On Sunday, Pakistan’s bowlers conceded too many runs and the batsmen failed to cope with a pace bowling attack missing Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, with 198 ODI wickets between them. The biggest success of that win were batsman Colin Ingram, with his third ODI century; allrounder Farhaan Behardien with a 14-ball 34; and the seven wickets shared by Rory Kleinveldt and Ryan McLaren. Kleinveldt took 4 for 22 and McLaren 3 for 19 to bowl Pakistan out for 190 in 36.2 overs.

Extracting further success from these four players is key to South Africa gauging where they are ahead of this summer’s ICC Champions Trophy. The hosts are a far from settled unit and thus the strong showing of Ingram and Behardien was significant, because South Africa’s middle order has often been found too soft. With captain AB de Villiers taking over the role of permanent wicketkeeper and batting at No. 3, the need for runs from the middle order is massive. Dismissing the South African openers and de Villiers is where Pakistan can look to test the home team.

For that, though, they will need to be sharper than they were at Centurion. Junaid Khan and Umar Gul both went in excess of 6.50 and managed one wicket between them, while Shahid Afridi’s return to ODI cricket saw him concede 60 runs in eight overs. The offspin of Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal produced 101 runs in 20 overs for a tally of three wickets, and it looks as if the pair will again have a role to play. Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan, both left-arm quicks, could be considered at the expense of either Junaid or Gul.

With only two batsmen getting into the thirties in the first ODI, Pakistan’s fragile batting will again be put to test. The key, not surprisingly, will be how Pakistan’s batting copes with South Africa’s fast bowlers who have been vital in ensuring the home team’s superiority over Pakistan in the Tests and at Centurion. Asad Shafiq made just 5 in the series opener and could be replaced in the middle order by Umar Akmal.

Probable XIs:
South Africa: 1 Graeme Smith 2 Hashim Amla 3 AB de Villiers (capt/wk), 4 Colin Ingram, 5 Faf du Plessis, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Ryan McLaren 8 Robin Peterson 9 Rory Kleinveldt, 10 Kyle Abbott, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Pakistan: 1 Nasir Jamshed, 2 Mohammed Hafeez, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajma, 11 Junaid Khan/Mohammed Irfan/Wahab Riaz

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Skipper Rahim hit a solid 200 and Hossain an impressive 100 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 638, their highest total in 76 Tests, in reply to Sri Lanka’s first-innings total of 570-4 declared.

The hosts reached 116-1 in their second innings at stumps on the penultimate day of the Test heading for a draw in Galle. Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan was unbeaten on 63 and Kumar Sangakkara 49 not out.

Rahim’s memorable moment came in the second over after lunch when he pushed paceman Nuwan Kulasekara for a single to the covers on a day when Mohammad Ashraful (190) missed out on his own Test double-hundred.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rahim, 24, was trapped leg-before by Kulasekara in the same over, but not before helping Bangladesh surpass their previous highest Test total of 556 against the West Indies in Dhaka last year.

Bangladesh, who dominated the match for a second successive day with their solid batting, also became only the third team after India and Pakistan to score 600 or more in a Test innings in Sri Lanka.

Rahim, 152 overnight, hit one six and 22 fours in his brilliant 321-ball knock. He put on a record 267 for the fifth wicket with Ashraful and 106 for the next with Hossain.

Bangladesh’s previous highest stand for any wicket in Tests was 200 between Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique against India in Dhaka in 2010.

Hossain was caught at mid-wicket by Sangakkara off part-time spinner Dilshan after hitting nine fours.

Ashraful, playing his first Test in more than a year, added just one to his overnight score when he went for a rash drive off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and edged a catch to captain Angelo Mathews at first slip.

He occupied the crease for more than a day, hitting one six and 20 fours in his marathon 417-ball knock.

Ashraful earlier survived a confident appeal for a catch at leg-slip off the first ball of the morning while attempting to reverse-sweep Dilshan.

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Bangladesh batted for 196 overs – the most by them in a Test innings, surpassing the 153.3 against India at Dhaka in 2000-01.

Bangladesh’s 638 is the seventh highest by any team against Sri Lanka in Tests.  Pakistan had registered 765 for six wickets declared at Karachi in February 2009 – the highest by any team against Sri Lanka.

Mohammad Ashraful had an average of 22.60 before the Galle Test.  With his career-best 190, he is now averaging 24.15 – his runs’ tally being 2609 in 8 Tests, including six hundreds and eight fifties.

Mushfiqur Rahim (200) has become the first Bangladeshi player to register a double hundred in Tests.

Rahim and Ashraful’s knocks are the two highest individual innings for Bangladesh in Tests.

Rahim’s brilliant knock is the ninth highest by a number six batsman in Tests.  The record is held by Doug Walters (Australia) – 250 against New Zealand at Christchurch in February 1977.

