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Associated Press

India A turned a 250-run deficit into a 359-run lead to give West Indies A a scare in the four-day game at Kent county cricket ground in Beckenham, before they had to settle for a draw. India’s bowlers reduced West Indies to 188 for 6 in the chase but Raymon Reifer followed his 52 in the first innings with a stubborn 11 not out of 74 balls to deny India.When Rahkeem Cornwall was dismissed – trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem – India A needed three wickets in 6.1 overs to pull off a coup. Reifer and Jomel Warrican then soaked up 31 balls to hold off India.The first day was also as dramatic with India tumbling to 133 all out in 42.1 overs, with seamers Chemar Holder and Sherman Lewis claiming four wickets each for West Indies A. At stumps on the first day, West Indies moved to a 15-run lead with seven wickets in the shed.Sunil Ambris, who had made his Test debut against New Zealand last year, made 128 off 165 balls to swell the lead to 250. Ankit Rajpoot, who had toured South Africa as a net bowler earlier this year, was the pick of the bowlers for India with 4 for 76.Out for a first-ball duck in the first innings, Prithvi Shaw, who already had five first-class centuries coming into the game, led a strong response with 188 off 169 balls, including 28 fours and two sixes. He had put on 181 for the opening stand with Mayank Agarwal, who contributed 68 off 82 balls.Agarwal’s Karnataka team-mates R Samarth (137) and Karun Nair (93), in the running for a Test spot for England, then propelled India to 609 for 6 before they declared. But just as India threatened a come-from-behind victory, West Indies’ tail found an escape route.

Scorecard

Craig Spearman and Chris Taylor led Gloucestershire to a six-wicket win against Glamorgan in the first match at the new-look Sophia Gardens. The home side struggled with the bat until Ben Wright lifted them over 200, but the stand of 106 between Spearman and Taylor swung it back Gloucestershire’s way.The Glamorgan new-ball bowlers gave their side a chance with three early wickets on a lively pitch that had some uneven bounce. Jason Gillespie had fellow Australian Marcus North caught behind after bowling Alex Gidman in the first over. When David Harrison had Hamish Marshall taken at slip Gloucestershire were struggling on 16 for 3.But Spearman played his naturally aggressive game and knocked the quick bowlers, especially Harrison, off their length with a series of strong pulls and cuts. He dominated the partnership with Taylor until being trapped lbw by Dean Cosker. However, Gloucestershire had the momentum and the required rate was never a concern. Taylor played with composure while David Brown twice cleared the boundary in his 53-ball 45 as the chase was completed with more than five overs to spare.Glamorgan were on the back foot for much of their innings and when Mark Hardinges removed Jamie Dalrymple they were 92 for 5. Wright, the former England Under-19 batsman, held the lower order together and added 55 with Alex Wharf. In the end, though, the total wasn’t enough to challenge Gloucestershire.

