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Ehsanul Haq has slammed another blasting half-century today in BNS while Mohammedan thrashed Young Pegasus, the weakest among the six clubs, by 4 wickets at BNS today. In fact the match ended as soon as Pegasus were bundled out for a mare 130 in 42.4 overs. Mohammedan reached the target in 27.3 overs with 4 wickets to spare.Mohammedan set off for onslaught from the starting and Ehsanul Haq, who is rather prominent for playing copybook shots, came out off his conventional mode for today. He took punitive measures on the Pegasus bowlers and slammed the ball to all parts of the field. His 65 off just 45 deliveries included 10 fours and a six (Good enough to be adjudged for the man-of-the-match).With Habibul Bashar, in the second wicket, Ehsanul ran up 75 runs. Bashar was keeping himself off from playing ambitious shots (His favorite ones too) and faced 57 balls to manage his unbeaten 25.Vice captain Sanwar Hossain won the toss and sent Pegasus to bat first in a slightly damp wicket. The spinners trio Rafique, Shabbir Khan and Steve Tikolo took the advantage and restricted the team to 130 only. Hasanuzzaman top scored 34 where opener Humayun managed 31. Their Pakistani recruit Majid Jafri scored 23 before Tikolo trapped him lbw.Steve Tikolo claimed 3 for 18 where Shabbir took 2 for 36.

It was a frustrating day at the Rose Bowl on Friday, the third day of the Frizzell County Championship match was washed out, but not after the umpires had made five inspection trips to the middle.Heavy overnight rain, which had the ground awash at 6am, had made a prompt start impossible, but the lack of any sunshine and no wind, despite the sterling efforts of the ground staff, meant that by 5pm, Messrs. Ken Palmer and George Sharp, with the captains in attendance finally agreed to try again tommorrow.There was a small crowd that had waited all day, plus a party of 40 former Hampshire players in attendance for their bi-annual reunion. Among them were new club president Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, Derek Shackleton, Jimmy Gray, Peter Sainsbury, Butch White plus many going back to before the last war, and some of more recent ilk. Joining them were Club Chairman Rod Bransgrove and former President Wilfred Weld.

Barring extended rain or any other unforeseen happening today,Barbados should subject the Windward Islands to their fifth successivedefeat and keep alive their slim hopes of winning the Busta Cup.Set 335 from a minimum of 115 overs after an enterprising, excitingdisplay from Philo Wallace and Sean Armstrong, rock-bottom Windwardsshowed more resilience than they have all season in the 25 overs theyfaced before the close.They reached 67 for two, principally anchored by their solid 18-yearold opening batsman Romel Currency. He batted though until the end inthe company of the Windwards’ most dangerous batsman, Junior Murray.Murray, however, should take been back in the pavilion, but Ryan Hindsmissed an easy chance at extra-cover from a long-hop off leg-spinnerDave Marshall.The Windwards have lost each of the four previous matches and have ahighest score was 257.Barbados owed their commanding position to their healthy first inningsadvantage of 142 and it was impressively built on by a second-wicketstand of 111 between Wallace and Armstrong.Wallace, under the microscope after a string of low scores, was theWallace of old, clobbering the ball with typical power in an inningsof 78.Armstrong, who joined Wallace after Adrian Griffith departed for abreezy 18, was not as forceful, but was just as effective in playingsome scintillating strokes in completing his second half-century ofthe tournament.Most eyes, however, were on Wallace following his first-ball duck inthe first innings. Interestingly enough, he took first strike for thefirst time in the tournament and was immediately into stride.Whenever the Windwards bowlers dropped a trifle short, they weredisdainfully pulled away. Leg-spinner Orlando Jackson was twicedespatched over mid-wicket and onto the big scoreboard.In addition to those two sixes, Wallace also belted eight fours. Somewere pulls, some were extra-cover drives and some were guided over theheads of the slips. Armstrong, in one over from left-arm fast-mediumDeighton Butler, hit three successive boundaries – a cut, a lofted ondrive and a pull. But his most memorable shot was a stylish short-armpull in his unique manner.The No. 3 batsman reached his half-century with eight fours, but soonfell on 53 to a ball from leg-spinner Rawl Lewis that bounced, tookthe glove of the batsman and the wicket-keeper and ended in a juggledcatch to Devon Smith at slip.Wallace followed in the next over. After another of his ferociouspulls, he drove the next delivery down the throat of Smith at extracover.In the brief period before tea, Roland Holder and Courtney Browne werecontent to defend, but both perished soon after the interval whenBarbados were looking to increase the tempo.A few meaty blows from Hendy Bryan, whose unbeaten 29 came off 28balls, allowed Barbados to make the declaration a bit earlier thanmost anticipated. It was made 40 minutes after the break with thetotal 192 for five off 50 overs.There was immediate success for Barbados with Corey Collymore inducingteenager Devon Smith into edging a catch to the keeper from a ballthat bounced nicely.Out came Kirsten Casmir to play the type of strokes he unleashedduring his 63 against the Leeward Islands on debut in the previousround of matches.The little Dominican smacked five boundaries in 28 before gifting hiswicket to an inexcusable cross-batted swing against Ryan Austin’sflighted off-break.By then, Currency was batting as solid as ever. He resumes thismorning on 22 as a key figure in the Windwards’ plans to earn theirfirst point of the tournament. He is so well-organised that it is hardto believe that he has never once converted any of his promisingstarts into a significant contribution. Today is his chance.Murray is another player who could hold up Barbados with hisforthright, aggressive methods. He ended the day on 14, five more thanhe should have gotten, courtesy of Hinds’ miss.Earlier, Barbados polished off the Windwards tail by claiming the lastthree wickets 22 after the visitors resumed on 103 for seven.

