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Rafiqul Alam, Bangladesh’s newly-appointed chairman of selectors, has said pumping more money into domestic cricket is the easiest way to improve the game at that level.”I rather think that if domestic cricket is spruced with more money, competition will go up and there will be more close matches,” Alam told the ,a Dhaka-based newspaper. “The first-class competition [National Cricket League] should be taken seriously by all concerned,” he said.The Bangladesh board has set up a ten-member committee to review the structure of the domestic game as it feels the weakness of domestic cricket is hampering Bangladesh’s performance at the international level.Alam, who replaced Faruque Ahmed in the selection panel, outlined the goals for his two-year tenure. “My personal point of view is that we should have a short-term goal and that should last three to four years, if not more.” He said Bangladesh had shown considerable improvement in one-dayers over the past few years and should continue to build on the positive work to progress further.The side also has the potential to do well in Tests, according to Alam, and should aim at pushing the game to the fifth day and getting more draws out of their opponents.”We have pushed teams like Pakistan [in 2003], done well in West Indies [in 2004] and almost won against Australia here in Fatullah last year,” he said.Alam played two one-dayers during the tour of Sri Lanka in 1986. He was also a match-referee with the board and has been involved in coaching as well.

Group A

After having taken a big first-innings lead, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) took another step towards a place in the final as they set Sialkot a rather steep target of 367 for victory in the first-round replay match at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Resuming on 163 for 6 overnight, Sialkot were bundled out for 203 courtesy of a Wahab Riaz five-for. With a lead of 141, NBP went for quick runs in their second innings, scoring 225 for 5 in just 41 overs before declaring. With a mammoth task at hand, Sialkot openers saw out the nine overs before close to reduce the target by 33 runs with Kamran Younis stroking a 21-ball 25. For NBP, opener Nasir Jamshed (48 off 31 with five fours and four sixes), Shahid Yousuf (46) and Fawad Alam (46) all provided quick runs in order to gain maximum points from the match. Mohammad Imran, meanwhile, picked up four wickets for 66 runs but his team is left with a stiff task of holding the NBP bowlers at bay as they throw everything at them for a final-day victory.A majestic unbeaten 167 by Ijaz Ahmed allowed Faisalabad to finish the day on 330 for 6 against Lahore Ravi at the Iqbal Stadium. Facing 232 balls for his 30th first-class century, Ijaz hit 23 fours and two sixes and was involved in a 187-run third-wicket partnership with Ammar Mahmood, whose 76 came off 118 balls with 10 fours. However, apart from this duo, none of the Faisalabad batsmen were able to contribute significantly as leg-spinner Imran Haider (4 for 105) wrested some initiative for Lahore, who lost four wickets for only 86 runs towards the end of the day.Table-leaders Habib Bank Limited (HBL) started their final round match well by scoring 329 for 7 on the opening day against Karachi Whites at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex. Needing a win to confirm their place in the final, Habib Bank made use of internationals such as Shahid Afridi and Hasan Raza to post a decent total. Afridi hammered a characteristic 70 off 78 deliveries with the help of seven fours and three sixes in his 122 runs stand for the fourth wicket with Raza (65 off 130 balls). HBL, in a rather strange start to the innings, sent in their fast bowler Fahad Masood to open the innings as well as sending Abdur Rehman, the left-arm spinner, at No. 3, both ploys that worked out well for the side. Fahad and Rehman put on 54 runs for the second wicket as Rehman’s 47 came off 90 balls with eight fours while Fahad hit three boundaries in his 33 off 45 deliveries. Rehman then added 53 runs for the third wicket with Raza before the in-form Aftab Khan (40) and Kamran Hussain (39) added 72 runs for the unbroken eighth-wicket stand to take Habib Bank beyond the 300-run mark.No play was possible on the first day of the match between Hyderabad and Pakistan Customs at Niaz Stadium as the pitch was unplayable due to wet conditions and overnight rain in the city.

