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Under the glare of floodlights, the gaze of television viewers at home and surrounded by some rather lonely looking concrete terraces, Colts Cricket Club qualified for the final of the Premier Division Limited Overs tournament at Premadasa International Stadium tonight. They defeated Tamil Union by 44 runs in a low scoring but nevertheless keenly fought match.It was a praiseworthy initiative by the Sri Lankan cricket board to host the final stages of this otherwise low-key tournament under lights and to invite the television cameras into the stadium. Unfortunately, they were less successful in pulling in the spectators. Nevertheless, it was surely a step in the right direction. Who knows, with further promotion and similar initiatives, this tournament may well arrest the attention of Sri Lanka cricket fans in years to come.The match itself was no jamboree. A sluggish pitch ensured that stroke play remained purely functional and the bowling attritional. This is not to distract from the game, which remained a tense affair until Dinuka Hettiarachchi bowled Upul Chandana in the 32nd over of the run chase.When Colts CC were bowled out for a meager 174 it looked as though an upset was on the cards. With their bowling attack packed with fast bowlers on a surface that cried out for the twirly men, Roy Dias, the Colts coach, would surely have been apprehensive.However, the Colts seam attack showed that the quick men too can prosper on turgid pitches by displaying the age old virtues of a tight line and unerring length. With the exception of Eric Upashantha, who bowled four wides in his opening burst, the fast bowlers remained disciplined throughout.The Tamil Union batsmen batted cautiously, with hindsight perhaps too much so, in the opening overs. Gradually the pressure shifted away from the fielding side and onto the batsmen as the Tamil Union innings was caught in the doldrums.Wickets began falling, steadily at first but with increasing frequency thereafter. Kumara (5) was the first batsmen to fall when he was trapped LBW by Upashantha in the sixth over of the innings. Ranga Dias (9), normally a free scoring player, was caught in two minds whilst trying to pull DulipLiyanage and popped up an easy catch in the 12th over.Malintha Gajanayake (2) was dismissed during a miserly spell of bowling from the young Kaushalya Weereratne – he bowled an eight over spell that yielded just nine runs – when he drove too early at a full-length delivery and was caught at mid off.The balance of the game had now shifted and Tamil Union were 47 for three in the 17th over. Then, the game swung decisively towards Colts when Rideegammanagedara, who faced 19 balls for his single run, was both dropped and run out of the same delivery, and Chandana (19) was bowled off his pads. After the dismissal of their captain Tamil Union capitulated losing their last five wickets for just 41 runs.The early part of the day had belonged to Tamil Union’s spin quartet. Led by the irrepressible Mutiah Muralitharan, who picked up five wickets for 15 runs, they ran through a powerful Colts batting line-up, taking nine of the ten wickets to fall.The only batsmen to prosper were Chaminda Mendis, with a diligent 35, and Kulatunga, with a sparkling 35, which included five boundaries. When this pair were separated after a stand of 67 the innings subsided and it was left to Eric Upasthantha to ensure respectability with what turned out to be a crucial 34 runs.

The West Indies Cricket Board has set up a review committee to assist their international players under the scanner for suspect bowling actions.Bowlers suspended by the ICC can continue playing domestic cricket in their country with the permission of their local board and the WICB has established this committee to “review, assess and make the relevant recommendations of all the international players before they are allowed to bowl in domestic competitions.”This move comes in the wake of the ICC suspending several of their spinners for illegal actions. On Sunday, Marlon Samuels was barred from bowling in international cricket for 12 months after copping his second suspension in two years. He was first reported in 2008, after which he had stopped bowling for three years.West Indies’ premier spinner Sunil Narine is also under cloud. His action was reported during an ODI against Sri Lanka in November and a test done at Loughborough indicated his elbow extended beyond the 15 degree limit for all of his variations. Although that was the first time he was pulled up in international cricket, his action had come under repeated scrutiny in the Champions League T20 in 2014 and subsequently led to him skipping the World Cup 2015.Narine can ask for a re-test of his action at any time now, but Samuels will have to wait until his 12-month suspension is complete.Shane Shillingford had faced the same problem after a tour of India in November 2013. He had been West Indies’ first-choice Test spinner at the time, and has since had success at correcting his bowling action.

