2nd Test Day 1 SL 261/8 V PAK

Sri Lanka 261 for 8 (Tharanga 92, Junaid 4-69, Wahab 3-66) v Pakistan

Six thousand two hundred and twenty one days after earning his Test cap at the nearby Premadasa Stadium, Mahela Jayawardene's life as a Test cricketer came a full circle as he strode out for the last lap at the SSC, his favourite venue. 

Everything seemed like it was as per the script: bright skies, a firm pitch with nothing for the bowlers, Sri Lanka winning the toss and opting to bat and a solid platform by the openers. The farewell of one Sri Lanka's best batsman couldn't have been planned any better. Except, that the Pakistan bowlers had their own agenda.

Jayawardene arrived at the crease for the 251st time to a guard of honour by the Pakistan team and with the crackle of the firecrackers in the background, 25 minutes before tea. 

He was 137 short of 3000 runs at the venue but could only shave off four runs in a nervous stay that ended in the first over after tea. In the 16 deliveries that he faced, he was dropped once by the wicketkeeper off Junaid Khan on 4 and failed to add a run as he was trapped by a sharp offspinner from Saeed Ajmal. He chose not to review, and rightly so.

Misbah-ul-Haq may have patted Jayawardene's back but at that moment, the relief of having dismissed Kumar Sangakkara, their tormentor in Galle, was writ on Pakistan captain's face. In a rare failure, Sangakkara had been dismissed for 22 as he chopped on a length delivery from Wahab Riaz. 

He had added 65 for the second wicket with Upul Tharanga, who scored 92, at 4.33 runs an over. Jayawardene's dismissal soon after gave Pakistan the upper hand. The bowlers struck five more times in the third session to take control.

It was a solid effort from Pakistan on a pitch that had nothing for the bowlers. They stuck to disciplined lines and found the odd bit of life. Fortunately for Pakistan, it was one of those days where almost every time the ball did something, it induced a fatal error by the batsmen. That Pakistan had xx wickets by the end of the day despite dropping a few catches was evidence of the number of chances created.

Junaid got the odd ball to move off the pitch, Wahab, playing his first Test in three years, generated hustling pace, Abdur Rehman was disciplined throughout and Ajmal did better than the Mars Rover by finding life where there was none. And that, despite not being able to find a breakthrough in the first 33 overs during which it looked like the pitch was a bowler's graveyard.

Then, Junaid went round the stumps, pushed back the compact Kaushal Silva back with a sharp bouncer, before luring the batsman into a loose drive off a widish length delivery. 

Sarfraz Ahmed did the rest, taking a sharp chance low to his left, ending the 79-run opening stand - Sri Lanka's best since the 118-run stand in Dhaka in January. Silva, who had picked up five boundaries through point off Wahab, was dismissed for 41.

It was Wahab, though, who caught the biggest fish, picking up the wicket of Sangakkara. Initially a bit wayward, Wahab corrected his radar and posed problems with his pace. He troubled Tharanga with the short ones and eventually picked up the opener through a sharp catch by Azhar Ali at short leg.

Till then, Tharanga had looked set for his second Test century despite not being the most fluent. 

Junaid induced a couple of false strokes from him in the first over as some deliveries seamed away, he was beaten by Ajmal's turn, survived a stumping chance on 28 and picked up some runs off edges. But he also picked up 12 boundaries, most of them emphatic hits through off. One such shot - a fierce cut off Wahab - helped him cross fifty for the fifth time in Tests.

Ajmal had troubled Tharanga through the innings. In his fourth over, he beat an advancing Tharanga in the air only to see the wicketkeeper miss the stumping. 

The blame could hardly be laid on Sarfraz, though, because the ball had kicked off the pitch, smacking the keeper on the side of the head for which he required some treatment. The bowler also drew an outside edge off Tharanga but that dropped short of Younis Khan at first slip. 

But a sign of Tharanga's growing confidence was his two boundaries - both through covers - off the spinner in the 47th over. However, he was dismissed 10 runs after Jayawardene's departure, leaving the repair job with Angelo Mathews.

But all Mathews could do was watch as Pakistan picked up wickets at regular intervals at the other end. Junaid trapped Niroshan Dickwella and Dilruwan Perera lbw in the first over with the second new ball, the DRS ruling in Pakistan's favour in both cases. 

Mathews joined the others in the pavilion soon, edging a short of length delivery from Wahab to the keeper, down the leg side. He reviewed, but lost. Strangely, the DRS had not been used during the first 80 overs at all. It was that sort of a day. 

Only Test Women Day 1/4 ENG 92 V IND 87/6

England women were bowled out for 92 before reducing India to 87-6 on the first day of the only Test at Wormsley.

Sarah Taylor, who made 30, was the only player to score more than 12 as England - asked to bat first after losing the toss - were dismissed in 42 overs.

Nagarajan Niranjana took 4-19 for India before England seamer Jenny Gunn claimed 4-13.

After the four-day Test, the sides meet in three one-day internationals and three Twenty20s.

England women v India
13-16 Aug: Only Test, Wormsley	1 Sep: 1st T20, Chelmsford
21 Aug: 1st ODI, Scarborough	3 Sep: 2nd T20, Northampton
23 Aug: 2nd ODI, Scarborough	7 Sep: 3rd T20, Edgbaston
25 Aug: 3rd ODI, Lord's

"It was good fun to bowl today," said 28-year-old Gunn, who broke an opening stand of 40 in the first over of a 12-over spell.

"I didn't want [captain] Charlotte [Edwards] to take the ball out of my hand.

"The key was bowling a bit fuller and pitching it up. With Sarah Taylor standing up to the stumps, she took two great catches."

This Test is England's first match since they became full-time professionals in May by giving central contracts to 18 players.

Only Test Day 4 SA 397 & 44/1 beat ZIM 256 & 181 by 9 wkts

South Africa 397 (Du Plessis 98, De Kock, 81, Nyumbu 5-157) and 44 for 1 (Petersen 17*) beat Zimbabwe 256 (Taylor 98, Steyn 5-45, Piedt 4-90) and 181 (Sibanda 45, Piedt 4-62) by nine wickets

Zimbabwe had competed ably for 10 sessions in Harare, but they wilted in the face of reverse swing and prodigious turn after lunch on the fourth day. They lost eight wickets for 83 runs and South Africa cantered to another victory on the road. The 41-run target provided just enough for openers Alviro Petersen and Dean Elgar to have a little fun in the middle. Zimbabwe earned one final say when Tendai Chatara disturbed the left-hander's stumps.

The pitch offered consistent assistance to spin and there were ominous signs before the break when the top-scorer Vusi Sibanda's defences were breached with the first ball Dane Piedt bowled - a loopy delivery that swerved from outside off to sneak between his bat and pad. The batsman survived, but the first ball of the offspinner's second over fetched the wicket as the nighwatchman Donald Tiripano, having been sensible for 62 balls, opted for a slog sweep and ended with his leg stump uprooted.

Piedt was rampant in the second session and finished with 8 for 152, the best match haul by a South Africa spinner on debut. He tied Mark Vermeulen in knots, tempted Brendan Taylor to short leg, and preyed on Sibanda's patience. His flight was a big factor in the turn he extracted and his line ensured the batsman was under threat almost constantly.

At the other end, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel were enhanced by reverse swing. Vermeulen was set up with steady diet outside off. He shuffled across and groped, displaying all the rust of his 10 years out of Test cricket until an inswinger had him plumb in front.

Sibanda was the set batsman. His face still showed vestiges of the chicken pox he had recovered from, as he concentrated on protecting his off stump from Steyn. He batted on off stump to Piedt and swept from outside it, once for a six over midwicket. 

