Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHow they were out

An unbeaten century from Tim Bresnan, his second in first-class cricket, and a 129-run partnership with Stuart Broad for the eighth wicket, allowed England Lions to gain the upper hand at the end of the first day against the touring Indians at Chelmsford. The Indian bowlers, led by the experienced Zaheer Khan, made an impact in the second session but Joe Denly’s aggressive 83 at the start, as well as the Bresnan-Broad union, overshadowed that effort.Barring a brief 20 overs under the mid-afternoon sun, the bowlers struggled on a benign surface. Andrew Strauss, who won a good toss, failed to capitalise on the good batting conditions, as did Owais Shah but a trio of batsmen with contrasting styles – Denly, Bresnan and Broad – made India pay. A middle-order collapse raised visions of an fightback but three dropped catches, allied with the Indians’ inability to polish off the tail, returned to haunt them.The Lions dominated at the start of the day, suffered a blip in the middle before solidifying their position towards the end. Denly, the 21-year-old opener who has been in red-hot form for Kent, began as if this was a one-dayer, clattering Zaheer for as many as five fours in an over, racing to 43 in just 29 balls. Bresnan, the 22-year-old allrounder from Yorkshire, was relatively more compact in his style and showed how well he could bat with the tail, guiding them from a modest 225 for 7 to a healthy 379 for 8 at close.Bresnan has chipped in with the bat with some handy contributions this season, helping Yorkshire to the top of the County Championship table. He walked in at 185 for 6, with Zaheer and Ramesh Powar turning in a fine spell in tandem, but survived the early moments confidently. Ravinder Bopara fell soon, at the stroke of tea, but Broad provided him good company after the interval. Broad enjoyed large dollops of good fortune – Wasim Jaffer grassed a tough chance at short leg before MS Dhoni and Ramesh Powar fluffed a sitter apiece. It allowed Broad to get into his groove before opening up with some handsome lofts over the infield.But it was Denly who was the most confident batsmen on view. He was particularly severe on Zaheer’s full-pitched deliveries early on and it was only when the length changed that he was in any trouble. He brought up his fifty with a crisp crack through midwicket and went to lunch set for a big one. However he couldn’t resist the temptation to charge down the track to a flighted offbreak from Powar, left a big gap between bat and pad and watched MS Dhoni pull off a neat stumping.His dismissal fired up the Indians, especially Zaheer, in what was their most successful passage of play. Zaheer cranked up his pace and mixed up his length well, occasionally slipping in a well-directed bouncer, and didn’t flag at any point. Jonathan Trott, who reached 40 without much problem, was suddenly rattled and fell to a half-hearted drive away from his body.Tim Ambrose followed soon, undone by a fuller ball that ricocheted off the edge to the wicketkeeper. Bopara and Bresnan added 40 in quick time but Sachin Tendulkar, bringing himself on just before tea, lured Bopara into an airy flick, only for Dinesh Karthik to pull off a smart reflex catch at short leg. It gave the Indians a sniff but proved to be the last cheery moment of the day.

Lalchand Rajput, India’s Under-19 coach, has been named cricket manager of the Indian team for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa next month. Rajput will take over from Chandu Borde, who is managing the team on the current tour of England.Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad will continue as fielding and bowling coaches, Rajiv Shukla, vice-president of the Board for Control of Cricket in India, said.The board is expected to advertise for a new coach to take charge of the team after the Twenty20 tournament. “We want to get a coach as early as possible,” Shukla said after a meeting of senior board officials in New Delhi. The Indian team has been without a coach since Greg Chappell stepped down following the team’s World Cup exit in March.Mahendra Singh Dhoni had earlier been named captain of the team for the Twenty20 tournament, which Rahul Dravid, the regular captain, and seniors Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly had decided to skip.Shukla also said a new National Cricket Academy would be built at Bangalore, for which the Karnataka government is expected to allot land. The board also announced that the Brabourne Stadium would host a Twenty20 game between India and Australia on October 20, following a seven-match ODI series between the two sides.

