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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBeuran Hendricks bagged his eighth five-wicket haul in first-class matches•Getty Images

South Africa A provided the prospect of an exciting finish to the second unofficial Test by setting India A a steep target of 307 on the third day in Pretoria. The visitors scored three after losing M Vijay’s wicket 13 balls before stumps. South Africa, however, have also suffered a blow as fast bowler Wayne Parnell complained of shortness of breath on Sunday and is still in the hospital under observation and for tests. He bowled only two overs in India’s first innings.India ended up batting twice on the third day after they resumed at 145 for 6 in reply to South Africa’s 341. Ambati Rayudu added only 15 to his overnight score of 14 before he became offspinner Simon Harmer’s third wicket. The tail could not survive for too long either, the remaining three wickets fell within nine runs when Ishwar Pandey and Siddarth Kaul were out for ducks. Parvez Rasool’s unbeaten 32, however, ensured India crossed the 200-run mark. After disappointing figures of 1 for 155 in the previous match, Harmer finished with 4 for 74 and left-arm pacer Beuran Hendricks bagged his eighth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket to give South Africa an important 140-run lead.The hosts added to India’s miseries when openers Reeza Hendricks and Dean Elgar put on 53, even though they scored at less than two runs per over, crossing the 50-run mark in the 26th over. Reeza and Rilee Rossouw fell to left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem in successive overs. Nadeem had Reeza caught at slip by Dinesh Karthik for 20 and Rossouw was bowled for a four-ball duck. Elgar, along with Temba Bavuma, took South Africa past 100 before Rasool bowled Elgar for 62. Justing Ontong, captain of the South Africa side, elevated their run rate with a quick 35 off 32, which included four fours and a six. South Africa declared shortly after losing Bavuma and Ontong within two overs with their lead more than 300.India’s hopes of ending the day unscathed were dashed by Beuran who got rid of Vijay in his first over, even before India had scored their first run. Nadeem came in as nightwatchman at No. 3 and survived seven deliveries. India now need another 304 runs to win the series 2-0, and South Africa nine wickets to draw level.Beuran was confident of maintaining the pressure on India on a deteriorating fourth-day pitch. “We are slightly ahead of them so we are quite confident of finishing the job tomorrow,” he said. “We have to take the momentum we created today and push it on tomorrow. Simon [Harmer] is going to come into the game perfectly and, with a deteriorating day four pitch, it is going to be an interesting day.”Beuran had a tough time of it in the unofficial Tests against Australia A earlier this month, where, save for one burst where he ran through the middle order to claim a five-for, he had figures of 1 for 213 in three innings. The difference, he said, was in his approach: “The difference is that against Australia A, I played more against the names in that team, that was my downfall. Here, I played against the batsmen, not the names.”

ScorecardLaurie Evans saw Warwickshire perfectly-paced chase over the line•Getty Images

Warwickshire kept their hopes of reaching the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals alive while inflicting further misery on Gloucestershire with a seven-wicket win at Edgbaston.The Bears paced their chase of a 126-run target to perfection with Varun Chopra and William Porterfield leading the way with an opening stand of 68 and Rikki Clarke clobbering 40 from 21 balls.Gloucestershire’s defeat, which ended their own slim hopes of making the knockout stages, followed the decision by an England and Wales Cricket Board pitch panel to deduct them two points from next year’s competition for the substandard surface they prepared for their home group match against Warwickshire at Cheltenham on July 14.The Gladiators, who were shot out for 96 at Cheltenham, were more competitive this time and made 145 for seven after they were put in thanks to captain Michael Klinger’s 68 from 52 balls. It took Klinger time to assess the pace of a pitch that Warwickshire used for last Saturday’s win over Northamptonshire and the Australia A right-hander managed only 21 runs in the first 10 overs.But Klinger found his range by pulling Steffan Piolet over the short-midwicket boundary before reverse sweeping Ateeq Javid for a second six. Klinger’s third six, swept off Piolet, took him to a 40-ball half century but he perished in the penultimate over of the innings when he was bowled whileaiming Jeetan Patel through the off-side.Apart from Klinger only Ian Cockbain, who also launched Piolet for a six in his 25, really got to grips with Warwickshire’s miserly offspinners.Javid followed up his four wickets at Cheltenham with 3 for 26 and Patel, who bowled Ed Young with his last ball, finished with a season’s best 2 for 13.Chopra and Porterfield’s partnership ensured there was no chance of a repeat of Warwickshire collapse against Somerset on Sunday when they were shot out for 73, their lowest Twenty20 total.Porterfield eased to 34 from 30 balls, comfortably his highest score in this season’s competition, but then carved Alex Gidman to Cockbain at point and Chopra also perished when well set, falling lbw while trying to sweep slow left-armer Tom Smith.Clarke then struck three sixes off Young in what proved to be the decisive over before he picked out deep midwicket, and Darren Maddy guided Warwickshire home with 14 balls to spare.

