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In their ICC Under-19 World Cup Super League game at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln, Australia beat South Africa by five wickets today.Australia remain the tournament front runner and provided another proficient all-round performance.Coach Wayne Phillips told CricInfo: “Mature is probably a very good word to use. These are capable, committed young men and their cricket reflected that.”Man of the match George Bailey, with 54 not out off 52 balls, was one of Phillips’ grown-up young men who played a key role today.”He’s one of our senior players, one of our ‘go to’ men and he’s just continued his development. We hold out high hopes for his future,” said Phillips.The Australians played like their senior team used to, with a varied bowling attack setting up a talented batting order that could hope for runs to at least No 8 Daniel Christian who was not needed to bat.”It’s always been in our planning to bat deep into the order,” Phillips continued.The top three, all left-handers, echoed Australia’s opening trio of Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer. Particularly convincing was the unruffled way the capable Australians chased the highest second innings total made in the tournament so far.Australia’s Craig Simmons scored 52 off 76 balls, fellow opener Jarrad Burke rode his luck for 31 and Shaun Marsh, watched by father Geoff, made 22 before pulling to Jimmy Cook’s son Stephen at deep square leg.Captain Cameron White kept the run rate required manageable with 36 off 46 balls, Mark Cosgrove chipped in with 19, then Bailey and Adam Crosthwaite calmly saw the impressive Australians home.South Africa made 237/7 total off their 50 overs. Both Cook and Ryan Bailey made 48, and both were run out by direct hits from Australian wicketkeeper Adam Crosthwaite.Ryan McLaren made an astute unbeaten 39, while Brendon Reddy belted 27 off 18 balls at the death.Right handed Bailey and left-handed all-rounder McLaren came together with South Africa struggling at 130/5, but added 55 in 53 balls with some sound hitting.The score may have been daunting to some teams, but the Australians worked the ball around the large oval, picking up the twos and threes, as Phillips targeted. “They’re spaces, not gaps,” he emphasised.The lack of a high score and a substantial partnership, as well as the run outs, was probably what cost the competitive South Africans the game.Australia meet England on Wednesday. “We had some quite competitive matches with them in Adelaide before both teams came to New Zealand,” said Phillips.As ever, the Australian was looking forward to the match, adding, with a glance across the Tasman to the form (up until recently) of the Australian senior team, “if they can play like their heroes then that’s pretty good for them.”

After six Test matches spread out over nearly three years, Makhaya Ntini finally established himself as an international bowler in his own right as South Africa won the first Castle Lager/MTN Test against New Zealand by five wickets at Good year Park in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.Ntini, now 23, took six for 66 as New Zealand were bowled out for 342 in their second innings on Tuesday, leaving South Africa to make 101 to win. As straightforward as the target should have been for the home side, they made heavy weather of it, losing practically their entire top order before Mark Boucher took it upon himself to finish it off.Three swept boundaries off successive deliveries from the leg-spinner Brooke Walker carried South Africa home and finally ended the home team’s fears of a shock New Zealand victory.In reality, though, it was never likely after Ntini had worked his way through the New Zealand lower order before and after lunch. By most estimations, the Goodyear Park had lain down and died sometime on Sunday, but Ntini, whose boundless energy can exhaust anyone in his vicinity, ran in over after over after even Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock had started to look ordinary.The key wicket on Tuesday, however, went to Jacques Kallis rather than Ntini. Kallis scored a magnificent 160 in the South African first innings, but his fast-medium was more medium than fast during this Test match before he slowed one up even more against Craig McMillan and made a vital breakthrough 20 minutes before lunch.McMillan, who went in on Monday evening, had taken up 272 minutes for his 78, but he failed to read Kallis and went through with his shot to give up a catch to mid on.Ntini had had Walker caught at the wicket an hour into the morning and he came back after lunch to wrap up the tail, taking three wickets in three overs. It was a Herculean effort and he thoroughly deserved his share of the man of the match award with Kallis.When Ntini was chosen for this and the second Test, selection convener Rushdi Magiet said that his fitness had given him the edge over Roger Telemachus. You had to be fit to keep going on that pitch, and as the New Zealanders ruefully acknowledged afterwards, if one or two or even three of the South African fast bowlers weren’t coming at them, there was always the fourth to do the job.The victory target had just enough in it for nuisance value as Daryl Tuffey finally took first three wickets in Test cricket. It was the sort of situation in which the side batting last is on a hiding to nothing – the side batting last should win easily, but the fielding team have nothing to lose by giving it a go.And so Gary Kirsten, Jacques Kallis and Boeta Dippenaar lost their wickets before tea and Daryll Cullinan and Lance Klusener there’s after the interval before Boucher finished it off.The match, though, had been won and lost during the first innings, when South Africa built up a handsome total and New Zealand responded poorly. New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming acknowledged as much while Pollock was pleased with a performance from his side that, barring the last rites, had been polished and professional.The fact remains, though, that New Zealand were unable to bowl South Africa out once, let alone twice and it is the bowling that is the real difference between these two teams.