Mushfiqur Rahim and Saqlain Sajib have escaped serious injuries after both showed signs of improvement a day after they collided during the opening day of Rajshahi Division’s National Cricket League match against Dhaka Division in Mirpur. The pair, however, didn’t bat in the first innings as Rajshahi declared on 178 after losing eight wickets.The doctors have sent both players home, though Sajib has been ruled out for a ten days as his initial symptoms were cause for concern, according to the BCB’s chief medical officer Dr Debashish Roy.”We didn’t take any risks with Mushfiqur so he didn’t bat today. He could be batting tomorrow (third day). Saqlain is out of danger but since he is still showing signs of disorientation, he will not play this game,” Roy said.”He has had scans but I still think since it was a shock to his system, he doesn’t have the right frame of mind to return to the field. But he will recover and I think he can play from the second round [on November 2].”The pair collided near the fine-leg boundary after Dhaka’s No. 11 Mohammad Shahid top-edged a Farhad Reza bouncer off the last ball of the 45th over.

Thank you everyone for coming over here at such a short notice. I would like to announce my retirement from international cricket with immediate effect.It has been 16 years since I made my international debut for India and I feel it is the right time to move on. I have always kept the country’s success and needs ahead of my personal aspirations and hence, while I would have loved to be contributing to the team success against England and Australia later in the season, I think it’s the right time to give the opportunity to groom a youngster in home conditions before the tough tours overseas next year.As a youngster, representing India was a dream and I am grateful to the almighty for blessing me to live my dream. I have always felt that through cricket, I got an opportunity to serve my country and I therefore took a lot of pride in wearing the India cap. I was fortunate to play in an era when the Indian cricket team played some of its best cricket, both at home and abroad.I was very lucky that I had a lot of people during this fabulous journey who guided and encouraged me and I take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of them from the bottom of my heart. My parents, Dr V Shantharam and Dr V Satyabhama, for the upbringing they gave me which helped me face various challenges and situations in my career with equanimity and also for giving me the freedom and independence to pursue my passion of playing cricket. My uncle, Baba Krishna Mohan, who actually spotted the talent in me and probably had the biggest influence on my life.My wife, Sailaja, who has been a pillar of strength to me since our marriage in 2004. She made a lot of sacrifices in her personal aspirations only to make sure I pursued my passion of playing cricket for the country with a free mind. She has almost single-handedly looked after my two lovely kids, Sarvajit and Achinthya, as I was, most of the time, travelling with my cricket commitments.My brother, VVS Ramakrishna, for all the love and affection he showered on me. My childhood buddies Rajesh and Parth for the continued friendship they share with me. My teachers at the Little Flower High School, especially Jaiprakash Sir, for all the encouragement they gave me early in my life.My coaches at the St John’s Cricket Foundation for the guidance and support they gave me. My personal coach Ashok , for spending endless hours so that I can hone my skills. The Hyderabad Cricket Association, for recognising my talent and encouraging me, especially at the start of my career.The BCCI for giving me an opportunity to play for my country for nearly 16 years. All my coaches at the various teams I represented at the domestic and national levels, for always encouraging and motivating me to become a consistent performer. All the selectors, for reposing faith in my abilities and giving me an opportunity to serve the country. All the captains I played under, for inspiring me.All the teammates with whom I played and shared the best moments of my life. I was very fortunate to play with colleagues who took a lot of pride in theirs and the team’s performances and most of them have become legends of the game. The affection, bonding and friendship they shared with me will be cherished by me for life. All the physios and trainers who worked hard to keep me fit.All my friends from the media who always supported me during my career. All my fans and well-wishers from India and across the world for all the encouragement and good wishes they showered on me. I tried my best to give everything I had to the team while maintaining my dignity. There were times I am sure I must have disappointed them, but I can assure them it was definitely not because of a lack of effort.I conclude in all humility, by praying to the Almighty, to take Indian cricket to the highest level in the world in all forms of the game.Thank you for all your support.

