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Ahead of Dhaka Dynamites’ match against Comilla Victorians on Wednesday, Mustafizur Rahman was told by one of the team’s officials that he had become the first Bangladeshi to make it to the ICC ODI team of the year. Mustafizur liked what he heard and accepted his team-mates’ praise, but there wasn’t much time to react considering he a game to prepare for. Besides, it is not as if he tends to react to anything in a big way.”I was on the field when everyone started to congratulate me,” Mustafizur said. “I felt really good after hearing the news, because I am the first from my country. I am obviously very happy, bound to be happy that I am among the big players in the world.”After several one-liners and some single-word answers, Mustafizur was asked if he really doesn’t have much to say or chooses to remain reserved. The 20-year old said it was the former, but he means well and he looked genuinely happy and proud of what he had done.Mustafizur introduced himself to ODI cricket with a five-for and a six-for against India in June. Between September 18, 2014 to September 13, 2015 (the qualification period), he had played only six ODIs, taking 18 wickets at an average of 12.61 and a strike rate of 17.7. The other bowlers in the ICC XI had a lot more matches under their belt – Mitchell Starc and Imran Tahir had played 22 matches each, Trent Boult’s tally stood at 19 and Mohammad Shami’s was 14. Mustafizur said he was humbled to be in such good company.Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh captain, had first seen Mustafizur in the nets last year and knew there were big things in store.”His achievements make us proud,” Mashrafe said. “I hope he will hold on to his successes. He will be a regular Test player too. A young cricketer to reach such heights is a matter of pride for all Bangladeshis. We never thought he would achieve so much in such a short period of time. Not just making it in the ICC ODI team of the year, he has completely changed the balance of the Bangladesh team.”I would also hope that all of these things don’t put him under pressure. He will have bad days, but people shouldn’t put pressure on him. We have to support him. If he can serve the Bangladesh team for another 10-15 years, he will reach an unprecedented height.”Mustafizur speaks very little in front of an audience, but he is free and frank in front of friends, team-mates and the same journalists when there are no cameras around. As it happens with people who are soft-spoken, it sometimes takes those few words to sum up what they are all about.When asked if he felt excited seeing the congratulatory message on the big screen at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Mustafizur became serious and said, “The achievement is different, and the match is different.” He couldn’t have put it any better.

Following their five-wicket defeat in the first Test, Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, said he does not expect his side to beat South Africa unless a miracle occurs.Siddons said the Bangladesh batsmen were not used to batting against the sort of pace generated by South Africa’s fast bowlers. “They [the batsmen] go from playing for their clubs in the National League to trying to take on the best fast bowler in the world. [Dale] Steyn kept striking in the first few overs and we never recovered. We spent the [whole] Test trying to recover all the time. He [Steyn] ripped us apart in the second innings with 150 kph outswingers [to the right-handers] or inswingers to the left-handers.””When your batsmen are out of confidence and having to play against Steyn, Morne Morkel or Makhaya Ntini, that is a tough assignment. The pressure they transmitted is too much for our batsmen at the moment. Their bowlers were just too good for our batsmen.”Despite the loss, Siddons was not keen on changing the squad for the second Test. “You’ve got to give young players time. I think they have the talent to improve, even if it takes eight years. What happens if we bring all the experienced players back in and get the same results? I’m not going to do that.”Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, felt his side had to work hard for the win because of the nature of the Mirpur wicket. “[It] is a little tougher than the other subcontinent wickets,” Smith said.”The lack of bounce and pace is something we took some time to get used to. It is good to see the way the guys played in the second innings to chase down more than 200 runs.”Having bowled out Bangladesh for 192 in the first innings, South Africa proceeded to concede a 22-run lead when they were bowled out in 60.3 overs. Smith said that after playing three months at home, using a different style and game plan, coming to Bangladesh had been a wake-up call. “Our whole style of playing we were brought up with is turned day and night here. You need a whole different technique as a batsman, as a bowler, in your thinking method and in the ways you get people out. It all changes.”These are not our natural conditions here. We have to learn how to play here, we have to adapt our style and I think we’ve done that now. We’ve won series in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh so obviously we are much more accustomed to playing here now. We’ve found a way to adapt our cricket to do well here.”Smith was impressed with Shahadat Hossain, the Bangladesh right-arm seamer, who took a career-best match haul of 9 for 97. “He [Shahadat] used the conditions well, he got reverse-swing, which made it tough. He bowled the ball in the right areas. And I think [Mohammad] Rafique really did a good job in the first innings containing one end, which made it difficult for us to score.”The second Test will start on February 29 in Chittagong and will be followed by three one-dayers between the two sides.