Australia’s crestfallen captain Michael Clarke believes his team have regained respect and credibility as contenders for the Ashes urn over the course of a wondrous, winding match at Trent Bridge, even if it concluded with the searing pain of a fifth consecutive Test defeat for the tourists.Clarke and the rest of the team were clearly hurt by a loss that arrived in cruel circumstances 12 minutes after lunch on the final day. Having added 65 with the last man James Pattinson to take the tourists to within 15 runs of victory, Brad Haddin was given out on a decision referral after the thinnest of edges behind from the bowling of the Man of the Match, James Anderson.But Clarke insisted his men had proved they were going to give England an awful fright, defying the expectations of many before the series began, and also going some way towards redeeming themselves after the humiliations of the India tour earlier this year.”I think we’ve probably proved to a few people that we’re here to compete,” Clarke said. “I said it on day one and I’m not surprised at how close we got. I’m disappointed that we couldn’t get over the line and I said last night that I still thought we could win the Test match.”So we as a team are disappointed we haven’t won this first Test but I hope we’ve earned a bit of respect by the way we’ve played. That’s what’s important. Our team is going to give our all every single time we take the field. We’re here to win this series.”We know it’s going to be tough and we’ve just experienced that over five days but for the people that have written us off or did write us off before a ball was bowled, I think we might have changed a few of their minds.”The wicket of Haddin brought back memories of the similarly epic Edgbaston Test of 2005, which resulted in a two-run win for England after Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz put on 59 for the last wicket.Back then, Clarke was a precocious young batsman in a team of greats. Now he must find a way of ensuring the trauma of the Nottingham defeat does not envelop a team far less experienced or confident than the side of eight years ago ahead of a second Test at Lord’s that is a mere four days away.”I can’t remember ’05. Well, I can but I just don’t want to,” Clarke said. “I was a lot younger then so it’s hard to compare. It probably does hurt you more when you are captain because I guess you’re a little bit older and I care so much about the guys that I’m surrounded by.”Not that I didn’t care back then but I was the youngster watching and learning where now I’m trying to help get the guys up on a daily basis and make sure that even when they’re down that they’re not too down.”He also had words of praise for the teenage debutant Ashton Agar, whose 98 at No. 11 in the first innings brought the Test alive. “He has played really well,” Clarke said. “He is an amazing talent, no doubt about it. He is a great kid with a very smart mind – he is older than his age will tell you. He is enjoying being around the team and I think you are going to see a lot more of him.”The final act of the match, with its delayed resolution and reliance on technology, was symbolic of how the DRS had cast a considerable shadow over the contest. But it also illustrated how England used the system more effectively than their counterparts.Alastair Cook still had two referrals up his sleeve when he decided to review the Haddin decision, while on day three Clarke had burned his own before the umpire Aleem Dar failed to spot a clear edge from Stuart Broad to slip. Clarke acknowledged he had to show better judgment in the future.”That is the way the system is. If I had used my reviews better then I have an opportunity to use it when there is a howler like that,” Clarke said. “We’ve still got two umpires on the field. They are the most important people out on the ground and they make their decisions. I have been brought up to live with the decision of those guys.”The advantage you have now, especially as a batsman, is that if you think you didn’t hit the ball, you have the chance to refer it. Sometimes you find out you did hit it, like in my case, other times you find out you were right. That’s how the games is and you learn to live with it.”How Clarke and Australia learn to live with their defeat at Trent Bridge will be known at Lord’s on Thursday morning.