Zimbabwe eased to 52 runs at the cost of only one wicket in the morning and it was largely down to some stubborn batting. But the ill-timed charge from Sibanda to lob a return catch to Piedt exemplified Zimbabwe falling away since lunch. He was out for 45, his 15th consecutive sub-fifty outing.

Taylor had looked their best batsman in the first innings and had generally played Piedt off the back foot or with sweeps during his 98. Here though he was drawn forward by the offspinner, the ball dipped and bounced and the inside edge was smartly grabbed by Dean Elgar at short leg.

Zimbabwe were trailing by 28 but had five wickets in hand. Morkel threw a wrench into that equation with two quick wickets and the hosts were down to their last three men and still behind by 17. The tail, guided by wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami, managed to erase the deficit. He led Zimbabwe's highest partnership of the innings. The 54 runs he collected with John Nyumbu had the Harare crowd roaring. 

The rot in the middle session was forgotten as Mutumbami struck four fours in four overs after tea. His 69 minutes at the crease were spent in pain after Morkel welcomed him with an attempted yorker that nailed his left toe. He was not seen for South Africa's chase, with Regis Chakabva taking the gloves. 

Only Test Day 3 ZIM 256 & 28/1 V SA 397

Zimbabwe 256 and 28 for 1 trail South Africa 397 (Du Plessis 98, de Kock 81, Nyumbu 5-157) by 113 runs

The Harare crowd had to resort to song and dance to amuse themselves for large parts of the day and was grateful to offspinner John Nyumbu when his five-wicket haul, the second by a Zimbabwean on debut, ended a decidedly slow South African innings. 

Faf du Plessis' marathon ended two short of a hundred and Quinton de Kock displayed mettle for his 81 as South Africa pulled into the lead, but after both batsmen were dismissed, the activity on the field paled to that off it.

The second session yielded 56 runs in 30.4 overs as Zimbabwe continued with their ploy of playing on the batsman's patience. The seamers preferred discipline over variation. There were no bouncers, perhaps they thought they didn't have enough pace. The pitch was worn enough to offer variable bounce but Brendan Taylor's host of short midwickets and short covers were kept waiting as the batsmen stuck to stonewalling.

Against Nyumbu, however, the close catchers were in play. He cajoled the rough to yield turn and bounce to threaten both edges of the bat. He lured Du Plessis into a leg-side trap, forced JP Duminy to mistime a reverse sweep to slip and bested Dale Steyn's intent to attack.

Zimbabwe had to negotiate a tricky 13 overs before stumps and Morne Morkel, who was not shy of targeting the batsman's throat, had Hamilton Masakadza fending to third slip to further South Africa's reputation as the past decade's most successful touring team.

To that effect, consolidation was paramount when the day began. 

Du Plessis progressed in typical fashion, waiting as long as necessary for the bad ball. He ventured outside off only when it was short and wide - Tiripano was slashed over the cordon - or when it was too full - Nyumbu was caressed through extra cover. He was South Africa's anchor at No.3 and he would not budge from that role until a little extra bounce became his undoing. He nipped down the track and tried to smother it, but the tickle reached Regis Chakabva at backward short leg to end his 356-minute stay.

De Kock's nemesis was spin, specifically his inclination to close the face and hit against the turn when Nyumbu tossed the ball up, but he was able to put the threat aside and be the instigator. He was nimble on his feet and raced down to lift Nyumbu for a six, his first boundary of the morning, to reach his fifty. A less certain inside edge to the fine-leg boundary took South Africa ahead of Zimbabwe's 256.

Spin threatened for 12 overs after lunch, but cost 41 runs. De Kock favoured the back foot and put aside the balls that misbehaved until he skewed an inside-edge to short midwicket to hand slow left-armer Sean Williams a first Test wicket. There was enough help for Taylor to persist with spin, but Zimbabwe did not like the pace of scoring.

They dragged South Africa back by employing Tinashe Panyangara, who did not concede a boundary in his 30 overs for 39 runs, and Tendai Chatara who was equally miserly with 27-12-34-1. JP Duminy, newly saddled at No. 7 and with six runs off 123 balls in his last Test, did little to put them off as South Africa scored 15 runs in the 18.4 overs leading to tea.

Steyn's two sixes broke the monotony and helped South Africa to 30 runs in five overs after the break. Duminy updated his resume with his sixth half-century and tried to push on but an ill-advised reverse sweep gave Nyumbu his fifth wicket and a slice of history. 

Only Test Day 2 ZIM 256 V SA 201/4

South Africa 201 for 4 (Du Plessis 69*, Elgar 61) trail Zimbabwe 256 (Taylor 93, Steyn 5-46, Piedt 4-90) by 55 runs  

Much like the hosts, South Africa clung to caution as their default approach. The spinners found the pitch responsive and the seamers were largely disciplined and the safety-first approach was forced on them through the entire day despite half-centuries from opener Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis.

Zimbabwe had been scrappy throughout the Test. John Nyumbu, on debut, was generous with his flight, Tinashe Panyangara lines and lengths were impeccable as figures of 16-7-18-0 suggest and Tendai Chatara offered stiff competition with 15-9-19-1 and constantly tempted the batsmen outside their off stump. 

The day petered down to a game of 'who would blink first' and when Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers fell within 11 runs of each other, Zimbabwe had reason to celebrate. Nyumbu was well aware as he did a jig on the field.

Even the two half-centurions faced stern examinations. 

Elgar faced 48 balls from Tinashe Panyangara for only seven runs. Donald Tiripano jagged a fuller delivery back but not quite enough to rattle off stump as the batsman left. Elgar's nerves were apparent when he flashed at the next ball which was angled across him. 

A thick edge flew over the yawning gap at third slip. However, he was allowed enough releases. His patience and temperament are suited for the long innings but Elgar fished at a delivery that didn't have as much width as he thought and keeper Richmond Mutumbami dived to his left to reward Donald Tiripano with a maiden Test wicket.

Faf du Plessis, at No. 3, had to brace against the turning ball, and as his innings wore on, his own fitness, to remain unbeaten. He might have been run-out with only six balls faced had short leg found the target. 

South Africa enjoyed a brief spurt of runs - four fours in seven balls - but Elgar's wicket in the 48th over made him throw run-making out the window. His hamstring needed attention, he needed pills many times, he stagnated for 30 balls on 48 before reaching a sixth Test fifty but his resolve never wavered.

Amla and de Villiers, who is the only member of the side to have faced Zimbabwe before, were comparatively lax. Chatara sucked the South Africa captain to cover and Nyumbu's delight was unrestrained when he had de Villiers caught at short midwicket. The two biggest threats gone for single-figures during a 15-over spell that fetched only 20 runs.

The Zimbabwe bowlers asked questions, but only few of them were tricky. The seamers' threat perhaps might have increased had Panyangara, Tiripano or Chatara summoned some inswing. But the outside-off ploy did keep a lid on the scoring. Part-timer Sean Williams occasionally made the ball grip and turn but lacked control, gifting too much flight or forgetting to do so entirely. But South Africa were content to accumulate.

If the scoring rate did not concern the visitors, Alviro Petersen's form would. The opener has averaged an underwhelming 27.40 since January 2013 and South Africa have had only two century stands in the last 12 months and none since Graeme Smith's retirement.

Petersen, having gotten over early nerves, had reverse swept Nyumbu's second ball and launched the offspinner over long-on, but when searching for a sweep he offered a thin edge to keeper Richmond Mutumbami, who parried the ball up and dove full-length to his right to hand Nyumbu his first Test wicket minutes before lunch. In his last 23 Tests, Petersen has 15 scores below 30 and this time he was out after barely tipping over.

