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ScorecardDaryl Mitchell enjoyed a superb day with bat and ball•Getty Images

Worcestershire kept their Yorkshire Bank 40 campaign alive as Daryl Mitchellsigned off a golden two days in a nine-run win against Warwickshire at NewRoad. Mitchell followed up a championship century against Essex on Fridaywith a top score of 71 in his side’s total of 210 for 9 and then took 3for 27 as their local rivals were dismissed for 201.The pressure applied by Mitchell was matched by Brett D’Oliveira as the21-year-old leg-spinner, bowling in front of the stand named after hisgrandfather, Basil, claimed 3 for 35, his best List A performance.Yet there was still a late scare for the hosts as Warwickshire’s ninth-wicketpair Steffan Piolet with 30 and Ateeq Javid, 40 not out, added 47 at a run-a ballbefore Alan Richardson bowled Piolet. Even then Javid smashed successive sixes off Moeen Ali in the penultimate over, only for last man Chris Wright to be run out when sent back by his partner.On a slow, low pitch, the new ball represented the best chance for batsmen tomake progress and this was where Worcestershire won the game with Mitchell’spartnership of 95 with Moeen in the first 15 overs.Although Worcestershire’s innings ended in disarray, with five wickets fallingto Darren Maddy and Jeetan Patel in the last five overs, they had enough runs onthe board to end a run of three successive defeats in Group A.Warwickshire were persistently pegged back by flashes of brilliance in thefield as they chased 211 for victory. Moeen held an overhead one-handed catch from Varun Chopra, Aneesh Kapil ran out Jim Troughton for 31 from midwicket and Ben Cox scooped up low chance from Tim Ambrose at square leg.Javid and Piolet gave the visitors a glimmer of hope with some lusty late blowsbut they fell just short in the end when Wright was run out in the penultimateover.Worcestershire’s early surge could have been choked off if Patel had not putdown a fierce but straightforward chance from Moeen at extra cover. Wright was the unlucky bowler and he more than anyone was to suffer as the twoopeners each hit two boundaries in his next over.With momentum established, Moeen turned on the style, driving Rikki Clarke intothe crowd at long off on his way to a half-century in only 44 balls.Warwickshire eventually stemmed the flow of runs as Piolet and rookieoffspinner Javid took the pace off the ball. Piolet claimed the key wicket when Moeen was lbw for 56 but Mitchell, although going through 25 overs without a boundary, put on 60 with the talented England Under-19 all-rounder Kapil.They took Worcestershire up to 182 in the 34th over before Wright bowledMitchell and there was little to come when Kapil, after making 42 from 51 balls,went leg before to Maddy.

The ICC and ECB have signed the host agreement to stage the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales, formalising the arrangement of 2006.The tournament will be held throughout June 2019, will be played at 10 venues and is currently scheduled to involve 10 teams.”The signing of this agreement now enables ECB to enter into staging agreements with venues who wish to stage matches in the World Cup,” ECB chief executive David Collier said after signing the agreement in Dubai.”The Organising Team from the 2013 Champions Trophy, led by tournament director Steve Elworthy, will commence the preparation work for this event immediately following the conclusion of the Champions Trophy, which ends with the final at Edgbaston on June 23.”The ECB is honoured to have been selected to stage one of the largest and most important global sports events which will be a wonderful boost to sport and cricket in particular throughout England and Wales.”England last staged the World Cup in 1999, without great success, not least the hosts’ performance – England were knocked out in the group stage. The 2004 Champions Trophy and second edition of the World Twenty20, in 2009, were also staged in the UK.ICC Chief Executive David Richardson added: “The World Cup attracts a broadcast audience in excess of 1.5 billion people and is one of the premier events in world cricket. England and Wales boasts a number of high quality cricket venues providing players, officials and spectators with excellent facilities. We look forward to working with the ECB to deliver an outstanding tournament.”Bidding to host World Cup matches is expected to be fierce with at least 11 clubs expected to apply: MCC, Surrey, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Hampshire, Durham, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Somerset.

Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, has said the club will support Steven Finn in his efforts to adjust to bowling off a shortened run-up. Finn took match figures of 6 for 85 in his first outing of the season against Derbyshire, despite at times struggling to find his rhythm, and Fraser said they would continue to work on technical aspects of his bowling after Finn made changes to his run-up on England’s tour of New Zealand.Finn’s pace was impressive and clearly unsettled Derbyshire’s batsmen in a nine-wicket victory at Lord’s, though Fraser said he “can bowl better”. The shortened run-up is part of Finn’s attempts to stop colliding with the stumps in his delivery stride – an infringement that will be called a no-ball in international cricket from the end of April – and in the match programme, the Middlesex chief executive, Vinny Codrington, alluded to what was presumably a lively exchange on the subject between bowler and coach.”The conversation between Angus Fraser and Steven over his ‘new’ run-up would probably have sold tickets had it been in public,” Codrington wrote. Fraser, however, laughed off any suggestions of a disagreement, stressing that Finn’s wishes were paramount.”It’s difficult when you’re watching it from afar, especially from the other side of the world,” Fraser said, of first seeing the new run-up on television while England were on tour. “Your vision is that it’s shorter than it is – it’s not as short as I thought. It’s five yards shorter than it was so it’s not as though he’s cut his run-up in half.”We had a chat, I’ve got some views but they’re between me and Steven. But he seems happy with it, he wants to go ahead and work with it and we’ll support him. England are very keen that he does it and ultimately he’s their player.”Finn took ten wickets at 39.20 in the three Tests against New Zealand, as the pace attack failed to make the expected impression in a drawn series, and with the Champions Trophy and back-to-back Ashes series on the horizon, England will hope Finn gets used to the adjustments soon. Fraser’s guidance will be important in that process and although he has not discussed the changes with David Saker, England’s bowling coach, he emphasised his backing for Finn, who at 24 has become a key figure for his country in all three international formats.”It’s difficult for Steven, he’s a young man still finding his way, learning all the time as a bowler and he’s going through this process in front of everybody’s eyes,” Fraser said. “A lot of other bowlers did a lot of bowling when they were young with their counties, found their rhythm, knew what they were about. Steven is such an outstanding young fast bowler that he’s going through that development in international cricket and still being very, very competitive.”I haven’t spoken to David Saker, I’ve spoken to Steven. You just want what’s best for Steven, if he’s happy with it that’s the main thing.”

Specifics of the CWAB survey

According to the survey to which 70 out of the 80-odd local BPL players answered to, four Barisal Burners players – Iftekhar Nayeem, Jubair Ahmed, Alamin Hossain and Mahmudul Hasan – have not received any payments while six others have been paid between 15% to 25%. The survey was conducted in the last 20 days, and updated after the Bangladesh players returned from Colombo on April 2. But CWAB could not extract the information out of Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim.
Out of the seven players interviewed from Sylhet Royals, six have been paid 25%. From champions Dhaka Gladiators, eight players including Mohammad Ashraful and Mashrafe Mortaza have been paid the same amount, as have been ten Rangpur Riders players including Nasir Hossain. The survey also mentioned that Murad Khan has played three matches without signing a contract while Saju Dutta has not been paid any money.
Four players from Chittagong Kings – Mahmudullah, Aftab Ahmed, Marshall Ayub, Mehrab Hossain jnr – have received 25% while the rest of the interviewed players have either not received pay or paid 10% (Nurul Hasan).

Bangladesh’s players’ body has claimed that local players from only two out of seven BPL franchises have been paid 50% of their fees for the 2013 tournament. All players taking part in the domestic Twenty20 competition were supposed to be paid half their pay by February 19, but the Cricketers Welfare Association (CWAB) conducted a survey that says many have remained unpaid.CWAB had released a list with updates on the local cricketers’ payments, although there were many who didn’t respond or reveal their actual fees, despite the players’ payment being decided at the auction.There have been claims made to CWAB by various players over unfulfilled payments. CWAB is the only organised pressure group on the BCB, and it is led by former Bangladesh captain Naimur Rahman, who is also an adhoc committee member of the cricket board. The BCB have taken responsibility for the players’ payments this season after the franchises failed to make payments on time following the first BPL.Seven players from Duronto Rajshahi, and eight from Khulna Royal Bengals, have been given 50% of their pay, but other franchises have made haphazard payments. CWAB general secretary Debabrata Paul said that a number of players have not been paid their daily allowances but the BCB had not taken any steps to address that since being handed the list two weeks ago.”CWAB is disappointed about the players’ payment of BPL,” a statement from the association said. “CWAB submitted a survey paper to BCB officials, but we did not find any improvement. We are hopeful and confident that the BCB will solve the players’ payment within a very short time, according to the contract paper.”BPL governing council secretary Ismail Haider Mallick said that the CWAB list included many players who have taken money from their respective franchises directly, which is a clear infringement of contract rules. He also said there are many disputed payments due over the excesses that have to be shared between them, the players, and the event management company, Game On Sports. The CWAB retorted by saying that the board did not take any decisions on the players who took direct payments.”We have received it [the list] from CWAB, but there are a number of issues that need to be clarified,” Mallick told ESPNcricinfo. “We have taken over payment on behalf of the franchises but there are many players who have taken direct payments from the franchises. They have broken the rules [stated in their contract] and [as a result] we are not liable. I think around 70% of the names mentioned on the list are players who have taken direct payment.”The other point of dispute is the payment of the players who are supposed to receive more than the price ceiling set during the players’ auction. On the matter, Mallick said: “The players are claiming pay for their full amount, but those who have been quoted at more than their ceiling price, the extra amount is supposed to be distributed accordingly to the BCB, Game On Sports, and then the players.”Regarding direct payment and excess payment, CWAB secretary Paul said: “We have addressed the issue of direct payment with the players and the BCB. I heard from several players that they were forced to take direct payments from the franchises. I informed the board, but they haven’t taken any action against the players or franchises. They also haven’t asked the players to give back the money taken from the franchises.”The excess payment is linked in a way. The BCB will take 60% of the excess, while the player will get 30% and Game On Sports will get 10%. My question is, whether the BCB are not going to be responsible about these players from whom they will take 60% of the money?”Mallick added that the BCB are also waiting on reimbursement from the franchises to clear 50% of the players’ payment. “The list CWAB has sent is of the second half of the pay scheme, which says we have to clear 50% payment of the players.”Till now, we have only received 50% payment from Rajshahi and Dhaka. The other franchises have not cooperated with us, and if they continue to do so, we have to take legal action against them. They are telling us that many of the local and foreign players have been sent money, but we want to see the documents.”