AB de Villiers has confirmed he wants to reduce his workload across all formats of the game and discussions will take place with Cricket South Africa in May as talk about his future swirled amid a report that he was considering retirement from Test cricket.De Villiers was responding to a story in the newspaper which claimed several former team-mates and friends revealed that de Villiers was contemplating quitting because of unhappiness with the South African system.In a pre-play television interview with Mike Haysman before the third day in Durban, de Villiers explained his concerns about the amount of cricket on his schedule, reaffirmed his commitment to the country but did not categorically deny the newspaper’s claims.”There are a lot of rumours flying around I hear, but for the last two to three years the only talk I’ve been doing is to keep myself fresh and to have a bit of rest here and there,” de Villiers said. “It’s always been the most important thing for me to enjoy my cricket. It’s just important to look at the schedule moving forward, that’s the talk in the camp and for me maybe not to play all kinds of cricket.”De Villiers admitted he is being stretched, especially as his workload is not limited to international cricket. “If I play all the IPL games the whole season, I do get a bit tired towards the end of the season,” he said. “That’s the only thing that I’ve been talking about in the last while. To keep myself fresh and to keep enjoying the game. I love representing my country and nothing has changed.”After the day’s play Mohammed Moosajee, the South Africa team manager, said that there were ongoing discussions about how to find de Villiers a break and a plan for the next year would be drawn up after the World T20 but for the rest of the season he will continue in all three formats.”When any international cricketer plays for 10 or more years, there is a concern about what happens when they stop playing,” Moosajee said. “AB is in constant contact with Russell [Domingo] and selectors to find opportunities to give him a break. He is still very much committed to playing for his country, it’s to look at the schedule for 12 months and see where we can give him time off.”That discussion will take place when new contracts are announced in May. Until the end of the season, he is committed to playing all forms. It’s all about getting the perfect balance. And getting the time to take time off.”Since his debut in 2004, de Villiers played 98 straight Tests before missing the July tour to Bangladesh for the birth of his first child. He also skipped the ODI leg of that series after he was banned for the first match for an over-rate violation and given time off after that. The South African management have been careful with ensuring de Villiers gets enough time off and have left him out of some bilateral series, such as the one to Australia last November, but they have also continually added to his job.De Villiers was forced to keep wicket in Tests after publicly stating he did not want to when Quinton de Kock rolled his ankle against West Indies last summer. He has since had to take over again after de Kock and his replacement, Dane Vilas, were both dropped. De Villiers has also had to bat a place higher than normal, No.4, because of the fragility of the current line-up and apart from Dean Elgar, has been the only batsmen to find form in the last few months. The burden may simply be getting too heavy.However, suggested it was a combination of exhaustion and irritation with internal policies, chiefly the transformation plan which is well-intentioned but threatening to derail some aspects of South African cricket. De Villiers was deeply affected by the selection controversy of the World Cup semi-final, which saw Vernon Philander picked ahead of Kyle Abbott.Similarly, Graeme Smith was reported to have been unhappy when the selectors insisted on Thami Tsolekile playing in the Test XI. CSA denied that Smith had threatened to quit over the fracas but three months later, Smith cited family reasons for his premature retirement.No comments have yet been made about the other two players who are also rumoured to be considering calling it quits. wrote that Dale Steyn, who has suffered several injuries since turning 30, and Philander, who is looking to county cricket, could also bid farewell to international cricket after the England series. Morne Morkel, the bowling partner, to those two was not asked about either of those but laughed off suggestion of de Villiers’ possible retirement.