Tiripano and Nyumbu had been useful with the bat as well, lasting 10 overs since last evening until Dale Steyn sawed their union to end Zimbabwe's innings at 256 and go past Dennis Lillee with his 24th five-wicket haul. 

1st Test Day 5 PAK 451 & 180 lost to SL 533/9d & 99/3 by 7 wkts

Sri Lanka 533 for 9 dec (Sangakkara 221, Mathews 91, Ajmal 5-166) and 99 for 3 beat Pakistan 451 (Younis 177, Shafiq 75, Perera 5-137) and 180 (Sarfraz 52*, Herath 6-48) by seven wickets

Rangana Herath conjured six wickets on a day-five pitch that carried little threat and Sri Lanka hunted down 99 in a dramatic chase under the constant threat of rain and fading light. 

A big, dark cloud hung over the ground as Sri Lanka closed in but relented just long enough for Angelo Mathews to swat an unbeaten 25 off 13 and drag his side home with under five overs remaining. Just after Mathews tapped Junaid Khan to midwicket for a nearly suicidal, winning single, the skies opened up.

Pakistan's loss was the 11th by a side that had posted 450-plus batting first, as they tried to block their way to safety in the morning and found Herath all over them. 

They lost three wickets for 62 runs in 32 overs in the first session, and even though they tried being more positive after lunch, Sri Lanka pried out four more by tea. Sarfraz Ahmed counter-attacked with an unbeaten fifty but he was stranded as Herath spun out the tail to leave Sri Lanka 21 overs to get 99.

Mahela Jayawardene walked out to open in his last Test innings in Galle and took Sri Lanka to 59 before the sight of the cloud made him make too much room outside leg and miss an accurate Junaid Khan yorker on 26. 

Kumar Sangakkara swung his way to 21 off 22 before he holed out to long-on as Sri Lanka's desperation grew and Pakistan fretted over the falling visibility. It was left to captain Mathews to slog a couple of sixes into a wildly cheering crowd to beat the rain.

Pakistan's downfall began in the morning when their young batsmen were reluctant to score after Dhammika Prasad had ended the nightwatchman Saeed Ajmal's resistance in the sixth over of the day. Ahmed Shehzad made 16 off 74 and was around with the equally sedate Azhar Ali for 93 balls, but the partnership fetched Pakistan merely 28. 

Even half-volleys were patted away regularly and the spinners were allowed to settle into their rhythms. The occasional attempts to rotate the strike were rushed and tense. Azhar stepped out at times, but went to lunch on 18 off 89.

Herath and Dilruwan Perera were relentless, even with no uneven bounce available and no exaggerated turn or bounce. Perera, a classical offspinner who has no doosra, used his straighter one superbly from both sides of the wicket, leaving the batsmen unsure about which ones would turn. He beat Azhar with a straighter one and Shehzad on the drive with a flighted offbreak.

The batsmen started shuffling further and further across in doubt and umpire Ian Gould gave Shehzad leg-before as he missed an offbreak. Shehzad conferred with Azhar and walked back without reviewing, only to face an incredulous Moin Khan and Waqar Younis in the dressing room, as replays showed the ball would have turned past leg stump.

Realising that some runs were dearly needed, Younis Khan drove Perera for four through extra cover first ball, and was way more positive in defence as well as attack than the preceding batsmen.

Herath had been taken off after constantly teasing the batsmen with his flight and arm balls, and was brought back ten minutes before lunch. Younis walked out to the second delivery and smothered it. The third one he pushed forward to, playing for spin, but it was the arm ball and slipped through the gate.

Misbah-ul-Haq calmly lofted Herath for a straight four off the last ball of that over. Pakistan showed more intent after lunch even as the spinners tried to target the rough outside leg. Both Azhar and Misbah resorted to sweeps, and the latter reviewed umpire Bruce Oxenford's lbw decision successfully on 8 off Perera, replays showing the batsman had gloved the ball on to pad.

A few overs later, Misbah slog-swept Perera for six over midwicket and reverse-swept the next ball for four. The partnership grew to 56, and the calming presence of Misbah seemed to have steadied Pakistan from the tremors of the morning.

Sri Lanka struck twice in the space of three balls to deliver bigger jolts to Pakistan. Azhar got his second jaffa of the match from Herath that spun across to take the edge behind on the forward push. Two balls later, Misbah missed a whip off the back foot against Perera, and it was Sri Lanka's turn to review successfully now for leg-before.

Asad Shafiq failed to read Herath's arm ball again but Sarfraz fought with aggression. Sarfraz came into the Test with a batting average of 18.58 but added fifties in each innings. 

His approach to spin was in sharp contrast to that of some of his batting colleagues. 

As the overs remaining kept dwindling, Sarfraz kept walking out, whipping, cutting, driving and sweeping Pakistan's lead towards 100. Amid all this, he even managed to farm the strike with Mohammad Talha for a while before Herath had his way again.

The previous Test between these sides in Sharjah had Pakistan chasing 302 in quick time. This wasn't as big a pursuit, but it made up on the drama front. 

4th Test Day 3 ENG 367 V IND 152 & 161

England have beaten India by an innings and 54 runs in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

The visitors were bowled out for 161, which has given Alastair Cook's side a 2-1 lead in the series.

After bowling England out for 367, India started their second innings with a deficit of 215 runs, but in reply they lost five wickets for 13 runs on their way to a heavy defeat.

The fifth and final Test will take place at The Oval on Friday.

Tea: Stuart Broad has suffered a suspected broken nose as England are bowled all out for 367 before tea on day three of the fourth Test match with India.

The all-rounder went on the attack after lunch by hitting successive sixes off the bowling of Varun Aaron before he was struck on the nose by a bouncer from the Indian paceman.

A bloodied Broad soon retired hurt on 12 to leave England with one wicket remaining, and after a 39-run partnership, the innings was brought to an end when James Anderson was dismissed for nine with Chris Woakesleft unbeaten on 26.

Broad was unable to take the new ball with James Anderson, but his replacement Woakes struck to remove Murali Vijay to leave India on 33-1 at the end of the session, trailing England by 182 runs.

Lunch: England have extended their lead to 173, having reached 325-8 at lunch on day three of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford.

Resuming on 237-6, Joe Root and Jos Buttler continued their partnership, with both batsmen securing their half-centuries in the opening hour of play.

Root looked to be progressing towards a century, but edged a Pankaj Singh delivery to MS Dhoni, leaving him 23 runs short of the ton and giving the bowler his maiden Test wicket.

Singh continued to look dangerous, and managed to claim a second just before the break when Buttler hooked the ball to Cheteshwar Pujara.

Only Test Day 1 SA V ZIM 248/9

Zimbabwe 248 for 9 (Taylor 93, Steyn 4-45, Piedt 4-90) v South Africa

Zimbabwe had hoped to negate Dale Steyn and co by providing one of the drier surfaces at Harare Sports Club but the conditions ended up assisting debutant offspinner Dane Piedt, who became the 19th bowler in Tests to strike off his first delivery. 

Replacing Imran Tahir, he derived turn and bounce to pose a consistent threat and possibly offer South Africa what they want - a spinner who can control an end. But Brendan Taylor, for over four hours, was the bulk of Zimbabwe's resistance and ensured honours were even at stumps.

A lacklustre start had prompted him to wait with his full gear in the dressing room as early as the 10th over. His determination helped blunt Steyn's reverse swing, Morne Morkel's bouncers and Piedt's probing to drag his flagging side to end the day on a respectable note. 

Fearing that he would run out of partners, his scavenging for quick runs robbed him of a well-deserved century. Harare agreed, returning their captain to the dressing room with warm applause and hooting of horns. The Zimbabwean tail mustered some fight, had a little fun along the way with Tendai Chatara spanking 22 off 26 balls, and reached stumps with one wicket standing.

