3rd ODI SA 171/3 beat ZIM 165 by 7 wickets

South Africa 171 for 3 (de Kock 84) beat Zimbabwe 165 (Chigumbura 90, de Lange 3-31) by seven wickets 

A trio of changes to both teams and a change of approach which saw Zimbabwe bat first brought no change in proceedings as South Africa swept their eighth three-match series against Zimbabwe. 

Even without their regular ODI captain AB de Villiers, who was rested for this match, two debutants in their XI and being a batsman short, South Africa dominated a Zimbabwean team that were without their senior-most batsman Brendan Taylor, who was dropped along with Brian Vitori and Neville Madziva.

Taylor's axing came just two games after he was relieved of the limited-overs captaincy and after he managed just 20 runs in the two matches before this one. His long-standing reputation as the pivot around which the middle-order functions earned him no rope but his absence was notable as Zimbabwe suffered another collapse. 

Five wickets fell for 15 runs a six-over period to undo the recovery Sikandar Raza and Elton Chigumbura fashioned following another stuttering start.

With an additional seamer in their XI, South Africa posed even more of a threat than usual and Zimbabwe were silenced from the start. Kyle Abbott and Marchant de Lange added another item to the things they have in common after both took seven wickets on Test debut, when they both claimed wickets in their first over of this match.

Abbott had Hamilton Masakadza out lbw when he beat his inside-edge with a full delivery and de Lange, making his return after 30 months out of the international game, had Richmond Mutumbami caught at second slip with his first ball.

Chigumbura's was promoted to Taylor's No. 4 position but it was Sikandar Raza Butt, not the new captain, who calmed the early nerves. 

Butt was confident against the both the short and the full ball and struck seven boundaries which suggested he could single-handedly haul Zimbabwe out of trouble. He sent Abbott through midwicket, smoked de Lange through the covers and took three fours off Ryan McLaren first over but then threw it away.

Faf du Plessis stationed a man at deep square leg for the pull and Raza played one straight into his hands, leaving Chigumbura to steer the innings from the 11th over. 

Sean Williams was in even earlier than he has been in the two matches so far but did not produce this time. He hung around with Chigumbura for 11.2 overs in which Parnell and rookie Mthokozisi Shezi squeezed them with changes of pace, and was bowled when trying to sweep Aaron Phangiso.

The loss of Williams forced Chigumbura to become even more quiet, an approach Malcolm Waller mirrored so well his presence barely registered on the radar. Waller scratched around until he was caught behind off the glove off de Lange. 

The next four wickets fell swiftly as Abbott claimed a second, Parnell took two in two and Shezi got first international scalp when Tafadzwa Kamungozi was given out lbw even though the ball pitched outside leg stump.

Amid the carnage, Chigumbura had crawled to 48 and as soon as the Powerplay began, he converted that. He whipped a Parnell yorker through midwicket to reach his half-century off 102 balls, and then cut loose.

McLaren's slower bouncer took the most punishment and Chigumbura plundered two fours and then two sixes in consecutive overs. Chigumbura scored 40 off 20 balls to reach his highest ODI score and frustrate South Africa's bowlers at the end but his contribution was never going to be enough to force a favourable result for Zimbabwe.

A sliver of hope came when Rilee Rossouw was run-out in the first over thanks to his own urgency to get off the mark and Waller's direct hit, but South Africa's line-up had their best to come. Quinton de Kock made himself at home in a senior role and scored briskly while du Plessis played with more freedom than he has all series.

Before 10 overs were up, South Africa had already cut the target to less than 100. The second-wicket stand was worth 70 when du Plessis was bowled through the gate by Sean Williams but de Kock seemed certain to take South Africa to the close. 

He brought his second half-century of the series with a chip over mid-off and his aggression after that took him within touching distance of a century. After sending Tinashe Panyangara over long-off for six, de Kock tried to do it again but misplaced it to deep midwicket to leave JP Duminy to finish off.

South Africa won inside 28 overs and will enter the triangular series, which also involves Australia, brimming with confidence. Zimbabwe will head there in completely the opposite frame of mind. They remain starved of success and now have created more questions for themselves to answer ahead of duels with two of the most intimidating outfits around. 

1st ODI WI 219/7 v BAN 217/9 (WI won by 3 wickets)

West Indies 219 for 7 (Pollard 89, Ramdin 74, Al-Amin 4-51) beat Bangladesh 217 for 9 (Anamul 109, Bravo 4-32) by three wickets

Kieron Pollard and Denesh Ramdin fought to bring West Indies out of trouble and secured a tense victory, the absence of which would have raised questions over whether the sudden departure of the coach Ottis Gibson on the eve of the series had adversely impacted the side. Their counterattacking stand of 145 forced Bangladesh to give up yet another great match-winning position, in the first ODI in Grenada.

For nearly an hour into West Indies' innings, the happenings on the field mirrored the apparent confusion off it. When Pollard joined Ramdin at the crease at 34 for 5 in 13.1 overs, in pursuit of 218, the chase was on its last legs. They produced two timely and well-paced innings. 

Ramdin did the early running, ensuring building blocks were put in place after the rot that ate up half the batting order. He ran hard, found gaps regularly and saw to it that Pollard was not deprived of the strike. It was key that Pollard finds his groove, and 16 balls into the partnership, he struck a straight six off Al-Amin Hossain.

Boundaries started to flow as Pollard began to swing freely, but his head remained so still as his arms, hip and feet worked fluidly to smash deliveries into the stands. West Indies passed 100 in the 26th over and Pollard got to 50 off 39 balls.

By the time Ramdin brought up his half-century in the 31st over, Bangladesh had all but given up. A small rain delay broke the flow of the partnership, but despite Ramdin's dismissal for 74 off 76 balls shortly after the resumption, Pollard thundered on a little longer. 

He was dismissed for 89 off 70 balls in the 38th over, with West Indies 17 away from the target, via a marvelous running catch from Mahmudullah to give Al-Amin his fourth wicket. The tail, however, ensured their good work with the ball was not undone

Knowing they did not posses the power of Pollard, Bangladesh had built their total with a different approach. Their challenge to West Indies centred around how long Anamul Haque could stay focused in the middle. After a restrained but encouraging start by Tamim Iqbal, the innings meandered for a considerable period, and though it regained some momentum, it never really hit the right pitch.