Rahim is the first wicketkeeper to post a double hundred against Sri Lanka in Tests – the previous best being 158 not out by Kamran Akmal for Pakistan at Karachi in February 2009.

Rahim is the eighth wicketkeeper to register a double century in Tests. Andy Flower’s unbeaten 232 is the highest score by a wicketkeeper in Tests.  He had accomplished the feat against India at Nagpur in November 2000.

Rahim is the sixth captain to register a double hundred against Sri Lanka in Tests – the highest being 313 by Pakistan’s Younis Khan at Karachi in February 2009.

Amongst the double centurions’ captains against Sri Lanka, Rahim’s strike rate of 62.30 is the highest.

Rahim’s double hundred is the 322nd innings of 200 or more in Test Cricket.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rahim are the only two captains/wicketkeepers to have recorded double hundreds in Tests.

Ashraful and Rahim had added 267 for the fifth wicket – the second highest partnership by a visiting pair in Bangladesh in Tests – the highest is 287 for the second wicket between Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez for Pakistan against Sri Lanka at Colombo, SSC last year.

The 267-run stand is the highest for Bangladesh for any wicket in Tests, eclipsing the 200 between Junaid Siddique and Tamim Iqbal against India at Dhaka in 2010.

The aforesaid partnership is the highest by any pair for any wicket at Galle in Tests.

Nasir Hossain (100) has recorded his first hundred in Tests, surpassing the 96 against the West Indies at Dhaka in November 2012.

Hossain is the second number seven batsman for Bangladesh to post a hundred – the first being Mushfiqur Rahim (101 against India at Chittagong in January).

Rahim and Nasir Hossain have shared a stand of 106 – Bangladesh’s third century stand for the sixth wicket against Sri Lanka. Of the six stands of 100 or more, Rahim figures in four.

The aforesaid partnership is the joint highest for the sixth wicket against Sri Lanka at Galle.  Abdul Razzaq and Younis Khan were involved in 106-run stand for the sixth wicket for Pakistan at this venue.
Rahim and Ashraful were associated in a stand of 191 against Sri Lanka at Colombo, PSS in July 2007 – the highest for Bangladesh for the sixth wicket in Tests.

Rangana Herath has bowled 62 overs – the most by him in a Test innings, surpassing the 61.4 against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi in October 2011.  For the fifth time, he has conceded 150 runs or more in a Test innings.

For the first time, three batsmen have recorded hundreds in the same  Test innings for Bangladesh.

For the second time, six centuries have been recorded in the first two innings of a Test match in Sri Lanka – the first instance being SL vs India Test played at Colombo, RPS in 1997.

Six centuries in a Test match have been recorded three times in Sri Lanka in Tests.

Only once, more than six hundreds have been recorded in the first two innings of a Test match.  West Indies (four) vs south Africa (four) game at St.John’s in 2005 had produced eight hundreds in the first two innings of a Test match.

For the seventh time, two Sri Lankan bowlers have conceded 150 overs or more in a Test innings (Herath and Mendis).

For the first time, two bowlers have conceded 150 overs or more in a Test innings against Bangladesh.

Rajesh Kumar

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After yesterday’s epic opening stand of 231 between centurions Alastair Cook (116) and Nick Compton (117), England began a sunny fin
al day with strong prospects of ensuring a draw at the start of this three-match series.

But they might reasonably have expected their main contributor to be any one of seven other contenders with substantially better batting pedigrees than fast bowler Finn, with his previous highest first-class score of 32.

He could muster only five fours from 203 balls, having batted throughout two sessions today before finally falling when he missed a sweep at slow left-armer Bruce Martin to be lbw immediately after tea.

Finn’s departure induced one final wobble, Joe Root run out for a duck an over later when Tim Southee’s dive and direct hit from cover was too quick for the young Yorkshireman as he answered Ian Bell’s call for a single.

But in Bell and Matt Prior, England still had two frontline batsmen in reserve – and their unbroken stand of 31 against the third new ball took their team to the safety of 421 for six before New Zealand agreed to call time 128 in arrears.

Compton’s was the only departure of a sunny morning, to Neil Wagner (three for 141). But Jonathan Trott (52) and Kevin Pietersen also went to the left-arm seamer as England made 53 for two from 28 overs in the middle session and the onus fell increasingly on Finn to keep the Kiwis at bay.

Compton augmented his maiden hundred by just 15 runs before falling lbw; Trott shared a third-wicket stand of 90 with Finn but went caught-and-bowled, and then Wagner got Pietersen for the second time in the match following his first-innings golden duck.

Finn, meanwhile, not only improved his Test-best twice in the same match but dug in for a cussed central role.