ScorecardMichael Hogan satrred with the bat not the ball [file picture]•Getty Images

Even on a rain-flecked morning with the sun fugitive it was difficult to credit that a few folk wanted this game finished in three days. Glen Chapple was bowling and he was moving it away late from Graham Wagg and Andrew Salter, Glamorgan’s eighth-wicket pair.The air was still, though it still held the tang of the sea. Many spectators, caught between realism and hope, had opted for anoraks and shorts. They watched the cricket mostly in rapt, appreciative silence.Of course it was natural to expect that Lancashire’s players, eager for an early win and a day’s rest before their journey to Worcester on Friday, aimed to have matters concluded as early as possible. But many others, whatever their loyalties, probably hoped to enjoy their full four days’ cricket by the sea.Fortunately for this large latter group, Glamorgan’s team is filled with proper cricketers this summer, playing with the confidence born of regular victories. Their win against Surrey at Guildford firmly established their credentials, even though it must seem a long month since that week of wonders.So Glamorgan’s later batsmen made Lancashire work for almost every success in an entertaining morning session. After Mark Wallace had played on when driving crookedly to Chapple in the sixth over of the day the last three wickets added 175 runs, more than doubling the score to 348. And by the time Michael Hogan was last out in the ninth over after a delayed lunch for a career-best 57, Glamorgan’s tail had done their best to make it clear that this was not to be a day characterised by submission and collapseNor was it, quite, even though Lancashire remain utterly dominant in this game, their power founded on their mammoth first-innings 698 for 5, a total that not so much exceeds Glamorgan’s scores as towers over them. Even with the efforts of the tail Glamorgan were still 201 runs short of avoiding the follow on and they go into the last day on 146 for 5 in their second innings. They are still 204 runs in arrears and almost certainly heading for an innings defeat.Once Hogan, Wagg and their friends had done their best, Glamorgan plainly needed their top order to occupy the crease for hours on this flat pitch. Yet none of the five batsmen dismissed in the second innings lasted longer than 57 minutes against this fine, well-balanced Lancashire attack, which was supported by some inspired out-cricket.For the second time in 24 hours Glamorgan’s openers failed to provide a solid platform for an innings. In the eighth over Jacques Rudolph was pouched at slip by Steven Croft when driving at a rather wide one from Kyle Jarvis which he could have left alone; in Jarvis’s next over Will Bragg was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper Alex Davies, who dived wide to his right to take a nick off the inside edge. Glamorgan were 40 for 2 at tea and the sun’s brief appearance seemed almost a consolation to the supporters who had travelled from Neath or the schoolchildren from Mold and Abergele.Things got worse for the home side in the evening session and, therefore, so much better for Lancashire, whose seventh win would all but confirm their promotion. Colin Ingram was superbly caught by Alviro Petersen off Arron Lilley, the fielder diving backwards to take the chance one-handed at deep mid-on. Then David Lloyd, having hit six pleasant boundaries, was leg before to Lilley for 34 when he went only half forward to a straight one; seven overs later, Mark Wallace, for all his studious and orthodox defence, was bowled by Kerrigan for 2.That left Glamorgan on 120 for five and though Chris Cooke and Salter saw them safely to the close, they did so with close fielders in attendance and the spinners in full cry. There will be more of that for Cooke and Salter to deal with on the final day.Yet all this grim defence in adversity was far removed from that morning session when Glamorgan’s tail had lifted the spirits of the home supporters in the crowd. Predictably, a fresh mood was established by Graham Wagg. Glamorgan’s leading run-scorer in Championship cricket, Wagg deposited Lilley into the Penrhyn Avenue gardens three times in an over, which may have disrupted the residents’ morning coffee and custard creams a little.Lilley gained some balm for his pain a few moments later when Wagg skied him to Brown at deep mid-wicket, although we could have done without the bowler’s graceless send-off to the departing batsman. But Lilley is still young and he will learn.Encouraged by Wagg’s faintly mad heroics, Glamorgan other’s batsmen responded with resistance of their own making. Salter and Dean Cosker, the latter almost anchoring the end of the innings, had added 45 for the ninth wicket when Jarvis bowled Salter for 43, although Lancashire had by then been forced to take the new ball.And still bowlers continued to play like batsmen. Hogan, often regarded as a tail-ender of the old fashioned “whack, whack, out” variety, began to select his shots with fine discrimination. Three sixes, one of them into the road off Chapple, and six fours were mixed with defensive shots out of the coaching book. Lunch was delayed by eight overs but Hogan and Cosker resisted until mid-afternoon when Hogan edged Lilley to Paul Horton at slip via Davies.The last pair had added 75 and almost everybody except eleven Lancastrians had enjoyed the entertainment. If they or Wagg had felt any scoreboard pressure, that fashionable cricketing burden of the day, they had done an excellent job of concealing it.This was a pretty fine effort when you consider that they could see Lancashire’s total of 698 every time they looked at the scoreboard. Of course, it will not save their side but it has still made the fourth day something to which all spectators can look forward, even if those in Penrhyn Avenue are spending the evening checking their insurance policies.