Following a hard-earned opening stand of 41, Tamim pulled a catch to short midwicket, after which Imrul Kayes and Anamul were involved in a collision that led to Kayes being run out. The middle-order batsmen played sensibly before getting out to soft dismissals and at 141 for 5, Bangladesh were poised to unravel.

Nasir Hossain and Anamul then scrapped to add 53 for the sixth wicket, somehow surviving against Sunil Narine, who zipped deliveries in and out and was on a roll during the Powerplay. West Indies bowled haphazardly for most parts except when Narine was in the attack, but he went wicketless while Dwayne Bravo picked up four with mostly ordinary deliveries.

Anamul did not look assured, but even when he is punishing bowlers, he seems always to give a chance. He survived a close lbw appeal in the 36th over, but he looked unflustered by the happenings at the other end or out of Narine's hand. In the nineties Anamul lifted one towards midwicket, where he was dropped by Kirk Edwards, and soon celebrated his century with a fierce scream.

Bangladesh began their defence of 217 with consecutive maidens from Sohag Gazi and Mashrafe Mortaza, and they continued to keep Chris Gayle and Kirk Edwards quiet. The chase had gone nowhere after five overs and Gayle's frustration boiled over. He was caught at third man off a top edge.

Mushfiqur then took two sharp catches. He dived to his left to snatch a steer from Darren Bravo and then moved slightly forward to grab Lendl Simmons and give Al-Amin his second wicket. Edwards had swiped and was bowled by Mahmudullah and by the 14th over West Indies had also lost their captain to a loose pull that was caught at deep square leg.

That was the cue for the Ramdin-Pollard show. They did not start flashily but Pollard began to knock a few big ones, while Ramdin rotated strike, and Bangladesh wilted.

There wasn't much wrong with Mushfiqur's rotation of bowlers as he tried to pick up the vital sixth wicket. His fields, however, were too standard and he hardly attacked the batsmen. Because the first five wickets had come with almost similar fields for all bowlers, Mushfiqur did not see many reasons to change things. It has never been his style.

Al-Amin conceding so much after taking three quick wickets didn't help. Mashrafe Mortaza and Sohag Gazi bowled superbly early on but were ineffective in their second spells. 

Taskin Ahmed hasn't played enough for anyone to think of judging him on his loose lines, while the allrounders Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain didn't make much of an impact. The upshot was that West Indies were able to pull off an escape act.

2nd ODI SA 257 V ZIM 196

South Africa 257 (du Plessis 55, Utseya 2-39) beat Zimbabwe 196 (Williams 55, McLaren 3-21) by 61 runs

Not even Zimbabwe's most successful performance in the field against South Africa in 15 years could change the inevitable. Despite bowling their big brothers out for the first time since the 1999 World Cup, and just the third time in their 34-ODI history, Zimbabwe could not avoid a series defeat.

After stemming South Africa's speedy start and punctuating their progress by plucking through their middle and lower order, Zimbabwe gave themselves the best chance of levelling the series and then squandered it. Their batting proved brittle with only Sean Williams and the tail mounting any resistance. The rest engineered their own downfall against a disciplined but not overly dangerous South African attack. 

Zimbabwe would have known there were no demons in the pitch when they watched South Africa bat. Apart from the usual sluggishness and a small amount of turn, South Africa found runs with nothing more than old-fashioned digging in and that it was possible to play with relative freedom in parts. 

Quinton de Kock breezed to a sprightly 38, helped by Brian Vitori's struggles to find a strangling line as he made his return from an ankle niggle, and became the join fastest to 1000 ODI runs. De Kock shares the record with Jonathan Trott, who also reached the milestone in 21 innings. 

De Kock only added one run to the landmark figure before becoming the second of three quick wickets, as Zimbabwe wrested control of the innings. Both he and Hashim Amla fell to John Nyumbu and AB de Villiers was run out freakishly after thinking he had paddled the ball past wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami, when in fact it had stopped at the wicketkeeper's feet. 

South Africa lost three wickets for 13 in the space of 26 deliveries to land Faf du Plessis in a familiar rebuilding role. With JP Duminy, du Plessis negotiated Zimbabwe spinners, Sikandar Raza included, with care. For seven overs they could not find the boundary and had to be content with 26 runs in ones and twos before Duminy was bowled around his legs. 

David Miller failed to take advantage of the more than 20 overs he had in front of him until the latter stages of his innings, when he was the key protagonist in South Africa's most profitable over. Luke Jongwe was taken for 18 runs in the penultimate over of the Powerplay, a period in which South Africa scored 43 runs but lost both du Plessis and Miller. 

Du Plessis was their only half-centurion, proof that watchfulness can go further than all-out aggression on occasion. His enterprising innings meant that by the time South Africa entered the final fifth of their innings they were in almost exactly the same position as they were in during the first ODI, at least in runs terms. On Sunday, South Africa had been 208 for 1. On Tuesday, they were 206 for 6.

The wickets were testament to Elton Chigumbura's more creative captaincy - he rotated bowlers with more thought and set better fields - and the spinners' stranglehold. But South Africa's lower middle order was still capable of mounting a surge. Wayne Parnell and Kyle Abbott put on 41 runs for the eighth wicket to take the score past 250 and leave the contest well-balanced at the halfway stage.

Zimbabwe would have been pleased with their last 10-over squeeze of 51 for 4, until their own first 12 were complete. As was the case in the first ODI, Zimbabwe lost the match in the space of 22 overs when the chase was crippled in its infancy. 

Mutumbami was dropped on 3 by de Villiers at second slip but added just nine more before being trapped lbw by an Aaron Phangiso arm ball. Hamilton Masakadza left a gap between bat and pad, which Parnell snuck through with a good-length ball, and Raza left a Ryan McLaren ball that angled into him. 

At 26 for 3, Brendan Taylor was considered Zimbabwe's last hope but he disappointed again when he hit Duminy straight to Miller at long-on. Williams held together the middle order but found few allies as McLaren and Parnell, who picked up his 50th ODI wicket when Chigumbura top-edged a short ball that got big on him to mid-on, sliced through. 

The margin of defeat was cut by a stubborn ninth-wicket stand of 41 in 5.3 overs between Neville Madziva and Nyumbu, who thrilled his home crowd with his shot-making, and lusty blows from Vitori, who took 20 runs off Duminy's last over. 

That will come as scant consolation for Zimbabwe. They were mostly bossed by a South African side that has both a trophy and a cupboard full of reserve bowlers with a game to go before this series is officially over. 