Gurunath Meiyappan and Vindoo Dara Singh have been remanded to judicial custody until June 14, a Mumbai court has ruled. Gurunath had been in police custody since his arrest on May 24, and Vindoo since May 21.Gurunath, a top Chennai Super Kings official and son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, was arrested by Mumbai Police on charges of cheating, forgery and fraud after being summoned to Mumbai for questioning over alleged betting and links to bookies. Police investigations suggested that Vindoo, an actor, and Gurunath were in frequent telephonic contact. Vindoo was also seen in the Super Kings box at IPL matches.Gurunath’s arrest heaped plenty of pressure on his father-in-law Srinivasan to step down as BCCI president, and at a working committee meeting on Sunday, Srinivasan said he would step aside until a commission appointed to look into the betting and spot-fixing charges in IPL 2013 completed its task.The Chennai Super Kings also tried to distance itself from Gurunath, who was pretty much the face of the franchise till his arrest. Gurunath was suspended by the BCCI “from any involvement in the sport of cricket and in particular from any involvement with the Chennai Super Kings team” pending further investigations.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Suresh Raina smashed his first IPL century•BCCI

With 92 IPL games to his name, Suresh Raina, even more than MS Dhoni, is the tournament’s most experienced campaigner. A vital part of the Chennai Super Kings line-up, retained by his franchise after the first three seasons, he’s been key to several of his team’s successes and, on Thursday, he smashed his first IPL century in another victory – the seventh straight one for Super Kings this year. Shaun Marsh and David Miller middled the ball superbly in the chase and brought the equation down to 19 off the final over, but Dwayne Bravo didn’t let his team down.Raina’s yellow jersey had a brownish shade by the time he reached the landmark, his aggression not only confined to targeting the bowlers. If there’s an Indian batsman after the Mohammad Kaif of almost a decade ago who inflicts as much damage on his clothing while running between the wickets as he does while fielding, it’s Raina.Raina’s innings had its sedate phase, when it kept pace with Super Kings’ start, with a run-rate of just a little over six in the first nine overs. In the unforgiving Chennai heat, with not a speck of cloud in the sky, nor any breeze in the air, there was a back-massage for Raina from one of his team-mates, his head was wrapped up in a wet towel, his partner Michael Hussey was on his knees, and both were gulping down fluids during the time-out. Albie Morkel even tweeted: “Maybe they must reconsider 4pm games in chennai. My word someone will die soon.!” The massage certainly helped re-energize Raina, as he transformed his game after having moved to 14 off 15 balls at that point.The first ball he faced after the break, he drove David Hussey beautifully through deep cover and long-off before launching him over long-on for six. At the other end, Michael Hussey went past Chris Gayle to become the highest run-getter this season but was stumped 55 runs into the partnership. Raina lost Dhoni, run-out brilliantly by R Sathish in the 13th over, but he had made up his mind to be on the attack. He slog-swept Chawla with the turn, clipped Sathish past fine leg, and stepped up another notch after the second time-out, which was taken at the end of the 15th over.Six seasons into the IPL, death bowling has continued to be a worry for most teams, whose Indian bowlers, especially, have struggled to contain the batsmen. Attempted yorkers, almost inevitably, end up being length balls; Raina struck Manpreet Gony imperiously over the straight boundary off two such deliveries.Sathish was then cut and swept, Praveen Kumar was dispatched over long-on twice, the second six coming in the final over during which Raina reached his century. Through his assault, he ran superbly, though was fortunate to have just made his ground as he attempted a dive to complete a run very early in his innings, the bat popping up as he tried to slide it in. The last five overs yielded 70 runs, also thanks to Albie Morkel’s cameo of 23.Kings XI Punjab had a similar start to their chase, reaching the halfway mark at 65 for 2. But Marsh and Miller gave Super Kings a serious scare, their combined acceleration beginning, incidentally, in the 12th over from Raina that went for 19. Both cleared the boundaries comfortably during their half-centuries – they put on 95 in 52 balls – and still had an outside chance with 19 needed off six. Marsh, however, was bowled off the first ball by Bravo while trying to dispatch a full ball, and the task was beyond even Miller from there on as he faced just two more deliveries.