Compton reopened his account in the fifth over of the day with a trademark extra-cover drive for four off Southee, but was to be the only casualty before lunch – falling over slightly in defence as Wagner found just a hint of inswing.

His 310-ball vigil was over after almost seven hours at the crease, mostly in company with Cook. Thanks to them, England’s remaining batsmen could be encouraged that survival ought to be routinely viable on a pitch showing no signs of deterioration.

That impression was underlined by Finn, who batted with increasing assurance – having come to the crease last night and accompanied Compton to his hundred once Cook went.

He needed just one minor moment of fortune this morning when he edged Kane Williamson’s off-spin low and just out of the clutches of second slip to move into the 40s, in familiar surroundings following his stint with Otago in late 2011.

Trott was fluent on his way to a 78-ball 50, which he completed with his eighth four – in his favourite direction past straight midwicket off Southee.

But the return of Wagner undid him, extra bounce inducing a return catch in startled back-foot defence, and Pietersen never looked comfortable in his short stay before he got a faint inside-edge behind.

Finn’s stoic presence verged on the strokeless after he reached his 50, as he came to terms with his new responsibilities, especially once Trott was gone.

His durability, though, in the second-longest innings by any English nightwatchman down the years was nonetheless the main reason the tourists managed to steer clear of further anxiety.

They can therefore head to Wellington tomorrow, for next week’s second Test, relieved that their hapless first-innings collapse to 167 all out did not cost them as dearly as it might in this rain-shortened match.

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Thirimanne, whose previous highest score was 91 against Australia at Sydney early this year, was 113 not out when Sri Lanka took lunch at 461 for four wickets at the Galle International Stadium.

Dinesh Chandimal was unbeaten on 55 alongside Thirimanne, with the fifth wicket partnership worth 94 runs.

The pair came together when Angelo Mathews was dismissed for 27 in the fourth over of the morning.

The Sri Lankan captain tried to manufacture a shot that was not there and chipped a leading edge which the bowler Abul Hasan gladly accepted.

Having earlier missed out on a test hundred, Thirimanne was patient as he carefully picked through 66 balls to score the required 26 runs he needed having started the day on 74 not out.

The left-hander struck nine fours in his 193-ball innings for his century.

Chandimal batted uncharacteristically to reach his half-century before lunch off 91 balls, offering two catches to the tourists which were both dropped.

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The Redbacks set WA a target of 207 runs to win their Shield clash at Adelaide Oval and the Warriors were 4-50 after losing Mike Hussey to the final ball of the third day on Saturday.

If SA can secure a final day win on Sunday they will take over top spot on the table from Victoria in a remarkable turnaround of fortunes.

The Redbacks haven’t played in a Shield final since 1995/96.

Earlier this season their winless streak in the four-day competition extended to 18 games, a sequence dating back to December 2010.

But SA are now positioned to notch their fifth outright triumph in their past six games, with WA batsmen facing a challenging task on a wearing pitch in a low-scoring fixture.

Warriors opener Marcus Harris (31no) looms as the key, after seeing Hussey (six) caught and bowled by Johan Botha on the last ball of the day.

WA earlier bowled SA out for 193 in their second innings.

The Redbacks were reeling at 6-82 before wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Ludeman and Botha embarked on a rescue mission.

The pair put on an 88-run partnership for the seventh wicket, Ludeman top-scoring with 57 and Botha making 34.

After their stand was broken, SA lost their last four wickets for 23 runs to give WA a chance of completing their own revival – the Warriors will move to equal second on the ladder with SA should they reach their target.

Emerging WA spinner Ashton Agar, who was taken to India as a net bowler for Australia’s Test squad last month, was the chief destroyer with a five-wicket haul, his first in Shield ranks.

Agar finished with 5-65 from 22 overs and Mitchell Marsh and Burt Cockley each claimed two wickets.

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Hughes has had a dire tour of India so far, scoring 6,0, 19 and 0 in his four innings, and is at risk of being dropped for the third Test. Neil D’Costa says he wanted to spend one-on-one time with Hughes before the tour, but CA said there wasn’t time.

D’Costa said in the Courier Mail: “I sent CA an email saying I’d like to see Phil for a period to help prepare him for India. Unfortunately, through Cricket Australia’s great wisdom, that didn’t happen.

“They said there wasn’t time in the schedule for it and it would have to be within the team framework. I said OK, ‘can you let me know a timeframe’, and they never got back to me. Then they were off to India. It’s ridiculous.

“There are tactics and certain drills that can help you succeed in India. You can’t bat in India like you bat in Australia. You need to look after a player’s mental health as well.

“I had a program for Phil to work on. I wanted to put some strategies in place, and talk about each ground he would play at and basically set him up.”