Waqar Younis, the former Pakistan fast bowler, captain and coach, will be joining Sunrisers Hyderabad as a bowling consultant for the 2013 IPL season. Waqar will be the second Pakistani bowling coach in the IPL, following the footsteps of his former new-ball partner Wasim Akram, who has performed the same role with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders since 2010. Akram, though, has taken a break this season.Former Australia allrounder Tom Moody, who is the Sunrisers’ head coach, was active in hiring Waqar, who is based in Sydney. “Tom is a fine buddy since our playing days and he asked me if I could come and help and I accepted the offer,” Waqar told ESPNcricinfo. “I want to go and have a feel about it and how it works.”After he stepped down as Pakistan’s head coach in September 2011, Waqar coached Ruhuna Royals in the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League last year. During his stint as Pakistan coach, Waqar was instrumental in leading Pakistan to the semi-finals of the 2010 World Twenty20 in the West Indies where they were silenced by Michael Hussey’s heroics late in the match.Waqar said the IPL job would be a good challenge. “I am going to go the way I go about things. It will be a good experience for me also to interact with a lot of fast bowlers.” And he has already set himself a goal: working closely with the Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma. “I am really excited to work with Ishant Sharma. He can be a better bowler than he is.”Dale Steyn, Clint McKay, Sudeep Tyagi are some of the other quick bowlers in the Sunrisers squad, who are bound to benefit from Waqar’s vast experience.”We hope Waqar’s experience and Steyn’s expertise will help our bowlers restrict the opposition batsmen’s charge and reduce the pressure on our batsmen,” a Sunrisers’ official said on Waqar’s appointment.Last October, the Sunrisers replaced Deccan Chargers in the IPL after the BCCI had terminated the contract with Deccan Chronicles Holdings Ltd (owners of the Chargers), due to a prolonged financial crisis. Sun TV network successfully bid for the franchise rights for 85.05 crores per year (approx $15.9m) for a five-year deal.Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Akshath Reddy, Amit Mishra, Anand Rajan, Ankit Sharma, Ashish Reddy, Biplab Samantray, Cameron White, Chris Lynn, Clint McKay, Dale Steyn, Darren Sammy, Dwaraka Ravi Teja, Hanuma Vihari, Ishant Sharma, JP Duminy (currently injured), Karan Sharma, Kumar Sangakkara, Nathan McCullum, Parthiv Patel, Quinton de Kock, Sachin Rana, Shikhar Dhawan, Sudeep Tyagi, Thalaivan Sargunam, Thisara Perera, Veer Pratap Singh.