Andrew Flintoff has had a steroid injection in his left ankle in a bid to play in the deciding one-day international against India at Lord’s and be available for the ICC World Twenty20.Flintoff has missed three matches in the current series, one with swelling behind his right knee and two after jarring his ankle during the fourth game at Old Trafford. He had a lengthy bat in the nets at Lord’s and bowled under the watchful eyes of Peter Moores and the England medical team.”There is no pain reaction as of now,” said Moores, “but we have to wait until the morning. It is very difficult to identify what it [the problem] is. We will look into that and hopefully we can rein it in and make him ready for the longer term. We don’t know when the pain is going to come back or not.”At the moment the medical team is assessing him and he is already wearing a special boot that will help him. We have to try and make sure that it settles down and the injection will help for that. He batted and bowled today, and now we have to wait for the ECB medical team’s word on whether we can play him tomorrow.”It is the first steroid injection Flintoff has had since the Melbourne Test last winter and he has previously said how he doesn’t want to rely on them because of the long-term effects on his body. However, Moores is confident that the latest jab is the best way to get Flintoff back onto the field.”The injection is to take the pain away and get that inflammation down, and it is the first stage. It is a way of injury management. They [the medical team] were very conscious with the injection and it wasn’t into the joints. I am not a medical man, but they said the risk with the injection is minimal and we can go ahead with it.”

The formal process of appointing Bangladesh’s new coach has commenced with John Harmer making his presentation to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials. The panel members were impressed with Harmer’s knowledge of bowling and bio-mechanics and said that the formal appointment would have to wait till next month once the remaining candidates are interviewed.”His knowledge of the game, error detection, and expertise on bowling impressed us,” Gazi Ashraf Hossain, a panel member was quoted in the . “However, it is too early to detail the outcome because we have just started the process.”Hossain said that Harmer would conduct a training session on Saturday with the contracted players not included in the squad for the Twenty20 World Championship, at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.Bangladesh are hoping to complete the process ahead of the tour of New Zealand in December. Zimbabwean Dave Houghton and Australian Jamie Siddons are the other two candidates. The team is currently under coach Shaun Williams, filling in on a temporary basis through the World Championship later this month.”David Houghton is likely to make his presentation in September and we can only give you a clear picture after the interview ends,” Hossain said. “But we must do it before the New Zealand tour in December.”Harmer, the former England women’s coach, expressed satisfaction after the meeting said – if appointed – his aim would be to improve Bangladesh’s world ranking, taking it one step at a time.”It was a very good meeting where we had a lot of discussions and negotiations,” Harmer said. “I want to make the team a little better than what they are at the moment, if I got the job. Bangladesh is a leading international side, ranked eighth after the World Cup and I will try to make them number seven at first.”

Murali Karthik, the left-arm spinner, will lead a 15-member Railways squad in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season [November 2007 to January 2008], where his side will be competing in the Plate League.The news comes in the wake of Kartik’s comeback to the national side. Karthik, 31, had earned a recall to the Indian one-day team after consistent performances in the English county circuit playing for Middlesex, with whom he has signed on for the 2008 season.”It is always a great honour and pleasure to play for the country and I will enjoy the responsibility given to me by Railways,” Kartik told the . “We are all focussed to get back to the Elite League.”The new faces in the Railways squad are Mahesh Rawat, Sabir Ali and Musavir Khote. Rawat, a wicketkeeper, had represented Haryana in the previous Ranji season and represented India A in one game during the tour to Kenya. Ali, 22, is a right-arm medium pace bowler who has played for Tripura while Khote, an allrounder, has played for Mumbai.Railways have not yet named a coach. Jai Prakash Yadav, Tejinder Pal Singh and Shreyas Khanolkar have not been included after they had signed contracts with the Indian Cricket League.Railways start their Ranji Trophy campaign on November 3 when they take on Jammu & Kashmir in Delhi.Railways squad
Murali Kartik (capt), Sanjay Bangar (vice-captain), Amit Pagnis, Kulamani Parida, Harvinder Singh, Sanjib Sanyal, Rahul Deb, Raja Ali, Santosh Saxena, Musavir Khote, Mahesh Rawat (wk), Madan Yadav, Siddharth Joshi, Sabir Ali, Harshad Rawle