Zimbabwe had opted to bat and had looked uncertain against the new ball and lost Vusi Sibanda in the third over to Steyn. 

The wobble seemed at its end when Hashim Amla tossed the ball to the spinner in the 16th over and Piedt outwitted Mark Vermeulen with alarming turn. Vermeulen was putting behind a 10-year hiatus from Test cricket, slowly reacquainting himself with his off stump after playing and missing. He began to look confident, especially off the back foot, but that became his undoing as the offspinner got one to rip back in to strike the pads and surprise the batsman.

It wasn't the only time Piedt surprised a batsman. Hamilton Masakadza had bedded himself in during the morning session and began taking advantage after lunch. He struck two fours in the first three overs after lunch to enable the hosts to race along at five per over but his scrapping came to an end when Piedt, going around the wicket, looped one across on off stump and jagged it back between bat and pad. 

Though his celebrations did pale to Tahir's, his bowling was a marked improvement. He did get another opportunity to work on his fist-pumping technique when Regis Chakabva tamely chipped to short midwicket in the same over and Zimbabwe were back in a rut again.

Taylor would not let Piedt have his way for too long, and scored 41 runs in 61 balls. He hugged the crease against balls that weren't tossed up and clipped him behind square leg and when he saw some flight, he lunged forward and swept. However, as soon as that challenge was done Steyn steamed in and discovered reverse swing. 

It was the 41st over of the match and the impact was almost immediate with Sean Williams sucked into a full awayswinger to go past Malcolm Marshall's 376 wickets. Williams looked peeved when the umpire judged him caught behind, believing he had not nicked it. But the one-off Test did not have DRS.

Yet Taylor was resolute. He was part of the first fifty partnership of the innings with Masakadza and led another one with Richmond Mutumbami. Both batsmen were peppered with the short ball by Morkel and Mutumbami was put under particular duress, with one zipping past his chest while he tried to fend in the 55th over. 

But the sixth-wicket pair - the last recognised batting pair - was game for a fight, lasting more than 22 overs. Steyn's pace and reverse swing broke through the resistance, however the umpire had failed to spot an inside edge when he judged Mutumbami lbw.

Taylor realised he would not have company for too long and began farming the strike. He cut Piedt to the point boundary in the 64th over, drilled Steyn through the covers and upper cut him in the next to demonstrate the home side still had a pulse. 

That suffered somewhat when he slogged JP Duminy to deep midwicket but debutant Donald Tiripano, who has a first-class century, and Chatara added 26 in 33 balls for the ninth wicket. Tiripano was out caught behind off Steyn and it was a beauty - angled in, veered away, squared the batsman up but did not take the edge, as the umpire had thought.

South Africa tried everything - Steyn bowled from wide of the crease and to add further threat to his awayswingers but the outside edge, when found, did not carry or squirted wide of the cordon. Vernon Philander teased outside off, Piedt had a chance to claim a five-for but he fluffed a return catch from Tiripano. However, Tiripano and John Nyumbu, the third man playing a first Test, survived to keep the No.1-ranked Test side, with, the no.1 batsman, bowler and allrounder, waiting on the no. 9-ranked side.

Tea Zimbabwe 165 for 5 (Taylor 60*, Mutumbami 15*, Piedt 3-61) v South Africa

South Africa were intent to safeguard their reputation as the most successful tourists (in terms of win-loss ratio) over the past decade. They are the No.1-ranked team and fielded the no.1-ranked batsman, bowler and allrounder in the XI to enable the expected narrative by smothering Zimbabwe. Brendan Taylor held one end with his seventh Test fifty, but was helpless to stop the other leaking wickets.

The hosts had hoped to negate Dale Steyn and co by providing one of the drier surfaces at Harare Sports Club but it wasn't too much of a challenge for a team that bested two seamer-killing pitches in Sri Lanka. Conditions ended up assisting debutant offspinner Dane Piedt who became the 19th bowler in Tests to strike off his first delivery. 

With turn and bounce on offer, the fairy tale continued as he flummoxed Hamilton Masakadza before he could capitalise on his scrappy 45. Two balls later, Regis Chakabva chipped to short midwicket and Steyn, in his third spell, started channeling reverse swing to keep Zimbabwe under the cosh. 

Zimbabwe were largely uncertain against the new ball, and Steyn coaxed the outside edge of Vusi Sibanda in the third over and celebrated his 376th wicket in Tests, equalling Malcolm Marshall. Caution was forced on Zimbabwe, not that they threatened with a plan. 

Masakadza and Mark Vermeulen, who was fronting up in Tests after 10 years, had to reacquaint themselves with the position of their off stump, poking at a few which could have been left alone. Their first run was found in the fourth over and that tally only increased to eight by the eighth. Just as both batsmen were working past their early struggles, Piedt forced Vermeulen to underestimate the turn and was out lbw.

Things had looked promising after lunch when Masakadza and Taylor hurtled at five to the over after lunch. But the momentum was difficult to maintain, especially when there is a double-strike. Piedt's control was impressive especially when he sneaked through Masakadza's bat and pad to end the only fifty partnership of the innings. 

But Taylor combated him well, hugging the crease when the ball wasn't tossed up and lunging to sweep when it was. The Zimbabwe captain had 29 runs from 46 balls, including two fours.

Sean Willliams endured several deliveries whizzing past his outside edge from Piedt, who continued scoring better points than Imran Tahir, the man he replaced. 

Zimbabwe's run rate, despite their examination, hovered around four and a partnership seemed on the horizon until Steyn began channeling reverse swing in the 41st over. Cranking his pace up and fishing for the outside edge, he found success though Williams wasn't too pleased when the umpire raised the finger.

Richmond Mutumbami, one of three wicketkeepers in the XI, strode out after Steyn used reverse swing to nip out Sean Williams. His survival plan was to play his shots and drilled a square drive which was of good enough quality to make Steyn grin. 

The sixth wicket stand was 45 when the session ended and Taylor would know that tally has to increase considering he and Mutumbami were the last recognised batting pair. 

Lunch Zimbabwe 57 for 2 (Masakadza 28*, Taylor 19*) v South Africa

South Africa were intent to safeguard their reputation as the most successful tourists in over the past decade. They are the No.1-ranked team and fielded the no.1-ranked batsman, bowler and allrounder in the XI to enable the expected narrative by smothering Zimbabwe in the morning session. The hosts though would not roll over, with Hamilton Masakadza leading the beginning of a resistance.

Zimbabwe hoped to negate Dale Steyn and co by providing one of the dryer surfaces at Harare Sports Club but it wasn't too much of a challenge for a team that bested two seamer-wilting pitches in Sri Lanka. 

Zimbabwe, who had opted to bat, were largely uncertain in the first hour when the ball did swing and Steyn coaxed the outside edge of Vusi Sibanda in the third over and celebrated his 376th wicket in Tests, equalling Malcolm Marshall. Zimbabwe were working past the early strike when debutant offspinner Dane Piedt struck with his first ball and dismissed Mark Vermeulen, who was playing his first Test in 10 years.

Caution was forced on Zimbabwe, not that they threatened with a plan B, by Steyn and Vernon Philander's discipline. Masakadza and Vermeulen had to reacquaint themselves with the position of their off stump, poking at a few which could have been left alone. Their first run was found in the fourth over and that tally only increased to eight by the eighth, besides the loss of Sibanda.

South Africa were allowed to string tight overs together. Vermeulen endured a leg before appeal off the first ball he faced from Philander, who had earlier elicited Masakadza's outside edge but watched it fall short of the four-man cordon. There was indecision with running as well and Zimbabwe could have been two down as early as the 10th over had Quinton de Kock found the target, but a tumbling Vermeulen survived.