BRISBANE – Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist has been hospitalisedwith an infected elbow just three days before the opening Ashes cricketTest at the Gabba.Gilchrist was today hooked up to an intravenous antibiotic drip and willremain in St Andrew’s Hospital in Brisbane until tomorrow.Australian team physiotherapist Errol Alcott said the treatment wasprecautionary and Gilchrist was still expected to be fit for the firstTest against England starting on Thursday.”It’s a hot swollen, very tender elbow and it hurts a little bit to moveit,” Alcott said as the Australians trained at the Gabba.”So we figure rather than being down here and landing on it andaggravating it and exciting the inflammation we’ll put him on bed restand some antibiotic treatment.”We’re confident he’ll be back on deck shortly, we’re planning to leavehim overnight and review him tomorrow around mid-morning and see how wego from there.”Alcott said at this stage no replacement had been called for.Gilchrist noticed tenderness around his right elbow on Saturday and thearea become more troublesome yesterday when he joined teammates inBrisbane.”It’s frustrating not being able to train straight away and interruptthe build up to the Test match but I’m working on the basis this is afrustration and nothing more,” he said.”I’m keen to get back on deck as soon as possible and my expectation atthis stage is that I will be fully fit and ready to play in the Testmatch come Thursday morning.”Australia now has two injury problems leading into the Test with pacebowler Jason Gillespie battling a calf strain.Gillespie trained lightly in the nets today and will have an extendedworkout tomorrow.Alcott said Gillespie had felt “a bit stiff” from his 10 overs for SouthAustralia in Saturday’s ING Cup match against NSW in Adelaide.”Tomorrow we’ll have a good session and we’ll review him then,” saidAlcott, who rated Gillespie’s chances of playing as “pretty good”.Gillespie’s inclusion would leave selectors a difficult choice betweenBrett Lee and Andy Bichel to be 12th man for the first Test.Former Australian fast bowler Merv Hughes believes Lee should retain hisTest spot because English batsmen are scared of the paceman.”If you have a look at Brett Lee at the Gabba, when he comes in to bowlthe crowd just lifts and if you watch the English batsmen they just seema little bit more nervous,” said Hughes.”He’s there for the fear factor.”Australia’s other matter to sort out this week is some changes tofielding positions.Mark Waugh’s retirement from international cricket means a new secondslip will have to be found with Ricky Ponting or Damien Martyn favouredfor the job.Australia may also be looking for another candidate to field at shortleg with Justin Langer reportedly wanting a change due to medical adviceafter five blows to the head in the past 12 months.”Hopefully my prowess in the gully could perhaps have me overlooked forthat position,” said Langer’s close friend and opening partner MatthewHayden.”I guess the versatility shows that most of the side can field anywherethough.”Late today it looked as if Darren Lehmann, recalled to the Test side toreplace Mark Waugh, could be asked to take over from Langer in thebat-pad catching position

