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Middlesex 72 for 5 trail Warwickshire 608 for 7 dec (Knight 303*, Bell 129, Hogg 71) by 536 runs
Scorecard

What a difference a change of innings and a few clouds can make. After Warwickshire had rattled up a daunting 608 for 7 midway through the second afternoon at Lord’s, thanks largely to a triple-century from Nick Knight, they reduced Middlesex to 72 for 5 by an early close.The pitch seemed as spiteful to Middlesex’s batsmen as it had benign to Warwickshire’s. The only discernible difference was that sunshine had given way to increasingly low cloud by the time they batted, but that did not entirely excuse an abject performance. Neil Carter’s opening spell reduced Middlesex to 22 for 3 by tea, with Owais Shah’s already wretched match compounded by a first-ball duck when he inside-edged into his middle stump.Before the carnage, Knight had finished with an unbeaten 303, the second time in successive matches at Lord’s that a Warwickshire batsman has made a triple ton and only the fifth man to do so at Lord’s (see list below). The last – Mark Wagh, who hit 315 in 2001 – was the only man to fall yesterday, and how he missed out. On that occasion, when Warwickshire also passed 600, Middlesex batted out a draw. After their abject display this evening, they will be extremely hard pressed to do so again.Knight made well-paced progress, as he had done throughout the first day, accumulating quietly and efficiently rather than spectacularly. In all, 119 of his runs were singles and his only acceleration came against the new ball on the first morning and when the declaration – and his own landmark – were in sight this afternoon.Middlesex’s bowlers showed more purpose than they did on Wednesday, although sadly Shah’s captaincy was again unimpressive. If Andrew Strauss is absent for long periods on England duty, then Middlesex have to hope that Shah improves, and does so pretty quickly, or much of their progress this summer could be squandered.The persevering Nantie Hayward, who removed Ian Bell for 129, Jonathan Trott (3) and Jim Troughton for a duck in a hostile opening spell, got due reward for his efforts. Bell, reprieved several times yesterday, added only 10 to his overnight score.

Warwickshire’s collapse continued when Dougie Brown fell for 19 to the South African one-two, Hayward holding a top-edged hook off Lance Klusener, and they had then lost four wickets for 36. They had past 400 and were still in the driving seat, but Middlesex had dragged themselves back into the match.Brad Hogg’s arrival upped the tempo and snuffed out any Middlesex revovery. With Knight he added 150 in 100 minutes, Hogg hammering 71 from 75 balls. Jamie Dalrymple and Paul Weekes, Middlesex’s far-from-frontline spin twins, suffered the most, and only the declaration prevented Dalrymple from joining Weekes in conceding three figures. Why Chris Peploe, Middlesex’s young left-armer, warranted only ten overs, none of them yesterday, remains a mystery. As it was, Knight brought up his 300 with his 32nd four, and called off the torture.Carter’s opening burst meant that Middlesex were there for the taking, and shortly after tea when Dewald Pretorius had Ben Hutton caught by Bell at third slip for 17, it was 28 for 4. As the gloom descended over Lord’s, both meteorologically and among the few home faithful who remained, Weekes (who finished unbeaten with 32) and Dalrymple stopped the rot somewhat.But as the umpires prepared to offer the light, Brown struck the final blow of the day when Dalrymple went walkabout and was stumped by an underarm throw from Tony Frost.

Sachin Tendulkar has joined the debate regarding India’s opening pair for Tests, stating that it would be extremely difficult to pick between Aakash Chopra and Yuvraj Singh as the partner for Virender Sehwag in the coming season.Speaking to the media during the Indian team’s fitness training camp in Bangalore, Tendulkar said: “It’s going to be a tough call. Either way, somebody is going to miss out. Both are equally good. It’s going to be a difficult decision.”If you pick Yuvraj, you lose out on a very good opener. And if you pick Aakash, you lose out on somebody who is exceptionally talented. It’s a very tricky situation.”The opener’s spot has come into focus over the last few days, after Sourav Ganguly picked Yuvraj as Sehwag’s likely partner for the forthcoming home series against Australia. Sehwag himself disagreed with the move, stating the need for a technically sound, defensive batsman at the other end to balance his own aggressive instincts.Chopra did an exceptional job at the top of the order in Australia, blunting their pace attack and providing solid starts which India’s formidable middle order then built on. Chopra’s contribution to India’s success on that tour wasn’t lost on Tendulkar. “Chopra has done exceedingly well as an opener on two tough tours of Australia and Pakistan. In the recent past, he is one of the best opening batsmen,” Tendulkar said. “He looked very confident, solid and mentally tough. That’s what you require as an opener.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