Kevin Pietersen has marked his anticipated England comeback by boldly predicting that Alastair Cook has the ability to challenge Sachin Tendulkar’s world-record number of Test runs.Tendulkar, with 15837 Test runs, is more than 2000 ahead of his nearest rival, Ricky Ponting – and he is not quite finished yet. Cook remains 8000 adrift, although he has regularly matched Tendulkar at the same stage of his career, leaving Pietersen no doubt the record is within his compass.Pietersen, who is expected to return for England on Thursday in the second T20 international against New Zealand, has always freely admitted that he has little knowledge of cricket history, which will be a relief to Cook, who has enough problems to deal with in managing England’s Ashes campaign without being tipped to surpass the most celebrated living batsman.Pietersen’s accolade for Cook came in the second part of a pre-recorded interview with Darren Gough on Talksport – an interview which, in protest at the English media’s coverage of his controversial career, he has billed as his only major pronouncement of the summer.”His first series was against India away and we beat India,” Pietersen said of Cook. “He’s done exceptionally well, his cricket just keeps getting better and better.”For me he’s the right man to lead England, he’s doing a great job for us and he will continue to get better and better and break every record anyone’s ever set, certainly in the English game. He’s on target to go for Tendulkar’s numbers, if you look at the numbers and look at his age.”Pietersen also offered glowing praise for another colleague who is tipped to have a long and fruitful England career in Joe Root – not that he was overly aware who the young Yorkshireman joining England on tour for the first time in India last winter was.”I never knew of him, I never heard of him, because when you’re on the scene and young players come you just don’t,” he said. “But I knew that he was going to be good when he walked out to bat in Nagpur in his first Test match.”By the time Root made his debut England were 2-1 up with one Test to play and needed to avoid defeat to win their first series in India for 28 years.”I was batting and… we just didn’t want to let India back into it at all and he walked out and – just his face walking towards me for 20 metres – I thought this kid’s going to be a flipping superstar.”It was just the confidence that he walked out to bat with in his debut Test match in India, two spinners bowling, from each end, we’d just lost a wicket or a couple of wickets and he walked out with a smile on his face, and went ‘All right lad, you ok, you’re playing well there.’ And I was like, ‘Mate! I’ve played 90 odd Test matches and I don’t walk out like that.’ But it’s brilliant for English cricket, absolutely brilliant.”Pietersen, no stranger to controversy, even expressed admiration for the way Root handled himself in the wake of the Walkabout bar incident in Birmingham in the early hours of the morning when David Warner pulled off a wig Root was wearing and, literally, threw the first punch of the Ashes summer.According to Pietersen, the affair was exaggerated by the media – a view not shared by Cricket Australia, which quickly banned Warner until the start of the Ashes series. Root was unfazed, though.”He knew the media were going to be on him all day and he’d had a haircut – he looked sharp! I think he knows how to deal with it,” Pietersen said. “I saw him that day and he couldn’t believe what was being made of it, but welcome to English cricket and welcome to how the media works.”Specifically referring to ‘s assessment of Pietersen as “arrogant, self-pitying and isolated”, Gough drew attention to the fact that Pietersen’s relationship with the English media is now as unhealthy as with any player since Tony Greig conspired on behalf of Kerry Packer’s breakaway World Series Cricket in the 1970s.Pietersen responded: “I’ve been burnt too many times and it’s just a case of me now concentrating on my cricket and playing my cricket as best I can because that whole situation hurt my family too much. I get it all day every day.”Somebody asked me yesterday, ‘Can you take some constructive criticism?’ I said, ‘Excuse me? You’re talking to somebody who has it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.’ So it doesn’t affect me, it’s water off a duck’s back now. I have absolutely no interest in it but it hurt my family and my best mates.”You go through rocky patches in every walk of life – business, marriage, as a kid, through your teenage years. In a dressing room not everyone’s going to get on and I know you had altercations in your dressing room.”I know some other great players who I speak to in other countries when I hear the things that go on in other dressing rooms now and it happens, it’s going to happen. Unfortunately it was quite a famous fall out because of what happened but, no, everything’s absolutely fantastic, we showed that in India the way we got on and played well and beat India in India.”I just want to get the best out of my talent. I just live for each day, I play each day. I go out and try new things. I’ve got that personality, that impatient personality, that wants to try things, wants to do things, wants to achieve things and I’ll never stop trying.”Pietersen also has ambitions to follow the footballer David Beckham and his wife Victoria into the fashion industry. “These last three months that I’ve been injured I’ve had quite a bit of time on my hands to sort the business side of life out,” he said. “I am heavily involved in a clothing company and a footwear company in India. I’ve got some different stuff, other things on the horizon that I’m negotiating, talking about and signing off.”