Mr. N Srinivasan (president, BCCI), Mr. Wally Edwards (chairman, Cricket Australia), David Richardson (chief executive, ICC), chief executives of the Australian and Sri Lankan Cricket boards, Michael Clarke and the Australian cricket team, Mahi [MS Dhoni] and the Indian team, some of my former team-mates and other former cricketers, ladies and gentlemen.That was the easy part. Now comes the difficult part. And the difficult part is that right till the Nawab of Pataudi jr passed away, I never knew how to address him. The first time I played under him was for the Vazir Sultan Colts XI in the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup. The Vazir Sultan team used to comprise players who were doing well at school and inter-university level. We used to have the odd first-class player, but generally it was a team of young players trying to make their mark in first-class cricket in India. Some of them, like me, hadn’t even played first-class cricket. So we were all very excited to be playing under the captain of the Indian team.Nawab of Pataudi had been captaining the Vazir Sultan team for a couple of years. So, it was a huge excitement, and a great time for us to be there. On the eve of the match we had a cocktail party given by the chairman and the managing director of the Vazir Sultan Tobacco Company. We put on our best attire and went for the party, hoping to come across and meet our captain. Nawab did put in a brief appearance, had a quick drink with the chairman and the managing director and before we could introduce ourselves to him, he was gone. We were about 16 years old at that time, socially challenged, and so we were in one corner. All the executives of Vazir Sultan were in another corner, and we never got the opportunity to speak to Tiger.There were one or two who had played the previous year with Nawab of Pataudi and we were all in a bit of a dilemma as to what to call him. The ones who had played with him in the previous year were of no help as well. So eventually the team decided to get into a huddle in which we were debating and discussing as to how we should address the Nawab of Pataudi. None of us could zero in on how we should address him?So eventually we decided that whoever did well the next day – if you were a batsman and got a fifty, if you took a wicket or a catch – that person’s responsibility was to ask the Nawab what we should address him as.The Nawab came just 10 minutes before the toss was to take place and sat on the massage table. There was a masseur who came and gave him a massage and we were in one side of the dressing room, still waiting to be introduced to the Nawab of Pataudi. He wasn’t even sure who we were – who was the batsman? Who was the bowler?We lost the toss and went out on the field. As luck would have it, there was a run-out and I was the one who had affected it, so all the players fielding in the vicinity gathered together. The Nawab was sat on the ground tying his shoelaces. There were four-five of us around him. And suddenly I saw the eye-contact being made with me by them. I was pretending as if I didn’t know anything. Then of course, there was a bit of a whisper ‘ask, ask ask’. So it was my turn to ask him because that’s what we’d decided the previous evening.I gathered up enough courage and said, ‘What do we address you as? Nawab saab, captain, skipper, Pats, Tiger?’ These were all the names that we’d heard him being addressed as by various other people. But we were all kids. The Nawab finished tying his shoelaces, looked up at me, turned and went away. So, we were none the wiser.I met him several times after that. I spent a lot of time with him when I got into the Indian team. But I could never actually call him anything. Every time there was an opportunity to talk to him, I went directly to him, instead of calling him by any name. So that really is going to be the tough part today. I did manage to speak to saiba, Sharmila. She is unwell so she wasn’t able to come. But just because he’s addressed by just about everyone in their conversations, be it cricket or anything else, as Tiger, with your permission, I am going to address him as Tiger.Tiger was an extraordinary cricketer. To be able to play cricket with just one eye – and the splinter that went through his eye, you could actually see the scar in the eye when you were close to him – and score almost 3000 [2793] runs is something terrific. I mean, it’s hard enough to see the cricket ball with two eyes, and here was a man who played with just one!He used to bring the peak of his cap over his right eye almost as if taking the sun out of the equation, closing his eye, and he would play. He had a very wide two-eyed stand, not quite Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but almost there. And it was incredible how he could play shots on both sides of the wicket.The best thing about Tiger was that with his batting style and his approach to the game, he liberated Indian cricket. Till then Indian cricket was more about letting things drift than making things happen. Tiger changed the entire outlook and mindset. He stepped down the pitch to the spinners and lofted the quicker bowlers over the infield, which wasn’t done before.Yes, India started playing Test cricket in 1932-33 with two very aggressive players in Col. CK Nayudu and the one and only Lala Amarnath, who could hit the ball anywhere. But after that Indian cricket went into a state where it was about making sure things were pretty much status quo, rather than making things happen.Our batting cricketing upbringing was such that if you hit three balls six inches above the ground, your coaches would make you run a lap of the ground as punishment with the bat held high in the air. And therefore, caution was probably the watch-word rather than aggression. And Tiger changed all that. He changed all that by being bold, by taking on the bowlers rather than being dictated by them. And he changed the entire mindset.India was a team which was being run-over by just about every other team. But when Tiger came in, he gave the team the belief and the confidence that they could play against any opposition, do well, and even go on to win. His charisma was such. It was incredible. He was one of those cricketers that you could never take your eyes off. If he was standing at covers and the action was going on in the middle, you would be looking at Tiger Pataudi. Yes, to a peripheral vision you were watching the action but he had that magnetism.He was very good-looking as well. I keep saying that the 1960s has to be the most glamorous decade in Indian Cricket. We had some really good-looking guys and they were dating some gorgeous women. Tiger Pataudi himself was dating the leading film star of India – Sharmila Tagore. There was Salim Durani, who was a film star himself in his own right. There was Budhi Kunderan – he was short and dark, but he wore tight trousers on and off the field and dated models.Farokh Engineeer had a lot of exotic dates if I might say. Even now I think Farokh makes heads turn, although I’m not sure if