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Sleepless nights are an integral part of a Ranji Trophy final, and Railways must have had one after their dismal batting performance on the first day at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. But if a lack of shut-eye truly does inspire Murali Kartik to the heights he achieved on Thursday, Railways skipper Abhay Sharma might consider forcibly keeping his star spinner awake for the remainder of the match.Resuming on 17 for no loss, Baroda had their task laid out before them like an immaculately maintained Japanese garden. All that their batsmen had to do was to notch up a big first-innings score and take the all-important lead. What transpired thereafter was bound to favour Baroda more than Railways.When Connor Williams and Satyajit Parab proceeded to add 63 more runs for the first wicket, therefore, everything seemed to be going according to plan. But Parab, soon after getting to his fifty, was caught by Shreyas Khanolkar, giving Kartik his first scalp. Parab departed for 53 (78b, 8×4) with the score on 80.Seven runs later, Williams, who had agonised 95 balls for 24 runs, was bowled by Kartik. The loss of the openers brought skipper Jacob Martin and Nayan Mongia to the crease, but Martin was just in transit. After making 12 off 36 balls, he fell to Harvinder Singh, leaving his side in choppy waters at 112/3.Mongia then stood mute spectator at the other end as Tushar Arothe and Atul Bedade came and left with startling immediacy. Arothe took 25 balls to score two runs, but Bedade was much swifter, using only five balls to make the same score. Both fell to Kartik, a left-arm spinner on a magnificent roll.Kartik ultimately consumed Mongia as well, having him caught by Khanolkar for 32 off 91 balls. At that juncture, the score was 138/6 off 58.3 overs. Within the next 15.3 overs, Railways took the remaining wickets for the addition of only 31 runs. Ajit Bhoite put up some spirited resistance, scoring 17 (60b, 2×4, 1×6), but the other lower-order bats succumbed tamely to Harvinder Singh or Jai P Yadav.Unexpectedly, Railways had garnered a vital 84-run first-innings lead, and the match had turned on its head. Baroda, sorely missing the services of left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan, managed to capture the wicket of Yadav before the close of play, dismissing him for four (17b) with the score on 13.But further breakthroughs were not so forthcoming. Amit Pagnis, as he had in the first innings, looked in excellent touch, striking the ball to the fence four times before the close of play, hitting up 24 off 58 balls. Tejinder Pal Singh, his companion for the second-wicket stand, was content to let Pagnis hit the runs, making three off 40 balls before stumps.Railways, at the end of the day, led by 121 runs, nine wickets remaining in their second innings. If one batsman from the home side is able to play a responsible, even sedate, knock on the third day, Baroda will have their backs to the wall, visions of retaining the Ranji Trophy fading fast before their eyes.

Essex have continued their strong coaching association with Yorkshire by naming Anthony McGrath as assistant head coach.McGrath becomes No. 2 to a former Yorkshire team-mate, Chris Silverwood, who was promoted up to the head coach role after the departure from the post of another Yorkshireman, Paul Grayson, late last season.McGrath, who has recently been fulfilling part-time coaching duties at Yorkshire, spent his entire first-class career with his home county, making 583 appearances across all three formats during a 17-year career. He also played four Tests for England.After his retirement, he was appointed by Yorkshire as a player mentor before his coaching duties expanded with the departure of Richard Dawson, the academy head, to Gloucestershire.Silverwood said: “I’ve known Anthony for a very long time, and he is a great addition to our staff. He has excellent cricket knowledge, and during his interview it was clear he had a real passion for this job.”He is a very good coach, and will help our batsmen improve their game. He has experience of working with some of the best batsmen in the country – names such as Bairstow, Root, Ballance, Lyth – so his experience will be invaluable to our players.”We have a strong batting line up, and I am confident Anthony will complement it perfectly.”For Yorkshire, who also lost Paul Farbrace to Sri Lanka – and then England – in recent times, it is another raid on their coaching staff to which they are now accustomed.Farbrace’s influence on Yorkshire’s academy was widely praised and his relaxed style as England’s assistant coach after returning to the international circuit has received widespread plaudits. Dawson, his replacement, has also had instant success at Gloucestershire, leading them to Royal London Cup success in his first season.”We are sorry to see Anthony leave the club,” Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon said. “He was a major part of our success over the past couple of years as a coach.”Mags has been at Headingley for nearly 20 years as a coach and a player. He has been an outstanding servant. It is a great opportunity for him and we wish him well.”