Players and their contract situation

Centrally contracted players who are part of the current squad:
Brendan Taylor (capt), Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Malcolm Waller, Kyle Jarvis, Brian Vitori, Elton Chigumbura, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Ray Price
Players with winter contracts in the current squad:
Tendai Chatara, Michael Chinouya, Keegan Meth, Natsai M’shangwe, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Timycen Maruma, Shingirai Masakadza, Richmond Mutumbami
Not contracted:
Craig Ervine, Charles Coventry, Edward Rainsford, Tawanda Mupariwa, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Chamu Chibhabha
Not considered because of injury:
Chris Mpofu, Tino Mawoyo

Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe’s leading run-scorer across all three formats on their recent tour of West Indies, has refused a winter contract and will not be part of the series against Bangladesh. Ervine has instead opted to play club cricket in the UK. Meanwhile, the threatened player boycott has been averted after eight players signed winter contracts.He is one of three players who decided not to take up Zimbabwe Cricket’s offer. The other two, Sean Williams and uncapped Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza, are still in discussions with the board.All-rounder Keegan Meth and bowlers Shingi Masakadza and Tendai Chatara, who were a part of the squad that toured Caribbean, are among the players who have signed the winter contracts. The team has resumed training, after only the centrally contracted players took to the field while negotiations were on-going.Ervine, who has played four Tests since Zimbabwe made their Test comeback in 2011, has not made the reason for his decision public, but a source close to the players told ESPNcricinfo that the money offered by ZC amounted to only US$100 a week. He is likely to earn at least double that overseas. His brother, Sean, walked away from Zimbabwe Cricket, seeking stability in the UK, and there are fears more players could do the same in the future.Though Zimbabwe’s preparations for the Bangladesh series, which begins in nine days, are back on track, the financial situation in ZC is still unresolved. An insider revealed that although the centrally contracted players “don’t have many complaints” over what they earn, the situation among franchise players is dire.Franchise cricketers are contracted for seven months of the year on low salaries, which according to one player only “pays for the rent”. They are left to fend for themselves for the other five months and most of them try to play overseas in that time. However, since ZC tries to schedule international fixtures during the winter, they often have to choose between higher income from club cricket and playing for their country, where they only earn match fees.A player, who did not want to named, said monies are often paid late or not at all. “Every single cricketer in Zimbabwe is owed money of some sort,” he said. “We are due to be paid from our franchise contracts on the last day of the month. Sometimes by the 10th of the next month, we still don’t have our money. Some people may say we are greedy, but we have bills to pay. It’s sad that it pays more to play club cricket abroad than it does for the country, but that’s the way it is.”With that in mind, those who have accepted winter contracts will be aware that they have signed up for some uncertainty. Their contracts will cover four tours, including the Bangladesh series, the three ODIs against India and series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Franchise cricketers will be given fresh contracts from September 1, while new central contracts will be announced in August.

ScorecardFile photo: Shoaib Malik’s knock of 152 helped Sialkot to an innings victory against Rawalpindi•AFP

With an all-round performance, the Karachi Blues secured an eight-wicket victory against Lahore Ravi at the Gaddafi Stadium.Lahore, after being put into bat, stumbled to 6 for 3. After a 48-run stand for the fifth wicket, they suffered another collapse as they lost four wickets for only 19 runs. A half-century from Adnan Akmal got them to 175.The Blues, in their first dig, put up a competitive 265. Fakhar Zaman top-scored with 64, with Tariq Haroon contributing 61. Mohammad Irshad’s 5 for 81 helped keep the Blues in check through the course of their innings.After conceding a 90-run lead, Ravi were in trouble as they were reduced to 57 for 4 through an effective bowling performance from Anwar Ali, who took 5 for 61. A 124-run stand between Akmal and Mirza steadied the innings, but Ravi lost six wickets quickly after that, and folded for 209. The Blues’ batsmen went about their 120-run chase quickly, sealing the match on the third day.
ScorecardCenturies from Mohammad Ayub and Shoaib Malik, who also took a decisive five-wicket haul in the second innings, helped Sialkot beat Rawalpindi by an innings and 60 runs.Rawalpindi were put into bat, and they were unable to build substantial partnerships over the course of their innings. Umar Amin, who top-scored with 75, and Adnan Mufti, who scored 54, were the chief contributors. Bilawal Bhatti was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 71 as Rawalpindi were dismissed for 294.Sialkot, in reply, started well, with opener Majid Jahangir scoring 92. Ayub and Malik were then involved in a 225-run stand for the fourth wicket. Contributions towards the end from Mansoor Amjad (54) and Zeeshan Mushtaq (32) helped push Sialkot to 563, before they declared with seven wickets down, giving them a 269-run lead.The Sialkot bowlers reduced Rawalpindi, in their second dig, to 76 for 4 before Shoaib Ahmed and Babar Naeem put on a 111-run stand for the fifth wicket. Rawalpindi lost their next five wickets for just 22 runs, as Malik and Bhatti combined to bundle them out for 209.The win puts them on top of the points table, after three matches.