Ahead of his return to Goodison Park today, West Ham manager David Moyes has the luxury of a bolstered squad after some positive news over the international break.

The Hammers entertain Moyes’ former employers Everton at the London Stadium this afternoon as they bid to regain the form which saw them climb into the Champions League places earlier in the season.

With just two wins from their last six games across all competitions, they have lost momentum at the worst possible time of the season and will no doubt require a valiant effort against relegation battlers Everton, who will surely give all their might to try and secure a win.

There was some positive news for the Irons, though, as Moyes boosted fans’ hopes for the return of talisman Jarrod Bowen. The 25-year-old is West Ham’s top scorer this season and leads the way for assists, minutes per goal, successful dribbles per match and shots on target per match, whilst also functioning as their top creative outlet this season having created the most big chances with eight.

News on the injury status of Czech Republic international Vladimir Coufal was also revealed as Moyes addressed the pair’s chances of featuring against Everton, saying: “There’s a chance that both could make it. They both did a bit of training over the international break. I’m not quite sure both of them are match-fit and ready, that’s my only concern.”

This is how we believe the West Ham XI will look as they take on Frank Lampard’s Everton, with two changes in personnel from their most recent outing against Tottenham:

Areola; Johnson, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell; Lanzini, Rice, Soucek; Fornals, Antonio, Benrahma

Our prediction sees Moyes give a rare Premier League start to Alphonse Areola in goal ahead of Lukasz Fabianski, a potentially big call that we have discussed in detail on Football FanCast.

We also predict that £43k-p/w full-back Arthur Masuaku will be axed, paying the price for his poor performance against Tottenham a fortnight ago, with the “fantastic” Pablo Fornals coming into a system which could see his creativity unleashed.

Perhaps the biggest change is the formation. Last time out against Antonio Conte’s Spurs, Moyes opted to match the Italian’s 3-4-2-1 system and go man-for-man, which resulted in a disappointing 3-1 loss.

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The Hammers are no strangers to a 4-3-3 shape, which was used against Sevilla in the impressive Europa League win in March, and we think the Scot might revert to that today as West Ham seek a return to winning ways.

In other news – Moyes must unleash “incredible” £138k-p/w maverick today, West Ham need him

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.