Virat Kohli

Phrases such as “most talented youngster” have followed him since his junior days and Kohli is doing his bit to live up to it. His 90 against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy, an innings that helped Delhi avert the follow-on, was an illustration of his mental fortitude: his father had died in the wee hours of the morning, but he insisted on resuming his innings to guide his side to safety. The 2005-06 Ranji season, his first, produced 257 runs at 36.71, and he put together a string of good scores for India Under-19, against their England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka counterparts.Last season, Twenty20
Runs: 179, S/R: 131.61

Pinal Shah

Shah, the Baroda wicketkeeper, had scored a first-class double century before he represented India in the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka last year. Stable behind the stumps, Shah is an aggressive batsman, which gives him an edge over other young wicketkeepers. In the Challengers, though, with the presence of Mahesh Rawat in the India Red side, Shah might be looked at as a specialist batsman, if he plays. This will be the start of his third first-class season.Last season, List A
Runs: 249, Ave: 62.25Last season, Twenty20
Runs: 106, S/R: 147.22

Paresh Patel

Twenty20 is perceived as a bowlers’ graveyard, but Paresh, a left-arm spinner from Orissa, used this format to resurrect his career, which was threatening to peter out after a forgettable debut season in 2005-06. Paresh entered the first-class scene in late 2005, which was a reward for some consistent performances at the age-group levels, but ended the season with a solitary wicket in six games. He hadn’t been picked for 15 months since, but the inaugural domestic Twenty20 offered him a chance, which he grabbed gleefully. Seventeen wickets in eight games at 10.64 – the second-highest wiclets tally and the best average among the top eight wicket-takers – pushed him into the reckoning.Last season, Twenty20
28.3-0-181-17

Siddharth Trivedi

A member of the Under-19 team that reached the semi-final of the World Cup in New Zealand in 2002, Trivedi, the Gujarat medium-pacer, was an early starter in first-class cricket. In his first-class debut, in 2002-03, he took a five-for against UP. After an impressive first season, he was rewarded with the Border-Gavaskar scholarship and later a place in the Challengers next season, where he played only one match and ended with 1 for 34 in four overs.When Greg Chappell took over as the India coach in 2005, Trivedi was a part of the 30-member conditioning camp. He has since been part of the A team that played the Top End series in Australia and New Zealand in 2006.Last season, List A
Wickets: 9, Ave: 27.88, Economy: 4.32Last season, Twenty20
26-0-202-6

Karan Goel

Goel, 20, is an attacking opening batsman who was the leading run-getter in the inaugural domestic Twenty20 Championship last season, guiding Punjab to the final. A batsman who can bowl part-time offbreaks, Goel was chosen as the player of the year by the Punjab Cricket Association. Stronger on the off side, he rates the cover drive as his favourite shot. He started playing under the tutelage of his father, a university-grade cricketer, before chiseling his skills under coach Charanjit Singh. He is currently working with the Punjab coach Daljit Singh.Last season, List A
Runs: 406, Ave: 45.11Last season, Twenty20
Runs: 313, S/R: 107.93

Mahesh Rawat

Rawat is a wicketkeeper-batsman who played for Haryana before shifting to Railways this season. Solid both behind and in front of the stumps, he made his first-class debut in 2003-04. However, it was in 2006-07 season that he hit a purple patch, rattling two centuries and a half-century in the Duleep Trophy at an average of 93.66. He is an efficient wicketkeeper and a dependable lower-order batsman who has even opened in one-day games. He was a part of the India A team that toured Kenya.Last season, List A
Runs: 91, Ave: 91Last season, Twenty20
Runs: 110, S/R: 103.77