Steyn earned some respite after a first spell of 5-3-5-1 but Zimbabwe were not so lucky with Morne Morkel reprising his enforcer role. He hit Vermeulen with a bouncer that did not quite rise but also did not forget the fuller ball. An inswinger had Masakadza playing across the line in the 17th over, but it was dribbling down leg.

Zimbabwe did have brief spurts of activity. Masakadza laced two fours off Morkel in the 12th over - a rasping cover drive off the front foot and an equally solid punch off the other one. Vermeulen enjoyed the shorter length as well, standing up to punch through the off side twice. But the back foot was his undoing when the offspinner Piedt was brought on in the 16th over. He nearly trod on the stumps as he got back to defend and underestimated the turn.

Brendan Taylor, who was seen in full gear in the dressing room as early as the 10th over, joined a reasonably assured Masakadza in the middle and looked to upset Piedt. He skipped down the track to loft him past mid-on and confidently swept him off the last ball before lunch. Should they exhibit the same intent, whether in offence or defence, Zimbabwe could hold out a lot longer than most expect them to. 

1st Test Day 4 PAK 451 & 4/1 V SL 533/9d

Pakistan 451 and 4 for 1 trail Sri Lanka 533 for 9 dec (Sangakkara 221, Mathews 91, Silva 64, Ajmal 5-166) by 78 runs

Kumar Sangakkara continued to torment Pakistan with his tenth double-century that took him past Brian Lara and put him only behind Don Bradman's 12. Sri Lanka began the day 199 runs behind but Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews wiped off the deficit with a 181-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Mathews fell just before tea for the fifth time in the nineties, the last three of which have all been against Pakistan, and all 91s. But Sangakkara carried on after equaling Bradman for 18 scores of 150-plus and ensured Sri Lanka had a healthy lead before they declared to leave Pakistan's tired batsmen 20 minutes to survive till stumps.

Sri Lanka had almost the perfect finish to the day when Khurram Manzoor nicked Rangana Herath behind. After conceding 451 in the first innings, they kept Pakistan in the field for six sessions, and now have the chance to put the visiting batsmen under serious pressure on the final day.

Pakistan did not help themselves by dropping Sangakkara first ball in the morning off Junaid Khan, and then on 168 off Saeed Ajmal. They did take out Mahela Jayawardene with the fourth ball of the day, but it was all Sri Lanka after that on a largely unresponsive pitch.

The first over of the day began with immense promise for Pakistan. 

The second new ball was available at the start and Junaid had Sangakkara driving the first delivery straight to Abdur Rehman at point, only for it to go through his hands. 

Junaid had Jayawardene edging the second past the cordon and beat him with the third. The fourth moved back to hit the pad, and Pakistan reviewed successfully against umpire Ian Gould's decision, replays showing the ball hitting the stumps near the top.

The slight movement that had brought the wicket disappeared soon and the drop only made Sangakkara concentrate harder. Unless the ball was really full or short, he was not going for it. He was alert enough into his fifth session of batting to keep working singles and twos regularly. At the other end was a man whose batting average as captain gets more unbelievable by the day.

Mathews calmly eased Junaid through extra cover to start off. Saeed Ajmal found plenty of slow turn and bounce at times, but his good length allowed Mathews to go right back and either hit him through off or work him to leg. A few did pop up off Mathews' pad, but they could not snare the inside edge.

Mohammad Talha lacked Junaid's discipline and even as he beat the batsmen now and then, he also did not make them play much. Talha tried the short ball against Mathews after lunch, and did have him top-edging a pull, only for the ball to sail over long leg.

Again, Rehman was used much less than Ajmal was, and again, he was less penetrative. Pakistan were also poor in the field, unable to cut out a few boundaries and singles. With no pressure exerted by either bowlers or fielders, Sri Lanka added 111 in 31 overs in the second session, and 84 in 23.1 after tea.

Just a couple of overs before tea, Ajmal had Mathews edging a doosra, and Younis Khan, who had put down Sangakkara, did not miss this time at slip. Ajmal now toyed with Kithuruwan Vithanage, beating him with doosras and offbreaks. 

He ended the session by ripping one past Sangakkara's outside edge, and consumed Vithanage, Niroshan Dickwella and Dilruwan Perera soon after the interval. Ajmal had waited 46.2 overs for a wicket, the longest he has ever had to; he would pick up five in just under 13 overs. It was his most expensive five-for, at 166 runs. 

Tea Sri Lanka 449 for 4 (Sangakkara 189*, Vithanage 5*) trail Pakistan 451 by 2 runs

Kumar Sangakkara continued to torment Pakistan as he and Angelo Mathews wiped off the deficit in a productive second session. Mathews fell just before tea for the fifth time in the nineties, the last three of which have all been against Pakistan, and all 91s. Sangakkara equaled Don Bradman for 18 scores of 150-plus and was 11 short of what would be his tenth double, putting him only behind Bradman's 12.

Pakistan dropped Sangakkara first ball in the morning off Junaid Khan, and then on 168 off Saeed Ajmal. They did take out Mahela Jayawardene with the fourth ball of the day, but it was all Sri Lanka after that. Sangakkara and Mathews put on 181 for the fourth wicket as Pakistan flagged on a largely unresponsive pitch.

The first over of the day began with immense promise for Pakistan. The second new ball was available at the start and Junaid had Sangakkara driving the first delivery straight to Abdur Rehman at point, only for it to go through his hands. 

Junaid had Jayawardene edging the second past the cordon and beat him with the third. The fourth moved back to hit the pad, and Pakistan reviewed successfully against umpire Ian Gould's decision, replays showing the ball hitting the stumps near the top.

The slight movement that had brought the wicket disappeared soon and the drop only made Sangakkara concentrate harder. 

Unless the ball was really full or short, he was not going for it. He was alert enough into his fifth session of batting to keep working singles and twos regularly. At the other end was a man whose batting average as captain gets more unbelievable by the day.

Mathews calmly eased Junaid through extra cover to start off. Saeed Ajmal found plenty of slow turn and bounce at times, but his good length allowed Mathews to go right back and either hit him through off or work him to leg. A few did pop up off Mathews' pad, but they could not snare the inside edge.

Mohammad Talha lacked Junaid's discipline and even as he beat the batsmen now and then, he also did not make them play much. Talha tried the short ball against Mathews after lunch, and did have him top-edging a pull, only for the ball to sail over long leg.

Again, Rehman was used much less than Ajmal was, and again, he was less penetrative. Pakistan were also poor in the field, unable to cut out a few boundaries and singles. With no pressure exerted by either bowlers or fielders, Sri Lanka added 111 in 31 overs in the second session. 

Just a couple of overs before tea, Ajmal had Mathews edging a doosra, and Younis Khan, who had put down Sangakkara, did not miss this time at slip. Ajmal had waited 46.2 overs for a wicket, the longest he has ever had to, and he now toyed with Kithuruwan Vithanage, beating him several times with doosras and offbreaks. Ajmal ended the session by ripping one past Sangakkara's outside edge, but with Sri Lanka set to take what could become a troublesome lead, it is Pakistan's batsmen who will be more worried.


Lunch Sri Lanka 338 for 3 (Sangakkara 140*, Mathews 43*) trail Pakistan 451 by 113 runs

Pakistan dropped Kumar Sangakkara first ball in the morning and took out Mahela Jayawardene with the fourth, but it was all Sri Lanka after that. Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews cut the deficit down to 113 by lunch as Pakistan flagged on the still unresponsive pitch.

