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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.

Test cricket went back in time on the third day of the final Test betweenPakistan and the West Indies at the National Stadium. Rain overnight andcloud cover for most of the afternoon meant play stopped 15 overs short,though to many that might have been a relief given that only 199 runs hadbeen scored in the 75 available.Mohammad Hafeez, a raucous Twenty20 opener for Faisalabad when not openingfor Pakistan, put together a studious fifty, his fourth in Tests. It was,from just over three-and-a-half hours, his slowest, and the improvisedstrokes so readily seen in his limited-overs performances were all butabsent here, replaced by stodgy defense and plenty of streaky edgesthrough third man.”You have to really graft on this pitch,” Hafeez told reporters at the endof the day. “It is difficult but to be a good player you have to be ableto do it on all types of wickets. On the first day there was a lot ofvariation in the bounce but that is not there now. It still isn’t easyespecially for playing shots on.”Along with Imran Farhat, the start was particularly tortuous. Farhat tookhis first run off his 18th ball, there were only two boundaries in thefirst 15 overs and after 24 overs, they had eked out only 45. In part,the West Indian bowling attack can be blamed for this, as Hafeezacknowledged. “They bowled superbly to us at the beginning, especially(Corey) Collymore who was very difficult to play. The idea was to see off the newball. We would take our time but set ourselves.”The caution may also have arisen from circumstance, especially in Hafeez’scase. A fifty in the very first innings of this series should have led tobigger, brighter things but pretty starts were frittered. Bowledbetween bat and pad twice has also raised concerns about his technique andfootwork; another failure here would have put severe pressure on hisposition in the side.”The wickets in this series have had low bounce. There are very fewpitches like this at domestic level where the balls come on higher, fasterand seam more. Adjusting to low bounce wickets has been the difficultthing to do.”When I made my comeback in England, the captain and coach really gave melots of confidence. In this series I know I haven’t made big scores butthey are still backing me and that support has helped,” he added.He wasn’t the only batsman to make an important fifty today. Earlier inthe morning, Denesh Ramdin had to take over the West Indian cause afterthe dismissal of Daren Ganga in the day’s fifth over. Like Hafeez it washis fourth in Tests, though an altogether punchier affair. And for gettinghis side within 44 runs of Pakistan’s first innings total, it was a timelyinnings.”After Ganga fell I had to take things up on my own and try to buildpartnerships with the tail. We wanted to get as close as possible to thePakistan score,” Ramdin said.He had struggled initially against the spin of Danish Kaneria, edging thelegspinner through Kamran Akmal’s legs for four early. But once the newball was taken, he unveiled a surprisingly wide array of strokes. “Thepitch is playing better now and there is something in it for bowlers andbatsmen. There was a bit more bounce today. But I take this as one of mybest fifties. I needed to show character and had to bat with the lowerorder as well, which we have done.”Pakistan ended the day 174 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand. Thepitch hasn’t deteriorated as many thought it might, to the extent thatHafeez suggested only a target of 350-plus would be a safe one. MohammadYousuf is at the crease, record in sight, stunning form behind him andwith Hafeez keen to continue to a second Test hundred, setting such atarget is not as far-fetched as it might have appeared on the first two days.

On a day of slow cricket, Karnataka made a fitting reply toHyderabad’s first innings total of 302 on the second day of theirSouth Zone (under-19) Cooch Behar Trophy game at the Chinnaswamystadium in Bangalore on Tuesday. A watchful unbeaten 48 by DeepakChaugule saw Karnataka finish the day on 126 for four off 60 overs.Karnataka in fact lost three wickets for 60 before a fourth wicketpartnership of 63 runs off 32.4 overs between Chaugule and C Raghu(23) saw the side go into a position from which they could challengethe Hyderabad total on the final day on Wednesday. Chaugule, by closehad faced 119 balls and hit two boundaries. Keeping him company wasStuart Binny who failed to open his account after facing 19 balls.Earlier, Hyderabad, resuming at 239 for five, were all out shortlybefore lunch. The overnight batsmen Ibrahim Khaleel and Abhinav Kumarboth did not last very long, being dismissed for 73 and 43. A watchful35 by Ahmed Qadri, who was last out, saw Hyderabad getting past the300 mark. Opening bowler Steve Lazarus and Keerthi Bhat took twowickets each on Tuesday and finished with five for 108 and four for 63respectively.