Mohammad Amir may have spent five years in the wilderness, but Pakistan chief selector Haroon Rasheed has said he is ‘still better’ than most of the competition.Amir became eligible for national selection within four months of completing an ICC ban for spot-fixing. Rasheed told ESPNcricinfo he was assessed solely on his cricketing skill. “As a selector what we see is the overall ability, skills, form, fitness and performance so this is all we have taken into account before considering him for the New Zealand tour. He is still better than most of those who played in last five years. We have seen him performing at domestic level and he has stood out. But now we want to assess him at the international level and see how well he can deliver.”Fourteen fast bowlers (including bowling all-rounders) have made debuts across formats for Pakistan since Amir’s five-year suspension in 2010. In that time, only Wahab Riaz has made a case for a permanent place in the XI across formats. Fellow left-arm seamer Junaid Khan had a promising start to his career, but his threat has diminished greatly and has not been part of a Pakistan team since June. Umar Gul has had a tough time with injuries; he is still pushing for a comeback. Rahat Ali has been a workhorse at times, but is not an automatic selection. Imran Khan and Mohammad Irfan have fitness concerns.Pakistan chief selector Haroon Rasheed on Mohammad Amir: “We are not undermining other players and forcing him [back] but there is always a difference between normal and extraordinary players.”•AFP

Amir, 23, resumed his career in March playing grade two cricket in Pakistan, after the ICC allowed an early return to cricket. He moved onto grade one and caught further attention in the Bangladesh Premier League where he picked up 14 wickets in nine matches at an average of 12.64.”We are not undermining other players and forcing him [back] but there is always a difference between normal and extraordinary players,” Rasheed said of Amir. “We are not axing anyone to bring him in. They are all part of the circuit and part and parcel of our planning.”But about Amir, it’s not just his bowling but his all-round ability. He is good fielder and can bat with surety. Had he kept on playing in last five years he could have been developed into an established allrounder. We have good bowlers but they are not known for their batting. I don’t want to point to anyone, but we need our players to cover all the three dimensions of the game.”Amir has a top score of 73 against New Zealand in ODIs, and has a couple of fifties in first-class cricket as well.”Pakistan hasn’t been really a bad ODI team,” Rasheed said, “What has been hampering them is the fielding and fitness. Skill was never really a problem. So we want to pick a boy who has everything and as a selector we have seen something in him.”Pakistan’s one-day team is in transition, and the inconsistency in selection has not helped their cause. They have had four selection committees in three years. And following the retirements of Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi after the World Cup 2015, there was a widespread revamp with Azhar Ali appointed as ODI captain.”One thing is certain, we didn’t have readymade back-up sitting behind. We know we have tons of players performing in the domestic circuit, scoring heavily and taking wickets and after the World Cup, we wanted to give all of them a chance and test their potential.”Now the experimentation is over and we came to understand that most of them lacked the temperament, confidence and the fitness. We have told them [that] and sent them back to domestic cricket to work on their limitations. At the same time we have stuck with some of them and given them a longer run in the national team.”Rasheed also stressed on the need to give players a longer stint in the team, to help them gain experience and settle into the team set-up.”We definitely have to digest failure and we are throwing our full confidence behind the players we have selected after extensive experimentation for almost an entire year. Realistically, we may be behind the rest of the cricketing world in ODIs but we have to stick with the boys and let them gain experience.”The team for Pakistan’s limited-overs tour of New Zealand will likely be announced by Saturday, since they fly out on January 10.