The first over of the day began with immense promise for Pakistan. The second new ball was available at the start and Junaid Khan had Sangakkara driving the first delivery straight to Abdur Rehman at point, only for it to go through his hands. 

Junaid had Jayawardene edging the second past the cordon and beat him with the third. The fourth moved back to hit the pad, and Pakistan reviewed successfully against umpire Ian Gould's decision, replays showing the ball hitting the stumps near the top.

The slight movement that had brought the wicket disappeared soon, and barring beating both edges of the bat on occasion, Pakistan did not come close to breaking through again. The drop only made Sangakkara concentrate harder. Unless the ball was really full or short, he was not going for it.

Saeed Ajmal was left wicketless so far for only the sixth time in his 64 Test innings. He sent down 39 of the 109 overs till lunch, and the good length that he operated on allowed the batsmen to play him off the back foot on the slow pitch. A few did pop up off Mathews' pad, but they could not snare the inside edge.

Mathews' batting average as captain continues gets more unbelievable by the day, and he calmly eased Junaid through extra cover to start off. Ajmal found plenty of slow turn and bounce at times, but his length allowed Mathews to go right back and either hit him through off or nudge him fine down leg.

Mohammad Talha lacked Junaid's discipline and even as he beat the batsmen now and then, he also did not make them play much. Again, Rehman was used much less than Ajmal was, and again, he was far less penetrative.

Pakistan were poorer in the field, unable to cut out a few boundaries and singles. With no pressure exerted by either bowlers or fielders, Sangakkara and Mathews had added 81 by the break. 

4th Test Day 2 ENG 237/6 V IND 152

Stumps Report: Day two of the fourth Test between England and India has been abandoned for the day at Old Trafford with the hosts currently on 237-6.

The players were forced off the field at 2.15pm during the afternoon session, shortly after they returned from lunch with England having lost three wickets.

Rain descended upon the Old Trafford pitch, but while the clouds eventually cleared, standing puddles of water on the outfield became the main issue for umpires.

After three pitch inspections, it was decided that play would not be able to resume for 6pm, which has left England with an 85-run advantage after dismissing the tourists for 152 yesterday.

Joe Root, who is two runs shy of a half-century on 48, and Jos Buttler (22 not out) will return to the crease tomorrow for day three.

The series currently stands at 1-1.


Lunch Report: England have opened up a 49-run advantage over India at lunch on day two of the fourth Test match at Old Trafford.

After resuming on 113-3, England added another 23 runs before night-watchman Chris Jordan was dismissed for 13.

Ian Bell, who had earlier reached his half-century, soon followed for 58, but Joe Root and Moeen Ali went some way to restoring calm in the middle with a 30-run partnership.

However, Varun Aaron struck to remove Ali for 13, which also saw him pick up his third wicket, to reduce England to 170-6, but Jos Buttler joined Root at the crease to help England to 201-6 at the end of the session.

1st Test Day 3 PAK 451 V SL 252/2

Stumps: Sri Lanka have made steady progress in a rain-hit day three of the first Test against Pakistan after ending on 252-2 with the help of Kumar Sangakkara's century.

The 36-year-old, who survived an lbw shout on 13 runs, led Sri Lanka's attack by storming to his Test century after lunch.

Openers Upul Tharanga (19) and Kaushal Silva (64) were the first to go in Sri Lanka's innings, but Sangakkara has helped his side build up their total alongside Mahela Jayawardene.

The 37-year-old managed to earn a half-century in Galle, despite bad weather causing a number of delays for the players.

Once the dreary weather clears up, Sangakkara (102 not out) and Jayawardene (55 not out) will return to the crease.

Sri Lanka trail Pakistan by 199 runs.

Lunch: Kumar Sangakkara is looking solid as he continues on 63 not out on day three as Sri Lanka go into lunch at 174/2.

The Sri Lanka legend could have been out for lbw for just 13 had Saeed Ajmal went for the review, but he has gone on to make 63 runs.

Junaid Khan's bowling has been ineffective and Mahela Jayawardene has offered good support, putting Pakistan on the back foot despite the lead.

The visitor's healthy 451 outing looked a tough ask for the Sri Lankans, but an impressive session from Jayawardene and Sangakkara has got Pakistan thinking.

4th Test Day 1 ENG 113/3 V IND 152

Stuart Broad took six wickets and James Anderson three as England assumed control of the fourth Test against India on an action-packed opening day at Old Trafford.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, India collapsed to 8-4 as Broad and Anderson found prodigious swing and carry on a bouncy wicket.

   Captain Mahendra Dhoni countered with 71, but Broad blew away the tail to bowl India out for 152, a total in which a record-equalling six batsmen were out for ducks.

England lost both openers cheaply, but rallied to reach 113-3 by the close, with Ian Bell unbeaten on 45.

Bell added 77 with Gary Ballance, whose dismissal for 37 in the final over of the day gave a second wicket to fast bowler Varun Aaron, one of three India players making their first appearances of the series.

England's near perfect day has put them in a strong position from which to go 2-1 up with one match to play.

Six ducks in a Test innings
Pakistan v West Indies (Karachi, 1980)
South Africa v India (Ahmedabad, 1996)
Bangladesh v West Indies (Dhaka, 2002)
India v England (Old Trafford, 2014)

It represents a remarkable turnaround for a team whose heavy defeat in the second Test at Lord's extended their winless run to 10 matches and prompted widespread calls for captain Alastair Cook to stand down.

Here in Manchester, Cook was indebted to Dhoni's decision to bat first under grey skies and Anderson, whose brilliant opening burst underlined his importance to the side in the week he was cleared of misconduct for his fracas with India's Ravindra Jadeja.

Broad, who will undergo knee surgery after the fifth Test, was not far behind, although his final four wickets owed more to poor batting than fine bowling.

After the start of play had been delayed half-an-hour by rain, Broad instigated the rout when he had experienced opener Gautam Gambhir - drafted in for the struggling Shikhar Dhawan - caught by Joe Root in the gully.

Fourteen mad minutes, and three immaculate away-swingers later, the tourists were four down.

Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli both nicked Anderson to Alastair Cook at first slip, and Cheteshwar Pujara poked at Broad and was well taken by Chris Jordan at fourth.

Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott on BBC Test Match Special
"Because there is some rain around in a couple of days, the best thing for England is that they get runs but also get bowled out. That means they get a chance to bowl tomorrow night and then on Saturday. I'd bury India before any rain comes."

With Anderson and Broad expertly exploiting helpful conditions, India were in danger of total meltdown, but captain Dhoni led a recovery of sorts.

He added 54 with Ajinkya Rahane, who was out on the stroke of lunch, and 66 with Ravichandran Ashwin, who counter-attacked with an entertaining 40 off 42 balls.

In between, there was a satisfying moment for Anderson, as he followed two outswingers with a beautifully disguised inswinger to have his Trent Bridge nemesis Jadeja trapped lbw for a duck.

The last four wickets arrived in relatively quick succession during another fine spell from Broad before tea.

Most consecutive Test matches played
153 - Allan Border (Australia, 1979-1994)
107 - Mark Waugh (Australia, 1993-2002)
106 - Sunil Gavaskar (India, 1975-1987)
105* - Alastair Cook (England, 2006-date)
96 - Adam Gilchrist (Australia, 1999-2008)
94* - AB de Villiers (South Africa, 2004-date)
*current appearance streak

Ashwin and Dhoni were both caught slogging, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pankaj Singh were clean bowled to take the tally of ducks to six.

Kumar stuck an early blow with the ball when Sam Robson was bowled shouldering arms to an inswinger.

The Middlesex opener now has only 69 runs in his last five Test innings and could soon come under pressure for his place.