Daniel Vettori is an unsure starter for New Zealand’s match against Australia due to his long-standing Achilles tendon injury. New Zealand papers reported that Vettori had received a saline injection during the game against Sri Lanka on Sunday, his first ODI match in two years, as he struggled on the field with pain. While the injury has not completely flared up, benching Vettori would be more of a precautionary measure, to keep him available for the rest of Champions Trophy.New Zealand captain, Brendon McCullum said the team would assess Vettori’s fitness situation, and take a decision depending on the conditions at Edgbaston. “We want to keep assessing Dan, knowing how valuable he is to our set up and knowing the wicket will be similar to what we found today against Sri Lanka in Cardiff [on Sunday],” McCullum told . “That’s where the assessment at Edgbaston is important. If it doesn’t have the same grip and stop that we’ve seen [in Cardiff] then we’ve got to weigh up the risk of playing him, knowing others could fill the void.”Vettori, who missed the Test and ODI series against England, had consulted a specialist in London during the ODI series. Against Sri Lanka on Sunday, he took a wicket in his first over and bowled six overs for 16 runs. He also took a catch, running backwards to dismiss Thisara Perera but hobbled through the rest of the Sri Lankan innings in obvious discomfort.

ScorecardScott Borthwick took three crucial wickets to restrict Surrey’s chances of setting a testing target•PA Photos

Only one ball was bowled after tea before the heavens opened and washed out the rest of the third day but, with Surrey 115 ahead and only four wickets still standing, the final chapter of this wet yet intriguing Division One encounter will likely be its most thrilling. It could also provide a major talking point.After play was called off just after 5.30pm, Paul Collingwood, Durham’s captain, revealed that the pitch bore some superficial damage in patches as a result of what he described as stud marks from an Australian rules football match played here last November, between AFL sides the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide.”It’s a little bit of a lottery because there are actually patches where the Aussie rules footballers have scuffed it up with their boots,” Collingwood said. “The odd balls are hitting these patches – real dry grooves in certain parts – and jumping up. The main part of the pitch is still pretty good but you’re getting the odd one that really spits. It is a bit unnerving when some stick in the pitch and jump up at you, but it’s the same for both sides.”It seems surprising that the pitch might still bears scars from an match that took place six months ago. The Oval had hosted a similar event in October 2006, when the Geelong Cats took on Port Adelaide Power, so the groundstaff would have known just how much recovery and work would be required to get the pitch fit for first-class cricket.After stumps on the first day, the ECB’s pitch liaison officer was out inspecting the middle but the indication from those who have seen the report is that there is little threat of any penalty coming Surrey’s way. While surprised, Collingwood was largely unperturbed by the “grooves”, going as far to laud the variety of pitches on offer throughout the country.”We’ve had some real skilful cricket and you find as you travel around you’ve got different conditions everywhere,” he said. “It’s amazing that you come here and it’s more like Calcutta rather than England.” Quite how jovial he will be this time on Monday if Durham are caught short of a gettable target remains to be seen.Surrey made short work of taking Durham’s last first-innings wicket in the morning, as Gareth Batty claimed his fifth wicket when he trapped Ryan Buckley in front in the third over of the day. But the rest of the morning session went Durham’s way as they removed Surrey’s top three, the hosts going into lunch effectively on 16 for 3.Callum Thorp made good use of the early morning conditions and the new ball to sneak one through Jason Roy’s immaculate looking defence. His fellow opener Rory Burns has been in fine touch this season and was engaged in an absorbing duel with Buckley – succeeding on points by playing the ball as late as he could before producing a short-arm jab to work the ball through midwicket as it turned into his bat. But when he tried the same against Borthwick’s legspin, he was trapped in front.Borthwick has bowled the majority of his overs this season in the second innings and he was right into the thick of things after lunch. After starting off at the Pavilion End, Collingwood – having exposed the variable bounce on the other side of the pitch with his first ball to remove Vikram Solanki – brought Borthwick on at the Vauxhall End and it paid off, as Zander de Bruyn was undone by a googly that turned more than it bounced to trap him hanging back on the crease.Steven Davies was at the other end, displaying a degree of class that has had many speculating that he may re-enter into the thoughts of the England selectors before the summer is up. He was patient against both spinners and injected some finesse with strokes through cover, which made it all the more disappointing to see him go the way he did. A short, wide delivery from Borthwick, turning into Davies, was hoisted straight to Mark Stoneman at cow corner.