Pakistan Under-19s allrounder Hasan Mohsin was named the Man of the Match against Afghanistan Under-19s in Sylhet for his swing-bowling display. Against Sri Lanka Under-19s on Wednesday, Mohsin exhibited his batting prowess too, something he didn’t get a chance to do when Pakistan chased low totals in the first two league games.The side batted first and lost two wickets within nine balls and, despite a comfortable start, suddenly found themselves 70 for 3 in the 20th over. Mohsin is not the most technically correct batsman in the side and neither is he the most elegant. But he is effective, assesses situations well and thinks on his feet. Had it not been for his run-a-ball 86, Pakistan would have probably have been bundled out for much less than 212.”My approach was to safeguard my wicket as well as keep the runs flowing because our batsmen at the top got out really early,” Mohsin said. “So when Umair Masood was playing with me, our discussion was to build a partnership and save our wicket as well.”Mohsin, who also opens the bowling, is primarily a batting allrounder. He has batted at No. 5 so far in the tournament and explains that he prefers the middle order because of a liking for spin.”I like batting at No. 4 or 5 because I believe I play spinners better,” he said. “At whichever position I bat, I always try to pull my team out of difficult situations and do well for them.”In the beginning, Mohsin took his time to get his eye in, despite a drop in the run rate. He made sure he stalled a collapse by seeing through spells of Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinners and was on 5 off 19 balls before collecting his first boundary. Once he opened up, he started rotating the strike more easily and soon brought up his fifty off 65 deliveries. He used his hands and supple wrists to target the leg-side boundary initially and it seemed like he didn’t prefer the off side much. Soon, however, he was using late cuts and punches, and was finding gaps cleverly with timing and placement.In the last 10 overs, he unleashed a beautiful inside-out cover drive and surprised everyone in the 47th over with a de Villiers-like scoop from well outside off that got him four runs fine on the leg side. Did he see the fine-leg fielder coming in?”Yes. The situation was such that I had to, because the field was such,” he said. “The fast bowler was bowling and to hit straight wasn’t easy. So I thought I’ll sit down and [play that shot].”It was difficult conditions for batting. I was just playing it all on merit.”Mohsin looked at ease against the ambidextrous bowler Kamindu Mendis and said he got over the initial surprise. He scored 12 runs off 12 balls against Mendis and the spinner was soon out of the attack.”Yes, it was surprising. But for me, left-arm spinners I believe I can play them easily – whether he’s bowling an arm ball or break.” Would it have troubled Mohsin had Mendis switched to right-arm offspin against him? “No, offspin would’ve made it easier. Pakistan’s wickets are such that we way play spinners well.”Mohsin started out as a batsman and legspinner when his father took him to an academy in Karachi in 2008. Several years later his coach Mohammad Masroor, also the Pakistan team coach right now, advised him to switch from legspin to swing bowling. He was singled out as one of the side’s main allrounders by the management before the World Cup.In his team’s successful defence of a below-par score, Mohsin provided the spinners a perfect platform by removing the Sri Lankan openers in his first spell. Some accurate outswingers helped remove Avishka Fernando in his first over and a nagging line to left-handed Kaveen Bandara induced an outside edge in the sixth over to leave Sri Lanka at 21 for 2.”I always try to bowl line and length, wickets come by themselves,” he said. “My aim is always to stay on one type of swing at the start and keep bowling line and length. So when I contain the batsmen, I get a wicket.”Slightly shy, Mohsin opens up once you start talking about his game and tactics. Will he open himself to the world of T20 leagues, such as the PSL? “It is natural that everyone would want to play big cricket. If some team gives me an offer, surely I will play.”

Sourav Ganguly has brushed aside notions of Twenty20 being a young man’s game, pointing out how seniors players have thrived in the Indian Premier League.”It’s fashionable to talk of age, but I’ve always maintained that class and performance matter,” Ganguly said ahead of Kolkata’s clash against Mumbai. “If you look at the IPL, almost everybody who has got a hundred is over 30 … Sanath Jayasuriya is almost 39 … I myself missed a hundred narrowly.”Ganguly had revealed his hopes of a one-day comeback after Kolkata’s win against Delhi – “I hope the selectors are watching” – and went one step further here. “I’m sure my turn will [again] come in ODIs,” he said. “What I feel bad about is that after 13 years, I still [need to] surprise people.”Ganguly was controversially dropped from the one-day side earlier this year and has gone on to hit out against the selectors. Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, though, didn’t rule out the possibility of Ganguly coming back.”He has done extremely well,” he said in an interview to . “Yes, we have been watching him, especially his brilliant fielding, with great interest.”Sachin Tendulkar has also dismissed the perception of Twenty20 being unsuitable for senior players. “This tournament is the biggest proof that age doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s performance … this IPL should stop such questions …”Brendon McCullum, 26, is the only IPL centurion who is below 30 years of age. Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist and Jayasuriya are all on the other side of 30.