Meanwhile, Cook's search for a first Test hundred since May 2013 goes on. The captain could not resist hooking fast bowler Varun Aaron and planting a catch into the hands of deep backward square leg.

At 36-2, India had an opening, but England reasserted themselves through Ballance and Bell.

Ballance, who has three hundreds in his last five Tests, started slowly before finding the boundary with sweetly timed drives on both sides of the wicket.

Bell was aggressive from the outset, hitting seven fours and swatting Ashwin over his head for six to emphasise England's supremacy.

1st Test Day 2 PAK 451 v SL 99/1

Sri Lanka 99 for 1 (Silva 38*, Sangakkara 36*) trail Pakistan 451 (Younis 177, Shafiq 75, Perera 5-137) by 352 runs

Pakistan posted their second-highest total in the first innings of a Test in the past eight years as the lower middle order weighed in after Younis Khan's 177. Sri Lanka toiled for five sessions on a pitch that went placid after the first morning and conceded 450-plus in successive first innings in Galle - South Africa had made 455 last month. The hosts lost Upul Tharanga early, but Kumar Sangakkara and Kaushal Silva's partnership had steadily grown to 75 by stumps.

The overnight batsmen Younis and Asad Shafiq could add only 32 on the day before the latter was taken out by Rangana Herath. But Younis hung around to add 66 with Sarfraz Ahmed, who came in with a Test average of 18.58 and batted positively to make a fifty. So did Abdur Rehman, whose blows at No. 8 tipped Pakistan over 450.

There was next to nothing for the fast bowlers on the second morning on a drying pitch under overcast skies in sharp contrast to the first hour on day one. The surface was sedate, and Younis and Shafiq got going with nudges past gully. The only chance Sri Lanka created was an edge produced off Younis by Dhammika Prasad that fell short of first slip.

Angelo Mathews turned to Herath after six overs, but Shafiq stepped out and lofted him for six. Mathews brought himself on and tied Shafiq down with a couple of maidens. Shafiq, who had moved to 75 off 130, went scoreless for 15 balls before failing to pick Herath's arm ball and falling leg-before.

Sarfraz arrived and swept his first ball for two. He drove eagerly too, and the increased pace of scoring allowed Younis to continue in his own solid way. His leaving and defence were absolutely safe, like they had been through his innings.

He continued to be on the right side of reviews, Sri Lanka finding he had gloved a Herath ball onto pad on 147 as they appealed for leg-before. 

The 150 came up with a powerful drive off Shaminda Eranga through extra cover for four. Younis gave an opportunity to the same bowler when on 156, but Eranga could not hold onto another sharp drive in his followthrough. As the break neared, Younis jumped out and drove Herath inside-out through extra cover, leaving Sri Lanka staring at another afternoon on the field.

They were to strike soon after lunch, though. Younis went after Dilruwan Perera, off whom he took 58 off 61, again. 

He reverse-swept him from the line of leg stump for two, tried again and missed the second time and jumped out to the third ball but only chipped it to midwicket.

Sarfraz showed off his timing now, walking across to Prasad and clipping him four to deep midwicket. Even he was to fall to Perera on the leg side, when he hit one to short mid-on trying to go over the top.

Rehman had been targeted persistently with the short ball, but on a slow pitch, had survived without much trouble. He grew in confidence to take three successive fours off Eranga's short stuff. Two were cut over the cordon, while the third was whipped through square leg.

Even as Mathews sent several fielders to the deep, Rehman started stepping out to loft Perera for boundaries. One such attempt failed to clear wide long-off and Perera finished with five wickets, but Pakistan had scored freely off him, taking 137 in 31.5 overs from the offspinner and 190 in 52.5 for the day.

Sri Lanka's reply started in a frenzy of outside edges, none of which carried. Tharanga lasted 15 deliveries, and his innings was a mix of edges and copping it on the pad as he often fell over in his stance. It seemed only a matter of time before he nicked off or went leg-before and Junaid Khan chose the latter mode.

Mohammad Talha had Silva edging his first ball short of first slip. Silva's first three fours were outside edges, but to his credit he was trying to play softly, especially off the back foot. 

The story continued against the spinners, as an edge off Rehman went just past the keeper and bounced inches in front of Younis at slip. Silva's struggle to find the middle of the bat extended late into the day, but he also put away some rare wide ones from the spinners.

Sangakkara began with an edged boundary through the slips as well, but tightened up later. Pakistan did not refer an lbw appeal against him when he was on 13, and replays showed Saeed Ajmal's delivery would have hit leg stump. 

Sangakkara went without a boundary for 57 balls before he pulled and drove Junaid for two in an over just before stumps. Pakistan ended the day still comfortably ahead, but this is one wicket they will want early next morning. 

1st Test Day 1 PAK (261/4) V SL

Pakistan 261 for 4 (Younis 133*, Shafiq 55*) v Sri Lanka

When Misbah-ul-Haq chose to bat, the skies were overcast and the pitch had been under covers following overnight rain. The ball moved around for a while, and Pakistan lost their openers inside six overs. 

Then came in Younis Khan and fought his way through to lunch. By stumps, Younis was batting on 133, had equalled Mohammad Yousuf for 24 Test centuries, the second-most by a Pakistani, and had gone past the latter's 7530 Test runs.

Younis and Azhar Ali started the resistance from 19 for 2. Younis then added 100 with his captain Misbah and piled on an unbroken 105 with Asad Shafiq. 

Rangana Herath persevered for 26 overs, and took out Azhar Ali and Misbah with rippers, but even he could not dislodge Younis, who just got better and better as the day progressed.

There was swing as well as seam in the morning, and the hustling pace of Dhammika Prasad made the combination hard to tackle. He moved the ball in consistently and took the odd one away, leaving Azhar, in particular, groping. 

Before that, Ahmed Shehzad failed to cover enough for an inswinger, and chopped on his third ball on to the middle stump. His opening partner, Khurram Manzoor, kept falling over in his stance and was caught in front with another incoming delivery.

Azhar, aside from his struggles, also played some lovely cover drives for fours. Those boundaries were a fitting reply to the pressure Prasad created, but after the burst from the fast bowler, Pakistan had to contend with relentless examination from Herath. 

Finding turn and occasional bounce early in the match, Herath pitched one on middle stump, drew Azhar forward, and spun it past the outside edge to strike the top of off.

Younis took his time as usual, gradually playing himself in. He hung back when he could, and also used the sweep regularly to counter the spinners. 

The frequency of the stroke only increased after lunch, and Younis swept and reverse-swept Dilruwan Perera off successive deliveries. It was Misbah's turn to try a paddle off the very next ball, and Perera switched to round the wicket thereafter.

It only allowed Younis to bat even more positively against the offspinner; the batsman collected 48 off the 43 balls he faced from Perera. Just before drinks in the second session, Younis swept, lofted and drove Perera for three consecutive fours. 

Younis also stepped out to hit Perera for six. Two balls later, he hit a reverse-sweep in the air, and Mahela Jayawardene, moving to his right from slip, got both hands to it but could not hold on. Younis was on 68.

He had already reviewed twice successfully, once on 20 after being given caught behind off Prasad, and on 59 after he was adjudged leg-before to Perera. 

On the first occasion, replays showed there was no bat involved, and on the second, the ball-tracker showed the delivery would have bounced just over the stumps.

Misbah had a review against him turned down when he was yet to get off the mark, with replays signalling umpire's call on the point of impact off Angelo Mathews. 

Misbah took his first run off his 17th delivery, and his second scoring shot was a hook off Prasad off his 40th. He was happy to stay right back or lunge right forward and defend initially as Younis went about the scoring business. 

Sweeps and nudges brought him the odd run. Misbah battled till his 100th delivery proved to be a Herath stunner that pitched middle and leg and jagged past the push to take a nick through to the keeper.