2nd Test Day 5 SL 320 & 282 beat PAK 332 & 165 by 105 runs

    

Sri Lanka 320 (Tharanga 92, Junaid 5-87) and 282 (Sangakkara 59, Jayawardene 54, Wahab 3-76, Ajmal 3-89) beat Pakistan 332 (Sarfraz 103, Herath 9-127) and 165 (Sarfraz 55, Herath 5-57) by 105 runs

It took Sri Lanka just under an hour on the fifth morning to wrap up the Pakistan innings and kick off the celebrations at the SSC. 

A 2-0 win in his final series in the presence of his family, fans and team-mates - current and former, a silken-shot laden final innings - Mahela Jayawardene could not have asked for a better farewell after a glittering 17-year-old career. The firecrackers were set alight the moment Wahab Riaz top-edged a sweep off Rangana Herath to become the bowler's 14th wicket in the match.

Emotions ran high as Jayawardene was carried around the ground on the shoulders of his team-mates, the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa among the hordes of fans who had come over to say their goodbyes to the legend. The Pakistan team, led by their coach Waqar Younis, joined in congratulating the batsman.

The result of the match was not in doubt once Pakistan had lost seven wickets in the last session of the fourth day but heavy showers on the fifth morning had threatened a delayed start. The clouds parted just in time for the groundstaff to get the ground ready but it still took 40 minutes for Sri Lanka to break a stubborn stand between Sarfraz Ahmed and Wahab.

Sarfraz, Pakistan's best batsman in the series with a half-century in each innings, swept Chanaka Welegedara's first ball in the 10th over of the day straight to deep square leg and, with Junaid Khan unavailable, it was a matter of time before Sri Lanka closed the game. Fittingly, it was Herath who picked the last wicket to complete yet another five-wicket haul and make it 23 wickets in the two Tests - a record for a two-match series. His 14-184 were also the second-best figures by a bowler against Pakistan.

From a Pakistan perspective, the margin of defeat in the series was not a true reflection of how close the matches were. Playing their first Test in seven months, the team fought hard both in Galle and Colombo, but suffered second-innings collapses. The series loss meant they also dropped from third to sixth position in the ICC Test rankings. 

1st ODI SA 309/3 V ZIM 216 (South Africa win by 93 runs)

South Africa 309 for 3 (Amla 122*, de Kock 63, Nyumbu 2-52) beat Zimbabwe 216 (Masakadza 61, Phangiso 3-43) by 93 runs

Hashim Amla's 15th ODI hundred, his third against Zimbabwe and his fourth in six matches, led South Africa through a speedy start, sedate middle and ultimately to a sparkling finish, as the visitors took the series lead in Bulawayo.

Amla shared century stands with Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis, who both brought up fifties, as South Africa posted a towering 309 which Zimbabwe never realistically looked like reaching.

Although the margin of defeat suggests Zimbabwe's downfall was with the bat, they acquitted themselves fairly well against an attack mostly made up of South Africa's reserves. It was with the ball, however, that they lost the game.

With three rookies in their ranks, Zimbabwe's pack lacked the pace to inject life into a slow wicket, and received no assistance from the healthy cloud covering in the morning. They could also not take proper advantage of the significant spin on offer.

As a result, when the first signs of turn were evident in the 14th over, Zimbabwe had already failed to rein South Africa in. De Kock pounced on anything short and wide to score 42 of the 46 runs during a five-over period in which South Africa's intent to stamp their authority was made clear.

Teenager Luke Jongwe and the spin duo of Prosper Utseya and Williams pulled South Africa back and slowed de Kock down, even though his half-century came off 42 balls. 

John Nyumbu prevented de Kock from keeping his 100% conversion record when he offered flight and de Kock attempted to clear the offside field but found only Brendan Taylor at backward point.

With de Kock's dismissal, Zimbabwe enforced more of a stranglehold. Amla and Faf du Plessis, batting in the No.3 spot left vacant by Jacques Kallis, managed only 58 runs, without a single boundary in the 14 overs that followed the opening stand. 

Zimbabwe could have eventually claimed Amla's wicket as a trophy for their efforts, but Shingi Masakadza put him down on 62 in his follow-through.

It took South Africa until the final over of the power-play to reignite their run-scoring flame. Du Plessis took four boundaries off Jongwe, a slap through mid-wicket, a fortuitous edge, a loft over the covers and a drive through them - to push South Africa over the 200-run mark and help himself to a half-century off 69 balls.

With 10 overs left to go, South Africa's launched a final fifth assault which saw them plunder 101 runs to lift their run-rate above six. Amla was the main protagonist after du Plessis mistimed a shot he was aiming to hit over the legside, only to be caught at cover.

Although de Villiers caught the eye with a pair of inventive reverse-slog sixes, Amla was still the one holding the innings together, as he brought up his century and finished off with his own couple of big hits over long-on and sweeper cover.

Nyumbu, Shingi and Jongwe all lacked the control needed to avoid erring on a surface where the margins of mistake were small. Their lines and lengths did not challenge enough, and they were given a lesson in how they should have bowled by Kyle Abbott and Ryan McLaren. 

Abbott found movement and bounce, but he also kept it tight on off stump or banged it in short and threateningly, while McLaren was equally impeccable in his disciplines.

Abbott went unrewarded, but his stranglehold helped seduce Vusi Sibanda into greeting a teasing line and length with an open-faced edge. McLaren had Richmond Mutumbami caught behind off a short ball, and when Taylor stepped out to chip Aaron Phangiso over cover, he was caught at long-on by David Miller instead. Zimbabwe were 34 for 3 and looked likely to collapse, but Hamilton Masakadza and Sean Williams held the hosts together.

Their fifth-wicket stand began watchfully, but also had its nervous moments, especially when Hamilton edged Imran Tahir into the vacant area at second slip. The batsman, however, grew into confidence with a number of sweeps and cleverly-taken singles. Tahir was Zimbabwe's main target as the spinner struggled to get back into the form he previously had shown, and offered too many full tosses.

Hamilton scored his third consecutive half-century and seemed well set to turn it into something more substantial. He paddled and pulled Parnell in the second over of his second spell, but just as the stand reached 100, he cut one straight to du Plessis at point. Williams was also out immediately after a milestone. He swatted Tahir through mid-off for his fifty but then played almost the same shot Hamilton previously did.

Zimbabwe's middle and lower order clung on through their new captain Elton Chigumbura, but they may only take a sliver of solace from their fight. Chigumbura limped through his innings with what seemed an injured quad and he also did not bowl, casting a question mark over his availability for the rest of the series.