Wisden CricInfo Polly Umrigar
Unfortunately when he passed away, I was at his bedside, around 10pm late last evening. I had gone to visit him in the evening, and around 8pm he just opened his eyes, but I don’t think he recognised me. He was in a bad state and was on the oxygen mask, and I felt really bad for him going through this suffering. We played cricket together for so long, and for the last 15 years, we were neighbours, so we were very close to each other and I have lost a dear friend.An asset to any side, Ramchand was an allrounder and a gutsy and tough cricketer. He was a brilliant close-in fielder and he had no gear to protect him, which just goes to show how brave he was. The 109 against Australia in Bombay in 1956-57 stands out in my eyes as one of his best knocks. As a captain, he was an average skipper, but he always led by example. A jovial character off the field, his tough character on it used to motivate his fellow players.Chandu Borde
I am shocked to hear this news, as I didn’t know it till now. I have lost a family member. What a fine gentleman he was – always well-dressed, cordial and level-headed. Though he had limited resources as a bowler, he was quite deceptive. A decent leader of men, he was very tolerant; even if a player was not scoring runs, he never used to get irritated and used to take things in the stride. He led us brilliantly to victory against Richie Benaud’s Australians in the Kanpur Test [in 1959-60], always giving us the self-belief that we could beat them. As a batsman he possessed a tremendous punch along with a good sense of timing. I remember on our train journeys we – Tat (Vijay Manjrekar), Bapu Nadkarni and myself – used to pull his leg by speaking in Marathi, and although he couldn’t speak it, he used to understand. At the same time he never was silent and used to give it back.Nari Contractor
He was a very good man and it is very sad that he had to struggle for a long time when the end came. I was lucky that I got to see him a few days back when I visited him in the hospital. As a captain he was never arrogant and always had that we-can-do-it kind of attitude and that was on display when he was the skipper when we won against the Australians at Kanpur. Although this moment came late in his life, he deserved it. He should have taken over the captaincy in the immediate aftermath of Polly’s [Umrigar] resignation. One of the hardest-hitting batsmen of his era, his finest innings came at Brabourne in Bombay against the Australians and came against the odds. He was also a genuine allrounder – not very fast, but he could get the job done.

Prosper Utseya leads an inexperienced Zimbabwe team against South Africa © AFP

Kevin Curran, the Zimbabwe coach, has revealed Zimbabwe are planning to return to Test cricket in November 2007, following their withdrawal at the start of this year. Zimbabwe have arrived in South Africa for a three-match ODI series as preparation for the Champions Trophy.”We will be playing the West Indies at home in November next year,” Curran told the news agency in Johannesburg. “We think that will give us time to develop our very young team, and we also believe that the West Indies would be at the right level of play for our return to Test cricket.”Cricinfo revealed more than a month ago that Zimbabwe’s return to the Test arena would be when they met West Indies at that time.Curran added that tours such as this short trip to Zimbabwe were vital for an inexperienced team. “It’s a very young team – the average age is about 21 so we need to play lots of competitive cricket. We are also planning a number of four-day matches against teams like South Africa A and other A sides.”As these players gain international experience, they will improve and become more competitive. If they can get 30 or 40 international caps under their belts, they will be much better prepared for the return to Test cricket.”So we will grab any opportunity with both hands. Losing about 20 senior players made a huge dent in Zimbabwe cricket.”The team were greeted at Johannesburg airport by Gerald Majola, the Cricket South Africa chief executive, who said the tour shows how South Africa are keen to help Zimbabwe.”We are very serious about the future of Zimbabwe cricket. We have taken a conscious decision to help Zimbabwe whenever we can, and the three ODIs are to help their preparations for the qualifying round Champions Trophy.”However, Majola was quick to point out that the series is also vital for South Africa’s build-up to the tournament in India next month, especially after their withdrawal from the tour of Sri Lanka after bombings in Colombo.Zimbabwe, led by Prosper Utseya the offspinner, start their tour with a 20-over match against the Eagles in Kimberley, before their opening ODI at Bloemfontein on September 15.