Associate Member Bermuda picked up two prizes in the ICC Development Program Annual Awards, making them the success story in this year’s competition. They were awarded the Best Overall Cricket Development Program and the Photo of the year titled “It’s a Catch”.A happy Reginald Pearman, president of the Bermuda Cricket Board, said: “I am excited and proud that Bermuda cricket has won these distinguished awards, which confirm that we are making progress in the right direction when it comes to our strategic goals. I am particularly pleased with the growth in our junior membership and the fact that our women’s team participated in the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Stellenbosch and our youngsters appeared in the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia makes me even more proud.”Jos Heggleman won the Volunteer of the Year Award for his outstanding contribution to the game in the Netherlands, while the Hong Kong Cricket Association won the Best Cricket Promotion and Marketing Award for the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.Cricket Indonesia’s Tetrapak U-19 Development Program was declared the Best Junior Cricket Initiative program. Deutscher Cricket Bund did well in the Global Awards, picking up the Best Women’s Cricket Initiative prize for their U-19 Women’s Tournament in Oldenburg, Germany. The best Spirit of Cricket Initiative in Partnership with UNAIDS was won by the Mozambique Cricket Federation’s National Commission for School Cricket.John Wright of Ireland and Laurie Pieters of Namibia won Lifetime Service Awards for their long and dedicated service to cricket development not only in their home countries, but also internationally, given both have served on several ICC committees.Wright, the honorary secretary of the Irish Cricket Union for 10 years until stepping down this year, said: “I am extremely delighted to receive this award. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in cricket and I must admit that it is very pleasing to be acknowledged and honoured for your services. It’s been a privilege to be part of the ICC Development Program and I wish it best of luck in the future”Ray Mali, the ICC president, who served as one of the four global judges alongside former ICC presidents Ehsan Mani and Malcolm Gray and MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw, said: “This whole process has shown once again the outstanding work being done in the development of cricket around the world. It was immensely difficult to select the winners but those lucky enough to be chosen reflect the contributions they have made to our wonderful worldwide sport. Everyone involved, winners and those not chosen, deserve immense credit for their efforts.”Best Overall Cricket Development Program Bermuda Cricket BoardBest Women’s Cricket Initiative Oldenburg U-19 Women’s Tournament (Germany)Best Junior Cricket Initiative Tetrapak U-19 Development program (Indonesia)Best Cricket Promotional and Marketing Award – Hong Kong Cricket Sixes (Hong Kong)Best Spirit of Cricket Award in Partnership with UNAIDS – National Commission for School Cricket (Mozambique)Photo of the Year Award “It’s a Catch” (Bermuda)Volunteer of the Year Jos Heggleman (The Netherlands)Lifetime Service Award John Wright (Ireland) and Laurie Pieters (Namibia)Each Global award category is allocated US$2000 of equipment to be received by the winning national cricket body.

