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.

Darren Bicknell (115) and Jason Gallian (84) put on a best ever opening partnership of 196 for Nottinghamshire at run a ball against Surrey at Trent Bridge in the Division Two league.Notts scored 288 for 4 in 45 overs. Confirmed already as champions, Surrey fielded a side with just three regulars and never troubled Notts despite a century from Nadeem Shahid only to lose by 63 runs. Notts now need just one win from the two remaining matches to join Surrey in promotion.The record opening stand erased the 19-year-old record of 188 made by Basaharat Hassan and Derek Randall at Edgbaston. In his first season with Notts, Bicknell has now set record opening stands in both the National League and County championships.Bicknell said, “I’m not here to break records but to help Notts play as well as we can, and we will take this win forward and look for another winning performance next week” while admitting Surrey were not at full strength but Notts needed a win to keep them at the top.After Gallian was out, John Morris (9) and Paul Johnson (8) fell cheaply to Brown. Bicknell was run out at 247. Chris Read then blasted 26 runs from 10 balls with 23 runs coming in the final over. Brown took a career best 3 for 39.Surrey’s slim chance of chasing ended when big hitting Brown (5) got out to Paul Reiffel. Shahid then came in at number three to make 109 runs in 108 balls as Surrey suffered their second successive defeat.

Kapil Dev, the former Indian captain who is heading the unofficial Indian Cricket League, has said the tournament will go ahead despite pressures from various boards around the world.The ICL has been facing a slew of problems since its launch, from the active opposition of the Indian board to the massive wage bill incurred by promising dozens of players’ hefty packages that start at Rs30 lakhs (US$ 80,000 approx). But Kapil was determined to prove the doubters wrong.One key problem is the availability of grounds, with the BCCI barring the use of any of its facilities to the ICL. However, he claims to have found a functioning ground at Panchkula near Chandigarh. “We have done the pavilion and the lights will be ready,” Kapil was quoted as saying in the London-based . “The advertisements are running on Indian television, the publicity has started, and we have prepared the uniforms for all six teams.”We are very determined and very proud of what we are doing, which will promote the game of cricket and give many young players the chance to build a career. If people think they can block us, that’s fine. The best thing is just to wait and watch.”News related to the ICL has been trickling into the Indian media on a daily basis. It has conducted two camps so far, the second of which ended in Chennai on October 25, and is now planning regional camps in Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi. The Kolkata camp, starting on Friday, will be overseen by Daryll Cullinan, the former South African batsman roped in to coach the Calcutta Tigers team.However the reported that the camp could run into difficulties because the venue, the Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CC&FC), is an affiliated unit of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). It’s also one of the founding members of the CAB. The connection could force the ICL organisers to look out for another venue.The Calcutta Tigers currently comprises 13 players from the domestic circuit — seven from Bengal, four from Assam and two from Jharkhand – while the names of the five international players allocated for the side from the east zone will be announced in a couple of days’ time. Following the Kolkata camp the players will fly down to Mumbai for a round of warm-up matches before heading to Panchkula.Meanwhile there was some controversy surrounding ICL in Bhopal, in central India. Former Indian allrounder JP Yadav and Mohnish Mishra, another first-class cricketer, were not allowed to play in the All India Manish Agnihotri Memorial Cricket Tournament in Bhopal because of their alignment with the league.

ScorecardJames Vince led the way as Hampshire kept hopes of qualification alive•PA Photos

Hampshire kept their NatWest T20 Blast hopes alive following a thrilling four-run victory over Sussex at Hove.James Vince made an unbeaten 90 and Adam Wheater a quickfire 51 as Hampshire amassed 204-3 after being put in to bat but Sussex looked on course to pull off an unlikely win when Chris Nash and Luke Wright put on 98 for the opening wicket inside ten overs.Nash fell for a career-best 88 in the 17th over but successive sixes from Craig Cachopa in the penultimate over got the equation down to ten from the last six balls. But former Sussex bowler Yasir Arafat came back to haunt his old club with a brilliant final over to restrict Sussex.It means Hampshire can still secure a quarter-final spot if they win their final game against Somerset on Thursday while Sussex missed out on the chance of guaranteeing their progress.Vince and Wheater laid the platform for Hampshire’s biggest total for five years after Michael Carberry was well caught by Ollie Robinson off the bowling of Chris Liddle for 14. Wheater dominated a stand of 93 from 53 balls but could have been out without scoring as he survived a close run-out appeal.