Australia’s batting has been a major stumbling block all tour, with only Michael Clarke (another of D’Costa’s mentees) shining against the spinners. India are 2-0 up going into the third match in Mohali.

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The skipper has made a quick visit to the Taj Mahal with wife Kyly before his squad resume training in Mohali on Sunday ahead of next Thursday’s third Test.

And despite the fact he’s the only batsman in Australia’s top six to be averaging over 30 in the series, Clarke says the tourists won’t be a pushover in Mohali and Delhi.

“Yes, we can come back in the series,” Clarke said on Saturday.

“If we can win the third Test in Mohali then we have a chance to make it 2-2 (and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy).

“Had there been a fifth Test, I am sure we would have won the series 3-2,” Clarke was quoted as saying in The Times of India newspaper.

“We know it’s going to be tough but it’s in our nature not to give up.”

A raging turner in the first Test in Chennai followed by a low, slow wicket in Hyderabad have been gold mines for India’s spinners.

Australia’s slow bowlers have been hammered and the quicks found little joy in either Test apart from James Pattinson’s 5-96 in Chennai.

Pace spearhead Peter Siddle’s record in the current series of two wickets at an average of 81 is an ugly sight and the 28-year-old admits he needs to lift.

“I debuted there (in Mohali) back in 2008. There has always been a little bit more bounce there,” Siddle told reporters.

“It’s going to be nice to get back in there in the rooms and see the place where I did get my opportunity.

“Hopefully a few more scalps would be nice too.

“Personally, the consistency hasn’t quite been there, so you’re not building that pressure and the batsmen aren’t feeling like they’re struggling to score.

“I’ve definitely been lacking there.

“It just comes down to being able to build that pressure for long periods of time.

“In Australia in other series in the past I’ve been able to do that, which has helped the team.”

Siddle said a drawn series would be a massive achievement for the Australians.

“If we level the series we retain the trophy and that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

Punjab Cricket Association secretary MP Pandove says the Mohali pitch will retain its tradition of offering pace and bounce and will be good for both teams.

“It will not bring out a one-sided result as has happened in the first two matches,” he said.

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TV Channels Broadcasting Pakistan vs South Africa 2013 Live

• Pakistan: PTV Sports
• South Africa: SuperSport
• African Territory: SuperSport
• UAE: Ten Sports
• UK: SuperSport
• USA: SuperSport
• Canada: SuperSport
• India: Ten Cricket

After such a long time, finally Pakistan is competing against world’s top team South Africa on their home ground. The team has embarked from Lahore for the tour under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq for 3 test matches series. Their first match is on 1^st February.

Before that, the team will be playing a warm up match against South Africa’s Invitation XI. Under the supervision of Misbah, the team has shown important progress after the bad series against England in the year 2010.

Misbah has declared this series as the real and important test. He further said that they are going to play a highly profile series against South Africa after a very long time, so it is a bit difficult for them to play under their conditions. Besides their excellent performance in Tests, this series is the original assessment of their abilities and standards. Misbah restated that the team has to perform well in all departments and do not depend on bowling or batting only.

The boys have to give their collective efforts to proud their nation. They have to upgrade their levels of performance and have to get some lessons from their past. Fast and medium bowlers, fielders, batsmen and spinners- all have to be brilliant and focused.

Although the pitch conditions are beneficial for pacers but Pakistan’s spinner Saeed Ajmal can also play a vital role with his “Dusra” stated by the Captain. He also said that the spinners can also take wickets in those conditions, plus the bowlers will also experience changes in the tracks in last 2 days.

He expressed his hopes and trust on the boys and prayed for a successful series. On the same occasion, Mr. Naveed Akram who is Pakistan’s team manager explained that the team is motivated after the amazing series against India and they have all ingredients of shocks for South Africa. The team is capable enough to perform brilliantly in all fields.

One of the legendary player Mr. Zaheer Abbas explained that although the team has a group of potential batsmen but the weather as well as pitch conditions might cause problem for the batting line-up of Pakistan. Undoubtedly, the series is going to be amazing and full of action.

In the extreme conditions of South Africa, the batsmen will experience extra bounce in the ball causing them to adjust quickly. They must have to play two or three exhibition matches in order to adapt in the conditions. Furthermore, they need to be extremely cautious while playing test matches as it’s been a long time since they had played any test series.

On the other hand, South Africa’s top medium fast bowler Veron Philander came back into the team after recovering from his hamstring injury due to which he was out from the 2^nd test with New Zealand. The selection committee incharge of South Africa said in a press conference that they have given full confidence to their team that do what they think is right for their success.

Both of the teams are practicing day and night, learning some tricks to tackle the players of opponent team. Analysts are saying that Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Vron Philander, Faf du Plessis and Mohammaf Irfan will be the key or danger players for their challengers.

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