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Karachi City Cricket Association overcame Sheikhupura by a comprehensive margin of 79 runs to win the final of the One-day tournament (Associations), played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.Sheikhupura, who went into the final as favourites to lift the trophy after winning all of their 6 matches, including the semi-final against Rawalpindi, went down in the match perhaps a bit to easily, despite Qaiser Abbas’ magnificent effort with the bat. With virtually no help coming from the other end, the left-hander only watched his side failing to reach even 200 runs, after being asked to score 279, with the scoreboard showing 106 not out off 134 balls against his name.It all started when Tanvir Ahmed, the right-arm pace man, bowled Imran Nazir on the very first ball of the innings and his fellow opener Mohammad Javed was caught behind the wicket off Imran Javed in the next over, reducing Sheikhupura to 5 for 2. The rot thus set in reached its climax when they lost the six wickets for 84 in the 19th over.Qaiser, awarded best batsman of the final, added 34 for the 7th wicket with skipper Aaqib Javed and then went on to add another 63 for the 9th wicket with Kashif Raza (24 off 23 balls), an association during which the left-hander reached his hundred off 126 balls.Yet all went in vain as their last man Farrukh Majeed holed out a simple catch to mid on off the bowling of Adnan Malik, with the scoreboard showing 199 runs in the 46th over. Adnan, the left-arm spinner, was declared the best bowler of the final after his figures of 3 for 48.Tanvir Ahmed, Imran Javed and Tabish Nawab also bowled well for their side, getting two wickets each for 23, 46 and 32 respectively. Shahid Afridi got one wicket for 39 in his ten overs.Earlier, Karachi, led by Moin Khan in Shadab Kabir’s absence, won the toss and elected to bat first on a wicket completely devoid of grass. However, Sheikhupura pace attack, led by Aaqib and Kashif Raza bowled brilliantly to reduce them to 12 for 2 by the 5th over, after both Shahid Afridi and Zafar Jadoon threw their wickets away in an attempt to find quick runs.It was at this juncture that Naumanullah (74 off 96) and Saeed Bin Nasir (49 off 79) joined hands to rescue their side from this vulnerable position. They added 99 for the 3rd wicket to provide a firm foundation for the late order to find some quick runs in the end.This task was duly taken over by Moin Khan and Arif Mahmood. These two perfectly made for a somewhat tardy start of the innings by executing lusty hits to all parts of the ground, adding 75 in the last 7 overs of which 49 came off the last three.Moin Khan, who had relied mainly on singles and doubles at the start of his innings, hit 3 fours and 2 sixes to score an unbeaten 67 off 63 balls. Arif, on the other hand, hit five boundaries and a six in his 23-ball innings of 43 not out.For Sheikhupura, Farrukh Majeed bagged two wickets at the cost of 58 runs, whereas Aaqib Javed, Kashif Raza and Faisal Virk got one wicket each.