ScorecardKevon Cooper’s career-best five-wicket haul helped T&T down CCC in their chase•WICB Media/Ashley Allen Photo

Kevon Cooper’s five-wicket haul helped Trinidad & Tobago beat Combined Campuses and Colleges by eight wickets in Port of Spain. CCC were put into bat, but couldn’t build substantial partnerships, as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Only four of the eleven batsmen got double-digit scores, as CCC’s batsmen were restricted by the bowling efforts of Kevon Cooper, who picked up a miserly career-best 5 for 17 in his quota of overs. He was ably supported by Yannick Cariah, who picked up 3 for 14. CCC were wrapped up for 97 in the 38th over.T&T were assured in their chase, as the openers put up 40 for the first wicket, followed by another 44 runs when Adrian Barath and Justin Guillen got together. T&T were able to finish off the chase in the 22nd over. Barath would finish for an unbeaten 40. With this win T&T move to second place in the table.
ScorecardJamaica’s combined batting effort ensured they beat Leeward Islands by 57 runs in Kingston. Leeward Islands elected to field, and their decision was backed initially by their bowlers, as they reduced Jamaica to 10 for 2 early on. Danza Hyatt and Andre McCarthy put up a 92-run stand to lend stability to the order. McCarthy was run out, bringing Tamar Lambert to the crease, who struck an unbeaten 77. Hyatt fell one run short of a deserved hundred by getting himself run out while going for the decisive run. Jamaica finished 253 for 4 at the completion of their overs.Leeward Islands required big partnerships early on to steady the chase, but lost wickets regularly. Their captain, Sylvester Joseph, played anchor through the innings, with Tonito Willett (20), Jahmar Hamilton (19), and Lyndel Richardson (19) chipping in. Joseph would eventually fall for 83, as Leeward Islands folded for 196 in the 45th over. Both Nikita Miller and Andrew Richardson picked up three wickets a piece. This win maintains Jamaica’s position on top, but by a slight two-point margin over T&T.
ScorecardA career-best five-wicket haul from fast bowler Jonathan Carter helped Barbados beat Windward Islands by 99 runs at Kensington Oval. Carter ran through the lower half of Windward’s line-up, as they were eventually bowled out for 180 in their chase. The victory gave Barbados five points, and lifted them to third in the table.Batting first, Barbados lost their opener Rashidi Boucher in the seventh over, but thereafter a series of partnerships, led by 88 between Kraigg Brathwaite and Kirk Edwards and a quick 77 between Dwayne Smith and Kenroy Williams, pushed them to a competitive 279. Edwards and Smith scored half-centuries, with Smith scoring a 29-ball 53, smashing three fours and four sixes. Fast bowler Nelon Pascal took three wickets, but was the most expensive Windward bowler, giving away 87 runs in ten overs.Windward’s innings, in contrast to Barbados’, failed to gather any momentum. Seamers Jason Holder and Fidel Edwards had reduced them to 29 for 3 by the sixth over, and although Andre Fletcher (42), Dalton Polius (37) and Liam Sebastien (33) tried to revive the chase, Carter ensured they lost five wickets for 27 runs. Windward eventually folded in 47 overs.