Muttiah Muralitharan has plans to work alongside Anil Kumble to coach subcontinent players in spin bowling after his retirement. “He [Anil] is one of the greatest bowlers I have seen and he knows a lot”, Murali told , a Mumbai daily.”We will see which country needs help. We are looking at subcontinent countries and academies.” Murali said they wanted to spend one to two weeks working with each academy. “I think bowling coaching is not about technique but how to access the conditions and bowl in those conditions. When both of us call it a day we will look at coaching together. Hopefully, it will help future generations.”Murali said he hoped to play for at least three more years so that he could complete 20 years in international cricket. “I am enjoying Twenty20 now so much so I might play a few years. I have signed for three years so I have to play for these three years. Then I have to see if I can play for one year or more. It depends on how I bowl.” In the IPL so far, he has taken three wickets in three matches for the Chennai Super Kings, who are at the top of the points table having won all their games.Murali said Twenty20 was as much a game for bowlers as it was for batsmen. The key, for bowlers, he said, was to read what the batsman is going to play very early. “Mainly people like to see sixes and fours and if there are wickets where batsmen can’t score then people will get bored. But bowlers also have to give themselves chances.”

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

South Africa prevented a repeat of the summit clash between India and Pakistan in 2006, with a convincing 98-run victory in a rain-affected semi-final in Kuala Lumpur.South Africa’s bowlers picked up 8 for 67 on Saturday after play was resumed on the reserve day because of a monsoon shower, which brought a halt to the game on Friday, with Pakistan on 86 for 2 in 18.5 overs.The rain threatened to ruin play on Saturday as well for it had been pouring since the wee hours of the morning. On most grounds around the world, play would have been abandoned but the drainage at the Kinrara Oval is such that after the showers eased at 11.00 am local time, the ground staff had the ground ready for a 12.20 pm start. Pakistan needed 166 to win off 28.1 overs with eight wickets in hand at the start of play butSouth Africa’s medium-pace attack bowled a tight line and length and four quick wickets irreparably damaged Pakistan’s chances. The D/L target, which had to be kept in mind given the overcast conditions, spiralled out of control.The game turned in South Africa’s favour with the first ball – Pieter Malan slipped one down leg side and Bradley Barnes completed a sharp stumping after Umar Amin had over-balanced. The D/L par score, which was 91 for 2 after 20 overs, inched upwards following the first ball wicket. A second quick wicket put the D-L par score out ofPakistan’s immediate reach. Ali Asad was adjudged leg-before to Roy Adams though the ball had pitched outside leg.Pakistan were 95 for 4 but Ahmed Shehzad, who was on 40 overnight, was still batting and he briefly kept hopes alive through his fluent strokeplay. He reached his 50 with a lofted six against Yaseen Vallie but was lucky to get there because Jonathan Vandiar dropped a hard chance right on the long-on boundary. However, on 60, Shehzad fell while trying to raise the tempo, top-edging a slower delivery from Adams to Sybrad Engelbrecht at point.Shehzad had fallen after a brief stand of 29 and as has been the trend inPakistan’s innings another wicket fell quickly – Umair Mir bowled roundhis legs by Vallie – to reduce them to 124 for 6.The game as a contest was finished with Pakistan needing 128 with four wickets in hand and the remaining batsmen lost their wickets holing out in the outfield while trying to find the boundary. South Africa’s victory means that India, after waiting for more than 24 hours to know the identity of the other finalist, will face the team they beat during thegroup stages. South Africa, however, have improved remarkably since that six-wicket defeat and will pose a sterner challenge.