Group B

Leaders Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) bowled out bottom-placed Quetta for 195 at the Gaddafi Stadium and had their openers put on 75 before close on the first day. Adil Raza and Adnan Rasool captured three wickets apiece as Quetta batsmen failed to build on their starts and Sabir Hussain managed to get into the 30s. In reply, Mohammad Hafeez, SNGPL’s captain, had scored an unbeaten 45 off 57 balls and Yasir Arafat (23*) gave their team a solid start to the last match before playing the final in their debut season.Put into bat first, Karachi Blues reached 260 for 8 against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) at the National Stadium courtesy of a century of debut by Sheharyar Ghani. After having been reduced to 62 for 4, Karachi owed much to a 69-run fifth-wicket partnership between Ghani and Tariq Haroon (34) for the recovery. Ghani smashed 22 boundaries in his 122 that came off 224 balls. He also added 67 for the eighth-wicket with Tabish Khan, who is unbeaten on 48 scored off only 63 deliveries. Anwar Ali captured four wickets for PIA to send the national selectors a timely reminder ahead of the Zimbabwe series.Rawalpindi‘s 18-year-old Fawad Hussain achieved a century on first-class debut and helped his team reach 255 for 6 against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the KRL Stadium. Coming in at No. 5, Fawad scored 102 off 206 balls with 14 boundaries as wickets fell regularly around him. Fourteen extras from the Rawalpindi bowlers helped KRL on their way as well as none of the batsmen, bar Fawad, were able to make a big impact on proceedings. Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took three wickets for 26 runs for KRL as Bilal Asad and Sohail Tanvir grabbed two apiece.Abbottabad opening bowlers tore through the Lahore Shalimar line-up and had them reeling at an astonishing 19 for 6 at close at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground after having scored 236 in their first-innings. Junaid Khan and Armaghan Elahi captured three wickets apiece as Lahore face a daunting task of avoiding the follow-on. For Abbottabad, asked to bat first, opener Ghulam Mohammad (32) and captain Adnan Raees (39) contributed well with the bat but it was Khalid Usman, batting at No. 7, who took his side to respectability with an aggressive 66 off 76 balls. Usman’s effort nullified to some extent the good work of fast bowlers Mohammad Naved and Mohammad Saeed, who bagged four wickets each for 77 and 54 runs, respectively. However, the nine overs before close changed the complexion of the match as Abbottabad look set to finish with a big first-innings lead.At the Arbab Niaz Stadium, Islamabad dismissed Peshawar for 202 and had reached 86 for 3 in reply by close of play. In trouble at 105 for 7 at one stage, Islamabad were rescued by a 65-run eight-wicket partnership between Sajjad Ahmed (62*) and Riaz Afridi (44). For Islamabad, Rauf Akbar captured five wickets for 48 runs and was ably assisted by leg-spinner Ameer Khan who captured three wickets. Although Islamabad stumbled to 19 for 3, Mohammad Fayyaz (44) and Asadullah Sumari (20) steered them out of trouble.

Scorecard

Wickets continued to tumble in Siliguri as Debasis Mohanty and Preetamjit Das, Orissa’s new-ball bowlers, shot Bengal out for 124 in the second innings to give their side a great chance of an outright win. Orissa had conceded an eight-run lead, in a low-scoring battle, but fought back splendidly in the second innings. Mohanty added four wickets to the two he had picked up in the first innings and Preetamjit, in just his fifth first-class match, ended with five for the match. For Bengal only Arindam Das, Sourav Sarkar, the bowling hero in the first innings, and Ashok Dinda, the No.11, managed double figures. Left to get 133, Orissa were solidly placed at 82 for 3 with Bikas Pati, Niranjan Behera, and Rashmi Ranjan Parida steering the chase. With 51 runs to get and seven wickets in hand, Orissa were favourites to wrap up their second successive win.
Scorecard
Bowlers thrived in Uppal too as MP Arjun’s stunning six-wicket burst allowed Hyderabad to storm back into the contest against Andhra. Resuming on 52 for 5, Hyderabad fell short of Andhra’s 159, with captain Arjun Yadav playing a lone hand with 49. Having gained a 27-run lead, Andhra would have wished to close out the contest but medium-pacer Arjun, in only his sixth first-class match, claimed all the wickets to fall. He trapped Hemal Watekar in his third over but it was really his next, the eighth of the innings, which wrecked Andhra’s innings. He bowled ASK Varma for a duck in the third ball before nailing AG Pradeep and Shankara Rao off the fifth and sixth deliveries.
Scorecard
Saurashtra’s new-ball bowler Sandeep Jobanputra, scythed through Karnataka’s batting line-up with a six-wicket haul, giving his side a great chance to gain the first-innings lead in Mysore. Having ground out 245 in the first innings, Saurashtra responded through their bowlers, striking at regular intervals. Jobanputra removed the top four, including the dangerous Robin Uthappa, before returning to knock off two tailenders. KB Pawan waged a lone battle, grinding out 110, and was still out in the middle with No.11 KP Appanna. Karnataka still needed 29 to gain the first-innings lead but Saurashtra should be favourites to gain the advantage.
Scorecard
Oblivious to the bowler-friendly matches around the country, Punjab amassed 496 for 8 by the end of the second day against Baroda in Amritsar. Ravi Inder, one of the overnight batsmen, brought up his maiden century, going on to post 142, while the rest of the order chipped in too. Karan Goel, who had brought up his century yesterday, fell for 127 in the fifth over of the day but Sunny Sohal, who smashed a 64-ball 55, and Ankur Kakkar (56) continued the good work. Baroda’s bowlers managed only eight wickets in two days with Sumit Singh and Sankalp Vohra, the opening bowlers, sharing five wickets between them.
Scorecard
Ramesh Powar’s four wickets pegged back Rajasthan on the second day’s play in Jhalawar, allowing Mumbai to eye an outright win. Having been kept down to 295 in their first innings, Mumbai fought back through Powar’s offspin, claiming wickets at regular intervals. Rajesh Bishnoi and Nikhil Doru managed half-centuries but Rajasthan couldn’t sustain the fight.
ScorecardVijaykumar Yomahesh and P Amarnath snared six wickets between them as Tamil Nadu sneaked out a slender 11-run lead against Himachal Pradesh in Chennai. Paras Dogra (49) and Manvinder Bisla (61) powered Himachal forward, with good support from Sarandeep Singh and Vishal Bhatia in the lower order, but Yomahesh broke the partnership and mopped up the tail.
ScorecardAakash Chopra and Mithun Manhas struck half-centuries as Delhi gained the advantage in Nagothane. Read the full report here.

