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Kent 213 for 8 (Bravo 45) beat Somerset 104 (Henderson 5-28) by 109 runs
ScorecardA brilliant spell of accurate and incisive swing bowling from Kent’s Tyron Henderson condemned Somerset to a thumping 109-run defeat in the latest Pro40 encounter at Taunton.Henderson, who bowled unchanged for his entire eight-over spell, returned figures of 5 for 28, as Somerset slipped to an embarrassing 58 for 5. He started the rot by bowling Justin Langer for 5 (14 for 1) to bring a tame end to his extraordinary five-week stint with the county, and then ran through the middle order, aided by some slapdash shots, before crowning his spell with a perfect inswinging yorker to trap Wesley Durston lbw for a first-ball duck.James Hildreth and Andrew Caddick helped Somerset scrape into triple figures as Somerset’s spinners came on to mop up the tail, but by then the game was long dead. Earlier, Dwayne Bravo had top-scored for Kent with 45, as they mustered 213 in their 40 overs. It looked like setting up a tight encounter, but Henderson had other ideas.

Group A

An 87-run partnership between Ammar Mahmood and Imran Ahmed enabled Faisalabad to reach a respectable 243 for 8 after being put into bat by Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the Iqbal Stadium. Adopting a defensive strategy against the bowlers, both batsmen took their time scoring and it was only a late flurry of wickets – Faisalabad losing 3 wickets without any addition to the score – that left them struggling to reach the 300-mark against a disciplined WAPDA bowling attack. Kashif Raza, the right-arm medium pacer, was the pick of the bowlers, grabbing three wickets while Azharullah and Aqeel Ahmed grabbed a brace each.Reaching 34 for 1 after skittling out Hyderabad for 227 in their first innings, Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) ended the opening day with the upper hand as they trail by only 193 runs here at the Iqbal Stadium. The home side never really recovered after losing their first wicket without any score as Sohail Kahn (4 for 68), with useful contributions from the other bowlers, created pressure that brought regular breakthroughs. Although Pir Zulfiqar and Kashif Bhatti did add a valuable 81 for the eighth wicket, SSGC’s smart bowling changes paid dividends in dismissing their opponents cheaply.A five-wicket haul by Mohammad Wasim, Sialkot’s young fast-bowler, restricted Karachi Whites to a modest 242 for 8, a total only possible due to grinding knocks by Javed Mansoor (72 off 168) and Test-discard Asim Kamal (62 off 99) at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi. With half the side back in the pavillion for only 78 after Mohammad Sami won the toss and elected to bat, Kamal added 67 for the sixth wicket and Mansoor’s unbeaten 74-run ninth-wicket partnership with Misbah Khan took the hosts past 200 after three quick wickets. Wasim, playing only his fourth first-class match, picked up three of the first five wickets to fall and returned to capture two more to place his side in a driving position.Thirteen wickets fell in just under 65 overs at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground as Lahore Ravi finished on 61 for 3, only 51 runs being Pakistan Customs’ first-innings score of 112. Junaid Zia inspired a late-order collapse that saw the visitors lose their last four wickets for only five runs as none of the batsmen managed to make any impact. Asif Iqbal top-scored with a patient 27 as Zia captured 6 for 34 to leave Customs in dire straits. The tourists, however, did hit back to have Ravi’s opener dismissed without scoring. Two late wickets by Sajjad Hussain alowed his side a mini fightback as they defend their paltry total on the second day.Multan were left ruing their decision to field first at the Gymkhana Ground as centuries by Rashid Riaz and Naumanullah guided National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to a healthy 307 for 1. A solid opening partnership for NBP saw Riaz add 60 with Nasir Jamshed but after Jamshed’s dismissal for 37, Multan failed to pick up any more wickets even as they tried eight different bowlers. With the likes of Shahid Yousuf, Naved Latif and Mansoor Amjad to follow, Abdur Rauf, Multan captain, has a massive job on his hands to restrict NBP to a first-innings total that his team can match and avoid a huge loss.