Two hours of careless shot selection cost Australia the Newlands Test and a chance to set up a series win, but it may not serve as an accurate indication for how they match up against South Africa in the second game at the Wanderers.Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has said the balance between the two sides is “probably even”, with both in a state of transition, although South Africa’s appears to have progressed further. The real difference between the two sides may lie in the experience of their new players.”We’ve got certain areas that have been more consistent over a period of time but we’ve also got some new faces,” Smith said.South Africa’s two debutants, Imran Tahir and Vernon Philander, have played over 200 first-class matches between them. Australia’s young bowlers, Patrick Cummins and Trent Copeland have not even played 30. South Africa’s top six have each played a minimum of 36 Tests. Two of Australia’s, Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja, have not yet played 20 Tests between them.Smith said the value of years in the first-class game is sometimes unimportant but, when it does play a role, it can be crucial.”You get guys that come in at 21 or 22 and are able to handle it and perform well from the start. It depends on the make- up of the person and what they’ve been exposed to, in terms of their cricket,” Smith said. “Vern took a bit of time to regroup after the first time he was picked. He is probably a much stronger personality now than he was then.”With Patrick Cummins likely to become Australia’s second-youngest debutant in their Test history, Smith said it’s an exciting time for the 18-year old, but could turn into a tough one.”He’s got a lot of potential” Smith said. “But if things don’t go well he probably doesn’t have a lot to fall back on in terms of experience and know where to go from there. That’s the challenge of a youngster, when you are under pressure, where do you go from there?”Philander, whose performances in the last two seasons of first-class cricket made him an automatic choice for the starting XI, showed that he had a Plan B. When he tried to bounce Ricky Ponting, and was promptly dispatched, he immediately switched to a fuller length. That probably led to Smith handing Philander the new-ball and opting away from the Steyn-Morkel combination that became known as the most feared in Test cricket. South Africa now have the luxury of choice, with three frontline seamers who can open the bowling, and Smith said he will use them according to what the circumstances dictate.”The new ball was not taken away from Morne, it was more a tactical decision in how I felt the wicket was going to play. I thought Vernon would get the most benefit out of the new ball in terms of the style that he has,” Smith said. “Morne was really good in the second innings. He opened up that middle order for us in knocking over Michael Hussey. The competition amongst them is really good.”Morkel, Philander, Steyn and Tahir were four of the eight players who attended the optional net session on Wednesday, with the batsmen who did not get much time in the middle, like Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher and Jacques Rudolph also in attendance.”There was a real focus and a really good intensity,” Smith said. “We have to build on the things we did well. On day two and three [of the Newlands Test] our cricket really improved from what it was on day one. We were consistent in the areas we wanted to control. The areas that we hit and the pressure we created was far better than in the first innings.”A win at the Wanderers will see South Africa achieve something they have not managed to do since readmission – beat Australia in a series at home. Bowling coach Allan Donald described it as “the pinnacle,” and the start of what he hopes will be South Africa’s ascendency to Test dominance. Smith said South Africa are not looking too far ahead and although they will relish victory, it will be not be what defines their summer.”A lot of the players have won a series in Australia so for us, I wouldn’t say it’s the pinnacle but it’s something we really want to achieve,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest thing in our lives. Allan endured tough times touring Australia and playing Australia in their prime and obviously it means a lot to him. If we can provide him with that series victory that will be great.”An eight-wicket victory in less than two-and-a-half days usually suggests that the gulf between two teams is as wide as it is deep, but cricket is a sport where scorecards are not the best storytellers. This series could end by revealing that in terms of cricketing talent, team make-up, big-match temperament and closing out a game, there is little to choose between South Africa and Australia.

ScorecardCraig Williams bludgeoned 116 off 48 balls to lead Namibia to a massive win over Scotland in Windhoek. Namibia had lost the previous three unofficial Twenty20s against Scotland but Williams turned that around with an innings that featured 14 sixes. He added 153 for the second wicket with Raymond van Schoor. While the two were together, Namibia scored at 13.11 per over. They got to an imposing total of 223.Scotland did not make a fight of the chase. Left-arm spinner Louis van der Westhuizen dismissed both openers within the first four overs, and Scotland were soon 16 for 3. Wickets fell regularly from there on and only four Scotland batsmen got into double figures as they were dismissed for 107 in 15.3 overs.The teams will play one more unofficial Twenty20 on October 5.

He was talked up as one of Sri Lanka’s future stars even before his debut. He made two centuries in his first six ODIs, including one at Lord’s. Life could not have got better for Dinesh Chandimal at 21. It didn’t, and came crashing down suddenly. He was dropped after only three indifferent outings in the home ODI series against Australia and is now looking at the Champions League Twenty20 qualifier as a potential launching pad for a national comeback.”This tournament is definitely very important for me,” Chandimal said in Hyderabad. “It could help me make the Sri Lankan side more regularly.”His shy smile didn’t disappear, but there was hurt in his eyes when the word ‘dropped’ was mentioned. Twenty-one is not an age when a cricketer becomes adept at diplomacy or eloquence, but Chandimal was. “That’s the selectors’ call,” he said. “I can only focus on my game and can’t do much otherwise.”It wasn’t the low scores but the manner of his dismissals against Australia that was worrying. On all three occasions, he chased and edged deliveries outside the off stump. What went wrong? “You see, my normal position is No. 3 but I came in at No. 5 [twice] against Australia. But I know that I have the potential. I am ready to play for my country at any position whenever I am selected.”Chandimal has been a wicketkeeper from the beginning, but his batting is so highly rated that he has played a majority of the games in his short international career as a specialist batsman. It is as a keeper, though, that he wants to leave a mark. “I have kept wicket all through my career, right from school level through age-group cricket. I like playing as a keeper-batsman. Keeping is good for my batting as well, as I get to observe from up close how the pitch is behaving.”I hope to take over from Sanga [Kumar Sangakkara] one day. At the moment, Prasanna Jayawardene is doing very well in Tests, but I would like to keep wicket in Tests as well in the future.”Despite having a first-class average of 58.52, Chandimal’s eagerness to keep wicket could mean that he will have to wait for that Test call-up till a vacancy arises behind the stumps. Lahiru Thirimanne, another promising batsman – one who does not keep wicket – was blooded ahead of Chandimal during the Tests against England. Chandimal is prepared to wait. “I expected to be picked for the Australia Tests, but I have a lot of years ahead of me and my time will come.”