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For much of this season Hampshire’s progress towards qualification was serene. More recently they have struggled and have not strung consecutive wins together since early June, but this win keeps them in contention for the quarter-finals heading into the final week. Wickets win matches. At least that’s what Sussex’s run-chase suggested. For the first 15 overs of the chase, the run rate remained steady at 10 – and then wickets started to fall. Sussex lost four wickets in their final four overs as they cracked under pressure. Hampshire live to fight another day.

The wicketkeeper pulled his fourth ball for six off Robinson and also cleared the ropes off the bowling of Will Beer and Liddle. He brought up his 50 with his fourth four off Chris Nash but was out the very next ball when he mistimed a pull and was caught at midwicket by Liddle.Wheater’s departure did not slow Hampshire’s momentum, however, as Owais Shah blasted a quickfire 40 in a stand of 72 from 36 balls.Vince also survived a scare when Robinson put a tough chance down on 41 and made the most of the reprieve. He brought up his 50 from 38 balls but was left short of a first Twenty20 century.Sussex needed to make a quick start and in-form opening duo Nash and Wright provided it. Nash smashed Will Smith for two sixes in the opening over as the Sharks raced to 66-0 at the end of the Powerplay.Nash brought up his 50 – from 28 balls – with a delightful inside out cover drive but was denied a third century partnership of the season with Wright when the Sussex skipper was bowled for 42 by Yasir Arafat. Legspinner Mason Crane picked up the wicket of Matt Machan in the next over to swing the momentum back in Hampshire’s favour.A partnership of 65 from 39 balls between George Bailey and Nash kept Sussex very much in contention until both fell in the space of three balls. Nash holed out to former Sussex player Joe Gatting at long-on off Chris Wood for 88 and then Bailey was well caught right on the rope by Gatting for a 21-ball 33.Sussex needed 35 runs from 19 balls at that point but there hopes seemed to have disappeared when the equation became 22 from eight balls. Successive sixes from Cachopa off Wood got it down to ten from the final over but Arafat produced a brilliant final over to deny his old club.

Imran Tahir is 36 years old. He has been an international cricketer for four of those years, and a professional one for 19. He has played for more teams and in more leagues than most people follow, and is currently ranked fifth in the world on the ICC’s ODI bowling rankings. What more could he possibly want? His Test spot back, of course.”I’m still challenging myself with that. When I go to bed after playing a Test match, I want to feel that I gave 100%. If not, I’ll feel guilty and won’t be able to sleep and probably will need sleeping tablets. But I know that in my heart I never did that,” Tahir said.”Whatever I did, I did it for South Africa. This is a dream I’ve had since I was 10. If I mistakenly drop my cap, I pick it up and kiss it. This is the biggest thing in my life. I have a lot of respect whatever format I play. I haven’t developed as I should have in Test cricket, but I can work hard on that and that’s what I’ve been doing.”Tahir made his Test debut in the same game as Vernon Philander and played the bulk of his Tests while South Africa’s strategy was centered on their three-pronged pace attack. He often found himself bowling on surfaces totally unsuited to spinners and came into the attack once most of the damage was done. The strategy made it difficult for Tahir, as an attacking bowler to have an impact. His aggressive nature and myriad variations made it difficult for him to control the game. He lost his place to Robin Peterson, got it back briefly, and then lost it again.Tahir last played a Test over Boxing Day last year against West Indies. He was recalled after being dropped for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe and then recalled for the opening Test against West Indies in Centurion. He was dropped again immediately after that match to seemingly end a Test career that had underwhelmed. He has since been overtaken by Simon Harmer and Dane Piedt in the longest format, but believes he could still find his way back, especially knowing there are also promising spinners putting up their hands in shorter formats.Tahir was rested from the recent T20s in Bangladesh and against New Zealand, even though he is “not one of those guys who wants to take a long rest,” and can see there is a succession plan being put in place. “There are lot of good youngsters coming up and it’s good for them to get an opportunity. That’s great for South African cricket, but the other side of it is that I don’t want to lose my spot. That keeps me going. I want someone to be there to challenge me,” Tahir said.Eddie Leie has emerged as the most likely candidate to partner with Tahir at next year’s World T20, and possibly even take over from him in the future. Although Tahir is not quite ready to roll off into retirement yet, he is willing to take Leie, his former franchise team-mate at Lions, under his wing.”He’s [Leie] a really good, talented guy. It was nice that he had an opportunity. I wish I had that when I was his age. He’s a good, strong character and he wants to do well for South Africa. That makes him a good bowler. He’s got all the variations, but probably he needs to learn a bit more about the game,” Tahir said. “Wherever I could, I helped him. Actually, I did share all my secrets with him. What god has written for me, no one’s going to take it away. I just want to pass it on.”While Tahir teaches Leie what he knows, he remains the go-to man in shorter formats. AB de Villiers described Tahir as a “master of the middle overs,” who knows “how to change momentum, speed the game up and then slow it down again.”Words like that keep Tahir motivated as he aims to stretch out his career as long as he can. “That pumps my heart. Every time I see that I want to do well. I’ve been playing cricket for quite a long time all over the world and all the situations I have been in have given me confidence. I love challenges. I want to be the guy the captain can trust. I take my job very sincerely.”