Group B

Former internationals Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Khalil tore through the Islamabad batting lineup and skittled the hosts out for only 95 in only 28 overs at the Diamond Club Ground. Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, in reply, scored 118 for 5 at close, a lead of 23 on only the first day of the match. Islamabad’s innings got off to a disastrous start as both openers fell without scoring after Razzaq won the toss and elected to field. Razzaq (4 for 38) and Khalil (6 for 45) bowled unchanged throughout the Islamabad’s innings and sparked a collapse that saw the hosts all out after being well-placed at 53 for 2 at one stage. Rauf Akbar and Shehzad Azam hit back with two wickets apiece later on in the day but Islamabad will need a huge effort from all its bowlers to have any chance of salvaging a draw, or a win, in the match.A late-order fightback by Mohammad Hussain and Ali Raza allowed some respectability to Lahore Shalimar’s total against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the Gadaffi Stadium as they reached 201 for 6 at close. Hussain (50*) and Raza (62*) came together at the score of 92 as KRL enjoyed its decision to field first after winning the toss. The tourists employed eight different bowlers to capitalise on the good start given by Yasir Arafat and Jaffar Nazir but Hussain and Raza mixed aggression with defence to guide their team past 200, a total that looked impossible at one stage in the innings.An Inamullah-inspired collapse helped Peshawar dismiss Pakistan International Airlines for 229 – the tourists were well-placed at 194 for 4 at one stage – at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. A couple of minor collapses did set back PIA’s progress early on but a century partnership between Shoaib Khan (68) and Fahad Iqbal (54) set them up for a huge total before Inamullah initiated a flurry of wickets. Peshawar openers safely negotiated the seven deliveries before close and scored two off it to get their reply underway.An aggressive 255-run partnership between Shoaib Khan and Nasim Khan guided Quetta to 355 for 4 against Abbottabad at the Bugti Stadium. Coming together at 100 for 4 after a decent performance by the touring bowlers, Shoaib (165*) and Nasim (135*) flayed the same bowlers to all parts of the ground as they hit 33 fours between them. Abbottabad tried eight bowlers to unsettle the partnership but failed to add to the four early wickets as the home side look all set to build a huge first-innings total.Saleem Mughal and Khurram Shehzad added 118 runs for the fifth wicket as Sui Northern Gas Pipelines reached 249 for 4 against Rawalpindi at the KRL Ground. Umar Akmal (61 off 83) led his side to to 119 for 3 before Yasir Ali picked up two quick wickets to leave the northerners in a state of bother. Mughal and Shehzad, however, safely played out what the Rawalpindi bowlers offered to place their team in a driving position at close.

Hasan Mohsin starred with bat and ball as Pakistan Under-19s defended 212 to beat Sri Lanka Under-19s by 23 runs and finish top of Group B. Pakistan will take on West Indies in the quarter-finals while Sri Lanka will meet England.Sent in to bat, Pakistan made slow progress at first, and their run rate was still below four an over when Wanidu Hasaranga dismissed Salman Fayyaz (33) in the 41st over to end his 61-run stand with Mohsin. Wickets fell steadily at the other end, with none of bottom five getting into double figures, but Mohsin ensured he dragged Pakistan to a competitive total, and was ninth out for a run-a-ball 86 with eight fours and a six. Pakistan were bowled out for 212 in the 49th over.Opening the bowling with his gentle seam-up, Mohsin then gave Pakistan two early breakthroughs, dismissing both Sri Lankan openers. Sri Lanka slipped to 63 for 4 when the in-form pair of Charith Asalanka and Shammu Ashan got out to soft dismissals against the spinners, but Kamindu Mendis and Vishad Randika got the chase back on track with an 84-run stand for the fifth wicket. Just when Sri Lanka seemed to be cruising home, though, Mendis holed out to long-on for 68 (104b, 5×4), and Hasaranga and Randika (46 off 71) followed him soon after. Damitha Silva kept Sri Lanka in the hunt for a while with an unbeaten 21, but the lower order fell away around him, with legspinner Shadab Khan picking up the last two wickets to finish with figures of 3 for 31.