The second day of the Chittagong Test exemplified not only what Bangladesh could achieve with application, but also how they let situations slip through their grasp. At the end of it, India, dismissed for 540, were in firm control, but had to put up with stiff Bangladeshi resistance for most of the day. After removing five batsmen in the morning, Bangladesh were held up by Sourav Ganguly and the Indian tail in the second session. Then, after tea, Bangladesh protected their wickets stoutly on a pitch becoming increasingly difficult to bat on, but lost three wickets in the final overs to end on 54 for 3.Mashrafe Mortaza and Mohammad Rafique bowled with intelligence before lunch. They removed most of the middle order, including Sachin Tendulkar with the first ball of the day. After doing most of the work, they allowed Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to add 128 runs with Ganguly. Bangladesh then survived for nearly an entire session before the spinners breached their defences. Though defeat appeared inevitable, it was satisfying to see Bangladesh finally put up a fight.Mortaza had set the tone for his team’s defiance with the first ball, bringing it in to trap Tendulkar for 36. He then removed Rahul Dravid for 160 with one that lifted and kissed the edge of the bat en route to the wicketkeeper. Not long after, VVS Laxman was outsmarted by Rafique, and patted a delivery back to him. Then Dinesh Karthik and Irfan Pathan took liberties with his left-arm spin and paid a price.

After lunch, the bowlers slackened and frittered away their advantage. Ganguly added 53 with Kumble, and then rotated the strike as Harbhajan took toll of the bowlers. The ball was repeatedly smashed to the fence, and at times over it, as 75 runs came in 11 manic overs. Ganguly, 12 short of a hundred, then unsuccessfully tried to clear the long-on fence (540 for 9). His last century was a rousing 144 at Brisbane in December a year ago.Just as it seemed that Bangladesh were going through the motions once again, they returned to the crease and showed the backbone they missed sorely in Dhaka. Nafis Iqbal and Javed Omar survived testing spells from the new-ball attack. Irfan Pathan often appeared close to breaking through, but found the openers unshakable. Zaheer Khan was also unsuccessful in his attempt to rattle them. Only when the spinners came on did cracks appear.Kumble made the ball fizz off the strip and left the batsmen groping. To counter the variable bounce, the openers played him off the front foot. It did not do them much good. One delivery caught the edge of Iqbal’s bat but was put down by the wicketkeeper. Omar pushed at another that turned and flew to Dravid at slip (48 for 1). He had faced 78 balls for his 10. Mortaza, sent in as night-watchman, then padded up to a straight one and Iqbal, after defying India 91 balls for his 31, gloved a turner by Harbhajan to Gautam Gambhir at short leg (54 for 3).Bangladesh had fought bravely, but simply did not have the resources to counter India’s firepower on a wearing track.