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

Brian Lara’s decision to bat backfired quite badly as West Indies were bundled out for 206 on the opening day at Lahore. Lara himself battled hard, scoring a classy 61 – his first half-century in Pakistan – but the rest of the batsmen struggled in murky conditions on a pitch which offered significant seam movement to the Pakistan pace attack.Umar Gul finished with rather flattering figures of 5 for 65 – including the prized wicket of Lara – while Shahid Nazir made the early inroads with three top-order wickets. When play was called off early because of bad light, Pakistan had progressed to 39 for 1.The early exchanges suggested that West Indies’ move to bat was a wise one as Chris Gayle clattered a wayward Gul for plenty of fours on the way to a typically rambunctious 34 off 28 balls, but once Gul made the breakthrough, Pakistan were in control almost throughout. Dwayne Bravo and Dave Mohammed helped Lara in the battle, but once West Indies had slipped to 52 for 4, but those mini partnerships only helped limit the damage and help the team get past 200.Gul finished with most of the honours, but the bowler who set up Pakistan was Nazir. The absence of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif allowed him an opportunity to make his mark, and he made the most of it. The pace wasn’t threatening – he bowled around the 130 kmph – but once he found his radar all the batsmen found him more than a handful.Gayle was beaten by one which nipped back into him – though he was unlucky to be given out as the ball was clearly going over the stumps – Ramnaresh Sarwan succumbed to a brute of a delivery which lifted, seamed away, squared him up, and took the outside edge, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul was another victim of one that straightened after pitching. It would have been even worse for West Indies had Asoka de Silva ruled Lara lbw when Nazir trapped him in front on 0 – the ball pitched in line with middle and leg, straightened and would have hit the stumps – but he ruled otherwise.

Lara survived, and slowly attempted to put the innings back on track, putting on 44 for the fifth wicket with Bravo, and 52 for the seventh with Mohammed, who contributed a plucky 35. Lara wasn’t always convincing against the fast bowlers, but he handled Kaneria quite masterfully, using his feet and stretching fully forward to negate the spin from the rough – which was quite alarming for a first-day pitch – and then using the width of the crease to push back and cut when Kaneria pitched it short. He looked good for many more when Gul struck against the run of play, conjuring up a peach of a delivery which pitched, seamed away, and forced an edge.Gul bowled a mixed bag – he was all over the place with his control in the first session but he also managed to produce wicket-taking deliveries, nailing Ganga, Lara, and then cleaning up the tail to finish with his third five-wicket haul in Tests.Pakistan’s openers had their share of problems when they came out to bat, as Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards got enough pace, bounce and movement to cause plenty of discomfort. Farhat played and missed repeatedly before Edwards finally got one to straighten and trap him in front. Mohammad Hafeez had his share of luck, but to his credit attempted to play close to his body, and was willing to bat out long periods without scoring. Both he and Younis Khan played with soft hands, placed the ball in the gaps, and ran the singles to keep the score ticking over. The umpires finally called off play with 17 overs still left in the day as even the floodlights weren’t enough to stop the gloom.In 37 previous Tests at Lahore, the team batting first has won just three, compared to 14 by the team batting second. If West Indies don’t pick up their act over the next few days, they could well be the latest team to succumb after batting first.