Shrikant Mundhe

Mundhe is a right-arm medium-pacer and a lower-order batsman who has played for Maharashtra and India Under-19. In his debut match for Maharashtra U-14s, in January 2002, Mundhe scored an unbeaten 59 batting at No. 10. In six first-class matches he has snared 16 wickets with a career-best match-winning 5 for 18 against Saurashtra during the Ranji One-Day Trophy in early 2007. He has represented India U-19s in just one game, against their Sri Lankan counterparts, also in 2007. But an impressive one-day season has brought him into the reckoning for the Challengers.Last season, List A
Wickets: 16, Ave: 13.06, Econ: 4.69Last season, Twenty20
14-0-105-5

Charlie Shreck justified Wellington‘s decision to sign him for a full season, collecting a second-innings 5 for 66 as his side beat the defending champions Northern Districts at Hamilton. Dewayne Bowden made 106 not out, his maiden first-class century, and Matthew Bell chipped in with 81 as Wellington declared their first innings at 360 for 9, with a healthy lead after Northern Districts were sent in and made 224. Shreck’s efforts then rattled Northern Districts for 217, and Wellington eased past the target of 82 with nine wickets to spare.Mathew Sinclair’s unbeaten 243 secured first-innings points for Central Districts as they played out a draw with Otago at Napier. Sinclair’s innings was the highest individual score in Central Districts’ first-class history and he could have gone further had they not declared at 405 for 5. Aaron Redmond (73) led Otago’s reply but they fell for 357 after Robbie Schaw’s spin earned him 4 for 57. Another dominant display from Central Districts followed, with Peter Ingram’s 140 not out guiding them to 305 for 4 declared. That gave Otago a chase of 354 and Redmond (102) and Leighton Morgan (82) put them on track with a 161-run opening stand before Schaw rattled them again. He claimed 5 for 130 as Otago made it to 314 for 6 before the umpires called time.Canterbury struggled without their former captain Chris Harris, conceding two points in a draw with Auckland at Christchurch. Andre Adams claimed 6 for 42 and was the danger man for Auckland, rattling through Canterbury’s top order, which fell to 27 for 5 in their first innings. After a lower-order fightback their new captain Kruger van Wyk declared at 180 for 8 – trailing by 237 after Richard Jones (80) top scored in Auckland’s 417 for 8 declared. Auckland’s second innings did not go quite as planned – they closed it at 93 for 5 – but the target of 331 was too steep for Canterbury. Their chase began badly as they fell to 0 for 2, and Todd Astle opted for defence after that, finishing on 75 from 207 balls as Canterbury reached 179 for 5.Player of the Week Mathew Sinclair
Sinclair built his reputation as a double-century specialist early in his Test career and his 243 not out again proved he likes long stays at the crease. He batted for nearly nine hours, broke the all-time Central Districts record for the highest score, and might have made a triple-hundred if given the chance. The timing was also spot on for Sinclair, who sneaked into New Zealand’s contract list this season, as the national team’s top order has been under fire in South Africa.

Scorecard

South Australia relied on their walking wounded to take first-innings points against Queensland before Shaun Tait floored them with three wickets in four overs. The visitors finished day two on a high after reducing the Bulls to 4 for 24 and holding a 34-run lead.Tait, who picked up 3 for 69 in the first innings, showed his elbow problem had well and truly healed by removing Nick Kruger (0), Jimmy Maher (1) and the nightwatchman Daniel Doran (4) in a brutal short spell. He was backed up by Ryan Harris, who claimed Shane Watson for 15 – he edged to first slip – after avoiding consecutive pairs.The flurry of wickets rewarded the gutsy South Australians after Graham Manou started the acts of bravery by striking 43 with a broken finger. Mark Cosgrove, who was batting at No. 8 due to illness, then added late impetus with 54 off 52 balls.The visitors were dismissed for 366 after Andy Delmont chipped in with a career-high 64 and the middle and lower orders built on the work done by the openers. They began the day strongly with Matthew Elliott and Shane Deitz recording half-centuries, but Queensland hit back through Ashely Noffke, who finished with 4 for 73.The pair had put on 141 when Elliott slashed at Noffke shortly before lunch, edging behind for 78, while Deitz followed for 58. Mitchell Johnson dismissed Callum Ferguson for 20 before Noffke captured Nathan Adcock, leaving South Australia at 4 for 184. Manou started the revival until he struck a catch back to the legspinner Doran, who hit again after tea when he had Harris caught for 6.Cosgrove’s innings was ended by Johnson, who did not have a fun day in collecting 2 for 127 off 26 overs, while Delmont became Michael Kasprowicz’s 950th first-class victim. Noffke returned to finish the innings with the wicket of Tait, who quickly gained revenge.