New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan has been ruled out of the forthcoming one-day series against Australia, after the fracture above his left eye was diagnosed to be more serious than initially thought.”It’s certainly going to take at least a couple of weeks for him to recover,” coach Mike Hesson said. “It appears that the fracture is a little worse than first thought. Hopefully he will be available for selection for the World T20. He has done really well for us in the T20s.”McClenaghan will undergo cosmetic surgery today, though New Zealand Cricket had initially said it would take place on Friday. “It’s a concern when anyone has an operation,” Hesson said. “We’re confident that Mitch is in good hands.”The fracture had been sustained during the final over of New Zealand’s innings on Monday. He was batting on 31 from 17 when the penultimate ball of the innings – from Anwar Ali – squeezed between the visor of his helmet and its grille to strike him flush on the left eye. McClenaghan was floored by the blow, and was seen bleeding from the eyebrow, but he walked off the field. He also received stitches above his eye in hospital that evening.New Zealand play three ODIs against Australia between February 3 and February 8. A two-Test series follows, but McClenaghan has not recently been a part of the Test squad.The World T20 begins on March 8 but New Zealand’s first game is only on March 15, in what is officially the second round of the tournament after a qualifying first round.

The clatter of three Western Australian wickets shortly before stumps has continued to afford Tasmania the whip hand by stumps on the second day of the sides’ Pura Cup match in Hobart. At the game’s midway point, the Warriors are at a mark of 4/137 in reply to the Tigers’ first innings tally of 9/446.Led by Shaun Young (2/20), the Tasmanian attack took until the final hour of the day to display the penetrative qualities which had hitherto been missing from both teams’ bowling line-ups. It was the medium pace of Young which did the major damage, his clever variety accounting for a spooned return catch from a well-set Simon Katich (38) and the departure of a very scratchy Murray Goodwin (3) to a leg before wicket decision. On his return after a long absence from the first-class arena, Gerard Denton (1/51) also made a crucial strike when he induced opener Mike Hussey (35) to play a mistimed pull and present Dene Hills with the opportunity to complete an excellent running catch behind square leg.But the presence at the crease of the clean-striking Damien Martyn (46*) and the determined mindset of Warriors’ captain Tom Moody might combine to ensure that the encounter yet develops into a tight battle for first innings points. On a placid pitch, Martyn played the most aggressive cameo of the match during the concluding stages to continue a romance with Bellerive that might well reach even more intense heights tomorrow. He could have been caught, either by wicketkeeper Sean Clingeleffer or first slip Daniel Marsh, when he top edged a cut at Denton with his score at a mere eight. But the two appeared to leave the potential chance to one another and, with the miss, went the Tigers’ opportunity to nip in the bud a rapid acceleration of the Western Australian run rate.”There’s a lot more batting left in our line-up and hopefully we can resurrect it tomorrow,” said Moody after play.And despite conceding that Tasmania was definitely in the box seat, the Western Australian skipper remained upbeat about the possibility that his team could still claim at least two points from the match.”There’s nearly two hundred overs left so who knows what can happen? It depends on how well we bat and how it all pans out late tomorrow and early on the fourth day.”Moody also hinted that he was slightly surprised by opposite number Jamie Cox’s decision to delay his declaration until seventy-seven minutes after lunch.”We were out there a bit longer than I expected; maybe they should have pressed on a bit quicker.”The Warriors’ bowlers and fieldsmen could have accepted at least some of the blame, though. The complexion of proceedings certainly might have been very different if they had capitalised on an excellent opening thirty minutes to the day. It was in that period that spinner Brad Oldroyd (4/90) snuck an arm ball through the defences of Young (43) and Brendon Julian (3/94) encouraged Marsh (110) to waft at an outswinger shortly after he had reached the landmark of three figures for the sixth time in his first-class career.The most crucial moment of the day loomed not long afterward when all-rounder Scott Kremerskothen (81) edged another Julian delivery to Moody at second slip with his score at six. The catch was grassed, and the visitors were left to pay a hefty price as Kremerskothen and fellow youngster Clingeleffer (50) set about adding a priceless 122 runs for the seventh Tasmanian wicket.Oldroyd finally removed Kremerskothen with a brilliant low return catch and Clingeleffer, two deliveries after raising an accomplished maiden first-class half-century, spooned a catch to cover off the bowling (the off spin bowling, no less) of Moody (2/82). By then, though, significant damage had been inflicted.”It was terrific, wasn’t it?,” said Cox of the pair’s alliance. “‘Kremer’ fell only one short of a career best and it was ‘Clinger’s first fifty, which was a good milestone … he’s done an excellent job in the first three games and we’re very pleased with the way he has come on.”Following a generally unpleasant nine hours in the field, the Western Australians encountered further annoyance when dashing opener Ryan Campbell (8) was trapped shuffling back and across his crease by David Saker (1/32). Hussey and Katich then added sixty-eight in fine style, and Martyn hit out brilliantly, but Young and Denton countered to leave the Warriors facing a big challenge to restore parity.