Shafiq joined Younis and was quite eager to punish the bad deliveries. He was particularly severe on the cut and the pull and even charged at Herath to hit him for a straight six. 

Pakistan rotated strike faster now and quickened up the scoring before the second new ball approached. Younis launched a series of powerful drives through the off side, the standout stroke being when he moved inside the line of a Herath ball to lift it over extra cover. 

With the surface having eased out considerably, the second new ball was much easier to handle than the first, and Pakistan closed the day having taken the last two sessions. 

Sports Mole's Callum Mulvihill on Jacques Kallis career

Very few men can claim to be as naturally gifted as Sachin Tendulkar, as pleasing on the eye with the bat in hand as Brian Lara, or have the match-winning qualities of Shane Warne. Jacques Kallis wouldn't dare make those claims, but it could be argued that the South African is peerless on the international stage.

The 38-year-old announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket earlier this week, a choice which followed his decision to step away from Tests in December following a superb career for the Proteas.

Kallis made his Test debut 19 years ago against England, but his scratchy form in the early stages of his time in the South African side would soon be forgotten as he went on to write his name in the history books as one of the most consistently brilliant players in the world.

Looking back on his career, the figures prove what should already be know by everyone. Kallis is, quite simply, one of the greatest players to have ever walked onto a cricket field. The all-rounder played 166 Test matches for the Proteas, averaging 55.37 with the bat and taking 292 wickets to raise the bar for any aspiring Jack of all trades. He also appeared in 328 One-Day Internationals and 25 Twenty20 matches for his country, with his class still obvious even in the shorter formats of the game.

The importance of Kallis to South African cricket cannot be underestimated. He was the main man in the team during the period of Australian dominance in the early years of the 21st century, and his influence never wavered as the Proteas steadily marched to the top of the international game under the guidance of Graeme Smith.

Smith, thrown into the spotlight as one of the youngest captains in international cricket, is considered one of the most inspirational leaders in the sport, but his job was always made that slightly bit more easier due to the presence of Kallis.

Without ever having the look of the fitness-obsessed modern cricketer, Kallis was always the man who made the difference, and he could often define the role of a 21st century player in one day out on the field. Smith could rely on his teammate to take the key wicket when the match was drifting away from the Proteas, or play the crucial knock just when the side had their back against the wall.

62 international hundreds in all formats tell their own story. Kallis was able to play the explosive innings to bully the opposition, or the patient, defiant knock needed to save a game. However, it should be his bowling that sets him apart from his rivals. Not since the great Sir Garfield Sobers has the world seen a player combine their skills with both bat and ball so efficiently. Most all-rounders allow one side of their game to take centre stage, but Kallis was often trusted with the newer ball early in the innings, and he rarely slipped below the top four in the batting order after securing his spot in the team.

However, one questions remains. Why isn't Kallis considered the greatest player of a generation? A very small number of people seem to pick out the South African when the subject of recent legends of the sport comes up. It is likely down to the players he shared the international stage with during his career.

Tendulkar enjoys God-like status in India, and rightly so due the amount of records he broke during his time out in the middle. Lara's flair may never be seen again. Stories of Ricky Ponting's pull shot will be told for years, Muttiah Muralitharan's ability to bamboozle batsmen is the stuff of legends, and a character such as Warne might never step on the field again, but Kallis had it all.

All of these players are often put ahead of Kallis in the debate of the greatest player in the past 20 years, and each man certainly has the right to be considered a legend, but the Proteas star combined all of their greatest qualities. His stubborn defence with the bat was matched by his ability to entertain crowds with every shot in the book, and there are very few all-rounders who managed to change games as often as he did.

His laid back persona perhaps keeps him out of the conversation for the greatest of all time for some people. The Cape Town native was often shying away from the limelight, despite his consistent displays, and his modesty is probably what endears him to his millions of supporters in South Africa. However, not many players could match his hunger for the game over such a long period of time, and the Proteas may never find a true replacement.

In truth, Kallis may have fell short of being a global superstar, but there will be no arguments that the international game is poorer now that one of the true greats has stepped off the biggest stage.

ICC decide to not charge James Anderson

India are shocked that James Anderson has been found not guilty in the Trent Bridge incident involving Ravindra Jadeja, but the case boiled down to one team's word against the other when it became clear crucial video evidence was not available.

The alleged pushing incident took place in the only small corridor that was not monitored by the ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) cameras, a fact the BCCI is now likely to raise with the ICC. 

There was no video evidence presented by the ICC, who was prosecuting Anderson in this case, to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Anderson had pushed Jadeja without provocation. However, once the BCCI had laid the charge, the ICC had no option but to take up the case against Anderson.

Anderson has admitted to pushing Jadeja - by the fact that the ECB did not contest that element of Jadeja's initial hearing - but his case rested on his version that he acted in self-defence after Jadeja allegedly turned around aggressively towards him. 

The BCCI lawyers were present at the hearing, but they were allowed to cross-examine the witnesses only in the appeal against the guilty verdict for Jadeja, which they got overturned successfully.

England added Stuart Broad to the witnesses that appeared in the Jadeja hearing: Matt Prior and Ben Stokes. India had their physiotherapist, Evan Speechly, present at the case in addition to Gautam Gambhir and R Ashwin. 

The hearing went on for over six hours, but some of the time went into sorting technical glitches with the judicial commissioner Gordon Lewis sitting in on the hearing via video link from Australia.

The incident happened as the players were walking off for lunch on the second day of the Trent Bridge Test. In the last over before lunch, Jadeja had survived an appeal for a catch at the wicket off the bowling of Anderson, after which the bowler was seen having a word with Jadeja. The chirping continued on the way back to the pavilion. 

The players walked up the stairs through the crowd, then into a narrow corridor - where the incident is said to have happened - and then through a staircase into the individual changing rooms.

The ICC's ACSU camera captured the players walking up the stairs through the crowd, and Speechly coming down the staircase from the dressing room with Dhoni at the edge of the steps. The said video was played at the hearing. 

However, there is no footage from the corridor that connects the two staircases. Witnesses present at the hearing confirmed that the incident took place in that corridor. 

The BCCI is going to take up with the ICC the issue of this area not being covered by the ACSU, but ESPNcricinfo could not independently verify if this corridor indeed is a Players and Match Officials (PMO) area, which has to be monitored by the ICC.

There was a camera in place there, but it is not clear if the camera was the ICC's or Nottinghamshire's or the host broadcaster's. At times in the past, during cricket in England, Sky TV has shown players walking out from just outside their dressing room all the way through the long room and corridors and onto the field. 

The commissioner heard that the said camera was not working that day. The BCCI is likely to pursue this issue.

At the current moment, the fact remains that there is no video evidence of what happened in the corridor. That being the case, it all came down to one team's word against the other. India remained adamant that Jadeja was not at fault, and that he did not turn around aggressively, and was only reacting to abuse from Anderson. 

That was the reason why they appealed the earlier guilty verdict against Jadeja, and got it overturned.

Anderson admitted to having had an altercation with Jadeja, but contended he did so in self-defence. The witnesses put up by England were consistent in their response. They were called in to testify separately, and ESPNcricinfo understands their versions were almost identical.

A detailed judgement is yet to be delivered, and the BCCI refused to comment until it had seen the detailed verdict. However, it has no right to appeal because it was the ICC's case once the charge was laid. The only man who has the right to appeal now is Dave Richardson, the ICC CEO.

If he does appeal, the ICC's legal head will appoint an Appeal Panel comprising three members from the ICC's Code of Conduct commission. However, Lewis' decision will remain in effect while under appeal, unless the Appeal Panel orders otherwise.