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A gallant 95 from RVC Prasad helped Andhra settle at 243/8 on thefirst day of their opening Ranji Trophy South Zone clash againstKerala at Vijayawada today. Home team captain Amit Pathak won the tossand chose to take first strike against Kerala’s three pronged seamattack of Renjith Menon, Tinu Yohanan and Sunil Oasis.Oasis struck a double blow in the 11th over of the day, taking outopener LNP Reddy and then two balls later removing the baby of theteam, 16-year-old Y Gnaneswara Rao, who was making his first classdebut. Another teenager, Y Venugopala Rao fell shortly afterwards toleave Andhra at 48/3.Pathak and Prasad added 87 for the fourth wicket in just over 35 oversbefore the former fell to the wiles of his opposite number, legspinner KN Ananthapadmanabhan for 58. Prasad was involved in anotheruseful association of 68 with KST Sai but from 203/4, Andhra lost fourwickets for 28. The hosts suffered a major blow just before stumpswhen Prasad gave a return catch to Ananthapadmanabhan for 95 (209balls, 9 fours). Yohanan, yet to take a first class wicket prior tothis game, was the most successful bowler with 3/78.

Cricket needs someone from completely outside the game to take the role of chief executive when David Richards’ steps down from his position with the International Cricket Council.New Zealand Cricket chief executive Christopher Doig told a media briefing in Christchurch today that the position should be looked at in the same way that the International Olympic Committee or FIFA would look for a chief executive.”The job needs someone with highly-tuned diplomatic and corporate skills,” he said.Doig said that criticism directed at the ICC in the past that it was moribund and slow to react was probably fair enough but before making criticism people needed to look at where the ICC had been and how far it had come.To start out as an offshoot of the MCC which was directed by the MCC to the fully-fledged international organisation it was now was significant.But with the greater emphasis going on development of the game and the larger amounts of money now coming into cricket it needed more staff and different approaches.The best person for the job was likely to come from outside the sport which he said had some “internecine issues” that would make it difficult for anyone from within cricket to deal with.Doig was delighted with developments taking place in the New Zealand game and said the work done by Alec Astle in growing the game for children was “the most compelling thing we have done.”The growth of the development programme is enormous and we are struggling to keep up the resources,” he said.But the scheme was clearly catering for a need that was there. Doig said $2 million needed to be spent in developing the scheme and that was the next phase of the programme.Doig said that it had always been his, and the board’s, goal to have NZC finances independent of gate receipts.”We’re not far away from that,” he said.The ability to pre-sell television rights for five years would help in achieving that goal.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:50

Agarkar: ‘Zimbabwe didn’t have the quality to match India’