March 18 – Pervez Mir, Pakistan team’s media manager, announces news of Bob Woolmer’s death. “Bob Woolmer has passed away. I am speaking from the hospital and all the team management is also at the hospital. Doctors have pronounced him dead. Bob has passed away and it is very shocking news to all of the team and the team management.”March 21 – Mark Shields, deputy commissioner Jamaican police, announces that authorities are treating the death as suspicious. “Having met with the pathologists, our medical personnel and investigators, there is now sufficient information to continue a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Woolmer, which we are now treating as suspicious.”March 22 – Gill Woolmer, Bob’s widow, admits her husband might have been murdered. “I suppose there is always the possibility. I mean some of the cricketing fraternity, fans are extremely volatile and passionate about the game and what happens in the game, and also a lot of it in Asia, so I suppose there is always the possibility that it could be that.”March 23 – Karl Angell, a Jamaican police spokesman, confirms Woolmer was strangled. “The pathologist’s report states that Mr Woolmer’s death was due to asphyxiation as a result of manual strangulation. In these circumstances, the matter of Mr Woolmer’s death is now being treated by the Jamaica police as a case of murder.”March 27 – Jamaican police test Woolmer’s last meal to check whether it was drugged. According to Shields, Woolmer was “a big man, and unless he was drugged or impaired it would perhaps have been difficult to restrain him. We are looking at whether his food was drugged.”March 28 – Shields denies newspaper reports that Woolmer may have died after falling heavily against the bathroom sink and that a second autopsy was being ordered. “I can assure you there is no post mortem, there is no planned second post mortem.”March 30 – Shields tells media that Woolmer could have been strangled with a towel as there were no marks found on his neck. “If it’s some form of manual strangulation and there are no physical marks on the neck of the victim, therefore there may have been something between the hands of the assailant and the neck of the victim.”April 17 – says samples taken from Woolmer’s blood, stomach and urine have shown the presence of a foreign substance and has quoted an unnamed government official as saying that the substance could have been poison. Shields, however, decides not to comment on the report till all investigations are over. “We have some results from toxicology now, but they will require further investigation and analysis, and therefore it would be totally inappropriate for me to elaborate any further on that.”April 23 – Information relayed to the Woolmer family by Jamaican police suggest Woolmer may have been drugged with snake venom. According to Neil Manthrop, a South African commentator, “The detective told Gill they believe it must have been a natural poison, such as a snake venom, which leaves the body fairly soon afterwards.”April 27 – Police rule out the possibility that snake venom was involved. Shields, who is leading the investigation, told the BBC that there was no evidence to support that theory, and he also hit out at “wild” rumours which continue to surround the case, saying they were “causing a lot of distress” to Woolmer’s family.April 30 – A BBC investigation programme confirms that Woolmer was poisoned before being strangled and that that there is evidence of a drug being present in his system that would have incapacitated him. “It now seems certain that as he was being strangled, he’d already been rendered helpless, leaving him unable to fight back,” said Adam Parsons, the show’s producer. “The specific details of that poison are now very likely to offer a significant lead to finding his murderer.”May 7 – Newspaper reports suggest Woolmer may have been poisoned by a weedkiller, high concentrations of which were alleged to have been found in his stomach and on the outside of a champagne glass. Police sources confirm the presence of weedkiller in the glass while Pervez Mir reveals tht Woolmer was presented the bottles by travelling fans.May 8 – Inconclusive evidence leads a Pakistani investigator to suggest that Woolmer’s death was not a murder. According to Zubair Mahmood, one of the detectives sent to Jamaica, “Several tests have been sent to Scotland Yard and the results are awaited. And the most I can say [is] that the investigation … is inconclusive.”May 20 – A report in reveals that police in Jamaica have privately admitted that Dr Ere Seshaiah, the Kingston pathologist, was wrong to say that Woolmer had been strangled. Angell, however, said that the matter was still being handled as a murder investigation. “That will remain our position until such time as the results of the investigation are known; including the forensic and pathology analysis.”June 4 – Speculation grows that the pathologists’ findings were faulty. Shields, for the first time, hints at doubt on the finding of murder. “Usually we investigate a murder and we look for suspects but on this occasion, because of the lack of evidence to support the pathologist what we’ve done is gone out to prove it’s not a murder. We have to go with what the pathologist gives, and if I’d ignored it and it had turned out to be true I would have been lambasted for not treating it seriously.”June 12 – Jamaican police announce that Woolmer’s death was due to natural causes, not murder and closes the investigation.