Scotland have picked fast bowler Gavin Main in their squad for the upcoming World Twenty20, which starts in India from March 8, the only change to the squad that recently toured Hong Kong and the UAE last month.Preston Mommsen will lead Scotland, while Kyle Coetzer has been named vice-captain. Main, 20, has replaced pacer Bradley Wheal, who played an ODI and two T20Is against Hong Kong.Main, who represented Scotland in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup, was unavailable for selection for the Hong Kong tour after opting to play in New Zealand in January and February. He has played three T20Is for Scotland so far, following his debut against Ireland last year. He also made his List A debut in 2015, in a World Cricket League Championship match against Nepal. Main made his first-class debut for Durham in May 2014 and was a part of the county’s Second XI squad in domestic season last year.The 15-member squad will depart for Pune on February 22 for a training camp before they head to Mohali for their warm-up matches against Oman and Netherlands on March 4 and March 6 respectively. Scotland are slotted in Group B in the first round of the tournament, with Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Zimbabwe. They will play their first match against Afghanistan in Nagpur on March 8. If Scotland top their group, they will join England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies in Group 1 of the Super 10s stage.Scotland squad: Preston Mommsen (capt), Kyle Coetzer (vice-captain), Alasdair Evans, Calum MacLeod, Con de Lange, Gavin Main, George Munsey, Josh Davey, Mark Watt, Matt Machan, Matthew Cross, Michael Leask, Richie Berrington, Rob Taylor, Safyaan Sharif

England’s cricketers were delayed en route to Wellington, the venue for Saturday’s opening one-day international against New Zealand, after Christchurch airport had to be closed for two hours following a security alert.According to police, a 33-year-old woman passenger on an incoming plane from Blenheim stabbed at least one of the two pilots and then threatened to blow up the aircraft. The woman was arrested and sniffer dogs were deployed while the passengers were evacuated, but no explosives were found.The incident caused a major backlog of flights, and England’s departure was delayed for two-and-a-half hours, during which time they remained at their Christchurch hotel. Their scheduled training session at Wellington had to be abandoned and instead they held a team meeting at their hotel.Paul Collingood, England’s ODI captain, felt the two Twenty20 wins had given his side some positive headaches. “There’s going to be some tough decisions, there’s no question about that – the boys who have come in for the Twenty20 format have done really well,” he said. “But you have to also remember the performances that we put in in Sri Lanka. I know we have different conditions here in New Zealand, but we’re a well-oiled one-day side at the moment.”England sprung a surprise when they beat Sri Lanka 3-2 in an away series last year. They now play New Zealand for five ODIs.

Gerhard Erasmus’ resilient half-century resurrected a faltering Namibia chase, lifting them from 65 for 7 to a thrilling two-wicket win in their pursuit of 166 against Oman at the Wanderers Sports Club.Oman seemed well on course to victory as Bilal Khan cut through Namibia’s batting order with his maiden List A five-for. But Erasmus and JJ Smit survived the left-armer’s spell of swing bowling, and constructed a 92-run eighth-wicket stand to pump life back into Namibia’s hopes of promotion into the World Cup Qualifier.Oman had been under pressure when they batted as well, falling to 10 for 3 in the fifth over after being sent in in seam-friendly conditions. As he did a day earlier, when Namibia bowled out Kenya for 83, captain Sarel Burger had a minimum of two slips in place for nearly the entire innings.Jatinder Singh ground out a top-score of 29 off 71 balls – one of five 20-plus scores in the innings – to settle Oman’s early nerves, before a late flurry from the lower order hauled them to a modest total.Oman’s fielding was sloppy early on – and it cost them later as well – as several chances went down, allowing Namibia to reach 44 for 1. Lohan Louwrens had been driving Namibia’s chase early, but should have been out for 23 when he was spilled over the third man rope off Bilal for six. Bilal persisted with a short-ball plan until Louwrens was cramped for room and fended a catch behind to end the 12th over. Bilal