A fifth-wicket partnership of 144 between Kedar Jadhav, who made a maiden hundred, and Manish Pandey, who made 71 on debut, revived India to 276 for 5 after another top-order stumble had left them in trouble at 82 for 4. Led by Chamu Chibhabha’s 82, Zimbabwe built a base for themselves at 150 for 3 in the 35th over, but lost their last seven wickets for 43 runs to hand India a 3-0 series sweep.Yet again, Zimbabwe’s seamers let the opposition get away after putting them under considerable pressure in the first half of the innings. Jadhav and Pandey quietly batted themselves in and got through the difficult period against the seamers before targeting legspinner Graeme Cremer to build momentum. Zimbabwe’s death bowling fell apart once more. Despite Pandey’s exit in the 47th over, Jadhav and Stuart Binny helped India take 106 off the last ten.The India openers had played within themselves to put together a partnership of 112 in the second ODI, but in the third, Ajinkya Rahane and M Vijay both went for their shots from the start. Both were gone by the start of the eighth over, and within eight deliveries of each other, to Neville Madziva. Rahane mishit a drive to cover and Vijay edged an attempted drive to the keeper.It was not an easy pitch for strokeplay, with the ball appearing to stop on the batsmen at times. There was also some consistent wobble and seam for Zimbabwe’s medium-pacers, whose nagging good length made it harder to drive.The new-ball bowlers were followed by the seam-up mediums of Hamilton Masakadza and Prosper Utseya, both of whom bowled ten disciplined overs each on the trot for a combined return of 2 for 72.Robin Uthappa and Manoj Tiwary tried to rebuild but it was slow going, especially for Tiwary, who managed 10 off 33 before getting a leading edge off Prosper Utseya’s second delivery.Three overs later, India slipped to 82 for 4 as Uthappa went in similar fashion, eyeing the leg side and forcing a leading edge to mid-off. Uthappa had looked in fine touch during his 31, the highlight being a charge down the track to lift Chibhabha cleanly for four over mid-off.Boundaries were hard to come by for Pandey and Jadhav initially against Masakadza and Utseya. Masakadza was getting the ball to seam and bounce outside off, and beat the outside edge a few times.Pandey was mature enough to deny himself in that period, and when he was beaten, he did not attempt a rash shot to release the pressure. His first boundary came only off his 31st delivery, a straight six off Masakadza. Jadhav was a bit more adventurous with his dabs and paddles, but he batted largely safely too.The introduction of Cremer in the 34th over finally injected some life into the innings for the Indians. He bowled short often, and was duly taken for runs. Cremer should have had Jadhav, on 41, in the 41st over when the batsman was surprised by a bouncing googly and spooned it up to point, but Elton Chigumbura put down a sitter.Zimbabwe were to pay dearly for that lapse. Jadhav moved to his fifty off 64 balls, and took only 22 more to zoom to his century. Refusing to learn, Zimbabwe kept feeding him width outside off at the death, and he kept powering them square for boundaries.Three successive fours off Donald Tiripano took him into the 90s in the 48th over. He remained off strike for the next one as Binny went after Chibhabha, but swung Madziva over deep backward square for six to bring up the landmark off the penultimate ball of the innings.Bhuvneshwar Kumar began India’s defence with a superb spell of six overs for 12 runs. He was unlucky not to break through as he made the ball climb and hold its line.It was mostly Chibhabha for Zimbabwe. Severe on width outside off, he added 70 for the second wicket with Regis Chakabva and 53 for the fourth with Richmond Mutumbami. Between those stands, Chigumbura was trapped in front for 10 by Vijay for his maiden ODI wicket, off his first ball of the match.Whenever Zimbabwe gained some steam, they would lose a wicket. They had a decent chance with 127 needed from 91 and seven wickets standing, but Binny hastened the collapse, sending back Mutumbami and Chibhabha in successive overs. Chibhabha had been eyeing the pick-up shot over midwicket but could not time it well and Jadhav took a diving catch running in from the deep.Flighting the ball generously, Harbhajan Singh took two in two in the 38th to all but end it, and Zimbabwe were eventually bowled out in the 43rd over for 193.

The Bombay High Court has dismissed Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah’s petition challenging his suspension by the BCCI for having made a corrupt approach. The two-judge bench dismissed the petition on the grounds that it did not want to interfere in the BCCI’s processes, but said Shah can reapply to the court if the board doesn’t complete its investigation within six months.The board had suspended Shah with immediate effect in mid-July after he was found guilty of having approached a Mumbai team-mate. Shah’s petition was based on the fact that he was suspended without the BCCI providing any details in writing about his alleged breaches.After hearing both the parties, Justice VM Kanade and Justice BP Colabawalla noted they wouldn’t like to interfere with the BCCI’s rules and regulations. As Shah was found guilty of breaching the board’s anti-corruption code, the BCCI’s disciplinary committee will now consider the anti-corruption unit’s report and the player’s version of events, and then decide on a course of action.”Since my client hasn’t even been given a copy of the complaint, we decided to seek court’s intervention. The good thing is the court has asked for a time-bound inquiry,” Som Sinha, Shah’s counsel, told ESPNcricinfo. “Since the court said it wouldn’t like to intervene in the BCCI’s procedure, we were told that we can come back to the court if the BCCI doesn’t take a decision in six months. We will decide future course of action depending on the BCCI’s decision.”