He was the last man out when he hit straight to mid-on to give Phangiso a third wicket. With Tahir picking up as many scalps, the healthy competition South Africa's have for places in their XI will mean as much to them as the win. 

5th Test Day 3 ENG 486 bt IND 148 & 94 by innings & 244 runs

How the series turned for England

• England started the day on 385/7
• Root ends 149 not out, was bowled off no ball by Sharma 
• Went on to make 5th test ton
• ENG 486, Lead 338 (101 added this morning)
• IND 94 all out - England win by an innings & 244 runs & take series 3-1.

Presentation: Joe Root is named as Man of the Match: "It's always nice to score runs and you want to score as many as you can, but to finish like we did today was really pleasing.

We've had to show a lot of character since Lord's and dig deep. I enjoy batting at five [since Australia], it's nice to score runs and win again. I think I got into a place where I was just looking to survive but I'm trying to put pressure on the bowlers again.

It's still very exciting, just the start of being a really strong side, hopefully we can build on this, even though it's a long time until we play Test cricket again.
 

James Anderson is named England's Man of the Series (nominated by Duncan Fletcher): "We've fought back really well, there's been some good performances through the series. I think I'm in a good place with the ball, I think the way all four seamers have bowled in the last few Test has been hugely impressive. 

We wanted the nicks to carry, after the first couple of games. When you feel like you have an edge over a batsman, it does help as a bowler. It's hard work over a long series, so credit to the guys. The batsmen have done a great job for us since Southampton, scoreboard pressure is a great thing. I was worried about the how the body would cope with these five Tests, it's gone all right, so I'll get in shape for next year and see how it goes. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is India's Man of the Series (nominated by Peter Moores): "It's tough but we have to look forward to the next series. We were hoping to win the series but in a five-match series it is hard to maintain your performances. 

The body is a bit tired but it was a good experience, playing in England, it was a great experience and I hope I do well in future. Bowlers want to bowl well here, trying to focus on line and length and I'm pleased I had success." 

India captain MS Dhoni: "We've lost a lot of confidence over the five-Test series, it is disappointing, there will be many experiences which the youngsters will learn - not too many have played Tests away from home and hopefully they can take that it into the future. Right from the start, our batsmen never really performed, the lower order helped out.

That blurred the performance of the top order, just scoring 150-60 runs will not put pressure on the home team. It's demanding but the wickets were good, nice pace and bounce - in the overcast conditions the fast bowlers get swing and the English bowlers were very consistent.

The batting unit felt the pressure of not scoring, that's what you have to do in Test cricket, absorb pressure. If we went it with Rohit, the difficulty was who to leave out, whatever we could have done, we tried - a bit more application from the batsmen and it would have been better. The first couple of Test matches were good for us, so there is no point in playing practice games later in the series.

A five-Test series was very demanding, you could see with Bhuvnesh, the effects on him but we couldn't replace him. It's important to know where your off stump is, our playing XI didn't have many Tests, so we are lacking experience but until they play international cricket, they won't get that. It's important to play here, learn lessons and come back strong. T

he one-day format, we have some new players coming in and it's not as demanding. It's important we leave the Test behind and enjoy the ODIs and T20.

England captain Alastair Cook "It was an amazing performance, to win like we've won after what happened at Lord's, the [players the staff can take an enormous amount of credit. All summer, before we won at Southampton, we played good cricket in patches and then let it go after an hour or so.

To maintain pressure like we did in the last few games was impressive. It's good to have the support of the guys throughout the tough times and then enjoy the good times. I think at Southampton, the first day, to win the toss - we made a good decision to bat, Gary going on to get a hundred and the Belly following it up.

When you score runs, with our bowling attack in these conditions, it's hard for the opposition. It's a shame [no Tests until April], they'll be very different conditions in West Indies.

We have a lot of Test cricket after that. We have to enjoy tonight, look at how we have got things to click and then take it on. In sport, you have tough times, it's the character you need to show to bounce back. The support has been fantastic, from the families as well, means we can go out and play some good cricket."

2nd Test Day 4 SL 320 & 282 v PAK 332 & 127/7

Sri Lanka 320 and 282 (Sangakkara 59, Jayawardene 54, Wahab 3-76, Ajmal 3-89) need three wickets to beat Pakistan 332 and 127 for 7 (Sarfraz 38*, Herath 4-46) 

It is hard to imagine what Pakistan would have felt in the morning when Saeed Ajmal got one to kick up from length on Kumar Sangakkara and had him caught at short leg. There would have been the elation of seeing the back of one of the world's most prized wickets, out for just five runs on the day, after a threatening 107-stand. 

There would have been a resurgence in belief that Pakistan could, somehow, sneak up on Sri Lanka, cause an upset to square the series and disrupt Mahela Jayawardene's farewell party plans. Somewhere, there would have been a worry too. About Rangana Herath, who had run through their batting order to pick up nine wickets in the first innings on a flat pitch.

The approach of the Pakistan openers as they set out to chase 271 suggested they wanted to take whatever they could get off the seamers, before the inevitable arrived. 

Ahmed Shehzad and Khurram Manzoor possibly underestimated the quicks and did not hold their strokes back, sometimes playing and missing. Both were dismissed by Dhammika Prasad before Herath came in to bowl. And his first ball turned and bounced almost chest high for the wicketkeeper, leaving no doubt that the batsmen had little chance. 

As expected, Herath drove away any thoughts of a Sharjah-like chase by breaking the back of Pakistan batting - Azhar Ali, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan - within his first six overs.

A lot depended on the three batsmen if Pakistan were to put up a fight. 

Azhar was the hero of the chase in Sharjah while Younis and Misbah have excellent records in fourth innings, both boasting of averages in excess of 50. 

But Azhar did not have a chance against one that turned away and took the outside to Jayawardene, neither did Misbah, who, too, was snapped up at first slip again, taking Jayawardene's catch-tally to 205. 

Younis had seen the dismissals from the other end and the turn would have played on his mind, but he was done in by the arm-ball, trapped lbw as he missed a sweep.

Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed have had success against spin during this tour and were nimble-footed during a 55-run sixth-wicket stand that prevented total capitulation. But Shafiq missed one as he stepped out to give Herath his 22nd wicket in the series. With effectively two wickets remaining - Junaid Khan was ruled out - Pakistan were left facing a big defeat.