ScorecardFile photo: Dishant Yagnik took Rajasthan home with an unbeaten 16•Sakshi Telugu Daily

Rajasthan stole a slender two-wicket win against Odisha by chasing down 230 in the last innings on the third day in Jaipur. Rajasthan turned things around despite being routed for 51 in their first innings, which is the second-lowest first-innings total to win a Ranji Trophy match.Rajasthan were 79 for 2 overnight, still 151 away, and lost Puneet Yadav (59) after he scored only three runs on the third morning. They lost two more wickets – Tanveer-Ul-Haq (21) and Ashok Menaria (20) – in quick succession and were struggling at 118 for 5 before Rajat Bhatia (31) and Siddharth Dobal rescued them with a stand of 76 runs to take them close to 200. However, Bhatia was dismissed by Basant Mohanty and Dobal went on to register a fifty before he too was removed by Mohanty for a run-a-ball 52. From 210 for 7, Rajasthan lost Aniket Choudhary too at the score of 223 but Dishant Yagnik (16*) and Pankaj Singh (8*) held their nerves to take six points.
Scorecard Right-arm seamer Mukesh Kumar, playing his third first-class match, and Pragyan Ojha shared six wickets between them to wipe Assam out for 143 in 54.4 overs. Resuming on 1 for 4, after Ashok Dinda had scythed through the top order on the second day, Assam lost Amit Verma to Ojha to 9. Tarjinder Singh, aided by contributions from Arun Karthik (30) and Syed Mohammed (31), mounted some resistance but Assam were asked to follow on.They fared much better in their second dig, reaching 72 for 2 before bad light curbed another day in Guwahati. Opener Pallav Kumar Das (28*) and Gokul Sharma (8*) stayed unbeaten after Aamir Gani dismissed Rahul Hazarika and Amit.
ScorecardRavi Jangid followed his third first-class century with figures of 4 for 44 as Haryana were bowled out for 241 and asked to follow on. Haryana’s steady opening partnership of 118 between Nitin Saini and Chaitanya Bishnoi showed only little of what was to follow.It was offspinner Akshay Wakhare who broke the stand when he got rid of Bishnoi for 47. Saini reached hid fifty but was bowled by Jangid soon after. He made light work of the middle order before Shamsher Yadav become the second half-centurion of the innings. However, Aditya Sarwate collected four wickets of his own to perform the final rites on the innings.Jangid was at it again, removing the openers in Haryana’s second innings. Saini had a good start again, but did not convert it into a big score. Mohit Hooda and Rohit Sharma managed to survive till stumps but Vidarbha are on course to seal their quarter-final spot.
ScorecardFifties from Shrikant Mundhe and Rahul Tripathi set Karnataka a target of 293 in Pune. The double-treble winning defending champions lost R Samarth to Nikit Dhumal, who took his match tally to four, but Mayank Agarwal and Robin Uthappa scored at a fairly brisk clip as Karnataka closed the day at 61 for 1 in 15 overs.Earlier, Tripathi, who started the day on 31, went onto make 78 before he was undone by S Aravind. Kedar Jhadav and Vishant More failed to build on starts but Mundhe, coming in at No.8, struck 81 off 150 balls, including seven fours and two sixes to push Maharashtra to 260. Vinay Kumar was the pick of the bowlers for Karnataka, claiming figures of 4 for 71.

An unusual Test awaits Lahore. To begin with, South Africa are in aposition to win a Test series against a major subcontinent side, somethingthat hasn’t been the case since 2000. The home side, meanwhile have just one game to square the series and save face.South Africa were frighteningly efficient in Karachi as expected, but not, as theyhave often been derided, without some blood, sweat and things that make asoul. Even Jacques Kallis played an innings you could while away anafternoon to. Paul Harris’s left-arm and Dale Steyn’s right producedsurely one of South Africa’s most stirring moments in recent Test cricket:a quality spinner at one end and a tearaway at the other. By happycircumstance, neither is the multi-dimensional droid South Africa isrenowned for.So understandably, captain Graeme Smith can afford to smile, even over a fewniggles. Speaking on the eve of the match, Smith said, “Ashwell [Prince] has a stomach problem and [Andre] Nel has a groin problem, but everyone will hopefully come up for selection.”They will because, as Smith points out, much is at stake. South Africahave won nine out of 25 Tests in this region since readmission, but aseven-year itch does strange things. “We have come here to win Tests. Awin in the subcontinent is extra special because we’ve only had a fewsince readmission. We’ve given ourselves a great chance of winning aseries here and it’s something we are hungry to achieve.”The plans will be much the same. Runs from the top order and a solidbase to build on; then repel Pakistan’s spin, which they did soimposingly last week. “We play spinners very well and score runs againstthem now at will,” Smith said. The rest of it they will leave to confidence. “We haveto play positive cricket. Even if we do have a change, it will be a bowlerfor a bowler and no extra bat.”But Lahore will also be unusual because it is the ‘Inzamam Test.’ The Gadaffi Stadium may have the opportunity to bid farewell to possibly the greatest batsman to have lumbered across this soil. Smith reckons Inzamam’s farewell might be a distraction to Pakistan. But the point he chose not to highlight, one his counterpart Shoaib Malik was keen to highlight, was that it brings to the middle, where it matters, beef. The return of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf reunites, for the last time, possibly the best middle-order Pakistan has had in recent times.”We are determined to win this Test,” Malik said. “Inzamam’s return willnot be a distraction. Along with Yousuf, it will bolster our middle-order.We are all professionals and we know what we need to do. The morale is highand just having Inzamam around, my confidence has gone up. He is anencouragement, not a distraction.”