Scorecard
How they were out

Muttiah Muralitharan took eight wickets to annihilate West Indies in the second Test at his hometown of Kandy. Set an imposing 378 to win, West Indies were not expected to pull off any miracles, but the manner in which they were decimated by Muralitharan that left them shellshocked, and rendered the capacity crowd at the Asgiriya Stadium delirious with joy. In the end, West Indies were shot out for 137, with Lasith Malinga and Rangana Herath claiming the other two wickets, as Sri Lanka won with more than four sessions to spare.Even a turning pitch and an inexperienced West Indian batting line-up could not detract from a monstrous bowling performance by Muralitharan, who swept away batsmen in a manner reminiscent of one swatting pesky flies. If the offbreak was dangerous, the doosra was unplayable, accounting for most of his victims. The batsmen were left clutching at air, in a maelstrom of offspin bowling that sucked them in, whirled them around and then spat them out. This was not a contest. This was a case of schoolchildren being taught a lesson they would remember for a long, long time.For the record, Sri Lanka won the Test match by 240 runs and the series by a 2-0 margin. But neither scoreline could adequately describe the outright humiliation that the players and spectators witnessed on the fourth afternoon at Kandy. The threat of rain was looming all the time, and Sri Lanka missed the talismanic Chaminda Vaas. No matter. With Muralitharan being in the form he was in, West Indies could have fancied their chances of saving the game only up till the point that he came on to bowl.

If Muralitharan had looked competitive in the first innings, in the second he was positively devastating. Runako Morton, Ryan Ramdass and Sylvester Joseph were left flummoxed by vicious doosras, the last two off consecutive deliveries, and Narsingh Deonarine, the only batsman to pose any kind of resistance, was forced back on to his stumps and bowled. Omari Banks followed an offbreak down the leg side into the hands of the keeper Kumar Sangakkara, and Daren Powell gave Mahela Jayawardene his fourth catch of the innings at silly mid-off. Denesh Ramdin’s promising knock ended with yet another doosra – he was drawn out of his crease and bowled. Tino Best was undone by a ripping offbreak. In the middle of the carnage, Herath snapped up Chanderpaul to to capture the only Test-class batting talent that West Indies possessed. Malinga picked up the wicket of Xavier Marshall, but these were just side-shows in the Muralitharan extravaganza.Sri Lanka had their eyes on a series whitewash long before Marvan Atapattu called his players in with the Sri Lankan score on 375 for 7. Play commenced late after rain delayed the start of the fourth day’s morning session. Sangakkara continued from where he had left off, moving effortlessly to 157 not out from his overnight 135, a performance that got him the Man-of-the-Match award. Atapattu chose to delay his declaration, possibly influenced by Vaas’s injury, and Muralitharan’s recent attack of the flu. Sangakkara and Herath used the opportunity to share a 54-run stand to put the target well beyond the reach of West Indies. But with Muralitharan bowling the way he did, they really needn’t have bothered.

West Indies second innings
Xavier Marshall lbw b Malinga 1 (2 for 1)
Shuffled across to a yorker that swung lateRunako Morton lbw b Muralitharan 9 (38 for 2)
Ryan Ramdass c Jayawardene b Muralitharan (49 for 3)
Sylvester Joseph c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 4 (49 for 4)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Jayawardene b Herath 24 (77 for 5)
Narsingh Deonarine b Muralitharan 29 (105 for 6)
Omari Banks c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 1 (111 for 7)
Daren Powell c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 0 (119 for 8)
Denesh Ramdin b Muralitharan 28 (131 of 9)
Tino Best b Muralitharan 8 (137 all out)

In a high-scoring encounter at the University Oval in Dunedin between Otago and Central Districts, Otago finished on the losing side despite a century by opener Chris Gaffaney, who scored 101 off just 55 balls. This is incidentally the maiden century in New Zealand’s inaugural Twenty20 competition.Gaffaney shared a 94-run stand for the third wicket with Nathan McCullum, who scored 52 with three sixes. Ross Taylor, the offbreak bowler conceded 46 runs off his three overs.Chasing Otago’s challenging target of 220, Central Districts lost Mathew Sinclair with the score on 12. Jamie How, enjoying a good season with the bat, and Ross Taylor shared a productive partnership of 93. The latter unleashed a brutal assault, scoring 66 off just 22 balls, with nine fours and five sixes. How made sure he hung around till the end, finishing on an unbeaten 74, as his team chased the target comfortably with one over to spare, losing only four wickets in the process.This was Central Districts’ first win in the competition.