Run-scoring had been difficult all day and there were more animated reactions from the bowlers than scoring shots. Under grey skies, the three-man Pakistan attack worked tirelessly and found generous help from the SSC surface. Ajmal, who bowled unchanged through the day, dismissed Sangakkara in his second over of the day. 

He followed it up with Mahela Jayawardene's wicket - the 10th time he dismissed the batsman in Tests - in his next over before beating Lahiru Thirimanne with a doosra to collect three wickets in a 46-over slog. Wahab Riaz also picked up three wickets with the old ball.

There was no way past Angelo Mathews' bat though. His unbeaten 43 included plenty of nudges and expansive shots hardly made an appearance - he hit just two boundaries. But his runs - and his partnerships with Niroshan Dickwella and Prasad - were critical in the context of the match as Sri Lanka lost last eight wickets for 96 runs to post 282.

Thus, the role of the Jayawardene-Sangakkara stand had been extremely important. It was the 19th time the two had added more than 100 in Tests, making them the second-most prolific pair behind Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

The Sunday crowd that had settled in early for Jayawardene's last Test innings rose to its feet in the second over of the day as the batsman swept Ajmal to the fine-leg boundary and reached his 50th Test half-century. It turned out to be the penultimate scoring stroke in Jayawardene's 11814-run wide Test canvas as the batsman soon miscued a lofted shot to mid-on off Ajmal.

He walked back acknowledging the applause from all, leaving the future of Sri Lanka's batting, and of the current Test, with the new generation. 

That Sangakkara also waved his bat to the stands on his walk back to the pavilion raised speculation of it being his last Test appearance in Sri Lanka. As the two left in quick succession, batting suddenly turned into a difficult job. 

5th Test Day 2 ENG 385/7 V IND 148

Stumps Report: Joe Root piled on the runs in the evening session as Englandreached 385-7 at the close of play on day two of the fifth Test against India at the Oval.

The batsman followed Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance to become the third player to pass the 50-run mark during the home side's first innings, leaving them 237 runs ahead going into the third day.

Root resumed alongside Jos Buttler after tea, but the wicketkeeper was dismissed for 45 after edging an Ishant Sharma delivery to slip.

Chris Woakes followed for a duck just 10 minutes later as Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed his first wicket of the match, but Root continued to find the boundaries as he pushed England's lead beyond 200 runs.

Root reached 92 at stumps, while Chris Jordan added 19.

Tea Report: England have extended their lead to 98 runs after reaching 246-5 at tea on day two of the fifth Test against India at the Oval this afternoon.

Having matched the tourists' first innings score at lunch,Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance returned to the crease for England, but the captain was dismissed shortly after the action got back underway.

Cook completed his half-century in the morning, but edged a Varun Aaron ball to Murali Vijay in slip to leave the batsman 21 runs short of a ton.

Ballance (64) notched up a 50 as well, but also fell shortly after as Che Pujara took the catch off Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling, while Ian Bell (5) followed just a few overs later.

Ashwin took his second wicket of the session shortly before tea, dismissing Moeen Ali for 14, leaving Joe Root (11) and Jos Buttler (12) at the crease heading into the evening.


Lunch Report: Alastair Cook completed his half century shortly before lunch on day two of the fifth Test against India as England reached 148-1 at the end of this morning's session.

The hosts resumed on 62 without loss at the Oval, but lost Sam Robson in the second over of the day as the opening batsman mis-read a Varun Aaron delivery, allowing the ball through to strike his off-stump.

Robson's dismissal brought Gary Ballance to the crease, and he quickly built a solid partnership with the captain as England closed in on India's first-innings total of 148.

Cook continued onto 56 by the end of the session, while Ballance reached 40, leaving the scores level heading into this afternoon.

Women's Test Day 4 IND 114 & 183/4 bt ENG 92 & 202 by 6 wkts

India Women 114 (Gunn 5-19) and 183 for 4 (Mandhana 51, Raj 50*) beat England Women 92 (Niranjana 4-19) and 202 (Gunn 62, Taylor 40, Goswami 4-48) by six wickets

When India Women secured their first ever Test victory against England it was Mithali Raj who hit the winning runs.

So there was a fitting symmetry that, eight years later, the Indian captain was unbeaten again and, while she did not score the final runs this time around, she was the key figure in the middle as she guided her team to another historic win.

Raj did it in magnificent style, playing an assured and intelligent innings alongside Shikha Pandey, as she calmly lifted the game out of England's reach on the final morning of the standalone Test at Wormsley.

India's requirement of a further 62 may have looked relatively simple, particularly with six wickets in hand on a flattening pitch, but in the context of this low-scoring match it was no surprise that Raj admitted to feeling nervous overnight.

Raj teased and frustrated England by consistently angling the bat and guiding the ball to third man with soft hands. When England put in a slip, she simply adjusted her timing and found the gap.

As victory drew closer she refused to give in to temptation, patiently taking the singles and waiting for her opportunity to strike. With nine runs needed she drove imperiously to the boundary and then brought up her half-century with another single. The match was hers.

She gave her opponents one chance, dropped when she smashed a Jenny Gunn delivery to Charlotte Edwards.

It was particularly unfortunate for Gunn, whose five-wicket haul and second innings half-century deservedly earned her the player of the match award.

As the England players watched the match slip away the Indian contingent hovered with evident excitement by the boundary. When Pandey dispatched Nat Sciver through the covers to pass the target her team-mates were halfway to the wicket before the ball had crossed the rope, mobbing their captain in delight as they celebrated victory in a format that is so rare.

"On a personal note, when I played the last Test and I got to know we wouldn't be playing any more it was sad for me," Raj said. "As a cricketer, you want to play more Test matches as it will challenge all your endurance levels. It's challenging but I am very happy that before I hang up my boots I got to win another Test."

The final two days were in stark contrast to the first two. The toss proved vital and Raj, who joked afterwards that she hardly ever chooses the right side of the coin, was given a huge advantage when she was able to give her bowlers the chance to attack with the seaming ball on a pitch that proved to be a minefield for the batsmen in the early sessions.

Edwards acknowledged after the match that few sides can go on to secure victory after making a first innings total of 92.

"We didn't play good options when we were batting," Edwards said. "I think they bowled well. Sometimes credit has to go to the opposition. Some of the decisions didn't go our way as well so that combined meant that we didn't quite get ourselves into the game."

But this match, along with the upcoming three one-day internationals between the two sides, need to be seen in a wider context.

There was far more at stake here than a winning total on a scorecard. This was a semi-professional team, containing eight debutants, taking on a well-supported England side whose players are centrally contracted and recently attracted stand-alone sponsorship.