Malik is not the first Pakistan captain, nor will he be the last, to ruethe consequences of poor fielding. Who knows how Karachi would’ve endedhad Kallis or Hashim Amla been dismissed when they were kind enough tooffer chances, but those chances mean that Malik remains one of the fewrecent captains to invest so much in spin. “We have other options but thisattack can get 20 wickets. In Karachi, we would’ve had 20 had we held onto our chances.”The pitch might force his hand for unusually, it has a bit of bounce.There was grass on it, but Smith smirked as it had already been shaved twice.”There is certainly a little bit of bounce and what grass there is willprobably become brown,” Smith said. “We can exploit that.”What he might also exploit, worryingly, is the pressure on Malik. Only inhis second Test and already presiding over a testy press conference, hechided the media for being the media and snapped back at severalquestions. Also unusual, for personally he had a good Test in Karachi andis, to most appearances, amiable, gentle and cool-headed.He could do worse than to look at Smith, also a young player thrust intothe captaincy at a time of change. He too has had his problems but standsnow on the edge of a special win. “It has taken three years to build ateam and provide options where I can now challenge myself as a captain,” Smith said. “Slowly we have started to get an environment from where you can challengeother teams in the world.”Tomorrow is the beginning of the end of a special age for Pakistan, thelast link to a World Cup win and the 90s, which were both the best oftimes and the worst. Malik will duly acknowledge it, but what better wayto plot another age than with a win?TeamsSouth Africa – Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Ashwell Prince, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Paul HarrisPakistan – Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik (capt), Abdur Rehman, UmarGul, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Asif

Tyron Henderson, the East London allrounder, is set to leave South Africa for a stint with English county Kent. Kent recently released Justin Kemp in order for the South African allrounder to recover from niggling injuries and be fit for future one-day assignments as well as the 2007 World Cup, and in his place has stepped Henderson.Henderson, the Standard Bank Pro20 cricketer of the year in 2004-05, has a reputation of being a destructive batsman with a strike rate of 152.22 in Pro20 cricket. His canny fast-medium bowling has been seen as a plus. Against Western Province, he finished with the outstanding figures of 2 for 8 off four overs, the best figures by any bowler in Pro20 cricket. He has even represented his country’s A team as well as in the Hong Kong Sixes last season.Henderson has been slated for a Twenty20 debut against Essex at Canterbury on Tuesday, followed by games against Surrey at The Oval and Middlesex at Lord’s later in the week. Kent have also reported that he may play certain Pro40 limited-overs matches and the eight remaining county games.Henderson, who made his first-class debut for Border in 1998-99, has signed a contract to play for the Highveld Lions next summer.