Michael Vaughan reaches three figures after his reprieve at Adelaide in 2002-03 © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan has rejected Ricky Ponting’s goodwill catching deal, where the batsmen would accept the word of the fielders, and will leave contentious decisions to the umpires. Ponting, who has tried to lift the standards of behaviour under his captaincy, was disappointed with the refusal and will try again today at the captains’ meeting with the match referee Ranjan Madugalle.”Umpires are there,” Vaughan told . “They have done a really good job over the past couple of years of making the decision out in the middle. I don’t know where we’ve had any instances where the actual TV replay people have come into play, as the umpire asks the player if he caught it and if he says yes, then yes, that’s out. I hope that continues.”The memory of Vaughan standing his ground in Adelaide in 2002-03 still annoys the Australians, particularly Justin Langer who claimed the catch with the batsman on 19. Vaughan went on to make 177.”Every time a player has said, ‘It’s gone in my hands’, the umpire’s gone, ‘That’s out’,” Vaughan said. “Every time a player’s not too sure, the umpire’s said not out. We haven’t had any incidents and we don’t really see it as an issue to bring up.”Adam Gilchrist this week spoke about walking and Ponting, who got the same response from Stephen Fleming last summer, is intent on improving more on-field standards. “I’m one that wants to push it as much as I can,” Ponting said. “It’s a bit of a blight on the game that we refer them all to the third umpire.”

Scorecard

Jacques Kallis celebrates his hundred© Touchline

On a day that varied from engrossing to downright boring, Jacques Kallis displayed tremendous application to strike an unbeaten 150 on a deteriorating pitch. Neil McKenzie, who knocked a busy 52 in the morning, played the ideal Robin to Kallis’s Batman. However, after the first session, South Africa’s run-rate went south. An overcautious approach took them to 313 for 4 in 116 overs, and when they eventually declared, New Zealand were set 264 in 23 overs. There was never a case for a chase and the match ended with New Zealand on 39 for 1.There was a possibility of the match being called off earlier in the day, when a few balls hit an ever-growing hole in the pitch and jagged off wickedly, and prompted an inspection by the match referee. But play resumed, and South Africa continued at a snail’s pace.South Africa had taken another approach in the morning. Kallis and McKenzie mixed caution with aggression to keep New Zealand’s bowlers – particularly the spinners – at bay. All the while, Kallis revealed an array of shots as effective as his padwork. When the spinners pitched the ball on the scuffmarks, he stood back – often inches from the stumps – and played it as late as possible. But when they strayed, a damaging sweep shot often came into play. The faster bowlers provoked a different response. He cut repeatedly, and pushed the ball through the covers, and when Scott Styris bowled, the slower pace allowed Kallis the time and control to drive straight down the ground.

Clive Lloyd, the match referee, discusses the state of the pitch with the umpires© Touchline

As Kallis approached yet another century, Daniel Vettori suddenly found his line and extracted disconcerting bounce that had not only the batsman, but also the wicketkeeper and slips, fumbling. But unlike the first innings, when he fell for 92, Kallis reached three figures. McKenzie, however, fell by the wayside for 52. His refreshingly nimble footwork was a contrast from the leaden approach of the other batsmen, and his ploy of coming down the track threw the spinners off their length. Paul Wiseman had him in the end, though. Turning the ball wildly, the spinner had the support of three close-in catchers, who were always kept busy with the odd bat-pad chance off McKenzie, until one finally stuck (215 for 4).It was the last success New Zealand’s bowlers had, because Gary Kirsten and Kallis presented a dead bat (or no bat at all) to almost everything thrown at them, until a briefly entertaining period before tea when the batsmen burst into a medley of cover-drives, square cuts, and other shots. Kirsten even stepped out and swatted a six off Wiseman before the declaration.New Zealand, given a target of 264 in 23 overs, held out well, losing the wicket of Michael Papps on their way to 39 for 1 before the match was called off. But in that brief period, Brendon McCullum (19 not out) showed good form and attacked the bowling with powerful square cuts that beat the fielders. It rounded up a good match for McCullum, who kept wickets competently on what resembled a really bad fifth-day subcontinental turner. The spinners kept him busy, and though they bowled with near-perfect control, Kallis – in probably the best form of his life – thwarted their aspirations.