struck for the second time in the 14th, beating JP Kotze for pace to send his off stump cartwheeling back.Erasmus entered after Nico Davin fell lbw to offspinner Jay Odedra in the 15th over, with the score on 61 for 4, but could only watch helplessly from the non-striker’s end as Bilal took three more wickets in the space of five balls in the 16th over. Craig Williams flashed an edge through to wicketkeeper-captain Sultan Ahmed, Jan Frylinck was beaten for pace to be trapped leg before, and Sarel Burger edged a drive low to first slip.With storm clouds hovering overhead, Namibia were well behind on Duckworth-Lewis, but Erasmus and Smit calmly blocked out the rest of Bilal’s initial eight-over spell. The pitch slowed down as the innings wore on, offering little to Oman’s spinners as Erasmus resurrected the chase with ones and twos. As the target whittled down to less than 50 in the 39th over, Sultan tossed the ball to Aqib Ilyas for his part-time legspin, but Erasmus swept him for four as the 300 fans in attendance sensed a home victory.A crunching pull from Erasmus off Fayyaz Butt in the 47th over brought up his fifty off 95 balls, and brought the equation down to 12 off 21 balls. Kaleemullah conceded just two in the 48th over, before Smit finally buckled in the 49th, pulling Butt to mid-on and leaving Erasmus to get nine off 10 balls with the tail.Three singles put Erasmus on strike with six to get off the final over. Pacer Mohammad Nadeem was tasked with defending it, bowling with the wind at his back. Erasmus then premeditated a scoop to clear fine leg inside the circle, but he didn’t get the desired elevation. The fielder reached up for the chance, but the ball burst through his hands, and had enough momentum to go for four. Another single to fine leg leveled the scores, before No. 10 Bernard Scholtz slapped a single through cover for the winning run.Sompal Kami’s 4 for 30 helped decimate UAE for 114 as Nepal scraped to a four-wicket win in a weather-affected match at United Cricket Field. Following a two-and-a-half-hour delayed start due to a wet outfield from overnight rain, Nepal won a crucial toss with play reduced to 34 overs a side and sent UAE in on a pitch that has heavily favored early seam movement throughout the tournament.Sunday was no different as UAE were behind the eight-ball throughout the match following Sompal’s opening spell. The short but whippy fast bowler struck with the third ball of the match, bowling Ashfaq Ahmed for a golden duck. Two more strikes by Sompal and Karan KC had UAE 25 for 3 in the eighth over before teenage legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane and captain Paras Khadka tore through the middle order to take 3 for 30 and 2 for 20 respectively. Sompal then returned to finish off the tail as UAE were bowled out in 31 overs.Nepal, who had struggled to chase Namibia’s 138 on day one before creeping over the line by one wicket, needed a half-century from Khadka after another top-order collapse saw them slip to 20 for 3 in the seventh over. Khadka counterattacked with five sixes in his 51 off 48 balls. Sompal then helped out with the bat too, smashing a six off his third ball before ending the match with a three to finish unbeaten on 10 off five balls.Opening batsman Ruvindu Gunasekera overcame a thumb injury to produce a gritty 83 off 99 balls and set up Canada‘s third straight win of Division Two with a 59-run victory over Kenya at Affies Park.Canada had been coasting early at 58 for 1 after being sent in with Gunasekera leading the way on 38 off 28 balls when he received a blow to the left thumb from medium-pacer Nelson Odhiambo that caused his fingernail to nearly come off. After leaving the field for treatment, he returned at 90 for 3 in the 23rd over and proceeded to anchor the rest of the innings, lasting until the third ball of the 49th over before he was eighth out to a rare hit-wicket dismissal trying to swat Nehemiah Odhiambo.Gunasekera’s innings ensured Canada had plenty to defend against a brittle Kenya batting line-up, who crossed 100 for the first time in three attempts at Division Two but still fell well short of the target. Captain Rakep Patel kept hope alive for a comeback with his 32 off 76 balls, but he was run out attempting to steal a single to short third man off Nikhil Dutta’s offspin; he couldn’t beat Navneet Dhaliwal’s relay to Hamza Tariq behind the stumps, and Kenya were 123 for 8. Dhaliwal also took 3 for 15 in eight overs of part-time medium pace to hasten victory.