Pakistan ended England’s interest in the Costcutter U15 World Challenge by winning their semi-final at Chelmsford by 58 runs.In search of 191 for a place in Thursday’s showpiece final at Lord’s England lost bost openers inside the first 8 overs. Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel compiled a stylish 48 but when he fell in the 29th over his side were marooned still 100 short of their victory target with only 4 wickets left.There was still time of the sizeable crowd to witness an astonishing phenomena as Pakistan’s ambidextrous bowled Muhammed Naeem demonstrated that he could bowl with both arms. During the course of the same over he bowled left arm around the wicket to the right-handed Nick Swetman and then right arm over the wicket to the left-handed Tom New.A partnership of 32 for the 7th wicket threatened to give England an outside chance in the last ten overs but then three suicidal run-outs effectively ended their hopes.Earlier England kept a tight grip on the Pakistan run-rate with only 41 being scored in the opening 15 overs, although an injury to Muhammed Fahim hampered his progress. He batted with a runner from the fourth over until his departure 17 overs later.Shahid Yousaf top-scored with 42 before being needlessly run out following a mix-up with partner Zulqarnain, who went on to hit 36. A late flurry from Naeem lifted the total to 188-7 by the start of the final over but then Nick Swetman took 3 wickets in four deliveries to finish with 4-39 and dismiss Pakistan two balls short of their full allocation for a total of 190.Ultimately that proved too many for England and in the final Pakistan will face the winners of Tuesday’s other semi-final between the West Indies and South Africa at Hove.

Hampshire Hawks moved into the third promotion spot in the National League Division Two when they comfortably defeated top of the table Northamptonshire Steelbacks at The Rose Bowl in a day/night encounter on Monday.Man of the Match Derek Kenway set the tone with a well struck 78, holding the innings together on the slowish wicket. He and James Hamblin gave the innings some structure after Simon Katich was lbw to Michael Cawdron. Together they compiled 82 runs, and although losing a steady stream of wickets the home side posted a useful 216 for 8 in their 45 overs. Their cause was greatly assisted by 16 wides and four no-balls added to the tally, one of the no-balls was given when only five fielders were in the circle when a ball was bowled.Dimitri Mascarenhas and Chris Tremlett left the Steelbacks reeling as the first three wickets fell for 19 runs. David Sales was the only Northamptonshire batsman to come to terms with the accurate Hawks attack being last man out, as the visitors failed to catch up the asking rate following their poor start.Mascarenhas the countries leading wicket taker in National league this season bowled his 9 overs together finishing with 4 wickets for 22 runs, his third four wicket haul of the season. Shaun Udal also chipped in with 4 wickets to send the 6,000 crowd home happy.

Even before the start of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League, the organisers have announced that the second edition is tentatively scheduled between April 10 and May 29 next year.According to the Future Tours Programme, Australia are slated to be touring South Africa in April, 2009, India are set to be in New Zealand, and West Indies in Bangladesh. India haven’t toured New Zealand since early 2003 with their scheduled trip in 2007 put of because plans to prepare for the World Cup.The announcement comes in the wake of comments from David Collier, the ECB chief executive, who said the board was planning to adapt their domestic Twenty20 Cup to attract more leading players and offer an alternative to the IPL.”It is a question of finding periods of the year for this [the IPL] to take place,” Collier had said. “We are one of the few countries who play in June, that is why our competitions are so successful because we can attract the best players in the world. That is why we believe that an English Premier League will be very successful including a broad range of cricketers.”Lalit Modi, the IPL Chairman, said the format of the tournament would remain unchanged in its second season. The eight franchisees will first play against one another in a league on home-and-away basis. The top four teams will then figure in the two semi-finals and a final.The first edition of the IPL kicks off on April 18 in Bangalore and the final is scheduled for June 1. “The dates of the second season of the DLF Indian Premier League were decided at a meeting of the Governing Council of the DLF Indian Premier League held inMumbai,” said Modi. “I am confident of the inaugural season becoming a huge success and the second season will be even a bigger success.”