Stuart Broad may have risen to No. 1 in the Test rankings but he insists he is neither the best bowler in the world nor even this England side.Broad – the first England bowler to reach No. 1 in the rankings since Steve Harmison in 2004 – believes that Dale Steyn is “the bowler of our generation” and that James Anderson is “the best bowler England have ever had”. Steyn is currently placed at No. 3 in the Test rankings, with Anderson at No. 5.But Broad’s spell in Johannesburg did reiterate the point that, given any help from the conditions, he can be devastating. With his sustained fitness – for which he credits the England support staff – appearing to help him contribute such spells more often, he has formed a potent partnership with Anderson. It bodes well for England that both are in the top five.”I’m not going to walk away from this week thinking I’m a better bowler than Dale Steyn or Jimmy Anderson because that is not the case,” Broad said. “But it is a nice feeling to have reached this mark through my performances.

‘My dad was a fighter’

Stuart Broad feels his father, Chris, would have flourished in the current England environment.
Chris Broad was a good enough player to represent England in 25 Tests, equalling the record of Jack Hobbs and Wally Hammond by scoring centuries in three successive Ashes Tests in 1986-87, averaging 39.54 in all and reaching a high point of No. 10 in the rankings.
But Stuart Broad feels he could have achieved even more in a more benevolent dressing room and with more continuity of selection.
“Reaching No. 10 is not a bad effort considering he only played 25 Tests,” he said. “I look at my dad’s career and think how suited he would have been to this environment where selectors back you and give you time.
“He had the mentality for international cricket. He was a fighter and enjoyed the battle, rising to the occasion of playing in Australia.
“If he’d played now, then he would have been backed probably a little longer and I think he would have succeeded over the long term.”