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Bahawalpur are at the top of the Six Bottom Teams Pool B after taking points for a first-innings lead against Peshwar at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium. Half-centuries from Hamid Ali and captain Rehan Rafiq helped Bahawalpur reach 292 in the first innings, though Afaq Ahmed picked up six wickets. Seamer Kamran Hussain then bagged a five-for to bowl out Peshawar for 172, giving his team a lead of 120. There were four half-centurions for Bahawalpur in the second innings, Hamid and Rafiq being among the runs again. Peshwar just batted 31 overs in the fourth innings after being set 497 to win, and finished at 149 for 4.

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Faisalabad picked up three points by narrowly edging out Multan in the first innings in a drawn game at the Multan Cricket Stadium; they keep their place at the top of the Six Bottom Teams in Pool A. Ali Waqas held the innings together with an unbeaten 105, and took his team to 256. Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar picked up 6 for 77. Multan fell just six runs short in their response, being bowled out for 250. They had been struggling at 156 for 8 but Rizwan Haider (54) and wicketkeeper Maqbool Ahmed (48*) took them to within six runs of Faisalabad’s score. However, the last two wickets were both bagged by left-arm seamer Samiullah Khan, who finished with a seven-for, with the score on 250. Faisalabad were bowled out for 198 in the second innings but there wasn’t enough time for Multan to chase down 206 for victory, as they could bat just 18 overs in the fourth innings.
Islamabad take first-innings points
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Islamabad picked up first-innings points against Karachi Whites to find themselves in third place in Super Eights Group A. Shan Masood made 199 to help them post 414 in the first innings. A collective bowling effort ensured Islamabad were able to keep Karachi to just 209 in the first innings and enforce a follow-on. There were no significant contributions for Karachi apart from half-centuries from Shahzaib Hasan and Khalid Latif. Iftikhar Anjum and Imad Wasim picked up three wickets each. Latif and Fawad Alam hit centuries for Karachi after following-on to get their team to 325 for 5 by the close.

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Lahore Shalimar gained a first-innings lead over Hyderabad to finish second in the Super Eight Group B. Centuries from Imran Butt and Umar Akmal took them to 473 and the bowlers responded by bowling out Hyderabad for 258. Mohammad Irfan collected three wickets. Lahore were dominating with the bat in the second innings, smashing 309 runs – four batsmen hit half-centuries – in 50 overs and giving Hyderabad just under six overs to bat in the fourth innings.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Dale Steyn was among the wickets yet again•Getty Images

For the two decades since their return from sporting isolation, South Africa have been among the top teams in the world, without ever having a sustained run as the undisputed No. 1. Even in the recent successes, an element of ruthlessness was missing, highlighted by the lack of consecutive Test victories over a four-year span ending with the hard-fought series victory over Australia.Graeme Smith’s men have been unrelenting in correcting that anomaly over the home summer. Not only have they won all five Tests, they have utterly dominated almost all of them, as the margins suggest: innings and 27 runs, innings and 193 runs, 211 runs, four wickets and today at Centurion, innings and 18 runs. None of those matches went to the fifth day, the opposition was outclassed in the batting, bowling and fielding, and the near-perfect summer silenced any debate over which was the best side in the world – South Africa now enjoy a 10-point lead over second-placed England. It also quelled murmurs over South Africa’s less than impressive record at home in recent years.

Smart stats

• South Africa won all five Tests in their home season. For only the third time since their readmission, they won three or more Tests in a series. The previous two such series came against West Indies in 1998 and 2003-04.

• Pakistan suffered a whitewash in a series of three or more matches for the fourth time since 2000. Their three previous series whitewashes came against Australia.

• Dale Steyn became the third-highest wicket-taker for South Africa after going past Allan Donald. Only Shaun Pollock (421) and Makhaya Ntini (390) are ahead of Steyn.