The Standard Bank Pro20 series, which is at its halfway stage, has received an overwhelming support from the crowds. Fans are thoroughly enjoying the thrilling entertainment and action of the shortened version of the game and are coming out in large numbers to support the newly formed franchise teams.In the eight matches so far, a total of 70,326 spectators have come through the turnstiles, with the 18,221 who watched the Nashua Dolphins defeat the Highveld Lions at the Wanderers on April 16 being the biggest crowd. The average attendance of 8,820 is an indication of the interest that these matches have generated.Gerald Majola, the CEO of the UCB, said that they had always expected this tournament to generate a large amount of interest. “These are very encouraging numbers. We had every confidence that Standard Bank Pro20 Series would be a great success, and these figures indicate that our confidence has been justified. Entertainment for all has been the key both on and off the field, and it has been wonderful to see the large number of families and young fans enjoying the razzmatazz on and off the field.”All but two of the matches have ended in the last over, with the winning runs in three games being scored in the final over. A total of 2303 runs have being scored in 313.4 overs, at a rate of 7.3 per over, including 51 sixes.

Pakistan’s coach, Bob Woolmer, twice turned down an offer to coach the Sri Lankan cricket team.Woolmer, the former South Africa coach, said he had been taking time off from the game when the first offer was made, and had not been satisfied at the manner in which the second offer was made.”The first time I was approached was soon after the 1999 World Cup when my contract with South Africa was over,” said Woolmer, “but I wanted some time out from cricket and didn’t quite consider the offer.”Woolmer, 57, who is back in Sri Lanka with the Pakistan team for two Tests and three one-dayers, said he had been interested in the assignment in 2003 but the officials did not have proper discussions with him.”On the second instance the circumstances weren’t right and therefore I declined,” he said. “They were making offers of money without trying to sit down with me for a chat.”Although Woolmer’s name was rumoured in cricket circles to replace Dav Whatmore three years ago, it was believed at the time that violence in the country had made him decline the offer.But Woolmer said security was never a concern. “That’s far from the truth. I love this place and my wife loves this place. It didn’t worry me one bit. If I am going to die while coaching cricket, then so be it.”Sri Lanka were desperately searching for someone to replace Whatmore after the last World Cup and had an interim coach in former skipper Duleep Mendis before the Australian, John Dyson, was given the job. Dyson coached Sri Lanka for 18 months before being replaced by present coach Tom Moody, also an Australian.Woolmer also indicated that he did not have many years left in coaching. “I am getting old for the job. Throwing hard at practice sessions and giving high catches are becoming difficult,” he said. “I am contracted with the Pakistan Cricket Board till the 2007 World Cup and will assess what to do after that.”Woolmer made a name for himself in the early-1990s as Warwickshire’s coach and later moved to South Africa, where he worked for five years. He was later appointed as the International Cricket Council’s High Performance Manager and took up his present assignment in 2004.

Andy Pycroft, Zimbabwe’s team manager, wants to put in the background the politics and the economics that have afflicted Zimbabwe’s cricket in recent times. Instead he wants to concentrate on developing their reconstructed, inexperienced side for their forthcoming trip to the Caribbean.”We’re looking at cricket not politics and trying to prepare this new side as quickly as we can.”As they prepare to head for the West Indies for a series of seven one-day internationals, starting on April 29, Pycroft is optimistic they will make the type of progress to ensure they return to Test cricket early next year.”We wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing unless we believe it was possible,” Pycroft said. “The time frame set to try and get back into Test cricket is February next year.”We’ve very much been focused on one-day cricket because we believe that’s the way to bring the side through and then get back into longer cricket once we’ve got the experience that we need.”Pycroft, who played three Tests and 20 one-day internationals for Zimbabwe between 1983 and 1992, was speaking from Harare during an interview with CMC CricketPlus during the third day of the Carib Beer Challenge final between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados at Guracara Park on Monday.A series victory, he admitted, would certainly raise a lot of eyebrows. “A lot of people have written Zimbabwe cricket off with the problems they’ve had, but there is still a lot of potential there.”Their 16-man squad, led by Terrance Duffin, includes several players with very little international experience, but the manager is upbeat about the preparations.”The mood’s been very good. It’s a very young side. The average age is only something just over 20 years old, forced on us because a lot of players have given up in the recent past,” Pycroft said. “The side we’ve got together has been practising hard over the last five or six weeks. They are learning quickly and playing quite well. The strength of the side is more in the bowling department. The batting is quite inexperienced.”Prior to coming to the Caribbean, Zimbabwe played against Kenya and after the ODIs against the West Indies, they will remain for a triangular limited-overs series in Trinidad that also involves Bermuda and Canada.”We want these lads to get as much experience as possible. A lot of these guys haven’t played at international level,” Pycroft said. “They are getting better and better. The aim of this tour is to give them experience as quickly as possible and to be as competitive as possible. There is no doubt we can do it.”