It was a team whose players were on foreign soil, most of them experiencing English conditions for the first time and, ultimately, adapting better than their opponents.

And it was a team that must be aware that, by beating a well-resourced and highly fancied England side, questions should be raised as to why the world's richest cricket board is lagging behind their less wealthy counterparts in rewarding their players.

"Once you start playing well, you will get more support," Raj said. "I'm sure that if we start winning matches and bigger series the BBCI will someday take up this issue of payment."

For the sake of the future of women's cricket in India, one can only hope the right people are paying attention. 

2nd Test Day 3 SL 320 & 177/2 V PAK 332

Sri Lanka 320 and 177 for 2 (Sangakkara 54*, Jayawardene 49*) lead Pakistan 332 (Sarfraz 103, Herath 9-127) by 165 runs

Twice, in this match, Pakistan's perseverance had meant Sri Lanka were not allowed to run away too far ahead. The home side, sitting on a 1-0 lead, won the toss on a batting-friendly pitch, but were restricted to a slightly below-par 320 by Pakistan's seamers. 

Rangana Herath then quaked the Pakistan batting line-up with a career-best nine-wicket haul - the best by a left-arm bowler, but the visitors, led by a counterattacking century from wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, still managed to post a slender first-innings lead.

Sri Lanka's third advance, though, was the one threatening to take the match, and the series, way beyond Pakistan's reach. It came from familiar quarters: the Kumar Sangakkara-Mahela Jayawardene combine. 

The two, batting together for the last time in Tests, blunted the Pakistan spinners during a period where they were extracting help from the pitch and added an unbeaten 98 runs to drive Sri Lanka into a strong position. During the course of their stand, the two also went past Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge to become the second-most prolific duo in Tests.

In the absence of Junaid Khan, who sat out the last two sessions after being hit on the helmet grille while batting, Pakistan's three frontline bowlers toiled for 61 out of 63 overs and were only able to dislodge the Sri Lanka openers.

As has been the trend in this Test match, the SSC pitch offered much more to the bowlers in the last session. Few stayed low, some turned and bounced, and a couple beat the inside edge of Sangakkara's bat as he went for the drive, a rare sight in itself. But if one had to pick two batsmen for such conditions, Jayawardene and Sangakkara would be top choice for most. 

They tired out the bowlers with their immaculate defence but played the most exquisite drives the moment the bowlers erred. Sangakkara reached yet another half-century with a paddle to fine-leg boundary in the last over of the day while Jayawardene, unbeaten on 49, was on course to make it a memorable farewell.

The calmness with which Sangakkara and Jayawardene played was in complete contrast with the frantic morning session during which the two teams traded blows. The pitch was firmer and there was not much for the bowlers it did not have much effect on the approach of Herath, who went on to pick up all four Pakistan wickets to fall.

That Pakistan managed a slender 12-run lead was down to Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, who has been prolific in each innings in this series - he has gone past 50 every time. Sarfraz reserved his best for the SSC, after Pakistan had slid to 140 for 5 on the second day and were in danger of losing the advantage of restricting Sri Lanka to 320.

He became the first Pakistan wicketkeeper to hit a century - his first in Tests - since Kamran Akmal's unbeaten 158 against Sri Lanka in Karachi in February 2009.

Starting the day 76 short of Sri Lanka's total, Sarfraz was the key for Pakistan if they were to get close. And the batsman's busy approach meant he didn't let the bowlers settle on one line. The sweep and the cut were his most profitable allies as he continued to collect runs at a brisk pace. 

As Sri Lanka waited for the new ball, Sarfraz calmly kept the scoreboard moving with neat manoeuvres, a powerful sweep from outside off to Angelo Mathews standing out among his early runs on the day.

Before reaching his century, Sarfraz lost Abdur Rehman after a 40-run stand - the batsman edging Herath to Mahela Jayawardere at first slip - and Wahab Riaz, who scored 17. On 90, he twice swept seamer Chanaka Welegedara off consecutive balls, hitting a four and a six to reach his maiden hundred off only 109 balls. 

The loud shriek of excitement as he celebrated the landmark reverberated around the ground. He received a standing ovation from the Pakistan dressing room that was relieved to see a possible setback had been single-handedly averted.

After adding three more runs though, Sarfraz was dismissed in typical Herath fashion: the flight drawing the batsman forward, then turning to take the outside edge. 

It was only the second dicey shot Sarfraz played off the spinner after staying in command throughout his innings. It was also Herath's eighth wicket. The bowler picked up another one with a slider to become the first bowler since Muttiah Muralitharan, in 2002, to bag a nine-wicket haul. 

With 18 dismissals from three innings in this series, he was well on his way to overhaul Muralitharan's record of 22 wickets in a two-match Test series. 

Only Test Women Day 3/4 ENG 92 & 202 V IND 114 & 119/4

India Women 114 and 119 for 4 (Raj 20*, Pandey 0*) need 62 more runs to beat England Women 92 and 202 (Gunn 62, Taylor 40, Goswami 4-48)

The way India Women celebrate taking a wicket is, perhaps, revealing.

Not content with individual backslapping or a gleeful group hug, each time an England player is sent back to the pavilion the entire team forms a huddled circle, arms around one another, while captain Mithali Raj reminds them of the need to stay focused.

It is as if they believe they are playing for something far more significant than back-to-back Test victories over England - albeit separated by eight years - although that, alone, would be an historic achievement.

It could be that they believe a win over a fully professional and well-supported England side will give them the strongest possible case to convince the BCCI to introduce central contracts that are generous enough to allow them to become full-time cricketers.

And after three days of play, with the match delicately poised and victory a real possibility, a team that remains the only major national women's side to lack centrally-contracted players has more than proved itself on the world stage in a format only three of their number have previously experienced.

Needing 62 runs for victory and with six wickets in hand - although it would be astonishing if Shubhlakshmi Sharma will be capable of batting after she dislocated her shoulder diving in the outfield - India's chances could now lie with the experienced Raj, who will return to the crease with Shikha Pandey on the final morning.

"It's a very well poised game," said Kate Cross, whose wickets kept England alive. "We only need five wickets knowing that the poor girl is injured.

"Mithali is always going to be a big wicket and if we could get her quite early that's a massive positive for us. We knew that if we could get her tonight then we were on a massive high going into tomorrow.