ScorecardEthy Mbhalati took the first Standard Bank Pro20 hat-trick, wrecking the Eagles innings and taking the Titans to an emphatic 61-run win in their crunch match at the De Beers Diamond Oval in Kimberley.Mbhalati took 4 for 12 and was splendidly supported up front by Andre Nel, who took the key wickets of Loots Bosman (6) and Morne van Wyk (11) as the Eagles crashed to 67. Rain had interrupted their innings on 54 for 8 after 11.1 overs, their target being adjusted to 129 in 16 overs by the Duckworth/Lewis method.The Titans had earlier scored 132 for 8, a total which did not seem sufficient on a ground that usually produces a feast of runs. But that was before Mbhalati barged through the Eagles middle-order, moving the ball off the seam and bowling with tremendous accuracy.The Eagles slumped to 28 for 4 as Mbhalati removed Dean Elgar (1) with the third ball of his third over and Jacques Rudolph (7) with the last delivery. Captain Boeta Dippenaar failed to repair the damage and was caught off the first ball of Mbhalati’s next over. Ryan Bailey was cleaned up by a superb delivery first ball to give the seamer, who has had a top-class limited-overs season, a historic landmark. The Eagles were then in tatters at 33 for 6 and Pierre Joubert took two wickets in seven balls before rain intervened.On an unpredictable pitch, Gulam Bodi was the one Titans batsman to ride the rough seas, scoring 62 off 53 balls, before his dismissal sparked a collapse of four wickets for three runs in seven balls. Albie Morkel was the other batsman to hit out, scoring 18 off 12 balls.Dillon du Preez, Jandre Coetzee and Roger Telemachus each claimed two dismissals, while Ryan McLaren and Thandi Tshabalala restricted the batsmen well, conceding just 19 and 20 runs respectively in their four overs.
ScorecardA fine bowling performance by the Warriors ground the Lions to an 18-run defeat in a rain-affected Standard Bank Pro20 match in Potchefstroom. The Lions were restricted to 87 for 8 and lost on the Duckworth/Lewis method after their target was reduced from 120 to 106 following a floodlight failure.Two run outs – one of them off a deflection at the non-striker’s end – in the first three wickets to fall put the Lions on the back foot as they set off in pursuit of the Warriors’ 119 for 7 from 16 overs.Spinners Arno Jacobs and Johan Botha ensured there was no escape for the Lions after the damage had been done at the top of the order.Opener Blake Snijman risked a single to Zander de Bruyn at mid-on and was run out by a direct hit.Wayne Parnell, the South African Under-19 captain, had Alviro Petersen lbw for five to reduce the Lions to 16 for 2 but the innings fell apart in the space of three balls at the turn of the sixth over. First, Vaughan van Jaarsveld’s fierce, straight cross-bat slog was deflected on to the non-striker’s wicket by Botha to remove Justin Ontong for 14. Two balls later, van Jaarsveld was bowled by Jacobs as he tried to cut a straight ball. That reduced the Lions to 36 for 4 and the innings was effectively dead in the water.To make matters worse, there was a ten-minute stoppage for a floodlight failure with the Lions requiring 53 from four overs with four wickets in hand, which was revised to 39 from two overs on resumption – which proved beyond their grasp.The Warriors’ 119 did not look all that formidable as only de Bruyn’s unbeaten 34 and an explosive 28 from Athenkosi Dyili came at more than a run-a-ball. The Lions chipped away regularly and never allowed the Warriors to build any momentum and de Bruyn and Dyili had to make their contributions in isolation.Dyili hit five fours and a six in his 14-ball knock before being bowled off an inside edge while de Bruyn hit the accelerator only in final two overs, helping his team to 26 runs with the help of Rusty Theron.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

On paper, the margin of South Africa’s win over West Indies in the second ODI at Newlands was considerable, but even that doesn’t give a clear idea of how much West Indies lacked intent and never even tried to win.Once Graeme Smith and JP Duminy had steered South Africa to 255 for 9, West Indies seemed to throw in the towel and even the TV commentators, usually the last to admit when a game has reached the pointless tediousness stage, were calling it way before the end. The final third of the match was utterly uncompetitive, and it was only that the bulk of the 17,500 crowd were happy with watching their side thump a substandard opposition that the old ground wasn’t empty long before the finish.On this performance it is hard to see how West Indies can get back into a series they are already two down in with three to play. They were a bowler and a half light, their batting was flimsy and their fielding again let them down under pressure. As if things couldn’t get worse, already without Chris Gayle they now face losing Shivnarine Chanderpaul who was reduced to a hobble by an unspecified leg injury.It had all started so promisingly. Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor forced South Africa, who had won the toss, on the back foot in a lively opening spell, with Taylor making the early inroads. Herschelle Gibbs, a shadow of the one-day bully he once was, again fell early, nibbling at one with minimal footwork, and then Jacques Kallis drove loosely on the walk and spooned the ball to mid-off. Five overs in, South Africa were 18 for 2.The remainder of the first Powerplay was all caution from Smith and AB de Villiers, but the innings turned on its head with the introduction of the insipid Rampaul. Bravo immediately brought back Edwards but the horse had bolted. West Indies suddenly looked messy in the field, and the bowlers offered too many bad balls which both batsmen invariably pounced on, de Villiers in particular hammering high and hard through midwicket.The brakes were applied by the unlikeliest of combinations, Marlon Samuels and Sewnarine Chattergoon, the latter the most occasional of part-time bowlers. Neither did much with the ball, but both concentrated on putting it there or thereabouts and at a time when the innings should have been accelerating, it spluttered and almost stalled.