The IPL governing council has finalised two options to decide on the future of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals – either invite bids for the two teams for two years or float fresh tenders for them for ten years and start preparing for a ten-team IPL from 2018. The two options are set to be presented to the BCCI working committee in Kolkata on Friday.The options were finalised on Thursday evening after the governing council dissected findings of the five-member working group appointed in the aftermath of the Lodha Committee suspending the owners of the two franchises for two years.With no new investor likely to invest in a brand like IPL for a term as short as two years, the working committee is likely to initiate the process of inducting two new teams on a long-term basis. However, with Super Kings’ plea against two-year suspension to be heard in the Madras High Court on September 23, it is unlikely that the tender documents will be floated before the next month’s BCCI annual general meeting.ESPNcricinfo understands the hour-long governing council meeting dissected various options presented by the working group. One of the options was of involving multi-national corporates to independently run the two teams for two years. But the IPL governing council, according to a member, found it “impractical, financially as well as legally.”After seeking legal advice, the meeting concluded that inviting fresh bids was the best possible option considering the peculiar state IPL finds itself in following the two-year suspension handed to the owners of the two teams.If the working committee decides on floating a 10-year tender, the governing council members were confident that there would be enough time to decide on their base price and the available cities that can be bid for as the additional franchises. Besides, with all stakeholders knowing about the expected expansion two years in advance, there would be enough time to plan for a ten-team IPL from 2018.The five-member working group was formed on July 20. It includes IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, former India captain and Cricket Association of Bengal joint secretary Sourav Ganguly and BCCI’s legal advisor Ushanath Banerjee.

Not so long ago, Monty Panesar would have looked forward to the announcement of the England Test squad for a tour of the UAE secure in the knowledge that his name would be included.But on the day England included three spinners in their 16-man squad, it was announced that Panesar had been released by Essex after two and a bit seasons.His record for the club – 67 wickets in 24 first-class games at an average of 28.62 – is good, but the news is no surprise. Panesar has played only three Championship matches this season and, after a disagreement with his captain in the field during one game, had become a peripheral figure in a team which tends to play its home matches on pitches offering more help to their seam bowlers.The move to Essex was to have been a new start. After his release from Sussex in 2013 for well-documented reasons, he took Essex close to promotion in 2014 when he claimed 46 first-class wickets at 24.86. His release leaves him without a club and facing an uncertain future.Aged 33, he has the time – and the will – to come again. His intention at present is to play some club cricket in the winter, probably in Australia, and then search for another county in the new year. Many counties will be interested in his potential but wary of the baggage that his acquisition appears to bring. While it cannot be presumed that he will play county cricket again, his ability to shoulder a heavy workload, bowling economical overs on unhelpful pitches and threatening when conditions allow, is likely to ensure he finds a new home.It may be that the ECB have a role to play. It is understood they helped subsidise Panesar’s stay at Essex and, at a time when England’s spin bowling resources are limited, they may be minded to help ensure he remains in the professional game. If he were somehow able to recover his best form and fitness, he would still warrant England consideration. Tours to India and Bangladesh loom in 2016-17.His potential remains unquestioned. The retirement of Graeme Swann at the end of 2013 should have heralded a new dawn for Panesar in international cricket, but his personal issues have compromised his ability to focus on his cricket.He continues to benefit from the support of Neil Burns, the former county wicketkeeper who fulfils a mentoring role for several players, but the PCA will also have a role to play with a brilliant but troubled man moving into a vulnerable phase of his life.Essex have also announced the release of 32-year-old allrounder Greg Smith, 22-year-old seamer Matt Salisbury and 19-year-old wicketkeeper Saf Imtiaz.The club, which is currently searching for a new coach after the departure of Paul Grayson, is also understood to be in the market for another seam bowler or two.

Anwar Ali, the fast-bowling allrounder, has been ruled out of Pakistan’s ODI series in Zimbabwe. The selectors had initially picked Anwar for the ODI series but left him out for the two T20s preceding it, in order to give him time to recover from a minor groin injury. With Anwar failing to clear a fitness test, his place went to the uncapped Aamer Yamin.Yamin, the 25-year-old allrounder from Multan, has played 25 first-class matches, in which he has scored 1058 runs at an average of 39.18, with three centuries, and taken 58 wickets at 28.34, with three five-wicket hauls.