Scorecard
Ian Butler and Devon Smith turned in stellar performances with the ball and bat to secure Windward Islands’ spot in the KFC Cup final against Trinidad. Butler took 4 for 30 to restrict Barbados to 155 and Smith carried his bat through the chase to lead Windward to victory by three wickets at the Arnos Vale Ground in St Vincent.Butler backed up Rawl Lewis’s decision to bowl first by taking four of the top five Barbados wickets in quick time. They were struggling at 92 for 5 at one stage, a position from which they never sufficiently recovered. Floyd Reifer top-scored for Barbados with 42 but their hopes of a fightback were snuffed out by Rawl Lewis, who took 3 for 29.Chasing a modest target of 156, Windward lost Lyndon James for 13. After a partnership of 42 for the second wicket, Smith lost Andre Fletcher and Miles Bascombe in quick succession and Windwards were struggling at 62 for 3. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals but Smith, who struck 75, provided a steadying hand right through. The required run-rate was never a problem and Smith held up one end as wickets fell at the other to take Windward home with 35 balls to spare.

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Tom MoodyOn Sri Lanka’s bowling and the overall performance
India is a very hard place to bowl. It’s not easy on these flat wickets. I thoughtwe collectively pulled together. I’d rather concentrate on the positives and amhappy that we had a terrific partnership while chasing. Our fielding wasn’t as goodas we are capable of. It’s pleasing that two middle-order players came together tofinish the job.On Sanath Jayasuriya’s bad run
He’s having a lean time. Every player goes through these highs and lows but the goodthing is he’s hitting the ball well and working hard in the nets. The Indian bowlershave bowled well to him. Ajit Agarkar has really done well and hit his straps in allthe games.On Nuwan Zoysa’s injury
He had a slight twist in the ankle while fielding. Probably stretched himself toomuch while trying to stop a run.Rahul DravidOn the performance
It’s not easy to say what went wrong but I think we were 25-30 runs short. I thoughtwe had a lot of positives form the game – the attitude and the fielding were goodand the young boys did a great job.On his batting and the experimentation to the side
I’m batting quite well and hitting the ball in the middle. We have a young battingline-up and we need to give them some time and chances. We are experimenting withthe side but we are looking to win every game. I’ll be looking for a 6-1 win in theseries irrespective of the experimentation.On his fitness
I had a slight cramp and didn’t want to take too many chances with many matchescoming up.Greg ChappellOn experimenting with the side
It was very positive. We have to experiment with the long run in mind. If we don’twe run the risk of finding ourselves with players not fit enough or not in form. Wehave to plan towards the World Cup in 2007 and all the games we play need to bedirected towards that. We are obviously looking to play the best combination but ifwe don’t give youngsters a chance now, we run the risk of looking back later andsaying, ‘we didn’t take that chance’. Had we won with this young side, the benefitfor the next 12 to 18 months would have been tremendous. We need to take such risks.On Gautam GambhirHe played brilliantly. It’s not easy for someone to sit in the sidelines and thenwalk out and play so well. I thought he started really well and showed his talentand his mental state.On the fielding
I don’t think we have fielded as well as this in recent times. We were outstanding.On Dravid’s form and Sehwag’s leadership today
Dravid’s a fine player and sets an example like always. I hope he does it forlonger. Sehwag did a good job. I thought he attacked and defended when he had to. Itwas tough to captain out there in the evening and he did fine.