he’s able to turn himself. And then there was my hero, ML Jaisimha. He always had women around him.At that stage, when your hormones are raging, you say to yourself, ‘Wow! This game must be something’. So, for my generation, the incentive to take up cricket was that. I’m not too sure about what the current generation thinks – for them maybe it’s the IPL. But for our generation it was really the mere possibility that we could meet a film star, date her, take a model out. That was the incentive. Well, it didn’t quite happen that way. Of course, Ravi [Shastri] has been rather more successful in that regard.Tiger also was an outstanding fielder. I think in the history of Indian cricket, Tiger has to rank among the top-three Indian fielders ever. Tiger himself, Eknath Solkar, who is no more with us, and Mohammad Azharuddin – these three would be, in my view, the top-three fielders of India. Wherever they stood – close-in, in the outfield – they were outstanding.Tiger, with that one eye, could hit the stumps quite regularly – pretty much as regularly as a Jonty Rhodes or a Ricky Ponting did. Whenever the run-out opportunity was there, Tiger hit the stumps. And that is the crucial thing. If you hit the stumps and the run-out opportunity is not there, it doesn’t really mean much.And Tiger was a prankster. I think there would be many of my former team-mates who would stand up and put their hands up to say that they were the victims to his pranks. With the media he was always playing up. He went knocking on his team-mates’ doors wearing masks and scaring the living daylights out of them. And this is something you would not really expect of someone who was of royal lineage. Yes, he was a man of few words but he was a practical joker as well.I remember Vishy [GR Vishwanath] was one who suffered. When they went to play a match in Bhopal, they suddenly decided that they’d go on [hunting]. None of the guys had ever held a gun before in their lives apart from Tiger himself. But they all agreed to go.As they went into the jungle, suddenly they were surrounded by these dacoits. Everybody had a gun up their throats and it was quite scary. Vishy, till today, he sweats every time he thinks about it. Erapalli Prasanna tried to run from there and was shot. Tiger wasn’t able to control his laughter so the dacoits took him away into the bushes.They tied poor Vishy to a tree. Vishy was, of course, given by Tiger his silk kurta and all the brocades, etc. for the day. So the dacoits said, ‘no, no, you are the Nawab’. Vishy was trying to explain to them that he was just Gundappa Vishwanath and that the Nawab of Pataudi was somewhere else. They said, ‘no, look at your outfit. You are the Nawab’.There was another cricketer as well who was tied to a tree – I will not name him. Every time he said that he should be let off as he was an Indian Test cricketer, the gun came closer. It was quite an experience until I think the time when Tiger and Prasanna, who were supposed to have been shot dead, walked through the bushes. By that time the joke had gone on too much. The dacoits were actually Tiger’s servants who had dressed up and taken these people hostage.It was that aspect of his character that he brought to the game as well – the fun aspect.And I think that’s the aspect that perhaps, we could do more with in modern day cricket. Yes, the intensity and the passion has to be there when you’re representing your country or any team for that matter. But along with it if just a little fun element comes in, I think it will be fantastic for the game of cricket.Cricket today is in a very, very happy place. I think there are more people playing the game and in more countries of the world. There are also more millionaires playing the game today. Twenty20 cricket is helping to globalise the game, taking it to emerging countries like America, China and maybe Europe as well. And I think that is the format you should probably look at if you want to globalise the game. But I think – and this is what Tiger used to say as well – that we keep on tinkering with the game too much. We keep making changes in the game and that makes it difficult for the countries that are not cricket savvy to understand the game. The success of football, golf and tennis is because the rules are very simple. They’re very easy to understand and therefore, there’s no confusion in the minds of those who have never played the game before, or in whose country it’s not a primary sport. That’s something that cricket administrators need to look at.However, I still believe that Test Cricket is still the pinnacle of the game. It is, as all the players present here will readily acknowledge, the format by which they’re going to be recognised as good, great or ordinary players. Performances in the T20 and 50-over format are well and wonderful but at the end of the day it is Test cricket by which the players know they’re going to be rated.Administrators, particularly in the four or five major countries out of the ten Test playing countries, need to make sure that Test cricket is the pinnacle. For that you need to have pitches which are balanced rather than the ones which are one-sided. We need pitches on which the best are tested against the best because at the end of the day it’s not just the test of your technique or skill. It’s the test of your courage and temperament. I’ve always believed that it’s the temperament that separates the men from the boys and that can only be found out in the cauldron that is Test cricket. That is something I would request all the administrators to have a look at.Ravi Shastri and Mr. N Srinivasan already said that Tiger Pataudi was a man of few words. We are also in the age of T20. So, I’m not going to carry on.There’s a Test match to be played in a couple of days and it’s the beginning of a series that has always been an exciting one. I want to wish both teams plenty of luck – just a little bit more for the Indians as they need it a bit more than the Australians do. The Australians have been winning while the Indians have not.I hope and I know that it will be a wonderful series. India-Australia series has always been very well contested and well-fought. But just like Tiger did, let there be a bit of fun element as well in the game. When a batsman scores a fifty or a hundred or a bowler picks up a wicket, let there be a little smile. A little bit of a smile makes a huge difference. It makes the television viewers and everybody feel great, and the youngsters will like to take up the game as well.Once again, I wish both teams the very best. To Mr. Srinivasan and the BCCI, thank you so much for inviting me to speak at the inaugural MAK Pataudi Memorial Lecture. I guess, once an opening batsman always an opening batsman. Thank you so much everybody.And Tiger, if you’re up there and listening, just want to say a big thank you to you as well, for enriching this game and on behalf of all those who came in contact with you.Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRohit Sharma emerged from a form slump to play a crucial innings•BCCI