JOHANNESBURG, March 14 AFP – Disgraced Australian cricket legend Shane Warne is set to return to South Africa just after the World Cup final for a series of lucrative speaking engagements.Warne, who was suspended from all cricket for twelve months after failing a drugs test for a banned diuretic, has been signed up to speak at functions in Durban on March 26 and in Johannesburg on March 28.”Although Shane has been banned from the game, the dates were fixed before that time and I have no problems with him coming here,” Ross Fraser, the head of organising body CorporateSport, told AFP today.Warne left South Africa for home on February 11, the day of Australia’s opening World Cup match against Pakistan at the Wanderers, when news of his positive test broke.”He will be involved in three functions – the two in Durban and Johannesburg as well as a golf day which has yet to be finalised,” added Fraser.”Originally, he was going to stay on after the tournament, but of course those plans changed. He will probably now come on the Monday after the final as he has no desire to interfere with the Australian team.”Tickets for the two morning functions, entitled the ‘What Now Warnie?’ breakfasts, cost 342 rand ($A70).”I think Shane has been very brave in agreeing to talk about what has happened,” said Fraser.”He could easily have decided to hide away but there will be a question and answer session where people can ask him about what has gone on.”The 33-year-old Warne returned the positive test on January 22, which forced him home from what would have been his last World Cup.After earlier denials that he had taken more than one diuretic pill, Warne eventually admitted that he had first taken the banned diuretic on December 12 – to get rid of an alcohol-induced double chin.Warne also said that he took a diuretic given to him by his mother to look good for a press conference to announce his retirement from international one-day cricket.He also admitted to being silly for not checking what tablets he was taking, and said he should have listened more to Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA) briefings on banned substances.Warne estimated the ban from all cricket could cost him around $A3 million.The Australian star has enjoyed a hugely successful career with 491 Test wickets helping him to be named as one of Wisden’s top five cricketers of all time.

Winless in the series so far, a young but talented Indian side willhave to get their act together when they take on New Zealand in theirthird league match of the Coca-Cola Cup tri-series in Colombo onThursday to stay in the reckoning for the final.With Sri Lanka winning their match against New Zealand by five wicketstoday, India’s cause has been helped and they must now win at leasttwo of the remaining four league matches to hope for a place in thefinal. The hosts, with three consecutive victories under their beltand six points are almost assured of a final slot ahead of New Zealandwho have two points.”It is a do or die situation,” Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly summed itup aptly on the eve of the crucial match.Coach John Wright confirmed that Ajit Agarkar and Debasish Mohantyhave been ruled out and named the same 13 that lost to Sri Lanka bysix runs in the previous outing for tomorrow’s match.Losing their opening encounter against New Zealand by a huge margin of84 runs and then fumbling at the winning post by six runs against SriLanka in the next, India have been quite unpredictable which makesweighing their chances a dicey proposition.The bowlers have done a commendable job, sticking to a tidy line andlength but the batsmen have been a huge disappointment, gifting awaytheir wickets to unnecessary shots or being unable to rotate thestrike in crunch situations.It defied reason to see a batsman of the calibre of Rahul Dravidstruggling to get a boundary off even a full toss when India needed 12runs in the last over for a win.India’s case has been one of a huge gap between potential andperformance so far and the coach and the skipper must do a bit ofsoul-searching to find match-winning solutions before it is too late.Ganguly is finally among the runs and there is no reason why he shoulddemote himself down the order. He should not repeat the mistake hemade in the previous match against Sri Lanka, promoting HarbhajanSingh ahead of himself only to see the plan backfire.With all-rounders like Yuvraj Singh, Hemang Badani, Virender Sehwagand Reetinder Singh Sodhi in their ranks, the Indians must open withGanguly and Amay Khurasiya for a solid start to the innings.The task for the Indian batsmen has been made tough by the absence oftheir mainstay Sachin Tendulkar but India must get over their overdependence on the maestro and play as a well-knit team.The participating teams have shrugged off threats from LTTE guerillasand looked largely unaffected by the politically volatile situation asthey have continued with their regular practice and scotched rumoursof scrapping off the series midway.

Chelsea are now one of the most aggressive suitors in the race for a “powerhouse” defender, and they could be prepared to make a huge bid.

Blues told to sign new defender

The Blues have been urged to bring in a new centre-back during the upcoming transfer window, with Darren Bent suggesting former defender Thiago Silva could have been a savvy addition, despite turning 41 back in September.

The ex-striker said: “I played against Thiago Silva when he was in his pomp. Oh my goodness, animal! Brazil versus England… animal. He had everything: jumps, quick, powerful.

“But now, he just reads the game so well and if I’m Chelsea then I’m trying to bring him back.”

However, with the Brazilian recently making the move to FC Porto, BlueCo have now set out to bring in a younger, up-and-coming prospect, who is being targeted by a number of Europe’s biggest clubs.