‘It’s brilliant to see the way he batted, and itgives us confidence for the World Cup’ © AFP

Mahela Jayawardene had no excuses after a shoddy performance with both batand ball that cost Sri Lanka the chance to win a bilateral series in Indiafor the first time. With the exception of Chamara Silva, no other batsmancrossed 28, and the Indians overhauled the 260-run target with ridiculousease as the shadows started to spread across the lush green outfield.Having taken a 1-0 lead in the series after a tense win at Rajkot, SriLanka batted poorly both at Goa and Visakhapatnam to hand India victory.”A lot of things went wrong, not just one,” said Jayawardene, when askedto assess a performance that he’ll hope has little bearing on the WorldCup encounter between the two sides on March 23. “Losing a lot of wicketsearly on was one of them. We knew the pitch was very good, and we probablyneeded 275 or 280 or even more. We knew there would be a little bit ofmovement early on, but we survived that. Then we lost wickets.”Having slumped to 56 for 4, Sri Lanka recovered to post 259 thanks largelyto the efforts of one man. “The only bright spot from the whole match wasChamara Silva,” said Jayawardene. “I thought he batted really well, with acouple of other guys chipping in.”Silva made a superb run-a-ball 107 in his first outing of the series,showing the sort of form that inspired Sri Lanka to a famous Test win atWellington last December. When asked if there had been a temptation toplay him earlier in the series, Jayawardene said: “Obviously, we wanted toplay him in at least two games. But unfortunately, the first game waswashed out, and our middle order couldn’t get a bat. We tried to givethose guys a couple of games, and also make sure that every top-order guygot a hit. We always knew the talent that he possesses, and the way hebatted in New Zealand. It’s brilliant to see the way he batted, and itgives us confidence for the World Cup.”Having put a competitive total on the board, Sri Lanka then let the gameslip with some woeful new-ball bowling. Farveez Maharoof started the rotwith a 10-ball first over, and though both Lasith Malinga and DilharaFernando were immensely quick, the radar was never switched on. “Onceagain, we didn’t start well with the new ball,” said Jayawardene.”Defending a total like 260 on a pitch like that, it’s crucial that we getearly wickets with the new ball, which we didn’t do. We bowled both sidesof the wicket, and too many wides and no-balls. We had no momentum fromthat point onwards. We played some poor cricket today, and India playedsome really good cricket.”If you have to control the Indian batting line-up, you have to do wellwith the new ball. You have to hit the right areas, which we didn’t. Ifyou take the whole series, we weren’t very consistent with the new ball.We gave away momentum and were always fighting to get back into the game.”

f you have to control the Indian batting line-up, you have to do well with the new ball. You have to hit the right areas, which we didn’t. If you take the whole series, we weren’t very consistent with the new ball

He himself was as culpable as any on the batting front, with an awfulheave that extended a fallow run without a 50 to 17 games. Consideringthat he had two centuries while averaging over 53 in the 16 games prior tothat, Jayawardene’s form is one of the team’s prime concerns heading tothe Caribbean. “Personally, I’m very disappointed with the way I’ve beenbatting the last couple of months,” he said. “I want to contribute to theteam, and I haven’t been able to do that. I’ve been hitting the ballpretty well in practice, but not spending time out in the middle.”It can’t be overlooked that Sri Lanka played this series without their twomost experienced bowlers, but for Jayawardene, that was no excuse. “Thelast time we came here, Vaasy played a few games, and so did Murali,” hesaid, referring to the series in 2005 when Sri Lanka were thumped 6-1. “Wealways knew it would be a tough task on Indian pitches. But these guyswill learn by playing on different surfaces. They didn’t bowl that well,but will learn from the experience. It’s good that the full squad isgetting prepared for the World Cup, and not just a few guys.”Though he was clearly disappointed with another poor top-order show,Jayawardene was pretty impressed by the manner in which India’s bowlersacquitted themselves on surfaces that were largely batsmen-friendly.”Throughout the tournament, the Indian bowlers did well with the newball,” he said. “To be fair to our guys, I thought they [the Indians] gotthe better of the conditions. The wickets had some moisture and were moreconducive [in the morning], but you can’t take credit away from them.”Our batting also contributed [to the defeat]. We played some really looseshots today and threw a couple of wickets away in tight situations. We hada poor game, you have to put your hand up and take responsibility forthat.”By contrast, India’s batsmen breezed past the target in just 41 overs,with Yuvraj Singh’s fabulous unbeaten 95 and Robin Uthappa’s breezy35-ball 52 providing most of the impetus. “Robin had the advantage ofbatting in the Power Plays,” said Jayawardene when asked to assess the twoknocks. “Yuvi had to play the spinners with the field out. We were tryingto attack and take wickets, and they had the opportunity to score freely.Both batted really well in different situations.”Unless Bangladesh play out of their skins in the Caribbean, these twosides will be tussling for top spot in their World Cup group. “It’s agreat combination with a lot of experience, and they’ll be toughopposition,” said Jayawardene, when asked about the Indians. “Obviously,playing in India, they cherish the atmosphere and you could see thattoday. But come the World Cup, it’ll be a different atmospherealtogether.”With a formidable Australian side suffering an almighty injury-hit wobblein the lead-up to D-day, both India and Sri Lanka, strengthened by theaddition of Vaas and Murali, will journey to the Caribbean with more thana smidgen of hope in the hearts. And on foreign fields halfway across theglobe, both will need to replicate the form that they habitually show onthe green, green grass of home.