"She's a game changer and I think I've done really well to keep her quite quiet. She's a very attacking player and she's gone into her shell a little bit."

That India have a chance to secure victory is largely due to a classy and mature half-century by the 18-year-old Smriti Mandhana. The teenager captains her state side, Maharashtra, in the Indian domestic competition and recently scored a double century against Gujarat so perhaps it was no surprise that was not overawed by playing her first Test on just her second trip abroad.

"We were playing interstate U-19 and I just went out and batted," she said. "It's my debut Test match and if we win this it will be a dream come true. You want to win your first Test match. I will be very happy if we win it."

While her opening partner Thirush Kamini was solid but defensive, Mandhana was more assertive, clipping the ball off her toes and cover driving with perfect timing and elegant execution.

Apart from a difficult chance offered to Lydia Greenway at backward point on 36 off the bowling of Cross, Mandhana was flawless until she misjudged a straight delivery, again from Cross, which trapped her on middle and leg stump.

India were steadily building, if not quite cruising, at 76 without loss until the medium-fast Cross entered the attack and broke the opening partnership by dismissing Kamini, also leg-before-wicket. The two wickets took the match tally of lbws to 20, equalling the Test record for that type of dismissal.

Cross bowled superbly as she somehow extracted life from the flattening pitch and finished with 3 for 35 off her 17 overs while Heather Knight, recently adding some gentle off-spin to her game, took her maiden Test wicket when Punam Raut prodded outside off-stump and Jenny Gunn showed brilliant reflexes at first slip to take the catch.

"We just tried to bowl gun-barrel straight and there been so many lbws in this game we've tried as hard as we can to put pressure on them and slow them down," Cross said.

After recording her best Test bowling figures of 5 for 19 in the first innings Gunn was wicketless after bowling 11 overs, but she kept England in the match with the bat after Sarah Taylor departed in the morning.

England had started the day cautiously, Taylor and Gunn gradually emerging from survival mode as they accumulated runs with increasing confidence.

Taylor looked the most likely to wrest the momentum back England's way as she began to open up and play her shots but there was still enough movement in the pitch for Sharma to send a delivery nipping back in to clip the bails.

After scoring five runs off 67 deliveries before Taylor walked back to the pavilion Gunn took up the mantle admirably with an unbeaten 62, lifting gears with the support of Anya Shrubsole until Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey robbed her of batting partners.

Now it is Raj who must heed her own advice and hope her middle and lower order players can support her as they attempt to successfully complete the second highest run chase in women's Test history. 

5th Test Day 1 ENG 62/0 V IND 148

ENG 62/0

England have ended the evening session unscathed on 62 after dismissing India for 148 following a dominating display on the field at the Oval on day one of the fifth Test.

The hosts were made to wait for their 10th wicket due to a battling innings from MS Dhoni, but after tea, Stuart Broad was able to strike and send the Indian skipper packing having hit 82 runs from 140 balls.

England sent openers Alastair Cook and Sam Robson into bat for the final session of the day, but Cook was in danger of facing an early exit.

The captain should have been heading back to the pavilion after Bhuvneshwar Kumar's delivery resulted in lbw, but the umpire declared not out with the idea that the outswinger pitched outside leg.

However, replays showed that Cook, who impressed in Southampton and Old Trafford, should have been out as the ball's path would have taken middle and off.

Cook (24 not out) and Robson (33 not out) will return to the crease tomorrow as England trail by 86 runs.

IND 148

England have made an excellent start to the fifth Test match against India after taking five wickets during the morning session at The Oval.

After winning the toss, James Anderson struck early to removeGautam Gambhir for a duck before Stuart Broad bowled Cheteshwar Pujara for just four runs.

Murali Vijay was keeping a calm head for his side but wickets continued to tumble around him as Chris Jordan struck twice before lunch.

The all-rounder had Virat Kohli trapped in front of his stumps before he displayed sharp reactions to take a return catch off his own bowling to remove Ajinkya Rahane.

Chris Woakes got in on the act to take the wicket of Vijay for 18 as India reached lunch on 43-5.

England need just one more wicket to dismiss India, but MS Dhoni has held on to push the tourists to 125-9 at tea on day one of the fifth Test at the Oval.

The hosts smashed through India's top order this morning by claiming five wickets before India were able to get 50 runs on the board.

After a successful early session, England continued to dominate the field when James Anderson snatched his second wicket of the day as Stuart Binny fell having hit just five runs off 30 deliveries.

After some deliberation among umpires, Ravichandran Ashwin (13) was the next to go following an outswinger from Chris Woakes, which edged to Joe Root in the slips.

Chris Jordan and Woakes both added a third to their wicket tally with the dismissals of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (5) and Varun Aaron (1), leaving India in further trouble.

The only silver lining for India came in the form of their captain Dhoni, who was able to reach a half-century to leave England waiting for the 10th wicket.

Dhoni (65 not out) and Ishant Sharma (two not out) will return to the crease for the evening session.

FOW: Gambhir c Buttler b Anderson 0 (1) 3/1 Gambhir goes for a golden duck in strange circumstances. He tried to leave a lifting outswinger from Anderson but was a fraction too late on the (non-)shot and the ball kissed the face of the on its way through to Jos Buttler.

Pujara b Broad 4 (19) 10/2 India are in trouble already. Pujara has failed again, bowled by Stuart Broad. It came back off the seam, through the gate and hit something before deflecting onto the stumps. Pujara's surprisingly poor series continues; he now has 211 runs at 23.44.

Kohli lbw b Jordan 6 (18) 26/3  he's out leaving the ball again! Kohli looks dreadfully disappointed. He was on the back foot, shuffling and the ball has stayed on with the angle in at him. Dharmasena takes a long look and finally raises the finger. Ball tracker says it would have been on-field call, just about kissing off stump.

Rahane c&b Jordan 0 (8) 28/4 It's groundhog innings. India are collapsing again, and Rahane has been caught and bowled for the third time in the series. He pushed a full back straight back to Jordan, who reached to his right in his follow through to take a nice two-handed catch.

Vijay c Root b Woakes 18 (64) 36/5 A wicket for Chris Woakes at last! Vijay, beaten twice in the over, edges to Root at a short fourth slip.

Binny c Cook b Anderson 5 (30) 44/6 Maidens bring wickets... Binny prods forward at Anderson and it's a regulation catch for first slip. Since lunch, we've had 5.2 overs, a leg bye and a wicket.