UAE and Oman ensured that they will both appear in Saturday’s final, regardless of the result when the two meet in the final round of matches. Both have four wins out of four and now cannot be caught. The main battle is for third and fourth places which guarantees a place in the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier.UAE remained top of the table with a superb chase to beat Namibia by five wickets at the Wanderers, chasing down 359 inside 46 overs. That Namibia even managed to set UAE such a huge total was due to Gerry Snyman’s blitzkrieg 196 from a mere 113 balls, in which he smacked 17 sixes and seven fours. Arshad Ali got UAE’s chase off to a solid start with 57 from 49, but the real injection of pace came from Saqib Ali (91 from 59) and Khurram Khan, whose fine form continued with 89 from 79.After their two-wicket win over Namibia yesterday, Oman recorded a six-wicket victory over Denmark. Hemal Mehta took 3 for 11 from six overs while Syed Ali grabbed 2 for 11 – both bowlers making up for the wayward efforts of Oman’s opening attack of Hemin Desai and Farhan Khan. Freddie Klokker continued his good form with 45 from 46 and Carsten Pedersen made a brisk 37, but there was little else and Oman were set 169 to win. Desai made up for his expensive bowling with 47 from 25 balls, and although Denmark took four wickets, Oman rattled off the runs inside 30 overs.

Uganda notched their first win of the tournament and kept their hopes of a place in the World Cup Qualifier alive with a nine-wicket thrashing of Argentina. Ronald Ssemanda bagged 3 for 29, but Frank Nsubuga outbowled him with 3 for 10 from his 10 overs to restrict Argentina to 150 for 8. Uganda raced to victory with Joel Olwenyi carving 62 from 51, sharing an opening stand of 101 with Arthur Kyobe (46). Kenneth Kamyuka took them home with 37 from just 11 balls with five sixes.

A fitness test is all that stands between Brian Lara and the opening Carib Beer Series contest against Guyana at the Queen’s Park Oval on Friday.Lara was named in the 14-man Trinidad and Tobago squad that will take on the Guyanese, pending a fitness test tomorrow concerning his shoulder injury. Once a decision has been made on his fitness, the squad will be trimmed to 13 players for the Guyana match.T&T will be led by allrounder Rayad Emrit in the absence of Daren Ganga, who is currently on tour with West Indies in South Africa.Noticeably absent from the T&T squad is veteran fast bowler Mervyn Dillon, but T&T Cricket Board chairman Dudnath Ramkessoon stressed yesterday that this does not mean the big pacer is out of the series. “We have Ravi Rampaul there, we have [Richard] Kelly there,” Ramkessoon told the . “There’s [only] so many players you can pick. It’s just for this game, because after the first game [against Guyana] we’ll pick for the second one [against Barbados].”Adrian Barath, the talented young opener, returns from an elbow injury to boost the T&T team. Coach Kelvin Williams will be buoyed by Barath’s robust 106 from a total of 266 for 6 for South against North in their limited-overs fixture, on Sunday. Atiba Alert, a fast bowler, is the only new face in the T&T squad.Richard Kelly returns to the fold after being excluded from the KFC Cup squad in October. Kelly was in sparkling form for North in the Pizza Hut Gerry Gomez North/South Classic, last weekend, his ten-wicket match haul earning him the accolades of Man of the Match, Best Bowler and North MVP.