Former England allrounder and county veteran Dominic Cork has announced his retirement from professional cricket with immediate effect. Cork, 40, had left Hampshire at the end of the 2011 season, and his retirement brings to an end a 21-year professional career.Always one for the big stage, Cork chose to make the announcement himself live on Sky Sports News. “I’m going to retire from all cricket from now,” he said. “It’s quite an emotional day for me, it’s a hard decision but it’s the right decision for me. I’m 40 now, I’m not getting any younger and it’s hard work, but I’ve had a great career.”It seemed retirement might be looming when Hampshire decided not to renew Cork’s contract for the 2012 campaign, but there had been talk that more than one second division county was interested in signing him. Ultimately, Cork decided that the time was right for him to go, however, and suggested that his decision was partly motivated by a desire to spend more time with his family, particularly following the recent death of his father.”There were offers out there, I considered them long and hard and looked at where I wanted to be in my life. Losing my father a month ago, who was one of my biggest inspirations, makes you think about your life and take stock. I want to get back to family life – cricket can make you a selfish person, and it’s time to give it back to people.”Cork finishes with 10,114 runs and 989 wickets in first-class cricket, while he also enjoyed some notable successes in limited-overs cricket during his three-year stay at the Rose Bowl, winning the domestic 50-over competition in 2009 and the Friends Provident Twenty20 in 2010. Cork played 32 ODIs and 37 Tests for England between 1992 and 2002 and on the biggest stage in England, at Lord’s, Cork took his best Test bowling figures of 7 for 43 in 1995, and played his most famous innings, in 2000, on both occasions against West Indies.He had been Hampshire’s captain since midway through the 2010 season, having begun his first-class career in 1990 and had a long stint with Derbyshire, where he was also captain, before joining Lancashire, until the move to Hampshire in 2009.

Scorecard
Kim Garth starred as Ireland bounced back from their loss to the Netherlands•ICC/CricketEurope

Ireland Women recovered from their loss to Netherlands Women yesterday, to register a comprehensive 90-run win against Scotland Women in the Women’s European Championship at Kampong, Utrecht. The win was fashioned by an all-round performance by Kim Garth and an aggressive 85 by captain Isobel Joyce.Ireland were in trouble after being asked to bat, losing their openers within the first four overs with only eight on the board. But Joyce – the sister of England and Ireland men’s player Ed Joyce – steadied the innings by stringing together partnerships with Laura Delany, Laura Boylan and Garth before being stumped for what is her best ODI score. Garth then guided the lower order, pushing Ireland to a competitive 241 for 6.None of the Scotland batsmen could really get going in the chase, as the target was reduced to 214 off 39 overs due to rain. Even Kari Anderson, who top-scored, could not move along quickly enough, her unbeaten 43 coming off 97 balls. The innings was wrecked by four run-outs, two of which involved Garth. Garth also picked up opener Catherine Smaill in a miserly spell in which she conceded 12 runs off seven overs.Scotland play Netherlands tomorrow at the same venue.

Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has called for a young captain to be groomed as an eventual replacement to the current leader Misbah-ul-Haq, who is 37 years old.”Being 36-37 is not very young,” Waqar said. “He [Misbah] is very fit and has done very well as captain but age usually catches up, so we need to groom a young captain.”Misbah took over the Test captaincy after dramatic exits by Shahid Afridi, who retired from Tests, and Salman Butt, who was involved in the spot-fixing scandal during the tour to England in 2010. Misbah’s results have been impressive – a drawn series against South Africa in UAE and a win in New Zealand. After the 2011 World Cup, Misbah had to take over the limited-overs captaincy as well.With Afridi, who was in charge of the one-day team until recently, refusing to play under the present PCB administration headed by chairman Ijaz Butt, Misbah is set to lead Pakistan in all three forms of the game on a tour of Zimbabwe in August. Pakistan are due to play one Test, three one-day and two Twenty20 matches and Waqar said Afridi will be missed.”Every cricketer who leaves is missed, like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and then myself were missed and, of course, Afridi will also be missed,” Waqar said. “But there are other youngsters who will take their place.”Waqar also urged former greats such as Javed Miandad to help youngsters develop, particularly at the top of the order. “Whatever help can come is good because we have to take Pakistan cricket forward,” he said. “Our problems in opening are old ones and we are trying to overcome these problems and I would urge former openers like Mohsin Khan, Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail and Mudassar Nazar to come and help the openers. Hopefully some new players will develop.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board has approved a deficit budget for 2011-2012 as its finances continue to be hit by teams refusing to tour the country due to security concerns, a reality that has forced Pakistan to ‘host’ teams at neutral venues.Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, though insisted that not being able to host matches at home did not mean that the board was losing money each time Pakistan play a series abroad. “We have been forced to play away from home for the last two years but the impression that we suffer losses in every series played at a neutral venue is not correct,” Butt said after a meeting of the PCB governing board.Pakistan have played ‘home’ series against New Zealand in New Zealand, and against Australia and England in England. They then played a full one-day and Test series against South Africa in the UAE and have chosen that venue for their upcoming series against Sri Lanka in October this year and England in January next year.Butt also outlined a proposal to boost the standard of club cricket in Pakistan. “We have plans to lift club cricket so that our domestic cricket improves and for that we have planned around 5000 matches at club level in the country in the next season.” Former spinner Abdul Qadir has been appointed co-ordinator for club cricket.Pakistan is also hoping to host its own Twenty20 league, according to Butt, modelled on the lucrative Indian Premier League. “We want to stage our own Twenty20 league. Although we do not have the expertise, we are still trying.”In a decision that is a reflection of the numerous disputes the board has been involved in with players, a panel of 12 lawyers has been appointed to help the PCB with its legal issues.

The curtain has finally come down on Shahid Afridi’s reign as ODI captain, with the PCB replacing him with Misbah-ul-Haq for the two ODIs against Ireland at the end of the month.No official reason has been given for the move to replace a man who has led Pakistan to two ODI bilateral series wins – although against weaker sides – as well as a semi-final run in the 2011 World Cup: when contacted board chairman Ijaz Butt refused to speak on the topic. In 34 ODIs, he won 18 and lost 15 games; a stretch which included tough series against England and South Africa. However Butt had had told a television channel on Wednesday that “no assurance has been rendered to Shahid Afridi of retaining him as skipper for the upcoming one-day international matches in Ireland.”I didn’t give any assurances to anyone and we are still in the process of debating the changes for the series against Ireland which is also important,” the PCB chief added.It is likely, however, that the move came after the board decided they had had enough with Afridi’s penchant for awkward public statements. The latest situation arose when Afridi returned from the Caribbean and hinted at unhappiness with coach Waqar Younis over matters of selection. The pair were never on fantastic terms – Waqar had preferred Misbah as captain for the World Cup itself – but held together through the World Cup. But differences grew between the pair during the course of the ODI series which Pakistan eventually won 3-2, Afridi unhappy at the amount of say Waqar wanted in the selection of the final XI.Afridi was sent a showcause notice by the board and was due to meet the chairman over his comments as well as his relationship with Waqar. A report in , the leading Urdu daily, said Afridi had spoken to the chairman on phone last week before flying out to the USA on a fund-raising tour on Tuesday and been assured that the situation wasn’t a serious one. Board officials have also constantly downplayed the differences between the pair since Afridi’s arrival, a situation which also led Mohsin Khan, chief selector, to the brink of resignation.Last December, during the tour of New Zealand, members of the team and the board were also upset with Afridi’s very public criticisms of the performances of the side in two Twenty20 losses.Afridi took over as ODI captain properly in June last year, before the Asia Cup, having been appointed the Twenty20 captain the previous year. He was never given the leadership on a full-time basis, but first irked the board by walking away from the Test captaincy on the tour to England, one Test after being appointed. Misbah, currently the Test captain, now becomes the fifth ODI captain under the near three-year tenure of Butt; there have also been six Test captains in that time.Afridi does retain a place in the 16-man squad for the two ODIs on May 28 and 30. Three changes have been made from the ODI squad that defeated West Indies. Opener Ahmed Shehzad, middle-order batsman Usman Salahuddin and fast bowler Sadaf Hussain have been dropped. In their place come Azhar Ali, Younis Khan and Umar Gul; Younis and Gul were both rested for the Caribbean ODI trip and Younis missed the Test series after his brother passed away.Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Salman (wk), Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam

Live scorecardTharanga Paranavitana joined his captain with a hundred to help the Sri Lankans into the lead•Getty Images

After two tough days against England Lions, the Sri Lankans put up a better fight having been asked to follow on but still face the prospect of defeat ahead of the first Test. Tillakaratne Dilshan led a much more convincing display with a brisk 117 in an opening stand of 200 with Tharanga Paranavitana who built a composed 125. However, the Lions chipped away and by the close had six wickets for their hard work with the tourists 165 ahead.Although a defeat wouldn’t be ideal, it is always important for a visiting team to have an in-form captain and Dilshan will be one of the most confident Sri Lanka batsmen. This innings followed his 123 against Middlesex, at Uxbridge, and he was above a run-a-ball for the majority of his stay. England’s bowlers will have to be on the spot straight away with the new ball otherwise an innings can get a head start with Dilshan’s attacking play.He was given a life on 95 when Samit Patel spilled a chance moving to his right at gully, the second catch he has spilled in the game, and in the next over Dilshan went to his hundred from 92 balls with a sparkling cover drive which he repeated next ball.He was eventually removed by Steven Finn, who bowled a superb eight-over spell during the afternoon session having been loose in the morning, with a delivery that climbed and brushed the glove. Dilshan doesn’t have a particular weakness against the short ball, but can expect to be bombarded in the Test series. He showed today, however, that although that line of attack may eventually work, it can be a very expensive tactic.Dilshan’s innings included a top-edged six that eluded fine leg, but enough balls flew to the boundary to show he wasn’t afraid of taking on bouncers. He also rarely played a shot with half measures so when edges flew over or between the slips they were travelling far too quickly for the fielders .On a bright and breezy morning there wasn’t as much help for the quick bowlers as there was on the cloudy second evening. Graham Onions beat the bat during his opening spell and Jade Dernbach, who impressed with 5 for 44 yesterday, almost made the breakthrough when Paranavitana drove short of point on 21. Later in the session Paranavitana slashed through the slips, again off Dernbach, but it was much harder work for the bowlers.It was an important performance from the opening pair, who put on 59 in the first innings before a collapse set in. Paranavitana is the more understated of the openers but a resolute character, who began his Test career with a first-ball duck and now averages 37.He is the perfect foil for the dashing Dilshan and the left-right combination means bowlers are always adjusting. He didn’t offer a chance although became a touch nervous as the hundred approached and was almost run out on 99 before reaching three figures with a cut off Patel.The Lions bowlers had to work hard for their success but slowly they began to arrive during the afternoon. Finn claimed a deserved second scalp when Kumar Sangakkara edged into leg stump for 17 meaning he’s had precious little time in the middle ahead of the first Test. Mahela Jayawardene looked in fine touch during his 26 but recieved a good ball from Ajmal Shahzad that beat his defence. Stuart Law, the Sri Lanka coach, has said he has no concerns over his experienced pair going into the Test series.Paranavitana’s five-hour stay came to a slightly limp end when he tamely drove to point off Bopara which left the Sri Lankans four down and less than a hundred ahead. Bopara’s bowling is one of the factors likely to sway Test selection in his favour so an extended run won’t have done him any harm.Dernbach struck his first blow of the innings when Dinesh Chandimal edged to first slip and James Hildreth held his second catch to remove Prasanna Jayawardene as Onions got one to nip away. Thilan Samaraweera proved a tough obstacle having been missed on 6 when Jonny Bairstow couldn’t complete a stumping and reached fifty from 87 balls. Suraj Randiv, who made 76 in the first innings, flicked a tough chance to Dernbach at leg slip on 14 and the pair took their stand to 42. It could yet be an intriguing final day.