“It is not something to take for granted and it is a very special thing to have happened. When you consider that only Ian Botham in the 1980s and Harmy in 2004 have been No. 1 as English bowlers, it is a lovely achievement.”The biggest thing is that I’ve stayed fit. You can’t take wickets on the physio bed can you? So a lot of credit has to go to the guys behind the scenes for keeping me fit and I also understand my body a bit more now. I’ve played nearly 40 Tests on the bounce now which is quite rare for a fast bowler.”It might sound odd, but I’m not the best bowler in the world. Dale Steyn is the bowler of our generation. Just have a look at his record: his wickets; his strike rate; his average. He is the best bowler in the world.”My dad always talks about Malcolm Marshall being the bowler of his generation. Well, Dale Steyn is the bowler of our generation.”I’ve been very privileged to play with Jimmy Anderson for a long time and he is certainly the best bowler England have ever had in my view. I didn’t see Fred Trueman and didn’t watch much of Ian Botham live, so you have to judge it on who you’ve seen bowl.”While Broad is flattered by the “very special” achievement, he sees it not as an end in itself but as a marker on England’s road of progress. Whatever happens in Centurion, they will rise no higher than No. 5 in the rankings at the end of this series. The aim, clearly, is to reach No. 1 but with a desperately tough series looming in India at the end of the year, Broad knows that ambition is still some way off fulfilment.”This is not the end goal and it doesn’t feel like the biggest thing right now because there is so much more going on with the team,” he said. “I’m not being aloof or disrespectful, but there is such a determination in the side to get this team to No. 1.”In saying that, when Trevor took over he did say that the only way to get the team to No. 1 is for individual players to start climbing the rankings. And we’ve had Rooty at No. 1 as a batsman, Jimmy and I have consistently been in the top five or six for a while and Stokesy is climbing high in the allrounders.”There is such a goal for this team to become the best, and we know it is still a way off just now, but give this team another year’s experience and then it really becomes an exciting time.”It may well not be a coincidence that Broad has risen through the rankings since he was dropped from England’s white-ball teams. By the end of the 2014 England season, he was rated No. 8 in the world but, after a disappointing World Cup early in 2015, he was dropped from the limited-overs squads and as, as a consequence, has played red-ball cricket almost exclusively. As well as potentially helping with his fitness, that decision has enabled him to concentrate on maintaining the fuller length that has been a key ingredient in his improvement.He retains hopes, however, of winning back his place in both the ODI and T20 sides and has ambitions to play in the 2019 World Cup in England. Indeed, he had thought that, with Steven Finn out of the rest of this tour, it was possible he could return to the limited-overs squad as his replacement; Liam Plunkett was called up instead.”I’m desperate to play white-ball cricket again for England,” he said. “You have a short career and I’m not going to play until I’m 37 or 38, so I want to play as much cricket as I possibly can.”My consistency has got better with the red ball probably through playing more exclusively red-ball cricket. But I don’t think the fitness thing is a direct correlation because I’ve taken the most Test wickets since 2011 and I’ve played white ball cricket through that, but I am as fit as I’ve ever been now.”I’m as fresh as I’ve ever been, the knee surgery was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I’m loving my cricket.”Yes, I do want to play in the ODIs. Absolutely. I haven’t had any conversations about it. I’m happy for the selectors to do their thing, but I’ll probably speak about it at some point.”There is a lot of important white-ball cricket coming England’s way with the World T20, the Champions Trophy and then the 2019 World Cup. I want to be involved.”The dream of mine is to play in that World Cup and win it at home. That would be epic.”It is still a long way away, but playing ODIs in England is important for that. I’m just looking to improve and I know I can make improvements in white-ball cricket, but I can also change games if given the chance.”

R Ashwin, India’s No. 1 spinner, has said he is close to full fitness, which should come as relief to the team after losing both the T20I and ODI series to South Africa.”I’m close to full fitness and I’m confident of bowling well in the Test series,” Ashwin said at a promotional event in Chennai.Ashwin strained his side during the first ODI, played in Kanpur. When he pulled out of that game, his figures read 4.4-0-14-1 and had dragged India back into the contest after a fiery South Africa start. India missed Ashwin throughout the series.Over the last few seasons, India’s home Test cricket has gone back to revolving around spinners, especially with the whitewash of Australia in 2012-13. Ashwin was also Man of the Series in India’s last Test series, in Sri Lanka in August. He will be India’s main weapon against a side that has a well-earned reputation of being the best travellers in world cricket.Ashwin’s fitness becomes more important considering the uncertainty around legspinner Amit Mishra, who has been booked by Bangalore Police for an alleged assault on a woman. Mishra remains free to travel and should be eligible for selection, but it is unknown yet how the BCCI sees this. Or indeed what kind of mental space Mishra will be in should he play the Mohali Test in nine days time. The third spinner in the squad is Ravindra Jadeja, who returned for the South Africa Tests after being dropped for the recent tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.About India’s performance in the ODIs, Ashwin said, “Ours is a relatively inexperienced side. We have just a few players who have played 100-odd games. We need to give some cushion and time to this side. They have players like AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis who are very experienced players. We knew it was going to be hard-fought series. Had the last over in Kanpur gone our way, the result could have been different.”