That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which states Chelsea have now emerged as one of the most aggressive suitors in the race for Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor, with the 17-year-old also of interest to Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Such is the Blues’ level of interest, they could even be prepared to make a bid of around €60m (£52m), with any deal likely to be on the expensive side, as the Italian club value the youngster highly and don’t want to cash-in too early.

At the moment, Ahanor remains under contract until 2028, so there is no pressing need for Atalanta to sanction a sale, but the defender’s reputation is growing, with his ability in possession of the ball particularly catching the eye.

"Powerhouse" Ahanor could be future star

Back in May, scout Ben Mattinson suggested the teenager could be in line to make a major breakthrough this season, while also praising his pace and upper body strength.

Mattinson’s prediction has proven to be correct, with the starlet going on to make 13 appearances in all competitions, including four in the Champions League, helping his side keep a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory against Marseille back in November.

Subscribe to the newsletter for elite transfer analysis Want more context on transfer sagas? Subscribing to our newsletter unlocks in-depth coverage and analysis of transfer targets, emerging prospects and club strategy – the kind of scout-informed perspective that puts moves like Chelsea’s interest in Ahanor into sharper focus. Subscribe Subscribe to the newsletter for elite transfer analysis Want more context on transfer sagas? Subscribing to our newsletter unlocks in-depth coverage and analysis of transfer targets, emerging prospects and club strategy – the kind of scout-informed perspective that puts moves like Chelsea’s interest in Ahanor into sharper focus.

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The Aversa-born defender then went on to grab his first professional goal in a 4-0 rout against his former club, Genoa, earlier this month, during which he won all four of the duels he contested.

Related Chelsea identify former defender as 'perfect fit' to replace Maresca as manager

He’s enjoyed a ‘rapid adaptation’ to coaching.

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Ahanor is exhibiting very promising signs at Atalanta, but it would still be a little early for Chelsea to submit a bid in the region of £52m, and they should wait until the end of the season before making any approach.

Bhargav Bhatt and Aditya Waghmode continued their good form with ball and bat, respectively, to guide Baroda to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Maharashtra.Bhatt, who was coming off a stellar performance of 2 for 16 against Odisha on Monday, picked up three wickets in the 35th over and one in the 37th, as Maharashtra slid from 135 for 4 to 145 for 9 within five overs. Nikit Dhumal then paired with Domnic Muthuswami to add an unbeaten 31 for the last wicket, taking Maharashtra to 176 for 9 in their fifty overs. Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel picked up one wicket each, while pacer Rishi Arothe picked up two.Waghmode followed up his maiden List A century against Odisha with an unbeaten 77 to steer Baroda’s 177-run chase. He found an able partner in Deepak Hooda, who scored 58 not out off 78 deliveries, and contributed to the 132-run, third-wicket partnership that sealed Baroda’s win in the 40th over.Odisha suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, losing by 55 runs to an Andhra side that was guided by AG Pradeep’s 102* and D Siva Kumar’s 4 for 37.Opting to bat, Andhra’s innings was anchored by Pradeep’s second List A hundred, after Alok Chandra Sahoo sent back the openers within the first ten overs. Pradeep shared a 79-run stand for the third wicket with captain Prashanth Kumar (46), and then posted a partnership of 138 runs for the fourth wicket with Jyothi Sai Krishna, lifting the team score to 261 for 4 in 50 overs.Odisha were off to a poor start, losing two wickets to Siva Kumar in the first over. Anurag Sarangi (52) then combined with captain Natraj Behera(42) and Biplab Samantray (44) to post partnerships worth 71 and 56 respectively, but Andhra’s bowlers kept chipping away at the wickets. Odisha lost their last six wickets for 60 runs and were eventually bowled out for 206 in 48 overs.Centuries from Ganesh Satish and Jitesh Sharma drove Vidarbha‘s colossal 158-run win over Tripura. Satish’s unbeaten 140 off 134 included 12 fours and four sixes, while Jitesh stroked ten fours and one six in his 108-ball 105. The pair added 172 for the second wicket, after opener Faiz Fazal fell for 12 and the partnership took Vidarbha to a commanding 324 for 5 in their 50 overs, after they were put in. None of Tripura’s bowlers conceded less than 50 runs, with Manisankar Murasingh (79 for 1) the most expensive bowler.In reply, no Tripura batsman scored more than 40 as the side was dismissed for 166 in the 48th over. Offspinner Akshay Wakhare picked up 3 for 29, while Ravikumar Thakur and Akshay Karnewar picked up two each.