There are three candidates seeking to become the new USACA president in elections set to take place on March 29.A list of all candidates for the various executive posts, including secretary, treasurer, and vice presidents, was announced by USACA after the vetting processes required under the new constitution were completed.As expected, Gladstone Dainty will be seeking re-election as president, and he faces a strong challenge from Ram Varadarajan. A third candidate, Kamran Khan, a former USACA president and captain of the US side, is also standing.The main battles for the other posts are between existing USACA officials and those who have lined up on Varadarajan’s ticket.Click here for a full list of candidates

Pakistan marched into the final of the Under-19 Asia Cup with a clinical eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in the rain-hit semi-final in Dubai, after a dominant bowling performance led by Abdul Subhan set up a straightforward chase. The victory sets up a final clash against India, who won the first semi-final against Sri Lanka earlier in the day.Opting to field after winning the toss in the rain-reduced 27-overs-a-side contest, Pakistan made early inroads as Bangladesh slipped to 24 for 2 inside six overs. Captain Azizul Hakim offered brief resistance to steady the innings, but wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals.Fast bowler Subhan was the standout with the ball, picking up four wickets to dismantle the middle order. From 55 for 2 in the 13th over, Bangladesh lost five wickets for just 38 runs, collapsing to 93 for 7. The lower order struggled to rebuild, and Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 121 in 26.3 overs, with no batter able to convert a start into a big score.In reply, Pakistan’s chase was smooth. After the early loss of opener Hamza Zahoor in the first over, Sameer Minhas anchored the innings with a composed, unbeaten 69, ensuring there were no further hiccups. He struck six fours and two sixes as Pakistan cruised to 122 for 2 with 63 balls to spare.With this knock, Minhas took his tournament’s tally to 299 to be the highest run-getter.

Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, fears for the future of international cricket if administrators don’t carve out a six-week window for the Indian Premier League. The tournament opens in Bangalore on Friday and while the cricket world is waiting to see how big it will be, Ponting is concerned about how it could influence players.”If they don’t [have an international window], I fear for the long-term impact that it will have on the game,” Ponting wrote in the Australian. “Much has been said about the veterans coming to the end of their careers, but what about those players just starting out?”I think it’s vital that we have a six-week period carved out of every international team’s program because the money being thrown around becomes very appealing to young kids coming into the game.”Ponting expressed concern that players might choose the lucrative Twenty20 league over national duties. “Seeing the big dollars there and having the chance to take that and turn your back on international cricket is the biggest danger that will be posed out of this event,” Ponting said. “For those young guys starting out who haven’t had a taste of international cricket, they might not want to put themselves through the rigours of travelling the world for the next 15 years.”And the guys at the end of their careers have family at home and it’s getting harder and harder for them to go away on tours every year. For them, they could make the equivalent amount of money in only seven weeks.”Ponting highlighted the exodus faced by countries such as New Zealand, with key players like Shane Bond having joined the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League. “I know it has lost a couple of its bigger and better players because of the difference in pay playing for New Zealand,” Ponting said. “The Kiwis’ IPL contracts are probably four times the value of their international contract.”That’s where the dangers are. You would hate to see a situation where New Zealand is no longer playing international cricket because it has no players.”John Buchanan, the former Australia coach who is with the Kolkata Knight Riders, expressed similar concerns in the . He said cricket needed to sort out its finances and the likes of Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire hoping to revive West Indies cricket, should be welcomed.”With the exception of Australia, England and India, every country in world cricket is struggling to pay their players sufficiently,” he said. “For example, we have Brendon McCullum with us, and there’s no way New Zealand Cricket could be paying him in a day what the IPL is.”But there shouldn’t be any debate in terms of him playing for his country. That is of utmost importance. But administrators should allow the IPL to subsidise his income with New Zealand Cricket.”