That the two spinners were needed was because Ravi Rampaul, Dwayne Bravo’s first change, fell apart in the space of three poor and expensive overs. His first was savaged by de Villiers for 18. He was taken out of the attack, but when he returned it was evident his confidence was shot. Bravo needed to pull something out of the bag and he did just that.South Africa didn’t accelerate in the final overs. Smith perished 14 short of a deserved hundred to the tamest of shots, and Duminy continued to play the kind of knock that he had a week ago, not flashy but keeping the runs coming and giving the innings rigidity. Had someone been able to stay with him a bit longer then South Africa would have made a total nearer 300, but as it was all the lower middle-order mustered were cameos. Taylor benefited, adding two late wickets to his earlier successes to finish with 4 for 34.The way Duminy perished – run out trying to sneak a bye to a ball he missed – was undeserved, but he had done all that was asked of him. The innings subsided in an over of three wickets, two of which were run outs, and one run but South Africa appeared to have done enough.They had, and some. The West Indies innings never got going, spluttering along as if run rate was not an issue. Chattergoon tried to get things moving but nobody else showed much enthusiasm for the task. At one stage there was a 19-over spell – more than 90 minutes – when not one boundary was scored … and it wasn’t as if they were even trying to hit the ball. It was cricket but it was not entertainment, and John Dyson, their new coach, must be wondering quite what he had got himself into.Credit must be given to South Africa’s bowlers who applied the pressure early – Shaun Pollock’s opening spell as parsimonious and niggardly as ever and his 2 for 13 included five maidens – and never allowed the batsmen a glimmer of hope. Morne Morkel bowled with pace and control, deserving his career-best four wickets. The fielding was also tight, typified by de Villiers’ superb pick up and direct hit to run out Bravo. But they were never remotely tested.As the evening went on Chanderpaul, batting with a runner, passed fifty but by then few cared and his presence, like a lone diner in a restaurant at midnight, was simply irritating.

The Haryana Under-19 team completed an emphatic ten wicket win over Jammu and Kashmir in the North Zone Cooch Behar Trophy match at the MA stadium in Jammu on Tuesday. By virtue of this outright win Haryana collected eight points.Needing just 15 runs for a win on the final day, Haryana openers Manvinder Singh (9) and Bhuvnesh Sharma (6) needed just 1.5 overs to help Haryana canter home.Earlier, resuming at the overnight score of 31 for 2, J & K’s second innings folded up at 232. Opener A Jalani (73) and Imraz Thakur (52) took the score to 71 when Thakur was caught by Ishan off Amit Mishra. S Salaria (38) and Jalani then put on 54 runs for the fourth wicket in 18.3 overs. This was followed by a 69-run fifth wicket stand between Jalani and Sathyajit Singh (57) before the former was out leg before to Sumeet.Sathyajit Singh and Anoop Mangotra (9) took the score to 221 when Anoop was held by Bisla off Joginder Singh. Thereafter, Joginder ran through the J&K lower order to finish with figures of 3 for 28. Amit Mishra was the other successful bowler with figures of 3 for 61.