Australia gave Karen Rolton and Cathryn Fitzpatrick the perfect result to celebrate their 100th games for their country with a nail-biting one-run win in the opening match of the Rose Bowl Series in Brisbane. Chasing 202 for victory, New Zealand wanted 21 from the last 18 balls and seven from the final over, but it took the last-ball run-out of Sarah Burke to end the valiant attempt.A fine 71 from Aimee Mason, who hit ten fours and a six, kept the visitors in sight of the target and when she was another of the four run-outs Anna Dodd struck 15 off 10 balls to ensure a thrilling conclusion. Fitzpatrick finished with figures of 2 for 49 while Rolton, the captain, contributed with a brisk 44 after winning the toss.Lisa Sthalekar marked her 50th one-day international by top scoring with 51 and she passed another milestone by becoming the eighth Australian to reach 1000 career runs. Melissa Bulow picked up 29 at the top of the order and some late contributions from Jodie Purves and Julie Hayes pushed Australia to 9 for 201. The second match of the five-game series is at Allan Border Field on Sunday.

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.”

Shoaib Akhtar faces a make-or-break fitness test at Pakistan’s practice camp this week to determine how much of a role he will play in the upcoming series against England.Akhtar, 30, has faced constant criticism for his poor fitness record and many still question his attitude. Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, a supporter of Akhtar, said: “With his age he is at the crossroads. I think the England series is make-or-break for Akhtar. He is 30 so he has four years left in him but it is Akhtar who gives Pakistan the hope to win against England.”Akhtar has a reputation for breaking down mid-series and has previously been fined for going out on late nights. Pakistan’s coach Bob Woolmer, who has publicly asked for more commitment from Akhtar, said: “He is in our scheme of things because he is a genuine fast bowler but the question mark is whether he can last five days of a Test and 15 of a series.”Rameez Raja, a former Pakistan captain and ex-chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said Akhtar has a lot to prove. “It’s up to Akhtar to prove everyone wrong, he should understand the importance of playing for Pakistan,” he said. “There are always lots of expectations of Akhtar and he has got to prove a point to everyone against England and then against India.”

Titans 125 for 2 (Petersen 78*) beat Warriors 121 (Henderson 50) by 8 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFour suicidal run-outs from the Warriors cost them dearly as they collapsed from 99 for 2 after 14 overs to be bowled out for 121 with an over to spare, and the Titans cruised to an eight-wicket win in the final of the PRO20 Series at Centurion.Jonathan Kreusch and Burton de Wett had started the innings off well with a partnership of 34, before de Wett was caught for 15. Kreusch followed for 21 while Tyron Henderson continued hitting the ball to all parts of the ground. Three fours and four sixes enabled him to go to 50 off 25 balls before holing out at cover.Having just past the 100 mark, the Warriors lost the critical wicket of Arno Jacobs for 11, and a major collapse followed. In four overs they lost a further six wickets for the addition of only 19 runs.A target of 122 was never going to be enough against the strong Titans batting line-up. A good start was all that was needed and Alviro Petersen, later named as Master Blaster, and Goolam Bodi provided it by adding 81 in nine overs.Bodi, the silent partner, was bowled for 17 before Daryll Cullinan, in his final innings before retirement, was applauded off the field after making 7. That left Petersen and Justin Kemp to finish the match off with three overs to spare.Petersen, batting with a lot of maturity, rampaged to his half-century from 29 balls. With the victory in sight he reined himself in to finish not out on 78 from 62 balls. Kemp finished not out on 14.For Pieter Strydom, also announcing his retirement, the loss meant a career of six finals without winning a trophy.