Ronnie Irani has flown out to Colorado for a make-or-break operation on his troublesome right knee. Irani, who was forced to stop bowling this summer after suffering constant discomfort, had been warned that arthritis would set in if he continued to play.”On occasions we were struggling with the ball and I must admit that I was tempted to try a few overs but the surgeon’s advice kept coming back to haunt me,” said Irani, who captained Essex during a difficult season. “He said `Keep on bowling and you’ll end up a cripple’. He wasn’t joking and I wasn’t prepared to take the chance.”The orthopaedic surgeon Dr Richard Steadman was due to perform the operation today.

West Indians 404 for 5 dec and 343 for 6 (Samuels 147, Ganga 69*) drew with Zimbabwe A 242 and 246 for 9 (Evans 59, Taylor 6 for 58)
ScorecardA devastating spell of reverse-swing bowling by Jerome Taylor almost broughtthe West Indian tourists an unexpected victory over Zimbabwe A after thematch had looked dead and buried at tea, but the determination of GavinEwing, dropped from the Test team, denied them at the death. Zimbabwe Afinished with 247 for 9.Despite their lead of 408, the West Indians decided on more batting practiceon the final morning, presumably for the benefit of Daren Ganga, 25overnight after a century in the first innings. This decision was to costthem a chance of victory. Ganga and Marlon Samuels found it easy going until Samuels drove a ball from Stuart Matsikenyeri down the throat of long-on to depart for 147. The declaration came at drinks, with Ganga unbeaten on 69 and the target a token 506.The lbw curse soon struck Zimbabwe A again, with Vusi Sibanda adjudged infront to Taylor for 4, with the total on 9. Then came a long period ofattrition as Dion Ebrahim and Craig Evans, both playing for their Testplaces, dug in and withstood the West Indian assault. Ebrahim finally fellin mid-afternoon for 41, caught off bat and pad off the bowling of RamnareshSarwan, but Evans reached his fifty. He clearly set his eyes on a century,playing safe instead of employing his usual buccaneering style and penchantfor massive sixes, especially when the spinners were bowling.By tea it seemed as if the West Indians had accepted that the match wasmeandering towards a draw, with a score of 132 for 2. However, Taylor returnedimmediately after tea and his first ball kept low to shatter Evans’s stumpswith a ball that kept slightly low, bowling him out for 59. After a fourand two singles off the next three balls, Taylor gave the same treatment toMatsikenyeri, bowled for 5. Two overs later, it was the unfortunate EltonChigumbura’s turn, yorked by Taylor to complete a pair.Travis Friend scored just 4 before being caught at bat-pad, again offTaylor, who had now taken four wickets in four overs since tea, and ZimbabweA were 157 for 6. Drakes in the first innings and now Taylor had shattered themiddle order with their sharp reverse swing, a problem that the top playerswill need to confront in the Test next week.Barney Rogers, like Matsikenyeri in the first innings, stood firm through itall and appeared to bat without undue difficulty. But he fell just as heappeared to be making the match secure, driving uppishly at Drakes and beingcaught low down at short extra cover for 45.The last hour began with the West Indians needing three more wickets to winthe match. Alester Maregwede (5) became another lbw victim as Taylorreturned, but Gavin Ewing, who clearly felt he had a message for thenational selectors, and Blessing Mahwire were determined not to give ineasily. At this point the West Indians began to show boredom in the fieldand indulged in some quite ridiculous and pointless time-wasting – a problemwhich the ICC still does not have the guts to tackle effectively.Mahwire (10) fell to a slip catch by substitute Brian Lara in thepenultimate over, bowled by Drakes, but Ewing, unbeaten with 42, played outthe final over from Ravi Rampaul to ensure the draw. Taylor finished withsix wickets.

A finance administrator at Northamptonshire has been jailed for 20 months after being found guilty of stealing £82,000 from the county.Northampton Crown Court heard how Susan Woodward abused her position to fund a lavish lifestyle. Despite earning only £14,000 a year, Woodward took her family on expensive holidays and also bought a property in Marbella, Spain.”She was an utterly trusted employee,” the prosecutor told the court. “She had access to all the club’s accounts. She kept the books. She was the accounting system.” She pleaded guilty to 19 charges of theft and asked for 58 other offences to be taken into consideration.Woodward had worked for the county for seven years but resigned suddenly in February. The fraud squad was called in after irregularities were found in the annual accounts.The court heard how she forged 77 fake cheques in a five-month period starting in November 2002. The county are considering instigating proceedings against her to recover the money.