ScorecardWestern Australia edged to a 13-run win against Tasmania despite a fighting 105 by Michael Di Venuto at the Devonport Oval. Shaun Marsh guided WA to a competitive 6 for 236 before their bowlers turned in a fine performance to dismiss Tasmania for 223 in 49 overs.Di Ventuo played a lone hand in the chase and received support only from George Bailey, whose 45 was the other score above 20. He and Di Venuto added 95 runs for the fourth wicket and Tasmania needed a comfortable 52 runs off 63 balls when Bailey fell (4 for 185). WA turned on the pressure and dismissed Rhett Lockyear and Luke Butterworth in quick succession (6 for 190), but it was Di Venuto’s wicket, after he had made a brilliant hundred, that derailed the run chase. Ben Edmondson was the best bowler with 3 for 31 and Peter Worthington chipped in with 3 for 34.After being asked to bat, Justin Langer and Luke Ronchi got WA off to a solid start with an 88-run stand. But it was Marsh who held the innings together after three quick wickets reduced them to 3 for 96. Marsh was unbeaten on 81 – he struck three fours and three sixes – and added 95 runs with Chris Rogers for the fifth wicket to take the score to 236. Ben Hilfenhaus provided some controversy when he was ordered from the attack by the umpires for delivering two head-high full tosses in a row.

Royal College 94 (Peiris 3-16) v St Thomas College 152 for 2 (Peiris 64*, Silva 35*)
ScorecardOn the day that England A wrapped up a comprehensive 197-run victory over their Sri Lankan counterparts at the Colombo Cricket Club, not many of the city’s cricket fans were paying attention. They were instead gathered half-a-mile down the road at the Sinhalese Sports Club, where Royal College and St Thomas’s – two of Sri Lanka’s most illustrious schools – were engaged in their annual "Battle of the Blues".This was the 126th meeting between the two school teams whose annual fixture puts even Eton and Harrow to shame. And, judging by the first day’s events, it was shaping up as one of the most one-sided as well, as St Thomas’s took the game by the throat, bowling Royal College out for 94 after winning the toss, and then easing to 152 for 2 in reply.St Thomas’s hero was their opening bowler and No. 3 batsman, A Peiris. He rocked Royal College back on their heels in his very first over, by trapping their opener, S Senaratne, lbw for a second-ball duck, and later returned to sweep up the tail, for figures of 3 for 16 from 11.4 overs. None of the Royal batsmen could come to terms with the probing St Thomas attack, and only two batsmen made it into double figures.St Thomas had a moment of anxiety when N Perera was removed for 4 in the third over of their reply, but Peiris returned to the fray to calm the nerves. By the close, he was unbeaten on 64, with the wicketkeeper, K Silva, alongside him on 35, and with a lead already standing at 58, the stage was set for a day of dominance when play resumes tomorrow.

Marlon Samuels: among the runs in West Indies’ tour opener © Getty Images

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.

With Graham Grace hitting an unbeaten maiden limited-overs century, North West scramble to a one-wicket win over Border in a Standard Bank Cup match in Potchefstroom on Sunday.Grace, who went to the wicket with North West at 2 for one, stayed for the rest of the innings for his 111 not out, adding 21 with last man in, Jake Malao, to see North West home.Earlier, Border’s 205 for eight had been built around contributions of 54 from Stephen Pope and 42 from Craig Sugden.