With his England career now firmly behind him, Kevin Pietersen will return to his roots in Kwa-Zulu Natal this winter having signed to play for the Durban-based Sunfoil Dolphins in their Ram Slam T20 campaign.Pietersen, who was educated at Maritzburg College and emigrated from South Africa in 2001, played two first-class matches for the Dolphins in October 2010 in the build-up to England’s successful Ashes campaign but has never yet played in the country’s T20 competition.”I’m very excited to return to Durban in a few weeks’ time and contribute towards the Sunfoil Dolphins’ cause,” Pietersen said. “Having grown up in KZN it is obviously a place that means something quite special to me and to have the opportunity to play there again is something I’m really looking forward to.”Pietersen, who scored a national-record 13,779 runs across all formats for England in the course of a nine-year career, has not played for England since being sacked in the aftermath of 5-0 Ashes whitewash in 2013-14.Clamours for a recall intensified earlier this season following England’s ignominious group-stage exit at the World Cup, with Pietersen warming to the theme with a career-best 355 not out for Surrey against Leicestershire at The Oval.However, Andrew Strauss, the incoming director of England cricket, closed the door on that prospect in a face-to-face meeting in May, before confirming this week that England had “moved on” from Pietersen in the wake of their 3-2 victory in the recent Ashes.South Africa’s Ram Slam will be the fifth domestic T20 competition that Pietersen has featured in, following stints with Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League, Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League and Surrey in the NatWest T20 Blast.”The Ram Slam T20 looks to be an exciting tournament and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of the action for the first time this summer,” Pietersen said. “The Dolphins have some talented individuals and hopefully I can contribute towards the team’s success during my time with them.”Lance Klusener, the Dolphins head coach, believes that Pietersen can help his team win back the title they last held in 2013-14. Pietersen will be available for five Ram Slam matches in a two-week spell from late October until mid-November.”It’s very exciting to have a player of Kevin’s ability join us for a portion of the Ram Slam T20 tournament,” Klusener said. “We’ve won the tournament before and hopefully his presence will aid in us challenging for the title once more.”

ScorecardMitchell Johnson picked up 5 for 31•Getty Images

Mitchell Johnson ran through Queensland and collected five wickets as Western Australia finished their Matador Cup campaign with a comfortable consolation victory. Adam Voges was also in fine touch in the 39-run win, scoring 81 and picking up three wickets with his part-time spin, but the match was effectively a dead rubber with neither side having any chance of progressing.Queensland’s young new-ball pair of Billy Stanlake (4 for 37) and Mark Steketee (3 for 45) were impressive Voges steered the Warriors to a solid total of 9 for 240 after he won the toss and chose to bat. Contributions also came from Michael Klinger (48) and Mitchell Marsh (46), and Ashton Agar struck two sixes in a late cameo of 21 not out from 10 balls.The quality of Johnson made it an extra tough chase for the Bulls; Johnson had openers Charlie Hemphrey and Usman Khawaja both caught behind cheaply, before Joe Burns and Nathan Reardon steadied with a partnership of 94 runs. Both men scored 54 but both also fell to the spin of Voges, who also trapped Michael Neser lbw and finished with 3 for 20.Voges outbowled the specialist Agar, who struggled to contain Queensland and went for 46 off his nine overs, and did not claim a wicket. But the Warriors had enough firepower in their attack as Johnson got rid of Peter Forrest and Chris Hartley, and then claimed the final wicket to finish with 5 for 31 and secure the 39-run victory.Western Australia were without fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile due to a minor injury to his left shoulder. The fast bowler Jhye Richardson, 19, debuted in place of Coulter-Nile and bowled six overs for 0 for 34.