha had enjoyed an exceptionally economical Champions League, but Taylor’s quicksilver feet converted his flat and full lengths into full tosses and half-volleys. Eleven runs came off Botha’s second over, forcing an unscheduled bowling change as South Africa began to sweat. Duminy, who came on in the 11th, delivered three friendly half-trackers, all of which Chibhabha redirected towards and beyond the leg-side boundary. 106 for 1, with nine overs to go – game on.With 73 required off 43, Chibhabha mistimed a sweep off Botha, who had resorted to a round the wicket angle. South Africa used the opening to claw back into the game, as Taylor was deprived of the strike, resulting in a mounting asking-rate. Charles Coventry’s exit in the 15th over gave the hosts the upper hand, and they should have assumed total control once Taylor perished trying to inside-out Petersen over the covers. However, Wayne Parnell’s inability to find the right lengths helped Elton Chigumbura and Tatenda Taibu keep the game alive until the last over. Theron’s nerveless finish stalled them on the home stretch though Zimbabwe managed to record their highest Twenty20 total.As in the first game, Zimbabwe had their bowlers to blame for the defeat. Graeme Smith began brightly, with the free spirit of someone unfettered by responsibility. His aggression offset the tight start from Prosper Utseya, who forced Loots Bosman and Colin Ingram into early indiscretions with his lack of pace.Smith, on the other hand, relished the pace and waywardness served up at the other end. Shingirai Masakadza and Chris Mpofu kept dropping short and into his body, and Smith responded with an array of pulls. Over-compensation duly followed, and Smith got into position early to cream boundaries through the off side. The highlight of his innings was when he stepped out to deposit Graeme Cremer over long-on, before Taylor induced Smith to top-edge in the ninth over.Zimbabwe’s hopes of pulling things back were neutralised by Duminy’s innovativeness against their army of offspinners. He kept setting himself up for the reverse-sweep, dispatching Cremer with the spin towards third man, before launching him over deep midwicket in the 12th over, forcing Chigumbura to bring back the fast bowlers.The move played into Duminy’s hands, as he prepared for the final assault by lifting the listless Mpofu through midwicket. After David Miller’s exit, he mowed a poorly-disguised slower ball from Shingirai Masakadza over deep midwicket as Zimbabwe ran out of viable options. Unfortunately for them, Duminy still had a lot of ammunition in the tank.Mpofu suffered the brunt of his blitz, but he did his cause little good by serving up hit-me lengths in the death overs. A half-volley in the 18th was knifed over covers; a full toss later in the same over went in the same direction. Duminy went into the last over with 75 against his name, but Mpofu had more largesse in store, raising hopes of the maiden Twenty20 century by a South African. There was to be another full toss, and a smattering of half-volleys in that over, all of which Duminy gladly tucked into. Fours through the covers, and sixes straight and over midwicket, left Mpofu nursing figures of 1 for 59 off four, Duminy four short of a ton, and Zimbabwe chasing a mountain.Around 90 minutes of poor bowling later, Theron showed Mpofu how it should have been done. The difference between their last-over lengths was the difference between their sides today.