South Africa will not be playing a Test series against Pakistan in the near future, scuppering the Pakistan Cricket Board’s increasingly frenzied efforts to try and fill up an empty international calendar.Pakistan sent an official proposal to Cricket South Africa (CSA) yesterday, thoughlocal reports had revealed the proposal some time ago. Yesterday, some Urdu newspapers carried quotes from Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, claiming that South Africa had agreed to play a Test series in October, though the venue had yet to be agreed upon.But another PCB official told Cricinfo that the proposal was only sent yesterday and is unlikely whether CSA would have received it. “We are free during October and South Africa are also free, so we have proposed a three-Test series in that period, to be played in either Pakistan or South Africa,” Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer PCB, said. “We only sent the proposal yesterday so are not sure how they will respond.”A CSA official, however, said that no such proposal had yet been received and even if there is one, South Africa will not be available. “Statements in the media attributed to the Pakistan Cricket Board relating to a possible Pakistan vs South Africa Test series, are without substance,” a statement from Brian Basson, General Manager Cricket Operations, said.”Cricket South Africa is yet to receive a formal request from the PCB. Should a request of this nature come through from PCB, CSA would unfortunately not be in a position to accept such a proposal due to its intense tour schedule.”After the ICC Champions Trophy in September, to be held in Pakistan, South Africa are due to host Bangladesh in November, before heading off to Australia. Not only does the refusal come as a further blow to the PCB’s efforts to fill up its calendar, it will raise further questions about the method in which the board has approached the task.Since Australia pulled out of its tour for March-April, due to security concerns, Pakistani officials have scurried around trying to line up commitments in a calendar where they play six Tests between December 2007 and November 2009.They have succeeded only in inviting Bangladesh for a series of five ODIs in April and though Sri Lanka agreed to a similar series, a clash with the Indian Premier League (IPL) has temporarily sidelined that. Though the PCB denied that the IPL had anything to do with it, Cricinfo believes that alongside SLC, both boards agreed to not play the series as originally proposed between April 23 and May 5 as it would deprive the IPL of several big names from either side.The Pakistan board says the series could instead be played in June, but in the same breath mentions a possible tri-series in Bangladesh, also in the same month. June in any case is earmarked for the Asia Cup, due to be held in Pakistan for the first time. Additionally, the extreme summer temperatures make cricket impossible in most parts of the country, except Karachi.Earlier in March, board officials were ‘99%’ convinced that India would agree to play a three-match ODI series in Pakistan, a conviction never shared by the BCCI. The series with Sri Lanka, also apparently confirmed, seems unlikely to happen anytime soon. Now South Africa have refused a proposal before even receiving it, confirming perhaps that the PCB is approaching the problem with a series of knee-jerk reactions and ill-conceived proposals as opposed to a proper strategy.

Sachin Tendulkar has said he was not yet fully recovered from his groin injury, leaving him a doubtful starter for the Mumbai Indians’ opening IPL match on April 20.With just three days left for Mumbai’s first match, Tendulkar said he was still following a rehabilitation regime and was not 100% fit yet. “I am a little disappointed that I was not able to play in the two important matches against South Africa. I am yet to recover fully from the injury,” he told reporters.”The physiotherapist and the doctor had earlier advised me rest and now they have given me the exercises and I am following their advice,” he said. “There are two more days for the match. No decision has been taken as yet [whether he will play or not]. It will be decided before the 20th.”The Bangalore franchise has also been hit with a few injury concerns, with Anil Kumble set to miss their opening match on April 18. Nathan Bracken, the Australian left-arm seamer, has already been ruled out for at least four weeks and it would make the selection of the final XI a tricky process.Bangalore’s opponents for the first match of the IPL – Kolkata Knight Riders – have announced a 14-member squad for the opening match. The side, led by Sourav Ganguly, includes five foreign players – Ricky Ponting, David Hussey, Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle and Mohammad Hafeez.The second match of the tournament features Chennai taking on Kings XI Punjab in Mohali. Yuvraj Singh, the captain of the Punjab side, has already spoken of the mini-battle that the contest is likely to throw up between him and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain of the Chennai franchise.”It’s a good way to build the hype (around the competition) by pitching it as Yuvraj versus Dhoni contest,” Yuvraj said. “Maybe, I will share a joke with him after the game.” Dhoni, however, will play in the side as a specialist batsman with Parthiv Patel set to keep wicket. “Dhoni has bruised fingers. We’ll see how things shape up in the next couple of days, but with Parthiv there, we don’t want to put unnecessary pressure on the Indian captain,” said Kepler Wessels, the coach of the Chennai franchise.