ScorecardA five-wicket haul from Akshay Wakhare bowled Bengal out for 164, but the hosts’ massive first-innings lead meant Vidarbha needed a challenging 297 for only their third win of the season. Starting the day at 141 for 7, Vidarbha managed their way to 202, thanks to Shrikant Wagh’s unbeaten 60. But only two other batsman managed double-digit scores, as Pragyan Ojha took 7 for 58 to bundle Vidarbha out in 69.1 overs and earn Bengal a lead of 132 runs. Bengal, however, lost wickets at regular intervals in their second dig, with only the captain Manoj Tiwary (63) producing a score of note. Wakhare collected 5 for 61 from his 22 overs, while Wagh chipped in with 3 for 27 to skittle Bengal in 62.5 overs. Vidarbha were 3 for 0 in their second innings when stumps were called.
ScorecardEleven wickets fell in Lahli as Asam edged closer to their second win of the season. Arup Das took six wickets while the other Das -Krishna- claimed four to wipe out Haryana for 111 in 50.3 overs.Himanshu Rana top-scored with 27 and was among three batsmen to have passed 18. The fall of wickets seeped into Assam’s second innings as well with Ashish Hooda dismissing both openers. Tarjinder Singh, coming in at No.3, fell to Mohit Sharma for a 12-ball duck, but Amit Verma and Arun Karthik steadied Assam with a 76-run partnership.Offspinner Jayant Yadav had Karthik stumped four overs before stumps while Verma stayed unbeaten on 24 with the visitors 38 runs away from the target.
ScorecardRobin Uthappa struck his second successive century to lead Karnataka to 400, from an overnight 255 for 3, before the defending champions declared. Left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh and pacer Suryakant Pradhan shared six wickets between them.While Uthappa made 148 off 257 balls, the other overnight batsman Karun Nair hit 73 before he became Dhiraj’s first victim. Odisha began poorly again, with one of their openers bagging a duck (Natraj Behera in the first innings and Rajesh Dhuper in the second). Odisha are still 168 runs in arrears.

Pointe-a-Pierre, Trinidad – Skipper Alistair Campbell and StuartCarlisle shared a 134-run unbroken sixth-wicket stand to haul Zimbabweout of trouble against the West Indies President’s XI yesterday.They carried the touring team to 222 for five in reply to thePresident’s XI’s first innings 349 at the close of the second day oftheir four-day match.Campbell, unbeaten on 72, and Carlisle (70 not out) came together withZimbabwe perilously placed on 88 for five.Campbell has faced 148 balls and struck eight fours, while Carlisle,dropped twice in off-spinner Rodney Sooklal’s first over, has hiteight fours and two sixes in his 117-ball innings.Pace bowler Marlon Black was mainly responsible for the touring team’searly troubles.He removed opener Neil Johnson and Grant Flower for three and tworespectively to leave Zimbabwe on ten for two at lunch and returnedlater to claim the scalp of Craig Wishart.Black, who missed the Busta Cup because of a glandular infection,finished the day with three for 48 from 19 overs.Earlier, the President’s XI, resuming at 328 for six, lost their lastfour wickets in less than half an hour.Guyanese Ramnaresh Sarwan was bowled by left-arm paceman Bryan Strangwithout adding to his overnight 100.

Steve James (62) pointed the way as Glamorgan strengthened their positionagainst Northamptonshire at Wantage Road. Captain while Matthew Maynard was playing for England at The Oval, James hit eight fours in taking the visitors to 223-9, a lead of 290 runs with two days still to play.Adrian Dale (53) complemented his bowling success with a fifty from the bat. Not that it was all easy: off-spinners Jason Brown and Graeme Swann shared five wickets in 12 overs. On a day in which there had been four breaks for showers Northamptonshire were bowled out for 167. They had started at 85-7 overnight but progressed through a persistent 79 runs eighth-wicket partnership between David Ripley (44) and Darren Cousins (29 n.o.).Wicketkeeper Adrian Shaw broke the 150 minutes stand by catching Ripley downthe leg-side from Wharf’s bowling. Brown was l.b.w to the next ball but Devon Malcolm prevented him from repeating Emrys Davies’ feat of making a century and taking a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture in 1937. Wharf had the last word by catching Malcolm, running back from mid-in, from Cosker’s bowling.James and Matthew Elliott prospered from some untidy bowling in putting on 72runs for the first wicket. Tony Penberthy gave the home team a fighting chance by dismissing Elliott, Michael Powell and James.