Nepal have qualified for next year’s Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia after defeating a spirited Afghanistan side by 48 runs in the final of the Asian Cricket Council Under-19 Elite Cup at the Kinrara Oval. Nepal successfully defended a modest of 172 to bowl out Afghanistan, who lost their last four wickets for three runs in 11 balls.The tournament also served as the Asian qualifier and by virtue of winning it, Nepal joined Papua New Guinea (from the East Asia-Pacific region), Ireland (from the Europe region), Bermuda (from the Americas region), the ICC’s 10 Full Members and hosts Malaysia at the 16-team World Cup to be played from February 17 to March 2, 2008.Deciding to bat first, Nepal found the going tough against the disciplined Afghanistan bowlers who continued to take wickets at regular intervals. The only partnership of any substance was for the sixth wicket between Sagar Khadka and Aakash Kumar Gupta who added 61 runs after Nepal had slumped to 60 for 5 in the 22nd over.Khadka scored a painstaking 32 from 79 balls with one four while Gupta scored run-a-ball 48 with six fours and a six. Captain Paras Khadka was other notable run-getter with 28. For Afghanistan, Asghar Hussain, Obaidullah Kunari and Aimal Wafa took two wickets each.Afghanistan began in similar style and fell to 67 for 5, but couldn’t produce the same sort of fightback. Shir Shirazi and Shabir Noori tried to stabilise the innings, however, Shirazi’s departure opened floodgates as Afghanistan lost their last five wickets for 16 runs.Roy Dias, Nepal’s coach, was delighted with the success of his team which also gives him the unprecedented honour of appearing at his fourth U-19 World Cup. “These kids have shown that they are tough and can come through against any opposition and in any conditions,” he said.”We were not given any realistic chance of qualifying this time because we could hardly practice in Nepal because of rain. However, we were rescued by Sri Lanka Cricket who funded our week-long tour [in August]. And although we lost a couple of matches, it was a big tour in terms that the boys got match practice and managed to fine-tune their talent.”Dias felt the key stage of the final was the sixth-wicket stand between Khadka and Gupta. “I think that was the turning point because that partnership made sure we had enough runs on the board. And once we picked up Afghanistan opener Sajed Khan very early in the innings, we knew we had the match under control because bowling was our strength and we showed tremendous discipline in that department throughout the tournament.”

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

Yet another fine exhibition of seam bowling from Sreesanth led India’s inexorable march towards their first Test win in South Africa. Up against a history-defying 402-run target, South Africa limped to a shaky 163 for 5 and would hope for either inclement weather or a minor miracle to escape unscathed.Once VVS Laxman and Zaheer Khan had helped stretch the lead to beyond 400 the new-ball bowlers delivered an encore of yesterday’s performance. Sreesanth’s immaculate seam position, allied with impressive, yet unlucky, spells from Zaheer and VRV Singh reduced South Africa to 34 for 3. Ashwell Prince’s doughty 53, involving moments of good fortune, held the middle-order together and stretched the game into the fourth day.Zaheer followed up his handy 37 with an excellent spell of bowling, both with the new and old ball, as well as managing a sharp direct-hit to get rid of AB de Villiers. He got only one wicket, when Herschelle Gibbs drove recklessly in the solitary over he had to play out before lunch, but the movement he managed, both conventional and reverse, had all the batsmen in a tangle.His new-ball partner, Sreesanth, matched him for accuracy – his ability to keep the seam upright on almost every occasion meant there was no letting up – and was rewarded with three top-order wickets. Graeme Smith flayed a wide one only to see Virender Sehwag latch on to a spectacular catch at point while Hashim Amla had no answer to a peach of an outswinger that kissed the edge on its way to the wicketkeeper. Jacques Kallis resisted with a fighting 24 but a near-perfect set up – the shorter one being followed up with a full, swinging ball – had him groping.Prince cobbled together a dogged half-century, surviving a half-chance and a perilously close appeal for caught behind. His penchant for the pull shot almost cost him his wicket when on 21 but Wasim Jaffer couldn’t latch on to a tough skier while running from midwicket. Sreesanth’s darting off-cutter appeared to have nailed him when on 44, with the ball deviating after passing the bat, but Daryl Harper turned down a huge shout. Replays suggested that it was too close a call and Prince was probably given the benefit of the doubt.