• Kyle Abbott’s match haul of 9 for 68 is the third best by a South African bowler on Test debut and the best for South Africa since their readmission.

• Abbott’s 9 for 68 is also the third best performance by a South African bowler against Pakistan. Abbott’s performance is also the best by a bowler on debut against Pakistan.

• South Africa improved on their outstanding record in Centurion (14 wins and one defeat). The win-loss ratio of 14 is the best for a venue since South Africa’s readmission (min 15 Tests played).

It has been all one-way traffic over the past couple of months, and it looked like that would be the case on Sunday as well. There were plenty of cracks in the Centurion pitch making the odd ball swerve dramatically, and there was a bit of unpredictable bounce as well. And Dale Steyn removed Pakistan’s man for a crisis, Younis Khan, early with another of his typical have-to-poke-at outswingers.Azhar Ali and Imran Farhat, however, kept the South African pace battery at bay for a couple of hours. Ali, who had only one substantial score in five previous innings, capitalised on the deliveries on his pads, and was happy to otherwise push around for the singles. He looked to leave as many deliveries as he could, and defended solidly as he patiently made his way to an unbeaten 27 by lunch.Farhat, who couldn’t open the innings after having been struck on the hand yesterday, continued to show the confidence he had at the start of the first innings, crashing the ball past point repeatedly. He was not shy of the pull shot either when South Africa’s quicks pitched it short.Still, despite their defiance, as has been the case all summer, a Pakistan batting collapse never seemed far away. What will hurt them is that this time the slide began due to a run-out. Soon after lunch, there was confusion whether to go for the second or not, and by the time Ali was sent back, a bullet throw from Steyn at fine leg had arrived, and the dogged partnership was over.That opened the gates for a slew of wickets. Debutant Kyle Abbott got yet another wicket behind the stumps as Farhat edged through to the keeper, before Rory Kleinveldt finally had reward for his persistence. Misbah-ul-Haq nicked one through to AB de Villiers, and soon after Asad Shafiq gave away his wicket by punching a catch to Vernon Philander at mid-off.With an hour still left till tea, and Pakistan’s tail notoriously fragile, there was a genuine chance that the match would finish before the session was scheduled to. Sarfraz Ahmed, who has been hopeless with the bat all the series, and Saeed Ajmal, who put up some resistance in Newlands as well, made sure the collapse didn’t extend beyond four wickets, playing out the 13 overs till the break.Steyn returned to whip out two wickets, to go past the great Allan Donald’s Test haul of 330 wickets, and was one away from yet another five-for. Abbott got his ninth wicket of the match when he got the other debutant Ehsan Adil to steer a catch to third man.That left Steyn and Abbott chasing the final wicket for personal milestones, and though Pakistan’s last pair, Rahat Ali and Mohammad Irfan, attempted many an agricultural swipe, the final strike just didn’t arrive. The frustration increased for South Africa as despite a bunch of chances, Rahat and Irfan batted out eight overs. Smith finally tossed the ball to his spinner, Robin Peterson, who finished off the game in his first over, getting Rahat lbw.It completed a miserable series for Pakistan, whose batting has consistently let them down on the testing surfaces in South Africa. In this match, no batsman made a half-century, and in the series no batsman aggregated 200 runs.For the home side, it was only the third time since their return that they have won three or more Tests in the series. And there was another record for Smith to savour as he became the first captain to win 50 Tests.Not only have the results been magnificent for South Africa, they have been achieved through a eye-catching brand of cricket that combines aggression, grace and efficiency. South Africa fans, lap it up.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) is bracing for a battle with the country’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) after they decided to reject the authority’s directive on who was eligible to be a national selectors. ZC are the only national sports association to refuse to implement the order which comes into effect next Friday.The directive has been the cause of much concern in Zimbabwe Cricket since it was mooted last October. Its initial draft stated that only former national players could be considered as selectors. ZC took issue with that because of Zimbabwe’s past which saw few black African players represent the country at national level. It said the directive would continue to marginalise the majority of the population by ruling them out of administrative positions.In a statement, ZC’s managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa argued the SRC’s edict would require ZC to change its constitution, breach its contractual obligations with current selectors and conflict with the ICC’s Articles of Association because it amounts to “government interference in the management of the affairs of the member associations.” As a result, ZC “does not consider it proper for the Commission to require it to comply with the directive.”David Coltart, Zimbabwe’s minister of education, sports, arts and culture, “noted with regret,” ZC’s decision and called their reasons “baseless and spurious.” He denied specifically that the SRC is contravening the ICC’s rules and pointed to the Sri Lanka Cricket Board as an example.”The Sri Lankan Minister of Sport actually appoints the entire cricket selectors’ panel. The SRC directive does not go anywhere near as far this long standing Sri Lankan law nor was it ever intended to.”It is most unfortunate that despite the SRC amendment issued on the 23rd January 2013, designed to accommodate legitimate concerns about the need to include non ex-national players in selectors panels, Zimbabwe Cricket has still decided to defy a national directive designed in the best interests of all sports in Zimbabwe. The Board of the SRC will consider in due course what action to take in terms of the Sports and Recreation Commission Act.”According to the Act, the SRC have the power to sanction ZC to the extent that they can dissolve its board.ZC named current assistant coach Stephen Mangongo as a victim of the new policy. Mangongo is one of three applicants (Heath Streak and Grant Flower are the other two) to have applied for the job of Zimbabwe head coach when Alan Butcher vacates his post after the West Indies tour in March. Because ZC have changed their own selection policy to state that the national coach is also a selector, they were worried that Mangongo would no longer be in contention for the job as he did not play for Zimbabwe.The SRC recognised the concerns around the racial politics at play and expanded the directive to include a number of non ex-players on the selection committee. On Wednesday, they published the new version which allows for 50% of the selection panel not to have been former internationals but to have “coaching experience or some technical expertise in the particular sport.”Despite the changes to the directive, ZC are not satisfied and on Thursday issued their rebuttal and legally challenged the SRC. “The effect of the directive is to require ZC to amend its lawfully registered constitution so as to oblige the board to stipulate the qualifications of the conveners as required by the directive. Simply complying with the directive without amending the constitution will not be competent,” ZC said.”There is presently no cause for the amendment of the constitution except the directive. The Commission cannot require ZC to act unlawfully or outside its constitution. Moreover, ZC has entered into contracts with the current independent selectors which would be summarily terminated if the directive were to be implemented. ZC has no cause to terminate the contracts of the current selectors and has not made any provision for the damages claimable by them in its budget for the breach of the contracts…. It appears that the Commission has no legal capacity to require ZC to do what the directive demands.”ZC’s current selection panel includes former Test player Wayne James and coach Butcher while Givemore Makoni, a long-time administrator of the game, has a casting vote and was its most recent convener. The panel had to be reorganised after the other selector, Kevin Curran, died last year. When Curran was on the committee, the coach, Butcher, was not a selector but was used in an advisory capacity only. Makoni has been outspoken in his objections to the directive calling it “racist” and “utter rubbish.”