ScorecardIt was restrictive bowling at its best as ICL India XI, led by Ali Murtaza’s miserly spell of 2 for 22 in four overs, shut Pakistan XI out of the contest after an aggressive start in their chase of 177. Pakistan XI pinned their hopes on Imran Farhat and Hasan Raza to guide them through but were unable to cut loose against the slow bowlers and eventually ended on 144 for 6, 32 short of the target. The win sealed India XI’s place in the final on Tuesday.The win was setup by an attacking half-century by Tejinder Pal Singh, whose 52 off 32 balls piloted India XI to 176. Ibrahim Khaleel and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala added 66 for the second wicket before a doube-strike by Arshad Khan set them back at 84 for 3. Tejinder and S Abbas Ali staged a recovery with a blistering stand of 52 in just 4.4 overs. Abbas Ali hit two fours in his 22 before he was run-out by Abdul Razzaq at the bowler’s end for backing up too far. Tejinder continued the assault and launched two sixes, including one which towered high over long-on. He fell for 52 off just 32 balls, bowled by Naved-ul-Hasan off the penultimate ball of the innings.Pakistan XI suffered an early setback after Imran Nazir was forced to retire hurt early owing to a groin injury. Razzaq meanwhile launched the chase into overdrive, smashing seven fours and a six in his 38. G Vignesh, the medium pacer, then struck twice in the space of two overs, sending back the dangerous Razzaq to bring the Indians back into the contest.Farhat and Raza came together with the score at 52 and for a lengthy period, ensured Pakistan didn’t ensure any further loss of wickets. However, the required rate began to climb once the left-arm spin duo of Murtaza and Syed Mohammad and the seamer T Kumaran operated in the middle overs, giving very little away. The odd six lifted Pakistan’s spirits but the fluency was missing. India XI’s fielding inside the circle was of a very high standard, forcing the batsmen to improvise. Cheeky glides to third man and straight drives were intercepted and the nagging stump-to-stump line by Murtaza only made life difficult for the pair as almost every slog failed to make contact with the bat. Farhat finally hit out in the 18th over, skying a catch to R Satish off Kumaran. Vignesh finished with the best figures for the Indians with 3 for 22 in four overs.Pakistan XI needed an improbable 43 off the last two overs and the contest was effectively sealed. With India XI already in the final, tomorrow’s match between Pakistan XI and World XI is a virtual semi-final.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNasir Hossain collected three wickets to rattle Chittagong•Raton Gomes/BCB

Dhaka Dynamites bounced back from their defeat on Wednesday, securing a convincing six-wicket win against Chittagong Vikings. In yet another low-scoring encounter, Dhaka’s bowlers showed good control, rolling over Chittagong for 92. The top-order batsmen then complemented the bowlers as Dhaka chased down the target with 17 balls to spare.Chittagong’s innings began on an undesirable note: Tamim Iqbal was given out caught behind despite the ball not grazing the bat or the glove on its way to Kumar Sangakkara. Tamim dragged himself off the field, after which Anamul Haque was out lbw, trying to pull Farhad Reza in the next over.The 19-year old Yasir Ali, however, started off with three fours off Abul Hasan. He drove past cover, over mid-off, and pulled over midwicket to briefly revive the innings. However, he nicked a Mustafizur Rahman cutter behind in the next over.Tillakaratne Dilshan struck a four and a six soon after, but left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain had him lbw for 20. Chittagong promoted Mohammad Amir to No.6 but he made only 2 before chopping on Yasir Shah as Chittagong slumped to 50 for 5 in 8.4 overs. Naeem Islam, playing his first match of the season, hung around with the lower order after Jeevan Mendis (1) and Ziaur Rahman (9) were undone by Nasir Hossain.Naeem launched a six in the 18th over but ran out of partners and finished unbeaten on 29 off 38 balls. Mustafizur and Nasir claimed combined figures of 7.4-1-26-6.Shykat Ali and Shadman Islam, playing his first T20 game, laid a solid foundation, for the chase, with a 45-run opening partnership. Shykat went about his work impressively, the highlight being a pick-up shot that sailed over square leg for a six. However, he holed out to long-on for 23 off 17 balls.Nasir Jamshed then was caught at long-off in the 13th over, for 12, and Nasir was bowled by Naeem two overs later. Shadman, who was largely becalmed early on, then unleashed two square-cuts off Shafiul Islam. The opener fell with his side two runs away from the target but Kumar Sangakkara completed the chase with a pulled four.