England fought hard to assemble a respectable total on a cold, wintry day in the Punjab, but when the fog cleared the view was a familiar one: another defeat in a one-day series in India. India’s pursuit of 258 was far from trouble free, but a winning margin of five wickets with 15 balls to spare was emphatic enough and left them 3-1 up one to play.Instead of a dead rubber in ODI in Dharamsala, in the foothills of the Himalayas, England would be forgiven for fancying a spot of skiing, but sadly for them the weather forecast is improving and only the cricket is going downhill. A record extended to 18 ODI defeats in their last 20 in India is proof of that.

Smart stats

• India won their fourth consecutive home ODI series against England. Of their last 20 matches against England at home (bilateral series), India won 18 and lost two.

• The target of 258 is the third-highest successful chase in ODIs in Mohali. India also chased 299 against England at the same venue in 2011.

• Suresh Raina’s 89 is the second-highest score by an Indian No. 5 batsman against England, after Yuvraj Singh’s 118 in 2008.

• For the sixth time in ODIs in Mohali, 450 or more runs (batsman runs) were scored with five half-centuries but no hundred.

• Joe Root’s strike rate of 126.66 is the fourth-highest by an England No. 6 batsman against India (fifty-plus scores only).

• The 95-run stand between Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen is the fourth highest second-wicket stand for England in ODIs against India in India. It is also the second highest second-wicket stand for a visiting team in Mohali.

It might have been different had England not fallen again to the curse of Steven Finn’s knee. When Finn thought he had Suresh Raina caught by Alastair Cook at first slip, India still needed 80 from 89 balls with what would have been five wickets intact. But Finn’s recalcitrant right knee had collided with the stumps again and umpire Steve Davis invoked Law 23, ruling that Raina had been distracted. Cook’s protests that Finn was entitled to a warning went unheeded.Raina, in blissfully enterprising mood, took advantage of his let-off. Only Finn and James Tredwell demanded much respect. Tim Bresnan was despatched with ease, Joe Root’s callow offspin routinely picked off, and when met by Jade Dernbach’s circus act, Raina was the ringmaster. His unbeaten 89 from 79 balls guided India to victory with such comfort it passed almost unnoticed.The story of this series has been one of growing India dominance. MS Dhoni has looked as impregnable in one-day cricket as he seemed flawed in the Test series. After England’s win in the opening game in Rajkot, fuelled by a late batting assault from Samit Patel, India’s batsmen dominated in Kochi and Ranchi and when they got the benefit of an influentiual toss in Mohali, their quick bowlers accepted it with alacrity. They beat England in English-style conditions, although they did have the better of them. As for Ravindra Jadeja, India will be more convinced than ever that they have a player who can balance their one-day side.India’s run chase was a personal triumph for Rohit Sharma, whose selection ahead of Ajinkya Rahane as a replacement opener had not possessed obvious logic on a seam-friendly morning, but who took advantage of easing conditions to move on from a lean run of form which had brought eight single-figure scores in his last nine innings. Rohit burst ahead after reaching his fifty, addressing Tredwell’s threat in the process, and had 83 from 93 balls when Finn won a fortunate lbw decision for a delivery slipping down the leg side.On another day of fallible umpiring, Gautam Gambhir was adjudged caught at the wicket, carving at a wide one and left with a look of unfeigned surprise that the umpire thought he had hit it.Virat Kohli was gently removed by Tredwell, not as much dismissed as quietly informed that he would take no further part in the game. In the calming manner of a hospital consultant, Tredwell’s entire demeanour is designed to allay fears. “Good morning, Mr Kohli, do relax, there is nothing to worry about.” But there was and by the end of his first over, Kohli had chipped a gentle return catch as if half-anaesthetised. There must have been some dip, or subtle change of pace, but you could study innumerable replays and struggle to discern it.Tredwell claimed a second wicket when he defeated Yuvraj Singh’s sweep, dismissing him for the fourth time in the series.England could ill afford to allow let-offs in the field, but both Kohli and Rohit survived half chances. Rohit, on 12, drove Tim Bresnan high to mid-off where Kevin Pietersen leapt to palm the ball in the air with his right hand but failed to locate it as it fell. Kohli was 2 when he pulled at Finn and the ball fell between the wicketkeeper, Jos Buttler, and Bresnan at fine leg.Buttler was running backwards for a catch which could not have fallen more inconveniently had Kohli marked the spot with a cross, but he was a stand-in wicketkeeper for Craig Kieswetter, and an inexperienced one at that, and it was natural to wonder whether a more experienced keeper would have been more assertive.India’s pace attack made impressive use of a good fast-bowling morning after Dhoni had won the toss. Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded only 30 runs in a probing 10-over allocation delivered without interruption and Ishant Sharma was as dangerous as at any time in either Test or one-day series.Alastair Cook’s methodical half-century was an appropriate response, but his demise, lbw to a ball from R Ashwin that pitched well outside leg stump was another rum decision. Umpires drawn from outside the elite panel, plus the absence of DRS, equals a greater likelihood of error wherever a game is played.There was 76, too, from Pietersen, but it was a more fretful innings delivered by a batsman anxious for the first shaft of sunlight. He was struck on the elbow as Ishant cut one back and narrowly escaped an lbw decision in the same over when he just got outside the line. He needed 13 balls to get off the mark; 33 to find the boundary, an authoritative straight drive against R Ashwin.He was illuminated only briefly, muscling Ishant over midwicket for six, but he got an excellent yorker in response as Ishant ensured that for once his bowling figures were not damaged by bowling at the most pressing times.Cook, for all his frustration at his dismissal, had provided a solid layer, but England’s cause was not helped when they lost Eoin Morgan and Patel in quick succession.Morgan has had a poor series in a country in which, with IPL in mind, he was anxious to advance his reputation. He drove Ashwin weakly down the ground and only reached Yuvraj at mid-on. Patel was promoted to No. 5, presumably with the approaching batting Powerplay in mind, but he made a single in 10 balls when he chipped a return catch to Ravindra Jadeja. Patel stalked off; he has done more stalking off recently than is good for him.England rallied with 100 from the last 10 overs, energised by Joe Root’s maiden ODI half-century, 57 not out from 45 balls, after he had been dropped off Ishant by Kohli at slip. Throughout the winter, in all three forms of the game, Root has proved more adaptable than perhaps even he had expected. His cricketing intelligence is one of his greatest assets.He should also have fallen on 42, a slog sweep against Jadeja bringing a comical drop by Raina at midwicket. Jadeja’s left-arm slows have disturbed England throughout the series. The dismissal of Buttler and Bresnan in his final over left him with 3 for 39.A paragraph on Suresh Raina, accidentally deleted, was reinstated in this report on January 24