South Africa’s hopes of cleaning up India’s lower order had earlier come to nought, with Laxman and Zaheer thwarting them with a 70-run stand. Laxman swooshed his way to an entertaining half-century but it was Zaheer who blasted India to an impregnable position. Zaheer walked in after South Africa had nailed two early wickets and took 25 deliveries to get off the mark, cautiously ducking and defending as Laxman ticked along, but he was suddenly stirred into action. Pollock’s fuller deliveries were juddered across the line, piercing the gap between midwicket and mid-on, before Smith, sending down his innocuous offspinners, was carted for 26 off his three overs. Smith couldn’t hold on to a ferocious Zaheer straight-drive but he was lucky not to have incurred a major hand injury.Laxman switched between blocking and flowing. Anything on the pads was delicately clipped away and a couple of jaw-dropping straight drives demoralised South Africa further. He shepherded the lower order and his tentative poke at a probing ball from Ntini was one of the few indiscretions all morning. Zaheer fell soon after but the real entertainment was just about to begin.Sreesanth decided to match Nel antic for antic – returning glares and sledges. Nel’s aggressive salvo was met with a charge down the track, with the ball disappearing for six, but Sreesanth followed that up with a brand of hip gyrations that was accomplished enough to make it in the movies. There was a distinct needle in the contest and Sreesanth swirling the bat like a lasso with a pelvic thrust of a break-dancer was definitely the highpoint. For once Nel probably met his match.Short cuts
By Dileep Premachandran in Jo’burg
Highlight of the day: The morning session saw the battle of the twonutters. After Sreesanth backed away to the leg side and tried to mow adelivery over the infield, Andre Nel strode up and pointed to his heart,perhaps suggesting that Sreesanth lacked the ticker to take him on. He mayas well have donned a sequined suit, and waved a red cape. The next ballwas given the charge and pummelled straight down the ground, and as he randown the pitch, Sreesanth whirled his bat around mockingly in Nel’sdirection. Almost everyone watching had a laughter attack.Lowlight of the day: Soon after that, Sreesanth revealed the unsavouryside of his game by giving Hashim Amla a send-off after having him caughtbehind. To mock and sledge the likes of Nel and Mark Boucher is one thing,but to pick on someone like Amla, and that too after dismissing him, wasin singularly poor taste.

Shot of the day: VVS Laxman missed out on a century, but his 73 featuredone glorious straight-drive off Makhaya Ntini. It wasn’t a particularlybad ball, but the sound as Laxman’s bat arced down to stroke it to thelong-on fence was quite beautiful.Ball of the day: Jacques Kallis was the beacon of hope for South Africa asthey set off in pursuit of an improbable 402 for victory, and once again,it required a tremendous delivery to get rid of him. Sreesanth pitched onejust outside off stump, enticed the drive, and the away movement off theseam took the edge to third slip. Sourav Ganguly took a superb catch infront of his ribcage, and it became a matter of when, rather than if,India would win.Catch of the day: Graeme Smith’s miserable season continued with a sliceto point that was brilliantly taken by Virender Sehwag diving to hisright. It wasn’t a great delivery from Sreesanth, and on a good day Smithmight have sent it thudding into the boundary boards at point. Such days,however, are proving increasingly elusive for South Africa’s embattledcaptain.Message of the day: A poll on the SABC Sport website asks viewers: Goingby India’s performance in South Africa, what will be the scoreline in theTest series. The options are 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 (all in favour of South Africa)and a draw. But after three glorious days for the Indians at the Wanderers,it’s easy to forget what easy-beats they were thought to be going into thegame.Off the park: Kallis’s failure to engage his vocal cords when the SouthAfrican national anthem is played was highlighted in a Sunday newspaper,and while most agreed that it was a case of making Mount Kilimanjaro outof an ant-heap, the brusque nature of Kallis’s emailed response will havewon him few admirers. There’s a perception that some of the world’s bestsportsmen live in a cocoon, utterly divorced from reality, and the feelingis reinforced by such events.

Surrey have signed Anil Kumble as one of their overseas players for a key period of next summer. Kumble will arrive following India’s tour of West Indies, and will be available for eight Championship matches from July 14.He has previously had county stints with Northamptonshire and Leicestershire and continues Surrey’s tradition of signing high class spinner bowlers. Saqlain Mushtaq and Harbhajan Singh both played for the club last season.The Surrey coach, Alan Butcher, said: “Anil is recognised as one of the best bowlers in world cricket. In addition, his character and professionalism are also hugely admired. Any coach would welcome these qualities in his dressing room. His presence will be a huge mid-season boost to us next year as we attempt to gain promotion to division one.”Kumble added: “It’s great to have this opportunity to play for Surrey and it is something I am looking forward to immensely. This is a new chapter in Surrey’s history and I want to help them get back on track to being a Championship winning side.”