ScorecardFile photo: Hiken Shah helped himself to a half-century•Fotocorp

Mumbai began the day needing five good balls or mistakes from Baroda; they got more than that by lunch, which was good enough to assure them of a semi-final place with five sessions to go. In fact, they produced six of them, but Ajit Agarkar dropped a simple catch from Ambati Rayudu, who went on to score an unbeaten 89, an effort highly inadequate in the larger scheme of things: Mumbai sealed a lead of 374 and proceeded to bat for the rest of the day.Debutant left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar began the fall of wickets as an uncertain Pinal Shah was stumped in the 15th over of the day to make it 188 for 6. Left-hand batsmen Gagandeep Singh and Ketul Patel both fell to the other left-arm spinner, Ankeet Chavan. Watching the spinners do well, Agarkar stayed away from taking the new ball, but his hand would have been forced at the end of 100 overs. The new ball was taken in the 100th over, and Javed Khan produced the last two wickets, even as Rayudu fought with a few graceful shots.As expected, Mumbai didn’t enforce the follow-on because there is no incentive in Ranji Trophy to go for an outright win in the knockouts. The bowlers are anyway overworked with a crazy schedule, and teams choose to expose them to as little sun as possible. Consequently, the rest of the match was reduced to a net in the middle. Mumbai faced 51 overs of batting practice, during which they lost the wicket of Wasim Jaffer. Kaustubh Pawar and Hiken Shah helped themselves to pressure-free fifties, and Mumbai’s lead with one day to go was a whopping 545 runs.