Diana Baig, the uncapped bowling allrounder from Gilgit, has been named in the 15-member squad for the Women’s World Cup to be held in Mumbai later this month. Sidra Ameen, a middle-order batsman, who last played for Pakistan in 2011, has been recalled while the allrounder Marina Iqbal has been dropped.Pakistan last played an ODI series in Ireland in 2011. They played the Asian Cricket Council Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup in October 2012, finishing runners-up to India. Pakistan made minor changes to the squad from previous international series, with Sana Mir continuing to lead the side.Pakistan qualified for the World Cup finishing runners-up to West Indies during the 2011 Women’s World Cup Qualifier. Pakistan are placed in Group B along with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. They will play their first match against Australia on January 31 at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.Pakistan squad: Sana Mir (capt), Nain Abidi, Bismah Maroof, Nida Rashid, Javeria Wadood, Sidra Amin, Rabia Shah, Batool Fatima (wk), Asmavia Iqbal, Qanita Jalil, Sumaiya Siddiqui, Sadia Yousaf, Elizebath Barkat, Nahida Bibi, Diana Baig

ScorecardFile photo – Jiwanjot Singh was in sight of another big score, batting on 77•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

On what was the first full day’s play in Jamshedpur, Punjab held the upper hand in all three sessions to put them on course to taking the advantage against the hosts Jharkhand.Riding on four-wicket hauls by the seamer Siddarth Kaul and legspinner Sarabjit Ladda , the Group A toppers first restricted Jharkhand to a first-innings total of 401. The opener Jiwanjot Singh then continued his dream debut season with an unbeaten fifty, adding two vital partnerships to help Punjab end the day at 150 for 1.As the teams reached the stadium in the morning, they were in for a surprise with the sun shining brightly for the first time in the game. With no fog around, the game started as per schedule. Jharkhand would have hoped for their overnight centurion Ishank Jaggi to continue their march towards a big first-innings total along with Sunny Gupta.However, the Punjab pace duo of Kaul and Manpreet Gony bowled a nagging line to deprive Jaggi and Gupta easy singles. With runs hard to come by at the start of the day, it was easier for Ladda and Harbhajan Singh to take over from the pacers. They maintained the pressure, and a wicket eventually came in the 13th over of the day.Ladda decided to change the angle and bowl round the wicket to Jaggi, who edged one that pitched just outside the leg stump to Mandeep Singh at first slip. With the score at 340 for 7, Punjab looked to wind up the Jharkhand innings quickly.But they had to toil for another hour before tasting success. Gupta and Shahbaz Nadeem survived several edges and leg-before appeals and with lunch around the corner, it seemed as if they would comfortably take Jharkhand towards 450. However, just before the interval, Ladda got Nadeem to scoop one to Jiwanjot at short leg. The Jharkhand innings lasted just two overs after lunch as Kaul sent Shankar Rao’s middle stump for a walk off the third ball after resumption. Last man Ajay Yadav then ran himself out in the next over, shortly after Jharkhand passed the 400 mark.With the visitors in the hunt of a 400-plus total, a good start was required. Jiwanjot, who came into the game with 785 runs under his belt, and Ravi Inder Singh did just that, with their right and left-hand combination not allowing the Jharkhand new-ball bowlers settle into a rhythm. Once spin was introduced as early as the 11th over, in the form of captain Nadeem, the Punjab duo negotiated him well and kept the scoreboard moving, without indulging in any outrageous drives or over-ambitious flicks or cuts.The first error they committed cost them. Ravi Inder got a ball from Nadeem that pitched on the rough created by the bowlers’ foot marks and nicked it to the slips, where Manish Vardhan took a diving catch.But Taruwar Kohli, who played the stroke of the day off his first ball – a straight drive that raced to the fence – then curbed his natural instincts in the last session to make matters easier for Jiwanjot. Jiwanjot has built a reputation of converting his starts into big hundreds. If he lives up to it on the penultimate day, then Punjab could well be in a celebratory mood by the end of Wednesday’s play.