Ashwin c Root b Woakes 13 (17) 68/7 Ashwin edges a drive to Root at fourth slip. The batsman waited for the third umpire to confirm the catch, it was a low one, but the replays are conclusive and he's on his way.

Kumar c Buttler b Jordan 5 (11) 79/8 Chris Jordan back, the first ball of his new spell is short and wide but Kumar toe-ends it to the keeper who takes it well in front of first slip.


Aaron c&b Woakes 1 (17) 90/9 Woakes probes at Aaron's defences, looking for another of those outside edges - and gets his man when the number 10 pops an inviting return catch back to the bowler.

And, if it stays dry, tea will now be delayed while the batting side is nine wickets down - tea being very much a moveable feast in these circumstances.


Dhoni c Woakes b Broad 82 (140) 148/10 Dhoni's defiant innings comes to an end, helping a short ball straight into Woakes' hands at long-leg.

ENG win toss & bowl first

ENG unchanged
IND Binny & Ishant return, Jadeja & Pankaj out.

England Cook (c), Robson, Ballance, Bell, Root, Ali, Buttler (wk), Woakes, Jordan, Broad, Anderson.

India Vijay, Gambhir, Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Dhoni (c/wk), Binny, Ashwin, Kumar, I Sharma, Aaron. 

2nd Test Day 2 SL 320 V PAK 244/6

Pakistan 244 for 6 (Sarfraz 66*, Shehzad 58, Herath 5-98) trail Sri Lanka 320 (Tharanga 92, Junaid 5-87, Wahab 3-88) by 76 runs

There is a reason why the SSC pitch is notorious for its reputation as the graveyard for bowlers. In the last five years and through the course of five matches, batsmen have collected 30 scores - 14 centuries and 16 fifties - of 50 or more in the first two innings. The pitch that was laid for this Test, Mahela Jayawardene's last, was no different. However, only three batsmen were able to put up significant runs in the first two days here.

Whereas the failure of the Sri Lankan batting on the first day was triggered mostly by disciplined bowling from the Pakistan seamers, Pakistan found themselves in familiar strife due to a mix of some unlucky dismissals and a few inevitable rippers from Rangana Herath.

After a confident start, led by a half-century from Ahmed Shehzad, Pakistan's middle order had stumbled again. The slide was briefly arrested by an enterprising 93-run sixth-wicket stand between Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed. 

The pitch, as the two showed, was still good for batting. But by the end of the day, that stand was broken and Herath had yet another five-wicket haul - his 20th in Tests.

Khurram Manzoor was caught behind off Herath in the last over before lunch for 23. Azhar Ali used his feet smartly against the spinners and was playing solidly till he mistimed an attempted drive through off against Herath to midwicket. He was out for 32.

Shehzad, who had 20 runs to show for his outing in Galle, was caught down the leg side off Dilruwan Perera in the penultimate over before tea, after scoring an aggressive 58 that had led Pakistan past 100 at a scoring rate well over three an over.

Then came the two big strikes soon after tea, the first of which was solely due to some excellent presence of mind from Kaushal Silva. 

Younis Khan played a Herath delivery down on the pitch, but it bounced off his boot. An alert Silva at silly point dived forward and slid his hand low, grabbed the ball one-handed, but realising he was not going to be able to control it, he parried it back to the wicketkeeper for a simple chance. Younis didn't spot it, but the third umpire did, cutting his innings short on 13.

Misbah didn't have a chance against a flighted delivery from Herath that lured him forward and turned sharply to take the outside edge. It was the bowler's 250th Test wicket. From 110 for 1, Pakistan were down to 140 for 5. This, after the team had their best start in three innings. The openers added 47 in 8.4 overs and the second-wicket pair remained untroubled during their 63-run stand.

Pakistan were 180 short of Sri Lanka's total but the scoreboard pressure hardly made an impression on Sarfraz. Coming on the back of two fifties in Galle, Sarfraz was light-footed against the spinners and was always on the lookout for runs. 

He often employed the sweep, sometimes made room by moving towards leg stump and was comfortable playing the late cut to rotate the strike. The half-century of his stand with Shafiq took 63 balls. He remained the aggressor while Shafiq held the other end, scoring just two boundaries in his 42, but was beaten by an arm-ball from Herath ten minutes before the close of play.

The start to the innings had been positive though. Manzoor drove Dhammika Prasad for consecutive boundaries in the first over and Shehzad bettered it with a hat-trick of boundaries - two of them stylishly caressed through mid-off - in the fourth over bowled by Chanaka Welegedara. 

It took only four overs for Angelo Mathews to bring in Herath but he too was picked up for runs, with Manzoor sweeping him to the square-leg boundary before punching a flatter one through mid-on for another four.

Welegedara did induce a few false shots, getting both batsmen to chase the fuller deliveries outside off, but it was Herath who found turn to kiss the outside edge of Manzoor's bat in the last over before lunch.

Shehzad, however, continued playing with positivity, frequently using the sweep shot to unsettle Herath, whose first spell read 8-2-32-1. He went on to complete his second Test half-century in 68 balls but continuing with the theme of the match, he was dismissed after looking set.

Pakistan's batting took the sheen off Junaid Khan's effort that had helped them roll Sri Lanka out for 320. Junaid's unrelenting perseverance fetched him his fifth five-wicket haul, all of which have come against Sri Lanka, but the home team would have been satisfied with their tail's effort. Starting the day on 261 with only two wickets in hand, Sri Lanka's innings was in danger of folding too quickly, especially as the impressive Pakistan seam pair of Junaid and Wahab Riaz were operating with a ball that was only 3.1 overs old.

The last two wickets, however, ate up more than an hour in the morning and added 59 runs, taking Sri Lanka past 300. Herath was the last wicket to fall as he edged one off Abdur Rehman to slip where Younis took his 100th catch - the first Pakistan fielder to reach the figure. 

Only Test Women Day 2/4 ENG 92 & 110/6 V IND 114

England women hold an 88-run lead in their second innings after two days of their Test match against India.

Having been bowled out for just 92 in their first innings on day one, Charlotte Edwards's side limited India to 114 in reply - a lead of 22.

Jenny Gunn claimed 5-19 while fellow seam bowler Kate Cross took 3-29 at the Sir Paul Getty's Ground, Wormsley.

England struggled once again with the bat in their second innings to be reduced to 110-6 at stumps.

Wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor - top scorer in England's first innings - remains unbeaten on 30.

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

After the four-day Test, the sides meet in three one-day internationals and before England play South Africa in three Twenty20 internationals.

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.